Spiced Peach-Carrot Bread

It is officially peach season in Colorado! In the last 2 months I have bought 40 lbs of peaches to eat and bake with and 20 lbs to freeze to enjoy through the winter season. I always enjoyed peaches and then I tasted a Colorado peach from the Palisade area and I fell deeply in LOVE. There is nothing like the fresh, sweet juiciness of a perfectly ripe peach. I eat about two fresh peaches a day during this time of year, I've made a peach crisp, and even enjoy a fresh peach Bellini (or two)! Today I wanted to try a quick bread...this awesome recipe comes from Southern Living which I adapted to be gluten-free and safe for this celiac girl!

Spiced Peach-Carrot Bread  

3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
2 1/2 cups gluten free flour (I used 1.25 cups Cup4Cup and 1.25 cups Bistro Blend)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups peeled and chopped fresh, ripe peaches
3/4 cup freshly grated carrots
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350° F. 

Stir together gluten free flours and next 6 ingredients in a large bowl; add peaches, next 4 ingredients, and pecans or walnuts, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon batter into a lightly greased and sugared 9- x 5-inch loaf pan.

Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 1 hour). Slice and Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad Pizza

I recently made this pizza recipe for my friends at the one and only Gluten Free Bistro, but it turned out so delicious I thought others should know about it. The original recipe was featured in the Pizza on Grill 2012 magazine (from the publishers of Fine Cooking). The pizza crust from the Gluten Free Bistro (order it here) cooks up so nicely on the BBQ grill, I sometimes forget I even have an oven. Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad Pizza 

Ingredients: 

1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast- grilled

olive oil

sea salt and black pepper

1 Gluten Free Bistro Pizza Crust

1/4 cup Roasted Garlic Paste (recipe to follow)

1 cup fontina cheese, shredded

1 heart of romaine, cut crosswise into 1/2" wide ribbons

2 tbs gluten-free caesar salad dressing (such as Organicville, Annie's or Newmans Own)

2 tbs fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions:

Preheat your BBQ grill to medium heat.

Brush chicken breast with 1 tbs olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place chicken on the cooking grate directly over the heat and grill until no longer pink in the middle (about 10-12 minutes).  Set aside and when almost ready to use, slice into 1/4 inch strips. 

Spread garlic paste on GF pizza crust, then top with chicken and sprinkle with Fontina cheese. 

Grill pizza for approximately 10 minutes on low to medium heat (careful to not let the bottom burn). Grill until bottom is crispy and cheese is melted and bubbly. Just before the pizza is done, toss the romaine lettuce with the dressing and 1 tbs of Parmigiano cheese in a medium bowl. 

Remove pizza from grill and immediately top with romaine mixture. Sprinkle remaining Parmiagano cheese on top, season with salt and pepper. Slice and serve immediately. ENJOY! 

Roasted Garlic Paste

Ingredients:

3 heads garlic

3 tbs olive oil, plus more for drizzling 

Kosher salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F

Remove the first layer of papery skin from the garlic. Slice off 1/4 inch from the pointy top. Place each head on a sheet of aluminum foil, cut side up. Drizzle with the oil and season with salt. Wrap each head in the foil and roast until the cloves are golden brown and soft, about 1 hour. Remove from the heat and let cool. (You can also do this on the grill, cooking over indirect heat.) 

Remove the roasted cloves from their skins. The most efficient way to do this is to squeeze the whole head from the bottom. Using a fork, vigorously mix the garlic and oil together. Add a pinch of salt. (If your recipe calls just for a clove or two of roasted garlic, you can remove it from the skin using a small escargot-style fork.)
This will keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

before grilling

caesar salad mix

after grilling

salad and pizza in one!  

Holiday Iced Sugar Cookies

This recipe has been adapted from a Cooks Illustrated recipe: Foolproof Holiday Cookies. Of course cooking with gluten-free flours is far from foolproof. The recipe in Cooks is simple, straightforward but I had to do a bit of tweaking to make them gluten-free and acceptable. I was shocked when I could actually roll out the dough as I have experienced many gluten-free sugar cookie failures that have ended up in the trash...

Holiday Sugar Cookies

1 cup Bistro Blend All-Purpose GF Flour

1.5 cups sweet rice flour

3/4 cups fine sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp baking powder

16 tbs butter, cut into 1/2" pieces, softened

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbs cream cheese, softened

In bowl of stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix flours, sugar, salt, baking powder and xanthan gum until combined, about 5 to 10 seconds. With mixer running on low, add butter 1 piece at a time; continue to mix until mixture looks crumbly and slightly wet, about 1 minute longer. Add the vanilla and the cream-cheese and mix on low until dough begins to form large clumps, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. 

