coconut zucchini chocolate chip vegan gluten free muffins

I made these for a baking contest at work, and everyone who tried them loved them! A few people turned up their noses when they saw that they were vegan, but I decided to let the nay-sayers go without and leave more for me :) This recipe makes a large batch of 30-40 muffins, depending on how you fill the cups. I made 36 muffins and 12 mini muffins, and I definitely could have filled the big muffin cups more.  Onward to the recipe!


Ingredients: 
3 T ground flax meal
9 T warm water
2 c evaporated cane juice
1 T vanilla extract
1 c grape seed oil
3 c TJ's gluten-free pancake mix 
2 t salt
1.5 t baking soda
1.5 t baking powder
3 t cinnamon
1 t ground ginger
1 t ground cardamom
1 t fresh grated nutmeg
1/2 t ground cloves
3 c grated zucchini, drained in a mesh strainer
1 c unsweetened shredded coconut
1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips or nuts (optional)
36 paper muffin cups
3 12-muffin pans


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.


Mix the flaxseed meal with the warm water and let set for a few minutes. Mix these flax 'eggs' with the sugar, vanilla and grape seed oil in a bowl. I like to use an electric mixer. 


Combine the pancake mix, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and spices in a large bowl. Add the wet ingredients and beat them together with the electric mixer. Scrape down the sides, and beat again until well combined. Add the zucchini, coconut, and nuts and/or chocolate chips and fold together. 


Prepare the muffin pans with the paper liners and fill the cups 2/3 of the way full with the batter. I like to use an ice cream scoop like this one to fill them evenly:

I even have a mini one for making mini muffins! So cute! Put the pans in the oven on 2-3 racks, depending on your oven's size, and be prepared to rotate them. Are you ready for that? Ok, good. Bake them for about 25 minutes, rotating the pans every 8 minutes or so for even baking. When a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, remove the pans from the oven and get ready for anyone within smelling distance to suddenly appear and beg for a taste! Let them cool and they will be much easier to handle. 

They would certainly be delicious frosted, but once a muffin is frosted it is a cupcake, and I for one have trouble convincing myself that cupcakes are an acceptable breakfast food. They are scrumptious on their own. 

Glamour shots!

cinnamon raisin mochi with honeyed almond butter

This is a super tasty breakfast for those of us who cannot indulge in cinnamon rolls! 


Ingredients:
1 package cinnamon raisin mochi (I buy this one at Whole Foods)

1/2 c raw crunchy almond butter
3 T honey (I used local raw meadowfoam honey from the PSU farmer's market. It tastes like marshmallows!)


Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.


Cut the mochi into 1" pieces and place on a parchment-covered cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Place in the hot oven for about 10 minutes, until they look like this: 

Let them sit until they are cool enough to handle, then cut a slit in the side of each one with a sharp knife.  Mix the honey and almond butter, and fill each mochi with about 1 T of the mixture. I use a butter knife to get a little glob into each one. When finished they will look like this:

Gnnomz :) Bon appétit!

rosemary broccoli almond dip

I was steaming some broccoli for lunch today, and let it go for a bit too long. It was too mushy to eat, so I blended it up into a tasty dip! 

Ingredients:

1 lb over-steamed organic broccoli florets

1 c almond meal

1/2 c water

1/2 c olive oil

3 T dried rosemary

2 t sea salt

Put everything in the blender and have at it! You may need to push things around a bit with a spoon, but once you're through the clumps it will get smooth and creamy and delicious!

yummmmmmmmm!

quinoa with heirloom tomatoes and raspberry pear tart

I seem to be having an ambitious day in the kitchen. Today I made some quinoa with heirloom tomatoes and spices, and a pear tart with raspberry jam. The quinoa is delicious, but I always love quinoa. The tart needs a bit more sweetness, and I think the chia seeds in the crust may have been a mistake. Oh well, that's why this blog is about 'kitchen adventures' after all. First the quinoa.


Ingredients:
2 c organic red quinoa, rinsed
4 c organic low sodium vegetable stock
1 T dried rosemary
1 T 21 seasoning salute spice blend (from Trader Joe's)
3 medium organic heirloom tomatoes, diced


Rinse the quinoa in a mesh strainer, then drain. Dump it into a 4 quart saucepan and add the vegetable stock, rosemary (crushing in your hands as you add it), and 21 seasoning salute. Stir and bring to a boil, then cover and turn the heat down to a low simmer for 15 minutes. Dice the tomatoes and fold them into the quinoa at the end of the 15 minutes. Allow to simmer, covered, for about 5 more minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Uncover, fluff, and serve! This quinoa would make a great addition to a wrap :)

Now for the pear tart - 


Ingredients:
1 c almond meal
1/3 c chia seeds - (flax meal would probably work better)
1/2 c raw coconut butter 
3 ripe organic pears
3 T organic raspberry jam
1 t cinnamon


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.


