Gluten-Free Gingerbread Pancakes

HI All!

It's been awhile, and I hope I'm not catching you after breakfast because you haven't had these gluten-free gingerbread pancakes yet :)! I hope you're enjoying your Christmas morning so far. It's been a fun and interesting morning for me, as a joke I found dental floss in my stocking! I'm always telling hubby to floss, so I think Santa decided to play a joke on me and stuff my stocking with high quality dental floss ;). I guess after stuffing my face with these maple syrup lathered pancakes, I'm going to need to make sure I floss well :D.

Anyhow, there just aren't enough gingerbread pancake recipes out there. Feel free to add a bit (maybe 1/2 tsp more) ginger to this recipe if you really like spicy gingerbread pancakes. Have a delicious and Merry Christmas. Hopefully I'll be back again sooner than later :).

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Pancakes
*please note I fixed the typo that said 3 TBSP xanthan gum, only 1/2 tsp required :)
Makes 7 6 inch pancakes

3/4 cup white rice flour
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup potato starch
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 teaspoon cloves
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon all spice
2 3/4 teaspoons ginger
2 eggs
1 tsp sea salt
4 Tablespoons brown sugar
3 1/2 TBSP canola oil
2 Tablespoons dark molasses
1 1/4 cup evaporated milk (lowfat)
1/3 cup lowfat milk (add after combining all other ingredients together!)

So as you can see, this is a lengthy recipe and you'll probably want to open your Christmas presents before attempting to actually make 'em ;). Good news is, all you need: 2 bowls! 1 for the dry ingredients and 1 for the wet. Just combine all the dry ingredients in one big bowl and mix very well. Add all the wet EXCEPT for the regular milk, you'll mix that in last after you've combined the ingredients from the wet/dry bowls. Also, make sure that your pan is nice and warm before cooking the first pancake--let the pan heat for about 3 mintues on medium/low before making the first one so that it doesn't have that funny "first pancake of the batch" look :0).

Merry Christmas!

Gluten-Free Barbecue Sauce!

Diet restriction. I don't like how that sounds. Why does it have to be a restriction, why can't we just focus on the word free when we say gluten-free? Probably because we don't have many options.

But that can mean freedom, folks. Freedom from the box, whether it's the cake mix box or the box of glutinous cookies you can no longer devour (time to make our own tasty versions!). For me, it's more about thinking outside of the bottle...

I've made a new kind of food pyramid for myself. I'm not ashamed. The very bottom, recognized as the largest section, is strictly reserved for comfort foods (but at this point in my expecting life, they are necessities). That's where you'll find an assortment of yummy foods, from homemade yellow cake with chocolate frosting to... barbecue! Barbecue is on my food pyramid, yep. Though it might not do anything for my heart, its presence on my plate certainly makes the smile on my face a little bigger! :)

Ah, but gone are my KC Masterpiece barbecue sauce days. No more reaching for the bottle and pouring that great maroon colored sauce on chicken or ribs. The only gluten-free barbecue sauce I know about is Annie's... and I'm not a fan :( (though she does make tasty mac and cheese).

I remember the first time I made barbecue sauce from scratch. It was tasty... but it was missing the special somethin' somethin' that makes barbecue over-the-top finger lickin' good. Ok, so I'm referring to the cheater's version of barbecue (aka heavenly smokiness in a bottle). But it's just too cold outside for a real barbecue (and, unfortunately, it isn't allowed at my place!).

So what to do? Make a sweet and smokey sauce for my slow-cooked ribs. Yum!

Meat falls off the bone, just the right amount of sauciness... borderline illegal, folks. This gluten-free bbq sauce has THAT mouthwatering zing; it'll make taste buds happy and bellies sing. Thankfully, I can use my favorite worcestershire sauce now because it's finally gluten-free (thank you Lea and Perrins :)! Woohoo! Just make sure the vinegar is also gluten-free and you're good to go!

Oh yeah... and make sure you've got plenty of napkins! ;)

Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie

OmgOmgOmg! It's... almost Thanksgiving! I have been dreaming of roasted turkeys and gravy like never before, but let's not forget about the good ol' stuffin' and... gluten-free pumpkin pie! (I'm even ready for Christmas...even streaming Christmas tunes as I type. It's about 38 degrees outside, so I'm allowed! :)

Yes, it's possible... for a plain yellow pumpkin to become a golden carriage OR a scrumptious a gluten-free pumpkin pie. Pumpkins aren't really yellow, are they? Not the one in the movie.

Who am I to question Cinderella's Fairy Godmother?!

Let's not go there.

Instead, let's go to the pantry, get out all of our flours and start baking! You know you wanna. Just check it out.

Oh gosh, you say to yourself. ANOTHER PUMPKIN PIE RECIPE! Yeah, I know... last year, you tried making a pumpkin pie from scratch (using another recipe) only to end up with a tasty but kinda mushy mess, why don't those darn pie fillings set right?! Oh wait, that was me. Hehe.