Remove bowl from mixer; knead dough by hand in bowl to form a large cohesive mass. Turn out dough onto a piece of parchment paper, and divide in half. Pat into two (2) 4-inch disk. Wrap each in parchment paper and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. 

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375°F. Roll out 1 dough disk to a fairly even 1/8" thickness. Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters and place on a parchment paper- lined baking sheet, spacing cookies about 1-inch apart. Bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough ball. Cool cookies on wire rack to room temperature. Do not ice cookies until completely cool. 

(These cookies can be simply made non gluten-free. Follow all instructions, but omit baking powder and xanthan gum and use 2.5 cups white flour instead of the GF flours) Enjoy!

All-Purpose Glaze (Cooks Illustrated Nov & Dec 2011)

2 cups confectioners sugar

3 tbs milk*

2 tbs cream cheese, softened

Whisk all ingredients together until smooth. Spread glaze onto completely cooled cookies. Let glaze dry completely before serving, about 30 minutes. 

*For citrus flavored glaze, substitute orange, lemon, or lime juice for the milk. The glaze can also be flavored with 1/2 tsp of your favorite extract. Or you can add a bit of lemon, lime or orange zest to the glaze for a subtle flavor. 

Lemon & Pear Bread with Pecans

Lemon & Pear Bread with Pecans 

Ingredients:

1 egg

1/4 cup melted butter

1 cup white sugar

1 cup pear sauce (or use applesauce)

1 tsp bourbon vanilla extract

1.5 tsp grated lemon zest

1tbs fresh lemon juice

1.5 cups Bistro Blend Gluten Free Flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350° F. Using a standing mixer beat egg slightly, then add sugar and melted butter. Beat until well combined. Add pear sauce, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla and continue to beat on slow-medium speed for about 1 minute. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg and then add  into wet mixture. Beat until smooth. Fold in pecans.  Pour into a greased (with butter) and floured (using GF flour) bread loaf pan. Bake for 55 min to 1 hour at 350° F. 

                                                                       the batter...

and the finished product.

I couldn't resist having a taste before it cooled.

Lovely. 

Grilled Thai Chicken Pizza

                                                                               Grilled Thai Chicken Pizza 
Ingredients:

1 12" pizza crust, from the Gluten Free Bistro

1 tbs olive oil 

5 ounces cooked, chopped or shredded chicken

3 scallions, chopped

1 medium carrot, cut in fine julienne strips

1 red bell pepper, sliced 

1  fresh jalapeno pepper, diced

2 -3 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped 

1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella

large handful of bean sprouts 

1/2 cup Simply Boulder Coconut Peanut sauce, plus more for drizzling. 

Directions

Brush olive oil on both sides of frozen pizza crust. Grill over medium-low heat (about 500-600°F) for about 2 minutes (one side only). Remove from grill. Top pizza crust with Coconut Peanut sauce, shredded cheese, chicken, bean sprouts, scallions, carrots, both peppers and 1/2 of the cilantro. 

Lower heat. Grill pizza directly on grates for about 7 minutes to 10 minutes, watching carefully that crust does not burn. Crust should be crispy and cheese should be melted and starting to bubble. Vegetables will be slightly cooked but still crunchy and fresh! 

Remove from grill and top with remaining cilantro and drizzle extra peanut sauce on top! Enjoy! 

Blueberry Oatmeal Applesauce Muffins

These are hearty moist muffins that are great for breakfast with a cup of coffee. They are not too sweet yet very satisfying!

                                  Gluten Free Blueberry Oatmeal Applesauce Muffins
Makes 12-15 muffins

• 1 1/4 cups Bistro Blend GF flour 
• 1 1/4 cups certified gluten free oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk (if you do not have buttermilk, use 1/2 cup milk with 1 tsp cider vinegar added to the milk). 
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup to 1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners.
In a large bowl combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a medium bowl combine applesauce, buttermilk, sugar, oil and egg. Make a well in dry ingredients and add applesauce mixture. Stir until just moist. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.
Bake for ~20-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in muffin comes out clean.

Beer Battered Coconut Shrimp w/Blood Orange Dipping Sauce

In celebration of National Celiac Awareness Month, I made this awesome dish using two of my favorite products, gluten free beer from New Planet and flour from the Gluten Free Bistro. The recipe can also be found on the GFB blog.

