I have some fun news! We found out finally what we're having... 

and it's a GIRL!

Audrey is super excited. Her auntie asked her about a month before my ultrasound appointment, "Audrey, is your mommy having a girl or a boy?" Audrey quickly replied with "A girl...a boy...and a horse!" 

Ha ha. I hope I don't look that big yet. 

Anyways, we're super excited to be adding another girl to the family! 

Scoreboard: Boys 1, Girls 3. OH YEAH! K, on with our regular scheduled recipe. ;)

So, no matter how hard I try, there always seems to be over ripe bananas on my counter! No joke. They seem to magically transform into that over-ripe stage instantly. I used to fret but now it just gives me more opportunities to create new recipes. 

AND Yummy! I LOVE these next muffins! Now, I'm not much of a nut fan in my food. Don't get me wrong, I love nuts plain but put them in something yummy like a muffin or brownie and it tends to sour the whole experience for me. Weird I know. So when I do use them, I have to hide them from myself! ;) 

I created a great Walnut Streusel that gives a not only the perfect hint of walnut flavor but a yummy topping for an already delicious muffin. Enjoy! This recipe only makes 6 muffins so if you have a big family you may need to double it. They disappear quick!

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Contains Walnuts & Eggs)
Created by jalene

Makes 6 muffins 
Streusel Ingredients: 

• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup gluten free quick oats
• 2 & 1/2 Tbsp COLD Earth Balance Butter Sub

Streusel Directions: 

1. Throw the walnuts, brown sugar, and quick oats into a blendtec or food processor. Pulse a couple of times, so that the walnuts are chopped small. Remove the mixture and place into a small bowl. Cut in with a fork the COLD Earth Balance until it resembles a crumbly mixture. Set aside in the fridge. 

Muffin Ingredients: 

• 3/4 cup gluten free rolled oats or gluten free oat flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• pinch sea salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup mashed banana
• 1/4 cup sugar (I used evaporated cane juice sugar)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil

Muffin Directions: 

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F.  Line 6 cups of a muffin tin and set aside. 
2. In a blendtec or food processor, combine the oats (or oat flour), baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, xanthan gum, and salt. Blend until a fine floury mixture forms. 
3. Add in the egg, banana, sugar, and olive oil and mix until well combined. Evenly distribute the batter into the 6 cups. Add a HEAPING tablespoon of streusel to the top. 
4. Bake about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the tops begin to lightly brown. 

Have you ever felt guilty eating too many mini-muffins?! I usually start thinking "Man, how many of these darn things have I've eaten already...I should stop!" But with these muffins, it was the first time I didn't hear that little voice! I kept hearing, "Whew! These are so good for you! Have another!" Ha ha.  I secretly LOVE this next recipe! Well, it's not quite the secret anymore I guess. ;) 

They are so packed full of health, it's great! The best part, my little 2 year old ADORED them! I even used them as bribery for her to finish all of her brussels sprouts at dinner! (Which I had to snicker to myself because she would still be getting her veggies as she devoured these babies...ha!)

These muffins could work great in the morning as a quick on-the-go breakfast or even as a after school delight! Enjoy!

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Refined Sugar Free)
Adapted by jalene from a recipe by weelicious.com

Makes 30-36 mini muffins
Ingredients: 

• 1 apple (peeled, cored, & finely grated)
• 2 carrots (peeled & finely grated)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 & 1/2 cups of gluten free oat flour (you can grind your own from rolled oats too)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2 large eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 & 1/2 tsp gluten free vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup dairy free milk (I used almond milk)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil (melted)
• 1/2 cup honey (for kids over 1)

Directions: 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line about 36 mini-muffin tins with mini-liners. 
2. Combine the grated apple, carrot, and coconut in a large bowl. Mix well. Stir in the oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined. 
3. In a separate bowl combine the eggs, vanilla, milk, oil, and honey. Slowly add the wet ingredients into the wet and stir to combine. 
4. Fill liners 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and the tops bounce back when slightly touched. 