The recipe will remain nameless (don't worry, it wasn't from a food blog ;), but I will say that... after doing a little bit of research and studying recipes, I figured I'd use less eggs, a little corn starch, and even powdered sugar (since powdered sugar has corn starch in it).

The end result? A spicy punkin' pie that's so firm (not like rubbery-firm, though), you can dive right in 5 minutes after pulling it out of the oven. No kidding! Just don't burn yourself! Yes, you can enjoy your pumpkin pie a la mode, with some ice cream... Pie nice and warm and yummy ice cream? Yep, you read right. Your Thanksgiving is set this year! Anyone got a good eggnog or spumoni ice cream recipe?

Recipe for the gf pumpkin pie is in the recipe card below. These are the recipes that I "studied," (this one and this one) and used some of the spices from both. The white pepper is an extra touch (got the idea from Martha's gingerbread recipe), because I like my pumpkin pie with a kick! Those are my fav.

This is how you should cover the pie to ensure the crust doesn't burn:

Get yourself a nifty pie crust protector (not sure if that's the technical name)
Thanks, mom, for getting me one :)!


Here's what I call a pie-dome. It's aluminum foil;
there's plenty of "breathing room" between the pie and foil.

I'm lazy, that's why I've been gone.

Gone are the days, at least for now, when I can spend hours in the kitchen baking/cooking and washing dishes/cleaning up... and still have energy left over afterward to do something else. But I've never been happier. Exhaustion has set in; I'm a bum these days, a professional couch potato of sorts. I've even gotten way behind on my blog reading! Tsk tsk. Sure, I still get dressed and cook the occasional meal, which is usually something boring and easy, but things have been pretty mellow 'round here.

Speaking of round, as each day passes, I become a little more round than the day before... and it's not just because I've been eating Snickers and lots of salty refried bean burritos (two big recent cravings). I guess I shouldn't say I haven't been baking, because I'm a 24/7 baker these days.

Truth is, I'm baking the tastiest gluten-free bun! My scrumptious little bundle will not be ready until mid May, though... talk about needing a long time to proof! I'm 9 weeks today. He/she doesn't look like much yet, but he/she does have a heartbeat, eyes and limps now! Woohoo! And he/she can move, even though I can't feel him/her. I really don't care what flavor I get; boy or girl, they'd both be a delicious treat. Don't worry, I don't plan on eating 'em... but baby fat does remind me of bread dough, hence the analogy.

You want to know another reason why I haven't been posting? Because I EAT everything I bake before I actually get to photograph it :P! Terrible, I know I'm bad. I've made some pretty tasty gluten-free blueberry muffins, some delicious angel food cake cupcakes, and gluten-free flour tortillas. So you'll have to bear with me... here's a recipe from this summer. I made them for my dad-in-law's birthday (or Father's Day? Memory fails) & he liked 'em :)... so enjoy!

Gluten-Free Zucchini Carrot Cranberry Bread

Hello, Fall! Technically, you're still 3 days away but I'm already celebrating your arrival. You are my favorite season, after all! I love you so much that I decided to bake a loaf of gluten-free sweet bread in your honor. And guess what? It actually turned out pretty tasty, even though this is the first time I've made zucchini bread and used teff flour (...will be using it again, it is super-nutritious and scrumptious!).


You've been trying to sneak up on us, but the red and gold leaves rustling in the cool breeze are hinting that you're right around the corner! ... And because this bread was made just for you, it slightly captures your warm shades of earthy orange, fading greens, and even a few sprinkles of red and yellow! Can't wait 'til you're officially here :)! Recipe is below the poem...

And when the silver habit of the clouds
Comes down upon the autumn sun, and with
A sober gladness the old year takes up
His bright inheritance of golden fruits,
A pomp and pageant fill the splendid scene.
There is a beautiful spirit breathing now
Its mellow richness on the clustered trees,
And, from a beaker full of richest dyes,
Pouring new glory on the autumn woods,
And dipping in warm light the pillared clouds.
From Autumn by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Vegan and Gluten-Free Cheap Eats

If you need a yummy recipe for something sweet or savory, Mare's blog, Meet Me in the Kitchen, is the place to go. Blogs like Mare's make you wish there was an instant 'feed me!' option located under 'file' right beneath 'print'. You know what I mean. I think foodie heaven is something like that.

Anyway, I knew I had to make these Chickpea Fritters when I spotted them on her blog. YUM! The fritters are so appealing because they're made from affordable and healthy ingredients. A can of chickpeas for just $0.89 and a pinch of some spices that are already in your pantry, and you've got a delicious vegan snack or light meal!

