Sweet Potato Mini Muffins

This recipe came about as a desperate attempt to get my little girl to eat some (high fiber) veggies. These are moist, quick, yummy and best of all healthy! I know there are a lot of different flours here and the reason for that is the health benefits in each flour. You are welcome to use 1 and 1/4 cup of all purpose gf flour instead of the almond, quinoa, millet and tapioca flours.

Makes 24 mini muffins          

Dry:

½ cup almond flour

¼ cup quinoa flour

¼ cup millet

2 tbsp coconut flour (optional)

¼ cup desiccated coconut

¼ cup tapioca starch

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

Wet:

1 cup finely grated sweet potato (about half of a medium sweet potato)

1 egg

1/3 cup brown sugar

¼ cup oil

1 tsp vanilla extract or paste

¼ cup apple sauce

¼ cup almond milk or other milk of choice

2 tbsp peanut/almond butter or sunbutter (optional)

- Heat the oven to 350F and line a mini muffin pan with paper liners.

- Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl

- Combine wet ingredients and mix with a fork. The fork helps separate the grated sweet potato and mixes it better with the rest of the ingredients.

- Combine the wet and dry ingredients.

- Fill the liners almost to the top.

- Bake for 20-25 minutes.

- Keep on the counter for 3-5 days or in the freezer for a month.

- Feel free to add raisins, cranberries or pecans. Both my husband and daughter do not like the texture change so I keep it clean...

 

Pecan Macarons

I love going to farmers markets. The music, the smells, the fresh veggies... unfortunately, now a days, being gluten free, I do not have the privilege of tasting and trying the different foods. Luckily, lately gluten free options are slowly being added to markets. This cookie recipe was inspired by one of my trips to the farmers market where I ate a delicious gluten free pecan cookie. It is super easy to make, give it a try!

2 cups ground pecans

2 egg whites

2 tbsp white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

½ tsp of cinnamon

- Heat oven to 350F

- Grind pecans in a food processor to a fine mill.

- Whip egg white with 1 tbsp sugar until stiff peaks. Fold in the rest of the ingredients. 

- Drop spoonfuls on a lined baking sheet or fill a half dome silicon pan.

- Bake for 15 minutes. The cookies will still be soft when warm so it is important to let them cool completely before sampling.

Olive Rolls and Focaccia

These rolls take me back to when I was about 11 years old and I went to visit my brother in the kibbutz. His wife (then girlfriend) made these amazing olive, cheese buns for me and I totally fell in love with them. Fast forward 20 years and I still can not forget the taste and wonderful texture of those tasty morsels, only now I can not have gluten and should stay away from cheese soooo... this is my gluten free, dairy free homage to those buns. If you can have dairy, add you favorite grated cheese, about 1/2 a cup and it will be even more amazing. The olive hidden in the middle is a great surprise for kids and adults. This is a great snack for parties and picnics as well.


1/2 cup white  rice 

1/2 cup tapioca

1 and 1/4 cups cornstarch

1/2 cup potato starch 

¼ cup quinoa flour

1/2 tbsp salt  

1 tbsp x. gum

1/4 cup honey

1 tbsp yeast

¾ cup water

½  cup almond milk or other milk of choice

2 eggs

1/3 cup oil or shortening 

1 egg for egg wash

Pitted olives of choice. I use green

- Mix yeast, honey, water and milk and let bubble for 5 minutes. 
- Mix dry ingredient in a bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment.
- Add yeast mixture to dry ingredient, then add eggs and oil/shortening/butter.
 - Mix for a few minutes until it looks like a smooth batter.

- Cover the bowl and let it rise for 1 hour. I put in a turned off oven with a bowl of hot water. That creates an ideal warm and humid environment for the dough.

- Heat the oven to 350F
- Line a mini muffin pan with paper liners and spray with oil. My liners stick to the dough.
- Scoop a little bit of dough into liners, put an olive in the middle and cover with more dough.
- Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds or salt.
- Bake for 25 minutes until slightly golden and sound hollow when tapped.

This recipe make a great focaccia. Just spread the batter on a lined sheet tray in a rectangle shape and about 2 inches thick. Sprinkle with herbs and bake for 20-25 minutes, You can add veggies, cheese or whatever.

These freeze beautifully for at lease 2 months.

Chocolate Crackle Cookies

These cookies are soft and pillowy with a crunchy, sweet exterior. I like using flavored chocolates in baking and here I used Ghiradelli's Cabaret Matinee which has notes of grapes and blackberries. It gives the cookies that extra mysterious flavor that no one can guess. 

Wet:

100g bittersweet chocolate – melted (I used Cabarnet Matinee by Ghirardelli)

½ stick of butter

½ cup light brown sugar

1 egg

vanilla

4 tbsp milk or brewed coffee (or 1 tsp of instant coffee mixed with 4 tbsp of hot water)

Dry:

¼ cup cocoa powder  

1 tsp baking powder

½ cup rice flour

¼ cup tapioca

Regualr and powder sugar for rolling

- Heat the oven to 350F

- Melt chocolate in a double boiler or microwave

- Mix dry ingredients

- Beat butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla

- Add chocolate, then dry ingredients alternating with milk/coffee

- Chill for 1 hour. Cooling the dough allows for easier scooping and rolling.

- Put granulated sugar in a plate and the powdered sugar in a different plate.

- Scoop balls into granulated sugar, roll them to coat and then roll in powder sugar.

- Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes

Devour with much pleasure!

Mixed Nuts and Seeds Lace Cookies

Whenever I want to ask something from my in-laws I make a big batch of these cookies and I bring
them over as a sweet bribe. It works every time! I even gave these cookies as party favors on my daughter's 2nd birthday. Just put them in a cute treat bag and you have an elegant gift.  Just in case you care, they are also healthy and good for you.

2 cups sliced almonds

1 cup pumpkin seeds, unroasted and unsalted    

1 cup sunflower seeds unroasted and unsalted

½ cup sugar

2 egg whites

zest from ½ lemon

1 tsp vanilla paste/extract

Preheat oven to 335F

- In a large bowl, put egg whites, zest, vanilla and sugar and mix with a fork until just slightly frothy. 

- Add seeds and almonds and stir.

- Drop spoonfuls on lined baking sheet and slightly flatten them.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, until golden brown.

- Let them cool completely before eating or storing, at least 30 minutes.

They freeze very well but hold up nicely outside for more than a week.

* Make sure the nuts and seeds are well coated and that there is not any egg whites left at the bottom, otherwise the cookies will be chewy instead of crunchy.

* Feel free to play around with different nuts and seeds. Also, it works well with dried fruit such as cranberries, apricots and cherries. Chocolate chips worked well too.

* If you don't feel like creating mounds of cookies, spread the entire mixture on the baking sheet in a thin, even layer and bake it for 10-15 minutes.