Crockpot Millet Hot Cereal with Apples and Pecans

 I made this to go with our biscuits this morning as a Mandie-safe alternative to oatmeal.  Steve and I thought that the flavors and texture are incredible - though we boosted the nutrition a bit further in ours by adding a Tbsp. each of coconut oil an chia seeds before adding some milk.  The kids added some brown sugar, but were not as crazy about it as I'd hoped they'd be.  In all fairness, Mandie is off of her Periactin in preparation for her allergist visit on 1/11, so her appetite has taken an EXTREME nosedive.  I will try this again after our visit, when she's feeling hungry again.

MILLET CEREAL WITH APPLES AND PECANS

(Modified from The Everything Gluten-Free Slow Cooker Cookbook)

2 cups allergen safe apple cider

2 cups hemp milk

1 cup dried millet

1 apple, diced

2 tsp. cinnamon

½ cup maple syrup

½ cup chopped pecans

½ tsp. salt

Grease a slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.  Put all ingredients in crockpot and stir to combine.  Cook on high for 2 ½ - 3 hours or on low for 5 – 6 hours or until all liquid has been absorbed.  Try not to overcook as it can become mushy.

Serve with milk of choice.

Linked to Healthy Vegan Fridays    

 

Pull Apart Cinnamon Raisin Crockpot Biscuits

All of Christmas break I had been promising to make the kids a crockpot breakfast, and they've been craving cinnamon rolls or something similar.   I got out my WONDERFUL new cookbook, The Everything Gluten-Free Slow Cooker Cookbook  and modified this recipe.  It made 10, which was perfect for my family of 5.  The kids are already begging to have this again soon!

PULL-APART CINNAMON RAISIN BISCUITS

Modified from The Everything Gluten-Free Slow Cooker Cookbook

1 cup brown rice flour

1 cup arrowroot starch

1 Tbsp. Hain Foods grain free baking powder

1 tsp. guar gum

½ tsp. sea salt

1/3 cup sugar

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

1/3 cup lard or ¼ cup plus 1 Tbsp. grapeseed oil

2 eggs OR 2 Tbsp. flax meal or chia seeds combined with 6 Tbsp. hot water & set 5 minutes

¾ cup hemp or hazelnut milk

½ cup Sunmaid Raisins

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, starch, gum, baking powder, salt, sugar, & cinnamon.   Cut in oil or lard until it is in crumbles.  In a small bowl, whisk together milk and eggs.  Mix into flour mixture using a fork.  Dough will be a sticky, cake-like batter.  Mix in raisins.      Grease a 4 quart slow cooker with cooking spray or line with parchment paper then cooking spray.  Using an ice cream scoop, drop balls of dough into cooker, with edges almost touching.  They will rise while baking and will be pull apart biscuits.   Cover slow cooker with lid vented with chopstick or handle of wooden spoon (my toaster tongs worked perfectly).  Cook on high for about 2-2 ½ hours, or on low for 4-4 ½ hours.  Biscuits around edges will be more brown than those in the center of cooker.  They are done when a toothpick inserted in the center of the biscuit comes out clean.   Remove cooker insert to a cooling rack. Remove lid.  Allow to cool for several minutes while you make the glaze.  Glaze and serve warm.

QUICK VANILLA GLAZE

1 cup sifted corn free powdered sugar

2 Tbsp. hazelnut milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Whisk together and drizzle over biscuits in cooker.  Serve immediately.

Breakfast Bake

BREAKFAST BAKE

2 cups quinoa flakes/gluten free quick cooking oats

1/3 cup packed brown sugar (Domino brand)

1 ½ tsp. Hain Featherweight grain free baking powder

½ tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. cloves

¼ tsp. allspice

½ tsp. sea salt

1/3 cup pumpkin puree

1 cup milk

2 eggs

2 Tbsp. grapeseed oil

1 tsp. vanilla

1/3 cup finely chopped toasted walnuts

Milk or syrup or brown sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease an 8”x8” square baking dish with cooking spray.    In a medium sized bowl, combine the quinoa flakes (or oats), brown sugar, baking powder, salt, spices, and nuts.  In a separate bowl, combine milk, eggs, pumpkin, vanilla, and oil.  Stir into the dry ingredients until well blended.  Let stand 5 minutes to absorb moisture.      Pour mixture into greased pan.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a table knife inserted in center comes out clean.   Cut into squares.  Serve with brown sugar or syrup and milk.

A variation of this recipe was posted in a celiac group on facebook, using gluten free oats.  I immediately thought of how easy it would be to use quinoa flakes so that Mandie could eat it.  I was really hoping that it would be something she'd love, since I felt so bad about having to pull her beloved Apple Cinnamon Chex due to corn in them....      Thankfully, I was right!  She LOVED it!!!  An 8" square pan will make enough for her to eat all week for breakfast!         I also love that this recipe is very versatile.  Next time I may try tossing in some blueberries instead of the pumpkin, and add some grated lemon peel. I could add cashews instead of the walnuts.  Another time I may toss in finely chopped apple, and sub pecans for the walnuts.    I also want to try this recipe in mini muffin cups, so I could send it as a snack for Mandie for the school week.  I am also anxious to try it with gluten free oats for the rest of our family.  

