laborofwonder

Where Whine Meets Wine

Apr 4

The Flip Side

by motherofwonder

So the two questions I’m finding that I get asked the most is how can we afford to cook everything homemade and natural/organic, and how do I have the time? …but basically the REAL answer to both questions is that I can’t afford NOT to. My little MissE is allergic to… a lot of things. Food coloring, preservatives, tomatoes, citric acid, MSG, wheat… and those are just are “for sure” ones. It was to the point that no matter how careful we were or what we didn’t give her, she had hives with every meal. Eventually they were just always present around her mouth. So we gave up. We gave up over-processed, over colored, and over preserved foods. We started making things from scratch… like really from scratch. What we filled in it’s place was fresh, tasty, healthy food. We are healthier for it, and so are our children. And for the first time in MissE’s little life, she is hive free.

It started with when we moved from the apartment (affectionately dubbed “the little house” by my children) to “the house.” We started a garden and we practically have a farmer’s market in our backyard (I know, how great is that?!)… and so we made the decision, for both health and financial reasons, to go scratch. Threw out all the boxes and over-processed crap, and never looked back… well, maybe an occasional glance, but only to say, can you believe we ever ate that stuff?! Yes, the initial set up of buying all the cooking and baking ware and goods will cost you something, but we cut our grocery bill in half, therefore quickly recouping the initial costs. And then there’s the, “I wish I had time to cook. You’re so lucky you have all this time to cook since you’re home with the kids.” (insert irritated-by-your-condescension laugh) First of all, because of my daughter, I really don’t have a choice, I HAVE to cook this way, and number two…it actually doesn’t take as long as you think it does. Seriously. I can MAKE noodles/pasta in the amount of time it takes to boil the water. And in the same amount of time it would take you to make a box of hamburger helper, I can make a homemade version. And it will be so much better for you, and it will taste so much better too. Seriously. Plus, since I’m making it all from scratch and have the things necessary to do so at home… I go to the grocery store WAY less. And I LOVE not having to do that so often! Plus, the less you go, the less you’re tempted to buy things that you don’t need! For me, the key to the time I spend cooking, is organization. Keeping my supplies…supplied. And having things that can have multiple purposes. Or doing things in advance. Or whenever you have a few free moments. Already making an alfredo/tomato sauce for tonights meal? Double it and put the rest in the fridge/freezer for next time. (Frozen sauce really take very little time to thaw.) Cooking up some chicken to throw in that alfredo sauce? Cook some extra to go on salad for lunch tomorrow. Easy things like that. And when you’ve done some of these steps, when you have nights where you just don’t feel like cooking…you’ll have something easy to throw together. Or simple enough your significant other could do it! Really. And trust me, hubby cooks breakfast on the weekends…and that’s about it (at least during the winter- during the summer he does quite a bit of grilling, when he’s home before dinner time anyhow), so I make the meals myself, so I know some days we just don’t wanna do it! But anytime we’ve “taken the easy route” and gone out to dinner 3 things happen: 1) by the time we get to the restaurant and receive our food- we could have cooked and eaten a meal at home. 2) we’ve paid for food that in general would have tasted better if I’d of made it myself. 3) we have to deal with the kids in a restaurant.

