Chicken Broccoli Cheese CasseroleChicken Broccoli Cheese Casserole

December 28, 2019December 28, 2019
Chicken Broccoli Cheese Casserole

GlutenFreeMommy – Many people make this casserole at holidays or when someone has a baby. This recipe freezes beautifully. You will seldom find this recipe without condensed soups, but it is very simple to make gluten-free. All you need is a little rice flour to make a roux and you are set!

Chicken Broccoli Cheese Casserole

CHICKEN BROCCOLI CHEESE CASSEROLE

1 lb cooked chicken, shredded Note: if you don’t have any cooked chicken on hand it is very simple to poach chicken breasts. Place the chicken in a large skillet with about 2 cups of water. Register at a trusted online soccer gambling site at https://singabola88.com/. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 12-14 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink (170 degrees). Drain well. Shred chicken.

1 cup cooked brown rice (cooking the rice in gluten free chicken broth works nicely)

1 lb fresh broccoli, chopped

2 Tablespoons of butter

2 Tablespoons of rice flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

1/2 teaspoon of dried mustard

1 1/2 cups of milk

squeeze of lemon juice (optional)

1 Tablespoon of mayonnaise (optional)

1 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup gluten-free bread crumbs for topping

1/4 slivered almonds for topping

Directions:

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the flour, salt, pepper, and mustard, and cook 2-3 minutes until bubbly and foamy. Slowly whisk in the milk and cook until thickened. Stir in the shredded cheese. Place the brown rice, chicken, and broccoli in a casserole dish and pour the white sauce over the top. Add the mayonnaise and lemon juice if using and mix until combined. Spread the breadcrumbs and slivered almonds over the top. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Steak SaladSteak Salad

December 23, 2019December 23, 2019
steak salad

GlutenFreeMommy – Yesterday, I went out shopping all day long and left my husband home to fend for himself. He works at home and has gotten used to me calling him down for lunch everyday. When I got home at a little past eight last night, he hadn’t eaten anything since I left. Nice. I gave him a hard time about it, but the fact is when he goes out of town I don’t eat very well either. It is funny how communal eating is- my Judebug must sit at the table with us every time we sit down for dinner. His place in the family is assured when he can sit with his parents and enjoy his meal. I have always said I will never be one of those moms who has a kids’ and adults’ table at holidays or any other time. My parents never did, but we were subjected to a kids’ table on a couple of holidays when we went to another relative’s house. Eating together makes a meal more flavorful and more enjoyable. This translates to cooking too- I won’t cook unless there is someone with me to enjoy it.

I was home today, so I made a steak salad for lunch. The boys mostly ate steak and the girl(s?) mostly ate salad. (I don’t know whether I am having a boy or girl!)

steak salad

STEAK SALAD

1 lb boneless sirloin steak

2 Tablespoons apple juice or dry sherry

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

1 Tablespoon ginger

1 head of lettuce, shredded

2 large tomatoes, chopped

5-6 green onions with tops, chopped

DRESSING

1 teaspoon ginger, minced

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1/4 cup rice vinegar

red pepper flakes to taste

Directions: Cut the steak into 2 inch strips. Then cut the steak again across the grain in 1/8 inch slices. Marinate the steak in a large glass bowl with the ginger, sherry/juice, soy sauce, and sugar. Marinate for at least 30 minutes or several hours. Prepare the salad dressing- very easy, just combine all the ingredients in a bowl or salad dressing bottle.

Heat a skillet over med. high heat. Add about 1/2 of the beef and cook for about 3 minutes until beef is brown and cooked as desired. Repeat with the other half of the steak.

Layer the salad and serve with the dressing. A little of the dressing goes a long way, so try it a little at a time.

Note: This is also delicious in a Brown Rice Tortilla if you are more in the mood for a wrap!

Homemade Gluten Free PizzaHomemade Gluten Free Pizza

December 19, 2019December 19, 2019
Homemade Gluten Free Pizza

GlutenFreeMommy – When I went gluten free, I was living in Scottsdale, AZ. If you have never been to the Phoenix/Scottsdale area before, it is a great place to be gluten-free. I was working full-time there when I was pregnant with my first son and was suffering from unusually extreme morning sickness (if by morning sickness you mean inclined to be sick just about all the time). I think I cooked once the entire pregnancy. The hormones were so intense I would get sick just from the smell of cooking something. I was literally starving when I got off work and had to be rushed to the nearest restaurant. I was new at the gluten free diet when I got pregnant and it made for a long pregnancy. One of my most vivid memories of the pregnancy is crying when a Papa John’s commercial came on because I couldn’t order any pizza. My husband tried to come to my rescue and made several decent pizzas from gluten free mixes- he made both the Namaste Foods mix and the Arrowhead Mills Pizza mixes. The sweet man struggled with the sticky gluten free pizza dough just so I could have my pizza craving. Then one day, I heard about a pizza restaurant in town that supposedly had the best gluten free pizza. (If my husband swore, he probably would have done so then after making those pizzas with take out just down the road). Gluten free pizza that came in a box? Sign me up. The first time I ordered from Picazzo’s I ordered my pizza ‘to go’ just so it would come in a box. This pizza lived up to the reviews. It is still the best gluten free pizza I have ever tasted. And I think the fact that it comes in a box is only about 15% of the reason it is so good. tee hee. If you are ever in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area, you must have this gluten free pizza. If you are looking for the best gluten-free buffalo wings ever, they can provide that also! I loved Picazzo’s and was very sad to have to leave it behind when we moved to Raleigh. Apparently, the availability of take-out gluten-free pizza can not rank in the top ten reasons to stay in a particular city. I thought that it was a good reason to stay in Phoenix at the time, but maybe it was just the hormones.

