Saturday, September 25, 2010

Gluten Free Battered Onion Rings


I don't know about around your gluten-free house, but around mine onion rings are often discussed with longing remembrance and fondness.  Tonight i decided to surprise Shawn with some old fashioned onion rings, made gluten-free.

These were DELICIOUS!

I will definitely make these again.  There weren't any leftovers.

Ingredients

2 medium yellow onions
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 cup arrowroot flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
2 eggs
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 cup milk (approx.)
Oil for frying.

Begin by mixing the flours and dry ingredients together in a separate bowl and set aside.

Next, wash and peel the onions, then slice them about 1/2 inch to 1 inch thick.  Separate the rings and coat each one in the flour by swirling them around one at a time in the flour mixture and placing on a plate.

Now add the 2 eggs and the milk (not all of milk may be needed) to the flour mixture and whisk until smooth and creamy (add more or less milk as needed).  Dunk and coat each onion ring one at a time in the batter then place in the frying pan of oil.  Repeat until finished, do not over crowd the pan.

Fry on each side until golden brown, turning once, then remove and drain on paper towels.  These were very well received, and devoured immediately.

Enjoy!



Thursday, September 16, 2010

Gluten Free Ravioli


Ahhhh!  Ravioli!     This was as much fun to make as it was delicious.  I recently bought a ravioli press and was just dieing to use it.  It made the cutest looking ravioli's.  Each one, a perfect tasty little noodle pocket of cheese and spinach.  I had never used one of these before.  It was $2 at an estate sale, so I just couldn't pass it up. (pictured below)  You can buy it new by clicking here.Norpro Ravioli Maker and Press

Before I found this, I made ravioli a little bigger by hand and called it "gourmet".

The filling and the pasta are the same.  I prefer the cute little pockets, but not everyone has my ravioli press.  So, any shape will do.

Pasta Ingredients

1 cup quinoa flour
1 cup arrowroot flour
1 cup tapioca flour
5 eggs
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 tablespoon water (if necessary for consistency)

Filling Ingredients

1/4 cup ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup fresh baby spinach (chopped and wilted in a pan)
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1 egg yolk for glue

Begin by whisking all the dry ingredients together in your stand mixer bowl.  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and with dough hooks attached begin adding the eggs one at a time.  Let the mixer gradually pull in flour from the sides.  Add olive oil (and water if necessary).

Chop the fresh spinach into tiny bits and then wilt in a pan..

Mix the ingredients for the filling together thoroughly in a separate bowl and set aside.

For the small pocket ravioli, I rolled out two pieces of dough very thin.  Place the first strip of dough over the ravioli press first.  Then the press template is placed and removed, making the indentions.  Fill the indentions with about 1/2 teaspoon of the filling.  Paint the egg yolk on the edges and in between the filling.  Place the second layer of  dough over the top and roll over it with your rolling pin.  This crimped and sealed the ravioli.

If making without a ravioli press.  I roll out the dough very thin and cut into squares roughly 3 inch by 3 inch.
I place a portion of the filling in the center, brush the outside edges with egg yolk, and seal the edges together and crimp them by hand.

Add the finished ravioli to a pot of boiling water a few at a time, careful not to overcrowd the pot.  The ravioli will float to the top when done.  This doesn't take long.

Smother in your favorite sauce, This time I chose a delicious Ragu'.  I will leave you with this photo of one of the cute pockets cut open.

Enjoy!  I know you will!





Monday, September 13, 2010

Gluten Free Oatmeal Chocolate No Bake Cookies


This was my second batch of these, the first batch just didn't set up right, and I have some tips for you so yours will set right and with the right texture.

Bob's Red Mill, Whole Grain Rolled Oats, Gluten Free, 2 lbs (907 g)Once again I bought Gluten-Free Rolled Oats from Bob's Red Mill.  With Shawn being super sensitive to gluten We were pleased as punch that Shawn could tolerate and digest these Oats.  I know that some Celiac patients can not digest oats.  Whether this is from cross contamination of regular oats, or the oat itself, I do not know.  What i do know is that my Spouse, Shawn, is super sensitive to gluten (15ppm in a vanilla extract I used to make cookies made him ill), and Shawn can eat these oats without any intestinal issues.

If you are daring like Shawn, give them a try.  If not, talk to your doctor or healthcare provider first.  Since these are consumable by Shawn, I tend to think that other oats that people have eaten and gotten ill from, are cross contaminated.  Either in the field, during harvest, or on the machines during processing.  Bob's Red Mill grows these oats in dedicated fields, on dedicated farms far from wheat, and processed in dedicated gluten free facilities.  They use Elisa 5 testing, both in the fields and in processing to insure it is gluten free.  I feel safe using them.

My grandma always made these cookies when we visited for the summer.  Delicious!

Ingredients

1/2 cup whole milk
1 stick of unsalted sweet cream butter
2 cups of sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups gluten free rolled oats


Begin by placing the milk, butter, sugar, and cocoa into a medium sauce pan.

Heat stirring almost constantly to a rolling boil.  You want to make sure it's at a rolling boil for about 1 minute. It should come to what is called a "soft ball stage".  If it doesn't reach a rolling boil and doesn't boil long enough, it won't set up right.

Here is a choice you can make.  The standard recipe is to use "quick cooking" or "instant" oats.  The Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Oats  I bought are "rolled".  They do make a "quick cooking" variety also, but rolled is what the stores here carry.   If you would like a cookie that you can eat immediately, as soon as they set up, then put the rolled oats in your food processor and give them a few whirs first.  If not, then use the rolled oats as I did (the cookies will be slightly tough the first day).  The second day however, when the rolled oats have had time to absorb the moisture more, they are absolutely delicious!

When the oats are thoroughly mixed in, spoon some heaping spoonfuls onto waxed paper to cool and set up.

When set up, I cut around the cookies and leave the wax paper attached.  This helps keep them separated while in the cookie jar and can be easily removed when you have a cookie.

Enjoy!



Saturday, September 4, 2010

Gluten Free Breaded and Fried Zucchini


These were delicious.  This versatile recipe makes a great main dish or side dish.  I made this out of one large zucchini, sliced thick.  Shawn had second helpings of them, and that was proof enough for me that they are delicious.

Ingredients

1 large zucchini
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1 tablespoon millet flour
1 tablespoon arrowroot
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
Vegetable oil for frying

Begin by washing and slicing the zucchini into 1/2 inch slices.

Whisk the egg and the milk in a separate bowl until smooth and creamy.

Mix the flours and dry ingredients together on a plate.

Pre-heat about 1/2 inch of vegetable in a frying pan and begin the "dredging" process.  Using your fingers, pick up the zucchini slices one at a time and dunk in the egg/milk mixture until coated.  Then into the flour mixture, both sides, until coated.  Then into the frying pan.  Repeat this "dredging" with each of the slices.
Fry until golden brown on both sides, flipping over and testing for softness.  Don't over cook them (too soft and mushy)  I like a little meaty texture to remain.

Drain on paper towels and serve while hot.  These were really down home delicious!