Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Gluten Free Cheesecake


This is a basic cheesecake with a decadent crust that is not only super simple to make, it's super delicious to eat.

I'm afraid to be left alone with this cheesecake.  I might pull a "Golden Girls" and eat the entire thing in one sitting.

I made this in an Anchor Hocking glass pie pan so there was extra filling, which I made into mini-cupcake cheesecakes in my muffin pan.  If you are going to use a springform pan for this recipe then use all of the filling for the cheesecake.

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup almond meal
  • 2 tablespoons golden flaxseed meal
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons butter.


Crust Step 1:
Put the oats, the almond meal, and the golden flaxseed meal into your food processor and pulse until the oats are ground.


Crust Step 2:
Add the 2 tablespoons of softened butter to the food processor and pulse until it is thoroughly mixed in then dump it out into the pie plate or cake pan.

Crust Step 3:
Smooth and press the crust into the pan, covering the pan in a uniform thickness.  Bake the crust at 350 degrees for  10 to15 minutes.  Set it aside to cool.


Filling

  • 3 packages of Neufchatel cheese (8 ounce packages)
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 and 1/2 cup sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/4 cup sweet rice flour
  • 1/4 cup potato starch


Filling Step 1:
In your stand mixer bowl thoroughly blend the softened neufchatel cheese with the sugar and vanilla extract.

Filling Step 2:
Add the eggs, one egg at a time and thoroughly blending in between each addition.  Then add in the flour and the potato starch.   Blend thoroughly.

Filling Step 3:
Pour the filling into the the crust. Jiggle slightly while on the counter to release all the air bubbles.

Filling Step 4:
Bake with the pie plate sitting in a shallow sided pan containing water.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Mine seemed to have over baked by appearance, but was absolutely delicious and perfect textured so,  Bake a few minutes less if you want a prettier top.

Filling Step 5:
Cool on a wire rack on the counter under a large inverted bowl to prevent the top from cracking.  This worked beautifully.

Cool completely in the refrigerator before serving.  Add a topping if desired.

As I mentioned before I didn't use a springform pan so there was some filling left over.  I lined a cupcake pan with paper liners, put 1 teaspoon of almond meal in the bottom and was able to make 6 mini cheesecakes.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Gluten Free and Dairy Free Soft Cut Out Cookies

 
This great gluten-free and dairy-free recipe also uses no egg yolks.  I'll call it a healthier cookie, but still a cookie where it counts, FLAVOR & TEXTURE!  These are soft and cake-like for a cookie.  They hold together great and hold shape very well while baking and cooling.

I literally can't stop eating these.  I glazed 1/3 of them in a simple powdered sugar and almond milk icing.  One third was glazed in the icing then dipped in an almond meal/brown sugar and cinnamon crumble.  The remaining third I left plane.  I like to put peanut butter and jelly on them and make little PB&J cookie sandwiches.

Ingredients


  • 1 and 3/4 cup sweet rice flour
  • 1 and 1/2 cup potato starch
  • 1/2 cup tapioca flour
  • 1 cup gluten free oat flour
  • 3/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup almond meal
  • 3 teaspoons xanthan gum
  • 1 and 1/2 cup Earth Balance (softened)
  • 2 and 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 cup egg whites
  • 1 tablespoon golden flax seed meal
  • 3 tablespoons hot water
  • Extra sweet rice flour for rolling or as needed


{Hint}     The night before beginning I put my rolling pin in the freezer.

Step 1:
Whisk all the flours, starches, almond meal, salt, baking powder, and xanthan gum together in a separate bowl and set this aside.

Step 2:
Mix the flaxseed meal and 3 tablespoons of hot water together and set this aside to get goopy.

Step 3:
Thoroughly blend the Earth Balance and the sugar, vanilla, and egg whites.  Add the flaxseed meal slurry when it has set up.

Step 4:
Add the flour mixture to the stand mixer bowl in thirds, blending thoroughly between additions.  I had to switch to dough hooks for the final third addition of flour.  The dough took on a taffy-like quality.  If the dough is still runny add another 1/4 cup sweet rice flour.

Step 5:
Scrape the dough out onto some cling wrap and carefully wrap it up as it is like warm taffy at this point.  Refrigerate for at least an hour, preferably longer.  Long enough to "set" the dough and make it easier to roll out.  If time isn't on your side, use the freezer, but make sure not to freeze it.

Step 6:
When the dough is hardened yet pliable unwrap it and cut off a third at a time to work with.  Return the remaining portion to the fridge or freezer.  Flour your work surface with the sweet rice flour and using your chilled rolling pin roll the dough out to approximately 1/4 inch.  Cut out your shapes.

Step 7:
Once your shapes are all cut out, remove the dough scraps from in between your shapes and save them so you can rework it and roll it out.


