Everything But The Kitchen Sink....

You know that moment when you know you need to go grocery shopping but haven't yet gotten there and it's time to figure out something for dinner? It's usually around that time that I implement my method called "something that lets me throw whatever is left in the refrigerator together to make a meal fit for a king... or at least my 3-year-old". It's a highly complicated method that requires years of training and practice.

That, or a refrigerator full of compatible leftovers or scraps of odds and ends.

Enter the quiche.
Quiche is really just a pie with an egg base that allows you to throw anything you like into it. Literally. I've known people who threw leftover french fries into their quiche and loved it. Veggies, meat, cheese, fungus (aka mushrooms)... you name it, you can put it in there.

Have you heard the saying that baking is a science but cooking is an art? Well, here's the chance to stretch your culinary creativity. If you've never experimented with quiche, now's the time to start.

Most of all... have fun with your food. Remember... it's an art!

Gluten Free Mix-and-Match Quiche

8 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp of whatever seasoning you want.... yellow mustard, rosemary, thyme, garlic powder, etc...
6-8 oz of diced ham... or bacon, turkey, sausage, steak, etc......
1 cup steamed and chopped broccoli... cubed potato, mushrooms, artichokes, brussel spouts, etc........
1/4 cup finely chopped onion.... chives, scallions, shallots, etc.......
2 oz shredded muenster cheese.... monterey jack, colby, swiss, etc......
2 oz shredded sharp cheddar.... or any other sharp cheese you like!

Preheat oven to 374 degrees and spray a 9-inch pie pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, pepper and whatever seasoning you decide to add.

In the prepared pie pan, toss together the meat, veggie, onion and cheeses of your choice and spread evenly in the bottom of the pan.

Pour the egg mixture over everything and back for 40-50 minutes until golden brown on top and the center is set.

Serves 4-6 people.

A Long Awaited Gift

Before being diagnosed with my gluten intolerance, I had a growing cake business based out of my house. I was having fun creating wedding, birthday, graduation and baby shower cakes. I loved the freedom I had to mold something as simple as cake into a beautiful piece of art.

I was never really crazy about eating cake. Yes, I would have a piece at a birthday party or at a tea room, but given the choice of something else for dessert, I would probably pick the "something else". Decorating cakes was more of a creative outlet that brought joy to others.

I did have one weakness, though. Vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting. Yikes. There is something about that sweet little package, bursting with vanilla flavor.

In my cake business, I made an Almond Sour Cream White Cake that was unbelievable. Seriously that good. It saddened me, after my diagnosis, to know that I wouldn't be able to taste that again... or any white cake, for that matter.

I was greatly mistaken.

I have been tweaking so many white cake recipes since going gluten free. Every one of them had a funky flavor (think bean flour... ack) or funky texture (think sand) that left me frustrated and fairly certain that I wouldn't be able to figure this one out.

Until now.

I think I may have done it. Now, let me say this... don't expect this cupcake to taste like a boxed, gluten filled cake mix. It's not going to. It is, however, fluffy, soft and yummy. There is no hint of bean flour flavor (because there IS no bean flour in it!) and it has no gritty texture.

My husband and mom (aka official taste testers) both found this morsel to be de-lish-e-ous. So be creative with your frosting... try chocolate, vanilla, whipped cream, coconut, cream cheese frosting... or even some of the beloved Nutella. (My mom chose Nutella, much "oo-ing" and "ah-ing" occurred.)

Enjoy, my friends, the fruit of many failed recipes and long suffering as I toiled and toiled to find the perfect vanilla cake recipe for you.

OK, for me. But also for you.
















Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes

1 cup sorghum flour or brown rice flour (I used sorghum)
1 cup tapioca starch
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 cup milk
2 eggs
3 Tbsp canola oil
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1-2 tsp imitation coconut extract
1/4 tsp lime or lemon juice


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners.


Whisk all the dry ingredients together. Add the wet ingredients and whisk until smooth. Divide equally into lined cupcake cups. (Fill cupcakes about 2/3 of the way full.)


Bake for 20-22 minutes until the centers of the cupcakes are set. Remove from the oven and allow cupcakes to sit for 2-3 minutes, then remove from the pan to finish cooling. Frost once the cupcakes are completely cooled.


Makes 12 cupcakes.

Subtle Hints

As I write this post, the sweetest little muffins are baking in the oven. I actually rediscovered the recipe recently, surprised I had not yet posted this one on my blog. I almost feel as though I should apologize for withholding it from you.

