PW's Olive Cheese Bread-GF

1 loaf gluten free french bread (you can make your own if you can't find a GF Bakery)

1 6 oz. can Pimiento-stuffed Green Olives

1 6 oz. can Black Olives
2 green onions, chopped

1 stick Butter, room temperature

1/2 cup Mayonnaise

3/4 lb. Monterey Jack Cheese, grated

Roughly chop both black and green olives. Slice onions. Combine butter and mayonnaise until well blended. Add cheese, olives and green onions. Stir together. Spread mixture onto French bread that has been sliced lengthwise. 

Bake at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Original Recipe can be found here.

Creamy Tomato Soup

I was skeptical when I tried this recipe.  It comes from Pioneer Woman.  I love making soups, but in my mind, soup cooks all day.  This tomato soup does not.  It's quick. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

1 46 oz. Bottle Tomato Juice 
2 cans Petite Diced Tomatoes
1 Onion, diced 
6 TBS Butter
3 TBS Sugar
1 TBS Chicken Base
1 cup Cooking Sherry (this is where the flavor comes from)
1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream (in a pinch, I've used sour cream with great results, but to blend, add hot tomato slowly to the sour cream before blending into the soup)
Fresh Chopped Parsley
Salt
Pepper

Sauté diced onions in butter until translucent. Add canned tomatoes, tomato juice, chicken base, sugar, pinch of salt, black pepper and stir. Bring to a near boil, then turn off heat. Add in sherry and cream and stir. Add chopped, fresh parsley, about 1 TBS. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.  This is great with PW's Olive Cheese Bread, made gluten free of course.

 Also good with cubed cheese.

GF Panzanella Salad

I had never heard of panzanella salad, but with all of these lovely tomatoes from my garden, I went in search of a tomato salad recipe.  I was a bit disheartened to find recipes with french bread when we are gluten free.  That is until I realized I had a loaf of GF bread that was going to get moldy if I didn't eat it up quick.  Now that two more daughters and my mother-in-law has moved out, it wasn't very likely that the two of us left would finish the loaf. so I used PW's recipe for Panzanella (with a few obvious and not so obvious changes) to make a bread salad that was also gluten free.

So here is my version:

• 1 loaf Gluten Free Bread
• A variety of  Tomatoes, Cut or sliced (I used about 3-4 cups)
• 1 cup Basil Leaves, sliced or gently torn
• 1/2 cup smoked Gouda Cheese, cubed
• 1/2 sweet onion, slivered
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar
• Salt And Pepper
• Olive Oil, For Drizzling

Because I didn't have french bread, I cubed the bread and spread it on a cookie sheet. I warmed it in the oven at 275 degrees for about 20 minutes so it was more like croutons, then cooled.

Place the bread in a bowl.  Add onion and tomatoes.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Add cheese and basil and mix gently. Cover and allow to sit until ready to serve. (If it's going to be more than a couple of hours, you may refrigerate but tomatoes lose flavor and texture very quickly when chilled. My advice is never to chill/refrigerate tomatoes.)

Enjoy!

Three Bean Salad

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained 

1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained 

1 1/2 cups cooked green beans, cut in 1 inch pieces

3/4 cup smoked Gouda Cheese, cut in cubes

1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced

Dressing:

2 TBS honey

1 TBS rice wine vinegar (I like the garlic flavored)

1 TBS dijon mustard
1 TBS olive oil

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp pepper 

Mix dressing ingredients.  I find that if I warm the honey slightly, it is easier to mix. Place remaining ingredients in a bowl.  Add dressing, coating all. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes or more. Mix gently before serving. 

Mexicali Bowl

       

1 spaghetti squash 

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup fresh or frozen corn

1 small onion chopped, or one bunch sliced green onion 

1 chopped red or orange pepper

1 minced jalapeno pepper

4-6 oz. grated monterey jack cheese or pepper jack

1/2 lime (about 1 TBS lime juice)

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1-2 minced garlic cloves

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cumin

Pierce the skin on the spaghetti squash with a sharp knife like you would before baking a potato.  This will keep the squash from exploding in the microwave.  (If you prefer, you can bake it, but it takes much longer to cook.)  Microwave whole squash for about 10 minutes, rotating it half-way through cooking.  Let cool while you chop and prepare the rest of the ingredients. 

