Designing in Life

Pear Chips – My New Favorite

Admittedly, this was not my idea.  My friend Martha (no, not that Martha, the other Martha) gave me a plate of these at Christmas, and I fell in love with them.  Trust me, they are very easy.

Ingredients:

Two pears: Your choice of variety, not ripe, nice and hard.
Optional: Sugar of your choice (I used palm sugar).  Salt of your choice. (I used Kosher, but think that sea salt is better)

Preparation:

On the thinnest setting, use a mandeline (you can cut them freehand, but getting them thin is hard) and cut the pears, removing the seeds after they're cut.

Baking:

2 Pears cover 2 trays.  Put parchment on trays.  Layout the pears as close together as you can without too much overlapping.  The pears will shrink considerably, but will dry out better if they don't overlap too much.  Sprinkle salt and sugar "lightly" on pears.
Bake at 200 degrees for about 2 hours, moving and rotating trays about every 20-25 minutes between oven racks.  This helps dry them evenly.  After 2 hours the pears may not seem crisp, but when they are removed from the oven and left to dry, they will crisp up.

Enjoy, and eat fast.  They don't last too long!

 

Chocolate Chip Cookies (new and improved)

We are still trying to cut down/out on our processed sugar, dairy and wheat consumption.  In doing so, I've found that baking anything is sometimes a challenge.  I have made chocolate chip cookies with almond flour, and while they are very good, they use coconut oil which makes them a little greasy.

Nick loves chocolate chip cookies with walnuts, so I do try to make them once-in-a-while.  I finally figured out a recipe using white and whole spelt flour (instead of wheat), and substituting the white sugar with palm sugar (one of the sugars that is low on the glycemic scale).  I haven't found anything to sub the brown sugar with at this point, without having the dough too wet.  So moderation won out, and the brown sugar stays. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies – my way!

• 11 1/2 ounce(s) 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chips
• 1 cup(s) butter or vegan non-hydrogenated margarine, softened
• 3/4 cup(s) Palm Sugar
• 3/4 cup(s) brown sugar, packed
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoon(s) vanilla
• 2 1/4 cup(s) unsifted  1/2 white 1/2 whole spelt flour
• 1 teaspoon(s) baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1 cup(s) walnuts or pecans, chopped (optional)

Directions
Heat oven to 375ºF.

Stir flour with baking soda and salt; set aside. In large mixing bowl, beat butter with sugar and brown sugar at medium speed until creamy and lightened in color. Add eggs and vanilla, one at a time. Mix on low speed until incorporated. Gradually blend dry mixture into creamed mixture. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.

While these aren't a gluten-free cookie, or sugarless for that matter, they do fill Nick's cookie void.  I've made them many times for guests, and no one has ever questioned an ingredient.

If you try them, I'd like to hear what you think.

Sweet Potato Cinnamon Buns – Hello 2012

I know, I know.  Where have I been?  I could say I've been busy.  I could say I've been out of the country.  I could say I've been sick.  But I guess I should be truthful and just say I've been lazy.  It's not that I haven't thought about posting something a million times – well maybe 30 any way.  But here I am, and here I am sharing one of the most delicious cinnamon bun recipes I've ever made.  The recipe came from Vegetarian Times, and as always, I did a little creative substituting of ingredients which I'll add to the recipe.

My daughter, son-in-law and two granddaughters were here for a week after Christmas, and I wanted to make something special for them to start their day before skiing.

Sweet Potato Dough

• 1 0.25-oz. pkg. active dry yeast
• 3 1/3 cups bread flour, plus more for rolling dough (I used spelt flour)
• 2 Tbs. sugar (I used 1 TBS sugar and 1TBS palm sugar)
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2/3 cup mashed cooked sweet potato
• 3 Tbs. vegetable oil, plus more for oiling bowl (I used grapeseed oil)

Cinnamon-Pecan Filling

• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 Tbs. very soft vegan margarine, plus more for greasing pan (you can use regular butter)
• 3/4 cup chopped toasted pecans, divided

Maple Glaze

• 3 Tbs. vegan cream cheese (I used regular cream cheese)
• 1/2 tsp. natural maple flavor (I used maple syrup)
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Directions

1. To make Sweet Potato Dough: Stir yeast into 1/3 cup warm (105°–115°F) water until dissolved. Let stand 10 minutes.

2. Combine flour, sugar, and salt in bowl of food processor, stand mixer, or regular bowl. (Reserve 1/3 cup flour if kneading by hand.)

3. Stir sweet potato and oil into 1/3 cup warm water. Stir yeast mixture and sweet potato mixture into flour mixture. 
(If using food processor, add liquids through feeding tube with processor running. If using stand mixer with dough hook, add liquids in steady stream with mixer on low speed.) Follow kneading instructions below.

