Gluten Free Cheese Crackers

One of the things I have missed about cutting out wheat from my diet is cheese crackers. I adapted the recipe from Cooks.com and substituted wheat flour for gluten free flour.


350g grated cheddar cheese
500g Orgran Gluten-Free Plain flour
500g Rice Bubbles or other puffed rice
2 sticks melted butter (8 oz.)
1 tsp. salt or seasoned salt
1 tsp. cayenne pepper

Combine flour, salt and cayenne pepper and sift. Add grated cheese and mix well.
Make crackers the size of 50 cent pieces then use a fork to flatten them. Place on tray lined with baking paper.

Bake at 190°F for 15 minutes or until lightly golden and crisp. Cool on wire racks for half an hour and store in an airtight container.

I used the Orgran Plain flour for this recipe. You'll need the whole 500g packet which costs $3.51 at Woolworths and substituted Perfecto Italliano Pizza Shredded Cheese for the Cheddar.  You could use Parmesan cheese or Pecorino instead. Other variations to this recipe include the addition of  fresh or dried herbs or garlic powder.

Shopping cart suggestions:

Orgran Flour Plain Wheat And Gluten Free 500g

Unit Price $0.70/100g 
Woolworths price $3.51


Ingredients: Maize Starch, Tapoica Flour, Rice Flour, Vegetable Gums; guar gum & methylcellulose.








Perfect Italiano Pizza Shredded Cheese ($6.71 for 500g)
 Ingredients:   cheddar, mozzarella and parmesan trio. 
It adds an extra bite and texture with a mix of cheddar, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses .
















Revised recipe from Cooks.com

Almond and Rice Flour Bread with Poppy Seeds

75 minutes Prep: 20 minutes Cook: 55 minutes
108 calories per serving view nutrition facts

Ingredients
1/2 cup almonds whole, with skins
1 1/2 cups rice flour, brown
4 tsps baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3 tsps poppy seeds
1/2 cup yogurt, low-fat
1/2 cup water
1 large egg
1 large egg whites
2 tbsps vegetable oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan.

Place almonds and 1/2 cup of the flour in bowl of a food processor and grind until a fine meal is formed (the flour will prevent the nuts from turning oily). Add remaining rice flour, the baking powder, salt and 2 teaspoons of the poppy seeds; process briefly.

Combine yogurt, water, whole egg, egg white and oil in a 2-cup measuring cup.

With processor motor running, pour liquid ingredients through feed tube over flour mixture, processing just long enough to mix.

Transfer batter to prepared pan. Sprinkle with remaining poppy seeds, and bake for 55 minutes. Turn out onto a rack to cool. (Bread slices best after several hours, or the next day).

Makes one 18-ounce loaf (18 slices).

PER SLICE: 90 calories, 3 g protein, 11 g carbohydrate, 4 g fat (1 g saturated), 12 mg cholesterol, 115 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.

Source: San Francisco Chronicle by Jacquline Mallorca, re-posted on RecipeLand

[Photo to come]

Gluten Free Cornbread

A few weeks ago I made some amazing cornbread with some yellow polenta I purchased from an Italian Delicatessan & Cafe in Warrawong, NSW. The bread was so light and fluffy that we went through two loafs in no time. It is delicious hot or cold and the older the loaf got the more tasty it was, the texture changing to a crusty bread with a really unusual texture from the polenta flour in the mixture. This recipe makes two loaf pans and it freezes well.

1 cup gluten free flour (I used white maize meal but you could use one of a number of gluten-free flours listed)
1 cup yellow polenta
1/4c sugar or alternative (the first time I used raw sugar and the second I used agave syrup which has lower GI and tastes great)
2tsp cream of tartar
1tsp baking soda
1tsp cornflour
3/4tsp salt
1/4cup butter (or coconut oil)
2 eggs (or Orgran Egg Substitute)
1 cup buttermilk (or rice milk for dairy-free)

Combine and fill two loaf pans and bake @ 220oC for 25 min

Other variations found on the web include:

Green Chilli Cornbread Recipe
Chilli & Cheese Cornbread (with Polenta) Recipe

Note: To make this recipe gluten free it is important to use baking soda, cream of tartar and cornflour rather than baking powder.
Read more information below

How to make homemade gluten free baking powder
http://www.blisstree.com/bakingdelights/how-to-make-homemade-gluten-free-baking-powder/

Different between baking soda and baking powder
http://chemistry.about.com/cs/foodchemistry/f/blbaking.htm