Oatmeal Date Chocolate Cookies ~ Heart Smart and Gluten Free

UPDATE September 2012: I just thought I should jump in here and let people know some changes I have made to this recipe. The one below works just fine, but my baking style has changed a little bit.

I now use only sweet sorghum flour and millet flour. I find that these 2 work just great together. Sometimes I might add a touch of almond flour, if I have it around. I barely use xantham gum anymore, I just add another egg. When I do add an egg, I might need to add more flour. This recipe does need about 1/3 more if you add an egg. Oh...and I always add some golden flax meal...for the nutrition.

Cheers, everyone, and oh, I do find that the above tips works for most of my baked goods now......

Have a great day!

I got the recipe for Oatmeal-Date-Chocolate Cookies from Health Magazine, I just changed the flours, added an egg, and a touch of xanthan gum. The resulting cookie was moist, chewy and delicious. I loved them, and my children have declared them their favorite cookies ever.

Changes? In the future I would double the recipe; they are so good you can't help but grab yet another one. These also look like they would travel well; I would prefer to pack these for a snack on a hike with an apple than any gluten free bar. I might also add nuts on occasion, but I really enjoyed the uninterrupted chewy factor.

Oatmeal Date Chocolate Cookie
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup gluten free flour ( I love a mix of: equal parts brown rice & sweet sorghum with a bit of teff)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups gluten free oats
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped dates
4 ounces chocolate chips
(optional: nuts)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter over low heat in small pot, add brown sugar, take off heat and mix well. Combine dry ingredients in mixing bowl. Add eggs, vanilla and brown sugar/butter mixture. Fold in dates, chocolate, and nuts if using. Drop tablespoon size of batter on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for about 12 minutes .

Cheers!!

Some of my favorite products

Hi!!
Long time no blog. Sorry, life has been so busy, blogging has been pushed to the back of my list. I have been getting a lot of questions lately about good gluten free products for people just starting out on this lifestyle. I spent so much time and money at the beginning to find food that tasted good, and I would love to save someone else's time and money. I will be working on this list a little bit at a time, and adding in the links to sites later. For now, just google any products if you are interested. If I don't do this a bit at a time, I will never get this out. So bear with me, and check back, hopefully I will get this all tweaked in a couple of weeks.

Best gluten free pizza:
Joan's Gluten Free Great Bakes ~(the round NY one) Thick, chewy crust, delicious. When I get this, I am so happy. It tastes the closest to real pizza that I have tasted. No one has else has done such a great job. You can also get a plain crust and do your own toppings. Something I wish restaurants would do.
Better Than Bread ~ Thin crust pizza, yummy. I don't feel deprived when I have this.

Best pancakes:
Pamela's Pancake mix. Non-gluten free children tell me how much they love my pancakes.

Best Waffles:
Van's. I love mine pan fried with butter.

Best Bagels :
Joan's Gluten Free Great Bakes ~ Get them frozen, bake them fresh. Hot. Chewy. Yummy. She even makes a dairy free one. Do your self a favor and order some of these and some pizza at the same time to save shipping costs.

Best Bread:
Rudi's ~ I just found this at my local co-op. Great sandwich bread. Like a gluten free bread, best toasted.
Abigail's ~ Bakery in Weare, NH. They have this yummy cinnamon swirl bread made with millet that my children (who can eat gluten) adore as much as I do. It is a dense bread that can stand up to overnight French toast.
Berry Delicious ~ Bakery in Plymouth, NH. She has a sandwich bread that I love as a toast bread in the morning. Great texture.

Best Pie ~
Berry Delicious ~ Bakery in Plymouth, NH. Oh my. Her pie is awesome. I buy them frozen then bake them when I am going to serve them.

Best Brownie Mix ~
Pamela's, hands down.

I will be adding more to this list and getting the links in here soon. Good luck to those who are just starting out on this diet.

Cheers,
Danielle

Sauteed Apple Pumpkin Oven Pancake, Gluten Free

I got the original recipe from a New Hampshire newspaper, The Concord Monitor. It was adapted from A Harvest of Pumpkins and Squash, by Lou Seibert Pappas. This looked too good, I had to try and make it gluten free. Apples and pumpkin, the perfect fall foods.

