Gluten Free Garden recipes

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Permalink Reply by Maya on January 27, 2008 at 12:11pm

My husband's a gluten-free guy, which has dramatically changed the way I cook. The kids now generally spend their allowance at the neighborhood bakery which is, I guess, a much better outlet for covert activity than some things they could be doing. We eat gluten-free from the garden all the time; specific recipes would need a specific question (what to do with all that eggplant, for example), as I don't know what you grow. Don't be shy about asking!

I can give all sorts of advice about GF products and procedures, none of which will do anything for the eating locally campaign, but will make for a happier body. Two of the biggest lifesavers have been Kikkoman's wheat-free tamari, which has allowed us to reintroduce Asian food into our diets, and the round rice crackers in the Asian section of the supermarket (Trader Joe's has smaller ones in bigger bags). Otherwise, it's lots of root vegetables and cucurbits (local) and rice (which you may be able to get regionally, but we can't).

Or just have your produce with protein instead of with starch. Fresh mozzarella and extra vegetable servings are our favorite starch substitutes. We've also started concentrating more on flavor enhancers, such as citrus (wish we could grow it!) and herbs. Garden-fresh doesn't need gluten. It's in the winter that the gluten thing is an issue. We've found that eating totally differently rather than trying to imitate what you must live without (tofu pups? eeeew!) is the most successful way to go.

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Permalink Reply by Pamela on January 27, 2008 at 9:35pm

Maya,

Thanks for responding! I see this as a local issue because we love pizza( with garen fresh produce-tomatoes, onions, peppers, oregano.) Do you make a good gf pizza shell.? I have made pizzas from tortilla shells and dessert pizzas from buckwheat cakes. But I yearn for a crunchy crust to bite into. and fresh bread with butter and homemade jellies are dessert delicious! And homemade noodles with garden fresh onions and caarrots for chicken noodle soup! Those three items i would love to have good gf recipes for!!! Everything else I have developed or been given a gf recipe for. If you have any of these three that would be wonderful. And if there's a particular gf recipe you're looking for let me know! Eating locally is about making my own, not buying gf pasta, bread and cookies at the grocery store! Given the fact that gluten does not provide nutrition to our bodies, and actually makes some ill, it seems eating gluten free fits right in with eating healthy and local! Thanks . Pamela

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Permalink Reply by Maya on January 28, 2008 at 5:46pm

Have to admit we buy most breads, including a respectable rice pizza dough, because I don't have the attention span for all those ingredients and measurements. Somewhere I have pages of good bread recipes from a workshop I went to. I'll try to dig them up for you. They passed around samples and they were all fabulous. In the meantime, here's a Brazilian recipe for cheese bread (Pao de Queijo) that's a favorite in our house:

Makes 2 dozen appetizer-sized balls

Preheat oven to 375°. Boil the following until white foam appears (on stove or in microwave):

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp salt (optional)
Add this hot mixture to 2 cups tapioca flour. Mix well with wooden spoon and let rest for about 15 minutes. You will end up with a white ball. Mix in 2 eggs and about 6 ounces grated hard cheese (parmesan or romano). You will get a gooey, sticky mass.

To form rolls, cover hands with grease, use a teaspoon and quickly roll into ball shape as best you can (they will smooth out during baking). Or you can use a miniature ice cream scoop, like the kind for cookie dough. Each ball should be about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Bake on a lightly greased sheet or on parchment for 15 - 20 minutes, depending on size, until tops begin to brown.

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Permalink Reply by Peter Robertson on January 28, 2008 at 10:17pm

I am a celiac. Diagnosed in '92. My mother, sister and brother as well as quite a few cousins and uncles also have Celiac. It's great that you have high ideals about "local" foods. As a celiac my health comes first, then source. We grow almost all of our produce (access to 5 acres) and I work at a well established farm stand to source local fruit we don't grow. I've looked into growing white sorghum for flour. Finding seed in quantities smaller than 50 lbs has been a challenge. My diet has shifted from processed food to simpler more wholesome fair.

