Archives for August 2015

Gluten Free Spaghetti Pie

By Nicole Hunn | Published: August 31, 2015 | Posted In: Dinner, Meat, Pasta

Spaghetti pies on a white plate

In my family, a dinner of pasta with meat sauce always goes over just fine. Even though nobody’s going to cheer and shout, “ordinary but satisfying” is just fine by me on a Monday night. Or most nights out of the week, frankly. But if you ever feel like pushing your regular weeknight meal to the outer edge of ordinary without much more effort at all, then this easy gluten free spaghetti pie is the way to go.

Gluten Free Spaghetti Pie, Step by Easy Step

If you already have your own way of making spaghetti pie, don’t let me stand in your way. This is just my favorite way, and I’ve tried a few methods. Ever since Barilla started making gluten free pasta, I’ve become so partial to the brand that I find myself cursing them for not making gluten free lasagna noodles. If you can use their gluten free spaghetti noodles, do that. If not, especially for this sort of dish, you almost can’t go wrong as long as you undercook the pasta and keep it separated during boiling.

Overhead view of spaghetti pie in metal dish

A few words about the method assembly: yes, you really do need the eggs mixed in with the pasta to make the “crust,” as the spaghetti doesn’t hold together as a crust otherwise. You could probably skip the parm, but please don’t (!). I find that adding only the eggs and parm to the spaghetti, instead of adding some of the tomato sauce, leads to a more moist pie that holds together exceptionally well when sliced.

Close up of spaghetti pie on a white plate

One of my three children has a hard and fast no-leftover pasta rule. I’ve tried everything (including trying to trick her), and she simply can’t abide reheated pasta (gluten free or otherwise), so I was wondering if this pie would go over well. I’m happy to report that she loved it. Oh, and one more note about prep: making this in a cake pan rather than a pie plate means that we can make a bigger pie. If you’d prefer a pie plate, you’ll have leftover ingredients and might need to make a second, smaller pie, too. Not a huge problem. :)

Gluten Free Banana Bread with Chocolate Swirl

By Nicole Hunn | Published: August 24, 2015 | Posted In: Cakes, Desserts, Quick Breads

A slice of banana bread with chocolate swirl and bans and chocolate on top on a white plate

How to make sure you always have bananas for baking

Banana bread has no season, as bananas are available year-round. And everyone who has ever bought a banana (read: everyone) knows that, despite our best efforts, our bananas will become ripe-then-overripe in the blink of an eye.

Enter one of the many, many reasons that having a top-notch gluten free banana bread recipe is simply a must. Do you keep chopped frozen bananas in your freezer?

Thaw those out and mash them. They’ll work perfectly, too. This gluten free banana bread with chocolate swirl is something special.

Use them here, use them in our cinnamon swirl gluten free banana bread, or in our classic one bowl gluten free banana bread recipe. Or even in smoothies!

Gluten Free Banana Bread with Chocolate Swirl, Step by Step

Why do we need to use such a specific gluten free flour blend?

Now I know you. You’re going to take a look at this gluten free banana bread recipe and realize it calls for my simple 3-ingredient gum-free gluten free flour blend and ask if you really must use that, and why we are still adding xanthan gum.

So here goes nothing: any time you are expecting to layer and then swirl batter, a standard all purpose gluten free flour blend that already contains xanthan gum is just going to have too much xanthan gum in it.

Your knife will not glide through the batter. Period. And without any gums at all (yes, I tried it), the bread will be a bit crumbly regardless of how moist it is—plus it will go stale too quickly.

Banana bread in a metal loaf pan

A possible gluten free flour blend shortcut

It’s not a big deal to blend the 3-ingredients for my basic blend (I promise!). In fact, some readers have even had success replacing that blend in my recipes that call for it with King Arthur Flour’s all purpose gluten free flour blend. Personally, I find that blend too starchy and the rice flour in it too gritty, but if you like it, go for it!

Overhead view of a slice of banana bread with chocolate swirl on a white plate

This easy but special banana bread with a chocolate swirl is only lightly sweet, but moist, tender and just packed with banana flavor. And you simply must have a good banana bread recipe, you know, for when bananas are in season. ;)

Raspberry Ricotta Gluten Free Breakfast Cake

By Nicole Hunn | Published: August 19, 2015 | Posted In: Breakfast & Brunch, Cakes

Overhead view of a slice of raspberry ricotta breakfast cake on a white plate

When I say “breakfast cake,” I’m not thinking of an ooey gooey coffee cake that goes beautifully with a cup of coffee on a lazy Sunday, but isn’t exactly the breakfast of champions. I’m thinking of a lightly sweet cake made with just a touch of butter and packed with fruit that we can feel good about eating for breakfast any day of the week. Like this raspberry ricotta gluten free breakfast cake. You feel me?

