(Gluten and Dairy Free) Pfefferkuchen

This recipe comes from my husband's mother and has been passed down to us.  Years ago we purchased ninja gingerbread man molds and made ninja Pfeffer Kuchen (sounds like: Feffer Kooken).

Ingredients:
A little less than 1 cup honey
1/2 cup melted butter
1 TBS almond extract (I used Vanilla)
1 and 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 large egg, beaten (we used 3 TBS applesauce)
3 TBS rice milk
1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp star anise seed finely ground
1/2 tsp allspice
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp orange peel, grated
1 tsp coriander seed
2 and 1/2 cups brown rice flour
1 and 1/2 cups potato starch
1 cup tapioca starch

Directions:
Blend first 6 ingredients until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Set overnight in the fridge. Bring to room temperature and roll on floured board and cut cookies. Bake 10 to 12 minutes at 375F.

{Gluten and Dairy Free}Focaccia

 This focaccia bread is my favorite thing to make lately. My only regret is that I didn't discover this recipe from Mama Knows Gluten Free Sooner! For the recipe go here. 

photo from Mama Knows Gluten Free

What's For Dinner Tonight?{Gluten, Dairy and Soy Free} French Dips and Caesar Salad

When I was a child, my favorite thing to order at a restaurant was a French Dip sandwich. Since changing my diet I have tried so many different ways of making an Au Jus dipping sauce that is gluten and soy free without real success. It is always too different. On Sunday, I had a hankering for French Dips and a Caesar Salad. My inspiration involved a new idea to try for the Au Jus. My husband and I couldn't believe how close it was!  I am thrilled to have these back in my life! I am posting this at

Au Jus Dipping Sauce:
1 Quart Gluten Free Pacific Beef Broth
1 TBS onion powder
1  tsp salt
1 TBS GF Worcestershire sauce
salt to taste

1lb Roast beef

Gluten Free bread of choice (I made my own by not stirring in the cinnamon and sugar part of this recipe to make a french bread) This would be great with Canyon Bakehouse buns.

Put the ingredients in a sauce pan, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes on low. I added my roast beef to the saucepan to heat it up as well.  Next time I would leave the meat cold, but this is a personal preference. We paired this with my Vegan Caesar Salad.

{Gluten and Dairy Free} Hummingbird Cupcakes with Pineapple Frosting

I took Food Network's hummingbird cupcakes and made them gluten free/dairy free.

For the frosting:
Mix 1/3 cup palm shortening
3 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons pineapple juice
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Beat well. If too runny, add more powdered sugar. If too dry, add more pineapple juice. 

It was still warm, so the frosting is oozing down the sides. 

Ingredients
1/4 cup crushed pineapple packed in juice
2 large ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup brown rice flour 
1/4 cup potato starch (not flour!)
1/4 c up tapioca starch
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
(NOTE: Instead of the brown rice, potato starch and tapioca starch you can use 1 cup of a gluten free flour mix. Only add the xanthan gum if the mix doesn't contain it.)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup earth's balance butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs (or two tablespoons chia mixed with 6 tablespoons water and allowed to gel)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper cupcake liners.
Add the pineapples and bananas to a medium bowl. Mash together with the back of a fork and set aside. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a separate medium bowl.
Add the butter and the sugar to a large bowl. Beat with a hand-held mixer until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs , one at a time, and then the vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients into the wet by scoopfuls and beat until thoroughly combined. Beat in the pineapple and bananas, being careful not to over-mix. Fold in the pecans. Use an ice cream scoop to fill each tin three-quarters way full.
Bake until the tops turn golden brown and when a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the oven to a wire rack and let cool completely before frosting .
Frost the cupcakes with the Pineapple Frosting once cool.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/patrick-and-gina-neely/hummingbird-cupcakes-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Gluten Free Bread Making in the Bread Maker

I have now made about 17 loaves of bread with this beauty and it has become so easy that I can whip up the ingredients in about 5 minutes. By putting it on the dark setting for the crust it is always crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. I can't say enough good things about it. Even my gluten loving family members beg for some. 

