cream puffs with chocolate glaze

These nutella cream puffs were so good that they disappeared before I could even take a photo. So I grabbed this throw back thursday photo from 2014–way before they even had throw back thursday!  These cream puffs  taste like chocolate filled donuts when you fill them with nutella. I kid you not. I first made cream puffs in cooking school years ago before gluten free was a thing and they seemed okay but I was never really wowed by them until my kids had the bright idea to make gluten free unicorn cream puffs which are basically  cream puffs filled with rainbow pastry cream with purple and white chocolate glaze.

yum. yum. yum.

only we had someone here who can’t have cream so the unicorn cream puffs were a no go for him.

so, I made these nutella cream puffs…

note: these aren’t dairy free but you can easily substitute this chocolate pudding recipe if you need a dairy free alternative.

CREAM PUFF RECIPE

NOTE: If you prepare these in a kitchen that also uses gluten/wheat containing flour PLEASE prepare these first thing in the morning using all utensils and bowls straight out of the dishwasher and use parchment paper on the sheet trays so that they are not contaminated by gluten/wheat items. This is the best workflow in a kitchen that isn’t 100% gluten free so that you prevent cross contamination–plus it shows a level of understanding of gluten free preparation. THANK YOU!

1 cup water
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
3/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 425.

Combine the water, butter, gluten free flour and bring to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Stir in the flour. Stir vigorously to combine. Remove from heat. Stir until the batter pulls away from the edge and sticks to the spoon. Add the eggs one at a time–incorporating them fully before adding the next egg.

Drop by  rounded tablespoon or use a pastry bag to pipe out small balls onto a cookie sheet.

Bake in a 425 oven for 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325 bake 25 minutes.

Let cool. Poke small hole in the bottom to fill. Using a pastry tube or parchment made into a pastry tube–fill the puffs with nutella or filling of choice.

Dust the cream puffs with powdered sugar or chocolate glaze.

CHOCOLATE GLAZE:

1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup cream or coconut milk

Combine chocolate chips and coconut milk in a small glass bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds and then stir to combine. Microwave 30 seconds more and stir. Repeat this step until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Drizzle over the filled cream puffs.

The post Nutella Cream Puff Recipe (gf) appeared first on Our Gluten Free Family.

It is hard to find a chewy gluten free bagel that isn’t “bread-like”–so The Odd Bagel comes out ahead of most gluten free bagels for chewy bagel like texture. My only criticism is they might be a little too chewy! The good thing about the chewiness is that you can eat a quarter of a bagel and you are actually satisfied in a way that you rarely are with most gluten free baked goods.

If they are frozen, defrost them in a microwave for 40 seconds with a wet paper towel over them to give them a fresh baked taste. “Definitely toast them” was another comment by our gluten free review team. Yes–these bagels are meant to be toasted. Not just warmed up–toasted. The crispiness of the toasted bagel makes them even more satisfying.

The everything bagels were the most popular and I had to quickly snap these photos before they disappeared completely. I enjoyed my everything bagel with Tree Nut cream cheese–and my other tester had a cinnamon raisin bagel with earth balance buttery spread.

Another amazing thing about The Odd Bagel is that they are made without eggs–which is great for vegans and people who are avoiding eggs  because of allergies.

As always–here are the pros and cons of The Odd Bagel…

PROS…Chewy texture. Satisfying. They actually taste like a bagel. Made with real ingredients. Made in a dedicated gluten free facility. Delicious flavors–the onion bagels and the everything bagels were the most popular. Excellent toasted.

CONS…On the small side. For those who are avoiding other allergens, they are made in a facility  that also processes soy, milk and eggs. Cinnamon raisin bagels need a few more raisins.

To find out more about the Odd Bagel  or to order visit oddbagel.com.

The post The Odd Bagel–A Chewy Gluten Free Bagel appeared first on Our Gluten Free Family.

