Gluten-Free Cranberry Chocolate Granola Bars | The LaVere Altered Cookery

I miss granola bars like something fierce. The chewy kind. The yummy, yummy chewy melt-in-your-mouth on-the-go granola bars.

So while wandering aimlessly on Pinterest, I came across a homemade granola bar recipe that stopped me in my tracks. Less than 10 ingredients? All ingredients that were in my cabinet? A recipe that could easily be converted into a gluten-free recipe? WHOA. It needed to be done.

Rusty has been eating a lot of granola bars recently just for a quick snack at work... and granola bars are expensive without coupons. AND they have all sorts of extra unnecessary ingredients.

You see where I'm going? This recipe was a mission of love, health, and frugality! :) And of course, chocolate chips.



Gluten-Free Cranberry Chocolate Granola Bars

INGREDIENTS:
* 1/2 cup of honey
* 2/3 cup of brown sugar, packed
* 1/4 cup of crunchy peanut butter (We eat Skippy Natural Super Chunk.)
* 1/4 cup of unsalted butter
* 4 cups of Quick Oats
* 2 cups of Rice Krispies Gluten-Free Crispy Rice Cereal
* 3 teaspoons of gluten-free vanilla extract
* 3/4 cups of dried cranberries
* 1/3 cup of mini chocolate chips

Quick Oats Note: Be sure to use a certified gluten-free quick oats like Bob's Red Mill where no cross-contamination during oat production may occur.

DIRECTIONS:
* In a large heat-resistant bowl, stir crispy rice cereal, quick oats, and dried cranberries together.
* In a medium saucepan, combine honey, butter, peanut butter, and brown sugar. Bring to a light boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat.
* Pour in vanilla extract and stir.
* Pour the hot mixture over dry ingredients. Mix until all ingredients are moistened.
* Into a 9x12 glass pan, press granola bar mixture. Pack the granola mixture tightly into the pan so that the mixture is no thinner than 1/2" thick.
* Lightly press chocolate chips onto the top of the bars. (Don't do this any sooner, or you'll get a chocolate mess!)
* Let cool on the counter for 10 minutes, then place the granola bars into the fridge for about 20 minutes to allow the chocolate chips to harden again before cutting.
* Cut into bars of your preferred sizing and wrap in wax paper or sandwich baggies.
* If properly stored, they can last up to 2 weeks.
* Enjoy!

** Alterations Note: You can do so many other add-in variations with this recipe like peanuts, banana chips, almonds, et cetera. Next time, I'm doing a sunflower seed and raisin mix. :)

Gluten-Free Southwestern Tater Tots | The LaVere Altered Cookery

Even since I was little, my Mom swore potatoes would grow out of my ears because I loved them and ate them so much. Still do. Roasted, broiled, fried, mashed, scalloped, tot-ed, all of them. I would have absolutely been devastated if gluten were in potatoes. I'm a professed potato head. :) (You will likely see a ton of potato-related recipes on here in the future.)

Recently, I started seeing tater tot casserole recipes on Pinterest... everywhere. They kept popping up as if the state of Idaho were marketing just to me to eat their taters. And then I saw one last photo of some tater tots, and I started drooling. That's when I broke my cardinal rule of not buying any food item without a coupon. Because I NEEDED those tots. (Imagine Napoleon Dynamite with a ponytail. That'd be me. Get your own tots. haha!)



Gluten-Free Southwestern Tater Tots

INGREDIENTS:
* 1/2 bag of frozen Ore-Ida Tater Tots (if using another brand, check to make sure they are gluten-free)
* 1 can of black beans
* 1 can of whole kernel corn
* 1 8-oz. bag (approx. 1 cup) of shredded Cheddar Jack cheese
* 1/2 cup of sour cream (for baking)
* Dollops of sour cream (for topping)
* a few shakes of dried cilantro
* a few shakes of garlic powder
* a few shakes of homemade taco seasoning** (the store-bought packets are NOT gluten-free, please see bottom of this post.)



