31 for 21: Oatmeal Cake

Although I take most of the photos around here, my sister took this beautiful one.

Chilly Willy! (who's Willy? I'm not exactly sure, but I think he's related to Winter). A cold snap here today . . . One more reason to BAKE! Other reasons? It's fall, there's lots of pumpkins around! That's why you should bake a nice oatmeal cake and spread some pumpkin butter on it, perhaps with a hot cup of tea or coffee. Better yet, a Pumpkin Spiced Latte.

And this recipe? Yeah, it's another one from my awesome sister, Suriyah. (P.S. She's behind be in the kitchen right now making frosting. I have to go check on my timer that's beeping . . . I'm fixing her failure :) ).

Okay, I'm back. Here's the recipe.

Oatmeal Cake (Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Corn-free)
Adapted from Food.com

1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup oats

1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup fat (we use lard. Butter may be use, if not DF)
1 1/3 cups rice flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup raisins, chopped dates or nuts (optional)

1. In a small bowl, pour boiling water over oats. Set aside.
2. Cream sugars and fat. Add flour, soda, cinnamon, eggs, vanilla and the oat mixture. Mix well.
4. Pour into a greased 9 x 13" baking dish and bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees F.


~ Hanunyah

31 for 21 is a blog challenge to raise Down Syndrome awareness 1 blog at a time. The challenge is to blog everyday the whole month of October (31 days) to raise awareness for Down Syndrome (aka Trisomy 21). This is the 6th Annual 31 for 21 Challenge.

Banana Cream Crunch

My brother was trying to grab it off the screen ;).

Another "Hanunyah Creation", this sure was a hit! With many bananas and the Vita-Mix cream/pudding recipe I created (with a surprise ingredient), I made this interesting no-bake treat the other day.

For a quick run-down? - A soft oat-peanut crust + ripe, sweet bananas + Vita-Cream + the good stuff (peanuts and chocolate chips) = a quick and easy, no-bake, delightful snack or dessert.

This was very good, and it was gone in minutes - credit to my taste-testers, who were hungry for a sweet snack ;).

Banana Cream Crunch
Hanunyah Creation

Crust:
1 cup safe oats*
1/2 cup peanuts*

2 to 4 bananas
a few tablespoons peanuts**

Cream Pudding:
1 3/4 cups cooked rice***
3 to 4 tablespoons sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons vanilla
1 to 1/2 cup water

1/2 cup peanuts
safe chocolate chips (optional)

1. Add all crust ingredients to the Vita-Mix container. Turn machine on and quickly increase speed to variable 6 to 10. Blend a few seconds, until the mixture is crumbly and moist.

2. Press into a 9x13 inch pan.**** Slice the bananas over the crust, and sprinkle with some peanuts.

3. Combine all cream pudding ingredients in the Vita-Mix. Blend on high for a couple minutes, adding enough water until smooth and desired consistency is reached. Pour over banana layer.


4. Top with peanuts and chocolate chips, if desired. Refrigerate until set. Cut into pieces to serve.


Notes:
*Instead of blending the oats and peanuts together for the crust, you may mix together oat flour and peanut butter, then proceed as the recipe instructs.
**If there are allergies, or if desired, you may use other nuts in place of the peanuts.
***Instead of using all rice, you may use cooked mashed potato for 3/4 cup of the rice. You may need to use more vanilla and sugar to cover up the potato taste.
****The crust was kind of soggy, so, if you like, you may bake the crust for a few minutes at 350 degrees F, until light golden brown.


~ Hanunyah


Linked to Foodie Friday by Not Your Ordinary Recipes

Oatmeal Creme Pies

Crunchy, chewy, creamy sweet treats - CCC's? (crunchy, chewy, creamy ;) ).

I hope you had a good Thanksgiving! Here is a recipe for one of the cookies I made. It took a few tries for these to come out good, but once they did they were great! These are like Little Debbie's Oatmeal Creme Pies (without the additives). They were gone pretty fast.

For the filling, I just made a simple powdered sugar frosting: Beat together a few tablespoons lard or shortening and about 3 cups powdered sugar, adding enough water for the right consistency. Add vanilla and maybe some spices - to taste ;).

Oatmeal Creme Pies (Gluten, Dairy, Corn-free)
Adapted from Sugar Bananas


1 cup lard (or shortening)
1 1/4 cups sugar (brown or white)
2 tablespoons molasses or sorghum syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla, optional
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups oat flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 cups safe quick oats

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Cream lard, sugars, molasses and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, mixing completely after each addition. Add remaining ingredients and mix until well combined.

3. Drop small teaspoons onto greased cookie sheets. Bake for 6 to 9 minutes (depending on how big they are), until set on top. The bottoms will be medium to dark brown.


