Larabars: it ended in yum!

When you're gluten free, it's only a matter of time before you are introduced.  Our first meeting was not quite what I expected.  There was no rush of happy feelings, no taste buds all a-flutter, no desire to pursue this friendship.

Sometimes things sweeten with patience.

It was all in the chemistry, really.  I should have started with chocolate chip cookie dough, instead of pecan pie.

Now that I've made homemade Larabars thanks to this delectable recipe from Cha Cha, I was ready to venture out and try something new, something along the lines of this recipe, to which I give all credit for any creative sparks that followed.  My cupboard was temporarily bare of pecans, the almonds we tried did not seem to work well for my DS, and my husband had tossed what was left of our raw cashews, so I looked at our walnuts and smiled, hopefully. 

Cocoa-coconut Lara Bites

15 dates, pitted (in the refrigerated section of our health food store)

1 c. walnuts (sub in any combination of nuts you have on hand)

3/4 c. shredded coconut

2 T. coconut oil

2 T. water

1/3 c. chocolate chips (I think, since I didn't exactly measure, just poured in mini chips until it looked right)

Mix walnuts and coconut in food processor until fine.  Then add dates, oil, and water and pulse until a dough forms.  Add chocolate chips and stir by hand.  Press mixture into melon baller and then onto waxed paper.  Refrigerate any that are left after sampling.

getting busy in the kitchen

Ah, January is here.  The holiday baking rush is over, the kitchen is clean, and my resolution is made.  Time to stop complaining about the difficulties of eating and start digging into cookbooks for new ideas.

Actually, things look much rosier than they did just a few weeks ago.  Rachel's latest digestive issues seem to be directly related to red meat, and she's been feeling much better now that we have closed that case.  A test of dairy today even seems to be going well.  We have also added things like peppermint oil and digestive enzymes to her mealtime fun, and those have calmed her tummy down considerably.

However, for Josiah and I things remain tough.  He has his usual tricky food issues, and I've discovered that eating gluten is truly not something I want to do.  After spending 6 months mostly off, my body has developed a very closed mind to the idea of anything closely resembling wheat.  It is NOT FUN if I indulge.

That's where the cookbooks enter in.

Eric surprised me with Special Diets for Special Kids for Christmas.  The pictures, the kid-friendly food, the extra information on special diets all make for a great source of information.

 

Another tool to added to my toolbox this Christmas is a tortilla press.  I can't wait to try making some GF soft tortillas.  I was hoping to do corn, but that hasn't been working well for me either lately, so rice flour will have to do.  

But tonight, I turned to a cookbook sent to me a few months ago by a friend: Gluten-Free on a Shoestring.  I thumbed through it looking for the ever elusive banana pancake recipe.  My past attempts of recipes off the internet have been flops, so I was eager to try again. 

We have a winner! 

Banana Pancakes (adapted from the Banana Muffin recipe in GF on a Shoestring)

2 c. all purpose GF flour
2 t. xanthan gum
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt (I never use as much as a recipe calls for)
2 T. sugar
1 extra large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 c. milk (rice milk tonight)
1 1/2 t. white wine vinegar (I took out the wine part)
2 T. unsalted butter, melted and cooled (dairy free margarine for us, we like Earth Balance Soy Free)
2 ripe bananas diced (we mashed)

Stir together dry ingredients.  Add wet ingredients, stirring after each one.  Cook pancakes on hot griddle.

This is a recipe for muffins, and I felt it looked too thick for pancakes.  So I added another egg and a bit more milk.  They were still quite thick but believe me, no one complained!!  In fact, my pancake topped with Eric's cherry raspberry Christmas jam was an unbelievable treat.

Resolution kept so far!

homemade fruit leather

A friend recently pointed me to this great recipe.  It is sooo easy, and can be made stage 1 for FG by using only banana (not pretty, but very yummy) or adding mango or another stage 1 fruit instead of strawberry.  I also tried strawberry/raspberry/blueberry (definately stage 2).  The results were a bit messy, but they are delish!! 

Strawberry Banana Fruit Leather

Gluten Free Lemon Coconut Muffins

If there is anything gluten free cooking has taught me, it's how to play with my food....er...my recipes.  That's not to say every kitchen experiment turns out wonderful.  Recently I tried replacing the dried cranberries in this recipe with dried mango and pear.  The results were not spectacular, even though they were edible.  (One dried fruit OR the other would have probably been better, but my daughter actually thought they were the best muffins she'd ever had!)

