Delicious CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES by Arnel's Originals

(Pre-heat oven o 350º and bake for 15 minutes)

(Makes 35 oz of dough or approx. 2 dozen medium sized cookies)

2 cups Arnel's Originals APFlour

3/4 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

1/2 cup Sugar

1 x-large egg

2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

3/4 cup softened Salted Butter or Earth Balance Margarine (Dairy Free)

1 cup (or more) Chocolate Chips

1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients and then combine wet and dry with a fork until a smooth paste.

Add chocolate chips and walnuts.

Spoon onto an oiled cookie sheet and press cookie until about 1/2 inch thick.

Bake 15 min. in a 350º oven and place cookies on a cooling rack when edges are slightly browned.

Outrageous OATMEAL COOKIES by Arnel's Originals

Pre-heat oven to 350º
Bake for 15 minutes. Makes 40 oz of dough or 24 to 30 medium sized cookies

3 cups (gluten free) oats 

1 cup Arnel's Originals All Purpose Flour/Pie Crust Mix (there are 3 cups in the 16 oz mix)

1 cup sugar 

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup oil

1 Tablespoon Molasses

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

Mix dry ingredients; mix wet ingredients, and combine them. Put spoonfuls of cookie dough on a cookie sheet, sprayed with oil. Compress and form each cookie into circles with your hand.

Bake 350º for 15 min. The edges will be slightly browned.

As soon as you take them out of the oven, transfer them gingerly onto a cooling rack. They will be very fragile when they are warm but they hold together nicely when they are cooled. 

ENJOY!

MAKE-a-CAKE your way

FLAVOR IDEAS - See below for ideas
This is the most amazing gluten free cake mix you will ever come across. It's not only moist, but you can easily make it into any flavor (Vanilla, Chocolate, Lemon, Spice, Carrot, Marble, Chili Chocolate, Mocha, Red Velvet, etc) with a few added ingredients.

SWEETENING SUGGESTIONS -(See below for specific ideas) Did you know that about 50% of all cake mixes is made of sugar? 
For that reason, when a sweetener is added to this 16 oz mix, it can make a large 2 layer cake.       In case cane sugar does not agree with you, you have other alternatives. Below are some guidelines about the behaviors of granulated sweeteners (cane sugar, date sugar, maple sugar, etc) liquid sweeteners (agave, honey, maple syrup, etc.) and non-caloric sweeteners (Turvia, Splenda, Xylitol).

FILLING IDEAS - See below for ideas
I've also included some easy wholesome filling ideas for between the two cake layers.

MAKE-a-CAKE your way Ingredients: Brown rice flour, Tapioca Flour, Cassava Flour, Baking Soda, Sea Salt, Xanthan Gum.

Before we begin, notice that the package contains 16 oz. of flour and calls for 4 eggs. Therefore it can make a large 2 layer cake or you can easily divide this mix into 4 parts and make 4 different cakes (6" round or 5" x 6" rectangular cakes.) The entire package can make a total of 30 - 32 cupcakes.
Exception: The chocolate cake makes a 3 layer cake or 45 cupcakes.
______________________________________________________________________
READY? Let's get creative ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

FLAVORS (The following proportions assume you are using the entire package.)

VANILLA - 2 cups sugar • 4 large eggs • 1/2 cup oil • 1 cup milk • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

LEMON - 2 cups sugar • 4 large eggs • 1/2 cup oil • 1 cup liquid (juice from 4 lemons + milk = 1 cup) • zest from 4 lemons   
(Variations...add some mint extract, use limes instead)

CHOCOLATE - 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder • 2-1/2 cups sugar • 4 large eggs • • 2/3 cup oil • 1-1/3 cups milk    
(Variations...for mocha add instant coffee, for chili chocolate add 1/2 teaspn cayenne pepper, for marble gently swirl half vanilla and half chocolate cake batter)
*The chocolate version will actually make a 3 layer cake.

RED VELVET - (A red velvet cake is actually made with red food coloring, vinegar, and 1/4 the amount of chocolate you'd put in a chocolate cake. Since I don't use artificial colorings, I tried making it with pomegranate juice and natural beet color. The flavor was delicious but it didn't retain its red color once baked.) Here are some general red velvet guidelines:
1 cup sugar • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder • 4 large eggs •  1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon oil • 1 cup pomegranate juice  
OR
1 cup sugar • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder • 4 large eggs •  1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon oil • 1 cup milk • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar • red food dye

CARROT CAKE / SPICE - 2 cups sugar • 4 large eggs • 1/2 cup oil • 1 cup milk • 4  teaspoons cinnamon  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves  • 4 cups grated raw carrots • 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
(Variations... 4 cups raw grated zucchini)


GENERAL BAKING DIRECTIONS: 
Line cake pans with waxed paper and/or cooking spray and pre-heat oven to 350º
Beat wet ingredients for one minute and add to the dry. Beat everything together for one more minute. Pour batter into cake pans and bake...30 to 35 minutes (chocolate cake needs 40 minutes) or scoop batter into muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick come out clean. Cool completely before filling or frosting.


