Gluten Free Carrot Coconut Cupcakes

There is no occasion like a birthday for cupcakes!! My daughters turned five in January and I wanted to try to make some delicious cupcakes for their family birthday party. We started our meal with crockpot sweet and sour meatballs with rice and salad (sure I will post this recipe one day!!) and then sand a chorus of Happy Birthday and devoured these mouth sized cupcakes.

A few ideas for decorating, spread the frosting with a knife and top or dip in coconut for a fancy look. The alternative would be to try to pipe the frosting. At the time I only has one small piping tool which came in a children's baking kit. We since then have bought some piping tools because I am slowly getting used to embracing the baking world. Since then we purchased a simple Betty Crocker piping kit that has quite a few piping bottles so my kids can try their had at decorating too!

We froze some of these cupcakes without frosting and since have used some for birthday parties the girls are going to. We just set them out to defrost and make a small batch of frosting so they can enjoy a birthday dessert as well at other children's birthday parties. Hope you enjoy!

Gluten Free Carrot Cupcake Cupcakes

3/4 cup grated carrots
1 can crushed pineapple without the juice
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/3 cup apple sauce
2 tbsp butter or margarine
3 eggs
2/3 cup water
1 package Betty Crocker white cake mix
1/4 cup Brown rice flour
1/4 cup walnuts
2 tbsp shredded coconut

Mix the above ingredients together in a bowl. Do not over mix. Pour or spoon batter into grease mini muffin pans. Fill batter to the very top of the each muffin cup. Bake cupcakes for 17-20 minutes until a toothpick can be inserted and come out clean. Remove from oven and let completely cool before frosting.

Creme Cheese Frosting
1 cup cream cheese
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup icing sugar
2 tbsp milk ( more or less to get consistency you prefer for frosting)
Extra coconut for topping

Mix together all ingredients except coconut. Spread onto cupcakes or pipe onto cupcakes and top with sprinkles of coconut.

Gluten Free Lemon Cranberry Granola

It is funny how much time we spend getting ready for Christmas- setting up the tree, shopping, preparing numerous Christmas dinners. Then it always amazes me how quickly the few days of Christmas zoom by as you spend time with family and friends. Our children were at an amazing age this year where they could better understand Santa and some of the meanings of Christmas. It was a very Merry Holiday!

Now that I had some time off between Christmas and New Years and I am done putting away the oddles of toys my kids got- I was finally able to find some time to bake!!

I was inspired by a granola bar that my local health food store started carrying recently. As I have been a celiac for quite some time I was from the school that said stay away from oats. So granola is quite a new thing to me. I decided to try making this granola crumble about a year back and I really did not fancy the texture of the oats. And being the stubborn individual I am I just decided I must not like oats. When they were sampling these new granola bars I was surprised at how yummy they were and the texture was not like the granola I had made. They have many different flavors but at $2.50-$3.00 per one tiny bar, I felt it was worth another attempt at making my own granola.

These bars are quite adaptable as you can use a wide variety of dried fruit and seeds and nuts as substitutes in the recipe below. However I must say my favorite bar does feature the Lemon and cranberry which I find very refreshing. One of the secrets to the success of this granola versus the last one I made was the size of the oats. I purchased quick oats which are cut and smaller in size, my last attempt used a large size oat which I found too chewy.

These granola bars are also super healthy as they contain only natural sugars and do not even require flour, so if you wish to make a non gluten free version just use your own oats as they are the only special addition for a gluten free diet.

These make great granola bars or you can crumble the granola after it cools and enjoy it with yogurt or milk or as a crumble granola snack. We found granola helpful this fall when I enrolled the girls in a dance class right before kindergarten and we were unable to make it home for lunch (not sure what I was thinking!) It made a perfect lunch paired with a fruit smoothie.

Since I feel I have been a bit to busy to dedicate time to my blog, I am making a new years resolution to try to write two new posts per month. Perhaps there might be another granola or two in my blogging future... Happy New Years everyone and enjoy!!

