Gluten Free in SLC

Mandarin and Marmalade Cookies

2012-01-24T15:33:00.006-07:00

Ever want something sweet just from ingredients in your pantry? Um, all the time.

I actually have a pretty extensive pantry, well-stocked for most occasions. However, this week, the cupboards were a little bare since I hadn't renewed our Costco card yet.

I dug through the shelves to find something that I could put together, and I also came across this recipe from the Mrs. Fields Cookie Book. The 1990s cookie-superstar-mall-food-court Mrs. Fields was founded in 1977 in California, but is now headquartered in Cottonwood Heights, Utah. Not that it makes much difference to me. Except that it wasn't much of a surprise when I came across the cook book in a thrift store here, complete with autograph and personal note from Mrs. Fields herself to someone else in the front cover. (Apparently, they didn't care to hold on to this gem).

In the pantry, I rustled up some orange marmalade I canned last summer, as well as cans of mandarin oranges. Well, so becomes an excellent recipe adapted from the Mrs. Fields book, and updated to make it a little less sweet and a bit more focused on the orange-y goodness. (Not to mention, made gluten and dairy free).

The low oven temperature gives these cookies a seriously soft texture, almost like a Lofthouse cookie if you were eating gluten. They are studded with the bits of mandarin orange, and there's a zing inside from the orange marmalade. They don't need any frosting, and they are plenty sweet. The coconut oil gives a great, almost-buttery flavor, without any strange fake-fat aftertaste. The combination of flours gives a nice crumb (thanks to the sorghum), but enough structure to carry well in a lunch bag (thanks tapioca!)

Last Year: Deep Dark Chocolate Cake
Two Years Ago: Wordless Wednesday (Smores!)
Three Years Ago: Tuile Cups with Blueberries

Mandarin and Marmalade Cookies
adapted from Mrs. Fields Cookie Book
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1 cup sorghum flour
1 cup millet flour
3/4 cup tapioca starch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 cup coconut oil (substitute: butter, ghee, organic shortening)
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup orange marmalade
one 10 oz. can mandarin oranges, drained and chopped

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a medium bowl, combine sorghum flour, millet flour, tapioca starch, xanthan gum and baking powder.* Mix well with a wire whisk and set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, or another large bowl to be mixed by hand, blend coconut oil and sugar to form a grainy paste. Add egg and orange marmalade, and beat at medium speed until smooth. Alternately, mix by hand until the mixture is smooth. Add the flour mixture and the oranges, and blend at low speed just until combined. Do not overmix.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets, 1 1/2 inches apart. A baking sheet with a silicon mat would work well here.

Bake 24-25 minutes or until the bottom of the cookies begin to brown. Transfer with a spatula to a cool, flat surface. These cookies keep well at room temperature for about a week.

*The combination of flours could be substituted with 2 3/4 cups of your favorite gluten free all-purpose flour.

Hearty Beef Chili

2012-01-20T09:21:00.000-07:00

I just stumbled on an interesting read, called 100 Days of Real Food. She chose to commit to cooking real, unprocessed, unsweetened, home-cooked food for her and her family for one hundred days. Eating gluten and dairy free, we come close to that. But, there's a dark little corner of the world that still has my heart, and it's the sugar. I eat a fair bit of candy, for several different reasons.

When I decided to go gluten free, knowing it was truly the right thing for me, I wanted to make sure I didn't feel deprived. I watched the husband feel pretty deprived at the beginning, when we were still figuring out how he could eat his favorite foods. That took several weeks, even months, and so we tried to make up for it in other ways. For him, potato chips. For me, candy.

Feeling deprived just as your body starts to realize it can digest the nutrients you are eating again is a tough game. You have to eat enough, and you may still struggle with some nutrition deficiencies like I did. Thankfully, that time is over.

Now we have a new vista opening in our lives, where we can take the best care of ourselves. Tuesday night as we were eating tacos, the husband inquired about our overall vegetable consumption. He was requesting more. This hasn't really been a big element for him, and so I've tried to be sneaky about vegetables for him. He's not really a salad man. But I stuff all the frozen spinach, chopped bell pepper, sauteed onion, and grated carrot I can into what he eats. But now, he apparently wants it more front and center. So last night, I prepared a delicious local roasted chicken (from Grantsville, Utah and the great folks at Dreamcatcher Farm*), roasted potatoes, mixed veggies, and a gravy made with local apple cider. Go local with veggies! He actually really like it.

The 100 Days of Real Food has a 10 day pledge. That's the direction I would have to go if I were to give up the c.a.n.d.y. I've thought about it on and off for weeks, and while I'm not ready to give up the candy for 10 days, 100 days, or a year (after all, this year has 366 days!), it gives me food for thought.

The better I am at keeping delicious fruits on the counter top, tasty veggies in the fridge, and delicious baked goods (100 Days forbids white sugar - honey and maple syrup only) to keep myself away from the temptress. What do you think? Are you already there? Would you do it? Could you do it?

And, aren't we so lucky to be gluten free and already have a head start on this?

I feel lucky.

On to the chili. We've made this chili hundreds of times. I feed it to my family with corn muffins when they converge on my house with short notice. I make large batches and freeze portions, for quick dinners or lunches for the husband.

The flavor is really classic, with the chili powder and basil playing off each other into a well-rounded spiciness. The beans are hearty and filling, and the beef comes out tender. The flavors is even better after a night in the fridge, if you have to stow it away for leftovers.

Last Year: Twin Valley Mills sorghum flour
Two Years Ago: Teriyaki Bacon-Chicken-Pineapple Skewers
Three Years Ago: Being a Community (Utah Food Co-op)

Served with a crusty boule roll from C. She gave us a whole bunch, and they were delicious! We even made sandwiches with pulled BBQ chicken!

Hearty Beef Chili (Slow Cooker Recipe)
adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook
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12 ounces ground beef (we used some local grass-fed beef from the Utah Food Co-op)
1 cup chopped onion (1 large)
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 14 1/2 ounce can tomatoes, cut up
1 15-ounce can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
2 to 3 teapsoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, fresh cracked

In a large saucepan, cook ground beef, onion, bell pepper, and garlic til meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain fat. Stir in undrained tomatoes, kidney beans, tomato sauce, chili powder, basil, and pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Can be stored in the fridge for up to a week, or frozen in individual portions for several months.

Crockpot/slow cooker:
Cook meat, onion, bell pepper and garlic as above. Drain fat. In a 4 quart electric crockery cooker, combine meat mixture, undrained tomatoes, beans, tomato suace, chili powder, basil and pepper. Cover; cook on low for 8 to 10 hours of high for 4 to 5 hours.

*Dreamcatcher Farm doesn't have a website. I met Susan at the Utah Food Co-op Market sale**, and brought home a 4 pound young chicken. The only online information they have is this listing. Susan did say they take phone orders, and often deliver to Salt Lake City, if you want to make an order.

**Sadly, the Utah Food Co-Op is closing its doors forever at the end of January 2012. They served the Salt Lake and Utah valleys for 6 years with great food at low prices, and cultivated a venue for local farmers and artisans to sell their delights. This is so so sad for me. I'm going to have to figure out how to get my favorites without being able to hit the market every Monday afternoon.

Book Review: Artisinal Gluten Free Cooking by Peter and Kelli Bronski

2012-01-16T21:46:00.002-07:00

These are just a few, (and a random History of Modern Art there at the bottom)

I have a whole shelf full of cookbooks, both gluten free and regular. I like to browse them, mark them, and toy with the recipes. I like to modify endless numbers of regular recipes to be gluten free.

But when it comes to my number one, grab and go gluten free cookbook, the one I like to reach for is Artisinal Gluten Free Cooking by Peter and Kelli Bronski. The husband got me this one as a present for our wedding, and I have made many of the recipes already.

We've had the waffles, the cornbread, cider bacon chicken, yesterday we had the biscuits (with some seriously good dairy free sausage gravy), the peanut butter stir fry, and it turns out that chipotle-marinated pork fajitas are also in this book, even though the ones I made were adapted from a website. Similar taste, yes?

In fact, we do have the same taste, and I can't be more pleased that these wonderful Colorado folks eat pretty much the same flour blend that I cook with. It's healthier than the average starch-only mix, and tasty too! You may have noticed that I'm not necessarily a flour blend type of person, preferring to mix on the spot and choose the flours that I think would be best for the recipe based on their taste and texture. But if I had one, it would be on page 15 of Artisinal Gluten Free Cooking. You can read about Peter and Kelli's flour comparison from their blog, No Gluten No Problem. Also, a very excellent read!

One other element that I find really fascinating as a difference between my cooking style and theirs is the fact that they eat a lot of seafood! I ate a lot of seafood in Italy, and we eat the occasion tilapia filet or crab cake, but the Bronskis sure like their fish! It's exciting to see what our fish-eating world would look like if we decided to embrace it. Living in Utah, we are solidly land-lubbers who like our beef, but I've seen a little sparkle in the husband's eye lately about branching out into different foods. Maybe more seafood is on the horizon for us, and thanks to this book, we'll be well equipped to prepare seafood dishes that speak to our palates!

I mentioned above the sheer number of recipes out of this book we've already tried, and I think we've already made this cookbook worth its purchase. I have to say that each of the recipes was easy to make, the directions were clear, and I was able to execute each of them with successful results. With that being said, I'm not the follow-every-last-bit of the recipe type, so it's easy for me to improvise and end up with a good result. Still, I feel like the detail is sufficient for any gluten free cook to make some great food using these recipes. The ingredients are simple and accessible, and the techniques easy to intermediate, and well described.

Thank you Bronskis, we so love your cookbook! (We paid for it, just for the record). We're going to get their new cupcake book next.

Last Year: Roasted Delicata Squash with Garlic
Two Years Ago: So what do you eat? Fruit, that's what.
Three Years Ago: Lloyd's Barbecue: Seasoned Shredded Chicken

Honey Ginger Cookies with Candied Lemon

2012-01-12T11:14:00.001-07:00

Cookies!

These are the perfect January cookies, when everyone's a bit under the weather. They include all the things you would grab, or ask your kind friend to get for you, and they're all combined into one soft and chewy cookie. Honey, ginger, and bright and bitter candied lemons.

If you haven't made candied lemons before, you can follow my lead and try them, or they are also available in the store near the lemon curd and other jam-like jars.

I love the consistency of these cookies - they are truly a chewy cookie with a soft texture. They even held up decently well in my lunch in a hard-sided container (few cookies could handle the beating if they were only in a baggie or something). The technique of this recipe lends itself well to the soft and chewy texture, with 3 cups of flour to 1/2 cup fat, and the flour is only barely moistened when the dough finally comes together. These would actually be perfect for shaping and freezing as dough balls for another day when you need a cookie and only want to bake a few.

When seeking the perfect gluten free cookie dough, you can often find yourself with less than stellar results. This is often due to the low protein content of cookies (depending on which flours you use), the temperature of the dough and baking sheet before, during and after the baking process. It can also be a problem if you add ingredients during the mixing process because you feel like the texture of the dough is wrong. Hopefully you can avoid each of these pitfalls.

Flours with a good protein content are beneficial for cookies, and they taste good too (sorghum, millet, brown rice and quinoa, buckwheat, teff in smaller amounts)
Don't let your cookie dough get too warm before baking it. If needed throw it in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill again. Use a cold cookie sheet. After the first batch, pop your cookie sheet (no cookies on it) in the freezer for 10 minutes to cool down.
Follow the directions carefully of the gluten free recipe the first time through, until you're more comfortable modify regular recipes into gluten free recipes.

Hopefully, these will lead you to better cookie success. Everyone deserves a good cookie, and there's no reason you can't make them at home!

Last Year: Roasted Delicata Squash with Garlic

Two Years Ago: Coconut Cupcakes

Three Years Ago: Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Centers

Honey Ginger Cookies with Candied Lemon

adapted from the recipe for Ginger Cookies in The Ultimate Cookie Book by Catherine Atkinson

[Printer Friendly]

1 cup sorghum flour

1 cup millet flour or brown rice flour

1 cup tapioca starch

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 teaspoon salt*

3/4 cup white granulated sugar

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup Spectrum organic shortening

1/4 to 1/3 cup honey (more if the dough doesn't come together)

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup candied lemon slices, drained and coarsely chopped (the measurement is after they have been drained and chopped)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a baking sheet with a silicon baking mat, parchment paper, or lightly sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine the sorghum flour, millet flour, and tapioca starch in a large bowl with the salt and xantham gum. Add the sugar, ground ginger, and baking soda, and whisk to combine.

Add the room temperature shortening and honey to the flour mixture, and stir until the shortening is distributed and coarse crumbs form in the mixture. Add the eggs and two thirds of the candied lemon slices, and mix thoroughly. The dough is really dry, and it will seem like you don't have enough wet ingredients. Use your hands to bring the dough together, forming a very dry, stiff dough. (It will be similar to a shortbread dough made with gluten). If the dough doesn't combine into a large ball, add a small amount of additional honey, and work into a ball.

Shape the dough into 20 large or 30 small balls, depending on your preference. Mine were just larger than one inch in diameter. Place them on the baking sheet, leaving space between the cookies and gently flatten the balls.

Press a few pieces of the remaining candied lemons into the top of each cookie.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies, until light golden on top. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes before removing from the sheet with a metal spatula to a cooling rack.

Notes:
*Salting cookie dough: the amount of salt needed varies depending on the fat you choose. Less to none with salted butter, some with unsalted butter, and slightly more than that if you are using a non-dairy organic shortening, like Spectrum.

Santa Monica Farmer's Market

2012-01-08T19:57:00.005-07:00

On our trip, we went to the Santa Monica Farmer's Market. Mostly, I was too busy drooling over things to take a lot of photos, but I wanted to capture the brilliant colors in the early sunshine. Isn't California the place where the streets are paved with gold and fresh produce?

Brussel sprouts on the stock.

We ended up buying a few things for our snack stash, as well as a few things to take home. From the Ha's Apple Farm booth, we grabbed a few small Granny Smith apples, a bag of dried Fiji apples (so flavorful!), a jar of apple cider vinegar (for home), and a bag of fruit and almond brittle. The fruit and almond brittle was actually one of my favorite snacks - it was fruit leather with bits of chopped almond in it. Crunchy and sweet at the same time!

Strawberries!

We stopped and got a bag of lemons and some Cara Cara blood oranges from some adorable farmers, and even got to taste the blood oranges before bagging them (um, that was what sold us).

We grabbed a jar of jalapeno olives from Adams Ranch, and some Desert Wildflower honey (that the husband can't get enough of) from Bee Canyon Ranch. It's a honey that's really dark in color, has the viscosity of the La Brea Tar Pits, and tastes like the desert. It's so beautiful.

Last, we scored some excellent berries. It was a beautiful Saturday morning, and it was the closest to the ocean we had been yet in the trip. You could feel it.

I think it's fascinating to explore the food cultures of other cities. To see that every Saturday of the year, you can get fresh produce in Santa Monica. I've never lived in a place with a year growing season. Here in Utah, we get our produce in August and September, with some excellent tomatoes in October this last year. When I did the CSA in 2010, we received weekly orders from the last week in June (and really, those were the earliest foods, like garlic and herbs), through October.

Last Year: Chili Colorado
Two Years Ago: Coconut Kumquat Tea Cake
Three Years Ago: Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Centers

Italian Ricotta (Ricotta Salata): Casein-free cheese

2012-01-04T23:31:00.000-07:00

As you may know, some doctors estimate that at least 50% of individuals with Celiac disease are also sensitive to the dairy protein called casein. The husband and I both fall into this category.

It's been almost 2 years since I went dairy free, and probably about a year for the husband. We are both feeling tremendously better, and I'm particularly happy for him. It was hard to watch him eat the same dinner as me, except with cheese, and then not feel well afterward.

The protein casein is included in all dairy products, or, as it turns out, almost all of them. I recently read The Gluten Free Homemaker's post on making ghee or clarified butter, which only contains butterfat and whey protein, and excludes the casein. I read other sources about ghee and would like to try it, but I still haven't yet. But, it got my wheels turning. Casein-free dairy products.

Then, I came across this section (and a few other bits) in On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee:

Subtract the four caseins from the milk proteins, and the remainder, numbering in the dozens, are the whey proteins. Where the caseins are mainly nutritive, supplying the amino acids and calcium for the calf, the whey proteins include defensive proteins, molecules that bind to and transport other nutrients, and enzymes. The most abundant one by far is lactoglobulin, whose biological function remains a mystery. It's a highly structured protein that is readily denatured by cooking. It unfolds at 172 degrees Fahrenheit, when its sulfur atoms are exposed to the surrounding liquid and react with the hydrogen ions to form hydrogen sulfide gas, whose powerful aroma contributes to the characteristic flavor of cooked milk (and many other animal foods).

In boiling milk, unfolded lactoglobulin binds not to itself but to the capping-casein on the casein micelles, which remain separate; so denatured lactoglobulin doesn't coagulate. When denatured in acid conditions with relatively little casein around, as in cheese whey, lactoglobulin molecules do bind to each other and coagulate into little clots, which can be made into whey cheese like true ricotta. Heat-denatured whey proteins are better than their native forms at stabilizing air bubbles in milk foams and ice crystals in ice creams; this is why milks and creams are usually cooked for these preparations. (page 21)

Hold on, there's a cheese that doesn't contain casein? I read several articles about how mozzarella is made from whole milk, and the whey is a byproduct of the mozzarella process. Then, the whey is used to make a traditional Italian ricotta.

It wasn't too many minutes after that when I pulled into the grocery store parking lot to see for myself. I was able to find some small blocks of it in the artisan cheese case, and this was the label on the package. I was also disappointed to see that the label printed by the grocery store (not shown) was completely wrong, but I trusted the added label (below) from the cheese maker.

'Made from 100% pasteurized sheep's milk whey, salt.'

I brought it home.

I sliced off a few bits and ate it. I wanted to give it a few hours before I told the husband that we were having some cheese with dinner. I felt the same after about 4 hours, so I took the next step.

It's a really dry cheese, with small bubbles and tunnels, and crumbly when you break it off. (This is NOT the same kind of ricotta that comes in a tub, similar to cottage cheese, that you would put in lasagna.) It doesn't really have any elasticity, the way you can waggle a string cheese around, or bend pieces of medium cheddar almost 90 degrees before it breaks.

So, does it melt? I put it on an end piece of Udi's bread and put it in the oven under the broiler. I ended up with a piece of blackened bread, and a slice of cheese that was only starting to look "warm." You know, how it gets soft around the edges. Well, it doesn't melt.

Like gluten, I think the protein casein provides the type of structure to foods that gives it some bend, and the ability to melt. Don't plan on melting the Italian ricotta.

But, I did really enjoy bits of Italian ricotta stuffed in some chipotle pork fajitas, crumbled over corn chips, or just a slice of it. It's cheese! And it's casein free!

Last Year: Chili Colorado Recipe

Two Years Ago: Orange Muffins with Fresh Cranberries and Southwestern Chicken Soup

Three Years Ago: Bullseye Barbecue Sauce

Top 10 Recipes of 2011

2012-01-01T14:47:00.001-07:00

The sun through the living room window this afternoon was delicious. It was a cool white and playful along the walls. We sat on the couch together, talking about pocket knives. He was showing me the features of the one he got for Christmas, and we were sharing the relief that the one I left in my carry-on when we went through security last week, and subsequently put in the mail to arrive back at home, had in fact arrived. (The TSA agent sure had his eye on it!)

