GF Berry and Cocoa Cereal Bars #VansSimplyDelicious

Back in the day, before we thought too much about what we put in our bodies and what we fed our families. Back in the day when we were inundated with commercials boasting convenience, sophistication, new and improved and, in an ignorant (maybe?) manner.... good taste and nutrition, complete with (wait for it.....wait for it.....) THREE vitamins!

We sure have come a long way in the past several decades. Especially in the most recent 10 yrs. Consumers voices and dietary needs are being heard and responded to.

Which is great!

But do you ever miss some of your childhood favorites? Even though you knooooow they weren't and still aren't good for you?

Well guess what....Van's Simply Delicious must've read our minds! They've just added two new whole-grain, gluten-free cereals to their already wonderful line-up,

Van's has given us adults a guilt-free way to enjoy the flavors from our childhood with Blissfully Berry and Cocoa Sensation cereals. Oh sure, you can also feed it to your children too. They won't even notice that the cereal they're eating doesn't contain artificial flavors or high fructose corn syrup. All they'll notice is how these cereals taste and wonder if  their parents have thrown their sense of good nutrition to the wind. Ha! fooled them, didn't we?!

One of my favorite treats as a child were those yummy, simple marshmallow treats. I could eat a whole tray of those babies. Almost did once. Well, maybe I did, but in my defense it took 2 or 3 days.

This time, I combined two of my favorite desserts into one. I have a love of berries and chocolate, and a love of banana splits. Although I didn't add banana chips to this tray, but the idea is still there. These delicious, gluten free cereal bars contain both the Blissfully Berry and the Cocoa Sensation cereals, along with peanuts and gluten free pretzel sticks. Sweet, salty and crunchy. Takes care of it all, doesn't it?

GF Berry and Cocoa Cereal Bars

5 oz Van's Blissfully Berry cereal
5 oz Van's Cocoa Sensation cereal
3/4 cup roasted, salted peanuts, roughly chopped
3/4 cup gluten free pretzel sticks, broken into pieces
1/2 cup butter
20 oz mini marshmallows
1 cup dark chocolate morsels

Melt the butter in a large sauce pan. Add the marshmallows and stir over low heat until the marshmallows are completely melted. Add the cereals, peanuts and pretzels and stir until combined.

Spray a 13 x 9 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Spread the cereal mixture into the dish. Top with the chocolate morsels. As the morsels melt from the heat, spread even along the top.

Let cool completely before cutting into squares to serve.

Mixed Berry Gluten-Free Parfait and a #VansSimplyDelicious #Giveaway

Whether you're gluten-free by choice or by necessity, I'm sure you're thankful for the progress GF products have made. Both in quality and versatility. There has never been a larger selection than there is today.

Van's Simply Delicious has just widened that selection with a few more products added to their already delicious line-up. I'm talking about Van's Soft-Baked Whole Grain Granola Clusters and a variety of Van's Whole Grain Pastas Sides.

And I'm here to tell you a little about them and how I used them.

First...the Soft-Baked Granola.....omg...YUM! Like seriously. There are two varieties: Blueberry Walnut and Cranberry Almond. Both are equally delish and only lasted 2 days in my house. They're soft, chewy and crunchy with hints of cinnamon.

I made a delicious Mixed Berry Parfait with with Blueberry Walnut granola. The next day the bag was empty. So I grabbed the unopened Cranberry Almond bag and took it to work (to guarantee that I'd get some, otherwise my girls would've gobbled that bag up in no time as well). One day...poof...all gone. Not only did I have some for breakfast but munched on it all day long and then I let my co-workers have some. They also fell in love with it. So much so that one gal found it at the store that night and brought the bag to work the next day!

The parfait was very basic, simple and absolutely delish! All I did was layer the following ingredients in my glass:

Greek Yogurt
Sliced Bananas
Sliced Strawberries
Whole Blueberries
Van's Soft-Baked Granola Clusters of your choice.

Grab a spoon and enjoy. If you're in a hurry and not worried about presentation, toss it all in a bowl and have at it. Either way it's good!

