Zucchini Almond Muffins/Zucchini Almond Bread (Gluten-Free/Dairy Free)

If your garden runneth over with the bounty of summer zucchini, this is a great way to use them. I like to grate any extra zucchini as the season goes on and freeze it in 2- and 4-cup portions so it is all ready to go when I want to bake.  Also, that way I have garden zucchini muffins all year long! Zucchini also works great roasted and pureed into a zucchini sauce.  On the outside chance your family is a touch *particular* about green things, then using zucchini puree is definitely a good option.  As an aside, you can also substitute zucchini puree in lots of recipes where you would use apple sauce. 

I actually find that they work better with frozen/thawed zucchini because the zucchini releases so much water when it thaws.  That way these aren't all greasy like so many zucchini muffins and zucchini breads are with the water left in the mixture to repel the oil out of the muff.

Flour note: My favorite GF flour is a homemade combo of freshly ground buckwheat groats combined with any mix of garbanzo/brown rice/amaranth/sorghum/teff.  Of course you could use gluten/wheat flour of any kind here, just omit the ground chia. 

Recipe Sub notes: I have had great success cutting back oil and subbing in apple sauce, pumpkin or pureed squash and yam.  Also grated carrot works really well in place of zucchini if you like.  Any sugar will work but I love the caramel-y flavor that the coconut sugar lends. Coconut oil could be used in place of the olive oil but I'm just not a big fan of the flavor of coconut oil in my baked goods. You might love it!

Zucchini Almond Muffins (or bread)  

• 2C  flour (any type you want- see note for GF) 
• 1C  almond flour or almond meal 
• 2Tbl  ground chia seeds
• 1Tbl  baking powder
• 1tsp  cinnamon
• 1/2tsp baking soda 
• 1/2tsp sea salt  
• 1/2C  olive oil (or coconut oil)
• 3/4C coconut sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2C almond milk
• 2C grated zucchini

 Optional: 1/2 cup mini choc chips, blueberries, nuts or the like

Directions
Preheat oven to 350deg. Grease either 4 mini loaf pans, 12 muffins or 24 mini-muffin tins.

In large bowl, whisk all dry ingredients together thoroughly.

In separate bowl whisk together the oil, sugar, eggs and milk- then mix in the zucchini.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, then fold in your optionals if using.  Scoop the batter into your pans or muffin tins and bake!

Mini loaf ~35 min
Muffins ~22 min
Mini Muff~12 min

This recipe adapted from Zucchini Almond Bread in Nourishing Meals; Healthy Gluten-Free Recipes for the Whole Family. 

Full size muffs with blueberries and grated zucchini

Mini muff with pureed zucchini and chips, also delish!

Almond Date Bars (gluten-Free/Dairy-Free)

These bars are so decadent tasting!  I am typically loath to deal with chopping and mixing dates due to the high-maintenance nature of the beast, but here I can't get enough.  I find that if I chop them and toss them in the dry mix a bit, then it is easier to use my hands to just break them up a bit.  Heck, this might even make a near-Paleo list if you wanted to get so ambitious to sub in coconut for the oats or something crazy like that.  I have played around with lots of variations in the wet ingredients and all are delish- subbing applesauce for part of the oil and/or part of the honey, agave or coconut syrup for honey.... all good!  Might have to try subbing in some pumpkin next with extra spices. 

These hold up well to freezing for later, but it is critical to make a double batch to allow for this practice, otherwise you wont have enough.  I am amazed at how many of those little crumbs keep needing to be pinched up and gobbled as I walk past the pan.  Suddenly there is only an odd sized piece left, and it always needs to be squared up....  I also imagine that this could be used as a mighty-healthy option for a crumble topping on an apple crisp.   

These have been adapted from a recipe by Deb Perelman from the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook for Almond Date Breakfast Bars.  A great cookbook cover to cover!


Almond Date Bars

• 1 cup chopped dried pitted dates
• 1 1/4 cup rolled oats 
• 3 Tbs flour (I use my AP gluten-free flour blend, any type will do)
• 1/3 cup flax meal
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced almonds
• 1/2 tsp salt (scant tsp)
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 1/4 oil (see note above)
• 1/4 honey
• 1/8 tsp almond extract

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350deg and line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper. 
2. Mix together all of the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl.
3. Whisk together all of the wet ingredients in a small bowl (I just measure them all together in a 2c glass measuring pitcher for ease of clean up).
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mix and stir very well to make sure all is well coated, then pour into your prepared pan.  Smash it down hard, pressing into all of the corners and such.  This will help it all stick together later so make sure it is well smushed.
5. Bake the bars 20-25 minutes until browned around the edges and top a bit, then cool completely on wire rack in the pan.

