Raspberry Lemon Cupcakes

This is my new favorite treat.  I've made these twice now and they are just amazing!  I'm usually hesitant to try anything with filling because it sounds a little too complicated for me, but it really wasn't.  The complication has been finding the right amount of xanthan gum.  The first time I made these I forgot to use any and they actually turned out pretty decent but were very sunken-in. Once I added the filling you really couldn't tell, so you could try them that way.  The second time I used 1 1/2 tsp, which I think was way too much but I actually really liked the end result.  The batter was pretty "gummy" and the cupcakes baked up sort of deformed-looking, but the texture was incredible and once they were frosted they looked perfect.  It was almost like an angel-food cake or something.  It was fantastic.  I think the next time (because there WILL be a next time :)) I will try 1tsp or a little less of xanthan gum and see what that does.  Maybe by then I'll be decent at taking pictures of food and you can see them.  Anyway...these are amazing and super easy!  The original recipe came from the Cupcake Blog.

Raspberry Lemon Cupcakes

Cupcakes
1 c butter, room temperature (I used pureed white northern beans...takes away just about all the fat!)
2 c sugar
4 large eggs (room temperature)
2 3/4 c gluten free all-purpose (I used 2 c Blue Chip Featherlite, 1/2 c tapioca & 1/4 c sweet sorghum...that's what I had on hand)
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 c milk
1/4 c fresh squeezed lemon juice
zest of one lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter on hight until soft (again, I used beans and skipped that step).  Add sugar and beat until fluffy.  Add eggs.  In a seperate bowl, whisk dry ingredients together.  Slowly add dry ingredients to butter mixture and mix well.  Slowly add milk combine well.  Add lemon juice and zest.  Scoop into cupcake papers  that have been sprayed with cooking spray (about 1/2 full).  Bake 20-23 min or until tooth pick comes out clean.  Cool completely on cooling rack.  Once cool, add filling and frost.  See below:


Raspberry Filling
Smuckers "Simply Fruit" Raspberry Spread
 
When the cupcakes have cooled, spoon about half a bottle of raspberry spread into a frosting bag with skinny tip.  Poke about half way into the center of each cupcake and squirt until top begins to rise (I think it ends up being about 1/2tsp per cupcake)
 
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
1 stick butter, room temperature
6oz cream cheese (I used fat-free)
1 1/2-2 c powdered sugar
1 T fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp lemon zest

Beat butter and cream cheese until creamy.  Slowly add powdered sugar to desired consistency (I used slightly more than 2 cups).  Add lemon juice/zest.  Beat to combine.

Dreams Do Come True…

I am SO excited about the new Gluten-Free Rice Krispies!  As soon as I found them (I got mine at Wal-Mart) we ran home and made Rice Krispy Treats.  They were amazing.  I have to say, since switching to a gluten-free diet it’s little things like a good old Rice Krispy Treat that I miss the most. =)  I’ve tried the crispy brown rice cereals from health food stores and I never liked any of them, but these were so good! Plus, it was really fun to make these with my daughter for the first time.  Her favorite color is blue and if you look close you can see her little blue sprinkles.  Anyway, if you haven’t tried them out yet, you really should!  They look like this:

Spanish Rice

This is the side dish I like to make with my Honey Lime Enchiladas, or just about any other Mexcican recipe.  I love this rice and this is a quick, easy recipe.

Red Spanish Rice

2T oil
1/4 medium onion
1 1/2 c rice
3 cloves finely chopped garlic (I use the bottled stuff)
2 1/2 c gf chicken broth (I used 2 1/2 c water and 2 gf boulion cubes)
1 c tomato sauce
1 tsp parsley (dried)

In a sauce pan heat oil on medium heat.  Saute onions onions until clear.  Add rice and stir-fry until it's a light brown color (5-ish minutes), add garlic.  Add tomato sauce and broth (VERY SLOWLY!!). This will sizzle and splatter a bit, so be careful (and wear an apron :))  Stir well and bring to a boil.  Once it boils, reduce heat to low and add parsley.  Cover and simmer for 20 min.

My Favorite Enchiladas

I originally found this recipe on Sister’s Café.  I love that blog.  This is one of my favorite meals.  It’s really simple, it makes 2 pans so I can freeze one for later, and it’s delicious.

Honey Lime Enchiladas

1.5lb chicken (I use 2 large chicken breast halves), cooked and shredded (I do mine in the crockpot)
Sauce:
1/3 c honey
1/4 c lime juice
1 Tb chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 (10 oz) cans gluten-free green enchilada sauce
1 1/2 c equal parts shredded mozerella and shredded cheddar mixed together
Corn tortillas

Combine sauce ingredients and pour over chicken. Allow to sit for about 30 min.  Pour small amount of sauce into 2 (9x13) pans to cover bottoms.  I like to wrap 5-6 tortillas at a time in a wet paper towel and microwave for about 45 seconds so they roll easier.  Fill tortillas with about 2T chicken mixture and sprinkle with cheese (I usually do at least a tablespoon or so in each tortilla).  Roll and line them up in the pans.  Pour remaining sauce over the enchiladas and top with cheese.  Bake at 350 for about 25 min, then turn broiler on and cook until tops looks brown and crispy.