Yabba Dabba Doo Cookies (Review + Giveaway)

Last year (almost to the day) I posted a recipe for  Fruity Pebble Treats after I had gotten “glutened” by eating a rice krispy treat – silly me for missing the MALT flavor ingredient (see my post about the new gluten-free Rice Krispies here).  So instead of making the same mistake twice, I followed the advice of one of my readers, Kristi, and made the crispy treats using Fruity Pebbles (I’ve also made them with the cocoa pebbles and both are awesome!).  Before making these I called Post to double-check that these two cereals were in fact gluten-free and was assured that they were gluten-free.  You can check out the original post here.

A few weeks ago I received an e-mail from Post with the following information:

Thought you might be interested in hearing that longtime favorite Post cereals, Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles, are gluten-free and can be enjoyed on their own or in gluten-free treats!

They also generously sent me a box of each the Fruity Pebbles and Cocoa Pebbles to review and offer a giveaway to one of my lucky readers (see below).  I decided that I would make something with the Fruity Pebbles because as I found out last year Bryan really really likes the Cocoa Pebbles and pretty much that means those were off-limits and were his to enjoy. 😉 (I’m such a nice girlfriend huh?)

And the following is from the press release that was attached:

Beginning in January, Post Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles cereals will lower sugar content and establish a new upper limit of 9 grams per serving for Fruity Pebbles; 10 grams per serving for Cocoa Pebbles. In addition to lowered sugar levels, all Pebbles varieties are also deemed by FDA regulations to be Cholesterol Free, an Excellent Source of Vitamin D, Low Fat and Providing 10 Essential Vitamins and Minerals.

Pebbles, a rice-based cereal, will also be receiving Gluten Free certification, a relatively unique distinction in the cereal category.  In response to increased concerns over celiac disease and products containing wheat gluten, the brand went through a rigorous FDA approval process to achieve Gluten Free status on all Pebbles boxes.

“Post Foods is dedicated to providing both nutritious and delicious cereals for people of all ages, and we’re pleased to announce improvements to the Pebbles brand that will assist in our ongoing efforts to improve kids’ nutrition,” said Bart Adlam, President of Post Foods.  “By lowering our sugar content and receiving Gluten Free certification, we hope moms feel confident serving a cereal that combines the fun and heritage of Bedrock with great taste that kids love. “

Additionally, Post Foods is working in tandem with the Children’s Food & Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI), a program launched by the Council of Better Business Bureaus to help tackle the issue of childhood obesity.  A progress report released Dec. 15^th by the CFBAI shows Post Foods is demonstrating excellent compliance with the established pledge to advertise healthier foods to kids and continues to achieve steady progress in promoting products that are better for them.

Now you will see “Gluten-Free” listed right on the boxes so now there is no second guessing if these are gluten-free or not.  You can now make those delicious crispy treats or better yet you can try one of their many other recipes such as these Yabba Dabba Doo Cookies (Pebble Cookie Crispies). The recipe listed on their website is not gluten-free however, it is super easy to convert this recipe to be gluten-free.  Below is my adaptation of Post’s original recipe which is a great recipe for both kids and adults:

Yabba Dabba Doo Cookies

1 pkg. Gluten-Free Yellow Cake Mix- such as Betty Crocker* (If using this cake mix, add two teaspoons of vanilla)

1/2 cup Oil

1/4 cup Water

1 large Egg

2 1/2 cups Fruity or Cocoa* Pebbles Cereal (*if using Cocoa Pebbles use a gluten-free chocolate cake mix)

Heat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl mix the egg, oil, and water until well combined.  Add in the cake mix and mix until combined with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.  Once everything is combined add in the Pebbles and mix well.

Drop tablespoons of batter onto an ungreased cookie sheet (I always line my pans with either a Silpat or with parchment paper) about two inches apart.  Bake for 11 minutes or until cookies are beginning to brown.

Cool cookies on a wire rack – makes about 4 dozen.

I had a box of the Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Yellow Cake Mix on hand however you could use another gluten-free yellow cake mix or better yet try this awesome recipe from the lovely Carrie at Ginger Lemon Girl who created her own gluten-free vanilla cake mix.

Now for the giveaway!  Who wants to win a box of each the officially Gluten-Free Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles?!? It’s pretty simple to enter just follow the instructions below by Monday June 13th at 11:59 pm:

You MUST leave a separate comment for each entry.  Each person may enter up to four times total.  The boxes of cereal will be sent directly from Post.  There will be one winner. The winner will be notified by e-mail and will have 48 hours to respond and claim their prize.  If the winner does not respond in that time frame a new winner will be chosen. Giveaway is open to anyone in the continental U.S.

Ways to enter:

• Follow Creatively_GF on Twitter
• “Like” Creative Cooking Gluten Free on Facebook
• Subscribe to this blog and receive e-mails with new posts (top right of this blog)
• Mention this giveaway on Twitter (include @Creatively_GF) or on Facebook (mention @Creative Cooking Gluten Free)

Thank you to the lovely people over at Post for providing these samples and offering a giveaway to one of my readers.

