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July 26, 2014

Gluten-Free Blueberry Crumb Pie

Prep:

Cook:

Level: Easy

Updated

8

Description

Gluten-free pie shouldn’t be harder to make or less tasty. This pie includes lots of butter, gluten-free flour, and a generous portion of blueberries! Sweet and buttery all the way through!

Ingredients

  • FOR THE CRUST:
  • 1-¼ cup Cold Gluten Free Flour (I Used And Loved Cup 4 Cup Brand)
  • ½ teaspoons Sea Salt
  • ¾ teaspoons Pure Cane Sugar
  • ½ cups Cold Unsalted Butter, Cubed
  • ¼ cups Ice Cold Water, More Or Less Depending On Where You Live
  • FOR THE FILLING:
  • 2 bags (12 Oz. Size) Frozen Blueberries (no Sugar Added, Just Fruit), Completely Defrosted In Fridge Overnight
  • ⅓ cups (heaping) Pure Cane Sugar
  • 2-½ Tablespoons Gluten Free Flour (again, I Used Cup 4 Cup Brand)
  • 1 teaspoon Good Quality Vanilla Extract
  • 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
  • FOR THE CRUMB TOPPING:
  • ½ cups Cold Unsalted Butter, Cubed
  • ½ cups Pure Cane Sugar
  • 1 cup Gluten Free Flour (again, I Used Cup 4 Cup Brand)
  • 1 pinch Sea Salt
  • FOR THE CRUST:
  • 1-¼ cup Cold Gluten Free Flour (I Used And Loved Cup 4 Cup Brand)
  • ½ teaspoons Sea Salt
  • ¾ teaspoons Pure Cane Sugar
  • ½ cups Cold Unsalted Butter, Cubed
  • ¼ cups Ice Cold Water, More Or Less Depending On Where You Live
  • FOR THE FILLING:
  • 2 bags (12 Oz. Size) Frozen Blueberries (no Sugar Added, Just Fruit), Completely Defrosted In Fridge Overnight
  • ⅓ cups (heaping) Pure Cane Sugar
  • 2-½ Tablespoons Gluten Free Flour (again, I Used Cup 4 Cup Brand)
  • 1 teaspoon Good Quality Vanilla Extract
  • 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
  • FOR THE CRUMB TOPPING:
  • ½ cups Cold Unsalted Butter, Cubed
  • ½ cups Pure Cane Sugar
  • 1 cup Gluten Free Flour (again, I Used Cup 4 Cup Brand)
  • 1 pinch Sea Salt

Preparation

To make the crust:

1. In your food processor add the flour, salt and sugar. Pulse until combined. Next, add in the cubed butter and pulse until a crumb starts to form with pea sized chunks.

2. While pulsing continuously, slowly add in your ice cold water. Depending on the weather that day you might need the listed amount or you might need a little more or even a little less. As soon as the crust starts to clump together and form into dough, you’re done. Do not over mix or add too much water. You want the crust to clump and hold together when you squeeze between fingers.

3. Flour a counter with more gluten-free flour. Add dough to surface and bring together with your hands. Gently and quickly form into a disk without kneading and then roll it out until it’s 1/4″ thick.

4. Carefully roll dough around your rolling pin, bring it over your pie pan, and unroll across the top. This is the best way to make sure crust doesn’t rip or tear. If it does do so, simply pinch it back together.

5. Cut off excess dough, leaving a little overhang. Excess dough can be baked and turned into snacks! Next, fold that overhang under itself so that you have a nice smooth edged crust and crimp as you see fit.

6. Place dough in the fridge to chill and rest for 30 minutes.

While dough is resting, preheat oven to 425°F and make the gluten-free blueberry filling:

1. In a large bowl, add your defrosted frozen blueberries as well as the juice that collected in blueberry bag, sugar, flour, vanilla and lemon juice. Mix together until completely combined and all the flour lumps are gone.

2. Set filling into the fridge to chill.

While that is chilling, make the gluten-free crumb topping:

1. Add all the ingredients to a food processor and pulse until a crumb forms with pea sized chunks. You can also do this by hand in a large bowl with a fork or pastry cutter. Just work the butter into the sugar, flour and salt until crumbs form. Set aside.

