Apple Pie

Well it is almost fall.... depending on who you ask, and with the autumn season comes delicious baking that I am looking forwards to, apple pie being one of my favorites. So here goes. I just tried this recipe and I must say it turned out amazingly.

APPLE PIE

Crust

2 cups of King Arthur's Flour (I used the Perfect Flour Blend)
½ cup Palm Shortening (I used Virgin Pressed Coconut Oil)
1 egg ⅔ cup water
½ tsp salt (or season to taste)
2 tsp sugar or alt. sweetener for desserts if desired (or sweeten to taste) (I used Xyla sugar)

1. Mix together Gluten Free Flour along with optional Salt & Sugar
2. Add in Shortening (or butter), and mix until crumbly (I used my hands)
3. Add in Egg and mix until well incorporated - mixture will still be crumbly
4. Add Water by stirring in 1 TBSP at a time until dough holds together for rolling - better a little moist, then too dry.
5. Cut Mixture in Half and roll into 2 balls (one for each crust or topping). (I put the extra ball into the freezer until next time as I only have one pie pan)
6. Shape dough balls into disc with floured hands and place onto a sheet of floured parchment or wax paper.Cover with an additional sheet of parchment or wax paper. Roll crust out to slightly larger than your pie tin.
7. Remove top parchment/wax paper and Slip hand gently under the bottom paper to flip into pie tin... carefully peeling back the paper as you press it into the pan. Don't worry if it breaks apart a little, you can always press it together and it will look great!
8. Crimp edges of crust to make a decorative edge... or top with an additional crust layer after adding your pie filling.Pierce bottom slightly with fork (and slit top layer with knife to vent).
9. Pre-Bake for approx. 15 minutes at 425 degrees.
10. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before pouring in the apple filling.

Apple Filling

1 cup of water

1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup of sugar (I used Xyla sugar and it actually tasted pretty good)
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground clove
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
dash of salt
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup cornstarch (or if you do not have cornstarch you can use 1/3 cup of sifted flour adding slowly)
5 small Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled and chopped (I used golden delicious apples and I didn't peel them)

1. In a large saucepan combine all ingredients except vanilla and apples. Stir over medium-low heat until thickens (about 2 minutes), constantly stirring.
2. Add apples and vanilla and simmer on low about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into the pie crust.

Oatmeal Crumble

1/2 tsp baking powder

2/3 cups rolled oats (I used wheat free oats)
2/3 cups flour (I used Perfect Flour Blend by a company I can't remember)
1/3 cup brown sugar (I used Coconut Palm Sugar)

1. Using your hands, rub thoroughly through the dry ingredients

1 ½ cups butter, cut in small cubes (I used Soy Free Earth Balance)

2. Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the fruit filling. 

3. Bake at 375 degrees F for approximately 30 -40 minutes or until the crumble is evenly golden brown. (You may need to put aluminum foil over the edges to prevent the crust from burning) 

4. Allow the pie to cool to room temperature before cutting and serving. 

Feelin' the fall spirit

Not-So-Princess Lizzy

Ginger Molasses Cookies

Hey everyone,

Wow, it has been a while, and for that I feel really bad! I am sure all of you know what life is like, getting in the way, butting into all of our commitments, especially our spiritual ones. So to start off this post I should tell you the news.... I am leaving for Ireland in 5 days! FIVE DAYS!! Hard to believe that it has finally arrived. I bought all of my tickets last week, and so this week has been frantic! Getting everything I need ready, and doing some packing, and some more packing.

I am going to be backpacking, which should be interesting. My next post is my advice that I have complied from MANY sites and will be my before trip advice. I will update it once I have arrived back though, just so you know the after trip advice :)

Alright. Well on with this post. I have been experimenting lately with different recipes for my allergies, and you HAVE to try this one! I tried it last summer; my grandma gave me the recipe actually, and I fell in love with it. I put it in a pile of papers.... and just recently found it. You will believe you just found heaven. So here goes.

Ginger Molasses Cookies

For a soft chewy cookie make as directed, but if you want a crisper cookie, bake an additional two to four minutes.

1/2 c.    butter  - 125 mL (I use Earth Balance Soy Free)
1 c.       brown sugar, packed - 250 mL
1           large egg
1/4 c.    fancy molasses - 60mL
2 c.       quinoa flour - 500 mL (I used 1 1/2 c. Jeanne's Gluten-Free Flour Mix, 1/4 c. coconut flour, and 1/4 c. almond flour )
2 tsp.    baking soda - 20 mL
1/2 tsp. salt - 2 mL
1 tsp.    ground ginger - 5mL
2 tsp.    ground cinnamon - 10 mL
1/2 tsp. ground cloves - 2 mL
1/4 c.    white sugar - 60 mL (I used organic cane sugar)

Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C)

Cream the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl. Beat in the egg and molasses. Set aside.

Mix the flour, baking soda, slat, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves in a medium bowl and blend well. Add the butter mixture to the flour mixture and mix to form a smooth dough.

Roll the dough into 1 1/2 - inch (4cm) balls. (I used a small ice cream scoop) Place the white sugar in a shallow bowl and roll each ball to coat. Place two inches (5cm) apart on a baking sheet and bake in the center of the oven rack for eight to 10 minutes. Let them cool for one minute to set before removing them to cool completely on a cooling rack. The cookies should be puffy and slightly browned on the bottom when you remove them form the pan.

Store for one week in a sealed container in the refrigerator or four weeks in the freezer.(At my house they last about 2 days... at the max, so don't expect to have them around for long)

I got this recipe from Quinoa 365, The Everyday Superfood by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming


So I recommend you trying this recipe!!! My brothers, who call my food fake, LOVE these cookies. So I shall soon be updating about my trip. I will keep you posted.

Gonna have to start fasting,
Not-So-Princess Lizzy

Cherry Clafoutis

Alright, so I have to post this new recipe. I found it online, and honestly I loved it so much. When I first found this recipe I had no idea what clafoutis was so I was extremely happy  with out it turned out. 

Cherry Clafoutis

1 Tbs. Butter (I used Ghee which is dairy-free)

4 Eggs

1 cup Granulated Sugar, divided (I used organic cane sugar)

1/2 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract

1/4 tsp. Almond Extract

1 Tbs. Brandy 

1 cup All-Purpose Flour  (Jeanne's Gluten-Free Flour Mix)

1 1/2 cups milk (I used Silk Unsweetened Almond Milk)

1 pound Pitted Cherries (Mine were frozen)

Powdered Sugar (Confectioner’s Sugar), for dusting

•   Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
•   Butter an ovenproof dish, deep dish pie plate, or cast-iron pan (at least 1 1/2-inches deep). (I used a cast iron pan, but next time I will use a deep dish pie plate because I had some trouble removing the clafoutis in one piece).
•   Place eggs, 3/4 cup sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, brandy, flour, and milk in a blender: puree till smooth.
•   In a mixing bowl, toss the cherries with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. (I omitted this step)
•   Place three-quarters of the cherries and their juices in the bottom of the baking dish. Pour the batter over the fruit; arrange the remaining cherries on top.
•   Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the top is brown and a knife inserted into the middle of the dish comes out clean.
•   Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before serving (cake will sink slightly).
•   Sprinkle with powdered sugar over the top with a sieve.
•   Serve the Cherry Clafouti warm.

Shopping

I have some great news everyone!!!!

So I know that all of you may not have allergies, but this is great information to know, so I just want to post everything I learned today, which was a lot.

I live in this city called Vernon, up in British Columbia, which for all those people out there who don't know Canada, is on the western end, in the Okanagan. This is where a lot of wines come out of, this beautiful area.

Anyways, let's move on from climate lol. As I was saying, I live in Vernon, and there are these two fantastic stores that I have to tell you about. Simply Delicious and Natures Fair. These are the specialty stores in town, the ones that hold most of the bulk foods and allergy foods.

So today, as I was shopping I decided to browse a little bit more, try to see what else there might have been to buy, and I was so amazed! I found so many things that I have been so upset about never having again. I found yogurt that I can have (they had almond and coconut), which I was super stoked about. They also had a butter spread that has no dairy that also has no soy in, which I prefer to stay away from anyways. I am hoping I will be able to use the spread in baking, but I am not quite sure if I can do that yet, as they had diary free baking sticks as well but were not on sale.

So on top of all of this, I found diary free, soy free cheese that I am so excited to try on gluten free pizza. I have a recipe for this pizza dough, so I will have to post and tell you how it went. I have not had pizza in over 3 years, so I can assure you I am super excited.