Gluten Free Lemon Cranberry Granola

1 1/3 cup dried chopped and pitted dates
1 cup water
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp margarine or butter
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup flax seeds
1 cup chopped almonds
1 1/2 cup gluten free quick oats
3/4 cup dried cranberries

1. Add water and dates to a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and stir until dates begin to melt. Continue cooking until dates make a medium thick paste. Add more water if required to help dates melt.
2. To the melted dates add honey, butter, lemon zest and lemon juice. Stir all ingredients together.
3. Remove the pot from heat and mix in all remaining ingredients and stir well until all ingredients are incorporated.
4. Spray a casserole dish with Pam or line with parchment paper. Pour granola mix into the dish and spread evenly across dish.
5. Bake at 300F for 40-45 mins or until just slightly brown.
6. Remove from oven and allow to cool. If making bars, I prefer to continue to cool it in the fridge and then cut into bars.
7. Store granola bars in a container and for a longer lifespan, freeze or store in the refrigerator. Enjoy!!

Gluten Free Chocolate Banana Raisin Bread

My last post was in September and then October came and passed us by and now it is the almost the end of November.  I was missing my blog, but all summer and into early fall I must admit I was feeling quite uninspired to cook, bake or even spend more than five minutes in the kitchen.  In addition, our schedule has been hectic with the addition of afternoon Kindergarten for the girls, but I think we have finally adapted to our new schedule. Now that the snow has come to stay for the winter (brrrr!), I feel like spending more time indoors to avoid the cold and I am once again feeling inspired to try new gluten free recipes and ideas!

My latest inspiration is a new bread recipe which turned out amazing! I say amazing because even I had my doubts that it might not turn out, but it turned out above my expectations. Currently I am trying to avoid milk products which is very sad as I am a girl who loves her cheese, lattes and yogurt!  It is a temporary avoidance thank goodness, but it has pushed me to try one new substitution in my bread that I have not tried. What I decided to use instead of regular milk was Almond Milk which is made from ground almonds.  I often use it as a substitute in my coffee but I had never tried it in baking before.  It comes in Unsweetened, Vanilla and Chocolate flavours.  I decided to shake up this banana bread with the addition of chocolate almond milk and it turned out very flavorful and added moisture to the bread. If you are worried about teh chocolate, this bread does not taste all that chocolately at all, it just gets a hint of the taste and the addition of nuttiness with the almond milk. This is not meant to be a sweet dessert bread, there is very little sugar or sweetness added, so feel free to use it as a everyday breakfast or lunch bread. Hope you Enjoy!

Chocolate Banana Raisin Bread

2 egg whites

1 large egg, slightly beaten

2 tbsp honey

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup canola oil

1 cup chocolate sweetened almond milk

2 large bananas, mashed

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup brown rice flour

1/4 cup buckwheat flours (you can substitute more brown rice flour if you do not have buckwheat)

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup tapioca starch (or potato starch)

1/2 cup quinoa flour

1/2 cup sorghum

1 tbsp xanthum gum

1/4 cup flax seeded, cracked 

3/4 cup raisins

2 1/4 tsp bread machine yeast
Optional: This bread has only a faint taste of chocolate from the Almond Milk, but if you like more chocolate I would add 1 tbsp cocoa powder or swap the raisins for chocolate chips. 

1. Add all wet ingredients together in the bottom of the bread machine basket and mix well. 

2. In a separate bowl, add all the dry ingredients together and mix well. 

3. Pour the dry ingredients over top of the wet ingredients in the bread machine basket. 

4. Choose your gluten free cycle on the bread machine or a similar cycle. 

* I always like to check my bread machine half way through mixing cycle to make sure all the ingredients are mixing properly and give it a hand by hand mixing a bit to make sure all the ingredients are incorporated. I also remove the paddle one mixing is complete as to avoid a large hole in the bottom of the loaf. 

5. Once baking is complete, remove from pan and cool on a wire rack. For freezing I find it works best to slice once loaf is cooled, but if you want to enjoy a slice right away it always tastes best freshly baked. 

