This morning I woke up to Dan staring me straight in the eyes. When I opened mine, he grinned and started cooing. It was completely adorable. A great way to start the morning. I also got up before Jude this morning which is a rare occurrence in this house. It was so nice to drink my coffee and collect my thoughts for a few moments before he got up. I made banana bread for the sleeping boys and gazed out the window at the overcast sky. I wanted it to rain. It would give me an excuse for the lazy feeling that had come over me. And more importantly, it would give me a chance to clean the high chair. I would love to just throw the thing out in the pouring down rain and let nature clean it instead of me. No such luck today. Obviously, the high chair product development team at Chicco has not seen Jude eat or they would not have made all those little crevices for me to clean. I don’t think they have met a gluten-free toddler either! The mess and crumbs have gotten worse since he went gluten-free because gluten-free things tend to be crumbly and the xanthan gum added to them can superglue things to a variety of surfaces such as hardwood floors, cabinets, and furniture. I am sure no one has a kid as messy as Jude though. My mom says he is worse than the five of us were combined. Eek. I didn’t want to agree with her until Jude smeared refried beans on his chest like war paint. Now I believe her. There is much parenting to do here. Gluten-free parenting.

Here is the recipe for the cookies I made tonight. I know everyone has been madly making oatmeal cookies since oatmeal has been returned to the gluten-free community, but we can’t forget quinoa cookies!

APPLE QUINOA COOKIES WITH DATES AND WALNUTS

1/2 cup sorghum flour

1/2 cup rice flour

1/2 cup tapioca flour

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

3/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum

3 cups quinoa flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

8 oz. dried dates, chopped

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1 cup apple, chopped fine (I used my mini-prep food processor)

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a med. bowl, beat the butter until fluffy and then add the brown sugar and the granulated sugar- beat for a few more minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and then add the vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients. Slowly add to butter mixture- mix until combined. Mix in the apples, dates, and walnuts. Spoon on to cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Make the cookies big- maybe a little more than 2 Tablespoons worth of dough. Leave about 2 inches between the cookies. Bake for about 19 minutes. Do not brown the cookies, but take them out when the edges begin to get a little brown.

2.5 dozen big cookies

Note: These are sweet. So if you don’t like your cookies to be sweet, you might be able to reduce the sugar by 1/4 cup. If you do reduce the sugar, let me know what the results were.

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Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Cookie Recipes | 12 Comments »

I saw some good-looking sweet potatoes (Carolina Ruby) at Whole Foods today and decided that it was finally time to bake something for Gluten A Go Go’s Bread Baking Bonanza blog event for National Celiac Awareness Month and the World Day of Bread, October 16th. I can’t wait to get my hands on all those gluten-free bread recipes!

BUCKWHEAT SWEET POTATO BREAD

1/2 cup buckwheat

1/2 cup sorghum flour

1/2 cup tapioca flour

1/2 cup rice flour

3/4 cup organic brown sugar

3 Tablespoons ground flax seed

2 teaspoons+ orange zest (I think I will add even more next time)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 egg, beaten

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

12 oz. mashed cooked sweet potatoes (I baked mine)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients-from buckwheat flour to xanthan gum. In a separate bowl, combine sweet potatoes, orange juice, oil, and egg. Pour dry ingredients into the liquid ingredients and mix until moistened. The mixture will be sticky- I had enough liquid with 1 cup orange juice, but depending on the amt of sweet potatoes you may need to add a little more juice to moisten the dough. Pour in a greased loaf pan. Bake for about 50 minutes. Let the bread cool in a pan for 10 minutes and then loosen from the pan. At this point, I greedily slice the bread, but you may want the bread to cool a little before cutting.

I was inspired by this recipe in Cooking Light.

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Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Quick Bread Recipes | 20 Comments »

I am a traditional Southern woman. I cook my greens in pork fat and serve them with sweet tea. However, if my father-in-law(from California) asks , I did not deep-fry anything today. He likes to tease me. I felt like cooking this afternoon, so I made my dinner early. I am very lucky that I have that luxury; my husband works from home. Jude enjoyed the penne and bacon very much and ate kale and mushrooms only accidentally. He doesn’t know what to think about the texture of greens yet, but he will learn to like them one day.

PESTO PENNE WITH KALE, BACON, AND MUSHROOMS

6-8 slices of gluten-free bacon

1 bunch of kale, thick stems trimmed, leaves coarsely chopped

1 pint of mushrooms, sliced

3 Tablespoons of basil pesto (you don’t want too much-just want to coat penne noodles)

12 oz. Tinkyada brown rice penne noodles (1 bag if using Organic Tinkyada Penne), cooked and rinsed

2 cups chicken broth

Directions:

Cook the bacon. When the bacon is done cooking, remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon and place on a paper-towel lined plate. Reserve the bacon drippings in the pan (if there is more than a couple tablespoons, you may want to drain some of the fat) and wilt the kale for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and chicken broth. Cook the kale and mushrooms for about 10 minutes or until both are tender. Add 3 Tablespoons of basil pesto to the cooked Tinkyada noodles- you just want to lightly coat the noodles for a little flavor. With a slotted spoon, add the mushroom and kale mixture to the penne. Crumble bacon and toss it with penne. Note: I did not add any of the cooking water, but you may wish to add a little.

Serves 4

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Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Pasta Recipes | 14 Comments »

I made the most delicious ginger shortcake today with whipped cream and pears. It tasted so much like fall. This is now one of my favorite gluten-free desserts. It is simple but not ordinary! I enjoyed every single bite of this cake. My husband’s favorite cake is a spice cake so he also loved this dessert.