Now, I happen to be like many of you food bloggers out there; I'm always 'tweaking around in the kitchen. I don't even remember the last time I actually followed a recipe to the letter. So I present my modified version... oh yeah, and it's gluten-free too :).

Original recipe here

For the chickpea fritters:
1 15 ounce can chickpeas, strained
pinch of saffron threads (like 1/8 tsp)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
pinch of all-spice
tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
pinch of cumin
1 small garlic clove, finely chopped & sauteed in olive oil

GF flour blend that coats the fritters:
1 TBSP white rice flour
1 TBSP corn meal
1/8 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp basil
1/8 tsp paprika

For the yogurt sauce:
about 4 tablespoons greek yogurt
3/4 tsp honey
pinch of salt
about 2 tsp finely chopped fresh cilantro

Start off by sauteing the garlic in a little bit of olive oil (and strain those chickpeas!).
Once it's slightly golden, you'll throw it in the food processor with the ingredients from the first list.
Next, you'll combine all the ingredients for the flour mix in a small bowl.
Start forming the chickpeas into flat patties, mine were a bit thick, and cover them with flour on each side.
Lightly fry them in some olive oil until they're crispy on both sides.
For the yogurt sauce, just mix everything together in a bowl.
See how fast that was!

Now onto our second recipe of the day... QUINOA! I just love saying that, it's such a fun word. Sounds like it should be the name of my future pet (my last guinea pig's name was Mochi, I like naming my pets after food these days). Quinoa is a super-food, pretty much, a grain that deserves more attention. But I must warn you, first-time quinoa eaters, the secret to make a delicious quinoa dish is this: rinse, rinse and rinse again (because you want to get rid of those bitter saponins)!


If there's one food you certainly should not judge by its appearance, it's quinoa. Poor not-so-pretty quinoa. Let me tell you, beneath the little celery leaf, the crushed almonds and finely grated carrots, you'll find a funky-colored but very scrumptious grain that's packed full of protein and other good stuff.

Sweet Potato Veggie Quinoa
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1/2 tsp rosemary
1 tsp savory
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 parsnip, peeled and sliced into 3/4 in. long by 1/4 inch wide pieces
(more salt and rosemary for parsnips, and 1 TBSP honey)
about 3/4 cup frozen peas and carrots
1/2 cup baked and mashed sweet potato pureed with 1/4 cup apple juice

Start by arranging the cut parsnips on a cookie sheet.
Lightly drizzle them with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and finish them off with a light drizzle of honey and a few shakes of rosemary.
Raise oven temp to about 400 and bake until they start to brown (20 minutes in an oven that's not preheated). You can put them in before the oven is preheated, just make sure they bake til they're just a little brown on the corners.

For the quinoa:
Rinse the quinoa very well.
Next, add the olive oil to a medium stainless steel pot with the garlic, begin to lightly saute then add the quinoa and continue sauteing and stirring for about 2-3 minutes; add the rosemary and savory.
Now add the water and salt, cover and cook until only about 1/2 cup water is left.
Puree baked sweet potato with apple juice until smooth.
When 1/2 cup of the water is left, add the pureed sweet potato and apple juice.
Continue stirring while cooking quinoa on high with lid removed until all the liquid evaporates.
When the quinoa is no longer watery, mix frozen peas and carrots and the baked parsnips and cook on low for 5 more minutes, until veggies are thawed.

Have an awesome Labor Day Weekend. Need a smile? Click here to check out a cute picture from one of my favorite blogs!

Gluten Free Creamy Tomatillo and Garbanzo Bean Pasta

I have a suggestion to make. If you haven't seen Julie and Julia, go see it... but make sure to pack something tasty to snack on, especially if you're gonna watch it around lunch time! I just snuck in a little cornbread square, but that was not enough to hold me over. Seeing all that delicious food on the big screen made my tummy rumble even more. It was too much, kinda like grocery shopping on an empty stomach! Very cute flick, though. On a random note, I just found out her old home, that once housed the kitchen in the movie, is 800 feet from my apartment! How cool is that!

After watching the movie, we ran home from the theatre in the rain and scarfed down our lunches. I felt an anxious tingle in my fingers the entire time I was eating, though. Not just because they were pruney from the rainwater; I was itching to cook!

I have to confess, every time I see someone cooking, whether it's on the Food Network, Julie & Julia, or in real life... I just wanna jump right in and join 'em!

Do you get that tingle in your fingers too? :)

Ahh... feels so good to cook, especially on a rainy day. Here's a warm, comforting meal. It's affordable and flavorful; healthy but not quite vegetarian. I tried, really. But oh! Leave it to the chicken broth and worcestershire sauce to spoil everything ;).

Make sure the worcestershire sauce is gluten-free!

... on a sidenote, we're cooking up somethin' special this weekend. Or I should say we've been cooking up. Can you guess what it is? One of my favvvvorite meals :). Nope, not roast beef!

