Gluten Free Cooking School » Gluten Free Casein Free Recipes

Gluten Free, Casein Free Bread Stuffing for Thanksgiving

Mary Frances — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 20:24:14 +0000

Having grown up on Cornbread Dressing, I had quite a mental block about making Bread Dressing. However, I have to say ,this recipe is quite good and it’s easy to make. So, if you’re still looking for a GF Thanskgiving stuffing/dressing recipe, this is a great option. If you need to be gluten free and corn free, then just make this dressing with your favorite GF/corn free bread.

The key to good stuffing/dressing is to cut the bread cubes to the right size and toast them well. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a soggy mess. If you’ve not done much cooking and would like to see how it’s done, a video demonstration is included in my Gluten Free Thanksgiving Made Easy Kit.

Gluten Free Bread Stuffing

10 c. gluten free bread, cut into ½” cubes
8 Tbsp. butter (use Earth Balance for casein free)
2 c. chopped onions
1 c. chopped celery
¼ – ½ c. minced parsley
1 tsp. sage
1 tsp. thyme
¾ tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
1/3 to 1 c. chicken stock
2 large eggs (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Place the bread cubes on a baking sheet and toast for 5 – 10 minutes, stirring every 2 – 3 minutes. Pour the bread into a large bowl. Melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the onions and celery and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley and spices. Add this to the toasted bread and toss until well combined.

Stir in the stock until the stuffing is lightly moist but not packed together. Taste and adjust the seasonings as desired. For a firm stuffing, stir in 2 beaten eggs and the more stock if needed to get to the desired consistency. Bake until the stuffing reaches an internal temperature of 165 F.

Green Bean Casserole (Gluten Free & Casein Free)

Mary Frances — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 22:01:35 +0000

There’s a reason that Green Bean Casserole is on every Thanksgiving table. It’s so easy! It’s not quite as easy when you can’t open up a can of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup, but it’s still not hard.

I’ve used toasted pecans as the crunchy topping for my casserole. If you’re really yearning for gluten free fried onions on top, you can make my gluten free fried onion rings ahead of time and use them as a topping. Just be sure to cut the onion rings very thin and hide these from anyone who might eat them before Thanksgiving. I think crushed potato chips would also be really good. I mean, can you really go wrong with cream soup and potato chips? No way.

Green Bean Casserole

20 oz. (4 c.) Green beans
1 recipe of Mary’s Condensed Cream of Soup with Mushroom
½ c. milk (non-dairy milk is fine)
2 c. toasted pecans, chopped

If you’re using fresh or frozen green beans, cook them in water in a large saucepan until they are tender. Then drain them and combine the green beans , the cream of mushroom soup, and milk in a large mixing bowl. Pour this into a casserole dish and bake at 350 F until the sauce is bubbly around the edges (approx. 25 minutes). Sprinkle the toasted pecans on top and bake for a few more minutes .

Would your Thanksgiving be less overwhelming if you knew the gluten free recipes that you’re planning would turn out wonderfully? Would it help to have a shopping list and cooking timeline to follow? Would you like to have someone to go to when you have questions? If so, then my Gluten Free Thanksgiving Made Easy Kit may be just what you need.

Mixed Green Salad with Apples & Pecans, Buttermilk Honey Dressing

Mary Frances — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:49:22 +0000

Turkey, stuffing and pie may be the stars of the Thanksgiving meal, but you have to get some greens and veggies on the table too. This salad is easy and delicious.

For those of you who are gluten free and casein free and have been missing creamy dressings, you’ll love this. Most of the GFCF dressings in the stores are NOT GOOD. Make your own and you’ll be much happier =) I learned to make dairy-free buttermilk when we were on a vegetarian diet. You mix 1 Tbsp of vinegar with 1 c. of non-dairy milk, and - voila! – you have buttermilk. This dressing is on the thin side – if you want it to be thicker then increase the mayo and reduce the olive oil.

Mixed Green Salad with Apples & Pecans, Buttermilk Honey Dressing

Salad:
8 c. mixed salad greens
2 Granny Smith apples
1 c. toasted pecans
1/2 c. dried cranberries

Dressing:
¼ c. rice vinegar
¼ c. mayonnaise
¼ c non-dairy milk
1 tsp. cider vinegar
3 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 green onion, minced
pinch of ground black pepper
1/2 c. olive oil

Wash and dry the greens. Core the apples and slice them very thinly. To make the dressing, whisk all ingredients except the olive oil in a small bowl. Then add the olive oil slowly, and steadily, while you continue to whisk the dressing. Toss the greens in enough dressing to lightly coat all the leaves. For buffet style, serve the greens in a large salad bowl, layering the apples over the top, and then sprinkling the pecans over the apples slices.