FILLINGS (between the layers of cake)

Here are a few quick/easy fillings you can use between the layers of your cake.

Fresh Fruit - 1 cup of mashed or finely chopped fruit (berries, mango, banana, etc.) + 1 Tablespoon agave syrup + 1 Tablespoon non dairy gluten free margarine (like Earth Balance) or coconut oil + a dash of sea salt to taste.

Nut Butter - 1/2 cup nut butter + 2 Tablespoons agave syrup + 1 Tablespoon Margarine

Lemon Curd - Heat the following in a pan, stirring constantly until thickened: 2 egg yolks, 1/4 cup cane sugar, zest from 1 lemon, 1/4 cup lemon juice (from one lemon,) 2 Tablespoons shortening (coconut oil or margarine) Let it cool before spreading between layers or over the top of a bundt cake.

Jelly or Jam - There are deliciously natural jellies and jams that can be used right out of the jar.


SWEETENERS 

Cane sugar does more than just sweeten. It helps baked goods rise with the perfect amount of air, obtain that beautiful golden crispness, and retain its moisture. Nothing else quite compares but if you are one of those people who do not handle cane sugar well, there are good alternatives but knowing how each sweetener behaves is paramount to a successful cake. Although here are some general guidelines, I encourage you to do your own research and experimentations, and try combining cane sugar with no more than half of other sweeteners to get the benefits of both. Generally speaking, test for doneness with a toothpick about 5 to 10 minutes before then are supposed to be done.
*The sweetening amounts below are being compared to 1 cup of sugar. Please note that if you make the entire mix, you'll need 2 cups of sugar (so double what is listed.)

        In any event, here's the low-down on granulated sweeteners, liquid sweeteners, and non-caloric sweeteners.

GRANULATED SWEETENERS (

Cane Sugar - (see paragraph above)

Date Sugar (unrefined, unprocessed, and raw) Does not melt, has a tendency to clump, sweeter than cane sugar so use 3/4 cup date sugar for one cup of cane sugar

Coconut Sugar -High in nutrients, melts easily in liquids, has a low glycemic index (about half of what cane sugar has.) Substitute 1 cup coconut sugar for 1 cup cane sugar

LIQUID SWEETENERS

Honey - Honey is very acidic and when cooked, it burns easily so lower the temperature to 325º and cook for about 40 minutes. Use 3/4 cup honey instead of 1 cup cane sugar and reduce the milk by 1/4 cup.

Maple syrup - use 3/4cup maple syrup + 1/4 teaspoon baking soda to substitute for 1 cup cane sugar. Reduce milk by 1/4 cup. Baked goods will be denser and have a pronounced maple flavor. Reduce heat to 325º and bake 40 minutes.

Agave Syrup - Agave is a liquid sweetener from the cactus plant and has a low glycemic index (about half of what cane sugar has.) The best property of this sweetener, however, is that it helps baked goods brown, and retain its moisture. It is sweeter than cane sugar so you can use 2/3 cup agave to 1 cup sugar. Lower temperature to 325º, cook a bit longer (40 minutes) and reduce milk by 1/4 cup.

NON-CALORIC SWEETENERS - The reason why you don't find many baked goods with artificial (or non-caloric) sweeteners is because most of them either give you a foul after-taste, strong digestive upsets, or result in loosing its sweetness when heated. Because I firmly believe that most sweeteners in this category do more harm for the body than they are worth, I only experimented with the two I thought would be the gentlest: Stevia and Truvia. I will, however, give you the results of my research and experimentation:

Stevia - Most people agree that stevia, although very natural, has an strong unpleasant after taste. None the less I baked a chocolate cake with it. It turned out dry, dense, sweet less, and foul. Although it is the most "natural" sweetening substitute in this category, it didn't work well in baked goods.

Truvia - This is actually a combination of stevia and erythitol (which is a sugar alcohol) and although the chocolate cake I made was moister than the one with just the stevia, it still had that unpleasant after taste and questionable properties of a sugar alcohol (see below.)

Sugar Alcohols - (Xylitol, Maltitol, Mannitol, Sorbitol, Erythitol) Although these have no strong after tastes, these sugar substitutes tend to ferment in the intestines and cause bloating, gas, or diarrhea.

Equal (asparatame) Looses sweetness when heated
Sweet One (acesulfame,) Use 12 packets = 1 cup cane sugar
Splenda (sucralose,) Use 1 cup to 1 cup,
Sweet N Low (saccharine,) 12 packets = 1 cup cane sugar

If you use these, you probably know which ones loose their sweetness when cooked, and which ones have more of a tendency to cause cancer. Before you resort to the artificial sweeteners in this category, I'd suggest you use a combination of agave syrup and coconut sugar, which both have a relatively low glycemic index.

