Gluten-free cheesecake bites

When Tall Dark and Nerdy was coming home from his 5-week trip, I was so excited to see him and spend time with him.  I've also been told that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach - something I like to practice constantly. Because of this, I decided it was time for another cheesecake adventure.

This time, I went with bite-size cheesecake so it would be easy to take a few to TDN's house and to an "Arrested Development" viewing party I was going to.  They were so delicious and so portable - a total win.

Ingredients:
Crust

• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free graham cracker crumbs
• 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 3 Tablespoons sugar

Raspberry puree

• 1 cup frozen or fresh raspberries
• 2 Tablespoons sugar

Filling

• 2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 eggs, room temperature

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line cupcake pans with liners.
In small bowl, combine crust ingredients with a fork until moistened and well-blended.  Spoon 1 Tbsp into each liner, then press down with a drinking glass.  Bake 5 minutes.
Combine raspberries and sugar for puree in blender until smooth.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until fluffy.  Blend in sugar until smooth.  Mix in salt and vanilla, then beat in eggs slowly one at a time.
Spoon cheesecake batter over crust into each cupcake liner.  Dot raspberry puree in a few dots on top.  Using a toothpick, lightly swirl puree through the top of the cheesecake filling.
Fill a large pyrex dish with hot water and place on bottom shelf of oven.  Bake 22 minutes on middle shelf until filling is set, rotating pans halfway through.  Transfer to cooling rack until room temperature, then refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.

Adapted from Annie's Eats

Cherry oatmeal smoothie

Now that I'm finally able to work out again, my appetite for quick, easy, and healthy meal fixes has returned.  I love coming home from the gym in the morning to enjoy one of these smoothies waiting in the fridge.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup uncooked rolled oats
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chia seeds
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup cranberry-cherry juice
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 cup frozen cherries
• splash of vanilla
• 1 teaspoon honey

Directions:
Blend oats and chia seed in blender until texture is fine.  Add milk and juice.  Stir to get oats and chias off the bottom.  Add remaining ingredients.  Blend until desired smoothness.
Refrigerate overnight (or at least 4 hours).  Shake before drinking.

Adapted from The Yummy Life

 

Gluten-free Baked Apples

As you know, one of my friends/coworkers/neighbors is gluten-intolerant, which has been a learning experience for me.  I also had apples sitting around and a dessert craving, so I decided to try a recipe that will be easy to make gluten-free for Jazzy.  Alas, baked apples!

Ingredients:

• 2 apples
• 1/2 cup gluten-free oats
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 Tablespoons maple syrup

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Core apples and cut in half.  Place on a baking sheet cut side up (lined with aluminum foil for easy cleanup).
In a small bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and syrup.
Divide oat mixture among apple halves. 
Bake 30 minutes.

I'm excited to play around with this and try honey instead of syrup for a different flavor next time, and maybe add in raisins or something fun.

Adapted from With Style and Grace

 

Panakuchen

I grew up eating German pancake - a.k.a. panakuchen - and Swedish pancakes much more often than regular (American?) pancakes.  Baby sister and I still get treated to Grams's panakuchen often when we go home.

After spending some time on the phone with my Grams one afternoon, I decided to make her panakuchen for dinner.  She was so excited that I would be making her recipe that she made me promise to invite Tall Dark and Nerdy over for our German version of breakfast-for-dinner.

I don't make it as well as she does, but it was pretty delicious!  TDN and my roomie enjoyed it and had seconds!


Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• thinly sliced apple
• cinnamon
• sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Put butter in pan, place in oven until butter is melted.  Swirl around to spread butter out.

While butter is melting, beat eggs really well with an electric mixer.  Add milk, flour, and salt.

Pour into pan.  Top with thin apple slices, cinnamon, and sugar.

Bake at 425 for 6 minutes, then 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Grams's repeated tip - WORK FAST!  Once everything is mixed together, get it in the pan and in the oven.

Also, it will start to fall as soon as you take it out of the oven, so be ready to put it on the table as soon as it comes out.

Instead of the cinnamon, sugar, and apples, you can also wait until it's cooked to top it with applesauce or apple pie filling (Baby Sister's favorite).



**UPDATE***
While I was back in South Dakota last week visiting family, Grams made me panakuchen for lunch one day.  Hers turned out absolutely perfect, and now I think I need to up my game and keep trying this until I get it just right!
It was all poofed up in the middle - not just on the edges like mine.  And the cinnamony-sugary goodness on top made a delightful crispy little shell. Yum. There's a reason why I still request Grams to make this every time I visit!

Jas's raspberry coulis

My dear friend Jas makes a delicious version of what we call coulis to go with many of her desserts.  I think I've had it with her flourless chocolate cake and almond pound cake, and it's wonderful with everything.  And such a simple recipe, too!

We made it together recently to go on our mini cheesecakes in our picnic dinner at the Evening of Masquerade event we went to.


