Recipe: Batter Fried Razor Clams

Mmmm, clams....  When it comes to the delicate flavor of clams, the simpler the recipe, the better. This one hits the spot when you're looking to indulge with something fried.... Simple, and delicious is the best way to describe these fried clams. They're easy to make at home - no frying equipment needed but your trusty cast iron skillet!

Batter Fried Razor Clams

Ingredients:

Razor clams. (Photo credit: queenkv)

15 razor clams
high heat cooking oil
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup cracker crumbs
3 whole eggs
salt to taste

Directions:

• Clean and rinse the clams as needed; make sure you drain and dry them well.
• Stir together the flour, cracker crumbs, and eggs in a bowl until you have a batter.  Let batter rest for 5 minutes.
• Now put the clams in the batter, stir around to coat well.
• Get out a large heavy cast iron skillet and pour in enough oil so you have about 1/2 inch in the skillet.  Heat over medium high heat until oil sizzles when a drop of water is dropped in.
• Carefully pick up a few clams, let the batter run off a little, then gently place in the hot oil. Fry undisturbed for 1 minute, then carefully flip over and fry another minute or until batter is golden brown.
• Remove to a paper towel covered rack and immediately sprinkle with salt to taste. Serve warm.

Recipe: Crispy Zucchini Blossom Croutons

Happy 4th of July! Today we've got an interesting recipe for you. This is a delicious and unusual way to use the edible blossoms of zucchini and summer squash to make your summer salads even more special! These make an unforgettable addition to a summer dinner party - such as your 4th of July feast.

Crispy Zucchini Blossom Croutons

Ingredients:

Zucchini blossoms(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

10 to 12 small zucchini blossoms
1 cup flour
salt and pepper
2 eggs
1 Tbsp milk
2 cups Panko
salt and pepper

Directions:

• Pick small zucchini blossoms that are growing on a long stem, not at the end of a tiny zucchini. Immediately rinse under water, gently and quickly, then lay out on a towel and pat dry.
• Cut the stem off to within a half inch of blossom. Take a sharp paring knife and trim off the pointy leaves from just above the stem, the ones that surround the blossoms at the bottom. 
• With your sharp knife, make a slice from the bottom of the blossom up through the petals until you can lay the blossom out 'butterfly' style.
• Remove the stamen or pistil and gently wash off any pollen that may still be in the inside of the blossom. Close the blossoms back up and lay them on a clean platter or tray.
• Mix the flour and salt and pepper together in a bowl; then dust over the blossoms, turn them over, and dust the other side.
• In a shallow dish, whisk together the egg and milk.
• In another shallow dish, sprinkle the Panko and season with salt and pepper.
• Now, take each flour dusted blossom and first dip in egg-milk mixture, let excess drain off, then roll in Panko mixture, and set back on tray.
• When all are dipped and ready, prepare a skillet for frying. Add frying oil, such as peanut oil, to about 1/2 to 3/4 inch deep, just high enough so blossoms are covered by half. Turn heat to high and when oil is very hot, take blossoms and start putting them slowly into oil, one at a time, without crowding the pan. Flip blossoms when they are golden brown and continue frying until browned on both sides.
• Remove immediately to a paper towel covered cooling rack.
• Sprinkle blossoms with more salt before they cool.
• Serve these 'croutons' on top of a prepared green salad using a variety of mixed greens.

Recipe: Gluten-Free Pizza Crust

Obviously on a gluten-free diet, you may think that pizza is one of the first things to go. But if pizza's a household favorite, don't despair! Although it may be known as the ultimate take-out food, it's actually not that hard to make pizza at home, and this version eliminates the gluten, so you can still enjoy all of your favorite toppings, on a gluten-free crust.

