Tag Archives: easy recipes

The Best Gluten-Free Bread

The preconceived notion is that gluten-free bread is dry, tasteless and has a texture resembling cardboard.  However, I have found the best gluten-free bread recipe ever, and I can’t get enough.

best gluten free breadYou may (or may not) have noticed that a few gluten-free recipes have been popping up on the blog recently.  There were the delicious quinoa almond muffins, the paleo bread, and one of my favorites – power cookies.

Without getting into all the gory details, I’ve been having some GI issues as of late, and in addition to running some tests I was also advised to lay off the wheat and gluten for a bit, which quite frankly broke my bread-loving heart.  So wheat and I have not broken up, just taking a short break.

So back to the best gluten-free bread ever.  I started experimenting in the kitchen and started baking some gluten-free breads, most of which were an epic failure (don’t even get me started on the quinoa Irish soda bread disaster).  But thanks to the book Bread Matters by Andrew Whitley, I found this delicious gluten-free bread recipe and haven’t looked back since.  The Englishman and I have been devouring this bread at an alarming rate, and he normally doesn’t touch gluten-free baked goods with a 10 ft. pole.

Needless to say, you need this bread in your life.  Gluten-free or not, it is pretty amazing.  The texture is nice and fluffy and the flavor is excellent.

best gluten free bread pinThe Best Gluten-Free Bread (adapted from Bread Matters)
Makes 1 9×5 loaf

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 1/4 cup sorghum flour
1/3 cup almond flour
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons ground flaxseed
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon tapioca flour
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350F.  Lightly grease a 9×5 loaf pan.

In a small bowl dissolve your active dry yeast into the warm water.  In a large mixing bowl, combine all your flours, canola oil and sea salt.  Gently pour your yeast mixture into the large bowl and stir until well combined.  The dough should be smooth and thick, but not so thick you can’t pour it.

Spoon your dough into your loaf pan and cover with a dish towel.  Place pan in a warm place and wait for the dough to rise (about 50% more).  This should take roughly 2 hours depending on how warm your home is.

best gluten free bread doughPlace dough in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.  The bread should begin to shrink away from the sides of the pan.

best gluten free bread close upRemove from oven, cool and enjoy!

Shrimp Scampi with Lemon Pappardelle Pasta

A few weeks back, I bought a package of Trader Joe’s Lemon Pappardelle Pasta after hearing rave reviews from friends/family/other food blogs.  I’m pretty much a fan of all things Trader Joe’s, so I had a feeling this pasta would be quite tasty.

image source – thekitchn.com

Now that I had my new pasta find, it was time to find the perfect recipe to test it out.  After much important deliberation, I came to the conclusion that Shrimp Scampi would most likely be the perfect complement to the Lemon Pappardelle Pasta (spoiler alert – it was).

I decided to go with a “lightened” version of Shrimp Scampi and adapted a recipe from Cooking Light.  The end result was delicious, and  I highly recommend that you go buy a package of this pasta right away!

Shrimp Scampi with Lemon Pappardelle Pasta (adapted from Cooking Light)

Ingredients:

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large shallot

1 teaspoon minced garlic (I used Trader Joe’s minced garlic)

2 tablespoons capers

1/3 cup white wine (I just used wine I had in the fridge, any type should do)

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/3 cup lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

cheese for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Cook the Lemon Pappardelle Pasta according to directions.  While pasta is boiling, rise shrimp and pat dry.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet.  Chop up your shallot and toss in the skillet.  Cook shallot until it is golden brown.  Add in the minced garlic.

Add your shrimp and sautee for one minute.  Pour in the wine, season with salt and pepper  and sautee for an additional 1-2 minutes.

Add the parsley, lemon juice and capers and mix well to coat.  Continue to cook shrimp for roughly one more minute or until done.

Top your pasta with shrimp, garnish with a little cheese (I chose goat cheese), add some vegetables if you choose, dig in, and enjoy!