Cooking fresh collard greens (vegetarian, vegan)

photo from finecooking.com

Collards (also called collard greens) get a bad rap. They're green and kinda stinky (really only during a long cooking period)... but they are absurdly cheap, incredibly healthy, and super tasty. Collards are part of the cruciferous family (with kale, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, etc...) and they have compounds that can cause bloating and gas for some people... however if you're a fan of greens, don't pass up collards! Here are some interesting facts on this healthy green: 

Medical News Today stated in a recent article: 

"One cup of boiled collard greens contains 63 calories, 5 grams of protein, 1 gram of fat, 11 grams of carbohydrate (including 8 grams of fiber and 1 gram of sugar), over 250% of your daily needs for vitamin A, over 50% of your daily needs for vitamin C, 26% of calcium needs, 12% of iron and 10% of both vitamin B-6 and magnesium." 

They also stated: 

"One cup of boiled collard greens provides a whopping 770 micrograms of vitamin K; well over 100% of the daily-recommended need." 

Like many greens, collards are made primarily of water, which means they cook down to barely nothing (like spinach)..so if you want to make a BIG pot of greens (to last the whole week or for 4-6+ cooked servings) you'll want to buy 2-4 bunches of the fresh greens. 

Collards have tough stalks, which should be removed before cooking. I like collards prepared the old "southern" way, slow cooked and well... (there's really no other good way to say it)... kinda mushy!I know it sounds strange, especially if you're not a fan of southern foods (especially vegetables)... but collards are great when they are braised with a little bit of liquid and seasonings and slow cooked for hours. You can make them in the slow cooker (I actually included a recipe in my cookbook!)... but they are also super easy on the stove. 

I've read that other people like to take whole collard leaves and blanch them briefly to use as a low carb or gluten-free wrap! I haven't tried that, but it's on my to-do list! 

There's no real "recipe" for cooking greens... your measurements don't have to be specific, but basically here's what I used for this very SMALL batch of greens. (For a bigger batch double, triple, or quadruple the recipe!) Take note that I made these greens without any animal products. If you're a fan of meat or pork products this is traditionally made with a ham hock or ham seasoning and they are divine that way too. 

A Small Mess O' Collard Greens

Makes 2-3 large servings.

• 1 large bunch fresh collard greens, with stems removed and de-veined, and cut into small pieces (cut out the thick, fibrous vein in the center of the leaf -- this makes the collards cook faster and in my opinion makes them more tasty!) 
• 1/2 sweet onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large poblano pepper, chopped with seeds and white membrane (ribs) removed
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup - 3/4 cup water or vegetable broth

Directions: 

1. In a large dutch oven or stock pot saute onions, garlic, and chopped poblanos in olive oil for 2-3 minutes until softened. 
2. Add greens, red pepper flakes, and water -or- broth to the pot. 
3. Cook on medium-high heat and stir continuously for 5-6 minutes until collards are bright green and start shrinking in size. 
4. Cover pot and turn heat down to low. Continue to cook on low heat for 3-4 hours until greens are softened and yeah... kinda mushy! 
5. We served this with gluten-free, vegan cornbread, sliced tomatoes with fresh ground pepper, and canned pinto beans. 

Some kitteh pics for you... just because! :-) 

Whiskey Jack, chillin' in the cat tree!

Mollie... doing her best job keeping me from writing or reading... :-) 

Max happened to get rolled up in the
sheets to be washed on "Caturday" :-P

Product Review: Hodgson's Mill Gluten-Free Brownie Mix

Product: Hodgson's Mill Gluten-Free Brownie Mix
Company: Hodgson Mill Inc.
Location: All products made in USA
Self-purchased or Company Sample: Self-purchased

I don't keep a lot of gluten-free mixes in my kitchen. I like making things from scratch and brownies are no exception. However a few weeks ago I found this brownie mix from Hodgson's Mill and it was very reasonably priced (a little over $4.00 I think?) so I thought I'd try it out.

Last night was the perfect opportunity. Because is there ever a bad opportunity to make brownies? :-)

The mix called for 1/2 cup of butter, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 1 egg, and water. To save a few calories, I used 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce (instead of butter) and added about 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. I mixed as directed and then decided to put the mix into cupcake liners to make individual servings.

On top of each brownie "cupcake" I added  a small sprinkling of chocolate chips and 2 pecan halves. I baked them for about 18 minutes and voila... some really cute & delicious brownie cupcakes!

Michael and I really enjoyed these. They were chewy and cakey at the same time. SUPER chocolately and rich... definitely a match for any chocolate craving!

This is a gluten-free baking mix I think I definitely plan to keep in the pantry for a quick dessert!

vegan banana peach "ice-cream"

The past few months I've been cutting back on my processed sugar intake. So less baked goods, more fruit! I allow myself to have 1-2 servings of fruit a day. Lately, I've been "saving" my fruit servings to use as dessert after dinner.

For years I've heard about people making one ingredient ice-cream in their vitamix or blendtec blenders by simply pulverizing frozen bananas. To be honest, I kinda laughed at the idea. For one, I've never been a HUGE banana fan. Secondly... it just sort of sounded impossible.

But then I tried it. (Here's a quick little video to show you how.) 

And it was another "foot in mouth" moment. It's seriously delicious... and strangely enough -- because it's so cold, it tastes more like ice-cream than bananas! Now generally I have to add about 1/4 cup of almond milk in with my frozen fruit to get my machine to process the "ice-cream" smooth enough -- I think it's because my vitamix is an older refurbished model (I still love him). But that's all I do!

I usually mix one frozen banana with a handful for frozen strawberries or peaches. Sometimes blueberries. Sometimes a generous sprinkle of cinnamon. Sometimes a tablespoon of vanilla. I never have to add sugar. It's completely sweet enough just as it is.

On last night's serving I drizzled a little honey on top. Honestly, it was just for the picture. It absolutely didn't need the additional sweetness.

