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Fruit Pizza!!
Doesn’t Gluten Free Fruit Pizza sound wonderful? Thank goodness, it finally does to me ….
I have been out of the loop for several days. My lovely step-daughter’s beautiful wedding was last weekend, and barely before I could recover from it, I came down with one of the worst stomach/intestine flu I have ever had. Went over 40 hours with no food — couldn’t even keep a small amount of green tea down. And not only did the smell of food make me sick, I couldn’t even look at pictures!!
But, thankfully, I am feeling much better today — about 85% of normally and back to eating my salads, fruit — and even tried a bit of peanut butter (not my favorite) on gluten free toast hoping to get some extra protein in my body.
In the meantime, I found a wonderful sounding recipe (that even agreed with my volatile stomach) — and sounded like an excellent dessert for this beautiful Memorial Day weekend!!
NOTE: From Jules Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup shortening (Earth Balance® Shortening Sticks)
- 1 cup granulated cane sugar
- 1 egg or egg substitute (e.g. prepared Ener-G Egg® Replacer)
- 1/4 cup milk (dairy or non-dairy)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups Jules Gluten Free™ All Purpose Flour
- 2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened (Go Veggie™ Cream Cheese Alternative)
- 1 cup homemade coconut whipped cream*
- Fresh fruit (berries, bananas, oranges, peaches, apples, plums, pears, etc.)
- 1/8 cup yellow or orange colored preserves like orange, peach, or apricot (Bonne Maman® Golden Plum Mirabelle)
- 1 tsp. water
Instructions
- Cream shortening and sugar until very fluffy. Add egg (or egg replacer), vanilla extract and milk, beating until integrated. Add the dry ingredients last, mixing until evenly blended. Gather dough and form a flat disc.
- Preheat oven to 375ºF (static) or 350ºF (convection).
- Dust a silicone baking mat or parchment paper taped to your counter with Jules Gluten Free™ All Purpose Flour. Dust a rolling pin and cookie cutters with Jules Flour as well. Roll the dough from the center in each direction to form a circle at least 12 inches across and 1/4-inch thick (see photo of cut cookie for appropriate thickness). Using a butter knife or pastry cutter, cut the uneven edges of the rolled dough off so that you are left with a large, clean circle of dough. Gather the cut off edges of the dough together and re-roll on a separate piece of parchment, then use cookie cutters to make cookies with remaining dough.
- Slide the parchment or silicone baking mat onto a flat cookie sheet. Arrange any cut cookies on a separate baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake cookies for 8–10 minutes, but remove before they begin to brown at the edges. Bake the large cookie for 13-15 minutes – the dough should still be soft, not browned or crispy.
- Remove to fully cool on a wire rack.
- Prepare homemade coconut whipped cream, then beat together with the softened cream cheese using the whisk attachment of an electric mixer. Whip until light and the cream cheese is integrated without any lumps.
- Spread generously on top of cooled cookie, leaving a slight crust edge of the cookie exposed.
- Wash and cut fresh fruit and arrange on top of the pizza however you like.
- Warm the preserves and water in a small saucepan, stirring constantly until it is the consistency of a glaze. Brush on top of fruits that tend to brown, like bananas, peaches, pears and apples.
- Cover and refrigerate topped pizza until ready to serve.
Be healthy and have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!!
Pumpkin Crispy Rice Treats
With Halloween just around the corner, I am finding more and more recipes for cute and healthy goodies! I thought this Pumpkin Crispy Rice Treat was really cute — especially since Crispy Rice Treats are one of my favorite desserts (naturally gluten free and vegan!).
The original recipe is from Jules Gluten Free. If you are not familiar with Jules Shephard, I highly recommend subscribing to her newsletters. Not only will you get occasional special offers on her products, but you will receive some great Gluten Free (and often vegan) recipes!
Photo courtesy of Jules Gluten Free
- 3 Tbs. butter or non-dairy alternative (e.g. Earth Balance® Buttery Sticks)
- 12 oz large or 6 cups miniature marshmallows — fresh
- 4 cups+ Gluten-Free Crispy Rice Cereal
- Gluten-Free Spearmint Leaves Candy
- Place butter in a large, deep pot over low heat on the stovetop. Stir until melted with a large wooden spoon or silicone spatula. Add the fresh marshmallows (they should be very soft and squishy) and stir constantly, until melted. Remove from heat and slowly stir in the cereal. You may add more cereal to the mixture if it is too marshmallow-y, but add slowly because these treats should be more malleable than regular bar treats.
- The mixture will begin to harden as it cools, so work quickly and if possible, have a partner or kid ready to help! Scoop out balls of equal size (expect anywhere from 9 – 12, depending on size), then roll the balls in orange sanding sugar and while pressing and smoothing them into pumpkin shapes.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the spearmint leaves into stems and slice thinly for leaves. Wet the ends lightly and press onto formed pumpkins. Decorate the faces, if you like, using frosting or other gluten-free candies. Seal in airtight containers if they’re not all eaten right away!
One note on Jules site that I found very interested (and was not sure of until I read it) is that Kellogg’s Rice Krispy is NOT gluten free. Here is her note:
Because of barley malt (gluten) flavoring, regular Rice Krispies® Cereal is NOT gluten-free. Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice Cereal (has always been gluten-free & is certified GF by GFCO) is a great alternative and makes awesome treats! It’s also only made from 3 recognizable, natural ingredients: Organic Brown Rice; Organic Brown Rice Syrup; and Sea Salt. Recently Kellogg’s introduced a new gluten-free version of their Rice Krispies Cereals, but since my kids already loved the Erewhon cereal and it is certified organic and gluten-free, I’m sticking with it!
I would recommend that you check out Jules original post as she offers lots of suggestions for ingredients for the Pumpkin Crispy Rice Treats.
Enjoy!!
Gluten Free Florentine Cookies
Jules Shepard’s recipes, author of Jules Gluten Free, never disappoints me with her delicious Gluten Free recipes. Today we are featuring her Gluten Free Florentine Cookies — a delicate lacy cookie made with or without chocolate drizzle!
Florentine Cookies
- 4 Tbs. butter or non-dairy alternative (Earth Balance® Buttery Sticks)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (evaporated cane; vegan sugar; etc.)
- 2 Tbs. honey or agave nectar
- 1 cup (150 gr) coarsely chopped nuts (I used peanuts & raw almonds)
- 2 tsp. citrus peel/zest (lemon; orange; etc.)
- 2/3 cup (90 gr) Jules Gluten Free™ All Purpose Flour
- 1/4 tsp. baking powder
- pinch of salt (only if the nuts you use are not salted)
Optional Chocolate Drizzle:
- 3 oz dairy-free chocolate chips (Enjoy Life Foods®)
- 1/4 tsp. vegetable oil
Directions
Preheat oven to 325° F (static).
In a small saucepan, melt butter with sugar and honey over low-medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a gentle boil, then remove from heat.
Chop nuts and stir together in a small bowl with citrus peel, Jules Gluten Free™ All Purpose Gluten-Free Flour, baking powder and salt, if using. Add melted butter mixture and stir well.
Spoon tablespoons of mix onto parchment-lined baking sheets – spaced at least 2 inches apart to allow for spread. Bake one sheet at a time for 10-11 minutes, or until the mixture has spread into flattened, lacey, light brown cookies. Remove to cool on a wire rack while baking the next sheet of cookies. Cool completely before storing or adding chocolate drizzle.
If using chocolate:
Once the cookies are fully cooled, prepare the melted chocolate (if desired) by placing the chocolate and oil in a medium-sized heatproof bowl or saucepan. Fill a slightly larger saucepan filled with 1 inch of water and bring to a low simmer; set the chocolate bowl over, but not touching, the water. Stir until melted and smooth.
“Brush” onto the undersides of the cooled cookies with a rubber spatula, drizzle over the tops of the cookies in geometric or fun designs, or place a dollop in the middle of one cookie and sandwich with another.
Store separated by parchment or waxed paper, in an air-tight container or freeze.
Yield: Approximately 20 cookies.
If you are not familiar with Jules or her products, I highly recommend you check out her website: Jules Gluten Free. Sign up on her email list and receive discount codes for her numerous Gluten Free flour mixes.
Check out her books listed below:
Gluten Free Vegan Cheesecake
When I re-post recipes I find on the internet, I am not just looking to see if they are Gluten Free and Vegan, I also want to post healthy recipes that are not full of sugars, bad fats or other questionable ingredients.
Having said that, I decided to break my own rules and post this Gluten Free Vegan Cheesecake recipe from Jules. In my opinion, it has too much sugar and too much soy in it for my tastes and concerns, … but, what the heck, we all need to ‘live it up’ once in awhile.
So, without further ado’s, here is Jules recipe:
Cheesecake
(gluten-free, dairy-free/vegan)
Cheesecake Ingredients:
- 16 ounces (2 cups) silken tofu
- 8 ounces (1 cup) soy cream cheese (plain) (Tofutti® Cream Cheese)
- 4 ounces (1/2 cup) soy sour cream (plain) (Tofutti® Better Than Sour Cream )
- 2 Tablespoons Jules Gluten Free™ All-Purpose Flour
- 2/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated cane sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, gluten free
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon, lime or orange peel (optional)
- 2 cups fresh berries for topping or 3/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (Enjoy Life® Mini Chips)
Graham Cracker Crust Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free graham cracker crumbs*
- 6 Tbs. melted butter or Earth Balance® Buttery Sticks (non-dairy)
- 2 Tbs. granulated cane sugar (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
Graham Cracker Pie Crust Directions:
Preheat oven to 300° F (static) or 275° F (convection).
Make or buy gluten-free graham crackers (use my recipe or easy mix!). To make the crust, use a gallon size zip-top bag (freezer bags are stronger) and fill it with approximately 1 1/2 cups of gluten-free graham crackers. Remove the air from the bag and seal, then begin rolling over the crackers with a rolling pin, crushing the crackers to a very small crumb size. Once uniformly crushed, measure out to be sure you have 1 1/2 cups of crumbs – repeat if you need more crumbs. Note: this step is even easier using a food processor! Freeze remaining crumbs in a freezer bag to be ready for your next recipe.
Pour the crumbs into a medium-sized bowl and stir in the sugar until completely integrated. Add in the melted butter or Buttery Sticks, stirring with a fork until the crumbs begin to stick together. If you find you need slightly more butter to get the crumbs to hold together, melt an additional tablespoon and stir it in.
Pour the crumb-butter mixture into a pie pan and press with your fingers to create an even thickness along the bottom and sides of the pan. Bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes – do not allow the edges to burn though. Remove and set aside until the pie filling is prepared.
Cheesecake Directions:
To make the cheesecake, bring all ingredients to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 325° F (static).
Blend the tofu, cream cheese, sour cream and gluten-free flour together until smooth, either in a food processor or a stand mixer. Add the sugars and vanilla and blend well. Stir in the citrus peel and chocolate chips last, if using.
Pour into the prepared crust – only fill 2/3 of the pie pan; if there is extra filling, oil a small ramekin and pour remaining filling into the ramekin to bake. Bake for 50 minutes, or until lightly browned and only slightly jiggy in the center.
Turn the oven off, but leave the cheesecake in the oven for one more hour. At that point, remove to cool to room temperature before refrigerating.
Top with berries, berry coulis, chocolate sauce, peanut butter sauce or other topping like homemade coconut whipped cream just before serving.
You can buy Jules mixes on her website as linked above. Below are some of the other ingredients for her luscious cheesecake:
Gluten Free Apricot Muffins
Gluten Free baking can be a challenge — that is why I love it when I find some great sounding Gluten Free Muffins (or other baked goodies) like this Gluten Free and Vegan Apricot Muffins!
If you have never baked Gluten Free, you need to know that non-gluten flours do not react the same as traditional gluten flours. Gluten is very forgiving in recipes … you can substitute, change and even make mistakes with gluten flour and you baked goods may still turn out delicious. Not so with Gluten Free flours!! Care must be taken to make sure your measurements are accurate, your ingredients are all at room temperatures, your oven temperature is set correctly …. and you follow the recipe instructions carefully.
Don’t let the precision of Gluten Free baking scare you away. Baking your own Gluten Free goodies can still be fun and rewarding.
So on to our featured recipe …
Gluten Free, Vegan Apricot Almond Muffins (or Scuffins)
Yields 12
2 cups GF flour
1 cup almond flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup almond milk
1 tbsp flax + 1/4 cup warm water, whisked together
1/2 cup applesauce
1/3 cup agave OR 1/4 cup agave + 1 tsp stevia (you can use more of either sweetener if you need to)
2 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
1 cup chopped, dried apricots (organic if possible!)12 almonds (optional)
A good Gluten Free flour to use in this recipe is Jules Gluten Free flour. I find that Jules flour has just the right mix of flours to create the very best taste and texture on sweets, cookies, muffins and the other similar baked goods. You might want to check out Jules website as she has lots of good recipes. Sign up for her newsletter and you will receive email specials on her flour mixes.
