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!!

Real Simple Magazine Cake Recipe ~ Gluten Free

I wouldn't call this recipe real simple, it's a cake from scratch, but it's not all that difficult either. This was hands down the best, the absolute best, gluten free cake I have ever had. It stayed moist as leftovers, did not turn crumbly in texture at all. No one would guess it was gluten free. I think it's the sweet rice flour that is the trick.

Sorry no pic, we ate it and enjoyed. Thought is would be better to give you the recipe instead of holding out on you, just for that. For the record, I did a double layer chocolate cake with raspberry in the middle with chocolate frosting on top. Marvelous!

I will be making this for my brother's birthday, since he just found out he has to be wheat free. Thank goodness he has ME as his sister!

Cheers!

Mrs. GF

Chocolate Cake


adapted from Real Simple, May 2011





1 cup (2 sticks butter) softened (soften extra for pans)


3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (& extra for dusting)





The Flours (2 cups total)


1/2 cup sweet sorghum flour


3/4 cup millet


1/2 cup almond flour


1/4 cup sweet rice flour





1 teaspoon baking powder


1 teaspoon baking soda


1 teaspoon kosher salt


1 1/2 cups sugar


2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract


4 large eggs, room temperature


1 1/2 cups milk





Preheat oven to 350. Butter the pans and line with parchment. Butter again. Dust with cocoa powder. Put aside.

In bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Put aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla, then the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Reduce mixer speed to low. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions and the milk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix just until combined.

Put batter in pans, and bake til toothpick comes out clean in center. Cool in pans, then after 15 min, take out of pans and cool on rack.

Approximate baking times as stated by Real Simple: For two 8-inch rounds: 30 to 35 minutes. For two 9-inch rounds: 25 to 30 minutes. For one 9-by-13-inch rectangle: 35 to 40 minutes. For 24 cupcakes: 20 to 25 minutes.

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.
  

Brussels Sprouts with Maple Syrup Glaze

I love brussels sprouts. I crave them. I know, some people think that I am weird in that way. Judge after you make this recipe, and you will join me and start craving brussels sprouts too.

This is a great side dish for any meal, Thanksgiving, holiday, or weekday. ( I am making this as a side dish for our Thanksgiving meal.) If I am running to the grocery store, and the sprouts look good, I will pick them up and make these for my lunch. Don't cut out the garlic, it seems like it wouldn't go with this recipe, but it isn't as good without it. I just had them (again!) yesterday, and just typing and talking about them makes me want to have them today...

Update: There was a query about how to make a bunch of this for a holiday party without having to make several batches in a skillet. I experimented today, and the alternate cooking method is below.

Pan-Browned Brussels Sprouts with Maple Syrup and Walnuts

15 brussels spouts, washed and sliced in half
3 garlic cloves, sliced
2 tablespoons butter (to make dairy free, omit and use more olive oil)
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon butter (omit for dairy free)
walnuts, optional to taste (I use a small handful)
salt, optional, to taste

Warm olive and and 2 tablespoons butter in skillet over low heat. Add sliced garlic cloves. Stir the garlic and remove as they are turning light brown and reserve. Lay brussels sprouts in pan, cut sides down and cover. Cook approximately 15 minutes or until tender.

Mix maple syrup and tablespoon of butter, melt on stove or in microwave. Add walnuts. Add syrup mixture and garlic to brussels sprouts in the pan and toss to create a glaze, OR remove brussels sprouts, add the cooked garlic and maple syrup mixture and toss in bowl.

Alternate cooking method for larger batches, and making ahead:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. As oven is warming up, put butter, olive oil and garlic slices (make sure to up the amount of each depending on how many brussels sprouts you are using), on a cookie sheet to melt the butter and to lightly cook the garlic. Remove the cookie sheet when the garlic just starts to turn golden brown. Put the brussels sprouts cut side down on pan on middle shelf. Cook approximately 10 minutes, checking to make sure the tops don't burn. Add the cooked garlic back in and stir. If making the night before, after you lightly rewarm, mix maple syrup and the additional butter, melted, pour over the sprouts. Add the walnuts right before serving.

Cheers!
Danielle

Rustic and Hearty Gluten Free Apple Pie

Before I had to eat gluten free, my daughter, then aged 2, and I made an apple pie together. It was a "no roll out crust" pie. I had seen the recipe in Better Homes and Gardens, and wanted to try it. It was such a fun pie to make with a 2 year old, patting balls of dough into flat pancakes with our hands to form a top crust.

