Gluten-Free CREPES

I've tried making GF crepes before... but they are always too thick and more like a pancake. I found this delicious recipe and I was SO surprised that they turned out so thin. They tasted like a normal crepe! I even looked at the girl's crepes who had the recipe and her's were really thick... mine turned out thin and I have no idea how, but I was stoked!

Here it is...

Recipe:

Gluten-Free Crepes (makes 6-8 crepes)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla, gluten-free
1/2 cup nut milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-2 tablespoons agave nectar
1 cup gluten-free all purpose flour
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 tablespoon coconut oil, for pan

DIRECTIONS: Place 2 tablespoons of coconut oil into a small saucepan, and melt over low heat. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, nut milk, water, salt and agave nectar until combined. Slowly add in the flour and whisk to combine. Remove oil from heat, and pour into batter in a steady stream while slowly whisking to combine. Mix until smooth.

Heat a small amount of coconut oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/3 cup for each crepe. As soon as you’ve poured the batter, tilt and swirl the pan in a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.
Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Flip the crepe with a spatula and cook the other side. Repeat this process with remaining batter.

Gluten-free hot dogs buns, veggieburger buns, or sandwich bread!

I was told I was gluten intolerant 2 years ago. That was really hard for me to give up because we are surrounded by gluten-filled foods. I didn't do as good the first 17 months of totally eliminating gluten... but the past 7 months I have not had it once.

I finally decided to try to make my own bread as store bought gluten free bread can be pretty gross. It's often times really hard and has many preservatives which are not good!

The recipe is to be used for hot dog buns, but I didn't have a hot dog pan... so I baked it in a cake pan and used it for a veggie carrot 'hot dog', a veggieburger, and whatever else I might want to eat with bread.

Recipe:

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

YEAST MIX:

• 1½ Cups Warm Water or Milk (or Milk Alternative)
• 3 Tablespoons Agave (or honey)
• 2½ teaspoons Dry Active Yeast (be sure your yeast is fresh and alive.)

DRY MIX:

• 3 Cups of Erika's All Purpose Gluten Free Flour Mix
• ¼ teaspoons Xanthan Gum (in addition to whats already in the GF Flour Mix)
• 4 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt

WET MIX:

• 1 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar or Lemon Juice
• ¼ Cup Olive Oil
• 2 Large Eggs (see options for egg free below)

EGG FREE VERSION:

• 2 Tablespoons Extra Water added to Yeast Mix
• 1 Tablespoons of Dry Ener-G Egg Replacer Whisked into Dry Mix
  
• 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar (instead of 1 Tablespoon)

Instructions

STANDARD PREPARATION WITH EGGS:

1. In a measuring cup, measure & warm water to just above body temperature - should be warm to the touch (but not hot or cold). Stir in Honey and add Yeast last. Set-aside & let proof for approx. 10 minutes.
2. Combine Dry Mix ingredients in small bowl.
3. Combine Wet Mix ingredients in bowl with a whisk. (or use a bread mixer machine)
4. Add in the proofed Yeast Mix and mix again for just a few seconds.
5. Add the Dry Mix and whisk for approx. 3 minutes. Dough will be wet (think thick cake batter)!
6. If you want, you can spray your hot dog pan (I used a 9x12 cake pan - or for a thinner bun, you can use a cookie sheet) with non-stick coating, but this is not necessary.
7. Using a spatula, scrape the bun mixture into your prepared hot dog pan and set on top of your stove to proof while the oven is preheating. Be sure to smooth out the loaf with spatula or wet fingers before proofing as the loaf will not smooth out itself.
8. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
9. It is important not to over-proof the buns - just let them rise approximately 20-30 minutes depending on your room temperature.
10. Bake for approx. 25-45 minutes (it only took me 25 minutes). If the crust is darkening too quickly, you can cover it with foil (tent open ended) and return to baking until done. (Every Oven is different, but I usually cook mine until I get an internal temperature of 220 degrees on my digital thermometer).
11. Remove Hot Dog Bun Pan (or other pan) from oven and let cool for 3 minutes before turning out onto your cooling rack. Allow to cool completely (at least 30-45 minutes) before attempting to cut into buns/slices.

WITHOUT EGGS:

1. Follow the standard preparation directions above with these modifications to the ingredients & order in which the ingredients are mixed together.
2. Proof Yeast right in the mixing bowl with Extra 2 Tablespoons Water (no need for a separate bowl/cup)
3. Add Dry Mix to Mixing Bowl (with 2 Tablespoons Ener-G Egg Replacer Whisked In)
4. Add Olive Oil & run Mixer until all ingredients are wet.
5. Add extra Apple Cider Vinegar & Mix on Medium High for Approximately 3 Minutes.
6. Note that the Egg Free Bread will shrink around the edges as it bakes - that's ok, they still turn out great!

LEFTOVERS:

1. Store any leftovers in a airtight bag on your counter for up to 2-3 days. Refrigerate or Freeze as needed, but be aware that the bread will dry out quickly in the Fridge. If need be, wrap leftover bread in towel and microwave for 20-30 seconds to warm/soften.

Note- As you see in the photo I used a cake pan. I didn't have a hot dog bun pan, so I used this and cut the hot dog shapes out of it. As well as burger buns and regular sandwich bread. 

