Gluten Free Hamantaschen

Hey hey it's hamantaschen day!! 

Gluten free style of course ;)

I modge-podged four different recipes and tweaked them, so this one's my own!

Here we go:

::Dry ingredients:: 

(mix together in a seperate bowl)

3 cups of gluten free all purpose flour (with a rice flour base)

2 Tbs of corn starch 

::Wet ingredients::

(mix together in a seperate howl)

8 Tbs (organic/RBH-free) salted butter

3/4 cups agave nectar (I used raw organic)

1/3-1/2 tsp of citrus zest (I used clementine!)

1 tsp vanilla

2 Tbs lemon juice (you can try orange!)

2 (organic, free range) eggs

You will also need:

*fillings of your choice! I used cherry preserves, grape jelly and strawberry preserves

*an additional egg white  to brush on top of the pre-baked cookies

*optional = topping. I used a vanilla bean infused sugar sprinkle 

Considerations:

*the batter should be firm but pliable upon mixing.  

*if it's not a consistency that looks good to you, play with it a bit - add liquid, add flour blends. Each gluten free flour mix is slightly different, so be flexible!

*also - refrigerate your dough so it is firm before rolling it out on floured parchment paper!

Bake: 

350 degree Fahrenheit

12-15 minutes 

Here are the pics:

Round 1 (cherry) were a little sloppy, although delicious nonetheless. The next batch was grape so I tried to tighten the triangles a bit ...

Even with the tighter triangles, the were still a bit gooey. Yummy, but gooey. (The kids didn't mind!!)

They still look nice (notice the vanilla bean infused sugar sprinkles!)

Onto Round 3 - strawberry 

I really tightened up the triangles here to reduce the ooze factor. It worked!!

Pretty pretty!

I also brushed egg whites over the pre-baked cookies each time. Pic below:

There was a teeny bit of extra dough so I made two tiny hamantaschen pies ;)

These won't last long here! These were a WIN!!

Clean Eats ... Roasted Potato Soup

The recipe test is on! Can I make everything-free food that doesn't taste like cardboard?! I gave it a shot with this figure-it-out-as-you-go roasted potato soup. I began by chopping two organic golden potatoes, and sprinkling them with s&p. Next to them on the pan was some frozen og cauliflower straight out of the bag and some peeled garlic cloves.

I roasted them on 450f for about 25 minutes while I boiled 1 quart of filtered water. In it I through a few sprigs of fresh rosemary, oregano and thyme from my friend's garden.

 

The boiling water drew out the flavor from the herbs and by the one the veggies were done roasting, I pulled the herbs from the water before adding the veggies to the broth. There's really no need for boxed broth or bouillon cubes! 

I simmered the veggies in the broth until they were basically falling apart before blending with my ... Vitamix you say?! Nope! I wish. With my tiny, itsy, bitsy Cuisinart Mini Chopper. I had to do it in five rounds but once it was all pureéd it was time to dish up! So easy.

 

It would have been delicious with some type of (turkey) bacon on top - but because of the processing involved, bacon is off limits for me right now (but a good addition for when I begin to slowly
reintroduce things into my diet!) 

It really was very tasty and even received head-nod approval from one of my kids who doesn't eat anything unless it's covered in cheese ;)

Gluten free, dairy free, soy free, nut free, sugar free, and condiment free! And totally delicious!!

Beginning to Live Without

I have several personal reasons that I decided to try "living without" ... They're mostly health-based but the challenge was also provoking. I began this journey as an elimination test, removing basically anything that could be an allergen or irritant from my diet. This means gluten free, dairy free, soy free, sugar free, oil and condiment free almond and nut (oh no!!) free, processed and packaged food free! 

My body's wisdom knew that this was the right choice in beginning its healing process. With the help of my husband (I needed a real kick in the a$$) I was able to get through the first troubling days; what was left for me to eat?! The answer is - food in its as-close to natural form. 

