GF Ivory Teff & Fig Breakfast Muffins

Now that spring is finally here (and we have had plenty of rain and flash flooding to prove it!), I always start to crave muffins.  They are so light and full of flavor.  You can pair them with just about anything depending on what you add to them.  A lemon muffin is great as a side to a salad, banana muffins or blueberry are excellent for snacks or dessert.  Here is a hearty, not too sweet breakfast muffin that will provide plenty of energy for your mornings… and very welcome along side your favorite morning beverage!

GF Ivory Teff & Fig Breakfast Muffins

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup ivory teff flour
• ½ cup sorghum flour
• ¾ cup tapioca starch flour
• ½ cup arrowroot starch
• ¼ cup amaranth flour
• ¼ cup millet flour
• ½ cup coconut sugar
• 1 Tbls baking powder
• 1 Tbls flax seeds, ground
• ½ tsp xanthan gum
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 1/3 cup coconut oil, slightly melted
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 ¼ cup warm coconut milk

Fig Filling:

Fig Filling!

• 10 figs, soaked in warm water and stems removed
• ¼ cup cooked teff (brown or ivory seed)
• 2 Tbls slightly melted coconut oil
• ½ lime, juice only
• ¼ cup quinoa flakes

Crumb Topping:

• ½ cup sorghum flour
• ½ cup tapioca starch
• ¼ – ½ cup coconut sugar
• ¼ cup quinoa flakes
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• 4 Tbls cold coconut oil

Method:

1. Fig Filling: Blend all ingredients in a food processor and set aside.
2. Crumb Topping: Blend all ingredients in a food processor and set aside.
3. Muffins:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin tin with parchment liners.
4. In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients, except for the coconut sugar. In a stand mixer, cream the coconut oil and coconut sugar together. Add the eggs and mix until fluffy.
5. Add the coconut milk and dry ingredients slowly, mixing well.  Stop mixer to scrape down sides and then mix again on medium speed for 1 minute.  Let stand 5 minutes.
6. Fill muffin tin ½ full with batter, add 1 tsp of fig filling to the center of each muffin cup and top with additional batter.  Each muffin cup should be about ¾ full.  Sprinkle crumb topping on top of each muffin.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.  Remove from oven, cool for 5 minutes and then remove muffins from tin to a wire rack.  Cool completely before serving!

Enjoy!

Lemon Muffins free from gluten, dairy, nuts and eggs for Spring!

Our meeting this month is just a few days away!  How time fly’s when winter breaks and we get more time outside… Let’s get together and share favorite recipes for gluten free muffins at the Hickory Knolls Discovery Center in St. Charles!  I will have our favorite gluten/allergy free favorite to try… you are welcome to bring a batch of your favorite muffins* to share as well!

To find out more, check out our meeting information at GFGroup!

I hope to see you:

Sunday, April 21st

3pm – 4:30 pm

Hickory Knolls Discovery Center in St. Charles!

*Please make sure that all recipes are gluten and nut free.  Recipes free from other common allergens are always welcome as well!  Thank you!

Gluten Free Blueberry Tart with Teff pastry crust for Easter 2013!

Happy Easter!  I hope that your day was as fun as ours.  We enjoyed the day with family and all the kids loved being together… especially for the egg hunt and playing with goodies in their baskets.  I baked a blueberry tart this year that was a perfect end to our time together.  It is free of gluten, dairy, eggs, nuts, and refined sugar… and my favorite thing about this tart is that the crust is made with ivory teff flour!  Here’s the recipe:

GF Blueberry Tart with Ivory Teff Pastry Crust

A slice of blueberry tart sprinkled with a dusting of organic powdered sugar (corn free!)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Ivory Teff flour
• 1/2 cup sorghum flour
• 1/4 cup Tapioca Starch flour
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• ¼ tsp salt
• 4 Tbls cold palm shortening, cut into small pieces
• 2 Tbls cold coconut oil
• 5-7 Tbls ice cold water mixed with 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

• 3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (look for the wild blueberries that are small as they have the most flavor)
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 2 Tbls Arrowroot
• squeeze of lime juice (probably half a lime)
• small pinch of sea salt
• 1/4 tsp lime zest (optional)
• coconut milk (optional)

Method:

1. Line a 8 or 9 inch tart pan (the kind with a removable bottom) with parchment paper.  Set aside.
2. Mix the ivory teff flour, sorghum flour, tapioca starch, xanthan gum and salt in a medium size bowl. 
3. Cut the palm shortening and coconut oil into the dry ingredients until a pea sized crumb  develops.  You can use a fork or your hands for this step.
4. Add the ice cold water and stir to combine into a dough.
5. Press the dough into a prepared tart pan with your hands, making sure the sides and bottom are even.  Prick lightly with a fork, cover with saran wrap and refrigerate until the dough is cold.
6. Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan, combine the blueberries, coconut sugar, arrowroot, lime juice, zest and pinch of salt.  Gently heat over low flame until a juice begins to form.  You may add a tablespoon of coconut milk to help if you wish but not necessary.
7. Preheat your oven to 325 and bake the cold tart shell for 10 minutes to set.  Remove from the oven and pour the blueberry mixture into the tart shell.  Return the tart to the oven and bake at 325 for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
8. Remove the tart from the oven and cool on a wire rack.  Do not slice until the tart is completely cool or the blueberry filling will not set!