Betty Crocker Gluten Free Cake Mixes in Canada

Another small victory for the gluten free people of Canada!  I am so happy that General Mills has been expanding to have its Gluten Free products available in Canada.  First it was Chex and now we have the pleasure of having Betty Crocker Cake Mixes available on the grocery shelves in Canada.  Now when you go to the United States you will not have to leave room in your luggage to bring back as many gluten free products! But perhaps that just means you can buy more at the mall since you have more room in your suitcase....lol.

Betty Crocker has two cake mixes available in Canada, the first is a Devil's Food Cake which is what I used to make my Chocolate Zucchini Layered Cake a few weeks ago.  The second delicious cake mix they offer is a Yellow Cake Mix, very versatile for numerous gluten free recipes. Betty Crocker's site offers numerous recipes for these two mixes. 

I found the two mixes available at Calgary Co-op for $6.29 each, but I would imagine they are available at other common grocery retailers throughout Canada and if not, ask to speak to a grocery manager and they may request to bring the products in to their location. 

This is also a great opportunity for those who are not gluten free but may be having a guest over who is gluten free and wants to surprise them with dessert.  A meal is often quite easy to make gluten free naturally, but dessert is another thing.  These premixes will take the complexity out of making a gluten free dessert that everyone can enjoy.  

This is a few steps forward, but I encourage you to continue to email General Mills encouraging them to bring more of their products to Canada, such as Cinnamon, Chocolate and Corn Chex, Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix and Brownie Mix and Bisquick Mix.  You can contact them by visiting the product websites and filling out their 'Contact Us' form.  

Summer Garden

Today is all about being productive.  You have to just love the days where you wake up and feel like you can accomplish anything.  First thing on my list today was to share my experience with gardening this year with my blog readers.  Now that it is summer my garden is overwhelmed with fresh vegetables and I am finding new ways to sneak vegetables into every dish-even dessert!

This year I tried a few new vegetables and there have been successful yields and unsuccessful yields.  I had decided to try Kohlrabi and within a month or so it was clear that nothing was growing and that the foliage was dying.  I am not sure what went wrong, perhaps the really hot days in July was too much, but perhaps I will try planting it earlier next year.  The other misstep this year was my broccoli which I have heard is hard to grow in Calgary.  It all seemed to be going quite good and I was even starting to get broccoli florets until I went out the other day and there were tons of caterpillars that had eaten all my broccoli and its greens.  So out the broccoli and the caterpillars went before they could spread.  Thank goodness I had beets beside them and I do not believe they like the beet tops because they seem to be fine.  Oh well, we will try again next year.  My tomatoes also did not grow, I ended up with 3 tomatoes and they have still not turned from their green state, however a relative told me that you are supposed to fertilize them quite frequently so we will give it a go next year and fertilizer will be our friend.

Now to focus on the positives- my zucchini is growing like crazy!!!  Friends at my previous work told me to only plant two zucchini plants and I would have more than enough.  Well do you think I listened-of course not.  I had to plant three zucchini plants and now I have more zucchini than I know what to do with.  But I am quite happy with having an abundance of zucchini, I even made my first chocolate zucchini cake. The cake was delicious and not even too sweet as the zucchini kept it even for taste and gave the cake lots of moisture.

Gluten Free Chocolate Zucchini Layered Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Filling

Adapted from the Betty Crocker's Gluten Free Zucchini Devil's Food Snack Cake Recipe

1 package Betty Crocker Gluten Free Devil's Food Cake Mix

3 beaten eggs

1/3 cup water

1 1/2 cup shredded zucchini, unpeeled

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (flavored or unflavored)

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Cream Cheese Frosting/Filling

400g container light cream cheese

1 1/2 cups gluten free icing sugar

1 tbsp butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup melted dark chocolate 

1. Heat oven to 350F.  Grease the bottom and sides of  two 8 inch square or round cake pans. 

2. Mix all the cake ingredients together until well blended and pour an even amount into each cake pan. 

3. Bake for 45-50 minutes until toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake. 

4. Allow cake to cool for a few minutes and then remove from the pan and allow it to completely cool on a baking rack. 

5. To make the filling, mix together all the frosting ingredients and set in a refrigerator until ready to use. 

6. To assemble the cake, place one of the cakes on a serving plate and cover with with ample cream cheese filling.  Top with the second layer of cake.  

