Tag Archives: gluten-free

Grain-Free (Nut-Free) Brownies

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When I feel a little down I often choose to bake. Baking is exciting for me. The idea that you can pop a batter into the oven and it transforms into something new- like a cake- (or in this case ridiculously good brownies), is so gratifying. Then there’s the down side. A gooey failure, made from expensive ingredients that goes straight into the trash. (That happens when you are messing with baking chemistry sometimes.)

So, a few days before Mother’s day I was feeling a bit low and I decided to make brownies from the leftover baked Hannah Yam in my refrigerator. Without any consideration for baking science I put together this batter that should not work and yet it did! Over the next few days I made three more batches- tested a few theories- and perfected the recipe for Mother’s day.

Brownies
GFE is having a fun little blog post featuring grain-free, nut-free recipes that satisfy a craving for nuts. This recipe is so perfect for that, my mother-in-law even mistook the sweet potatoes for nuts!
These brownies break a blog promise. I claim to be dairy-free and this recipe calls for goat’s milk whey protein powder. But at the bottom of the recipe I offer an alternative, so if you want dairy-free, read that before you start mixing.

Grain-Free Brownie Recipe
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1 cup cooked Hannah Yam ** (baked is best, steamed is OK too), mashed but not completely smooth
1 banana (medium), mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup honey (*not for dairy free version)
3 eggs
1 tablespoon oil/fat (anything is fine, I use coconut)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (to activate the baking soda)
1/2 cup cacao powder
1/4 cup goat’s whey protein powder, unsweetened (cow’s whey will work too- other protein powders? – egg white protein should be fine too) (*not for dairy free version)
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt

* For dairy-free, replace the honey with 1/4 cup coconut sugar plus 1 tablespoon honey. Omit the protein powder entirely. If you can tolerate the goat’s whey I highly recommend using it.
** Hannah yams are white and have a more mild flavor than orange sweet potatoes. If you can get them, they are preferable. Or the Japanese (white) sweet potatoes would be good too.

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Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Prepare a baking dish (8×8 or 9×9) with parchment paper and grease the sides.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients in the order they are listed. Mix together and pour into the prepared baking pan.

Bake for about 40-50 minutes. Less time for gooier brownies, more time for cakey brownies. The brownie will feel firm with a slight give in the center. (Toothpick testing does nothing here.)

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I am sharing this recipe on GFE, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Allergy Free Wednesday,

Chocolate Coated PB Cookie Dough Ice Cream Sandwiches

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Creamy, soft, sweet and salty peanut butter cookie dough encapsulated in the crunch of rich chocolate sets the tone for this perfect dessert.

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Crunch through rich chocolate exteriors into creamy peanut butter cookie dough. Extra crunches sneak in with slightly bitter bursts of cacao nibs. The flavor is rounded out with salted peanuts that surround the sandwich… And I could go on and on. Oh my goodness these are so good! So, so, so good.

If you don’t eat peanuts try these with almond butter and toasted almonds. It will be so yummy!

Chocolate Coated PB Cookie Dough Ice Cream Sandwich Recipe
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COOKIE
1 1/2 cup almond meal/flour
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter (lightly salted, 100% peanuts)
1/2 cup raw agave nectar (honey would probably be fine)
2 tablespoons butter or buttery spread
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons Cacao Nibs

ICE CREAM
1 quart (approximate) Chocolate Ice Cream from my cookbook or purchased chocolate ice cream

TOPPINGS
2 (9.7 oz) 70% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bars or about 19 ounce of any chocolate that you like
1/2 cup salted, roasted peanuts, chopped

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Prepare two sheet pans with parchment paper and make sure they will fit in your freezer.

In a large mixing bowl combine the almond meal, peanut butter, agave, butter, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine then mix in cacao nibs. Chill in the refrigerator until the dough is firm enough to handle.

Scoop one level tablespoon of cookie dough, roll into a ball then flatten onto the prepared sheet pan. Make about 24 cookies then place the sheet pans in the freezer.

Melt the chocolate bars in a double boiler.  There are two ways to coat the cookie dough in chocolate: dip them or paint them (one side at a time). If you plan on dipping the cookies, keep most of them in the freezer and dip only a few at a time (as they soften quickly). After coating both sides of all of the cookies with chocolate, set them in the freezer.

Make sandwiches with the ice cream and cookies. (The ice cream may need to soften a bit in order to form the sandwiches.) Roll the sides in chopped peanuts.

