Food Challenges

Creative food preparation for people with Celiac Disease, gluten/wheat intolerance and other food sensitivities

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Chocolate Raspberry Muffins

My sister sent me this recipe from New Zealand. It sounded fabulous, so I just had to give it a try. I didn’t have any mini muffin tins, so I used paper liners and regular muffin tins. I only had large eggs, so I used them. I added some xanthan gum to my blend of GF flours (almond, quinoa and tapioca) and a pinch of salt. I used fresh organic raspberries and reserved 12 for the tops. Just for fun, I stuffed each raspberry with a dark and a milk chocolate chip before I stuffed them in the batter and baked them. I used honey instead of sugar. That suits my palate, but if you like things sweet, you may want to use sugar. The result is a moist, chewy, brownie like muffin, rich with the taste of chocolate and raspberries. Yum! P.S. Lynn’s original recipie is below.





2 eggs (large)
½ cup honey (or sugar)
½ cup plain yoghurt (homemade lactose free)
1 Tbsp oil
1 cup + 2 Tbsp GF flours (mainly ground almonds; tapioca, quinoa, etc)
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/8 tsp salt
½ cup cocoa
¼ cup milk chocolate chips or chunks (cut up from bar)
¼ cup dark chocolate chips or chunks (cut up from bar)
1 cup frozen raspberries (set aside 24 nice whole berries for topping)


Place paper liners in the muffin tins, preheat oven.


Separate egg whites into small bowl. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form.


Beat with mixer the egg yolks, honey, yoghurt and oil in large bowl.


Combine flours, xanthan gum, salt and cocoa then stir into large bowl; stir in chocolate chips and raspberries. If mix is very wet add a bit more flour.


Cut in a small amount of the egg whites to loosen chocolate mixture, then fold in remaining egg whites.


Fill muffin tins quite full and top with individual raspberry that has been stuffed with a milk and a dark chocolate chip, slightly push the berry into the batter.


Bake 18 – 20 minutes; you want them to be moist so don’t overcook, remove from oven when just set in the middle and let cool in trays before attempting to remove to racks. They freeze well.


The original version from my sister:


Chocolate raspberry mini muffins 180C/375F 7-9 mins 24 mini muffs


2 eggs (med)
½ cup honey (or sugar)
½ cup plain yoghurt
1 Tbsp oil
1 cup + 2 Tbsp GF flours (mainly ground almonds; tapioca, potato, etc)
½ cup cocoa
½ cup chocolate chips or chunks (cut up from bar)
1 cup frozen raspberries (set aside 24 nice whole berries for topping)


Grease muffin tins, preheat oven.


Separate egg whites into small bowl. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form.


Beat with mixer the egg yolks, honey, yoghurt and oil in large bowl.


Combine flours and cocoa then stir into large bowl; stir in chocolate chips and raspberries. If mix is very wet add a bit more flour.


Cut in a small amount of the egg whites to loosen chocolate mixture, then fold in remaining egg whites.


Fill muffin tins quite full and top with individual raspberry, slightly push the berry into the batter.


Bake 7-9 minutes; you want them to be moist so don’t overcook, remove from oven when just set in the middle and let cool in trays before attempting to remove to racks. They freeze well.

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Posted 1 year, 10 months ago.

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Cool Appetizers!

Making cheese crisps is a quick and simple task. In Italy, these tasty morsels are called Frico. Unlike frico, I do not find it necessary to flip the crisp. After experimenting over a long period of time, I have found it’s better to just cook them on one side. The secret is to choose a cheese that is low in sodium, but not too low in fat: such as Gouda or Emmental .





90 g cheese, grated (low sodium smoky Gouda is very nice)
½ tsp dried tarragon
2 tsp lemon rind, finely grated
12 capers
Lemon wedges
Parsley sprigs
60 g smoked salmon
2 Tbsp pate
1 Tbsp antipasto


Preheat a griddle or flat pan over medium heat. Drop the grated cheese onto the hot surface by the tablespoon full. Allow room for expansion as the cheese melts and spreads out. As the cheese begins to cook, you can sprinkle the top with a pinch of tarragon and finely grated lemon rind. When the crisp is cooked, it will begin to pull away from the griddle surface and is easily removed with a lifter. I prefer to keep my crisps light in colour. The darker they get, the bitterer and saltier they will become. When the crisp is cooked, set it on a plate covered with a layer of paper towel to drain. They will become hard as they cool. 90 g of cheese makes about 12 two inch crisps. As you can see in the picture, they are light and lacy.


You can add any topping you wish. In this recipe, I have chosen to make 2 different appetizers with the cheese crisps. The first is topped with some smoked salmon, a couple of capers, a sprinkling of lemon rind and a dash of lemon juice. The second is spread with a creamy pate and topped with a scant teaspoon of antipasto. This makes a lovely tray of appetizers or a great first course to a large meal. You can make the crisps a day ahead and store them in an air tight container in the refrigerator.


I find these crisps very handy for occasions when I’m avoiding flour products and starch.

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Posted 1 year, 10 months ago.

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