Day 6: GF & VEGAN "Crazy" Loaf Bread

I am the proud “owner” of two virus infested little men. I just can’t think of where they got it from (as I still have a raspy voice myself). That being said, dinner will be one that is quick and easy tonight- but I am not one to disappoint, and decided to try out a new recipe of GF bread while I was making the quick/easy meal.

I stopped in at Ocean State Job Lot today to pick up a excessive quantity of flours in order to venture this new bread machine loaf bread. Another customer and I sparked up a conversation about gluten free flour and living (as well as its value to children and adults with autism). I have been blessed with two very healthy and albeit “easy” kids, but appreciate that even the smallest diet change can make a big difference in the lives of those living with autism. As Laura and I chatted, (“Hi Laura, if you’re reading this, it was nice to meet you! If I got your name wrong I apologize”) she mentioned that she is also vegan. While our bakery is vegan (and all allergen free) I had not thought about mentioning the ways you can make each of my recipes listed here vegan as well. For that reason- I tried a VEGAN and gluten free loaf bread tonight. 

The ingredients I am trying are listed below, steps to the process will be posted shortly!

Gluten Free “Crazy” Loaf Bread

GF, EF, CF/DF, SF, CoF, NF- but hopefully not TF (taste free)!

Liquid:

1 1/4 cups warm water

3 tablespoons olive oil (I use extra virgin, it makes me feel better after two kids, hehe)

1 tablespoon agave nectar (thought I’d make it vegan)

1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

Flax Gel equivalent of 1 egg (To Make: Combine 1 TBS ground flax [I use golden flax] and mix with 3 TBS warm water, allow to sit for a minute before combining with other ingredients, this makes an egg-like gel)

Dry:

1 cups brown rice flour 

1 ½ Cups tapioca starch

1/2 cup teff flour

2 teaspoons xanthan gum

1 tsp kosher salt

1 packet rapid dry yeast or 2 1/4 teaspoons (I use the jar, it’s cheaper for the amount of times I use it!)

You may want poppy or sesame seed for the top. I actually put sesame, poppy and onion bits on mine. That’s my way of paying homage to the “crazy bagels” of yore… ahhh how I miss bagels; perhaps I’ll try that sometime soon too!
(Afterthought: I should have topped with minced garlic too)


Instructions:

If you’re making this in a bread machine… pour liquid ingredients in first.


All all of the dry ingredients except the "toppings".


After the first rise cycle, you will want to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula.


After the bread machine goes through all rising cycles, quickly pour topping onto loaf. If I were to do this over, I would add in the garlic as well.


In the end, this bread tasted pretty good. It is a bit denser in texture than many breads most of us are used to, but I think I could comfortable use this for a small sandwich, to dip in warm soup, or even to toast up and use as croutons or bread in fresh onion soup.


Let me know your thoughts! Wish us well in getting the kiddos down for a full night of rest tonight!




Naturally,
Raych

Day 5: Butternut Squash Soup w/ Grilled Cheese (Baby Food Recipe Included)

Today was the perfect soup day. It was a little chilly out and Henri, Isaac and I are all feeling the effects of a cold. I think my students love that I lose my voice nearly every time I get a good cold- this would be week 2 without a voice for the 2011-12 school year.

I have made butternut squash soup in the past, but decided to change it up a little this time. This is a delicious sweet soup, and went REALLY well with grilled cheese. I have to admit that rather than making my own bread, I used Udi’s multi-grain GF bread. It’s not my favorite brand… I prefer making my own or buying Rudi’s or Canyon Bakehouse multi-grain GF breads. I’ll put up my homemade sandwich bread recipe soon as well.

I’m limited on time tonight- I want to spend time with my little guys before they head off to bed- so I’ll get straight to the recipe.