Excellent served warm! Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container. 

Audrey is going through a phase lately... Sweet Tooth Only! She keeps on asking for chocolate cake for breakfast. ;) Perhaps that's my bad because I still have some leftover on the counter from my birthday. Now granted she doesn't have a lot of sugar in her diet anyways, and the sugar she does have is usually from organic evaporated cane juice sugar, natural sugar or fruit. 

But man! It's been a trick to get her to eat even eggs in the morning! We either have to combine them with other foods like sausage and rice or pour salsa on top to get her to eat them. 

But get this, this morning, I got her to eat almost 2 eggs and a good amount of almonds from a little help from an apple. HOW you say? Through these next recipes! I'm super excited. ;) I've been working on a grain free crepe for a while but I was not using enough to bind it together. I referred to a couple other recipes and found the trick was simply adding more egg! The end result is amazing! Audrey ate 3! :) Ha ha. Pretty good for a 2 year old! 

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Grain Free)
Created by jalene from a combination of other recipes

Makes 8-8" crepes
Ingredients: 

• 5 eggs
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp almond meal/flour (I used Bob's Redmill)
• 2 Tbsp water
• 2 tsp honey
• pinch sea salt
• olive oil for cooking

Directions:

1. Add all the ingredients into a Blendtec or blender. Blend on the lowest speed for about 30 seconds, making sure the mixture is well combined. Place the batter into the fridge to rest for about 15 minutes. 
2. Preheat a non-stick 8" (or similar) pan over medium heat. 
3. Lightly oil the hot pan. Be sure to stir the batter up each time before pouring. When you pour the batter onto the pan, only pour enough to just cover the bottom. I usually tilt the pan around to get all the holes. If you add too much batter your crepes will turn out thick and if they are too thin they will break easily. 
4. Cook until light brown on first side and then flip. Cook second side only slightly. Add your desired filling to the center (we used the one below), roll up, and serve warm. 

Leftovers can be frozen flat on wax paper in freezer bags. 

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Can be Sugar Free)
Created by jalene

Makes 2-4 servings
Ingredients: 

• 2 apples, peeled & cored (we use organic apples)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• (optional) 1 tsp evaporated cane juice sugar or 1/2 tsp honey (I left the sugar out)

Directions: 

1. Heat a small saucepan over medium heat with the 1/4 cup water. (Do not be tempted to add more water- the apples will give off some water as they cook too.)
2. Slice the apple in 24 wedges. (I use an apple slicer and then cut each piece into 3 pieces. 
3. Place the apples into the pan, sprinkle on the cinnamon and sugar (if using) and cover. Boil, stirring occasionally for 5-8 minutes or until a desired consistency is reached. If you would like less liquid, uncover and continue to boil. 

I think there's two kind of people in the world...those that like ginger snaps and those that prefer a nice soft ginger cookie! I'm a softy kind of gal. My grandma was a ginger snapper. In fact, it was about the only cookie she would keep on hand in her cookie jar! I remember eating them as a kid because I was so desperate for something sweet at her place... ha ha. She was a pretty healthy lady and actually had an entire cupboard full of vitamins! We even coined her the vitamin grandma at one point. She lived to be a healthy 97 so she was doing something right! She was such a wonderful lady. I miss her this time of year!

One day I'll work on a ginger snap cookie in memory of her but until then you can join us on the softer side... ;) 

Starchy flours such as tapioca starch or potato starch you really want to use sparingly in your baking. They turn into sugar quickly and contribute to weight gain so we usually use them sparingly at our home. I love this next recipe because I was able to make it without any of those flours! It just has one- brown rice flour. And they taste amazing! In fact, my sister-in-law said you can't even tell they're gluten free! What a compliment. 

