Mighty Tasty Muffins (Bob's Red Mill)

I'm excited for winter to be here. Although I have a completely different idea of what winter should be vs. what it is here in Monterey. I want it to be cold, with snow, scarves, fires etc. I get some of that here but there is no snow. After living here for four and a half years I truly miss living back east during this time of year. Its not very Christmasy here. People put lights up but its just not the same with palm trees. Am I the only one that feels this way?

Every year thought I am lucky enough to head back home for Christmas. I get my snow and cold air with a nice warm fire going for a good few weeks. This year though I get to spend Christmas with Bryan and our families for almost three weeks. I am very much looking forward to being in New York City and especially Boston!! Nothing says winter and Christmas like the East Coast to me. The big trees all lit up, Christmas lights all over, snow, hot chocolate, first night etc...

On chilly mornings I want something fulfilling for breakfast...a nice warm muffin with a little butter or honey on it sounded really good today. Its a bit chilly here lately, nothing compared to back home (even though I've come accustomed to the weather here). The only bad thing about this time of year is being sick! I try so hard not to get a cold but I feel a cold coming on so I'm bundled up, making some tasty veggie soup with brown rice and some Mighty Tasty Muffins for breakfast this week. I tried one and they are as their name says...Mighty Tasty!

Mighty Tasty Muffins (Bob's Red Mill)

Adapted from Special Diet Solutions by Carol Fenster, PhD.
Ingredients 2 Tb GF Might Tasty Hot Cereal 2/3 cup Milk 1 Tb Apple Cider Vinegar 1 large Egg 1/3 cup Molasses 1 tsp Vanilla 3/4 cup GF Garbanzo Fava Flour 1/2 cup Potato Starch 1/4 cup Tapioca Flour 1/3 cup Brown Sugar 1 tsp Baking Powder 1/2 tsp Baking Soda 1 tsp Xanthan Gum 1/4 tsp Nutmeg, ground 1/2 tsp Cinnamon 1/4 tsp Ginger, ground 1/4 tsp Allspice 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 350�F. In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Let sit for 15 minutes while the cereal softens. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the liquid and stir until just moistened. Spoon batter into grease muffins tins and bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until the tops of the muffins are firm. Makes 12 muffins. NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION Servings Size: 1 Muffin Calories 120, Calories from Fat 10, Total Fat 1g, Saturated Fat 0g, Cholesterol 20mg, Sodium 180mg, Total Carbohydrate 26g, Dietary Fiber 2g, Sugars 12g and Protein 3g.

Boneless Buffalo Chicken Tenders

One of my favorite "bar" foods is Buffalo Wings...love love love them, especially boneless ones, but 9 times out of 10 they are coated with flour or fried in the same oil that other battered things are fried in, so I never get to eat them. Today after talking with Bryan, who had them for lunch today I figured I would try and make some myself...it couldn't be that hard, right? - Thanks Bryan for the inspiration!!

Wicked easy to make and extremely tasty! Served them tonight with some baked sweet potato fries.

Boneless Buffalo Chicken Tenders

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in to 1/2 strips

1/4 cup potato starch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup Franks Hot Sauce

1/3 cup butter

1 teaspoon lemon juice

In a large skillet, heat the oil (do not let it get too hot and smoke). In a small pan melt oil and add hot sauce and lemon juice, keep on low heat. In a medium bowl mix the potato starch, salt and garlic powder until well combined. Dredge the chicken strips in the potato starch. Shake off any excess starch and cook chicken in the oil for about 2-3 minutes per side, until lightly golden brown.

When chicken is completely cooked through, add to pan with butter and hot sauce, stir and coat evenly. Serve immediately.

Any extras would be great cut up and put in a salad!

Pumpkin Seeds

I've carved two of my three pumpkins for the season. When carving the second one I thought I should save the seeds and roast them...something I've never done before. I had no clue what I was doing but I guessed and they came out pretty darn good I must say. A tasty little snack!

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

When cleaning out the pulp and seeds from your pumpkin before carving it separate the seeds from the pulp.  I think the best way to do this is to run them under cold water and discard the pulp.  On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, lightly oil the seeds and sprinkle with kosher salt.  Roast in a pre-heated oven set at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.  About half way through mix the seeds around so they don't over cook on one side.  Cool and enjoy.  Store in an airtight container.

Below are some pictures of the pumpkins so far...only one more to carve and not sure what it will be just yet...

Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes

Cheese cake is so good, but the idea of a whole cheese cake is to tempting for one person. I would be tempted to eat the WHOLE thing! A while ago I made some crust-less cheesecake cupcakes and they turned out pretty good so I thought, why not make cheesecake cupcakes again, but with pumpkin and gingersnap crust. Talk about the perfect little fall treat. These would be great for Thanksgiving instead of the typical Pumpkin Pie. Little individual cheesecakes for everyone, especially the kids.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes

2 cups of gluten free gingersnap crumbs (I use Trader Joe's)

6 tablespoons melted butter

3 tablespoons brown sugar

3 8oz packages of cream cheese - softened

1 cup sugar

1 15oz can of pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie mix)

1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1/4 teaspoon of salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 eggs at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line your cupcake tins with paper liners. I only have one regular cupcake tin and an mini cupcake tin, so I used both.

Crust:

Crumble the ginger snaps either in a plastic ziplock back with a rolling pin or in a food processor. Melt the butter in the microwave. Add the brown sugar and butter to the crumbled ginger snaps in a medium bowl and mix until all crumbs are moist.

Scoop about one table spoon into the bottom of each cupcake liner and press down (I used the bottom of one of my spice jars...it fits perfectly for the regular tins, for the mini tin I used the back of my coffee scoop).

Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, let cool in pan on wire rack.





Filling:

In a stand mixer, cream the sugar and cream cheese together until smooth, add the pumpkin puree, vanilla, pumpkin spice and salt. Mix well. Add one egg at a time. Continue to mix until the mixture is completely combined and smooth.



Scoop the mixture into the prepared cupcake liners. I used the same coffee scoop that I used to press the crust into the bottom to do this. It was the perfect size - three scoops for the regular tin and 1 1/2 - 2 for the mini ones.



For the regular tins bake for 40 minutes, rotating 180 degrees half way through. For the mini tins bake for 30 minutes, rotating 180 degrees half way through.Cool in the pan on a wire rack until completely cooled, cover and refrigerate for at least six hours.



Top with whipped cream, caramel sauce or candied pecans if you wish. I hope you enjoy these tasty little treats!

Green Bean Salad w/ Lemon Rosemary Mini-Muffins

I'm trying to eat a little healthier.  Trying to be good about not eating rice or potatoes with every meal.  Cutting back on some of the more starchy foods and eating more fruits, vegetables and nuts in my diet.  I even bought a few bags of nuts and some dried fruit to make my own trail mix instead of going for the sweets when I want to much on something.  My weakness is peanut butter cups and snickers...and this time of year with Halloween right around the corner they are on sale, I'm fighting the urge to buy some.

I've been on a salad kick this past week, I can't seem to get enough of them.  I had a nice hearty salad for dinner last night and another one for lunch today and why stop here....I had one again tonight for dinner!  No lettuce in this one though, just some veggies and cheese.

Green Bean Salad

1 pound of green beans

5 mushroom caps (white button, crimini, what ever you have on hand) sliced

1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted

1/3 cup of grape tomatoes, cut in half

1/2 inch of goat cheese log, crumbled

1/4 cup olive oil

1/8 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 garlic clove minced

Boil green beans and mushrooms until tender, about 4-5 minutes in lightly salted water.  While the green beans are cooking, slice the tomatoes and crumble the goat cheese.  Toast the pine nuts in a small sautee pan, until they are lightly browned and fragrant. When green beans and mushrooms are done, drain and run under cold water

In a medium bowl whisk together the oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper until well combined.  Add the green beans, mushrooms, tomatoes and pine nuts.  Mix well and top with crumbled goat cheese.

I served these along side Elana's Pantry's Lemon Rosemary Mini-Muffins!  Such a great combination.  These little muffins are awesome, give them a try some time.

Gluten Free Bagels

Last year for my birthday my sister gave me a subscription to Living Without Magazine. They have some great recipes in there and lots of articles and resources. However the October/November issue this year had a recipe called "Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Best Bagels", of course I was dying to make these. I love Bagels, bread, pasta...carbs you name it, I love them!! And I kow they aren't really dairy free when you put cream cheese on top but I'm only Gluten Free so its ok ;) The Tofuti Cream "Cheese" is really good too for all of you how are Dairy Free!!

These came out great!! Oh man, its like a real bagel, not as fluffy but still amazing. I did some salt, garlic and then some plain ones. I thought I would mix it up a bit.

