Muddy Buddies, Now GFCF

Since Rice Chex went gluten-free, they’ve been a pantry staple in my house. The kids eat them for breakfast a few times each week, usually with some berries thrown on top for a bit of sweetness (and to get in an extra serving of fruit). But there are some pretty nifty recipes on the back of those Chex boxes, and I’ve given them a go here at Casa Flamenco–making a few modifications in the recipes to meet our GFCF needs.

I decided to try the recipe for Chex Muddy Buddies, and my kids went CRAZY over them. I’m sure that is due, in no small part, to the fact that they are very sweet. And what kid doesn’t like chocolate?

9  cups Rice Chex cereal

1 cup Enjoy Life dairy-free chocolate chips

1/2 cup peanut butter (I used unsweetened)

1/4 cup margarine (I used Earth Balance)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

In a large bowl, measure the cereal and set aside. In a 1-quart microwaveable bowl, microwave the peanut butter, margarine, and chocolate for about 1 minute; stir. Microwave about another 30 seconds until the mixture is smooth. Stir in the vanilla. Pour the mixture over the cereal and stir until all the cereal is coated. Take a BIG (2-gallon) zip-top bag and place the cereal in the bag. Add the powdered sugar, seal the bag, and shake until the cereal is well-coated–this would be a great job to give your kids! Spread the cereal mix on a baking sheet lined with wax paper and allow to cool and dry. Once completely cool and dry, store in an airtight container in your refrigerator.

The Aftermath

After the Demo Team Got to It

I knew that my gingerbread house would be torn down eventually, but I was still really sad to see it in a heaping pile of rubble on my coffee table. My husband and the kids took turns poking at it with the wooden spoons in the picture until all that was left was the mess in the photo. The good news is that this experiment in edible construction has given rise to a new family tradition: the annual Build-A-Gingerbread-House-From-Scratch-Then-Tear-It-Down-athon. My niece Lisa made me swear that I would build one every year so that the family could bask in the glory of tearing it down on Christmas Eve. I guess you could say the house was a hit!

Mmm, cookies...

And my husband thought it was most delicious!

Project Ginger

Phase I: Planning and Baking

So over the weekend I started thinking about things I could do with the kids during the Christmas break, things that would keep them from trying to hunt around the house in search of presents. Then I had an idea: how about we make a gingerbread house? Since we had to make the house GFCF I was unable to grab one of those nifty kits available at Michael’s or Target, so I went on the hunt for a suitable recipe.

 I found one thanks to the Christmas cookie roundup I saw on Ginger Lemon Girl. Only Sometimes Clever posted a big-batch gingerbread cookie recipe that is not only GFCF, but also suitable for gingerbread houses. After looking over the recipe and heading over to Bob Vila’s for a template, we got to work.

Phase II: Construction

Karen Joy was not kidding: this recipe makes a LARGE batch of cookie dough. I used about half of it to make the pieces for the gingerbread house. I baked the pieces last night, and today the kids and I got to work on the royal icing and decorating. This was a great project; it does take quite a bit of time, so if you’re thinking about taking this on, allot yourself enough time to get it done. Zoe and Ayden were beyond excited about decorating the gingerbread house, and they can’t wait to show the finished product to our family at our dinner party tomorrow night. Now the kids are looking forward to tearing it apart on Christmas Eve!

Phase III: Decoration

Ready to Eat..

Ice Cream Sandwiches

Today Zoe and I decided that we’d make a treat to usher in the unofficial start of summer. Since I’m not in much of a mood to bake today (more on that in tomorrow’s post), we grabbed some dairy-free ice cream and some gfcf cookies and made some ice cream sandwiches. My daughter was in a bit of a hurry to eat hers, so rather than force her to watch longingly while I photograph her dessert, I just let her eat it. I figured I could snap a few candid shots while she had dessert and get her thoughts on the dessert. She loved it; in fact, she sat in complete silence and proceeded to slowly and deliberately devour the entire thing. I asked her more than once while she was eating what she thought of it; and she just kept right on eating. Once she was done, she told me that she liked it. And she also told me to stop taking pictures while she’s trying to eat. Sorry, Zoe.

