The Best Coffee Cake

This is a crowd pleaser!  My family begs for this every now & then, but I try to only make it on special occasions.  It's not a "low sugar" breakfast, so I try to make it a special treat.  Enjoy this special recipe that I adapted from a recipe passed down from my mom.



INGREDIENTS:

-2 1/2 cups gluten free flour*
-1 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
-2 cups brown sugar or coconut sugar
-1/2 tsp sea salt
-2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil or butter (I use Earth Balance)

DIRECTIONS:

mix til crumbly
take out 1/2 cup of mixture & set aside
To what's left over, add:

REMAINING INGREDIENTS:

-2 tsp baking powder
-1/2 baking soda
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1 cup curdled milk substitute (coconut milk or sub with 1 tbsp of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar - let it set for 5 minutes)
-2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flaxseed + 6 tbsp water.  Mix & let gel for a few minutes.)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix remaning ingredients.  Beat at medium high speed for 1-2 minutes or until light & fluffy.
2. Prepare a 9x11 pan.  Spread mixture out evenly.  Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees.  Next, take cake out of oven & sprinkle the 1/2 cup crumbly mixture over the top.  Bake for 10-15 more minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.


* For a LIGHTER flour blend, use 1 cup sweet white rice flour, 1 cup tapioca starch, and 1/2 cup sorghum flour.
For a HEALTHIER flour blend, use 1 cup brown rice flour, 1 cup sorghum flour, 1/2 cup millet flour.

Greek Shish Kebabs

I adapted this recipe from allrecipies.com  It is delightful & I usually double or triple it for my family.  

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 tbsp onion powder)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
6 wooden skewers
2 large green or red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces, or 6 mini sweet peppers
1 large onion, quartered and separated into pieces
12 cherry tomatoes
12 mushrooms
1 zucchini cut into wedges

Directions:

1. Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic or onion powder, cumin, oregano, thyme, salt, and black pepper together in a large glass or ceramic bowl. Add the chicken and toss to evenly coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap; marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
2. Soak wooden skewers in water for about 30 minutes before use.
3. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat; lightly oil the grate.
4. Remove the chicken from the marinade and shake off excess liquid.  Alternately thread pieces of the marinated chicken with pieces of bell pepper, onion, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, and mushrooms onto the skewers. I like to paint the marinade on veggies after I first place them on the grill (the marinade had raw meat with it, so only do this at the beginning!)
5. Cook the skewers on the preheated grill, turning frequently until nicely browned on all sides, and the chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 10 minutes.

Vegan Pesto

I have been on a mission to find a vegan pesto recipe that actually tasted good.  I came across one that I had to modify for our diets, but it was a clear winner!  We put it on pizza, pasta, meat, use it as a dip, etc.  Enjoy!

 

Ingredients:

-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

-Juice from 1/2 a lemon
- 1/2 an onion (or 4 cloves garlic), chopped and lightly sauteed
- 1/2 cup walnuts (or cashews)
-1 cup whole fresh basil leaves (or a few bunches of basil)
-Salt and pepper to taste
-Optional: 1/4 cup pine nuts for creamier pesto (I've never done this, so I can't give my opinion on how it changes the flavor)

Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor.  Enjoy the pure goodness!

Delicious Bread

I came across a bread recipe that I just have to share.  I have adapted it to fit our needs, of course.  The original recipe comes from theglutenfreevegan.com


INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup sweet sorghum flour
1 cup potato starch (or cornstarch)
1 cup tapioca starch
1 tsp sea salt
2 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
2 flax eggs* (or regular eggs)
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/3 cup water
2 1/4 tsp yeast

additions:
-for St Patty's Day I added a cup of pureed spinach into the recipe to make the bread green.  I simply put the 1 1/3 cup of water in the blender along with the spinach & pureed it.  I added it to the liquid mix just as I would the bread.  It was delightful!

-I love adding a tsp of rosemary, thyme, oregano, onion or garlic powder (we can't do garlic, just an idea), italian seasonings, etc.  Mix it up & try new ideas.  Let me know what yummy ideas you come up with!



DIRECTIONS:

If using a bread machine: Place all liquid ingredients in bread pan first.  Add dry ingredients, then yeast last.  Set onto whole wheat mode for smaller loaf size.  Check bread before it starts cooking.  It might need to be smoothed out or it will be jagged & lopsided.  Transfer to a cooling rack & don't slice until cooled!

If baking bread the traditional way:
-In a stand mixer, combine dry ingredients including yeast.  Always sift gluten free flours/dry ingredients!  Add the flax eggs, water, oil, and vinegar.  Mix on medium high until mixture becomes smooth and elastic-like.
-Bake in a preheated 400 oven for 10 minutes.  Cover with foil & bake for another 40-45 minutes until done.  Transfer to a cooling rack.  Don't slice until cooled!



* add 2 tbsp ground flaxseed to 6 tbsp cold water.  Mix & let gel for a few minutes, then add to recipe

Hi!  I haven't been on here much in the past few years.  Our laptops aren't very reliable and I lost the link for my page, but I am back!  We have been through so much in the past few years!  I am now aware of a hoard of other allergies & sensitivities bothering both me and Silas.  Most fruits, veggies, and meats (minus eggs or seafood) are ok for us, but in all the other categories we have a lot of issues.  My biggest nemesis has been losing the sugar.  I LOVE sugar.  I have always had a high sugar diet and never knew how detrimental that was to my health.  Apparently, sugar is VERY BAD.  One of the worst possible things we can consume.  So, I have been going through lots of fun "candida diets" where we basically ditch sugar, anything sweet, or high in starchy carbohydrates.  My favorite book that has helped me out is, "The Candida Cure,"  I also love, "The Maker's Diet" but he includes lots of things I can't eat in there.  I am going to attempt to get some of my newer recipes up soon and I am going to go back through and edit all my old recipes.  I have either ditched them (if they are too sugary) or adapted them to our new low sugar diet.  We eat amazingly healthy now and I want to share our yummy foods with YOU!  Just because you want to eat healthy doesn't mean you have to abandon all taste!