Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Gluten Free Banana Muffins

Gluten Free Banana Muffins

I hadn’t had a banana muffin for over six months.  I was sad.  I used to make pretty healthy whole grain ones all the time.  The boys love them and I loved them.  So I decided I needed to make some gluten free, refined sugar free ones.  I think these turned out great!  As soon as I have some more overripe bananas, I will be making them again, sorry boys, these are mine.

This recipe made 14 muffins.  You could probably fill 12 each a little fuller and not have the extra two, but 14 worked for me.  I used coconut oil instead of butter and coconut sugar with a little molasses instead of brown sugar.  I might have baked them a couple minutes too long, but I loved the crusty outside and they were still perfectly moist inside.  I used my newly favorite Premium Gold Gluten Free Ancient Grains Flour.  I wrote about it here in this post for Individual Microwave Chewy Brownies.  Ooh, brownies……wait, I must finish telling you about the muffins first.  (Sorry, it doesn’t take me much to get off track.)

Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free Banana Muffins 1-26-14

Gluten Free Banana Muffins (Refined Sugar Free), by Katrina, Baking and Boys!

3/4 cup coconut palm sugar

1 teaspoon molasses

1/4 cup coconut oil

3 medium, overripe bananas, mashed (I like to puree them in a food processor)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1/4 cup buttermilk

2 cups gluten free flour (I used Premium Gold Ancient Grains Flour Blend)

1 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

1/3 cup Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Brush  muffin cups with coconut oil.  (I just use my fingers, you could use a pastry brush though.)  In a medium sized bowl, combine the coconut sugar and molasses and mix together with a fork.  Add the coconut oil and stir until combined.  Stir in the bananas, eggs, vanilla and buttermilk until well combined.  Add the flour, baking soda and salt and stir until well mixed.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  (This can all be done with a wooden spoon.)  Using a cookie scoop, fill each muffin cup with batter until 2/3-3/4 full.  Bake for 18-20 minutes.  Makes 12-14 muffins.

Gluten Free Banana Muffins

The number of muffins I ate the day I made them shall remain untold on the grounds it might make a glutton out of me.  There’s nothing quite like warm muffins fresh from the oven……….except maybe brownies.  hehe

Gluten Free Banana Muffins 4

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Almond Joy Fudge Bars, Two Ways—Gluten Free or Grain Free, Refined Sugar Free

Almond Joy Oat Fudge Bars, refined sugar free, gluten free, 1-16-14

Almond Joy Fudge Bars with gluten free oats

I’ve been meaning to get these posted because they are SO good.  I’ve made them twice in one week.  The first time I made them with gluten free oats.  As I ate them and loved them, I decided they don’t really even need the oats in them, so they can also easily be made without any oats/grain.

Almond Joy Oat Fudge Bars

These are really easy to make, the hardest part is waiting while they chill in the fridge for an hour.

Almond Joy Fudge Bars with gluten free oats, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!

1/2 cup (128 grams) almond butter (I use homemade)

1/3 cup (120 grams) raw honey

1/4 cup (56 grams) organic coconut oil

3/4 cup (4 1/2 ounces) refined sugar free chocolate chips (Equal Exchange or Enjoy Life, etc)

1 cup minus 3 tablespoons gluten free oats

3 tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes (toasted, optional)

1/3 cup almonds, toasted and chopped

Line an 8 inch square baking pan with nonstick foil (or coat with coconut oil).

In a saucepan, heat together over medium heat until all combined the almond butter, honey and coconut oil.  Turn heat off and add the chocolate chips.  Stir until melted.  Stir in the oats, coconut and almonds.  Pour and spread evenly into pan.  Chill in refrigerator for an hour.  Remove bars from pan using foil edges and cut into squares.  Store in refrigerator.

adapted from Mommy's Kitchen

While eating and loving these, I couldn’t help but think they would be really good without the oats (grain) and how kicked up they would be with more coconut and almonds, so I made them again replacing some of the oats with more coconut and almonds.  Delicious!  Can’t decide which I like better.  You decide.  When I made them without the oats, I toasted the coconut.  I’ll probably toast it every time now.

Almond Joy Fudge Bars 1-21-14

Almond Joy Fudge Bars, grain free, refined sugar free

Almond Joy Fudge Bars, grain free and refined sugar free, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!

