Category Archives: Recipes

GF Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

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Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

adapted from Gluten-Free Baking Classics by Annalise Roberts

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, gluten-free, vegan

I LOVE Oatmeal Raisin Cookies!  For me, they are the perfect autumn treat—spicy, chewy, yummy.  And ever since I accidentally fed some vegans my chocolate chip cookies (I forgot that eggs are an animal product), I’ve been looking for an opportunity to try out some of the egg substitutes.  The two options used most frequently seem to be flax gel and applesauce.  (There’s also something that comes in a box, but it doesn’t appear to be corn-free, so will avoid that option.) For this recipe, I used flax gel (details below) and it worked great!

Yippee!  I now have a treat I can bring to gatherings including vegans.

Makes about 30 cookies; recipe can be doubled.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup Superfine Brown Rice Flour (I use Authentic Foods brand)
  • 1/4 cup tapioca starch/flour
  • 1/4 cup potato starch (not potato flour)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/8 teaspoon guar gum
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger
  • 1 Tablespoon flax meal (I buy whole flax seeds and grind them myself)
  • 3 Tablespoons boiling water
  • 1/2 cup shortening plus 1 Tablespoon water
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 Tablespoon vanilla
  • 1 cup gluten-free quick oats (I use Bob’s Red Mill brand)
  • 1/2 cup raisins

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Position rack in the center of oven.  Grease cookie sheet with a thin coating of shortening or cooking spray.
  2. Combine flours/starches, baking powder, baking soda, guar gum, salt, and spices in a medium bowl.  Whisk together.
  3. Make flax gel (egg substitute) by combining flax meal and boiling water in a small bowl.  Stir together and let sit for 10 minutes or until gelled.
  4. In a large mixing bowl, beat shortening & 1 Tablespoon water, brown sugar, and white sugar until light and creamy.  Add flax gel and vanilla.  Mix until smooth.
  5. Gradually add the flour mixture.  Beat until smooth.
  6. Stir in the oats and raisins. (I recommend doing this with a wooden spoon rather than the mixer.)
  7. Drop heaping teaspoons of dough onto greased cookie sheet.  Bake in center of oven for 16-18 minutes or until golden brown.  Allow to cool briefly (less than five minutes). Transfer to wire rack and cool completely.  Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!!

©2012 Lucinda DeWitt

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Indian Delights

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Rogan Josh and Saag Aloo
(Lamb Stew and Spinach with Potatoes)


Over the summer I bought some lamb from Sheepy Hollow at Native Oaks Farm when I was at the Midtown Farmer’s Market.  Last week I finally got around to using it.  And now I am finally typing up the recipes.  These are gluten-free and dairy-free versions of two classic Indian dishes.  I served them with basmati rice.

Rogan Josh

adapted from recipes found in Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cooking (1982), Good Cooking from India by Shahnaz Mehta with Joan Bravo Korenblit (1981), and on the jar of Rogan Josh spice blend from Penzey’s Spices.

Rogan Josh is a popular lamb dish from Northern India/Persia/Kashmir.

This recipe makes 6-8 servings; can be halved.

Ingredients

  • 2 lb. lamb shoulder or stew beef, cut into small cubes (1/2″-3/4″)
  • 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • 2″ piece of ginger root, peeled & grated
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2-4 Tablespoons Rogan Josh seasoning (see note)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2-1 cup water (see note)
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk (see note)
  • 2 Tablespoons coconut manna (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Heat a Dutch oven (or other large pan that can go from stovetop to oven) over medium-high heat. Brown the lamb in 1 Tablespoon of the oil.  Remove the meat.
  3. Add 1 Tablespoon oil to the pan.  Add onions and sauté for several minutes, until transparent.
  4. Add Rogan Josh seasoning, salt, ginger, and garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
  5. Return meat to pan. Slowly blend in water, coconut milk, and coconut manna.  Bring to a simmer.
  6. Cover and place in the pre-heated oven.  Cook for 1-2 hours or until very tender.  Stir occasionally and add more water if necessary.

Notes

  • Rogan Josh seasoning is a blend of paprika, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and saffron.  I buy mine at Penzey’s Spices.  Feel free to create your own blend from a combination of these spices.
  • The original recipe used yogurt instead of coconut milk & coconut manna.  This recipe is a dairy-free version.  I use Nutiva Coconut Manna™.
  • You may want start with a smaller amount of water and add more later if needed.  If the sauce seems too thin after cooking, you can always thicken it a bit before serving.  Simply return the pan to the stovetop and stir in 1-2 Tablespoons of flour mixed with 2-3 Tablespoons of cold water. (I use a gluten-free flour blend, but any standard “thickener” will do (arrowroot starch, corn starch, etc.).  Heat & stir until thickened.

