My Favorite Dip

We are always looking for healthy and fun snacks at our house. Dipping veggies and chips/crackers is fun but the dip is not always healthy. And if you are avoiding dairy, making dip becomes more challenging.

That is why we love hummus - no dairy, but creamy and delicious with nutritional value. For us, getting the hummus really smooth really adds to its appeal. If your blender is not getting it creamy enough, try a food processor. I have used sesame seeds in this recipe instead of tahini (sesame seed paste). If you prefer to use tahini, see notes below.

Hummus

1 can (15.5 oz.) chickpea or garbanzo beans
reserve 1/3 c.  liquid from can
2 medium cloves of garlic, halved
3 T. olive oil
3 T. lemon juice
3 T. raw sesame seeds
1/4 - 1/2 t. salt

Blend beans, 2 T. of the reserved liquid, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, sesame seeds and 1/4 t. salt in a food processor or blender. Add more liquid as needed to obtain a smooth, creamy dip. Add more salt as preferred.

Notes:

1. I never seem to use a whole jar of tahini because I mainly use it for hummus, so I just put sesame seeds in my recipe. If you want to use the paste, omit the sesame seeds and add 1 1/2 - 2 T. tahini.
2. Check the salt content of your garbanzo beans before adding salt to your recipe. Some cans contain more than others.

Variations:

1. Omit tahini and sesame seeds. Some people, particularly children, don't like the sharp taste of tahini.
2. Add chopped kalamata (Greek) olives or black olives after blending and sprinkle on top. Don't blend them. The resulting color is NOT appetizing.
3. Adjust the lemon and or garlic to increase or decrease their intensity.
4. Blend 2 - 3 T. of sun dried tomatoes with the other ingredients.
5. Add 1/2 - 1 t. of cumin or a dash of cayenne pepper to spice it up.

Hummus goes great with chips, crackers and veggies. Our favorites are rice crackers, carrot sticks and pepper slices.

Enjoy!

Oops! Turning Not So Good Into Delicious

My husband really liked the thyme dinner rolls I made for Thanksgiving, so I made them again for Christmas. For some reason they were dry. Were they over baked? Maybe the egg whites were smaller than last time? Not sure.

Nevertheless they were not as popular this time. My husband was willing to eat the leftovers. I hesitated...then thought, I'll toast them in thin slices. I love crackers.

I thinly sliced the rolls and put them on a cookie sheet in a single layer with just a little sea salt. I toasted them at 400 degrees F turning and checking every 4 minutes (more often at the end when they started to dry out). They were delicious with our soup. What a great way to save a bread recipe that didn't turn out the greatest.

Next time I think I'll try tossing the slices with olive oil, salt and spices before baking. Baking them at a lower temperature like 250 degrees F for a longer period of time may be better. Mine got a little brown in spots. I would still check them fairly frequently depending upon the size and thickness.

Gluten free bread can be tricky. If you make a recipe that just isn't a hit with the crowd, try recycling it in creative ways. My friend recently made her favorite stuffing recipe out of a loaf of bread that had bean flour in it. She didn't like the flavor of the bread plain, but it was delicious as stuffing.

What creative ways have you found to use bread?

Go Nuts!

I am always looking for fun and easy things to make around Christmas time. This year I made flavored nuts for the holidays. Not only are they simple, tastey and a great gift, but my kids love to eat them as a treat while still getting the nutrition of the nuts.

Cranberry Orange Nuts           Print Recipe

2 3/4 c. nuts (almonds, pecans, walnut chunks)
1/3 c. coarsely chopped dried cranberries
1 egg white
1/3 t. orange oil
1/2 t. vanilla
1/4 + 2 T. sugar
1/3 t. salt
1/3 t. cinnamon

Put nuts and cranberries in a large bowl. Whisk egg white in a small bowl until bubbly. Whisk orange oil and vanilla into egg white. Pour over nuts and stir until coated. Mix sugar, salt and cinnamon in another small bowl and pour over nuts. Stir until all nuts are coated.

Spread in a large, greased (oil spray or dairy-free margarine) cookie sheet with sides. Bake at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until well toasted and dry. Cool and store in an airtight container.

