Apple Spice Cake

They say that necessity is the mother of invention and I would agree. All of my recipes have been developed to provide for the dietary needs of my family. And, today, you are in for a treat! My Apple Spice Cake recipe was created so that I could send my daughter to a birthday party with her own yummy dessert. It is so hard on kids with dietary restrictions to be surrounded by those who can eat whatever they want, especially at parties. This Apple Spice Cake is perfect for autumn and is full of wonderful flavor. Your child won't feel left out at all when she gets her special piece of cake at the party!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup sugar
3/4 vegetable oil
1 t vanilla extract
8 oz. applesauce
4 eggs
2 cups gluten-free flour blend
2 t cream of tartar
2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
2 t cinnamon
2 t ginger
1 t nutmeg
1 t cloves
1 medium apple, diced

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 11 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray.

Sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.

Combine sugar and oil in a large mixing bowl. Blend in vanilla and applesauce then add eggs. Gradually add in flour mixture. Stir in diced apple and pour into prepared baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 minutes. Cool before serving.

Potato Soup with a Kick!

This nourishing soup is ideal for a cool, wet fall day. It's creamy warmth with a hint of jalapeno will take will the chill off in no time. It's also easy to make and not too spicy for little ones. : )

Ingredients
6 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 large garlic clove
1 medium jalapeno, seeded
3 cups vegetable broth
5 cups water
1 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 T dried minced onion
1 T dried parsley
dash nutmeg

Directions
Place all in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and puree using a hand-held or standard blender. Return to stove until ready to serve.

Chocolate Chip Nut Tart

I was craving an after-dinner treat and came up with this sweet dessert. It has a light flaky crust and a gooey topping of chocolate, walnuts and coconut. I couldn't wait for it to cool when it came out of the oven so it fell apart as I was eating it. But I didn't care. It was that good!

Ingredients

1 cup gluten-free flour blend
2 T coconut oil
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup flaked coconut

Directions
Mix flour, coconut oil, egg, and sugar until well-blended. Press into ungreased pie dish. Evenly place chocolate chips, walnuts, and coconut on top of crust and lightly press into crust. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool completely. Cut into wedges. Makes 4-6 servings.

Perfect Spelt Bread

If you haven't tried spelt bread then you are in for a treat! Spelt is an ancient grain and is full of nutrients like manganese, protein, and fiber. It has a delicious flavor that is hard to resist!

A note of caution: If you are just venturing in to the gluten-free world you need to know that spelt is considered a "gluten-grain" by some along with oats, barley, rye, and wheat. However, spelt is tolerated well by many people who avoid wheat so you may want to experiment with it.

Note: This recipe calls for a bread machine.

Ingredients
3/4 cup original coconut milk (carton)
1 T sugar
1 t active dry yeast
1 T canola oil
2 cups spelt flour
1/2 t salt

Directions
1) Proof the yeast. Wait! Don't let this step stop you. Proofing the yeast is essential in bread-making (and a fun science experiment too!) Warm the milk on the stove top or in the microwave. Add sugar and stir it until it is dissolved. Then add the yeast. The yeast will feed on the sugar and small bubbles will appear on the surface of the milk. This shows that the yeast is ready to do its job in making a delicious loaf of bread. Let the yeast mixture sit for 5-6 minutes then pour it into the baking pan of your bread machine.

2) Add the canola oil, flour, and salt in that order. Do not let the salt come in contact with the yeast mixture just yet as it can hinder it's growth.

3) Choose Basic Bread Course, Light Crust on your machine and let the bread machine do its thing. On my machine this takes about 3 hours, 50 minutes.

4) When baking is complete, remove the pan from the machine and the bread from the baking pan (and try not to eat the entire loaf at once!)

Yield: 1 (1 lb.) loaf of delicious bread

This recipe may be doubled to yield a 2 lb. loaf of bread.

Healthy Lemon Muffins

It's that time of year again. School and all of it's associated activities are in full-swing and I'm sure most of you are as busy as I am! So here's a little treat to keep you healthy and happy: Lemon Muffins. They are filled with omega-3 essential fatty acids, antioxidants, and fiber...and they taste great!

Ingredients
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup ground flaxseed meal
1/2 cup coarsely ground oat flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t cream of tartar
1/2 t salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 T margarine or butter, softened
1 t vanilla
1/2 t grated lemon rind
1/4 cup lemon juice

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine flours, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, lemon rind, and lemon juice. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until smooth.

Spoon muffin batter into muffin tin. Bake at 350 degrees F for 18-20 minutes. Cool and serve.

Quick Chocolate Glaze

It's somebody's birthday and she wanted an ice cream cake. I used a gluten-free boxed mix for the top and bottom layers (chocolate) and Breyer's Neopolitan ice cream for the middle layer. Once I had the cake assembled I was in a quandry about the frosting. So I threw together this Quick Chocolate Glaze and - voila! - the cake was properly finished. It is sitting in my freezer just begging for a sliver to be cut out for tasting. No one would notice, right? Right? Okay, maybe one little person would notice. Alright, I'll keep my paws off...for now!

Ingredients
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 T cocoa powder

Directions
Heat milk and chocolate chips in a small saucepan on low heat, stirring constantly. When the chocolate is melted, stir in cocoa powder until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool for 5-7 minutes.

Pour all glaze on top of cake. (I used a 9-inch round cake.)

Using the back of a spoon, spread glaze evenly over surface of cake, allowing some to drizzle down the sides.

Refrigerate to cool.

Cherry Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

This is my new favorite dessert. My daughter thinks I could sell it - it's that good! It tastes like a decadent treat, full of creamy flavor and bits of chocolate. Cherries are a terrific source of Vitamin C and antioxidants. Plus, they are naturally sweet. This is one you don't want to miss. Don't forget to leave a comment to let me know how you liked it!

Ingredients
1 cup frozen dark red pitted cherries
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
1 T mini semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
In a high-powered blender, mix frozen cherries and vanilla almond milk until partially smooth. Add chocolate chips and mix for 10-20 seconds more. Serve immediately. Makes 1 serving with 215 calories