Scalloped Ham and Potatoes with Goat Cheese

Food and Holidays go so well together, and Easter is no exception. Ham and asparagus are always on the menu at our home. Most hams contain sulfites, dextrose and other undesirable ingredients. Luckily, Whole Foods and other natural food grocers carry more alternatives to mass-produced, chemically-stuffed, inhumanely treated little piggies. Niman Ranch is just the kind of rancher who pays careful attention to the environment as well as the health of the animals and those who eat them. One taste of a Niman Ranch ham and you will know quality.

1-1 1/2 cups ham, diced
2 pounds potatoes, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, diced
2 tbsp butter or ghee
2 cups chicken broth, warmed
4-6 ounce goat cheese
salt and pepper to taste

• Saute onion in butter over med-low heat until soft but not brown
• Stir potatoes into butter and onion mixture
• In a buttered 2 quart baking dish, layer half of the potatoes then half of the ham. Repeat layers again.
• In a blender mix the chicken broth and goat cheese. Pour over the layered ham and potatoes.
• Cover and bake at 375 degrees for half an hour. Uncover and bake for 25 more minutes or when potatoes are fork tender.

Chocolate Raspberry Scones

 

I have been practicing with scone recipes and finally found one I enjoy. Honestly, my favorite scone still comes from Pamela's Baking Mix, but until I can tolerate her wonderful mix again, I will enjoy these tasty scones. My girls love them with whipped cream. It was a nice Valentine's Day brunch treat.

 

2 3/4 Sorghum Mix

1 tbsp baking powder (Hain is gluten free and corn free)

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp guar gum

10 tbsp cold butter (freeze it for 20 minutes before using if possible-cold Spectrum Shortening can be used)

2 eggs (or egg replacer)

2 tbsp agave

1/2 cup cold milk (cow, nut, hemp or whatever you tolerate)

3/4 cup fresh raspberries or 1/2 cup defrosted raspberries, juice drained

1/3 cup chocolate chips (Enjoy Life brand are allergen free)

• Mix dry ingredients (first 4 ingredients) together
• Cut butter into small pieces and cut into flour mixture until it forms a course crumble
• Beat eggs or egg replacer until foamy. Adding lots of air into this portion helps create a lighter texture
• Add agave and milk and mix
• Add wet ingredients into dry all at once and stir to incorporate
• Gently stir in raspberries and chocolate chips
• Drop by large spoonfuls onto a parchment lined cookie sheet
• Bake at 375 degrees until set and lightly browned. The time depends upon how large of a spoonful you use. I ended up with large scones that took 18 minutes.

I have not made these vegan yet, so if you try it please let me know how it worked! We served them with whipped cream.

 

1 cup whipping cream

2 tbsp agave

1 tsp vanilla

• Whip the cream on high until very soft peaks form
• Add agave and vanilla and continue whipping until desired consistency is reached
 

 

 

Soy-Free Mayonnaise

`

I admit, I love mayonnaise. Not like eating it straight out of the jar love it, but with sandwiches, in dips, spreads, and salad dressings. It adds creaminess and tang that is just so good. It's nearly impossible to find commercially made mayo that works with my numerous sensitivities, so I make my own and might never use store-bought again!

If you are concerned about using raw eggs, check out this tip from the Incredible Edible Egg website. I have not tried this method yet and would love to hear from anyone who has.

2 tbsp red wine vinegar ( Spectrum organic with no sulfites added) or lemon juice
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp agave nectar (more if you prefer a sweeter mayo like Kraft)
2 cups of light tasting oil like Sunflower or Safflower

• Unless you have arm stamina like the Hulk, use a food processor or blender for this job. Cuisinart's mini food processor works perfectly! Mix together the vinegar, yolks, salt and agave in the processor or blender bowl
• Add the oil VERY slowly. The mini food processor has an oil resevoir on top that drips oil a tiny bit at a time which is very helpful. If you pour oil in too quickly it becomes an oily mess rather than a creamy mayo. Use all of the oil
• If the mayo is too thick, thin with a little bit of water to the desired consistency
• Store foods with mayonnaise at 40 degrees F or below or at 140 degrees F or higher to prevent growth of bacteria

Jalapeño Poppers Sans Gluten

My clever and beautiful sister-n-law, Ramona, created these gems using wonton wrappers. I replaced the gluten-containing wonton wrappers with rice-paper wrappers and rolled it "egg roll" style. Rice paper does not get quite as crispy as wonton wrappers, but it has a light crisp-chewy texture that works nicely with the creamy cheese and crunch of bacon. She also experimented with Cheddar, Smoked Gouda, and Montery Jack cheeses. All were tasty, but cream cheese won the "fave" status. The sauce shown is a mixture of raspberry jam thinned with a bit of cran-raspberry juice. Another awesome gluten-free appetizer, sure to please gluten eaters as well. I know my gluten-eating husband loves these! And I love not having to deal with messy batter and deep frying to have the great taste of Jalapeño Poppers. All I can say is YUM!