That said, I feel no guilt in buying quality basmati and jasmine rice from asian markets. The same with Swad brand rice flour (the only one that is somewhat consistent in grind and baking quality). I can walk out my door and grab an ear of corn, shell it and put it through the food mill. But, I live in an area that both Monsanto and Pioneer plant in excess of 50,000 acres of GMO seed corn (Nearby Constantine, MI calls itself seed corn capital). So I buy my certified organic cornmeal from Bob's Red Mill. We raise chickens (easier and more fun than normal house pets) for meat and eggs and buy local grass fed beef to eat once or twice a month.

My pizza crust passes the kid test (my kids love it). It's heavier than wheat flour but is very flavorful.

Cornmeal Pizza Crust (1 10-12" round pie)

1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup white rice flour
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
dash salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
2 tbl olive oil

Mix dry ingredients, form a well in dry ingrd, add milk, egg and oil-whisk, then with mixing spoon incorporate dry ingredients. Beat till smooth and well blended (takes some oomph, you'll feel the burn baby!!). For larger quantities I find that doubling often works ok with all ingredients.

Oil baking pan. Place dough in middle. Liberally sprinkle with more rice flour. Working from the center gently pat dough out to desired shape. Working carefully to keep dough floured and even thickness.

Top with favorites and bake 10-12 minutes at 425*. (My favorite is fresh spinach or chard sauteed with onion and garlic, some tomates diced, mozz and feta with some red pepper to top).

Pete

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Permalink Reply by Maya on January 31, 2008 at 11:34am

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/catalog/search.aspx?scommand=search&...

Johnny's Selected Seeds (see above) has Sorghum bicolor (sweet sorghum) by the ounce and the pound. Don't know if this helps. A quick internet search says it's the one that's cultivated for grains in Africa. If Johnny's sells it it will grow in Maine, so you should be OK for length of growing season.

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Permalink Reply by Peter Robertson on January 31, 2008 at 4:32pm

Hey Maya,

Thanks for the link. I might call Johnny's to get specifics. The black variety is popular for popping. I had an Ag prof that used to share with students all the time. It's very sweet and tender.

I live in Amish country. Several farmers grow sorghum for the canes to press for syrup. I collect the grain heads for my chickens. The Amish plant Tan/Red for syrup. The grain is sweet and the chickens love it. So I have plenty of that to plant my own. However, in reading up on sorghum varieties I ran across some info from Bob's Red Mill that they contract for sweet white sorghum. Other varieties can develop antho-cyanins that can be hard on digestive systems. As a celiac, that's the last thing I need! So I tred to find seed for the Sweet White and have had a hard time finding a seed source for smaller quantities.

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Permalink Reply by kristen holtz on June 17, 2009 at 8:31pm

i am a baker at a gluten free kitchen. i would be happy to share some recipes. are you looking for baked goods or cooked foods?

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Permalink Reply by Pamela on June 17, 2009 at 8:53pm

Kristen,

Hello! Yeah, you know how to bake gluten free baked goods? Like cookies, cakes and stuffing? I have a good cornmeal bread recipe I make like white corn bread loaf but a delicious yeast bread has escaped me! And good cookies that don't crumble would be nice! I have a delicious pizza shell but I'm open to new ideas! Pam

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Permalink Reply by zuni on June 17, 2009 at 9:27pm

Don't stop at just one! Bette Hagman's series of Gluten Free Gourmet cookbooks are excellent! My husband thrives on good food, and her recipes are superb.

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Permalink Reply by Laurie on October 31, 2009 at 1:21pm

Hi, I can't eat gluten as well as soy or dairy and I am diabetic. Here is a site I have enjoyed, especially the savory quickbreads.
elanaspantry.com

I also like the superfine brown rice flour by Authentic Foods. No grit! When I make pizza crust I use garbanzo bean or garfava flour and some xanthum gum for texture. My husband like the taste too even though he doesn't have to eat gluten free.

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Permalink Reply by Pamela on November 11, 2009 at 2:22am

Thanks Laurie, I will try these! I had bread made with garbanzo bean flour and it was deliscious and good texture.

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Permalink Reply by Laurie on November 11, 2009 at 12:09pm

I forgot to mention that you can make the "Dark Rye Bread" on that website and leave out the caraway seeds and it makes a great everyday bread. I also use 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar in place of the cream of tartar just because I always forget to buy it. I have started making my own nut flours in the food processor. I can make them for between 3.00 and 5.00 dollars a pound that way.

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