Sweet Green Smoothie
6 Baby Carrots
1 Apple
Handful of Spinach
1 cup Ice
1 1/2 cups Yogurt
1/2 Avocado
Water
Method
Chop carrots, apples and avocado to small chunks.
Blend all ingredients with blender.
Add water to thin making it easy to slurp with straw.
Enjoy!
Dark Velvet Beet Cookies
3/4 cup beet puree (about 2 medium beets)
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 1/4 cups gluten free flour mixture*
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 (12 ounce) bag white chocolate chips
Method
Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Cook the beets in boiling water until tender, approximately 15 minutes.
Test a beet by poking it with a fork — if it comes out easily, the beet’s done.
Peel the beets while they are still warm.
Roughly chop them and puree in a blender/food processor with the milk, until smooth.
Cool completely.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter with the sugars.
Add the cooled beet puree, cocoa powder, vanilla, vinegar, salt and egg, and mix to blend.
Add the flour and baking soda and mix as little as possible to fully incorporate them.
Fold in the white chocolate chips.
Using a 1 1/4-inch ice-cream scoop or a teaspoon, form 1 1/4-inch balls of dough and place them on the parchment-covered baking sheet.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
When you are ready to bake the cookies, cover another baking sheet with parchment paper and place about 12 dough balls on each sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 10 to 12 minutes.
Cool the cookies on a cooling rack for at least 10 minutes before serving.
*We like to use a mixture of Sweet Sourgum Flour, Tapioca or Potato Starch and Brown Rice Flour. Add just a little Xanthan Gum to the mix and your good to go.
Gumbo {Gluten Free}
½ cup vegetable oil or 2 tablespoons bacon grease
½ cup rice flour
1 large onions, diced
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
½ cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped green bell peppers
½ cup chopped red bell peppers
½ cup chili peppers
½ cup sliced scallions
6 cloves minced garlic
4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon creole seasoning
2 lbs. any combo of sausage or 2 lbs. shrimp or 2 lbs. chicken
Method
In a large stockpot combine oil and flour and cook over medium-high heat about 15 minutes or until it turns very dark brown, almost between brown and black.
You will have to stir almost constantly.
This is called the Roux.
Add onions, parsley, celery, peppers, scallions and garlic and cook about 10 more minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring regularly.
Add broth, salt, and creole seasoning.
Cover pot and simmer 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
Add your chosen combination of meat at this point and simmer an additional 15 minutes.
Serve over rice with some warm corn bread. A wonderful southern meal on a chilly February evening.
Having fun with the shrimp tails!
Tiramisù {Gluten Free}
2 Packages of Schär Naturally Gluten-Free Wheat-Free Ladyfingers
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup of sugar
1 lb of Marscapone cheese
1 cup of heavy cream
1 cup freshly made espresso coffee
1/4 cup cocoa powder
Method
In a large bowl, beat egg yolks with sugar until the mixture is thickened and light lemon color.
Add the marscapone cheese and mix thoroughly.
In a medium bowl whip the cream until stiff peaks form.
Fold the cream into the cheese mixture.
Dip the Ladyfingers in espresso and line a 9 by 9 inch pan with them.
Pour in half the cheese mixture and smooth.
Add another layer of the Ladyfingers dipped in espresso.
Pour the remaining cheese mixture on top and smooth.
Chill in refrigerator for 2-4 hours and dust with cocoa powder before serving.
We had so much fun making candy for family this year and just wanted to share a few photos of our pretzel dipping. Such an easy fun way to involve the littles with the task. Serissa had fun dipping and loved getting to lick her fingers after she was finished. Leeanna just kept snagging those GF pretzels while Serissa was busy dipping, she was too cute.
~ Merry Christmas to All from The Gamble Family! ~
Finished Candy/Cookie Box
Dipped Pretzels
Serissa dipping pretzels.
Leeanna sneaking some pretzels.
Allow to cool on the counter before packaging or enjoy right away.
Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes, Snowball Cookies
1 cup butter
1/2 cup bakers sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 teaspoons water
2 cups flour
1 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar.
Stir in vanilla, almond extract and water.
Add the flour and almonds, mix until blended.
Cover and chill for 3 hours (you can skip this step if you would like).
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Shape dough into balls or crescents.
