Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger: Hallie Klecker

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Deanna

It’s that time again, time for Adopt A Gluten-Free Blogger. It’s been a while since I’ve participated in this monthly round-up. But, this month I had an extra special motivating factor. At the end of this month, I’m attending the Gluten-Free Allergen-Free Expo outside Chicago, Illinois. And, Hallie, the wonderful blogger behind The Daily Bites blog, is going to be my roommate for the night. We haven’t met yet, even though we live in the same city, but I’ve been a fan of her blog for a while. Hallie is known for her healthy whole foods recipes. And, I had every intention of trying out some of her fantastic-sounding savory recipes, like, perhaps, her Roasted Squash and White Bean Skillet, or perhaps her Simple Summer Kale Slaw.

Um, does it surprise anyone that when it came right down to it, I wound up trying two baking recipes? I mean, really. Is that all that surprising?

First up, Grain-Free Granola Balls.

Grain-Free Granola Balls - Bite-size Bliss

Grain-Free Granola Balls - Bite-size Bliss

I made two small changes to this recipe. First, I swapped maple syrup for the honey, so the recipe would be vegan. Second, I completely forgot to buy dried blueberries. So I doubled the raisins instead. Oh dear me, I think I’m in love. Would it be bad to mention that I seriously considered filling a bowl with these, topping with some almond milk and calling it breakfast? I mean, people eat granola for breakfast all the time, right? Right?!?

 

One note on this recipe, mine were done before the called for 20 minutes. It’s possible that the swap of maple syrup for honey caused them to cook more quickly. Not sure on that.

The second recipe I tried was her Nutty Molasses Cookies.

Molasses Cookies - Grain-Free and Glorious

Molasses Cookies - Grain-Free and Glorious

 

Again, I swapped out the honey in these, this time for agave syrup. The result? Soft, sweet, glorious grain-free goodness. And, I’m not even the molasses cookie lover in my house. That’s the kiddo. I can’t wait for him to try these. I have a feeling they’re going to go into regular rotation.

So, while I didn’t get around to trying one of her savory recipes, I’m still quite happy with my choices. I don’t think you can go wrong with any of Hallie’s recipes. And, in case you’re not already following her blog, she just came out with a Build a Better Breakfast Challenge. The wheels are spinning on that one and I’m hoping to have a recipe to submit for that challenge very soon. I hope you participate, too!

Posted in Blogger Community | 12 Comments

Raw Cinnamon Toast

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Deanna

I have been craving cinnamon toast. Craving with a capital C. I really have no idea why. Perhaps it has something to do with doctoring a sick kiddo for the last week. Cinnamon toast was a favorite sickie food for me when I was a kid. Perhaps it has something to do with this wicked winter that just won’t let go. But, for whatever reason, cinnamon toast has been my latest obsession. Sadly, grains and I aren’t getting along well these days, and making a loaf of cinnamon bread just does not appeal. The solution? Raw cinnamon toast, vegan and grain-free, warm from the dehydrator, sweet and crispy and oh so amazingly good. Yes, this hits the spot. I’ll try not to eat the whole batch in one sitting.

If you enjoy this raw recipe, you’ll want to mark your calendar now for April in the Raw – a month-long blogging event focusing on raw wholesome foods!

Raw Cinnamon Toast, smothered in vegan butter and more cinnamon

Raw Cinnamon Toast, smothered in vegan butter and more cinnamon

Raw Cinnamon Toast

1 small apple (110 g), peeled and cored
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1/2 cup almond meal
1 T. cinnamon
Seeds from 1/4 vanilla bean (split and scrape seeds out)
1/4 cup raisins (optional)

In a food processor purée the apple and water. Add the rest of ingredients (except raisins) and pulse until well blended. Stir in raisins. Spread on a teflex or fruit leather dehydrator sheet. Dehyrdate at 140° for 1 hour, and then drop temperature to 115°. After a few hours, score the toast and remove it from the teflex sheet. Place it on the drying tray and continue drying until crispy. (Mine took about 24 hours, but I have a wimpy dehydrator.)