7. To finish the top of the cake you could add more cream cheese frosting or cover with a light sprinkle of icing sugar.  Top with fresh raspberries and enjoy!

Other parts of my garden that are flourishing are the yellow golden potatoes which are delicious and yielded an earlier crop than my red potatoes I planted last year.  I have dug up a few and they are of a good size and they will continue to grow into September, so perhaps I will try to post a few yummy potato recipes. My beets are growing well, my red beets have grown much better than my golden beets which only some of them grew, others never got a start.  If you have a chance to grow golden beets they taste a bit sweeter and add a vibrant color to sauteed beets and carrots which is one of our favorite side dishes. 

Our lettuce grew like crazy or perhaps it might have to do with the large number of seeds I put in the ground in one spot, but we have been enjoying a variety of salads throughout the summer.  If you are just starting out with gardening lettuce is one of the easiest things to grow and even  with Calgary's short growing season you can usually replant at least once and get two crops out of the same spot in the garden.  Another easy produce item to grow is carrots.  Again, I think I planted way too many, but we will never complain about to many carrots!  This year we tried planting purple carrots which are quite unique in their appearance but I cannot detect a taste difference, but just for the difference in color I would plant them again and they grew bigger than my orange carrots. 

For peas I planted two varieties, a snow pea which requires a large fence or something to grow up against and I am not overly happy with the taste of the peas.  They are excellent for stirfries, but to just eat out of the garden then have very little taste.  The other variety I planted were snap peas which do not require a fence, but I would recommend a small fence for extra support.  Although there were less peas they were much fresher and crispier in taste, will definitely plant them again.  We also planted bush beans and they are growing really well and are very easy to grow.  Our green onions have flourished, but our yellow onions have not grown barely at all, but this is due to being overshadowed by my potato foliage.  This is an example of why it is important to plan and think about what will grow best where, each year you learn a little bit more of what works and what does not. The last item we are still waiting on are our cucumbers.  They have flowers and hopefully something will grow soon, but they are being a bit overshadowed by the three zucchini plants I just had to have!  

I also wanted to share an amazing place we went to in Calgary, it is called Big Hills Springs Provincial Park (out west on highway 567).  There are waterfalls galore and it is a simple hike for adults and kids.  We did some photos out there thanks to Lukowich Photography and wanted to share a few of my blossoming girls who are getting ready for Kindergarten in a few weeks (I cannot believe how quickly time flies!)

Gluten Free Tilapia, Quinoa and Vegetable Stirfry

Wow almost a month between my last post!  Although I have been absent in my posts the blog has still been getting a fair amount of visits so I appreciate all of your support and curiosity with my recipes and gluten free experience.

There have been a few reasons for my lack of posts, first it is summer and we try to squeeze every bit of fun out of such a short season here in Calgary.  It has been beautiful lately and there has been a perfect combination of warm weather during the day and rain at night which is my ideal weather.  It was even nice weather for our quick trip out to Fairmont, BC.  Usually anytime I head up to the family cabin I seem to bring bad weather, but not this time, we were able to visit with family, hit the beach, go on the boat, enjoy the pool and cram a ton of excitement into a couple of days. 

Another reason for the absence of posts has been a bit of laziness with the hot days. During the summer the last thing I usually feel like doing is working in the kitchen to cook, usually we default to salad and something simple on the BBQ.  I had quite a few BBQ meals pre-prepared in the freezer as I had taken part in a BBQ Meal Exchange a couple of months ago.  But finally we have had a week when we have attempted to cook a few news dishes. 

This meal was inspired by the fresh vegetables from my garden, including purple carrots, snap peas and fresh green onions. The garden is coming along nicely and I promise an update on my gardening experience in a future post. This meal is simple and quick to make with lots of fresh flavor.

