Monthly Archives: July 2012

Nutty Seed Bars and a Barn

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For this post I am participating in Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger. I chose to adopt Amber from The Tasty Alternative . She is super friendly and has made my first few weeks as a blogger very fun. In fact she seems fun. (And has a fun font on her blog.) Amber has quite a few recipes that I want to try. I was recently tempted by her Chewy Granola Bars, which I have respectfully renamed Nutty Seed Bars (because my family already has a “Granola Bar” recipe, so I need a different name for the kids).  I made them, and followed the recipe … but I think I should have chopped the nuts a bit smaller. I put a piece of parchment paper over the mixture and tried to “whack it” but that didn’t work so I used a rolling pin- which did the trick! (Also my husband is allergic to walnuts so I subbed in pecans.)

Nutty Seed Bars

Then my daughter and I embarked on a mission to make it cute.

Before I stopped eating sugar I loved decorating ginger bread houses. As soon as I figure out how to make a good “glue” frosting without sugarcane, I will be back to making them at Christmas time. Setting that idea aside for a moment, I decided to try a small Nutty Seed Bar “House”. Then we decided to make it a barn. And my daughter built a fence. And added some animals… She really did a nice job and had a lot of fun.

I reduced honey on the stove-top and mixed that with cashew butter. It made a decent glue. Sort of. It was a hot day and when the sun hit the barn the whole thing collapsed. Just as well because we were going to eat it anyways!

Nutty Seed Barn

As for Amber’s recipe:

The bars taste fantastic. If I made them again I would omit the cranberries. They have a strong flavor and I would rather enjoy the flavor of the apricot and cashew butter. (That’s just me.)

The bars held together well under normal circumstances, but in the heat (we took them on the bike path and it was over 85), they got soft. This happened with the bars I made for my cookbook– but I discovered a solution while testing for the book. Adding a couple tablespoons of coconut sugar to the recipe adds strength and heat resistance. Or, just be happy to eat these delicious bars on a cool house or a bit soft on the bike path (which really is fine!).

Bean-Free Hummus and Olympic Bento

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bean-free hummus

I love hummus. It is one of my favorite party foods. The problem is, some people can’t digest chickpeas and I like to make food that everyone can enjoy. I also follow a few Paleo diet bloggers, and I started to think, “I wonder if they miss hummus?” (Paleo diet excludes eating beans). So, I created a bean-free hummus. It tastes quite a bit like hummus and it is very flexible- allowing you to flavor it to your preference.

Olympic Bento

Olympic Bento: There is an open face sandwich on one side with the Olympic rings (simply cut from fruits and vegetables with cookie cutters). Then I used the hummus as “water” and green beans for the swim lanes. I cut the swimmers out with a paring knife after sketching the swimmer first on paper.

Note: I don’t eat nightshades and you won’t see them in my recipes, but my daughter does eat them, so occasionally they will appear in bento photos.

Bean-Free Hummus Recipe
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1 cup raw cashews (soaked for 3 hours)
1/4 cup raw tahini (be sure it is raw- toasted tahini will taste too strong)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Lemon juice (1/2-1 lemon to taste)
1/4-1 clove garlic (to taste)
Salt to taste (1/8 teaspoon)
1/4-1/2 cup water

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This recipe is all about personal preference. Basically just puree everything until very smooth in a food processor. Add water to achieve a nice dipping texture. Add lemon, salt, and garlic to your tastes. Garnish with chives or scallions (I used lemon zest too- my husband said, “too much”, while I loved it lemony.

Serve at room temperature. If refrigerated it will thicken, so just let it come back to room temperature before serving.

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I am sharing this recipe on Allergy Free Wednesdays, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Bento Blog Network, and Wellness Weekend

Creativity for Joy and an Award

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Indian Food Bento

Some people look at my bento lunches and say, “That’s too much work.” And I can see where they are coming from. But it doesn’t feel like work to me. In fact it is the opposite. Fixing lunch day after day feels like work. Fetching snacks and sippy cups for toddlers all day feels like work to me. Creating art is my pleasure. Thinking of fun ideas and watching them come into form is a treat. Sometimes I don’t have time or don’t feel inspired and then I make a regular lunch packed in bento form. But often I need the break from being a “mom servant” and I treat myself to 15 minutes of creativity. Just for me. And my kids love it too, but really I do it for me because I am an artist at heart.

I am enjoying reading other blogger’s thoughts on creativity as self care during the July Self-Care Retreat. Art has always been my way of relaxing and enjoying life, so the Creativity posts really speak to me. Before kids I was into fabric art (and no worries I will be back to that in a few years).

Quilt

Amber from The Tasty Alternative sent me this award recently. It was so thoughtful of her and I am really grateful to the entire blogging community. I have enjoyed a very warm welcome during my first six weeks of blogging!

 

I enjoy blogging because it is an extension of the art and creativity of bento. It is fun to edit the photos, look at them again, write about the bento, and have a permanent record of a very temporary piece of art. And of course blogging is about sharing. Sharing my fun with other people. Thank you.

The award comes with a suggestion that we might enjoy passing it along to other bloggers. And I would like to mention a couple of blogs that I have been reading for a few years.

1) Gluten Free Fix. Michelle writes recipes with skill and precision. She can write the steps to a recipe in about 3 short sentences when I would take a long paragraph to do the same. I read her blog not only for the great food, but also for lessons on how to be a concise recipe writer.

2) The Spunky Coconut. Kelly uses at lot of ingredients that I enjoy (coconut being one!). She has nice stories, and her photos are lovely.

Fresh Herb Rice Croquettes

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mini burger

Is this a croquette or a vegan burger? Either way, these are very delicious. We served them with mustard on roasted mushroom “buns”. They would go very nicely alone side  a vegetable dish or a meat.