Gluten-Free Crackers and Gluten-Free Challah Sandwich Bread

If there's one thing I've recently regretted buying at the grocery store, it's gluten-free crackers. I can't tell you how many times I've been disappointed by pre-made gluten-free products, especially the overpriced crackers that taste like cardboard :'(. Yes, it even deserves a little tear.

Guess what, though? We don't have to settle for this any more. It's time for us to make our own crackers! (Who knows how long it'll take the little elves from Keebler to whip up a batch of tasty gluten-free crackers?! Betty Crocker's already done it with cookies, she gets brownie points for that! :)

Even if you're new to gluten-free baking, you can make these crackers in a snap. Adapt the recipe to your liking, maybe even add a little cheese, like Carol Fenster suggests. This cracker recipe is based on Carol Fenster's (I changed the flour mix, didn't add corn syrup and made them with some canola oil instead of using all butter. I also didn't add sesame seeds... looking back, it's pretty different, I guess :P.)

One thing I might change next time? I've gotta admit, I think I might add a bit more garlic salt and Italian seasoning. But they're still tasty and buttery flavored; they kinda me of those Club Crackers by Keebler, except they're a little thicker (I didn't roll them out thin enough :P).

What else is on today's menu? More carbs! OH, HOW I'VE MISSED YOU, CHALLAH BREAD!



Now we can have our gluten-free challah bread and sandwich too... here's a gluten-free challah sandwich bread recipe. It's got a bit of a twist with the added orange zest and brown sugar. Though I like that it came out moist and gluteny in texture, I especially like that it only has one edge of crust! :P. (Shhh... sometimes I still cut off the crust, but now I don't have to. ;)

One thing I've learned about making gluten-free sandwich bread dough is that you want it to be a little more moist than traditional gluteny bread dough. Gluten-free sandwich bread tends to be dry; the many eggs in this recipe make it moist but still firm enough to slice (and the eggs also make it challah-tasting :). Give it a try... and guess what? This is easy to make, too! Throw everything together in about 15 minutes, let it rise for an hour and bake for about half an hour... that's it! :)

Gluten-Free Challah Sandwich Bread
(Large) Bowl 1:
1 cup white rice flour
1 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup potato starch
1 3/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp sea salt
3 Tbsp white sugar
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp orange zest
3 whole eggs
3 Tbsp canola oil

(Small) Bowl 2:
1 cup warm milk (microwave for 30 seconds)
2 1/4 tsp yeast
2 tbsp sugar

Fill an oven safe baking dish (like a 9 inch cake pan) with warm water and place it on the last rack in the oven. Now turn the oven on to the warm setting, or to 200 degrees.

Add the sugar to small bowl 2, then add the yeast and the warm milk. Set aside for about 5 minutes or so, while you work on bowl 1.

Combine all the ingredients in bowl 1 (EXCEPT EGGS AND CANOLA OIL). Before adding eggs and canola oil, make sure that it's mixed together well so that everything from the xanthan gum to the salt are evenly distributed throughout the flour mixture.

Make a little well in the middle of the flour mix in bowl 1, this is where you'll add the canola oil and eggs. Start mixing in the eggs and canola oil, working from the inside out. Then slowly pour in the yeast mix while continuing to stir with a fork. Make sure it isn't lumpy but don't over mix.

Now turn off the oven. Spray a medium-sized bread pan with non-stick and pour the bread dough (it will look like bready/cake dough) into the pan, make sure to smooth out the top so that the dough is evenly spread out on top. I use the back of a spoon or small fork. Next, place the bread pan with the dough in the oven, on the middle rack, above the pan with the warm water. Let it rise for an hour.

After the hour, leave the bread in the oven and turn on the oven to 350, bake the bread for about 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes, quickly and gently cover the top with foil (make sure it's loose) so that it doesn't over-brown. Cook for about 25 more minutes. (Bake time is about 35 minutes total.)

Cracker recipe is in the recipe card below:

Big Gluten-Free Buttermilk Biscuits

It's taken me forever to come up with a fluffy gluten-free biscuit recipe. Sure, I made a few tasty ones in the past, but they didn't quite puff up the way I wanted 'em to. Thanks to the Barefoot Contessa (I learned this on her show :P), I discovered what I was doing wrong: melting the butter instead of adding it to the dough as cold chopped chunks. Cold chopped chunks doesn't exactly sound appetizing, huh? But I promise these are quite tasty. In fact, I was surprised to discover that you don't actually need a whole stick of butter to make a tasty and fluffy buttery (flavored) biscuit. You can even get away with using only 2 tablespoons of butter and a bit of canola oil. I've tweaked this recipe quite a bit, making a buttery version and a leaner version that calls for canola oil; both versions are included in the recipe card below.

