Spicy Homemade Tortilla Chips

As a child, I shunned spicy things – I would put my dinner in the fridge for a few minutes before eating so it wouldn’t be hot. I even had a very strange habit of dunking Chinese food in a glass of water – what I was  thinking on that one even I don’t know. What can I say; I had quirks, and a very obliging mother.

But in recent years, I have begun to love spicy foods, and really, what’s not to love? For one, spicy foods contain capsicum, which helps fight pain and improves blood circulation. I also read a study that proves spicy foods help rev up your metabolism and promote calorie burning (of course, this only helps if you make healthy spicy food; taco bell is probably not your best bet).

However, shopping for spicy chips is not always so successful; they’re either full of fat, full of dairy, full of gluten, or have those mysterious “natural flavors,” and who the hell knows what those are?  My very favorite brand is tasty, but threatens the fit of my jeans.

Solution? Take matters into my own hands. It’s seriously simple: all you need is a bit of oil, corn tortillas, and seasonings – no deep fryer needed. You can control how much oil and salt is used, and by baking them they’re so much better.

Spicy Homemade (and Baked!) Tortilla Chips

Makes about 3 servings (or one really big one)  

3 large corn tortillas (about 90 cals each)

1-2 teaspoons of vegetable oil,

or a few generous sprays of Pam

For spicy version: 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tablespoon seasoning blend of choice (or Costco’s Organic  No-Salt Seasoning), salt and pepper to taste.

Mix oil and spices together in a large ziplock bag. Slice tortillas into triangles and throw into bag; shake bag until chips are evenly coated. Lay chips out on a baking sheet in a single layer, bake in a 400 degree oven for 5-10 minutes, until golden and not too soft in the middle.

Eat!

Tips:

• Three large corn tortillas will fill up a large baking sheet (I say 90-cal size because who knows what “large” could be).
• If you want to use less oil you can lay the chips out, spray them  with oil, and sprinkle on seasoning.
• For a non-spicy version, sprinkle oiled chips with salt and give them a squeeze of lime after baking.

Gluten-Free Blackberry Crisp

It’s getting to that time in the summer when blackberries are not only ripe, they are so ripe that they threaten to melt in the hot sun. And there’s only one thing to do: pick them!

This is a great recipe that’s simple to make and has all the charm of a pie, without the hassle (or calories) of a crust. The oats and brown sugar also lend a lovely, crisp texture to the topping. The crisp is dairy-free and vegan, and can be easily adjusted depending on how many blackberries you have. And it’s fantastic over ice cream!

Enjoy the end of summer, my friends.

Gluten-Free Blackberry Crisp

*Adapted from the Cook Book*

For Filling:

• 8 cups fresh blackberries


• 7 tablespoons granulated sugar, or sugar substitute


• 5 tablespoons tapioca flour/starch (or other starchy gf flour)


• squeeze of lemon

For Topping:

• 1 cup gluten-free oats


• 1/2 to 3/4 cup packed brown sugar


• 1/4 cup tapioca flour/starch


• 1/4 cup brown rice flour


• 1/2 cup butter substitute (one stick)


• nutmeg and cinnamon to taste


• 1/2 cup chopped nuts

For fruit filling, stir in sugar, flour, spices, and lemon. Pour evenly into baking dish or pan. Most large baking dishes – anything larger than a pie pan – will work here; I used a 10 x 10 square pan. If you have a smaller amount of blackberries, say 5 cups, you can adjust the recipe, and a pie pan will work.

For topping, combine the oats, brown sugar, flour, and spices. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the nuts. Sprinkle topping over berries.



Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30-35 minutes, or until filling bubbles and topping is golden. For an extra-crispy topping, put under broiler for a few minutes.

Serve warm over ice cream, or cool in fridge overnight for a very tasty breakfast.

A Tasty Thursday!

I have the habit of repeating food; once I find something I like I tend to eat it over and over until I get sick of it. Apparently doctors say this isn't a good habit to have, since you may restrict your nutrients, but like many people I have my food-moods.

Example: for the past few months I have been on a salad kick, and before that I hadn't made a salad at home in quite awhile. This particular salad was made without lettuce, since bagged lettuce usually has "taste" and I'm too lazy to wash my own lettuce - it always goes bad, what can I say? Instead I used cucumbers, carrots, green onions, and sometimes a bell pepper, dressed with a mixture of Bragg's aminos, olive oil, and apple cider vinegar. (If you haven't tired Bragg's yet, do! It's a great GF alternative to soy sauce and makes a great seasoning.)

But recently I've eaten some tasty things, and I thought I'd share some of my new favorites!

Trader Joe's Hummus Salad Dressing

The past couple dressings I've tried have been complete losses, so color me happy to find this fantastic hummus dressing! It's like the better version of thick hummus because it can go on salads and still work as a dip, with less chance of me eating the whole container in one sitting.

Amy's Gluten-Free Lasagna

I was always a fan of Amy's Dairy-Free Lasagna, but how happy am I they have a GF version now?! I stumbled upon this on a rare trip to Safeway (normally they have a very poor selection of GF foods), and I discovered they carry a large selection of Amy's meals that are a little cheaper than my usual store. Who knew? And hey, it's pretty good, and only 290 calories. Win.

Yoplait Go-Gurt

I know what you're probably shaking your head at this, because Yoplait's prime advertising directive (very "Borg" of them) is to encourage moms to put this in their kid's lunch. But seriously folks, freeze them. It is the only way to ever get store-bought yogurt to turn into something resembling frozen yogurt from an ice-cream shop. Putting a whole 6 oz container in the freezer gives you a dairy rock; freezing a Go-Gurt tube makes for creamy, tasty frozen yogurt. Plus, it's cheap and comes in kooky flavors.

Fresh Summer Fruit

The view inside my fruit cup

Ok, so this isn't a "new" find, but this is the time for fruit. And this morning I had just about the best fruit cup I've ever had with actual fruit in it - you know, other than melon and half a strawberry. Plus my yard is on blackberry overload - no complaints here!

Salmon and Jicama Salad with Honey-Mustard Vinaigrette

Usually my school/work has rather limited food options, but their summer grill menu is quite lovely, and made outside to boot.  Fresh grilled salmon with almonds and honey-mustard? Good. Jicama? Good. Dressing? Good. Overall, Fantastic.

So, in the words of one of my Facebook friends, "Knock off this whole, 'Make me jealous with food' business." Sorry folks, but sometimes I feel obligated to show how a gluten-free diet is anything but dull!

(Irresistible) Gluten-Free Blackberry Pie

Blackberry season is a bit paradoxical; berries only ripen in late July when the temperature rises, when one is one less-inclined to turn on the oven, and yet, freshly-picked blackberries mean pie.

But I promise that this particular pie will more than compensate for your over-heated house. Because it’s gooood.

So here’s the thing about gluten-free (or wheat) pie: the crust is a bit of a pain. If you like to use xantham gum to help it stick together you can, but frankly I don’t care for it. But if you work the dough correctly, it will come out well. It’s not going to look perfect. It may crack, break, or fall in, but as long as it tastes amazing, what does it matter? Call it “rustic,” and call it a day.

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Blackberry Pie

Adapted from The Cook Book, Limited Edition

For the crust:

• 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup sorghum flour
• 1/4 cup tapioca flour
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup Earth balance buttery sticks
• 6 tablespoons cold water

For the filling:

• 5 cups fresh blackberries 
• 3/4 to 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup sorghum flour
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel/zest

The hands-down, easiest way to make a gluten-free crust is in a food processor. Begin by mixing together flour and salt. (You can add a tablespoon or two of sugar if you like a sweeter crust.) Add in Earth Balance, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, and sticks together when squeezed.

While processor is running, add 6 tablespoons cold water quickly into the feed tube. Pulse two more times and work dough into a ball; divide in two.

Roll dough out into a circle; keep it between two sheets of parchment paper so you don’t have to add any extra flour or worry about sticking. Since the traditional method of rolling the dough onto the rolling pin doesn't work well with GF dough, you can transfer the crust  into the pan with one layer of parchment paper still on.

Poke a few holes in the bottom, trim the edges, and Ta-Da!

In a separate bowl, mix berries with sugar, flour, and lemon peel. Mix gently until flour is absorbed. Pour into prepared crust.

Roll out top crust between parchment paper and cover pie, tuck in and crimp edges. Add several slits on top for venting.

For extra browning, brush on soy milk and sprinkle with sugar (oops, I forgot to this step when I made mine!). Cover edges with foil, or a handy edge cover as shown below. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes; remove foil. If you’re using a edge cover, you can leave it on as desired.

Bake for another 25-30 minutes, until filling starts to bubble through the crust, and done!    

Cool for at least 2 hours on a wire rack. I know this step is hard, but trust me, it’s so worth it. If you cut this pie warm, the filling will ooze out.

Let it set until the bottom of the pan is cool, and if you have the patience, let it cool overnight in the fridge. That way, you will get a slice with firm, tangy filling that has sunk into the crust. It’s a little messy, but who cares?  

If this isn’t gluten-free pastry heaven, I don’t know what is.

Gluten-Free, Salted Caramel Corn

Is there anything that reminds us more of summer, state fairs, and going to the movies more than popcorn?

Even on a gluten-free diet, there is no reason to cut out this classic snack. Add homemade caramel and you have a match made in (gluten, dairy, and fat-free)heaven.

And with only three ingredients, it could not be simpler. There’s no butter, cream or water; you only need popcorn, sugar, and salt. And you can use this recipe for a basic dry caramel to make all kinds of sugar-coated treats: you can add peanuts in true Cracker Jack fashion, make clusters of nuts or festive popcorn balls, or even drizzle with chocolate for a super decadent dessert.

So here we go, don’t be scared; making a dry caramel was about the easiest thing I’ve ever done – and I’m no sugar artist.

Ingredients (see note below for possible measurements)

• popcorn
• white sugar
• salt

Begin by popping your corn; the ideal, oil-free method is to use an air popper, but if you need to use the stovetop, so be it (personally I’ve never mastered the stovetop method without burning the corn). Bear in mind that oiled popcorn may need less salt.

If you’ve never made a dry caramel before (wet caramel being one where liquid is used) see the article How to Make the Perfect Caramel, by David Lebovitz. As a dry caramel, once it hardens it won’t remain chewy, rather it will harden like the sugar on top of crème brûlée, which is ideal here. And you don’t need that milk for flavor; browning the sugar gives it a much deeper and complex flavor than you might expect.

So, the basic idea is to take 1 cup of sugar spread evenly in a dry non-stick saucepan, and heat it over medium heat. The edges will begin to melt first, and once the bottom layer starts to gel you can mix it up with a silicone spatula, smoothing out any lumps (don’t over-mix). The sugar turns into caramel very quickly; in a few minutes the sugar will be melted and browning. The ideal color here will be a golden brown, like the color of brown sugar. Take care not to burn it!

 photo

Once you have the desired color (sugar should be before or very close to the smoke-point) turn off the heat and add your popcorn into the pan, just like how you make rice-crispy treats. Sprinkle on salt; the more you use the closer you will get to kettle corn. Turn the corn with the spatula until almost all the caramel has stuck to the popcorn, and then pour onto a parchment or silpat-covered baking sheet.

Let cool slightly, then break up with spatula or hands. Store in a Ziploc bag. Sneak into movie theater for a fantastic popcorn treat without all the unnecessary fat and oil :)

A Note on Ratios: there are a couple measurements you can use here. In the first try, I popped 1/2 cup yellow corn (a large bowl) and melted 1 cup of sugar.

However, I had a bit of trouble getting all the corn mixed in the pan and had about 1/3 of the popcorn left. This resulted in a drier mixture in which not all the kernels where coated, more like kettle corn, which some of you may prefer, less like the above photo.

On the bottom of my baking sheet, this also happened:

A popcorn/brittle animal, perhaps?

But for those who want the kernels pretty coated (like the above photo), I suggest about a 3-1 ratio of popcorn to sugar. For the 1/3 left in the bowl I melted an additional cup of sugar and mixed the corn in; everything was pretty coated. Also, if you do use more sugar, a little more salt is needed to balance the flavor.

But whatever choice you make, it’s pretty hard to  go wrong, and you can always eat the “mistakes.” :)