Taco Pie anyone?

My kids love Taco Pie, which is a recipe in Lisa Lewis' Special Diets for Special Kids Two. We call this pizza, because it looks like deep dish pizza. And, I've modified the recipe a little in a way that actually creates a "cheesy" texture to the inside. So, to get the original recipe, you'll have to buy the book. Here's my version:

Ingredients
------------
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 medium onion, chopped
taco seasoning mixture -- see recipe below
1 cup milk substitute (I use Darifree)
2 eggs (I use Ener-G egg substitute)
1/2 cup flour baking mix -- see recipe below
1/4 cup salsa (either homemade or I also will use Tostitos brand milk salsa. Frito Lay claims this is GF, CF, MSG free, soy free and egg free. See the company's allergen info here.)

So, first, cook the beef over a medium heat with the onion.

While it's cooking, make the taco seasoning. This is 2 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp crushed dried red pepper, 1/4 tsp oregano, 1 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp tapioca starch, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp cumin. Mix well.

Heat oven to 400.

Now, make the flour baking mix. This is my version.
- 2.75 cups gf flour (3/4 cup sorghum flour, 1 cup tapioca starch, 1 cup potato starch)
- 1/8 cup baking powder
- 2 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2-3 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 cup canola oil
Mix the dry ingredients well in a bowl. Pour in oil. Then mix well with a beater to blend oil in.

Grease a pie plate. I use Spectrum organic shortening.

Drain meat mixture. Pour into pie plate and spread around.

Top with salsa, as much or little as you want. I do it in blotches. If I don't have salsa, I pour a little ketchup here and there.

If you're using egg subs, make them first and let sit a few minutes.

In a bowl, combine milk sub, egg (or egg sub), and baking mix until blended. It may be a little lumpy and that's OK. It will be liquidy. Pour over the meat mixture.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out cleanly.

Easy variations of this are hamburger pie, by eliminating salsa and taco seasoning. You could add an onion seasoning mix to this if you wanted.

Pancrepes!

Ever had pancakes? How about crepes? What about pancrepes?

No, well then you'll just have to try these. This is a homemade recipe (I'm sure you can tell). I normally make pancakes using a gf flour base that's equal thirds potato starch, tapioca starch and chickpea flour. I'm trying to cutback the bean. So, I eliminated it and made the base half potato and half tapioca, just to see what would happen.

Anyway, here's the recipe. I wrapped these immediately around a teaspoon of jelly, using the jelly to help seal them. You could use, of course, any filling.

Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup tapioca starch
- 1/2 cup potato starch
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp syrup (I used Steen's cane syrup. You could use maple or agave or honey.)
- canola oil
- 1/3 cup water
- Smuckers jelly or other filling

I heated a pan with a little oil. Mix all the ingredients well. You'll have to work through the starch well as it's tough. When hot, drop a tablespoon of batter into the pan at a time. This cooks quickly, so flip when the edges start to turn. Fill with a tsp of jelly or other filling, folding the pancrepe together or rolling.

Grind away

So, I've been experimenting again. This time with flours. My goal is to find other flours that work in the recipes I use most. I rely mostly on chickpea flour and, in some sweets, sorghum flour. I mix those in with tapioca and potato starches.

I bought some quinoa grain at $2 a pound and some amaranth grain. Mind you, quinoa flour sells for $6/1.5 lbs. Amaranth, just as much.

Anyway, I threw the grain in my coffee grinder on a fine setting and let it rip. Worked out very well. I made my pancake recipe using the quinoa flour -- turned out perfectly. The amaranth is courser and I haven't used it yet.

This opened my eyes to the world of grinding. Grinders of all types are sold. You'll want a stronger one if you plan to grind corn and nuts, etc. There's a nice comparison of grinders at the Walton Feed website.

It's yet another economical way -- in the long run -- to stick to the GFCF diet.

Asian chicken

Another real easy chicken dish. I had made too many recipes based on a seasoning mixture of chili powder, sea salt and cumin that I decided to go another route altogether. This worked nicely.

Ingredients

• 1 chicken breast, cut up
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 1 tbsp cane syrup (I use Steen's. You could sub honey, real maple syrup, Agave syrup, etc. I used Steen's because of the "dark" flavor it has that lends itself well to Asian dishes.)

OK -- heat a pan on the stove. Meanwhile, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Toss into pan. Heat until chicken's cooked (or precook chicken and then just heat to serve). Serve with a favorite veggie.

Chicken or beef hash

This is a dinner dish. It's easy and a neat way to introduce veggies.

