Recipes

Tasty GF Creations

The past few years have brought a surge of GF foods and mixes to nearly any grocery store. But many times an autistic child will have more than one food intolerance, so it's good to have some recipes that can be made without relying on a prepackaged blend that might contain something your child cannot tolerate. Here are some of our favorite recipes.

• Rice Flour Blueberry Muffins
• Rice Flour Hot Pretzels
• Tapioca Flour Tortillas
• Featherlight Quinoa Bread (Yeasted and Yeast Free)
• Millet Waffles
• Lentils & Rice
• Rice Free Chocolate Cake
• Rice Free Carrot Cake
• Cinnamon Baked Quinoa

Rice Flour Blueberry Muffins

1/4 cup butter substitute (melted)

1 1/3 cups rice flour blend (see sidebar)

1 cup sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons GF baking powder

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup rice milk

1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

1 teaspoon corn meal/flour (optional)

Wisk ingredients together in a bowl. Prepare a muffin tin with liners and fill each cup 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until done. Makes 12-15 muffins.

Rice Flour Hot Pretzels

3/4 cup white rice flour

3/4 cup brown rice flour

1 1/2 cup tapioca starch

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon GF rapid rise yeast

1 or 2 eggs

1 cup rice milk (warmed)

1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil

Blend all of the dry ingredients together, then add the wet. Mix thoroughly until the dough becomes creamy. Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap, place in a warm area, and allow to raise for 60 minutes. After raising, turn out the dough onto a well floured surface and divide into 8 equal sized balls.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and grease a cookie sheet. Also, fill a pot with water and set to boil. Have a slotted spoon ready to help you transfer the pretzels in and out of the hot water.

Roll each dough ball into a rope and twist the rope into a pretzel shape. Carefully place one pretzels at a time into the rapidly boiling water and boil for 1 minute. Do not boil longer, or else the pretzel will become mushy and fall apart. Transfer each boiled pretzel to the greased cookie sheet. Coarse salt can be added to the top of any pretzels that will be eaten right after cooking. Don't salt any pretzels that will be put in the freezer: the salt will only melt and you will have to add more salt when you reheat the pretzel. Bake the pretzels for 15 minutes at 425 degrees, until they turn golden brown.

Tapioca Flour Tortillas

1 cup tapioca flour

1 tablespoon shortening

1/2 teaspoon GF baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1/3 cup cold water (more or less)

Blend all ingredients together with a mixer until you get a soft, fluffy dough. Divide the dough into 2 or 3 small balls. Sprinkle your work surface with rice flour and flatten one dough ball with your hand. Use a marble rolling pin to flatten the dough further until you reach the desired thickness.

Prepare a skillet with a little canola oil and heat to a high temperature. Use a wide spatula to transfer your tortilla to the hot skillet and fry about 1 minute on each side. The tortillas can be eaten immediately or frozen and reheated for later use.

It's best to start out making small tortillas until you get the knack of working with this dough.

Featherlight Quinoa Bread

(Yeasted and yeast free variations)

Quinoa Flour Blend:

1 cup quinoa flour

1 cup tapioca starch

1 cup corn starch (or arrowroot)

1 tablespoon any other flour (rice, potato, coconut, etc)

Blend well in a large container or a strong Ziplock type bag. Tumble to mix.

Dry Ingredients:

2 cups quinoa flour blend

1 1/2 teaspoons guar gum*

1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons GF yeast (or 1 tablespoon baking powder)

Wet Ingredients:

1 egg plus 1 egg white

3 tablespoons butter substitute (melted)

1/2 teaspoon vinegar

1 teaspoon honey

3/4 to 1 cup warm milk substitute

Grease a medium sized bread pan. Combine dry ingredients and set aside. In another bowl, blend the egg and egg white, butter , vinegar, and honey. Add most of the milk substitute. The remaining milk should be addded as needed when mixing of the bread has started.

With your beater turned on low, add the dry ingredients (including the yeast) a little at a time to the wet. Check to make sure the batter is about the consistency of cake batter (add more milk as necessary). Turn the mixer on high and beat for 3 minutes. Pour into the prepared bread pan, cover, and let raise in a warm area: 25-30 minutes for rapid rise yeast and 60 or more minutes for regular yeast or until the dough reaches the top of the pan. If you are using baking powder, skip the raise time and put the bread dough directly into the oven.

Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, covering the pan with foil to prevent burning after the first 10 minutes. Yeast free bread will take an additional 15-20 minutes baking time.

*Xanthan gum doesn't seem to work well as a binder in this recipe.

I have discovered that you can substitute almost any flour in place of quinoa in this recipe. Some ideas would be millet, coconut, white rice, or amaranth.

Millet Waffles

1 cup Millet flour

1 1/4 cup any flour blend (We like a quinoa, coconut, tapioca blend.)

4 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

2 eggs

2 1/4 cups milk substitute

1/2 cup canola oil

Sift together dry ingredients, then slowly add in wet with a whisk. Beat until well blended; batter should be thin. Makes 10 to 12 waffles. This recipe can be made with 100% quinoa flour if needed, and the waffles freeze and reheat great for later use.

Variations: Consider adding a little extra to your waffles to change things around!

Orange zest

Cinnamon

Nutmeg

Chopped nuts

GF mini chocolate chips

Diced apple

Shredded coconut

(note: Make sure you use a waffle iron that has never been used to cook regular waffles, otherwise you run the risk of gluten contamination.)

Lentils and Rice

1 cup jasmine rice

1 cup dried lentils

1/2 cup olive oil

1-2 medium onions, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon cumin (or more to taste)

2 teaspoons salt

black pepper to taste

Soak lentils in water for 3 hours, then drain and set aside. Meanwhile, soak rice in water for 1/2 hour; drain and set aside.  Saute onions in a large skillet with the olive oil for about 15 minutes until they turn very brown and crispy. Remove the onions to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.

At a medium-high heat, add the lentils and rice to the skillet, saute quickly adding the cumin, salt, and pepper. Add 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to very low and cover the skillet with a tight fitting lid.  Cook for 20-25 minutes.

To serve, fluff up rice and lentils and top with the crispy browned onions.

Rice Free Chocolate Cake

Flour Blend:

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup potato starch or corn starch (or arrowroot)

2 tablespoons tapioca flour

2 tablespoons quinoa or millet flour

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup shortening

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup flour blend

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup hot water

1/2 teaspoon vinegar

dash of cinnamon (optional)

Grease and flour a 9 inch round cake pan, or prepare muffin pan with liners. Cream together sugar and shortening. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour blend, cocoa powder, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mix, blending well. Lastly add the hot water and vinegar, stirring quickly. Pour batter into cake pan or muffin cups and bake at 350 degrees. The cake bakes approximately 35 minutes or the cupcakes for 15-20 minutes. Insert a clean toothpick into the center to determine if the cake is done. Makes 12-14 cupcakes.

Rice Free Carrot Cake

Flour Blend:

1/2 cup quinoa flour

1/2 cup coconut or millet flour

1/2 cup tapioca flour

1/2 cup corn starch (or arrowroot starch)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup oil

2 cups sugar

4-5 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour blend

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons xanthan gum

1 heaping teaspoon baking soda

1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon

carrots

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Grate enough carrot for 3 cups. Blend together oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add in flour blend, salt, xanthan gum, baking soda, and cinnamon. Mix together thoroughly. Lastly, add in grated carrot and chopped nuts.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan. Pour in cake mix. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

You can cut this recipe in half to make an 8x8 inch square cake.

Cinnamon Baked Quinoa

1 cup quinoa grains

6 cups water

3 large eggs

1 cup milk substitute

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon GF bread crumbs

1/4 cup chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, etc)

1/4 cup fruit (diced apple, raisins, dried currants, dried cranberries, etc)

cinnamon sugar (to taste)

Wash quinoa grain in several changes of cold water in a bowl, rubbing the grains between your fingers. Drain well. Bring the washed quinoa and the 6 cups of water to boil in a large saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until the grains are transluscent, approximately 13-15 minutes. Drain the cooked grains in a sieve.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla, brown sugar and salt. Add in the cooked quinoa grains, bread crumbs, nuts, and fruit. Pour into a greased 9 inch square baking dish. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top as desired. Bake approximately 40 minutes until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve warm (makes 8 servings).

This dish has a moist yet crumbly texture. It's great for breakfast, a side dish for dinner, or even dessert.

You can use millet grain if you don't care for the flavor of quinoa.