Wholegrain blueberry muffins

I saw this recipe at Hope for Healing and 40 minutes later was enjoying them hot out of the oven.

They are gluten, dairy, and refined sugar free and they rank right at the top of my favorite muffins list! I made a few changes because of a lack of certain ingredients.


* 1 cup oat flour
* 1/2 cup GF oats
* 1/2 cup rice flour
* 1/2 cup sorghum (I used 2 T teff flour and the remaining amount was sorghum)
* 2 tsp baking powder
* 1 tsp baking soda
* 1 tsp xanthan gum
* 1/2 cup agave nectar
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 cup oil
* 3/4 cup coconut milk
* 2 cups frozen blueberries
* zest of one lemon
Mix all of the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, then add in all the wet ingredients and mix well until everything is combined. Then fold in the blueberries. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes or until your muffins are golden brown. Make sure to let these cool and settle just a bit before eating because then they will be less crumbly.

Cinnamon Rolls

I was so excited to see Cinnamon Rolls on my trip to Cookie MOMsters. While I have a good recipe for gluten free cinnamon rolls, 99% of the time, I am too lazy to make them. That is why out of the 200 times I've craved them in the last couple of years, I have only ever made them twice.

Once I got home, I started to regret my decision to splurge $10 on 6 rolls, knowing that I'd built them up too much in my head. I was going to wait for breakfast today, but finally gave in and had one for dessert last night. Let me tell you, they were DELICIOUS and when I had them again this morning for breakfast....just as delicious. I usually add pecans and raisins to mine, which this one was missing, but the cinnamon cakey flavor was perfect. I thought the mock cream cheese icing would be a let down, as this pregnancy as turned me into a dairy fiend, but I was pleased all the way around.
This is something I would buy again. It's nice to have cinnamon rolls, in the freezer, ready to eat when I want them. Thank you Cookie MOMsters for another enjoyable, GFCF treat!

Fruit Smoothie
* banana, frozen
* strawberries
* pineapple, chopped
* half orange
* Stonyfield Vanilla yogurt
* Tbsp coconut flakes
Toss all ingredients in blender. Blend. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Bakery in Jacksonville, FL

I always read other blogs and feel a great deal of jealousy when people mention visiting their local gluten free bakery, but no more. I am pleased to announce that today I visited Cookie Momsters, a gluten/casein/nut free bakery located on San Jose Blvd right here in Jacksonville, FL. The bakery is small and only open Wed-Sat from 10-4pm. Most of their business is done through special orders and selling bulk cookie dough to Whole Foods, but on hand they have a variety of frozen baked goods to be purchased.
The prices are high, but I didn't expect anything different, after all we all know how expensive gluten free baking is. The quality and convenience of their products were worth the price. The woman running the store was very nice and allowed me to sample a few things before purchasing. I picked up:
* Chex mix (chex, pretzels, and some puffed cheese thing with a soy free soy sauce)
* Half a loaf of bread (8 normal sized slices) $5 and DELICIOUS! It was considerable more than I like to spend on bread, but after getting home and making a sandwich, I would definitely eat less bread in order to be able to afford having really good bread when I want a great sandwich.
* A 6 pack of cinnamon rolls with a mock cream cheese icing $10
* Chocolate chip ice cream sandwich $2.50 (the cookies were soft and extremely tasty, however I was not a fan of the Tempt-Hemp Ice Cream. I would probably buy their cookie dough and make my own ice cream sandwiches in the future)I look forward to going back in the future to try their other cookies, muffins, and maybe even some of their pre-made entrees.

Smoothies

Banana Mango Smoothie
* 1 mango, cut into pieces
* 1 frozen banana, in thirds
* splash of OJ
* 1T coconut flakes

Toss all ingredients in blender and blend. Enjoy the warm weather with an ice cold drink.

