Second Wind

Its been awhile, I know.  And I harbor no pretensions that anyone will actually stumble across this blog accidentally after over a year of no posts.  But before you get all judgy, don't forget I've been a little busy chasing toddlers and having babies and moving across the country! 

Anyway, my main reason for this post is that I've decided to do NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) this November, and what better way to get creative energies going than take 5 minutes to revive my good old blog?  Ok, yes, the main reason is actually to procrastinate.  I'm already 6,000 words behind for the month!  Plus, I still harbor the hope that one day I could become a pinning sensation that is so out of control blogspot crashes and I have to add one of those little "pin it" buttons at the bottom of my blog.  A girl can dream, right? 

Even if that never happens, tonight I have a REAL treat just for you, that random person that stumbled across this blog accidentally while googling a CS Lewis book.  Hopefully you like food, at times like to cook, and often don't have time to do it, because this recipe is the easiest one I have ever made, and had my husband raving and 2 year old popping chicken pieces like they were animal crackers.  It took 4 ingredients and about 10 minutes of prep time and no ingredients of questionable integrity.

 

 

That's right, Swiss cheese, Balsamic vinegar, Italian style breadcrumbs, and chicken tenderloins (I used frozen from Trader Joes).  Pull the chicken out of the freezer the night before and defrost in the fridge.  About 40 minutes before dinner, I put 8 in a gallon sized zip lock bag and pounded them flat (I guess about 1/4 an inch?).  I added 1/4 cup of balsamic (that's a lie, I usually eyeball, but I made sure all the chicken was coated but not drowning in it) and let it sit in the plastic bag for about 5 minutes while I chopped the swiss cheese into small, 1 oz-ish chunks.  Wrap the chicken around a chunk of swiss and roll it in the bread crumbs.  Place in baking dish and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until the juices run clear.  That's it!  (And if you don't like it--not like you wasted too much time!)

 

My husband graciously sat there while I grabbed my camera.  Seriously?  You are taking a picture of my plate?  But considering the relatively short wait for a delicious dinner, I don't think he minded too much.  Try it out!  I hope you like it!  The bitterness of swiss cheese was really well balanced by the sweet and tangy balsamic, but if you can't handle that, a provolone cheese would probably work really well too.  Enjoy your dinner -- and the extra time to write!

 

PS--this post was 466 words...can that count? 

Sassy Blueberry Spice Muffins

My big brother texted yesterday, a rare event.  "I'm so over this whole TX thing."  By that he meant he misses us!
The momentousness of the occasion caused a familiar feeling of homesickness to well up and somehow I found myself googling homes for sale in St. Charles.  I guess it wasn't serious, at least not for right now.  God seems to have us where he wants us right now, and as many guesses as I may have to his reasons, I don't really know why or until when. 
So, stuffing down my desire to plan and conspire, I embraced my feelings by making my favorite treat from home, that I used to beg my mom to make for me, with my own personal kick.  And I had help from my favorite person ever!

These muffins are made with lots of whole grains and get a brown nutty flavor from the almond meal.  Instead of white sugar I went with brown rice syrup, which provides the sweetness you need but its low glycemic value means you skip the sugar rush (a very important factor for a baker with a devoted sweet tooth and with a family history of diabetes!) My very special helper ate almost all the blueberries, but fortunately I had some fresh blackberries on hand, so I deviated from your traditional blueberry muffins by going for extra tangy.  I then played around with lemon juice and sour cream.  Ezra loved the topping made with dry milk powder (added calcium) and real maple sugar.  Sweet enough to conquer your cravings but savory enough to enjoy as a warm breakfast with a nice slab of butter. Mmm.  Oh, and for my gluten-intolerant friends, go ahead and substitute 1 cup of your favorite all-purpose flour mix for the whole wheat and all-purpose portions. 

