 Naturally gluten free and perfect for your special diet, you won't want to purchase store-bought applesauce again! Use my version alongside pork loin or chicken, or as a topping for gluten free pancakes instead of maple syrup! If you have an abundance of apples, double (or even triple) this recipe. Enjoy! Simple Applesauce 8 apples, peeled, cored, and cut into large chunks Gluten Free Gigi Tip: For added flavor, choose 2 or 3 different types of apples. Some of my favorite varieties for applesauce are Granny Smith, Rome, Honeycrisp, Fuji, and Macintosh. 1/4 c. sugar The outer peel from 1 orange* 1teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon mace 1 Tablespoon Earth Balance soy free buttery spread 1/8 teaspoon sea salt In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients and cook on medium-low heat, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover and stir; cover again, and cook for approximately 1 hour over low heat, stirring occassionally. The applesauce is done when the apples begin to break apart when stirred. Remove the orange peel and discard. Stir the apples thoroughly and serve warm. *Use the peeled orange in a salad - simply section, slice & toss with your favorite greens and vinaigrette! 4 Comments  Little Pumpkins Gluten-dairy-egg-soy-nut-free mini muffins Rich tasting, lightly sweet, spiced mini muffins with a dense, near custard-like texture and a tiny cranberry jewel sitting on top. Serve them with a warm latte for a mid-morning snack or with ginger tea for a pick-me-up in the afternoon. Enjoy! 1 c. pureed pumpkin (canned is fine; I used mashed roasted pumpkin that I prepared) Egg replacer (prepared according to package directions) to equal 1 egg ¼ t. mace (you could sub cinnamon here if you do not care for the rather strong flavor of mace) ¼ t. salt 2 T. very light olive oil ¼ c. firmly packed light brown sugar ½ c. white rice flour ¼ c. sorghum flour 2 T. potato starch 2 t. baking powder Juice from ½ lemon plus rice milk (or other plant milk) to equal ½ c. 24 dried cranberries Prepare a mini muffin pan (24 sections) by lightly greasing sections. Preheat oven to 350. In a small mixing bowl, combine flours, starch, and baking powder. Stir with a whisk until blended. Set aside. In a ½ cup measure, squeeze the juice from one-half a lemon, then fill cup with enough plant milk to equal ½ cup total liquid. Set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, egg replacer, mace, salt, olive oil, and brown sugar. Stir until well-combined. Add milk mixture and stir. Add dry ingredients, stirring just until all dry ingredients are incorporated. Spoon approximately 1 tablespoon of batter into each section of the muffin tin. Top each muffin with a dried cranberry. Bake for approximately 10 minutes, or until tops appear dry and spring back when lightly touched (be careful to avoid a burn!). Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing to serving platter. Serve warm and freeze leftovers (tightly wrapped!) for up to 1 month.  Naturally gluten free, pork loin chops, are a lean meat that cooks quickly and fits right into a special diet. Pan searing these chops, then steaming with all-natural apple juice keeps them tender. The chutney makes this dish extra special, with sweet apples, tart blackberry fruit spread, and just a little kick! Enjoy! Pork Chops with Blackberry-Apple Chutney For the Blackberry-Apple Chutney ¼ c. blackberry fruit spread (I use a seedless pure fruit variety) ¼ c. balsamic vinegar 1 Tablespoon non-dairy buttery spread (I use Earth Balance® soy free) ½ Tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger root 2 cloves finely minced garlic ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt ¼ - ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you like it) ½ medium red onion, diced 3 large apples, peeled and diced 1 teaspoon dried ground sage In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt non-dairy spread and cook onion until it becomes tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger, stirring for 1-2 minutes until the garlic is aromatic. The garlic will burn quickly, so be sure to continue to stir it as it cooks. Add the fruit spread, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper flakes, stirring to combine. Add the apples and sage, and reduce the heat to low. Cook over medium-low heat until the apples are tender, approximately 20 minutes. If you prefer your apples softer, feel free to cook the chutney a few more minutes until you are happy with the texture of the apples. For the chops 4 pork loin chops, approximately 1 1/2 –inches thick (I allow mine to sit at room temp for 20-30 minutes prior to cooking) 1 T. light olive oil ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt ½ cup organic pure apple juice Heat the olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the salt over each side of the chops and add chops to the pan. Cook uncovered for 2-4 minutes on each side, or until a deep golden brown “crust” forms. Add the apple juice to the pan and quickly cover with a tight-fitting lid. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes. Uncover, turn chops, and cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the meat to “rest” for several minutes prior to serving. Top with a generous dollop of the chutney and enjoy!  For a gluten-dairy-egg-nut-soy-free dessert that uses honey as a natural sweetener (hence, I cannot call it “vegan”), this silky smooth custard is tops! It is so easy to prepare, but the finished product is perfect for serving to company after an autumn meal. For baking, you could use a shallow 8- or 9-inch glass baking dish or 8 individual ramekins for this recipe. I like to use the single baking dish, and then scoop the custard into the ramekins so that you see the darker top and the silky creamy custard – it’s just a beautiful contrast. Either way, I hope you enjoy! This recipe is linked to Gluten-Free Wednesdays at The Gluten-Free Homemaker - don't forget to go check out Linda's site to see all the practical gluten-free living tips as well as the Simple Honey Pumpkin Custard 1 T. Egg replacer dissolved in ¼ c. warm water ½ c. light honey (I used a light, thin wildflower honey from a local producer) ¼ c. GF flour blend* ½ t. baking powder 1/8 t. salt ½ c. rice milk (or any milk you choose) 2 T. melted Earth Balance® soy free 1 t. vanilla extract ½ c. canned or fresh pumpkin puree (not pie filling) ½ t. ground cinnamon ¼ t. ground ginger 1/8 t. ground mace *I use GF flour blend #2, listed under “Flour Blends” in the side bar. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray your baking dish(es) with cooking spray. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and stir with a whisk until the mixture is smooth (it will be rather thin). Pour into prepared baking dish and bake for approximately 30-35 minutes for a single dish or 20-25 minutes for individual ramekins. The center will appear to be set and somewhat dry on top. Remove from the oven to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.  Naturally gluten free, apples show up frequently in autumn recipes at our house. This cake is one I created to mimic an apple cake we enjoyed before adopting a gluten free special diet. If you're watching sugar intake, omit the frosting. Enjoy! Autumn Apple Cake Cake: 1 c. white rice flour ½ c. sorghum flour ½ c. millet flour ¼ c. potato starch ¼ c. corn starch (for corn allergy, substitute tapioca flour) 1 t. baking powder ½ t. baking soda ½ t. salt 2 t. ground cinnamon ½ c. sugar ½ c. light brown sugar, firmly packed ¾ c. unsweetened applesauce ¼ c. light oil (I used canola) Egg replacer to equal 3 eggs 2 t. vanilla extract 3 c. fresh apples, peeled and diced (about 3 large apples) *Frosting: (prepare while cake is baking) 2 c. confectioner’s sugar ½ c. light brown sugar, firmly packed 2 T. Earth Balance Soy Free buttery spread ¼ c. rice milk (or other milk of your choice) 1 t. vanilla extract 1 t. ground cinnamon ¼ t. ground ginger For cake: Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray a 9x13-inch cake pan with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, combine flours, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon, and sugars. Whisk to blend dry ingredients. Add applesauce, oil, egg replacer, and vanilla, and stir until all dry ingredients are incorporated. Add apples and gently stir. Spread the batter into prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the cake has a dry appearance all over and the edges just begin to brown. Remove from oven and carefully cut cake into 12 squares. Spread frosting evenly over the cake; the cake will be hot and will have loose crumbs from the cuts, so frost slowly. After frosting, allow the cake to cool to at least warm before serving. Store leftovers tightly covered in the fridge and heat slightly to serve. *For frosting: Place confectioner’s sugar in a medium mixing bowl; set aside. In a small saucepan, cook brown sugar, Earth Balance, and ¼ cup milk over medium heat, stirring until sugar is completely dissolved and mixture comes to a boil. Boil, without stirring, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla. Allow mixture to cool for 5 minutes, then pour over confectioner’s sugar. Add spices and stir until smooth The frosting should be thick, but | 
 
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