Heathy Milk Alternative for your TODDLER for pennies

To live without; THAT is the question??

We found out about our children's allergies about 1 year before we had baby number 3.  I remember having a tough time trying to find a good replacement for milk.  While milk is not necessary and sometimes counter productive in nutrition, I felt it was an easy option for one of the daily snacks and made naps/bedtime easier.  So after seeking out an option for so long and even trying to find a formula that could work for a toddler, I settled on my version of a 'coconut milk' that was amounted to everything Cow's Milk did and then some more with a minimal price difference.  Not to mention this choice had a very pleasant flavor compared to the other alternatives out there.

I figured out that one tablespoon of coconut milk added to rice milk had the equivalent amount of fat as a glass of 2 % Cow's Milk. At first I tried bulk mixing a can of coconut milk with a 1/2 gallon of rice milk.  That did not work because the coconut milk would go bad and spoil the entire carton of rice milk. It was then that i had the idea to make coconut ice cubes.  The ice cubes were approximately 1 tablespoon each, so it was perfect.  It made it really easy to pull out just enough for each glass of milk as needed.  I then could either defrost the cube in the microwave or preserve its nutrients by pouring warm rice milk over the cube to melt it.  

Great option for our growing babies.

Cheese Dip or Sauce Replacement

This can be used as a cheese sauce or dip replacement.  Add roasted green peppers and tomato (well drained) for an easy chip dip or use it as a cheese sauce over Broccoli, Cauliflower, or even Nachos!

Cheese Sauce Dip

 

4 egg yolks
1 TBSP freshly squeezed Lemon Juice

1/2 cup unsalted butter,  melted (1 stick)

1) Bring a pot of water to a boil as you whisk egg yolks and lemon juice together with a fork in a metal bowl.  

2) Over the pot of water continue whisking briskly with a fork until mixture thickens. Be careful not to let the mixture go up the sides or sit, because the yolks will scramble.

3) Slowly add melted butter as you continue whisking over the pot of water.

4) Remove from heat, set aside (still in the metal bowl) and add your uncooked macaroni elbows (about 12 oz) to the already boiling water.

 

Then:

1 1/2 TBSP Butter

1 TBSP + 1 tsp Cornstarch

1  cup Rice Milk 

  

5) Melt butter in a pan over the stove and then add the cornstarch and stir feverishly so no lumps can form.

6) After well mixed, add milk and stir constantly til it starts to thicken.  Remove from heat and add to the 1st mixture in the Metal bowl.

Then add:

3/4 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp White Pepper (you can use black if you don't mind the specks)

1/4 tsp Ground Anatto Seed (for color only; you can find this in the spice section)

You don't have to, but I recommend adding 1/4 cup pumpkin or butternut squash puree.  Mix well.  Makes about 2 cups.

Breakfast Casse-ROLLS

I don't know what came over me tonight, but whatever it was it was GOOD!!  In fact I will let you be the judge of exactly how GOOD it was!!  It goes something like this. . .

I was sitting at the computer surfing the world wide web and visions of tomorrows breakfast were consuming my thoughts.  I was supposed to be bagging pre-made brownie mixes tonight while the boys watched Star Wars AH-GAIN, but I wasn't.   After a couple queries of the internet, my mouth was watering and I was undecided.  Cinnamon Rolls, Cheese, Eggs, Ham, bacon, CHEESE, then an idea struck me and I ran to the kitchen!!  It was a disaster I had made dinner, but had not yet cleaned up, but I could not let go of the idea and I did not have time to write it down.  I quickly cleared a space on the counter so I could get to work. Some of this and some of that, more of this and more of that.  A little twist here, roll it out there.  Almost done I called my husband in to see my near complete creation. Disturbed as he had to leave Star Wars. He looked and with a simple smile on his face said, "You're Weird." And he returned back to watching the 5th episode of Star Wars. . .Whichever one that one is.  I am girl.

So anyhow, the following is as far as I have gotten with my creation.  

Breakfast Casse-ROLLS

2/3 cup Rice Flour

1/3 cup Sorghum Flour

1/4 cup Vanilla Pudding (Jello brand sugar free- fat free is GFCF)

1 TBSP Potato Flour (flour, not starch)

2 TBSP Sugar

1/2 oz Gelatin (abt. 1 TBSP + 1 scant tsp)

2 1/2 tsp Guar Gum

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Baking Soda, rounded

1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

*  *  *  *  

2 tsp Yeast**

1/2 TBSP sugar

2 TBSP Warm Water

*  *  *  *

2 TBSP Butter

2/3 cup Warm Rice Milk

1 TBSP Vegetable Oil 

2 eggs, Room Temperature

**If you prefer yeast free, leave out 2nd set of ingredients, along with 1/3 cup water, 1/3 cup flour, and use 2/3 cup of starter.  Make a note that starter adds a sourness to your baked goods (quite sharp compared to commercial sourdough bread) and will affect the final taste of baked goods.

