Well.  I planned to try this scrumptious-looking recipe for Light and Fluffy Biscuits from Gluten Free Cooking School this morning.  But I got carried away on the computer this morning, and was way behind schedule when the children woke up HUNGRY.  I thought I needed a quicker, easier version (I was out of corn starch, and didn’t read the GFCS recipe thoroughly to realize I DID have something starchy I could have substituted…oh well, I’ll try this recipe next time).

I went to Bob’s Red Mill site and found a recipe using an all-purpose flour.  Recently I discovered my own favorite (so far) all-purpose flour (click here for the recipe) and thought I’d whip up the biscuits Bob’s way.

Well, once I got into cooking, I realized there were some touches that sounded tastier from the Gluten Free Cooking School Version, so I stole a bit from her recipe and tweaked Bob’s to come up with this:

(Makes about 2 dozen 2-inch biscuits)

3 cups gluten free all purpose flour (I used the one with brown rice flour, corn starch, and arrowroot)

2 Tbsps sugar

3 tsps baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

(I did NOT add the xantham or guar gum as suggested, since my all-purpose already had some in it)

1 1/2 tsps sea salt

Liquid Ingredients:

1 stick butter (put into freezer to cool)

1 1/2 cups buttermilk (I’m sure this had a lot to do with why these biscuits were yummy!)

1 egg, beaten

I mixed all the dry ingredients together.  Then I took out my butter, cut it into slices, and cut it into my flour using my pastry cutter — until the beads of butter were fairly small.

Next I added the buttermilk and beaten egg and stired until mixed.

I sprayed oil on my pampered chef baking stone and dropped the biscuits onto it.

Put into an oven preheated at 350 degrees, and baked for 15 minutes.  The biscuits were NOT golden brown, but I took them out anyway.  Absolutely yummy with honey or preserves (we had both!).  I did not miss the gluten!  YUM!

I can’t wait to try the recipe from Gluten Free Cooking School to compare and find my own very best biscuit recipe!

I have really enjoyed playing around with gluten-free mixes lately!  I pretty much stick to an established set of flour/starch/xantham gum, interchanging here and there.  This one made particularly good pancakes this morning.

8 cups brown rice flour (ground in my Wonder Mill)

2 cups cornstarch

Slightly less than 2/3 cup arrowroot

2 cups tapioca (balls ground in my mill — don’t do very many at a time, they tend to gum up and could hurt your mill)

4 tsps xantam gum

Mix together!  Use what you need for your recipe and freeze the rest in a gallon-size Zipoc baggie.

Yum!

This recipe was posted by Pam on my Gluten Free, Casein Free Yahoo Group List:

Here’s a recipe:

Worcestershire Sauce

10 cups vinegar
60 g (2 oz) garlic, peeled and chopped
60 g (2 oz) whole cloves
30 g (1 oz) knob of ginger, sliced
4 onions sliced
1/2 tsp cayenne
2 1/2 cups treacle (molasses)
1/4 cup salt

Boil all together for 1/2 an hour then strain. Bottle when cold.

Pam

4 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons lime juice

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon cumin

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 garlic cloves

1.5 pounds chicken (boneless skinless)

1 med onion, halved and then cut into 1/2 inch slices

1 bell pepper, halved and sliced

corn tortillas

tomatoes

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Combine 3 tablespoons olive oil, lime juice, oregano, cumin, Worcestershire, sauce, salt, pepper, and garlic. Mix well. Place chicken breasts in a shallow glass dish. Cover with marinade, coating chicken well on all sides. Cover disdh and marinate in refrigerator for 1 or more hours.

After chicken has been marinated, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive in a medium nonstick skilled. Saute onions and bell pepper in the olive oil for about 6 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Combine chopped tomates and cilantro. Set aside.

Remove chicken from marinade, place on a grill rack coated with vegetable spray and cook 8 minutes on each side or until chicken is done.

Heat tortillas (original recipe calls for whole-wheat tortillas wrapped in foil and heated on grill) any way you want.

Cut chicken diagonally across teh grain into thin slices. Place warm tortillas on a plate. Arrange chicken on a large platter and cover with the onion and bell pepper mixture. Spoon chicken mixture into tortillas, cover with tomato salsa. Fold sides of tortilla over filling.

