Namaste Blondies

Um....yum. So far I have been nothing but impressed with Namaste's gluten-free mixes (and by the way, they're dairy-free, soy-free, and corn-free as well). I made their brownies a few weeks ago, which were so delicious that I don't think they lasted more than 2 days...if that. So I had high expectations for their other products, and I definitely was not disappointed with these! I baked them for slightly less time than was called for so they'd be gooier, and I added Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips to the batter. As an afterthought, I bet these would have been amazing with some peanut butter swirled in, too. Or with butterscotch chips. Possibly with chocolate and marshmallow swirl. Or, with chocolate chips, dried cranberries, and nuts. Clearly, the possibilities are endless, so get creative if you make these! I brought them to a gathering at which I was the only gluten-free and dairy-free person there, and they still got gobbled up.

Creamy Carrot Cilantro Soup

While my grandma is rehabbing her recently broken leg, she is stuck away from home for a few weeks, and thus away from decent food, much less delicious food. And since she also has strict diet restrictions, she can't even eat all of the unappetizing food that they put in front of her. I remembered that she liked this soup when I made it for once her last year, and aside from being an incredibly healthy meal choice, it is also perfect for this time of year, as the weather starts to turn chilly and a hot bowl of soup sounds especially cozy. And besides, it doesn't get much more comforting than soup when you're sick.

Creamy Carrot Cilantro Soup

1 lb. carrots (baby carrots are fine, too)
1 -2 tbsp. sunflower oil/olive oil
1 tbsp. Earth Balance "Buttery Spread"
1 onion, chopped
1 celery rib, diced finely
2 small Yukon potatoes, or 4 red potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite-size pieces
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
3 - 5 tsp. ground coriander (to taste)
1 - 2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
1 cup soy milk
salt and freshly ground black or white pepper

Trim and peel the carrots and cut into chunks. Heat the oil in a skillet and saute the onion over gentle heat for 3 - 4 minutes, until slightly softened. Dice the celery and chop the potatoes. Add them to the onion in the pan, cook for a few minutes, then add the carrots. Cook over gentle heat for 3 - 4 minutes, stirring, and then cover.

Reduce the heat even further and sweat the vegetables for about 8 - 10 minutes. Shake the pan, or stir occasionally, so the vegetables do not stick to the bottom. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Half-cover the pan and simmer for another 10 - 12 minutes, until the carrots and potatoes are tender. Melt the Earth Balance "Buttery Spread" in a small saucepan and saute 3 tsp. ground coriander for about 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat, add the chopped cilantro, and saute for about another minute. Set aside until required. Process the soup in a food processor or blender and pour into a clean saucepan. Stir in the soy milk and the cilantro mixture. Season to taste, adding more coriander, salt, and pepper as desired, and heat gently just until hot (but not boiling).

Curried Chicken Salad

Last night at 10:30 p.m., I realized that I hadn't made anything for lunch the next day. And since I can't just grab something on campus when I forget to have food on hand, that is a problem! So I threw together a curried chicken salad that my Aunt Maggie makes, with a few slight variations (due entirely to pantry limitations). I will say that the red onion in this lingered a little longer in my mouth than I would have hoped, so I ended up picking some of it back out to make it a little more friendly for those who want to be in my proximity. Otherwise, I was very happy with the balance of flavors in this salad. Curried Chicken Salad 1 6-oz. can white chicken in water, chopped very small 1/3 cup shredded carrots 1/2 cup diced celery (1 stalk) 1/4 - 1/2 cup red onion, diced very small (basically, add to taste) 1/2 cup dried red cranberries (Craisins) 1/3 - 1/2 cup slivered almonds (or the nut of your choice) 1/3 - 1/2 cup Light Miracle Whip 1 - 2 tsp. curry powder 1/2 - 1 tsp. salt (to taste) 1/2 - 1 tsp. pepper (white or black pepper, to taste) 1 - 2 tsp. yellow mustard powder (to taste) 1 tbsp. lemon juice (fresh is best) 1 - 1 1/2 tbsp. honey (to taste) Other ingredients you can add that I didn't have on hand last night: halved seedless grapes, diced apples, golden raisins, and 1/2 tsp. ground ginger. Mix all ingredients together very well. Refrigerate until ready to eat. Serve on bread or with crackers (I ate this on Almond Smokehouse Nut Thins).

Chicken Cacciatore

This is a recipe that is super easy to throw together, as long as you have the time to let it simmer itself into a delicious stew-like consistency. Once the ingredients are assembled, it's very low maintenance, and all you'll have to do is make the rice towards the end of its cooking time. Andrew made this for me this weekend when I was down there visiting, and the recipe comes from my cousin Erin, who modified it from a recipe she found in The Joy of Cooking. It was delicious!! The original recipe calls for flour, but we omitted it from this recipe. I'd imagine, though, that cornstarch or another starch would work very well as a substitution in this recipe. Ours still thickened up without it, but we had to let it simmer uncovered for 20 or 30 minutes towards the end to get it to the consistency we wanted. So it's up to you - but either way, it will still taste great.

Chicken Cacciatore

¼ cup olive oil

½ medium onion, diced

2 ½ lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 – 3 tablespoons flour or cornstarch (optional)

2 cloves garlic, diced or put through a press

1 cup wine

1 cup water

1 6oz can tomato paste

2 14.5 oz cans whole tomatoes

2 tsp. salt

½ tsp. white pepper

4 bay leaves

½ tsp. thyme

1 tsp. basil

¼ tsp. sweet marjoram

2 small packages mushrooms, sliced 1 cup Jasmine rice, cooked as directed OR 1 cup brown rice penne, cooked as directed

Brown the chicken in the olive oil with the onion, garlic, and flour/cornstarch in a large pot. Add the wine and water. Stir in the tomato paste. Slice the whole tomatoes in the can and add them, juice and all, to the mixture. Stir in the spices. Stir in the mushrooms. Simmer covered for 1 – 1 ½ hours until the mixture thickens a bit. There should be no need to add more liquid.

