This Cranberry Nut Bread took me several iterations. I really like the results (finally), but I may continue to try and improve it. I am submitting this recipe to the Christmas Baking for the Holidays Gluten-Free Blog Event. Kate at Gluten Free Gobsmacked started this event and the Christmas round-up will be hosted by Sally at Aprovechar.

A few baking reminders:

• Do not overcook your baked goods- the following quick bread recipe will cook in a shorter amount of time than gluten quick breads.

• Make sure your baking powder is fresh for the holidays! If you have had your baking powder for more than six months throw it out.

• The bread should be wrapped very well or it will dry out. Once the bread has cooled, slice and freeze what you don’t think you will use.

• Sift your dry ingredients well. I always sift my gluten free flour together to make sure I don’t get pockets of one flour. I invested in a sifter for this purpose.

• Measure your flour(s) exactly.

CRANBERRY NUT BREAD

2 cups gluten free flour (I used even amounts of sorghum, tapioca, and brown rice. I did not like teff flour in this bread for some reason- maybe it is just me!)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 Tablespoon orange zest (when I mix it in the flour I make sure it looks evenly distributed and add more if I need it)

3/4 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed (store-bought will not achieve the right flavor)

1/4 cup butter or butter substitute, melted

2 eggs (I found that the bread held together better with two eggs)

1 cup whole cranberries (I tried the bread with both the cranberries whole and sliced in half and liked the cranberries added to the bread whole best)

3/4 cup- 1 cup walnuts chopped- (I added 3/4 to the batter and another 1/4 cup to the top of the bread before I put it in the oven)

a little raw sugar for the top

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a med. bowl, sift all the dry ingredients together. Mix all the liquid ingredients together in a separate bowl. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just moistened. Add the whole cranberries and 3/4 cup of chopped walnuts. Spoon the batter into a greased loaf pan (top with raw sugar and more walnuts if desired) and bake for about 45 minutes. Once the bread is done, let it cool for 10 minutes in the pan before releasing to your cooling rack.

Note: I tried this bread both warm and the next day at breakfast. The flavors of this bread are truly better the next day. I would make it late the night before you want to eat it. Just make sure it is tightly wrapped! Freeze the rest for unexpected company or for a treat to take to Christmas parties.

Credit for this recipe:

Gluten Free By the Bay has a recipe for Cranberry bread that I found when I was FRUSTRATED with making this bread. I relied on that recipe, my mom’s traditional cranberry nut bread recipe, and Elise’s Cranberry Nut Bread recipe to finally get the bread the way I wanted it. My mom’s recipe is almost identical to Elise’s on Simply Recipes- the only difference was the sugar content. When I made the gluten free version of this bread, the recipe needed 2 eggs. Their original cranberry bread recipes called for just one.

If you liked this post, please Stumble it! or Add to Del.icio.us.

Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Quick Bread Recipes | 12 Comments »

This is the Thanksgiving green bean casserole recipe I promised!

GLUTEN FREE GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

Cream of Mushroom Soup:

olive oil

1 lb. button mushrooms (or any other kind you prefer)

6 Tablespoons butter

2 cups chicken/vegetable broth

2 cups whole milk

6 Tablespoons flour (sweet rice flour preferably, but brown rice flour works ok too)

1 teaspoon Coleman’s dry mustard

less than 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper for a little kick (optional)

salt to taste (maybe 1 1/2 teaspoons- I forgot to measure!)

pepper

French Fried Onions

1 3/4 - 2lbs fresh Green beans, cleaned and cut into 2 inch pieces

1 Tablespoon Tamari J’s Wheat Free Soy Sauce

Directions:

To start this recipe, I would prepare the french fried onions. It would be smart to prepare these in advance and store them in an air-tight container, so you are not stuck in the kitchen for longer than you have to be.

First, saute your mushrooms in olive oil and set aside. Next, prepare your cream of mushroom soup. Start by melting your butter in a large saucepan and once the butter starts to bubble, add your flour. Then add your spices- I chose dry mustard, shake of garlic powder, salt, pepper, and the tiniest amount of cayenne pepper. Once the roux has cooked/bubbled for a few minutes, add your milk and chicken/vegetable broth. Whisk until the sauce thickens. Once the sauce has thickened, add back in your mushrooms.

At this point, cook your green beans for 4-5 minutes until bright green. Strain the water from the green beans. Once they are done, put the green beans in a large casserole dish.

Mix in the soup and soy sauce.

Top with the French Fried Onions.

Bake for about 35 minutes on 350 degrees or until bubbly.

This will make a huge casserole!

This is the classic, completely un-gourmet green bean casserole that everyone loves. You can serve this to your Thanksgiving company and no one would know that it is gluten-free.

If you have never made a roux, Mary Frances of Gluten Free Cooking School also has an EXCELLENT tutorial and recipe on how to make cream of mushroom soup.

If you liked this post, please Stumble it! or Add to Del.icio.us.

Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Casserole Recipes | 23 Comments »

I converted my family’s Green Bean Casserole Recipe today. I wanted to make sure this classic was ready to go for Thanksgiving dinner. Last year, I was in a rush and at the last minute we popped out a recipe using Progresso mushroom soup and no french onion topping. Big mistake! I really missed the flavors of the traditional green bean casserole. Since I was at my mom’s and had extra help with the boys today I decided to make a homemade green bean casserole with our Sunday night meatloaf.

