No-Bake Chocolate Granola Bars (Gluten/Oat/Dairy/Soy-free )

The past few days I have had the privilege of staying with my wonderful and amazing cousin. Not only did she invite my family of four to come and stay at her home, but she enthusiastically adapted her entire family to my family's diet restrictions. I love this girl. She has made my vacation easy-peasy and delicious to boot. She has come up with some wonderful new recipes that I will be sharing with you and taking home with me!

Since my family is gluten/dairy/egg/soy/corn-free, I will list the recipe as such, but you can always alter them to fit your family's dietary restrictions.

Chocolatey Granola Bars (Oat-Free):

1 1/4 cups of gluten-free rice cereal
1 cup quinoa flakes
2 tablespoons ground golden flaxseed
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup nuts/seeds (cashews chopped finely are my favorite)
1/4 cup Enjoy Life vegan chocolate chips
1/3 cup Lyle's and Sons cane syrup
1/2 cup sunflower butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Lightly grease an 8-inch pan. Tear a piece of parchment paper just large enough to cover the pan. Combine the brown rice cereal, quinoa flakes, flaxseed (I just learned that the best way to buy your flaxseed is in bulk and grind with a coffee grinder each time you need flaxseed for a recipe. This is because flaxseed goes rancid within four hours of grinding...who knew?), coconut, nuts, and chocolate chips in a large bowl. Combine the cane syrup and sunflower butter in a microwavable bowl and heat until just melted, about 30-60 seconds. Stir in vanilla extract. Pour sunflower butter over cereal mixture and stir well with a spatula. Dig your hands into the cereal mixture and mix everything really well. Pour mixture into a greased 8-inch pan. Place the sheet of parchment paper on top of the pan and press down firmly to bind ingredients. Refrigerate at least one hour. Cut into bars and store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Variations on this recipe are adding dried fruits instead of chocolate...or add the chocolate too! You could also try using different cereals. I like both Envirokidz Koala Crisp and Arrowhead Mills Maple Buckwheat Flakes.

My cousin refrigerated the bars until they were nice and firm and then she cut them into perfect granola-size bars, wrapped them up, and stuck them in the fridge. They were such a delicious snack, truly a treat for children and adults alike. Happy munching!

Gluten/Egg/Dairy-Free French Toast! Vegan never tasted so good!

Oh how I wish that I has taken a picture of these delicious slices of caramelized goodness. Alas, we will simply have to use our imaginations :-) The great thing about this recipe is that it is gluten/egg/dairy/nut/soy/free. It is vegan too! But don't let all of those things deter you, because truly, you will love it!


The bread for the french toast was made from Pamela's Gluten-Free Bread Mix & Flour Blend. I will give you three different options for breads and all are "winner, winner, chicken dinner." The three choices are the standard egg-free variety, a sweet bread variety, and lastly a cinnamon-raisin variety. All three varieties are technically egg-free.

Egg-Free Bread:

3 1/2 cups of Pamela's Flour Mix
2 cups of warm water (not above 115 degrees)
3 tablespoons of ground golden flax seed
1/4 cup of oil (I use sunflower oil)
2 1/4 active dry yeast or 1 yeast packet (7 grams)


Sweet Bread (also egg-free):

3 1/2 cups of Pamela's Flour Mix
1/4 coconut oil, melted
1/4 of sugar (this can be a 1/4 cup of anything sweet, such as honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, maple sugar, xylitol etc...)
3 tablespoons of ground golden flax seed
1/2 cup of rice or coconut milk
1 1/4 cups of water

Cinnamon-Raisin Bread (again, it's egg-free!):

3 1/2 cups of Pamela's Flour Mix
2 cups of warm water (not above 115 degrees)
3 tablespoons of ground golden flax seed
1/4 cups of sunflower oil or coconut oil (if using coconut oil, melt)
1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/2 to 3/4 cup raisins (more or less depending on how raisin-y you like your bread)*

Use a heavy stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Do not use bread maker. Combine all ingredients and mix for 3 minutes on medium/high. Pour dough into a 8x4 inch greased bread pan. Wet the back of your spatula to smooth the bread batter. If the batter sticks to the spatula, place the spatula under the running water more often. Once batter is smooth, let the dough rest for one hour. I do not recommend putting a towel or cover over your batter because the cover will stick to the batter creating an unappealing texture on the bread. Place the dough either in the oven (while off) or in an area that is warm and without a draft. Dough will rise when baking. Bake at 350 degrees for 65-70 minutes.
* For Cinnamon-Raisin Bread, hand mix raisins into the dough before adding to pan to rise.