Serve over white rice (Jasmine rice is the best - and it's not as sticky as regular white rice). I have not tried it this way, but I think this would also work well served over brown rice penne noodles.

Note: Make sure you add the salt to the rice despite the fact that the directions on the bag call it optional.

Strawberry Banana Swirl Bread

In my days as a faithful custard scooper at Bobby's Frozen Custard stand, I took full advantage of the employee discount (perhaps a little too often...) For a while, I was obsessed with strawberry banana concretes, and last week, as I noticed 3 rapidly deteriorating bananas sitting on my kitchen counter, I wondered if there could ever be another medium in which strawberry and banana could be so perfectly wed. I decided to find out...and despite my forgetting to add the vanilla (doh!), this variation on a traditional banana bread recipe turned out great! I had to bake it for quite a long time before the strawberry swirl batter baked completely, so I would recommend that you test this for doneness every 5 minutes after an hour and a half has gone by. The strawberry part never got quite as done as the banana part did, but it still turned out to be delicious. If you're a peanut butter fan, this is heavenly with some all-natural peanut butter spread across it!



Strawberry Banana Swirl Bread

1/2 cup oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups gluten-free flour mix (I used "Beth's Gluten Free Pantry All-Purpose")
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups strawberries, divided (can be fresh or frozen, but should be thawed if frozen)
1/4 cup brown sugar

Combine all the ingredients through the vanilla extract together in the order shown. Mix well, making sure the bananas are mashed well and distributed evenly throughout the batter. Take 1/2 cup of banana bread batter and combine with 1 1/2 cups of strawberries (fresh or thawed) in a food processor. Mix on high for about 45 seconds to 1 minute until the strawberries have been mixed into the batter and the batter has a light, whipped texture. Slice the remaining 1/2 cup strawberries into small pieces. Line a bread pan with wax paper. Sprinkle the 1/4 cup brown sugar across the bottom of the pan, and then spread the sliced strawberries evenly across the bottom on top of the sugar. Pour 1/2 of the plain banana bread mixture, then 1/2 of the strawberry banana batter, then the remaining 1/2 of each. Swirl around with a knife and then make sure the top is spread evenly. Bake at 350 for 1 hour 15 minutes - 1 hour 45 minutes, sticking a knife in the bread to test for doneness. The strawberries add a lot of moisture, so this will likely take longer than normal to bake. Remove from oven and place on a rack until cool.

Pasta with Spinach Basil Pesto

I am currently house-sitting for someone at work, and theirs is a huge old house on a tree-lined street near Forest Park. The house has lots of space and best of all, a professional kitchen. Another unexpected amenity has been the free reign over the herb garden in the backyard, including three huge basil plants (the size of which I have never experienced, since plants typically die shortly after coming into my care). Well, since the plants are outside and will die soon anyway, I decided to "harvest" the basil plants and make myself some pesto. A friend of mine mentioned that adding spinach will enhance the flavor and color of the pesto, so I decided to try it. This turned out to be not quite the traditional pesto sauce, but a delicious one nonetheless.

Spinach Basil Pesto

1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 cup fresh or frozen spinach
1/3 - 1/2 cup olive oil (adjust according to your taste and the consistency)
5-8 whole cloves of garlic, according to taste
1/2 cup pine nuts (or more, according to taste)
1/4 cup blanched slivered almonds
1/4 - 1/2 cup Vegan "Parmesan Cheese" (or real Parmesan cheese if you can have it)
Salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until a thick paste is formed and becomes creamy. Adjust ingredients to taste. Makes about 1 1/2 - 2 cups of pesto. Boil pasta and drain, then add the pesto to the pasta, toss, top with more Parmesan cheese, if desired, and serve!

Namaste Brownies

This is just a little plug for Namaste Brownie Mix....these turned out extremely well and tasted just like regular brownies. I purposely underbaked them - only 30 - 33 minutes in the oven instead of the recommended 35 - 40 - and also added only 2 eggs instead of the recommended 3 (because more eggs = more cakey brownies, and I like mine fudgey), and they were extremely moist. I probably could have baked them for another 3 - 4 minutes and been fine, but since it was my first time baking with this mix, I wasn't sure. In any case, I would highly recommend this mix!!

Creamy Peanut and Maple Butter Rice Bowl

My friends who know me well will laugh when they see this post. I am mocked enough as it is for my undying love of peanut butter and maple butter spread, swirled perfectly over toasted bread. I ate this literally every day for lunch for over a year. And I am not sick of it yet. But now I've taken it to a whole new, borderline obsessive level of food love. All day today, I have felt like my stomach was being wrung out like a wet rag. I've just felt like my whole body was rebelling against me. I'm not sure what I did to deserve this all-out rebellion, but there it was, and when I finally got home after work, all I wanted to eat was a giant bowl of some kind of comfort food. What I really wanted was, of course, my favorite fallback meal - the aforementioned peanut butter/maple butter/bread concoction - but I was afraid that the gluten-free bread would fill me up too much. And I really wanted something oatmeal-like anyway. So I used some leftover cooked rice from my dinner yesterday, and made a very simple dish that had just the creamy consistency I was looking for. It tasted like my beloved peanut butter and maple butter, but it felt like I was eating a nice, soft breakfast food. Creamy Peanut and Maple Butter Rice Bowl 1 cup cooked rice (I used Jasmine) 1/2 cup rice milk 2 tbsp. organic creamy peanut butter 1 - 2 tbsp. maple butter (to taste) dash of salt In a small pot, combine the cooked rice and rice milk and heat over a medium flame. Allow the mixture to thicken, and when it has, melt the creamy peanut butter and maple butter into the rice and stir until well mixed. Heat just until it warms through and then remove from heat. Serve immediately.