The whole process was really really easy, don't be intimidated by the ingredients especially in the flour mixture. Its well worth it! I will be making these again. The recipe says that you can freeze these, and I'm sure I'll be doing that and NOT eating all 8 bagels right now, even though they are that good.

Gluten Free, Dairy Free - Best Bagel

Makes 8

3 cups gluten-free Multi-Grain Flour Blend - See below
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons flax meal
1½ teaspoons egg replacer
1 tablespoon xanthan gum
1 tablespoon yeast
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1¼ cups warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
Brown rice flour, for rolling bagels
Cornmeal, for dusting pan

1. Line a baking pan or cookie sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle it with cornmeal. Put some brown rice flour on a second baking pan or cookie sheet.


2. Put Multi-Grain Flour Blend, salt, flax meal, egg replacer, xanthan gum and yeast into a mixing bowl and whisk together.


3. In a separate bowl, whisk together honey, oil, cider vinegar, and 1  cup warm water.


4. Using the paddle attachment of the mixer, slowly incorporate the liquid mixture into dry ingredients. Add more warm water, if necessary, to create a smooth consistency. Mixture should be quite thick. Beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes.


5. To shape the bagels, use a large spoon to scoop out the batter. Drop a spoonful on to the baking pan or cookie sheet sprinkled with the flour. Lightly roll dough in the flour to coat it and then shape into a ball. Flatten the ball slightly and using your index finger, create a hole in the center, large enough not to close during rising and baking. Repeat until all the dough is used.


6. Place each bagel on the baking pan sprinkled with cornmeal. Lightly cover bagels with an oiled piece of plastic wrap and place pan in a warm place for bagels to rise, about 20 to 30 minutes.


7. When bagels have risen, bring a skillet of water to boil. Add 1 teaspoon sugar to the water. (Sugar helps create a shiny crust.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.


8. Drop a few bagels into the boiling water. Simmer for 30 seconds, turn over and cook for another 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, remove bagels, drain away excess water and put bagels back on same baking pan. Once all bagels are boiled, bake them for 25 minutes in preheated oven. Cool on a rack

You’ll love the taste of these flavorful bagels. And they freeze well.




Multi-Grain Flour Blend
MAKES 9 CUPS

1¼ cups garfava flour
1¾ cups super-fine brown rice flour
2 cups potato starch or arrowroot flour or chestnut flour
2 cups cornstarch or potato starch
1 cup tapioca starch/ flour
1 cup sorghum flour or amaranth flour

Mix all ingredients together. Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator until used.

Zucchini Bread

Last week there was a party at work and someone had made zucchini bread. It looked and smelled so good but sadly I couldn't taste it. I've been looking for fall recipes that include pumpkin, apples, breads, muffins, pies etc. I want warm, tasty comfort fall treats. I plan to make a pumpkin cheesecake soon, but I really wanted to make a bread or muffin this time to have an alternate thing to eat for breakfast.

So I did some searching online today for zucchini bread. I came across this recipe. I didn't follow it exactly (go figure!). Below is my adaptation

Gluten Free Zucchini Bread with walnuts


Moist Ingredients:
1 cup diced zucchini (washed but not peeled)
2 egg
1⁄2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla

Dry Ingredients:
1⁄2 cup white rice flour
1⁄2 cup sweet rice flour
1⁄4 cup corn starch
2 Tablespoons tapioca starch
1⁄2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 cup sugar
3⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped walnuts*
Zest from one small lemon*

Glaze Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon powdered sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon lemon juice

Instructions

Combine moist ingredients and mix well. Set aside.

Combine the dry ingredients by mixing together well in a large bowl.

Add moist ingredient mix to dry ingredient mix. Stir until blended well. Grease a loaf pan and put mixture in pan. Bake 1 hour at 325 °. Check center for doneness with a toothpick. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Prepare glaze, which should be runny. Remove bread from pan and drizzle with glaze. Let cool.

*The original recipe says combine moist ingredients in a blender and mix until it resembles a milkshake. I don’t own a blender so I finely chopped the zucchini. The original recipe also did not call for any chopped nuts or lemon zest.

Apple Pie

Today is almost the perfect Fall day....almost. If only my leaves would change colors... The wind is blowing, its nice and chilly, I bought a perfect little pumpkin and made my first gluten free apple pie!! I usually LOVE and only make apple crisps but I didn't have any gluten free oats so I thought I would try my hand a a pie.

