GFCF Milkshake

Well, if we can make dairy-free ice cream, then we also can make dairy-free milkshakes. I have a very simple recipe to make shakes, but I'm sure there are more involved methods that might get better results. My kids love this.

Oh, and this is not just dairy-free, it's also soy-free. We use DariFree for the milk base -- a potato-based milk alternative.

First, start by making one recipe for my GFCF ice cream.

Freeze the ice cream and after four hours, it should be just right to make shakes. Or, after freezing, let it sit out for at least 30 mins, maybe more, to soften enough to make shakes.

I make chocolate, so you could use Hershey's cocoa powder or you can make fake-chocolate by using carob powder -- that's what I do and I add about 1 tbsp. carob powder.

So, take 1/2 cup of the soft ice cream, put it into a cup, and then add 1/2 cup of cold DariFree liquid, then stir to gently combine. It won't be too thick, but it won't be runny. Serve with a straw.

Of course, you could stick to vanilla flavor simply by using the DariFree flavor. Or, try others, like banana or berry by adding mashed fruit to the ice cream recipe.

Flaxy cookie cut-outs

This is based on my previous recipe for Gingerbread people. I just changed a few things with the premise of making a cookie that included flax that my kids would eat. This one works.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup brown rice or sorghum flour
1/3 cup ground flax seed
2/3 cup tapioca starch
1 tbsp carob or cocoa powder
1 TBL cinnamon
1 tsp ginger (use more for a cookie with a real ginger bite)
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking soda or 2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup DariFree or other milk sub

Recipe
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Then, add the liquids.

Mix well. Add tapioca if necessary to get a dough that you can knead.

Roll the dough out on a floured board or surface, using the tapioca, to about a quarter-inch thickness. Cut out gingerbread person shapes, flouring the cutter with tapioca.

Bake at 350 degrees on a greased cookie sheet (Spectrum shortening) for about 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on a rack.

FYI -- I grind my own flax seed and save a bundle. I buy flax in bulk at $1/lb, put it through a coffee grinder, and then regrind it, and use it as a flax flour. I also use the flax for my flax eggs that you'll see here from time to time.

Chocolate pudding -- minus the chocolate and the dairy

So, how in the world do you make chocolate pudding without chocolate or dairy. It's actually very easy. This is great the day it's made, but does not store well for two or more days.

Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch (or potato)
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 cups liquid DariFree
- 1 Tbs margarine or shortening (like Spectrum)
- 1 tsp vanilla (optional)
- 1-2 tbsp cocoa powder or carob powder


Combine the dry ingredients. Stir in the Darifree until smooth. I imagine you could use any dairy sub here.
Microwave uncovered on high for 3 minutes.
Stir.
Microwave 4 - 6 minutes more, stirring every minute until thick.
Stir in margarine/shortening and vanilla.
Cover with plastic wrap to avoid "skin".
Refrigerate.

I found this on the gcfree.com website in Australia -- a specialty site and seller of Darifree.

Oh, for vanilla pudding, omit the cocoa/carob.

GFCF Breakfast cereal bars

This recipe is so great. For one, I like these and will eat them for a quick breakfast on the go. And, the recipe really worked like I had hoped. I should've guessed thought, that only one of my kids would actually eat them. Oh well. That's the way these things go.

This is a recipe for a cereal bar that's very healthy. I found a basic recipe on the web, modified it for GFCF, and added a couple things of my own. Here's how:

1/2 cup honey (or other syrup)
1/2 cup nut butter (I used Once Again Sunflower Seed Butter)
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 cups gluten free rice krispies cereal (I used Barbaras)
1/3 cup raisins (dates would work too)
2 tbsp sunflower seeds (optional)
1-2 tbsp ground flax seed (I used golden flax)

Grease a 13x9 cake pan -- I used organic Spectrum shortening.
Into a pan, heat honey, nut butter and sugar to boil. Stir on medium heat a couple of minutes.
Add the other ingredients and stir until combined.
Dump into the greased pan and use a spatula to press down.
Let cool. After 30 minutes, use a knife or pizza cutter to cut into squares.

I also think pureed raisin or date would work in this for those kids picky about those dried fruits.

Very healthy morning food with the protein in the nut butter, whole grain cereal, fruit and the fiber in the flax.

GFCF Pumpkin cake

I avoided baking with pumpkin, but I'm not sure why. It's actually very convenient. Canned pumpkin (Libby's) is ready to use and affordable. I modified my basic cookie recipe to make a pumpkin cake that's really very healthy, and also could be made into cookie bars.

SORRY -- that I left out the key ingredient in my original posting of this. This version includes everything. The ingredient I forgot? -- pumpkin, of course.

Ingredients:
1 cup sorghum flour (or brown rice or chickpea)
1/2 cup tapioca flour (or other starch)
1/2 cup sugar (or other sweetener)
2 tbsp ground flax, golden
2 tsp xanthan gum (or guar gum)
2 tsp baking powder (corn-free, if desired)
1 tsp sea salt (optional)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
2 tbsp. canned pumpkin (I used Libby's)
1/4 cup molasses, honey or cane syrup
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup Darifree or other milk sub

Mix the dry stuff well. Then add the liquids. Mix. You want this to be smoother, but not liquidy.
Beat with blender until mixed, scraping the sides.

Pour into an 8x8 cake pan, greased with shortening (Spectrum organic).

Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes.

GFCF banana bread with hidden veggies

Since Christmas, I've been tinkering with recipes based on ideas I found in a new cookbook, Deceptively Delicious, by Jessica Seinfeld (yes, Jerry's wife). This is not an ad and I don't benefit either. But, the premise is interesting: hiding veggies and fruits in everyday food so our kids get the nutritional benefits. This especially is a problem for kids on the autism spectrum, as many of you know. So, I thought I'd give this a try. Neither of my kids are big on veggies or fruit, and they're very rigid about the ones they will eat. So, I've had a few successes and I will share. I will not reprint Seinfeld's recipes here. But, I've modified a few for GFCF land. Here's one that was a big hit tonight for banana bread -- with cauliflower.

Ingredients:
- Spectrum organic shortening
- 3/4 cup sorghum flour
- 1/4 cup tapioca starch
- 1/4 cup potato starch
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/4 cup oil
- 2 egg whites or 1 flax egg
- 1 large banana
- 1/2 cup pureed cauliflower
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- 1/4 cup liquid DariFree or milk sub

Puree the cauliflower by steaming or cooking 20 mins. Cut off stems. Puree in blender, food processor or hand mixer.

Heat oven to 350. Coat loaf pan with the shortening.

Mix the dry ingredients.

In a bowl, mash the banana with a fork, then puree with an electric mixer. Add cauliflower mix. Add egg and oil and milk.

Pour into pan. Bake for 30 mins or until toothpick comes out clean.

I serve with icing on top. Or, without the icing for lunches.

Anyone remember Suzy-Q's?

Bet you thought the taste of Suzy-Q's and HoHos was lost forever on a gluten- and casein-free diet. Well, it doesn't have to be. I know, I know. I'll bet you're saying, but ... I can't use eggs, or soy or even chocolate! You don't have to. This is the allergy-friendly version -- all allergies. And, it's easy. Here's how:

Ingredients:
1 recipe of "chocolate" cake (use either cocoa or carob powder) made in two round cake pans (split the recipe)

1 cup powdered sugar (Domino sugar is GF. Miss Robens sells corn-free powdered sugar. Or, make your own.)
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp unflavored gelatin powder (I use Knox)
1 tbsp water

Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Make the cake recipe, splitting the recipe between two cake pans. I grease them with Spectrum organic shortening. The cakes bake together in about 15 mins. Use a toothpick to be sure.

When done, let cool 5 mins. Carefully pull the sides away from the pan and ease them onto cooling racks. Let cool thoroughly.

When cool, mix the powdered sugar, xanthan gum and gelatin in a bowl and stir. Add the water. Use a hand mixer on slow speed to blend until a creamy, icing texture is reached. Don't let this sit long. Use a knife to spread the icing onto one layer of the cake. Wet the knife is necessary to help spread. Immediately place second cake layer on top and gently push down.

Now, you can serve this cake style. Or you can cut it into any shape you want. I trimmed the edges to form a squarish shape and then cut into 16 "bars."

You can play around with this now. Next time, try chocolate or carob icing by adding some of that powder into the sugar mix. Try a Twinkie type cake by making a white cake and white filling. Try getting some of this stuff into a syringe and squirting it into a cupcake. Or, make the Suzy-Q even better by doubling the icing recipe -- it'll make the center filling thicker.

Have fun.

GFCF Gingersnap Bites

This may be a cheesy follow to my GFCF Gingerbread People recipe, but it's been very popular at my house the last couple of days with my kids and a few of their friends. So, I thought I'd post it too.

I'll just call this Gingersnap Bites. GFCF of course. Oh, and egg-free, soy-free, rice-free, corn-free and bean-free. Whew!

Make 1 recipe for Gingerbread People dough.

Instead of rolling out, divide dough into two chunks.

Take one chunk and using floured hands, roll it out into a long log on a floured surface to about 1/2" thickness.

Now, using a floured knife, cut the log into many small bite-sized cookies.

Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Repeat with the 2nd chunk of dough. You should be able to fit both on one cookie sheet.

BAKE 10 minutes, not 14.

GFCF Gingerbread People

This was a hit this week in my house. I thought I'd try this cookie recipe out before Christmas arrived to see if it worked. It does, and it's versatile. With a few changes, I made this rice free too. The source is the Special Diets for Special Kids cookbook, by Lisa Lewis. This was a contribution by Karen Seroussi. I made some changes to the original recipe and I'll note those along the way.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup brown rice flour (I used sorghum)
1/3 cup sweet rice flour (I used tapioca here)
1/3 cup tapioca starch (I also kept this 1/3 cup tapioca)
1 TBL cinnamon
1 tsp ginger (use more for a cookie with a real ginger bite)
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup molasses (I used Steens Cane Syrup)
2 TBL water

Recipe
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. So, my flour mixture was 2/3 cup sorghum and 2/3 cup tapioca. Then, add the liquids.

Mix well. Add tapioca if necessary to get a dough that you can knead.

Roll the dough out on a floured board or surface, using the tapioca, to about a quarter-inch thickness. Cut out gingerbread person shapes, flouring the cutter with tapioca.

Bake at 350 degrees on an ungreased cookie sheet for about 14 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on a rack. This gave me a nice, crunchy cookie. Bake for less time to make more chewy and less crunchy.

If you want, add eyes and buttons with icing.

Pumpkin spice cake

This is a great recipe to make for the kids -- or yourself -- for Thanksgiving. It's an easy gluten - casein - soy free recipe for a pumpkin bundt cake. I have to confess that I found this on the Web at a recipe site or maybe another blog, but I've forgotten which one. If this is yours, feel free to claim credit here. I've modified it slightly. It turned out great.

Ingredients

1 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ginger
¼ tsp nutmeg
Dash of ground cloves
1 tbsp carob or cocoa powder
3 flax eggs
1¼ cups sugar
½ cup oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup canned pumpkin (Libby's is gluten free)
1 Tbsp powdered sugar (reserved for later to sprinkle over cooled cake)

Directions

In large bowl, combine flours, Xanthan Gum, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove, and carob/cocoa. Mix. Set aside.

Place flax eggs (1 tbsp ground flax seed mixed with 3 tbsp water - microwave 30 secs., let sit 5 mins), sugar and oil in mixing bowl and beat until blended. Add vanilla and pumpkin, mix another minute. Add mixed dry ingredients and mix until combined.

Pour batter into 10 cup capacity Bundt Pan which has been greased. I use Spectrum organic shortening. Sprinkle pan with sugar (approximately 1 tablespoon sugar). Bake in 350° oven for up to 40 minutes, checking after 30. Turn Bundt out onto serving tray and allow to cool. Once cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired. Domino sugar is gluten free. Or, try a Wholesome Sweeteners product.

From cakes to cupcakes -- gfcf, of course

I like recipes that you can use in different ways. Cakes and cupcakes are an easy example. Sometimes my kids get tired of cake. I can see it on their faces. So, I'll use my "chocolate" cake recipe (carob) to make cupcakes. And they love it.

Here's my cupcakes:
- 1 "chocolate" (0r carob) cake recipe - click here for recipe

- muffin pan
- muffin liners

Simply pour the cake batter into the muffin liners, if you wish, or just into a greased muffin pan. I actually decrease the water in this recipe by 1/2 cup.

A simple GFCF icing for cakes, cookies and cupcakes

This is too simple to be good. But it is -- good, that is. And, very simple. Three ingredients. That's all. I'd say I developed this recipe, but I'm not sure a three ingredient recipe really can be developed. It's more of trial and error thing over time that finally worked, after many failures. See, all I wanted was an easy icing for my gfcf cakes and cookies. But, the no-dairy thing makes it difficult. And, my kids seem to not tolerate recipes heavy with the cf margarine or organic shortening. And, soy's a no-no, too. Anyway, enough of that. Here's the recipe.

-- 1 cup powdered sugar (Domino is gluten free, but has corn starch)
-- 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (just a quarter teaspoon, no more)
-- 1 tablespoon water (this could be any milk sub, if you wish) plus more in 1/4 tsp increments to soften icing.