Gluten-Free Pizza Crust

Ingredients:

Pizza crust dough. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1 Tbsp quick-rising yeast
1 cup milk, warmed
2 tsp sugar or honey
2/3 cup white bean flour
1/3 cup tapioca flour
2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 Tbsp canola oil
rice flour or corn flour for dusting
gluten-free toppings as desired

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 12 inch pizza pan.
2. In bowl, combine yeast and sugar or honey, then add warm milk, stir gently, and let sit for 5 minutes.
3. In another bowl, put the white bean flour, tapioca flour, xanthan gum, salt, and Italian seasoning, then mix with a whisk or fork.
4. Pour in the milk/yeast to the dry ingredients, add the oil, then with an electric mixer on medium-low speed, mix until well blended. The dough will be slightly sticky and soft.
5. Remove dough to the pizza pan and sprinkle on top well with the rice flour or corn flour. Then, using your hands, gently spread the dough out to form a pizza crust shape, sprinkling with more flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to your fingers. 
6. Bake pizza crust in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove and top with any gluten-free sauce and toppings you like, then put back in oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until toppings are cooked through and cheese is melted. Remove and allow to cool slightly, then slice and serve.

Recipes: Gluten Free Flour Mixes

Obviously one of the hardest things for many people about going on a gluten-free diet is giving up breads and pastas. But there are lots of good substitutes available for wheat flour now, so you don't have to go without all your favorite breads and desserts - just be sure you are using gluten-free flours instead.

Here are several gluten-free flour mixes you can make at home, to make sure you  know what's in your baked goods. Each also contains suggestions for use for each mix.

Just make some of these up ahead of time, and store in air-tight containers to use when baking or cooking breakfast items like pancakes and waffles.

Rice Soy Flour Mix
(Makes 1 cup.)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup soy flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour

• Mix together and store in an airtight container until ready to use.
• Makes a good flour to use in pancake batter or for brownies.

Baking Flour Mix
(Makes 3 cups.)

Ingredients:
2 cups rice flour
2/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup tapioca flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum

• Mix together and store in an airtight container until ready to use.
• Makes a good flour to use in breads, rolls, and other baked goods.

Rice Potato Flour Mix
(Makes 12 cups.)

Ingredients:
8 cups rice flour
2 2/3 cups potato starch
1 1/3 cup tapioca flour

• Mix together and store in an airtight container until ready to use.

Lighten Up Rice Flour Mix
(Makes 12 1/4 cups.)

Ingredients:
4 cups rice flour
4 cups tapioca flour
4 cups cornstarch
1/4 cup potato flour

• Mix together and store in an airtight container until ready to use.
• Try this flour for foods where a lighter texture is called for.

Recipe: Leftover Sweet Potato Cake

If you're looking for a sweet way to use up some of those holiday leftovers, treat yourself to this wonderful and unique cake! Leftover sweet potatoes add fiber, flavor, and beautiful color, while the rich flavor is accented with vanilla, spices, and a tangy hint of beer - it may sound odd, but try it - you'll be glad you did! (Feel free to cut down on the sugar - with the sweetness of the potatoes you shouldn't need this much - I would probably only use about a cup or so.)

Leftover Sweet Potato Cake

Ingredients:

(Photo credit: SheGotTheBeat)

1 3/4 cups white sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil or coconut oil
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups leftover sweet potatoes, mashed
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup beer

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, add the sugar and vegetable oil and mix together until smooth.
3. Into the bowl with the sugar and oil, put one egg at a time, beating each one as you add them.
4. Into the same bowl, stir in the vanilla, then add the mashed sweet potatoes and blend well. 
5. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
6. Add small amounts of this dry mixture to the sweet potato mixture, alternating with small amounts of the beer until everything comes together; but do NOT over mix. 
7. Turn this batter out into the prepared baking dish.
8. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Remove and cool, then slice and serve as is or top with your favorite frosting - cream cheese frosting works great!

What Is Gluten & Where Is It Found?

There are some words that enter our vernacular rather suddenly without much in the way of a formal introduction. The word 'gluten' is one such word. If you discuss eating, cooking, or diets at all, you have probably heard the word. You may have heard about people who have to avoid gluten. Perhaps you or someone you know has to follow a 'gluten-free' diet.