My son and I had never made that pie together; he is now 5. I have been in the pie making mood lately, partly urged on by the fall weather, and was solidified by Ginger Lemon blog's pie crust recipe.

SO, I dusted off the old recipe, the last time I has used it was 5 years ago, rolled up the sleeves, grabbed my son as helper, and made that pie with him, altered to be gluten free. We had such fun!

I was terrified that it would turn out horribly, but it didn't. The crust was different, but appealing. What I found interesting, is that my children LOVED the crust. They ate the crust first, then the filling. When I was a child, I ate the filling first, and maybe the crust. The crust was a bit of an obligation to get through, in order to get another piece. (And by the way, that changed as I grew, my mother makes a fabulous pie crust.)

I think that just about any combination of flours would work for this crust. If teff isn't available, use millet or more sorghum. The apples in the filling come out a tad bit crunchy still, so if you like your apples in your pie to be completely soft, try decreasing the temperature to 350 degrees and cook for 65 minutes. And don't forget, if your crust is getting too brown, and you want to cook the filling some more, cover with tin foil and continue baking.

(Also, I think that you would probably be able to substitute for the milk in here to make it dairy free as well. Let me know if you try it!)


Rustic and Hearty Gluten Free Apple Pie

Pie Crust

1 cup brown rice flour
1 cup sweet sorghum flour
1/2 cup teff flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup grapeseed oil (or canola)
2/3 cup milk

Apple Pie Filling

6 cups sliced apples
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons sweet sorghum flour


In a bowl stir together the dry ingredients. Mix the grapeseed oil and milk then add to the dry mix. Stir with fork until a dough starts forming. Oil hands to work with the dough and form into a ball.

Take 2/3 of dough ball and press the dough firmly onto bottom of a greased 9-inch pie plate and up the sides, pressing to form an edge at the rim.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Peel and slice apples. Mix cinnamon, sugar and flour in separate bowl. Add to apples and stir until all the apples are coated.

Transfer apple mixture to pie shell.

Take the remaining dough, and break into several equal parts. Pat each dough portion into circles. Top the filling with the flattened dough to create a top crust. There will be spaces between each dough portion; the top won't be covered completely.

Place pie plate on baking sheet. Bake pie for 55 minutes or until filling is bubbly in the center.

Place on rack to cool.


Cheers!!!!!

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Other gluten free pie recipes from fellow bloggers:
Karina's Vegan Pumpkin Pie
Maple pecan Pie with Oat Crust
Carrie's Easy Gluten Free Pie Crust
Gluten Free Mommy's Frozen Pumpkin Pie

And check this out..hot off the presses. You can get the recipe by clicking on it below.

Kathy Derr's gluten-free apple treat won the blue ribbon in a contest in Williamsburg, Virginia last month.

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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

Molten Lava Cakes ~ Gluten Free

My mother got a card with this recipe, and there is nothing on there for me to give proper credit. The recipe is too good not to share. My family and I really enjoyed it, and it was quite easy. I liked mine topped with ice cream and would consider adding shredded coconut, nuts, or liqueur next time I made these.

Also, I did get tagged a few times for a meme, I will do it, I just do not have time right now, I barely got this recipe out! Thanks for the attention and I will get back to you!!

Molten Lava Cake

4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375. Melt chocolate and butter together, over double boiler (or take a pan of boiling water and place a bowl on top to melt them in together..and some might like to use a microwave). After they have both melted, take off the heat and add 2 tablespoons sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla. Mix.

Separate eggs. In separate bowl beat egg whites and salt until soft peaks form. Add the 2 remaining tablespoons of sugar, beat about 2 minutes longer.

Fold in the egg whites into the chocolate until just combined. Get 4 ramikins, 6 ounces, and place on baking sheet. Divide batter between the ramikins and bake for about 22-25 minutes.
And eat!

Cheers!!

Amaretti Cookies - Gluten Free/Dairy Free

These cookies are so yummy. A crunchy outer layer and soft and chewy inside. This is an Italian cookie, I am not sure where they originated, somewhere on the Internet they said in Venice. These cookies can be used crumbled as a crust, in recipes where you would use cookies or graham crackers. Or as crumbs on top of trifles or pudding-type desserts. I have also seen recipes using these as the two ends of a sandwich cookie. Myself? I adore them as they are, and especially with a nice cup of cappuccino.

