Drying Apples

I LOVE snacking on dried apples. This year, my apple snack is turning out even better than they did last year thanks to one helpful tip: STEAMING! I set myself up with apples in an assembly line and had them sliced, steamed and drying in no time.

How to dry apples:

1. Wash and dry apples.
2. Thinly slice apples. (Removing the skin is optional.)
3. Steam apples for 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Arrange apple slices in a single layer on a food dehydrator.
5. Dehydrate for most of the day. I want to say I left my apples alone for 8, maybe 9 hours? Just taste them every so often and shut off the dehydrator when you're happy with the result.

Why steam?

Steaming apple slices before drying them helps them stay a beautiful color without browning. They also get a bit crispier than being left plain, or being sprayed with lemon juice first (which is how I used to dry apples.)

Funnel Cakes!

I found this recipe online, and guess what? I used my gluten free flour mix and they turned out perfect!!! Love us some funnel cakes!
This chick cooks: funnel cakes

Perfect Gluten Free Bread

Pinterest Recipe Review: * * * * * (An enthusiastic 5/5 stars)

Picture courtesy of the Baking Beauties Blog

 Gluten free bread was one of the first things I tried to make when it became obvious I needed to embrace the celiac lifestyle. I figured I should start there since bread would be the thing I knew I'd miss the most. I unknowingly took on the most daunting of tasks in my most fragile, clueless state. The result? Epic fail. The spongy, bland, disgusting recipe convinced me that I would never again eat bread. So here we are, over a year later, living in a household completely converted to gluten free living, and we couldn't be happier. Or could we? I found out my husband was cheating on me. Yes, you read that right. He was having delectable affairs with subway sandwiches. Wheat bread, white bread, honey oat, Italian herbs and cheeses, flat bread... you name it, he enjoyed it! Alright, so he missed bread. So sandwiches make a tasty on the go meal. But knowing he was eating this amazing bread made me jealous, and frustrated too since I know all about how the wheat causes inflammation in his arthritic back. 

So where does a girl turn to for help in these dire circumstances? Pinterest of course. I scoured pictures and recipes of gluten free bread until I found one that looked promising enough, checked my cabinets and freezer for all the right ingredients, and set to work making my first loaf of bread in a really, really long time. The bread didn't rise much tucked beneath the towel in front of our heating vent, so I had my doubts as I slid it into the stove, but it came out of the oven completely beautiful. Our kitchen once again filled with the aroma of fresh baked bread. I sliced off a heel and smeared butter on the piece of bread, tentatively took a nibble... and then gobbled up the whole thing! Bread! I was eating bread! Bread that tasted great, that had an acceptable texture. All I can say is thank you to the Baking Beauties blog for creating this bread and saving our marriage! I'm also grateful that this delicious treat is healthy as it consists of brown rice flour, a whole grain, and ground flax, a miracle seed. (Click here to read more about how wonderful ground flax is.) 

Here is the recipe for perfect gluten free bread, as posted on The Baking Beauties blog. 

* I left out the powdered milk as I did not have it, and exchanged a cup of warm milk for the cup of warm water that the recipe calls for.

• 1 cup warm water
• 2 tsp instant yeast
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup ground flax
• 1/2 cup potato starch
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch
• 1/4 cup skim milk powder
• 2 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg whites

Directions:

1. Combine warm, yeast & sugar in a glass bowl. Stir & let sit 5 minutes. This allows the yeast to proof & shortens rising time.
2. In a large bowl or plastic bag, combine dry ingredients. Mix well and set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, using a heavy-duty mixer with paddle attachment or dough hook, combine remaining ingredients until well blended. Add water/yeast mixture & combine.
4. With mixer on lowest speed, slowly add dry ingredients until combined. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl with rubber spatula. With mixer on medium speed, beat for 4 minutes.
5. Spoon into prepared bread pan or mini-loaf pans. Let rise, uncovered, in a warm, draft-free place for 30-40 minutes, or until dough has risen to the top of the pan.
6. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom of single loaf.
7. Slice and wrap while still warm in airtight individual sandwich bags, then place these in a larger freezer bag. Freeze up to 6 weeks.
8. Bake 12 minutes for 11 mini loaves. Freeze 2 loaves/sandwich bag.

NOTE: Unlike the recipe, I let my loaf cool totally before slicing & packaging. LOVE the new electric knife we got for Christmas, it makes such wonderful, even slices. Perfect!
Nutritional Value: Based on 16 slices per loaf it comes out to : 131 calories, 4g fat, 19g carbs, 3g protein and 1.5g fiber.

Chocolate Oat Muffins

Pinterest recipe review: * * * * * (5/5 stars)

The "Healthy is Always Better" blogger posted the following recipe. I was intrigued because the lack of flour made them easily gluten free! I didn't have greek yogurt so I used the plain non fat yogurt that I did have instead. I also used regular sugar instead of a sugar alternative. I made half the batch as she suggests, pulling them out to top with chocolate chips, and then returning them to the oven for a few more minutes. I found that, while they tasted good, those muffins sank and lost their beautiful, poofy, muffin top. The other half of the batch I left alone for the full fifteen minutes and topped them with chocolate chips when they came out of the oven fully cooked. I much prefer this method since they both tasted good and looked beautiful!

Picture courtesy of Healthy is Always Better

Triple Chocolate Chunk Muffin 
(Knock-Offs of Whole Food’s 6 Dollar per 4 Chocolate Chunk VitaTop Muffins)

• 1 3/4 c oats
•  3 egg whites
•  3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (or regular plain low fat yogurt)
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar (or 1-1/2 Tbsp. vinegar)
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 cup sugar substitute (like Splenda granular) OR 1/4 cup + 2 tbs stevia
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or use white chocolate or peanut butter chips!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with foil cupcake liners, or spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a blender, (or food processor), mix all of the ingredients together, except for the chocolate chips. Blend until oats are ground and mixture is smooth.

Place mixture in a bowl and gently stir in 1/2 of the chocolate chips (set the rest aside). Scoop mixture into prepared muffin pans.

Place muffins tins in the oven for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, remove muffins from the oven (but don’t shut oven off), and distribute the other half of the chocolate chips on top of each muffin.
Place  the muffins back into the oven and bake for an additional 2-5 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. *Note, you could skip this step by putting all of the chips in the batter, and baking the muffins for 12-15 min straight, but this method gives the muffins the traditional ‘VitaTop Muffin’ look with the chocolate chips on top!
Cool muffins before removing from pan. ENJOY!!!

Servings: 12 Big Muffins or 24 Smaller Muffins
Calories: 116 Calories Per Muffin or 58 Calories Per Muffin

*drooling*

No Bake Energy Bites

Picture courtesy of Smashed Peas and Carrots Blog

1 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)

1/3 cup honey

1 cup coconut flakes

1/2 cup ground flaxseed

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla

Mix everything above in a medium bowl until thoroughly incorporated.  Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.  Once chilled, roll into balls and enjoy!  Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week. 

We LOVE this recipe. Great for on the go snacks and rumor has it ground flaxseed is super healthy! This creation is that of smashed peas and carrots blog.

Cinnamon Almonds

1 tablespoon water
1 egg white
1 pound of almonds
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Whisk the water and egg white together. Toss with almonds. Add remaining ingredients and spread on a cookie sheet. Bake at 225 degrees for an hour, stirring once half way through.