Gluten Free Breakfast Crepes Recipe

I finally discovered how to do a gluten-free easy breakfast crepes recipe to replace my old favorite French pancakes recipe in the Joy of Cooking cookbook. Breakfast crepes are a light and tasty substitute for ordinary pancakes, and these are gluten free, too!

I use my own mix of sour cream and jam to fill the breakfast crepes; you may want to use your own favorite filling instead. If you have it, lemon curd is a great substitute for jam in this recipe.

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GLUTEN FREE BREAKFAST CREPES

I. Dry ingredients:

3/4 cup gluten-free flour (I use Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Flour)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder (gluten free)

2 tablespoons of either confectioners or granulated sugar 

II. Liquid ingredients:

2 eggs

2/3 cup milk

1/3 cup water

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Grated lemon rind (optional)

III. Filling:

(See below)

IV. Topping:

A small amount of fruit preserves or jam

Confectioners sugar

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Instructions for Crepes:

Sift the flour, then sift again with the rest of the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Pour the liquid ingredients into the center of the flour mixture. Quickly mix together the ingredients using a whisk, working out the lumps in a few strokes. If not, don't worry—a few lumps are okay. 

Heat a skillet with a few drops of cooking oil. I use a paper towel to thinly grease the bottom and sides of the skillet. 

NOTE: I use a 9 or 12 inch skillet for larger and thinner pancakes, which is about 8 French pancakes, enough for two hungry people. If you want thicker pancakes or more servings, use a smaller skillet (5 or 7 inch). 

Use a measuring cup with a handle to dip a small amount of the batter from the mixing bowl, and pour into the center of the heated skillet. Immediately, swirl the batter out and over the bottom of the skillet (not the sides!) until evenly coated. Pancake will look thin.

Cook over medium heat until the sides begin to loosen, which won't take long. Have a spatula ready, then scrape under the edges and carefully loosen and flip the pancake.


Cook for 30-45 seconds more and then turn out onto a platter to cool. 

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Filling:

Adjust the amount of filling according to the number of pancakes you plan to make. The following mixture works for 8 large breakfast crepes. Use filling according to your own tastes and the type of filling ingredients that you have on hand. I use sour cream and jam, as follows.

1 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons (or more) natural blackberry preserves

Mix together in a small bowl and apply towards the outside third of the pancake only, and spread out to both edges. Do not apply filling to the other two-thirds of the pancake. Roll into a long tubular shape and tuck the edge under as you place it onto the platter. 

Once all breakfast crepes are filled and on the platter, sprinkle with confectioners sugar and apply a dot of fruit preserves to each crepe. Delicious!

This recipe serves 2-3 people, makes 8 large crepes.

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Easy Recipe Banana Bread Gluten Free

This recipe for gluten-free banana bread is taken from a simple banana bread recipe from my recipe files that dates back to the 70s. I have updated that banana bread recipe using gluten-free ingredients, and added walnuts and raisins.

If you are looking for recipes using ripe bananas, this is excellent. I always freeze ripe bananas for later use if I plan to make banana bread from scratch.

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EASY RECIPE BANANA BREAD

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Have all ingredients at room temperature before beginning.

Ingredients:

1-3/4 cup flour (I use Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour)

Resift the flour with:
2-1/4 teaspoons baking powder (gluten-free)

1/2 teaspoon salt

Blend until creamy:
1/3 cup shortening (I use butter in place of shortening or margarine)

2/3 cup sugar (substitute brown sugar or coconut sugar, or a mixture of sugars to equal 2/3 cup)

3/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Beat in:
1 to 2 beaten eggs

2 very ripe bananas, mashed (or use thawed frozen banana pulp)

Stir in, one or both, as desired:
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup small raisins or other dried fruit

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Instructions:

Add the sifted ingredients in about three parts to the sugar mixture. Beat the batter after each addition until smooth. Mixture will be thick. Place the batter in a greased bread pan. Bake the bread for about one hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Turn out onto a rack and let cool. Slice and serve.

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Chicken with Rice and Olives (Spanish Style Chicken Rice)

My mother had a quick and easy Spanish rice recipe that she would make when she was in a hurry. I wanted to update that recipe and I discovered a way to make a very easy chicken rice recipe that tastes like Spanish rice, but I substituted long grain brown rice.