Note: It is best to completely cool before trying to lift out or they may crack a bit, forcing you to perform the aforementioned crumble clean up. Cut into squares and enjoy!

(avocado) Chocolate Pudding Pops! (Gluten-free/Dairy-free)

It is HOT here in Seattle and these are a healthy fudgesicle  must.  I was a little unsure how well they would freeze but they were great!  I would also even make this recipe and just enjoy it as pudding or double it and chill it for a no-bake chocolate pudding pie.  I used the 4-oz cheapo pop makers from Safeway or something- you can use anything you have.  Even pour the mix into ice-cube trays and use tooth pics or Popsicle sticks if you don't have the molds.  

Avocado Pudding Pops (makes 4 3-4oz pops)

• 2T Cocoa (or Cacao) powder
• 2T Agave
• 1/2 soft avocado
• 1/2 cup silken tofu
• 1/4 cup milk (I used almond milk)

Directions
Put all ingredients into food processor or blender and puree until very smooth.  Pour into Popsicle molds and freeze.  


Happy Summer!

Healthy Delicious Brownies (Gluten Free/Dairy Free/Grain-Free/Refined Sugar-Free)

These brownies haven't lasted more than 24 hours in our house.  As you will see, they are quite appropriate for breakfast and snacks so they are never long for the world.  And in this house where my oldest kiddo won't eat protein, this is oh, so satisfying!  These are so fast to make and (I think this is a good thing) not too rich.  The recipe I adapted this from used just nuts and no garbs, but I think the texture benefits from the addition of the beans giving it a more moisturefull crumb.  They are a bit reminiscent of Chocolate Chip Blondies.  I Recommend getting enough ingredients to make two batches because they will go fast.

Killer Brownies

• 1cup raw walnuts or pecans (or try almonds and let me know!)
•  ⅓ cup cocoa powder 
• ½ teaspoon baking soda 
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt 
• 1cup garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained 
• 2 large eggs 
• ½ cup maple syrup 
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• Optional (not optional)- 2-4 Tbls mini semi-sweet choc chips

Directions
 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 x 8-inch glass baking dish.

Place the nuts into a food processor fitted with the “s” blade. Process until very finely ground, stopping just before they turn into nut butter. Then add the remaining dry ingredients and pulse again to combine. Add the rest of the ingredients and process again until smooth. You will still have tiny bits of nuts visible- this is OK even if you are a nut-in-your-brownie type like me.

Pour batter into baking dish. Spread evenly into pan with a rubber spatula or spoon and sprinkle on and lightly swirls in the chips if using. Bake for 25 minutes. Cool for about 20 minutes before slicing.

Adapted from The Nourishing Meals Cookbook by Alissa Segersten and Tom Malterre, MS,  CN

Roasted Garbanzo Beans with Nutritional Yeast (Gluten/Dairy free)

This is a new twist on an old favorite. It was over a year ago that I originally wrote about Roasted Garbanzo Beans and our consumption has not changed around here except for a slight hiccup during my first trimester when all-things-not-hot-and-sour-soup were off the list.  Since clearing that hurdle, we are all in again.  I rarely deviate from my favorite mix of Old Bay seasoning and Curry powder, but on a whim the other day, I used some Nutritional Yeast I had in the drawer and it was DYNAMITE! 

I keep hoping I will magically drum up the courage to make Nutritional Yeast 'cheese' sauce, but somehow I just keep forgetting.  I know it is all the rage in vegan cheese sub-in's but I am a little scared.  Mostly because its called nutritional yeast. I mean, really.  The name's a little rough.  Even so, its delicious on popcorn, so it must be delicious on garbs, right? 

Because of the shear volume of consumption of these around here, I always make these from dry beans, but you can use canned beans if you want, just try for a lesser sodium brand and start in step 2.

Roasted Garbanzo Beans (preheat oven to 425)

• 1lb dry garbanzo beans or 2 cans, drained and rinsed
• 2-4tbls olive oil (use how much you want or are comfortable with, I just drizzle it out of my bottle and coat the garbs)
• ~1/2tsp salt
• ~1/4tsp freshly ground pepper
• ~1/4cup Nutritional Yeast

Directions
1. Toss your dry garbs in a pot of water with at least 3 inches water over the top of the beans and bring to boil, then simmer gently for about 2 hours, then drain. 

2. In small/medium bowl, toss the garbanzos with the oil, then add the S, P and NY.  Spread the beans in a single layer out on a cookie sheet and roast approximately 25-35 minutes, stirring and flipping them every 10  minutes or so.  They should generally be firmly chewy when done.  I like it when I occasionally over cook a batch and have garbanzo nuts, but Mike and I differ there...

* You could very easily make these and a batch of Chocolate Chip Blondies and be set with a delicious power snack combo.