[I would also like to mention, as a side note, my extreme embarrassment for being "one of thoose people." The ones who hold up the security line because they forgot to take the nunchucks out of their carry on bag. Uh, sorry people.]

It wasn't that there was anything about this little piece of the afternoon that was out of the ordinary. In fact, the ordinariness of it all is what made it stick inside of me, like an extra big dinner. 2012 will be our first whole year as married people. One of many in our future, I'm brimming with the hope that we'll see our lives wind through and realize that we were side by side the whole time.

Because it's held its rank as such a special place in my heart, I thought I would show you a glimpse of our special day. It was terribly cold that day in early October, like in the 30s, but I hardly noticed. It was the others at our reception that seemed to notice how frigid it was! I'm grateful for the folks who endured the chill with us, and I loved watching my nieces and nephews play near the beautiful stone fireplace. I think that made their day memorable too.

Top day of 2011!

Well, this coming year is going to be pretty great. I have some big plans for the blog, and for some restaurant reviews (which haven't been my strong point in the past), and for having some gluten free dinner groups at our house. Are any of you local folks interested in getting together for some delicious gluten free dinner? It would just tickle me pink to meet people around the valley who have awesome gluten free insights and have a great evening together.

Last Year: Top 10 Gluten Free Recipes of 2010
Two Years Ago: Top 10 Recipes of 2009
Three Years Ago: Lindt Excellence Extra Creamy Milk Chocolate (not gluten free)

Well, let's kick this off. Since you all, the readers, are my favorite part about blogging (with food coming in as a close second), I wanted to highlight the foods you chose this year. The ones that people read about, and hopefully tried out the recipes. It's always the highest honor to have someone explain how they tried out a recipe, and whether or not it worked, and how they liked it.

So, 2011 brought us:

10. Jerusalem Artichoke Soup was one of my earliest 2011 inventions, and it came because of a Bountiful Baskets order. I was convinced that they had passed along 5 knobby roots of fresh ginger, and was puzzling over what I could do with it!

The Jerusalem Artichoke flavor is more complex than potato, with a nice hint of spicy bitterness underneath the creamy tuber taste. It's a nice way to try something different for the cook who has made all kinds of potato soup.

9. Sweet Potato Fries have always been a favorite for us, but we haven't been able to eat them out at restaurant since going gluten free. (If you live in Salt Lake and don't eat gluten free, the Bayou has some excellent sweet potato fries.)

I wanted to get to the bottom of how to make crisp sweet potato fries, and so I studied it out and we think the results are pretty positive. The outsides have a nice crunch (but they aren't burnt), and the inside has a nice creamy and smooth texture.

8. Pumpkin Cranberry Bread came out of our oven multiple times this fall! I just couldn't get enough of the warm spices with the earthy pumpkin, with bits of bursting fresh cranberries in the bread. I made regular sized loaves and some of the small loaves, and this was one of the first times I really saw the clear difference in baking with different types of pans. You will find different results with metal pans than you will with glass or ceramic.

It's a true measure of a skilled baker to recognize when the texture is correct, and adjust the baking time accordingly. Hopefully we'll be exploring more about baking times and pan materials in the coming year.

7. Easy Apple Coffee Cake really truly did turn out to be an easy recipe. I loved the walnut-studded outer crust, and the way I was able to get this in and out of the oven in time to help the husband get ouf bed.

Has anyone else noticed that a divine smell from the kitchen can help rouse the heaviest of sleepers? I guess it works at this house. I was also pleased to be using some delicious local apples from the Monday Market several times in making this recipe.

6. Chili Colorado Recipe was actually part of our special day. We served it, along with a choice of Shredded Mexican Chicken, and the guests were able to choose their favorite and pile on the toppings. From the murmurs at the tables, I think it was a win.

The husband's favorite part of this dish is the meatiness, combined with the complex spice profile. It's surely something that will perk up taste buds, and leave people wondering what you put in there!

5. Gluten Free Fresh Grapefruit Cake is actually a recipe that I had to battle with. The grapefruit flavor provides the underlying bitterness in the cake, which can be very pleasant. Still, it needed something to help tone down the bitterness, so the Dairy Free Caramel Sauce (number 2 on this list) turned out to be a great accompaniment. There are few things are sublime as something bitter paired with something quite sweet, with a touch of sea salt in the caramel. What a treat!

4. Berry Streusel Coffee Cake is hands down now my favorite coffee cake. The streusel topping was almost like an oatmeal cookie (sans oatmeal, since the oatmeal and butter usually found in coffee cake are no longer on my list of edibles). You can use any berry you like, I personally prefer frozen berries in here, since I have them in my freezer all year long. This is another breakfast treat that is sure to help your sleepy crowd out of bed!

Honestly, coffee cake holds a tiny corner of my innermost me, since I make it every year at camp. This year we let one of our greatest mentors go, and he remains a part of me and my cooking, since he treated me and my cooking contributions for camp with such respect.

3. Dairy Free Easy Peanut Butter Fudge was this year's holiday friend gift smash hit. My friend K asked for the recipe, and I made multiple batches, and kept it in my fridge for the moment I needed it. I'm not really one to plan ahead on those sorts of things, so I appreciated a speedy recipe that could go into the fridge, and then be sliced on demand and wrapped on a little plate for a good friend or neighbor.

I'm a big believer that we should each find those easy things that make our life better - whether it's Chili Colorado in the freezer, a quick and filling risotto meal that is always on the appealing list when few other things are, or a treat that's easy to make and easy to share when it's needed. It's quite appealing to my pratical side, and so I'm sure it will make its appearance again and again.

2. Dairy Free Caramel Sauce, like I mentioned above, was the perfect pairing for the fresh grapefruit cake. Sometimes all you need on a cake with a really strong flavor is an equally delicious contrasting sauce. The same thing happened on my Gingerbread Bundt Cake with Chocolate Ganache, just a few days ago. It also reminds me of the Apricot Dobos Torte from several years ago. Complex and packed with caramel.

1. Balsamic Beef Stew was the all-time favorite of the year for you readers. I have to be honest that I can't really blame you. It fed me and the husband multiple times this fall, and the deep smoky balsamic makes all the difference. It's a substantial and chunky dish, perfect for the chill of winter.

Here's to another year, bursting with creativity, fresh food, ingenious dishes, and good friends and family. May your 2012 be bright.

Gingerbread Bundt Cake with Chocolate Ganache

2011-12-31T11:30:00.001-07:00

I was watching a battle of Iron Chefs Superstars (or whatever it's called) and one of the judges referred to dusting something with powdered sugar as "soooo 1970s dinner party." Well, apparently I'm stuck in an age that was before my time, because I like dark cakes dusted with powdered sugar. I also don't get points for my plating design from a dude who eats fancy food for every meal, so there you go.

Despite pretentiousness, I made this cake several times this December. It's dark and spicy, especially because I used the "bold" molasses, rather than the "mild flavor" molasses. You'll have to be sure you like the molasses flavor if you're going to use the bold. It's, well, bold.

The bold molasses flavor was also the perfect venue for the chocolate ganache I posted earlier, making a great pair.

I can't believe all that's happened this year. I'm sort of bursting with gratitude, even though it was not without bumps and bruises. We actually just got back from our honeymoon trip to Los Angeles, and we had a delightful time. It was just the two of us, and we had a hotel room that overlooked a public square where people were ice skating every evening. We went to every art museum we could pack in, ate some great gluten free food (and even managed to find some meat among all the vegan and vegetarian options available), and made some memories. I'll tell you all about the food in an upcoming post.

Until then, have a piece of cake!

Last Year: Peanut Brittle

Two Years Ago: Delicious Chocolate Pretzels

Three Years Ago: Beef Hot Links and Pump Up your Annie's Mac and Cheese

Gingerbread Bundt Cake with Chocolate Ganache
adapted from this recipe
[Printer Friendly]

1 cup tapioca starch
1 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons dried ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs
1 cup molasses
2/3 cup oil
1 cup water
powdered sugar, if desired

Chocolate Ganache

Heat oven to 350 degrees f. Prepare 12 inch Bundt pan with shortening. (I find shortening works best with a Bundt pan, which can be tricky for removing the cake).

Lightly spoon flours into measuring cup; level off. In large bowl, combine tapioca starch, sorghum flour, buckwheat flour, sugar, cocoa, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, salt, xanthan gum, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves; mix well.

In medium bowl, lightly beat eggs. Add molasses and oil; beat well. Stir in water. Add egg mixture to flour mixture; beat just until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert on serving plate. Cool 30 minutes or until completely cooled. Just before serving, sprinkle with powdered sugar or top with chocolate ganache.

Easy Chocolate Ganache, Dairy Free

2011-12-27T11:25:00.001-07:00

I can't believe 2011 is rushing to a close! It's just passing so quickly. In spite of it, we've managed to eat some delicious food, and spend some time with my family.
I thought I would quickly show how to make chocolate ganache, dairy free of course, because it's the perfect topping for holiday cakes and other deliciousness. I made it three times in December.

Easy Chocolate Ganache, Dairy Free

1/2 bag dairy free chocolate chips or 5 ounces chopped chocolate
coconut milk, about 1/4 cup (as needed)

Over a double boiler (or a small saucepan with simmering water, with a glass bowl nested inside), combine the chocolate chips or chopped chocolate and coconut milk. Stir the chocolate and coconut milk together as the chocolate melts, forming a rich sauce. If needed, add a little more coconut milk to thin the mixture.

Serve warm over cake, ice cream, or whatever it sounds good on!

Perfect topping for a moist cake.

Dairy Free Easy Peanut Butter Fudge

2011-12-19T14:24:00.002-07:00

Need an easy gift for your neighbors? (As long as no one has a peanut allergy...)

I whipped this up to take to a friend who had been on my mind. I left it on her porch, tucked inside the screen door and the main door, because she wasn't home. Also on the plate was some gingerbread bundt cake with chocolate ganache. She's a curator of epicurian delights too, and said the fudge was gone the moment her husband walked into the kitchen.

Basically, you can put this together in just a few minutes and set it in the fridge, and a few hours later you have a gift that's ready to slice, put on plates or in pretty boxes, and drop off. My kind of deal. In previous years, we've made peanut brittle and chocolate covered pretzels for the same reason.

We are hoping this week finds you cozy and peaceful. Hopefully with a friend or family member in tow.

Last Year: Gluten Free Apple Coconut Family Cake

Two Years Ago: Noodles and Company Tomato Cucumber Salad and The Only Gluten Free Brownie You'll Ever Need

Three Years Ago: Western Family Teriyaki Sauce

Easy Peanut Butter Fudge
adapted from this recipe
[Printer Friendly]

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

1/2 cup Spectrum Organic shortening, or other high-quality shortening
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners' (powdered) sugar, sifted

Line the bottom and sides of a loaf pan with aluminum foil or wax paper. Spray the foil with a non stick cooking spray.

Place the peanut butter, shortening, and salt in a medium glass bowl. Place over a pot of simmering water (so the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water). Stir until the ingredients are completely melted. Then, using a spatula or wooden spoon, stir in the vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Taste with your finger and add salt to taste. With a higher-quality shortening, there won't be that Crisco flavor, but it's likely to also be light on the salt. Don't be afraid to salt it - it will bring out the sweet of the fudge. Spread the fudge into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Cover and place in the refrigerator until firm (at least two hours).

To serve, cut into 1 inch pieces. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Makes about 36 pieces of fudge. This recipe can easily be doubled.

Chipotle-Marinated Pork Fajitas

2011-12-14T22:08:00.001-07:00

All this Christmas business is in full swing. We've had the work Christmas party, received the company gift (a beautiful, leather-bound book!), and the adorable pictures of neices and nephews have already arrived. The boy's birthday is tomorrow, which means it's only 11 days before the big day. I still haven't wrangled his cake request out of him. Spice cake used to be his favorite, but he's almost completely lost his sweet tooth. It might be almond poppyseed muffins, which are right on the edge of sweet for him.

We'll see what I can get him to request for his birthday. After all, a birthday without cake... well, it's not what I would prefer. But I might just like the candles and sprinkles.

I mentioned last year at Thanksgiving (the first time I made the apple pie), that right now is a time when it becomes clear how much my cooking has grown over the last year. Last year at this time, I would have hardly imagined shaping my own hamburgers with grass-fed local beef, roasting squash and adding toasty walnuts, maple syrup and cinnamon for a hearty breakfast at work, or even making rice pilaf and stuffed chicken breasts when I wanted some comfort food. But it's where we're at, and I'm grateful.

My weighty copy of On Food and Cooking sits near my laptop in the living room, where I'm reading about the chemical structure of dairy products. I got it for my birthday this year. I guess I love the part of the food world where the options are endless.

I could make cookies, or bread dough, or muffins or chicken dishes every day for years and never have to try the same thing twice. Noted, the husband is a fan of familiarity in our food, but I could eat up the variety of the food world's endless options with gusto if I were left to my own devices.

I love the added chipotle and adobo to these pork fajitas. I'm an admitted amateur at understanding and buying the right cuts of meat. Sometimes meat cuts just feel a little complicated. But, I was pleased to find that small-cut boneless pork ribs made delicious fajita strips. It's not necessary to use pork tenderloin, but it's tender and savory if you have tenderloin around.

These are quick to make, since you can marinade the meat for as little as 30 minutes and still get the tangy flavor. This is especially true if you add the remaining marinade to the pan near the end of the cooking time for the meat. It boldens the flavor, wrapping it all in adobo loveliness.

Last Year: Gluten Free Dairy Free Double Crusted Apple Pie
Two Years Ago: Happy birthday to the boy!
Three Years Ago: Get your own tots!

Chipotle-Marinated Pork Fajitas

Adapted from this recipe

[Printer Friendly]

1 canned chipotle chile in adobo plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup orange juice

3 tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
8 ounces of pork tenderloin or boneless pork ribs, sliced into bite-sized fajita strips

olive oil
1 white onion, sliced into strips
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
corn tortillas

Combine the chipotle with adobo, garlic, orange juice, lime juice, vinegar, oregano, cumin, and salt and pepper in the bowl of the food processor. Process until the chipotle is blended and the whole mixture comes together into a smooth sauce.

Chop the pork into fajita strips, trimming any extra fat from the meat. Pour the chipotle mixture over the meat in a medium bowl, then cover and put in the fridge anywhere from 30 minutes to 8 hours.

When the pork is marinated, prepare the onions and bell peppers, slicing them into strips with a sharp knife. In a cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil, then add the peppers and onion. Saute until the veggies are almost tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the onions and peppers from the heat, onto a plate, and set aside.

With the pan still on the heat, add the marinated meat and saute until the meat is cooked through, about 7-10 minutes. Once the meat is browned and cooked through, add the small amount of remaining sauce to the pan, and reduce slightly. When the meat is finished, add the onions and peppers back into the mix and warm together.

Serve with warmed corn tortillas (my local favorite tortillas are Don Julio, made in Clearfield, Utah) and rice.

Gluten Free Fresh Grapefruit Cake with Dairy Free Caramel Sauce

2011-12-10T14:30:00.006-07:00

During the winter months, the Monday Market carries great-quality food that's not necessarily local (except for the squash, potatoes, onions, and a few others). We picked up some beautiful grapefruit that we've been cracking open for breakfast.

The sweet and barely-salty caramel sauce from a few days ago needed a friend. A perfect accompaniment. Why not something a little bitter and bold like grapefruit?

Grapefruit is in season right now in Florida and Texas. My sister and her family live in Arizona, and have a huge grapefruit tree in their yard. The last time I was there, in July, the grapefruits were ripe in their backyard. My friend and I brought them into the kitchen and ate our fill, for sure. Someday, I'll have a fruit tree in my yard!

This is a great winter dish, with the sweet caramel and bitter grapefruit.

The husband and I are getting ready for a vacation over the Christmas break from work and school, almost like a real honeymoon! (We only had two days after our wedding before we had to be back at work). He's been sending me lengthy emails with all the places we needed to see, explore, and the art galleries and museums that are must-haves on our list. It's now up to me to coordinate it all into a day-by-day approach to the right sights and restaurants, and I'm up to the challenge. He hasn't really traveled with me much, really just for our weeks at camp (hardly a vacation), our trip to Zion National Park two years ago, and a few other brief jaunts.

Countdown is on! Now I just need to keep on the holiday train, and make sure we have all the delights under the tree that I have on my list.

Last Year: C's Mega Turkey Sandwich
Two Years Ago: Tuna Biscuit Casserole
Three Years Ago: Fusion Hummus

Fresh Grapefruit Cake
adapted from this recipe
[Printer Friendly]

Makes one 9-inch round layer, or an 8x8 pan
Could be doubled for a 2 layer round cake

1/3 cup vegan shortening, such as Spectrum Organic
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated grapefruit zest
2/3 cup fresh grapefruit juice
1/2 cup millet flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum

Dairy Free Caramel Sauce, for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9 inch pan with shortening. Sift together the flours, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla and grapefruit zest. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the grapefruit juice. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Top with slices of fresh grapefruit and drizzles of caramel sauce.

Dairy Free Caramel Sauce

2011-12-07T09:53:00.003-07:00

I wanted a creamy caramel sauce, without the cream or sweetened condensed milk, that could provide that amber sweetness with other desserts. One that could tame bright flavors of winter citrus, cover fall apples, or daintily dress a cake plate.

Coconut milk provides a creamy component to this caramel sauce, deepening the flavor, but still keeping it free of the coconut taste.

The sea salt here is absolutely essential. It makes each one of the complex notes in the caramel more clear, and explains the amber color to the taster's palate. That rich caramel taste is perfect for winter.

Making candy is not as hard and scary as it may seem. Yeah, there's a pot of boiling sugar on the stove, but that can be taken in stride. When I was a wee lass, my mom let me make suckers to go in some sucker molds she had. I had made suckers with the Girls Scouts the week before, and I wanted more. So, I set about boiling the heck out of a pot of sugar. The house smelled, the fire alarm went off, the mixture was harder than rocks, and the smell stuck around the kitchen for several days. Um, don't make candy like that.

There are two better options: the candy thermometer, and the cold water test. I have both of these methods available, and you can easily find descriptions of which types of candy (fudge vs. taffy vs. caramels) require which temperature. Hand in hand with that though is the cold water method, which I am more inclined to use. The appropriate cold water test for this caramel sauce, which reaches "firm ball stage" is explained within the recipe. But while we're at it, one more candy-making tip: cook the mixture gently. No cranking it up to high and leaving the room. It's the best way to prevent my childhood candy debacle, and give you great results.

Last Year: Gluten Free Nutella Brownie Bites
Two Years Ago: 10 Tools for Every Gluten Free Kitchen
Three Years Ago: Banana Bread with Almonds

Dairy Free Caramel Sauce
adapted from this recipe
[Printer Friendly]

2 cups white granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1/ cup agave nectar or light corn syrup
1/2 cup coconut milk (not light)
2 tablespoons dairy free shortening, like Spectrum Organic
2 teaspoons vanilla
salt to taste

Combine the coconut milk and shortening and set aside. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the sugar, agave nectar and water to a boil, stirring well at first to dissolve the sugar. Turn down the heat to low and cook until the liquid is deep amber in color, about 12 minutes, swirling the pan occasionally to ensure even cooking. Even while cooking on low, the mixture will still bubble vigorously - this is what you want. The best way to test it is to look for "firm ball" stage, about 240 degrees Fahrenheit on a candy thermometer.