I had to resign to "eat to live - not live to eat!"

This is powerful and meaningful mantra for anyone who has ever continued to "taste" their food long after the hunger had settled.  When we eat for entertainment, we become susceptible to overeating and making bad food choices. When we eat for fuel, we begin to redesign our mental and emotional relationship with food. Are you hungry or are you bored? Does the food serve your body or serve as entertainment ... Just food for thought. (Pun intended)

Eating gluten free or dairy free or something else free is already a challenge. And companies have gotten so good at processing substitute foods. Scharr, Udis, Rudis and even Betty Crocker make some of my favorite substitute foods. But for this diet, the rules are to eat as close to nature as possible and remove as many processed items as you can. (Side note: my processed exceptions are sea salt, cinnamon, garlic granules and black pepper - which I actually grind myself so that might not count!!)  

I started my first day of "living without" eating oatmeal. With no butter. No milk. No sugar. Just good old raisins and bananas (not even cinnamon at first!) It was surprisingly easy to eat alongside my (((black/unsweetened))) coffee. Now, I eat that as my breakfast every single day. There is something peaceful about knowing exactly what's for breakfast. Everyday. 

The meal challenge on day one was a cinch since my motivating husband was helping me to kick this whole thing off! So... we went out to eat ... And he ordered! Can't get any easier than that but it also shows that you can be "living without" and still go out to eat! My dish? Broiled salmon (no oil, no butter) with salt, pepper and garlic with steamed vegetables, rice and salad on the side. Extra lemon wedges, please! Yeah - they help a lot!! It sounds so simple, and it is. But when you have to order and say "no butter,no oil", "no dressing", "no butter on the rice", "what's on that?" ... It becomes so obvious how much we over-saturate our food in order for us to consider it enjoyable. 

Dinner that day was more of the same simplicity. We broiled tilapia at home and I ate it with a baked yam with raisins. See; it's easy! 

How about snacks? Grapes, berries, kiwis (lots of those!!), raisins, cucumbers dipped in the eggplant that I roasted with no oil or anything at all ... It definitely takes getting used to, but after the initial few days it seems much more natural. 

I had a major snack attack yesterday - I needed salty, carby something so I diced half of a potato and sprinkled it with s&p and garlic. Baked on a high temp and took it out when it was pretty brown. Basically did the trick! The fun part is scraping your food off of an unoiled pan. Well... I'm still working out the kinks! 

Stayed turned for more gluten free, dairy free, soy free, nut free, condiment free, processed free living without posts!!

The Best Gluten Free / Dairy Free Tuna Noodle Casserole

I wish I was a food photographer so that I was able to digitally capture the deliciousness of this dish, and it would shine through the computer...

Comfort food... mac n'cheese, casserole, brownies, you name it; when you're gluten free, it's off limits! I am a big fan of tuna noodle casserole, and used to make a smokin' GF tuna noodle casserole using cream of mushroom soup and lots of sharp cheddar.  Now that I'm also dairy free, this recipe needed a twist!!

It's so easy!

This is what you need:

• 2 cups (dry) GF fusili - I used Schar brand
• 1/2 cup of mushroom soup -I used Imagine brand Portobello Mushroom Soup
• 1 whole can of tuna of your choice - I still like Albacore
• 1/2 cup cheeze - I used Daiya brand cheddar "cheeze" shreds 
• A few assorted mushrooms - I used (1) button, (3) baby bellas and (3) shiitakes
• 1/4 cup diced Red onion
• GF soy sauce - splash
• Olive oil (for saute) & spray oil (for baking dish)
• Dash of garlic powder

Schar makes excellent GF carb products! Also, this Imagine brand his soup is GF, DF and delicious!

Mixed mushrooms!

Saute diced red onions with sliced mixed mushrooms.  Add a splash of GF soy sauce to really get it going!