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (Gluten-free/Dairy-free)

These super tasty muffins and packed with great sustaining protein and fats making them a perfect quick breakfast.  Also they ridiculously easy to make!  Even my peanut butter loathing daughter thinks they are delish.  However, after the first bite of the first batch, she and Mike bit into their muffs and immediately made haste to the kitchen to manually apply chocolate chips.  Clearly they were correct in their assessment and thus, this recipe strongly suggests the chip application.  Also, in the first batch I made, instead of 2 bananas, I used one banana and about 3/4c left-over cooked oatmeal from these muffins made last week.  I liked them that way, but most of you will enjoy more banana I suppose.  I also like to add a couple of tablespoons of ground flax for lots of reasons- great nutrition, fiber and such- but also flax and psyllium husk are great additions to gluten-free baked goods as they help with the binding that gluten otherwise provides as well as help bind in moisture.  Your option to add or not, they are fine either way.

Ingredients:

• 1c Peanut butter (Natural)
• 4 lg eggs
• 2 bananas (see note above)
• 1/4c maple syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 Tbsp coconut flour (really any flour should work)
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
• (optional) 2T ground flax seeds/psyllium husk 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.  Blend all ingredients except chips in food processor until smooth.  Mix in chips, then divide evenly between 12 muffin tins and cook for ~25 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy! 

Honey Lemon Raspberry Jam (low-sugar)

I haven't made jam in several years, but am delighted to say I made a tasty batch tonight!  I remember the first time I made jam years ago being shocked that the recipes I looked at called for more sugar than berries!  Back then I found a Pectin product (Sure-Jel maybe?) that allowed for low-sugar recipes and it has worked well for me over the years.  Yesterday I went looking on the web for low-sugar raspberry jam recipes and found that Pomona's Universal Pectin is all the rage and pretty much seems to be the new gold standard of low-sugar/no-sugar jam recipes.  I was highly skeptical I would find it, but sure enough it was at the local QFC when I looked for it!  Tonight I made a small batch of jam from some berries picked from Auntie Bert's crop and was a little short on numbers, so I augmented with some organic strawberries I had in the fridge.  I think it came out dynamite and am just not sure if it will get more use on toast or vanilla ice cream.....

I am going to put up my recipe that I used for this batch tonight, but link to another website that I thought gave excellent instructions on how to make the jam and what you need to get prepared.

Some jamming MacGyver notes: I don't have a jam funnel, so I made one up of rolled up tin foil with a wide mouth to fit in the jam jar.  Worked great!  Furthermore, I don't have any actual canning pots so I fill my deepest pot of water and line the bottom with the tops of my box grater!  Any metal thing will to that keeps some space between the bottom of the pot and your jars so they don't get too hot.

Honey Lemon Raspberry Jam

• 4 cups mashed berries
• 1/2-3/4 cup honey (my berries were pretty tart to start, so I went with 3/4)
• 2-3 tsp fresh lemon juice\
• 2 tsp pectin powder
• 2 tsp calcium water
• A boiling pot of water or canner (see note above)

Directions
Please link to this page on the Foods For Long Life blog for great directions!

Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins (Gluten/Dairy free/adaptable)

When I made my first batch of these the other week, I thought Mike was going to float off the ground.  I mean, don't get me wrong, Mia was pretty pumped for the choco chips and all, but my husband after the first (of 4) muffins....."MMM!!  Oh!  These have to go on the blog."  (pause, one more muffin)  .." MMM!  and make sure to tell them that you used cooked oats. You used cooked oats, right?"  And so on.  For those of you who don't know my husband, he is a man of few words.  For those of you who do know him, you probably don't even believe me, but these are actual quotes with actual accentuation to them.  He was even (after the 3rd batch or so about 3 days later) prompted to send me a cherishably,  rare mid-day text stating "what are the odds the last two will be here when you get back from work?".  I'm pretty sure I'm on to something here.  Never mind that they are absolutely delicious for big and small peeps, totally packed with goodness, full of whole grains, no refined sugar and suuuuper easy and fast to make.  I think I timed it at 20 minutes from first measure to out of the oven, as long as your oats are cooked already. 

If you make the gluten-free version, depending on your flour choice, these could seriously be practically a complete meal- just missing maybe 1/4 cup of squash puree or something and they would be perfect.  Use some brown rice and bean flour, fruit?  Jim Gaffigan would agree, these are truly Muffin Vitamins.

Banana Choc Chip Oatmeal Muffins
(preheat oven to 400deg)
1c cooked oats
1egg (or flax egg)
1Tb melted butter or coconut oil
1/2 c milk (I use almond milk)
4Tb liquid sweetener- I typically use Maple syrup
1tsp vanilla
1-1/2c flour (any kind is fine, I use a mix of garb, brown rice, tap starch and sorghum)*
1Tb baking powder
1tsp salt
4T mini choc chips (1/4c)
1 banana chopped very finely

* if using GF flours, I use 1tsp ground psyllium husk or 1Tb ground flax.  Often I use some flax as a part of the flours anyway)

Directions:Mix dry ingredients together.  In separate bowl, mix the wet stuff then combine it all together.  Scoop 2oz (I use ice cream scooper) into 24greased or lined mini-muffin tins and bake for about 12 minutes.  