1) Mix each set of ingredients in separate containers.  Making sure the dry group is in the largest bowl.  

2) When the yeast mixture has grown into a frothy airy mixture, combine all ingredients into the Large bowl.

3)  When the dough is mixed, roll out to roughly a 10-12 inch rectangle between two pieces of Saran Wrap.   Very important that you use Saran wrap.

4) Brush flattened dough generously with melted butter. 

 

Filling 

 

1/2 batch (1 cup) fresh Cream Soup substitute

1/2 - 3/4 cups thin slices of ham, chopped in 1/2 inch squares

2 TBSP Fresh Green Onion, chopped 

1/4 cup Rice Milk*

1 TBSP Non-Dairy Sour Cream

3 Eggs, scrambled and finely chopped (undercooked is better than over cooked)

1/4 tsp Pepper*

*I did not add these this time, but next time I am going to try it with these.

 

5) Combine all filling ingredients and spread evenly over dough, leaving about 1 inch of dough at the outside end (this will allow the roll to seal filling in as rises and bakes)

6) Prepare a 9 inch pie pan/round cake pan  by heavily buttering it.

7) Using the bottom Saran wrap to help you roll the dough, roll dough into a loose roll.

8) Using a Serrated Knife and cleaning after each cut, cut into 8-9 equal pieces, and place each in pie pan/round cake pan immediately after each cut.  

9) Let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes then bake 375 for 20-23 minutes.

White Gravy Topping

1 1/2 TBSP Butter

1 TBSP Cornstarch

1 1/3 cup Rice Milk 

1/4 tsp Pepper

1/4 tsp Salt

  

1) Melt butter in a pan over the stove and then add the cornstarch and stir feverishly so no lumps can form.

2) After well mixed, add milk and stir constantly til it starts to thicken, then add pepper and salt.

3) Remove from heat and let cool for 10 mins.
4) Drizzle over the top of your Rolls and ENJOY!!

Pizza Crust Mixes

I'm still working on building my supply of mixes, so last night I put together some pizza crust mixes.  I'm trying to cut back on the time it takes me to prepare meals and make it so we always have something fast and easy (yet descent) to eat on hand.  I am hoping by doing this, we will never be in a situation where we have to jump ship and go out to eat at the last minute before a soccer game or Speech Therapy, both of which happen 2-4 times a week each!  No better time to prepare for this than Spring Break!  Hopefully all of my work will last until summer time, because that will be my next break.

Many of you already know that I have another pizza crust, but this one is a different one; slightly thicker than the other one, uses amaranth & flax (for added nutrition), and also does not need yeast, though you could add it. Each time someone would try my first recipe, they would comment to me that it tasted like Namaste and I would be clueless as to what they were talking about.  What IS Namaste, and what does it taste like, why do people think my pizza is like it and WHY is Namaste so much better than all the rest I also have not tried??  SO this is intentionally an imitation of Namaste rather than a stumble upon creation including  the qualities I felt were important in a pizza crust.  I wanted to taste what Namaste was about with out paying the $6-7 to try it; especially being capable and knowledgeable enough to make it myself.  I'm sorry, is that is a little haughty and over the top?? Totally uncalled for!  OK, I'll take it back; forget I said it : )  

The other recipe is a good thick crust for 2 smaller cake-sized pans (personal pizzas for 8-10 year old boys), while more of a thin crust for the 13-16 inch pans.  This recipe is intended to be a true deep dish/thick crust for a large 13-16 inch pizza and we now have enough boys of sufficient appetite to easily down a large pizza (or two) without flinching.  It also gave me the opportunity to use my new found nutrient dense Amaranth :)  I am always up for a good excuse to create in the kitchen!!

