Favorite Cookies, EVER!

Sorry all, but there are no pictures of these delicious cookies on this post.  By the time I thought of taking pictures, they had all been eaten by a mob of hungry children.  (Not to mention the dozen a few that were sneaked by the cook herself!) 

Anyway, the credit for the recipe should go to Emily Hendrix, author of Sophie-Safe Cooking whose recipe I stole and modified.

Ginger Apricot Cookies

1/2 cup of butter or shortening
1 cup sucanat or sugar of your choice (I am addicted to the molasses taste of sucanat!)
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 1/2 cups oat flour (just grind oatmeal in the blender or food processor for a minute or two)
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp fresh ginger (or substitute 1/2 tsp ground ginger)
1 cup finely chopped dried apricots

Beat shortening and sucanat until fluffy.  Add lemon juice and mix well.  Mix in oat flour, baking soda, salt, and ginger.  Add apricots and mix well.  Drop by tablespoons onto cookie sheet.  Bake at 350F for 12 minutes.

This recipe made about 3 dozen cookies for me.

Chickpea Paste

As I mentioned in my review of Bean Appetit, it is apparently an option to use a chickpea paste instead of butter in baking.  All you need to do is blend chickpeas into a paste in your blender or food processor.   Add some water to help the paste mix if necessary.  I have then had success using it in recipes in equal proportion to the butter requirement. 

Using the chickpea paste, I find that I do not get the oily texture that results from substituting oil or shortening.  Instead, I get a delicious, buttery texture. 

Of course, you will want to make sure that the mixture is well-blended so that an errant chickpea doesn't make it into the cake!

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Today was not a good day for a variety of reasons.  I ended up sitting in my room getting angrier and angrier, when I decided to do something about the situation.  What we needed, I decided, was a celebration.  So kuddos to Dr. Seuss for providing such a timely birthday for us!

After naptime, I had Adrienne help me bake some cupcakes.  We decided to do chocolate, as that is her favorite flavor, and, hey, Mom's pregnant and could always use some chocolate.  Besides, I do need to be testing allergy friendly cake batter recipes in preparation for our multitude of birthdays this month.  Here she is mixing the batter:

While they baked and cooled, we read some Dr. Seuss books for decorating inspiration.  Since it was a bad day, I wasn't wanting anything that would be remotely complicated.  After tossing around the idea of just frosting half of them red and the other half white, Adrienne and I decided that Green Egg Cupcakes were in order.  Easy enough for Mom to frost and exciting enough for the kids to eat.  Here's the finished product.

As you can see, they were a major hit!

The Applesauce Donuts That Turned into Pancakes

I started out trying to make some allergy-friendly donuts, as the hubby used to be a donut fiend in a previous, childless life.  In the past two years, we have had roughly five donuts each.  A catastrophe, given the Krispy Kreme addiction we used to battle.

In any event, I knew these wouldn't work very well as Krispy Kreme substitutes, but, at this stage, we will take what we can get!  Nevertheless, once the first batch hit the oil to fry, it was obviously going to end in catastrophe.  Since I used a lot of oat flour, I decided to salvage what I could by turning the rest of the batter into pancakes. 

The result was a nice change from our regular pancakes and was sweet enough not to require syrup.  Next  week I will try these as waffles and see what I get!

Applesauce Pancakes

3/4 c brown sugar
2 T vegetable oil
2 1/2 c oat flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
dash cinnamon and nutmeg
1/4 c rice milk or water
1 c apple sauce
1 t vanilla extract

Mix the first two ingredients until well blended.  Combine dry ingredients and add alternately with rice milk.  Then, stir in applesauce and vanilla.

I use my electric griddle to make these, but you could make them however you usually prefer to make pancakes.

Sift with powdered sugar and enjoy!

Ultimate Recipe Swap: Taco Soup

Over at LifeasMOM there is a Superbowl recipe swap, and I am so excited! There is nothing I love better than an excuse to make lots of yummy food for the family, set out a "picnic blanket" in the living room, and watch some TV. Yes, there are probably healthier things we could do as a family, but, hey, we like food!

