Top 13 Recipes of 2013

I'm also joining the blogger bandwagon to reflect back on 2013 and share my Top 13 Recipes of 2013.

In the spirit of reflection, I want to thank you all for reading and trying, pinning, and sharing my recipes. Throughout the year, I sometimes wonder why I go through the trouble of maintaining As Good As Gluten - as it's a lot of work with no monetary reward. In these times, I randomly get a comment or email or phone call or run into one of my readers. You share encouraging words, feedback, or nice complements that keep me going. Knowing how I've helped you on your gluten free journey is the only incentive I need to keep my blog going.

What recipes or posts would you like to see more of in 2014? I hope you have a very Happy New Year! I'm excited to see what 2014 brings.

Top Recipes of 2013

13. Baked Avocados: creamy avocado topped with savory garlic and cheese and sweet tomato and basil = a delicious and quick dinner.

 

12. Angel Chicken (Crockpot): an easy crockpot meal that tastes delicious, despite the less than appetizing photo.

11. Hummus Pizza: this was my favorite pizza this past summer. This Mediterranean inspired pizza is fresh and savory with a touch of sweetness.

 

10.  Sausage & Grits Casserole: this creamy and decadent casserole got voted "best casserole ever" by family. Try it and let me know if you agree.

9. Cheeseburger Stuffed Zucchini Boats: this delicious recipe tastes like a cheesy, deconstructed cheeseburger without all of the grease. Healthy and delicious!

 8. Nutella No Bake Cookies: this Nutella twist on traditional No Bake Cookies is delicious and brings back fond childhood memories.

7. Romano and Mushroom Marsala Polenta: this hearty meal comes together quickly and the flavor possibilities are endless.

6.  Creamy Avocado Pasta with Tomatoes and Mushrooms: this flavorful dish is deceptively creamy and rich; you'd never know the sauce was made with healthy avocados.

5. Avocado-Hummus Cheese Panini: I'm starting to see a theme here the closer I get to the top recipe. Vegetarian dishes (and avocado) are definitely favorites. This panini won't disappoint. It's fast to make, tastes great, and is a healthy and filling vegetarian meal.

4. Cucumber and Avocado Summer Rolls with a Savory Sauce: despite my frustration making spring rolls, this tasty recipe tastes like a fresh, handheld salad.

3. Carbonara with Squash and Kale: this creamy, flavorful pasta dish packed full of my favorite fall flavors. It is one of my many favorite recipes of the year.

2. Vegetarian Quinoa Chili (Crockpot): this spicy, flavorful, and meatless meal is still full of protein with the additions of quinoa and black beans.

1. Moscato Spritzer: This "recipe" had twice as many views as my #2 recipe of the year and 8 times as many views as the #13 recipe! Needless to say, it was just as big of a hit for my readers as it was for all of the parties I made it for this past year. This favorite party drink is simple to prepare and tastes great – very fresh, light, and slightly sweet.

Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread

Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread is the perfect accompaniment to chili during the colder fall and winter months. This recipe comes together easily and the outcome is classic cornbread with a cheesy, spicy twist.


Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread

Ingredients:
·1 cup rice flour
·¾ cup cornmeal
·3 TBS sugar
·2½ tsp baking powder
·¾ tsp salt
·1 TBS butter
·2 eggs, beaten
·1 cup skim milk
·¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
·1½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
·1 jalapeño pepper, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400˚. Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

Place butter in a 10-12 inch cast-iron skillet or round baking pan. Place in oven for about 3 minutes, or until butter melts. Remove pan from oven and swirl butter in the pan to coat the bottom and sides of the pan.

In a small bowl, combine eggs, milk, and olive oil. Add egg mixture to the flour mixture; stir until just moistened. Fold in cheddar cheese and jalapeño. Pour batter into the buttered, hot skillet.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Beef, Mushroom, and Carrot Braised Stew

 

If it's way too cold where you live, this hearty Beef, Mushroom, and Carrot Braised Stew will help. It's pure comfort food and a delicious meal all in one bowl.


Beef, Mushroom, and Carrot Braised Stew
Adapted from Taste of Home

Ingredients:
·1 boneless beef chuck roast (2-3 lbs), cut into 1-inch cubes
·¼ tsp salt
·¼ tsp pepper
·3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
·1 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
·4 large carrots, sliced
·2 medium onions, sliced
·2 tsp minced garlic
·32oz. beef broth
·1 cup dry red wine
·½ cup port wine or brandy
·1 TBS tomato paste
·¼ tsp each – dried parsley, rosemary, sage, and thyme
·1½ TBS cornstarch
·3 TBS water
·Hot mashed potatoes

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325˚. Heat olive oil over medium heat in an oven-safe Dutch oven. Add beef, season with salt and pepper, and brown beef. Remove from pan once edges of beef are browned.

In the same pan, add mushrooms, onions, and carrots. Cook until tender. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring well. Stir in broth, wines, tomato paste, and herbs. Return beef to pan. Bring to a boil.

Bake, covered, 30 minutes. In a bowl, mix cornstarch and water until smooth. Gradually stir mixture into stew. Bake covered for 30 minutes or until sauce is thickened and beef is tender and cooked through. Skim fat and serve with mashed potatoes.

White Christmas Sangria

Merry Christmas!!

White Christmas Sangria combines my love of sangria with my love of holiday flavors - cranberries, apple, and rosemary. This sangria is fragrant and tastes like Christmas in a glass.

My favorite tip for making sangria is to use a flavor-infused pitcher. The fruit infuses into the liquid perfectly without having to strain any fruit pulp out before serving.

White Christmas Sangria

Ingredients:
·1.5 L Moscato wine

·1.5 L Sprite Zero

·2 large honey crisp apples, diced

·1 cup cranberries

·1 sprig of rosemary

Directions:

Place fruit and herb in the flavor-infused center of the pitcher. Add wine and Sprite. Let chill for at least 2 hours before serving. 

Amish Mystery Biscuits

I hope you and your family have a very, Merry Christmas!

This recipe comes from my mom's kitchen and you must try it. It's a new family favorite recipe, loved by everyone and requested for breakfast every time I'm home. My favorite way to enjoy Mom's Amish Mystery Biscuits is for Biscuits and Gravy, but they are delicious to enjoy any way you'd normally use biscuits.

Amish Mystery Biscuits

Ingredients:
·2 cups gluten-free flour blend
·1 TBS baking powder
·1 tsp sugar
·Pinch of salt
·¼ cup olive oil mayonnaise
·1 cup milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375˚. Combine gluten-free flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle of the bowl and dump in mayonnaise and milk. Stir until it forms into a play dough batter. Do not overmix! Pat out and cut biscuits or drop formed blobs into a greased muffin tins. You can also brush the biscuits lightly with milk before baking. Bake for 12-16 minutes.

Cookie Week Recap – Easy Peanut Butter Cookies 6 Ways

This year’s Cookie Week all stated with this simple recipe for Easy, Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies. I made one batch of these delicious, peanut buttery cookies. Then, with the addition of one simple ingredient, I turned that one batch of cookies into six different and indulgent cookies - recapped below with an extra bonus recipe. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!



Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

Nutella and Peanut Butter Cookies



Peanut Butter Stacked Reese's Cookies

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies



Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies with Nutella Filling



Gluten Free "Oreo" Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies

 

And, a bonus cookie I made last year with the same base cookie recipe with one simple addition...

 

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

 

Gluten Free "Oreo" Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies

Cookie Week is coming to an end and I’ve saved the best for last…Gluten Free "Oreo" Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies. Even though “stuffed” cookies made their infamous web debut a few years ago, this stuffed cookie is nostalgic for me.

Gluten Free "Oreo" Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies were inspired by teenage years and my love of Oreos dipped in peanut butter. It was before my gluten-free days and I think it was a concoction inspired by a movie – the original Parent Trap­ perhaps? Nonetheless, this cookie is amazing. A gluten free “Oreo” stuffed inside of a peanut butter cookie = sinfully sweet.


Gluten Free "Oreo" Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:
·1 recipe for Easy Peanut Butter Cookies
·12 gluten-free “Oreo” cookies (I used Kinnikinnick Chocolate Sandwich Cookies)

Directions:
Prepare Easy Peanut Butter Cookie batter according to recipe. Mold the peanut butter cookie dough around a gluten-free “Oreo” cookie, assuring the entire “Oreo” is surrounded with peanut butter cookie dough. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes at 350˚. Let cookies cool on cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes before moving to a wire cooling rack.

Note: These cookies take longer to cook than regular Easy Peanut Butter Cookies. 12-15 minutes should be enough, but keep an eye on them as they may need longer depending on how much peanut butter cookie dough you’ve placed around the gluten-free “Oreo” cookie.

Yield: 12 cookies

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies with Nutella Filling

 

Another Nutella Cookie for Cookie Week. Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies with Nutella Filling are the perfect cookie for peanut butter and chocolate lovers.


Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies with Nutella Filling (Flourless)

Ingredients:
·1 recipe for Easy Peanut Butter Cookies
·1/4 cup Nutella

Directions:
Prepare Easy Peanut Butter Cookies according to recipe. Cool cookies on a wire rack for 5-10 minutes. To assemble the sandwich cookies, place a spoonful of Nutella on the bottom of one peanut butter cookie and then top with another peanut butter cookie.

Tip:
Placing the spoonful of Nutella in between the peanut butter cookies is best done when they are still warm, but have begun to cool. This will assure the Nutella will melt slightly to create a warm, gooey chocolate-hazelnut center. If you wait until the cookies are cool, the Nutella won’t melt but will still result in a delicious cookie.

Yield: 12 sandwich cookies

Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookies

 

Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookies are the star of today’s Cookie Week recipe. This cookie is a nostalgic twist on a favorite sandwich – PB&J, and was a hit with kids and adults. This recipe proves delicious and nostalgic desserts do not have to be difficult. This recipe could not be simpler – top Easy Peanut Butter Cookies with a spoonful of jelly and serve. Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookies are also easy to customize with a variety of jelly flavors to please everyone's taste buds.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookies (Flourless)

Ingredients:
·1 recipe for Easy Peanut Butter Cookies
·¼ cup of jelly (I used Strawberry, but use any jelly flavor of choice)

Directions:
Prepare Easy Peanut Butter Cookies according to recipe. Once cookies have cooled for 10-15 minutes on a wire rack, add a spoonful of jelly on top of each cookie.

Yield: 24 cookies

Peanut Butter Stacked Reese's Cookies

 

Welcome back to Cookie Week! All of the cookies in Cookie Week are simple, including these decadent Peanut Butter Stacked Reese's Cookies. My favorite candy, Reese’s cups, are placed in between two peanut butter cookies resulting in a warm, gooey, chocolate-peanut butter sandwich cookie.


Peanut Butter Stacked Reese’s Cookies (Flourless)

Ingredients:
·1 recipe for Easy Peanut Butter Cookies
·12 regular-sized Reese’s cups, unwrapped

Directions:
Prepare Easy Peanut Butter Cookies according to recipe. Cool cookies on a wire rack for 5-10 minutes. To assemble the stacked sandwich cookies, place a Reese’s on the bottom of one peanut butter cookie and then top with another peanut butter cookie.

Tip:
Placing the Reese’s in between the peanut butter cookies is best done when they are still warm, but have begun to cool. This will assure the Reese’s melt slightly to create a warm, gooey chocolate-peanut butter center. If you place the Reese’s in between the cookies when they are fresh out of the oven, the Reese’s will melt entirely into a gooey, yet tasty, messy cookie. If you wait until the cookies are cool, the Reese’s will maintain their shape – but you can place the assembled stacked cookies in the microwave for a few seconds to slightly melt the Reese’s center.

Yield: 12 sandwich cookies

Nutella and Peanut Butter Cookies

The next cookie for Cookie Week is Nutella and Peanut Butter Cookies. A spoonful of Nutella on top of Easy Peanut Butter Cookies is a simple and delicious addition that takes a classic peanut butter cookie to the next level. This cookie is best served warm fresh out of the oven. Adding the spoonful of Nutella on top of a warm peanut butter cookie assures the Nutella gets slightly warm and gooey. Yum!

Instead of topping the peanut butter cookie with Nutella, you could also swirl Nutella into the cookie batter to bake a Nutella-Peanut Butter cookie. Either way, Nutella and Peanut Butter are a winning cookie combination.

Nutella and Peanut Butter Cookies (Flourless)

Ingredients:
·1 recipe for Easy Peanut Butter Cookies
·¼ cup of Nutella

Directions:
Prepare Easy Peanut Butter Cookies according to recipe. Once peanut butter cookies are transferred to a wire rack to cool, add a spoonful of Nutella on top of each cookie. Serve warm.

 

Yield: 24 cookies

Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

Welcome to cookie week at As Good As Gluten!

My cookie extravaganzas usually happen around the holiday season when I go into baking mode. Two years ago, cookie week all started with this Flourless Double Chocolate Fudge Cookie which I turned into 6 decadent cookies.

This year, cookie week starts with another favorite cookie, Easy Peanut Butter Cookies, which also happen to be flourless. This cookie was the first recipe I posted when I started my blog in October 2010. It was one of the few dessert recipes I had in my recipe book that I knew was gluten free and tasted great. I'm amazed at how far my gluten free baking (and cooking) has come in 3 years. I'll stop the nostalgic trip down gluten free memory lane here and get back to cookie week.

Easy Peanut Butter Cookies are great on their own, but also make a great base cookie for five other varieties I'll share with you throughout the week. Easy Peanut Butter Cookies are packed full of peanut butter flavor. When cooked properly, they're crisp on the outside and soft in the inside. My favorite way to enjoy is warm out of the oven with a glass of milk.

Easy Peanut Butter Cookies (Flourless)

Ingredients:
·1 cup of creamy peanut butter
·3/4 cup sugar
·1 egg

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350˚. Cream together sugar and egg, then add peanut butter. Roll cookie dough into 1 inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press cookies with a fork to get the criss-cross pattern.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cookies cool on cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes before moving to a wire cooling rack.

Yield: 24 cookies

Bacon Cauliflower Soup

 

A bowl of healthy comfort food. Sounds like an oxymoron? I promise, it's not with this recipe.

Bacon Cauliflower Soup is a low-carb alternative to Creamy Potato Soup. It's thick, creamy, and flavorful. We didn't even miss the potatoes.

I made a two changes to the recipe. To make it gluten free, I used 1 TBS of corn starch in place of the 2 TBS of flour. I also used Turkey Bacon to make it just a little more healthier.


Click here for recipe from Iowa Girl Eats

Romano and Mushroom Marsala Polenta

 

This hearty meal comes together in 20-30 minutes. It’s a new favorite that I’ve made almost every other week since I first made it a month or so ago. To round this dish out when I serve it as a meal, I’ve stirred in cooked chicken or spinach. The base polenta recipe is creamy and cheesy for this dish would also be great served with your favorite blackened fish or shrimp.

Romano and Mushroom Marsala Polenta
Romano Polenta Ingredients:
·½ cup milk
·2 cups water
·½ cup cornmeal
·Salt and pepper
·½ cup Romano cheese
·2 tsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Mushroom Marsala Ingredients:
·6 oz. mushrooms, destemmed and sliced
·2 TBS extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
·½ cup Marsala wine
·Salt and pepper
·1 tsp dried Parsley, optional

Directions:
For the Polenta, bring liquids to a boil with salt. Whisk in cornmeal until no lumps remain. Reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add pepper, EVOO, and cheese. Stir until combined.

For the Mushrooms, heat EVOO in a medium skillet. Add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook until tender. Add wine to deglaze the pan and remove from heat.

Scoop polenta into a bowl. Top with Marsala mushrooms. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.

Chipotle Chicken and Corn Chowder

 

Even though winter is my least favorite season, I love soup season. The flavors in this Chipotle Chicken and Corn Chowder are perfectly balanced. It's a hearty soup full of comfort food favorites - chicken, corn, and cheese - with a twist of the perfect amount of spice from the peppers.


Click here for recipe from Brown Eyed Baker

Crunchy Black Bean Tacos

 

I’ve been traveling a lot lately for work and cooking dinner is the last thing on my mind. Crunchy Black Bean Tacos are the perfect fix for busy weeknights. Seasoned black beans loaded with flavor are packed between a crunchy corn tortilla shell stuffed with cheese and my favorite taco toppings. The best part of this meal – it tastes great and comes together in less than 15 minutes!

 

Crunchy Black Bean Tacos

Ingredients:

·1 recipe for Seasoned Black Beans (I made with pre-cooked dry black beans, or you can use canned)

·3 TBS extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

·6 corn tortillas

·½ cup shredded Monterey-Jack cheese
·1 tomato, diced

Directions:

Heat ½ TBS extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) in a skillet. Add corn tortilla. Spoon 1/4 cup or so of Seasoned Black Beans on one half of the tortilla shell. Sprinkle with cheese and tomatoes.

Use a spatula and fold tortilla on half, on top of the side with the beans. Gently press down. Cook for 3 minutes per side until crispy. Repeat as needed to finish making Crunchy Black Bean Tacos.

If you use a large pan, you can do more than one at a time. Serve with your favorite taco toppings (sour cream, salsa, guacamole, etc.).

Chipotle Black Bean Macaroni and Cheese

 

This spicy vegetarian dish has incredibly robust flavors and comes together in 30 minutes. If you have a meat lover in your family that likes black beans, they won't miss the meat in this hearty dish.

Chipotle Black Bean Macaroni and Cheese

Slightly modified from Serious Eats

Ingredients:

·2 TBS cornstarch
·8oz. skim milk
·2 eggs
·½ lb. gluten free elbow macaroni shells (I use Tinkyada brown rice gluten free shells)
·1½ cups cooked black beans (you can substitute canned if you’d prefer – just drain and rinse)
·2 TBS chipotle chilies in adobo sauce puree (see note below or read my tip on chipotle chilies in adobo here)
·1 jalapeno chili, finely minced
·1 cup shredded cheddar jack cheese
·2 tsp dried cilantro
·1 tomato, diced
·4 green onions, chopped

Directions:
Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta cooking water.

In a medium bowl, whisk together cornstarch, milk, and eggs until well-combined. Set aside.

Return drained pasta to large pot and add cooking water, black beans, chipotle chilies in adobo puree, jalapeno pepper, milk mixture, and cheese. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until cheese is melted and sauce is creamy and smooth. Be careful not to heat too quickly or stop stirring as the eggs in the milk mixture might cook into scrambled eggs. Stir in cilantro and green onions. Serve immediately.

 

Note: For the chipotle chilies in adobo sauce puree, buy a small can of chipotle chilies in adobo sauce from the grocery store. It’s usually found in the Hispanic foods section with other Hispanic-inspired sauces and ingredients. When you open the can, you’ll find whole chipotle chilies sitting in adobo sauce. Seed the chipotle chilies (if you desire less heat) and then puree the entire can of adobo sauce and whole chipotle chilies together. Use the amount needed for the recipe, then freeze the rest flattened in a marked plastic bag. Next time a recipe calls for chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, all you’ll need to do is break off a piece from the freezer. I love this tip, as I never need an entire can of chipotle chilies in adobo for one recipe, but cook with the ingredient a few times a month. This tip also works great for tomato paste and pumpkin if a recipe only calls for a few teaspoons or tablespoons.

Zuppa Italiano

 

Zuppa Italiano is a creamy meat and potatoes Italian soup. It’s comfort food that tastes rich and is packed with complex flavors.

Zuppa Italiano
Modified from Hy-Vee

Ingredients:

·4 slices turkey bacon, chopped
·1 lb. spicy Italian turkey sausage, removed from the casing
·1 large onion, chopped
·2 tsp minced garlic
·½ tsp red pepper
·5 cups chicken broth
·2 large potatoes, thinly sliced and chopped
·½ tsp salt
·½ cup heavy cream
·½ cup Greek yogurt
·2 packed cups of kale, trimmed and chopped

Directions:
In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon, set aside, and drain any grease from the pan.

Add the sausage, onion, garlic, and red pepper to the saucepan. Cook over medium heat until sausage is brown. Add chicken broth, potatoes, and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together cream and Greek yogurt until well-combined and no lumps remain. Add cream mixture, bacon, and kale to the soup. Heat through and serve.