Gluten Free Angel Biscuits!

I have made lots of gluten free biscuits before and they have always left me missing the good old fashioned biscuits my Nana made. The ones I have made with Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free flour were heavy and grainy and dried out too fast. I was reminded of Angel Biscuits and how much a little yeast can do to a plain baking powder biscuit. I thought I'd give it a try.

I came across a gluten free flour mixture from Art of Gluten Free Cooking. This mixture makes light and fluffy baked goods! It's now my go to mix for all my gluten free baked goods.

Jeanne’s Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Mix (mix together and store in fridge):
1 1/4 C. brown rice flour
1 1/4 C. white rice flour
1 C. tapioca flour
1 C. sweet rice flour (also known as Mochiko)
2 scant tsp. xanthan gum

Gluten Free Angel Biscuits

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2 1/2 cups Jeanna's Gluten free flour mix
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup buttermilk or almond milk

1 stick butter, cut into pieces

Dissolve yeast in the warm water, set aside. Mix together dry ingredients then cut in the butter until small pea sized pieces form. Pour the yeast mixture and milk into the flour mixture all at once then stir until just combined. Turn the dough out on to a GF floured surface. Knead dough 3-4 times then roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut out and place on a lined baking sheet. Makes about 12 biscuits. Preheat oven to 400*. Cover and let rise slightly in a warm place for at least 30 minutes to 1 hr. The warmer the room the quicker the rise. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Serve warm.

Growing Kale

I grew kale for the first time this year. It grows so well from seed. I chose Dinosaur kale and Red Winter kale. I've read that if kale goes through a frost that it is sweater and better tasting. I think I will plant kale this fall and over the winter since the Bay Area doesn't get snow but some freezing and frost.

We have been juicing a lot so I knew that I wanted to add kale to my garden. Amelia and I go out in the backyard to pick kale leaves for our green juices in the morning. She loves helping.

 

{Dinosaur Kale}

{Red Winter Kale}

Besides green juices we enjoy kale chips, sauteed kale, Portuguese kale soup and kale salad. 

Kale Waldorf Salad

4 cups finely chopped raw kale

2 large crisp apple like honey crisp, pink lady, or fuji, chopped

1 cup thinly sliced celery

1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

1/2 cup golden raisins

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2-4 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

salt to taste

Add the chopped kale to a big bowl. To the bowl of kale, add one and half of the chopped apples, sliced celery, 1/4 cup of walnuts, and 1/2 cup raisins. To make dressing, add to blender, 1/2 of one of the chopped apples, 1/4 cup of the toasted walnuts, 2 tablespoons golden raisins, mustard, vinegar, 2 tbsp water and salt to taste. Blend until smooth. Add more water if it wont blend well. Pour dressing over kale salad and toss well. Chill for about 30 minutes.

  

This garden box was a an experiment. This side of the house doesn't get much sun so I was surprised to see the kale growing so well! It has actually done better here than in the other areas of the garden. You can see that the alyssum flowers have spread to my vegetable boxes. Those flowers will grow anywhere and spread like crazy.

Grain Free Zucchini Muffins

In our quest for more grain free recipes I came across a few grain free muffin recipes. After trying some, swapping out ingredients and substituting others I developed one that we liked. This is a lightly sweetened muffin, perfect for children and breakfast. If you want it a little sweeter you can add extra honey or a few drops of liquid vanilla stevia. These freeze well. Just wrap them up individually and store in a freezer bag in the freezer.

Amelia loves them. They have a great texture and are moist.

Grain Free Zucchini Muffins

2 cups grated zucchini

6 eggs

1/4 cup apple sauce

1/4 cup vegetable oil or melted coconut oil

1/3 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons ground flax seed

1/2 cup coconut flour

1 cup chopped toasted walnut

Mix wet ingredients together, set aside. Mix dry ingredients and walnuts together. Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and mix till combined. This batter does stick to cupcake papers so if you don't like that then you can butter and "flour" the muffin tins with coconut flour so they release easier or try a non stick spray. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until center is set.

Growing Lettuce and Spinach

This is my first year growing lettuce and spinach. I started some time in February. It has been so easy especially once I controlled the snails. Amelia loves picking lettuce and spinach with me. She actually loves eating the spinach while we are gathering it for our salads.

 I'm growing two different types of spinach and a heirloom leaf lettuce in this raised box. Both grew so fast. I now know that I should have planted one row and then a week or two later plant another row. It all came in at the same time.

A few days of warm weather and the butter crunch lettuce took off! I Should have harvested them when they were much smaller but they are still good. They seem to be more fragile when they are bigger and crispier when they are smaller. I planted 3 types of butter crunch lettuce. The red one is my favorite.

I've made several spinach salads. My favorite is with strawberries, toasted walnuts and goat cheese. We've used the spinach in smoothies and for juicing too.

