Applesauce Cake (Yes, of course, it’s Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free!)

Posted on September 29, 2012 by HSG

GF 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

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

Pork Chops & Applesauce

Posted on February 25, 2012 by Highly Sensitive Girl

My GF Breadcrumbs project got rather involved . . . but I WAS able to make the Breaded Pork Chops a L’Orange I was craving.

As mentioned in the previous post, to make these you take thin cut pork chops/cutlets, dip them in beaten egg, and then in breadcrumbs. (I first sprinkle the chops with salt & pepper & garlic powder, but you can add those later if you like. I also sprinkle some Italian Herb Blend—oregano, basil, thyme, marjoram—into the breadcrumbs, but that is also optional.)

The breaded chops are then browned in oil for a few minutes on each side.

Then a mixture of 1/2 cup OJ and 1/4 cup water is added to the pan, the heat is lowered, the pan is covered, and the chops are simmered for 45-75 minutes. I turn them every 10-15 minutes or so. Sometimes I have to add more OJ.

I serve these with rice and a green vegetable . . . and applesauce, of course!

And in case you missed it . . . this is what I think of when I have “Pork Chops & Applesauce”:

Breadcrumb Bread

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Highly Sensitive Girl

This odd looking loaf is from a recipe designed exclusively to turn into gluten-free breadcrumbs. The loaf is mostly potato starch and arrowroot starch (substituted for the cornstarch in the original recipe) and contains both quick-rise yeast AND baking powder. Apparently the yeast is “just for flavor” because there is no rise time at all.

Anyway, I’m hoping to use the resulting breadcrumbs to make “Pork Cutlets a l’Orange” (aka breaded pork cutlets cooked in orange juice). When my mom makes them, they melt in your mouth. Mine never seem to get that tender, but they are still good. Thin sliced pork cutlets sprinkled with S&P+garlic powder are dipped in egg and then in breadcrumbs, browned quickly in butter & oil (which for me will be just oil), and then simmered gently in diluted orange juice for 45-75 minutes (depending on whether you follow my sister’s version of the recipe or my mother’s; mom cooks them longer). My sister adds a drizzle of honey after the browning. Either way, they are yummy!

Not sure why I have a taste for these, but it’s probably because after the “gum incident” the other day, I was on a diet of rice, poached chicken, and applesauce for a few days . . . so I have this big jar of Unsweetened Organic Applesauce (I love that the ingredient list is: organic apples 🙂 . . . so I thought “Pork Chops . . . and Applesauce”.

Oh and yeah, pork chops were on sale when I went to buy groceries yesterday. Will add a pic of them after I make them.

Enjoy!

[Update: While I was writing the above, and the bread was cooling . . . the loaf collapsed. Not likely to get the 8 cups of breadcrumbs predicted from the recipe, but should get enough to make the pork chops. Next time I’ll use some more substantial flour, rather than just the two starches, and maybe let it rise a bit to give yeast a chance to work and the gum time to rehydrate (which apparently it needs to do to provide any structure) . . . Live and learn!!]

[Update#2: Slicing revealed that much of this bread was “gum/paste” . . . I had to carve off the bad parts before turning what was left into breadcrumbs. To do that I sliced the bread and let it “dry out” for a few hours, then I tore the slices into smaller pieces and used the food processor to pulse them into crumbs (this took several batches), finally I toasted the breadcrumbs in a 325°F oven for about 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.]

Toasted Bread Crumbs . . . Gluten Free!!

NOTE: This post got rather long, so I will post the Pork Chop pics in a separate post.