bullfrogs & bulldogs

Grain-Free Cranberry-Orange Scones

May 2, 2013 By Bullfrogs and Bulldogs Leave a Comment

One of my favorite breakfast treats growing up were scones. Maybe it’s my English roots, I’m not sure, but there has always been something that I loved about eating them. It also didn’t help that my mom loved them as well and every time we’d go to get some coffee, when I drank coffee, she’d get a scone and I’d always ask for a ‘bite’ and end up eating half of it.

Once I started to become a lot more health conscious I realized how bad scones can be for you and stopped eating them for the most part. Once I went vegan, it was definitely so long to my crumbly friends.

As I continue to explore what health and a healthy lifestyle means to me I have come to realize that I can still enjoy one of my all-time favorites but just a different version of it. And to be honest, I think this one tastes a whole lot better!

In walks my Grain-Free Cranberry-Orange Scone! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going grain-free. I think grains are an extremely important part of our diet but I just got a huge bag of almond meal and wanted to give it a try for a lighter, more airy texture.

These guys are just that. Light and airy and delicious. I love the citrus with the hint of almond and of course the tartness from the cranberries.

As I continue to explore vegan baking I am constantly impressed with what you can actually make and I’ve come to prefer a vegan treat over a non-vegan one. Aside from tasting better, I know I am doing my body a special favor by a) eliminating all animal products and b) eating a tasty treat!

I’m excited to play around with other possibilities using the base of this recipe, almond meal. I’m thinking I see some kind of vegan chocolate chip scone in my future. Here is the recipe for these Cranberry-Orange Scones for your enjoyment!

Grain-Free Cranberry-Orange Scones

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

12 mins

Total time

22 mins

Author: Amanda

Recipe type: Breakfast

Serves: 8

Ingredients

3½ cup almond meal/flour
¼ cup 100% pure maple syrup
Juice of one lemon plus 2 tbsps
Juice of two small oranges or 1 cup
1 tbsp baking soda
2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 4 tbsp water. Allow to sit in refrigerator for 15 minutes to thicken up)
½-3/4 cup dried unsweetened cranberries

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. If the mixture is a little on the wet side add a little more almond meal/flour until it’s a consistency that wont stick.
Shape into a ball then put onto greased baking pan. (I grease using coconut oil)
With the palm of your hand start to flatten the ball out slightly.
Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut the scone mixture into 8 pie shaped pieces and separate so they each have room to grow bigger.
Place in oven and bake for 12 minutes. I ended up baking for about 15 minutes but start with 12 and add time if necessary.
Enjoy!

Enjoy your weekend! The weather is suppose to be in the upper 80′s here which is big for Oregon!

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: baking, Cranberry-Orange Scone, gluten free, Grain-Free, vegan

Dark Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Muesli Bars + A VERY Special Bob’s Red Mill Giveaway

April 3, 2013 By Bullfrogs and Bulldogs 4 Comments

Have I mentioned how much I love using Bob’s Red Mill products when I cook and bake? I’ve been using their products for quite some time now and find that they are my go to for all the essentials {and non-essentials}. Not only does Bob’s Red Mill have a plethora of cereals, mixes, flours, meals, grains, beans and seeds, they also have just as many options in gluten-free. And even better, I feel like I really am shopping local when I buy from Bob’s Red Mill because they are located in Milwaukie Oregon, not too far from where I live. It’s high up on my list to go and visit them someday and if possible, give Bob himself a giant hug in appreciation and thanks.

When Bob’s Red Mill asked me to be apart of a fun little recipe contest using their new Gluten-Free Muesli, I jumped at the chance to get to play around with their delicious version of an all time favorite breakfast food. Before I share my recipe, I want to tell you a little more about the contest so that {hopefully} you can help me win the grand prize!

{Source}

A few select bloggers, yours truly included, were selected to use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Muesli in any recipe of their choose as long as the Muesli plays a major role. From April 9th to April 22, voting opens to the public {YOU} and you get to help decide who is picked as the first, second and third prize winners. As a big huge thank you for coming back April 22nd to vote {hopefully for a certain someone, hint hint, wink wink}, I’m giving one of my amazing readers the opportunity to win something totally awesome from Bob’s Red Mill. But, you’ll have to come back on April 22nd to see just what that is

So here is the recipe for my delicious Dark Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Muesli Bars…

5.0 from 1 reviews

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Muesli Bars + A VERY Special Bob’s Red Mill Giveaway

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

35 mins

Author: Amanda

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 15

Ingredients

1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Muesli
2 cups Hazelnut or Almond Meal
1 cup peanut butter
2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax seeds mixed with 6 tbsp water. Let sit in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes)
4 tbsp agave nectar
¼ cup. coconut oil
For the Chocolate Dip:
½ cup chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips)
¼ cup coconut milk (full fat)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Cook for 20-25 minutes depending on your oven.
Add flax egg, peanut butter, agave nectar and coconut oil and mix well using a mixer of your choice.
Add muesli and hazelnut or almond meal and continue mixing until well blended.
Line a baking dish wish parchment paper and pour mixture in baking dish.
Pat down until evenly spread through baking dish.
Place in oven and set timer. Check after about 15 minutes and continue baking from there up to 25 minutes. I say this because honestly, everyone’s ovens are completely different.
Once baked to your liking {they should be soft and chewy but not super moist}, take out of oven and allow to cool completely.
Once cooled, remove by simply lifting up the parchment paper and placing on a cutting board. Cut into 2 inch bars.
Melt the chocolate chips and coconut milk together until completely melted.
Dip half of the muesli bar in the chocolate and place on a piece of parchment paper to cool. You can dust the side with chocolate with coconut if you’d like or leave plain.
Enjoy!

But that isn’t it! Is Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Muesli already a part of your daily or weekly routine? If so, you have the chance to participate in your own little contest. Details are below.

Click it to win it! Do you love the new gluten free muesli from Bob’s Red Mill? They want you to prove it with a fun Instagram/Pinterest contest! Grab your cameras and snap a picture showing them how much you love their new Gluten Free Muesli and share it with them on Pinterest and/or Instagram for a chance to win a fabulous prize pack including Gluten Free Muesli, a beautiful cereal bowl and a $50 Bob’s Red Mill gift card. For more information, descriptions of prizes and rules for entry, visit: http://www.bobsredmill.com/blog/featured-articles/ gluten-free-muesli-photo-contest.

Photo contest is open now until April 30th so you have plenty of time to grab a bag of their muesli and try it for yourself!

Filed Under: Recipes, Reviews, Sponsors, Giveaways Tagged With: baking, Bob's Red Mill Giveaway, Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Museli, gluten free giveaway, museli

gf coconut-banana, walnut and chocolate chip bread- yes you read that correct

August 8, 2011 By Amandauser Leave a Comment

Okay, so I have a massive sweet tooth and would prefer to eat sweets at all seven meals. That is 100% the truth. And yes, seven. I truly eat about 5-7 meals a day. As David has come to realize, I have something in common with our farm animals. I am a grazer. It’s not that I don’t like to sit down and eat a big meal but my body runs better when it’s fueled regularly. So I have snacks on me at all times and never leave the house without stuffing something into my purse for later.

However, we all know that if I ate sweets at all seven meals I would have a little problem on my hands. One that involves my weight, so I try my best to limit my sweets to one or two meals a day. I woke this morning with a major craving for some banana bread but since the real stuff gives me a bit of a belly ache, I whipped up the GF (gluten-free) version but added a few extras for taste.

I usually cruise the internet looking for the best baking recipes I can find and always end up altering them to my taste and my stomachs liking (gluten-free). This one was no different.

And here it is.

What’s in it:

2 cups GF flour

1 tsp baking soda

Pinch of salt

4 eggs

3-4 bananas, mashed

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup chocolate chips

How to make it:

1. In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and salt. In larger bowl, whisk together the eggs, bananas, sugar, applesauce, coconut flakes, coconut oil, vanilla, nuts, and chocolate chips. Stir in the dry ingredients.

2. Pour into a buttered loaf pan of some sorts. Bake at 350 degrees for about 50-60 minutes.

3. Eat

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: baking, banana bread, coconut banana bread, gluten-free banana bread, walnuts

the best dang lemon bars (and they’re gluten-free)

August 1, 2011 By Amandauser Leave a Comment

I’ve really been into lemon desserts lately which is unusual because I’ve been known for years to devour anything chocolate and gooey and it was always my go-to sweet. Maybe my taste buds are changing or perhaps it’s the hot summer day mixed with the refreshing taste of lemon I love. Whatever the reason, I’m okay with it and I am excited to play around with the taste of lemon in future sweets.

I made these gluten-free lemon bars for a work party we had at our place yesterday. Since a majority of my co-workers are taking the gluten-free road as well, I thought I would try this recipe out on them. Success!

I originally found this recipe on Gluten-Free Nosh but changed a few things to fit my liking which basically meant adding more lemon of course!

My recipe is as follows:

For the crust:

1 cup butter (two sticks)

1/2 powder sugar

2 cups gluten-free flour (I use Bob Redmills)

Filling:

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

The juice from AT LEAST two lemons

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoon lemon zest, grated

The How To:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter your 13x9x2 inch baking dish.

2. Mix butter, powdered sugar and gluten-free flour. Make sure you cut in the butter until it is small pea-sized lumps coated with the flour and sugar mixture. Pour into buttered baking dish and pat down making sure all sides are even. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove and set aside.

3. In another bowl beat eggs adding the rest of your ingredients. Pour mixture over your baked crust. Return to oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.

4. Let cool. It works best after they have cooled a decent amount, to then put them in the freezer. Right before you serve them, cut into the size you like and sprinkle powdered sugar over the bars. Serve to your mouth-watering guest. Enjoy.