Gluten-free cardamom "Cinnamon No-Rolls"

Oh my Goodness! Today I discovered something extremely delicious in my local Starbucks. My family and I went in to get a delicious beverage this afternoon, and what was waiting for us there? Low and behold, three bushel baskets full of healthy, organic, gluten-free snacks! They had two kinds of chips, three kinds of cookies, two fruit purees, and fruit leathers. But my favorite was this bad boy:

A Gojiberry Granola from Two Mothers in the Raw. It was delicious!!

Sorry. I meant to save you some, but it was just too good.  

I was thrilled to see that it's completely organic. Plus, as a bonus it is made with millet and buckwheat. Great alternate grains for a rotation diet. Another awsome ingredient is Goji berries. If your not familiar with Goji berries have been used for 6,000 years by herbalists in China, Tibet and India to:

• protect the liver
• help eyesight
• improve sexual function and fertility
• strengthen the legs
• boost immune function
• improve circulation
• promote longevity

Goji berries are rich in antioxidants, particularly carotenoids such as beta-carotene and zeaxanthin. One of zeaxanthin's key roles is to protect the retina of the eye by absorbing blue light and acting as an antioxidant. In fact, increased intake of foods containing zeathanthin may decrease the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in people over the age of 65.

Oh yeah, baby. Healthy and delicious. Two of my favorite words.

This bar is crunchy, chewy, and slightly sweet.
Oh, btw, they also carry the Blueberry flavor. Well, at least mine did.

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Many of you out there are suffering with multiple allergies. If you are, I'm sure your familiar with the reality of "losing foods", essentially figuring out foods you've been eating regularly are giving you a reaction. When this happens you can feel lost or hopeless. Mostly though, you feel hungry. You want to eat what you used to eat, but now of course you can't. Well, I have a suggestion for you. Recently we found out that a member of my family is allergic to cinnamon. Unfortunately, until you can no longer have it, you don't realize how many foods contain cinnamon.

Have you ever read the book "If you give a mouse a cookie"? I'm certain most of you have. Remember when he gives the mouse a cookie, and the mouse wants a glass of milk to go with it, and then on-and-on with one more asinine whim after the other? Well, thats kind of how my brain works. Because you see when I think of  cinnamon I think of breakfast, which makes me think of pastry, which in turn makes me think of cinnamon rolls. But of course to have cinnamon rolls you must have cinnamon. Oh, contrer. There is a plethera of spices out there for you to mix-and-match with. My favorite is cardamom. Cardamom adds a nice floral, earthiness to the "Rolls", an earthiness you miss with just brown sugar. Gluten-free cinnamon rolls have always given me . . . difficulty. The rolling, and rising, and bowing, and scraping. Bluch. Too much work. My favorite wat to make "Cinnamon Rolls" is to make it more like "Cinnamon No-Rolls" haha. Try it. Tell me what you think. You know I crave the comments.

Gluten-free Cardamom "Cinnamon No-Rolls"

Wet Ingredients:
1/2 c. Canola Oil
2 eggs, cage-free and organic
1 c. Fat-free Milk
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Dry  Ingredients:
2 c. Brown Rice Flour
1 c. Tapioca Starch Flour
3 tsp Xanthan Gum
1 c. Sugar
4 tsp Corn-free Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt

Spice Topping:
1 c. Brown Sugar
1/4 c. Brown Rice Flour
3 tsp Cardamom
4 Tbs melted Spectrum Shortening

1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Combine wet ingredients in a small bowl.
3. Mix the dry and wet together. Use a large wooden spoon for this, because it will get really thick and sticky.
4. Scoop half the mixture into a 8x8 square pan and spread until its pretty level.
5. Melt shortening in a measuring cup, then add the rest of the ingredients and mix with a fork until a nice crumble forms.
6. Spread 3/4 of the spice mixture over the batter.
7. Use an ice cream scooper to scoop batter onto the crumble. Only fill the scoop up half-way, and make sure to distribute the scoops evenly over the crumble mixture. They should look like islands in a sea of crumble mix. Sprinkle the rest of the crumb mixture over the "islands".
8. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes. It should be golden brown on top, and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
9. You can also bake these in small bundt pans. Thats what I did for the picture above. Just make sure to layer the batter with crumb topping and bake for 15- 25 minutes.

As Posted at Gluten-free Homemaker's Wednesdays.