As soon as your bread is done baking, wait two minutes and then remove the bread from the pan and place it on a cooling rack. This step is critical when baking gluten-free bread because if left in the pan, bread will become soggy.

Once your bread is baked and cooled completely, slice pieces into desired width and set aside.

French Toast Wash:

1/4 cup of melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 real maple syrup (the sugar will cause the french toast to caramelize...yumm)
1/2 cup warm rice or coconut milk
3 tablespoons of ground golden flax seeds

Mix all of these ingredients together in a bowl. Dip slices of bread, one piece at a time, into French Toast Wash. Place "washed" slice of bread onto a hot griddle and cook until caramelized and brown.

Serve with real maple syrup and enjoy!!

Hot dogs! Get your hot dogs here!

Hot dogs and hamburgers are a BBQ staple. Bringing plain hot dogs sans the buns to a get-together for my girls is never a big hit. They will quietly whine that everyone else is eating their own hot dogs in buns. Finding store-bought gluten and egg-free hotdog buns has been impossible (I did find a 4-pack of hamburger buns that were egg and gluten-free that cost a whopping $8 per pack.), and so I set off on an adventure to make my own.

First, I needed to make my own molds. If you eat a lot of hot dogs, you may want to invest in a hot dog bun tray like this one, or you can just make your own foil molds.

I start with a piece of foil about 16-18 inches long.

Next, fold the piece of foil in half so that you have a stronger material to work with.

Look around your kitchen for an item that is roughly the size of a hot dog bun. I used an empty "honey bear" for my mold. It was a tiny bit big for regular skinny hot dogs, but perfect for larger brats.

Line your molds on a baking tray.

Spray your molds with oil so that the buns do not tear and stick to the foil once baked. I like using a Misto because it doesn't use any chemical propellants, you can use it over and over, and you can put any type of oil in it that you wish.

Now you are ready to make the batter. I have tried a lot of store-bought ready to use brands and I tired have mixing my own. I still haven't found anything better that Pamela's Baking Mix. I use it for everything: Breads, muffins, cookies, pancakes, buns, rolls, roux, and biscuits. It has a perfect blend of flours and already includes the xanthan gum, which is a spendy item to buy on it's own.

I began buying the Pamela's from my local grocer in the 4 lb bags. The cost worked out to be about $4 per pound, which is about 4 items (3 1/2 cups per item made). I looked around for less expensive alternatives and found a 25 lb bag offered on Amazon.com. I signed up for "subscribe and save" and am getting the bag for $58. That works out to $2.32 per pound. I like having the smaller 4 lb bag to pour into and have in the pantry.

Recipe for hot dog buns:

3 1/2 cups of Pamela's gluten-free flour
3 tablespoons of ground golden flaxseed
2 cups of warm, but not hot water
1/4 oil (I like sunflower oil)
1 packet of yeast (7 grams or 1/4 oz.)

Pour all of the ingredients into a stand mixer bowl, place bowl onto stand mixer and begin mixing. Go very slow to begin with so that you are not flour bombed. Once the dry ingredients are combined thoroughly, turn speed up to med/high and mix for 3 minutes.

Next, using a spatula or spoon, spoon the batter into the hot dog bun molds.

Once the batter is in the molds and looks fairly even, dip your spoon in water and use the back of it to smooth the batter. This process has two purposes: First, it makes a nicer looking bun and second, it browns the bun through the similar chemical process as browning meat by searing.

Next, you will need to proof your buns for 1 hour. You can put a tea towel over the top of them or clear plastic wrap and set them in an area that is not breezy or better yet you can place them in your oven and set the oven to "bread proofing".
This is what proofed buns will look like!

About 50 minutes into proofing, pull them out of the oven and set your oven for 350 degrees fahrenheit. Once at 350, put the buns in for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

And there you have it, hot dog buns and happy kids! Happy cooking!

