Carrot Apple Muffins - Gluten Free and Vegan

Anyone in the mood for carrot /apple muffins? 

These gluten-free muffins are a reliable recipe that come out good every time. It's a basic recipe that can be varied according to the season and your preferences. I sometimes make carrot\apple, sometimes blueberry or strawberry, sometimes pumpkin, and sometimes chocolate chip. 

Gluten Free Honey Cake Muffins

If you love honey cake, you will love these healthy honey cake muffins. They are gluten free, dairy free and have an egg free option.

WW Bagels- GF and Easy

Have you ever made bagels? I hadn't, but this interesting recipe is so fast and easy, I now make them all the time. It calls for only 3 basic ingredients that are mixed in a bowl with a fork.

They are low in calories and very popular with those following Weight Watchers.

I make a gluten free variety which probably doesn't rise as well as using a regular glutinous flour, but they are still amazing. If you are not gluten free, the original recipe calls for self rising flour.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes
It takes 5 minutes prep and then 20 minutes to bake in the oven.
They are outrageous when eaten freshly baked.

Because I divided my dough into 12 , my bagels are mini. Perhaps I should call my version mini rolls instead of bagels or maybe bagellas!

Regardless, they are absolutely delicious and are made from these 3 simple ingredients: 

1. Gluten Free Flour

2. Baking Powder

3. Greek yogurt 

The first time I made them, my husband ate the entire batch within a few hours. Yes, he ate too many but he said they were amazingly good! ( he is not gluten free and loved them) . 

You can make the bagels any size you want. The recipe can make 4 large bagels or 8-12  small bagels.

As you can see in the photo, I sprinkled them with sesame seeds. I also sprinkled them with coarse Pink Himalayan salt. In addition, Trader Jo's sells a seasoning mix called the everything bagel which works well too.

I used Bob Mills all purpose gluten free flour which is a garbanzo bean based flour. I think it gives the bagels are rich flavor and a nice texture.

If you are a Weight Watcher, this entire recipe is a total of 12 points. Divide by the number of bagels you make and that will tell you the points per bagel.

You don't have to be watching your weight to enjoy these fabulous little breads. I hesitate to call my version bagels because they although they look like a bagel, they taste crunchier and and different.

I taste tested them on some friends and there were no complaints and no bagels left over. 

If you are gluten free and looking for a treat- these are great!! 

If you are not gluten free, you will still love them too. 

Have you made the WW recipe for these bagels? Do they taste and cut like a bagel? Just curious what you think

My first video attempt-WW Bagels

Ingredients: 

1 cup of gluten free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill )

2 teaspoons of baking powder (I always use aluminum free) 

1 cup of plain Greek yogurt

Directions:

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees

Mix flour and baking soda together. Add Greek yogurt, stir with a spoon and mix until absorbed. If the dough is sticky, you will need to wet your hands to work with it. Otherwise break off 4 balls. Roll each ball and use your finger to make a whole in the middle. Place on a cookie sheet that has been covered with parchment paper. In addition, I sprayed my parchment paper with olive oil spray . Place each bagel on the parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes or until each bagel is golden and bottoms are browned.

** these will last for 4 days in refrigerator- however, always heat them before you eat them otherwise they don't taste very good. Heat them in the toaster or the toaster oven- microwave makes them rubbery. 

My Notes: 

1. Be sure that your baking powder is not expired

2. You can substitute self rising gluten free flour for the flour and baking soda

3. If you are not gluten free, you can substitute regular self rising flour
4. They taste best when they are first made.
5. They keep in the refrigerator for about 4 days, but will need to be warmed up to eat them.
6. They taste best reheated in the toaster not the microwave.
7. Be careful on exact measurement for the Greek yogurt - It is a sticky dough
8. Wet your hands if you need to.. 

Sharing on Beth Fish Reads Weekend Cooking Blog Carnival which is being hosted this week by Deb at Kahakai Kitchen. -

Hosted This Week at Deb at Kahakai Kitchen. -

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Gluten Free Banana Cinnamon Bread

You can make this delicious flowerless banana bread by hand in just a half hour which included the baking time! 

Gluten free baking just got healthier and easier!

Easy Gluten Free Challah ( batter recipe)

I made this beautiful gluten free challah from start to finish in less than an hour, and it looked and tasted fabulous!

Gluten Free Challah is one of those recipes that is usually a challenge to make because the challah dough needs to be kneaded and braided. Without gluten, flour has no elasticity and it really is a challenge to braid. I made one once and it came out very dry , more like a pretzel.

I gave up until I decided to make a challah recipe with coconut flour batter and a challah mold. You could use one like I bought, or for Rosh Hashanah use a round bundt pan as the mold.

