New Year New You Breakfast

Happy New Year! Today, some of you may not wake up in time for breakfast and might not feel like eating if you had a little too much fun! For those of you like me, who barely stayed up to “ring in the new year” and then awoke to very busy kids early, you might need a quick pick me up! If you saw my post yesterday about our New Year’s goals, you will see that one of mine is embracing my health issues and having a more positive outlook on them.  A couple weeks ago, I found out I was showing intolerances to almost every food. My major problems being gluten, dairy and eggs – which I was forced to give up immediately. The dairy and eggs have proven to be quite a struggle to give up. I was eating two eggs a day for breakfast. When I first started going through my diet change last summer I found a cute little blog, Peas and Thank You, and a cookbook by the same name. The author is very fun in her writing. They follow a vegan diet that includes gluten so I do have to make some modifications to her recipes but they are still great! In her cookbook I found a recipe for tofu eggs. I immediately thought, “no way am I eating tofu”. My sister is vegan. She eats tofu; I’ve tried it and hated it. However, I decided to give it another shot. I modified the recipe I found to add in my favorite veggies and I’m very surprised (and happy) to say that it works! This is a baked dish that tastes similar to a quiche or frittata. Tofu, when baked like eggs, has a very similar taste and texture to eggs. I challenge you to try the tofu as it does have many health benefits. However, I understand if you just can’t quite make that leap into the tofu world (it was hard for me!). If you can’t, I’ve added an egg substitution for you. Either way, this dish is healthy, tasty, filling and keeps well. Sometimes life brings us challenges that we aren’t prepared for but today is a new day, the start of a new year and I’m embracing a new “me” and I hope this little dish helps! This serves 4-6.

1 package of tofu (any firmness will work) or 8 eggs

¼ cup peppers, chopped

½ cup kale, chopped

¼ cup mushrooms, chopped

¼ cup potato, chopped

1 Tbsp olive oil

¼ cup shredded cheese (I used Daiya dairy free cheddar)

1 tsp black pepper

½ tsp dried thyme

¼ tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp sea salt

• In a large skillet, sauté kale, peppers, mushrooms and potato in olive oil until crisp tender (about 10-15 minutes). Meanwhile, prepare tofu. 
• If you are using a firm or extra firm tofu, you will need to puree it until smooth. To do this, just use a blender and a little bit of water until it is smooth. 
• If you are using a soft tofu, you won’t need to puree it, but you will need to drain the excess water out.
•  If you use the soft tofu, you can leave it a little chunkier and it gives the dish a scrambled egg like texture. If you use the firm pureed tofu, its smoother. Either way it tastes great! 
• In a large mixing bowl, combine tofu, cheese, spices and vegetables; stir until well combined. 
• Pour mixture into a greased 9” glass pie plate or other baking dish. Bake at 375°F for about 20-25 minutes or until mixture starts to brown and is firm in the center. 
• You can also fill muffin cups with the mixture and make individual servings, just adjust your cooking time. 
• Serve this with some fresh fruit for a complete meal!

Apple Cinnamon Scones

Good Post Christmas Morning! I hope you all had a wonderful, blessed Christmas yesterday! I know we sure did! Now comes the fun part, putting together mountains of toys, finding a home for the old ones and picking up paper… lots and lots of paper! I’m going to need a good breakfast to do all of that! That’s why I’m giving you this recipe today! These simple, yet delicious scones are perfect! Apples and cinnamon just go together and when you add them to a scone it’s magical! They really don’t take too long to make and you could even start the dough the night before and bake the morning of serving. Makes 8 scones.

1 cup white rice flour

¼ cup coconut flour

¼ cup almond flour

½ cup tapioca starch

2 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sea salt

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

¼ cup coconut oil, softened

½ cup almond milk

1 egg

1 cup apple, finely chopped

1 Tbsp cinnamon

¼ cup coconut sugar

Glaze

1 Tbsp butter, melted (I used dairy free)

1 cup powdered sugar

2 Tbsp almond milk (more or less for desired consistency)

• In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add in oil, milk, vanilla and egg. Blend over low speed until dough ball forms. Slowly add in apple pieces until well combined. 
• On a floured surface (or a counter with a layer of plastic wrap), form dough into a circle about 1” thick. Cut the circle into 8 pieces. 
• Place scones onto a greased baking sheet and bake at 325°F for about 20-25 minutes or until scones are lightly browned and cooked through. Let cool for about 10 minutes. 
• While scones are baking, combine glaze ingredients into a small bowl. Whisk together until smooth, adding more milk if a runnier glaze is desired. Drizzle glaze over cooled scones and serve.