Notes: If you like your almonds toasted more, toast them for an extra 5 - 10 minutes before making the recipe.

Simply delicious!

Make Mixes For Christmas

A very easy and thoughtful gift for Christmas is a mix for a favorite recipe such as muffins, cookies, pancakes, etc. It's especially nice for those who are gluten-free since mixes can be so expensive and yet so convenient. You can layer it in a jar if it has different color and texture ingredients that you will be able to see or just mix the dry ingredients well and put it in a bag. I like to use a sealed sandwich or quart bag and put it in a cellophane bag that I can tie with a pretty curled ribbon. Don't forget to include a cute hand written or computer made tag that gives the directions of what to add and how to make the item.

A favorite mix of mine to give this year is my pancake recipe using the buckwheat flour where it gives a choice, adding 1 T. extra brown sugar, using the 1 t. cinnamon, and adding 1/3 c. of both finely chopped dried cherries and pecans. The receiver only has to add the liquid, eggs, vanilla and oil.

Simple, tasty and fun for the holidays!

Simple and Fun Banana Snacks

     Finding after school snacks to please can be a challenge. These banana snacks are fun, creative, appetizing and nutritious, and the kids can make them by themselves.

Mimi Banana Sandwich Snacks                     print recipe                   

1 medium banana
2 T. peanut butter or other nut butter
honey or agave, if desired.
variety of toppings (dried fruit, nuts, crushed GF cereal or cookies,
     GF crisp rice cereal, dairy-free mini chocolate chips, coconut, etc.)

Mix sweetener into peanut butter if desired. Prepare toppings by chopping into smaller pieces as needed and place in small piles on a plate or tray.

Cut banana into 12 slices. Place 1 tsp. of peanut butter on six slices. Top with remaining 6 slices and push down until peanut butter squeezes out of the sides. Roll sides in toppings as desired. Serves one. Eat right away.

Pour remainder of toppings into a bowl. Add peanut butter and sweetener, as desired and stir until mixed and stiff. Roll into balls....or do it the messy way (with clean hands) and have fun mixing with your hands. Eat or refrigerate.


It's a snack that's fun to make and fun to eat.

Simply Easy GF Apple Crisp

I to like to use fruit when I can for dessert since it has some nutritional value. Apple pie is delicious, but the crust takes some time to make. While you still have to peel, core and chop the apples, making a crisp is easier and still very tasty. You can load up on the apples and skip the bottom crust.

Depending on the kids ages, this can be a fun recipe to help out with. And you might find other desserts you want to sprinkle the topping on.

I like to use half firm apples and half soft cooking apples when I make the crisp to help make liquid but still have some firmer texture. I tried replacing half of the apples with frozen blueberries last night and it turned out great.

Gluten-Free Apple Crisp                     print recipe

Topping:
1/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 c. plus 2 T. gluten-free oats or quinoa flakes
1/2 c. brown rice flour
1/2 t. zanthan gum
1/3 c. ghee, shortening, or canola oil

Filling:
6 medium apples (about 7 cups), cored, peeled and chopped
1/2 T. lemon juice
1/4 c. sugar
3/4 t. ground cinnamon
1 T. cornstarch

Lightly spray an 8 x 8 x 2 inch pan or 6 - 8 individual serving dishes (oven safe) with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix together all topping ingredients in a bowl before adding ghee, shortening or oil. Mix well with fork until crumbly.

Mix apples with lemon juice to coat all apples right after chopping. Mix sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch for filling in a small cup and pour over apples. Stir until all apples are coated. Pour into pan or dishes and spread evenly. Sprinkle topping over apples and bake at 375 degrees for about 25 to 35 minutes for individual serving dishes and 35 to 40 minutes for 8 x 8 inch pan or until topping is golden brown. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Note:  Try different fruits. If the fruit is a little more sour or juicy, you made need to add a little sugar or cornstarch.

This recipe can be dairy-free if you use oil or shortening. If you are just concerned about casein or lactose and are not familiar with ghee see link for ghee.

