Happy Holidays everyone! Well it is that time of year when we are tempted beyond belief to go against our better judgment and indulge in sweets and goodies of all kinds—many of which are not gluten free. For many this means suffering through a host of unwanted side effects! Symptoms from gluten intolerance can range from upset stomach, indigestion, hives and for some the symptoms can be much more serious.

It is no fun to suffer though the holidays and so I set out to adapt one of my favorite holiday cookie recipes, the snickerdoodle, from gluten-rich to gluten-free! I noticed that the key to a nice soft cookie is in the baking. Make sure your oven is fully heated before putting the the cookies in and make sure they are taken out on time (after about 10 minutes). As always please be sure to use all organic ingredients. Happy Holidays. See you at “The Hut!”

Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles

(makes about 24 cookies)

1/2 cup butter (1 stick, softened)

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

2 3/4 cups oat flour (or gluten-free flour of choice)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

For topping:

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large bowl mix together butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla and blend together. Mix flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together separately and then add all ingredients together and mix. Form cookies into small balls and place on baking sheet. Top each cookie with sugar, cinnamon mixture and bake for 10 minutes. Cool and serve!

Hello All,

Here is a super easy and quick recipe for delicious pumpkin bread with mini chocolate chips, inspired by one of our customers, that is the perfect thing to bring to Thanksgiving dinner or to any holiday party.

I had originally endeavored to create a gluten-free, vegan version of this recipe but I underestimated the difficulty involved with this kind of cooking and failed miserably. After three failed attempts, I had a new appreciation for all those successful gluten-free bakers out there and the wonderful service they offer to those who must steer clear of gluten… and I decided to make a bread with gluten instead! After this experience, I have begun to study gluten-free baking in more detail so that I will be more successful next time!

In any case, here is the recipe I came up with. It is very easy and takes minimal prep time. After throwing it in the oven, you can just set the timer and do other stuff around the house. Find all your ingredient here at “The Hut!”

For those of you who are desperate for a gluten-free and/or vegan Thanksgiving dessert recipe, check out this link to The Raw Foods Witch web blog, where there is a recipe and video for making an easy, raw, vegan, gluten-free pumpkin pie!! Happy Holidays everyone, aloha!

Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips

Makes 1 5×7 loaf

1 can organic pumpkin pie mix (sweetened)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons coconut oil

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie mix (optional, add more if you like it spicey)

1 3/4 cups flour (spelt or whole wheat)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips (optional, you can use any chocolate chips you want)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all wet ingredients together first. Mix all dry ingredients and dump on top of wet. Fold ingredients together and mix well. Add chocolate chips and mix again. Dump batter into a greased and floured 5 x 7 glass bread pan. Bake for about an hour or until tooth pick comes out clean when poked into the middle.

Aloha all,

In honor of Thanksgiving I would like to share with you my simple and delicious sweet potato recipe. This recipe uses Okinawa purple sweet potatoes, ginger, cinnamon and coconut milk to give it a sweet and creamy consistency—perfect for Thanksgiving, or anytime. To make it easier, try making the potatoes a day or two beforehand and then just heat them up in the oven right before you serve Thanksgiving dinner. Find all your ingredients here at ‘The Hut’!

Purple Sweet Potatoes

Serves: 4–6

Ingredients:

3 large Okinawa sweet potatoes

1 can organic coconut milk

1-3 teaspoons ginger powder

1-3 teaspoons cinnamon powder

1-3 tablespoons coconut oil (optional)

Wash potatoes, poke several times with fork and place on cookie sheet. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 to 50 minutes until well done and soft when poked. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. When cool enough to handle remove skins and place in large mixing bowl. Add can of coconut milk, spices and coconut oil and stir. Mash with fork as you go until potatoes are smooth. Serve an enjoy.

What is gluten?  Gluten is a special type of protein commonly found in rye, wheat (including spelt and kamut) and barley.  People are increasingly discovering a sensitivity to it.  Systems can include low energy, fatigue, brain fog, skin rashes, numbness in the extremities, fibromyalgia, muscle and joint pain — even problems with coordination.  And the list goes on.

The problem is, what if you are one of these people, someone with a sensitivity to baked goods, chips, teriyaki sauce, panko breaded fish, pasta dishes, and this list goes on.  Gluten is a big part of any menu!  What do you do?  Not eat!?

Well guess what, here at Healthy Hut, we are on to some good gluten-free foods that will satisfy every appetite, every craving and be enjoyable for the whole family.  Come on in and have our very friendly staff escort you through the store pointing out all the wonderful gluten-free baked goods, snacks, sauces, pastas, flours,cereals….and chocolate bars we have.  Okay, well the chocolate bars wouldn’t even have had gluten, but hey, everyone needs a good chocolate bar!

Tortilla Chip Muffins with Honey Butter featured in the Washington Post