Gluten-Free Dough

Ok, this is a new find a friend made me aware of. Apparently it is available at the St. Louis Shop N Save. It looks a little pricy, but hopefully over time these things will become more commonplace and less expensive. I will definitely be trying this soon, and will update this post when I do.

No Crust Pizza

Ok, that's not entirely true. This pizza technically has a crust; it just doesn't have any flour of any kind in it. But this is the official name of the recipe me mom fixed for me recently and so I'm sticking with it. Our whole family enjoyed this dish which was full of flavor. The only down side is the pieces should be cut with a knife and fork rather than eaten with the hands, unless it is well cooked, cooled well and cut into small pieces.

Crust

2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, thawed
4 eggs
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Topping
1 cup pizza sauce
pizza toppings of choice (I prefer fresh mushrooms, black olives, spinach, ham and bell peppers)
3/4 cup Asiago cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2-3 cups Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly spray a large round pizza pan. In a bowl mix cream cheese, eggs, pepper, garlic powder, and Parmesan cheese with electric mixer until combined. Spread into baking dish. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven.

Spread pizza sauce onto crust. Top with toppings and cheeses. Bake 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Gluten-Free Sandwich bread

During the summer our family loves to have ham and cheese sandwiches with fresh lettuce and tomatoes from our garden. However, I have not been impressed with most gluten-free breads, and when I try to make bread from scratch it turns out crumbly. My favorite store-bought gluten-free bread is Andrea's whole grain bread baked fresh in St. Louis, and available at some Schnuck's grocery stores (http://www.andreasglutenfree.com/), although it is quite pricy and the loaves are small.

Most of the time I buy Schär gluten-free bread available at Walmart and grill it in butter
(I know, it's fattening), which makes it more palatable.

 And one of the most enjoyable parts of of our summer sandwich tradition is eating them picnic-style by our lake. 

Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cake

I have been trying various recipes for home-made gluten-free cakes and this is my latest experiment. It was extremely tasty, although I had a few pieces break off during assembly. If I perfect it, I will update the entry. Here I made it without the pecans (it was a little messy after all the little hands got a piece of it!)

Cake
1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour of choice (see recommended combinations in my post "gluten-free flours")
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, softened
3 cups sugar
4 eggs
6 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 (1 oz.) bottle Wilton red-food coloring paste
1 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups buttermilk

Icing
1 lbs. cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups pecans, chopped

Sift together dry ingredients and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar in bowl until smooth. Add eggs and beat again until smooth. Add cocoa powder, red food coloring, vinegar and vanilla to mixture and blend well. Add dry ingredients and buttermilk, alternating slowly and beat on slow until all are blended well. Pour batter equally into 3 8 or 9-inch round greased and floured (with gluten-free flour, of course!) baking pans. Bake at 350° F for about 30 minutes or until done. Cool.

For frosting, cream together cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla. Add milk to desired consistency. Spread frosting between each layer and stack the three layers of cake, then ice the outside. Press chopped pecans onto side of cake and sprinkle on top. Enjoy!

Chicken with Mushroom Sauce

I modified this yummy dish and served it for dinner tonight and it was a big hit. I served it with Nutty Broccoli and Mashed Potatoes.

Chicken with Mushroom Sauce

1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. oil

2 lbs. chicken breasts
3 cups sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup diced onion
1 clove garlic
1 Tbsp. butter
2 Herb Ox (gluten free, MSG free) bouillon cubes
1 cup hot water
1 cup cold water
1 Tbsp. corn starch
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1 Tbsp. parsley

Place corn starch and 1/4 tsp. salt in 2 qt. Zip-lock bag. Cut up chicken and toss in bag with cornstarch mixture. Fry in oil over medium heat until golden brown. Set aside.

Sauté mushrooms, onion and garlic in 2 Tbsp. butter. Dissolve 2 bouillon cubes in 1 cup hot water. Dissolve corn starch in 1 cup cold water. Mix together and add to mushroom mixture. Add salt, thyme and parsley. Stir until thickened and clear. Pour over chicken and serve with mashed potatoes and nutty broccoli.

Nutty Broccoli recipe taken from http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Nutty-Broccoli
(I added Parmesan Cheese instead of Swiss Cheese)

1 (16 oz.) package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed in microwave
 1/2 cup shredded Swiss or Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Thaw broccoli. Combine the remaining ingredients and pour over broccoli. Cover and cook in microwave oven for 3-4 minutes or until tender. Stir and serve.

Taco Bell's Cantina Bowl

I don't know about you, but eating out has been a great challenge for me for the past several years ever since I have found out that I cannot eat gluten. Thankfully more and more restaurants are offering gluten free food (and not just salads!). My latest favorite is the Cantina Bowl at Taco Bell. I usually ask for it without dressing, as a matter of taste, but have enjoyed eating this vegetable-filled dish that reminds me of a taco salad, only on rice.  My only complaint is the price. I wish it were a little less expensive. 

Luscious Gluten Free Lemon Cake Donuts

In honor of National Donut Day (I just found out today that there was one!), I have decided to try out a new lemon cake donut recipe in my Bella Mini-Donut Maker. My mom gave it to me for Christmas and it is great for my situation, where one person in our family has Celiac and the rest of the family does not. I can make up a small batch of just 7 donuts with any gluten-free cake mix (the recipe comes with the Mini-Donut Maker for standard cake mixes).  However, I adapted a Lemon Loaf recipe and used it to make these luscious gluten-free lemon cake donuts. Here's the recipe:

1 1/2 cup gluten free flours of choice (my favorite is a combination of brown rice, amarinth and tapioca flours)
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. xanthan gum
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. lemon extract
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup oil
zest of one lemon

Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
8 + Tbsp. lemon juice

Mix the donut ingredients well, and spoon one Tbsp. of batter into each donut mold of the greased donut maker. Don't over fill. Close tightly and cook for 3 minutes.  Continue making donuts till all batter is gone. Take cooked donuts and dip into glaze, allowing excess to drip off.  Set on plate and serve!