Gingerbread Pudding - GF, DF

The other day I made a loaf of bread from Bob's Red Mill Wonderful GF Bread mix. I think I must have let it rise too long, it was huge! and misshapen. I made these tea sandwiches with it, so I had to cut off not only the crust, but a lot of the bread to make them square. I didn't want to waste all those scraps, so I saved them and made bread pudding last night
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I don't know what got into me, but I made Gingerbread Pudding or Ginger Bread Pudding....or Gingerbread Bread Pudding. Ha! I am not quite sure how to title it. I know gingerbread is usually a holiday dessert, but it sounded good for some reason. :)

Gingerbread Pudding - Gluten and Dairy Free
Makes 1 - 8x8 pan

5 cups 1" cubed bread, best if left out to dry for 3-4 hours
2 cups coconut milk (about 1 1/4 cans)
2 whole eggs
5 egg yolks (Save the whites, I have a recipe coming soon using those!)
1 cup coconut palm sugar
1/4 cup molasses
3 tsp dried ginger
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp black pepper
pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the bread in a 8 x 8 pan. In a medium bowl whisk the remaining ingredients until well combined. Pour over the bread and let sit for 10 minutes, pressing on the bread occasionally to help it soak up the custard.

2. Place the pan inside a larger one. Place on the middle rack of the oven. Fill the larger pan with 1" water. Tent the larger pan with aluminum foil with a few holes poked it it. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the custard has set. Remove from the oven and cool slightly. Serve warm with whipped coconut cream, if desired. Most bread puddings are also good cold.

Radish Mint Tea Sandwiches - GF

When I found out that this month's Go Ahead Honey It's Gluten Free event was Garden Tea Parties I knew right away that I wanted to share this tea sandwich. It is not my recipe, and I do not know where the recipe originated, but I had to share it nonetheless.

I know it sounds strange. Radish and Mint Sandwiches?!? Let me tell you; you have never tasted anything so truly addictive. The refreshing mint and crisp radish, with just a little bite, and a fresh lemon mayonnaise.....oh man! I promise you cannot stop at just one.

Radish Mint Tea Sandwiches
Make 24 tea sandwiches

1 cup mayonnaise
1 TB freshly grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons coarse-grained mustard
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste

24 very thin slices gluten free bread (I made Bob's Red Mill bread mix, cut them into 1/2" slices and then rolled them to about 1/4" so the bread was a little more compacted)

1 cup mint leaves (from about 1 large bunch)
16 radishes, trimmed and sliced paper thin (a mandolin come in handy here)

1. In a small bowl stir together mayonnaise, zest, mustard, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

2. Spread bread generously with lemon mayonnaise. Top half of slices with a layer of mint and top mint with overlapping rows of radish. Top radish with remaining bread and press together gently (pictured open-faced for aesthetics purposes).

3. Trim crusts and cut sandwiches in half diagonally. Sandwiches may be made 2 hours ahead, wrapped in plastic wrap, and chilled.

Darkly Decadent Chocolate Pudding

I LOVE pudding! It has been quite awhile since the last time I had any, so I decided it was time to change that. This pudding is thick and rich and decadent....and only for the dark chocolate lover.

This recipe is gluten, egg and dairy free....and you would never know it!

*This recipe is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday, Gluten Free Wednesdays, Pennywise Platter Thursday and Real Food Weekly. Go check out the other yummy recipes!

Darkly Decadent Chocolate Pudding
Serves 4-6

2 1/2 cups milk/dairy alternative (I used almond milk)
1/4 cup arrowroot powder
1/2 cup unsweetened cacao powder
1 cup coconut palm sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 TB vanilla extract

1. In a medium saucepan whisk together the milk, arrowroot, cacao powder, palm sugar and salt.

2. Place on a burner over medium heat. Bring to a slight boil. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.

3. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Pour into individual bowls and cover with plastic wrap. Serve warm or refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Garnish with fresh raspberries, if desired.