Orange Currant Cinnamon Rolls

I’ve been thinking of brunch recipes we could have on Christmas morning and I knew I wanted to make some cinnamon rolls. However, you can’t just wing it on the day of – trust me, I’ve tried that and it doesn’t always work. These were actually supposed to be scones but I wasn’t paying attention and following my standard cinnamon roll recipe so once I got in the middle of making the dough I knew I had to commit! Good thing I was spacing because these are great! I’m sure they’d be awesome as a scone too but the cinnamon roll works so great, we may not try the scone! I was missing my "Granny Grunt" this morning and decided to use her plate for my picture. The holidays are hard when loved ones are gone but its little things that make you remember and enjoy their spirit! This makes 12 cinnamon rolls.

Orange Currant Rolls

Dough

1 cup white rice flour

¾ cup amaranth flour

½ cup potato starch

½ cup arrowroot starch

1 Tbsp xanthan gum

1 Tbsp yeast (1 packet)

½ tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking powder

¼ cup stevia

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 egg

¼ cup applesauce

¾ cup almond milk

½ cup water

1 tsp vanilla

Filling

¼ cup coconut oil, melted

½ cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)

2 tsp cinnamon

½ cup dried currants

Icing

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp coconut oil, melted (or butter)

Juice and Zest from one orange

• Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together water, almond milk and yeast for dough and let set for a few minutes. Add in applesauce, coconut oil, egg and vanilla to dry mix and blend well.
•  Pour in milk mixture and blend on medium speed for 2 minutes. 
• This part is key. Put a large rectangle piece of plastic wrap onto your counter or tabletop to roll the dough on. Pour dough onto plastic wrap and spread into a rectangle. Place another sheet of plastic wrap onto dough. Roll out into a thin rectangle. Remove top layer of plastic wrap.
• Spread the coconut oil for filling over the dough. Sprinkle on coconut sugar, cinnamon and currants. Take the long side of the dough and roll over the rest. 
• A trick here is to roll the dough using the edges of the plastic wrap. The dough is sticky and hard to roll if you use your hands. Cut dough log into 1” pieces. 
• In a greased 9x13 pan, place rolls cut side down. Cover and let rise for about 20 minutes. Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes or until browned on top. 
• Mix together icing ingredients and spread over warm rolls. 

Gingerbread Pancakes

Wouldn’t these be perfect for Christmas morning?? You bet they would! My kids loved helping making them and loved eating them even more. We have so many cookie cutters that we use maybe once a year. This idea gave us two uses this year – ha! You have to use metal cookie cutters, or at least ones that won’t melt on the griddle. Be sure to spray them with cooking spray so the batter doesn’t stick. Makes about 8-10 servings

1 ½ cup GF all purpose flour

3/4 cup almond milk

½ cup coffee, strong brewed

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp allspice

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp baking powder

1 egg

• In a large mixing bowl, combine ingredients. Blend over medium speed for about 30 seconds or until well combined. If batter is too runny, add in additional flour or if it is too dry, add in additional milk – consistency will depend on the GF flour blends used. 
• Place greased cookie cutters onto a hot griddle. Slowly pour batter into cutters and cook first side about 10 minutes. Flip pancakes and cutters and cook on the other side for about 5 minutes. 
• Carefully remove pancakes from cookie cutters (they will be hot!). Serve with maple syrup or powdered sugar. 

Overnight Breakfast Casserole

Who doesn’t love a throw together casserole recipe that can be made ahead?? I know I love them! This would make a wonderful Christmas morning breakfast or brunch recipe! I love baked egg dishes; frittatas, quiches, etc. However, they are time consuming in the mornings and I don’t like to wait on them so I don’t make them often. After Thanksgiving, I had some white GF bread that was just okay. No one really ate it but I hated to throw it away so I decided to make this casserole dish. I wasn’t exactly sure how it would turn out but it is great! It is very similar to a bread pudding type recipe. The nutrients come from all the veggies this dish is loaded with. If you prefer, you could use more egg whites than whole eggs.  You could also throw in some sausage or other meat for additional flavor. This serves about 6.

