Mac and Cheese

One of our family traditions is letting the birthday child choose a special meal for the day. My son is turning six (already?!) and requested macaroni and cheese for his birthday dinner. What kid doesn't love macaroni and cheese?! He also requested a very complicated, three layer, vanilla and chocolate cake, decorated with special colors and designs. Sadly I had to tell him I'm not a cake decorator but thankfully Betty Crocker makes a gluten-free white cake mix that's super easy!

I can at least make the mac and cheese he requested though. I first had this recipe when I was a teenager, baby sitting for a friend of the family. I loved how easy and tasty her recipe was. My kids have always enjoyed it, and it easily becomes gluten-free by using rice noodles and a gluten-free sour cream and cottage cheese. Both sour cream and cottage cheese can contain gluten but Daisy according to their web site is safe.



Mac and Cheese

Mix together
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup cottage cheese
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
3/4 t salt
1 egg
4 cups cooked rice  noodles (about two cups uncooked)

Mix above ingredients  and bake in  a 9x13 pan at 350 for 35 minutes. Yummy!

Sometimes I make huge batches and freeze in 9x13 pans. I pop them in the oven still frozen and bake about 1 1/2 hrs or until set.

Basil Chicken and Dumplings

Chicken and Dumplings is a comfort food to me. It was one of my favorite meals growing up. I've tried several gluten-free recipes but none of them tasted like mom's. Now that I'm starting to get the hang of gluten-free baking, I decided to dig out mom's old recipe and try to convert it. Here's the results. Hope you enjoy my mama's Chicken and Dumplings, gluten-free version.

Basil Chicken and Dumplings

Dumpling  Stew

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 t minced garlic
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup  arrowroot powder
1 t salt
1 t dried basil
4 cups chicken broth ( This recipe uses homemade broth. If you use canned broth adjust the salt in the stew since store bought broth is very salty)
2 cup frozen peas
2 cups sliced carrots
4 cups cooked chicken


Saute onion, celery and garlic till tender.

Add arrowroot powder, salt, basil, carrots and broth. Cook till thick and the carrots are tender.

Add peas and cook five minutes. Stir in chicken. Divide stew between  a 9x13  and a 9x9 pan.

Dumplings

Mix together
3/4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon xanthum gum
2 teaspoons dried basil

Cut into the dry mix 3 tablespoons butter

Add and stir just until mixed

1 tablespoon vinegar
1 cup water or rice milk

Drop dumpling by  tablespoons onto gravy. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

 I like to serve these with fresh, homemade applesauce and a garden salad. Enjoy!

Yummy French Toast

For some strange reason I've been craving French Toast for a while now. My mom made French Toast often growing up, but of course hers used milk. I decided it was time to come up with a new dairy free family recipe. Maybe it's because I haven't had the real thing in such a long time but I think this recipe is just as good as mom's.

Yummy French Toast

Mix together

8 eggs
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch salt

Dip bread slices in the egg mixture and fry on a griddle till browned, usually about two minutes on each side. This is a great way to use up old, gluten-free bread, but be sure to let your bread slices soak a couple minutes in the mixture if they're really dry.

We like to eat these with homemade peach syrup made by mixing one 29 OZ can of peaches and 1/4 cup maple syrup. Enjoy!

Vitamin Smoothies

I've been wanting to find a good quality, affordable vitamin that my kids could take. Most children's vitamins contain dye and sweeteners that I don't want my kids eating. Good children's vitamins do exist, but with five kids they get pretty pricey. I was reading The Bulk herb Store newsletter and saw their Daily Boost Herba-Smoothie. I thought it was a great idea but wasn't sure it would work for us. We don't have access to raw dairy in Wyoming and I'm not about to feed my kids ultra pasteurized-homogenized milk from the store. After thinking about it for a few days I decided to start experimenting with smoothie recipes to see if I could come up with a non-dairy smoothie. I also wanted our smoothie to use less berries than the Bulk herb Store recipe since berries are so expensive. After quite a few not so good smoothies I have two recipes that my kids and husband like, and gladly drink every morning.

Orange Julius Herb Smoothie

3 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
1 cup water
1/2 frozen banana
1 tablespoon coconut milk
1 teaspoon powdered herb mix
*1 tablespoon water from lacto-fermented veggies

Blend all ingredients in blender and serve

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon coconut milk
1 teaspoon powdered herb mix
1-2 frozen strawberries
1/2 frozen banana
*1 tablespoon water from lacto-fermented veggies

Blend all ingredients in blender and serve.

