King Arthur Flour brownie review...

I received my gluten free brownie mix from King Arthur Flour today and was so excited to try them that I headed straight for the kitchen. Oh, did I tell you that brownies are one of my all time favorites?????

King Arthur flour has always been a favorite in my home and I have used it to bake everything from cakes to cookies, breads and pastries. I have always loved the moistness of the results I have gotten. I  wanted to now give their gluten free product line a try since I am now excluding all wheat from my diet. I have tried other wheat free / gluten free mixes and wanted to see how my all time favorite flour company would fair in comparison to the others on the market.

The directions on the box were quite simple, much like any other brownie mix. I followed the directions as directed and popped the baking dish in the oven. I  used a glass 8" x 8" pan so I was sure to follow the directions to a "T"  and set the oven at 325  degrees.

Now I am somewhat of a oven watcher as of late, so on when the oven light, and ever few minutes I would take a peek...After about 10 minutes of watching I started to get a little worried as the brownie mix just seemed to be setting there, not good I thought. After about 15 minutes it seemed as if the mix started to come alive! Whew...

After about 20 minutes the mixture had now risen to the top edge of the pan and was actually looking like brownies, I was even more ecstatic! I checked the brownies with my tester after the 30 minute mark, still a little too moist as the tester did not come out clean. After baking 5 minutes more and the tester coming out clean I took the chocolaty morsels from the oven and set on a rack to cool.

The box states to cool for 15 minutes before cutting. I waited 30 minutes so as to get a smooth clean cut. After sampling just one I have came to this conclusion...This is a moist chocolaty brownie that can stand up to any wheat laden brownie on the market shelves. The flavor and taste is superbly delicious especially the second day.. Next batch I plan on adding chopped walnuts. My family wasn't even able to tell that  they were wheat and gluten  free.

I would recommend this brownie mix to all lovers of brownies, even to those who continue to consume wheat in their diets. Even though they cost a little more they are well worth the price. Enjoy!

Wheat free baked lasagna...

Wow, Wow, and Wow is all I can say about this recipe! I guess since I have not been able to find a wheat free bread substitute yet, that loosing a few noodles in a lasagna dish is the last thing on my mind.
Surfing the net I found quite a few recipes for "noodle free" lasagna's but many versions contained meat as a ingredient.
As I had mentioned at the beginning, I tried the Vegan lifestyle for many months until all that soy sent my hormones off the chart, so although I have Incorporated turkey, chicken and fish back into my diet I try to avoid red meats at this point of my life...Who knows, someday that juicy steak might just have my name on it, but until then I have opted for a meatless lasagna recipe.

I do have a tendency to experiment with recipes from time to time so I took all the recipes that appealed to me and created my own version of this delectable dish. Here goes.

Baked Zucchini Lasagna:

Ingredients.

2 pounds zucchini, sliced (use a slicer to ensure slices are the same thickness)
2 eggs
24 ounce container Ricotta cheese
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 teas. salt
1/2 teas. black pepper
1 teas. dry oregano
1 teas. dry basil
1 teas. dry thyme
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
1 jar Spaghetti sauce of your choice (Can use the meat kind if desired)
2 cups grated low fat mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray. Mix Ricotta cheese, eggs, parsley, salt, pepper, grated Romano cheese, oregano, basil and thyme together.

Place 1/3 of zucchini in bottom of pan with sides touching.Spread 1/3 of cheese mixture on top of zucchini. Spread 1/3 of sauce on top of cheese mixture. Spread 1/3 of grated low fat mozzarella on top of sauce.

Repeat layers twice more ending  with the low fat mozzarella cheese. Cover pan with foil and bake approx 45minutes to  60 minutes depending on thickness of zucchini slices. Remove foil. Switch oven to broil and broil uncovered for approx 5 minutes or until cheese on top browns. Let set for 15 minutes before cutting.

Serves 8


*Note: There will be some juice in bottom of pan from the moisture in the zucchini. Even more delicious the next day!!!