Pasta with Tri-colored Tomato Basil Sauce

My friend Lisa, as I've mentioned, is an avid gardener, and almost all of the main ingredients in this sauce came from her garden. She often finds herself with a surplus of cherry tomatoes (I think at last count she had 6 different kinds growing in her garden), and I am always willing to lend a hand with helping her consume them. This time, she gave me a whole bag of different kinds of smaller tomatoes, as well as a bag of fresh basil and a few peppers. My other friend Katie supplied some roma tomatoes from her garden. This sauce was incredibly flavorful and didn't need much added to it in terms of spice; it just needed some time to simmer and develop its flavor. It was so good because the ingredients were fresh and home-grown; you can't beat having friends who garden! Pasta with Tri-colored Tomato Basil Sauce 1/2 cup brown rice pasta shells 2 cups assorted small tomatoes (I used tomatoes my friend Lisa gave me from her garden: cherry, yellow pear, and a few other kinds), chopped in half 2 fresh roma tomatoes, chopped finely 1 - 2 tbsp. olive oil 1 tsp. Earth Balance "Buttery Spread" 1 - 2 tsp. minced garlic 1/2 medium onion 3 tsp. minced hot pepper (I used Macho Nacho peppers from Lisa's garden) 2 - 3 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped 1 tsp. dried oregano 1/2 tsp. dried parsley Salt and pepper to taste Cook the pasta according to directions until it is al dente. While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil and "Buttery Spread" in a pot and add the garlic and onions. Saute over medium heat until the onions start to become translucent, and then add the tomatoes, minced hot pepper, basil, oregano and parsley. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and let simmer together for about 15 - 20 min. (at least) to allow the flavors to mingle. Adjust the spices if necessary, but if you use fresh, home-grown tomatoes, the flavor will be incredible as it is. Serve over pasta and top with Parmesan cheese (or fake equivalent) and a few pieces of fresh basil to garnish.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos

Yesterday I decided to break out the slow cooker that has been sitting, untouched, in my kitchen for the last year or so. I don't know why I had this weird aversion to using it for so long; I came up with all kinds of excuses not to use it. It was too bulky; I didn't have the time to cook something for 8 whole hours; and besides, it was "buried" in one of my cabinets and it would be too much work to get it out. (In reality, it took me less than 30 seconds to remove it from underneath the small, unobtrusive box of hot sauce that was sitting on top of it.) But then I realized...what was I thinking? It's such an amazing cooking set-up. You throw in all the ingredients and walk out the door, only to come back later to wafting aromas and a fully cooked meal. Did I seriously not use this the whole time because I thought it was too labor-intensive?? So I did a little poking around on the internet to try to find a recipe for chicken tacos for Lisa's farewell dinner (before she leaves for the Peace Corps on Saturday) at the apartment tonight, but I was unsatisfied with what I found. They all seemed way too simple - "Cook chicken pieces and plain salsa for 8 hours" - I don't know, I wanted a little more complexity of flavor than that. So I kind of winged this one and took elements of different recipes I found and then added my own twist as well. And I have to say, it turned out way better than most recipes I make up as I go along! It was thick and delicious with well-developed flavors, yet it wasn't overly spicy (you could fix that pretty easily, though, if you wanted to). I think this would also be amazing rolled up in gluten-free corn tortillas, or maybe over a bed of Spanish rice and having a taco salad kind of set-up. (Tacos are just hard for me to eat while containing the filling.) I hope you enjoy! Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos 1 lb. chicken, cut into bite-sized slices/pieces 1/2 medium onion, chopped 2 - 3 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro (optional) 1 - 2 tbsp. olive oil 2 heaping tsp. chili powder 1 tsp. garlic salt 1/2 tsp. cumin 1/4 tsp. pepper salt to taste 1 can gf tomato sauce 1 can gf diced tomatoes with green chilies 1 can black beans, drained 3 tbsp. cornstarch mixed with about 1/4 - 1/2 cup water (so it is thick but not too watery) Chopped spinach Tofutti "Better than Sour Cream" (or real sour cream if you can have it) gf salsa (I used Newman's Own) Chopped tomatoes Non-cheese (I used Vegan Slices) (or real cheese if you can have it) Gf corn taco shells (I used Old El Paso Super Stuffers) Heat the oil in a copperbottom pan and add the onions, chili powder, garlic powder, and cumin. Saute until the onions start to turn a little translucent, 3-5 min. Add the chopped chicken and cilantro, pepper, and salt and continue to cook on medium heat for 5-6 minutes, until the chicken is slightly browned (but it does not have to be all the way done). Meanwhile, in the slow cooker, pour the cans of tomato sauce, tomatoes, and black beans, and stir. When the chicken is browned, add it to the slow cooker and cover. Cook on low for 6-8 hours (adjust spices to your taste). I cooked mine for about 6 hours and the meat was very tender and falling apart, but I think it could easily have cooked for another 2 hours and been fine. Mix the 3 tbsp. cornstarch with 1/4 cup water, then add more if it is too thick. You want it to be thicker than milk and not too watery. Add the cornstarch mixture to the chicken and stir in completely. Allow to cook a bit longer while it thickens. Serve in tacos with spinach or lettuce, sour cream, cheese (if you can have it), tomatoes, salsa, and guacamole.

