Allergy Free Biscuits

After a series of disappointing wheat free baking trials, each resulting in passable flavor but horrible texture, I have a winner. I made biscuits today that have good flavor, and good texture. I am so excited I had to share the recipe right away. It is adapted from the baking powder biscuit recipe in Betty Crocker's "new cookbook".

Allergy Free Biscuits

1/2 c shortening (I used Spectrum organic all vegetable shortening)
2 c gf all purpose flour*
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 Tbsp sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 c cold water

Heat oven to 450. Combine dry ingredients and cut in shortening until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in water until dough leaves side of bowl, it will be soft and sticky. (You may need to add more water a tbsp at a time.) Place spoonfuls of dough onto greased cookie sheet. (Pat lightly into shape if you desire. I flattened the peaks on mine a bit so they would make good sandwich biscuits.) Bake 10-12 minutes.

* I used one cup of GF all purpose baking flour from Bob's Red Mill brand, and one cup of GF all purpose flour mix from EatingWithFoodAllergies.com. One is rice based and the other is bean based. This may account for the decent texture, but that's just a guess for now.

Caramelized-Onion and Sweet Potato Skillet

I totally lifted this recipe from the Green Giant website. It rocks. My husband made it last night, and was skeptical because it "looks to simple to be any good". Trust me, it IS easy and simple, and it is fabulously tasty. It throws together quickly with few ingredients, and is just as good cold as it is warm. Try it. I did not have jerk seasoning laying around the house when I made this the first time, so I searched for a homemade jerk seasoning recipe. Feel free to make your own (mine is great) or buy a commercial one.

Caramelized-Onion and Sweet Potato Skillet

1 t vegetable oil (I use olive or safflower)
1/4 large sweet onion, sliced
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
2 T brown sugar
1/2 t jerk seasoning
1 T chpd fresh parsley (optional)

In 10" skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and sweet potato, cook about 5 minutes stirring occasionally until light brown. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 10-12 minutes until potatoes are tender. Stir in brown sugar and jerk seasoning. Cook uncovered about 3 minutes until glazed. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Baked Goods and Copyright Infringement

I am very new to the world of wheat free baked goods. My experiences so far have been making pumpkin muffins and banana muffins from scratch, and pancakes from a mix. The mix, from Cherrybrook Kitchen, is wonderful. The muffins have good flavor, but are a bit dense and gummy. I have no idea how to lighten them up, or take out the gumminess. I will have to keep experimenting. I am enjoying trying the recipes on http://www.eatingwithfoodallergies.com/allergyfreerecipes.html . (Her muffin recipes are the ones I tried.)

I have to admit that I came across the FAST website, with their recipe section. (Food Allergy Survivors Together) I was amazed at how possessive they are with their recipes! All over the site are warnings on not printing them in any form anywhere else without proper citation. Yikes! I want to share every recipe that I've ever found to be yummy, and I hope it gets spread to millions of people so they can enjoy yummy food too. I have copied recipes for my file from so many sources over the years that I could not begin to properly credit the originator of the recipe. So, here and now, my apology. VERY few of the recipes I print are original. Some are stolen from a random source in their original form, and some are altered to better suit the needs and tastes of my family. I mean no offense, I want to share the wonder of a well made meal. I will, in the future, be more diligent about sharing the source of my inspiration and awe.