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.

Gluten Free Citrus Sponge Cake

A simple sponge cake with hot tea has always been my guilty pleasure. Since my diagnosis, I have been trying to find the recipe that will allow me to indulge and reminisce the gluten filled days. I finally got it right! The cake is moist, fluffy and full of citrus goodness. Give it a try, it is worth every second of your time.

Dry ingredients:

3/4 cup rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup almond flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp guar or xantham gum
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp orange zest

Wet ingredients:

4 eggs separated
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup thick Greek yogurt
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F

Butter an 11x10 baking pan. Pour sugar over the butter and shake it until evenly covered.

Combine all dry ingredients in a small bowl, including zests.

In your mixer bowl, put egg yolks, sugar and vanilla and mix until light in color and fluffy.

Add yogurt, oil, orange juice and mix again. Add the dry ingredients slowly while mixing.

Whip the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.

Fold the egg whites into the egg yolks mixture in 3 additions.

Pour the mixture into the pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the center of the cake is dry (check with toothpick).

Let it cool for 15 minutes. Now you can either glaze it with apricot glaze (warm 2 tbsp of apricot preserves in the microwave for a few seconds), or pour simple syrup over it. I put 1/4 cup of sugar with 1/4 cup water and a few mint leaves in a small pot until the sugar dissolved, about 5 minutes. Put the glaze/syrup while the cake is still warm so it will absorb the goodness.

Enjoy!

Gluten free peanut butter and apple french toast

I discovered the sublime combination of peanut butter and apples when I stumbled upon a popcorn snack that combined the two. I am not sure why, but the first thing that came to my mind was making a french toast with it. It turned out to be a success. I also did a ricotta-nutella-strawberry french toast which was also fabulous. As always, when it comes to food the options are endless and all you have to do is take a look in the fridge and decide.


Ingredients:

4 slices of your favorite gluten free bread

2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup peanut butter, slightly warmed in the microwave
1 granny smith apple cored and sliced to thin slices
2 tbsp honey

Butter

Core the apple and slice it thin with a mandolin (or a knife if you don't have one). Spread on a plate and sprinkle with a little lemon juice.

Mix the eggs, milk and vanilla extract in a container that will be flat and big enough for the whole sandwich to fit.

Spread warmed peanut butter over both slices of bread. Spread a thin layer of honey over the peanut butter. Put a few slices of apple and a second drizzle of honey.

Heat about 1/2 tbsp of butter in a non-stick pan.

Dip the sandwich in the egg mixture and carefully put in pan. Cook until golden brown, turn over with spatula and cook for a few more minutes.

Serve with a sprinkle of powdered sugar and enjoy.

Options: add cinnamon, dates or banana instead of apple.