Gluten Free Muffins / Cake

Strawberry Almond Flour Muffins
Author: Chef Shane Kelly
Recipe Type: Dessert

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 45 mins

Serves: 12 regular sized muffins (about 32-34 mini muffins)

Ingredients
2 cups, diced fresh strawberries (this is most of a 16 oz carton of strawberries; I measured after dicing, about four pieces per strawberry)
⅓ cup honey (I used 1/2 cup of white sugar; could probably use less than that as muffins were pretty sweet)
2 eggs
4 tablespoons melted butter or 3 tablespoons coconut oil (I measured 4 tbs butter - half stick- then melted)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt (omitted, since i used salted butter)
2½ cups almond flour
½ heaping cup chopped pecans (omitted)

Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
Use unbleached muffin papers for 12 muffin cups (I used two mini muffin tins for total of 24 mini muffins, sprayed with nonstick coating, and a miniature rectangular loaf pan for the overflow; baked 20 min)
In medium sized-bowl add diced strawberries and honey & mash for one minute. (I used an immersion blender to blend for a few seconds, leaving many large chunks; this probably resulted in the overly wet batter)
In a separate bowl whisk eggs, melted butter or coconut oil and vanilla.
Add in strawberries and honey and mix well.
Add in baking soda, sea salt and almond flour, continue mixing.
Fold in the chopped pecans.
Using the ¼ cup measuring utensil scoop batter into each muffin paper to ¾ full or more, just use all the batter.

Bake for 25-30 minutes and do the toothpick test. (My mini muffins baked for 25 min.)
Let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes and serve! (Cool longer to allow loose texture to solidify more.)

** My notes: muffins do not rise much, but still be careful not to fill muffin tin enough to result in muffin tops. Muffins with tops were very difficult to remove from the pan and often broke in the process.

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Karina's Gluten-Free Wheat-Free Pumpkin Muffin Recipe
Recipe published October 2010 by Karina Allrich.

*** NOTE: THIS ONE IS EXCELLENT! I left out all nuts and added a small handful of chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together:

1 cup sorghum flour
1/3 cup organic coconut flour 
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch or potato starch (I used tapioca starch) 
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda (I subbed two tsp. baking powder out of necessity) 
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger 
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Add in:

1 and 1/3 cups packed organic light brown sugar (I used approx. 1 cup of white sugar) 
1 cup pumpkin puree (canned pumpkin is fine) 
1/3 cup light olive oil 
2 free range organic eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon bourbon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice (I left out lemon juice b/c I didn't want it to curdle the milk.) 
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk or coconut milk (I used regular milk) 

Beat the batter to incorporate the ingredients. If it needs a little more liquid, add up to 1/4 cup almond or coconut milk until it is a smooth consistency.

Stir in by hand:

1/2 cup roughly chopped pecans or walnuts (or raisins, or chocolate chips, as you prefer)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a 12-muffin tin with paper cupcake liners.

Spoon the batter into twelve muffin cups, filling them close to the top. Smooth the tops using the back side of a wet teaspoon.

Add a pecan half to each muffin top, if you like.

Bake in a preheated oven till domed and golden- roughly 22 to 25 minutes. The muffins should feel firm yet springy to a light touch. If a wooden pick inserted into the center emerges clean- these babies are done.

Cool on a wire rack. Remove the muffins from the pan after five minutes, and allow them to continue cooling on a wire rack. This helps keep their bottoms from getting soggy.

Wrap and freeze leftover muffins in freezer bags for easy on-the-go treats.

Cook time: 23 min

Yield: One dozen muffins

Read more: http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2010/10/gluten-free-pumpkin-muffins.html#ixzz3QpPCZ6s2

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Pumpkin Muffins
Original recipe makes 18 muffins

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 3/4 cup white rice flour
• 1/4 cup sorghum flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 18 muffin cups.

Whisk tapioca flour, brown rice flour, white rice flour, sorghum flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg in a bowl until thoroughly combined.

Mix pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, milk, and 1/4 cup melted butter in a separate bowl; beat for 2 minutes.

Gradually mix dry ingredients into pumpkin mixture to make a smooth batter; scoop batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them 3/4 full.

Bake in the preheated oven until muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool muffins on wire racks.


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Sweet Sorghum Muffins
Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Org. Brown Flaxseed Meal
• 3/4 cup GF All Purpose Baking Flour
• 1 cup Sorghum Flour
• 1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
• 1/4 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup Yogurt or Buttermilk
• 1/4 cup Coconut Oil melted
• 3 Egg Yolks
• 2/3 cup Applesauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in wet ingredients until just moistened, careful not to over mix. This batter may be somewhat lumpy. Fill greased or lined muffins tins about 2/3 full. This will make one shy of a dozen. Bake 13-15 minutes.

