Healthy Decadence - Sweet Freedom; Eating Allergen Free

Editor Note:  I had the pleasure of eating these muffins a day ago and they were terrific.  I do not have food allergies and can basically eat what I want and I would grab one of these anytime!  Outstanding is the word to describe them.  

ENJOY!!

Healthy decadence; a contradiction of terms, an oxymoron, false advertising.

Normally I would agree with all of those definitions for "healthy decadence".  That changed for me after one bite of the recipe I'm sharing today.  I'm confident that after your first bite, you too will be convinced that those two words really do belong together! 

After popping the last Frozen Blueberry Muffin into the microwave to thaw, I went on a search for something a little different to start my day.  I ran across the recipe for Raspberry and Dark Chocolate Banana Muffins but initially passed it over because I'm not a big banana fan.  For me, bananas have to be on the green side of ripe or they belong in the trash!  However, the lure of justifiable chocolate before lunch eventually convinced me to give them a try. 

Both bananas and raspberries are full of benefits.  In fact, bananas have several positive benefits that many other fruits do not.  The health benefits of bananas far outweigh those of the apple because it has many more vitamins and nutrients than their round counterparts.  Bananas have two times as many carbohydrates as an apple, five times as much Vitamin A and iron and three times as much phosphorus. In addition, bananas are also rich in potassium and natural sugars.  All of these factors combined make the banana a “super food” that is an integral part of a healthy daily regimen.  Because of the abundance of vitamins and minerals, bananas are a great source of natural energy.  Eating only two bananas will give you enough energy to exercise or workout for an hour and a half.  Because they are rich in potassium, bananas help the body’s circulatory system deliver oxygen to the brain.  This also helps maintain a regular heartbeat and a proper balance of water in the body.  Potassium is also helpful for reducing strokes and regulating blood pressure because of the way it promotes circulatory health.

Raspberries are high in ellagic acid, a phenolic compound that may help prevent cancer, inhibit the growth of cancer cells and actually stop the growth of some cancers.

Raspberries also contain strong antioxidants such as Vitamin C, quercetin and gallic acid.  Its seed oil even has a natural sun protection factor!  One of my favorite benefits of raspberries is their ability to burn fat!  This fruit is packed with fiber and manganese. Fiber helps slow the digestive process so you feel full longer. Manganese is a trace mineral that helps keep your metabolic rate high, which in turn burns fat.

So....mash some bananas, stir in the raspberries, toss in a healthy cup of chocolate chips and enjoy!

Raspberry and Dark Chocolate Banana Muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups gluten free flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup granulated white sugar

4 tablespoons dairy free butter alternative, at room temperature

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)

1/3 cup dairy free yogurt or coconut milk (canned)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup dark chocolate chunks or chips (I use Enjoy Life dairy free semi-sweet chocolate mini chips)

1 cup halved raspberries, tossed in 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (I use frozen sweet cherries and raspberries)

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line muffin tins with muffin foil or paper cups (18 cup)

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, baking soda and salt.

3. In a separate large bowl, beat the sugar and dairy free butter alternative with an electric mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the banana, yogurt or coconut milk, and vanilla; beat until blended. Stir in the flour mixture; just until moist. Don't over-mix. Stir in the chocolate chunks and then gently stir in the raspberries. If you want, you can sprinkle a few additional chocolate chunks and raspberries on the top of each muffin to make them look pretty.

4. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins. Bake for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes in the tins on a wire rack. Remove from tins and cool completely on the wire rack.

A treat for Mom - Sweet Freedom; Living Allergen Free

Just a quick personal note before you read Dawn's blog.  I recently had the pleasure of enjoying these Gluten Free Cream Puffs and they were outstanding.  So don't think, "oh gluten-free, not for me" because these are great for anyone!  Enjoy!

A Special Treat For Mom

Look no further if you're trying to find a special treat to make for Mom this year!  Impress her with your culinary skills by made a fresh batch of home made cream puffs.  They are deceptively simple to make but look and taste like you slaved over a hot stove for hours.      Cream puffs  an be filled with whipped cream, ice cream or my favorite - warm vanilla pudding.

Americans have an obsession with these light, tasty pastries.  They've been on American menus since 1851 and is the official dessert of Wisconsin.  Last year at the Wisconsin State Fair, David Schmidt and Team Cream Puff grabbed the world's record for the largest cream puff weighing in at 125.5 pounds!

I'm sharing a recipe that uses shortening instead of butter.  I've found that shortening will "stand-up" better in certain recipes instead of a dairy free butter alternative.  The puffs come out golden brown, soft and chewy.  Enjoy!

Gluten Free Cream Puffs

Ingredients

1 cup water

1/2 cup shortening

1/3 cup potato starch flour

2/3 cup rice flour

(or 1 cup gluten free flour mix of your choice)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

4 eggs

How to make it

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Combine water and shortening in a large saucepan.

Bring to a rapid boil .

Mix flours, salt, and sugar and add to water and shortening. Stir until mixture forms a ball that leaves the sides of the pan.

Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Add the unbeaten eggs, one at a time, beating well with electric mixer after each egg is added.

Drop by tablespoons on to prepared baking sheet.

The puffs should be approximately 2 inches round and about 1/1/2 inches high.

Leave space for them to expand.

Bake in 450 degree oven for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 20 minutes more.

Remove from oven and prick with knife to let steam escape.

Cool, cut off tops and scoop out any remaining moist dough before filling

Makes 8 to 10 puffs

For the Filling

2/3 cup dairy free "milk"

1/3 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup heavy cream dairy alternative (Mimic Creme or canned coconut milk)

4 tablespoons cornstarch

1 large egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Prepare the Filling: Combine dairy free milk and sugar in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until mixture reaches a gentle boil. Reduce heat to low. Meanwhile, a small heatproof bowl, vigorously whisk together heavy cream dairy alternative, cornstarch, and egg yolk. In a slow and steady stream, whisk heavy cream mixture into hot milk. Increase heat to medium. Cook, whisking constantly until pudding thickens, about three minutes.

Flowers!

Flower season at Cascio's is one of my hands down favorite times of the year!  I think it may have something to do with the fact that winter can linger here in the mountains a bit longer then it really should.  But flower season brings out the happy in our customers.  

We have been offering hanging baskets and planters to our customers for about five years and I am thrilled with the quality of the flowers we bring to Somerset.  We will be offering huge hanging baskets for 22.50 a basket this year and the flowers are healthy and fresh.

Personally, photographing flowers is one of favorite past times so the ever changing baskets keep me happy with lots of good options to work on my photography skills.  

If you always give mom a basket of flowers for Mother's Day, I hope you will take the time to stop and check out our selection.  

We will have lots to chose from as we will get shipments two to three times a week between now (May 5) and the end of June.  

Oh and did I mention we will deliver?

Enjoy!