Bumpa’s Waffles, the Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Version

Posted on July 21, 2010 by Deanna

Bumpa's Waffles

Grandpa, Grandfather, Pop Pop, Granddad, Gramps…. In our house, my father is “Bumpa” to my son. And, in my son’s eyes, Bumpa makes the best waffles. Ever. Nothing compares to Bumpa’s waffles. Of course, Bumpa’s waffles are full of milk and gluten and eggs. And love – the love of a grandfather that indulges every desire of his one and only grandson. I’m not sure I’m ever going to manage to come up with something that beats that. But, I did manage to come up with something that is a close enough approximation to keep my kiddo happy in between visits to Bumpa’s house. As a bonus, my son says they’d make great “bread” for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, too.

Bumpa’s Waffles

2 x-large eggs, whites and yolks separated

1 1/2 cups non-dairy milk (I used almond)
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
2 T. maple syrup

1 1/4 cups sorghum flour
1/2 cup arrowroot starch
1/2 t. xanthan gum
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt

Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the egg yolks, milk, coconut oil and maple syrup.

In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients.

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until no lumps remain. Fold in the whipped egg whites.

Cook according to your waffle iron specifications.

Posted in breakfast | 20 Comments

Kiddo Creations: Gluten-Free Chicken Fingers

Posted on July 20, 2010 by Deanna

My son is not your typical 7 year old when it comes to food. He has never eaten a hamburger or a hot dog. French fries are not his favorite food group. Vegetable dip? No way. His favorite foods are whole grain cereals, apples with peanut butter, fruit smoothies, and fruit leathers. Notice a pattern? I think the boy could live on sweet carbs. But, that doesn’t mean he isn’t without his salty, crunchy junk food cravings. And his most often requested salty crunchy junk food is chicken fingers. Thankfully, we’ve found a way to make them only slightly indulgent. By using nuts and cornmeal to coat the chicken, we get crunch without any added oil. Yay!

Prepping the Chicken Fingers

Gluten-Free Chicken Fingers

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 t. salt
generous grind of pepper
1/3 cup gluten-free cornmeal
1/3 cup finely chopped nuts (almonds or cashews are our preferred choices) – not ground, just chopped fine

Spray or oil a boiler-safe pan. Slice the chicken across the grain in “finger-size” pieces. In a shallow bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients together. Roll the chicken in the coating, pressing down to get coating to adhere to the chicken. Place the chicken on the pan. Broil on high heat until the top side is beginning to brown. Flip the pieces and broil until the second side is browned. (Broilers vary greatly in their heat output, so I’m not giving an actual time here. Watch carefully. It’s fairly quick in my oven – maybe 10-15 minutes total time.)

Chicken Fingers, Mashed Sweet Potatoes & Green Beans

We served our chicken fingers with mashed sweet potatoes and green beans with garlic and walnuts. A lot better than McDonald’s, eh?

Posted in chicken, nuts | Tagged | 1 Comment

Breaking the Cereal Addiction – The Gluten-Free, Vegan, (Mostly) Raw Way

Posted on July 18, 2010 by Deanna

For decades, my day has not started without a bowl of cereal. You can read a bit about that on my about page, so I won’t repeat myself here. But, for the past month, not a drop of cereal has passed these lips. I think it’s safe to say that I have broken the addiction.

Like a smoker becoming a gum chewer, I have found a replacement for my cereal addiction. It meets all the criteria that cereal used to meet. It’s quick, tasty, filling, healthy, gluten-free, requires no cooking, and most importantly, is eaten out of a bowl. (Hey, I have to live up to my mommy bowl reputation, right?) What is this new addiction? I’ve dubbed it the “fruit and nut bowl.” Like cereal, it comes in many varieties, though I do tend to get a wee bit stuck on one or two iterations. My latest fixation is this one:

Apples, Walnuts, Coconut, Flax Seed

Apples, Walnuts, Coconut, Flax Seed

This bowl contains one grated organic pink lady apple, a handful of raw walnuts, a sprinkling of unsweetened dried coconut, and a spoonful of flax seed. I topped it all off with some cold almond milk. Delicious.

Of course, there’s also this one:

Banana, Raisins, Peanuts, Flax Seed

Banana, Raisins, Peanuts, Flax Seed

This one is a chopped organic banana, some raisins, some unsalted dry roasted peanuts, a bit of flax seed, and some rice milk. I call this one my Elvis bowl. (Bananas and peanuts really are delicious together.)

The combinations are infinite, and will vary with whatever organic fruit looks good at the market. When there was a great sale on some organic cherries, I mixed up cherries, almonds, coconut and coconut yogurt. Delicious, but I forgot to take a picture. Just trust me that it was far prettier than these other ones, okay?

What do you eat to beat the cereal addiction?