Beta-Carotene with Dessert

I bought a gigantic bag of organic carrots at Publix last week, and have been working my way through that bag via as many culinary applications as I can. I’ve been cutting up some carrots daily and leaving them on my kitchen counter as a great snack food for us and the kiddies, I’ve served them with a delicious white bean and garlic spread, soup, stir-fry…you name it, I’m trying it. Ayden mentioned that he was afraid he’d turn orange after eating all these carrots–apparently there was an episode of The Magic Schoolbus where one of the kids turns an interesting shade of orange after eating too many carrots. Go figure!

I decided to resurrect a carrot cake recipe that I used to make (in the pre-gfcf days), and began tweaking it so that it’s Zoe (and Mom) friendly.
The results? Well, I’m of two minds about this one. The plusses: the cake came out very moist, definitely a good thing. The mixture of flour I used (sorghum, rice, arrowroot, and corn) gave the cake a nice texture, which I appreciate. The minuses: I don’t know if it’s because I’ve cut out almost all the sugar in my diet, but the cake was WAY too sweet for me this time. I’m going to bake it again with half the sugar and see if that makes a difference. Also, the cake is heavier than I remember (again, this may have to do with my dietary changes). As I mentioned, I am going to reformulate the recipe to hopefully address these issues.

In the meantime, here’s a photo of Attempt #1. Pardon the photo: the lighting was just not good at the time I took the picture. Oh, and I almost forgot the frosting…yeah, that was also too sweet for me. I guess I should be excited about the fact that I may have finally turned a corner on my sweet tooth, but a tasty piece of cake with a cup of tea would have really hit the spot today.

A Plate of Crumbs Doesn’t Make A Pretty Picture

I live in a home of eaters. I’m not gonna lie…we enjoy getting our grub on around here. The kids are growing quickly, and with that rapid growth come some pretty big appetites. Why do I bring this up? Because I baked a lovely loaf of gluten free bread, of which I desperately wanted to take some photographs, which my children quickly tore into. I think that before I take anything out of the oven (or in this case, the bread machine) that I need to have my camera at the ready in my kitchen. This loaf of bread? Did not stand a chance with my wee ones.

I picked up a package of Namaste Bread Mix. It’s free of gluten, casein, potato, soy, and lots of other stuff. Now if you’re egg-free and yeast-free, this bread is not for you; since I’m yeast-free, I had to pass on it. But I must say the bread smelled divine. I was pleased to see that it had a nice crust on the outside and a tender–and according to Zoe, chewy–inside. I put all the ingredients in my bread maker and pressed go. I find that with gfcf breads, I get better results if I set the machine to the whole wheat/dark settings. If using a bread machine, check your manufacturer’s instructions. The bread mix has instructions for both oven and machine, so I may try it in my oven next time and see how it turns out. The kids loved it. Zoe has had it with PB and J as well as ham and soy cheese, and she thought it was awesome. Even Flamenco Dad and Ayden got in on the action; they ate it toasted with some Earth Balance spread, and I got thumbs up from both my guys. Next time I’ll get a photo of the actual bread; all I’ve got right now is a sad looking plate of bread crumbs.

Avocado and Tomato Salad

This week the supermarket had avocadoes on sale, so I jumped at the chance to make some avocado salad. Not that I needed much convincing, especially once I saw the yummy Ugly Ripe tomatoes that sat nearby just waiting for me to scoop them up. I cut up two ripe avocadoes, sliced up a tomato, chopped 1/4 of an onion and a handful of cilantro. I put everything in a bowl, squeezed the juice of one lime over it, added a few tablespoons of olive oil and added fresh cracked sea salt and pepper. Heaven on a plate!

Had I been alone I might have eaten the entire thing myself, but I practiced some self-restraint. Besides, I remembered that avocadoes–while great for you–have quite a bit of fat. I had just enough to satisfy; the creaminess of the avocado, the juiciness of the tomato, the brightness of the cilantro, and the acidity of the lime juice make this really fantastic. Best of all, no stove required.

