Archive for November, 2008

Holiday Heebie Jeebies

Nov 27

Posted by Maureen in Hold The Gluten Podcast | 3 Comments

The latest episode of my Hold The Gluten Podcast is now live!

Episode 13 “Holiday Heebie Jeebies” Features:

  • My personal quest for a GF turkey.  Gravy that is gluten free!!
  • Holiday menu ideas: GF pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, and stuffing (check out my recipes!).
  • Carol Fenster’s 1,000 Gluten Free Recipes cookbook.
  • Use caution at bake sales, craft shows (gluten free foods made/sold from the home).

Read the blog. Listen to the podcast. Educate yourself.

Rock on Celiacs!

Click the player below to listen to the show! Subscribe to the podcast using iTunes (or whatever media player you use) at http://feeds.feedburner.com/htgpodcast

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Gluten Free Thanksgiving Stuffing

Nov 24

Posted by Maureen in GF Recipe Compilation, Recipes: Side Dishes | 3 Comments

Turkey lurkey doo and
Turkey lurkey dap
I eat that turkey
Then I take a nap

Adam Sandler, The Thanksgiving Song

As I feverishly type this post, we are but four short days away from Thanksgiving.  Families across America will be celebrating this wondrous holiday.  Aunt Gertrude will speak in great detail of her bunions and proctologist appointment.  Cousin Stevey will poke you in the side and ask how much weight you’ve gained.  Grandpop will guzzle Rob Roys while Grandmom tries to pimp out her Jell-o mold.

Can you survive Thanksgiving?

Yes!  Just as soon as you pour yourself a generous (potato vodka) martini and serve up some gluten free Turkey Day delights.

Here’s the latest addition to my Gluten Free Thanksgiving menu.  A few tips: gluten free bread is very dense. It absorbs more of the liquid than traditional gluten-filled bread, so I increased the total liquid added.  I used my breadmaker to bake a loaf of Bob’s Red Mill GF Bread. This stuffing came out moist but not mushy. I also used roasted chestnuts for the first time in this recipe. I’m not totally sure if I like the taste of chestnuts. Nor do I like the work it took to shell those little suckers. Use them at your discretion. I served this with Simply Organic Mushroom Gravy – it was delicious!

Gluten Free Stuffing

6 cups of gluten free bread cut into 1 inch cubes
3/4 cup diced carrots (1 carrot)
3/4 cup diced celery (2 celery ribs)
1/2 cup diced shallots (2 medium shallots)
3/4 cup diced onion (1/2 large onion)
2 1/2 cups (4 ounces) roughly cut shitake, baby bella, & oyster mushroom mix
20 chestnuts roasted, peeled, & roughly cut
2 cups vegetable stock
6 tablespoons butter
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup whipping cream
16 sage leaves (fresh)
3 sprigs marjoram (fresh)
1 sprig rosemary (fresh)
sea salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Toast bread cubes in oven for 20 minutes or until dried. Set aside.

Add diced carrots, celery, shallots, & onion to food processor. Pulse approximately 20 times to chop finely (but not to the point of “puree”). In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Saute carrots, celery, shallots, & onion mixture for about 3-4 minutes. Add 2 more tablespoons of butter and add mushrooms. Saute for 2-3 additional minutes. Add 2 more tablespoons of butter and add fresh sage, marjoram, rosemary, sea salt, & pepper. Saute for another 1-2 minutes.

In a baking dish, add toasted bread crumbs and chestnuts. In a mixing bowl, whisk vegetable stock, egg, egg yolk, and whipping cream. Pour wet mixture over bread crumbs & chestnuts. Then thoroughly fold in sauteed vegetable mixture.

Bake for 25 – 30 minutes at 350 degrees until golden brown. Be sure to stir stuffing halfway through the cook time.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

I’m thankful for Pumpkin Cheesecake!

Nov 18

Posted by Maureen in GF Recipe Compilation, Hold the Gluten Blog, Recipes: Desserts & Baked Goods, Related Disorders | 10 Comments

Thankful for cheesecake?! Ok, I know that sounds ridiculously trite. Sure, I’m thankful for a copious amount of people/places/things more significant than cheesecake.  However, I do get a little “lunatic” when it comes to cheesecake.  So I truly am thankful to discover that I can bake my own never-ending supply of cheesecakey goodness!

Lunacy Exhibit A: I never, ever slice cheesecake!  Cheesecake is eaten directly from the plate it was plopped on with just a fork and a smile.

Lunacy Exhibit B: I eat in this barbaric fashion whilst hidden in my pantry to avoid sharing my delicious cheesecake.