Have you made "one-ingredient" banana ice cream? What are your favorite combinations? Let's chat! Right here on the blog. If you look over to the left you'll see a blue box just for you. Talk with me. I want to hear about how you would make your banana ice cream.

{Gluten Free One Pot Meals} Clara's White Bean Florentine Pasta Recipe

Photo courtesy of Sisters Running the Kitchen

It's time for another one pot meal! For my husband and I, one pot meals often save the day! Crockpot meals, casseroles, skillet dinners -- one pot meals can be not only a time-saver, but a money-saver as well!

My friend Clara (of Six Food Intolerance Living fame) is ALWAYS coming up with amazing one pot meals she creates for dinner. I love how she can take simple pantry staples and create a classic and beautiful Italian inspired meal.

A few weeks ago Clara shared this recipe with me. She needed to come up with a last minute meal one night so she decided to throw together some of her favorite white beans/cannellini beans with spinach and pasta. She told me that even her incredibly picky husband loved the flavors & textures of this meal and had seconds!

For an incredible roundup of super easy, all gluten free, mostly one-pot meals, please check out this series, "30 Days: Gluten Free Quick & Easy Meals" that I featured on GingerLemonGirl last summer!


Clara’s White Bean Florentine Pasta
Free of gluten, dairy/casein, soy, and corn (if using corn-free pasta)
Created by Clara Ogren-Rubalcaba, shared with permission
Printer friendly recipe.

2 cups (16 oz.) dry gluten free pasta (penne, linguini, spiral, etc..)
2 tbsp. olive oil, halved
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 cups baby bella (or button) mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon - 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1 (15 oz.) can of cannellini/northern beans (drained & rinsed)
1 (15 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes (drained)
1 (7 oz.) bag of fresh baby spinach
Toasted pine nuts, for garnish

Directions:
Cook gluten free pasta according to package directions until “al dente.” Drain pasta, rinse with cold water & stir 1 tbsp. of olive oil over pasta. Set pasta aside.
Add remaining 1 tbsp. olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed or cast iron skillet. Saute chopped onion in hot oil until translucent & soft. Add minced garlic, sliced mushrooms, and seasonings and continue to saute for an additional 2-3 minutes until mushrooms are soft. Add diced tomatoes and fresh baby spinach. Continue to stir & saute for 3-4 minutes until vegetables are heated through. Lastly, add in cannellini beans & cooked gluten free pasta and cook an additional 3-5 minutes until pasta is heated through. Serve immediately. Makes 4-5 servings.

Gluten Free Light & Lovely Angel Food Cake Recipe

I remember a few times in high school when either mom or dad brought home a store-bought angel food cake and I simply ripped off pieces of it in pure sugary bliss! Soft, airy, and simply delicious. I had honestly forgotten how much I enjoyed angel food cake.

I think I even made it once or twice in my gluten filled years and it's a really beautiful cake to make. Angel Food cake is allowed to be messy. It doesn't have to be perfect. It seems a bit scarred with patches of crust scattered all over the cake and the pan. No frosting is needed. Maybe a sprinkling of powdered sugar for company... but this golden crusted gem of a cake doesn't need to be dressed up. Another fun thing about gluten free angel food cake? No gums are needed. The protein in the whipped egg whites is all you need for stability and great texture.

There are endless variations you could make with angel food cake. If you'd like it to be chocolate add a few tablespoons of cacao powder to the dry ingredients. For a lemon cake, add the zest of 1 large lemon.  If you want the cake to simply be studded with chocolate, fold in 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips right before pouring into the pan. It's so easy. Please make this gluten free cake. Tell me how you made it. Tell me that you loved it!

Gluten Free Light & Lovely Angel Food Cake
Adapted from this recipe by Natalie of Gluten Free Mommy
Free of gluten, dairy/casein, soy, corn, potato, and gums
Printer-friendly recipe

1/2 cup brown rice flour (75 gm, 2 5/8 oz.)
1/2 cup arrowroot starch (57 gm, 2 oz.)
12 egg whites, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
**For a reduced sugar cake use: 
1/2 cup sugar (99 gm, 3 1/2 oz.)
3 teaspoons powdered stevia (NuNaturals is my favorite brand) -- add to dry ingredients!
**For a regular cake use: 
1 cup sugar (198 gm, 7 oz.)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an angel food tube pan with non-stick cooking spray, or oil and then dust it with brown rice flour. To prevent further sticking at the bottom of the pan, you could line it with cut pieces of parchment paper. In a small bowl whisk together brown rice flour, arrowroot starch, and powdered stevia (if you are using it). In the bowl of your stand mixer, using the whisk attachment, whip egg whites until they are foamy (see notes below). Add in the cream of tartar and continue to mix until soft peaks form. Beat in the sugar a little at a time until stiff peaks form and the egg whites will look slightly glossy. Stop the mixer and remove the whisk attachment. Using a hand whisk slowly fold in the vanilla. Continuing to use the hand whisk, slowly fold in the flour mixture about 1/4 cup at a time. Slowly pour the cake batter into the greased and dusted tube pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, the sides of the cake will also pull away from the pan. Allow the cake to cool for 10-20 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake and turn out onto a cake plate. Serve plain, with whipped cream or ice-cream, and since it's strawberry season... make sure to place a few slices strawberries on top! :-) Enjoy!

