Easy & Delicious Homemade Soft GF Pretzels!

Several experiments later and we have a winner!   These delicious soft gluten free pretzels or pretzel sticks are delicious!  They're inhaled every time I whip up a batch by friends and family.  While traditionally, it's best to dip pretzels in a baking soda/water mixture, it's a difficulty in gluten-free cooking when dough is often far softer than traditional wheat-filled dough.  While it is possible to do something like freeze your piped out pretzels and then dip them, it's far easier to just brush the tops, as described below.  I'm always looking for the easiest route to get the best possible result!  These have been a hit!  The ones we brushed in butter and dipped in cinnamon sugar didn't even last long enough for pictures.  Enjoy!

Freshly baked GF soft pretzel sticks, a few brushed with melted butter. 

Easy & Delicious Homemade Soft Pretzels!
Makes ~60-70 thin pretzel rods, or 20-30 larger pretzels

Preheat oven to 425 F.  Line ~3 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Mix the following dry ingredients in a mixer:  (It's important to mix dry ingredients first in GF cooking to avoid lumps.) 
1 1/2 cups tapioca starch
1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup potato starch
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp quick-rise yeast
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

Then add and let beat 4 minutes (make sure it's 4 minutes, so the yeast has time to activate):
1 3/4 cups warm water
1 egg
2 Tbsp butter, softened

Place in a heavy-duty freezer ziploc bag.  Snip the end ~1/4-1/2" for thin pretzel rods or larger for fatter pretzel rods or pretzels (if you're up to piping them into pretzel shapes - my attempts tasted great but all looked a bit lopsided).

Pipe pretzels onto prepared parchment-lined pans.   Let rise in a warm location 20-30 minutes.

While pretzels are rising, mix together in a small bowl (this mixture will be brushed on top to give the pretzels that "pretzel flavor":
1 cup lukewarm water
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sugar

Just before baking, brush tops of pretzels with the baking soda mixture.  Sprinkle as desired with coarse salt.

Bake at 425 F for 15-25 minutes.  Thinner pretzel rods can cook for as little as 15 minutes, but if you make thicker pretzels increase the cooking time.  Pretzels should be nicely browned.   Light brown = chewier pretzel;  Dark brown = crispier pretzel.

Remove pretzels from pan to a cooling rack.  If desired, immediately brush with melted butter.  You can sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar or another flavoring of your choice immediately after brushing them with butter.  They're great without butter, too!

Delicious soft pretzel sticks. Yum! 

* These are best on the day they're made.*  If you're making them to take somewhere else, transport in a paper bag so they retain their crispness or you'll end up with soggy pretzels.    You can freeze them and reheat in a toaster oven, if desired.

Enjoy! 

My Dad's Famous Shrimp Dip

This is a family and friend favorite.  Perfect for all the parties and events coming up this summer!  It's easy to put together, but wonderfully delicious.  My dad has always loved making this dip and serving it at any and all large gatherings since I was a little kid.  It 'makes a party'.  I've recently made it for some church functions and it's been a hit.  The pans have almost been licked clean.  Such a simple recipe for so much flavor.  I could happily eat a pan myself. Serve with tortilla chips (almost all are GF)! Enjoy!!!

Shrimp Dip!  It's difficult to take pictures of layered dips, but the glass pan gives you a good idea of what the dip looks like.  Enjoy! 

Dad's Famous Shrimp Dip
Makes one 8" x 8" pan

In a glass 8" x 8" pan, spread the following, in order as listed below:
1/2 cup cocktail sauce
1 - 1 1/2 cups shrimp (cooked, peeled, deveined & diced if they're not tiny salad shrimp)
1 cup sour cream (best to scoop tiny scoops over the top, then spread)
1 - 1/2 cups grated medium cheddar cheese

Chill the dip 3-4 hours, or overnight.  Best served with tortilla chips, although you can use other crackers or chips, if desired.  Enjoy!

Cocktail sauce with fresh, chopped shrimp on top.  Ready to spread sour cream and cheese on top. Yum! 

Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies

These rich brownies are perfect when you want to have a small, elegant type of dessert without the trouble of making proper chocolates or truffles.  They have been a hit with all lucky enough to taste some of these bite-sized brownies.  Perfect for any occasion!  They're also great because a little goes a long way.  Enjoy!

