Soy-free, Gluten-free Teriyaki sauce

I love teriyaki chicken rice bowls. Losing our local Love Love Teriyaki from our normal date night venues has been a tragedy. BUT I have managed to replicate a sauce which fills the teriyaki void in my soul and is both soy and gluten free. 

Everything Free Teriyaki Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup Sake (Japanese Wine- kind of)

1 cup Coconut Aminos Seasoning Sauce (soy sauce replacer)

1/2 cup Mirin (Japanese Sweet Wine)

1/4 cup sugar

salt to taste

Combine first ingredients in a sauce pan over medium heat for 3 minutes. Taste test. Does it needs more salt, sugar, Mirin? I rarely have to add more Sake. Add a pinch of salt. Taste again and adjust accordingly. 

Allow to simmer for around 15 minutes, until sauce is syrupy.

My husband likes this sauce over jasmine rice, grilled chicken strips from Costco (no additives), and shredded lettuce. I love it with jasmine rice, steamed fresh broccoli and fresh green beans. Yummm!

Heavenly Pumpkin Muffins

I may be obsessed with pumpkin lately, but 'tis the season :) The original recipe for these little delights came again from the Gluten Free Goddess blog with her "Pumpkin-pie Bread", but try as I might I couldn't get it to set up in "bread" form. So, in a desperate attempt to taste what  commentators raved about, I altered the recipe slightly and poured it into muffin tins. Perfecto!!! 

Heavenly Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup packed brown sugar

4 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1/4 cup canola oil

1 tablespoon Ener-G Egg Replacer whisked with 1/4 cup warm water (or two large eggs, beaten)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup canned pumpkin 

1/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1/4 cup millet flour

1/4 cup sorghum flour

1/2 cup tapioca starch or potato starch

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350. Line 18-24 muffin cups with paper liners. 

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until combined. Do not over-mix or these will be some tough muffins. 

Carefully pour into prepared muffin tin, filling each cup about 3/4 full. 

Bake 20-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Humidity and ovens affect baking time, so check back often in that 10 minute interval.

Cool on an iron rack to prevent soggy-bottom-syndrome. 

These muffins are definitely best the first day. If they must be kept do not cover or wrap, just leave in open air. They are incredibly light and fluffy, but turn soggy quickly if covered. 

Awesome GF Vegan Pancakes

I've done it!!!! I have finally perfected my GF vegan pancake recipe and now I can share the love with you :) In case you haven't noticed, finding a good gluten free vegan pancake recipe online is difficult. I found one on the website "Go Dairy Free" awhile back, and while it was a good start, I must say those pancakes better deserved the name "tortilla", due to poor texture and zero flavor. I am of the school of thought that believes a pancake should be enjoyable with or without syrup and these just didn't cut it. 
Until I came along.....

Gluten-Free Vegan Pancakes 
Ingredients

• 1-3/4 Cups Plain Milk Alternative of Choice (I used rice)
• 1/4 Cup Canola Oil, Plus Some for the Skillet
• 2 Tablespoons Ground Flaxseed
• 2 Tablespoons Honey (Agave Nectar if vegan)
• 2 Teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar (lemon juice might work too)
• 2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 2 Cups Gluten-Free Flour Blend (buckwheat blend)
• 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp xanthan gum

Measure the milk alternative in a glass measuring cup. Stir In the 1/4 cup of oil, flaxseed, agave or honey, vinegar, and vanilla. Set aside for moment. In a pitcher, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, sugar, and salt. Add the milk alternative mixture and mix well. Heat a small amount of oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat (250 degrees). Using roughly 1/4 cup per pancake, pour the batter into the pan. Cook the pancakes until the outside edge begins to look dry, and bubbles break on the surface of the batter, and they are very golden brown (time varies). Flip and cook the other sides for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown (my photo doesn't show it, but pancakes will be a little "grayish" due to the buckwheat).

Serve with maple syrup, fresh fruit, or your favorite whipped “cream” topping.

Corn-Free Powdered Sugar

If you, or the person you cook for are allergic to corn, you know that everything containing powdered sugar is now off limits. Powdered sugar contains cornstarch as an anti-caking agent, and I have yet to find a single brand that uses an alternative.
Luckily, it's very easy to replicate.

Powdered Sugar
In an uncontaminated coffee grinder, blend 1 cup sugar (superfine is better) with 1 tablespoon tapioca or arrowroot starch until it is a very soft, fine powder.

That's it!! Enjoy!!!

