Microwave Chocolate Cake

My friend Stacey sent me this recipe the other day (she got it from this blog) and last night I was having a huge chocolate craving so I gave it a shot. It definitely satisfied my chocolate craving but I would've liked it to be a little sweeter. My husband ate it too and we both agreed the consistency was great but it didn't have that sweetness we desired. I plan to make it again but I'll probably add a little sugar;) Sorry the picture isn't so pretty, we were getting ready to watch a movie and I was in a rush so the frosting literally got dumped on.

Here is the recipe: 

Microwave Measuring Cup Cake

Dry Ingredients:
2 TBSP Sorghum Flour (Can use Brown Rice) *see note
2 TBSP Almond Meal, 
2 tsp Coconut Flour
, 1 TBSP Flax Meal, 
2 TBSP Potato Starch, 
1 tsp Baking Powder, 
1 ½ TBSP Cocoa Powder, 
¼ tsp Xanthan Gum, 
Pinch of salt

Wet Ingredients:
3 TBSP Organic Applesauce (warmed in microwave 20 seconds)  **see note about using egg instead, which is what I used, 
3 TBSP Coconut Oil (melted in a 2 C measuring cup), 
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract, 
3 TBSP Pure Maple Syrup (Grade B is Preferred)

1) In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.


2) Add warm applesauce, vanilla, maple syrup and the coconut oil to the
 dry ingredients.  Leave a little coconut oil in the measuring cup and
 swirl it around to coat the sides.


3) Stir together all ingredients until well blended.


4) Pour cake batter into the measuring cup with the remaining coconut oil. Smooth top with a spoon.


5) Place cup in microwave and cook on high for 1 minute 40 seconds. 
Remove cup from microwave, let it rest for 30 seconds.


6) Run a butter knife gently around the edge of the cake, invert cup onto
 a plate and tap the bottom of the cup to release the cake.


7) Let cake cool for awhile (if you can wait!).  Frost with quick microwave
 frosting recipe. (below)


*Note:To make this cake grain free, replace the sorghum or brown rice with almond meal (in addition to the other almond meal).  Also tasty! 

**Note:  If you can tolerate eggs, replacing the applesauce with 1 egg does result in a taller, fluffier cake.


Microwave frosting

¼ C GF DF Chocolate Chips (Enjoy Life)
2 tsp Coconut Milk

1) Place chocolate chips and milk in a microwave safe bowl. 


2) Heat in microwave for 15-20 seconds.  Stir.


3) Heat in 10 second increments until most of chocolate is melted.


4) Stir until all chocolate is melted.


5) Spoon frosting on top of Measuring Cup cake and smooth across top
 and sides.  Now dig in!

Gluten Free Finds at Trader Joe's

 The other day I actually got to go to Trader Joe's by myself and had time to peruse the aisles. I found a few great new gluten free things (or at least they were new to me). I haven't had a chance to take pics of all of them but here is one of mine and Lauren's favorites- Mini Chicken Tacos. So quick and easy!  

I also found some gluten free chocolate chip cookies that were decent. 

I am LOVING their new corn pasta and for less than $2 a bag I'm buying a lot of it. So nice to not spend $4+ per bag of pasta. 

Our whole family is in love with the Applegate Farms hotdogs, they are actually made from real meat, have no nitrates, gluten or casein, and you can pronounce every ingredient in them (there are only 6 or so ingredients!). They are $5 for a pack of 6 but we think it's totally worth it since it's real food. 

Great Wolf Lodge, So Gluten Free Friendly!

 We went to Great Wolf Lodge this weekend and we were so incredibly impressed with how Gluten Free Friendly they were. I had e-mailed them before we went and I got a very nice e-mail back assuring me they could meet our needs and that they were trained on cross contamination. Lauren was thrilled when we got there and she could order a gluten free hamburger with a BUN and she could eat their fries because they use a separate fryer. They also had gf hot dogs and buns, gf pasta, and homemade salad dressings that were all gf. After dinner Lauren asked if I could get a job there so we could eat gf buns and play at the water park every day! Sounds like a pretty perfect life to me:) 

And to top it all off, each meal comes with wolf ears. What more could you ask for?! 

We give Great Wolf Lodge 5 stars- LOVED it! 

S'more cookies!

I was reading Kiwi magazine yesterday and came across a recipe for S'more cookies. Being a huge S'more fan I couldn't resist trying these. The recipe wasn't gluten free but I just substituted a gluten free flour blend and gluten free graham crackers it worked like a charm! Took these tasty little morsels to a family gathering tonight and they were a major hit! 

Here is the recipe, which by the way, according to the magazine, was created by a 6 year old!

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/3 cups powdered sugar (I actually used regular sugar and it worked fine)
• 1 1/2 cups butter, slightly softened (or Earth Balance)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups gluten free flour
• 1 cup mini marshmallows
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 12 gluten free graham crackers, crumbled (it called for 3 regular graham crackers but since the gf ones are so small I used 12)

Directions: 

1. mix butter and sugar and beat until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes
2. add flour, about 1 cup at a time until combined
3. using your hands fold in marshmallows, chocolate, & graham cracker crumbs
4. place bowl in fridge to chill dough for at least one hour
5. preheat oven to 350 and line baking sheets with parchment paper
6. remove dough from fridge and roll the dough in 1 inch balls
7. bake for 10 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are slightly brown
8. cool on wire rack

Now the only thing that went wrong was that the marshmallows on the outside of the cookies melted all over the place when cooked. As you can see from my picture some cookies were perfect, some were messy looking. It depended on the placement of the marshmallows. Next time I make these I might actually form the dough around a regular sized marshmallow instead to see if it helps it from oozing out. Either way, they were delicious, I highly recommend them. Nice work 6 year old girl who created this recipe;) 

I found them!

