This one bowl chocolate chestnut brownies recipe makes rich, cake-like gluten free brownies made with chestnuts or chestnut flour and sweetened with honey. Chestnuts start showing up in grocery stores around the holiday season, so I'm experimenting with more chestnut recipes. Three out of our four baby chestnut trees are still alive, so hopefully one day we'll be able to use our own chestnuts. My last experiment was Cranberry Chestnut Bars. This time around I made chocolate chestnut brownies, which for some reason were more popular with the boys. (Can you say, “brownies”?) I skipped adding extra nuts, but you could easily stir in a half cup for some crunch.
Cranberry Chestnut Bars – Gluten Free, Grain Free, Dairy Free
These cranberry chestnut bars have a texture like good quickbread – moist and tender, a little bit heavier than most cakes. The cranberries add brightness to the recipe – a little “pop” of flavor. They'd be great without the chocolate chips, too, but of course the boys are more likely to gobble things up if there's chocolate involved.
Some of you may remember that we planted some chestnut trees in 2014 as part of our efforts to expand the number of different food crops that we grow and create part of our permaculture landscape. Before we planted any more of them, I figured I'd better make sure we actually like to eat them, so I went hunting for chestnut recipes and chestnuts. [Read more…]
Broccoli Cheese Soup with a Surprise Ingredient – (Gluten Free)
I regularly whip together some version of homemade cream of vegetable soup, but when I put together this creamy broccoli cheese soup with a hint of bacon, my husband and the boys said it was one of the best I've ever made. What's the “surprise” ingredient? I raided the pantry for some dehydrated summer squash to use as an extra thickening agent. Eureka moment! It's a great use for an abundant veggie, and adds a little more vegetable punch to the recipe, which is never a bad thing.
Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble – Gluten Free, Quick and Easy
Strawberries and rhubarb are a wonderful sweet/tart combination, and come together in an easy and yummy fashion in this strawberry-rhubarb crumble. It's gluten free (and diary free if you like) and uses less refined sugar than most crisp and cobbler recipes. (You can even use all honey if you prefer.)
Easy No Bake Granola Cookies That You Make in the Dehydrator
Cookies for breakfast? You bet! I'm not talking about a certain boxed cereal with fluffy little bits that leave you hungry an hour later, I'm talking about chewy, crunchy go anywhere granola cookies with all the stuff you want and none of the stuff you don't. These easy granola cookies can be gluten free if you use certified gluten free oats. (Oats do not naturally contain gluten, but can be cross contaminated.) They are also casein free (when the oats are soaked with vinegar) and soy free. [Read more…]