Posted in apples, bananas, breakfast, coconut, nuts, raw, vegan | 9 Comments

Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil Gluten-Free Shortbread

Posted on June 30, 2010 by Deanna

Coconut Oil Samples

The nice folks at Tropical Traditions sent me a great big jar of their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil to review. According to the website, Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is an unrefined oil – packaged in small batches, never exposed to high heat or chemical processing, and produced by family farms.

My husband said, “what could possibly be so special about one coconut oil versus another?” I tended to agree with that sentiment. But, when it arrived, I happened to have 2 other jars of coconut oil in the cupboard, which made for some excellent comparison opportunities.

The first thing we noticed when looking at the jar was how incredibly white it was – much whiter than the non-organic coconut oil I had in the house (which actually has a yellowish cast), and slightly whiter than the organic variety. Opening the jar, we were shocked by the aroma. I’d never had coconut oil that actually smelled so much like fresh coconut. There are both advantages and disadvantages to that. We often use coconut oil in recipes where we aren’t looking for an actual coconut taste or smell. This is not the coconut oil for those recipes. Tasting it, the flavor of coconut was also prominent.

Wonderful coconut taste and aroma? That had to inspire a coconut-infused baked good. I came up with the following recipe, which really highlights all the positive aspects of this oil – the flavor and aroma shine through.

Coconut Shortbread

Coconut Shortbread

1/2 cup sorghum flour
1 cup sweet white rice flour
1/2 cup corn starch
1/2 t. xanthan gum
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 cup Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil
1 t. vanilla
1/2 cup finely shredded, unsweetened dried coconut
1 T. sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a round 9″ pan with oil.

Whisk together all dry ingedients except dried coconut. Add coconut oil and vanilla and mix with a hand mixer until mixture clumps together (several minutes). Stir in the dried coconut. The dough will be crumbly. Don’t panic. Dump all the dough into the pan, and pat it down firmly and evenly. Sprinkle the top with 1 T. sugar. Bake for approximately 35 minutes until edges begin to brown and center is firm. While warm, cut shortbread into thin wedges.

If desired, you could skip the sugar and spread some chopped chocolate on the warm shortbread, allow it to melt, and spread it around. Be sure to still cut the shortbread while still warm, otherwise it will crumble when cutting.

Now for the legal mumbo jumbo…. Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review in return for the free product.

Posted in coconut, cookies, Product Review, vegan | 6 Comments

Guest Post on Ginger Lemon Girl

Posted on June 18, 2010 by Deanna

I know it seems like I’ve been pretty quiet lately. But, I have been doing a few things behind the scenes. On of those things is doing my first ever guest post! Check out my quick and easy Chicken (or tempeh or tofu) and Broccoli curry over at Ginger Lemon Girl. Thanks to Carrie for hosting this month’s 30 Days of Quick and Easy Gluten-Free meals event.

Posted in Blogger Community | Leave a comment

Kiddo Creations: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted on June 9, 2010 by Deanna

It’s time for another Kiddo Creations recipe!

The Kiddo,creating.

And mugging for the camera.

Last night it was rainy and chilly, and despite having the oven on to make some delicious gluten-free pizza, we wanted the oven on more. (The oven is our pseudo furnace in the spring and fall.) I convinced the kiddo to make some cookies with me, and his choice was peanut butter chocolate chip. A fine choice, indeed.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup (104 g) palm oil shortening
1/2 cup (128 g) natural peanut butter
1 cup palm sugar (could also use light brown sugar – not packed)
1 egg (you could probably do a flax egg here, and add 1/2 t. xanthan gum)
1 t. vanilla
1 cup (120 g) sorghum flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips.

Preheat oven to 350°. Cream the shortening and peanut butter together. Add the sugar and beat well. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until well incorporated. Beat in the flour, baking soda and salt. When dough is thoroughly combined, stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded tablespoons or small cookie scoop onto parchment-lined cookie sheets. Using a fork dipped in water, flatten the cookies gently in a criss-cross pattern. Bake for 9-12 minutes until golden brown. These will be fragile until cool. I slide the parchment off the cookie sheets and let them cool on the parchment completely before trying to move them.

Posted in chocolate, cookies, peanut butter | 12 Comments

Simple Sides: Grilled Sweet Potatoes

Posted on June 6, 2010 by Deanna

I love that my son loves sweet potatoes. They are high in vitamins A and C, the trace minerals manganese and copper, and are a decent source of dietary fiber. The kiddo doesn’t know that, though. He just thinks they taste good.

I, on the other hand, was never that much of a fan as a kid. See, my mom only made sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving. With marshmallows. Ew. You’d think a kid would like that. It tastes like candy, right? But, nope. I thought that sweet foods should be desserts, and salty foods should be dinner. The end.

