Monday Challenge

We all want to stay healthy and feel good. We spend time and money on improving the nutritional value of the food we eat. It's certainly part of the equation. It's amazing how we can also affect how we feel by what we choose to think about or dwell on.
I challenge you to an experiment. Each day this week think of at least three things you are truly grateful for and remember those things throughout the day. See if you feel any different at the end of the week.

Homemade Granola Is So Easy

One thing my whole family really enjoys is homemade granola - for breakfast or snack. A batch just doesn't last long in our house. And it's so easy to make. My favorite flavor is cherry pecan. Use your favorite dried fruits and nuts. Our local health food store just started carrying bulk gluten-free oats which made making gluten-free granola much more economical.
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Homemade Granola    
4 1/2 c. rolled oats
3-4 T. ground flax seed
     (or rice bran)
1 c. coarsely chopped nuts
    (walnuts, pecans, almonds)
1/2 T. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. honey
3 T. water
1/2 c. canola oil
1/2 T. gluten-free vanilla extract
3/4 - 1 c. dried fruit of choice
     (coarsely chop large pieces
      like cherries)

Combine oats, flax seed or rice bran, nuts, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Combine brown sugar, honey and water in a small saucepan and bring to a full boil. Add oil and vanilla. Pour over oats and mix well. Spread in a large cookie sheet lined with tinfoil. Bake at 250 degrees F for about 1 3/4 hours or until lightly browned/toasted. Loosen in pan immediately. Cool and add fruit. Store in airtight container.

Simple and delicious!

Chas' Chips

My kids are "starving" when they get home from school. They love chips, of course. And to make them is even more fun.

Chas likes his homemade chips both sweet and salty. He likes them sprinkled with sugar and pumpkin pie spice. He also likes to sprinkle non-dairy cheese shreds (we use Daiya) on them, sometimes mixed with chopped natural salami. Waiting for them to get done is the hardest part.

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Homemade Tortilla Chips              
one medium rice tortilla
1 T. sugar
1/4 t. pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon

Cut tortilla into 12 wedges with pizza cutter. Arrange on cookie sheet. Combine sugar and spice and sprinkle over wedges. Bake at 375 degrees F for about 7 - 9 minutes or until lightly browned and crunchy.

Note: If you desire savory chips, try lightly sprinkling with sea salt and herbs of your choice or non-dairy cheese as mentioned above. If you use the cheese, bake at least 3 - 4 minutes longer to melt the cheese and dry out the chips. The Daiya cheddar style shreds work well on the tortilla and get extra crunchy where the cheese bakes against the pan. Yum!

Organizing Gluten-Free Flours and Other Goals

January is a time when many people think about their goals for the year. I have a couple of books I want to read on health and of course I want to get more sleep and exercise. And I'm always looking for more ways to organize myself. I figured out a way to store my frequently used gluten-free flours and sugars in my Lazy Susan that really works for me. Remember that flour that won't be used up for a while should be kept in the refrigerator or freezer.

I bought some stackable rectangular storage containers (4 half size and 3 full size) and labeled them. They make 2 1/2 stacks side by side. I can stack as many as 4 small or 2 large or a combination. By leaving an empty spot that would fit one more large container, I can easily move the containers around and grab what I need without juggling an armful or having to bring them up to the counter.  It reminds me of a plastic game that was hand held with a 4 x 4 grid I had as a kid. It had 15 flat, interlocking pieces with one missing in the corner. You had to slide the pieces left, right, up or down to unscramble the picture.

Another area I am working on is creating colorful cookies and cakes with more natural colors. Food art (including cake decorating) has always been one of my favorite hobbies. It's fun for kids, too. As I became interested in providing more natural food for my family, I stopped making some of those things. There are many vibrant colors in natural foods. I have yet to try natural food color. This year I'll have to.

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?

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.

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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!