Gluten Free Cooking

One problem I had was to find gluten free pasta that tasted good and stayed together not turning into mush.  I really like Mrs. Leepers; Pasta.  It is really good stuff.  The key to making good pasta though is watching this stuff like a hawk.  With these alternative grain pastas one second they are cooked and the next second you have wallpaper paste.  So don’t just set it and walk away, you will need to watch it and get it off the heat the instant it is finished cooking.   With the  Leepers it was not as much split second timing but it still is a lot faster than regular pasta.  Then use your favorite gluten free pasta sauce.  You can make and can your own, I will be posting canning recipes soon.  Until then good eating!

This is just a simple recipe for fat free dressing.  Just a substitution really.  You just need to get the Hidden Valley Ranch Packets at the store to mix your own ranch.  Then instead of milk and mayonnaise that the recipe calls for use 1 3/4 cups of non fat plain yogurt and just a little bit of water to make it the consistency you would like.

One of the biggest problems I had with this new gluten free thing was that I couldn’t have donuts, muffins, pastries of any kind.  Not that I ate them every day or every week for that matter but hey once in awhile, I here the call of the donut.  I tried rice flour and various other substitutes but nothing tasted very good, and of course nothing had the consistency I wanted because that is what the gluten did.  I am not a grind your own type of person, because I just don’t have the time for all that so I just kept looking and trying.  One day I found Pamela’s Products, a line of gluten free products that includes a pancake and baking mix.  That changed the world for me.  I now make donuts, scones, and cakes that taste real!!  If you haven’t tried this incredible mix you should.  You can buy large bags online for the price of the small ones some stores offer in there natural food sections.  I don’t have  a link to one here but if you would like one just post a comment.  Gain something back and start eating baked goods again.

This recipe is a compilation of several recipes that I had found.  The problem with most dairy free cheesecakes is not only that they don’t taste like cheesecake but they are horrible.  This one actually tastes like cheesecake and is wonderful, don’t believe me?  Try it for yourself, you won’t be sorry.

Cheesecake Recipe

Crust
1 box of Pamela’s Lemon Shortbread ( this is a gluten free product available in many stores)
3 tablespoons melted butter
a dash of cinnamon

Filling
1 cup sugar
2 packages (8 ounces each) Tofutti cream cheese, softened ( Tofutti makes very good Soy imitations of the real thing available in most stores)
3 eggs, beaten
1 pint Tofutti sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons lemon juice
cinnamon to taste

Heat oven to 350°. Combine crust ingredients and press into the bottom and half way up the sides of a 9 inch springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool and set aside.

In a large bowl, blend sugar and cream cheese. Add beaten eggs, one at a time. When well mixed, add sour cream, vanilla and lemon juice. Beat on medium until smooth. Then beat on high until a little bubbly, about 1 minute. Pour into pan and sprinkle with a little cinnamon.

Bake at 350° for 40 minutes. Turn off oven and let cheesecake sit without disturbing for 1 hour. Do not open the oven door.

After 1 hour, remove cheesecake from oven and let set at room temperature for 45 minutes, then place in refrigerator. Chill overnight. Serve as is or topped with fruit pie filling.

Makes 8 servings

If you don’t like all the lemon you can just use plain shortbread cookies ( Gluten Free of Course) Use less cookies if you want less sugar.  You can even make this cheesecake crustless but be sure to put it on a baking sheet as it might leak from a spring form pan.

My wife and I have a lot of food allergies and friends with Colitis.  The food that they try to feed you is usually completely disgusting!  The substitutes are terrible, I wanted to eat real food and still feel good.   I have created recipes, adapted recipes and found products that finally have made the dream of real food possible.  I want to share some of my ideas with you and have you share yours with me.  Some of these are gluten free some are dairy free some are both.  If you would like a recipe please post a comment and I will do my best to create one.  I am also looking for guest bloggers if you are interested please let me know what you would like to write about.