The kid comments were amazing on this recipe, my daughter gave a double thumbs up (highest praise possible), and they even forgot to ask for syrup, at first. After the second helping they realized that they were eating pancakes, so they decided some maple syrup was needed.

This is a great recipe for brunch, or a weekend morning meal, or even a breakfast for supper night. At least these have a vegetable in there!!


Sauteed Apple Pumpkin Oven Pancake, Gluten Free

5 large eggs
1 can pumpkin
⅔ cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup sweet sorghum flour
1/3 cup brown rice flour
2-3 tablespoons golden flax meal (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons cinnamon, divided
pinch nutmeg (optional)
4 tablespoons packed light brown sugar, divided
3 tablespoons butter
4 large apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4 inch slices

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl, combine the eggs, milk, & vanilla. Add the can of pumpkin, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, and a pinch of nutmeg if desired. Mix in the flours, salt, and 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar, set aside.

In a large oven proof skillet over medium-high heat, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter. Add the apples and sauté until just tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and ½ teaspoon of the cinnamon. Stir to coat the apples, then remove the skillet from the heat.

Pour the batter over the hot apples, then bake until puffed and golden brown, set in the middle, about 25 to 35 minutes. We served ours with maple syrup and a small pat of butter on top.

Cheers!!

Some tips:

• You could probably get away with using 4 eggs, if you don't want to use 5. The pancake will probably be a little flatter, but still taste great. I might reduce the pumpkin by 1/3 if you do.
• If your pancake seems to be getting a bit too brown before the pancake is set, reduce oven to 375, cook a few minutes longer.
• I love adding a bit of flax seed to my cooking, especially baking. If you haven't tried it yet, you must. The golden flax meal is light, no one really knows its in there, and it adds some nice nutrition.
  

Banana Bread ~ Gluten Free & Whole Grain

I made this right before my son got the flu and we left for Disney. This bread was fabulous; whole grain and easy. I used the flour combination I love, teff, sweet sorghum, and brown rice. Also, I forgot to put xanthan gum in this recipe, and it really didn't need it, so add some if you wish, but the bread stayed moist and together without it. I was thinking of giving the second loaf away to a friend, but my family demolished one loaf in less than 10 minutes. We had the next loaf for breakfast the next day. I served it with honey butter, yum.

I have made it again (I swear my husband let some bananas go brown on purpose!!), and cut some of the sugar out. Try it as written first; then cut out sugar to your taste. My children are used to not having much sugar, so they can tolerate a decent cut. When I make it, I use 3/4 cup sugar.




Banana Bread

4 bananas
5 Tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 container sour cream (8 ounces)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup sweet sorghum flour
1/2 cup teff flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
1 cup walnuts/ chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven 325 degrees. Combine dry ingredients. In separate container mix wet (including sour cream). Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix until just combined, fold in nuts or chocolate chips if using. Divide into two 8.5 X 4.5 loaf pan. Bake 1 hour, or until knife inserted into center comes out clean. Cool and cut, if you can wait. (we didn't!!) Makes 2 loaves.

Cheers!!!!

Other banana bread recipes to check out:

Karina's (of Gluten Free Goddess fame) Egg Free & Dairy Free Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

Natalie's (of Gluten Free Mommy fame) Banana Bread

Carrie (of Ginger Lemon Girl fame) Whole Grain Banana Nut Muffins

Oatmeal Scones - adapted from Mom Fitz

When I first met my mother-in-law, I was welcomed into her home with a hug and a homemade meal. The second time I met her, she made these. She would make these for breakfast, but also for a heavier lunch with eggs and ham. I wanted the recipe right away, but waited until I got to know her better before I asked.

She made up this recipe on her own, after experience with other scone recipes. Once I tasted them, these became my favorite scones; the ones in the case seemed to pale in comparison. Especially since I got to eat these warm, fresh from the oven!

When I found out I had to be gluten free for the rest of my life, I assumed I would never have these hearty scones again. But as we are all finding out, we can re-create the foods that we love. Here is another meaningful recipe that I can have again.

Here's to you Mom Fitz, and your delicious scones!