Firm ball: You can drip a little bit of the mixture from the spoon onto a cold plate, and leave it for 30 seconds. Then, with your finger, it should hold it's shape, and feel gooey to the touch (but not runny or solid).

The Candy-o-Matic (well worth the visit) suggests this method for testing:

Drop a little of this syrup in cold water and it will form a firm ball, one that won’t flatten when you take it out of the water, but remains malleable and will flatten when squeezed.

Once you've reached firm ball and a light amber color, remove the pan from heat. Very carefully (the mixture will bubble), stir in the coconut milk, dairy-free soy margarine and salt until smooth. The salting is a delicate process. You will toss in a bit of salt, and then stir thoroughly, then taste. You want just enough salt to magnify the sweetness. You add enough to there's almost a hint of bitterness from the salt. It will really bring out the caramel flavor.

Let cool slightly before adding the vanilla, then using to fill tarts, coat apples, or serve over dairy free ice cream. It can be stored in the fridge for up to a month. Reheat before serving.

Other candy recipes:
Chocolate-Dipped Pretzels
Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
Peanut Brittle (DF)

Gluten and Dairy Free Berry Streusel Coffee Cake

2011-12-03T15:58:00.010-07:00

The last time I talked about coffee cake, I could eat butter and gluten free oats. These days, I won't touch either of them.

I've been making coffee cake without butter or oats for months. I have to say though, the one here in the picture? It's the best one I've made so far. The topping had enough fat in it that it almost made a cookie dough for the topping. I broke it into little chunks to drop over the top of the batter, and it baked together into the batter to be so tender with a little crunch of the sugar.

I prefer my coffee cake with the kind of topping you'd put on an apple crisp - full of flaky goodness like the quinoa flakes (I used Ancient Harvest brand, you can find them at the health food store), flaked coconut, and walnuts. Pretty hearty for the top.

The magic of this cake is that some of the topping bakes all the way down into the bottom of the cake. If you flip it over (bottoms up!), you'll even see some flakes of quinoa and coconut. It's tender and holds some richness, and is nice hearty breakfast fare.

The berries thrown in add some freshness to the bites of sweet topping and cake.

Last Year: Gluten Free Groceries in Stockholm
Two Years Ago: Pumpkin Custard Pie and Gluten Free Cherry Galette
Three Years Ago: Chicken Coconut Curry

Gluten and Dairy Free Berry Streusel Coffee Cake

Recipe from my own adaptation
[Printer Friendly]

Cake:
1/3 cup canola oil
2 eggs
3/4 cup non-dairy milk (rice, coconut, almond, etc)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup millet flour
2/3 cup tapioca starch
1/3 cup buckwheat flour
1/3 cup sorghum flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1-2 cups frozen berries (choose your favorite, I used mixed berries)

Topping:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup quinoa flakes
1/2 cup chopped almonds or walnuts
1/4 cup sweetened dried coconut flakes
3 tablespoons sorghum flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons shortening, like Spectrum Organic (Crisco has a distinct flavor, you'd be better off using a higher-quality shortening than Crisco, especially in the topping)

Combine topping ingredients into a small bowl, using your fingers to smoosh the shortening and mix the ingredients together to form something between crumbs and a cookie dough.
In another medium bowl, combine flours, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum and salt. Whisk until completely combined.
In a third bowl, combine oil, eggs, soured milk, and vanilla. Add in flour and sugar mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until combined.

Grease an 8 x 8 pan. If you want a flatter coffee cake, there's plenty of batter to put it in a 9x13 pan, and you could cut it into more slices this way too. Pour in batter, and top with streusel topping. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes until the entire cake is firm when touched (including the very center, which will be the last to firm up). Enjoy warm.

Balsamic Beef Stew

2011-11-30T11:54:00.003-07:00

It's now been two years for me, eating gluten free. The husband is now at three and a half years. Our lives feel different than they used to.

More vibrant. Less crappy. More in focus. We're grateful. Things have changed a lot.

Move over, Dinty Moore.

Beef stew with tender chunks of beef, melty potatoes, and sunny carrots. It's the stuff that will warm you in the middle, keep you full for a long time, and the house smells divine while it's cooking.

Most recently, I made it while the husband was playing the newest Halo game. We were literally in the same room. He asked me the next day where the beef stew came from. Apparently he didn't noticed the scent of the beef and the tomato paste and the balsamic vinegar having a party.

I've decided that balsamic vinegar, as long as you've picked out a good one (aged and likely imported), has that dark and smoky tart taste that really accents meat. It does wonders for this beef. I have a particular chicken dish I like too where it's the crowning note, but it's not too overwhelming. Versatile, too, then.

Get yourself some good balsamic and go for the beef stew.

Last Year: Shredded Mexican Chicken
Two Years Ago: Gluten Free Reviews - California Pizza Kitchen (FAIL)
Three Years Ago: MegaWraps Review (not gluten free)

Balsamic Beef Stew
Loosely based on the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook
[Printer Friendly]

1 pound beef stew meat, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
2 tablespoons millet flour
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cups homemade stock (I used veggie)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon gluten free soy sauce
1 cup carrots, chopped on the bias
1 cup Russet potato, chopped into small cubes

Trim the fatty parts off the beef, and cut into bite-sized cubes, about 1/4 inch square. In a zip-top bag, shake the beef and millet flour together. When the beef pieces are covered in flour, brown the outside of the beef pieces in a large, heated saucepan with some oil.

Chop and add the onion, stock, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for an hour until the beef is tender.

Then, add tomato paste, Worcestershire, balsamic, gluten free soy sauce, and oregano. Chop the carrots and potatoes and add to the stew. Cover and simmer for another 30 minutes, until the potatoes and carrots are firm but tender.

Serve with some hearty corn chips.

Keeps well in the fridge for several days, or in the freezer in individual portions for several months.

Gluten and Dairy Free Thanksgiving Recap 2011

2011-11-26T16:26:00.003-07:00

What a wonderful blessed year! This year we bought a house, got married, ate dairy and gluten free, loved our jobs, the husband got amazing grades in school (not without some late nights by both of us), and we're still kicking!

We are also grateful for the classes he missed when he was sick, the early morning meetings at my work, the friends who have left this life this year, the 30+ houses we toured with our saintly patient real estate agent before coming back to "the one", the mixup on my credit report, the sprinkler I knocked out of the lawn that we replaced (not life-changing, but certainly not glamorous), the stress of getting married, long and tiring business trips with too few calls to hear the others' voice at the end of the line, and other battle scars from the year. They toughen us, and soften us all at once.

We shared a wonderful, completely gluten and dairy free Thanksgiving with my parents and our friend C. We ate in the afternoon, using my mom's China and her Czech crystal goblets, and a strange array of plastic and sundry serving bowls (there's always an eclectic and informal touch at our events). I had the seat opposite the window, and watched some of my parents' neighbors ride by in a wood wagon pulled by horses (not something we see in downtown), and watched the light change on the Wasatch Mountains. We stuffed ourselves, and then laid around on the floor of the living room, giggling in little bursts.

Later, we got up and shared pie, and then we trucked on home, with half-full dishes in the back seat and full hearts.

I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful too.

Last Year: Gluten Free Thanksgiving Ideas
Two Years Ago: Thanksgiving Recap (2009)
Three Years Ago: Thanksgiving 2008, where we had yet to venture into pies, gravy or stuffing

We had oven baked ham by my lovely mother and carved by my father. We had yams baked into flaky submission, wrapped in foil, one of my mom's favorites.

I made a huge bowl of mashed potatoes, made dairy free of course. There was no photo because they were wrapped in tin foil at this point.

I also made some excellent brown rice flour/veggie stock gravy. I'm pretty proud of my homemade stock, thanks!

C's Family makes this wonderful raisin sauce to drown their ham with. A family tradition. We liked it too!

A huge pan of cornbread stuffing, studded with fragrant onions and celery, and made with more homemade veggie stock.

Beautiful fresh cut fruit by my mom. Huge strawberries, grapes the size of your head, and fresh pineapple (the husband's favorite).

A big batch of Western scone mix (also called Indian fry bread) done by my mom. We like the Augason Farms (formerly Blue Chip Group) mix, and my mom knows how to make them just right.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce made by me. No picture because it was sealed up in a less-than-formal plastic container on one end of the table. I made it with local Farnsworth Farms apple cider, too, which is a variation from my regular recipe.

A beautiful bowl of veggies, including carrots from my parents' garden! They leave them outside until they're ready to eat, and then bring them in. The carrots seemed to be so big that my mom cut the base of them into 4 pieces - huge!

County fair prize-winning Gluten Free Double-Crusted Apple Pie, made with this recipe for Sweet Pastry Dough. This one was even better than last year's. Rave reviews. The key to the beautiful golden top was to brush it with beaten egg before baking. It works wonders!

Last night, the husband was rustling around in the kitchen. He came out minutes later and confessed to "accidentally eating the rest of the apple pie." There was about 1/3 of it left at the time.

C's dairy-free pumpkin pie with toasted pecans. This was really delicious! She said the recipe came from Ginger Lemon Girl.

Dairy free Chocolate Pudding Pie. (Not pictured - we had it in the freezer). It contained two huge batches of my Raw Chocolate Pudding and was also made with the Sweet Pastry Dough crust.

Setting the finishing touches while my father "looked for the carving knife." What a delicious meal and wonderful company.

We have so much to be grateful for!

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

2011-11-18T14:21:00.000-07:00

The days are short now. Hardly any time to catch some natural light. Just the remnants of summer sun captured by the last golden leaves in my yard, slowly waving toward the more representative, dried-out leaves in the other tree. I leave the house before it's really very bright, and usually come home just as the evening is resting on the eastern mountains.

There are some spectacular sunsets in November in Utah. Tiny veins of white on the Wasatch Mountains, and the shade of the fading light makes the uncovered portions of the mountains glow this brilliant blue, then turning into a dusty rose-purple color just before it's snuffed out into night. Here, it can look like the mountains set every night too.

I love it.

And with that, some decidedly fall food. Pumpkin bread? Cranberries? All in one sweet bread? Yes, please.

Last Year: Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Two Years Ago: Cranberry Sauce
Three Years Ago: Cranberry Orange Cornmeal Scones

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread
adapted from this recipe
[Printer Friendly]

1 cup sorghum flour
1 cup millet flour
1 cup tapioca starch
5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice - or your own combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
2 cups granulated sugar
1 small (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup orange juice
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans.

Combine sorghum flour, millet flour, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Combine sugar, pumpkin, eggs, vegetable oil and orange juice in large mixer bowl; beat until just blended. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Fold in cranberries. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pans.

Bake for 55 to 65 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Sweet Potato Fries

2011-11-11T11:11:00.008-07:00

I think you can learn a lot about food from the celebrity chefs. Not always from watching their shows, either. What I'm talking about are the comments section on Paula Deen's Sweet Potato Fries recipe. Basically, the folks who tried her recipe were terribly disappointed because, like many of the rest of us, they have tried a sweet potato fries recipe and ended up with soggy/burnt/inedible fries. This is nothing against Paula Deen - just a reflection of how frustrating it can be to make sweet potato fries!

These puppies aren't like your regular Russet fries. They require special treatment. They're somewhat dainty, compared to the hearty Western fare that generally busts out of my kitchen. I once bought a bag of "ready to bake" sweet potatoes fries from Costco, and they were disastrous as well.

Despite the stigma, they are surprisingly easy. You just have to keep certain things in mind.

So, I put my head down and did some research. I consulted the amazing Mel's Kitchen Cafe for their take on Sweet Potato Fries, the Paula Deen comments, and a bucket load of sweet potato fans on Allrecipes. That was just the beginning. I also headed in to my kitchen for several versions of experiments, using some beautiful sweet potatoes from the Monday Market sale. Several versions later, I think we have something worth throwing down next to a burger.

Here are the results from the science experiment.

Make sure there is no extra liquid on the outside. There shouldn't be any water from soaking (if that's what you choose to do). They should be patted dry. If you've just tossed them in olive oil and spices, leave the excess oil at the bottom of the bowl or bag. Too much oil on the baking sheet will just leave them soggy.

Air space. These guys need to breathe! When you are laying them out on the tray, make sure that they have space around them. They shouldn't be touching side to side, or laying on top of each other. This helps ensure air circulation around the fries, preventing soggy eats.

Use sugar to carmelize and crisp the outsides. Sugar can do some beautiful things, including making things crispy. You don't need a lot of sugar, just enough to help coat the outside. The olive oil-sugar reaction creates this perfect harmony of crispy-sweet that is perfect for sweet potatoes.

Preheat the pans. Before cutting your potatoes, pop your sheet trays in the oven. You'll likely even use two, in order to comply with Rule #2, and making sure that there is enough air space around the sweet potatoes. This helps create that satisfying sizzle when you are ready to drop the fries onto the pan for the first time, and quickly arrange them for baking.

A potato is a potato is a potato. Not so fast. The sweet potatoes you find in the store aren't actually yams, as some would be led to believe. I'm not going to get into that whole debate (because I would lose). You can read the Wikipedia on sweet potatoes for more information about its history and awesomeness. Still, sweet potatoes have a lower glycemic index, meaning less starch. The starch in Russet potatoes is what helps them be crispy on the outside when fried. It makes all our American favorites possible through its amazing properties. Still, the old Russet potato tricks, like soaking slices in water before making fries, don't work the same with the sweet potato.

Cut 'em right. Use all your Iron Chef knife skills to make sure they are as close to the same size as possible. Watch a video on julienne-ing. Toss out the little pieces so they don't burn.

Last Year: Cornflakes (or eating gluten free on the airplane)
Two Years Ago: Chicken Parmegiana
Three Years Ago: Pumpkin Chili

Sweet Potato Fries
[Printer Friendly]

3 large sweet potatoes or yams, approximately 4-6 cups when julienned
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Put two baking sheets with sides into the oven during the preheat process.

Peel and julienne the sweet potatoes to be about 3 inches long by 1/4 inch wide. Having evenly-sized pieces is the only way to even baking, and less burning.

In a bowl or zip bag, throw in the julienned sweet potatoes, drizzle with olive oil, and add the spices. Shake around until all the pieces are covered with oil, sugar and spices. When removing them from the bowl or bag, scoop them out, rather than dump them, to prevent adding extra oil to the pan. Pull the sheet trays out of the oven. Carefully arrange the sweet potatoes on the preheated sheet trays.

Bake for 12-20 minutes, flipping the potatoes halfway through. You want tender and browned, with some tiny blisters on them.

Eat up! We served them with a roasted red pepper aioli.

Roasted Banana Cupcakes with Banana Rum (Dairy Free) Frosting

2011-11-09T08:21:00.011-07:00

My parents just got back from visiting my little niece in another state. I can't admit to competing with a 3 year old, but I was really excited to go out on the town with my mom after she returned. Last night, we made it happen. We ended up hitting the Kohls (I'm in search of a lime green necklace that I like, not exactly what I would expect to find on store shelves in November, but still...) and trying on armfulls of clothes.

Mom went home with a winter-white cardigan, a floaty shirt with a blue patter on it, and a brown flowered shirt. I scored a pink ruffled shirt (at mega discount), a winter-white corduroy jacket (yippee!), and a blue patterned long-sleeve tee. No lime green necklace, but the time with my mom was really the treat of the evening. The more we spend time together, the more I see myself in her. Thankfully, she's great, so I'm not afraid of what I see.

These banana cupcakes also got sent home with my mom, in large quantities. She and my dad were able to take care of a large number of them, which the husband and I greatly appreciated.

Oh, and stayed tuned. I plan on sharing some wedding pictures this week.

Last Year: Cookies at home. Yes please.

Two Years Ago: Crispy Potato Skins

Three Years Ago: Almond Poppy Seed Muffins

Roasted Banana Cupcakes with Banana Rum (Dairy Free) Frosting
adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes
[Printer Friendly]

These cupcakes turn out fluffy, moist, and with good structure. The separating of the eggs, mixing the yolks into the other ingredients and then whipping the whites and folding them into the batter helps with the lift and structure of the cupcakes. It's easy to want to sidestep this part, but it really makes a difference!

Rum flavoring in the frosting is one of the best possible combinations with the deeper flavor of the roasted bananas.

3 roasted bananas*
2/3 cup sorghum flour
2/3 cup millet flour
2/3 cup tapioca starch
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*Roasting bananas: Place bananas, with peel on, on a cookie sheet. In an oven preheated to 350 degrees, roast the bananas for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for a while, until they can be handled.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with papers. Roast bananas as shown above. In a medium bowl, sift together the sorghum flour, millet flour, tapioca starch, baking soda, baking powder, salt, xanthan gum. Remove the bananas from the oven and let them cool.

With a stand mixer or electric hand mixer, cream shortening and sugar until it's fluffy. Add egg yolks from separated eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Add the roasted, peeled bananas and beat to combine. Add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of sour cream, and beating until combined. Add vanilla.

In another mixing bowl, whip the egg whites to soft peaks. Fold one third of the whites into the batter to lighten it. Gently fold in the remaining whites in two more batches.

Divide the batter in the muffin cups, filling about three quarters full. Bake the cupcakes about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Then, remove the cupcakes from the muffin pan and place on a cooling rack until they are cool.

Prepare the frosting. Pipe or spread the frosting on the cupcakes and serve.

Banana Rum Frosting
1 ripe banana
imitation rum flavoring
Butter-flavored Crisco
powdered sugar
coconut milk

My awesome friend A is the author of the rum frosting recipe, and she really knows how it works. She hardly even measures. Just keeps changing what's going on in the stand mixer, and eventually there was an amazing frosting coming out of the mixer. So, if you're that person, the one that makes it appear, have at it. If not, well, I'll try and explain.

With about 1/3 cup butter-flavored Crisco, start whipping. Add in flavoring and 3 cups of powdered sugar. Slowly add alternating amounts of powdered sugar (to thicken), and coconut milk (to thin) the frosting. Toss in about half a chopped ripe banana for additional flavor.

Smoky Ham and Lentil Soup

2011-11-03T11:32:00.001-06:00

Lentils don't exactly scream photogenic. But if you had a bowl of this warm and hammy soup, you wouldn't care if it took a good photo. I topped mine with chopped bell pepper to make it appeal to the eye a bit more.

This is great for throwing in the crockpot, it's also great for putting on the stove when you come home from work and then head out to rake the serious mountain of leaves that accumulated in the yard in the last 48 hours. Because that's when I raked the last time.

When Utah has these autumns that can really be classified as a beautiful, rain-less, Indian summer, rather than a really wet and rainy fall, it confuses the trees. My trees (which surround my house on 4 sides, well 5 sides if you count above) were dropping big fronds of green leaves yesterday. As I pulled out our new rake from Ace Hardware and got busy, there was still a flurry of leaves swirling around me as they pulled from their summer homes in the trees and fluttered down to my feet. I was wearing shorts and flip flops, mind you. Not a bad scenario for raking.

The front yard a few days ago. I've raked 12 garbage cans since then (and there's more to go!)

I gathered up huge piles in the front yard, and then a few more in the back yard, before I was tuckered out. I have a small garbage can (probably 30 gallons), that I drag around with me and dump overflowing armfuls of leaves into. Then, I drag it to the very back edge of the yard and put it in our compost. The pile near the back fence is taller than me!

When I came back in the house, the smoky ham simmering with the lentils was all I could smell. I sat down for a big bowl and enjoyed the autumness of it all.

