Butternut Squash Fries

I love squash.  I love all kinds of squash.  Butternut is one of my recent favorites.  I had been roasting it in some EVOO, salt & pepper, until I saw on various food blogs…..butternut squash fries!!  Holy YUM!!  Why didn’t I think of that?  I make sweet potato fries all the time, why not butternut squash fries?

Making fries out of butternut squash is simple.  I don’t even peel the squash!  I wash it and cut the bottom off.  Then, I cut into fry-like shapes (or as close as I can get to fry-like).  Toss in extra-virgin olive oil or spray with Pam and season as you like.  I just use sea salt & fresh ground pepper, but cayenne, chili powder & cumin would be tasty, too.

Toss into your preheated oven (375 or 400).  Bake for 20-40 minutes, flipping once & keeping a close eye on.  I showed pics of how they look going into the oven.  I didn’t get an “after” shot.  They went into my belly way too fast!  😉 

Super healthy & delicious with burgers, chicken or fish.  I also like leftovers over a salad with other roasted veggies. 

LiveJournal Tags: gluten-free,sides,butternut squash

Every Day A Holiday

I have written about Holiday Baking Company 2 separate times, here and here.  Well, I went to the library yesterday and since HBC is right down the street, I stopped in.  I had heard through the grapevine that there were going to be selling Take & Bake Pizza and I wanted in on that!  Lisa, the proprietor, informed me that the Take & Bake Pizza will be available starting on Thursday (July 16, 2009).  Also, next week (July 21, 2009 – July 25, 2009) they will be having a “Christmas in July” sale!  They will be sampling & selling all kinds of Christmas cookies, gingerbread & fruit cakes!  I will definitely be stopping by for that! 

In lieu of the Take & Bake, I bought a pre-baked pizza crust, multi-grain dinner rolls & and some mini cappuccino chip muffins.  I love trying new GF goodies! 

I came home & Jon got down  on his hands & knees and begged me to make pizza for lunch.  Okay, twist my arm.  I heated the oven to 350 and spread the pizza crust with some Three Cheese Prego sauce & sprinkled some mozzarella & provolone cheese on top.  I baked it for about 12-14 minutes, checking frequently.  Jon loved the pizza, as did I!  The crust is got a little crisp to it, which is not easy to accomplish gluten-free.  The spices in the crust were perfect.  Jon had leftover cold pizza for dinner last night and said it tasted just like Donato’s!  That is a huge compliment coming from my son. 

The multi-grain dinner rolls were fantastic!  I had one with my dinner last night at room temp, un-toasted and no spread and it was wonderful.  It didn’t need anything.  Great texture & flavor.  Jon had 2 today…I split & toasted them in my toaster oven (which I think I broke, by the way) and then topped with Prego again and more mozzarella & made mini-pizzas.  Jon loved them!  We have them set to use for mini pulled pork sandwiches tonight.  🙂

We have had the cappuccino chip muffins before and they did not disappoint. 

Thanks again, Lisa, for all of your hard work.  We gluten-free customers really appreciate it! 

Make sure to check out my new Examiner article on Gluten-free Christmas in July in Columbus. 

LiveJournal Tags: bakery gluten-free,pizza,dinner,gluten-free

Pamela’s + Flax

I have said many times on this blog that I swear by Pamela’s gluten-free bread.  I can order it on Amazon, through the subscribe & save program; I can mindlessly put all the ingredients together in my Zojirushi bread maker & walk away.  It doesn’t get much easier than that.  A couple months back I emailed Pamela’s to see if I could add a TBSP or 2 of flaxseed meal to the mix to boost the nutrition & fiber a bit.  I received this message back:

“Good morning Kim!

Well, first let me thank you for your interest in our products! I’m delighted to hear that you enjoy our delicious Gluten-free Bread Mix! You can certainly add 1-2 TBSP of flax seed meal. I would watch for the “stickiness” of the mix; if the mix is too sticky, it will not rise and bake properly so you may want to add an additional 2-3 TBSP of water to counteract the “dry” flax seed meal.

Again, thank you Kim, and I hope you have a great day!

Warmest regards,

Megan Warlick

Pamela’s Products-Customer Service”

Well, I had forgotten about it (imagine that…me, forget something?) until I went to make bread this morning and I pulled out the email & made it with the flaxseed meal.  Here is what I did, it was really hard.  I added:

2 TBSP Bob’s Red Mill Flaxseed Meal

3 TBSP water (in addition to the water the recipe already calls for)

I was kidding when I said it was hard.  That was it!  The bread doesn’t look any different really, except for a few more specks of brown throughout (which Jon asked about and I blew it off!  hehe!).  Still tastes amazing and has a little extra added nutrition.  I’ll take that where I can get it! 

LiveJournal Tags: Pamela’s Gluten Free Bread Mix,breads,gluten-free

Raspberry + Coconut = YUM

Last week I reviewed the Gluten-Free Every Day Cookbook by Robert Landolphi.  I listed some recipes that I was super excited to try out and I have found a keeper, folks.  Raspberry Coconut Bars.  I made these bars on Sunday afternoon. 

The directions are well written and the method is very easy.  The kitchen smelled absolutely heavenly.  The one downfall?  You must let these cool before cutting!  Talk about torture! 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sweetened coconut

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/4 cup tapioca flour

1/4 cup potato starch

1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1/4 tsp salt

6 TBSPS cold butter, cut into small pieces

3/4 cup raspberry preserves

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.  Butter (I used Pam) and 8 x 11 inch baking pan.  Spread the coconut evenly on a baking sheet & toast in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until golden brown.  Remove from the oven & let cool completely.

In a food processor, combine the flours, walnuts, sugars, xanthan gum & salt.  Whirl to blend.  Add the butter and process until a fine meal forms.  Transfer the flour mixture to a bowl & stir in the toasted coconut.  Remove 3/4 cup of the mixture & reserve for the topping. 

Press the remaining flour mixture firmly and evenly onto the bottom and sides of the prepared pan to form a crust.  Spread the raspberry preserves evenly on top of the dough and sprinkle with the reserved flour mixture.  Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, or until topping is lightly browned.  Remove from the oven & let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into 24 bars. 

**Note: I used Pamela’s Baking & Pancake Mix in place of the flours because I ran out of brown rice flour & didn’t realize it until after I started.  I also omitted the xanthan gum because Pamela’s has guar gum in it. 

The result is simply amazing!  My Dad, who isn’t a fan of coconut loved these!  I had to give more than half away because I knew that I would make quick work of the whole pan myself otherwise.  I did freeze a few and they are awesome cold as well!  🙂 

LiveJournal Tags: desserts,gluten-free,bars