Carrie's Kitchen Notes:

• Whipping Egg Whites: If you are not familiar with whipping egg whites and what each "stage" looks like, here is a good guide: http://www.baking911.com/howto/egg_whites_beat.htm. Scroll to the bottom to see pictures of the foamy stage, soft peak stage, firm peak stage, etc... 
• Brown rice flour/arrowroot starch: This cake is so adaptable you can use any whole grain you like. SO if you can't have rice, use sorghum, millet, or whatever pleases your palate! Simply make sure to use the same weight of flour. As with the brown rice flour, you can use whatever starch you prefer, EXCEPT potato starch. Potato starch is quite heavy so I would recommend either corn starch, tapioca starch, or even sweet rice flour. ADDITION: A reader wrote in and said she has never had any issues using potato starch in gluten free angel food cake. In my personal experience I've found potato starch to be a very heavy starch for baking purposes (and I do mean the starch not potato flour). Use your own judgement though, if it works for you that's fantastic!
• Sugar: I made this lovely cake with less than half the sugar used in the original recipe and it still tastes quite sweet to me, especially with the addition of powdered stevia. Feel free to add additional sugar if you want a really sweet cake, or lessen it further. You do want a little sugar in the cake because it helps with the caramelization/ browning of the crust. I am not sure how well alternative sugars would work in this cake. 
• Eggs: Sorry, you have to use egg whites... they are the base of this cake!
• Variations: See notes in the post above for possible variations on this simple vanilla cake! There are so many wonderful flavors you could use! I'd love to know what you come up with! My favorites would be adding lemon zest, using almond extract, mini-chocolate chips, or even a lightly spiced angel food cake with cinnamon and nutmeg! 
• Folding Techniques: When you're adding in the flours & the vanilla extract (or any flavor variation ingredients) use a whisk to SLOWLY fold in the ingredients. You whipped the eggs whites so they would have a wonderful texture & rise in the cake. You don't want to defeat all that hard work you did! If you quickly hand whisk/ fold in the last ingredients you can easily deflate your egg whites... and end up having a cake that doesn't rise well. So please take your time! Enjoy the process. And go make this cake!! 

{Gluten Free One Pot Meals} Ground Turkey & Quinoa Skillet Meal Recipe

Okay, I know this isn't the most appetizing meal you've ever seen. And the lighting in my kitchen at 8:30pm in the winter kinda stinks... but the one pot meal? Very good, very quick, and even husband friendly!

I'm starting a new series this week entitled, "Gluten Free One Pot Meals." I think I deserve a sticker for originality.

So the concept isn't anything new. But whether you work full time, commute an hour to work, stay home with your kids, dinner time can often be tough to figure out.

Last summer we addressed this issue with Gluten Free Quick & Easy Meals. A number of wonderful gluten free bloggers helped me out by sharing their favorite quick and easy meals.

This time I'm hoping to post a "One Pot Meal" once a week. I don't plan on having a time frame for this series. One pot, easy meals are needed year round.  "One pot" can meal anything from my dutch oven, to the pizza pan, to the frying pan, to a wok, etc...

This week's one pot meal uses my favorite large skillet. It's a 12" non-stick pan I received when Michael & I got married. It's still one of my favorite pans. These recipes will not be meals that are set in stone. Make them with the ingredients you have on hand. If you don't have any quinoa, or if it scares you, or if you have picky eaters... then use brown rice -or- gf pasta -or- gf bread cubes -or- cooked potatoes. Go crazy and try your own variations!

Ground Turkey, Vegetable & Quinoa Skillet Meal
- a gluten free recipe template by Carrie @ Gingerlemongirl.com -
free of gluten, dairy/casein, soy, and eggs

1 lb. ground turkey (or ground beef, or ground pork, etc...)
1 med. sweet onion, finely chopped 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
2 cups fresh button mushrooms (or baby bella mushrooms) stems removed, and sliced
3 carrots, sliced thinly diagonally
1 cup uncooked quinoa, that's been rinsed with fresh water (or 3 cups cooked quinoa, rice, diced potatoes, etc...)
Olive oil

Directions: In your skillet add 2 cups water and the dry quinoa. Bring the water to a simmer and cook covered for 10-12 minutes until quinoa is fluffy and very little water remains. (A great tutorial on cooking quinoa). Remove the cooked quinoa from the pan, place in a bowl & set aside. Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. Brown ground turkey. Add onions, and cook for 5-10 minutes until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add remaining vegetables and cook for about 10 - 15 minutes until they are soft. Stir the cooked quinoa into the mixture. (Alternatively, you could served the cooked vegetables & meat mixture over individual servings of quinoa.) Now, if you're not feeling up to a highly flavored meal you could eat the meal as is. But if you want some flavor variations for your one pot meal, here are some ideas you could use:

For an Asian Inspired Meal: 

• 1-2 tbsp. soy sauce (or soy sauce sub)
• a splash of sesame oil
• a few shakes of roasted sesame seeds
• a splash of rice vinegar
• a splash of fish sauce

For an Italian Inspired Meal:

• Add 1/2 cup of diced tomatoes to the skillet 5 minutes before serving
• 1 teaspoon dried basil (or 3 tablespoons julienned fresh basil)
• 1-2 teaspoons dried oregano
• splash a bit of extra virgin olive oil on each serving, right before eating!

For a Mexican Inspired Meal:

• Add 1/2 cup of your favorite salsa to the skillet 5 minutes before serving
• Add 1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro
• Serve with diced avocado or avocado slices
• 1-2 tsp. chili powder
• 1-2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. adobo seasoning

What flavorings/seasonings/add in's would you use? 

What types of skillet/one pot meals would you like to see featured? 

Gluten Free Girl's Whole Grain Muffins

I really love Gluten Free Girl. To be honest, before I met her at IFBC 2010 I thought she was a bit of a food snob. One more reason I need to stop judging people before I meet them! :-) I'm so glad I had the opportunity to meet her!  Shauna is a gem. She has an incredible hug and even more incredible heart for people. Her laughter --a joy to hear, her boots red, and her smile is warm & inviting.

I truly enjoy her writing & her blog. One thing I love about reading blogs is that you get to watch as the seasons change, as writers evolve, as their food changes.

Shauna has recently decided to stop using white sugar in their home. She's using more natural choices such as sucanat, date sugar, coconut/palm sugar, etc... She's also using more whole grains and she's cutting gums out of her baked goods.

I absolutely love all of these changes. They cater to my own natural & healthy food choices and I'm excited about the new possibilities in Shauna's baked goods. I'm eagerly awaiting her gluten free yeast bread that doesn't contain gums!

Last night I tried her whole grain muffins.