Gluten Free Tilapia, Quinoa and Vegetable Stirfry

2 tsp olive oil
3 tilapia filets
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 large green onions, sliced
2-3 large carrots, sliced
1 handful snow or snap peas
Other optional vegetables (peppers, mushrooms, etc)
1 cup diced pineapple
1/8 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup honey
1 1/2 cups quinoa
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup water (or use another cup chicken broth)

1. Add olive oil to pan and heat. Add tilapia filets, garlic and green onions to pan. Brown tilapia on each side for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add carrots and soy sauce to pan. Reduce to medium heat and allow to cook for 3 minutes.
3. Add quinoa, chicken broth and water on top of tilapia filets. Cover pan with a lid and being to a boil and then reduce to medium low heat.
4. Once quinoa has cooked for five minutes stir in pineapple and snap/snow peas. Note that fish may flake which is fine. Cook for 5-7 more minutes until quinoa is fully cooked.
5. For some extra heat serve topped with hot sauce or chili pepper sauce. Enjoy!

Maple Walnut Chicken and Cheddar Apple Quinoa

Hello everyone!  It has been quite some time since my last post, but now that summer is here we are super busy out in the yard and taking in the City's outdoor attractions.  It has been a fun but busy couple of weeks with visits to the Calgary Stampede, the zoo and Riley Park. I cannot believe how quickly the summer is passing, must enjoy every moment!

Although the last couple weeks have been crazy busy and I have had very little time in the kitchen, the next few weeks are about getting back to healthy eating and home cooking.  My garden is coming along quite well and I cannot wait for all the fresh vegetables coming soon.  Since I have not cooked many originals as of late, I decided to blog about one of my favorite inspirations, Rachel Ray.  I am able to watch her talk show some mornings now that I work in the afternoons and my girls are always asking to watch cooking shows, so we all enjoy seeing what she is going to make today.  Her recipes are usually quite simple and made with ingredients you may already have in your fridge or pantry.   One of my all time favorite recipes of hers is Maple Walnut Chicken Thighs with Cheddar Apple Rice- it is amazingly scrumptious!  However, I always have to make my spin on a recipe, below is a delectable adaptation of this recipe, hope you enjoy!

Maple Walnut Chicken and Cheddar Apple Quinoa

1 1/2 cups quinoa
3 cups chicken broth
1 golden delicious apple, peeled and cut into small chunks
Pepper to taste
1 tsp dried dill or 1 tbsp fresh
1/2 cup cheddar cheese cut into small cubes

4 Chicken Breasts cut into two pieces each (use chicken thighs if you prefer)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinger
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1. Add quinoa and chicken broth to a pot, cover and bring to boil and reduce heat to low. 
2. After quinoa has cooked for five minutes, add apple and cooked covered for 5 more minutes or until quinoa is completely cooked.
3. Remove quionoa from heat and mix in pepper, dill and cheese, stir well and all cheese to melt for a few minutes before plating.
4. While quinoa is cooking, add oil to a skillet and brown chicken for 3-4 minutes on medium-high.
5. Add walnuts and allow them to toast for 1 minute.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low and add apple cider vinegar, maple syrup and chicken broth.  Cook for an additional 4-5 minutes until sauce begins to thicken and chicken is cooked through.

To view the original recipe, check out Rachel Ray's Show.

Gluten Free Cranberry Raisin Bread

To all my fellow Canadians, hope you had a great Canada Day!!  My friend and I were able to catch the fireworks in Airdrie which were quite spectacular and much easier than trying to see the fireworks in Calgary.  I had a whole day off for Canada Day and my family is away at the family cabin, so was I productive?  Heck no, I took some TLC time for myself and caught up on a few good TV shows that had been collecting on my PVR.

Lately I have been feeling a little unmotivated to bake and cook, which is horrible because I love being in the kitchen.  To get myself on the go again, if anyone has any recipes they would like me to try to adapt to be gluten free or any recipes you want to pass on, email the recipe to me at allsweetness21@gmail.com and I will do my best make something delicious and gluten free. 

