Semi-Homemade Vanilla Chai Waffles

Semi-Homemade Vanilla Chai Waffles

These waffles are semi-homemade because they were created using ingredients that are ready-made and widely available which makes this recipe super quick and easy on a lazy Sunday morning…

On occasion, I will create my own gluten free batters for pancakes and waffles and such, but I found Wild Roots Foods Pancake & Waffle mix at my local Costco and needed to give it a try.

Their basic waffle recipe was impressive and their mix inspired me to create new waffle flavors. Creating different exciting waffles has become my Sunday ritual, what do I have in the fridge to create an awesomely original waffle??

This week it was Vanilla Chai Waffles…Extra syrup very optional…

Ingredients:

1 Large Egg
2 tbsp. Vegetable Oil, I use melted organic coconut oil
1/3 cup Chai Latte Concentrate
¼ cup Maple Syrup
1 ½ tsps. Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 cup Waffle Mix

Equipment:

Waffle Iron
Large Bowl
Whisk
Measuring Spoons
Measuring Cups

Directions:

Preheat your waffle iron

Whisk egg, vegetable oil, chai latte concentrate, maple syrup, cinnamon, and extract together in a large bowl.

Add waffle mix to your egg/chai mixture and whisk to combine.

Spray your waffle iron with non-stick spray and scoop about 2/3 cup of waffle batter onto the lower plate of your preheated iron, depending on the size of your waffle iron (of course!)

My waffle iron’s light turns off when it thinks that the waffle is done, so my waffles took approximately five minutes each. Yours may take less time or more, just keep an eye on ‘em.

I garnished my waffles with sliced strawberries and served them with a side of crispy bacon. You could dust your waffles with powdered sugar or to be extra indulgent, you could add more syrup! These would even be great as a dessert waffle with a giant scoop of your preferred frozen concoction.

Thank you, Wild Roots Foods!

Written By: Jenna Throne

Maple Bacon Pecan Brittle

Maple Bacon Pecan Brittle

Try saying that three times fast… Ok, don’t. I’ll never know…
My favorite part of cooking and baking is bringing joy to others and this brittle makes the perfect gift to give to the treat-lover in your life.
What makes this brittle extra-special is it’s smoky, super sweet, nutty flavor all in a gluten and dairy free, crispy-crunchy package! Imagine that!

Without further ado, the recipe:

Ingredients:

10 Slices Thick Cut Bacon, cooked extra crispy, white fatty parts discarded
1 ½ cups Pecans, lightly toasted, chopped
1 tsp. Sea Salt, plus more for sprinkling
2 tbsp. “Butter”, cut into small chunks
1 ½ tsps. Vanilla Extract
2 tsps. GF Baking Soda
2 cups Organic Coconut Sugar
¾ cup Water
½ cup Pure Maple Syrup, Grade A Medium Amber
1/3 cup Corn Syrup

Equipment:
Candy Thermometer – It’s helpful if your thermometer has a hook to attach to the side of your saucepan
Thick Bottom, Tall-Sided Saucepan – The thick bottom ensures even heating and the tall sides come in handy when the candy bubbles up…(Trust me, I’ve cleaned up an over spill of scorching hot sugar…It. Is. NOT. Fun.)
Parchment Paper or Non-Stick Foil
9 x 13” Baking sheet with rim (Jellyroll Pan)
Heatproof Spatula
Knife
Cutting Board

Directions:

It’s easiest to get all of your ingredients measured and ready in advance so that you can work quickly and safely with the hot sugar mixture.

Line your jellyroll pan with parchment or non-stick foil and set aside

Cut your crispy cooked bacon into about ½” pieces and set aside

Chop your lightly toasted pecans into roughly the same size pieces as your bacon, or just buy chopped pecans… Either works. Set chopped pecans aside. (Near the bacon)

Measure and set aside your Sea Salt, “Butter”, Vanilla Extract, and GF Baking Soda (Separately, in that order, as that’s the order in which they’ll be added to the candy.)

Attach the candy thermometer to your saucepan ensuring that it isn’t touching the bottom or the side of the pan. If it’s touching the bottom or the side of your pan, it is going to give you an inaccurate temperature reading.

Combine the sugar and water in the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.

Once the sugar syrup is boiling, add in the maple syrup and corn syrup and continue cooking until your candy reaches 239 degrees Fahrenheit, (MUST READ!!) Stir constantly with a heatproof spatula in a figure eight motion…WITHOUT scraping the sides of your pan. (Scraping the sides of your pan will release the burnt sugar that has built up in the cooking process and create sharp crunchy bits in your brittle. The more you know.) Also, keep stirring.