*You may use one whole egg instead of the three egg yolks if desired.

Makes 11 Muffins.


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Pumpkin Cake / Bread
Ingredients:
3 extra large organic free-range eggs
2 cups organic light brown sugar, not packed
1/2 cup light olive oil
1 15-oz can cooked pumpkin
2 teaspoons bourbon vanilla extract
2 cups gluten-free flour mix* see notes
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon gluten-free Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a 10 x 13" baking pan with greased parchment paper.

Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl till light and frothy; add the brown sugar, beat till smooth; add the oil, pumpkin, and vanilla; beat to combine.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (the GF flour mix through sea salt). Add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture a little at a time and beat to combine- for two minutes.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake in a pre-heated oven for 30 minutes, or until the cake is firm and a wooden pick inserted into the center emerges clean.


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Arroz con Pollo

(made this, it's a winner)

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/arroz-con-pollo-recipe.html

Arroz con Pollo
Recipe courtesy of Melissa d'Arabian
Total Time:
1 hr 25 min
Prep:
15 min
Inactive:
10 min
Cook:
1 hr

Yield:4 servings
Level:Easy
Ingredients

2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried cumin (I used whole cumin, probably more like 1-2 tsp)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper 
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (left this out for Ian purposes) 
One 3 1/2-to-4-pound chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces and skin removed (I used four chicken thighs, would prob reduce to 3 for size of my le creuset) 
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced (I used three peppers, green, red and yellow) 
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken stock
1/2 cup tomato sauce (I used a 1/2 cup of diced tomatoes in juice + a wee bit more juice + three or four squirts of ketchup) 

Directions

Combine the salt, garlic powder, cumin, black pepper and cayenne in a plastic gallon bag. Shake until the mixture is well combined.

Pat the chicken dry and place in the bag with the spice mixture. Shake the bag, making sure the chicken is well coated.

Heat the oil in a 12-inch high-sided skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the chicken and brown on all sides, about 6 minutes each side. Transfer the chicken to a plate, using tongs.

Add the onions, green peppers, red peppers and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the skillet. Cook the vegetables over moderate heat, stirring, until softened and fragrant, about 7 minutes. Add the rice and garlic and cook until the rice begins to turn gold in color and fragrant, about 1 minute.

Meanwhile, combine the stock, tomato sauce and remaining teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Add 1 1/4 cups water and the stock mixture to the skillet and stir to make sure the rice is covered in liquid. Nestle the chicken in the rice, adding any juices from the plate. Bring the rice to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover. Cook until the chicken is cooked through, the rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 35 minutes. Let the skillet stand covered, about 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe courtesy Melissa d'Arabian

Whole Wheat Sugar Cookies

(can sort of be made into cutout shapes, but recipe is a bit sticky)

http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/whole-wheat-sugar-cookies/92169871-6178-42fe-9543-23716ebdeedf

Whole wheat flour gives these cookies an appealing nutty flavor that's a nice foil for the lemon and sweet spices.

prep time45 min
total time1 hr 15 min
ingredients13
servings36

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

In large bowl, combine 1 cup sugar and margarine; beat until light and fluffy. Add milk, lemon peel, vanilla and egg; blend well. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg; mix well. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 30 minutes for easier handling.

Heat oven to 375°F. In small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in sugar-cinnamon mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 375°F. for 7 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets.

Almond Meal Brownies

http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes.php?recipe=1570

ALMOND BROWNIES

Gluten Free, Lactose Free, Low Cal, Low Carb.

1/2 cup Butter or Margarine*, melted
1/2 cup Cocoa, unsweetened
1 cup Evaporated Cane Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
2 Tbsp Corn Starch
1/2 cup Almond Meal/Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
Directions

Step 1Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch square pan; set aside.

Step 2Combine the melted butter and cocoa, stirring to combine. Add sugar, eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt and mix to combine.

Step 3Spread into the baking pan and bake 30 minutes.

Makes 16 brownies.
Notes*For casein free baking, make sure to use a non-dairy margarine.

Modifications: I cut the sugar in half, decreased the amount of salt, and baked for 5-10 minutes less. 