These biscuits are big, just how big?
My hand isn't huge, but I do have some mighty long fingers, thanks to my mom. These biscuits are hefty, so hefty, I can usually get away with eating just half of one. These biscuits are great to have around for breakfast; forget fast food sausage and egg biscuits... you can make 'em yourself now! (Don't worry, I'll post a sausage recipe soon :).

So how exactly should the butter look when it's thrown in the dough? Just take a look at them chunks!:

How do you assemble the biscuits? Well, xanthan gum tends to make things sticky, so I have a little trick I like to use when working with gluten-free dough. Contrary to what I've read, I actually like to wet my hands/fingertips with a little water so that the dough doesn't stick to 'em when I'm shaping the dough; you could also use melted... butter or a little oil! I shape the biscuits into disks, like this (make sure they're adequately spaced apart, because they expand a lot).:
So other than making biscuits (well, I actually made these nearly 3 months ago, believe it or not!), I've been pretty busy! Hope you all are enjoying the summer!

I won't stay away too long, I've got a recipe for gluten-free crackers that I've gotta share, after all :)!

Gluten-Free Black Forest Bacon Wrapped Steaks with Honey Dried Fruit Glaze

...because everything is better with bacon,
especially juicy top sirloin steaks. The end :).

Gluten-Free Strawberry Pie

I'm willing to take the heat of summer... only because it means that sweet and juicy berries are finally in season!

This time of year I even love grocery shopping a little bit more. The blast of cold air that hits me as I walk through the sliding doors is definitely a welcome relief on a hot day. Still, it doesn't quite compare to being greeted by... a beautiful assortment of colorful berries, particularly strawberries!

Spotting a sale sign right by those berries really makes my day-ay! Lately it seems strawberries are on sale everywhere and I love it! Just call me Strawberry Shortcake. (Who had a Strawberry Shortcake doll that actually smelled like strawberries and isn't afraid to admit it?! Me! I did!)

No, this isn't a post about strawberry shortcakes (but I think I'm craving one, now that I mention it :). This is a post about PIE. This one's a little different from the last pie recipe I posted, though. This gluten-free pie crust is completely nut-free! Though I loooove almond meal, I decided it was time to make a basic go-to pie crust recipe, no nuts allowed! But I've been talking about strawberries in this post. Don't worry, haven't forgotten about them. This is a gluten-free strawberry pie recipe, after all :).

So what are you going to do with all those deliciously plumb red berries you bought this weekend? No, you're not sticking 'em in the freezer! You'll be making this strawberry pie! The crust doesn't even taste gluten-free. I promise! It tastes like a cross between a cookie and... an actual pie crust (because it is! ;). Ok, so I know that isn't a true lattice top on my pie... but it still tastes good and that's what counts the most, right ;)?!

Enjoy!

Gluten Free Pizza!!!!!! Yes, it's edible :).

Are you a thin or thick crust pizza fan?

I like both, but it really depends on my mood :P. I do have to say that I usually go for a medium crust. You know what else? Even though I find myself craving pizza quite a bit, I've never wanted to try that crust-free pizza we're seeing commercials for again; it's naked to me, missing something very essential. I love the crust, it's the best kind of bread... and I looove bread :). But the crust does have to taste good, not dry or bland, and especially not yeasty! Yuck.

I was not very impressed with this gluten-free pizza crust recipe that I tried awhile ago, it was too yeasty and tough. But this here gluten-free pizza recipe (recipe @ the end of the post) will yield a yummy, non-yeasty medium sized pizza with a medium/thick crust. No more crumbly, funky tasting gluten-free pizza dough! :)

Guess what else is cool about this recipe?!

You can make it with baking powder and baking soda if you don't want to wait for the yeast to work its magic!

I know there are days when I'm on the verge of passing out but still really want a slice of pizza! You know what I'm talking about! And let's face it... there isn't a gluten-free pizza delivery service! So what do we do? Use 1 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp baking soda instead of yeast. And I'm not just saying that, I promise! I've made foccacia bread following this same recipe, I just replaced the yeast with baking powder/soda :). The leavener combo worked and I didn't pass out from hunger; everything was ready in under half an hour! Yes, Martha, that is a very good thing indeed.

Just a sidenote: I always feel a little weird saying something like, "Oh yeah! I made this and it's gooood". I'm not a professional chef, I'm just a cook who is still learning. I screw up all the time and my kitchen looks like a disaster zone when I'm baking, seriously (I'll post pics soon!).

I just wanted to mention this because I think it's nice to be candid. That said, I did enjoy the pizza. I'm happy with it, but I'm not obsessed with my 'skillz' (which are honestly lacking) or my cooking/baking, K? In fact, usually I like eating what other people make (like mom/grandma/hubby... when he cooks ;) more than I like munching on my own food :P. I've never felt judged by anyone, nor have I ever received mean comments... But I have wanted to say this on Flour Arrangements for awhile now, and I thought it'd be fun to randomly squeeze it into today's post :).

