Meatball Heaven!

I'm not sure who to give credit to for this yummy meatball recipe. I printed it several months ago and finally got around to making it and my family loves it! It is truly a tasty treat. It's been so many years since we had meatballs too, which I'm sure contributed to the enthusiastic response. Enjoy!

Meatballs (Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free)

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup rice milk

2/3 cup gluten-free crumbs (cracker or bread)

2 tsp. balsamic vinaigrette

1/4 cup onion, diced

1/4 cup sweet peppers, diced

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 lbs. ground beef, turkey, chicken or a combination

• Combine first six ingredients and crumble in the meat. Mix it all together and shape into 1-inch (or larger) balls. Place on cooking spray-coated baking sheet and bake at 375 until browned. Drain and cool.
• Cooking time will vary depending on the size of your meatball, but 1-inch balls take about 25-30 minutes. If you're unsure whether they are cooked through, cut one open to test it out!
• These freeze really well. Once baked and cooled, place them in a single layer on a clean cookie sheet and place in the freezer. Once frozen, place the meatballs in a storage bag and put back in the freezer. They can be added to your favorite spaghetti sauce directly from the freezer.

Happy Day!

We had a happy day in the home of children who are sensitive to both dairy & gluten. Here's my three boys enjoying ice cream cones (with a gluten-free Cerrone Cone, and rice divine "rice" cream). This was a first for my three year old and he enjoyed every bite.

$7.10 for (8) cerrone cones

+

$3.99 for 1 pint vanilla rice divine

=

3 giant smiles ~~ PRICELESS!

Gluten Free Snack Bars

I have been searching high & low for a snack bar recipe. We have tried several and haven't liked the taste, texture, etc. My kids love the Enjoy Life caramel apple snack bars, but paying $3.79 for 5 small bars seemed ridiculous! Well.....the search is over. A big shout out to Gluten Free Kathy for posting this great Banana-Nut Energy Bar recipe.

Today when I made it, I had some pureed pumpkin which I wanted to use. So I substituted the mashed banana for pumpkin and added some cinnamon & nutmeg. I also replaced part of the vanilla (1/4 tsp.) with orange oil. They were fabulous. They were the perfect texture and I'm so thrilled to have found a snack bar recipe! I can't wait to make them with mashed bananas :)

Gluten Free Harvest Loaf

I have been wanting to learn to make homemade gluten-free bread for awhile. My first few attempts failed horribly. My mother-in-law visited at Thanksgiving and she offered to help me master a gluten-free loaf. I started by printing at least a dozen different gluten-free bread recipes. Then I compared them all and compiled them into a loaf that I'm very very pleased with. My boys *LOVE* the new bread! It's nice and soft and it's whole grain too which makes me happy. We've recently discovered teff flour which gives it almost a whole wheat taste.

I learned a lot during the trial and error process, here's a few highlights:

1. You don't knead gluten-free bread, it will be the consistency of a thick cake batter.
2. It works best to have a heavy duty stand mixer. After mixing the bread dough, beat it on high for five minutes. This changes the protein structure of the eggs giving it a better texture.
3. Do not over-proof the bread. Allowing it to rise for too long will allow to much air into the bread dough and will increase it's chances of falling. We have only been letting our bread rise for 20 minutes (it won't really look likes it's risen much at all, but during baking it rises well above the top of the loaf pan).
4. We were advised to let the loaf sit for 5 minutes after coming out of the oven, and then turn it upside down for five minutes before letting cool on a wire rack. However, we found that our loaf was falling and compacting down within the first five minutes. So, now we turn it upside down (suspended over a large soup pan so it won't get smashed) immediately as it comes out of the oven.
5. This bread is soft and moist, but very delicate. I found that adding 2 tsp. unflavored gelatin to the dry ingredients helped immensely. I would still like to improve on this a bit, so your suggestions are welcome :)

Let me know if you try it and any improvements you might have! Happy baking.


