You can watch the videos on YouTube or at Stronger Together.  The first video, “A Community of Shared Values”, was shot in Minneapolis/St. Paul, and focuses on Seward Co-op and how they work closely with their community and their hands-on approach to the products they carry and the programs they run.  The second video is “Grow Where You’re Planted” and highlights Gardens of Eagen (an organic farm in Minnesota owned by the Wedge Natural Foods Co-op) and Valley Natural Foods Co-op who run a community garden in front of their store.  The third video is titled “Celebrity Farmers” and focuses on Just Food Co-op and all the local products they carry and L&R Produce, a local (Minnesota) producer of produce, poultry and maple syrup and their relationship with their local co-ops.

On February 20th the first of our Co-op’s videos will premier, with the focus on the Co-op’s relationship with Misty Meadows Farm in Everson and their free-range organic eggs.  On March 5th, the video about our relationship with  Heritage Lane Farm  in Lynden premiers, which raises rare breed livestock and heirloom vegetables.  March 19th is the last of our premiers, with the focus being on the Co-op’s involvement with Bellingham Urban Gardeners (BUGS) – I’ll note that our Co-op Cooperator of the Year for 2011 is Co-op staffer and Board member Beau Hilty-Jones (see this month’s Co-op newsletter), who started the Farm Implement Co-op that is part of BUGS.

We hope that the video series will show everyone how co-ops really do make their communities stronger, wherever you live.  For more information on cooperatives and how they can transform your community, visit Stronger Together or the International Cooperative Alliance.

Thanks for reading, and I’ll have a new recipe available next week!

While this recipe has many ingredients, there aren’t so many that it becomes unwieldy, and you use a food processor to do most of the prep work so it is pretty simple to make.  The recipe requires you to brown the mushrooms instead of the meat, which I thought was interesting.  Their theory is that the browned mushrooms enhance the flavor of the beef, and I agree with them.  I used local grass-fed ground beef from Matheson Farms, which is rich in flavor and is higher in Omega 3 fatty acids than beef raised on grain (which is what most cows are fed), so the mushrooms just enhanced the goodness even more!

I used a sweet onion (which is my preference – they taste good and are much easier on your eyes when you are cutting them) and local organic hardneck red garlic in the recipe (easy to peel and has a strong flavor).  You can use any kind of onion or garlic – it just depends on what flavors you prefer.  Since you have to either mince the garlic or crush it through a press, you could even opt to get the minced garlic cubes we sell in the frozen department (if you haven’t seen these new herbs from Dorot, they are really cool – frozen herbs pre-portioned so you don’t have any prep).

It only took me about an hour to make the sauce, including prep time and letting it simmer for a half hour, and it tasted like it had cooked for hours because the flavors meld together so well – someone even told me it was better than their grandma’s meat sauce!  I served it with a choice of Field Day Organics traditional penne pasta or Tinkyada organic brown rice spirals (my favorite brand for gluten-free pasta because it tastes great and has good texture).  I also used a slice of Rudy’s Gluten-free bread as a substitution to the original recipe’s call for a slice of high-quality white bread so the sauce would be gluten-free.

Simple Italian-style Meat Sauce © Sassy Sampler 2012

Simple Italian-style Meat Sauce

adapted from March 2008 issue of Cooks Illustrated

Makes enough for 2 pounds of pasta

INGREDIENTS

4 oz white mushrooms, cleaned, stems trimmed and broken into rough pieces (about 6 mushrooms)

1 large slice of sandwich bread, torn into quarters

2 T whole milk

Sea salt and ground black pepper

1 # lean ground been

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped fine (about 1 1/2 c)

4-6 garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 T)

1/4 t red pepper flakes

1 T tomato paste

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained, 1/4 c liquid reserved

1 T minced fresh oregano leaves or 1 t dried oregano

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes

1/2 oz grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/4 c)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Process mushrooms in food processor until finely chopped, about eight 1-second pulses, scraping down the side of the bowl as needed; transfer to a medium bowl.

2. Add bread, milk, 1/2 t sea salt, and 1/2 t pepper to empty food processor and process until a paste forms, about eight 1-second pulses.

3. Add beef and pulse until the mixture is well combined, about six 1-second pulses.

4. Heat oil in a large stainless saucepan* over medium-high heat until just smoking.  Add onion and mushrooms; cook, stirring frequently,  until vegetables are browned and dark bits form on the pan bottom, 6-12 minutes.