Lemon Passover Sponge Cake

Oh my gooodness, do I love this cake. My mom first made this for Passover this year, and even though it was before I went completely gluten-free, I still loved the light texture and flavor of this cake. What would be a shockingly enormous piece of any other cake is not even enough to make me feel completely full. (Of course, this does not mean that I don't make up for that by eating another piece. That is the danger of this cake.) It resembles an angel food cake, but the regular wheat flour has been completely replaced with potato starch. This was the first time that my mom made it with a lemon glaze, which I thought added a nice touch. She usually serves this with some fresh strawberries piled high on top, and some kind of whipped topping is usually involved. I think it would also be fabulous with some sort of dark berry concoction, either heated or just mixed together and tossed with sugar. But personally, I like it best plain so I can enjoy the full intensity of the lemon flavor.

Lemon Passover Sponge Cake

7 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar, sifted
1 1 /2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. grated lemon rind
3/4 cup potato starch, sifted
dash of salt

Separate six of the eggs. Beat the six yolks and the one whole egg until frothy. Gradually add sifted sugar, lemon juice, and lemon rind, beating constantly and thoroughly. Then gradually add sifted potato starch, stirring constantly to ensure thorough blending. Beat the egg whites with the salt until stiff but not dry. Fold gently but thoroughly into egg-yolk mixture. Place in ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Bake in a moderate oven (350 F) about 55 minutes or until cake springs back when touched gently with fingers. Invert pan and cool thoroughly before removing cake. Serve with sliced strawberries, blueberries, or any other dark berries.

If you want to have a lemon glaze, mix together powdered sugar with lemon juice and potato or arrowroot starch until you get a good consistency.

1/2 c. powdered sugar (make sure there is no cornstarch in this if you want this to be kosher!)
1 tsp. potato or arrowroot starch, and more if needed
3 tsp. lemon juice
water to desired consistency

 Drizzle over the cake and let harden before serving.

Pacific Northwest Gluten-Free Bakery Tour

I just wanted to put in a little blurb for some of the bakeries that I visited in the Pacific Northwest and make sure that everyone knows about them, in case you should be in that area at some point and crave something delicious and gluten-free. The pictures on this post are all from New Cascadia Traditional, but I have to put in a little blurb for the following bakeries as well: The Flying Apron in Seattle, WA - all vegan and gluten-free, this bakery had delicious cakes, cookies, and pastries, as well as lunch items! Da Vinci Bakery in Seattle, WA - some delicious cakes and bread offerings here. This one is a little more out-of-the-way, but it was worth the drive. Panne Rizo in Vancouver, BC - this place was AWESOME. I only wish we had something similar in St. Louis (much less in the US for easier shipping!). They have a lot of items that are dairy-free, including a killer herbed foccacia bread that was so delicious and soft that I couldn't tell that it was gluten-free. If you're ever in the Pacific Northwest, definitely check out as many of these bakeries as you can! You won't regret the extra time it takes you to get there once you taste these delicious treats. Multi-grain seeded bread from New Cascadia Traditional Portland Sourdough from New Cascadia Traditional

Spicy Chicken, Roasted Potatoes, and Blanched Haricot Green Beans

My mom's specialty dish has become roasted chicken and potatoes with her special blend of spices. It's something that almost everyone in my family will eat at least some part of (even though my sister will douse it, like everything she eats, in ketchup before touching it), which is in itself a rare treat for my mom. The spice mixture has an irresistible aroma, and it tastes a little bit different each time, depending on how much certain spices come through or not. The recipe below is very loose and can very easily be adapted to your own taste.

My mom assembles this in very large spice canisters that she saves, so we usually end up with a 40 oz./1.13kg bottle of this stuff. The measurements aren't very exact, and when she made me my bottle, she actually just drew me more of a map on the side of the bottle instead of giving me measurements, making marks where she stopped pouring the different spices. You really don't have to make a huge quantity of it, but it does store well and is nice to have on hand.
Mom's Spicy Chicken, Roasted Potatoes, and Blanched Green Beans

For spice mixture, use the following as a guide, but always make this according to your own taste and adjust as you go along!

2 parts garlic salt
2 parts oregano
2 parts sweet paprika
1 part pepper
1 part basil
1/2 part hot paprika

Assemble the spices in a large container with a lid, and shake until well-mixed. Store until ready to use.

For the meal:
3 -6 tbsp. olive oil
6-8 tbsp. spice mixture
1 whole chicken
5 lbs. Yukon potatoes, washed and cut into wedges
16 oz. fresh cut green beans (haricot are especially good)
1 tsp. baking soda (to cook with green beans; optional)

Chicken:
Clean the chicken and pat dry. Place on the roaster and rub with a thin layer of olive oil. (My mom and I have chicken roasters that are upright and more or less impale the chicken to bake it. You can use one of these, or just a normal roaster.) Then, pat all over with the spice mixture, coating it well. Place the chicken in the oven at 350 F for about an hour to an hour and a half, using a meat thermometer to gauge doneness, if necessary. The inside of the bird should be at about 190 F when it is done.

Potatoes:
Meanwhile, clean the potatoes and cut them into wedges (just remember, the bigger your wedges of potato, the longer you'll have to wait for dinner to be ready!!). Place them in a large bowl, and coat first with 2-4 tbsp. of olive oil, and then with the spice mixture to taste. I do not go light on the spices on the potatoes, but you should add the spice mixture to your own taste. If there is room in your oven, you can add the potatoes to cook with the chicken for the last 30 minutes of baking, or you can remove the chicken and start slicing it as the potatoes are cooking. If you put them in by themselves, raise the temperature to 400 F. Bake for 30-40 minutes, turning ever 10 - 15 min., or until you try one and it tastes done to you.

