Sunday, May 29, 2011

Gluten-Free/Paleo Diet Friendly Apple Cinnamon Cookies (doubles as gluten-free granola!)


1/3 of the cookie batch
Gluten-Free Granola!




I’ve flirted with the idea of becoming a Paleo Eater.  However, I like baking too much to ever become completely loyal to the diet/lifestyle/movement or whatever you want to call it.  Even though I haven’t completely converted, my Paleo recipe research has led me to a lot of creative gluten-free baking ideas.  Celiacs disease and gluten allergies are becoming more common so I thought it would be nice to include a little gluten-free baking for readers who would like to try something new.  Because this is also a Paleo recipe, there is no added sugar either so these cookies are pretty guilt free.

Prep Time: 20 Mins                 Bake Time: 25-30 minutes                       Oven Temp: 350 F

Ingredients
  2 large apples, peeled, cored and cut into eighths (I used Pink Lady apples because they are very sweet)
  2 cups blanched, slivered almonds
  2 teaspoons coconut oil, melted
  2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  1 tablespoon of cinnamon
  1 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut
  A pinch of Kosher salt
  3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1. Using a food processor with the shredder disk in place, add one apple wedge at a time. Once all the apples are shredded, remove apple from the processor. Measure out two cups and place in large bowl.
2. Replace shredder disk with the regular chopping blade.  Add almonds, cinnamon, coconut oil, and vanilla extract to processor. Pulse until coarsely ground.
3. Combine almond mixture with shredded apples, shredded coconut and salt. Stir to incorporate.
4.  Add eggs. Stir until combined.
5. Use a cookie scooper (or ice scream scooper) to place dough balls on baking sheet prepared with parchment paper.
6. Using the bottom of a glass greased with coconut oil, smash cookies so that cookies flatten out.  To save time you could flatten the cookies with your hand instead.
7.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cookies brown on the edges.

Granola option
When I made these cookies I ran out of parchment paper to put on the third baking sheet so I used aluminum foil instead BUT I forgot to spray the foil with Pam so my cookies stuck to the sheet. They also came out a little more crisp than the other cookies.  I peeled the cookies off the best I could but they crumbled into a million pieces.  I put the pieces into a Tupperware and used it as granola in my yogurt the next morning. When life gives you lemons make lemonade! If you want to use half the recipe to intentionally make granola, I suggest sprinkling small chunks onto a baking sheet and baking the chunks on the top rack so that they crisp up nicely. If the chunks turn out too big you can chop the chunks once baked and cooled.

Feel free to add a tablespoon or two of honey if the recipe is not sweet enough for your preference.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Butternut Squash and Carrot Mash



I made this Sunday night so I would have something to supplement quick and easy meals for the rest of the week.  The Mash has little seasoning added so that I can give it a different twist each time I heat a bowlful up. 

Prep Time: 15 mins (prebaking) + 15 mins (postbaking)  Oven Temp: 375 F   Bake Time: 30-40 Mins

Ingredients
2 Small Butternut Squash (about 6 inches long each. You could use one large squash but I find that it’s easier to peel smaller ones because their sides have less curvature)
5-6 Large Carrots
2-3 tablespoons Coconut oil (or butter or olive oil if you don’t have coconut oil)
Pinch of Kosher Salt and Black Pepper

1. Peel the butternut squashes. Cut off the hard stems from the top and bottom.  Cut in half and remove seeds and pulp.
2. Chop squash in ½ inch pieces.
3. Peel Carrots and chop into pieces, roughly the same size as the squash.
5. Add squash and carrots to a parchment lined baking dish. Toss with one tablespoon melted coconut oil, salt and pepper.
6. Bake for 30- 40 mins, stirring twice to make sure vegetables bake evenly.
7. In 3 batches, puree roasted vegetables in a food processor.  Each batch should be pureed with ½ tablespoon coconut oil. Oil does not need to be melted because it should melt when pureed with the hot vegetables.
8.  Place in a Tupperware and store in fridge for quick meals or side dishes throughout the week.