OK, now, mix the dry ingredients until blended. Add the water. Whisk well. Then spread. That's it. This will hold, retain color, etc.

So, what I haven't done, but know can be done, is to make variations of this. You can vanilla extract if you like. Or, add cocoa or carob powder to make chocolate icing. I don't know why it took so long to make this, but, you know, we have a lot going on. The simple things tend not to get done right away.

The simplest gfcf cookie mix your kids will love

Jim's cookie mix

Well, this is what it sounds like. A basic cookie mix that you can use to make several variations of day-to-day cookies -- even for the toughest of diets. It is gluten and casein free. It's soy and egg free. And, the way I make it, it's also free of rice, corn, potato, chocolate and beans. Wow - what's left? Here it is:

Ingredients:
1 cup sorghum flour (or brown rice or chickpea)
1/2 cup tapioca flour (or other starch)
1/2 cup sugar (or other sweetener)
3 tsp egg replacer powder (like Ener-G) or 1 flax "egg" or applesauce/pearsauce/etc.
2 tsp xanthan gum (or guar gum)
2 tsp baking powder (corn-free, if desired)
1 tsp sea salt (optional)
Extra sugar (optional)
Canola oil (or other oil)
Water

Mix this well. Then add, 1/2 cup canola oil and 1/2 cup water. Add extra water by the tablespoon if too chunky. You want this to be smoother, but not liquidy.
Beat with blender until mixed, scraping the sides.
Using WET hands, scoop out small ball-shaped hunks of dough and place on ungreased cookie sheet or in muffin tins. The dough shape can be rough. You can smash the top down with a fork to give it the classic peanut butter cookie look. Or, you can smooth the top down by using a spoon. I sprinkle some sugar on top before baking. Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes. They will be very soft coming out of the oven but will firm up as they cool. When cool, top with some icing or powdered sugar.

This is the standard cookie. And, I actually don't make this version often. Most often I make one of the following versions:

-- Carob/cocoa: add 1/3 cup carob or cocoa powder to the recipe.
-- Spice: no carob. add 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp ginger to the dry mix. Add 1 tbsp syrup (cane, maple, honey, agave) to the 1/2 cup of water measure.
-- Date-spice: no carob. add 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp ginger to the dry mix. add 1/4 cup mashed dates or figs. Mash them by boiling in water for 10 minutes. Drain, keeping the water in reserve. Add 1 cup of the fruit to a blender with 1 cup of water. Blend until smooth. Add more or less fruit to get desired consistancy.

Strawberry ice cream - gfcf, soy and rice free

This gfcf ice cream is based on the original recipe for ice cream, using coconut milk, which you'll find in the recipes section of this blog. Again, very easy. And, this time I bought lite coconut milk, which has less fat.

Ingredients:

2 x 14 oz cans lite coconut milk (I bought organic)
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup pureed strawberry

I bought a pound of strawberries and pureed them in the blender until smooth. I mixed all of the other ingredients in a bowl, whisked together for a minute, and then poured it into an ice cream machine. I use a Rival machine. I know you can make this without the machine and use a blender. I added 1 cup of the strawberry to the recipe.

Peanut butterless cookies

I personally love this recipe. Why? Because the cookies are so good. And, it takes no time at all. My kids don't eat nuts. They're not allergic. But, our doc says to avoid them. But, he says, sunflower seeds are OK. And, you can buy sunflower seed nut butter. You can also buy pumpkin seed nut butter. So, experiment. I'll show you two ways to make this recipe. The original recipes tends to be crumbly. I added a little flour to firm it up. Both are good.

1 cup sunflower seed nut butter (Once Again makes this) or other nut butter
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 egg (or 2 egg subs)
1/2 tsp salt

So, I made the egg subs, added sugar, baking soda and salt, then the sunflower seed butter. Then I mixed until well combined. I rolled into balls and onto cookie sheet. I flattened slighly with a fork, making the classic PB cookie indentation.

Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.

I also made these by adding some flour and xanthan gum to hold them together. Can't tell you how much I used. But, what I'm trying to point out is that if yours fall apart, don't give up. Try adding your favorite flour mix and xanthan/guar to hold them together. I didn't use a lot, just enough to mix through. If it looks too dry, add water until you get that cookie dough texture while mixing.

Dairy free sorbet

I like this recipe because there's no concerns about trying to make ice cream out of a dairy alternative like rice milk or Darifree. And, it has a lighter taste. Plus, it's very easy to make. Here's how.

