Coconutty Cacao Yum!

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So our life seems to always be changing.  Changing job, changing houses, changing activities, changing ages, changing stomach issues.... Lately, the honey man seems to be having more gut issues and we have been tweaking some dietary things. I've been experimenting with some raw foods and no-grain "cooking" for a while and trying all kinds of fun new things. Coconut flour, coconut sugar, almond flour, flax seed meal as flour, and cocoa nibs are some fun new things. 

So honey loves him some dark chocolate but does not need the dairy and sugar. We were eating at a fellow gluten-free-ers home one night when she whips out these scones with little flecks of chocolate in them! (You should be drooling about now.) After inquiring a little to the ingredients we all pretty much cleared off that plate of scones. Then we asked, "What did you do for the chocolate?"  And the answer was, "cacao nibs." 

A little research on these wonderful little crisps showed some pretty amazing benefits. (Click here for a link to some great info on Cacao Nibs.) 

So, for those who "NEED" a fast chocolate fix in your life without the diary and mounds of sugar...

Coconutty Cacao Yum

1     tsp Organic Cacao Nibs
1-2  tbsp Coconut Oil
Unsweetened Shredded Coconut (to taste)

Mix together in a small bowl and roll out into balls or spread on some yummy GF toast.


NOTE:  Well, of course, you can add sugar if you want. And feel free to double up the recipe and share!!!

No Bake Cookies (Revisited)

I've been away from the blogging world for a while. School and a major move consumed my time. But I haven't been away from learning about a world of new ingredients and foods to make life more palatable around here. So I'm back....

Coconut Oil! Yum, and good for you... just can't beat it. So in my fun one day (and lack of dairy products in my house at the time) I tried something and it just improved what was already really, REALLY, GOOD! So let's talk cookies...

Note: A friend asked for this recipe this past weekend saying that it was "Better than that expensive confection 'thing' they were selling at a local health food store that they always run out of because they only make so many each week." (This from my friend who is not a big sugar fan and knows so much more than me about lots of amazing ingredients. I was shocked to even know she liked my cookies! Hmmmm.....)  

"Gluten-free No Bake Cookies"

2/3 c. sugar

1/4 c. butter (or g-f margarine) softened

¼ c. coconut oil

1 1/2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa

1/2 tsp. g-f vanilla

2-3 c. g-f oatmeal  (I used the old fashioned kind)

"The Powdered Icing"

1/4 c. confectioners(powdered) sugar

1/4 c. coconut flour (optional... you can just use the powdered sugar)

1) In a large bowl, cream the butter with the sugar, cocoa and vanilla.
2) Add oats and mix well
3) Squish together about a tablespoon size into a ball, then roll the ball around in the "powdered icing" and place on wax paper.  [Makes about 40 balls]

*** I'm just warning you... go ahead and make a double batch... those little things pop into your mouth and disappear before you know it! 

Options:  You can add things to this recipe like coconut or peanut butter or some flavoring.  You can even roll them in nuts also if you like.

No pictures today dearies.... the cookies go as fast as we can roll them out around here and the camera woman wasn't fast enough. Another day. Hugs. :o)

Easy Watermelon Sorbet

Sometimes, I just want to go to the store and buy some ice cream! Or sorbet! Or some frozen dessert that is allergy friendly and not loaded with lots of chemicals!  Sure, I can head off to the health food store and find something... but when you have to pay a ginormous price for an eensy-weensy cup of dessert... well, with four kids... that just doesn't go very far. 

So I had a watermelons and some hungry chitlins wanting some "zert" [i.e. what my four year old calls dessert].  Sorbet sounded wonderful to me... but I had to look around and experiment a bit to find something that worked without alcohol or corn syrup.  There are tons of marvelous recipes out there if corn or alcohol or dairy isn't an issue for you.

Easy Watermelon Sorbet

Watermelon
1 c. Water
1 c. Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 tbsp. Lime Juice




1. Take the equal amounts of sugar and water and stir them together.  Heat them in a microwave to bring them to a boil (stir every minute or so to keep the sugar dissolving).  You are basically making a sugar syrup out of this.  Once you have this nice sticky syrup... let it cool down.
2. seed and chop up some watermelon (or buy seedless)
3. puree the watermelon (you need 4-6 cups of puree)
4. add the syrup, vanilla and lime juice to the blender/food processor and make it nice and slushy. 
5. Immediately put in a covered freezer container to freeze. 

Takes 4+ hours to freeze, then you scoop and serve!!!

Tip:  I didn't let my "syrup" cool down enough and my sorbet didn't want to freeze.  My kids were dying to have some, so I took out have of the slush mixture, put it in the blender with some ice and made one awesome slushy/sorbet mixture.  It really froze up nicely with the ice added.... yum!!!  But very sweet!

Crock Pot Roast & Cobbler

There's a nippy feeling in the air. I even saw a small flock of geese in their V formation flying over just the other day! Fall is coming. It makes me think of the fair, hay rides, wearing jackets in the morning waiting on the bus and running barefoot in the afternoons when the day warmed. Also, the last of the garden was usually coming in and grandma would make lots of soup. Mom would have that crock pot a bubbling.... the smells getting off the bus would make you run to the house to just get a taste!

I got so excited last week I ran out and change my lawn decorations then came in and threw a roast in the crockpot! 

Then I tried something I had wanted to for a long time.... Crockpot Cobbler!  It worked wonderfully. 

I threw it all in and we came home Sunday to a dinner my sweet grandmother would have been proud of!

My crockpot seems to be my best friend on busy days. One of the few things you can just leave running and come back in a few hours to enjoy! With not eating out very often I have come to appreciate this little device in so many ways in the last several years. So dearies.... pull that thing out of the back of your closet, remove the dust and crank it up! It's time for some yum!

Cobbler in a crock pot!

Easy Roast!
Roast
Salt
Garlic (opt.)
Onion
Carrots, celery, potatoes (or sweet potatoes!), green beans or other fresh veggie.
Water (apprx. 2 cups)

Brown the roast in a pan first with the salt, onion and garlic then place in the bottom of the crockpot.  Chop veggies and mound on top of the meat.  Pour water over the top.  Place on lid and turn it on.

3-8 hours depending on your crockpot settings!

Tip:  You can make cobbler in your crock pot too!  Just place the fruit and liquid in the bottom, pour on the topping, place the lid on and keep the setting low.  Fresh fruit or frozen fruit works best for this.

Addictive Gluten Free No Bake Cookies!!!

These lasted, oh... 5 minutes!

Warning: this post my be addictive to your taste buds, proceed with caution and lots of calorie reducing jogging.

So a few weeks ago I was having a conversation with some friends about "no bake cookies".  They were talking [and salivating] about how much they "loved" no bake cookies.  I heard them describe their late night kitchen excursions to make the craved for cookies.  I felt left out.  I don't recall ever having eaten "no-bake" cookies that tasted soooo good that I craved making them 20 years later after having been lovingly served them by my mother as a child. [What was I missing in life?  I've got to talk with my mom!]

I inquired about ingredients and cooking methods [confirming my suspicions that we would definitely have to make some substitutions].  Plus, those "no bake" cookies actually had to be heated up in a pot on the stove.  [So technically they were not baked... but did require some form of heating.  Hmmm...]  So, I did what I always do when my taste buds are piqued.... I went home and researched. 

Could there be a TRUE no-bake cookie that didn't require eggs or anything to make it rise while baking?  Was there a cookie that could be held together by something other than peanut butter?  Could it be made gluten-free?  Would it taste like something other than unbaked cardboard?  What about the usual cost factor?  Hmmmm.....

I have to tell you.... [jumping up and down at the computer right now]... what I came up with was phenomenal.... easy.... made with common ingredients... and totally addictive!!!!  They are light, yummy with a hint of chocolate and practically melt in your mouth!  Does telling you that we made them three times in the past week and a half help you understand?  [Mom... how could you have not ever made something like this for your precious darling daughter so many years ago??? It's o.k.... really.... it probably saved me many pounds on my torso... so I forgive you mom.]

Without further adieu....

"Gluten-free No Bake Cookies"

before being "rolled & powdered"

2/3 c. sugar

1/2 c. butter (or g-f margarine) softened

1 1/2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa

1/2 tsp. g-f vanilla

2 c. g-f oatmeal  (I used the old fashioned kind)

"The Powdered Icing"

1/4 c. confectioners sugar

1/4 c. coconut flour (optional... you can just use the powdered sugar)

1) In a large bowl, cream the butter with the sugar, cocoa and vanilla.
2) Add oats and mix well
3) Squish together about a tablespoon size into a ball, then roll the ball around in the "powdered icing" and place on wax paper.  [Makes about 40 balls]

*** I'm just warning you... go ahead and make a double batch... those little things pop into your mouth and disappear before you know it! 

Options:  You can add things to this recipe like coconut or peanut butter or some flavoring.  You can even roll them in nuts also if you like.

New Computer... new recipes... new fun!

Yes!  The move and house remodeling are complete.  The old computer has been replaced with one that allows me to blog again.  Life is good!  I'm back..... [miss me?]

I've been learning where all the health food stores are here and what they carry.  I've been finding fun new blogs and companies that carry gluten-free foods/recipes.  I think mainstream corporate industry is finally catching on to the g-f market.  Hooray!  [Even Bisquick is on board!]

My dilemma still remains that families [like mine] with multiple food allergies still struggle to find allergy-safe foods in this modern convenience mentality world we live in.  Sigh.... Our favorite g-f cookies and 0pancake mixes have potato starch/flour in them.  Most of the really yummy bread recipes still use eggs and many use dairy.  What's a cornbread lovin' gal to do???

In the words of Dory from "Finding Nemo", "Just keep swimming... just keep swimming... ah, ha, ha. haaa...." [well maybe I should say, "Just keep baking..."]

So, my dear patient readers.... until Betty Crocker and other famous brands can make our meals more convenient, here is my offering of love to you.  A quick dessert I throw together when we need a sugar rush or unexpected company comes or just when I need to use up some ripening fruit!

Quick Fruit Cobbler
2 cups fresh fruit you have on hand (peaches, strawberries, blueberries, apples, or pears work great)
     or  2 cups of frozen fruit (obviously defrosted)
1 cup sugar [agave if you like less sweet]
1 tbsp. tapioca [optional]
1 cup g-f flour (sorghum with a little buckwheat is yummy)
2 cups g-f oatmeal
1 stick butter (or dairy free margarine)

Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Filling:
I have a favorite stoneware pan I love to make this in, but you can just use a pie or casserole dish. 
Prepare the fruit (peel, chop, core or whatever is appropriate for the particular fruit you use).  Spread fruit evenly in the bottom of pie pan.  Sprinkle 1/2 cup sugar and tapioca over fruit and let stand while preparing "crust".  If you are using a "dry", fresh fruit (like a green apple) you may need to add a bit of water to the filling. 

Clyde the Camel likes cobbler!

Crust:

In a medium bowl, combine flour, oatmeal, remaining sugar.   "Shake" the crust evenly over the top of the filling, using a spoon to spread if necessary.  Some people like to "cut in" their butter/margarine in the flour mixture before spreading it, I prefer to melt mine and drizzle it over the top of the crust. 

Bake for approximately 30 minutes until filling is bubbling through the crust.  Serve with your favorite non-dairy "ice cream" or whipped topping.

Note:  If you like more cake-like topping, switch the amounts of flour/oatmeal ratios.  You may need to add a bit of water/liquid to the filling to keep it from being quite to dry.

Gluten Free Birthday (Part 1)

It is that time again.  "What time??" you ask.  PARTY TIME!

Oh, yes... I probably don't have to explain to all your "allergy moms" out there how much of an issue it can be to deal with parties when your child has multiple food allergies.  We tend to take our own cupcakes and snacks whenever we go to someone else's party.  It is just easier and I assure the mom we are totaly used to doing this.  For our own parties... I have tended to have them at home where we could control all the food issues and still have fun. 

This year, however, we recently moved [read: there are still boxes in my house] and decided on a pool party at a local indoor pool.  The problem was that pizza came included in the package.  So I had to decide... Do I just nix the whole pizza idea?  Or do I serve the pizza to the other kids and bring allergy free pizza for my family??  We decided to go with the second idea.  [Something to do with one less thing for me to prepare.]

I'm going to share some of our favorite party food recipes over the next several posts.  Maybe it will help you not have to go through as much trail and error as we did on our journey.

Let's just start with the best stuff.....
The ICING (Oh yea!)
4 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. real butter/ or spectrum butter
1/2 c. coconut "oil" [the consistency of shortening]
dash of salt (optional)
2 tbsp. rice milk/water
1 tsp. vanilla

This is a basic buttercream icing, but without the regular shortening (which is soy based).  Store bought icings always seem o have either soy or wheat starch in them.

Cream the coconut shortening and butter together.  Add in the vanilla.  then add in powdered sugar one cup at a time.  Add in milk as you go to keep the consistency right.  Add food coloring if needed and you can tollerate them.

You can make this ahead and store in an air tight container in the fridge. 

Apple Pie !!! Yea Baby!

So my Honey had a hankering for some REAL pie.  You know, the kind made from apples from the orchard (not a can).  I was busy... but my 12 year old volunteered for the task (anything for sugar in his life).

Let me tell you... there is no faster way to teach your pre-teen age child to cook than to set them onto making dessert.  Now that I know he can cook (and follow directions)... guess who I'll expect more cooking from.

Pie, baby...Pie!!!

The Crust:

1 2/3 c. brown rice flour

1 2/3 c. sorghum flour

1 tsp salt

1 tblsp + 3/4 tsp. xanthan gum

1 lb. butter (or 1/2 butter & 1/2 coconut shortening/oil)

1/2 c. chilled water

Combine flours, xanthan gum and salt.  Cut in shortening/butter until you get those little small balls of dough.  Then add in the chilled water to dampen the mixture.  We just put the entire bowl in the refrigerator to chill the dough.  (If you are a professional chef there are more professional ways to do this.  Alas, with four kids... we "git'er done" anyway we can.)

I have not had great success in rolling out gluten free pie crusts.  If any of you have, please feel free to leave me your tips.  We just oil our pans and "hand press" the flour right into the pie pan.  This dough will make you 3-4 crusts.

The filling:

4 medium apples peeled (or not) and sliced

1 c. sugar

2/3 c. brown sugar

4 tblsp. sorghum flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

3 tblsp. butter

Mix everthing in the bowl.  Place filling in crusts.  Place top crusts on if you like.  Bake for about 45 minutes.

Then go jog for that 45 minutes to work off what you are about to eat. Can you smell it.  Hmmmmm......

Note: you can make this diary free if you substitute the butter with coconut oil/shortening or margerine in the crust.  Substitute oil in the filling for the butter.  We just never touch margerine.

Happy Fall Ya'll!!! 

Love, The Cornbread Girl