DIRECTIONS:
* Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x12 baking dish.
* Arrange frozen tater tots in the baking dish.
* In a mixing bowl, combine sour cream, half of shredded cheese, black beans, corn, and shakes of taco seasoning, cilantro, and garlic powder.
* Spread this mixture over the tater tots until covered.
* Bake for 45 minutes.
* Remove from oven and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Place back into oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
* Remove from oven, and when cooled off and ready to serve, scoop two small dollops of sour cream on top. (Tots will not be firm and do break apart.)
* Enjoy!

P.S. It's even better the next day reheated!



[** For homemade taco seasoning: My BFF Elaine makes this for me because I can't eat the store-bought stuff because it contains gluten/preservatives and unnecessary pepper flakes. ;) Her recipe is based off of this one on AllRecipes.com. Minus the chili powder and red pepper flakes, of course. ;)]

Gluten-Free Peppermint Bark Chex Mix | The LaVere Altered Cookery

I get a bunch of coupons for Chex cereal, and it frequently goes on sale... and since it's pretty much the only mainstream brand-name cereal that is gluten-free, I stock up as my pantry allows!

I've been seeing a ton of Chex Mixes on Pinterest, and it disappointed me that a lot of them required corn syrup (which I don't use) or rare types of baking chips (where are cinnamon chips throughout the year?!). I wanted something sort of festive, yummy, and really simple to make. This recipe is based off of one I found called Reindeer Feed, but I felt like it needed a little something extra to balance out the almost-too-sweet white chocolate.

And heck, I got to take a hammer to candy canes. That's always got to be fun, right?! :)



Gluten-Free Peppermint Bark Chex Mix

INGREDIENTS:
* 6 cups of rice Chex cereal
* 1 bag (12 ounces) of white baking chips
* 1/2 bag (6 ounces) of semi-sweet (or dark) chocolate chips (or a bit more depending on personal taste)
* 1/2 cup of coarsely crushed peppermint candy canes



DIRECTIONS:
* Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place cereal in large mixing bowl.
* In microwavable bowl, microwave white baking chips uncovered on high for about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Be sure to stir every 30 seconds, until chips are thoroughly smooth and melted.
* Stir in half of the crushed peppermint candy.
* Pour melted mixture over cereal; toss to evenly coat.
* Spread coated cereal in single layer on the cookie sheet.
* Immediately sprinkle with remaining peppermint candy.
* In another microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips uncovered on high for about 1 minute. Be sure to again stir every 30 seconds, until chips are thoroughly smooth and melted.
* Using a spoon scoop melted chocolate and drizzle over cereal on the cookie sheet. Drizzle until your heart is content. ;)
* Let the mix stand until set/hardened for about 20 minutes. You can stick in the fridge for 5-10 minutes if you're in a hurry.
* Gently break up coated cereal. Store in airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
* Enjoy!

And have a super merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! See you in 2013! :)

Gluten-Free Crunchy Taco Casserole | The LaVere Altered Cookery

I'm pretty sure I should have been Mexican. I know. We've had this discussion before with photo-fam Veronica. Mexican food mostly is naturally gluten-free-- thank you, baby corn!-- and it's just great.

But when I decided to make Crunchy Taco Casserole, it came out of left field. I had pre-cooked chicken, black beans, and crunchy taco shells. (I'm honestly not a huge fan of crunchy taco shells for the pure reason they rip the top of my mouth to shreds when I eat them. lol) And I didn't really feel like getting everything messy with the shells, so I wondered what it all would taste like if I threw it all into a casserole dish.

So, Crunchy Taco Casserole was born!


Gluten-Free Crunchy Taco Casserole

INGREDIENTS:
* 6 crunchy corn taco shells
* 1 1/2 cups of grilled chicken, cut in small pieces (I used the whole package of Perdue Shortcuts Carved Chicken Breast, Grilled.)
* 1 can of black beans
* 1/2 cup of sour cream
* 1 cup of Mexican blend shredded cheese (or more for you cheese lovers!)
* a few shakes of garlic powder
* a few shakes of dried cilantro
* a few shakes of homemade taco seasoning ** (the store-bought packets are NOT gluten-free, please see note below.)