I always think of my friend Peggy when I am too tired to cook anything. She once confessed that she served rice, vegetables and a meat every night for dinner. Although she was a little embarrassed that she wasn’t being more creative or offering more variety to her family, her simple dinner formula is an inspiring model to me when I feel too tired to cook anything.

“I’ll make what Peggy makes!” I think to myself when I am too tired to rally to make dinner. It works without fail. In half an hour the rice and meat are cooked, vegetables are steamed or roasted and dinner is served. Here’s how…

RICE…

• Measure 1/2 cup Lundberg Farms organic white rice and 1 cup of water in a small pot. (This makes about 1 1/2 cups of rice–double if you need additional rice.)
• Bring to a boil.
• Cover with a lid and set the timer for 15 minutes.
• When timer goes off DO NOT OPEN. Set timer for 15 more minutes.

VEGETABLES…

• Turn the oven on to 350 degrees or put a steamer basket in a pot with an inch of water and bring to a boil.
• Prep vegetables for roasting or steaming.
• Drizzle with olive oil.
• Steam or roast vegetables.

MEAT…

• Put olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
• Season meat, fish, chicken or shrimp with salt, pepper, onion salt, garlic salt and paprika.
• Pan fry until cooked.
• Serve with lemon or barbecue sauce on the side.

Dinner’s done. In record time. Without a big fuss. Without stress. Thanks to Peggy–who is doing an amazing job getting dinner on the table every night for her family.

The post Super Easy Dinner à la Peggy appeared first on Our Gluten Free Family.

Mason Jar Salads and More: 50 Layered Lunches to Grab and Go

This is my take on a mason jar salad—using easy to find ingredients  that create a rainbow or vegetables. This one quart jar of salad is super satisfying and gives you 238% vitamin  A and 472% vitamin C and only 250 calories. (vitamin A and vitamin C are markers for the nutrient density of the food found at the bottom of food labels.) I figured the nutrient content out on My Fitness Pal (another great tool for those trying to track calories and nutritional information!)

I usually have the salad with a side of lentils and rice, a veggie burger or leftover chicken or shrimp. The salad itself is only 202 calories, so although it is a large volume of food, you really need to eat some carbohydrates and protein with it.

Rainbow Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• splash of plum vinegar (optional)
• salt – a generous sprinkle
• fresh pepper
• 1-2 carrots depending on size, sliced in thin rounds (1/3-1/2 cup)
• 2 tablespoon red onion, sliced thin and chopped in 1 inch pieces
• 1/3 red pepper, diced into 1/2 inch dice
• 1/3 yellow pepper, diced into 1/2 inch dice
• 2 cups romaine lettuce pieces
• 1/4 cilantro

Directions:

1. In the bottom of a 1 quart mason jar, put olive oil, rice wine vinegar, plum vinegar, salt and pepper.
2. Layer the following chopped vegetables:
   -carrots
   -red onions
   -red pepper
   -yellow pepper
   -romaine lettuce
   -cilantro
3. Secure with lid.

To serve:

Shake the jar so that the dressing from the bottom  covers all the vegetables. Serve on a plate or bowl or eat right from the jar! I like to serve it on a plate—but if you are at work or on the go eat it right from the jar.

The post My Mason Jar Salad! appeared first on Our Gluten Free Family.

Earth balance and olive oil give this garlic bread a hint of buttery flavor. We have decided Schar baguettes makes the best garlic bread–but you can use your favorite gluten free french bread. You might have extra garlic butter–which you can save to flavor eggs, vegetables, meat, or fish.

Ingredients:

• 2 clove of garlic
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons earth balance buttery spread
• 4 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Preheat broiler to 550 degrees.

Crush the garlic into a fine paste using a garlic press or the flat edge of a chef’s knife and some salt on a cutting board. Add the oregano and red pepper flakes. Using a spoon, mash in the earth balance spread until it is well combined and softened. Then slowly incorporate the olive oil until it is well combined.