Heat oil in a skillet. Add onion, garlic, jalapeno pepper and red bell pepper. Saute a couple of minutes.  Add spices, beans, and corn, remove from heat.  Squeeze lime juice over all and mix.

When cool enough, slice squash in half lengthwise.  Scoop out seeds and strings, then scrape out most of the squash and add to the bean mixture.   Fold in cheese.  Fill the empty squash shells with filling.  Top with additional cheese, chives, or cilantro.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes to heat thoroughly.

Serve with fresh salsa and chips or avocado slices.

The original recipe came from the Whole Foods site, with a few change ups.

Edamame & Quinoa

1 cup frozen shelled edamame
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes 
1 bunch chopped green onions 
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper 
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/4 cups water, divided 
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
3/4 teaspoon salt 
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa 
1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add edamame, red pepper, and garlic; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in water, basil, chickpeas, and tomatoes; simmer 15 minutes or until quinoa is cooked.  Stir in onions and feta; toss well.

This makes a nice side dish or a vegetarian main dish. (The original recipe comes from Cooking Light, but is made with couscous.  Not being gluten free, I changed it up and used quinoa instead.)

A Lovely Lunch

I love this time of year when fresh herbs are growing outside.  The aroma of basil beckons, causing me to pluck a few leaves.  I rack my brain wondering how I can incorporate them into lunch.  I see the gluten free Udi's Bagels sitting on the counter along with a bunch or grape tomatoes.  Of course!  A bagel pizza of sorts. 

Not wanting to overpower the delicate basil flavor with a tomato sauce, I decide on a bit of olive oil instead.

1 gluten free bagel
1 TBS olive oil, flavored is nice
5-6 grape tomatoes
Fresh grated parmesan cheese
Mozzarella cheese
Fresh basil leaves
1-2 garlic cloves

Pour olive oil in small glass container.  If using plain olive oil, mince 1 garlic clove and add to oil for extra flavor.  Brush each side of bagel with oil, sprinkle liberally with cheeses-can also add feta for variety.  Add sliced tomatoes and basil leaves.   Top with very thin slices of garlic, more cheese and a drizzle more of olive oil, if desired.  Broil in oven a few minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Meal In Pictures

I hate it when I make perfectly good dishes, take the time to snap a photograph, but don't write anything down. I think, oh this looks good. What is it?

I end up with this:

Or this:


But I can't recall what I did or the secret ingredients.

I need to keep a pen and paper handy while I'm cooking. If I write everything down, and don't throw the paper away, I might be able to share these recipes.

Carrots & Spinach

I found this recipe on Flip Cookbook, a blog I recently ran across. I was craving spinach and needed a side dish. I saw this recipe with collard greens and thought I could substitute spinach. With a few carrots and onion, it was a nice side dish. I might experiment with the seasonings a bit next time, but this hit the spot.

1 9 0z. bag spinach
1 cup sliced carrots
1 onion, sliced or chopped
2 TBS peanut butter
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. coriander
1/2 cup hot water
1 TBS olive oil

Blend peanut butter into hot water. Saute onions & carrots in oil for a couple of minutes. Add cumin, coriander and continue cooking for another couple of minutes. Add the spinach into pan until wilted. Pour peanut butter over and cook a few minutes until carrots are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

A Simple Meal

In the summer, I do a lot of salads and fruit for main dishes, as well as sides. In our gluten-filled days, bread was a staple with salad or as a filler with grilled meat & salad. I like summer meals that are easy to put together, without turning on the oven. Not the right time to practice making gluten-free breads. What could be easier than a can of beans?

