Tender Tea Cookies

With cookies everywhere this time of year, I decided it was time to makeover a favorite recipe.  A few years ago I found a recipe that was very similar to the tea cookies sold at a favorite bakery in Bowling Green, Kentucky.  It used a combination of cornstarch, powdered sugar, and flour to form a tender cookie so I believed a switch to gluten free flour would work well.  Here's what I ended up with...

You'll need:

1 Cup Softened Shortening (or mix of Earth Balance and shortening--I used butter flavored Crisco)

1/3 Cup Powdered Sugar

3/4 Cup Sifted Corn Starch

1 Cup Gluten Free Flour Mix (I recommend King Arthur)

1/3 teaspoon Salt

Mix butter and powdered sugar until creamy, add sifted cornstarch, flour, and salt.  Mix well.  Refrigerate dough for several hours or overnight.  Roll into small bites and flatten slightly (or just dab them on your parchment paper like I did).  Bake at 370 for 10 to 15 minutes until the bottom is light brown.  Cool and top with your favorite "buttercream" frosting.

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"Buttercream Frosting"

This makes more than you'll need but cookie making is hard work so just enjoy some right off the spoon... The shortening makes the icing more whippy while the Earth Balance will make it richer.

Use a mixer to combine:

1/2 cup Softened Shortening/Earth Balance

3 Cups Powdered Sugar

Unsweetened Original Almond Milk (until reach desired spreading consistency)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Food coloring of choice

Free free to make your cookies daintier than mine--I kind of like them messy.

After eating these I'm also looking forward to adapting the dough for Mexican/Russian wedding cookies/cakes--perfect consistency!

EBLT Salad

Tonight I did a salad take on my EAT sandwich.

I had some fresh local bibb lettuce so that took the place of the arugula this go-round.  I added sliced grape tomatoes, toasted diced Rudi's multigrain bread for croutons, and eggplant bacon.  There's a sprinkle of sesame seeds in there too.

Since I like mayo and jalapeno jelly on my sandwich, I decided to make my dressing a mix of the two with a touch of lemon juice to both thin it out and add acidity.

It was mighty tasty and I didn't have to worry about sandwich juice running down my face :D

Snacks- Hummus, Half Moon Bread, and stuff

 

I love snacking or making snacking an entire meal.  This week I'm going to focus on some of my favorites.  First off: hummus, gluten-free pita-style bread and stuff.  Right now I'm big fan of sundried tomatoes and roasted garlic.

I am a gigantic fan of Gluten Free Sonny Marie's products and their Half Moon Bread makes my life so much better.  I really missed pita bread after becoming gluten and dairy free and this completely fills that need for me.  I heat the pockets in the microwave, cut into triangles, and toast in my toaster oven.

Buy or make your favorite hummus and then start adding.  Any peppers-fresh or roasted, olives, pickles, hard boiled eggs, fresh tomatoes, fruits, etc. are all wonderful for this.

Prepare enough for a snack

 

or make a platter for a crowd!

Voting Time for the Virtual Vegan Potluck

I happily took part in the latest Virtual Vegan Potluck and was thrilled each time I went through all the participants' recipes.  I keep going back through them and pinning favorites.  If you're more of a visual person, many of the recipes are pinned on the official Pinterest board for the Virtual Vegan Potluck November 2013.

It is now time to vote for your favorites from the potluck--if you are a fan of my beet burger recipe, I would greatly appreciate your vote.  Go here to vote!  The voting is divided into categories, mine being part of both main dishes and featured ingredient (beets!).

A few (of many) favorites from each category:

Appetizers: 

Salt + Pepper Tofu Gua Bao

Roasted Beets with Shitake and Roasted Garlic Pate

Vegan Holiday Cheddar Cheese Ball

Deconstructed Apple and Beet Salad

Beverages:

Spicy Cranberry Orange Cocktail

Breads:

Pomegranate Focaccia with Dipping Sauce

Artichoke and Roasted Garlic Bread

Salads:

Harvest Salad with Pumpkin Vinaigrette

Sides:

Rosemary Scalloped Sweet Potatoes

Soups:

Creamy Vegan Mushroom Soup

Main Dishes:

Creamy Mushroom Smorgas

Authentic Mexican Enfrijoladas

Desserts:

Layered Coconut Mousse with Chocolate Brownie and Caramelised Nuts

German Chocolate Rolls

Enjoy the recipes and I appreciate any support!