Scones

I have a scone recipe that I like, but Joel isn't such a fan, so I decided to try something new this morning. While I took very little work in stealing the recipe from the back of the Pamela's baking mix bag, the result was AWESOME! Joel ate 3, I had 4 (3 for me, 1 for baby, of course). The only difference is I substituted the currants for chopped fresh strawberries and dark chocolate chunks. They were delicious. Not too dry and full of flavor. I put a little bit of jam on mine, but Joel stuck with just a dab of butter. These were a perfect addition to our Starbucks coffee splurge.

Chocolate Strawberry Scones
* 2 1/4 cups Pamela's Baking Mix
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 1/3 cup sugar
* 4 Tbsp butter
* 2/3 cup milk
* 1 egg, beaten
* 1/2 cup chopped strawberries
* 1/4 cup dark chocolate chunks

Combine dry ingredients. Cut in butter with two knives. Combine milk and egg and mix in with a fork. Fold in strawberries and chocolate. Drop in large biscuit drops on an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 375 for 15-17 minutes. Makes about 10 scones (I made 11).

Ugly Color, Great Smoothie

Woke up this morning in need of something healthy to kick start my day. I'm 31 weeks pregnant and feel a horrible cold coming on (again). Unfortunately, baby prevents me from taking anything from the drug store to fight this beast off. In addition to my daily probiotics I decided to add some greens to my breakfast (Lord, knows I haven't been eating enough with this meat lover in my belly controlling every meal)
Despite the fact that it is literally freezing outside (in FL, believe it or not), I decided on a smoothie.

* frozen banana
* 4 frozen strawberries
* 1/2 cup pineapple with juice
* 3 tsp Greens Plus powder (mixed with a small amount of water first to help it dissolve)
* 1 cup Stonyfield Vanilla yogurt
* juice of 1/2 orange

Toss in blendtec, blend, and enjoy :)

Merry Christmas

I have been put on hold with baking because my students always make me tons and tons of cookies, none of which I can eat, so my darling husband always has the job of eating them. Unfortunately, that means he is sugared out by the time I'm ready to do my Christmas baking. This year, I have decided to stray away from the usual Christmas goodies and make a random assortment of things that I'd like to eat. Since hubs is in anti-sugar mode and my parents are both dieting, this year its all about the gluten free pregnant lady...and luckily for me, I come from a big family with lots of kids. We all know kids don't discriminate against dessert, especially not the ones in my family.

Christmas Breakfast
* Fresh squeezed OJ from my in-laws tree (gotta love living in FL)
* Coffee (for hub) and Chocolate Milk (for me)
* Chocolate and Cherry Muffins (I subbed the cranberry, orange, and lemon for dried cherries and chocolate chips)
* Cranberry Orange Muffins (with added lemon zest)
* Fruit

Christmas Dessert* Betty Crocker's Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Unfortunately, my plate has a dip in the middle and the cake split. Its not the prettiest, but it smells and tastes delicious!* Almond Joy Coconut Macaroons
- 2/3 cup condensed milk
- 1 egg white
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 3 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 24 almonds
-4 ounces chocolate, melted

Combine milk, eggs, vanilla, and shredded coconut in a bowl. Scoop tablespoon sized balls onto a very well greased baking sheet. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes. When you remove cookies from oven, immediately lift off of pan and place on wax paper. Stick an almond into the center of each macaroon. When cookies cool, melt chocolate and dip bottom of cookies in. Allow to cool on wax paper.

Can you tell I live in Florida? Its a very bright, tropical, and citrus filled Christmas, but with the temperatures in the 70s, who can blame me?

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Baby wants muffins

I've been in a breakfast rut lately, enjoying a bowl of cereal (usually Rice Chex), banana or frozen blueberries, and milk in the morning when I get to work.

I've been trying to get out of the rut, because baby does not seem to appreciate anything shy of high protein in the morning. When I try to get away with trying a new cereal (esp with more sugar) my blood sugar goes haywire. This baby GIRL is awfully picky.

I've been way too lazy to make eggs in the morning and have been trying to add some small sides to my breakfast or within an hour of, such as...

* apples and peanut butter

* yogurt

* trail mix

On Wednesday we didn't have school so I made my favorite gluten free muffins (with sour cream hoping to please the dairy craving baby). Does anyone have any quick, high protein breakfast ideas?