One of my favorite recipes pre-GF was this one from $5 Dinner Mom's Breakfast and Lunch Cookbook.  While I could have easily substituted a GF rice flour blend in the recipe and had a similar result, my mind kept turning to coconut flour.  With more protein, fiber, and nutrients, it always seems like a better option for my youngest son to keep his tummy full and blood sugar stable.  So, this morning, I sat down with my other coconut flour muffin recipes, my $5 Dinner Mom cookbook, and came up with this.

Coconut Flour Lemon Coconut Muffins

1 c. coconut flour
1/2 t. sea salt
1 t. baking soda
12 eggs
3/4 c. coconut milk
1/4 c. lemon juice or juice from 2 lemons
1 t. lemon extract (make sure it is gluten free)
2/3 c. sugar
1 c. coconut (I used unsweetened)

Fill muffin cups until almost full and bake on 400 for 20 min.

I did learn yet again from my kitchen experiment...I forgot to add the coconut milk.  The results were still good, but would probably be better and apt to stick less to the muffin papers if you include it.  Enjoy!

cinnamon muffins, gluten free!

For months I have wanted to make Josiah some gluten free cinnamon rolls.  He seems to think this recipe is the next-best thing!  We don't often have dairy free yogurt on hand, but using coconut milk instead worked great.  Somehow I'd like to cut down a bit on the amount of sweetener used, but they must be good because even Rachel is asking that I make these again.

Cinnamon Bun Muffins

Muffin Ingredients (makes about 8 muffins)


•1/2 cup of coconut flour

•1/4 teaspoon of baking soda

•1/4 teaspoon of sea salt

•4 eggs

•1/3 cup of yogurt

•1/2 cup of honey (or other sweetener)

Cinnamon Topping Ingredients

•2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon

•4 tablespoons of honey (or other sweetener)

•2 tablespoons of coconut oil
•1/4 cup of chopped walnuts (optional; or other nut)

Method

1.Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

2.For the muffins, combine all the dry in ingredients and blend well.

3.Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and use a mixer to blend (get rid of any clumps of flour), or blend well by hand.

4.Fill muffin or cupcake liners about 3/4 of the way with batter.

5.Drip the cinnamon topping over the top of each muffin. Some of it will sink into the muffin batter. You can use a toothpick to poke the topping into the batter, to get more of the topping to spread into the batter.

6.Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

7.Cool and enjoy! Store for a few days at room temperature (covered) or keep in the refrigerator for a week or so.

Cooking Around the World: Africa

Our tour of the Eastern Hemisphere...is almost finished. 

Next week, we complete our Sonlight Core and shut the book on a fabulous journey around the world.  While remaing in Illinois physically,  our minds and hearts have been captivated by peoples, foods, and cultures on the other side of the world.

Our last section of study was the continent of Africa.  The history and stories have been fascinating, but once again, when choosing a project, my children chose to sample the food.

Here is the last stop on our cooking around the world series.  If the sighs and delighted sounds at supper were any indication, it was perhaps the favorite!!

From East Africa, Micah chose to make Ethiopian Flat Bread (Injera):

Injera

3 c. warm water
2 1/2 c. self-rising flour
3 T. club soda
vegetable oil

Pour warm water into blender or food processor.  Add the flour, cover, and blend on low for 10 sec.  Turn blender on high and mix for 30 sec., until smooth.  Pour batter into mixing bowl and add club soda.  Mix with spoon.  The batter should have the consistency of heavy cream. 

Bring 10 inch skillet to medium heat.  Spread 1/2 t. oil over the pan with a pastry brush or paper towel.  Use a ladle to pour 1/2 c. of the batter to one side of the pan.  Quickly tilt pan to spread the batter evenly over the bottom.  Small bubbles will soon appear on surface and edges of "pancake" will curl away from pan.  After 1 minute, use spatula to flip.  Once done, place on paper towel to cool.  Repeat process until batter is used up.

Fold each injera in quarters and stack on a plate to serve.

These injeras can be made FG stage 1.