School is out for summer, so rather than save the mini burger for the next day’s lunch (which is what I usually do), I gave my daughter a special “fancy” dinner. She is always begging to eat off of the white plates (I have these for  photography- we have other everyday plates).

In the cute version, everything is miniature; the oranges are actually sliced kumquats and the mushroom “buns” are Shiitake mushrooms. Plus a little decorative pick.

Rice Croquette

Fresh Herb Rice Croquettes Recipe
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1 cup uncooked Lundberg rice blend
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for cooking
1 cup shredded carrots (about 3 carrots)
1/2 onion finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons minced fresh herbs (I used chives, mint, cilantro, parsley, and a touch of thyme)
1/2 cup ground cornflakes cereal

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Cook the rice.

Place the ground cornflakes in a shallow bowl and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pan and saute the onions, carrots, and garlic until the onions are soft and translucent. Toss with the salt.

Combine the rice and sauteed vegetables in a food processor. Pulse a few times to bring the ingredients together. Remove 1/2 of the mixture to a mixing bowl and pulse the remaining half until it is sticky but still granular. Transfer the remaining mixture to the mixing bowl and stir in the herbs. Form small patties and coat them in ground cornflakes.

Heat a bit of cooking oil in a pan (well seasoned caste iron or non-stick will work best) on medium-low heat. Cook the patties on each side until they are golden and crisp.

Serve hot.

Shared on: Allergy Free Wednesdays, Wellness Weekend, and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday

Gluten-Free Waffle Cones

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ice cream cones

I always make homemade ice cream and waffle cones for my parties. I think at this point my friends would be disappointed if I didn’t. We just had Strawberry Festival here at my house and the cones were very popular. This is one recipe I must outright brag about. These cones are really great– better than the sugar/gluten version. Really.

I make them small, for the kids, and if the grown-ups want more they can always have seconds. If I have time, it is nice to pour a small bit of melted chocolate into the bottom of a chilled cone. This prevents any leaks out of the bottom and makes the last bite an extra special treat.

Grain-free friends I am working on a recipe for you…

Waffle Cone Recipe
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1 egg (yolk and white)
1 egg white
2 tablespoons oil (I use olive oil)
1/2 cup agave syrup
2/3 cup white rice flour
1.5 tablespoons Namaste Perfect Blend Flour (Other all-purpose gluten-free flours would most likely be the same. Or use 2 tablespoons of rice flour- the cones will be slightly more fragile but not significantly. Alternatively you could add a pinch of arrowroot too.)

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These instructions are specific to the Chef’s Choice Waffle Cone Express. Not because it is the best (although it might be), but because it is the only one I have ever used. Will a Panzanella maker work too? Probably. Will other waffle irons work? No, you need a special flat iron for waffle cones.

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes (very important). Stir.

Preheat the waffle cone iron. Set the heat/browning level to 2.5-3 on the Chef’s Choice (other brands you will need to experiment). Scoop 1 tablespoon of batter onto the center of the iron and gently close the lid. Cook for 2 minutes or until cooked through and golden (waffle irons may vary).

Take the waffle out, shape it with the cone shaper. Press the edge and end tightly to seal the cone. Set it out on a cooling rack.

Repeat 20 times. Yes, this takes almost an hour. I think it is worth the trouble.

Problem solving:

If your cones are too delicate you may need to: rest the batter longer, or add a touch of flour (a teaspoon at a time of all-purpose will usually do the the trick).

Having trouble getting the edges to seal: work faster while they are very hot and use a bit more pressure (be sure to use the shaper or they will collapse).

Shared on Allergy-Free Wednesdays and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday

Pumpernickel Bagels (grain-free) and Rescue Bento

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Rescue Bento

I love bagels. I ate 1-2 bagels everyday for years before going gluten-free. I missed their chew texture, delicious varieties, and versatility. I loved them as sandwiches, with cream cheese, as mini pizzas…

Pumpernickel Bagels

I do have Everything Bagels and Raisin Bagels in my cookbook. They are great and quite different from this recipe. But it is always fun to have options, so now I can add this grain-free pumpernickel bagel to the lineup.  Stay tuned as I am sure more bagel recipes are soon to follow.

For the bento, I was having a bit of fun telling a story. I used a paper punch for the face on the Avocado Lady and for the mouth of the Kumquat “Victim”. I baked the bagel in a miniature donuts pan (rather than full sized) and wrapped a chive around it.

My daughter thought it was too worrisome that the kumquat was yet to be rescued, so she placed him on top of the raft. She had quite a bit of fun playing with him.

Rescue Bento

Can these be made as muffins? Probably but I haven’t tried it. Does baking soda work too? Yes but use about 1/4 teaspoon. Can you substitute the eggs? I doubt it, but I feel free to experiment. I learned about baking with almond butter and eggs from Elana’s Pantry, so thank you Elana!

Pumpernickel Bagel Recipe
makes 6 bagels
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3/4 cup roasted almond butter, smooth, unsweetened
3 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons molasses
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
2 teaspoons caraway seeds, toasted

Standard sized donuts baking pan (required)

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Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prepare the donuts pan with oil (6 slots). (I had one batch stick- that was frustrating, so I recommend being thorough here.)

Mix all of the ingredients together in a mixing bowl and then  fill the donut slots about 3/4 of the way.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. Be sure not to overcook or they become dry. They are done when a toothpick comes out clean and they feel firm but still have bounce.

Remove from the pans and set out on a cooling rack.

Enjoy hot out of the oven, toasted, or at room temperature.

This is shared on Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Fat Tuesday, Bento Blog Network, and Allergy Free Wednesdays