Sazón Líquido

For those of you who are like me, you do not like the way we Americans make beans. Not green beans, but pinto beans, red beans, kidney beans, black beans, etc. To me, those beans have always been lacking in a delicious flavor. I never really cared for their texture, either. Well, I got married to a Dominican, and Dominicans eat a LOT of beans. I mean, a LOT. When I first visited my husband's family, I was scared I wouldn't like any of the food because I knew that they ate beans with everything, and I didn't want to be rude and not eat the food they made. My husband told me that they made beans very differently than us, and that I should try them.

I'm so glad I did.
I'm a little obsessed now. Okay, a lot obsessed.

Dominicans put this sauce (which my mother-in-law calls Sazón Líquido) in with their beans, and depending on what type of beans they are, they put other things in with them as well. They also use this sauce with their meat (they'll add some tomato sauce with this when they put it with meat) and it tastes simply divine.

The recipe I'm going to share with you is the recipe my mother-in-law uses. She didn't get it from a book; this recipe is one she keeps in her head, and it's a recipe that's been passed down to me. I'm not an expert at it yet, but the one I made today sure tasted good when I put it with my gandules! (green pigeon peas)

(In later blog posts, I'll tell you specifically incorporate this into other recipes for different beans).
This makes quite a bit of sauce, however, it lasts a long time because there's a lot of garlic in it, and garlic is a natural preservative.

Sazón Líquido

Ingredients:

3 garlic heads (yes, HEADS, not cloves)

3 small red onions (each about the size of a radish)

1 green bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

½ the container of alcaparrado (seedless)

¼ of the bunch of cilantro

2 stalks of celery

About ½ cup of water (but no more!)

Directions:

In a food processor, chop finely all the ingredients together until it becomes a liquidy paste.Wait to add the water. If needed, add (at the maximum) 1/2 cup of water to make it blend better. 

Shirley Mugging! Chocolate Brownie Cake

You know those microwaveable desserts that you can buy at the store? Well, Shirley offers gluten-free microwaveable desserts now. I recently tried the Chocolate Brownie Cake mix.

This tastes more like a cake than it does a brownie.
I would recommend this product, but I would alter the directions it gives you.

The instructions say to add 1/4 cup chocolate chips to the mix, and then to add some to the top after it comes out of the microwave. IGNORE THIS. This makes it overpoweringly chocolate chipy, and you can't taste the cake at all when you get about halfway through because there are way too many chocolate chips.
I would add about 10 chocolate chips inside it, and then put some real frosting on the top. The chocolate chips alone weren't cutting it for me.

As long as you make the changes that I suggest, I think this could be a very delightful little treat.

Brownies

Ingredients:

4 (one ounce) squares of unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup Jules Gluten-Free Flour
(*If you don't have a mix that has xanthan gum in it, you will need to add 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Melt chocolate and butter together in a microwave safe bowl, stirring frequently until chocolate and butter melt. Stir in sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Mix well. Add flour (and xanthan gum) and mix until incorporated. Spread brownie batter into prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Do not over-bake. 

Jules Pancakes

I should really be doing homework right now, but I was hungry, so I decided to make pancakes. 
These pancakes are sooooo fluffy, tasty, and they hold together well. You will thank me for this recipe, I know it. 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups Jules Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour
• 1-2 Tbs. oat flour
• 1 Tbs. granulated cane sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs (or egg substitute)
• 3 Tbs. canola oil
• 1 1/2 (+/-) cups milk (dairy or non-dairy)
• high heat oil for the pan
• berries, chocolate chips, chopped nuts, etc., if desired 

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside.  In another larger bowl, combine all the liquid ingredients, using only 1 1/4 cups of milk at first.  Gradually whisk the dry ingredients into the liquid ingredient bowl until well integrated and only a few lumps remain.  Add more milk as needed to thin the batter to the point that it is easily spooned onto the skillet, but is not watery at all.  You should be able to put a dollop of batter onto the hot oil and spread the batter out with the back of a spoon to form a circle without the batter being too thick or too runny.

Pour enough oil into a large skillet or griddle to have a thin covering over the entire surface.   Heat the skillet or griddle to medium-high.

Spoon batter onto skillet and spread the batter with the back of a large spoon.  Leave space between each pancake so that you can use a spatula to flip each one easily.  If desired, place berries, chocolate chips, etc. onto the uncooked side of the pancakes.

Cook until bubbles begin to form in the batter, then gently flip, continuing to cook until light brown on the bottom with slightly crispy edges.  Serve warm with maple syrup, or layer with pieces of wax paper between the pancakes, and seal in a zip-top bag once cooled; refrigerate or freeze and reheat for later serving.

Serves 4.

 
(original recipe here)

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients:

1/3 cup vegetable oil (or any other oil you would like to use)
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup mashed ripe banana
1 package (10 oz.) of semi sweet or dark chocolate chips
1 cup Jules gluten-free flour mix 
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon 
*if using a gluten free flour mix that does not have xanthan gum in it, you will need to add 1/2 tsp. of xanthan gum

Directions:

In a bowl, whisk together oil, sugar, and egg. Add bananas and some chocolate chips (about half the bag). Mix well. In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon (and xanthan gum if you need to). Add to liquid ingredients; stir until just blended. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin, filling 3/4 full. Sprinkle tops evenly with left over chocolate chips. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. 
Makes about 9 or 10 muffins.  
 

