Orange and Date Dessert --Gluten-free

This combination makes a sweet and light dessert, perfect for a winter dinner or as a side dish. Serve it as a salad with lunch or brunch. If you don’t have dates you may substitute with other dried fruit.

Serves 8

6 large navel oranges, skinned and cut into bite sized pieces

8 large dried dates – pitted and sliced

½ cup almonds (substitute walnuts, pecans, Macadamia nuts, or hazelnuts)

6 fresh mint leaves cut into slivers

½ cup dried cranberries

Layer and arrange cut oranges, dates, almonds, cranberries, and mint onto a platter or shallow bowl.

The original recipe came from THE ESSENTIAL MEDITERRANEAN COOKBOOK (Murdoch Books, Sydney, Australia) 2001

Morning Glory Muffins - Gluten-free

These muffins are sweet and still have several redeeming qualities in that they contain carrots, apples, nuts, raisins, eggs, and fiber. With so much flavor they don't need butter or jelly.

Sift:

1 cup gluten-free oat flour

½ cup corn flour (use quinoa or almond flour for more protein)

½  cup tapioca flour

2/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

sprinkle of salt

If you want, add ½ teaspoon Xanthan Gum (optional).  I don’t like the taste of this item so I tend to leave it out and use tapioca flour to help bind the ingredients together.

Combine:

2 cups grated carrots

1 apple cored, peeled, & chopped

1 cup dried cranberries or raisins

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

3 eggs

½ cup apple or pumpkin butter (gluten-free)

¼ cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pre-heat oven to 375° F & spray 18 muffin cups with cooking oil. I use a tray of 12 muffin cups and a tray of 12 small muffin cups so I have some little muffins for a small quick snack.

Sift the flours and other dry ingredients into a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, apple butter, canola oil, and vanilla.

Add the flour mixture and mix until moistened. Then add the carrots, apples, dried fruit, and walnuts and stir until well mixed.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until browned on top and toothpick inserted in middle comes out dry. Cool for ten minutes and then remove from pan.

Pumpkin Walnut Cheesecake -- Gluten-free

This Pumpkin Walnut Cheesecake -- Gluten-free -- is a variation on a recipe that came from an in-law about 40 years ago and I have changed it to make it gluten-free.  I wanted to rename it “Decadent Cheesecake with Pumpkin and Walnuts” because nothing in it is low fat. However, it has some redeeming values – calcium from the cream cheese, Vitamin A from the pumpkin, and Omega-3s from the walnuts. It’s a perfect recipe for a crowd.

Crust

2 cups chopped walnuts divided (reserve 1 cup for topping)

½ cup butter (1 stick)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Chop nuts in a food processor. Combine with remaining ingredients and chop with a pastry cutter or two knives in a medium bowl until mixture reaches a consistency of crumbs.

Press into a greased 10" spring-form pan. Wrap some foil around the bottom of the spring-form pan to prevent some of the butter in the crust from oozing out onto your oven. Or place it on a cookie sheet.

Filling

6 egg yolks

6 egg whites

2 lbs. cream cheese

1 ½ cups pumpkin puree, fresh cooked or canned

1 cup sugar

With an electric mixer beat the egg yolks and cream cheese adding small pieces at a time until smooth. Add pumpkin and sugar and beat until well mixed. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Fold egg whites into the cheese mixture.

Pour into spring-form pan on top of walnut crust.

Bake at 350° F for 1 ½ hours or until filling is set.  A toothpick inserted into the middle of the cheesecake should come out dry when it is done. You may have to place a piece of foil lightly over the top of the pan to keep it from browning too much while baking, or bake on a lower shelf of the oven. Let cool before covering with walnut topping.

Topping

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons water

4 teaspoons cornstarch

½ cup brown sugar

1 ½ cup walnuts (halves and pieces)

Combine water and cornstarch & stir in a small cup. Melt butter in small sauce pan over low heat, stir in water, cornstarch, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, for about 3 – 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Stir in walnuts and let cool. Spread on top of cooled cheesecake.

