Life, Gluten Free

Cinnamon Crunch Cookies (Gluten-free + Dairy-free + Egg-free)

The cinnamon tree is grown for two years and then harvested by cutting it down nearly to the ground, leaving only a stump. After a year, about a dozen shoots will form from the stump. The bark is stripped off the shoots and left to dry. The inner bark is used, which slightly coil when dried, turning into cinnamon rolls. The rolls are cut into individual pieces before packaged to sell. Ground cinnamon is made by grinding the inner bark of the cinnamon tree. It's known for being beneficial for heart health and blood sugar regulation.

The thought of cinnamon creates a scene of autumn where the wind is howling through the nearly bare trees, leaves rustling on the ground. The windows in a house are open to let the cool autumn air in. Smells of sugar and spice are wafting from the oven, filled to the brim with pumpkin spice cookies. It's almost enough to make a girl want to make a costume out of dried leaves, go outside and dance in hopes for an early autumn. But no, I have to enjoy the thrills of summer. Sun on my skin, the prevailing green on the country side. The mountains rejoicing, for once, some of the snow is melted and the tips of some of the mountains are no longer freezing.

Luckily, cinnamon is like most other spices, very versatile. It is spicy, sweet and fragrant. It can be appreciated in any season.

Cinnamon Crunch Cookies

NO: gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, nuts

Ingredients:
1/2 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 sorghum flour
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup organic cane sugar
1/2 cup organic palm oil shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup organic coconut milk
water

Preparation:
Use two mixing bowls, one for dry ingredients and one for wet.
Add all of the dry ingredients and mix the together (minus the sugar).
In the other bowl, add the sugar and the wet ingredients and mix them together.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well.
Add 1-2 tablespoons of water and continue to mix.

Place cookies on a cookie sheet (not oiled) in your desired shape. Using cookie cutters is fun but not necessary. These cookies came out to be delightfully crunchy and chewy. If you're more into chewy, make them thicker.

Place in an oven that is preheated to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
Bake for 5 minutes and turn the pan.
Bake for another 5 minutes and turn the pan again.
Bake for an additional 4-5 minutes.
Depending on cookie size and oven variations, the cookies may bake at different speeds.
You can tell if the cookie is done because the edges will be brown and the top will be *lightly* brown.
Don't over bake.
Remove from pan with a spatula and place on another surface to cool.

The cookies didn't stick to the pan for me. I removed them almost immediately with a stainless steel spatula and they came up with no problem. They will stick if you let them set for too long without removing them from the cookie sheet.

You can roll these into small slightly compressed balls or use cookie cutters. The best way to use cookie cutters is to lightly dust a cutting board with coconut flour or flour of choice. Roll out the dough and use the cookie cutters. Keep rolling out the dough until you've used it all.

This recipe is versatile, you can add raisins or other ingredients to the batch as well. Maybe some chocolate chips :) Leave out the cinnamon and add other spices, too.

Sophie enjoying a cookie with some coconut milk

Worried about using organic cane sugar? Some people avoid it's use at home - like we used to do - but consume it in limited quantities when dining out or in a gluten-free packaged cookie. It's best in limited quantities for sure, but I've taken wisdom from those who say to never heat honey. That leaves you with only a few options, especially with allergies in the house. I'm not crazy about agave, especially since it's hydrogenated when processed. The best thing to do is use what sweetener feels right for you. I'm also not sure how these cookies would come out with a liquid sweetener but I'm willing to give it a try someday. Until then, we all need a little sugar and spice in our life sometimes!

-heather

Sophie's Sweet Sunday Morning Biscuits

There is something comforting about a warm biscuit topped with a large dollop of jam or honey. Growing up, I remember eating biscuits with all different kinds of soup. I've always thought of biscuits as not quite a cake and not quite a cookie. They're in-between, the unique one. We also make sweet biscuits with dried fruit, like cranberry, papaya or raisins. Of course, biscuits don't have to be sweet. But what fun is that?

1 cup coconut flour

1 cup sorghum flour

1/2 cup tapioca flour

1/2 cup potato starch

1 tablespoon dried organic cane sugar

3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon himalayan salt

6 tablespoons coconut oil (not melted)

1/2 cup coconut milk*

1/2 cup water (more if needed)

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

In a bowl, cut in all flours and other dry ingredients with the coconut oil until the mixture is course. As a cutter, use two knives or a biscuit cutter.

Add the liquids and stir with spoon and hands.

Dust a cutting board with sorghum flour.

Roll out the dough and cut to preferred size.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 25 minutes.

*We used the unsweetened coconut milk by soy delicious, but you can also use canned coconut milk. 