- 1 packet of unflavored gelatin
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1.5 cups boiling water
- 3 large ice cubes
- 2 cups of fruit

Dissolve the gelatin and sugar in boiling water. Add the ice cubes and stir until melted. Pull from heat.

Chop up fruit. Put in food processor or blender. Add 1 cup of the gelatin mixture and puree until smooth. Add the rest of the gelatin mix and puree again until mixed.

Pour this into a 13x9 pan. Cover with foil or wrap and freeze for 2-3 hours.

Then, spoon the sorbet mix back into the blender and blend at high speed until smooth and fluffy. Pour into a loaf pan, cover and freeze for 8 hours or overnight.

Use any fruit. I tried peaches.

Oh so coconutee ice cream

Yep, another GFCF ice cream. Oh, and, it's free of soy, rice, nuts, corn, dyes and just about everything else. I'll confess now, this is not my recipe, just as most of these are not truly mine. Most are variations of something I saw somewhere else. And, when I first saw this recipe, I truly had doubts that it would work. But, it did. It's great. I made two variations -- vanilla and carob (alternative for chocolate, but cocoa surely could be used too). Here's how.

Ingredients:

2 x 14 oz cans coconut milk (I bought organic)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp carob powder (or cocoa)

For vanilla, mix all but the carob in a bowl. Whisk well. Pour into an ice cream maker and follow directions. I use a Rival machine and it took less than an hour.

For carob, mix all ingredients together in a bowl, whisk and use the ice cream maker.

The plain mix has a distinctive coconut flavor, which some will like and others will not. My one daughter did not. But she loves the carob. So, anything to mask the coconut will work -- chocolate or carob chips, fruit, cocoa, nuts, pieces of cookies, etc.

Ginger spice cookies

The neat thing about this recipe is you can make two different cookies using the same recipe. Confused? Don't be. It's simple. This really is a slight variation of a ginger snap cookie recipe. I've made it two ways -- one with more liquid and one with less. The difference is one version comes out like a crisp spice cookie and the other a soft, moist spice cookie. To my kids, it's two different cookies and allows for some variation.

Ingredients
-------------
1/2 cup gf flour -- either sorghum, chickpea, millet, etc.
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup potato starch or 1/2 corn starch *see below
1/2 cup sugar
3 tsp egg replacer
1.5 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp molasses (or cane syrup or agave syrup or honey)
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup water

Mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients. Blend. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes. This recipe tends to make a crispier, crunchier cookie.

To make softer cookie, add 1/4 cup molasses rather than just 1 tbsp. Bake same.

*Note: I interchange the potato starch and the corn flour sometimes. The starch makes a lighter, chewier cookie. The flour makes a denser cookie with a different flavor.

Non-dairy ice cream

So, do you have a child who can't eat ice cream of any kind? Try this.

This is a non-dairy, non-DariFree, non-rice milk, non-almond milk, non-soy milk ice cream.

It's chocolate but either cocoa or carob may be used. And, it's easy.

3/4 cup tapioca starch (or arrowroot or corn starch)
1/4 cup cocoa or carob powder (i use soy-free carob)
1.5 cups warm water
2 tbsp organic Spectrum shortening
1 tsp xanthan gum
3/4 cup powdered sugar (i make my own from organic cane sugar)
1 tbsp syrup of any kind (i use steen's for this)
1/2 tsp cinnamon (opt.)
1/4 tsp ground cloves (opt.)

In a blender, pour the hot water. Add the shortening. Add the starch and carob/cocoa powder. Add xanthan gum, sugar, syrup and spices. Blend on low 30 seconds. Blend on high 30 seconds. Pour into freezer safe container and freeze overnight.

This really was an experiment that sorta worked. My kids ate it. I'm still tinkering with the recipe. I may try a version using coconut milk next. Stay tuned.

Chocolate treats -- a simple cookie

This is an easy everyday cookie recipe. It's chocolate and it you notice, it's really my roll recipe, converted to a drop cookie recipe. That's what makes it so easy. To make life even easier, make 2x, 3x or 4x the recipe and freeze. These freeze nicely. So, here's the recipe. Make up your own name.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup carob powder
3 tsp egg replacer powder(Ener-G)
2 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
Mix this well. Then add, 1/2 cup canola oil and 1/2 cup water. Add extra water by the tablespoon if too chunky. You want this to be smoother, but not liquidy.
Beat with blender.
Using WET hands, form rough circles and place on ungreased cookie sheet or in muffin tins. Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes. They will be very soft coming out of the oven but will firm up as they cool.