This is the Cuisinart Bread Maker I received recently for a gift. I must say it is rocking my world right now. It takes just a few minutes and a few buttons to press and the amazing aroma of bread starts wafting through the house.  I have made GF bread by hand and from scratch over the years with good success. It's just the sheer time consumption that goes with it which has turned me off and made it a rare happening.  This Bread Maker is basically $116 and comes with a very specific gluten-free baking setting. I chose it because I read reviews on it that said people have had great success making gluten free bread in it.  As I mentioned I bought Annalise G. Robert's Gluten Free Bread Maker cookbook and have started tweaking it to come up with my own fun breads. So far this is my favorite recipe:

1 cup brown rice flour
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 packet or 2 and 1/4 tsp yeast
1/2 cup millet flour
1 cup tapioca starch(or 1/2 cup tapioca and 1/2 cup corn starch)
1/2 cup potato starch
1 tsp salt
3 TBS sugar

Mix the above ingredients together.

Separately mix together the following:
1 and 1/2 cups warm water
2 tsp oil

Take the warm water (not too hot and not luke warm) and oil. Put it in the bread pan (first make sure everything is firmly in place). Take the flour mixture and put it over the top spreading it out (without pressing down) until all of the liquid is covered. Turn it on. As it is stirring take a spatula at some point and push the extra flour around the edges into the mixture.

My favorite add in:
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Mix these together and reserve 2 TBS of the mixture. When the "add mix in" beeping starts stir in the sugar and cinnamon. (about 6 stirs). Sprinkle the remaining 2 TBS on top.  My next goal is to try this with brown sugar instead of the regular sugar. Yum!

{Gluten and Dairy Free} Shepherd's Pie

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 5-10 minutes

Bake Time 18-20 minutes

Makes 8 servings

1 pound hamburger

2 large carrots, grated

1/3 cup tomato puree

1/2 large onion grated

1 and 1/2 TBS worcestershire sauce

4 garlic cloves minced

1/8 cup pomegranate juice (or vegan red wine)

1/4 cup chicken broth

3/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1 tsp crumbled dried rosemary or 1 Tablespoon fresh

1 and 1/2 tsp dried thyme or 1 Tablespoon fresh

for the Mashed Potatoes:

1 and 1/2 pounds potatoes

water

1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 and 1/8 cup unsweetened rice milk

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

optional: 1/8 cup Go Veggie! (non-dairy parmesan "cheese")

Preheat the oven to 400F.Brown the ground beef in a frying pan. Add the grated carrots, onion,  and minced garlic, sautee for a couple of minutes.  Add the rosemary, thyme, and tomato paste. Stir in the worcestershire, pomegranate juice, and chicken broth. Cook while stirring occasionally for a couple of minutes. 

Bring water to a boil. Meanwhile peel the potatoes and cut into chunks. Add to the water with salt. Turn the heat to medium low, cover and boil for 15 minutes. When they break apart when you poke them with a fork they are done.  Drain the water. Add the olive oil, salt, pepper, and unsweetened rice milk (and Go Veggie if desired). Whip with a beater until creamy. 

Put the shepherd's pie filling in the bottom of a round pie pan. Spread the potatoes evenly over the top. Sprinkle more non-dairy Parmesan cheese on top, as well as chopped parsley or thyme for garnish. Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes until golden brown. I am posting this at Allergy-free Wednesdays.

Easy {Gluten and Dairy Free} Mediterranean Chicken Shawarma

My friend Lori gave me this amazing recipe years ago that I have tweaked just a little bit. I just rediscovered it and am fantasizing about dinner all day. I love this dish! The sauce really does make it. My husband hates curry, but enjoys this dish! When we lived on the Mercy Ships we had curried EVERYTHING to the point where he can't usually stomach it. But he likes this so much it used to be a staple in our diets. Just to warn you, tahini is sesame for those that have a problem with sesame. I bought a bottle of lemon juice and a jar of pre-chopped garlic. That with the curry from the bulk section of herbs makes this dish easy, and very affordable, too. I am posting this at Allergy-free Wednesdays.

Marinade:
3 and 1/2 TBS chopped garlic
3/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup olive oil
4 tsp curry
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper

Sauce:
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup tahini
1/2 cup water
1 TBS lemon juice

For Sauce:
Blend sauce ingredients in the food processor until foamy.

Directions:
Marinade 2 pounds of chopped chicken overnight. (I do it just all day)
Pan fry chicken and marinade, I add chopped spinach for additional nutritional value.
When cooked chop on tomato.
Serve over rice. Top with Tahini Sauce.