Creamy Collard Dip

Ingredients:

2 slices bacon
1 small sweet onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 medium red sweet pepper, seeded and chopped (3/4 cup)
1 lb. fresh collard greens, trimmed and coarsely chopped (6 cups)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 8-oz. pkg. reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel), cubed and softened
2 oz. reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup light sour cream
1/2 tsp. Cajun seasoning (optional)*
Thin bread sticks or vegetable dippers, such as sweet pepper strips
Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a 12-inch skillet cook bacon until crisp. Drain bacon on paper towel. Remove and discard all but 2 teaspoons of bacon drippings from skillet. Add onion and sweet pepper to skillet. Cook 5 minutes over medium heat or until vegetables are just tender, stirring occasionally. Add collard greens and garlic; cover and cook 10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

2. Add cream cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, sour cream, and Cajun seasoning to the collard mixture, stirring until combined. If desired, trim fatty part from bacon and discard. Crumble remaining bacon and add to collard mixture. Spread mixture in a 1-1/2-quart casserole dish or 9-inch pie plate.

3. Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes or until warmed through. Serve with vegetable dippers or bread sticks.

*Note: If you do not use the Cajun seasoning, add 1/4 teaspoon salt to dip.

Makes 3-1/3 cups (12 to 14 (1/4-cup) servings)

Recipe from: Better Homes & Gardens magazine - October 2009

Tuna Stuffed Tomatoes

Ingredients:

4 large round tomatoes
2-6 oz cans tuna (water or oil packed)
1 small cucumber (5")
2-3 Tbsp red onion, finely chopped
6-8 black olives
dash of sherry vinegar
drizzle of olive oil
4 Tsp shredded cheese (parmesan or dry sheep cheese)
1 boiled egg - optional

Directions:

Open cans of tuna and drain, squeezing excess water or oil from tuna. Flake tuna into a bowl.
Chop cucumber and black olives into small bits. Chop red onion finely. Add to tuna and mix. Splash a bit of sherry vinegar on the tuna mixture and drizzle olive oil over top. Mix thoroughly. Add salt if needed.
Note: Optionally, boil an egg, cool & chop and add to tuna mixture.
Rinse and dry tomatoes. Ct off the tops of the tomatoes, then cut out the flesh, leaving a cavity large enough to fill with tuna mixture. Spoon mixture into tomatoes, allowing it to mound on top.
Sprinkle tops of each tomato with cheese and place under broiler until cheese melts.
Serve immediately with toasted French-style bread.

Makes 4 servings.

Recipe from: UNKNOWN

Sweet Pumpkin Dip

Ingredients:

2 cups granulated sugar, sifted
8 oz. cream cheese
15 oz. pumpkin pie filling
1 Tsp cinnamon
1 Tsp ginger

Directions:

Cream together sugar and cream cheese.
Add remaining ingredients & blend well.

To store, put in air-tight container in refrigerator.

Serve in small pumpkin with purchased ginger snaps.

Recipe from: UNKNOWN

Pesto, Olive, and Roasted-Pepper Goat Cheese Torta

Ingredients:

1/4 cup prepared basil pesto

Vegetable oil for brushing pan
1/4 cup finely chopped rinsed drained bottled roasted red peppers
20 oz soft mild goat cheese, softened at room temperature (2 cups)
3 Tbsp bottled black olive paste or tapenade

Directions:

• Drain pesto in a small fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl 15 minutes, then discard excess oil.
• Lightly oil loaf pan and line with a sheet of plastic wrap large enough to allow a generous overhang on all 4 sides.
• Blot peppers well between paper towels to remove excess liquid.
• Spread about one fourth (1/2 cup) of cheese evenly over bottom of loaf pan and top with all of pesto, spreading evenly. Drop 1/2 cup cheese by tablespoons over pesto and spread gently to cover pesto.
• Top with chopped peppers, spreading evenly. Drop another 1/2 cup cheese by tablespoons over peppers and spread gently to cover peppers.
• Spread olive paste evenly on top, then drop remaining cheese by tablespoons over olive paste, spreading gently to cover olive paste. Cover pan with another sheet of plastic wrap and chill at least 8 hours.
• Remove plastic wrap from top of pan and invert torta onto a serving plate, then peel off remaining plastic wrap. Let torta stand at room temperature 20 minutes before serving.

Cooks’ note: For a smoother-looking torta, oiled loaf pan can be lined with parchment paper instead of plastic wrap. Cut 1 long piece of parchment to line bottom and ends, leaving a 2-inch overhang, then trace and cut out 2 more pieces for sides of pan plus a 2-inch overhang. Torta can be chilled in pan up to 24 hours. Let torta stand at room temperature 20 minutes before serving.

Recipe from: Gourmet Magazine online - July 2003 issue

Pecan Crackers

Ingredients:

whisk together dry ingredients:
1/4 cup millet flour, more as needed*
1/4 cup quinoa flour
1/4 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 Tsp cocoa powder
1 Tsp baking soda
1 Tsp sea salt
1 Tsp dried minced onion
1 Tsp garlic powder
1/2 to 1 Tsp caraway, to taste
1 Tsp dried thyme or dried crushed rosemary
1 Tsp paprika
1 Tbsp arrowroot starch

Stir in:
2 cups pecan meal
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/4 Tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup plain hemp milk, to start
1 Tsp agave or brown sugar

Directions:

Stir the ingredients until a stiff dough forms - you'll need to press the dough out into a thin layer, so if it appears too dry, or it falls apart, add a tablespoon of hemp milk at a time until the dough is malleable but not too sticky. The original cook's dough used 2/3 cup hemp milk - but this will vary according to flours and humidity.

::Note:: The second time she made these crackers she needed three extra tablespoons of millet flour to get the dough sturdy and glossy. As always - dough and batters vary slightly with humidity.

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment or reusable Exopat.

Using oiled hands, flatten and spread the mound of dough on the prepared baking sheet. Make as thin a layer as possible. Use the edge of a rubber spatula to straighten outside edge if you'd like.

Score the flattened dough into cracker sized pieces. A pizza cutter can be used for this step.

To bake:

Sprinkle with coarse sea salt or kosher salt, if desired.

Bake in the center of a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. The original cook used an Exopat so the crackers baked a little long - and were done at 26 minute. Keep an eye on the crackers.

Remove and allow the crackers to cool on a rack. They will crisp up a bit more as they cool.

Store in an air-tight container, or freeze. If they soften from humidity, reheat them on a baking sheet for a few minutes before serving.

Makes 26 to 28 crackers.

Recipe from: "glutenfreegoddess" blog - 9/8/09

French Fried Onions

Ingredients:

2 or 3 big sweet onions (shallots are a good variation)
enough milk for soaking onions
1-1/2 - 2 Tsp salt (try the first batch & adjust the salt to taste)
pepper (also can add cayenne)
gluten free flour (this person used 1/2 cup tapioca flour, 1/2 cup rice flour & 1/2 cup soy flour)
oil for frying

Directions:

Measure gluten free flours, salt, and pepper and put into a zip lock bag.

Slice the onions and separate into rings.








Heat oil in large frying pan. Oil should be about an inch deep. When the oil is hot enough, a flick of water will make the oil sizzle.

Soak the onions in milk for a few minutes.










** Don't try to do all the onions at once. Just one batch at a time.

Dredge the onions in the gluten free flour. Give them a good coating of flour.

Place the onions in the frying pan with the heated oil.

When the onions start to float to the top, turn them over and cook until just golden brown.








When the onion rings have finished cooking, lay them on a paper bag or paper towels to cool/drain some oil.








Store in an air-tight container, top your casserole, or eat them!

Recipe from: "glutenfreemommy" blog - 11/7/07

Broiled Parmesan Tomatoes

Ingredients:

2 firm medium tomatoes
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 Tbsp grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 Tsp chopped fresh basil or 1/4 Tsp dried basil leaves
1 Tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp grated fresh parmesan

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°
Core tomatoes. Cut crosswise into 3/4 inch slices. Place in a single layer on rack in broiler pan.
Mix mayo, 1 Tbsp parmesan, basil, & mustard. Spread about 1 Tsp mixture over each tomato slice. Sprinke 1 Tbsp parmesan over tomatoes. Bake about 8 minutes until hot.

Set oven control to broil. Broil tomatoes with tops 6" from heat for 2-4 minutes or until topping is golden and bubbly.

Recipe from: " glutenfreeislife" blog - 8/23/07

Brie Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:

1 package white button mushrooms, washed & stems removed
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
4 whole (to 5) green onions, sliced (up to middle of dark green part)
splash of white wine (optional)
1 slice (wedge) of brie cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°
Melt butter in large saucepan. Add mushroom caps and toss to coat in butter. Sprinkle lightly with salt and cook for 1 minute. Remove mushrooms from pan and place upside down in baking dish.
In the same saucepan (without cleaning it) throw in garlic, parsley, and green onions.
Sprinkle very lightly with salt and splash of wine, if using. Stir around until wine evaporates, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
Cut rind off of brie wedge, then cut pieces of brie to fit each mushroom cap. Place inside, lightly pressing to anchor each piece of brie.
Top mushrooms with parsley/garlic mixture.
Place into the oven for 15 minutes, or until brie is melted.

Note: mushrooms are best when they've been allowed to cool slightly.

Recipe from: "the pioneer woman" blog - 11/2/09

Beer Batter

Ingredients:

1 cup rice flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbsp baking soda
2 egg yolks
1 bottle of GF beer (RedBridge is good)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Add the dry ingredients in bowl
Make a "well" (a little hole) and dump the egg yolks in it
Start stirring with a whisk in small circles, getting larger & larger, while pouring in beer
Consistency should be like pancake batter

Roll the fish/onion (whatever you are battering) in rice flour then dip in the batter & fry!

Recipe from: UNKNOWN

Baked Mozzarella Sticks

Ingredients:

6 Pack of Individually wrapped Mozzarella cheese sticks
1 medium egg, beaten
1 bag GF potato chips
1 Tbsp. GF Italian Seasoning (McCormick brand)
1 Tbsp. corn starch

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°. Crush potato chips to a very fine consistency (can use blender). Add Italian seasoning & cornstarch. Put dry mixture in a separate flat pan. One at a time, coat cheese stick with egg & put in dry mixture. You can dip and coat once or twice depending on your preference.

Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. Put cheese sticks at least 1" apart and bake for 8-10 minutes. Serve plain or with your favorite GF marinara sauce or Ranch Dressing.

Serves 6. If fixing for a group, just double to the quantity needed.

Recipe from: UNKNOWN

Baked Apples w. Goat Cheese

Ingredients:

6 apples
10 ounces (about 1-1/4 cups) soft goat cheese
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup slivered, blanched almonds, toasted (optional)

Directions:

Using a knife or apple corer, remove the core from each apple stopping about 1/2 inch from the bottom. Proceed cautiously while doing this so you do not cut all the way through to the bottom. Using a small spoon, scoop out a pocket in the middle of the apple about 1-1/2 inches across and 2" deep.

In a bowl, combine the goat cheese and brown sugar and mix until smooth. Add the raisins and stir to combine. Spoon the mixture into the hollowed-out apples, dividing it evenly and mounding it so that it rises above the top of the filling - if desired. Place the apples in a baking dish, lined with aluminum foil, which will be large enough tot hold the apple snugly.

Bake, uncovered, until the filling and almonds brown nicely and the apples are very soft, as if about to collapse, about 45-50 minutes.

Serve hot from the oven.

Recipe from: UNKNOWN

Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos

Ingredients:
Fresh Jalapenos (2 to3 inches long), Cream Cheese, and Bacon

Directions:
- Slice the jalapenos in half, length-wise
- Take out all seeds & white membrane (holds all heat)
- Cut bacon slices into thirds (all of package or just some, no big deal)
- Smear softened cream cheese inside each jalapeno half
- Take 1/3 of bacon slice & wrap it around each jalapeno
- Place toothpick in each jalapeno & place on pan w. rack
- Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes

recipe from: "the pioneer woman" blog - 7/6/07