Raspberry ricotta cake in a pan, a metal tray and a white plate

When baking “light,” the biggest pitfall to avoid is a tough cake that just isn’t very tender. Both sugar and fat are tenderizers, and when you cut back on both of them you have to be careful you don’t go too far. But don’t worry. This cake gets the job done.

A close up of the inside of a slice of raspberry ricotta cake on a white plate

You can see for yourself that this breakfast cake is still super tender and moist, even with just a few tablespoons of butter and 1/2 cup of sugar in the whole cake. The fresh raspberries help keep the cake moist and the ricotta cheese doesn’t hurt either. The trick to baking with raspberries is to keep them whole by using a light touch. If you do crush a few raspberries during preparation, though, it will only affect the appearance, not the taste. This breakfast cake would also be delightful with whole fresh blueberries or hulled and diced strawberries. And if you’re looking to make it without ricotta cheese, head on over to my recipe for gluten free strawberry breakfast cake!

Classic Gluten Free Chocolate Pound Cake

By Nicole Hunn | Published: August 17, 2015 | Posted In: Cakes, Desserts, Frosting/Icing

Moist and dense with a deep, rich chocolate flavor, this gluten free chocolate pound cake is a chocolate-lover’s dream.

Chocolate pound cake on a white surface

The classic gluten free pound cake is a beautiful thing. It makes the perfect base for a trifle, and you only need the most basic gluten free pantry ingredients + about one hour of time to make one happen.

Pound cakes also freeze so beautifully that they don’t even need to be sliced first. They don’t freeze solid, so you can still fix yourself a slice from the loaf right out of the freezer.

That basic pound cake recipe just needs a bit of tweaking to turn it into a moist, rich and dense chocolate pound cake. The simple chocolate glaze makes it truly extraordinary.

Classic Gluten Free Chocolate Pound Cake

Like any baking recipe, the secret to this pound cake is in the temperature of your ingredients. If you don’t have room temperature butter and room temperature eggs, all is not lost, though.

You can coax your butter into room temperature by setting it beside the preheating oven and rotating it every few minutes. In a real pinch, you could place the butter in the microwave in 10-second bursts, until your finger leaves an easy imprint in the top of the sticks.

The eggs are even easier to bring to temperature. Just place them in a bowl filled with warm, not hot, water and let them sit for 15 minutes. And next time leave the butter and eggs out overnight on the kitchen counter.

Slices of chocolate pound cake leaning against each other on a white surface with a bowl of raspberries in back

This gluten free chocolate pound cake is lovely served with berries and cream. It’s a showstopper served as a thick slice topped with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. Oh, pound cake, you really get me.

Fresh Savory Gluten Free Corn Cakes

By Nicole Hunn | Published: August 12, 2015 | Posted In: Appetizers, Sides

Stack of corn cakes and a bowl of herbs on white plate

In the summertime, when the corn is in season and every grocery store worth its salt not only has mountains of ears but a trash can set next to the corn for shucking right there in the store (love that!), the corn kernels don’t need to be cooked at all not one bit. They can be cut off the cob and eaten raw with a bit of salt and a pat of butter, tossed into salads—or made into these fresh savory gluten free corn cakes.

You can whip up these little cakes in mere minutes. Plus, they’re a great side dish or even a lovely breakfast-for-dinner sort of situation with a fried egg on top.

A close up of corn cakes on parchment paper

When corn isn’t in season, try making them with frozen corn kernels. Don’t defrost the kernels, though, or they’ll become too wet.

If you fold them into the batter when they’re still frozen, the extra moisture evaporates during cooking rather than making the corn cakes soggy. It works!

Fresh Savory Gluten Free Corn Cakes, Step by Step

I know it can be a wee bit of a pain to separate the eggs and whip the whites before folding them into the batter, but it only takes a moment and really does give the corn cakes a really nice lightness and fluffiness.