Mom Fitz's Oatmeal Scones

8 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teff
1 cup sorghum
1 1/2 cup brown rice flour
1 teaspoon xantham
2 cups gluten free oatmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins (or cranberries)
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.Combine dry ingredients, teff through salt. Melt butter in medium sauce pan. Combine sugar, milk, vanilla and eggs. Take butter off heat. Add combined wet ingredients to the butter. Add combined dry ingredients, raisins, and walnuts until just moistened. You might need to add a little more milk if there is dry flour in the bowl. This is not a batter, but a stiff dough. On floured board, (and I oil my hands so the dough won't stick, plus the oil is a great moisturizer!!) form the dough in a 12 x 9 rectangle (or so). Cut into triangles. On ungreased cookie sheet bake at 425 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Slather with butter and honey, or jam while warm. And you can even enjoy them later at room temperature.

Cheers!!

Goat cheese and Spinach Quiche with Roasted Red Pepper

I got this recipe from my friend and neighbor, Mrs. Younghome. She got it from some low carb site and the original recipe call for spinach and feta cheese. I changed it only by changing up the cheese and adding roasted red pepper. Fool around with it, it is so easy. I am now making this about 3 times a week to have with soup for lunch, or a quick breakfast. My friend uses a carton of eggbeaters instead, and that will work too!

Goat Cheese and Spinach with Roasted Red Pepper

spinach, frozen chopped
6 eggs or a carton of egg beaters ( equivalent to 8)
Goat cheese, crumbled 1 package, or to taste
roasted pepper, chopped
granulated garlic (optional)

Spray 8 inch square pan or pie plate with Pam, or coat with oil. Thaw spinach put on the bottom pan. Sprinkle chopped red pepper, garlic, if using (can use fresh if preferred), and half the cheese over the spinach and mix in. Beat eggs and pour over the defrosted spinach, and sprinkle rest of cheese on top. Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cheers!!!

Absolutely Amazing Upside-down Apple Cake

This is now one of my most favorite gluten free sweet treats. It is so good. I have been experimenting with different flours, and there is one of those in here. Teff. It is a whole grain with dietary fiber, iron, protein, and calcium. Click on the above link to find out more. I had to buy mine online, stores here don't carry it, but it is worth it. Here is a link to Bob's Red Mill Teff page. I don't know the best place to purchase it yet, but I will be researching when I need to buy more.

I also used sweet sorghum flour in this recipe, as well as brown rice. Substitute whatever you have on hand. Make this recipe even if you don't have teff, or sorghum. It is so good, I am sure it will come out fine with whatever mix of flours you use.

Also, I found a great page that explains all the nutritional benefits of different flours. It also seems like a great website to explore. Recipetips.com, and when I get a chance I will be browsing around to see what else they have on there.

When my friend came over and we had this cake with and afternoon cup of tea, we fell over with how good it was. This will be a frequent recipe made in my home, especially for company. I got the original recipe from Better Homes and Gardens October issue.

Apple Upside-down Cake, Gluten Free Version

5 tablespoons butter, cut up
another 5 tablespoons softened
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
4 apples, cored and sliced in wedges, skin on
1 large apple, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup teff flour
1/2 cup sweet sorghum flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/4 teaspoon xantham gum
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3.9 oz applesauce, unsweetened (I used Mott's little packaged one)
1/2 cup walnut, pecan, or other nut (optional)
1/4 cup rolled oats (also optional, I did not do this this time, I am going to next time)

Preheat oven to 350. Put the chopped butter in the pan, a 9X9, and put in the oven until melted, don't brown the butter. Sprinkle brown sugar over butter, mix together. Put in the apple wedges and the nuts if using (as well as oatmeal if using), and put back in the oven for 15 minutes.

In a bowl, combine flours and dry ingredients and whisk. Add wet ingredients, including milk, egg, vanilla and applesauce. Use a mixer if you have one, otherwise stir until combined. Fold chopped apples into the batter.

Spread batter evenly over the apple/nut mixture in the pan. Bake about 35 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

This is awesome as is as a coffee cake, or afternoon tea. As a dessert, serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Yum!

Cheers!

