Cinnamon Rolls, with a twist! (Bread machine)

Recently, I purchased a HUGE tub of delicious coconut oil.  Coconut oil has so many health benefits, and there is nothing I don't love about it.  So, I decided to try to create cinnamon buns using coconut oil!  They turned out amazingly!  Please forgive the shape of some of them, but really, it's all about how they taste, right???

*Egg, Dairy, Soy and nut/tree nut free*

Ingredients:

1 cup of rice milk or water (coconut milk would be great too I'd expect), heated for about 1 minute in the microwave
1/4 cup of warm water

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup coconut oil

2 eggs (I use 1/2 tsp baking powder & 2 Tbsp water for each egg called for)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

5 cups flour

3 tsp yeast

In order listed, add to your bread machine pan.  Use dough setting.  Warning......this may rise a ton.  My dough was touching the glass lid of my bread machine.  It was huge!

Once dough cycle has finished, divide dough in half.  (I only do this because it fits on my wood cutting board better if I do it in two parts).  On a floured counter, roll dough into a rectangle shape.  Brush the rolled out dough with liquid coconut oil and sprinkle a decent amount of the following mixture onto the entire surface of the dough.

1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Roll the dough tightly, resembling a log.  Divide into 6 equal parts and put into a greased (yes, you guessed it.........I greased my glass baking dish with coconut oil!) 10X14" baking dish or pan.

Repeat using the second half of the dough.

Cover with a tea towel and allow to rise from 45-60 minutes in a warm, draft free spot.  The dough should almost double in size, and almost be touching the bun next to it.

In a 350F oven, bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cinnamon buns are a nice golden brown color.

While the buns are cooling, mix a simple glaze together using the following ingredients.  Please note, I did not really measure the following, but it turned out fine.

Approximately 1 cup icing sugar
Approximately 1-2 tsp vanilla
A bit of water
And you guessed it, coconut oil!  I found the coconut oil just took a bit of the sweetness of the glaze away.

These look amazing and taste even better!

Enjoy!

Fried Cinnamon Strips

While out the other day, I came across Sweet Cinnamon flavored CheeCha Puffs.  This is one flavor that I had not yet tried, so grabbed a couple of bags and got to work thinking of something simple and yummy that I could make with them.  And fried cinnamon strips is what I came up with!

*Dairy, Egg, Soy & Nut Free*
(contains gluten)

Ingredients:

1 cup Sweet Cinnamon flavored CheeCha Puffs (or just a handful, which is how I measured them today)

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
a pinch of white or brown sugar

2 (10 inch) flour tortillas (check ingredients, many brands contain allergens)
cooking oil

Instructions:

In a cloth bag (we use Sling Sisters reusable bags), combine cheecha puffs, sugar and nutmeg, and with a rolling pin, crush until the cheecha puffs are a powder.
At this point, I transfer my mixture into a bowl so the oil in the recipe doesn't stain the bags.  If using plastic, you can just keep it in the bag.

Cut tortillas into 3X2 inch strips.  

Heat 1 inch of oil in a skillet or pan, to 375F, or over medium-high heat.

Fry 4 or 5 tortilla strips for approximately 30 seconds on each side, or until golden brown.  Drain on cooling rack on top of paper towels.  

While the strips are still warm, place into cheecha puff mixture and coat the strips.  Either toss the bowl or shake the bag gently.  

Serve immediately or store in an airtight container once cooled.  

**Please note, as you can see at the bottom of the pile there are a few really dark ones.  These can burn very easily, so keep a close eye on them while they're cooking!**

Now, I personally am not a huge fan of Nutmeg, so next time I make these I might choose to add a bit of extra cinnamon in place of the nutmeg.  As my husband often tells me, recipes are a guideline.  Play around with the spices, see other creations you can come up with!  And of course, please share in the comments section if you find something else to add to these tasty treats!

As promised, creation #1!

When I was asked to create foods using CheeCha Puffs in the recipe, I thought to myself...no problem.  I am no stranger to the kitchen, so this will be easy!  Well, I was wrong.  It's not easy.  I cannot use any egg, dairy, soy or tree nuts in any of my baking or cooking due to allergies, which already limits what I can make and how I can make it.  Plus, it had to be kid approved.  Which means, the easiest way to come up with my first creation was to think...like a kid!

And this is what I came up with.  It's basic, it's simple, it's VERY easy, and it was DELICIOUS!!!!!

*Dairy, Egg, Soy, Nut & Gluten Free Chicken Fingers*

Ingredients

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (although I'm sure drumsticks, thighs etc would work too)
1 bag Sea Salt & Spiced Black Pepper CheeCha Puffs
2-4 tbsp butter or margarine (we use Earth Balance Soy Free)

Preperation

*In a plastic or cloth bag, crush the entire bag of CheeCha Puffs with a rolling pin until they resemble bread crumbs.  Pour onto a large plate and set aside.
*Thaw chicken and slice breasts into thin strips (or nuggets if you prefer)
*Melt margarine in a bowl

*Dip each strip or nugget into the melted margarine and coat thoroughly.  Take each chicken piece and roll it into the crushed up CheeCha Puffs until they are well covered with the mixture.