This gluten-free pizza recipe is my entry to the What Can I Eat That's Gluten Free blog carnival hosted by Linda at The Gluten-Free Homemaker :)! There just aren't enough gluten-free blogging events out there, if you all know of any others, let me know!

Gluten Free Orange Apricot Yellow Cake with Orange Cream Frosting

What are you doing reading this blog post?! It's the 4th of July! Go out and celebrate, make this cake. Oh wait, I guess you wouldn't have found this really moist, sweet and addicting cake recipe if you hadn't checked out today's post ;). Have a good one!

Go Ahead, Honey, it's Gluten Free Event! Grow Hair on Your Chest Pork and Beans, Salsa & Chips

This is the longest post everrrrr! :)

So maybe the title's a bit much, but it got your attention! I certainly hope I don't grow hair on my chest as a result of eating this :P! These Pork and Beans with a side of Salsa and Chips are my submissions to June's Go Ahead, Honey, It's Gluten Free event hosted by Carol over at Simply Gluten Free. The theme is manly food!

I have to give you a little head's up about the pork and beans, it's a leftovers concoction! The pork I used was from a ham roast I cooked a few days ago. We still had quite a bit left over and I hate wasting, so I used up the rest to make the p and b.

I made baked beans when we had family over for dinner recently. No, they are not Bush's, but they are plain canned pinto beans; they are really good to have around when it's too hot to have the stove on all day. I didn't exactly measure the ingredients that went into making the beans, but it's really hard to go wrong with them so long as you add the basics (to follow) and taste as you go. I'd say the most important thing is to remember to let them simmer on low for awhile. These beans, though canned & pre-cooked, simmered for about 1 1/2 hours total. The good thing is that they were a little underdone right outta the can, so they didn't over cook while simmering.




Monica over at Lick the Bowl Good has an amazing pork tenderloin recipe that I tried awhile ago and LOVED. It is really incredible. I didn't know what to do with this big ol' ham that I bought at the farmer's market this weekend (it was a 3lb ham, but I only used 1/2 of it, and then only used about 1 pound for the actual pork and beans). Then I remembered Monica's tenderloin glaze and I also came across a pretty good one from Emeril (you can see it here). I used a few ingredients from each recipe to come up with a marinade for the pork.

This is the Citrus Pork Marinade I used (this marinade is good for 1 1/2 pounds of pork/ham)
1/2 can of frozen orange juice concentrate
1 1/2 pound ham
1 8 ounce can pureed pineapple
1 8 ounce can sliced pineapple, blended
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon cloves

I let the pork marinate for a day, then I cooked it in the oven with the juice at 350 for about 2 hours. I also let it rest for a day in the fridge, fully cooked and still in the juice, before making the p and b. I eventually just used about 1 pound of this marinated ham for the pork and beans.

Now for the Baked Beans, this is the general recipe:
2 16 ounce cans plain pinto beans, no seasoning :)
about 1 cup of canned roasted tomatoes
a few tablespoons olive oil
1/2 tablespoon butter
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/3 of a large sweet onion, finely chopped
about 3 Tbsp salsa (recipe to follow)
about 2-3 TBSP finely chopped fresh cilantro
about 1/4-1/3 cup brown sugar (more if you want it sweeter)
a few tablespoons real maple syrup, to taste (about 2-3)
a few tablespoons liquid smoke (about 3-4)
a few tablespoons gluten-free (Amy's) ketchup (about 3-4)
a few shakes of garlic salt and onion powder
small pinch of cloves
pinch of white pepper
black pepper, to taste
more salt to taste

Saute the onion and bell pepper in the little bit of butter. Then you can add the beans and the rest of the seasoning, stir. Next you can add the olive oil and tomatoes, then add the rest of the wet ingredients, brown sugar and the maple syrup. Let it simmer for about 45 minutes. Lastly, add the fresh chopped cilantro and let everything simmer for 20-30 more minutes on low-low :). This will make more than you need for the pork and beans.

Now for the Pork and Beans
Cut up 3 cups of the cooked pork, add it to a small pot with 1 cup of the leftover marinade. Cook on medium and reduce the marinade so that it becomes kind of like a thick gravy/sticky glaze. After that, you can add 2 cups of the cooked "baked" beans, you can add more bell pepper, onion and tomatoes if you like veggies, now you want to let it simmer on low for about 45 more minutes. You might want to add a bit more salt and pepper to liven up the flavors, taste first, though.

