Cinnamon Raisin Braid Bread

January is one of those months where I find myself baking bread almost on a daily basis. It may be boredom and cabin fever, or more likely it is out of desperation to stay sane while trying to stay warm. So with an oven-warm-filled kitchen and sipping on herbal teas I can stay warm while dreaming of green grass and the beach. 

Well, honestly, I do not mind winter. I actually enjoy staying home and indoors thanks to my introvertness. But, something happens about this time every year where everyone in the house gets a little stir crazy. And I am sure you can relate because this has been one of the coldest winters on record for the whole country. So back to the kitchen I go. To stay warm and find myself in baking another loaf of bread. 

This bread recipe is a variation my soft and chewy oat baguette bread that I love so much and make all the time. This bread just adds two more favorite ingredients and then rolls it out differently so to come up with a more fancy loaf for breakfast toast. You could make it into a baguette too if you want... it is just best if it is spread to be a longer loaf or two circle loaves because it bakes better. 

Cinnamon raisin bread for me does something to my heart strings. They say your food shouldn't speak to you, but this bread does. It is my childhood and college-baking-bakery days all wrapped into one. So the smells and tastes brings back all sorts of nostalgia and love. 

Bread speaks to me. 

Go ahead and judge me. Or not... either way, make this bread. I promise you won't be disappointed. 

Cinnamon Raisin Braid Bread Recipe

{gluten, dairy, soy, nut, yeast and refined-sugar free}

3 TB of psyllium husk powder (must be HUSK powder to work best)

1 cup of pure water

1 cup of non-dairy milk (unsweetened hemp is my choice here)

2 TB of apple cider vinegar

2 TB of olive oil

1 TB of local honey 

1 TB for molasses

1 TB of ground cinnamon

1/4-1/3 cup of organic raisins

2 cups of freshly ground GF oat flour

1 cup of white rice flour (or sorghum, brown rice or Namaste's Perfect Flour Blend mix)

2 ts. of baking powder

1 ts. of baking soda

1 ts. of sea salt

handful of one of the above flours for dusting

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the psyllium husk powder, water, milk and apple cider vinegar together. It will turn into a thickened blob in a few minutes, then whisk in the oil and honey in together. Then sprinkle in the cinnamon and fold in the raisins.

Then, add all of the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula or wooden spoon until all of the flour is blended, but be careful to not over mix and make it too sticky. 

It will be spongy and you can dump the dough on a parchment paper and roll out with your hands with a little kneading as well. Use a pastry or kitchen knife to divide the dough into 3 even pieces. 

Try and roll out 3- 12 inch logs and roll out as many creases as you can. Use some rice or oat flour if need be to make it just right and not be sticky. Then press all three dough logs together at one end and braid each piece back and forth twice or twist how ever you desire as long ad dough is snug and tight together to make a 10-12 inch loaf.

Then finally pat the loaf with a little dusting of flour. Then put in a preheated 350 degree oven for 50 minutes, but can go as long as 60 minutes if you want a thicker crust.

Pull from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes before cutting into. This will be hard for you because this bread makes your kitchen smell amazing. 

Cut into and spread a healthy spread of some vegan butter, ghee, or your favorite nut or seed butter. Delish! I can honestly say I love this bread more than any bread I remember pre-gluten-free days. I know it's been 7 years now, so I may have forgotten, and mostly likely I have. But who cares. This bread is darn good! So I can honestly say this recipe does bring more HOPE to the gluten-free healing journey.

I hope you find these simple ingredients and make this bread soon. It truly is a treat. Enjoy!

Much love to you and yours.... and stay warm! xoxo

Coconut Cut Out Shortbread Cookies

It has been snowing here non-stop for the last 4 hours and at times has been white out conditions. A perfect day to lock yourself in the house (well, kitchen) and do some holiday baking. Not to mention the absolutely freezing temperatures...the warm oven and hot cocoa are keeping me warm today and that makes me very, very thankful for a cozy kitchen. My heart aches for those without a safe warm home on a day like today. That sure is something to be grateful for this holiday season. And a reminder to give to those who are in need!

These cookies are actually grain-free if you are into that sorta thing. It is also nut-free but does have coconut, so I guess technically not completely tree-nut free. But it is an option for me who doesn't eat most nuts and especially almonds for the last few years. I miss almonds, but also know that I have felt much better since giving up nuts in my life. That can be understood in more than one way ;)

I love doing cut-out cookies, but the reality is... I am not really great at it. I guess I'm not a very patient person (or maybe dainty, detailed person). So that's my issue :) But thankfully when you have a little 3 year old that is interested in playing in the kitchen this cookie recipe is tons of fun. So you can kinda throw out all cookie making perfection out the door. Such a fun way to bake if you ask me :) 

Coconut Cut Out Shortbread Cookie Recipe

{gluten, dairy, grain, nut and sugar free}

1 1/2 cup of coconut flour

1 cup of tapioca flour

1/2 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut

1 ts. of sea salt

3/4 cup of softened organic coconut oil

2 farm fresh eggs

2 ts. of pure vanilla

1/3 cup of unsweetened apple sauce

1/2 cup of pure maple syrup

Mix all of the dry ingredients together, then add the coconut oil and mix well, almost turns into a sandy mixture or like you are making a pie crust. Then add the rest of the wet ingredients and mix well. Then use some extra tapioca flour to dust and form a ball of dough. 

