Spiced Apple Crisp

The other evening, while making dinner, I decided to make a variation of my favorite Self Soul Space dessert, Spiced Apple & Pear Crisp.  Spiced Apple Crisp!  I actually didn't have any pears in the house, and every time I make Spiced Apple & Pear Crisp, we have tons of leftovers... So, this time I halved the recipe, too... which was just enough for my family.  This is an easy dessert to take with you to holiday gatherings, plus it's less calories then Apple pie!!  I hope you enjoy this variation as much as the original, we sure did!!

Spiced Apple Crisp
Serves 4-6  Time: 60 min (10 min hands-on, 50 min baking)

Ingredients
1/4 cup cold butter, cubed (plus additional for greasing dish)
3 Fuji apples, peeled, cored, & sliced thin 
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
*if you have apple pie spice, use 2 tsp intead of cinnamon and nutmeg
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (I used g-free flour)
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly butter a 2 qt round baking dish. In baking dish, toss apples with lemon juice, granulated sugar, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.  

In a food processor, pulse flour, oats, brown sugar and salt until combined. Add butter and pulse again until mixture resembles coarse meal. Spread oat mixture evenly over fruit and bake until fruit is tender, juices are bubbly and topping is crisp, 45 to 50 minutes.

Mexican Quinoa

Missing my recipes?  Well, I have a new one for you, Mexican Quinoa!  I made this last night for Meatless Monday.  I just threw this together for a quick dinner after swim lessons.  I loved it, my husband on the hand, not so much... He really doesn't care for the texture of small grains, like quinoa or couscous   You can serve it as a meal like me, as a side dish, or over a bed of lettuce.  If you're looking for a way to spice up quinoa (literally), this is a fun recipe for you.  Enjoy!


Mexican Quinoa
serves 4-8, time 20 min

Ingredients
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
2 cup water
1 can black beans, drained
1 can corn, drained
1/4 cup salsa
1/2 lime, juiced
1 tbs fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried thyme
salt & pepper to taste
shredded cheese to sprinkle on top


Directions

In a small sauce pan, combine water, a little salt, and quinoa, bring to a boil.  Then drop heat to a low simmer, and cook for about 10-15 min, until water is absorbed.  Transfer cooked quinoa to a serving bowl.  Toss with salsa, black beans, corn, lime juice, cumin, thyme, and cilantro.  Serve... I then topped it with shredded cheese, with a side of blue corn chips.

G-free Treats!

This past week, my family and I experimented with two gluten free treats.  'Why?', you ask... We have a boat load of food allergies and sensitivities in our family.  My husband is allergic to tree nuts, and most fruit that grows on trees (apples, bananas, pears, peaches, cherries).  Jordan, my oldest daughter, is allergic to everything under the sun... no not really but it seems like it... Wheat, soy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, melon, and bananas.  Now, my darling, Mia, is following right in her father's and sister's footsteps, besides being allergic to every environmental allergy, she is also newly allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, sesame seeds, and soy.  I have a major sensitivity to nitrates and MSG (Migraines, boo) Now, you understand some of my latest posts in regards to food.  After a trip to Whole Foods- Glen Mills and Trader Joe's I found some new products to try, a pancake mix and a brownie mix...

Arrowhead Mills Organic Gluten Free Pancake & Baking Mix

My first thought was, yes... Jordan loves pancakes, this should be awesome!  I read the ingredient list, like I have to do with everything...seemed cool!  The only issue, was the instructions for making pancakes called for eggs... Problem!  Jordan's allergic to eggs, but I remembered reading a few websites on Google which said you can substitute applesauce or bananas (nope) for eggs... So, I tried it.  I decided to upgrade the flavor by adding apple pie spice and vanilla extract, making them apple cinnamon allergen-free pancakes.  I made a bunch of mini pancakes, the girls gobbled them up for breakfast, then froze the rest for fast breakfast on school mornings.  My personal opinion was that they were a little chewy.  I think they really need the egg, instead of the applesauce.

Trader Joe's Gluten Free Brownie Baking Mix
Here goes nothing, I thought... We love brownies, but to make brownies without oil or eggs... well, this became a true experiment indeed.  The mix called for egg, water, and oil.  but since I only had vegetable (which contains soy) or olive oil... I opted to sub applesauce for the oil, and for the egg.  I added my signature organic chocolate chips, which I add to all box Brownies.  I baked them in mini muffin pan, so the kids could have bite size brownies for school.  The girls enjoyed them, Daddy and I had the same thought... Good flavor but chewy.  Again, I think they needed the egg.

My question becomes, are all gluten-free products chewy?  I made my traditional fruit bread, but instead of the bananas I added pumpkin puree, used the King Arthur's Flour Gluten (soy, wheat, nut) free flour, and used applesauce in place of the egg.  I then added pumpkin pie spice to make it more like pumpkin bread.  I also made a regular loaf of fruit bread.  Again, the allergen-free fruit bread was chewy and not as fluffy, it was also not very sweet like normal.  I didn't account for the loss of sweetness by taking away the bananas.  Jordan did not care for her special fruit/pumpkin bread.  I found it to be tasty with butter and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.

These new food allergies are going to take some getting used to, but I'm having a blast experimenting and trying new products.  I'll keep you posted on new allergen-free products.  Pray that my kids grow out of some of these allergies!  If you have any fun food suggestions, please share!!