Pumpkin Bread

1c sugar
1/2c + 1 T canola oil
2 eggs
1c pumpkin or 1c banana
1/2 T cinnamon
1 1/4 t baking soda (if banana add a bit more of it)
3/4c + 2 T flour blend* (I used Bob's Red Mill GF Baking Flour Mix but you can also use the GF blend described below)
1/4 t salt
1c chocolate chips (optional but highly recommended)
Mix ingredients together and bake for about 45 mins at 350'F.

FLOUR BLEND
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1 3/4c white rice flour
1 1/4c tapioca flour
1 3/4c soy flour
1/2c whey powder

Chocolate Toffee Puffs

Ingredients
4 large egg whites
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa (such as Hershey's)
2 (1.4-ounce) chocolate-covered toffee bars (such as Heath), crushed
Cooking spray

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.

Beat egg whites in a large bowl with a mixer at high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add granulated sugar, beating until stiff peaks form.

Combine powdered sugar, cocoa, and candy bars in a small bowl, and mix well. Fold half of cocoa mixture into egg whites (egg whites will deflate quickly). Fold in remaining cocoa mixture until smooth. Drop the egg mixture by rounded tablespoonfuls onto baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes (puffs will be soft in center).

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Banana Bread

3 eggs

1 3/4 cup sugar

2 cups mashed bananas (I used 6 bananas)

1 tablespoon vanilla (or as much as you want)

1/2 cup oil

Mix the wet ingredients together well. Then add the dry ingredients.

2 cups rice flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Mix everything together until blended. Pour into greased loaf pans at bake at 325 degrees until done. It took mine about 45 minutes, but will vary depending on pan size.

*I also like to put cinnamon in with the dry ingredients. It's also really good with cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on top.

Cheesy Potato Soup

4-5 c potatoes
1/4 c margarine
3 c chicken broth
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (Kroger brand is GF - check other brands before using)
1/4 c finely chopped onion
1/2 c GF flour (rice flour works well)
2 cups milk
1 cup shredded cheese

Chop potatoes and boil until tender. Drain and set aside. Saute onion in margarine. Stir flour into onion and margarine mixture then add milk and broth. Heat until thickened. Add Worcestershire sauce and cheese, then potatoes. Heat until completely warmed.

Cilantro Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 c crushed tortilla chips
1 (16oz) jar salsa
2 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp honey
2 Tbsp cilantro
1/3 cup cheese

In a shallow bowl combine lime juice, oil and honey. Dip chicken in it, then coat the chicken with tortilla chips. Bake in ungreased, uncovered pan at 350 for 25 minutes or until done. Combine salsa and cilantro. Pour over chicken and sprinkle with cheese. Bake 7 minutes to melt the cheese.

Gluten-Free Brownies

This is a really yummy gluten-free brownie recipe. It makes a big batch of dry mix, which you can store in your fridge and mix with the wet ingredients whenever you need a quick brownie fix. Enjoy!

Brownie Dry Mix:
1 1/4 Cups powdered milk
4 cups sifted gluten-free flour (I've been using rice flour which works well)
4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups cocoa powder
4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
Sift ingredients several times to mix. Store in refrigerator in closed container.

Brownie Recipe
Mix together:
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp water
1/2 cup melted butter

Then Mix in:
2 1/2 cups brownie dry mix
1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (optional)

Blend wet and dry ingredients well. Then pour into greased 9x14 cake pan. Bake at 350degrees for 25 minutes.

Frost while warm or melt chocolate chips on top for frosting.

Spanish Rice

Recently we have all been requesting my mom's famous Spanish Rice recipe so I thought it would be a great addition to our blog. This is a great addition to Taco Salads and also as a side dish with other Mexican entrees. This recipe is "Mom Style" meaning it's approximate measurements, times, and temperatures. Enjoy!

Start by heating oil (maybe 1-2 T. - enough to coat the rice) in the bottom of a frying-type pan.

Add 1 c. dry rice and coat it with the oil. Stir often until browned.

Add 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce and some water. Be careful - the pan is hot and the liquid, especially the tomato sauce, can really splatter! Rinse out the can maybe 2-3 times (not all the way to the top) and dump that water in the pan. You can always add more water if needed, or cook a little longer if you've got a bit too much.

Add:
garlic salt (probably about 1/2 t.)
cumin (probably 1/2 to 1 t. - to your taste)
chopped onion (I've used the dried kind from the cannery when I don't have a fresh onion)

Stir all together and bring to a boil, then turn the heat down for the rice to cook/simmer. Stir it when you turn the heat down, and occasionally after that.

This can be reach in just over a half hour when crunched for time, but more like 45 minutes works much better. If you've got the luxury, it's good to just to let it kick back on low for a while - another 15-ish minutes makes it nice. You just don't want it to get too wet or mushy.