The muffins don't use xanthan gum or guar gum. The first thing I loved about them! Shauna also uses a 70% whole grains and 30% starches for this recipe. She tells you how to make your own personalized gluten free whole grain mix and then shares a basic recipe template. She wants you to play. She wants you to start thinking off the page.

Recipes are simply the outline, the basic idea of what you can make. It's up to you to make them unique. To use what you have available. To be creative and inspired.

The muffins we made last night used a combination of almond flour, sorghum flour, brown rice flour, quinoa flour (I love the taste of quinoa with cinnamon & raisins!), arrowroot starch, and ground flax seeds.  As Shauna stated, you'll probably never make the same muffins twice! That's certainly the case at our house. For the add in's we used about 1/4 of raisins (which cleaned out my stash of raisins) and a handful of sliced almonds. Apparently my chopped walnuts & pecans have hidden themselves in the freezer beyond my reach.

Since I'm watching my calorie intake I calculated that basically my overall recipe (including the amount of sugar & oil used in the original recipe) had 3693 calories. I was able to make 18 muffins from the batter, which means each muffin had about 205 calories. Overall, not bad! Plus, the health benefits of these whole grain muffins is substantial. I love that our version contained healthy proteins & fats with the almond flour + quinoa flour + ground flax seeds.

To reduce the calories in my next batch, I'll probably use a bit less sugar and replace half the oil with applesauce or pumpkin puree.

I was thrilled when I caught my husband (who generally isn't a huge fan of baked goods) packing 3 muffins in a plastic bag to take to work with him today. As I munched on my muffins for breakfast this morning, I was pleasantly surprised at how moist they were.

Do you enjoy muffins? What you would you include in your 70/30 gluten free whole grain mix? If you need some inspiration, here are a few of my favorite muffin recipes and most of them are whole grain:

• Gluten Free Whole Grain Banana Nut Muffins
• Gluten Free Streusel-Topped Blueberry Muffins
• Gluten Free, Whole Grain Vegan Banana Bread - easily made into muffins!
• Gluten Free Carob Banana Muffins
• Gluten Free Vegan Dark Chocolate Muffins
• Gluten Free Ginger Lemon Muffins 
• Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Gluten Free Orange Cinnamon Muffins

*This post is linked to The Gluten Free Homemaker's Wednesday Carnival for 1/26/11. 

Basic Gluten Free Pancakes Recipe 2.0

I originally shared this post  for basic gluten free pancakes on Tuesday February 23, 2010.  I'm proud to say this has been one of the most popular & enjoyed recipes on Gingerlemongirl! (Thanks Dad!) Today though I wanted to share a slight variation on the recipe to thicken the batter slightly without the use of gums.

Shauna over at Gluten Free Girl & The Chef has recently been experimenting with recipes that use no xanthan gum or guar gum. Here is her recent recipe for gluten free whole grain gum-free muffins! I plan on making these this week.  In 2008 and 2009 I also experimented with using little or no gums and I agree with Shauna, I think for most gluten free recipes you don't need them. I plan on creating more recipes this year without xanthan or guar gums. The biggest challenge in not using xanthan gum or guar gum is creating good tasting gluten free yeast breads, but we'll worry about that another day.

For now though... let's talk pancakes. These pancakes are great as is... but a question I've received often is how to make the batter a bit more thick. It's a thin batter because there is no xanthan gum or gluten to thicken it up. However, you can easily make this batter a bit more thick (and make pancakes just as delicious) by adding ground flax seeds that have been mixed with boiling, hot water to create a gel. This will thicken your batter -- not as much as xanthan gum would -- but enough to make a thicker batter that works great to get pancakes that are more round and have a better shape.



So if you tried these pancakes in the past, but wanted a thicker batter, here you go. The same recipe with a single addition of the ground flax seeds mixture. Please give these delicious & easy gluten free pancakes a try and tell me what you think!


Dad's Best Pancakes (Made Gluten Free)
-Or- Basic Gluten Free Pancakes
Adapted by Carrie Forbes @ Gingerlemongirl.com
(Free of gluten, casien, and soy)
(Printer-friendly recipe)

Dry Ingredients
3/4 cup brown rice flour -or- millet flour -or- sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
3 tablespoons gluten free rolled oats -- really adds some great thickness to the batter 
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 cup non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)
1 tablespoon canola or grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds + 2 tbsp. boiling hot water = mix & set aside for 5 min. to gel - then add to wet ingredients.

Directions:
In a medium sized bowl add all dry ingredients and whisk together thoroughly. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the vanilla, an egg, 1 cup of non-dairy milk, and the oil. Whisk wet ingredients together with dry ingredients until thoroughly mixed. You will have a very wet, but slightly thick batter that will cling to the whisk. Brush skillet or non-stick pan with olive oil or non-stick spray. Heat pan on medium high heat until it's hot enough to make a drop of water sizzle. Pour a few tablespoons - 1/4 cup of batter per pancake. Cook until bubbles form on the top and pop and the edges are slightly dry. Flip and cook the opposite side for 1-2 minutes. Serve piping hot with casein free margarine or ghee and real maple syrup!

Enjoy!

Thoughtfully,
Carrie

How to Make Old Fashioned Black-Eyed Peas

photo courtesy of "Frankly Southern." 

On the 2nd day of 2011 I made a big pot of black-eyed peas. Some say you should eat them on New Year's Day for good luck (along with greens for money!) but we just eat them because they taste daggone good. And it just so happens that today is National Bean Day! Make sure to stop by Thomas' blog "The GF/CF Experience" for Slow Cooked Turkey Chili!

The Broth Process: 

Basically to make a pot of really good, old-fashioned black-eyed peas, it can be a two day process (well if you got up late like I did... lol). First you need the broth. I had a leftover ham bone in the freezer that I made my broth with. We ate ham for Christmas, I saved the leftover bone & meat just for making black eyed peas on New Year's! All the healthy nutrients from the bone and leftover meat are released in the broth as it's slow simmered in water. Make sure to defrost your ham bone. Pull it out of the freezer a day before you plan on making your broth.