Sassy Blueberry Spice Muffins:
(adapted from Good to the Grain)

Nut Topping (opt):
1c walnuts
1/4  c unsulphured molasses
1 TBSP sugar
Pinch kosher salt

Sweet Topping (opt in place of nut topping):
1 c dry milk powder
1/4 c maple sugar

Dry Mix:
1 c Almond flour
1/2 c quinoa flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/8 c sugar
1 TBSP baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
1 TBSP cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp cloves
4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

Wet Mix:
1/2 c whole milk
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce
1/2 c rice syrup
1/4 c sour cream
2 TBSP lemon juice
2 eggs
1/2 pint blueberries
1/2 pint blackberries

Preheat oven to 350 and toast walnuts 10-15 minutes until golden.  Mix together dry ingredients and beat in butter until it has a cornmeal texture.  In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients, then beat in with the flour mixture until just mixed.  Add berries and scoop into muffin tins until even with the top of the pan. If using nut topping, chop walnuts and combine with molasses, sugar, and salt.  Top each muffin and press gently into the batter.  If using the sweet topping, sprinkle each ingredient lightly over top of the batter.  Place in oven and bake for 24-26 minutes, rotating half way.  Allow to cool slightly before removing and enjoy!

Raspberry Avocado Truffle Pie

My 5 1/2 year old niece may not have fully appreciated it, but this delicious treat is a delightful way to celebrate the return of spring--or the birth of amazing sister-in-laws!  It is super easy to make, only 6 ingredients and its dairy-free and gluten-free!  What more could you ask for?  I made this for Elise's birthday, because here in Texas we ring in the spring as early as February (lest you think I'm gloating, our spring is also tragically short-lived; last year it shriveled up in the heat by April!).
Enjoy!


-2 large avocados, mashed
-3 T orange juice (more or less to taste)
-14 oz baking chocolate or chocolate chips (or Enjoy Life chocolate chips for dairy free!)
-1 T vanilla extract
-1/3 cup rice milk (or regular milk)
-16 oz fresh raspberries



Mix avocados with orange juice.  Meanwhile slowly melt chocolate over double boiler and add vanilla extract and milk option.  If using bittersweet chocolate, add maple syrup or sugar to lightly sweeten.  Once the mixture is smooth and evenly dissolved, remove from heat and combine with avocado mixture. Pour over fresh raspberries and add a final layer of berries on top.  Refridgerate until firm, and then enjoy in small, decadent slices! 

Eva wishes she could have some!

Christmas Spirit, Brought to you by the Ultimate Peppermint Ganache Brownies

So, this weekend I finally obtained the Christmas spirit, ushered in by a piney fresh Christmas tree, excessive carols, time to gift-brainstorm, and some of the most delicious brownies I have ever eaten or made!  It is only fair that I share the recipe with the world, especially since I managed to make them gluten, dairy, soy, egg, and nut free, as well as low sugar and low fat!  Hooray!  I'm really getting excited about Christmas this year, thinking about Ezra's first Christmas and how to start making things special for him, even though this year he won't remember anything, or enjoy these delicious brownies.  But you will!!

Ultimate Peppermint Gnache Brownies (as adapted from Kiss My Spatula)
 Ingredients

    * 8 tbsp butter (I use applesauce for a low-fat version)
    * 6 ounces good-quality bittersweet chocolate, broken into large chunks (I use Theo dark chocolate:
       organic, fair trade and does not contain soy or dairy)
    * 3 eggs (I find ENER G gluten-free egg replacer to be the best for baking)
    * 1 cup sugar (I use maple syrup for a reduced-sugar version)
    * 3/4 tbsp vanilla
    * 1/4  teaspoon  salt
    * 3/4 cup all purpose flour (There are many gluten-free flour mixes there.  Any all-purpose mix will
       do, or you can make your own.  I've done both, currently I'm using Better Batter which has a very
       unobtrusive flavor, unlike many gf mixes)
    * 1/4 cup cocoa powder
    * 1/2  tsp baking powder
    * 40 or more Starlight mints (I have not tried this with candy canes, but I intend to after recently 
       discovering Tru Sweets candy canes, which are seriously THE BEST candy canes I have ever 
       tasted.  This is saying something, since I consider myself somewhat of a candy cane connoisseur.
       Tru Sweets uses all natural ingredients, no artificial flavors or coloring, no corn syrup, is gluten
       free and kosher.  Happy Hanukkah!) 
    * 1/3 pound semisweet chocolate, chopped (I use Enjoy Life chocolate chips, free of all 8 major 
       allergens and still taste good!)
      * 3/4 cup whipping cream (Try Native Forest Organic Coconut Milk, classic for a non-dairy version.
        Changes the flavor slightly, but not in a bad way, and captures the right consistency in a way
        many imitations do not.) 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan. In a medium saucepan, stir butter and bittersweet
chocolate over very low heat with a heatproof rubber spatula until just melted--do not let simmer or boil. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.  In a large bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Slowly pour chocolate-butter mix into egg mix, whisking constantly. In separate bowl, sift flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder.  With a clean rubber spatula, gently fold flour mixture into egg mixture until just combined.  Spread batter evenly in baking pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until brownies are firm, beginning to pull away from sides of pan, and a toothpick inserted in center emerges with only a few crumbs clinging to it. Let brownies cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.