From The Fat Resistance Diet by Dr. Leo Galland

1 pound white beans

leeks 4 (1.5 cups onions)

1/4 olive oil

2 tbsps butter

4 cups beef broth

2 cups chicken broth (usually for this recipe, I add 8 cups of homemade chicken broth, no extra water, and beef boullion)

2 cups water

1 bay leaf

1/8 tsp dried sage or 1/2 tsp fresh

4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 cup carrots

2/3 cup celery

1.5 – 2lbs ham

parsley (optional)

Soak Beans overnight in cold water or quick soak (2 minutes boiled, 2 hours sit)

Drain Beans

Heat butter and oil, add onions and cook for 1 min, add garlic, celery, carrots, cook for 5 minutes

Add hamhock, sage, simmer for 1.5 hours, remove bay leaf and hamhock. (since my ham is already cooked, I add a bone w/ meat i don’t want to keep and simmer w/ this, then add in the edible ham, chopped and waiting in my fridge, at the last minute)

Cut off meat from ham hock, chop into pieces and set aside

Take 4 cups of beans and process into a puree and put back in the soup

Reheat

Parsely on top if you want

We began this practice after reading Nourishing Traditions.  Did you know the Quaker Oats box used to include soaking the oats overnight in the directions?  I think they taste better this way and the wisdom of others suggests they are better for us.

“The simple practice of soaking cracked or rolled cereal grains overnight will vastly improve their nutritional benefits.”

Soak Your Oats

Oats are low in gluten, which make them easier to digest than some whole grains; however, they are high in phytic acid. This organic acid is found in the outer layer, or bran. In days gone by, and today in traditional cultures, grains were treated before cooking and eating. If untreated, as most are today, phytic acid can block the body’s absorption of important minerals such as calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, and especially zinc. A long-term diet of untreated (soaked or fermented) grains will lead to mineral deficiencies and disease.

Soaking oats allows enzymes and helpful organisms such as lactobacilli to break down the acid. Soak in warm water overnight so they’re ready to cook in the morning and require much less cooking time. This is a healthy way to have “quick” oats without the nutrient loss of manufacturing. All it takes is a little planning ahead for a significant increase in nutrition.

also betty hagman

6 cups brown rice flour

2 cups potato starch

1 cup tapioca

2 tablespoons xantham

I got this recipe originally from Betty Hagman.  I doubled it, and then out of necessity (limited by what was in my cupboard) changed it just a little.  I like it.

8 cups jasmine rice flour (jasmine rice, finely ground through my Whisper Mill)

2 1/3 cups cornstarch (about 1 12 oz can of Clabber Girl Corn Starch)

1/3 cup potato starch

1 1/3 cup tapicoa flour (also made through my grain mill, using tapioca balls — don’t do too many at a time, or mix with rice, as the balls are hard on the grain mill)

about 2/3 cup teff flour (i didn’t quite run enough rice through the mill, and didn’t want to start over for such a small amount, so i made up the difference with teff)

4 tsps xantham gum

I put all these ingredients in a large bowl and sift and mix.  Then I label zip loc baggies and pop ‘em in the freezer to use later.

A friend gave me this recipe several years ago.  We went a few years where we could not eat this recipe enough, but I think we reached our saturation point or something because last winter we stayed away from it altogether.

I’m excited to try this recipe again, with rice noodles this time!

1 pound ground beef

1 cup diced onion

1 cup diced celery

1 cup sliced carrots

2 cloves minced garlic

1 can tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce

1 15 ounce can kidney beans

2 cups water (I add much more water, at least 4 cups, maybe 6)

2 beef bouillion cubes (I need to find gluten free bouillion!)

1 Tblsp dried parsely (or more if you have fresh)

1/2 teaspoon oregano (more if you have fresh)

1/2 teaspoon sweet basil

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon sugar (or sucanat)

Brown beef, drain fat, add all ingredients.  Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover, simmer for 20 minutes.  Then add:

2 cups shredded cabbage

1 cup fresh or frozen green beans

1/2 cup small elbow macaroni

Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer until veggies are tender.  Add broth or water if you desire thinner soup.  Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top before serving.

When my youngest son was a baby, I sometimes watched Martha Stewart while nursing.  She explained this recipe as a good recipe for nursing moms, and this has been my signature gift-meal to new parents.   I couldn’t find a link to this recipe on Martha’s site.

Serves 6.

3.5 pounds chicken cut into 10 serving peices (we just put in about 6 chicken thighs with skin on)

4 or more white potatoes, scrubbed and cut into medium-sized chunks

4 plum tomatoes, cut into chunks (in winter I’ll use canned tomatoes or sun-dried tomatoes from the jar)

1 large white onion, cut into chunks

1/4 cup Olive Oil or less

1 teaspoon (or more) coarse salt

1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves, coarsely chopped

Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 with rack in upper third of oven.  Combine chicken, potatoes, tomatoes, and onion in a large roasting pan.  Add olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper.  (I usually coat my hands with olive oil and rub it all over chicken and potatoes.  If I have a helper, I have them sprinkle herbs over my hands while I am “stirring” up the ingredients.)  Arrange the chicken, skin side up, over the top of the vegetables in a 9 x 13 glass pan.  Roast until the juices run clear and a thermometer inserted in thickest part of the thigh registers 170, about 45 minutes.  I don’t use a thermometer but usually wait 1 hour to make certain (and this meal tastes good with crispy edges).