I’ve gotten over that and now like a good Indonesian curry with a hint of palm sugar, or a salty pretzel covered in chocolate. And sweet potatoes? I’m learning to like them.

The next time you fire up the grill, try this super simple preparation. You (and your kids) might like them, too.

Grilled Sweet Potatoes

Grilled Sweet Potatoes

Grilled Sweet Potatoes

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 t. of your favorite spice mix (I used Penzey’s Northwood’s Seasoning, but also like it with Cajun spice mix.)
(If your spice mix does not contain salt, you’ll probably want some salt as well.)

Toss all ingredients in a bowl. Wrap in 2 layers of aluminum foil and cook on the grill for approximately 25 minutes. Time to cook will vary depending on how hot your grill is.

Posted in side dish, sweet potato, vegan | 1 Comment

Mmmm…. Muhummara

Posted on June 1, 2010 by Deanna

Have you ever had muhummara?

Mmmm..... muhummara.

Mmmm..... muhummara.

No? Yah, I’m not surprised. Muhummara is a bit like Cinderella – pushed to the side by the hummus and tabouli stepsisters. But with a wave of a gluten-free gal’s magic wand, muhummara can be the star of the meal.

It’s difficult to describe muhummara. Like hummus, it’s a dip that is delicious on pita bread, crackers and wraps. Unlike hummus, the flavor of muhummara is bright and tart, with a hint of sweet as well. It is really one of those dishes that does not taste like its individual ingredients. It’s a perfect dish for picnics and potlucks, as it improves as it sits overnight in the fridge. But, bring it up to room temperature for serving.

It’s also perfect for hot summer evenings, as there’s not a lot of actual cooking involved. Toasting some California walnuts and cumin and roasting a red pepper are the only hot jobs.

Roasting Pepper

Roasting Pepper

If you’re lucky enough to have a gas stove, you can roast the pepper directly on an open flame. Turn it over an open flame until the skin is blackened all over, then place it in a brown paper bag for about 10 minutes. The steam from the pepper will loosen the skin. You should be able slide all the charred skin right off. Don’t rinse the pepper in water – you’ll lose a lot of the flavor in the oil you wash off.

Muhummara

1 roasted red pepper, seeded
2 T. gluten-free bread crumbs (I used gluten-free pretzels whirled in a coffee grinder.)
1/2 cup California walnuts, toasted
1 heaping t. cumin, toasted
1 T. olive oil
1 T. pomegranate molasses
1/2 T. tomato paste
1/2 t. salt
1 t. fresh lemon juice
1 small clove garlic, minced

Toss all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well-mixed. You want some texture left, so don’t over-process. Let stand for 20 minutes before eating. Lasts about a week in the fridge. Garnish with some more walnuts and a drizzle of olive oil.

Want some?

Want some?

Posted in Middle Eastern, nuts, peppers, vegan | 7 Comments

Simple Supper: Curried Cauliflower and Carrots

Posted on May 28, 2010 by Deanna

It seems all of my go-to meals have something in common – they’re made in a single skillet. Okay, some require a pot of rice on the side. But, the really simple ones – the ones I find myself whipping up on a Friday night after a long week – are the ones that don’t even require that. Skillet suppers. One pot meals. Simple suppers. They’re not fancy. But, done well, they become the meals your family craves – the comfort foods the ask for over and over.

This is one of those dishes.

One Pot. One Bowl. One Happy Tummy.

One Pot. One Bowl. One Happy Tummy.

Curried Cauliflower and Carrots

2 T. vegetable oil
1 onion, minced
1 T. sweet curry powder (I use Penzey’s.)
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 t. grated ginger
2 handfuls (about 6 ounces) baby carrots, sliced
3 cups water or vegetable broth (or a combination of the two to equal 3 cups, which is what I usually do)
1/2 head (about 10 ounces) cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces
2 t. salt

In a large skillet over a medium flame, heat the oil and sauté the onion until translucent. Add the curry, rice and carrots and cook for about 1 minute. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute. Add the liquid, cauliflower and salt. Stir well. Cover the pan and turn down the heat. Simmer until liquid is absorbed and veggies are tender. You may need to add additional liquid. Serve with a dollop of thick coconut milk on top.

Posted in carrots, cauliflower, Indian, vegan | Leave a comment

Lucky Lara Bar Winner

Posted on May 28, 2010 by Deanna

Guess what!?! I won a pistachio prize pack from Lara Bar!

The winnings!

The winnings!

A t-shirt, a sticker, and a box of Lara bars – all in pistachio.

Apparently there were actually 4 Lara bars. You’ll note in the picture that there are only 3.

3 Lara Bars, a sticker and a t-shirt

3 Lara Bars, a sticker and a t-shirt

Hm…. I wonder what Lara bar monster ate the other one…?

Posted in Contests | Leave a comment