Last Year: Ginger Bars

Two Years Ago: Cinnamon Apple Muffins and Herbed Focaccia Bread

Three Years Ago: Almond Poppyseed Muffins

Smoky Ham and Lentil Soup

adapted from this recipe
[Printer Friendly]

1 pound dry lentils, rinsed

6-8 ounces smoked ham, diced
4 cups stock + 4 cups water
3/4 cup celery, diced
3/4 cup onion, diced
3/4 cup carrot, diced

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon oregano flakes

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper
hot sauce (optional)
liquid smoke, a few drops (optional)

In a stock pot, combine lentils, ham, water and stock and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat; simmer until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients; simmer until veggies are tender, about 20 minutes.

If you wish to puree: remove 3 cups of lentils, broth and veggies (keep diced ham in soup pot); puree, return to soup and stir.

For the crockpot: place all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on LOW for about 10 hours; puree before serving (as above) if you want.

Roasted Potatoes

2011-10-27T11:06:00.001-06:00

I once told my friend that I was a paprika snob. I still think this is true.
When I traveled to Sweden and Germany last year, one of the top 3 food groups in Frankfurt were Ungarn potato chips. In German, it means "chips from Hungary," or "chips deliciously covered with smoked paprika."

I will not admit to buying five full sized bags and trucking them across the Atlantic. They were sold in vending machines in small bags (perfect for getting home late and dragging yourself through the train station to your hotel with no dinner in sight), and in large bags in the convenience stores within the train station.

I really love some good smoked paprika. These potatoes are the perfect vehicle for it, too.

This is one of those recipes that I've made hundreds of times. It shows up as the dinner side probably three times a week. We eat it with grilled meat or veggies, with spicy honey chicken, or some pulled barbecue.

They're heavily spiced, which we love, and crisp on the outside. The inside, however, melts when you put it in your mouth. They're a great, and faster, replacement for oven-roasted potatoes, take very little work after the chopping is done, and perfectly compliment most meat-based meals.

Last Year: Gluten Free Arancini Recipe (Sicilian street food)
Two Years Ago: Gluten Free Menu Plan for 26 Oct 2009
Three Years Ago: Cookie Comparison

Roasted Potatoes

our own recipe

[Printer Friendly]

4 medium sized potatoes, scrubbed and chopped in 1/2 inch cubes

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

extra virgin olive oil

Drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil into a non-stick pan. Put it on a back burner on medium high heat, and chop the four potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes. They do not need to be peeled, just scrubbed.

When the pan has heated, and the potatoes are cubed, put them in the pan. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and smoked paprika. Do not stir. Leave the seasonings sitting on top of the potatoes, and cover.

Let the potatoes cook for about 10 minutes, then lift the lid. Holding the pan by the handle, shake it from side to side, flipping many of the potato cubes. Again, don't stir to mix the spices around.

Recover and continue cooking for another 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat when the potatoes are golden brown on several sides, tender when poked with a fork, and covered with specks of roasted spices. Serve with your favorite condiment: ketchup, Ranch dressing, barbecue sauce, or a homemade aioli.

Healthy Pumpkin Pie

2011-10-25T18:52:00.004-06:00

I really love finding innovative recipes, put together by others who need to watch out for certain foods. Let's just say that I sit on the edge of the couch waiting for new posts from Brittany of Real Sustenance, and this week's recipe she published was no exception.

Like most of us, though, this was the first time that I jumped up and made her recipe that same evening. No apathy here.

It was the same day that I headed to the Utah Food Co-op's Monday Market Sale at their warehouse, and so I grabbed a head of California cauliflower while I was out. That, and a jug of local apple cider, some butternut squash, gigantic yams, crisp apples, and delicate local pears. Fall food!

I decided to make several changes from Brittany's recipe, but I want you to know she's the genius behind this recipe. I'm not the one who was able to take a cauliflower and throw it together with pumpkin puree and spices, top it with coconut milk, and magically produce a pie. Not this time.

What are your pumpkin plans? Tis the season!

Other pumpkin recipes in the house:

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Dairy Free Pumpkin Frosting (no recipe, just eye candy photos ala best day of my life)
Pumpkin Chili

Dairy Free Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream

Sugared Pumpkin Muffins

Last Year: Gluten Free Pear Polenta Muffins and Kadu Bouranee (Afghan Pumpkin)

Two Years Ago: Oven Roasted Tomatoes Tutorial and Acorn Squash Risotto

Three Years Ago: Garbanzo Bean Chocolate Cake

Healthy Pumpkin Pie: Gluten/Dairy/Egg/Soy Free
adapted from Pumpkin Cheesecake or Pie on Real Sustenance

[Printer Friendly]

C r u s t

1 cup raw, shelled sunflower seeds
1 cup coconut flakes (unsweetened)
1/2 cup dates
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
pinch of salt

To prepare crust:
In a food processor, grind sunflower seeds and dates until the seeds are small, and the dates are combined into the mix. Add coconut flakes and briefly pulse. Add vanilla and coconut milk to help it process, and then salt to taste.

Press the crust into the base of a springform pan. My pan has a rather large diameter (10.5 inches), so I ended up with a pretty shallow pie. If you have a smaller springform pan, you will end up with a taller pie. Once you have pressed it evenly, set it aside.

F i l l i n g

1 1/2 cups or 1 small can pumpkin puree
2 cups cauliflower, boiled until tender

1/3 cup heavy coconut milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons molasses
salt

1/2 cup coconut oil

First, boil the cauliflower until it can be easily pricked with a fork (maybe 7-10 minutes after the water is boiling). Drain and dry the cauliflower.

Add the boiled cauliflower to your food processor, and then add pumpkin puree, heavy coconut milk, vanilla, spices, brown sugar and molasses. Puree until there are no more small bits of cauliflower - you want a completely smooth puree.

Now is the time to salt to taste. I probably used about 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and since there is no butter in the recipe to add some salt, you will want salt to bring out the delicious flavors of the pumpkin and spices.

Put the pumpkin mixture into a saucepan on the stove, and heat until just boiling so the flavors can further meld. Add the coconut oil and stir until it melts. You don't need to cook long, the purpose of putting on the stove is so the spice flavors can bloom and the coconut oil melts.

Pull the puree off the stove. Pour it over the prepared crust, and spread to the edges. If you want the cool design on top, drip just a little heavy coconut milk over it, then swirl with a knife or fork.

Refrigerate your pie for several hours at least, until the filling cools and hardens.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Pumpkin (Dairy Free) Frosting

2011-10-13T14:34:00.001-06:00

My friend made the most delicious pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes for our wedding. They are dairy free, sweet and spicy, and the perfect bite for a fall reception.

I don't have the recipe, but I do have a bunch of them left to eat!

Last Year: The 2010 Gluten Free Expo at the Southtowne Center (Sandy, Utah)
Two Years Ago: Dairy Free Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream
Three Years Ago: Brown Sugar and Spice Pumpkin Bars

Rhubarb Pie, Made with Sweet Pastry Dough

2011-10-03T11:52:00.000-06:00

The boy had been begging for a rhubarb dessert all summer. This time, I was finally able to deliver! It actually took most of the summer to find some rhubarb for sale!

We were having D over for a BBQ, and he and I went to the store to pick up the ingredients. We found rhubarb at Fresh Market for the first time all summer, and so we both threw some in the cart to make our corresponding gluten free rhubarb desserts. D managed to make some rhubarb crisp (with oats) before I managed to make the pie - he said it was delicious.

I hope you're enjoying these last few days of Indian summer we have hanging around. We spent yesterday at home mostly, and the changing shafts of light jingling through the front window through the leaves on the trees, dancing across the living room wall, was such a rare treat. Full-on autumn is only a few days away, so I'll tuck that image in my mind as I wrap up in my long socks and turn off the air conditioning.

Last Year: Gluten Free Peach Upsidedowner Recipe
Two Years Ago: Grilled Glazed Drummies
Three Years Ago: The Best Gluten Free Stores in Salt Lake, now covered on this page

Sweet Pastry Dough

from Artisinal Gluten Free Cooking, my favorite GF cookbook! by Kelli and Peter Bronski
Two 9-inch tart crusts

6 tablespoons Spectrum Organic shortening
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup millet flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
dash of salt (since I'm not using salted butter)

Cream together shortening and powdered sugar in a mixer. Add the eggs and beat until the batter is smooth. Scrape down the sides. Slowly add the flour and xanthan gum, mixing only to incorporate. The dough will be the consistency of firm cookie dough.
Divide the dough in half and warp each piece in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Roll out one piece of dough between two sheets of plastic wrap, one on top and one on bottom. Once the desired size has been reached, remove the top layer of plastic wrap. Then, holding the dough over the pie plat, flip the dough upside down so the unwrapped side of dough lands right in the pie plate. Because you're not worried about gluten in the crust making the crust tough, feel free to patch any holes you may have in the crust.

Then fill the crust with the rhubarb pie filling.

Rhubarb Pie Filling
adapted from this recipe

4 cups chopped rhubarb

1 1/3 cups white sugar
6 tablespoons tapioca starch
dash of cinnamon
1 tablespoon Spectrum organic shortening, divided into small pieces

Slice the rhubarb into small pieces. Set aside.
In a bowl, combine the sugar, starch, and a dash of cinnamon. Whisk to combine. Then, sprinkle half the mixture over the bottom of the pie crust. Then, add the rhubarb slices. Top with the remaining sugar/starch mixture, and dot with shortening bits.

Tip: do not mix the rhubarb pieces with the sugar and starch mixture. Leave the two separate. It helps the crust (especially the bottom) to stay crisp enough while baking, and you still get the wonderful thick sauce you are looking for. So, leave them separate! They'll take care of it on their own.

Go through the same process of rolling out, removing the top layer of plastic wrap, and putting the top crust onto the pie. Crimp the edges of the two crusts together.

Cut small slits in the pie crust as air vents, and bake at 425 for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 for another 40 minutes.

Remove from the oven when the top is golden brown, and the filling is bubbling.

Two things on the horizon

2011-09-29T15:22:00.001-06:00

Number one.

A rhubarb pie. Holy moly, I have no idea why I've never made this before, but rhubarb is so complex and beautiful, you hardly need anything else.

Number two:

I'm getting married next weekend. We're awfully excited, but it also means my life has been a little messy the last little while.

We can discuss both of these very soon.

I hope you are well!

Flashback in 7 Links

2011-09-07T12:13:00.000-06:00

A big shout out to Marlow at Gluten Hates Me who tagged me to do this Flashback in 7 Links. (Check out hers!) I needed something light to work on right now (since my life is imploding, at the moment, and rather than watch the light show, I'd rather stick my head in the archives and do some therapy.) Thanks for indulging me!

Oh, and it's now been 3 years of Gluten Free in SLC! (Expanded intro post from all those years ago)

Most Popular Post

The very very most popular page around here is about eating gluten free at restaurants in Salt Lake City, and has a huge list of restaurants, some links to restaurant reviews, and my "success ratings" for all sorts of restaurants.

A very close second is the page about stores and shops that sell gluten free in Salt Lake City. Providing resources about eating here in the hometown was one of my greatest goals with this blog, so I'm glad to see these pages getting used. If you have a recommend for either a restaurant or a shop, let me know! It's amazing to think how these lists have grown, even in the three short years since we've been GF.

While you're at it, don't miss Part 1 and Part 2 about how to actually eat gluten free in a restaurant. I think it's helpful.

Now, let's get down to the real question: which recipe is the most popular? Well, it's gotta be the fudgey from-a-box brownies. I know I have several friends out there (hi little E!) who love these, and I do too. I even used them as the base for the butterfinger brownies I took on a business trip!

Post You Feel Didn't Get the Attention It Deserved

I think my Candied Lemon Party Cake is just beautiful. I candied the lemons myself, and then filled the cake with candied lemons and a non-dairy buttercream frosting. Domestic goddess? Yes.

Post Whose Success Surprised You

It's gotta be the Raw Chocolate Pudding post. We haven't made it in a while, and I eat a lot more avocados than I used to, so I think this just made it back on our list. We even tried a few variations like peanut butter pudding, and "vanilla." I have to say that the strong flavor of the chocolate definitely makes this good, and it's healthy. I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised at its success - I think there are lot of people out there looking for raw recipes. Yum!

Most Helpful

Frankly, I think this post on how to bread chicken in several different ways is super helpful! There's a difference between wanting a light breading for just a little crispness like for Chicken Parmesan, that classic Chinese-American Panda Express style breading, the type that gives you big crunchy chicken strips. I still have yet to try (or master) the English fish-and-chips style puffy breading. I think it's a baking soda style that gives it that extra puffiness.

Most Controversial

I'm not sure how to define most controversial. I don't talk about politics, my religion (or anyone else's), or hardly even the weather on here. Here's a few that stirred the pot though.

- My boss (at the time) told me that mango clove ice cream sounded gross. It was actually very delicious.
- Digestive controversy. Deciding to drop milk products has probably been the hardest food-related decision I've made. I had a medical test that showed I should, but let's face it, there's all sorts of great gluten substitutes, but dairy? It's best to just try new meals, rather than trying to replace it. I sure miss a good pizza, but the boy and I both feel better than ever.
- Not to mention losing ranger cookies and peanut butter bars from my diet because of the oats.
- How about Stagg chili? Other foods that sneak up on you, like the M&M wanna-bes (that contain gluten) in Planter's trail mix?
- Taking lime avocado mousse in individual cups with lime zest on top for co-workers at St. Patricks Day was just baffling to them. Oh well.
- Sigh. Done with controversy.

Post You're Most Proud Of

I've gotta say my acorn squash cupcakes with brown sugar meringue icing. It sounds like an odd combination, but it's not every day that you get offered a healthy cupcake stuffed with fiber that tastes kind of like browned butter and caramel-ish sweetness. The frosting was beautiful, and it became one of my favorite blog pictures.

White Chip Chocolate Cookies

2011-09-02T14:45:00.001-06:00

This picture regrets to inform you of the delightful glass of chocolate almond milk I had with my cookies (I had already drunk it all!).

I had been thinking about white chip chocolate cookies for a few days. Brown and whites. Double chip. Backwards cookies. Whatever you want to call them. I love the cocoa cookie with the white chips inside. And, after several refinements, these cookies have not disappointed.

The cocoa taste is intense enough, the vanilla chips are creamy and melty enough. These have not lasted long since I made them.

I hope you enjoy your long weekend!

Last Year: Dairy Free Eggplant Gazpacho

Two Years Ago: Gluten Free Oatmeal Ranger Cookies

White Chip Chocolate Cookies
adapted from this recipe
[Print This!]
Make about 2 dozen (24) cookies

1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/3 cup tapioca starch
1/3 cup buckwheat flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 cup shortening, such as Spectrum Organic
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vanilla chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Measure the dry ingredients, including flours, cocoa, baking soda, salt, and xanthan gum, into a small bowl and whisk them together. Then, mix shortening, sugar and brown sugar in your stand mixer until the two are combined. Add the two eggs, one at a time, and beat until incorporated. Add vanilla. Then, with the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in batches until the mixture is combined. Remove from the stand mixer and add the chips.

On a greased sheet pan lined with parchment paper, drop tablespoons of the dough onto the pan. Bake each batch for about 8 minutes, or until the outside of the cookies is crispy to the touch, but the inside is very soft. If you overbake, the cookies will be hard.

Monday Market Sale: Utah Food Co-op

2011-08-29T23:41:00.000-06:00

The Monday Market is the perfect place to stop on your way home from work.

It's put on by the Utah Food Co-op's Monday Market Sale at their warehouse near 1700 S and the freeway.

The Utah Food Co-op is a volunteer, non-profit organization in Utah that makes fresh and local foods available and affordable. Can't argue with that! Well, every Monday they sell produce, meats, honey, salsa, and other local treats at their warehouse. I generally only pick up produce and meat when I go to places like this (since often the treats are wonderful local bakeries sans gluten free food), and this time it didn't disappoint.

All the local foods were clearly labeled. I was able to score tomatoes and peaches that were "the first of the season," yellow and purple bell peppers, and zucchini that are all local.

I also got a few things that aren't local, like bananas, oranges, limes, and berries. They will sure be good this week!

And last, a bunch of grain fed local beef from C & S Wholesale Meats. Our hamburgers from the grill tonight were especially flavorful.

Go check out the Monday Market, or order for the montly share pickup. You won't be disappointed.

Last Year: Gluten Free Zucchini Mini Loafs
Two Years Ago: Apricot Dobos Torta with Apricot Buttercream

Easy Pecan Cookies

2011-08-26T10:52:00.003-06:00

On August 10th, I was sitting at a stoplight on my way to pick up the boy from work. My friend and I had just run in City Creek Canyon, near Utah's state capitol building. The breeze carried us softly back down the canyon trail in the dim light, and there was a wedding reception going on in Memory Grove, where the canyon ends and the city begins again. There were people laughing, and the bride was standing outside on the lawn, getting her pictures taken.

At the stoplight, my phone rang. I learned that the director of our summer camp has passed away unexpectedly in a hiking accident. I was totally blown away. I haven't been able to use words to express the feelings in my heart the last few weeks, so I've mostly remained silent.

I was grateful that the day he died, I was hiking and jogging through a beautiful place, just the same as him.

He was 63 years old, and hiking with his son and some friends on Wyoming's remote Gannett Peak. His obituary, published in the Idaho Statesman the next week, beautifully described the life of giving that he led. The memorial service at the Idaho Botanical Gardens was standing room only, with more than a thousand in attendance.

One of the best parts of all of this was being with the people who he touched. All the people in the camp family, hundreds of them, who stood quietly in a ring around the outer edges of the service, listening to the pastor who runs the Bible camp where our camp is held. Afterward, we met in another part of the gardens to talk, hug, and take group photos. One of my young friends, Taylor, had brought a gluten free gift for all of us. Pecan cookies. They have just a few ingredients.
These cookies are terribly simple. They even follow the same basic pattern of the Easy Peanut Butter Cookies, only with pecans. It's best if you buy the pecans already ground, unless you've either got patience or a really good grinder.

Some of the boys had begged her to bring them. We ended up driving home with about 60, left over in a tin, in the back of the car. Thanks Taylor!

And thanks, Don Scott, for the beauty you brought to my life.

Last Year: Gluten and Dairy Free Mint Chocolate Cupcakes
Two Years Ago: August Co-Op Goods and Quick BBQ Pork Ribs

Pecan Cookies
via Taylor's mom
[Print This!]

1 cup pecan meal
1 cup sugar
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine pecan meal, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Whip in the one egg white until the mixture is thick and combined. Spoon teaspoons of the batter onto a parchment lined sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for anywhere from 5-9 minutes. Don't overbake!

Gluten and Dairy Free Strawberry Cupcakes with Dairy Free Strawberry Meringue 'Butter'cream

2011-08-18T10:48:00.001-06:00

Quickly, I'm so proud of my friend E, who took on gluten free baking with some gusto, and actually made some really great zucchini bread! High five!

Last Sunday C invited us over for chicken tacos. We were all hungry, and the four of us stood around C's pocket-sized kitchen shredding chicken and watching the refried beans bubble on the stove. Turns out the chicken tacos we were making were the GlutenFreeinSLC special, Shredded Mexican Chicken, and in Mexican culture is referred to as Chicken Tinga. We talked about chicken and work and onions and C's crazy neighbors, as the hot evening sun filtered through the blinds. After dinner, we all stretched out on the various couches and patches of floor, and kept talking. I was playing with people's shoes, the boy was throwing pillows, I rolled over in front of the fan to "take all the cool air," and we kept talking.

