Easy-Peasy Pizza Crust

Though not a gluten-free recipe, this one is a keeper. Nothing beats a homemade pizza crust but so many recipes can be time consuming requiring kneading, kneading and kneading, right?  Once again, we can let our mixers do the work for us.  Sit back, have a tea, and watch it all happen.  Leave your bicep workouts for the gym.  No manual kneading required!

As my followers know well, I am not a dough fan but when I can use my mixer with dough hook attachment my fears of kneading become a thing of the past. This recipe is perfect for me and will be for you too!

Xanthan and Guar Gum – Don’t Be Intimidated

Many people want to bake gluten-free goodies but the somewhat standard list of GF ingredients that appear in most recipes send bakers running. First off they are usually hit with an array of various flours which many have never heard of before…and then come the gluten replacers. I remember the first time I read Xanthan Gum and thought, huh, what the heck is that?! Something else I don’t know how to use, let alone spell, which of course will require a road trip to some remote natural food store to purchase. But rather than flee screaming from the kitchen I decided to educate myself on how these 2 items work in recipes and what the replacement ratio is for various baked treats. I also was delighted to find that nearly all grocery stores carry these gluten-free replacement ingredients in that natural food section of the store.

I hope that by sharing the information with you that I have learned, it too will expand your mind, your collection of family foodie favorites and perhaps, just perhaps, a space in your pantry.

Gluten-Free Apricot Tea Squares

I rarely bake with apricots but I saw a gluten-free recipe that sounded amazing and one I had to test out asap.  In fact, I think this is the one and only apricot recipe on Lemon Drop to date.

These Apricot Tea Squares are simple to make, use wholesome ingredients and get this - contain NO SUGAR or sugar substitutes!  The apricots and natural sweetness of coconut is all you need. That, my friends, is a winner in my book.

The other great thing about these squares is the easy preparation. Everything comes together in minutes with your food processor then you simply press the dough into a prepared pan.

Babycakes NYC Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Who doesn't adore chocolate chip cookies? These ones are gluten-free, dairy free and egg free but you would never know it. I opted for chocolate chunks to add even more taste and texture. Amazing!

What flours are used to make these gluten-free? Oat flour, GF all purpose flour and lastly, though not technically flour, the addition of flaxseed meal. Flaxseed meal adds even more fiber and Omega 3 fatty acids plus works wonders at binding all the ingredients together.

For both the GF all purpose flour and the flaxseed meal, I used Bob's Red Mill brand. They also carry oat flour too but I opted for a different brand because I had it handy. Feel free to use whichever one you like best. If you want to ensure egg and dairy free cookies, I recommend Enjoy Life Chocolate Chunks. These are pretty much as good as you can get.

Easter Giveaway Winner

It's time to announce the Easter Giveaway Winner.  Are you ready? Fingers and toes crossed?

First off, I would like to thank all of you who entered this Easter draw.  These giveaways are my chance to thank my followers for all their support!  As far as prizes go, the cupcake kits seem to be a big hit so I think including one in each giveaway is going to be a must.

The Easter Giveaway prize winner is in for a real treat - 1 incredible Meri Meri kit suitable for decorating up to 24 cupcakes.  Such cute liners and toppers!  Plus a secret prize too :)

A recap of the grand prize

1 Fantastic  Easter Cupcake Kit
Plus a secret prize

 

I again used my preferred online giveaway tool, Random.org, to select the 1 winner!

And the winner is: My 3 Kids (Janice)!

CONGRATULATIONS!
Please email me at lemondropfoodie@yahoo.ca to claim your prize.

For those who didn't win, be prepared for the next giveaway coming soon!

Linda @ Lemon Drop

Gluten-Free Banana Muffins

I stumbled upon this gorgeous muffin recipe while surfing foodgawker the other day.  The photo lured me in and once I saw the ingredients list I was hooked.

Now, as is the norm for me, I switched things up a bit - adding some extra spices and going with my all-time fave Agave Nectar as sweetener.

These muffins are light, moist and taste just like banana bread.  Consider tossing in some mini dark chocolate chips or chopped walnuts too. They would make great additions to this yummy baked treat.

Easter Cupcake Giveaway

Let's welcome spring with an Easter themed giveaway. This one has a twist too - the winner will also receive a surprise baking/decorating treat as well as the main prize.

What is the main prize?  This great Meri Meri Easter Cupcake Kit -  24 liners and 24 toppers in bunny and egg designs.  How cute is that?

I love Meri Meri products but they can be quite hard to find. I spotted this one on a recent shopping excursion and new it was perfect for my spring giveaway.

The extra surprise gift will be a lovely compliment to this cupcake kit and you won't be disappointed. 

Now you will need to act fast if you want to participate. This giveaway closes at 11 PM next Wednesday to ensure enough shipping time for Easter.

Just follow the steps outlined below for your chance to win ! 

GIVEAWAY TERMS AND CONDITIONS:

Minimum requirements (1 chance to win):

• Be a follower of this blog and add a comment to this post stating you are a follower. To follow, simply scroll down on the right until you see the Follow button in the sidebar. Then join up!

Please do ensure that you meet the minimum requirement or I regret to say that your entry won't be counted.


Additional chances to win:

• Minimum requirements must still be met

• Publish a post on this giveaway in your own blog and link it back to this post (+2 more chances to win)

• Add a link at the side of your blog (sidebar) to my blog. Feel free to use any image from this post if you want to (+ 1 more chance to win)

• Provide a link to your blog in your comment and leave the post/link on your blog for 1 more week after the giveaway has closed for compilation purposes.

Important:

Contest closes 11 PM EST, March 28th, 2012. An online random selection tool (@ random.org) will be used to select the winner. Name of winner will be announced on Lemon Drop at 12:00 PM EST, March 29th, 2012 and a request will be issued to the winner to contact me privately. The winner has 24 hours after winner announcement to contact me and claim their prize.

Good luck to all !