Showing posts with label appetizer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label appetizer. Show all posts

Saturday, March 28, 2020

Gluten Free Orange Cranberry Scones

My kids lucked out with godparents (or mayb , we've just lucked out with the folks in our lives).  And nothing brings people together like food.  Sarah (Nicholas and Sophia's godmother) makes me think of halumpki (stuffed cabbage), while Terri (Alexander's godmother) makes me think of wine! 😉 When I think of Esteban and Jody (Bobby and Maya), I am reminded of Paraguayan stuffed meat rolls and scones always, always, always remind me of Gary, Barbara (Michael), and their family (their son of whom is Lucas's godfather and their daughter, Ana's godmother).  This quarantine has me missing the people I love and care about, and this morning, I was longing for one of Barbara's hugs and Gary's perfect scones.  Hence...  My first attempt at a gluten free scone!

(And not to leave anyone out... The other godparents also remind me of food: Meg (Maya) and dinner at a favorite gastropub; Eileen (Lucas) and chicken parm; and Clinton (Ana) and lunches with laughter and good times .)

Based loosely off my soda bread recipe, this one made 8 scones.  I don't have a pan, so I cut them by hand.  A note : keep it cold.  Freeze the butter, freeze to chill the scones before baking.  Cold, cold, cold.

Heat your oven to 375°.

In a small bowl, finely cut it grate 1/2 a cup of butter (1 stick), then put it in the freezer while you work on combining your other ingredients.  (Once you get going, this will go fast, so you don't want the down time).

In a mixing bowl , stir together :
2 cups of (GF) AP flour;
1 tbsp of baking powder;
1 tsp of baking soda; and
1 tsp of salt.

In another bowl, whisk together :
1 egg;
1/2 cup of buttermilk;
1 tbsp of orange juice; and
1/2 cup of sugar.



Prepare 1 cup of dried cranberries.

Flour your hands and quickly cut the frozen butter into your flour mixture before adding in the liquids and quickly mixing together.  Hand in your cranberries and roll onto a floured cutting board, forming the dough into a rectangular pyramid.


Using a floured knife, slice into 8 pieces and place on a greased baking sheet.  Put into the freezer while you prepare the remaining ingredients.  (For what it's worth, Peter and I danced in the rain for a few minutes too... Strictly for extra freezing time!  ♥ 💃🕺)

Melt 1/4 cup (1 stick of butter) and combine with 2 tbsp of orange juice.  Measure out 1/4 cup of demerera sugar.

Reserve 1/3 of the liquid and 2 tbsp of the sugar.  This will coat your scones prior to cooking.

Over medium heat (in a cast iron pan), add the remaining butter /juice and sugar.  Bring to a rapid boil and simmer until thickened but not candied, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Remove from heat.



Remove the scones from the freezer and brush with the reserved butter/juice.  Sprinkle with the set aside sugar.

Bake for 30 minutes .  They will be lightly browned and the sugar will glisten on the top.  Cool for 10 minutes and drizzle with the orange caramel sauce.



Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Fermented Triple Berry Smoothie

I modified this recipe from Craving4More for a smoothie.  I only modified it slightly, so the real credit goes to C4M for creating it and, I have to admit, I was less than impressed when I read it but it's actually really good.  And that's not just me saying it!

Toss, in the following order, into the blender:
1 banana, 1 cup frozen mixed berries, 1/4 cup RAW FERMENTED kraut (not what you buy canned and shredded, but actual raw... it looks almost like a paste), 1/2 cup unsweetened cashew milk, 1 cup TROP50 OJ, and 1tsp raw honey.

Blend it until smooth (our non-awesome blender took about 60 seconds).  Drink ASAP.

The entire recipe has about 340 calories.

But here is what the peanut gallery has to say about it...

Oh... wait... they can't talk.  They're too busy drinking!

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Vegan Southern Biscuits

This recipe was born because I couldn't find any shortening in the cabinet and Peter kept harassing me to use coconut oil instead...



Mix together 1 cup A.P. whole wheat flour, 1 cup A.P. bread flour,1/8 cup (white) sugar,  1/4 cup baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, and 1 tsp salt.



Maya, my little sous chef, stirring together dry ingredients.

Cut in 4 tbsp. coconut butter/oil.  (I used 2 tbsp. Spectrum Coconut Oil (shelf stable) and 2 tbsp. Earth Balance Coconut Spread, which is a cold blend).  (I cut in with my fingers.)

Stir in 1 cup Non-dairy Probiotic Drink  (you could use a non-dairy buttermilk here.  I used Graindrops Original, a vegan/GF probiotic beverage.)

Mix together with a wooden spoon until sticky.  Turn out on a board with 1/3 cup flour and knead until flat.  Using a 3" biscuit cutter, you can make about a dozen thin biscuits or a half dozen traditional biscuits.  Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes. 

Mini Me with her coffee waiting for the biscuits to cook.


(I use a small oven and it took 17.)


