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Monday, 27 July 2020

A-Ma-Zing Homemade Strawberry Lemonade

Huge kudos to my sister who came up with the best way to make this amazing strawberry lemonade.   It's definitely a special summer treat.  Absolutely the best strawberry lemonade.  The sugar syrup poured over the frozen strawberries works perfectly.  No more sugar granules resting at the bottom of your lemonade.  Yum! 
Fresh pitchers of strawberry lemonade
The perfect accompaniment to a big homemade enchiladas feast! Grilled veggies, grilled corn mixed with spices and cheese, homemade guacamole, salsa and bean dip with chips. Yum! 

A-Ma-Zing Homemade Strawberry Lemonade

This recipe will make TWO large pitchers of strawberry lemonade.  I like to use a stick blender to blend the final drink together.  

Squeeze, removing seeds but keeping any pulp: 
9 fresh lemons 
You want to have approximately 1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice. 

In a pan, heat until just boiling, so all the sugar dissolves.  Then, remove from heat:  
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water

In a 4 cup measure cup, place: 
2 cups frozen strawberries
1 cup ice

Pour the hot syrup over the strawberries and ice.  Set aside. 

*** Each item below should be divided between TWO large pitchers***  
1 1/2 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice, from above
4 cups water plus ice to equal a total of 5 1/2 cups water
4 cups of strawberry/sugar syrup, from above

I like to scoop out the strawberries and divide them evenly between pitchers before diving the sugar syrup between the pitchers.  

Use a stick blender to blend up the strawberry-lemonade.  

This will be nice and cold and can be served immediately.  Best made and enjoyed fresh.  You can certainly halve the recipe if you don't want as much - but if you're sharing, you may want to make the full recipe!  Enjoy! 
Strawberry Lemonade
Two fresh jugs of homemade strawberry lemonade. Yum! 

A-Ma-Zing Homemade Strawberry Lemonade by Successfully Gluten Free! 

Tuesday, 21 July 2020

Delicious, Versatile Flatbread

These easy flatbreads are one of our favorites because they can be made plain or with a variety of cheesy additions.  A few of our favorites are listed in the recipe.  The plain flatbreads are a favorite with my kids to use as pizza crusts.  These are similar to my favorite naan bread, but these give you a fluffier end result.  Almost like something in between a naan bread and focaccia bread.  Once cooled, they freeze really well and can be easily heated up in a toaster oven or regular oven.  Enjoy!  

Gluten Free Flat Bread
Yummy cheesy gluten-free flatbread filled with green onions and sharp cheddar cheese.
Fresh from the oven!  The extra cheese creates a bubbly texture.  Without the addition of cheese, these will look like nice, smooth flat breads.  

Delicious, Versatile Flatbread

Makes 6 oval flatbreads

Preheat oven to 400 F convection or 425 F regular.  Line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper. 

In a large mixer, combine dry ingredients:
3 cups Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 Tbsp rapid-rise yeast (quick yeast)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp baking powder

Add and let beat 3-5 minutes, until well combined and light and fluffy:
2 1/4 cup milk, warmed (not hot)
2 eggs

These flat breads can be made plain, or you can add in extras of your choice, mixing into batter until well combined:

Cheddar-green onion
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 - 2/3 cup green onions, sliced into small pieces

Italian-style
2 cups Italian Blend grated cheese OR 1 1/2 grated Mozzarella and 1/2 cup Parmesan
1 tsp dried basil OR 1 - 2 Tbsp fresh basil, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano

Parmesan and sun-dried tomato
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup finely diced sun-dried tomato
1/2 tsp oregano (optional)

Scoop 2 blobs of dough onto each of the 3 pans.  Use wet hands to spread and flatten the dough, as desired.  You can keep wetting your hands so the dough doesn't stick to them.   Let the dough rise 10 - 20 minutes in a warm location. 
    
 
Divide and spread/flatten with wet hands.  You can add melted butter before or after rising.  Either works.  Two different varieties shown here.  They never quite look the same, but all end up delicous! 

Before baking, melt in a small bowl (for brushing tops of bread before baking):
3 Tbsp butter

Brush each flat bread with 1/2 Tbsp melted butter prior to baking.
 
Example from before and after rising.  In this case, I brushed the melted butter on at the beginning of the rise.  

Bake flatbreads for 15 - 20 minutes at 400 convection, rotating regularly and checking every few minutes after the first 5-7 minutes of baking.  (If baking your flat breads one at a time at 425 F, then leave the other pans in a slightly cooler place so that they rise slower.)

Remove baked flat breads from pans and parchment onto cooling racks.  Wonderful served immediately, but delicious cooled and served as desired.  We've used leftover flatbreads for quick pizza crusts, sliced and served with pasta, pull off pieces and served with soup or stew, or just eaten them plain as a snack.  Enjoy! 
Fresh from the oven - yum!  


Delicious, Versatile Flat Bread by Successfully Gluten Free! 

Tuesday, 7 July 2020

Delicious, Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have many different gluten free chocolate chip cookie recipes on this blog, but I always like experimenting and coming up with different versions.  The coconut flour in these makes them chewier than usual, although if you let them brown just a bit more you'll end up with crispy cookies.  They're flexible and forgiving.  Use any mix of chocolate chips you like - I gave a few suggestions below.  Enjoy! 
Gluten Free Soft Chocolate Chip cookies
Soft GF Chocolate Chip Cookies, fresh from the oven!

Delicious, Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 3-4 trays of cookies, depending on size/spacing

Preheat oven to 350 F or 325 F convection.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicon liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together and set aside: (it's important to mix the dry ingredients separately in gluten-free baking to avoid clumps)
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Cream together:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar

Add and mix in, scraping the sides: 
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
1/4 cup milk (lactose-free or alternatives work well)

Add the dry (flours from above) ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix until combined.  

Add and mix in chocolate (approximately 1 - 1 1/2 cups chips works well (or more, if you prefer!) - you can mix and match your favorite flavors - some of our favorites are below): 
1/2 - 3/4 cup semi-sweet chips
1/2 - 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
OR
1/2 - 3/4 cup caramel chips (if you can find them - these cookies were a-maz-ing and if I find caramel chips again, I'm buying several bags!)
1/2 - 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
OR
1/2 cup mint chips
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup semi-sweet chips

Scoop 1 or 2 Tbsp scoops onto parchment or silicon-lined baking pans.  

Bake at 350 F for 7-8 minutes for smaller cookies and 8-10 minutes for larger cookies, until a light golden brown.  Lighter colored will be softer, a darker golden brown will give you a crispier cookie.   

Cool on wire racks.  These are delicious fresh from the oven, and tend to fly off the cooling racks.  Once fully cooled, extra cookies freeze perfectly in ziplocs.  They're delicious! Enjoy! 

Triple chocolate cookies. 
Mint-chocolate chip cookies. Yum!

Delicous, Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free!