Trial errors and kiddie snacks that are picky eater approved =)

Oh my this week has been an interesting run of trials and errors in my kitchen...First, I wanted to make gluten free sticky buns and decided to try the "sweet bread sorghum flour" from Bob's redmill. Did you know you should read instructions closely? It's only meant to replace 10-15% of the gluten free bread mix! The sticky buns were far from sticky, they were like dog biscuits!  Then I had two separate requests for sugar free or low sugar cupcakes. Since my Chocolate velvet cupcakes only require a 1/4 cup of sugar I thought this would be easy to use standard flour instead of gluten free and Stevia sweetener instead of sugar. I was wrong. So gross. Beautiful texture and disgusting flavor, truly grotesque. I'm going to try again with using carrot juice instead of almond milk and make sugar free carrot cupcakes. Stay tuned for how those turn out.

So today's post is going to be your every day staple snacks for gluten free kiddies or just kiddies in general!

"Octopus" hot dogs and apple slice peanut butter sandwiches. 

For the hot dogs I took Foster farms natural turkey dogs and for 3/4 of their length cut them into strips (tentacles). Then boiled them in unsalted water until the tentacles curl up.

This little picky eater approves!

Another fun, easy and nutritional snack for your picky eater is a twist on the peanut butter and apples snack.  Nadine LOVES sandwiches but it's always more for the honey or the jam and she can get wild with sugar.
I "planked" an apple on cut size 3 on my pamper chef mini mandolin and used those as my "bread" for the sandwich.

Apple, peanut butter and a knife or mandolin. Easy!

So simple and delicious!

Gluten Free Dairy Free Bourbon Vanilla cupcakes

Tomorrow is my mom's birthday!  Happy Birthday Mom! 
I made this recipe just for her gluten free dairy free needs. I can't wait to share them over a cup of coffee. 

As for the rest of you, enjoy! These turned out awesome.


Ingredients:
3/4 cup apple puree (slice up 1 and 1/2 large green apples, simmer in 2 tbs of Bourbon Vanilla and enough water to barely cover the surface of the apples. Simmer until apples are completely cooked and tender. Let cool, then drain and puree them in a blender or "magic bullet")
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup Bob's gluten free bread flour
1/2 cup canola oil (in an effort to make things healthier I use Smart balance omega 3 canola oil)
2 tbs  almond milk
1 teaspoon plain toffuti supreme cream (sour cream substitute)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, at room temperature (for super moist and fluffy cupcakes this is an important step! Beat the eggs and almond milk together into a froth in your blender or magic bullet!)

1 and 1/2 apples sliced and simmered with 2 tbs of bourbon vanilla
and 3/4 cup of water.

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease or line 10 wells in a cupcake pan. Whisk together the dry ingredients. Set aside. Mix together the oil, Toffuti supreme cream, apple puree, and vinegar first. Then add the frothy milk and eggs to retain the air pockets. Slowly add the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Fill the cupcake wells 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick in the center of the center cupcake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack before you ice them.

Check the inside with a toothpick!
They will look done but not be!

I'm all for easy and time saving!
GF and DF frosting mix!
just add DF margarine and h2o.

deliciousness!

Gluten Free Dairy Free Chocolate Velvet Cupcakes

I love cupcakes, they are cute and pretty and really fun to make. I was looking online for red velvet cupcakes that use beets, I know this is a weird thing to be looking for but I was watching a show (remember I am a foodnetwork addict...) called "Eat your way thin" where they used beets! I've used zucchini so why not beets? I must tell you that these chocolaty treats are delicious, moist and contain beets!


Ingredients:
3/4 cup beet puree (I'm lazy and got an organic can of whole beets packed in water but if you're feeling up to it you can boil then peel some raw beets and puree them in a blender or "magic bullet")
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup Bob's gluten free bread flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup canola oil (in an effort to make things healthier I use Smart balance omega 3 canola oil)
1/4 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon plain toffuti supreme cream (sour cream substitute)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt (If you are using canned beets that were packed in salt and water DO NOT add salt)
2 eggs, at room temperature (for super moist and fluffy cupcakes this is an important step! Beat the eggs and almond milk together into a froth in your blender or magic bullet!)

Make things easy on yourself and pour from
a container with a pour spout instead
of spooning it in from the batter bowl.

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease or line 12 wells in a cupcake pan. Whisk together the dry ingredients. Set aside. Mix together the oil, Toffuti supreme cream, beet puree, and vinegar first. Then add the frothy milk and eggs to retain the air pockets. Slowly add the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Fill the cupcake wells 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick in the center of the center cupcake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack before you ice them.

Traditional Roux frosting

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Almond milk
1/2 cup Dairy free/gluten free margarine (I use Earth balance)
1/2 cup powder sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
1/8 teaspoon fine salt

Directions:


In a small bowl, whisk together the corn starch, salt and almond milk.  Cream together the butter, vanilla paste and sugar. Slowly add the almond milk mixture. Beat until it is creamy and smooth. It will take longer than you'd think. Frost on cooled cupcakes or cake. 

