Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

The ingredients list and directions look long, but don't be intimidated. These are easy to make and definitely worth every tsp of ingredients. This picture was taken without the frosting, obviously
I have made these the night before and baked them first thing in the morning to take to work. They turn out a little bit drier that way, but eating them warm straight out of the oven is definitely the best. I think I would save these for a day that I have time in the morning to make and bake them, but either way is fine.ROLLS
* 2 T butter, room temperature
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 2/3 cup almond milk, warm
* 1 packet yeast
* 1 egg
* 1/4 cup oil
* 1/2 cup tapioca starch
* 1 cup corn starch
* 1/3 cup brown rice flour
* 1/4 tsp baking soda
* 2 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
* 2 tsp baking powder
* 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
FILLING
* 1/2 cup brown sugar
* 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
* 1/3 cup chopped pecans
* 1/4 cup raisins
FROSTING
* 3 T cream cheese, room temperature
* 3 T butter, room temperature
* 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
* 1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 375.

In a medium bowl, mix butter and sugar until well blended. In a small bowl, whish warm milk, and yeast until dissolved. Mix milk mixture into butter mixture, and then add remaining ingredients.

Cut a square piece of saran wrap about 13 x 13 inches. Sprinkle with sugar and lay dough on top. Cover with an equal piece of saran wrap and roll out dough. You may have to reposition the saran wrap a few times, but at least it will stop your roller from sticking.

Remove top piece of wrap and spread filling(mix brown sugar and spice) evenly across the dough and sprinkle nuts and raisins on top. Starting from one edge of the saran wrap, begin rolling the dough to create a log. When rolled, cut into 8 equal pieces and place into a greased pan ( I used a 9in cake pan). Bake for 20 minutes in a 375 degree oven.

Mix frosting ingredients and spread on top of hot rolls or pipe on with a pastry bag.

No need to be jealous of Cinnabon eaters anymore!! ENJOY!!

**modified from the book, The Gluten Free Kitchen

Stuffed Zuchhini

I didn't measure the ingredients, which does not matter because this dish is so versatile and easy to make.

* zucchini
* onion
* garlic
* GF bread, toasted, and chopped
* feta cheese, crumbled
* fresh rosemary
* shredded mozzarella

Cut zucchini in half, lengthwise and scopp out middle to make a boat shape. Place zucchini filling in a bowl and zucchini boats on a baking sheet and in the oven at 400 for about 15-20 minutes.
While the zucchini boats are baking, saute onion and zucchini middle in olive oil until soft. Then add garlic for about a minute. Remove from pan when cooked andmix in bread crumbs, feta, and rosemary.
Remove zucchini boats from oven and stuff with filling. Top with mozzarella and place back in the oven for about 5 mins to melt cheese.Great served along side a bowl of pasta.

Almond Orange Cake

After enjoying the delicious cake at Starbucks, I sat in my kitchen looking at the bag of valencia oranges, longing for another piece. Luckily this Recipe by Elana's Pantry came to the rescue!* 2 valencia oranges
* 4 eggs
* 3/4 cup agave nectar
* 2 cups almond meal (it is VERY important to use FINE almond flour to get the desired taste and texture)
* 1 tsp baking soda

Boil oranges and simmer for 1 hour. Allow oranges to cool and remove seeds. Blend entire orange until smooth. Mix in eggs and agave nectar. Stir in almond meal and baking soda.

Grease a 9in cake pan with oil and sprinkle rice/almond flour to prevent sticking. Place in 375 degree oven and bake for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Thank you Elana for a delicious recipe!! Tastes extremely similar to Starbuck's new GF treat.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

* Olive Oil
* 1 onion, diced
* 2 cloves garlic, diced
* 1 large potato, peeled and finely diced
* 1 bunch broccoli, chopped
* 2 cups cheese ( I used cheddar, but you could use whatever suits yoru fancy)
* 1/2 cup heavy cream

In a saucepan, saute onions in the olive oil until soft. Add in garlic and stir for a minute, until flavors are released. Add the potatoes and 3 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Let simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and let cook for about 7-10 minutes. Using a blender, puree the soup.
When you have desired consistency, pour back into pan and add cheese and heavy cream on low heat until heated through.
This is best served with gluten free bread on the side.
(the picture shows a piece of GF toast that I was dipping to taste test)

Modified from a Rachel Ray magazine recipe

Super EASY Tomato Soup

Its been raining hard for 5 days straight. Its time for a lazy night with soup and the couch.

* Extra virgin olive oil
* 1 medium onion, diced
* 1 clove garlic
* 1 can italian seasoned diced tomatoes

Saute onions until soft, add garlic for about a minute. Place sauteed onions, garlic, and canned soup in blender and puree. Place back in pot for 5 minutes to heat through. Enjoy with a grilled cheese :)

White Chocolate, Peach, and Apricot Muffins

After a day at the San Francisco's farmers market and a flip through Great Gluten Free Baking, I was inspired to make a light and fruity muffin using the beautifully plump dried peaches I had purchased.