Black Bean Lime Salsa

I’m really loving Clean Eating Magazine. Especially since the recent issue features an article with gluten-free recipes and a list of some gf products to check out. Yippee!

I found this recipe for a black bean and lime salsa that just begs to be served either with some tortillas or with some rice. I love the bright flavor that cilantro and lime give to dishes; plus this recipe has the added bonus of flaxseed oil.

Black Bean Lime Salsa
serves 4

Ingredients:
1 cup black beans (cooked or sprouted)
1 tomato, diced
1 lime, cut into small pieces
1/2 onion, diced
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup coarsely chopped or torn fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp. dried cayenne pepper
1/2 tbsp. hemp oil
1/2 tbsp. flaxseed oil
1/4 tsp. sea salt

Mix all ingredients together in a small bown. If allowed to sit for a few hours, the ingredients will infuse each other with flavor.

Note: if you’d rather not have bits of lime floating around in your salsa, you can just juice it. Also, if you can’t find hemp oil, you can leave it out; substitue your favorite–I’ve been using grapeseed oil lately.

Start All Over Again

It’s no secret that I’ve got a beef with quinoa. I’ve tried it a few times with less-than-stellar results. Recently another blogger, the fabulous Attila the Mom (I love that screen name), wrote to ask me if I had a quinoa recipe to share; she recently started making quinoa and has been quite happy with it. I was ready to tell ATM about my past kitchen experiences with this ingredient, but I figure if she’s enjoying it I shouldn’t poo-poo on her parade. Then I got to thinking that maybe I should give it one more shot, the old college try. Maybe I’ll be presently surprised this time.

As luck would have it, I found the following recipe in the spring issue of Clean Eating Magazine. While I haven’t made it yet, I thought I’d share it with my buddy ATM and other quinoa lovers out there. I might give it one last shot this weekend–I’ve got all the ingredients. But this is the last chance. I mean it. Really.

Quinoa Porridge
Clean Eating Spring 2008

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup water
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Pinch coarse sea salt
1/2 cup low-fat milk or unsweetened soy milk
1 apple, diced
1/2 cup blueberries or sliced strawberries
1/8 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Agave syrup (optional)

Add quinoa, water, cinnamon and salt to a small pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until most of water has been absorbed. Add milk and simmer uncovered for an additional 10 minutes. Stir in apple, berries and nuts. cover and let sit for 10 minutes before serving. Porridge will thicken during this time. If desired, drizzle with agave syrup before serving.

Serves 2

Meatless Meals

I’m finding that I am becoming more and more interested in meatless meals. Please do not misunderstand me: I loves me some steak. And fried chicken? Fuggedaboutit! I think I may have been switched at birth with one of Colonel Sanders’ grandchildren.

Anyway, I am a big fan of beans and rice as a meal. The amino acids found in beans coupled with the amino acids in rice make a perfect protein; making it a great choice for a vegetarian dish. To me, black beans and rice is a meal sent straight from heaven.

Lentils continue to be a favorite, primarily because they don’t require the soaking time that beans like black beans or great Northerns require. Simmering lentils for about a half hour or so usually is plenty of cooking time. I found the following recipe in a magazine put out my my local supermarket chain. There are many recipes available, and the ones I’ve tried thusfar are delicious. I made a few minor modifications to the recipe to make it gfcf, but I left much of the recipe intact. Served with brown rice, this meal really sings.

Curried Lentils and Spinach
adapted from a recipe from Publix GreenWise Market Magazine

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped red, green and/or yellow sweet peppers
1/2 coarsely chopped onion
1 tsp. minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
1/2 tsp. curry powder (add more if you like it spicier)
1 Tbs. olive oil
14 oz. reduced sodium vegetable broth (check ingredients: some brands contain gluten)
1 1/2 cups brown lentils, rinsed and drained
1 cup water
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 5-oz. package baby spinach

In a large pan, heat the oil and cook the peppers, onion, garlic and curry powder for about 1 minute.
Stir in the broth, lentils, water, salt, and black pepper.
Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until lentils are tender and much of the liquid is absorbed.
Transfer to a large bowl. Add spinach and stir just until spinach begins to wilt. Serve.