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Blood Orange Flounder with baked asparagus and jasmine rice
Fish! I’m sorry for any of you who have fish allergies. I promise that we have plenty of non-fish recipes for you — hit the search bar up in the right-hand corner.
I’ve recently discovered the Yankee Fisherman’s Co-operative in Seabrook — I’m pretty sure that the fish comes in the dock off the back and you take it right out the front door. It is FRESH. So when I was there and the flounder looked amazing, I figured I should learn how to cook flounder. Even if he was Ariel’s best friend.
Flounder’s a very light-flavored fish, but it’s denser than tilapia, but not as “stiff” as cod. I liked it a lot. Because it’s a thin fillet, I decided to do parchment paper packets and citrus to add some flavor and keep the fish moist. I’ve layered the fish fillets over slices of blood orange, used the zest and some fresh thyme over top. Wrapped in parchment, the fish takes only about 15 minutes to cook to tender perfection.
(I wrote directions for folding the parchment in the recipe, but if you want it to be really pretty, check out this tutorial.)
Blood Orange Flounder, pre-baking. Zest and fresh thyme on top, and I swear there are whole orange slices beneath. Notice: Trying to access array offset on value of type bool in /home/maryzahc/public_html/adultfoodallergies.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-ultimate-recipe/helpers/models/recipe.php on line 254
Blood Orange Flounder
Print Recipe
This light, tender fish is cooked in parchment paper packets with citrus to infuse flavor and prevent drying out.
My flounder was two fillets, so I made two separate parchment paper packets. You need sheets that will fit your fillet, longways, with at least 4 inches at either end.
Layer 2-3 slices of orange (enough to support most of the fillet), with the fish fillet on top. Then sprinkle zest and fresh thyme over the top of each fillet.
Fold the parchment packets. This is what I did — pull the width-wise edges together and fold over twice. At each end, fold the corners in (like wrapping a present) and fold under at least two times, more if your length allows.
Place the packets on a baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes, and then test the fish with a fork to see if it is flaky. I served this with jasmine rice and asparagus baked at the same time as the fish.
I love cilantro and avocado, and I was looking for a new salad dressing because I have a tendency to fall into a rut. I either make my standard vinaigrette out of habit or use my Thai Hot and Sweet Dipping Sauce because I’ve got a bunch of it canned up and it’s easy, and really good on salad. So I decided I’d try something different. If you like cilantro and avocado, it’s yummy and will be pretty much great on everything you can think of.
Cilantro Avocado Salad Dressing or Sauce
Makes 3 cups
2 cups of tightly packed chopped cilantro
2 garlic cloves, peeled and trimmed
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup of white wine vinegar
1/4 cup of water
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (I used two limes)
2 Tablespoons of Adobo seasoning – optional (If you don’t have Adobo seasoning or you don’t have a safe version, mix 1/8 cup of paprika, 1 1/2 Tablespoons of ground black pepper, 1 Tablespoon of onion powder, 1 Tablespoon of dried oregano, 1 Tablespoon of ground cumin, 1/2 Tablespoon of ground chipotle, and 1/2 Tablespoon of garlic powder, this makes half a cup of seasoning)
salt to taste
2 avocados
Put all the ingredients in the blender and puree it. I went overboard with my Vitamix so you can’t see the cilantro. If you want larger pieces of cilantro, put all the ingredients except for 1 cup of cilantro in the blender first, blend, and then add the reserved cilantro and blend judiciously to leave more visible bits.
Use it on tossed salads, as a dipping sauce for fries or chips, or a garnishing sauce for fajitas, tacos, or burritos if you have safe tortillas, or on baked potatoes or sweet potatoes. Use it as condiment sauce for steak, pork, or chicken. If you are worried you can’t use it all up, it freezes well.
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1/2cupwhite wine vinegaror use other safe for you vinegar
1/4 cupwater
1/2 cuplime juicefresh squeezed
2tbspAdobo seasoningIf you don’t have Adobo seasoning or you don’t have a safe version, mix 1/8 cup of paprika, 1 1/2 Tablespoons of ground black pepper, 1 Tablespoon of onion powder, 1 Tablespoon of dried oregano, 1 Tablespoon of ground cumin, 1/2 Tablespoon of ground chipotle, and 1/2 Tablespoon of garlic powder, this makes half a cup of seasoning
1pinchsaltto taste
Servings: cups
Instructions
Put all the ingredients in the blender and puree it. If you want larger pieces of cilantro, put all the ingredients except for 1 cup of cilantro in the blender first, blend, and then add the reserved cilantro and blend judiciously to leave more visible bits.
