Greek Salad Dressing

Being Gluten-Free definitely means that you are going to miss out on a lot of great meals that the world has to offer. On the bright side, you can become the king or queen of salads. There are endless options and combinations and as long as you are making your own dressing, you know it will be Gluten-Free.

I love how salty and wonderful Greek salad is. Any chance I get to put some olives and homemade feta cheese into, I'm all over it! Traditional Greek salad has no lettuce at all but I really enjoy more of an Americanized version of the salad. I toss this dressing in with romaine lettuce, cucumber, tomato, red onion, black olives and feta cheese.

And of course, it is Gluten-Free!

1 1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 1/2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1        Clove Garlic, crushed
1/2    tsp Lemon Pepper Seasoning
1/4    tsp Salt
1/4    tsp Dried Oregano
1/4    tsp Dried Basil

Blend together all of the ingredients in a jar, shaker or food processor. Crumble some feta into the dressing if you would like.

White Bread for the Bread Machine

White bread is one of the first things you begin to miss when you go gluten-free. It is one of the hardest things to make and have it resemble the original gluten-filled version. The gluten is the part that makes the bread chewy and delicious but without gluten, it would have the consistency of banana or zucchini bread. Although many of us still love those, the crumbly texture make it very difficult to produce something that will hold in your sandwich meat and other fillings.

Here in Niagara there is a Book Depot which has amazing deals on all sorts of books. I went there in search of gluten-free cook books first as they can be expensive and hard to find in small towns. I was able to get my  hands onto two Gluten-Free Bread books so I could test out a variety of recipes.

This recipe is from "125 Best Gluten-Free Bread Machine Recipes" by Donna Washburn and Heather Butt

2 1/4 cup  (550mL) Brown Rice Flour

2/3 cup     (150mL)  Potato Starch

1/3 cup     (75mL)    Tapioca Starch

1/4 cup     (60mL)    Nonfat Dry Milk Powder or Skim Milk Powder

1/4 cup     (60mL)    Granulated Sugar

2 1/2 tsp   (12mL)    Xanthan Gum

1 1/4 tsp   (6mL)      Bread Machine Yeast

1 3/4 tsp   (8mL)      Salt

1 1/4 cup  (300mL)  Water

1/4 cup     (60mL)    Vegetable Oil

1 tsp         (5mL)      Cider Vinegar

2                              Eggs, lightly beaten

2                              Egg Whites, lightly beaten

In a large bowl or bag, mix together all the dry ingredients very well.

Pour water, oil, and vinegar into the bread machine. Add the eggs and egg whites. 

Select the Dough Cycle and as the machine is running, slowly add the dry ingredients. Scrape the bottom and sides of the pan to make sure everything is mixed in.

When the mixing and kneading is complete, remove the blade but leave the bread pan in the machine. Smooth the top of the loaf quickly and , close the top and allow the cycle to finish. Turn off the bread machine. 

Select the Bake Cycle. Set the time to 60 minutes and the temperature to 350F. When the cycle is finished, take the temperature of the loaf with an instant read thermometer. It should be 200F. If it is between 180-200F, leave the machine on keep warm until baked the rest of the way through. If it is below 180F, put it back on the bake cycle and check every 10 minutes until it is done.

Once cooked, remove it from the pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Sometime I place it in the oven (turned off) and allow it to cool on the rack in there. 

There you go! White gluten free bread from a bread machine! Once you have the recipe down, feel free to add some herbs or spices to it!

Hot Millet Breakfast

Millet is an very versatile, non-glutinous grain that is great served savory or sweet. When cooked it has the consistency of rice and tends to not stick together. As a savory dish it is awesome when boiled with some chicken or beef stock.




Personally, I love it as a hot breakfast cereal which I sometimes mix half and half with quinoa. Hot breakfast cereal is a great way to fit in all the allowed grains you can. I find that I enjoy it most when there is a variety of grains to mix in.



This morning I made it with some flax seeds and cinnamon and it hit the spot. I like to sweeten it a bit which can be hard with the sugar restrictions. Sometimes I mash some banana up into it or add fresh fruit.




1/2 cup millet
2    Tbsp flax seeds
1    cup water
1    tsp cinnamon

Bring the cup of water to a boil and add the millet, flax and cinnamon to the water. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. The millet should be soft. Add a little coconut oil if you have it and some stevia. I use a little coconut milk around it but there are conflicting views on coconut milk.

