Christmas Dinner

Before dinner yesterday, our friend Van asked if I was gonna have enough stuff I could eat. I told him it was covered:

Carrots, green beans, mashed sweet potatos and pears, various kinds of pickles, chickpea cutlet with mustard sauce, mashed potatos and corn, cornbread, and my first (very successful) attempt at homemade cornbread stuffing.

Whew...I'm glad I don't eat like this every day.

Holiday Baking Part 5: Sparkled Ginger Cookies & basic gf cookie tips.

Sparkled Ginger Cookies

I think these were the first cookies I made gluten free last year. They are still one of the most requested by my friends and family. The original recipe came from Vegan with a Vengeance. Isa Moskowitz has graciously granted me permission to post the whole recipe here with my substitutions.

4 TBS turbinado sugar (reserved for top of cookies)

Flour mixture:
1-1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup garfava flour
3/4 cup tapioca flour/starch
1/2 cup arrowroot

1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2-1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses (the original recipe doesn't specify blackstrap, but I love the cookies dark and rich)
1/4 cup rice milk
1 cup turbinado sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease two cookie sheets. Place the 4 tbsp turbinado sugar in a small plate or bowl.

Sift together the flour mixture, baking soda, salt and spices. In a separate large mixing bowl, mix together the oil, molasses, rice milk, cup of turbinado sugar and vanilla. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and combine well. Roll into 1-inch balls, flatten into a 1-1/2 inch diameter disk, press the cookie tops in to the reserved turbinado sugar and place 1 inch apart sugar side up on a prepared cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, let cool on cookies sheets for 3 to 5 minutes, transfer to cooling rack.

Enjoy the perfect holiday cookie!

********

A few tips for the cookie recipes on this site:

I use a mesh strainer/sieve instead of a sifter. If it's not very full, I just move the strainer side to side lightly and the ingredients mix together and "sift" If it's fuller like it is for this recipe, I poke a well into the middle of the ingredients with my finger and "stir" the ingredients around to sift through the strainer. The reason I do this is that xanthan gum is very messy in a sifter. If you want to rinse the sifter or accidentally get liquid in there it becomes difficult to clean. In fact, I found it impossible and threw the sifter away. The strainer just rinses clean and then goes in the dishwasher.

The dough for these cookies will be gooey-er than their gluten containing counterparts. You'll be tempted to add flour. Don't do it. You'll end up with a dry crumbly mess much like some of the store bought gluten free cookies we've been subject to before. Just know that you'll have sticky hands and get over it. If they really are unworkable, try refrigerating them for a while. If that doesn't work you might have to lightly flour your hands. I've had to with the last two batches of chocolate chip. I think it's either because of the new brand of sugar or the humidity we've had here lately.

The chocolate chip cookies on this site are soft and chewy - they don't spread out like the original recipes probably do. I like them that way and could never find a good soft chocolate chip cookie when I wasn't gluten free. If you like them crispy, my guess would be to decrease garfava/sorghum and increase the arrowroot. They might work, they might not. Don't be afraid to try. Very few of the recipes I've tried worked the first time.

And a seemingly silly tip: Don't skip the baking soda. I say this mostly to remind myself. I made the ginger cookies last week and forgot the baking soda. An entire batch of gooey disgusting cookies landed in the trash. What a waste of potential gingery goodness!

There will be a couple more cookie posts coming, but then I really have to start eating real food again ;-)

Teaser for things to come: substitutes for Terry's favorite Almond cookie (crunch!); a lesson on making burmese tofu (chickpea based instead of soy) and how to make a Caesar salad that is actually gf/soy-free.

Holiday Baking Bonus Post: Cranberry Orange Nut Mini Muffins

When I originally planned the holiday baking posts, I hadn't even considered baking these. But, hey, it's one more chance to show off my fat little penguin!



Actually, on the original post for the bread, Vegetation suggested making muffins. I had a little party the other night with lots of goodies so mini muffins seemed the perfect fit.

Cranberry-Orange-Nut Mini Muffins

Cranberry-Orange-Nut Bread batter and filled lightly greased mini muffin tins to the very top. Then bake for 30 minutes at 325. Let cool in the pans for 5-10 minutes and then remove and place on wire racks until completely cool. If you sneak one while it's still a little warm, nobody will notice. This recipe made 30 mini muffins. So I guess, technically, you could sneak 6 of them and everybody would just think your recipe made a perfect 2 dozen.