4. Place dough in oiled bowl; cover. Let rise 1 hour, or until doubled in volume.

5. To make Cinnamon-Pecan Filling: Stir together brown sugar and cinnamon in bowl. Grease 13- x 9-inch baking sheet with margarine.

6. Roll dough into 14- x 12-inch rectangle. Spread with margarine. Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar over dough; top with half of chopped pecans. Starting at long edge, roll up dough. Slice 1 inch off each end; discard. Cut roll crosswise into 12 1-inch-thick 
pieces, and place on prepared baking sheet. Cover, and let rise in warm place 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.

7. Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake buns 
18 to 20 minutes, or until golden.

8. To make Maple Glaze: Combine cream cheese, maple flavor, and salt in small bowl. Stir in confectioners’ sugar. Spread glaze over warm buns; top with remaining pecans.

I kid you not, they are delicious.  So, here's to 2012 everyone, happy baking and  hope to hear from you soon.

Greek Zucchini Salad

I saw this recipe in Vegetarian Times, and thought it sounded like something I should definitely try.  I liked the thought of using raw zucchini that has soaked up the dressing you put on it.  I can assure you that my salad did not turn out as lovely as the photo below, but it was quite delicious just-the-same.

 

Serves 6

• 3 Tbs. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. grated lemon zest
• 1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 tsp.)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 medium zucchini, peeled into thin ribbons (about 4 cups)
• 1 medium sweet onion, such as Vidalia or Walla Walla, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 Tbs. chopped fresh mint
• 1 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley (I didn't have any, so I used oregano and basil...yum!)

Directions

Whisk together lemon juice, lemon zest and garlic in large serving bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add zucchini and onion, and toss to coat. Cover and marinate overnight, or up to 2 days. Sprinkle with feta, green onions, mint and parsley just before serving.

I made this on the spot, so I took the shaved zucchini and microwaved it for about 45 seconds.  That softened it and allowed the dressing and spices to soak in.

Oh, and if you're counting calories...149 per serving.  A must try!

Iced Coffee (my way)

Now that summer is here (it is, isn't it?), I've started thinking about iced coffee.  I don't usually drink coffee after breakfast, but on a hot day (and when I've had a not-so-great night's sleep), an early afternoon iced coffee break is a great pick-me-up-and-get-me-out-to-the-garden drink.

I'm lucky enough to have a small French press pot, so making one glass is a snap.

The Vermont Coffee Company, in neighboring Middlebury, makes a great rich tasting coffee perfect for being iced. (You can buy it on line!)

Although I drink hot coffee black, I like milk and sugar in my iced coffee.  Since I've eliminated those things from my diet for the most part, I now have it with almond or soy milk and agave syrup.  I suggest using organic agave so that it's not over processed and full of chemicals.

Use 3 heaping tablespoons of fresh ground coffee and fill the press pot with boiling water.  Let the pot sit for at least 5 minutes so that it can brew.  Put "milk" and "sugar" (the amount that you like) and stir.  I used about a half teaspoon of agave and 1/4 c. almond milk.  Add ice and pour pressed coffee on ice.

It's as simple as that!

Chocolate Cake – Yup, Gluten-Free

I have probably said before, I am not the biggest fan of chocolate.  I don't like chocolate ice cream. Chocolate chip cookies are okay, and a brownie on occassion is fine.  But I do like chocolate cake.  Normally, chocolate cake with some sort of white frosting. 

As I travel this road of eliminating a lot of glueten, dairy and refined sugar from my diet, I've found that dessert is just sort of out, unless I can figure out a way to do a lot of substituting.  The Almond Flour Cookbook, by Elana Amsterdam has helped out in this department – because, although I'm not so crazy about chocolate, I live with someone who is. 

I found this cake easy to make and chocolatey enough to satisfy you-know-who.

Recipe

2 Cups blanched almond flour 
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda1 Cup agave nectar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (like Ghiardelli)  Optional.

Prheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 9-inch cake pan (I used a 7x11) and dust with almond flour.

In large bowl, combine the almond flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda.  In a medium bowl, combine agave nectar, eggs and vanilla extract.  Stir the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture and if using chocolate chips, stir them in also until thoroughly combined.  Pour batter into prepared cake pan.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.  Let cake cool in the pan for 1 hour.

Chocolate Frosting

1 cup chopped dark chocolate or dark chocolate chips.
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
2 tablespoons agave nectar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

In medium pan, melt chocolate with grapeseed oil over low heat, stirring until smooth.  Add agave, vanilla and salt.  Let sit to cool for 10 minutes.  Stir rapidly to help it thicken.  Place in refridgerator for 15 minutes.  Stirring occassionaly to help thicken.

