The Gluten-Free VegetarianAvoiding gluten and meat, savoring flavor and family

This is one of those happy accident recipes, one where I had a few things in the kitchen and a couple of portobellos that needed to be used rightthisminute or they’d go bad and that would be money wasted. I was also missing my mom’s stuffed mushrooms. And while this recipe in no way whatsoever resembles that one, it’s still pretty darn good and makes me pretty darn happy! One of the very best things about this: it’s so easy! The most time consuming part is cooking the rice.

This is what we’re looking at:

1 cup brown rice
3 cups water
1 tsp vegetable bouillon
1/4 cup dry sun-dried tomatoes (i.e., not the kind in a jar)
1 large shallot, chopped finely
2 portobello mushrooms, stems and gills removed
1/4-1/2 cup mozzarella or Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Bring the three cups of water to a boil with the bouillion.
3. Add rice, shallots, and tomatoes to boiling water. Allow to boil until all liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked.
4. Divide rice mixture between both mushrooms.
5. Top each mushroom with desired amount of cheese.
6. Place in the oven until the cheese is melted and mushroom is heated through. Approximately 20-30 minutes.
7. Serve and enjoy!

Hello all! My name is Nichole and Elizabeth has been gracious enough to allow me to join her corner of the blogosphere. (Thanks again, Elizabeth!)

I thought I’d make my first post with something that is an absolute all-time favorite in my family and unquestionably one of my most favorite comfort foods: mac & cheese!

I’m still a greenhorn gluten-free lifer. One of the first foods I was sad to think I’d never seen again was macaroni and cheese. I’m glad to know I can still have and that I can still enjoy my favorite homemade recipe.

As the title suggests, this recipe has been passed along in my family for quite some time and I have not met anyone who has had it and didn’t love it. And: it’s really pretty dang easy! I hope everyone will try it and enjoy it!

1 lb gluten-free pasta*
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 cup half & half
1 1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard**
1 tsp vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
4 cups grated sharp cheddar, divided
1/2 cup bread crumbs***

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare pasta according to the package directions, leaving it just a little unfinished so that it doesn’t become overdone during baking. Drain and set aside.
3. Melt the butter in a large pot.
4. Whisk in the flour, salt, and white pepper and stir until a paste is formed and all the flour is incorporated.
5. Slowly whisk in half & half and milk.
6. Stirring constantly, allow mixture to heat and thicken. When the mixture begins to boil remove from heat.
7. To the milk mixture add the onion powder, dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and two cups of the cheddar and stir until incorporated and cheese is completely melted.
8. Mix pasta into cheese mixture.
9. Place pasta mixture into a 9×9 (maybe slightly larger) pan that has been coated with non-stick cooking spray.
10. Cover pasta with remaining cheese and then with bread crumbs.
11. Bake 20-30 minutes, until bubbly around the edges and hot in the middle.
12. Remove and enjoy!

*I prefer using Trader Joe’s corn fusilli pasta. Penne could also work here. You want to choose a sturdy pasta that will hold up during baking and hold the sauce well.

**Please keep in mind dry mustard powder =|= yellow mustard. Dry mustard powder can be found in your grocery store’s spice aisle. (I add this note because I’ve made this mistake before. Not a tasty one!)

***I’ve seen premade gluten-free bread crumbs in the store and those would be great. However, if you’d like to use bread you’ve already got at home, I’d recommend the following:

2-4 slices of your favorite gluten free bread (I like Udi’s whole grain)
1/4 tsp Italian seasoning

1. Pulse bread in a food processer until uniform.
2. Toss with Italian seasoning.
3. Place crumbs on a foil lined baking sheet and place in a 350 degree oven.
4. Bake 5-7 minutes until dry and crumbly.

We had some leftover, plain white rice in the fridge from our gumbo a few days ago… you know, the orphaned rice that usually sits there unused in the fridge until it’s converted to a dried puck. Well, this simple recipe is an adaptation of The Chef In You’s Grilled Black Bean Burgers (see link for step-by-step pictures). And it turned out to be a great, easy way to put that rice to use.

Amounts below are an estimation of what I used, and for the most part I used what was on hand. The recipe is highly adaptable. We plan to try it again the next time we have brown rice left over, and we expect to play around with various spice combinations too. Greek burgers? Barbecue? There’s lots of possibilities.

Black Bean Burgers
Prep time: 15 min, cook time: 15 min

1 3/4 cup cooked white rice
4 1/2 cups cooked black beans (three cans)
2 medium onions, diced
3 heaping tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp cumin
2 tsp dried cilantro
salt to taste
slices of pepper jack or other cheese (optional)

1. Drain the beans of any liquid and mash well with a potato masher or back of a spoon.
2. In a sauce pan, saute the onions, garlic and spices until the onions are translucent.
3. Mix all ingredients (hands are a great tool to use). Shape into patties.
4. Grill patties in a pan sprayed with oil (I used the saute pan). Place a slice of pepper jack cheese on top for the last few minutes of cooking time, if desired.

We added a slice of tomato. You could also add onion slices, greens or your favorite burger toppings!

If you’re craving a side dish of buttery, cheesy corn goodness, look no further! This is what you want.

This recipe came from Kristi’s Aunt Saundra. I have decreased the butter content from the original! You can also use neufchatel cheese – a French cheese usually sold near the cream cheese – as a lower fat alternative.

Shoe Peg Corn Casserole

3 cans white shoe peg corn, drained
1 can Mexicorn, drained
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese (or neufchatel cheese)
5 1/2 tbsp melted butter
chopped jalapeno peppers to taste
black pepper to taste

1) Allow cheese to come to room temperature and mix well with melted butter.
2) Add all corn, peppers and black pepper and mix well.
3) Pour into casserole dish sprayed with Pam. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes.

The dish can be ready after 30-40 minutes; the cheese has started bubbling and the flavors have begun to mix. But if you’re timing this with other dishes, you’ve got lots of flexibility about when to pull it out of the oven.

This makes many servings, and would work well at a large potluck or family gathering.

For our Christmas Eve feast this year, we had a barbecue theme. I adapted this recipe into some slow-cooked tofu that I really love. The sauce is a big hit with Kristi, who isn’t known for liking barbecue sauces. (She’s also not a fan of tofu – yet! – but the sauce will work just as well on chicken too!) The slow cooking allows the sauce to soak deeply into the tofu, for a yummy dish!

The sauce as it is in the link above is very sweet. I added the mustard to our sauce (Gabe’s idea, I must admit) to reach that perfect tart/sweet flavor combination.

“Super firm” is a new style of tofu to me, and I was very pleased with the texture. It held together well and was firm without being gritty. We used sprouted tofu, which is also new to me. Though it tastes and behaves essentially identical to typical tofu, it’s easier to digest and has more protein and fat.

Tofu as it entered the slow cooker

Slow Cooker Barbecue Tofu
30-34 oz. firm to super firm (NOT silken) tofu, pressed*
1 1/2 cups ketchup
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp gluten free soy sauce
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix everything but the tofu together thoroughly.
2. Dredge the tofu slices through the sauce and place in the slow cooker. You’ll want to be sure the tofu is coated so it soaks in the sauce. Pour any remaining sauce on top.
3. Cover and cook on low 5-6 hours. I occasionally opened it up and stirred gently. I have no idea if it actually helped coat the tofu, but it satisfied my curiosity as to what was going on in there!

Serve as is, or on top of bread or lettuce.

Final product (potato salad and baked beans not included)
This is about how much sauce was left. For messier BBQ or to have sauce leftover to share with other dishes, increase your sauce volume.

* Instructions for pressing tofu can be found here. A rule of thumb for pressing tofu is about 20 minutes.

I just found the blog www.gfreefoodie.com, and I am intrigued… especially by their offer to convert your gluten recipe to a safe dish for you. Anyone ever tried this? Anyone use the site regularly?

Kristi’s Aunt Nancy apparently took several hours to make a carefully crafted, meaty version of this. This amazingly flavorful version is much simpler, and the ease with which the quantity can be adjusted makes it great for parties and family gatherings.

Taco Soup
prep time: 5 min; cook time: 20+ min (depending on heat source)

2 cans reduced or low sodium black beans
2 cans reduced or low sodium kidney beans (light or dark red)
2 cans chili beans
1 or 2 cans no salt added whole kernel corn (depending on your pot size)
1 or 2 cans Rotel-style tomatoes (whatever level of heat you prefer)
1-2 packages taco or fajita seasoning (see note below)

This can be done stovetop in a large pot, or in a crockpot on low. Whichever cooking technique you use, pour all the ingredients together – all juices included – and heat until it simmers for at least 15 minutes. A crockpot on low can be left on while you’re at work.

Place some tortilla chips in a bowl and ladle soup on top. Top with cheese and plain yogurt or sour cream, if desired.

To have lots of leftovers for three people, we increase all the beans to 3 cans, and adjust the rest accordingly.

*NOTE ABOUT SEASONING PACKETS: Be VERY attentive to your seasoning packets to make sure they don’t have gluten ingredients. McCormick’s Taco Seasoning is one kind of seasoning that I feel quite comfortable eating (though their fajita seasoning is NOT gluten-free). There’s some very useful, somewhat recent information here about McCormick’s gluten and labeling policies.

Kristi was craving Red Lobster’s Cheddar Bay Biscuits in a major way, and decided to solve her dilemma by baking us a scrumptious experiment. She went on Celiac.com, found and adapted an ingredients list, then further adapted the process for making them. We look forward to using this basic biscuit recipe in a lot of different ways.

Here’s her yummy, flaky findings!

Cheesy Biscuits

1/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup potato starch
3/4 cup cornstarch
1 3/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 tbsp baking soda
1 tbsp sugar
3/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1/4 cup softened butter

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients together.
3. Cut in the shortening and butter (see note below).
4. Add in cheese and milk.
5. Fold the dough out onto a heavily cornstarched surface (it’s a very sticky dough) and cut out rounds with a glass or biscuit cutter.
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

*”Cutting in the fat” is a technique that makes biscuits flaky by controlling the amount of the fat’s surface area that comes into contact with the flour. Fats that soften, like butter, should be cold for this technique; temperature matters less with vegetable shortening. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut the fat into small pieces and mix it into your dry ingredients. You want a consistency something like corn meal. Mixing the fat too fine will make the biscuits tougher.

Makes approximately 12 biscuits.

Kristi found this fantastic recipe on Bob’s Red Mill website, contributed by Carol Fenster, Ph.D. (you can currently see the original here).

Sugar Cookies
1/4 cup Butter
2 Tb Honey
1/2 cup Sugar
1-1/2 tsp Vanilla
1-3/4 cups Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour
3/4 tsp Xanthan Gum
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Grated Lemon Peel (we omit this in ours)
1 Tb Water, if using electric mixer
1 large egg white
extra cinnamon and sugar

1. In food processor, blend butter (room temperature, not melted), honey, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add flour, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder, baking soda, egg white and lemon peel, blending until mixture forms large ball. If using electric mixer, blend ingredients, then add water if needed, 1 tablespoon at a time. Shape into flat disk, cover tightly and refrigerate for 1 hour.

2. Spray a large cookie sheet with nonstick vegetable spray. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Shape dough into 24 one-inch balls and roll in cinnamon-sugar. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.

3. Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are set. Switch position of pan(s) halfway through baking for even heat distribution. Remove from oven; cool two minutes before transferring to rack to cool. Store in airtight container. Makes 24 cookies.

This is Kristi’s mom’s cobbler recipe, and it’s deliciously adaptable to gluten-free eating and to a range of sizes. Also, it’s just plain delicious. This got the most compliments of any dish at the party.

Pick your Flavor Cobbler

2 cans pie filling of choice
1/2-3/4 bag dry gluten-free yellow cake mix (We use Betty Crocker)
roughly 1 stick butter or margarine

1. Spray a baking dish with cooking oil, and layer the pie filling across the bottom. Sprinkle cake mix on top until filling is covered.
2. Add butter or margarine in pats roughly 1-2 inches apart, and cover as thoroughly as you can (partial pats of butter around all the edges are not a bad idea).
3. Bake at 350 and start checking for doneness at 15 minutes (may go up to 30 minutes). Cook until top is brown and butter is melted, and pie filling is bubbling consistently through the whole cobbler.