Gluten & Dairy Free Pecan Pie Bars

 Shortbread Crust

2 cups vegan baking butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
2 t vanilla
1 t salt
4 cups GF flour with xanthan gum

Spray a metal half-sheet pan with GF spray, and line with a sheet of parchment paper.

Mix the butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add the flour and mix until dough forms. Press firmly into the pan, following the pan up at the edges to help contain the pie filling. Lay a piece of parchment paper on top and roll it out with a rolling pin after it has been evenly distributed. Bake for 15 minutes.

 

Pecan Pie Filling

6 eggs
2 cups corn syrup
2 cups sugar
4 T melted vegan butter
2 t vanilla
3 cups pecan halves, chopped

Beat the eggs, corn syrup, sugar, butter, and vanilla. Chop the pecan halves into small pieces and evenly distribute over the shortbread. Pour the filling on top. Bake for 45 minutes.

Chocolate Ganache Topping

12 oz DF chocolate chips
½ cup almond milk

Melt chocolate and milk in a saucepan, mix well, and spread over the pecan pie filling. Allow to cool completely before cutting.

Gluten & Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup coconut oil or vegan butter or a combination (a nut butter may be combined as well)
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 t vanilla extract
1 t salt
2 eggs

2 ⅓ cups GF flour with xanthan gum
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda

2 cups DF chocolate chips
1 ½ cups nuts, optional

Beat coconut oil (etc.), sugars, vanilla, and salt until fluffy.

Beat in eggs, combining well.

Mix the flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a separate bowl, breaking up any balls of baking powder or soda.

Beat the dry ingredients into the wet, and then add the chocolate chips, nuts, etc.

Ball into 1-tablespoon balls, and refrigerate or freeze. The fats should be solid in order to prevent the cookie from overspreading during baking. GF dough and baked goods last much better in the freezer, but thaw the dough before baking.

Preheat the oven to 350⁰F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (avoid the silicon sheets if they are used for regular baking). Bake the cookies until they just begin to brown, around 7-8 minutes. Remove, and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

GF/DF Pecan Sticky Buns

Prepare the filling and topping before the dough.

Topping:

2 cups brown sugar
1 cup vegan butter
2 Tbsp. almond milk
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups pecans

Spray or grease a 9"x13" pyrex generously (this will not work with parchment paper). Chop the pecans. Add brown sugar, vegan butter, almond milk, and vanilla to a saucepan. Heat on the stove over low, stirring until the brown sugar and butter have melted. Stir in pecans.

Pour into the 9"x13" pan and spread evenly being careful not to disturb the spray/grease. Set aside.

Filling:

1 cup vegan butter
1 ½ cup brown sugar
½ cup cinnamon (start with 4 T, and add more if desired)

Melt vegan butter. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl from the butter. Set both aside.

Dough:

2 Tbsp. yeast
½ cup warm water

7 cups GF flour
1 cup cornstarch or arrowroot starch/flour
2 tsp. salt
3 cups almond milk
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
4 Tbsp. oil
4 Tbsp. honey or agave nectar
6 eggs

Mix yeast in warm water and set aside for 5 minutes. 

Using a stand mixer, blend 6 cups of flour, starch of your choice, and salt using the regular paddle. Warm the milk, and add it and the oil, honey, and cider vinegar to the dry ingredients. Switch to the dough hook and mix. Beat eggs and add to yeast mixture. Add this to the bowl and mix. Add flour and continuing mixing until the dough pulls away from the bowl and the hook.

Roll out the dough into a rectangle. Spread with the melted vegan butter (filling instructions) and evenly spread the brown sugar cinnamon mixture to the edges. Starting at the short end, roll up the dough into a log. Using unflavored floss or a serrated knife cut 2" rolls off and place them in the 9"x13" pan.

Boil water and fill a 11"x17" pyrex. Place the 9"x13" pyrex in the hot water bath. Cover loosely with sprayed plastic wrap or damp towel and let rise for an hour+ in a warm place. Try not to jostle it. Refill with warm water as needed. 

When the rolls have risen, heat oven to 350°F. Cover loosely with foil tent to prevent over browning and bake for 40 minutes. Flip onto a sheet pan or serving dish. 

To save for later, wrap in foil and freeze after they have cooled. To reheat, place foil wrapped rolls in a pan to prevent the topping from leaking and heat in 350-400°F oven until warm.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Pizza crust

Grilled chicken, sliced and roughly chopped
onion, white or red, thinly
celery, sliced
Buffalo sauce
blue cheese (optional)
tomato sauce
shredded cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, dairy free)
hot sauce

Prepare pizza crust. A 10" cast iron pan works well. Preheat oven to 425. Spread with a layer of tomato sauce, and then shredded cheese. Layer the chicken, onion, and celery on top. Judiciously drizzle Buffalo sauce, and then top with Blue cheese and/or shredded cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted and the crust is beginning to brown. Remove from oven and serve with hot sauce and ranch dressing.

Creamy Dill Salmon/ Steelhead

 Ingredients:

• Salmon or steelhead fillet
• Trader Joe's vegan creamy dill dressing
• sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a baking sheet with Pam, rinse the fish, and lay it out on the pan. Salt the fish, and pour just enough dressing on to mostly cover the fish. Bake for 20-30 minutes, and turn oven off. Allow to sit 30+ minutes in the cooling oven.

Optional sides: pasta with the remaining dressing, or pasta and peas with the remaining dressing. Plate with lemon and fresh dill.

Gumbo

1 cup plus 1 T of oil
1 cup of GF flour
6 boneless skinless chicken thighs and/or
1.5 lb andouille sausage, sliced and/or
1.5 lb shrimp

2 large yellow onions, diced
2 green bell peppers, diced
4 celery ribs, diced
8 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1.5 quarts chicken stock
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme or 2 t dried thyme
1 lb. okra, sliced
salt
pepper

Rice, sliced green onions, hot sauce, bread

In the Instant Pot, saute the chicken and sausage in 1 tablespoon of oil. Remove and brown the flour in 1 cup of oil. Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery and cook until soft. Stir in the garlic, cayenne pepper, and black pepper, and saute until the garlic is cooked. Add stock, bay leaves, thyme, okra, and meat. Salt. Slow cook until ready to eat.

Serve over rice and top with sliced green onions.

Granola

Dry:

4 cups oats

2 cups nuts (pecans, walnuts, cashews, almonds, pumpkin seeds, etc.)

1-2 t cinnamon

2/3 cup raisins or craisins

1/3 cup shredded coconut

1 t fine grain sea salt

Wet:

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

1/2 cup maple or agave syrup

1 t vanilla

Fold the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Melt the coconut oil in a liquid measuring cup and mix in the other wet ingredients. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Bake on a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper at 300 degrees for 30 minutes, checking every 5-10 minutes thereafter until toasted. Allow to cool completely before eating or storing. Chocolate chips can also be added after it has cooled.