ZUCCHINI BREAD

As is with all of my recipes, this is free of gluten, dairy, corn, and soy. By using Arnel's Originals Pancake Mix for the flour, you get a marvelously moist and hardy texture which makes the zucchini bread incredibly satisfying. This recipe makes two medium sized loaves which allows you to freeze one for another day. Note: You can easily make this bread savory without SUGAR, adding onions and/or garlic. 

One package of Arnel's Originals Pancake Mix
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons xanthan gum

1 cup oil
3 cups grated zucchini or yellow squash
1/2 cup agave syrup
1/2 cup sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Mix the forst 5 dry ingredients together and set aside
In another bowl, mix the next 6 ingredients and add to the dry.

*add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts if you'd like

Pour half the mixture into two oiled or sprayed medium sized loaf pans and bake 350º for one hour or until toothpick comes out clean.

BLACK BOTTOM PIE - GF Dairy Free

This deliciously decadent pie has four distinct layers  (crust, chocolate pudding, vanilla custard, and whipped topping). Because each layer is separate, it takes several hours to make but, if you are looking for a WOW after the first bite, this is the ticket. Before you begin, get a package of Arnel's Originals All Purpose Flour/Pie Crust Mix and a package of non-dairy Healthy Top whipped topping by Mimic Creme. It serves 8 to 12 people.
Allergens:  eggs, tree nuts (Healthy Top of make with almonds and cashews.)

• Prepare a gluten free dairy free crust according to Arnel's Originals directions. Bake in a 350º oven for 12 minutes. Cool

• Prepare a chocolate pudding layer as follows:
    Melt:  4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
    Stir in: 6 Tablespoons coconut oil or shortening
               1/2 cup fine sugar (NOT confec. sugar)
               4 egg whites, slightly beaten
               1 teaspoon vanilla extract
               1 Tablespoon sweet liquor (Amaretto, Kahlua,)
    Pour into crust and refrigerate

• Prepare custard as follows:
    Heat and stir: 1 cup of Healthy Top whipped topping
                         1/2 cup sugar
    Mix items below and then add to the above mixture, stirring constantly until thickened:
               4 egg yolks beaten
               1/4 cup Healthy Top whipped topping
               1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    Pour custard mixture into glass pie plate, set in hot water, and bake 45 minutes on 325º           until it sets. Cool and refrigerate. Loosen custard and slide on top of chocolate layer.
             
• Whip 3/4 cup of Healthy Top according to directions and spread onto of custard mixture. Garnish with chopped up walnuts.

SERVE CHILLED

Gluten Free MATZO

1/3 cup flour (half potato starch, half buckwheat flour)

1/3 cup almond meal

1/4 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)

1 Tablespoon flaxmeal and 3 Tablespoons hot water

(Combine the flax meal and water, and let it sit until it looks like the texture of an egg.)

3 Tablespoons margarine or shortening (Earth Balance Margarine is both GF and dairy free)

Feel free to experiment with flours, thinness of the dough, and baking methods. I use a tortilla press (a rolling pin works as well) with a golf-ball-sized dough sandwiched between waxed paper. I prefer to bake the matzoh on a cookie sheet for 10 min. on a 400* oven but putting the flattened matzoh on the griddle is another option. This recipe makes six 5" round pieces of, crunchy, dark (because of the buckwheat,) pieces of matzoh with just the right flavor and texture.

GF Potato Latkes (especially for Chanukah) serves 8 to 10 people

HINTS:

~ I recommend using good tasting thin skinned potatoes like Yukon Gold, and preferably organic because they grow underground and sit in the soil.

~I like to microwave my onions for three minutes before I combine them with the potatoes (which brings out the sweetness.)

~When I fry them up, I let them float in an eighth inch of good expeller pressed oil which gives them a crispy texture.

With that said, here's the recipe:

6 raw medium sized potatoes, scrubbed but not pealed. Cube into bite-sized chunks.

2 to 3 medium onions, sliced in chunks and microwaved for 3 minutes

3 raw eggs

1 cup brown rice flour

2 teaspoons sea salt (or more to taste)

Expeller pressed oil for frying (Safflower, Canola)

A few paper grocery bags cut opened, to drain the latkes

As is the tradition in my family, I like the texture of my latkes to be pureed, not grated, and I use a powerful blender to do this. The trick is to start with blending an egg and half the onions which easily becomes a liquid. Slowly, add the potatoes and when the mixture becomes too thick, add another egg and more onions. If the blender gets full, pour half of it onto a large bowl and continue adding the rest of the onions and potatoes. Pour all of this mixture into the bowl and then add the brown rice flour and salt to taste.

Let the mixture sit for five minutes and get thick. In the meantime, heat up one eighth inch of oil on a medium flame until it is very hot. (Don't be afraid to use oil because it is only with a sufficient amount that you will get the most delicious crispy texture.) Turn on your exhaust fan and make sure you have on an apron because splattering happens. Spoon dollops of the sizzling mixture into the hot oil and when the latkes brown on the edges, flip them over.

Drain latkes on paper bags and serve right away with sour cream and/or applesauce. Leftover cooked latkes can be stored in the refrigerator and reheated in the toaster oven the next day.

ENJOY!!!!