Applesauce Raisin Muffins Corn, Gluten, Dairy, Egg Free

It is fall!!!! My favorite fall memory has always been my mom's awesome baking spree for Thanksgiving. We would always get a pumpkin or two and she would roast it in the oven until it was soft and then freeze what felt like hundreds of pints size servings of it. (I had to take the bags out to the freezer in the garage. You know, errand running.)
One of my favorites was always her applesauce raisin cake. I loved it! I still love it! I always will love it! But because of my food allergies, I no longer can have it the way she made it, and taught me to make it. I have to substitute, but who cares, I still get to enjoy that flavor!
Here is the most recent recipe I have for the applesauce raisin cake. This one I made into muffins, you know a little less sugar and mess.

Takes only a few minutes to prepare and yields 12 muffins. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a muffin a 12 cup muffin pan with muffin papers. ( I like to use the unbleached ones that I find at Fresh Thyme or Whole Foods.)
1 cup of freshly milled Organic Brown Rice Flour
1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill Sweet White Rice Flour
2 Tablespoons or so of Tapioca flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon David's Kosher salt (any salt should do)
1/2 cup organic seedless raisins
3/4 to 1 cup unsweetened organic applesauce
A few small shavings of crystallized ginger (not a lot or it will be overpowering. We just want to get that spice flavor in there. If you can use cinnamon instead that would probably be better. 1/2 a teaspoon or so.)
2 or 3 tablespoons of sugar in the raw (Or brown, or white sugar. I just like the flavor of the sugar in the raw.)
2 tablespoons of freshly chopped golden flax seeds soaked in 1/3 cup of water. (I chop them in a smoothie cup, but a food processor will work. If you don't have any of these, you can buy the flax already chopped, but be sure to refrigerate it to retain flavor.)
2-3 tablespoons olive oil (The oil must be fresh. If it isn't it will ruin the flavor of the muffins. I use California Olive Ranch Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Olive Oil. It almost always tastes fresh and can be found at Walmart, Meijer, Kroger, and most other places. (Other types of oil will work, but this is the best)
Mix dry ingredient together first, then add applesauce, flax water, and stir with a spoon until completely combined. Do not over mix. Divide evenly between muffin cups. Bake till a toothpick entered into the center comes out fairly clean. About 15-20 minutes depending on your oven.

If you have an egg allergy, corn allergy, gluten sensitivity, cinnamon allergy, or milk allergy this will work for you!
I hope you enjoy trying out my newest recipe, and please share it with your friends and family. Remember, don't be afraid to be creative in the kitchen and mix something up today!
Have a Happy, Healthy, Gluten Free Day!
~Gluten Free Em~

Summer Fun Gluten Free Style

As the summer is fast approaching, the weather is warming up. Families are spending more time together outdoors, and ice cream and Smores are on the menu.
What does this mean for us food allergy sufferers? Maybe you have a little one who cannot have corn. Maybe your immediate family is gluten free, but not distant family. Does this mean you can't still have that summer fun???
Of course, not! There are many products on the market now that are corn and gluten free and are safe for food allergy sufferers!

Pamela's makes a very tasty corn and gluten free graham cracker. And most of Hershey's Chocolate is gluten and corn free.

Goldbaums makes a handy ice cream cone. There are several brands out there actually that offer gluten free ice cream cones, but be careful that they are produced in a gluten free facility!

If you live in the western part of the USA, you can get Strauss Family Creamery ice cream from your nearby health foods store. This stuff is awesome, corn and gluten free, as well as free of stabilizers, which means no xanthan gum, carrageenan, guar gum, or the like!

If you must make your own ice cream because you live in the east with a carrageenan allergy, the key is to find some Kalona SuperNatural Whipping Cream. 

Check out their products here!

Do you have a favorite summer time meal, dessert, or activity that is good for the whole family??? Tell me about it!!! I love to hear from my readers!

Have a Happy, Healthy, Gluten Free Summer!

~Gluten Free Em~