Author: glutenfreeveganish

I eat gluten, dairy, and egg free and want to make food that other people would want to eat too.

Pulled Pork

2 medium onions, sliced

4 garlic cloves, sliced

1 cup chicken broth

1 T. brown sugar, packed

1 T. chili powder

1 T. salt or more

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

4-5 pound pork loin

 

Directions:

Strew the onions and garlic in the bottom of the crock pot.  Add chicken broth.  Stir together the sugar and spices and then rub on the entire pork loin.  Place pork loin in the crock pot and put on high for 6-8 hours or low for 8-10 hours.

 

We used the pork loin for a variety of dishes: carnitas, pulled pork sandwiches, etc.  It freezes and defrosts really well.  In order to freeze it, I shredded it ahead of time.

Here is a pulled pork sandwich I made using Hamburger Buns and by adding Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce.

 

IMG_4529
Pulled pork sandwiches

 

Original recipe: http://www.chow.com/recipes/30356-easy-slow-cooker-pulled-pork/

Chocolate Glaze

There’s nothing like a chocolate donut.  The glaze just puts it over the top.  This glaze spreads on easily but then hardens up nicely just like it should- not hard like a chocolate chip, but not gooey.  I had to give some away and stick some in the freezer to keep myself from eating too many at once.  As one of the kid recipients said, “It tastes like a cupcake!”  Indeed, it does.  This recipe makes enough for about 9 donuts, so double it if you are pairing it with my chocolate donut recipe which makes 18.   Find the recipe here: Chocolate Donuts.

Ingredients:

IMG_4918

 

Glaze for 9 donuts:

Ingredients:

3/4 c. powdered sugar

1/4 c. cocoa powder

1/4 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 to 2 T. coconut milk

dash salt (about 1/8 tsp)

 

Combine sugar and cocoa powder.  Add in vanilla and 1 1/2 T. coconut milk.  Stir until a paste begins to form.  Add the extra 1/2 T. of milk if it is too dry to be spreadable.  Add the dash of salt and combine well.  Taste and see if you want more salt.  Spread on tops of cooled donuts.

 

Doubled for 18 donuts:

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

1/2 c. cocoa powder

1/2 tsp vanilla

3-4 T. coconut milk

1/8 to 1/4 tsp salt, according to taste

 

 

Beef and Bean Enchiladas

This is the last lonely enchilada.  I made several pans of them and remembered to take a picture right before I ate the last one!  I served these enchiladas to my family on Christmas Eve.  I did most of the prep ahead of time and just rolled them while the oven was heating up.  The beans make them creamy so you don’t really notice the absence of cheese.  However, if people want cheese but not everyone can have it, I suggest putting some shredded cheese on the table that they can add at their leisure.

 

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef (omit if vegetarian)

1-2 cups cooked and mashed pinto or white beans or 1-2 cans of refried beans

several dashes of salt if you make your own beans

juice of 1 lime

1 can rotel

2 cans of mild Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce (last time I checked it was gluten free.  Please always take personal responsibility and check the ingredients.  Sometimes manufacturers change things without much of an announcement.)

1 package of corn tortillas

 

Directions for beans: If you are making your own beans, soak them overnight, drain in the morning, and put them in a crockpot all day on low.  They are finished when they are easily squishable.  I drained the liquid into a bowl and then added just enough in to be able to mash them with my immersion blender.  Make sure to add some salt if you made your own beans.  If that sounds too complicated, just get a can or two of refried beans. 🙂

Directions: Brown the ground beef until thoroughly cooked.  Add in the lime, rotel, and one can of enchilada sauce.

Lightly oil a 9×13 baking dish.  Open the second can of enchilada sauce and put a very thin layer on the bottom of the pan, but reserve most of it.  Grab a tortilla and put a spoonful of the beef and bean mixtures into the tortilla.  Roll it and place it in the pan.  Continue until the pan is full and/or all ingredients are used.  Top with remaining enchilada sauce.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Serve with rice and guacamole if desired.

Bubble Bread

This is an old family favorite and one of the first recipes I started working on to make gluten free.  It is similar to monkey bread but requires no yeast, so it is much quicker.  I’ve made a few of the original steps easier than the original recipe.  Also, I have tried this with a variety of flour blends and they have all worked.  This time I happened to use a pre-made blend, but normally I blend my own flours.  See notes below for suggestions.

 

Ingredients:

1/2 c. butter (Smart Balance non-dairy)

2- 8×8 pans or something of similar sizes

Dry:

4 cups flour (I used Arrowhead Mills’ Heritage Blend this time, but I have also made it with a mixture of other flours.  See note below for other options.*)

1/2 tsp xanthan gum (if your flour blend doesn’t already contain some)

2 T. baking powder

2 tsp salt

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Wet:

1/2 c. canola oil (or vegetable oil)

1 1/2 c. coconut milk (from a carton)

 

 

Topping:

additional 1/2 c. sugar

additional 1/2 tsp cinnamon

 

Directions:

Melt 1/2 c. butter and use a little bit to grease both 8×8 pans.  Stir together dry ingredients in a bowl.  Add the oil and coconut milk and stir well.  I usually whisk it briefly with a mixer just until combined.

