Gluten Free, Vegan, No Refined Sugar Best Bread.

Ok folks, here we go. I have been having the hardest time being GF for two reasons 1) French Bread and 2) Pizza. Today I mastered French Bread, yep, you heard me. I was having issues with bread, not sandwich bread I have one I love actually but like REAL bread. Any GF bread at the store is not good and it's like $10 a loaf, so no thank you...My bread is gluten free, it's vegan and the only sweetener in it is agave. It's amazing. I once again couldn't take a picture before I added some earth balance and raspberry jam and devoured half the loaf. Oh well, I should have eaten the whole thing!

....So the only thing is you'll NEED a bread machine for this. It doesn't come together like a normal dough it's actually way more runny like a pancake batter so that's the catch. I am a believer in Cup4Cup. It's pricey but in my opinion it's worth it, you just can't bake every day, unless you're grocery budget is endless I guess. I made a teeny loaf since the flour is expensive and I was just testing so I would double this recipe for next time...

Into the bread machine in this order: 

1 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk

2 Tbsp. Earth Balance Vegan Butter

2 Cups of Cup4Cup GF Flour (buy at Williams Sonoma exclusively for now) 

1 Heaping Tbsp. of Organic Agave. (more if you want a sweeter bread) 

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. bread machine yeast 

Turn to the dough setting, I do this because I like a rustic shape to my bread, not the shape of the bread makers basket thing...

Preheat the oven to 350. 

Line a loaf pan with parchment and bake about 30-35 minutes until bread is cooked through and begins to brown on top. 

Good luck. Next up, pizza crust. I can't have cheese so mine will be loaded with veggies and sauce. On another little note...Cup4Cup also makes a pizza dough flour and several boxed baking mixes....wahooooooo!!

My Spring Spaghetti with Gluten Free Shell Pasta

1 sweet onion

3 carrots

pinch sea salt

 minced garlic

 organic extra virgin coconut oil

dried or fresh oregano

1 package (whatever amount that is) organic grass fed ground beef

 Cabernet sauvignon 

Large can San Marzano crushed tomatoes

lots of fresh basil

Quinoa brand pasta shells

My last spaghetti sauce is more of a winter one, I had thyme and rosemary in it, very hearty deep flavors, this one is still hearty but I switched up the herbs, there's a lot of basil and it has  a sweeter, lighter flavor, I think I actually like it better, especially thrown over some Quinoa brand pasta shells!

Start by sautéing 1 diced sweet onion and 3 diced carrots in about 1/2 Tbsp. of extra virgin coconut oil. Add about two cloves grated or minced garlic and a pinch of sea salt. Add about 1 Tbsp. of oregano and 1 package of organic grass fed ground beef. Sautee this mixture until veggies are soft and meat is browned. Add in 3/4 cup or so of a cheap cabernet sauvignon and cook off alcohol, about 3-5 minutes. Add in 1 large can of San Marzano crushed tomatoes and a pinch or two more of  salt. Add about 1/2-1 cup of minced fresh basil and bring to a low boil. Cover and simmer on low for several hours. Add over Quinoa brand pasta or any gluten free pasta. This will last a few days in the fridge and tastes amazing reheated (with fresh noodles though). Also, I realize my pictures are never good, I don't 'style' my food, I don't even remember to take a picture until I am eating it, so I am sorry they aren't fancy pictures like lots of blogs, but I promise the food is yummy! 

Homemade Gluten Free Corn Tortillas

Ok people, so I don't know why people buy tortillas, I don't know why I used to buy tortillas. When I cut out gluten I was determined to find corn tortillas that weren't dry and didn't crack like crazy and I went to Bing and searched for how to make my own. I had no idea how EASY they are, and way way cheaper!! Ok, you'll need to buy a tortilla press but they are less than $20 (you need to make sure it's cast aluminum or cast iron). I got mine at Sur La Table for $19.95. You will also need gluten free corn masa, you can find it at any store and it's certified gluten free. The bag says Maseca on it. Maseca is incredibly cheap and will make multiple, I mean tons of batches of tortillas.

All you need is to mix:

2 cups of Masa
1.5-1.75 cups of water
a pinch of salt.

Mix this with your hands and knead a bit until a nice dough forms.

