Friday, October 28, 2011

Blueberry Crumble Bars

 Introducing...my first GF recipe post (drum roll, please)....Blueberry Crumble Bars!
(Let the ooohs and aaaahs begin!) :)


This is yummy....I just had some this morning. I'm not a huge granola person, and that's what this tastes a lot like, but the blueberries make up for it :)

This recipe has quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) in it...something that I'd never heard of in my life before going gluten free. According to what I've read, it's a grain that the Incas used as a staple in their diet, and it is packed with protein, earning it the title of a "complete grain."
I'd tried making quinoa before, as cereal (plain, plus some spices). If you like grits, you would probably like it. I don't really (and I couldn't add all the sugar I usually would!)...but quinoa fixed with blueberries...that I can handle!


-          Spend any time looking at GF recipes, and you will see that most of them have a very long list of different flours. During my initiation into this, I was told that the pre-blended flour blend would substitute just as well. However, different flours taste different; garbanzo bean flour is not going to taste the same as brown rice flour. I thought that I wouldn’t be one of those crazy people who would go buy five different flours….but today, I did it. Arriving early for my dr. appointment, I went into the nearby healthfood market, stood in front of the flour section for a good 10-15 minutes (comparing prices, which flours I really needed the most, considering the recipes I wanted to try), and bought 5 little bags of flour. 

      Oh, and I bought a food scale from Walmart yesterday, too, to weigh the different flours, as they are measured in grams, due to each flour having a different density… it’s actually pretty fun! :)



So last night I scooped my first cup of my own pre-blended flours, and set to work. This recipe is adapted from the cookbook "Simply Sugar and Gluten Free." Here is the website: http://simplysugarandglutenfree.com/cookbook/
I added 2 T. agave nectar instead of the 1/4c. palm sugar, and used frozen blueberries (wild blueberries were on sale, and they're tiny!) instead of fresh. I also use olive oil most of the time instead of canola.


Blueberry Quinoa Crumble Bars 
 1 1/2c. quinoa flakes
1 c. Basic Flour Blend (or whatever blend you have on hand)
1/2 t. xanthan gum
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/8 t. nutmeg
1/3 c. olive oil
2 T. agave nectar
1/4c. water
1/4 c. sliced almonds
1/2 c. frozen wild blueberries
10 oz. jar All Fruit (Smuckers) blueberry preserves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8x8" pan with olive oil. In a large bowl, combine first 7 dry ingredients. Set aside. In medium bowl, whisk together oil, water, and agave. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add wet ingredients. Stir until combined. Fold in almonds and blueberries.

Press 3/4 of the dough into the bottom of the pan. Spread blueberry preserves evenly on top of the dough. Break the remaining dough into marble-size pieces, sprinkle them across the preserves, and lightly press in. Bake for 35-40 minutes, rotating 180 degrees halfway through, until edges are bubbling and the top is a light golden brown. Allow the bars to cool completely in the baking pan on a wire rack. Run a sharp knife around the edges of the pan to loosen before cutting into bars. Cover and store at room temperature.

Enjoy! :)

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