Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Old Fashioned Country Biscuits

For the lightest biscuits, the less you handle the dough, the better. A delicious country classic; like mom used to make!

2 cups GF flour blend, plus 1 T. extra for dusting
1/2 t. salt
4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
2 T. butter, chilled and chopped into pieces
2 T. coconut oil, chilled
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk

Preheat oven to 450˚F.

Combine all dry ingredients and whisk together. Add the butter and coconut oil and work into the dry ingredients quickly, using a pastry cutter or fork. Do not allow the fat to melt. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and pour in the buttermilk. Stir just until the dough forms a soft, moist glob. It should be sticky. But it still needs to have enough body to be able to form a very soft dough that you can cut into loose biscuits. We are not making hockey pucks here!

Plop the ball of dough onto a tea towel that has been dusted with the extra flour. With floured hands, very gently knead the dough 4 or 5 times and gently pat down  into a mound that is about 1 1/2 inches thick. Again, do not overwork the dough!

Cut biscuits with a floured drinking glass or 2.5 to 3 inch biscuit cutter and  arrange them, touching each other, in an unbuttered cake or pie pan.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden and flakey (not doughy) when pulled apart. They should read around 205˚F on an instant read
thermometer.

Makes: Eight biscuits.

Notes: For a shortcake biscuit to be used with berries and as dessert, add a
little extra sugar to the recipe and sprinkle extra sugar on top of the

biscuits just before baking.

This recipe is from the cookbook: "The Farmer's Daughter Cooks Gluten Free."

To watch a slide show "tour" of book click this link~

Monday, September 23, 2013

Best Gluten Free Turkey Meatloaf


Summer days were very demanding with watering and keeping up with the garden and trees on our 3 acres. But now, as we head into the cooler days of Fall, I can finally savor the change of seasons. 

My tried and true comfort food turkey meat loaf recipe can also be sliced cold for lunch boxes. 


Pictured with yellow wax beans from our garden.

Note: Don't let the horseradish throw you; this is my BEST turkey meatloaf recipe.  Enjoy!

1 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. olive oil
1 t. sea salt
½ t. freshly ground pepper (I like using Trader Joe’s smoky South African blend)
1 t. fresh thyme leaves, minced
1 t. fresh sage leaves, minced (optional)
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
1½ T. horseradish
1/3 cup chicken stock
2 T. ketchup 
3 pounds ground turkey or ground turkey breast
1 cup plain GF bread crumbs (I use Kinickinick's panko-style crumbs or make my own)
2 large eggs, beaten

Topping/glaze
½ cup catsup, mixed with 1 t. hot sauce and 1 T. GF Worcestershire

Preheat oven to 325˚F.

In medium sauté pan over medium-low heat, cook the onions and garlic with oil until translucent. Add the seasonings and herbs. Add the Worcestershire through the 2 T. catsup and mix well. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Combine the ground turkey, bread crumbs, eggs and the onion/garlic/ seasonings mixture. Mix well and shape into ovals (two medium sized loafs) on an oiled baking sheet that has an edge to catch over flow juices. (Or place into two loaf pans.)

Mix together the topping ingredients and spread over the top of meatloaf/s. Bake 1 - 1¼ hours until internal temperature is 160˚F.

Serve hot, at room temperature, or sliced cold for sandwiches.

Makes: 12-16 servings.

*Note: I added ½ cup finely chopped carrots or celery as an option.


To see a Youtube slide show "tour" of the cookbook, click this link:
The Farmer's Daughter Cooks Gluten Free cookbook

Monday, May 20, 2013

"American Pie" Summer Trifle


A fresh and colorful, "red, white and blue" dessert for Memorial Day and the Fourth of July holidays.

Cut the calories with low fat vanilla yogurt in place of some of the cream.

