It has been quiet around here because my internet was out for five days! Time Warner was sweet about it and even put a credit on my account, but it took FIVE days for them to come out and fix the problem. grrrr.

In happier news, my husband’s birthday was yesterday and I made a Chocolate Pumpkin Cake for him. I thought it was very festive with Halloween coming up! I really enjoyed this cake- the texture was moist and yummy. I made a very sweet traditional frosting- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting. After all, the frosting needed to be orange!

I used this recipe from Country Living (on the cover this month!) and adapted it to be gluten-free. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as we did!

CHOCOLATE PUMPKIN CAKE

1/2 cup teff flour

1/3 cup brown rice flour

1/3 cup sorghum flour

1/3 cup tapioca flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

2/3 cup of cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 cup of canned pumpkin

1/2 cup of buttermilk (or milk substitute and 1/2 T apple cider vinegar)

3/4 cup of butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

3 eggs, plus one egg yolk

2 teaspoons of vanilla

optional ingredient to try: try adding 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon to dry ingredients if you miss Pillsbury’s Orange sweet rolls- it is a fun addition!

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium bowl, mix pumpkin and buttermilk together. In a separate bowl, sift dry ingredients together. In your stand mixer, beat softened butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugars and cream some more. Add vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time. Then alternate pumpkin mixture and flour mixture into the stand mixer until incorporated. Pour batter into two greased 9 inch cake pans and bake for about 30-35 minutes.

Take out of the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Then invert the cake pans and allow the cakes to cool on a rack. Once cooled, frost and assemble your cake!

PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE FROSTING (found here at Country Living)

4 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup canned pumpkin

1/4 cup butter

1 T orange juice

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1 package of cream cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Place all ingredients into mixer and beat until combined. Do not overbeat as it will change the consistency of the cream cheese.

Note: This cake can easily be turned into cupcakes! Just put batter in muffin tins with liners instead and frost when cupcakes have cooled.

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Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Cake Recipes, Chocolate | 18 Comments »

Since I bought gluten-free oats, I was excited to try the oats out in a gluten-free apple crisp. I confess, I missed the oats in my first gluten-free apple crisp recipe. I kept the sliced almonds from my first recipe though- I like the extra crunch in my crisp. If you want extra decadence and can tolerate casein, try the cream cheese layer. Just make sure to pair it with an ice cream that is not too sweet or make some homemade whipped cream. Although, my favorite way to eat this apple crisp is without the ice cream with my coffee at breakfast. The traditional crisp is wonderful plain (without cream cheese layer), so don’t feel like you are missing out if you are casein-free as well. If you are not making the cream cheese layer, you may consider using an apple mixture instead of all Granny Smith Apples. Enjoy!

Note: I was inspired to add the cream cheese layer by Kate at Gluten Free Gobsmacked. I would have made her Ginger, Apple and Cream Cheese Tart, but I could not find those Mi-Del gingersnaps she used. Thanks, Kate! It is my new favorite way to eat Apple Crisp!

Apple Layer

7 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced

a little bit of lemon juice for apples

Streusel Topping

1 stick of butter

1 cup of brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 cup gluten-free oats

1/2 cup of sliced almonds

Cream cheese layer (goes on before streusel)

8 oz. cream cheese

1/4 cup of granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

2 Tablespoons milk

2 Tablespoons of brown rice flour or gluten-free flour of choice

DIRECTIONS:

In a 9×13 baking dish, layer the sliced apples and toss with lemon juice. If you would like to make cream cheese layer: In a med. bowl (or in stand mixer), beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, flour, milk, and vanilla; beat until combined. Layer this mixture over apples. To make streusel layer: In a med. bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon, oats, almonds, and cut in butter until the mixture is crumbly. Spread this mixture on top of the apples.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 40-45 minutes.

Serves about 6.

Note: Check comments for suggestions from Thomas on making cream cheese layer casein-free!

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Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Fruit Dessert Recipes | 18 Comments »

I made these in a pinch this week when I did not have any breakfast to feed Jude. He still got his banana fix, but in the form of muffins instead. I was going to make my other banana nut muffin recipe, but I was completely out of butter, so I decided to experiment a little bit. I served the muffins with a little bit of peanut butter to entice my toddler to try them, but they are good served plain as well. In the recipe, I used crunchy peanut butter, to give the muffins a little more peanut butter flavor/crunch, but creamy would be fine. I bet these would be good with a chocolate chip or maybe even peanut butter chip addition, but I have not tried that yet!