This delicious piece of peanut butter truffle brownie was cut before fully cooling.  For a neater brownie, let chill fully before cutting (as shown in the picture below). 

Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies
Makes one 8" x 8" pan.

For the bottom brownie layer:
Melt together in the microwave:
7 Tbsp butter
3.5 oz high quality dark chocolate (~70%)

Add, and mix in:
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp sugar

Mix in:
2 eggs

Bake at 375 F for 22-24 minutes.

Let cool completely.

For peanut butter truffle layer, blend together:
1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 - 1 cup powdered sugar
3.5 oz smooth peanut butter

You want this to be a spreadable consistency, so add milk 1/2 - 1 Tbsp at a time until you reach a desired consistency.

Spread peanut butter truffle layer over the cooled brownies.

For the top chocolate layer:
Melt together:
3/4 cup chocolate chips
3 Tbsp smooth peanut butter

Spread the chocolate/peanut butter layer over the truffle filling.  Let the brownies fully chill 3-4 hours or overnight.

Dice into small squares and serve!  Enjoy!

Beautiful little bites of peanut butter truffle brownie goodness! 

Easy and Delicious Flan

This awesome flan recipe makes it's own crust during baking!  It's a delicious flan and so easy to whip together.  For a richer flan, more like the ones we ate while travelling in France last year, use all 10% cream (light/single cream).  I have access to a nice lactose-free version that works perfectly in this recipe.  For a lighter version, you can use a combination of milk (not skim) and light cream.  I've made it both ways.  Both are delicious, but I do prefer the full-fat version.   The vanilla bean paste is wonderful in this recipe, since the small flecks settle into the crust at the bottom of the flan, adding a wonderful flavor in the crust - without doing anything at all!  Enjoy!

A tasty piece of gluten free flan, ready to eat!  Yes, you could make it in a pie dish if you prefer wedges rather than squares of flan. 

Easy & Delicious Flan

Butter 8" x 8" pan (or similar sized pan) Preheat oven to 350 F.

Heat over medium heat until just bubbling around edges (mix together other ingredients while this is heating):
2 3/4 cup 10% cream OR 2 cups milk + 3/4 cup 10% cream (for a lighter flan)
1 Tbsp sugar

Whisk well:
4 eggs
scant 2/3 cup sugar

Add and whisk in:
1/2 -2/3 cup Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix (less for a thinner crust, more for a thicker crust)
pinch salt

Whisk in slowly, stirring constantly:
2 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
milk/cream, from above

Pour into prepared dish.   Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes.  Lower heat to 300 F and bake an additional 30-45 minutes, until flan is set in center and has puffed up a bit.

Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack 1 hour.  Then cool a further few hours in the refrigerator.  Slice and serve chilled (if you can make it that long without sampling - we never can and it's tasty warm, too).

Enjoy!

Let the flan cool completely before slicing and serving.  

Nachos Supreme - topped with spicy sauteed veggies!

For my awesome brother Mike, who needs some variety and enhancing of his nachos in his nacho-eating life.  I put together all the toppings, with help from my kids, who then were thrilled they were able to assemble their own plates.  I was thoroughly shocked at the variety of toppings they added and ate!  I've found my kids love to help prep and cook food, and it makes them more likely to eat vegetables they otherwise might shy away from.   The addition of sauteed vegetables made with spices has been a wonderful addition to our tacos and nachos lately.  We were SO lucky to have found all the vegetables & locally made refried beans at the farmer's market. Yum! Enjoy!

The ten year old's fully loaded nachos!  Cheese, refried beans, sauteed veggies, tomatoes, avocados, green peppers, pea shoots, and alfalfa sprouts.

Nachos Supreme - topped with spicy sauteed veggies!

Saute over medium-high heat 4-5 minutes:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1-2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
1-2 cups thinly sliced kale
1 carrot, grated
1/2 onion, sliced

Add, then cook until desired vegetable crispiness/softness (approx. another 3-6 minutes):
1-2 tsp chili powder (add more for a spicier topping)
1-2 tsp cumin powder
1-2 tsp garlic powder
salt & pepper, to taste

While cooking the vegetables, warm tortilla chips topped with cheddar or mexican cheese blend in the oven at 375 F until melted, 3-5 minutes.

