Behold, the BREAD! {a review}

I made all our bread goods from scratch before going gluten free.  And though I don't miss it all the time, I do miss the convenience of toast or sandwiches for quick picnic lunches.  I've bought horrid gf loaves and some good ones, too, but the price was hard to swallow.  Udi's (which is closest to a great taste and gf/cf/egg free) is over 6 bucks a loaf around here!!!  YIKES!  I have tried many different recipes through the last 4 years--bouncing back and forth between hopeful anticipation and despair of ever finding a truly good recipe that met our needs and tastes. 
I think I may have {gasp} finally found one!  YAY!  It is The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen's Vegan sandwich bread.  Yum!  It looks good...it tastes good...it must be, well, good! 

Behold, the Bread!

Gluten, Dairy and Egg Free Pizza Crust--FINALLY!

I have had pizza only a teeny tiny handful of times since going gluten free as a family--gluten free pizzas are expensive!  Add to that no dairy or eggs, and...well...the crusts don't taste too great...or they don't hold up to toppings very well....
The one time I enjoyed GF pizza was at Picazzo's in Tempe, AZ.  They've got some great stuff, folks.  However, the cost was a bit much for our budget--20 smackers for a medium-sized pizza!  (After being GF for two years, with no pizza whatever, it was well worth it just that once!)  So if you're ever in Arizona, check them out for some seriously great pizza!
But, if you're not planning a scorching summer trip to AZ any time soon, try Karina's (aka Gluten Free Goddess) pizza crust!  It is amazingly good! 

I followed her recipe with the exception of eggs; there, I used Ener-G's Egg Replacer.  They turned out extremely well and the kids had such fun putting them together!

Crust dough after rise

Pizza after baking

Karina has a lot of great recipes, and many are dairy and egg free or can easily be made so.  She has the distinction of being the first gluten free blog I ever visited.  

Classic Gluten Free Banana Bread (or Muffins)

Pre-Gluten Free Era in our home, I had a banana bread recipe that was just right; good with nuts or without, made with whole wheat and honey.  I've been working on a replacement for some time and I think this is it!  We've made these three times this week and with various flour mixtures and they are very forgiving. 
The first attempt had tapioca starch and lots of sorghum.  The next attempt had no starches added at all as I had run out, and the last attempt had very little sorghum.  It even doubles beautifully, yay!

Classic Banana Bread and Muffins--Gluten, Dairy, and Egg Free

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES

CREAM:

4 bananas
1 c. honey
1/2 c. coconut oil
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/2 c. water

IN A LARGE BOWL, MIX:

2 1/2 c. gluten free flour (I used millet and brown rice)
1/2 c. sorghum
1 tbsp. Ener-G egg replacer
1 tsbp. cinnamon
1 tsp. unrefined sea salt
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 c. pecans, optional

ADD WET INGREDIENTS TO DRY AND MIX WELL

FOR MUFFINS:

Pour into muffin cups and bake for 25-30 minutes.  Tops should crackle a bit.  Makes 2 dozen.

FOR BREAD:

Pour into  2 greased bread pans and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until toothpick comes clean and top is crackled.  Let cool in pan 5 minutes; remove and allow to cool fully.

Gluten Free, Dairy Free, and Egg Free Drop Biscuits

I have been working on biscuits for a long time.  Just when I seemed to get a recipe down, it wouldn't turn out the next time I made them.  My husband took these on too, and we got to a point where they were, well, just okay.  I've been experimenting a bit with almond flour, thanks to Elana's Pantry (link on my sidebar).  I think I finally figured out a recipe that works for us.  And the cinnamon raisin variation is a favorite with my kids.

DROP BISCUITS

1 1/2 c. almond flour
1 c. sorghum or rice flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tbsp. ener-g egg replacer
2 tsp. agave nectar
4 tbsp. coconut or grapeseed oil
1/2-3/4 c. water or safe milk

directions

in a large bowl, mix dry ingredients, including egg replacer.  with  a fork, cut in agave and oil.  Add water and mix completely.  Drop biscuits onto a baking sheet with a large spoon or ice cream scoop.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10-13 minutes or til lightly browned on top.

cinnamon raisin version: 

-add 1 tsp. cinnamon to the dry ingredients
-up agave to 4 tsp.
-after mixing biscuits, gently incorporate 1/3 c. raisins into the batter. 
-bake as usual

makes 12 biscuits

Golden Skillet Cornbread

With autumn coming on (finally!) I am turning to old cold weather favorites. One of these is my cast iron skillet cornbread. This is our go-to cornbread recipe. Gluten, dairy, and egg free and easy-peasy. We like it with chili beans.

2 c brown rice flour
1 1/2 c. cornmeal
2 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp Ener G egg replacer (or 2 eggs)
1 1/3 c almond or other safe milk
1/2 c. honey (can take down to 1/3 c. but may need to add a bit more liquid)
8 tbsp coconut oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat a 12" cast iron skillet on the stovetop. Add the 8 tbsp of coconut oil to skillet, turn off burner and set aside. Mix dry ingredients (including egg replacer). Add milk and honey and mix. Carefully rotate oil around to coat the sides of the cast iron. Pour melted coconut oil from the skillet into the bowl and stir well. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve in slices. This recipe can be halved and baked in a 6 or 8" cast iron as well.

I have also used millet flour in place of the cornmeal. This is a good alternative for those who are corn free.

Excuses, excuses (and some pumpkin muffins)

I've been meaning to add some recipes all July! Life has been crazy though and this just kept getting pushed back. I have been pretty introverted this pregnancy and slipping in the rain a few weeks back has slowed me down even more. I didn't fall, but I did pull a muscle that makes it extremely uncomfortable to do much of anything--I'm supposed to take it easy...midwife's orders. I'm due in just a couple of weeks, so I am really trying to so it'll heal before I go into labor.

I made a batch of these muffins to freeze for after baby's arrival. There's just something about the smell of pumpkin and spices in the air that I can't resist.

Pumpkin Millet Muffins

1 c. coconut oil
2 tbsp. Ener-G egg replacer + 1/2 c. of water
2 c. pumpkin puree
3/4 c. turbinado sugar
3/4 c. honey
2 heaping tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 c. millet flour
2 c. brown rice flour
2 tsp. xantham gum
1 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. aluminum free baking powder

Here's what I did:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a blender, mix all wet ingredients, plus turbinado. In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients. Add the wet to the dry and mix well. The consistency should be like a cake mix from the gluten days...if your pumpkin puree is thick, you may need to add a bit of safe milk a tbsp at a time til you get the desired consistency. Line muffin pan with muffin liners or grease muffin pan. Bake for 25-35 minutes (depending on how thick or thin your pumpkin puree is--mine was thin because it was homegrown; the canned stuff will be thicker.) Mine took the full 35 minutes this time. Let cool completely in the pans. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers. Makes two dozen.