Makes enough biscuits for 3 adults and one hungry toddler to eat with breakfast and have a few left over. It also depends on what size you make them! Sorry, we didn't count how many :)

A biscuit topped with local organic plum jam.

These biscuits are a perfect addition to your breakfast, especially if you plan to go out afterwards and work in the yard! 

I am repenting my crime. I took too many photos!

-heather

Coconut Bliss Dairy-Free Ice Cream

As the summer months overtake spring and the sun casts its powerful rays, we naturally crave foods that are cooler and lighter. Thoughts turn to ice cream, popsicles and lemonade. But for people with allergies and other dietary restrictions, those treats are often forbidden. Coconut Bliss offers an option for those who are dairy-free, gluten-free and soy-free. The ice cream is also low glycemic because it is sweetened with agave.The ingredients are organic and they use organic fair-trade vanilla extract.

Want to win a free pint of Coconut Bliss? Check out Coconut Gal's blog and enter to win a free pint of your chosen flavor!

I'm also really excited about the upcoming Coconut Bliss Bars. If you want a creamy, tasty and healthy alternative to dairy free ice cream, then Coconut Bliss is right up your alley! 

 Indulge yourself in a treat!

-heather

Easy Dinner Pilaf with Cumin

This dish is even easier to create if you have some brown rice already cooked and in need of attention. I made this dish in about 10 to 15 minutes and it was really good.

Easy Dinner Pilaf with Cumin

NO: gluten, eggs, dairy, soy, nuts

Ingredients:

3 cups of cooked brown rice

3 carrots

5 scallions

1-2 cups of fresh spinach

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon herbamare

sea salt to taste (if you need more salt than the herbamare provides, or if you don't have herbamare)

Preparation:

Chop the carrots and scallions and start sauteing them in olive oil. 

Chop the spinach and add it to the carrots and scallions. 

After the vegetables are almost done, add the brown rice. 

Stir well and then add the spices and mix all the ingredients thoroughly.

This goes well served with a nice side salad. After a weekend of festivities, I needed something simple and nourishing :)

-heather

Ener-G Pizza Crust Review

We made pizzas with the Ener-G 10 inch PIzza Crust. We also made some pizzas for Sophie with the Energ-G 6 inch Yeast-Free Pizza Crust. The yeast-free one doesn't have sunflower oil, while the one with yeast does.

There was a notable but nominal taste difference between the yeast and yeast-free pizza crusts. Both pizza crusts were a bit bland and needed salt, which is okay because you can lightly sprinkle some sea salt on the crust before adding your toppings. I recommend sprinkling a small amount of sea salt and herbs of your choice, like: basil, oregano, parsley, etc. The cheese for our pizza was dairy-free Vegan Gourmet.

Overall, it was a decent pizza crust and we would use them again. It is definitely chewable, unlike other crusts we have tried, where they are almost too hard to chew.

It was, as Sophie would say, "tastey."

Let me know if you've tried them and what you think. Got any other pizza crust recommendations? Leave a comment and let us know!

-heather

Potato Lasagna

Potato Lasagna

NO: gluten, eggs, dairy, nuts

Ingredients:  

6 large sized potatoes
1 pack tinyada lasagna noodles

2 medium sized tomatoes

2 yellow onions

2 cups frozen broccoli 

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon basil

Preparation:

Boil potatoes until done.

Blend potatoes with a hand mixer to make mashed potatoes. 

Add salt to taste. 

Add 1 tablespoon of earth balance (or your choice of butter or oil) and continue to blend the potatoes.

Saute onion and broccoli in olive oil and add to the mashed potatoes.

Add herbs. Taste and adjust to meet your taste buds!

Boil the lasagna noodles per the directions on the box.

In a glass dish, layer the noodles with mashed potatoes and diced tomato.

Spread earth balance or oil on top of the last layer of noodles.

Bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes.

You can also top with cheese and add olives.

This is really good variation on lasagna. It is dairy-free but still creamy and good!

-heather

Collard Roll Canapes - Go Ahead Honey It's Gluten Free!

For this month's Go Ahead Honey, Naomi at Straight Into Bed Cakefree and Dried chose Canapes as the theme. We were instructed to create something bite-size that would thrill and excite people. Well, at least be somewhat appealing. I struggled with it for a while, perhaps because I don't usually create meals that are intended to be eaten in one bite. 

What I created turned out to be really "two-bite" size, at least for me. My husband, on the other hand, could accommodate these rolls in one bite or technically, one rather stuffed mouth full.

