Cauli-WHAT?

I don’t like cauliflower. I really, really want to like it, though. It’s pretty, it’s good for me… what’s not to like? I’ve tried it raw, cooked, covered in cheese, dripping in butter, mashed like potatoes… all with the same results. Gagging.

Until now.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup. I like creamy. I… sort of like soup, mostly when it’s creamy. So why not, right? One last hurrah before giving up on cauliflower.

This recipe is a 6 on the scale of 1 to 10 for labor intensive, mostly because it requires pureeing the cooked veggies to ensure maximum silky smoothness. There are two kinds of labor intensiveness, “Well THAT wasn’t really worth the effort” or “Yowzers, that’s yummy!” This definitely falls into the Yowzers Category, which is why I didn’t place this recipe higher than a 6. It’s completely worth the work involved.

Trying to get your kids to eat more veggies? Try this. It’s creamy (did I mention I like creamy?), it’s mild. IT’S COMFORT FOOD. It actually tastes a little like cream of broccoli soup.

But really, the biggest reason you should try this is because this girl, the one who has gagged her way through endless cauliflower dishes, LOVES THIS.

‘Nough said.

Gluten Free Creamy Cauliflower Soup

1 large head cauliflower, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cups water

2 Tbsp butter

2 ½ cups chicken stock, divided

2 Tbsp cornstarch

Salt and pepper, to taste

Dash of nutmeg

½ cup heavy cream (or heavy whipping cream)

In a large pot, place cauliflower, celery, onion and water. Cover. Bring water to a boil and cook veggies until tender. Puree veggies (with water) in batches in a blender until smooth.

In the same large pot (wiped clean), add butter and melt over medium heat. Add 2 cups of chicken stock and heat to just before boiling. In a small bowl, mix together remaining ½ cup chicken stock and cornstarch. Add to pot, stirring as you add. Continue to stir until the stock boils and thickens. Stir in pureed veggies, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bring just to a slight boil. Remove from burner.

Add heavy cream and heat through (do not boil) on lower heat. Serve with a small sprinkle of grated cheese. Serves 8 (one cup servings).

Fuhgetaboutit!

There are certain things in my house that give me great joy… mostly because I can “set it and forget it”.

First, the dishwasher. I can remember, in one of our pre-kids apartments, mentioning to Tim that the sound of a dishwasher running in the evening was so relaxing, mostly because it was the sound of dishes being cleaned… without me doing them.

Second, the washer and dryer. When shopping, I purposely avoid buying any article of clothing with the wretched words “hand wash only” or “lay flat to dry” on the tag. I mean, really. The majority of women purchasing the clothing are most likely working full-time in the working world or working full-time in the home… or a happily retired lady who is way too busy with her social schedule. Either way, who has time to hand wash clothing? Any way you look at it, the washer and dryer are lovely things. You pop in your dirty stuff and an hour or so later you have clean, fresh clothing, towels and sheets!

Third, the slow cooker. Seriously now. 15 minutes or so of work in the morning and – voila! – a scrumptious, warm dinner waiting for you. One pot, no sweating over the stove or watching the oven to make sure you don’t burn dinner to a blackened crisp.

I usually utilize the slow cooker on those days when I know that dinner won’t even cross my mind until, at the earliest, Tim is walking in the door. Yesterday, I kept thinking about making a stew only to realize at 4:30pm that this particular recipe was an all-day slow cooker meal.

Note to self: CHECK THE RECIPE. EARLY.

So because of my goof, tonight’s dinner was Slow Cooker Beef Stew. Sure, it wasn’t one of those crazy days. Both Tim and I were home all day… but there was still great satisfaction in knowing that dinner was percolating away and I wasn’t doing a darn thing. At least not having to do with dinner.

Gluten Free Slow Cooker Beef Stew

1 ½ to 2 lbs cubed stew meat

¼ cup rice flour

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1 bay leaf

2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

4 medium red potatoes, cubed

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

1 onion, chopped

2 cups beef stock

Place the stew meat in the bottom of the slow cooker. Sprinkle the rice flour, salt and pepper and toss to coat the meat. Add the bay leaf, carrots, celery, potatoes and onion. Toss everything completely. Pour beef stock over everything. Set slow cooker to low and cook for 8 hours. Remove bay leaf and serve. Serves 8.