2 corn cakes on a white plate with sour cream and herbs on top

Everyone in my family loves corn, but I rarely serve corn on the cob because the manner in which my husband eats it (like a typewriter!) makes me inexplicably furious. These fresh savory gluten free corn cakes are a great way to highlight the freshest corn of the year—without doing anything I’ll live to regret to my poor husband.

If you have any popping corn kernels, try this Foolproof Stove-Top Popcorn recipe from Katie of Healthy Seasonal Recipes.

Gluten Free Key Lime Pie Bars

By Nicole Hunn | Published: August 10, 2015 | Posted In: Bars, Desserts, Pie

These moist, tender and tangy key lime pie bars have a cookie crumb crust, a custard filling and a simple lime curd topping. Make them days ahead of time, and they’ll still taste fresh!

Key lime pie bars on parchment paper

These gluten free key lime pie bars start with a super simple graham cracker crust, filled with a key lime custard—and topped with a tart and tangy key lime curd. It’s like lemon curd, but made with key lime juice instead. The custard filling is slightly less sweet than in my gluten free lemon bars, but it’s only to make way for that gorgeous lime curd.

Key lime pie bars being assembled in metal pan, and an overhead view of key lime pie bars on parchment paper Since we are right at this very moment in the heart of the Florida key lime season, now is the time it should be easiest to find key limes in the grocery store. But if you can’t find them or don’t want to use them, no worries! Just use a combo of freshly squeezed regular lime juice and regular lemon juice. At the risk of sounding snooty, key limes have something of a more complex flavor than regular, or Persian, limes. They almost taste herbal. It’s hard to explain. (I know; great job, food blogger.)

A close up of a key lime pie bar on a white plate

These moist, tender and tangy key lime pie bars can be made days and days ahead of time, since they keep incredibly well in a sealed container in the refrigerator. They must be properly chilled so they set, and then kept chilled through slicing. But once they’re sliced, you can serve them chilled (my preference) or closer to room temperature. They’re not going to wilt on you if they’re not served right from the refrig.

The lime curd adds an extra special twist to these bars, but of course if you’re not willing or able to make that layer, no problem. Just leave it out! Dust the top of the bars lightly with confectioners’ sugar and maybe some more key lime (or regular lime) zest, and these bars will surely still impress!

Lighter No Bake Gluten Free Cheesecake

By Nicole Hunn | Published: August 3, 2015 | Posted In: Cakes, Desserts, No Bake

This lighter no bake gluten free cheesecake is made with low-fat cream cheese and Greek yogurt. Perfect for warm weather, or New Year’s Resolution time!

A slice of cheesecake with raspberries and blueberries on top on a white plate

It’s no secret, no secret at all, that I adore cheesecake. A traditional, New York cheesecake is just a simple mix of cream cheese, eggs, sugar and vanilla, plus a dash of salt. That’s it. Bake it in a water bath, or just at a very consistent temperature, low and slow, and then turn off the oven and let it cool down slowly and you’ll never go wrong.

But what about cheesecake in the dog days of summer, when keeping the oven on for long enough to bake that gorgeous cheesecake is just not so appealing? Maybe you’ll want something a bit lighter, in the warm weather or in time for New Year’s resolutions.

Cheesecake being assembled and a slice of cheesecake on a white plate

This is one recipe that I will be making again and again, both in summertime and, well, just any time. It’s light and refreshing, and really tastes like an authentic New York cheesecake. The Greek yogurt really gives it depth of flavor, and the skimpy little 3 grams of unflavored gelatin help it set up perfectly without eggs—and without baking.

If you make it in a springform pan, the cake will unmold perfectly. Whatever you do, don’t skip the gelatin as without it, the cheesecake just will not set up.

I always use Great Lakes unflavored beef gelatin, the kind in the tall red can, but Knox gelatin will work great, too. Be sure to measure it out carefully, though, as you won’t use a whole packet.

A slice of cheesecake with a bite out of it and raspberries and blueberries on top on a white plate

If you want to make this cheesecake even lighter, you could skip the crust altogether. Perhaps you could cut the crust ingredients in half and make a much, much thinner layer for some calorie savings.

If you want to make it dairy-free, that’s a little trickier. You might be able to make it with a nondairy cream cheese (likely), plus a strained nondairy yogurt (much trickier, and be sure you have approximately 8 ounces of yogurt after straining). As always, feel free to experiment and let us all know how it goes when you do!