*This recipe was inspired by a recipe in Joy of Cooking. I’ve made some ingredient alterations and additions and rewritten the preparation instructions.

Would your Thanksgiving be less overwhelming if you knew the gluten free recipes that you’re planning would turn out wonderfully? Would it help to have a shopping list and cooking timeline to follow? Would you like to have someone to go to when you have questions? If so, then my Gluten Free Thanksgiving Made Easy Kit may be just what you need.

Gluten Free, Casein Free Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

Mary Frances — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 22:29:11 +0000

There is much to be said for comfort food. While generally not healthy, sometimes you just need your favorite comfort food to make you feel better. Unfortunately for us gluten-free eaters, many not comfort foods depend on a can of condensed cream soup. While it’s not impossible to find a gluten free condensed cream soup, it’s not necessarily easy. (Hint: Campbell’s is NOT gluten free).

However, it is easy to make your own condensed cream soup at home. It’s actually very easy! Here is my recipe for condensed cream of mushroom soup, just in time for your Thanksgiving favorites.

Mary’s Condensed Cream Of Mushroom Soup

2 Tbsp. non-dairy butter (like Earthbalance) or oil
1/4 cup gluten free flour*
1/2 cup stock-veggie or chicken
1/2 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup of mushrooms, finely chopped

This recipe equals 1 can of Campbell’s Condensed Cream of Soup

Melt butter in a medium sized skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until soft, not just tender. Add flour and butter and whisk together. Slowly add stock while stirring or whisking. Bring to a simmer and cook a few minutes until thickened. Add milk and salt and pepper and stir until combined and thick.

*Rice flour or a gluten free flour mix that does not contain xanthan gum.

Would your Thanksgiving be less overwhelming if you knew the gluten free recipes that you’re planning would turn out wonderfully? Would it help to have a shopping list and cooking timeline to follow? Would you like to have someone to go to when you have questions? If so, then my Gluten Free Thanksgiving Made Easy Kit may be just what you need.

Orange Halloween Cupcakes for Your Gluten Free Dairy Free Trick-or-Treaters

Mary Frances — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 19:08:19 +0000

Gluten free baking mixes have their place, and for me the perfect use of a box of Betty Crocker’s GF Cake Mix is a surprise batch of cupcakes for the kiddos. Last week I whipped up a batch and made a few alterations to the recipe on the back of the box, so that we could have some gluten free, casein free, and very orange Halloween cupcakes.

Here’s how to do it for yourself:

Start with: 1 box Betty Crocker GF Yellow Cake Mix

Follow the box instructions except for the following -

Substitute: coconut oil for the butter

Add: 4 g red food coloring & 6 g yellow food coloring

Bake according to the directions on the box.

If you aren’t using a scale, then just measure the food coloring by drops and keep a 4:6 ratio of red to yellow.

I’ll also grudgingly admit that these cupcakes would be perfect for Tennessee, Auburn and Florida fans.

Here’s a comment from Sara, a nutritionist and one of my newsletter readers, about food colorings:

I wanted to let you know that there are all natural alternatives to artificial food colors – go to www.naturalcandystore.com. Many autistic and ADHD kids have gut dysbiosis and should avoid artificial colors. I think the same is true for everyone – we try to avoid them, and I would never willingly buy food colors and add them to homebaked goods!

I hope your trick-or-treaters enjoy these cupcakes as much as my kiddos did =)

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The Gluten Free Casein Free Diet – Butter Substitutions

Mary Frances — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 20:48:49 +0000

Butter, butter, butter. So good for you, and so enjoyable as long as you don’t look at the calorie count and you’re not allergic to it. If you bake a lot, you already know that it’s possible to go through an incredible amount of butter every so quickly. Knowing how to substitute for butter in any given recipe is essential if you want to keep baking on a gluten free, casein free diet.

Photo by pinprick Let’s start off with a few words about butter. Butter is fat. Butter’s primary role in most baking recipe is to be the “fat”. Since butter is a dairy product it also adds some water to the recipe – butter is about 80% fat and 20% water. Butter also adds flavor to the recipes, and it’s dairy proteins can help with browning. Yet, despite all of that, butter’s most important role is that it’s fat.