Once your mixture reaches 239 degrees Fahrenheit, add your bacon and pecans and continue to cook and stir until the mixture reaches 311 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove your candy from the heat and stir in salt, “butter”, and extract. Lastly, add your baking soda and stir well to incorporate. (Baking soda makes your candy lighter in color and crispier in texture.)

Pour your mixture into your lined pan and spread it evenly with your heatproof spatula. Sprinkle a very light dusting of coarse sea salt over the brittle. Let cool.

When cool (approx. 45 minutes), break your brittle into pieces and enjoy.

Store brittle at room temperature in an airtight container. The brittle will maintain its integrity a little longer if you add one of those food grade desiccant pillow packs from your vitamins to your airtight storage container.

Written By: Jenna Throne

12 Days of Christmas - Day 1

For the first post of Jenna's Gluten Free Kitchen's 12 Days of Christmas, I am not posting a recipe or even a craft. This first post is dedicated to giving back to our communities. I try my best to do my part in keeping my community nice by picking up litter, keeping my front porch swept, and decorating for the holidays... But to find more creative ideas on how I could give back in a more meaningful way, I had to do some research. Embarassingly, some of the items on this list should've come to me naturally because I see the need in my community everyday. I hope that this list inspires you as it has me and don't forget that this list applies all year round!

Volunteer at a local school, senior center, hospital or animal shelter. These places always need extra helping hands and the experience is mutually beneficial! Whether you are sharing a skill or experience, helping with daily tasks or just to lend an ear and laugh a bit, connecting with your neighbors (two-legged or otherwise!) in this way is priceless. You can never under-estimate the wonder of simple interactions between two beings. Working closely with the healthcare industry, I see the need for patients to have meaningful relationships everyday. The companionship for elderly people helps keep their mind sharp, gives them something to look forward to, and most importantly makes them feel needed. You don't necessarily have to have to have a special skill to help out, you can play cards, read aloud to residents, or even paint their nails. If you have an especially loving pet, you might consider asking if you can bring him/her in to socialize with the patients...I'm sure you already know the healing powers of your pooch's snuggles!

Give blood. This is one of the easiest things you could ever do to help someone. Blood banks are always in need of more. As the American Red Cross says, “Give the gift of life.” Find your local Red Cross Chapter and go from there. If you’re extra motivated, talk to your employer about becoming a corporate partner and organize a blood drive at work. My employer hosts quarterly blood drives making it convenient to give blood.

Handy-(wo)man? Painter? Super Friendly? Your local community theater could use your skills to contribute to their performances. Or your local community organization could use your help for fairs, parades, or other fund-raisers. Added bonus: you could make new friends!

Baking for your get together? Consider doubling your batch to share with an elderly neighbor, the local police station, or fire department. I plan on doubling my batch of Maple Bacon Pecan Brittle to take to my local fire department later this week.

Ohemgee Cauliflower

In case you haven't noticed (or maybe you're living under a rock), cauliflower is delicious! Although it's season is September-ish, it's delicious all of the time and I am completely addicted to it.
On my last trip to the store I found a nice head of cauliflower and some (read: AMAZING) chanterelle mushrooms, and so I knew that roasted cauliflower with chanterelles would become a thing in the very near future (tonight). This recipe is so stinkin' easy that it can hardly even be called a recipe! But share, I must. I want you to enjoy the ohemgee deliciousness that is this cauliflower just as I did this very evening. So here it goes:

Ingredients:

1/2 Head of Cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
Chanterelle Mushrooms, the same volume as the cauliflower, cut into slightly larger pieces than the cauliflower
1 tsp Fresh Rosemary, chopped
3 cloves of Garlic, minced
2 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 400F

Clean and cut up cauliflower, mushrooms, rosemary and garlic and place into a large bowl.

Note: Mushrooms are best cleaned using a damp paper towel. Running them under water causes them to cook up tough for some reason. Whole chanterelle mushrooms have a lot of crevices that are hard to get into to clean. I usually cut them up after I've cut up all of my other ingredients and then clean them with a paper towel because when they're cut up they have fewer crevices AND if I cut them up last, I don't have to worry about mushroom "dirt" getting on my clean veggies.

Add olive oil, salt, and pepper to the bowl and toss to coat the cauliflower and mushrooms.