Italian Salad Dressing

It always amazes me how many things wheat and gluten can find its way into. Salad dressing tends to be loaded with gluten to give it a thicker texture.
For a while I had basic oil and vinegar but it got very boring very quickly. I don't know why I waited so long to look up dressing recipes because there is actually an impressive selection of recipes that are gluten free. Here is one of my new default dressings that is also the base for Poppy-Seed Dressing that I will upload soon.

1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp sea salt
2 cloves fresh garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
3/4 cup olive oil

Mince the garlic first. Then add the rest of the ingredients to a jar or bowl and mix it up until it emulsifies. I like to make it in a jar so that I can pop a top on and save the leftover dressing.


Garlic - this ingredient stimulates the liver and colon, helping the body to detoxify. In order to get the benefits from garlic, it must be eaten raw. It is also an anti-fungal which helps to kill off the candida and helps to increase the good bacteria.

Banana Pancakes

This is the tastiest gluten-free pancake recipes I have made so far. And trust me, I make a lot of pancakes!  I also use the batter in my waffle maker :)

1 banana
1 egg
1 Tbsp almond butter
    vanilla
    salt
    cinnamon

Put everything into a blender and mix until smooth. Pour into a hot nonstick pan. Cook until bubbles appear on top and break without filling in, then flip!

They taste great with fruit or fresh whipped cream.

It is a great idea to make a bunch ahead of time and throw some in the freezer. Then all you have to do is pop them in the toaster.


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Gluten Free Waffles

I love waffles so much that I bought my boyfriend one of those crazy waffle-makers with all the bells a whistles last year for his birthday. We ate waffles almost every weekend until I realized how sick they were making me! I looked online of ages trying to find a good Gluten-Free waffle recipe and I have found one! So delicious! And you can omit the eggs too by just adding a little more milk.

Ingredients:

1    cup white or brown rice flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 tapioca flour
2    tsp baking powder
1    tsp salt
1/4 cup oil
2    eggs
1 1/2 cups milk or buttermilk
1    tsp sugar

Directions:

Mix everything together lightly until just mixed. Pour into a hot waffle iron. Serve with fresh  homemade butter or homemade yogurt and fresh berries. :)


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Easy Homemade Yogurt

I go through a lot of yogurt. It is so good for me so I try to have a serving (at least!) every day for breakfast or in my dinner recipes. It is a great base for so many sauces. I use it to replace sour cream in many of my recipes as it is healthier. 


Ingredients:
1L bag of milk
2-3 Tbsp yogurt with active cultures (store bought or leftover from your last batch)
     OR
     a pack of "Yogurt Cultures" 


1) Bring the milk to the boiling point (about 180F). I just wait for the boil to begin and maintain it at that temperature for a minute or two.


2) Take the pot off the heat and let cool to 110F. I usually put my pot in a sink of cool water to cool it down more quickly. It should feel just warm to the touch.


3) Mix your yogurt or pack of cultures in.


4) Pour the mixture into a seal-able container. I used a couple mason jars. Old yogurt containers or anything you have on had works great. 






5) You want to maintain the temperature of 90-120F for at least 4 hours now. I turn my oven on until it reaches 115F, shut it off and put my jars inside. I have heard that slow cookers and rice cookers on "warm" setting will work. You can also wrap them in towels and put it in a cooler. Or alternately, you may live in a climate within that temperature range, in which case just leave them on the counter. 




5) At the 5 hour mark feel free to take a look at the consistency of the yogurt. Keep in mind that it will thicken in the fridge. Some recipes call for as long as 12 hours. The longer the cultures work, the more sour and tangy the yogurt will become. 


6) When it has a custard consistency, put your yogurt in the fridge for an hour or two. Then go ahead and enjoy in your favorite sweet or savory dish!


Remember to keep a couple Tablespoons of yogurt to start your next batch!


Cost to Make: (500g tub)


Milk $6.99/3L  (or 2.32/L)
Leftover Yogurt $free (or a couple cents)
= $1.16/500g


Good To Know:


***If your yogurt is not tangy enough, leave it in a warm place for an extra couple hours.


***1L of milk will give you 1L of yogurt. So, if you have a container you like to fill, use that as your measuring cup.


***Yogurt cultures can now be found in the grocery store in the dairy section. Health food stores carry it or it can be purchased online. I would buy a cup of yogurt to use to start your first batch over the trouble of ordering cultures online. There is no difference to the finished product.