Now, how do we afford to do this? (Again, really no other option, but…) There are lots of helpful hints. Buy in season. Buy in bulk. (we ♥ Costco and on-line… lots of good deals there, and lots free of charge shipping) Buy local. Freeze, dry, can, store… figure it out. And do it. You’ll never regret it, and as it is with lots of things, you will be pleasantly surprised by how easy it is. Seriously. And make the most of what you have. Yogurt on sale? I’ll buy a ton and make frozen yogurt popsicles (my kids prefer them to actual ice cream or regular popsicles, which they can’t have anyways!), or fruit roll ups. Also a great idea for when you have yogurt that is about to expire and you don’t want it to go bad- freeze it! We try to waste as little as we can, so if I have a bunch of tomatoes about to go bad- I make tomato sauce, and freeze it or can it. Spices I’ve boughten fresh over the winter and don’t use up- I dry it. Which basically saves you twice. Because you got the fresh spice and then when cooking you don’t have to buy an expensive bottle of anything, because you’ve already got the fresh/recently dried, better tasting stuff anyhow. Another great tip that I’ve learned is stocking up on things that are naturally (or regularly) made gluten-free. You’ll be surprised by how many things there are (Trader Joe’s even has a list in it’s store -that you can take home- that has all of it’s products that are gluten free). We were so thankful that our favorite (as a household) snack is chips and salsa. Bread (for sandwiches and toast) is the thing we miss most. In the beginning I was pretty good about making bread weekly, but haven’t been so good about it lately. Although we’ve learned other tricks, like PB&J roll ups on corn tortillas. Add a little nutella and they think it’s a special treat!  PS. trader joe’s is a GREAT find! Things are so reasonable that you’ll want to buy everything! And they have a great selection of gluten free things (including one of my favorite things- Almond meal… double the amount of what you’d find at the store for less than half the price! Score!).

Another thing that really helps -that’s SO simple- is: make friends! Farmer’s markets are great for that! We (truly) go every week, so by the end almost of the summer almost every stand would have some little treat waiting for my kids every week, because they knew we’d by, and they’d come to know us. We buy our beef from a hobby farm (which is a great money saver on organic, hormone-free, icky-stuff-free beef) that’s owned by a friend of my mother-in-law. We get eggs from *a guy through hubbyman’s work who raises chickens. We get corn from a friend of my Grandparents who farms. Seriously, people are willing to share- if they know you’re interested. Our neighbor knows we love veggies and such and so whenever people give her things from their gardens- she brings it over to me! So reach out- post a facebook status that says, who knows where there’s a crop share available? Or who has extras from their garden? I bet you’d be surprised with the responses, I know I have been. Farmer’s markets are my favorite way of buying produce, and the cheapest as far as buying organic and pesticide free go too. Yes, organic food stores (and even organic in your neighborhood grocery store) can be spendy, so you should figure out what’s in season (it’ll be cheaper) and stick to the most important ones to go organic on. They’re commonly referred to as “The Dirty Dozen.” (think- celery with no protective “skin” against pesticides vs bananas with a peel you don’t eat anyways.) Another thing, make cyber friends too! I was amazed with how many blogs and sites I found with people with similar ideas and lifestyles as my family. Support and good ideas all in one! Plus, real mom recipes are the best kind- you know, ones a real person has actually made. Someone who maybe has a bunch of kids running around and a husband and a life and still cooked a meal, and was willing to share it… chances are, it’s gonna be a good one. (plus that takes so much of the guess work out on your side!)

When we first started making things from scratch, and then again when we went gluten-free, we got lots of comments about how much time it would take, how hard it would be to find anything to eat, and how expensive things would be. We muddled through anyways. And through intentional shopping and eating, we’ve found it to actually have been a really good experience. And we believe our kids will be healthier for it. Which in today’s society, is unfortunately becoming more and more rare. I have a lot more to say about intentional eating, and living… but I’ll save that for another day. Monday Funday means no TV/DVDs/Computer Games for my kids and so… it’s interactive, which requires my participation!

Maybe later I’ll let you in on our afternoon’s adventure- making cannoli! I loved when my mom would make it growing up, and so now I’m continuing the tradition! Plus, my kids love cooking along side of me! I love traditions and getting my kids involved- so it’s a double bonus for me! And them!

 

*we now get beef, pork, and hopefully soon- chicken from him too!