One thing that I usually make for these events, though, is Taco Soup. Adrienne, in particular, loves it and requests it whenever possible. I use my own taco seasoning, free of msg, gluten, and other strange additives.

Taco Soup

1 cup red kidney beans
1 cup pinto beans
2 lbs ground beef
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 lb frozen corn
4 Tbsp taco seasoning mix (recipe follows)

Soak the beans overnight in your crock-pot. In the morning, rinse the beans and cover with clean water. Brown the beef and add to the crock-pot. Add diced tomatoes, corn, and taco seasoning. Cook for 6-8 hours on low, keeping an eye on the moisture content of the soup. As the beans cook, they will soak up the water, but you need enough moisture for a chili-like consistency.

Serve in bowls and top with cheese and sour cream (if you can tolerate dairy) and corn chips.


Taco Seasoning

2 Tbsp cornstarch
6 Tbsp salt
8 Tbsp chili powder
6 tsp cumin
3 tsp oregano
6 tsp dried garlic
6 tsp red pepper flakes

Mix together all ingredients and store in an airtight container. Two tablespoons equals one commercial package.

Barbecue Sauce Redux

The last time I blogged about barbecue sauce, we were still eating dairy, and I included butter in the ingredient list. When I went to make sauce the other day, I read my recipe, and realized that it was time to start from scratch. I don't like having to cook the sauce, anyway!



My new and improved recipe is as follows:



11/2 cups vinegar (apple cider or white)

1/2 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon red pepper



Combine ingredients and use as a marinade or pour over meat.



I poured mine over a pork roast in the crock-pot, and the results were fantastic. Unfortunately, this recipe is closer to an Eastern North Carolina sauce. While that makes Nathan very happy, those of us who prefer a Lexington-style sauce will have to continue experimentation...

Yellow Cake in a Mug!

Yesterday was my birthday, and I needed to find an easy, vegan cake recipe for Nathan to make for me. After hours of searching recipe blogs and such, I stumbled across this recipe for cake in a mug. Once I made some changes to remove the egg and milk, it was perfect.

For young children (and apparently husbands, too) it is extremely exciting to eat your cake out of a mug! There were smiles all around, and the birthday mom was happy :-D

Yellow Cake in a Mug

6 T flour (you can use whole wheat, all-purpose, or gluten-free)
4 T sugar/sucanat
1/8 tsp baking powder
egg replacer to equal one egg (I use Ener-G brand)
3 T water
3 T oil
dash of vanilla

Mix the egg replacer and set aside while you combine the rest of the ingredients. Add dry ingredients to the mug and mix well. Stir in wet ingredients. Microwave for 3 minutes. The cake should rise. You can frost it in the mug, or tip it out onto a plate and then frost it. We ate ours in the mug!

Simple Vegan Frosting

1 cup confectioner's sugar
1-3 tsp water
dash of vanilla

Mix water and vanilla into sugar, starting with 1 tsp and adding additional water as needed to reach your desired consistency.

Mmm... Gluten-Free Pumpkin Fritters!

In my effort to keep blogging on a regular basis, I've decided to join in on the Real Food Wednesday blog carnival at Kelly the Kitchen Kop.

Since I'm on bedrest, I haven't been exploring in the kitchen; however, last week I made some pumpkin fritters that simply disappeared from our table at dinner time. It is adapted from the recipe that my mom used to make growing up. We ate ours with homemade nutella, but topping ideas are endless.

GF Pumpkin Fritters

2 cups pumpkin
4 T brown rice flour
2 t baking powder
pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup apple sauce

Combine the wet ingredients, and add the dry ones. Mix well. Fry spoonfuls of the mixture until golden. This will be a little bit longer than you usually do for pancakes. Serve with confectioner's sugar, homemade nutella, cream cheese, or any other topping you prefer.

It's Pie Time

After our weekly "foraging" trip to the farm, I'm always trying to figure out something new to try. This week, my vegetable of choice was butternut. I usually just cut a butternut open and bake it, serving it in a lump as a side dish. This week, I was going for dessert! After all, if pumpkin can make a pie, it would stand to reason that you could do the same with butternut.