Lunacy Exhibit C: I wholeheartedly consider cheesecake an acceptable breakfast meal.

Lunacy Exhibit D: I have threatened to inflict bodily harm or the dreaded stink eye on anyone who even contemplates eating my cheesecake.

Let’s keep this Gluten Free Thanksgiving menu going with yet another pumpkin-themed dessert!

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Sour Cream Topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Be sure to have cream cheese & eggs at room temperature.

Gluten Free Crust:

1/2 cup pecans
18 Health Valley Rice Bran crackers
8 Mi-Del GF Ginger Snap cookies
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 cup butter (melted)

In a food processor grind pecans, cookies, & rice crackers until crushed & crumbly in texture (resembling ground almond meal). Add brown & white sugar and butter. Mix thoroughly. Press crumbs against the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan.

Cheesecake Filling:

3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 1/8 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground mace
1 whole egg
4 egg yolks
3 (8-ounce) packages of cream cheese
2 tablespoons whipping cream
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine pumpkin, 3/4 cup of white sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger, mace, and 3 egg yolks. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Set pumpkin mixture aside.

Using a mixer, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Slowly incorporate 3/8 cup (=1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp) of white sugar, 1 whole egg, 1 egg yolk, whipping cream, cornstarch, orange and vanilla extract. Mix well. Add pumpkin mixture and combine thoroughly. Add batter to springform pan. Bake in center of oven for 50 to 55 minutes at 350 degrees. I placed a pan filled with water on the rack beneath the cheesecake to eliminate cracking and maintain moistness. Remove cheesecake from oven and cool for at least 1/2 hour.

Sour Cream Topping:

2 cups of sour cream (I used reduced fat)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons white sugar

Combine sour cream, vanilla extract, and white sugar. After cooling cheesecake (still in springform pan) for at least 1/2 hour, pour sour cream topping over cake and return to a 325 degree oven for 10 minutes.

Cool cheesecake for at least an hour before removing from pan. Refrigerate prior to serving.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Gluten Free Thanksgiving

Nov 13

Posted by Maureen in Hold The Gluten Podcast | 2 Comments

The latest episode of my Hold The Gluten Podcast is now live!

Episode 12 “Gluten Free Thanksgiving” Features:

Read the blog. Listen to the podcast. Educate yourself.

Rock on Celiacs!

Click the player below to listen to the show! Subscribe to the podcast using iTunes (or whatever media player you use) at http://feeds.feedburner.com/htgpodcast

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Pumpkin Pie Without The Plump

Nov 4

Posted by Maureen in GF Recipe Compilation, Recipes: Desserts & Baked Goods | 11 Comments

Badonkadonk (Ba-donka-donk)  Function: noun.  Slang for a big ol’ backside.  For example, “I scarfed down an entire pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving Dinner and my badonkadonk doubled in size.”

Ok, now that I have your attention, I have wondrous news… Pumpkin Pie can be tasty and low in fat and calories!  Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.  Uh, never mind, that’s another holiday.

I happen to be a sucker for magazines. I subscribe to just about everything and anything. Lots of fitness, health, and re-purposing holiday cards into a stylish hat publications.  Unfortunately, many go unread for months at a time.  However, I discovered a magazine by the name of Clean Eating. It is fabulous!  Their Fall 2008 edition highlighted a lower-fat pumpkin pie recipe that got my wheels a-turnin’.  Could I possibly create a gluten free, low fat, TASTY pumpkin pie?

I re-worked Clean Eating’s recipe and (after a few attempts) created a Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie that rocks the house!  This post kicks off my quest for a satisfying gluten free holiday season.  Stay tuned for my pumpkin pie cheesecake recipe!

Unfortunately that one will triple your badonkadunk.

Low-Fat Pumpkin Pie

Crust:

1/2 cup pecans
18 Health Valley Rice Bran crackers
8 Mi-Del GF Ginger Snap cookies
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil

In a food processor grind pecans, cookies, & rice crackers until crushed & crumbly in texture (resembling ground almond meal). Place crumbs in a 9 inch pie pan. Drizzle canola oi onto crumbs and mix to moisten. Once evenly moistened, press crumbs against the bottom and up the sides of the pie pan. Refrigerate while making the filling.

Filling:

2 egg whites
1 whole egg
1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
14 ounces pumpkin puree
12 ounces evaporated milk (I used 2% lowfat)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground mace
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon grated orange peel

Whisk egg whites and whole egg. Add in brown sugar, pumpkin puree, evaporated milk, cornstarch, spices, and orange peel. Mix thoroughly. Pour over crust. Bake in center of oven at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool for at least 1 hour and then refridgerate. Serve with lowfat whipped cream.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,