GLUTEN FREE SWEET POTATO BREAD WITH PECANS!

Are you looking for a moist, rich, amazingly flavorful mild breakfast bread that is gluten free?   Look no further.  I have experimented with several varieties of breakfast breads.  Banana, Pumpkin, Strawberry, and Peach, to name a few.  All have been good, but I now have one that has become my 'favorite' as of today!  A deliciously moist sweet potato bread.  It is by far, the most 'normal' textured/tasting gluten free bread I have baked.  The flavor is a mild, slightly sweet taste that reminds me of a toned down pumpkin bread.  Truly delish!!

**   This    recipe    makes   2   9x5 loaves

Ingredients

2 1/3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
2 1/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup water
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp, vanilla
4 eggs, at room temp
3 1/3 cups Gluten free flour blend
1 1/3 tsp. xanthan gum (a rounded tsp.)
2 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup pecans, chopped coarsely, optional but highly suggested

Directions

I baked 2 large sweet potaoes in the oven the night before, for 1 1/2 hours.  Let cool and mash.  Put in frig for the next day.  The baking of the potatoes give them a natural sweetness from the roasting.

Next day:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the sweet potato, sugar, oil, water, eggs, and vanilla in a mixing bowl.  Mix on medium speed for 2-3 minuted until thoroughly combined.

Sift together dry ingredients.  Add to wet ingredients and mix until combined well.  Stir in pecans.

Divide batter evenly into 2 greased and floured loaf pans.

Bake for 50-55 minutes or until set.  If browning too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil for last 10 minutes.  Cool in pan 15 minutes, then on wire rack until completely cooled.

**Don't over cook...take out with the center a bit crumbly/slighlty wet when tested with a toothpick or sharp knife.

It is so good, I have to go get another piece...see you soon!  ;  )

-Scott

APPLE CIDER DOUGHNUTS, Gluten Free!

I don't know about you, but I was never a big doughnut fan.  I guess it was the 'after taste' that got me.  Please do not misunderstand, I have definitely eaten my share!  Back in the college days, my friend Helen and I would close the library on many a night, and proceed directly to a Dunkin' Donut shop that was near campus.  We would settle in with hot coffee (no matter what the season), and each time visiting the shop, would try a different flavor of doughnut.  I think we actually tried several different kinds of doughnuts each time.  ;  )  So, it's not that I'm a doughnut 'avoider'.  I have found a few GF recipes that I have tried, but this one I present for you today is SO good and tasty, it has helped propell me into the 'I love doughnuts' catagory.  A former patient of mine sent me the recipe.  Ruth Ann sends me different recipes each letter she writes.  She is now in an assisted living facility, but has yet to slow down her letter writing or her life!  Thanks Ruth Ann, this was a winner!

I have taken a few liberties with her recipe, and hope you will try these, and enjoy them as much as I have.

You can halve the recipe...it will then make only 10.  I would recommend you make the whole batch because they disappear very quickly.


Gluten Free Apple Cider Doughnuts (recipe makes about 20-24)

Ingredients

4 cups GF flour blend  (Featherlight Rice Blend)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 pkgs. (1/4 oz. each) rapid-rise yeast
1 TBSP. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
13/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. cardamom
1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 cup warm water (~115 degrees)
12 TBSP. melted butter
1/2 cup MacIntosh applesauce or any variety will do (room temp)
2 TBSP. vanilla

**how can ANY recipe go wrong with 2 TBSP. vanilla!!

GLAZE

2 cups apple cider
2 TBSP. softened butter
2-3 cups powdered sugar


In a large bowl, mix the first 10 ingredients.  In a different bowl, whish together the water, butter, vanilla, and applesauce.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir/mix until well blended.  The batter will be thick and almost bread like.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a dry towel and let rest for 10 minutes.

After the ten minutes are up, place the dough in a large plastic food bag (2 gallon size bag works great).  Cut the bottom corner of the bag to form a small hole.  Pipe the dough into a doughnut pan (mine have room for 6 doughnuts per pan...).  I got my pans from Amazon.  Wilton Nonstick 6-Cavity Donut Pan.

