Day Five Gluten-Free

Alright, so I went yet another day with no Gluten. Up until last night it has been relatively easy... I had a small freak out on day two because I was actually craving all the things I wasn't going to eat... but the reward for not eating it is far too great for me to give in to that craving. However, last night I thought I might go out of my mind! I was SO munchy! One thing I have learned very quickly - it's not easy to "munch" when you're eating gluten free! I can't just make a quick little something, I need to plan ahead. I'm sure when I've been doing this longer it will be easier, but last night was more of a hormonal craving and I really didn't know what I wanted, but I knew I wanted it to be something highly glutenous! It wasn't rational and it was probably just my body adjusting to this new way of eating. The body can be a stuborn thing! So, I kept my cool and ate everything in sight that I knew was alright... and then took the craving by the horns and baked a GF Lemon Squares since I had some lemons that badly needed to be used. :) I was rather proud of myself. Isaiah and I did it together, he just loves helping Momma in the kitchen, and I love the quality time. So, here is a breakdown of the lemon squares. :)



Ingredients:



1 1/4 Cups Rice Flour (I used Brown Rice Flour)
1/4 Cup Icing Sugar

1/2 tsp. Xanthan Gum

1/4 Cup Butter

1 Egg

1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar

2 1/2 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice

2 Tbsp. Rice Flour (Once again I used Brown)

1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

Zest of 1 Lemon



Method:

1. Sift Rice 1 1/4 Cups Rice Flour, Icing Sugar, and Xanthan Gum into the bowl of your mixer (you could probably do this all by hand, but I used my Kitchenaid). Mix on medium until all the ingredients are well combined.

2. Add Butter, if you're using a mixer, use the whisk attachment and set on a low to medium speed and whisk until the butter is cut in and resembles a coarse crumb. If you're doing it by hand, use a pastry cutter and cut the butter until it is the texture in the picture.

3. Press into a greased 8x8 pan and bake for ten minutes at 350 F.



4. Meanwhile, mix egg, granulated sugar, lemon juice, and beat together. Add remaining rice flour, baking powder and lemon rind. Mix until fully incorporated (remember, thanks to this being a gluten free recipe, you can't over mix!!)

5. Once you've removed your crust from the oven, lower the temperature to 325 F. Pour lemon mixture over the crust and cover completely. Put back in the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes until the lemon is fully set.



6. Allow to cool completely before cutting. It'll just run everywhere otherwise. It'll look a bit bubbly and a little like a quiche (in my personal opinion.) but your kitchen will smell AMAZING at this point!

7. Have a little helper rinse all the dishes while you're waiting for your treat to cool, or if you're not lucky enough to have a little helper, take this opportunity to rinse them yourself. :-D

8. FINALLY, when it has cooled completely, cut, sprinkle with icing sugar and ENJOY!!

I have to say, these were pretty good.. the kids loved them, Garren thought they were alright as well. And now, minus the slight withdrawl freakout yesterday, I'm feeling pretty good and Garren is now wondering if he would benefit from a Gluten-free lifestyle. He's tasted my treats and knows that it won't be a terrible life of cardboard and lentils! So we'll see what happens next! I'll keep you all updated and include some of my experiments in the kitchen. :) You should try them out next time you want a treat, a little less gluten never hurt anyone!