Halloween Fun with Meringue Cookies

The sweet, light crunch of meringue cookies brings back fond memories...different flavors and colors, mini chocolate chips, making them with my mother. We always made them in small drops of dough from a teaspoon.

My daughter loves meringue cookies, so this year we decided to make them in shapes, but skip the food coloring (there is already plenty of that used around Halloween) and use dark chocolate to decorate the cookies.

Although the cookie is mostly sugar, at least the egg whites offer a "little" protein. The cookie is dependent on the sugar for its structure, but I cut down on the sugar just a tablespoon or so. The cookies are light and low in calories if you keep them small.

Basic Meringue Cookies               print recipe

3 large egg whites
3/8 t. cream of tarter
scant 3/4 c. sugar
1/4 t. gluten-free vanilla or peppermint, if desired
1/4 c. of dairy-free chocolate chips
1/8 teaspoon of shortening

Beat egg whites on low to medium in a clean bowl until soft peaks form. Add sugar 1 tablespoon at a time beating on high until stiff peaks form and dough is glossy. Beat in flavoring in flavoring, if desired.

Drop by tablespoons full onto parchment lined cookie sheet 1 inch apart. Use an extra spoon to get the dough off of the first spoon. **To make shapes, fill a sturdy zip top quart bag and cut at least a 1/2 inch corner. Pipe shapes onto the parchment paper. We had tons of fun doing this! The egg whites felt strange and squishy in the bag. Bake at 200 degrees for 1 1/2 hours on middle rack. Rotate pan 1/2 turn after 45 minutes. Turn off oven, open the door a little and let cookies cool with the oven. Remove after 2-3 hours or until dried out. Peel off of paper, but leave on paper if you want to decorate them.

Melt chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave at 50% power in 30 minute increments until melted. Stir each time. Add shortening. Spoon chocolate into small zip top plastic bag and snip one corner to the desired size. Decorate cookies as desired. Store covered at room temperature after chocolate hardens.

Notes:  Our oven was a little too hot, so our cookies got a little brown. I prefer them to stay pale. Keeping the oven at 200 degrees should prevent the cookies from browning. Keep in mind if your cookies are bigger, they will take longer to dry out.

Remember that egg whites handle the best when you separate them when they are cold and whip them when they are at room temperature. Save the yolks for something else. Also, high humidity can make it harder to whip the egg whites well.

We made bats, bones, skeleton heads and spider webs. Kate was not sure what the middle cookie in the above picture was. We all guessed....a brain, a leaf, vomit (it is almost Halloween!). What does it look like to you?

Simple and Easy Gluten-Free Dumplings

     Now that the cool weather is back, soup sounds soooooo good. And there's something very simple you can add to your favorite soup to make it extra delicious, even more of a comfort food - dumplings! I took my favorite dumpling recipe and converted it to gluten- free.

Simple Gluten-Free Dumplings          print recipe
3/4 c. brown rice flour
1/4 c. potato starch flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
3/4 t. zanthan gum
1/2 t. salt
3/4 c. non-dairy milk
1 1/2 T. olive oil

     Mix all dry ingredients together well in a small bowl. Make an indentation in the flour mixture and pour milk and olive oil in it. Mix together until the lumps are gone. Dough will be wet. Let dough set for a few minutes until it thickens and will hold a shape.
     Drop by spoonfuls into a hot liquid such as soup or stew. Cover and simmer on low/medium for 12-15 minutes for small dumplings and 20 minutes for large dumplings. Recipe will make about 54 small or about 18 large ones.

Notes:
     Make dumplings small if you like them "gummy". Make them large and add 1/2 t. baking powder if you like them fluffier.
     If you want to add some flavor to the dumplings, try adding 1/2 t. of dried Italian herbs or 1 t. finely chopped fresh parsley along with 1/8 t. of onion powder and 1/4 t. garlic powder to the dry ingredients.
Or use your imagination and add other herbs and have fun.