Consider making extra oatmeal to make the next batch tomorrow.

You may also want to add other nuts and dried fruit and such to your muffs if that is your thing.  It is most certainly NOT mine, but I know your type.
If you want to make regular sized muffins, this will probably make about 8-12 muffs, depending on how much you fill the tins.  Cook for maybe 18-22 min?

2oz ice cream scoop is magic!

Muffin and child to scale.

Crispy Granola Bars (gluten-free/dairy-free)

This recipe came out of a recent need to have granola in the house.  As a recovering child of a hippie, granola wasn't actually a staple- it was considered junk food.  Right along with Grape Nuts and other shocking foods of the like.  Don't get me wrong- it isn't lost on me that I resent all of the organic whole foods and recycling that my mom thrust upon me decades before it was cool- yet I have wholly embraced it as a person and parent.  I just have to live with that.  Anyway, for some reason I have just been craving granola.  A good friend of mine, (Our CarolMerrill), gave me a recipe a year or so back and I finally got to making it.... then Cooks Illustrated put Granola in their recent issue and I felt it was a sign.  As with many things Cooks Illustrated, it sounds great but there are just too many steps to make it perfect- So basically this is a recipe inspired by CI and friends, then a recipe gone wrong in a very yummy way. 

Crispy Granola Bars

• 2c reg oats
• 1/4c coarse flour- oat flour or almond flour work great
• 1/2c crispy (brown) rice cereal(whole foods has a good 365 brand for pretty cheap)
• 1/4tsp salt
• 1tsp vanilla
• 1/4c nut butter of your delight (see note)
• 1/4c sweetie: I used 2T agave and 2T maple syrup
• semi-optional: 2-4T mini chocolate chips 
• optional: 1-2T flax meal, 1T chia seeds or what ever you love to add (nuts, seeds, dried fruit....).  

Nut butter note: my favorite has been to use Sunflower Butter or Almond Butter because of their mild flavor.  When I have made these with Peanut Butter, I have simply found them too Peanut Buttery if you know what I mean.  Mike loved them that way but he is funny like that.

Directions: (Preheat oven to 350deg)
1. Mix dry stuff in one bowl
2. Mix wet stuff together in a separate bowl (as with the Breakfast Cookies, I just build it in a wet ingredient measuring cup)
3. Mix together and smash the heck out of them into a parchment lined pan (really smash them) and cook ~10-12 minutes depending upon if you want a chew or crunch factor.
4.  Let cool for 15-20 minutes before cutting.

Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookies (Gluten-free/Dairy-free)

So these are basically granola bar drops or something.  They will pass as a cookie if they have to (say, if you are trying to get healthy food into your kids *ahem*) but they really are a nutritional snack (and therefore totally OK to eat if, say,  you have given up sweets and treats for Lent as some folks I know).  They are ridiculously easy to make,  totally packable and a great bite to keep you going in a pinch.  The 'recipe' below is absolutely just a suggested combination of ingredients. I would certainly encourage you to add nuts if you like, add dried cranberries, coconut, whatever. Clearly, the above batch was greatly helped by Mia this morning who felt strongly about having goldfish, O's and Honey Sunshine included.  I was just happy they didn't burn, but can't possibly imagine how unpleasantly soggy those fish will be tomorrow. 

I typically just literally pile everything into my 2c wet measuring cup, just adding stuff as I go- start with the applesauce, add peanut butter, then just dump it all in after that, adjusting the oats or whatever I choose to plop into them as I see fit to have the mix the consistency I like.  I am not one who likes much moisture in my foods, so I tend to put more oats and such in to keep them dry and cook them a long time.  If you prefer a more moistureful item, go a little scant on the oats and take them out a few minutes earlier.  I actually tend to keep them out on the counter uncovered to dry and stale out a bit.  I have issues.

Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookies

• 1/2c unsweetened applesauce (our mix of applesauce, mashed banana &/or squash puree is good, too)
• 1/4c nut butter of your liking
• 1/4tsp cinnamon
• 1/2tsp vanilla
• 1/8tsp salt
• 1Tbls sugar, agave or maple syrup
• 3T raisins (I greatly prefer currants here)
• 3/4-1cup whole oats
• 2-3Tbls mini chocolate chips (optional, but really....)