It was such a delightful evening, and we parted ways with full bellies ready to face the next week.
Most of us were too full to have a strawberry cupcake. I ended up taking care of many of them myself.

Last Year: Pickled Beets and Bread and Butter Pickles
Two Years Ago: Whole Grain Rice Milk Review and the debut of the Gluten Free Restaurants in SLC page (regularly updated)

Gluten and Dairy Free Strawberry Cupcakes
adapted from Cupcakes by Martha Stewart
[Print this!]

Makes 12

1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/3 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup millet flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 cup shortening, such as Spectrum Organic
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large whole eggs
1/2 cup milk (I used rice, but it would work with cow's, hemp, almond, soy, or coconut)
1 cup finely chopped strawberries, fresh or *frozen

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum. In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat together the shortening, sugar and vanilla at medium speed until the mixture is fluffy, or about 2 minutes. Add the room temperature eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly between each egg. Then reduce speed to low. Add the flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the milk. Turn off the mixer and fold in the chopped strawberries by hand.

*If you plan on using frozen strawberries for this recipe, they will be best at room temperature. After chopping them, leave them in a small bowl on your counter to defrost. Pour off any water after they have thawed. You will have best results with fresh strawberries, but the frozen ones still taste good. It turns out to be more of a texture issue - the strawberries that started out frozen can be mushy after they are baked. Also, fresh strawberries will help the cupcakes to bake evenly and not fall when they are taken out of the oven.

Line a muffin tin with paper liners, and scoop batter into each liner. Bake the cupcakes for 25 to 30 minutes, or until they are golden brown on the top. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Then, pull each cupcake out of the pan and finish cooling. Do not frost until the cupcakes are completely cooled.

Strawberry Meringue Buttercream
3/4 cup fresh strawberries, washed and chopped (these must be at room temperature)
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening at room temperature

Puree strawberries in a blender or food processor, and be sure that they are at room temperature. Using the metal bowl for your stand mixer, make a double boiler with the stand mixer bowl resting above a pot of simmering water. Make sure the bowl does not actually touch the water. Put the egg whites and sugar in the stand mixer bowl, over the simmering water, and whisk until the mixture is very smooth and slightly warm.

Remove the bowl from the double boiler and put the bowl on the mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment. Increase to medium high, whisking the egg whites and sugar mixtures for about 10 minutes, until the bowl is cool and stiff peaks have formed. Add shortening, a little at a time, at medium low speed. Switch to the paddle attachment for the mixture and beat for 2 minutes to eliminate any air bubbles. Add strawberries and beat on low until combined. The strawberries must be at room temperature, or the frosting's structure will break by adding cold strawberries.

Once the frosting is finished, remove it from the stand mixer and frost cooled cupcakes as desired.

Dairy Free Watermelon Sorbet

2011-08-09T12:48:00.003-06:00

Friday night a few friends came over for a housewarming and birthday party. Now, my little fridge is packed full of most of a watermelon. It can hardly fit in there, and so I had an idea. Watermelon sorbet. Dairy free, cool and sweet, and would help turn my fridge-hogging watermelon into something that would fit in my freezer, with no waste. Delicious and practical!

My friend K also left me a present for the big day. A hammock! What could compliment my Saturday afternoon better than the watermelon sorbet and the new hammock for the backyard?

See the hammock?

I really appreciated this kind little thought, K, since I've found myself a little glum since camp (the second session covered my birthday, and spat us squarely into August). I think having a big birthday (is 30 the new 20? I wonder...), watching some elements of my life change, and the sticky August days all jumped in to dampen my mood a bit. I traipsed around the yard on Monday, hoping for a friendly face or ...something? I wasn't really sure what I needed.

Thankfully the day has risen sunny here, and I have a lot to look forward to in my life. I'm thankful also, to see the little canvas bag with the hammock in it, waiting for me to ~~read the instructions~~ find a way to rig it up in the backyard.

Last Year: Frosted Apricot Cookies
Two Years Ago: Mexican Mole Chicken and Blueberry Sour Cream Muffins

Watermelon Sorbet
Inspired by this recipe at A Sweet Pea Chef
[Printable Recipe]

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
6-7 cups fresh seedless watermelon chunks (about half of the melon)
3 tbsp. fresh lime juice (approximately 3 1/2 medium-sized limes)

In a small saucepan on the stove, set the sugar and water at a low temperature to make a simple syrup. Don't stir it, just wait until it is simmering lightly and the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from the heat, and chill for 1 hour.

Cut up your massive watermelon and get all the seeds you can out. Mine wasn't seedless (I was practically running through the grocery store when I bought it, to get home on time), so I had a lot of little black seeds to pick out. Put watermelon chunks into your blender or food processor, and mix until there are as few chunks as possible. Then, pour the watermelon through a strainer into another bowl to get out the excess pulp and any remaining seeds. Oh, and grab yourself a drink of fresh watermelon juice! Yum! Add the fresh lime.

When the watermelon is strained and the simple syrup is chilled, combine them in the frozen bowl of an ice cream maker and process for about 25-30 minutes. Serve immediately, or put it in the freezer for a few hours to harden completely.

100 Random Things About Me

2011-08-04T01:15:00.000-06:00

So, you've been reading what I've had to say for almost 3 years now. But really, I could be any masked crusader with a set of measuring cups and a toaster oven, couldn't I?

As my birthday present to you, here's a little more about me.

1. I have four siblings, three of whom are married. I have four nieces and nephews (two of each).
2. I have a distaste for a select few "kid foods," including corn dogs, tater tots, and orange cheese-flavored crackers. Gross.
3. I travel a fair amount for my job (at least 4 times a year), almost always to different destinations. It gives me a chance to see new things, meet new people, and try lots of interesting gluten free food. [I've talked about Arizona, Sweden, Germany, Italy, and Washington DC of my travels here.]

4. My first team sport was basketball, followed by swim team and soccer.
5. I had a scholarship to play in my college's marching band.
6. I played the trombone, and loved nearly every minute of it.
7. I'm a pretty passionate reader, but I would take a non-fiction over a fiction book any day.
8. The scariest part about swimming in a lake is the potential opportunity for fish to bite your feet.
9. My mom wasn't the fanciest cook when I was growing up, but I didn't know there was such thing as a cake mix until I was in high school and heard about it from friends.
10. It's hard for me to pick my favorite color. I go in phases: right now, it's probably lime green.
11. My one vice is that I like to drive fast.
12. Oh, and what I call "toys from the grocery store."
13. This includes but is not limited to magic towels, window decals, rubber duckies, art sets, and anything else that pops up on the aisles.
14. When I was little, I wanted to be some sort of Olympian-firefighter-superhero when I grew up.
15. My first job was working a paper route with my older brother. I was 14 years old, and we had to be up at 4am to deliver newspapers.
16. My favorite job was working at a 50s diner in Boise, Idaho. I started out as an ice cream girl, or soda jerk, and later worked as a server and assistant manager.
17. My parents are my heroes.
18. I have a large collection (15+) of flannel pajama bottoms in crazy patterns. My mom encourages my habit.
19. Every night is baking night at my house.
20. One of my greatest technological achievements was learning to copy and paste. I was a sophomore in college.
21. I have a thing for barren landscapes. Wyoming, the Salt Flats, the Spiral Jetty, deserts.
22. I have grown up to be my mother.
23. I sunburn very easily. Two things that have helped: not using expired sunscreen, and applying more than once a day.
24. Freckles cover my arms and knees.
25. The boy and I both had our appendixes out on the same weekend in 2007 at the same hospital. I was first, then him 2 days later. We had the same ER nurse.
26. In the Myers-Briggs Personality Test, I am somewhere between an ENFP and an INFP.
27. My first camera came out of a Cornflakes box. It was a camera with an open back that took 110 film.
28. One of my most cherished memories of my siblings were winters when we would rent a cabin for a long weekend in Estes Park, Colorado. We would push the bunk beds together so they would be close, but have a space between the two beds. Then, we would dive head first between the two beds and slide down to the lower bunk. This entertained us for hours.

At Legal Sea Food in Washington DC.

29. My favorite pet (as an adult) was named Fishman - he was a fancy goldfish. He would come when you called his name, blow kisses at you, and lived for more than 3 years.
30. All of my socks have patterns or pictures on them.
31. I don't like to wear earrings at all.
32. I was Dracula for Halloween (my own choice) for at least 7 years in a row as a child.
33. The best childhood Christmas gift we ever received was a trampoline.
34. I was in a beauty pageant in college. For reals.
35. My favorite flower is the alstromeria.
36. The first car I ever owned was a 1988 Isuzu Impulse. The color was a buttery yellow. The sun roof would collect rain water and dump it on the passenger when you turned the first corner.
37. I love that my Grandma would butter the toast all the way to the edges.
38. Humid weather is my nemesis. I am truly a desert girl.
39. My hair was straight as a board when I was young. I got a really intense perm when I was 12, and now my hair is naturally wavy.
40. I did not like sharing a room with my sister when I was young.
41. I wish I could raise my (future) children in the 1980s, when kids could come back from playing when the streetlights came on and bike helmets weren't mandatory.
42. Best crab cake I've ever eaten? Richmond, Virginia.
43. As hard as I try, pork chops never taste as good as they look.
44. My favorite movie is Encino Man.
45. I love the feel of physical pages of a book; I'm unlikely to get an e-reader anytime soon.
46. My hardest college class was a general course about early American history.
47. Actually, in college I failed German 201, then went right on to German 202 and pulled an A-.
48. I've always wanted to buy the Power Ballads CD collection on the infomercials.
49. Best dried fruit: apricots!
50. I wear size 7 shoes.
51. One of my bottom front teeth is chipped from gymnastics class when I was about 8. I was helping another girl do a handstand and she kicked me in the teeth. The dentist put a fake piece of tooth in there, and it's held up all these years.
52. I don't have any wisdom teeth. Or haven't yet, fingers crossed.
53. I have a solid reputation as a night owl.
54. My first date with the boy was to a corn maze.
55. I don't wear a watch.
56. I am considered by outsiders to be level-headed and consistent. On the inside, I'm a little crazy.
57. Watching body language of others is a cherished hobby of mine.
58. I used to ride my bike with no hands, and would even do my paper route without putting my hands on the handlebars.

On the Camp horse ride with my campers above Redfish Lake.

59. I am an unusually deep sleeper. This used to make me the subject of many jokes. It annoys the heck out of my dad, who used to wake me up for school. There was a period of time when a coworker called me every morning to make sure I would get to work on time. Amazingly, I've discovered that the treatment for my Celiac disease has improved my ability to wake up to an alarm.
60. As a defense for this, I am very adept at getting ready to be somewhere with very little prep time (work, church, errands). I mean, like 3 minutes.
61. I'm not much of a gardener, but I sure wish I was.
62. Salad dressing is totally not my gig, even if it's gluten free.
63. Bacon, on the other hand, is a food group.
64. I've never been to Canada or Mexico.
65. I didn't have any cavities in my teeth until shortly before I was diagnosed with Celiac disease, about 2006.
66. My favorite month of the year is probably September, and February is definitely my least favorite.
67. I have ancestors who made charcoal for a living, which involves tending a carefully controlled low-and-slow fire.
68. My mother "taught" me to drive a manual transmission car by driving me to the store one day. On our way home, she parked the car in our neighborhood and got out. She waved and started walking home. She yelled over her shoulder "I'll see you there!" I didn't have much of a choice!
69. My favorite swimming stroke is the butterfly, but I rarely swim like that anymore.
70. Building anticipation and mystery is the best way to get people to like your Halloween costume.
71. I generally dream in the 3rd person, meaning I am watching a situation rather than participating in it. I bet this means I have some sort of psychosis.
72. Barefoot is my preferred footwear.
73. Especially during the summer, the highlight of my day is running outside to get the mail when the postman comes.
74. How did bananas become one of the U.S.'s three major fruits (along with apples and oranges)?
75. If I could have picked my own first name, it would have been Summer.
76. My ring finger is a size 7.
77. Favorite style of pizza? New York, definitely.
78. The world should be covered in little white twinkle lights.
79. I'd like to own a motorcycle, but it seems a little complicated.
80. Recycling gives me the warm fuzzies. I spent the last 6 years "ninja recycling," meaning I would sneak my recyclables into other bins.
81. I now am the proud renter of a city recycling bin.
82. I'm pretty disorganized, but I keep a very precise calendar.
83. Being on time to something is optional.
84. My favorite furniture style is either Midcentury or Mission. Or both. One in the kitchen and one in the living room.
85. When I was a teenager, my younger brother and I would secretly light a small fire in the backyard and roast apples. My mom didn't find out.
86. I prefer my clothes air dryed. No exceptions.
87. I can't really stand to listen to music while I'm doing something else, like walking, reading, sleeping, working, or studying. Don't use my MP3 player much.
88. People watching is a quality hobby.
89. I don't see many movies. I don't think I like sitting still for that long.
90. I've never lived in a coastal state.
91. Almost there!
92. My feet are very square. My toes are almost straight across.
93. You should come over for dinner one of these nights. We'll feed you coconut cake.
94. It took me five years instead of four to finish my bachelor's degree. I feel like I learned more in the fifth year than in the others, because I had finally learned how to learn.
95. I have a secret fascinating with very small vehicles. At my work, there are grounds crew trucks that are so small they drive on the sidewalk. I want to drive one.
96. However, it bugs me that they drive on the sidewalk. I don't feel like they are careful enough around pedestrians.
97. Cooking and baking is very soothing to me. It can be fast paced, adventurous, monotonous, challenging, or new, all at the same time.
98. I really love connecting with others who have food allergies. I feel like we all have something to offer each other, even if it's only understanding.
99. I don't mind public speaking at all.
100. Happy birthday to me!

Gluten Free Dimply Plum Cake

2011-07-31T18:15:00.003-06:00

I arrived home from camp to a pile of plums that needed to be used. They were darkish purple and sweet on the inside. In fact, I think they were pluots instead - the magical combination of plums and apricots. I actually like them more than plums, but either one would suit in this case.

This was also one of my first uses of the beautiful spice cardamom. Originally my friend Sherry clued me in to the use of cardamom, and now I see that it is a central part of Nordic cookies and holiday baking. The flavor is subtle, woodsy, and pairs perfectly with the sweet pluots.

I've made this recipe several times before with extra plums, and it's the perfect way to capture their sweetness, surrounding them in a crumbly cake, while still using up a decent number of them.

Other harvest-using recipes:
Oranges: Sunshine Muffins
Zucchini: Mini Zucchini Loaves

Eggplant: Eggplant Fries

Last Year: Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes
Two Years Ago: Crabby Patties (Crabcakes)

Dimply Plum Cake
adapted from Baking from My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan
[Printer Friendly]

1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup millet flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon salt
Scant 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
5 tablespoons Spectrum Organic shortening
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup oil
grated zest of 1 orange
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4-8 purple or red plums or pluots, halved and pitted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare an 8 inch square pan with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk the flours, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt, and cardamom, if you're using it, together.

Beat the shortening until soft and creamy in a stand mixer or by hand. Add the sugar and beat for about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for a minute after each addition. Beat in the oil, orange zest and vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated.

Scrape the thick batter into the 8 inch square pan, and smooth the top with a spatula. Arrange the plums cut side up in the batter, jiggling the plums just a bit so they settle into the batter.

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the top is light brown and puffed around the plums and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool and serve.

Review: Red Velvet Gluten Free Cupcakes in Washington DC

2011-07-14T22:25:00.001-06:00

Traveling is so much easier if there's a place you know you can stop for a gluten free baked good. I know I can find salads (oh, the salads), fruits, chips, even the occasional lunch meat or hamburger when I travel, but it's not often when I have a bakery or cupcakery that offers gluten free cupcakes nearby.

It started when I stopped into Marvelous Market last weekend. The farmer's market was going on outside, and inside Marvelous Market, I knew there was a chance I could find something gluten free. In addition to the Pirate's Booty and some fancy soda, I asked the girl at the counter if they had anything else gluten free.

"You mean, besides the cupcakes?"

Whoa. Sure! She pointed out a few other flavors of potato chips and some boxes of Nut Thins, and then packed me a little box of Red Velvet cupcakes!

I got some White Velvet (vanilla) cupcakes and some Dark Velvet (chocolate) cupcakes. They've actually made great breakfasts this week, along with some fruit and energetic swigs of cold water.

Of the two, the Dark Velvet was definitely my favorite. The flavor was a little bit more pure, I guess, without the distractions of "tasting gluten free."

I was pleased to find out when I stepped into the 7th Street Red Velvet store tonight that they had more Dark Velvet cupcakes in stock. I was a little disappointed that they didn't have another flavor to try, like the website implied. Oh well, Dark is good! They carefully handled my cupcakes, taken from a top shelf on a baking rack. I do wish they were labeled gluten free somewhere on the box/cupcake liner.

Each cupcake currently runs $3.25, the same price as the gluten-filled cupcakes. I thought the cake was tender and moist, and the frosting in good proportion to the cake. The flavor of the frosting was also very good. My one complaint would be that they dried out rather quickly (2 days?), even in the moist DC hotel room. It could be more that the Marvelous Market cupcakes had been in the store longer. The ones tonight from the Red Velvet store were obviously much fresher.

Overall, thank you Red Velvet!

Last Year: Gluten Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Blondies
Two Years Ago: Review Pier 49 Gluten Free Eats (Salt Lake City)

Butterfinger Brownies on the Road

2011-07-12T23:40:00.002-06:00

Isn't it weird how "blog time" just flies by? You see a recipe that you really dig on someone else's blog, and you think it's been swirling in your head for a week? Then you return to their blog to get good ideas, and you realize it's been 6 months?

This just happened to me. I had been thinking about Gluten Hates Me's Butterfinger Brownies. She made them for a Betty Crocker recipe challenge. And yes, I totally thought it was last week. Maybe the middle of June. It turns out she made Butterfinger Brownies in November 2010!

The other thing that seems to be cruising by is the summer. I'm in Washington DC right now, attending a work conference. Um, East Coast? It is seriously humid here. I know everyone says that. It's just been a serious shock to my system. Thankfully, I guess even the Capitol residents think it's hot right now, and it is served up nicely with 90% humidity.

My hair is curly, my clothes are a little damp, the left side of my face is sunburned. I'm learning a lot, and I figured out after the first day how to stay better hydrated. And that taking the Metro is better if you don't want to be outside cooking alive.

I'm excited to share with you my recap of gluten free cupcakes from Red Velvet, a DC specialty. And when I return home, I've got a cool wrap up prepared for you about all the interesting places I ate. Traveling as a gluten free and dairy free eater is no small feat, and I haven't quite gone hungry yet!

Last Year: Recipe for Fresh Pea Soup
Two Years Ago: A Review of Gluten Free Orange Creme Cupcakes

Butterfinger Brownies, after flying 3500 miles in a Ziploc bag, battered in the outside pocket of my suitcase, photographed in my hotel room.

Butterfinger Brownies
adapted from Gluten Hates Me's recipe

One recipe fudgey brownies, made dairy free by replacing the butter with Spectrum Organic shortening
1 Butterfinger candy bar

Prepare the brownies as the recipe directs. I broke off some of the candy bits and put them in the batter, but they really just melt away. So, I recommend baking the brownies for all but 5 minutes of their baking time, and then covering it with crushed candy bar. Then, turn the oven on broil, and put the brownies back in until the butterfinger melts some and bubbles on top of the brownies. It only broils for about 3 minutes, so watch carefully! Slice, pack, and throw in your suitcase.