POM Wonderful Dinner Party (Recap)

About a month ago I entered a contest to host a POM Wonderful dinner party.  POM would pick 100 people to host a dinner party inspired by, Pomegranates (of course).  I entered at first because Bryan and I love pomegranates, and I really wanted to try to incorporate them into some recipes other than just drinking the juice and eating the seeds.  To my surprise I got an e-mail back saying I was one of the 100 picked and I would be receiving two cases of pomegranates and some goodie bags for my guests.  After getting this e-mail I had about 9 million thoughts running through my head of what to make, how many people to invite and oh I can’t forget the decorations! After sitting back and relaxing for a little bit I decided that simple was the best way to go.

Bryan and I will hopefully be in New Jersey for Thanksgiving this year and my dad, stepmom and stepsister will all be in upstate New York, so I figured we would do a pre-Thanksgiving inspired dinner together yesterday, just the five of us. Keeping with the Thanksgiving theme our menu was as follows:

Starter:

Salad with Pomegranate Seeds and a Pomegranate Balsamic Dressing

Main:

Roasted Chicken with Pomegranate Glaze

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Garlic Green Beans

Pomegranate-Cranberry Sauce

Biscuits

Drink:

Hard Pomegranate – Apple Cider

Dessert:

Brownie Cupcakes topped Pomegranate Cream Cheese Frosting

Pomegranate Sorbet

Over all our dinner was great- with a few minor setbacks of having a small kitchen, sink and not being happy with my frosting!  It was nice to have my family here for a relaxing afternoon filled with football and a very tasty dinner (If I do say so myself).  Our decorations were simple – some small pumpkins in the center and on each plate was a pomegranate and an instruction card on “how to open a pomegranate”. Most of the recipes used were ones that we make often, simple yet very tasty and all 100% Gluten Free! Below are some of the recipes with photos.  (I must note that I got caught up in feeding everyone that I forgot to take a few photos, such as the roasted chicken when it came out of the oven-sorry!)

Salad with Pomegranate-Balsamic Dressing

(We usually have mixed greens and what ever else we can throw into the salad, it is completely up to you)

One -two large romaine lettuce heads, chopped (Or mixed greens)

1/2 cup sliced carrots

1/2 cucumber sliced

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes (optional)

1/4 cup pomegranate seeds

Pomegranate-Balsamic Dressing

Salt and Pepper

1/2 cup of good olive oil

1/4 cup pomegranate juice

1/8-1/4 cup balsamic dressing

Add all ingredients to a covered jar or salad dressing mixer.  Shake well and enjoy (you can adjust the measurements to your flavor liking)

Roast Chicken with Pomegranate Glaze

1 Whole Chicken (about 9 pounds)

1/4 cup room temp butter

1 1/2 tablespoons of Seasoning of your choice – I use a mixture of rosemary, thyme, oregano and sage.

Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a small bowl mix the softened butter and herbs until well combined. Set aside

Make sure the giblets and neck are removed from the chicken cavity.  Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels.  Season with salt and pepper – also season the cavity. Place your chicken in the roasting pan and gently lift the skin using your fingers – be sure not to tear any of it.  Once the skin  has been lifted, take  half of the butter and herb mixture and spread evenly under the skin.  Take the remaining butter and herb mixture and do the same over the top of the chicken.  Place chicken in oven.  About thirty minutes into cooking add about 1 cup of chicken stock to the bottom of the roasting pan and baste the chicken.  Continue to baste the chicken every 30 minutes.  (please be sure to check the size of your chicken to determine how long it should roast for).  For a 9 pound chicken, cook for 2 – 2 1/2 hours.

During the last thirty minutes of the chicken brush it with the pomegranate glaze (see recipe below) every ten minutes, do this again when your chicken has been removed from the oven. This sauce can also be drizzled over the meat on your plate (which I did)

Pomegranate Glaze

(Very concentrated flavor, and very good)

1 cup POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice

In a small sauce pan heat the pomegranate juice over medium heat.  Simmer until juice has reduced about half, about 10-12 minutes.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

(We love mashed sweet potatoes, especially with the cinnamon added.  We tend to eat more sweet potatoes than regular ones)

1 – 1 1/2 pounds of sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

1/2  – 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup soy milk

salt and pepper to taste

In a medium sauce pan add sweet potatoes and cover with water.  Boil for ten minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.  Drain well.  Either by using a potato masher or using a stand mixer add your potatoes to a large bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer), add butter and soy milk and begin mashing (or whisking), until smooth.  Season with cinnamon and mix again until well blended.  Season with salt and pepper.

Garlic Green Beans

(one of our favorite side dishes, quick, easy and very flavorful.  This replaces the green bean casserole on our table)

1-2 pounds of fresh green beans

3 large cloves of garlic finely chopped

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper

Lightly steam the green beans until bright green yet still crispy.  Drain well.  In a medium-large pan melt butter and olive oil over medium heat.  Add garlic and stir in the green beans.  Toss the green beans so they are all coated in the garlic and butter/oil sauce.  Season with salt and pepper.