First I turned on the outdoor grill, where I cooked Lemon Pepper Chicken. In the 5 minutes it took to heat the grill, I shucked some corn and popped it into the pressure cooker for 5 minutes. I then put these beans on the stove:

1 can black beans
1 TBS chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 TBS chopped fresh-from-the-garden cilantro
pinch of salt& cumin

Saute onions & in a smidge of oil. Add can of beans, salt, and cumin. Put lid on pan and simmer on low.

After cooking the chicken, I put a bowl of cherries and blueberries on the table and we enjoyed a simple meal of Lemon Pepper Chicken, Corn-on-the-cob, Black Beans, & fruit.

I pulled this meal together in less than 20 minutes.

Tomato & Asparagus Salad

1 bunch asparagus
2-3 cups grape, pear, or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 avocado, chopped
1 cup basil leaves, cut in ribbons
1/2 cup fresh mozzarella balls quartered, or crumbled goat cheese (optional)
1 TBS pine nuts (optional)

Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. dijon mustard, can use honey mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Steam or microwave asparagus until tender. Rinse with cold water. Cut into 1 1/2-2 inch pieces. Place in bowl with sliced tomatoes, basil, and cheese. Mix dressing and pour over salad. Blend to coat. Gently fold in avocado. Top with pinenuts if desired.

(I first saw a version of this salad at Elana's Place, who adapted it from Cooking Light.)

Hummus

I've been wanting to make some homemade hummus for quite some time. I purchased a jar of tahini for this very purpose, but it has sat on the pantry shelf looking rather lonely. In fact, it was nearing its expiration date. My daughter, Sarabeth took it upon herself to make a batch of hummus and it was superb! I found the tahini at our local grocery store next to the peanut butter.

1 can of garbanzo beans (some brands are called chickpeas-same thing)
1 1/2 TBS tahini
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 TBS lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup reserved juice from can of beans

1 TBS chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional, but it does add a nice flavor)
1 TBS olive oil (also optional, but nice for dipping)

Drain beans, reserving 1/4 cup of the juice. Combine first 6 ingredients in food processor. Mix on low for 3 minutes, or until smooth.

To serve, place in bowl. Using a ladle, make an impression in the middle of the hummus and filling with 1 TBS olive oil. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with pita bread, crackers, or can be used in a wrap.

I'm working on a gluten free pita bread and will post the recipe soon. But if you aren't gluten free, there are plenty of recipes for pita bread out there.

I can't wait to add some other flavors to this basic recipe, sun dried tomatoes or roasted red peppers, jalapeno...the variations are endless.

GFCF French Toast

I did it! I made Ethan gluten free, casein free french toast. Sure it would be great if I'd used homemade bread and all, but so nice to have the convenience of easy to prepare gfcf food. I am not a big fan of rice milk or soy milk, but am loving the new coconut milk found in the dairy case at the grocery store. So with these few ingredients:

We had lovely french toast:



1 egg
1 cup coconut milk
dash of vanilla
dash or two of salt
Gluten free bread-if you're in Colorado, Udi's is the best bread!

Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2-1 tsp. cinnamon
(I didn't need to make any up this morning, so these measurements are approximate.)

Mix the eggs together in a bowl. Add milk, vanilla, & salt. Mix well. Pour into a shallow dish, such as a pie plate. Dip bread in mixture and cook on oiled gridle or pan on Med/high heat. (375 degrees in electric skillet.) Lightly brown each side. This recipe is easily doubled.

Chili Rellenos

Sorry I haven't been around for awhile. If you are in the mood for a little bit of Mexican Food, here is one of my favorites. My mom used to make these when I was growing up. We ate them plain, but Michael likes them with green chili.

1 large can roasted green chilies
8 oz. grated monterrey jack cheese
1/4 cup chopped onions or a bunch of green onions
2 eggs
oil for frying, about 1/2 inch deep

The secret to keeping the egg batter is to chill your bowl. I use a glass measure and place it in the freezer for 10 minutes before I beat the eggs.