Ingredients:
- 1 chicken breast, cubed
- ketchup
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 2 potatoes, diced or cubed
- garlic
- basil
- sea salt
- 2-3 carrots, cut into sticks
- oil

Heat oil in a pan. Add potatoes and carrot. Cook for 5-10 minutes, tossing every so often. Add onion and garlic. Cook 2 minutes. Add chicken after stirring in 1 tbsp ketchup. Add basil and sea salt. Cook until chicken is done or warmed. Add any other veggies you wish, beans, peas, broccoli, etc.

Enjoy.

Carrot fluff

Easy dish and a different side to get away from potatoes and rice.

• 8 carrots


• 1/2 cup apple flesh


• 1/2 tsp sea salt


• 2 squirts honey/syrup/agave


• 2 tablespoons tapioca starch, or potato or corn


• 2 tsp baking powder

Boil chopped carrots and apple in water.

Drain. Mix in other ingredients. Mash. Puree with a hand mixer. Add water if too stiff. Reheat 1 minute. That's it.

Very tasty.

Pancakes -- Spicy chicken pancakes

OK -- so this is a variation on my PizzaBurgerPancake and Spicy Chicken recipes. Very easy.

Make the spicy fish recipe. Set aside.

Make the pancake batter. In a mixing bowl, combine 1/3 cup chickpea flour, 1/3 cup potato starch and 1/3 cup tapioca starch. That's the flour base. Now add 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder and 1/4 tsp sea salt. Mix flour well. Add 2 tbsp canola oil and 1/3 cup water. You'll need to continue adding 1 tbsp water at a time until you reach the right "pancake" consistency. And no, you don't need xanthan gum.

I heat a small nonstick pan and toss in some of the chicken with a little onion. Heat for a minute. Then pour some of the pancake batter over top, coating the chicken. Turn when the bottom side is starting to brown, just like you would with a pancake. Cook other side until starting to brown.

That's it.

So, I was asked a question the other day. The answer might be helpful to some.

The question: "Where do you buy your food?"

The answer: Lots of places.

I know, it sounds complicated already. It isn't that bad and I've kind of made it a challenge. Most of the time, it's fun.

I'm a bulk buyer. You should know that up front. I buy larger quantities than normal of foods to cut the per-unit (per pound or per gallon) price of products down. This allows me to buy healthier foods for my kids than I normally could afford. I've also researched foods to find stuff my kids really can eat without fear of getting sick.

For us, that means finding stuff free of gluten and casein, and also soy, rice, corn and a few others.

So, you see the challenge. I start with a menu -- what do my kids eat? What ingredients do I need to make them those foods (after all, with that many food issues, you can't find most of this stuff on the shelf). Where can I buy those ingredients and for how much?

I put these onto a spreadsheet and created monthly buying lists -- shopping lists. I try to maintain a steady shopping budget amount each month. If one month gets too costly, I try to move non-necessities into a month that I'm able to spend more.

The end result of this process answers the question of 'Where do I shop?' Now, I'm from Western Pennsylvania, but I'm convinced you could use this model almost anywhere. In rural areas, you'd have to rely more on mail order items -- still possible. I just bought 75 lbs. of flour from Bob's Red Mill, for example, and saved a ton from buying the same stuff four blocks away at the grocery.

Here's my list:

: East End Food Co-op -- this is a typical food co-op. You'll find them across the country. Search for one using this site - click here. Common buys: some produce, cold cereal, sea salt, baking powder (aluminum free), corn chips, rice milk by the case (20% discount), egg substitute, shampoo and soap (soy free), etc.

: Frankferd Farms -- this is a local food supplier with a focus on organics. I buy some produce, bulk rice, some bulk flour, nuts, dried fruit, carob powder (chocolate allergy), etc. Look around and you might find an organic wholesaler in your area. They often deliver long distances for big orders.

: Restaurant Depot -- this is a chain that serves the food service market. I joined after starting a very small business delivering foods from the places I shop to others. Most cities have businesses like this to serve local restaurants, etc. Find one. You'll find products in large sizes. I buy Heinz ketchup, Lays potato chips, tomato sauce, kosher hot dogs, potatoes, etc. from here, often at great discounts.

: Wal-Mart/Sams -- most of our day to day shopping is done at local community markets or Wal-Mart and Sams. Among them, I take advantage of specials on paper and plastics, cosmetics and other stuff.

: Kennedy Farm -- we buy our beef and poultry from a local farm. This farm north of Pittsburgh sells each weekend in the city. The product is not organic but I have talked with the farm and expressed our concerns regarding gluten, etc. The meat they sell is far better quality than supermarket stuff -- and believe it or not, less expensive. You can search for farms in your area at this website -- click here. Use the search engine function.