Note that if you have a high-powered blender you can probably skip the water and just purée the heck out of the apple itself. My food processor was having none of that, and I needed the water to get the apple to become mush. Less water means a faster drying time. So, by all means, try it without the water first.

For more slightly indulgent recipes, check out Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays. For more sugar-free goodies, check out Sugar Free Sundays. For more gluten-free goodies, check out Gluten-Free Wednesday. For more allergy friendly finds, check out Allergy Friendly Fridays.

Posted in apples, breakfast, cinnamon, flax seed, grain-free, nuts, raisins, raw, vegan | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 48 Comments

My Take on TollHouse

Posted on March 23, 2011 by Deanna

I promised you a grain-free vegan chocolate chip cookie. And, today is the day I deliver on that promise. I really can’t believe I’ve never posted a plain chocolate chip cookie before. I’ve done chocolate chocolate chip. I’ve done peanut butter chocolate chip. I’ve done banana oatmeal chocolate chip. But, I’ve yet to do any variation on that most traditional cookie of all, the regular chocolate chip. Or, in my house, the TollHouse chocolate chip cookie. Isn’t that the recipe we all used growing up? I made it so many times in my gluten-eating days that I still know it by heart. I’m pretty sure it was the first cookie I ever baked.

A Young Me, Baking

A Young Me, Baking

(I swear I’m wearing shorts under that long t-shirt. Short-shorts were all the rage in the 80’s.)

I’ve done a number of “traditional” chocolate chip cookie variations since going gluten-free. But this latest one, this one definitely comes closest to the TollHouse cookies I remember. The kiddo’s dad said they could fool anyone in a blind taste test. I don’t know about that. But, I think they’re pretty darn good. I finally got the ratios right to make a spready, crispy, melt-in-your mouth grain-free cookie. I hope you’ll try them and let me know if they bring back childhood memories for you, as well.

Good Enough to Fool The TollHouse Fanatic?

Grain-Free Vegan TollHouse Cookies

112 g (1/2 cup) Soy-Free Earth Balance
2/3 cup palm sugar (light brown sugar or half brown and half white sugar would also work)
1 T. ground flax seed mixed with 3 T. hot water
1 t. vanilla
2 ounces arrowroot starch
3 ounces almond meal
1/2 ounce sifted coconut flour
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
2/3 cup vegan chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a large bowl, beat the Earth Balance until creamy. Add the sugar and beat until smooth. Add the flax egg and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy. In a small bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (except chocolate chips). Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat until smooth. Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded spoonfuls or cookie scoops onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. These spread quite a big, so leave plenty of space. Bake for approximately 12 minutes until golden brown. They will firm up as they cool. Cool completely on parchment before removing them. (I just slide the parchment off the cookie sheet on to the counter.)

For more slightly indulgent recipes, check out Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays. For more gluten-free goodies, visit Gluten-Free Wednesdays. For more chocolate recipes, check out This Week’s Craving. For more allergy-friendly foods, check out Allergy Friendly Friday.

Posted in Blogger Community, chocolate, coconut, cookies, desserts, flax seed, grain-free, nightshade-free, nuts, vegan | Tagged , , , , , | 32 Comments

M & M Cookies

Posted on March 19, 2011 by Deanna

What?!? Another non-vegan, non-sugar-free recipe? And, this one isn’t even dairy-free? How could that be? Well, a kiddo in my life told me his favorite cookie is M & M cookies. This isn’t my kiddo. But, I’m a sucker for all kiddos, even if they’re not mine. So, well, M & M cookies it is.

You could easily make these dairy-free by popping for some vegan chocolate lentils. And, after I made these, I was so jealous of their buttery, sweet goodness, that I promptly washed the dishes, and whipped out a batch of vegan, grain-free chocolate chip cookies. I promise to post that recipe next, okay?