Tradition or Tradition?

When I was a girl, my paternal grandmother would make the most amazing Italian desserts. There were these pieces of fried dough covered in powdered sugar called scrippelles. We would literally drool on the way to her house, knowing those delicious morsels would be there, waiting for us to inhale. I have loved baking since I was very young and really wanted to learn to make our grandmother’s beloved recipes.

I’m using the term “recipes” very loosely here, mind you.

I found that, for the most part, her recipes consisted of “a handful of that” or a “pinch of this”. There were no measurements… it was intuition and a feel for the ingredients that made it work. Things always came out great, but I was pretty sure I was going to need a little more info than handfuls and pinches.

I did manage to get a real recipe for the family’s favorite cookie, Pizzelles. My original copy is written in my little girl handwriting. There may have even been hearts for the dots over the “i’s”. Nonetheless, it’s been the version I’ve gone to for decades now, once the baking was officially passed on to me. The tradition is to have them at Christmas, though once in a while for special occasions I’ll whip out the recipe and make them. My brother has a special love for these cookies, so I’ve been known to make them for him when he visits from Ohio.

I was recently reminded that Christmas is right around the corner. Well, not exactly around the corner… but once September kicks in it takes only one or two blinks of the eyes and it’s December 1^st! It got me thinking of my little family’s Annual Christmas Cookie Baking Day… where we literally take an entire day to bake way too many cookies. I’m talking ridiculous amounts. Obviously, we’ve had to alter the choice of cookies drastically. I was perfectly fine to give up many of the different varieties we used to make… except pizzelles.

After all, there are traditions… and there are traditions.

So… here it is. I cannot believe I’m saying this, but I actually like the gluten free version better than the original. Hear me out. My grandmother had this old, heavy, electric pizzelle iron that made perfectly crispy (but not too crispy) cookies. My iron is a modern day non-stick iron that makes fatter, chewy versions. Bleh.

This gluten free recipe makes the crispy ones like my grandmother used to… it’s a pizzelle miracle, I tell you. I may have given up gluten, but I got my grandmother’s pizzelles in exchange!

Not a bad deal. Not bad at all.

Gluten Free Pizzelles

1 cup sugar

1 stick butter

3 eggs

½ of a 1 oz bottle anise extract

1 cup tapioca starch

1 cup potato starch

¾ cup white rice flour

½ cup sorghum flour

1 tsp xanthan gum

1 Tbsp baking powder

Handful of anise seeds, slightly crushed

Melt butter and cool slightly. In a stand mixer (or in a bowl with a handheld mixer… or with a wooden spoon!), mix melted butter and sugar together using the paddle attachment. Add eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. Add anise oil and stir to combine.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the tapioca starch, potato starch, rice flour, sorghum flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and anise seeds.

Add dry ingredients to the wet and mix to fully combine.

Spray pre-heated pizzelle iron very lightly with non-stick spray. Add about a tablespoon of dough to the iron and cook until lightly brown. Remove immediately and let cool on a cooling rack.

Makes 3-4 dozen.

Autumn, I Salute You!

Oh, dear friends… it’s finally here. I spent the past few months sweating, hibernating in the A/C… waiting… and it has finally come. Autumn!

Sure, it’s not the official Autumnal Equinox… but it’s September, and that’s close enough for me. In fact, those lovely weather forecasters are saying it will only be in the 60s tomorrow. Do you KNOW how happy that makes me? Do you?!?

Happy enough to make an autumn cake. An apple cake, to be precise. The original recipe called for a glaze on top… but it is SO amazing without it… and who needs those extra calories?

My mom proclaimed a one-word critique: “PHENOMENAL!!” Later… after coming out of her euphoric state, she also mentioned it may be the best thing she’s ever put in her mouth, with the possible exception of her favorite dessert, The Bakewell Tart, made at her favorite tea room.

Pull out those warm sweaters from the closet, folks… Autumn is here (sort of)! While you’re at it… make this cake AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

Just don’t invite my mom… if you want any leftovers, that is.