Tip: If your muffin tins are like mine, you can't make 30 muffins without having some empty muffin spots. I fill the empties with just a tiny bit of water to keep the pan from burning. This may not be necessary, but somebody way back told me that's what you should do.

I even liked the texture of this recipe better as mini muffins. The first of my friends to try the muffins (Hi, Henry!) gave the following review - ::big grin:: mmmmm....

Just a teaser for the next post: Sparkled Ginger Cookies from Vegan with a Vengeance.

"Just say no"

Perhaps I should have said no to making the Chex Muddy Buddies. Not because they are bad, because they are TOO good. Warning: Muddy Buddies are addicting.

Chex Muddy Buddies

The original recipe is on the back of the Chex Box and I only needed to adjust for the butter. On the Chex site, it says you can use any Chex cereal, but I think only Rice Chex is gluten free.

Makes 18 servings (1/2 cup each)

9 cups Rice Chex®
1 cup vegan, soy-free chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life brand)
1/2 cup peanut butter (I used 365 brand creamy - available at Whole Foods Market)
1/4 cup coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1.Into large bowl, measure cereal; set aside.
2.In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.
3. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

I don't remember ever seeing a 2-gallon bag. I used a one gallon and it worked fine. I remembered muddy buddies from the past being whiter from powdered sugar. Then I realized I only used 1-1/4 cups powdered sugar. Whew...it's enough. Really I think it's a little too sweet and yet I had to put it away to make sure I had some for my party tomorrow night.

Holiday Baking Part 4: Coconut-Lemon Bundt Cake

I know...two posts in one day...crazy, right? First of all, this is more fun than getting ready for work. Secondly, the substitutions for the Coconut-Lemon Bundt Cake (Veganomicon pg 256) are so similar to the Cranberry-Orange-Nut Bread that it just makes sense to post them together. I made this cake last year and it was pretty good. I made a few adjustments and baked it this year for Thanksgiving, and I couldn't keep my family away from it. Hmm...better recipes=less cake for me.

Here are the substitutions:

• Choose the rice milk when given the option between rice and soy
• Instead of the all purpose flour use the following mixture:
• 1-1/2 cups GF "all purpose" flour mixture
• 1/2 cup each: garfava, sorghum and tapioca flours
• 3/4 tsp xanthan gum
• Instead of baking powder: 1-1/2 tsp cream of tartar, 1/2 tsp baking soda
• Turbinado sugar instead of granulated

Holiday Baking Part 3: Cranberry-Orange-Nut Bread

Originally, I had planned to put this Cranberry-Orange-Nut Bread later in the series, but I will be baking some tonight for a little get-together this weekend. My planning made me remember just how tasty it is, so I decided to bump it up. This bread packs in a triple punch: I love cranberry, orange and walnuts. How could it go wrong? It couldn't. It is so very right, especially those beautiful little jewel-like cranberries...mmm...Oh yeah, back to the recipe. I think mini loaves of this would make great little gifts...if only I had the mini loaf pans... But I digress again...if you do have them, your friends and family (with dietary restrictions and without) will thank you. If you don't, and you're nicer than I am, they will thank you for the larger loaves.



I used the recipe from Veganomicon (pg 228) with the following changes:

• Rice milk instead of soy milk
• Replaced the all purpose flour with this mixture:
• 1 cup my go-to GF "all purpose" flour mix
• 1/3 cup each: garfava, sorghum, tapioca flours
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• Replaced the baking powder with 1 tsp cream of tartar and 1/2 tsp baking soda
• Turbinado sugar instead of granulated

Instead of one large loaf pan, I cooked it in 2 smaller (approx 3-1/2 x 7-1/2 pans). It still took about an hour to bake like the original recipe said.

Enjoy!

I love Rice Chex

Rice Chex has been one of my favorite cereals since I was little. I knew I had checked it before, but I was grocery shopping with my mom before Thanksgiving and saw that it is now gluten free!

Holiday Baking Part 2: Cornbread

This is another recipe that I adjusted from one of Isa's recipes posted on the ppk.