I’m very sorry. (I feel better.)

It occurred to me, though, that my timing might be quite good. You see, Mother’s Day is just around the corner. Ah yes, Mother’s Day. A day set aside to honor that most praise-worthy position, motherhood. Personally, I think we should have a Mother’s Day once a week. Might help us get through the week a little easier knowing that breakfast in bed is a-comin’! But that is a discussion for another day.

The little confections currently baking in my oven are Strawberry Muffins. These are moist, slightly sweet muffins with bursts of fresh strawberry in it. Doesn’t that sound like the perfect companion to whatever else will be on your Mother’s Day breakfast-in-bed meal?

I realize there are some of you reading this and thinking, “HA! Mother’s Day breakfast in bed? What’s that?”

No worries, my friend. I have you covered.

Here’s what you need to do. You need to make a subtle, yet completely obvious, hint. Print out the recipe, write the words “WOW! Need to try soon!” on it and leave it someplace obvious… the dining room table, the bathroom mirror, the driver’s seat of his car. You get the point.

You could also leave this blog open on the computer screen. Scroll down to the paragraph below, hiding this paragraph and everything above it.

ATTENTION MEN: THESE MUFFINS WOULD MAKE AN AMAZING TREAT FOR YOUR GLUTEN FREE WIFE THIS MOTHER’S DAY. PART OF BREAKFAST. IN BED. WITH FLOWERS.

(You’re welcome.)

Gluten Free Strawberry Muffins

1 ¾ cups Pamela’s Baking and Pancake Mix

¾ cup sugar

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

2 eggs, slightly beaten

½ cup plain or vanilla Greek yogurt

¼ cup butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 heaping Tbsp strawberry preserves

1 cup chopped fresh strawberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the Pamela’s Baking Mix, sugar and nutmeg.

In a larger bowl, mix together the eggs, yogurt, butter, vanilla and strawberry preserves. Stir in the dry ingredients until just moistened.

Fold in the fresh strawberries.

Fill 12-18 muffin cups lined with paper liners (or sprayed with non-stick spray) two-thirds full.

Bake for 18 minutes (until lightly golden brown on top) and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cool for 5 minutes, then serve warm. 

Convinced

So I’ve been on this quinoa kick.

(For those of you who are looking at that word with a quizzical look, it’s pronounced /keen-wah/. Want to learn about it? Check out this link: http://vegetarian.about.com/od/glossary/g/whatisquinoa.htm.)

I really want to find (healthy) alternatives to the usual rice or the forbidden couscous… and quinoa was something that I had heard a lot about, but never really tried. I was in my beloved Wegman’s a while ago, saw the package in the gluten free section and entered into the realm of the impulse purchase. (I do that. A lot.)

The big question mark on this journey into all things quinoa was my sweet husband. Tim loves - as I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts - meat and potatoes, broccoli and rice, pasta, seafood and all the other basics of cooking. He can be… wary… of the introduction of substitutions for the “real” stuff. Quinoa would fit into that definition. Considering the fact that my husband NEVER complains about what I make for dinner (including the occasional bowl of cereal), I try to be mindful and experiment more with my mom… who, culinarily speaking, is up for basically anything.

My first experiment with quinoa was the vegetable quinoa soup, also found on this blog. It is amazing. The problem, though, was that the flavor of the quinoa was masked by all the other strong flavors going on in the soup. The quinoa really served as a texture in the soup… to give it more body. It didn’t get to shine.

So, round two. Quinoa Patties, again found on this blog. YUM. These were sampled only by my mom and me and we both agreed they were creamy, comforting… and the garlic mayo set it over the top. When Tim called from work to check in on everyone, I mentioned the quinoa experiment in progress. He was obviously relieved, though he didn’t actually say the words. His voice, however, reeked of relief.

On to round three. This time, he wasn’t getting out of the experiment. I found a recipe on www.soveryblessed.com for Quinoa Pizza Bites and slightly altered it… really just to make it even easier for me to throw together. I made these for dinner last night. My 7-year-old ate it and liked it. My 3-year-old tried it and announced he liked it, but wanted yogurt. (Ah, to be three.) Both my mom and I thought they were delicious and worthy to be put into my recipe arsenal. And my husband… well, he skeptically dove in and found that he really liked it! Said it was "quite good".

I’m so proud of him.

All you need is a little marinara sauce on the side and you’ll be amazed how much these little guys taste like pizza. Oh, and if you want to keep this completely vegetarian, just substitute some diced cherry tomatoes for the pepperoni and it will be equally delicious.