I made my mixes by getting 10 containers that could carry about 3 cups of ingredients.  I placed them all on a cookie tray so that I could work in assembly line fashion and add each ingredient to every container 1 at a time; rather than creating one full mix at a time and then starting then next.  It takes about 1 hour to make 10 mixes this way.  After getting all of the dry ingredients together, mix the contents of each container.  Pour each containers contents into a quart sized ziploc bag.  Label the bag with the name of the mix and the wet ingredients that need to be added along with the baking instructions.  Another option would be to place all the bagged pizza mixes into one larger container and label the container with that information (this way you write down the info 1 time vs 10 and it makes it easier to reuse bags for mixes other than pizza mixes)

Pizza Crust

1 cup Rice Flour

1/2 cup Sorghum Flour

1/2 cup Tapioca Flour

1/2 cup Amaranth Flour

2 TBSP Ground Flax

3 tsp Gelatin

2 1/2 tsp Guar Gum

1 tsp Granulated Onion
1/2 tsp Granulated Garlic

1 tsp Poultry Seasoning (McCormick)

1/2 tsp Oregano (rubbed in the palms of your hands 

                              first if you can't find rubbed oregano)

1/2 tsp Parsley**

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Ascorbic Acid

* * * *

1 1/2 TBSP Oil

1/4 cup Egg Whites (abt 2)*

3/4 cup or 2 cups water depending on if you like to roll your dough or pour your dough

* * * *

OPTIONAL

2 tsp Yeast

2 TBSP Warm Water

1 TBSP Sugar

*If you are allergic to eggs, use water.
** The red ingredients can be subbed for 2 tsp Italian Blend, which are the exact same ingredient, but in one bottle.  I just don't have this in my cabinet, but I need to get it.

Instructions for use:

Put contents of mix in a bowl and pour wet ingredients over the top.  If you are using the mix for the first time, you may want to measure out the full amount of water and add little by little til you get the consistency you like.  If you want to roll out the dough or pat it out using your fingers, use closer to 3/4 cups of water.  If you like to pour out the dough into the pizza pan, then use closer to the 2 cups water.  Take note of the amount you used for future uses.  I like adding 3/4 cups along with the yeast option.


You can make 3- 8 to 9 inch personal pizzas with cake/pie pan
                     or 1 - 14 inch pizza crust 

If you like to roll out your dough, spray non-stick spray in your pizza pan and place the ball of dough in the pan.  Take a sheet of saran wrap and lay it over the ball press it flat with your hands, then use a rolling pin to roll it out as desired or you could choose to continue patting it to the edges of the pan using your finger tips with the saran wrap still over the dough.

Bake 400 for 10 minutes on the lower rack of the oven, then move it to the middle rack and bake another 5-10 minutes.  For a tougher crust, keep a spray bottle handy and spray it with water after 5 minutes and again after 10 minutes total bake time.  At 15 minutes of total baking time, brush with oil and let bake at least a couple minutes longer.  If you don't care for your crust to be tough, then only do the oiling at 15 minutes. When the crust is ready (toothpick comes out clean)  remove from oven.  At this point you can freeze it (them) in a ziploc bag or use it.  Thaw before use.  (If you have only one gluten free individual in the family you can choose to make the personal pizzas and freeze 2 for later uses.)

To use it brush already baked crust with oil again (do not omit that step or it will be a mushy mess of a pizza), and top with sauce and toppings.  If you are using a cheese that requires a high temperature to melt (like Vegan Gourmet), turn the oven up to 450 and bake til the cheese is melted (about 13 minutes).  If you are using something like Daiya (not recommended for pizza) or regular cheese bake til the meats look done (about 7 minutes).

Below is how the crust looks.  The darkness comes from my using Dark Flax seed.  If you use Golden Flax the appearance will be pale.

 

                 Fresh Baked  

          Oiled before sauce is on

Chocolate Chip Cookies

We are on Spring Break this week; such a GLORIOUS thought for school!!  So I have decided that I am going to be focusing on recipes that can be prepacked and then made quickly since the ingredients will be combined already.  Today's choice was Chocolate Chip Cookies.  I packed 10 mixes last night all I have to do is go get some quart size ziploc bags for my final product.   All you need to do is put the first 10 ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly and then add the following 2 and mix again.  Then mark on the bag to add 1 stick of butter and 1 egg when you use it and to bake at 350 for 11-14 minutes.  I actually kept the Flax out too, because my flax is whole flax and it will be more nutrient dense if you grind right before use.  Otherwise the most important nutrients will no longer be good by the time you use it.  Also since the flax is fresh flax you run the risk of the cookies going rancid prior to use, because their omega-3 oils are still in tact and grain oils are what make flours go rancid.  If you choose to leave out the flax, just be sure to mark it on your package along with the egg and butter.

I used a 2 1/2 cup container to make my mixes and pulled out 10 containers placing them on a cookie sheet together, so I could easily move from place to place with them and also easily move in assembly line fashion adding one ingredient at a time to all of them to cut down on time.  Like I said, it took me only 1 hour to fix 10 mixes.  As soon as I get the bags, I will post the final look.

If you don't want to use flax, you can substitute with 1/8-1/4 cup flour of your choice.  Try using coconut cream (un-separated) instead of the butter.

 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup packed Brown Sugar

1/4 cup Sugar

1/4 cup Sorghum

1/4 cup Rice Flour

1/3 cup Tapioca Flour

1/4 cup Flax, (grind in spice/coffee grinder on finest grind)

1 tsp Xanthan Gum

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1 Cup Chocolate Chips

1/2 cup Pecans or Walnuts

* * * *

1/3 cup soft Butter (not melty)

1 egg (can be replaced with 2 TBSP Water)

1) Combine all dry ingredients mix well, then add the wet ingredients over the top.  Mix well.

2) Drop in 1-1 1/2 TBSP on the tray and bake 10-13 minutes at 375; OR rounded teaspoons 350 for 10 - 12 minutes.

3) Cookies will seem like they are not fully cooked as you are taking them out of the oven, but once they cool you will see they are done.  If you leave them in longer than recommended, they will be crunchy/over done (though not burned) rather than chewy.

Basic Pilsbury Refrigerator Dough Substitute (for sweet uses)

Pilsbury Style Refrigerator Dough

2/3 cup Rice Flour

1/3 cup Sorghum Flour

1/4 cup Vanilla Pudding (Jello brand sugar free- fat free is GFCF)

1 TBSP Potato Flour (flour, not starch)
2 TBSP Sugar

1/2 oz Gelatin (abt. 1 TBSP + 1 scant tsp)

2 1/2 tsp Guar Gum

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Baking Soda, rounded
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

*  *  *  *  

2 tsp Yeast**

1/2 TBSP sugar

2 TBSP Warm Water

*  *  *  *

2 TBSP Butter

2/3 cup Warm Rice Milk

1 TBSP Vegetable Oil 

2 eggs, Room Temperature

**If you prefer yeast free, leave out 2nd set of ingredients and use 2/3 cup of starter.  Make a note that starter adds a sourness to your baked goods (quite sharp compared to commercial sourdough bread) and will affect the final taste of baked goods.


1) Mix each set of ingredients in separate containers.  Making sure the dry group is in the largest bowl.  
2) When the yeast mixture has grown into a frothy airy mixture, combine all ingredients into the Large bowl.
3)  If you need to knead it into a ball for what you are using it for, use a plastic baggy over your hand or some saran wrap.
4) If you need to roll it out for whatever you may be using it for, it is best to roll it out between two sheets of saran wrap.
5) Let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes 
6) If you are making a stuffed or cinnamon roll style pastry, then bake 375 for 20-23 minutes.  Anything shorter than a cinnamon roll or un-stuffed will take less time. Check for done-ness by poking with a toothpick and checking that it comes out clean.  Golden brown is also a good indicator of done-ness.

White Sandwich Bread (Amaranth)

I just bought some Amaranth grain.  It is such a healthful grain, that I could not pass it up!!  Read about it yourself, it is really worth using!  You can read about it here, last paragraph here, and here.  As an added bonus it will also lighten up the colors of my recipes, as it is a pale colored seed.

I am soo excited about this bread!!  I can honestly say this tastes like any wheat bread out there!! and my husband, you know, the one who refuses to eat any gluten free anything, AGREES!! He believes it tastes like the Nature's Own Honey Loaf.  It is very delicious, has many nutrient dense flours in it, compared to my other bread recipes it has a very short list of ingredients, and it produces a tasteful white bread that does not dissemble into a mass of crumbs with minor mistreatment.  This bread is for sure MY NEW FAVORITE and my kids' too!!  It is also actually made like traditional breads with a near hour rise that doubles in size!! So many things to be excited for with this bread!!  Soo worth trying too!! 

If you have problems with Bakers Yeast, you can try using  2/3 cups starter and reducing the Sorghum to 2 1/2 TBSP  and only 2/3 cup milk. While I am an avid vegetable puree user, I do not recommend them for this recipe.  Pumpkin, Butternut squash, and  Acorn squashes have flavors that are too strong for the subtleties of this recipe.  I will be trying sweet potato in this recipe to see if it is a possibility. 

I think the only other thing I might try is increasing the Amaranth content to 1/2 cup and reducing the rice flour to 1/2 cup.  Even despite having so much tapioca and rice in it, which are essentially poor bearers of nutrients, the nutrients are made up between the Amaranth and Flax.  It has 1/4 cup flax which is equivalent to the nutrients in 1 loaf of whole wheat bread (or nearly 3 cups whole wheat) and Amaranth.  Nutritionists recommend to the Gluten eating community to substitute 25% of the flour in their wheat bread with Amaranth to complete the nutrition.  It only makes sense to me that if we have the 1/4 cup flax equivalent to a loaf of wheat bread and we use Amaranth for 25% of our flours in this bread, then it will also complete our nutrition regardless of the other starches used.  Since Amaranth is so new to me, I am working my way up in its use, which is why I mentioned I wanted to try increasing the Amaranth to 1/2 cup above.  

Here is an excellent source that tells about grains and their nutrition. Specifically my two Favorite Amaranth and Flax! "As nutritious as wheat is, you can see that Amaranth puts it to shame..." read about it here  just scroll down to each of them.  Keep in mind that if Amaranth is not cooked your body will not be able to absorb its nutrients, so using it in bread is a very good option.

White Sandwich Bread (Amaranth)

3/4 cup White Rice Flour

3/4 cups Tapioca Flour

1/2 cup Sorghum
1/4 cup Ground Amaranth*

1/4 cup Flax (ground in a spice/coffee grinder)
1/4 cup Vanilla Pudding (Jello Brand Sugar & Fat Free is GFCF)
3 tsp Baking Powder
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda

2 tsp Xanthan Gum (NOT Guar Gum)
1 1/4 tsp Gelatin

1 tsp Salt

1/4 cup Sugar or Agave Nectar

* * * *

2 Eggs, room temp and beaten

3 TBSP melted butter
1 tsp Vanilla

* * * *

1 1/4 cup warm rice milk or water

2 tsp yeast

1 TBSP Sugar

1) Mix all the ingredients in the first list in a large bowl.

2) Mix all the ingredients in list two in a medium bowl.

3) Mix ingredients in list three in a cereal bowl and set aside until thickened, then add them to the other wet ingredients.  Make a hole in the middle of the dry ingredients bowl and pour the wet ingredients in the hole.  Mix just enough to make everything wet and then pour into a single greased 4x9 inch bread pan (the clear glass bread pans are what I use) and smooth the top.

4) Turn the oven on for a few minutes to make it warm; be careful to not make it too hot or it will cook instead of rise.  You should still be able to touch the glass of the oven door without burning yourself.

5) Without removing the bread pan from the oven, turn the oven on to 350 and bake for 18 minutes. Then cover with foil and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes.  Remove from oven, take out of pan, and return bread loaf back to the oven without the pan or foil for 5 minutes longer.

*If you bought Amaranth that is not yet ground and need to use a spice/coffee grinder, then  you will probably need to toast/pop the Amaranth before grinding.  This also adds flavor to the  breads you will use it in too. Place the correctly measured amount in a small pot on the stove over high heat.  Constantly stir the seeds.  When the seeds begin to pop, turn the heat down to med-lo heat and continue stirring til the grain is a dark golden color and most of the popping as subsided.  Remove from the heat and let cool in a plastic bowl.  Finally grind the toasted seeds with your coffee/spice grinder.  I tried to just grind the seeds in the grinder without toasting and they would not grind.  I finally broke down and ground myself a whole bucket of seed, because this recipe was definitely worth it.  

Chicken Pastry Pockets

Filling

1/2 recipe Cream of Chicken Substitute

3/8 cup Non-Dairy Sour Cream

2 smallish Boiled and Chopped Chicken Breasts

1/4 cup Canned Green Peppers (I recommend Old El Paso Brand)
 
Mix all ingredients together in medium bowl and set aside.

Basic Pastry

2/3 cup Rice Flour

1/3 cup Sorghum Flour

1/4 cup Potato Flour (flour, not starch)

1/2 oz Gelatin (abt. 1 TBSP + 1 scant tsp)

2 1/2 tsp Guar Gum

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder 
1/2 tsp Poultry Seasoning (like McCormick)
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Chicken Bouillon/Herb OX

*  *  *  *  

2 tsp Yeast**

1/2 TBSP sugar

2 TBSP Warm Water

*  *  *  *

2 TBSP Softened Butter (not melted)

1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup Italian Dressing

2 eggs, Room Temperature

**If you prefer yeast free, leave out 2nd set of ingredients and use 1/2 cup starter

1) Mix each set of ingredients in separate containers.  Making sure the dry group is in the largest bowl. 
2) When the yeast mixture has grown into a frothy airy mixture, combine all ingredients into the Large bowl.
3)  When the dough is mixed, divide in half, set one half aside.
4) Using saran wrap underneath the dough and over the top of the dough, roll the other  half into approximately 8 x 10 inch rectangle.  The dough should be just under 1/4 inch thick. 
5) Using a sharp knife cut the dough in thirds along the 10 inch side.
6) On one of these 3 pieces, place a generous scoop of filling on one side of the dough leaving a 1/2 inch of dough untouched along the edges.  Fold Dough over and press edges together.
7) Transfer Pocket from saran wrap onto a generously greased pan by spraying non-stick spray onto a spatula, sliding the spatula under one side of the dough and balancing the other side with your hand.

8) Repeat steps 6 and 7 with remaining rolled & cut dough and then repeat steps 4-7 for the other half of the dough

9) Bake 375 for about 28 minutes.  Makes 6 medium sized pockets.

 Eat with your hands!! They won't fall apart.  Even with his awkward hold for being too hot it did not break!! Makes for a great dinner on the go!

Chewy Granola Bars

Chewy Granola Bars

2 Cups Coconut

2 Cups Puffed Millet

2 Cups Puffed Brown Rice
2 Cups Colored or Chocolate Rice Crispies

1/2 Cup Ground Flax

1 Cup Crushed Pecans

* * * *

1 Cup Pre-Melted Butter

1/2 Cup Dark Corn Syrup

1/2 Cup Honey

1/3 Cup Brown Sugar

* * * *

1 Cup Frozen Chocolate Chips

1) Put all ingredients from first list in a Large bowl.

2) Mix all ingredients in 2nd list in a pan and heat over med-lo heat just til color is uniform.; DO NOT let it get foamy, or you will have crunchy bars. You can really use any syrups or honeys you choose as long as the amount is the same as above- Honey, Maple Syrup, Corn Syrup, Dark Corn Syrup, Table Syrup, Agave Nectar, etc. . .

3) Pour Hot mixture over the ingredients in the large bowl and using a plastic or wooden spatula turn ingredients over til evenly coated in syrups and well mixed.  Let cool for about 10 minutes.

4) At this point you can add fold in the FROZEN chocolate chips just until mixed so the chocolate chips don't melt.

5) Pour all of the mixture onto a large baking sheet (about 14 x 16 in) and press it evenly across the pan. I use another pan of equal size to press down on the mix. Mix should be about 1/2 inch thick.

6) Bake 350 for 20-25 minutes, DO NOT let the edges get golden or they will be crunchy edges.  Let cool fully then use a pizza cutter to cut them as desired. I cut them the same size as commercial granola bars. 

Makes about 32

Crunchy Granola Bars

Crunchy Granola Bars

2 Cups Coconut

3 Cups Oats*

3 Cups Puffed Brown Rice

1/2 Cup Ground Flax

1 Cup Crushed Pecans

2 1/2 Tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon

* * * *

1 Cup Butter

1/3 Cup Maple Syrup

1/3 Cup Dark Corn Syrup

1/3 Cup Honey

1/3 Cup Brown Sugar

* * * *

1 Cup FrozenChocolate Chips

*If you don't tolerate normal oats, use the certified gluten free ones.  You can buy them at most health food stores OR in the 'My Picks' section of this Blog (at the upper right hand side of the blog) scroll to the Oats link to buy them.

1) Put all ingredients from first list in a Large bowl.

2) Mix all ingredients in 2nd list in a pan and heat over med-hi heat til foamy.

3) Pour Hot mixture over the ingredients in the large bowl and using a plastic or wooden spatula turn ingredients over til evenly coated in syrups and well mixed.  Let cool a few minutes.

4) At this point you can add fold in the chocolate chips.

5) Pour all of the mixture onto a large baking sheet (about 14 x 16 in) and press it evenly across the pan. Mix should be about 1/2 inch thick. (I actually like putting the chocolate chips on once flattened/Pressed on the pan, so it gives the image to my kids that there ARE LOTS OF CHOCOLATE CHIPS in these. I sprinkle them over the top and then take another pan and press them in.)

6) Bake 350 for 30 minutes or til edges look slightly golden. Let cool about 10-15 minutes then use a pizza cutter to cut them as desired. I cut them the same size as commercial granola bars. After cutting them let them cool fully.

Makes about 32