DIRECTIONS:
* Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
* Crunch up taco shells into small pieces and layer on the bottom of a 9" glass pan.
* Spread grilled chicken pieces onto crushed taco shells.
* Lightly drain black beans and then pour onto the grilled chicken layer.
* Pour remaining "stuck in the can" beans into a bowl along with sour cream. Shake garlic powder, dried cilantro, and taco seasoning into the sour cream and beans. Mix and then spread onto the bean layer.
* Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top (until satisfied).
* Bake for 30 minutes until bubbling. (Taco shells should be moistened and chewy!)
* Enjoy!



[** For homemade taco seasoning: My BFF Elaine makes this for me because I can't eat the store-bought stuff because it contains gluten/preservatives and unnecessary pepper flakes. ;) Her recipe is based off of this one on AllRecipes.com. Minus the chili powder and red pepper flakes, of course. ;)]

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies | The LaVere Altered Cookery

I know I totally just did another pumpkin recipe two weeks ago, but 'tis the season! And Rusty bought me more pumpkin than I know what to do with. lol

I miss chewy cookies. Udi's does a good job at chewy cookies... but it's still not the same. Most pre-made gluten-free cookies will always have a slight crunch to them... and egh. Cookies were meant to be chewy and soft (sorry, crunchy fans!)!

So Elaine came over the other weekend to hang out, and we tackled a new altered recipe. Pumpkin + chocolate chips + cookies = one of the best combinations in life. You will have your Celiac/gluten intolerant friend's heart after these. :)



Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS:
* 1 cup of canned pumpkin puree
* 1 cup of white sugar
* 1/2 cup of applesauce
* 1 egg
* 2 cups of gluten-free all-purpose baking flour (I used King Arthur Gluten-Free Multipurpose Flour.)
* 2 teaspoons of baking powder
* 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon of salt
* 1 teaspoon of baking soda
* 1 teaspoon of milk
* 1 tablespoon of gluten-free vanilla extract
* 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips



DIRECTIONS:
* Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
* Combine pumpkin, sugar, applesauce, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together GF flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture; mix well.
* Add GF vanilla and chocolate chips; stir.
* Use a cookie scooper/spoon to scoop cookie dough onto cookie sheet.
* Bake for approximately 12 minutes. (Touch the center of cookies-- it should be firm and not sink or not be soft. Pumpkin can feel undercooked, and you definitely don't want to undercook these cookies! You will get a grittier flavor.)

[To me, they ALWAYS taste better the day after; the flavors settle in, and mmm. :) ]

Gluten-free Double Layer Pumpkin Pie | The LaVere Altered Cookery

I was never really a pumpkin pie fan until Mom Forry made one for Thanksgiving years and years ago. Ever since then, I'm in love... but only if it has two layers. ;)

Inspiration didn't hit for this one until I was actually cleaning out our food cabinets, preparing for another grocery store trip. There I saw that magical box of Annie's Gluten-Free Snickerdoodle cookies sitting there... and I thought, "OH MY GOSH! This would make an amazing pie crust if I crushed them up!! It already has an amazing flavor and spice balance!"

It's a treat I missed, and I'm pretty excited that I can have some dessert this Thanksgiving!

(And P.S. this totally trumps traditional pumpkin pie in my humble opinion. Totally trumps. And this recipe initially originated from a Weight Watchers' recipe... so it's even "good" for you. ;) )



Gluten-Free Double Layer Pumpkin Pie

INGREDIENTS:
[for crust]
* 1 1/2-2 cups of Annie's Gluten-Free Snickerdoodle Cookies, finely crushed
* 4 tablespoons of butter, melted

[for pie filling]
* 4 ounces (half of a standard package) of low-fat cream cheese, softened
* 1 tablespoon of milk
* 1 tablespoon of white sugar
* 1 cup of low-fat Cool Whip whipped topping, thawed
* 1 cup of cold milk
* 2 packages of Jell-O instant vanilla pudding mix
* 1 1/4 cups of canned pumpkin puree
* 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
OPTIONAL: a dash of ground cloves (I personally don't like cloves. lol)



DIRECTIONS:
To make the crust, put about 1/2 of the cookies in the box into a plastic bag.
Roll with a rolling pin until finely crushed. This may be done in small batches to make sure you get 1 1/2-2 cups of finely crushed cookies.