M & M Cookies

M & M Cookies

Gluten-Free M & M Cookies

112 g (1/2 cup) soy-free Earth Balance
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1.5 ounces arrowroot starch
1.5 ounces sweet white rice flour
2 ounces sorghum flour
1/2 t. guar gum
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
3/4 cup M & M’s
Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large bowl, beat the shortening and sugars. Add the egg and vanilla and beat well. In a small bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients except the M & M’s. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and blend well. Fold in the M & M’s. Drop by rounded teaspoons on to parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Posted in chocolate, cookies, desserts | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Deanna

Vegans and sugar-free folk, avert your eyes. No really, just stop reading now, because this cake is so not for you. It’s not really for me, either. It’s for the kiddo, who turned 8 this week. And, well, I indulge him. We’ve established that already, right? So, this week I have baked Manifest Vegan’s Double Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins, some as yet unposted double chocolate chip cookies, and this pumpkin cake. Yep, all filled with *gasp* white sugar. Well, and some brown sugar. Birthday weeks are like that, right? (Doesn’t every kid celebrate their birthday for a whole week?)

So, if this is up your alley, make it. If not, you can join me in a few days of fruit and veggie detox. No recipe required.

Gluten-free Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Gluten-free Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Adapted from the Porterfield Pumpkin Bundt Cake.
140 g. sweet rice flour
140 g. millet flour (sorghum would work, too)
140 g. arrowroot or potato starch
1 1/2 t. xanthan gum
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice or mace
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar, packed
1 cup canola or light olive oil
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 15 oz can unsweetened pumpkin
2/3 cup orange juice

Grease and flour a 10 cup bundt pan. (Mine is smaller, so I did a small bundt and 6 cupcakes.) Preheat oven to 350°.

In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients through the spices. In a large bowl, beat together the sugars, eggs, oil, pumpkin and orange juice.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat well. Pour into prepared pan and bake until a tester inserted comes out clean. (The cake was about 60 minutes, the cupcakes about 30.)

I frosted this with a very simple glaze of powdered sugar and orange juice and topped it with a sprinkling of orange zest.

For more gluten-free recipes, check out Gluten Free Wednesdays.

Posted in desserts, pumpkin | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

Link Love!

Posted on March 6, 2011 by Deanna

Last weekend, I put the call out for other bloggers to send me their vegan, grain-free recipes, so I could post them to share some link love (and because life has been crazy this week and there’s been no time to come up with a cool new recipe to share with all of you). I got some great submissions. Here’s what I’m currently drooling over:

Kris, from Glow, sent her recipe for Root Vegetable Lasagna

Root Vegetable Lasagna

Root Vegetable Lasagna

What I love about this dish is that not only is it gluten-free and vegan, it’s also nut-free, sugar-free, and nightshade-free. Is there anyone that couldn’t eat this dish due to food sensitivities? (Don’t answer that. I’m sure somewhere there’s someone that can’t eat rutabaga or sunflower seeds.)

Ricki, from Diet, Dessert & Dogs, sent her delectable-looking Chocolate “Buttercream” Frosting

Chocolate "Buttercream" Frosting

Chocolate "Buttercream" Frosting

Ricki comes up with the most ingenious ways to make food-intolerance-friendly foods. I’m not going to give away her secret ingredient, but you have to go and check it out!

Amanda, of Newman Improved, sent in her Roasted Tomato Sauce

Roasted Tomato Sauce

Roasted Tomato Sauce

This recipe makes me long for summer, when the tomatoes are ripe. What a tease she is!

Alisa, from Alisa Cooks, sent in her Grain Free Coconut Macaroons

Grain Free Coconut Macaroons

Grain Free Coconut Macaroons

Oh, this girl knows what I like, doesn’t she? Coconut, nuts, and chocolate? Yes please!

Finally, Shirley, of Gluten-free Easily, sent me enough recipes to do an entire post just with her stuff. I was tempted to share the Nut and Fruit Cereal, because it is so right up my alley and what I eat for breakfast nearly every day. But, instead I’m going to share her Raw Fruit Pie. Think of it as a sneak preview to the upcoming April in the Raw event. (You’ll just have to come back later to hear more about that.)