From North Africa, Rachel and made meatballs which are gluten free, and when made without the sauce, FG stage 1:

Meatballs in Tomato Sauce with Eggs (Tagine Kefta Mkawra)

1 1/2 lb. ground lamb (or beef)
2 c. finely chopped onion
3 T. finely chopped fresh parsley (we used dried parsley from last year's garden)
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. ground cinnamon (I think you could substitute allspice if cinnamon is not well tolerated)
3/4 tsp. salt (we used 1/2 tsp.)
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Cooking spray (we used coconut oil)

Preheat oven to 400.  Combine all ingredients except cooking spray in medium bowl.  Mix well.  Shape mixture into 1 inch meatballs.  Spray 9x13 inch baking pan with cooking spray.  Arrange meatballs in pan and bake for 25 min.  Drain in colander before adding to sauce.

Sauce:

3 T. olive oil
3 c. chopped onion (we used 1/2 of an onion, but more would have been very good)
4 c. chopped tomato (about 1 1/2 lb., we ran ours through food processor to take out lumps)
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped (use gloves)
3 T. chopped parsley
3 T. minced cilantro
3 large eggs
cilantro sprigs for garnish (optional)

Heat oil in large, heavy Dutch oven.  Add onion and cook about 3 min, stirring occasionally.  Stir in tomato, sugar, salt, garlic, and jalapeno pepper and bring to simmer over medium high heat.  Reduce heat to medium and cook 20 min, stirring occasionally.  Stir in parsley and cilantro.  Add meatballs.  Gently break eggs over simmering liquid.  Cover and cook 10 min, or until eggs are set.  Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired, and serve with warm bread.

My kids asked that we not add eggs to their meatballs, so most were made without.  However, I was curious what the recipe would taste like when made according to directions, and made part with one egg.  Eric and I loved it!

Recipes taken from Cooking the North African Way and Cooking the East African Way.  We are thankful there is a good ethnic food selection of cookbooks in our children's library!

The kids were being absolutely goofy in the kitchen, obviously enjoying themselves very much.  I have about 4 pictures like this one.

Now, finally a nice picture!

It has been fun to see how open the kids have been to trying different foods this year, and they have both learned a lot about cooking.  Micah seems to enjoy frying things in oil...

Josiah enjoyed his meatballs but also had a good old North American hot dog.

Micah, a look of delight beginning to form on his face.  He savored his meal.

As you can see, Rachel is once again sharing this moment with today's favorite critter.

Eric had worked hard digging holes in the yard all afternoon, and said this meal filled the hole in his stomach!

bread!!!

One of the hardest gluten free recipes to replicate at home is a simple loaf of bread.  I have tried mixes, pre-made bread (Udi's is the best so far but contains corn sweetner and cornstarch, neither of which my gluten free child can have), and nut breads to take its place, but continued to miss sandwich bread.  That is, until this recipe, which I recently picked up from the Feingold bulletin board after it was posted by another mom.  This is so delicious, I can't even tell it's not made with wheat flour.

GFCF Sandwich Bread
(originally taken from Danika’s blog: http://gotpetroleum.blogspot.com/)


Ingredients:

• 1 cup warm water
• 2 tsp instant yeast
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup ground flax
• 1 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup potato starch
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch (or 2 c. of an all purpose GF mix)
• 2 1/2 tsp xanthan gum or guar gum
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar (white vinegar for stage 1)
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg whites

Directions:
In breadmaker combine ingredients and bake on normal settings.

My youngest enjoys eating this topped with Earth Balance soy free spread.  Now that Daiya is coming out with dairy free cheese blocks, I think grilled cheese sandwiches could even be on the horizon again!!

move over, Oreo

It's spring break, and my calendar is blank.  What should we do with all our free time, besides be outside where the weather is gorgeous?  Well, baking is always an option with an open window and cool kitchen inviting me to experiment.  After seeing a friend's recipe for gluten free whoopie pie (I'd never heard of such a thing), I have been itching to find a pan and give it a try.  A quick trip to the store and we were set!

Since Josiah can't have chocolate but Rachel and I love it, I decided to add cocoa to only half of Cha Cha's recipe and make the other half vanilla.  As soon as they came out of the oven, Josiah started calling our new creation "cookies" and ate one before I could even get it filled.

In the past couple of months we have discovered one of Josiah's last (please!!) sensitivities is to cornstarch.  It has made such a difference to get it out of recipes and he is finally not bouncing off the furniture anymore.  However, that does make frosting an interesting kitchen experiment.  One of these days I may get near a Whole Foods where they sell a cornstarch-free powdered sugar, but until then I wondered if there was something else I could use to fill our pies.

