Sweet Memories

One of my fondest memories of Christmas of years past is of my grandmother. She lived nearby and was an important part of our life. My grandfather died when she was 70 and she lived independently in that same house for another 28 years. She loved to bake and help others.

I specifically remember enjoying her "Mexican Wedding Cakes" (or melting moments) around the holidays. They were covered in a gummy powder sugar layer and melted in your mouth. She gave me the recipe and explained that she shook the cookies in a bag of powder sugar twice. Once when they were still warm and once after they cooled. Yum!

In honor of my grandmother, I here is my gluten and dairy-free version of her wonderful holiday treat.

                                                                                  Print Recipe

Grandma's Mexican Wedding Cakes

1/2 c. plus 2 T. brown rice flour
3 T. cornstarch
3 T. potato starch
1/3 c. powdered sugar
1/2 t. zanthan gum
pinch baking powder
1/3 c. dairy-free margarine
1 t. vanilla
powdered sugar or frosting   

Whisk dry ingredients together in a small bowl. In a separate bowl cream margarine with vanilla. Work in dry ingredients until completely mixed in. Form 1 inch balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly and bake at 350 degrees F for 10 - 12 minutes or until cookies are very lightly browned on the bottom and set. Cool until cookies are just warm not hot to the touch. Put about 1/3 c. powdered sugar in a plastic storage bag. Shake 2 - 3 cookies at a time in the bag to cover with sugar. Repeat again after cooled. If desired, frost instead. Cookies keep covered in a cool place for 2 - 3 days. Freeze any leftovers. Makes 14 - 16 cookies.

Remember, if you don't have a lot of GF cookie recipes for the holiday, it's easy to make different versions of your favorite recipes. Make meringue cookies with different shapes and colors like candy canes, put toppings or sprinkles on brownies or use nuts, jellies and chocolate to spruce up your sugar cookies. Be creative and have fun.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

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 Traditional Sage Stuffing

I read somewhere that all you have to do is change the bread to gluten-free to make stuffing gluten-free. We wanted some for Thanksgiving, but wanted to make it like my mother's recipe.

I tried it (and changed the butter, too). I couldn't find bread crumbs, so I used a loaf of Udi's whole brain bread, chopped it into 1/2 inch cubes and toasted it in the oven at 250 degrees until it was dried out. It took about an hour stirring every 10 minutes. The flavor of the stuffing was fabulous, but it was a little dry even though I put in extra broth.

So, here is the adjusted the recipe. It goes nicely with turkey, chicken or pork. If convert your favorite recipe, you may need extra liquid.


Traditional Stuffing                        Print Recipe

1/2 c. finely chopped onion
3/4 c. finely chopped celery
3 T. ghee or dairy-free margarine
6 1/2 c. dried gluten-free bread cubes (1 loaf of Udi's whole grain bread)
1 1/2 t. sage
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
1 3/4 - 2 c. gluten-free chicken broth

Saute onion and celery in ghee or dairy-free margarine for 5 minutes or until tender on medium heat.

Mix bread cubes, sage, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Stir in onion mixture. Pour broth over bread crumbs and mix until moistened. Put in greased casserole dish, covered, and bake at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes or until heated through. Leave cover towards the end of baking if you like a crunchy top.

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

I think the flavors of the gluten-free bread really added to the overall flavor of the stuffing. I took it to our extended family Thanksgiving gathering and brought the dish back empty. Yum!

Gluten-Free Muffins for the Season

One of my favorite flavor combinations for sweet bread is orange cranberry. Since it's around the holidays and fresh cranberries are plentiful, it's the perfect time to make orange cranberry bread or muffins. I like to put my gluten-free sweet bread in muffins because it's handy for lunches and snacks and seems to bake well using small portions of dough.

I created this recipe after working with a banana muffin recipe mentioned in a previous post. I like using brown rice flour without the starch flours because it increases the nutritional values of the recipe. I changed the flavors and liquid part of the recipe.