5. Stir in the garlic, pepper flakes, and tomato paste; cook until fragrant and tomato paste starts to brown, about 1 minute.

6. Add the 1/4 c reserved tomato liquid and 2 t fresh oregano (use the whole 1 t if using dried), scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen the browned bits.

7. Add meat mixture and cook, breaking meat into small pieces with your wooden spoon, until beef loses its raw color, 2-4 minutes, making sure that meat does not brown.

8. Stir in crushed and drained diced tomatoes and bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat to low and gently simmer until sauce has thickened and flavors have blended, about 30 minutes.

9. Stir in cheese and remaining teaspoon of fresh oregano (if using); season with salt and pepper to taste.

Leftover sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 3 days or frozen for 1 month.

* non-stick cookware won’t work as well for this recipe, as you won’t get the delicious browned bits on the bottom of the pan.

Simple Italian-style Meat Sauce PDF

Potatoes are the January Harvest of the Month item, so I decided to pick a recipe this month where potatoes are the star.  I chose to make Karoffelpuffer – German potato pancakes.  I thought they would be tasty  and great for a cold day (they are typically served at winter street fairs in Germany).  Since they are best served warm, I decided to cook them right at the demo table, which was a first for me.  It went really well, and made my demo extra fun!

They are very simple to make – simply grate some potatoes (Washington grown!) and finely chop some onion, and then mix them with a little flour, egg, salt, and pepper.  Then you smoosh them in a pan with a little oil, let them get golden and crispy, and then gobble them down!  I served them with applesauce (which is traditional), as well as with some sour cream (I chose the locally made one from Breckenridge Farms) for a more savory version.  I did find a recipe for a vegan version (although I haven’t made them myself) on a great vegan food blog called Seitan is my Motor.  There is also an intriguing recipe for vegan sour cream with olives.  Guten appetit!

Kartoffelpuffer © Sassy Sampler 2012

Kartoffelpuffer (German Potato Pancakes)

adapted from allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS

2 eggs

1/4 c flour (gluten-free blend or unbleached wheat)

1/4 t baking powder

1 t sea salt

1/4 t ground black pepper

6 medium potatoes, peeled

1/2 c finely chopped (or grated) onion

1/4 c canola oil (or olive, sunflower, etc.)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper.

2. Finely shred one potato.  Press potato in between paper towels, cheesecloth, or a clean dish towel to remove as much moisture as possible.  Mix into egg mixture.  Repeat with remaining potatoes.

3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat.

4. In batches, drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the potato mixture into the skillet and press to flatten with a wooden spoon (try to make them as flat as you can).

5. Cook 3-4 minutes on each side, until browned and crisp.  Add more oil as needed between batches.

6. Drain on paper towels.

7. Serve warm (you can keep them warm in a low oven).

You can shred the potatoes into cold water, drain, and then squeeze out the excess water (see step 2) if you want to avoid the oxidation that occurs when you shred potatoes.  Note—The oxidation does not affect the taste.

There are many variations you can try:

• Use 1/4 c shallot or garlic instead of onion
• Add a 1/4 t nutmeg
• Can be served savory with sour cream, cottage cheese, or yogurt.
• Can be served sweet with applesauce, cinnamon and sugar (which is traditional at winter street fairs in Germany) or berry jam.
• You can replace the flour with instant grits
• You can also fry them in butter, or a mixture of butter and oil.
• Shred an apple into the mixture (squeeze out excess water as you would with the potatoes).

German Potato Pancakes PDF

These little confections are amazingly simple to make – no greasing, no chopping, and no special tools are needed (aside from a muffin pan and a mixer).  I wanted to make a gluten-free version, and that was also very simple.  For the crust, I used our Bakery’s gluten-free “graham” crust mix – this is a tasty mix that is super easy to use (simply mix in some butter or margarine and press into your pan).  I also used the too-yummy peanut butter cups from our bulk department, although I will note that while they don’t contain gluten they are made in a facility that also uses wheat flour.  A couple of packages of Organic Valley Organic cream cheese, some organic granulated sugar, and a couple organic eggs later I had beautiful little cheesecakes!