I found this recipe doing a quick google search. Because Noah has an egg allergy, I'm gluten free, and Nathan has to watch his refined sugars, I had to make some significant changes. Here's what I did:

1 butternut squash
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup yogurt
2 T brown rice flour
1/3 cup sucanat
1/2 t salt
1 t allspice
1 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg

Cut the butternut in half, place facedown in a shallow pan with a cup of water and bake for an hour at 350F. Scoop the flesh of the butternut into a large bowl. Add wet ingredients. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add to wet ingredients. Mix well. Place in a pie plate, and bake for 45 minutes at 350F.


I preferred the pie warm, but hubby preferred the pie cold. I also served it to the kids for lunch today, and they loved it. They thought they were getting a treat, when it was a glorified vegetable! As another option, you could serve it with fresh whipped cream.

Crackers!

In the last few weeks, I haven't been blogging as much as I thought I would. On the one hand, my DH has been out of town, and on the other, I have been addicted to reading other blogs and haven't had the time to concentrate on my own. Oh, well. We do what we can, I guess!

In any event, a blog I've been following, http://heavenlyhomemakers.com, has a recipe for cheese crackers using whole wheat flour. Since the family could eat their weight in cheese crackers if I let them, I made it my mission to rework the recipe to make it gluten-free. Here's what I got:

1/4 cup butter
1 T sea salt
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup potato flour (not starch)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 T water
2 T olive oil

Beat the butter and salt together until creamy. Add the cheese and mix well. Slowly add the flours and baking powder. Mix in the water and olive oil until the dough begins to form a ball. Since it's gluten-free, the ball may never completely form. Use your hands to gently knead and shape into a ball if needed. Place the ball on a cookie sheet between sheets of wax or parchment paper and roll out to cover the whole cookie sheet. It will be a very thin layer of dough. Score into squares and bake at 350F for approximately 15 minutes. Turn the oven off and let the cookies crisp up.

The recipe baked very well. In retrospect, I suppose I could have just added another two tablespoons of butter instead of the olive oil, but I didn't realize I would need it until I tried to get my dough to form. I may try it that way next time. Also, be sure to roll the dough out very thinly, or you get some "cake-like" cheese crackers. Not quite the right texture for the taste :).

On the whole, though, the DD gave the crackers a "Belicious," the DS ate them like they were going out of style, and the DH gave them an "A".

Barbecue Sauce

One of my favorite summer activities is grilling out on the deck, and nothing tastes as good on the grill as ribs. Unfortunately, commercial barbecue sauce is full of msg, food starch, and other gluten-containing additives. Instead, I have started making my own sauce, and I've refined my recipe over the last few months. The following recipe makes enough sauce for two racks of ribs. We usually use half the sauce and store the other half.

1/2 cup of butter
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup ketchup
2 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder

Cook the butter and brown sugar over medium heat until bubbly. Add the vinegar, and stir until smooth. Add ketchup, mustard, and garlic and onion powders. Cook over low heat, stirring periodically, until the sauce has thickened to your desired consistency. Baste meat while grilling.

The BEST Oatmeal Raisin Cookies EVER!!!

This morning I was looking for a time killer, as my son is sick and daughter is getting cabin fever. While my back-up activity used to be baking, I haven't done it as much since baby was diagnosed with an egg allergy because finding delicious recipes can be difficult. Today, though, I was desperate and decided to ransack the kitchen to make my own recipe. This is what I concocted:

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup brown rice flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup raisins
dash of ground pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Combine sugars and applesauce and stir until moist and sticky. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir until well blended. Add rolled oats and raisins until the dough is to your consistency. Bake for 13 minutes, or until nicely golden.


These turned out so well for me. They are the gooiest, yummiest oatmeal cookies I've ever eaten, and they were a major hit with everyone!

UPDATE: According to Daddy-O, these cookies are too gooey. He prefers his oatmeal cookies a little crunchier than I do. He did say, though, that the yummy taste of applesauce outweighed the crunchy factor.