Reduce oven temp to 300°.  Line a level, rimmed 11 1/2×16 inch baking sheet with parchment. With a pencil, draw a grid of 1 1/2 inch squares on parchment, leaving about a 1 inch border, and turn parchment over. Place a mint in the center of each square. Bake 15 to 25 minutes, or until completely melted into 1 large sheet, but remove before candy begins to turn yellow. Immediately score peppermint squares with a pizza cutter, using pencil lines as your guide. If scored lines don’t hold, rescore quickly. Let candy cool completely. Gently break into squares along score lines.  (You may want to make a test batch with 12 mints to see if you need to adjust oven temperature or spacing of candies).

In the top of a double boiler, combine chopped semisweet chocolate and whipping cream. Cook, stirring often, until melted and blended (In the case of coconut milk, allow it to cook on low until slightly thickened). Remove from heat and let ganache cool until just warm.  Pour ganache over cooled brownies in pan and allow to set until firm, about 1 hour in the refrigerator.

Place peppermint squares bottom side up on ganache, leaving enough room between squares to cut brownies. Cut brownies into squares along edges of peppermint tops, wiping knife clean between cuts. Remove brownies from pan, eats scraps, and return brownies to pan. Cover with plastic wrap, making sure wrap does not touch peppermint, and refrigerate 3 hours (candy will soften slightly).  Share at any holiday gathering--these will go fast!!

 MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Delicious Gluten-Free (Everything-Free) Bread!!

I mentioned in my last post my frustrations with my new allergy-inflicted diet of nothingness.  Although I have managed to lose those last 6 stubborn pounds of baby weight plus 7 more, the real challenge has been re-learning how to cook, and finding the time to do it in!  But for those of you that know me know that I'm always up for a challenge and this one I've embraced wholeheartedly.  Let's be honest, I love to eat, it is a physical, mental, social, and at times even spiritual experience that I'm not going to give up on just because everything that tastes good is off-limits!  The holiday season is coming up and it is the food highlight of my year.  I'm gonna be busy.  Fortunately, God the Creator made us in his own image, so its time to kick those CREATIVE juices in high gear!!

My first step was to read labels.  After reading labels I realized in frustration that almost nothing is safe.  Even stuff that looks safe has hidden codes like: flavors, emulsifiers, and stabilizers, that automatically put me on the red alert.  So I've gone back to the basics and had to break things down by ingredient.  Fresh foods are my friends!  Grilled chicken, rice, fresh veggies and olive oil were staples for a while.  Homemade smoothies, hummus, and organic corn tortilla chips were my best friends.  But the same fare day after day gets pretty old.  And there's just one thing that was always missing...

Every culture has it.  That one food staple that if you took away their entire nutritional pyramid would crumble.  Their restaurants would close and ovens go cold.  For the Irish its the potato.  The Chinese have their rice.  Mediterranean cuisine has the pita, and Mexico the tortilla.  And we are no different.  You already know where I'm going.

Bread.

We find a way to insert our favorite carbohydrate in almost any meal, sometimes in multiple forms.  It doesn't feel like a meal without it.  I can eat a steak and plate full of vegetables, and still wander around the kitchen looking for something to cram in my mouth because no matter how full I get I just don't feel satisfied.  So, on this gluten-free diet I've gone weeks without feeling satisfied.  That is until I found this post for delicious gluten free, dairy free, egg free, soy free bread!  

