Daddy’s Date Bars – GF

A neat way to pray for someone is to bake them a treat or take them a meal.  While you are cooking, you are thinking of that person and praying for him/her!   Here is a treat I’m baking for my Daddy to take on our next visit.  Get well, Daddy!

 

Daddy’s Date Bars (gluten free variety)

Ingredients:
3 cups chopped dates
1 and 1/2 cups water
3/4 coconut oil
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup sorghum flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 and 1/2 cups oats (gluten-free)

Cook dates and water in a small saucepan over low heat until thick.  Cool.  In a medium bowl, combine coconut oil and sugar. In another bowl, combine salt, baking soda, brown rice flour, sorghum flour and xanthan gum.  Add flour mixture to butter and sugar, along with oats.  Mix until crumbly.  Press half the crumb mixture into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan.  Spread cooled dates over filling.  Drop remaining crumb mixture over top.  Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.  Cool, cut and share!

I like to store these in the frig so they last longer.  You will want to bake a batch of these for your holiday gatherings!

Dates remind me of the question, “What date is Jesus returning?”  Scripture tell us…
“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Mark 13:32 (NKJV)

New King James Version (NKJV)The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

 

 

Reece’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies – GF

 

I recently had a craving for this old favorite recipe, but had never made it gluten-free.  So, I dug out the recipe and my gluten-free flours and started mixing. They turned out really well with a combination of brown rice, arrowroot, and sorghum flours.  You will enjoy these delicious chocolate peanut butter yummies!

 

Ingredients:
3/4 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup arrowroot flour
1 teaspoon xanthum gum
2/3 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 bag Reeces Peanut Butter chips

In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients:  brown rice flour, sorghum flour, arrowroot flour, xanthum gum, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, soften butter.  Beat in sugar, eggs and vanilla.  Add dry ingredients a little at a time, stirring well.  Fold in peanut butter chips.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  Scoop rounded teaspoons of batter onto pan, 12 per sheet.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 11 minutes.  Let cool on pan 1 minute before moving to cooling racks.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  Hebrews 13:8  (NKJV)

New King James Version (NKJV)The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

 

French Toast – Gluten-Free

…You give them something to eat. Matthew 14:16 (NKJV)

My family loves French Toast for breakfast or dinner.  Here is a recipe we can all enjoy together, using gluten-free bread and dairy-free milk.

Ingredients:
10-12 slices gluten-free bread
4 tablespoons coconut oil, melted, plus extra for frying
2 eggs, beaten, farm-fresh, pasture-raised
1 cup almond milk or goat’s milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients, except the bread.  Heat a griddle to medium-high heat.  Grease with coconut oil.  Dip gluten-free bread slices into the egg mixture, coating well on both sides.  Place on greased griddle, frying on both sides until golden brown.  Repeat until batter and bread are used up. Serve with your family’s favorite toppings  (real maple syrup, honey, cinnamon, strawberry jam, etc.).  Delicious!

How sweet are Your words to my taste,
Sweeter than honey to my mouth! Psalm 119:103 (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.

Vegetable Rice Chowder

This quick and yummy soup is perfect for a blustery fall day or the frigid days of winter.  Use leftover veggies to make chowder on the stove top or in your rice cooker.  Snuggle in with a steaming bowl of vegetable rice chowder today!

 

Ingredients:
5 cups water
1/2 cup brown rice, uncooked
3 cups diced veggies (potatoes, carrots, celery, green beans, peas, corn, etc.)
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

On the stove top, bring all ingredients to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes.  Just before serving add 1 cup milk.
In the rice cooker, put all ingredients in the inner pot.  Program for desired eating time.  Just before serving add 1 cup milk.
Serve with cheese and crackers and home-made gluten-free bread.

“There is no one like the God of Jeshurun,
Who rides the heavens to help you,
And in His excellency on the clouds.
The eternal God is your refuge,
And underneath are the everlasting arms…  Deuteronomy 33:26-27 (NKJV)

New King James Version (NKJV)The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Re-fried Bean Dip

You will love this economical, delicious and versatile re-fried bean dip.  Serve it with burritos, inside enchiladas, or with a bag of chips and salsa.  A great gluten-free snack for church and friend gatherings.

 

Ingredients:
1 lb. (2 cups) dry pinto beans
6 cups water
2 onions, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder

I like to start this recipe the night before.  Put 2 cups pinto beans in a soup pot. Fill pot with water, cover and set on counter to soak overnight.  In the morning, pour off the water and follow the steps below.  If you forget to soak your beans overnight, you can use the quick method.

Quick method: Put 2 cups pinto beans in a soup pot.  Fill pot with water, put on stove on high heat until it comes to a boil.  Remove from heat and cover for one hour.  Now you may pour off the water and follow the steps below.  At high altitudes I sometimes use both the overnight soak and the quick method to get my beans to soften.

And now for the recipe…

Put your soaked beans back into the soup pot.  Add 2 chopped onions and 6 cups water.  Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover and cook about 3 hours. Stir the beans occasionally, adding more water if necessary.

When beans and onions are cooked, remove from heat and drain off excess water, leaving beans and onions in pot.  Put soup pot back on the stove on low heat.  Add olive oil, salt, chili powder, cumin and garlic powder while mashing with a potato masher.  Continue stirring and seasoning until the beans look and taste just the way you like them.

Scoop the bean dip into a 2 quart casserole dish.  Serve warm or refrigerate to serve later.  Keep for one week in refrigerator or freeze to store longer.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  Matthew 13:44 (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.

 

THE BEST Hot Chocolate Mix Ever

Fall is here and cool weather is coming soon, so you will want to have a jar of BEST Hot Chocolate Mix on your counter.

