Gluten Free, Flaky Perfect Pie Crust

Flaky-Pie-CrustThe holidays were approaching and FAST and I needed a quick and delicious gluten free pie recipe; one that I could proudly share with the whole family: all 30 plus of them! After a few trials and errors with other pie crust recipes, I settled on a slightly modified variation of  a simple and GORGEOUS butter flaky crust.

sweet potato pie

 

I had decided on a traditional, although NEW to my family, Gluten-Free, Organic Sweet Potato Pie. I made two beautiful pies, and although I was new to this classic holiday sweet, I have to say it turned out PERFECT.

Of course, it all started with the perfect pie crust. For this simple but wonderful gluten-free pie crust, you will need:

  • 1 1/4 cups of Namaste or other gluten-free flour
  • 1/2 cup of butter (Unsalted if desired, but not necessary) chilled and sliced into small pieces
  • 1/4 cup of cold water

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter till the resulted mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Start adding water 1 TBSP at a time, stirring as you add. When the mixture has formed into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of four hours, overnight if possible. After you have let pie crust chill for at least four hours, roll it out flat and evenly press the dough into an 11″ pie pan.

WP_20151129_08_09_36_Pro I doubled my batch and baked my two pie crusts at 350* for fifteen minutes before filling it to help them keep their shape. I also did a light egg wash over the edges to keep them from crumbling, although neither is necessary.b361e7d5d8aa54eb0dca4e9ba1415eaf

Trim any excess dough from the edges, and then feel free to pinch up the sides, make lattice, or use any leftover dough and cookie-cutters to decorate the edges with leaves, holly, whatever you like. Get creative! Food should be fun and artful if you’re going to put this much time into it. Add your preferred filling, cover the crust with a pie-crust shield and bake.

WP_20151126_004

Fresh from the oven. MWAH! Beautiful and savory crust!

 

Gluten Free, Flavorful Scones

1238664021-Org_PFB_Prep (1) (1)

Some of you have been waiting for the wonderful scone recipe I have raved to you about. These are delicious straight from the oven, which is the BEST time to enjoy them, as they are not nearly as good when re-heated.

IMG_8934-575x575

First, we start with my personal favorite, Namaste Foods Perfect Flour Blend. It is the for gluten-free cooking. Namaste is affordable and can be found at Costco, and is run by MOMS, so you KNOW it’s going to be good for you!

butter

The ingredients you will need for these scones are:

  • 2 Cups of Perfect flour
  • 3 tsp of Baking Powder
  • 1/2 tsp of salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3  Cup of sugar
  • 8 TBSP of Cold Butter or shortening
  • 2/3 Cup of Milk
  1. Preheat oven to 450*
  2. Combine egg and milk and set aside and Combine all dry ingredients.
  3. Cut in Butter until it becomes the size of peas, using pastry knives or a cutter. Add wet ingredients all at once and toss gently with a fork until mixture barely stays together. DO NOT OVER-MIX, this will make the texture tough.
  4. Roll out the dough to about a 3/4 inch thick rectangle, and cut it into six Triangles.
  5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown, and enjoy them RIGHT away!!

GF-Banana-Scones-675x506

Some things to note:

*This recipe can also be used for making biscuits, simply increase the salt to up to 1 tsp, and decrease the sugar to 2 tsp, and instead of rolling and cutting them out, simply drop them onto a baking sheet and cook using the same temperature and timing.

If you really want to take it up a notch, you can add cheese, or an herbal blend for flavor. Be creative! Let me know your experiences in the comments section.

Original Recipe can be found here:

http://www.namastefoods.com/recipes/cgi-bin/recipes.cgi?Function=show&Id=213

Gluten-Free on the Go

Hold-the-Gluten1

Being gluten-free while you’re on the go can be a REAL challenge, especially if you are away from home and have forgotten to pack some snacks. One day, I found myself in this predicament while I was running some errands and began searching for something quick and easy. My options were limited between the Safeway and Fred Meyer. Safeway was definitely OUT for gluten free, so I made my way to the Fred Meyer Deli and perused their ready-made Meals.

wraps 1

To my HAPPY surprise I came across the most wonderful wraps! Turns out, Fred Meyer has a sushi concession where they make these great veggie wraps in ‘tapioca papers’ (A PALEO FOOD!).

 

20151004_130821 - Copy (2)

These wraps are exactly what I needed in a pinch. Freshly made and readily available, they’re perfect for everyone. Plus, they’re packed with the vitamins and minerals our bodies need in order to recharge.sushi

They are also SO delicious with this spicy horseradish sauce drizzled over them. YUM!

Delicious Gluten Free Pancakes

d893be0c5af8189fb077cb627e069921
Since cutting gluten from your diet you may be, like so many of us, longing for the buttery delicious smell of weekend morning pancakes filling your home and those savory sweet treats filling your belly. Some recipes leave us wanting for more, as they seem to  translate “Gluten-free” as taste-free or satisfaction-free, so I wanted to share this wonderful and simple recipe for these DELICIOUS gluten free pancakes. Who DOESN’T love pancakes, after all?

flour

First things, first; if you haven’t discovered Namaste Foods’ Perfect Flour Blend, it’s time you were introduced.  Namaste’s Perfect flour and their other blends are made with no wheat, gluten, corn, soy, potato, dairy, casein, tree nuts or peanuts, in a dedicated allergen-free facility which means they are PERFECT for anyone with food sensitivities.

For these delicious Gluten Free Pancakes,You will need:

1 cup of Namaste Perfect Blend (or other gluten free flour)
1 cup of ground organic steel-cut oats*
2 Eggs
2 TBSP Sugar
2 Tsp Baking Powder
Milk, as needed

cupoats

*Flaxseed, Whole Oats, Almond Meal, or Hemp Hearts can all be substituted for oats

I also added 1/4 extra tsp of baking powder, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 1 TBSP of Coconut Oil to mine.

Preheat your griddle to 325*

Pour Flour into Large 2+ cup Measuring Cup

Add the other Items (Oats, Almond Meal, etc) till you reach the 2 Cup Mark

Transfer to a large mixing bowl and add the eggs, sugar, baking powder, Vanilla, and Coconut Oil. Add milk to thin the mix enough to pour well, but don’t overdo it if you like them fluffy! The consistency will be a bit thick and chunky if you are using oats.

Pour your batter onto the griddle making 1/4 cup rounds, and brown each side.

DSC_1735fix-1024x680

Voila! Beautiful, Delicious, Gluten FREE Pancakes!

Reference Links:

http://www.namastefoods.com/about-namaste/what-does-namaste-mean.html

http://www.namastefoods.com/about-namaste/history.html

and this wonderful blog for the original recipe:

http://www.mylifesansgluten.com/2013/06/gluten-free-pancakes/