Gluten Free Life According To Me

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Apr 1

Just Call Me The April Fool

by motherofwonder

I have so many things I want to combine in this post, because there’s so much going on right now! I realize I haven’t said anything about “the Love Dare” the last weekish. And it’s not because I’m not doing it- I really am! As I knew would eventually happen (and perhaps why I stalled so much in the beginning- to prevent the inevitable.), I feel peace. And happy. I am now this perfectly kind, wise, patient woman that I always knew I could be. Ok, scratch that. But in truth, I am finding myself having more patience, which in turn is allowing me to respond to situations with more kindness than I’m afraid I’ve been showing as of late. And it’s having benefits. As I’m more patient with them (and in turn, showing more kindness), they are returning the favor. Hubbyman and I realized last night that there have been WAY less time outs at our house lately. (and I mean WAY less) And Hubby even has shown me an abnormal amount of kindness lately. The last couple of weeks he’d been looking at me and smirking. I was starting to worry. Finally last weekend it came out that he had been SEARCHING (he even went *gasp* shopping- on-line yes, but he also went to actual stores, like Williams*Sonoma! My husband!) for a pasta extruder/attachment so I can make macaroni and rotini (and therefore don’t have to buy any noodles!). This is a HUGE deal. I even got a back rub a couple nights ago, without asking for one, and without having to return the favor. Maybe it had something to do with the fact I had to miss out on my girls’ night with one of my favorite Happy Hour mistresses. (Seriously, she’s terrific! She knows that I get out infrequent enough that she is always reminding me that I’m important too, not to check my phone -much- and we stay out until I have to go back!) But even that is something to be thankful for. He had is in the middle of a big project at work and had to work, but he still recognized that I was missing out. Suffice it to say, things are looking up in our household.

…or maybe it was all a big trick!! This morning I got up and it was freezing! I’d been cold all night too- even with Big E snuggled into our bed (I don’t even know when that happened?!), and that boy’s a heater. So turns out the heat never got turned up before bed (I turn it way down during the day depending on if we’re spending our day upstairs or downstairs… no point in heating an area we’re not in!). So I was cold and a little cranky. And then I go upstairs. I have Littlest E on my hip, because he’s been up for quite some time playing and is starting to get a little cranky. I get my favorite coffee cup -because of it’s size- and turn on the water (yes, I admit it, I was going to make instant coffee. Please don’t judge. I know it’s bad. I’m just that desperate for coffee immediately.)… and then it happens. I get sprayed with water. And it takes me a moment to realize what’s going on (hello?! no coffee yet!?!), and to realize that the baby on my hip is being sprayed directly in his face. Great. So I turn the water off and look at the hose, figuring something had to have gone wrong. And then it hits me. It’s APRIL FIRST. Crap. And there’s the string tied around the hose. So I do a little growling and muttering as I cut the string off. I wipe Ethan down, change shirts.  ….it might also be helpful to know this about me: I HATE when my clothes get wet. Like hate, hate. So much that a small spill even, will send me back into the house to change, no matter where I was heading, or how late I already am. Hate. It’s weird, don’t question it- it’s just how it is. Then Miss E (the 2 1/2 year old, nicknamed the dEva) starts asking for some water and she’s whining… so I pick her up and we go get her water. Turns out, the hose had been tied down so long, it wanted to stay in that position. You should also know something about Miss E: She’s dramatic, and she hates getting her clothes wet at least as much as I do. And still no coffee yet.

Breathe in….breathe out. Make enough coffee to feed an army. Drink and watch Ellen. Breathe. Try not to mutter about killing my husband in front of the children… aaahhh, coffee kicks in. As I posted in my facebook status: [Husband]- apparently you’ve forgotten who cooks your meals, washes your clothes, and raises your children… because you’d think you would know better than to pull a prank on her. But don’t worry, I’ll make dinner extra special as a reminder!

Now to plan dinner…. BAHAHAHA! (that’s my online version of evil laughter)

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Chicken Gluten Free Life According To Me Love Dare Marriage Recipes

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Mar 31

Breakfast 4Ever-y meal

by motherofwonder

(*We had these again! Still a fan favorite! And we’ve tested it out on Grandparents and Uncles… let’s just say, we don’t normally have leftovers of this meal!! Pictures have been added! (hooray!) And I noticed an oops! I switched the amounts of sugar vs. water in my sauce! Yikes!! So the parts that have been updated are highlighted!)

