Thursday, November 22, 2012

Have a Gluten Free Thanksgiving!


My brother advised me to go gluten free back in fall 2007, saying that it helps with all manner of things, including depression and anxiety, and he seemed to be correct at the time. I experimented with several gluten free recipes back in November 2007 and I was satisfied enough with two of them to share them on Xanga. I have moved them here to make them easier to find. Keep in mind that gluten free does not mean carb free or sugar free, although most of the recipes I am working on are definitely sugar friendly and carb light.

Here is a delicious berry pudding recipe I've created in November 2007. This seems to be the best version of the several tries:

Kephirra's Berry Blitz Pudding (Gluten Free)

One pound frozen mixed berries
One pint heavy cream or half and half (evaporated milk will also work)
1/2 cup white graulated sugar (Splenda will work if you need a diabetic version of this recipe)
3T local honey
1/4 cup rice flour (for thickener)
1 t vanilla extract
food mill or strainer lined with cheesecloth
large mixing bowl
4 quart saucepan
wooden spoon

Thaw the frozen berries in a microwave using the defrost button, or sit them out the night before. Mix the rice flour into the heavy cream, stirring until smooth. Fold the heavy cream mixture and vanilla into the berries, and mix well. Fold in the sugar and honey. Heat the resulting mixture to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Lower heat until the berry mixture bubbles but does not rise up to spill over the pan. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon for ten minutes until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat.

Pour the berry mixture into a food mill or strainer lined with cheesecloth. Run the mixture through the food mill until all the liquids have gone back into the bowl and only solids are left behind. Discard the solids, unless you like the texture and don't want to give up the fiber they provide. Return the now-smooth berry mixture to your stove top and heat back to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Lower heat and continue boiling for five minutes. Remove from heat and pour into serving dishes.

This pudding makes a great parfait. Pour it into the bottom of a parfait dish and tilt on its side slightly. Let the pudding cool, then add a layer of whipped topping or ice cream, then a second layer of pudding. Return to your fridge. Add a second layer of whipped topping or ice cream. Sprinkle each parfait with chopped pecans and grated dark chocolate. Enjoy! Serves 4 to 6.

Kephirra's Pork and Italian Sausage Scalloped Potato Casserole (Gluten Free)

One pound boneless pork chops (About four to six chops)
One pound Italian Link Sausage, cut into four inch links.(hot tastes best, okay to substitute bratwurst or kielbasa)
Six to eight medium potatoes, scrubbed and sliced, peels on
One large onion, chopped
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1 t minced fresh garlic
1 t seasoned salt
1/2 cup rice flour
one cup water
One cup half and half or heavy cream
3T bacon grease
large 9" by 11" oblong glass baking dish

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss together the vegetables, herbs, spices, and sliced potatoes. Let stand for ten minutes. Pour the vegetable mixture into a glass baking dish. Sprinkle rice flour liberally over the entire casserole. Pour half and half over your casserole, making sure to wet the rice flour. Let stand ten minutes. Pour one cup of water over the casserole. Toss the vegetable mixture together until you are sure all the rice flour has been moistened. Using a 1/2 teaspoon measure, place dots of bacon grease all through the casserole, about two inches apart.

Lay the pork chops on top of your casserole, arranging so that they have just enough space to lay sausages between each one. Arrange the sausages on top of the casserole as well. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Line your oven rack with foil or place the glass baking dish on a larger cookie sheet, as this dish will sometimes run over and drip onto your oven.

Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for thirty to forty minutes, until you can smell the meat roasting. Remove foil and continue baking another ten to fifteen minutes until meat begins to brown. Serves 6 to 8.