Au Gratin Potatoes

Do you love cheese, potatoes, butter and cream? If so, this recipe is perfect for you! Au Gratin Potatoes are a great side dish to ham, chicken, and... okay, let's be serious. They are just perfect by themselves. (This picture is of the potatoes 2 days after they were made, and they still taste great!)

Ingredients:
1/2 big onion, chopped (or 1 small onion, chopped)
1/2 cup butter
Several Russet Potatoes
Whipping Cream (about 3/4 of a quart)
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
*Optional: Garlic salt/powder to taste

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9x13 pan and set aside. Put chopped onion and butter into a bowl and microwave for 2-3 minutes until onion is soft, then set aside. Peel and thinly slice potatoes. 
Layer the potatoes and butter/onion mixture in the pan. Add salt and pepper (and add garlic powder) to each layer. 
Pour whipping cream over the potatoes until the cream almost/barely covers the potatoes. Bake uncovered until potatoes are almost done (approx. 45 minutes) then add the cheese to the top and bake until done. 
Let sit for about 10 minutes (for cream to thicken more) before eating. 

Enjoy! 

Curried Coconut Chicken

I went out on a limb and decided to try to make a curry dish. Oh. My. Gosh. It was so GOOD. I hope you try it out, because it's amazing. 

Ingredients:

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks 1 teaspoon salt and pepper, or to taste 1 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil 2 tablespoons curry powder 1/2 onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk 1 large tomato, diced 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce 3 tablespoons sugar

Directions:

1.	Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
2.	Heat oil and curry powder in a large skillet over medium heat for five minutes. Stir in onions and garlic, and cook about ten minutes more (until onion is translucent). (Add more oil if necessary.) Then add in the fresh tomato and cook for about 1 minute more. Add chicken, tossing lightly to coat with curry oil. Reduce heat a little, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in center and juices run clear.
3.	Pour coconut milk, tomato sauce, and sugar into the pan, and stir to combine. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, approximately 30 minutes.

Gluten Free Pantry Favorite Sandwich Bread Mix

My grandma gave me this bread mix last month and I've been hesitant to try it... mostly due to the fact that every other gluten-free bread mix I've tried was a complete waste of time. They were all nasty. Today I decided that I would just make it. 
I don't have a heavy duty mixer or a bread machine, so I used my own two hands (and a wooden spoon) to mix the dough. I was a little worried when I let it sit for 35 minutes and it never rose. I stuck it in the oven anyway. Well, I guess it didn't need to rise in the pan because (to my relief) it rose plenty in the oven. I pulled it out, cut it, and put a big slab of butter on it, and guess what? I really liked it! I would recommend this mix to anyone. I would just say to not expect the dough to rise much (or at all) before you put it in the oven.  

Blackened Chicken and Cilantro Lime Rice

(Beware. This is spicy. If you do not like spicy foods, you will not like this recipe.)

Ingredients

• 2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• ½ Teaspoon of Paprika
• ¼ Teaspoon of Salt
• ¼ Teaspoon of Pepper
• ¼ Teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper
• ¼ Teaspoon of Onion Powder
• ¼ Teaspoon of Cumin
• 1 Teaspoon of Olive Oil
• 2 Cups of Low Sodium Chicken Stock
• 1 Cup of Rice
• Juice and Zest from One Lime
• A Dash of Salt and Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons of Cilantro, chopped

Instructions

1. Combine all the dry seasonings in a small bowl. Mix them together and then season both sides of each chicken breast.
2. Add the teaspoon of olive oil to a large pan or skillet. Heat the olive oil for a minute over medium/high heat. Add the chicken breasts to the pan. Cook for seven minutes on each side with the lid on.
3. Add the chicken stock and rice to a medium sauce pan. Bring to a simmer over medium/low heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for twenty minutes with the lid on, until all the stock has been absorbed.
4. After the chicken breasts have cooked all the way through, remove them from the pan and let them rest for seven minutes before slicing them.
5. Add the warm rice to a large bowl. Toss in the lime zest, lime juice, salt and pepper, and chopped cilantro. Mix to combine.
6. Serve the sliced chicken breast on top of the rice. If you find the blackened seasoning too spicy, you can add a quick and easy avocado cream sauce to cool it down.
7. Just place the flesh from an avocado along with two tablespoons of Greek yogurt in a food processor and puree until smooth.

Serves: 2-4

Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Baking Mixes

One of the first truly delicious gluten-free goodies I ever had came from a Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Mix. It was so good in fact, that I was afraid it wasn't really gluten-free.

Each of these mixes produces a delectable gluten-free treat. I only have ONE complaint. My complaint is that the cookie mix (while delicious) produces cookies that are thin and fragile. I have better success making my own cookies from scratch with Jule's flour. 

I have no complaints with any of the other mixes. My favorite mix happens to be the devil's food cake mix.  The other day I made cupcakes from the yellow cake mix, and I think I made a wise decision not to add frosting, because I gobbled those bad boys up so fast.

I've seen these mixes in practically every grocery store I've been in, so they are pretty accessible. If you'd like to check them out online, here's a link:
http://www.bettycrocker.com/products/gluten-free-baking-mixes