These are SO delicious… I felt a little selfish not sharing them with you! Really- soooo yummy! Good enough that my 4 year old that DOES NOT eat pancakes, NEVER HAS eaten pancakes will eat two of them, in one sitting. And says they’re “Ooooh, delicious!” They’re that good. I guess I should also note that Husband is the one that does our weekend breakfast cooking (you know, the days when you feed yourself and your kids things other than yogurt, cereal, or oatmeal). And so he found this recipe online and made it two days in a row!

Now the original recipe called for Gluten Free Bisquick (side note: I find it uber annoying when things claim to have these wonderful gluten free recipes and then say generic things like, use gluten free bisquick or substitute gluten free all-purpose flour for wheat flour… blah!! I know in general it’s for simplicities sake, but for me, it’s an extra trip to the grocery store) and it had you using a cup of “strawberry syrup” (I assume, like the ice cream topping). True to form, I HAVE to make it my own. So the first time we did the recipe exactly as it called for with the exception of the strawberry syrup- we just used a can of strawberry pie filling, and it was good (good enough to make again), but we knew it could be even better! So day #2 I made my own strawberry sauce, and of course, me being me…I made enough to freeze some! So there was my leftover fix of the night! And I mean this in all sincerity when I say it was so good that I will be trying it on various fruits and hope to never use generic pie filling FOR ANYTHING ever again! And so this time I made them (because we’re on week 3 of Husband working late) and I made them my way! So… I’m including my recipe! (c’mon, this is my blog after all.)

Yummy In My Tummy Pancakes

  • 1/3 cup almond meal/flour
  • 1/3 cup coconut flour
  • 1/3 cup tapioca flour
  • 1 Tbs sugar/honey/sweetener of choice
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 Tbs canola oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 package cream cheese, 1/4 in cubes *

Mix together the flours, baking soda, and salt. In separate bowl beat the egg and oil, add to the dry ingredients. Add in milk and mix. Once mixed add in the cream cheese, folding gently (you WANT lumps of cream cheese, not for it to be mixed in)…. and cook. Griddle 350 degrees or med. high heat on the range.

(Substitutes): You can substitute any/all of the flours for 1 cup of all-purpose flour (gluten free or otherwise). You can substitute the milk for whatever your “dairy” preference would be (would be so yummy with almond milk). You could also substitute the canola oil for oil of your preference. I wanted to use my sunflower oil, but couldn’t find it until after I’d made them.

*freeze cream cheese for best/easiest results


Berry Delicious Strawberry Sauce

  • 1 pkg strawberries
  • 1/4 cup sugar/honey/sweetener of choice
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/2 tsp corn starch
  • 1/2 tsp coconut flour

Wash and slice strawberries. Place in sauce pan over med. heat. In bowl add water and thickener -about a tsp of whatever thickener you prefer will work- and mix, add sugar. Add to strawberries. Cook until boiling, about 2 more minutes. Strawberries should be soft and syrup the preferred consistency, adding water by the Tbs as needed, or pinches of thickener as needed. You may like more sweetener as well. I started out with a small amount so that I could add it as necessary and keep my sugar content to a minimum!


So go ahead and pick up whatever you need for the ingredients and make your family your own version of this yummy, yummy treat!!

Gluten Free Life According To Me Recipes

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Mar 30

The Leftover Mama

by motherofwonder

I have at least 3 other posts in the works… but I’m just not feelin’ any of ’em. At least at this particular moment. In fact, the reason I haven’t done any new posts for about a week, is I haven’t been feelin’ any topic! I’m not sure what that’s all about, but I’m going to attempt and muddle my way through to break the spell.

I stay busy…pretty much all day, pretty much every day. And I am guilty of snack meals. I make the kids lunches and yet I just grab something quick. If at all. Sometime in the afternoon, the cups of coffee without any food jitters start to set in… and then I grab something. For me the worst is when the husband is working late… I make the kids dinner and sometimes will eat with them. But I’m very much less into making a family meal, when we’re not eating as a family. Which is silly because by the time I’ve searched through the pantry or fridge trying to decide on something that sounds good… I could have actually made something that tasted really good. Last night was a victory for me, small, but a victory none the less! You see, I’m kind of queen of the leftovers! I LOVE finding random things left over from meals that don’t have enough left to be a meal itself and finding a way of combining and making it new!  Especially when it’s just the kids and I (they’re much less picky!). So this last week or two we’ve had: chicken sausages (the yummy kind from Trader Joe’s), cannelloni (ricotta filled!), pizza (Chicken, spinach, white ranch sauce), and of course various forms of noodles, just to name a few.

