June 2024 – cookingwithoutallergens

I’m always looking for different gluten free bread recipes. Most of the light, fluffy gluten free breads use eggs for that lightness. But it is possible to make gluten-free breads using baking powder instead of yeast and/or eggs.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Liberally grease an 8×5″ loaf pan (preferably glass for even cooking). In a medium bowl, combine:

2 cups brown rice flour

1 cup of all-purpose gluten free flour (oat, white rice, etc., would also work)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon guar gum or xanthan gum

1/4 teaspoon salt

Whisk or stir to combine and aerate. In a smaller bowl, combine:

2 cups non-dairy milk

3 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 tablespoon maple syrup

Whisk or stir before adding to the dry ingredients. Using a large spoon or hand mixer on low, mix until combined. Batter will be the consistency of a cake batter. Pour into the prepared pan. Place in the middle of the oven. Bake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few dry crumbs. Cool completely before removing from the pan.

I spent twelve years in Arizona and learned to love a lot of Mexican foods. Not being able to eat most of them anymore, refried beans and rice was always one of my favorites which I can still enjoy. A recent trip to Mexico reminded me how much I love refried beans. So when I came home, I started checking cans of refried beans at various stores. However, all the cans of refried beans at the stores (and believe me, I’ve checked them all – Whole Foods, Jerry’s, Lund and Byerly’s, and Cub), all contain at least one ingredient I can’t have, most often vegetable oil. So, I decided, what the heck, I can probably make this dish myself. And sure enough, plenty of recipes come up, most used dried beans which is too much for me. It would just take too long. Here’s a recipe using canned beans that came out nice and creamy, oh so tasty!

In a skillet, heat:

2 tablespoons olive oil

Add:

1/2 cup diced onion (a small onion)

1 teaspoon oregano

Cook over medium heat until the onion is translucent then add:

16 ounce can of pinto beans (you can use another bean but pinto is the traditional bean used for these) – if your can has a lot of liquid in it, strain the beans out and reserve 1/2 cup of the bean liquid before adding to the pan*

Stir, heating the beans for several minutes. Using a potato masher, mash the beans with the onions until you have a fairly smooth consistency. Add sufficient water to get the mixture to your liking. Don’t let the mixture dry out, it should be creamy.

*I used a can of Trader Joe’s Organic Pinto Beans which had very little liquid visible, so I poured it into the pan and about a quarter cup of liquid came out. It was the perfect amount.