Spread your cauliflower and mushrooms out on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Don't crowd the pan. Making sure that you only have a single layer ensures that your ingredients will roast instead of steam.

Roast cauliflower and mushrooms in your preheated oven for approximately 35 minutes, stirring halfway through so that all of the edges have the chance to caramelize.

Enjoy!

Recipe written by: Jenna Throne

Crispy Coconut-Almond Granola

Crispy Coconut-Almond Granola
Granola is one of those grocery items that is totally easy to just grab off of the shelf and throw in your cart without thinking twice (GUILTY! Also, guilty of spending an unconscionable amount of $$ on the GF stuff...But I digress...).
Motivated by freshness and quality ingredients, I set out to find a granola recipe that was easily adaptable, without loads of refined sugar and bad fat. Thus, I stumbled upon: Nigella Lawson’s “Andy’s Fairfield Granola”
I love this recipe (I also love Nigella!!) because it is super simple. With this recipe, I can easily control the amount (and kind!) of sweeteners and fats, not to mention the quality and cost of the ingredients for a healthy breakfast or snack all week long.

Ingredients:

5 cups Gluten Free Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats
2 cups Flaked Coconut, Unsweetened
1 ¼ cups Almonds, Chopped
2 tsps Vanilla Extract
2 tsps Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp Dried Ground Ginger
¼ tsp Ground Nutmeg

½ cup Unsweetened Applesauce (or another unsweetened fruit puree)
½ cup Agave Nectar
2 tbps Coconut Oil, melted

Preheat the oven to 300F
1. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, almonds, vanilla and spices.
2. In a small saucepan (or in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds), warm the fruit puree with the agave nectar, and oil.
3. Mix the fruit mixture into the dry ingredients until the oats and nuts are covered evenly, then divide and spread the mixture evenly on two baking sheets.
4. Bake the granola for about 40 minutes, stirring every seven minutes, until the granola is golden brown. Your granola may take more or less time depending on your oven’s actual temperature.

5. Remove from the oven as soon as the granola is slightly golden brown and let cool on the baking sheet. You’ll be able to tell when it is done because the oats will feel lighter when you stir them.

This granola can be stored in an airtight container on the counter for a couple of weeks. AND because I had them on hand, I added: ¼ c Dried Gogi Berries, ¼ c Dried Blueberries, and ¼ c Dried Cranberries to my granola and it turned out even more amazing! Also, you can easily swap out coconut oil for another vegetable oil, and the nuts and flaked coconut for other "add-in" ingredients that you prefer, to create your ideal breakfast! Get creative!

This granola is great with milk, yogurt, or even ice cream! (I can't lie, I totally top my coconut ice cream with it...regularly.)

Happy Eating!

Jenna's Famous Grilled Lamb

I am not a fortune teller, but something tells me that in the very near future this lamb recipe will be very famous... This is by far the most requested dinner around these parts. This lamb is flavorful, juicy, and simple. I get my rack of lamb at Costco. It's Kirkland brand, already Frenched, and you cannot beat the price (really). This lamb recipe would be a really special treat for the holidays, I' m thinking of making it for Thanksgiving...Why should turkey get all of the attention?

Ingredients

1 rack of Lamb, Frenched
5 sprigs of Fresh Rosemary, stemmed and minced
5 sprigs of Fresh Thyme, stemmed and minced
3 cloves of Garlic, minced
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Preheat your grill to medium temperature. Disclaimer: I am fortunate enough to live in California, where grilling in the winter months is acceptable. This recipe could easily be made indoors: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and prepare a roasting pan with a rack or large chunks of celery, onion, and/or carrot.

While your grill (or oven) is preheating, make a (delicious) paste out of your herbs, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix well, mashing with your fork to combine so that all of the flavors become the best of friends.

Prepare the rack of lamb by patting it dry with a paper towel, so that the seasoning sticks to it. Then cover the Frenched bones with aluminum foil, so that they don't burn (or char) while cooking.

Next, massage (yes, really. massage) your seasoning paste onto the lamb to cover it, making sure to get both ends and the bottom.

Grilling:
Place your seasoned lamb fat side down on your medium heat grill, close the lid. Let grill for approximately 5-6 minutes, or until your lamb pulls away from the grill easily. Don't walk away! That lamb fat will make the grill fire's day by helping it flare up and char your lamb to an inedible crisp. (I speak from experience...) Turn lamb to the second side and continue to cook for approximately 7-8 minutes. Lastly, you'll flip your lamb one more time, back to fat side down, to crisp up the fat for a few short minutes over a high heat grill. Watch it, or it'll surely burn! (you've been warned)

Oven:
Place your seasoned lamb fat side up in your prepared roasting pan. Put the pan into your preheated oven and cook for approximately 5-7 minutes. Reduce the oven's temperature to 300 degrees and cook for approximately 12-15 minutes longer, depending on how well you like your lamb cooked.

I like my lamb medium-rare, which is how I've written this recipe. If you prefer your lamb more well-done, cook it longer. You can tell how well a piece of lamb is cooked by how much it gives when you press on the meatiest section gently with tongs. If it doesn't give much, it's cooked more thoroughly; if it gives easily to the pressure, it is more rare.

Once your lamb is done to your liking, remove it from the heat and cover it with aluminum foil for approximately 5-10 minutes. This step allows the juice in the lamb to redistribute and results in much juicier servings. Don't worry, the foil keeps it from getting cold.

I like to serve my lamb with grilled asparagus and garlic quinoa. But this lamb recipe is very versatile and could be served with anything that you like, including mint jelly... Blleeeehhhh...

Recipe by: Jenna Throne

Skinny Zucchini Pineapple Muffins

So, I haven’t posted any recipes in awhile. Blame it on my lack of creative juices… busy schedule…or just plain laziness, I will not!! I don’t have any great excuses, only that I’ve been testing a lot of recipes and none of them have been up to par, or awe-inspiring, or worthy of posting to the blog. This blog is a record of my recipe successes, not my recipe “meh, that’s edible…”

I think someone once said, necessity is the mother of invention, and that is exactly how this recipe was born. I like to sleep in in the morning for every single second I can before I actually have to get up and go to work, and breakfast doesn’t win out over sleep. But eat, I must. So, I needed a (healthy) breakfast that I could grab on my way out the door to eat in my car during rush hour AND something that meets all of my other insanely neurotic requirements:
Free of dairy, gluten, refined sugar
Low-fat
Low-calorie
High fiber
And high protein to keep me full until I can find a minute to stuff my face with my second meal of the day (lunch…)

Thus, Skinny Pineapple Zucchini Muffins were born! (I know, I’m excited too…) I think (read: HOPE!!) that I’ve created a recipe that you will love! They are a delicious, quick grab-and-go breakfast, and healthy to boot. These Skinny Pineapple Zucchini Muffins are dairy, gluten, oil, and refined sugar free! I hope that you love them as much as I do.

Skinny Pineapple Zucchini Muffins

1 cup Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour
1 cup Gluten Free Quick Cooking Oats
1 1/8 tsp Baking Soda
½ tsp Salt
1 tsp Xanthan Gum
½ tsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Ground Nutmeg
½ cup Walnuts, Chopped (OPTIONAL)
1 large Egg, Beaten
½ cup Coconut Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
¾ cup Unsweetened Applesauce
¼ cup Cultured Almond Milk Yogurt, I used SO Delicious Brand
1 cup Zucchini, Shredded
½ cup Crushed Pineapple in Juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Line muffin pan with muffin liners
Please note: When I am baking gluten free, I like to use either a whisk or a fork (depending on what I am making) to combine my ingredients, so as not to over mix. Gluten free baking components tend to absorb the wet ingredients quickly, which is why it is important to make all necessary preparations in advance, so that your batter isn’t sitting for an extended period of time. Preheat your oven, line your muffin pan, get all ingredients out on your workspace so they are ready to use. If the batter sits, your baked good may end up with a less than appetizing texture.

Combine all of the dry ingredients in one bowl: Flour, oats, baking soda, salt, xanthan gum, cinnamon, nutmeg, and walnuts if you’re using them. You can really substitute any type of nut that you have on hand, or even dried fruit if you’re feeling like a real rebel!

In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients: egg, sugar, vanilla, applesauce, almond milk yogurt, zucchini, and pineapple.

Stir your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients, just to combine. Do not over mix.

Fill muffin cups with the prepared batter. I used a 1/3 cup measure to fill my cups, but you could use an ice cream scoop or another method, just ensure that the cups are filled to the rim.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes and rotate the pan. Bake for another 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

This recipe makes about 12 muffins. The muffins freeze really well if they are cooled entirely before freezing. I store mine in the freezer in an airtight container and pull one out each morning and microwave it for about 45 seconds to defrost/warm up.

Recipe by: Jenna Throne