Gluten/Dairy free Rhubarb Muffins with Lemon Glaze

Tomorrow I am off to a conference for work. Just over the day, but I am terrified of the food that I am sure will be available. Gaaaah!!! So I wanted to make some muffins to bring so that I too would have something nice to eat. And I think after a few of these.... ok I think I counted ......6... Ok I ate 6!!!!!!!!!!! Reeeeeaaaaally bad I know! But seriously... Boy are these good. you will NOT regret making them, I can promise you that!

My husband said something along the lines of I'm SO gonna post these on my facebook page once you make a blog-entry about them, And I'm gonna give them some great reviews! That's some good compliments coming from him :-).

So if you are like us and have the garden FULL of Rhubarb and can't think of what to use them for... well this sure is a winner! Give them a go!



Rhubarb Muffins with Lemon Glaze

- 6 dl Gluten Free flour of choice (could use a combination of flours)
- 1 tsp vanilla powder
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 tsp baking powder  
- 1 tsp bicarbonate soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 2 eggs (can be replaced with 4 egg whites for less saturated fat)  
- 3 egg whites  
- 2 1/2 dl sugar of choice (I used ca. half of the amount in coconut sugar and half normal sugar as I ran out of coconut ;-)  
- 1 1/2 dl unsweetened applesauce
- 1 dl extra virgin olive oil

- 3 dl small chunks of rhubarb 

Turn on the oven to 175 Celcius. Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and sift back and forth to another bowl a couple of times to make sure they are all properly incorporated. 

Cut up all the rhubarb into small thin chunks and if you like us have a lot of rhubarb, but they are a bit of a boring colour, you can add a liiiittle bit of pink food coloring to them. It really made the final product pop.

Mix egg whites/egg with the sugar for a long time in a separate bowl till quite fluffy. Add the applesauce, EVOO and sift in the dry ingredients a third at a time. Then folding them in. If you feel it's to "thick" of a batter(depends on the flour) add another 1/2 dl applesauce. Then fold in the rhubarb pieces until incorporated.

Use an ice-cream scoop to fill your muffincases 2/3 of the way or even a bit more if you want the proper overflowing muffin. Pop them in the oven and bake for approximately 20 min. But keep an eye as all ovens vary. And before you take them out stick a toothpick in one to see if it comes out clean. If it does, go ahead and take them out.

Lemon Glaze

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Powdered sugar until desired consistency

Mix together to get a glaze. if you want it as a glaze on top then dont be afraid to add a little water to make it runnier, but if you want to a little thicker layer, then instead add powdered sugar until you get the thickness you want. Would be very nice as a thick dollop on top... very nice in deed..... Oh get a grip Jo... you just had 6!!!! ;-)

Enjoy!
-Josefine 

OMS Friendly "Chocolate Chips"

While watching shows like "the Great British Bakeoff" I always wondered how it was possible for them to forget an ingredient or use salt instead or sugar and things like that... well I now know. AND i didn't even have the stress of a competition infront of millions!!! 

So I was looking to make some gluten free chocolate chip cookies and thought that I need to find a way to make OMS friendly chocolate chips. so I mashed a banana and added a LOT of cocoa. I then spread it out on a baking sheet and popped it in the freezer. Ready to chop up and use as "chocolate chips" in my cookies. 

Well the cookies FLOPPED.

But it wasn't because of the chips. SO i went for another go. This time I grabbed a recipe from pinterest for banana nut muffins with chocolate chips. I adapted it a little bit and in the process I managed to forget some of the ingredients... so well,  they looooooked good... but let's just say they didn't taste so good ;-).

But once again, it wasn't because of the chocolate chips. SO for today I'm calling it quits on the muffin/cookie making and instead just sharing my idea for OMS friendly chocolate chips.

OMS Friendly Chocolate Chips

- 1 Mashed banana

- 3-4 Tbsp  raw cocoa powder

- a dash of vanilla essence (optional)

Mix all the ingredients properly and spread out on a baking sheet and freeze over night. Chop up and use in any cookie or muffin recipe. Perfect low fat and dairy free chocolate chips for us OMSers!

 

Good Luck!

-Josefine

Gluten/Dairy Free Carrot and Zucchini Muffins

Yay for amazing days! 

This morning the girls slept in so I called Ellie's daycare and told them today was a home day. with BEAUTIFUL weather it was meant to be.

Out we go!

But before we go I wanted to try making up my first muffin recipe.
I know what needs to be in a cupcake/muffin recipe in general as I have made so many in my days, but I have never made a Gluten/dairy/fat free one!?!? I have read many suggestions on Pinterest about each area (gluten, dairy, vegan, fat free) but never combined them all into one muffin before. so this is a total experiment and I am currently waiting for them to come out of the oven..... 