Pomegranate-Cranberry Sauce

(I usually make this a day in advance)

1 Bag (12 oz) fresh cranberries

1 cup pomegranate juice

1/2 cup sugar – you can use either with sugar or packed brown sugar (I used the brown sugar this time)

1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

salt and pepper

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

In a medium saucepan – over medium/high heat add the pomegranate juice and sugar. Bring to a boil.  Add the fresh cranberries, once the berries start to pop open reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally.  Cook until most of the cranberries have burst open and the sauce has thickened a bit, about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and add in the pomegranate seeds.  Cool  to room temp before serving (or if you are making this in advance like I do (I think it tastes better the next day) cool completely and transfer to an air tight container.

Biscuits

I used the recipe on the back of the Betty Crocker Gluten Free Bisquick box.

2 cups Gluten Free Bisquick mix

1/3 cup shortening

2/3 cup milk (I use soy)

3 eggs

Heat oven to 400 degrees

Cut shortening into mix, using fork, until particles are size of small peas.  Stir in remaining ingredients until soft dough forms.  Drop by spoonfulls onto un-greased cookie sheet. Bake for 13-16 minutes or until golden brown.  Makes 10 biscuits.

Hard Pomegranate-Apple Cider

(We used a local hard apple cider from Newport Vineyards, which is right down the road from us)

Serves four

3 parts hard apple cider

1 part pomegranate juice

In wine glasses (or any fun glasses you might have) add three parts hard apple cider and one part pomegranate juice and stir lightly.  Serve chilled.

Brownie Cupcakes with Pomegranate Cream Cheese Frosting

12 Brownie Cupcakes (I used the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Brownie Mix and made them in a cupcake pan – you can use which ever brand you like).  Make these the night before so they can cool and that is one less thing to bake the day of.

Pomegranate Cream Cheese Frosting

(sadly below isn’t the recipe that I used, I made my own but it didn’t have much pomegranate flavor so I suggest using this one instead)

8 oz cream cheese softened (room temp)

4 oz butter softened

3 oz of pomegranate juice (juice from 3-4 large POM Wonderful Pomegranates,* or 1-1/2 cups POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice)

14 oz Powdered sugar

1 cup arils from 1 large POM Wonderful

Prepare fresh pomegranate juice*, score 1-2 fresh pomegranates and place in a bowl of water, break open the pomegranates under water to free the arils (seed sacs), the arils will sink to the bottom of the bowl and the membrane will float to the top, sieve and put the arils in a separate bowl. Reserve 1 cup of the arils from fruit and set aside, (refrigerate or freeze remaining arils for another use), reduce the pomegranate juice, over low heat, down to 3 fl. oz., Allow to cool, place butter into electric mixer bowl with paddle attachment and cream on medium-high speed for 1 minute, add the cream cheese and continue to mix for 2 more minutes, turn the speed down to low and slowly add in the powdered sugar and the pomegranate juice reduction, mix until the sugar is fully combined, remove icing from the mixer and place into a piping bag with a round or star tip.

Pomegranate Sorbet

(I have never made sorbet before so I asked my stepmom to use her ice cream maker so I could attempt making pomegranate sorbet.  I found the following recipe online at Saveur and it is very flavorful and refreshing!)

1/2 cup sugar

3 cups pomegranate juice

1 Cup water

Place sugar, 1 cup water, and pomegranate juice in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until well chilled. Process in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Serve garnished with pomegranate seeds. (This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #9)

 

Our table setting

Our POM Wonderful inspired meal

To make our Hard Apple-Pomegranate Cider we used a local hard cider from Newport Vineyards (It’s the best we’ve had)

A light refreshment – Hard Apple-Pomegranate Cider

“How To Open A Pomegranate”

A simple yet flavor packed and refreshing dessert – Pomegranate Sorbet

Each guest got a POM Swag-Bag which included a POM bracelet, POM recipe cards, POM pamphlet, a free coupon for a bottle of POM wonderful juice and an awesome reusable POM wonderful tote.  They also got to take home a few pomegranates.

 

Live Gluten Freely Review & Giveaway!

This giveaway is no closed – thank you to all who entered!

I am very excited about this review and giveaway.  General Mills generously provided me a complementary box of products through My Blog Spark. I have tried and reviewed many of these products, and truly enjoy them.  General Mills has done a great job with providing some fantastic gluten-free products that taste just as great as their gluten containing products. General Mills proudly offers over 300 gluten-free products that you can find at your local grocery store.

Live Gluten Freely has started to offer this amazing box of General Mills gluten-free products.  These boxes are great not only for your self, but as gifts, especially for those who are newly diagnosed with Celiac Disease.  If you haven’t visited and become familiar with Live Gluten Freely, I highly suggest that you head on over to their site and check it out and subscribe to their newsletter.  It is a great resource for gluten-free products, and they even have a pocket guide that you can print out and take along with you to the grocery store or keep in your car.  They also have a product locator, recipes and resources.

In our house we love the new Betty Crocker Bisquick mix.  We’ve been making some great recipes with it and Bryan loves the pancakes!  One day we made Chocolate Chip Pancakes (gluten-free, dairy free and nut free chocolate chips) and the other night I made him pomegranate pancakes. We also made chicken tenders with the bisquick mix, both regular Chicken Tenders and then boneless buffalo chicken tenders.

GIVEAWAY!