I was however motivated to make some delicious bread this past week, it was one of my best bread recipes yet if I was to toot my own horn.  A couple reasons why I was motivated was that first off we had run out of bread in our house and secondly I always love to take recipes I have made before and tweak it a bit to try to make something new.  I have made raisin cranberry bread previously, but never before with the addition of bananas.  This was a winning combination as the bread was super moist and did not last very long in our house, so look forward to some more bread recipes soon as I am once again out of bread!

Gluten Free Cranberry Raisin Bread

3 egg whites
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup ripe mashed bananas (approx 2-3 bananas)
2 tsp cider vinegar
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp room temperature water
1 cup sorghum flour
1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup cornstrach
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1 tbsp guar gum or xanthum gum
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast

1. Place 3 egg white in a bowl and mix with an electric mixer on medium for 2-3 minutes until soft peaks form.  Set aside.
2. In another bowl, combine the whole egg, maple syrup, canola oil, bananas, cider vinegar, and water.  Mix well to incorporate and pour into the bottom of the bread machine bowl.
3. Scrape egg whites on top into the bread machine bowl. Do not mix them in with the other ingredients.
4. In another bowl combine all remaining ingredients except the yeast.  Mix together and pour into the bread machine bowl.
5. Make a well in the top of the dry ingredients in the bread machine bowl and add the yeast or as directed by your bread machine manual.
6. Set your bread machine to a 2lb loaf and medium or dark crust.
7. While ingredients are being mixed by the bread machine, make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure all the ingredients are incorporated.
8. Once the bread machine indicates that the mixing phase is complete, remove the paddle from the bread machine.  This prevents having a large hole in the bottom of your loaf.
9. Allow bread machine to rise and bake.
10. Remove bread and allow it to cool before cutting.

Truth be told, we did not let is cool completely before we had to sample it as it smelled so good.  However, I find with gluten free breads that if you let them rest for a bit they seem to be easier to cut, but if you cannot resist, dive in  and enjoy!

Gluten Free Sweet and Savory Crepes

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful Dads out there! What a better way to celebrate a father than making him a special breakfast. The girls and I got up quite early this morning to surprise their Dad with one of his favorite things-crepes! He has enjoyed them at numerous restaurants and especially when we are on vacation at a resort but we have never attempted to make them at home. And of course we had to make them gluten free so we could all enjoy them. Making these crepes has been one of those items on my mental list of gluten free challenges I have wanted go try this year. Well these crepes were delightful so I can check them off my list and I am sure they will become a family standard as they can be very versatile.

I did not use any special crepe pan, a small 8 inch pan worked pefectly. Making these crepes was so much easier than I expected, so do not be afraid! The only advice I have is to set your oven to keep warm and o put each crepe onto a baking sheet as you make them so they are all still warm when it comes to filling them.

We made two different crepes, one savory and one sweet. Both were equally scrumptious and the savory one would be great for a light breakfast, lunch or dinner. Get creative with your fillings and as always, hope you enjoy!

Gluten Free Crepes

Base Crepe Mix
3 large eggs beaten
1 1/4 cup milk
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp gluten free baking powder
3/4 cup all purpose gluten free flour (or 1/2 cup brown rice flour and 1/4 cup tapioca starch)
1/4 cup sorghum flour

Savory Mix
1/4 tsp salt (optional, we did not add salt)
1/4 tsp pepper
Olive oil to cook crepes
1/2 cup ham, cubed small
1/2 cup peppers, diced small
1/2 cup smoked gouda cheese
Other suggestions for filling: artichokes, chicken, potatoes, onions, zucchini, mushrooms, assorted cheeses, etc

Sweet Mix
1 tbsp cocoa powder (optional)
1 tsp agave nectar or sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Olive oil to cook crepes
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1 banana, cut into slices
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
2 tsp agave nectar or sugar
Gluten Free Icing Sugar for garnish
Other suggestions for filling: chocolate sauce, strawberries, mangos, yogurt, whipped creme, peaches, etc.


