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gluten-free fairy berry snack mix

Snack it to me: Fairy Berry Trail Mix

This post is part of Snack It To Me Week– a week full of recipes for my favorite snack mixes.

My desk has two drawers, a shoe drawer and a snack drawer. I might be a snack food junkie.

shoedrawer

Well, sort of.

Living gluten-free for 7 years, I have learned to never take access to safe food for granted. Every time I go out to a new restaurant, there is a snack in my bag of some kind. Sometimes it is a granola/protein bar. Sometimes it  is a snack mix. Sometimes it is a box of crackers and a packet of almond butter. But there is always something. And often several somethings.

Having an easy to grab and delicious snack on hand is incredibly important for kids and adults.

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This week, I am going to share 7 snack mixes that are endlessly adaptable, take less than 10 minutes to throw together. And above all are delicious. My goal is to rid you of that hangry feeling that can happen when you are out, hungry and there isn’t a decent gluten-free option in sight. (There is no GORP – good old raisins and peanuts for those of you that never went to Girl Scout Camp – on this list, I want show you just how fun snack mixes can be.)

They include:

  1. Fairy Berry Trail Mix
  2. Sour Patched Trail Mix
  3. Cherry Cordial Snack Mix
  4. Mango Lassi Trail Mix
  5. Apricocious Trail Mix
  6. Raisinably Delicious Snack Mix
  7. Happy Endings Trail Mix

And, once I have shared my recipes with you, I will share my favorite pre-made gluten-free snacks.

gluten-free fairy berry snack mix

I have admitted more than once to you that I often eat like a four year old. I love purple food. The more colorful the cereal, the happier I am. And I can never turn down fruit snacks.

So, I made you this mix.

This is not your ordinary trail mix. There are no nuts. No candy. No pretzels. No flashbacks to leaky tents and mosquito bites.

It appeals to my inner child (hence the name – what four year old girl doesn’t love fairies?). It is sweet and a little chewy. There are lots of little pieces to pop into your mouth. Bright colors.

And it appeals to the grown-up that I am trying to be. Jam packed with anti-oxidants and vitamin c. The sweetness of the cherries and blueberries is balanced by the tang of the goji berries. There are no artificial colors or refined sugars.

Enjoy!

Snack it to me: Fairy Berry Trail Mix

Recipe Type: Snack
Author: Mary Fran Wiley
Prep time: 5 mins
Total time: 5 mins
Serves: 4
Dried berries are like nature’s candy. Buy fruit without added sweetener – the naturally occurring sugars intensify as the fruits dry and additional sugar is not needed. Also, feel free to use this as a template for your own creations. Dried strawberries could be awesome here so could cranberries. Let your imagination run wild!
Ingredients
  • 50 grams dried blueberries
  • 50 grams dried cherries
  • 50 grams dried gogi berries
Instructions
  1. Weigh out and combine ingredients.
  2. Store in an air-tight container for up to one month.
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gluten free strawberry blueberry salsa

Food Matters: Strawberry Blueberry Salsa

This post is part of the Food Matters Project, a cooking collaboration from a wide range of food bloggers. Each week, I will cook a recipe from Mark Bittman’s Food Matters Cookbook, which places an emphasis on mindful and sustainable eating. Follow along with us! My posts for this project can be found here. This month’s host is Alissa who posted the original recipe and you can see all the other brilliant salsas on this week’s roundup (check the comments).

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blueberry ginger syrup in a bottle

Blueberry Ginger Syrup

I have been doing delayed spring cleaning around here this weekend. Blondie didn’t come to visit (last minute Cubs tickets or some nonsense 🙂 ), so I have been spending some time doing the cleaning and organizing that I neglect the weekends that I visit him or he visits me (which is almost every weekend). And I am writing up this recipe so that I can put off the pile of laundry that is calling my name.

A couple of weeks ago, Blondie and I went blueberry picking. Aside from the biting flies, we had a great time. And there were just enough extra blueberries from that pie (which I have been dreaming about having again) to make syrup.

I actually made this syrup that same weekend, but I hadn’t had it on anything other than on a spoon. I didn’t want the berries to go to waste, but there weren’t enough to make preserves.

How to use it:

  • Use it on crepes or pancakes.
  • It makes a great cocktail – add 2 T to a 12 ounce sorghum beer.
  • Add it to sparkling water or club soda for a sweet & spicy soda
Blueberry Ginger Syrup
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Print
Recipe Type: Sauce
Author: Mary Fran Wiley
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 25 mins
Serves: 8
Home made syrups are a great way to spice up your pancakes, ice cream or beverages.
Ingredients
  • 4 cups (560 grams) blueberries rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped ginger
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup (200 grams) sugar
Instructions
  1. Bring the blueberries, ginger and water to a boil in a medium saucepan and then reduce heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes.
  2. Strain the mixture through a cheesecloth lined colander, pressing the liquid from the fruit with a wooden spoon.
  3. Return the juice to the saucepan and add the sugar. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.
  4. Transfer to a bottle or jar and cool to room temperature before refrigerating. The syrup will keep for several weeks (but it might not last!) in the fridge.
Notes

Add about 1/4 cup of the syrup to club soda for a fizzy berry pop or to a cold beer for a great summer cocktail.

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Gluten Free Blueberry Almond Pie

Hidden secret pie

Hidden Surprise Pie
I was going to wait to post this pie. I made it this pie this weekend so that I could have a successful crust recipe to use for the Pie Party today. But I couldn’t keep this to myself.

Blondie & I went blueberry picking this weekend. I had wanted to make jam but we didn’t pick enough for jam. So, I did what any girl who needed to perfect a pie crust recipe and had extra blueberries would do, I planned to make a pie. I did more research. I needed a stick of butter per crust (top & bottom). I read that vodka helps make a tender crust. And that you need to bake your pie on a baking sheet so that the bottom cooks faster and doesn’t get mushy.

I also had to make this an exceptional pie. Plain blueberry pie is delicious. I’m sure blueberry and ginger go well together. But, I already used ginger and peach, I needed something different. In the cabinet I found almonds & almond paste! I was set.

I present to you Hidden Secret Pie!

Gluten Free Blueberry Almond Pie

Blueberry Almond Pie
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Print
Recipe Type: Dessert
Author: Mary Fran Wiley
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 40 mins
Total time: 1 hour 10 mins
Serves: 8
The sweetness of the paste contrasts with the tangy berries in this not too sweet filling and the almonds give some necessary crunch.
Ingredients
  • 30 grams ground flax seeds
  • 90 grams brown rice flour
  • 90 grams sweet white sorghum flour
  • 60 grams sweet rice flour
  • 40 grams tapioca starch
  • 40 grams corn starch
  • 2 sticks butter, frozen
  • 2 tablespoons vodka, ice cold
  • 1/2 cup ice water
  • 4 cups blueberries
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons tapioca starch
  • 8 oz almond paste
Instructions
  1. Make the crust: Whisk together your flours for the crust in a large mixing bowl. Grate the frozen butter into the flours using a cheese grater or microplane. Using a pastry blender, make sure your flours and butter are well mixed. It should look like mildly clumpy sand. Add the vodka. Pour in the water a little at a time, mixing with a spatula. As soon as the dough starts to come together, stop mixing. Pat into 2 disks about 4″ in diameter, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for about 30 mins. Once chilled, roll out one of your disks of dough to about 1/4″ thick. Place in pie pan and smooth to corners. Trim over hang and crimp edges. Pop in the freezer while you do the next steps.
  2. Make the filling: Place a baking sheet on the middle rack in your oven & preheat to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix together blueberries, sliced almonds, sugar, salt and tapioca starch in a large bowl.
  3. Make the lattice: Roll out your second bit of pie crust and cut into thin strips or cookie cutter designs. Save extra crust to make pies in jars or pocket pies.
  4. Assemble the pie: Remove the pie shell from the freezer and pour in half the filling. Pinch out the almond paste into an 1/8″ disk that covers the filling. (You can piece it together from smaller pieces if it is easier – no one sees it). Pour in the rest of the filling on top. Place the top crust (lattice or design) on top of the pie. Crimp edges. You can add additional decorations with any leftover almond paste.
  5. Bake: Place on the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes. The filling will bubble and the crust will be golden brown when the pie is ready. You can use an egg wash and sprinkle the crust with sugar when there is about 10 minutes of cooking time left, if you want. I didn’t do this. But you can.
Notes

You can substitute all the flours in the crust for 2 1/2 cups of an all purpose blend like Cup4Cup or Jules’ Nearly Normal Flour.

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