Now let’s put everything together:

1. Carefully add blueberry filling to your chilled pie crust. Make sure to scrape the bowl.

2. Cover entire surface of filling with your crumb mixture. Pile it on there and make sure surface is a nice even layer. If there is any crumb mix left over, store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week or in the freezer for months!

3. Place pie on a tin foil lined baking sheet and bake in the center of your preheated oven for 15 minutes.

If your crust starts to brown quicker than your filling is cooking, you can cover the crust with a handy pie crust shield to help protect the surface while it continues to bake. Or you can carefully cover edges with tin foil.

4. Once the 15 minutes is up, turn heat down to 350°F and bake pie another hour more, or until topping is golden brown and filling is gently bubbling and puffed. Make sure to turn the pan halfway through baking to ensure even baking and browning.

Remove it from the oven and allow to sit on baking sheet until cool to the touch. Then remove and allow to cool completely and set up, before serving.

Notes:
1. Makes one 8″ pie.
2. Results may vary depending on the type of gluten-free flour used. Make sure you know and love your gluten-free flourl. I recommend using Cup 4 Cup for best results.
3. Filling and crumb recipe adapted from countryliving.com.

Black Bean Soup with Spicy Chipotle Crema

Prep:

Cook:

Level: Easy

Updated

6

Description

Black bean soup with smoky bacon, cheddar cheese and a dollop of spicy chipotle crema.

Ingredients

  • 4 slices Thick Cut Bacon, Diced
  • 2 whole Red Onions, Chopped
  • 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
  • 2 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
  • 1 can (12 Oz. Size) Diced Tomatoes
  • 2 Tablespoons Ketchup
  • 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
  • 4 cans (15 Oz. Size) Black Beans, Drained And Rinsed
  • 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
  • ½ teaspoons Freshly Ground Black Pepper
  • 1 whole Lime, Juiced
  • ½ cups Heavy Cream
  • ¼ cups Sour Cream
  • 1 whole Chipotle Chile In Adobo Sauce, Minced
  • 1 Tablespoon Adobo Sauce
  • ½ cups Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
  • ¼ cups Chopped Cilantro Leaves
  • 4 slices Thick Cut Bacon, Diced
  • 2 whole Red Onions, Chopped
  • 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
  • 2 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
  • 1 can (12 Oz. Size) Diced Tomatoes
  • 2 Tablespoons Ketchup
  • 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
  • 4 cans (15 Oz. Size) Black Beans, Drained And Rinsed
  • 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
  • ½ teaspoons Freshly Ground Black Pepper
  • 1 whole Lime, Juiced
  • ½ cups Heavy Cream
  • ¼ cups Sour Cream
  • 1 whole Chipotle Chile In Adobo Sauce, Minced
  • 1 Tablespoon Adobo Sauce
  • ½ cups Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
  • ¼ cups Chopped Cilantro Leaves

Preparation

Place a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook for about 6 minutes, until golden and crispy. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. Set aside.

Add the onions and garlic to the pan and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until softened. Stir in the chicken broth, tomatoes, ketchup, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, and black beans and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice. Using an immersion blender, purée the soup until thick and smooth.

Whisk together the heavy cream, sour cream, chipotle chile, and adobo sauce in a small bowl to combine.

Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the cheddar cheese, cilantro, reserved bacon, and a dollop of chipotle crema.

Fried Beer-Battered Fish

Prep:

Cook:

Level: Easy

Updated

4

Description

Yummy beer battered fish, for those times you just need something fried!

Ingredients

  • 1 gallon Peanut Oil
  • 2 cups Flour
  • 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • ¼ teaspoons Cayenne
  • 12 ounces, fluid Cold Beer (Any Flavor You Like)
  • 1 pound Cod
  • 1 cup Cornstarch
  • 1 gallon Peanut Oil
  • 2 cups Flour
  • 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • ¼ teaspoons Cayenne
  • 12 ounces, fluid Cold Beer (Any Flavor You Like)
  • 1 pound Cod
  • 1 cup Cornstarch

Preparation

Heat oil in a Dutch oven or heavy pot until it reaches 350 F. While the oil is heating up, in a bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and cayenne. Whisk it together until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Add in your bottle of cold beer and mix until there are no lumps and you have a smooth batter. Park that bowl in the fridge while you cut up your fish.

