Gluten-Free Cream Puffs

Adapted from Fannie Farmer for benefit of those who cannot have gluten.

Pastry:

½ cup butter (1 stick)

1 cup water

1 cup Pillsbury gluten free flour

4 eggs, at room temperature (very important)

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Combine water and butter in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add the flour all at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. Return to moderate heat and stir constantly until the dough leaves the sides of the pan and forms a ball. Remove from the heat and let cool for about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating hard until the dough is smooth. Place rounded spoonfuls or pipe onto an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake for 30 minutes or until the puffs are golden. Do not open the oven to check them!

Chocolate Filling:

1 cup milk

2 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons gluten free all purpose flour

⅛ teaspoon salt

2 egg  yolks, slightly beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla

Place the milk and chocolate in a large microwave safe bowl. Heat 30 seconds at a time until the chocolate is melted. Stir. Add sugar, flour, and salt. Cook on high in the microwave for three minutes, stopping and stirring in between each minute, until the mixture is very thick and smooth. Add eggs and cool. Add vanilla. 

To assemble: slice off the top of the puffs and spoon the filling mixture into the puffs. Chill. 

Laura

Chicken Teriyaki

1-2 teaspoons sesame-chili oil

1 ½ pounds chicken, sliced thinly

2 cups carrots, sliced

1 cup snow peas

water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, other vegetables as desired

For the sauce:

2 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce

½ cup COLD water

2-3 cloves minced garlic

¼  teaspoon ginger, or more to taste

½ cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Sesame seeds for garnish

Heat oil in large skillet. Add chicken and cook, stirring, over medium heat until liquid has evaporated. Add carrots, stir for a few minutes until carrots soften. Turn heat down to medium low. 

While chicken is cooking, mix sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. Stir until cornstarch is fully dissolved. Pour over contents of skillet. Add other vegetables to skillet and continue to cook until sauce is desired thickness, stirring to distribute sauce. Serve over rice and garnish with sesame seeds.

Laura

Asian Chicken with Ramen Noodles

2 packages ramen noodles
2 lb chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
½ lb snow peas, ends removed, and cut into ½ slices
1 cup sliced carrots or substitute 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 can sliced water chestnuts
1 cup teriyaki marinade sauce
1 tsp. sesame chili oil, plus more for stir frying
1 tbsp. garlic chili paste

Mix the marinade sauce, chili oil, and garlic paste in a large bowl. Add the chicken and marinade about 20 minutes.

Break ramen noodles inside the package into chunks, then open the package. Set aside the flavor packet.  Soak the noodles in a bowl of water while the chicken is marinating.

Heat a large skillet or wok on medium high heat. Use more chili oil as cooking oil. Pull chicken out of marinade and stir fry until cooked through. Add seasoning packets from ramen to remaining marinade, toss ramen and vegetables in marinade until coated. Add to skillet with chicken and stir fry to desired tenderness.  Serves 4.

Laura

Mango Salsa

3 medium-large ripe mangos, diced*
1 red bell pepper, diced
½ red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped fine
¼ cup lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and toss well. Refrigerate at least an hour to allow flavors to meld.

This can be served with chips, or I usually have it as a side with Pork Adobo

*Note on dealing with mangos - do not try to peel it. You will either cut yourself or wreck your knife. Either way, there will be crying. Instead, notice that mangos are oblong and flat. The seed follows this shape. Stand the mango on its end and, using a sharp knife, slice the flattened side, just outside the seed. With a paring knife, score the flesh as close to the skin as you can get. Push on the skin until the mango slice flips inside-out. You can easy remove the flesh from the skin at this point. Continue to trim around the seed and score the resulting flesh until you have removed as much usable fruit as you can.

Laura

Tuscan Beef Stew

1 can (10.75 oz) tomato soup
12 oz. beef broth
½ cup red wine (or more - you decide)
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes, if necessary
1 can (14.5 oz) Italian-style tomatoes
3 large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (parsley, thyme, oregano, rosemary, basil, pinch red pepper flakes), crushed
½ teaspoon garlic powder
2 cans cannellini beans, drained

Mix all ingredients except beans in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on Low for 8-9 hours, or on High for 4-5 hours until done. Stir in beans and turn heat to High. Cook for 10 minutes. Serves 8.