Simply Fun and Easy Shakes

Whether it's warm and sunny or chilly, shakes are fun to make and fun to eat. By putting in frozen fruit instead of ice cream, you can still have a thick satisfying shake with less calories and without the dairy. We particularly like the flavor of almond milk with ours, but any nondairy milk that you enjoy or juice will work. Banana really adds a creamy texture the kids enjoy. We use frozen fruit and skip the ice cubes used in some shakes to make it fruitier. We use a variety of fruits but this is one way the chefs from Gluten-Free Kitchen Fun like their shakes.

Fruit Smoothie          Print Recipe

1 medium banana
1c. frozen strawberries
1c. frozen blueberries
1 1/3 c. almond milk, nondairy milk or juice
1 t. gluten-free vanilla
1 T. honey or agave

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Serves two hungry children after school.

Simply Fruity Gelatin

     I like to make foods as natural as possible for my kids. My friend made a gelatin salad that had applesauce and berries in it. The gelatin was the boxed type with artificial flavors and colors, but the salad had a great texture. So, I tried it with unflavored gelatin and fruit juice and came up with the following recipe. The kids love it somewhat frozen, too.

Simply Fruity Gelatin             Print Recipe

1 envelope (.25 oz.) of unflavored gelatin
1 3/4 c. 100% fruit juice of choice
1-2 T. sugar, if desired
1/1/2 c. frozen blackberries
1/2 c. applesauce, unsweetened

Sprinkle gelatin over 1 c. of cold juice in a medium bowl.

Bring the rest of the juice (3/4 c.) just to boiling in a small saucepan. Stir in sugar (if desired) until dissolved.

Pour hot juice into cold juice and mix until well gelatin is dissolved (2-3 minutes). Stir in applesauce and frozen berries. Pour into bowl and refrigerate until set, about 2-3 hours.

Notes:  Adding sugar is not really necessary, but if your kids are used to the boxed gelatin, you may want to start with a little added sugar until they are used to the change. The frozen berries will help the gelatin set up, but if you are in a hurry, put it in the freezer. My kids love it when it gets a little icy!  It's an easy recipe for them to help make, too.

Enjoy!

What Do You Eat?

What do you eat? A friend recently asked me that question when I mentioned our gluten and dairy free diet. I smiled a little as I remembered asking that very same question when the diet was first suggested to me. It seemed like an impossible hurdle to jump. What was left to eat?

Now after living the diet for a year, it feels much more feasible, but still challenging at times. Though there are more and more gluten-free and dairy-free foods available, they are limited and can be much more costly.

The gluten-free/dairy-free diet has made us much more aware of the importance of eating whole/natural foods and not just snacking on carbohydrates. I still wanted to serve baked goods that the entire family could eat without always having to purchase them.

A friend of mine found this simple banana bread recipe. This is one of my favorite recipes because the only flour it requires is rice flour. I use brown rice flour instead of white because brown rice flour is higher in protein and fiber and works well in this recipe.

Also, because the banana helps the dough stick together, this recipe doesn't require zanthan gum. Zanthan gum is used in a lot of gluten-free baking recipes. It makes the dough "stick together" like gluten does in wheat bread. Otherwise it would be crumbly and tend to fall apart.

I usually make muffins instead of bread with this recipe. The muffins are great for lunches and to grab for snacking. I feel they are just a little bit fluffier than the bread. Gluten-free dough tends to be heavier and raises better with a smaller amount of dough. My children reminded me that muffins are ALWAYS more fun with toppings. Our favorites are pecan with a little brown sugar and a few chocolate chips.

Notes and Tips:

1. If you use muffin liners, spraying the papers lightly helps the muffin come out.
2. I cut the sugar down to 1/2 cup when I use ripe sweet bananas.
3. Canned pumpkin can be used in place of bananas. Use all of the sugar and add 1 - 1 1/2 t. of pumpkin pie spice.
4. If you are short 1 - 2 T. of pumpkin or banana, you can use milk (non-dairy or dairy) in place of either.

This is an easy recipe for a child to help with. My eight-year-old daughter wants to learn to bake by herself this summer (minus the oven part). I put the dry ingredients together in a plastic baggie and made a mix for her to help the first time (helpful to do ahead of time if you want to save a little time also). She did the rest with a little instruction for the first time last week and did fantastic.

Go have some fun with this easy recipe and don't forget the toppings!