(In case you were all wondering, my dear mom was standing over my shoulder as a wrote this post! In fact, some of it was her idea!)

Gluten Free Apple Yogurt Cake

1 cup veggie or canola oil

2 ½ cups sugar, divided

2 cups vanilla Greek yogurt

4 eggs

2 cups peeled and finely chopped apple

1 tsp vanilla

2 ½ cups gluten free all-purpose flour blend (I used King Arthur)

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 ½ tsp cinnamon, divided

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1 stick butter

½ cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, mix together the oil, 2 cups of sugar, yogurt, eggs, apples and vanilla.

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and 2 tsp cinnamon. Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and stir until well combined. Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle the nutmeg over the top of the cake batter, distributing evenly.

Bake for 45 minutes.

30 minutes into the baking time, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the ½ cup sugar, brown sugar and ½ tsp cinnamon and stir until well combined. Reduce temperature to low, stirring occasionally.

When the 45 minutes are up, remove the cake from the oven and pour the butter mixture evenly over the hot cake. Place a piece of aluminum foil on the lower rack of the oven to catch any drips.

Return the cake to the oven and bake another 15 minutes, until the topping is bubbling and the center of the cake no longer jiggles.

Remove cake, cool for 15-20 minutes and serve. Wonderful warm or room temperature.

Cheater!

Cravings. They are just not our friends, are they? You go along... doing your thing... eating right and feeling great when all of a sudden - WHAM! - it hits. Something comes to mind that you haven't eaten in ages and is a total no-no... whether it's because it's chocked full of gluten or it has more fat in it than you are supposed to consume in a week... or BOTH.

I mentioned in a previous post ("Chinese Food, My Way") that I love... love... love... Sweet and Sour Chicken. The only problem is that I just cannot justify the deep fried chicken in sugary sweet sauce. It just screams "guilty conscience". So, I don't eat it. I just dream about it.

Often.

I do have, however, a really yummy recipe for a much lighter version of my beloved S&S Chicken. The chicken isn't breaded and deep fried and the sauce is not as sickeningly sweet. It's a light, gluten free AND diet-friendly version that I go to when I'm really feelin' the craving for the evil version.

Get thee back, Chinese takeout Sweet and Sour Chicken!

Gluten Free Sweet and Sour Chicken

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/4 cup chicken stock

2 stalks celery, cut on the bias

1 onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup each yellow and red pepper, cut in strips

1/3 cup pineapple juice

2-3 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp rice vinegar

4 tsp cornstarch

2 Tbsp tamari sauce (or soy sauce)

3/4 cup pineapple chunks

Cut chicken in strips. In a large skillet brink the chicken and stock to a summer over medium heat. Add celery, onion and peppers. Cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. Mix together the juice, vinegar, brown sugar, cornstarch and tamari sauce in a small bowl until blended. Add to skillet and bring to a boil. Cook for about 2 minutes until thickened. Add pineapple chunks. Simmer for about 2 minutes until heated through.

Serve over rice. Serves 4 people.

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

It’s been raining here… a lot. 

People are posting things on Facebook like “there’s a river running through the store” and “gotta go round up two of every animal”. 

On days like these, I don’t want something elaborate for dinner. I also feel like anything remotely close to picnic fare would be completely inappropriate. It’s simply impossible to imagine oneself on a picnic when there is a deluge going on outside.

Rainy, dark days call for one thing. Soup. It’s usually a one pot meal, it’s comforting… and it doesn’t take a lot of effort to eat. Because, let’s face it. Rainy, dark days make a person rather groggy. (Or is that just me?)

So as I looked through the possibilities in my fridge today, I decided to pull out an ol’ stand-by for days like this. Broccoli Cheese Soup.

It’s warm, it’s creamy and it’s got your daily veggies, dairy and oil requirements covered for the day… and you’ll only dirty one pot. Not bad for a groggy girl.

What’s your rainy day meal? I’ll try yours if you’ll try mine!