On a stone or greased/lined baking sheet, bake the chicken for approximately 30 minutes (or until cooked) in a 400F oven.

It's THAT easy!

I was a little worried that the chicken would either come out with soggy CheeCha Puffs, or that they would be burnt, changing my meal to a "Blackened Chicken using CheeCha Puffs" type dish.  But it was quite the opposite.  The chicken strips were a wonderful golden color, with a nice crispy coating on them.

We had ours with a huge tossed salad, and it was the perfect light dinner.  Pair this up with fries, salad, pasta..........and you'll have an easy and quick dinner sure to please everyone!

Indian Naan Bread Recipe

Yes!  Naan Bread!  From scratch!  I am quite proud to say that my family really enjoyed this.  Now, I will admit that I have never actually eaten Naan Bread although I've admired it in the stores on numerous occasions.  I could never find one that was safe for my family though, so would simply admire it, and walk away.

Until today.

Today I decided that I needed to try to make it.  And much to my surprise, it turned out great!

It was quite time consuming but the effort was well worth it.

This recipe was made to be free of eggs, dairy, soy and nuts.




INGREDIENTS

1 package of yeast (2 1/4 tsps if using from a jar)
1 cup warm water
3 Tbsp water (if you can use milk, feel free.  Or substitute with rice milk. All I had was coconut milk so water was my best option)
1 egg or replacer (I use half a tsp baking powder and 2 tbsp water for each egg called for)
2 tsp salt (come to think of it, I actually think I forgot the salt...oops!)
3.5 cups of flour (you could use whole wheat, I used all purpose)
1 tsp garlic salt (my garlic salt contains soy, so I omitted this all together)
1/4 cup butter, melted (I used Earth Balance Soy Free)

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, combine warm water and yeast and let sit for 10 minutes, until yeast is foamy.
After the 10 minutes, mix in additional water (or milk/substitute), egg (or replacer), and salt.  Gradually mix in flour (I ended up using only 3 cups and it was the right consistency, you may have to play around to find the amount that works for you).  Knead for 6-8  minutes on a floured surface until dough is smooth.


***I used my Kitchen Aid Stand mixer with the dough hook to make my dough***

In a well oiled bowl, let dough sit covered with a damp towel, for 60 minutes.  The dough should double in volume.

 


After the first rise, on a well floured surface, take dough out of the bowl (it will be VERY sticky, I floured my hands so the dough wouldn't stick).  Punch dough down and pull pieces off to form golf ball size balls of dough.  On a lightly greased pan, place dough-balls to rise again.  This recipe made 25 golf ball size pieces of dough.  Cover with a dry towel and let rise a second time, for another 60 minutes.

Towards the end of the second rise, preheat your grill (I used my George Foreman Indoor Grill) on the high setting, and melt your butter in a bowl.  Mix the garlic salt into the melted butter.

Uncover your dough (which again, should have almost doubled in size) and on a well floured surface, flatten each ball into a circle with a rolling pin.

Once the grill is preheated, lie each piece of flattened dough (I could do three at a time) onto the grill.  Brush the top with the garlic/butter mixture. If using an indoor grill, you can shut the lid while they're cooking.  Heat for approximatly 2-3 minutes, flip over, and brush again with garlic/butter mixture.  Shut the lid for another 2-3 minutes.

The Naan bread should be a nice golden brown color when cooked.

As the bread cooled, it became a wonderful combination of crunchy and chewy.  I had thought there would be no way that this bread would all be eaten in one day, but it was.  I've read that it can become quite chewy if left overnight, in which case any leftovers would be great to make mini pizza's or pita chips.

It took a few hours from start to finish to make these, so be prepared to have some time set aside if you do make them.

They were wonderful!

Another yummy donut recipe!

Chocolate Donuts!!!

Don't they look lovely??

They're a bit of work, but well worth it!  Dairy, soy, egg and tree nut free, as always!

And how do you ask, do I make these chocolate beauties?  Well, wait no longer, just scroll down a bit to find out!

The ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour (you could probably substitute with a gluten free mixture if you wanted to)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk (we used SILK True Coconut, original, it's the only dairy free milk in the fridge right now)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg or replacer (we use half a teaspoon baking powder and two tablespoons water for each egg called for)
4 teaspoons butter, melted (we used canola oil, and they turned out fine)
2 tablespoons coffee (save your leftover morning coffee for this recipe!)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

***Note, this recipe is for SIX donuts, so I doubled everything to make TWELVE***

In a bowl (I use my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer, but you can mix by hand), mix (with the wisk attachment) the milk, brown sugar, egg or replacer, oil, coffee and vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and using a spatula (or paddle attachment on your mixer), blend until smooth. 