In a separate bowl, mix together the additional sugar and cinnamon.

Pinch dough into about 1 T size balls and put in pans until all the dough is used.  Most of them will be touching and that is fine.  Spoon the butter over the balls in the pans and make sure to get a little butter on each ball.  Sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar mixture evenly over all the balls and make sure to get the edges too.

Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes or until tops start to brown just slightly and dough springs back to the touch.

*  This recipe is very flexible.  The most important thing with any blend is to make sure you have a touch of xanthan gum in there- at least 1/4 to 1/2 tsp.  That will replace the stickiness of gluten and help hold it together.

*I usually just mix and match whatever flours I have around to make this.  Next time I make this I will try to write down exactly what I do.  Here is an approximation of what I have done in the past: 1 1/2 c. brown rice flour, 1/2 c. oat flour, 1/2 c. amaranth, 1/2 c. potato starch, 1/2 c. tapioca starch, 1/2 c. teff, 1/2 tsp xanthan gum.  Adding in some teff flour gives it a whole wheat flair which I really love.  If you don’t have amaranth, you can just replace it with brown rice flour.  The potato starch and tapioca starches help add some lightness to the flour so it is not as dense.

Chocolate Truffles

I am seeing a theme in my posts.  Apparently I make a lot of chocolate things.  I was flipping through an appliance cookbook and realized very little had to be changed in this recipe.  Watch out!  They are very rich, so I suggest making them with the intention of sharing with others :-).

 

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese (I used Tofutti but Daiya has a great taste too.)

1/4 c. Smart Balance butter, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla

2/3 tsp salt

2/3 c. cocoa powder

3 1/2 c. powdered sugar

1/2 c. chopped walnuts or pecans (We liked pecans the best.)

 

I used a stand mixer for this whole process, but you could probably do it with a hand mixer.

Directions:

Cream together the cream cheese and butter.  Add the vanilla, salt, and cocoa and continue whipping.  Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time and continue to whip it until it is creamy and combined.  Use a spoon to help you scoop about 1 T. together into a ball.  You can just put them in clumps and shape them after they are cooled.

Freeze for one hour and then reshape as needed.  Roll in chopped nuts.

I left some without nuts and they still tasted good.  I think they would also be delicious if dipped in baking chocolate, but I didn’t try it this time.

 

Recipe adapted from Hamilton Beach Recipes and User Guide p. 26.

I know, right?  Weird source.  By the way, if you are in need of a stand mixer, I have found that my Hamilton Beach one works well so far.

9 Day Slaw- Grandmother’s Recipe

I recently married and as I was flipping through a homemade cookbook, I said to my husband, “I found your grandmother’s coleslaw recipe.”  I brought the coleslaw to our Christmas gathering and it was a hit!  The best part is I didn’t have to change anything.  This is a no-mayo coleslaw.  It’s easy to make and keeps for awhile.

 

Ingredients:

Slaw:

1 head of cabbage (about 3 pounds), grated or finely sliced

1-2 onions, chopped (I used one)

1-2 green peppers, chopped (I used one)

1 1/2 cups sugar

Combine these ingredients in a large bowl and stir.

 

Dressing:

2 T sugar

1 cup salad oil (I used canola)

1 cup vinegar (I used regular white vinegar)

1 T salt

1 T celery seed

Stir the dressing ingredients together in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Pour over the slaw and stir well.  Keep refrigerated and it just keeps getting better as the days go by.  Supposedly it keeps for 9 days, but I have not tested that part.  🙂 This makes a large bowl of coleslaw, so share with your friends!

Gluten Free Vegan Waffles

These were a hit on Christmas morning.  If you are new to gluten free, make sure you clean your waffle maker really well if it was used for not gluten free waffles in the past.  I received my waffle iron as a gift after I went gluten free, so it was a non issue for me.  I don’t like it spilling over the edges, so I usually have slightly incomplete looking waffles as shown in the picture.  You can avoid that fate by filling yours up more.  We were ready to eat so I just snapped a quick picture.

 

Ingredients:

2 1/4 c. flour (This is my normal recipe but flours can be substituted: 1 c. brown rice flour, 1/2 c. oat flour, 1/4 c. tapioca starch, 1/4 c. potato starch, 1/8 c. millet flour, 1/8 c. teff)

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 T. sugar

2 flaxseed eggs (2 T. ground golden flaxseed combined with 6 T. water- let sit for 5-10 minutes)

2 1/4 c. coconut milk (from a carton)

1/2 c. oil- I used canola

 

Make the flax eggs and set aside.  Combine dry ingredients.  Mix wet ingredients (including flax eggs) and stir into dry ingredients.  Use a mixer to make sure all lumps are gone.  Cook using a waffle iron- follow directions for your waffle iron.  For mine, I let it preheat and then I cook the batter for 5-6 minutes until it starts to brown.  They should taste light and kind of crispy.