In this article, we will discuss the basics about gluten - what it is and where it is found. Let's look at the dictionary definition first:

Wheat gluten flour (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Glu·ten; (noun): A protein substance present in grains, such as wheat, that is responsible for the elastic texture of dough. From the Latin 'gluten' meaning 'glue.'

To explore that definition further, let's look at the scientific definition: According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health; "Gluten proteins play a key role in determining the unique baking quality of wheat by conferring water absorption capacity, cohesivity, viscosity and elasticity on dough."

That's the definition and the science, but that just seems to bring up more questions. Does this mean that gluten is just found in wheat bread? No. It's more complicated than that.

Let's begin with a list of grains with gluten. Some you will recognize immediately, while others may be less well known to you.

Barley
Bulgur
Couscous
Durum
Farina
Faro
Matzo
Orzo
Panko
Rye
Seitan
Semolina
Spelt
Udon
Wheat

As you can see, gluten can be found in many other places than wheat alone. All these foods contain gluten, the protein that creates elasticity and cohesiveness when processed. It's what makes bread, cookies, and pasta stick together.

It's easy to see now where you would find gluten in baked goods, pasta, and even in crackers and crispy coatings on fried chicken. But, there are surprising places that you might not expect to find this protein. Because of gluten's versatility in both cohesiveness and as a leavening agent, gluten is a handy additive to have around in many food processes.

Let's take a look at some other foods where are likely to find gluten:

Beer, ale, lager
Bacon Bits, imitation
Coating mixes
Communion wafers
Candy
Luncheon meats
Broth
Roux
Sauces, condiments
Soup bases
Self-basting poultry
Soy sauce
Marinades
Medicines
Vitamin and mineral supplements
Lipsticks, lip gloss, lip balms
Play Dough

In each of these items, gluten is often present as an additive used to bind or leaven.

Gluten free beer made from sorghum in an American supermarket. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Now that you see how many products contain gluten, I'm sure you'd like to know where you won't find gluten. Again, some of these items may be familiar while others may not. Let's take a look at a short list of gluten-free food items.

Amaranth
Arrowroot
Buckwheat
Corn
Flax
Millet
Potato flour
Nut flours and meal
Quinoa
Rice and rice bran
Sorghum
Soy
Tapioca
Oats*

*Although oats are considered gluten-free, they are processed so often with other grains, such as wheat, barley, and rye, that oats are often 'contaminated.' This means that when purchasing commercial grade oats, you will most likely be getting some gluten in the finished product simply by being in the same batch, bin, or vat. You should look for oat products specifically labeled "gluten free" if you want to avoid gluten in your oats.

Now that you know what gluten is, and where gluten is, and isn't, you will have a working knowledge of how to recognize a diet with gluten, and a diet without gluten. These lists are beneficial to anyone with an intolerance to gluten, but are by no means all-inclusive. Any symptoms of celiac disease or gluten intolerance should be diagnosed by your physician or other health care professional.

And for some gluten-free recipes and cooking tips, be sure to stay tuned to this blog!

Campfire Recipe: Fire Fried Trout With Lemon Mustard Sauce

There's nothing more satisfying than settling down to a meal that you not only prepared, but caught yourself! If you like to fish, this is a great way to prepare your fresh catch over the campfire. Just bring along a cast iron skillet and a couple of everyday ingredients that will elevate your catch from the simple to the sublime, then revel in the results of your skills as a hunter - and a chef! :-)

Fire Fried Trout With Lemon Mustard Sauce
(Serves 4.)

