Sweet Potato Casserole

This has been a favorite version of this recipe which I served for years for Thanksgiving dinner. I have cut back on the sugar and changed the flour to make it gluten-free. (picture borrowed from Taste of Home).

Sweet Potato Casserole

3 cups cooked sweet potatoes

1/4 cup sugar

½ cup milk

½ stick butter melted

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs

Mix the above ingredients and pour into casserole dish. Sprinkle with topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

1/3 cup Brown Rice Flour

½ stick butter

Mix dry ingredients and sprinkle on top of potatoes. Slice margarine into small pieces and lay on topping. Bake at 325° F for 25-30 minutes.

Egg and Broccoli Casserole

I have found in the gluten-free world that eggs are my friend. They are an inexpensive source of protein, they are natural and they hold things together, something that gluten often gets the credit for.  This recipe calls for a small amount of flour, which I substitued with Amarinth flour, but other flours would work well, as the large quantity of eggs are the key to holding it together.

Egg and Broccoli Casserole

1 carton small curd cottage cheese

1 10 oz. package frozen broccoli, thawed and drained

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

6 eggs, beaten

1/3 cup Amarinth

¼ cup butter, melted

3 Tbsp. finely chopped onion

½ tsp. salt

In a large bowl, combine the 1^st 8 ingredients. Pour into a greased slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour. Stir. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 2 ½ to 3 hours longer until eggs are set. Sprinkle with more cheese.

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

Fish has become one of those "healthy" foods that everyone knows they should eat more of because it is rich in Omega 3 oils, which help to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. As for myself, I honestly have a hard time finding interesting and tasty ways to prepare fish. However, I came across this recipe recently and it has become a big hit in our family. We now eat this for lunch once a week.  It comes from All Recipes.com. I have adapted it slightly to make it gluten-free.

1/2 cup Parmesian cheese
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 Tbsp. mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. onion powder
1/8 tsp. celery salt
2 lb. tilapia fillets, thawed and rinsed

Mix the first 8 ingredients and set aside. Place tilapia fillets on greased baking sheet. Bake or broil in oven 5-10 minutes until meat is white. Spread Parmesian mixture over each piece of fish and return to oven, baking until topping starts turning golden-brown. Remove and serve immediately.

My Favorite Gluten-Free Condiments

Eating gluten-free can be difficult in today's world of manufactured foods. There are so many items that have hidden sources of gluten, such as white vinegar (made from wheat). This effects things like hotdogs, pickles, mayonnaise, ketchup, and barbecue sauce. Most people are unaware that most soy sauce contains wheat. I have found several brands that I have come to use, both as straight condiments and in my cooking, that are gluten-free. When reading the labels, make sure if it says "white vinegar", that it is "distilled white vinegar", or that the product has a certified gluten-free label on it.  Here are some common brands that I use:

Hellmann's mayonnaise
Burman's mayonnaise (Aldi's)
Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce
Heinz ketchup
Burman's ketchup (Aldi's)
La Choy Soy Sauce
Vlasic pickles
Argo corn starch

Gluten Free Flours

Ever since I started this gluten-free journey, I have been on the lookout for different flours that I could combine to get the best results when it comes to creating that perfect texture similar to what is found in baked goods with wheat-flour and gluten. I decided to make use of some used glass jars I had been collecting for years from garage sales, resell shops and the like, and use them as storage containers for the different flours. Whenever I find a recipe that I want to try, now I have a lot of options to choose from.  I have found all of them either at our Super Walmart, or at a St. Louis chain grocery store Dierburgs, which has a gluten-free and organic section.  Usually I find that by combining fine flours with more course flours, I get a good result. It many cases adding Xanthan gum or Guar gum helps hold the baked items together better. Here is a list of the most common alternative flours that I use, according to their texture:

Fine flours:                     Course flours:

Corn starch                     Teff flour
Potato starch                   Sorghum flour
Tapioco flour                  Brown rice flour
Arrow Root flour            Bean flour (Fava, Garbanzo, Soy)
                                        White rice flour
                                        Amarinth flour
                                        Almond flour
                                        Quinoa flour

                                       

Gluten Free Pumpkin Bundt Cake

I have worked and tweaked on this one for a while and finally have it where I really like the texture.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Bundt Cake

2/3 cup brown rice flour
2/3 cup tapioca flour
1/3 cup Amarinth flour
1/3 cup Sorghum flour
1 tsp. Xanthan gum
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soday
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 package vanilla or butterscotch pudding mix
4 eggs
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup pumpkin
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
Whipped topping (optional)

Cream Cheese glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 oz. cream cheese
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix ingredients well and pour into greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 350° F for 50-55 minutes or until firm. Cool in pan for 15 minutes before romoving to a wire rack. Tip with whipped topping or cream cheese glaze.