Holiday Jarlsberg Cheese Dip

My daughter Carolyn loves cheese. Betsy brought home a dip made with finely shredded Jarlsberg cheese which Carolyn loved. Though the container had the ingredients it did not contain measurements. With a little experimenting the following recipe is what I came up with. It does not include any of the preservatives listed on the container.
This recipe can be easily multiplied.

4 Ounces Finely shredded Jarlsberg cheese
1 tbsp mayonaise
1 tsp finely minced red onion (for color. You can use any kind of onions)

Optional: 1/4 tsp garlic powder; 1/4 tsp lemon juice (adds tartness)

Mix ingredients in a bowl. Dip should be a little loose, not firm. Add mayo in small amounts if needed. Chill for several hours to meld flavors.

You can dip with any GF crackers. Blue Diamond (available at Zagara's) makes a nice line of crackers using a variety of nut flours called "Nut-Thins."
I happen to like using Townhouse crackers to dip but Carloyn uses Snyder's GF pretzel sticks.

Happy Holidays

Gluten Free Pizza with Sausage Crust

This was shared by a friend and I don't know the original source. It's pretty flexible, so make it your own. I've substituted mild Italian chicken sausage because it's leaner (from Whole Foods) and tried pesto with fresh mozzarella and roma tomatoes. Use your imagination!

The basic recipe calls for about a pound of mild Italian sausage. Spread onto a pizza pan or cookie sheet (about 1/4 inch thick). Bake at 450º for about 10 minutes. Add toppings. First layer cheese - shredded mozzarella/romano or provolone mix, then add things like mushrooms, fresh spinach, eggplant, banana peppers, onions, olives, etc. Add a layer of chunky tomato sauce (check for GF), and a can of diced tomatoes or fresh sliced roma tomatoes - Bake another 10-15 minutes and enjoy!

Just in time for Thanksgiving leftovers

Turkey Pasta Soup
(Adapted from a Dreamfields recipe)

1/2 box GF Penne (or pasta/noodles of choice)
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion or leek
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup chopped bell pepper
2 cups broccoli florets (or broccoli slaw)
3 cups chopped or shredded cooked turkey
SaltBlack pepper

Directions:

Use the turkey carcass to make at least 6 cups of turkey broth.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to pan, reserving one cup pasta water.
Pour the oil into a pot and place over medium-high heat until hot.
Add onion, carrots, celery and bell pepper; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add broccoli; continue cooking 1 minute or until vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring frequently.
Cook and stir to blend into vegetables.
Add turkey broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes.
Stir in turkey; heat through.
Add pasta water if more liquid is desired.
Divide pasta among 8 bowls.
Ladle soup over pasta.
Season with salt and pepper, as desired.

Pseudo Goldfish Crackers (only better - REAL cheese)

4 oz. Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
4 Tbs. Butter
3/4 c. Cornstarch
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Xanthan Gum
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
2 Tbs. Milk
Topping: salt, dried herbs or spices if desired

Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
Combine all the ingredients, except the milk, in a medium size-bowl. Mix until the mixture resembles a fine crumb. Add the milk and beat well, really well. Try to get it smooth.

On a lightly greased surface (I sprinkled the surface with cornstarch instead), pat or roll the dough to 1/8-inch thickness.
Cut into 3/4 inch squares or another small shape that you like.
You can also cut the dough into larger round or square shapes, just extend the cooking time.
Prick the tops of the crackers with a fork and sprinkle lightly with your desired topping (I just used salt).
Bake on the prepared baking sheet until golden brown and crisp, approximately 8-10 minutes.
The crackers will be light and crispy, although barely browning at the edges. The bottom of the crackers will have a bit more color.

The use of real cheese, not powdered or processed, makes these even better than the original. You want real cheddar taste? GO FISH !

My daughter's reaction? Simply, OMG!

Pumpkin Bread

Gave this recipe to the head of Food Services, College of Wooster. He's going to carry it in their cafeteria.

Makes 2 Loaves:

3 ½ C Pamela’s Baking & Pancake Mix
2 tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cloves
2 C. sugar
4 eggs
1 C. Oil
2/3 C water
1-15 oz. Can of pumpkin pie filling

Stir all dry ingredients in large bowl. Add remaining ingredients, beat 5 minutes, and pour into 2 loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Pamela’s Baking & Pancake Mix can be purchased at the following link:

www.PamelasProducts.com

It is the BEST gluten free mix/flour I have come across. Great for many baking needs.
(No, I don't get royalties for saying this.)

Thai Kitchen

If you like Thai cooking then you'll appreciate that almost all of the product of Thai Kitchen are gluten free. These products are available online (http://www.thaikitchen.com/) or at Giant Eagle.

Christmas Thumbprint Cookies

Adapted from the recipe of Lydia & Assunta Leonelli, aunt and gradmother of Stan Hockey

1 ¼ Cups Pamela’s GF Baking & Pancake Mix
¼ Cup light brown sugar (packed)
½ Cup of Butter
2 Egg (separated)
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
½ tsp. Almond Extract
Finely Ground walnuts (if you can find a Mouli use it to grind the walnuts)
Choice of filling (see directions below)

Note: A teaspoon of gelatin or pectin will aid in binding to prevent crumbling.
Be creative, add red & green sprinkles to the ground walnuts for a little Christmas coloring.

Soften the butter and cream it along with the sugar, yolk of the eggs, vanilla & almond extracts.

Blend in the baking mix. Refrigerate the dough to stiffen (this will make it easier to handle).
Whip the egg white enough to break up the protein strands, and place in a bowl. Put the ground walnuts in another bowl.

Preheat oven to 350˚F

I use the large end of a melon baller as a guide to size. Balls should weigh about 14-15 grams (entire dough yields about 28 cookies). Roll into a ball. Dip the ball into the egg white then dip the same side in the ground walnuts.

