Piping heart-shaped bagels is so much fun and brings such silliness into our lives. My youngest prefers when we make the chocolate chip bagel sticks into heart-shaped bagels, but I love these garlic-onion bagels, which are so versatile for breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks! She was so excited I made heart bagels again this week, until she realized I'd made the savory ones... again. Ha! Enjoy!

Toasted and filled for a scrumptious breakfast!

Another pan of tasty heart bagels, fresh from the oven. My daughter was SO excited until she realized they didn't have mini chocolate chips in them... 

Heart shaped Garlic-Onion Bagels

Preheat oven to 350 - 375 F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. 

Mix gently together, then set aside to rest/rise 5-10 minutes: 

1 1/4 cup warm water

4 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp rapid-rise/quick yeast

In a mixer, combine: 

2 cup tapioca starch/flour

1 1/2 cup brown rice flour

6 Tbsp potato starch

1 Tbsp xanthan gum

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp dried onion flakes OR dried garlic flakes

1 - 2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp garlic powder

1 - 2 tsp freeze dried (or dried) chives (optional)

Add to the flour mixture: 

6 Tbsp oil 

3 eggs

yeast mixture, from above

(you can add 1/2 - 1 cup cottage cheese to the bagels at this point, if you're looking to add a bit of extra protein)

Beat together on medium to medium-high for 3-4 minutes, scraping occasionally. 

Put dough into a large freezer ziploc. Snip a small 1/2" hole off the end.  Pipe heart shaped bagels onto the pans. I find you can fit 9 - 12 bagels per pan.  You can always use a third pan, if you prefer, but I find I can comfortably fit all the bagels onto two pans with the dough mix here. 

Spray the tops of the hearts with water. Or you can gently wet the tops of them with your hands.  Let rise 25 - 30 minutes in a warm location until nicely puffed up (they won't fully double in size).  

Piped and then spritzed with some water.

Let them sit until they puff up - they won't fully double.

Fitting 12 slightly smaller bagels on the pans for this batch. Either way works great!

Bake at 350 - 375 F for 20 - 25 minutes, until a dark golden brown.  Slice and top with toppings of your choice!  You can eat them with bagel toppings or use them for sandwich rolls.  Slice and freeze leftovers, and they reheat perfectly in the toaster oven.  Enjoy!

A batch of tasty heart bagels, fresh from the oven - nine to a tray for this batch.

Another batch of bagel hearts fresh from the oven - cute little ones made 12 to a tray for this batch. 

Heart shaped Garlic-Onion Bagels Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free!

 I've used a decent amount of garlic lately when cooking - and no one around here complains because we do love garlic.  However, I had the funniest conversation the other day with my two girls. 

Younger: Is there a lot of garlic in this? 

Older: Oooooh yeah. 

Younger: That's okay. Doesn't garlic make your breath smell good? 

Older: Uh, no. 

Me: Um, nope.

Younger: But mom told us that, I thought! 

Older: She was joking. 

Me: Yep. Sorry. [starts laughing]

Younger: Argh!!!! 

Despite this, they still love dishes with plenty of garlic, like this yummy pasta dish. If you make sure to cook your garlic nicely, it removes a lot of the spice and you're left with the wonderful garlic flavors.  Enjoy!

Easy peasy lemon squeezy pasta meal! 

Light & Easy Pasta with Garlic, Peas & Lemon

*You'll prepare the vegetables and noodles while you're making the sauce, then can toss everything together in the sauce pan.*

Steam Vegetables (peas (or broccoli) with option to add spinach)

*While you're boiling water and cooking pasta, below, prepare your steamed vegetables.*  

Add to a pot with a tight fitting lid:

1 cup peas OR 2 cups broccoli (if you prefer vs peas) 

Add ~1/2" water, and put on high heat, with lid on, until steam is visibly coming out.  Turn off the heat and leave the pot where-is until I'm ready to use.  *Drain before adding to the pasta/sauce.*

If you want use fresh or frozen diced spinach, you'll add this after the vegetables have cooked and sat ~5 minutes.  Just add:

 ~1/2 - 3/4 cup frozen diced spinach or 1 - 2 cups diced fresh spinach on top of the steamed vegetables and put the lid back on.  Let sit 2-3 minutes, then mix.  Put lid back on and leave until ready to drain and add to the pasta later.  *Make sure you drain this before adding to your pasta/sauce!*

Cook Pasta

Cook one package gluten-free pasta as directed on the package.  Make sure to taste, so it's to the softness you desire.  I find GF pasta typically needs an extra couple minutes of cooking.  Drain and rinse in cold water and set aside.  There are many kinds of GF pasta - personally, my favorite types are ones that include a mix of brown rice, white rice, corn, and quinoa.  I find these noodles give me the best texture and flavor.  But go with your favorite!

A couple tips that I find helpful when cooking GF pasta

1. Salt the water. I usually add about 1 Tbsp salt to my pot.

2. Taste before draining, since often it needs an extra couple minutes of cooking.  

3. Drain and rinse in cold water.  

Garlic & Lemon Sauce

In a large saucepan, heat over medium to medium-high heat:  

3 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp olive oil

Add and cook until fragrant (~2 minutes):

1 - 2 bulbs garlic, peeled and thinly sliced (This is a lot of garlic, yes)

Salt & Pepper, a few dashes of both

My daughter: how much garlic did you put in this?  Me: two bulbs.  Her: oh. Okay. Wait, two BULBS?!!

Add and stir in quickly: 

~1/3 - 1/2 cup fresh juice from lemons (~1 1/2 lemons)

1 - 2 tsp dried oregano

1 - 2 tsp dried basil

Mix together, then add and mix in: 

1 cup cold chicken broth (you can use 1 cup water + 1 tsp GF bouillon paste)

2-3 tsp cornstarch

*If you don't have cold chicken broth, then mix your 2-3 tsp cornstarch with 1/8 - 1/4 cup cold water before adding.  

Whisk/stir sauce over medium heat until bubbling and the mixture has thickened slightly.  

Stirring in the cornstarch/broth mixture to thicken. 

Add in your steamed vegetables (peas (and spinach, if used)). 

Mixed in the steamed veggies from earlier. In this case here there are peas and a bit of spinach.

Turn off heat. Add and stir in: 

1/2 - 1 cup grated Parmesan

Yay for cheese!

Nicely mixed in and ready for the tomatoes.

Add and stir in: 

large handful grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced

Folding in some tomatoes - ready to add the pasta

Fold your drained pasta, from above. Season with additional salt & pepper, to taste. Enjoy! 

Light & Easy Pasta with Garlic, Peas & Lemon Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free!

 Garlic-y grilled cheese - a perfect birthday lunch when my brother visited (he's a huge fan of both cheese and garlic).  Homemade bread with a homemade mix of garlic butter.  Yum! 

Birthday Garlic-y Grilled Cheese!

Garlic-y Grilled Cheese!

Garlic butter makes ~8 sandwiches, so you can make more, as needed. 

Make in advance, so it can cool an hour or two before slicing: 

Delicious French Bread-Style Family Loaves  I used all eggs instead of only egg whites for these grilled cheese sandwiches when making the bread and make a 4 loaf batch of bread for taller sandwiches.   

Mix together garlic butter:

1/2 cup softened butter

~1 Tbsp minced garlic

1-2 tsp garlic powder

3/4 tsp parsley

Slice cheese for your grilled cheese, some nice options are: 

old cheddar, gouda, swiss, marbled

Heat a cast-iron or similar pan over medium-low heat.  You want these grilled cheese to cook slow enough for the cheese to melt in the center, while nicely toasting the exteriors.  

Layer in your pan a slice of garlic-buttered bread, 2 layers of cheese, topped with another layer of garlic-buttered bread.  

Buttered bread, ready to make the sandwiches!

Cooking on the cast iron.

Cook until nicely browned on both sides.  You can flip these a few times to make sure they're evenly cooked and the cheese is nicely melted.  Serve immediately! Enjoy! 

Yummmmm.! 

Garlic Grilled Cheese Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free!

Delicious Garlic-Herb Shrimp

This recipe isn't for the faint at heart.  You have to like two things: garlic and shrimp.  If you do, you're in luck!  I've made this a few times and it's delicious fresh or after it's rested overnight allowing the flavors to really mesh together.  You could serve it over salad or in a sandwich.  It was a perfect post-Thanksgiving meal. Enjoy!

Shrimp served alongside a spinach salad for a flavorful, light lunch. 

Delicious Garlic-Herb Shrimp

Mix together:
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 - 1/3 cup olive oil
~6-7 cloves garlic, minced (about 3/4 of a bulb)
1-2 Tbsp fresh dill, minced
1-2 Tbsp fresh chives, minced
dash turmeric
dash salt and pepper
juice of 1/2 - 1 lemon
dash of Tabasco (optional)

Mix in 2 lbs cooked jumbo shrimp (peeled, deveined, tails off).

Refrigerate 1-2 hours, then serve!  Enjoy! 

Garlic (& Poppyseed) Bagels & Bagel Sticks - Gluten-Free and Easy!

Gluten Free Garlic and Poppyseed Bagel Sticks and Bagels are a hit around here!  I have little kids, and little kids can sometimes be picky.  They will suddenly refuse to eat things they ordinarily love.  This pickiness is how I ended up piping what were going to be mini bagels into bagel sticks.  Identical in taste, the new shape transformed them into something fabulously new.  The bagel sticks were raved over!  I've been making them regularly ever since.  They even work well for little lunchtime sandwiches when we're not in the mood for some delicious smoked salmon and cream cheese (we are usually in the mood for smoked salmon and cream cheese, but it's not always in the refrigerator).   These bagels/bagel sticks are SO easy to whip together in your mixer and pipe out on a pan.  Enjoy!

A fresh toasted mini garlic poppyseed bagel with cream cheese. Yum! 

This recipe can make a lot - I often lose count because it depends on how you pipe them out, but I love making a mix of mini bagels and bagel sticks.  My little girls and my mom LOVE the bagel sticks. 

Garlic (& Poppyseed) Bagels and Bagel Sticks! 
Makes ~30 bagel sticks

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line 2-3 cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicon mats.

In a small bowl, combine and let rest 5 minutes, until nice and puffy:
1 1/4 cup warm water
6 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp rapid-rise yeast

Add to yeast mixture:
3 eggs
6 Tbsp oil

In a mixer, combine:
2 cups tapioca starch
1 1/2 cups brown rice flour (or sprouted brown rice flour)
6 Tbsp potato starch
3 3/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 - 2 Tbsp dried garlic flakes
1 Tbsp poppyseeds (optional) 

Beat dough for 2-3 minutes, until nice and smooth.   The dough should be thick, but still soft enough that you would be able to pipe in a ziploc bag - if necessary, add an extra tablespoon or two of water.  I find when I make larger batches of bagels, sometimes I end up with more flour when measuring a cup at a time than when I use a 1/3 or 1/2 cup measuring cup in smaller batch recipes.
Put bagel dough in a large freezer ziploc and cut off about 1/2" from a corner.  Pipe sticks or mini bagels onto parchment paper lined pans.  I usually make the bagel sticks about 4-5" long and bagels of a similar size. I find two pans works for making all bagel sticks, and you'll need 3 pans if you make both bagels & bagel sticks.

Using your hands or pastry brush, gently brush/wipe tops of bagels/bagel sticks with warm water.  Let rise in a warm location ~30 minutes, until puffed up, but not quite doubled in size.

Bake at 350 F for ~20 minutes, until nicely browned.   Remove to a cooling rack.  Once cooled, you can slice and freeze any you won't eat right away.  They reheat perfectly in a toaster oven.  Enjoy!!!

A delicious garlic bagel stick with cream cheese.  

Butternut Squash, Garlic & Shallot Risotto

Fall is the perfect time of year for butternut squash, garlic & shallot risotto.  Often, I whip it this type of squash up into one of our favorite soups: butternut squash soup.  But it's nice to have an all-in-one meal, too, such as the one here!  Add in some delicious seasonal garlic and shallots with your squash and you have a tasty, rich meal.  I recommend dicing the squash into small bite size pieces, so it cooks quickly, but doesn't end up mushy by the time the risotto rice has cooked.  I also prefer to slice the garlic and shallots, so you get flavorful bites throughout.   Enjoy!

Delicious Butternut Squash, Garlic & Shallot Risotto, ready to eat! 

Butternut Squash, Garlic & Shallot Risotto

In a large frying pan, cook for 1-2 minutes over medium heat:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1-2 shallots, sliced
5 garlic cloves, sliced

Add an cook 5-6 minutes:
1/2 butternut squash, peeled & diced into small pieces

Move vegetables to the edges of the pan, add and cook 1 minute in the center of the pan:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup arborio risotto rice

Add the spices and the liquid slowly over 15-20 minutes of cooking, to allow the liquid time to be absorbed as it cooks, stirring occasionally, but not allowing the rice to stick to the bottom of the pan.
3 cups chicken broth OR 3 cups water + 3 tsp Asian Mushroom Seasoning OR GF chicken bouillon/paste
1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch crushed rosemary
salt & pepper (start with 1/4-1/2 tsp of each and adjust at the end, if necessary)

Once all liquid has been absorbed, remove from heat and add:
1/4 - 1/2 cup parmesan romano or similar cheese.

Salt & Pepper, to taste.  Serve and enjoy!  

Tasty Gluten-Free Garlic Fingers

Garlic fingers, similar to the ones in this recipe, are popular in Atlantic Canada - although most people like them with Donair sauce.  I think they're great plain, or dipped in spaghetti sauce, or served alongside pretty much any dish that you'd enjoy with garlic bread.  They freeze really well, too, and can be quickly re-heated in the toaster oven!  They're also great since they can be whipped up quickly and require just a short rising time - just the few minutes it takes to spread and add toppings is close to all they need.  

Garlic Fingers, ready for eating!

Tasty Garlic Fingers
Makes 1 large size garlic fingers

Turn your cookie sheet upside-down. (This makes it easier to slide your pizza directly onto the rack to crisp the bottom). Line with parchment paper OR silicon mat.  

Preheat oven to 425F. 

In a mixer, combine: 

1 ½ cups Kristin’s gluten-free flour mix *(see note below for measurements just for this recipe)

2 tsp xanthan gum

½ tsp salt

2 tsp rapid rise yeast (quick-rise yeast)

1 tsp sugar OR 1 heaping tsp honey

Add and beat 2-3 minutes, scraping regularly:
¾ cup warm water

1 egg (OR 1 Tbsp chia seeds soaked in 3 Tbsp water for 5-10 minutes)

1 Tbsp olive oil

Scoop onto pizza pan lined with parchment paper.  Wet your hands with water and use wet hands to spread the dough over the sheet.  Keep getting more water on hands, as needed. 

Smooth dough into a large oval, shaping the crust with higher edges around the outside.  

Spread on dough, trying not to get too close to the edges - as this can cause dripping during baking: 
2 Tbsp garlic butter
1/2 - 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Let rest/rise for 10 minutes. 
Bake ~ 15 minutes, until browned nicely. 

Slide the pizza from the parchment paper/baking sheet directly onto the oven rack for 3-4 extra minutes of baking.  The bottom crust will be browned already, but this helps it get crispier. If you're worried about dripping, you can place foil on the bottom of your oven for easy clean-up. 

Fresh from the oven!

Carefully remove from oven onto a wooden cutting board or wire rack.  Slice the garlic fingers, then slide them back onto a wire rack (This keeps the crust crispier since steam accumulating under the crust can make it not as crispy).

Serve and Enjoy!!!

Note: Gluten-free crusts have a tendency to be cooked, but not crisped.  Using a pizza-stone helps, but I’m all about practical meals I can whip together and remembering to heat a pizza stone for an hour isn’t on my to-do list.

* To measure flour just for this recipe use:

¾ cup brown rice flour

¼ cup sorghum flour

¼ cup cornstarch

2 Tbsp potato starch

2 Tbsp tapioca starch

½ tsp xanthan gum