(Gluten Free, Can be Dairy Free, Soy Free, Nut Free, Can be Corn Free)
Adapted by jalene from a recipe off Allrecipes.com

Makes 18 (1 & 1/2 inch) cookies
Ingredients: 

• 6 Tbsp butter (or Soy Free Earth Balance to make it Dairy Free, Earth Balance contains corn)
• 6 Tbsp sugar or evaporated cane juice sugar + additional sugar for rolling
• 1 egg
• 1/8 cup molasses
• 1 & 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum (or guar gum to make it Corn Free)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp sea salt

Directions: 
You can refrigerate the cookie dough overnight in an airtight container or you can bake it immediately. I found the brown rice softened a little more from refrigerating but they taste wonderful cooking right away as well. 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (if baking right away). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. 
2. In a medium size bowl combine the brown rice flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Fluff and combine with a whisk. Set aside. 
3. In a mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the molasses and then the egg beating for about 30 seconds, scraping sides when necessary. 
4. Add all the dry ingredients in and mix until well combined. 
5. Using a 1 inch or 1 & 1/2 inch cookie scoop, scoop out the dough then roll in a little bit of sugar. Place on your prepared pan about 2 inches apart. 
6. Bake for 9-11 minutes. Do not over bake. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for about 2-3 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an air-tight container. 

Yum! I love these cookies! 

I've been on a gluten free carrot cake quest lately but after many attempts I have...pancakes. They don't taste exactly like carrot cake but I'm sure if you were to top them with some cream cheese frosting it would be hard to deny! Either way, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised! They have a yummy festive flavor to them and when you top them with a little 100% pure maple syrup, they are delicious! (And between you and me, it's a great way to get your kids to eat more vegetables!)

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Refined Sugar-Free)
Created by jalene

Makes about 12 pancakes (3 inch)
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup +1 Tbsp brown rice flour 
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar and then enough almond or rice milk to make 1/2 cup all together
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp gluten free vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1/2 Tbsp 100% pure maple syrup
  
• 1 cup (about 1/2 lb) finely grated carrot
• 2 Tbsp walnuts, chopped (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat your griddle. 
2. Combine all the dry ingredients: brown rice flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.  Set aside. 
3. In a blender (I used a Blendtec), combine your milk mixture, oil, vanilla, egg, and syrup. Add your dry ingredients and blend until just combined. Add your carrot and walnuts (if using). Pulse slightly to blend (or you can simply stir them in.)
4. Pour batter onto your preheated griddle and brown on each side. 

My parents were in town when I was experimenting with this recipe...and you have to see how my mom topped these. It was hilarious. I turned around and.... 

Applesauce & Sprouts. Ha ha. Not exactly my first choice but definitely a healthy way to start your day. ;)

You're funny mom!

A couple of weeks ago I went to a family reunion to find that there was another Gluten-Free chef in the family! I was so excited! This next recipe is one of her's. I adapted it a bit to be dairy free and lowered the sugar and almond extract slightly. It's seriously SUCH A YUMMY CAKE! The ingredients are so simple too, it only uses 5! No mixing of flours either- it just has one kind! You're going to LOVE it. ;) Even my gluten-eating friends adore it! Warning: You may want to eat the entire pan so be nice and share. 
  

(Gluten Free, Can be Dairy Free)

Adapted by jalene from a recipe from Tana Stowell

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup Ghee or butter (or Vegan Earth Balance to make it Dairy Free)
• 3/4 cup organic evaporated cane juice sugar
• 2 organic eggs
• 1 Tbsp organic Almond extract
• 1 cup Organic Gluten Free Oats or Oat Flour

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Spray and gf flour a 8 x 8 cake pan. 
2. If you are using whole oats- grind them first in your food processor or blender until they form a flour. (I used a Blentec.) Set aside. 
3. Melt the butter and add the sugar. Stir well. 
4. Add the eggs and almond extract. 
5. Stir in the flour. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the frosting:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 & 1/2 tsp almond milk 
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Mix together until smooth. Pour over cake while HOT.  

After cake has cooled completely (and if there are even ANY leftovers) store in an airtight container. 