Cha Cha's blog to the rescue again!  She has a post featuring a delicious looking coconut, pecan, and chocolate spread.  When I looked it over it seemed there must be a way to use some of the ingredients to make a plain vanilla version.  So I tried combining this in a food processor:

2/3 c. coconut, shredded
1 T. coconut oil
1 T. honey

Process ingredients until creamy. 

Once again, I split my result in half and added a teaspoon of cocoa to one half.  It didn't make a lot, but I found a little goes a very long way.  The result was mouth-watering.  Still, next time I think I will try using a whole cup of coconut.

We ended up with these:

Now, if I could just locate some FG approved peppermint oil, we'd have peppermint patties to try, too!

earthquake jello

The Easter season is almost upon us, and Josiah's Sunday School class is learning about the things that happened when Jesus died on the cross.  One of the events of the crucifixion was an earthquake.  His teacher wanted to demonstrate the shifting of the earth with jello and wondered if there was a way Josiah could have some.  Since this is an easy treat to make, we offered to share his version with the whole class.  I worried a little what preschool tastebuds would think of undyed, naturally flavored lemon jello but it turns out I didn't need to fret.  As soon as I walked in the door to pick up Josiah, one little girl quickly exclaimed, "I loved the jello!!"

Josiah was SO excited to have the same food as everyone else in his class, it made my heart ache and I sadly wished that things didn't always have to be so complicated for him.  Still, we have so much to be thankful for, and sharing jello was just added to the list!

Lemon Gelatin
2 envelopes Knox unflavored gelatin
1 c. cold water
2 c. boiling water
1/2 c. sugar
2/3 c. lemon juice

In medium bowl or pan, sprinkle unflavored gelatine over the cold water.  Let stand one minute.  Add the boiling water and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved.  Stir in sugar to dissolve.  Add lemon juice.  Chill until firm.

This recipe can really be recreated with any fruit juice, and you can add fruit to it as well.  I think crushed pineapple would taste wonderful in the lemon jello, although you could also add pineapple juice instead.  You would probably need less sugar, however, when using regular fruit juice.

If adding fruit, chill mixutre utnil the consistency of unbeaten egg whites.  Fold in fruit and chill. 

lemon poppyseed muffins

We were running out of gluten free snacks, so today I stirred up a batch of these delicious muffins from the FastPaleo website.  They are Josiah's favorite and mine, too!  They make a perfect snack to grab and go for church or a playdate.  I make mini-muffins because it seems to stretch the recipe a bit, but that most certainly won't work if you have teens eating them.  You could make them with Minute Maid real lemon juice and skip the zest, but if you have time, it's certainly worth the extra step to use the real thing!

Coconut oil is a great heart-healthy oil (studies show it can actually improve the ratio of HDL and LDL).  Add in the eggs and coconut flour and you have a great high protein and high fiber snack, a wonderful thing to hand to a picky eater. 

6 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 lemons, juiced
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
zest from 2 lemons
1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a muffin pan with 12 liners.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice. Melt together the coconut oil and honey; pour into egg mixture and whisk to combine.

In a small bowl, stir together coconut flour, baking soda, and lemon zest. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and whisk until smooth. Stir in poppy seeds.

Fill each muffin cup with a scant 1/4 cup of batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then remove to a rack to finish cooling.

cooking around the world: Southeast Asia

This recipe has been sitting on our kitchen counter for weeks, ever since our study of Southeast Asia.  It seemed that either we were eating all our bananas, or life was getting in the way.  Tonight we finally spent 15 minutes preparing the recipe that took us 6 weeks to find time to make.  But as Rachel said, it was worth it!

Hot Bananas with Cinnamon Coconut Sauce

Ingredients:
4 large bananas (we used 5)
1 tablespoon unbleached flour for gluten free use potato starch, a great thickener
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/3 cup coconut milk (although you could probably use any kind, we used Thai Kitchen's canned coconut milk)
Directions:
Cut ends off bananas, but do not peel. Place in steamer; cook for five minutes. (No steamer?  Put 2 T. water in the bottom of a large pan and then place bananas in and cover.)  Skins will turn black -- don't worry!

To make sauce: place flour (potato starch), sugar and cinnamon in pan and stir until combined. Gradually add coconut milk and stir until smooth. Stir constantly over medium heat until mixture comes to the boil and thickens. Serve over bananas.