Green Beans:
In a small saucepan, bring some salted water to boil. Add the green beans and 1 tsp. baking soda (which will keep them looking lively and green), and boil for 5-10 min. or until they are tender yet slightly crisp. If you want it, you can add butter and salt to the green beans once they are done, but they are so flavorful that you don't really need to add anything. Serve and enjoy!

Mixed Berry Upside Down Rum Cake

My great-aunt Gene used to make this killer rum cake that I used to dream about. It is still a favorite in my family, although we don't make it as often anymore, and I have wanted to try a gluten-free version lately (actually, ever since my cousin brought a rum cake to a gathering over July 4th weekend - I had already gone gluten-free and was only able to smell it and imagine eating it!). I decided to try it using a Gluten-free Pantry cake mix, since I've heard good things about that brand, and to infuse even more flavor by adding some mixed berries. The result was an incredibly moist and delicious cake that my family seemed to genuinely enjoy, despite its being gluten-free. I ended up using only about 2/3 of the rum glaze recipe below, but my cake also did not turn out to taste overly rummy; you could definitely add the whole amount and have a more potent glaze flavor in your cake. I'm don't see how more butter-rum flavor could be anything but fantastic.


Mixed Berry Upside Down Rum Cake

For the cake:

1 box Gluten-free Pantry Old-fashioned Cake and Cookie Mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. + 1/4 lb. (for glaze - see below) Soy Garden Buttery Spread
1/2 cup rice/soy milk or water
8 - 10 oz. mixed berries (I used Fit&Active Frozen Mixed Berries from Aldi)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 - 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

For the rum glaze:

1/4 lb. Soy Garden Buttery Spread
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup Rum (80 proof)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare a 9" springform pan by lining the bottom with wax paper, and then using the 2 tbsp. Soy Garden Buttery Spread to grease the wax paper and the sides of the springform pan.

Mix together the 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 - 1 tsp. cinnamon, then use it to coat the inside of the springform pan (as you would with flour). Arrange the mixed berries across the bottom of the pan on top of the brown sugar.

Mix the cake ingredients according to the instructions on the package: beat 1/2 cup Soy Garden Buttery Spread until fluffy, then add the cake mix a little at a time, beating constantly. Add the two eggs and vanilla, and continue to beat the mixture. Then stir in the 1/2 cup rice milk gently, folding it into the rest of the batter. When the batter is well mixed (but don't overmix!), pour it into the prepared pan and spread the top to make sure it is even. Place in the oven on the middle rack and bake for 28-40 minutes (mine took 40 minutes, but the box said 28, so I leave it up to you), or until a knife comes out without big clumps of still-moist dough when you stick it in the middle. (The knife I stuck in was not completely clean, but I think that just made the cake that much more moist later on.)

Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack for 5 - 15 minutes, or, if you get impatient like me, immediately remove the sides of the springform pan, invert the cake onto a large plate, remove the bottom of the spring form pan, and slowly and carefully peel away the wax paper so the bottom of the cake is now the top.

To make the glaze, melt the 1/4 lb. Soy Garden Buttery Spread in a saucepan over medium-high heat, then add the water and sugar. Stir and bring to a boil, then continue to boil for 5-8 more minutes, stirring constantly, until it becomes thick and very bubbly. Remove from the heat and pour in the 1/3 cup rum and stir into the mixture. Immediately spoon/drizzle it all over the top of the cake. I couldn't use all of it and had at least 1/3 of the drizzle left over, but then, the rum flavor wasn't particularly potent when I ate my piece of cake. Use your own judgment and taste to decide how much you'd like to spread over it. Another idea is to wait to invert the cake until you've made the drizzle and pour some of it onto the cake before you invert it, so over what will become the bottom of the cake. That way, the flavor would remain a little more separate from the berries on top. Let cool and serve! This cake turned out to be very moist and flavorful and would not really need ice cream to accompany it, and the flavor might even be overshadowed with it. Oh, and watch out, because you might run into someone like this who tries to steal a bite before it's cooled! :)

Turkey Rice Skillet with Black Beans, Zucchini, and Fruit

You may be thinking that this seems like a hodgepodge of ingredients that I probably just threw together because I happened to have all of them on hand. You would be correct in that assumption. But I have to say - it turned out really great, and it was just what I wanted: a filling meal that was both sweet and a little spicy.

Rice Skillet with Black Beans, Turkey, Zucchini, and Fruit

1 1/2 tsp. garlic
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 red onion
1 nectarine, peeled and chopped
1 apricot, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp. fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped finely
1/2 small zucchini, chopped very small
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. coriander
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 lb. cooked ground turkey
1 cup cooked white rice (I used the leftover rice from this recipe, cooked with cardamom and cinnamon, and it added a wonderful flavor)

Heat the olive oil in a skillet, and add the garlic and onion. Saute for about 5-8 minutes until the onions begin to get translucent. Add the chopped nectarine, apricot, zucchini, and parsley and continue to saute over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Add the dried spices and continue to cook for another 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the diced tomatoes, black beans, and cooked ground turkey, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes, and add more spices, including salt and pepper, to your own taste. When you are happy with the taste, stir in the cooked white rice. Serve with cheese substitute, sour cream, cilantro, or simply on its own!