So night-without-daddy #1: There were only 2 chicken sausages left. Sweet Italian and Jalapeño. I put them in the food processor, mixed with some ricotta (left over from the cannelloni and ravioli) and put over noodles. (note: I always make at least one extra serving of all meals so that there’s enough for hubby’s lunch the next day). The kids ate THREE whole bowls full- each! I repeat: 3!! I barely had any, and there was none left for Daddy! But the kids were happy and full, and let’s face it, we wouldn’t trade that for all the lunches in the world!! Night #2: Also inspired by leftovers. Made rice noodles (that taste like wonderful egg noodles- seriously, so, so good!). Used leftovers from pizza! Ranch sauce had been thrown in the fridge in a dish with the spinach and chicken, so I put it all in a pot. Sauteed some more spinach, threw a small dish of leftover breakfast sausage in the food processor, and added in some of my “add to everything” almond flour… it was so yummy! Night #3: Made kids their favorite kind of sandwiches: gluten-free waffles (used just like 2 slices of bread) filled with nutella, a dollop of peanut butter, and a drop of jelly. Just as I was thinking about eating a waffle myself… I looked at the breast and a half of thawed chicken that needed to be cooked anyway. And the leftover mama (how many names can I make up out of this?) opted for delicious! And all but the almonds were left over from previous meals: spinach, blue cheese crumbles, chicken, toasted almond slices, and strawberry poppyseed dressing. So good.


We are hoping to start eating more fish… here is what I’m making this weekend:

Chili-Seared Salmon

  • 2 Tbs chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
  • 4 (6 oz) salmon fillets (about 1 inch thick)
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • Sweet Pepper Salsa

Combine chili powder, salt, and pepper; rub evenly over salmon fillets. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add salmon, cook 4 minutes on each side or to desired degree of doneness. Serve with Sweet Pepper Salsa.

sidenote: For an easy but delicious salmon dish with crispy skin, be sure to use “pure” olive oil, not extra-virgin olive oil, which burns more easily.

Sweet Pepper Salsa

  • 4 plum tomatoes, seeded and julienned
  • 2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
  • 1 lg yellow bell pepper, seeded and julienned
  • 1 sm red onion, julienned
  • 2 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 Tbs fresh lime juice
  • 2 tsp cider vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp sugar
  • 1/4 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp ground red pepper

Stir together all ingredients. Let stand 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

I may double it, just so I have leftovers I can work into another recipe! What are your favorite meals to make out of leftovers?

Chicken Gluten Free Recipes

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Mar 23

I’d like samoa please!

by motherofwonder

Let’s face it, don’t we all love girl scout cookies?! I bought ten boxes this year (yes, ten!). 4 Samoa (hubby fav), 4 thin mint (proptly placed in the freezer- my fav), and two other boxes of…I don’t even remember! Well, because Miss E can’t have any (the wheat factor) it seemed unfair for her to not have a chance to share in this slice of Americana. So I searched out recipes, compared, contrasted, and of course- made it my own! This doesn’t really fall into the “quick and easy” or “healthy” categories, but after sending out recipe after recipe to all my friends who’ve been asking for it (and therefore making me feel much less guilty about having made and eaten so many of these cookie!)…I’ve had a change of heart. So enjoy it, eat it up, and hopefully share them! (they also LOOKED really good, so if you want a recipe that is sure to impress- this is it! Hopefully I can find the adapter for my camera so I can post a picture of these delicious beauties!)