You have a few options when making this recipe – if you can tolerate wheat, you can just use crushed graham crackers for the crust; we also carry gluten-free “graham” crackers that you can crush to use for the crust; and as for the candy center, I’ve heard that Snickers minis also are fantastic in this recipe.  I did end up chopping up the peanut butter cups for the batch I sampled in the store (so they would be easier to cut into smaller portions) and it worked really well, so that is another option if you want chocolate in every bite!

This is my last post for the year, so I want to wish everyone a very happy and safe New Year (Glückliches Neues Jahr, Heureuse Nouvelle Année, etc.).

I also want to mention that 2012 has been declared the International Year of Cooperatives by the United Nations.  Our co-op was one of eight in the nation chosen to take part in a video series (starring Kevin Gillespie from Top Chef) highlighting different ways that cooperatives help communities thrive (our videos will be released in late February and in March) so look for those and other events throughout the year!  Go Co-op!  For more information on cooperatives of all kinds, check out Stronger Together, the International Cooperative Alliance, and the Northwest Cooperative Development Center.

Paula Deen's Peanut Butter Cup Mini Cheesecakes © Sassy Sampler 2011

Peanut Butter Cup Mini Cheesecakes

INGREDIENTS

Crust—

1 1/2 c graham cracker crumbs or Co-op Bakery gluten-free graham crust mix

2 T granulated sugar

1/4 c (1/2 stick) butter, melted

12 bite-size peanut butter cups *

Filling—

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature

1 c sugar

1/4 c flour, either gluten-free baking mix or unbleached wheat flour

1 t vanilla extract

2 eggs

*note—The peanut butter cups we carry in bulk do not contain gluten, but they are processed in a facility that also uses wheat flour so there may be trace amounts.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Place a cupcake liner in each cup of a standard muffin tin.

2. To make the crust—in a bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter until the crumbs are moistened.

3. Press crust very firmly into the bottom of each muffin cup with the back of a soup spoon.

4. Place one peanut butter cup in the center of each crust.

5. To make the filling—beat the cream cheese with a handheld electric mixer until fluffy.

6. Add sugar, flour, and vanilla and beat well.

7. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

8. Spoon cream cheese mixture over peanut butter cups and graham cracker crust.

9. Bake until set, about 20 minutes.

10. Allow to cool completely before serving.

Peanut Butter Cup Mini Cheesecakes PDF

Gotta love Betty...

My favorite was always the Candy Cane Cookies from Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book.  If you made cookies in the 60′s and 70′s, then you know this book well as it was the definitive cookie cookbook when it was published.  I have my mom’s copy now (complete with all her notes for the cookies we used to make), and I thought it was high time to see if I could make a gluten-free version (I already know that the ones made with wheat flour are super tasty!).  I loved these cookies because I thought it was so cool that you got to twist the dough and form the cookies into a candy cane shape (plus, I liked that you got to dye half the dough too!).

I used the Co-op Bakery’s gluten-free baking mix from the bulk department (made with Bob’s certified GF flours) and the cookies turned out delicious and didn’t taste like they were gluten-free at all!  They were a lot more delicate than I remember from my childhood, but that was the biggest difference I could see between using wheat flour and gluten-free flour.  You have to be really careful when shaping the cookies (using too much flour to roll them out makes it too hard to get them to form a cylinder, and not enough causes them to stick to your work surface), but after the first few I started to get the hang of it – it just takes a little patience.

As for the food coloring, I used India Tree natural food color (made with concentrated vegetables) which we sell around Easter at the Co-op (you can get it at the Greenhouse or at The Market in Fairhaven or on Lakeway), but you can also make your own red food coloring very easily with fresh or canned beets – you can find the recipe here.  I’ve done it before and it is very simple, it just takes a few hours for the color to concentrate.

I hope you enjoy!  Next Friday and Saturday I’ll be at the Cordata Co-op sampling some products for the holiday weekend, so stop by and say hello!

Candy Cane Cookies © Sassy Sampler 2011

Candy Cane Cookies

adapted from Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book

INGREDIENTS

1/2 c shortening (we sell organic non-hydrogenated shortening at the Co-op made by Spectrum)

1/2 c softened butter

1 c sifted powdered sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 t almond extract

1 t vanilla extract

2 1/2 c flour (gluten-free blend or unbleached white flour), sifted

1 t sea salt

~ 1/2 t red food coloring (more or less depending on how rich of a red you want, I used about 40-50 drops of the natural food coloring)

1/8 c crushed peppermint candy (such as candy canes)

1/8 c granulated sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Mix shortening, butter, powdered sugar, egg, and the almond and vanilla extracts until they are thoroughly combined (this is most easily done in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment).

3. Mix flour and sea salt together, and stir into the shortening mixture.

4. Divide dough in half, and blend the food coloring into one of the halves.

5. Roll a 4” strip (using 1 t dough) from each color on a lightly floured surface.  Too much flour and the strips won’t roll, too much and they will stick, so adjust as necessary.  (see photo below)

6. Place strips side by side and press them together lightly and gently twist into a rope shape.

7. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and curve the top down to form the handle of the candy cane.  Don’t worry if they don’t come out perfect—you’ll get better at shaping them as you work through the dough.

8. Repeat until you are out of dough.

9. Mix crushed candy and sugar together in a small bowl.

10. Bake for 9-12 minutes, until they are lightly browned.

11. While still warm, remove cookies from baking sheet to a wire rack with a spatula and sprinkle with the peppermint sugar mixture.

The gluten-free version of the cookie will be delicate but shouldn’t break apart too easily once they are cooled.

Carefully store cookies in an airtight container for up to four days.

Candy Cane Cookies PDF

Both lavender and peppermint have been used as folk medicine in many cultures – peppermint is said to ease digestion problems (common this time of year) and lavender is thought to increase relaxation (commonly needed this time of year!).  The combination of the two flavors blend really well, and when you add Concord grape juice (thought to increase mental acuity) and ginger ale (also helpful for the tummy) you get a lightly spiced floral punch that tastes really refreshing.

In season, you could make this punch using almost all local ingredients – peppermint and lavender can grow just about anywhere that isn’t arctic tundra, and concord grapes grow really well in Washington (which is probably why we are the top producer in the nation).  Because it’s winter, I didn’t have all fresh ingredients at my disposal (aside from fresh spearmint, which I cleaned and froze leaves into ice cubes for garnish), so to the bulk department I went!  Santa Cruz organic Concord grape juice is on special right now (nice bonus) and I decided to use Blue Sky organic ginger ale to round out the punch.  You can use spearmint instead of peppermint in this recipe if you aren’t a fan of the pungency of peppermint, as spearmint is milder.

If you are looking for a “spirited” punch, then some high quality vodka added before serving would certainly add some cheer!

Purple Passion Lavender-Mint Punch © Sassy Sampler 2011

Purple Passion Lavender-Mint Punch

adapted from Lavender Association of Western Colorado

makes about 9 cups

INGREDIENTS

1/3 c + 1 t dried peppermint*

6 c water

1 heaping T dried lavender flowers*

1 liter ginger ale (cold), about 2 1/2 cans

1 c concord grape juice (cold)

Bunch of fresh mint, for garnish

Note—if you are using fresh herbs to brew the tea, double the amounts

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prepare your minty ice cubes—rinse fresh mint and place a leaf in each section of an ice-cube tray and fill with water —freeze until solid.

2. Boil your water in a large pot and then turn off the heat.  Add the dried peppermint, cover, and allow to steep for about 10 minutes.

3. Add the lavender flowers and allow the tea to cool.  You can cool it in the fridge if you are crunched for time.

4. Strain your tea  through a metal strainer into a pretty punch bowl or pitcher.

5. Add the ginger ale, grape juice, and ice cubes.

6. To garnish, float lavender and mint springs on top.

*Pregnant women should consult with their doctors before ingesting peppermint and/or lavender

Purple Passion Lavendar-Mint Punch PDF

BONUS Recipe – I wanted to make this Spiced Lemonade recipe because I think it sounds delicious, but since I am allergic to citrus I figured it was best to leave this one to my readers.  I urge you to make it and tell me if it was delicious or not!

Spiced Lemonade

You can make this lemonade ahead of time, simply store in the refrigerator. Serve warm or cold.

Ingredients:

• 9 cups water
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 cups orange juice
• 1 cup raw sugar
• 1 T vanilla
• 1/2 t ground cloves
• Lemon Slices

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a large saucepan.
2. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
3. When the sugar has dissolved, reduce the heat to a simmer.
4. Allow lemonade to simmer until fragrant.
5. Serve with lemon slices.

Tip: The longer it sits, the more you’ll taste the spices

By Stacie Naczelnik

http://stacienaczelnik.hubpages.com/hub/Non-alcoholic-Holiday-Party-Drink-Recipes

My own cranberry cider "bog" © Sassy Sampler 2011

We have some beautiful, fresh, Washington grown cranberries in our produce departments right now that we buy farmer-direct.  Bellewood Acres has also been supplying us with their delicious cider (one of the reasons I love Fall so much!) and I thought it would be fun to combine the two into a hot and tasty cider.

I couldn’t find a recipe using fresh cranberries online, so I decided to make it up as I went along.  Making spiced cider is very easy, and adding the cranberries doesn’t complicate things much at all.  I simply added a pound of fresh (and washed) cranberries to a gallon of the local cider in a large stockpot.  To that I added in cinnamon sticks, some whole cloves, and I sliced a lemon and tossed that in for a little more acidity.  So it wouldn’t be too sour, I added just over a 1/4 cup of organic, raw dark agave syrup, although you could use just about any sweetener – honey would be good, as would a little light brown sugar.  I let that simmer for a few hours and when I was ready to serve it I strained it out and served it up – it was just the right amount of tart and the smell made my mouth water!  I’ll note that the longer you let it simmer, the more integrated the flavors are, but I tried it after and hour and it was great – don’t worry if you don’t have a couple or few hours to let it simmer.

It was the perfect thing to serve today – while there was no snow it was still cold, and almost nothing tastes better than a hot cup on cider this time of year!  Customers were very appreciative to have a hot beverage to sample as they shopped and they all thought it tasted really great.

Spiced Apple Cranberry Cider © Sassy Sampler 2011

Hot Spiced Apple Cranberry Cider

INGREDIENTS

1 gallon apple cider

1 # fresh cranberries, rinsed

1 small lemon, washed and thinly sliced

4 cinnamon sticks

1 1/2 t whole cloves

~ 1/4 c agave syrup (or other sweetener like honey or light brown sugar)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large stockpot, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat.

2. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for an hour or two, stirring occasionally.

3. Taste to see if you need to add any more sweetener (if so, add by the T and let it cook for about 5 more minutes).

4. Remove cranberries, lemon, and spices from cider by pouring cider through a strainer into a heat-proof container.  Press cranberries into strainer with the back of a spoon to remove as much juice as possible.

5. Serve hot, with a slice of apple for garnish!

Hot Spiced Apple Cranberry Cider PDF

We have some beautiful locally grown sugar pie pumpkins in our Produce departments right now, so I decided to use fresh pumpkin rather than canned, although you can use either in this recipe.  I also love bittersweet chocolate, so I used 6oz of the Cordillera 65% dark chocolate coins as well as 3oz organic dark chocolate chips.  I made a gluten-free pie crust using Pamela’s Products Gluten-free Bread Mix “Easy Pie Crust” recipe (which I think is the best gluten-free crust out there), but I also made a wheat-based pie crust because I had plenty of filling for both pies (the recipe is technically for one pie, but I had enough to fill two shallow pies).

The feedback from tasters was pretty unanimous (o.k., there was one person that thought it was “sacrilegious” to add chocolate to pumpkin pie, but she was in the definite minority).  Nobody had heard of a chocolate pumpkin pie before, even though it seems like such a natural combination!  The pie was delightful – a strong chocolate flavor followed by a delicate pumpkin flavor that combined into pie heaven.  I urge you to try this pie this Thanksgiving – it isn’t any harder to make than a traditional pumpkin pie, yet you will wow your guests with your baking genius when you serve it!

Michael Symon's Chocolate Pumpkin Pie, Sassified Photo © 2011 Sassy Sampler

 Michael Symon’s Chocolate Pumpkin Pie, with gluten-free option

for the original recipe, click here

INGREDIENTS

For Pie Crust (wheat flour based):

1 1/4 c flour

1/2 t sugar

2 t salt

1/2 c unsalted butter, (very cold and cut into small pieces)

2-3 T ice water

Ingredients for Pamela’s Gluten-Free Pie Crust:

1 bag Pamela’s gluten-free Bread Mix

1 cube (8T) Unsalted Butter

1/2 c Spectrum Shortening

7-8 T Ice water (tip – you can use half vodka/half water – the vodka evaporates and leaves you with an even flakier crust)

For Pie Filling:

3 oz Bittersweet Chocolate (finely chopped) (I used the organic dark chocolate chips we have in bulk)

6 oz Semisweet Chocolate (finely chopped) (I used the Corderilla 65% chocolate coins)

4 T Unsalted Butter (cut into small pieces)

1 14 oz can Pumpkin (see instructions below to make your own from scratch)

1 12 oz can Evaporated Milk

3/4 packed Light-Brown Sugar (I used organic dark brown sugar)

3 large Eggs

1 T Cornstarch

1 t Vanilla Extract

1 1/2 t Sea Salt

3/4 t Ground Cinnamon

3/4 t Ground Ginger

1/4 t Ground Nutmeg

Pinch of Ground Cloves

INSTRUCTIONS

For the Pie Crust:

1. Combine the flour, salt, sugar and butter in a food processor and pulse until coarse, with small marbles of butter remaining OR follow directions on bag of Pamela’s Gluten-free Bread Mix for a gluten-free pie crust and skip to the filling instructions.

2. Sprinkle 2 T of the ice water and pulse until crumbly and dough holds when squeezed together.  Add another sprinkle of water if it is too dry, but do not over-mix.

3. Transfer dough to a plastic bag, press into a disk, and refrigerate for one hour.

For the Pie Filling:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.

2. Roll out dough on floured surface. (wheat) or on parchment paper.  Press into pie plate, trim to leave 1-inch excess around edges, fold under and flute edges.  Cut a piece of parchment paper or non-stick foil to the size of the pie, and use to line pie crust.  Fill with pie weights, and bake until golden, about 15 minutes.*

3. Reduce heat in oven to 325°F

4. In a double boiler, melt chocolate and butter, stirring frequently until it is smooth and then remove from heat.

5. In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, evaporated milk, brown sugar, eggs, cornstarch, vanilla, salt cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.

6. Fold in the chocolate mixture, and pour into your pie crust(s).

7. Place the pie pan on a baking sheet and bake at 325° until the center of the pie has set, about an hour.

8. Refrigerate until cooled completely to serve.

* I only pre-baked one of my pie crusts and they both came out perfect – you can opt to skip this step if you like as I didn’t really notice a difference between then two.

To make Pumpkin Puree -

Wash your pumpkin and cut in half—discard the stem, seeds and stringy pulp.  In a shallow baking dish, place pumpkin halves face down and cover with foil (optional—sprinkle insides with sea salt).  Bake in a 375°F oven until tender, about 1—1 1/2 hours.  Let pumpkin cool, remove the flesh and either purée in food processor or mash it until smooth.

Michael Symon’s Chocolate Pumpkin Pie PDF

Me at my Grandma Lamb's house circa 1979-ish

Thanksgiving was always an exciting time of year in our household, and has always been one of my favorite holidays. When I was younger, we would travel from Blaine to La Conner to spend the holiday with my grandparents and make a whole weekend out of it (including both sets of grandparents—they lived four houses apart when I was growing up so it made visiting them really easy). I have particularly fond memories of making lefse (a Norwegian potato flatbread) with my mom and my Grandma Lamb the morning after Thanksgiving. They always made a huge amount of mashed potatoes to be sure there would be plenty left over for this family favorite.

Now that I am an adult, every few years I take on the role of hosting the Thanksgiving meal for my family. Last year my mother-in-law flew in from Michigan the week prior and we got to cook Thanksgiving dinner for her for the first time. It was also the first time I had cooked a feast like that since I was diagnosed as being gluten intolerant.

Cookin' up gluten-free fritters last month © Photo courtesy of Habiba Sial 2011

Don’t think for a second that just because you have gluten intolerance it means you can’t have the foods you are used to during the holidays. It also doesn’t mean that the rest of your guests have to “suffer” through a gluten-free meal. With a little preparation and elbow grease, you can easily adapt just about any menu so everyone’s cravings are satisfied.

Stuffing

This is one of the two things that might take the most extra preparation, but you also have a few options. You can use your favorite gluten-free bread – cut it in cubes and dry for about 20 minutes in a 200° F oven on a baking sheet (I recommend the gluten-free rolls from our Co-op bakery * or you can save the heels from your favorite gluten-free loaf). Another option is to use gluten-free cornbread—and you might as well make a double batch so you can have some to serve with dinner as well! You can prepare it from scratch or buy a mix (Bob’s Red Mill makes a good one), and if you do it a day or two in advance, then you don’t have to scramble when the big day rolls around. You can also forget the bread-based stuffing all together and make a delicious wild rice stuffing, which is easily made both gluten and dairy free without any special substitutions.  Keep an eye out at the Cordata store in November—our bakery is working on developing a made-from scratch gluten-free stuffing mix that should be available for the holiday!

Gravy

Make whatever recipe you traditionally use if you prepare your gravy from scratch; just use either a gluten-free cornstarch or arrowroot powder to thicken it. The Co-op also sells pre-made turkey gravy from Imagine Foods that is gluten-free and pretty tasty.

Green Bean Casserole

Make sure you use a gluten-free cream of mushroom soup (or better yet, make your own using chanterelle mushrooms, if they are available).  You’ll probably have to make the fried onions to top the casserole (to make french fried onions, soak cut onions in milk for about 5 minutes, coat with a gluten-free flour a few at time, and fry in about 2T of oil until crispy), but that is easy if you also do it a day or two in advance.

Pies

Pumpkin and chocolate cream were always the go-to Thanksgiving pies in our house. Thank goodness they both do well with a graham cracker crust. Either buy a box of gluten-free graham crackers or cookies (crush the crackers and mix with melted butter then press into pie plate) or you can make it from scratch with the gluten-free graham cracker recipe available on this blog. Instead of cutting the rolled dough into crackers, press it into a pie plate and pre-bake.  I also highly recommend using Pamela’s Gluten-free Bread Mix pie crust recipe – it tastes just like a wheat pastry crust and is the easiest to handle of all the gluten-free crust recipes I have tried.

It is simple to make a from-scratch pumpkin filling (here’s a link to a vegan recipe (no gluten, dairy, eggs) and traditional). If apple pie is a staple at your house, think about making a simple apple crisp using gluten-free oats and flour—assemble it ahead of time and pop it in the oven while you are enjoying dinner— then it will be hot out of the oven when you are ready for dessert.

The Turkey

Whatever you do, just don’t cook it using beer! I always brine my turkey so it’s super moist and then brush it with seasoned butter before popping it in the oven. I don’t recommend stuffing your turkey with dressing as it tends to not bake at the same rate as the turkey. Just stuff your bird with chunks of onion, celery, and herbs packed in a bundle of cheesecloth so it’s easy to remove.

You’ll find all the recipe ideas mentioned in the article on the Recipes page of the blog, with the exception of the lefse—our family recipe has more to do with knowing the correct texture, as the only ingredients are mashed potatoes and flour. If you’d like to prepare a dish that I didn’t mention, our Service Desk staff are a great resource for finding alternatives and they also have additional recipes available or feel free to email me at sassysampler@communityfood.coop.  Look for in-store demos at the Cordata Co-op the week of Thanksgiving as well—we will be sampling an array of from-scratch and packaged items designed to make everyone’s holiday a little easier.

* The Co-op’s bakery and deli items are produced in a kitchen that also uses wheat flour.  While we take every precaution to avoid cross-contamination, our gluten-free products may contain trace amounts of gluten.

Note from Melissa – I am going to make a chocolate pumpkin pie this week for my in-store demo at the Cordata Co-op on Friday.  I saw a recipe for it on The Chew yesterday and it sounds divine!  That recipe will be available on Friday afternoon…or you can check it out on their website right now!

My mom and I have tried in the past to adapt a regular pie crust pastry recipe to being gluten-free, but it didn’t really work.  They turned out too grainy and not very flaky, and tasted like they were gluten-free.  I next tried a very simple recipe using Pamela’s Gluten-free Pancake and Baking mix (it was just butter/shortening, water and the mix) – much better, but it fell apart in my hands after baking…and all I made was pie crust “cookies”.  I knew I was on the right track though, because it tasted really great (although with a subtle almond flavor due to the baking mix).

I had heard that you could use Pamela’s GF Bread mix to make pie crusts – one of the winning recipes in the Pamela’s recipe contest (where the fritter recipe from last week came from) was cute little mini pies made in a muffin tin.  I have had such good luck with Pamela’s products in the past that I figured it was worth a try.  I was not disappointed – the pie crust was flaky, easy to make, and absolutely did not taste like it was gluten-free!  Tasters couldn’t believe that they were eating a gluten-free crust, and we promptly sold out of the bread mix at the Cordata store.

My co-worker Michael suggested that I make turnovers for my recipe demo instead of pie – that way each sample would have enough of that awesome pie crust to really taste it.  I thought that was a great suggestion and I got to work.  I made the crust using organic butter and Spectrum’s Butter flavored Organic Shortening – it is a vegan product that doesn’t have the hydrogenated oil and trans-fat that Crisco has.