I used boneless chicken thighs and my favorite gluten-free vegetable broth in this recipe. With the addition of chipotle pepper sauce and green manzanilla olives, this dish tastes like a flavorful Spanish rice.

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CHICKEN WITH RICE AND OLIVES

Ingredients:

6 boneless chicken thighs

1 tablespoon olive oil

4-5 peeled garlic cloves, sliced and crushed with a little salt (see Garlic and Salt Crush below)

5-6 carrots, sliced in 1-inch pieces, or small bag baby carrots cut in two

1/2 fresh red bell pepper, diced

1/2 fresh green bell pepper, diced

Fresh ginger (optional), one slice

1/2 small onion, diced into 2-inch pieces

1 small chopped tomato (optional)

Sea salt as needed to taste

1 quart (32oz) vegetable broth (I use Trader Joe's boxed broth)


Chipotle chile pepper sauce (See below for preparation)

Old Bay seasoning (optional but adds color)

1 cup water

1/2 cup uncooked long grain brown rice

12 green manzanilla olives, without pits

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Instructions:

Add the olive oil to a heavy stew pot and heat slightly. Add the sliced, crushed garlic and stir quickly in the oil until slightly browned. Roll out the boneless chicken thighs and arrange them in the pot, making sure there is enough oil covering the bottom of the pan so they do not stick. Increase the heat to medium high. Turn frequently and allow to brown slightly.

Garlic and salt crush:

Slice garlic with a sharp broad knife on a smooth cutting board. Sprinkle a small amount of sea salt or fine-grind kosher salt, then mash the salt into the garlic with the flat side of the knife. Scrape the garlic-salt mixture into the oil in the pot and allow to brown slightly. Garlic and salt crush is excellent for flavoring salad dressings and pizza sauce, too.


Pour the contents of the vegetable broth (1 quart) into the pot and cover with a lid. Allow to cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, then add the chopped onion and sliced carrots. After another 5 minutes, add the red and green bell pepper. Stir after adding each ingredient, and cover the pot again afterward.

At this point, prepare the chipotle chile pepper sauce as directed* Add to the pot and stir. Taste to be sure there is enough flavor, if not add salt to taste. Add Old Bay seasoning if desired. Add ginger slice if desired—crush slightly with the side of the knife to release flavor.

My recipe calls for Embasa chipotle in adobo sauce—use the brand of your choice. Follow directions below and use only a little bit! It's very hot but it gives a hearty smoky flavor. Embasa brand chipotle peppers can be found in the Mexican food section of the grocery store.

Chipotle pepper sauce:

Using a teaspoon, take out 1/2 to 1 tsp of the sauce from the can and mix with 1/2 cup tap water. If you get a bit of the chile, no problem; just mash it together with the water. Discard the big chunks, however.

Set aside to add to ground beef mixture.

Reserve the rest of the can in a small glass Mason jar and keep in refrigerator to use another time.

Allow the broth to cook for another 20 minutes or until the chicken meat is cooked and starting to shred apart. At first, it will look like a thin soup, but after a time, the broth will be reduced. Stir the pot, and then add 1 cup water to the soup to thin it a bit. Now, add 1/2 cup of uncooked brown rice and stir well. Break apart the chicken thighs as you stir. Replace the cover on the pot, and allow the soup to continue simmering on medium low heat for 20 minutes. Don't allow to boil dry.

Just before serving, add green manzanilla olives and stir into the chicken rice mixture. The flavors of the chicken, bell peppers, chipotle pepper sauce, and olives combine nicely to make a dish reminiscent of Spanish rice. Top with a bit of hot sauce, if desired.

Anna's Easy Mix Cocoa Cake (Gluten Free version)

Anna's "Wesson Oil Cake" is one of my mother's recipes that I found in my index card file, although it was barely readable because of the discoloration of the paper. The blotches and creases tell me that it was a well-used recipe! I remember my mom preparing this cocoa cake recipe from scratch many times when she was in a hurry.

I have made Mom's Easy Mix cocoa cake recipe gluten-free in this recipe. Although it didn't rise as high as I remember my mother's cake did, it still tastes great, like rich cocoa brownies.

