Holiday Foods

As we are entering the holiday season, or as my husband calls it pie season, I wanted to share some of our favorite egg-free holiday recipes.  Click on the link below each picture for the recipe.  I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Herb Turkey Breast {Slow-cooker} (EF, DF, GF)

Pot Roast {Slow-cooker} (EF, DF, GF)

Cornbread Dressing (EF, DF)

Mashed Potatoes (EF, DF, GF)

Cinnamon Jello Salad (EF, DF, GF)

Cranberry Nut Bread (EF, DF)

Pumpkin Pie (EF, GF)

Pecan Cobbler (EF)

Pecan Caramel Cheesecake (EF, GF)

Cut Out Cookies (EF)

Pecan Caramel Cheesecake {Egg-free, Gluten-free}

During all of our egg-free and gluten-free Christmas festivities and celebrating with family, I also made this Pecan Caramel Cheesecake.  This is a slight adaptation of my previously posted recipe for Cheesecake (EF, GF), which was shown served with fresh berries.  

If you need a gluten-free cheesecake, I especially like how the ground pecans enhance the taste of crust when made with gluten-free cookie crumbs.  I think it adds some flavor and richness to the crust.

Pecan Caramel Cheesecake

3 pkg 8 oz cream cheese

1 c sugar

1 pkg gelatin (1 oz)

3 T cold water

1 c evaporated milk (8 oz)

2 t vanilla

1 3/4 c graham cracker crumbs or gluten-free cookie¹

¼ c finely ground pecans

6 T butter or margarine, softened

1/3 c sugar

Caramel sauce²

8-10 Pecan halves

Be sure the cream cheese and butter are at room temperature prior to starting.

Preheat oven to 325^o.  Mix graham cracker crumbs, ground pecans, butter and 1/3 c sugar and press into the bottom and slightly up the sides of a spring form pan.  Set aside while preparing the filling.

Sprinkle gelatin over water to soften.  Set aside.  Using an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese until fluffy.  Gradually add sugar and vanilla.  Bring evaporated milk to a soft boil.  Remove from heat and add softened gelatin, stirring until dissolved.   Let cool slightly.  Very gradually while mixing constantly, add the milk and gelatin mixture to the cream cheese mixture.  Once fully incorporated, scrap the sides of bowl to make sure all of the cream cheese is mixed in.  Pour into pan over prepared crust.

Bake at 325^o for 1 hour.  Turn oven off.  Leave cake in oven and set the door ajar for 1 additional hour.  Chill overnight or 4 hours before serving. 

While cheesecake is chilling, toast pecan halves at 350^o for 8-10 minutes in oven.  Remove and cool.  Prior to serving, top cheesecake with caramel sauce and toasted pecan halves.

  

Serves 8-10

¹I use gluten-free S’moreables Graham Style Crackers and they work great.  Depending on how sensitive you are to eggs, they were noted as may contain eggs.  My husband is not as sensitive as some.  He cannot have anything with egg ingredients but he can have something that may be proceeded on equipment with items containing egg. 

²Check your labels carefully on the caramel sauce.  Several had gluten and or egg!  I used Smucker’s Simple DelightSalted Caramel Topping.  This topping had, well, simple ingredients.  If you are allergic to gluten, it does have vanilla extract and does not specify that it is gluten free.  So, if you are fairly sensitive, you may want to check with the manufacture or try a different brand.

Cheesecake {Egg-free, Gluten-free}

If your holiday season was anything like ours, it was full of parties and gatherings with friends and family.  This can be a little stressful when food allergies are involved.  At one such gathering, my husband and his brother were present.  My husband is allergic to eggs and my brother-in-law is allergic to gluten.  Hmm, what to have for dessert?  How about egg-free, gluten-free cheesecake?!  It was a big hit with everyone!  Those without food allergies said they would have never known it was egg-free and gluten-free, if we hadn't told them.  I topped this delicious cheesecake with a simple fresh berry topping, which I will post soon!

If you like this recipe, you may also like my recipe for Chocolate Chip Cheesecake (EF).

Update (01/09/15):  I increased the cooking temperature up to 325^o (previously 300^o).  It doesn't make a huge difference but the cheesecake turns slightly more golden and has a slightly improved texture at the higher temperature.