Apple Quinoa Muffins - Quick and Easy

I made Banana-Quinoa Muffins awhile back, and I thought that this version might be good. And it is! Now that there is gluten free oatmeal available, you can put that in instead of the quinoa if you like. When I get my order in, I think I might put a bit of both in there!

Next version I will try will be pumpkin, with oatmeal and pecans. Yum! I think this recipe is very flexible, so experiment with what you have on hand.

Apple-Quinoa Muffin

1/2 cup applesauce - unsweetened
1 apple - chopped
2 tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil
1 egg
1/2 cup fat free milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup quinoa flakes
1/3 cup sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash nutmeg (optional)
1/2 cup chopped pecans/walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375. Combine applesauce with wet ingredients, mix well, I add the apples in here. Mix dry ingredients in another bowl, I put the nuts in here. Put dry ingredients into the wet, and mix until combined, don't stir too much! Grease or put muffin liners in pan, spoon batter evenly into 12 cups. Bake about 16 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.


Cheers!!

Coddled Egg

Something about the name, just makes me feel so cozy. It is one of my favorite ways to make eggs, a comfort food. My Mom would make us coddled eggs when I was a girl, and she gave me one of her coddlers when I left home. I am looking for more, but have not found any I want..yet.

A coddler is a porcelain container that you crack the egg into, add ingredients, screw on a lid, and place in boiling water. You cook until you reach desired consistency for your egg. Simple, but very yummy.

I have also heard that it's great to heat up baby food in, and to keep it warm while serving.

Coddling an egg is like having a new shell for your egg when you cook it, one you can add great stuff to, imagine the possibilities...and to find out more go check out The Egg-Coddlers website. I looked very quickly, and they seem to have a ton of info, recipes, and links to purchase some. I myself am heading that way to see if they have links to some coddlers I'd like to have in my kitchen...



Coddled Egg

I can't really write a recipe, so I'll just have to tell you what I do. The one pictured above is a simple one, just butter, egg and sea salt. Boil water in pan. Prepare coddler by putting in butter, cheese, bacon, veggies, ham or whatever suits your fancy. Put on cover, place in the water, making sure the water is below the silver part. Cook 7 to minutes, until you reach desired consistency. Enjoy!!


There is a pottery crock behind the coddler, another of my favorite kitchen items, a French butter crock. It keeps your butter spreadable soft without spoiling. You pack the softened butter in, add water to the bottom to create a seal, and change the water every 3 days. This will keep your butter good for 30 days, if you keep it around that long! This one is handmade by June at Etsy.com, check it out and her other lovely mugs, berry bowls, and bread baking bowls. No, she is not someone I knew before, and she doesn't even know about this. I just searched FOREVER for a butter crock I loved, and she made it, and for a handmade piece, it was reasonably priced. And it makes me so happy. It's the simple things, isn't it?

Cheers!

A Popover Recipe and Review - Gluten-Free Quick & Easy

This title speaks to me. Who doesn't like the concept of quick and easy?? Especially when it comes to menu planning, and figuring out how to make foods that you are used to. I was sent a copy of this book, but I was not paid to write something positive, I was shipped the book, and I will write what I honestly think about it. (The best part is that I asked if I could share a couple of recipes, so at the bottom, you will see one, and then I will choose another later! )

I have not bought a gluten free cookbook yet. Why? I am not sure. But I do love having things in print to reference, versus always running to my computer. I read Carol's book on my porch, drinking coffee...and found a few things I liked right off the bat, and a one thing that didn't fit for my way of cooking. (And later...when I used the recipes I could see the logic behind it, but I digress.)

Things I liked...I really liked how she took almost 50 pages to explain how to explain the gluten free diet, find hidden sources of gluten, how to stock your pantry, the fact that you will still have some of your favorite foods, and most of all, how to menu plan, with an 8 week plan already done up for you. As well as glossaries and explanation of these "new" gluten free ingredients and how they work. Oh, and the end of the book she gives all sorts of substitutions for the recipes for people with multiple sensitivities. Honestly, I am not even to the recipes.

In my very humble opinion, (and it is humble..I have not looked at many gluten free cookbooks...like 2 before this one... I never wrote a cookbook...and I think Carol is great, she has reached out and helped so many...but I digress, again.) this is a perfect book for people new to the diet, especially those who have not really cooked before. Her directions are very simple, and easy to follow.