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EASY MIX COCOA CAKE

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups cake flour (I used Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour)

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

 1 cup buttermilk or sour milk

1/2 cup Wesson oil; alternatively, a healthy cold-processed cooking oil

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup boiling water

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Directions:

Have all ingredients at room temperature. Sift the flour, then measure it and resift three times with sugar, cocoa, salt, and soda, the last time sifting into a large mixing bowl. Add buttermilk (or sour milk), Wesson oil, egg, and vanilla. Beat until all ingredients are blended, about 30 seconds. Add boiling water, beat another 30 seconds.


Pour into an ungreased pan lined with paper. Bake in a moderately slow oven at 325 degrees for 15 minutes, then increase oven temperature to 350 degrees for 15 minutes longer.


Remove from oven, cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Once cooled, cut into squares. Sift powdered sugar over the top if desired.

Gluten Free Chile Rellenos with Cheese

Finally! A recipe for chile rellenos with cheese that is made with gluten-free ingredients. I adapted this chile rellenos recipe from an old Sunset cookbook that I have had for years.

My favorite recipe for stuffed chile rellenos from the book uses either fresh or canned green chiles and has a puffy coating.

For years, I've had to avoid chile rellenos because they are made with flour, but this recipe is gluten-free and just as delicious as the original.

This recipe uses fresh peppers but one small can of California green chiles can be substituted for fresh.

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Fresh Ancho chiles

INGREDIENTS:

Have Ready:
6 to 8 large firm California or Anaheim peppers (ancho or poblano is a good substitute)

Oil for frying

1/2 lb. Monterey or pepper jack cheese










Puffy coating batter ingredients:
3 eggs (separated)
1 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons gluten-free flour

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Ingredients for Salsa de jitomate (tomato sauce):
3 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter
1 can (15-oz) tomato sauce
1/3 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon Mexican oregano (or regular oregano)

Prepare salsa de jitomate:

While waiting for the chiles to cool as described below, add the salsa de jitomate ingredients into a small covered pot and allow to simmer on low heat until flavors are blended, about 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let rest until chile rellenos are ready to serve.

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Ancho chiles on broiler tray

PREPARATION:

Chile peppers (skip this step if using canned chiles)

Clean and dry the peppers, if using fresh chiles. Have a clean brown paper bag or a heavy ziplock plastic bag on hand. Arrange the peppers close together under the broiler and turn the heat up to broil. Using tongs, turn chiles frequently until blistered and lightly browned on all sides. Check often, and once chiles are well blistered but not limp, lift out into a heavy plastic bag or brown paper bag, and close tightly. Turn off broiler.

Let the bag cool for at least 10 minutes, while you are preparing the salsa de jitomate.

Ancho chiles, ready to peel

By this time, the peppers should be cool enough to handle. Gently peel or rub off the blistered skin from each pepper, and remove seeds gently. If possible, keep the stem intact as this keeps the peppers from opening up during cooking. Lay cleaned chiles on a plate to rest as you prepare the tomato sauce (salsa de jitomate).

Organize your ingredients to make prep easier

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A peeled chile that has been stuffed with cheese

Cheese filling

Slice the jack cheese into pieces that will fit inside the chiles, into 1/2 inch thick and 1/2 to 1 inch wide pieces. Cut 1 inch shorter than each chile so that cheese will fit completely into the chile. Canned chiles will most likely use smaller pieces of cheese than fresh chiles do. 

Insert a piece or two of jack cheese into each prepared chile and set aside while preparing the coating.

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Puffy batter coating

Separate 3 eggs, with yolks in one bowl and whites in another bowl. Be sure bowls are clean and dry. Beat the yolks with an egg beater or wire whisk until they stand up in soft peaks. Beat the yolks with 1 tablespoon water, 3 tablespoons gluten-free flour, and 1/4 teaspoon salt until the yolks are thick and creamy. Gently pour yolks into the whites, and use a spatula to fold them carefully into the mixture.

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Cook the chile rellenos

Heat 1-1/2 inches of oil in a wide medium-sized frying pan on medium heat.

Dip the stuffed chiles rellenos into the fluffy batter mixture, then carefully lift out into a clean saucer using a slotted spoon or flat ladle.