Samoas via the phone

This is my favorite (gluten free) version of the recipe:

  • 1 cup butter, soft
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup almond meal/flour
  • 1 1/4 cup gluten free all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • up to 2 tbsp milk

*to make “regular” cookies: use 2 cups all-purpose flour in place of the almond meal and GF all-purpose flour (or keep the almond meal and just substitute regular flour for gf). And use 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract.

sidenote: I used the almond meal because I love the taste and because the current brand of GF all-purpose flour we are currently testing out has a “vegetabley” taste (it’s main ingredient is garbanzo beans). Adding the almond and cutting down the all-purpose kept that taste from lingering after baking (as did the extra 1/2 tsp of vanilla)! Plus the added protein and healthy benefits of having the almond in! (makes me feel a tiny bit better about eating these cookies!)

Preheat oven to 350F.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, followed by the vanilla and milk, adding in the milk slowly to make sure it’s not too sticky (you may not need all the milk- *I did need it*). The dough should come together into a soft, not-too-sticky ball. Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough is very sticky.

Roll the dough (in 2 or batches) out between pieces of saran wrap to about 1/4-inch thickness (or slightly less) and use a cookie cutter to make rounds (or the top of a glass). Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and use a knife, or the end of a wide straw, to cut a smaller center hole. Repeat. While I did a few circles with holes, most were flower and monkey shaped… because of course, I had helpers! And, to be honest, it was the end of the day, I was tired and cranky and got very quickly frustrated with the “stickiness”… And hubbyman finished rolling them out and cutting them with the kids. (Just another sign: he is a good man.) You can of course make them however you want in whatever shape you want. If you’re really wanting them to look like the girl scout version, then go with the water glass/circle cookie cutter route.

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are lightly browned and cookies are set. Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. (let cool about 2 minutes and then transfer- sooner they crumble and if you wait too long they’re more difficult to move as well)

*If you’re making Samoa Bars: just leave out the baking powder. Press it out evenly into a parchment-lined 9x13in dish and make sure to press it out almost as thin as you would the cookies to match the girl scout consistency. Mine were a little thicker and while still incredible, made them a little different than the GS version and I think if the cookie had been thinner it would have tasted more similar. Bake 350 for about 12-15 minutes. (I believe mine took 15 minutes but I’d check at 12 and see where yours are at.)

Topping

  • 3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
  • 1 1/2 cup brown sugar *
  • 1 cup butter *
  • 1/3 cup karo syrup *
  • 8 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (I used semisweet chocolate chips and that worked perfectly)

*If you’re not up to making the caramel, you can always substitute in12-oz good-quality chewy caramels, 3 Tbsp. milk, and 1/4 tsp. salt. (Unwrap, place in microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for about 3 minutes, stopping to stir several times- about every 45 sec.)

Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 25 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Bring brown sugar, butter, and karo syrup to a boil over medium heat. Stirring frequently! Boil for 2 minutes. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula. Using the spatula or a small offset spatula, spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 tsp per cookie. Reheat caramel briefly (stovetop or microwave) if it gets too firm to work with.

Sidenote: As mentioned previously I made both cookies and bars. So I used 4 cups of shredded coconut instead of three. It really makes a lot of caramel and I found that it was the perfect amount. Covered every cookie and every bar. So if you’re only making one batch of cookies (I figured it was way too much work for just one batch!) you can cut down your caramel if you’re making it from scratch. (the amounts I gave for the pre-made caramels is for one batch)

While topping sets up, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. (about 3 times) The original recipe (that I can no longer find anywhere!) said to dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate, but I found that was kind of tedious and a couple of times half the cookie part came off with the chocolate. I found it worked better to just put a quick swipe on with my spatula and place on a clean piece of parchment paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag (or make do like I did and use a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off) and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate.

Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container. The base does take a while to cool and set completely.

*The recipe says it makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies but I found it was more like about 2 dozen.

end sidenote: If all the rolling out and cookie-cutter-ing sounds too time consuming and not fun, I vote for the bars! They don’t taste any different than the cookies and were so much easier! If I make them again, I’ll be doing the bars from now on!