Fill each cavity about 3/4 full.  The dough should fill about 20-24 doughnut cavities.

Bake at 325 degrees for 14 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on a wire rack in the pans about 5 minutes.  Then remove and cool about 30 minutes before glazing.

For the glaze, boil the cider down until it is reduced to about 1/3 cup.  Pour the reduction into a small bowl with the butter.  Stir until melted.  Then slowly add the powdered sugar until you get the consistency you desire.  I liked mine sweet and thick.  Dip the doughnuts into the glaze so half the doughnut is submerged.  I dipped the side that was facing up while cooking in the glaze...looked more rustic, and absorbed more glaze.  Put back on rack and let cool completely, if you can wait!  The glaze will harden a bit. 

They smell heavenly, and so will your kitchen and house.  Reminded me of an autumn kitchen when pumpkin and apple pies are being made.

These might not be from a traditional bakery, but you will find these even better!  The work to make these is not tough, and they are SO worth it.  Give them a try, and as always, let me know what you think!

-Scott

GLUTEN FREE RICE CRISPIES BARS...WITH A HEALTHY TWIST!

Rice Crispies Bar with Marshmallows, Almonds, Dried Cherries, & Chocolate Chips

If you are a fan of Marshmallow Rice Crispies treats, then this gluten free version is right up your alley.  Thanks to a base recipe from Rachael Ray's Magazine, I doctored up my version to include dried blueberries, honey-roasted peanuts, and milk chocolate.  Of course I used gluten free Rice Krispies, which are made with brown rice and clearly labeled 'gluten free' on the cereal box. Thank you Kellogg's for finally making a gluten free variety that we can trust to be gluten free, and one that tastes just like the 'old' Rice Krispies.  This recipe calls for a variety of ingredients, any of which you can eliminate or substitute for, depending on taste.  I will share the version I made, which got 'thumbs up' from my family and friends.  Feel free to add anything that you crave in a snack bar... it will probably work!


Ingredients

1 stick, plus 2 TBSP. butter
2 bags mini marshmallows (10 ounce bags)
5-6 cups GF Rice Crispies Cereal (Kellogg's Rice Krispies)
2 cups lightly salted almonds (I love Blue Diamond Low Sodium Almonds!  http://www.bluediamond.com/)
1/2 cup honey roasted peanuts
1 cup dried sour cherries (Sunsweet has no sulfites) http://sunsweet.com/products/cherries.html
1/2 cup dried blueberries http://sunsweet.com/products/blueberries.html
1/4 tsp. coarse Kosher salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup milk chocolate chocolate chips
*  For my chocolate chips,  I use Ghirardelli Brand

Instructions

Line a 9 inch square with parchment paper.  Butter the surface.  In a large pot, melt the butter over medium low heat.  Add 10 cups of mini-marshmallows and cook, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth.  This will take about 5 minutes.  Remove the pot from the heat.

Using a spatula, lightly coated with butter, fold in the cereal.  Add the almonds, peanuts, cherries, blueberries, and salt.  Fold quickly to mix evenly.  Then add the chocolate chips and the remaining mini-marshmallows, folding gently to distribute.

Spoon the mixture into your prepared baking dish using clean damp hands.  Press the mixture into an even layer.  Let cool completely at room temperature.  Then cut into squares and serve.

Remember, feel free to mix, match, or substitute any of the above ingredients to make it your own.  Enjoy!

- Scott

VANILLA ICING BY DOT

One of my favorite patients whom I have been treating for years, is an amazing woman named Dorothy K...better known as 'Dot'.  She was a cook, baker, worked retail, and did just about anything else you could imagine.  She is an incredible example of faith-put-into-action.  Dot has a heart of gold, and a spirit of love.  She is generous to a fault, and even now many years retired, donates tons of time and food (in the way of baked goods, jarred vegetables and fruits, doughnuts, sticky buns, sewed and stitched items, etc...) to her church and community.  She has certain physical limitations now that her age is slowly rising...but looking young as ever...but she still bakes from her home and makes a few dollars on the side by taking orders for her amazing baked goods which she figured out the recipes for as she went.  Just a phenomenal talent!  She shared with me a recipe or twelve during our years together, and I want to share a simple yet crowd-pleasing version of her vanilla icing, or 'frosting' as some of us say.  I do not remember a time I did NOT get a compliment on this vanilla icing when I have made it for cakes, cookies, and anything else that might taste good iced.  So here you go.  I promise you will love it!

