Gingerbread Cake with Lemon Sauce

This is a great feel good dessert not to sweet or heavy.  Best when served warm

2 1/4 cups flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon each cloves and nutmeg

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup water

1 large egg

1 cup buttermilk

Directions

Grease and flour a 9" square pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

 In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.  Melt the butter and stir in the molasses and pour into the dry ingredients, mixing to moisten.

Add the water, stirring until everything is moistened. Whisk together the egg and buttermilk. Stir into the batter until it's evenly combined.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cake just begins to pull away from the edge of the pan.

Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for 15 minutes before slicing.

Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Lemon Sauce

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1 tablespoon butter

Whisk sugar and cornstarch in small saucepan to blend. Add 3/4 cup water. Whisk over medium-high heat until mixture thickens and boils, about 2 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, butter and grated lemon peel. Pour over warm cake .

Caramel Sauce

Caramel sauce
1 1/4 cups (packed) dark brown sugar 
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup whipping cream

Whisk brown sugar and butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until butter melts. Whisk in cream and stir until sugar dissolves and sauce is smooth, about 3 minutes.

I use this on any kind of dessert or as an apple dip.  It is also great with sea salt on it.

Peanut Butter Balls

This is a great recipe to change to your own tastes and likes.  You can change just about anything.  Add just oats and no rice crisps, add coconut, dried fruit or chocolate chips.   You can cover them in chocolate.  You can also adjust the amounts depending on if you like them sticky or dry.  

Have fun being creative!

1 cup honey or agave
3 cups peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered milk 
2 cups brown rice crisps
2 cups oats 

Mix all ingredients and and use a cookie scoop to form them into balls.  
You can store them in an air tight container for several days.  

My never last that long!

Gluten Free Muffins

This is our favorite muffins they are moist and delicious.  You can anything you like to them.  I usually double the recipe also so there is always enough for the next day.

Ingredients

1 cup certified oat flour ( I just put a little over 1 cup of oatmeal in the blender and make the flour that way)

1/2 cup tapioca flour

1/2 cup almond meal/flour

2/3 cup sweet white sorghum flour

1 cup buttermilk 

1/4 cup unsalted sweet cream butter 

2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar 

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Step 1:

Whisk the flours, nutmeg, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and xanthan gum together in a bowl and set this aside for now.

Step 2:

Cream the 1/4 cup softened butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup brown sugar, vanilla, and eggs in your stand mixer bowl.

Step 3:

Add the flour and the buttermilk to the creamed butter/sugar mixture slowly.  Add a third of the flour at a time while adding the buttermilk in between flour portions and blending thoroughly after each addition.  You can add blueberries or cinnamon chips or anything else you would like at this point

Step 4:

Coat your mini muffin pan with a nonstick cooking spray.  Fill the muffin pan cups about 2/3 full.  Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.

California Quinoa Salad

2 cups quinoa 

2-3 diced fresh mangos

1/2 large red onion, diced

1 medium to large red pepper, diced

1 small bunch cilantro, chopped 

1-2 cups shredded, unsweetened coconut

3/4 – 1 cup unsalted, dry-toasted slivered almonds

1-1 1/2 cups raisins

2-3 cups frozen edamame, thawed

Juice of 4-5 limes

3 – 4 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar.

Instructions:

1. Rinse quinoa well, cook as directed.

2. Fluff quinoa well when done, spread out and let cool.

3. Add all other ingredients and toss.

4. Enjoy cold!!

Strawberry and Rubarb Crisp

6 cups of cut fresh strawberries
4 cups of sliced rubarb
2 T of arrow root starch
1/4 cups agave

Topping
1 cup of oats
3/4 cup gluten free flour
3/4 brown sugar
1 t cinnamon
1 t salt
1 cube of butter

Put cut strawberries and rubarb in a 13 x 9 baking dish stir in starch and then agave.

Mix all dry ingredients of topping and then cut in the butter.

Sprinkle on fruit and bake for about 30-40 min at 375 degrees.

Tasty Crackers

5 oz all purpose gluten free flour
3/4 C almond meal
1/3 C sugar
1t salt
4 oz butter
1 egg beaten

1- In a food processor pulse the flour, almond meal, sugar and salt until mixture is combine.  Add butter and pulse until the mixture forms large clumps.

2 - Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide in half and fold into a flat disk.  Roll each disk between 2 sheets plastic wrap.  Slide both disk onto a baking sheet and put in freezer until firm about 1 hour.

3 - Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking pans with parchment paper.  Working with 1 disk at a time cut into round or square shapes, place about an inch apart.

4 - Lightly brush with egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.  Bake for about 17-20 minuets, until they are lightly browned.

5 - Let crackers cool for about 3 minute ten transfer them to wire rack and let them cool completely.  Can be stored in a airtight container for 2 days.

Favorite Pancakes

These are gluten free and very high in protein.  The boys love them, Zach ask me every morning to make them.

2 C oatmeal
2 C cottage cheese
2 C egg whites
2 t baking powder
1 t salt
1 t vanilla
1 t cinnamon

 Mix all ingredients in the blender and pour onto hit griddle.  Depending on our mood we will add things like pumpkin, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, coconut, or chocolate chips.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

3 C. water

1- 1/2 C. oatmeal

4 T butter

1/2 C. brown sugar

1 C. puree pumpkin

1 1/2 t pumpkin pie spice 

1 t vanilla

Bring water to a boil over medium heat and stir in oats. Cook for 1 minute, stirring often, then remove from heat. Stir in butter and next four ingredients.

Place a dollop of whipped cream on the warm oatmeal, and sprinkle with toasted walnuts or pecans.

Ok so it as been awhile.  It is amazing how life just gets away from you.  But I have gotten enough slack from some of you that I will post more often.  I actually have quite a stock piling up, but I will post them slowly to spread them out

I have had a couple of request for fruit dip so here are some of my favorites.

Enjoy!!