Butternut Apple Soup and Baby Food

Makes 4-5 large bowls

GF, EF, SF, NF, CoF and CF/DF (without the cream)

1 Medium Butternut Squash, chopped into 1 inch cubes

1/2 medium onion (minced fine)

3 large granny smith apples, cut into cubes

3 Cups veggie stock/broth (I used the remainder of my Kitchen Basics stock that I used for yesterday’s recipe)

1 TBS minced Garlic

1 TBS Honey

Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

1 tsp Cream per bowl (optional)

 

Prepare all ingredients prior to starting soup.

Sauté the minced onion with olive oil in the bottom of a medium sauce pan.

Once the onions are tender, add the butternut squash and veggie stock to the pan. Bring to a high boil for about 4 minutes.

Add in the cut apple and reduce mixture to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes.

At this point I removed a small portion of the mixture and blended to make baby food for Henri.

Add in the garlic and honey.

Add sea salt and pepper to taste.

Puree the entire mixture with a blender or hand mixer (depending on how smooth you would like it).

I served mine with a swirl of cream in it, but that is optional and negligible for taste.

Henri enjoying his butternut-apple blend.

The recipe turned out pretty good. Isaac loved dipping his grilled cheese into the soup. Henri was a fan of the blended butternut/apple. . Of course, I needed to blend it more for him. I had originally made it a little too chunky. 

 Justin ate his up quickly as well. They are all more than willing to eat GF, mostly because I’m the family cook… but I did make them some rather glutinous grilled cheese tonight. One of the only gluten containing things we keep in the house is bread for them Overall, a great hearty meal!

Let me know your thoughts! Enjoy!

Naturally,

Raych

Day 4- Bleu Cheese Encrusted Steaks w/ Mashed Cauliflower

 So far I have been able to stick with the resolution. Of course, it’s only day 5; but did you know that while only 40% of people make a new year’s resolution… nearly 25% of those people break that resolution by the end of the first week of January?!

I’m fried already from my return to work. I spent last evening working at the bakery to prepare for a food demo and gluten free fair at the Canton(CT) Shop Rite on this Saturday.  (Make sure you stop by and say ,“hello”!) Tonight is my family night, so I thought I would cook them a delicious “healthy” meal and then relax with my 3 adorable boys. Yes, my hubby is pretty stinkin’ cute too!

Knowing that Justin thoroughly enjoys ANYTHING with bleu cheese, I decided to make bleu cheese encrusted steaks. We do not eat a significant amount of red meat- in fact I went almost 7 years without eating any red meat (due to lack of desire, not anything ethical) up until I was trying to get pregnant with my oldest (Isaac) because I needed more iron in my diet. I do have to admit that this recipe was adapted from another recipe online, but I have definitely “made it my own”. I carried through with a little more seasoning and bleu cheese and skipped out on some of the original seasoning that I don’t care for. Yes, bleu cheese is often considered a “gluten” product, because many times the mold is started on bread before being transferred to the cheese. There is no way of tracing your bleu cheese’s origin, but I have not, as of yet, had a reaction to crumbled bleu cheese. If you ARE concerned about gluten and don’t think you want to risk it- try gorgonzola, I bet it would taste good as well!

As for the side dish with this meal, instead of mashed potatoes, which… while delicious… are fairly empty carbs- I made mashed cauliflower. I added butter and a little emilk to them to get them to mash well- but if your diet restricts those items they are easy to replace or omit altogether. Of course, if you can’t have dairy, you probably won’t want to coat your steak in it either :)

Onward to the day 4 recipe…

Blue Cheese encrusted Steak w/ mashed cauliflower

Serves 6 (CoF, SF, GF [cheese dependent], NF, EF)

1/3 Cup bleu cheese crumbles (sub in gorgonzola if you can’t tolerate bleu cheese, I bet it would still be yummy)

½ cup plain bread crumbs (I used Gillian’s GF breadcrumbs it doesn’t have to be any special brand, just check for other allergens as needed)

Steak of choice (I used 6 small {RE:cheap} medium- thick marinating steak…. That I didn’t obviously marinate)

½ tsp marjoram + a pinch to season the steaks

½ tsp parsley + a pinch to season the steaks

Pinch of Garlic powder (to season steaks)

Cheap steaks.. but they tasted pretty good!