The granola, like I said, is GF plus it's free of artificial flavors, colors and high fructose corn syrup.

Now for the Pasta selections: There's Rotini & Red Sauce, Creamy Herb and Garlic and Ultimate Cheddar Penne.

I used the Creamy Herb & Garlic Whole Grain and Lentil Pasta Side as a base for a casserole by adding a bit more milk to the sauce, Well, let me just give it to you in recipe form:

Chicken with Creamy Herb & Garlic Casserole

1 box of Van's Creamy Herb & Garlic Whole Grain Lentil Pasta
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted - divided
1 cup cooked chicken cut into bite-sized chunks
1/4 diced tomatoes
1/4 gluten free bread or cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon finely chopped basil or flat leaf Italian parsley to garnish

Preheat the oven to 350' F

Following the directions on the package, prepare the pasta.

Heat a large, oven-proof skillet (I used a cast iron skillet) over medium-high heat. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter, add the seasoning packet contents, then whisk in the milk, until smooth. Reduce heat to low.

Add the cooked pasta, chicken and tomatoes, stirring to combine. Top with crackers and drizzle the final tablespoon of melted butter over the crumbs.

Bake for about 20 - 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.

Garnish with fresh chopped basil if desired.

Quick and easy and very tasty. I had one serving. No one else was home when I made it but the when I woke up the next morning, it was gone (I was hoping to have some leftover for lunch...but no such luck). I'd say it was a success!

I also had fun with the Rotini & Red Sauce Whole Grain and Lentil Pasta Side and made it into a meal in itself by topping it with some ground beef, sauteed onions and mushrooms then added cheese and  diced tomatoes. If I still had fresh basil or even green onions, I would've add those as well.

Another great dish for hectic nights when you need a quick, healthy and delicious meal.

I haven't made the Ultimate Cheddar Penne Whole Grain Rice Pasta Side yet, but when I do, I'll be adding some chunks of ham and topping it with cheddar cheese. I just have to get to the market to buy some ham.

I've had various kinds of gluten free pasta over the years. Some good. Some not so good. I am thrilled with this pasta, both in flavor and texture. It held together wonderfully, had great flavor and texture.

What I would really love, is to see Van's package the pasta on it's own. I think it would be a huge success, especially coming from an established brand that is already known for its quality gluten free products.

For more information on Van's Simply Delicious and their products, you can visit them:

Van's Food Website
Van's Food Facebook Page

And yes, I did mention a 

GIVEAWAY, 

didn't I? 

How would you like to win 3 coupons for 

FREE Van's Simply Delicious products 

and a few $1.00 off coupons as well? 

You could be the lucky winner by entering below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is open to US residents only. This giveaway will run from Monday, February 16, 20145 through Sunday, February 22, 2015 (11:59 pm PT). A winner will be notified within 48 hours of the close of the contest and given 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. 

I was not compensated for this post, however Van's Natural Foods supplied me with samples. They are also supplying 3 coupons for free product and $1.00 off coupons for the giveaway.  All opinions are my own.

** Have you heard of Yummly? Did you notice the little "Yum" button at the very top center of my blog? It's a great way to collect your favorite recipes....quick click of a button. You can find me and my recipes on my Yummy Profile.

Quinoa Pasta and Roasted Beet and Garlic Sauce

Only one other time in my whooooole life have I liked something with beets. It was about a year about when I made a Quinoa and Roasted Beet Salad.

I don't enjoy the earthiness of them. I love the color though.

My girls love beets and it's because of them that I found this recipe. I won't proclaim to be a beet lover. But I love this particular recipe.

I recently signed up to have fresh, organic produce delivered to my home...straight from local farms. It's pretty cool. I'm just giving it a test run to see how it goes. Anyway...my first delivery was the other day

I got beets. I knew they were coming. I could've put them on the 'no-no' list but since my girls love them, I went ahead and let them come.

In my Google search for beet recipes, I came across a Huffpost link that claimed to turn any beet hater into a lover. (They weren't kidding!)