TIP: Test if the oil is hot enough by dipping a wooden chopstick or skewer into the oil until tiny bubbles form around it. 

From the saucer, carefully slide the chiles rellenos into the hot oil. Adjust the heat if necessary. When the bottoms are golden brown, use the spatula and fork (or another spatula) to turn them over. Drain on a platter on top of a few layers of paper towel.

Serve hot and top with salsa de jitomate.

Easy Recipe Minestrone Soup

This easy minestrone recipe is an adaptation of my mother's homemade minestrone recipe. I have tried to stay faithful to her original recipe here.

Not only is it the best recipe for minestrone soup according to our family but is also gluten-free and easy to prepare.

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INGREDIENTS:

• 1-1/2 lb beef stew meat, cut into smaller cubes or sliced thin
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 28-oz can of chopped tomatoes and liquid
• 1 can of pinto beans or other pink beans
• 3-4 medium carrots, sliced thin
• 1/2 white onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, cleaned and sliced thin (discard leaves)
• 1 box frozen spinach (or equivalent amount fresh spinach, chopped)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste (optional)
• 1-2 cups water or broth
• Salt and pepper
• Parmesan cheese for garnish

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INSTRUCTIONS:
To make homemade minestrone soup, cut the beef stew meat cubes into smaller pieces. Trim the excess fat and discard. Meanwhile, cut up the vegetables and set aside in a bowl. Take the frozen spinach out of the freezer and allow to thaw.

Heat up a heavy stew pot or Dutch oven, then brown the meat in a small amount of olive oil. Stir quickly to brown all sides of the meat. Quickly add the cut vegetables, then the canned tomatoes and their liquid to the pot. Stir again. If not enough liquid, add water or broth to the empty tomato can and stir to get all the tomato sauce. Pour the liquid into the pot. Reduce heat to simmer.


Open the can of beans and drain if desired (optional). Add the beans to the pot and stir.

Meanwhile, add the partially thawed spinach to a separate pot with an inch of water, cover and lightly boil until soft. Using a colander or strainer, drain spinach well. Add to the minestrone soup in the pot. Stir well and continue to simmer covered for another 20-25 minutes to blend flavors.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

For fresh spinach; just rinse, drain, and cut the spinach leaves and add directly to the minestrone soup 5 minutes before serving.

Serve in individual soup plates. Grate fresh Parmesan cheese over the homemade Italian style minestrone, or use canned Parmesan cheese.

Can be served over gluten-free Barilla pasta or with French bread.

Gluten-Free Egg Dumplings (Hungarian Noki)

This is my interpretation of the traditional flour-egg dumpling recipe that is used in Hungarian cuisine, also known as noki.

Because I am gluten intolerant, I have substituted gluten-free flour in this recipe, and it works perfectly! 

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GLUTEN-FREE EGG DUMPLINGS

INGREDIENTS: 

2½ cups all-purpose gluten-free flour

1 egg

Salt

1/3 to ½ cup lukewarm water

1 tablespoon butter to toss the dumplings

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INSTRUCTIONS:

Put the flour in a mixing bowl. Break in egg, add salt. With the help of a wooden spatula, beat until egg is well blended with the flour. Now, slowly and beating steadily, pour in the lukewarm water. The mixture should have the thickness of a soft dough, slightly sticky.

Have plenty of salted water (or broth) ready and boiling on the stove. Dip the wooden spatula into the boiling water to wet it and scoop out a spoonful of the dough. Then, using the sharp edge of a metal tablespoon, quickly clip off small pieces of the dough from the wooden spoon and drop them directly into the boiling water. You can easily adjust the size of the dumplings, depending on how small you cut the dough with each stroke.

When dumplings have risen to the surface, they are done. For larger dumplings, allow them to boil a little longer before removing from the pot. Strain and rinse under cold water. Put softened or melted butter over them and mix.  Serve at once while hot.

Can be served with either Real Hungarian Goulash Recipe or Hungarian Chicken Paprika and Dumplings, two of our family's favorite dishes.

Real Hungarian Goulash Recipe

Hungarian goulash was one of my mother's recipes, but since she made it so often, she never wrote it down. When I looked for a recipe for Hungarian goulash that was as much like my mother's recipe as possible, I wanted to find a good authentic Hungarian goulash soup recipe.

