Wheat-Free Orange Oatmeal Drop Biscuits

Prep. Work:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Line a cookie sheet with a non-stick Silpat pad or parchment paper.
Zest and juice 1 orange - set aside in separate containers.
In a small container, add 1/4 orange juice to 1/2 cup "milk" of choice (I'm using soy milk) - set aside.


Prepare your dry mixture:
In a mixing bowl, combine:
3/4 cup oat flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour or potato starch*
2 tsp. aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
zest of one orange
ginger optional (1/4 cup crystallized ginger chopped fine, 1/2 inch piece of grated fresh ginger, or use 1 tsp. dried ginger)


Make sure dry mix is combined well and then add:
1/2 cup oats*


"Cut" butter into your dry mixture. 
If you are cooking vegan, you can use Earth Balance or some other veggie butter replacement. 

Cut 4 Tb. of cold butter medium sized chunks. Add the chunks of butter to your dry mixture. Use a pastry cutter or 2 knives to chop your butter up into tiny pieces that combine with your flour mix.

Visit my pastry cutting entry for a little more info if you need it (to come - for now you can google it;-) This process is what helps make pastry more flaky.

Add 1/2 cup of your milk/oj mix. 
Don't be surprised! The milk is curdled and it's good to go.

• Mix the 1/2 cup milk mix and dry ingredients. If the mixture is not sticking together yet, add a bit more milk mix. You may not use all the milk mix.

Drop the dough onto your prepared pan.

I use an ice-cream scoop to drop the biscuits onto the pan. The lever helps release the dough from the scoop. You could use a large table spoon though too.

Bake biscuits for about 8 minutes in 350° oven. They will be golden on the bottom and still light on top. Stick a fork in it. If it comes out clean, they are done. You'll need a plate for these biscuits. They are on the crumbly side but quite delish with all the health benefits of a bowl of morning oatmeal.

*It's the gluten in wheat (and a few other grains) that helps the dough stick. Tapioca Flour and Potato Starch replace the gluten. If you don't want to use the flour replacers and your not worried about gluten just 1 cup of regular all-purpose flour. Keep in mind that if gluten is an issue, you need to be careful of the oats and oat flour. If you look you can find gluten-free oats and then use another gluten-free flour.

I have to admit these biscuits need a little work. The taste is great but the texture is a little gummy. This is the challenge of gluten-free. Maybe a little less potato starch next time?

Holiday Cranberry Tea Muffins

This recipe is my absolute favorite breakfast item during the holiday season that spans Thanksgiving through New Years when you can easily snag some fresh cranberries. I adapted this recipe from a Martha Stewart Cranberry Tea Bread which is posted below. With my busy mornings I love having a hand-held breakfast ready for me as I pack lunches and brush teeth:-) Usually I like to make mini-muffins because I just don't eat that much first thing in the morning. But, these muffins are chunky so you need to use the regular tins. 

A note about the cranberries... being cooked in the muffins mellows them a bit but they are tart. I like them for the pick-up they give me. Dried cranberries are sweeter and would be a fine substitute.

This recipe makes 12 muffins

Preheat Oven to 350°

Coat muffin tins with oil, butter, or cooking spray so the muffins don't stick.

Mix These Dry Ingredients in a large bowl:

• 2 cups flour (I'm using Namaste Foods Gluten Free Perfect Flour Blend)
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Cardamom (cinnamon or nutmeg would be good substitutes)
• 3/4 cup Fresh Cranberries - cut in half
• 1/2 cup Walnuts - chopped
• 1/4 cup Crystalized Ginger - chopped fine

In a separate bowl mix the wet ingredients:

• 2 eggs (vegans can use 1/4 cup applesauce, pumpkin puree, smashed banana etc.)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (or other sweetener of choice)
• 1/4 cup melted butter or mild oil (I love using nut oils in my muffin mixes)
• 3/4 cup milk of choice (cow, rice, soy - all will do based on your diet needs)

Make a "well" in the middle of the dry ingredients, pour in the wet mix and stir to combine. Scoop into prepared muffin tins. Bake in 350° oven for 10 - 12 minutes. Keep your eye on them. You'll know they are done when you insert a fork and it comes out dry.

http://www.wholeliving.com/132996/cranberry-tea-bread

Enjoy!

So after I posted this, I wondered, "is this really family food." Well hubby came home from work and had one and replied "that didn't really look that great but it was delicious." Then my 8-year old came home and scarfed down two of them. I had to smile when she asked for the second one. So yes, these are family-friendly.