Place on an unprepared cookie sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven.
Remove from pan and quickly roll in powdered sugar and place on wire racks to cool.
When cookies are cool, roll in confectioners’ sugar once again.
Store at room temperature in an airtight container.
Peppermint Bark
1 bag of dark chocolate chips
2 bags of white chocolate chips
1-2 teaspoon(s) peppermint oil (depends how strong you like your peppermint)
1 large candy cane, crushed *do not crush using a food processor – place candy cane in a bag and use a hammer to crush into small pieces
Method
Line the bottom of a 9×13 pan with parchment paper.
Melt dark chocolate chips slowly over a double broiler, stirring the chips until chocolate chips have completed melted and mixture is smooth.
Spread melted chocolate as evenly as possibly into lined pan.
Place pan into freezer for 20 minutes.
Repeat the same melting process with the white chips.
While chocolate is still smooth, add 1 teaspoon peppermint oil.
Allow the white chocolate to slightly cool for a minute.
Remove pan from freezer and spread white chocolate on top of the chocolate layer.
Spread white chocolate as quickly as possible.
Top off with crushed candy cane and gently pat down with the back of a spatula.
Return pan to freezer for 20 minutes.
Remove from freezer and gently lift the whole mixture from the pan with a butter knife.
You should now have a solid sheet of peppermint bark.
Remove parchment paper and break into pieces.
Store any left over bark in a ziplock bag and place in the freezer. Enjoy!
Note: If white chocolate chips do not melt smooth, stir in 2 tablespoons of shortening, canola oil or coconut oil.
Almond Roca (Almond Chocolate Butter Toffee Candy)
1 teaspoon & 1 cup butter, divided
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
3 tablespoons water
1 cup almonds, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon almonds, finely chopped
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
Method
With 1 teaspoon of butter, coat a cookie sheet and spread out the cup of coarsely chopped almonds (you won’t need to go to the edges). Set aside.
Melt 1 cup of butter in a medium pot.
Add the sugar, corn syrup and water.
Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture reaches 290 degrees (just before hard crack stage) on a candy thermometer.
Working quickly and carefully, pour the hot mixture over the almonds on the cookie sheet.
While still hot, sprinkle the top of the candy with chocolate chips.
Using a flat spatula, lightly spread the chocolate over the candy as they melt.
Sprinkle the finely chopped almonds over the top.
Let the chocolate cool before breaking the candy into 1-2″ pieces.
Arrange in a bag, tin, or on a plate.
Minty Chocolate Crunch Candy {Gluten Free}
2 1/2 cups chocolate rice crisp cereal
1/2 bar of mint dark chocolate, crushed into small pieces
1 cup sliced almonds
22 ounces white chocolate chips
Method
Combine the chocolate cereal, crushed chocolate, and almonds into a large bowl.
Toss around the ingredients until they are well combined.
Melt the white chocolate until it is entirely smooth.
Pour the melted white chocolate into a large bowl.
Pour the rice-almond mixture into the melted chocolate.
Using a rubber spatula, and moving quickly, combine all the ingredients together until everything is coated well.
Drop rounded spoonfuls of the mixture in little mounds onto a parchment-paper covered baking sheet.
You can put a lot of these spoonfuls onto the baking sheet because you’re not baking them.
Sprinkle the tops of each spoonful with the crushed mint dark chocolate.
Put the baking sheet(s) in the refrigerator to allow the treats to harden, about 30 minutes.
Store the snowflakes in the refrigerator in a covered container.
Banana Chocolate Chunk Walnut Cookies {Gluten Free}
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup mashed banana (about 3 medium)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups GF Flour Mix*
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
2/3 cup dark chocolate chunks
Method
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Cream together butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, and mashed bananas.
Mix dry ingredients together in another bowl then add to butter and banana mixture.
Blend flour mixture well with banana mixture then add nuts and chocolate chunks.
Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Drop heaping spoonfuls of batter onto cookie sheets that are covered with parchment paper.
We bake 12 cookies per sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes, switching baking sheets top to bottom halfway through the baking time.
Notes: This recipe makes 5 dozen cookies.
*GF Flour Mixture
2 cups Brown Rice Flour
2/3 cup Sweet Sorghum Flour
1/3 cup Tapioca Starch
1 teaspoon xanthan gum