The following can be positive, as well as a negative, totally depending upon your point of view. And this was what I was referring to earlier; I have never used the flour mixes some really like...like the feather light and all. And I would not use recipes that called for them. It didn't fit my style.

If you use this cookbook, there are a couple of flour mixes you need to make and have on hand, a good chunk of the recipes call for it. It is a system to make your kitchen run a bit smoother. If you do that, these recipes will be easier, if not, it will be a bit of a hassle to mix them up as you go. I tend to steer away from recipes with these kinds of mixes. That being said, I made the popover recipe from this book using one (see below) and they were delicious. I will have to explore further, and figure out if I will make up some of her mixes up to have on hand...something I wasn't planning on doing before I read this book.

I would classify this cookbook as an American one with some other ethnic foods thrown in. You have classics like Chicken Pot Pie and Turkey Shepard's Pie followed by Chinese Lemon Chicken and Jamaican Jerk Chicken. There is a good variety of recipes and tips included throughout the book.

I think we can all see that I believe this is a very handy, well-thought out book, especially as a primer for newbies, and a good reference to keep in your kitchen. (What would I do if my Internet was down??) Peruse a copy, see if it's for you. But in the meantime, I have a delicious, and easy, recipe from this book to share, no purchase necessary. With permission. Now, that's the best!!

I only made popovers once before..for Thanksgiving 8 years ago with on of my dear friends. I am by no means a popover expert. I enjoyed these very much, and might even buy a popover pan to make them again. I baked them in a muffin tin, and had to adjust the cooking time just a bit..the tops were getting too brown. I followed the recipe exactly as written. Delicious!

_____________________________________________


Popovers from Carol Fenster's Gluten Free Quick and Easy

Popovers are one of the easiest breads to make. You just whip up the batter in a blender, pour it into a popover or muffin pan, and bake away. What can be simpler than that? Popover pans are sold in kitchen and discount stores for around $20, which is a good investment for bread that is so easy. Store the batter in the refrigerator overnight, or all day until you're ready to make dinner, then bring the batter to room temperature before baking.

3 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup 1% milk, also room temp.
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup potato starch
1/4 cup Carol's Flour Blend
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

1. Preheat the oven to 450. Generously grease a popover or muffin pan. Adjust oven rack to the lower middle position.

2. Process all the ingredients in a blender until very smooth.

3. Place the prepared pan in the hot oven 5 minutes. Wearing hot mitts, carefully remove the hot pan and pour the batter evenly into each of the six cups. Return pan to oven.

4. Bake 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and continue baking 10 to 15 minutes, or until the sides are rigid. (Do not open the door during the baking time.) Quickly and carefully, open the oven door and remove the pan. Pierce each popover along it's firm side with a toothpick or sharp knife to release the steam, then return the pan to the oven to bake for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool 10 minutes on a wire rack. Remove the popovers from the pan and serve warm. If necessary, reheat the popovers in a 200 oven 5 minutes.

Carol's Flour Blend
1 1/2 cups sorghum flour
1 1/2 cups potato starch or corn starch
1 cup tapioca flour

Stir all ingredients with a whisk. Store in heavy duty storage bag or plastic container.


Other bloggers thoughts about this cookbook:
Interview with Carol Fenster, Ph. D.
Lea's Gluten Free

Bagels - Chewy, Crusty and Warm....

I thought I would never have a decent bagel again once I knew I had to be gluten free for the rest of my life.

I was wrong.

Joan's GF Great Bakes have resolved that issue for me. I think it is a little expensive, since the items have to arrive frozen, so you have to pay for the cooler/dry ice combo. But making my first yummy breakfast sandwich with a chewy bagel crust made it quickly worth the expense.

I love the everything bagel, cooked, warm with mustard, sauteed ham and cheddar cheese. It could be also great as a hamburger bun. And the classic combo..with decadent cream cheese. :sigh: Brings me back to the days when bagels sandwiches were the thing.

Just to mention this as well...I have tasted her new pizza crust, a friend ordered it, and I think I will be getting some of those for my freezer as well. It was chewy and tasted great.