Ingredients:

• water
• sugar
• bag of frozen raspberries
• vanilla

Directions:

Coat the bottom of a small pot with water.  Add about a Tablespoon sugar and the bag of frozen raspberries.  

After a few minutes, add a splash of vanilla. Stir.

Stir occasionally and continue boiling down the mixture until it's the texture you want.

Orange julius

I'm not a huge smoothie person since I don't think a DRINK named for being "smooth" should have chunks.  I also am still trying to learn how to enjoy strawberries and bananas, which are in nearly every smoothie ever made anywhere.  I do, however, love a good orange julius, even though I know they're pure sugar.  Until I find a way to make a breakfast drink that tastes this good and isn't full of sugar, I'll stick with only having this occasionally and enjoy every drop.

My college roommate left me with her Magic Bullet - not sure if it was on purpose or if she misses it - but I am in heaven.  This is its most common recipe.

Ingredients:
3 ounces frozen orange juice concentrate
1 cup milk
1/8 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 ice cubes

Directions:
Combine all ingredients, except ice cubes, in blender.
Blend 1-2 minutes, adding ice cubes one at a time, until smooth. 

Adapted from Food.com 

Banana Coconut Muffins

Part 2 of the birthday brunch muffins were these beautiful banana coconut muffins.  I don't like bananas and hated mashing them up, but everyone at the party said these were delicious.  And, my apartment did smell like delicious banana bread (a smell I do like) all day!  It was totally worth it.

Again, the original recipe was glutenous, but these cooked perfectly with gluten-free flour, and I can't imagine the taste or texture being any better with regular flour.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups gluten-free flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 very ripe bananas, mashed 
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Directions:

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.  

Whisk together bananas, butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, and 1/2 cup coconut in a large bowl until combined well.  Fold in flour mixture until flour is just moistened.

Divide batter among lined muffin cups and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup coconut.

Bake until muffins are puffed and golden, about 25 minutes.

Transfer to a rack and cool slightly.

Adapted from Epicurious

Cinnamon Blueberry Muffins

A couple weeks ago was my friend's birthday, and we celebrated with a mimosa birthday brunch...that lasted all day.  It was wonderful.  Since I was off work, I got to make the muffins, gluten-free, of course.  This recipe made beautiful, dark blueberry muffins, but they were a little flat on the top because of how juicy the blueberries were.

The original recipe called for regular, all-purpose flour, but I was very happy to find that these muffins cooked just the same with the gluten-free flour.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 stick (6 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cool
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries

Directions:

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Put liners in muffin cups.

Whisk together butter, brown sugar, milk, and egg in a bowl until combined well.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.  Add milk mixture and stir until just combined.  Gently fold in blueberries.

Divide batter among lined muffin cups and bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes.

Adapted from Epicurious

Apple cinnamon refrigerator oatmeal

Another of my standby refrigerator oatmeal is this apple cinnamon recipe.  It's not quite as sweet as the chocolate-covered cherry, which is exactly what I need some days.  I'll often make one of each of these at the same time, that way I have a choice the next morning of which I am most in the mood for.  They are best after only a day or two in the refrigerator though, but they are so quick to make it's not a hassle at all!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup uncooked oats (old fashioned rolled oats recommended; do not use steel cut oats)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chia seeds
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup yogurt (I use vanilla non-fat Greek yogurt)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/4 cup applesauce

Directions:

In a small container, combine oats and chia seeds.  Add milk, yogurt, cinnamon, honey, and applesauce, and stir well.  Cover.  Refrigerate overnight, and enjoy in the morning!

Adapted from The Yummy Life.

Chocolate-covered cherry refrigerator oatmeal

I try to spend as much of my morning in bed as possible before leaving for work, so I have grown to love refrigerator oatmeal for breakfast.  I put one together in the evening, enjoy my full night of sleep, and grab it on my way out the door in the morning.  This recipe is my favorite experiment so far...probably because it means I can eat chocolate for breakfast!

Ingredients:

After mixing, before
refrigerating.

• 1/4 cup uncooked oats (old fashioned rolled oats recommended; do not use steel cut oats)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chia seeds
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup yogurt (I use non-fat vanilla Greek yogurt, yum!)
• 1/4 cup pitted and chopped cherries (I always have some frozen ones on hand just for this reason)
• Small handful mini chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon honey

Directions:
In a small container (I love using freezer-canning jars.  They are the perfect size, seal well, and travel well) combine oats and chia seeds.  Add milk, yogurt, cherries, chocolate chips, and honey, and stir well.  Cover.  Refrigerate overnight, and enjoy in the morning!

Overnight, the milk and yogurt soak in to the chia seeds and oats to make them soft and delicious, leaving you with a sweet, savory, and satisfying breakfast-to-go.

Adapted from The Yummy Life.