Gluten Free Cheesecake Recipe

Last week was my mother's 70th birthday!  She just moved out to Oregon in December, and my father will be moving here within the week.  My parents live 1/4 of a mile from us now, and I am extremely thankful that they have moved to be closer to us.  Since my father is not here yet, I wanted to make my mother's birthday special.  So, my husband made salmon (per my mother's and son's request) and popcorn shrimp (per my daughter's request).  And we ended the evening with this cheesecake, my mother's favorite dessert.  The kids made some birthday cards, and my son played "Happy Birthday" to her on his guitar.  It was a wonderful evening, and I was so happy to get to spend the special day with her!  Here is my recipe.

Gluten Free Cheesecake

• 1 cup whole almonds (about 4 ounces)
• 1 1/4 cups plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 2 pounds nuefchatel cream cheese, at room temperature
• 4 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• Boiling water, for baking

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 

Using a food processor, pulse the almonds and 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar until finely chopped.   Add the butter and pulse until combined.  Press the nut mixture evenly into a 9-inch springform pan.  Bake until the crust is slightly browned, about 10-15 minutes.  Take it out of the oven and lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees.  

While the crust is cooling, place the pan on a long piece of aluminum foil.  Fold the foil up the sides of the pan.  Set it in a large baking dish or roasting pan.  

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese at low speed until it is fluffy for about 1 minute.  Gradually beat in the remaining 1 1/4 cups sugar until smooth and creamy.  It should take 1-2 minutes.  Beat in the eggs and egg yolks 1 at a time, making sure that all of the ingredients are combining well together.  Beat in the sour cream, lemon peel, and vanilla.

Pour the filling into the already baked crust.  Transfer to the oven and pour enough boiling water into the baking dish to reach halfway up the sides of the springform pan.  Bake until the edges are set and the center jiggles slightly.  In my oven, the cheesecake only took 60 minutes, but I have made this before in a different oven and it took 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Turn off the oven, prop the door open slightly and let the cake cool in the oven for 1 hour.  Remove the cake from the water bath and discard the foil.  Let the cake cool completely, then cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.  Then serve.

Cook's Notes:  Remember that this recipe calls for 2 pounds of cream cheese, which is 4- 8oz boxes.  I always seems to forget that and have to make a second trip to the grocery store!

This recipe is inspired by a recipe that was in the Rachael Ray Magazine a few years ago, and we fell in love with it.  My husband and I had never made cheesecake, but we thought we would give it a try.  This recipe is easy to follow, and I have never been disappointed the way it turns out.  It is light and fluffy, and the crushed up almonds in the crust blend well with the creamy cheesecake.  It is absolutely delicious!  I hope you enjoy it!

<3 Cassidy

Gluten Free Spring Pea Dip Recipe

We went to a friend's house this evening to have a casual dinner, so our children could spend some time together.  Our friends had dinner covered, so we brought some appetizers.  We bought a veggie tray at Albertson's and I made my Pea Dip.  I found this recipe from Good Housekeeping last summer, and I have made this for many pot luck events since.  This pea dip is a beautiful addition to the table.  The bright green color of the peas can add color to your table presentation.  Plus, it is light and summery, and it can help channel summertime, even though the weather in the Pacific NW hasn't caught up yet.  This dip can be made with spring peas from your garden, but our peas were not ready.  Thankfully, we always have frozen peas, and this recipe works well with either fresh or frozen peas.  Here is my version of the Spring Pea Dip.

  
Gluten Free Spring Pea Dip

2 cups fresh peas shelled from the pod or 2 cups frozen peas
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

Heat 2 inches of water in a quart saucepan over high heat.  Once it is boiling, add the peas and return to boil.    Reduce heat to medium and cover.  Cook the peas for 3 minutes or until the peas are tender.  Drain the peas  in a colander and then rinse with cold water to stop the peas from cooking anymore. Once peas are completely drained, pour the peas into the food processor with the knife blade attachment.  Add the mint and salt and puree.  Add the ricotta cheese and Parmesan and mix again.  

Transfer to a small bowl and serve with vegetables or a gluten free cracker.  If you are not ready to serve, cover tightly and refrigerate.  

Enjoy!

<3 Cassidy

Gluten Free Pizza

Pizza has been one of the things that I have missed since I started eating a mostly grain free diet.  I am not able to use the mixes, because they use flours that I cannot eat.  I tried making an almond flour crust, but I was never able to truly convince my taste buds that I was eating pizza.  Then I was on Pinterest, and I saw a recipe for a Flourless Pizza Crust by Gluten Free Easily.  I was so excited, that I put the ingredients on my shopping list immediately.  When we decided that we were going to have this for dinner, I asked my husband if he wanted to make a non- gluten free pizza for him and the children in addition to the gluten free pizza.  He thought that the recipe looked really promising, so we decided to take a chance.  I was so hopeful that this recipe would turn out well, but it far exceeded my expectations.  This is my recipe.

Gluten Free Pizza

Crust:
4 ounces Neufchatel cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp garlic
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Topping:
1/3 cup pizza sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Any toppings you prefer

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

You will need a 9x13 glass baking dish.  Grease the baking dish with grapeseed oil and then line it with parchment paper.  Set aside.

 For the crust, I used a medium bowl and whisk attachment on my Cuisinart Mixer.  Whisk the cream cheese until it is smooth and creamy.  Then add the eggs until they are blended with the cream cheese and smooth.  Add the Parmesan cheese and seasonings.  Stir in 2 cups of mozzarella until it is completely moistened.  Spread the mixture evenly over the parchment lined baking dish.  Bake the crust at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, until it is evenly browned, but not too dark.

Let it cool for a few minutes on a wire rack.  When it is slightly cool, lift the crust using the parchment paper.  Depending on the amount of time you have, you can cool the crust completely on the counter or cool it by placing it in the freezer for up to 30 minutes.  The goal is to dry out the crust enough so that it will be crispy/chewy and you can pick it up in your hands.   

Once the crust is cooled, remove the parchment paper and place the crust back in the same pan.  The pan already has enough grease in it to prevent sticking.  Spread pizza sauce on the crust, and then spread no more than 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.  Then finish with whatever toppings you choose.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until the toppings are bubbly and look the way you like your pizza.  Let the pizza stand for a few minutes before cutting.  Then eat the most delicious flourless, gluten free pizza that you have ever eaten!

As you can see, everyone in my house loved it!  The 4 of us ate the whole thing!  It tasted just like pizza, but there was no flour in it.  I finally was able to satisfy my pizza cravings.  Since we made this, my daughter has even asked to have it again.  She likes it better than pizza with flour in it.  I was truly amazed.  I really hope that you will try it and share it with the people you love.  Enjoy!

Cassidy