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes

 Finally!

 Food tastes better with a favorite toy nearby!

Good to the last drop!



GF chocolate cupcakes

When we celebrated Rachel's birthday this weekend, I used my sister-in-law's recipe to make a delicious chocolate cake with mint chocolate chip ice cream in the middle per my daughter's request.  However, I was concerned with the number of people we might need some cupcakes to add to the mix and thought I would try this GF recipe made with coconut flour.  The cake did cover everyone until the dog decided he wanted a piece that had been left unguarded...so I pulled out a cupcake for the sweet nephew who had been robbed.  I've never tried these chocolate cupcakes before since Josiah can't do chocolate, but after tasting them I can say we'll be having them again often!  It will be easy to scoop out a vanilla cupcake or two for him before adding the cocoa, so long as I remember to do it.

Today Tropical Traditions is offering free shipping so it was a good time for me to stock up on coconut flour.  It looks expensive at first, but when you only use 1/2 c. or so at a time in recipes, it really lasts a long time.  I store it in the freezer because it loves to soak up liquid, perhaps not such a problem in the winter but I'm not sure how it would do on a humid summer day.

The benefits of coconut flour are high fiber and protein, along with B vitamins, iron, and magnesium.  It is really a nutrient dense food.  Add the eggs and you have even more protein--great for kids like my youngest who aren't big meat eaters.  The cupcakes are a filling and delicious treat, but I've also used it to make everything from bread to waffles.

Chocolate Coconut Flour Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Line cupcake tin with 12 paper liners
Makes 12 large cupcakes

1/2 cup coconut flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter, cooled
1 cup organic cane sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients and beat on low until well combined. Turn mixer to medium and let it go for about two minutes or until the mixture starts to turn lighter and glossy.
Scoop batter evenly into the liners – they will be at least ¾ full. Bake approximately 25 minutes. Use a toothpick in the center to test for doneness. 

Frost with your favorite frosting.  There is one on Cha Cha's website (less sugar?) and I have used a powdered sugar frosting (way more sugar!!)

keeping up with the cooking

Things have been getting pretty busy at our house lately, but cooking is a matter of survival when there is a gluten free diet to consider.  I've made these rolls from Cha Cha's blog before, but after some trouble with gooey middles it seems this week I've finally been able to get them to come out right.  The secret (besides following the directions) seems to be making sure I get the rolls flat enough before I bake them.  The kids are devouring them, and it is a good example that gluten free bread can not only be delicious but also incredibly nutritious!!  The only tinkering I've done with Cha Cha's recipe is to leave out the garlic since I tend to have an allergic-type reaction to that particular ingredient.  My garlic-loving kids dip them in olive oil mixed with basil, oregano, Parmesan cheese, and garlic salt so they don't miss out on taste.

Easy Hummus Pitas

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and prepare two large baking sheets by lightly oiling.

In a blender, puree:
1 can organic garbanzo beans with liquid
¾ cup olive oil
2T lemon juice
2 large eggs
4T finely milled golden flax
1T sunflower seed butter
1 clove garlic

In a large bowl mix hummus mixture and:
1 lb bag tapioca flour
1T baking powder
½ t sea salt

Mix until well incorporated.  Using lightly oiled hands to shape the breads divide into 12 pieces and shape into circles about 1/3 inch thick.  Bake them for ten minutes, flip them over and baked for about ten more.

These would be great with any Italian meal; we've even had them for breakfast.  I just ordered more tapioca starch and stocked up on garbanzo beans so we can make more soon.

GFCF chicken nuggets? Yes, it can be done!

One of our favorite pre-Feingold restaurants was Chick-Fil-A.  Unfortunately, their food is loaded with additives and MSG.  I'm so thankful for the mom who shared this recipe recently.  We tried it before removing dairy and gluten and it was wonderful, but it will be easy to adapt to our new way of doing things as a once-in-awhile-treat with a couple of simple substitutes.  Enjoy!!

Chicken Nuggets

Oil for frying
2 eggs
2 cups milk (CF-try substituting a milk replacement or just omit and use only eggs)
2 cups flour (GF-use rice flour)
2 TBSP powdered sugar (I will probably omit or substitute another kind of sugar)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1.75 - 2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into thin strips for fingers or bite-sized pieces for nuggets

Mix together the egg and milk. Place the chicken in this mixture, and let sit for at least an hour. While the breasts are sitting, mix together the flour, sugar, pepper, and salt. Once the sitting is done, dredge in the flour. (Optional: for a thicker coating, after the first dredging, put the chicken pieces back in the milk bath for a few seconds, and re-dredge in the flour.)