Chocolate Almond Torte Recipes

http://www.joyofbaking.com/ChocolateAlmondTorte.html


Chocolate Almond Torte:

• 1 cup (100 grams) finely ground almonds (Ground 1 cup of blanched or sliced toasted almonds in your food processor
• 4 large eggs
• 7 ounces (200 grams) semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 11 tablespoons (150 grams) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Cream of Tartar- Cream of tartar can be found in the spice section of most grocery stores and should be stored in a cool dry place.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place oven rack in the middle of the oven. Place the sliced or blanched almonds on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 5-7 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. Remove from oven and let cool. Once completely cooled, place the nuts in a blender or small food processor and process until finely ground.

Note: The almonds need to be at room temperature before grinding to prevent them from clumping. If you find the almonds still clump when you ground them, add about 1 tablespoon (13 grams) of the sugar from the recipe. The sugar will help prevent clumping as it absorbs any oil exuded from the almonds.

Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and line an 8 inch (20 cm) springform pan with parchment paper.

Separate the cold eggs, placing the egg yolks in one bowl and the egg whites in another. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand until they reach room temperature (about 30 minutes).

Melt the chopped chocolate and butter in a stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Once melted, remove from heat.

Meanwhile place the egg yolks and 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar in the bowl of your electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the yolks and sugar until pale and thick (about 2 to 3 minutes). Beat in the melted chocolate mixture and vanilla extract. Fold in the ground almonds.

In a clean bowl, place the egg whites and whisk until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue whisking until soft peaks form. Gradually sprinkle in the remaining 1/4 cup (50 grams) sugar and whisk until stiff peak forms. Fold about 1/4 of the whites into the chocolate batter to lighten it. Quickly fold in the rest of the whites and mix only until incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 45 to50 minutesor until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake has a few moist crumbs. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. The cake will rise during baking but falls during cooling, leaving a crisp and cracked crust. Once cool, run a spatula around the inside of the pan before releasing the sides. If not serving immediately, cover and place in the refrigerator. Serve cold or at room temperature. Dust with powdered (icing or confectioners) sugar.

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Alice Medrich, author of Pure Dessert, from which this recipe comes, took inspiration for this ItalianChocolate-Almond Torte from Claudia Roden's torta di mandorle e cioccolata in Roden's Book of Jewish Food. The chocolate in this torte is ground, rather than melted, so it's easy to make.
Cook the Book: Italian Chocolate-Almond Torte

Ingredients

• 1 cup (5 ounces) unblanched or blanched whole almonds
• 7 ounces good-quality unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 7 large egg whites (1 cup)
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• Powdered sugar or unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting
• Sweetened whipped cream for serving (optional)

Equipment

A 9-inch springform pan or a 9 by 3-inch round pan with a removable bottom

Procedures

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease the sides of the springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Combine the almonds. chocolate, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and the salt in a food processor and pulse until the almonds and chocolate are very finely chopped but not completely pulverized. Set aside.

In the clean dry bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand-held mixer and a large bowl, beat the egg whites with cream of tarter until soft, moist peaks are formed when the beaters are lifted. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and continue to beat until the egg whites are stiff but not dry. Add one-third of the nut mixture to the egg whites and fold in with a large rubber spatula until nearly incorporated. Fold in half of the remaining nuts, then fold in the rest of the nuts.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Bake until the torte has risen and is golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, or with a little melted chocolate, 25 to 30 minutes. Set the pan on a rack to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the sides of the pan and invert the cake onto the rack. Remove the bottom of the pan and then the parchment liner. Turn the cake right side up and cool completely. Cover or wrap tightly, and store for up to 3 days at room temperature.

To serve, transfer the cake to a serving plate. Dust with powdered sugar or cocoa, and serve slices with a dollop of whipped cream, if desired.

Almond Meal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 24 Cookies

3 cups almond flour
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract

1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 to 1/3 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 F. 

Cream together sugar and butter. Add eggs, salt, vanilla, almond extract, baking soda and finally almond flour. Mix in chocolate chips. 

Drop in rounded tablespoons onto greased cookie sheet (or parchment paper), about 1 or 1.5 inches apart. Cookies do spread slightly. 

Bake 12-15 minutes until golden brown on edges. 

Pumpkin Bars (With Wheat Flour)

Recipe 1

Makes 2 medium loaves

4 eggs
3/4 cups white sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 pouch of Ian's baby food (optional)
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir into the pumpkin mixture until thoroughly combined.
Spread the batter evenly into two loaf pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in preheated oven.

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Recipe 2  
Ingredients:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chickpea flour (besan)
2 tablespoons ground flax seed
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients until fully combined. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, brown sugar, and pumpkin together until combined. Add the milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until *just* combined. Do not overmix.
Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely and cut into 12 squares. Bars remain fresh for up to one week stored chilled in an airtight container.