Butternut Squash Muffins

Squash of just about any kind is an excellent source of moisture and texture for baking, as well as providing wonderful nutrients.  I prefer using fresh squash whenever possible, and this is the time of year to stock up.  What else are you going to do on a beautiful fall day?

To prepare the squash to use in a bread or cake recipe, start by washing the exterior and scrubbing it well.  Even organic squash is going to have dirt on it, and you don't want that getting into your final product.  Next, slice it in half and remove the seeds at the base.  (Save them and plant them in your garden!)  Turn the slices cut side down into a baking dish, adding water to about an inch in depth.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes, until the squash is soft all the way through. Poke it with a fork, if you aren't sure.  Remove the pieces from the water and allow them to cool completely before scooping the flesh from the skin.

Place the squishy squash pieces into the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth. This may take a few minutes, depending on the speed of your blade.  You may have to scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally to ensure that all of the pieces are processed evenly.

You can freeze squash for about three months if it is double bagged.  It also makes great baby food.

The following is based on the pumpkin bread recipe I posted last week, with a few changes that sounded yummy.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the following mixing well after each addition:
15 ounces cooked butternut squash
2/3 cup Stevia
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup grape seed oil
1/3 cup coconut oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 large eggs

In a separate bowl, combine the following:
1 1/2 cups Namaste Foods Gluten-Free Perfect Blend Flour
1/2 cup  ViShape Shake Mix
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup almond meal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and beat until well blended.

Spray muffin tins with your favorite oil or use muffin liners.  Fill each cup 2/3 of the way with the batter.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes in the center of the oven.  Allow to cool in the muffin tin for 5 to 10 minutes before removing.  Finish cooling on a rack.

Yield:  24 large muffins

Unrefined Bakery in Frisco - You Gotta Try This Place!

I have discovered heaven on earth, and it's in Frisco, Texas!

Unrefined Bakery is the brainchild of a local mother and daughter who battle the same food allergies and Celiac disease that my friends and I do.  Their bread is as good as - if not better than - any wheat or multi-grain bread I've ever tasted.  It is soft and full of flavor that is missing in so many gluten-free breads. I tasted it and fell immediately in love!

They had me at "gluten-free", but then I read more about them and knew that these are good people making good food.

Their baked goods are:
*  100% gluten-free
*  100% soy-free
*  99% corn and dairy-free
*  80% egg-free
*  non-gmo
*  organic

They use only unrefined sugars for sweetening, as well as heart healthy fats that impart deliciousness and the mouth-feel you would expect from the finest ingredients.

And they have fantastic organic, fair-trade, coffee that rivals the chains on every street corner.  I think I may have just found my new favorite hang-out.

On the left is the Loaded Monkey Cupcake - banana cake with chocolate ganache center and peanut butter frosting.  On the right, the Triple Chocolate Cupcake.  Both are moist and exquisite!  The flavors are so good because the ingredients are top-notch.  Worth every penny, savor every bite!

They have frozen cookie dough you can take home to bake your own fresh cookies for a special after-school treat for the kids.

I'm telling you, I wanted to cry as I tasted everything they would let me try.  Co-owners, Anne and Taylor have hit the mark. Amanda, the General Manager at the Frisco location, is an absolute sweet-heart.  Go see them and let them put a smile on your face.

You can find them on the web at www.unrefinedbakery.com.

Namaste Foods Gluten Free Perfect Flour Blend

I found this flour blend at Costco last week and had to try it.  The flavor is very good and it incorporates into a bread recipe well.  I used it in pumpkin bread first.  There was no difference in the taste as compared to the same recipe made with wheat flour.  My kids loved it!  Then I made a pizza crust with it.  The flavor was excellent, but the crust was tough.  Right now I don't know it that was necessarily a problem with the flour or the other ingredients in the crust recipe, so I'll reserve my opinion on this until I have tried it with a different pizza crust formula.

The weight of the flour makes it a good all-purpose blend that should work well in most recipes.

The package touts the following benefits for those of us battling Celiac and other food allergies:
*  Allergen free facility
*  All natural
*  Whole grain brown rice
*  Vegan
*  Wheat and gluten free
*  No GMO ingredients
*  No preservatives
*  No potato
*  No corn
*  No casein

The "all natural" claim is meaningless, but all of the others provide helpful information.  I especially like that there are no genetically modified ingredients.