2 pints of fresh strawberries, washed, hulled, sliced and tossed with ¼ cup of sugar
1 pint of blueberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup strawberry-banana nectar juice (I used Jumex brand)
2 cups French vanilla lowfat yogurt (I used Stonyfield organic brand)
16 ounce container of whipping cream, whipped to hold stiff peaks, with ¼ cup of sugar folded in
1 large strawberry, cut into fan shape (see photo)
1 package Namaste brand Vanilla Cake Mix *

Bake cake ahead, following manufacturer instructions or choosing pound cake option below, if using. Allow to cool. Slice into cubes and place half of the cubed cake into the bottom of a large glass bowl or trifle bowl. Now drizzle one-half of the strawberry nectar over the cake cubes.

Next, add one-half of the vanilla yogurt, dropping dollops over the juice-soaked cake cubes. Now layer with one-half of the blueberries, then one-half of the sliced strawberries. Top the fruit with one-half of the whipped cream.

Now begin the layering process once again, beginning with the remaining cake cubes, the nectar, the yogurt, the berries and finishing with the whipped cream.

Place the berry garnish at the very center top of the whipped cream. Allow the trifle to rest and the flavors to macerate in the refrigerator for approximately four hours before serving.

Makes: Eight servings.

*Cake options: To modify this mix into a pound cake, follow instructions below.
1 package Namaste Vanilla Cake Mix (or any other cake mix if not doing gluten free)
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup butter, melted
½ cup buttermilk
4 t. GF vanilla extract

Mix all cake ingredients together well. Pour batter into an oiled 9 x 13 baking pan. Bake at 350˚F for 35-40 minutes and test for doneness. Do not overcook. Remove from oven and cool.


Some recipes are from my cookbook: "Delicious! The Very Best of Gluten Free and Wheat Free Cooking. It is available at: 
  
http://www.celiacdiseaseinfo.org


Monday, May 6, 2013

Spring Lambs Are Here!

This Spring we are going with a mix of mostly "hair" sheep. These girls, aptly named "Mocha, Cappucino, and Latte" by our neighbor, are a mix of Blackbelly (Barbados), Dorset and a little Suffolk. They are 10-12 weeks old as shown here.







The girls are kept safe from predators in our 6 foot ostrich fenced lot (orchard) that is shaded by a giant peach tree and are being fed lots of organic oats and GMO-free grasses.

Stay tuned as they grow...













Monday, April 29, 2013

Cinco de Mayo Fun...Pork Carnitas Tacos with Tomatillo Salsa!
















What do you do with tomatillos, 
or those ugly little green tomato-looking
things with husks on them?
You make a wonderful tart and savory
green salsa that is great with pork carnitas.

This is classic Mexican food at its best. 
And also my favorite go-to taco recipe. 
Enjoy!

Carnitas
2 1/2 pound pork shoulder, cut into chunks
3 t. dried oregano
2 t. fresh ground pepper
1 t. sea salt
1 t. ground cumin
1 onion, cut into chunks
3 whole garlic cloves
Juice of three limes
12-16 GF corn tortillas*
2 ripe avocados, sliced
Fresh cilantro
Fresh cabbage, finely shredded

Rub all spices on the outside of the pork and place seasoned pork in the bottom 
of a slow cooker.  Toss the onion and garlic on top of the pork. Squeeze the lime 
juice over the top.

Slow cook about 8 hours until meat is falling apart.  Drain the meat and shred the 
pork with a fork.
Serve with warm corn tortillas, tomatillo salsa, avocados and garnish with cilantro 
and cabbage.

Tomatillo Salsa
1 pound tomatillos, husked, halved, broiled/grilled until soft (5-10 minutes)
1/2 cup onion
1 large clove garlic, optional
1 cup cilantro leaves, loosely packed
1 T. fresh lime juice
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

Puree the broiled/grilled tomatillos and the remaining ingredients in the food
 processor until smooth. Cool in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Makes: Entire recipe of tacos and salsa makes enough for 8-10.

*Use non-GMO corn products!

This recipe is available in my gluten free cookbook:
"The Very Best of Gluten Free & Wheat Free Cooking"
by Diane B. Jacobs, available at Celiac Disease Info. org