One lucky winner will win the gluten-free box above from Live Gluten Freely (valued at $24.99)

To be eligible to win please leave a separate comment for each of the following by 11:59pm on Thursday November 18, 2010!

(If you already follow on Twitter, like on Facebook and subscribe, please leave a comment saying so)

Subscribe to Creative Cooking Gluten Free (top left of blog) – 1 Entry

Follow Creative Cooking Gluten Free (@Creatively_GF) on Twitter – 1 Entry

‘Like’ Creative Cooking Gluten Free on Facebook – 1 Entry

Tweet This: Enter to win a #GF box from @BettyCrocker, @Creatively_GFEnds 11/18 (11:59pm) http://wp.me/pnrJm-iS #giveaway#myblogspark -1 Entry and can be done once a day!

Bonus Entries:

Leave a comment below on which product(s) you would like to try and why – 2 Entries (please leave the comment twice)

Leave a comment below with which products you would like to see gluten-free – 2 Entries (please the comment twice)

Gluten Free Pomegranate Pancakes with Betty Crocker’s Gluten Free Bisquick:

1 cup Betty Crocker Gluten Free Bisquick Mix

1 cup soy or rice milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large egg

Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl until well combined and there are no lumps.  Heat a skillet or griddle to medium heat.  Use just under 1/4 cup of mixture for each pancake.  Add about one tablespoon of pomegranate seeds to each pancake. Cook until edges have hardened and the tops start to bubble .  Flip and cook until golden brown.  Makes about 10 pancakes.

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

It’s not chilly here today, its flat-out cold and windy!  I think waking up this morning it was about 42 degrees, I so didn’t want to get out of bed but I knew the house needed to be cleaned and laundry had to be done.  Lately I’ve been feeling like Cinderella – YUCK!  Since moving across the country, I have yet to find a job, even a part-time job and if you know me at all I am a worker, even on vacation or when I am sick I am doing stuff around the house, cooking baking etc, I don’t know how to relax very well.  On a side note, I’m not a fan of Cinderella or many of the Disney princesses – I am more of a Belle and Mulan kind of girl.  Belle was intelligent, she read books and didn’t fall for the dumb-ass and ummm Mulan, ya she saved her country-seriously, what else could you ask for!! Now those are my kind of Disney princesses.

Back to my post 🙂

Seeing as it was so chilly today, I really had the need to bake something to warm the house up a bit.  We are very determined to not turn our heat on as long as possible.  So to keep putting that dreaded day off, I will be baking and we’ll be using the fire-place.  I have really been craving cupcakes lately.  A few weeks ago I FINALLY found a box of the Betty Crocker Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix in one of the local grocery stores (it is SO hard to find around here!) so I picked up a box and tried so hard to not use it that day.  Bryan LOVES chocolate, way more than I ever will.  I’m more of a chocolate with something kind of girl (peanut butter cups, chocolate with nuts etc.).  So I thought I would make him a triple chocolate cupcake: chocolate cake, with chocolate chips and chocolate cream cheese frosting – it might be chocolate over load now that I think about it.

Triple Chocolate Cupcakes

1 Package of Betty Crocker’s Gluten Free Devil’s Food Cake Mix

1 Cup of Water

1 Stick of Butter – Softened

3 Eggs

2 tablespoon Espresso or Strong Brewed Coffee

1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips – I used the DF, GF, NF chips that I also used in my pancakes.

In a stand mixer combine all ingredients and mix on low-speed for 30 seconds to combine.  Mix on medium speed for two additional minutes.  Add chocolate chips and stir with spoon until they are combined in the batter. Scoop into cupcake pans and bake at 350 degrees for 18-23 minutes.

Let cool for four minutes in the cupcake pan(s) then remove and cool completely on a cooling rack.  Top with chocolate cream cheese frosting (see recipe below) and serve!

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

4 oz Butter (1 stick) – softened

6 oz Cream Cheese – softened

1/3 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – Sifted

1 cup Powdered Sugar – Sifted

1 tablespoon Espresso or Strong Brewed Coffee

In the bowl of a stand mixer mix butter and cream cheese until they are well combined.  Turn mixer off and add the remaining ingredients and mix on low-speed until combined.  Turn mixer to medium speed and mix for an additional minute.

These are super chocolaty!!

Pancakes – Gluten Free, Dairy Free

This morning I was really craving some pancakes –  I really wanted something other than eggs for breakfast.  I had a bit of the Betty Crocker Bisquick left in the box, so I thought I would try the recipe on the box for pancakes.  The pancakes turned out great – even Bryan thought so. The recipe is very simple and makes about ten pancakes.

My dad would always make ups pancakes with chocolate chips in them and when I remembered that we had some gluten-free, dairy-free and nut-free chocolate chips my sister sent us from Australia I thought I would give them a try with the gluten-free bisquick pancake mix this morning.

Pancakes using Betty Crocker’s Gluten Free Bisquick (Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free)

1 cup Betty Crocker Gluten Free Bisquick Mix

1 cup soy or rice milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large egg

Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl until well combined and there are no lumps.  Heat a skillet or griddle to medium heat.  Use just under 1/4 cup of mixture for each pancake.  Cook until edges have hardened and the tops start to bubble (if you are using chocolate chips, add them before the bubble appear).  Flip and cook until golden brown.  Makes about 10 pancakes.