Savory Spinach, Mushroom and Bacon Crepes - GF

This post took me awhile to get written because I have been distracted by all the beautiful birds outside my window. They must be migrating because in the last two days we have seen some amazing birds that we don't normally see.

By now you know I made a lot of crepe shells the other day. :) I decided I better make a savory recipe to use up the last of them. I have had too many sweet treats lately. The challenge was making a gluten and dairy free sauce. I think I succeeded beautifully. The tarragon and thyme in the sauce adds just the perfect flavor!

Savory Spinach, Mushroom and Bacon Crepes

8 Crepe Shells (I used THIS gluten and dairy free recipe)

Filling

8 slices of  bacon, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

4 garlic cloves, finely minced

5 oz fresh spinach

8 oz mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

Cream Sauce
2 TB butter or non-hydrogenated alternative
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk/dairy alternative (if desired, you can use more to thin the sauce)
1/2 tsp tarragon
1/2 tsp thyme
sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
4 TB arrowroot powder or cornstarch powder

1. In a large skillet cook the bacon until just crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan, leaving the drippings. Set the bacon aside. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute an additional minute. Add the spinach and mushrooms and cook until tender. Lower heat to medium-low.

2. Meanwhile prepare the sauce. In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the broth, milk and spices. Whisk in the arrowroot and simmer until the sauce thickens. Taste and adjust seasonings to taste. Add half of the sauce to the vegetables and stir to combine. Return the rest of the sauce to the burner. Turn off the heat.

3. Lay a crepe shell on a plate. Spread 1/4 cup filling on one side of the crepe (not in the middle). Fold that side over, rolling the crepe. Drizzle some of the reserved sauce over the top and serve immediately.

Strawberry Ginger Rhubarb Crisp - GF

I know, I know. You have been seeing strawberry and rhubarb recipes all over the place. There is a reason for that. Strawberry + Rhubard = Yumminess. :) I did want to throw a little twist in there to make my recipe different, so I added some ginger. Perfection!

*This recipe is linked to Real Food Weekly, Simple Lives Thursday, Full Plate Thursday, Allergy Friendly Friday and Seasonal Sunday. Check out the awesome recipes others have shared.


Gluten Free Strawberry Ginger Rhubarb Crisp

2 cups strawberries, stemmed and cut into 1" pieces
1 cup rhubarb, cut half lengthwise, and then into 1" pieces
2 TB turbanado or coconut palm sugar
2 TB chia seeds + 2 TB water (optional)
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp fresh grated ginger

For the Topping:

1 cup pecan and walnuts, chopped
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (GF certified if needed)
1/2 cup coconut flour (almond, quinoa or oat flour would also work)
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup turbanado or coconut palm sugar
1/2 cup melted butter or coconut oil
1/2 tsp sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients for the fruit filling. Toss until well combined. Place a greased 8 x 8 dish.

2. In a medium bowl combine the topping ingredients and stir until well combined. Spread over the fruit filling. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the fruit is tender and the top is brown. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

Banana CocoNutella Crepes - GF

Almost three years ago I spent a month in Europe. One of the most amazing adventures of my life. Full of fun, education and good food! In England we have Pasties (oddly enough Curry Pasties are everywhere). In Switzerland we had Muesli. In Italy we had Pizza and Gelato. In Spain we had Paella. In Paris we had CREPES. I ate so many crepes....I couldn't stop. Sweet ones and savory ones...it didn't matter. They were all amazing! My favorite was the Banana Nutella crepe. And I do not care what anyone says, the Nutella in Europe is better than the one in the U.S. It doesn't even compare.

Yesterday I made THESE whole grain gluten free crepes by Cafe Janae. Last night I had them for dinner with berries, bananas and whipped coconut cream. Indescribable! Today I had a hankering for a Banana Nutella Crepe. Nutella is not very healthy, nor is it dairy free, so I had to make my own version.