Holidays should be celebrated with traditional foods even if you are following a gluten free or special allergy free diet. Come learn how to bake delicious gluten and allergy free treats! Our afternoon will cover how to make easy Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread, perfect for your St. Patricks Day table. Then, we will make delectable cupcakes that you can decorate yourself! We will have decorations for St. Patricks Day or Easter and cupcakes to take home.  All ingredients used are gluten free, dairy free and peanut/tree nut free, and most are egg free as well. Please register for this class (WildFlours Gluten Free Group: Baking for Spring) at the St. Charles Park District website.

You can also find out more information about this class on our GFGroup page. Hope to see you there!

Happy Valentines Day!  I hope you have a great day celebrating those you love.  I made these fun gluten free, nut & dairy free truffles and orange cream candies for my loved ones…  just sweet enough to remind them how great they are to me!!  xoxo to my crew.

Orange Cream Candy Meltaways

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup coconut oil, slightly melted
• 1/4 cup coconut cream (also called coconut manna)
• 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract (sugar free)
• zest of 1/2 small orange
• 2 tsp agave syrup
• 1 Tbls coconut sugar (or more depending on desired sweetness)
• mini muffin cups (about 12)

Method:

• Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.
• The mixture will be creamy but not thick.
• Pour 1 Tablespoon of the mixture into a mini muffin cup.  Repeat until all the cream mixture is used up.
• Refrigerate or freeze until ready to enjoy.  Serve cold as these will melt at room temperature!

Best Superbowl Appetizer: GF Asian BBQ Wings!

I hope you had a great time with friends and family this past weekend for the Superbowl.  It is always a time of fun competition with friends and fun foods for our family.  This year, the winning appetizer was this great BBQ chicken wing recipe that I had from years past.  I adapted it to be gluten free… What a crowd pleaser it was!  We served the wings with extra Asian dipping sauce, celery sticks and bacon dip.  Here’s the recipe for you to enjoy as well!

GF Asian Style BBQ Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg chicken wings (about 20 pieces), cut each wing at the joint for small pieces (save the tips for soup stock)
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup oil and vinegar dressing (1/4 cup olive oil, 1/8 cup vinegar, salt and pepper)
• 1 cup brown rice flour or equivalent gluten free flour blend without xanthan gum
• 1/2 tsp salt, pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
• 1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbls gluten free soy sauce or (our favorite is San-J GF Tamari)
• 1 Tbls sesame oil
• Zest of 1 orange
• Juice of 1 orange
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 Tbls corn starch or arrowroot starch mixed with 1 Tbls water
• 1 Tbls honey
• red pepper flakes (optional and to taste)
• Celery sticks

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Set aside.
2. Marinate the cut wing pieces in the oil and vinegar dressing for about an hour or overnight in the refrigerator.
3. Mix the gluten free flour with the salt and pepper.  Then, toss the marinated chicken wing parts in the flour to coat.  Place evenly on the prepared baking sheet.  Bake the wing pieces in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes.  Rotate the pan and bake an additional 20 minutes or until crispy.
4. Once the wings come out of the oven, place the baking sheet on a rack to cool.
5. Prepare the sauce:  In a small sauce pot set over medium-low heat, combine the rice wine vinegar, sugar, garlic, GF soy sauce, sesame oil, orange zest and juice and grated ginger.  Bring the mixture to a low simmer stirring frequently.  Once the mixture boils, turn down the heat and add the corn starch/water mixture.  Bring the sauce back to a simmer.  Cook until the desired thickness and remove from the heat.  Stir in the honey and pepper flakes if using. Reserve about a 1/4 cup of the sauce for dipping.
6. Place the cooked wing pieces into a large bowl, add your hot sauce and toss to coat.  Serve immediately with reserved sauce and celery pieces!

This last weekend we shared some game day favorite appetizers that are fun for any playoff party at our WildFlours GF Group event.  We discussed how cross contamination can make it hard for those on a gluten and allergy free diet to enjoy foods that should otherwise be free from problematic proteins.  Potato skins are usually off limits for those on a gluten free diet due to restaurant chefs frying the already baked skins in the same oil they use to fry other gluten containing foods.  This method gives the potato skins a nice crispy texture; however, they are then contaminated with gluten proteins due to the oil being used to fry other foods such as batter dipped chicken and veggies.

Some other ideas we shared for appetizers that can be potential allergy risks are:

• pizza bites: made with gluten free pizza crusts by pressing the dough into a greased muffin tin and add your favorite dairy free cheese
• chili: believe it or not, often chili is thickened with gluten containing grains or may even contain peanut butter, so always ask for ingredients before assuming chili is safe
• chips and dip: make your own version of salsa or popular ranch dressing dips (such as Living Withouts BLT Dip); then, serve with regular potato chips, corn tortilla chips, and gluten free crackers to give a variety but keep cross contamination from gluten containing chips off the table

With Superbowl XLVII fast approaching, here is my recipe for potato skins that you can feel great about sharing with the rest of your crowd on game day!