Separate the yokes from the whites, adding whites to frosty bowl. Save the yokes to add later.

Beat egg whites until stiff. That means when you turn the mixer off and pull out the beaters, white peaks form and fold over in a nice curl like a fancy ice cream cone.


Some people add 1 TBS of flour here. I don't since I'm cooking gluten free. But I do add the yokes into the whites and gently fold them in. They fold in nicer when you beat them first instead of plopping them as I have done.


But since the bowl is chilled, the egg whites are very forgiving.



Mix the cheese and onions together. Open can of chilies, rinse and remove seeds and membranes. You can leave them whole or split one side open. This batch of chilies had a lot of skin still attached that should be removed. Then stuff them with the cheese mixture. I tried to leave mine whole, but they split apart multiple times. If this should happen, gently squeeze the chili around the cheese. If you use fresh grated cheese instead of pre-grated, it sticks together fairly well.


The stuffed chilies...I know, not terribly pretty.


Spoon egg mixture about the length of a chili into hot oil. Important-do not place hot spoon back in egg mixture. Have a plate or spoon holder to set it in until you are ready for the next one.


Gently place stuffed chili onto egg.


Using a spatula, quickly push egg up around sides of chili.


If you can't get it to cover the chili, you can spoon a bit more egg onto the top.


Let it cook until sides begin to lightly brown. The egg cooks rather quickly, usually in less than a minute. Gently flip them over to brown the other side.



Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.

Can be eaten naked, with sour cream or guacamole. Even better is if you have a pot of green chili waiting to be poured over the rellenos. Superb!

If this is too much trouble, and you aren't eating gluten free, you can take the stuffed chilies and wrap them in egg roll wrappers instead of the egg mixture. This will make a very crisp outside. But I can't think of them as authentic Mexican food when fried in egg roll wrappers. Still tasty and less messy. You choose.

New Chili

I added another photo to this recipe. It is gluten free and makes a lovely fall soup. You can make it with chicken tenders instead of turkey-which is what I did today. I posted this back in February of 2008, but am updating gluten free recipes, so thought I'd post it again. Eliminate the turkey/chicken and it can be vegetarian.

I was reading Heth's Blog about a new chili recipe she tried. It looked so lovely, I just had to try it. She posted pictures of each of her children tasting it and what they thought. It was hilarious. Check it out.

The original recipe comes from Better Homes & Garden and is called New World Chili. I did my best to follow the recipe. Here are the very attractive ingredients. (Heth displayed them so lovely I thought I'd try the same.)

1 lb. turkey breast tenderloin, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
1 cup peeled, seeded and cubed butternut squash or pumpkin
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth (gluten free)
1/2 cup frozen whole kernel corn
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 fresh jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 cups shredded fresh spinach
4 oz. Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeño peppers, shredded (1 cup)

In a 5-quart slow cooker combine turkey, undrained tomatoes, beans, tomato sauce, squash, onion, the 1/2 cup chicken broth, corn, cranberries, jalapeño pepper, chili powder, and garlic.

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 10 to 12 hours or on high-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours. If desired, stir in additional broth to reach desired consistency. Stir in spinach just before serving. Sprinkle each serving with cheese. Makes 6 servings.

I used 1 1/2 lbs turkey tenderloin and browned in 1 TBS olive oil with onions and garlic before placing in crockpot. I cooked it on high. I added 2 cups additional broth. I considered using hot green chilies or canned jalapeños, but opted to stick with as close to the original as I could.

Black Bean Salsa

I can't seem to get enough of the summer's bounty of vegetables. I couldn't decide whether to make black bean salsa or corn. So I merged them. As usual this was a hit.

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1-2 avocadoes, chopped
1/2 onion, diced or 6 green onions, chopped
1/2 red pepper, diced
1-2 ears of fresh corn cut off cob or 1 1/2 cups frozen and thawed
1/2-1 fresh jalapeno pepper, finely diced
2 TBS fresh chopped cilantro
2-3 minced garlic cloves
1 TBS lime juice
1 1/2 TBS red wine vinegar
Salt to taste (1/2-1 tsp.)
tomatoes (I chopped and add my last tomato after I took pictures.)

