Holly's Gluten Free Home

Gluten free Sourdough Bread

On October 21, 2024

Over the past 13 years, since I was diagnosed with celiac, I have tried to make bread, find bread, defrost bread… you get it… it’s not yummy. Except Pão de queijo. That’s irresistibly good and always gluten free.

There’s a pizza place in my neighborhood (@Gioiaitaly_) that makes gluten free pizza crust and it’s so delicious that I became inspired to try to make bread again.

I found a recipe on @kingarthurbaking and decided to give it a try. I’m on my 3rd incredible sourdough loaf with all the smell, taste and feels of a traditional sourdough loaf and IT’S BEAUTIFUL!

Step 1- Make sourdough starter

1 cup warm water and 1 cup cup for cup gluten free flour – mix in glass jar and cover with towel and leave on your counter. Everyday, spoon out about half and discard and add another cup of flour and cup of warm water and mix. When it becomes bubbly and rises to the top, cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge. Once you have in always save a tsp and mix in new flour and water. You will have supply back in 4-5 hours.

Step 2- Make the dough!

3 heaping cups @kingarthurbaking bread flour

1T salt

2T sugar

1 1/2 sourdough starter (doesn’t need to be exact)

1 3/4 warm water

Mix well in mixer for 3 minutes

Scrape down and beat again for 2 min

Leave in bowl for 30 min

Scrape out onto floured surface, press down and fold, repeating several times.

Place in lightly oiled bowl, cover with towel and let rise 5-6 hours.

Turn out on to slightly floured surface and gently press down.

Move to lightly floured bread bowl. Wrap in plastic wrap and put in fridge for a day.

Take out mid day and unwrap, cover with towel and let rise.

Put on piece of parchment paper and dust with gluten free flour.

Slash the dough – I like a crisscross or a leaf design

Preheat the oven and a Dutch oven to 500.

Once ready, add dough on parchment paper to Dutch over, add an ice cube to the side and place lid.

Bake at 500 degrees 10 minutes, 450 x 20 mins, then remove lid and cook an additional 20 minutes at 450.

Let cool- or not- and Enjoy!!! This is real bread- all the taste, all the smells, all the feels. Takes some time. but just like most things, you get what you put in. 100% worth it. ❤️

Thank you @kingarthurbaking for gluten free flours that make bread that can be enjoyed!

Gluten Free Ginger Pear Tarts

By GlutenFreeHolly

On November 7, 2020

In Gluten free, Gluten Free Dining

Got my Misfits Market http://www.misfitsmarket.com haul this week and it had a fair number of pretty ripe pears and a bit of ginger root. Forward to Saturday morning and the pears are on the verge of heading to the compost bin, it’s a windy, rainy, fall day in Miami and I would love a pear pastry for breakfast. The problem? Gluten free pie crust. It can range from tolerable to terrible, and on more than one occasion, has made prior pies inedible. But not today! Today, I used a flour blend and recipe for crust by Bob’s Red Mill http://www.bobsredmills.Com and it is buttery perfection (and at 20 Tbsp of butter, buttery is not an overstatement).

So, here’s how it goes:

Step 1– Make the crust. There were some instructions that were just written too small and called for different types of shortening. Everyone knows that everything is better with butter, so that’s all I used. Also, I didn’t feel like getting out the food processor, so I just used the mixer. 1 bag of flour mix, 20 T of butter chopped into quartered slices, and 6 T of ice water later, the dough was wrapped in plastic wrap and chilling in the fridge.

Step 2– Make another cappuccino. Personally, I like mine with almond milk.

Step 3 – Make the filling

5 Pears – peeled, chopped into cubes

1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup gluten free flour

1 tsp of finely grated ginger root

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp lemon peel finely grated

1/4 cup orange juice

Mix together. Roll dough out between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. I used a large coffee mug to cut out circles and then placed those into a greased muffin pan. Fill with a 1/4 cup of filling each

Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 min and then 375 for 30 mins

Step 4 – Enjoy & have a Sweet Saturday❤️

PS my gluten eating children just exclaimed “this crust is amazing!!!” Butter and love make everything better.

Gluten Free Shortbread

By GlutenFreeHolly

On December 26, 2024

In Gluten free, Uncategorized

I just came back from the most amazing trip to Nürnberg Germany and the Christmas markets. I had never been to a Christmas market and considered this a once in a lifetime experience. My mom, husband and daughters and I packed up and went for a long weekend. I’m back, refreshed and inspired.❤️

It was amazing. Cold outside (remember we are in Miami, so cold is a nice change), beautiful Christmas lights and decorations, and the markets. The air filled with the smell of mulled wine, chocolate and gingerbread, the excited crowds, the tiny shops filled to the brim with local crafts or treats- it was so much fun!

The market runs from the last Friday of November until 24th of December.

While walking through, I found a booth with shortbread cutters and pins. I have never made shortbread- the regular version nor gluten free, but the simple ingredient list, coupled with the beautifully embossed rollers and stamps, was just irresistible.

We arrived home late Christmas Eve and first thing Christmas morning, I got up to prepare a Christmas breakfast of quiche, sour cream coffee cake (GF), and potatoes. I decided to give the shortbread a try and I’m so glad I did!

Ingredients

Preheat oven to 350 ‘

& lightly grease cookie sheets.

3 cups GF King Arthur bread flour

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup cold butter cut into small squares

Dash salt

1 egg, beaten

Ice water – about 1/4 cup

Mix flour, sugar, salt and butter. Add beaten egg and mix well. While the recipe normally has no other liquid, the gluten free bread flour needs some hydration, thus, add one teaspoon at a time of ice water until the dough binds and becomes like play dough. I needed just about 1/4 cup.

Place dough on floured surface and roll out with regular rolling pin, lightly dusting with flour to prevent sticking. Roll to about 1/2” and then roll with embossed pin or stamps.

Absolute stress relief! Roll out dough & make a pretty pattern!

Using a knife or scrolled cutter, cut the cookies into small squares and place on cookie sheet. They can be close together.

Bake for 7 mins, allow to cool and then plate. makes about 75 small, beautiful cookies

Enjoy❤️

Gluten Free Blueberry Lemon Coffee Cake

By GlutenFreeHolly

On December 30, 2023

In Uncategorized

I saw the recipe for this amazing coffee cake on Ina Garten’s site (credit Ina Garten Recipes for inspiration) and knew I needed to adapt it to a gluten free recipe and WOW! I’m so glad I did. Great start to my staycation but not a great start to my eating less. Ha!

In order to change a coffee cake recipe to gluten free, there are a couple of easy fixes.

1- Find a coffee cake recipe that incorporates yogurt or sour cream. These convert easily.

2- Use a simple gluten free flour mix. I usually use King Arthur Measure for Measure and I use about a tablespoon less than what the recipe calls for to improve the texture.

3- Add a Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to the liquid ingredients.

For this recipe, in a mixing bowl combine

1 T apple cider vinegar

3 eggs, 1 extra egg white if eggs are small

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup sour cream

Mix well

In a separate bowl combine

1.5 cup measured shy of the full amount

Dash salt

Zest of one lemon

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup sugar

Mix and then add in thirds to the liquid

Dust 2 cups blueberries (more or less to your taste ) with gluten free flour and fold in

Bake at 350 in loaf pan for 50 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Don’t overbake!

Once done, use zested lemon and squeeze all juice into saucepan and mix in 1 cup powdered sugar until smooth on low heat.

Pour over loaf and enjoy.

Put lid on to keep me from eating whole loaf!

Happy New Year. Make it a happy one!

❤️

Haas avocados make the perfect guacamole. Rich, nutty, creamy perfection. But, oh so expensive. Year ago, when I bought my house in 2010, I drove down to a nursery in Homestead and picked out a baby avocado tree. Florida avocado are huge, have more yellow fruit and can be a little bitter, so I find they work best tossed in something like ceviche, mango avocado salad or gazpacho. Over the last year I’ve been babying my tree by feeding it with a teaspoon of seaweed concentrate every month or so and this year I had a bumper crop.

Today for lunch I wanted something filling and clean and an avocado salad sounded just right! This is a breeze to make. Florida avocados are huge so you just need one! (Serves 3-4)

1 Florida avocado - peeled, pitted and chopped into 2cm cubes

Juice of 1 lime

1 can of garbanzos drained 

1 cucumber peeled and chopped 

2T sliced red onion

2T chopped cilantro

Dash of salt and pepper 

1 t olive oil

Mix ingredients by tossing. Drizzle olive oil over the top. Toss lightly. Serve over a bed of iceberg lettuce for lunch, with a tostada and egg for brunch or just savor alone.❤️

By GlutenFreeHolly

On September 19, 2021

In Gluten Free Dining

Swiss Chard Enchiladas Verdes

By GlutenFreeHolly

On March 26, 2021

In Uncategorized

My http://misfitsmarket.com haul came today. I had all kinds of amazing stuff and a plethora (and I really mean a plethora) of swiss chard and celery. The red swiss chard looked so fresh and colorful, I wanted to use it right away!

This is a super easy recipe that can be made start to finish in 30 mins. Vegetarian or vegan depending on cheese use and always gluten free. So let’s do it!

What you need:

Swiss of rainbow chard 1 bunch

Onion

Garlic

Red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning

1 cup black beans (prepared)

Olive oil

1 jar or equivalent of homemade salsa verde

Cheese

20 corn tortillas

Heat oil in large pan and add onion and garlic and sauté. Chop stems of chard and add. Sauté until tender. Add seasoning. Add chard leaves roughly chopped and heat until wilted. Add cheese if desired and black beans. Warm tortillas and fill and roll. If they start breaking, don’t despair…. layer the tortilla and filling like lasagna… no big deal.

Top with salsa and heat at 350 for 20 mins.