Our new favorite thing is a salad made with the heirloom leaf lettuce and edible flowers from the garden. Violas, nasturtiums and chive flowers. I made sure Amelia always asks before she eats a flower! She picks a nasturtium flower and runs inside to ask if she can eat it. lol

 

 The heirloom leaf lettuce holds up best with a light dressing. I like to make a lemon and herb vinaigrette.

Lemon Herb Vinaigrette

Juice of 1 medium-large lemon

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon honey

1 tablespoon dill or combination of dill, parsley and chives

salt and pepper to taste.

Put everything into a jelly jar. Cover and shake well.

 

Grain Free Crepes

I've been exploring grain free and starch free baking a lot lately. I want to save starchy gluten free baking for special occasions and make grain and starch free baking more common in our home. There are many recipes and options out there plus wonderful health benefits for going grain free and starch free. I personally don't like the extra starches that gluten free baked goods tend to have. Rice, potato, corn and tapioca starches/flours are used a lot in gluten free baking. I struggle with inflammatory issues and starches as well as gluten are big culprits. I have leaky gut which grains and starches can make worse! A lot of grain free recipes call for coconut flour or almond flour and both can be found at health food stores and even some mainstream stores. I buy mine in bulk from Whole Foods.

Whenever we want a little something special for breakfast I have been making grain free waffles or crepes.

Grain Free Crepes

4 eggs
1 teaspoon honey or a few drops of liquid vanilla stevia
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3-3/4 cup milk of your choice

4 tablespoons coconut flour

Mix first 5 ingredients together well then add coconut flour and mix well. You want the batter to be like heavy cream. Spray a heated non-stick 8-9 inch frying pan with non stick spray then add about 1/4 cup of the crepe mixture to the hot pan and twirl the batter around to cover the bottom of the pan. It takes a little practice. YouTube has some good how-to videos. Cook for about 2-3 minutes then carefully flip the crepe over and cook 1 minute more. I find the crepe easier to flip if the it has browned well. Serve with fresh fruit, fruit sauce or homemade jam. A little whip cream or chocolate sauce. I wont tell. This recipe makes 6-8 crepes.

Slow Drip Fudgepops

I love a good fudge pop and so does Amelia! I made lots of these slow drip fudge pops last year for a hot summer treat. The weather has been in the high 70s and low 80s so I want to make some to enjoy even though it's not summer yet! Now that I said that it will probably turn cold.

Homemade Slow Drip Fudgepops

2 cups milk of your choice
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2/3 cup of sugar (or honey to taste)
1 tsp vanilla
1 package Knoxx gelatin

In a medium sauce pan heat all the ingredients and stir until sugar and gelatin has dissolved and cocoa powder has been incorporated well. Cool to just warm before adding to the popsicle molds. Add popsicle sticks and freeze for a few hours. Makes 6-10 pops depending on your type of molds. I like to take them out of the molds and store in a gallon bag or container in the freezer so they are easy to get to. I want to experiment with the liquid vanilla creme stevia drops that I love so much.

There you go! The gelatin is the secret. It keeps the liquid from dripping too quickly!

{This picture was from last year. She has grown so much since last year!}

Birthday Cupcakes for Six

Today is my 28th birthday!!! 

I still feel 21 and am shocked that I'm getting closer to 30. Not that 30 is bad, it's just that I don't feel like I should be almost 30. Sometimes I still feel like a teenager and sometimes I feel like an old lady. Numbers really don't mean anything after all.

To celebrate I made a small batch of gluten free chocolate cupcakes. All of my cupcake recipes make 12 or more cupcakes and I didn't want that many hanging around the house or I would get in trouble so I came up with a recipe that made 6 cupcakes. If I'm really desperate for a cupcake one day I can divide this recipe even further and make 2 cupcakes for me and Amelia. Yum!

 

Chocolate Cupcakes for Six

9 tablespoons gluten free flour or regular wheat flour

1/8 teaspoon xanthum gum if using gluten free flour

7 tablespoons sugar (I used coconut palm sugar)

4 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/16 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons milk

4 tablespoons oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg white

Whisk together dry ingredients well and set aside. Mix together wet ingredients thoroughly then add to the dry mixture. Stir till just combined. Fill 6 greased and floured muffin tins or paper lined muffin tins evenly with mixture. Bake at 325 for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool cupcakes on a cooling rack.

Frosting for 6 Cupcakes

3 tablespoons butter soften

5 tablespoons cocoa powder

9 tablespoons powder sugar

2-3 teaspoons milk

pinch salt

Blend the butter with the cocoa powder well then slowly blend in powder sugar. Add a little milk at a time until the frosting is spreadable.

Chia Pudding

 Cha Cha Cha Chia!