Now – on to round four? I wonder what else I can do with my new friend, Quinoa……

Gluten Free Quinoa Pizza Bites

1 cup uncooked quinoa

2 cups water

2 large eggs

½ to 1 cup onion, chopped

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tsp Italian seasoning

½ tsp salt

½ cup chopped pepperoni (or diced cherry tomatoes)

Place the quinoa and water in a medium saucepan fitted with a lid. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to low and let cook for 20 minutes until tender. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a non-stick muffin tin with non-stick spray.

Mix together all ingredients in a large bowl and distribute mixture into the muffin tin, making 12 muffins.  Press down on each one gently with wet hands to compact.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden on the edges. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Serve warm with marinara sauce.

Nuggets of Love

Although my daughter is white potato intolerant, we (thankfully) can still have them in the house. As long as she doesn’t ingest them, she’s good to go. That being said, I don’t serve them up very often. They have almost become a treat around here, especially for my sweet husband… who absolutely loves potatoes. Doesn’t matter how you serve them to him – mashed, hashed, baked or fried - he’ll love them. He worked in a restaurant as a teen and basically mastered the home fries. There is a standard in Tim’s eyes about how the precious potato should be cooked. And though he loves all potatoes, if served a substandard potato, you might catch a slight look of disappointment in his green eyes. It’s very slight, since he would never want anyone – friend or restaurant cook – to have their feelings hurt.

(Truth be told, he’s become a little bit of a potato snob as of late, but don’t tell him I said that. He will vehemently deny it.)

There is one potato recipe that, to me, is cream of the crop. Truly, they are nuggets of love. I say that not only because I love them, but because they are little high maintenance. They are needy.

You need to pay lots of attention to these little guys. They demand center stage. If you give them the attention they crave, I can promise you this… you will not be disappointed. You will end up with crispy-on-the-outside-creamy-on-the-inside-ever-so-slightly-garlicky-with-hints-of salty-goodness potatoes that you will immediately fall in love with.

Are you wondering how I can say that with such confidence? Because my potato expert husband is always thrilled to hear I am making them. There is not one glimpse of disappointment in those green eyes when these hit the table.

If that doesn’t convince you, then I challenge you to a potato cook-off.  Make these, eat them… and let this gluten free girl know if they weren’t as amazing as I said they would be.

Gluten Free Roasted Potatoes

12-16 small red bliss potatoes

6 tablespoons garlic infused olive oil (see below)

Black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese (can use the canned stuff, if needed!)

To make garlic infused olive oil:

Warm 6 TBSP olive oil in a small sauce pan. Add 3-4 cloves of garlic that have been smashed open but are still in one piece. Allow the garlic to soften 10 minutes. Remove garlic cloves and  - VOILA! – garlic infused olive oil.

To make the potatoes:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Adjust the oven racks to the top and bottom positions.

Place the potatoes on a lipped sheet pan, pour 3/4 cup water over the potatoes and cover tightly with foil. Bake on the bottom rack until tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, drain any remaining water and let rest 8 minutes.

Drizzle 3 tablespoons of the garlic oil over the potatoes, making sure they are evenly coasted. Space the potatoes evenly on the sheet pan and, using a potato masher, flatten the potatoes to about 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle with pepper. Drizzle the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil over the potatoes and roast on the top rack for 10-15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and flip each potato over. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Roast on the bottom rack until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Can eat plain or with sour cream, bacon, scallions, etc… use your imagination!

Mistaken Identity

I don’t know what’s going on with me. I used to be a meat and potatoes girl. Now I find myself experimenting with things like hummus…. and today’s ingredient, quinoa.

What is happening to me?

I’m not interested in hamburgers as much anymore. Sure, I’ll enjoy a good burger at Cheeseburger in Paradise (who, by the way, has a rockin’ gluten free menu!)… but when I set out to cook, burgers aren’t anywhere near the top of my list. Ground beef, for that matter, isn’t up there.

I’m married to a meat and potatoes guy. He comes from a meat and potatoes father. My dad was a meat and potatoes man. My brother? Meat and potatoes.

Maybe I’m just stretching my culinary wings. Yes, that’s it.

What scares me is that my mom has one foot firmly planted in the vegetarian world. (The other foot, incidentally, is firmly planted in the bacon world.) For the record, I’m not scared of vegetables. I like them, for the most part. And I’m very interested in experimenting with them, within reason. I just don’t want to make the full leap into vegetarianism.