 

...........And the result is in...... quite AMAZING!!! I can hardly believe it! Super moist, soft and bouncy, sweet but not tooo sweet and with a nice kick of cinnamon. The fact that the kids had one at the park and have been beeeeeeeeegging me for more is good enough of a review for me! Plus my neighbor stopped by and I stuffed one down her throat as well, And she approved big time!!!  

These shall be made again... probably often! And at 0.5 g of saturated fat per muffin I'd say that's a winner! I did decrease the oil I normally would have intended on using, by replacing half of it with Applesauce, and it worked a treat! As you will see later on in the recipe I used a sugar replacer called Eritrytol which can be found in all swedish Health food shops and now also in our grocery shops. It's the natural sugar that comes from pears, melons and mushrooms. And what is so amazing about it is that it doesn't affect your blood sugar at all.  So Yeah, give it a whirl. Here it's called "Sukrin".

Muffins at the play park!!!

Gluten/Dairy free Carrot and Zucchini Muffins

- 3 dl Gluten Free flour of choice (could use a combination of flours)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla powder
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

- 1 egg (can be replaced with 2 egg whites for less saturated fat)
- 1 egg white
- 1 dl sugar of choice (I used half stevia/eritrytol sugar and half brown sugar)
- 1/2 dl unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 dl extra virgin olive oil

- 1 dl finely grated carrots (slightly heaped)
- 2 dl finely grated zucchini (slightly heaped)


Turn on the oven to 175 Celcius. Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and sift back and forth to another bowl a couple of times to make sure they are all properly incorporated. 

Grate the Carrots and Zucchini finely. I used one small to medium carrot and about a third of  a zucchini to make heaped dl measures of both. 

 
Mix egg whites/egg with the sugar for a long time in a separate bowl till quite fluffy. Add the applesauce, EVOO and sift in half of the dry ingredients. Mix on very slow until it's all just incorprated. Then fold in the carrots and zucchini and the rest of the dry mix. Do not over mix as you want as much of the air in there as possible. 

 

Spoon into the muffin cases and bake for 15-20 min in the oven. Keep an eye though as all ovens work different! I checked with a toothpick after a while. This will make just about 12, but I would recommend making a double batch as they are delicious and the whole family will eat them, not just you. I guarantee it!!!  

 

UPDATE!
So for all of you who are in Sweden probably can't get a hold of Xanthan Gum (I bought mine in the UK) So I would recommend using psyllium fiber instead. I have tried this recipe again and used 1/2 tsp instead of 1/4 tsp of XG.

The other thing I tried is using just egg whites instead of the egg, and if anything it was better! Soooo high and fluffy. Loved it! And with less saturated fat, that's nothing but win's all round! So in total I ha 3 egg whites instead of 1 egg and 1 egg white.

Good Luck!!!
-Josefine

Gluten Free Blueberry Pancakes

Pancakes, those lovely fluffy little things that just have the perfect texture and the perfect lovely loveliness to them..... yeah, I'm not going crazy really....

So somehow it has to be possible to make pancakes right?! Gluten free, egg whites instead of an egg, that sort of thing. And yeah there is. Of course they aren't the real thing. But they are as close as you're gonna get ;-)!

When I made them the first time, my husband came into the kitchen, saw them and immediately expressed his dismay at the look of them(this was that first pancake that always flops). lol... I am lucky to have a husband who will try anything no matter how gross it looks, so after trying them he totally changed his mind, and ate the lot!

This recipe I got from somewhere and I have just remembered it and can't for the life of me remember where I got it. So I am very sorry to the creator that you don't get the credit! 



Gluten free Blueberry Pancakes

- 2 egg whites
- sprinkle of salt
- 1 dl Almond milk + more
- 2 dl Gluten free Flour mix
- 1 tsp baking powder (gluten free)
- 1  Tbsp chia seeds
- 1 dl frozen blueberries


Put the egg whites and salt in a bowl and whisk add 1 dl of almond milk and mix further. Then add the GF flour and the baking powder and mix until properly incorporated. Add the chia seeds and then some more almond milk till you get the consistency of pancake batter. I then added the blueberries and stirred to incorporate. 

I cooked these on the stove in my nifty cast iron pancake pan. I poured a small amount of organic extra virgin rapeseed oil in the pan, then used a kitchen towel to spread it thinly. Rapeseed oil takes a higher heat than olive oil and if it is a good quality then it is ok to use now and then. And I don't make pancakes very often, so it's ok :-)!

Hope you enjoy these as much as I did!

Good luck
-Josefine

Sugar Cookies OMS style

Those of you who have followed my recipes will know that I am trying to eliminate as much refined sugar as possible. In this recipe I have used icing/powdered sugar which of course is a refined sugar. The main reason I used this was because I used this batch for my kids easter cookies. I needed them to work the first time round. I have eaten one or two, but I haven't gone crazy the way I normally would ;-)... promise! You could replace the icing sugar with coconut sugar or stevia sugar (though you should then reduce the amount slightly as it sweetens more than sugar. But it is Easter after all.. so this time I'm cheating a liiiitle ;-)!