I have always LOVED butterscotch cookies and haven't had any luck finding gluten free butterscotch chips the past couple of years. I guess I didn't look hard enough, my friend Casie googled it and said she thought the Kroger brand ones would be gf. I went to Fred Meyer today and not only are they gluten free but they are actually labeled gluten free which always makes me happy! I can't wait to start baking with butterscotch again! 

Good perspective from a teenager on how it feels to be GF

I saw this video this morning and I love it! I am trying so hard to make sure Lauren doesn't feel like this, but I know it is inevitable that she will feel like this at some point. I know I feel like this at times, even as an adult. And as the holiday season approaches it's going to be in full force.

The video is only 3 minutes, and 3 minutes well spent.

Shakeology- delicious gluten free health drink!

 My friend Nickie is a personal trainer and health coach extraordinaire! She lives in Minnesota so I can't use her as a trainer but lucky for me, she sent me some samples of her latest health drink Shakeology! This shake is packed full of all sorts of amazing nutrients and proteins to help your body reach is maximum health. I've been following all Nickie's clients on facebook and the results I've seen are amazing! Her clients are losing inches off their waists, pounds off their bodies, and gaining energy!

  I tried the chocolate shake and added a frozen banana and a scoop of peanut butter and the drink was DELICIOUS! I drank it for breakfast and felt full until lunch. Kevin took a sip and agreed it was very tasty. We decided we liked it so much we are going to do Nickie's 10 day challenge too! We are super excited, we'll keep you posted on our progress. If you are interested check out her website at: 

www.myshakeology.com/nickiecarrigan or check her out on facebook under Nickie Carrigan. She is so friendly, motivating, and just a fabulous person so feel free to ask her any questions! 

I tried my best to get a picture of the ingredient label but it was hard to get a clear shot. 

My First Successful Sugar Cookies!

 I've been trying to find the perfect gluten free sugar cookie dough for a long time now. I've bought a few box mixes that were good but pricey and not really good enough to do cut outs with. Well today I finally mastered it and guess what? I used the recipe on the back of the C & H sugar bag and just substituted gf flour blend and Earth Balance buttery sticks. So simple, easy and tasty! 

 We decorated using Betty Crocker frosting since it is labeled gf.

 Finally have sugar cookie cut outs that taste like I remember! 

Everyone in the family loved them! Yahoo!

Here is the recipe from the C & H sugar bag:

ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/3 cups butter, softened (I used Earth Balance so they'd be dairy free) 

2 eggs

2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (make sure it's gf) 

3 1/2 cups gf flour blend (I use Silvana Nardone's, I'll post that below)

2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

directions: 

1. combine sugar and butter with an electric mixer until creamy, about 3-5 minutes
2. add eggs one at a time, blending well
3. add vanilla, mix well
4. in a separate bowl mix flour, baking powder, & salt
5. add flour mixture to butter mixture one cup at a time until well blended 
6. pour onto wax paper in a log shape and refrigerate for 2 hours
7. roll out onto wax paper (this dough is a little more fragile that regular dough, I just rolled it slowly and used a dusting of gf flour each time and it worked just fine). 
8. cut out with cookie cutters and place on baking sheet. 
9. bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes
10. let cool and frost! Enjoy! 

Gluten Free Flour Blend: 

(From Silvana Nardone's book called, "Cooking for Isaiah")

-6 cups rice flour

-3 cups tapioca flour

-1 1/2 cups potato starch

-1 tbsp salt

-2 tbsp xanthum gum

Mix in a big container and store in an air tight container. I keep this on hand at all times and have found that it substitutes perfectly in all recipes, I love it! 

I need help answering a question

Does anyone know the answer to this: If a chicken is fed wheat bread crumbs will the egg it lays contain gluten? 

A friend of mine raises chickens and feeds them bread. I recently ate some of her eggs and got so so sick within a few hours of eating them. I am still feeling the effects 3 days later, I definitely feel as if I've been "glutened" but just can't seem to find the culprit other than the eggs. 

If anyone knows the answer or has a thought on this, I'd love to know. I've googled the questioned a bunch of different ways and just can't seem to get an answer. 

Thanks!

Romio's

 Our very favorite gluten free pizza place is Romio's. We go to the one in Totem Lake but I know it's a chain so there are more around. They have this AMAZING gluten free cheese bread. Obviously, not dairy free but so worth it every once in a while!

 They have a huge variety of gluten free pizza's and sandwiches. Their crust and bread is hands down the closest to the "real" thing we've found. Every time we go there Lauren says, "Mom, are you sure this is really gluten free?" 

The very first time we were there I called the waitress over and told her I was afraid we'd gotten the wrong pizza because it didn't seem like it was gluten free. She assured me it was and she was right, I felt just fine afterwards! 

We highly recommend Romio's if you are looking for a great gluten free pizza & sandwich experience!