Gluten-Free Buttermilk Belgian Waffles

No one's recipe looked good enough to me, so I kind of took from here and there and made up my own!

They're light, airy, and super-crispy.  Perfect waffle consistency.  Sometimes I get tired of our dense gluten-free substitutes.  But these are delicious.

Ingredients:

2 cups Carol's sorghum blend (or other AP flour...the sorghum blend is 35% sorghum flour, 35% potato starch, 30% tapioca starch)

2 t. baking powder
2 t. baking soda
Pinch of salt
Pinch of xantham gum
2 eggs, separated
1 3/4 cup buttermilk (or 1 3/4 cup milk with 1 T. vinegar or loemon juice whisked in, left to sit for 10 minutes)
1/4 cup oil

Instructions:

Preheat your waffle iron.

Mix all dry ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Mix together buttermilk, egg yolks, and oil in a large bowl.  Add in dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Using an electric mixture, beat egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form.

Fold whites into the batter until almost combined.  There should be small chunks of white throughout.

The batter will be thin.  Don't let that concern you.

Spray your waffle iron with a little oil.  Pour in 3/4 cup of batter (more or less depending on your iron size) and cook.

Enjoy!

Banana Bread Pancakes

I don't post many breakfast recipes because I'm always looking to recreate that perfect gluten-y pancake, without the gluten of course.  So far, I haven't quite found it.  Every time I think I have, it never works twice.

That being said, I really like these.  We always have overripe bananas on hand, and who doesn't love banana bread?  They're not too sweet, the texture is great, and they're pretty hearty as well.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour (I like to use half oat flour (oats pulsed into a flour in a processor) and half sorghum blend)
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
Pinch of salt
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1 T. sugar
2 T. canola oil
2 eggs
1 overripe banana, mashed
1/4-1/2 cup milk (cow, plant, whatever)

Instructions:

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.

In another bowl, combine eggs, banana, and oil.  Mix into the dry mixture.

Add milk to the batter until it reaches a pancake-batter consistency (this will vary depending on your flours, so add as much as you need).

Cook on a heated griddle, until the edges are golden brown and air bubbles are popping in the center of the pancake.  Flip over and cook for 2 minutes more.

Of course, you need the bacon as well.  Duh.

Serve immediately with maple syrup, butter, and lots of fruit!  This makes 8-10 pancakes.

Would you like some pancake with your fruit?

Potato and Celeriac Mash

What is celeriac, you ask?

What is this bundle of ugly that I see at my supermarket every week next to the bell peppers and eggplants?  It's celery root!  It has a nice, starchy texture like potatoes, with a hint of celery flavor (it's milder when cooked), but it's got half the carbs and calories and twice the fiber!

This was my first foray into cooking it, so I decided I'd combine it with potatoes to make sure I could take the flavor :D.

Ingredients:

1 pound celeriac (celery root), washed, peeled, and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pound potatoes (I used Yukons), washed, peeled, and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup milk
3 T. butter
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Bring a pot of salted water to boil, big enough to boil the potatoes and celeriac.  Cook until a fork easily pierces the cubes, about 10 minutes.  Drain into a colander.

Place the potatoes and celeriac back into the pot and mash with a potato-masher or a fork.

 Once it's almost entirely mashed up, take an electric mixer and whip the mixture.  Add in the milk and butter and continue whipping until it reaches the desired texture.  Salt and pepper to taste and serve!

GO BIG OR GO HOME LASAGNA

Who doesn't like lasagna?  This amazing traditional Italian comfort food is adored throughout the world.  The recipe I use tries really hard to be authentic.  Is it?  I dunno.  But it's awesome.

Yes, it takes work, but it's well worth it.  It's big.  It's for, like, a family of 10.  But that's how I make it. It keeps well, freezes well, all that jazz.

I use GF noodles and flour, but this is taken from a non-GF bunch of recipes, so cater it to your own diet.

No, this is not low-fat healthy lasagna.  It is amazing full-fat, full-calorie deliciousness.  Deal with it.  It's fall.  We all need some extra poundage.  Winter is coming (/Ned Stark).

Bolognese Sauce:

Ingredients:

2 T. olive oil
4 slices of bacon, chopped
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, finely chopped
4-6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 pound of ground beef
.5-1 pound of ground pork
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
28 oz (about 4.5 cups) of whole, peeled tomatoes
A handful of basil leaves, chopped (or 1 T. dried basil/basil paste)
1 T. dried oregano (or fresh, if you have it)
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add bacon and cook until crispy.  Add mirepoix (onion, celery, carrot) and saute until soft.

Add garlic and ground meat and cook until meat is mostly cooked through.

Add white wine, stock, and herbs, and bring to a simmer.

Add tomatoes and tomato paste.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 hour, at least.

 I allow mine to go for 5-6 hours over low heat to cook off as much of the liquid as possible.

Bechamel Sauce:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup GF flour
4 cups milk
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt to taste
2 eggs

Instructions:

Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until it comes to a simmer (stir this a lot or else your milk will burn).  Set aside once heated.

Heat butter over medium heat until melted and foamy.

Add flour and whisk until the mixture becomes foamy and has a nutty smell to it (like browned butter).

Before.

After.

Add in 1/3 of the milk and whisk until the mixture thickens.  Repeat for the next 2/3 of the milk.  If the mixture no longer thickens, whisk in more GF flour (I had trouble once the last third was mixed in).  Once the mixture is thick, add in the pinch of nutmeg and salt.  Set aside to cool a bit, and then whisk in the 2 eggs (I  do this so that the bechamel "sets"and the lasagna doesn't get too goopy) until well-blended.

Lasagna:


Ingredients:

1 recipe Bolognese Sauce
1 recipe Bechamel Sauce
Pack of 12-15 GF lasagna noodles (mine had 13, of course)
500 g mozzarella cheese, grated (about 3-4 cups grated total)
2 T. dried parsley (or fresh, just use more)

Instructions:

So I took this picture and forgot to take any of the layering ones XD.

Spray a large 9x13 inch (I think that's the size?) casserole dish with olive oil.  Place a ladle-full of the bolognese sauce in the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking.  Place a layer of noodles over that, slightly overlapping the edges.  Spread a layer of sauce over them (I put sauce down until I can't see noodle poking through).  Spread half of the bechamel over that.  Take 1/3 of the mozzarella and sprinkle it evenly over the dish.  Sprinkle half the parsley over that.  

You may now choose to either repeat all the layers (noodles included) or skip the noodles. This is to your preference.  I like a middle layer of noodles in my lasagna.  I find that it gives it more structure.

When done, place a final layer of noodles over the top.  Spread a small amount of the sauce over this noodles, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to stand while you preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, and then remove the foil, add the rest of the mozzarella, and bake for another 20-25 minutes, until the edges are bubbly and the top is browned all over.

It's a bit too brown.  But I like that.

Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes and serve.  With a salad, if you must.

I ate 2 plates of it.  Oh my gooooooood, I am so full.

Also, yes, I know my blog is no longer really low-carb.  I'm trying to think up an awesome new name.  Have patience.