Chocolate Cheesecake with Double Crunchy Crust

Chocolate Cheesecake with Double Crunchy Crust

 

This week of summer was a little rough.

Em, my oldest, spent early morning July 4th in the emergency

room due to an allergic reaction to an ant….yes an ant.

 

Thank God ….. she is fine.

 

She wanted something good after a couple of days of sleeping

and getting her foot better….

we both thought

chocolate:)

 

Em and I agreed it had to include Enjoy Life Chocolate and

Redwood Hill Farm Vanilla Goat Milk Yogurt

 

I had to come up with a crust…..again Enjoy Life came to mind!

The following recipe is awesome….to the very last bite.

We will make this again and again!!

 

Double Crunch Crust

 

1 Cup Enjoy Life Crunchy Rice Cereal

1 Cup Double Chocolate Crunchy Cookies (half of a box)

1/2 Cup Sugar

1 Stick of Butter

 

Melt the butter in the microwave and roughly crush the cookies.

Stir ingredients all together.

Again, I used my non-stick baking pan but others use a spring-form pan.

Pour the ingredients in the pan (prep with non-stick gf spary).

Using a spatula flatten the crust.

 

Chocolate Cheesecake Filling

 

3 Pkgs (8oz each) Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 Cup Redwood Hill Farms Vanilla Goat Milk Yogurt

1 Bag (10 oz) Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips, mostly melted

1 Cup Sugar

4 Eggs

2 tsp Vanilla (GF)

 

Beat the cream cheese until smooth then add all ingredients

with the chocolate being the last. 

The chocolate can have bits that aren’t completely melted…just

makes for an even better bite!

Pour into the crust and

bake @ 350* for 1 hour.

Let the cheesecake cool on the counter,

then place in the refrigerator overnight.

The texture of the cheesecake and the crust depend on the

cold refrigerator….so no early tasting!

This crust will stay crunchy and delicious

for as long as the dish is kept in the fridge…

which will not be long:)

There are hidden vitamins and fiber in this recipe….

more than your average cheesecake, like

Thiamin, Niacin, Zinc, Iron, B6, Calcium, Magnesium, and Protein to name a few!

 

Cut and serve with

powdered sugar or chocolate sauce!

 

 

 Thanks Enjoy Life and Redwood Hill Farm for awesome products….

Hope y’all enjoy,

Jennifer

Jennifer@gonewiththegluten.com

Posted in July | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lactose Free Blueberry Cream Pie with GF Pie Crust

 

Lactose Free Blueberry Cream Pie

with

Gluten Free Farmer’s Cheese Pie Crust

 

I am late to the pie party, but better late than never!

This crust includes Farmer’s Cheese…

since I have been making a lot of

breads and crusts with cheeses.

I thought this might be a fun ingredient to try!

*NOTE: I didn’t like this particular crust so try Glutino’s Pie Crust or

another you might like!

 

Use your favorite GF pie crust recipe!

 

For the edges, I rolled the dough into a ‘snake’ like when we play with clay:)

Then pinch into a pretty edging.

 

Lactose Free Blueberry Cream Pie

 

1 Cup Green Valley Lactose Free Sour Cream

2 Tbsp Corn Starch

1 Cup Sugar

1 1/2 tsp Vanilla (GF)

1/4 tsp Salt

1 Egg (beaten)

2 Cups Fresh Blueberries

 

Beat the first six ingredients until creamy and light. Then fold in the blueberries

and pour into the gluten free pie shell.

Sprinkle with a little sugar.

Place on a cookie sheet to bake…just in case of spill over.

Bake at 400* for 30 – 35 minutes.

It is best to chill but we couldn’t wait!

This is my Pie Party Post!

 

Posted in July | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Old Fashioned Lemon Pie

Old Fashioned Lemon Pie

 

 

In honor of my sweet husband, Scott,

I wanted to make an

Old Fashioned Lemon Pie like the one he once ate

at Lois’ Restaurant back in Donalsonville, Ga.

The restaurant is gone now but we have many memories

of eating there. We even

had our rehearsal dinner there

twenty years ago this December!