This recipe was first made for me by my nephew Nathan, who gave us a jar for Christmas one year.  He found the recipe in his 4H cooking materials.  I like that it is simple, gluten-free, and contains no funny-flavored creamers.  A steamy mug of this cocoa will top any you buy at the local coffee shop.

6 cups powdered goats’ milk
1 cup cocoa
1  and 1/2 cups Stevia powder
dash salt
Mix dry ingredients together in a big bowl.  Store in a decorative jar.

When ready to serve, scoop 1/4 to 1/3 cup mix into your favorite mug.  Pour in boiling water and stir.  Garnish with coconut cream.  Enjoy! Makes great gifts, too!

A merry heart does good, like medicine… Proverbs 17:22 (NKJV)

New King James Version (NKJV)The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Crusty Mexican Bean Bake – Gluten-free

Hola! One of our family’s favorite meals is Mexican night.  There are many delicious Mexican gluten-free dishes.  You can make almost any of your favorite Mexican foods with corn tortillas instead of flour.  This recipe is even better, because I can make it when we have no tortillas.  It is so colorful and yummy.

Crust:
1 cup corn meal
1 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
4 T. butter  (1/4 cup)
1 cup sour cream or yogurt
2 eggs, beaten

Lightly butter a 13 x 9 inch glass casserole dish.  Stir together corn meal, salt, baking powder, butter, sour cream or yogurt, and eggs.  Spread in bottom of glass dish.   (This may be prepared early and refrigerated).

Filling:
1 onion, chopped &  T. olive oil
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 t. Tabasco sauce
4 cups (2 – 15 oz. cans) undrained kidney beans
1 – 1/2 cups (2 – 6 oz. cans) tomato paste

Saute onion in olive oil.  Add salt, chili powder, Tabasco sauce, kidney beans, and tomato paste. Spoon the filling over the crust.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

Toppings:
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup black olives, sliced
1 green pepper, chopped
1 fresh tomato, chopped
2 cups lettuce, chopped

Remove dish from oven and top with cheese, olives, peppers, tomato, and lettuce. Eat and enjoy immediately! Serves one hungry family of 6. Great for lunch the next day, too!

For the adventurous:
Serve with extra salsa, sour cream and chips.

This recipe is adapted from The More with Less Cookbook published by Herald Press, 1976. It was originally submitted by Evelyn Fisher of Akron, Pennsylvania. Thank you, Evelyn!

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!
Amen and Amen.  Psalm 41:13 (NKJV)

New King James Version (NKJV) The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Gluten-Free Zucchini Muffins

Zucchini season is here again!  You may be looking for yummy ways to use these bountiful veggies from your garden. This gluten-free (GF) version of our favorite zucchini bread recipe comes from my camp friend in Washington state.  We enjoyed a batch of GF zucchini muffins just the other day.

1  and 1/2 cups brown rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. guar gum
2 eggs (or 2 T. flax soaked in 6 T. water)
1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup honey
1 cup grated zucchini
1 t. vanilla

Set oven for 350 degrees.  Line a muffin pan with 12 muffin cups.  Mix together dry ingredients.  Blend in eggs or flax eggs, applesauce, honey, zucchini and vanilla.   Use an ice cream scoop to fill the muffin cups with batter.  Bake 25-30 minutes.  Cool and enjoy.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.  James 1:17 (NKJV)

New King James Version (NKJV)The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Gluten-Free Lasagna

This gluten-free lasagna is also meat-free, making it the perfect meal to serve to your vegetarian friends.  A fresh salad with fruit will complete your meal.  You may make the lasagna ahead, keeping it in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake it.  

1 package Rice Lasagna noodles (cook according to package)
28 oz. Ragu or similar Italian sauce
1 cup Mozzarella cheese (plus a little extra)
2 cups Ricotta cheese
2 cups Cottage cheese (if the grocery store is out of Ricotta, I use 4 cups Cottage cheese)
2 Eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. Parsley (1 Tbsp. dry)
1 tsp. Sugar
1/4 tsp. Pepper

Cook lasagna noodles.  Cover the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch glass pan with a spoonful of tomato sauce.  Arrange 4 lasagna noodles over the sauce.  Mix together the cheeses, eggs, parsley, sugar and pepper.  Put 1/3 of the cheese mixture on top of the noodles.  Repeat these layers again and again, so you have 3 layers of sauce, noodles and cheese, ending with a bit more sauce.  Sprinkle extra mozzarella and parsley on top.   Cover with foil sprayed with pan spray so it won’t stick.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Remove foil and bake 15 more minutes, or until bubbly.  Let lasagna set a few minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

Note: If you would like veggies added to your lasagna, you may layer them with the first two cheese layers.  Spinach, zucchini, green peppers, and carrots all make a yummy lasagna.

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?   Matthew 6:25-26  (NKJV)

Black Bean Blender Brownies

Here’s a recipe that has become popular in my local circles recently.  My daughter found it at college for her simulated bakery business.  A friend emailed me the recipe, and it also appeared in our small town newspaper.  So, it must be good!
These brownies are easy-to-make and full of protein.  The black beans replace flour, making them a gluten-free treat.  It was my daughter who just graduated from college with high honors and a degree in sustainable foods (proud Mama!), who discovered the simplicity of using a blender (Good job, Kallie!).  You will have time for a TEA CUPP with Jesus while these are baking in the oven.

 Black Bean Blender Brownies
15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained (best with no salt or onion added)
3 large eggs
1/3 cup melted butter
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
2/3 cup cane sugar
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a pie pan or 8 or 9 inch square cake pan. Put all ingredients except chocolate chips in your blender.  Blend until beans are smooth.  Pour into prepared pan.  Sprinkle chocolate chips on top.  Bake for 40 minutes or until done.  Cool, cut, and enjoy!

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.  Jeremiah 29:13 (NKJV)

New King James Version (NKJV)Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.