Basically place your defrosted or fresh ham bone in a large stock pot. Fill the pot 3/4 full of fresh, filtered water. Place the pot on a back burner of your stove and allow it to come to a boil, then turn the heat down and allow it to gently simmer until the liquid has reduced down by 1/4. (This will take several hours -- if not most of the day!) If you want a more concentrated broth (more flavor) you can continue to reduce down the liquid to the amount you need. As this process does take a long time, it also works great in a slow cooker if you'd rather not have your stove on all day long. If you use your slow cooker, you don't need as much water since it will not evaporate quickly.

Dried Beans VS. Frozen Beans: 

You can use dried black-eyed peas or frozen black-eyed peas. The dried variety are a more frugal option but they do need to be soaked overnight (or at least 8 hours) to be ready to cook. Frozen black-eyed peas offer the convenience of not having to soak the beans as they are already hydrated and ready to cook.

If you're not used to cooking with dried beans, I recommend using frozen. Dried beans, while much cheaper, can often take longer to cook than the fresh/frozen black eyed peas available, even after the soaking process.

For my batch of black-eyed peas this year, I used 2 bags of frozen black-eyed peas.

**A very instructive guide for soaking & cooking dried beans.**

Cooking the Beans: 

Once your broth has cooked down to the amount of liquid you'd like (about half a stock pot) you have several options. First you'll want to remove the ham bone & strain the stock to remove any impurities. You can then refrigerate the broth overnight (or at least for several hours) or you can cook your beans immediately. I like to refrigerate the broth so that the saturated fat in the broth will rise to the top and harden. You can then spoon off the fat to remove it and you will have a low fat (but very flavorful) broth to cook your beans in.

When you're ready to cook the beans, simply add them to the broth. Place the broth on a back burner and allow the bean & water to come to a boil. Then turn down the heat to a gentle simmer. Now, you can basically cook the beans as long as you'd like. The package of frozen black-eyed peas said that they needed to cook for at least 15-20 minutes in boiling water. Now, I've cooked frozen & dried beans for years and I can tell you you'll have very hard beans if you only cook them for 20 minutes. Beans are often made in the slow cooker because they can withstand long cooking times.

I cooked my black-eyed peas at a very gentle simmer (low heat) for at least 3-4 hours. If it looks like the liquid is evaporating a little too quickly add more water or broth to the beans. I used an entire half stock-pot full of broth by the time my beans were finished.

While the beans are cooking make sure to season them with flavors you like! We added:

• 3 whole cloves of minced garlic
• 1 finely chopped onion, which I sauteed on the stove in a little olive oil
• the leftover meat from the ham bone
• a little tomato sauce for color
• 3-4 tablespoons of freshly chopped cilantro (this is also pretty sprinkled on your bowl of finished black-eyed peas!) 
• salt & pepper
• a tiny bit of cayenne pepper

The beauty of dishes like this is that you rarely make them the same way twice, but they always taste amazing! The slow simmer, the anticipation of waiting for those perfectly cooked beans, the amazing flavor of the slow cooked broth... for such a simple dish, this is one of my favorite and I'm determined to make black-eyed peas more often this year. 

Of all the dishes I've made in the past few months, I think this was my husband's favorite. He had three bowls. He just kept saying, "I always forget how GOOD black-eyed peas are." He didn't want anything else with them. Just a hearty bowl of beans. 

And if you have "windy issues" afterwards, Phazyme Gas Relief is gluten free! lol But honestly we didn't have any trouble digesting these. 

A dish like this is filled with love. Simple, hearty, tasty, nutritious, and filling. 

Now go make a pot of beans! 

Thoughtfully,
Carrie

A Gluten Free Holiday - Breakfast with Elana's Pantry

It's the last day of my week of "A Gluten Free Holiday - Breakfast & Brunch Recipes." I'm excited to share one last holiday breakfast/brunch recipe with you! Today it's from Elana Amsterdam, the author of one of my favorite gluten free blogs, "Elana's Pantry" and one of the most well-loved cookbooks in my kitchen, "The Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook."

I bought Elana's cookbook before it was even published. I couldn't wait to open this book and make easy, delicious, and low glycemic recipes with almond flour! Elana introduced me to almond flour and I've been using it for several years now. Most of the recipes I make for myself are made with almond flour. It's easier for me to digest than grains, and it's just such an easy way to bake.

I've cooked my way through Elana's cookbook during the past year. I've made her chocolate chip cookies countless times. Her chocolate cake makes frequent appearances for birthdays and anniversaries. Her vegetable quiche with an almond flour pie crust is a favorite quick dinner. My husband LOVES Elana's simple recipe for chicken fingers, it's one of his most requested main dishes! Her vanilla cupcakes are some of my favorite "sweet" treats! And her bread. Elana's bread is what I use most often if I don't have Udi's at home or don't feel like making a yeast bread. I've had many a sandwich on Elana's gluten free bread. Sandwiches are easy comfort food to me and I'm so thankful for her recipes.

Elana has graciously allowed me to share one of her recipes from "The Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook" today! It's a recipe for her Chocolate Chip Scones! I hope you enjoy them!

Also today is the last day to enter to win a copy of Elana's cookbook over at my reviews/giveaways page! Please visit: A Gluten Free Holiday: Breakfast and Brunch Recipes to find out how!

Chocolate Chip Scones
Reprinted with permission of Elana Amsterdam
Published in "The Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook" c. 2009 written by Elana Amsterdam

Makes 16 scones
Sweetness: Medium

"In college, I used to pretend chocolate chip scones were a breakfast food instead of a dessert, devouring one nearly every morning. Using agave nectar to lower the glycemic index of this scone makes my unique categorization less of a stretch. Rich in antioxidents and low in sugar, organic dark chocolate makes these decadent-looking scones a healthy indulgence." - Elana Amsterdam

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup grapeseed oil
1/4 cup agave nectar
2 large eggs
1 cup coarsely chopped dark chocolate (73% cacao)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, salt, and baking soda. In a medium bowl, whisk together the grapeseed oil, agave nectar, and eggs. Stir the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined, then fold in the chocolate. Drop the batter, in scant 1/4 cups 2 - inches apart, onto the prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 12-17 minutes, until golden brown or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the scones cool for 30 minutes on the baking sheets, then serve.