A little tweaking from the original recipe and we have here a vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free recipe. So delicious! Just a slight hint of that earthy beet flavor (that I usually don't like) but the sweetness that beets are known for pulls forward from the roasting, offset and wonderfully paired with roasted garlic and thyme.

Quinoa Pasta and Roasted Beet and Garlic Sauce
Inspired by: BevCooks
Printable Version

3 beets, peeled and cubed
3 TB light olive oil, divided
3 sprigs fresh thyme (I use lemon thyme...love the stuff)
4 cloves of garlic (papery skins left on)
1 TB balsamic vinegar
2 TB extra dry vermouth
1/2 cup Parmesan style aged nut cheese divided
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1/4 cup plain cultured coconut milk (similar to plain yogurt)
1 tsp sugar
8 oz quinoa pasta,cooked according to the package directions
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400' F

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place beets, thyme and whole garlic cloves on the baking sheet and toss with 1 TB of olive oil, salt and pepper.

The reason I left the papery skins on the garlic, was to protect them from burning while in the oven.

Bake for about 45 minutes. Check them after 30 minutes just in case. The actual baking time will vary depending on how big or small your beet cubes are. Once they're tender, they're done.

Once done, remove the papery skins from the garlic and any thyme stems you can find. Place it all in a food processor along with the remaining 2 TB of olive oil, the balsamic vinegar, vermouth and 1/4 cup of 'cheese'. Puree until smooth.

Place your deep rich beet puree into a saucepan along with the vegetable stock and cultured coconut milk. Stir well until combined and heat to a simmer, over medium heat.

Add the sugar, remaining 1/4 'cheese' and if needed, a bit more salt. Simmer on low for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

This is a good time to cook your pasta. Once the pasta is cooked and drained, add it in with the sauce and give it a good stir.

Serve with more 'cheese' and a bit of thyme leaves.

(ok, I confess here...I'm not lactose intolerant the way my youngest daughter is, so I topped mine with real, shredded Parmesan cheese)

Oh so good! So beautiful. So hearty. Not to mention...GOOD FOR YOU!!

Btw...those beet leaves that you cut off? Save them! Do. Not. Throw. Them. Away.

Why?

You can bake them. And make beet greens chips, just like you do with kale. Just wash, dry thoroughly, remove tough stems. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper and a bit of garlic powder. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes in a 375' oven. Turn off the heat and let sit in cooling oven for an additional 10 minute or until the edges are starting to brown but not burnt.

Other than the stems and the skinny root at the end of the beet...we have just consumed a lot of beet stuff.

And it was good!

I Heart Chocolate with Van's Foods Snacks

It's almost Valentine's Day and everywhere you look, there's chocolates and candies. Which are cute and tasty but not what my girls would want to eat. I needed to come up with an alternative plan (something other than the cute little socks covered in hearts that I got them).

Chocolate is always good...especially dark chocolate. Good quality chocolate. Ok, wait...let me back up a minute.

Van's Natural Foods recently sent me some boxes of new snacks they've recently launched.... PB&J Sandwich Bars. Gluten-free PB&J Sandwich Bars to be exact. They're goal? To help us stick to that 'I'm going to eat healthier this year' resolution. They couldn't have come at a better time, cuz to be honest, it won't be long before summer is here (and you know what that means). If you fell off the wagon...get back on. It's ok. We won't tell.

So, I got these boxes of PB&J Sandwich Bars...two flavors: blueberry and strawberry. They were really good. So good that my daughters ate them all before I could do anything with them. They tasted like little peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. And they didn't have that intense weird sweetness that you find in other snack bars.

No product to play with meant a trip to the market to hunt them down. These babies are so new that my local markets don't have them yet. You can bet that when I see them...I will buy them! Meanwhile, I purchased another snack bar that they make...Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chewy Granola. Also gluten-free with only 11 grams of sugar (cane sugar is the only added sugar in this product). Perfect for my Valentine plans.

I Heart Chocolate

Grab a bag of good dark chocolate and a tablespoon of shortening or coconut oil.