My first thought was “How do I make homemade French fried onions?” Hmmm…

The first thing my mom and I did was to look at the back of one of those French fried onion cans…. They were actually very simple. Just basic onion rings. I noted that they had soy flour in them, so I decided to use that in my flour mix.

HOW TO MAKE FRENCH FRIED ONION RINGS

1. Gather your ingredients.

2 or 3 big sweet onions (shallots are a good variation)

enough milk for soaking onions

1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons salt (try the first batch and adjust the salt to taste- mine needed a little more salt)

pepper (you can also add a little cayenne pepper if you wish)

gluten free flour (I used 1/2 cup tapioca flour, 1/2 cup rice flour, 1/2 cup soy flour)

oil for frying

2. Measure gluten free flours, salt, and pepper and put into a zip lock bag.

3. Slice the onions and separate into rings. I chose to fry both the little and big onion slices since I was frying them for a casserole topping.

4. Heat oil in a large frying pan. Oil should be about an inch deep. When the oil is hot enough, a flick of water will make the oil sizzle.

5. Soak the onions in milk for a few minutes.

Don’t try to do all the onions at one. Just one batch at a time.

6. Dredge the onions in the gluten free flour. Give them a good coating of flour.

7. Place the onions in the frying pan with the heated oil.

8. When the onions start to float to the top turn them over and cook until just golden brown (mine cooked very quickly).

9. When the onion rings have finished cooking, lay them on a paper bag or paper towels to cool/drain some oil.

10. Store in air-tight container, top your casserole, or eat them!

Of course, I found these to be better than the canned fried onions. They taste wonderful in a green bean casserole. Here is a sneak peak at the green bean casserole I made. I will post the recipe later in the week.

If you liked this post, please Stumble it! or Add to Del.icio.us.

Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Vegetarian Recipes | 27 Comments »

I changed your sweet potato casserole recipe, Mom.

Even though your sweet potato casserole recipe was the best I have ever tasted, it was not gluten-free and far too decadent to be served with the Thanksgiving meal. I could never eat dessert with this casserole around.

So I had to press, “delete” on your streusel topping. As soon as I post this, the phone will probably ring and it will be you forbidding me to change your favorite casserole. However, you must realize this is for the best. Give it a go, Mom. Audition it before Thanksgiving and let me know what you think. The best part of this casserole is that it is naturally gluten-free and an easy make-ahead recipe.

I made this recipe in the company of one of my favorite blogger friends, Carrie at Ginger Lemon Girl. We laughed, exchanged gluten-free stories, took pictures, and cooked up a storm. She is such a great cook with tons of enthusiasm. I really enjoy her company. Thanks for a lovely afternoon, Carrie! If you would like to try her wonderful recipe for Sweet Potato Apple Casserole, head on over to Ginger Lemon Girl.

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

6 or 7 cooked mashed sweet potatoes (baked or boiled) selection tip: choose small or medium sweet potatoes with smooth skin and no/few bruises

1/4 cup butter

1 egg

3 or 4 Tablespoons brown sugar

1/2- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla, depending on taste

1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon (optional)

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (fresh is important or you may get a flavor that overwhelms the sweet potatoes- so aim for fresh!)

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/2 cup pecan halves for topping

salt to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl except the egg and the pecan halves (topping). Taste the mixture and adjust your salt and sugar if needed. Stir in egg. Put in casserole dish and top with pecan halves. I like to make some sort of design with the topping, but it is not necessary. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees or until set.

Make ahead: This sweet potato casserole can be made one day ahead. Just refrigerate and top with plastic wrap. I add my pecan halves before I put it in the oven and add an additional 5-7 minutes to the baking time.

Serves 8-10

If you liked this post, please Stumble it! or Add to Del.icio.us.

Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Casserole Recipes | 7 Comments »

When I was in college, I studied abroad in Paris for a summer. I lived with a French family while I was there, so I was able to appreciate not only French cuisine available in Parisian restaurants, but household foods as well. As far as breakfast goes, the French are pretty minimalist, but my host mother indulged her American exchange student (me) and bought a box of granola cereal. It was the best cereal I had ever eaten. The granola was a wonderful mixture of raisins, oats, nuts, and just a hint of chocolate.

Since going gluten-free, I have not enjoyed a bowl of cold cereal. Not once. I have tried a couple of brands and found them lacking. I really wanted that cold bowl of fiber-packed granola cereal. Today, I finally had my gluten-free granola cereal. It had that hint of chocolate just like my bowl of cereal in France did.

HOMEMADE GRANOLA

2 cups certified gluten-free oats

1/4 cup flax seeds

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup dates

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup organic natural crunchy peanut butter

1/2 cup honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

5 tablespoons of butter (or use coconut oil for better shelf life)

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all the dry ingredients into a large bowl. In a small saucepan, combine the peanut butter, honey, butter (coconut oil), and vanilla. Once the peanut butter mixture is combined, mix it with the dry ingredients until the oat mixture is moistened. Press the granola in a shallow pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 30 minutes at 300 degrees. *The granola will get crispier and crunchier as it cools.

Cool for at least 20 minutes and store in a sealed container.

If you liked this post, please Stumble it! or Add to Del.icio.us.

Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Cereal Recipes | 15 Comments »