I found the recipe below online and made a few adjustments when making it. My adjustments will be marked with an *

Awesome Gluten Free Apple Pie with Crumble Topping

Pastry Crust Makes Two Crusts

• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour (Bob's Red Mills All Purpose Gluten Free Flour, Avail at Kroger & online)


• 1/3 cup cornstarch


• 1/2 cup sugar


• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (Bob's Red Mills)


• 8 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces


• 1 large egg


• 1 tablespoon gluten-free vanilla extract (Available online at the Gluten Free Pantry)

Apple Filling

• 7 medium apples, peeled, cored and very thinly sliced. Use mildly sweet to tart very crisp apple (such as Granny Smith, Braeburn, Cortlands)


• 1/2 cup sugar


• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon


• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg


• 1/4 teaspoon salt

*I used 4 medium/large Granny Smith Apples*

Crumble Topping

• 3/4 cup light brown suga


• 3/4 cup gluten-free flour (See above)


• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg


• 1/3 cup butter, chilled & cut into small piece

*I used 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup gluten free flour and cut the butter and nutmeg down a bit also*

Directions

1. ***Pastry Crust Instructions***.


2. In a mixing bowl stir together the flour, xanthan gum and cornstarch.


3. Then add the sugar, butter, egg and vanilla and mix until combined.


4. Remove dough from bowl and knead and fold on a surface dusted with GF flour until well well combined.


5. Divide into two pieces and wrap in plastic wrap, place one in the refrigerator to chill and place the other in the freezer for later use.


6. --Go ahead and make Apple Filling while the Pastry Crust is chilling.


7. After approx 20 minutes, remove dough from refrigerator and roll into a ball.


8. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out on a lightly GF floured surface until it is the thickness of a normal pie crust.


9. Place crust in a 9 inch glass pie dish that is lightly sprayed with non stick spray.


10. Using a fork poke a bunch of holes in the sides and bottom of the crust.


11. ***Apple Filling Instructions***.


12. In a large bowl mix apples, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.


13. Set aside and let the juices mix.


14. ***Crumble Topping Instructions***.


15. In small bowl mix together brown sugar, GF flour and nutmeg.


16. Next mix in the chilled butter and cut it in with a fork or other tool until you have a course crumbly mixture.


17. ***Assembling your Pie***.


18. Preheat oven to 400°F.


19. Spoon apples into your pie crust, mounding in the middle and pouring the sugary juices over top. (*I didn't use all the liquid, about half and it came out a bit soupy*)


20. Sprinkle your Crumble Topping all over the top (use it all).


21. Use tin foil to cover edges of crust as it will burn easily.


22. Bake for approximately 35 minutes, topping will be lightly browned and filling will be bubbly.


23. Let cool for at least an hour before serving.

The perfect desert for a tasty fall dinner (boneless pork chops, with fresh chunky apple sauce and mashed potatoes-yummmm)

Hearty Chicken Soup

Cold season has hit!  Thankfully its just a cold and not the flu.  So the past few days have been spent drinking many cups of tea with honey and eating plenty of soup.  I'm not good at being sick...I have a hard time taking it easy and resting.  I always feel like I need to be doing something, and that usually means cooking/baking.  So the other day I had made a potato and corn chowder  but when I'm sick I want a clear broth...so tonight I made a hearty chicken soup.

Hearty Chicken Soup

1 tablespoon grapeseed oil

1 large shallot (or onion, I didn't have an onion so I used shallot)

3 celery stalks, diced

2 large carrots, diced

3 medium potatoes, diced

1 cup each firmly packed green and red chard roughly chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely minced

1 table spoon dried oregano

1 table spoon rosemary chopped

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

4 cups gluten free chicken broth

1 cup water

1-2 boneless skinless chicken breasts diced

salt and pepper to taste (shouldn't need to much with the chicken stock)

*try to dice the veggies all about the same time for even cooking.  I tend to dice mine bigger but I like the chunkiness of the soup.  I also don't peel my potatoes first, I like to leave the skin on, it adds a slightly different texture to the soup.

In a large pot heat one table spoon of grapeseed oil over medium heat.  Add shallot and cook for two minutes.  Add the celery and carrots and cook for an additional five minutes until softened.  Add potatoes, garlic, rosemary, oregano, and red pepper flakes.  turn heat to medium high and add one cup of water and four cups of chicken stock.  Bring to a boil for 5-10 minutes, add chicken and stir.  Once chicken has cooked through add the green and red chard, stir well.  Reduce heat to a simmer and continue to cook for an additional 10-15 minutes.  Enjoy with a little grated Parmesan cheese on top.

