Balsamic Beef Roast

I love cooking roasts for dinner...whether it's a beef chuck, pork tenderloin or even a whole chicken. For the two of us it can make 2-3 dinners, but for a family it's great to have an easy no fuss dinner. My favorite beef roast is the flat chuck roast, it really ends up falling apart and has always turned out so juicy. With this recipe you can do so many things with it...I've made pulled beef sandwiches (or French dip), tacos or shredded on top of nachos. This has become my go to recipe and sometimes I change it up by adding organic cola to the mix instead of the broth, or adding herbs like thyme and basil. Once you try it you will be inspired to do the same and it's a no fail recipe with so much flavor!

Balsamic Beef Chuck Roast

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

• 1 3-4 pound beef roast (I prefer chuck but you can use round)
• 1 cup water or broth (vegetable or beef)
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (make sure it's gluten free if needed)
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce (gluten free)
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce (gluten free)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar or honey
• 2-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon paprika (optional)
• 1 teaspoon thyme (optional)
• 1 teaspoon basil (optional)

Directions:

1. Place roast beef into the insert of your slow cooker. In a measuring cup, mix together all remaining ingredients. Pour over roast and set the timer for your slow cooker. (4-5 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low)
2. Once the beef has cooked, remove from slow cooker with tongs to a serving dish. You can either let rest and slice or break apart lightly with two forks & then ladle 1/4 of the juice onto the beef. 
3. The remaining juice can be made into gravy or keep as juice for French dip. 
4. To make gravy...melt 1 tablespoon butter into sauce pan on medium but only melt the butter, don't allow to get too hot so it bubbles. Add a tablespoon of your favorite gluten free flour and whisk to combine to melted butter. Add juice to the pan while whisking to create the gravy. Also yummy with sauteed mushrooms or sauteed onions. 

Gluten Free Pizza Crust

Looking for a great pizza crust? Well I love the French bread recipe so much, that I decided to try it out for a pizza crust. Love it!! You can either make two medium sized pizzas with this recipe or you can make one medium pizza and one loaf of French bread (like I did). I will admit I'm not a chef by any means so I do make mistakes and learn as I go along sometimes. The pizza crust turned out pretty awesome, it was chewy and even had a great crunch to it. I did leave the pizza in a little bit too long towards the end, but my husband loves crunchiness so it was a win win!

Gluten Free French Bread

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

• 1 cup sorghum flour (you could substitute for gf oat flour or millet flour)
• 1 1/2 cups potato starch
• 1/2 cup tapioca starch/flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar (I use coconut sugar)
• 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 1 1/2 tablespoons instant or bread machine yeast
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 large egg whites
• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
• 1 cup warm water (105 - 115 degrees)

1 cup sorghum flour

1½ cup potato starch

½ cup tapioca starch or flour

1½ teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 teaspoon guar gum (or xanthan)

1½ Tablespoons instant or bread machine yeast

1 Tablespoon olive oil

3 large egg whites

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

1 cup warm water (105 – 115 degrees)

- See more at: http://glutenfreehomemaker.com/gluten-free-french-bread-recipe/?utm_content=buffer2e01b&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer#sthash.nD01xLK6.dpuf

Directions:

1. In the bowl of your mixer, combine the dry ingredients (flour through yeast)
2. Add olive oil and egg whites, and mix to incorporate
3. Add the vinegar and most of the water. Beat for 2 minutes, adding the remaining water if needed to make a soft dough.
4. Spoon the dough onto the pan and carefully shape with a spatula. Because the dough is soft, it will go through the small holes in the pan. Don't press hard when shaping.
5. Split the dough in half and either use both for two medium pizzas or you can use half the dough for medium pizza & the other half for the french bread loaf.
6. For pizza, line baking sheet or pizza pan with parchment paper. Spread out thin with a rubber spatula, dipping the spatula in water to help keep the dough from sticking. Making it thin but make sure there are no holes in the dough. If you are making half the dough into French bread...add half the batter into one side of the French bread pan and with a wet spatula form the dough to be a long skinny log. Use a sharp knife to cut several slits in the top of each loaf.
7. For French bread place the pan in a cold oven on the middle rack and the pizza dough can go on the bottom or near bottom rack. Or if you are doing just the pizza, bake on the middle rack as well. Turn the oven on to 425 degrees and begin timing for 15 minutes for pizza, until it is firm but not golden brown. For the bread you leave on the middle rack to finish baking for 30 - 35 minutes. 
8. Take the bread out (if baking bread) and allow to cool on a rack. Put the pizza on the middle rack and bake until the crust is golden brown, for about 10-15 minutes. 
9. Remove from oven and allow to set for about 5 minutes before cutting. Serve right away and enjoy! 

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Granola

Another yummy granola recipe! Sundays have become a ritual of baking breads and snacks for the week. Granola can be so fun to make and this is a great base recipe, with lots of possibilities! You can change it up by adding some seeds, nuts or skip the peanut butter and go with all honey. 

Peanut Butter Granola

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

• 2 cups old fashion oats, gluten free (not quick oats)
• 1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter, or another type of nut butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine peanut butter and honey, pop in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds, until they have melted. Stir together and add the cinnamon and vanilla extract.
3. Add in the oats and stir until all the oats have been coated with the mixture.
4. Spread mixture in an even layer on the lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. It may take more or less time for yours to turn golden brown. Ovens vary. It will look soft when you take it out, as it cools the granola will harden up.

Gluten Free Alcohol Safe List & Info

One of the things about going gluten free or dealing with Celiacs, is what you can have. It can get so confusing with so much information online, although there are conflicting information. I created this blog as my personal reference and to share with others what I find. Kind of pulling it all together. When it comes to alcohol...you do have to be careful as well. I've done some research and found an updated list of spirits to put up. Keep in mind it's always in your best interest to be careful, if you don't feel good when drinking or eating anything...then stay away. 

The European Food Safety Authority considers alcohol "unlikely to cause a severe reaction" in those with grain allergies and the Canadian Celiac Association allows distilled alcoholic beverages for celiacs even if they're made with wheat, rye or barley...since "the distillation process should remove the reaction-causing proteins". However, the Celiac Sprue Foundation recommends no hard liquor from grains containing gluten during the early phases of a gluten free diet. 

Liquors distilled from Gluten-containing grains include: some Vodkas, Whiskey & Bourbon.

Here's the list, with a few notes:

• Absinthe
• Armagnac
• Beer - GLUTEN FREE only, check Gluten Free Beer list
• Bourbon
• Brandy
• Calvados
• Champagne
• Cognac
• Frangelico
• Fruit Brady - that's fruit brandy, NOT flavored brandy
• Gin
• Grand Marnier
• Grappa
• Jagermeister
• Kahlua
• Kirschwasser
• Mead - honey wine
• Ouzo
• Pisco
• Port Wine
• Rum
• Sherry
• Southern Comfort
• Tequila
• Triple Sec
• Vermouth
• Vodka (I stick to potato vodkas personally like Belvedere)
• Whiskey
• Wine - not wine coolers or wine drinks.

One thing to keep in mind when if you are dealing with Celiacs...your liver & kidney could be weak. So it's best to be cautious when drinking alcohol. If it doesn't feel right or makes you feel bad, then it's always best to not have it. Also I've been told at the beginning of a strict gluten free diet, you might want to be careful with drinking as well. Let you body start it's healing process before you start adding things that make your organs work harder. When in doubt I call the company or go on their website to find out more information. Sure it takes a bit of time, but when it comes to your health and a happy body it's worth it!