Gluten Free Lemon Trifle

A perfect spring dessert!

                                                          Gluten Free Lemon Trifle

Ingredients:
15-20 gluten free ladyfinger biscuits (I used Schar brand)
3/4 cup lemonade
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
1 1/2 cup lemon curd (homemade or store bought), plus more for garnish if needed
2 tablespoons lemon rind, grated for garnish or fresh berries

Directions:
Place gluten free ladyfingers evenly in a rimmed baking sheet. Pour lemonade over the tops of the cookies. Let sit for about 3 minutes, carefully turning them halfway through soaking.

In a bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, pour the cream and sugar. Beat on medium speed until soft peaks form, cover and place in the fridge until ready to assemble.

Place ladyfingers in the bottom of the bowls, spoon lemon curd onto ladyfingers, then top with whipped cream. Repeat this step ending with either a spoonful of lemon curd or lemon rind for garnish. I used about 3 tbs curd for each individual trifle. 

Place trifles in the fridge for 1 hour or overnight before serving.
Makes about 5 servings.

Inspired by the Epicurean Mom and Martha Stewart

Berry and Pine Nut Salad with Balsamic Orange Vinaigrette

                                     Berry Pine Nut Salad with Balsamic Orange Vinaigrette 

4 cups mixed baby greens

1/4 cup raspberries

1/4 cup blackberries

3 strawberries, sliced

handful of golden raisins

1 oz white cheddar cheese, diced

handful of pine nuts

Toss salad ingredients together in a large bowl and top with the amount of vinaigrette to your liking!

Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette (from Vegetarian.About)

2 tbs balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil 

juice of 1 orange

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

Combine all ingredients except oil in small bowl. While whisking quickly, add oil and combine well. Store unused dressing in a mason jar for a few days! 

Gluten Free Chocolate Banana Muffins

                                                          Chocolate Banana Muffins

Try them. You'll love them. Moist, chocolatey, not too sweet and healthy.

Ingredients:
1 cup almond flour
1 1/4 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour (I used Pamela's Artisan Flour Blend)
6 tbs cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup low-fat yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter muffin tins or use liners.

Sift dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside (first 6 ingredients).

In the bowl of a standing mixer, mix together the brown sugar and oil until creamy. Beat in eggs, yogurt, vanilla and mashed bananas until fully incorporated.

Slowly add in dry ingredients and mix at low speed until mixed. Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts.

Using a spoon or ice-cream scoop, fill muffin cups to the top. Bake for ~30 minutes or until muffin springs back lightly when touched.

Allow to cool and eat! Eat within a couple days or freeze! Recipe makes about 16 muffins.

This recipe is inspired by the NY Times, A Hodgepodge of Muffins, All Gluten-Free.

Lemon Pine Nut Sugar Cookies (gluten free)

Sometimes you need the easiest way to make a fail proof sugar cookie. I recently tried Pamela's Sugar Cookie Mix. Dont get me wrong, I love truly homemade cookies, but sometimes an easy roll and cut cookie is all you have time for.  These cookies are delicious and so simple to make! I added a bit of lemon zest and topped them with pine nuts. The pine nuts give the cookies an additional delicate flavor and extra texture while the subtle lemon makes the cookie not too sweet and sugary! I definitly will be making these again...and even though its been over  three years since I've had a "real" gluten filled sugar cookie, I'm pretty sure these taste like the real deal.

                                              Gluten Free Lemon Pine Nut Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
1 bag Pamela's Sugar Cookie Mix
8 TBSP butter
1 egg, large
2 tsp lemon zest
pine nuts for topping

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350°. Soften butter in stand mixer, then add dry mix, egg and lemon zest, mixing until dough comes together. Roll out dough between 2 pieces of parchment. Cut out cookies using cookie cutters.
Lightly press pine nuts into top of cookies before baking. Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 8 to 12 minutes until edges just start to brown. Let cool completely and enjoy!

