GF Plum and Peach Healthy Muffins

One of my favourite healthy treats to bake is Kim Wilson's Banana Muffins. I regularly bake them, and freeze them, indiviudally wrapped, so I can get them out of the freezer as I please to enjoy these treats, it hits the spot and stops that sugar craving.

The other day I was in a baking mood, I looked in the fruit bowl to find that there wasn't enough bananas to make my beloved muffins. But I wasn't going to be defeated here, I open the fruit section of the fridge, where the fruit is kept.

The delicious, purple velvet looking plums called out 'pick me, pick me!' and the delicious peaches sitting next to the delicious plums sung 'we make a great team, pick us, pick us!'. What can I say but I had to listen to the delighful Australian stonefruit that was singing to me.

I selected 4 small plums and 2 peaches and cut them up into small pieces, leaving the skin on (this is where a large majority of the fibre is stored! I placed the fruit in the blender until them resembled a fine pulp.

When I transfered the stonefruit puree to a large bowl I soon realised that there was a rather watery consistency compared to the banana mixture. This is where the cook in me kicked in and I decided on doubling the amount of flaxmeal combared to the banana mixture. I was successful, as the consistency looked perfect!
The hardest part was waiting the 20 minutes of baking time and a little bit of cool down time, before I broke my muffin into smaller pieces. I was in heaven, there was a delightful mixture of moist fruit flavours! The plums and peaches were right they were the best combination. Unlike the banana muffins which are best served heated slightly in the microwave after they have cooled, the moisture of these muffins, meant that for several days after they were made, you could simply pick one out of the contain and gobble up all that wholesome goodness.

The only frustrating thing about these muffins is that in Australia, summer is coming to an end and so will the supply of the delicious stonefruit, that I look forward to each summer! I wish I had of listened to the fruit sing to me in Novemeber not February!

Without further ado here is the delightful recipe

Gluten Free Peach and Plum Muffins

Ingredients:
4 small plums                                                                 1 cup brown rice flour
2 large peaches (skin on)                                                1/2 cup arrowroot flour
1/2 cup water                                                                  1/2 cup gf corn flour
1/3 cup honey (or maple syrup)                                      1 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup oil (vegetable) or butter                                      2 tsp. baking powder
2/3 cup ground flaxmeal                                                  1/2 tsp. bicarb soda
1 tsp apple cider vinegar                                                  1/2 tsp. sea salt
11/2 tbs. golden syrup
opt:up to 1 cup chopped walnuts

Method:
Preheat oven to 180-200 degrees celcisus. Cut fruit into small pieces and place in the blender until they resemble a puree (leave the skin on the fruit). Combine ingredients in left column (except walnuts if using). In a separate bowl, combine ingredients in right column. Lightly mix the two together, fold in walnuts if using (I didn't use walnuts in my version, its a personal choice). Scoop into oiled muffin tins (I use a olive oil spray). Bake for about 20 minutes or until they spring back when you touch them.

Enjoy
xx

Don't forget you can follow me on Twitter @MMOAGFL or on Facebook under Mishaps and Mayhem of a Gluten Free Life. I would also like to mention my fellow food blogger, the lovely lady behind Delicieux is running a fantastic competition to win an ice cream maker, to enter simply click on the link and follow the instructions http://www.ledelicieux.com/2012/02/22/win-an-ice-cream-maker-of-your-choice-from-kitchenware-direct/

What recipe have you altered to suit your supplies in the kitchen and did it turn out to be successful or not?

Myths and miconceptions about allergies

I've written plenty of recipe posts of late, I have one to put up as the next post but I think they are some important things that need to be discussed.

Firstly, I would like to cordially invite you to the Nuffnang Food Bloggers of Macarthur Unite morning tea on the last Saturday in May. All you have to do is tweet me, of make a comment or email me to let me know you are coming. If there aren't enough food bloggers in the area I will change it to just Bloggers of Macarthur Unite! I will let you know if the Food specific part is going to be removed. All you have to do is be a member of Nuffnang, go to their website and join if you aren't already www.nuffnang.com.au

I thought I'd wait until everything calmed down a bit, but last week there was a massive controversy in the blogging world about an article on food allergies, intolerances and Coeliac disease. I have to be honest and admit I was on the bandwagon too and started tweeting, to be corrected, the meaning that I took was not the intended meaning.