Cranberry Nut Scones

I adapted this recipe that I found on the Four Chickens Blog.  I had been searching for something to bake today and went back to her blog to see if I could find a recipe to use with her Gluten Free Flour Mix (see recipe below) and sure enough I found one.

I took her basic recipe and added a few things to it: some dried cranberries, chopped pecans and lemon zest.

Cranberry Nut Scones

ngredients:
3 C. gluten-free flour mix (see below)

1/3 C. sugar

3 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 C. copped pecans

The zest of two small lemons or one large lemon

1/4 C. (or 1/2 C.) dried cranberries

6 oz cold butter (or dairy-free butter substitute--I used Earth Balance)

1 C. milk (or gluten-free soy milk) mixed with 4 T. vinegar--I used apple cider vinegar

Jeanne's Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Mix (mix together and store in fridge):
1 1/4 C. brown rice flour
1 1/4 C. white rice flour
1 C. tapioca flour
1 C. sweet rice flour (also known at Mochiko)
2 scant tsp. xanthan gum

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheet with a Silpat sheet.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.



Add the cold butter pieces and using your fingers, (a pastry blender, or two knives), work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse corn meal. Don't worry about the larger nubs of butter--these add to the scones' flakiness.  Add in the cranberries, pecans and lemon zest.  Mix well.



Slowly pour in the milk mixture--do this carefully, because you might not need it all. I used about 7/8s of the milk. The dough should be just barely wet. Use your hands to carefully mix in the last bits of flour. The dough should be extremely light and fluffy. Handle carefully.



Turn out only a floured board.  I use tapioca flour to lightly flour a large cutting board and lightly press out the ball of dough until it is about 1/2 in thickness (you can also follow the original recipe and use a rolling pin and cut the scones according to Jeanne's instructions).  Cut in half and depending on how many scones you want to make cut each half in third or quarters.  Place the scones on the baking sheet lined with the Silpat sheet.  Lightly sprinkle each scone with sugar (if you have raw sugar use that, if not, regular white sugar will work just fine)







Bake the scones for 17-20 minutes. They are done when they are lightly golden on the top. Cool briefly (or as long as you can stand it before devouring them).



Thanks Jeanne for another awesome recipe!

Gluten Free: Pizza and Bread Stick Dough

Let me start this post by saying I did not create this recipe (I wish I did), however I can't remember where online I found it. I thought I had it bookmarked but sadly I do not and its not 100% accurate of the original. I only wrote down the Rice Flour Mixture and kind of guessed at the rest of the directions...wooops, but it turned out great, I promise!! I tend to find recipes and re-create them.

Tonight I made a gluten free spinach and mushroom pizza which was wicked good! I don't eat pizza much because to me its more of a snack food than a real meal. I have to have a salad or something with it for it to be a meal.

Pizza or Bread stick Dough

1.5 cups of Brown Rice Flour Blend (see recipe below)

1 teaspoon Xantham Gum

1/2 teaspoon Salt

2 Teaspoons Sugar

2 Teaspoons Italian Seasoning

1.5 Teaspoons Garlic Powder

1 Packet of Quick Rise Yeast (or one Tablespoon Yeast)

1 Teaspoon Olive Oil

3/4 Cup plus one Tablespoon Water at 110 Degrees

In a stand mixer add all of the dry ingredients including the Yeast. Heat water and olive oil to 110 Degrees and add to dry ingredients. Mix on low until combined and then on high for two minutes

For Bread Sticks:

Add a little bit of oil to a zip lock bag and scoop dough into bag. Cut a small hole (not too big) in the corner of the bag and pipe out bread sticks (you should have about 8 bread sticks) on to either parchment paper or a silplat sheet. Cover with lightly sprayed plastic wrap in a warm place for 45 minutes. Heat oven to 375 degrees and bake for 20 minutes. For Garlic bread sticks - at the very end brush with melted butter or oil and a little bit of garlic.

For Pizza:

Scoop the dough onto a silplat sheet and spread out with lightly oiled hands (the dough is going to be sticky....let rise and reshape a bit). Cover with lightly sprayed plastic wrap in a warm place for 45 minutes. Once dough has finish rising a bit reshape into a medium - large pizza. Heat oven to 375 degrees and bake for 15 minutes. Take out and add sauce and toppings. Return to oven and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.