Linked to Allergy Free Wednesday Week 42

Apple Butter Pancakes and Breakfast Sausage Patties

Yesterday was National Pancake Day, so what better to serve my family for dinner than their favorite meal - pancakes and sausage!  Since it was feeling and looking a whole lot like fall outside, I decided to switch up my pancake recipe a bit and use my mom's wonderful homemade apple butter.  OH YUM!!!  They were a HUGE hit!   I use the same basic pancake recipe, but change it up depending on what the kids or Steve (or I am) are hungry for.  Sometimes I use plain applesauce in place of the apple butter, and use cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg; often I use pumpkin, allspice, cinnamon, and ginger. The kids love mashed banana with a bit of ginger, and a handful of toasted pecans tossed in. Another favorite is plain applesauce with blueberries and a pinch of ginger and nutmeg (You can't taste the plain applesauce, and I prefer it to using over 1/2 cup of oil).  Before discovering Mandie's chocolate allergy, we'd make pumpkin pancakes and toss in a cup of Enjoy Life chocolate chips.  And no, the kids can't decide which kind are their favorites!  They always beg for leftovers in their lunch the next day, complete with pure maple syrup (or Grandma's peach syrup) to dip them in, which is why I make a large batch.  These freeze very well, and reheat nicely in the microwave or toaster.

Apple Butter Pancakes
1 cup buckwheat flour
1 cup sorghum flour
1 cup brown rice flour
1 cup BRM All Purpose GF flour
1 tsp. guar gum
1 tsp. salt
4 tsp. Hain Featherweight Grain Free Baking Powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 cup flax meal
1/4 cup chia seeds

Whisk dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.  In a separate bowl, combine 2 Tbsp. Grapeseed oil
 1/2 cup apple butter (we used some my mom made)
 2 tsp. pure vanilla (I use our own, made from vanilla beans and potato vodka) 
4 beaten eggs*
 5 cups water

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until smooth.  I cook mine on a large electric griddle, getting 8 pancakes per batch.

*Can also use 4 Tbsp. flax meal dissolved in 3/4 cup hot water

 Sage Breakfast Sausage Patties

 1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground turkey
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
5 Tbsp minced fresh sage or 2 Tbsp dried sage
5 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley or 2 Tbsp. dried parsley
6 cloves of minced garlic
 4 tsp. ground fennel seed
1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper


Combine all ingredients - I use my hands and squish them together.  Using about a 1 Tbsp. measure, form sausage into balls and flatten slightly.  We cook ours on our George Foreman grill, for 3-4 minutes.  You can also cook them 3-5 minutes per side, in a skillet coated with about 1 Tbsp. of grapeseed oil.  

Linked to: Whole Intentions Weekend Whatever Linkup #40
Vegetarian Mama Gluten Free Fridays #7

Super Power Muffins

I made these muffins as a combination of a few recipes, which of course I further modified to suit our family.  I sent a weeks worth to school with Mandie for her snack, and she LOVED them.  I made a huge batch to take to the air show with us last weekend.  After the energy bites were gone, these were the next thing we all ate.  I wouldn't have even needed to make sandwiches.  They are really yummy and really really healthy.


SUPER POWER MUFFINS

1/3 cup Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
1/3 cup buckwheat flour
1/3 cup amaranth flour
1 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup quinoa flakes (I use Ancient Harvest brand)
1/2cup ground millet
2 Tbsp chia seeds
1 tsp. non-iodized sea salt
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. Hain Featherweight Baking Powder
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
2 eggs (or equivalent egg replacer)
2 mashed ripe bananas
1/2 cup applesauce 
1/2 cup ground flax meal
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract (I make my own)
2 cups grated zucchini or finely chopped fresh spinach
1 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 tsp. guar gum
OPTIONAL:
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 24 muffin cups with cooking spray.  Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk to combine.  In a smaller bowl, combine bananas, applesauce, eggs, carrot, and vanilla.  Fold wet ingredients into dry mix and stir until combined.    Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.   Cool completely on a wire rack.  
   These freeze very well.  I am going to try them as mini-muffins for Mandie's class treat in a few weeks I think.

Whole Intentions Weekend Linkup

I linked this post to the above blog.

Super Smoothies!

This morning my kids were up very early with the storm that literally shook our house, so I decided to whip them up a wonderful, quick breakfast.  I used inspiration from a recipe a friend sent me, and what I had in my freezer.         I tossed 1/2 bag of frozen peaches, 2 cups of frozen blueberries, 2 cups of pomegranate juice, and about 1 1/2 cups of unsweetened hemp milk, 1 very ripe avocado, and 1 heaping Tbsp of Chia Seeds into my Ninja and blended until thick and creamy.  What a wonderful way to start our day!


And yes, I took the picture of my mug on the dash of the van as Steve and I were headed to our busses!  ;-)