Cleaned trout. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ingredients:

4 fresh trout, cleaned and patted dry
1/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup flour
3 Tbsp oil for frying
3 Tbsp butter for frying
2 Tbsp butter for sauce
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp parsley flakes
2 Tbsp lemon juice

Instructions:

1. In a shallow pan, mix together milk and salt.
2. In another shallow pan, put the flour.
3. Dip the trout first in the milk, then dredge in the flour; set aside.
4. Put the skillet over fire, add oil and the butter for frying and heat skillet until it sizzles.
5. Add trout to hot pan and fry until crispy and flaky; remove fish from skillet to platter.
6. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp butter to skillet to make sauce, stirring in the mustard, parsley flakes, and lemon juice, letting the mixture come to a boil, stirring constantly.
7. When sauce has thickened a bit, remove the skillet from the fire.
8. Pour sauce over the trout and serve immediately.

Recipe: Easy Walnut Cookie Squares

Mmmm-mmm-mmmm! Nothing like using superfoods as an excuse to eat cookies, right?  :-)  This recipe incorporates lots of heart-healthy walnuts, and fresh eggs full of Omega 3's - and it's fast and easy, and really tasty! Try this one to satisfy your sweet tooth without feeling too bad about it.

Easy Walnut Cookie Squares

Walnuts (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
2 cups shelled walnuts, chopped
2 eggs (from pasture-raised hens)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

•  Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and baking soda.
• Add the brown sugar and walnuts and mix until blended well.
• In separate bowl, whisk eggs together with vanilla extract.
• Stir egg mixture into dry mixture and stir until combined.
• Press dough onto bottom of baking sheet.
• Bake in preheated oven at 325 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until browned lightly.
• Remove and let cool on rack, then cut into squares.

Recipe: Sweet Blueberry Almond Bars

These tasty streusel-like bars are a great dessert or a yummy snack. Fresh-ground almond flour gives a lovely nutty flavor to these bars, which include the healthy benefits of both nuts and fresh blueberries, as well as cinnamon. These make a tasty on-the-run snack, and the kids will like them too!

Sweet Blueberry Almond Bars

Ingredients:

Almonds (Photo credit: Shelby PDX)

1/2 cup blanched almonds, toasted and ground fine
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp confectioners sugar, divided
1 1/4 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature (organic if possible)
1/4 tsp pure almond extract
1 lb fresh blueberries
1 orange, zested

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper; or butter the pan, dust with flour, and shake out excess.
• Toast almonds on baking sheet in 350 oven for 10 to 15 minutes, shaking often, until golden brown; then put in blender or food processor and grind until fine.
• Put flour, ground almonds, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.
• In mixing bowl put 3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp sugar and butter, and mix with beater until light and fluffy.
• Add almond extract and continue beating until just blended.
• Slowly add flour mixture, mixing with beater on medium until crumbly texture develops. 
• Remove 1 cup of crumbly dough from bowl and set aside.
• Press remaining dough into a crust just on the bottom of the baking pan.
• In a bowl, toss together the blueberries, orange zest, and remaining 1 Tbsp sugar; arrange evenly over the dough in pan.
• Take 1 cup of crumbly dough that was set aside and sprinkle over blueberries evenly.
• Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown.
• Remove and let cool in pan for 10 minutes.
• Cut into squares when cool.

Recipe: Nutty Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

If you want to make a carrot cake to rival the Cheesecake Factory's version, but with less fat and calories, here is a great recipe to try. Substituting buttermilk for oil creates a moist, tender cake, with less fat and none of the trans-fats contained in vegetable oil. Choose reduced fat cream cheese, and you'll still get that creamy taste you crave, but with fewer calories. Dress it up with some additional walnuts on top, or just eat it with cream cheese frosting - either way, it's a tasty treat you can enjoy without leaving home!