Roasted Spiced Pattypan Squash

Lisa, being the avid and talented gardener that she is, is always bringing something fresh for us to experiment with in the kitchen. Last night, she brought a pattypan squash she had just picked that morning, sliced it up into wafery slices, and marinated it in spiced olive oil before roasting it in the oven. This was my first pattypan squash culinary experience, and wow. What resulted was an almost melt-in-your-mouth side dish that had a slight sweetness to it, yet was balanced nicely by the other spices.

Roasted Spiced Pattypan Squash

1 patty pan squash, sliced into thin pieces

2 - 3 tbsp. olive oil

Fresh chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
Ground coriander to taste

Ground cumin to taste
Ground turmeric to taste

Ground pepper to taste

Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 425. Mix all spices to your own taste in the olive oil. Slice the squash into small pieces, then toss them in the olive oil so they are all coated evenly. Place on a foil-lined baking pan and place in oven to roast. They should roast for about 15-20 minutes, and should be turned or flipped after about 10 minutes to ensure even roasting. Take them out of the oven when they have become soft with a slight crispness around the edges. Serve as a side dish or with rice.

Moroccan Pastry-less Bastila

Lisa and I decided to have a Moroccan theme tonight for my "official" birthday dinner. I recreated and adapted a recipe for a Moroccan dish called "Bastila" that was served to me at a recent dinner party hosted by a previous Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco. She served there in the 1970s and you can tell that it is still such a big part of who she is. It was wonderful to hear stories about that time of her life, and about the food we were eating. Traditionally, Bastila is a pastry-type dish reserved for special occasions, in which spiced chicken, seasoned scrambled eggs, and toasted, crushed, and sugared almonds are all wrapped up in layers in phyllo dough, slathered in butter, fried on both sides, and then sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. A true mingling of tastes in so many ways! The Bastilas at this dinner party were individually portioned, but apparently in Morocco, they can be enormous and sliced more like a pie would be. Since the phyllo dough is out for me, I decided instead to make the fillings and serve them on a bed of lightly spiced rice. Lisa brought a squash from her garden as well, which we decided to marinate and roast as a side dish. I think this dish would hold up well if one were to replace the chicken with tofu to make it vegetarian, and certainly a vegan could simply leave out the scrambled eggs in the tofu version. This dish is probably different depending on the region of Morocco it is served in, and though I have no idea which region this particular variety comes from, it is so nicely balanced in terms of spicy and mild, crunchy and soft, and sweet and savory, that I think anyone who appreciates a complexity of flavor in their meals would enjoy it.


Moroccan Pastry-less Bastila

1 1/2 cups Jasmine rice
6 cardamom pods, optional
1 cinnamon stick, optional
1 cup slivered raw almonds
3-5 tsp. pure cane sugar, to taste
1/2 - 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon, to taste
4 tbsp. Earth Balance "Buttery Spread), divided
1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped into bite-size pieces
1 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 - 1 1/2 tsp. cumin, to taste
1 - 1 1/2 tsp. turmeric, to taste
1/2 - 1 tsp. cayenne pepper, to taste (add only a little at a time so it doesn't get too spicy!)
1 - 1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger, to taste
1/8 - 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon, to taste
Salt and Pepper
3/4 cup water
6 eggs, whisked well


For the rice:

Bring 3 cups salted water to a boil. Add the 1 1/2 cups Jasmine rice, cardamom pods, and cinnamon stick. Return to a boil, then reduce heat to very low, cover, and steam for 15-20 minutes. Set aside.

To prepare almonds:

Melt 2 tbsp. of Earth Balance "Buttery Spread" in a pan over medium heat. Add the slivered almonds and toast for 5-10 min., until they smell very pleasant, but be careful because these will burn easily. Remove from heat and let cool a bit, and then place into a food processor or chop by hand. Place in a bowl and add the sugar and cinnamon to your own taste. This is what mine looked like:



For the chicken:

In a separate pan, melt the rest of the Earth Balance "Buttery Spread" with the olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. When it is melted, add the onion and cook over medium-high heat until the onions begin to turn translucent. At this time, add the chopped parsley and cilantro, cumin, turmeric, cayenne pepper, ginger, and cinnamon and cook for another 1-2 minutes, stirring. Add the chopped chicken and saute with the onions and spices until it is browned, about 6-9 minutes. Add 3/4 cup hot water to the chicken, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium and allow to simmer for at least 15-20 minutes, or for longer if you'd like the spices to mingle a little longer. Test and adjust spices to your own taste.
For the eggs:
Remove the chicken pieces and about half of the sauce to a serving bowl. Bring the rest of the sauce back to a boil, and then add the whisked eggs and, stirring constantly, scramble them in with the rest of the spiced sauce. Stirring constantly will ensure that the eggs are scrambled loosely and in fine pieces. Once the eggs are done, remove them to a separate serving bowl as well.

To assemble:
As mentioned, this is normally a filling that is wrapped up in layers of buttery phyllo dough, fried, and then sprinkled with powdered sugar and cinnamon. However, I decided that it would taste just as delicious and be a little better for the conscience to just stack it all up on a bed of spiced white rice. So to assemble mine, the rice went down first, followed by a layer of scrambled eggs, then the chicken with some extra sauce drizzled over it, and finally, the sprinkling of the toasted and sugared almonds.
And voila! Perhaps not as fancy as a pastry would be, but I promise you, you won't miss that part of it too much.