I've made a few changes to the authentic Hungarian goulash soup recipe to make it more nutritious, including substituting homemade broth for the salted potato water that is called for in the recipe, and replacing lard with butter or organic margarine.

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HUNGARIAN GOULASH RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

1-1/2 pounds of boneless beef shank meat, trim off the white parts and cut into 2-inch cubes (should make 1 pound of cubed meat)

1 medium white onion, diced very small

3-4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and quartered

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon organic margarine or butter

2 tablespoons Hungarian sweet red paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

Prep time: 20-25 minutes
Cooking time: About 1.5 hours

Have ready:
2 quarts prepared vegetable or meat soup stock to boil potatoes in
Salt (add to soup stock to taste)

To save time or if you don't have homemade broth, you may substitute boxed or canned broth.

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Recommended with this Recipe: Gluten-Free Hungarian Egg Dumplings

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INSTRUCTIONS:

Lay the beef shank flat on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut horizontally (with the grain) through the meat. This should give you a nice flat piece of meat. Be sure to trim the boneless beef shank well to remove all tendon and casings. Discard the white parts. Now, cut the flat piece of beef shank longways into about 2-inch wide slices, and then finally, cut ACROSS the grain into cubes. Set aside.

Next, dice one medium onion into small pieces (about 1/2 inch). Add the olive oil and margarine OR butter and melt on low heat in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot. Add onions and stir continuously until they become clear and golden in color.

Stir in the paprika, and then immediately add the beef cubes and continue stirring as you allow the beef to brown along with the onions and paprika. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the pot with a lid.

Important! Resist the temptation to add liquid while the beef is cooking. If the beef seems to be sticking to the pot, stir in a tablespoon of broth occasionally throughout the cooking cycle. A rich brown soup base will be formed from the meat juices, onions, and paprika if you follow these instructions.

After the beef has been cooking for about 1 hour, start heating the soup stock. Add the quartered and peeled potatoes and boil until slightly soft. When the potatoes are cooked, remove them to a separate bowl and pour the liquid from the potatoes into the meat mixture. 

I chose to add just three-fourths of the broth to the goulash and reserved the rest to boil the dumplings in. The soup may seem thin, but if you add dumplings, it will be very thick, especially the next day when reheated.

Add the potatoes into the soup and heat a little longer. 

Lastly, add the boiled egg dumplings and serve with a dollop of sour cream in each bowl. Do not add sour cream to the pot.

Easy Brown Rice Mushroom Recipe (Hungarian Gombas Rizs)

This easy mushroom rice recipe is adapted from a traditional Hungarian recipe. Instead of white rice, I substitute long grain brown rice and use canned mushrooms instead of fresh, which makes this recipe for mushroom rice really fast and easy. 

Mushrooms with rice is traditionally used as a garnish or side dish for roast meats or veal cutlets. Easy Brown Rice Mushroom Recipe is perfect as a one-course meal; it's filling and doesn't need any accompaniment. It can be adapted as a vegetarian dish by substituting olive oil for the butter and using vegetable broth.

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INGREDIENTS: 
2 cups long-grain brown rice 

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 finely chopped onion (optional) 

Salt (Use less if you are using a salted broth)

Freshly ground black pepper

3 cups cold chicken or vegetable broth (use boxed or canned broth if homemade broth is not available)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 small cans sliced white mushrooms with liquid

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INSTRUCTIONS:

Do not wash the rice! In a medium saucepan, heat the butter and fry the rice for a few minutes. At this point, you can add the chopped onions. Stir well but do not let the rice get too browned. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the rice the 3 cups of cold broth. Cover with lid and bring to a boil, then immediately reduce heat to low and let the rice simmer for 10-12 minutes. 

At this point, uncover the pot and stir in the sliced mushrooms and the liquid from the cans. Allow to simmer for another 5-7 minutes or until the rice is no longer hard and the liquid has been absorbed. Add the chopped parsley and stir again. Serves 6.

Place the rice into a microwave-safe serving dish to make reheating easy.  Keep leftover rice refrigerated. Tastes great the next day, too!

Serves 8-10
Prep Time: About 30 minutes