gluten free recipe

Cream Cheese, Green Chiles, and Jalapneo Dip (And Spread for the Next Day)

October 10, 2018 By Joi Sigers

This dip (which makes any game, movie, or History Channel show even better – this isn’t conjecture, I’ve done the studies) combines some of my favorite things in the culinary world: Cream Cheese, Green Chiles, and Jalapenos.

Hook. Line. Sinker.

Serve with tortilla chips and lose yourself in the yumminess.

If there are leftovers, refrigerate them. The next morning, spread on bagels, toast, or English muffins – you will NOT believe how incredible it is. Again. I did the studies. Anything for you.

Cream Cheese, Green Chiles, and Jalapneo Dip (And Spread for the Next Day)

Cream Cheese, Green Chiles, and Jalapeno Dip

Ingredients

8 oz Package Cream Cheese
4.5 oz can green chiles (undrained)
1 cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese
Tortilla Chips (for dipping)

Instructions

Combine the first three ingredients and mix until smooth.
Spread into a small microwave-safe dish and microwave for 3-4 minutes. You want the edges bubbly and the dip uniformly hot.
Serve with tortilla chips!

How to Make a Cauliflower Pizza Crust

May 3, 2017 By Joi Sigers

Before we get to the simply delicious and deliciously simple Cauliflower Pizza Crust recipe from Terra’s Kitchen, I just wanted to let you know what “Terra’s Kitchen is.” This website is a dream come true for busy cooks. Ironically, years ago, I thought that someone could and SHOULD go into the business of simplifying life for the home cook so she or he could concentrate on the cooking aspect – as opposed to the measuring, cutting, dicing, etc.

Terra’s Kitchen provides the pre-cut ingredients you need… freshness guaranteed.

Ingenious.

Now a quick word about cauliflower pizza crusts: If you’re anything like me, you are a pizza fanatic. I could eat pizza each and every day of my life and not give it a second thought. Problem is, I’m fairly certain that would be next level unhealthy. When people eat gluten-free, many seem to think that substituting rice flour or another gluten-free flour for all-purpose gluten flour takes away all the guilt and unnecessary carbs.

Wrong, wrong, wrong. In fact, new research shows that using too much rice flour can be a bad deal for us.

The best way to handle the question marks surrounding ALL flour is to eliminate it whenever possible. Thanks to cauliflower (stepping in like a superhero), we can have totally guilt-free, flour free pizza and it’s incredibly delicious.

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

2 1/2 cups cauliflower, grated (about 1/2 a large head)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Fresh basil leaves, optional

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and preheat oven to 425ºF.
Grate the cauliflower using a box grater until you have two cups of cauliflower crumbles. Place in a large bowl and microwave for 7 to 8 minutes, or until soft. Remove from the microwave and let cool.
Mix in the egg, one cup mozzarella, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper. Once combined, pat into a 10-inch round on the prepared pizza pan. Spray lightly with nonstick spray and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden.
Top the pizza with the sauce, 1/4 cup mozzarella, grape tomatoes, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Bake in the oven until melted and bubbly, another 10 minutes. Top with basil before serving.

Thanks to Terra’s Kitchen for such a fantastic recipe! Click here to find out exactly how this healthy food delivery system works.

Gluten-Free Sloppy Joes Cornbread Pizza

January 25, 2017 By Joi Sigers

Gluten-Free Sloppy Joe Cornbread Pan Pizza

I’m working on a couple of recipes using Krusteaz Gluten-Free breakfast mixes for Hot Breakfast Month (February) – I’ll post them really soon. In the meantime, I wanted to tell you about a dinner idea using their wonderful Gluten-Free Honey Cornbread Mix.

Krusteaz Gluten-Free flour and gluten-free mixes are some of my favorite things in the world. I’m THRILLED to see them popping up in grocery stores everywhere. The cornbread mix makes perfect, perfect, perfect cornbread and corn muffins each and every single time. I’ve added jalapenos to the mix many times and it’s always phenomenal.

One day last week, I made Sloppy Joes for supper. If I don’t happen to have gluten free rolls or bread on hand, I’ll often put the Sloppy Joe Sauce in a gluten-free flour tortilla, corn tortilla, or simply place it on a bed of lettuce and top the whole shebang with onions and pickles. We actually had some Sloppy Joe Sauce left the next night and since it’s so darn delicious, I didn’t want to waste it.

Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without!

I didn’t want to do the same-o same-o, though, so I decided to try something different. While I slowly warmed the sauce up, I made the Krusteaz Gluten-Free Honey Cornbread mix according to the directions on the box – throwing in a tablespoon of freshly diced jalapeno for fun. Normally I cook the cornbread in a smaller pan, but I wanted it a little less thick for what I had in mind – so I placed it in my large iron skillet and cooked it for the specified amount of time.

Special Note About the Sloppy Joe Sauce

At the bottom, I’ll give you my favorite Sloppy Joe Sauce Recipe but you could, of course use any Sloppy Joe Sauce you wanted to use. Heck, if time was of the essence, you could even use Manwich or Sloppy Joe Sauce out of a can. I won’t tell a soul.

If you’re a vegetarian like one of my daughters, Brittany, you could use Boca Crumbles instead of ground beef. Still delicious!

While the cornbread cooked and the Sloppy Joe Sauce re-heated, I placed the following into my food processor and gave it a whirr:

Roasted Red Pepper
Diced Onion
Pickle Slices
You could also add garlic, tomatoes, mushrooms – whatever combo your heart desires. However, I wanted the prominent flavors to be the cornbread and Sloppy Joes, so I proceeded with a modest attitude.

After I took the cornbread out of the oven (it smelled amazing!), I buttered it a little bit with grass-fed butter. Why? Because butter, that’s why. Then I covered it with the Sloppy Joe Sauce (leaving a little bit of an edge for effect), the processed vegetables, grated sharp cheddar cheese, and freshly minced parsley.

Words can’t tell you how delicious this gluten-free Sloppy Joes Cornbread Pizza was! Krusteaz Gluten-Free Honey Cornbread Mix is available in most grocery stores and on Amazon.

Perfect 10 Gluten-Free Sloppy Joe Sauce Recipe

2 pounds grass-fed beef or Laura’s Lean Beef
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 small green pepper, diced
1 small red pepper, diced
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1-1/2 cups Heinz Ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2-1/2 teaspoons yellow mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1-1/2 tablespoon gluten-free soy sauce
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

Place the butter in a hot skillet (on medium heat), followed by the 2 pounds of ground beef, the onion, and the peppers. After the beef has browned, drain and return to the skillet.
Move the heat to medium low and add the garlic powder, ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, vinegar, tomato paste, soy sauce, and salt and pepper.
Simmer for about 10 minutes. Don’t let it boil – be sure it just simmers.
Taste what you’ve created and (if needed) add a little more salt, pepper, tomato paste… whatever you think it may need more of! At this point, I don’t believe I have ever added anything to the sauce, but you do you.

Bang Bang Shrimp Recipe: Gluten Free, Quick, Easy, and Crazy Delicious

July 25, 2016 By Joi Sigers

Bang Bang Shrimp

I have a confession to make – I’ve never had Bang Bang Shrimp at Bonefish Grill, the restaurant who put Bang Bang Shrimp on the map. Given this fact, obviously, I am not trying to call this a “knock off” or “copycat” recipe. When I’ve worked with this particular recipe, I never judge it by how I think it “should” taste in comparison to anyone else’s Bang Bang Shrimp – I only measure it by the last time I made it – as in, Where could I make this even better?

Below are some tips I’ve picked up over the times I’ve made this dish. I made it yesterday and it was the best batch I’ve ever made – the recipe is below the tips, but the real “meat of the matter” is in the tips.