Brown Rice Flour Blend

2 Cups Brown Rice

2/3 Cup Potato Starch

1/3 Cup Tapioca Flour

Blend well!  Store in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator.

Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls

I'm always searching for and creating new recipes.  I'm not the best at creating recipes when it comes to bread products and baking.  I haven't quite mastered how all these different flours work together.  So many times when it comes to baking recipes I search for them on other people's GF blogs.

I found this blog called "I Am Gluten Free" the other day and found a recipe for Cinnamon Rolls.  These rolls are AMAZING!!  No lie...fantastic.  I made them the other day when my family was in town (all who aren't gluten free) LOVED them.  This is definitely a recipe I will make again and again.

I agree with the blogger of this recipe - these are so friggin' good.  These are as good (if not better) than the ones you get at the mall....oh you know which ones I'm talking about and yes I am saying they are as good if not better than them!!!   The original recipe was a little too sweet soooo I cut back on the filling a bit.   The original recipe is listed below with a link to the blog I found it on.    You have to give these a try...super easy recipe with awesome results....trust me you won't be disappointed, I promise!

Cinammon Rolls
Serves 8 or 9

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons shortening (I used butter)
1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup of milk, room temperature
1 packet yeast (about 1 tablespoon) (*see Ellen's note at end of post)
1 egg
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup potato starch
1 cup corn starch (someone subbed arrowroot successfully)
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 (*see Ellen's note at end of post)
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped nuts - optional

GLAZE
¾ cup powdered or confectionery sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
milk to thicken (I used soy milk)

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 (**see Ellen’s note).

Add milk/yeast to sugar mixture. Add remaining ingredients. Mix very well, being sure to remove all lumps. Dough will be quite soft (***see Ellen’s note).

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. 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.

Notes:
*I thought the rolls were a bit too sweet, so the next time I make them I will cut the amount of filling ingredients to about 2/3 of what the recipe calls for.
**It seems odd that the recipe doesn't call for proofing the yeast. I decided to cover the milk and yeast mixture with plastic wrap and allow it to at least begin proofing.
***The mixture is very, very soft - I was convinced that I'd made a mistake, but it ended up being fine.

For the love of cupcakes

I love cupcakes! I know I can't be alone in this but I would choose a cupcake over a piece of cake any day. They are cute and individualized...they just make me happy (and I'm pretty sure they make others happy to when I bake them and share the goods). I make them a ton, probably too much. But people have often asked where my love of cupcakes from and I never had a good answer, until last night that is!

This week I'm getting ready for my sister, brother in law and nephew to come for a visit before they move to Australia for three years!! So I did some deep cleaning of the apartment, got rid of a few things and put some rings back in my jewelry box. In doing so I found my charm bracelet that was given to me about ten years ago. I don't wear it much and only have a few "charms" on it. I have a fish and scallop charms from my dad, my baby ring and a cupcake from Julie. The cupcake was my first charm. She use to call me her "little Cupcake".

I guess its to Julie that I owe my love of cupcakes!! Ten years ago this summer I fell in love with that charm and cupcakes.

I love baking cupcakes, playing with different frostings, food coloring, sprinkles etc. Like I said I bake these A LOT! Now with my family coming to town I'll be making another batch this weekend for my sisters 30th birthday celebration. She's pregnant with baby number two and is trying to eliminate sugar during this pregnancy, so I'm on a mission to create sugar free cupcakes and frosting. I have a cupcake recipe and I found a frosting recipe online so I'll be trying that this weekend and will be sure to post my results. Fingers crossed they turn out.

I love cupcakes to the point I will not have a cake at my wedding...there will be cupcakes, maybe even a "cupcake tree"!

Sweet and Spicy Chicken

I'm going to give P.F Chang's a run for their money with this chicken. (ok maybe only in my mind). I love P.F.'s Spicy Chicken but this one I made tonight has got a good kick of heat to it.

Last week at the Farmer's market I found some Thai Chili's and have been trying to think of ideas of what to make with them. I plan to make some pad thai with tofu later this week. I wanted to create something by playing with the spice and contrasting it with sweet. And out came my Sweet and Spicy Chicken

Sweet and Spicy Chicken

1 chicken breast - boneless, skinless

1/4 cup corn starch

4 tablespoon veggie oil

Sauce:

1/4 cup honey

3-4 Thai Chili peppers finely chopped (keep seeds in for even more heat...adjust the amount of peppers depending on your spice level)

3 tbl spoons of water

1 tbl veggie oil

Mix honey and chopped peppers, let sit over night. When you are ready to use it add three table spoons of water and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds and mix well.

