new adventures

i've been doing some new experiments over the past few days and have had success with 2 out of 3 recipes, so not too bad! :)

my first was with Whole Food's 365 Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix.
I thought it would be nice for someone else to put all the various flours together for once, but i soon discovered that i still had to do a lot of work for it. Either way, I was impressed with the end results and would definitely recommend it. fairly easy to make in my lovely kitchen-aid and it makes two large pizzas (i froze the second half).

i used Ener-G's egg replacer since i was out of eggs, and it turned out quite well. i also used my favorite soy cheese, soya kaas mozzarella, some mushrooms and peppers, and made a tomato pesto sauce as well. i've since learned that soya kaas has casein in it, but they have another called vegi kaas which is supposed to be good as well. so for the mix i give it a 4/5 stars.


experiment #2-- the failure. i tried a recipe for apple quinoa muffins that i had found online since we still have so many apples from west virginia. they were okay, but left a weird aftertaste, so i said goodbye to them. lesson learned as well: quinoa flakes does not equal quinoa flour!

experiment #3- my favorite. i made karina's breakfast brownies, and i'll let the picture speak for itself... they were a hit :)
i actually stuck to the recipe and was really happy with the results. i used the quinoa, rice, and oat flour combo + tapioca starch as well as the egg replacer. next time agave ;) Highly recommend these!



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a cold and rainy night calls for...

a warm bowl of soup of course!

i threw together a soup out of what i had in the fridge and around the kitchen and was fairly happy in the end :) here we go:

1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbsp Nutiva Organic Coconut Oil
2-3 cloves finely chopped garlic
1 chicken breast in small pieces (if you don't want/have chicken, use broth instead of water)
1 small sweet potato (chopped in small pieces)
5 cups water (or broth)
1 cup chickpeas
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 cup red lentils
1/3 cup coconut milk
chopped cilantro

1. heat the coconut oil in pot and add the onions. saute for a few minutes, then add garlic.
2. add chicken, some salt and pepper, and cook until almost done
3. add sweet potatoes and saute a few minutes
4. add chickpeas and seasonings
5. add water and let simmer for a few minutes
6. add lentils and coconut milk and turn down heat to low
7. let simmer for approximately 15 minutes and add more seasoning to taste.
8. turn off heat, add cilantro and serve! Pin It Now!

late-night muffins.

tonight i tried out a new recipe from karina's recipes for banana spice muffins (instead of going to the gym of course). i'm copying the recipe below, but with the changes that I made to it... i kept most things the same, but i would like to try it again with only agave nectar and cut out the sucanet, but that will be next time :) i bought gluten free dairy free semi-sweet chocolate chips today (enjoy life foods) from MOM (my organic market) and added those in some of them as well. i've never been crazy about frosting, but i'm trying to come up with one that doesn't use powdered sugar like at babycakes, but that is going to take a while. anyways, here's the modified recipe, and hopefully i'll post this again at some point with more changes:

Banana Spice Cupcakes

1 cup almonds
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup white rice flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 large organic free-range eggs
1/3 cup extra light olive oil
2 tablespoons agave syrup
1 1/3 cups organic sucanat
4 medium very ripe bananas, cut up and mashed into puree
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
optional: mini chocolate chips to your taste (about 1/2 cup or 1/4 cup should work)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a cupcake/muffin pan however you desire :)

Process the almonds in a food processor by pulsing on and off until a fine almond meal is formed. Watch out that it does not become almond butter! Pour the almond meal into a dry mixing bowl. Add in the rice flour, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt and spices and whisk to combine.

In a clean mixing bowl beat the eggs; add the oil, syrup, brown sugar, banana puree and vanilla. Beat well. Add the dry ingredients into the wet, and beat for two minutes.

Spoon the batter into the prepared cupcake pan and bake in a preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes until done. Check the center for doneness with a wooden pick. The cupcake should appear slightly golden brown at the edge, yet still be moist inside.

Cool cupcakes completely on a wire rack.

I was able to make 18 muffins with this recipe


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slice of heaven

unfortunately i don't have my camera right now, (took it with my camera phone) but i had to capture the wonderfulness that is this slice of double chocolate cake (Gluten free, dairy free, and with agave nectar) from Babycakes in NY that i got yesterday. it was a nice treat to have a dessert that i can eat that i didn't have to bake myself and i got some great ideas on things that i can make myself as well :) the picture of course does it no justice but it definitely made me VERY happy! :) on a side note-- i enjoyed their banana chocolate chip loaf the best. Pin It Now!

new beginnings

as a fairly new gluten-free eater, i am attempting to blog in order to pass on recipes, experiences, and pictures of food experimentations that i have done or seen and also to keep my own catalog. i really feel that gf cooking is great for everyone, so this blog is really for anyone who likes to cook or bake (or eat)!

cooking has always been a passion of mine, but now i get to take on a new level of experimentation and share them with friends new and old. feel free to leave comments, suggestions, questions, etc.!! Pin It Now!