Meal Ideas

Host Mom Recipe
My host mom in Buenos Aires used to make a variation of this mash for dinner. She topped the mash as follows
(Amount suitable for a single serving, double if serving two people)
1 bowl  2/3’s full of mash
1- 2 tablespoons grated cheese (any kind, depends on what you prefer. I used Havarti and gruyere)
1 tablespoon  Sour Cream
¼ cup chopped baked ham (small cooked hams can be purchased at the grocery store)

Sprinkle cheese over mash.  Mircowave for 1 minute. Add chopped ham and cook for an additional minute.  Top with tablespoon sour cream and a sprinkle of salt (optional).

Side Dishes
I enjoyed this mash alongside my lunch salad.  I topped it with a little bit of garlic salt and pepper.
You can also enjoy the mash as a sweet side if you add a little bit of brown sugar and cinnamon before microwaving it.


Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Quinoa Pumpkin Pancakes




This is kind of a repost.  A few weeks ago I put up a recipe for Quinoa Pancakes.  I was bored last night and decided to try out a pumpkin version.  I looked up a couple quinoa pumpkin pancake recipes but all of them used quinoa flour instead of whole quinoa.  I prefer to use whole quinoa because it gives the pancakes an interesting texture and makes them very filling.  They turned out great. Hope you all enjoy them as much as I did.

Ingredients

½  cup uncooked quinoa  (will yield a little over one cup of quinoa)
1 cup whole wheat all-purpose flour minus 1  tablespoon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 large egg, plus 1 large egg white
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup almond or soy milk

2 tablespoons maple syrup
a pinch of nutmeg
a pinch of ginger
a pinch of allspice
a pinch of cinnamon
½ can of Libby’s Pure Pumpkin (15 oz. can)
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract

 1. Cook quinoa according to package directions.  In a bowl, whisk together cooked quinoa, flour, baking powder, and salt.
 2 .In another bowl, whisk together egg, egg white, butter, soy milk, and syrup until smooth.
3. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and whisk to combine. Add pumpkin, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, vanilla, and cinnamon. Whisk to combine.
4.   Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet or griddle with butter and heat over medium-high. Drop batter by large tablespoonfuls into skillet. The batter will be thick so might need to spread the batter with the back of a spoon so that small round cakes form. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
5. Flip cakes and cook until golden brown on underside, 4-5 minutes. Wipe skillet clean and repeat with more melted butter and remaining batter (reduce heat to medium if overbrowning).
6. Serve hot with maple syrup.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Portuguese Palate: Cake Oporto


Cake Oporto before the I added the glaze



This is another recipe from Cooking With a Portuguese Flavor.  I made some minor additions to the recipe and they are noted with an asterisk (*).   The cake is not overly sweet and tastes somewhat like a muffin.  It is a great substitute for coffee cake.

Ingredients
½ cup butter (softened)
½ cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour * (original recipe used just white flour)
½ teaspoon Salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup Port Wine
½ cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup raisins
¼ cup almond milk * (I’m sure regular milk would work just as well)
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice *
1 teaspoon of grated orange rind *

1. Cream the butter and sugar until light. Add the eggs and mix until combined.
2. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder in a separate bowl.  Slowly add flour mixture alternating between adding flour and port.  Next add almond milk, mix until combined. Add orange juice and orange rind.  Stir until combined.
3. With a spatula stir in raisins and  walnuts.
4. Pour dough into a greased 8 inch square baking pan. Bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Optional- Orange Glaze
Using the left over fresh squeezed orange juice, make a glaze by mixing orange juice and powdered sugar.  In order to make a glaze that is not too runny, slowly add orange juice to powdered sugar, stirring constantly so that you can determine the consistency of the glaze.  I also added ¼ teaspoon of port to my glaze. 