Ugly pictures, Delicious breakfast

On the weekends, I try to make a big breakfast to make the most of my time with hubby. This morning while hubby was out picking lettuce in the garden, baby started acting up and was showing no signs of having patience in waiting for him to finish his morning routine. So, I decided to whip up a smoothie while we waited, but no no...this baby wanted dairy. I'm still adjusting to these strong cravings for meat and dairy, so cooking feels like a new adventure. (and I'm usually so hungry, I get half way through eating before I remember to take a picture. Note: the crappy pictures on today's blog)
Blueberry smoothies (with dairy)
*1 frozen banana
* 1 small handful of blueberries
* 6 oz Stoneyfield Plain yogurt (keeping the sugar down so I could enjoy the maple syrup with my waffles-yum)
* splash of OJ
Toss everything in Blendtec (or other blender) and blend. Made about 12 oz and baby and I were charged for the morning....that is until an hour later when it was waffle time :)

Pamela's Banana and Pecan Waffles
* 1 1/2 cup Pamela's baking mix
* 3/4 cup water
* 2 eggs
* 2 Tbsp oil
* 1 tsp vanillaMix ingredients, pour in waffle maker, top with pecans, banana slices, and pure maple syrup and ENJOY! (I tried mixing the banana into the waffle batter this morning, but it messed up the texture. The waffles weren't crisp on the outside, like they should be. I recommend just tossing the banana slices on top of the waffles)

Mmmm....Donuts

A friend of mine recently had a baby, so I decided to celebrate her new bundle of joy with a box of Kinnickinick glazed donuts. Because after giving birth, seriously, what would any woman want more than something delicious to eat. Plus, while still in the hospital the need to get back in shape is still being overshadowed by the joy of the new baby.


While grabbing the box, I realized it would be unfair to my baby if I didn't also get a box for myself and boy, oh boy was that a good decision. These donuts at $5.99 (for 6 donuts) are a tad expensive, but well worth the money. They are heavier than gluten filled donuts, but DELICIOUS! Go ahead and splurge, pick up a box for yourself and a friend :) Available at Whole Foods, Native Sun, and even some small chain health food stores, such as Grassroots.

Bagels

I recently tried Glutino's GF bagels and they are delicious. They are guilty of having a mild gluten free taste, but its nothing peanut butter or cream cheese can't cover up. The downside is that they must be really well toasted (I toast twice) or the texture is rather undesirable. When extra toasted and topped with cream cheese they are delightful. Nice to have a quick, non sugary breakfast.
I found these at Whole Foods ($6.50 for a bag of 5 frozen bagels).

Spinach, Sundried Tomato, and Feta Quiche

* 1-2 grated potatoes
* 1/2 bag spinach
* 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes
* 2 oz feta, crumbled
* 4 eggs
* 1 cup half and half

Dry grated potatoes with paper towels (be sure they are dry, otherwise they will not crisp up and will stick to the pan). Press potatoes into a greased 9 in cake pan (bottom and sides). Bake potato crust for 10 mins in a 450 degree oven.
Saute spinach in olive oil for a few minutes until wilted. Chop up spinach, sun dried tomatoes, and feta and sprinkle over the potato crust. Beat eggs and mix with half and half and pour milk/egg mixture in the pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

Looking for something light for a summer brunch I was hosting, I decided to try Elana's Lemon Poppyseed Muffins with a few minor modifications. Like everything else of hers I have tried, they are DELICIOUS!* 1/4 cup coconut flour
* 1/4 tsp baking soda
* 3 eggs
* 3 T brown sugar (packed)
* 1/4 cup grapeseed oil
* 1 T lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
* 1 T poppy seed

In a medium bowl mix coconut flour and baking soda. In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, sugar, oil, and lemon zest. Combine dry mix into wet mixture and then fold in poppyseeds.
Place mix into greased mini muffin cups (about 1 T each) and bake at 350 for 8-10 mins.