PEANUT BUTTER BANANA MUFFINS

2/3 cup sorghum flour

2/3 cup tapioca flour

2/3 cup brown or white rice flour

1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon of xanthan gum

2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil

1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter

3/4 cup milk, milk substitute, or water

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3 bananas, mashed

1/4 teaspoon of salt

Serve with peanut butter if desired

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, brown sugar, cinnamon, xanthan gum and salt. In a separate bowl, mix mashed bananas, oil, eggs, peanut butter, milk, and vanilla. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry and mix until just moistened. Pour into muffin liners in a muffin tin. Bake for 13-17 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean.

Makes 12-16 muffins.

Jude’s little muffin bites

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Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Muffin Recipes | 3 Comments »

I have made these enchiladas for a couple years now. When I went through my “how many ways can I make enchiladas phase” I tried to find a recipe for pumpkin enchiladas and came across this recipe by Martha Stewart. Funny enough, tonight when I googled “pumpkin enchiladas” I came across several other bloggers who have made this very same recipe and loved it, so it is definitely tried and true. Anyway, this recipe is one of my favorite ways to prepare chicken enchiladas, so it has earned its place on my fall menu rotation. Don’t be turned off by the pumpkin sauce because it really does well as the base for this enchilada sauce. And besides, pumpkin is very nutritious. Here is Martha’s recipe with just a few minor adjustments.

PUMPKIN CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

8 corn tortillas (the corn flavor goes really well with the pumpkin, I promise)

a few tablespoons of cilantro (I subbed this for the 6 scallions, diced-sometimes I add both)

leftover chicken, shredded (maybe a pound)

optional: roasted green chiles, chopped small

6 oz. of white sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Sauce

1 can of pumpkin puree (15 oz)

3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 jalapeno (remove seeds and membranes if you don’t need extra heat)

1 teaspoon chile powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin (I added this too)

2 teaspoons of salt

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

1 1/2 cups of chicken stock or water (I use chicken stock instead of water because I typically boil a chicken for this recipe)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. In a blender, puree pumpkin, jalapeno, chicken stock, garlic, chile powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Place 1 cup of this sauce in the bottom of an 8 inch glass casserole dish. In a bowl, combine shredded chicken with green chiles, cilantro, and/or scallions and season with salt and pepper. Place some of the chicken mixture on each tortilla and then lay the tortilla seam side down in the casserole dish. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Top with cheese. However, if you are casein-free, this recipe is fine without cheese. Martha recommends placing your casserole dish on a baking sheet in the oven to prevent any spills. Bake for 20-25 minutes until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbly.

Serves 4 alone or possibly 6 with sides

Note: These enchiladas are not spicy/hot to me, as Martha’s recipe title suggests, but then again, maybe I am hardened from years of eating spicy food. I have a different recipe for spicier enchiladas that I will post some time in the future, for those of us who like it hot. If you have any leftovers, it is spicier the next day!

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Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Chicken Recipes | 21 Comments »

Some of us loved to eat and cook before going gluten-free and some of us did not. I think if you were a foodie prior to going gluten-free that presents a different set of challenges/emotions than if you were not. If you were a foodie than you are both excited and devastated at the diet challenges ahead. I mean, is a gluten-free brioche still a true brioche? Well, I think it is. But I might have thought I would never eat true brioche again once upon going gluten-free.

If you were already a foodie you tried to find fruits, vegetables, and herbs in peak season and cooked them well. You already tried to find organic grass-fed beef, free-range chicken, or tofu. So as a foodie, you were already armed with knowledge that would help you on your gluten-free journey whether or not you realized it.

Since the typical American diet is loaded with processed foods that include many starches and few fruits and vegetables, the gluten-free diet really is a hard transition if you primarily ate convenience foods prior to going gluten-free. I do not think it is advisable to simply replace the gluten-laden processed food with gluten-free processed food. This will be hard on your pocketbook and your waistline, not to mention depressing. It is important to start learning about fresh foods; and honestly, someone has to learn to cook.