Place the bowl over a double boiler or a sauce pan with boiling water, off the heat. Stir until melted.

You don't have to add the oil, but it does make the chocolate smoother and shiny.

Take a few snack bars and cut them into 1 inch squares.

Place one on a fork

 And dunk. (Kinda makes me want to be one of those squares)

Place on a wire rack. If you have some cute little hearts, stick them on before the chocolate hardens.

Once they've hardened some (they won't get super hard cuz of the oil) give them to your true love, knowing that you're not loading them up with junk. A true gesture of love.

Before I let you go...I want to remind you that I'm having a Giveaway that will be ending on Monday, February 17th,2014. Hurry on over to ENTER for your chance to win 1 pound of Ceylon Cinnamon and get my recipe for Milk & Honey Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Aaaaand, one more thing. Keep an eye out. I will be posting again about Vans Healthy Foods and it will include another GIVEAWAY! I can't tell you what I'll be giving away yet...cuz it's a secret. 

Meanwhile, have a Happy Valentine's Day. If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with. Even if its yourself. (Sorry....I know...that song will now be stuck in your head. I know this cuz it's stuck in mine too).  

I was not compensated for this post, however Van's Natural Foods supplied me with samples and coupons for their products. All opinions are my own.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread with Chia Seed binder

This recipe wasn't originally gluten-free. To be honest, I've had this recipe long before I knew that Celiac existed. Long before I knew what "gluten" was. In fact, I've had this recipe since I first started to learn how to bake.

Let me "date" myself....this recipe sheet was not printed from a computer, or copied on a photocopy machine. It was printed from a ditto machine. And yes, the ink is purple. And if you know what I'm talking about....you can probably almost smell the ink.

Way back when....(think...That 70's Show) I took a cooking class in middle school as part of the home ec "wheel". And we baked Pumpkin Bread. I kept the recipe (and the quiz that's on the bottom half of the paper) all these years but had not baked it since.

Although it looks like I've used it numerous times. I did bake it for Thanksgiving that year and apparently at the tender age of 12? 13? I was an extremely messing little baker.

Fast forward to the present. My daughter asked me to bake this as a gluten-free version. I couldn't pass up the challenge. I was, however...nervous. I don't enjoy the aftertaste, nor the texture of g.f. breads. My daughter doesn't seem to mind (she's earthy like that).

Anyway, just to make sure I wasn't messing anything up, I poked around the internet to see how other's were making gluten-free pumpkin breads, and that's when I came across a really great blog Gluten Free Girl and where I learned what was causing my g.f. dislike. Xanthan gum.

And that's where I learned about the wonderful chia seed replacement. I got excited cuz I actually had chia seeds in my cupboard!

Here's the basic chia seed replacement rule:

Grind up some chia seeds. Mix it with boiling water at a 1 part chia, 2 parts water ratio. This will form a gooey mixture. When a recipe calls for xanthan gum, replace it with an equal amount of the gooey chia seed mixture. If you are converting a recipe, use 1 tsp for every cup of "flour".

Note: you may have to increase the baking time due to the added moisture.

I'm going to share my converted gluten-free version. Of course you can just use all purpose flour and omit the chia seeds, and that's the original recipe.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread
(adapted from Mt. Gleason Jr. High home economics class)
Printable Version

1 1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 eggs
3/4 cup pumpkin
1/4 cup applesauce
2 tsp premixed chia seed and water mixture as instructed above
2 cup sifted oat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/3 cup chopped walnuts or raisins (optional, I did not add either of these)
1/3 cup water

Preheat your oven to 350' F. Grease and flour 2 bread pans or line them with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the sugar and oil. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs until fluffy. Stir in the pumpkin, applesauce, and chia seed mixture. Set aside.

Sift the dry ingredients together, 3 times.

If using walnuts or raisins, add them to the dry ingredients.

Starting with the dry ingredients, alternately add dry ingredients and water to the pumpkin mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.