As far as the red dye free red velvet cupcakes go.. I'm working on it, my first attempt came out tasting like carrot cake and lost their vibrant beet red color as they baked.. delicious but not what I was aiming for,  so you will have to stay tuned for this. 


In the mean time if you're not wanting to make a traditional roux frosting then Trader Joes has an excellent frosting base that is delicious and super easy for little helpers to contribute.

Apple and herb turkey (yumm!)

Even though it feels like it was just Thanksgiving, Christmas is right around the corner! I have a super recipe for an easy and moist turkey.
Ingredients:
Defrosted Turkey
1 Green apple
1 sweet onion
1 bunch of poultry herbs
     Thyme, rosemary, sage and parsley.
(check out the prepacked fresh herbs in the produce section at Safeway, FredMyer, or your local grocery store)
5 tbs of melted dairy free margarine
Salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder

In a large foil pan or roasting pan take the giblets out of the neck cavity of the turkey (it is super important these are removed so the packaging doesn't contaminate the bird!) either throw the giblets away or start simmering them on low in a low sodium chicken stock. Stuff the herbs, apple (halved) and onion (quartered) in to the turkey's cavity.

This is a 14lb bird, takes about 4 hours on 375 degrees Fahrenheit
The internal temp should be no lower than 180 degrees Fahrenheit

 Cover the skin of the turkey with the melted margarine and sprinkle the seasons to taste. Go light on the paprika because it will burn easily.

Cover the whole thing in foil for the first 3 hours (or depending on the size of your bird for the first 3/4 of the baking time per instructions on the packaging) After 3/4 of the baking time remove foil and use part of it to create an upside down V to place over the turkey breast (this helps keep the white meat moist while the dark meat is still finishing up) Every 15 minutes or so spoon the drippings in the bottom of the pan on top of the bird to retain moisture. Once the nifty red button has popped or the internal temp is at 180 degrees Fahrenheit remove that bird from the oven. For optimum moisture let the turkey rest for an hour before carving. I like to utilize the resting period to make gravy from the drippings and prepare my sides.

During the last hour of baking I like to throw in some red potatoes for convenience. You can eat them
as baked potatoes or peal and mash them.

Voila! She's beautiful and moist!

HINT: Save your apple and onion from the chest cavity for a delicious left over wrap/sandwich the next day.

For an easy and scrumptious lunch take your left over turkey, a couple slices of the cooked apple, a couple of layers of the baked onion, spread a thin layer of Chevre or cream cheese on the inside of a gluten free tortilla or bread (I really enjoy Udi's gluten free bread products!).

That's it! Enjoy! 

Gluten Free Dairy Free Chocolate Torte (pure deliciousness!!)

Hello My Name is Danielle and I am a FoodNetwork addict! oh boy that feels so good to get out ;) hehe

One of my favorite shows to watch (re-runs) is the Take Home Chef! In one episode he made a flourless chocolate torte with chocolate ganache that made my mouth drool. I immediate went out, got the main ingredients and started playing around for a completely gluten free option (he greased and floured the pan) and dairy free adaptions. I wont lie, it take precision and a few extra dishes but is so incredibly delectable that it is the highest demanded dessert recipe I have.

For the cake:
1½ sticks butter (softened) (For Dairy free alternative us Earth Balance Margarine)
1 cup castor sugar (fine sugar)
6 eggs separated
6oz plain dark chocolate, melted
½ tea spoon of ground cinnamon

For the drizzle
6 oz plain dark chocolate, melted

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease with dairy free margarine bunt cake tin. Cream the margarine and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time (slowly).

Mix in the melted chocolate and the ground cinnamon. Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until they form stiff peaks. Stir 1/3 of the egg whites into the mixture to loosen the mixture. Slowly fold the rest of the egg whites into the mixture. Pour mixture into the prepared cake tin. Bake in the oven for 30-40 min. Remove from cake tin and allow to cool for 45min. Cake will deflate during cooling.

Hint: Be really careful to not deflate the egg whites while folding in, also make sure that everything is even;y incorporated or you will end up with a blotchy result with egg white spots. 

Chocolate torte with melted semi sweet chocolate drizzle
and fresh strawberries.

local treasures and foodie pleasures

Karl enjoyed a chocolate dipped butter horn while I had a hot cup of coffee.
Noah wanted some so badly! I don't blame
him they look delicious.

As a supporter of the the local economy the family and I ventured into the heart of downtown Salem Oregon searching for the ultimate foodie experience. At the Reed Opera you have your choice of greek, mexican, thai, indian and italian cuisine. Down in the basement is a hidden treasure called "the little canoli bakery"! With incredible handmade and fresh pasteries, nummy espresso drinks and traditional itialian pizzas. Guess what my dear gluten free and dairy free friends....they have'' chewy chocolate pecan cookies that are delicious!

We also had a beautiful drive out to Dallas and visited the modest little goat farm "Fairview Dairy Goat Farm" which has a self service stand in their drive way and also is at the Salem farmers market on Saturdays. 

I'm in love with their onion and dill veggie dip. They also have this wine washed cheese that looks delicious and we will be picking up some of that tomorrow at the farmers market!