I found there was no need to blanch or sliver the almonds first, and shortening the cooking time got the texture where I thought it should be. Once I did that, I swear I can remember eating them at some distant relatives friend's house, pushing through the crowd of adults to the dessert table to grab a treat.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tip: Mixing everything in the food processor makes this so simple!
And, I used a cookie scoop for these for speed, but they look much prettier when you hand roll them!
I got the recipe I started from here at Allrecipes.com.

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Amaretti Cookies

3 cups whole almonds (I buy mine in bulk from Sam's Club)
1 cup white sugar
3 egg whites
1 teaspoon almond extract

optional: you could add a liqueur of choice instead of the almond extract. Actually that is what a lot of homemakers did when they could not afford vanilla. This is a good thing to remember if you run out!
need: food processor or some way to grind the almonds, or use almond meal

Process almonds until they are finely ground. Add sugar to processor and hit the button until they are combined. Add egg whites and extract. Mix until well combined.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper, silpat mat, or like my old aunties used to do, a cut up paper bag (Honestly, I never tried that one.). Scoop almost a tablespoon amount for each cookie, rolling with hands if you want them "prettier". (My children do that work for me!) Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, the bottoms should be a light golden brown. If you like very crispy cookies cook about 5 minutes longer.

Store in an airtight container.

Make a cup of coffee/tea, and enjoy.


Cheers!!!

Vegetarian Chili - Dairy, Meat, & Gluten Free

I used to make a vegetarian chili quite often before I went gluten free, and used bulgar wheat in it. I just forgot about it until today, and then thought, "Duh! I can use quinoa!" And it came out perfectly,and maybe even better.

A half an hour later, my family was sitting down and eating. The children had been called in from outside, their cheeks rosy from the cold, and chatting all about the new snow fort they had created outside. My daughter, who usually shies away from the soup/stew/chili kind of food polished off her warm steaming bowl in record time. One thing she loved was being able to put toppings on...cheese, pico de gallo, avocado, green onion, sour cream...whatever you have on hand. This meal will definitely be repeated!



Vegetarian Chili - Dairy, Meat, & Gluten Free

1 can black beans, liquid as well
1 can red kidney beans, liquid as well
2 14.5 oz cans diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 medium diced onion
3 carrots, chopped
1 pepper, chopped
1/2 cup quinoa
olive oil
to taste - cumin, chili powder (I like ancho), salt, pepper, oregano

Put sauce pan over medium heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil. Put carrots and onions in pan for about 5 minutes and stir occasionally. Add quinoa, stir. Sprinkle on spices to taste, stir and cook a few minutes more. Add 2 cans of tomatoes, and add 2 more cans water or broth. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the two cans of beans with the liquid, and chopped pepper. Cook until everything is hot. Serve with whatever toppings you like. We did pico de gallo, guacamole, and green onion.

Cheers!!

Simple White Sauce (real name: Alio e Olio) with shrimp, scallop and broccoli

I guess I should explain. This is not the heavy, creamy starchy white sauce that people think of when they eat Italian. This is a light, refreshing, yummy, easy (and healthier) one,called Alio e Olio. (We pronounce it more like A-YA E O-YO. Again, kind of a muddled Italian, passed down from generation to generation.) My Mom never made that other kind. This is the one my whole extended family eats.

This is best in the summer with all the fresh vegetables available. I remember eating this on my parent's deck with broccoli from the farm stand down the road. Laughing in the sunshine, and my mother was in the kitchen for as long as it took for the pasta to cook. And it is delicious..don't forget to put red pepper flakes and grated cheese on the table.

It's funny, a bunch of the food I make automatically , no recipe on hand, always feels like cheating to blog about. I just go on and make it. This is one of those meals. You can do it with just veggies, or add butter, and just fool around with it and make it your own. This is a very flexible base to start from. My 'recipe' is the best I can do out of my head, so here it goes.
Oh yeah, one important thing I wrote before, use the water the pasta has cooked in, it adds a depth to the sauce that mere water cannot do.