Ingredients
2 cups cornmeal
1/3 cup garfava flour
1/3 cup tapioca flour
1/3 cup arrowroot
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/3 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 cups rice milk
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup frozen corn (optional - sometimes I even use 1-1/2 cups)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350, line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper or spray the bottom lightly with non-stick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, wisk together the rice milk and the vinegar and set aside. In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients (cornmeal, flours, xanthan gum, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt). Add the oil and maple syrup to the rice milk mixture. Whisk with a wire whisk or a fork until it is foamy and bubbly, about 2 minutes. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix together using a large wooden spoon or a firm spatula. Fold in the frozen corn. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and bake 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Sometimes I need to broil a minute or two to get it a little brown on top. Slice into squares and serve warm or store in an airtight container.

A look into the future

Here's a look at some of what's coming soon.

"All Purpose" GF Flour

I got this "all purpose" gluten free flour mixture from jamboxrocks at the ppk. I think she got it from somewhere else. Since I find brown rice flour to have too much of a taste and be a little dry/crumbly, I don't use it as completely all purpose, but it's worked great in muffins and pancakes. I'll refer back to this for some of my holiday baking.

I usually make up 3 cups at a time, but you could make more. Just keep it in these ratios.

2 cups brown rice flour
2/3 cups arrowroot
1/3 cup tapioca flour
1 tsp xantham gum

Holiday Baking Part 1 - update: Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

I tried the chocolate chip cookie recipe from Part 1 but made a couple easy changes:

Reduce vanilla to 1 tsp
Add 2 tsp peppermint extract
Add Green Food Coloring to give them a green tint (I used about 12 drops but think it needed a bit more, I'll try next time and see if I get a greener color).

I generally don't like the unnecessary use of food coloring, but I want to make them easily distinguishable from the regular chocolate chip cookies.

Voila - Mint chocolate chip cookies. I took them to my Sunday School class this morning and came home with an empty plate!

Holiday Baking Part 1: Chocolate Chip Cookies (soft/chewy)

With the recent Thanksgiving holiday and with Christmas and New Year's quickly approaching, I have begun baking again. I've learned some things over the last year and a half and have made some delicious holiday goodies. I have received the most requests for sharing cookies, so I'll start with a classic: soft chocolate chip cookies.

For the last couple months I've been desperate for a good chocolate chip cookie. It's not that chocolate chip cookies are really a need, but when you haven't had one in over a year, it surely seems that way. I finally found a recipe I thought I could work from! The original recipe was posted by Isa on the ppk

I deglutenized and changed a couple other things to meet my needs/preferemces. I usually have to try a recipe a couple times before I get the flour substitution just right, but I hit a winner first time with this one. My friend Sherry is often very hesitant about trying my cooking for fear that I will make her try something weird. When she tried these, she told me she didn't really care what was in them and not to change a thing. Then she packed up a few and took them home.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about two dozen two inch cookies (I actually got 21)

Flour mixture:
1/4 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup garfava (garbanzo and fava bean) flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch/flour
1/4 cup arrowroot
1-1/2 tsp xanthan gum

3/4 cup turbinado sugar
2/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup unsweetened rice milk
1 tablespoon tapioca flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life chips - they are vegan and soy/gluten free)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease two large metal baking sheets.

In a small bowl, mix together the flour mixture with a whisk or a fork. Be sure to combine them really well so the xanthan will be evenly mixed through. Set aside.

Mix together sugar, oil, milk and 1 Tbsp tapioca flour in a mixing bowl. Use a strong fork and mix really well, for about 2 minutes, until it resembles smooth caramel. There is a chemical reaction when sugar and oil collide, so it’s important that you don’t get lazy about that step. Mix in the vanilla.

Add 1 cup of the flour mixture, the baking soda and salt. Mix until well incorporated. Mix in the rest of the flour. Fold in the chocolate chips. The dough is a little sticky, so you'll probably have to use your hands to get the chips really mixed in. For most of the cookies I've made, the gluten free version is much different from a "regular" cookie dough (less stiff, gooey-er) -- they will still work.

For about 2 dozen two inch cookies roll dough into walnut sized balls and flatten to about 1 1/2 inches. They will spread just a bit. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 12 minutes* until they are just a little browned around the edges. Let cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.

*The original recipe says to bake them for 6 minutes. I'm not sure why the variation in time: whether it's because of the difference in sugar, a difference in flour, or a difference in my oven/pans. Even though I think it's the change in the ingredients, you might want to start checking at 6-8 minutes just to see how they work with your oven and pans.