Gravy Train

So easy and way better than anything I produced before discovering my allergies.

Gravy

Ingredients:
1/4 cup Spectrum Organic Shortening
1/4 cup gluten free flour mix
2 cups beef (my favorite) or chicken stock by Wolfgang Puck (use broth if your allergies allow)
salt and black pepper to taste

Melt the shortening in a medium saucepan, and stir in the flour to make a smooth roux. Add stock all at once to saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat  until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Season to taste with a generous amount of salt and black pepper.

GF Vegan Pumpkin Pie

This recipe is amazing. Delicious pumpkin custard to satisfy holiday cravings. But- I can take no credit at all whatsoever. So I'm sending you to another blog, written by someone who's been blogging gluten free since before I graduated high school. She knows what she's doing :)

http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2008/10/vegan-pumpkin-pie-worthy-of.html

"Buttercream" Frosting

This frosting is amazingly lovely on anything from cakes, to brownies (coffee variation, mmmm), to cookies. If you can tolerate corn, is it also super easy. If not, like my son, it can still be done with a little more time and my corn-free powdered sugar recipe. 

1/2 cup dairy-free, soy free margarine (I know of only one brand and it does contain corn, use shortening if this is a problem)
1/2 cup shortening
2+ tsp vanilla
pinch salt
3-1/2 to 4 cups powdered sugar
2-4 Tbs plain milk alternative of choice, strong coffee, or juice (whatever floats your boat)
food coloring (optional)

Ina a large mixing bowl cream margarine. Beat in vanilla and salt. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time, beating it on low speed until it is combined. Turn the mixer up to medium/ high and whip frosting for 2 minutes. Mix in milk (or other liquid) as needed to reach desired consistency. Add in 1-3 drops food coloring if desired.

Chocolate option: Add 1/2 cup cocoa powder with powdered sugar

Gluten-Free Vegan Sugar Cookies- that are actually good!!!

Just in time for Christmas- a recipe for gluten-free vegan sugar cookies that make awesome little holiday shape cookies! When setting out on this project with my son this morning I expected to find a quick recipe online or in one of my several allergy cook books. Much to my surprise I found nothing... and then nothing that sounded like it would come out well. 
I decided to turn to my Better Homes and Gardens' all encompassing cookbook of bliss, and try to resurrect a feasible allergy-recipe from the pages of this old standby. I was shocked at my own success! No child should be forced to go without sugar cookies at Christmas, and now mine (at least) doesn't have to :)

Gluten-Free Vegan Sugar Cookies (sorry, no pics- still waiting on that camera)

Ingredients
2/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg or 3 Tbs gelatin mix** (1 packet of gelatin mixed with 1 cup boiling water)
1 Tbs vanilla
2 cups my "most purpose" sorghum flour blend
1 tsp guar gum or 1/2 tsp xanthan gum (pre-mix with flour)

In a large mixing bowl beat shortening on medium-high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt. Beat until combined well, scraping the sides of the bowl. Beat in egg or gelatin mix, and vanilla. Beat in flour mix, stirring by hand if necessary. Form into two balls and chill for 2-3 hours. This give the flavors time to meld and the gums time to do their thing, binding the dough together. The chilling time is very important in this recipe.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll dough out one ball on parchment paper (no flour if possible, it toughens the dough) to 1/4 in thick. Let the other ball continue to chill until you are ready for it. Cut dough into desired shapes on parchment paper, then transfer paper to a baking sheet.

Bake 7-8 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are barely light brown. Let cool 5-10 minutes on baking sheet, to minimize cookies falling apart in transfer.

Make pretty with colored "Buttercream" Icing and sprinkles :)

**I do realize gelatin isn't actually vegan. Ener-G powdered egg replacer won't work on this one as the egg serves as a binding, instead of rising, agent. Flax-goo might also work, I haven't tried it yet, though. 
Flax Goo: Soak 1 tsp flaxmeal in 1/3 cup boiling water for 5 minutes. Replace 1 large egg with 1/4 cup flax mix.

to the maybe 2 people that read this blog.... :)

I'm sorry it's been awhile since I've posted. My camera is not currently in working order (little fingers saw fit to submerge said camera in a glass of water). Waiting until Christmas for a new model, and life to slow down a bit, so I can resume posting again :)

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.