When icing is thick to stir, it's ready to put on top of your cake.

If you don't try the cake, at least try this icing.  You eliminate the butter and refined sugar, and that's a pretty big calorie savings.

Blueberry-Banana Muffins

These are pretty darn good!

I decided to try  to make some muffins with almond flour and spelt flour.  This makes them very low gluten, but not gluten-free, and gives them just a little more "heft" than just almond flour.  There is very little sweetener in them.  The riper the bananas, the sweeter the muffin.  In the end, I decided to add about 1/4 Cup of agave, because my bananas weren't as ripe as I wanted them to be.

Recipe

2 cups blanched almond flour or 3 cups and eliminate the spelt for gluten-free)
1 cup spelt flour (whole or white)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
3 large eggs
2 cups (4-5) mashed very ripe bananas
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the almond/spelt flour, salt, and baking soda. In a medium bowl, whisk together the grapeseed oil, agave and eggs. Stir the wet ingredients into the  flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir the mashed bananas into the batter, then fold in the blueberries. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups.

Bake for 25 to 35 minutes (depending on the size of your muggin tin), until the muffins tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before removing from pan.

Note: I think you can vary the fruit in this recipe.  Strawberries might be too wet, but I think that blueberry-rhubarb might be good, and raspberries might just be fine also.

This is something to try when berry season is here.  I don't know about you, but I sure wish it would hurry  up!

Gluten-free Crackers

I admit it.  I am totally addicted to these crackers.

They are made with fresh rosemary and a sprinkling of kosher salt on top.  You can't eat just one, or two, or 6. 

Here is the modified recipe from Elana's Pantry.

Gluten-free Rosemary Crackers

3 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
4 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 tablespoon grapeseed oil
2 eggs
Kosher Salt – optional

1. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt and rosemary
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together oil and eggs
3. Stir wet ingredients into almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined
4. Roll the dough into a ball and divide into four pieces.  Press one of the pieces  between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll to 1/16 inch thickness
5. Remove top piece of parchment paper
6. Transfer the bottom piece with rolled out dough onto baking sheet
7. Cut dough into 2-inch squares with a knife or pizza cutter and sprinkle with kosher salt if desired
8. Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes, until lightly golden
9. Let crackers cool on baking sheet for 30 minutes, then serve

I know if you try these, you'll love them as much as I do.   They are very easy to make, which is always a bonus when you're trying something new.  As far as making and eating foods that are gluten-free, these get an A+ from me.

It's Sugaring Time!!!

When the temperatures rise above freezing during the day, and dip back during the night, you know it must be March...and that means it's time to tap the sugar maple trees.

Traveling anywhere, this is a very familiar sight:

I have several friends that sugar with buckets, and there a lot of people who do it this way.  Now-a-days though, you find more and more people using the tubing method.  Running tubes to the tapped trees and into your sugarhouse eliminates the daunting task of hauling all the sap.

It takes 30-40 gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup.  The sap contains a high percentage of water. Boiling the sap evaporates the water, which eventually thickens and becomes that beautiful amber sweetness that's just right on your breakfast pancakes.

To celebrate the season, I thought I'd share a recipe for something I make all year long with maple syrup.

Maple Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup Pure Vermont Maple Syrup
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Preparation:

Combine mustard and garlic in a small bowl. With a whisk, add vinegar, maple syrup and lemon juice. Add olive oil and continue whisking until ingredients are well combined. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerated, the dressing will keep for several weeks.

And for the record...Mrs. Butterworth doesn't have a fighting chance when it comes to the real thing.  Splurg when it comes to syrup.  You'll be happy you did!

 

Mango Sorbet

It might be winter and it might be cold, but I bet that has never stopped you from eating a tasty frozen dessert.  My new favorite?   Mango sorbet.  And it's so easy to make, it will surprise you.

I found this recipe in the recent issue of Vegetarian Times.

Ingredients:

4 Cups frozen mango

1/4 Cup lime juice

1/2 Cup Agave nectar

(I decided to add the zest of one of the limes, and that was a good decision.)

Thaw mango for 15 minutes.  Put all ingredients in a food processer or blender and mix until smooth.  (It did take me a while to get through the lumps.)  Put sorbet in freezer until you can scoop.

After making this the first time, I went to my local co-op to buy more frozen mango.  To my surprise the shelf was empty.  Maybe everyone else saw the recipe too.  I decided to go to my local grocery store to see if I could find some fresh mango.  Guess what??  They were on sale 10 for $10.  I took them home, peeled sliced and froze them in 2 cup baggies.

Now I'm thinking that I could make this with orange zest and squeezed oranges or grapefruit.  Since I have a supply of frozen magoes in the freezer, it looks like I'll just have to make more and see how it turns out.