So, if you need to replace butter in a recipe, you can replace it with one of a number of other fats. The particular fat that you choose will depend on two things.

1) You can’t be allergic to the fat.
2) Pick the right fat for the recipe.

Here is a quick list of fats that might work as a dairy substitute for you. I would keep all of these that you’re not allergic to on hand at all times.

Non-Dairy Butter Substitutes for Baking

shortening (often contains soy) - Shortening has a lingering bad reputation for saturated fats, but it’s a great butter substitute, especially for biscuits and pie crusts. In fact, shortening in biscuits is phenomenal; the crust shatters in your mouth and gives one little perfect moment of baking joy.
vegetable oils (often contains soy and corn) - Vegetable oils work if the fat in the recipe doesn’t have to be solid. Oil does a great job of covering up flour particles and can really reduce the grainy mouth feel you sometimes get with gluten free flours.
coconut oil (tree nut) – Coconut oil is solid above 76 degrees F, so if your house is cool then this can work a as a butter (or shortening) substitute. Get the temp above 76 degrees and you can use it as a liquid oil.
Earth Balance (often contains soy)- Earth Balance is one of my favorite options! Earth Balance makes vegan buttery spreads AND buttery sticks. Most of their products contain soy, but one of the spreads is soy free too, and suitable for baking.
animal lard – I’ll be honest, I haven’t used lard, but it is a fat and it used to be widely used. Using lard in cooking/baking is on my to-do list. From what I’ve read you shouldn’t use the stuff that can be stored for months at room temparature. Instead, look for lard in the refrigerated section or make it yourself.

As always, check and make sure any product that you buy is gluten free, even if that means calling the manufacturer and asking about their manufacturing practices.

How to Choose a Non-Dairy Butter Substitutes

If you wanted, you could get really scientific about which butter substitute would work best in a given recipes. You could start checking melting points, water content, and burning points. But we’re not going to do that today.

Most of the time you will be perfectly fine if you follow this rule:

Rule: Substitute solid fats for solid butter; substitute liquid fats for melted butter.

So, if the recipe calls for solid butter, you could use shortening, lard, Earth Balance or solid coconut oil. If the recipe, calls for melted butter then you can use vegetable oil, or you can melt the shortening, lard, Earth Balance or coconut oil.

Even this is not a hard and fast rule. If you’re making biscuits and only have vegetable oil, go ahead and use it. It’s won’t be the same as if you had used a solid fat, but it won’t be bad. Sometimes things won’t work out. The melting point of the fat can be extremely important in some recipes, and you might actually have to experiment with different fat substitutes to find one that works. But that’s not going to happen all that often.

In most situations, just use the fat that you have on hand and don’t worry all that much about it. This is just one recipe out of the thousands (millions maybe?) that you’ll cook, and it’s really not worth worrying over all that much. The recipe will probably turn out just fine and you can spend your worrying energy on something else =)

The Gluten Free, Casein Free Diet – Milk Substitutions

Mary Frances — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 13:56:41 +0000

If you have celiac disease and are not experiencing a full recovery on a gluten free diet, then casein, a protein in cow’s milk may be the culprit. Many of you have already figured this out and are already on a gluten free, casein free diet, or at least a casein-reduced diet. For those of you who haven’t eliminated dairy products, it’s probably worth trying.

Thankfully, it’s not at all difficult to use non-dairy substitutes in baking. We had a cow-milk free house for 4 years, and I often use non-dairy substitutes when I’m baking, In fact, I rarely notice now when a recipe calls for a dairy product; I automatically reach for the non-dairy substitute without even thinking about it. Recent reader emails and comments have reminded me that I haven’t ever written a post about how to make dairy substitutions in gluten free recipes, so here goes:

Part 1: Non-Dairy Substitutions for Cow’s Milk:
Photo by Andurinha

As a nation, our cow milk consumption starts with breakfast – milk in the cereal bowl. Non-dairy milk alternatives are becoming much more readily available, even in rural areas. We try to rotate through the non-dairy milks since our kids drink a lot of “milk” and we want to avoid creating new allergies through overuse of a single ingredients. Some of the “milks” that we like are: almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk, and rice milk. I’ve also seen hemp milk and flax milk in Walmart lately, but we haven’t tried them.

If you have access to different brands of a particular non-dairy milk, then I highly suggest that you try them all before deciding that you do or do not like them. We loved Silk products but detest 8th Continent. The Publix and Walmart private label non-dairymilks are both good, but each has a discernibly different taste. Different milks have different textures too. Almond milk is often thick, while rice milk is very thin and watery (it tastes better than it looks).