Add chopped vegetables to a bowl. Gently mix in spices, lime juice, and vinegar. Serve with tortilla chips or as a side to tacos. For a salad, serve over a bed of lettuce with or without chicken. Or just heap into a taco shell and call it a vegetarian taco.

Gluten Free Pizza!

I tried again to make gluten free pizza. I found a lovely thick pre-made, thick, gluten-free crust. For the thin crust, I made it from scratch. The family was happy, especially Elisabeth. But next time, I'm buying new yeast. I think mine was a bit dead. The past few years I've cut back on making homemade bread. I hadn't noticed the expiration date on the yeast jar, but knew it was probably getting old. (Some time ago, I stocked up on yeast when it was on sale.) After making the pizza and thinking the dough, albeit gluten free, wasn't as pliable as I thought it should be, I finally checked that date. Hmmm...03/05/05, more than 4 years past the date. I threw the rest away so I would try to use it again.

3/4 cup Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Mix (I use Bob's Mill)
3/4 cup tapioca flour (also called tapioca starch)
2 TBS powdered milk (for GFCF diet, omit or use non-dairy substitute)
2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. unflavored gelatin
1 tsp. salt
1 TBS yeast
1/2 cup warm, not hot water
2 tsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. honey (or you can use sugar)

Toppings:
GF pizza sauce (sorry, I don't have a great recipe-I use Contadina's)
Mozzarella cheese (for GFCF diet, use goat mozzarella or soy)
Pepperoni, I like Hormel turkey which is GF
Bacon, again Hormel
any veggies or fruit, I like onions, green peppers, & mushrooms

Place water, honey, & yeast in a bowl. In a separate bowl mix dry ingredients. Add vinegar & olive oil to water. Add in dry ingredients. If you have a good stand mixer, this can be mixed on high for a few minutes.

On counter or surface clean of any gluten, sprinkle tapioca flour. Remove dough on from bowl and continue to kneed in tapioca flour until dough can be shaped easily.

Divide in half and roll out to desired thickness. You can also lightly spray pan/stone with non-stick spray, or use gf cornmeal and roll out dough directly in pan. This works well if you have Pampered Chef's small rolling pin.

Bake 5 minutes at 400 degrees. Can be cooled and refrigerated/frozen until later use or add toppings. Bake 10-15 minutes with toppings, or until done.

Baked Spinach Flauta

1 dozen flour tortillas
1 large onion chopped
2 small or 1 large tomato chopped
1 1/4 lb. cooked, chopped spinach,
1 small can sliced olives
3/4 lb grated jack cheese

Mix cheese & veggies. Grease a large baking pan with shortening or olive oil. Fill each tortilla with about 1/4 cup filling. Place seam side down on baking sheet. Bake 30 minutes, until lightly browned and crisp. Serve with salsa and sour cream/guacamole. I've also added chopped mushrooms with success. Be creative and add other vegetables. At this time of year chopped zucchini would be a great addition. If adding a lot of vegetables, I stir fry them in a bit of olive oil before adding to the cheese and tomatoes. Then you can stir-fry fresh spinach also.

(Will add photo later.)

No Meat Egg Casserole

10 eggs
1 8 ounce package cream cheese
3-4 slices whole wheat bread, cubed
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 red pepper sauce
1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper
2-3 TBS vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups chopped zucchini
8 oz. sliced fresh mushrooms
1 chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped red or green pepper
1-2 cloves garlic, minced

In pan, saute zucchini, onion, mushroom, garlic, peppers in oil, just until tender. Mix eggs and milk together. Lightly grease a 13x9inch pan. Add cubed bread. Tear cream cheese into pieces atop the bread.

Add vegetables, top with cheese. Pour egg mixture over all. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. If desired, the casserole can be refrigerated overnight. Place in preheated oven and bake 45 minutes to an hour.