Cut 3 sides of a plastic bag and take a ball about 1.5" in diameter and place between the plastic bag on the press and push down, really hard. Loosen the tortilla and place on an ungreased skillet over medium high heat and flip fairly quickly when you see brown spots forming. See my pictures above. That's it. No, seriously. And they're amazing.

Gluten Free, Vegan Make Ahead Dinner!

Austin loves spring rolls and anything with peanut butter and like father, like daughter Payton is also obsessed. Both also love anything that involves a sauce and dipping. My kids have a dentist appointment later and I knew I wouldn't have time to make dinner so I needed something I could make now and stick in the fridge. These are kid tested and approved.

What you need for the Rolls:

1 organic cucumber sliced with a veggie peeler.
2 organic avocados sliced
2-3 organic carrots julienned into small pieces
1 organic onion thinly sliced
organic basil.
Rice Paper rounds.

Soak the rice paper in warm water until soft assemble the rolls with a little of each vegetable and wrap just like a burrito. These would also be delicious with a little crab or shrimp.

For the sauce:

Ginger and Garlic Grated with a microplane about 1tsp of each.
1/2 tsp. sesame seed
1 tsp. sesame oil
2 Tbsp. Organic Unsweetened peanut butter
sliced scallions
pinch of salt
1/4 cup of Gluten Free soy sauce

Shake it up in a mason jar or sealed container until it's well incorporated. And dip, and eat, and dip and eat.

Gluten Free, Dairy Free amazing Pancakes.

This morning I decided to make the kids some pancakes and I had to do it so I could eat a little bit...They turned out amazing, and they were really easy. I really don't know why people buy pancake mix, and honestly, these were better than any glutenous pancakes I have ever made myself (they don't however come close to the Buttermilk pancakes at The Original Pancake House, but I will get past it...).

Start by mixing the dry ingredients:

1.5 C Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour
3.5 Tsp. Baking Powder
1 Tsp. Salt
2 Tbsp. Sugar or add an equal amount of honey or agave to the wet ingredients
1/2 Tbsp. Arrowroot Powder

Start adding in the wet ingredients:

1 beaten egg
1 Cup Unsweetened Coconut Milk
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
3 Tbsp. Melted Earth Balance or Coconut Oil

Heat skillet to medium low and flip when bubbles form. Top with a tiny sprinkle of powdered sugar or 100% pure maple syrup! Yummers.

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Fajitas

For the Marinade:

Juice of 2 limes
Juice of 1 orange
4 cloves of garlic minced
Fresh minced cilantro
2 chicken breasts sliced
a good amount of salt (but not too much! Maybe a couple teaspoons)
2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. cumin
Jalapeño diced (I don't love spice so I skipped this, so only if you want added heat)

You'll also need 2 Bell Peppers in different colors (different colors have different nutrients)
1 whole sliced red onion

Put chicken breast in marinade in the fridge for 2-6 hours

In a medium to high dutch oven add 2 Tbsp. of coconut oil and add marinated chicken, brown. Then start adding in the onion and pepper and sautee until the chicken is cooked through (but not overcooked) and the onions and peppers have softened.

Add to a gluten free corn or brown rice tortilla and top with homemade guacamole or diced avocado.

Mediterranean Chicken Over Quinoa and Wild Rice

2 Large Chicken breasts
Chicken Stock (optional)
Virgin Organic Coconut Oil
1 onion thinly sliced
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 Tbsp. Dried Oregano
1 Large can whole peeled tomatoes in juice
2 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup uncooked quinoa (I uses Tru Roots Quinoa and Sprouted Wild Rice Blend from Costco, it's yummy, organic, Non-GMO, full of protein and really tasty!)

This is a recipe I adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe, it's so simple and really yummy! Begin by cooking the Quinoa or quinoa and wild rice mixture according to the directions on the package. You may also replace the water with chicken stock for added flavor.

Take your  dutch oven over medium to high heat. Dice the chicken into bite-size pieces and season with salt and pepper. Add about 1-2 Tbsp. of Coconut oil and brown the chicken. Take the chicken out and set aside. Add the garlic, onion garlic powder and oregano to the pot and season that with salt and pepper. Cook until the onion begins to brown. Add in the can of tomatoes breaking apart the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Cook until thickens (around 8-10 minutes).  Add Chicken back into the pot with juices and bring to a simmer, cover and cook another 2-4 minutes. Spoon over quinoa and serve. :)