Gluten-Free – Page 11 – in thriver words

I Want S’More!

From where I’m sitting, I can see a budding elm tree and white iris blooming in the back yard. These signs of spring remind me that it’s time to plan a trip to the river for some floating, fishing, camping, and s’mores!

Of course, in my family we don’t need camping as a reason to eat s’mores. We’ve been known to make them in the oven…at Christmas…when it’s snowing. Because 4 of us can’t tolerate gluten, we all use gluten-free Grammy Crackers to encase that delicious chocolaty meltiness.

Now that camping weather is approaching, we invite you to join us in savoring this yummy treat. Before you head out to the campground, stir up a batch of Cooking2Thrive® Grammy Crackers, and eat s’mores to your heart’s content. Here’s the recipe:

Grammy Crackers

Makes 8 dozen

2 1/2 cups sweet white sorghum flour

1/2 cups arrowroot flour

1/2 cup sweet potato flour

1/2 cup rice bran

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup 2% milk

1/2 cup club soda

1 egg white

1 tbsp milk

1 tbsp sugar

Preheat oven to 385º.

In large bowl, combine flours, rice bran, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add melted butter and olive oil. Mix with spoon or your hands until well distributed. Add honey, milk, club soda, and egg white. Stir until a stiff dough forms.

Place 1/8 of the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll until 1/16 inch thick. Remove top sheet of parchment. Cut into desired shapes and leave in place. Brush tops with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Place parchment on cookie sheet.

Bake at 385º for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned. Rotate pan every 4 minutes for more even browning. Remove parchment to rack to cool. Repeat process with the rest of the dough.

Once the crackers are cool, you can pack them up in your favorite airtight plastic container and head out while looking forward to a treat when the campfire’s ready. Have fun!

Don’t Like Peeling Butternut Squash? Then Don’t!

I love butternut squash. I like it oven roasted, mashed, as part of a tart, as a soup, boiled in beef stew – you name it, I’ll gobble it up. I love it in spite of the fact that my knives always seem to be dull and it has a tough covering.

Some of my friends tell me they avoid cooking this squash because it’s just too much trouble to peel. To this I say, then don’t peel it. A moderately sharp knife should cut a butternut squash in half when you use a little elbow grease. Once you’ve managed that, you’re well on your way to using it in some tasty preparations like these:

One of my favorite ways to prepare butternut squash is to oven roast it. I preheat the oven to 425º, clean the skin, remove the seeds, and cube it in one-inch cubes with the skin left on. Then I place the squash on a cast iron baking sheet skin side down, drizzle with olive oil, top with a few sprigs of fresh thyme and roast for about 40 minutes. The skin gets brown and adds some pleasing texture to the squash.

Oven roasted squash is delicious by itself, but it becomes decadent when I take the hot squash from the oven, remove the thyme, then toss the squash with bleu cheese crumbles and Sahale Valdosta Pecans. This pecan blend contributes a bit of tart, sweet, and spice to the dish with its addition of cranberries, black pepper and orange zest.

If you like to share, this combination makes a great choice for a potluck contribution. You can roast the squash while you’re getting dressed for a party, then toss with the cheese and pecans just before you walk out the door.

Yesterday, I included butternut squash in some beef stew that I simmered for about an hour before serving. I prepared one-inch cubes in the same manner I described above, leaving the skin on. After an hour of cooking, the skin was perfectly tender and added enough body to the squash for it to hold its shape and keep from disintegrating into the broth. Because I had added a significant amount of red pepper, it was nice to have the natural sweetness of the squash to balance the heat.

Even though butternut squash is a winter squash, I find it in the supermarket all year long. That means it’s available in the summer for a bit of barbecue variety. Just clean the skin, slice in half, remove the seeds and core, then slice in large wedges, season, and throw on the grill.

The more experience you gain wielding a knife against this pale orange nemesis, the more comfortable you may become peeling the squash. That will open the door for a whole new set of preparations. In the meantime, don’t hesitate to throw one in your shopping cart. It doesn’t have to be peeled to be delicious!

Pancake Breakfast Tacos for Mother’s Day

Now that is a breakfast taco! Scrambled eggs with cheese and crispy bacon wrapped in a giant gluten-free pancake. Crunchy, salty, and sweet! Yum. Easy to eat in bed or at the table. Thanks to Ben, I enjoyed one for Mother’s Day! Not only did he come over to cook, he developed the recipe and did the dishes. Best of all, he remembered to put the love in the pancakes…and that makes all the difference.

Check out Ben’s pancake recipe:

1 1/4 cups potato starch

3/4 cup brown rice flour

Pinch xanthan gum

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar

1/2 tsp salt

3 tbsp melted butter

1 large egg

1 1/4 cups milk

1-3 tbsp water if needed

Coconut oil or other light flavored cooking oil

In medium bowl, sift together potato startch, rice flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, sugar, & salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and milk. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture stirring only until smooth. Blend in the melted butter. Add the water if needed to reach your preferred consistency.

Cook on a hot, greased griddle until a little dry around the edges and lightly browned on the bottom. Flip over and brown on the second side.

Check out Ben:

Isn’t he just cute as a bug? I like to say that, but it confuses him because he doesn’t understand the expression. Neither do I, but I like to say it anyway.

All of you who like to give your mom a treat on birthdays, or holidays, or just because – remember that it doesn’t have to be fancy for her to enjoy it just as long as it’s gluten-free and filled with love!