Bread, Bread, Bread

With so many people going gluten free, either because of an intolerance or allergy like myself, or to take part in a new lifestyle, there are so many options for bread. The only issue is to find one that actually tastes good and for me, is also dairy and egg free. I have tried many different breads and want to share with you my personal favorites. The big thing is that most store bought breads that are gluten free do contain diary and eggs, so we have to get a little creative in finding bread that will be easy on the tummy.  So far, the best sandwich bread that I have found in Colorado Springs is the Vegan Oat bread from Outside the Bread Box.  You can check out their website here and even check ingredients. http://www.outsidethebreadbox.com/vegan-oat-bread   I highly suggest you go straight to the bakery to buy your bread, as it is much cheaper and if you go on Tuesday mornings, they have a freezer full of bread that is marked down 30% from whatever wasn't sold the last week. Now, they do sell their bread on local grocery stores like Whole Foods, but it is a few extra dollars. I love that the Vegan Oat Bread is soft, light, and large enough to make a nice sized sandwich or even toast for breakfast. Now for other breads, such as rolls, focaccia, hot dog buns, cinnamon rolls, and pizza crusts, I suggest Tabor Mountain Bakehouse. http://www.tabormountainbakehouse.com/  My favorite is the Garlic Chive sandwich buns. They are so tasty and make a great dinner roll. And their cinnamon rolls are some of the most tasty pastries that I have ever had. At Tabor Mountain, all of their products are gluten, dairy, egg, soy, corn, and refined sugar free. They use organic, non-gmo, and locally sourced ingredients. This way, I never have to worry about getting sick after eating one of their products.

Roasted Butternut Squash

The nice thing about house sitting for the family while they were on vacation is that I can save money on food, which is great for a broke college student like myself! My family participates in a produce co-op in Falcon. There are actually several locations around the country and I highly recommend them. Check them out at http://www.bountifulbaskets.org/

Anyways, they had two butternut squash left on the counter when I got there, so I hummed over ideas of what to do with them and decided I wanted a quick and easy recipe. I decided roasting them would be my best option and boy did it come out delicious! I wish I had step by step pictures for y'all, but it's not too hard!

Easy Peazy Roasted Butternut Squash:

Medium sized squash

Cinnamon

Olive Oil

Preheat your oven to 400°F.

Peel your butternut squash and cut in half. Slice into small cubes and place on your choice of bake ware. I used a flat stone for this.

Drizzle olive oil over the squash and sprinkle cinnamon over it. "Stir" it up. I just used a wooden spoon and moved everything around to mix it all up.

Bake for about 40-45 minutes. Check halfway and mix up with spoon again. You'll want to cook until it becomes soft, but watch that it doesn't burn, so check every 5 minutes towards the end. 

And here's my delicious roasted butternut squash! It was so good, I could it the whole bowl in one sitting, like popcorn. It's great as a snack or side dish. For a family side dish, I would recommend making two squash so everyone can have a nice sized helping.
Want to skip the peeling, slicing, and cubing? Some grocery stores already have cubed squash packaged and ready to go!

Happy Cooking!