                               Beer Battered Coconut Shrimp with Blood Orange Dipping Sauce

Ingredients
24-28 Large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup Bistro Blend gluten free all-purpose flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cups New Planet Tread Lightly gluten-free beer
1 1/2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
1 Tbsp sugar (or slightly more to taste)
2 cups medium shredded coconut (unsweetened)
Coconut or Canola Oil for frying (enough for shrimp to be just covered in a Dutch oven or other deep pot)

Dipping Sauce:
1/2 cup  Crofters blood orange spread or orange marmalade
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1/4 cup honey
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (I used Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce)

Directions:

1. Mix marmalade, mustard, honey, and hot sauce in a small bowl and refrigerate.
2. Mix coconut and sugar in a small bowl.
3. Whisk together the eggs, gluten free flour, gluten free beer, and baking powder in a medium bowl.
5. Dredge each shrimp in the beer-batter mixture, then the coconut. Place dredged shrimp on parchment paper on large plate or cookie sheet and chill in refrigerator for 30 min to 45 min.
6. Heat enough oil to allow shrimp to be covered in a deep pot. Then place shrimp in oil, 5 to 8 at a time, for 3 minutes, or until dark golden.
7. Using tongs to remove, drain shrimp on paper towel.
8. Serve with prepared dipping sauce.

Mama's Best Banana Bread

This is my Mama's best banana bread recipe made gluten-free. Luckily it tastes just the same as when she used to make it for me as a child, I just happen to feel better eating it this go-round!

Ingredients
1 egg
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1 1/2 cups GF flour (bistro blend all-purpose GF flour)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 350° F. Using a standing mixer beat egg slightly, then add sugar and melted butter. Beat until well combined. Add mashed bananas and continue to beat on slow-medium speed for about 1 minute. Add flour, soda and salt into mixture. Beat until smooth. Fold in walnuts.  Pour into a greased (with butter) and floured (using GF flour) bread loaf pan. Bake for 55min to 1 hour at 350° F.

Gluten Free Italian Breadsticks

These are a great little snack to stash in your bag when you are out and about, at a restaurant, or just feel like something "bready". I like to dip them in olive oil with a little sea salt.

Ingredients
1 tbs active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm milk
1 cup GF flour blend w/xanthan gum (bistro blend all purpose GF flour)
1 tbs cornstarch
2 tbs Parmesan cheese, grated
1.5 tsp Italian spices (I used a variety of oregano, fennel, rosemary, lemon peel etc) ground
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
extra olive oil to brush on the tops of breadsticks

Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Whisk yeast and warm milk together in a small bowl. Set aside for  about 5 minutes. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or use a silpat (as shown).

In a mixer, mix the yeast mixture, flour,  cornstarch, cheese, spices, 1 tbs olive oil and vinegar on low speed for about 1 minute. The dough should be well combined. Using the palms of your hands, roll out breadsticks into strips, about 1 inch wide and 6 inches long. If dough is too sticky to roll out, place dough in a pastry bag or heavy duty plastic bag (with corner cut off) and squeeze the dough out of the bag onto the sheet.

Lightly brush the tops of the breadsticks with olive-oil for a crisper top. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack and serve with olive oil for dipping.

Green Chile, Pepperoni, Goat Cheese, and Roasted Garlic Pizza

I eat a lot of pizza but this is a particularly good combination. It reminds me of fall in New Mexico, which always makes me smile. Make sure to read the label on your pepperoni to verify it is gluten free. I used pepperoni by Applegate Farm; it's gluten and casein free and can be found in most health food stores. Another reason I like this brand is that it's minimally processed and free of antibiotics.

Ingredients:
1 10" or 12" GF pizza crust
3/4 cup pizza sauce
1/2 to 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
6-8 slices pepperoni
goat cheese, topped to your liking
roasted garlic, topped to your liking
roasted green chile, topped to your liking (For more info on how to roast green chile click here)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Top crust with pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese and remaining toppings. Bake for 12 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Enjoy!
 

Before baking...

                                                                    and after baking

Sweet Potato Muffins w/Molasses

Just when I thought I had exhausted my creativity with muffins and sweet breads, a molasses sweet potato muffin came to mind (and I had left over sweet potatoes in my fridge). I searched the Internet for some recipes and as a result came up with this one. The muffins are not too sweet and have a light, moist texture. Delicious with a cup of tea! 

(Makes about 10 muffins)
1 cup GF flour (Bistro Blend All-Purpose gluten free flour) 
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbs unsulphered molasses
1 egg
3/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp orange zest
3/4 cup mashed or pureed sweet potatoes (plain without the peel)
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)


Preheat oven to 350° F; prepare muffin pan with paper liners.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the first seven ingredients (through the salt). Set aside. 
In a standing mixer, combine the milk, oil, molasses, egg, vanilla extract, orange zest, and sweet potatoes and mix on low until well combined. Add the dry ingredients to the milk mixture and stir until well combined. Fold in pecans. 