( I have been meaning to mention this for awhile, but got too busy.)

Enjoy!

Corn Muffin

I just wanted something simple and yummy, so I decided to try and make my own corn muffins. Next time I am going to try it with brown rice flour and see how it works, this time I didn't want to try, I just wanted to eat. :) They were delicious. Wonderful with butter and honey. And, a nice cappuccino.

Corn muffins

1 1/2 cups corn meal
3/4 cups Pamela's all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
small handful flax seed (optional)
1 cup milk
2 eggs
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400. Line muffin tins with paper liners, or grease well. Mix dry ingredients in bowl. Whisk together wet ingredients. Add wet to dry, mixing until just combined. Don't over mix. Divide batter evenly in muffin tins (makes twelve regular). Bake 18-22 minutes, until lightly browned and toothpick comes out clean.

Morning Pancakes

I used to make pancakes for my children a few times a week, a recipe I knew by heart. They were healthy, whole grain, and sometimes even pumpkin to add another veggie to their day. Once I cleared my kitchen of gluten, that meant getting rid of my whole wheat flour and my pancake griddle.

I finally got a new griddle, but I cannot use my tried and true recipe. I like Pamela's pancake mix, it tastes great, but I like making my kids pancakes, and adding in all the healthy stuff for them. This was my first attempt, and they enjoyed them, and I thought they were good too.. I like my pancakes thin, so these are, but I would like to try them thicker the next time, to see how they work that way.

For another pancake recipe, go to Gluten Free Mommy's Cornmeal Pancake entry. I will be trying that one next.

Update: I changed the amount of milk to one that would make regular pancakes. If you prefer thin like I do, make it 2 cups milk. Also, I always throw in a handful of ground flax seed to bump the nutrition.

2 cups brown rice flour
4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon oil

optional ingredients:
handful milled flax seed
3 tablespoons ricotta cheese
a squirt of fresh lemon juice

Whisk the dry ingredients in one bowl, then the wet in another. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until combined. Cook pancakes as usual.

Tip: These pancakes will not bubble like gluten pancakes, and will make a mess if you try and flip them too soon. Let them cook until they are smooth and matte looking on top, then check the edge with spatula.

Perfect Hard Boiled Egg

I got this from Cooking Light years and years ago...

Place eggs in bottom of pan, cover eggs with at least an 2 inches of water. Bring water to boil, then shut off burner, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes. Peel and eat.

This is the best method, the eggs come out perfectly, no gray edges. Yummy!!!

(This was breakfast this morning.)

Donut Muffins

I saw this recipe for donut muffins on GF-Zing! and I had to try it. It is yummy, and reminscent of the cake donuts I used to crave when I was pregnant. Only a couple of changes...I didn't sprinkle a cinnamon and sugar mixture on top, and I did a honey glaze instead. I also don't think I would dirty my blender to mix the ingredients, I would just whisk them next time.

Bev Lieven of Milwaukee Celiac-Sprue Crew sends in the following recipe for the ever elusive gluten-free replacement for America’s favorite deep-fried temptation - the donut. She notes: “Cake donuts were my favorite prior to my diagnosis in 1981…This recreates the taste and texture without the mess of frying.”

Donut Muffins

Combine:

2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups gluten free flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 tsp. xanthan gum (opt.)

Mix in blender: 1 egg
1/2 c. milk
1/3 c. melted margarine
1 tsp. vanilla

Add to dry ingredients. Mix to moisten. Fill lightly greased muffin tins half full. Bake at 375º for 15-20 min. Makes about 1 dozen.

Glaze (like Dunkin Donuts) from here

• 5 1/3 tablespoons (1/3 cup) margarine or butter

• 2 cups powdered sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/3 cup hot water

Basic Crustless Quiche

This can be made almost any way. It is so easy, and I always get raves. It's also great for those days when you don't know what to make. Use any combinations of veggies that please you. This one my kids will eat, especially if I add ham. My favorite for adults? Asparagus with mozzarella and goat cheese. Yum.

