Chocolate Chip Cookies- Shanny Style

Ok I have now tasted and tried a number of Gluten Free items and have a huge issue... the texture.  Ugh.  I have done some research on my own and after a lot of reading of my own cookbooks and food chemistry books... I think I have it!

The last few weeks I have been messing around with my own mixture for a GF baking mix.  Now I know mine has oatmeal flour in it and that is up for debate in the GF world so if you have an issue to it ditch it.  Not a big deal that I can real tell, other than, to me, an earthly taste to the baked item.

1 cup of unsalted butter (2 sticks)
3/4 cup of sugar
3/4 cup of brown sugar
3 large eggs
1.5 tsp of vanilla
1 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp of baking powder
2 tsp of guar gum
1 tsp of kosher salt

2.25 cups of GF baking mix (recipe below)
1 package of mini chocolate chips (or whatever flavor and style you want)

My GF baking mix:
I make up a big container of this and then use it almost cup per cup to flour.  If you can't tolerate oats just take the oatmeal flour out.  I didn't notice a difference mouth feel wise.  I keep this in a container in my pantry area where it is cool and kind of dark.
2 cup of brown rice flour
2/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup oatmeal flour

Cookie time:
Cream together butter and sugar.  Once light and fluffy add eggs once at a time and then the vanilla.  Scrape down the bowl and then added baking soda, baking powder, guar gum, and salt and mix.  Then add in slowly 3/4 of cup at a time the flour scraping down the bowl after adding the flour mixture.  Then stir in by hand the chocolate chips.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake on the middle rack to 8 to 11 mins.  I pull them out while they are a little gooey in the middle since I like a softer cookie.  For a crispier cookie leave in till done in the middle.  if you would like your cookies puffier- use 1/2 cup of butter and shortening.

I hope to have photos later if I can get Jeremy's cell to take a photo since Annabelle broke my camera.  **A friend who tested out the cookies for me took some photos of them for me... so ignore the Christmas plate :)

A meal Popeye would be proud of...

Spinach.  One of those leafy green "things" that are hit or missed in most households.  I know I didn't like spinach until I started to fix it for myself... and made sure it didn't smell bad or look like wet grass clippings.

For me the key was buying it fresh and wilting it down myself. I could also control the flavor and fat.  Now this is one meal that I can get the girls to eat with spinach in it, which makes me super happy!

4 boneless skinless chicken breast- cooked and diced
1 bag of fresh spinach
3/4 cup of reduce fat sour cream
1/2 cup of reduce fat mayo
1 cup of mozzarella shredded
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
1 tsp of garlic powder
1 tbsp of diced garlic
1/2 a sweet onion finally diced
1 egg- beaten
black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degree F.  In a mixing bowl toss in all the ingredients and mix well making sure everything is well coated.  In a greased 9x13 baking dish spread the mixture and pat it down.  Cover with foil and bake for about 40 minutes then take the foil off and turn the boiler on and brown the top till golden brown.

Set aside and let it cool for about 15 minutes and then cut and serve. 

My Little Monkeys

My kids love all things bananas, but they do have times when they want nothing to do with them. When that happens this is the recipe I use to make THE BEST banana bread EVER!

1 cup of sugar (I use a sugar sub)
1/2 c butter
3 very ripe bananas
3 large eggs
1.5 tbsp buttermilk or sour cream
1.5 tsp of vanilla
1 tsp of kosher salt
2 cups flour (or GF making mix)
1.5 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 c creamy peanut butter
1/2 c chopped walnuts
1/2 c mini chocolate chips

Cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy.  Then add in one banana and one egg at a time until they are all blended in to the butter mixture.  Then add in all the rest of the ingredients and mix until combined.  And yes I dump the nuts and chocolate in with all the other dry ingredients.  Dump into a greased and floured loaf pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 to 60 minutes.  Let it cool in the pan for about 10 mins and then remove to cool on a wire rack.

This is normally gone in a day in my house.

Heavenly Chocolate Covered Cheesecake

One of the things that I believe I have mastered since having gastric bypass is cheesecake.  Why, because it is high protein and can be made reduce fat and sugar free- if you want... or you can make it completely sinful!  While this isn't gluten free with some minor changes it can be gluten free as well.  Cheesecake is one of those things to me is rich, tangy, and just ooooohhhhh so lush and creamy in your mouth.

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Crust:
1 cup Murry sugar free short bread cookies
1 box of Sugar free Oreos- minus 5 cookies (lore ate them)
1/2 cup of splenda
1/2 cup of DiabetiSweet Original Sugar
7 tablespoons butter, melted 

Crust:
In a medium size bowl, combine everything and mix well. Spray the pan with PAM, making sure you get th sides. Mix well and place in the bottom of an 8x8-inch pan. Make sure to press against the bottom of the pan. Place into oven and bake for 10 minutes. Let cool.

