Tag Archives: gluten-free

Chocolate Coated PB Cookie Dough Ice Cream Sandwiches

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Creamy, soft, sweet and salty peanut butter cookie dough encapsulated in the crunch of rich chocolate sets the tone for this perfect dessert.

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Crunch through rich chocolate exteriors into creamy peanut butter cookie dough. Extra crunches sneak in with slightly bitter bursts of cacao nibs. The flavor is rounded out with salted peanuts that surround the sandwich… And I could go on and on. Oh my goodness these are so good! So, so, so good.

If you don’t eat peanuts try these with almond butter and toasted almonds. It will be so yummy!

Chocolate Coated PB Cookie Dough Ice Cream Sandwich Recipe
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COOKIE
1 1/2 cup almond meal/flour
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter (lightly salted, 100% peanuts)
1/2 cup raw agave nectar (honey would probably be fine)
2 tablespoons butter or buttery spread
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons Cacao Nibs

ICE CREAM
1 quart (approximate) Chocolate Ice Cream from my cookbook or purchased chocolate ice cream

TOPPINGS
2 (9.7 oz) 70% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bars or about 19 ounce of any chocolate that you like
1/2 cup salted, roasted peanuts, chopped

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Prepare two sheet pans with parchment paper and make sure they will fit in your freezer.

In a large mixing bowl combine the almond meal, peanut butter, agave, butter, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine then mix in cacao nibs. Chill in the refrigerator until the dough is firm enough to handle.

Scoop one level tablespoon of cookie dough, roll into a ball then flatten onto the prepared sheet pan. Make about 24 cookies then place the sheet pans in the freezer.

Melt the chocolate bars in a double boiler.  There are two ways to coat the cookie dough in chocolate: dip them or paint them (one side at a time). If you plan on dipping the cookies, keep most of them in the freezer and dip only a few at a time (as they soften quickly). After coating both sides of all of the cookies with chocolate, set them in the freezer.

Make sandwiches with the ice cream and cookies. (The ice cream may need to soften a bit in order to form the sandwiches.) Roll the sides in chopped peanuts.

Freeze to set the ice cream, then serve.

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I am sharing this recipe on Allergy-Free Wednesdays, Wellness Weekend, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday,

Cultural Studies: Mexico

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First off, keep in mind that I am not too concerned with the authenticity of the food on these cultural nights. (Appeantly my daughter feels the same about her coloring, hence the purple donkey.) I say that because I believe the recipe I am sharing is really more Argentinian than it is Mexican.

mexico

I love the show Chopped, I watch every episode. One of the judges, Aaron Sanchez, has mentioned Chimichurri sauce a few times. I kept thinking, “That sounds good!”

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For Mexican night I made Chimichurri sauce (see below) and tossed some chopped up raw chicken in half of the sauce, then seared the chicken until cooked through. I tossed some steamed asparagus and carrots in the rest of the Chimichurri sauce. We also had nachos, guacamole, and the kids had a bit of salsa.

And hey friends, I do plan on making more cute food for these cultural nights, so stay tuned!

Anyways, my recipe isn’t a revelation- just a version of what you can find anywhere online.

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Chimichurri Sauce Recipe
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1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro
2-3 cloves chopped garlic
pinch of fresh jalapeno (optional)
juice of 1/2 a lemon
salt and pepper to taste
~1/4 cup olive oil

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Combine everything in a food processor or high speed blender. Pulse until finely minced. (I like mine a tiny bit chunky.) Adjust the quantities to your tastes.

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Cultural Studies: China Day

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We are starting a new family project. Each week we are choosing one culture (or country) and teaching our children about the food, language(s), religion(s), and government. These are very brief, simple lessons, as our children are four- and six-years-old. On Saturday nights we have a dinner that somewhat represents the food of that culture. Of course we adapt it to our diets, so we don’t worry too much about authenticity.

This week was China. I made two recipes from my cookbook, Culinary Creativity. Sesame Chicken (oh that one is so good!) and Fried Rice but I subbed cauliflower for the rice. If we create a new recipe on Culture night I will be sure to share it in the future.

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We also printed coloring pages for the kids- always a big hit.

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Next week we are doing Mexico and after that Iceland and Greenland are sharing a week. I am really curious about what kind of recipes I can sort out for Iceland and Greenland- trust me it won’t be one of their favorites- horse meat! Any suggestions? Anyone from Iceland or Greenland?

Cereal Waffles

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Cereal Waffles

When I was growing up I ate cereal with milk almost everyday for breakfast. Now I eat Protein Waffles (from my cookbook) almost everyday. That got me thinking … about cereal and waffles. So I came up with this recipe for Cereal Waffles– two breakfasts in one! My daughter who likes nothing, liked them plain, and my daughter who likes most things, enjoyed them dipped in yogurt with plums (choose dairy or dairy-free for yourself). These waffles are dense and almost like cookies, but not as sweet.

