GF, Vegan Spring Rolls & GF Chocolate Chewy Crispers!

The incredible recipe for these GF & Vegan Mango Avocado Spring Rolls is available in my new e-book cookbook, The Best of GlutenFreeHappyTummy, available HERE ---> The Best of GlutenFreeHappyTummy  - Only $2.99!

And you didn’t think I’d forget to share my outrageous GF cookies with you?!?

Ever since finding out about my new food allergies, I haven’t been able to enjoy my GF French Macaroons since they’re made with Almond flour, and guess who’s allergic to Almonds?! Yep…Lil Ole Me. SO! I’ve been tirelessly trying to recreate my French Macaroons without the Almond flour. It isn’t possible, until I can get my hands on Pistachio flour — so I’ve tried to create something similar, and I finally got it!

I think I’ll call them GF Chocolate Chewy Crispers.

Here’s what you need:

2 egg whites, beaten to stiff peaks
1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 cups GF Rice Krispies

Glaze:
6 semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 heaping Tbsp peanut butter
1 1/2 tsp water
sprinkle of salt
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375. Beat egg whites in a stand mixer. When they become foamy, add your cream of tartar. When they form soft peaks, slowy add your sugar. Then beat on high for about 7 minutes, until stiff peaks form. Stop your mixer and sift in your powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Then, fold it in — about 35-40 folds. Finally, fold in your Rice Krispies.

On a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet, place about 2 Tbsp worth of batter. Then, reduce heat in the oven to 325 and bake for 5 minutes. Rotate pan, and bake 9 more minutes. Then, turn off the oven and leave them in the Off oven for 30 minutes. When you take them out of the oven, you need to eat one warm — or two:)

After they’ve cooled, drizzle with the glaze. Heat the 1st three ingredients for 10 seconds in the microwave, stir until melted. Then stir in powdered sugar until smooth. You may need to add more water to thin it out.

gorgeous texture -- crunchy outside with soft, chewy inside! YUM!

These are FANTASTIC!!!!!!! The outside has formed a meringue-like crunchy-crispy crust, and then the inside is marshmallow-y with crispy-chewy Rice Krispies mixed throughout. Sinlessly Decadent!

Annie...making herself at home:)

Roxy wanted to rule the other couch :)

Happy Saturday from myself, and the 2 girls who rule the house!

FOr these cookies, I got to use my Kitchen Aid stand mixer! This is such an amazing appliance. And it has so many uses. Not only does it make whipping egg whites super easy, but it also makes cookies, and pasta...you name it! Here's the one I use:

GF Vegan Pad Thai w/ Mango Spring Rolls!

This peanutty and fabulous recipe for GF & Vegan Pad Thai is available in my new e-book cookbook, The Best of GlutenFreeHappyTummy, available HERE ---> The Best of GlutenFreeHappyTummy  - Only $2.99!

Gluten Free Fried Rice w/ Mango Spring Rolls!

I’m back in Cincinnati after a great trip to the mountains. There’s nothing quite like being with family in the beautiful outdoors. It was a wonderful escape, but now, back to reality! And back to healing! I have to be honest: I deviated from The Maker’s Diet a tiny bit while I was there: eating different types of cheese and dessert. But now back to the straight and narrow!

Here’s a fabulous recipe that my whole family LOVED. Its Chinese Fried Rice with Mango Tofu Spring Rolls!

yummm!

This was so delicious. Hands down tasty. The creamy savoriness of the scrambled egg, with the salty sweet flavor of the tofu, along with the nutty chewiness of the brown rice was divine. Accompanied by the sweet peanutty crunch of the spring rolls; this meal was a flavor explosion in your mouth!

To make the tofu, I marinated the pressed and drained teeny tiny cubes of tofu in my tasty marinade foundhere.