So, what does it contain?  Here's the list:
sweet brown rice flour, tapioca starch, arrowroot powder, sorghum flour and xanthan gum.

I'm a little perplexed at the claim that it has no corn, since the process of making xanthan gum involves using corn syrup as a growth medium.  You will know best if xanthan gum is something you must avoid.  Be aware that it is in this product.

I paid around $7 for this five pound bag and consider that to be an excellent price.

Crunchy Gluten-Free Granola

I could eat this stuff all day!  This recipe is based on one my family has used since the early 1970s.  You can vary it in so many ways that you need never have the same flavor twice.  This is the most basic recipe - feel free to add whatever twigs and seeds you enjoy.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a glass measuring cup, add the following:
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
1/2 cup honey
1 Tablespoon molasses
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla

Heat this in the microwave for 30 seconds.  Stir well.  Heat for 30 seconds more, and stir again.  Heat once more for 30 seconds.  At this point it should begin to boil slightly.  Remove it from the microwave and set it aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add these dry ingredients:
4 cups gluten-free oats
1 cup whole almonds, chopped
1 cup Vi-Shape shake mix
1 cup shredded coconut
6 Tablespoons flax seeds
4 Tablespoons sesame seeds

Stir the dry ingredients until they are combined evenly.  Pour hot liquids over the dry ingredients, and mix with a wooden spoon until evenly coated.  Turn onto a large cookie sheet or 9x13-inch baking pan and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and stir, bringing the bottom to the top and turning well.  Bake for another 15 minutes, then remove from oven to cool completely in the pan.  Stir it occasionally to allow the steam to escape.  Cooling may take a couple of hours.

Store in an airtight container.  Serving size is about 1/2 cup.

Chocolate Chip Cookies (that are to VI for!)

If you are going to make chocolate chip cookies, make sure you use good chocolate!  There are a lot of brands to choose from, and it all depends on personal taste.  I'm a Ghiradelli fan, and I especially like their 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips.  (Yes, they are gluten-free!)  Check the label of your favorite chip or go to the company website.  Some chocolate chips do contain gluten, so you have to be careful.

This recipe is for a chewy-gooey cookie, because that's they way I like them.  If you like a crunchier cookie, use only the egg white instead of the whole egg.

And here we go!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 packed brown sugar
2 Tablespoons molasses
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1/4 cup ViShape Shake Mix (see my ingredients list in the side panel to the right)
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons brown rice flour
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
6 oz. chocolate chips

Using an electric mixer on high speed, cream together butter, sugar, brown sugar, and molasses until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and egg and mix until completely incorporated into the mixture.

In a separate bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients except for the chocolate chips.  Add to the wet ingredients and mix well.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by spoonful onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 10-12 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Yield 2 dozen cookies.  I dare you to make them last more than a day!

60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips

60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips

Oatmeal Almond Cookies

The smell of cinnamon baking is one of those fall scents that reminds me cooler weather is on its way - even if it was 102 degrees outside today.  Oatmeal cookies are among my favorite.  In this recipe, I've combined some wonderful flavors that are sure to give you that warm, toasty feeling that only fresh-baked cookies can accomplish.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine all of the ingredients listed:
1 egg
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup softened butter
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 - 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 cup gluten-free oats
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup Vi-Shape shake mix  (can substitute almond meal if you don't have this - see my ingredients list in the side bar)

Mix for about 10 seconds, then pulse until ingredients are combined.  Drop by teaspoon onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until medium brown.  Transfer to cooling rack.  Edges will be slightly crisp with chewy centers.

Yield:  2 dozen cookies

Bread

Since leaving gluten behind, finding bread that tastes great and has the right texture has been really difficult.  I'm still struggling to make what I consider to be the perfect gluten-free bread on my own. As my recipes improve, I will share them with you here, including an explanation of the problems and solutions to making that perfect loaf.

Until then, I am using Udi's Gluten-Free Whole Grain Bread.  It does not have that softness that is common in store-bought breads.  It's full of holes, too.  But when I'm in the mood for a "sammich", Udi's works because it tastes the way I expect bread to taste.

I buy my Udi's at Costco, and it runs close to $7.00 a loaf.  Yikes - right?  Compared to $1.19 for traditional wheat bread, it is pricy.  And that is why everyone in our house knows, "Don't touch Mom's Udi's!"