Update: If you don't feel like sauteing your veggies on the stove, put them in a microwaveable dish with butter, cook in high for 2 min, then follow the recipe. Easy. :)

2 tablespoon olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
4 shitake mushrooms chopped
1/2 cup fresh broccoli, small pieces
5 eggs
8 oz. package shredded cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F.

Spray 9-inch pie plate with Pam. Heat oil in skillet over med. high heat. Add shallot and saute about 3 min; then add mushrooms, saute 3 min. more. Add broccoli; cook it turns bright green. Let cool. Beat eggs in bowl. Add cheese.Combine the egg/cheese mixture with the vegetable mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if desired. Pour into pie pan, spreading top evenly. Bake until top is browned and tester comes out clean, 40-45 minutes.

Cinnamon Rolls

Alright, Ellen from I Am Gluten Free posted this cinnamon roll recipe, and I was having a friend over for coffee this morning and I had to try it. Make it. It is yummy and worth the effort. And the effort wasn't even that much, it seems like it would be much more complicated that it is. Next time I would throw in a handful of ground flax seed for some nutritional value, and the only other thing I changed was adding softened smeared butter to the dough before putting the sugar mixture on. I also wonder if you sneak in a bit of brown rice flour, I wonder if that would ruin it or not? I may try that next time. Before gluten free I always upped the nutrition in my baked goods, I don't think it works the same with GF recipes. When I try it that way, I will let you know how it works.
Oh, and the original poster of this recipe says you can make them the night before, put in the fridge and bake the next morning. Perfect for holidays or company!!

Make, bake, and enjoy!

Cinammon Rolls
Serves 8 or 9

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons melted or softened butter
2 tablespoons softened butter
1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup of milk, room temperature
1 packet yeast (about 1 tablespoon)
1 egg
1/4 cup grapeseed oil (or canola)
1/2 cup potato starch
1 cup corn starch
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons xantham gum
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

TO SPRINKLE ON BOARD COVERED WITH PLASTIC WRAP
1 - 2 tablespoons sugar

FILLING
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped nuts - optional

GLAZE
¾ cup powdered or confectionary sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
milk to thicken

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In medium bowl, combine shortening and sugar. Mix well. Measure warm milk and add yeast to milk. Whisk well to fully dissolve .

Add milk/yeast to sugar mixture. Add remaining ingredients. Mix very well, being sure to remove all lumps. Dough will be quite soft.

Take a piece of plastic wrap and lay it out so it covers a 13 1/2" x 13 1/2" square. Sprinkle sugar on the wrap. Lay ball of dough on top of that. Then pull out another sheet of wrap and gently lay over the dough. Pat the dough down into a roughly squarish pancake. Lift the top wrap up and then reposition it. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough in between the two layers of wrap. Occasionally you'll have to lift and reposition the wrap because it gets "stuck" under the edges. You might have to occasionally flip the whole thing over. Make sure that when you're done you've got ABOUT a 13 1/2" x 13 1/2" square of dough.

Remove top piece of wrap. Smear the 2 T. softened butter on the dough. Combine filling ingredients. Spread evenly across dough's surface. (Original recipe poster suggested leaving about a 1 1/2" sugar free edge because when you roll the dough all the sugar shifts and fills this in; otherwise all the sugar spills out).Use the bottom piece of wrap to lift the edge of the dough and start to roll it up forming a long cylinder. Start with the sugary edge, which will be the center of your roll and roll toward the sugarless edge. Cut off or trim up the irregular ends of your "log". Then cut into 8 or 9 slices of similar size, about 1 1/2" wide. Place rolls into a greased round glass pie pan.

Bake approximately 20 minutes, until tops are lightly browned.

Combine powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk to make glaze. The amount of milk you use will depend on how thick you want the glaze to be. Stir until all lumps are dissolved. Drizzle over warm rolls if desired.

(Person who wrote about this recipe included this note: These are lovely with coffee in the morning. They're very light and fluffy - not too heavy or dense. I've also discovered that you can make these the night before and stop short of baking them. Wrap them up in their pan or glass dish and leave them in the fridge for the night. The next morning you can take them out and bake them and they come out just the same! I've found that this is a great thing to bring to a friends house for brunch. I just pop them in their oven - and you've got a great GF contribution and you know there's no cross contamination!)