The lacto-fermented veggie water is optional but add natural probiotics to your smoothie.

You can use any of the herb mixes the Bulk Herb Store sells or make your own. I wanted herbs that would supply calcium and other minerals, be good for my husbands heart, give us an energy boost and help with cleansing and detoxing. I decided to use the same mix of herbs as The Bulk Herb Store, ginkgo, siberian ginseng, oatstraw, bilberry fruit, hawthorn, burdock root, and horsetail plus I added some rosehips for extra vitamin C. We enjoy our smoothie every morning and I love knowing my kids are getting a yummy, natural vitamin shake.

Red Rooibos Spicy Chai Tea

I recently started drinking red rooibos tea daily. I like the almost sweet, slightly nutty flavor but wanted something a little more exciting. I decided to try and make a chai tea using red rooibos. After a few experiments I came up with a spicy, tasty tea that the whole family enjoys.

Mix together

1/4 cup red rooibos

1 tablespoon dried cut ginger (not powdered)

1 dried and crushed orange peel

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 crushed bay leaves

1/8 teaspoon whole or slightly crushed peppercorns

Brew one rounded tablespoon in 1 1/2 cups water. Strain and add 1-2 tablespoons coconut milk or cream. Sweeten to taste.

Red Rooibos is grown in Africa and was first drank by the Khoisan, a tribe of bushmen. The tea is chopped and bruised before being fermented. It is then dried in the African sun, where it turns from green to a brilliant orange-red. Rooibos is full of antioxidants and minerals, contains alpha-hydroxy and is naturally caffeine free.

Sprouted Wheat Bread

I’m now gluten-free but back when I could eat wheat this was my standby sprouted grain bread. It makes a pretty dense loaf but the flavor is great!

Sprouted Wheat Bread

3 cups hard red wheat

1 teaspoon yeast

2 tablespoons warm water

3 tablespoons honey

Rinse 3 cups hard wheat (any high gluten/protein wheat) with water and let stand 12-18 hours at room temperature. Drain off liquid, rinse grain with fresh water, and store in a dark place covered with plastic wrap. Rinse every 12 hours for 36 to 48 hours maximum. Most of the grains should sprout. Drain well and refrigerate until cool.

Dissolve 1 teaspoon yeast in 2 tablespoons warm water. Measure two cups of the sprouted wheat into the food processor bowl using the cutting blade (not the bread dough blade). Pour about 2 teaspoons of the dissolved yeast liquid, a table-spoon of honey, and about 2/3 teaspoon of salt over the wheat.

Process about one minute or until the wheat forms a ball. Scrape the sides of the bowl, and process about two more minutes. Stop processing before the ball falls completely apart. Repeat with the remaining 2/3 of the ingredients in two batches. Knead the three dough balls together by hand.

Place the dough in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place. Check after an hour and a half by gentle poking the center of the dough with a wet finger. If the hole doesn’t fill in or the dough sinks it’s risen as much as it can. (if the dough fills the hole back in slightly let it continue to rise). Gently turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and press flat, form into a ball and let rise again. Check the dough by poking with your wet finger after 45 minutes to see if it’s fully risen.

Divide in half and gentle knead into rounds. Cover the rounds and let them rest for about ten minutes or until soft.

Press the dough flat and shape into loaves. Place in greased bread pans. Cover with a plastic grocery sack and let rise in a warm place until the dough slowly returns a gently finger poke.

Bake about an hour at 350.

The Perfect Gluten-Free Bread (finally)

Over the last couple months, as we have switched to eating gluten-free, I’ve baked many loaves of bread. Most of them were okay, a few inedible but none of them were really good. There were the bricks, the doughy, the sawdust like and even a few that tasted pretty good straight from the oven, only to completely change into a crumbly, dry, really odd tasting creation by the next day. Baking bread gluten-free bread can be really frustrating!

Before switching to gluten-free I used to make really great bread. I loved baking and experimenting with different recipes. I especially enjoyed free-form sourdough loaves. The wonderful smell while they bake, the crunchy crust and chewy center. Hot from the oven and slathered with butter, what could be better!

Guess what, there is a gluten-free bread that’s just as good. This is not just a good gluten-free bread, it’s simply a great loaf of bread. Not only that but you mix enough dough to make four loaves. The dough is stored in the fridge ready and waiting until you want to bake. For a busy mom it’s a dream come true. I love it, the kids love it and even my husband said you’d never know it’s gluten-free. Try the recipe at Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. It’s yummy!