Emeril's Essence Creole Seasoning

While trying to find recipes to add flavor to any dish, I came across this seasoning for grilled grouper.  We have used it to season and grill chicken or strips of steak for fajitas.  It is really good!

Ingredients
2 1/2 Tablespoons Paprika
2 Tablespoons Salt
2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
1 Tablespoon Black Pepper
1 Tablespoon Onion Powder
1 Tablespoon Cayenne Pepper
1 Tablespoon Dried Leaf Oregano
1 Tablespoon Dried Thyme

Directions
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.  Yields about 2/3 cup.

Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking," by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch.  Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

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Gluten Free Blackberry Cobbler

A dear sweet friend of mine sent me a recipe for a gluten free blueberry cobbler.  I didn't have any blueberries on hand at the time, so I thought I would use blackberries and see how they worked.  It was so good!  I've missed blackberry cobbler for so long.  It is something I grew up with in the state of Texas.  Here's hoping you like it too.

Ingredients
3 Cups Frozen/Fresh Blackberries
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla
2 Tablespoons Corn Starch

1/2 Cup Sorghum Flour (or Millet)
1/2 Potato Starch
3/4 Cup Gluten Free Oats
4 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Cup Sugar
6 Tablespoons Butter
1 Cup Milk (or Milk Substitute)
1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Sugar

Directions
1.  Combine the blackberries, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and corn starch in a sauce pan.  Cook and stir over medium high heat until thickened.  It will get runny as the blackberries warm up, then thicken as the cornstarch cooks.  Pur this into the bottom of an 8 to 9 inch square baking dish.

2.  Combine the gorhum flour, potato starch, oats, baking powder, salt and sugar in a medium bowl.  Use a pastry blender, or your fingers, to cut the butter into the dry mixture until crumbly.  Pour in the milk as you stir with a fork, just until moistened.  Spoon the topping onto the blackberry mixture in the dish.  Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 teaspoon sugar over top.

3.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes until the topping tests done with a toothpick.  Let it cool until warm before serving.

Substitutions
Some of the substitutions I like to use are honey granules for the sugar, millet flour for the sorghum flour, and 1 lemon squeezed for the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.  Have fun and enjoy!

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Gluten Free Zucchini Bread

Here is a great recipe I found for Zucchini Bread.  A friend of ours brought us some zucchini that was taller than a 2 liter bottle of coke. I couldn't believe it!  As I searched for some recipes to make good use of the zucchini, I came across this one at Celiac.com.  It is so good, it tastes just like coffee cake.

Ingredients
1/2 Stick Salted Butter
1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
3/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Sugar
1 1/2 Cup Gluten Free Flour Mix
2 Eggs
1 1/4 Teaspoon Xanthan Gum
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/8 Teaspoon Nutmeg
1/2 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla
1 1/2 Cup Shredded Zucchini
1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts
1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips
2 Tablespoons Light Brown Sugar

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease one 8x4x2 inch loaf with oil spray or line the pan with parchment paper.

2.  Use mixer, cream butter and sugars until fluffy.

3.  With mixer running, add egg and vanilla extract to mixture.

4.  Whisk flour mix, baking powder, baking soda, salt, xanthan gum, nutmeg and cinnamon together and add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the mixer.

5.  If the dough appears too dry, add 1/4 of vegetable oil.

6.  Fold zucchini, walnuts, and chocolate chips (or carob chips) into the batter.

7.  Pour batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar on top of the batter.

8.  Bake for 55-65 minutes until golden brown or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

9.  Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Substitutions
I like to use sucanat for my brown sugar.  It is very natural and much better for you. If you use the sucanat, you will need to melt it in some butter when you get ready to put it on top of the bread.  It won't come out looking dusty on top.

I like to use honey granules for the sugar.  I get my honey granules from Bread Beckers in Woodstock, Georgia.  Check any local organic health food stores to see what they have near you.

Another substitution I like to use is carob chips to replace the chocolate chips.  Carob chips are a vegan substitute.  My kids couldn't tell the difference.  They are better for you.

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Gluten Free Zucchini Brownies

I never would have imagined zucchini and chocolate would be good together.  Surprisingly, they are!  I found this recipe in a forum at Celiac.com  After my first batch, the kids liked it so much, they were gone in two days!  So, if you or your kids don't like vegetables, here is a great way to get them in.

Ingredients

1 Cup Gluten Free Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Xanthan Gum
3/4 Cup Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
3/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 Cup Baking Cocoa
1 Egg
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Cup Peeled/Shredded Zucchini
1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips
1/4 Cup Chopped Nuts

Directions
In a bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.  Stir in the egg, vanilla, and oil.  Stir in the zucchini (it will moisten the batter).  Stir in the chips and nuts.  Spread batter into a sprayed 8x8 pan.  Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees.  Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

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Pumpkin Waffles

I find a lot of recipes from Celiac.com even though I haven't been diagnosed with that.  They have lots of gluten free recipes and are a good source whenever I want to find something new.  Here is a recipe for pumpkin pancakes or waffles.  I tend to like the waffles better.  They cook better and have a better texture.  Here is hoping you enjoy them as much as my family does.

Ingredients

1 1/2 Cups Gluten Free Flour
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon Nutmeg
1 Egg
1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
3/4 Cup Canned or Pureed Pumpkin
1 Cup Water

Directions
In a medium bowl, mix the pancake mix and the spices together.  In another bowl, whisk the egg and the brown sugar.  Stir in the oil, pumpkin and most of the water.

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients.  Stir until combined adding more water to obtain the right consistency.  Pour in a waffle iron and bake for 10 minutes.

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Gluten Free Flour Mix

There are many different combinations of flours you can use to create your own all purpose gluten free flour mix.  

Ingredients
1 Cup White Rice Flour
2/3 Cup Millet Flour
1/3 Cup Tapioca Flour

Millet has the same type of cake like texture like that of any bean flour.  Millet also has some great healing properties.


Mix the flours together in a container and store for future use.  Sometimes I multiply the recipe 10 times so I don't have to bring out my grain mill too often. If you don't like millet flour, experiment with different bean flours and see which one you like best.  Most importantly, have fun doing it!

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Spicy Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Here's a great recipe I found in Publix's Summer 2011 Greenwise Magazine.  I hope you like it as much as I do.

Ingredients
2 Medium Sweet Potatoes
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
1/2 Teaspoon Chili Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Paprika
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
Coarse Sea Salt or Kosher Salt (optional)
Ketchup (optional)


 Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425.  Lightly coat a 15x10x1-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.  Scrub potatoes and cut lengthwise into quarters.  Cut each quarter lengthwise into four wedges.  Arrange potatoes in a single layer in prepared pan.  Coat lightly with cooking spray.

2. Combine salt, cumin, chili powder, paprika and pepper in a small bowl; sprinkle over potatoes.

3.  Bake for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender, turning once.  If desired, sprinkle with sea salt serve with ketchup.  Makes 4 servings

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