If you want the batter challah to look braided, you need to use a  special  challah mold that I bought on Amazon from The Kosher Cook KCBW0161 ROYAL CHALLAH SILICONE PAN -SMALL  The mold has bumps that make it look like a real challah after baking .

                   Buy Here: The Kosher Cook KCBW0161 ROYAL CHALLAH SILICONE PAN -SMALL

 I ordered the  SILICONE PAN -SMALL  and they shipped it so fast, I had it in time for the holiday.( It only took three days to get here). I made the challah right away.

It is so so easy to make the batter ( I Just mixed it in a bowl) and then I poured it into the mold. Actually, I made it with my 3 and 6 year old grandkids. Does it get any easier? 

Little hands mixing the batter

To my surprise this grain free/gluten free dairy free challah looked absolutely beautiful and tasted wonderful. I will be proud to serve my homemade challah this year at our holiday dinner for 20 !

Does it taste exactly like regular Challah? 
No, it's texture is more like cake than bread, and it denser .But it slices beautifully and tastes delicious. If you are not an experienced bread baker, like me, and don't want to mess with yeast or risk a dry end product, then this simple batter quick bread type challah may be for you. It will look like a challah but taste more like a sweet cake. BUT it is gluten free!!

If you do not want to purchase the silicon challah mold you have two other choices: 

1. Use a loaf pan. It will not look like a challah, but will not look like a challah It will come out like a quick bread.

2. Use a round bundt pan , especially for Rosh Hashanah, to get a round challah

3. I love the authentic challah look of this challah pan. I bought it once and have been using it over and over again. SILICONE PAN -SMALL

Judee Algazi of Gluten Free A-Z Blog
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 35-40 minutes
Link to purchase :  CHALLAH SILICONE PAN -SMALL 


Ingredients for one small loaf/mold; ( small is enough) 
double recipe  for the large mold but just fill the mold half way

5 large eggs, beaten
1 Tablespoon of raw honey ( or more if you like it sweeter)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup of ground almonds flour ( I bought mine at Trader Joe's)
1/4 tsp of sea salt
1 tsp baking powder ( aluminum free )

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl mix the eggs, honey, and oil. In a small bowl mix the coconut flour and almond flour, sea salt and baking powder and sift. Add the dry ingredients slowly to the wet ingredients while mixing with a fork until smooth and no lumps. Pour into the mold and bake for 35-40 minutes until it feels firm. Remove immediately from mold and allow to cool on a cookie sheet.

MY NOTES: If you purchase the large mold , you will have to double the recipe;
for ease I suggest the smaller mold .

I found that the large mold  too big - remember coconut flour is very high in fiber and very filling - you won't eat as much of this bread.. However, If you do want to purchase the large mold, you can just fill it half way with batter and it will work fine and by buying the large mold , it will give you a choice to make a small or large challah!

*** I use only local raw honey as opposed to regular commercial honey that may originate in China here's why 


Gluten Free traditional Jewish Holiday Recipes: 

 Gluten Free Matzo Ball Recipe ( the best and easy) 

Rosh Hashanah (5 holiday vegetarian Recipes) 

• Rosh Hashanah (8 Holiday vegetarian Recipes)
• 
  
• I also made Mini GF  Jewish Apple Cakes  this year

        

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Food is my passion. I am gluten intolerant, busy. and strive for a healthy balanced lifestyle. It has taken me many years to come up with easy healthy recipes that meet gluten free, vegetarian and real food standards. On my blog I share my journey, my struggles, my discoveries, and my new recipes. I hope you find ideas, resources, and recipes that will be helpful to you. Come Back soon.

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Click Here:  CHALLAH SILICONE PAN -SMALL 
Amazing Perfect Braid Royal Challah Silicone Bakeware-The Easiest Way to Bake Challah for Shabbos/Shabbat with No Braiding Needed!

Paleo English muffins ( Quick)

Why am I making a Paleo recipe? I have been gluten free for 14 years, but I've only been grain free for 6 weeks and I'm trying add more variety to my grain free diet. Paleo baked recipes are usually fabulous, low carb and healthy.  This recipe makes one muffin and only has 2.5 net carbs,

There are three reasons that I like a recipe which only makes one serving .
1. It's really quick and easy ( I can make it fresh for my own breakfast)
2. I won't over eat ( portion control) It only makes one muffin
3. Leftovers won't end up getting stale. ( sometimes I make things with coconut flour,  and if we don't eat it immediately by the next day it starts to dry out)

Did I mention that I'm trying to lose weight ( yes again- that 10 pounds just won't stay away) and low carb works best for me not only for weight loss, but to also help stabilize my blood sugar. I've been eating mostly vegetables, salads,  nuts, and proteins but I'm craving something more. I think this low carb grain free English muffin will do it for me ! AND Since I'm doing low carb, I can put butter on it! Yum!

I would consider following the ever popular Paleo diet, but as a vegetarian, it would be difficult and  limiting. I think the Paleo concept and way of eating is a good one. I think in general we eat way too many processed foods and too much sweets ( even fruit) .

Beware! Today's fruit is not like fruit of years ago. Today's fruit is much bigger, much sweeter, and much more plentiful. People used to eat fruit in season- they even gathered their own berries and ate less of it. That may have been a good thing.

Today's fruit is mostly hybrids that have been developed to be larger, sweeter, and more beautiful . The larger size and sweeter fruit may be more than our blood sugar can handle. I believe that today's fruit is just way too full of sugar (Despite being a fruit lover) . I've cut back on the amount I eat, and truthfully I feel better and my blood sugar is more stable. I concentrate on eating berries which are the lowest glycemic index fruits. ( My change in attitude was a result of reading Wheat Belly by Dr, Davis and Grain Brain by Dr. Perlmutter- two new books by doctors who say grain and sweets are setting us up for diabetes, all kind of autoimmune disorders, arthritis, skin problems, and even brain fogginess, learning problems and dementia.

Prior to making the change in my diet to lower carb, I had been feeling tired, foggy, and had a lot of mood swings. I was craving sweets and overeating. Since I cut out the grain and limit the fruits- I actually do feel better. I feel like I'm less foggy, I stopped craving sweets, and the mood swings are gone. I have more energy too.

Back to the recipe: I saw thie grain free Paleo bread recipe that I'm making today on a site called Simply Vegetarian Paleo  . The site posts recipes authored by lots of different bloggers.

This particular Paleo English Muffin recipe came from a healthy blog called Beauty and The Foodie.  .I liked the blog so much , I am now a follower. Kathy posts lots of recipes worth checking out. Apparently there are ways to be a vegetarian and follow the Paleo diet. This is my adaption of Kathy's recipe.

Author of this recipe: Judee Algazi
Prep Time:

Ingredients:
1 egg beaten
1 Tablespoon of Almond Milk
1 Tablespoon of coconut flour **( if you are not on a grain free diet, you could try gf flour mix)
1/2 Tablespoon of coconut oil ( or olive oil)
1/8 teaspoon of aluminum free baking powder
optional: if you like it a little sweetness  add 1/2 tsp honey and 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Beat the egg in a bowl add then  remainder of ingredients and mix with a fork until smooth. Transfer batter to a single ramekin and bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes.( Stacy from  Beauty and The Foodie.   said you can also microwave the ramekin for 1 and half minutes -I don't usually microwave if I can help it, - but it would be fast)

Once baked. Take a knife and loosen the sides of the ramekin and the muffin will slide right out. When cool enough to handle, slice the muffin in half and toast it in a frying pan, making sure to press it down.
 It's uncanny  how it looks exactly like an English Muffin. 

** MY Notes: Personally, I liked it but it didn't exactly taste like an English Muffin to me. It tasted a little egg-ier at first. However, I found a way that I did think it tasted more like an English muffin. After toasting and cooling, I placed it in the refrigerator uncovered for a few hours. It wasn't as eggy and was dry and crisp- more like an English Muffin.( you could probably put it in the fridge for 1/2 hour)

 Spread it with nut butter or fruit spread and enjoy. It holds together very well and is grain free, gluten free, healthy with the looks and has the consistency of an English muffin.

I now make mine the night before, and leave it in the fridge so I have it in the morning .

It's so fast an easy, why not try it for yourself and let me know your opinion.


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 My ramekin

ramekin with batter

After baking 

I cut the baked muffin in half with a sharp knife

I placed the muffin halves in a sprayed pan and cooked on each side ( don't forget to flip it over) 

Place a plate on top of the two muffin halves to press them down or use a spatula

I made another batch with chopped herbs from my garden

Books I recommend 

Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis

Grain Brain by Dr. Perlmutter

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Grain Free Flat Bread in 20 minutes

This delicious gluten free/grain free flat bread has to be one of the best and easiest I've ever made! Look, I'm not a baker, and making bread is usually a little intimidating for me. In fact, I usually just don't even attempt it at all. However, this recipe is so easy, fast, and fool proof, I could make it every day ( and I might)

. Prep time 5-10 minutes, baking time 15 minutes, and the finished product freezes beautifully. It's made from Plantains, not flour!

These are plantains, not bananas- They are higher in starch and lower in sugar
when green you can cook with them, when yellow they become sweet like a banana

I've never used a plantain before either, but I picked up three greenish  plantains in my supermarket ( 59 cents each) , peeled two of them by scoring 4 sides and peeling it down, then I  followed the easy recipe directions. The results were amazingly surprising.

The plantains make a delicious gluten free/grain free bread without the use of expensive gluten free flours .( the greener the plantain the less sweet the taste- if you buy them yellow they are sweet and not as suitable for bread unless you want a sweet bread)
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