Tag Archives: grain-free

Fig Love: Coconut Rum Raisin Free-Form Muffins

Posted on by
6

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.

Print
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 )

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Posted on by
6

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.

Print
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)

Happy Father’s Day!

Posted on by
8

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!

Print
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

Posted on by
12

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.

Print
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

Posted on by
4

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.

Print
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)

California Chocolate Pudding

Posted on by
3

Vegan desserts. Just another culinary oxymoron like white chocolate or healthy junk food?

Technically it is possible to make all kinds of sweet treats from donuts to red velvet cupcakes without animal products. While many debate what it means to be a vegetarian, the definition of vegan is crystal clear: no animal-sourced ingredients, period. But when I think of vegan cuisine, I think of fresh, natural, healthy whole foods which only happen to be, by the way, animal-free.

dates
Raw agave syrup and organic cane juice certainly have more syllables than sugar. Unfortunately, more syllables does not equal healthy or natural. Try sweetening your treats with a natural, delicious, healthy whole food such as dates. (While dates do have fewer syllables than sugar, that’s not what makes them so healthy. ;-) )

Dates are my all-time favorite natural sweetener. They add a rich, complex sweetness to desserts and are delicious in savory dishes too. They are a good source of potassium and other minerals. I have never personally had a blood sugar problem or carb intolerance with dates, but if blood sugar or food intolerance are issues for you, it’s always a good idea to consult your health care provider first.

What makes dates a healthy sweetener is that they are a whole food: the fiber and nutrients have not been removed. Beets and sugar cane were also healthy whole foods once upon a time before they were processed into sparkly white powder. While honey and maple syrup are certainly natural, to your body they are primarily sugar with traces of nutrients. I prefer to use maple syrup and honey as sweet flavorings rather than as a sweetener. Think spoonfuls, not cupfuls.

I usually soak dates in water or some other liquid and blend them into a smooth date butter for use in desserts. A high-powered blender like a Blend-Tec or VitaMix is perfect for this. (but not absolutely necessary if you don’t have one.) Use more or less liquid depending on the consistency you’re looking for. To try date-sweetened desserts, you can start with my easy California Chocolate Pudding recipe below, but don’t be afraid to experiment with dates in your favorite recipes.

Some people like to use date sugar, which is simply finely ground dried dates (still a whole food, nothing’s been removed but the water, which dates don’t have much of to begin with). I’ve never tried date sugar myself, but I’ve heard it’s a good substitute for regular sugar in recipes. If you have experience with date sugar, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

recipe makeover
Here’s a classic vegan recipe: Chocolate Avocado Mousse.

Chocolate. Avocado. What’s not to love? How about those unhealthy (and unnecessary) sweeteners? I’ve replaced them with, surprise, dates! Healthy and delicious. And of course, still gluten and dairy free. I’m new to paleo and therefore, still learning, but I think we can call this recipe paleo-friendly as well. I’m not going to call it mousse, though. Mousse means foam in French, and although it certainly is creamy (thanks to our good friend, avocado), foamy it is not. Pudding is just right. And I’m calling it California pudding because, well, here in sunny southern California, I’m fortunate to be surrounded by avocado and date trees!

It’s pudding, not chiffon cake. The recipe’s not going to fall flat or explode if you change a thing or two, so feel free to experiment and add your own special touch. If you’re a chocolate aficionado, see how different cocoa powders taste in the pudding. A mix of half regular cocoa and half raw cacao powder is divine! 1/2 teaspoon almond extract in place of the 1 teaspoon vanilla is a good variation. Another is: 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. If I hadn’t tossed out all my coffee, I would give espresso a try in the pudding, either brewed in place of the water or add a spoonful of instant. Please come back and share the results of your variations with me!

This is perfectly sweet if you’re used to the mild sweetness of real dark chocolate or if you generally avoid refined sugar in your diet. If you prefer a sweeter dessert, replace some of the water with maple syrup or your favorite liquid sweetener. Or simply pour the maple syrup over the top like a chocolate-maple sundae.

My favorite way to serve California Chocolate Pudding is with sliced bananas. Fresh berries are great, too. Macadamia nuts are a super paleo topping. Trader Joe’s sells dry toasted, chopped macadamias now, which are as fantastic on salads as they are on chocolate pudding. But I digress, let’s get on to the recipe, shall we?

Print
California Chocolate Pudding

Yield: 4 servings

Serving Size: 3/4 cup

Ingredients

  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup chopped dates
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1-1/2 cups mashed avocado (about 2 medium)

Instructions

  1. Soak chopped dates in water. For a high-powered blender cutting the dates into fourths is enough. For a regular blender or food processor cut into smaller pieces and use hot water. (The easiest way to measure is by volume: Use a clear liquid measuring container and add the water to the 8 ounce line first. Add chopped dates until the mixture reaches the 12 ounce line.) Let them soak for 1/2 hour.
  2. Blend dates and water until smooth. In a Blend-Tec use the "Whole Juice" button. In a food processor, start out with just the dates and add the soaking water gradually to avoid leakage. Push mixture down with a spatula as necessary.
  3. Add the vanilla, salt, and cocoa powder and pulse to combine. Push mixture down with a spatula as necessary.
  4. Add the mashed avocado and pulse to combine until smooth. (Mashed avocado is both easier to measure accurately and easier to blend smoothly into the chocolate mixture. The final mixture will be somewhat thick and you will not be using your machine to smash the avocado, just to combine it with the other ingredients.)
  5. If necessary, add extra water a tablespoon or two at a time to help the ingredients combine smoothly. (Avocado is a natural ingredient, after all, and sometimes they vary in their moisture content. Adding more water can also make the pudding less thick if you prefer a lighter consistency.)
  6. Chill before serving.
http://www.laurawestkong.com/gff/2012/california-chocolate-pudding/

(This recipe was shared at: Gluten Free Friday)

Pumpkin-Date Blondies {+ Coconut Flour Giveaway}

Posted on by
59

A little bit pumpkin pie, a little bit cookie bar, Pumpkin-Date Blondies are a perfect autumn treat.

Sweetened with dates, these blondies are refined sugar-free. Enjoy them for a healthy breakfast, dessert, or any-time snack.

Just make sure you stock up on cans of pureed pumpkin before pumpkin is all gone until next fall. I had the worst craving for a pumpkin treat in August when pumpkin was nowhere to be found on grocery store shelves!

Luckily, coconut flour is easy to find year-round. It’s one of my favorite gluten-free flours to bake with. Coconut flour is high in protein and fiber. A simple way to use it is to replace 1/4 of your usual flour with coconut flour. Or try one of the many delicious coconut flour recipes on the Tropical Traditions website (scroll down to find recipes).

If you’re inclined to experiment in the kitchen like me, then you’ll be pleased to know that you can add lots of flavorful liquids. Coconut flour will soak them all up. Moist and delicious!

Whether you like to follow recipes to the letter or prefer to improvise as you go, scroll down to the bottom of this post to find out how you can enter to win a 2.2 pound bag of Tropical Traditions Organic Coconut Flour to try for yourself.

Print
Pumpkin-Date Blondies

Ingredients

  • 1 cup coconut flour
  • 1/4 cup ground flax seed meal
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/2 cup unrefined coconut oil
  • 1 cup pureed cooked pumpkin
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup dates, pitted and chopped
  • 1 and 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons coconut milk (the cooking kind, not the beverage kind) divided into 1/2 cup, 1 cup, and 2 tablespoons portions

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8-inch nonstick baking pan with coconut oil.
  2. In a medium bowl combine coconut flour, flax seed meal, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and sea salt.
  3. Place pecans on a baking sheet in the oven for 3-5 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Stir the toasted pecans into the dry mixture and set aside.
  4. In a large bowl, combine applesauce, coconut oil, pumpkin, and vanilla.
  5. Place the dates and 1/2 cup of the coconut milk into a saucepan on medium heat. Bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and simmer gently for 1 minute. Turn heat off, cover, and let rest for 5 minutes.
  6. Place warm coconut milk-date mixture into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. If needed add some of the 1 cup coconut milk to help blend dates.
  7. Add the blended coconut milk-date mixture and the rest of the 1 cup coconut milk to the wet ingredients in the large bowl. (Reserve the 2 tablespoons coconut milk for use later.) Stir to combine.
  8. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until well combined. Batter will be the consistency of mashed potatoes.
  9. Spread batter evenly into prepared baking pan. Spread remaining 2 tablespoons coconut milk evenly onto top of the batter with a spatula. Spread the coconut milk around until it picks up a little color from the batter underneath. Sprinkle a little cinnamon lightly on top of the smoothed coconut milk. (photo below)
  10. Bake about 35 minutes or until the edges start to brown and/or pull away from the sides of the pan.
  11. Let cool/refrigerate before slicing and serving. Blondies will set as they cool. Top with creamy coconut-cashew topping if desired.
http://www.laurawestkong.com/gff/2011/pumpkin-date-blondies/

(This recipe was shared at: Gluten-Free Monday, Whole Foods Friday, Fit & Fabulous Friday, Wellness Weekend, Pumpkin Potluck Party)

Enter to win a 2.2 pound bag of Tropical Traditions Organic Coconut Flour! (a $15.00 value) There are 6 ways to enter:
1. Subscribe to Tropical Traditions’ Email Newsletter for special sales and free recipes.
2. Follow Tropical Traditions on Twitter
3. Like Tropical Traditions on Facebook.
4. Visit the coconut flour recipes webpage and leave a comment below telling which coconut flour recipe you’d like to try.
5. Follow me, GrainFreeFab on Twitter.
6. Tweet this post/giveaway on Twitter and put a link to your tweet in a comment below. (Click on the timestamp underneath the tweet to get a link to an individual tweet.) You can tweet the giveaway as many times as you’d like, but only the first tweet will count as a giveaway entry.

Leave a me a separate comment with your name and email address after completing each item. Each comment will count as an entry. The giveaway starts today, Wednesday, November 23, 2011 and ends Tuesday, December 6, 2011. A winner will be picked at random via Random.org on Wednesday, December 7, 2011. Open to residents of U.S. & Canada.

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

Creamy Coconut-Cashew Topping

Posted on by
Reply

It’s that time of year when it chills up outside, and warms up inside … the oven that is. Pies, gingerbread, and other holiday treats call out for a creamy topping.

Here’s one of my favorites. It’s an easy, delicious, vegetarian dessert topping. Cashews and coconut are naturally sweet, so all you need to add is a touch of honey and vanilla. Happy eating!

Print
Creamy Coconut-Cashew Topping

Ingredients

  • 1 cup raw cashews
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup coconut cream (not sweetened cream of coconut)
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

  1. Soak cashews in water overnight. (This step is optional if you're in a rush. However soaking the cashews makes them easier to blend and brings out their natural sweetness.)
  2. Drain cashews and place in a food processor or blender with 1/2 cup water and blend until smooth.
  3. Add coconut cream, honey, and vanilla, and blend until combined well. If you like your topping sweeter, add more honey to taste.
  4. Refrigerate to thicken before serving.
http://www.laurawestkong.com/gff/2011/creamy-coconut-cashew-topping/

Creamy Avocado Vinaigrette

Posted on by
5


Make the most of the final days of summer with this fresh and tangy avocado salad dressing. (I know the calendar says autumn, but here in southern California, the weather doesn’t always listen to the calendar.)

Creamy avocado vinaigrette will go wonderfully with romaine lettuce and the last home-grown tomatoes from your garden. If autumn has already settled in, pair your avocado salad with your favorite soup for the perfect light dinner combination for chilly evenings.

Finding salad dressings on store shelves free of gluten, dairy, egg, soy, and sugar is a losing proposition. Especially when it’s so quick and easy to make your own from scratch. Avocado makes it deliciously creamy and nutritious. You can even use this avocado dressing as a dip for raw veggies or your favorite gluten-free chips.

Print
Creamy Avocado Vinaigrette

Total Time: 5 minutes

Yield: 1-1/2 cups

Ingredients

  • 1 large avocado
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup unfiltered raw apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup unfiltered cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Instructions

  1. Peel and seed the avocado, and peel the garlic clove.
  2. Blend the avocado and garlic in a food processor until the avocado is creamy and the garlic is finely chopped.
  3. Add the lemon juice and apple cider vinegar and process until blended.
  4. Add the sea salt, smoked paprika, and pepper, and process until mixed in.
  5. Add the olive oil. You can pour it in slowly while the food processor is going or simply pour it all in at once. Blend until the oil is fully emulsified into the dressing.
  6. Taste, and add more salt, paprika, or pepper, if desired.
  7. Garnish with a sprinkle of smoked paprika, if desired.
  8. Chill to thicken.
http://www.laurawestkong.com/gff/2011/creamy-avocado-vinaigrette/

(This recipe was shared at: Raw Foods Thursday)

Gluten-Free in Guam

Posted on by
4

The view from our beachfront kitchen in Guam

Whether your autumn winds are chilly or scorching, you can still escape with me to Guam for some cool ocean breezes and refreshing Chamorro cuisine.

Kelaguen is a ceviche-style dish in which the acid in the lemon juice “cooks” the fish, or in the case of grilled chicken, serves as a delicious marinade. Freshly grated coconut, green onions, and chili peppers round out the island flavors.

While visiting Guam, some vegetarian friends taught me how to make soy chicken kelaguen. Now I have to confess that even though I am practically vegan myself, I am not a big fan of soy chicken. The kelaguen marinade, however, completely transformed the soy chicken and I could not stop eating it. It was that delicious.

I have a new version of kelaguen to introduce to you today: Mushroom Kelaguen. While not a traditional ingredient (I’m pretty sure mine is the first mushroom kelaguen ever made), mushrooms are a perfect fit for this tangy, lemony dish. And luckily, kelaguen is naturally gluten-free!

Grating fresh coconut in Guam

One of the secrets to a good kelaguen is freshly grated coconut. Freshly grated coconut is not the same thing as dried, shredded coconut and will not give the same results. Much the same way that orange powdered cheese is not a satisfactory replacement for a good Wisconsin cheddar.

Luckily you can find good frozen grated coconut in Asian/Filipino markets, which is a decent replacement for fresh.

Look for frozen grated coconut without added sugar or preservatives. If you are a coconut fan, you should buy more than one package, because you will certainly want to try it out in cakes, muffins, and other recipes as well.

Frozen grated coconut

Frozen grated coconut comes in one pound packages. To use it, simply thaw a package, measure and set aside what you need, then use a half-cup measuring cup to make 1/2 cup mounds from the remaining grated coconut. Place the coconut mounds on a baking tray and put the baking tray in the freezer until frozen like ice cubes. Then transfer the coconut cubes to a freezer bag and store in the freezer. When you want more grated coconut, just take out the amount you need and thaw. Nothing could be easier!

Print
Mushroom Kelaguen

Yield: 4 cups

Ingredients

  • 2-3 lemons, juiced
  • 2 pounds white mushrooms, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup unrefined coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1-1/2 cups grated coconut, fresh or frozen (thawed)
  • 2 green onions, finely chopped
  • 4-6 small red chilies, finely chopped

Instructions

  1. Juice the lemons and set aside the juice. Rub the inside of your food processor (if using) and cutting board with the insides of the juiced lemons. This will give some protection against mushroom discoloration.
  2. Slice mushrooms in a food processor or by hand. A food processor will give very thinly sliced mushrooms. If you slice them by hand you don't need to slice as thinly as a food processor would, aim for about 1/8 inch wide slices.
  3. Cross-cut the slices in both directions to make small pieces, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch. Don't worry if a few pieces come out too large. You can always cut them with your spatula while cooking the mushrooms.
  4. Melt the coconut oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat and add the finely chopped mushrooms. They will likely fill the pan close to overflowing, so stir carefully until they cook down a bit and let their water out. Two pounds of mushrooms chopped like this will shrink down to 3-4 cups. Cook the mushrooms, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes until most of the water has evaporated.
  5. Add the sea salt and stir. Cook for 15-20 minutes longer to coax out and reduce any remaining water. A little moisture when you press down on the mushrooms with a spatula or spoon is OK. Just so there is no liquid in the pan.
  6. While the mushrooms are cooking you can prepare the coconut (if grating fresh), and chop the green onions and red chilies. If you don't like chili heat, remove the membranes and seeds from inside the chilies before chopping.
  7. When the mushrooms are cooked, transfer them to a bowl and add the grated coconut, green onions, and red chilies. Stir to combine.
  8. Add the lemon juice to the mushroom mixture. Start with 1/2 cup and stir to combine. Taste, and add more lemon juice if desired. Add more sea salt if desired.
  9. Enjoy! Can be eaten at room temperature or chilled. Serve as a salad or side dish with gluten-free tortillas, tortilla chips, flatbread, or large lettuce leaves for scooping.
http://www.laurawestkong.com/gff/2011/gluten-free-in-guam/

We made kelaguen and other island favorites right on the beach in our camping kitchen.

Too many cooks couldn't spoil these pancakes!

Well worth the wait for this island feast!

(This recipe was shared at: Gluten Free Friday)