Get out a parchment, rolling pin and your favorite shapes to get ready to make some cookies. I like to cut the dough ball in 4 pieces so that you can roll out the dough in chunks. 

You might need to use some extra tapioca flour for dusting and rolling. And you should try and roll the dough about 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick for easiest cutting and moving. The dough may seem a little dry and that it may fall apart, but after you bake it it stick very well together so no worries.

 Place the cookies on a parchment papered cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Until the cookies have a golden edge. You can put the cookies close together on the baking sheet because they do not rise much.

 Let the cookies cool completely before you decide to frost or drizzle with chocolate.

 I decided to try out a chocolate drizzle on these cookies and it turned out delicious (and messy with a 3 year old). But the flavors are great together. Simple and good. 

I just melted 1/4 cup of dairy-free chocolate chips with 2 ts. of coconut oil and then mixed well and used a small teaspoon to drizzle it over the cookies. Let cool completely before you transfer. 

The cut outs turned out great, but you could also make this cookie dough into square shortbread cookies. Or roll out the dough into small balls and then press down slightly and then bake. You could also drizzle those cookies with chocolate for a finishing touch. 

These cookies are a perfect combination of soft middle, crunchy sides and crispy texture. Super easy and simple ingredients always make the best cookies!

Happy baking and ENJOY!

Jelly Oat Cookies (gluten, dairy, and nut-free)

It's that time of year! Cookie baking time! I love to bake cookies and so December is my excuse to make cookies and share them, freeze them, and nibble on them with a cup of my new favorite hot cocoa (or this oldie, goodie recipe too!). 

I'm not going to lie though....these cookies have been a staple snack and treat in my house since this last June. So they are not a very *special* twinkly, glittery Christmas cookie. Just a simple and fabulous cookie that the young and old will alike enjoy. It is my 3 year old's most requested and favorite cookie. Which if I am honest is perfectly fine with me if he wants to eat this cookie more than once throughout the day. There is no sugar, and lots of fiber and protein from the oats....so basically a bowl of oatmeal in a cookie, right?! 

And, when you are gluten-free like me, darling, you need a cookie option like this one. One that you can make and actually enjoy and doesn't harm your sensitive body's eco system known as your gut. Don't cheat with toxic sugar and gluten and fake ingredients. It's just not worth it darling, and if you need me to come up with substitute cookies to appease the thought of cheating....I will, I will!

In the meantime, this recipe I have memorized because of the 20-up-times I have made it. Super dependable and delish. What are your plans for Christmas cookie baking this year? Are you discouraged about GF and trying to avoid ideas? Or are you trying to sub some ingredients in a favorite old recipe? I would love to hear what you have up your gluten-free cookie baking sleeve this year!

Jelly Oat Cookies Recipe
(gluten, dairy, nut, sugar and soy-free, vegan)

3 cups of freshly ground gluten-free oat flour (grind your own GF rolled oats in a grinder/blender)
1 cup of gluten-free rolled oats
1 ts. of sea salt
1 ts. of cinnamon (or ground ginger as a sub) (or a little of both )
1/2 cup of pure maple syrup
2/3 cup of soft organic coconut oil
1/3 cup of soft sunflower seed butter
1-2 TB of non-dairy milk of choice
1-2 ts. of pure vanilla
1/2 cup or so of favorite fruity jam (I have used organic strawberry, blueberry and a homemade peach)
All options are good for this cookie. Some yummy combos are ginger and peach, cinnamon and blueberry, and plain strawberry is a favorite around here too.

First in a high powered blender, blend 3 cups of GF rolled oats to make your own GF oat flour. Pour the heaping 3 cups of oat flour in a large mixing bowl, and then dump the rest of  the dry ingredients together. Then pour in all of the wet(syrup, oil and butter) at once and mix well with a wooden spoon or your hands. After mixed, it will be a tad sticky, let the batter sit for 5 minutes and it will meld together well.

Then take a TB of dough and roll into a ball and put on a parchment papered baking sheet pan. You can place these balls close to each other. Then after rolling out the balls, take a small spoon and press it down into the ball to flatten the ball and make a small hole in the middle of the cookie. Then take a small dose (around 1 ts. of fruit jelly and put it in the middle of the cookie. This recipe will make 3 dozen cookies and they can easily be fit all together on 2 large 11x15 pans. 

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 18 minutes. Let cool 10-15 minutes before eating. And they save great on the counter for a few days and freeze amazingly!

Here are a few of my other favorite Christmas cookie recipes 

that I will be making once AGAIN this year!!!

Chocolate Sunflower Seed Butter Thumbprint Cookies

Coconut Sugar Cut-Out Cookies

Stevia Sweetened Cut-Out Cookies

Stevia Sweetened Gingerbread Cut-Out Cookies

Ginger Molasses Cookies

Cranberry Oat Gingerbread Cookies

Double Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

New Year's Scottish Shortbread

Fruit and Maple Thumbprint Cookies

Sunshine and Lemon Shortbread Cookies

Other Cookies

ENJOY and happy baking!