Raw Fruit Pie

Raw Fruit Pie

Thanks for participating, everyone. If you’d like to get in on the link love action, feel free to send me info on your grain-free, vegan recipes, and I’ll highlight them, too.

I got one more belated birthday blogger gift this week that I really must say thank you for. Bean, from Without Adornment, adopted me for the Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger event. It’s my first adoption, and I couldn’t be more touched. Thank you Bean!

Posted in Blogger Community, Link Love | 10 Comments

Birthday Link Love

Posted on February 27, 2011 by Deanna

Hey hey it’s my birthday! And, sorry, I have no recipe to post for you today, because I am visiting my parents in Arizona. So, how about a hiking shot, instead.

Hiking Silly Mountain

Hiking Silly Mountain

I did, however, get an amazing birthday present from the blog-o-sphere. Angela, over at Oh She Glows, picked my coconut butter cookie recipe to include her in new vegan link love series. And, wow, did that bring in the traffic. A mighty fine birthday present. Thanks Angela, and thanks to all of you for visiting.

I’d love to pay it forward. So, I’ve decided to do my own link loving, focusing on grain-free, vegan recipes.  I’m not sure how long it will be before I put up the recipes. It entirely depends on YOU. The more people send me info, the faster I’ll put up a link love post.

So, here are the details. If you’d like me to highlight one of your recipes, please send me an email at themommybowl@gmail.com. Please include the name of your blog, a photo of your submission, and the link to the recipe. I can’t wait to see what comes in!

Posted in Blogger Community | 13 Comments

PB & Jelly Bars

Posted on February 20, 2011 by Deanna

Remember the Choco Nut Drops? Well, the lovely Ari from Frugally Rich Life commented  on that post that she can no longer eat coconut in any form. Can you imagine? Ouch. But, she is a peanut butter lover like me, and asked if I could possibly do a gluten-free vegan riff on these gorgeous peanut butter and jelly bars from Eats Well With Others with no coconut. Hey – it’s my first recipe request! Thanks, Ari. I’m happy to oblige.

I can’t say these have kiddo approval. So far, he’s refused to try them on the grounds that he is sure he no longer likes strawberry jelly. Next time I’ll make them with grape, because I know they sure have MY approval, and the approval of several other taste testers. In fact, the pan has been decimated enough that I’m pretty sure I can’t get a decent picture of a cut piece. You’ll have to survive with the shot of my old and dingy pan.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars (vegan, gluten-free version)

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars (vegan, gluten-free version)

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

8 T. (96 g) palm shortening
3/4 cup palm sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 flax egg (1 T. ground flax mixed with 3 T. hot water)
1 cup (256 g) creamy natural peanut butter
2.25 ounces almond flour (heaping 1/2 cup)
2.25 ounces arrowroot starch (heaping 1/2 cup)
2.25 ounces millet flour (heaping 1/2 cup) (sorghum would probably work here)
1/4 t. guar gum
3/4 t. baking powder
1/2 t. kosher salt
3/4 cup all fruit jelly or jam
1/3 cup dry-roasted, unsalted peanuts

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease an 8″ x 8″ pan.

In a medium bowl, beat together the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the flax egg, peanut butter, and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add all the dry ingredients and beat until a thick dough forms.

Reserve 1/3 of the dough. Press remaining dough into prepared pan. Spread dough with jelly. Glob the reserved dough evenly over the the jelly. Sprinkle on the peanuts.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes, until top is lightly browned. Cool completely before removing from pan.

For more slightly indulgent recipes, be sure to visit Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.

Posted in desserts, flax seed, nightshade-free, nuts, peanut butter, vegan | Tagged , , , | 16 Comments

Choco Nut Drops (vegan, grain-free)

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Deanna

Okay, my obsession with chocolate and peanut is no secret around here. But two posts in a row? Yah, that’s kind of obnoxious, even for me.

Deal with it.

See, I liked the flavor of those cut out cookies enough that I was sort of jealous of the cut-out cookie eaters in my life. They liked the flavor and the texture – that flat, crisp-edged cut-out cookie texture. You know. That one I don’t like much. And, while those particular cut outs are neither as flat nor as crispy as some, they were, well, still cut-out cookies.