I get emails now and again from the newly gluten-free surviving on Amy’s frozen foods (I have been there believe me), begging me for recipes that are quick and easy. And I think to myself, it is time to get motivated, renew your “friendship” with food and get yourself in the kitchen. After all you it will be harder to heal if your desire is to simply heat something up or go out to eat all the time. I challenge all the newly gluten-free to become “foodies” and get back in the kitchen. It really will make you feel better. A brownie made with rice flour is still a brownie. You may not even be able to eat just one. So, this post is dedicated to the newly gluten-free who might be learning to cook for the first time. Let’s rediscover the grilled cheese sandwich together, shall we? I am adding a little cilantro pesto to mine.

CILANTRO PESTO

1 cup packed cilantro

2-3 Tablespoons olive oil (or to taste)

1/4 cup almonds, pistachios, or pecans

1/2 jalapeno (or serrano chile) or less (depending on taste)

sea salt to taste (1/4 teaspoon maybe?)

[some people add garlic, but I like it without garlic]

Directions:

You can tell by the ingredients listed that this is a taste as you go type of recipe. Depending on the flavors of the cilantro, hotness of your jalapeno, and the type of nuts you use the proportions maybe different. Just throw all the ingredients into a mini-prep Processor and taste as you go.

Makes enough pesto for two generously pestoed grilled cheese sandwiches- I am sorry I didn’t measure! If you need a lot, double the recipe.
And now my husband, gluten-free grilled cheese expert, will tell you how HE made the sandwich.

Hey. Natalie asked me to walk everyone through making a grilled cheese. A little disclaimer: This is the only right way to make a grilled cheese sandwich. If you can’t handle that truth, please skip this section.

And now, on to the grilled cheese:

1. Make sure the stovetop is clean - This is perhaps the most important step in all of grilled-cheese-dom-particularly if you have a smooth electric cooking range that burns and marks easily. Seriously, clean, clean, clean - this is to both fulfill the “ounce of prevention” and counteract the “h311 has no fury” axioms.
2. Gather your ingredients - Lots of butter or margarine, sliced cheese-Cheddar, Colby/Jack, Spicy Jack, whatever you like (even American if you’re into eating plastic), and sliced bread. The goal here is to have everything on-hand and ready-to-use so as to keep full attention on the pan and avoid any mishaps.
3. Nuke the bread - If you’re using gluten-free bread, it’s likly that it’s coming from the freezer all stuck together and cold. Put all of the bread that you think you will use in the microwave for a minute or so on the defrost setting. Now we’re ready to turn on the stove.
4. Melt the butter - Turn on the stove to the middle setting and let the pan get hot. Add a slug of butter (1/16th of a stick) and cover the bottom of the pan with it. Ideally you want enough butter to soak a little way into the bread.
5. Add the bread - Take two slices of bread and add them to the pan. Make sure that they lie flat and get fully covered in butter. Leave them there until they get a nice toasted look on the underside (Yes, it’s okay to peek) Note: Some people like to combine steps 4 and 5. This is a mistake as coverage is never as uniform as an in-pan application; it is an inefficient use of time-particularly when making several sandwiches; and it unnecessarily challenges the integrity of the already-structurally-challenged gluten-free bread.
6. Add more butter - As you get ready to flip the bread over you will notice that your butter has been soaked up into the bread, so reload, add more. I generally push the bread off to one side and melt the butter on the other side, but another technique is to hold one slice up and melt the butter in its place so that step 7 is easier.
7. Flip the first slice - Similar to step 5 but requiring a little more dexterity as the pan is crowded and gravity is working against you. You only want to flip the first slice as the other one will have its second side grilled in step 9.
8. Add the cheese and flip the second slice on top of the cheese - Quickly — good thing you have it all sliced and ready-to-go right there. Normally this would require two steps but I wanted to underscore that they must be performed in such a quick sequence that it would seem instantaneous to the untrained eye. This is crucial to obtaining an even melt and thorough heating. Keep this configuration until the bottom surface is well-toasted.
9. Flip the whole assembly - Grill the other side of the sandwich. When done remove it from the pan and serve hot.

There you have it, a fully cooked, four sides grilled, evenly melted, delicious grilled cheese sandwich.

CILANTRO PESTO GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH

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