Ingredients

4 oz. cream cheese, at room temp

2 'egg-sized' scoops of crisco shortening (that's how I got the recipe...Dot doesn't measure everything

    conventionally)

1 one-pound box of powdered sugar

2 tsps. vanilla extract

milk as need...about 1-3 tbsp. depending on consistency desired

In a large beater bowl, add cream cheese and crisco and beat on medium then high for several minutes. On low, add half the box of powdered sugar and vanilla.  Mix well on medium.  Then add remaining powdered sugar and slowly add milk by tablespoon as desiered.  I usually add about 1 to 2 tbsp.  Beat on high for 3-4 minutes, scraping sides of bowl as you go.  Ice whatever you want...my family fights over the 'beater-pops' when I'm done.  Licking those beaters is one of life's simplest pleasures.  :  )

This is wonderful and simple.  Next time you need an icing for cake, cupcakes, etc..., please try this out.  Then thank Dot for her wonderful creation!

Scott

Honey-Rosemary Chicken with Yukon Gold Potatoes

SLOW COOKER HONEY-ROSEMARY CHICKEN AND BABY POTATOES 

What an amazingly tasty and easy meal for the summer, or anytime of the year.  This recipe was tested out on my family and our friends Vicki, Dave and their daughter Abriana.  We all concluded...this one should be put on my blog!  It is a sweet yet savory blend of honey and rosemary which accents the chicken and the potatoes, which you slow cook to perfected tenderness and taste.  This is a real keeper AND one to try out as soon as you can.  I love slow cooker meals....




Ingredients


About 4 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, although using chicken breasts instead would probably work out fine...I love the juicy nature of dark meat, especially in slow cooker recipes
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 pounds baby yellow potatoes (could also use red or white)
2 large onions, cut into thin wedges
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup honey
3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. coarsely chopped rosemary
1 tsp. salt
1/4-1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper




Directions


Clean/rinse chicken.  Pat dry.  Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat.  Add chicken, browning both sides of each piece, about 8 minutes total.


Place the potatoes, onion, and garlic in a 4-6 quart slow cooker;  top with the chicken.


In a small bowl, stir together the honey, juice, rosemary salt, pepper, and cornstarch.  Pour evenly over the chicken.  Cover and cook for 6-8 hours on LOW or 3-4 hours on HIGH.  Garnish with fresh thyme sprigs if desired.  It's that easy!




Please let me know if you try this.  I can't get ove how much I enjoyed the taste and texture of the meal.  We did finish off the meal with a delicious GF fresh peach cobbler, which you can see my recipe for in a previous post on this blog.


Peace!


Scott

Vanilla Brownies!

I am a true lover of chocolate, but if forced to pick a flavor, I would most likely choose vanilla.  That being the case, I have searched high and low to find a true vanilla brownie recipe.  There are many 'BLONDIE' recipes...but not specifically 'vanilla' brownies.  So to find a dessert that captured the texture of a brownie, with the flavor of vanilla cake was my goal.  Suffice it to say, I found a few recipes...none that worked too well with the transfer to a GF recipe.  But, I have found/created what I feel satisfies my search for true vanilla flavor and a brownie texture.  I hope you like them.  They are a wonderful treat alone or with ice cream...vanilla, of course!  ;  )

Brownie Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 bag (10) oz white vanilla baking chips (about 1 2/3 cups)
    *  I have found a GF vanilla baking chip!  Yay!  I ordered them on-line, and they are definitely 
        worth the price for their taste and knowing they are GF!  The company is Guittard Chocolate    
        www.guittard.com/  They also have amazing butterscotch chips which are GF
1 1/4 cups GF flour Blend  (Featherlight Blend)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cups chopped nuts (optional, but I use unsalted macadamia nuts...yum!)