The Salsa (this makes 1 cup of mild/medium heat salsa):
3/4 of a cup roasted tomatoes in a can
1/3 large jalapeno (in vinegar, in a jar)
1/2-3/4 tsp jalapeno vinegar, from the jar
1/3 cup caramelized onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 small garlic clove, very finely chopped
about 1-2 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup more chopped onion
1/4-1/3 cup chopped cherry tomatoes

To make the salsa, first caramelize the onion, add the chopped bell pepper and finely chopped garlic. Now add the roasted tomatoes, salt, jalapeno vinegar and jalapeno. You'll throw this all into the food processor, pulse, leave it a little thick/chunky. Now you can add the rest of the chopped, raw veggies. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes, you can add more jalapeno and/or vinegar to spice it up; don't add the seeds if you don't want it spicy, though :). Put it in the fridge and serve chilled :).


I bet you're hungry after reading such a lengthy post, let's eat!

Gluten Free Paula Deen Rocky Road Bars

Happy Father's Day!

So if you haven't seen these amazing brownie bars over at Taste and Tell, head on over now! If you're not on a gluten free diet, you'll want to follow her recipe to the T; it's a good one!

I really really wanted to make these for Father's Day/my husband's birthday, so this past week I made a gluten free version. I mailed some over to my parent's house and they were a hit. We also had a couple left over last night and even though they were 5 days old, my mother in law & sister in law gobbled them up too =o).

I've yet to find gluten free graham crackers, so I had to improvise there. I combined gluten free Mi-Del Cinnamon Snaps and crushed Gluten-Free Rice Chex to make a modified version of the graham cracker crust. The other change I made is that I used white chocolate chips instead of toffee; I didn't have toffee :P. Because the brownie part of the recipe is different, I noticed that I had to cook my brownies a bit longer, so the cookie crust came out a little crispier than expected, but still tasty.

Step 1: Step 2:

The brownies/bars are super moist. If you make these Gluten Free Paula Deen Rocky Road Bars, then you'll want to closely monitor the brownies when you're baking them (I kept checking them every 10 minutes or so). Also, don't expect the knife/toothpick to come out clean when you're checking for doneness because they're going to be like fudge in texture :P! It's best to let them cool for about an hour before diving in, they'll stay together much better that way. :)

OOPS! ALMOST FORGOT TO POST THE RECIPE :P

Gluten Free Peach Blueberry Pie

Peaches are in season and on sale!

They're ripe and sweet, so good on their own and even better in a gluten-free blueberry peach pie... especially if they're Texas peaches paired with Texas blueberries! The slight tartness of the peaches cooked in orange juice is a tasty match for the intense flavor of the blueberries that we picked a few weekends ago.

The "secret" to making a tasty peach blueberry pie? Cook the peaches for just a little bit but leave the blueberries alone; they will cook up nicely while the pie bakes and they'll still be juicy and plump afterward. No mushy blueberries here :)!

As far as the pie crust goes, it tastes like a cookie. I'm a sucker for sweet stuff, so I like making my crusts sweeter than traditional pie crusts. I also added one of my favorite baking ingredients... buttamilk! Love that stuff.

These pies may be mini, but they're flavor is big liiiike Teeexxxaaaas. :D

A Gluten Free Breakfast Feast: Buttermilk Cornmeal Pancakes and Chorizo

Breakfast can be...

not so fun for the gluten intolerant crowd.

Agreed?

Think about all the pancakes, the french toast, the regular toast! Oh how I miss plain ol' toast!

Agreed.

Oh, and gone are the days when we can wake up and say "Hey, I'm craving a really huge breakfast but I'm too lazy to make it." Forget about going out to eat for breakfast! To be honest, I'm pretty cheap anyway, and have never really been one to go out much for breakfast but...

I did/do enjoy eating breakfast after dinner.

I eat pancakes before bed, almost every night, sometimes I have cereal. I looooove breakfast, I don't think I've said it enough ;).

In college, I was a big fan of Kerbey Lane pancakes. If you're from Austin, or have visited the city before, you know what I'm talking about!

For some reason, awhile back Guy Fieri went to Magnolia's (another quirky Austin cafe). They featured their pancakes on the show, but Guy should've gone to Kerbey Lane instead! Their pancakes are so much better and they even come in different flavors. My favorite? Gingerbread and Apple. Like I said, I haven't had those pancakes since college, and won't be able to eat them again unless they decide to start making a gluten-free version (I hope you're listening Kerbey Lane!).

But I can't complain because...

I found these cookies! Nana's Gluten Free Ginger Cookies are the best gluten free cookies EVERRRRR! What does this have anything to do with pancakes? Their cookies taste just like the Kerbey Lane gingerbread pancakes!

Normally, I get a little weirded out when food tastes like something it isn't supposed to taste like. For instance, I tried quinoa pasta this weekend and was weirded out a little that it tasted like quinoa. No surprise there, it does say quinoa on the ingredients list. I do love quinoa, but pasta is supposed to taste like pasta. But it is okay if cookies taste like pancakes, because they're both at the top of my favorite things to eat before bedtime list. (Oh and they're both sugary! So I guess it's safe to say that sweet foods are allowed to taste like each other. :)

But there's another problem! I don't eat cookies for breakfast (at least not anymore :D) so what to do? What to do?! You make these soft and sweet almost flap-jack like gluten-free cornmeal pancakes! They have a subtle cornmeal taste, but not so much that you'll feel like you're eating cornbread instead of pancakes :).