Splash of wine

1 cup organic veggie broth (I used Kitchen Basics)

1 teaspoon minced garlic 

½ medium onion (chopped)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. spray pan (or coat) with olive oil; set aside.

Combine bleu cheese, bread crumbs, herbs, and 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil; set aside.

 

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a sauté pan and heat over medium heat.

Season steaks with salt and pepper, garlic powder, a little parsley and marjoram.

Sear steaks for one to two minutes per side, not cooked through.

Remove pan from heat and transfer steaks into prepared baking dish.

Finish cooking steaks in the preheated oven until cooked to your desired level of pink. I originally undercooked ours, but we like ours well done- for that I would recommend about 8-10 minutes in the oven- otherwise, keep an eye on them.

Return pan to stove and deglaze with wine by scraping bits from bottom of pan. Add broth, onion, minced garlic, salt and pepper and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil until liquid is reduced and sauce thickens slightly.

Serve the steak with the sauce drizzled over it.

I served this with mashed cauliflower (cooked like mashed potatoes) and a small salad.

My family did enjoy this meal; Justin even went for a second helping. Isaac has always been a little averse to steak or, “chewy meats”, but he really liked the mashed cauliflower and he is my bizarre little 3 year old who likes salad. Henri enjoyed his bananas and pears, since we haven’t introduced meats yet and he’ll already be gassy enough with the cauliflower I ate (and will pass along in his evening “cocktail”). Tomorrow, I’ll be posting a butternut squash soup recipe that starts with a potential baby food recipe, so it will truly be a family meal!

Let me know how you enjoyed your steaks!?

Naturally,

Raych

Day 3- Ginger Snap (Wafer) Cookies

Back to work after a great week off. The best part about being a teacher is the strategically placed vacations- just when you think you’re going to lose it, a vacation comes along. While I still had to work (for myself) at the bakery, my husband says I am far more pleasant when I’m not teaching/stressed. Do not get me wrong, I love to teach… but as anyone in the profession knows, teaching is only 40% of the job, and the easiest part at that.

But onward to the day 3 recipe…


I was blessed to be born in to the only non-Italian family with a Dad that makes killer spaghetti sauce from scratch. This delectable homemade sauce is a taste from my childhood, and I was blessed to receive a tub of it for dinner last night. I served it with GF pasta and followed it with these...

I am a little embarrassed to say that my first cookie recipe for my blog has come out a little… um… flat. I have helped create three amazing cookie products in the cookie line for Par Dela (though I may be biased), but this one was not quite up to par (pun not intended J)- at least in the “plumpness” category.

Today’s recipe is one for ginger snap cookies. I bought a fairly large stalk of ginger for my homemade ginger sauce in Sunday night’s (Monday’s blogged) salmon with ginger sauce recipe- this recipe used the better portion of the remainder of the fresh ginger. I love it when things do not go to waste!

I know why it did not meet my initial expectations, after reviewing the ingredients below, but I am always hesitant to use butter and too much brown rice flour… a little more of each would have changed this recipe. Butter is something I try to infrequently cook with… while brown rice flour has a tendency to make baked products a little gritty.

I used about twice this amount, but be aware,
a little goes a LONG way.

But enough about the “look”… they tasted GREAT! As I sit here typing this, I am snacking on them. Don’t tell my husband, but that will be why he finds crumbs on his keyboard of his laptop later.  I’m a fan of the old fashioned ginger snap, so what the cookie lacked in girth it made up for in taste. I very rarely use FRESH ginger in my baking or cooking, but after this recipe (and the one yesterday), I’m a convert.

For anyone else who has never (or rarely) used fresh ginger- it really only took a couple of extra minutes to peel the root and grate. I used the small grate side of my “cheese grater”. Keep in mind that mine is a house without a dishwasher- so for me to recommend one extra step with two extra utensils used, the dishwashing time is well worth it!