I've got another great recipe for you...Corn Flour Crepes! These babies are very tasty and only uses 1 kind of flour! They make a great breakfast tortilla (see idea below). Enjoy and let me know what you think! 

(Gluten Free, can be Dairy Free) 
Adapted by jalene from a recipe by Kimberly Tessmer

Makes 12 6-inch crepes
Ingredients: 

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk or milk alternative (I used Almond Milk)
• 1/2 tsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp sea salt 
• 1 cup (non-GMO) Corn Flour
  
• 2 Tbsp butter or Dairy Free Earth Balance Butter Sub., melted

Directions: 

1. Combine the milk  and fresh lime juice and set aside. Let sit for about 5 minutes. 
2. Preheat a round 6 inch or 8 inch pan over medium heat. 
3. In a blender combine the eggs, milk & lime juice, and salt. 
4. While the blender is mixing on low add in the corn flour and then melted butter. 
5. When you pour the batter onto the pan, only pour enough to just cover the bottom (I usually tilt the pan around to get all the holes.) If you add too much batter your crepes will turn out thick and if they are too thin they will break easily. 
6. Cook until light brown on first side and then flip. Cook second side only slightly. 

Serve warm. 

Guess what! These can be frozen for later use! Simply store them in a freezer bag and separate each crepe with wax paper. 

It's getting colder outside and the pumpkins are starting to pop out onto people's porches! My pumpkin-fever is just getting revved up! (If you missed my Gluten Free Pumpkin Pancakes last week you'll know I have a secret obsession with pumpkin. Maybe it's not so secret anymore... :) This may sound nerdy but around this time of year I LOVE to open one of those huge cans of pumpkin and then see all the different pumpkin recipes I can make trying to use the entire can up! In the past week we've had pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies, a pumpkin jellyroll... all recipes I hope to perfect and post soon! 

So, as I was looking for some of my favorite pumpkin recipes this year I remembered this one in particular that I used to make a few years ago. I originally found this recipe in a magazine and I think it is sponsored by Karo Corn Syrup. I'm not really sure though who the author is??? The only problem with this recipe- we try to avoid corn syrup like the plague! Corn Syrup (is made from corn) and 95% of all corn products on the market are made from Genetically Modified Corn. Genetically modified products are unhealthy because the body has a hard time recognizing them as food. They have been so drastically altered from their original. For example, ancient wheat used to have only 14 chromosomes. Today it has 42! Yikes!

So, I know I've said this before but it's a good reminder... stay away from GMO foods if all possible. We proudly sell non-GMO cornstarch in our online store if you need some. In fact, I'm going to post 2 pumpkin cheesecake recipes that you can choose which one to make. One has cornstarch and the other does not. Both taste great. They're just slightly different with amounts. The first one is my favorite though.  

Recipe #1 (This has a slightly puffy cracked top)
(Gluten Free, can be dairy free)
Adapted by jalene from a recipe by Karo

Ingredients:

• 9 Gluten Free Crunchy Gingersnaps (I used Pamela's GF DF Gingersnaps, see notes)
• 1/3 cup sugar or evaporated cane juice sugar
• 6 oz cream cheese (or use Vegan Cream Cheese to be Dairy Free)
• 1/2 Tbsp non-GMO cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (I used canned, make sure it's pure pumpkin only)
  
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp 100% pure maple syrup

Directions: 

1. Line a muffin tin with 9 paper or foil liners. Place 1 gluten free gingersnap at the bottom of each liner and set aside.  Preheat your oven to 325 F. 
2. Cream together the sugar, cream cheese, cornstarch, and spices until well mixed. Add the eggs and blend well. Add the pumpkin and maple syrup, then beat for 1 minute. 
3. Pour 1/4 cup batter onto each gingersnap. 

Bake for 35 minutes or until set. (This means if you slightly shake the pan the center does not jiggle and when you touch the top slightly it bounces back up.) 

Chill for at least 1 hour in the fridge. This can be made the day before and refrigerated overnight as well if you need a make-ahead holiday dessert. Simple cover before refrigerating. 