Directions (preheat oven to 350deg)
As I said above, I just dump all of the ingredients into a 2c measuring pitcher and mix.  I would mix the nut butter and and applesauce first to get it well combined, then add the rest and adjust to your taste.  Then drop in 1oz/1Tbls blobs on a parchment lined cookie sheet and cook 18-20 minutes.  Let cool a few minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool.

Adapted from this recipe at Chocolate Covered Katie.

Roasted Garbanzo beans (Chickpea poppers)

These have become somewhat of a problem around here.  Mike and I are going through them extremely quickly- like 1-2 cans a day - he says they taste like fried chicken.  I finally got around to making some from dry beans to have a little more say in the salt factor, cut costs and get away from the BPA in the cans with the rate we were consuming them!  At any rate, these are delicious, easy to make and very versatile.  Any kid except mine should love these.  They make a great packable snack full of great fiber and protein and are much more satisfying than other snacks I seem to stuff my face with until I feel some sense of fullness.  I have fallen love with making them using curry powder &/or Old Bay, but you can use any spice you think of that sounds tasty. 

If you are using canned garbanzo beans, keep an eye on the amount of sodium used in the brand you are choosing.  I have found they vary wildly and can quickly veer away from being quite as nutritious when you are eating 2g of sodium in a sitting.  Like baking with butter, I think it is best to use unsalted or lowest salted then add your spices as you like it. I will include a note about cooking your own from scratch below, but out of convenience, the recipe is written for canned.

Roasted Garbanzo Beans (preheat oven to 425)

• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed*
• ~1tsp-2tbls olive oil (use how much you want or are comfortable with, I just drizzle it out of my bottle and coat the garbs)
• ~1/2tsp salt
• ~1/4tsp freshly ground pepper
• ~1tsp optional spice (curry, Old Bay, smoky paprika, cumin....)

Directions
In small/medium bowl, toss the garbanzos with the oil, then add the spices you want.  Spread the beans in a single layer out on a cookie sheet and roast approximately25-35 minutes, stirring and flipping them every 10  minutes or so.  They should generally be firmly chewy when done.  I like it when I occasionally over cook a batch and have garbanzo nuts, but Mike and I differ there...

*If cooking from dry beans, simply toss your dry garbs in a pot of water with at least 3 inches water over the top of the beans and bring to boil, then simmer gently for about 2 hours, then drain.  I found that when I did it this way vs. from canned beans, they cooked a little more quickly and were a little crunchy, more like corn nuts.  You could very easily make these and a batch of Chocolate Chip Blondies and be set with a delicious power snack combo.

MOST IMPORTANTLY:  YOU MUST TRY THESE TOSSED WITH THE TUSCAN KALE SALAD!!!

I don't want to sell this smoked salmon wonder salad short, but the Kale salad truly is over the moon.  I just lost my pictures with a computer crash.  boo.

Gingerbread Cut-outs (Wheat-free/Dairy-Free)

Gingerbread cookies are my absolute favorite.  I have never made them before this year because I am almost blinded with resentment of the refrigeration step.  This process is so ridiculous, so heinous, that I simply have never made them.  There is just something about thinking "mmm, I'm going to make some cookies" and "Oh, wait, let's not even think about eating them until tomorrow" that is ... well, you get it.  Anyway, this year I have had an attitude adjustment called 'raising a toddler'.  In this complicated step of life, one reevaluates what one defines as fun and thinks "hey, that might be fun to make them at night and then we can cut them out tomorrow!" in addition to many other redefining moments, of course.  Plus, I clearly under use my Kitchen Aid mixer, as this machine basically makes cookies on its own with a bit of coaching.  All of these years.  Anyway, I was right.  It was totally fun to cut them out and play with Mia doing the cookies once I got through the rolling out process which nearly broke me- but only because I skipped that silly step of rolling it out before refrigerating it.  Incidentally, I don't recommend you skip that step.

So this recipe was adapted from a recipe in The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook (yes, I adapted a perfectly good GF recipe and added gluten), so you could easily replace the spelt flours with your favorite GF flour and 1tsp xanthan gum if you like.  These cookies have great flavor, are super soft with a just-right chew and were exactly what I wanted, especially since this was  my first foray into baking with spelt.  Good stuff.  Low sugar, much lower in fat than typical cookies and great ingredients with the whole grain flour and molasses make them right good mama/toddler snacks.

Spelt Gingerbread Cut-out Cookies

• 3-3/4c Spelt flour (I used 2c reg and 1.75c white spelt)
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tbls ground cinnamon
• 1 Tbls ground ginger
• 1 Tbls ground cloves
• 1/2 c vegetable shortening, cut into about 8 pieces
• 1/2 unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 light agave nectar
• 1/4c plus 2Tbls molasses

Directions
1.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flour mix, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves.  Mix on low speed until combined, about 30 sec.  Stop the mixer and add the bits of shortening and the applesauce, then mix on low speed for about 1-1/2 minutes or until consistency of fine meal.