Simple White Sauce
(this is for about a 1/2 pound pasta)

2/3 cup olive oil (not virgin, regular. Virgin olive oil is for recipes that aren't cooked.)
2 cloves garlic, minced (or through a press)
1/2 cup cooking water
salt, pepper, basil
(in this recipe I added about a 1/4 cup white wine)

Cook pasta. Fry garlic in oil, don't let it brown, start over if you do. Add wine if using. Cook for a couple of minutes. Add salt, pepper, and basil. Add cooking water when finished.

For the above recipe in the photo, I did this sauce, but before frying the garlic I added the scallop and shrimp to cook, then followed the recipe from there. I steamed some broccoli on the side. I used rosemary instead of basil, since I still had some fresh in my garden under the snow. To please my daughter, at the end I added a bit of butter over the pasta.

Have fun with it!

Cheers!!

Cheater Sweet and Sour Chicken

Every time I walk into Walmart, it smells like sweet n sour chicken. It drives me crazy. I never really liked it, but I miss it. Crazy. I think I miss ordering out Chinese food, and the extra fat.

So, I came home and whipped up my own version. I made the sweet and sour from scratch, and it's very easy. Also, using the Bell and Evans gluten free tenders, makes it even better, as far as ease goes!!

Also, just a shortcut I use in my kitchen in the winter months, I buy mostly frozen veggies. They have the same nutritional content, are generally cheaper than fresh, and as added benefit, already chopped up. I am all for fresh vegetables, but here in New England, the snow is covering the ground, the vegetables we are getting aren't going to be all that fresh, or all that local.

Here is the original sweet and sour sauce recipe, the only thing I changed was a technique...sifting the cornstarch first so you don't have any lumps.

I am also planning on making this for New Year's Eve. We used to always order out Chinese food, this year I will make my own and have a few dishes to choose from. Yum!


Sweet and Sour Chicken - Cheater Version

Bake the chicken, cook up some veggies (I did broccoli and peppers.), combine and mix with the sauce. Serve over cooked rice and sprinkle with green onions if desired.)

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
4 tablespoons ketchup
3/4 cup pineapple juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Warm everything in a saucepan except cornstarch to just below a simmer without letting it boil and stir in the sifted cornstarch to thicken. Sift the cornstarch to eliminate any lumps. You can add whatever else you might like to add, onions or peppers, some pineapple.

Cheers!

Cookies I will be making.

I have been compiling my own list of cookie recipes for this Christmas. I have been saving them on bookmarks and thought that others might want access to it. So, I just threw this list out there, and now I have it handy for myself as well. There are naturally gluten free cookie recipes I have found that I am going to make this year as well recipes that have been re-modeled to be gluten free.

I started my search with my heritage; I am Italian-American and I knew of a couple of recipes out there that I thought were gluten free, and I was rewarded with a couple of recipes. There are also some recipes from fellow bloggers in there as well. I love the recipes that are designed to be gluten free all on their own.

But I also want some of my favorites, so I included those re-made recipes in here. Now, I haven't tried them, I am planning on baking some, but I am not going to stress out to make a bunch of cookies; I plan on enjoying my Christmas season.

If you make any of these, let me know how they turned out. I don't know when I will be making these. I will fit baking between things, or do it with my children for fun.

There is going to be a mega-list of cookie recipes from Carrie at her Ginger Lemon blog on the 17th. I will post a link here when it's up. I also may be adding to this list, I haven't had a chance to re-find every recipe that I was thinking about.

And, since commercial almond paste usually contains gluten, here is one site that I found that has gluten free almond paste, Love n Bake, make sure to check all your ingredient labels!!

Happy Holidays!!

Christmas Cookie Lists

Naturally Gluten Free

Pignoli Cookies
Amaretti
Hazelnut and Almond Cookies
Cinnamon Stars
Peanut Butter Kisses
Peppermint Fudge
Honeycomb Candy


Recipes remade Gluten Free

Brutti Boni (these have 2T flour, I plan on using sorghum)
Fruit and Nut Cookies
Rosemary's Christmas cookies
Ginger Snaps
Gluten Free Layer Bars
Chocolate Financiers



Cheers!!
and happy holidays!

Chocolate Chip Cookies - Healthy Redux

O.K. you may wonder...how are these healthy? Well, I guess I should word it healthier. Before going gluten free, I baked with whole grains, using a little less sugar in my baking to create treats for my children that weren't as bad as regular, offering maybe a little more nutrition instead of completely empty calories. So when I first went gluten free, and I was baking with cornstarch, tapioca flour and white flour..it felt like such a step back for me. Why bake? It was completely nutritionally devoid as far as I was concerned.

