Recipe: Gluten Free Chocolate Brownies

I got this recipe from my friend's mom a long time ago. It really does produce the best brownies. They are fudgey, moist, have a chewy edge (my favorite part), and they are chock full of chocolate. As a confirmed choco-holic I can't live without these brownies. So, I made a few adjustments to the recipe and voila! they're now GF.

mmm brownie bites.

These are just about as simple to make as boxed brownie mixes are. In fact, go to your cabinet and throw away any boxed mixes that you have. After you try these you won't even want to look at those anymore. Trust me.

You can make these the traditional way in a square baking dish, or you can do what I did and make them in a mini cupcake pan.  Making them in the mini cupcake pan is a good way to portion control these babies. Especially if you're like me and can't be trusted to cut a small brownie out of the pan.

Now, without further ado, here is the recipe...

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup of butter
• 4 - 1oz squares of unsweetened baker's chocolate
• 2 cups of sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup of Mama's gluten free almond blend flour
• 1 tsp of Vanilla
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 1/2 cup of chopped nuts (optional, but walnuts are amazing)

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease your baking pan
• Melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler until smooth. (You can also do this in the microwave) Poor this mixture into a large bowl.
• Stir in sugar until combined.
• Add eggs one at a time stirring with a spoon until completely blended.
• Add flour, vanilla, and salt until combined. Make sure you break up any clumps of flour.
• Stir in nuts (optional).
• Poor into baking dish or portion out into mini cupcake pan.
• Bake for 30 to 35 mins. Or until tester comes out clean. If you're using the mini cupcake pan bake for approximately 10-15 mins.
• Cool completely.

The tops will be light and flakey, the bottoms will be moist and delicious! This will be another thing that you won't even know is gluten free. Feel free to share...or not.

Bon appetite!

Recipe: The Best Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

The subtitle to this post should be: The most amazing chocolate cake EVER!!! Seriously! It really is...if I do say so myself. Don't believe me, ask my hubby. He ate more than one cupcake in a day. I found this recipe on Bakespace. I originally followed the directions as written and the cake was good but it wasn't as good as I knew it could be. So I tweaked it a little bit. Now that my family and I are gluten free, I've had to further adjust the recipe to make it gluten free. Actually, I think the GF flours make it taste even better. The cake is light, airy, spongy, and well, perfect.

My dad and step-mom's wedding cake. mmmmmm

I know that parts of this recipe may have you questioning my sanity but trust me, there is reason behind the madness. If you try this out please let me know what you think of it.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1-3/4 cups Mama's Gluten Free Almond Blend Flour
• 3/4 cup regular cocoa (not dutched cocoa)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk (or one cup whole milk with 1 tbsp of white vinegar)
• 1 cup strong black coffee (let this cool otherwise you'll just end up cooking your eggs)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1 sm package of chocolate pudding powder

Instructions:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan.
• Stir together sugars, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, pudding powder and salt in large bowl.
• Add eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla;
• beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes (batter will be thin).
• Pour batter evenly into prepared pans.
• Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks.
• Cool completely.

If you make this into cupcakes as I usually do it'll yield more than 2 doz cupcakes. Bake them in the oven at 350 for approximately 12-15 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

This cake and/or cupcakes are amazing by themselves or with frosting. It's not too sweet to hold the frosting and it's not even a little bit plain that it can't take standing in the spotlight by itself. This is by far my favorite cake. The picture is of my dad and step-mom's wedding cake. Underneath the buttercream frosting and decorations is the beloved chocolate cake with a strawberry mascarpone filling. It was delicious! mmmm.

Product: Glutino's GF English Muffins

*taken from Glutino's website

 I'm sorry that I've been absent for awhile. Things have been a little bit hectic at my house lately. My dad and his long time girlfriend got married this week. So, a HUGE congrats to them. Stay tuned for their GF wedding cake that I'm making them this weekend. Now that the wedding is over hopefully things will calm down now. It's not likely but one can hope right?


Anyway, last week I made an amazing discovery. I was at the grocery store stocking up on the weekly staples when I happened to see a package of Glutino's GF English muffins in the freezer case. You all know that I've been craving toast like crazy lately and I also LOVE English muffins. There was only one and it was marked down. Score! I'll take all the markdowns on GF products I can get! So I grabbed the package, finished up my shopping, and went home. . The next day I popped one of these muffins into the toaster, spread some of my favorite yogurt spread and some honey on it and SWOON! I was in heaven!

These English muffins are light, lightly crispy, chewy, a little bit like sponge cake in how they absorb the melted yogurt spread and honey. They were so good I could have eaten two, but I didn't. The next morning my hubby used one to make a breakfast sandwich out of. I honestly don't think that there is a bad way to eat these things. The texture is unbelievable. I can only hope that the grocery store has stocked up on these goodies again so that when I'm there this week I can pick up some more. If not, I'll have to begin the search for them.

They would also be great for strawberry shortcakes. That makes my taste buds happy just thinking about it. mmmmm. What's your favorite thing to put on an English muffin?

If you live in the Northern Virginia area and you know where I can find some more of the Glutino English muffins please comment and let me know. I am willing to travel a little bit to get them. ;-)

Product: Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Wonderful Bread Mix

*Image taken from Bob's website

 

It's really no secret to anyone who's talked to me for more than five minutes that I have been craving toast or English muffins for a long time now. Yesterday, I finally caved in and bought a bag of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Wonderful Bread Mix. This bread definitely lives up to it's name. It was so good!!!!<br>
I am trying to support my hubby by maintaining a GF diet. I don't think it's really fair if he's the only one in the family who can't eat wheaty products. <br>
So far I have zero complaints about making any gluten free items. Companies like Chebe and Bob's Red Mill make it pretty darn easy to make their products. Like everything else I stumbled across this was pretty easy to put together. The package of bread mix even came with an envelope of yeast. The only thing you have to supply are the perishables. Easy peasy. The only thing that made it easier still was that I used my bread machine. <br>
If you set the bread machine correctly (to a regular/basic 2lb sandwich bread on medium) this mix will give you a golden brown loaf of deliciousness. Hubby and I cut into it right away to have with dinner. The crust was nice and crunchy and the inside was warm and chewy. It definitely satisfied my craving for toast. I'm looking forward to Saturday morning when the bread will be a little bit stale and we can use it to make French toast. I haven't had French toast in a loooong time. <br>
Bob's has a variety of bread mixes and I'm looking forward to trying each one. Especially the GF cinnamon raisin mix. I am a fool for anything with raisins in it. I do want to try swirling in some strawberry preserves in the homemade wonderful bread mix and then baking it in the oven. I don't think that it would turn out well in the bread machine. At the Herndon Festival a few years ago I saw that someone had done that with the bread and it was fantastic. So, I figure I'll try to recreate that with GF bread. It could only be yummy, right?.<br>
 <br>
Bottom line: Go buy this product, you'll be very happy you did!<br>
<br>
Have you tried a bread mix? If so, which one and how did it turn out?

Myths About Gluten

I was just thinking about how misinformed a lot of folks are when it comes to what is and is not gluten. Some people think that it's a new(ish) fad diet...it's not. It's a serious disease that effects 1 out of 133 people in the U.S. It's an autoimmune disease where your body forms antibodies to combat the protein, gluten, but instead ends up destroying the villi in the small intestine. I do have to admit that I'm a teeny bit thankful for the gluten-free diet craze because it's made product manufacturers produce more gluten free goods than were available in the past.

Here are some other common inaccuracies:
1) It's a low fat diet.  This is false. Just because something doesn't have gluten in it doesn't mean that it won't also have a lot of carbs, fat, or calories. It's not carbohydrate free but there are certainly fewer carbs in gluten free foods.

2) Gluten is only found in bread.  False, false, false! Gluten is in a LOT of things. Trust me, I know, I've read a LOT of labels. Gluten is in everything from beer to soy sauce to bread to some condiments. If you're a celiac or love a celiac you read food labels carefully. Look for things like: wheat flour, malt, wheat starch, modified food starch, etc...Gluten is a thickener so watch out for those things too.

3) Gluten does not cause people to gain weight. Often times newly diagnosed celiacs will lose a bit of weight in the beginning. This is merely because they are still researching and finding out what they can and cannot safely eat. Therefore, a lot of breads, pastas, alcohol, and other obvious choices get cut from the diet immediately. That doesn't mean that if you keep gluten in your diet that you will gain weight.

4) If a product is labeled as "wheat-free" that means that it's gluten free too.  This is also false. This is why I say to look at the ingredient list very carefully. Your product might not contain whole wheat flour but it might contain wheat starch, modified food starch, rye, barley, etc...Check the label. If you're unsure, call the manufacturer (their number should be on the label) or go without it. Oh, another note about labels. Read them every time you purchase the product. Manufacturers sometimes change the ingredients so keep an eye on them.

Other things to note:

• Gluten can also hide in medications so definitely tell your pharmacists if you or your loved one are celiac;
• Most spices are ok but check the spice blends; and
• Be aware that if you go into a restaurant and inform the wait staff that you are a celiac your food might come out of the kitchen unseasoned. The restaurants have codes they have to abide by. Be patient, they are only looking out for your safety.

 Once again, I'm not an expert. I just want you to have best information you can have. I've compiled all of this information from various sources of the web. As always, check the labels, call the manufacturer. And remember, if in doubt, do without.

Until next time,
Eat safely!

News: Gluten Free with a Tax Deduction

I just finished reading an article from Huffington Post writer Manisha Thakor, a personal finance expert. The article lists 5 health care expenses that can be paid for using a health care flexible spending account (FSA). The 5 little known tax free health care expenses are:
1) Acupuncture treatments;
2) Doctor ordered weight loss programs;
3) Gluten-free food items;
4) Mileage to/from medical appointments; and
5) Smoking cessation programs

That's right, like I stated in a previous post, you can deduct the extra costs associated with buying gluten free foods from your taxes. The catch is that you need to do some leg work in figuring out the cost difference between a GF product and a non-GF product. If there is a product that is strictly GF and you can't buy a non-GF version then you can deduct the entire price of the good. Just make sure that you hang on to your receipts. The previous post gave ideas on how to keep track of what you spend. I'm an Excel nerd so Hubby and I will be using that when we start keeping track of our GF purchases next year.

If you're already using an FSA, great!! If you're not, I highly suggest using one. It took me a few years to jump on the bandwagon but I find it to be really helpful and extremely easy to use. Take a look at what you've spent on your doctors visits, prescriptions, and any other related medical expenses and you'll likely find that you've been spending a decent amount of change on those things. Well, since you have to pay for them anyway, why not get a tax break on them too? Don't you want to actually keep some of the money you work so hard for? I know I do.

I would like to say that there isn't any fine print to this plan but there is. The fine print says that for over-the-counter (OTC) medications your doctor must give you a prescription for it to be covered. Also, starting in 2013 there will be a $2,500 maximum contribution cap to program. Meaning that you can't contribute more than that. That's ok. Because I won't turn down a $2,500 tax break. I hope you won't either. If your company offers a debit card, take it. There aren't any forms to fill out and submit. Your funds go directly into the account and you simply swipe your card to use them. That's it. Keep your receipts and itemized bills just in case a charge is disputed but over all it's a very easy system to use.

The main points here are:
1) Sign up for an FSA account;
2) Keep track of the cost difference between GF products and non-GF products;
3) Use your FSA account to purchase GF food items; and
4) Take the tax credits where you can get them and enjoy the savings!

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Recipe: Strawberries and Cream Pie

Lately I've been on a pie making kick. My goal is to make a kick-ass crust that is both gluten free and tastes good. I think I've succeeded. Now, I just need to figure out how to transfer it from the parchment paper to the pie plate without it looking like a complete mess. I'll keep working at it until I get it right. There's nothing I like better than a baking challenge. It's almost summer time and there are a bunch of berry and fruit recipes that I would like to try.
Last week I bought some strawberries from an office fundraiser. They came from my coworker's pick-your-own farm. Wegmeyer Farms.  In the summer he has berries and in the fall he has pumpkins and gourds. If you're in the Loudoun County area stop by the farm, I'm sure they'd love to see you.

Since I had a whole quart of strawberries I decided to try the strawberries and cream pie recipe that I found at allrecipes.com. I've adapted it a bit to make it gluten free but I imagine it to be just as yummy as it's wheaty counterpart.

This recipe takes a bit of time but that's only because it needs to be chilled for about 4 hours.

I made two pies* by doubling the recipe.

Strawberries and Cream Pie
Prep time: 20 mins
Bake time: 10-15 mins
Refrigerate: 4 hours
Serves: 8

Pie crust:
Follow directions for Bob's Red Mill pie crust from my Strawberry Rhubarb Pie recipe.
* If you're going to make two pies make two batches of this crust. I tried to split the dough and make two crusts out of it but I ended up with a really thin and brittle crust.

Filling:
Ingredients

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened (I used the pre-whipped kind)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup mashed fresh strawberries
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Directions

• In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the strawberries. In another small mixing bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken.
  

• Gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold into the cream cheese mixture. Spoon into the crust. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight

If you prefer you can skip making your own whipped cream and just fold in a small tub of ready-made whipped cream. It'll turn out just fine. If you do decide to use the ready-made whipped cream you won't need the heavy whipping cream or the confectioners' sugar. 

The result is a completely creamy, strawberry-y, delicious little bit of summer heaven.

Suggestion: when you're buying strawberries from the grocery store, farmer's market, or Wegmeyer Farms stop and smell them before you put them in your basket. They should smell sweet and have a dark red color. These berries are the sweetest and will add that much more flavor to your pie. If you don't smell anything when you're sniffing them, put them back. Those are likely to have less flavor and sweetness. And last but not least, don't discount the small berries, sometimes those are the ones that pack the biggest flavor punch.

Until next time...
Enjoy!