I grew up on meat and potatoes. Every night my mom would cook some kind of meat, peel potatoes for the pressure cooker, and open a can of vegetables. Add a pitcher of Kool-Aid, and we were ready for dinner. Of course, we had homemade soups, stews, and spaghetti, but that was as crazy as we got. I remember the very first time I ate a taco; our family was invited to visit friends, and it was very festive. I hosted a fondue party in the ’80s with cheese sauce and hot oil. Yummy, with pieces of meat that seemed to take forever to cook.
For awhile, I did not eat pork, but I missed bacon. Then I decided to go to the extreme and become a vegetarian. I missed tuna, salmon, burgers, and steaks, but I went meatless for about five years. Even when I had Zöe, I decided that my baby would also not eat meat. I thought I was doing well making my baby food for her until, one day, I walked into daycare and she was eating mashed potatoes with hamburger gravy. That ended our vegetarian life.
Once married, I cooked various food because I loved reading cookbooks (this was my first training to becoming a cooking columnist). My husband patiently ate my successes along with my failures. Our kids tried everything, and then they had a peanut butter sandwich if they didn’t like it. I’ve attempted Keto and several other options. My daughter is now vegan, and it’s been fun cooking for her. I had never tried gluten-free recipes until I prepared the Annandale Improvement Club luncheon last week. Seeing if I could make a delicious soup, dessert, and bread entirely gluten-free was fun. I gave it a shot, and several asked for my recipes, so I thought I would share them with you. It’s good to try something new now and then. Hugs and Peace.
Sandy
“Variety’s the very spice of life, that gives it all its flavour.” – William Cowper
Easy Gluten-Free Fruit Cobbler
FILLING:
2 cups+ fresh or frozen berries, other sliced fruits, or rhubarb + berries (enough to cover the bottom of an 8 x 8 baking dish or 9-inch pie plate)
1/4 cup granulated cane sugar (use less if your fruit is already very sweet and ripe)
1 Tablespoon cinnamon, optional (I like extra cinnamon on peaches; feel free to omit for berry cobbler)
TOPPING:
1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated cane sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup melted butter or non-dairy substitute (Earth Balance® Buttery Sticks).
Preheat oven to 350° F. Arrange cleaned and prepared fruit into an 8”x8” baking dish or 9-inch pie plate (no need to peel peaches, apples, plums, etc.). Sprinkle with sugar (and cinnamon, if using). Stir together until mixed in the dish. Feel free to use more fruit, and use a 9”x13” dish instead if you prefer a higher fruit:topping ratio.
Combine the three topping ingredients (not the butter) in a bowl and stir with a fork until it forms a crumbly mixture. -Sprinkle on top of the fruit, and drizzle melted butter over top of the cobbler before baking.
Bake for 30-45 minutes, depending on the size of the pan. The fruit should be bubbly, and the topping browning slightly. If you have a convection setting, use that the last 10 minutes of the bake for a crisper topping.
Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup (Gluten-Free)
7 cups quality chicken bone broth, divided
8 oz. mushrooms, chopped
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 cup celery, finely chopped
1 cup carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon or Better than Bouillon
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3 cups cooked wild rice blend
2 cups cooked/shredded chicken, rotisserie works great
1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
2 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch, fully dissolved in 2 Tablespoons water*
1 cup half and half
Simmer: In a large Dutch oven or heavy stockpot, combine chicken broth, mushrooms, onion, celery, carrots, bouillon, black pepper, thyme, and garlic powder. Stir to combine well, and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.
Make roux: In a small saucepan, melt the butter on medium heat. Whisk in fully-dissolved cornstarch well, until smooth. Pour mixture into the stockpot of soup, stirring. Bring it back to a boil and stir for a few minutes, or just until slightly thickened. Carefully whisk in the milk, and additional 1 cup of broth.
Finish cooking: Gently add in the cooked wild rice blend. Add the cooked shredded chicken. Simmer just to heat through and remove from heat after soup is heated through – don’t keep cooking the rice or it will start to break down. Serve hot, with gluten-free bread or crackers.
Easy Gluten-Free Banana Bread
2 to 3 very ripe bananas mashed
1/3 cup melted unsalted butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour (I like Pillsbury gluten-free)
pinch of salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Spray a 4”x 8” loaf pan with cooking spray.
In a mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas until smooth. Add the baking soda to the mashed bananas. Stir the melted butter into the mashed bananas. Stir in the sugar, salt, eggs, and pure vanilla extract. Mix in the gluten-free flour. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan.
Bake on the center rack for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before slicing. Enjoy!
Store in an air-tight container.