Mushroom Almond Burgers

I stumbled upon this recipe in my trusty ole files, and not only did I have a wave of nostalgia, but my stomach actually growled. This is one of my all time favorite recipes! Originally written by a dear family friend. I have very fond memories of dinners at my friends house, during high school and her mom introducing me to my first homemade "veggie burger". I made a number of changes to make it a tad healthier & also out of my need to get more fiber full grains into my gluten free diet. (That is a tough one, but Quinoa is a great one that fits that bill... it is rich in protein and fiber! ) This is a fabulous recipe, uber healthy and light. They even freeze well too... :)

Almond, Mushroom Burgers -

*Adapted from Stephanie's Almond Burger recipe

-makes 10 medium size patties

3 cups cooked Quinoa

2 cups ground almonds

1/4 cup egg beaters

2 tbsp soy sauce

3/4 cup chopped onion

1 cup grated, low fat- skim mozzarella

1/2 cup rolled oats or instant oatmeal

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1 cup pealed and chopped zucchini

fresh parsley, chopped (I used Basil as it was what I had on hand)

ground pepper to taste

In a bowl, combine cooked quinoa, mushrooms, zucchini, basil and almonds. In a blender or food processor, separately process egg, soy sauce, onion, cheese, oats and pepper. Pour blended mixture over quinoa mix. Shape mixture into patties, and cooked in skillet over medium heat until brown, about 5 minutes per side. (can be cooked in Pam or small amount of olive oil.)

No Bake Daiquiri Cheesecake

This was one of the recipes I made for the "Easter baking marathon". It is one of my Mom's best kept little secrets, in fact the recipe goes so far back it was actually typed on a typewriter (gasp.. he he). To make it gluten free, I used Pamela's Mini Gingersnaps and they were the perfect substitute. It is very light, and just downright amazing.... this is a family favorite with good reason.  Enjoy!:)

No Bake Daiquiri Cheesecake-

*serves 10-12

1 1/4 cups of Graham Cracker Crust (I used GF cookies...)

1/4 cup sugar

6 tbsp melted butter

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup rum -80 Proof

2 tsp grated lime peel

1 tsp grated lemon peel

1/2 cup lime juice

4 beaten egg yolks

4 egg whites

2 8oz packages of cream cheese- cubed & softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup whipping cream

Combine crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar & butter. Remove 2 tbsp crumbs & set aside. Press remaining crumbs in bottom of 9 inch spring form pan. Chill 45 minutes (I put it in the freezer). Meanwhile, in medium saucepan combine gelatin & 1/2 cup sugar. Stir in rum, citrus peels, lime juice and egg yolk. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly, till slightly thickened 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Beat in cream cheese till smooth. In separate bowl, beat egg whites till soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining sugar beating till peaks are stiff. In another small bowl, whip cream till soft peaks... Fold egg white & whipped cream into gelatin mixture. Turn into crumb lined pan. Sprinkle reserved crumbs on side of the pan. Cover & chill till firm or overnight.

Tuesdays with Dorie- Chocolate Bread Pudding

This weeks Tuesdays with Dorie was chosen by Lauren of Upper East Side Chronicle. To be honest I have never been a bread or rice pudding fan. I think it is a texture issue, we all have our likes and dislikes and pudding (& jello) has never been mine. BUT I have never actually made bread pudding so I thought I would give this week a go.

It was very easy to make, I used gluten free rolls and made a third of the recipe in 2 ramekins. Sadly... this recipe did not change my mind. However, I did enjoy learning how to make it.. the baking process is always enjoyable for me. :) I also could not resist showing off my beautiful Orchid plant. After a wild weekend of weather in Denver.. (some areas got up to 22 inches of snow ..ACK!), spring has finally sprung here. I for one am very excited for some "spring fever" and beautiful weather! :) Despite the fact that this was not a favorite desert, I of course, am looking forward to more TWD adventures. 

Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake

This weekend during my Easter holiday Bake-a-thon, an old friend appeared to me, one that I nearly had forgotten about. Who you ask?? My bundt pan... he he. See for some weird reason, I LOVE the shape of this pan... It is not like a cookie sheet, you don't use it all the time... but it is one of those that is just so fun to work with. Not to mention the word "bundt" just simply makes me giggle (there is a story behind that one, which I will leave up to your imagination.. but lets just say it comes from when I was a little girl and you can blame my brother... that's all i'm sayin.)

Anyways, I suddenly got a hankering to make some sort of bundt recipe. My dear cousin/friend, Lynne came to my rescue quickly with several MOUTH watering recipes that she had found on Foodgawker. This one in particular jumped out at me, I mean HOW can you possibly go wrong with cinnamon and sugar?? Um yea, this had to be a hit. Not to mention... several bloggers have been testing these on their beautiful blogs and all gave rave reviews. And I am happy to report it was RIDICULOUSLY good. OBSCENELY good!! So good in fact, that it is only 9am.. and I only have one little piece left at my desk at work. It has all been devoured happily by my coworkers... This one will with out question be repeated many times! Of course I made it Gluten free, which you would have never known. I will post the original recipe for you, and my GF adjustments next to it. Please make this asap, I promise you won't be sorry. ;)

Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake-
from Dozen Flours

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup white sugar

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 1/2 cups White rice flour, 1/2 cup potato starch, 1/2 cup tapioca flour & 1 1/2 tsp of xanthan gum)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
3 eggs, at room temperature (or 3/4 cup Egg Beaters)
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup full-fat sour cream, at room temperature (I used low fat sour cream and it still was divine!)