Step 8:
Place an inch apart and bake on an ungreased nonstick cookie sheet at 400 degrees for 11 minutes.

Step 9:
Cool on either parchment paper or a cooling mat.

Step 10:
Decorate as desired.  In the picture below I used a simple powdered sugar and almond milk glaze and a crumble made from almond meal, brown sugar, and cinnamon using a dipping method.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

My First Cookbook Giveaway Contest


Welcome to My First Giveaway!

I am giving away a signed copy of my first cookbook, The Gluten Free Spouse presents A Bread Making Tutorial.

All the details are being handled by rafflecopter.  Please enter via the widget below.  The winner will be posted here on the blog and on my Facebook page within 48 hours of the contest ending.

You have 2 weeks to enter.  Enter multiple times.  Come back and enter daily for a better chance to win.

The contest will begin NOW and ends at 12:01AM Thursday March 1st. (All times are Eastern Standard Time)

Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Share this giveaway with your friends with the following link:
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share code/YmQ4MzE5ZDMwNWQ1ZjY4MjQyMDdmNWRlNzdiNDdlOjA=/

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Giving a Gluten Free Box Cake Mix a Boost: No egg yolks/No Dairy


I've used a Betty Crocker gluten-free cake mix before and made it according to the package directions.  It was as good as any boxed cake mix I remember from my pre-gluten-free days.

This time I wanted to make it without eggs and without dairy and somehow get it to taste more decadent and homemade.  It was a challenge, but not too hard of one.  Definitely goes into the "make again" stack.  These were moist and oh-so rich and delicious!

Here is what the box instructions said.

Here is what I used.

Ingredients


1 box of Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Cake mix
1 cup of sweetened almond milk (vanilla)
1/2 cup Earth Balance
1 tablespoon golden flaxseed meal
3 tablespoons hot water
1/2 cup Egg Whites (you could use 2 tablespoons of golden flaxseed meal and 6 tablespoons of hot water for this.)


Step1:
Mix together the golden flaxseed meal and the hot water and set this aside to get "goopy".

Step2:
Mix according to the box directions in your stand mixer.  Using the egg whites and the flax seed mixture to replace the 3 eggs, the earth balance for the butter  and the almond milk to replace the water.

Step3:
Line your muffin pan with paper cupcake liners and spray the paper liners with a gluten-free nonstick cooking spray like Pam. This makes the paper peel away from the cupcake much easier.

Step 4:
Fill the cupcake liners with the batter evenly using it all.

Step 5:
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Test centers with toothpick to make sure they are done.

Step 6:
Cool on a wire rack completely before frosting.


Frost as desired and Enjoy!

Friday, February 3, 2012

Gluten Free and Dairy Free Biscuits and Gravy


I love biscuits and gravy.  A staple where I grew up.

I was just playing around in the kitchen the other night and had a craving for biscuits and gravy so I decided to try to make some for dinner.  The kind I remember from my child hood.

Looking through the pantry and the refrigerator, I could see I had to get creative with the substitutions.  The recipe that resulted was absolutely delicious.  This is going to be my "go to" biscuit recipe from now on.

The picture above is how we had them the first time, as an open face sausage and egg muffin using Jones Dairy Farm sausage and Egg Beaters.  Yummy!

Ingredients

Biscuits



Gravy



Biscuits
Step 1:
Whisk the flours, starches, xanthan gum, salt, and sugar together in your stand mixer bowl.

Step 2:
Cut the Crisco butter flavored baking stick into the flour mixture using a pastry knife or as you see in the picture I used a stiff metal whisk.  Leave it in small chunks.

Step 3:
Using your stand mixer, mix in the can of coconut milk, it should be about 1/3 solids to 2/3 liquid when you open the can.  When mixed, spray your muffin pan with your favorite gluten-free nonstick spray (I used Pam) and fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full, I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup to make it easier.

Step 4:
Bake at 425 degrees for 20-30 minutes keeping a close eye on them and testing the centers with a toothpick to see when done.  When toothpick comes out clean they are done.  Being careful not to get burned, turn the pan upside down over a wire rack.  The biscuits should easily fall out of the pan.  Cool briefly on the wire rack while you prepare the gravy.


Gravy

Fry the sausage and remove all but two from the pan.  Add a teaspoon or so of water to the pan and scrape around with the spatula to loosen all that flavor (any burnt crusty sausage remains).  Use your spatula to chop up the two sausage patties to a fine crumble.  Sprinkle in one tablespoon of the flour mixture and the honey.  Whisk whats in the pan furiously to incorporate, it will begin thickening immediately.  Add the milk substitute and stir.  Add the remaining flour mix and cornstarch or arrowroot, salt, and pepper.  Continue mixing rapidly until it comes to a boil.  Once boiled and thickened remove from heat and serve ASAP.

Enjoy!