Quinoa Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Granola Cookies - Gluten Free

Forgive me while I try to figure out how on earth to take pictures of food...

Since being diagnosed with celiac disease I have not dared try to make plain old chocolate chip cookies.  I've had the "real thing" for so many years I just know any alternative wouldn't taste good yet!  So, when I had a hankering for some cookies (um, I get that hankering every day) I jumped on Mel's site - as usual - and started looking through options.

I found these cookies that she posted a couple years ago: I remember seeing them then and thinking, "Huh.  Those sound odd.  I wonder if we'd like those."  I filed the recipe in my recipe binder for a couple years but never pulled them out.  Until last month!

My giant bowl of cookie dough.  You can't tell the dried cranberries apart from the chocolate chips, but they're in there.  And those toasted almonds were so good: much better than the untoasted sliced almonds I used last time.

I've tweaked this to be gluten free and give you all the details below.  To be fair, the first one I tried I couldn't decide what to think.  Then I ate five more and decided I really like them.  :)  TJ also loves them and because they're quinoa they're healthy enough to eat several at a time.  Ha!

Oh, and a funny story: I knew I wanted to restock these in the freezer, but I had no clue how much raw quinoa would equate to 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa.  So I made 1 1/2 cups raw, and found out that quinoa quadruples.  Yes, quadruples.  Thankfully, I only doubled the batch at first and, after pulling out about 117 cookies after six hours, I was so glad I didn't quadruple the cookie recipe too!

One of two cooling racks filled with cookies.

Quinoa Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies - Gluten Free

Yield: makes a good amount of cookies, especially when doubled (depending on the size of your cookies, maybe 3-4 dozen per batch)

Adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Café

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup solid coconut oil, melted
• 3/4 cup (9.5 ounces) honey
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup gluten free flour blend
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/2 teaspoon xantham gum
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups quick oats
• 1 1/2 cups cooked and cooled quinoa (cooked only in water, not broth)*
• 1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds**
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Quick tip: I feel like these cookies have more ingredients than a "typical" recipe.  I've found they're easiest to make when I pull out all my ingredients and have them ready to throw in.  For example, get the almonds toasted before you start making the dough.  

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and either line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners or lightly grease with cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the oats.  Spoon half of the mix into a blender and blend until it's a flour, then put it back into the bowl with the oats.
3. In a large bowl, beat together the oil and honey with an electric mixer.  Quick note: I have to put the honey in the bowl first and then start beating almost as soon as I pour the coconut oil in otherwise it solidifies.  I also add the following ingredients quickly to keep it from getting hard.
4. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
5. Stir in the gluten free flour blend, almond flour, coconut flour, salt, and baking soda until just combined and there are some streaks of dry flour remaining.
6. Add the oats, oat flour, quinoa, almonds, cranberries, and chocolate chips and mix by hand gently (so the dough stays as light as possible) until everything seems spread throughout the dough.
7. Place the dough (balls approximately 2-3 tablespoons large) onto the cookie sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes until you are seeing edges that are just browned but the middle is still soft.

NOTE: these freeze beautifully.  Just let them cool before bagging.  We love grabbing one (or six) out of the freezer during the day.

*Be gentle when you're measuring and mixing the quinoa: don't smash it.

**I've found that the Diamond brand of nuts (available on Amazon) does not process their products on the same equipment as wheat, so that's what I get.


Recipe adapted from Mel at Mel's Kitchen Cafe: I changed the flours to gluten free, decreased the amount of coconut oil, removed the flaxseed and chia seeds, increased the chocolate chips, and switched the oats to be half blended.

This Dad is Super Rad

Last year I saw a picture online of a baby wearing a shirt that said, "My dad is super rad."  In spite of searching online to purchase one for our baby, I could never find one.  I was delighted when one of our neighbors dropped us a pile of clothing they were done with and it included that shirt I had so wanted!

On Saturday morning, I woke just after 6:00 when my alarm went off: the zoo opened at 7:30 that day, and I thought it would be the perfect time for the three of us to get up there with few crowds and great weather.  As I went through Reed's clothes I realized I finally had an occasion for him to wear long sleeves.