For some reason, in my little brain, I think I’m on that road. Now, I have plenty of friends who happily live a vegetarian life. They are creative and healthy and make delicious food. I know I’d be happy with the meals.

I think the part that scares me is IF (and I mean IF) I am heading down that road… that means I would be attempting to cook gluten free, peanut free, potato free AND vegetarian food. And that exhausts me just thinking about it.

I think I need a slice of bacon.

Gluten Free Quinoa Patties

1 ¼ cups cooked quinoa, room temperature

2 eggs, slightly beaten

¼ tsp salt

2 Tbsp parsley, chopped

1 Tbsp butter

½ sweet onion, finely chopped

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (better to grate your own rather than use the canned)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup gluten free bread crumbs (I pulsed 3 pieces of gf bread in the food processor until crumbs)

1 Tbsp oil

In a small sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and sauté until softened. Remove from heat and immediately add the minced garlic. Stir to incorporate and warm garlic through. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together the quinoa, eggs, salt, parsley, onion-garlic mixture and parmesan cheese. Add ½ cup of bread crumbs. Mix together and let sit for a minute. Test the consistency of the mixture to see if it able to be formed into a small patty. If needed, add more bread crumbs until desired consistency is achieved.

Shape mixture into 6 small patties.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the 6 patties and cook until deeply browned. Flip and repeat. Remove from pan.

Serve with a garlic mayonnaise. (1/4 cup of mayo with 3 cloves of chopped roasted garlic.)

One Humdinger of a Hummus!

When I was younger I spoke of certain foods with a certain longing. Why a longing? Because they were foods I hated, but wished I could love. Broccoli is a great example. It’s good for you and it’s just so cute! Sweet little trees. But there was just one problem.

It tasted like dirt.

Didn’t matter if it was raw, steamed, roasted, covered in cheese or dipped in melted butter. Dirt.

It was a little later that I found a determination within me that came out of nowhere. I would learn to like broccoli. So I began the journey to broccoli love.

I wish I could say that a day came when I bit down on that sweet little tree and exclaimed, “By JING! This is totally delicious!”… but I can’t. Do I eat broccoli now? Absolutely. I even enjoy it in quiches and on a white pizza. I thoroughly enjoy a warm bowl of broccoli cheese soup on a cold evening. But I don’t love it by itself.

Alas, my dreams of a broccoli romance have ended. We are, however, good friends. And that’s a big step away from dirt.

I recently decided it would be good to give hummus a try. It’s a dip (I like dips), it’s healthy (I like healthy, most of the time) and people are raving about it (I like the people who are raving about it, though that has nothing to do with me liking hummus). So, on one of my grocery shopping trips I grabbed me a container of sun dried tomato hummus. I brought it home, eager to try something new and to expand my culinary borders.

It tasted like dirt. Not broccoli dirt, but a different variation of dirt. Hummus dirt.

I even tried it on my all-time favorite chip… the corn chip. I can put almost anything on a corn chip and eat it. (I recently dipped a corn chip in melted chocolate…. OH MY.) But alas, my beloved corn chip did not take away from the creamy dirt in my mouth.

On my next grocery excursion, I grabbed roasted garlic hummus. I absolutely l-o-v-e roasted garlic, so how could I go wrong? Just in case, though, I grabbed another bag of corn chips.

Dirt. *sigh*

This hummus was not going to get the better of me. I let the concept bounce around my head for a while. I knew chickpeas didn’t have much flavor, so that couldn’t be the ingredient to blame for the dirt issue. Then it occurred to me… TAHINI. Of course! I researched and researched and as it turns out… I’m not alone! Many people have a problem with tahini.

So here you have it, folks. My version of hummus, sans tahini paste. I LOVE IT. It’s creamy, it’s comforting and it’s bursting with a gentle garlic flavor.

I’m on the hummus bandwagon! I’m part of the Hummus Fan Club! I’m way too excited about hummus!

But I’m thrilled to have conquered another challenge. Hmmm… what’s next? Perhaps avocados. *shudder*

Gluten Free Tahini-Less Roasted Garlic Hummus

15 oz canned chickpeas, drained

3 Tbsp roasted garlic

½ Tbsp lemon or lime juice

2-3 Tbsp olive oil

½ tsp Italian Seasoning

1-2 Tbsp water

Tiny Pinch of Salt

In a food processor, combine the beans, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and Italian seasoning. Pulse until smooth. If you prefer a looser hummus, add water one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency. (I used both TBSPs of water.)

Serve! Makes about 1 ½ cups.