No Oodles–or is it just NoOodles? I see them and I think the NooOOOooo stands out the most. However, being a brave soldier of healthy food tasting I decided to pick up a few packages to give them a go.

I am writing this blog post BEFORE I prepare anything to ask you readers if you have tried them–what have you done with them?

Here is a link if you have nooOooo idea what I am talking about:

NoOodles

What is NoOodle?™

As we all know, pasta and noodles are made of starch, so they have calories. But there is an exception – NoOodle™ is made from high-fiber yam flour and water. As you are most probably aware, soluble fiber and water have no calories, thus NoOodle™ is entirely devoid of calories. NoOodle™ is the healthy alternative.

I am lucky enough to be very good friends with Christine Maxwell the  owner and creator of “Sweetly Stuffed-Gluten Free Confections out of Milford NH”. This mother’s Day weekend I joined her family for a BBQ and she thrilled my daughter and I with a large assortment of her treats for us to try–and better yet to share with you all!  here is her wonderful recipe for cinnamon rolls. Her dough texture is alarmingly good– saying something like “you won’t know it is gluten free” is far too simplistic a comment to make about the texture and flavor of the dough. I was super impressed with the entire pastry from the spiced lemon glaze to the warmth of the cinnamon roll that is left in your soul after you eat it!  She has so many more recipes and food ideas, it is shocking people are not banging down her door asking for her foods!

Please allow me to share with you the genius behind this–before she decides to make it illegal to share!

This is a guest recipe by Christine Maxwell, if you would like more information about Sweetly Stuffed -Gluten Free Confections please email

sweetlystuffed@gmail.com

This recipe works best when using a kitchen aide mixer with the dough hook attachment or a similar type mixer.
Step 1: Layer the following ingredients in mixing bowl
1/3 c. olive oil
1 egg
*3 c. Sweetly Stuffed Yeast Dough flour blend (see below for flour blend mixture)
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda

Step 2: In another mixing bowl whisk together the following ingredients and set aside
3/4 c. GF powdered milk
1/3 c. white granulated sugar

Step 3: In liquid measuring cup combine the following ingredients and set aside
1/2 c. warm water for proofing yeast (100-115 degrees)
1 Tbls. brown sugar dissolved in the water
1 packet quick acting yeast

Step 4: measure out the following ingredient and set aside
1/2 c. GF beer or soda water (room temperature)

Directions:
Mix Step 1 ingredients until dough forms small pea sized pellets.
Gradually add the ingredients from Step 2 into the Step 1 mixing bowl until thoroughly incorporated.
Now gradually add the ingredients from Step 3 into the mixing bowl from Steps 1 & 2 and allow mixer to knead the dough until a ball is formed on the dough hook.
Gradually add the 1/2 c. GF beer or soda water and knead on high speed until dough is a tacky very thick cake like consistency.

Spray a rubber spatula and a large metal bowl with non-stick spray and spoon into dough into the metal bowl…cover and let rise in a warm environment anywhere from 40 min. -1 hour.

Freeze or refrigerate dough for later use or use in your recipe right away.

For cinnamon rolls…
Divide the dough in 2
Roll out dough onto a well floured surface until it is about 1/4″ thick
Spread the **cinnamon mixture (see below) evenly over dough and roll into a log.
Cut log into 1″ thick slices for 8 cinnamon rolls.
Spray baking pan with non stick spray and place rolls in pan leaving about 1/2″ space between them.
Brush with an egg white wash
Bake in oven at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Let cool, then ***frost (see below)

Or for later use, before baking, freeze them in the pan and once frozen transfer them to a zipper freezer bag.

To bake frozen cinnamon rolls:
Arrange frozen rolls in baking pan and place in the oven at 375 degrees. (no need to thaw or preheat oven.)

**Cinnamon mixture:
1/4 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
4 tsp. cinnamon

***Icing:
Cream together 1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened & 1 (or 8 oz) block cream cheese, softened
gradually add 1 c. confectioner sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla extract & 2 tsp. lemon extract

For convenience GF baking I mix giant batches of my flour blends ahead of time and store them in giant plastic zipper bags in fridge, that way I only have to measure as if were typical baking…

*Sweetly Stuffed’s Yeast Dough Flour Blend mix:
1 1/4 tsp. dough enhancer
1/4 c. arrowroot flour
1 c. tapioca flour
1 c. sourghum flour
1 c. white rice flour
1 c. sweet rice flour
1 c. Gluten Free Pantry French bread mix
1 pkg or 3.4 oz. van instant pudding (just make sure it is GF by contacting the manufacturer)
6 tsp. xantham gum

whisk until well blended. Should equal approximately 6 cups for doubling the above recipe.

Looking for more gluten free feasts? Check out Gluten free Wednesdays from Gluten free Homemaker!

Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Buns
serves 12
1 batch of raw GF bread dough + 1 tsp cinnamon added to the dough & 2 tsp vanilla
2 apples washed and chopped
2 tsp vanilla
1 tbls Agave Nectar
1 tsp salt
Topping- 8 ounces Greek yogurt I used no fat vanilla.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees slightly grease a baking dish–I used butter as really it is a scant amount but does add a flavor to the finished product. Add diced apples, cinnamon,vanilla, agave nectar, salt and cinnamon to a bowl and mix. The salt really allows the apples to “sweat it out” and adds a unique twist to the bun when finished. Since this is a lower in fat (naturally) as well as low in sugar recipe–the salt balances out what your taste buds may otherwise feel is missing.Set apples aside. Fill a 1/4 measuring cup about 2/3 full with the bread dough and place in your baking pan–repeat to make sure you have 12 even sized raw lumps of dough.

Next wet a wooden spoon and press out a center for the apples to be placed in the buns. The wet spoon prevents the batter from adhering to the spoon and smooths the dough out perfectly.

After the bread “bowl” is created you want to fill it with the apple mix. After filling all 12 buns you want to cover this and set in a warm area and allow to rise till about double in size–this takes about 45 minutes. I just cover mine and set them on the stove top while the oven preheats. Of course since it takes so long to rise–feel free to toss some potatoes into the oven to bake for your meals later in the day!

You can see here how much the dough has risen–air pockets can be seen and the dough has a “puffy” look to it. Perfect! Go ahead now and place these in the oven and bake for 50 minutes or until they are golden brown on the tops and edges.

These were served with warm so the vanilla yogurt really just melted and filled all the crevices. The apples were caramel like in texture and really flavor filled!

Calories Per Bun- 170
Carbohydrates- 36
Fiber-6 grams
Fat-6 grams
Protein- 2 grams

Other Good Ideas:
–bake large batches for bake sales and to bring to holiday events
–double the batch and freeze half of them so you can pop them in the oven without waiting for all the work to be done.
–try pumpkin filling instead of apples

Just for kicks there are 309 calories in a traditional cinnamon bun with 13 grams of fat, 42 grams of carbs with 2 grams fiber, and 5 grams protein. So we just about halved the calories and added in some more fiber and less fat and carbohydrates.

I wanted to make something by using what I had in the pantry and freezer. I hadn’t had edamame in a while so it turned up in an easy salad.

Edamame corn salad
1 c Organic frozen corn- cook by following directions on bag and let cool
1 c Organic edamame- cook just like the corn and let cool
½ c diced carrots
1 T soy sauce
4 drops sesame oil
1 T flax or olive oil
1 T toasted sesame seeds
2 T rice wine vinegar
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Combine everything together in a small bowl and enjoy.

Other ideas: onion, scallions or bell peppers would be great in here.

Cheers,

Jamie

This recipe is part of Real Food Wednesday–check out more real food tips and ideas by visiting the blog carnival!

It is June here in New England but the weather has been reflecting cool autumn days rather than the hints of summer heat. Rather than actually turn on the heat in June I decided to do some baking. I was rewarded with the reminder that baking is wholesome and that the scent of cinnamon and pumpkin is as soothing as the summer nights. Keeping with the trend in here of baked goods being gluten free i decided to look around at some bread recipes and see what I came up with. I am very pleased with the results–even the husband and kids asked for more–MORE–MORE!

You can see in the image that the bread has a delicate texture with plenty of air holes resulting from the chemistry of ingredients melding to form the goodness that was this bread.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread
(serves 30 because I made 2 big loaves)
1 1/2 cups Rice Flour
3/4 cup Tapioca Starch
3/4 cup Potato Starch
1 tsp Cinnamon
3 tsp Xantham Gum
2 tsp Baking Soda
1 cup cream ( I used this instead of oil-you can use soy milk even!)
1/2 cup Agave Syrup
4 whole eggs
2 cups pureed Pumpkin

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly oilk 2 loaf pans then dust them with flour to prevent sticking. Mix dry ingredients together and set aside. In a mixing bowl add all the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly. Slowly add dry mixture to the wet mixture–I did this 1/2 cup at a time to ensure even blending. Split batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake for 60 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pans. Allow to fully cool before slicing.

Calories Per Serving-140
Carbohydrates- 24 grams
Protein- 2 grams
Fats- 4 grams

Other Good Ideas-
You can serve this with some Greek Yogurt spread over the top.
Great for toast!

Gluten Free Brownie Bites
Serves 12

1 cup White Rice Flour
1/2 cup Tapioca Flour
1 cup Sucanat
1/2 cup Cocoa Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
Few Dashes of Salt
2 Whole Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 teaspoons Almond Extract
4 tablespoons Water

Preheat over to 350 degrees. In a stand mixer om medium speed add the eggs,vanilla, almond extract and sugar until well blended,slowly add in cocoa powder. Mix in rice flour, tapioca flour, baking soda and salt. Continue to blend on medium speed adding in the water slowly until a rich fudge like texture is formed. It is important to note that when you use Sucanat as a sweetener you need to allow time for the sugar to mix in with the liquids.
Add to a non-stick 9 inch cake pan and bake for 25 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.
Frost with 1 tablespoon Ricemellow cream and dust with cinnamon.

Calories Per Serving-140
Carbohydrates – 25 grams
Fat-1 gram
Protein- 2 grams