In a separate glass bowl, melt butter in microwave.

Pour the crushed cookies and melted butter into a 9" pie pan. Stir and mix until cookies are moist. Once moist, press the crust and flatten in the pan.

Refrigerate for about 1 hour.



To make the pie filling, in a large bowl, whisk together cream cheese, 1 tablespoon of milk, and sugar until smooth.
Gently stir in whipped topping. Spread into bottom of crust.

Pour 1 cup of milk into large bowl, and thoroughly mix in pudding mix, pumpkin, cinnamon, and ginger.
When thickened, spread over cream cheese layer.

Refrigerate for 4 hours or until set.


The LaVere Altered Cookery is a series of gluten-free recipes altered from past gluten-laden favorites. It began as a way for Chelsea to ensure she had food to eat when she went to holiday and party events.

Customized Dishwasher Tag | The LaVere Altered Cookery

Okay, so it's not a gluten-free recipe, but it is to keep my kitchen sane. You see, when I got married, I said a dishwasher was non-negotiable. I hate washing dishes with a passion (and a slight reason why I'm probably not a cook because of the messy dishes cooking makes).

Well, it's been a fabulous arrangement the past three years. Rusty does the dirty dishes, and I'll take care of the clean ones.

With both of us adjusting to Rusty's new work schedule, some miscommunication happened over this past month. Rusty was putting dirty spoons in with the clean (gross), and I had put away a dirty dish yet to be cleaned (gross). True, not an apocalyptic event by any means, and we did soon realize that we needed a better system so we're not re-running the dishwasher a million times.

My tag first started out as a blue Post-It-- whatever word was on top meant that was what was going on inside the dishwasher. Rusty loved it and thought it was a great idea. I did, too, at first... but then my ambition got the best of me. "If we're going to have this new system, it needs to be pretty!"

So I did. I made it pretty. Making things Pinterest proud! ;)

[Note: My dishwasher sadly does not have a magnetic front, so I used Velcro dots instead. I did have an old business card magnet strip I was going to cut up ready to go, so that's another alternative if you don't have any Velcro dots.]


[UPDATE: You can also buy this on Etsy in my Quills and Ink design shop!]

Gluten-free Green Bean Casserole | The LaVere Altered Cookery

This blog is much like a digital scrapbook-journal of sorts if you couldn't tell already. While it is definitely a yearbook of sorts for the photo-fam, it will always have snippets of "me" thrown into the mix.

Most people know I have a gluten allergy/intolerance and with that, comes some difficult culinary experiences. Lots of favorite food go to the wayside because there are just no adequate conversions from their "original" dishes into a gluten-free delight.

I thought green bean casserole was one of them... until now. And with the holidays coming up, I know I'm personally glad that I can bring a savory dish to parties without being anxious about getting sick. :)

Most also know that I'm not exactly a chef or have an undying passion for cooking (food photography-- yes; food making-- no). If it has more than 5 steps, it's too much work, and I settle for a bowl of mac n' cheese. (Hey, it's very cozy and delicious!)

So without further ado, the new LaVere household holiday staple! (It is Rusty-approved.)


Gluten-Free Green Bean Casserole

INGREDIENTS:
* 2 cans of cut green beans
* 1 can of Progresso Creamy Mushroom Soup
* 1 teaspoon of San-J Tamari Gluten-Free Soy Sauce
* 2 cups of Sweet Onion Kettle Brand Potato Chips, crushed



DIRECTIONS:
Mix the soup, soy sauce, green beans, and 1 cup of the chips in a mixing bowl, then scoop into a casserole dish.
Sprinkle the remaining crushed chips on top of the green beans.

Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes or until the beans and soup mixture are bubbling and the chips are lightly toasted brown.

Bon appétit!






[Just a little Instagramming the process!]

(P.S. I can't take credit for the idea of potato chips in place of fried onion bits. That goes to Gluten-Free Life with Jen.)