I was skeptical at first.  What exactly is in this bread anyway?  How can it possibly taste good?  But the comments at the bottom of the post shouted their approval.  So, it seemed worth a try.  

First step, gathering my ingredients.  That part was relatively easy.  Even my local grocery store has a small specialty section that holds a host of gluten free flours.  And the one thing I've found is that in replacing flours in any recipe, you can't just take out wheat and replace it with something else.  There is a delicate combination of flours that must be attempted and it is quite a balance!  I'm thankful for everyone that has done the legwork for me to find the right combos so that I don't have to do it.  I'd have given up long before discovering sorghum flour, that's for sure!!

Shopping bag in hand, I approached my kitchen with trepidation.  I had never tried to make homemade bread before.  I have had a breadmaker since my wedding 5 years ago, a cherished gift that I have been too intimidated to use.  The blog promised it was easy.  The directions are for oven-baked bread, not breadmaker.  So, conscious that I was entering into some sacred rite of passage, I followed the recipe doing my best and....Ta-da!  Bread--actual delicious bread that was good enough to cry over.  And I had done it all by myself!  With that triumph, I felt empowered to get creative.  And the confidence to go after my cravings, the beautiful food that I forced out of my mind for the next 8 months as I continue to nurse my everything-intolerant son.  

The recipe that I came up with is inspired by Macaroni Grill's deliciously addicting bread.  A couple years ago, when Joel and I were first married our close friend and neighbor worked at the Macaroni Grill.  He would come home with fresh loaves of bread, their aroma seeping through their paper bags just begging to be doused in olive oil and eaten that night!  It got to the point when, like pavlov's dog we would begin drooling right around closing time.  Mmmm.

It's been several years since I've been to a Macaroni Grill, but I found myself craving those flavors again.  So, I made myself some bread, and even my gluten-eating husband was in for a happy surprise!  I only made one loaf and it did not last the day.  

We tried it warm dipped in olive oil and basalmic vinegar.  Mmmm...

A sandwich!!  How long has it been??  Delicious barbecue chicken with grilled onions, homemade mayonnaise, cucumbers, and lettuce.  Yum!

like I said, did not last long...

Having conquered the challenge of homemade oven-cooked bread, I finally tried my breadmaker.  Let's be honest, my inborn lack of patience plus the demands of an infant means that I will ALWAYS cheat my bread on the amount of kneading as well as time to rise that it requires.  This bread doesn't require a lot, but still my breadmaker attempt was just a bit fluffier when it came out, and ever so much easier!

Here is my recipe, (which as I mentioned is adapted from Sally Parrot's blog):

Yields: 1 loaf of bread

Ingredients: 

* 3/4 cup millet flour

* 1/4 cup teff flour

* 1/2 cup sorghum flour

* 1/2 cup cornstarch

* 1 cup potato starch

* 1/2 cup tapioca flour

* 2 tsp xantham gum

* 2 tsp salt

* 1 tsp fennel 

* 1 Tbsp rosemary

* 1 Tbsp garlic powder

* 1/4 cup sugar

* 2 tsp yeast

* 2 tsp olive oil

* 1 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp warm (105-110 degree) water

Combine all flours, starches, xantham gum, salt, and spices.  (I have a canister of already prepared flour.  I took the amounts listed above and multiplied by the greatest common denominator to make a mix that I keep on hand (and have used for other recipes) which makes it even easier to make!  All-in-all this bread takes me about 12 minutes to get together and the rest is up to my Breadman Ultimate.)  If you don't have a breadmaker, from here on out follow the instructions listed in Sally's blog.  If you are using a breadmaker, you are basically there.  Pour water and olive oil in bottom of breadmaker.  Add the sugar (this recipe is yeast-based so it needs sugar; I'm not sure how substitutes would work), followed by flour mixture.  Make a small well at the top and add yeast, making sure it is not touching water.  Close breadmaker, set on whole wheat, medium crust, rapid rise, wait 2 hours and voila!  Be ready with butter or oil or whatever you want, and make sure you came with an appetite!! 

Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!!

**Edit: for a golden crispy crust, coat in butter or olive oil and toast for 10 minutes or until crispy**