Be certain your oil reaches the appropriate temperature. It’s of the utmost importance.
Something else that makes a huge difference is this – make sure you cook the shrimp long enough. When you take one out to examine it, if the cornstarch coating looks wetter than it does crunchy, pot that guy back into the oil. A smooshie coating will ruin everything.
When making the sauce, the recipe below is my own personal favorite blend. Taste as you add ingredients and if you want more of a pronounced sweet chile sauce flavor, use more. If you want it to be less sweet, use less honey. Also, you could forgo the hot sauce entirely if you wanted to.
A lot of people say that Bang Bang Shrimp is fantastic served as an appetizer before the main course – but I… er… well.. if I’m going to spend as much money as I have to spend on shrimp, it’s going to be the main course and nothing but the main course.
If you were to cut the tails off of the shrimp, they’d make out of this world tacos.
They’re also great served with rice – leftover Sweet Thai Chili Sauce on the rice is a lovely, lovely thing.

Gluten Free Bang Bang Shrimp

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Hellman's Mayonnaise (or other gluten free brand)
1/4 Cup PLUS 3 TBS Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
4 Dashes Hot Sauce
2 tsp Honey
1/2 - 1 Cup Cornstarch
1 Pound Large Shrimp, Peeled/Deveined
Vegetable Oil (for frying)
Chopped Green Onions (green part)
Lettuce Leaves (Optional)

Instructions

Combine the mayo, sweet chile sauce,hot sauce, and honey in a dish.
Place cornstarch in a shallow dish (pie plates work beautifully). Coat the shrimp in the cornstarch by pressing each shrimp down into the cornstarch - be sure to get all sides.
Heat vegetable oil in a deep-fryer or large, deep pan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Be absolutely certain it reaches this temperature.
Cook the shrimp by working in batches. You don't want to overcrowd the pan. Cook until lightly brown on the outside - about 3-5 minutes. Transfer each batch to paper towels to drain.
Put all of the cooked shrimp into a bowl and pour the chile sauce mixture over the top. Coat each one gently.
Arrange on a platter that has been lined with lettuce leaves (optional)- then top the whole shebang with chopped green onions.

*** My Bang Bang Shrimp is pictured in one of my red Rachael Ray Stoneware dishes. You can find a wide assortment of her stoneware on Amazon (below). I, legitimately, use mine on a daily basis.

Summer Pork, Pepper, Tomato, and Eggplant Stew (Naturally Gluten Free)

May 26, 2016 By Joi Sigers

The uniquely creative and creatively unique recipe below is from Paulding & Co. Eggplant is one of those vegetables you either love or hate. Don’t let it know but I tend to fall in with the latter crow. However, when it’s in a stew, soup, or even pasta – where it’s more a co-star than the lead, I find it to be pretty darn good.

Summer Pork, Pepper, Tomato, and Eggplant Stew

Servings: Yield: 4 generous servings, probably with some leftovers

Summer Pork Stew

Ingredients

2 slices thick-cut bacon
2 lbs. boneless pork shoulder (or 2 ½ lbs. bone-in)
Salt & freshly ground pepper
1 large yellow onion
3 cloves garlic
2 tsp. Marash or Aleppo pepper (or other deep flavored, medium-hot flaked pepper)
4 long sweet red peppers, such as lipstick or Jimmy Nardello, to make about 1 ½ cups cut pieces (if you use red bells, use only one!)
1 medium-large eggplant
2 large tomatoes

Instructions

Cut the bacon into lardons (small pieces). Trim and discard any large chunks of fat from the meat, without being too fastidious — you’ll have a chance to skim the stew later.
Cut the pork into 1 ½ “ cubes (it will shrink during cooking so don’t make the cubes smaller).
Halve, peel and dice the onion, peel and mince the garlic, and seed and dice the peppers. Remove the stem end of the eggplant, and cut into approximately one-inch dice. Cut an X in the base of the tomatoes, remove the stem, and either blanch for 30 seconds in boiling water to loosen the peels, or rest them on a burner, over open flame, turning with a tongs until the skin loosens. Skin, halve, and dice the tomatoes. If they are very seedy, you can first de-seed them but hold over a strainer on a bowl to do so, so you save the juices. Set each ingredient aside separately.
Render the bacon slowly in a heavy non-reactive 4-quart sauteuse pan (straight-sided pan with a cover, not too deep; if you don’t have one, an enameled cast-iron casserole, or a tri-ply large frying pan with a lid, will be fine). Cook the bacon until it is starting to crisp.
Season the pork cubes well with salt and pepper, and add to the rendered bacon and fat, making sure they are in one layer and not too crowded (or do two batches).
Turn the heat to HIGH and brown the pieces, without turning or moving them, until one side is nicely caramelized; stir the contents of the pan, making sure the meat has turned so the browned side is facing up, and continue over high heat until the second side is brown.
Add the onions, stir the pot and let cook 2 minutes.
Add the garlic, pepper flakes, and red peppers, and cook another minute or so; add the eggplant and tomatoes, including their juices, and stir well.
Add ½ cup water, cover the pan, and cook over low heat for 1 ½ hours, until the meat is tender.
Stir every ten minutes or so, and add a bit more water if needed to keep the contents from sticking.
Taste, re-season, skim extra fat from the sauce, and serve.
The dish goes well with any starch.