~ Hanunyah


P.S. We've had a few long nights = my brain is tired, so don't expect long posts the next few days ;).


Linked to Foodie Friday and Frugal Friday
       

Oat Flour Chocolate Cake

Oat flour chocolate cake with marshmallows and cranberries.

Oat flour has become our go-to flour (because there's not much rice flour left from the 50# bags). It's actually a pretty good flour (of course, be sure to use gluten-free oats if gluten-free). My sister, Suriyah, came across this chocolate cake recipe, using only oat flour, when searching for things to make with oat flour. If you have oats, you can make oat flour - just grind 'em up in a food processor, Vita-mix, blender, etc.

Oat flour chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.

This is an awesome recipe. The oat flour makes it very moist, it rises fairly well, and doesn't fall. So easy and versatile, too.

The recipe did use a teaspoon of cinnamon, but that is optional.  I typed up the basic recipe below.

Thanks, sis, for finding this great recipe!!

Oat Flour Chocolate Cake (Gluten, Dairy, Corn, Gum-free)
Adapted from Kitchen Therapy

3/4 cup oil
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water or milk
6 tablespoons (1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon) cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups gluten-free oat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 8-inch round baking pans, one 9x13-inch pan or a Bundt pan.

2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and beat until smooth. A whisk works well. Pour batter into prepared pans or pan.

3. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool and remove from pans. Frost, if desired.

~ Hanunyah


P.S. I plan to do some kind of Thanksgiving post sometime soon . . . maybe a menu or something. We'll see how busy the next few days are (hopefully I'll be able to bake a little more than the last few crazy days).


P.P.S. We won a Vita-Mix!!! For FREE! Crazy, I know. So, you'll probably see some Vita-Mix recipes soon. Yay!


Linked to Just Something I Whipped Up by The Girl Creative, Motivate Me Monday by Keeping it Simple, Gluten-free Wednesdays by The Gluten-free Homemaker and Tuesdays at the Table by All the Small Stuff

31 for 21: Brown Sugar Spice Granola

Since being gone all day @ soccer, and not being sure what to post, I whipped this up for a couple of my siblings (who wanted granola anyway). Why not post it here?

This is a quick, nice and crunchy granola with caramelized brown sugar and spices.

~ Maybe something a bit more exciting tomorrow ;).

Brown Sugar Spice Granola

Hanunyah Creation

3 cups oats*

2 cups dried fruits and nuts (optional)

1/4 cup brown sugar**

1/4 cup oil

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ginger

2/3 cup raisins (If we don't have any on hand I make it without)

Combine al

l ingredients except raisins; mix well. Cook in ungreased 11x7-inch baking dish (or any large glass bowl, etc.) in microwave oven at HIGH 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown, stirring between 1 minute intervals of cooking; stir in raisins.

Conventional Oven Directions:

Combine all ingredients except raisins in ungreased 13x9-inch baking pan; mix well. Bake in preheated moderate oven (350 F.) 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally; stir in raisins. Cool thoroughly; store in tightly covered container in cool dry place or in refrigerator.

Notes:

*Be sure to use gluten-free oats.

**You may find that 1/4 cup of brown sugar is too sweet. Cut back as desired.

~ Hanunyah

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31 for 21: Baked Oatmeal

Something we've made for years, baked oatmeal is a quick, delicious treat that is often made around here. It is great for breakfast or snack (or dinner!).

Baked Oatmeal (Gluten, Cow Dairy and Corn-free)

3 cups oats

1 teaspoon each: baking soda, cream of tartar*

1 cup brown or white sugar

1 cup goat milk

1/2 cup oil

1 egg

Mix all together and bake in a 8x8 inch pan at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes to 1 hour, or until golden brown on top. (baking time depends on size and shape of pan used).

Notes:

*Or 2 teaspoons baking powder for the baking soda and cream of tartar.

If gluten-free, be sure to use gluten-free oats.

We usually double or quadruple this recipe.

~ Hanunyah

Link Parties:
Gluten-Free Wednesdays @ The Gluten-Free Homemaker
Home and Family Friday @ Home is Where My Story Begins
Food on Friday @ Carole's Chatter

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31 for 21: Banana Oatmeal Bread

Since we were gone most all today, I'm putting up a great quick bread recipe from The Gluten-Free Homemaker. Please click over to her blog for the recipe - Banana Oatmeal Bread.

Here are a few more of my pictures.

~ Hanunyah

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31 for 21: Healthy Granola Bars

This morning I baked a little - citrus and fruit bread, Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies and these bars. They are NOT very sweet, so next time I make them I'll probably add some sweetener (Heather notes this in her recipe).

Healthy Granola Bars (Gluten, Cow Dairy, Corn and Egg-free)

Adapted from Heather Eats Almond Butter

3 cups oats

1 cup oat or quinoa flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup oil*

3/4 cup fruit paste**

1/2 cup goat yogurt

dried fruits, nuts or nut butter, (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 325F.

2. Combine all ingredients and press into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Bake for about 20 minutes, until light brown.

Notes:

*Could sub applesauce or butter for oil.

~ Hanunyah

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21st Birthday Party for my Sister

About a week ago was my 2nd oldest sister's birthday. We surprised her the day before her birthday and took her out to eat. The day of her birthday she had to go to town (actually for her broken arm . . . but that's a different story), so we got everything ready while she was gone. We usually go over to the neighbor's (friends) for dinner on Monday nights anyway . . . but this time all of our friends came and surprised her.

Here is the cake I made for her ~

. . . AFTER I frosted the entire thing I realized I forgot to put filling in . . . oh well.

Here are some pictures of other goodies from the party

Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies

Oatmeal cookies with some kind of glaze that Suriyah made

~ Hanunyah

Multi-Grain Quick Bread

Happy Fall!


I am excited how my recent bread creations have come out. I am finding that the recipe Quick {Sandwich} Bread can be tweaked in many ways. It is a very good basic recipe.


     Since my Grandma (aka Granny) who is coming next month to visit, likes multi-grain, healthy type bread, we wanted to make her something that she could make into toast. So we experimented some. My sister (Suriyah) tried a few recipes, but they needed tweaked a bit more. Before she tried again, I came up with this.

Multi Grain Quickbread (Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Corn-free, Sugar-free, Gum-free)

Hanunyah Creation

2 eggs, separated

3/4 cups oat flour

1/2 cup oats

1 cup buckwheat flour

1/2 cup quinoa flour

2 tablespoons flaxseed meal

2 tablespoons sunflower seeds

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons baking soda + 2 teaspoons cream of tartar (or 4 teaspoons baking powder, if not corn-free)

1/4 cup oil*

1 small mashed banana (about 1/4 cup) + about 1 1/4 cups milk or water*

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease well a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with oil or cooking spray and sprinkle oats and/or oat flour. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Gently scrape the egg whites into a medium sized bowl and set the bowl aside.

3. Combine all of the remaining ingredients. Add one third of the egg whites to the dough, and slowly mix until the egg whites are incorporated into the batter. Gently fold the remaining egg whites into the batter until nearly no white streaks remain. It is more important that the egg whites not get deflated than it is to rid the batter of every white streak, so if a few white streaks remain so be it.

4. Scrape the dough into the prepared loaf pan. Place the loaf pan in the center of the preheated oven, and bake for about 35 minutes, until the top is lightly browned and a fork or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool for a few minutes in the pan, and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. If not using right away, wrap in plastic wrap to keep moist and soft.

Notes:

*Applesauce would probably work instead of the oil.

**The banana is used for sweetener. I wanted to make it sugar-free, so that's what I decided to use. But, you may substitute other pureed ripe fruit. To measure the banana and liquid - mash the banana, put in the measuring cup then fill the measuring cup up to 1 1/2 cups with milk or water.

~ Hanunyah

Cookie pictures

Here are some pictures of cookies me and my sister made over the last few weeks.

Oatmeal cookies with maple topping

Oatmeal cookies with chocolate topping

No-bake cookies

Oatmeal cookies, Flourless Peanut Butter cookies and cupcakes, Fruit Bars (aka Horse cookies), GAPS goodies

Black Gold Cookies

~ Hanunyah

Fruit Cobbler Cake

The other day I made some GAPS fruit cobbler (I'll post later, Lord willing), so I experimented more and made up this non-GAPS cake. I used 2 apples, 1 peach and 1 banana, but it needed more fruit to be called a cobbler. The cake part was fluffy and there was a lot of it, so, as I said before, this is more of a cake than a fruit cobbler. Anyway, it was eaten up and got good reviews.

Fruit Cobbler Cake (Gluten-free, Cow Dairy-free, Corn-free)
Created by Hanunyah


fruit (I used 2 apples, 1 peach and 1 banana)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2 cups rice flour
1/2 cup lard
1 tablespoon maple (or vanilla) extract
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk


Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. Slice fruit into the pan.


In a large bowl, combine the baking powder, salt, sugar and flour. Add the lard and mix together with the flour mixture with 2 forks, until it looks like crumbs. Add the extract, eggs and milk, and mix well (don't over beat).


Pour over the fruit in the prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes (?), until baked through.




~ Hanunyah

Instant Oatmeal Packets

~ This is my 100th post on this blog! ~

This is a good substitute for the packets in the store. To be sure this is gluten-free, use gluten-free oats and read the labels of the variations you use.

Instant Oatmeal Packets (Gluten-free, and Dairy-free if not using some of the variations below)
From: The Dollar Stretcher Family


3 cups quick oats
salt (optional)
small sized zip bags



Put 1/2 cup oats in a blender and blend on high until powdery. Set aside in a small bowl, and repeat procedure with an additional 1/2 cup oats. If you're using a food processor, you can do the 1 cup of oats in one batch. Put the following ingredients into each zip bag: 1/4 cup quick oats, 2 Tbsp. powdered oats (or oat flour), and 1/8 tsp. salt. Store in an airtight container.


~ To serve: Empty packet into a bowl. Add 3/4 cup boiling water. Stir and let stand for 2 minutes. For thicker oatmeal, use less water - for thinner oatmeal, use more water. ~

Variations:

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal: To each packet add 1 Tbsp. sugar, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, and 2 Tbsp. chopped dried apples.
Sweetened Oatmeal: To each packet add 1 Tbsp. sugar or 1 packet 'Equal' artificial sweetener.
Brown Sugar/Cinnamon Oatmeal: To each packet add 1 Tbsp. brown sugar & 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Oatmeal w/ Raisins & Brown Sugar: To each packet add 1 Tbsp. packed brown sugar and 1 Tbsp. raisins.
Fruit and Cream Oatmeal: To each packet add 1 Tbsp. non-dairy coffee creamer and 2 Tbsp. dried fruit
Fun Fruit Oatmeal: To each packet add 6 or 7 pieces of 'fruit snack' type dehydrated fruit.
Confetti Oatmeal: To each packet add 1 tsp. decorative cake/cookie sprinkles.
S'More Oatmeal: 

To each packet 

add 6 miniature marshmallows and 1 Tbsp. chocolate chips.

Exploding Oatmeal: 

To each packet 

add 1 tsp. sugar, and 1/2 tsp. 'Pop Rocks' candy to each packet. This one is fun for celebration days, such as birthdays.

Update - July 27, 2011: Here is what I have come up with the last 2 times I made this. I may add more if I make up more.

~ My Variations ~

These are flavors I've come up with. Since it is eaten up so fast, I mix it in a big bowl and put it back in the oatmeal container. My brothers and sisters like it in cold milk, so they just scoop out what they want out of the container.

Seeds and Spices Oatmeal: Add poppy seeds, flaxseeds, a little nutmeg, a little ginger, and cinnamon. I made up this flavor and my sister who has been eating my Instant Oatmeal for breakfast every morning said it was really good. She likes this one better than the Maple Nut/Brown Sugar Cinnamon flavor I made today (below).

Maple Nut/Brown Sugar Cinnamon: Add brown sugar, cinnamon, finely ground walnuts and maple extract. I can't taste this since I'm on the GAPS diet, but it smells really good!

~ Hanunyah

Link Parties:
Gluten-Free Wednesdays @ The Gluten-Free Homemaker
Food on Friday @ Carole's Chatter

"Horse Cookies"

Ok, by little brother was helping me. I was making Fruit Bars, and I decided to add an apple. Then my brother saw me doing that, and said "carrot" (in his own language :) ). Oh you want me to add a carrot? So, I did. After I made them, my sister tasted one and said, "This tastes like a horse cookie"! Everyone liked them though!

Lemon Oat Bars

Yum! These were really good. They're a nice combination of sweet, salty flavor, combined with lemon and a soft, crumbly, oat topping.
      I made a double batch the first time I made them (yesterday), and most of them were gone. So I made another batch so I could take some to the neighbor's/friend's place - they were a hit there as well. The second time I made them I used a 10x15" pan (instead of a 9x13"), and used mostly brown sugar instead of white. They were both good, not much of a difference. The pan size just depends on which you prefer, a really tall bar, or a thinner bar. If this recipe makes too much for you, you could either freeze some or cut the batch in half.

Lemon Oat Bars (Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Corn-free)
Adapted from a Betty Crocker Cookie Book.


Filling:
4 eggs
2 cups brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup GF flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup lemon juice


Crust & Topping:
2 1/2 cups GF flour (I used rice)
1 cup oats (I used quick)
1/2 cup sugar (brown or white)
1 cup lard or shortening
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt


1. Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Coat an 9x13" or 10x15" pan with non-stick cooking spray.


2. Mix all filling ingredients in a bowl until well mixed; set aside. Mix all remaining ingredients in a large bowl until crumbly (a fork is good for this). 


3. Press half of the crumbly mixture into prepared pan; bake about 10 to 12 minutes or until set. Spread lemon mixture over baked crust. Sprinkle remaining crumbly mixture over the lemon mixture, press down gently. Bake about 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown and center is set but soft. Cool completely. Cut and serve.




~ Hanunyah


Linked to Gluten-Free Wednesdays by The Gluten-Free Homemaker,