Gluten-Free Harvest Loaf
1 1/2 c. very warm water
2 1/2 t. active dry yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar

3 large eggs
3 Tbsp. canola oil
3 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

3/4 c. teff flour
1 1/4 c. brown rice flour
1/2 c. tapioca flour
1/4 c. quinoa flakes
1 Tbsp. xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. unflavored gelatin

• Dissolve sugar in warm water, add yeast. Let sit until bubbly and frothy (approx. 10 minutes)
• Mix together eggs, canola oil, honey and apple cider vinegar. Beat on low until well mixed.
• Add yeast to liquid ingredients, mix on low speed.
• Slowly add dry ingredients, mix well together. Set electric mixer to high and beat for five minutes.
• Pour into greased 9x5 loaf pan. Sprinke with quinoa flakes if desired (this will give it an oat-bread appearance). Brush waxed paper with oil and cover loaf pan. Place in a warm non-drafty place for 20 minutes.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.
• Turn upside down (suspended) immediately upon removal from oven. After five minutes, gently remove from loaf pan and let cool thouroughly on a wire rack. It slices better when cool or even after being chilled in the refrigerator.
• Since there are no preservatives, we find it keeps best in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.

Cranberry Orange Spice Cookies

These cookies are our new family favorite. They are soft and moist and have a nice rich flavor. For those who are not gluten-free, it could easily be converted back to normal by replacing the four types of flour and xanthan gum with 1 1/3 cups wheat flour. Happy snacking!

Cranberry Orange Spice Cookies

1/2 c. palm oil shortening

1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. orange zest
1/3 c. brown rice flour
1/3 c. sorghum flour
1/3 c. teff flour
1/3. c. tapioca flour
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
3 Tbsp. orange juice
1/3 c. dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease two cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
2. Using a mixer on medium speed, cream together shortening, sugar and brown sugar. Add egg and orange zest.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt and spices.
4. Add to mixing bowl in three batches, alternating flour mixture with orange juice. Fold in cranberries.
5. Drop by teaspoons onto cookie sheets. Bake 10-11 minutes in center of oven. Let cool 10 minutes before transferring to wire rack. Yields: 2 dozen cookies.

Gluten Free Dinner Rolls

Our family has really missed dinner rolls since going gluten-free. We like to make Chebe (yellow pkg.) rolls with 1 tsp. added xanthan gum. We make the mix as directed, roll them out into a large rectangle, then slice them into triangles and roll them up like crescent rolls. They're really yummy with a light brushing of coconut oil right as they come out of the oven.

I have also been searching for a recipe that I could make from scratch. I found one on a website (I'm sorry I can't remember where). I modified it slightly and we really enjoy it! It's pretty versatile too, it calls for applesauce, but at Thanksgiving I made it with pureed pumpkin and a dash of cinnamon. The recipe calls for sorghum flour, when we first made it we didn't have sorghum so I used 3/4 cup of brown rice flour. They turned out okay, but I bought sorghum flour and used that the second time we made them, and WOW then they were great! Enjoy!

Gluten Free Dinner Rolls
1/2 c. sorghum flour
1/4 c. brown rice flour
1/2 c. tapioca flour
1/4 c. potato flour
2 T. sugar
1 T. honey or agave nectar
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 egg
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 c. apple sauce
1/3 c. canola oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients. Mix separately the honey (or agave), egg, apple sauce and canola oil. Blend together. Scoop into small rolls (tablespoon sized) on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until a light golden brown.

Slow Cooker Enchiladas

These are so good, the flavors really melt together since they are cooked slowly in the crock pot. The original recipe called for a layer of cheese between each level. We replaced that with a layer of grated zuchinni/yellow squash. My husband, the only dairy eater of the family, sprinkles cheese on top after dipping up a hot plate of enchiladas. Happy eating!

Note: This picture was taken after the first two layers were added to the crock-pot. When fully assembled it typically fills the crock-pot.

Slow Cooker Enchiladas
1 lb. ground beef
1 chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped green pepper
1/3 c. water
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
15 oz. can kidney beans
15 oz. can black beans
10 oz. can rotel
1 1/2 c. grated zuchinni
1 1/2 c. grated yellow squash
12 gluten-free corn tortillas
8 oz. can tomato sauce

In skillet, cook ground beef, onion and green pepper. Drain. Add water, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Drain and rinse kidney and black beans. Add rinsed beans and rotel (undrained). Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Combine grated zuchinni and grated squash. Add tomato sauce to bottom of a crock-pot. Add two corn tortillas to cover bottom of crock-pot. Layer about 3/4 cup beef mixture. Layer 1/3 cup squash mixture. Repeate layers five more times. Cover and cook on medium heat for 1-2 hours or low heat for 3-4 hours, or until heated through.