Blue Corn Raspberry Muffins, and a Cookbook Giveaway

*NOTE: The giveaway has now ended. Congratulations to the winner, Britt T., of comment #2!

"Mmmm, these muffins are really good, Mommy ... No. They're SUPER-good!" my 5-year-old proclaimed with her first bite at breakfast this morning. I had to agree, as did the rest of the family. The flavor combination in these muffins really explodes in your mouth, and we'll definitely be making them again.

I adapted the recipe from "Corny Raspberry Muffins" out of "The Whole Family Cookbook" by Michelle Stern, founder of What's Cooking With Kids. Do you know Michelle, or know of her? She is one awesome lady. After having her in my Twitter and Facebook world, I had the opportunity to meet her in person at the IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) convention in Austin this summer. Her kindness is genuine, and her passion is contagious.

Which brings me to the giveaway I'm sponsoring in this post. "The Whole Family Cookbook" is not a gluten-free cookbook, but many of the recipes are naturally gluten-free and many others are easily converted to be gluten-free (like this muffin recipe). I like the cookbook so much that I want to share it with one of you.

Michelle makes the recipes friendly for kids aged 2 and up with color-coded steps according to what's appropriate for each age. She celebrates local foods, and healthy meals, in her book. It's a great cookbook for anyone, even if you don't have a family! She has lots of great tips in the book, as well. Details on the giveaway at the end of this post.

I've been wanting to make these muffins for a while, and I'm so glad I finally did it. I've adapted them to be gluten-free with a few other changes. Because muffin batter is fairly forgiving, I decided to go with standard measuring cups for this recipe rather than pull out the scale since I know some of you haven't been convinced of that form of measuring yet. I personally prefer the scale - it's sooo much easier to just dump all the ingredients into one bowl without using various cups! (And I generally get a much better result and crumb by weight than cup.)However, I also meant to weigh how much each cup weighs for those of you who are international or have been converted like I have, and I forgot. I will be making these again, and will note the weight next time and come back to add it.

Projected prep time: 10 minutes; Projected bake time: 20 minutes
Makes approximately 15-16 muffins
(Printable Recipe)

1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup white rice flour (*Note: you can probably just use brown rice. I'm trying it next time.)
1/2 cup blue cornmeal
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1 tbsp. milled flax seed
1/2 cup packed pure brown cane sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 scant tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/4 cups vanilla yogurt
3 tbsp. organic canola oil
Zest of one large lemon
2 large eggs
1 cup fresh raspberries, washed and drained
1/2 tsp. organic pure cane sugar, plus a little extra for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line muffin tin with baking cups or grease tin.

Measure flours, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. This is a good step to be done the night before if making in the morning.

In a separate bowl, mix yogurt and canola oil.

Add lemon zest to dry ingredients.

Lightly beat eggs in a small bowl, and add to yogurt and oil, stirring to combine.

In a small bowl, mix raspberries with 1/2 tsp. of sugar and set aside.

Pour yogurt mixture into dry ingredients and stir just until blended. The batter will immediately begin to rise from the baking soda.

Spoon batter into baking cups or greased muffin tin, then spoon a few raspberries into each cup. Sprinkle a few grains of sugar onto tops of each on the batter.

Am I the only one who has raspberries fall apart after gently washing them?

Bake for 20 minutes, or until muffins bounce back when you touch them gently in the center.

Cool on wire rack.

Enjoy!

*NOTE: The giveaway has now ended. Congratulations to the winner, Britt T., of comment #2!

Giveaway for one copy of "The Whole Family Cookbook" begins today, Thursday, Sept. 1, 2011, and ends Friday, Sept. 9, 2011 at 12:00 p.m. (noon) CST. The giveaway is only open to U.S. residents, I'm sorry. The winner will be picked through the Random Sequence Generator on Random.org.

You are eligible for up to six entries in this giveaway. To enter:

Leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite muffin is (only one comment per person will be counted this way).

Additional entries may be earned by (Edit to say: Each one is an entry if you leave a comment for each letting me know):

1. "Like" Mama Me Gluten Free on Facebook (if you already "like" the blog on facebook, that also counts as an entry), then leave a comment here telling me you have done this.

2. Follow @MamaMeGF on Twitter (if you already follow, that counts as an entry), then leave a comment here telling me you've done this.

3. Share this giveaway and recipe on Twitter: "I want to win The Whole Family Cookbook @MamaMeGF! http://bit.ly/qRweEN " and leave a comment here telling me you've done this.

4. Share this giveaway and recipe on Facebook with a link to this post, and leave a comment here telling me you've done this.

5. Subscribe to Mama Me Gluten Free RSS feed, then leave a comment here telling me you've done this. (Edit to say: If you already subscribe, then that counts too - just leave a comment letting me know!)

You must leave a comment on this post for each of things if you want an entry for each one. Only one comment per item per person will be counted. In other words, if you comment more than one time saying you "like" Mama Me on facebook, only one of those comments will be counted, etc.
*Be sure to leave a contact email if you are posting anonymously!


Good luck! :)

Easy Apple Pecan Morning Cake

My girls started the school year this past Monday - the youngest beginning kindergarten. For the first time in 8.5 years, I'm by myself for most of every day. It's bittersweet. (And I've found myself busier than when they were at home!)

I wanted to make a special breakfast for their first day of school, and remembered an apple-nut coffee cake I made out of the Better Homes and Gardens New Junior Cookbook when I was young. My grandparents gave this cookbook to me for a birthday one year - probably the year it was published, and the stained pages are proof I used it often. I remember the thrill I felt when I opened up my own Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.We still have it, on the girls' very own cookbook shelf.

I knew I wanted to recreate that recipe, gluten-free, and a little healthier. It's really simple, and it's so delicious that I made it not only Monday morning, but again this morning - served with poached eggs each time. Yum. It's been a huge hit with the entire family. My youngest, however, insisted that I call it something other than "coffee cake" because it doesn't contain coffee. I tried explaining why it's called coffee cake, but she wants a different name. So be it.

Projected prep time: 15 minutes; Projected bake time: 30 minutes

(Printable Recipe)

1 cup Pamela's baking and pancake mix

1/8 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tbsp. milled flax seed

1/2 cup packed pure brown cane sugar

1/4 cup organic extra virgin coconut oil

1 large egg

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla

1/2 cup sour cream

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and cut into small pieces

Topping:

1/4 cup packed pure brown cane sugar

 1 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup pecan pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease 8x8 baking pan.

Combine Pamela's mix with salt and flax seed.

Combine sugar and coconut oil in large mixing bowl, mixing well.

Beat in egg and vanilla.

Stir half the dry ingredients into the egg mixture, then add the sour cream. When it's all incorporated, stir in remaining dry ingredients.

Stir in chopped apple. Spread into greased pan.

For topping, combine butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl with a fork or your fingers until crumbly, then add pecans and mix in with fingers.

Sprinkle topping on top of the batter and place in oven.

Bake approximately 30 minutes, or until cake bounces back in center.

Enjoy!

This post is linking up with other cake recipes in a #cakelove Blog Hop!

Papaya Lime Smoothies

Every time I make smoothies, I determine to make them more often. Then I get caught up in other things and I once again forget about my beloved smoothies.

They are such a great way to get some extra nutrients in for breakfast, snack, or any other meal, though, and are so delicious AND simple that I am once again determined to make smoothies a regular part of my diet, and my family's.

There's nothing quite like enjoying a cool smoothie with your breakfast on a hot summer day. A papaya lime smoothie is one of my favorite smoothies, and I easily get addicted to them when I make them several times in a row. These particular smoothies do call for a good amount of sweetener so they are a great dessert as well.

I first started making them a couple of years ago when I got some wonderful fresh papaya in my Harry and David fruit of the month club delivery (I purchase this each year as part of a Christmas present for my family with some of the earnings I make at a local trade fair booth each year). They had included a smoothie recipe with the fruit, and it was delicious.

I have adapted this recipe to make it more nutritious, but the same great flavor is there. I use frozen papaya chunks when I don't have good fresh papaya.

Projected time: 5 minutes. Serves 2
2 cups papaya chunks, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (plain is fine, you just might want to add a little more vanilla)
1/2 cup ice
3 tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 tbsp. organic cane sugar or natural sweetener of choice (use less for some sweeteners)
1/4 tsp. pure vanilla
1/2 cup milk of choice
1 tsp. extra virgin coconut oil
1 tsp. milled flax seed
1 tsp. chia seed (I use Salba)

Blend all ingredients together until smooth. Adjust sweetener and flavor, and possibly ice, as you desire.

Enjoy!

Here are some other smoothies to try from a couple of other foodie friends:
Aggie's Green Smoothies
Kristen's Nutrient Packed Smoothies

What are your favorite smoothie flavors? Do you like to add vegetables to yours? That's something I'm trying to do - spinach, kale etc. with berries. Share with us!

White Zucchini Pizza

If you're in need of a quick but delicious dinner, this is for you. Originally, before we were GF, I made a pizza very similar to this using Rachel Ray's 365: No Repeats cookbook recipe. Since going GF, however, I've changed it up some to be a little faster to make (for me, anyway), and of course, without the gluten.

Projected prep time: 15-20 minutes; Projected bake time: 20-25 minutes
2 O'Doughs flax pizza crusts
2 zucchini, washed and cut into sticks a few inches long
15 oz. ricotta
5-6 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
Shredded mozzarella or Colby-Jack cheese
Grapeseed oil
Sea salt
Black pepper

Sautee zucchini in some grapeseed oil until tender. Season with sea salt and black pepper to taste halfway through the cooking, then taste again at the end.

While the zucchini is cooking, prebake your pizza crusts for 5 minutes. (And if you haven't discovered O'Doughs yet, you're missing out. They make the best hamburger buns, and I'm so pleased with the versatility and taste of these crusts!)

And mix your ricotta and pressed garlic together really well.

Spread onto heated crusts ...

Return to oven for about 5 minutes.

Now a note on the shredded cheese. I have always used mozzarella in this recipe. When I made this the other night, to my dismay, I was out of mozzarella (which I've now restocked in both shredded and fresh form!) but had plenty of Colby-Jack. Groaning, I looked at the clock. It was too late to go to the store and have supper on the table at a decent time. Mumbling to my husband that I'd have to use Colby-Jack and it wouldn't taste as good, I reluctantly sprinkled (you need to generously sprinkle your shredded cheese) the orange and white mixture over the ricotta/garlic.

Return to oven for about 5-10 minutes, until it's all melted well.

Top with the zucchinin and bake one more time, 5-10 minutes until it's all heated really well.

And the Colby-Jack cheese on top? I'm glad I was out of mozzarella. It was fabulous. But you choose the cheese you prefer.

Serve with salad

Delish!

Bananatella Cream Bites

These mini-muffins are amazing!

 I had inspiration the other day when I was making banana bread. I love nutella and bananas together, especially when they are hot. Yum. I started thinking of a way to combine this with banana bread, and while I'm sure you could use this filling in the middle of banana bread (which I plan on trying!), I wanted it in something bite-sized. Like mini-muffins.

I just wasn't sure what to mix it with to get the right texture. Ricotta? Nutella and ricotta together is amazing, and I love desserts with this, but it's not the texture I wanted. Eggs? I wasn't sure if that would bake exactly how I wanted it to. Cream cheese? Hmmmm ...

Projected prep time: 10 minutes; Projected bake time: Approximately 18 minutes.
*Note: I actually can't remember the exact bake time because I was baking different things in the oven at the same time and forgot to write it down. I know I checked at 15 minutes and felt like they needed longer, so I turned them around and reset the timer. I was also doing this for the other items. I may have taken them out three minutes later, maybe five, maybe more. I wish I could tell you. Next time I make them, I'll keep a better record and come back and edit this.
This is the same list of ingredients for my banana bread, minus the Salba seed. My banana bread is dairy-free, soy-free but these aren't because of the nutella, but feel free to make your own chocolate hazelnut spread and try these!
Muffins:
1/4 c. expeller-pressed extra-virgin coconut oil (see this recipe on why)
1 tsp. sea salt
1 c. organic sugar
2 eggs
3/4 c. white rice flour
3/4 c. brown rice flour
1/4 tsp. gluten-free, aluminum-free baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda (see this recipe on how I measure baking soda)
4 bananas (very ripe), beaten creamy
3 heaping tsp. milled flax seed (optional, but why not?)
Filling:
1/3 c. nutella
1/3 c. cream cheese

Add salt to oil and gradually add sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour together with soda, baking powder and milled flax seed. Mash bananas and add alternately with dry ingredients until all is well-mixed.

Mix nutella and cream cheese together.

Very well ...

And then take a little spoonful of it to taste it. Oh my yum.

Have ready a mini-muffin tin (or you could do big muffins, might need to adjust filling amount) lined with baking cups and put a dollop of batter into each cup.

Add a little nutella/cream cheese filling

And another dollop of batter

Bake at 350 degrees the appropriate amount of time (see note above). They are done when they bounce back after lightly pressing on them. To be sure, insert a toothpick into the muffin on the side where the filling isn't and see if it comes out clean.

Move to wire rack to cool

Serve them while they are still warm.

Enjoy every bite!

Banana Bread

Banana bread with melted butter

This is the very first recipe I converted to be gluten-free. It was actually before we were gluten-free -- my father-in-law was diagnosed with celiac disease before my husband and the subsequent testing that led to our daughters and myself going gluten-free, so I originally made this for him.

My entire life, my favorite banana bread recipe has been the one out of Cooking Down East; it's the one my mom has always used and I followed, then adapted a little to be dairy-free for a daughter's former preschool classmate (and kept it that way b/c we liked it so much!). It's the one I've adapted even more to be gluten-free, and everyone loves it. I hope you do, too!

Projected prep time: 10 minutes; Projected bake time: 1 hour, maybe more
1/4 c. expeller-pressed extra virgin coconut oil
1 tsp. sea salt
1 c. organic sugar
2 eggs
3/4 c. white rice flour
3/4 c. brown rice flour
1/4 tsp. gluten-free, aluminum-free baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda (see note)
4 bananas (very ripe), beaten creamy with fork and/or masher
3 heaping tsp. milled flax seed (optional, but why not do it?)
3 tsp. Salba seed (optional, but why not try it? It gives a great little crunch and texture!)
No nuts in this recipe, but you can add a cup of chopped nuts of your preference if you desire.

A note on the baking soda: I always level it out on the spoon and then take a little pinch out like I show here. I also put it in my hand first and make sure there are no clumps.

Coconut oil is a great butter replacement in this recipe. It is so healthy, and you can't really taste the coconut flavor with this particular recipe. My husband doesn't care for a coconut taste in a lot of things, but he loves this bread. If you've never baked or cooked with it, it's an oil that will be solid at certain temperatures and then change to liquid as it heats up. You can see it's solid as I start this recipe:

Add salt to the oil, and add sugar gradually while beating. The coconut oil will probably have little lumps remain that you can't cream out and may even be visible in the batter. It's okay. It will melt into the rest of the batter when it bakes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Sift flour together with soda, baking powder and milled flax seed.

Mash bananas and add alternately with dry ingredients to the egg/oil mixture. After it's all mixed together, add your Salba seeds gradually while continuing to mix.

Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for an hour or longer. Check at an hour and you may need to continue baking for another 10-15 minutes or so. It's done when knife in center comes out clean. I like to spread some butter on top of the loaf right out of the oven.

Enjoy!

I made a mini-loaf in this photo because I was making these bananatella cream bites with the batter, as well (minus the Salba in those)!

Mama Me's Pancakes

We love pancakes in this house, and they are usually made at least once a week. Before we went GF, I made the pancake recipe out of the Joy of Cooking, with some alterations. It's the recipe my mom and dad used every Saturday morning while I was growing up -- usually with plenty of batter left to refrigerate and have for supper on Sunday night -- and I loved them, so why change it?

After we went GF, I had quite a time figuring out how to replicate something as simple as pancakes with the recipe I loved. No matter what flour blend I tried, it just didn't quite make the cut. It was either too grainy, too slimy, too puffy, too dry, too whatever, you name it. I tried lots of different blends and flours by themselves but they just didn't taste the same. I hadn't ever cared too much for pancakes from a mix before, unless I added more stuff to them than called for, but that's what finally happened here. I can tell you, too, that the whole family loves them and so does everyone else who has tried them.

First, let me introduce you to three products in this recipe:

Let's zoom out of that shot so you can see the different flours that I bake with at any given time:

Of course, they don't sit on the bar all the time. Most of them are stored in the refrigerator, with a few in the freezer and a small handful in the pantry. I just took them out so you could see all the fun. There were still a couple of homemade flour blends in the fridge, and a few bags of flour types in the freezer that I use less often.

This is basically the recipe on the back of Pamela's Baking & Pancake mix, but it has a few changes as you can see if you compare them.


Projected prep time: 5 minutes; Projected cook time: As long as it takes, not too long
1 level c. Pamela's Baking & Pancake mix
1 tbsp. canola oil or grapeseed oil
2 large eggs
3/4 c. milk (or more depending on what all you add to it and how thick it seems to you, it may need thinning just a little)
2 tsp. Salba seed (optional, but try it!)
2 heaping tsp. milled flax seed (optional, but why wouldn't you?)
Blueberries
Syrup or whatever topping you want
(Note that I change this up all the time. Sometimes I make it with mashed bananas and chocolate chips. Sometimes I make it thinner, adding more milk and omitting the Salba seed, and top them with Nutella and sliced bananas, and fold them over. Another favorite is topping with strawberries and whipped cream. Do what you want!)

Mix your ingredients together and pour pancakes onto a preheated griddle or pan. You know the drill.

When I do blueberries or chocolate chips, I put them in a little bowl next to the griddle and drop a few on top of the batter after it's poured. They don't clump in the batter that way.

Top with some butter and your favorite toppings. These are topped with maple syrup (organic, Grade B -- more nutritious!).

I use up all my batter at one time. If there are pancakes left over (there usually are because I double, sometime triple the recipe) then I refrigerate them and reheat within a few days (they're usually gone the next day). Have a great weekend, everyone, and enjoy some pancakes!