*If you'd like to enter to win a copy of Elana's cookbook,  "The Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook" please visit: "A Gluten Free Holiday - Breakfast & Brunch recipes." 

Gluten Free, Vegan Millet Bread (Mock Cornbread) Recipe

I realized several years ago that my body doesn't tolerate corn well. I used to make fun of my grandmother for complaining about the same ailment. She would always say that she loved popcorn, but it didn't love her. I thought she was just being fussy... and now I completely get it. She wasn't being fussy... she just doesn't like the side effects of corn. And neither do I. 

Yet, one of my favorite foods is cornbread. I really hated having to give up cornbread. It's naturally gluten free. A few months ago I really wanted cornbread. I wanted to find a safe, gluten free, side-effect free recipe for a non-corn "cornbread." 

Enter millet flour. I've used millet flour since I started a gluten free diet. Natalie told me about millet flour and ever since I've been a fan. Millet flour is finely ground hulled millet grains. It's a light yellow color, very similar to corn actually. It can be finely ground or coursely ground and has a light texture. It's wonderful in gluten free baking because it has a very mild taste and does not overwhelm baked goods. It's also a very lightweight flour and helps to create very light & fluffy gluten free baked goods.

Millet flour not acid forming and is considered one of the least allergenic gluten free flours. Therefore it is easy to digest and is a great option for baking.

I am so impressed with this flour as a substitute for corn. I made this millet "cornbread" last night and I think I could have eaten the entire pan. The millet flour created a just slightly dense cornbread (mostly due to the fact that I made it egg free) and it had a perfect "cornbread" crumb & crust. We ate this with a bowl of chili and it was a perfect "cornbread" side. If you try it, I would really love to know what you think!

Gluten Free, Vegan Millet Bread (Mock Cornbread) Recipe
free of gluten, soy, corn, rice, dairy/casein, and eggs
created by Carrie Forbes of Gingerlemongirl.com
printer-friendly recipe.

Dry Ingredients:
1/3 cup sorghum flour
1/3 cup arrowroot starch
1 cup millet flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum  guar gum -or- just leave this out altogether
2 teaspoons corn free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar

Wet Ingredients:
3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted (or other oil of your choice)
1 tablespoon EnerG Egg Replacer + 1/4 cup warm water -OR- 2 eggs
1 cup unsweetened almond milk + 1 tablespoon lemon juice -OR- 1 cup buttermilk

Directions:
Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a mixing bowl whisk together all dry ingredients. In a small bowl mix together all wet ingredients, it's okay if the coconut oil clumps up a bit when added to the cold ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together thoroughly with a fork into a wet batter. Place a heavy-bottomed oven-safe skillet or cast iron pan with 2 tablespoons of coconut oil or butter in it into the preheated oven for 5 minutes. Allow the oil to get hot enough to sizzle when a drop of water is flicked into the pan. Holding the hot pan with an oven mitt pour the millet bread batter into the pan and spread it evenly around the pan. Place back in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.


Carrie's Notes:

• I love using a cast-iron pan for this type of quick bread. It gives the millet a super delicious crispy crust! 
• This would also be delicious if it were made with eggs, but I am out of eggs this week, so it was great to create an egg-free alternative. The bread still rose well and had a great texture. 
• Any type of oil, other than olive oil would be great for this bread. I don't recommend olive oil because it might have too strong a flavor for the light tasting bread. 
• Any type of non-dairy milk should work fine for this bread. I recommend mixing the lemon juice with the non-dairy milk and letting it set for about 3-4 minutes before adding it to your wet ingredients. It will thicken up like a buttermilk. 

Gluten Free, Vegan Apple Cinnamon Bars Recipe

photo used with permission from Joe of Culinary in the Country

I created this egg free, low sugar bar recipe for Cheryl of GFGoodness probably 2 years ago... I'm a little behind on posting it!

She wanted a recipe that used gluten free rolled oats. She also needed them to be egg free, corn free, and dairy free. (And I think there were a few other qualifications, but I can't remember what they were!)

At any rate, this is what I created for Cheryl. I've had several people test it with wonderful results. These bars are very simple to make and are an easy fall dessert!

I hope you enjoy them... even if I am 2 years behind schedule!

*Many thanks to Chef Joe of Culinary in the Country, for allowing me to use his picture to help me illustrate how delicious these bars are! While Chef Joe's bars are made from wheat flour & oats they look nearly identical to this gluten free version! Thanks Joe! 

Gluten Free, Vegan Apple Cinnamon Bars
Created by Carrie @ Gingerlemongirl.com
free of gluten, dairy/casein, eggs, nuts, gums and soy
printer-friendly recipe.

Bar Ingredients:
½ cup brown rice flour
½ cup arrowroot starch
½ cup sorghum flour
1 teaspoon gluten free, corn free baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups GF certified rolled oats (or half oats and half quinoa flakes)
1/4 – 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
½ – 3/4 cup coconut oil (NOT melted) -or- Spectrum Palm Shortening

Filling Ingredients:
2-3 small apples, any variety, seeds removed, coarsely chopped or grated
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 tablespoons agave nectar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together all flours, baking powder, salt, and GF certified oats. Stir in brown sugar, and lastly cut in coconut oil or Spectrum shortening with a knife or fork, until it resembles very small peas within the dry mixture. You should have a crumbly dough. Press one half of the bar mixture into a greased 8″ square (or small rectangular) pan. In a small saucepan cook chopped apples, cinnamon, and agave nectar just until apples are soft – 10 to 15 minutes. Pour apple mixture over the pressed bar mixture.
Sprinkle second half of bar mixture over the top of apples and pat lightly. Bake at 350 for 30 – 40 minutes or until light brown. Let cool completely before cutting into squares. Makes 9 large bars. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Double Chocolate Muffins Recipe

Here's an easy gluten free "back to school" muffin recipe. Muffins surprise me. Sometimes I like them. Sometimes I don't. I've realized I'm not a fan of fruit muffins because they are often very moist and can go bad quickly (I've eaten one too many soggy fruit muffins). 