Icing/Glaze


1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1-2 tbsp. milk


Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease and flour (GF) 13x9-inch pan.  In saucepan, heat butter and vanilla chips over low heat just until melted.  Stir constantly.  The mixture may look a bit curcled...fear not.  Remove from heat.

Stir in remaining brownie ingredients until well blended.  Spread evenly in pan.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool completely.

Make icing/glaze by mixing all glaze ingredients until smooth and spreadable.  Adjust the texture to your liking.  Spread over brownies.  Cut into whatever size brownie squares you desire.  I know I made mine big!  Definitely have a nice cool glass of milk standing by.  I know you'll want more.

Enjoy!

Warm Sweet Corn Salad

A very delicious and easy way to use summer's gift of sweet corn is to make a side dish that in some cases can be the main dish for some of us.

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 large red onion, chopped
2 orange bell peppers (or your choice), diced to 1/2-inch pieces
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
12 ears of corn (I like bi-color corn)
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp fresh basil, julienne-cut into thin strips (roll leaves up like a cigar and slice thinly crosswise)


Directions:

Cut the kernels off of the ears of corn.  Should yield about 6+ cups of kernels.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saute pan.  Add the onions and saute for 5-8 minutes or until onions are soft.  Stir in the bell pepper and saute for 3-4 more minutes.

Add butter to the pan and allow it to melt.  Over medium head add the corn kernels, salt, and black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes or until corn is cooked.  Gently stir in the basil and serve right away.


Reheats well!

Curt Turns 8! (A Good Reason To Make Strawberry Pie)

STRAWBERRY PIE

In our family, it has been the tradition to make whatever dessert the birthday honoree desires.

For three years in a row, my son Curt has chosen my strawberry pie.  Now, to my mind, birthdays mean cake, so for each of those three years, I have tried to convince him to choose some type of cake instead.  After granting his baking wish, I realized, this year and both years previous, he made a great choice!

This strawberry pie is easy to make, and easier to eat!

The pie crust recipe below is my go-to recipe for any baked goods requiring a pie crust.

The original strawberry pie recipe, which I tweaked a bit to suit my needs, comes from my friend Steve Chojnacki's mother in Minnesota.  Thanks, Mrs. Chojnacki!


Pie Crust (makes two crusts)

2 1/4 cups Featherlight Flour Blend
1 rounded tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
3/4 cup Crisco shortening
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 beaten egg
4-6 Tbsp ice water

Preheat oven to 450°F.

In a bowl, blend the flour, xanthan gum, salt, and sugar.  Cut in the shortening until coarse crumbs form.  In a separate small bowl, beat the vinegar and egg together with a fork, then add the ice water.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a fork until a soft dough forms, adding more ice water by the teaspoons as needed to get the consistency you desire.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling out.

Lay plastic wrap on a flat surface and dust it with flour blend.  Divide the dough in half and dust both sides of the dough with a slight amount of flour blend.  Roll out the dough and place the dough on a 9-inch pie plate, crimping edges at the top.

Prick the dough on the sides and bottom with a fork in a few places.  Bake at 450° oven for 10-14 minutes or until slightly browned.  Let cool before filling.


Filling (makes one pie's worth)
2 Tbsp corn starch
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1 3oz strawberry gelatin mix (I use Jell-O Wild Strawberry... works great, but hard to find)
4 cups sliced strawberries

Mix corn starch and sugar and strawberry gelatin mix together in a saucepan.  Whisk well.  Add water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Take the pan off the stove and cool until almost set, about an hour.

Add sliced strawberries to the gelatin mixture and stir thoroughly.  Pour into the cooled baked pie crust.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.  (The gelatin mixture may seem runny, but it will set in the refrigerator.)

Serve alone or with whipped cream.  Or birthday candles!