6 slices of GF bread, cubed

6 eggs (or an egg/egg white mixture to equal about 1 cup)
¼ cup milk
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp sage
¼ tsp black pepper
½ tsp sea salt
2 cups raw spinach
½ cup chopped mushrooms
¼ cup diced onions
½ cup cooked spaghetti squash or shredded potatoes
¼ cup diced carrots
1 Tbsp olive oil
½ cup shredded cheese (I used dairy free Daiya cheddar style)

• In a greased 9x9 baking dish, place bread cubes.
• In a large skillet, sauté mushrooms, onions, carrots and spinach for about 10 minutes or until crisp-tender.
• In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, milk and seasonings together.
• Add mushroom mixture to eggs.
• Place the spaghetti squash over the bread cubes. Sprinkle shredded cheese over bread and squash. Pour egg mixture over dish.
• Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• In the morning, bake at 375°F for about 35-40 minutes or until eggs are set in the center.

Cranberry Sweet Rolls - Gluten Free

I used to be a sucker for Hostess or Little Debbie snack cakes. It’s not something I’m real proud of now but I LOVED them. My favorites had to be the Oatmeal Cream Pies and those Cherry Sweet Rolls. Oh my gosh – so good! I don’t need to tell you about their nutritional values I’m sure. These Cranberry Rolls are my Christmas version of my old favorite breakfast treat! Plus a lot healthier… These can easily be made ahead and baked Christmas morning. This makes about 12 rolls. 

1 cup white rice flour

½ cup white sorghum flour
¾ cup tapioca starch
½ cup arrowroot starch
¼ cup stevia or sugar
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 pkt active dry yeast
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp sea salt
¼ cup applesauce
½ cup water, warm
½ cup milk, warm
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
Filling
1 Tbsp coconut oil
½ cup cranberry sauce (Here’s my homemade recipe)
¼ cup coconut sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
½ tsp vanilla
3 tsp almond milk

• In a small bowl, combine yeast, milk and water and set aside for about 5 minutes.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine remaining dry dough ingredients. Add in egg, applesauce, oil, vanilla and yeast mixture.
• Blend over medium speed for about 2 minutes.
• Place dough onto a clean, floured surface and roll out into a ¼” thick rectangle.
• Spread coconut oil over dough and top with sugar, cinnamon and cranberry sauce. Roll up dough lengthwise and cut into about 1” thick slices.
• Place rolls cut side down  in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Let rise for about 30 minutes.
• Bake at 350°F for about 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.
• While rolls are baking, mix together icing ingredients. Let rolls cool about 10 minutes  and drizzle icing over tops and serve.

Thanksgiving Menu Ideas

I can’t believe it is already time to post this. I’m a little nervous about the holidays this year. This will be the first year for a gluten-free Thanksgiving. Last year I was on a pretty strict diet, but I cheated a little and suffered the consequences. This year – none of that! I’m not nervous about the food. I’m nervous about the interactions during meal time. I definitely don’t want to hurt feelings or step on toes about not eating what the family cooks. However – I simply can’t afford to have a bad day due to poor diet choices. So here goes nothing (wish me luck!) As I’m sure many of you are doing, we are traveling some. We aren’t traveling far but we do have several dinners to go to or make. One thing I will miss this year – my mom’s pumpkin pie and my mother-in-law’s ham. Oh gosh… my mom always makes an extra pumpkin pie, just for me! I take it home; eat it again that night, for breakfast the next day, etc. We will have to work on an alternative but for now, no “Mom’s Famous” pumpkin pie for this girl. I’ve learned that you shouldn’t have to suffer or feel guilty about not eating holiday meals. There are many options out there; you just have to find what’s best for you. What we have decided to do is to just make our own “traveling” Thanksgiving dinner. I will make our own meal and take it to the dinners we are going to. For those coming to our house to eat, they can eat what we cook. If they don’t want to, they can bring their own. It’s not the best solution I’m sure, but it’s the best one we’ve come up with. I can’t touch, eat, or be around gluten. If anyone has other suggestions – I’m all for hearing about them! Anyway – I wanted to present some options to any of you having this same problem. Or if any of you are just wanting to try something new this holiday season, try one of the recipes below! Either way, it’s Thanksgiving and it’s a great time of year to be thankful for what we have. Whether you are doing a typical family tradition, or like us – trying something new, just remember how fortunate we all are. I sometimes find myself wondering why this happened to me, but at the end of the day I have to be thankful. I’m thankful God put me in this position to help me learn and challenge me. I have learned so much about taking care of my body and my health. My situation has also made me realize how fortunate it is to enjoy a meal with family. Something as simple as dinner can be taken away so quickly. Some may not be able to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner due to food allergies or illnesses. Others may simply not be able to afford it. Regardless, I am so very thankful for the opportunity to create a tasty, healthy meal on this wonderful day and I hope you all are too. Of course, I’m thankful for millions of other things but this is a food blog after all! Check out the full day’s menu options below and try some of the recipes – they should all be linked to the original posts complete with pictures. Have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!

