Taco Seasoning 1

Ingredients:
3 tablespoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I usually leave this out, too spice for me)
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
4 1/2 teaspoon paprika
4 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 teaspoon sea salt
3 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container.  Use 3 tablespoons per pound of meat.

Gluten-Free Pizza Crust

Adapted from Glutenfreegodess.com

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients:
1 cup tapioca flour/starch
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup teff flour
1/4 cup GF millet flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoons xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Set aside.

Proof the yeast:
2/3 cup warm water (between 110 - 115ºF)
1/2 teaspoon raw agave
1 1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast
Dissolve the agave in the warm water and add the active dry yeast. Stir and let the yeast get happy and puffy.
Add the proofed yeast and water to the dry ingredients.

Mix in:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup beaten egg whites
1/8 teaspoon light tasting rice vinegar
1/2 tablespoon molasses
2 tablespoons raw agave

Beat the dough until smooth and sticky. The pizza dough should be creamy smooth and not too thick- it's not sturdy like typical bread dough. It almost borders on batter. I like my crust thin so I use 2/3 of the dough for the pizza crust and 1/3 for cheesy bread sticks.  Place the larger portion in the center of a prepared pizza pan. Using clean, wet hands press down lightly and flatten the dough to create a thin, even pizza shell, with slightly raised edges. You'll have to rinse your hands more than once to do this. Take your time to smooth out the dough with wet palms. Place the smaller portion in the center of a prepared small baking sheet.  Spread it out using the same technique.

Set the two pans in a warm cozy spot to rest and rise a bit- about 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

When the oven is hot, place the two pans side by side on the center rack (if your oven is too small to accommodate both pans on one rack, you'll need to use two racks; rotate the pans half way through baking time to avoid overcooking on the lower rack).
Bake for ten minutes till golden.
Remove from the oven. Preheat the broiler.
Brush the pizza shell with extra virgin olive oil. Season with sea salt and fresh garlic. Sprinkle with Italian herbs.

Add the sauce and the additional toppings and broil briefly to melt the cheese and heat the toppings.

For the cheesy bread sticks:
Brush with extra virgin olive oil. Season with sea salt and fresh garlic. Sprinkle with Italian herbs. Sprinkle with vegan "mozzarella" cheese
Broil briefly to melt the cheese

Another pizza topping idea:
Fresh baby spinach leaves and basil Roasted eggplant slices
Sliced fresh tomatoes
Vegan "mozzarella" cheese
Italian herbs (dried oregano, marjoram, parsley, rosemary, thyme) Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil all over the top
Broil briefly to melt the cheese, 4-5 minutes. Don't over cook.

Rolls

I got this recipe from one of my friends and I only had to make a couple of modifications.  These rolls were yummy, even Brad liked them.  Now I just need to find a recipe for some sugar free jam!

1 T. Active Yeast
½ T. Raw Agave
1 cup Warm Water
½ c. Potato Starch
½ c. Millet Flour
½ c. Sorghum Flour
¼ c. Teff Flour        
¼ c. Corn Flour
1 tsp. Salt
2 ½ tsp. Xanthan Gum
1 Egg
3 T. Olive Oil
½ tsp. Cider Vinegar
Combine yeast, sugar and water and let stand.  Mix remaining ingredients in mixer, then add yeast mixture, and beat for 2 minutes.  Drop into 12 greased muffin cups. Cover with foil and let rise until dough doubles in size, bake at 375 for 20 min.

Veggie/Fruit Smoothie

Ingredients:
2-3 cups Frozen Fruit depending on the fruit that you use (I get Nature's Three Berry, Festival Fruit Blend, and Strawberries from Costco, festival fruit blend is my favorite)
2 Carrots or 1/2 cup Baby Carrots
1/3 to 1/2 cup Broccoli
1/2 to 3/4 cup Spinach
1 Banana
(sometimes I add 1/2 cup Apple Sauce or Pumpkin)
3-5 cups of liquid depending on how thick you like it (milk, juice, or water; I will use coconut milk if I want it to taste more like a milk shake, half grape juice and half water is one of my favorites)

Preparation:
Put all ingredients in a blender.  Pulse to break up the big pieces and blend until smooth.

Makes enough for about 4 people, less if I'm one of those people.  I love smoothies!

Teff/Buckwheat Pancakes

After a lot of experimenting with my family pancake recipe, I have finally come up with a teff/buckwheat pancake recipe that is not to heavy.  It is very flavorful and light.  We love these pancakes with a little pure maple syrup and if we are lucky, some fresh blueberries.

Ingredients:
1 cup sorgham flour
⅔ cup teff flour
⅔ cup buckwheat flour
⅔ cup tapioca flour
2 Tbs baking powder
1 tsp salt
Stir with a fork
2 egg yolks (put the egg whites in a separate bowl)
¼ cup olive oil
1 Tbs molasses
Add enough coconut milk to make batter consistency
Whip the egg whites stiff.  Beat the pancake batter and then fold in the egg whites.

Corn Tortillas

This is a family recipe that I modified.  I made these tortillas the other night and we had turkey tacos.  They were very tasty.  I have also made these tortillas and then used them to make enchiladas.  I love these tortillas.  I will post the enchilada recipe and the taco seasoning recipe soon!

Ingredients:
⅓ cup sorghum flour
⅔ cup corn flour
1 cup corn meal
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs olive oil
1 beaten egg
coconut milk
water

Preparation:
Mix together and add enough milk and water to make a thin batter.  I usually try to do about half milk and half water.  Drop about 1/4 cup on medium hot griddle (375).  Not too hot or they won’t spread.  Spread with the back of a spoon into a circle about 5” in diameter.  When dry in appearance, turn and cook on the other side.  The second side will not brown.

Banana Bread

I have made many versions of this banana bread, some good and some terrible!  I guess it will be a work in progress.  The batch that I made today is my favorite so far.  So here it is, try it out and let me know your thoughts.

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F. Line bottom of two bread tins with parchment paper and spray with olive oil.

Ingredients:
¼ cup Pureed Avocado
¼ cup Olive Oil
⅔ cup Raw Agave
2 Eggs (separated)
3 Very Ripe Bananas
½ teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 ½ teaspoon Xanthan Gum
2 tablespoons Coconut Milk
½ teaspoon Lemon Juice (I used freshly squeezed)
1 cup Sorghum Flour
½ cup Tapioca Flour
¼ cup Teff Flour
¼ cup Buckwheat Flour

Preparation:
Cream together avocado, olive oil, agave, and egg yolks.  Put egg whites in a separate bowl and beat them until they are stiff.  Mix in  the bananas.  Mix in the salt, soda, baking powder, and xanthan gum.  Mix in the coconut milk and lemon juice.  Mix in the flours until smooth, about 2 minutes.  Fold in the egg whites.  Bake at for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.