Cut up chicken in bit size pieces. In a medium bowl add the corn starch and cut up chicken. Coat well and shake off any excess corn starch. In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of oil, add half the chicken and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Place chicken on a paper towel lined plate. Repeat with second half of chicken.

In the same skillet add the honey - chili mixture and bring to a boil for two-four minutes until the sauce reduces and thickens slightly. Add chicken back to the pan and coat well. Simmer for an additional 2-3 minutes.

Serve over white or brow rice. Its a bit sweet with a nice spicy finish.

Pumpkin Spice-Walnut Pancakes

The past few days here have been abnormally hot....about in the 90's which is pretty rare around here.  Except yesterday that is...it was slightly chilly, very over cast and almost fall type weather.  I wanted something filling for breakfast, not cereal.  I was  going to try and make a flour blend that I could use for pancakes but realized I needed to order some more flours to do that and saw that I had half a package of Trader Joe's GF Pancake mix left so I decided to make those.

I am not one for plain pancakes.  I love chocolate chips in mine.  I didn't have any yesterday so I looked around to see what I had and could incorporate into my pancakes.  I found some cinnamon, some nutmeg, some pumpkin pie spice and some walnuts.

1/2 package of Trader Joe's GF Pancake mix (follow directions on the back of package)

1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (Trader Joe's)

1/4 cup chopped walnut pieces (Trader Joe's)

Prepare Pancake mix as the package says.  Stir in the pumpkin pie spice.  In a large pre-heated skillet with a little bit of non-stick spray drop in about 3 pancakes (about 1/4 cup each of batter...or however large/small you like them).  Then they start to bubble add walnuts and then flip over to cook on the other side.

Pancakes should only be flipped once.  When you see the bubbles start to form you know that is almost time to flip.  The bottom should then be a nice golden brown.

You can make all of the pancakes at once and either refrigerate or freeze them.  Or you can make what you would like and then save the batter for a day or two in the refrigerator.  I made all of mine at once and just put them in the toaster this morning to have again.  Very tasty.

"Lasagna"

When I was little every year for my birthday we would have lasagna and I loved it so much. Mostly loved it with out meat but on the occasion meat was ok . I haven't had lasagna in such a long time and the other day Lisa was talking to me about a recipe she made with squash instead of noodles. It sounded pretty tasty so I thought I would give it a try.

This recipe is awesome! So tasty and has a little bit of crunch from the squash. I used a Trader Joe's sauce with a little bit of spice to it.

"Lasagna"

2 medium-large yellow squash

1/2 cups ricotta cheese

1 cup frozen spinach (after its been thawed and drained well)

1/2 cups Sauce

Salt and Pepper to taste

Slice the squash in 1/4 inch pieces.  Lay them on a paper towel, salt to draw out the extra water/moisture from the squash.  In a bowl mix the spinach and ricotta, season with salt and pepper. In a baking dish (I used a small 2qt baking dish) layer the bottom of the pan with a small amount of sauce. Place the first player of squash down to cover the bottom of the pan (you may have to cut a few pieces to make it fit), evenly spread out the ricotta and spinach mixture, top with sauce. Repeat. You should get about three layers out of these ingredients. Sprinkle with some grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese or top with sliced/shredded mozzarella. (This cal also be done with eggplant or zucchini, again after slicing place on a paper towel and salt to draw out excess water).

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes (or until mozzarella is golden brown)

Thanks Lisa!!!

Sweet Potato Fries

You know those nights where all you want is a cheese burger and fries?? Well tonight was one of them...minus the cheese burger. At last weeks farmer's market I picked up two sweet potatoes and figured, why not make fries out of them tonight.

Sweet Potato Fries

2 medium - large sweet potatoes

1 teaspoon of sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 garlic clove minced

1/2 paprika

enough olive oil to coat the fries

Peel and cut sweet potatoes in 1/4 inch pieces (try to get them as even in size as possible so they cook evenly) In a small bowl combine the garlic, salt, pepper and paprika. In a large bowl coat them with oil, season with the seasoning mixture. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the coated "fries" on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes in a 450 degree oven, turning once.

Let cool and enjoy with your favorite dipping sauce or ketchup.