* 3/4 cup dried fruit (apricots and peaches), chopped
* grated rind and juice of 1 orange
* 1 cup brown rice flour
* 3/4 cup sorghum flour
* 3/4 cup potato starch
* 1 tsp baking soda
* 2 tsp baking powder
* 1 tsp xanthan gum
* 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
* 3/4 cup, white chocolate chips
* 6 T butter, melted
* 4 eggs, beaten
* 1 1/2 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 350. Line muffin pans with paper liners. Place dried fruit, rind, and orange juice in a small saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes. Then set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, mix flour, baking soda, powder, and xanthan gum in a bowl. Mix in the sugar and chocolate. Mix the wet ingredients and soaked fruit. Fold them into the dry mixture.
Pour batter into pans and bake (Regular muffins-20 minutes, Mini muffins- 15 minutes)

Jalapeno Corn Bread

Normally my husband does not get overly excited about food. However, when I asked if he wanted seconds, he asked if I could just bring over the whole plate of cornbread :) Guess this one is a keeper. Easy, Cheap, Delicious, and Moist!! No unusual flours needed.* 1 1/2 cup cornmeal
* 3 tsp baking powder
* 1/2 tsp garlic salt
* 2 eggs
* 1 can creamed corn
* 1 cup sour cream
* 1/2 cup oil
* 1 cup cheddar cheese
* 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped

In a bowl, combine first 3 ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, corn, sour cream, and oil. Once blended, mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Lightly mix in cheese and jalapenos.

Pour batter into an 8x8 greased pan. If desired, sprinkle with additional cheese. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Serve warm as a side dish.Great served along side of: * Salad * Garden Vegetable Soup or any other soup/chili

Stuffed Peppers (crock pot)

3-4 large red peppers
1 c. cooked brown rice
2 small tomatoes, diced
1/2 can of corn, drained
½ onion, diced
¼ c. canned red beans
1/2 c. canned black beans
½ c. jack/cheddar cheese
½ can chopped olives (2 oz.)
2 fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
salt and pepper
hot sauce- optional

½ c. spaghetti sauce
parmesan cheese
1/4 c. water

Cut tops off peppers and remove seeds. Set aside.

Combine the rice, tomatoes, corn, onion and beans. Stir in the jack cheese, olives, basil, garlic, salt and pepper. Spoon into peppers, packing it down.

Combine spaghetti sauce and water. Pour half of it into the slow cooker. Put peppers in and top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Cover and cook on high for 3 ½ hours. Sprinkle with more parmesan cheese

Gluten Free Made Easy

Google supports the Gluten free community. Click on the link below for a search engine that only pulls up gluten free information. FABULOUS!

Gluten Free Fox

Naturally Gluten Free

We had a field trip today which means its bagged lunch time. I sat in amazement, munching on green beans, while I looked over the lunches that my students were eating. Lunchables were everywhere (and loaded with 50% of your daily sodium and God knows what else), sodas were being chugged, and rare was it to see a kid with a piece of fruit in hand. One student sitting near by had a Little Debbie cake, salami on white bread, Cheez-its, and a Diet Dr Pepper...not an ounce of nutrients to be found.
I realize that packing lunch every day can be hard for working parents, but nutrition has to become a priority for our country. Buy healthier choices. It would not have taken any more work to have made a sandwich on whole grain bread, swapped an apple for the Cheez-its, and had water or juice in the place of soda.

I started discussing it with another teacher, but stopped when I realized she was eating a bag of Funyuns. I got sad that maybe I was the only person in the world not eating a highly processed diet. However, I came home to find this movie trailer, Processed People, and was excited to see that there are people out there striving to break away from the easy, convenient, and highly processed foods that our nation is so happy to promote.
In honor of those of us who are tired, hungry, and wanting to be healthy, here's a quick fix.

Guacamole
* 1 avocado, smashed
* 1/2 onion, diced
* 1 tomato, diced
* juice of 1 lime
* handful of cilantro, chopped

Smash the avocado and mix in the remaining ingredients.
Enjoy with corn chips, on a salad, or with lettuce wraps and cucumbers

Gluten Free Starbucks

My expectations were set low when I heard Starbucks was coming out with a gluten free cake. Afterall, gluten free living can be filled with the disappointment of high prices and crappy products. I went this morning and picked up 4 Almond Orange cakes ($1.95 each) for the other 3 celiacs at work and a latte for myself. OH MY GOODNESS....these things were delicious!! They were moist, flavorful, and did I mention ridiculously moist!?! They are more like a cake than a breakfast item, but I have never been one to say no to dessert for breakfast.
I am so pleased with Starbucks newest item, I couldn't wait to come home and blog about it. While I am not a daily Starbucks shopper, I love relaxing at a Starbucks while I'm on vacation and the thought of being able to actually eat something bought in an airport is so exciting. Thank you Starbucks!! A job well done!

The cakes were not in the case, but you can ask for them. They have them individually wrapped to avoid cross contamination and if there aren't any on the counter, there are plenty in the freezer. They thaw out quickly, so by the time you get to work, you're ready to enjoy.