Sources:
Gluten Free Hot Dog Buns

Veggie Carrot 'Hot Dogs'

Okay... I know this sounds crazy and you may be saying to yourself, "carrot hot dog? Really?" But it was delicious!! It tasted BETTER than a meat hot dog. I was pretty skeptical to try one too, but boy, I sure have missed eating a hot dog since cutting down on meat. It's like a traditional American dish. I thought I would never be able to eat one again - so now I've found a recipe I love, I am so thankful.

Here's a photo of what mine looked like! I made homemade gluten-free buns that were great, too.

Doesn't it look great? Yummy. I remember the first bite I was so surprised at how great it tasted. It's like the flavor is still in my mouth (probably because I just finished eating it like 10 minutes ago.. Ha!).

Ingredients:

4 large carrots, peeled, with the ends cut off (I cut mine to the size of the hot dog bun)
1/4 cup Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (you could use regular soy sauce)
1/4 cup water
1 TB seasoned rice vinegar
1 TB sesame oil
1/2 TB apple cider vinegar
dash liquid smoke (I used brand name 'colgin' as it didn't have added sugars)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp dried ginger
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp granulated onion powder
olive oil cooking spray
4 gluten-free hot dog buns (or buns of choice)
desired hot dog toppings  (as you can see I used organic mustard, un-sweetened ketchup and un-sweetened relish).

Directions:

1. Boil carrots for approximately 6 to 8 minutes, or until fork tender but not mushy.  After removing the carrots from the boiling water, run them under cold water to stop the cooking process.

2. While the carrots are cooking, whisk together the Bragg’s, water, vinegars, sesame oil, liquid smoke, garlic, and seasonings.

3. Combine the carrots and the marinade in a zipper gallon-size bag (I actually used two in case of a leak), or in an air-tight container.  Shake gently until the carrots are coated with the marinade.  Place the carrots in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.

4. To cook the carrots, spray a medium skillet with olive oil cooking spray.  Turn the heat to medium and place the carrots and about 1/2 cup of the marinade into the skillet.  Heat the carrots for approximately 8 to 10 minutes, or until warm.

 Picture to the right shows them during the middle of the process. By the time they are done, they will be browned a little bit more and will look like actual hot dogs.

5. Serve your carrot “hot dogs” in a bun and top them with your favorite hot dog toppings.

These are so yummy. You don't even taste that much of a difference between regular hot dogs.

Enjoy!

The Most Wonderful, Sweet Salad Dressing

Due to the high sugar in a lot of salad dressings these days, I decided it was about time (in February) to make my own salad dressing. I'm a big fan of strawberry-spinach salad, so I tried to find a recipe to go well with that. I found a recipe where I liked everything but the sugar... so I made it and replaced sugar with Agave-sweetner to fit my needs.

I always keep a bottle of this handy and could probably drink this dressing it is so good. I hope you like it as much as I do. I use it almost every day!

Recipe:
Yield: 1 1/4 cups
Time: 3 minutes

For the Dressing:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I use Olive)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar (I used plain white vinegar)
1/2 cup white sugar (I use a little more than 1/4 cup of agave to make it healthier)
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Directions:
Combine all ingredients together and store in fridge or serve and enjoy! Lasts for several weeks in fridge.

For the Salad:
I get whatever greens we have (spinach or a mixed package - the darker the leaves the better) and put them in a bowl. I cut up a few strawberries (depending on how big the salad), a mango, and some blueberries and combine them with the greens. I top it off with pecans and dressing and bon appétit!

Delicious Healthy No-Bake Cookies

Sometimes I am just in the mood for chocolate.

Before I decided to not eat processed sugars I loved no-bake cookies (we called them moose-poops at my house :) ) and I missed them because I didn't eat the sugar they had in them.

After searching Google for a recipe, I found a few recipes that I combined to make the best recipe that is delicious and not bad for your body!  My family loves them too. They taste basically the same as 'regular' no-bake cookies, they just aren't chuck full of un-healthy sugars. Yummy!

Recipe: (Vegan and Gluten-Free)
Yield: 14-16 cookies
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 minute
Total Time: 26 minutes - including cooling time

Ingredients:

1/2 cup agave nectar
1/3 cup cocoa powder (I used Hershey's. I also used a little less than 1/3 cup so it wasn't so rich)
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter (or almond)
2 cups gluten-free rolled oats (I used 1-minute oatmeal as the oat flakes were smaller and easier to chew)
1/3 cup un-sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, mix together agave and cocoa powder. Heat over medium heat until combined. Stir in almond milk and coconut oil and bring to a boil. Continue stirring and boil for one minute.

2. Remove pan from heat and stir in almond butter, oats, coconut, vanilla extract, and salt.

3. Using a spoon or cookie scoop, drop cookies onto wax paper. Let the cookies set up for about 20 minutes in the refrigerator before serving. Store the cookies in an air-tight container in refrigerator for up to one week.

Note-You can use honey instead of the agave if you don't need to make vegan cookies. You can also use regular rolled oats if you don't need the cookies to be gluten-free. You can also replace the almond milk with your favorite milk. And you can also swap peanut butter for the almond butter. These cookies are very adaptable! Enjoy!