Enjoy! ❤️

Swiss Chard Enchiladas Verdes

By GlutenFreeHolly

On March 25, 2021

In Uncategorized

My http://misfitsmarket.com haul came today. I had all kinds of amazing stuff and a plethora (and I really mean a plethora) of swiss chard and celery. The red swim chard looked so fresh and colorful, I wanted to use it right away!

This is a super easy recipe that can be made start to finish in 30 mins. Vegetarian or vegan depending on cheese use and gluten free. So let’s do it!

What you need:

Swiss of rainbow chard 1 bunch

Onion

Garlic

Red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning

Can or prepared black beans

Olive oil

1 jar or equivalent of homemade salsa verde

Cheese

20 corn tortillas

Heat oil in large pan and add onion and garlic and sauté. Chop stems of chard and add. Sauté until tender. Add seasoning. Add chard leaves roughly chopped and heat until wilted. Add cheese if desired and black beans. Warm tortilla and fill and roll. If they start breaking, don’t despair…. layer the tortilla and filling like lasagna… no big deal.

Top with salsa and heat at 350 for 20 mins.

Enjoy! ❤️

Zucchini Bread – Celebrate The End of Summer

By GlutenFreeHolly

On October 17, 2020

In Uncategorized

My misfits market box contents put to good use!

I haven’t made zucchini bread in probably 20 years… definitely not since finding out I had celiac 10 years ago. This is a super easy recipe that celebrates late summer and uses up all of those zucchinis that you have!

Here is the “How To”:

2 cups finely shredded Zucchini

2 tsp lemon peel grated

2 tsp Apple cider vinegar

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

Mix these well

In a separate bowl combine

3 cups gluten free flour- I used 2 cups Bob’s mill gluten free flour and 1 cup almond flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Add all at once to zucchini mix

Mix in 1 cup walnuts if desired and pour in to 9” loaf pans (2)

Bake at 350 for 55 mins

Yields 2 beautiful loafs

55 mins later and breakfast is served. Have a beautiful day

My New Favorite Veggie Burger

By GlutenFreeHolly

On May 14, 2019

In Uncategorized

I have tried a lot of veggie burgers and the truth is, I don’t want my veggie burger to taste like a burger, and even more so, I don’t want it to “bleed”. I want a veggie burger that holds up in a bun (a little more challenging for the gluten free bun) and can be lavished with sauce, pickle, tomato, onion, avocado and cheese if you’re not vegan. And, I want it to taste great. This is the first recipe I have found that fits the bill. I adapted it from Isabel Eats and it is amazing.

What you need:

3 sweet potatoes

1 cup uncooked quinoa

I can black beans, drained

1/4 onion minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

Salt, red pepper flakes, cumin, Italian seasoning

Sauce

1/2 cup olive oil mayo

4 T chipotle sauce

Juice of a lime or 3 T lime juice

Prep-

Make the burgers early as they hold up better when refrigerated for 20-30 mins prior to cooking.

Microwave or cook sweet potato in oven until tender when pierced with a fork, set aside

Cook 1 c quinoa in 1 cup salted water with a little olive oil

Drain black beans and add to bowl and mash with a fork. Don’t let your OCD kick in… they don’t have to be pureed!

This reminds me- I tried making this recipe in a food processor- don’t- it was gross.

Frustrated? Take it out of the beans… they don’t mind

Next, add your sweet potatoes, skin and all and mash with a fork.

Add everything else and then mix in quinoa.

I guess I wasn’t stressed- my mash is pretty chunky

If the quinoa was cooked in advance, I mix with my hands, much easier.

Shape into burgers and place on parchment paper on cookie sheet and refrigerate.

Tonight no time for pre chilling the burgers… the natives are hungry

Woohoo! Go for a run, stretch, meditate or drive those little hungry kiddies all over your city! Your burgers will be ready for cooking when you get back!

These can be cooked on the grill, griddle or oven.

I fry them in the griddle for about 4 mins per side on medium/high (6) heat.

Stir sauce ingredients together and Viola! Serve burgers with desired toppings and enjoy! ❤️

by

Chia For Mia (familia and yours too!) Berry Hibiscus Green Tea Chia Drink

By GlutenFreeHolly

On April 20, 2019

In Uncategorized

Last weekend I was signed up for a swimrun in Georgia and I was looking for something I could eat or drink pre race with my cranky GI tract. I love food! But for some reason, my body is just ridiculously particular, and race day is not the day to put in an offensive item!

I found this amazing concoction of blackberry and hibiscus and Chia and I felt great! Great taste, great energy and great outcome.

I liked it so much that as soon as I was home, I was in the kitchen trying to figure out a combination of energy (yes, that’s code for Caffeine!), calories and delicious. My kids have been drinking it up, so I’m guessing it hits the mark! Try it and tell me what you think please!

Ingredients

Green tea bags

Hibiscus tea bags

Honey 3T

Chia 1/2 cup

Water 4 cups

Lime juice – 1 lime of 1/4 cup

Dark berry juice (blackberry etc) 3 cups

Let’s do this!