Yes….twenty years.

That deserves a pie:)

Luckily I had just received

a few boxes of Enjoy Life Crunchy Cookies!

They make cookies and much more that are free of the top

8 allergens….including wheat and peanuts.

Did I mention that they are the nicest people in the world too?

If you ever get a chance, pick up a pack of

Enjoy Life Cookies and you will agree

how good their cookies

really taste!

For this recipe, I used the box of

Enjoy Life Vanilla Honey Grahams and

Green Valley Organics Plain Kefir.

 

 

 

Enjoy Life Vanilla Honey Graham Crust

 

 

One Box ELF Vanilla Honey Graham

1/3 Cup Honey

1/3 Cup Green Valley Organics Plain Kefir

 

Using a large gallon size ziploc, put the cookies inside and lock closed letting all of the air

out of the bag.  Then crush the cookies with a large spoon ….

crush them to crumbs. 

 

 

Pour the honey and Green Valley Lactose Free Kefir in and mix with a rubber

 spatula.  Allow the crumbs to soak up the liquid for a minute. Preheat your oven to 355*.

Place the wet crumbs in a no stick (spray with gf oil) 9 x 9 pan.  You can use a pie plate but

 I like my non stick pans! They make for easy clean up. Pat out and flatten like a

crust, making sure all the bottom is covered and even. Then bake for 15 minutes.

Now for the Lemon Filling!

 

1 Cup Sugar

3 Tbsp Corn Starch

1 Tbsp Fresh Grated Lemon Zest

1/4 or Juice of One Large Lemon

3 Egg Yolks

1 Cup Lactose Free & Gluten Free Green Valley Organics Plain Kefir

1 Cup Lactose Free & Gluten Free Green Valley Organics Sour Cream

 

Combine the sugar and cornstarch…mix on low. Then add all the ingredients except the sour cream. Cook over medium heat in a double boiler…don’t leave this….and stir constantly until thick. Allow to cool.

Fold in GF and LF Sour Cream. Then fill the pan which already has the Enjoy Life Cookie Crust.  Refrigerate for a few hours until lemon filling is firm:)

Cut into squares and serve.

Thanks to Enjoy Life Foods for your sweet and wonderful allergen free cookies

that make so many children and grown ups happy…You all are the sweetest!

Also, thanks again to Green Valley Organics for the wonderful LF  & GF products.

We are hooked on these wonderful companies and hope you give them a try too!

 

Happy 4th of July

and

 wish you all many blessings,

Jen

 

Posted in June | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The ‘Gone With The Wind’ Freeze Series

The ‘Gone With The Wind’

Freeze Series…

 

Scarlett’s Brazen Freeze 

 

It’s summer time and hot! Not just hot but dry too.

A homemade frozen dessert was on my mind and

I had Green Valley Organics Lactose Free & Gluten Free

 Yogurt and Sour Cream in my fridge.

 

Green Valley Organics produces a lactose free

cow dairy line of products…

including Lactose Free & Gluten Free

Sour Cream,

Yogurts,

and 

Kefir!

You never have to worry about

the ache in your belly

or

the price you pay for that taste of

ice cream…

They also have certificates from

all of their ingredient companies

stating that to their knowledge the ingredient

does not contain any gluten.

My hope is that they will one day they will be certified gluten free,

but with the info they provided,

I felt assured they were in fact gluten free.

I  thought it might be fun to just

experiment a little with different ingredients:)

Em had her best friend over

and she was lactose intolerent as

well as my son Jackson…

so between the three

children

someone would tell me

what they thought! LOL

 

I named it

Scarlett’s Brazen Freeze

because Scarlett,

the main character in Gone With The Wind,

 was 

Brazen ….

shameless, bold and brassy ;)

In the beginning

a bit sweet and a lot sour…

but in the end

 sweeter than sour!

It’s an easy dessert to pair with fruit

and not get the

tummy ache of the normal

frozen yogurts or ice creams that may contain lactose.