Divide the batter between the two prepared bread pans and bake for about 45 mins to an hour (or so). I can't give you an exact time because that part of the recipe is illegible. Plus the time needed to be increased due to my chia seed mixture addition. Just keep checking it. The recipe does say that it's done when the top of the bread springs back when lightly touched with your finger tip. I used the toothpick method.

The results? Delicious and very moist. Still a little crumbly but not in a dry, corn bread sort of way. And check out the mound! To me, that is a beautiful sight. If you'd like, you might increase the spice measurements for a stronger flavor, as they are mild as is. 

Let me make a statement here: I am not required to have a gluten free diet, nor are any members of my household. I do have a very dear close friend and an aunt who have Celiac disease. I am not fluent in the ways of hidden gluten in common foods. I am not a source of medically accurate advice on the subject. I am aware of the negative affects that gluten has in our diets. I enjoy experimenting in my kitchen. My girls are very health conscious and on occasion prefer to eat gluten free. This is where my dabbling comes to play. Any misinformation is purely accidental and due to ignorance on my part. Please feel free to point out anything that I have misinterpreted. 

Crabless Cakes

When my Food & Wine magazine arrived, boasting 25 vegetable dishes, my daughter was on it like bees on honey.

"Mom, we should go through this magazine and make all of the recipes!" Thank God she didn't mean, all of them on the same day. I mean, I like my vegetables and all, but for some reason they're kinda high maintenance. Lots of prep work. All that washing, drying, cutting.

I know...I am can be very lazy sometimes. I try not to be. But I can't help it.

This recipe does have quite a bit of prep work. Of course I did increase that a little by grilling the corn before using it. I figured since there was so much corn in these cakes, that the flavor would be a plus. Which it was. And I can say that the added step was worth it.

I didn't fire up the grill or anything. I just took a gas grill grate that I bought from the hardware store and plopped it on the stove top, over the flame...and grilled away. (works great for grilling peppers and such indoors as well).

Once they cooled off, I cut the kernels off the cob, and ended up with a little more than the needed 2 1/2 cups.

Crabless Cakes

Inspired by the August 2013 addition of Food & Wine magazine

Printable Version

1 TB Extra Light Olive Oil, plus more for frying

2 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 4 ears of corn)

1/4 cup minced onion

1/4 cup minced roasted red bell pepper (I used it from a jar)

15 oz can whole hearts of palm, drained, thinly sliced and diced

2 tsp Old Bay seasoning

2 TB chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1/4 vegan mayonnaise

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/4 cup plus 2 TB plain dry gluten free bread crumbs, plus more for coating

Salt and Pepper

In a non-stick skillet, heat 1 TB olive oil over high heat. Add the corn, onion and bell pepper. Cook for about 4 minutes, until crisp tender.

(I could've used the green bell pepper as called for in the recipe, but I love the color variation.)

Take 1 cup of the sauteed mixture and pulse it in a food processor to create a course puree. 

Put the hearts of palm in a medium sized bowl. Using a fork, mash them into shards. Add the pureed corn mixture and the remaining sauteed corn mixture along with the Old Bay seasoning, parsley, mayonnaise, mustard and bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste (yes, you can taste it...its all veggies). Stir to combine so that everything is evenly moist. 

(Until making this recipe, I had no idea how good veganaise really is. I'm a Best Foods kind of gal, and I would not turn my nose up to the jar of Follow Your Heart Soy Free Veganaise that my daughter brought home. Good stuff!)

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (no, you are not going to be baking these). Fill a pie plate or shallow, wide mouthed bowl with bread crumbs. Season the crumbs with a little salt and pepper. 

Scoop about 1/4 cup of the mixture, roll it in the bread crumbs to coat and then flatten it just a little to form a nice little fat 2" mound. You'll have about 18 cakes in the end (and very messy hands). 

(the cake in my daughters hand is too thin. Read the "tip" at the end of this post to see why that's an issue)

Using the same non-stick skillet, wiped clean and filled with 1/8' of oil, fry the cakes in batches over moderate heat.