Makes about 12 muffins

**My muffins came out a touch dry, so I mixed together the juice of half a lemon with a couple of Tbsp of powdered sugar. Poke the muffins with toothpicks and pour glaze on top. Adds moisture and a little extra tart flavor. DELICIOUS!
You may also enjoy the following made with coconut flour :
Bluberry Muffins
Vanilla Bean Cake

Gluten Free Brunch

To celebrate the completion of our kitchen remodel, Joel wanted to have some friends over for a Sunday brunch. The weather was perfect, the food delicious, and the company wonderful.
BEFORE















AFTER

The menu (recipes to follow shortly)
* Pumpkin, Chocolate Chip Scones
* Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
* Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins
* Cheese Tray (aged Gouda, Brie, and some Welsh mustard cheese) served with grapes, apple slices, and nut thins
* Sundried Tomato, Spinach, and Feta Quiche
* Mixed greens salad (greens, candied pecans, cranberries, feta, apple slices, balsamic dressing)
* Fruit tray (pineapple, cantaloupe, strawberries, kiwi)
* Mimosas
* Coffee

Fruit Salad

Instead of trying to replicate a safe version of all the things that make us sick, sometimes the best thing about eating gluten free is remembering to enjoy the things in life that are naturally gluten free.

* 1 mango, diced
* 1 kiwi, sliced
* a few raspberries
* a handful of blueberries

Mix together and enjoy, plain or with a side of yogurt.

Blueberry Crumb Cake

This cake is full of sugar, dairy, and is so unbelievable DELICIOUS! There is little that is healthy about this breakfast treat, but I turn a blind eye and happily devour piece after piece. My parents own a blueberry farm and after years of hard work my dad said no to picking this year, all he wanted was a piece of blueberry crumb cake. So, this ones for you dad...

Cake
2 3/4 cup Pamela's baking mix
1 1/2 tsp Baking powder
1 1/2 tsp Baking soda
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 pint sour cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups blueberries

Crumb topping
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 Tbsp Pamela's baking mix
2 Tbsp butter, cold

Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until well blended. Add in the eggs, one at a time. Add the baking mix, baking powder, and baking soda together in a bowl. Once mixed, alternate flour mix and sour cream/vanilla mix into the butter/sugar mixture. Fold in blueberries.
In a seperate bowl, combine crumb topping ingredients, being sure to cut in butter to create a crumbley mix. Then pour half of the cake mixture into a greased bundt cake pan. Top with half of the crumb toppings. Pour remaining cake batter into the pan and top with remaining crumb toppings. The crumble with create a delicious brown sugar crust.
Bake at 350 for 60-65 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes.

I fed this to my family of gluten lovers and no one noticed that it was gluten free.

Coconut Flour Recipes

I've been eyeing the goodies over at Elana's Pantry for months and finally purchased some coconut flour. The following is one of Elana's recipes will McKeeby modifications. I am a lover of coconut flour now. These are light, with a mild coconut flour, and DELICIOUS!














Blueberry Muffins with pecan crumbles
Makes about 5 muffins
¼ cup coconut flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup grapeseed oil
3 eggs
3 T brown sugar
½ cup blueberries (frozen or fresh will work, if frozen, do not thaw)
2 T crushed pecans

1. In a medium bowl, combine coconut flour and baking soda
2. In a large bowl, combine grapeseed oil, sugar, and eggs
3. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet and fold in the blueberries
4. Grease a muffin tin with oil
5. Sprinkle pecans over muffins (and additional brown sugar, if desired)
   
6. Bake at 350° for about 20 minutes

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Recipe modified from Pamela's Baking Mix Bag- This tastes exactly like my old Banana Bread recipe (pre-GF). I am so happy with Pamela's products and so excited to have an old favorite back in the house and its super easy to make.

4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar (I use a little less than 1/2 cup and then add 1 T of honey)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup banana, mashed ( I used 4 bananas)
1-3/4 cups Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup nuts
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Beat together butter, sugar or honey, eggs and banana. Add remaining ingredients and mix together. Pour into a large greased loaf pan. Sprinkle loaf with additional nuts, if desired. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 45 min-1 hour, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

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

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)