Torta Barozzi, or "Mystery Chocolate Fudge Cake"

When I got home from the birthday party that my family threw for me on Saturday, I was surprised by my friends Lisa, Reena, and Kyle with this beautiful sight - a perfectly moist, fudgey cake that is intensely flavored with espresso, almond butter, rum, vanilla, and dark chocolate. Notice on the picture below that there is even a "25" traced out of the powdered sugar on the cake! My friend Lisa found this recipe from Lynne Rosetto Casper, one of our favorite NPR personalities, and adapted it a bit so I'd be able to eat it, turning my kitchen into a dedicated gluten-free and dairy-free space for the afternoon. What kind of awesome friends do I have? :) Needless to say, this cake is completely delicious, and in particular contrast to the previous post, is a totally different kind of chocolate cake. Rich, dark, and incredibly moist, this cake is more substantive, but equally satisfying. Who needs flour?? It just gets between you and the real flavor, in my opinion.



Torta Barozzi

1/2 cup (2 ounces) blanched almonds, toasted
2-1/2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup + 3 or 4 tbsp. cocoa (not Dutch process), divided
1-1/2 tablespoons + 8 tbsp. Soy Garden Buttery Spread, at room temperature
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (4 ounces) sugar
4-1/2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter or almond butter
4 large eggs, separated
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
2 tablespoons instant espresso coffee granules, dissolved in 1 tablespoon boiling water
2 teaspoons dark rum
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the decoration:
1 tablespoon cocoa
1/2 tablespoon confectioner's sugar

Making Almond Powder

Combine the almonds, the 2-1/2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar and the 1/4 cup cocoa in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until the almonds are a fine powder.

Blending the Batter

"Butter" the bottom and sides of an 8-inch spring-form pan with the 1 tablespoon of Soy Garden Buttery Spread. Cut a circle of parchment paper to cover the bottom of the pan. "Butter" the paper with 1/2 tablespoon butter and line the pan with it, butter side up. Use 3 to 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder to coat the entire interior of the spring-form, shaking out any excess. Preheat the oven to 375 F, and set a rack in the center of the oven. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand-held electric mixer, beat the 8 tbsp. "butter" and sugar at medium speed 8 to 10 minutes, or until almost white and very fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl several times during beating. Beating the butter and sugar to absolute airiness ensures the torta's fine grain and melting lightness. Still at medium speed, beat in the peanut or almond butter (Lisa used almond butter). Then beat in the egg yolks, two at a time, until smooth. Reduce the speed to medium-low, and beat in the melted chocolates, the dissolved coffee, and the rum and vanilla. Then use a big spatula to fold in the almond powder by hand, keeping the batter light.

Whip the egg white to stiff peaks. Lighten the chocolate batter by folding a quarter of the whites into it. Then fold in the rest, keeping the mixture light but without leaving any streaks of white.

Baking

Turn the batter into the baking pan, gently smoothing the top. Bake 15 minutes. Then reduce the oven heat to 325 F and bake another 15 to 20 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few streaks of thick batter. The cake will have puffed about two thirds of the way up the sides of the pan. Cool the cake 10 minutes in the pan set on a rack. The cake will settle slightly but will remain level. Spread a kitchen towel on a large plate, and turn the cake out onto it. Peel off the parchment paper and cool the cake completely. Then place a round cake plate on top of the cake and hold the two plates together as you flip them over so the torta is right side up on the cake plate.

Serving

Torta Barozzi is moist and fudgy. Just before serving, sift the tablespoon of cocoa over the cake. Then top it with a sifting of the confectioner's sugar. (Or for a whimsical decoration, cut a large stencil of the letter "B" out of stiff paper or cardboard. Set it in the center of the cake before dusting the entire top with the confectioner's sugar. Carefully lift off the stencil once the sugar has settled.) Serve the Barozzi at room temperature, slicing it in small wedges.

Here are some additional tips from Lynne Rosetto-Casper:

-You want natural unsweetened cocoa powder for this recipe, not Dutch process which has been treated to neutralize cocoa's acidity. One quality brand that is not Dutch process is Scharffen Berger Cocoa Powder.

-Quality bittersweet and unsweetened chocolates include Valrhona, Lindt, El Rey, Scharffen Berger, Guittard, Isis, and Theo.

-A good online source for a vast array of chocolates for baking is www.chocosphere.com.

-Medaglia d'Oro instant coffee granules are good to have on hand if you bake a lot with chocolate. It's packaged in a small glass jar and found in well-stocked supermarkets and specialty stores. A bit of strong coffee blended into chocolate cake and cookies batters is a trick that enhances the chocolate flavor.

-Peanut butter is the surprise ingredient in this cake, and an important one. I use creamy Skippy, but no doubt other brands work well too. If an allergy to peanuts is an issue, substitute almond butter.

-Use dark rum for its rich flavor. Myers's Original Dark Rum is one to try.

-While it's not served this way in Vignola, the cake is superb topped with dollops of unsweetened whipped cream. Odd as it sounds, it lightens the intensity of rich desserts like the Barozzi.

Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova...aka Giant Chocolate Macaroon

My Birthday Cake:


I stirred up some debate about the nature of a macaroon at my birthday party last weekend, and about what the name implies about the content of the dessert. I guess it has become so synonymous with coconut that any mention of macaroon now evinces an image of the deliciously chewy shredded coconut variety. It turns out I had some slightly disappointed family members on my hand who had pictured a coconut-filled dessert when I told them about the cake I was planning to make. But to me, a macaroon is a light dessert made from stiffly beaten egg whites that give it a fluffy, yet chewy consistency, usually with some additional flavoring. To this can be added any number of things: chocolate, coconut, nuts, etc. This recipe basically calls for a giant chocolate macaroon to be the base of a cake, which is then topped with silky vanilla cream, fresh raspberries, and shaved dark chocolate. Half of my family requested no raspberries on their cake (God only knows why someone would not want fresh raspberries on their pavlova!), and the two pictures that are up are from the two different halves of the cake.