Ginger Snaps

(Yields 50+ wafer-thin cookies)

GF, CF, CoF, NF, SF

Those of you who may be EF… I’m pretty sure you could substitute a flax gel (1 TBS ground flax+3 TBS water) for the 1 egg and this would still come out good!

1 ½ Cups Brown Rice flour 

¼ Cup Tapioca Flour

½ Cup Potato Starch (NOT FLOUR)

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp xanthan gum

2 tbsps fresh ginger (grated)

½ Cup Canola oil

1 cup white sugar

1/4 cup molasses

1 egg

Preheat oven to 350

Line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper

Combine all ingredients well (I didn’t even use my stand mixer, just mixed well with a rubber spatula)

Roll out approx. 1 TBS size gobs of dough and space about 4 inches apart on the lined baking sheet. These guys spread like crazy! The batch shown at left were TOO CLOSE together.

Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes- on the middle rack of your oven.

The cookies will come out of the oven very soft. Allow them to cool for a few minutes on the pan before transferring to a cooling rack or plate.

Let me know your thoughts! Enjoy!

Naturally,

Raych

Day 2: Orange-Ginger Sauce on Grilled Salmon

A little later timing in my post today, as my husband and I had a "date day" to see a movie while the kiddos hung out with Grammy and Papa. It's amazing that I feel guilty just leaving the kiddos for a few hours- but it definitely helps us relax!

Onward with the cooking...

Yesterday was unseasonably warm. Therefore, a good grilling session was in order!

Justin (my husband) and I both love “Asian” cuisine- though I am well aware that that can mean MANY things, in this case it meant fish, ginger and orange.

Just so everyone is aware, I do prepare all of my own baby foods as well, with only the occasional jarred organic variety. Unfortunately, Henri was unable to enjoy this meal with us; but I will show you some of my delicious baby food recipes later as I prepare “co-dishes” that both adult and baby can enjoy!

As far as the following meal goes- Justin said, “Salmon is one of my least favorite fish and the sauce made the fish edible”. Isaac, once again, did not want to try the dish- but tonight we instituted the “two bite rule”. Everyone has to try at least 2 bites of a meal before they officially decide they do not like it. Once Isaac tried it I got a, “’Dat’s pretty gooood!” mark of approval. Not much more I could ask for there.

The sauce is not as strong as one might think; it’s actually quite mild. I could imagine this being a great summer dish later, with some grilled summer squash too!

 Orange-Ginger Sauce on Grilled Salmon

Probably serves 4… but we had 2 adults, one child and leftovers.

For the Sauce:

Juice of 4 clementine oranges  (Approx.  2/3 Cup)

1TBS Sesame oil

1 TBS Olive Oil

½ of a medium yellow onion MINCED *On a side note: these were quite possibly the strongest yellow onions I’ve ever worked with. My eyes were watering just from stirring them in the pan.

1 ½ TBS grated fresh ginger

2 TBS White Wine (I used ballet of Angels- I figured I could spare 2 TBS)

1 TBS honey

Pinch salt

Couple turns of fresh cracked pepper

For the Salmon:

1 large piece of salmon w/ skin on

Sheet of aluminum foil

Minced Garlic (to taste)

Cracked Sea Salt

Cracked Pepper

Making the sauce:

Sauté the onions in the olive and sesame oils over medium heat; until soft, but not yet golden.

Add the clementine juice and reduce heat to low.

Let simmer for 1 minute, then add the fresh ginger and splash of white wine

Bring back up to a high simmer (medium heat) and cook for 2 minutes

Add in the 1 TBS of Honey and stir until combined.

Remove from heat

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Grilling the Salmon:

Season the salmon with salt pepper and minced garlic.

Grill the salmon skin side down on aluminum foil

Grill until cooked through. Do not overcook! I had a thick slice of salmon, so it took a little bit of time and a rotation of the whole foil on the grill to cook evenly.

