Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free » Breakfast & Brunch

My Favorite SS&GF Cookies

janel2011 — Fri, 04 May 2012 13:00:45 +0000

When I look at my page views, it’s very clear that you guys love cookies. Maybe it’s because they’re easy to make and can be eaten with one hand. Or maybe it’s because they’re great hot out of the oven and frozen, too. Or maybe cookies bring back sweet childhood memories. But you love cookies. And I do too.

Here are some of my favorite cookies at SS&GF. The first recipe is actually Maggie’s from She Let Them Eat Cake. I made this recipe not one but three times while on maternity leave. They’re that good.

What do you love about cookies? Have a favorite recipe? Share it with us!

Buckwheat Breakfast Cookies

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Blueberry Breakfast Cake for Attune Foods

Amy — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:00:36 +0000

We’ve had a lot of changes in our home lately all stemming from the arrival of one tiny little bundle of joy. We’d spent months getting ready for him. We took birth and parenting classes, read books, decorated the nursery, washed all his baby clothes, and searched to find the perfect pediatrician.

We thought we were prepared.

Oh, were we wrong. So very wrong.

As a new mom every day brings something new. My nights are sleepless and the days are filled with cute baby smiles, feedings and dirty diapers. The only constant is that all normalcy has been thrown out the window. Permanently.

Like my husband often says, there’s not a book in the world that can prepare you for this. And I wouldn’t change a thing.

Out of everything we did, the one thing that I’m positive will have an real impact on his life are the changes in my diet.

Before I got pregnant, my diet was healthy. I ate whole foods and mostly organic. But it was ‘just me’ I had to think about. There were times when I was ok making a dietary compromise.

Hop on over to the Attune Foods Blog to find out the dietary changes I made and to get this yummy, easy-as-pie recipe!

Mixed Berry Scones for Attune Foods

Amy — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:00:26 +0000

It’s January, the beginning of a new year, and right now most of us have healthy lifestyle habits on our minds. You might be wondering how gluten-free scones fit into living a healthy lifestyle.

As you probably know, traditional scones are often rich with butter and heavy cream. Then, they’re topped with a sugary glaze. They’re good. Really, really good. But they’re not necessarily good for you.

Part of what I love to do is show people how to take classic recipes and make them healthier so they can enjoy them as a small part of a well-balanced diet.

Let’s walk through the healthy transformation these scones went through.

To make-over these scones, I started with a healthy fat. Instead of butter I opted for coconut oil, which has many health benefits:

Stop by Attune Foods to read more about these healthy, gluten-free, dairy-free scones & get the recipe!

Raspberries & Cream Parfait

Amy — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:31:36 +0000

I’m always looking for healthier alternatives to dessert, especially since I’m pregnant. Some days I can’t get enough food. It can be easy to reach for something quick (and not so healthy) so I’ve made a big effort to have healthier choices on hand.

Pregnancy is funny that way. Out of no where, I am overcome by a sensation of “I must eat now.” And when it happens, I suggest that no one get in the way of me and the refrigerator.

The kind of food that satisfies me is different, too. I need carbs and a whole lot more healthy fat. I find myself snacking on cereal, bread and cheese, avocados, and peanut butter. It’s not my normal diet.

I wish I could say that I’ve become the guru of pregnancy diets, that I’ve mastered how to eat a healthy and balanced diet while a little life is growing inside of me. That’s not the case. My cravings change from week to week. For several weeks I couldn’t eat enough black grapes. I ate 15 pounds. And loved every last one. Now I’m on a grapefruit and avocado kick. I bought 20 grapefruits a couple of weeks ago. They’re almost gone.
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CrockPot Cranberry Coffee Cake

Amy — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:00:21 +0000

Yes I did! I baked this gluten-free, refined sugar-free coffee cake right in my CrockPot. And you can too.

After the whirlwind, oven-heavy Thanksgiving holiday, I decided to make something that would free up some oven space this Christmas. I wanted a dish that was quick and simple while still tasting like I slaved over it. Is that too much to ask? Nope, I don’t think so.

It’s Week 5 of A Gluten-Free Holiday and we’re sharing Christmas Breakfast & Brunch recipes. Ricki from Diet, Dessert, & Dogs is hosting this week and she’s got two fabulous cookbook give-aways for you. More on that at the end of the post.

This is one of my favorite weeks of the event because my mom always put out the most delicious spread of breakfast foods for us to eat while we opened presents Christmas morning. She put out things like cinnamon rolls, donuts, coffee cake, and fresh fruit. It was the only day of the year I got to eat ‘junk’ for breakfast. I loved it!

One would think that any cake cooked for nearly two hours would be dry and, well, darn right nasty. Oh no. Not this cake. It’s moist and tender. The cranberries add just the right amount of tartness. You can bake this the day before. Or, mix up the dry ingredients and the crumble topping the night before and get up early Christmas morning, mix in the wet ingredients and bake a CrockPot coffee cake.

This cake was inspired by Stephanie O’Dea’s Blueberry Coffee Cake and the topping was borrowed from my good friend Kelly at The Spunky Coconut. You can also find more recipes at Full Plate Thursday.

Do you have any Christmas traditions from your childhood that you still carry out today? What about new traditions that you’ve started?

CrockPot Cranberry Coffee Cake

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours, 00 minute

Total Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes

Yield: serves 6 - 8

A moist, gluten-free coffee cake baked in the CrockPot.

Ingredients

For the crumb topping:

1 cup walnuts
1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 tablespoons coconut palm sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of kosher salt

For the crumb cake:

2 cups Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix
3/4 cup coconut palm sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon orange zest
2/3 cup coconut oil, liquified
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup plain, low-fat yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

Instructions

Make the crumb topping:

Put the walnuts, coconut oil, coconut palm sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse several times, then process until the nuts become crumbs. Set aside.

Make the coffee cake:

Whisk together the flour, coconut palm sugar, cinnamon, and orange zest.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the liquified coconut oil, eggs, sour cream, yogurt, and vanilla extract.
Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Fold in the cranberries.
Turn the batter into a greased, 4-quart CrockPot. Smooth the top.
Sprinkle the crumble topping across the top of the cake and press into the batter.
Put the lid on the CrockPot, venting it with a wooden skewer.
Bake on low for 2 - 3 hours, until a knife inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

http://simplysugarandglutenfree.com/crockpot-cranberry-coffee-cake/

A Gluten-Free Holiday!

Stop by Diet, Dessert, & Dogs for more Christmas Breakfast & Brunch recipes and while you’re there share your own and enter to win one of these incredible cookbooks. I have them both and love them!

Much love,

Amy