I got this recipe from Nigella's website, and adapted it just slightly to make it dairy-free, since the cake itself is already naturally gluten-free. I wasn't sure how my family would like it, since they now trained to be innately suspicious about the taste of anything I can eat, since that means that is gluten-free, so I just didn't tell them how I made it until they had already raved about how amazing it was. This dessert was heavenly...and I don't use that word too often to describe food. The taste was intense, yet the texture was so light, that the combination was almost refreshing - and how often can you say that about a chocolate cake smothered in cream?



Chocolate Pavlova with Vegan Vanilla Cream, Fresh Raspberries, and Shaved Dark Chocolate

6 egg whites
1 1/2 cups superfine sugar
3 tbsp. fine cocoa, sifted (I used Ghirardelli's Unsweetened Cocoa Powder)
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, divided, with some reserved for sprinkling over the finished dessert
(I used Baker's Bittersweet Chocolate Squares)

For a runnier, drizzle-consistency vanilla cream (pictured above):
1 package + 1/4 cup Tofutti "Better than Cream Cheese"
2 tbsp. - 1/4 cup gluten-free rice milk (or other dairy substitute of your choice)
1/4 cup thick coconut milk
2/3 cup powdered sugar
2-4 tsp. corn or potato starch
1 1/2 - 2 tsp. gluten-free vanilla (or to taste)
1 12-oz. package fresh raspberries

For a firmer, more whipped cream-like consistency:
1 package Tofutti "Better than Cream Cheese"
1/4 cup thick coconut milk
2/3 - 1 cup powdered sugar, to taste
1 1/2 - 2 tsp. gluten-free vanilla (or to taste)


For the pavlova/giant macaroon:

Preheat the oven to 350 and line a baking tray with baking paper.

Beat the egg whites until satiny peaks form, and then beat in the sugar a spoonful at a time until the meringue is stiff and shiny. Sprinkle over the cocoa and vinegar, and the chopped chocolate. Then gently fold everything until the cocoa is thoroughly mixed in. Mound on to a baking sheet in a fat circle approximately 9 inches in diameter, smoothing the sides and top. Place in the oven, then immediately turn the temperature down to 300 and cook for about one to one and a quarter hours. Be careful to make sure the temperature in your oven is accurate, since this can crumble easily if it cooks for too long. When it's ready it should look crisp around the edges and on the sides and be dry on top, but when you prod the center you should feel the promise of squishiness beneath your fingers. Turn off the oven and open the door slightly, and let the chocolate meringue disc cool completely.

For the vegan vanilla cream:

In a bowl, cream the Tofutti "Better than Cream Cheese" on low-medium speed, and add the 1/4 cup coconut milk. Add the powdered sugar as you continue to blend the mixture, then add the vanilla. Add the potato or corn starch and continue to beat with the mixer. Add the rice milk tablespoon by tablespoon to desired consistency, being careful not to make it too thin. Add a little more starch if you think it needs to be thicker. The cream that I ended up with was somewhat runny, so I froze it for about 2 hours until I was ready to serve it, at which point it had thickened considerably. Feel free to adjust all ingredients to your own taste as well.
**Note: I tried this again and left out the rice milk and ended up with a much better and thick consistency. If this is what you prefer, I would suggest using the second vanilla cream recipe listed.

When you are ready to serve, transfer the pavlova very gently to a large plate. Spread the frozen vanilla cream evenly across the top, then arrange the fresh raspberries over the cream. Sprinkle grated or shaved bittersweet/dark chocolate over the entire dessert and serve immediately.

Grilled Tilapia with Mango Salsa and Rice

Tonight was a venture. I have never liked fish, and I think it is because my family just never ate it when I was growing up (except for tuna fish - one of the fishiest smelling fish you can get, yet my mom liked it!). But my taste buds have changed a lot over the last 3 years or so. Whereas before, the mere sight of a mushroom would be enough to utterly disgust me, now I almost crave them sometimes. I used to hate stuffing; now it is my favorite part of Thanksgiving (although I'll have to figure out a gluten-free version this year). And my next attempt to overrule what my taste buds have always told me? Seafood.

I started with a taste of a shrimp here and there; last year at the Taste of Clayton I was bold enough to try a scallop. Seafood has just never really enticed me - something about the texture of it put me off. But I am also trying to change how I think about seafood. I think at least half the battle is mental. So I decided to decide to like fish. And tonight, my taste buds were actually rather pleased with what they were met with! I spent the evening with my lovely cousins, Meade and Grace, and we tried out this recipe, which originally called for halibut but which we replaced with tilapia. Grace can't stand cider vinegar, which the original recipe also called for, so we used red wine vinegar instead for some extra flavor. One thing to consider with this recipe is how much cilantro you really want in your salsa. I enjoy the taste of cilantro, personally, but Meade and her mom did not care much for the salsa because of the cilantro. So, use wisely and possibly sparingly. Enjoy!




Grilled Tilapia with Mango Salsa and Rice

1 cup Jasmine or Basmati rice
1 cinnamon stick (optional)
5 cardamom pods (optional)
2 cups plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 1/2 cups diced peeled ripe mango
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional; the flavor of this was rather strong)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (or cider vinegar)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
1 tablespoon olive oil

Place rice, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, a dash of salt, and 2 cups of cold water into a pot. Cook rice according to directions.

Prepare mango salsa:  Combine first 7 ingredients. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and garlic.

Prepare the grill. Rub tilapia with oil; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Place fish on grill rack; grill 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve with mango salsa.