Yes! Chia pudding IS made from the same seeds we gelled and spread all over our terracotta pets when we were kids. I learned about chia seeds a few years ago when I first started learning about the Raw Food Lifestyle. We love chia pudding and eat it in a bowl with fruit for breakfast, as a snack or dessert. We also add the chia gel to our smoothies. I love the crunch it has even after it has soaked up liquid and gelled.

Chia is the Mayan word for strength. It is an amazing super food. It contains more protein than any other seed or grain, more calcium than milk, more potassium than bananas, more antioxidants than blueberries and more iron than spinach plus lots of omega fats! They are a complete source of protein and a great source of soluble fiber. Great for keeping you regular if you know what I mean. They can hold up to 12 times their weight in liquid! Eating a bowl of chia pudding will fill you up and keep you full and hydrated for a long time making it a great "diet" food.

 

Chia Pudding

2 cups almond milk or milk of your choice

1/3 cup chia seeds

15 drops liquid Vanilla Creme Stevia or sweetener of your choice to taste

Mix everything well with a whisk then wait 5 minutes and mix again. Wait 5 more minutes then mix again. Cover and let thicken in fridge for about 30 minutes. I like mine really thick so I wait about 45 minutes before enjoying. You can also sweeten with honey, maple syrup, chocolate syrup or even use chocolate milk instead of plain milk.

Cauliflower Crust

I've been reading about cauliflower crust pizza everywhere so I finally tried it out a few weeks ago. We have eaten it several times since. Amelia and I are gluten intolerant and gluten free crust pizza is yummy and all but I didn't like the idea of consuming so much starch. So many gluten free bread products and recipes have a lot of starchy flours in them. Cauliflower has a pretty neutral flavor so it works great as a crust. The texture is great and my husband said it kept tricking his brain! lol

Cauliflower crust pizza with mushrooms and spinach from the garden.

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

2 cups grated cauliflower (grate raw with a hand cheese grater or food processor with grater attachment)

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic

Mix all ingredients together well. Spread mixture out onto a parchment lined baking sheet to about 1/4 inch thick. I like to make it into a traditional circle but if you double the recipe it's easier to spread it out into a rectangle. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and add sauce, cheese and toppings then broil until cheese has melted. If you let it cool slightly then it is easier to pick up the slices or you can just dig right in with a fork like we do.

I also took the same cauliflower crust recipe and made a quiche with it! It worked perfectly. Make the crust like above but press the mixture into a nonstick or greased 10 inch tart pan or pie pan. Press up the sides as well then bake at 400 for 25- 30 minutes. Remove from oven and pour in your quiche mixture and bake at 350 until center has set.

Asparagus and Goat Cheese Quiche

6 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup goat cheese, crumbled

6-8 asparagus spears cut up into bite size pieces

salt and pepper

Breakfast chicken sausage (optional)

Mix eggs, milk, salt and pepper well. Stir in crumbled goat cheese, asparagus and sausage. Pour into prepared cauliflower crust and bake at 350 until center has set.

A Baby Shower

I recently threw a baby shower for my good friend and she is expecting another baby girl! I came up with a French country theme for the party. Rustic paper bags, accented with doilies. I stuffed mini brown paper bags with pink and white taffies that I found at Trader Joe's. Instead of stopping all the chatting and eating to play games I just set up a game station where the ladies could go to write their answers when they were ready.

 Simple craft twine with doilies folded and glued. Pink pom poms of course.

 I decided on a mini dessert buffet. Petite fours, lemon meringue bars, chocolate covered strawberries, chocolate almond macaroons, and mini madeleine.

 I used Martha Stewart's Lemon Meringue bars recipe but made a cooked meringue instead of a raw one and torched the top with a mini torch.

This madeleine recipe was perfect! I love how it came together. I found mini madeleine pans at Sur La Table.

 These petite fours were so much fun to make!!! I used a petite four recipe from Martha Stewart. These are made from a dense yet moist pound cake and the poured fondant was so easy to make! I topped them off with royal icing decorations. I tinted the pink ones a little too much for my liking but they turned out pretty cute for my first time making petite fours. I plan on making petite fours and French macaroons for Amelia's 4th birthday in July instead of cupcakes. I'm so excited!

 I used yet another Martha Stewart recipe for these amazing chocolate almond macaroons. I'm guilty of being a huge fan and having the childhood nickname of "Little Miss Martha". hehehe

The macaroons are crispy on the outside and perfectly chewy on the inside. Gluten free too! I sandwiched them with seedless French raspberry jam instead of melted chocolate. One recipe make a lot of small ones.

 A sweet friend from church gave this beautiful hand crocheted tablecloth to me. Such a wonderful gift. I layered it over a cream colored tablecloth.

 Chocolate covered strawberries are always easy and delicious.

 I made all of the pedestals for the buffet. I will post a tutorial about them tomorrow.