Laura

Buttermilk Biscuits

This recipe is originally from Mountain Measures but anyone who has cooked with me knows I like to take short cuts and find ways to create the least amount of dirty dishes possible. So I've adapted this to suit my cooking style. This method also requires less fancy cooking tools. 

¾ cup buttermilk
1 stick butter (or ½ cup shortening)
2 cups flour
2¼ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Pre-heat the oven to 450°F.

Put the buttermilk in the freezer while you are working with the other ingredients, but leave it there at least 10 minutes. Melt the butter in the microwave, setting it for a 20-30 seconds at a time.

Traditional: If you are using shortening, you can't do this shortcut and you'll have to do the normal cutting in with the dry ingredients and the shortening. Don't put the buttermilk in the freezer.

Mix the dry ingredients. Take the buttermilk out of the freezer. Using a fork or whisk, whip the melted butter into the partially frozen buttermilk until the butter makes tiny balls. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and combine all.

Traditional: If you are using shortening, cut in to the dry ingredients with a biscuit cutter or two knives until the mixture resembles small peas. Pour in the buttermilk and combine all.

Shape the dough into a ball and put on a floured board. Knead lightly. I don't roll mine out; I just flour my hands and pat it to the thickness I want. But you can roll it if you really want to, about ½ inch thickness. Use a floured biscuit cutter, or if you don't have one of those, flour a knife and cut the dough into squares or triangles.

Put on a greased baking sheet and brush the biscuit tops with melted butter.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes. Makes about 16-20 biscuits. Serve hot with butter, jam, or honey.

Gluten Free Biscuits

1. Substitute the flour above for Pillsbury Best Gluten Free Multipurpose Flour, King Arthur 1-1 Gluten Free Flour, or Red Mill 1-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour
2. Use a full cup of buttermilk

Mix the ingredients as above. You will not be able to knead or roll this dough. Instead pinch off a good quantity of dough and shape into a biscuit shape, place on the baking sheet. The recipe should make the same amount of biscuits as normal. Bake the same amount of time.

Laura

Grilled Chicken and Penne Salad

2 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts, halved
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 pound penne or other tubular pasta
2 large red bell peppers, cut into a 1/2-inch dice
2½ cups thinly sliced celery
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 cup walnut halves
1¼ cups pitted Kalamata olives, cut in half
1/4 cup minced fresh dill or 1 tablespoon dried
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2/3 cup olive oil

Oil a ridged grill pan and heat over moderately high heat or set an oiled rack 4-6 inches over glowing coals. Grill chicken breasts for 8 to 10 minutes on each side or until they are springy to the touch, and then transfer them to a dish. Sprinkle chicken with lemon juice and let it cool. Boil the pasta until it is tender; refresh under cold water in colander, and drain.

In a large bowl, toss pasta, bell peppers, celery, onion, walnuts, olives, and dill. Remove chicken from dish, reserving the juices, and slice it thin on the diagonal. Add it to the vegetables in the bowl. Pour the juices from the dish into a bowl or large cup, and then add vinegar, mayonnaise, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk the mixture thoroughly, and then add the olive oil in a stream, whisking until the dressing is emulsified. Add dressing to salad and toss. Add more salt and pepper if needed.  Serve immediately at room temperature or chill for later use. Serves 8 to 10.

Laura

Slow Cooker Turkey Breast

My family doesn't eat turkey skin or parts of the turkey other than breast meat. This is the perfect 'put it in the crock pot and forget it' way to cook a turkey breast. The end result is falling off the bones and hardly requires carving. The best thing is the gravy is made when the turkey is done and just requires a little thickening.  If you do like a crispy skin, I suggest taking it off and frying it in a skillet when you brown the vegetables.  Use a slow cooker liner to make this whole process even easier.

1½ tablespoons butter (or olive oil)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1/3 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth, low sodium if preferred
1 cup water
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoon fresh sage
2 bay leaves
4-5 pound whole turkey breast, or whatever size fits in your crock pot
salt and pepper

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, add olive oil. Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic; cook until onion is soft, about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in flour and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of broth and scrape any brown bits, smoothing out any lumps. Transfer to slow cooker.