2.  With the mixer still running, add the agave and molasses, mixing until thoroughly combined, about 20 more seconds.  (if you use a food processor instead, add ingredients in order mentioned, process for about 10 seconds per step)

3.  Lay out two large sheets of parchment paper on your work surface.  Using spatula, divide the dough evenly between the two sheets.  Cover each with another large parchment sheet and roll out with rolling pin until ~1/4" thick.
4.  Wrap in plastic and transfer the dough in the parchment paper to the fridge until completely chilled, preferably overnight or at least a few hours. 

5.  Preheat oven to 350.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

6.  Remove one dough from the fridge and peel back one sheet of parchment paper, then replace it and flip the dough over.   Remove the new top sheet of parchment paper and start cutting shapes!

7.  Transfer cut shapes onto baking sheet about 1" apart and bake on center rack for ~10 minutes.  If you like, you can use raisins and such before baking to decorate.

8.  Save all scraps around your cut-outs and re-roll for more cookies as many times as you like.

9.  Let cookies cool completely if you plan to decorate with your favorite frosting.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies of mixed sizes.  A pretty big batch if you ask me.

This video was made while making some GF snickerdoodles to post another time, but is clearly an excellent alternative mixing method.

Banana Applesauce Muffins (Gluten & Dairy-free adaptable)

Actually, I made these into mini muffins.  The mini muffin is a curious item.  So cute and tasty, anyone would want to pop one in.  Or six.  Thankfully, Mia is no different from the rest of us in this department.  A muffin is a fabulous way to pack a billion tasty and nutritious things into a tiny package and feel good about what  you are selling and who you are selling it to.  The mini muffin just makes it easier. 

I didn't put any grated zucchini or carrot in these today out of sheer laziness, but you certainly could add a cup or more in when you mix the batch together.

And a note on gluten-free here.  Never before has gluten free shined brighter than in the quick-bread.  Really.  Any quick-bread recipe you read always says to 'not over mix' or 'mix just until dry ingredients are wet' and such.  This is so you don't over activate the natural gluten in typical flour.  With gluten-free flours, you can go to town and skip the xanthan gum.  They turn out great!

Banana Applesauce Muffins

• 2 cups flour (you choose your type*)
• 1tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup sugar (I used 1/4c brown sugar & 1/4c agave syrup)
• 1/3 cup milk or vegetable oil (I used almond milk)
• 1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbls lemon juice
• 1 cup mashed banana
• 2/3 cup apple sauce
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

* for my gluten-free flour today, I mixed 1/2 cup each buckwheat, garbanzo, brown rice flour with 1/2c potato starch.  You can use what ever you want here!

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350deg.

2.  Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk together well to fully blend.

3.  In separate bowl (I just use a 3 cup wet measuring cup), mix all wet ingredients together, then pour the wet mix into the dry ingredients and combine.  Again, if you are using standard flour, avoid over mixing.  Gluten-free?  mix it up. 

4.  Pour into greased muffin tins (or papers). See cooking times/amounts below:

Makes:
42 mini-muffs (filled cups), cook 11-13 minutes
14-16 standard sized muffs, cook 20-22 minutes
1 loaf pan, cook maybe 45-55 min?

Let cool in pan 5-10 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Mini-muffin, shown to scale in my hands.  So darn cute!

Mia appraises her mini.  Again to scale.

No-Bake Oatmeal Cookie Balls (Gluten-free/Dairy-free)

These are tasty little numbers adapted from a recipe given to me by Mia's Naturopath, Dr. Molly Gray.  We love her and everyone else we have seen at their clinic.  Dr. Gray has been especially amazing in how she treats Mia like a full human and makes her visit there extremely positive and cooperative, vs. doing things to her whether Mia wants them or not.

So these were supposed to be a yummy treat that Mia would love to eat and just pack her with nutrients and such, but it turns out she wasn't into them.  Toddlers, right?  But me?  I absolutely loved them!  Being the food enthusiast/Physical Therapist that I am, I brought them to work and shared them with my colleague and about half of my patients and unanimously we all agreed that they were amazing!  To borrow from Cooks Magazine: "Tasters referred to them as 'delicious', 'abundently satisfying' and 'just right, such that you eat one and are completely sated'".  Really, try them for yourself if you have an extra 3 minutes to spare.  That is all it will take.  Bonus, these are the kind of thing that you could put just about anything into and in fact, I used the little bits of about 4 different types of nuts and trail mixes just to clean the cupboard. 