I've had sweet potato fries before with different kinds of dipping sauces, all different and all very tasty. I've had a few may based sauces, and normally I wouldn't even think to dip a fry in mayo. I actually don't eat much mayo anymore but happened to have some in the fridge so I thought I would try and make one myself:

Sweet Potato Fry Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup fat free mayo

1 tbl spoon fresh lemon juice

1 clove of garlic minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 black pepper

Combine all ingredients and mix well.

Gluten Free Eating in Monterey, CA

Its been a little over a year since I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease and I'm continually learning new things. I'm always on the hunt for new recipes, ideas, and places to eat. Eating out is by far the hardest part of being Gluten Free. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE to cook. I love to experiment and try new things but there are those days where I would much rather just grab something quick to eat.

When I was first diagnosed I did a bunch of research online and found these amazing little cards called Triumph Dining Cards. These are amazing! They come in 10 languages and I always keep the "American Cuisine" in my wallet. I figured these not only would be good with eating out but also for future travel.

I've used these cards quite a bit. I used it last weekend when eating at a Thai restaurant in San Francisco (Khan Toke Thai House). Not only does it help you with picking foods but it also helps the wait staff and chef understand what you can and more importantly can't eat.

Over the past year I have found a few places that are not specifically Gluten Free, however they are very accommodating. I thought I would take a few minutes to share these places with you.

Chinese:

P.F. Changs - Del Monte Center, Monterey, CA

They have a specific Gluten Free menu, its small but has a good selection. Their Chang's Spicy Chicken is by far my favorite!

Full Moon - Alvarado Street, Monterey, CA

A small family run restaurant in down town Monterey. They are very accommodating for me. I have brought them large bottles of gluten free soy sauce and they cook all of my food with it. All of their food is cooked to order (except maybe the spareribs which are pre-marinaded). I eat there often (to the point they know me by name and my "usual" orders) so when I first found out they had another customer with Celiac Disease and offered to cook my food with their soy sauce, so I have in turn offered that they can use my soy sauce for any one else with Celiac.

If you have any questions they are very friendly and honest people. I've never had to worry about any cross contamination there either.

Sushi:

Ocean Sushi - Monterey and Pacific Grove, CA

Who doesn't love sushi?! (ok a lot of people, I know) Again, nothing is specifically Gluten Free, however sushi has some great options ... AvoEbi Roll (shrimp, avocado), Philadelphia Roll (salmon, cream cheese and JPN cucumber) and Edamame are great choices. There is not extra sauces or tempura to worry about. They don't provide gluten free soy sauce but I've been known to bring my own and they are fine with that. I've talked with a few of the staff about Celiac and they are very accommodating to Gluten Free eaters.

Mexican:

Chipotle Mexican Grill - Del Monte Center, Monterey, CA

Here you have to be a little more careful of cross contamination, but I've eaten there plenty with out getting sick. On their website you can read all of the ingredients in their marinades, sauces, salsas etc.

As I try more places I'll update on here, but these are some of my favorites...next up Siamese Bay

Chicken Picatta

Again I did some searching for Chicken Picatta recipes.  The chicken is usually dredged in flour but seeing as this is GF I decided to use sweet white rice flour.  I followed a standard Picatta recipe with the oil, butter, lemon and capers and this is what I came up with:

Chicken Picatta:

Salt and Pepper

2 Chicken Breasts - butterflied

1 Cup Sweet White Rice Flour

5 Tbls Butter

4 Tbls Olive Oil

1/4 Cup Lemon Juice (Fresh)

1/2 Cup Chicken Stock

1/4 Cup of Capers rinsed and drained

1/4 Cup Fresh Parsley chopped

Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper then dredge in the rice flour.  Shake off any access flour.  In a large skillet heat 2 tbls of butter and 3 tbls of oil, when it starts to bubble/sizzle add one of the chicken breasts.  Cook for three minutes on each side.  The chicken should have a nice golden brown color.  Remove chicken and keep warm on a plate.  Add an additional 2 tbls butter and one tbls of oil, repeat the same process with the chicken.  Once chicken is done keep it warm on a plate with the other chicken breast.  In the pan add the lemon juice, chicken stock and capers, whisk well and bring to a boil.  Add the chicken breasts and any juices from the plate.  Simmer for five - seven minutes.  Remove chicken again and place on a serving platter.  Add the remaining butter to the pan and whisk well.  Pour the sauce over the chicken and top with parsley.

Serve with green beans, roasted potatoes or mashed potatoes.