Recipe for Gluten Free Banana Chocolate Chip Bars

2011-07-06T08:15:00.003-06:00

Only some things are worth heating the house for in July. I think I'm inclined to turn on the oven faster than most, just because baking gives me that little tickle of joy in my stomach. Muffins, coconut cake, and these easy banana bars.

These take less than 30 minutes to put together and bake, so the oven doesn't have to stay on long. I think a batch of these will come again this week, since I have a bounty of bananas hanging out on my counter, growing spots. I'm also headed to Washington DC this coming week, and need some flying treats. I'll also be leaving some food behind for the boy, so that he has some delicious snacks.

Last Year: Peas in a Pod, CSA Week 2

Two Years Ago: Dairy Free Toffee Ice Cream on a Gluten Free "Cone"

Banana Chocolate Chip Bars
adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook
[Printer Friendly]

3/4 cup shortening, such as Spectrum Organic
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2/3 cup millet flour
2/3 cup tapioca starch
2/3 cup buckwheat flour
1 egg
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients and whisk together. Add egg, mashed bananas, and vanilla. Stir these together, then add chocolate chips and chopped walnuts. Pour into a small baking sheet prepared with shortening or baking spray. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes. Cut when cooled.

Yankee Brisket Pulled Barbecue

2011-07-01T09:31:00.002-06:00

Five years ago last month, my little brother married his sweetheart. At the time, my parents were out of the country. They were living in Brussels, Belgium at the time. It fell to me, somehow, to throw a lunch for the family who was traveling to the wedding. I knew just what I should do, especially since I needed it to travel easily, serve many people, ~~not stain people's nice clothes~~ and taste good for old and young alike. The bite of mustard, the deeper complexity of Worcestershire sauce. A bit of molasses. And chicken to keep it lean.

(I've made the same recipe with pork shoulder, but I really prefer the chicken results. Pick your favorite meat).

This was also long before anyone in my family needed gluten free food. I pulled out my favorite recipe for Yankee barbecue (because, after all, I am a Western girl, which falls into neither the Yanks nor the Southern Belles, but I think the Yanks will take us in a pinch), and invited my friend Mindy over to help me. It was June, and my sticky little apartment had no air conditioning. We opened all the windows, turned on a few fans, and once we finished prepping the ingredients, took a blanket outside to lay in the evening light.

We actually prepared this recipe in two parts, which is easy to do. The first day (a Friday), we roasted and pulled all the chicken, ending up with more than 20 pounds of cooked chicken. The second day, on Saturday morning, I made the sauce and added it to the shredded chicken.

Friday night was a multi-hour operation. Mindy and I splayed out on blankets on the front lawn, the sun melting over the western horizon, surrounded by the smells of chicken and onions into the desert air. We were reading, side by side, while the chicken cooked, every once in a while draping our tired heads over our crossed arms and letting the books flipped closed.

The recipe for this barbecue is almost a starting point, and any Yankee can throw their own touch on it. Just make sure you are tasting it as you go along, and doing the final seasoning after the sauce and chicken have been combined (the bland chicken will mellow out the sauce a little bit, but not completely).

The flavors of this dish in my kitchen now remind of that hot summer, with a little bit of rushing around, and the late afternoon watching my brother and his bride with hopeless grins on their faces. It was a success.

Last Year: Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken Recipe
Two Years Ago: Gluten Free Orange Bars Recipe

Yankee Brisket Pulled Barbecue
based on the recipe in Finger Lickin' Rib Stickin' Great Tastin' Hot & Spicy Barbecue by Jane Butel
[Printer Friendly]

2 pounds chicken breast or thighs
3 1/2 ounce bottle liquid smoke
2 cups chopped onions
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
1 tablespoon dark molasses
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon liquid hot pepper sauce
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup chili sauce
1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Cook and pull the chicken. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper, and place it in a heavy pot. If you intend to cook the meat on a burner, add 1/2 cup water to the pot and cover tightly with a lid or aluminum foil. Cook on the lowest flame or heat setting possible. Check the meat periodically and add more water if necessary. If you are cooking the meat in the oven, you need not add water. Just cover tightly and place in the oven. For either method, cook approximately 1 hour per pound of meat, or until the meat is fork tender and falls apart. When the meat is done, remove it from the pot and allow it to cool. Trim any excess fat from the meat. Drain excess fat from the pan, reserving 3 tablespoons. For full "pulled" meat, pull meat into shreds with your hands or two forks. Return the meat to the pan, add the sauce, allowing 1/2 cup sauce per pound of meat, and cook, uncovered, over low heat until heated through.

Sauce. In a large pot, melt 3 tablespoons of the hardened fat over medium heat, add the onions and saute until tender. Add all the remaining ingredients and 1 cup of the pan juices or water. Stir well and simmer for 20 minutes over low heat. Add the pulled meat to the sauce and simmer very slowly, uncovered, for 1 hour, stirring frequently. Add more pan juices, or water, if necessary, to keep the meat moist.

Remove from heat and serve on bread, flatbread, potatoes, polenta, veggies, or whatever you want.

Pineapple Lime Cake with Lime Glaze

2011-06-28T11:53:00.001-06:00

Three loads of laundry, lots of dishes, a welcoming kitchen full of a Bountiful Baskets order, and a few naps, we've officially arrived home from camp. I've had a chance to try a new muffin recipe with coconut flour (from Roxy's Market in Ketchum, Idaho), a chance to pick some roses from my backyard, and to enjoy the new air conditioner blasting when we walked through the door.

C was nice enough to order and pick up a Bountiful Baskets produce order for me on Saturday and leave it in my kitchen. I wondered why my living room had the slight hint of fresh peaches when we walked through the door (forgot to take out the trash??), until I had sent down all the things in my arms.

There were three large grocery bags on the stove and counter. One filled with peaches, limes, mangoes, and plums, a few carrots tucked in among the head of cabbage and the huge heart of romaine. My first thought was:

She just spent $70 on me at the downtown farmer's market. I am so spoiled.

Later I found out the real truth - just $16.50 on all this haul - and I couldn't be happier. Plenty to eat, especially now that the boy has decided to give up cheese. (Believe me, this is an earth-shattering change around here.) Cheese used to be one of the five food groups.

We've been focusing a lot more on fresh fruits and vegetables, like the potato and spinach frittata with green onions I made for dinner Sunday night. We have to find ways to not miss the cheese, and to keep our food interesting, and him full. It's been a challenge so far.

We generally eat a whole foods diet, but each change in our diet requires a new shift - me figuring out what quantities we need to be getting from the store and when, how to not run out of white onions or Russet potatoes, and how to use up all the produce that ends up in the fruit bowl.

There's always something that's been freshly baked on the counter too. This time, it's a variation of Pineapple Lime Cake from Rookie Cookie, modified to be gluten free. We didn't each much of the glaze - the boy doesn't have much of a sweet tooth these days - and well, I can only eat so much of it myself. These slices are tender, have a consistent texture, stay moist for a few days, and a have some bright flavor with the lime.

Last Year: Warming Gluten Free Muffins
Two Years Ago: Review: Living Harvest Hemp Milk

Pineapple Lime Cake with Lime Glaze
adapted from this recipe
[Printer Friendly]

1/2 cup shortening, softened
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup millet flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 cup sugar
2 limes, zested and juiced
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 20 oz pineapple chunks, drained

Set oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flours, baking soda, xanthan gum and salt. Whisk well to combine. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, add shortening, sugar, lime juice and lime zest and cream ingredients together until light and fluffy. Add vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix until just combined. With a rubber scraper, fold in pineapple.

Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes. Cool in pan for 20 minutes. Invert onto cooling rack and cool completely. Place cooling rack over the sink or in a baking sheet. Evenly pour glaze over the top of the cake. Let glaze set for 15 minutes before slicing.

For the glaze:
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp lime juice

In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and lime juice until smooth. Pour over cooled cake.

Off to Camp

2011-06-18T12:33:00.003-06:00

Via

I'm headed off to camp today in the Sawtooth Mountains - a week of preparing and feeding 14 Celiacs (fourteen!) and having the time of my life. I hope you have a wonderful week!

Gluten Free Coconut Tea Cake Recipe

2011-06-10T11:06:00.000-06:00

This has become our dinner party staple. If you're invited over to dinner, expect some delicious coconut cake to come after the beef fajitas or the ribs on the grill out back. We've gotten rave reviews, and the leftovers never last long either. It's pretty simple to assemble, even though there are multiple elements to the building of the cake. Whisking the flours together in a bowl while the stand mixer whirs away with the eggs and sugar fluffing along, warming the butter and coconut milk, and the coconut shreds toasting in the oven. If you feel the adrenalin pumping when you're multi-tasking, this is a cake for you. If you approach the kitchen with a flurry of flours and various pans heating on the stove, this could assemble in about 10 minutes. Then, it simply rises and bakes into a crusty and rich cake for an hour. The smell starts to spread through the house after about 40 minutes, just as the guests arrive.

Basically, I think you should come over for dinner on Friday.

Last Year: Oven Roasted Garlic

Two Years Ago: Radish Chips

Coconut Tea Cake
Adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan
[Printer Friendly]

1 1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
2/3 cup millet
2/3 cup sorghum
2/3 cup potato starch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup coconut milk
3/4 cup toasted sweetened coconut flakes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. There will be four things going on at the same time. First, put a small saucepan on the stove over low heat, and add in the coconut milk and butter. Heat until the butter barely melts, and then remove from the stove and set aside. Second, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add sugar and eggs and whip together for 3 minutes, until the mixture is yellow and fluffy. Third, while the eggs and sugar mix, toast coconut in the oven. Fourth, combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk them until they are combined.

Add the vanilla to the egg mixture and beat just until combined. Then add the toasted coconut into the egg mixture, followed by the slightly cooled coconut milk mixture, and finishing with the dry ingredients. Keep mixing until all the ingredients are combined.

Prepare a bundt pan, and when the mixture is combined, spoon it into the pan evenly. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes. Remove from the oven when the top is crusty and golden brown. Leave in the pan for 10 minutes to cool, then flip over onto a cake plate to finish cooling.

Gluten Free Poppy Seed Crackers

2011-06-01T11:42:00.001-06:00

These buttery crackers are a delight on a chilly May afternoon. We've had many chilly May afternoons already, until today when we were greeted with a June afternoon! The sun is starting to make more regular appearances, wobbling over the clouds like a toddler new on his feet.

The crunch of the poppy seeds is a great compliment in these easy crackers. Not to mention the wonderful buttery taste. I thought, naively, that I could just have a taste. I stopped shortly afterward, remembering that these were intended for someone else and that I should keep my paws off dairy anyway. I'm glad I remembered sooner rather than later.

When you peek into the oven during baking, the butter will rise to the top and form a bubbling, buttery golden layer on top of the crackers. They brown during the process, but you have to wait for the hot butter to settle down a little bit after pulling them out of the oven. Work hard to make them as even as possible (using your gluten free rolling pin), so that they crisp evenly. The thicker crackers will not be crispy so much as tender and buttery, but the thinner ones will have a delightful snap to them with each bite.

Have you tried making crackers? What tips do you have? Any dairy free crackers in the house?

Last Year: Bacon Wrapped Mango Chicken with Balsamic Reduction

Two Years Ago: May 2009 Co-op Food

Poppy Seed Crackers
a riff on this excellent recipe
[Printer Friendly]

1 stick butter (1/2 cup) at room temperature
2 whole eggs at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 cup millet flour
1/2 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 cup milk (optional)

In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the butter and eggs together on medium speed until creamy looking. Add the salt and pepper, Italian seasoning, and poppy seeds (for crunch!) and mix just until they are incorporated. Add the millet and sweet rice flour with the mixer still on low speed.

If the mixture feels too crumbly add a little bit of milk to obtain a smooth but not too wet dough. Start with one tablespoon at a time. Gather the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for about 2 hours.
When ready to bake, turn the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and position a rack in the middle.

Roll the dough in between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll to about 1/4 to 1/8-inch thick. Cut cracker shapes out in the dough with a pizza cutter and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are golden.

Grilled Veggie Kebabs

2011-05-30T20:49:00.000-06:00

On this Memorial Day in the U.S., we hope you are having a wonderful day with sunshine! We grilled out and had some grilled veggie kebabs (with cucumber, squash, and onion), as well as some steak.

How to Toast Coconut Flakes

2011-05-24T15:39:00.001-06:00

I recently finished reading a book that describes the story of my life, called Cooking for Geeks: Real Science, Great Hacks, and Good Food by Jeff Potter. Aside from all the scientific equations and principles, one of the beautiful things I learned about in this book, very applicable to creating appealing food, is called the Maillard reaction.

In short, the Maillard Reaction is the difference between perfectly toasted bread, just before it's smeared with strawberry freezer jam, and a pasty piece of white bread. The Maillard Reaction takes place most effectively at 375 degrees Fahrenheit (or 190 degrees Celcius), and then the top of your muffin turns deliciously golden-brown. The elusive, desirable golden-brown. Maillard makes it all possible by the heat affecting the water molecules and creating glycation.

So, what to do with this? Toast stuff. One of my favorites is toasted coconut. It's a little bit caramel tasting, a little bit toasty. By changing the structure of the sugars in the food, it becomes more appealing.

So, here's how to toast coconut. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (for a lower application of the Maillard reaction).

You can start with sweetened or unsweetened dried shredded coconut.

Measure the needed amount and spread it thinly on a sheet tray.

Put it in the oven for 5 minutes or less. If it starts to smell strongly, it's about 3 seconds from burnt! Watch it closely.

Pull it out of the oven when more than half of the coconut is toasted (don't wait for all of it to change color), and immediately transfer to a cool plate. If you leave it on the sheet tray, it will continue to toast.

Cool and use in your recipe.

Delicious Banana Muffins I Haven't Been Able to Top

2011-05-17T12:43:00.000-06:00

I've made these muffins over and over and over. They get those little flecks of darker banana inside, and the walnuts are a nice crunch. They're the Gluten Free Goddess's Big Banana Muffins. I don't like to make them big, because, well, then they'd be gone faster. I make 12 of them in regular-sized muffin tins, and bake them about 20 minutes. I watch them close near the end.

I hope you enjoy them like we have!

Zesty Beef Short Ribs

2011-05-11T09:27:00.002-06:00

Shortly after I returned home from my first visit to the indoor farmer's market on State Street, and a batch of muffins were in the oven, I heard a knock on the door.

It was my fiesty little 84 year old neighbor. Last week, she gave me some frozen peach cups and some canned vegetables, saying the food bank man had brought too much. After shuffling into the living room, she offered me two packages of Ramen noodles. Knowing it wouldn't be easy to explain to her giving, small town Iowa heart that we don't eat wheat, I piped up and turned down her offer for the noodles. I have yet to tell the pastry chef who lives to the other side of me that I can't eat the biscotti he leaves on my porch. Another day for that, I suppose. We talked about the weather, the flowers, the lawn, and the books she's ready. She leaned back into the overstuffed pillows on my couch and exclaimed that my "Davenport was so comfortable she might just fall asleep." The couch pillow almost looked as if it would swallow her in one bite. She stayed for her typical 15 minutes, explaining that it just gets so lonesome over there without anyone to talk to.

As she showed herself to the door, she told me about the Mother's Day dinner at the Senior Center she had last week. It was "some sort of rice with a bunch of stuff in it. And they have weird names for all the food. Like chicken who-sa-shin-sho or something like that. You never really know what you're getting." She told me it was the worst food she'd ever had, and then she mused to herself that everyone probably has different taste buds.

It's probably true. I see that reading all the food blogs, the food magazines, and hearing people mention what they cooked over the weekend. One of the managers at my work loves to cook, and he's famous for his flan and his croissants. My sweet neighbor told me how much she loves mashed potatoes and gravy. My boss is a vegetarian, and likes to refer to his cuisine as "the cardboard you're food comes in." The irony isn't lost on me. He's happier, healthier, and fitter than ever. He even showed me his weight and vitals tracking spreadsheet, with a clear line pointing upward reflecting his refreshed and healthy glow.

While my neighbor was sitting on my Davenport with her eyes closed, I pulled a pan of banana muffins out of the oven. The tops were perfectly rounded and a touch brown, and that roasty banana walnutty smell filled the house. I didn't explain to her that I was making short ribs for dinner. I wasn't holding out on her. I think I can be a little shy about my culinary point of view, my need for gluten free food. Every person likes their potatoes a little different, and it all seems very personal after I've spent so much time in the kitchen. I love sharing it, but I find myself hesitating if I'm not sure how the other person will feel. Chicken? I'm not sure. I think I'm just getting used to living on a street where the neighbors come over to chat. I wouldn't trade it though, that's for sure.

I picked up a bag of Fuji and Golden Delicious apples at the indoor farmer's market, and was sold on the Canyon Meadows Ranch LLC natural beef short ribs for dinner. Short ribs are one of the tougher cuts of beef, I knew that, and are best when they're braised. This is a really simple way to braise them, and then grill them afterward. Ideally, they could be braised in a much more flavorful liquid, which would lend sweet bite to the tender meat after cooking. I think I'll be hitting the indoor farmer's market every week.

Last Year: Baked Coconut Tilapia with Apricot Dipping Sauce
Two Years Ago: Ant's Pizza (still our favorite crust)

These ribs are easy to make, even if you've never done it before.

First, make sure the ribs are no longer frozen.

After trimming off any extra fat and separating them into serving size pieces, toss them in a preheated enameled cast iron Dutch oven on the stovetop. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour water over them, just enough to cover the ribs, and simmer them for one and a half hours. They will turn a delicate gray color, and smell wonderful.

Whip up a quick batch of the sauce for the ribs.

On the grill, set each rib out and brush with the sauce. For 10-15 minutes, continue basting and turning the ribs frequently, until they crisp on the outside and the sauce is darker.

Like this.

Enjoy!

Zesty Short Ribs
Adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook
[Printer Friendly]

3-4 pounds beef short ribs, cut to serving size and trimmed of fat

1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon chili powder

Separate and trim the short ribs of any excess fat. On the stove, preheat an enameled cast iron Dutch oven. Drop in the ribs, one at a time, and sear for just a few minutes. Season them lightly with sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Then, lay the ribs flat on the bottom of the Dutch oven and pour enough water over the ribs to barely cover them. Get the water to a boil, then turn down to a simmer (medium heat) and braise them (cooking them slowly in liquid) for 1 1/2 hours.

While the ribs are braising, prepare the sauce by stirring together the ketchup, molasses, Dijon mustard and chili powder until combined.

Once the ribs are braised, pull each one out of the braising liquid and set on a plate. Prepare the gas grill on medium heat, and set each rib on the grill. Brush both sides with the molasses sauce, turning them frequently and basting with more sauce for 10-15 minutes. The sauce will cling onto the ribs, creating beautiful grill marks and a dry-ish saucy coating on the outside of the ribs. Serve immediately.

How to Actually Eat Gluten Free at a Restaurant: Part 2

2011-05-04T07:15:00.000-06:00

If you haven't already, check out Part 1 of How to Actually Eat Gluten Free in a Restaurant.