: Pacific Pectin -- this is my xanthan gum supplier. If you're going to bake gluten-free, you'll need xanthan gum. It's a binder. It's very expensive. Some places sell this for $10 a half pound. You'll buy it for half that at pacific pectin -- the wholesale supplier -- even with shipping costs. YOu have to buy at least 5 lbs. and store. This will last a long time.

: Miss Robens -- i buy some items from here, including gluten free shampoo and conditioner. also get corn-free baking powder. they also sell flours and candy.

: Bob's Red Mill -- flour, flour, flour. I buy tapioca flour, potato starch and sorghum flour here. I buy 25 lb. bags of each and have it shipped. I still pay far less then the store. I'd also buy my chickpea flour here but Frankferd Farms makes its own at a local mill.

So, there's a look at where I buy. It's a long list, but remember, with bulk buying, I'm not buying at every story each month. Some, I may only buy from twice a year.

Hope it helps.

Chocolate treats -- a simple cookie

This is an easy everyday cookie recipe. It's chocolate and it you notice, it's really my roll recipe, converted to a drop cookie recipe. That's what makes it so easy. To make life even easier, make 2x, 3x or 4x the recipe and freeze. These freeze nicely. So, here's the recipe. Make up your own name.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup carob powder
3 tsp egg replacer powder(Ener-G)
2 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
Mix this well. Then add, 1/2 cup canola oil and 1/2 cup water. Add extra water by the tablespoon if too chunky. You want this to be smoother, but not liquidy.
Beat with blender.
Using WET hands, form rough circles and place on ungreased cookie sheet or in muffin tins. Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes. They will be very soft coming out of the oven but will firm up as they cool.

Meatloaf

This is easy.

Ingredients
----------------
1.5-2 lbs ground beef
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp Heinz ketchup
1 small onion, cut fine
1/4 cup broth -- homemade gfcf
1/2 cup gfcf bread/roll/cracker, etc.
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder (optional)
1/2 tsp garlic powder (optional)
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 egg, beaten or 1 egg substitute (Ener-G)

Heat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients well. Bake for 30-45 minutes, ensuring meat is thoroughly cooked using a meat thermometer.

Wings -- (not the band)

What a treat these are to make and enjoy with your kids. I buy a 2 lb. bag of wings every so often from a local farmer. That's when we splurge and have wings and fries night. If you do this, make the fries first (the chicken seasoning "dirties" the oil and will coat the fries).

So, wash the wings. I cut them into sections and remove the tips.

In a bowl, I mix chickpea flour, sea salt, paprika and a bit of cayenne pepper to add some punch.

I heat canola oil in a large pan. When hot, I coat the wings with the flour/seasoning mix. I don't use eggs to coat the wings because my kids can't eat eggs. If yours can, maybe try it to get a better coating. Then put into the pan and fry. Turn to brown all sides. Drain after cooked. Serve with fries and ketchup.

GFCF ice cream

I GUARANTEE you'll like this ice cream. It's very easy to make. All you need is a blender. And, there's no dairy, no soy, no rice! This recipe is found in Lisa Lewis' Special Diets for Special Kids Two. Here's how to make it:

Ingredients
---------------
1 cup plus two tablespoons Darifree powder
3/4 cup powdered sugar (if corn is an issue, buy corn-free from Miss Robens or make your own using a coffee grinder or blender)
1.5 cups very hot water
2 tablespoons Spectrum palm shortening (this is organic shortening - no soy)
1/2 tablespoon guar gum OR 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (note the difference here between tablespoon and teaspoon. If you use too much, the ice cream takes on a taffy like texture)

Put all into the blender and blend well for a couple of minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides to free any powder or clumps stuck to the side. Blend again until smooth -- ice cream smooth. Put into a freezer safe container and freeze. You could also make this using an ice cream maker.

That's it. Wait until frozen, serve and enjoy.

Untomato sauce

This actually isn't as bad as you might expect. In fact, I eat it with the kids just because it causes less acid reflux after a plate of spaghetti. The only downside to this is it takes a little work. I make big batches and freeze in portions.

Ingredients:
23 oz. carrots washed and peeled
15 oz. beets, washed and/or peeled
1 small onion, chopped
2 cups water
2.5 cups chicken broth
1 tsp minced garlic or two cloves crushed
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp parsley
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp vinegar
2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tbsp. paprika
2 tsp cayenne pepper (or more if preferred)
1/2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin

I start by prepping the vegetables and garlic and cutting into pieces. Then boil until cooked through and soft. Let cool.