Heat oil in a deep fat fryer to 375 F., gently drop chicken pieces into the oil, and let cook until golden brown.

first week!

It has felt a bit like a cooking marathon, but we've made it through our first week of gluten free.  There have been some recipe flops but most have been winners.  The biggest prize however is seeing a side of Josiah that I've never seen before.  Feingold was good, but this is off the charts. 

A few nights into his new diet, I was tucking Josiah into bed when he told me, "I love gluten free.  My tummy is not hurting anymore."  I was suspecting some digestive troubles, since Josiah has complained of gnawing hunger since he learned how to talk, often demanding a snack even after a good meal.  Lately he's not been eating much at once, saying he was full--another subtle sign that something may be going on.  As a baby, there were all those feeding issues (even beyond normal reflux) that I've never quite been able to explain.  But still, he never complained of an actual tummy ache with words.  To hear him say his tummy felt better was almost a shock but also very confirming that there was indeed digestive discomfort going on.

So it makes me wonder, what do we do when we are uncomfortable?  Even as adults, can't we be demanding of everyone around us, irritable, and have trouble paying attention?  Seeing changes this week has filled us with hope as well as sympathy for other children who may be having similar difficulties, and those parents who are doing their best to manage them.

Here are a couple of our favorite recipes from the week!

If the mention of sweet potatoes gives you a mental picture of a casserole with marshmallows on top, it's time to try something new.  Who would have thought of fixing them like this??

Sweet Potato French Fries (recipe adapted from Everyday Paleo)

4 medium-sized sweet potatoes, cut lengthwise into strips
1/4 c. olive oil
2 t. cumin
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cover two cookie sheets with aluminum foil.  Toss sweet potatoes with oil and spices.  Spread evenly on cookie sheets, being careful not to crowd spears.  Turn once or twice during cooking, baking about 30-40 min.  Potatoes are done when slightly crispy.  Serve with salsa.


A new staple at our house has been muffins made with coconut flour.  They are loaded with protein and therefore help keep Josiah's blood sugar stable and his tummy feeling full.  He does not do well at all with sugar on an empty stomach, but if we can serve one of these muffins alongside fruit or a cookie, his day goes much better!  The lemon poppyseed muffins were tasty, but our favorite is definitely the pumpkin pie muffins from fastpaleo.com.

Pumpkin Pie Muffins

3/4 Pumpkin Puree
1/2 Cup Coconut Flour
1/2 Cup Coconut oil, melted
6 eggs
2 Tsp Vanilla
1/4 Honey, melted
2 Tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
Handful of walnuts (if desired)
2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder (Optional for chocolate muffins)

Preheat oven to 400 Degrees F.  Sift the coconut flour and spices together, then add baking soda.  In a separate bowl, mix all remaining ingredients except walnuts until well blended.  Add the sifted flour and spices to the pumpkin puree. Mix well and divide the batter between the muffin pans and sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until done.


Today I was able to get a little Christmas cooking done.  After trying a couple of things with Josiah and sugar, I decided to chance it and make his sister's favorite Jackpot Drop cookie recipe by subbing some GF flour for regular flour, GF oatmeal, and carob chips for chocolate.  The cookies turned out beautifully and he did well with one after a hearty lunch.  Sweets have become more rare around here than they used to be, and most of the things I have made this week have been sugar free.  But it IS Christmas time!!

There have been many reasons for smiling today, as I have often lifted my heart to the Lord in tremendous gratitude for answered prayer.

first day gluten free

So far, so good.  Breakfast was eggs, bacon, and a pear.  For snack, we had to get creative.  As you can see, we figured out what to do with an avocado.  It is amazing how readily kids will try food they have helped make.  This was yummy!  First we tried the dip with carrots but of course corn chips tasted even better.

Josiah's Avocado Dip

one avocado, mashed with fork

one clove of garlic, chopped or diced

1 T. lemon juice

black pepper to taste 

Serve with vegetables or (sigh!) corn chips.



time for soup!!

It has been the most beautiful fall I can remember, but today there was enough chill in the air to make soup.  This recipe from my aunt is sooo easy and a family favorite!!  There is even enough for leftovers, which are becoming a rarity around this house with growing children.