But I missed some of my gluten treats, and plodded along until I started discovering grains with a little bit more to offer nutritionally speaking..teff, sweet sorghum, brown rice...my favorites. So I decided to re-do my original recipe with these and see how they were. Definitely still a treat, my children loved them, but if you have a hankering for the old kind, try my first chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Chewy Crisp Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 1/2 sticks butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla
3 cups brown rice flour
1 cup sweet sorghum
1/2 cup teff
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp xantham gum
3/4 tsp salt
1 to 2 teaspoons flax seed
2 cups chocolate chips
1 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup shredded coconut (I use unsweetened, but both will work)

Spray pan with non-stick spray. Preheat oven to 350.

In large bowl, beat butter with granulated and brown sugar until fluffy; beat in eggs and vanilla. In separate bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda, xantham gum and salt, and flax seed if using; stir in chocolate chips, pecans and coconut. Pour over butter mixture, stir to combine.

Drop by 1 Tbsp, about 2 inches apart onto prepared pans. Bake about 12 minutes. Transfer to racks; let cool completely.

Cheers!!!

Date Bars

DATE BARS!!! I wanted to scream, giddy as a little kid about to get a favorite treat. Warm from the oven the sweet, sweet taste. Date bars. Yum. The filling tickling my teeth with the sweetness of it all. Happy, happy sigh.

I never thought I would eat them again. The day I got my certified gluten free oats, I had to try to convert my Mom's recipe. I have always loved date bars (the whole tickling of the teeth thing), even though my Mom thinks I never liked them. And, I always have to remind her that I LOVE them. And, I bet you will too.


Date Bars

Crust:

1/2 cup sweet sorghum flour
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup teff flour
1 cup oatmeal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cup shortening or butter


Filling:

12 oz. pitted dates
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water

(Note: If you have the 10 oz. package of baking dates, use 1/2 cup sugar & then same amount of water)

Boil pitted dates, water and sugar for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Crush dates while stirring. Put aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Sift (or whisk in bowl) flours and soda together. Stir in brown sugar and oatmeal. Cut shortening into the flour until it is all together in a crumble consistency. Add more shortening if too dry.

Spread half of flour mixture in bottom of greased 9 X 13 pan. Press down lightly. Cover with date mixture. Sprinkle remainder on top. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until slightly brown.

Cut before completely cool.

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!

Coconut Chicken Tenders

I got this idea from www.celiac.com user fiddlefaddle.

Basically, you crush the gluten free chip of choice (tortilla chip, potato, or even cereals). Crush them in a blender, food processor, or in a bag with a rolling pin or empty wine bottle (that's what I did). Then, do the 'parm' thing, dip chicken (this will also work with fish) in cornstarch, then beaten egg, and then in the crushed chips. Bake or fry as you like.

This one is a little different since I used shredded coconut, and used coconut oil (I use this kind of coconut oil) to cook these in. They were great, and easy, next time I will use more shredded coconut, and the recipe below compensates for that. Also, I do not give exact amounts, since it will vary on how much chicken you are cooking.

And, coconut oil's cooking temperature is 350, that's why the chicken is mostly cooked at 350. I turn it up at the end to get the chicken a little brown. (If you want to learn more about coconut oil, try this site....Coconut Oil Research. I was referred to using coconut oil by my naturopathic doctor, and this site is one I just googled for you.)

Coconut Chicken Tenders

chicken tenders
crushed chips, I used tortilla here
unsweetened shredded coconut
cornstarch
beaten egg

Preheat oven to 350. Mix crushed chips with shredded coconut, making it about a 1 part coconut to 2 parts chips ratio.If you want less coconut, do 1 part coconut to 3 parts chips, which is what I did here.

Place about 2 heaping tablespoons of the coconut oil in the pan you are using to bake the chicken. Put in oven, so oil will melt, and make sure there is enough oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan when melted.

Roll the tenders in the cornstarch, dip in the beaten egg, then roll in the chip mixture. Put aside.

Take the hot pan out of the oven and put the chicken tenders in. Bake in oven about 30 minutes, then up the oven to 375, cooking 10-15 minutes more, or until chicken is cooked through.

Serve with a dipping sauce of choice. Here I made up my own - Spicy Marmalade Dipping Sauce.

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!!

Black Moons by Jean (aka Whoopie Pies!)