Don't be afraid to not eat it. Months back, we had ordered lunch in for an all-day work meeting. What's cooler than free lunch? Well, we were ordering from Jason's Deli, which has those magical allergen statements on it. I ordered a salad with grapes and nuts in it, and forgot to ask them to leave out the cheese. I was already a bit disappointed having to navigate around the cheese (I had only take a few bites at this point), when I found a piece of marinated chicken inside my salad! Ding ding ding! I had read on the menu that the marinated chicken contained gluten, and so I graciously put the lid back on the salad, and moved on to Plan B. Starve? That's not Plan B. I have a better one for you.

Carry food with you. Whether you are traveling or just around the corner from home, it's very important to keep some safe food with you. This could be because you are driving past mouthwatering billboards and your stomach is growling, or because you order something at a restaurant that just isn't going to do the job. And if you're flying or on a car trip, it's smart to have food you know is safe in case you can't find anything in the airport or gas station. I like to keep fruit cups and Kind bars in my desk drawers at work, Lara Bars in my work bag and purse, a stash of nuts and other things in my car glove box, and those packets of tuna and some gluten free crackers with me when I'm flying for business.

So, does this ruin the mood? Ruin the magic of your dinner out with friends for a birthday, make you feel awkward with coworkers, or make your wonderful grandmother feel bad about spending all that money on you? I say: you and they will feel a lot worse if you get contaminated while eating out! It's worth it to cover your bases, being kind and gracious with your dinner companions and the restaurant folks, and you will have a great experience. Most people won't notice, and those who do won't mind!

Ask your friends and family to support you. If someone suggests you go out to eat together - whether it's your coworkers, parents, or real estate agent - pipe up and ask if you can choose the restaurant. I find that in Salt Lake, if they pick the type of fare (Mexican, burgers, Chinese, steak, vegetarian, Middle-Eastern), there are enough options that everyone can be happy. Frankly, this works most of the time. People who care about you are generally glad to try your restaurant suggestion, and they want to spend a nice evening with you without you being miserable or spending a lot of time in the bathroom during the movie afterward.

Eating gelato in Siricuza, Sicily.

How to Actually Eat Gluten Free at a Restaurant: Part 1

2011-04-29T16:19:00.004-06:00

Do your research. If you and your friends/family/coworkers are planning to go out for a meal, and someone makes a suggestion, hop online and find the restaurant's website. If it's a regional or national chain, they likely have a nutrition facts section where the allergens in their menu items are shown. If the place is just local, you can use websites like UrbanSpoon (use the gluten free 'tag' for your city) to find out if anyone has eaten gluten free there before, and how successful they were. A few other sources for this are: Gluten Free World Map (put together by the Celiac Chicks), and you will also find restaurant reviews on blogs (hmmm, like mine - a list of restaurants in the greater Salt Lake metro area). So that's it, right? That's all you need to eat gluten free successfully in a restaurant? Well, not so fast.

Here are a few of our tips that can take you beyond the allergen menu and hopefully give you more successful dining experiences.

Focus on restaurants that have a limited menu. So, what do I mean by a limited menu? Well, if you live in the west, think of the Inn 'n' Out concept. What do they sell there? Hamburgers (with veggies), fries, fountain drinks, and milkshakes. That's it. Yes, there are buns with the hamburgers. But the fact that their menu is not 18 pages long (think The Cheesecake Factory menu...that thing could provide enough reading for a bus ride around the world!) Because there are so few ingredients in their kitchen, they can safely say that the only foods in their kitchen with gluten are the hamburger buns. Thus, less chances for cross contamination! Yay! Our favorite local restaurant with a limited menu is Five Guys Burgers and Fries, with several locations across the Salt Lake Valley.

A restaurant with amazing risotto in Milan, Italy.

Know how to explain yourself. If you have work situations when you must eat out, the great part is that many caterers and conventions are able to accommodate your requests. I don't mean those convention center snack bars at the back of the exhibit hall (don't eat there!), I mean if there is a catered lunch or dinner for a banquet, a company holiday party, or a special event. If you work for a smaller company who is catering a holiday party, get the name of the caterer from the person who organized the event at your office and call the caterer more than 24 hours in advance. One year I waited until a few hours before the event to call and ask if the food that night could accommodate me. They made a few things just for me, but explained that if I had called a few days before, the chef would have loved to prepare something just for me.

In a more general restaurant setting, explain to the chef or the manager that you have a serious food allergy (which is somewhat inaccurate, but gets their attention) and proceed to explain how you want your food prepared. Don't forget to ask questions. In the hamburger joint, do they toast their buns on the same grill with the hamburgers? Is their salad pre-mixed (with croutons)? Does that gluten free pasta get cooked in clean pasta water? Are they using a separate wok for your gluten free stir fry? Is all of their chicken coated in a special spice mix? Usually, the waitstaff is glad to ask the kitchen, and the chef is glad to give the answers. Unless of course you are at a restaurant like Applebee's, where the manager explained that they are unsure what ingredients are in their food because it all comes pre-frozen and isn't labeled in detail (yikes!)

Be aware of cross-contamination issues. My favorite examples of this is french fries. They're just potatoes, right? Well, if they're cooked in the same fryer as onion rings or chicken fingers, the fry oil absorbs the gluten proteins and adds them conveniently into your fries. Only certain restaurants have separate fryers for their French fries, and either don't serve any other fried items, or fry them in a separate fryer (think onion rings, chicken fingers, and who-knows-what-else...). Focus on Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Inn 'n' Out, Mazza Middle-Eastern, and Chick-fil-a.

This also applies to sandwich places. It may be that Subway can make you a salad bowl with their sandwich fixin's, but if they came right of "the line" (where the regular sandwiches are made), you are likely to end up with some gluten in your food. This applies to delis, sandwich shops, and even those "fresh Mex" places that build you a burrito to your specifications. I haven't had many good experiences with Chipotle or Barbacoa because of that same principle.

In a casual dining place, politely ask if the cooks will change their gloves before preparing your meal. This helps!

Part 2 comes next week!

Double Chocolate Jelly Accent Brownies

2011-04-17T10:44:00.000-06:00

There's a pattern here. I've been lifting so many boxes, couches, washing machines above my head that when I finally get around to preparing food, I hope it is as high-calorie as possible. It's like being on one of the crab boats on Deadliest Catch. We may or may not have watched all the marathons last weekend, and then stayed up to see the 2 hour season premier on Tuesday night. I'm pretty sure those guys pack in more than 5000 calories a day. That's got to be more than my bacon and avocado burgers midnight dinner with spicy potatoes. I'm still in the "cooking with plastic forks and eating off that weird plate that somehow was at the top of the pile" phase.

I actually modified the author's recipe for these brownies to make them a little less sweet and a little more healthy. I cut out a good amount of sugar, and added whole grain flours to the mix. I find that my body just doesn't do that well with all the rice flours and starches. I have to say that the small amount of sweet rice flour helps them stay together really well though, so it's worth keeping in. No xanthan gum needed!

Double Chocolate Jelly Accent Brownies
from Gluten Free & Wheat Free Gourmet Desserts by Mike Eberhard
[Printer Friendly Recipe]

1/2 cup Spectrum organic shortening
4 ounces semisweet baking chocolate
3/4 cup sugar
sprinkle of brown sugar
3/4 cup millet flour
1/4 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 eggs
1/4 cup jam (I used raspberry)
1/2 cup chocolate chips

In the microwave, melt shortening and baking chocolate, stirring as needed. In the mixer, combine sugars. Add the melted chocolate mixture to the sugars and mix until combined. Add flours, cocoa, baking powder, and vanilla; mix. Add eggs and mix thoroughly. Line an 8 inch springform pan with parchment paper and coat all surfaces with cooking spray. Pour batter into pan. Spoon jam on top of batter. Swirl very lightly within the top layer. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 55 minutes. Cool before removing the outside ring.

Warning: hot jam will burn your face off!

Toasted Walnut Cake

2011-04-06T13:11:00.001-06:00

I'm looking forward to having a full sized oven again. When I was putting this cake together, I realized that not only did I not have a bundt pan (which sounded really cool at the time), but if I was going to bake it in two round cake pans, I was going to have to run these cakes over to C's house to bake them. Thankfully, C doesn't mind when I bake in her oven! I have to say it's a little bit of a downer sometimes though - kind of like realizing in the middle of the night that your house only has an outhouse!

Thankfully, they baked up beautifully. The hint of orange zest was perfect with the toasted walnuts and the sweet potato was subtle. The boy didn't even notice there were vegetables stuffed in there, but he did notice the zest. Still, it was solidly approved by the committee! When we ate most of it, we didn't even put glaze on top, just quick slices of cake. The glaze is simple and sweet, made of orange juice and powdered sugar, and dresses the cake up nicely for company.

This cake is actually a healthier version of the original, made with whole grain flours (since Bette doesn't use them in her book), and I cut out about 30% of the sugar. It was plenty sweet the way it turned out. Now that I've made it several times and smoothed out the recipe, it's on the staple list.

Toasted Walnut Cake (or This-Has-Vegetables-In-It-But-Tastes-Like-Toasty-Walnuts Cake, if you need a code name)

based on the recipe from The Gluten-free Gourmet Makes Dessert
[Printer Friendly]

1 cup sorghum flour
1 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup millet flour
1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum

4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 1/3 cups sugar
4 eggs, separated
1/3 cup orange juice
1 1/2 cups grated raw sweet potatoes
1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a bundt pan, or two 8-9 inch round cake pans (I went with cake pans). In a medium bowl, whisk flours, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, dried orange peel, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of your mixer, combine the oil and sugar and beat until smooth. Add the egg yolks and beat well. Beat in the orange juice. With the mixer on low, blend in the dry ingredients. Beat well for about 1 minute. Remove bowl from mixer and stir in the potatoes, nuts and vanilla.
Beat the egg whites until stiff in a small metal or glass bowl (don't use plastic) and fold into the batter. Spoon into the prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes in the bundt pan, or 30 minutes in the round pans. When cool, drizzle with a juice/powdered sugar glaze.

Toasting Walnuts. Chop the walnuts if needed and spread them on a sheet tray. Put them in the oven for no more than 5 minutes at 350. They go from "toasted" to "burnt" quickly!

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

2011-03-30T14:51:00.002-06:00

I have an explanation for my recent absentee-ism.

It involves stacks of cardboard boxes, mountains of paperwork, peering through dusty windows to living rooms that turn out to have rotten floorboards. Musty basements with water damage. Sending copies of every possible identity-containing document off to someone I don't personally know.

The day has come for Gluten Free in SLC to be housed on its own piece of land. Have its own counter tops for photos, under its own south-facing windows. I bought a house!

My endlessly patient real estate agent took us through more than 30 houses in the area of town where I currently live, and where I wanted to stay. These are historic houses, mostly Victorians (built before 1905), and craftsman bungalows (built between 1905 and 1930). Historic can mean lots of foundation damage, sagging brick, poor fixes by previous exuberant homeowners, lopsided additions on the backs of houses, and a fair sprinkling of water damage. Lots of foreclosures to look through. We looked at one short sale where the homeowner, who was clearly mid-renovation, had pasted "dream photos" on every wall of the house, in every room, of how they wanted their finished house to look. It was like watching someone's dreams slowly bubble and peel around the edges. Those renovations, by those sets of hands, weren't going to happen like they planned.

I chose a very structurally sound bungalow on a great piece of land on a medium traffic street. It's across from an elementary school, and has huge, beautiful trees in the yard. It's got some serious charm, which had me at first look. Things like a little towel hook hanging on the bathroom door that's probably from the 1950s and is in the shape of a sun. An original walk in closet. Original windows that all open. Sigh.

To usher in spring, the daffodils just bloomed in my new front yard (I haven't even moved in yet.) Another sign of spring are the first sprigs of asparagus, which came from a local farmer. One of my favorite ways to make asparagus (besides tender risotto) is wrapped in bacon. Either in the oven or on the grill, this is a 15 minute side dish that would be perfect with any dinner.

Grill on, friends.

Last Year: Dairy Free Potato Leek Soup

Two Years Ago: Taco Soup

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
higlighted at Aubree of Living Free's Favorite Recipes from Last Week (Check it out!)

[Printer Friendly]

1 1/2 pounds asparagus spears, trimmed 4 to 5 inches long tips
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
A few grinds black pepper
4 slices bacon
Chopped chives, optional

Preheat oven, if using, to 400 degrees F.
Lightly coat asparagus spears in extra-virgin olive oil. Season the asparagus with black pepper. Take a quick count of the spear tips. Divide the total number by four. Gather that number of spears and use a slice of bacon to wrap the bundle and secure the spears together. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

For grilling: place bundles on hot grill and cover. Cook 10 to 12 minutes until bacon is crisp and asparagus bundles are tender.
For oven preparation: place bundles on slotted broiler pan. Bake 12 minutes.

Brownie Bites

2011-03-15T15:10:00.001-06:00

I think Mythbusters should test if a person eats more when the food is bite-sized than when it's plate-sized. But then again, I already know the answer. I eat more if they are little bite-sized morsels. So much for relying on the fun size candy bar trick.

This recipe makes 24 little brownies, which I bake in a pan I picked up at a Robert's Crafts going out of business sale. It's a really great Wilton brand mini-muffin pan with 12 spaces. These are fast, delicious, and disappear off the counter in no time. I ended up taking mine into the office to share with my brilliant co-worker A, and thankfully, she needed a little chocolate pick-me-up too. Eaten two at a time, you'll need more before your oven even cools down. They're also great to freeze individually (or in pairs), so you can pull them out whenever you need a gluten free treat. I'm looking forward to the days when I have a bigger freezer and can fill it with brownie bites. Until then, you don't have to worry about these going stale.

Last Year: Gluten Free Panda Orange Chicken
Two Years Ago: Gluten Free Streusel Coffee Cake

Gluten and Dairy Free Brownie Bites

adapted from a childhood recipe ala my Mom

[Printer Friendly]

3/4 cup sorghum flour

1/4 cup tapioca starch

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup Spectrum Organic Shortening

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 cup hot water

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven for 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celcius). In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients until they become one. Add in egg, and stir. Add shortening, vanilla, honey, and water, and stir until the mixture is combined. It should look similar to gluten-containing brownie batter. Add in chocolate chips and stir until they are incorporated.

Spray a mini-muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray. Plop large tablespoons of batter (filling them 3/4 full) into each muffin spot. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until they are slightly firm, a little crackly on top, and have risen above the edge of the pan. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes before putting them on a cooling rack to finish.

Makes 24 mini-muffin sized brownie bites.

Fresh Pear Cake

2011-03-11T19:29:00.000-07:00

Today was bustling with spring movement. Yesterday I went out to eat and sat on the patio at the restaurant. The trees haven't yet burst forth with their buds, but the fragile little starts are resting on the ends of branches, waiting for the perfect day to flower into spring.

I'm excited for a change in the weather, for some more sunlight in the evenings. Barbecue, anyone? We'll likely kick it off with a weenie roast this weekend (we prefer Nathan's all beef kosher hot dogs). Cheers to a nice weekend, everyone!

I wanted to make this for you, and use my fresh, sweet pears inside it while they were still perfectly ripe. The tender crumb of the cake, dotted with walnuts, is perfect for the pear bits to melt into. This is now a favorite use for a pile of pears.

Last Year: New Approach to my Recipes (Dairy Free!)
Two Years Ago: Five Guys Review

Fresh Pear Cake
adapted from this recipe
[Printer Friendly]

2 cups peeled, cored and chopped pears
3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup millet flour

1/2 cup sorghum flour

1/2 cup tapioca starch

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 egg

1/3 cup canola oil

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Combine the pears and the sugar and let stand for one hour. This is important - the sugar helps bring out the sweetness, and the juice, in the pears.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Spray an 8x8 inch square pan with non-stick cooking spray. Slightly beat the egg and combine it with the oil, chopped walnuts and pear mixture.
Stir the flours, salt, baking soda, xanthan gum, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. Stir in the pear mixture. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 45 minutes. It should have a crusty top, flaky almost, and be slightly firm to the touch. Remove from oven ant let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing form pan.

Reader Question: How do I make GF breaded chicken?

2011-03-08T21:04:00.001-07:00

Hot dog - I've got a friend who wants this question answered. We were texting back and forth, and she didn't tell me what kind of chicken she wanted to bread. My mind went a little crazy with it, and so I started thinking about all the different ways to make a GF chicken breading, and I thought I'd share with you!

Southern Fried Chicken or Chicken Fingers. Near the beginning of our foray into gluten free foods, I found a great roadmap for a chicken fingers recipe on Mrs. G.F.'s My Gluten Free Cookbook blog. The breading ingredients? A combination of crushed corn tortilla chips and unsweetened shredded coconut. I looove this combination, it's crunchy and has some dimension to it. The boy turned out to not be a fan of the added coconut, but I found it to be delightful, just a little different than chicken fingers from Denny's or something. Coconut is also perfect on baked tilapia with apricot dipping sauce. If you're making some Southern Fried Chicken, a nice gritty cornmeal would be great on the outside. My favorite is Arrowhead Mills cornmeal, nice and tender.

Chinese Chicken. I love a good crunchy Chinese chicken, coated in a sauce that's thick and sweet. Hello - doesn't every Celiac love a good visit to Pei Wei or P.F. Changs? I sure do. I'm always pleased to find a Chinese restaurant that has gluten free breaded chicken, and most often it's made from potato starch (P.F. Changs) or cornstarch (Joy Luck Chinese restaurant in Sandy). Either one of these coatings is perfect if you throw the chopped chicken into a resealable bag with the starch and shake around before you throw it into the oil. A light, crisp breading, perfect every time. I've done the same thing with my Panda Orange Chicken recipe.

Via

Chicken Parmesan or Italian style. There are several great gluten free breadcrumb brands out there, or you can take a slice of old GF bread and whiz it in your food processor or blender. Sometimes I'll do this and throw it into the freezer afterward, so that I have breadcrumbs any time I want to make Chicken Parmigiana or some gluten free Crab Cakes. This is the old three step method to breading something: beginning with a layer of gluten free flour, then a dip in egg wash, and then a dip in gluten free bread crumbs. The egg wash holds on the bread crumbs, while the inner layer of flour is the perfect place for some seasoning (salt and pepper, or any other spice like cayenne is great in that first layer of flour). Also, I just wanted to throw out there that it's really easy to season your own bread crumbs after spinning up your own crumbs in the food processor. Just throw in some Italian herbs and some black pepper and you've got another layer of flavor in your food.

Light all-purpose breading. I've found a really elegant solution to some meals that involve chicken and veggies is a really light breading on the outside, and then a saute in a pan to cook the flour and cook the chicken through. My favorite flour for this is millet flour, which I buy in bulk on Amazon.com. It's very similar to corn flour, with a slight corny undertone to it. I've made a few times a recipe of lightly breaded chicken stuffed with roasted red peppers and sheepsmilk feta (the feta is just for the boy) with some fresh herbs in there too. Just a small plate of millet flour with a little salt and pepper in it is perfect breading for this chicken. You could try this with any stuffed chicken dish.

How do you bread your GF chicken recipes?

Jerusalem Artichoke Soup Recipe

2011-03-01T12:01:00.000-07:00

What do you do when you think you've just been given 7 chunks of ginger root? You start with your microplane zester and zest it up, so you can freeze it.