12 (8 inch) rice paper wrappers (purchased at a local asian market)
6 fresh jalapeño peppers
6-8 ounces of cream cheese (light or regular)
4 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled (reserve drippings)
onion powder or garlic powder to rub on jalapeños before grilling
salt
oil for sautéing peppers (about 1/4 cup) I used safflower oil

• Preheat grill or broiler for peppers.
• Rub whole peppers with oil and sprinkle with onion or garlic powder and salt
• Grill until skin is slightly charred and blistered on all sides
• Remove stems and seeds from peppers. Using gloves will keep the hot oils from irritating your skin (trust me... removing your contacts from your eyes is a torturous process after seeding peppers with your bare fingers-ouch!)
• Cut each jalapeño lengthwise into 6 strips
• Soak one rice paper at a time in cool water until soft (30 seconds or so). I just let the next paper soak while I was rolling one popper
• Pat the excess water off of the soaked rice paper with a towel or paper towel. Lay it out on your work surface and place 2-3 strips of grilled pepper, about 1 tbsp bacon crumbles (or 1/3 of a full strip), and 1/2 ounceish chunk of cream cheese in the middle of the rice paper. Fold up the bottom half of paper over the filling. Fold in each of the sides and roll up "egg roll" or "burrito" style.

• 
  
  When all poppers are rolled, add enough oil to bacon drippings to evenly cover the bottom of the pan and heat to high
  
  
  
• 
  
  Sauté poppers until golden on all sides and cream cheese is threatening to ooze out the ends
  
  
  

Now you are ready to dip and pop!

Sorghum & Millet Flour Blend

I know there are so many gluten-free flour blends in cookbooks and on the market, and usually I opt for the convenience of Pamela's or Bob's All-Purpose gluten-free blends. But very recently I have explored beyond these two brands because I cannot have the almonds or rice in Pamela's, and I don't love the beany aftertaste in Bob's. I realize the gar-fava flour blend in Bob's is more nutritious than other options, but I just don't love the flavor in all baked goods. So after trying recipes and experimenting at home, I have developed a blend I LOVE! It's a sorghum, millet and tapioca flour blend that has worked beautifully in muffins, brownies, and pancakes! Yipee! There is no grit, no strange aftertaste, no dry or crumbly textures. It's light, moist and more like wheat recipes than any I have used in my 3 years of experimenting.

Even though sorghum is not a powerhouse of nutrition like almond flour or gar-fava flour, it is still much more nutritious than rice flour with more than twice the protein, more insoluble fiber and fewer calories. The fiber makes it slower to digest, leaving you feeling fuller longer. This is also better for diabetics because it takes longer to convert to sugars.

The only thing I would like to change is to find an organic sorghum flour that has been milled in a dedicated gluten-free plant. I have found organic sorghum flour packaged on machinery used for wheat or a non-organic sorghum flour milled in a dedicated gluten-free factory. I chose gluten-free over organic-It's just not worth the risk of cross-contamination. I really like Authentic Foods brand of superfine sorghum flour (I order it through Vitamin Cottage or Whole Foods so I don't have to pay shipping). Bob's Red Mill also sells sorghum flour, which Amazon carries with a rather steep shipping fee, so I also order it through Vitamin Cottage with a case discount and no shipping fees.

1 cup sorghum flour
1 cup millet flour
1 cup tapioca starch (or flour)

You will need to add guar gum or xanthan gum to recipes. I use about 1/2 tsp. of guar gum per cup of flour mix and have had good results. I prefer guar gum because it is more naturally derived than xanthan gum. I also have a bad reaction to xanthan gum, possibly because it is often produced and harvested on corn.

A Curry For One

Photo by my 13 year old daughter

A busy day at our house today: weekly grocery shopping, Christmas card pictures (no small feat with a rambunctious toddler and moody 13 year old), rock climbing for the oldest girl, and busy boy-cousin birthday at local pizza parlor. Of course, nothing on the menu is on my "can enjoy" list, so I am now home-tired and hungry. What to eat...no easy leftovers that fit into my rotation day...I definitely want something tasty after smelling yummy pizza all evening...hmmm. Luckily, I have all the ingredients for a quick "can enjoy" sort-of curry soup. Yay!

Keep in mind, with no garlic, soy, coriander, or lime allowed-this does not measure up to my favorite Thai Curry Soup. I will have to post that original recipe for you, because it is a definite top ten fave! Until that one is back in my repertoire, this one will do.

Mix the following seasonings together:
pinch of ground fennel
1/2 tsp finely chopped dried lemongrass (a spice mill or coffee grinder works well for this job)
1/4 tsp paprika dash cayenne 1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ghee or favorite oil
1 tsp ginger, minced or grated
3 scallions, sliced (white and green parts)
1 cup broth (vegetable, chicken or fish)
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 small zucchini, sliced in rounds and quartered
1/2 cup shrimp
1/2 cup scallops
1-2 tsp lemon juice, to taste (a light vinegar will do if citrus is not tolerated)

• Heat ghee in a medium sauce pan and add white parts of scallions
• Stir in seasoning mixture and ginger
• Add coconut milk and broth
• Once heated, add seafood and zucchini and cook for 5 minutes (until shrimp are opaque)
• Remove from heat, add lemon juice to taste, sprinkle with green scallions and enjoy! 

Variation: Use chicken in place of or in combination with seafood. Replace meat with extra vegetables (yellow and green squash, slivered snow peas, slivered bok choy). If you can eat it, sprinkle soup with cilantro and a squeeze of lime. San J Wheat-Free Tamari sauce is also a tasty addition if not allergic.