Oatmeal No-Bake Cookie Balls

• 1 cup whole oats (use certified gluten-free if needed)
• 1c mixed nuts (I used salted pumpkin seeds, walnuts, pecans and pine nuts)
• 4 dates, pitted
• 1/2-1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2-3 Tbls pure maple syrup

Directions
1) in food processor or blender, blend up the oats and nuts until they are finely chopped; add dates and blend until they are also finely chopped.

2) add vanilla and 2T syrup and pulse a few times to combine.  This will still be very coarse in presentation (see photo below).  Add more syrup as you see fit.

3) scoop up small hand fulls and smash into balls.

Pulsed without vanilla or maple syrup

with the vanilla and maple

 

too beautiful not to add a picture of them!  Reminds me of working on a Kibbutz many moons ago....



scoop up a handful....

and smash it into a ball!


Enjoy!!

Mango Banana Recovery Ice Cream (Dairy Free)

Are you running in the Rock & Roll Half/Full Marathon this weekend in Seattle?  If so, please do consider this as quite possibly the BEST recovery snack to have in your first 30 minutes after running to replenish your depleted nutritional resources.  Seriously, this is perhaps the most perfect post-race food and totally delightful at the same time. 

Not to mention the fun for me of finally talking my daughter into the fact that ice cream is delicious and fun, even though it is cold.  Hard to be ice cream without the cold part.  Anyway, now she is totally into it and I can take heart in the fact that this ice cream is full of fresh fruit and calcium rich almond milk and juice.  That's it!  Also, feel free to play with the fruit and juice you toss in to work with whatever is in your freezer.

Of course this is good for an everyday ice cream treat as well!

Mango Banana Recovery Ice Cream

1 banana, frozen in pieces
3/4 cup or so frozen mango pieces
2-4 Tbls Almond milk (or any other milk-type... rice, soy, cow....)
2-4 Tbls Orange Juice (optional)

Directions:

In high powered blender or food processor, toss in the banana and mango, then add a few tablespoons of  almond milk (I just put in a long drizzle).  Start the blender or food processor going and slowly add a tablespoon (or glug) at a time of milk and/or juice.  Use more milk to make it ice creamier and more juice to make it creamsickle-ey-er.  Then scoop it into your favorite delivery item.  Mia is a fan of the cone and they make perfectly good gluten-free cones to be had at any grocery store these days.  Or any other cone, or cup, or cookie....

Makes about 3 good sized servings.  I recommend immediate consumption for a good soft texture, but it does freeze well for later eating if for some unrecognizable reason you can't finish it all.

Beautifully smooth!

Can you argue with that?

Raspberry Oatmeal Bars (Gluten-free)

I am a huge fan of having guest bloggers here on Fawnalicious.  So far only Katie has with her fantastic Basque Red Bean Soup. I have been super busy lately getting the new PT clinic up and running so have barely had chance to cook for myself and the family, much less write about it.  So this brings us up to today's delicious recipe from the Great Auntie Bert.  Now, while everything that follows is her creation, this is my blog after all and therefore I get to take a moment to talk about her. 

Bert is a special friend, colleague, godmother and 'Auntie' to our daughter.   I hope beyond hope that anyone reading this has friends like her.  She is one of those friends that makes your life easier by just being a part of it.  Anyone who knows her is aware of the love and generosity she brings to those she spends time with.  She makes being a parent a little easier with each visit shared.  And now she comes through again with the following recipe which she happens to have talked big about for weeks now, but I have never tasted since they get gobbled up by anyone who comes close to them.  Now I will make them my darn self.


From Bert:

"This is a lovely treat, which is super easy and can be a little more sweet or less sweet depending on how you might choose to adapt it. It has been used a breakfast bar in a pinch, or a pre-exercise snack.

Prep time 10 min, bake time 30 min, and they freeze well~

Makes 16 bars

I am not a stickler for following recipes and this with this one you can get away with that behavior for sure!

Bert’s Gluten-free Raspberry Oatmeal Bars

• 1 1/4 cups gluten free flour
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats, divided
• 1 cup raspberry jam
• 1 large handful of choc chips 43% cacao (optional, although why wouldn’t you!)
• 1 medium handful of walnuts chopped, (optional)

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 9-inch-square baking dish with cooking spray.

2.Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in large bowl.

3.Cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla and almond extracts until smooth. Add flour mixture to butter mixture; mix until combined. Stir in 13/4 cups oats. Spread 2/3 of batter on bottom of prepared baking dish. Spread raspberry jam over the batter with back of spoon.

4.Add remaining 1/4 cup oats to remaining batter. Crumble over top of raspberry jam. Bake 30 minutes, or until golden. Cool, then cut into bars.

Bert's fav gluten-free AP flour blend

In the mix!

(adapted from many sources…..)"

Chocolate Chip Blondies (Gluten-free/Dairy-Free)

I was quite intrigued when I stumbled on this recipe the other day.  It looked tasty, but garbanzo beans?  Yes! I have been amazed at how delicious these are and how versatile.  The original recipe doesn't have oats in them and I found them to be a bit too Japanese-bean-cake-like for what I was going for, so I have added in oats along with a few other minor changes and like what they bring, although the day after I made the first batch, they were a much better texture.  The oats allow for immediate enjoyment, however.  And this is FAST!  I can have the batter made before the oven preheats.  Doesn't even cut into precious nap time barely at all.  Furthermore, this is the only way I can sneak peanut butter into the wee one and just about the only source of protein she eats anymore. 

 Chocolate Chip Blondies

• 1 1/2 cups garbanzo beans (1 can, drained and rinsed)
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• heaping 1/8 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup brown sugar* (less if you like, even Mia thinks 1/3-1/2c is fine)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 or so Tbls ground flax (optional but great for nutrition and texture)
• 1/4 cup peanut butter (or other oil or soft butter if not using nut butter)
• 1/4-1/3 cup chocolate chips ( I use mini chips because they go further)
• handful of oats (maybe ~1/4cup?) 
• splash of milk (I use almond milk.  love it) Maybe 2-4 Tbls?  See below

*coconut sugar works well in these as does raw sugar and the like

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Blend all ingredients except chips and oats until very smooth- I have used both a blender and a food processor.  Add the (almond) milk a small splash at a time into the blender to ease the mixing and lesson the chance of busting your blender (or your host's blender as the case may be).  Mix in chips and oats, and scoop into a greased or parchment lined 8×8 pan. Bake for 33-35 minutes.  I find that in the batches that I add oats to, the cooking time is on the shorter end.  Without the oats, they stay quite a bit gooey-er and need the longer end.  They will be super gooey when they first come out, but will firm up, so don't be tempted to overcook them!

(Note for amended recipe with milk: I find this really helps reduce the excessive gooey-ness, yets keeps it modestly moistureful).

Why wouldn't you just mix the oats and chips in the pan?

And why not a double batch?

Adapted from this recipe by "Chocolate Covered Katie"

Maple Syrup Oat Scones (Gluten-Free/Adaptable)

I saw this scone recipe a few weeks ago on the Smitten Kitchen website and pretty much rushed out and made them that day.  I have only made my gluten-free adaptation, but I imagine the original version as she posted was amazing as well.  The only downfall of the gluten-free version is that they don't rise as much, but anyone who eats gluten-free baked goods or bread knows this is the way it goes.  Also, I have this need to always cut some of the butter or oil from most of the baked goods I eat, so this also likely affected the fluff factor, as my version cut 1/3 of the fat.  Furthermore, I am constantly playing with different flours to increase the protein and nutrient value, so a simpler flour mix may also be lighter.  You choose!

We ate every last scone in an 18-hour period and I have just been too busy to make them again, or I would have made them a few more times since.  Mia loved them and not just because we had "scones for dinner" that night.  These will surely make a great addition to any Easter brunch or any regular breakfast (or dinner!) for that matter.

For the standard flour version, I will simply send you here for the original post that I adapted the following recipe from.

Gluten- free Maple Syrup Oat Scones (makes 8-10 scones)

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour, plus extra for dusting surface (or see below for the combination I used)
• 1/2 cup oat flour (see this recipe for how to make this flour if you don’t have it on hand, or use a different flour to substitute if you like)
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 very heaped tablespoon baking powder (very heaped)
• 1 very heaped tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 3/4 cup (unsalted butter, cut into pieces (I used 1/2c butter and 1/4c applesauce)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup milk or buttermilk (I used almond milk)
• 1 egg, beaten (for glaze) (I skipped this because I forgot- no big deal)

(Fawn’s GF flour combo: 1/3c buckwheat flour, 2.3c Tom Sawyer’s flour, 1/4c brown rice flour, 1/4c crushed pecans, 1/4c garbanzo flour)

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Butter a baking tray or line one with unbuttered parchment paper.

2. Whisk the flours, oats, baking powder, sugar and salt together in a large bowl. With a pastry blender or your fingertips, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. In a small dish, combine the milk and syrup, then add these liquid ingredients to the butter-flour mixture. By hand or with a rubber spatula, bring everything together to form a dough. If it feels too dry, add a little more milk but not enough that the dough is too, too sticky.  Remember that gluten-free baked goods will not have the same consistency of their gluten-full counterparts, so the dough will be much stickier here.

3. On a lightly floured surface, pat or roll the dough out until it is 1 1/4 inches (3 cm) tall. Using a 2-inch (5-cm) cutter, cut the dough into rounds and place them on the prepared tray so that they almost touch. Glaze the tops with beaten egg (or not)  and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the scones are lightly golden.

"heaping"!

Just use a glass to cut the scones if you don't have a biscuit cutter.  Delicious!