So, something I was complaining about the other day was never having whipped cream ever again in my life as there is no dairy free whipping cream that I could have. I FOUND SOME! It is this block of whipping cream. All you have to do is take as much as you want, and whip it for 4-5 minutes! When I read the ingredients I was so stoked that I almost screamed lol.

See, lately I have been getting down because it hits me over and over again how little I will be able to eat of what I used to. I mean, I can't have pudding because all the substitute milks don't make the pudding thicken. I have tried everything to fix that including adding corn starch to the baking puddings. Nothing works. It just stays runny, and it is not the same. So today when I discovered all of these new food products I realized that maybe there was more out there that I can have I just haven't found it yet. I will have to keep exploring and tasting and keep you updated on that. An answer to prayer I  must say; a prayer for my sanity.

Praying I don't eat to much,
Not-So-Princess Lizzy

Gluten Free Dairy Free Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Alright,


All those out there that have gluten or dairy allergies, about to be amazed by these astounding cookies. I changed it a little, making them taste absolutely amazing. 


My family can attest that I complain on a daily bases about not being able to have gluten or dairy. I guess it is my downfall, not being happy with what I what I have. So I think God sent me this recipe just to cheer me up. I found this recipe, altered it a bit due to my own experiments. You can try it the original way, or you can try my recipe. ENJOY


Gluten Free Dairy Free Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies


Ingredients:

2 1/4 C. gluten free flour (I use 1 3/4 C. Jeanne's Gluten-Free Flour Mix

     1/4 C. coconut flour, 1/4 C. almond flour)

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp. xanthan gum

3/4 C. dairy free butter (I use 1/2 C. ghee, 1/4 C. coconut oil)

1 1/4 C. granulated sugar (I use organic cane sugar - due to sugar allergies)

3 medium eggs (or two large eggs)

2 tsp. vanilla

12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chunks or chips (I use mini chocolate chips as they melt better)


Method:

Heat oven to 375°F.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper (or a silpat if you have one) to prevent the cookies from sticking.

Combine all dry ingredients (except the sugar) in a medium bowl and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar in large bowl until light in colour and fluffy/creamy.  Scrape sides of bowl often.

Add eggs and vanilla. Continue beating, scraping bowl often, until well mixed.

Reduce speed to low and gradually adding flour mixture, until well mixed.

Remove from mixer and gently stir in chocolate chips with a spatula.

Drop dough onto parchment paper either by rounded tablespoonfuls or with an ice cream scoop.  Make sure they are about 2 inches apart to prevent them from running together while baking.

Bake for 12 minutes or until light golden brown.

Let stand in baking sheets until cool and solid enough to handle, then remove from sheets and allow to cool completely on a wire cookie rack.

Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

Note: This is my gluten-free flour mix

Jeanne's Gluten Free Flour Mix

1 1/4 C. brown rice flour

1 1/4 C. white rice flour

1 C. tapioca flour

1 C. sweet rice flour (also known as Mochiko)

2 scant tsp. xanthan gum

Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy

Cookie Dough Dip

Once again life got ahead of me. Many of you may have remembered me mentioning that I was super busy last semester here at college. Well, was I ever wrong. I am so busy now that I barely have time to check my email or facebook anymore. Yeah!! It is rediculous! But anyways. My friend sent me this link to a website that had this amazing recipe on it, and I know that every single person out there will love it! I have yet to try it, but I know that it is going to be amazing.


For those of you out there that are allergic to gluten, well you are just in luck. I have a recipe for........ 


CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH DIP

Exactly! Cookie dough dip! It is even healthy. Check out the recipe below and go look at the blog that it originated from. 

Cookie Dough Dip

• 1 1/2 cups chickpeas (1 can, drained) (250g)
• 1/8 tsp plus 1/16 tsp salt
• tiny bit over 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup nut butter (You can get away with using only 3 T. If you use peanut butter, it’ll have a very-slight “pb cookie dough” taste, so if you don’t want this, you can sub oil.)
• up to 1/4 cup milk of choice (Start with 1 T, and add more as needed)
• Sweetener (see note below, for amount)
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips (or Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips)
• 2 to 3 T oats (or flaxmeal) (You can omit, but also omit the milk if you do)

Add all ingredients (except for chocolate chips) to a food processor, and blend until very smooth. Then mix in the chocolate chips

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/05/23/want-to-eat-an-entire-bowl-of-cookie-dough/