While the Rogan Josh is in the oven, prepare the Saag Aloo.

Saag Aloo

(Indian Spinach and Potatoes)

adapted from recipes found in Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cooking (1982), Good Cooking from India by Shahnaz Mehta with Joan Bravo Korenblit (1981), and the local coop sale flyer

Serves 4-5
Ingredients

  • 10 ounces fresh or frozen spinach
  • 1 pound potatoes
  • 4 Tablespoons oil
  • 1 cup yellow onion, diced
  • 1/2-1 fresh jalapeño pepper, minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 Tablespoons lime or lemon juice
  • 3 Tablespoons water

 Directions

  1. If using fresh spinach, chop roughly, then sauté in a bit of oil until wilted.  If using frozen spinach, thaw and drain using a sieve or by squeezing in your hand to remove most of the water; then heat in microwave or sauté pan.
  2.  In a medium-sized pot bring 1-2 quarts of salted water to a boil.  Peel and cut the potatoes into bite-sized chunks; add them to the boiling water and cook for about 7 minutes.  (You’re just parboiling them; they will cook more in the skillet.) Remove them from the heat, drain, and set aside.
  3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onions and pepper and sauté for a few minutes until limp.  Add the parboiled potatoes and fry for about 8-12 minutes or until they begin to brown.  Turn down the heat;   Add the garlic and spices; sauté for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.  Add the spinach, lime/lemon juice and water; cook, stirring frequently, until all is combined and hot. Serve hot.

©2012 Lucinda DeWitt

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Pie Crust Troubles

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gluten-free apple pie

Autumn is here, so it’s time to start baking again!

This weekend I made Quinoa-Sesame Bread, Minestrone Soup (minus the parmesan), and a Gluten-Free Apple Pie.  YUMMO!!

Unfortunately, something went wrong with my gluten-free pie crust recipe (see below).  I thought I followed the recipe I had used before, but for the first time, I made it a day before I was going to use it.  I wrapped it in plastic wrap and stored it in the frig overnight.  Today it was much more stiff and crumbly.  Even adding water didn’t make it nice and pliable like it usually is.  As you can see above, I used it anyway . . . patching it together.  I include the recipe below (it usually works). Just a WARNING that if you need to make the pie crust dough ahead, it may be more difficult to work with the next day.  (This makes sense because guar gum absorbs moisture, and continues to absorb moisture even after baking.  This is why GF baked goods shrink over time.)  I will post updates as I continue to tweak this recipe.

Gluten-Free Pie Crust

Single Crust Double Crust
1-1/4 cup Brown Rice Flour Mix 2-1/2 cup Brown Rice Flour Mix
2 tablespoons sweet rice flour 1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1 tablespoon sugar 2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon guar gum 1 teaspoon guar gum
1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) solid shortening, separated into 8 pieces and chilled 1 cup solid shortening, separated into pieces and chilled
1 egg 2 eggs
1 tablespoon orange juice or lemon juice 2 Tablespoons orange juice or lemon juice
  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. Mix the flours, sugar, guar gum and salt in a food processor.
  3. Add solid shortening and pulse until crumbly and evenly distributed.  The mixture should look like coarse crumbs.
  4. Add egg and orange or lemon juice.  Pulse a few times until the dough comes together.
  5. Dump dough out onto a large sheet of plastic wrap.  Form into a ball and gently flatten into a disc.  If making a double crust, divide into two discs. At this point you can wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the frig until you need it.
  6. On a large cutting board or table, roll out the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap.  If dough seems sticky, dust with rice flour and/or refrigerate the dough before rolling.  Keep rolling until the dough is larger than your pie pan.
  7. Remove top sheet of plastic wrap and invert the dough into the prepared pan.  Don’t worry if you get a few tears; just press it back together with your fingertips.
  8. Partially bake bottom crust (optional): Prick the pastry in 3 or 4 places with a fork.  Partially bake the crust for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Cool.  Fill and continue as directed in particular recipe.