    

Breakfast:

Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls (Maple or Original)
Banana Oatmeal Pancakes – my most popular! (for extra energy if you have having a late lunch)
Cinnamon Scones
Appetizers
Shrimp Dip
Veggie Pizza
Watermelon Mint Jam – served with crackers/chips
Smoked Chicken Antipasto
Lunch/Dinner:
Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts - for an alternative to turkey
Made Over Mashed Potatoes
Balsamic Green Beans
Roasted Fall Veggies
Deceptive Mac & Cheese
Stuffed Acorn Squash (or stuffing)
Mushrooms, Onions & Swiss Chard
Butternut Pumpkin Biscuits
Red Wine Cranberry Sauce
Desserts
Upside Down Apple Cake
Cranberry Pear Crisp with Lavender – my favorite!
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies – for the kids!
Pumpkin Pie with Almond Crust – if you want to get real fancy
Beverages
Apple Cider
Pumpkin Spiced Chai Latte
Strawberry Lemonade  - for the kids

Sunny Breakfast Skillet

Today you get a double post!! It was Kid’s Choice night at dinner and my son, of course, picked “breakfast”! He requested eggs and strawberry waffles (waffle recipe will come later!). I decided to throw together this little dish and it is amazing. The potato pepper mix gives the eggs a nice bed to lay on with a little gravy in the middle. I always post breakfast recipes in the mornings but if you don’t know what you’ll need it is kind of hard to make it. Therefore, I decided to post this tonight so you can prepare to make it in the morning! This makes about 4 servings.

Hashbrown mix

2 medium sized potatoes, diced
1 medium bell pepper, diced
½ cup onion, diced
4 slices turkey bacon, diced
1 cup raw kale
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
Gravy
1 tsp butter or olive oil
1 Tbsp GF flour (or starch)
1 tsp black pepper
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp garlic salt
½ tsp parsley
1 cup almond milk
4 eggs

• In a large skillet, sauté hashbrown mixture for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are cooked and slightly crisp.
• In a small sauce pan, melt butter for gravy and add in flour, parsley, salt and pepper until you get a thick paste. Slowly add in milk and bring to boiling, stirring constantly until the gravy starts to thicken. Add more milk if necessary.
• Move the hashrown mixture to one side of the skillet, crack eggs into skillet and cook on each side until you reach your desired egg (over easy, over medium, etc.)
• Spoon hashbrown mixture onto serving plate, drizzle ¼ of the gravy mixture and top with a cooked egg.

Yogurt & Peanut Butter Banana Parfait

Did you know that November is National Peanut Butter Month?? I didn’t know such a thing existed. It makes sense though to have an entire month dedicated to peanut butter. I don’t really pay much attention to these types of “holidays” but I figured tonight I would. This is simple and delicious. It is also full of nutrients. We ate it as a dessert but switch it up and serve it for breakfast too. Makes two servings

1 small container of vanilla yogurt (I used dairy free coconut yogurt but any kind will work)

1 tsp cocoa powder
2 Tbsp peanut butter (or other nut butter)
2 small bananas
2 Tbsp whipped topping
2 tsp carob chips (or chocolate chips)

• In the yogurt container, blend yogurt and cocoa until smooth.
• In two small serving dishes, split the cocoa yogurt mix into the dishes.
• Cut the bananas into chunks and layer each dish with about a half of a banana.
• Add one tablespoon of peanut butter into each bowl.
• Layer the other halves of the bananas into the dish and top with whipped topping and carob chips (if desired).