Bourbon Pecan Pie

I love pecan pie.  I love Bourbon.  I wanted a tasty holiday pie that just happens to be gluten and dairy-free.  Do you?

First, take your favorite pecan pie recipe.  Mine is The Pioneer Woman's Pie That'll Make You Cry.  A few quick substitutions and one wonderful addition later and you'll have something that will make anyone happy.

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You'll need:

1 gluten-free pie crust--Pillsbury's Gluten Free Pie Dough is great and accessible

1 cup white sugar

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup corn syrup

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup Earth Balance, melted

3 eggs, beaten

At LEAST a cup of pecans

1 shot of your favorite Bourbon

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Instructions:

First, grab the bowl you're going to mix your filling up in.  Add your pecans--I like breaking mine up but you can leave whole as well.  Cover with the shot of Bourbon and mix around.  Leave for a while until the Bourbon kind of soaks in.

Follow the instructions on the tub of pie dough and stretch it out on your pie pan.  Add your Bourbon Pecans to your crust.  Mix up the rest of your ingredients and pour on top of the pecans.  Bake in an oven preheated to 350.  The baking time can really vary, it usually takes me about 50 minutes but it can only take a half hour for some.  The Pioneer Woman addresses this in her recipe.

Let set for several hours before enjoying.  If you prefer chocolate nut pie (again, with bourbon) check out my recipe for that.

"Fake" on the left, "Real" on the right.

Cat approved.

Creamy Mushroom Soup

Still thrilled at having been a part of the latest Virtual Vegan Potluck, tonight I tried my hand at one of the contributed recipes: Sprouts and Chocolate's Creamy Mushroom Soup.  The recipe uses potatoes and cauliflower to thicken the soup- it really ends up quite creamy once blended.

I used cremini instead of white button mushrooms and added a bit of cayenne to the soup.  In addition to the fried mushrooms topping, I sprinkled chives and drizzled Bordeaux (Port would be even better) on top.

I give it a big thumbs up!

Now to decide which recipe to try next...

Virtual Vegan Potluck- Beet Burgers

My contribution to this latest Virtual Vegan Potluck is my Beet Burger recipe.  They're simple to make and I love making a batch to keep in my freezer.  This burger has a great savory taste and a fabulous texture.

I'm sharing my standard recipe but after making these once or twice you'll see how easy it is to make a few or many, change the beans used, the spices, etc.  Have fun with them!

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You'll need:

3 Beets

1 Can of Cannellini Beans

1/2 Cup Cooked Brown Rice

1/2 Bell Pepper

1/2 Onion (Vidalia)

3-4 Garlic Cloves

2 Chile en Adobo

2 Teaspoons Smoked Paprika

1 Tablespoon Sorghum

1 Teaspoon Cumin

1/2 Teaspoon Tamari or Gluten Free Soy Sauce

Gluten Free Oats

Big Handful of Parsley

Salt and Pepper to taste

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Instructions:

Wash and peel your beets.  All red, mixed, whatever you have.  Cut into chunks.

Throw into a food processor and chop well (but not too much, we don't want beet juice).  Put the beets into a bowl and move on to the next ingredient.  Drain and rinse the beans, rice, etc.- all but the oats and parsley.  Mix everything in a bowl and slowly incorporate the oats until your mixture has a consistency easily formed into patties.  Stir in the parsley.  Depending on the beets used your mixture will be a variety of colors!

At this point I usually stick the mixture in the fridge for a bit to make the burger making even easier.  Preheat your oven to 425 and slightly oil a sheet pan.  Place the burgers on the pan and gently drizzle a bit of olive oil on top if desired.

Bake until set, flipping occasionally.  You want the burgers browned on top and bottom, and firm to the touch, like below.

You can eat a burger now but I actually like the texture even better after the burgers are frozen and reheated.  I freeze them flat on a sheet pan and then transfer to a bag.

When I want a burger, I just remove one from the freezer and place in the oven for a few minutes.  Sometimes even the toaster setting does the trick!

This burger lends itself to a lot of different topping.  Today I went classic with a gluten free bun, vegan mayo, mustard, ketchup, arugula, red onion, and cherry tomatoes.  I sprinkled a few sesame seeds inside since I miss a nice sesame seed bun.

The beet burger holds together really well, something that is sometimes amiss in a veggie burger.

Enjoy and stay updated via The Gluten Grapple's Facebook page, Pinterest board, and @grapplegabbler on both Twitter and Instagram.

Now for more recipes!!!

Green & Leithy

watch hatch fly

or start from the beginning here.