This is based on my Mom's recipe. Whenever we came home and found black moons there, we went out of our minds. They were so good. A little labor intensive, so they weren't made often.

I wanted to use organic shortening, but since I was not sure how well it works, I went with the old fashioned kind. Next time I will try it. Check out organic shortening here. My mother uses egg whites in the frosting, and the frosting is not cooked. If you don't like that, then there are a million different frosting recipes out there. But I do have to add that you will be missing out, since this frosting is amazing. Think Rocky Balboa, he drank raw eggs to be healthier and stronger.

I used soy flour for some of the flour called for, I would have rather used teff flour, but I didn't have any. Also, in the original time I tried this I used tapioca flour, I am making these today (01/27/08), and I am trying it without; I will let you know how it goes. I added unsweetened shredded coconut in here, you don't taste it, it just adds something like in the chocolate chip cookie recipe...a certain chewiness.

Jean's Black Moons

Cookie Part:

1/2 cup shortening
1 cups sugar
2 egg yolks
1 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup brown rice
3/4 cup sweet sorghum
1/2 cup soy (next time teff)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
2 teaspoons xanthum gum

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cream shortening and sugar. Add egg yolks, milk, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Sift dry ingredients and add to shortening ingredients. Add the coconut. Mix until combined. Drop by teaspoonful on greased baking sheet. Bake for about 8 minutes, making sure not to burn the bottoms. Cool on counter on wax paper or paper towels.

Filling:

2 egg whites
1 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups confectionery sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix until thick. Take one cake and frost the flat side, find another cake that somewhat matches and place on top. Yummy!! Black Moon time!! YAY!

Cheers!!

Mini Cheese Cake

I love this recipe. I made these for my birthday, they are fabulous. Using the whipped cream cheese made these cakes quite light, not as dense as regular cheese cake. I got the original recipe from First Magazine. They did have a cookie crumb crust, so I put in the coconut instead, but that was the only difference. Also, the BEST thing about these is that they freeze very, very well. So you can make a bunch, and freeze some for another time. I may do that for my next dinner party. :)

Mini Cheese Cake

shredded coconut
1 cup blueberries (or other berry, I used strawberry)
16 oz. whipped cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup lemon curd
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 325. Line muffin tin, then sprinkle coconut to cover the bottoms. Puree the berries and spoon 1/2 teaspoon over the coconut. Beat the cream cheese and 1/4 cup of sugar, then the lemon curd. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each. Divide the mixture evenly among muffin cups. Top with remaining puree and swirl. Bake 20 minutes, or until almost set in the middle. Cool completely. Add whipped cream for fun an extra berries if you have them!

Enjoy!

(You can play with this recipe by changing out the lemon curd and berries, and subbing with something else. Have fun. And let me know if you come up with something good!)

Coconut Rice with Mango - A recipe for Karina

I decided to do the recipe challenge that Gluten Free By the Bay put out. If you have ever been to a Thai restaurant and gotten the Sticky Rice with Mango..you will know the taste I am shooting for. But, I wanted to make it with stuff that could be easily obtained at the local grocery store, and with more healthful rice than white. I did not use sweetener in my batch, since I did not know if the lovely Karina could have any..but I would add a little of whatever sweetener you can use..not much though..I had it without any, and really did not miss it.

If you would like to see an "official" recipe, try Mango Sticky Rice. I would do it my way, then make the sauce recipe from this link..it would be much creamier. I just didn't have the time last night. This also makes a great breakfast. Have fun!


Coconut Rice with Mango

1 cup rice (I used brown jasmine)
1 can light coconut milk
toasted coconut (I used unsweetened and toasted it myself)
1 ripe mango
sweetener of some sort if using...sugar, maple syrup, honey, stevia..etc.
cinnamon
vanilla

Using your rice cooker or whatever way you cook your rice...cook your rice in the coconut milk adding water to get the right amount of liquid. Add a shake or two of cinnamon,sweetener if using, and a teaspoon or so of vanilla. Cook rice. When done, slice up mango. Top rice with mango, sprinkle with coconut and enjoy.

(The recipe for the sauce is as follows - warm coconut milk together with a pinch of salt, sugar, and vanilla on medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved (5 minutes). Add cornstarch or arrowroot powder (dissolved in water) to the sauce and stir. As it thickens, turn down heat to low. Remove from heat. Spoon over rice.)