Mom's Sweet Potato Casserole + Thanksgiving

 

Happy Pre-Thanksgiving craziness to you! 

There is so much shuffle and bussel and 
I wish you well in the preparing and making. 

And most of all I wish you well 
in the resting, celebrating, thanking, and enjoying 
your loves and gifts in life.

This year I am in charge of some GF sweet potatoes and GF stuffing at our family gathering. I realized that I never posted my "healthified" sweet potato recipe that I have been making the past few years. So that is what is below. Which if you ask me, it isn't Thanksgiving without the sweet potatoes. Ok maybe the pumpkin pie, but the sweet potatoes are pretty much just as important. I must have a thing for orangey beta-carotene filled goodies. Because who doesn't love a dessert that is actually a dose of vegetables and vitamins?!

Mom's Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe

4 large sweet potatoes, pealed and chopped in chunks
1/2 cup of pure maple syrup
1 cup of non-dairy milk: I use coconut or hemp
1 TB of pure vanilla
1/3 cup of warmed coconut oil
4 eggs (to veganize use 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce)
1/2 ts. of sea salt

Topping:
either 1 1/2 cup of oats, quinoa flakes or crushed GF rice or corn cereal (like either flakes or chex-like)
1/2 cup of coconut palm sugar
1/2 cup of warmed coconut oil
1/2 cup of either pecans or raw sunflower seeds

Peel and chop 4 large sweet potatoes and put them in a large pot and just cover with water. Boil for 20-25 minutes until the potatoes are fork soft and then drain and put back in the pot. 

Then, add all of the other non-topping ingredients and whisk with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes on high power. Until the mixtures is fully mixed and there is a bit of a whipped appearance. 

Then pour the batter into 1 9x13 pan or 2 9x9 pans. I made two small pans. One to be nut-free and the other would have the pecan topping. Then, in another small bowl mix the topping ingredients and sprinkle over the sweet potato batter.

You can at this point put in the fridge to bake off at the later dinner time or if you are making this day of, you can put in the oven covered with foil for 25 minutes at 350 degrees, and then take off the foil for the topping to get a little crispy for another 15 minutes. Total 40 minutes baking to make sure the whole pan is bubbling hot and baked to perfection. 

Here (above) is a picture of my rice cereal and pecan mix topping. The picture below is of a oat and sunflower seed topping. You may want to add some spice to this dish with some cinnamon or orange. But let me tell you, there is something very simple and special about sweet potatoes, vanilla and coconut oil and sugar. Oh not to mention the maple syrup! Super simple and buttery-delish dish.

Obviously, I make this simple treat for Thanksgiving, and sometimes Christmas, but really you don't have to just have this during the holidays. It would actually make a superb breakfast and you could have it all week long to warm up every morning if you so desired. It is a great way to add some veggies to your morning oats and fiber.

I will be bringing my pecan-topped one for the big day, but I have been enjoying the oats and sun seeds this week to get excited for Thanksgiving food. It is so fabulous...but of course I have raved about my love for sweet potatoes long enough. So just make sure you don't forget them for the big feast.

This is supposed to be a side dish, but could easily just be part of the dessert table as well. It is best warm from the oven, but is so good and simple that it would be just as wonderful cooled down as well.

I hope you enjoy and try this simple (way too simple) recipe out, even if it is next week with some of the leftover (on sale) sweet potatoes you have lingering in the pantry.

I want to also share some of my other most favorite Thanksgiving dishes below...ENJOY!
And many Thanksgiving Blessings to you and yours.

Thanksgiving Menu Ideas

(gluten-free, dairy-free soy-free)

(mostly egg and nut-free as well)

Locally Raised Fresh Turkey and Gravy

+Turkey Brine Recipe by The Pioneer Woman

+Roasting Turkey Tips without Breaded Stuffing

+Gluten-Free Gravy by Whole Life Nutrition

Creamy Whipped Mashed Potatoes (vegan)

8-10 pounds of Yukon Potatoes pealed and roughly chopped

boiled in a large pot of water until extra soft

drained in strainer and then put back in large pot

with a hand-held mixer blend hot potatoes

with vegetable broth and Earth Balance soy-free

sprinkle sea salt and black pepper to you taste

using an "egg-white" whisk in the mixer will make it extra creamy

you can add finely chopped herbs or other spice to your taste...

Cornbread Herb Stuffing

Cranberry-Apple Relish

Green Beans with Maple Caramelized Apples

 Maple Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Coconut Cream Pie

Apple Pie Bars

Spicy Cranberry Punch

Soft and Chewy Oat Baguette Bread 

*I am actually going to try a variation of a Martha Stewart Stuffing recipe with my oat baguette bread this year. I will post if all goes well in time for a Christmas dinner feast*

Some of my other Thanksgiving-worthy recipes 

Brussel Sprouts with Cranberries

Fresh Pumpkin Soup

Sweet Potato Cornbread

Savory Pumpkin Corn Muffins

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Pumpkin Pudding Bars