Serve tortilla chips onto plates and top with the following:
sauteed vegetables, from above
cheddar or mexican blend cheese
refried beans, warmed
pea shoots
alfalfa sprouts
diced tomatoes
diced green pepper
avocado (not local)

Served w/ cucumber & pears on the side just because the kids love them.

The 5 year old's nacho plate!  She ate it all - including all those wonderful vegetables - with a couple pieces of diced pear thrown in. 

Raspberry Baked Oatmeal

I've tried a variety of baked oatmeal breakfasts, but most fell short in their overall flavor without adding a little extra maple syrup.  I wanted something that we could slice and freeze to pop into lunches or slice and refrigerate to take as on-the-go breakfasts.  This hits the mark!  Raspberries add that extra pop of flavor that many of the other fruits I tried lacked.  While we love this best warmed up, it's been devoured cold, too.  A fun rotation to add as another gluten-free breakfast idea (just use GF oats).   Enjoy!

A slice of raspberry baked oatmeal, ready to eat! 

Raspberry Baked Oatmeal

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Line an 8" x 8" pan with parchment paper.

Mix together:
2 cups whole oats (use gluten-free if Celiac or sensitive)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Add and mix in:
2 cups milk (lactose-free or dairy-free options work, too!)
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 cup frozen raspberries

Pour into parchment lined pan.  Bake at 375 F for 35 minutes.

Raspberry baked oatmeal, ready for the oven.  Fresh from the oven and set to cool. 

Set pan to cool on wire rack.  The dish will thicken as it cools.  Best enjoyed warm.  Once cool, it slices nicely and can be refrigerated or frozen in individually wrapped bars or squares to warm up anytime for breakfast or snacks.  We've often taken it frozen with us to eat later, like a granola bar.  Technically, you can eat it with a little maple syrup on top, but I found with the addition of the sweet raspberries, it didn't need any! Enjoy!  

Chicken Vegetable Pie and Biscuits

This dish is packed with veggies - leeks, mushrooms, onions, carrots, celery, peas topped with flaky biscuits.  I have listed this recipe in such a way that while things are cooking, you can stir occasionally and chop the remaining vegetables while things are simmering/cooking.  I, personally, find it helpful to have recipes listed in such a way that the ingredients and instructions are intertwined rather than having a large list of ingredients at the top followed by instructions at the bottom.  I hope you'll agree it's a helpful way to have a recipe, even if you have to skim through it all to find all the ingredients needed.  Ingredients are always in bold to help with this.  In this recipe, the addition of leeks adds wonderful flavor to the chicken vegetable pot pie taste.  The biscuits that cook right on top are wonderful! Light, soft, delicious.  A perfect accompaniment to this dish.  Enjoy!!!

A delicious biscuit topping a pile of tasty vegetables & chicken. Yum! 

Chicken Vegetable Pie & Biscuits


Preheat oven to 400 F.

Melt in large, heavy pan:

½ cup butter

Stir vegetables occasionally, so you can chop veggies & cook at the same time! 

Add & cook for 5 minutes:

1 onion, coarsely chopped

3 carrots, sliced thinly

Add & cook 2-3 minutes: 
1 leek, sliced and rinsed

Add & cook 5 minutes:

3 celery stalks, diced

1 cup sliced mushrooms

Add & cook until bubbling, lower heat to medium-low and let simmer 5 minutes:

2 1/2 cups hot chicken broth/stock

Season w/ salt & pepper

Mix together first and then mix into bubbling vegetables to thicken:
1/3 cup milk
2 Tbsp cornstarch

Stir in and let simmer over low to medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes:

1 cup cooked chicken, chopped

½ cup frozen peas

While chicken and vegetables are simmering, prepare the biscuits for the top:

Make buttermilk in a measuring cup.  In a measuring cup place:
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Fill so you have a total of:
1/2 cup milk

Mix in a large bowl: 
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup corn flour (or corn starch, if you don't have corn flour)
1/4 cup potato starch
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda

Dice in with a pastry cutter:
5 Tbsp butter

Add & mix in just until a dough is formed:
1/2 cup buttermilk, from above

Put vegetables/chicken in large dish (9x13 size).  Cover with small scoops of biscuit dough pressed into little flat circles using your hands.  Bake at 400 F for 15-17 minutes until golden brown.   Serve and enjoy! 

Chicken Pot Pie & Biscuits, ready to cook! 

This dish is absolutely beautiful coming out of the oven with those golden biscuits.