Put veggies into blender by the handful along with some of the water and broth. Blend smooth. Continue until all veggies are blended. Put into large bowl. Mix in remaining liquid. Put through blender again to get smooth texture. Pour into stove pot. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Heat to serve.

Try. You can adjust color by tinkering with the ratio of beets and carrots, or by adding others such as yams, zucchini flesh or squash. You can adjust the spice factor by adjusting the cayenne. You can turn this into chili sauce by upping the cumin and chili powder. You could turn this into a tomato paste by cutting back some water and cooking it down.

Pizza burger pancakes

I think this food is just as fun to say as it is to eat. And my kids love pizza-burger pancake nights. I do too, because they're quick and easy.

First, you make the pizza-burger part, which really is just ground beef cooked and drained, and then seasoned with a taco or other spicy kind of flavor. Personally, I use chili powder, cumin and sea salt. That's it. (Note: I make about two pounds of this at a time and freeze them in 1/2 pound portions for later use. This comes in handy when you need a quick meal.)

While the meat's cooking, make the pancake batter. In a mixing bowl, combine 1/3 cup chickpea flour, 1/3 cup potato starch and 1/3 cup tapioca starch. That's the flour base. Now add 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder and 1/4 tsp sea salt. Mix flour well. Add 2 tbsp canola oil and 1/3 cup water. You'll need to continue adding 1 tbsp water at a time until you reach the right "pancake" consistency. And no, you don't need xanthan gum.

I heat a small nonstick pan and toss in some of the ground beef. Heat for 30 seconds. Then pour some of the pancake batter over top, coating the beef. Turn when the bottom side is starting to brown, just like you would with a pancake. Cook other side until starting to brown.

That's it. I serve a half pancake to each girl with some ketchup to dip in. My youngest likes this cut up into pieces. My oldest likes to eat it whole. I haven't tried, but I'll bet these would freeze nicely.

Back -- with ketchup fish

Happy New Year!

And let me introduce you to "Ketchup Fish."

Yep, just like it sounds. Ketchup. And fish.

So, here's what you need:

1 lb. cod or other firm fish
1 tsp sea salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2-1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon Heinz ketchup
1-2 potatoes cut into thin "fry" strips

Heat a nonstick pan. Cut fish into bite sized pieces. Toss in a bowl with other ingredients to coat. Toss into pan and cook until fish is flaky and potatoes are cooked. That's it.

Enjoy.

Sweet & sour sauce

Here's a good sauce to use with beef or poultry. It's very easy and made with stuff you probably already have on hand. Feel free to tinker with it too.

1/2 cup Heinz ketchup
1/2 cup Heinz vinegar (gf)
1/2 cup sugar or sweetener
1/2 cup water (more or less to adjust how thick or thin you want the sauce)

Mix in a bowl. That's it.

Sick tummy

Well, haven't been posting for a while. Kids have been sick. Actually, we've all been sick with a stomach virus -- a bad one. The experience was so bad with our littliest that it prompted me to post about how we handled a very touchy situation. Maybe somebody out there will benefit from this.

Our littliest is 3 and vomitted everything out of her system. She couldn't eat or hold water for more than a day and we became very concerned about dehydration. So, we tried this, and it worked.

We took a tablespoon of a roll and fed it to her, then a quarter cup of water. Set a timer for 20 minutes. Do it again. Repeat all day if necessary. Later, we switched to diced potatoes boiled in salt.

The little food is enough to keep the water down and eventually, the water will rehydrate the body, the food helps to settle the stomach and your kid starts to feel better. We did this for most of a day to keep water in her system. The second day we didn't adjust much. We started out the same and then upped the portions by 2x starting with lunch. We also added some cubed chicken pieces at lunch -- not a lot -- and some carrot.

It wasn't until the third day that we were able to add more food and unlimited water. But, again, this was a very bad stomach virus.

A flour mix for all baking

This is a very versatile flour mix. You can make many different baked goods using it. All start with the basic dry mixture.

BLOG UPDATE: Note, these are some of my first basic recipes. They are simple and crude. Yet, they are enough to get started and get cooking. If you're looking for something else, browse my blog for some of my newer bread and cookie recipes, like Lindsay's Bread or my All-purpose cookie mix. On this page, however, the Basic dry mix below is very versatile and can be used as a foundation for just about anything.