To make the rice, it was pretty simple. Either use day old rice, or cooked rice. I started out by sautéing diced onions, carrots and minced garlic in 2 tsp of EVOO. In a separate skillet, I scrambled 1 farm fresh egg just until the whites were runny. (They will finish cooking when they get added back in with the rice). Set eggs aside in a small bowl. Once the onions and carrots have been sautéed for about 5ish minutes, add in the cooked tofu cubes and the rice. Also stir in 2 T tamari (gluten free soy sauce) mixed with 2 T water and a touch of grated ginger. Finally, stir in the scrambled egg and frozen peas. Yum!

For the spring rolls: you will need:

1 mango, diced

Several radishes, grated

1 cucumber, seeded and grated

1 carrot, grated

Cooked tofu cubes

Chinese rice paper spring roll wrappers

Bowl of warm water

Assembly: the rice paper is like brittle plastic when you buy it. To use: you have to soak one for about 5-10 seconds in warm water till it becomes pliable. Then spread it out on a plate and fill it with the radishes, cucumber, carrots, tofu and mango. Then roll it up like a burrito, and repeat! These yummy treats we’re served alongside this addicting peanut dipping sauce. Let me tell you, I could have eaten the whole bowl! It is that good!

1 T peanut butter

1 t agave

1 1/2 t apple cider vinegar

water to consistency

grated ginger

Mix all together and adjust to taste…add more cider if its too sweet.

This meal was a definite 10! Enjoy!

Chinese Stir Fry & a Tofu Tutorial

Lets talk tofu. Tofu is another highly misunderstood food. It is seen as gross, “fake meat,” a soy block…it sadly gets a bad wrap. In reality, tofu is a great source of protein, and its yummy! It is a blank canvas that soaks up and takes on the flavor of whatever its cooked with. Not to mention, you can do SO many things with it! You can bake it, fry it, stir fry it, grill it, blend it into a sauce, make a smoothie out of it, whip it into whipped cream, even mash it into a breakfast porridge! The possibilities are endless.

Well, when I mentioned that we were having tofu, my dad winced and said…disguise it so I don’t know! Needless to say, I had my work cut out for me.

Chinese Stir Fry with Mango Spring Rolls

First, the brand of tofu matters!! I like the consistency and taste of Mori-Nu silken Extra Firm tofu. And I prepare it in a very specific way: I cut it into teeny tiny little cubes (about the size of dice!) But let me take you step by step.

1) Tofu needs to be drained. So I take it out of the package and slice it into 8 slabs. I the place those on a paper towel lined baking sheet and put 2 more towels on top and then put a big frying pan on top of them and press all the extra water out of the tofu.

2) While its pressing, I make the MARINADE! Tofu soaks up flavor, so make a yummy marinade!!

2 T Tamari (gluten free soy sauce)

2 T water

1 t agave

1 t apple cider vinegar

1 T grated fresh ginger

1 t minced garlic

1/2 t toasted sesame oil OR EVOO

3) Then I cut each slab into tiny little cubes and put all the little cubes into a bowl with the marinade and let sit for about 15 – 20 minutes.

4) Put all the cubes onto a baking sheet sprayed with olive oil in a single layer and pour rest of marinade over. Pop in a 375 degree oven for 35 minutes, turning each over half way through.

This is a definitely a labor of love for your tofu, but let me tell you, it is delicious and sooo worth it. They caramelize and almost become like candy. My dad actually loved it!

Now for the rest of the recipe.

I sautéed onions, carrots, garlic and ginger in 1 T EVOO while I cooked my rice pasta in a  separate pot. Right before the noodles were finished, I stirred in about a cup of frozen peas and my tofu just to warm through. I then added another recipe of my tofu marinade to give it a sauce. I drained the pasta and added it to the pan with my veggies and mixed it all together. I added a few tablespoons of pasta water to stretch the sauce.

With my stir fry, I made mango spring rolls!!!!

I combined shredded cucumber and shredded carrots with 4 cubes of tofu and some cubed mango. I wrapped it in rice paper. For the peanut dipping sauce:

1 T peanut butter

1 t agave

1 1/2 t apple cider vinegar

water to consistency

grated ginger

Mix all together and adjust to taste…add more cider if its too sweet.

This dinner was a big hit. I hope you try it out and enjoy! Happy Friday!