Many non-dairy milks come in Vanilla, Original, and Unsweetened Flavors. The vanilla flavor may be a good stepping stone if your palate needs some help adjusting to the flavor of a non-dairy milk. However, you will probably find that Vanilla becomes cloyingly sweet after awhile and you can then transition to the Original Flavor. Unsweetened is best saved for cooking and baking.

As with any processed food, be sure to read the label to make sure that the non-dairy milks do not contain wheat, barley or rye. Most do not….but some do.

Non-dairy milks are often priced higher than cow milk, but that price differential can often be overcome with coupons if you are willing to use whichever brand is currently on sale and/or offering a coupon. When I lived in Birmingham and could shop at Publix I was usually able to get non-dary milks for $2 for a half-gallon by combining coupons and sales. Unfortunately prices are much higher in the rural grocery stores that I now frequent, and the non-dairy milks never go on sale. Ugh!

Substituting Milk in Baking:

When you see milk in a recipe, you generally have two options. Substitute a non-dairy milk for the cow milk, or replace the cow milk with water. The main function of milk in a recipe is to provide liquid. Milk makes a recipe more rich and flavorful, so if that is an important aspect of the recipe then you would want to replace the cow milk with a non-dairy milk. A good example of this is Easter Bread. The usual liquid in bread is water, but Easter Bread uses milk instead and as a result the bread is sweeter, more tender, and much more special. Milk also tenderizes, which is why it’s usually used in biscuits.

Photo by RyanIsHungryIn other recipes, the milk can easily be replaced with water. When I first started making homemade gluten free pizza crusts I used milk as the liquid. One night when I was out of milk I used water instead and realized that the pizza was just as good with water. Since water is much less expensive than milk, I always use water in that recipe now.

I like unsweetened non-dairy milks for most baking, but Original flavored milk is usually an acceptable alternative. Avoid the Vanilla flavor for baking – it has too much sugar and vanilla flavoring to work as a 1:1 substitute for cow milk.

If you’re not sure whether you should use water or a non-dairy milk in a particular recipe, just make a choice and see what happens. Since they are both liquids, you’re not likely to end up with a failure either way. Seriously, for four years I had a veritable revolving door of soy milk, rice milk, and almond milk in my refrigerator. When I needed milk for a recipe, I grabbed whichever container was the nearest and used it. I cannot remember any recipes turning out badly as a result, except when I used a milk that I didn’t like (8th Continent soymilk- yuck!) in a pizza recipe. So, use whatever you have, except for nasty soy milk in pizza crust recipes.

Come back for Part 2: Non-Dairy Substitutes for Butter

Simple Suppers: Bean Burritos in Gluten Free Tortillas

Mary Frances — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 06:20:42 +0000

There’s nothing particularly glamorous about bean burritos. If you had peeked into our dining room last night you would have had no idea that John and I were celebrating one of the biggest turning points in our lives. But, for us, celebrating my first day working full-time on Gluten Free Cooking School (!!!!!!) with burritos made of homemade gluten free tortillas and simple, fresh ingredients seemed the most appropriate meal in the world.

These tortillas are an improved version of the gluten free tortilla recipe that I posted a couple of years ago. The new version is much more flexible and the dough is easier to roll out. If you’d like to make your own gluten free tortillas, the improved recipe is included in our new e-book.

Bean Burritos:
gluten free tortillas
pinto beans
rice
lettuce
tomatoes

I was cooking by eye last night, so I can only give you a general description of what I did. If I were to make this again I would do the following:

Cook a large pot of white rice (2 parts water: 1 part rice) and a large pot of pinto beans (you can substitute canned beans). Then, add approximately two cups of beans to a skillet that has been pre-heated with a small amount of oil. Mash about half of the beans with the back of a spoon. Add a small amount of stock (1/2 cup?) and 1 – 2 Tbsp. of any seasonings that you like. I used cumin and oregano – GF taco seasoning would also be good. Let the beans simmer on medium for until heated through. The mashed beans will soak up the stock, so you may have to add more stock to get a good consistency.

Take a tortilla and layer a small amount of beans, rice, lettuce, and tomato in the center. Roll the left and right sides towards the middle. Then fold the bottom of the tortilla up and over the fillings and roll towards the top. Leave the seam of the burrito on the bottom of the plate.

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Breakfast on a Budget – Cream of Corn Cereal

Mary Frances — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:29:49 +0000

The theme for January’s posts is Kitchen Management – things like gluten free grocery shopping on a budget, stocking a gluten free pantry, and how to clean a messy kitchen. The posts will be shorter and more frequent than normal (since I won’t have to multi-test as many recipes) and there will be several chances for you to chime in with questions, opinions, and tips.

Yesterday we made a short trip to Whole Foods for fresh produce and soymilk (we’re going through fruit like crazy since John got a juicer for Christmas) and I ended up talking to another couple that looking at the gluten free cereals. They were trying to decide if a small bag of granola was worth $5.

And while I have paid more than that for the same brand of granola (what can I say, I’m pregnant and I was craving granola), we usually don’t by packaged cereal at all. The gluten free cold cereals are expensive, and I don’t think that they are worth the price. Instead we rotate through a pretty extensive selection of hot cereals: grits, oatmeal, kasha, cream of corn, cream of rice. We add a variety of spices and dried fruits to the cereal to provide even more variety.

Here is the recipe for Cream of Corn (or Corn Mush if you have kids that are Goodnight Moon fans). What do you eat for breakfast?

Cream of Corn (aka Corn Mush)
(yields: 4 c. or 4 servings)

1 c. corn meal (we use Hodgson Mill**)
2 c. milk (we use plain soymilk)
2 c. water

Cooking Instructions:
1. Bring 1 c. milk and 2 c. water to boil in a medium saucepan.
2. While the water is heating, mix the remaining 1 c. milk with the cornmeal. 3. When the milk/water mixture is boiling, turn the heat to low and slowly pour in the wet cornmeal. Whisk the mixture continuously while you add the cornmeal to prevent lumps.
4. Cook the cereal over low heat for 20 – 25 minutes, stirring every five minutes or so to prevent scorching. The cereal is ready when it has thickened to the consistency of cream of wheat.
5. Serve in large bowls and top with butter (or CF sub) and salt, and your choice of sweetener. (I’m partial to maple syrup)

Change it Up: If you want to add some variety, try adding 1/2 – 1 c. dried fruit to the liquid mixture in Step 1. Or top the cereal with sliced fruit after serving. We really like sliced bananas on our Cream of Corn, and I think that fresh peaches would be delicious in the summer.

** If you’re tired of looking at the label of every single brand of cornmeal trying to find one that is gluten free, then I would suggest that you buy The Essential Gluten-Free Grocery Guide. I refer to it regularly and its a great help in quickly identifying the brands/items that are gluten free.

Eggnog French Toast

Mary Frances — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 04:01:21 +0000

This is a picture of my stove the morning after Christmas.

The monkey bread that I made on Christmas morning was a little dry and the only milk-like substance in the house was a half empty carton of Silk Eggnog.

So my little elf helper and I pulled out “Joy of Cooking” (picture a dirty white cookbook with a disintegrating spine and round burn marks from where I accidentally turned on the wrong stove burner) and improvised a recipe for Eggnog French Toast.

It was delicious!

Eggnog French Toast
(6 servings unless you have a two year old bottomless pit)

2/3 c. Silk Eggnog
4 large eggs
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
6 thick slices of gluten free bread
butter or margarine

1. Mix the eggnog, eggs, syrup, vanilla, and salt in a shallow dish.
2. Soak the slices of bread in the mixture until completely saturated.
3. Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat and add a dab of butter.
4. Place the bread into the skillet (don’t overcrowd; you’re going to need flipping room) and cook until the underside is golden. Then flip the French Toast and cook until the second side is golden (it doesn’t take nearly as long).
5. Serve hot with maple syrup and any other sweet things you can find in the pantry (but don’t tell my husband that this is why our chocolate chips disappeared!)

If you haven’t found a gluten free bread that you like, try my recipe for Finally, Really Good Sandwich Bread.

Gluten Free Cooking School » Gluten Free Casein Free Recipes

Gluten Free, Casein Free Bread Stuffing for Thanksgiving

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Green Bean Casserole (Gluten Free & Casein Free)

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Mixed Green Salad with Apples & Pecans, Buttermilk Honey Dressing

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Gluten Free, Casein Free Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

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Orange Halloween Cupcakes for Your Gluten Free Dairy Free Trick-or-Treaters

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The Gluten Free Casein Free Diet – Butter Substitutions

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The Gluten Free, Casein Free Diet – Milk Substitutions

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Simple Suppers: Bean Burritos in Gluten Free Tortillas

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Breakfast on a Budget – Cream of Corn Cereal

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Eggnog French Toast

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