The fish should flake right off of it's skin (the skin will stick to the foil)

Top with fish with the warm fresh ginger-orange sauce.

 

This would probably pair well with asparagus, but I totally forgot to pick some up yesterday at the grocery store- so we had simple green beans and brown rice instead. You'll likely see a trend that brown rice is my fall back- often.

Enjoy! Let me know your thoughts!

Naturally,

Raych

Tomorrow: Ginger Snap Cookies :) 

Day 1: Simple Thin Crust Pizza

Happy New Year!! Congrats to all of my friends and family who will be welcoming new additions this year or getting married! Good luck, also, to all those who have resolved to be their best!


Well the reviews are in… “Delicious”, said my husband. “I want the flat hard cheesy stuff (shredded cheese)”, said Isaac (age 3.5).

Isaac wasn’t exactly a fan of the farmer’s cheese in this recipe (outlined below)… but he loved the crust and onions. We gave him some tomato sauce to dip it in. It may take some getting used to, but I think I could get him eating the farmer’s cheese pretty easily too. He going through that typical “I don’t like it” stage that I think most 3-4 year olds do. Apparently there is a skill that we acquire at a young age, to distinguish like and dislike without physically tasting food, that we lose as we age.

I chose to attempt this recipe because it was simple (for our little family celebration of New Year's Eve) and because I SO miss having a good thin-crust pizza after going gluten free 3 years ago!

I know I had mentioned that I would be posting with allergens were contained in each recipe, so for that reason I want to outline the abbreviations…

GF Gluten Free

NF Nut Free (includes both tree nut and peanut varieties)

EF Egg Free

SF Soy Free

C/DF  Casein/Dairy Free

CoF Corn Free

That being said… the recipe, which I thoroughly enjoyed, is posted below…

Thin Crust Pizza

with Farmer’s Cheese, Tomatoes and Honey-Caramelized Onions

(best served with a glass of a table white wine)

This recipe is GF, SF, CoF and NF... it can be made CF/DF with some creativity (or goat milk tolerance)

Crust:

1 ½ Cup Brown Rice Flour
¾ Cup Tapioca Starch
1 Cup Potato Starch (Starch, not flour!! As a side note, potato flour is MUCH heavier)
1 tsp Xanthan Gum
¼ tsp Salt

2 Eggs

1/3 Cup Olive Oil
1 tsp Cider Vinegar
2 ¼ tsp Active Dry Yeast (or 1 packet)
1 TBS Honey
¾ Cup Luke-Warm Water

Topping:

4 TBS Olive Oil (1/4 Cup- Divided)
2 TBS minced garlic (jarred minced or fresh pressed)
1 Small Onion
1 tsp Honey
1 TBS water
2 Vine-Ripened Tomatoes
8oz Local Farmer’s Cheese (I prefer soft goat cheese, but this time of year our local vendor only had the cow variety of soft farmer’s cheese- still building our barn; but eventually we’ll be making our own!)
Sprinkle of dried basil (I dry my own garden basil every summer, but a store bought shaker of basil would work)

To PREPARE:

Pre-Heat oven to 450

Combine all dough ingredients in the order listed above in a stand mixer (though I’m sure this can be done by hand if you thoroughly mix it). It will be sticky, but pull from the sides of the bowl.

Oil your pan lightly with olive oil (or spray oil). Press dough into a flat crust- you may want to cover your hand(s) with a piece of plastic kitchen wrap or a sandwich baggie, the dough sticks to hands. I used a medium/large cookie sheet for a pan, and lined it with parchment… but have used a pizza stone in the past.

Allow crust to rest for 5 minutes before baking. Brush lightly with olive oil.

Bake crust at 450 for 10 minutes, until just starting to golden.

