2012 All-Star Gluten-Free Recipes from All Day I Dream About Food

Today, I’m super excited to introduce my friend Carolyn from All Day I Dream About Food. I first met Carolyn when I started blogging, so we are “old” blogging buddies. So great to see you here Carolyn!

Greetings, fine readers of Jeanette’s Healthy Living. In the likelihood that you know nothing about me or my blog, All Day I Dream About Food, let me tell you a little about myself. I really do dream about food all day and I always have. However, I am also a diabetic, which makes the foods I dream about a little more limiting. I do not fit the typical profile of someone with Type 2 diabetes, as I am slender, fit and have always eaten healthfully. But it is what it is, and there is no use crying over the proverbial spilled milk.
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I am pleased to say that I control my blood glucose levels entirely through diet and exercise. Besides becoming a very dedicated long-distance runner, I also switched to a low carb, gluten-free diet. And I can honestly say that I believe this is the way humans are supposed to eat. It just so happens that I have a Master’s degree in human evolution, so I feel I am uniquely qualified to say that!

You will find that my blog tends to focus on baked goods and sweets, but also includes main dishes, side dishes, soups and salads. I lean heavily towards the baked goods because I’ve always had a passion for baking (and, let’s face it, for the end results!). But I also feature decadent treats and “bready” foods because these are the things that newly diagnosed diabetics and low carb dieters think they have to give up for good. Nothing delights me more than proving them otherwise, and I’ve become quite a whiz with almond flour, if I do say so myself. Cakes, cookies, muffins, quick breads…it’s all possible to be gluten and sugar free. And seriously delicious.

I am not vegan or vegetarian, but many of my baked goods can be adapted as such. If you have any questions about how to adapt one of my recipes, please let me know. I’d be more than happy to help you figure it out.

The Top 3 Recipes from 2012 on All Day I Dream About Food

1. Light and Fluffy Coconut Flour Pancakes

If you’ve ever worked with coconut flour, you will know that it’s a strange beast. It soaks up liquids like crazy and stubbornly remains as thick as porridge, and it needs a lot of eggs to make it rise and hold together. I’ve had many a coconut flour fail, but as it is both gluten-free and low carb, it’s an ideal ingredient for me so I keep on trying. And these pancakes were a huge success. Many readers raved about them, and they happen to be the most searched for recipe on my blog. I guess a lot of people out there want pancakes made with coconut flour! One word of note: it seems that different brands of coconut flour differ somewhat in consistency. If you find your batter too thin, add one more tablespoon of coconut flour to help thicken it up.

2. Mini Maple Pumpkin Cheesecakes

What is it about things in miniature that make them so appealing? Is it the fact that we can pick them up with our fingers and pop them into our mouths in one fell swoop? Whatever it is, these sweet little guys were very popular. They were creamy and light, and had a crust that tasted like maple shortbread. And I happened to make them with my homemade cream cheese recipe, which I also highly recommend. If you don’t have a mini cheesecake pan, you can make a large size, but I recommend doubling both the crust and the filling, and it will take longer to bake.3. Crispy Rosemary Sriracha Chicken Thighs

I’d love to tell you that it is my expertise in the kitchen that led me to create this popular recipe, but it was more of an accident than anything else. I was putting together a recipe I’d used several times, but I ran out of hot sauce and decided to sub in Sriracha. And I was distracted by my son, who needed help with his homework, so before I knew it, I’d put in far more than the 2 teaspoons I intended. I decided to go ahead with it anyway, and it was amazing. It’s not overly spicy, the yogurt seems to subdue the Sriracha in the marinade. But it’s tangy and delicious and has become a family staple…for my family and apparently for many others as well!

Finally, I’d like to introduce you to one of my favourite low carb, gluten-free bloggers, the lovely Maria Emmerich of Maria’s Nutritious and Delicious Journal. Maria and I have worked to together on a couple of projects, including a cookbook and a series of short cooking show clips for a local channel down in New Orleans. For one of the clips, she made her delicious Flourless Chocolate Torte. This dish is amazing and I’ve adapted it into brownies (Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies) on my own blog.

Enjoy! And Happy Gluten-Free Holidays!