What if you're like me and don't fill up on just pancakes?

You make this amazing chorizo! Click here for the original recipe.

I have to admit, I actually made this about 6 months ago but never got around to posting it! I made mine a little less spicy and didn't add the tequila, but it was still quite tasty. I do think it tastes more chorizoy if you let the flavors meld overnight. Marinate the seasoned ground meat in the fridge over night and your home will smell like heaven in the morning, everyone will be an early riser the day you serve this for breakfast!

Gluten Free Coconut Cream Almond Cookies (with Blueberry "Caramel" Sauce?)

There's a reason why I put a question mark at the end of the title. After experimenting with the blueberries we picked this weekend...

...I ended up with something that's a cross between a caramel sauce and syrup/glaze. I really wanted to make this really pretty berry tart that La Bella Cook blogged about, but I don't have a tart or pie pan, so I decided to make cookies since I haven't made them in awhile... but I don't have cookie cutters either! Why am I missing so many baking supplies? Because I'm out of town for the summer (with my husband, for his internship). I'm far from my stocked up kitchen. I didn't let that stop me, I used my sister in law's shot glass to make these semi-mini cookies :). I could only find a mini neon green rolling pin, so I used that to roll out the dough. Here's the evidence:

Thick blueberry 'glaze/caramel' sauce:
1/2 cup blueberries
3 TBSP heavy cream
1 tbsp water
2 tbsp corn starch
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
cook on a low/medium boil until thick (stir constantly)
refrigerate for 30 min then
melt for 30 seconds; add
1 1/2 tbsp of melted butter & microwave for 45 more secs.

Thankfully, I still have plenty more blueberries left to make the tart :). Any creative ideas on what I can use in place of a tart pan? One thing I'd like to note: as you can see, the blueberry caramel sauce/syrup ended up a bit thick. I had to remelt it so that I could drizzle/splatter it over the cookies (I did this after I lined them up on a piece of parchment paper, it was a messy job!). It was fun getting Jackson Pollock-y in the kitchen, though :). I really wanted to make a blueberry frosting, maybe next time... This recipe makes a little over 2 dozen small cookies.

Gluten Free Condensed Milk & Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buns

Have you ever spotted a recipe that sounded pretty good but then decided not to make it because there were sooo many detailed steps?

I have!

I usually skip a few steps (if I do make it) or I just forget about it altogether, unless I manage to find the extra time to actually follow every step to the letter.

So why the heck did I go into so much detail with these instructions? Because I know I have a tendency of assuming people know what I'm talking about, so sometimes I'll be really vague and, in the end, I leave out a fair amount of significant information. I'm trying to be more detailed, so please don't let the lengthy instructions deter you from making these really good Gluten-Free Condensed Milk and Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buns! Sheesh! Even the title takes forever to read ;).

Ok yeah, so I've been a carbaholic lately. I admit this without shame! Proud carbaholic right here. Part of that addiction is due to wanting to perfect some of my favorite treats, with a gluten-free twist of course. Cinnamon buns/rolls were definitely a favorite of mine before switching to a gf diet, so I had to find a way to make them edible (and actually tasty) minus the AP flour.

Sometimes I feel bad for gluten-free foods, they're like the kid who always gets picked last for the tether ball/dodge ball game at recess (did anyone else play tether ball in elementary school?). These gf foods usually pale in comaprison to the star players, the wonderfully elastic and moist glutinous foods that don't contain strange ingredients like guar gum or xanwhatever.

I ate half of this one (so you could see the inside, of course ;).

THIS DOES NOT HAVE TO BE THE CASE ANYMORE! I refuse to let it happen, now's the time for gluten-free foods to take center stage without the sweaty palms.

So here they are, the tastiest gluten-free cinnamon buns you will ever eat. I promise, I promise!! They taste like a Cinnabon (oh how I loved eating those when I was little, it made going shopping for hours so worth it), but they also remind me of a bread pudding dessert. Believe me, these were not easy to make. Long before making them, off and on I'd literally daydream about a recipe that would work. This time I used buttermilk and condensed milk -- great partners in crime, both of them equally contributing to my insatiable carb cravings (aren't they the best baking ingredients?).

It only took me about 8 batches to finally come up with a recipe worth sharing! I've included step by step photos too :D!

ENJOY!

See recipe card for the recipe :)

Spread out the filling like this:


Roll it out like this
(see how well floured the outside is, so it doesn't stick):


Cut them out like this
(this is before rising):



After rising for 45 min. but before baking:


After baking and glazing: