Quinoa Herb Muffins

Based on herbed rice muffins that are somewhere else on this blog, these quinoa-stuffed muffins are great with soup. I am not fond of quinoa flour, but I love quinoa itself, so when I wanted herbed rice muffins but had no brown rice cooked, the best idea seemed to be to cook up some quinoa and swap it into the recipe.

1/2 cup quinoa, cooked in 1 cup water until tender and water is absorbed, then cooled a bit

3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup amaranth flour
1/2 cup potato starch flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch flour
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1 tsp xanthan gum
4 tso baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp each dried basil, marjoram, and oregano
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

3 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup (generous!) freshly, finely grated Parmesan cheese

Grease 12 muffin tins.

In a medium bowl, whisk flours and starches, flaxseed meal, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, herbs, and cheese.

In a large bowl, combine quinoa (making sure it's cool enough to not cook the eggs), oil, eggs, milk, and cheese. Whisk until well combined.

Stir into dry ingredients, just to mix.

Fill prepared muffin tins about 3/4 full. Bake muffins at 400F for 20 to 25 minutes.

Cream Cheese Pastry for Savouries

This makes perfect little gluten-free turnovers to serve as Christmas finger food. I have only tried this cream-cheese pastry with savoury fillings so far, to bring out the cheesiness of the cream cheese. I bet brie and cranberry chutney would be marvellous, or almost any savoury thing you would ordinarily wrap in phyllo pastry bundles.

3/4 cup cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup sweet rice flour
1/3 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup potato starch
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp xanthan gum

Beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Beat in sugar and salt. Stir in flours, starches, and xanthan gum just to blend. Form into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least one hour.

Roll out on a rice-floured surface to 1/8” thickness. Cut 3” rounds. Fill with 1 tsp of your favourite savoury pre-cooked filling. Brush edges with beaten egg and fold over rounds to seal. Prick with a fork. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes, until golden.

Herbed Rice Muffins

Savoury quickbreads to serve on their own or with cheese or soup or other deliciousness. Much simpler to put together than yeast bread, and a great way to use leftover rice. If you wished to add to these muffins, some chopped sun-dried tomato in oil would be lovely, or, alternatively, some minced red and/or green sweet pepper.

1 cup cooked, cooled brown basmati rice
3 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs
1 cup milk

3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup amaranth flour
1/2 cup potato starch flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch flour
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1 tsp xanthan gum
4 tso baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp each dried basil, marjoram, and oregano
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup (generous!) freshly, finely grated Parmesan cheese

Grease or line 12 muffin tins.

In a large bowl, combine rice, oil, and milk. Whisk until well combined.

In a medium bowl, whisk flours and starches, flaxseed meal, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, herbs, and cheese. Stir into wet ingredients, just to mix.

Fill prepared muffin tins about 3/4 full. Bake muffins at 400F for 20 to 25 minutes. (The colder the leftover rice is, the longer the cooking time.)

Parmesan "Shortbread"

A whole new take on icebox cookies, these "shortbreads" are a decadent appetizer to serve with a savoury jam or jelly. Adapted from Canadian Living, December 2002.

1/4 cup amaranth flor
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tbsp cracked peppercorns

Whisk flours and starches with xanthan gum and Parmesan. Cut in butter until crumbly. Press crumbs into a neat ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Divide dough in half. On a lightly rice-floured surface, form each into an 8" log, pressing crumbs together as tightly as possible to form a coherent log. Roll each log in cracked pepper, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm.

Cut into 1/4" slices using a serrated knife and place about 1" apart on a pan lined with parchment paper or a silicone sheet. Bake in the centre of 250F oven until lightly browned and fragrant, about 1 hour.

Gluten-Free Cheddar-Pepper Tartlets

This recipe is another one adapted from Canadian Living for gluten-free diets -- with a few additions that suit our taste for spice. These are a favourite appetizer for any occasion. We use jalapeno pepper jelly made from home-grown organic peppers. A 1/2 cup jar is just enough for one batch of 36 tartlets.

1/2 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup potato starch
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
1 cup finely grated, well-packed old Cheddar
2 tbsp (approx) ice water
1/2 cup jalapeno pepper jelly -- recipe below (or other savoury jelly)

Whisk together flours, pepper, and salt. Cut in butter until in fine crumbs. Stir in cheese. Add water one tablespoonful at a time, tossing with a fork, until dough begins to form clumps. Do not use too much water in gluten-free pastry; it will cause toughness.

Press dough into a disc, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour. Divide dough into 36 pieces. Press each piece into a tartlet cup, pressing onto bottom and up sides. Prick bottoms with a fork. Spoon about 1/2 tsp of the pepper jelly into each cup.

Bake at 375F for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp and golden. Let cool in the pan 5 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on a rack.

Jalapeno Pepper Jelly: Mince 5 (or more) jalapeno peppers. Include the seeds to make a hotter jelly; discard the seeds to tame the heat. Place minced jalapenos in a 4 cup measure, and add minced red and green sweet peppers to fill to 4 cups. Pour into a large saucepan and add 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar. In a separate small bowl, whisk 1 box light pectin crystals with 1/4 cup of sugar. Slowly add this mixture to prepared peppers in the saucepan. Place over high heat and stir constantly until mixture returns to a full boil. Stir in 3 cups sugar. Stir constantly as mixture returns to a full boil. Continue to stir and boil hard for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Skim off foam with metal spoon. Pour quickly into warm jars filling to 1/8” from the top. Process in boiling water bath. Yields about 5 cups.