Emily's Favorite Gluten-Free Recipes

I began cooking gluten-free for my Ex-Girlfriend Emily, who has Celiac Disease. These are some of her favorite recipes. Most are adaptations of family recipes or recipes found in standard cookbooks. I've cited the source where appropriate.

Main Dishes, Sauces, etc.

Quick Macaroni & Cheese

This recipe is an old trick I learned from my Dad, who probably learned it from his mother. It's basically a recipe for a "Medium White Sauce", which can be found in any standard cookbook. All you do is add cheese to it. I've, of course, modified it to use Rice Flour.

Ingredients: 2 Tablespoons Butter or Margerine, 2 Tablespoons Rice Flour, 1 cup of Milk, 1/4 pound of your favorite cheese, 1/2 pound of Gluten-Free macaroni (any shape), white or black pepper, gluten-free breadcrumbs (optional).

1. Cook pasta to directions on the box.
2. Heat milk in the microwave till hot to the touch but not boiling.
3. In a small saucepan on medium heat, melt the butter.
4. Stir in flour with a whire wisk. Mixture should immediately thicken to a pasty consistency.
5. Add milk and stir constantly with wire wisk. Mixture will begin to thicken. If it gets too thick, add a little milk and keep stirring.
6. Once mixture thickens to a heavy gravy consistency, remove from heat. Add pepper to taste and begin to stir-in small pieces of cheese. Taste as you go and stop when it is to your liking.
7. Pour over pasta in a heat-proof bowl. Serve as-is or put breadcrumbs on top and bake at 350 degrees farenheight till brown and bubbly.

Suggestions:

• Add broccoli and/or pieces of browned chicken to pasta and sauce for a more hearty meal.
• Use less flour or add extra milk for a thinner consistency and use parmesian cheese to make "Al Fredo" sauce.
• Use orange american cheese for children who are used to boxed macaroni and cheese.
• Convert to a microwave recipe by findng a recipe for a "Medium White Sauce" in any microwave cookbook.

Phil's "Real Chinese" Teriyaki Marinade

This recipe is naturally gluten-free and comes from a real Chinese family friend. The only change from the original recipe is the addition of wine and substitution of vinegar in place of cornstarch for the meat tenderizer. I find that vinegar leaves less of a coating on the meat.

Ingredients: 1 cup Vegetable Oil, 1/4 cup Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (Try "La Choy" brand), 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar, 1/4 tsp Black Pepper, 1/4 tsp Ground or Fresh Ginger, 1 tablespoon Cider or White Vinegar, Splash of Red Wine (optional).

1. In a jar or container with a tight-fitting lid, combine all ingredients.
2. Close container and shake rapidly until mixture is completely combined. You may optionally perform steps #1 and #2 in a blender.
3. Pour over meat (chicken or beef) in a sealable container and marinate at least 2 hours—overnight is better.
4. Remove meat with tongs to drain excess marinade and grill or broil.

Notes: Adjust quantity of each ingredient to taste. Marinade should keep for several weeks in the refrigerator.

Desserts

Emily's Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

Out of a few different chocolate chip cookie recipes I've tried, the best was actually found on the side of a Pamela's Pancake and Baking Mix. It can also be found on their website (www.pamelasproducts.com). Either Pamela's mix may be used or you can substitute Bob's Red Mill Pancake Mix. I like to add an extra teaspoon of baking powder to yeild a higher rising cookie.

Justin's Double Chocolate Valentines Cheesecake

I've been making Tyler Florence's "Crack Proof Cheesecake" recipe for about two years now with great success. Since everything but the crust was naturally gluten-free, I decided to make a few substitutions and make a chocolate version for Valentines day. The results were amazing. The keys to this recipe are the water bath, the particular blend of ingredients, and the quality of chocolate used.

Ingredients: 1/2 Package (6oz) Ghiradelli Double Chocolate chips or good quality dark chocolate broken up into chunks; 2 Tablespoons of milk or cream; All Ingredients to Make Tyler Florence's Crack Proof Cheesecake. In place of graham crackers, purchase gluten-free cookies of your choice. I use Mi-Del Arrowroot Animal Crackers, which happen to be available in the natural foods aisle at my local grocery store.

1. Prepare crust and filling as directed for Tyler Florence's Crack Proof Cheesecake. Do not pour batter into pan.
2. Melt chocolate with milk in microwave on high for 1-3 minutes, stirring every minute or so with a wooden spoon. Let chocolate cool slightly.
3. Stir 1/2 cup of batter quickly into chocolate so that chocolate doesn't seize up.
4. Pour chocolate mixture into rest of batter and beat until thoroughly mixed.
5. Pour batter into pan and bake, cool, and chill as directed.

Tips:

• Since gluten-free cookies often come in small packages and tend to be expensive, you may wish to cut the crust recipe in half and only line the bottom of the pan.
• Recipe is for a 9-inch pan, which is quite small. For a larger pan, add one extra block of cream cheese (8oz) and increase cooking time to 1 hour.
• Rasberries go great with this recipe. Use the blueberry topping recipe included with the cheesecake recipe. Substitute frozen or fresh rasberries and omit the lemon juice.
• Impress your friends. Serve pie on a dark-colored dish and dust lightly with powdered sugar.
• Cheesecake cuts easily with dental floss (bet you didn't know that one).