I didn't have any hazelnuts, or any other nut that would get "creamy" enough. What to do....what to do? Then it hit me! I have been meaning to make my own coconut butter. This is different than coconut oil because it has all the "meat" from the coconut as well as the oil. I haven't ever tried coconut butter before, but everyone raves about it. They describe it as a spread, so I thought "Hey, that might just work for the base of my Nutella." It turned out amazing! I haven't had Nutella in awhile, so I can't really remember the exact taste, but with this new CocoNutella I won't even miss the real thing.

*This recipe is linked to Real Food Wednesday, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Pennywise Platter Thursday and Allergy Friendly Friday. Go peek at the other yummy recipes and helpful info.

Banana CocoNutella Crepes

You will need:

-Batter for 8 Crepes (You can find the gluten and dairy free crepe recipe I used HERE. This recipe makes 8  8" crepes)
-CocoNutella Spread
-4 ripes bananas, sliced

1. Prepare the CocoNutella Spread. Recipe follows. Set aside.

2. Prepare the crepes. The batter is really runny, so don't worry. After you flip the crepe spread the CocoNutella on half of the crepe and place banana slices on top. Fold the crepe in half, over the spread and bananas, and then in half again. Remove to a plate and serve warm. If desired top with additional CocoNutella, bananas and Whipped Cream (recipes follow).


CocoNutella Spread
3 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
6 TB unsweetened cacao powder
4-6 TB milk/dairy alternative
4 TB raw honey
3 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp sea salt

1. In a high-speed blender process the shredded coconut for 5 minutes, or until it becomes liquid and there are no detectable coconut shreds left. It should not be gritty, but a smooth liquid. Alternatively you can use a food processor, but you will need to process for 10 or more minutes. Be sure not to overheat your processor.

*At this point you have plain coconut butter. It will set up after about an hour. You can spread it on your toast, waffles, pancakes, etc. It does not need to be refrigerated. In fact if you do, it becomes too hard to use.

2. Add the cacao powder, honey, vanilla and salt. Turn the blender on and slowly add the milk until it reaches your desired consistency.  Store in the fridge for up to a week.

Note: This would also make a great fudge sauce or dipping chocolate.

Agave Sweetened Whipped Cream

1 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup raw agave

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Beat the cream at high speed until soft peaks form. Add the agave and vanilla and beat until soft peaks form.

Agave Sweetened Whipped Coconut Cream (Dairy Free)

1 can full fat coconut milk

1 tablespoon raw agave

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Refrigerate the can of coconut milk for 1 hour. Do not shake or jostle the can, you do not want the cream to mix with the milk. Open the can from the bottom. Pour off the liquid "milk" and then the cream will be at the bottom. Put the cream in a medium bowl or stand mixer bowl. Reserve the coconut milk to use in your smoothies or shakes.

2. Whip the coconut cream at high speed until soft peaks form. Add the agave and vanilla and whip until just combined. Serve immediately.

Dairy Free Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing (or Death by Salad Dressing)

On Sunday my family got together at my Grandma's house with my aunt and her family. My mom made carne asade so we could make our own salads or burritos. She had forgotten to buy/make some sort of Southwestern dressing so she asked if I had anything. I didn't, but I just happened to be soaking some cashews so I decided to make something. When soaked cashews are blended they make a creamy sauce. I decided to use this as my base for the dressing. I threw a bunch of things in my blender and made a delicious Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing.

As my Grandma's house everyone dug in and were chomping away when about 2 minutes later my cousin started having problems. He told his mom that something he ate he was allergic to. His face started turning red and his throat starting closing off. Well come to find out, he is allergic to cashews! That's right. I almost killed my cousin! No, not really. They had some medications and after about half an hour he was fine, but it was scary. From now on, I know that if I use cashews (or watermelon, come to find out) I will announce it to everyone!

Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing - Dairy Free
Makes 3 cups

3/4 cup raw cashews (not roasted), soaked in filtered water for at least 6 hours
1 cup cilantro, washed
1/2 cup nut or rice milk
1/2 avocado, peel removed
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 jalapeno, stemmed and cut in half (if you do not like spicy you can remove the seeds and membrane)
3 TB fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
2 garlic cloves, skin removed

1. Combine all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.