 

Arugula and Grilled Veggie Pizza

Arugula and Grilled Veggie Pizza

Ingredients:

10" pre-made gluten-free pizza crust (I used the Gluten Free Bistro) 
Fresh Arugula and/or spinach  
Mushrooms, sliced 
Yellow peppers, sliced
Fresh tomato, sliced
Whole milk mozzarella cheese
Olive oil
Sundried tomatoes
Kalamata olives
2 Garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper, to taste

Toss mushrooms and peppers in olive oil, season with garlic, salt and pepper. Sautée or grill for about 5 min over medium heat. Remove and set aside. 

Top pizza crust with a thin layer of olive oil, salt and pepper and mozzeralla cheese. Next,  layer on remaining toppings- arugula, both tomatoes, grilled veggies, olives etc. place directly on grill (set at low-medium) for about 12 minutes or until pizza crust is crispy and cheese is melting and bubbly.
(or bake in  400 degree oven for 12ish minutes, directly on rack) 

I don't have any measurements of ingredients for pizza because I just chop veggies to my liking. Feel free to add more or less of anything! Grilled pizza is the best! 

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting (Gluten Free)

                                              Gluten Free Sour Cream Sugar Cookies 
                                                          with Buttercream Frosting 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
2 cup + 3tbs Cup4Cup GF Flour
2/3 cup white rice flour
1 tsp xanthan gum
1tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In standing mixer, mix together sour cream, canola oil, sugar, vanilla, egg and egg yolk. Mix on low-medium until smooth. Set aside.

Place remaining dry ingredients in a separate mixing bowl and whisk to combine. With the mixer running on low, slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until completely blended. Remove dough from mixer, roll into a large ball.

Place dough in between two pieces of parchment paper. Roll out dough so dough is about 1/4" thick. Use cookie cutters to cut out dough. Continue until all dough has been rolled and cut.

Bake cookies in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until just slightly browned around the edges. Allow cookies to cool slightly before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.

When cooled, frost cookies and enjoy! Store in an airtight container.

Easy Buttercream Frosting

2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
3-5 tbs 1/2 and 1/2 (enough to get the consistency you want)
coloring (optional)

In a mixing bowl, beat all the ingredients together until smooth. Frost cookies :)

Recipe inspired by the The Baking Beauties

Spiced Peach-Carrot Bread

It is officially peach season in Colorado! In the last 2 months I have bought 40 lbs of peaches to eat and bake with and 20 lbs to freeze to enjoy through the winter season. I always enjoyed peaches and then I tasted a Colorado peach from the Palisade area and I fell deeply in LOVE. There is nothing like the fresh, sweet juiciness of a perfectly ripe peach. I eat about two fresh peaches a day during this time of year, I've made a peach crisp, and even enjoy a fresh peach Bellini (or two)! Today I wanted to try a quick bread...this awesome recipe comes from Southern Living which I adapted to be gluten-free and safe for this celiac girl!

Spiced Peach-Carrot Bread  

3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
2 1/2 cups gluten free flour (I used 1.25 cups Cup4Cup and 1.25 cups Bistro Blend)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups peeled and chopped fresh, ripe peaches
3/4 cup freshly grated carrots
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350° F. 

Stir together gluten free flours and next 6 ingredients in a large bowl; add peaches, next 4 ingredients, and pecans or walnuts, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon batter into a lightly greased and sugared 9- x 5-inch loaf pan.

Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 1 hour). Slice and Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad Pizza

I recently made this pizza recipe for my friends at the one and only Gluten Free Bistro, but it turned out so delicious I thought others should know about it. The original recipe was featured in the Pizza on Grill 2012 magazine (from the publishers of Fine Cooking). The pizza crust from the Gluten Free Bistro (order it here) cooks up so nicely on the BBQ grill, I sometimes forget I even have an oven. Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad Pizza 

Ingredients: 

1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast- grilled

olive oil

sea salt and black pepper

1 Gluten Free Bistro Pizza Crust

1/4 cup Roasted Garlic Paste (recipe to follow)

1 cup fontina cheese, shredded

1 heart of romaine, cut crosswise into 1/2" wide ribbons

2 tbs gluten-free caesar salad dressing (such as Organicville, Annie's or Newmans Own)

2 tbs fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions:

Preheat your BBQ grill to medium heat.