Cereal Waffle with dip

Cereal Waffle Recipe
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2 eggs
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup Erewhon Rice Twice Cereal
1/3 cup pecans (optional)
4 dates, minced/finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon coconut flour

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Combine all of the ingredients together. Let it sit for about 3-5 minutes then cook in your waffle maker. You can make a big waffle or little “cookies” by placing spoonfuls of batter in each quadrant of the waffle maker.

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Pecan Crusted Onion Rings

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onion-rings

I never deep fried anything until this year. Then… I finally gave in to temptation. You see, it is almost impossible to eat fried foods at restaurants because their cooking oil is contaminated with gluten. Having gotten sick more than once trusting restaurants, I decided to take frying into my own hands. Of course I don’t really NEED fried foods, but a few times a year it sure is a treat!

I wanted to enter a pecan recipe writing contest, and this is the concept I came up with: Pecan Crusted Onion Rings. I made it cute with this bento; a pumpkin mouse, some savory squash pie (in my book) and jicama cut like Swiss cheese.

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Pecan Crusted Onion Rings Recipe
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1 cup rice flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup pecans, ground (small bits are OK)
1 cup club soda or mineral water
1 egg

oil for frying

1 large onion cut into 1/2 inch rings

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Combine the rice flour, baking powder, salt, pecans, club soda, and egg together in a large mixing bowl to make a dipping batter.

Heat a pot of oil to 375 degrees.

Dip each onion ring in the batter then drop it in the hot oil and cook for a few minutes until golden in color. Remove from the oil and set out on a paper towel to drain.

Cook in small batches and enjoy fresh.

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Everything Cookies and Ice Cream Sandwiches (Vegan)

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Everything Cookies

I love “everything” about these Everything Cookies! I had to promise myself I wouldn’t make them again for a month… because… I have difficultly controlling myself around them. I keep sneaking back into the kitchen for “one more”.

Well, I only waited about a week and then I got the idea to make the cookies into Ice Cream Sandwiches.  I can’t decide which version is more delicious, but I have several ice cream sandwiches calling to me from my freezer so I have plenty of opportunity to try them again.

Everything Cookie Recipe
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2 ripe bananas, mashed
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 cup peanut butter (or any nut butter- or Sunbutter), unsweetened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
3/4 cup gluten-free rolled oats
1/2 cup quinoa flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup carob chips or chocolate chips (or raisins)
1/2 cup macadamia nuts, chopped (or other nuts or dried cranberries)

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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Mash the bananas in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in the maple syrup, peanut butter, and vanilla.

You can either mix the dry ingredients separately (as you “should”) or you can do less dishes like me and just mix them all in together in one bowl!

Scoop level tablespoons of batter onto the baking sheet. The cookies don’t spread so you can place them fairly close together.

Bake the cookies on the middle rack for about 12 minutes. Check the cookies at 8 minutes, and if the bottoms are already golden, move the baking sheets to the top rack for the last few minutes.

Place the cookies on a cooking rack promptly after removing from the oven.

Makes about 24-30 cookies.

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Ice Cream Sandwiches
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When making the cookies:

* omit the macadamia nuts and carob chips
* spread the scoops of batter flat before baking (and consider using more batter for each cookie if you want bigger sandwiches)
* after they cool put them in the freezer

Making the Ice Cream

* Make the vanilla ice cream base from my cookbook and add 1/2 cup of peanut butter to the saucepan after adding the other ingredients. Stir thoroughly. You will need to freeze the ice cream for several hours after it is made to get it firm enough for making sandwiches.

OR

* Use a store-bought ice cream and let it get slightly soft for scooping.

Making the Sandwiches

* Assemble sandwiches and roll the edges in chocolate chips or carob chips.
* Freeze for an hour or more until firm. (Although I always let them get a bit soft before I eat them because I like softened ice cream.)

Makes about 10 sandwiches (depending on how big you make them).

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I am sharing this recipe on Whole Food Fridays, Allergy Free Wednesdays, Wellness Weekend,

Chocolate Stuffed French Toast Waffles

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stuffedfrenchtoastI hope you have a waffle maker… and if you don’t I hope you purchase one. I have three; a standard, a Belgian, and a waffle cone maker. I am an extreme waffle fan. This particular waffle is really nice. It has a slight oat taste- not all the way like oatmeal, but tasting in that direction. You can simply make the waffles and top them with fruit and syrup…

oatwaffle

…or you can take it all the way, stuff it with chocolate and cook the whole thing as French Toast. You could make the sandwiches the night before and cook the French Toast Waffle in the morning.

frenchtoastcute

I made them cute my cutting them with cookie cutters before “French Toasting” them. Then I served them with the leftover chocolate filling.

Chocolate Stuffed French Toast Waffles Recipe
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WAFFLE
1 1/2 cups oat flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free)- measure “loose” not packed
1/2 cup quinoa flakes
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons honey, agave or maple syrup
3/4-1 cup rice milk (or other milk)

FILLING
1/4 cup almond butter
1 tablespoon cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
2-3 tablespoons maple syrup (or other sweetener)
rice milk

FRENCH TOAST
2 eggs
splash rice milk
pinch cinnamon

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Combine the dry waffle ingredients and the wet ingredients separately. Then mix together. Add a bit of milk as needed to get a thick but pourable batter. Preheat a standard waffle maker. Make the waffles; it should make about 4.