Cook for 2 minutes per side, until golden brown. Be careful when flipping them, as they are a little on the fragile side. Remove them to a paper towel lined plate.

Wipe the skillet clean and use fresh oil for each batch until all the cakes are cooked.

Serve hot, over a nice bed or fresh greens.

These are a delicious alternative to crab cakes. Since my daughter is vegetarian and I'm allergic to shellfish, this was a great middle ground dish for the two of us. Because they are all vegetable, no meat, no egg, there were no worries about under cooking.

But let me give you a tip: I had originally envisioned flatter cakes that are a little crispy on the edges (kinda like potato pancakes). Don't go there. These are very delicate cakes and fall apart easily. Maybe adding a bit more veganaise would help? Or pureeing more of the corn mixture, instead of only 1 cup? Anyway, I highly recommend making the cakes fat rather than thin. My first batch, were thin. And looked beautiful.....until I tried to flip them

Thats when they fell apart and became a sort of hash. They still tasted great...but thats not what I was going for.

I eat the crumbs anyway.

Wishing I had some crumbled bacon to mix with it.

Quinoa and Roasted Beet Salad (and a Giveaway)

This is the second time in my adult life that beets have found their way into my kitchen. The last time these purple-ish red veggies crossed my threshold was back a few years ago when I was baking my way through Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day and I decided to give beets a break (from my childhood memory of having to gag them down) and made some beautify Red Beet Buns.

Loved how they looked but hated how they tasted.

Well, I was faced with them again a couple of nights ago that all started with a phone call that went something like this:

me: "Hello?"
caller: "Hi, this is Nicole from Whole Foods Market and I'm calling to remind you about the cooking class that you signed up for."
me: "Cooking class?" (First of all I had no idea they HAD cooking classes. Second of all, I couldn't remember the last time I'd been to Whole Foods)
caller: "Yes, you've signed up for our Transition to a Gluten Free Diet cooking class"
me: "Ooooh...(the bells are ringing) my daughter must've signed me up"

Turns out that yes, my daughter signed us both up for this class. Since it was free, I figured why not. So I went. It was more like a lecture than a real cooking class. The place was packed. The instructor/dietitian was wonderful and demonstrated how to make several dishes along with sharing some great information about eating gluten free.

I know there are a lot of people out there who have to eat gluten free do to Celiac Cisease. I also know that there are a lot of people out there who just choose to eat gluten free. What I didn't know was that somewhere between those two reasons are the gluten intolerant. My youngest child has gone gluten free. It started out as a choice after finding out about GMO foods but ended up being more of a mild sensitivity reason. Apparently gluten can possibly cause a lot of things that you wouldn't even realize (headaches, hair loss, dry cracked skin are just a few of the possibilities).

Here's a great list of websites that were recommended at the class if you want to do more research:
www.celiac.org
www.gluten.net
www.csaceliacs.org
www.celiaccenter.org
www.foodallergy.org
www.livingwithout.com

(yes, I'm hosting a giveaway...here's a sneak peek. more details in a minute)

Back to beets. Ok, so there I was, sitting in a room full on strangers, and the assistant was passing around one of the foods that was prepared. The star ingredient was suppose to be quinoa. But all I could think about were the beets inside that little cup that was heading my way. Sure, I could've said 'No Thank you, I'll pass'. But that wouldn't have been very foodie of me. So I took the cup...looked at it...my nostrils flared a little as I eyeballed those big chunks of beets...sniffed a little

Then came the tentative, cautious, very doubtful bite....

Omg...it was good!! Really? Yes, really!! I mean...of course it still tasted like beets but there's something in the roasting process that mellows and sweetens the beet.

Quinoa and Roasted Beet Salad
Printable Version
1 bunch of beets
Greens from 1 bunch of beets
Salt to taste
1 to 2 TB extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp caraway seeds, lightly cruhed
4 cups cooked quinoa
Crumbled goat cheese to garnish (optional, I opted out)

Preheat the oven to 400' F

Trim the greens off the beets. Scrub the beets and wrap them individually in foil. Bake for about an hour, until for tender. Let them cool. Once cool enough to handle, peel off the skins, cut into 1/4" dice. Set aside.