***You may use any milk that you would like. I use homogenized because I like the creaminess of the yogurt and I believe it thickens more quickly. Given the option, I would chose organic, hormone free milk. The better the milk, the better the yogurt.


My Favorite Yogurt Recipes:


Cream Cheese from Yogurt
Tzatziki Sauce
Red Potaoes in Curried Yogurt Sauce
Frozen Yogurt
Yogurt, Honey and Banana Facial




How to get Thicker Yogurt


The thickness of your yogurt is based on a few things. First off, the higher the fat content of your milk, the thicker the yogurt will be.


The longer I allow my yogurt to sit, the thicker it gets.


When you bring your milk to the boiling point, keep it there for up to 10 minutes to evaporate some of the liquid out.


When the yogurt is done, you can strain it through a coffee filter or cheesecloth/butter-cloth to take some of the moisture out. The whey will fall through leaving a thicker Greek-style yogurt.


You can add some milk powder to the mixture to thicken it up during the milk boiling stage.

Green Pea Soup

This is a recipe that I love all year round. In the summer I use the fresh peas from my garden, and in the winter I use frozen peas.

Ingredients:


3     Tbsp fresh ginger
5-6  cloves of garlic
1      Serrano pepper (or jalapeno)
1/4   tsp cumin

3      Tbsp ghee or sunflower oil
2       bay leaves
1       medium onion

4 1/2 cups vegetable stock
3 1/2 cups peas
1       tsp sea salt
1       squeeze lemon juice

1) Combine the first 4 ingredients in a mortar or food processor into a paste.
2) Heat the oil or ghee in a saucepan over medium-high heat then add bay leaves and onion and saute.
3) Stir in the paste and cook for another minute or two. Add the vegetable stock, peas, salt and lemon juice and cook until peas are tender.
4) Remove from the heat and puree with a hand mixer.

Serve with a dallop of homemade yogurt and a sprig of mint.

Oven Roasted Garlic Asparagus

The spring started early this year and in turn, so did the asparagus. Already it is popping up at stores everywhere. There are a lot of great things you can do with asparagus. It has a mild flavor that goes well with so many different dishes. I love using it in an omelette or frittata for breakfast. It is great grilled up and put in a salad. I love it baked, fried, grilled or BBQed. It can really be prepared any way you like!

Ingredients:
1  lb asparagus
1  Tbsp olive oil
3  Tbsp balsamic vinegar
    salt and pepper to taste

Directions:


1) Preheat the oven to 425F.
2) Cut of break the woody ends of the asparagus off. Lay them into the pan and sprinkle with the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.
3) Bake for 10-15 minutes depending on the width of the stalks. Serve hot!

Gluten Free Bean Soup

Bean soup is such a great way to fill up for lunch or dinner! I always make a big batch and jar some while it is hot so I can store it for later. You can also freeze some of the unused soup so it is there when you need a quick lunch. This can also be made vegetarian by simply removing the meat and adding a little more salt.

Ingredients:
2    cups of mixed dried beans (kidney, black, pinto, lentils, northern)
6    cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1    onion, chopped
1    stalk celery, chopped
2    garlic cloves
1    bay leaf
2    ham hocks
1/4 cup salted pork cubes (or bacon)

Directions:
1) Soak the beans overnight or use a quick-soak method.
2) Brown the onion, celery and garlic briefly in a soup pot, then add the rest of the ingredients to the pot. Cover the pot, bring to a simmer and continue to cook for 3 hours until the beans are soft.
3) Cool the ham hocks and remove the meat. Put the meat back into the soup.

This recipe serves 6. Serve with some GF bread or crackers or on its own!

Gluten Free Pumpkin Soup

In the fall I was making a batch of pumpkin seeds at the end of the season. The woman who worked the local pumpkin farm told me to take all the pumpkins I could handle... for free! The trick is going a week after Halloween to do your pumpkin shopping! My intention was to gut a few to roast the seeds and throw the flesh to the chickens. But once she helped me fill up my trunk I knew I had way too many. I took the flesh out of them and put them in freezer bags for later use.

All winter I was sneaking pumpkin into chili, pasta sauce and soups. It has a wonderful texture and makes soups smooth and creamy and adds a ton of extra vitamins. Here is a recipe I found for pumpkin soup. Sometimes I season it a little different to suit the meal but this is a great recipe just the way it is!







Ingredients:
1    small pumpkin (about 3 cups pumpkin pulp)
2    Tbsp butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
4    cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg


To Make Pumpkin Puree:
1) Preheat over to 375F. Wash pumpkin, cut in half and remove the insides. Place cut-side-down on the baking sheet or oven rack and bake for 40 minutes or until soft.
2)Scrape out the insides and puree in the blender.

To Make the Soup:
1) Saute the onions in the butter in a soup pot until onions are translucent.
2) Add the stock, spices and pumpkin. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve hot with some GF crackers or bread.

Gluten Free Pear Bread Recipe

I found this recipe just today and had to make it right away. I found it on another great gluten free blog site called Simply...Gluten Free. I knew I needed to share it with you all right away!

1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
1/2    cup tapioca, corn or potato starch
1       tsp baking powder
1       tsp kosher or sea salt
2       tsp ground cinnamon

2       eggs
1 1/3 cup sugar
1/2    cup grapeseed or canola oil
2       tsp vanilla

2       pears, peeled and grated
1       cup walnuts

1) Preheat over to 350F. Grease a 9x5 pan and dust lightly with brown rice flour.
2) Mix together rice, tapioca, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
3) In another bowl, mix together eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla. Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Add the pears and walnuts and mix lightly.
4) Bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm with homemade butter :)


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Quinoa and Black Beans

This is a recipe I found on AllRecipes a little while back. I was hoping to find it to link to it but for now, here is the recipe as I have it written down. Quinoa and black beans are both amazing for you and I love that this recipe combined them together into a super healthy recipe.


1       onion, chopped
3       cloves of garlic, chopped
3/4    cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1       tsp ground cumin
1/4    tsp cayenne pepper
1       cup frozen corn kernals
2 (15oz) cans black beans


1) Heat up a saucepan with some vegetable oil in it. Brown the onions and garlic in it.
2) Mix the quinoa into the saucepan and cover in the broth. Add the cumin, cayenne and some salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.
3) Reduce heat and let simmer 20 minutes. Stir in frozen corn and simmer 5 more minutes. Add the black beans and serve.


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Lemon Quinoa

Quinoa is an amazing grain that is so good for you. It is full of protein and is therefore great to replace some meat in your diet for a lower fat option. I love having quinoa as a side dish to my main meal.


1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 stalks celery
1/4 red onion
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin

1) Toast the pine nuts in a hot skillet being careful not to burn them. Put them aside.
2) In a saucepan, combine the quinoa, water and salt and bring to a simmer. Cover and allow to cook 10 minutes until the water is absorbed. You can also use a rice cooker if you would like.
3) Put the cooked quinoa into a serving dish and mix in the remaining ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste.

This is great served on the side of a rice or chicken dish. Enjoy!


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Cinnamon Popovers

This is a recipe I found on Glutenfreeda.com when i was looking for ideas for Easter breakfast. It is very simple. It uses a GF flour mix and I have included the GF flour recipe at the bottom.

2 large eggs
2 cups + 1 Tbsp GF flour
1/8 cup polenta
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup milk

Combine all ingredients but the milk and mix until well blended. Then add the milk and blend again. The mix should be cooked from cold so cover it up and put it in the fridge for an hour or even overnight.

Put a small amount of melted butter or oil in each cup of a muffin tin. Put it in the cold over and begin preheating to 400F. When the over/pan are hot, remove the pan and pour the mix evenly among the muffin cups. Put it right back in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes.

When they are golden brown, remove them from the oven and serve hot!


GF Flour

2 cups rice flour
1/3 cup corn starch
2/3 cup potato starch
1/4 tsp xantham gum


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Cream Cheese Pancakes/Crepes

So, I haven't forgotten about you guys. I have been working on another couple blogs and an eBook based on my gluten-free blog. I wanted to put together a more formal recipe book that you can download to your laptop, phone or iPad.

As far as what I have been eating, I have been sticking to meat and veggies (chicken and green beans; steak, potato and salad; fish and chips etc). I am finding this really a lot easier to keep to than I expected. I am focusing more on the things that are already gluten free that I can eat, and less into modifying the things I want to eat. The hardest part is that I discovered I am fighting off Candida. This requires a much more restricted diet than I was already on, so my food ventures have not been very exciting.

I would still like to share a new recipe with you that I have really been enjoying. They taste just like little flat cheesecakes! I am not sure I would want to go back to heavy pancakes after these!


CREAM CHEESE PANCAKES/CREPES


2 oz    Cream Cheese
2         Eggs
1g       Stevia Powder or Xylitol
1/2 tsp Cinnamon




1) Combine all the ingredients in a blender or with a hand mixer until smooth. 
2) Pour into a pan on medium-high heat and let cook for about 2 minutes before flipping over and cooking another minute or so. 
2) Serve with berries and fresh whipped cream!

Vegetarian Bean Chilli

When I found out all my sickness was caused by too much yeast in my belly i was dismayed and excited. This meant that gluten was not the culprit and I could get back to some of my favorite foods soon! It explained why removing gluten was making me feel better and also why I was having adverse reactions to sugar. I felt like I was limited to raw veggies. This week I have had enough, I want a real meal in my belly and Chilli hit the spot!

Ingredients:
1 can mixed beans (or kidney, black or anything you like)
1 can tomatoes (crushed, cubed, whole but squished)

2    stalks celery
1/2 onion chopped
      garlic cloves to your liking
1    green pepper

GF chilli seasoning (watch for cornstarch)


Brown all the veggies in a pot on the stove. The pour in the can of beans and the canned tomatoes. Pour in the chilli seasoning. I get mine in bulk and add as much as I like the taste of. Cover with a lid and let simmer for at least an hour.

Ta-Daaa! All done! You can add any veggies that you like that are "safe". You can also add ground meat. On my yeast-free diet I am only allowed chicken and fish so I love adding ground chicken to this. When I don't have to be so careful about my sugar intake I add carrots, coloured peppers and mushrooms.

Feel free to pop this all in the slow cooker and leave to cook while you are at work. Great meal to come home to!

Delicious, healthy and inexpensive! Perfect!

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Homemade Cream Cheese- So Easy!!

I love cream cheese and therefore find myself buying it often. I am not sure why I have not looked into making my own until now. I was amazed at how easy it was and so inexpensive! And if you make your own yogurt at home it is even better! It will cut down on the cost, packaging and you have more control over what you are consuming.


Ingredients:
1 quart (4 cups) plain yogurt (whole milk or low-fat is fine)


1) Put a colander in a bowl and line it with buttercloth. Add the yogurt and fold the cloth over the top (or cover with something).


2) Leave this in the fridge to drain for a minimum of 5 hours. For a thicker cream cheese let it drain longer.


3) Make sure to remove liquid as it drains so it doesn't reach the cream cheese and become reabsorbed. It is ready and you can eat it!


You can also try mixing in your favorite flavor of jam or some fresh herbs.




*** note: If you are using store-bought yogurt then the expiry date of your cream cheese will be the same as the yogurt***


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Easy Homemade Gluten-Free Spelt Bread

I have been experimenting with many different gluten-free bread recipes. This is the best one I have come across yet. It is spongy like wheat bread and you can't tell the difference in taste at all.


Ingredients:
4    cups spelt flour
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 TBSP molasses
1    tsp baking soda
2   cups milk


Directions:


Preheat oven to 350F
Grease a 9x5 pan
Combine all ingredients in a bowl
Put "dough" into the bread pan
Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes


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New Gluten-Free Me

I have just recently found out that I am unable to eat gluten. Like many of you, i felt like life is over! I LOVE bread and pasta and all my flour-filled treats. No more pizza, subs, wraps, sandwiches, burgers...beer!

 I can admit, I have been cheating. A little timbit here or a muffin there... But now, things are going to change! I have had my "Aha!" moment and I realize that my eating habits are just hurting me. So this week, no more cheating. Its time to make the big life change and eliminate gluten completely. I know that doing this a week before Christmas is going to be tough. I still don't understand all the foods that are safe or not and I will be eating other's cooking. This might be the best time to do it though! The biggest challenge of all.

Along my journey, I am going to share my experiences which many of you can relate to. But more than that, I will be sharing my favorite GF recipes and products. I am new to this so any comments or tips are greatly appreciated!

Check out my YouTube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/YesNoMabeeVlog?feature=mhee

Take a look at my website:
http://www.yesnomabee.ca

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