 Apple Pie

  • 3 pounds apples (a mix of granny smith and other sweeter apples works best), peeled, quartered, cored, and sliced
  • 1-2 Tablespoons lemon and/or orange zest
  • 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup gluten-free Rice Flour Blend
  • 1 teaspoon guar gum
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • GF Pie Crust for two-crust pie (see above)
  • non-dairy milk and sugar for topping (optional)
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  2. Combine apples with zests, juice, 3/4 cup sugar, flour, gum, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.  Stir well.
  3. Roll out half the pie dough between two sheets of plastic wrap (see instructions above).  Drape gently into pie plate extending about 1/2-inch over the rim.
  4. Fill the pie with the apple mixture. Top with the second crust and seal the edges.  Make several slits in top crust with a knife.  Brush with non-dairy milk and sprinkle with sugar.
  5. Place the pie pan on a baking sheet lined with tin foil (to catch any drips).  Bake for 10 minutes at 400°F, then turn down the oven to 375°F and bake for 60-70 minutes more or until the crust is browned and the juices begin to bubble.  If the edges of the crust start to get too brown, cover with tin foil.
  6. Cool on a wire rack.
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Applesauce Cake (Yes, of course, it’s Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free!)

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GF Applesauce Cake

Gluten-Free Applesauce Cake

adapted from:
http://www.healthyseasonalrecipes.com/blog-table-of-contents/699-gluten-free-applesauce-snack-cake.html
and
http://glutenfreeislife.wordpress.com/2008/10/01/applesauce-cake-stress/

First made on September 26, 2012

Makes: 15 servings.
Active Time: 20-30 minutes.
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes.

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs
  • Zest from 1 orange or lemon
  • 2 cups unsweetened applesauce, preferably homemade
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • 2 cups brown rice flour blend
  • 1 teaspoon guar gum
  • 1-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a large bundt or tube pan and sprinkle with a dusting of rice flour.
  2. Puree eggs, zest, applesauce, honey and oil in a blender or food processor.
  3. Whisk flour, guar gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large bowl.
  4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir gently until combined. Add raisins and walnuts. Stir to combine.
  5. Spread batter into the prepared pan and smooth to make sure there are no air pockets.
  6. Transfer to the oven. Bake until golden brown and the cake springs back when lightly touched, 45 to 50 minutes.
  7. Let cool in pan 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.

Note

This cake turned out a bit “denser” than I would like.  Next time I will try to make something more like my Carrot Cake—moister, sweeter, spicier.  Still, this was definitely edible.

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Baking Backlog—GF Hamburger Buns

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Will be posting several recipes in succession . . . got behind on typing up the recipes.

Gluten-Free Hamburger Buns

Gluten-Free Hamburger Buns

The other day I happened to be browsing the baking section of JoAnn Fabrics and was thrilled to find mini-cake pans and mini-Springform pans (from Wilton).  They looked to be the perfect size for GF Hamburger Buns, so I bought some.  Today I tested them out.  They worked GREAT!!  The 4″ pans make the perfect size bun for a 1/3 pound burger.

I honestly don’t remember the last time I had a burger on a bun before tonight.  What a treat!!

Gluten-Free Hamburger Buns

Makes three 4″ buns; recipe can be doubled.

Equipment

Three 4″ round mini-cake pans (Wilton makes the perfect size)

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup sorghum flour
  • 1/4 cup millet flour
  • 1/4 cup potato starch (not flour)
  • 1/4 cup tapioca starch
  • 3/4 teaspoon guar gum
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • 1-1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast
  • 1 egg
  • 1-1/2 Tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup + 3 Tablespoons milk (or milk substitute), heated to 115°F

Directions

  1. Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature.
  2. Grease three 4″ cake pans and dust with rice flour.
  3. Combine all the dry ingredients (flours, guar gum, salt, gelatin, sugar, and yeast) in a medium-large bowl.  Whisk together.
  4. Combine the egg and oil in a small bowl.  Whisk together.
  5. Heat the milk and check the temperature.
  6. Pour the warm milk into the dry ingredients.  Stir to combine.  Add the egg and oil mixture.  Stir to combine.  Beat for approximately three minutes until well combined.
  7. Spoon the dough into the prepared pans.  Spread dough evenly with mini-spatula or knife. Cover gently with a cloth or plastic wrap.  Let rise until double (approximately 40-50 minutes).
  8. Near the end of the rising time, place the oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F.
  9. Bake the buns in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until nicely brown on top and sounding hollow when tapped on top.  Remove buns from oven and turn onto a rack to cool.

NOTES

  • The original recipe (in Gluten-Free Baking Classics by Annalise Roberts) used an electric mixer to combine the ingredients.  I use a Danish Bread Dough Whisk instead.  It works fine.  Just make sure you beat the ingredients thoroughly so that the gum and gelatin have time to start working.
  • The little pans can be difficult to handle.  I placed mine on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil for ease of getting into and out of the oven.

©2012 Lucinda DeWitt

4″ Mini Cake Pans, greased and dusted with rice flour

4" Mini Cake Pans, greased and dusted with rice flour

Dough in Pans

Dough in pans

After Partial Rising

After partial rising

After Baking

After baking

Buns Cooling on Rack

Buns Cooling on rack

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