Inside HBC

Sage Muffins… instead of bread stuffing

If you are having trouble with gluten, but can’t bear the thought of NOT eating the herb-filled stuffing at your holiday dinners, I have an idea for you: make these muffins! GWF Baking Mix is wheat-free, gluten-free, sugar-free but makes the most delicious breads, muffins, cookies, and cakes. Promise!

• 2 eggs (sweet)
• 1 cup chicken broth (sweet)
• 4 TBS butter, melted & cooled (sweet)
• 2 TBS olive oil (sweet)
• 1 cup chopped onion (pungent, sweet)
• 1 cup chopped celery (salty, bitter)
• 1 TBS fresh thyme leaves (bitter, pungent)
• 1 TBS fresh sage, chopped (bitter, pungent)
• 2 cups of baking mix (sweet, salty)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Saute onions and celery in 2 TBS olive oil until soft, approximately 8 minutes. Stir in chopped sage and thyme and let sit to cool.
3. Beat eggs gently in large bowl. Add chicken broth and cooled onion mixture. While stirring, slowly add melted butter. Mix well.
4. Add baking mix, stirring just until combined.
5. Fill lightly oiled loaf pan (smaller size is better) or mini loaf pans.  Place in oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the center of a muffin springs back when touched lightly.
6. Cool in tins for 5 minutes, then remove to cooling rack.

Cranberry Sauce-y

Enjoying traditional foods during the holidays can sometimes interfere with your new healthy eating plan because of all the sugar involved. Here’s a really easy recipe for cranberry sauce that you can make a few days ahead of time.

• 1 bag of fresh cranberries (about 4 cups) (sour, sweet)
• 1/2 cup of water
• 20 drops of liquid stevia (sweet)

1. Place cranberries, water, and stevia in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook until cranberries burst into a thick sauce.
2. Remove the cranberry sauce from the heat and if desired add the ingredients from one of the options below.
3. Let cool, then move to a container with top. Refrigerate until well chilled, overnight if possible. Can be made up to a week in advance.

COSMO Cranberry:

• 1/3 cup vodka
• 3 TBS Grand Marnier (or other orange liquor)
• 1 TBS honey (sweet)

BOURBON Cranberry:

• 1/4 tsp cinnamon (bitter, pungent)
• 1/4 cup bourbon
• 1 TBS honey (sweet)

For the kids, eliminate the alcohol, zest a whole orange, then squeeze the juice from it. Add with 1 TBS of honey to the cooked cranberries.

NOTE: You can reduce the amount of alcohol if you just want a hint of the flavor. Also, always cook with alcohol you would drink. It makes the end result so much better!