Pumpkin Waffles

I know – another pumpkin recipe?? What can I say – Every time I open my pantry, pumpkin is right in my face so I have to use it! These have just a hint of pumpkin so it is not an overwhelming flavor. The base of this recipe is perfect – it gives the waffles that crunchy outside with a super soft inside. Serve them with maple syrup and you will have a great breakfast! These also freeze well so make a big batch, freeze them, and pop them in the toaster when you are ready to eat them next. Makes about 8 regular sized waffles.

1 cup GF all purpose flour

1 egg
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
½ cup yogurt
½ cup almond milk
1 Tbsp stevia or sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp pumpkin pie spice

• In  a large mixing bowl, combine ingredients. Whisk until well blended.
• Pour about ¼ cup of batter into each spot of a hot waffle iron.
• Cook for about 6-8 minutes or until waffle is cooked and you have reached your desired crispness.
• If you are going to freeze them, let cool completely after cooking before putting in freezer.

Apple Cider French Toast

What’s the best way to use up some delicious bread?? Our answer is French toast! Earlier in the week I made Apple Cider Bread. It made two loaves and we just couldn’t eat it all fast enough. So I decided to slice it up and make some French toast. It’s one of our favorite weekend breakfasts! This makes slightly dry bread into a delicious moist breakfast treat.

1 small loaf of Apple Cider Bread (or other bread)

1 egg
½ cup almond milk
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp coconut oil

• Heat coconut oil on a large griddle at 350°F. In a medium sized bowl, beat eggs and milk together and add cinnamon.
• Slice bread into ¼” thick slices. Dip bread slices into egg mixture until both sides are coated.
• Place bread slices on griddle and cook on each side for about 10 minutes or until batter has browned.
• Serve with fruit, maple syrup and powdered sugar if desired.

Easy Breakfast Sandwich

Here’s our post wedding breakfast – and one of my son’s favorite! This is quick and easy enough for a weekday breakfast. You can also make these ahead of time and either freeze or refrigerate them. Much healthier than the store bought sandwiches or fast food! Makes 1 sandwich

1 breakfast roll (English muffin, biscuit or roll – I used a GF Against the Grain artisan roll)

1 egg
1 slice of cheese
1 thin slice of turkey or ham

• Cut the breakfast roll in half and lightly toast each side. In a skillet, cook egg, breaking the yolk halfway through cooking.
• Flip egg and cook the other side. You can also use a circular egg cooker (to make a perfect circle egg for your sandwich).
• Warm the turkey or ham slices in the skillet also.
• On one half of the toasted roll, place cheese slice, egg and meat slice. Top with other half of roll and serve.

Savory Bacon & Egg Pancakes

My kids love pancakes and I love scrambled eggs. Put them together and what do you get?? Scrambled egg pancakes with bacon! Sometimes you just have to let the kids choose meals so they actually want to eat it. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t. I was pleasantly surprised that these worked. Plus the kids LOVED them. They thought they were so much fun. They were pretty tasty and gluten free of course! Makes about 10 medium sized pancakes

¾ cup flour (I used GF all purpose)

1 egg
½ cup almond milk
3 slices turkey bacon, diced
2 eggs
¼ cup corn
3 green onions, diced
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp black pepper

• In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, one egg and almond milk and mix until well blended.
• In a large skillet, cook bacon pieces and then scramble two eggs in the skillet also.
• Fold in bacon, eggs and corn into pancake batter. Add in onions, salt and pepper and gently mix until combined.
• On a griddle preheated to 375°F, scoop ¼-1/2 cup of batter. Cook both sides for about 10 minutes each or until pancakes are cooked through.
• You can serve this with maple syrup (strange but it works!) or ketchup, ranch or eat it by itself.

Sweet Potato Hash

One thing that can really help make an early morning better is a good breakfast. Mornings are usually rushed and crazy for us but it’s important that we try to get a good solid breakfast. We typically have eggs every day to give us some extra fuel in the mornings. However, just having toast gets old. So every once in a while I’ll throw in this hearty hash for an extra boost. This goes perfect with poached eggs.