So how do you, personally, feel about eggplant?! If you’re a fan, how do you enjoy it? There are so few foods I actually dislike – I’d love to find a way to fall in love with eggplant so that liver stands alone in the “No, thank you” category.

About Paulding & Company

Founded by mother-daughter duo Terry and Tracy Paulding, Paulding & Co. is a commercial kitchen and instructional/event space that specializes in creating innovative event ideas for families and corporate entities through public cooking classes and exercises. Located in the heart of the San Francisco Bay area, Paulding & Company inspired Disney/Pixar animators for the Ratatouille film and director Clint Eastwood for several projects.

Photo and Recipe Credit: Paulding & Co

Gluten Free Strombolis With Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix

September 15, 2015 By Joi Sigers

Gluten Free Stromboli (Delicious!)

Gluten Free Strombolis Recipe

1/2 lb Sweet Italian Sausage
1 Green Pepper, chopped
1 Sweet Onion, chopped
1 TBS minced garlic from a jar (optional)
Jar of Spaghetti Sauce (Meat Free)
1 Bay Leaf
Kosher Salt
4 Cups Mozzarella
Pizza Crust (see below)
Black Pepper

Pizza Crust: For these, I used one bag of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix (makes two strombolis). Follow the directions for pizza crust on the back of the bag. When it comes time to roll out the crusts, remember you want it pretty thin. Another tip, roll it out on parchment paper, then use it to “assist” you in rolling the stromboli up.

To make it even easier, you could use Pillsbury’s Ready Made Gluten Free Pizza Crust. IF you can find it. I have trouble finding it in most grocery stores anymore.

Pre-Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Brown the Italian Sausage. If you’d prefer Hot Italian Sausage, use it instead. After making these with the Sweet, I couldn’t help thinking that a mixture of sweet and hot would’ve been delicious.
Add the chopped peppers and onions to the sausage as it browns. Drain and return all to the pan.
If you’re adding garlic, do so now. Feel free to add more or less – depending upon your own level of garlic love.
Salt and pepper everything.
Add half the jar of sauce – save the rest for dipping your Strombolis.

Gluten Free Stromboli

For the Crust:

Roll each ball of pizza dough into a 10-by-16-inch rectangle. Carefully transfer to a baking sheet.
Divide the Italian sausage filling down the middle of each rectangle. Sprinkle 2 cups of mozzarella evenly on top of each filling.
Turn the pan horizontally, so you’re looking at the future strombolis lenghtwise. Starting at the bottom of each, carefully roll the dough on top of the filling about an inch to two inches. Roll in the two sides. Now roll “up” from the bottom (here’s where the parchment paper is a lot of help) and seal the edges – position the stroms with the seam on the bottom. Cut several diagonal slits into the crust (with a ridiculously sharp knife), if you’re feeling fancy.
Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Bob’s Red Mill Pizza Crust MixOptional Add Ins and “Hindsight” Ideas:

Pepperoni Slices would be delicious in these strombolis. One bite it, it occurred to me! Why it didn’t occur to me while I was at the store is beyond me.
You could easily make vegetarian strombolis by replacing the meat with extra peppers, mushrooms, and even jalapenos.
Instead of using the spaghetti sauce method, even though it was delicious, the next time I make these I want to try this approach: Brown the sausage/drain. Saute onions and green pepper. After rolling out the pizza crust, “brush” on my favorite pizza sauce (which happens to be Classico), evenly spread the filling ingredients down the middle, add the cheese, roll up, and bake. Like I said, the spaghetti sauce is fantastic, but I think pizza sauce would be pretty amazing too.
The stroms shown here are my first attempt and I, obviously, didn’t go too heavy on the filling. I wanted to make sure my dough closed around the ingredients and didn’t bust at the seams. Use common sense when putting your stroms together – it’s honestly better to go “light” than to have them pop open in the oven.
Strombolis don’t have to have to include the traditional ingredients. These would also be delicious with cheddar cheese, onions, and ham. I guess just about any luncheon meat would be delicious. Hmmm, I think I’ll try sliced roast beef and Swiss cheese sometime…
When it comes to favorite gluten free mixes (such as Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust and Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Pie Crust Mix), I order in bulk off of Amazon. I’m afraid I can’t always count on my grocery store to have just the mix or mixes I need, but I can always count on Amazon. Come to think of it, it’s time to order another box of each of these mixes.
Store-bought pizza dough (whether you go the gluten free route or not) would be easier to work with, but when you make your own, the taste is just out of this world. They may not be quite as photogenic as a store bought crust would be, but since when do photos taste good?!
When I served the stroms, I sliced and positioned them on the plate among plenty of Ruffles Potato Chips (you just cannot have stroms without Ruffles!). I served little bowls of Marinara Sauce for dipping, but pizza sauce would also be great. Add a dill pickle and you’re golden.
Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust is a 10 out of 10. Excellent in every single way and it has never let me down. I highly recommend it for pizzas and strombolis.

Strombolis without Ruffles? I Don’t Think So!

Easy Gluten Free Vegetarian Mexican Pizzas

July 22, 2014 By Joi Sigers

There are countless reasons to love this Gluten Free Mexican Pizzas recipe – they’re quick, easy, and very inexpensive to make. I also love the fact that they’re ideal to make for just about anyone – because, while they’re gluten free and vegetarian, anyone and everyone loves them.

They’re that delicious.

Gluten Free Mexican Pizzas

1 (16 oz) can refried beans
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. chili powder
dash of Kosher salt
8 – 10 Corn Tortillas (I use white corn tortillas)
Pace Picante Sauce (or your favorite Salsa)
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Your favorite toppings: green onions, sweet onions, jalapenos, diced green pepper, black olives…

You can make these pizzas in the oven OR on the stove, in a skillet. The latter’s pretty convenient in the summer months if you don’t want to heat up your kitchen. I’ve made these both ways and honestly don’t have a clear-cut favorite. I will say this, though, for whatever reasons, using a skillet seems to draw out more of the delicious corn flavor from the tortillas.

If you’re using an oven, preheat it to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine the beans, chiles and spices. you could also throw in a little diced jalapeno if you’re brave enough.

Oven Method: Place tortillas on a large baking sheet. Spread with the bean mixture, to within 1/2 of the edges. Top with another tortilla, gently pressing down. Spoon Pace Picante Sauce or salsa over the top, then sprinkle with cheese and your favorite toppings. Bake at 400 for 10 – 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Stove Top: Toast tortillas (two at a time, side by side) in a skillet. Spread one of them with the bean mixture and top with second toasted tortilla. Spoon Picante Sauce or salsa over the top and sprinkle with cheese and your toppings. Put each pizza back on the skillet cover, and heat on low until cheese is melted.

Use a pizza cutter to cut each pizzas into fourths. Serve with a salad or tortilla chips and you have a quick, easy, budget-friendly, and delicious meal.

Picante Sauce or Salsa? Either is delicious – but I’m a sucker for Picante Sauce for the simple fact that it’s sweeter. I actually prefer to mix things up and alternate between Picante and salsa.

Toppings: Use however much or however little you want – you call the shots. My favorite toppings for these pizzas are black olives and green onions but feel free to use any type of pepper that catches your eye. Finely shredded lettuce, finely chopped tomatoes and a dollop of sour cream are also great additions after the pizzas have come out of the oven or off of the stove.

Cream Cheese, Green Chiles, and Jalapneo Dip (And Spread for the Next Day)