Brush chicken breast with 1 tbs olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place chicken on the cooking grate directly over the heat and grill until no longer pink in the middle (about 10-12 minutes).  Set aside and when almost ready to use, slice into 1/4 inch strips. 

Spread garlic paste on GF pizza crust, then top with chicken and sprinkle with Fontina cheese. 

Grill pizza for approximately 10 minutes on low to medium heat (careful to not let the bottom burn). Grill until bottom is crispy and cheese is melted and bubbly. Just before the pizza is done, toss the romaine lettuce with the dressing and 1 tbs of Parmigiano cheese in a medium bowl. 

Remove pizza from grill and immediately top with romaine mixture. Sprinkle remaining Parmiagano cheese on top, season with salt and pepper. Slice and serve immediately. ENJOY! 

Roasted Garlic Paste

Ingredients:

3 heads garlic

3 tbs olive oil, plus more for drizzling 

Kosher salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F

Remove the first layer of papery skin from the garlic. Slice off 1/4 inch from the pointy top. Place each head on a sheet of aluminum foil, cut side up. Drizzle with the oil and season with salt. Wrap each head in the foil and roast until the cloves are golden brown and soft, about 1 hour. Remove from the heat and let cool. (You can also do this on the grill, cooking over indirect heat.) 

Remove the roasted cloves from their skins. The most efficient way to do this is to squeeze the whole head from the bottom. Using a fork, vigorously mix the garlic and oil together. Add a pinch of salt. (If your recipe calls just for a clove or two of roasted garlic, you can remove it from the skin using a small escargot-style fork.)
This will keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

before grilling

caesar salad mix

after grilling

salad and pizza in one!  

Cherry Clafoutis (gluten-free)

A traditional French dessert... how could you NOT want to eat this?! I am a little sad to say that while spending time in France a few years ago (before my Celiac diagnosis) I didn't get the chance to eat a "real" clafoutis. I did have my fair share of chocolate croissants, strawberry crepes, fresh baguettes and many other treats that, of course, made me feel very sick (but hey, I didn't know any better)!

Today I bring you an easy and delicious French dessert made of sweet cherries and a flan like middle dusted with powdered sugar, all of which is gluten-free!

Cherry Clafoutis

Ingredients:
1lb cherries, pitted (this is that hardest part of the recipe)
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup milk or almond milk
4 tbs butter, melted
1 tsp bourbon vanilla extract
4 eggs
1/2 cup Pamela's Pancake and Baking Mix
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F.

Spray a glass 9" square pan with non-stick cooking spray and scatter your pitted cherries on the bottom. Place all remaining ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.

Pour batter over the cherries and bake for approximately 30 minutes and then cover with foil for the remaining 10-15 minutes of  baking time (so the top doesn't brown too much). Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Eat, Live, Run and Gourmet

                                           

a bowl of pitted cherries

ready for baking

Done! 

Simple Blueberry Peach Pie (gluten-free)

This open pie is so simple to make and tastes fantastic with the sweet ripe fruit of summer.

                                                              Easy Blueberry Peach Pie
Ingredients:
3 cups fresh peaches (peeled and sliced)
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 tbs cornstarch
1 gluten-free pie crust (I used a thawed GF pie crust from Whole Foods Bakehouse)

Directions:
Gently toss all ingredients together until well coated and pour into gluten-free pie crust.

Bake at 400°F for 45 minutes-- remove from oven and let cool completely. Serve with vanilla ice-cream and enjoy!