With a spoon (I use a spoon and a spatula), fill the donut pan about 3/4 full.  You can grease your tins, I don't and they come out fine, no sticking.

In a 325F oven, bake for 14 minutes (maybe a minute less or more, depending on your oven), the donuts will spring back when touched when they're done.

Let them cool on a wire rack.  I chose to simply dust icing sugar on top, but any ooey gooey icing would be great!  

And of course, I had a little help with the clean up!

Who would like a cinnamon bun?

There is nothing quite like the comforting aroma of cinnamon buns baking in the oven.  When I make these, they don't usually last more than a day in my home!

BASIC SWEET DOUGH

1 cup water
2 eggs (or egg replacer - I use 1/2 tsp baking powder and 2 tbsp water for each egg called for)
1/4 cup butter or margarine (we use Earth Balance Soy Free most of the time, but I used canola oil this time and they turned out fine!)
2 tsp salt
4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp skim milk powder (we omit this entirely and it turns out fine)
2 tsp quick rise yeast (we use bread machine yeast)


Add ingredients as per your machine's manufacturer instructions, and choose the DOUGH setting.  Let it do it's thing.

Once the dough is finished, on a floured surface, roll out dough into a rectangle shape, or as close to a rectangle as you can get.  The bigger the rolled out dough, the more layers your buns will have!
Take about a tablespoon of melted butter or margarine, (we use Earth Balance Soy Free) and with a pastry brush, spatula or spoon, spread it evenly on the dough.  I tend to eyeball the brown sugar/cinnamon ratio, but I'd say I use about 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 2 tablespoons cinnamon.  Mix it well in a bowl, and cover your rolled out dough with it.  Make sure to get the brown sugar and cinnamon right to the edges.
Tightly roll the dough until you have one big "log" looking piece, and because I'm very particular with size, score with a sharp knife, 12 equal sections to cut.
This last batch, I'll admit, I only got 11 pieces.  Cut them, lie them on their side (so the cinnamon swirly part is up and down), and lay them in a greased baking dish.

Cover with a towel, and let rise in a warmish place for about an hour.

Bake at 375F for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Now, my picture was taken prior to me drizzling icing over them, but I promise when I make more, I'll replace my picture with a nice frosted cinnamon bun one.

I was not completely satisfied with the icing recipe I had used this time, so I won't post it, in order to avoid anyone else's disappointment.

There are a ton of easy peasy cinnamon bun icing recipes though, from sticky gooey ones to cream cheese ones (which my family can't have, and although I'm pretty good at replacing foods to make them safe, cream cheese is one I simply cannot).  If you find one that you love, please let me know so I can try it too!

Enjoy!

Everybody loves Donuts!

Let me first start by saying, I had one extremely happy child today!  It's been over a year since he's eaten a donut, and the look on his face was priceless as he bit into this one.

I had decided to invest in a Donut pan, and it was money well spent.  I'll be using this often!

Baked Vanilla Donuts
~Egg, Dairy, Soy and nut free~

Ingredients

Vanilla Donuts
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup packed  brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup buttermilk (I used plain Rice milk, and added 3/4 tbsp of vinegar to make "buttermilk")
2 eggs (I mix 2 tbsp water and 1/2 tsp baking powder for each egg called for)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoon melted butter (I used canola oil with no problems)

Glaze
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons milk (again, I used Rice milk)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

*******

I used my Kitchen Aid Mixer, with the flat beater attachment, and mixed until the batter was smooth.



Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Lightly grease your donut pan.  I have an oil sprayer that I used.
In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugars, baking powder and salt. Stir in milk, eggs, vanilla and butter. Stir until well blended.
Fill each doughnut cup approximately 3/4 full.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until donuts spring back when touched. Allow to cool slightly before removing from pan.  Mine took 10 minutes and turned out perfect!

Flip donuts onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely.  Place the wire rack on top of a piece of wax or parchment paper, and make your glaze.
I dipped the top of my cooled donuts into the glaze, and placed them back on the wire rack to dry.  The wax or parchment paper underneath catches the drips and makes cleanup quick and easy!

Tomorrow, we'll make chocolate donuts!

**Be creative with your icing!  Chocolate, Vanilla with sprinkles (check ingredients), Maple.........**

Recipe makes 6-8 decent sized donuts

Easy and delicious chocolate dipped Pretzels!

OK so, I took the easy route and used Rolled Gold pretzel twists (dairy, egg, soy and nut free). 
This was so simple and tastes delicious! 






I had just under half a bag of Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips (free of most allergens)
I put them in a sauce pan combined with
1 tsp shortening (I use Tenderflake, but check your ingredients as not all brands are soy free)
over low/medium heat, stir until melted and liquidy.

Toss in your pretzels, one at a time, and lift out with a fork once entire pretzel is coated in chocolate.
Shake gently to remove any excess chocolate (does excess chocolate really exist?  there is never enough chocolate in my opinion!)
Lie flat on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Cool in the fridge until chocolate is set.

Simple!