Stephen's Almost Gluten Free Cookies

My son, Stephen, is supposed to be on a gluten-free diet so when he was home for Summer Break we looked up recipes for him to have something sweet without wheat. We found a recipe on the food network and made several changes to it, which turned out (according to Stephen) really good!


• 8 ounces unsalted butter, melted
• 11 ounces rice flour, approximately 2 cups
• 1 1/4 ounces tapioca flour, approximately 1/4 cup +
• 1/2-ounce tapioca flour, approximately 2 tablespoons
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 ounces sugar, approximately 1/4 cup
• 10 ounces light brown sugar, approximately 1 1/4 cups
• ½ cup brown rice syrup
• 1 whole egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups oatmeal
• 2/3 cup raisins
• 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Once melted, pour into the bowl of a stand mixer.
In a medium bowl, sift together the rice flour, tapioca flour, xanthan gum, salt, cinnamon and baking soda. Set aside.
Add both of the sugars and the brown rice syrup to the bowl with the butter and using the paddle attachment, cream together on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the whole egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Add oatmeal and raisins, then stir to combine. (A hand mixer will work fine if a stand mixer isn’t available).
Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and place dough by tablespoon at least 1 inch apart. Bake for 10 minutes, rotating the pans after 5 minutes for even baking. Remove from the oven and cool the cookies on the pans for 2 minutes. Move the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely. Store cooked cookies in an airtight container.

Fabulous Grain Free Cookies

WOO!! I made cookies - and they actually turned out really good! So happy. I have been wanting something treat-like and these worked. I hope you like them, too. My hubby said they tasted buttery (ha! no butter!)

Here is what I used:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 large baking pans with parchment paper

1/4 cup hazelnut flour
1/4 cup carob powder
1/4 cup garbanzo and fava bean flour
3/8 cup tapioca flour
1/8 cup + 1 tsp. potato flour
1 cup beet sugar
1/4 cup birch sugar (aka xylitol from birch)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup raisins

Mix all ingredients above together in a large mixing bowl.

Mix together ingredients below:

2 egg whites
1 1/2 tsp. unsulphured molasses
3/4 cup grapeseed oil
1/8 cup water

Stir liquid ingredients into dry until completely mixed together. Drop by large teaspoons full onto prepared cookie sheets and place in preheated oven for approximately 11-12 minutes.

Allow to cool and EAT!

Excellent Ratatouille with Kale and Beans

I am not a fan of eggplant. However, we came across this recipe in the "delicious living" magazine and it looked harmless enough. Having to adjust the recipe only slightly, we tried it and WOW it is now one of our favorite dishes!

It is an excellent source of vitamins, fiber and protein. The nicest thing about it is you can play with the ingredients and it won't hurt the dish. I am listing the recipe as printed, but will make notes as to my changes.

Serves 6-8 as a side dish, fewer if using as a main dish.

1 medium eggplant, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 small red onion, thinly sliced (I use sweet white)
2 medium yellow bell peppers, cored and sliced 1/4-inch thick (I use any color)
2 medium zucchini, sliced
1 cup chopped kale
1 15-oz can Great Northern Beans (or other white beans), drained and rinsed.
2 tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch slices
6 cloves garlic, minced (I leave this out unless making a separate dish for Ric)
1 tsp. dried oregano (I use Basil)
1 tsp. dried thyme (don't use this at all)
1 tsp. dried marjoram (don't use this either)
2 Tbsp. olive oil (I use grapeseed oil)
2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley (don't use this at all)
1 cup grated Asiago cheese (don't use this at all)

1. Sprinkle both sides of eggplant liberally with coarse salt; let drain in a colander for 1 hour.Rinse off excess salt and squeeze out water between layers of paper towels. (I have not ever done this step, takes way too much time!)
2. Preheat oven to 375. Coat a 2 1/2 qt. casserole with olive oil (I use a 10x13 baking dish). Layer half of the first 4 ingredients in casserole. Cover with all the kale and beans, and cover with half the tomatoes. Sprinkle with half of the garlic and half of the dried herbs. Repeat layering process (leaving out kale and beans). Press down gently and drizzle with olive oil. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 1-2 hours or until vegetables are very tender.
3. Remove foil. Combine parsley and cheese in a small bowl and sprinkle over vegetables. Return to oven and cook for 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Serve hot.

Most of my changes to this recipe are noted above, however I have found that adding some of the herbs and oil at the half point helps to keep it together. Using chopped fresh rosemary, basil and sage and salt and white pepper adds lots of flavor. I have also used carrots in place of the eggplant and it tastes great!

This is definitely a recipe that can be adjusted for your tastes and preferences sooo

Experiment, but most of all, HAVE FUN!

Wonderful Almond Carob Pudding

So I have found that when I eat off of my new food regiman that cravings abound. Last week I went to a luncheon and, well, ate off the regimen. Sooo, cravings reared their lovely head - wanting something creamy and chocolatey. Since both of those things are now forbidden, my brain went to work.

The recipe below is the result of that brain working and it turned out wonderfully!

3 cups Blue Diamond Almond Milk
1/8 cup beet sugar
1/8 cup birch sugar (aka xylitol made from birch trees)
1/4 cup quick cooking tapioca

Mix all ingredients together in medium sauce pan and let sit for 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes, turn heat to medium high, stir continuously until the pudding boils for at least 1 minute. Then mix in:

1/8 ground vanilla bean
1/4 cup Carob powder (dissolved with a small amount of almond milk)

Pour into individual ramekins or soup bowls and cool. Great warm but mixture thickens as it cools.

YUMMY!!

Roasted Asparagus

I am rarely home in the afternoons to watch cooking shows, so this particular day was a special treat. Ric loves to watch these shows and, for the few minutes I got to see, Giada (At Home with Giada on FoodNetwork) happened to be preparing asparagus. It was fast, easy and I will never again steam asparagus! Roasting keeps the lovely green color yet it is moist and tender, too!

1. Preheat the oven to 400*. Use a large enough baking pan to leave a little room between asaragus spears.
2. Wash and trim spears to desired length.
3. Place on baking pan, lightly drizzle with olive oil, then roll asparagus around to coat with oil.
4. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
5. Place in heated oven for approx. 10-15 minutes, depending on thickness of spears.
6. Remove from oven, place in serving bowl.

ENJOY!! Let me know what you think!