Tip of the Passing Spare Moment- Baking Without Butter

When baking without butter I've found Spectrum Organic Shortening will cover most of my bases.... with the exception of flavor! SO, in baking I usually double the vanilla (pure vanilla extract only my friends- check out costco) and add a dash more salt. 
In savory dishes I add that dash of salt and, if needed, a smidge more of the spices the recipe already calls for.  

My Favorite GF/Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies~Bars

I took photos of these delectable bars quite awhile ago, but enjoying them in their cookie form this morning has prompted me to actually write up the post :) This recipe is both gluten free and vegan as usual, but trust me, you wouldn't know it :)  
The original recipe came from http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/ and I have slightly adapted it here.  

Chocolate Chip Cookies~Bars

Ingredients:

1 cup buckwheat flour

1 cup rice or sorghum flour (I strongly recommend sorghum)

1/2 cup tapioca starch

1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 tsp sea salt

1 cup Spectrum Organic Shortening

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed

1 Tbs vanilla

1 Tbs honey or agave nectar

1 Tbs Ener-G Egg Replacer whisked with 1/4 cup warm water or 2 eggs

2-5 Tbs vanilla rice or hemp milk, as needed

1- 1 1/2 cups allergen-free semi-sweet chocolate chips (Enjoy Life brand found at health food stores, or parve choc chips from Roth's)

Whisk together the flours, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, baking soda and sea salt in a big mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, beat the Spectrum shortening, brown sugar and vanilla extract until combined. Add in the frothy egg replacer (or beaten eggs) and beat to combine.

Add in the dry ingredients a little bit at a time and beat to combine, until a dough forms, adding a tablespoon of vanilla milk at a time to achieve a sturdy, smooth dough. Add in the chocolate chips by hand. 

For Cookies:

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the dough for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Using an ice cream scoop or spoon, scoop dough and form them into twenty or so balls; place them on the lined cookie sheet, about two inches apart. Press down on the dough balls ever so slightly, but keep a slightly mounded shape- not too flat.

Bake in the center of a pre-heated oven for 10 to 15 minutes (I like to leave them fairly doughy :), until the cookies are firm to the touch. Cool on a wire rack. Makes 20 large cookies. The larger size bakes up better than smaller- crispy good on the outside and tender-chewy in the middle.

For Bars:

Line a 13x9 baking dish with foil, grease it. Spread prepared dough evenly into dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-20 minutes (check it often towards the end- a lot of factors seem to influence baking time with these).

Tip of the Passing Spare Moment- Prepare

Starting an allergy diet can be extremely stressful. As a wife and mom, this is never more true than when it comes to deciding whether to include your entire family on this venture, or continuing on as usual for the family at large and having (another) salad yourself.
My advice is, if you can afford it, make the switch for everyone at dinner time and with home-baked treats. This is the only way to eventually enjoy eating again. It will take awhile for you to familiarize yourself with the ins and outs of your new diet, and to establish a tried and true tasty menu, so take the time to prepare.

Purchase an assortment of quick and easy meals for your non-allergy family members, and establish a "got-to" dish for yourself. That way on nights when the casserole tastes like putty, the bread didn't rise, your husband politely declines, and your child would rather die than try a bite, you have a stress-free back up plan. There will also, in all probability, be nights you don't feel up to hitting the cookstove again; for the first few weeks you will probably suffer food-withdrawals. Ending a life-long habit of wheat and dairy intake will take it's tole for a time.

Beginning my diet again this time around I hit Costco to pad my refrigerator/freezer with sure-fire winners. Frozen burritos and pizzas, summer sausage, cheese and crackers, bagels and cream cheese, and sandwich fixings, along with a lot of fresh fruit and veggies. Your family will survive a few nights of less-than-food-pyramid-standard meals.
My "go-to" meal is oriental chicken(turkey) salad. I keep portions of chopped cooked turkey in my freezer at all times (we can't have chicken). A quick trip to the microwave while I shred lettuce and crumble corn chips (sort of like chow mien noodles), and voila. Dinner. I love the sesame dressing by Feast from the East, also found at Costco (12-18 weeks out of the year) and is safe for almost any diet.

Most importantly, keep your sense of humor about you! Everyone embarking on a whole new way of cooking/eating is going to have some fantastic flops (i.e. my risotto with beet "tomato" sauce. No food has the right to ever be that shade of hot pink!) Keep at it, be flexible, browse your cookbooks. Better Homes and Gardens and Betty Crocker are both great resources. 99% of your headache comes from pre-packaged foods chalk-full of unnecessary additives. Scratch cookbooks provide base recipes to work from and are a lifeline. As are foods from certain ethnic groups; for my garlic and tomato intolerances, discovering Asian cooking has been a God-send.

Always remember, although allergy-eating is different and sometimes difficult, but it can be tasty as too!