To make the garlic bread, slice a Schar’s baguette in half lengthwise and using a spoon generously cover the insides of both halves with garlic spread. Broil for 2- 3 minutes watching carefully. Cut each half into 3 squares and then cut each square in half.

We love this garlic bread with sliced tomatoes, salt and pepper or serve with your favorite italian dish.

The post Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Garlic Bread Recipe appeared first on Our Gluten Free Family.

This carrot cake hemp seed smoothie has the sweetness and spice of carrot cake—but the protein and omega 3s in the hemp seeds make it a nutritious smoothie. It tastes like a carrot cake milkshake. Use maple syrup for kids or if you like natural sugar—or nu-stevia if you are avoiding sugar.

Carrot Cake Hemp Seed Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 carrot
• 3 tablespoons hemp seeds
• 1 tsp fresh ginger
• 1 packet of nu-stevia or 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/2 fresh vanilla bean
• 1 cup almond milk (or 6 almonds and 1 cup water)
• pinch of sea salt

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a Vitamix blender. Blend for 1 minute. Add 6 ice cubes. Blend for 30 seconds more until smooth. Serve topped with a sprinkle of nutmeg.

The post Carrot Cake Hemp Seed Smoothie Recipe appeared first on Our Gluten Free Family.

This lentil kale bowl packs a powerful nutritious punch for lunch or dinner. It’s my new favorite meal. The recipe below has 439 calories and 413% of vitamin C and 335% of vitamin A! And it’s perfectly balanced with 14% protein, 29% fat and 57% carbohydrate. It’s vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free–but keeps you going for hours because of the nutritious profile. If you are in a rush and don’t have time to sprout lentils–you can find sprouted, dried lentils. The vitamin c from the kale and orange help with absorption of iron from the lentils. Feel free to add red pepper flakes, lemon zest and spices to give it more flavor.

2 cups chopped kale
1/2 cup white rice
1/2 cup sprouted lentils, steamed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 orange segments, chopped
salt and pepper

Steam chopped kale for 5 minutes.  Add 1 cup lentil and rice mixture with 1/2 chopped orange, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, pepper and spices. Enjoy!


To make rice:
1 cup white rice
2 cups water

Bring to a boil in a small pot. Cover. Reduce heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes. Do NOT remove lid–even to check. Let rest for 15 minutes with lid on. Then fluff with fork.

To make sprouted lentils: 
1 cup green lentils
Soak lentils for 1 day in water at room temperature. Rinse and drain. Then sprout them for 2 days in a colander covered with a dish towel until sprouts are 1/4 inch long. Rinse every 12 hrs. To keep them moistened.
Cook in 1 cup boiling water for 10 minutes.

Combine rice and lentils in a bowl for a base of a meal.

The post Lentil Kale Bowl appeared first on Our Gluten Free Family.

My husband loves to surprise me with gluten free sweet treats on Valentine’s Day. Lucky me to   be given this beautiful box of luxury chocolates from Amore di Mona. Theses certified  gluten free, vegan chocolates are 80% cocoa and free of peanuts, nuts, eggs, soy, dairy, corn and sesame. They are also non-GMO, organic and diabetic friendly! The connoisseur collection box  has  eight flavors–carmela, dark chocolate, carmela with cranberries, dark chocolate with currants, carmela with cherries, dark chocolate with crunchy coffee beans and carmela with crunchy coffee beans. Although the kids loved selecting from the assortment–they quickly learned to avoid the ones with the espresso beans on top. Which is good because the coffee bean flavors are absolutely my favorite.

The post Amore di Mona Gluten Free Vegan Assorted Chocolates appeared first on Our Gluten Free Family.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! 

Gluten-Free Crepe Recipe (gf/cf)

• 1 cup gluten free King Arthur flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 cup Silk almond milk or milk
• 2 Tablespoons melted oil or butter***

The post Merry Christmas Gluten-Free Crepe Recipe appeared first on Our Gluten Free Family.

The post The Little Cakes Halloween Treats! appeared first on Our Gluten Free Family.