Use it on tossed salads, as a dipping sauce for fries or chips, or a garnishing sauce for fajitas, tacos, or burritos if you have safe tortillas, or on baked potatoes or sweet potatoes. Use it as condiment sauce for steak, pork, or chicken. If you are worried you can’t use it all up, it freezes well.
I made this for our first day of spring blizzard. Because in New England, we have a first day of spring blizzard, right? Basically, it’s a bunch of what I’d consider staple ingredients that I nearly always have in the house, spiced up with a small amount of spicy sausage I had leftover and froze.
So it’s a veg-forward, but not vegetarian, dish. If you wanted to make it vegan, leave out the sausage, make sure you use vegetable broth, and up the spices by a good bit (add some hot sauce, if that’s your thing).
This was a great soup/stew for that week where it was a little cold in the mornings and merely chilly at noon. It’s warm and warming, but it is also rather light. Serve with or without rice.
End of Winter Stew without Rice Notice: Trying to access array offset on value of type bool in /home/maryzahc/public_html/adultfoodallergies.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-ultimate-recipe/helpers/models/recipe.php on line 254
3.5-4cupssoup stockvegetable or chicken, your preference
1 1/4teaspoonsseafood seasoningI used Penzey’s Chesapeake Bay
15ouncesnavy beans, cooked(drained and rinsed if canned)
1/2+cupandouille sausage, chopped(make sure this is safe for you), also, optional if you want to make it vegan
Servings: people
Instructions
In a large stock pot over medium heat, add the onion, olive oil, and salt, stirring well. You may need more olive oil if you are using a larger pot than I did, or one with a “stickier” surface.
When the onion begins to brown, add the rest of the ingredients in the order listed. Between each addition, pause to stir well. When adding the garlic, give it an extra minute — add more when you can smell the garlic cooking.
When all of your ingredients have been added, cover the pot and let it come to a boil. Texture-wise, letting it come to a boil from medium heat seems to turn out a less mushy stew than turning the heat up to high.
Once you’ve reached boiling, turn the heat down to low (but still simmering) and remove the lid. Cook 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potato is soft.
This is really good served over rice, which will stretch the number of servings, but is also great alone.
Recipe Notes
If you plan to leave out the sausage for a vegan version, add more of the seafood seasoning and a pinch of cayenne or a few dashes of hot sauce to get the warming heat of the spicy sausage. It’s there for flavor, not protein.
Sometimes I struggle with what is blog-worthy food and what isn’t. As anyone with food sensitivities knows, we cook a lot. Most of my dinners aren’t really recipes, as most weeknights, I make recipes up based on “what’s in the house” and “what can I make before I starve?”
This is really one of those dinners, but I was able to plate it up nicely. It took less than 20 minutes to make, used only one pan, a cutting board, and a few utensils, and is made up of food that I generally have in the house.
I always forget about polenta — a naturally gluten-free food (obviously not safe for the corn sensitive!), that some of us can buy prepared in shelf-stable tubes. Polenta is an excellent way to fill a biscuit-type craving. It isn’t a biscuit, no. But it’s great texture for a bread craving. I cooked a pan of bacon, first, crisped and warmed the polenta in a bit of the fat, and then quickly wilted some garlic and spinach over the top. This is the type of quick and satisfying meal I want after a busy work day. I hope you enjoy it, too.
(If you cannot eat regular polenta, made of corn, consider making a savory version of millet polenta. Our sweet breakfast version of millet polenta can be modified by leaving out the sugar and fruit.)
Spinach and bacon is a winning combo. Notice: Trying to access array offset on value of type bool in /home/maryzahc/public_html/adultfoodallergies.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-ultimate-recipe/helpers/models/recipe.php on line 254
Spinach, Polenta, and Bacon
Print Recipe
Servings
Prep Time
2people
20 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Servings
Prep Time
2people
20 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Spinach, Polenta, and Bacon
Print Recipe
Servings
Prep Time
2people
20 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Servings
Prep Time
2people
20 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Ingredients
6stripsbacon
1tubepolenta,sliced into 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch slices
10cupsspinachroughly chopped
1-2teaspoonsgarlicminced
Servings: people
Instructions
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the bacon.
While the bacon is cooking, wash and drain the spinach. Open the polenta and slice it. Chop the spinach and garlic.
When the bacon is done, remove it to drain on a paper towel-covered plate. Drain most of the rendered fat, leaving a thin skim of bacon grease to cook the rest of dinner.
Lay polenta slices in a single layer in the hot skillet. Cook 2-3 minutes per side, then remove to the serving dish.
Add the garlic to the hot pan, stirring, and when it becomes fragrant (1-2 minutes) add the spinach and stir until wilted.
Top each polenta slice with a slice of bacon (I broke mine in half, but also consider crumbling the slices if you’ve made them crispy). Top with a good solid mound of spinach, and enjoy your dinner.
Recipe Notes
I’m pretty sure this would work with most greens, but I have spinach on hand more often than any other green, plus it cooks quickly.
When Mary Kate and I sit down to plan posts ahead, we look at the calendar and try to pick things to develop that go with upcoming holidays. When we were looking at St. Patrick’s Day, we were sort of stumped, because we’ve already got a corned beef recipe, and we really weren’t that familiar with Irish dishes that we could do. So we decided that something with lamb would be good because we thought lamb dishes were vaguely Irish in our very limited experience. I was tasked with developing the lamb dish. I reviewed an Irish cookbook, looked around on the internet, checked The Joy of Cooking and The Better Home and Gardens New Cook Book, and talked to a friend, Nancy B, who makes lamb. This is a combination of a couple of approaches and might not quite be authentic Irish cuisine, but let’s just call it Irish cuisine inspired. Also, you could make it for Easter if you wanted.
Herbed Leg of Lamb
Serves 6-8 people.
Lamb:
4poundboneless leg of lamb roast
2clovesgarlic, thinly sliced
1tspolive oil or other safe for you oil to grease baking dish
Herb Wet Rub:
3clovesgarlic, peeled and stem end trimmed off
1/2cuplemon juice, fresh squeezed
2tbspdried parsley
3tbspolive oil or other safe for you oil
1 1/2tbspDijon mustard (I use my own homemade, home canned mustard, but use what’s safe for you.)
1tspdried basil
1tspdried rosemary
1/2tsponion powder
1/4tspground black pepper
1/4tspsalt
Preheat oven to 450°F. Remove boneless leg of lamb from packaging and remove netting. Cut 1/2 inch wide slits into the lamb at 1 inch intervals on the top (fat side) of the lamb.
Leg of lamb with 1/2 slits
Peel and slice two cloves of garlic thinly, and set aside.
Thinly sliced cloves of garlic
Peel remaining garlic cloves and place in blender with the remaining wet rub ingredients: lemon juice, parsley, olive oil, mustard, basil, rosemary, onion powder, black pepper and salt. Process until mixture is fairly finely blended, but not completely smooth.
Herb Wet Rub after processing
Grease a shallow baking dish with a teaspoon of olive oil. Place lamb in shallow roasting dish upside down and pour approximately a third of the wet rub on the lamb. Use your hands or a basting brush to spread the wet rub over the entire surface of the bottom of the lamb.
Bottom of lamb with a third of the wet rubBottom of lamb coated with wet rub
Flip the lamb over, and pour a third of the wet rub on the lamb, rubbing it into the surface, the slits and any pockets. Take the two cloves of sliced garlic and push a slice of garlic clove into each slit you cut into the lamb.
Top of lamb coated with first layer of wet rub and garlic slices inserted in slits
Then pour the remaining wet rub onto the lamb and spread it over the surface.
Lamb with remaining wet rub coating added
Roast the lamb at 450°F for 30 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Continue roasting the lamb for about 15 minutes for each pound, until the internal temperature reaches 140°F for medium rare, or 155°F for medium, using a meat thermometer or a probe thermometer. To reach 155°F, I ended up cooking my lamb for an additional 75 minutes after the initial 30 minutes, for a total of an hour and 45 minutes of cooking time.
Lamb removed from roasting pan to rest
Let lamb rest for about 15 minutes or so and then carve.
Herbed Leg of Lamb in process of being carvedCarved Herbed Leg of Lamb slices
Enjoy!
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Herbed Leg of Lamb
Print Recipe
A boneless leg of lamb recipe for St. Patrick’s Day or Easter
Preheat oven to 450°F. Remove boneless leg of lamb from packaging and remove netting. Cut 1/2 inch wide slits into the lamb at 1 inch intervals on the top (fat side) of the lamb. Peel and slice two cloves of garlic thinly, and set aside.
Peel remaining garlic cloves and place in blender with the remaining wet rub ingredients: lemon juice, parsley, olive oil, mustard, basil, rosemary, onion powder, black pepper and salt. Process until mixture is fairly finely blended, but not completely smooth.
Grease a shallow baking dish with a teaspoon of olive oil. Place lamb in shallow roasting dish upside down and pour approximately a third of the wet rub on the lamb. Use your hands or a basting brush to spread the wet rub over the entire surface of the bottom of the lamb. Flip the lamb over, and pour a third of the wet rub on the lamb, rubbing it into the surface, the slits and any pockets. Take the two cloves of sliced garlic and push a slice of garlic clove into each slit you cut into the lamb. Then pour the remaining wet rub onto the lamb and spread it over the surface.
Roast the lamb at 450°F for 30 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Continue roasting the lamb for about 15 minutes for each pound, until the internal temperature reaches 140°F for medium rare, or 155°F for medium, using a meat thermometer or a probe thermometer. To reach 155°F, I ended up cooking my lamb for an additional 75 minutes after the initial 30 minutes, for a total of an hour and 45 minutes of cooking time.
Let lamb rest for about 15 minutes or so and then carve. Enjoy!
So, like bacon, commercial ham is a problem if you are avoiding corn and all corn derivatives. I’ve tried on multiple occasions to cure a 4-5 pound pork shoulder or a boneless Boston butt (pork butt roast), but the cure only goes in about an inch from the surface and then it’s like a version of a turducken, ham on the outside, pork roast on the inside. That’s really not what I was aiming for, and no matter how many holes I poked into the larger cuts of pork (imagine me maniacally stabbing pork shoulders with a barbecue fork), the same thing kept happening. So I decided to try ham steaks so that the density of the cut would be less thick and the whole thing might cure. Well, it did, and I have ham I can eat again.
Cure Your Own Ham Steaks
5 pound boneless Boston butt, a.k.a. pork butt roast (here’s a link to show you what you’re looking for)
1 1/2 gallons of cold water
1 1/2 cups of brown sugar
1 1/2 cups of kosher, pickling or sea salt (make sure there’s no anti-caking agents and that it’s not iodized salt, or it’ll have corn in it)
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
1 3/4 teaspoons of celery juice powder(if you don’t have celery juice powder, you can try taking about 7-8 stalks of celery, roughly chop them and liquefy them in the blender)
Slice the boneless Boston butt across the grain (go look here if you don’t know what that means) into 1 inch thick slices.
Place all the ingredients listed, except for the boneless Boston butt slices, in a large plastic container. When choosing your container, please note that the boneless Boston butt slices will also need to fit into this container, along with a heavy plate or bowl to weigh the slices down into the brine, and it will all need to be able to fit into your refrigerator. Stir until all the salt, sugar, and celery juice powder is dissolved into the water.
Add the boneless Boston butt slices to the brine and make sure they are submerged (you can use a plate or a bowl to weigh them down).
Cover the plastic container with a lid, if it has one, or use plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Place the container in the refrigerator and brine the boneless Boston butt slices for 3 to 4 days. At the halfway point, rotate the position of the the boneless Boston butt slices so they brine evenly.
After the brining is done, rinse the slices well, making sure there aren’t any peppercorns stuck to the slices.
I’ve cooked the resulting ham steaks two ways, in the oven sort of like a whole ham, and seared on the stove top in cast iron and finished in the oven, more like a ham steak.
To roast the ham steaks like a whole ham, place the steaks in a roasting pan or baking sheet, and coat them with a bit of brown sugar as a rub. Bake them in a roasting pan at 375°F degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour or until the internal temperature is 160°F degrees.
Ham Steaks rubbed with brown sugar and roasted in the ovenHam Steaks rubbed with brown sugar and roasted in the oven
To cook them like ham steaks, preheat your oven to 375°F degrees. Place a bit of safe for you oil in a cast iron skillet, and turn the burner to medium heat. When the oil and skillet is hot, place the steaks in the skillet, and sear until there is nice golden, caramel crust. Turn the steaks over, and sear the other side. Once both sides of the ham steaks are seared, place the skillet in the oven and roast them for about 30 minutes or until the internal temperature is 160°F degrees.
Ham Steaks seared in cast iron and finished in the ovenHam Steaks seared in cast iron and finished in the oven
Enjoy your ham!
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Cure Your Own Ham Steaks
Print Recipe
How to have allergy friendly ham for the holidays!
Slice the boneless Boston butt across the grain into 1 inch thick slices.
Place all the ingredients listed, except for the boneless Boston butt slices, in a large plastic container (large enough for brine, boneless Boston butt slices, and a heavy plate or bowl to weigh down the slices, but able to fit into your refrigerator). Stir until all the salt, sugar, and celery juice powder is dissolved into the water.
Add the boneless Boston butt slices to the brine and make sure they are submerged using a plate or a bowl to to weigh them down. Cover the plastic container with a lid or use plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Place the container in the refrigerator and brine the boneless Boston butt slices for 3 to 4 days. At the halfway point, rotate the position of the the boneless Boston butt slices so they brine evenly.
After the brining is done, rinse the slices well, making sure there aren’t any peppercorns stuck to the slices.
To roast the ham steaks like a whole ham, place the steaks in a roasting pan or baking sheet, and coat them with a bit of brown sugar as a rub. Bake them in a roasting pan at 375°F degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour or until the internal temperature is 160°F degrees.
To cook them like ham steaks, preheat your oven to 375°F degrees. Place a bit of safe for you oil in a cast iron skillet, and turn the burner to medium heat. When the oil and skillet is hot, place the steaks in the skillet, and sear until there is nice golden, caramel crust. Turn the steaks over, and sear the other side. Once both sides of the ham steaks are seared, place the skillet in the oven and roast them for about 30 minutes or until the internal temperature is 160°F degrees.
This is the post for the chocolate lovers. I know. Today, you’re buying Valentine’s Day chocolate on sale, but here’s a classy way to do chocolate. PIE. Chocolate pie. Make this pie for a video games party (if that’s a thing you might do), for a Primary watching party, for Thanksgiving, for Pi Day (coming up!)
Basically, I’m saying that it’s a pie for almost all occasions. Lovely graham cracker crust, rich, creamy chocolate filling, and toasted marshmallows on top. This pie should be served at least slightly chilled, so keep that in mind (but in winter, that means it’s good in the car for a bit).
I’ve used pre-made gluten-free graham crackers, which I keep around as a snack, and regular mini-marshmallows, which are safe for me. If you need to make graham crackers or marshmallows, we’ve got you covered (see the links in the recipe!), but plan ahead for the extra time.
Enjoy the whole pie.
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S’mores Pie
Print Recipe
Graham cracker crust, rich chocolate filling, and toasted marshmallows on top
Servings
Prep Time
8-16slices
5minutes
Cook Time
Passive Time
10minutes
2hours
Servings
Prep Time
8-16slices
5minutes
Cook Time
Passive Time
10minutes
2hours
S’mores Pie
Print Recipe
Graham cracker crust, rich chocolate filling, and toasted marshmallows on top
Servings
Prep Time
8-16slices
5minutes
Cook Time
Passive Time
10minutes
2hours
Servings
Prep Time
8-16slices
5minutes
Cook Time
Passive Time
10minutes
2hours
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
1 1/2cupsgraham cracker crumbsI like Kinnikinnick brand, but use regular if you don’t need gluten-free, and make your own if you need full control of ingredients
1/3cupbrown sugar
5Tablespoonscoconut oilcan use other fat that works for you, but coconut oil sets nicely
Chocolate Filling
1can (15 oz)full-fat coconut milkdo not use “light”! It won’t set.
1 bag (10 oz) safe-for-you chocolate chips(or chop 10 oz of your safe chocolate into small pieces)
1teaspoonvanilla extract
Marshmallows
1 1/2cups mini marshmallowsuse what is safe for you — regular, vegan, or make our marshmallow recipe
Servings: slices
Instructions
Crust
Crush graham crackers. If you’ve had a bad day, put them in a bag and beat them with a rolling pin. That’s how I was taught to do it growing up, and it’s a good stress-reliever. But you can also use a food processor or blender for a quicker and smoother crumb.
In a bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted coconut oil. Do not try to do this in the pie plate! I always think this is going to be an excellent idea — why get two things dirty? But it NEVER works out well. With the higher sides of a bowl, you can quickly and completely mix all the crust ingredients using a fork, without scattering them all across the kitchen.
Press crumb mixture into pie plate. This will not form up quite as well as a gluten-containing version does, so it really helps to start out with your greased hands to evenly spread the crust mix over the pie plate. If you need extra compacting, the bottom of a glass works well. Try to even out the top edges of the crust — this will help it hold together when it comes out of the pan.
Chill the pie crust in the fridge for at least half an hour, but better 45 minutes. This is why coconut oil works better to keep the crust intact — it’s solidity when chilled is a benefit here.
Filling
Pour one can of coconut milk into a sauce pan. Heat over medium low until it begins to boil, stirring frequently. If the solids have somewhat separated, stir them back in to the coconut milk.
When you have the coconut milk at a low boil, remove the pan from the heat. Add the chocolate and stir until it is completely combined with the coconut milk.
Add the vanilla and stir well.
Pour the prepared filling into the chilled pie crust, and put the pie in the freezer to set.
Set your timer for 40 minutes. You want the pie to be mostly but not completely set when you top it with the marshmallows, as you want them to stick. Add the marshmallows and chill for another half an hour.
Toast the marshmallows with your kitchen torch.
Alternately, you can use your broiler for this — but set aside extra time to re-chill the entire pie before serving! The broiler will make the entire pie hot and it is easier to burn the marshmallows.
Mary Kate and I try occasionally to think up recipes with holiday themes. Valentine’s Day is a somewhat of struggle for me, as I’m generally a bit cynical of the whole thing and not a very sentimental person. But I’ve been craving cookies for a while, and I’d gotten myself some cookie cutters (these and these) with an Amazon gift card I’d gotten for Christmas (thanks Mom!) and I was itching to give them a test drive. Now granted, the Gingerdead Men cookie cutters aren’t much in the theme of Valentine’s Day, but they were too funny for me not to try out. I took them to work and they were a huge hit with people who have no allergies and can eat gluten, so I think they’re pretty awesome.
Valentine’s Day Gingerbread Frosted Cookies
I started with a recipe from Cara Reed’s Decadent Gluten-Free Vegan Baking book, which is an excellent resource. However, due to my cocktail of allergies, I generally use her book as a starting point to experiment as I generally have to change quite a bit. This time, I had to change the flour mix as I seem to be having issues with potatoes and rice and I suspect I may be allergic (sigh, shaking fist at the sky). I can’t use vegan shortening or vegan butter due to my corn and coconut allergies. I also can’t use flax as I’m allergic to it. I also wanted to kick up the spices a bit.
To start, you’ll need to make the Gluten-free, Rice-free, Potato-free Flour Mix:
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Measure all ingredients and place in a large mixing bowl. Using a whisk, mix the ingredients until well combined. Place in an air tight storage container and use in baking recipes.
Once your flour mix is done, we can move onto the cookies.
Cookie Dough:
1/2cup of cold lard, cold vegetable shortening, or vegan butter(vegan butter and vegetable shortening are not generally safe for those allergic to corn)
2 1/2cups of Gluten-free, Rice-free, Potato-free flour mixand a bit extra for rolling the dough
1teaspoon of baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoon ofground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ofground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ofground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ofground nutmeg
1/2cup of sugar
1/2cup of molasses (Plantation Molasses is the brand most tolerated by those allergic to corn)
1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract (Here’s a bunch of recipes for vanilla extract, make sure to use safe alcohol if corn or wheat are an issue for you. I used a vodka made only from potatoes, be careful as some vodkas may also use grain or corn.)
1 teaspoon of beet puree(To make puree, either use canned or fresh cooked beets and puree them in a blender with a bit of cooking liquid)
In a large bowl, whisk together the Gluten-free, Rice-free, Potato-free flour mix, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, until completely combined and set aside. In a small bowl, mix chia and aquafaba together until combined, and set aside.
Using a stand mixer, beat the cold lard, cold vegetable shortening, or vegan butter on medium to high speed until softened. Add molasses, sugar, chia and aquafaba mixture, and half of the flour mixture and beat until combined, scraping down the sides as necessary. Then add the remaining flour mixture and beat it in slowly until combined.
Using a stand mixer, beat the cold lard, cold vegetable shortening, or vegan butter on medium to high speed until softened. Add molasses, sugar, chia and aquafaba mixture, and half of the flour mixture and beat until combined, scraping down the sides as necessary. Then add the remaining flour mixture and beat it in slowly until combined.
When dough is chilled, preheat oven to 375ºF, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place piece of parchment paper large enough to cover your rolling surface. Lightly flour the parchment paper with some Gluten-free, Rice-free, Potato-free flour mix, flatten the dough ball and flip it to be covered with some of the flour.
Flattened, floured doughball
Add another piece of parchment paper on top. Roll the dough between the pieces of parchment paper to 1/8 of an inch thickness.
Dough being rolled between two pieces of parchment
If you don’t roll the cookies thin enough, they will spread.
Dough rolled out
Cut shapes with a cookie cutter and place them 1 inch apart on the parchment covered baking sheet.
Cookies on cookie sheet (placed much too closely, beware!)
Bake 7-13 minutes (range is for a metal sheet pan to Pampered Chef stoneware, you need more time for stoneware) until the edges are lightly browned.
Cookies placed too closely and rolled too thick – A friend noted it looked like a cave made of hearts collapsing on the men, haha!
Cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute before transferring them to a wire rack.
Cookies cooling on rack
When they are cool, it’s time to frost them. To make the Pink Royal Icing, place the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, aquafaba, and beet puree in a bowl and using a stand or electric mixer, beat ingredients until completely combined. If frosting is not firm enough, add additional powdered sugar by the teaspoon until it is.
Pink Royal Icing
Place the frosting in a cake decorator and frost as you wish. Enjoy!
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1/2cupcold lard, cold vegetable shortening, or vegan butter(vegan butter and vegetable shortening are not generally safe for corn allergics)
2 1/2cupsGluten-free, Rice-free, Potato-free flour mix(and a bit extra for rolling the dough)
1tspbaking soda
1 1/4tspground ginger
3/4tsp ground cinnamon
1/4tspground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar
1/2cup molasses
1tbspground chia seed
3tbspaquafaba
Pink Royal Icing
1 1/4cuppowdered sugar
1/4tspvanilla extract
1tbspaquafaba
1tspbeet puree(To make puree, either use canned or fresh cooked beets and puree them in a blender)
Servings: dozen
Instructions
Making Cookies
In a large bowl, whisk together the Gluten-free, Rice-free, Potato-free flour mix, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, until completely combined and set aside. In a small bowl, mix chia and aquafaba together until combined, and set aside.
Using a stand mixer, beat the cold lard, cold vegetable shortening, or vegan butter on medium to high speed until softened. Add molasses, sugar, chia and aquafaba mixture, and half of the flour mixture and beat until combined, scraping down the sides as necessary. Then add the remaining flour mixture and beat it in slowly until combined.
Divide the dough in half and create two balls. Either wrap in saran wrap or place in a bowl and cover, and then place in the fridge and chill the dough for at least three hours, I prefer overnight.
When dough is chilled, preheat oven to 375ºF, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place piece of parchment paper large enough to cover your rolling surface. Lightly flour the parchment paper with some Gluten-free, Rice-free, Potato-free flour mix, flatten the dough ball and flip it to be covered with some of the flour, and add another piece of parchment paper on top. Roll the dough between the pieces of parchment paper to 1/8 of an inch thickness. If you don’t roll the cookies thin enough, they will spread. Cut shapes with a cookie cutter and place them 1 inch apart on the parchment covered baking sheet.
Bake 7-13 minutes (range is for a metal sheet pan to Pampered Chef stoneware, you need more time for stoneware) until the edges are lightly browned. Cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute before transferring them to a wire rack.
Making Frosting
Place powdered sugar, vanilla extract, aquafaba, and beet puree in a bowl and using a stand or electric mixer, beat ingredients until completely combined. If frosting is not firm enough, add additional powdered sugar by the teaspoon until it is.