Base Crepe Mix
1. Combine all ingredients for base mix and mix with an electric mixer.

For Savory Crepes
1.  Add olive oil to pan, saute ham and peppers.  Set on very low and set aside until you are ready to fill crepes.
2. Add salt and pepper to base crepe mix and use electric mixer to combine.
3. Add olive oil to pan and heat on medium. 
4. Turn heat down to medium-low and add a 1/4 cup of batter to pan and swirl until bottom of pan is coated with batter. Cook for 1-2 minutes and then use a thin spatula to lift up the edges of the crepe and flip it.  Cook second side for 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese if using it as a filling and cook for an additional 1 minute. 
5. Remove crepe from heat and add a bit of the ham and pepper mixture to crepe.
6. Fold crepe by either rolling it, folding it like a burito or like a fan with both folds coming to a point in one corner (see picture for fold details).
7. If you are making numerous crepes, place folded crepe on baking sheet in oven and keep it warm until all crepes are ready to be serve. 

For Sweet Crepes
1.  Puree raspberries and agave nectar in a blender to make raspberry sauce for topping the crepe. Set aside. (If using frozen raspberries, defrost in microwave prior to making puree)
2. Add cocoa powder, vanilla and agave nectar to base crepe mixture and use electric mixer to mix batter.
3. Add olive oil to pan and heat on medium.
4. Turn heat down to medium-low and add a 1/4 cup of batter to pan and swirl until bottom of pan is coated with batter. Cook for 1-2 minutes and then use a thin spatula to lift up the edges of the crepe and flip it.  Cook second side for 1-2 minutes.  If using chocolate chips, add them to centre of crepe and top with bananas.
5. Remove crepe from pan and place in warm oven on baking sheet until they are ready to be rolled.
6. Roll crepe as shown in picture.
7. Top with raspberry sauce and sprinkle with gluten free icing sugar. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Honey Garlic Tilapia and Mango Salsa

Oh how I love seafood.  I wish we could eat more of it, but as I have stated before, I do not seem to be the best seafood cook, sometimes it works out and other times it seems to fall below expectations.  Whenever I go to a restaurant and choose a seafood option it rarely disappoints.  I have been trying to improve my cooking of this underwater fare and came up with this simple Tilapia dish.  Tilapia is one of our favorite fishes and it is very mild in flavor which means it is not overly fishy and usually requires seasoning or a sauce to add some dimension to the fish.

This dish was paired with a colorful mango salsa.  Mangos are probably one of my favorite fruits and my girls also go crazy for mangos.  The aroma and taste of a fresh mango along with peppers, cucumber, cilantro and onions made a delicious accompaniment to this fish.  We also paired this dish with a new favorite, Alexia Waffle Fries.  Most of the Alexia potato products are gluten free and these waffle fries were amazing, cooked in the oven for 20 minutes, they came out very crispy and wonderfully pre-seasoned with sea salt, pepper, onion and garlic.  Plus what kid does not love waffle fries, they were a huge hit with my girls. Hope you enjoy!

Gluten Free Honey Garlic Tilapia and Mango Salsa

For Mango Salsa:
1 whole mango, peeled and diced
1/4 cup of diced or shredded cucumber
1/3 cup of diced colored peppers
2 tbsp small diced red onion
2 tsp chopped fresh cilantro  
2 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp agave nectar (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp diced Jalepenos (optional)

For Tilapia:
4 Boneless Tilapia Fillets
2 tsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
3 tbsp gluten free soy sauce
2 tbsp honey

1. Salsa can be prepared a few hours before the meal is prepared and works best as it gives time for the salsa flavors to blend.
2. Combine all ingredients for mango salsa together and serve chilled.
3. Add olive oil to a warm pan, add garlic and saute garlic for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add tilapia and allow the garlic to coat the fish.   Cook for 2-3 minutes per side, allowing fish to brown.
4. Add soy sauce and honey to pan.  Reduce heat and cook until sauce reduces, approximately 4-5 minutes.
5. Top Tilapia with Mango Salsa and Enjoy!