 

Like I said above, these came out great. They have almost a crunchy crust to them with the insides soft and fluffy.  The GF, DF, NF chocolate chips were fantastic too!  They taste just like regular chocolate chips and melt perfectly.  I think I will have to ask my sister to send us some more of them.  So far all of the products she has sent me from Australia have been awesome.  Although these were really good, I am very sad that we now have used the last of our bisquick!

And a quick apology to Bryan – I am sorry for making you wait to eat every single meal we have until I get pictures of it.  I know you are starving, but you are truly amazing for putting up with my little obsessions, eating all the food I make, even if it isn’t all that great and for being my non-gluten-free food tester-I truly value your opinions!  You are my best friend, and I truly appreciate you and all that you do more than I could ever express with words.

Chicken Tenders (W/ Betty Crocker GF Bisquick)

I’ve heard some mixed reviews over Betty Crocker’s Gluten Free Bisquick mix and have been on the look out for it since it hit the stores.  However, I’m not exactly sure if it is the state of Rhode Island or just the part we live in that seems to have extremely limited gluten-free options.  I’m not just talking about restaurants either…our grocery stores are weird.  At the main chain stores (Shaws, Stop & Shop) they see to not carry the Betty Crocker mixes, or if they do it is very hit or miss. Then you go to Ocean State Job Lot (which is kind of a last chance type of store) and they have the largest selection of Bob’s Red Mill products I’ve ever seen in a store – its HUGE!! (I know I just said this place is kind of like a last chance store, but the expiration dates on the packages are for 2011 and so on!!!) and they also carry my favorite gluten-free pasta for cheap (I think I’ll do a give away soon of that pasta – so stay tuned).

In Portsmouth we have four grocery stores, the two I mentioned above; Shaws and Stop & Shop, and we also have a local store called Clements which carries a bit more gluten-free (or as they call it “natural”) foods and then there is The Green Grocer.  The Green Grocer has the largest selection of gluten-free products in the area however they are so expensive I can’t bring myself to shop there…more than Whole Foods!  With having no job and Bryan being in school full-time, it just isn’t realistic.  It drives me crazy how expensive some of these gluten-free products are.  I do my best to make things at home, but right now what I really want is some bread…a nice loaf of bread! The recipe I had used in the past just keeps failing on my and I don’t own a bread machine so I have been searching for a gluten-free bread recipe that doesn’t require a bread machine (If anyone has one please o please pass it along).

A few weeks ago my dad came down for the day to hang out with Bryan and I and we went to Clements to pick up a few things for lunch.  While there I finally found the Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Bisquick mix!  I picked it up and then put it right back down.  Here’s why:  It is right next to the regular Bisquick mixes which are about double in size – this box is all of 16oz and cost more than double the regular mix.  I always do this in grocery stores, I find something GF and get all excited then debate over it for a few minutes and it drives Bryan crazy so he usually just throws in the our basket which is exactly what happened with the Bisquick mix.  I have put off trying this for a few weeks because I was annoyed to spend that much money on something that I feared I would only get one maybe two uses out of (depending on the recipe).  I gave in tonight and used it to make the “Ultimate Chicken Fingers” recipe that is on the box.  Overall the recipe turned out great and I would make it again for sure.  Even Bryan really liked it. I think next time I will try a different recipe, maybe the pizza crust or even the biscuits…hmmmm

Betty Crocker’s Ultimate Chicken Fingers (W/ Gluten-Free Bisquick)

3/4 cup Bisquick Gluten Free mix

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp salt or garlic salt (I did 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder)

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 lb, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips)

2 eggs, slightly beaten

3 tbsp butter or margarine, melted (I used some olive oil)

Heat oven to 450 degrees.  Line cookie sheet with foil; spray with cooking spray (I used parchment paper with no spray)

Stir Bisquick mix, cheese, paprika, salt and garlic in shallow baking dish.  Dip chicken strips into eggs then Bisquick mixture; repeat dipping in eggs and Bisquick mixture.  Place chicken on cookie sheet. Drizzle butter over chicken (Or olive oil).

Bake 12-14 minutes turning after 6 minutes, until no longer pink in center

These chicken tenders came out moist and crispy.  We served them with some home-made sweet potato fries and dipped them in honey (kind of like McDonald’s – but WAY better)

Sweet Potato Fries

1-2 lbs of sweet potatoes

1/2 tspn salt (Kosher)

1/2 tspn Hungarian paprika

12 tspn ground cinnamon

1/4 cup olive oil

1/8 tspn black pepper (optional)

Peel sweet potatoes and cut off the pointy ends (the pointy ends burn quicker when they are baking and the burnt parts don’t taste very well).  Slice potatoes in 1/2 inch strips so your pieces are as close to even as possible.

In a zip lock bag combine the salt, paprika, cinnamon, oil and pepper (if you choose to add it), mix at the bottom of the bag then add the potato sticks.  Mix well so each piece is evenly coated with the mixture.