Daiya "cheeze"

Directions:

1. Cook and drain 2 cups of pasta according to box directions.  Set aside. I only made 2 cups because it was only for me, but feel free to double the recipe ;)

2. Dice onions, slice mixed mushrooms and saute using your own style - I used olive oil! I've found that splashing some GF soy sauce while sauteing adds great flavor!

3. In a large mixing bowl, mix the cooked pasta, can of tuna (break up the chunks!), mushroom/onion mix, the soup and cheeze.

4. Pour into a sprayed baking dish - I used a small Pyrex

5.COVER with foil &  BAKE! 375 (F) for 30-35 minutes (until bubbly)

Garnish, if you'd like!

Creamy, good GF/DF comfort food!

(Very) Easy Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins

Good GF muffins are hard to find... they're usually too dry ... too mushy ... tasting too much like cardboard ... you get the picture.  I'm a busy mama with very little time to bake butI whipped these up in about 20 minutes! They are delicious and taste like blueberry pound cake (it's probably all the oil and sugar)- but hey, even the non-GF'ers in the house loved them!

Instead of messin around with all of the different flours, tapioca starch and xantham gum, I used "Gluten Free Pantry" brand (by Glutino) boxed 'all-purpose flour.' Easy breezy!

Recipe (adapted/modified from Glutino's recipe):
2 cups of the all-purpose flour --> this is basically the whole bag, since the box came in 16 oz serving
3 eggs (organic!!)
2 cups of sugar (also organic!!) (NOTE: this is a lot of sugar.  You could cut it to 1 & 1/2 cups for less-cake-like muffins)
1 cup of veggie oil 
2 tablespoons of melted butter (or use Earth balance vegan spread)
1/4 cup of milk (I used Almond Breeze!)
small splash of vanilla extract
dash of cinnamon powder
1 pint of fresh blueberries (fresh and organic when possible!) --> frozen blueberries will leave the batter purple

Directions:
Combine wet ingredients.
Add flour
Mix
Add cinnamon
Fold in blueberries

Bake 350(f) for 30-35 minutes - or until the toothpick comes out clean ;)
Makes 12 muffins

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Passover Matzoh "Lasagna"

Passover foods are texturally unappealing.  Add gluten free to that, and well ... double texture trouble! I made a GF/DF matzoh "lasagna" that makes the best out of a gluten free Passover situation!

What I used:

This matzoh is good! It also comes in an onion flavor.  The only thing is that it is very thin!
So thin, that it may break when you pick it up!

Here are the ingredients that I used to make the lasagna "cheesey." I'm on a anti-dairy kick, but you could definitely use the standard mozzarella and ricotta for this recipe, too! I added some tofu for some protein and to mimic the texture of ricotta. I mixed the vegan cream cheese with some roasted red pepper sauce from Trader Joe's - just for flavor!

Just a side-note: I don't love Daiya cheese.  I would definitely (way) prefer real cheese, but dairy just doesn't work for me even though I realllly want it to!!

Veggies are good! I sauteed the tofu with the peppers and onions.  I layered in the parsley!

Sauces!

Saute!

Extras! I also used a little GF soy sauce to brown the tofu while I was sauteing!

I used an 8x8 square glass pyrex.  

I sprayed it good with some cooking spray and began layering my ingredients:

• matzoh - I used one piece per layer, but next time I may try 2 pieces per layer for a thicker, noodle-type texture!
• sauce
• tofu/peppers/onions
• vegan roasted red pepper spread
• sprinkles of Daiya cheeze

Repeat the process until you reach the desired height/thickness of your "lasagna."

Be moderate with your sprinkling of the Daiya cheeze.  It's gooey, and will take over.

Throw some fresh parsley in the mix!

Finish it off...
Cover with foil and bake! I use the convection setting on my oven, so I baked it at 350 (F) for 30 minutes.  Then I kicked it to 375 (F) for 10 more minutes.  Lastly, I uncovered and broiled for 2 minutes!
Gluten Free, Dairy Free Passover Matzoh "Lasagna"!!!