1/2 cup (128 grams) almond butter (I used homemade)

1/3 cup (120 grams) raw honey

1/4 cup (56 grams) coconut oil

3/4 cup (4 1/2 ounces) refined sugar free chocolate chips (Equal Exchange or Enjoy Life, etc)

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted lightly (350 degree oven for 5-8 minutes)

1/2 cup almonds, toasted and chopped (350 degree oven for 10 minutes)

Line an 8 inch square baking pan with nonstick foil (or coat with coconut oil).

In a saucepan, heat together over medium heat until all combined the almond butter, honey and coconut oil.  Turn heat off and add the chocolate chips.  Stir until melted.  Stir in the coconut and almonds.  Pour and spread evenly into pan.  Chill in refrigerator for an hour.  Remove bars from pan using foil edges and cut into squares.  Store in refrigerator.

adapted from Mommy's Kitchen

Almond Joy Fudge Bars

You’ve got to try these!

Thursday, January 16, 2014

“Real Deal” Chocolate Chip Cookies—Grain Free, Refined Sugar Free

Real Deal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I recently made Danielle’s Real Deal Chocolate Chip Cookies.  She’s the author and brains behind the blog and cookbook, Against All Grain.  These ARE a great grain free, refined sugar free chocolate chip cookie. 

They are made with almond flour and a little coconut flour.  To sweeten them up, they have coconut palm sugar and a little honey.  I will definitely make these again and probably again…..

The only difference to her recipe, which called for either palm shortening or grassfed butter was that I didn’t use grassfed butter, but I did use butter and a good brand at that.  A little funny here, but I didn’t realize butter can be fed anything. Winking smile

If you’re like me and cutting out or back on grains and refined sugar, these are a great cookie to try, so go now to Danielle’s blog and make them ASAP.  I was lucky and blessed to buy her book, Against All Grain, with a wonderful gift card my parents sent for Christmas.  Thanks, Mom and Dad! 

Real Deal Chocolate Chip Cookies, grain free, refined sugar free 1-10-14

Why did I put “Real Deal” in quotes, you wonder?  Since I didn’t use grassfed butter, I don’t want you to think I copied her recipe completely, but that is the only change I made. 

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Individual Microwave Chewy Brownie, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free

Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free Microwave Brownie 1-12-14

Sometimes, you just have to have a treat, a real, honest-to-goodness treat.  I’m talking about chocolate.  I’m talking about a brownie.  Yes, I’ve made and tried many different brownies and cookies, some are grain free, some gluten free, all refined sugar free.  I haven’t found my very favorite yet.  This time, I just wanted my own little treat and I wanted it fast. 

I looked online and found too many, so I ended up just putting together my own concoction and YUM!  I’m so happy.  A food blogger’s job is so hard.  We have to make and eat food all for our readers’ benefit.  I know, such tough stuff.  You’re welcome.  Happy to be of assistance.  Even happier to have this fun, super quick chocolaty treat pretty much anytime I want.  I can make it, bake it (microwave) and be eating it in all of about five minutes.  You can, too!

I was going to hurry and blog this the night I made it, but realized it’s my duty to make sure it really was good more than once, so I took one for the team (YOU!) and made it again, you know, just to make sure.  I love how chewy it is. (Don’t over cook it!)  I love that I used an ancient whole grain gluten free flour (Premium Gold brand) that I found for a great price for five pounds at Costco.  And I LOVE that as a gluten free flour blend, it doesn’t have potato starch.  Most do.  I am not eating potatoes anymore and decided to include any form of the potato in that decision.  Lo and behold, almost every gluten free flour blend seems to have potato starch.  Not this one!   (Yes, I’ve made my own blend a few times, but this was too good to pass up.)  The ingredients in this flour are rice flour, ground flaxseed, quinoa flour, buckwheat flour, amaranth flour, tapioca flour, arrowroot flour and xanthan gum.  I love whole grains and this is GMO free.  I can’t wait to make other things with it.  So far, I’ve only used it for these brownies. 

Premium Gold Gluten Free All Purpose Flour

Individual Microwave Chewy Brownie, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!