Taco Soup

1-2 lb. ground beef
1 tsp. cumin
1-2 onions
2 jars Pace Picante Sauce
1 can whole kernel corn (undrained)
1 can red beans (undrained)
1 can black beans (undrained)

Toppings:
Fritos
shredded cheese
sour cream

Cook taco meat and onions.  Add picante sauce; add rest of ingredients and simmer, simmer, simmer.  (You can use a crockpot if desired.)  To serve put Fritos in bottom of bowl; add soup, top with cheese and sour cream.

chicken noodle soup

This recipe is super-easy, delicious, and can be made gluten-free. Enjoy!

3 1/2 c. chicken broth (2 14 1/2 oz. cans)
1/2 t. dried basil
1/2 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. poultry seasoning
1 bay leaf
1 c. broken (1 inch pieces) spaghetti or fettucini noodles (4 oz.)
1 c. cooked, diced chicken

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, combine broth, basil, oregano, poultry seasoning, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Add noodles, cover and cook for 6-8 min. or until the noodles are soft. Discard bay leaf. Stir in chicekn and cook until chicken is heated through. Serves 4.

Optional: Add 1 c. mixed veggies with noodles, and/or use 2 c. cooked long grain rice in place of noodles.

it can be done!

About 2 weeks ago, I bought all purpose gluten-free (GF) flour and had my husband stir up our first batch of GF cookies. They tasted great, but turned into a crumbly mess. At that point I was a bit noncommittal to this whole gluten-free idea, but after a couple of weeks on it, Rachel seems to be making less night time trips to the bathroom. With that realization, I feel energized to give this whole idea more time, money, and attention. I have asked some questions, looked at a kids GF cookbook from the library, bought more flours, and today attempted my first 2 GF recipes.

We do have priorities and at the top of the list is a gluten-free taco shell. Rachel turned her nose up at corn tortillas, so we gave this recipe a try.

Mock Flour Tortillas

Ingredients
1/2 c. brown rice flour

1/2 c. rice flour

1/2 c. potato starch flour

1/2 c. tapioca flour

1 T. xanthan gum

1 t. salt

3 T. shortening

3/4 c. hot water

Directions

In a large bowl, combine flours, xanthan gum, and salt. Add shortening and cut with a pastry blender or fork until crumbly like breadcrumbs. Add water and stir with a spoon. Form into a ball with hands. Divide the dough into 12 balls. Press with a tortilla press or rolling pin, with lightly oiled plastic wrap on both the top and bottom of the dough. Preheat ungreased griddle to about 400 degrees, if electric, or until a droplet of water dropped on the griddle crackles. Cook tortillas until bubbles form and the bottoms are lightly browned. Turn and cook the other side.

While time-consuming, this was an easy recipe to make. Most of my tortillas did not turn out very round, but the samples we tasted were very good. Taco night, here we come! The tortillas are waiting in the freezer.

Next we tried sugar cookies. These were awesome! I could not even tell they were gluten-free, and the kids gobbled them up.

These were leaving the plate faster than I could take a picture!

Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

1/3 c. margarine

1/3 c. shortening

1 c. rice flour

1 t. xanthan gum

1 egg

3/4 c. sugar

1 T. milk substitute

2 t. baking powder

1 t. vanilla

1/4 t. salt

1/2 c. tapioca flour

1/2 c. potato starch flour

Directions

In a large bowl, beat margarine and shortening together until creamy and well combined. Add rice flour, xanthan gum, egg, milk, baking powder, vanilla, and salt. Beat until thoroughly combined. Add tapioca flour and potato starch flour. Beat until thoroughly combined. Cover with plastic wrap and chill 3 hours. Roll out cookies and use cookie cutters, or for round cookies, place by teaspoonful on cookie sheet and flatten slightly. Bake at 375 degrees for 7-9 min. (depending on cookie size) until edges are firm and bottoms are very lightly browned. Cool on wire rack. Keep unused dough in the refrigerator until ready to use.

This is not an inexpensive way to eat, so I'm also trying to come up with creative ways to save money and use less carbs for Rachel in general. Thankfully, she loves meat, fruits, and veggies. Popcorn and baked potatoes are great for snacks, too. Still waiting to see if this will help her with joint pain, but if urinary tract issues are clearing up, I have to wonder...