The whole wheat flour gives them a nutty taste which I kind of like, and the coconut butter lends to a sweet, flaky texture.  All in all, a success!!!

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Quick Black Raspberry Jam

We picked up some black raspberries at the market today, so I turned them into an accompaniment for dinner tonight...and breakfast tomorrow!

Over medium-high heat, I combined 1 pint black raspberries  (washed) and cook until bubbly, mashing with a potato masher and stirring well.  I sprinkled in 2 tbsp. sugar  (we didn't want the jam too sweet) and cooked for 5 more minutes before adding 1tbsp corn starch.  I immediately removed from heat and began to \whisk vigorously for 2 minutes before canning it.  (No hot water, just the hot jam in the clean glass jar and putting it in fridge.  It only made 1 jar so I don't want to preserve it long term.)  By the time I went back to get it for dinner tonight, it was fully sealed and popped when opened.)

http://ourhappynuthouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Black-Raspberry-Apple-Spread-400x306.jpg

Friday, January 10, 2014

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

Oh unhealthy goodness, thy name is Nutella. Since Bobby has an addiction to "brown sandwiches", this recipe (which I crafted last night) has been months (years??????) in the making. It has only 3 ingredients, is gluten free and vegan, and is delicious. Definitely make it in small batches, since there are no preservatives, and keep it in the fridge.

Remove the pits from 10 dates and place them in enough hot water to cover. Let them rest for 15 minutes. Remove the water and use your fingers to "peel" the rough skin from the dates. Place them in a food processor and process on low for a minute. Add 1/4 cup ground hazelnuts/hazelnut meal and 1 tbsp plus 1 (or up to 2, to taste) tsp unsweetened dark cocoa powder. Pulse to mix well and scrape the sides. Process on high for 3-5 minutes.

http://img4-3.myrecipes.timeinc.net/i/recipes/su/12/11/hazelnut-chocolate-spread-su-l.jpg


This recipe makes about 8 tablespoons of spread and, at 40 calories a pop, this has half the calories of Nutella and none of the junk. This, kids, may actually be a healthy breakfast spread for your toast!

I may just be Bobby's favorite mom after this.

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Vegan, Gluten Free Goldfish Crackers

A huge shout out of thanks to Chef Chloe, who originally crafted the vegan version of this recipe.  I make my own version of gluten free all purpose flour, but you could use one of the ready made versions.  Bob's Red Mill makes one that I've heard is good; I've also heard that the King Arthur's version works well.  Or, you can make your own!  (I have a lot of GF flours to work with, so mine is quite a 'whole grain' version, LOL)

The texture is not like a Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Cracker; it has more of a crumbly texture.  That being said, and even though the taste isn't perfect, Peter and I couldnt stop eating them.  (The kids?  They havent fallen in love with them like we have, but it's just one batch, so I'll keep working on it!).  From a shape standpoint, mine look more like spades, thanks to my little cookie cutters.



Vegan, Gluten Free "Goldfish" Crackers

In a food processor, mix together:
1 cup gluten free flour, tbsp nutritional yeast flakes (I use KAL), 4 shakes of minced onion (I'm guessing 1tbsp???), 1/4tsp garlic powder, 1/8tsp tumeric, 1tsp salt, 1/2tsp black pepper.

Pulse in, until crumbly:
5tbsp vegan butter (I use soy-free Earth Balance)

Add in:
3tbsp cold water

Pulse until dough forms.  Put the dough in the center of wax paper and use your hand to flatten it to an eighth of an inch or so. Cut out the shakes and place on a greased baking sheet.  Bake at 375 for 9 minutes.  You dont want the crackers to brown; they will be a light orange and have a sweet, buttery, cheesy, nutty flavor.

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Game Day Nachos

Normally, I dont specify brands, but I'm going to make an exception, since a lot of the deliciousness of this dish came from some specific ingredients.

What you will need:
Simply Sprouted Way Better Snacks Blue Corn (entire bag)
Simply Sprouted Way Better Snacks Sweet Chili (entire bag)
2/3 container of Bobbie's Black Bean Hummus
8 small tomatoes, quartered
1 small-medium orange bell pepper, diced
1/3 large (or 1 small) red onion, diced
1/2 can spicy black beans (I used organic, 365 (Whole Foods) brand), drained
1 small can of sliced black olives, drained
1/4 cup (or up to 1/2 cup) of mixed cheese (I used organic "Mexican" blend of colby, jack, and cheddar)
1/2 jar black bean and corn salsa (I used 365 (Whole Foods) brand)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix up the bags of chips and empty 3/4 of each bag into a 13x9 dish. Dollop out the hummus evenly. Sprinkle the onions, peppers, tomatoes, and olives.  Spoon over the beans, followed by the salsa, then sprinkle with cheese. (You can use vegan cheese to make this vegan friendly).

Bake for 15 minutes and serve with the remaining chips.

 


Go NY Giants!!!