GINGER SHORTCAKE WITH WHIPPED CREAM AND PEARS

1/2 cup almond meal or ground almonds

1/2 cup sorghum flour

1/2 cup tapioca flour

1/2 cup brown or white rice flour

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup of butter (1 stick) or butter substitute

1 egg, beaten

2/3 cup of whole milk or milk substitute

1 Tablespoon of freshly grated ginger

1 teaspoon of xanthan gum

1 cup of heavy whipping cream or whipped cream substitute

2-3 large red pears, thinly sliced

3 Tablespoons of butter or butter substitute

3 Tablespoons of natural brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, and sugar. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. In a separate bowl, combine the beaten egg, milk, and grated ginger. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir until moistened. Sprinkle the xanthan gum over the batter and mix thoroughly. Pour into a greased cake pan. Bake for 12-14 minutes. While the shortcake is baking, make the whipped cream and pear accompaniment. To make the pears, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the thinly sliced pears, brown sugar, and nutmeg. Cook for 3-5 minutes. For the whipped cream, I whipped 1 cup of heavy whipping cream in my stand mixer. I added about 1 teaspoon of sugar halfway through. I did not want the whipped cream to be too sweet. It is up to you! You can add a little bit of vanilla if you wish, but I left it out.

Once the shortcake is done, let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then let it cool on a rack for about 15 minutes. To serve the shortcake, you can cut the shortcake in half and fill with whipped cream and top with pears OR simply top with whipped cream and pear accompaniment.

Serves about 4.

Note: The picture does not do this dessert justice. My little one was getting into things and I had no time to present this dessert well. It really is a pretty dessert!

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Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Cake Recipes | 12 Comments »

In the wee hours of morning, bleary-eyed mommies everywhere search for a nutritious breakfast for their little ones. This is harder for gluten-free mommies because they can’t rely on Cheerios first thing in the morning. Jude has become pickier these days and that meant I had to reevaluate breakfast. Clearly, I needed to come up with a resource that I could refer to when things needed to be revamped in the toddler breakfast department (mommies too) . A lot of these breakfast ideas are casein-free or can be made casein-free with just a few alterations.

BREAKFAST IDEAS FOR THE GLUTEN FREE KID IN ALL OF US

Fruit: I always try and keep a variety of fresh fruit on hand to give to Jude in the morning. Bananas are the clear winner here for Jude. If your toddler is resisting the texture of fruit, try smoothies. They work well in summer months with fresh fruit and in the colder months they work well with frozen fruit too. Here are some fantastic smoothie recipes that are sure to impress your little one. If the smoothies don’t work, try making your own fruit leather. It is a great breakfast to have ready for your little one and it keeps for a month in the fridge!

Gluten Free Bay’s GF/CF Orange Dreamsicle Smoothie

Going Gluten-Free’s Strawberry Smoothie

Martha Stewart’s Fruit Leather

Baked Goods: These are great to have in the freezer for a quick breakfast. Freezing your own muffins, quick breads, and pancakes is a lot yummier than relying on gluten-free convenience foods. It is also important to have a couple of baking mixes on hand, so you can whip breakfast up on the spot if the need arises.

My Carrot-Zucchini Muffins

Gluten-Free Girl’s Blueberry Muffins

Book of Yum’s Lemon Blueberry Muffin

Mrs. G.F.’s Apple Quinoa Muffins

Jill Elise’s Banana Blueberry Bread

My Cornmeal Pancakes

Gluten Free Cooking School’s Pancakes

Gluten A Go Go’s Sourdough Oatmeal Waffles

Kate’s Monkey Bread Recipe

My favorite pancake mixes are Pamela’s Baking Mix and Kinnikinnick Foods Gluten-Free Pancake & Waffle Mix .

Hot Cereals: Sometimes my little one will scarf down gluten-free oatmeal, brown rice cereal, grits, or quinoa cereal. Presentation definitely helps here! Jude likes to add raisins/dried fruit or nuts to his hot cereal and sometimes offering these additions on the side will encourage him to eat more. I was really tough about the amount of sugar I put in Jude’s cereal, especially when he was younger, but you may have to budge a little. Adding sweet things like fruit and honey makes this breakfast food much more attractive.

Kalyn’s Peanut Butter Oatmeal

CD Kitchen’s Hot Quinoa Cereal

Cindalou’s Sweet Apple Grits

Sources for gluten-free oatmeal and quinoa: Lara’s Gluten-Free Oats, and Ancient Harvest Quinoa Flakes .

Eggs: Anything with eggs makes a great gluten-free breakfast. The texture of eggs make them very tricky for toddlers. When Jude was little, I put egg yolk in his rice cereal. He will rarely eat eggs straight off his tray. In order for me to get Jude to eat eggs these days, a quiche or the frittata is the way to go. He is not turned off by the texture and he is attracted to the meat, potato, rice, or veggies.

Gluten Free Goddess’ Mediterranean Frittata

My Crustless Spinach Tomato Quiche

Mrs. G.F.’s Coddled Egg

Gluten Free Breakfast Convenience Foods: Although gf breakfast foods are expensive, it is necessary to have a few of these items around for when you are desperate. These are a few of my favorite gluten-free breakfast items.

EnviroKidz Panda Puffs Cereal

Nature’s Path Wildberry Buckwheat Waffles

Whole Foods’ Bakehouse Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Check out Karen’s Gluten Free Breakfast product reviews.

Dessert for Breakfast: I have already taught Jude that dessert for breakfast is a fabulous idea. No need to convince him!

Ellen’s Rice Pudding

My “No Frills” Chocolate Cake

So what did everyone have for breakfast this morning- inquiring minds want to know?!

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Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Breakfast Ideas | 20 Comments »