Basic dry mix
-------------
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup potato starch
2 tbsp sugar
3 tsp egg replacer powder(Ener-G)
2 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt

1 - Dinner rolls
Add:1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup water

Mix dry ingredients. Add oil and water. Beat with blender. Using WET hands, form circles and place on ungreased cookie sheet or in muffin tins. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

2 - Pie crust
(leave out baking powder)
Add:1/2 cup canola oil
1/3-1/2 cup water

Mix dry ingredients. Add oil. Beat with blender. Add 1/3 cup water and mix. If too crumbly, add 1 tbsp at a time until less crumbly and able to be pressed without cracking. Press dough into greased pie plate. Bake 1 minute at 450. Then make pie as instructed.

3 - Meat or veggie wrap
(leave out baking powder)
Add:1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup water

Mix dry ingredients. Add oil and water. Beat with blender until workable dough forms. Add a tablespoon or two more flour if necessary. Cut dough into four portions. Roll each out, one at a time, on floured surface. Slice each into two pieces and place meat or veggies on closest edge. Wet the edge with water, then roll up the filling in two complete rotations. Slice off extra dough. Wet edge with water. Place edge side down on greased cookie sheet. Brush tops with oil and salt. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes.

4 - Cinnamon cookies
Same as #3
(add 1 tsp baking powder)

Roll out entire dough and end with the longest section being the width in front of you. Brush with canola oil. Sprinkle with cinnamon and generous amount of sugar. Roll up. Seal edge with water. Brush top with oil and sugar. Cut into 1/2 wide cookies. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake for 5-10 minutes at 400.

5 - Crackers (like saltines)
Same as #3.
(Leave out baking powder)

Roll out entire dough into a near-square shape. Brush top with oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Use a pizza cutter to cut rows both ways. Prick crackers with a fork. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes on greased cookie sheet.
- variation: add onion or garlic powder to the dough.

6 - Pancakes
Do NOT use the entire dry mix recipe above. Use 1 cup of the gf flours (1/3 tapioca, 1/3 potato starch, 1/3 chickpea). Add 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp baking powder and mix with 2 tbsp oil and 1/3-1/2 cup water. Pour batter 1-2 tbsp at a time onto hot nonstick pan with 1 tsp oil on it.

7 - Bagels
Same as #1.
Add 1/2 canola oil
1/2 cup water

Add 1 cup extra flour mix (tapioca, potato starch, chickpea) to the recipe. Heat broiler on high, set rack two rungs down. Boil pan full of water on stove top. Grease a cookie sheet with Spectrum shortening. On a floured surface, with floured hands, roll a ping pong sized ball of dough between hands until smooth. With a floured finger, poke hole through middle. With dough still around finger, smooth the dough on the bottom that's disturbed from the poking, then pull off. Repeat for all. Place on sheet. Broil small bagels for 2 mins then flip and broil another 2 mins. Watch closely. They should lightly brown on top but not burn. This will happen quickly. Repeat for all. Place bagels in boiling water for 2 mins then flip and another 2 mins. Meanwhile, turn off broiler and heat oven to 350. Place bagels on paper towel while doing the rest. Put bagels on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 15 mins for smaller sized and 20-30 mins for larger, depending on size.

Here's an optional recipe that also works: Mix 1 cup gf flour, 2 tbsp sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp xanthan gum and 1/3 cup water. Then, follow same directions as above. The difference between the recipes is this: recipe 2 is a little chewier like a real bagel and recipe 1 looks more like a real bagel. Both are good and my kids will eat both. Try both out and take your pick.

Enjoy.

Dutch potatoes

This is a staple in our home since rice and corn are not allowed. The recipe is quick and easy. It's also healthier than fried potatoes.

Ingredients
5-6 potatoes
sea salt
paprika
water

Peel potatoes and wash. Cube the potatoes or cut into any desired form - strips, wedges, big chunks, small pieces, diced, etc.

Put into large pan. Sprinkle 1 tsp sea salt over potatoes. Pour 1 cup water over potatoes. Cover with lid. Cook on medium high for 20 minutes or until tender. When water's nearly gone, sprinkle 1-2 tsp paprika over potatoes and then stir for 1 minute to mix paprika in and "dry up" some of the potato juice.

Eat.

Oven "fried" chicken

OK -- this is really easy.

Ingredients:
Chicken legs and wings, cut up.
Chickpea flour
Sea salt
Paprika
Hot pepper powder
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Canola oil

Heat oven to 400. Wash chicken. Toss 1 tablespoon oil over chicken in a bowl. Hand toss to coat.Mix dry ingredients in bowl. When oven is hot, toss chicken and coat in the dry mix. Coat generously. Bake in oven for 10 minutes. Turn, drizzle oil sparingly on top of chicken. Bake 5 more minutes.

Very good.