S'mores

To me, S'mores are quintessential summer. They represent everything good about summer. Camping, bon fires, family, the innocence of childhood...ahhhhh. So when summer rolled around and a girlfriend of mine suggested we take a trip to the coast, of course S'mores were on the list of must-haves. As soon as she uttered the word S'mores, my heart sank. My little girls would have to forego this time-honored treat, or would they?

I had recently purchased Cybele Pascal's new cookbook The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook and I remembered seeing a recipe for graham crackers. Her cookbook is AMAZING! She shows how one can bake without gluten, wheat, dairy, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, and sesame. All-in-all she has come up with 100 vegan recipes that are spot on. And her graham crackers, forget about it. They are worth dying for.

The next step was finding a vegan chocolate that doesn't use soy lecithin. This might sound easy, but unless you jump on the internet to source your chocolate, it can be rather difficult. My local grocery store happens to carry Enjoy Life vegan chocolate. I really like this company because they make products free of the 8 major allergens. My grocer only carries the chips and chunks, but they do make bars of chocolate. Obviously bars would be the easiest, but because I only have access to pieces, I melt them in a double boiler and then line a pan with parchment paper. I pour the melted chocolate into the pan and let it cool until hardened.

Next are the marshmallows. Now, most people can have marshmallows. They contain corn though, and that is a no-no for my kiddos. Even the gourmet marshmallows are rolled in cornstarch. I searched high and low and eventually I found a recipe online at www.thekitchen.com. The recipe on The Kitchen comes from Emma Christensen, who adopted the recipe from Eileen Talanian. These marshmallows are truly heaven. I highly doubt you will ever find a better, softer, better browner or melter, EVER. When roasted over a campfire (or in a toaster oven for that matter), these little gems brown to absolute perfection and once brown they are also melted and gooey. Yumm!

Enjoy the recipes and the summer ahead!



Graham Crackers:

1 1/4 cups Basic gluten-free flour mix (see below)
1/4 cup (sweet) sorghum flour
1/4 cup golden flaxseed
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dairy-free, soy-free vegetable shortening*
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon light agave nectar (I use honey)

1. Whisk together the flours, flaxseed meal, xanthan gum, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine shortening, light brown sugar, and agave nectar (or honey), mixing on medium speed for about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

3. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until just combined, about 20 seconds.

4. Lay out two sheets of parchment paper. Divide the dough evenly between the two. The dough will be crumbly (If it is too crumbly, put it in the fridge for 10 minutes.). Starting with one mound of dough, pat together into a disk, pressing in any loose bits, them top with another sheet of parchment paper. Roll out into a rectangular shape, 9x6 inches and 1/8 inch thick. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper, and use your fingers to coax the rectangle into a more uniform shape (think making pinch pots). Top again with parchment paper, roll one more time until smooth, then remove the parchment paper and set it aside for later.

5. Using a fluted pastry wheel (or pizza cutter), divide the rectangle into three 6 by 3-inch rectangles.

6. Pressing lightly with the pastry wheel so as not to cut all the way through, score each rectangle in half lengthwise and crosswise, to form four 3 by 1 1/2-inch crackers.

7. Top again with the reserved sheet of parchment paper and place on the rack in the freezer to chill for 20 minutes, or until firm.

8. Repeat with the other half of dough. You can stack them in the freezer.

9.Preheat oven to 325 degrees fahrenheit.

10. Once the dough has chilled, remove from the freezer, remove the top sheets of parchment paper, and transfer the dough, still on the parchment paper, to a baking sheet. You can fit both on the same baking sheet, just trim off any extra parchment paper.

17. Bake for 18 minutes, or until golden brown, rotating the baking sheet halfway through. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack, and let the crackers cool while sill on the baking sheet. Let cool completely before breaking the crackers along the perforated lines. Store in an airtight container.

I typically make a double batch because these suckers go quickly! And a truly delicious variation is to sprinkle a cinnamon and sugar mixture over the top of the dough before you put it in the freezer and press it in by hand (that way it sort of keep the sugar on after it is baked). Your family will beg for these day and night!

* I use Spectrum Organic vegetable shortening. It is sourced from palm. It isn't a nutritious as coconut oil, but because coconut oil becomes liquid at such a low temperature, it just isn't ideal for this application.