1. In a small bowl, combine 1 cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Mix together really well and set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 325F. Using a spray product like Pam with Flour , generously spray a 9 inch Bundt pan, being careful to cover all the nooks and crannies, as well as the center tube. (Note: If you don't want to use Pam with Flour, you can just grease the pan with shortening.) Gently dust the entire inside of the pan with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. You should only need about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sugar, but you want to try and evenly coat the inside surface of the pan, including the tube. Save the remaining sugar and cinnamon mixture and set everything aside.

3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

4. Beat just the butter on medium speed for one full minute. Add the white sugar and mix for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and blade and add the brown sugar.Mix for 2 minutes until the mixture looks light brown and uniform in color. Add the eggs one at a time, beating each for 1 full minute. Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream; beat well.

5. Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup of the cinnamon sugar mixture over top the cake. Spread the rest of the batter into the pan and sprinkle any remaining sugar mixture over the top. (If you run out of cinnamon sugar, you can mix just 1/4 cup of sugar + 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon together for the top of the cake. It should be more than enough.)

6. Bake in the preheated oven for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

**The one thing I would change on this, is adding more of the cinnamon mixture to the center of the cake. I will be doing that the next round. :)

Tuesdays with Dorie- Chocolate Amaretti Torte

After a weekend of MAD holiday baking.... (cookies for the kidos, bread, home-made ice cream and cheesecake.. phew..) I was just about to skip this weeks Tuesdays with Dorie. I was just exhausted and a bit baked out. Given the fact that this was "promised" to be a 15 minute prep recipe, with using only a food processor... and I happened to be at Starbucks yesterday afternoon with a coworker, saw some Amaretti and figured the baking gods had intervened!


This weeks recipe was chosen by Holly of Phe.mom.enon. This recipe was just as promised, super easy and fast.(it really did only take 15 minutes.. woot woot!) I can see why Dorie says she uses it as a base for hot fudge sundays... as it is very Brownie like. I halved the recipe and used a mini cake pan. I also skipped the glaze.. as I was just too darn'd tired. Regardless, it was delicious... and would be fabulous with some vanilla ice cream! Thanks Holly for a great choice... :)

French Bread- Attempt #1

My parents are having the whole family over for Easter this year... and when I say "whole" I mean 6 children, and 12 adults (can you say chaos??...but oh so much fun). More than likely there will be a few extra guests too... Out of all those people, only 2 of us eat gluten free and it can often be a bummer. Either we end up missing out on the yummy grub, or we end up cheating and sometimes that can leave one with a bit if a stomach ache... not exactly ideal! So.... I have made it my mission to find a french bread recipe that we can serve to everyone...one that won't be detectable as gluten free.Last night was my first test run, with a recipe I found on RecipeZaar (that got fabulous reviews). I did make a few tiny adjustments to the recipe. I only had regular active yeast on hand, so I heated my oven to 200 degrees, and turned it off when I was ready to let it rise... put the dough in there for an hour covered. It rose pretty well, but I think next time I will let it go 2 hours.This bread tasted just like the real thing, nice crispy crust & light/fluffy texture on the inside. I was very pleased... straight out of the oven it was just divine. Good this morning too! This is definitely in the running to be served at Easter Dinner this year, and will without question be repeated!

Gluten Free French Bread

Ingredients

2 cups rice flour (white)
1 cup tapioca flour
3 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons egg substitute (optional)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water (heated to 110 degrees)
2 tablespoons fast rise yeast (I used active yeast and it worked well)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
3 egg whites, beaten slightly
1 teaspoon vinegar
melted butter, for brushing (optional)

Directions

-In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer, place flours, xanthan gum, salt, and
egg replacer (if used).Blend with mixer on low.
-In a small bowl dissolve the sugar in the water, and add yeast.
-Wait until the mixture foams slightly, then blend into the dry ingredients.
- Add the butter, egg whites, and vinegar.Beat on high for 3 minutes.
-To form loaves, spoon dough onto greased and cornmeal-dusted cookie sheets in two long French-loaf shapes or spoon into special French-bread pans.
- Slash diagonally every few inches.If desired, brush with melted butter.
-Cover the dough and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 20 to 25 minutes. *if you use regular active yeast, let rise for 1-2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.

Remove from pan to cool.

** You will be happy to know, my little baker ego is feeling much recovered and better this morning. Happy I pulled my "baker skills" together after the TWD incident yesterday... he he ;-)