While crust is baking, you can prepare your toppings…

Caramelized Onions: In a small frying pan I put 2TBS of the olive oil… On medium heat I sautéed 1 small (roughly chopped) onion for a couple of minutes- then add TBS of water and the 1 tsp of honey. Stir quickly until onions become limp and golden.

Chop 2 medium vine-ripe tomatoes

Mince your garlic (or pull the pre-chopped variety out of your fridge)

Once the crust comes out of the oven for the first time… brush lightly with remaining olive oil... top with the tomatoes, caramelized onions and garlic.

THEN, I put gobs of the soft farmer’s cheese on top. In the pictures shown I used a combo of plain cheese and a roasted spinach-garlic variety that our local farm makes. If you find a good flavored variety I highly recommend it, but this is a simple natural tasting pizza and the extra boost of flavor helps!

 I sprinkle the whole pizza with basil (to taste) and pop it back in the oven for 6-7 minutes, until crust and peaks of cheese start to turn golden.

Slice and enjoy!
Makes about 12 slices of pizza.

There are a few adaptations that can be made to this recipe, and you could always just use the thin-crust part of the recipe if you had something else in mind. I try to use as few flours as possible… because I know most people are not like me- with individual bins or nearly 20 alternative flours… (these are the three I used for this recipe- LOVE Ocean State job lot for cheap well-sealing Tupperware)

Let me know your thoughts!

Naturally,

Raych

366 Days of Natural Recipes: A New Years Resolution

A new year is upon us. Today is the eve of 2012. My predictions and expectations for the New Year are vast, but none of them include Mayan calendars.

As I've contemplated over the last month or so what my new year's resolution would be- I came to the conclusion that it wasn't necessarily something I wasn't already doing; but rather something I wasn’t doing whole-heartedly. I’ve decided, not only for myself but for my growing little (and fairly new) family that I am going to create one new natural recipe for each day over the next year. Keep in mind that htis year is a leap year- 366 days. In order to increase my stick-to-it-ness, I am going to blog the recipe and my results daily as well. The idea is that it will force be to be more introspective about the food I and my family consume, as well as develop a menu for the week to aid in my other goal of budgeting better.

I was going to title this post as "Natural HEALTHY Recipes", but let's be honest; I have every plan to make some deliciously sinful recipes as well. That being said, there are rules to the resolution…

1.      Being that my house is virtually a gluten free one, all recipes will be GF as well. My husband and older son (Isaac) don’t mind, because they like my GF cooking and are both born human garbage disposals that will eat anything I thrown at them (within reason). That’s not to say I won’t get good feedback, but they will eat it regardless of their inner desires.

2.      I will post with each recipe what food allergen communities the recipe is SAFE for. If my bakery business has taught me anything, allergens are on the rise and it’s better to be “in the know”.

3.      All recipes will be created with “from-scratch”, in-season and local ingredients whenever possible. The exceptions are obviously cheeses, pastas and some sauces- but I will venture to make those from scratch as well when possible. Listen folks, I’m a mommy, a teacher, an entrepreneur and a wife- time is of the essence when it comes to food prep.

4.      Not only will I post “dinner recipes”, but also breakfast, treats, desserts and baby food. My 6.5 month old appreciates a good home-cooked meal as much as the next person.

5.      I may use recipes from books and online, but I must adapt them to make them “my own” and fit the needs of my family.

6.      AND FINALLY… I will be brutally honest about what has been successful and what has flopped. I’ll include any other aspects I would change if I were to carry out a “do-over”.

As part of this whole experience, my husband and I will be expanding our garden selections in the spring. We have always attempted to be a little self-sufficient, but check out the stash that Santa Claus left in my stocking this year... what a great guy!

For anyone who should stumble upon my little blog, please let me know what you think of the recipes. I fyou have anything you would like me to attempt a GF version of, please let me know! Leave comments and Bon Appétit!



Naturally,

Raych

Tomorrow's recipe: Thin Crust Pizza with Farmer’s Cheese, Tomatoes and Honey-Caramelized Onions