Nutty Cream Cheese Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

Carrot cake (Photo credit: angrydicemoose)

Cake:
2 cups all-purpose Flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup regular table (granulated) sugar
3 large eggs
3/4 cup butter milk
3 medium size carrots, grated
1/2 cup chopped Walnuts

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
4 oz pkg reduced fat (Neufchatel) cream cheese, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cup confectioners sugar

Dressed Up Topping:
1/4 cup finely chopped Walnuts
2 Tbsp light brown sugar (packed)

Instructions:

Cake: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9 inch round cake pan first with a light coating of grease then sprinkle in flour, coat evenly, then tap pan so excess flour falls out; set aside.
2. In a bowl, stir together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt; set aside. 
3. In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugar and cream together at a medium speed until light and fluffy, then with mixer running, add one of the eggs, mixing until combined, then add another egg, mixing to combine, then add the final egg, mixing to combine.
4. Turn the mixer down to the low speed, then slowly start adding the dry ingredients in small batches, alternating in between each batch by adding some of the buttermilk.  Do this in about 3 steps - flour, milk, flour, milk, flour, milk, mixing until combined well.
5. Remove bowl from mixer and stir in the grated carrots and chopped walnuts until combined well; then pour this batter into your prepared cake pan. 
6. Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched with your finger or when a toothpick or skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean; remove and place cake pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.
7. Turn cake upside down to release it from the cake pan and continue to cool on the rack until completely cooled.

Cream cheese frosting:

• With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together butter and cream cheese until very smooth.  With mixer running, add vanilla extract and then confectioners sugar and continue beating until very smooth and fluffy.

Dressed up topping:

• In a bowl, mix together walnuts and brown sugar with a whisk or fork.
• To assemble; place cake on cake plate and spread frosting on top and up the sides, then sprinkle with the dressed up topping all over or just on the top.

Barley - Delicious and Nutritious (A Brief History)

Barley is stated by historians to be the oldest of all cultivated grains. It seems to have been the principal bread plant among the ancient Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans. The Jews especially held the grain in high esteem, and sacred history usually uses it interchangeably with wheat, when speaking of the fruits of the Earth.

Image by freefotouk via FlickrAmong the early Greeks and Romans, barley was almost the only food of the common people and the soldiers. The flour was made into gruel, after the following recipe: "Dry, near the fire or in the oven, twenty pounds of barley flour, then parch it. Add three pounds of linseed meal, half a pound of coriander seeds, two ounces of salt, and the water necessary." If an especially delectable dish was desired, a little millet was also added to give the paste more "cohesion and delicacy." Barley was also used whole as a food, in which case it was first parched, which is still the manner of preparing it in some parts of Palestine and many districts of India, also in the Canary Islands, where it is known as  gofio . 

In the time of Charles I, barley meal took the place of wheat almost entirely as the food of the common people in England. In some parts of Europe, India, and other Eastern countries, it is still largely consumed as the ordinary farinaceous food of the peasantry and soldiers. The early settlers of New England also largely used it for bread making. 

Barley is less nutritious than wheat, and to many people is less agreeable in flavor (although others prefer it). It is likewise somewhat inferior in point of digestibility. Its starch cells being less soluble, they offer more resistance to the gastric juice.

Image via WikipediaThere are several distinct species of barley, but that most commonly cultivated is designated as two-rowed, or two-eared barley. In general structure, the barley grain resembles wheat and oats.

Simply deprived of its outer husk, the grain is termed  Scotch milled  or  pot barley . Subjected still further to the process by which the fibrous outer coat of the grain is removed, it constitutes what is known as  pearl barley . Pearl barley ground into flour is known as  patent barley. Barley flour, owing to the fact that it contains so small a proportion of gluten, needs to be mixed with wheaten flour for bread-making purposes. When added in small quantity to whole-wheat bread, it has a tendency to keep the loaf moist, and is thought by some to improve the flavor.

The most general use made of this cereal as a food, is in the form of pearl, or Scotch, barley. When well boiled, barley requires about two hours for digestion.

Related Articles on Barley:

• Barley: The Superfood Grain (diet-blog.com)
• Nutritional Benefits of Barley (scienceray.com)
• Healthy Recipe: Barley and Greens Salad With Citrus Parmesan Dressing (fitsugar.com)