Cheesecake

3 pkg 8 oz cream cheese

1 c sugar

1 pkg gelatin (1 oz)

3 T cold water

1 c evaporated milk (8 oz)

2 t vanilla

2 c graham cracker crumbs or gluten-free cookie*

1 stick butter or margarine, softened

1/3 c sugar

Set the cream cheese and butter out until they reach room temperature, prior to starting.

Preheat oven to 325^o.  Mix graham cracker crumbs, butter and 1/3 c sugar and press into the bottom and slightly up the sides of a spring form pan.  Set aside while preparing the filling. 

Sprinkle gelatin over water to soften.  Set aside.  Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until fluffy.  Gradually add sugar and vanilla.  Bring evaporated milk to a soft boil.  Remove from heat and add softened gelatin, stirring until dissolved.   Let cool slightly.  Very gradually while mixing constantly, add the milk and gelatin mixture to the cream cheese mixture.  Once fully incorporated, scrap the sides of bowl to make sure all of the cream cheese is mixed in.  Pour into pan over prepared crust.

Bake at 325^o for 1 hour.  Turn oven off.  Leave cake in oven and set the door ajar for 1 additional hour.  Chill overnight or 4 hours before serving.  Serves 8-10

*I used gluten-free S’moreables Graham Style Crackers and they worked out great.  It was an 8 ounce package and when I crushed them up it came out almost perfectly to two cups.  Depending on how sensitive you are to eggs, they were noted as may contain eggs.  My husband is not as sensitive as some.  He cannot have anything with egg ingredients but he can have something that may be proceeded on equipment with items containing egg. 

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake {Egg-free}

There are countless recipes for "no-bake" cheesecakes that do not contain egg.  But it is really hard to find a recipe for an egg-free baked cheesecake.  Don't get me wrong, the "no-bake" varieties can be really good but they are generally softer and lack that baked texture we so love to treat ourselves to, especially when dining out.  After some trial and error, I came up with a baked cheesecake recipe.  This chocolate chip cheesecake recipe is actually a variation of a plain Cheesecake (EF, GF) recipe I created.  The plain version can easily be made gluten-free, as well as egg-free.

Update (01/09/15):  I increased the cooking temperature up to 325^o (previously 300^o).  It doesn't make a huge difference but the cheesecake turns slightly more golden and has a slightly improved texture at the higher temperature.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

2 c chocolate cookie crumbs*

6 T butter or margarine (softened)

1/4 c sugar

3 pkg 8 oz cream cheese

1 c sugar

1 pkg gelatin

3 T cold water

1 c (8oz) evaporated milk

2 t vanilla

1 t all-purpose flour

1 c mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Be sure the cream cheese and butter are at room temperature prior to starting.

Preheat oven to 325^o.  Mix cookie crumbs, butter and 1/4 c sugar and press into the bottom and slightly up the sides of a spring form pan.  Set aside while preparing the filling.

Sprinkle gelatin over water to soften.  Set aside.  Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until fluffy.  Gradually add sugar and vanilla.  Bring evaporated milk to a soft boil.  Remove from heat and add softened gelatin, stirring until dissolved.   Let cool slightly.  Very gradually while mixing constantly, add the milk and gelatin mixture to the cream cheese mixture.  Once fully incorpoated, scrap the sides of bowl to make sure all of the cream cheese is mixed in.  Toss 1/3 c of the chocolate chips with 1 t flour to coat (keeps them from sinking).  Mix coated chocolate chips into the cheesecake batter.  Pour into pan over prepared crust.  Sprinkle the top with the remaining chocolate chips.

Bake at 325^o for 1 hour or until top is lightly browned.  Turn oven off.  Leave cake in oven and set the door ajar for 1 hour.  Chill overnight or 4 hours before serving.  Serves 8

I melted some of the remaining chocolate chips in a freezer storage bag, snipped the corner and drizzled over fresh strawberries for a decorative topping.

* I licked scrapped the icing out of the greater portion of a package of Oreo cookies.  Then I put the chocolate wafers in a large plastic bag and crushed with a rolling pin.  Once crushed I measured the two cups.