Gluten Free Broccoli Cheese Soup

2 Tbsp butter

2 ½ cups fresh broccoli, cut into small pieces

¼ cup chopped onion

2 cups chicken stock

1 ¼ cup milk, divided

2 Tbsp cornstarch

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup sour cream

In a big pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and stir until bright green and crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add 1 cup of milk and heat through. In a small bowl, mix together ¼ cup milk and cornstarch. Add to the soup and stir until thickened. Remove pot from heat and add the cheese, stirring until melted and completely combined. Add salt and pepper, if needed. Add sour cream and stir to combine. Serve immediately. Serves 4-5.

Crunchy Mama?

A friend of mine once defined herself as a “Crunchy Mama”. Before that moment, I had never heard of that title. Have you heard of it before now? No? I’ll explain.

You know that friend or person in your family who only eats organic, non-processed foods? The one who made her own baby food by pureeing fresh fruits and veggies rather than buying the little jars with that pudgy-faced baby on the package? The one who has banned refined sugar from her home forever?

Crunchy Mama.

Back when I heard that name, I was most definitely NOT a crunchy mama. I’m still not, really. I have white sugar in my home. Once in a while my kids eat Kraft Mac and Cheese. There are still boxed cheese crackers and microwave popcorn in my cupboard. I don’t use buckwheat (not that there’s anything wrong with buckwheat!).

I do, however, have leanings towards being crunchy. I don’t ever buy (outside of the mac and cheese named above) processed boxed meals. I cook from scratch… all the time. I try to avoid additives and preservatives as much as possible.

I don’t buy packaged cookies anymore. I bake my cookies and have a cookie jar on the counter.

I would call that crunchy tendencies, no?

Today, I actually laughed at myself. I came across a recipe for homemade chewy granola that was both peanut and gluten free. As I scanned the ingredients, I thought, “Oh, and look! No refined white sugar. Just honey!”

I think I may be crossing over to the dark side, slowly but surely.

And I’m totally fine with it. Yikes.

Crunchy Mama status, here I come!

Gluten Free (and Peanut Free… and Dairy Free!) Chewy Granola Bars

½ cup almond butter (I used Barney Butter)

1/3 cup honey

¼ cup oil (your choice – coconut, canola, veggie)

1 cup oats

1 cup total of any mixture of sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut flakes, dried fruit, mini chocolate chips, etc… be creative!)

In a medium saucepan, melt almond butter, honey and oil together over low heat.

Remove from heat and add the oats and the 1 cup total of your extras (I used coconut, dried cranberries and mini chocolate chips). Stir together and pour into an 8x8 pan.

Refrigerate for 2 hours and cut into bars.

Grass Skirt? I’ll spare you the sight.

I’m not a Hawaiian shirt kind of girl. I do love a good party, though. So when we were invited to a luau over Labor Day weekend, I had a harder time finding a Hawaiian-ish shirt more than I did finding a dessert to bring!

For dessert I brought Tropical Squares. They are sort of like lemon squares… in technique only. The flavors are completely different! It’s quite the tropical dessert, but in a very gentle way.

If you suffer from mid-winter blues (a concept that completely eludes me… let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!) you should hold on to this recipe for mid-January. Whip this up, crank up the heat in the house and take a mental holiday on the beaches of Hawaii.

In case you were wondering, my selection of shirt for the luau was a dismal failure. Not Hawaiian in the least. But the dessert was great! Which we both know is what really counts, right?

Tropical Squares

2 ¼ cups gluten free Bisquick, divided

1 ¼ cups powdered sugar, divided

5 Tbsp butter, cold

2 ¼ cups granulated sugar

6 eggs

The zest and juice from one orange (about 6 Tbsp)

¾ cup coconut

¼ cup additional orange juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 15x10 pan with non-stick spray.

In a food processor, pulse together 2 cups of Bisquick, ¼ cup of powdered sugar and butter until crumbly. Press into prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes.

While the crust is baking, whisk together the remaining Bisquick and granulated sugar. Add the eggs, zest, juice from the orange and coconut. Pour over the hot crust and bake for 25 minutes.

In a small bowl, stir together the remaining powdered sugar and ¼ cup orange juice until smooth. When the squares come out of the oven, immediately brush glaze over them.

Cool completely before serving. Chill them for a refreshing, cool snack!