Saturated fat wise though I am NOT cheating! One of these babies has about 0.15 g of saturated fat!!! Yeah, That pretty much rocks!!

 

Sugar Cookies OMS style
(makes approximately 50 cookies)

-3 dl gluten free flour
-1 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp salt

-2 1/2 dl icing sugar/powdered sugar
-2/3 dl Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Organic Extra virgin Rapeseed oil from a reputable source
-2/3 dl almond milk
-1 egg white
-1/2 tsp vanilla powder

-Extra flour for dusting



Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl mix the remaining ingredients till slightly frothy. start sifting the dry mixture into the wet one to eventually make a pliable dough. it should still be sliiightly wet. Then let it rest in the fridge for 20 min till you have prepped the rest of your ingredients. Set your oven to 175 Celsius and bring out your roling pin and desired cookiecutter (the cookies hold their shape beautifully). Once you have rolled them out (rather slightly to thick than to thin... I think I will make them a lot thicker next time) place them on a baking tray and bake for about 7 min. They do not turn golden brown the way normal cookies do so make sure not to wait to long. 7 min was the MAX I waited. then bring out and cool on a cooling rack.

Good luck!
-Josefine

Healthy Brownie

 So here comes a recipe that has saved me on my journey to figuring all this out. Healthy Brownies. Yes you heard me. HEALTHY! I might go in later and change this recipe further, as I am still figuring out how to best make it. But It is certainly good enough to quench any chocolate craving you might have. The only problem?! you have to limit your intake if you are trying to eat less than 5 g of saturated fat a day. DARN! I figured out that on one batch of these there is a total of 20 g of Saturated fat, so if you divide it into 20 pieces there is 1 g in each piece. Eating one of these now and then to help with that craving is perfect, and it is healthy in many ways.


 You will need a food processor for this one... trust me.. a smoothie maker will not suffice.... not speaking from experience at all... really! Adn since I don't have one, I had to borrow my sister-in-laws (Thank you Linda)! 

You know when you borrow something, something ALWAYS goes wrong?! Well this time was no exception. I was preparing to return it when I realized that a main part was missing. It was gone. Nowhere to be found. spent 2 hours tearing the kitchen apart only to come to the conclusion that it was hopeless. In one of those irrational freakouts I searched online for spare parts and ordered one. Then OF COURSE 5 min later I glance down while packing for our trip to England (yupp this was the night before the flights) and see a white fleck between the couches... and there it was! first thought... those cheeky kids!!!! 

 
Telling my sister-in-law about the incident was probably the best bit though, she laughed her but off as did I. something that was so frustrating and annoying at the time ended up a moment to laugh about :-)!!!

Ok so the recipe...


Healthy Brownies

- 150 g walnuts
- 150 g almonds
- 60 g raw cocoa powder
- Date syrup and agave syrup (will explain further about this in the description)
- Optional instead of the syrups is to use fresh dates this makes them completely raw
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla powder
- 100 g roughly chopped almonds for texture

Add walnuts and almonds in the food processor to make a fine "flour". Add the cocoa powder, salt and vanilla powder/paste and mix again to incorporate.  At this point I used date syrup instead of dates which many raw brownie recipes ask for. Date syrup is perfect to have in your store cupboard as it is 100% boiled and pressed dates. I also used agave syrup because of it's sweetness. Date syrup is great mainly because of it not being so intensely sweet, but with such strong cocoa taste having a little bit of extra sweetness made it perfect in my taste-buds. So I added enough date syrup for it to just come together in the blender, then I used the rest agave syrup. I wish I had a perfect amount for you, but it is completely up to your own taste-buds. Mine require a bit of extra sweetness :-). Then pour into a bowl and add the roughly chopped nuts. I like mine almost whole, but once again this is to what you yourself prefer. Pour into your prepared tins. I used 2 different sizes as I don't have very many tins. But you could also use cupcake molds or one large tray and then cut them into bars. press down firmly, then chill in the fridge for at least an hour. I then sprinkled them with cinnamon. but you could use cocoa or if you aren't on my strict diet you could roll them into balls and then roll them in coconut flakes... yum!

Some other variations:
- using orange extract as well as the vanilla... yuuuuum!
- or almond extract for that extra almondy taste.
- I have also found chocolate essence that I think I am going to try some time as it would reduce the saturated fat content. 
- Lemon extract
- Mint extract, or making little mint pieces somehow... (going to figure out how for you and get abck to you)
- in sweden we have something called "arrak" which is basically a punch extract. this could also be useful in some way... hm.... 
- If you want to make your bars bigger, so that you can eat more of them, you can add things like puffed rice in them. This gives a bit of a different texture as well. 

 

Well the possibilities are endless. If you want to decrease the saturated fat even more you can replace the walnuts with almonds. Walnuts have a little more sat fat that almonds.

Good luck!
-Josefine