Chocolate muffins on the other hand? Well they might as well be cake! I can definitely do "cake" for breakfast or as a mid-morning snack. 

These muffins are super easy to whip together because I used the revised gluten free Master Baking Mix as the base.  Feel free to use any gluten free all purpose baking mix you have on hand! 

Karen M., a dear friend from the GLG Facebook page has become my unofficial recipe tester. She tested these muffins a few weeks ago with her family and here's what she said: "Muffins went over great this morning! We doubled the recipe, used rice milk and used sugar. Made super sized and baked for 23 min. My mom has been craving a double chocolate muffin so she joined us for breakfast and we ate them all! Thanks!"

My husband is not a huge fan of baked goods (unless you count these chocolate chip cookies -- those don't last 24 hours in our house)  but he really enjoyed these muffins and took a few with him to work. If you are a chocolate fan, I think you'll really enjoy these easy gluten free double chocolate muffins. 

Gluten Free Double Chocolate Master Mix Muffins
free of gluten, dairy/casein, and soy
created by carrie @ gingerlemongirl.com
print-friendly recipe. 

Makes 6 muffins

1 cup Revised Gluten Free Master Baking Mix
2 tablespoons baking cocoa
1/4 cup agave nectar or- sugar
1/3 cup almond milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup allergen-free chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with 6 paper liners. In a medium sized bowl add gluten free master baking mix and cocoa. Stir together and add milk, egg, agave, and vanilla. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill muffin tins 3/4 full with batter. Bake for 17-20 minutes until muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Carrie's Notes:

• Egg Free Option: To make this egg free, simply mix 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds with 3 tablespoons hot water. Mix together, allow it to gel and then add it to the wet ingredients in place of the egg. The muffins won't rise quite as high, but will still be quite good!
• Non-dairy milk: Any non-dairy milk substitute will work. Karen used rice milk, I generally prefer almond milk. So use what your family loves. 
• Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Mix: If you don't have any Master Mix -OR- any general gluten free all purpose baking mix simply use: 1/3 cup sorghum flour, 1/3 cup brown rice flour, and 1/3 cup arrowroot starch, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum. Also add 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the wet ingredients. 

This recipe has been included in this week's Gluten Free Wednesdays food carnival hosted by Linda at The Gluten Free Homemaker. 

Gluten Free Amish Shoofly Pie Recipe

Today's recipe is from the archives. A few years ago Michael and I visited Lancaster Co. Pennsylvania for our anniversary. It was a trip I'll never forget. We stayed on a small farm and just enjoyed watching the life around us. Girls in bonnets with bare feet running down the dirt road from our B&B. Visiting a Mennonite church with our host family. Riding hours on back roads to find covered bridges. It was such a peaceful and beautiful trip. 

I had just barely started the gluten free diet when we took that trip. I'm sure I ate many things I shouldn't have. I wasn't as knowledgeable as I am now about eating in restaurants safely. I was still eating dairy and soy. So many things have changed in four years!  

When we came back home from PA, Ginger asked me about making a Shoofly Pie. I had bought a locally written cookbook on my trip. I read them like novels, gluten free or not. Don't stop buying gluten-filled cookbooks -- you can learn so much about cooking and baking techniques with well written cookbooks of any type. I remember being really excited thumbing through the handwritten book and finding a simple recipe for Shoofly Pie. Looking at this recipe again today, I was thrilled that it naturally contains no dairy and no soy! This is one of the first baked goods I shared on GingerLemonGirl and I'd be proud to serve it just as much today as I did in October 2007. 

Shoofly Pie doesn’t even need the traditional pie shell. So if want to cut back on carbs, or just don’t want to go to the trouble of making a gluten-free crust: just pour the pie filling into a 8x8 glass baking dish, or pie tin and bake as directed for shoofly pie brownies!

Amish Shoofly Pie

• 1 ¼ cup brown rice flour -or- sorghum flour

• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum -or- guar gum (optional -- just a bit more crumbly without it!) 

• ½ cup brown sugar

• 1 Tbsp. Spectrum Palm Shortening

• 1 cup molasses

• 1 tsp. baking soda

• ¾ cup boiling water

• 1 egg, slightly beaten

• 1 prepared gluten-free pie shell (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together flour and sugar. Cut in shortening to make crumbs. Save ½ cup of crumbs for top of pie. In large metal bowl, mix together molasses, baking soda, and boiling water. (This will foam and bubble, it’s fun to watch!) Let molasses mixture cool. Add flour mixture to the molasses mixture and whisk until combined. Add beaten egg. Pour into prepared pie shell or 8x8 glass baking dish and sprinkle reserved crumbs on top. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Slice into 8 pieces, serve, and smile!

A few more of my favorite memories from Lancaster, Co. PA:

Gluten Free German Apple Pancakes

Gluten Free Baked Oatmeal

Easy Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins Recipe

Gluten free blueberry muffins can be a cinch to make. A few weeks ago I shared my revised recipe for a gluten free master baking mix (like Bisquick, but much healthier.) The great thing about this mix is the ease of preparation for so many baked goods!  Muffins are one of the first recipes I tried with the new mix.

I've made double chocolate chip muffins, apple cinnamon muffins, and these lovely little blueberry muffins. Each batch turned out a really delicious, light, and fluffy muffin! This recipe is for a small batch of 6 muffins. It could easily be doubled or tripled depending on how many muffins you need.

For high rising gluten free muffins, make sure to fill your muffin tin until it's almost full. Another trick: To get pretty round muffin tops -- wet your finger with water and smooth out the top of the muffin batter before placing it in the oven.

What are your favorite kinds of muffins? What types of recipes would you like to see using the Gluten Free Master Baking Mix?