Cut your fish into 1 1/2″ strips. Add the cornstarch into a flat dish (pie plate works awesome). Grab the batter from the fridge and set up a little assembly line…cornstarch, batter, and fish. Dip your fish in the cornstarch and shake off all excess. Next dip it into the beer batter to fully coat. Then carefully place the fish into the 350 F oil. Try not to drop it in quickly, otherwise it might sink. Work in small batches and fry 2-3 fish strips at a time so as to not bring down oil temperature. Remove the cooked fish from the oil using a kitchen spider and place on some paper towels while you finish frying the rest.

Recipe adapted from Alton Brown and Food Network.

Banana Brûlée

Prep:

Cook:

Level: Intermediate

Updated

2

Description

The adult version of a banana split!

Ingredients

  • 2 whole Bananas (peel On)
  • 1 cup Sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons Caramel Sauce
  • 2 cups Favorite Ice Cream
  • 2 whole Bananas (peel On)
  • 1 cup Sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons Caramel Sauce
  • 2 cups Favorite Ice Cream

Preparation

Take the two bananas, cut them in half once, then cut them in half lengthwise leaving the peel on. Rub the cut sides of the banana in sugar to completely coat. Carefully remove the peel, not to disturb the sugar and place on a cooling rack on top of a rimmed sheet pan lined with aluminum foil. Take a kitchen torch and move it back and forth with the flame until the sugar starts to caramelize and bubble. Repeat with all banana quarters.

Get two plates and make a fun squiggle shape with the caramel sauce on each plate. You may need to heat up your caramel sauce slightly it if is too dense. This is all free-hand so have fun with it!

Next place 2 of the bananas parallel to each other on each plate. Then top those with 2 more bananas in the opposite parallel direction (form a square).

Take a cup of your favorite ice cream and gently place it on top of your banana squares on each plate. From here you can top with whip cream, sprinkles, a fun candy shape, whatever you want!

Recipe modified from Alton Brown Food Network..

July 25, 2014

Banh Mi Veggie Dogs

Prep:

Cook:

Level: Easy

Updated

4

Description

Inspired by the classic Vietnamese banh mi sandwich, these veggie dogs are topped with fresh cilantro, pickled carrots, cucumbers and Sriracha mayo.

Ingredients

  • ½ cups Rice Wine Vinegar
  • ¼ cups Sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Coarse Salt
  • 2 whole Medium Carrots, Shaved Into Thin Ribbons Using A Vegetable Peeler
  • ½ cups Mayonnaise
  • 2 Tablespoons Sriracha (or More To Taste)
  • 4 whole Veggie Dog Weiners (or Normal Hot Dogs For Non-vegetarian Option))
  • 4  Hotdog Buns
  • 2 whole Persian Cucumbers, Thinly Sliced Lengthwise
  • 1 whole Jalapeno, Thinly Sliced
  • 4 sprigs Fresh Cilantro
  • ½ cups Rice Wine Vinegar
  • ¼ cups Sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Coarse Salt
  • 2 whole Medium Carrots, Shaved Into Thin Ribbons Using A Vegetable Peeler
  • ½ cups Mayonnaise
  • 2 Tablespoons Sriracha (or More To Taste)
  • 4 whole Veggie Dog Weiners (or Normal Hot Dogs For Non-vegetarian Option))
  • 4  Hotdog Buns
  • 2 whole Persian Cucumbers, Thinly Sliced Lengthwise
  • 1 whole Jalapeno, Thinly Sliced
  • 4 sprigs Fresh Cilantro

Preparation

For the pickled carrots:

In a small pot combine the vinegar, sugar and salt and bring to a boil. Add the carrots, remove from heat and let sit until cooled. Transfer to a container, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

For the veggie dogs:

In a small bowl combine the mayo (or Miracle Whip) and Sriracha and stir to combine evenly.

Grill the veggie dogs over medium-high heat until grill marks form, turning halfway through cooking, about 5 minutes. Place each in a bun and top with the Sriracha mayo, cucumber and jalapeno slices, a small handful of pickled carrots and a sprig of cilantro. Serve immediately.