The three of us hopped in the car and, when Reed started getting fussy, TJ jumped out of the passenger seat at a red light and ran around to sit in back next to him.  As I looked in the rear view mirror and watched him holding Reed's hand and listened to him talk with him, his voice soft and tender, my heart turned gushy and filled right up with love.  As I drove I thought about what a great dad TJ is: my mind ran through memory after memory and sweet feeling after feeling about these last four months.  This guy that I am so lucky to call my husband is an amazing dad.

TJ is the glue that holds our family together.  He is patient and loyal and kind and his heart seems to have endless reservoirs of love and compassion that he shares so freely.  He comes home from work each day and gives Reed (and me!) a big kiss.  He plays with Reed, laying next to him on the ground, helping him with his toys, reading him stories, watching the latest and greatest tricks Reed has learned.  When we go out for walks it seems Reed is always done in his stroller halfway through and TJ picks him up and carries him home, sometimes from quite a distance.  Reed's bed is on TJ's side of the bed and TJ soothes him in the night when he wakes crying: TJ is often the one to swaddle Reed when he gets tired and patiently hold his binky in while he falls asleep.

In every prayer, TJ thanks Heavenly Father for this beautiful little boy who is our son.  

And in every prayer I thank Heavenly Father for this wonderful man who stands by my side, actively engaged in our family.  

 

Weekly Family Photo #1

Haircut #2

For a few weeks now Reed's hair has been looking a little raggedy.  He's reached that age when he's balding where his head rubs but it's been getting long everywhere else, so this afternoon we did haircut #2. I didn't anticipate two haircuts in his first few months of life.  :)

A quick shot before:

I probably should've taken a picture of his balding spot on back, but alas, it wasn't my favorite anyway.  :)  You can see how long it is here.

And here's the action shot while Jodi is snipping away:

And here's his chubby picture afterwards.  What a handsome fellow!

Also, as a note for future Reed, you're bent over in this picture.  You're not usually quite that roly poly.  :)

Okay, and a few more because I think they're so darling I can't help myself.

And...a video.  Because I can never get enough of his kicking.

Cinnamon Coconut Vanilla Muffins

One of my major concerns after being diagnosed with celiac disease was no longer being able to bake.  Baking is such a big stress reliever for me, as well as a great source of personal satisfaction.  I can't count how many times I've stepped away from something pressing (like packing for a trip that I leave on the next day) to bake just to slow my mind down.

Thankfully, my sisters gave me some great tips for getting recipes to turn out without gluten, so after TJ bought me the ingredients (they were so expensive I just couldn't get myself to do it!), I got back into the kitchen.  One of the first recipes I tried to adapt was my favorite muffins from Mel of Mel's Kitchen Cafe fame.  I was thrilled when they turned out.  I've made a few additional tweaks to them as I've made them over and over (they're the only bread I've made and I eat them every day!) and they are to the point that I feel good calling them final.  So, if you happen to have all the really expensive gluten free flours in your cupboard, give them a go.

Picture credit to TJ, who kindly obliged when I said, "Could you take a great picture of these even though it's dark and I know nothing about food photography?"  Thanks, T!

Oh, and as a side note, it's always seemed odd to me to use just 1 cup of canned coconut milk.  The can comes with about 1.7 cups of coconut milk, so I've always doubled the recipe.  For my birthday this year my mom gave me a muffin tin, which means I no longer have to wash my single tin after the first batch.  Let me tell you, this is the best thing ever.  It's probably silly I didn't just buy it sooner.

Cinnamon Coconut Vanilla Muffins

Yield: makes 24 muffins

Cinnamon Coconut Vanilla Breakfast Muffins

Adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Café

INGREDIENTS

Dry:

• 2 cups cornstarch (or 1 cup potato starch, 1 cup cornstarch)
• 1 cup gluten free flour blend
• 3/4 cup coconut flour
• 3/4 cup almond flour
• 2 teaspoons xantham gum
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/4 cups sugar

Wet:

• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups canned coconut milk*
• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 3/4 cup coconut oil, melted

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and either line two 12-cup muffin tins with muffin liners or spray them with non-stick spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together all your dry ingredients and make a big well in the center of the bowl.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and almond extract.  Once it’s blended, pour the coconut oil in a steady stream while whisking with the other hand.
4. Immediately combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients.  Stir together until just combined: I usually have a few streaks of flour remaining.  If you mix until it’s all the way smooth your muffins will end up rubbery.
5. Fill the muffin tins with the batter.
6. Bake for 16-20 minutes until the edges just start browning.  After removing from the oven, let them sit in the tin for 3-4 minutes and then remove them from the tin and put them on a cooling rack.

NOTE: these freeze beautifully.  Just let them cool before bagging.

*I pour the can into my two cup liquid measuring cup and top it off with almond milk (vanilla or regular) to get to two cups.

My Number One

Yesterday at church we had a lesson about marriage.  The teacher asked the class, "What are some of the things you're doing to keep your marriage strong?"  I love that he asked that question, I loved hearing class members' responses, and I've since been thinking about some of the things we do.

Jeffrey Holland, when he was president of BYU, gave a speech titled "However Long and Hard the Road."  (You can read the whole thing here: it's one of my very favorites).  In it, he says:

"No one would wish a bad marriage on anyone.  But where do we think 'good marriages' come from?  They don't spring full-blown from the head of Zeus any more than does a good education...or a good symphony.  Why would a marriage require fewer tears and less toil and shabbier commitment than your job or your clothes or your car?"

TJ and I both feel like we have a fantastic marriage.  We have had loads of fights, shed lots of tears, and quite a few sleepless nights working through things.  But we keep working through things.  If we were to summarize the motto we strive for in our marriage, and in our parenting for that matter, it's "Be deliberate."  I feel lucky every day that TJ and I are equally committed to a strong, loving, fulfilling marriage.

So, to answer that instructor's question, we do things like sit down weekly (most weeks) and discuss not only our schedule but also our goals and what we want and need to work on.  We pray together every day.  We talk.  We hug and kiss and text and make dinner together in the evening.  We verbalize our love and adoration and support over and over and over and over again.  We go on dates.  We go to classes.  We go to church.  We go on vacations.  We take evening walks together, holding hands.  We watch General Conference together.  We ask the other what we can do for them.  We show physical affection.  We go out of our way to notice and thank each other for the things we see them doing for us.

Since becoming parents the way we spend our time each day has shifted: there is a whole of time and effort and energy that goes into raising little Reed.  Frankly, that shift was one of my biggest worries in preparing for his arrival.  I feel an immense desire to make sure TJ always knows that he's my number one: my very top priority.  Reed will one day move out (can't think about that right now), and when the kids are gone I want my marriage with TJ to be more satisfying and beautiful than ever.

What sorts of things are you doing to keep your marriage strong?  Or, if you're not married, how do you strengthen other relationships in your life?

Mexican Red Pepper Salad

Shortly after TJ and I got married we went down to Lake Powell for the annual UEA trip in October.  For many years the Morris family went down and camped with their good friends, the Doms.  Nicole Dom brought a giant bowl of this red pepper salad and I probably ate the bulk of it during our time there.

Cowboy caviar is a popular and well-known Mexican "dip," but I prefer the red peppers that are in this because they stay crunchy (does anyone else have issues with their tomatoes going mushy after three days in their cowboy caviar?) and it seems to keep the whole thing fresh.  

Last time I made this I kept the avocados out and just added them as I ate it: it was a brilliant move, really.  They didn't go brown in the bowl and the whole thing seemed to stay fresher.

After you make this a few times you'll figure out how to customize it to your tastes: I don't really measure anything (besides the can of black beans), but just stir things around as I add them to get the ratios we like.

You could be healthy and eat this over quinoa or on a salad, but we most often go through a bag of chips while we munch: I'd highly recommend you do the same.

Mexican Red Pepper Salad

Adapted from Nicole Dom

1 diced avocado

2 lbs frozen corn (or fresh if you can find it!)

1 - 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed well

1 c. chopped green onions

1 1/4 c. diced red peppers

2 c. fresh chopped cilantro

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

Dressing:

1/2 c. lime juice

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 T. sugar

1 tsp. minced garlic (you can substitute garlic powder if you prefer)

1 tsp. oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk the dressing ingredients together and pour over the salad.  Mix well.  

To avoid the avocado turning brown, add it just as you serve it.