Collard Roll Canapes with Honey Mustard Sauce

NO: gluten, nuts, eggs, dairy, soy

Sauce:

1 tablespoon mustard (of your choice)

1 1/2 tablespoon honey

3 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon onion powder

pinch of sea salt

2 teaspoons dried chives

Mix the sauce well.

Rolls:

Collard Leaves

1 Avocado

1 Carrot

Scallions

Olives

Wash and dry raw collard leaves. 

Cut the leaves into two by removing the stem.

Cut the avocado, carrot, olives and scallions into long thin slices.

Place the ingredients in the leaves and roll them up. 

Cut long slices out of another collard leaf and secure the rolls as you would with a ribbon.

If you want a quick easy way to secure the rolls, use a tooth pick.

Drizzle sauce on top and serve!

-heather

Seven Things I Love

Naomi of Straight Into Bed Cakefree and Dried tagged me with a meme and the Kreativ Blogger award.

For the meme, list seven things you love, in no particular order and then tag seven others to do the same. Below is my list of my seven favorite things and then the seven bloggers that I have tagged to do the same.

1. having the windows open to enjoy a light spring breeze.

2. listening to Sophie's deep, exuberant laugh.

3. admiring my husband's gentle and honest smile, remembering all the reasons why he's mine and why I am the lucky one.

4. watching Sophie grow and change, but noticing the moment's where she's still in need of my love and protection, and realizing that in some ways, she always will need me.

5. going to the Farmer's Market and feasting my eyes on all the fresh, local and organic produce.

6. being a family, caring, loving, appreciating.

7. cooking and creating for the simple joy of it!

For my dear seven, you are now tagged with this meme and given the Kreativ Blogger Award. The internet world would be a little less creative and a lot less captivating without you.

Cathy at The Life and Adventures of Catepoo

Ali at Whole Life Nutrition

Rachel at The Crispy Cook

CoconutGal at Coco.nut Your Average Girl

Vittoria at Deliciously Gluten Free

Maureen at Hold the Gluten

Trish at Gluten Free in SLC

And I would tag my good friend Kelly at The Spunky Coconut, but she was already tagged by Naomi. Good choice :)

Go have fun!

-heather

DIY Hair Clip Holder

I was tired of never being able to find my daughter's hair clips. Most of them end up in my sock drawer or jacket pocket. I decided to take matters into my own hands and make my own hair clip holder!

What you need:

1 block of wood in the size/shape of your choice

paint 

thumb tacks (approximately 5)

a hammer

ribbon

Instructions:

Paint the piece of wood how you want and add any decorations.

Cut the ribbon to your desired length.

Secure the ribbon by nailing the thumb tack to the wood.

Add another ribbon at the top for hanging purposes.

Hang it on the wall using a small nail, and have fun adding and storing your clips!

And I must confess, my husband helped some. After two tacks, some of them were giving me trouble and my husband obliged and did the rest. He also hung it on the wall before I could get the chance to! Thanks dear!

-heather

Non-Toxic Crafts, Part 1 (+ a giveaway!)

*update* the winner is Carol, #28 and her comment was "I love the recycled cards to color."

Crayola products are labeled non-toxic but I have my doubts. Sophie was given two products by Crayola for her birthday from a friend; paint and sidewalk chalk. First, she tried the sidewalk chalk and broke out in hives. The next day, she tried the paint and broke out as well. We called the company and they said that some of their products contain gluten, so there is a definite chance for cross-contamination. We didn't want Sophie to use Crayola products to begin with, especially since in the past, asbestos was found in the crayons.

The verdict? Think twice about Crayola products if your child has celiac disease or a gluten allergy. Always check products and call the company to ask about allergens, because non-toxic doesn't mean allergy-free. 

One of my favorite places to find non-toxic craft supplies is the Stubby Pencil Studio. For crayons, Sophie uses the soy-based crayons. If your child has a soy allergy, opt for beeswax crayons.

Stubby Pencil Studio was created in 2006 by Kate Rosenthal. She recognized (thank you, kate!) that there was a need for eco-friendly, do-it-yourself stationary products for young children. Her inspiration was her two daughters.

Kate is offering one lucky-ducky reader a beautiful package of beeswax crayons and a recycled sketchbook!

Here's how to enter:  

1) Visit Stubby Pencil Studio and tell me another product that you like. (required to be eligible to win)

2) Leave a comment with the above answer.

3) Entry entry? Follow my blog (left side of page, under Subscribe). Leave a separate comment.

4) You must have a U.S. mailing address to qualify to win.

5) Contest is open until Friday, April 10th at 11:00pm MST.

Good luck! 

-heather