Great Bread Recipe

Finding a decent Gluten Free bread is like finding a needle in a hay stack....elusive! Most of the bread found in the local store tastes terrible and crumbles when you try to eat it. We used to buy Doodle GF hamburger buns for when we were grilling out, but she would inevitably just pick the hamburger off the bun and eat it plain. What a waste of $5.00! So, we had completely given up on bread in our house, until a few weeks ago. I tried a recipe from a new blogger that I am following and the bread was delicious - I even liked it and I'm not Gluten Free. It was simple to make and didn't take much time at all.

The Simply Sugar and Gluten Free blog is by Amy Green and I have to say I love her story! Have a look at her website, try her new cookbook, and definitely whip up a loaf of this tasty bread. Just tonight I made Doodle a grilled cheese sandwich from this bread and she gobbled it up.  Pair the sandwich with some Kettle Cuisine Gluten Free Chicken Noodle Soup, and you've got yourself a hearty lunch.

Dairy Free Grilled Cheese Sandwich

2 slices Perfect GF bread
2 tsp Dairy Free Butter
Handful Daiya Cheddar Style Cheese Shreds

1. Heat skillet on medium high stove top.
2. Spread butter on one side of each piece of bread.  On the non-buttered side of one slice of bread, place Daiya Cheddar Cheese.
3. Place the non-buttered side of the second slice of bread on top of the cheese.
4. Place butter side down on skillet and fry until golden brown. Turn over sandwich with spatula and fry the second side until golden brown and cheese is melted in middle.
5. Serve with soup and enjoy!


I hope to try out some of Amy's desserts soon - I love that she doesn't use sugar in her baking! Something we try to avoid in this house as well, because Doodle is addicted to sugar and it makes her quite cranky if she has too much of it. Tonight we made a new version of gluten free oatmeal cookies which I will post soon as well as an updated version of sugar cookies with added protein.  In the mean time - hope you are enjoying some spring weather! We had a nice reprieve this week and most of the snow melted. I'm, however, avoiding the blizzard that is currently raging outside and preparing for another late start of school tomorrow morning. Just a few more weeks until spring officially starts - I can't wait!

Chocolate Chip Cookies - Remake

This week we have seen the best and worst of winter - temperatures ranging from 30 degrees above zero to 30 degrees below zero. I like to call January and February in Minnesota the dark days of winter. I'm hopeful that the Ground Hog was correct in its prediction and we will truly see an early spring, because I've had just about enough of winter!

Being cooped up this week, as school was canceled twice, I had the opportunity to remodel my chocolate chip cookies. I'm always looking for new ways to add protein into any dessert that I make for Doodle. She gets super cranky if she has too much sugar (I'm talking colossal meltdowns!) and not enough protein. So, during the hiatus from school, I made chocolate chip cookies and incorporated a new flour I discovered at Trader Joe's: Peanut Flour. One serving has 16 grams of protein - yes 16 grams!   Plus, it doesn't alter the taste of the cookies, so Doodle doesn't know the difference.

Chocolate Chip Cookies - Remake

1 1/3 Cup Sweet Rice Flour
1 Cup Peanut Flour
1 Cup Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
2 tsp Xanthan Gum
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 Cup Shortening
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Light Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Agave Nectar
1 T Vanilla
2 Large Eggs
1/2 Package Dairy Free Chocolate Chips (I use Ghiradelli Semi Sweet)

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine Flours, Baking Soda, and Xanthan Gum in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl combine Shortening, Sugar, Brown Sugar, Vanilla and Eggs. Cream together on high speed.
4. Add to mixture dry ingredients and mix on high speed. With a spatula, stir in chocolate chips. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
5. Prepare a baking sheet with non-stick spray. Drop cookies by the spoonful onto baking sheet and bake for 9 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheet for 1 minute. Remove cookies from pan and place on cooling rack.

This recipe makes about 3 dozen cookies. Normally, this will last in our house for 2 weeks, but I couldn't keep these cookies around for more than 4 days. Doodle's sister had a sleepover with a friend Friday night, and the two girls cleaned me out of these cookies! So, I found myself whipping up another batch today while I wait for the Super Bowl to start. They will make a great treat after we all enjoy some GF DF pizza and watch the big game.