Filling:
4 boxes of reduced fat cream cheese, softened
2 cup splenda
2 teaspoon vanilla extract -I used a dried vanilla powder
6 eggs (or 1.5 cup egg sub)
1 pinch of kosher salt

Filling:
Prepare the filling by beating cream cheese. Mix in splenda and vanilla while beating until well blended. Add in eggs one at a time and then add salt. The mixture is runny. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate overnight or if you want it faster- place in freezer for an hour and then add the chocolate topping and freeze again until set.

Chocolate Glaze:
1 stick of butter
2 50/50 milk chocolate bars (giant carries these)
2 cup splenda
1 cup heavy whipping cream (or half and half)
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

In a medium saucepan melt butter over medium-low heat. Add chocolate to the butter. Whisk in everything and whisk until combined. Cook over medium-low heat for 2 minutes while whisking constantly.


WHen I made this I was also able to make 12 cupcake size mini cheesecakes besides the 8x8 cake. I didn't put the crust in the cupcake papers, just the cheesecake mixture. You can also add the chocolate mixture on these as well. I also put 2 tsp of sugar free strawberry jelly into these mini cheesecakes. They came out very yummy as well.

Yield: 20 pieces in the 8x8 pan and 12 cupcake minis

"The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain"- Spanish Styled Beef

Spanish Styled Beef

A few years ago I was trying to broaden Lorelei's taste palate.  A lot of times we would pick a place from the History Channel or maybe something in an article would spark an idea.  One Sunday we had missionaries at church who were in the mountains of Spain and they were talking about their adventures there and how different the olives were there in Spain.  Lorelei already liked olives but she got to taste the ones from Spain and was in love.  So that started the hunt for a dish that I could put them in for her (and hide them from me- olives yuckie).

This is a pretty basic recipe using items that we can get at our grocery stores.

2 to 3 pound bottom round roast (or something close to that cut wise)

2 tbsp of EVOO

2 large Spanish onions (if you can't find them use sweet onions)

4 large cloves of minced garlic

1/2 c sliced pimiento stuffed green olives (if you can use Spanish ones)

1 tbsp of olive juice (what the olives are canned/jarred in)

1.5 tbsp of dried oregano

2 tsp of sugar (or sugar sub)

1 tsp of ground black pepper

1 cup of low sodium beef broth

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut beef into 1 inch cubes.  If you see large pieces of fat trim them off.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat - if you have a well seasoned cast iron skillet it use it.  Brown the beef on all sides and remove to a 9x13 baking dish.

Add the onions and garlic to the skillet and saute in the beef drippings until soften to add a richer flavor to the vegs.  Carefully add the rest of the ingredients over medium heat until well combined and heated through then pour over the beef.  Cover with foil and bake until done.  For me it was 2 hours one day another 2.5 hours.  You want the beef to be fork tender.

I served this with rice to soak up all the yummy goodies from the baking dish.  Also, salt wasn't added to this dish because pimientos and olives tend to be salty. 

Apple-oius Creamy Dreamy Baked Oatmeal

My hubby grew up eating baked oatmeal.  I had never heard of it until after we were married.  And we would make from time to time.  But with now my oldest girl in school this makes for a great breakfast.  It is full of fruit, protein, and good grains. This also easy to make reduced sugar or even completely sugar free with sugar subs.

3 eggs

½ tsp Kosher salt

2.5 tsp Apple pie seasoning mix

½ cup of packed brown sugar- you can use a brown sugar sub for this- if Splenda Brown Sugar it will be ½ cup

¼ of a block of reduce fat cream cheese

3 cups of diced baking apples- I leave the skin on- use whatever is in season

½ a cup of chunky apple sauce- no sugar added if you can get it

¼ cup of diced craisens

2 cups of water

2 cups of skim milk

2.5 cups of old fashioned rolled oats

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 baking dish or if you want this a little deeper a 10x 10 baking dish.

In a mixing bowl beat add the eggs with the salt, seasoning mix, and brown sugar and beat until creamed.  In a small bowl or cup soften the cream cheese.  Once the cream cheese is softened turn the mixer on and slowly drop by the spoon full the cream cheese- doing this step will prevent the cooking of the eggs in the mixture.

Now once that is mixed together pull the bowl out and do the rest by hand.  Add the diced apples and apple sauce.  Then add in the oats, water and milk.  This is a sloppy mixture at this point.  Pour into the baking dish and bake for 40 to 50 mins.  The middle shouldn’t wiggle.

Now I do this the night before and then in the morning I pull it out of the fridge and cut out slices like it is a cake.  Then when I go to warm it up I put just a little milk in the bowl with a bit of sugar free maple syrup on top and heat it up.

-Now I know many of you love pumpkin so in place of the apple sauce you can add pumpkin puree to it.  This is not pumpkin pie puree mix but PURE pumpkin.  And if you do that switch out the apple pie seasoning mix to pumpkin pie seasoning mix.