Place the ball, nut side up, on a cookie sheet. Wait for balls to come to room temperature to avoid splitting in the next step. Put a dent in the top with your thumb. Fill the dent with the jelly, jam or preserve of choice. Maraschino cherries or pie filling cherries work great as well

Raise top rack in oven to 2nd highest position (so filling will bake more) and bake for 11 – 12 minutes till edges begin to brown. No more than 12 minutes,time is critical. Allow to cool slightly before removing from cookie sheet.

Cookies are delicate due to lack of gluten so let then cool to firm up.

To purchase Pamela’s Baking & Pancake mix:
http://www.pamelasproducts.com/

Gluten Free Oat-Quinoa-Almond Granola

Hooray for GF granola! When I first went gluten free, I avoided all oats (even gluten free ones). My first attempts at granola using only quinoa flakes was good, but not totally satisfying. Eventually I added GF oats to my diet and blended them with quinoa flakes for this tasty granola recipe.


Preheat oven to 250º F

3-1/2 c. quick cooking gluten free oats (I use Bob's Red Mill)
1 c. quinoa flakes
1 c. slivered or sliced almonds
3/4 c. Perky's Crunchy Flax cereal
1/2 c. plus 2 T. dark brown sugar
1/2 c. plus 2 T. canola oil
1/2 c. plus 2 T. maple syrup (use the real thing!)
3/4 t. salt
1 tsp. GF vanilla

Mix together the oats, quinoa flakes, almonds, and cereal in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix the sugar, oil, syrup, salt, and vanilla. Pour over the oat mixture and toss to coat evenly.

Put the mixture into a roasting pan and bake for @ 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes for even browning. When the cereal is uniformly toasty and golden brown, remove from the oven and cool.

Store in an air-tight container. Makes about 6 cups of cereal.

Crockpot Split Pea Soup

I love split pea soup - but my husband likes it with ham - and I don't eat ham. This recipe is easy enough, and cheap enough, that I was willing to play -- to see if using turkey pastrami instead of ham would work... and it did. Hooray!

Crockpot Split Pea Soup (adapted from “A Year of Slow Cooking”)

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/03/crockpot-split-pea-soup-recipe.html

Note: CPG is “Crock Pot Gal” -- the person who posted the recipe. The I’s refer to me.

-1 -package of turkey bacon (or a ham hock) (I used just over a half pound of turkey pastrami)

--16oz package of dried split peas

--1/2 yellow onion, diced

--1 potato, peeled and diced

--1 cup diced carrot

--4 cups vegetable broth (I used 4 cups water with a T. of chicken bouillon)

--1 cup water (you’ll ned a total of 6 cups of water at least, says me)

--1 t salt (omit if you used the chicken bouillon)

--1/2 t pepper

The Directions.

--dump the peas, diced vegetables, broth, and water into the crockpot

--add the salt and pepper

--if you are using a ham hock, add that now. If using turkey bacon or pastrami, add half --- saving the other half for later use

Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours or high for 4-6. CPG cooked this for 6 hours on high. Add more water if it gets too thick.

When cooked through, if you went with the ham hock, scrape off any remaining meat and discard the bone. If you went with the turkey bacon, carefully remove the strips and discard them.

Use an immersible hand blender to make your soup a bit more creamy and to have an even consistency. (I left as is)

Cook the remaining pieces of turkey bacon (or pastrami) on the stove and crumble over the top, or add any additional ham you still have in your fridge.

I/me says best the next day, after the fried bits have added their flavor to the pot. Taste and adjust seasonings. Very very good.

Pan-Seared Tilapia with Chile Lime Butter

This recipe comes from Gourmet (July 2003) and was found on Epicurious.

yield: Makes 6 servings (or however many you want - one fillet per person)

active time: 25 minutes

total time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

For chile lime butter-

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot

1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lime zest

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon minced fresh Thai or serrano chile (preferably red), including seeds*

1/2 teaspoon salt

For fish-

5 (5- to 6-oz) pieces skinless tilapia fillet or farm-raised striped bass fillets with skin

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

*I used an entire red cherry chile pepper, because I'm not such a fan of really spicy foods. Probably could have used a slightly spicier variety, but was still tasty!

Preparation:

Make chile lime butter:
Stir together butter, shallot, zest, lime juice, chile, and salt in a bowl.

Prepare fish:
If using striped bass, score skin in 3 or 4 places with a thin sharp knife to prevent fish from curling (do not cut through flesh). Pat fish dry and sprinkle with salt. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until just smoking, then sauté 3 pieces of fish, turning over once with a spatula, until golden and just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes, and transfer to a plate. Sauté remaining fish in remaining tablespoon oil in same manner.

Serve each piece of fish with a dollop of chile lime butter.

Quinoa with Black Beans and Cilantro

This recipe is originally from Bon Appétit (September 2008) found on Epicurious.

yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings

active time: 25 minutes

total time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 cups chopped white onions

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 cup quinoa, rinsed, drained

2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups water

1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed, drained

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided

Crumbled Cotija cheese or feta cheese (optional)

Preparation:

Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and red pepper; sauté until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in next 4 ingredients. Add water; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until quinoa is almost tender, about 14 minutes. Add beans and 1/4 cup cilantro; cook uncovered until heated through and liquid is fully absorbed, about 3 minutes. Transfer to bowl; sprinkle with 1/4 cup cilantro and cheese, if desired.

When I made this, I substituted a cup of mixed red, yellow, and green bell peppers because I had some peppers halves to use up. Also, I used Bulgarian feta cheese (which is just feta made with all cows milk - a teensy bit less creamy, but also about half as expensive and came in smaller containers at the grocery store!)