Gluten and Dairy Free Potato Skins

Ingredients:

• 5-7 Baking potatoes, washed and dried
• 4 Tbsp of olive oil, divided
• Salt and pepper
• Dash of paprika
• 1 clove garlic, crushed (or more if you prefer)
• 1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese (use rice parmesan cheese for dairy free)

Toppings:

• Cheese of your choice (I use Galaxy’s Cheddar Rice Shredds)
• GF Bacon, cooked until crispy and then chopped fine
• Green onions
• Tomatoes, diced
• Jalapeno Peppers, sliced thin (optional – seeds removed for less heat)
• Salsa (optional)
• Sour Cream (optional) (use Tofutti Sour Cream for dairy free)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Toss cleaned potatoes in 1 Tbls olive oil to coat and place on prepared baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper.  Bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, until tender.
3. Remove potatoes from the oven and cool until easy to touch.
4. When cool enough to handle, slice the potatoes in half and scoop out the centers leaving enough potato to create a “bowl” for your toppings.  Place prepared potatoes, cut side up, back onto the baking sheet.
5. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Mix the remaining oil and seasonings together.  Brush onto the potatoes.
6. Bake the potato skins for 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and add your toppings beginning with the cheese.
7. Return the potato skins back to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes, just until the cheese melts and begins to bubble or brown.
8. Remove from the oven and serve with sour cream and/or salsa on the side.

To find out more, check out our meeting information at GFGroup!

I hope to see you:

Sunday, January 20th

3pm – 4:30 pm

Hickory Knolls Discovery Center in St. Charles!

*Please make sure that all recipes are gluten and nut free.  Recipes free from other common allergens are always welcome as well!  Thank you!

Gluten Free Donuts for the New Year!

Happy New Year!  I trust that you had a blessed Christmas and safe passage into 2013!  My children gifted me with a donut pan and a beautiful new cutting board this Christmas.  So, I decided it best to ring in the new year with some donuts.  I have made donuts often, gluten and dairy free (remember the Cider Donut Holes!).  I used the same recipe that I have in the past, substituting buttermilk (or coconut milk mixed with 1 Tbls apple cider vinegar), for the apple cider.  These turned out really amazing in the new donut pan as you can see!  I highly recommend it… no more heating oil and fiddling to keep the temperature just right.  Besides, these keep a perfect shape!  We ended up dusting some with powdered sugar (corn starch free) and glazing others with a coconut milk/powdered sugar glaze to keep them dairy free. 

The end of 2012 was quite busy for us.  Our Annual Christmas Cookie Exchange was as awesome as ever.  It is such a blessing to head home with a few dozen Christmas cookies that I did not have to make myself.  If you missed it, please plan on coming next year!  I am really looking forward to more meetings at Hickory Knolls Discovery Center this year.  I hope you can join us this month as we plan for the Superbowl with “Big Game Fare… Gluten and Allergy Free”.

One common theme I noticed at the end of 2012 is just how many people are impacted by gluten intolerance.  It has been quite incredible to see the acceptance of gluten free foods in restaurants, with chefs, at schools, and on grocery store shelves.  Now more than ever, it has become so much easier to find items that are safe for those on a gluten/allergy free diet that are wholesome and really good.  Sure, there are those out there that are just negative about a change in diet.  I get that and have had to listen to many complaints.  The biggest challenge when switching to a gluten free diet is embracing new textures and flavors without “looking back” on what food used to be like.  I coach others all the time to take small steps if they can and not to expect too much.  When you are really ready to make the commitment for your health, a world of new and wonderful foods await!

Recently, I read the forward to the cookbook “The Gluten-Free Table“ (by the Lagasse sisters) written by renowned chef Emeril Lagasse.  His words flew off the page at me as he described his emotions upon finding out that his daughters have celiac disease and then how he began to embrace the change they must make in his own kitchen.  This very well known chef wrote “I’ve seen food trends come and go during my years as a chef, but I’m here to tell you that this is no trend, folks; this is a serious reality for people living with gluten intolerance and celiac disease.”  Wow!  I can not tell you how many times I have tried to convey those exact words to someone struggling with this dietary change… this deal is here for keeps!  His words brought a lot of hope and encouragement to me as I seek to help others.  It has been my passion for ten years now… not just to feed my children and keep them healthy, not just for my own well being… but to help others find their way back into their kitchens after the reality of dietary change sets in.  I am so grateful that God has used me as his vessel in this ministry to reach others in their time of need.  I look forward to many more years to come!

As for 2013, I resolve to keep testing, trying and baking the best gluten and allergy free foods that I know how!  May it be a great and blessed year!

Merry Christmas!

Matthew 1:23