Banana Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins -- Gluten-free

These are a family favorite with the sweet flavors of blueberries and bananas making up for reduced sugar. The original recipe called for a cup of sugar.

The bananas, eggs and tapioca starch in these muffins help bind the flours together. I find Xanthan gum has a strange taste, so I avoid using it when possible.

Spray or grease the bottom a muffin tin (12). Preheat oven to 400° F.

Recipe

½ cup coconut oil, melted & cooled slightly

½ cup sugar (You may reduce to 1/3 cup or use honey)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (gluten-free)

¾ cup buttermilk, or other milk

In a large bowl, whisk the sugar and coconut oil with a fork, add eggs and whisk until slightly frothy.  Add vanilla and milk and whisk until well-combined.

Mix or sift in medium bowl:

1 cup oat flour (gluten-free)

½ cup coconut or sorghum flour

½ cup tapioca starch

½ cup corn flour or brown rice flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

Add flours to wet ingredients.

Mash 2 soft bananas and stir gently into batter. Wash & dry 2 cups of fresh blueberries or use frozen. Gently fold into mixture.

Spoon into muffin tins, and bake at 400° F for 20 – 30 minutes or until well browned on top. Let cool for 15 minutes then remove from tins with a thin spatula.

My Mother's Jello Salad -- Gluten-free

I think Jello salads went out with wired telephones.* Both are still great.  Remember the lime green Jello salad with mini-marshmallows that inevitably showed up at pot luck suppers? It was like dessert.

This recipe is not quite as decadent and it has plenty of redeeming qualities with the carrots, nuts and fruit.

In a large bowl, combine and stir for 2 minutes:

1  4 oz. package of Jello with 1 cup boiling water

Add 1 cup cold water, stir, and let cool in refrigerator about 1 hour until Jello begins to set.

To the Jello, add and gently stir until combined:

2 cups grated or finely chopped carrots (about 2 medium sized carrots)

6 oz. can of crushed pineapple, well drained (Do not use fresh or frozen pineapple as the Jello will not set).

12 oz can of Mandarin oranges well drained

½ - ¾ cup chopped walnuts

You can add other ingredients, but make sure to read the instructions on the package that tell what items will prevent the Jello from setting up.

A few of my favorites add-ins or substitutions are fresh, chopped apples, cranberries, and celery.

Return to the refrigerator for two hours until set. Serves 6 - 8

* Wired telephones have a sound quality that is superior to the wireless phones of today.

Fourth of July Berry and Meringue Dessert -- Gluten-free

This is a festive and  delicious dessert with some redeeming nutritional value. Enjoy!

Preheat oven to 225° F

5 egg whites, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

To make the meringue:

Beat the egg whites until frothy, add the salt and cream of tartar, sugar, vanilla and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Batter will be glossy.

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Drop by spoon onto waxed paper. Makes eight to ten meringues.

Bake for 1 hour. Turn oven off and let cool in oven for about 15 to 30 minutes.. Remove meringues gently while they are still warm. Allow to cool to room temperature. Store in an air tight tin until ready to use.

Wash and cut up 1 quart of strawberries, and one pint of blueberries. Place one meringue on a plate or in a bowl. Spoon strawberries around the base of the meringue, Add blueberries, and top with whipped cream. Cabot makes a gluten-free whipped cream.

Serves about 8.

Apple Baked Oatmeal -- Gluten-free

It's apple picking season!  This Gluten-free Apple Baked Oatmeal can be eaten for breakfast, as a hearty snack, or even as dessert when served with vanilla ice cream.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1/3 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2  tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

2 1/2 cups gluten-free oats

3 apples, peeled and diced

1 1/4 cup milk

Optional: add ½ cup raisins or nuts like pecans or walnuts

In a large microwave safe mixing bowl, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, baking powder and salt and mix well.

Fold in the oats and apples.  Add raisins and nuts, if desired.

Stir in the milk.

Pour into a greased 11 x 7 baking dish and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until firm and golden on top.

