Tag Archives: gluten-free

Fresh Herb Rice Croquettes

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mini burger

Is this a croquette or a vegan burger? Either way, these are very delicious. We served them with mustard on roasted mushroom “buns”. They would go very nicely alone side  a vegetable dish or a meat.

School is out for summer, so rather than save the mini burger for the next day’s lunch (which is what I usually do), I gave my daughter a special “fancy” dinner. She is always begging to eat off of the white plates (I have these for  photography- we have other everyday plates).

In the cute version, everything is miniature; the oranges are actually sliced kumquats and the mushroom “buns” are Shiitake mushrooms. Plus a little decorative pick.

Rice Croquette

Fresh Herb Rice Croquettes Recipe
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1 cup uncooked Lundberg rice blend
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for cooking
1 cup shredded carrots (about 3 carrots)
1/2 onion finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons minced fresh herbs (I used chives, mint, cilantro, parsley, and a touch of thyme)
1/2 cup ground cornflakes cereal

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Cook the rice.

Place the ground cornflakes in a shallow bowl and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pan and saute the onions, carrots, and garlic until the onions are soft and translucent. Toss with the salt.

Combine the rice and sauteed vegetables in a food processor. Pulse a few times to bring the ingredients together. Remove 1/2 of the mixture to a mixing bowl and pulse the remaining half until it is sticky but still granular. Transfer the remaining mixture to the mixing bowl and stir in the herbs. Form small patties and coat them in ground cornflakes.

Heat a bit of cooking oil in a pan (well seasoned caste iron or non-stick will work best) on medium-low heat. Cook the patties on each side until they are golden and crisp.

Serve hot.

Shared on: Allergy Free Wednesdays, Wellness Weekend, and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday

Gluten-Free Waffle Cones

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ice cream cones

I always make homemade ice cream and waffle cones for my parties. I think at this point my friends would be disappointed if I didn’t. We just had Strawberry Festival here at my house and the cones were very popular. This is one recipe I must outright brag about. These cones are really great– better than the sugar/gluten version. Really.

I make them small, for the kids, and if the grown-ups want more they can always have seconds. If I have time, it is nice to pour a small bit of melted chocolate into the bottom of a chilled cone. This prevents any leaks out of the bottom and makes the last bite an extra special treat.

Grain-free friends I am working on a recipe for you…

Waffle Cone Recipe
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1 egg (yolk and white)
1 egg white
2 tablespoons oil (I use olive oil)
1/2 cup agave syrup
2/3 cup white rice flour
1.5 tablespoons Namaste Perfect Blend Flour (Other all-purpose gluten-free flours would most likely be the same. Or use 2 tablespoons of rice flour- the cones will be slightly more fragile but not significantly. Alternatively you could add a pinch of arrowroot too.)

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These instructions are specific to the Chef’s Choice Waffle Cone Express. Not because it is the best (although it might be), but because it is the only one I have ever used. Will a Panzanella maker work too? Probably. Will other waffle irons work? No, you need a special flat iron for waffle cones.

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes (very important). Stir.

Preheat the waffle cone iron. Set the heat/browning level to 2.5-3 on the Chef’s Choice (other brands you will need to experiment). Scoop 1 tablespoon of batter onto the center of the iron and gently close the lid. Cook for 2 minutes or until cooked through and golden (waffle irons may vary).

Take the waffle out, shape it with the cone shaper. Press the edge and end tightly to seal the cone. Set it out on a cooling rack.

Repeat 20 times. Yes, this takes almost an hour. I think it is worth the trouble.

Problem solving:

If your cones are too delicate you may need to: rest the batter longer, or add a touch of flour (a teaspoon at a time of all-purpose will usually do the the trick).

Having trouble getting the edges to seal: work faster while they are very hot and use a bit more pressure (be sure to use the shaper or they will collapse).

Shared on Allergy-Free Wednesdays and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday

Pumpernickel Bagels (grain-free) and Rescue Bento

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Rescue Bento

I love bagels. I ate 1-2 bagels everyday for years before going gluten-free. I missed their chew texture, delicious varieties, and versatility. I loved them as sandwiches, with cream cheese, as mini pizzas…

Pumpernickel Bagels

I do have Everything Bagels and Raisin Bagels in my cookbook. They are great and quite different from this recipe. But it is always fun to have options, so now I can add this grain-free pumpernickel bagel to the lineup.  Stay tuned as I am sure more bagel recipes are soon to follow.

For the bento, I was having a bit of fun telling a story. I used a paper punch for the face on the Avocado Lady and for the mouth of the Kumquat “Victim”. I baked the bagel in a miniature donuts pan (rather than full sized) and wrapped a chive around it.

My daughter thought it was too worrisome that the kumquat was yet to be rescued, so she placed him on top of the raft. She had quite a bit of fun playing with him.

Rescue Bento

Can these be made as muffins? Probably but I haven’t tried it. Does baking soda work too? Yes but use about 1/4 teaspoon. Can you substitute the eggs? I doubt it, but I feel free to experiment. I learned about baking with almond butter and eggs from Elana’s Pantry, so thank you Elana!

Pumpernickel Bagel Recipe
makes 6 bagels
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3/4 cup roasted almond butter, smooth, unsweetened
3 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons molasses
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
2 teaspoons caraway seeds, toasted

Standard sized donuts baking pan (required)

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Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prepare the donuts pan with oil (6 slots). (I had one batch stick- that was frustrating, so I recommend being thorough here.)