Fluffy Vanilla Marshmallows:


Gratefully adapted from Marshmallows by Eileen Talanian
Makes roughly 100 marshmallows, depending on size

Tools:
9x13 baking pan or other flat container
4-quart sauce pan (slightly larger or smaller is ok)
candy thermometer - one that can clip to the side of the sauce pan
standing mixer with a wire whisk attachment - hand mixers just aren’t strong enough, unfortunately
stiff spatula or spoon (as opposed to a rubbery, flexible one)
Optional: Pastry brush

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons (usually 3 packets) unflavored gelatin powder
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons cold water
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup water
1 1/4 cup sugar cane syrup
pinch salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

Grease your baking pan with shortening. Use a paper towel to wipe the pan and make sure there’s a thin film on every surface, corner, and side. Make sure the rest of your equipment ready to go.

To bloom the gelatin, measure the gelatin powder into your mixer bowl. Combine the water and vanilla in a measuring cup and pour this over the gelatin while whisking gently with a fork. Continuing stirring until the gelatin reaches the consistency of apple sauce and there are no more large lumps. Set the bowl back in your standing mixer.

Combine the water, cane syrup, salt, and sugar in a 4-quart sauce pan. Place this over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil. As it’s coming to a boil, occasionally dip your pastry brush in water and brush down the sides of the pot. This prevents sugar crystals from falling into the liquid, which can cause the syrup to crystallize. If you don’t have a pastry brush, cover the pan for 2 minutes once the mixture is at a boil so the steam can wash the sides.

Do not stir the sugar once it has come to a boil or it may crystallize.

Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the sauce pan and continue boiling until the sugar mixture reaches 250°F. Take the pan off the heat and remove the thermometer.

With the mixer on medium speed, gently and carefully pour the hot sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin. The mixture may foam up - just go slowly and carefully. When all the syrup has been added, cover the bowl with a cloth and increase the speed to high (the cloth protects from splatters). Whip for 10-12 minutes, until it looks like glossy meringue.

When you’re finished mixing, lower the speed to medium and lift the whisk partway out of the bowl so it spins off as much marshmallow mix as possible. Using your stiff spatula, scrape the marshmallow mixture into the pan. This stuff is very thick and sticky, so don’t worry about getting every last bit out of the bowl. Just get as much as you can.

Wet your fingers and smooth the top so it’s even. Let the mixture sit out uncovered for 12-15 hours to set and cure.

Marshmallow Coating
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup tapioca starch (my change)

Combine the powdered sugar and tapioca starch (my change) in a bowl.

Sprinkle the top of the cured marshmallows with powdered sugar mix and turn them out onto your work surface. Use a spatula to pry them out of the pan if necessary. Sprinkle more powdered sugar mixture over the top.

Using a sharp knife or pizza wheel, cut the marshmallows into squares. It helps to dip your knife in water every few cuts. Toss each square in the powdered sugar mix so all the sides are evenly coated.

Marshmallows will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for several weeks. Leftover marshmallow coating can be stored in a sealed container indefinitely.

The Long and Short of It.

Let's get this blog going!! For now, let's start with the short of it. We can get into the nitty-gritty details along the way.

About 9 months ago our two little girls, ages 2 and 4, were diagnosed with severe food allergies. You name it, they are allergic. In fact, they are allergic to so many things that people often question if we are really being honest. Truly, I wouldn't fudge about such details as being allergic to all fowl, and really, have you ever met someone who is allergic to chicken?!

So, after loads of issues, ranging from behavioral to physical, we finally figured out what was going on with our sweet little girls. As a parent I would have walked to the ends of the earth to heal their bodies, but instead of lacing up my running shoes, I simply have to don my apron and turn into an allergy-free Betty Crocker or full-time kitchen servant, whichever you prefer.

I will post recipes as well as just general information on this blog. I am finding that people are liking the food that I make better that "regular" food and people often ask for the recipes. I will also share the best brands that I have found for gluten and allergy free foods (and where I have found them for the least amount of money). We aren't your run-of-the-mill gluten-free family. We are gluten/peanut/soy/corn/egg-free family. And those are just the Fearsome Fivesome.

See you soon with delicious eats!