Category: Recipe

Mmmm…pasta!

No really…I am a pasta fiend.  And thankfully, the gluten-free community has been blessed with a variety of noodles to fit your desires or culinary vision.

After settling in for a viewing of an episode of The Barefoot Contessa, Ina introduced her audience to the amazing ingredient – white truffle butter.  And she was cooking it up with Tagliarelle, dressing it up with fresh chives and shaved Parmesan.  And I thought to myself that it would make a fabulous meal.  In fact, I wanted to cook it up for something special.

And that situation presented itself in the form of an impromptu holiday gathering.  Tagliarelle was not available gluten-free, but Schär has a fantastic Tagliatelle noodle that is gluten-free.  So, I cooked that up, following the simple recipe from Ina…but gave it my own gluten-free twist.

Recipe: Gluten-Free Tagliatelle with Truffle Butter Sauce

Servings: 12
Time: Prep 20 minutes; Cook 10 minutes

Ingredients:

 

• Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3 ounces white truffle butter
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 box Schär Gluten-Free Tagliatelle pasta
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 3 ounces Parmesan, shaved thin with a vegetable peeler

Directions:

Add 1 tablespoon salt to a large pot of water and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a large (12-inch) saute pan, heat the cream over medium heat until it comes to a simmer.

Add the truffle butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, lower the heat to very low, and swirl the butter until it melts.  Keep warm over very low heat.

Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 8 minutes, or until al dente.  When the pasta is cooked, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta.

Add the drained pasta to the saute pan and toss it with the truffle-cream mixture.  As the pasta absorbs the sauce, add as much of the reserved cooking water, as necessary, to keep the pasta very creamy.

Serve the pasta in shallow bowls and garnish each serving with a generous sprinkling of chives and shaved Parmesan.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve at once.

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This amazing pasta meal was not too heavy.  In fact, the fantastic noodles by Schär were the perfect consistency and reminded me a lot of when I used to be able to eat wheat noodles.  They were fantastic.  They held up to the creamy sauce and were amazing in this dish.  Any pasta would do, but the wider noodles that the Tagliatelle offered were the perfect compliment.  Even better…no one could tell they were gluten-free!

Honestly, whether you want a delicious pasta to share with friends, family, or enjoy yourself…give this recipe a try.  The hardest part was finding the white truffle butter.  I recommend checking natural food stores!

Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day.  I love how versatile breakfast is.  Especially around the holidays, breakfast gets made over in such fun and unique ways.  The variety adds a little spice to the frantic days leading into the holiday season.  We all love to wake up to a fun, tasty treat in the mornings.  So, this holidays season, treat yourself and your loved ones to this amazing gingerbread spiced french toast.  It’s easy to make…it’s delicious.  And it’s completely gluten-free.  Thanks to my friends at Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery, this recipe has been passed on to me to share with all of you.

Naturally…I had to make it and try it out.  Guess what?  Despite not being an avid fan of gingerbread…I fell in love with this French toast.  I know you will too.  Why not whip up a batch yourself for Christmas morning…or any morning!

~*~*~

Recipe: Rudi’s Gluten-Free Gingerbread Spiced French Toast

 

Servings: 8
Time: Prep 5 minutes; Cook 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 8 slices of Rudi’s Gluten-Free Multigrain Bread
• 4 eggs
• 1/2-3/4 cups of milk or milk alternative (I used unsweetened almond milk)
• 2-3 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2-3 teaspoons allspice
• 2-3 teaspoons powdered ginger
• Gingerbread men cookies, strawberries, maple syrup, powdered sugar (for garnish!)

Directions:

 

Combine eggs, milk, cinnamon, allspice and powdered ginger in a shallow bowl and whisk until well blended.

Dip slices of bread into shallow bowl until completely saturated.

Heat oil in a skillet and fry bread on both sides until well browned.

Sprinkle with fun toppings such as gingerbread men, strawberries, maple syrup and powdered sugar!

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As I said, I don’t even like anything gingerbread, and I absolutely scarfed these down like they were going out of style.  Amazing flavor.  The spices were just enough to compliment and not overpower the French toast.  I dusted mine with powdered sugar and then drizzled with maple syrup.  Yeah…it was an epic holiday breakfast.

Changing up a recipe can either work out really well, or fail miserably.  I had worked up some rather delicious cinnamon scones a couple weeks back.  This time, however, I replaced the almond milk with apple cider.  The result?  An amazing, flavorful scone that pairs the sweetness of the cider with the hint of spice from the cinnamon.  Nothing says holidays better than that perfect combination.  Don’t take my word for it though.  Make them yourself and you be the judge.

Recipe: Gluten-Free Cinnamon Apple Cider Scones

Servings: 12
Time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2-1/4 cups Pamela’s Baking & Pancake Mix
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon, plus more to dust tops of scones with
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup Hershey’s Cinnamon Chips
• 4 tbsp butter/margarine
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2/3 cup apple cider

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°.

Mix the dry ingredients together.

Cut in the butter/margarine using two knives.

Add the apple cider and beaten egg.  Mix together with a fork.  Dough will be thick.

Drop large, tall dollops of dough (scones will spread when baking) onto lightly greased baking sheet.

Lightly dust the tops of the scones with cinnamon.

Bake for 15-17 minutes.

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I think I’m really going to like experimenting with baking using apple cider this winter.  These rank up there as one of my favorite scone flavor recipes I’ve made yet.  Very seasonal.  Very delicious!  Now, pardon me while I go and enjoy a warm one fresh from the oven…

Gluten-free frozen waffles do exist.  They are out there.  They are…okay.  But I’ve always wanted to make my own.  And thanks to a spur-of-the-moment Black Friday purchase, I now own a waffle iron.  So, this morning, I decided it was time to test it out.  And since it’s the season for pumpkin, and I had a big can of it on hand, I decided to whip up some gluten-free pumpkin pancakes for my roommate and I to enjoy before we go to the gym this morning.

It was a bit time consuming to put together, but the end product was divine.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Waffles

Servings: 5
Time: Prep 20 minutes; Cook 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1-1/4 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-3/4 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 1 cup milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and warm (I used Smart Balance)

Directions:

Lightly oil the waffle iron with vegetable oil, and set it to the desired temperature.

Combine brown sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl.  Whisk together to break apart the cornstarch.  Add the remaining dry ingredients, and whisk to blend.

Separate eggs: yolks go in a medium sized bowl and whites get set aside in a smaller bowl.

Add pumpkin and milk to the egg yolks.  Whisk to blend and set aside.

Whip egg whites with a hand mixer on high until stiff peaks form (about 1 1/2 – 2 minutes).  Set aside.

Pour melted butter into the yolk/milk/pumpkin mixture.  As you pour, whisk to combine.

Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients, and mix them together until just combined.  A little lumpiness is fine because it will smooth out when the egg whites are added.

Slide the whipped egg whites out of the bowl and onto the mixture you just prepared.  Gently fold them in until no white bits are obvious.

Once the waffle iron is heated, you’re ready to pour the batter!  I placed 3/4 cup of batter in the center and spread it out with a knife before closing it up and allowing it to cook for 5 minutes.

Top with your choice of butter, syrup, fruit, etc.  Enjoy!

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I was so thrilled to be making homemade waffles this morning.  And this recipe produced light, fluffy, pumpkin-flavored waffles that paired really well with my gluten-free syrup.  I was going to make my own syrup this morning, but I couldn’t do that many things at once.  So look for a syrup recipe in the next day or so.  But, these waffles were packed with flavor and the perfect way to start a Sunday morning off.  I encourage you to stock up on pumpkin while it’s easy to find and make up these one morning.  They freeze well and can be warmed in a toaster or toaster oven.

Tis the season for pumpkin-flavored things.  Tis the season for WAFFLES!

 

Nothing says Thanksgiving like stuffing.  I’m a vegetarian, so my Thanksgivings are always turkey-free…but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy a good stuffing.  Yet, after having to change my diet to strictly vegetarian to also incorporating a gluten-free menu, it can be a bit of a challenge, especially during the holidays when get-togethers and parties don’t always offer sufficient menus to fit into your dietary needs.

But that doesn’t have to be the case.  Thanks to my friends at Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery, this amazing and delicious stuffing is the perfect pairing for your Thanksgiving feast.  Whether you need to eat gluten-free, or whether you have a vegetarian diet…this stuffing satisfies each of those.  And if you do happen to enjoy a bit of turkey on the big day, I guarantee that this is far better than what Stove Top has on the grocery shelves.

I cooked this up this evening and ate it on its own for dinner and was blown away by the layers of flavor throughout.  The hazelnut roasts beautifully while the dish cooks up in the oven.  And the sage pairs beautifully with the array of vegetables that are included.  Honestly…you’ll want to eat it straight from the oven.

Recipe: Gluten-Free Hazelnut Sage Stuffing

Servings: 10-12 servings
Time: Prep 40 minutes; Baking 20 minutes

Ingredients:

 

• 1 loaf Rudi’s Gluten-Free Multigrain Bread
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 whole yellow onion, chopped
• 1 bulb fennel, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 tablespoons sage, minced
• 1 pound Cremini mushrooms, chopped
• salt and pepper
• 1-1/2 cups veggie stock
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 250°F.

Cut the loaf of bread into 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch pieces.

Spread the bread cubes over a cookie sheet and toast them in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until they’re light brown and slightly crisp on the outside.

Set the bread aside and turn the oven temperature up to 350°F.

Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium heat and cook the onion, fennel, and garlic until they’re slightly translucent, about 5-7 minutes.

Add the sage and mushrooms and cook everything down for 10 minutes, or until the veggies are ~50% of their original volume.

Season everything with salt and pepper as you go along and taste, taste, taste!

Put the bread cubes in a large bowl and mix in the cooked veggie mixture.  Make sure you mix everything well, no giant pockets of bread or veggies hanging out on their own.

Pour the veggie stock and two eggs (unscrambled) over the bread mixture and stir everything one more time. You want it to be moist but not mushy, the egg should coat everything (it will help the stuffing set in the dish).

Spread the stuffing into a 9 x 13 dish and sprinkle the hazelnuts over the entire casserole.

Bake the stuffing for 15-20 minutes, or until the bread is nicely toasted on top and moist in the middle. The nuts on top will toast as the stuffing bakes and release their most Thanksgiving-y aroma into your house.

Get a spoon and dig in.  It’s Thanksgiving.

~*~*~

This stuffing is incredible.  So often, stuffing tends to be runny and an over-gooey, soupy mess.  This cooked up to perfection, crisping in the right places.  In the oven, the mix of vegetables and bread meld together with the egg binder and really bring this beautiful stuffing together.  And the flavor…with the addition of the hazelnuts, it’s a fantastic party on your palate.  Plate this up on its own, or pair it with your Thanksgiving meal of choice.  Trust me…you’ll have as much fun preparing it and enjoying the aroma as it cooks as you will devouring it.  And with flavors this amazing…trust me…it will be devoured.  Quickly.

Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery does the holidays a favor and makes it an enjoyable feast for everyone at the table.  Give thanks this year…and be thankful for all you have.

Happy Thanksgiving!