I sat down for some good zester time the other day, only to realize that what I was zesting was not that warm yellow color, and didn't smell like ginger. I sat down for a quick Google search, and discovered it was Jerusalem artichoke, or sunchoke. Totally seasonal for February in the Northern United States, it turns out. So, it wasn't the ginger root I was anticipating, but it did whip up into this beautiful soup.

These are truly root vegetables, all craggy and irregular on the outside. Grown in the earth, and preserved quietly underground until the gray blanket of winter shows no signs of lifting. February. (Can you tell I'm excited we've made it to March? I really am!) It's mild with a little bite, and marries perfectly with potatoes and onions. It purees beautifully into a great dairy free creamy soup that can sooth a sore throat or cough. I just spent the last week on my couch with the seasonal flu that's making its way around. So many people I know are sitting on their couches right now with it that's it's hard to even say where it came from.

Thankfully, jerusalem artichoke soup, lots of lemonade, and a few episodes of the second season of Who Do You Think You Are? and my fever broke. It only took six days for me to flatline back into a normal body temperature. I'm so glad it happened though. I hope you all are feeling better, too. I'm probably not the only one who had the plague last week. Cheers!

Last Year: Cranberry Cream Pie
Two Years Ago: Yoplait Yogurt (lots of dairy going on in March, I guess!)

Jerusalem Artichoke Soup
Adapted from this recipe
[Printer Friendly]

8 cups (or more) low salt chicken or veggie stock

1 pound Jerusalem artichokes
1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large onion, finely minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Bring the chicken or veggie stock to a boil in a large saucepan or stockpot. I decided to make my own veggie stock for this recipe, so mine was already hot. Peel the jerusalem artichokes with a vegetable peeler or knife and chop them into 1/2 inch diced pieces. Add chopped and peeled potatoes, onions, garlic, oregano, ginger, and thyme. Cover pot and simmer for 25 minutes, or until the potatoes and jerusalem artichoke are tender. Remove from the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes.

In small batches, spoon the soup into your blender and puree until smooth. Or, use an immersion blender in the soup until smooth. Simmer on the stove to let the flavors meld, and season to taste with sea salt and fresh black pepper. Serve with chopped avocados and bacon.

My break-up with gluten free oats

2011-02-19T08:20:00.001-07:00

I sent him a text. We're finished.
Not anyone real, just my Blue Chip Group/Auguson Farms bag of certified gluten free oats. Sigh.

We don't eat oats all that often, really just on a great apple or pear crisp, or in some oatmeal ranger cookies. Thursday night when I returned from a short business trip, I decided to make some ranger cookies for me and the boy. And for C, and anyone else who stopped by. A nice, soothing baking session while the laundry spun in the washing machine.

And so I did. They were fantastic. A little crispy around the edges, and that chewy middle, studded with large walnut pieces, and a few chocolate chips thrown into a few of them. Perfectly golden mounds of oaty goodness. The boy chowed down a few, and I had one before bedtime.

Let's just say that during the night and into the morning confirmed what some celiacs fear in the great gluten free oat debate - I seem to be sensitive to the prolamine in oats called avenin. Gluten is also a prolamine, and that is the reason that some celiacs don't do well with even pure, or certified, gluten free oats. I guess I'm on the list.

Thankfully, ranger cookies can always be made with quinoa flakes.

[source]

Last Year: Tangy Cranberry Jezebel Sauce
Two Years Ago: Dairy Free Corn Chowder

My break up with (gluten) and with (dairy). Let's just say proteins and I have a rocky relationship.

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

2011-02-17T14:01:00.000-07:00

Something simple. That's what I'd like. A little sweet, a little fresh and juicy. The strawberries I got from my Bountiful Baskets order were perfect for this. So was that little holiday in February. I used milk chocolate, my favorite, and it was a little sweet. It masked the delicate sweetness of the strawberry a bit. Still, indulgent, no?

Happy Thursday.

Last Year: Acorn Squash Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Frosting
Two Years Ago: Crispy Mediterranean Polenta with kale, tomatoes and feta

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

1 pint strawberries

4 ounces chocolate bark coating, or your favorite chocolate

In a double boiler, melt the chocolate slowly, while stirring. Lay out a sheet of waxed paper on the counter. Wash and pat dry all of the strawberries, making sure that each has a little green stem to hold on to. With your fingers, hold the strawberries by the stem and swirl them in the chocolate. Lay them on the wax paper and cool.

It's that simple.

Candied Lemon Party Cake

2011-02-04T11:23:00.004-07:00

Remember the candied lemon slices ala Tuesday? Oh yeah. They may have disappeared from the shelf in the fridge already. I even managed to adapt a beautiful cake that I could stuff full of the candied lemons. It was a great combination, and I hope you'll like it too.

The sweet and tart lemon bits between the layers keep the flavor bright, in addition to the dairy free "butter" cream I put together (no small feat, that's for sure). My favorite part of this cake is that the boy's friend D came over and quickly noticed it on the counter. (That doesn't take long, somehow). He already had a piece when I noticed it, and before he left for the afternoon, he'd had a few more slices. He also managed to take a muffin for ransom, and for payment of doing a chore for me. It's a small price for me to pay. It was great to have him love the cake (the boy had a little taste, but he might have had his last sweet tooth extracted a few years ago :), and that I got to share the love with the neighborhood.

This is a perfect cake for a party, for a date, or for a Wednesday. You decide. It's a nice, bright flavor for the dullest of days, and will get the grown men from a few miles around to show up at your door asking for pieces of cake. While you might not be interested in all the unannounced visitors, I think it is perfect for many occasions, and is really not that hard to put together, despite the two page recipe.

Last Year: Beans in Breakfast
Two Years Ago: Lime Avocado Mousse

Candied Lemon Party Cake
Recipe adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan
[Printer Friendly]
3/4 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup millet flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 1/4 cups hemp milk
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
4 tablespoons Spectrum Organic shortening
4 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Non-Dairy "Butter"cream
1/2 cup sugar
2 egg whites
3 ounces shortening (butter flavored Crisco would be great here, if you're into that)
3 ounces Spectrum Organic shortening
1/8 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 pint of candied lemon slices

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and grease two (2) 9 inch round cake pans with shortening.
Sift together the flours, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt.
Put the sugar and lemon zest in the mixer bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the shortening and, working with the paddle attachment of your stand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the shortening and sugar are very light. Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixutre, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and eggs, beating until the batter is homogenous, then add the last of the dry ingredients. Finally, give the batter a good 2-minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated. Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the touch - a thin knife inserted in the center should come out clean. Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, and unmold them.

Put the sugar and egg whites in a heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like shiny marshmallow cream. Remove the bowl from the heat.
Working with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment if you have one, and add the shortening a little at a time, beating until smooth. Once all the shortening is in, beat the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thic and very smooth, 6 to 10 minutes. During this time, the buttercream may curdle or separate - just keep beating and it will come together again. On medium speed, gradually beat in the lemon juice, waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more, and then the vanilla and zest. You should have a shiny, smooth, velvety, pristine white buttercream.

To assemble. Prepare a stable platter or base for your cake. Slice one of the layers in half horizontally, and then spread the top with a light amount of the frosting. Using the candied lemon slices, cut them into smaller pieces, and place them on top of the buttercream, like topping a pizza. Add the next layer, topping it in the same way. Slice and top the other full layer in the same manner, so that there are four layers to the cake. Once you have placed the top layer on the cake, cover the entire cake with the remaining frosting. And let's face it, you can probably get your frosting to look better than mine. Then, pat dry a few of the lemon slices and arrange them on the top of the cake.

Candied Lemon Slices

2011-02-01T12:04:00.007-07:00

Welcome to February. It's bitterly cold out there, with the heavy winds whipping at my skirt and nylon-clad legs. Brrrr. I'm waiting for the days of sunshine, when I'll be whining about sweat and heat and stale air. Whining doesn't get me much of anywhere, so I decided to do the springiest thing possible - play with lemons. Like many a food blogger out there, I'm a lemon fanatic. I love the smell, the taste, the bite of the zest, the juice splashed into fresh salsa. It's a food that's in everything, but not as often put on display as the star.

I had a bunch of lemons that were calling my name, hoping to inject some cheer into the blusteriness of my every day. Something sweet, and a little tangy. Something versatile, that could be put in a cake, a topping for ice cream, or a base for an exotic drink.

Candied lemons. The whole thing, not just the peels. I didn't want to lose any of this brightness, I wanted the whole cheer. And I got it, with these beautiful jars of candied lemons.

Take that, February.

Last Year: Gluten Free Graham Crackers (and some S'mores)

Two Years Ago: Shortbread Cookie giveaway

Candied Lemon Slices
Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan
[Printer Friendly]

5 lemons
4 cups water
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Using a sharp knife, cut a slice off the top and bottom of each lemon. Cut the whole fruit, rind and all, into rounds as thick or thin as you please. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and drop in the slices of fruit. Boil for 2 minutes, then drain the peel in a colander and rinse under cold water. Refill the pot and repeat the boiling, draining and cooling twice more. This step is important, since it helps remove the bitterness from the peels before they are candied.

Rinse out the pot and pour in the 4 cups water. Stir in the sugar and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Return the slices to the pot, cover and reduce the heat so that the syrup simmers gently. Stirring now and then, cook the peel for up to 1 1/2 hours, until they are soft and completely candied. Remove the pot from the heat and let the slices sit in the syrup at room temperature overnight.

The next day, spoon the fruit and syrup into a jar with a tight-fitting lid; refrigerate.

Deep Dark Chocolate Cake Recipe

2011-01-26T11:08:00.000-07:00

We had a lunch meeting today at work, and ordered delivery food from Jason's Deli. On their website, they list all the allergens in their various menu items. I decided to choose a nutty salad with no chicken (it's marinated) and no dressing (don't like dressing much anyway). The delivery guy showed up at noon and we were able to continue with our meeting.

I didn't remember when I ordered it, but the salad is covered with feta cheese (oh, I miss feta.) Mostly, I don't really miss the dairy that I stopped eating 10 months ago. It was about the first three months that were the worst, when all I could think about was cheese. Some thick slices of Jarlsberg, creamy cream cheese frosting, some sour cream on my tacos. But it's not so bad now.

I picked around the edges of the salad, looking for pieces without cheese on them. I got a few big savory walnuts that really hit the spot, and a few big red grapes. I was poking around in the salad with my fork when I discovered a big piece of marinated chicken. Um, no thanks. I put the lid back on my salad, and moved swiftly to Plan B. The food I brought with me for lunch.

I find that bringing enough food with me, even if we're ordering for lunch, is always a good idea. Maybe just a few Kind bars in my work bag will do the trick. Today I had an Udi's Whole Grain bagel, a little container of ready-to-serve tuna in water, my mini pepper grinder (the tuna was a little bland last time), an orange, a giant English cucumber all sliced up, and some chocolate cake. I had already been planning to share the chocolate cake with my co-worker, a new Celiac.

I busted out the bagel and tuna and moved on with life. Breaking my emotional attachment to free food has been an adjustment for me. In college, I was the one who would go to campus just to get free pizza from a campus club, or go to the homecoming parade for the free donuts. Free food isn't really in my future much anymore, but it's worth the trade not to have a foggy head and achy stomach all afternoon in my meeting.

My friend didn't fare quite as well with her lunch order. After about 30 minutes, she had a pinched, pained look on her face. I tossed her a bag of pain killer, and slid her a piece of chocolate cake. I think this stuff might mend the soul a bit.

It's moist, even after a few days, and plenty chocolatey. I didn't even make frosting for it, which makes it more transportable too. I topped it with just a sprinkle of powdered sugar, just to make it pretty.

Tomorrow is Chocolate Cake Day, and in honor of the special occasion, we've had this cake several times already in the last few days. This month's Go Ahead Honey, It's Gluten Free, hosted by the lovely Lauren of Celiac Teen, is all about January's food holidays. I already passed up Hot & Spicy Food Day (January 16) and National Shortbread Day (January 6) just so I could share this cake with you.

Last Year: Teriyaki Bacon-Chicken-Pineapple Skewers
Two Years Ago: Simple Chicken Noodle Soup

Deep dark chocolate cake, sprinkled with powdered sugar and tossed together with some fresh blackberries.

Deep Dark Chocolate Cake
developed by Amy Perry, Twin Valley Mills Sorghum Flour recipes
[Printer Friendly]

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup sorghum flour from Twin Valley Mills
1/4 cup corn starch
3 tablespoons buckwheat flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 egg
1/2 cup hemp milk
1/4 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup boiling water

In a large mixing bowl, stir together sugar, sorghum flour, corn starch, buckwheat flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and xanthan gum. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed of electric mixer two minutes. Remove from mixer, stir in boiling water. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes for a 9 inch pan.

This recipe easily doubles to make two 9 inch pans, which could then be frosted as a layer cake. I made it smaller, and it was the perfect size.

Twin Valley Mills sorghum flour

2011-01-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

Have you Salt Lakers noticed how hard it is to find sorghum flour lately? Every once in a while you can find a bag of Bob's Red Mill at Whole Foods, but not every time. I kept running out of it, and missing it in my favorite recipes. (Totally essential for great almond poppyseed muffins.) I decided to look around the internet and find a larger supply that could be shipped.

And I found Twin Valley Mills sorghum flour. I was able to get a 25 pound bucket shipped for about $2 a pound. What a great deal! I felt pretty good about supporting the folks who run Twin Valley Mills as well, and I'm glad to know that I have plenty on hand now.

Full disclosure: I purchased this flour myself. I just really liked it, and wanted to share it with you. They didn't compensate me in any way.

Roasted Delicata Squash with Garlic

2011-01-12T15:15:00.003-07:00

It's not often that I don't wish for a cool breeze on my face. January is not one of those times. I live in a tremendously cool, older neighborhood, with many of the houses approaching a century in age. The house that contains my apartment is not quite that old - it was probably built in the late 1950s. It's definitely had its updates over the years, including the new front door my landlord installed several years ago, complete with a new screen door to go on the outside. I like that my new door was no longer a hollow-core door, and had a nice deadbolt on it for my use. This door business was all going well until the screen door went kaput. So it got taken off the hinges.

That leaves my front door that isn't hung quite right. There are cracks of chilly light around the edges, and I can see my natural gas dollars seeping out the edges into the cold outside. So, with a rolled up blanket in front of the door, packed as tightly as possible, it's called for some warming and flavorful squash. A bowl of this, plus a pair of fuzzy socks, is really helping me stay warm. How are you staying warm right now?

Last Year: Coconut Kumquat Tea Cake
Two Years Ago: Review of Lloyd's BBQ

Roasted Delicata Squash with Garlic
adapted from this recipe
[Printer Friendly]

1 delicata squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Oil a small baking dish.

Peel delicata squash, slice in half lengthwise, and remove seeds. Cut into 1/2 inch thick slices. Place in baking dish, and toss with olive oil, garlic, and parsley.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until tender.

Chili Colorado Recipe

2011-01-07T15:09:00.003-07:00

This is another throwback from the boy's childhood, like the cheese brogies. He remembers going to a restaurant with his parents, probably in Nampa, Idaho, and having Chili Colorado. He thought it was delicious, and would order it at other restaurants and never found on that compared.

It can be eaten as a traditional chili, the kind in a bowl eaten with a spoon, or there's a bunch of other ways to serve it. He chose to have it with garlic mashed potatoes and corn chips - maybe not the most traditional preparation. I opted for mine in warmed corn tortillas with a sprinkling of rice.

Tex-Mex can be so hearty and filling, and if you remove the gobs of cheese you get at a restaurant, it's pretty healthy too. (I skip the cheese because I don't eat dairy, and you don't want to miss the flavors going on in the meat and sauce anyway). If you're afraid this will be too spicy for you, the flavors mellow as they simmer in the stock pot, or in the slowcooker (whatever your preference). I've included slowcooker instructions with this recipe as well, because it would be perfect to welcome yourself home with some flavorful chili after a cold day outside.

When I asked him after dinner if this compared to his childhood Chili Colorado, he had to admit he wasn't sure anymore what it tasted like. What we made for dinner, though, was a slam dunk, and has already made its way to our dinner rotation.

Last Year: Southwestern Chicken Soup

Chili Colorado
built from this recipe
[Printer Friendly]

2 tablespoons millet flour
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 tablespoon bacon drippings, or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon millet flour
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon adobo sauce (the extra juice from a can of chipotle peppers)
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and black pepper to taste
3 cups water

Place the millet flour and corn starch (total 3 tablespoons) in a plastic bag. Add beef and shake to lightly coat with flour. Set aside.

Heat bacon drippings and vegetable oil in a Dutch oven or stockpot over medium high heat. Add beef and cook until meat is evenly browned, about 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon millet flour, and cook 3 minutes. Stir in the onion, tomato sauce, adobo, chile powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer until beef is just falling apart, about 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

Crockpot/Slowcooker Directions. Brown meat with flour, and then add all remaining ingredients into the crockpot. Cook on low for 8 hours, and then serve.

Gluten Free Easy Apple Coffee Cake Recipe

2011-01-04T09:27:00.000-07:00

I wanted to start the year off with a much healthier recipe for you. I was digging through an old recipe book that the pages are falling out of (compliments of my time in college). I loved that book. I found it at the thrift store, and it's got the coolest selection of breakfast baked goods I've found anywhere. From pancakes and coffee cake, to sweetened quick breads and cinnamon rolls, there are tons of recipes to try in there.

I did notice, too, that all of the recipes are loaded with sugar. They include way more sugar than I'm used to having in my baked goods. So, I took the opportunity to cut out about a cup of sugar from this recipe, and it was still appopriately sweet. The whole grain flours make it hearty and filling (love that amaranth!) Keep in mind that amaranth has a bit of a strong flavor, but the sugary topping helps to compliment that flavor. I think you'll like this, even if you've never had amaranth before. I bought mine at Kitchen Kneads, and grind it myself.

I've decided (so far) there are three kinds of coffee cake toppings, and I'm trying to figure out which one is the best. There is the crisp approach, meaning the topping includes oats. This was my original approach, the one my mom uses (and that my camp friends liked too). The second type is the take-out-part-of-the-dry-ingredients and use it for the topping, like on the Mango Crumb Cake. I really like this approach too, especially if it includes a juicy fruit like the mango. I've also had it without fruit, just the topping. This is the third type - just brown sugar and fat, melted over the top in the oven (with the addition of walnuts here). This might be my favorite. It's sweet enough, and it's simple enough without the oats that it serves more as a topping than an entirely different note in the finished product. Quite good. Especially when the brown sugar caramelizes on the walnuts.

In honor of trimming the sweet, I'm linking to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, because I've actually health-ied something up lately!

Last Year: Orange Muffins with Fresh Cranberries
Two Years Ago: Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Easy Apple Coffee Cake
adapted from Sunset Breads, 1994
[Printer Friendly]

1/2 cup potato starch

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup amaranth flour

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 cup dairy free milk (I used hemp)

2 tablespoons oil

1 extra large Granny Smith apple, peeled and thinly sliced

1/3 cup brown sugar (still too much?)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons Spectrum Organic (palm) shortening)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Mix flours, sugar, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt in a large bowl. Add egg, dairy free milk and oil; stir until well moistened. Spoon batter into grease square pan, evenly smoothing the top. Arrange apple slices in rows over the batter. In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and shortening, crumble over the apples. Sprinkle with nuts.

Bake in a 350 degree oven unil the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan (about 45 minutes). The topping should be melty and bubbly, the walnuts toasted, and the edges of the cake puffing up around the sides. Let it cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 10 servings.