You'll notice these slightly "deflate" in the center after removing them from the oven. To "cover" this you can top with whip cream or dairy free whip cream and then sprinkle on some ground cinnamon. 

Recipe #2 (This has a traditional pumpkin looking top)
(Gluten Free, Can Be Dairy Free
Adapted by jalene

Ingredients: 

• 7 gluten free crunchy gingersnaps (I used Pamela's- see note below)
• 1/4 cup sugar or evaporated cane juice sugar
  
• 8 oz cream cheese (use Vegan Cream Cheese to make Dairy Free)
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree (I used canned, make sure it's pure pumpkin only)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg

Directions: 

1. Line a muffin tin with 7 paper or foil liners. Place 1 gluten free gingersnap at the bottom of each liner and set aside.  Preheat your oven to 350 F. 
2. Cream together the sugar, cream cheese, and spices until well mixed. Add the pumpkin, vanilla and eggs and blend well. On low speed, beat for 1 minute. 
3. Pour 1/4 cup batter onto each gingersnap. 

Bake for about 35 minutes or until set. (This means if you slightly shake the pan the centers does not jiggle.)

Chill for at least 1 hour in the fridge. Top with whip cream or dairy free whip cream and cinnamon. This can be made the day before and refrigerated overnight as well if you need a make-ahead holiday dessert. Simple cover before refrigerating. 

Yum, I could seriously eat pumpkin year round. I think my love started with pumpkin pie and it's just exploded from there. And since you technically shouldn't eat pumpkin pie for breakfast...why not eat pumpkin PANCAKES. :) These have such an amazing taste. Alone, they're not too sweet but with maple syrup, they are HEAVENLY! If you like pumpkin, you'll LOVE these. 

Added bonus: This is another great recipe that only uses 1 kind of flour. I've been trying to keep things simple for those of you that don't have all the different kinds of gluten free flours on hand!

(Gluten Free, Can be Dairy Free)
Adapted by jalene

Makes about 16 3-inch pancakes
Ingredients: 

• 3/4 cup milk or milk substitute (I used almond milk)
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree 
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup brown rice flour 
• 1 & 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp ground ginger OR you can use 1 & 1/4 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice instead
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

Directions: 

1. Preheat your griddle over medium heat. 
2. In a small bowl combine the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Set aside. In another bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Stir the dry into the wet ingredients just enough to combine. (The batter will be thick, do not dilute.)
3. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle. Cook on one side until the top looks dry and the bottom has browned. Then flip and cook on the other side. 

They taste amazing warm with 100% pure maple syrup or my dairy free whip cream. 

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, and all other allergen free) 
Created by jalene

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water + 1/2 cup cooked white rice (or you can use 2 cups plain, unsweetened rice milk)
• 1 pound PLAIN ground pork
• 2 & 1/2 Tbsp Potato Flour (not Potato Starch)
• 1 tsp sea salt
• At least 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper (but you can add more to taste)

Directions: 

1. In a high speed blender (I use a Blendtec) mix the water and rice on medium speed for about 40 seconds. Strain out any remaining rice and set the liquid aside. You should have 2 cups. If not, add more water to reach 2 cups. (What you're making here is a plain rice milk. You could possibly just sub it for rice milk though I have not tried it.)
2. In a pan over medium heat brown the ground pork. Drain the drippings out and put them into a sauce pan. (You can either save the cooked pork meat to serve with the gravy or you can use it in another meal like throwing it in spaghetti sauce or in your morning omelet.)
3. Over medium heat, while stirring, add the potato flour, salt and pepper. This will start to boil and thicken. Slowly pour in the rice and water mixture. Then bring back to a boil. Continue to stir constantly until desired consistency is occurred.  

Serve warm. Refrigerate any leftovers and use within 3 days. 

Why use rice milk when you could use cow's milk? BECAUSE OF SO MANY REASONS! Read this great article by my husband, Dr. Nielsen on just one of the side affects of using dairy.