Gluten Free Life According To Me Recipes

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Mar 14

Pasta-licious

by motherofwonder

I’ve been working through a post about WHY we eat and cook the way we do…but it’s not quite *there* yet. So, until it is, just know, my recipes will be gluten free, or how to make them gluten free… And usually, easy. I really enjoy cooking, but mainly only have time for easy. And I want to share recipes that other people would actually use- within the amount of time a normal parent has to get dinner going and on the table! That being said, I’m going to share 2 noodle recipes. Each are good, easy…and gluten free. Hubbyman even made the noodles yesterday!

Version 1 (from Gluten Free Italian)

  • 2/3 cup brown rice flour *
  • 1/3 cup tapioca starch (plus extra if needed)
  • 1/2 tsp xantham gum
  • 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 lg egg
  • 1 lg egg yoke
  • 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 tsp for cooking the pasta
  • 1 tbs water

Combine the rice flour, tapioca starch, xantham gum, and salt in food processor and process to mix. Combine the egg, egg yoke, and olive oil, and water in a small bowl, and whisk.

With motor running, pour the egg mixture over the flour and pulse until the dough forms into a rough ball. (If it’s too wet to roll out, add about 1 tbs tapioca starch; if it’s too dry, add a few drops of water.)

Turn out, crumbs and all, and pat together into a disk. Cut the dough in half and work with one half at a time. Enclose the other one in plastic wrap. Place the ball of dough between two sheets of plastic wrap and roll into a very thin, even rectangle approximately 10×12 inches, turning the sheet of dough several times. Repeat with 2nd ball of dough.

If using immediately, peel off plastic, and cut into strips of desired width. Lay strips on clean kitchen towel and let dry slightly, for about 10 minutes. If freezing the dough, leave the sheets inside the plastic wrap and cut later.

to cook: bring 2 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add 1 tsp of salt and the pasta. Stir occasionally, until pasta is al dente, about 2 minutes. Drain and toss with butter and Parmesan (3 tbs butter and 2 oz Parm), or sauce of choice.

*Italian cooks say you should be able to read a newspaper through it- hubbyman says then put a light behind it! We used white rice flour instead of brown, because it’s what we had! And no food processor, because it was less to clean! We also doubled the recipe and rolled out the two extra sheets and froze. They thaw in about the time it takes water to boil. This time we used it in a pasta salad and it was so good!

Version 2:  (my version)

  • 1/2 cup tapioca flour
  • 1/2 cup corn starch
  • 3 tbs potato starch
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 4 1/2 tsp xantham gum
  • 1 1/2 tbs vegetable oil
  • 3 eggs

Mix dry ingredients together. In separate bowl beat eggs oil, then mix with dry ingredients. Work dough into a firm ball, kneading for 2 minutes. Roll out as thin as possible (using potato starch instead of flour to prevent sticking). Cut in size/shape desired.

Salt boiling water with 1 tbs oil and add noodles.

*these ones came out very thick. I’m not sure if it was because I didn’t roll them thin enough or just how the noodle is. (my first attempt at pasta and my only try with this recipe) Would make excellent noodle for soup! (reminds me a lot of traditional chicken noodle soup noodles) And they were so, so, SO yummy!

Mangia!

Gluten Free Pasta Recipes

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Mar 11

food glorious food!

by motherofwonder

I don’t especially like when hubbyman has to work late. But… sometimes I appreciate that it gives me extra time to get things done, because I like to make the most of the time he has with us! And if you read yesterday’s post you know I am undertaking the project of “The Love Dare” on my family. Yesterday’s dare (on top of continuing the “not saying anything negative”) was to do something kind. Well, I’m at home all day with 3 little ones and the puppy… and I was a little tempted to just say the not saying anything negative thing was kindness enough! Instead, I put my kindness into “man language.” Also known as food. A language my husband, and even my children, recognize as love. I’d gotten a wonderful magazine (Disney FamilyFun) from my aunt with “ways to jazz up dinner” by Andrew Zimmern (from the TV show Bizarre Foods). And two caught my eye: Korean Fried Chicken Fingers and Chinese Peanut-Sesame Noodles. I opted for the first, but I’m hoping to try the noodles this weekend! While Erik came home earlier than anticipated and I started it a little later than I’d anticipated… it was still a hit! While fried of course isn’t the healthiest of choices, it’s better for you (and tasting!) than mcnuggets! The kids really LOVED it and so did the adults. So much in fact, I’m tempted to make it again tonight! And maybe you should try it too! Here’s how:

Marinade:

  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1/2 cup minced scallion
  • 1 tbs vegetable oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp white pepper
  • 8 lg boneless, skinless chicken thighs, each sliced lengthwise into three strips

Side note: I didn’t have everything to make this recipe “exact” (and it just might kill me to follow a complete recipe word for word) used 1/2  cup minced red onion (because that’s Erik’s favorite so it’s what we had) and I didn’t have white pepper so I just used my black pepper grinder. I also used sea salt instead of table salt. Oh, and I used boneless, skinless chicken breast instead of thigh (again because it’s what I had!)

In a  large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the marinade. Add the chicken and marinate it in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes, but as long as overnight.   (I suggest overnight or a few hours. I only did maybe 1/2 hr and it was still really good but I’d like to give the flavors longer to set in next time)

Batter:

  1. Oil for frying
  2. 1/2 cup flour
  3. 2/3 cup corn starch
  4. 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  5. 1/4 tsp salt
  6. 1/2 tsp pepper
  7. 1 1/2 tsp sugar
  8. 3/4 cup cold water

Side note: I used veg. oil, but plan to try sunflower oil next time! And the flour I did 1/4 cup almond meal flour (because it’s just so yummy!) and 1/4 cup all-purpose gluten free flour. Again, I also used sea salt instead of table salt.

Fill a heavy, deep pan with 2 inches of vegetable oil and heat it to 350 degrees. combine the dry ingredients for the batter. Quickly whisk in the water until the mixture is evenly blended.

Use tongs or a pair of chopsticks to dip and coat the chicken in the batter. Fry the strips in batches of 6 for 5-7 minutes, then drain on paper towels.  (I found that about 6ish minutes was a good time. And once you put them in, let them settle, and then scrape them off the bottom. If  you wait to long they stick and removing them pulls a lot of the breading off. Also I’d just the next 6 strips in the batter while the other batch was frying.)

Heat the oil to 380 degrees. Fry the chicken in batches once more until crisp, about 60-90 seconds. Place the cooked chicken fingers on fresh paper towels and sprinkle them with salt. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.

*If you were in a time crunch and didn’t mind using the extra oil, you could have a second pan set up so that after you drained the chicken you could immediately move it into the hotter oil.

The chicken would be good with rice or any kind of potato, or really any vegetable for that matter! I made mashed potatoes but forgot all about them! (Guess what we’re having tonight?!) And for the dipping sauce we used sweet and sour. (the recipe suggested it) Although really any kind of dip you have or enjoy would be good with this, I would think. It did also suggest a dip you could serve with it for a spicy kick…but I didn’t have most of the ingredients, and Miss E is allergic to most of them anyways. Plus I kind of shy away from recipes where I’d have to buy a lot of ingredients that I wouldn’t know what to do with other than this one recipe. (Although I do admit it does sound good.) So for the bold, here you go:

Spicy Korean Red-Pepper Dipping Sauce:

  • 1/2 cup Gochujang (Korean red-pepper paste found in Asian markets)
  • 3 tbs ketchup
  • 1/4 agave nectar (or in a pinch, corn syrup)
  • 1 tbs dark sesame oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2 tbs soy sauce
  • 1 tbs rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tbs lemon juice

Mommy’s Helper Note: I like to make things the kids can help with and the kids LOVE eating things that they’ve helped to make. While they obviously can’t help with the raw chicken or the frying… I did put the chicken in a ziploc and had them help me pound them with a rolling pin (not necessary but thought they’d cook more evenly if they were uniform and I knew the kids would enjoy the activity). And I always let them help me “unload”  all the ingredients into the bowl for the batter.

Chicken Gluten Free Recipes

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