2 tablespoons Premium Gold Gluten Free All Purpose Flour (or any flour of your choice)

2 tablespoons coconut palm sugar

1 teaspoon egg white powder

1 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa

pinch of salt

1  1/2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk

1  1/2 tablespoons coconut oil

1/4-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

*optional mix-ins—1 tablespoon Enjoy Life or Sunspire Chocolate Chips

*1 tablespoon pecans or walnuts, toasted and chopped

In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, egg white powder, cocoa and salt.  Whisk together.  In another small bowl, mix the almond milk and coconut oil, microwave for 15 seconds if the coconut oil isn’t melted.  Stir in the vanilla.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until all combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips and/or pecans.  Save some of the chocolate chips for the top of the brownie if you’d like.  Lightly grease a 6 oz. ramekin with coconut oil.  Pour the batter into the ramekin and spread evenly.  Microwave on about 75% power for 45 seconds.  If you saved some chocolate chips, sprinkle them over the top.  Once they are melty, you can spread them over the top of the brownie or just leave them whole.  Eat the brownie warm!  Mmm.

Individual Microwave Chewy Brownies, gluten free, refined sugar free 1-13-14

Not necessarily the prettiest dessert and I’m going to have to not just make them late at night so I can get a better picture, but it sure tastes good, especially when you’ve been deprived of real brownies for so long and you just need something chocolaty.  Perfecto.

Friday, January 03, 2014

Gluten Free Buttermilk Bread

Gluten Free Buttermilk Bread bite

Since going gluten free and refined sugar free last June, I have hardly had any bread (made a couple gluten free loaves before months ago) and I have been really craving bread!  Sometimes I just want a sandwich—peanut butter and honey or jam to be specific.  I couldn’t even wait to take a bite before getting a picture.

Just kidding.  I did get a few pictures, but I bit right into this slice as soon as I could.

Peanut Butter and Apricot Agave Jam with Gluten Free Buttermilk Bread

This bread is perfect for toast.  Though even Kevin, who doesn’t eat gluten free, had a slice untoasted with some jam and said it was pretty good.  I just can’t tell you how happy I am to eat toast!

Gluten Free Buttermilk Bread 4

I received the Apricot Jam from a friend for Christmas.  She purposely made some with agave instead of sugar so I could eat it.  So nice.  And the jam is so good.  Tastes like fresh, slightly tart apricots.  Thanks, Jackie!

I got a bread machine cookbook from our friend, Bob, for Christmas and it has a couple gluten free bread recipes in it.  I took one of the recipes and totally changed it up, then didn’t bake it in my bread machine, so here’s my take on a gluten free bread.

Gluten Free Buttermilk Bread 1-2-14

I’ve noticed in the few times I’ve made gluten free bread, it doesn’t come out the prettiest and rise as nice and high as regular bread, but it tastes great.

Gluten Free Buttermilk Bread

Gluten Free Buttermilk Bread, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!

1 cup low fat buttermilk

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, slightly melted

3 tablespoons raw honey

4 large egg whites, beaten until frothy

4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1/2 cup whole grain sorghum flour

1  1/2 cups brown rice flour

3/4 cup arrowroot powder

1/4 cup tapioca flour

1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

Put the buttermilk and water in a microwave safe dish and heat until warm, about 25-40 seconds on half power.  Add the vinegar, slightly melted butter and honey with the buttermilk and water and whisk to combine.  Whisk the egg whites until frothy in a separate bowl.  Add to the wet ingredients and whisk together.  Pour into a stand mixer (of course, you can do it all by hand) and add the yeast.  In another bowl, combine the sorghum flour, brown rice flour, arrowroot, tapioca flour and xanthan gum and whisk together.  With the dough hook attached to the mixer and set at low speed, add half a cup of the dry ingredients at a time.  Add more as it mixes until all combined.  Cover the bowl and let sit in a warm place for 30-45 minutes.  Stir mixture with a wooden spoon, then put it into a greased 9x5 inch bread pan (I used coconut oil).  Let rise for about 30 minutes, just until it starts to come up over the pan.  During the last rise, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown on the top.  Let cool in pan for 5-10 minutes.  Remove from pan (it took a little prying with a knife, but it really wasn’t stuck anywhere.)  Cool on a wire rack.

Gluten Free Buttermilk Bread with apricot jam

Happy me!  Now if I could just get over this nasty cold that is knocking me for a loop.  Welcome to winter, happy new year!