Easy Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins
free of gluten, dairy/casein, and soy
created by carrie @ gingerlemongirl.com
Print-friendly recipe
Makes 6 muffins

1 cup Revised Gluten Free Master Baking Mix
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup frozen blueberries (do not defrost!)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with 6 paper liners. In a medium sized bowl add gluten free master baking mix and sugar. Stir together and add milk, egg, and vanilla. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Fold in frozen blueberries. Fill muffin tins 3/4 full with batter. Bake for 17-20 minutes until muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack and serve!


Carrie's Notes:

• Egg-Free Option: Replace the egg called for with 3 tablespoons of hot water mixed with 1 tbsp. of ground flax seeds. 
• I haven't tried the muffins using agave nectar or honey in place of the sugar, although I'm quite positive it would work with very good results!
• Muffins are one of the most adaptable gluten free baked goods. If you don't have any Master Baking Mix, use any type of gluten free pancake or baking mix you have on hand. Make sure the mix has leavening ingredients and xanthan gum! 

This recipe has been listed at Amy's Slightly Indulgent Tuesday's! Make sure to check out her blog for other fantastically healthy & delicious gluten free, sugar free recipes! 

Gluten Free Pasta Recipe for Chicken Noodle Soup

Homemade gluten free chicken noodle soup... or also known as chicken pastry in Eastern NC

Before going gluten free I had never attempted to make homemade pasta. Why bother if you could pick up a box of spaghetti noodles at the store on the way home? Most days I still feel that way. Thank GOODNESS for Tinkyada. 

When I moved to Eastern NC for college one of the first local foods I learned about was chicken pastry. I had never heard of this dish. My mother made chicken & dumplings when I was growing up. The dumplings were basically biscuits that were added to a mixture of chicken broth and cream of chicken soup and they were allowed to "bake" on top of the soup in a covered pot. They were light & fluffy and soaked in that delicious chicken broth. It still brings back good memories. 

Eastern NC's answer to my mom's chicken & dumplings is chicken pastry. Basically thick noodles cooked in chicken broth. These noodles are usually either homemade or bought in the freezer section of North Carolina grocery stores. A popular brand to buy is Anne's, which are marketed as flat dumplings. But don't call them dumplings, my mother-in-law wouldn't have the slightest idea what you were talking about. 

Turns out making homemade noodles, pasta, or pastry as we say in Eastern NC... it's not hard. It took me less than 20 minutes to mix the dough and roll out the noodles for our soup last night. 20 minutes. It would take that long to cook a box of pasta (which on most nights, trust me... I'd rather do!) 

Making homemade gluten free pasta. I rolled the dough out by hand and cut the strips with a pizza cutter. 

This recipe is a variation of Thomas's gluten free pasta for pierogies. It's a simple dough and the recipe just works well. I've made this probably 10-12 times now and each time... it makes great noodles. If you have a pasta machine the dough would work beautifully with it. 

I make the dough, divide it into three balls and quickly roll it out into thick strips of pasta. You could make ravioli, spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine... basically any kind of gluten free pasta you want. It's versatile, easy and quick. 

Personally I like thick chicken pastry best. Basic chicken soup with thick homemade noodles. I added a can of mixed vegetables and cooked, diced chicken to make a complete meal. Meals like this are pure comfort food to me. Don't be intimidated by fresh noodles. You can make homemade gluten free chicken noodle soup in 35 minutes. Why aren't you headed to the kitchen? 

Gluten Free Chicken Noodle Soup/ AKA Chicken Pastry with mixed vegetables.
The noodles take less than 5 minutes to cook!

Easy Gluten Free Pasta Recipe

free of gluten, dairy, and soy

adapted by Carrie @ www.gingerlemongirl.com from this recipe by Thomas of GF/CF Experience

print-friendly recipe

Dry Ingredients:

1/3 cup brown rice flour

1/3 cup sorghum flour

1/3 cup arrowroot starch 

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1/4 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 tbsp. non-dairy margarine

2 tablespoons almond milk

Directions:

In a medium sized bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the eggs, margarine, and milk. Stir the wet & dry ingredients together until you get a ball of thick, slightly sticky dough. Divide the dough into three balls. Sprinkle a flat, dry surface with brown rice flour so the pasta doesn't stick when you roll it out. I like to use a silpat mat or a flexible cutting board. Place your ball of dough in the center of your flat surface. Sprinkle the top of the dough with additional brown rice flour. Place a sheet of plastic wrap on top of the ball of dough. Roll out the dough into a wide, flat rectangle (as seen in the 2nd picture above). Cut strips of pasta (using a pizza roller) as thick or as thin as you want them. Place them on a plate and continue rolling out your balls of dough. Make sure to use more brown rice flour if you need too to prevent the noodles from sticking. 

To COOK gluten free pasta: 

Drop the pasta into hot boiling water or broth and cook for 5-8 minutes until pasta is the texture you desire. Drain & rinse the pasta to use with sauces. Leave the pasta in the broth for soup. 

For Quick Gluten Free Chicken Noodle Soup:

Heat 32 oz. of chicken stock/broth in a soup pot. Add 1-2 cups of cooked chicken, a drained can of mixed vegetables. Heat the soup until boiling and then add 1 batch of gluten free pasta. Cook for 5-8 additional minutes until pasta is cooked to your liking. Serve immediately. 

Carrie's Notes: 

• Be GENTLE with the pizza cutter if you're using a silpat mat, you don't want to cut your mat. I usually place an additional piece of plastic wrap on top of the silpat mat to prevent cutting it. 

• You know I love whole grain flours, but I think in this recipe you could use your favorite gluten free flour mix in place of the 1 cup of gluten free flour called for, just make sure it's not a baking mix with leavening... unless you want really puffy pasta!

• For the margarine -- I used earth balance soy free margarine. I don't see why it wouldn't work with simply using olive oil or coconut oil though. Try it and see if you're opposed to margarine.

I added this to Gluten Free Homemaker's Wednesday Roundup! Make sure to stop by and check out all of the other wonderful gluten free recipes listed!