As a Coeliac, eating out is always painful, your lucky if there are two things that you can eat, and then you have to check with the chef if the stock, etc are gluten free. I've been assured food is gf, only to have a reaction 30 minutes later! It's not just about the puffer fish, or the cramps, or other A, its that whatever food we have just digested as actually damaged our small bowel! Coeliac disease is not an intolerance, it is an autoimmune disease! This needs to be taken more seriously and chefs need to be taught more about this horrible disease. With knowledge comes power, if I go to a restaurant and see that I can eat most things, and when I speak to the chef, they talk in rice flour and all my language, I know I can sit back and enjoy my evening.

As well as Coeliac disease, there is gluten intolerance, where someone is allergic to gluten but it is not doing them any damage by eating it, it just might cause a reaction. People who are gluten intolerant might choose to eat gluten when they go out as they can handle it in small amounts. I can see the confusion though if someone is stressing that the main meal has the be GF and they eat a non gf cake for dessert, it doesn't really help in our plight to create more awareness. These people don't need to say they are allergic to gluten they have an intolerance and only say that if you plan on eating gf all night!

There are people who have even more serious reactions then us Coeliacs do, is the people who suffer from peanut allergies. This is a life threatening condition and if they digest, just a hint of peanut, within minutes they could die without an epipen. About 5 and 1/2 years ago I was unfortunate enough to experience anaphylaxis, mine was from spraying some cheap but labelled from France perfume on my neck, within 30 minutes the reaction started, with a ring like a rope around my neck, I had hives all over my body. I remember when I looked in the mirror and my lips was swelled and my face all red. Thankfully I called my friend and I managed to get to the front of the house, within 5 minutes my tongue started to swell. I'm ever grateful that my friend pulled into the ambulance station and rushed to get someone. I had shots of adrenalin and I went to the hospital, sirens blaring, doctors and nurses everywhere. The ambulance officers who saved my life that day, told my now husband that if my friend had driven me I would have died. So I have experienced the reaction, its one of the scariest things that has happened to me. So I know what this horrible reaction feels like, and it was damn scary as a 25 year old, so a child would be petrified. My oldest friend is allergic to peanuts, so I'm sure we get cursed by waitresses when we go out.

There are other strange and bizarre things people can be allergic to I know someone who is allergic to garlic and has a massive reaction that last a few days if she is exposed to it. There is a variety of foods that people can be allergic too and we can't critique unless you have spoken to them and its by choice they are not eating certain foods. So before you put your judgemental hat on and think, take that person as innocent until proven guilty!

I also know people who have by choice removed gluten from their diet, once again their body, their choice. Yes they may decide to try a bit of the wedding cake even though they requested a gf meal, but again it's their choice and it won't do any harm to them.

I join a chat on Twitter on Tuesday nights at 8.30pm #ausallergy that AES time, the different things that people are allergic to has soon opened up my eyes. Although it might sound strange to you to be allergic to onion, some people can be and they can't tolerate any at all otherwise they will have almost a anaphylaxis reaction. We would love for any new people to come and join us, we generally go for an hour and chat about various allergy related things. Even if your a cynic come and join us and speak to some people who have allergies and then see where you stand.

I hope I have enlightened you on the topic of allergies. Thank you for letting me tell my story, I think it's important to know that it's not always what you digest it can be something you put on you. Thankfully I have never had that reaction again, I use one perfume J'adore and I will only buy it from David Jones or the airport. So just beaware of these chemist selling perfumes at crazy prices, they aren't the real thing. I called Gucci, and they hadn't supplied directly to that chemist for 5 years, so it makes you wonder what else is put in the perfume? We got the rip off bottle and the real thing and you could smell the difference. Please don't let it happen to you! If you or your family has a reaction like that call an ambulance immediately, there really isn't much time in these situations!

Until next time where I have the best healthy muffin recipe, I'll catch you on Twitter @MMOAGFL or Facebook under Mishaps and Mayhem of a Gluten Free Life.

GF Red Velvet Cupcakes

As my readers probably know by now, I'm a big fan of the #SABH Blog Hop, each month I generally enter at least two creations, with my mind ticking over as soon as I discover the theme to think of what I can make.






This months' theme Love at First Bite, which was no doubt inspired by Valentines' Day, had my mind focused on making something delicious and special for my lovely husband for the day. Valentines' Day is something that we don't normally celebrate; personally I would much prefer a bunch of flowers or a nice surprise romantic dinner, when the calendar doesn't dictate you do! I remember being single and feeling very much like Bridget Jones, when it was Valentines' Day, particualary watching over smug women, walking past with their red roses!