 

I served it with Smart Balance butter and real maple syrup.

 

Adapted from “Oh Boy” Waffle recipe.  I have no idea where we originally found that recipe because I’ve worked off of a notecard for so long.

 

Peppermint Hot Chocolate

My husband and I hosted Christmas at our house for the first time this year.  I felt so grown up :-).  I also felt quite in the mood for Christmas-y things and was looking for a way to use some of the peppermint pieces leftover from peppermint ice cream.  My sister and I made this hot chocolate and thought I’d share!

Ingredients:

1 mugful of coconut milk (from a carton- I prefer the original flavor)

3 T. Ghiradelli Double Chocolate hot chocolate mix (may contain traces of allergens if that concerns you)

1-2 T. peppermint stick, crushed (sold pre-crushed in a bag in the baking aisle)

1-2 T. SoDelicious whipped topping or your own homemade topping

 

Directions:  Microwave the coconut milk in the mug until hot (2-4 minutes depending on your microwave).

Stir in the hot chocolate mix.

Stir in 1+ T. peppermint sticks crumbles to taste.

Top with whipped topping and a few more crumbles of peppermint stick.

Enjoy!

 

This recipe works just as well with regular milk and regular whipped topping, so use what you need.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

This is one of my favorite fall recipes.  It looks beautiful and appears to be labor intensive, but it isn’t.  When it’s all said and done, it takes about an hour from beginning of prep to the time it arrives on the table.  The original recipe is from a newspaper clipping.  I have made a few changes, but it is still delicious!

 

Ingredients:

2 medium acorn squash

1 pound ground beef or deer

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tart apple, chopped (I use Granny Smith)

1 glove garlic, minced

2 T. brown rice flour

3 T. gluten free soy sauce (I use Kikkoman’s- just make sure it says gluten free on it)

salt to taste

3 T. dry red wine (I used merlot)

optional if not dairy free: 1/2 c. shredded cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, or Parmesan)

 

Directions:

Cut squash in half from stem to tip and throw away seeds.  Fill baking dish to 1/2 inch depth with hot water (I just microwave the water).  Place squash, cut side down, in a baking dish.  Bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.

While the squash is cooking, brown the ground beef with the chopped onion, apple, and garlic until meat is cooked.  Sprinkle in flour and stir well. Add soy sauce and wine and stir.  Bring mixture to a boil and stir until it thickens.  Remove from heat.

Remove squash pan from oven and carefully turn each half over (leave the water in the pan) and fill each half with the meat concoction.  I press it down into the squash halves to try to make it all fit :-).  Cook the filled squash in the pan with the water still in the pan for another 15 minutes until meat begins to brown on top slightly.  If you are not dairy free, you may top with cheese and return to the oven for another 5 minutes.

To serve, remove the squash from the pan and place on a plate.  To eat, scoop out one bite at a time, no knife needed.  I usually serve this by itself- it has veggies and meat included and is way more filling than you’d think.

 

Original recipe from “Harvest Stuffed Squash” The Eagle [Bryan], 13 September 2009. Taste of Home Cooking School p. 22.

Simple popcorn

I have tried making kettle corn several times and have had several mishaps.  Once was when I tried to cook it on a plug in burner with a hard-to-regulate temperature.  It burned quite thoroughly and my students were not very impressed :-).  Of course, neither was I.  Then I found out my husband doesn’t really like kettle corn, so I am off the hook.  For now, I am sticking to simple, lightly salted popcorn.  This recipe worked wonderfully and left very few unpopped kernels.  For this recipe, the size of your pan actually does matter.  Use a 3-quart saucepan with a lid.

 

Ingredients:

3 T oil (I used canola but you could use coconut, peanut, etc.)

1/3 c. popcorn kernels

salt to taste

1 T butter (optional)

 

In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the 3 T. oil over medium high heat.

Add 3-4 kernels, and cover with the lid.  As soon as those kernels pop, add the remaining popcorn kernels and make sure they are all touching the bottom of the pan (no dogpiles).  Sprinkle in the salt.  Put the lid on the pan and remove it from the heat for exactly 30 seconds (this reduces burning and helps more of your kernels to pop).

Put the saucepan back on the heat.  Not long after that, the kernels will start popping.  When you finally hear the glorious sound of popping kernels, start to gently shake the pan so that the kernels don’t burn.  My lid has a small hole to release steam, but if yours doesn’t, you may want to leave the lid a little tilted to let the steam out so your popcorn is crispier.

When the glorious sound slows down, take the pan off the stove and dump the popcorn into a bowl for serving. You may stir in some melted butter if you would like.

This was the perfect amount for two people.

Original recipe: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/perfect_popcorn/