Using a spoon, fill the muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for five minutes, remove muffins from the pan and serve immediately or cool completely on rack. 

Swiss Chard & Sweet Potato Gratin

I'm in love. This is one of the best gratins I have EVER had. It's rich, creamy, a tad sweet with wonderful flavors of chard and Gruyere cheese. I had this for dinner with a side of steamed broccoli. Nothing else needed. The recipe is originally from Smitten Kitchen, but needed to be adapted. First I needed to make it gluten free, and second I didn't want to make a dish that served 12 people! You will be pleasantly surprised. It is fantastic!

Serves 4-5
Ingredients 
1/4 stick butter
1/2 small white onion, finely chopped
2 bunches swiss chard, cleaned, leaves only and cut into 1 inch pieces
pinch of nutmeg
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup of heavy cream or whole milk
1 tbs gluten free flour
1 lb red-skinned sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8 inch thick rounds
1 tsp fresh flat leaf Italian parsley, minced 
1 tsp fresh thyme, minced
sea salt and fresh ground pepper

1 cup Gruyere cheese, coarsely grated


Directions
Prep the Chard: Heat 1 tbs butter over medium heat in wide 6-qt pot, add onions and cook until softened. Add greens and nutmeg, stir until all leaves are wilted. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a colander and drain well. Press out excess moisture with the back of a large spoon. 
Make Sauce: combine milk and garlic in a small sauce pan. Bring to a simmer and keep warm. In a larger sauce pan, heat 1 tbs butter and add GF flour, whisking constantly (do not let burn). Slowly add in milk/garlic and continuing whisking , bringing to a simmer. You have just made a gluten free roux! Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside. 
Assemble Gratin: Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter a 8x8 baking dish (I used an odd 6 x12 oval shaped dish). Spread 1/2 the sweet potatoes in the dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and 1/4 of the herbs and 1/4 cup of the cheese. Now top with 1/2 of the greens, 1/4 of the herbs and 1/4 cup of cheese. Now poor 1/2 of the milk mixture over the 2 layers. Season with salt and pepper. Add the remaining sweet potatoes, remaining herbs, 1/4 cup of cheese, the rest of the greens and again season with salt and pepper. Pour the remaining 1/2 of the milk mixture over the greens (pressing the vegetables slightly, to make sure they are submerged and moist). Sprinkle with the last 1/4 cup of cheese. 
Bake for 45 minutes until golden and bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. 

Cinnamon Carrot Bread

                                                   Gluten Free Cinnamon Carrot Bread
Ingredients 
1 egg
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup cinnamon applesauce
2 carrots, peeled and finely grated
1.5 cups GF flour (Bistro Blend All Purpose GF Flour)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)


Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a loaf pan using butter and GF flour. Tap out extra flour.
In a mixing bowl, beat egg slightly, add sugar, melted butter, apple sauce and carrots. Mix well and set aside. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice together. Add carrot mixture to flour and mix until well combined. Fold in pecans. Pour into loaf pan and spread evenly. Bake for approximately 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean.


When cooled, slice bread, drizzle with honey and enjoy with a hot cup of tea!

                                                                                                     

Spinach, Tomato and Garlic White Pizza

I haven't cooked very much in the last couple weeks and I had some veggies I needed to use in the fridge...this pizza recipe is extremely full of flavor sans any marinara sauce! The garlic-olive oil is tasty enough that the red sauce isn't even missed. If you have left overs, it is delicious cold or at room temperature. 

                                                   Spinach, Tomato and Garlic White Pizza 

Ingredients 

1 12" GF pizza crust (the Gluten Free Bistro)

2 tbs of olive oil 

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup fresh spinach

1 roma tomato, thinly sliced

1 oz marinated artichoke hearts

Preheat oven to 400°F. Pour olive oil on pizza crust, spread around with a pastry brush. Mince garlic and spread evenly on crust. Top pizza with cheese, spinach, tomatoes and artichoke hearts. Bake for 12 minutes or until crust is crispy and cheese is melted and bubbly. 

Artichoke, Mushroom, Capers and Roasted Garlic Pizza

This pizza is a cinch to make. I bought almost all the toppings  from the food bar at Sunflower Market.

                                     Artichoke, Mushroom, Capers and Roasted Garlic Pizza

1 12" GF pizza crust (Gluten Free Bistro)
3/4 cup pizza sauce
4 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
calamata olives
capers
marinated artichoke hearts
roasted garlic
1 portobello mushroom, thinly sliced and sauteed in butter for a few minutes
1 tbs fresh oregano, chopped

Top crust with marinara, cheese and toppings. Bake in 400° oven for 12 minutes, or until crust is cooked through and cheese is melted and bubbly. Enjoy!

Before baking...

and the finished product