But, we know how I roll, right? I am forever adaptable. All it takes to morph a cut-out cookie into a drop cookie is a bit less of the dry stuff, and a bit less of the sweet stuff. Oh yah. Now, these. These make me happy.

Chocolate Peanut Goodness

Chocolate Peanut Goodness

Choco Nut Drops

1/2 cup (112 g) coconut oil, softened
3/4 cup palm sugar
2 flax eggs (2 T. ground flax + 6 T hot water)
1 t. vanilla
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup (34 g) sifted peanut flour
3/4 cup almond meal
1/2 cup (53 g) sifted coconut flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/2 cup dry roasted unsalted peanuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a large bowl, beat the coconut oil until creamy. Cream in the sugar. Add the flax egg and beat until light and fluffy. Add the rest of the ingredients (except peanuts) and beat until a smooth dough forms. Stir in the peanuts.

Drop by spoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheets. With a fork dipped in water, make criss-cross marks on the top of each cookie, gently flattening them.

Bake for 10-12 minutes.

For more slightly indulgent recipes, visit Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.

Posted in chocolate, coconut, flax seed, grain-free, nightshade-free, nuts, vegan | Tagged , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Kiddo Creations: Choco Nut Cut Outs (vegan, grain-free)

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Deanna

In case you haven’t noticed, we love cookies in this house. So, when we had a snow day this week and I suggested we make bake, the kiddo wanted to make cut-out cookies. *sigh* I’ve mentioned before what I think of cut-outs. But, I’m a good momma, though, so I indulged him.

But, like me, he gets weird ideas in his head. And, on this particular day, he wanted to make cut out peanut butter cookies. I explained that peanut butter cookies aren’t typically done cut-out style, but we could probably come up with some concoction that worked. So, we got out the bowls and the measuring cups and started in on our concoction. Here’s how Kiddo recipe development works. We start with some basic measurement – in this case 1/2 a cup of softened coconut oil. Then, we determine what kind of sweetener we want to use. Palm sugar seemed appropriate for a cut-out, since we needed a dryer dough than dates would afford. Flax egg is standard in any cookie recipe, the only question is, one or two? Two seemed good today. Next up, flours. Here’s where we start to taste and adjust. We started with almond meal, cocoa and 1/2 a cup of peanut flour. Then we tasted. We knew we needed more dry ingredients before tasting, but we had to decide what. “More peanutty!” declared the kiddo. So, we doubled the peanut flour, and decided coconut flour would give us the best cut-out texture. In it went, bit by bit until we got the “right” texture. And there you have it. An easy to work with, reasonably good for you, choco nut cut out cookie. And, shhhh…. I actually kind of like this one.

Circles could become sandwich cookies, if I had any peanut butter....

Circles could become sandwich cookies, if I had any peanut butter....

Choco Nut Cut Outs

1/2 cup softened coconut oil
1 cup palm sugar
2 flax eggs (2 T. ground flax seed + 6 T. hot water)
1 t. vanilla
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup peanut flour
1 cup almond meal
3/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a large bowl, beat the coconut oil until creamy. Cream in the sugar. Add the flax egg and beat until light and fluffy. Add the rest of the ingredients and beat until a smooth dough forms.

Divide dough into 2 balls. Roll out one ball to 1/4 inch thickness between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Dipping cookie cutters in coconut flour, cut out shapes and place shapes on parchment-lined cookie sheets. These don’t spread, so feel free to place them fairly close together. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes. Repeat with second ball of dough.

If you chill this dough, the coconut oil will become too hard to roll out and you’ll need to let it soften again before rolling them out.

Valentine Heart Cookies

Valentine Heart Cookies

For more slightly indulgent goodies, check out Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays. For more gluten-free goodies, check out Gluten-Free Wednesdays.

Posted in chocolate, coconut, cookies, grain-free, nuts, vegan | Tagged , , , , , , , | 21 Comments