I have never had a red velvet cupcake, but I had heard all about theme and knew that they are one of the latest things at the moment, the cake to have! I talked to a few people about it and decided that this was something that I wanted to make! With my mind made up I started searching the net for recipes.

I found a Red Velvet Cupcake recipe on Taste, that had 5 stars http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/26697/red+velvet+cupcakes. It was a gluten filled cupcake, but writing this blog has given me more confidence in my baking skills and converting a gluten filled recipe into a gluten free one. This is what I did with this recipe and I must say I am quite proud of myself as it is honestly my best gluten free creation I have made. Or at least, up there with the best.

I couldn't believe how easy it was to make, virtually it was sift dry ingredients and mix in the wet ingredients. The only thing which I will admit I goggled on how to do was buttermilk; I simply added a tablespoon of lemon juice first and let it sit whilst I collected all the other ingredients. No mix master, no hand held mixer, this is a very easy cake to make. What makes it even better is that you put them in paper cases, saving on the washing up even more! What's not to like about that!

When it came to the icing, I read the comments, originally the recipe called for 2x 250g of cream cheese! I agreed with the majority of comments which said they halved the icing, so 1 250g of cream cheese and 1 cup of icing sugar. The icing is where you need the hand held electric mixer, as you need to mix, butter, cream cheese and icing sugar. Make sure you have the cream cheese and butter out at room temperature! Once everything was mixed up, I dipped my finger into the bowl, and was overwhelmed by the cream cheese flavour. To me, it didn't match with the chocolate red infused cakes that I had made! In the end to get the right consistency, so it tasted like icing and cream cheese wasn't the overwhelming flavour, it took the addition of another cup of icing sugar and then we had the perfect match! It took alot of will power to stop eating the icing from the bowl.

The next step of this adventure was to add the icing to my perfectly formed cupcakes, which were more like muffins. As I had added more icing sugar, there was a fair bit more icing, so the cakes were well covered with icing. I lathered them up rather well, and I was impressed with the overall turnout.

As much as they were calling 'eat me, eat me', I held back and waited until my hubby got home from work and together with a nice cup of tea we ate our Red Velvet Cupcakes at the same time! It was most definitely Love at First Bite! I have to say this was the nicest, moistest gluten free cake I have tried, and the icing was the perfect accompainiment! The only reason you would have known they were gluten free is that if you knew I was a Coeliac.

I have to confess I ate more than my fair share of the cakes, but I figured that's one priviliege as the cook you get to have! And I was in love; I just couldn't stop eating them! I have some baby showers coming up and I can guarantee these will be on my menu of gf things that I will be bringing.

I have to give a warning, it does contain red food colouring, so be aware when giving it to children. My sister gave my 18 month old nephew some and within 30 minutes he was slightly hypo, we only realised when he was running around a bit loony like, that there was red food colouring in the cake. An example for all those people who claim food colouring doesn't affect children, I can vouch yes, it does!

Just writing this recipe for you makes me want to make these cakes again. For all those Coeliacs or Gluten Intolerant people out there, you can have a delicious, scrumptious cake that doesn't taste dry or crumbles. And yes you will fall in Love At First Bite.

When you make them, don't tell people they are gluten free and see what response you get, I can almost guarantee it will be full of praise, as people have their mouths stuffed with cake, telling you how good it tastes!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup gf cornflour
1/2 cup gf flour
1tsp bicarb soda
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups caster sugar
1 cup butttermilk
200g butter, melted
2 eggs lightly whisked (at room temperature)
1 tbs white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tsp red food colouring
1 x 250g cream cheese at room temperature
2 cups icing sugar (add more to taste)
60g butter at room temperature
2-3 tsp vanilla essence, (for icing, add more to taste).

Method:
Preheat oven to 170 degrees celcisus. Line 12 muffin pans with paper cases (or 18 patty cakes). Sift flour, cocoa, bicarb soda into a bowl. Stir through sugar. Whisk buttermilk, butter, eggs, vinegar and vanilla  in a large jug until well combined. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture. Add the buttermilk mixture, stir until just combined. Stir in the food colouring. Divide the mixture into the paper cases. Bake for 20-25 mins, or until skewer comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Use an electric beater to beat the cream cheese, icing sugar, extra butter and vanilla until smooth (I added another cup  of icing sugar to meet my taste, so perhaps start with 1 cup and adjust to your individual taste). Spread over cupcakes.

Buttermilk: Add 1 tbs vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup of milk (I used lemon juice). Allow to stand for a min of 5 mintures before using.