Serve warm.

Pumpkin Kuchen -- Gluten-free

This recipe was adapted from our Blueberry Kuchen recipe and, in our opinion, is the best alternative to pumpkin pie for those on a gluten-free diet.

Combine in a medium-large bowl with a pastry cutter until it has the consistency of large crumbs:

1 stick butter (use coconut oil as an alternative)

3/4 cup oat flour (237 ml)

½ cup coconut flour (118 ml)

¼ cup tapioca flour (59 ml)

Sprinkle of salt

Pour into an 8 x 8 inch greased baking pan (or a similar size configuration). You can use a spring-form pan, but make sure to place it inside another pan when you bake it.

Pat it down until it is evenly pressed into the pan.

Mix in an electric mixer or beat vigorously by hand:

1 15 – 16 oz. can pumpkin (about 450 ml)

1 14 oz. can condensed milk  (about 415 ml)

2 eggs

½ Teaspoon of Cinnamon (.2 ml)

½ teaspoon ground ginger (.1 ml)

¼ teaspoon nutmeg (.05 ml)

1/8 teaspoon salt (.025 ml)

2 tablespoons molasses (optional) (.07 ml)

Pour into pan on top of flour mixture and spread evenly.

Bake at 350° for about 1 hour or until the top is set.

Serve with gluten-free vanilla frozen yogurt. My favorite is Kemps.  ®

Cranberry Compote -- Gluten-free

Make ahead and spoon this colorful cranberry compote over canned pears for an easy accompaniment to brunch or dinner, instead of a fruit salad. To turn it into a dessert, top it with a bit of whipped cream. Or use it as a topping over vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt. It freezes well, so you can make it ahead and have it ready for entertaining.

2 cups of fresh cranberries

1 cup water

½ cup apple cider

½ cup sugar

1 cinnamon stick

Add all ingredients to a small sauce pan and stir until well blended. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer until the cranberries open -- about 3–5 minutes. Turn the heat off and let stand on the burner until cool. Remove the cinnamon stick, place in a covered bowl or other storage container, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Drain a can of pairs and place in individual small bowls or one larger serving dish. You may use baked fresh pears instead of canned. Spoon compote over pears and serve -- warm or cold.

Flourless Chocolate Cake -- Gluten-free

This cake is a delight, not just for the flavor, but because it holds together, unlike many gluten-free cakes, when cut. There is no need for frosting but a few strawberries and/or some whipped cream add texture and color and should earn you some oohs and ahs.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

¾ cup ground almond meal

½ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Sprinkle of salt

¾ cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup butter

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

6 egg whites

6 egg yolks

1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Grease the bottom only of a 9 or 10 inch spring form pan, line it with parchment paper and grease or spray the top of the paper.

Mix the ground almond meal with 1/4 cup of sugar, cinnamon (if desired) and a pinch of salt. Set aside.

Microwave the butter and chocolate on high at 30 second intervals. I use a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup.  Stir well until smooth.

In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla until well mixed (about 20 – 30 seconds), and then stir in the chocolate and butter mixture.

With the electric beater (with cleaned beaters) whip the egg whites until very stiff. Fold the egg whites into the chocolate batter using a rubber spatula until there are no white streaks.

Pour into the spring form pan.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in the pan. Remove the side of the pan and enjoy!

Baked Pears -- Gluten-free

Wash and dry 4 ripe pears. Cut in half and remove the cores with a sharp paring knife. Place the pear halves cut side down in a 9” x 12” glass or pottery baking pan. Do not use a metal pan.

Mix in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, then pour over the pears.

1 cup of water

½ cup sugar

1/3 cup apricot preserves

3 tablespoons of lemon juice

Bake uncovered for 45 minutes at 325 degrees F, and if you want, baste the pears with the juice in the glass pan every ten to fifteen minutes.

Let cool slightly and serve warm with a a few spoonfuls of the juice from the pan and whipped cream. Store leftovers in refrigerator and warm individual servings in the microwave as desired.

Serves 4 - 8