Stir in remaining broth, water, wine, sage, and bay leaves into the slow cooker. Season turkey with salt and pepper, place skin side up in slow cooker. Cover and cook 5 to 7 hours, or until turkey reaches 165° F with a meat thermometer. If your turkey has a pop up indicator, it is done when the pin pops out.

Transfer turkey to cutting board, tent loosely with foil, and let it rest 20 minutes.  Let the braising liquid settle, then remove the fat from the surface. Strain braising liquid into a saucepan, discard celery and bay leaves. Let it simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Originally from SkinnyTaste.com, slightly modified.

Laura

Spice Cookies

3/4 cup (1½ stick) butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1¾ cups flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt

Pre-heat oven to 350º F and grease 2 large baking sheets. Beat butter and brown sugar together at medium speed until light and fluffy. Stir in egg, beating until smooth. Mix flour, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, soda, and salt together. At low speed, beat flour mixture into butter mixture until a soft dough forms. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Bake cookies until golden and set, 10 to 12 minutes. Makes 2 dozen large cookies.

Note: this recipe has a much better texture when made with a stand mixer as opposed to a hand mixer. You may need to mix a long time to get the needed fluffiness with a hand mixer. 

Laura

Microwaving Sauces

When a recipe calls for you to make a roux (equal parts butter and flour), and then use milk or broth to thicken it, you can do this in the microwave instead of over the stove.  Standing by the stove and stirring your brains out for 20 minutes is no one's idea of fun.

For the roux – melt butter in a large Pyrex measuring cup (or something of similar strength) in the microwave. Go slowly so it doesn't pop – 15 seconds at a time. Add an equal amount of flour. Stir until both are well-blended.

Thickening liquid – these sauces will have a liquid that reacts with the butter and flour to produce the thick sauce, usually milk or broth of some sort. Add this liquid to your Pyrex cup. Place cup in microwave and set on high for one minute. Take it out and stir. You will probably need about 5 minutes total, but pull the sauce out and stir it every minute. When the sauce is at the desired thickness, you are done!

Example Recipes
These recipes have sauces that can be made using the microwave method:
Red Chocolate Cake
Chicken Tetrazzini
Macaroni and Cheese
Cream Sauces

Laura

Brownies

1 stick butter
2 1-ounce squares baking chocolate
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
Optional: 1/4 cup chopped nuts, powdered sugar as garnish

Melt butter and chocolate together over low heat; add sugar and mix well. Remove from heat and add eggs one at a time, beating well between each. Add flour, salt, and vanilla. (Add nuts if you prefer). Pour into greased 7x11-inch pan (I don't own this pan, so I use a pie pan) and bake at 350º F for 20 minutes. Cut into squares or pie slices.

Gluten Free Brownies

Simply substitute Pillsbury Best Gluten Free Multipurpose Flour for the wheat flour and proceed as normal.

Laura

Watermelon and Feta Salad

watermelon, cut into bite-sized chunks
8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
freshly ground black pepper

Place watermelon in a bowl, sprinkle feta over it. Add freshly ground black pepper to taste. Mix gently to distribute feta and pepper.

Laura

Broccoli Corn Bake

1½ tablespoon butter
1½ tablespoon flour
1 cup milk
1 head fresh broccoli or 2 10-ounce packages frozen
1 10-ounce package frozen corn
1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
1 2.8-ounce can onion rings

Combine butter and flour in a saucepan over medium heat, cooking 2 minutes until smooth and bubbly. Slowly stir in milk, cooking until thickened. Set aside. Cut and separate broccoli into spears. Steam 8-10 minutes until crisp-tender. Place broccoli in shallow baking dish. Pour corn over. Top with white sauce, cheese, and onion rings. Bake at 350º F for 30 minutes. Serves 4-6.

Laura

Chicken Tortilla Casserole

1/4 cup chicken stock
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 10.75-ounce can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 10.75-ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
2 10-ounce cans Ro-tel tomatoes
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken
12 corn tortillas, torn into bite-sized pieces
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 325º F. In a large saucepan, cook pepper and onion in chicken stock until tender, about 5 minutes. Add soups, Ro-tel, and chicken, stirring until well-blended. Alternately layer tortillas, soup mixture, and cheese, repeating for 3 layers. Bake 40 minutes or until hot and bubbling. Makes 8 servings.

Laura

Chicken Tetrazzini

2 cups diced, cooked chicken
8 ounce thin spaghetti, cooked, drained, kept warm
1/4 cup butter
1/4 flour
1¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2½ cups chicken stock
3 tablespoon sherry
1/2 heavy cream
1/2 grated Parmesan
Optional: broccoli or mushrooms, sautéd

Melt butter in heavy saucepan; remove from heat. Blend in flour, salt, and pepper. Stir in chicken stock slowly. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens and boils 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in sherry and cream slowly. Combine sauce, chicken, spaghetti, and mushrooms/broccoli; spoon into a greased 2-quart casserole and sprinkle parm over the top. Bake at 425º F for 15-20 minutes until bubbly and brown on top. Serves 6-8.

Laura

Creamy Chicken and Chile Enchiladas

1 pound chicken breast strips
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
1 4.5-ounce can chopped green chiles (or jalapeños)
1/2 medium onion, chopped
flour tortillas
2 10-ounce cans green chile enchilada sauce
3 oz. shredded cheese

Heat oven to 400º F.  Cook chicken in a skillet over medium-high heat until thoroughly cooked. Add cream cheese, chiles, and onion.  Cook and stir over medium heat until blended.

Spoon enchilada filling into tortillas, roll up and place seam-side down in a lightly greased 13x9-inch baking dish.

Pour enchilada sauce over top, sprinkle with cheese. Bake 15-20 minutes.

Laura

Herbed Chicken Paillards

3/4 teaspoon minced fresh summer savory or 1/4 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
1½ teaspoon minced fresh sage or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1½ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried
3/4 teaspoon minced fresh marjoram or 1/4 teaspoon dried
3 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
pinch ground allspice
pinch cayenne
1/3 cup olive oil
4 chicken breast halves, skinned, boned
lemon wedges

In a bowl, combine herbs, spices, and oil. Pound chicken breasts between sheet of dampened wax paper until they are 1/4 inch thick, and rub them with herb mixture. Stack breasts in a shallow dish and chill, covered, overnight. Sprinkle breasts with salt and pepper, and grill them on an oiled rack over glowing coals for 2-3 minutes per side or until they are just firm. Serve with lemon wedges. Serves 4.

Laura

Chicken Cacciatore

1 oz. dried mushrooms
4 tablespoon olive oil
4 chicken breast halves, cut into chunks
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
2 cups fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (substitute 1 28-can whole tomatoes, drained)
1/2 teaspoon allspice
freshly ground pepper
3 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon thyme, crumbled
salt to taste

Put the mushrooms to soak for 1/2 hour in a bowl with just enough warm water to cover. Heat the oil in a large skillet and cook chicken until lightly browned on all sides. Add onion and sauté a minute or two, then splash in the wine and let it boil up. Lower the heat and add the garlic, tomato paste, and the tomatoes, the soaked mushrooms and their liquid (carefully strained), and the seasonings. Cover and cook slowly for 40 minutes or until done. Remove the bay leaves, taste, correct salt.

Garnish
grated rind of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoon minced parsley

Mix together and scatter over the top. Serve with pasta or rice.

Laura

Zesty Chicken Marinade

1/2 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup Tabasco jalapeño Sauce (or any kind of hot sauce)
2 pounds fresh chicken
1 gallon size food storage bag

Combine liquid ingredients in bag to create marinade. Mix well, place chicken in bag and seal. Marinate in fridge for 2 hours. Drain chicken and discard marinade. Grill, bake, broil, or sauté chicken until cooked.

Laura

Chicken Enchiladas

4 cups finely chopped, cooked chicken
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
12 flour tortillas
1 16-ounce can Ro-tel tomatoes
1 4-ounce can jalapeño salsa
1 cup sour cream
1 cup grated Monterrey Jack cheese

Mix chicken with cream cheese.  Fill tortillas with chicken mixture and fold. Place in a 9x13-inch baking dish. Combine tomatoes, salsa, and sour cream in a blender, blending until smooth. Pour over enchiladas. Top with grated cheese. Bake, covered, at 350º F for 30 minutes. Freezes well. Serves 6.

Laura