Bake in a single layer (this should take up on complete large baking sheet) on a baking sheet that has been lined with either parchment paper or a silpat. Bake for 30 minutes (or until there is a light crisp to the fries) turning twice (after ten minutes and then again after twenty minutes).

Apple Crisp (Take Two)

Apple Crisp – ready to be baked

Almost two years ago now I posted about my love of the Fall and apple crisp and today I would like to revisit that post.  Fall is almost here and I couldn’t be more excited.  We even bought our first pumpkins of the season the other day…they may be mini pumpkins, but they are still perfect little pumpkins.  I haven’t lived on the East Coast during the Fall in five years – which may not seem like all that long but when this is your favorite time of year and you are living in Central California where there is no fall you miss it more than words can express.

I have already scoped out all the apple orchards near us, along with a corn maze and a pick your own pumpkin patch – seriously you would think I’m five years old with the amount of excitement that I get.  Nope, I’m just 100% dork when it comes to this time of year.  Can’t wait for the sweaters to be pulled out, the crisp air and crunch leaves as they fall down.  Cool walks, hot apple cider and of course some warm out of the oven apple crisp! The colors of Fall are by far my favorite colors of any of the seasons.  The deep reds, oranges, greens and yellows make the most beautiful combination to me.  I can’t wait for all the beautiful orange roses to be on display too.  I keep asking Bryan that when we get married, can it please be in the fall, I can’t imagine being married during any other time of the year.  The fall just makes me happy and extremely excited.

The first thing I make every fall is Apple Crisp.  Beyond simple to make and probably one of my favorite desserts (okay I even eat it for breakfast – its fruits and oats right?!).  However, I have learned that Bryan isn’t a fan, but loves Apple Pie (which I’m not the biggest fan, I love the crunch of the crisp).  So seeing as I already made my first crisp I told him I would make him a gluten containing apple pie.  Seeing as the only flours we have in the house are gluten-free we picked up some pre-made pie crusts for him.  The sad thing is Bryan is allergic to raw apples.  He has Oral Allergy Syndrome:

Oral Allergy Syndrome is an allergy to certain raw fruits, vegetables, seeds, spices and nuts causing allergic reactions in the mouth and throat. These allergic reactions happen mostly in people with hayfever, especially spring hayfever due to birch pollen, and late summer hayfever due to ragweed pollen (Webmaster note: there is no ragweed pollen in British Columbia west of the Rockies).

An allergic reaction happens while eating the raw food, and causes itchy, tingly mouth, lips, throat and palate. There may be swelling of the lips, tongue and throat, and watery itchy eyes, runny nose and sneezing. Handling the raw fruit or vegetable e.g., peeling it or touching the juice to the lips, may cause rash, itching or swelling where the juice touches the skin, or sneezing, runny nose and water eyes. Sometimes, more severe symptoms can happen such as vomiting, cramps, diarrhea and, on rare occasions, life threatening reactions with swelling of the throat, wheezing, trouble breathing and anaphylaxis.

These allergic reactions usually occur only when the food is raw. People who are allergic to the raw food can eat it cooked, canned, microwaved, processed or baked. For example, someone allergic to raw apples can eat apple sauce, apple jelly, apple juice, apple pie and dried apples. However, nuts may cause allergic reactions whether raw or cooked. This problem is usually life long. Allergy tests to these foods may sometimes be negative unless a fresh fruit is used for the test (instead of a commercial allergy extract). The allergic reaction to these foods can occur anytime of the year when eating the foods but can be worse during the pollen season and especially if hayfever is very troublesome that year.

The allergic reaction is not due to pesticides, chemicals or wax on the fruit. However, because the more allergic part of the fruit may be in the skin, some people allergic to fruits, e.g., peaches, can eat the flesh without reaction if the skin is peeled away. Similarly for apples, some brands of apples cause more allergic reactions than others. Freshly picked apple, e.g., straight from the tree or an unripe apple, may cause fewer allergic reactions than one which is very ripe or one which has been stored for weeks after picking.

Severe allergic reactions to foods causing Oral Allergy Syndrome are most likely to occur with celery, kiwi, peaches, apricots, apples and nuts, especially hazelnuts.

Management of Oral Allergy Syndrome

1. These allergies are caused by the raw fruit or vegetable and therefore, once they are cooked or processed, they can usually be eaten.
2. You do not need to avoid all the foods on the chart in the table above. Avoid only those particular ones which have caused allergic reactions.
3. Be aware, however, that if you do have Oral Allergy Syndrome to some of the foods, you can develop allergies to other foods on the chart.
4. If an allergic reaction occurs to one of these foods, stop eating it immediately. Severe reactions may happen if you keep eating that food. Allergic reactions may be treated with antihistamines.
5. If you have had severe symptoms including trouble breathing, when eating the foods, you may need to carry injectable medication with you to treat these reactions (e.g., EpiPen®).
6. For mild Oral Allergy Syndrome, try peeling the fruit, or eating unripe or partially ripe fruits, or picking them directly from the tree so that they are quite fresh. If you react, do not keep eating the food.
7. Microwaving briefly to a temperature of 80°-90° C (176° – 194° deg F) may allow you to eat the food.
8. Nuts which cause Oral Allergy Syndrome should be totally avoided, whether fresh or cooked, because of the higher risk of severe reactions.
9. Allergy shots for hayfever may sometimes help associated food allergies.

