Monday, November 12, 2012
Gluten and Dairy Free Apple Date Bread!
Wow, the past week really flew by! In all honesty, it was kind of a rough week and instead of writing about it and bringing everyone down with my mood (you're welcome Paige ;)), I decided to focus on the good and spend time with my guys. I know some of you know already through facebook, but my grandmother had a heart attack a week ago from last Friday. This is not the first time for her and quite frankly, it scared the heck out of me. This woman is one of my all time favorite people in the world. So, understandably, until I knew what was going on and how she was doing, my brain was on her. Things are going well with her now and she is on the road to recovery after having a stent put in. Now if I can just convince her not to scare me like that again! The reality of how precious life is can really make you humble...

On top of worrying, I picked up a couple of new clients this week too, so I was doing a lot more work than usual. That was actually a good thing for me mentally too. It kept my brain occupied on things other than worrying. I LOVE working with people to achieve their health and fitness goals! It's so motivating to see people excited about a new healthy path! This definitely helped put a positive spin to my week.

Since last week was crazy busy, I actually did not spend too much time in the kitchen. Most of our meals circled around cleaning out the freezer...

Heather's eggplant mushroom burgers (sadly are gone and I need to make more!) These were from the second batch I made and hid the last of them from the boys. Shhh, don't tell. I let them have some, but I wanted some quick meals for me too!


or quick egg stir fries


or flatbread (also the post with me and my granny!) with salads! Yeah, there's always time to make flatbread in this house...total addiction!


All of these really made for perfect busy week meals!

I do have a recipe I want to share though. Seriously, I made this right after we went apple picking and am just now finding the time to type up the details! This recipe has actually been one that I've been thinking about since last March! I made a gluten free Irish Soda Bread, that I realize now I never shared (oops), and we all absolutely loved it. Even our guests that came over for dinner (the gluten loving kind) couldn't believe the soda bread was gluten free. I will share that one soon too, but for now, I'm sharing this Apple Date Bread.


This recipe is low in sugar, gluten free, dairy free and so incredibly easy to put together. Perfect for your holiday festivities with family and friends!


This apple date bread is a cross between an apple danish and an apple fritter! YUM!


The outside is nice and crispy while the inside is soft and doughy. The glaze is "knock your socks off" good! I've never done the melted butter with the powder sugar glaze before, but I wanted something a little different. This came out so silky and was a perfect compliment to texture of the bread. 

Apple Date Bread
makes a 2 lb 11oz loaf

1 1/2 cup brown rice flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1 1/2 cup gluten free all purpose flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp xanthan gum
4 TBSP Smart Balance Light, Coconut Oil or your choice of dairy free butter, cold and cut into pieces
3/4 cup egg whites
3/4 cup almond milk (I used unsweetened, but sweetened would be good too)
2 TBSP apple cider vinegar

Apple Filling
13.5 oz apple, about 2 medium, cut into quarters
10 dates, soaked 1 hour in hot water
15 drops vanilla stevia

Glaze
3/4 cup powder sugar
1 TBSP Smart Balance Light or butter substitute of your choice, melted
1 TBSP almond milk

In a large bowl, mix the brown rice flour, all purpose flour, baking powder and xanthan gum together until fully combined. Next cut the butter into the flour mixture with a fork to evenly distribute throughout the mixture. Then add the egg whites, almond milk and apple cider vinegar to the flour mixture. Stir to combine. The dough will come together and form a ball. Allow the dough to rest while you work on the apple filling.

In a food processor, add the apple chunks, dates and stevia. Chop until the mixture looks like a chunky applesauce.

Flatten the dough out in the bowl you have it resting in. Add 1/3 of the apple mixture to the top of the dough. Fold over one side to cover it up. Now add another 1/3 of the apple mixture to the top of the dough. Fold over another side to cover that up. Add the last of the apple filling to the top of that and then fold over the last part. It doesn't have to be perfect and the apple mixture will seep out a bit, but it's a rustic looking bread, so don't worry about it. Using a large spoon or rubber spatula, move the bread around just a bit to swirl in the apple mixture a bit more, just don't stir it.

unbaked

On a parchment lined baking sheet, pour the dough out and form into an oblong loaf. Make sure you have some apples showing all over the place. The dough is really easy to work with, so shape it to your liking. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown on the outside. Its a firm loaf on the outside and sounds hollow when you tap it.

naked

Allow loaf to cool on a wire rack. Glaze while slightly warm.

glazed

To make the glaze, combine the powder sugar, butter and almond milk, stir until a thick glaze forms. Drizzle over the apple date loaf and enjoy!

swirls of goodness

I'm sharing this on Slightly Indulgent Tuesday and Allergy-Free Wednesdays this week.

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posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 11:36 AM  
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Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen
Home: Atlanta, GA, United States
About Me: Lactose Challenged
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