While the beets are in the oven, cook your quinoa. 1 cup of dry quinoa yields about 3 cups. This recipe calls for 4 cups. You can cook 2 cups of dry quinoa per the package instructions and put whats leftover in the fridge. It'll be good for a couple of days. Or, you can freeze it. Quinoa freezes very well and thaws quickly for future use.

Wash the beet greens and remove the center vein. Steam for for 2 or 3 minutes then plunge them into ice water to 'refresh' them a bit. Squeeze them dry and chop. (beet greens act a lot like spinach greens).

In a large heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add in the caraway seeds and beet greens along with some salt and pepper to taste. Cook and stir for about 30 more seconds. Toss in the quinoa and beets

Toss together until everything is well combined, heated through and the quinoa is beet red.

And there you have it...a beautiful salad full of amazing nutrients. And it's gluten free for those who need it. And hey...now I don't have to say that I don't like beets. I can say...I like roasted beets.

Now...its GIVEAWAY time!!

Just in time for Mother's Day. Tate's Bake Shop would love to send 1 lucky winner this beautiful, chock full of goodies basket. You will find it packed with:

Lemon Tea Loaf
Buttery-rich Shortbread Squares
Individual Coffee cake
Box of Tate's Bake Shop's famous crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Baking with Friends Cookbook

Entering to win is simple: Leave a comment.

If you'd like a better chance at winning, do a few extra things:

Announce the giveaway on:
Facebook (then leave a comment)
Twitter (then leave another comment)
Google+ (and another comment)
etc etc.

Basically, each comment you leave stating how you've shared the news about my giveaway, will equal one entry.

Contest ends May 1st, 11:59 pm 

Tate's Bake Shop is also giving all my readers (and their family and friends) a discount. All purchases made until 5/12/13 will receive a 20% discount by using the discount code: mom13

Good luck!

**** 5/1/13 note: I had the incorrect picture of the basket posted before. It has now been corrected. I appologize for any inconvenience or misrepresentation.

Gluten Free Pumpkin, Persimmon, Banana Bars

One of my daughters has decided to go gluten-free. It's not a medical necessity. Just a choice. In respect of her choice, I am trying to find recipes for her that she will enjoy (and because gluten free breads and desserts are so expensive at the stores)

Pinterest can be an amazing thing. Easy to categorize and share and search. Anyways....I saw a recipe for Gluten Free Pumpkin Bars and that's what inspired my version.

Btw, if you dont have a banana and a persimmon on hand....use all pumpkin as the original recipes uses. I did it the first time I made these bars and it is amazingly good.

These bars are moist and flavorful. If someone gave me one of these bars and didn't tell me, I'd have no idea that it's gluten free.

Gluten Free Pumpkin, Persimmon, Banana Bars
Printable Version

4 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil (or a flavorless oil of your choice)
15 oz mashed very ripe banana, pureed persimmon and canned pumpkin combined (I found that 1 banana and 1 persimmon come to about 8 oz. I added pumpkin to make up the remaining amount)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup oat flour (if you don't have oat flour, use rice flour)
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 cup potato starch (if you don't have potato starch, use corn starch)
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp pumpkin spice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350' F. Grease a 13x10 baking dish.

In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil, pumpkin, banana, persimmon and vanilla extract. Beat until light and fluffy, about 2 or 3 minutes. Sift together the remaining ingredients. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Mix until smooth. Pour into your prepared dish and bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean.

Allow to cool before cutting.

If you're anything like my daughter, you'll eat them as is.

If you're anything like me, you'll grab some icing and smother it before eating it as midnight snack

Note: I've done a small amount of research on oat flour. Often times it is not labeled as gluten free due to the fact that some oat flours are processed in a plant that processes wheat flours and may contain trace amounts of wheat. If this is of concern, please use an alternative flour or confirm that the oat flour you are purchasing is indeed gluten free.