Freeze to set the ice cream, then serve.

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I am sharing this recipe on Allergy-Free Wednesdays, Wellness Weekend, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday,

Cultural Studies: Mexico

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First off, keep in mind that I am not too concerned with the authenticity of the food on these cultural nights. (Appeantly my daughter feels the same about her coloring, hence the purple donkey.) I say that because I believe the recipe I am sharing is really more Argentinian than it is Mexican.

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I love the show Chopped, I watch every episode. One of the judges, Aaron Sanchez, has mentioned Chimichurri sauce a few times. I kept thinking, “That sounds good!”

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For Mexican night I made Chimichurri sauce (see below) and tossed some chopped up raw chicken in half of the sauce, then seared the chicken until cooked through. I tossed some steamed asparagus and carrots in the rest of the Chimichurri sauce. We also had nachos, guacamole, and the kids had a bit of salsa.

And hey friends, I do plan on making more cute food for these cultural nights, so stay tuned!

Anyways, my recipe isn’t a revelation- just a version of what you can find anywhere online.

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Chimichurri Sauce Recipe
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1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro
2-3 cloves chopped garlic
pinch of fresh jalapeno (optional)
juice of 1/2 a lemon
salt and pepper to taste
~1/4 cup olive oil

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Combine everything in a food processor or high speed blender. Pulse until finely minced. (I like mine a tiny bit chunky.) Adjust the quantities to your tastes.

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Cultural Studies: China Day

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We are starting a new family project. Each week we are choosing one culture (or country) and teaching our children about the food, language(s), religion(s), and government. These are very brief, simple lessons, as our children are four- and six-years-old. On Saturday nights we have a dinner that somewhat represents the food of that culture. Of course we adapt it to our diets, so we don’t worry too much about authenticity.

This week was China. I made two recipes from my cookbook, Culinary Creativity. Sesame Chicken (oh that one is so good!) and Fried Rice but I subbed cauliflower for the rice. If we create a new recipe on Culture night I will be sure to share it in the future.

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We also printed coloring pages for the kids- always a big hit.

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Next week we are doing Mexico and after that Iceland and Greenland are sharing a week. I am really curious about what kind of recipes I can sort out for Iceland and Greenland- trust me it won’t be one of their favorites- horse meat! Any suggestions? Anyone from Iceland or Greenland?

Cereal Waffles

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Cereal Waffles

When I was growing up I ate cereal with milk almost everyday for breakfast. Now I eat Protein Waffles (from my cookbook) almost everyday. That got me thinking … about cereal and waffles. So I came up with this recipe for Cereal Waffles– two breakfasts in one! My daughter who likes nothing, liked them plain, and my daughter who likes most things, enjoyed them dipped in yogurt with plums (choose dairy or dairy-free for yourself). These waffles are dense and almost like cookies, but not as sweet.

Cereal Waffle with dip

Cereal Waffle Recipe
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2 eggs
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup Erewhon Rice Twice Cereal
1/3 cup pecans (optional)
4 dates, minced/finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon coconut flour

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Combine all of the ingredients together. Let it sit for about 3-5 minutes then cook in your waffle maker. You can make a big waffle or little “cookies” by placing spoonfuls of batter in each quadrant of the waffle maker.

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Pecan Crusted Onion Rings

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I never deep fried anything until this year. Then… I finally gave in to temptation. You see, it is almost impossible to eat fried foods at restaurants because their cooking oil is contaminated with gluten. Having gotten sick more than once trusting restaurants, I decided to take frying into my own hands. Of course I don’t really NEED fried foods, but a few times a year it sure is a treat!

I wanted to enter a pecan recipe writing contest, and this is the concept I came up with: Pecan Crusted Onion Rings. I made it cute with this bento; a pumpkin mouse, some savory squash pie (in my book) and jicama cut like Swiss cheese.

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Pecan Crusted Onion Rings Recipe
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1 cup rice flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup pecans, ground (small bits are OK)
1 cup club soda or mineral water
1 egg

oil for frying

1 large onion cut into 1/2 inch rings

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Combine the rice flour, baking powder, salt, pecans, club soda, and egg together in a large mixing bowl to make a dipping batter.

Heat a pot of oil to 375 degrees.

Dip each onion ring in the batter then drop it in the hot oil and cook for a few minutes until golden in color. Remove from the oil and set out on a paper towel to drain.

Cook in small batches and enjoy fresh.

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