Combine the filling ingredients. Sweeten to taste and add milk to achieve a thick spreadable chocolate spread (like Nutella). Spread generously on the waffles forming sandwiches. Cut on the “lines” into 4 pieces each.

Whisk the eggs, milk, and cinnamon together in a pie pan. Preheat a pan on medium-low with a thin layer of oil. Dip both sides of the sandwiches in the egg mixture and cook on both sides.

Serve hot as is or drizzle with maple syrup or try with raspberry jam.

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I am sharing this recipe on Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Allergy Free Wednesdays,

Peanut Butter “Cookie” Cupcakes

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PBcupcakes

Imagine a peanut butter chocolate chip cookie topped with a peanut butter cup with creamy frosting on top of that. Then imagine promising yourself you won’t eat 10 of them!

PS. I created this recipe for an Earthbalance contest, so I featured their products but substitutions work just fine.

Peanut Butter “Cookie” Cupcake Recipe
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COOKIE
3/4 cup almond meal/flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup Earth Balance Coconut and Peanut Spread (or peanut butter plus 1 teaspoon coconut oil)
1/4 cup agave nectar
2 tablespoons buttery spread or butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

TOPPING
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup Earth Balance Coconut and Peanut Spread or peanut butter

FROSTING
1/4 cup Earth Balance Coconut and Peanut Spread or peanut butter
1/4 cup 100% vegetable shortening
2-3 tablespoons agave nectar

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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare mini muffin tins with paper cups (about 24).

In a large mixing bowl combine the almond meal, baking powder, 1/3 cup Coconut and Peanut Spread, 1/4 cup agave, Buttery Spread, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine then mix in 1/4 cup chocolate chips.

Scoop one level tablespoon of cookie dough into each muffin cup. Gently flatten each one with your finger.

Bake for 6-7 minutes. Take them out just as the edges are barely starting to get color. If these over-cook they will be dry. (They will continue to cook in the hot pan after being removed from the oven.)

Place the muffin tins on a cooling rack until fully cooled.

Melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips in a double boiler. Mix in a 1/4 cup Coconut and Peanut Spread. Pour the mixture over each cookie, filling the paper to the top.  Set aside until the chocolate is set (you can speed this up by placing it in the freezer).

In a mixing bowl combine 1/4 cup Coconut and Peanut Spread, shortening, and 2 tablespoons of agave. Whip the frosting with an electric mixer until smooth. Taste and add more agave if desired.

Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes and serve or store covered in the refrigerator.

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I am sharing this recipe on Wellness Weekend, Whole Food Fridays, Allergy Free Wednesdays, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays,

Nightshade-Free Chili

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chili

I love bean chili. I had a version of this that I made with salsa which I made several times a month before giving up nightshades. This is is not only a great substitute for that chili but also well-loved by my daughter. I know this ingredient list is long, I apologize for that, but the flavor really needs to be developed, and thus the long list.

Nightshade-Free Chili Recipe
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1 (15-ounce) can black beans- including liquid
1 (15-ounce) can chili beans (I use Westbrae’s mix of three beans)- including liquid
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup corn (fresh or frozen)
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 shallot, chopped
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dillweed
1-2 teaspoons whole grain prepared mustard (not Dijon- use to your tastes)
1/4 teaspoon tamarind concentrate (adds a nice tang but optional because let’s face it- you probably don’t have any)
1 cup petite green peas (frozen- thawed)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Salt to taste

Serve with:
Basmati rice
Cashews

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In a large sauce pan combine all of the ingredients except the peas and vinegar. Bring to a simmer then add the remaining ingredients, salt to taste and enjoy!

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I am sharing this recipe on Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Allergy Free Wednesday, Wellness Weekend, Whole Food Fridays,

Peanut Butter, Caramel, Chocolate Bars

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Candy Bar

I love candy bars. I love Snickers Bars. I don’t eat them anymore. But I don’t mind, because I know how to make my own delicious chocolates! I use the chocolate recipe from my cookbook, but you can use melted semi-sweet chocolate. For the caramel, the recipe is also in my cookbook or you can use a different caramel recipe or purchase pre-made caramels. I purchased the chocolate mold at a local craft store- very inexpensive.

Here is a photo in progress to give you a sense of how these are assembled:

Chocolate Bar Recipe
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1/2 cup melted chocolate (approximate amount)
1/3 cup peanut butter (estimate) crunchy, lightly salted, all natural peanut butter
1/4 cup caramel (use the recipe from my cookbook in the Turtle recipe, but cook it for less time so it is looser)
peanuts

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Freeze the chocolate mold.

Pour a bit of chocolate into the mold and place it in the freezer for about 5 minutes to set.

Add about a teaspoon of peanut butter to each section. Press a divot into the peanut butter and fill that with caramel. (More caramel is tasty but messy… I go for maximum caramel personally!)

Place two peanuts on top of each section and place in the freezer for about 10 minutes.

Pour chocolate over everything and once again place it in the freezer to set.

I store these in the refrigerator and try not to eat them all in one day.

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