Substitute Raw Fruits
Berries* (strawberry, blueberry, raspberries, etc.), citrus* (orange, mandarins, etc.), grapes, currants, gooseberries, guava, mango, figs, pineapple, papaya, avocado, persimmon, pomegranates, watermelon*.

Substitute Raw Vegetables
MUSTARD family (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, watercress, radish
GOOSEFOOT family (spinach, swiss chard)
COMPOSITE family (green onions)

Substitute Nuts
Peanut*, cashew, pistachio, brazil, macadamia, pine nut.

*May occasionally cause Oral Allergy Syndrome.

So on top of this allergy he also has an Onion Allergy – so  not only do we cook gluten-free but we also cook onion free in our house.  We also try to cook with minimal amount of dairy because he is also lactose intolerant.  Talk about Creative Cooking!

When people hear that I can’t have anything containing gluten they all pull the “oh I’m so sorry for you, how difficult that must be” or my favorite “I could NEVER live like that”, when in reality it isn’t that bad or hard to do.  But I feel even worse for Bryan than myself, because onion is in so many things – salsa sauces, dressings, etc.  And how sad is it, he can’t ever have a candy or caramel apple??  But we are both really good about our restrictions and have learned to adapt recipes to fit both of our needs.

Now back to the Apple Crisp.  In the original recipe I posted, I used almond flour/meal because I hadn’t discovered gluten-free oats.  Now that I have found gluten-free oats and have them on hand I can go back to my favorite apple crisp recipe from my Betty Crocker Cookbook (This was the first cookbook I ever bought myself). The original recipe calls for flour so  I made this one with Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Flour and it turned out great.  The only thing was I wanted this so badly that I should have waited until I had at least one more apple to cut up, but I was determined to make it so it wasn’t as full as it could have or should have been.

Apple Crisp – A Gluten Free Version of a Betty Crocker Classic

4 medium, tart cooking apples (I use Macintosh and Granny Smith) sliced or four cups

1/3 – 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour

1/2 cup gluten-free quick-cooking or gluten-free old-fashioned oats

1/3 cup stick butter, softened

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease bottom and sides of square pan 8 x 8 x 2 inches, with shortening (butter, cooking spray)

2. Arrange apples in pan.  Mix remaining ingredients.  Sprinkle over apples.

3. Bake about 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender.  Serve warm and, if desired, with fresh whipped cream or ice cream.

You can also do the following substitutions:

Blueberry Crisp: substitute 4 cups fresh or frozen (thawed and drained) blueberries for the apples

Cherry Crisp: Substitute 1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling for the apples and use 2/3 cup brown sugar.

Rhubarb Crisp: Substitute 4 cups cut-up rhubarb for the apples (or even better use half rhubarb and half the apples to make an apple-rhubarb crisp!

*read all labels and check with manufactures regarding if an item is gluten-free or not.

Betty Crocker – Asian Chicken Helper Gluten Free (Review)

I have always been a big fan of Betty Crocker, especially the cake mixes.  I think my oldest cookbook and the first one I bought myself is my Betty Crocker cookbook.  I still use it and adapt recipes to become gluten free.  I don’t really recall buying the Betty Crocker hamburger helpers or anything really even when I was eating gluten, however I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with the Asian Chicken Helper – Chicken Fried Rice GLUTEN FREE! Both Bryan and I were impressed with the flavor and consistency of it.  We found this at our local grocery store a few weeks ago and it was on sale so we decided to give it a shot – and we both decided tonight that we would buy it again.  I’ll also have to keep an eye out for any others that might be gluten-free to try.  The season packet that comes with it has a great flavor to it and it was almost gravy like which we both really enjoyed.

This made a great week night meal – done in about twenty minutes and requires very minimum ingredients and if you would like you could even add some additional frozen veggies to the mix (add a cup of whatever veggie you might like – thawed, 5 minutes before the end of simmer time):

What you need:

1 lb uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 2/3 cups HOT water (not boiling)

2 eggs

1- Cu the chicken into 1/2 inch pieces.  Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken; cook about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until outsides turn white.  In a small bowl, lightly beat eggs and set aside).

2 – Stir in HOT water, seasoning mix and uncooked rice.  Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.

3 – Reduce heat.  Cover; simmer about 20 minutes, stirring once, until rice is tender and liquid is mostly absorbed. If not absorbed, increase heat to medium and cook uncovered 2 minutes longer until absorbed.

4 – Increase heat to medium. Push rice and chicken to side of skillet.  Heat 1 tablespoon oil in other side of skillet.  Add lightly beaten eggs and scramble eggs in oil until cooked; remove from heat.  Stir eggs into rice and chicken.  Refrigerate leftovers (if you have any).

Cupcakes – what’s not to love??

So last week I made two different brands of brownie mix and this week, you guessed it…cupcakes! Technically it’s cake mix that I am comparing this week just made into cupcake form. In my mind cupcakes are way better than cake 🙂 Little individual cups of yummy goodness.  Again, its Betty Crocker Chocolate Cake Mix compared to Arrowhead Mill’s Vanilla Cake Mix. I’ve made the Betty Crocker ones before and loved them and I’ll be making the Arrowhead Mill’s ones for the first time.  The Arrowhead Mill’s mix was in the batch of mixes one of my co-workers brought me a few weeks ago.

I love cupcakes, and I seek them out.  Over the Christmas I went to New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts to visit Bryan and our families.  On one of our little adventures to NYC we got the chance to go to BabyCakes!  Now those are some tasty cupcakes!! Wow.  I think I spent almost $40.00 on cupcakes, why?? Not because of the price (well sort of) but because I couldn’t decide which ones to buy.  Sooo Bryan and I picked a few and got two of each so we could both try them, because I don’t share cupcakes very well.  I think we ended up with the Vanilla, Chocolate and Brownie cupcakes.  All of which were AMAZING but I think the brownie ones were our favorite. – I can’t wait to go back there again!

When Bryan came to visit me in February we took a weekend trip up to San Francisco.  We kept seeing this van that says “Kara’s Cupcakes” on the side and I obviously kept trying to figure out where they were located.  On our last night there, we are heading to go pick up the car at our hotel and he saw there store and Bryan, being the amazing boyfriend that he is, went in just to see if they offered gluten free cupcakes.  To both of our surprise they did!  But, sadly they were sold out.  I was a little crushed until he told me that they had another store, and if I knew what flavor I wanted they would call over to see if they could hold two for us.  Thankfully the other store had some left, we got there right before they closed and the best part was, they were two blocks from out hotel! ha ha.  While at the store I started chatting with the girl behind the counter and to my surprise they started with Erin from BabyCakes NYC’s recipe and adapted it to make it their own…no wonder why they were so good and we loved them so much. We were patient enough to not eat them until we got home (about 2.5 hours) before digging into our little gems.  Again, the cupcakes were AMAZING!!

This summer when I move I am hoping to try some cupcakes from Tu-Lu’s Gluten Free Bakery (also in NYC).  If anyone has tried them, I would love to hear your thoughts 🙂

So here are the results of this weeks battle of the cupcakes (both sets of cupcakes will have the same frosting-yes its gluten free!!):

Betty Crocker Chocolate Cupcakes with Betty Crocker Rich and Creamy Rainbow Chip Frosting

vs

Arrowhead Mills Vanilla Cupcakes with Betty Crocker Rich and Creamy Rainbow Chip Frosting

Betty Crocker – I followed the directions on the back of the package and cooked it according to the time given.

Moist, tasty, chocolaty.  Taste and texture of a “real” cupcake.  As with the brownie mix from Betty Crocker you can’t tell the difference from the gluten containing cupcakes.

Arrowhead Mills – I followed the directions on the back of the package and cooked it according to the time given.

Moist, tasty vanillay.  The taste was pretty good, however the texture was a bit different.  They were a little grainy, almost like it has a little bit of a crunchy texture, more like cornmeal-ish texture to it.  Over all they were still very good, I really enjoyed them.

Now I have a little more than two dozen cupcakes and I am only one person so as with the majority of things I bake these will be coming to work with me tomorrow.  My co-workers have become my “test kitchen” over the past two years.

And the winner is….

I have to say that the winner of this one has got to be the Betty Crocker mix, but probably only because of the texture of the Arrowhead Mills.  You really can’t tell that these and the frosting are gluten free.  Betty Crocker has done very well with these mixes, I am highly impressed.

Now to wash these down with a nice big glass of soy milk!!

Brownie Battle

Last week a co worker of mine brought me a bunch of gluten free mixes to try.  They were from Arrowhead Mills (Brownies, Yellow Cake, Cupcakes and Chocolate Chip Cookies).  I made the brownies and they were pretty tasty.  I have a hard time just eating straight chocolate, I really like to have something with it such as nuts, peanut butter, coconut etc.  Yesterday I found some of the Betty Crocker mixes (which I haven’t seen much of around me or they are either way to much money to buy and try). I made the Arrowhead Mills Brownie mix last week and the Betty Crocker Brownie mix today and here are my thoughts on them:

Arrowhead Mills

I followed the directions on the back of the package, and added about a 1/4 cup of creamy peanut butter and 1/4 cup chopped walnuts.  I baked them in a square pan and these turned out to be very cake like, very thick and chocolaty.  I think the peanut butter and nuts were a great addition to these!  I don’t know if I would of been as much of a fan of them if they were just straight brownies.

Betty Crocker

Again, I followed the directions on the back of the package.  They also listed the baking times for different pan sizes, so this time I decided to bake them in an 11×7 pan.  The brownies were a lot thinner, which I enjoyed sooo much more.  I like the crunchy edges and these tasted just like the real ones.  Even though they came out a bit thin due to the pan size they were very moist. I couldn’t tell the difference at all with these.  I will buy these again for sure.  My other favorite Betty Crocker GF mix is the chocolate cake – Love it!

I would have to say that the Betty Crocker ones are by far my favorite of these two mixes.  I just loved that they still truly tasted like the original Betty Crocker mix.

Here are the final product from the Betty Crocker Brownie mix: