I have been craving brownies for quite awhile. I haven’t had a brownie in…. at least five years? I honestly can’t remember, it might be longer.
I have looked up recipes for gluten-free brownies numerous times, but they usually contain eggs. Searching for an uncomplicated gluten free, corn free, egg free brownie recipe can be a little frustrating. Usually, my desire for brownies wears off as I dig through recipe after recipe with bizarre ingredients.
My goal for gluten free, egg free brownies was that they be simple, fast and contain ingredients I already had on hand (for more easy recipes click here). I personally prefer a more solid brownie. Cake like ones are good too, but I wanted something closer to a cookie, crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside.
Cat had also been wanting brownies, and even offered to make them. I seized the opportunity and dived into a google search. I looked for vegan recipes since they are more likely to have egg-free brownies. I found a recipe that seemed to work for us and made a few modifications. This time we stuck with regular sugar to see how the recipe turned out, but I think we’ll attempt using honey or maple syrup next time.
Although we are not vegan, this recipe can easily be converted to dairy free by using dairy-free substitutes for the butter. Maybe coconut oil or olive oil? Maybe I’ll give both a try to see what happens and get back to you!
The brownies turned out as good as I had hoped. We decided to top them with homemade cream cheese frosting and shredded chocolate flakes. This might be a new family favorite, we gobbled them all up in a few days!
Gluten Free Brownie Cupcake Recipe
Ingredients
1/2 cup softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 large flax eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup gluten-free flour blend
Optional Add-Ins: 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds or chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease muffin pan with butter.
Prepare flax eggs in a small bowl and let rest for 5 minutes.
Place butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and blend until smooth. Stir in the flax egg, vanilla, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt and cocoa powder. Lastly, add the flour, then fold in any mix-ins – chocolate chips or pumpkin seeds.
Scoop batter evenly into muffin tins until 3/4 full and bake on the middle rack for 22-26 minutes, or until the brownies start to pull away from the sides and they spring back slightly to the touch. Be careful not to overcook or they will get crumbly. Remove from oven and let rest in the tin for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely on a plate or cooling rack.
Store in an airtight container to keep fresh for a couple days. Freeze for long-term storage.
Frosting
Ingredients
8 oz cream cheese
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup maple syrup
Instructions
Attach a whisk to your mixer.
Add cream cheese to the mixing bowl.
Blend cream cheese till smooth.
Blend in maple syrup and cream.
Whip on high till mixture is smooth, thick, and begins to separate.
If you have celiac disease or you’re gluten intolerant, you might be on the hunt for the perfect waffle recipe. I might be a bit biased, but these waffles are pretty awesome. They’re light, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.
I love waffles! When we were driving from Minnesota to Florida a few years ago, we saw Waffle House restaurants in every town! We started counting as we went along and there were so many that we eventually lost count and gave up. It just goes to prove, however, that there are waffle lovers everywhere!
I have got to tell you, in the beginning, I failed miserably at recreating bread products. My loaves of bread were soggy and dense and would turn hard as a rock. Yuck. Thankfully I’ve since worked out my bread issues.
I did, however, make a wonderful waffle! Right from the beginning, this waffle recipe was easy and delicious. My waffles turned out fluffy and melt in your mouth good.
Before I took the time to figure out my errors in bread making, I simply made gluten-free, egg-free waffles. I would make a double or quadruple batch and freeze a bunch so I could grab them for snacks. I used them for sandwiches, I used them for dessert. I ate them with hummus. I had no idea waffles could be so versatile!
Please don’t be overwhelmed to actually try bread, but if you are in a pinch for time or need an easy and quick bread, this gluten-free, egg-free waffle just might be the recipe for you.
Do you love to use waffles for everything? What’s your favorite way to eat them? Let me know in the comments!
Recipe
Dry Ingredients
3 1/2 cups gluten-free flour blend
6 TBSP flax
2 TBSP chia seeds (ground or whole)
1/2 tsp pink Himalayan sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
Wet Ingredients
1 cup olive oil
3 1/2 cups coconut milk
Preparation
Add dry ingredients to a large bowl. Blend thoroughly with a whisk. Add wet ingredients and whip until well blended. Preheat waffle iron. Grease with butter or coconut oil. Add 1 cup of the recipe to the waffle iron. Cook on medium-high for 7 minutes. Serve with favorite toppings!
Breakfast Topping Ideas
100% grass-fed butter or ghee
100% pure maple syrup
berries
jam
homemade whipped cream
Our 4 Year Old Caught The Most Fish!
Camping Day 4
The morning started out with a panic attack. Looking back, I can’t remember what caused it. Maybe it was sleeping on a small, uncomfortable air mattress for half the week. Maybe it was having to walk a long way to the bathroom with a child who had to go to the bathroom, again. Maybe it was camping food. Maybe it was lack of creature comforts… and tea. Maybe the kids were being crazy. Maybe the Mister was being impatient. Maybe I was just homesick.
Whatever it was that caused it, I could feel anxiety climbing up me like a bomb about to go off. I was becoming irritable and panicky. Rather than freak out and start screaming like a mad woman, I told my family I was taking a timeout. I went into the tent and laid on the bed facing the window so I could watch the clouds roll by. I breathed deeply and tried to calm my racing mind and the panic that was squeezing me tightly.
When I stop a panic attack before it gets out of hand, it’s easier to calm down. I focus on my breathing. I focus on telling myself it’s ok. I try to minimize things that add to my panic, like noise and activity, and go somewhere quiet to regroup. As I begin to calm, I can start to feel not so trapped and afraid. I was at that point of mellowing out when my family began to peek in at me from the window. They made me smile, and then a laugh chased away the rest of my storm clouds. I was ready to get back to our day.
Nate had rented the boat bright and early that morning before anyone else had gotten up. I packed up a few necessities like simple snacks, water, and wet wipes. Nate prepared everything necessary for fishing. We made sure everyone had one last potty break and drove to the boat area.
When we were packing up the boat, Nate realized he forgot the life jackets and had to go back to the rangers office to pick them up. The kids and I opted to wait by the boat. I thought they could burn off some energy playing before having to sit for a long period of time in the boat.
Once he was back, we put on our vests and set off. The view out on the water was beautiful. I wanted to explore the whole lake, but our motor was slow and battery operated. We didn’t want to get stranded in a far corner and have to row back. The forecast predicted rain, but it was partly sunny and beautiful. The kids wanted to go swimming after fishing was over. With how warm the water was, it sounded like a great idea.
Princess had been wanting to go fishing for many months. While shopping for camping supplies she was always on the lookout for fishing lures. We ended up using worms rather than lures. I was the designated worm attacher, much to my dismay. I felt guilty and sick spearing the little guys with each hook.
Princess caught the first fish. She was thrilled. She fell in love with her fish and insisted we be careful with it. Nate attached it to a rope to save for dinner as I re-wormed her hook. Shortly after, she caught her 2nd fish! Then her third!
We noticed storm clouds heading our way in the distance, so we moved our boat closer to our campsite. In our new spot, Princess caught more fish! After she caught her seventh, Mr. Awesome caught one. Then he got his second and Princess caught her 8th! Nate caught a fish and Mr. Awesome caught his third. We were constantly catching and releasing them! Out of all of those fish, only 2 were big enough to eat. We decided that Princess and I would eat those and the family would eat sandwiches.
While we were fishing, I told the kids a story about my childhood. When I was very little, maybe 3 or 4, we went on a family vacation to Howard Lake. My Grandparents were camping in a cabin nearby. My Grandpa Ray wanted to go fishing and I begged to go with. He relented but I think he was worried I would complain or perhaps scare away the fish if I were naughty.
I was so excited. Grandpa gave me my own fishing pole to use. We each had our own side of the boat. I began to catch fish! Grandpa was laughing and exclaiming his surprise. After catching maybe 5 large fish he teased that perhaps I had the better side of the boat and switched with me. I caught several more fish! He said that maybe I had the better fishing pole and let me continue to fish. If memory serves, I caught 11 large fish that day. I was so happy I made Grandpa smile and be proud of me.
It started to sprinkle so we decided to head back. We decided that we might try fishing more later in the day since the rental was for the entire day. Nate dropped me off at the boat docks so I could drive the van back to the campsite, then he and the kids set out across the lake.
I met them at the docks and we all drove back to our campsite. Since we had relied on fish being our dinner, we decided to get dinner in town for the non-allergy part of the family. Our fish would be a nice corn free dinner for Princess and me.
As we drove to town, we saw a small black bear on a hill on the side of the road. We pulled over to stop and watch for a little bit. I was thrilled, but the rest of the family grew bored quickly. Their growling tummies might have had something to do with it though.
In our haste to leave, I forgot to make sure everyone went to the bathroom. After getting food at Zupp’s Market, Princess insisted she was going to pee her pants so we stopped at a gas station. There, she found a baby loon stuffed animal. Princess is a stuffed animal addict. She must rescue every adorable stuffed animal she finds. Some of the ones we say no to, she sobs for hours after because the poor things are sad and alone and no one will take care of them. I find that letting her carry one or two of her babies everywhere seems to deter her from picking up anymore, but as this was an emergency bathroom break, at a gas station, I was unprepared. So baby loon became the newest member of our family.
We made a trip to Dairy Queen since we felt bad that the kids weren’t able to go swimming. Thankfully they were happy with the trade-off. Princess and I could enjoy our homemade snack bars and gluten-free grilled cheese once we got back to the campsite.
While waiting for Nate to bring out the goodies, I admired the many flower gardens in the parking lot. Someone had taken a lot of time and love to create such a delightful and colorful array of flowers.
Once we were back, we set to making dinner. However, someone stole our fish! They also connected and drained the battery on our boat. The kids tried to catch us some while Nate prepared dinner, but they were only able to get little ones that we released. After dinner, Nate went to get a new battery from the office. Once he got back, he set off in the boat to the main dock. I sat at the edge of the water under an umbrella with the kids for a little bit before heading back to the campsite. I was going to drive around to pick him up and then we would drop off the vests and the battery together.
However, once I got to the van, it was locked, and I realized that Nate had the keys with him. It was getting dark fast. I ran down to get the children from the edge of the lake. I brought them back to the campsite and got them settled in the tent. I told them to stay together at all times and not to leave unless they had to go to the bathroom. I grabbed my lantern and my umbrella and set off on the long walk around the lake. Walking in the dark, in the woods alone, I was a little scared. I had encountered a bear as a child up close and I didn’t want that to happen again. I sang out loud as I walked along to alert any wildlife of my presence. Once I arrived at a dock that was across the lake from the boat launch, I started calling out Nate’s name. I didn’t see him or hear him.
It was pouring heavily. I had three options:
Walk around the lake toward the boat dock in hopes of finding Nate.
Walk up towards the office in hopes that I might find him along the way.
Head back to the children.
I felt like walking around the lake was a waste of time. He didn’t hear me calling, so chances are, he had started to walk back to the office himself. I could go back to the children, but at least I knew they were safe, dry and together in the tent with the other lantern. Nate was out there, alone, in the dark and the cold, heavy rain. I decided to head toward the office. I walked up the trail, stopping at intersections to call out for Nate.
After walking up the long road to the ranger’s office for a way, I saw a man walking toward me. I hoped that it was Nate, but his size was smaller and thinner than Nate’s tall, muscular shape. I paused as he approached me.
“Excuse me, sir, Have you seen another man walking on this road recently?”
“No, I’m sorry. I haven’t seen anyone.”
I thanked him and continued the walk to the office. I could see it’s lights glowing in the distance. Inside was a bright, warm, dry relief. The ranger on duty had seen Nate about 20-30 minutes prior. My heart sank. Nate had probably taken the far road back to the campsite after walking up there with the motor. It was the opposite side of the park that I had been on. I thanked him and took a deep breath before heading back out into the dark. I walked swiftly along the road, the temperature had dropped and the rain that was blown sideways by the wind had gotten my lower half wet. I was tired and chilly, too cold to loudly sing away the bears. I did so anyway, intermittently, in a voice quavering with shivers.
After a while, I noticed headlights approaching in the distance. As they got closer, hope sprang to my lips in a smile. It was our van. Nate had come to rescue me. I happily climbed into the warmth where the heat and seat warmers were already on.
It turns out that after Nate had been waiting a couple minutes, he got bored and put his hands in his pockets, realizing he still had the keys. He groaned and started the long walk with the heavy boat motor. Thankfully, he is strong from his manual labor at his job. He had the same thoughts running through his head that I had, what if I should happen upon a bear? He thought he might kick it in the face. I laughed because Nate taking on a bear with a boat motor and kicking a bear seemed like a not so safe idea. He is tall like Paul Bunyan though, so perhaps it would be enough to scare one away. He had walked the far way home and found the kids. After making sure they were ok, he set out looking for me in the van. He stopped along the lake and intersections as I had for him, calling out my name. We were always on opposite sides of the park. So although I was trying to be the hero, I ended up needing a hero myself. It was a silly situation all around.
Do you go fishing as a family? Who usually catches the most fish?
I have always joked about having a brown thumb instead of a green one. I have good intentions with plants, but I usually kill most of them. My problem was that I watered them too much. For me, caring for a plant equaled watering it. I literally loved them to death.
I did manage to keep hardy plants alive, to my great joy. My brother got me a Philodendron as a gift when I was 13. It’s the only plant that has survived this long.
My parents were great gardeners. As a child, they had a huge garden in our yard. I can remember working with them to weed, pick off pests, gather ripe plants and care for my own little garden plot. And occasionally, they had me get to lawn care and landscaping near me to make the garden more aesthetic-appealing. My favorites were the raspberries bordering 2 sides of the garage and the strawberries.
When I was given my own little corner plot, I planted Shasta daisies, echinacea, and zinnia among a few other flowers. I loved flowers and the butterflies that they drew to our yard. My Mother had flower gardens in raised planters that my Father built all over our property.
After my own children were born, I gave plants a renewed interest. I tried a few easy house plants, a few palms, some morning glories outside during the warm months, hanging petunias or impatiens. I tried peppers many times but they rarely produced peppers and if they did, were never large enough to eat. I’ve overloved and killed many orchids over the years.
With the addition of extreme allergies to my life, I’ve had to learn to grow my own food. Organic food from health food stores is usually incredibly expensive and is not always guaranteed to be corn free. The safest option is home grown because I control all of the factors of what my food is exposed to.
When I first moved to this house, my Mom helped me plant a small outdoor garden. The weeds overtook it to my great frustration. Creeping Charlie choked out most of my plants. I did get some tomatoes and small ears of corn (ironic, right? This was pre-corn allergy.). After that, I gave up planting in the ground. Nate built me a planter around the mulberry tree in the backyard, which I grew flowers and hostas in, for an easy to maintain, decorative garden.
Inside, I grew potted plants. I tried basil by the sink but I ended up overwatering it. My next sink plant was rosemary, which, as it turns out, LOVES being overwatered. In fact, if I don’t water it often, it starts to die. I also grow potted plants on my porch and bring them inside over winter. My theory was, if they die, that’s ok because they would have died if I had left them outside to die by frost. If they live, I have another plant to enjoy.
This last year, my gardening skills have grown, as has the number of plants in and out. I have several plants that live inside year round, Outside, on my porch, my number of potted plants has grown. After installing a critter fence, it was clear that the plants where staying healthier and growing faster. Those pesky critters can really make a dent in most plants. Those interested in the specific fence used, I found it here. I renewed my attempt for ground grown plants. I planted several things around the porch outside and started a new side garden. I’ve also planted raspberries and blueberries along the fence.
I am not an expert gardener. I have, however, turned my brown thumb into a green one with persistence and determination. I’ve never given up. If my plants die, I try again. I do more research. The best way I’ve learned is by experience and trial and error.
I recommend everyone give gardening a try. It is so rewarding. When I eat food from my own garden, I have a great pride and satisfaction that I have never gotten from bought food.
If you are afraid of killing plants, don’t let that deter you! Keep trying! Start with potted plants. Try something easy to maintain, like impatiens, petunias, philodendrons, or palms like I did. Otherwise, try checking out the end of the year plant sales that most greenhouses have. You can usually get plants cheap or for free. Use the mindset that if it dies, at least you tried. Research what you can do differently next time.
Do you care for any plants? What do you grow? Have you also overcome a brown thumb or has gardening come naturally to you?
When I was first learning how to be corn and wheat free, my sister in law made me some amazing gluten-free berry muffins. She was kind enough to share her recipe with me. I’ve modified it a bit since our allergies have evolved. My whole family loves these and we try to always have some on hand.
Thankfully, they are freezer friendly, so we can make double or triple batches, freeze the majority and still have enough left to snack on for a few days. I recommend freezing immediately what you can’t eat and whatever is left eat within one to two days. After 48 hours they lose their flavor and fluffy texture.
The nice thing about this recipe is, you can add whatever fruit you have on hand. We’ve tried many different combos over the years, but my favorite is one my SIL came up with, lemon zest and raspberry. More recently we tried lime juice and blackberries. Sometimes we’ll chop up apples or throw in fresh blueberries. My SIL has also made a delicious peach mango. If you’re craving chocolate, you could always add chocolate chips. For those of you with corn allergies, just adding cocoa powder and a little extra maple syrup is a good alternative to chocolate chips.
I have always loved the top of the muffin. Panera makes amazing pumpkin muffies, which are basically large muffin tops. Since learning about all of my allergies, I’ve always been bummed I can’t drop by for a muffie. I did discover a muffie pan at Target a few years ago and I’ve loved using it for my muffins. I use that and regular muffin tins since I usually make triple or quadruple batches and I need all the pans I can get! My next goal is to replicate the muffie in a gluten-free recipe!
I hope you enjoy these muffins as much as we do! Let me know if you try and enjoy the recipe!
Gluten Free Berry Muffins
Makes 12 regular sized muffins or 6 muffies
Ingredients
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tsp. lemon zest or more — zest from 1 large lemon
1 cup real maple syrup or 1 cup of sugar
1TBSP granulated sugar**
1 egg or egg substitute(I use chia seeds)
1 tsp. vanilla (omit if you don’t have homemade for corn free people)
2 cups gluten-free flour blend (set aside 1/4 cup of this to toss with the berries)
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
2 tsp xanthan gum (I also use chia seeds instead)
1 tsp. sea salt
2 cups fresh berries
½ cup buttermilk*** (or milk alternative, making buttermilk is optional)
** This 1 tablespoon is for sprinkling on top
*** To make homemade buttermilk, place 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup. Fill the cup with milk/milk alternative until it reaches the 1-cup line. Let stand for five minutes. Use only 1/2 cup of the prepared mixture for the recipe.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Cream butter with lemon zest and the cup of the sugar/maple syrup until light and fluffy.
Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, toss the berries with ¼ cup of flour.
Whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.
Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk.
Fold in the berries.
Grease muffin tins with butter. Fill 3/4 full with a spoon.
Sprinkle batter with remaining tablespoon of sugar.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. If necessary, return pan to oven for a couple of more minutes. (Note: Bake up to 10 minutes more depending on climate) Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.
Gluten free strawberry rhubarb crisp bars are one of the best spring and early summer desserts! Strawberries and rhubarb are in season in May and June in Minnesota, so if you’re looking to cook and bake seasonally, this would be a great time to use them!
If you have an abundance of strawberries and rhubarb in your garden, you could always chop them up and put them in ziplock bags in the freezer. Then you can make this later in the season too!
When I saw rhubarb at the farmer’s market this last weekend, I immediately thought of my Grandmother. As a child, I would often snack on rhubarb from her yard. This will be the first year I get my rhubarb from the farmer’s market instead of my Grandparent’s garden, a bittersweet moment.
Last year, my grandparent’s house was sold. This was the place that I grew up in, next to my own home. It was where all of the best childhood memories happened. It was where my Grandparents made me feel like I was someone who mattered.
I know that farmer’s market rhubarb will be just as good as Grandma and Grandpa’s. However, there will be a little part of my heart that will always cry and smile at the same time at any mention of rhubarb.
After I brought the rhubarb home I thought immediately back to my childhood days again. My Father would always make a delicious rhubarb crisp. Unfortunately, my Dad’s recipe was not gluten and oat free. Determined to have one of my favorite childhood desserts, I set about scouring the internet for a decent alternative.
Sadly, I didn’t find any recipe that fit my needs, so I improvised. It turned out great! So great, in fact, that I gobbled up almost the entire thing myself! My kids were not happy with me. Ha!
The next time I make this, I’m going to make 2 at once. Maybe the kids will get a piece or two.
I hope you love my recipe! Let me know if you try it!
Gluten-Free Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp Bars
Serves 12-16 Shortbread Base
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 cup brown sugar or maple syrup
2 cups gluten-free flour mix
Crisp Topping
1/2 cup gluten-free flour mix
3/4 cup brown sugar or maple syrup
1/2 cup almond meal (optional)
6 tbsp unsalted butter(cubed about 1/2 TBSP chunks)
Strawberry Rhubarb Center(Prepared Last)
12 ounces or 2 cups of quartered strawberries
12 ounces or 2 cups of chopped rhubarb
2 tbsp sugar or maple syrup
1/4 cup gluten-free flour mix
Shortbread Base
Preheat over to 325. Grease 9×13 pan, line with parchment paper (optional), grease again. Blend butter and sugar well. Add in flour until smooth. Press dough into a pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven. Increase over to 350.
Crisp Topping
Blend flour, brown sugar, and almond meal. Add butter and mix until crumbly. Chill in refrigerator.
Strawberry Rhubarb Center-Make Last
Chop rhubarb into 1/2 inch pieces. Quarter strawberries. Toss with sugar and flour. Immediately spread over shortbread. Use hands to crumble crisp topping over strawberry rhubarb mixture. Bake for 25 minutes. Turn off oven and allow to remain in oven for additional 5 minutes. Remove from oven to cool. Once the pan is cool, you have two options. 1. Refrigerate for more solid bars to transport and display for a party or 2.Eat immediately if you enjoy them warm! Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!
