Category Archives: recipes

Fig Love: Coconut Rum Raisin Free-Form Muffins

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Sometimes a mistake turns out better than it would have if things went exactly as you originally planned. A point I always make to my quilting students.

Breaking Free was one such quilt. I was fusing down stylized fabric pine cone scales when one decided to fuse itself to the iron rather than the quilt top.

Rather than force it back into its proper place, I let it break free, and fused it flying up and away, dancing on an invisible breeze. While the quilt would have been nice enough the way I had designed, it turned out way more interesting as a result of my mistake. (Click here to find out more about Breaking Free.)

Of course, fixing culinary mistakes can be an entirely different matter. It’s not so simple to solve too much Sriracha in the spaghetti sauce, or burnt black cookies. Luckily every once in awhile a kitchen mishap turns out to be serendipitious genius.

Whipping up a batch of grain-free scones one day, I forgot to add butter. I couldn’t very well scrape them off the pan back into the bowl to add the missing butter since I’d already mixed in the wet ingredients. So I decided to just go with it sans butter.

The result was amazing! Looked like a scone, except soft and cakey like a muffin. A lot like a muffin top. Yum! A few strategic tweaks, and voilà, the Coconut Rum Raisin Free-Form Muffin was born!

If you like your treats to have a more controlled shape, try baking them in a whoopie pie pan, a donut pan, or even simply a regular muffin pan. Baking times may need to be adjusted with different sizes and shapes.

Fig Love

A secret ingredient, puréed rum-soaked dried figs, makes these free-form muffins moist, flavorful, and sweet. The perfect complement to coconut and rum raisins.

Dried figs taste like pears and honey. They are a fabulous healthy, whole foods sweetener. A good source of dietary fiber and minerals. If you’ve never baked with dried figs before, you’re in for a real treat! Sweet like dates, but with a less assertive flavor.

Look for unsulfured dried figs. Sulfur dioxide can trigger symptoms for those with asthma. It can also cause stomach cramps and migraine headaches in sensitive people. This effect may seem more pronounced if you’ve been eating “clean” for awhile (clean = whole, unprocessed foods) and your diet has been free of aggravating chemicals and foods.

Without preservatives, dried figs and other fruit will be brown or even black. That’s perfectly fine and natural. Some dried fruit has sugar, artificial color, and even artificial flavor added. Avoid those as well. In case you’re wondering, organic dried fruit is always free from sulfur dioxide and most other additives, although sometimes organic dried fruit will contain added sugar or honey.

Unsulfured dried fruit is also drier than sulfured dried fruit. Having no preservatives, it needs to be completely free from moisture to keep it from spoiling. This is actually a benefit for baking, because being drier, it can soak up more flavorful liquid of your choice, adding delicious dimension to your dish.

Some figs are best suited for drying and others for eating fresh. Varieties with a high natural sugar content make flavorful, sweet dried figs. My favorite dried fig for baking and snacking is called Calimyrna when it’s grown in California and Smyrna when it comes from Turkey.

To make a purée for baking, chop off the stems, cut the dried figs in half, and soak them in the liquid of your choice until soft. I used rum for these free-form muffins. Fresh-squeezed orange juice is another flavorful option. Purée the figs and as much soaking liquid as desired or necessary in a blender, then add to the other wet ingredients. Like prune purée or mashed ripe bananas, dried fig purée is a versatile baking ingredient that adds natural sweetness and a nutritious boost.

Note: without preservatives, unsulfered dried fruit has a shorter shelf life than standard sulfered dried fruit. If you’re unable to finish them in a timely manner, you should store them in the freezer, especially when it’s humid. Let them come to room temperature before using in a recipe.

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Coconut Rum Raisin Free-Form Muffins

Ingredients

  • 142 grams (5 ounces/about 12) dried organic/unsulfured Calimyrna/Smyrna figs
  • 80 grams (1/2 cup) organic/unsulfured raisins
  • 1/2 cup gold rum
  • 84 grams (3/4 cup) sifted coconut flour
  • 45 grams (1/4 cup lightly packed) coconut sugar
  • 60 grams (1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon) unsweetened macaroon coconut
  • 1/4 teaspoon finely ground sea salt
  • 5 large organic free-range eggs, divided
  • 125 grams (1/2 cup) unsweetened organic applesauce
  • 64 grams (2 tablespoons) almond butter, unsalted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • extra macaroon coconut for sprinkling on top

Instructions

  1. Chop the stems off the dried figs, then cut the dried figs in half. Soak the dried figs and raisins in the rum for 1 hour.
  2. While the fruit is soaking, prepare the dry ingredients.
  3. Sift the coconut flour into a measuring cup or container for weighing. Use the flat side of a knife to gently level off the excess coconut flour even with the top of the measuring cup.
    4. NOTE: Coconut flour can get clumpy and compacted, making it difficult to measure accurately. Sifting will not only give coconut flour a good light consistency, it can help you get a more accurate measurement if you don't have a digital kitchen scale.
  4. Put the sifted coconut flour into a large bowl with the coconut sugar and sea salt.
    5. Coconut sugar is another tricky ingredient to measure accurately. If you don't have a scale, lightly pack the coconut sugar into the measuring cup like you would do with brown sugar. Stir to combine.
  5. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  6. Crack open the eggs and set aside one yolk.
  7. When the hour is up, strain out and separate the raisins from the figs and rum.
  8. Place the figs and rum into a blender jar and blend. It may get thick and not completed puréed depending on your blender, but the eggs and applesauce to be added next will provide enough liquid to finish the job.
  9. Add the 4 eggs, extra egg white, applesauce, almond butter, and vanilla to the blender jar. Blend a minute or so more until smooth and mixed thoroughly. With a high-power blender, one minute is sufficient to blend the ingredients and incorporate some air into the batter. If you are using a regular blender, it may need a bit more time.
  10. Pour mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir to combine. The batter will be quite wet at first, but as your stir, the coconut flour will start to absorb some of the excess moisture. As it sits, more moisture will be absorbed, but it will remain a little more moist than regular muffin batter.
  11. Stir the rum-soaked raisins into the batter.
  12. Drop about 1/4 cup of batter at a time onto the prepared baking sheet to make 12 free-form muffins.
  13. Add the tablespoon of water to the remaining egg yolk and whisk to make a smooth egg wash for the tops of the muffins.
  14. Brush the egg wash onto the tops of the muffins and sprinkle with extra macaroon coconut.
  15. Bake in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes. Set on a wire rack to cool.
http://www.laurawestkong.com/gff/2012/fig-love-coconut-rum-raisin-free-form-muffins/

You can serve Coconut Rum Raisin Free-Form Muffins fresh from the oven, but they’re even more flavorful the next day.

Many gluten-free baked goods seem to dry out almost immediately, but these free-form muffins stay moist for days. Probably even longer, but I can never seem to keep them around long enough to find out!

I store these muffins in the refrigerator and they always seem downright damp when I take them out, but that effect disappears when I let them set out and reach room temperature before serving, or warm them up in the oven.

A little bit of the Caribbean, from me to you.

To find out more about why figs are healthy, visit The World’s Healthiest Foods: Figs
For more fig recipes, visit The Spicy RD’s #figlove Blog Hop

What secret ingredients do you like to cook or bake with?

(This recipe was shared at: Gluten-Free Monday, Keep It Real Thursday, Showcase Your Talent Thursday, Allergy Friendly Friday, Fill Those Jars Friday, Gluten-Free Friday, Fig Love Blog Hop, Eat Make Grow )

Extractopia {Making Vanilla Extract, part 2}

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Six months ago I embarked upon my adventure in homemade vanilla extract-making. (Read Making Vanilla Extract, part 1) It’s high time I brought you an update.

What I didn’t tell you was that Vanilla and Vanilla Rum were not the only flavors that I made. I also started some Chocolate-Scented Mint extract and Mandarin Orange extract.

I would have made more extracts, but I ran out of empty jars.

Six months later here are the tasty results. As you can see, I managed to use up nearly half a quart of vanilla, and quite a bit of vanilla rum as well. Wow, with retail prices ranging from $2.00 on up, that’s a lotta savings! Not to mention that the taste is out of this world.

from left to right: Vanilla, Mandarin Orange, Vanilla Rum, Chocolate-Scented Mint

When I tasted and compared commercial vanilla extract to my homemade, there was really no comparison. Go to your pantry, put a drop of commercial vanilla extract on your tongue and see. It’s nice, but flat. One dimensional.

The homemade version sparkles. This is not a technical, professional tasting term mind you. Just my personal impression. I don’t mean that it’s bubbly like champagne either, cause it’s not. It’s just got a strong, lively flavor. When the alcohol taste dies down you’re left with that breathtaking real vanilla bean taste.

I remember the first time my mother brought home a vanilla bean. This was exotic stuff back then. I had never seen a vanilla bean in real life before. My mom used it to make vanilla bean custard, simple and magnificent. I was smitten, and to this day absolutely love vanilla just as much as I love chocolate. (Which is a lot, as evidenced by my recent 12 Days of {gluten-free} Chocolate blog series)

Speaking of chocolate, chocolate-scented mint leaves really don’t taste like chocolate mint, but they do smell like it. You can find chocolate-scented mint plants at nurseries or home improvement garden centers.

What’s nice about chocolate-scented mint is that it’s easy to grow but not nearly as invasive as regular mint plants. It smells divine and has beautiful deep green leaves. And when you grow your own herbs, you’ll be assured a steady supply of delicious organic seasonings.

To make your own homemade Mint Extract, simply wash and dry fresh mint leaves, any variety and stuff them into a clean glass jar like in the photo at the top of this post. Fill with vodka and put the lid on. Gently shake the jar every day, or every week. After awhile I forgot to shake it, and that’s OK, too. We’re not baking angel food cake or souffle here. After several months I took the old leaves out and put fresh leaves in. Finally I declared it done and strained the leaves out as you can see below.

Absolutely amazing! Smooth and sweet. It smells and tastes just like liquid Starlight Mints. Somehow along the way the chocolate scent vanished. At one point, it had a very strong medicinal taste. That disappeared as well. Can you imagine the fabulous hot chocolate this is going to make! Why I ever used such as small jar is beyond me.

And the Mandarin Orange extract. Same process: Wash and dry organic citrus. Zest the fruit, being careful not to get any of the bitter white pith. Put zest and vodka into a clean jar. Cap, shake, and wait. Strain out zest when it’s done. See how the color of the zest has been transferred out.

Unfortunately I didn’t use near enough zest for such a large jar, and of course mandarin oranges are out of season in mid summer, so I couldn’t refresh it with new mandarin zest. Although it’s pretty, I am sadly disappointed, especially in comparison with the phenomenal success of the Vanilla, Vanilla Rum, and Chocolate-Scented Mint extracts. But mandarin season is just around the corner and my tree is full of fruit, so I’ll just have to wait awhile longer. Patience is definitely a virtue when it comes to making your own homemade extracts.

What flavors of homemade extracts have you made (or want to make)?

(This recipe was shared at: Gluten-Free Monday, Fat Tuesday, Fill Those Jars Friday, Gluten Free Friday)

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

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This time of year, many people catch Pumpkin Fever, a perfectly harmless virus kept in check only by immediate administration of pumpkin pie, or other pumpkin-rich treat.

When you’re in the kitchen baking up a batch of tasty gluten-free pumpkin muffins, or pumpkin recipe of your choice (I recommend my Pumpkin-Date Blondies, which happen to be not only delicious, but vegan, refined sugar-free, and grain-free as well) you don’t have to wait for that timer to buzz. You can get a quick and easy pumpkin fix by sipping a wonderfully refreshing Pumpkin Pie Smoothie (also vegan, refined-sugar free, and grain-free). Bonus: It’ll keep you cool while the ovens heat up the kitchen.

You can use canned or homemade pureed pumpkin in this smoothie. If you roast your own pumpkin, it’s better to chill the pumpkin puree before using it in a smoothie. Hot, fresh from the oven roasted pumpkin is deliciously tempting, a lot of mine gets directly eaten as soon as it’s done, but for smoothies, it’s much better cooled off first. In fact, the more ingredients that are pre-chilled, the frostier your smoothie will be.

You can even freeze the coconut milk. Just measure out the desired amount of coconut milk and sliced bananas and place into a freezer bag. Carefully squeeze all the air out of the bag, seal it, and lay it flat in your freezer. A thin layer of coconut milk and banana works best. Don’t squeeze too many into a bag or you’ll end up with a tropical frozen brick. When you’re ready for a smoothie, take a bag out, gently bend it to break up the contents into pieces, and pour into your blender with the other ingredients.

To make your smoothie even frostier, make ice cubes out of some of the cup of coconut water ahead of time. The ratio of coconut water ice cubes to liquid coconut water will be determined by how well your blender handles ice.

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Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Yield: serves 2

Calories per serving: 204

Fat per serving: 7 g

Ingredients

  • 1 cup coconut water (without added sugar)
  • 5-6 (40 grams) Deglet Noor dates, pitted
  • 1 tablespoon shelled hemp seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly grated if possible)
  • 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin (canned or homemade)
  • 1/4 cup coconut milk (cooking kind, not coconut milk beverage)
  • 1/2 cup frozen sliced bananas

Instructions

  1. Put the coconut water, dates, hemp seeds, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg into a blender jar. A high-speed blender works best. For a BlendTec, press the WHOLE JUICE button. For others, blend until smooth. If your blender is not very powerful, you may need to chop and/or soak the dates first.
  2. Add the pumpkin, coconut milk, and banana slices. Press the SMOOTHIE button, or blend until smooth.
  3. Serve as is, or top with whipped/chilled coconut cream, coconut cream froth, or your favorite gluten-free gingersnaps or graham crackers.
http://www.laurawestkong.com/gff/2012/pumpkin-pie-smoothie/

Be creative and add toppings to your Pumpkin Pie Smoothie. Chilled/whipped coconut cream is a classic vegan whipped cream replacement, but did you ever try Coconut Cream Froth?

I discovered Coconut Cream Froth one day when I didn’t chill my canned coconut cream far enough ahead in advance. It’s light, airy, and delicious, and will make you look like a vegan master chef.

You’ll need coconut cream, canned or UHT. Make sure there are no added gums or stabilizers. Pour it into a container with a tight fitting lid and extra room for shaking. Shake well, let it settle a bit, and a light frothy foam will rise to the top or stick to the lid. Like frothed milk for a latte.

Dee-lish! Makes me want to whip up a hot pumpkin drink just so I can top it with Coconut Cream Froth.

To give your Pumpkin Pie Smoothie a real pumpkin pie vibe, crumble some gluten-free gingersnaps or graham crackers on the top for a crust-like crunch. I’m not sure which gluten-free cookies are best. I generally try to avoid sugar, and now grains as well. If you have a favorite gluten-free cookie brand or recipe, especially grain-free or refined sugar-free, please share.

(This recipe was shared at: Tasty Traditions, Sugar-Free Sunday, Monday Mania, Fat Tuesday, Keep It Real Thursday, Healthy Vegan Friday, Wellness Weekend, Pumpkin Potluck Party)

Sublime!

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Fall may have fallen in some parts of the universe, but it still feels like mid-summer to me. So I’m glad for a cool, refreshing drink that’s as lovely to look at as it is to drink.

I love a good green smoothie, but let’s be honest. More often than not, they come out looking like mud. Tasty, healthy mud, but mud nonetheless.

That’s why I was simply tickled pink (or lime green!) that my Sublime Lime Smoothie came out looking as gorgeous as it is delicious and nutritious.

You can thank organic baby spinach for that lovely shade of green. Spinach is one of those Dirty Dozen veggies that are particularly high in pesticide residue, so buy organic spinach whenever you can. (Learn more about the Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen.) Baby spinach is very mild in green smoothies. It doesn’t make them taste like salad in a glass at all.

A trio of tangy ingredients helps the lime flavor pop. First of all lime, including the zest, organic if possible when eating citrus peel. Next pineapple for its incomparable sweetness and also hints of tartness that brighten the limey flavor. And finally, So Delicious Cultured Coconut Milk.

Don’t have or never seen Cultured Coconut Milk before? You could substitute dairy kefir or another non-dairy beverage, but I encourage you to look for So Delicious Cultured Coconut Milk. Ask for it at your local health food store. (Visit the So Delicious Dairy Free website to learn more about Cultured Coconut Milk and other dairy-free products or print a coupon.)

Cultured Coconut Milk is one of my favorite non-dairy smoothie bases. Goes fabulously with a wide variety of fruit flavors. It has 10 active, live cultures and is certified gluten-free, vegan, and non-GMO. It’s also soy-free, nut-free, and the original flavor is refined sugar-free as well.

Frozen, sliced bananas for sweet, non-dairy creaminess, and a splash of vanilla round out the simple, healthy ingredient list. (Making your own vanilla extract is easy, economical, and fun. Check out my Making Vanilla Extract, part 1 post. Guess it’s time for a part 2 update cause the homemade vanilla turned out fantastic!)

Finally if you must gild the lime green lily (and I say, “Why not!”) chilled coconut cream is a decadently delicious choice. You can separate the cream from the liquid, whip it with a mixer, or any number of advance preparations if you like. I just chill the coconut milk or cream and scoop a dollop on top. Simple and delish. Don’t buy the low-fat kind with too much added water or you will have to separate it. Look for 60-100% coconut milk/cream in cans or tetra-paks.

Print
Sublime Lime Smoothie

Yield: 2 servings

Serving Size: 8 ounces

Calories per serving: 107

Fat per serving: 2 grams

Ingredients

  • 1/2 organic lime
  • 3/4 cup So Delicious Cultured Coconut Milk, Original Flavor
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1-1/2 cups organic baby spinach, lightly packed
  • 1/2 cup frozen banana slices
  • 3/4 cup frozen pineapple tidbits
  • (fresh pineapple, chopped and frozen or pineapple canned in juice, drained and frozen also works if you can't find frozen pineapple)
  • Optional garnish: thick coconut milk or cream, chilled

Instructions

  1. Zest the half lime and set aside the lime zest.
  2. For a high-speed blender, peel the half lime, making sure to remove any thick bitter white pith. The thin membrane is OK to leave.
    3. For a regular blender, juice the half lime. (about 1 tablespoon)
  3. Put the lime or lime juice and half of the lime zest into the blender jar. Add the remaining ingredients in the order listed.
    4. If you have a regular blender, you may want to chop the spinach first, or blend the spinach with the liquids a little before adding the frozen fruit, depending on how powerful the blender is or isn't.
  4. For a BlendTec, press the "Smoothie" button. For all others, blend until smooth.
  5. Garnish with a dollop of chilled coconut milk, if desired, and the remaining lime zest.
http://www.laurawestkong.com/gff/2012/sublime/

Are you a green smoothie fan? What do you like to put in green smoothies?

(This recipe was shared at: Fat Tuesday, Fit & Fabulous Friday, Gluten Free Friday, Healthy Vegan Friday, Wellness Weekend)

The 12 Days of {gluten-free} Chocolate: Day 9

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The greatest tragedies were written by the Greeks and Shakespeare … neither knew chocolate. ~ Sandra Boynton

Happy National Chocolate Milkshake Day! There’s nothing to be feeling tragic about today. Gave up dairy and refined sugar? That’s OK. You’ll never miss them with this creamy, dreamy Chocolate Date Shake.

I’ve given the classic California Date Shake a healthy (and chocolatey!) makeover. Made of whole foods, it’s vegan, raw, and free from refined sugar. Of course it’s naturally gluten-, soy- and nut-free as well.

Blended hemp seeds take the place of milk, frozen bananas, the ice cream, raw cacao powder to make it chocolatey, and dates, of course, for a touch of California sweetness.

Dates are an ideal whole food sweetener. They’re a good source of fiber, minerals, and vitamins.You can soak and blend dates to make a creamy date butter, or buy date sugar, which is actually ground dehydrated dates: a whole food, not a processed sugar. You may have to experiment a bit to successfully substitute date butter or date sugar in your favorite recipes, but that’s part of the fun!

I like to use Deglet Noor dates in my recipes. They’re not too sweet and have a delicate flavor. You can substitute your favorite dates or whichever variety you happen to have on hand. Many people use Medjool dates which are sweet and moist. Barhi dates can be hard to find. If you get the chance, give them a try. They’re soft and sweet, my favorite date for simply eating.

Print
Chocolate Date Shake

Yield: 1 serving

Calories per serving: 414

Fat per serving: 15 g

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup ice cold, filtered water
  • 3 tablespoons shelled hemp seed
  • 1 tablespoon raw cacao powder (regular cocoa powder works, too)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 dates, pitted
  • 1 large banana (about 1 cup) sliced and frozen

Instructions

  1. Put the ingredients into a high-speed blender like BlendTec or Vitamix in the order listed. For a thicker, frostier shake substitute ice cubes or crushed ice for some of the water.
    2. (If you have a regular blender, do chop the dates first. Blend the hemp seeds, cacao powder, and vanilla into a smooth hemp milk before adding and blending the remaining ingredients.)
  2. For a BlendTec, press the 'Smoothie' button. For other blenders, blend just until ingredients are mixed together smoothly and the dates are in little pieces.
http://www.laurawestkong.com/gff/2012/12-chocolate-days-09/

The 12 Days of {gluten-free} Chocolate: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 | Day 11 | Day 12

(This recipe was shared at: Fat Tuesday, Raw Foods Thursday, Fill Those Jars Friday, Gluten Free Friday, Healthy Vegan Friday)

Guacamole Fresco

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Guacamole. Two words: Love it!

You had me at avocado. However, if any of you need more convincing, how about cool, refreshing, and bursting with fresh farmer’s market goodness!

In this easy-peazy guacamole recipe, you don’t even have to mash the avocado. Just chop and stir. Not too much stirring, or you’ll end up mashing the avocados in spite of yourself.

To ensure a wonderful chunky texture, make sure one of your avocados is firm ripe. Not rock hard though. Rock hard avocados are definitely NOT delicious. Trust me on this. (View the California Avocado Commission’s Hass Avocado Stages of Ripeness guide.)

I created this chunky Guacamole Fresco for this month’s Gluten-Free Whole Foods Vegan Cooking Class. We served it on Roost Blog’s Raw Tacos with Cashew Sour Cream.

We used butter lettuce for the tacos instead of cabbage, but any sturdy leafy green will do. Use your favorite or whichever one is freshest! A perfect combination for those lazy late summer days when it’s too hot to cook.

Also featured at August’s cooking class was Jan’s delicious Black Bean Quinoa Salad. (stay tuned, recipe coming soon!)

Print
Guacamole Fresco

Ingredients

  • 2-3 avocados, diced 1/2 inch (2 cups)
  • 2 Roma tomatoes, finely diced (1/2-3/4 cup)
  • 1/4 cup finely diced sweet onion
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced (2-3 tablespoons)
  • 1-2 tablespoons minced cilantro
  • 1 lime, juiced (2 tablespoons)
  • a sprinkling of lime zest, optional
  • Coarsely ground Himalayan or sea salt

Instructions

  1. Prep all ingredients as indicated.
  2. Place all the ingredients except salt and optional lime zest in a bowl. Stir gently to combine. Stir less for a very chunky guacamole. Stir more to make it smoother.
  3. Add salt to taste and lime zest if desired.
  4. Enjoy!
http://www.laurawestkong.com/gff/2012/guacamole-fresco/

P.S. If you love avocados as much as I do, you’ll be thrilled to know that this guacamole can shine all on it’s own as a wonderful avocado salad. No chips or tacos required.

(This recipe was shared at: Gluten Free Friday)

Mexican Fried Ice Cream Sundae

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With the 4th of July behind us, summer is officially in full swing, and 100+ degree temperatures have finally caught up with southern California. Maybe you’re roasting where you are as well. To beat the heat, I’ve whipped up an easy, fun Mexican fried ice cream sundae topping, unfried.

Before I had to switch from gluten-free to completely grain-free, Attune Foods sent me a box of their gluten-free Crispy Brown Rice cereal. So although I don’t usually post recipes using grains anymore, I’m making a special exception for this post. I hope you enjoy it!

Attune Foods’ Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice cereal has a fresh nutty taste. My daughter loves it with milk for breakfast. What I love about serving her Attune Foods’ gluten free crispy rice cereal is that it’s made from 3 simple ingredients: organic brown rice, organic brown rice syrup, and sea salt. In addition, it’s certified gluten-free and non-GMO, and has less than 1 gram of sugars per serving.

Beyond breakfast, this is a versatile cereal for cooking and baking. Use it in any recipe that calls for Rice Krispies. Crush it up and use it as a handy gluten-free bread crumb substitute or homemade chicken nugget coating. And definitely try it in my Mexican Fried Ice Cream Sundae Topping recipe below.

Coconut Secret Raw Coconut Nectar is a delicious low glycemic alternative to agave nectar or corn syrup. A vegan alternative to honey. It’s also organic, gluten-free, and non-GMO.

Coconut nectar has a milder taste than coconut sugar. It doesn’t taste like coconut, so you can use it in just about any recipe calling for a liquid sweetener. Try it in sweet iced tea for another refreshing summer treat.

It’s still a concentrated sweetener, though. So be sure to enjoy raw coconut nectar in moderation.

When making the Mexican Fried Ice Cream Sundae Topping recipe, if you don’t have any coconut nectar, try a spoonful of honey, sorghum molasses, or a liquid sweetener of your choice in its place. For a vegan version, use coconut oil in place of the butter. Substitutions will change the flavor somewhat, and might change the texture slightly, but should probably be fine.

If you don’t have hemp seeds, you can still make the topping without them, but hemp seeds add a nutty, nutritional boost loaded with protein, essential fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals. Plus, hemp seeds are just plain yummy.

Print
Mexican Fried Ice Cream Sundae Topping

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 1 cup topping

Serving Size: 1/4 cup

Calories per serving: 84

Fat per serving: 4 g

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon Coconut Secret Raw Coconut Nectar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup Attune Foods Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice Gluten Free Cereal
  • 1 tablespoon raw shelled hemp seeds (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Melt butter in the microwave in a glass bowl.
  3. Add the coconut nectar and cinnamon and stir to combine.
  4. Add the cereal and stir to coat completely. Crush some of the cereal on the sides of the bowl as you stir, leaving some of the cereal uncrushed.
  5. Add the hemp seeds if using and stir to combine.
  6. Spread the topping mixture in a pan lined with parchment paper or tinfoil and bake for about 5 minutes or until the uncrushed cereal is crispy. The small clumps of crushed cereal will be slightly chewy. Watch carefully that the topping does not burn.
  7. Sprinkle on top of vanilla or coconut ice cream. Add berries if desired.
http://www.laurawestkong.com/gff/2012/mexican-fried-ice-cream-sundae/

Free-From Ice Creams

Two free-from ice creams you might want to try with this recipe are Clemmy’s Rich and Creamy and Luna & Larry’s Coconut Bliss.

Clemmy’s ice cream is sugar-free, lactose-free, and gluten-free. The Vanilla Bean flavor is made with real vanilla bean specks and extract, so it has a bold vanilla taste. It’s creamy with the texture of soft-serve. There’s just a touch of gumminess though. Toppings help to hide that.

Clemmy’s is sweetened with sugar alcohols: maltitol and xylitol. Sugar alcohols, also known as polyols, are not sugar or alcohol. They’re carbohydrates that aren’t completely absorbed by the body, and therefore reportedly have a lower effect on blood sugar. They’re used in diabetic and low-carb products. Sugar alcohols do not promote tooth decay. The bacteria in your mouth can’t digest them either. My daughter’s dentist recommends xylitol-sweetened candy to prevent cavities. Some sugar alcohols are also prebiotics.

Sugar alcohols come with a warning: “Sensitive individuals may experience a laxative effect from excess consumption of this ingredient”. If you’re not familiar with sugar alcohol-sweetened foods, take heed of this warning and stick to small serving sizes until you know how your body reacts. Some of these products give me severe stomach cramps so I usually avoid them.

Maltitol is most often manufactured from corn, occasionally wheat, but is classified by the FDA as gluten-free. So watch out if you’re avoiding GMO foods or grain products. Consider the benefits and drawbacks and your individual situation when deciding if you should indulge in sugar alcohol-sweetened products.

Coconut Bliss is well-named. True bliss. It’s gluten-free, low-glycemic, organic, and vegan. Creamy, blissfully delicious, and coconutty.

The only thing I would change about Coconut Bliss is to remove the agave syrup and replace it with coconut nectar. I’m not completely sold on agave nectar, but do indulge from time to time in products like Coconut Bliss ice cream because the rest of their ingredients are so superior (for example: organic coconut milk, organic dried coconut, organic coconut extract, organic fair trade vanilla extract). I recommend the Naked Coconut flavor with the Mexican Fried Ice Cream Sundae Topping.

What’s your favorite summertime ice cream sundae?

If you can’t find these foods at a store near you, you can buy them online at Amazon:
Attune Foods’ Erewhon Organic Gluten Free Crispy Brown Rice Cereal
Coconut Secret Raw Coconut Nectar
Nutiva Organic Shelled Hempseed

(This recipe was shared at: Gluten Free Friday)

Happy Father’s Day!

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Mom, Dad, and I

When I was little and our family visited Disneyland, my dad’s favorite treat was a chocolate-covered frozen banana.

He couldn’t wait till afternoon came and it warmed up enough for the ice cream vendors to roll out their carts. So these frozen fruit pops are for my father.

Happy Father’s Day, Dad!

I’ve given them a bit of an update and a healthy makeover, adding strawberries and taking away the refined sugar and other additives. Raw carob powder provides natural sweetness and cocoa powder provides chocolate-y goodness. The combination of carob and cocoa comes out to be about as sweet as dark chocolate, making it a nice counterpoint to the intense sweetness of ripe fruit. If you prefer a sweeter coating, add a little of your favorite sweetener to taste.

Carob

Carob is rich in calcium and other minerals, as well as antioxidants. It is said to be good for digestion and lowering inflammation. I don’t consider carob a chocolate replacement, though. The main thing carob has in common with chocolate is its color. Instead I use carob for it’s own unique properties and taste.

Cocoa

While you can use either natural cocoa powder or Dutch processed cocoa in this recipe, I prefer Dutch processed cocoa for making the fruit pops’ coating. Dutch processed cocoa is treated with an alkali, which neutralizes some of the cocoa’s acid. This makes the cocoa powder darker and slightly reddish. The darker the cocoa powder, the more acid has been removed. Black cocoa powder, what gives Oreo cookies their deep color, has had most of the acid removed.

Cocoa Powders: Natural on the left and Dutch Processed on the right

You would imagine that darker cocoa powder would have a stronger flavor, but it’s actually more mellow. Dutching takes away the bitter, sour, and fruity notes of chocolate. If you are a chocolate aficionado, you will probably pick up on this. However the amount of chocolate is small in relation to the amount of fruit, and my tasters couldn’t tell a difference.

Dutching also makes the cocoa powder dissolve more easily. Natural and Dutch processed cocoa are interchangeable in some recipes. When baking soda is called for in a recipe, you should use natural cocoa powder, because the acids in natural cocoa are needed to react with the baking soda and make the batter rise.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is what makes this coating harden like Magic Shell topping. Coconut oil is a solid at temperatures under 76° F (24.4° C). When the topping touches the frozen fruit, it hardens in a matter of seconds! (Click here for more about coconut oil.)

Fruit

Bananas are the traditional frozen fruit treat. They’re sweet, creamy, and they freeze well. Use ripe bananas that have a few brown spots. This is a great way to use up ripe bananas before they go bad, especially in the summertime when they ripen so quickly. Don’t use under-ripe bananas, which will tend to be hard, starchy, and not very sweet or creamy.

I’ve added fresh summer strawberries, since they are at their peak in June. Strawberries work in this recipe, but freeze a little harder than bananas, due to their higher water content. Experiment with your favorite fruit to see what you like best!

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Frozen Fruit Pops

Ingredients

  • Bananas
  • Strawberries
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons raw carob powder
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder (or raw cacao powder for raw pops)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • OPTIONAL
  • chopped toasted nuts
  • unsweetened macaroon coconut

Instructions

  1. At least 4 hours ahead or overnight, cut the bananas into approximately 1 inch chunks, and remove the strawberry cores.
    2. Stack the fruit onto lollipop sticks. I place a strawberry on the bottom and a banana chunk on top because strawberries take a little longer to thaw than bananas. With the banana on top, it will get eaten first and give the strawberry more time to soften. For frozen bananas on a stick, cut the bananas into halves or thirds.
    I don't recommend using bamboo skewers. They have a sharp point and tend to break easily.
    You can also simply freeze the fruit pieces without sticks for frozen fruit bonbons.
    Place the fruit into freezer bags in a loose single layer so they will not stick to each other. You can also harden the fruit on a tray in the freezer for a short time before putting them into freezer bags. Just don't leave the bananas open to the air in the freezer overnight or they may turn brown.
  2. Add the carob, cocoa (or cacao) and vanilla to the coconut oil, and stir until all the powders are dissolved and the topping is smooth. A glass measuring cup is a good thing to mix the topping in.
    3. If the room temperature is too cool, the coconut oil may not stay liquid. Place your cup/bowl of topping into a larger bowl of hot water to make a water bath as shown below. Be careful not to splash water into the topping.
    For a sweeter topping, add a bit of sugar, stevia, or the sweetener of your choice and mix well. Be sure to dip a piece of frozen fruit to try it out first, because the topping tastes different depending on whether it's liquid or hardened.
  3. Working quickly, dip the fruit into the topping. You can tilt the cup/bowl to more easily coat the fruit completely. A thin coating is best. If you work too slowly, the coating will be thicker.
  4. Place the coated frozen fruit onto parchment or waxed paper. If you don't want a flat side on your fruit pop, hold it up in the air until the coating has hardened before placing it down.
    5. If you are dipping fruit without sticks, use a fork or spoon to place the fruit into the topping and lift it out again.
    If your fruit starts to thaw, put it back in the freezer to harden up before dipping. Melted ice crystals on the surface of the fruit will curdle the topping.
    OPTIONAL
    To add chopped nuts or coconut, sprinkle them on quickly after removing the fruit from the topping. If you're too slow, the coating will harden before the nuts/coconut have a chance to stick.
  5. Serve immediately or place in freezer bags and return to the freezer until you're ready to serve. If the fruit has frozen very hard, you may need to wait 5 or 10 minutes before eating.
http://www.laurawestkong.com/gff/2012/happy-fathers-day/

Tea Time

Dad, you probably won’t be having a Father’s Day tea party, but without the sticks, the frozen fruit pops would make wonderful frozen fruit bonbons for a summer tea. You could also serve them with or without sticks at a Father’s Day barbecue.

Frozen Fruit Bonbons for a refreshing summer tea

What kind of fruit would you like to use to make frozen fruit pops?

(This recipe was shared at: Raw Foods Thursday, Gluten Free Friday)

Coconut-Date Chocolate Bonbons

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These bonbons are simply amazing. In a word, paleo crack. OK, that’s two words, but you get the picture. Chocolatey, coconutty goodness. Like an inside-out Mounds bar.

Their secret ingredient is coconut butter. (That and dates, but you already know where I stand on dates. For more on dates, see my post, California Chocolate Pudding.)

Coconut butter is simply dried unsweetened coconut, pureed into a smooth paste. Similar to peanut butter, except way more delicious. If you’ve never had coconut butter before, you’re in for a real treat. You can use it in smoothies, sauces, baked goodies, and more. But my favorite use for coconut butter is making delicious, healthy, whole food candies. After all, who said life can’t be sweet just because you don’t eat refined sugar?

Because coconut butter is a whole food, you get all the nutritional benefits of the entire coconut. Fiber, protein, oil, vitamins, and minerals. They’re all in there.

You’ll most likely find two different brands of coconut butter on your health food store shelf, Artisana Coconut Butter and Nutiva Coconut Manna. They’re both made from organic whole coconut, both are equally delish, and both work well in my bonbon recipe.

The main differences are that Nutiva is less expensive than Artisana, and Artisana is raw and produced in a gluten-free facility. Whichever one you choose, just be sure to warm the jar well and stir the oils in completely before using for the best texture. When cold, coconut butter can have a bit of a gritty texture.

In a pinch you can make your own coconut butter, although it will probably not be as smooth as the kind you buy. That may not matter once you mix it into the candy. It’s not like you’re spreading it on toast or anything. (Although people do report that coconut butter is delicious on bread. I can’t say from experience.) Just put some shredded, unsweetened dried coconut into your food processor and process away, until it turns into butter.

Because these bonbons use cocoa powder rather than melting chocolate, they’re quick and easy to make. No need to worry about temperatures, splashing water, or chocolate seizing or scorching. Quick. Easy. Delicious.

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Coconut-Date Chocolate Bonbons

Yield: 30 tablespoon-sized bonbons

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup chopped dates
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder or raw cacao powder
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, preferably unrefined
  • 1/2 cup coconut butter
  • A generous 1/2 cup unsweetened macaroon coconut, lightly toasted if desired

Instructions

  1. Soak the dates in 3/4 cup water for 30 minutes. (The easiest way to measure is by volume: Use a clear liquid measuring container and add the water to the 6 ounce line first. Add chopped dates until the mixture reaches the 10 ounce line.)
    2. (If you have a high-powered blender like a BlendTec or VitaMix, room temperature water is fine. For a regular blender, the dates will be smoother if you put the 3/4 cup water and dates into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, place a lid on the pan and soak for 30 minutes.)
  2. While the dates are soaking, warm the jars of coconut oil and coconut butter in a bowl of hot water until the coconut oil is liquid and the coconut butter is softened and pourable. (Make sure the lids are on tightly so no water gets inside the jars.) If the oil has separated to the top of the coconut butter, stir it back in until smooth.
  3. Blend the dates and soaking water in a blender until smooth. (On my BlendTec I use the 'Whole Juice' cycle.) Push the mixture down the sides to the bottom of the blender jar with a spatula.
  4. Add the vanilla, salt, and cocoa powder and pulse to combine.
  5. Pour the date-cocoa mixture into a bowl. You'll need a spatula to get all the chocolatey goodness out. Add the coconut oil and coconut butter. Stir well until smooth and combined completely.
  6. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or more, until the mixture is the consistency of fudge.
  7. Roll the mixture into tablespoon-size balls. The heat from your hands may slightly melt the surface of the balls, but the entire ball should not melt. If the rolling is too messy, the bonbon mixture may need more chilling time. Return the bonbon mixture to the refrigerator for 5 or 10 minutes more and then try rolling again.
  8. Place the bonbons onto a pan or sheet of parchment paper. Refrigerate for a few minutes to firm up the bonbons if desired.
  9. Roll or gently press the bonbons in unsweetened macaroon coconut.
  10. Can be served chilled or at room temperature. Store in the refrigerator.
    11. VARIATIONS
    • Roll some of the bonbons in different colored cocoa powders.
    • If you're serving the bonbons immediately you can roll them in coconut sugar.
    Coconut sugar will soak up moisture from the bonbon, so roll once, set aside and when the coconut sugar has melted into the surface of the bonbon, roll it one more time in coconut sugar. Rolling a second time ensures a longer-lasting coating. A coconut sugar coating will not last overnight though. The coconut sugar will soak up so much moisture that the bonbons will be sitting in syrup (a delicious syrupy mess).
    • Coating the bonbons in a mixture of half coconut-sugar and half-cocoa powder is another option. The coating will look more like cocoa powder, but taste a little sweeter.
    • Try putting a whole nut or a generous pinch of chopped nuts inside the bonbon. Chopped, toasted macadamia nuts make a delicious bonbon filling.
http://www.laurawestkong.com/gff/2012/coconut-date-chocolate-bonbons/

Have you tried coconut butter before? What’s your favorite way to use it?

(This recipe was shared at: Chocolate Coconut Party, Sugar-Free Sunday, Made from Scratch Monday, Allergy Free Wednesday, Raw Foods Thursday, Gluten Free Friday)

Cauliflower Couscous

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One issue when removing foods from your diet is what to do with the big empty space left on your plate. Vegetarians have tofu dogs and chickenless nuggets. Gluten-free folks have Udi’s bread and Tinkyada pasta. Now that I’m grain-free, cauliflower is one of my favorite low-carb grain replacement foods.

There are many wonderful ways you can serve cauliflower: roasted, curried, mashed, etc. But have you ever turned your cauliflower into couscous? Ground up into couscous-size bits in the food processor, cauliflower is the perfect grain or starch replacement on your paleo plate (and of course, it’s naturally gluten-free as well). I was missing something to put underneath a good curry, and cauliflower couscous is just the thing.


I usually use whatever cauliflower is available at my local produce stand. If you can find them, purple, orange, or green varieties of cauliflower are beautiful and just as delicious as white cauliflower. Check out the World’s Healthiest Foods website to learn more about cauliflower’s health benefits, including anti-inflammatory and digestive support properties.

I prefer to lightly saute the cauliflower. This makes the cauliflower more mild tasting than when it’s raw. After sauteing and seasoning I serve it warm, usually with a curry or other stew. Or I chill the cooked cauliflower couscous and use it to make a grain-free tabouleh salad. Use your favorite tabouleh recipe and add extra lemon juice to the dressing. If you can find baby cauliflower heads, buy them. The flavor of baby cauliflower is naturally sweet and mild, and they are a delicious treat served raw in a salad.

This recipe is quick and easy and lends itself well to unlimited variations. Try adding minced onions or other chopped veggies, curry powder, smoked paprika, or other seasonings customized to go with whatever menu you’ve planned.

Fresh chives, either garlic, onion, or both are a fragrant and colorful addition to cauliflower couscous. Chives are easy to grow, and if you keep a pot of them on your porch, you’ll almost always have fresh herbs to brighten up your dishes. Chive blossoms make a pretty (and edible) garnish. The purple flowers in my photos are from onion chives. Garlic chives have white flowers, which are lovely too. If you don’t have any chives, feel free to substitute a handful of another fresh herb you have: basil, cilantro, mint, oregano, parsley, or thyme.

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Cauliflower Couscous

Ingredients

    Cauliflowers vary in size. One medium head of cauliflower should provide at least 8 cups of raw cauliflower couscous (which will reduce down to about 6 cups after cooking.) For a larger cauliflower, add 1 extra tablespoon each of the oil and chives, and 1 extra clove of garlic for every additional 2 cups of raw cauliflower couscous.
  • One head of cauliflower (8 cups of raw cauliflower couscous)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil (or coconut oil, ghee, or olive oil/butter combination)
  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives (optional)
  • sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Wash cauliflower ahead of time and thoroughly dry. Excess water will make the finished couscous soggy.
  2. Chop cauliflower into florets up to two inches and stems into 1/2 to one inch pieces.
  3. Process cauliflower florets and stems in a food processor fitted with the S-blade. Do not overfill the food processor. The cauliflower should process into couscous-sized pieces in 10-30 seconds. You may need to process it in batches.
  4. If cauliflower gets stuck and does not rotate in the food processor or several chunks of cauliflower remain unprocessed after 30 seconds, you will need to chop the florets/stems smaller or process less cauliflower per batch.
  5. When all the cauliflower is processed, measure or roughly estimate the amount of raw cauliflower couscous. Adjust the amount of oil, garlic, and chives accordingly if you are going to cook more or less raw cauliflower couscous than 8 cups.
  6. Place the oil in a large pan on medium heat. When the oil is hot, saute the garlic for one to two minutes or until golden, stirring to prevent sticking and burning.
  7. Add the raw cauliflower couscous to the garlic and oil in the pan and stir to distribute the garlic and oil throughout the cauliflower.
  8. Cook the cauliflower for three to five minutes or until as crisp/tender as you prefer, stirring frequently for even cooking.
  9. Remove pan from the heat and add the optional chives and salt and pepper to taste, stirring to combine well.
  10. Serve hot as a vegetable side dish or grain replacement, or chill and add to a salad.
http://www.laurawestkong.com/gff/2012/cauliflower-couscous/

What’s your favorite replacement food?

(This recipe was shared at: Fill Those Jars Friday, Gluten Free Friday)