Mix all of the ingredients together in a mixing bowl and then  fill the donut slots about 3/4 of the way.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. Be sure not to overcook or they become dry. They are done when a toothpick comes out clean and they feel firm but still have bounce.

Remove from the pans and set out on a cooling rack.

Enjoy hot out of the oven, toasted, or at room temperature.

This is shared on Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Fat Tuesday, Bento Blog Network, and Allergy Free Wednesdays

Blueberry Pound Cupcake and Cookie Monster

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I’m new to the (blogger) neighborhood– sort of. I’ve been around, eating gluten-free for about 6 years, reading gluten-free blogs for about four years, and writing recipes for several years too. But, I never had my own blog … until now. So I’m new. I am introducing myself to my neighbors; joining in the blog hops and online events.

For this post I am participating in Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger. I chose to adopt Shirley from Gluten-Free Easily (her blog is older than mine, but youngsters can adopt in blog-land). I have long admired her blog banner (the alphabet backwards highlighting the gfe- clever right?)  I was also recently inspired by her Coconut Blueberry Pound Cupcakes. So I made them, and followed the recipe exactly …

Pound Cupcake

… then I made it cute. If you type “Cookie Monster Cupcakes” into a search engine you will get about 500 images of similar cupcakes. This is not an originally idea, but it sure is fun! I put my healthy spin on it and used blueberries to color the frosting, apples for the eyes, and raisins for the pupils. I used the batter from the cupcakes to make tiny cookies with cacao nibs (they are a bit fragile). If you have a child with food restrictions, it is really nice to have a recipe like this to turn to.

Cookie Monster

As for Shirley’s recipe:

1) She says the flavor gets better as the cupcakes sit. She is right. Please don’t even bother tasting these for 2 hours. I took a nibble after 20 minutes and was disappointed, then I tried one after a few hours and ended up eating 3. So delicious!

2) They don’t taste like coconut to me. It tastes like pound cake with blueberries, and it is quite sweet.

3) When I make these again I will be adding orange zest and I could see lemon zest being nice another day.

The frosting: sorry no recipe for that; I just pureed coconut butter, coconut shreds, honey, and blueberries (wild frozen berries give the most color) in a food processor. The quantities? I just kept adding stuff until it tasted good. Then I chilled it in the refrigerator to thicken a bit.

Sesame Broccoli Slaw and Star Spangled Bento

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Star Spangled Bento

I love candied nuts on salad. I decided it would be a fun change to try candied sesame seeds. (It was fun and delicious by the way.) Also, with this salad, you could skip the cabbage and use all broccoli instead.

The bento was very quick and simple. The music notes are the flesh of a white peach and the stars are the skin side of the same peach. This is one of those two minute bentos, but I think it influenced my older daughter toward tasting the salad. She ate most of it.  My younger daughter cried through dinner and refused to try any of the food. Sometimes that happens. (OK, I confess, it happens often. She is very resistant to trying anything.)

Sesame Broccoli Slaw

Sesame Broccoli Slaw Recipe
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Salad
2 cups shredded Napa cabbage
2 cups broccoli, briefly steamed, still crunchy
1/4-1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 red apple, chopped

Dressing
1/4 cup toasted sesame tahini
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey or agave
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Salt, to taste

Sesame Candy (Buy it at the store or try this recipe.)

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Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl.

Whisk together the dressing ingredients and toss with the salad.

Top with sesame candy.

I am sharing this salad on June 2012′s Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten-Free Season Salads Theme and Wellness Weekend.

Chocolate Leaves

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Chocolate Leaves

I wanted to make chocolate feathers but didn’t have a mold for that. Then, somehow, I got off topic and started daydreaming about making chocolate leaves. It occurred to me that I could use a real leaf as a mold. I got started on the project that afternoon. That’s the kind of person I am- off and running at the first inclining of an art project.

Leaf Close Up

For the plate you see here, I roasted chopped almonds and spread them over the bottom of the plate. Then I poured white chocolate over the nuts. After that set, I poured semi-sweet chocolate over the top. I used chocolate molds from the store for the flowers. I used my recipes for chocolate and white chocolate ( in my cookbook), but you can melt semi-sweet chocolate and use that.

Leaf Close Up

How to Make Chocolate Leaves
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Ingredients:

High Water Content Edible Leaves (I used spinach for this project. I tried strawberry leaves for another project but they did not work so well due to not freezing well)
Melted Chocolate

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Prepare a platter with parchment paper and place the leaves on top. Put the whole thing in the freezer. Give it at least half an hour to freeze.

Dip the frozen leaves carefully in melted (but not hot) chocolate. Only get chocolate on the backside of the leaf. It takes practice. The leaves wilt very quickly so you may want to leave most of them in the freezer and work with one at a time. Place the dipped leaf on the frozen parchment paper (chocolate side up). (I also tried pouring chocolate onto the backside of the leaves, and it worked but was more difficult to control.)

Place the leaves back in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Take them out, let them warm-up for a few minute and the leaves will easily peel off the chocolate.

Some thoughts:

Maybe leaves out of the refrigerator instead of the freezer would work better. I will try that next time.

This is a just for fun activity. If you want a perfect, works every time project, you might not want to play this chocolate leaf game. That being said, these photos are from my first attempt- so it clearly works!

Shared on:

Sweet Tooth Friday