Anyway, having been spoiled in Scottsdale, I have been reluctant to make gluten-free pizza at home. However, those stupid Papa John’s ads in my mailbox kept taunting me so a couple months back I decided to give it a go. I made gluten free pizza several, several times and never came up with anything special until tonight. I really like this gluten free pizza crust recipe; it is by far the best one I have made to date. It is different than Pizza Picazzo’s recipe (it doesn’t come in a box!), but it is delicious and has the texture of gluten pizza just like Picazzo’s pizza did. I hope you enjoy it!homemade pizza

GLUTEN FREE PIZZA CRUST RECIPE

1/4 cup millet flour

3/4 cup white rice flour (or use a mixture of brown rice and white rice flour)

1/4 cup sweet rice flour

1/4 cup arrowroot starch (or use cornstarch or more tapioca starch)

1/2 cup tapioca flour

2 teaspoons xanthan gum

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon sugar for proofing yeast

2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

3/4 cup warm water, (heated to 115 -120 degrees)

2 Tablespoons ricotta cheese (for casein free try almond meal)

2 eggs

2 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar

1 Tablespoon Honey

Note: If you like your pizza dough seasoned, try adding some Italian seasoning to the dough. I like to keep mine plain.

DIRECTIONS:

Place your pizza stone (or pan) in the oven and heat the oven to 170 degrees to get the stone warm. Prepare your liquid ingredients. Mix the olive oil, ricotta cheese (if using almond meal, save and add to the dry ingredients), honey, and vinegar in a med. measuring cup or bowl and set aside so the mixture comes to room temperature. This mixture should not be cold when mixed with the dry ingredients. Next, combine all the dry ingredients and sift together in the bowl of your stand mixer. I used my paddle (not the dough hook) for this recipe. Heat 3/4 cup of water until it reaches 115 -120 degrees. In a separate small bowl, place your yeast and the teaspoon of sugar. Mix with about 1/4 cup of the heated water, stir, and let it sit for a few minutes. Once you know the yeast is active, proceed with the recipe. At this point, you want to double check and make sure all your ingredients have come to room temperature. Turn the stand mixer (fitted with paddle) on and give the dry ingredients a few twirls. Add the egg, ricotta mixture to the dry ingredients and give it another few twirls. Add the yeast mixture. At this point, gauge the liquid level. You want the dough to look like stiff cake batter. The dough should still hold the swirls of the mixer, but it should be shiny and not dull. Add the rest of the water slowly until the right consistency is achieved. I used another 1/2 cup – making 3/4 cup of warm water total. Since different brands of flour and measuring techniques vary, it is best to eyeball this and add the water slowly to get the texture you want. You will get good at knowing what gluten free pizza dough is supposed to look like. read more

Peach CobblerPeach Cobbler

December 12, 2019December 12, 2019
Peach Cobbler

GlutenFreeMommy – I have gone a little nuts for peach cobbler. I have made several and this is one of my favorite versions. My husband, resident taste-tester, was thoroughly interrogated and he swears he loves it. I think he is beginning to regret this role as blog taste-tester. My perfectionist tendencies frequently result in fewer blog postings, so I will post this version tonight and be satisfied. Temporarily. Luckily, peach season is almost over.

This peach cobbler recipe has less sugar than most because I made the filling with agave nectar. If agave is not yet your thing, use brown sugar instead. This recipe does have its flaws – it makes a little too much batter! You can also simplify by using a gluten free flour mix- 2 3/4 cups.  Overall I would say it is a pretty solid recipe because it tastes good- after all, that is the point! This recipe must be made when peaches are in season. Only ripe, flavorful peaches will do.

Topping:

1/2 cup sorghum

1/4 cup almond meal

3/4 cup cornstarch

1 cup rice flour

1/4 cup millet (or more rice flour)

1 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon orange zest

1 teaspoon vanilla

6 Tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

1 1/4 cup (maybe as much as 1 1/2 cups) milk

Filling:

4-6 large peaches, sliced (I left skin on) about 4 cups

1/2 cup agave syrup

I Tablespoon sweet rice flour

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the liquid ingredients except for the milk. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients. Slowly stir in the milk until the batter reaches the right consistency- about 1 1/2 cups. In another small bowl, mix together the agave syrup, orange juice, and sweet rice flour. Combine this mixture with the peaches in a 9 x 13 baking pan. Spoon the batter over the peach mixture. You may have extra batter. Bake for about 45 minutes on 350 degrees.

Several servings- I would cut the recipe in half for a smaller family. Or eat cobbler for breakfast!