Monday, May 9, 2011

Squash Over Rice

Only 1/2 of what the recipe yielded.  I remembered to take a picture after we had eaten half of it.
Squash Over Rice (adapted from Heirloom Squash Farratto bonappetit.com)



I found this squash recipe when looking for brunch inspiration on bonappetit.com (http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2010/10/heirloom_squash_farrotto)  The original recipe looks delicious but is a bit labor intensive.  I made a few shortcuts that will save you a lot of time but give you just as much flavor. This recipe contains no meat and makes a great dinner option for my vegetarian readers. 

Prep Time: 20-25 minutes         Cook Time: 60 mins                        Oven Temp: 400 F

Ingredients
3 teaspoons ground cumin
1 cup plain fat- free greek yogurt (I prefer fage)
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 teaspoons garlic salt
4 cups 1/2-inch cubes peeled butternut squash (I cooked an entire squash, yielded 8 cups)
 olive oil
2 cups Uncle Ben’s Instant Brown Rice
2 tablespoons chopped jalapenos (fresh or pickled)
3/4 cup diced red onion plus  1/4 cup thinly sliced red onions
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
Extra-virgin olive oil

1. Peel the butternut squash and chop in half long ways.  Scoop out the seeds and pulp.  Dice squash into 1/2 inch cubes. Toss cubes with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread onto a baking sheet and roast at 400 F for 25-30 minutes or until tender when poked with a fork.
2. Cook Instant Brown Rice cups in the microwave.  Uncle Ben cups take only a minute to cook.
3. In a small bowl combine yogurt, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon cumin and garlic salt to taste.  I used about ¾ teaspoon of garlic salt.
4. Over medium heat, sauté diced onions, peppers and garbanzo beans in one tablespoon olive oil. After one minute, add squash and brown rice. After one minute, transfer ingredients into a serving bowl. 

5. Sprinkle with 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin and 1 ½ tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. Add chopped cilantro and raw red onion slices.  Add additional chopped peppers if desired.
6. Serve with yogurt sauce drizzle onto or on the side.

This recipe yields a large amount so I had some of the leftovers the next day for lunch.  I heated up the left overs and served it over spinach with balsamic and olive oil.  Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did!



Sunday, May 8, 2011

Portuguese Palate: Cookies Alentejana

Fresh out of the oven
Flattening the cookies with the bottom of a glass


Portuguese Palate
A few months ago my boyfriend gave me a very special cookbook, Cooking With a Portuguese Flavor.  The cookbook was written by his grandparents.  Along with traditional Portuguese recipes, August and Elizabeth Vaz included historical and cultural explanations of Portuguese cuisine and its origins.  I hope to do their recipes justice in my posts.  So whenever you see a blog post that begins with Portuguese Palate, expect some traditional Portuguese fare!

I decided to begin with a simple cookie.  Cookies Alentejana (Bolo a Alentejana) are delicious cookies that taste like a mix between sugar cookies and snickerdoodles.  They are wonderful with tea. I enjoyed mine with some Earl Grey with soy milk and honey.  


Cookies Alentejana
(Bolo a Alentejana)

Prep Time: 15 minutes                   Bake Time: 8 minutes per batch                                Oven Temp: 375 F

Ingredients
¾ cup butter (I used unsalted)
1 ½ cups sugar
3 egg yolks
2 teaspoons cinnamon
grated peel of one lemon (make sure to scrub lemon clean before grating peel)
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Yields about 3 dozen

1. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on low speed.
2. Beat in egg yolks, cinnamon, and grated lemon peel.
3. Mix well and sift in the flour.
4. Drop dough in teaspoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Drop in tablespoonfuls if you prefer larger cookies.
5. Grease the bottom of glass with a stick of butter and dip in sugar. Use the bottom of the glass to flatten the cookies.  The glass must be resugared between each application but does need to be regreased unless the sugar is no longer sticking.  If this happens, wipe the glass clean with a paper towel and regrease with butter.
6. Bake at 375 F for 8 minutes.  I cooked each batch separately.
7. Let cookies cool for a minute, then remove and cool on a wire cooling rack.