1 sweet potato, diced

½ cup bell pepper, chopped
¼ cup onion, diced
2 slices turkey bacon, diced
½ tsp garlic, minced
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp cumin
½ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp black pepper

• In a large skillet, cook turkey bacon, sweet potato, pepper and onion until bacon is cooked and vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
• Add in garlic, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper and cook an additional 5-7 minutes or until sweet potatoes start to crisp up.
• Serve alone or throw a cooked egg on top.

Peach Raspberry Muffins

Not much to say about these little treats – except they are awesome! The tartness of the peaches and sweet raspberries really come together in this muffin. The coconut and almond flour mix keeps it light and gluten free but the other ingredients help give it a little crunch. Perfect for a Sunday morning breakfast or brunch.

1 cup almond flour

½ cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp xanthan gum
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1 cup almond milk
¼ cup honey or stevia
½ cup peaches, finely diced
½ cup raspberries

• Mix together dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add in eggs, almond milk and honey. Blend on medium speed for about a minute or until batter is well combined.
• Using a spoon, fold in peaches and raspberries. You don’t want to mix them in or they will end up mushy. Folding them in keeps their texture and shape better.
• Bake at 350°F for about 30-35 minutes or until muffins are lightly browned and cooked completely through. Let cool about 10 minutes.
• These are best eaten right after baking. They will keep fairly well for one to two days in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

PUMPKIN PIE OATMEAL

I haven’t quite figured out what is better on a cool fall or winter day than a big bowl of warm oatmeal. There’s something about a warm breakfast that just starts your day off right. In addition, oatmeal provides several important nutrients that can help keep you full on a busy day. Of course, one way to make oatmeal better is to combine it with pumpkin. This oatmeal mirrors a delicious slice of pumpkin pie. It’s pretty fantastic – go ahead, give it a try! This makes about 2 servings.

½ cup steel cut GF oats

1 cup water
½ tsp sea salt
2 tsp coconut oil
½ cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 Tbsp maple syrup or honey
½ cup almond milk

• Bring oats and water to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Add in sea salt and coconut oil. Boil oats for about 10 minutes or until most of water is absorbed.
• Add in pumpkin, spices, and syrup. Mix well and cook for an addition 3-5 minutes.
• Slowly add in almond milk as desired.
• You can replace the water with milk for a creamier oatmeal.
• I like to cook the oats with water and then thin the oats out when I’m ready to eat with the almond milk. I like more milk in mine than my husband so I usually divide out the oatmeal into separate bowls and we modify how we like it.

Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls

EXTRA POST!       

I couldn’t wait to post these. These are by far my greatest gluten free creation so far! Cinnamon rolls are one of those painful but delicious things to make. We love them but they are typically so much work! I will admit, I am a terrible cinnamon roll maker. I get impatient because typically we eat as soon as we get up. Who has time in the mornings for the dough to rise, then bake – not to mention rolling them out? However – these are worth it. I’ve become more patient as I’ve had to transition into this cleaner, gluten free way of eating. These are pretty simple and taste great. I’ll be experimenting with different flavors now that I’ve found a good base dough. These would be great on Christmas morning! Enjoy!

 

Dough

1 cup brown rice flour
½ cup tapioca starch
½ cup white sorghum flour
¼ cup coconut flour
1 Tbsp xanthan gum
1 Tbsp active yeast (1 packet)
½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking powder
¼ cup stevia
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 egg
¼ cup applesauce
¾ cup almond milk
½ cup water
1 tsp vanilla
Filling
¼ cup coconut oil
½ cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
2 tsp cinnamon
Icing (if desired)
1-2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbsp butter (I used dairy free, but regular is fine)
2 Tbsp almond milk

• Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl.
• In a small bowl, mix together water, almond milk and yeast for dough and let set for a few minutes.
• Add in applesauce, coconut oil, egg and vanilla to dry mix and blend well.
• Pour in milk mixture and blend on medium speed for 2 minutes.
• This part is key. Put a large rectangle piece of plastic wrap onto your counter or tabletop to roll the dough on. Pour dough onto plastic wrap and spread into a rectangle. Place another sheet of plastic wrap onto dough. Roll out into a thin rectangle.
• Spread the coconut oil for filling over the dough. Sprinkle on coconut sugar and cinnamon. Take the long side of the dough and roll over the rest.
• A trick here is to roll the dough using the edges of the plastic wrap. The dough is sticky and hard to roll if you use your hands.
• Cut dough log into 1” pieces. In a greased 9x13 pan, place rolls cut side down. Cover and let rise for about 20 minutes.
• Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes or until browned on top.
• For icing – melt butter and mix with milk. Gradually add in powdered sugar and stir with whisk until well blended. Add in extra sugar to get desired consistency. Pour icing over warm rolls and serve.

Turkey Breakfast Sausage

Before my restricted diet came along, we had an egg and bacon or sausage for breakfast every day.  I couldn’t tell you the last time I had sausage before today. I originally got this idea from a paleo magazine but I tweaked it quite a bit to fit our needs. The spices in this are the key ingredients. The sage and rosemary compliment each other so well and give the sausage an awesome flavor. Instead of turkey, you could easily substitute ground pork. I used very lean turkey, but you would get a little more flavor out of a little fattier meat.

1 lb lean ground turkey

1 Tbsp fresh sage finely minced
1 tsp fresh thyme finely minced
1tsp fresh rosemary finely minced
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp honey (or sugar)
1 Tbsp olive oil

• Mix together turkey, seasonings and honey until well combined. Heat olive oil in a skillet on medium heat.
• Form & flatten turkey into small (2 inch) patties.  Cook on first side for about 10 minutes and then cook on other side for about 5 more minutes or until both sides are browned. (I like mine really browned so we cooked ours a little longer. Just make sure your patties are cooked all the way through)

Cinnamon Raisin French Toast with Bananas and Walnuts

I am not kidding when I say that this is the best French toast I have EVER made. And trust me – I’ve made a lot of French toast! For some reason, this is the first time I’ve attempted since going gluten free a few months ago. I had some bread I needed to use up quickly and this turned out to be the perfect way to not waste it! I’m thinking this may be on our regular menu for the fall…

6 slices of cinnamon raisin bread (either homemade GF or store bought)

2 eggs
½ cup milk (I used almond)
½ tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp coconut oil (or shortening)
1 over-ripe banana
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ cup walnuts, chopped
1 tsp honey or maple syrup

• Preheat griddle to 375°F and add coconut oil to griddle.
• Whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla and 1 tsp cinnamon in a medium sized bowl until combined. Dip both slices of bread into egg mixture.
• Place “battered” toast onto a hot griddle. Cook first side for about 10 minutes or until browned and crispy. Flip and cook the other side for about 5 minutes or until crispy and brown.
• While your toast is cooking, cut banana lengthwise in half. Then cut each half lengthwise to make four long slices of banana. Add banana slices to griddle and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon.
• Top bananas with walnuts and drizzle honey on and “fry” until slightly browned. Remove toast from griddle and put onto serving plate.
• Top each serving of French toast with the caramelized banana/walnut mixture. Serve with additional syrup if desired, but really these are sweet enough already.

Zucchini-Potato Breakfast Patties

During the summer we have an abundance of zucchini. My mom, myself and our neighbors always seem to have too much of it. Don’t get me wrong, we love eating it. However, you can only eat sautéed or grilled squash every night for so long. We are at that point of the year where we are trying anything to have zucchini different. I haven’t had zucchini for breakfast but it turned out well! These are perfect little hash brown patties and go great with an egg or some fruit.

½ of a large zucchini, shredded, water removed

½ of a russet potato, shredded
¼ cup diced onion
1 egg
¼ cup all purpose gluten-free flour
¼ cup corn meal
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp salt
Olive oil

• Combine zucchini, potato and onion together. Add in egg, flour, cornmeal, pepper and salt. Mix together with your hands until well blended.
• In a large skillet or on a griddle, heat up a little olive oil. Once skillet/griddle is hot, place the zucchini mixture in the skillet in the form of small circle patties.
• Flatten the patties until they are about ¼” thick so they will crisp up nicely. Cook in the skillet on one side for about 10 minutes on low-medium heat.
• Flip patties and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until both sides are crispy. Serve immediately. These are best served warm right after cooking.