Archives for 2021

Jaime’s Christmas Morning Cinnamon Buns

December 19, 2021 by Sennen Conte Leave a Comment

Gerbs Ultimate Top 14 Food Allergy Free Cinnamon Bun Recipe

Kid Friendly Cinnamon Bun Recipe

Santa and Rudolf are fast asleep in bed after another successful Christmas Eve mission and before kid’s come galloping downstairs into the living room like Paul Revere being chased by the ghost of Christmas past! What do you say about setting this morning up for success? Mommy & Daddy Style!

Set Christmas Morning Up for Success (freshly brewed coffee, mimosas, bowls of dried fruits & seeds, and Gerbs Oatmeal)

Brew up a large pot of dark roast Italian coffee, chill the Champagne (Mimosas optional, lol) pour some freshly squeezed orange & grapefruit juice into large decanters. Grab your largest dark oat cutting board and begin assembling a world famous breakfast charcutier board, filled with bowls of delicious Gerbs dried fruits, protein packed Gerbs raw seeds, Gerbs original granola, Gerbs mini dark chocolate chips and a large bowl of piping hot Gerbs oatmeal.

But everyone’s still waiting patiently for the rockstar of this breakfast, warm ooey gooey cinnamon buns, free from the top 14 food allergies. Ohhhh, people will come Ray, people will most definitely come, they’ll come to Iowa looking for Cinnamon Buns! The smell of these baking rolls will ensconce everyone’s bedrooms and fill their lungs with a most welcoming holiday aroma, even the grumpiest of family guests will stop in their tracks and run (ok maybe not run) into the kitchen and patiently wait for the frosting to be slathered on while warm.

Admit it, you can smell these?

This recipe can easily be made using Gerbs ingredients and can be made with a dairy-free butter alternative. Substitutes can be made based upon your family’s food allergy concerns and should not dramatically alter the flavor profile. If you want to add a crunchy topping and you have a tree nut allergy and cannot use pecans, we strongly recommend using Gerbs roasted sunflower seed kernels. These cinnamon buns can also be safely wrapped up in a Christmas tin and shared with friends and loved ones, with a kind note denoting their special allergy messaging.

A bread machine can be used to aid with the rising of the dough, but if you like, this recipe can be created with a standard mixer with a dough hook. You will need a nice warm spot for the dough to rise, as well as a bit of patience.

Dough Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups Oat Milk (sub. Sunflower or rice milk) heated to 110°F
1/3 cup melted dairy-free butter substitute
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups Gerbs All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons rapid rise yeast

Cinnamon Filling Ingredients

1/3 cup melted dairy-free butter substitute
2/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 tbsp. natural maple syrup
Dash of nutmeg (optional)

For the icing:

4 tablespoons dairy-free butter substitute
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 teaspoons blood orange juice
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 1/2 to 3 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Step by Step Recipe # 1: Prepare the Dough (Stand Mixer)

Start by proofing the yeast in the mixing bowl that comes with your stand mixer.
Warm up the water (or milk substitute) to 110°F, add the sugar, and stir to dissolve.
Then add the yeast, and do not stir. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes.
Now add in the remaining liquid ingredients (starting with the melted dairy-free butter alternative), and slowly add the remaining dry ingredients.
The stand mixer with dough hook will need to run for about 5 minutes to work the dough well.
Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.

Pre-warm and lightly grease a large bowl. Once the dough has rested, place it into the prepared bowl and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Place it somewhere warm to allow to rise for at least 2 hours. When finished resting and rising, the dough should be very soft, loose, and easy to work with. A warm kitchen is needed for the dough to rise properly! If your dough is still too elastic to work with and hasn’t risen, try this:

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and place a loaf or cake pan in the bottom of the oven. Place the container of dough on the middle rack and pour 3 cups of boiling water into the pan on the bottom rack. Close the oven door and allow the dough to rise as instructed.

Step 2: Make a Cinnamon Spread Pizza

You simply cannot add too much Cinnamon & Sugar (ok maybe you can)

Pre-heat your oven to 350°F. Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, maple syrup and nutmeg in a medium bowl and stir well. Melt the dairy-free butter alternative in separate bowl, stand by with a pastry brush.

Roll the dough out into a rectangle shape with a floured rolling pin to be roughly 20″ x 12″. Spread the melted dairy-free butter over the surface of the dough with your brush, apply liberally this step is essential. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture heavily across the dough, press sugar firmly into the melted butter with your hands. Roll the dough up tightly, starting from the longer side. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into rolls the size 2-3” thick.

Lightly grease a large baking sheet and place parchment paper on it. Place the rolls onto the pan, leaving a gap between each to allow room for expansion as they bake. Gently press down on the lower sections of the rolls to give each roll a somewhat angled shape (like a hill, so they won’t be totally flat). Brush the tops lightly with some of the remaining melted dairy-free butter alternative.

Roll tight, cut into thick wedges and press down outside edges to form a hill!

Step 3: Bake

Bake at 350°F for 21 to 25 minutes. Poke the inner layers gently with a fork to test that they are done and not doughy inside, but also keep an eye that they aren’t burning on the bottoms either. The parchment paper helps with that.

These are best served warm!

Step 4: Make the Icing

While the rolls are baking, combine all icing ingredients and mix with a hand mixer on medium-low at first. Once the sugar has been incorporated, increase the speed to high and whip the icing until it gets smooth and airy. Spread the icing on the rolls immediately after they come out of the oven. Devour and enjoy!

Gerbs Flourless Allergy Friendly Dark Chocolate Lava Cake

September 22, 2021 by Sennen Conte Leave a Comment

What is not to love about Dark Chocolate Lave Cake that is creamy, delicious and free from the top 14 recognized food allergens. This recipe is off the hook amazing and was inspired by a beautiful person, who’s passion for chocolate desserts in unmatched. This recipe is beyond simple to put together, and even better, involve the children in the process, let them get their hands dirty (and lick the bowl). We are talking about a gooey fudge like dark chocolate cake with a creamy center, these dark chocolate lava cakes will make any chocolate lover swoon.

GERBS FLOURLESS DARK CHOCOLATE LAVE CAKE

Dark Chocolate Lava Cakes are essentially tiny cakes that have a gooey chocolate center that spills out when you take a bite – aka, like lava spilling from a fisher in a volcano. They can be made in large batches, kept on the counter for a few days (if they make it) or better yet frozen and microwaved for a sophisticated delicious midnight snack.

HOW TO MAKE GERBS DARK CHOCOLATE LAVE CAKES

Grease 4-ounce ramekins and place them on a baking sheet OR dust 9 muffin pans Gerbs Natural Cocoa Powder (to prevent sticking). Silicone baking pans are best when making these lava cakes because they pop out and do not stick.
In a small mixing bowl, make your flax eggs by whisking/combining Gerbs Ground Flax Meal and water. Let stand/sit for 10-15 minutes to thicken.
Add Gerbs dark chocolate chip chunks and sunflower oil to a separate medium sized microwaveable bowl. Microwave for 1 minute and then whisk until chocolate mixture is smooth.

Add the melted chocolate mixture, applesauce, and Gerbs flax eggs to the dry mix and stir until combined.
Fill the ramekins or muffin wells ¾ of the way full.

Bake for 14-16 minutes 350 degree oven. The edges will be set but the center will still be soft and gooey. Remove the pan form the oven, set aside on drying rack.

Invert Gerbs dark chocolate lava cakes onto a plate and serve warm with a side of vanilla ice cream, or fresh berries and a sprig of mint.

INGREDIENTS

4 flax eggs (¼ cup Gerbs ground flaxseed meal + ¾ cup (6oz.) water, let sit for 10-15 minutes until thickened)

1 cup Gerbs All-Purpose Flour

½ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup Gerbs Natural Cocoa Powder

½ teaspoon gluten-free baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup Gerbs Dark Chocolate Chip Chunks

¼ cup sunflower oil

½ cup apple sauce

Optional: additional Gerbs Dark Chocolate Mini Chips for an extra chocolatey center.

Five Reasons to Eat Gerbs Plantain Chips

May 4, 2021 by Sennen Conte 1 Comment

1. Plantain can help with weight loss

When it comes to losing weight, it is about burning more calories than the calories that one consumes. One simple piece of weight loss advice is just to eat more fiber. Research shows that people who eat more fiber can lose as much weight as people on a low-fat diet. 100g of plantain provides roughly 8 percent of the recommended daily intake of fiber. Fiber has no fat-burning properties. However, it helps with weight loss because high-fiber foods tend to have a lower energy density, which means they provide fewer calories per gram of food. In addition, as a high-fiber food, plantains add bulk to food intake, which makes you feel full and also aids digestion. The feeling of fullness helps with weight and portion control. As a result, a person on a high-fiber diet can consume the same amount of food, but with fewer calories.

2. Plantain is Good for Your Immune System

Vitamin C is found to play a key role in boosting the immune system by increasing the production of white blood cells, and by making the cells of the body impenetrable to viruses. Plantains are an excellent source of Vitamin C with 100g of plantain containing 30 percent of the recommended daily requirement of Vitamin C. Vitamin C is found to play a key role in boosting the immune system by increasing the production of white blood cells, and by making the cells of the body impenetrable to viruses. Vitamin C also acts as an antioxidant, which helps the immune system to neutralise free radicals that may otherwise cause damage at cellular level cellular damage.

3. Plantain is Good for Your Mood and Brain

Plantains contain a healthy dose of Vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 plays a variety of roles in the body including activating enzymes, stimulating metabolism, promoting immune function, helping with hemoglobin formation, and contributing to cognitive development and function. Our moods are dependent on many factors, including the levels of a variety of dietary nutrients. Vitamin B6 is needed to produce numerous brain chemicals including serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine and gamma-aminobutyric acid or GABA. These brain chemicals are all related to mood and behavior and an imbalance of any of these chemicals typically results in altered mood. For example, abnormally low levels of serotonin are linked to depression and anxiety disorders, whereas a lack of dopamine is associated with Parkinson’s disease. So want to feel good? Eat some plantain!

4. Plantain Can Be Beneficial Against Diabetes

Plantains are a good source of magnesium. 100g of plantain contains approximately 16 percent of the body’s daily requirement of magnesium. Magnesium is an important mineral because it affects several hundreds of bio-chemical reactions taking place in the body. One of these critical functions is ensuring that our blood sugar remains within the right range. Research has established that there is a connection between having adequate magnesium and diabetes prevention.

Insulin helps regulate the transport of magnesium within the body for use in glucose metabolism. And as part of the metabolism of glucose, magnesium promotes many of the processes involved with the breaking down of glucose in the body. Magnesium deficiency causes the body to require more insulin than normal to metabolize glucose, leading to insulin resistance.

While plantains are a good source of magnesium, they do have a high carbohydrate content and glycemic load. As such, they can raise blood sugar. Therefore, diabetics should take care to pair plantain with other foods with a low glycemic index and glycemic load.

5. Plantain Helps To Maintain a Healthy Digestive Tract

Plantains contain a high amount of dietary fiber which helps ensure healthy bowels and reduces constipation. The digestive system is lined with muscles that propel the food along the digestive tract from the throat through the bowels until the eventual waste is passed out of the body. Soluble fiber acts like a sponge and soaks up water as the feces passes through the intestines. This helps to bulk up and soften the feces, allowing it to pass through the gut more easily. It also slows down the rate of digestion of food by the body.