If you are a gluten free or allergy mom,

then making the ice cream

relieves the worry of

any allergens sneaking into

dessert.

 

Scarlett’s Brazen Freeze 

1 1/2 Cups Green Valley Organics Lactose Free Vanilla Yogurt

1 Cup Green Valley Organics Lactose Free Sour Cream

1 Cup Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 Vanilla Bean

 

Use 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the yogurt to wet the sugar in a non stick pan on low to medium heat.

Stir and watch constantly until the sugar is dissolved.

Don’t over cook the sugar or it will candy…

just melt and remove from heat

Place pan in ice to cool.

Cut the vanilla bean down the center and open the bean.

Slide the knife down the bean to scrape the seeds out ….get them all and

put in the mixing bowl with the yogurt, sour cream and remaining vanilla extract.

Mix on low to incorporate the seeds well.

Pour the sugar syrup in the mix.

Turn up the speed a little and really

beat until the syrup is

dissolved.

Pour into the ice cream freezer

and follow your

directions to freeze ice cream

or

in a freezer safe container

to freeze  a few hours for soft ice cream

or overnight for a more frozen texture.

 

 

 

Then I changed a few ingredients to

try a new sugar

a friend told me about….

Coconut Palm Sugar.

It is low on the glyceic index, organic and gluten free.

I melted the sugar just the same as before with about

1/3 to 1/2 cup of the Green Valley Plain Yogurt.

The texture is like brown sugar but

absorbed moisture like

powdered sugar.

Melt the sugar slowly

and it turns into a caramel

consistency.

Allow this to cool a brief period of time

but not too long

because it does get thick!

 The name reflects the flavor. 

This frozen dessert is  

definately enchanting like Rhett

…..

with

charm,

richness 

and

undefined elegance.

 

Rhett’s Enchanting Freeze

 

1 1/2 Cups Green Valley Lactose Free Honey Yogurt

1/2 Cup Green Valley Lactose Free Plain Yogurt

1 Cup Sweet Tree Coconut Palm Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla Extract (optional)

1 Vanilla Bean

 

Take 1/3 of the yogurt and mix

with the Coconut Palm sugar

then heat while

stirring constantly on low heat.

Take off of heat and allow to cool briefly.

Scrape the vanilla bean and add

in the mixing bowl with the

yogurt. (Add extra vanilla

extract if you want to enhance

the flavor.)

Mix well on low to medium then incorporate

the melted coconut palm sugar.

It will get stringy if you cool too much so add

before it gets too cold.

Mix well on low to medium speed.

Pour into a freezer safe

container and

freeze over night.

 

I think next time a Rum & Butter flavoring (non-alcoholic) 

would be really good in this freeze….

will let you know!

 

Bonnie Blue’s Sweet Freeze

 

 

This freeze has a good balance of a

sweet classic

ice cream but with more

nutrition than you will buy in the store.

The name Bonnie Blue comes from the beautiful little girl that

Scarlett and Rhett loved so dearly.

She was their pride and joy.

This freeze would reflect that exact sentiment

through pride in serving a dessert that has

nutrition as well as the

joy in eating something so delicious.

The Redwood Hill Farms Plain Goat Milk Yogurt

is creamy and good without

including gelatin, refined sugar, preservatives,

artificial colors or flavorings!

The yogurts are made

with live and active cultures to keep your

digestive system healthy and in order.

It’s not known exactly what happens when they are

frozen but it is believed they reactivate after thawing…

either way you will get calcium, vitamin A and iron!

I also used honey in this recipe to see the texture change and

add the benefits of all that honey has to offer.

Let’s end with the last of

the series for

 ’Gone With The Wind Freeze Series’

 

Bonnie Blue’s Freeze

 

2 Cups of Redwood Hill Farm Plain Goat Milk Yogurt

1 Cup Green Valley Organics Lactose Free Sour Cream

1 Cup Honey (Orange Blossom or other)

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 Vanilla Bean

 

Mix ingredients on  low to medium until all the

vanilla  and honey is incorporated.

 

Remember to split and scrape the

insides of the vanilla bean very well to get

all of the seeds inside.

Some even soak the bean (use lactose free milk or kefir)

before scraping to ensure a

more pliable bean.

You can use an ice cream freezer but I found just freezing in a

freezer safe container is easier and a lot less trouble.

Freeze several hours or overnight for a hard

freeze.

 

Eat and Enjoy……

 

Many thanks to Green Valley Organics and Redwood Hill Farm,

I truly love your products!

Blessings to all,

Jen

 

 

Posted in June | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The ‘Gone’ Dinner Rolls

The ‘Gone’ Dinner Rolls

 

This dinner roll has so much ‘gone’ to taste so good!

We received a shipment of lactose free products from Green Valley Organics.

 

If you have never heard of them, you will very soon.

Watch their video here…

 

 

Their dairy is lactose free, gluten free,  and preservative free.

Also, there are no artificial colors…

this dairy truly is peaceful.

 

 

 For days I have been testing recipes for frozen concoctions,

which are coming in my next post!

On this day, we wanted bread….good bread.

So, I looked through one of my old cookbooks that I depended on

before going gluten free. I found a sour cream muffin recipe that was

right to make into a gluten free roll.

Usually I will make a recipe a few times before getting it right,

but this one came out of the oven and was ‘gone’ in a matter of minutes!

Try it and see….

 

The ‘Gone’ Dinner Rolls

 

 

1/2 Cup Green Valley Lactose Free Plain Kefir

1 Cup Green Valley Lactose Free Sour Cream

1/2 Cup Canola Oil

2 Cups King Arthur Gluten Free

Multi Purpose Flour

1/2 Cup Sugar

1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1 Tbsp Guar Gum

1/2 tsp Salt

   

 

 Mix the wet ingredients with an electric mixer on a low speed.

Blend dry ingredients and pour into the wet ingredients.

Turn the mixer to a medium speed for about two minutes.

Place muffin liners in the pan and spray with a

gluten free spray.

Using your large ice cream scoop, begin scooping the

dough into the muffin liners.

Spray the tops of the muffins with the

gluten free non stick spray.

Bake @ 400*

for 15 – 18 minutes

until brown…

 

It has a creamy and dense texture like

the rolls we would make from

an old southern recipe

back home.

 

 

If you get a chance,

try Green Valley Organic’s

rich and creamy

products…

Your only regret will be

not eating them sooner…

Hope y’all are blessed!

Jennifer

 

Posted in June | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Georgia Bulldog Quinoa!

Georgia Bulldog Quinoa

 

 

We just went to the North Georgia Mountains on vacation for a week. While there I used the red and black quinoa I won from Tammi Kibler’s site ‘Where To Buy Quinoa’. Red and Black are THE colors of the Georgia Bulldogs…and I happen to be a proud Georgia native:) The red quinoa is from Alter Eco and the Ancient Harvest black quinoa is from the Quinoa Corp or find both by looking here..

This pic illustrates both quinoa’s mixed in my new bowl from Mark of the Potter…. here are a couple of pics of the pottery available right now.  There are over 30 artists featured in this wonderful shop!

I had made a salad recipe from Publix using grapes and quinoa, so I thought about how to make it more red and black but really good too!

My Georgia Bulldog Quinoa found it’s way here using Strawberries and Peppercorn

Goat Cheese….

 

1 1/4 cups gf chicken broth

1/2 cup black quinoa

1/2 cup red quinoa

2 tbsp olive oil, divided

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, divided

2 cups chopped strawberries, 1/2 cup saved for serving

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsely

1 small box of raisins

Peppercorn Goat Cheese, crumbled

 

In a saucepan boil broth over medium heat and add quinoa. Simmer on low, covered, for 15 minutes or until quinoa is tender. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Fluff.

Preheat oven to 375*. Stir 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar into the 1 & 1/2 cups of strawberries. Spread on parchment paper lining a cookie sheet. Bake about 10 minutes  and let cool.

In a large bowl combine quinoa, strawberries, raisins and parsley. In another bowl whisk the remaining olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Drizzle over the quinoa mix and stir. Cover and refrigerate for atleast an hour.

To serve, use an ice cream scoop….tightly pack the quinoa in the scoop and let liquids drain back into the bowl. (This is best done with a rubber spatula) Then gently place on the salad plate. Carefully sprinkle the left over strawberries and crumbled peppercorn goat cheese over the quinoa. Top with fresh parsley!

Georgia Bulldog Quinoa

 

Posted in June | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Enjoy Life Double Chocolate Crunch

Enjoy Life Double Chocolate Crunch

 by Emily Preston

 

Enjoy Life Double Chocolate Crunch,

the best granola you could ever taste.

I’m NOT joking either, when you start to eat it

you can’t stop.

I ate the whole darned thing.

The thing about this granola is you can eat it

at any time of day. It’s not just a morning thing, it’s an

“anytime you want to” thing!

You can eat it at breakfast (I eat it with Lactaid),

an afternoon snack,

and if you can’t cook, well…

eat it for dinner too:)

So when your on a gluten free diet like me…

it’s nice to have a good tasting snack.

When Enjoy Life Double Chocolate Crunch comes to a

store near you….go get some!

 Or you can order online if you can’t wait!

 

Enjoy Life products are gluten free and allergy friendly….no wheat, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish and shellfish…also no potatoes, sesame, sulfites or casein!!!

 

Posted in June | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Checkout Counter and Belt

Ok….is anyone out there cleaning the checkout counter and belts when possible?  Food and products  with wheat and nuts (insert your allergen here) are going to present the problem of cross contamination at the checkout. My concern is that it will somehow go from the package to the food that is eaten either raw or cooked. What can we do as parents to ensure safe food? How do we get the store to help with safe check outs? What is practical and kind to those waiting behind you in line? All of these are questions that are flooding my mind while I am actively wiping the belt down.

There are days you really feel as if the store is the last place you want to go because there is a lot of thought involved from the time you walk in the door to wipe as much of  the cart possible, be careful – don’t touch the products with nuts, and then check-out where your food, that was ever so carefully thought out, is now plopped down where everyone else’s food has been. Is it over kill? Well, it may be but maybe not. Of course, those without allergies will shake their heads in shame for you as they consider you crazy and an over protective parent. Then the store clerk glances at you with a concerned eye….lol. If nut and wheat residue can cross contaminate, it will be at the check-out line.

What do you do? Wipe the check-out down or wipe the products down after you get home? Do you just overlook the cross contamination and try not to worry about it until it happens?

Please leave a response bc I really want to know your opinion…..also share your safe ideas!

Thanks, Jen

Posted in 2012, May | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Oat Bottom Gluten Free Brownies

Oat Bottom Gluten Free Brownies

 

When someone young becomes gluten free

it can be a little more difficult than a grown up…

you certainly want to fill them with plenty of fruits and veggies

so they get their vitamins and minerals.

But at some point, they need a little treat that they miss.

So….

 my sweet friend missed brownies and she needed a treat!

I had made brownies before many times but

I had just bought

Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Old Fashioned Rolled Oats

The oats are from pedigreed seed and planted in oats-only fields…

then tested for purity and packed in a dedicated facility.

Note: They are packed in a facility with soy and tree nuts

 

I also picked up Organic Brown Sugar & Organic Sugar by Florida Crystals

made with certified organic pure cane sugar which is

 harvested and milled the same day.

I love that they recycle the sugar cane

fiber and use it to power their sugar

plants as well as many homes. 

Their sugar is less refined

and has a more

natural color….and it is delicious in recipes!

 

Sugar cane memories

 

My dad always planted a small crop of cane for us to

make cane syrup or just cane juice. 

Those are some of the best

 memories of my childhood…

though it was tough to cut!

My job was to either feed the

cane mill or monitor the side the juice flowed into

the five gallon bucket. Either way….you were sticky and a mess.

We had an evaporator to make the syrup and daddy stoked

 the hot fire beneath

the cane juice to keep it boiling as we scooped the

foamy ‘dregs’ from the top of the thickening juice.

 

In the end, the bottles of syrup were worth every drop of

effort my parents put into them.

The bottles were never for sale but for neighbors as they traded

vegetables and goodies in the coming seasons.

We always had one bottle for breakfast…

and it was good and strong!

Oh, for the days gone by…

they were filled with

sweet memories.

 

Fast forward to this day,

I had been reading a recipe for 

brownies

with oats on the bottom

but it wasn’t gluten free….

so there was work to do!

 

What I came up with was not too different

from the original recipe and

it was very good!

My kids loved

them and the

crunchy bottom was

one of the best parts of this brownie!!

Here is the recipe…

Oat Bottom Gluten Free Brownies

 

The Bottom

1/2 Cup Melted Butter

1 Cup Bob’s Red Mill GF Oats

1/2 Cup King Arthur GF Multi Flour

1/2 Cup Florida Crystals Organic Brown Sugar

1/4 tsp Baking Soda

 

Mix the ingredients and cover the bottom of a 9×9 non-stick pan.

Bake for 15 minutes….the bottom will appear liquid but hardens as it cools.

 

Next the brownie …

1/2 Cup Melted Butter

6 Tbsp Hershey’s Cocoa

2 Tbsp Canola Oil

2 Eggs

1/2 Cup Lactaid Milk

2 tsp Vanilla (GF)

 1 1/2 Cups Florida Crystals Organic Sugar

1 1/2 Cups King Arthur GF Multi Flour

1/4 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Guar Gum

 

Beat the ingredients well and pour over the

oat bottom. It may still be a bit soft so you can dollop and

spread the brownie until completely covered.

Bake @ 350* for 25 minutes.

Cool.

Icing…

1/3 Cup Melted Butter

6 Tbsp Hershey’s Cocoa

3 Cups Powdered Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla (GF)

2 Tbsp Lactaid Milk

 

Mix well and spread over cooled brownies.

Eat and enjoy…

Let’s hope Chelsea likes them!

 

The recipe is gluten free and peanut free…..but the oats are processed in a tree nut facility.

As with any recipe ingredient follow up for your own allergy info and

confirm what is current info on that product.

 

Many Blessings to Y’all,

 

Jennifer@gonewiththegluten.com

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in July | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mrs. Rheba’s Apple Turnovers GF

 

Mrs. Rheba’s Apple Turnovers GF

When I was young, Mrs. Rheba Tiner would make fried apple turnovers and share them with our family. Once when she babysat me after school, she made these just for me to make me feel at home. How could I not feel at home….her house was adorned in flowers and ferns. Her hanging baskets were dripping with flowers and never looked dry like mine. Her entire yard was manicured in a park like fashion with a winding walkway through her blooming bushes of azalea’s and lilly’s. Plants bloomed as if she told them to and the flowers wanted to obey. Only a person close to God can grow plants like this or cook like she did…Amen?

Every year I try to grow hanging flowers like hers….even name them after people that I miss dearly in my life. Here  are some past plants of mine which remind me of her….

This year we are in a drought and have way to many allergies to even try….so we dream through pictures of the past.

I made Kate Chan’s croissant dough and rolled it into a log to refrigerate. Then cut the log into equal cookie sized portions. Using powdered sugar to roll out the turnover without sticking to the rolling pin, I rolled it into an oval and dolloped my Aunt Darse’s Apple Butter in the center.  I’m pretty sure all she makes her apple butter with is apples and cinnamon, but will check soon:)  I folded the turnover dough and used a fork to seal the dough just like Mrs. Rheba did in her kitchen.

Now….Mrs. Rheba fried her turnovers and they were so crisp and flaky! I put my turnovers on parchment paper in a cookie sheet then spray with gf oil or butter spray. Then bake at 375* for about 10 minutes or until brown. 

 

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and eat…..Mmmm….almost just like Mrs. Rheba’s! I hope you cook these for someone special and make them feel at home and they will never know they are gluten free…

With love yáll , Jennifer

 

Posted in June | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments