Saturday, October 24, 2009

GFCF Buttermilk

For one cup of buttermilk:

1 cup GFCF milk (soy, rice, almond)
1 tablespoon vinegar

Mix well and let stand for 10 minutes.

{When I first discovered that, YES, one can make GFCF buttermilk, I sang "Hallelujah!" It is a very important ingredient in the South.}

How I Use Ghee With Margarine

Both of my grandmothers lived on farms. One churned fresh milk and made delicious butter. I was so disappointed in GFCF margarine because it lacked the buttery taste I have loved and cooked with all of my life.

When I first purchased Ghee as an alternative to GFCF margarine I was delighted to find that it did have a very buttery flavor, but I was put off by the overly concentrated butter flavor it brought to my recipes. My solution? I use both GFCF margarine and Ghee in recipes that call for butter or margarine. For example: If a recipe calls for 2 teaspoons of butter or margarine, I use 1 teaspoon GFCF margarine and 1/2 teaspoon Ghee. If a recipe calls for one stick of butter or margarine, I use 1/2 stick GFCF margarine and 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) Ghee. And so on. And now our GFCF life is light and buttery again. :)

(If you missed our previous discussion about Ghee vs. GFCF margarine, you can find it Here.

Scrumptious Steak (and optional baked potato)

1 one-inch thick boneless ribeye * **
2 tablespoons GFCF margarine *
Lawry's (No MSG!) seasoned salt
GFCF Lemon Pepper
1 baked potato (optional) *

Put 1 tablespoon GFCF margarine into a small (just big enough to fully accomodate the steak) non-stick skillet. Heat to med./med.high. Swirl margarine so that it is completely covering the entire bottom of the skillet. Sprinkle seasoning salt and lemon pepper very generously over one side of the steak. Press down with the back side of the fork (do not prick) to make sure the lemon pepper does not fall off when you transfer the steak to the pan. Place steak seasoned side down into skillet. (Season the other side of the steak with seasoning salt and lemon pepper.) Cook for 4 minutes, 45 seconds (this is the amount of time to cook each side for steak that is pink in the middle, med. rare/med., but not draining pink. If you want med. rare that drains pink, cook for only 4 minutes each side), rotating the steak in the skillet 90 degrees after 2 minutes. During the last minute of cooking, turn the heat down to medium. Turn the steak over, making sure that margarine is completely covering the bottom of the pan first, and cook for 2 minutes. Rotate the steak 90 degrees and continue cooking 2 minutes, 45 seconds. Turn the heat down one number setting during the last 2 minutes, and to low during the last minute. Flip the steak over one more time to drain and cook the juices that have appeared, for about 15 seconds. Remove steak and place on a plate. Do not cut into the steak for at least 5 minutes.

Optional Baked Potato:

Into the cooked steak drippings in the non-stick skillet, add 1 tablespoon GFCF margarine and stir until melted. Gently place the baked potato into the skillet and mash with a plastic or wooden spatula, incorporating all the steak drippings, seasoning, and margarine into the potato. Salt and pepper to taste.

* For two steaks (and two baked potatoes), use a larger non-stick skillet (big enough to accomodate both, with space in between the steaks for even browning and cooking) and increase the margarine to 2 tablespoons each time it is called-for.

** For steaks that are thinner than one inch, I cook for 3 minutes, 45 seconds to 4 minutes each side.

{This is just a different take on grilled steak with baked potato. The steak is as delicious as grilled, perhaps even better because you don't have to deal with the outdoor grill at all. The idea for the baked potato came from the times I've had a steak and a baked potato on my plate and the steak drippings meandered into the potato. Of course, you can always stick with traditional GFCF margarined baked potato, if you like.}

Monday, October 19, 2009

Savory Squash and Tomatoes

1 zucchini squash, sliced
4 small yellow squash, sliced
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
GFCF soy sauce
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place squash and onions in an even layer in an oven-safe square or round dish. (I used a pie plate.) Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Pour olive oil over vegetables and toss gently to coat each piece. Spoon one can of chopped tomatoes evenly over vegetable mixture. Do not stir. Drizzle a few drops of soy sauce over the tomatoes. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes. Remove from heat, stir, cover and bake for 15 more minutes. If desired, add more salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4-6.

{I had never seen a recipe for this combination of ingredients, but for some reason, today I thought the flavors might blend nicely. It was delicious!}