Orange Cranberry Muffins/Bread                          Print Recipe

1 1/4 c. brown rice flour
3/4 t. GF baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/8 t. salt
1/3 t. zanthan gun
1/4 t. cinnamon

2 eggs
1/2 c. sugar
2 T. brown sugar
1/4 c. oil
3/4 c. applesauce
3 T. orange juice concentrate
1/2 t. GF vanilla

1 1/2 c. coarsely chopped cranberries

Grease 12 muffin cups or papers with oil. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Whisk first six ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs. Add sugars, oil, applesauce, concentrate and vanilla, whisking after each addition.

Stir in dry ingredients just until mixed in. Fold in cranberries. Spoon into muffin tin. Bake at 350 degrees for 18 - 21 minutes or until lightly browned and toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Move to wire rack to cool. Refrigerate or freeze.

Enjoy and share!

Easy Cherry Pecan Chicken Salad

When you are wondering what to do with leftover chicken or turkey, here is a tasty yet simple way to make chicken salad with a hint of citrus. This is a very easy recipe to adjust with more or less dressing, fruit, etc. to make it how you like it. Yum!

Cherry Pecan Chicken Salad                                 Print Recipe

1/4 c. plus 1 T. mayonnaise
1 1/2 T. orange juice concentrate
1/4 t. basil
1 1/2 c. of cooked and diced chicken or turkey
2 T. chopped dried cherries
2 T. chopped pecans, toasted if desired
2 T. finely chopped celery
dash of salt as desired

In small bowl, combine mayonnaise, concentrate and basil. Mix until smooth.

In a medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients and mix. Pour dressing over and stir until all ingredients are covered.

Enjoy with greens as a salad or on a sandwich. If preferred, mix together all ingredients together except for the chicken and spread over slices of meat on a sandwich. Serves 3 - 4.

Gluten-Free Thyme Rolls For Thanksgiving Trial #4

The fourth trial is a winner! Though still heavier than a regular roll, it has a flavor that my family likes, it has a shape that I like, and it did raise well. I will continue to work on this recipe, but this is the roll I made for Thanksgiving this year. The first time I made this version of the recipe, the dough was a little stiffer. If you want your roll to have a little more formed, rounded shape, use medium sized egg whites or a T. less water. The roll will be a little more dense also.

Gluten-Free Thyme Dinner Rolls                          print recipe

1 package of yeast (2 1/4 t.)
2 T. sugar

3/4 c. water (110 degrees)
2 egg whites
3 T. olive oil

3/4 c. brown rice flour
1/4c. plus 2 T. potato starch flour
2 T. cornstarch
2 T. almond flour
1/4 c. and 2 T. quinoa flakes
1 1/2 t. thyme
2/3 t. salt
2/3 t. baking powder

1 t. zanthan gum

Proof the yeast by mixing the yeast with 1/2 c. of the warm water and 1 t. of the sugar. Place in warm area to raise. It should almost double in 5 - 10 minutes if the yeast is working well.

Meanwhile, combine remaining sugar, all flours, cornstarch, quinoa flakes, thyme, salt, baking powder, and zanthan gum. Whisk dry ingredients until combined well.

Whisk egg whites in separate bowl until bubbly. Add yeast mixture, remaining water and olive oil and mix well. Whisk, stir or beat in dry mixture until combined well. Dough will be sticky. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let raise in warm area until doubled - about 1 hour.

Divide dough into 8 - 12 equal pieces. Use rice flour to help roll dough piece in a ball. Place each ball in a greased muffin tin. Make a small slit on the top of each roll with a sharp knife. Place in warm area until doubled, about 45 minutes. Brush top of rolls with egg wash (egg beat with a little water) if you wish and bake at 375 degrees for 15 - 18 minutes or until lightly browned on top. If you choose to make the rolls larger, you will need to bake them longer. Remove rolls from muffin tins and cool on rack. I store mine in the refrigerator or in the freezer.

Enjoy!