GF Chocolate Beer Cake

GF Chocolate Beer Cake

Unbelievable…this GF Chocolate Beer Cake is incredibly light…like Angel Food Cake. Just use Jule Shepard’s versatile GF Flour blend,  stir most of the ingredients in a pot and pour into a bundt pan.

To healthify, I replaced one of the two Cups of Sugar with 1/2 Cup NOW non-GMO Erythritol and 1/2 Tsp Green Stevia and no one was the wiser.  You can get Monk Fruit or Stevia Erythritol blends from the Bulk Barn.  Better deals can be had online from Swanson’s Vitamins.

What made me want to bake with beer ?    A helpful family member, “She, who cannot be named” accidentally put our GF Beer bottles in the upright freezer in the garage (we have a chest freezer too that added to the confusion). There were a few casualties but I just couldn’t bear chucking the rest.   I knew there was a Guinness Chocolate Cake recipe out there but I stumbled across this GF Knock-Off, thank you Jules!

I used a light GF Beer…now I need to track down a dark one and re-test this recipe.  Cheers !

 

Guacamole

Holy Guacamole !  Food Network’s Alton Brown of Good Eat’s fame has a really good recipe for Game Day !  Great with The Better Chip Beets and Sea Salt tortilla chips.  Spinach & Kale and Jalapeno are good choices too.

I didn’t change the recipe one iota.  But if you want to double or triple the recipe, just click on this guacamole link to download a PDF.

To prevent browning, use barely ripe Avocados and press saran wrap on the surface of the dip and seal around the edges.  The Good Eat’s Guy says to let it sit for 2 hours at room temperature before serving.  Good Luck with that, I’m diggin’ in.

 

 

GF Super Soft Dinner Rolls

This is the best gluten free recipe in terms of white bread texture ! It’s light, fluffy and it’s so amazing, the Gluten Free & MORE! Magazine posted Carol Kicinski’s GF Super Soft Dinner Roll recipe on their web site.  You won’t have to substitute a single thing, albeit she offers an egg-free version.  You can use any kind of Milk.  I used a can of Coconut Milk and Unsweetened Almond Milk.  I’ve had success with both hand and machine mixing.

Just like Jamie Oliver’s GF Yorkies, the key is White Rice Flour and Glutinous Rice Flour which can be bought at most retailers or online. The Erawan Rice and Tapioca Flours at my local Asian grocery store are only $1.50 for 400 grams.

Download the PDF for GF Super Soft Dinner Rolls

The recipe yields 24 rolls.  I filled 2 large silicone muffin trays, so my 12 rolls are twice as big!  My Kitchen Aid oven has a bread proofing setting.  I don’t cover them as they double in height.  After they rise, I crank up the oven to 375 degrees and set it for 18 minutes.  If it gets too dark, just tent with foil.

After they cool for 15 minutes you can wrap it up, store and reheat in a 350 degree oven.

GF Yorkshire Pudding

Jamie Oliver’s recipe piqued my interest as it had two types of Rice Flour and special ingredient, Pectin.  I found GF Yorkshire Pudding a great gluten free replacement for the old Joy of Cooking standby.   I’ve great big Yorkies using a large muffin tin, but for that WOW Factor, I used this Chicago Metallic Professional 6 Cup Popover Pan with Armor-Glide Coating.

If it gets hectic in the kitchen and can’t be bothered to turn down the oven twice as Jamie suggests, setting the Yorkies at 450 degrees for 20 minutes works as long as the oil is smokin’ hot when you start.

TIPS

• Make the batter a day in advance, otherwise, several hours in advance.
  • Check out the Science of Yorkies complete with the Why and the Pictures of the baking results using different types of milk, batter temperatures etc.
• Heat the Oil for 5 minutes before you add the batter.  It should bubble up…if not, you may have to increase the baking time
• Pierce the Yorkies with a toothpick if you cannot serve them right away.  It lets the steam escape without collapsing.
• Use your choice of Milk, Unsweetened Almond Milk or Coconut Milk

 

 

 

 

Buttermilk Cornbread with Jalapeno Peppers and Corn

Corn is my FAV Funky Food but sometimes you have to give yourself a treat.  My daughter Selena loves moist Cornbread so I replaced the Kernel Corn with Creamed Corn.  I like the heat so I use Jalapenos or Serrano Peppers.  I really like lots of Celery in a Cornbread Stuffing recipe I tried, so I added finely chopped Celery, Red and Green Peppers in Buttermilk Cornbread with Jalapeno Peppers and Corn.

The original recipe calls for a 9×9″ pan at 400 degrees but I’ve had success with a parchment lined ceramic baking dish at 350.

No-Bake Chocolate Crunch Brownie

Remember those “Munch Now, Munch Later” Nestle Crunch Chocolate Bars ?  The Food Network offers a sweet  healthy recipe using dates,  dark chocolate and crispy puffed rice and quinoa.  Pitting and softening the dates is the most time-consuming part but it’s worth the effort.  The No-Bake Chocolate Crunch Brownies recipe calls for Walnuts and Peanut Butter but you could substitute with other nuts and nut butters easily.

Buttermilk Hamburger Buns

We used to buy our beloved Gluten Free Potato Hamburger Buns  and Bison Burgers from the Healthy Monkey Cafe when we lived on the Coast.  Now the new menu indicates that there are traces of FLOUR in addition to Potato Flour…soooo disappointing, what betrayal.  When my Hubby said a clerk informed him of this…I was in utter disbelief, now it’s in Black and White on their menu.

 

Wilton spring form pans, tuna and salmon tins

Well, here’s the Bridesmaid’s choice, Buttermilk HB Buns, that I found in a Gluten Free & More Magazine.  Ginger, Baking Powder on top of lots of Yeast caught my eye.   You need to make Rebecca Reilly’s GF Flour Blend first.  Its a pain pulling out my mix master, so I just activate the yeast and mix by hand instead.

I divide the batter into 6 Wilton mini springform pans and sometimes Tuna or Salmon tins.   They rise well using my oven’s Bread Proofing setting.  Hubby likes to split and toast the buns for his Eggwiches and Hamburgers.