For the filling, I went straight to the Honeycrisp apples again, and my “secret” to great apple pie – a couple small Asian pears (you can also use Bartlett pears).  I have made this pie filling more times than I can count, but there was no recipe for it so I had to actually measure my ingredients!  I’ll note that you can add any sweetener to the apples as you cook them – I like to use organic dark brown sugar, but you could use agave syrup, brown rice syrup, granulated sugar, etc.  How much you need to add will depend on how sweet your apples are – the Honeycrisps are super sweet so I only added a couple of T of brown sugar.

You don’t need to use a gluten-free crust in this recipe if you can tolerate wheat.  We now have Immaculate Baking Co’s pre-rolled pie crusts at both Co-ops that could be used, or you can make your favorite pastry recipe from scratch (I recommend the one created by Cook’s Illustrated – check out Smitten Kitchen’s detailed and visually stunning post about it here).

(Gluten-free) Honeycrisp Apple Turnovers © 2011 Sassy Sampler

Apple Turnovers

INGREDIENTS

Filling

About 2 # apples, peeled and sliced into 1/4” -1/2” small chunks

2 small Asian or Bartlett pears, prepared like the apples (optional)

2-4 T sweetener, like brown sugar or agave syrup

1 t cinnamon

1-2 t cornstarch

Pastry

1 recipe Pamela’s GF bread mix pie crust, or 1 package Immaculate Baking Co. Pastry sheets or your favorite pie crust recipe

Topping

1 t cinnamon

2 T sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Prepare apples and place them in a stockpot large enough to be able to mix them easily.  Add 1 T of your chosen sweetener and the cinnamon.  Mix well.

3. Cook over medium-low to low heat for about 20 minutes, until apples are tender but not smooshy.  Mix apples periodically and taste them to see if you need to add any more sweetener (add a T at a time).

4. After about 20 minutes, add 1/2—1 t cornstarch into the apples to thicken the juice that has accumulated.  How much cornstarch you need to add will be determined by how juicy your apples are.  Cook for an additional 5—10 minutes, add more cornstarch if necessary, and cook for 5—10 more minutes.

5. Meanwhile, prepare your pastry (by rolling it out into a rectangular shape; if you are using the prepared sheets, just remove them from the packaging) on sheets of parchment or waxed paper.  Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

6. Combine the 1 t cinnamon and 2 T sugar in a small bowl (this is for sprinkling on top of the turnovers).

7. Take apples off heat and allow to cool slightly.

8. Take your pastry out of the fridge and cut into 5”—6” circles (I used a collapsible steamer that had no feet as my guide—they are about 5” in diameter).  Try to handle the pastry as little as possible.

9. Carefully remove pastry circles from paper and fill one half of the circle with 2—3 T of apple filling.

10. Carefully fold over unfilled half of pastry over filling and press edges together.  Use the tines of a fork to help seal the edges.

11. Transfer turnovers to a parchment lined baking sheet.  Cut vent slits in the top of the turnover and sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture.

12. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until filling starts to bubble out the vents and the turnovers turn golden brown.

13. Cool slightly, top with vanilla ice cream, and enjoy!

Apple Turnovers PDF

Use remaining pastry/pie crust to make cinnamon sugar “cookies” – add leftover pastry to a parchment-lined cookie sheet, sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar and cook for about 10 minutes.

You can also use this filling in pies (it works especially well with Dutch apple pies – see recipe below for streusel topping).

The Pamela’s GF Pie Crust recipe using their bread mix is also excellent for making reliable pie crusts.  One bag will make two 9” pie crusts—enough for two Dutch apple pies or one pie with a top crust.

Dutch Apple Pie/Streusel Topping:

2/3 c flour (gluten-free or wheat)

2/3 c packed brown sugar

1/3 c cold butter, chopped into 1/4″ chunks

1/2 t cinnamon

Optional – You can add a 1/2 c of oats, but you’ll need to increase the butter to about 1/2 c.

Instructions:  Add all dry ingredients to a food processor or medium bowl and combine.  Add butter bits to dry mix and pulse  or use a pastry cutter to cut in butter, until it is bean sized and coarse.  Sprinkle on top of pie evenly and bake until filling starts to bubble and the crust and topping are golden, about 30 -45 minutes.  Enough for one pie.