For the crust, measure the almond meal, flax meal or chia seeds, and coconut butter into a bowl. Crumble the coconut butter into small bits with your hands before kneading it in and you will get it spread throughout quickly. Knead these ingredients together until they will form a ball. You could probably add some maple syrup or honey at this point and mix that in for a bit more sweetness. 


Dump the crust mixture into a 12" glass pie pan and press into the bottom, going no more than 1/2 an inch up the sides. Place in the oven for 5 minutes, then remove and add the pears.


Slice the pears into about 16 wedges per pear, and toss them with the jam in a bowl until they are all coated. Add the cinnamon and toss again. I used my hands, since they'll be getting jammy while arranging the slices anyhow. Arrange the slices in circles on the crust, being careful not to burn yourself on the pan. 

Place back in the oven for 10-12 minutes, and remove when the pears are golden browned and the crust is golden on the edges. Voila!

sweet potato fries

I made these for breakfast today. They may be more appropriate for lunch or dinner, but it was my day off and the sky was grey and all I wanted was some warm, salty, crispy comfort food. 


Ingredients:
3 medium sweet potatoes
3 T Spanish olive oil
2 t sea salt
3 T fresh rosemary (or 1 dried)
1/2 t cayenne
1/2 t fresh grated nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Scrub the potatoes, then pat them dry. Julienne them into 1/4 inch sticks, and place them on a cookie sheet. If you're using fresh rosemary, chop it up roughly. If using dried, crush it in your hands as you sprinkle it over. Drizzle them with the olive oil, then toss with your hands to coat. Next, sprinkle the salt, rosemary, and cayenne over them and grate the nutmeg on top. Toss once more, then spread them out over the cookie sheet in a single layer. Place in the oven for 15 minutes, then take them out and check them for done-ness. Put them back in for a few more minutes if they are not yet browned  on the ends or are too firm for your taste. I like them nice and dark on the tips so they taste a bit like burnt marshmallows :)  Enjoy this savory sweet snack!

Edit: I made them recently using curry powder to season them and they were incredible!

crazy and delicious pancake concoction

A few nights ago I came home from work exhausted and hungry, and all I had in my pantry was a package of Trader Joe's Gluten Free Pancake and Waffle Mix, chia seeds, dried coconut and ground flax meal. I decided to whip something up and by some miracle it was completely delicious. 


Ingredients:
1 c TJ's GF Pancake and Waffle Mix
1/2 c organic dried coconut
3 T chia seeds
1/2 c organic rice milk (maybe more next time)
1 flax 'egg'  (I'll explain below)
1/2 t sea salt
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t cardamom
a dash of several other things... nutmeg and poppy seeds and maybe even some corriander? i was on a roll hahah
5 T Spanish olive oil


Crazy, right? I know. But seriously, delicious. 


To make an 'egg' out of ground flax meal, simply measure one tablespoon of flax meal into a small cup, then add three tablespoons of hot water. Stir and let set for a few minutes, and it will get all gelatinous and goopy and egg-like. 


So I whisked everything together, and kept whisking until there were no more clumps and the chia started to get sticky and bind everything together. Then I heated up my pan, added a dab of coconut oil, and dropped the first blob of batter in. I had to pat it down into a pancake so it would cook through, but next time I'll add more ricemilk. I peeked under and once it was browned I flipped it over to finish it off (in true pancake form) and then slid it onto my plate. I'm sure I will discover something delicious to top it with, but I enjoyed it all by itself this time. It's so satisfying when a spontaneous experiment turns out well!


EDIT! I made it again and took pictures, and I made a savory sweet syrup by mixing equal parts honey and mustard :)

pancake!

syrup!

spiced and spicy popcorn

This is a tasty snack I often make for movie-watching or celebrity-playing. - Aside - If you have never played celebrity, look it up. It is bundles of fun.

Ingredients:

1/2 c organic popcorn kernels (I buy mine in bulk at Whole Foods)

2 T organic unrefined coconut oil

1 T spanish olive oil, plus a drizzle after popping

1 t sea salt

1/2 t cayenne pepper

1/2 t cinnamon

I like to use a big (6 quart) heavy-bottomed pot with a lid for nice even popping, and I've found that pots with handles on the sides - stock pots - allow for better 'shake it up' action in the popping process than long handled saucepans.

Put the coconut and olive oils in the pot, and turn the burner on medium-high. Throw a couple kernels in, cover them with the lid, and wait for them to sizzle. Once you hear the sizzle, add the rest of the 1/2 c of kernels, cover immediately, and get ready to shake - that means you'll need potholders handy. Shake the kernels around every few seconds until you hear the first pop, then shake continuously and vigorously (and hold the lid on as you do!) until the popping slows or stops. Once it's stopped, remove the pot from the heat immediately. It should only be about 20-30 seconds from the first pop to the last, so don't worry! - Your arms won't have to keep it up for long :)

Once off the burner, open the pot and take a deep breath. There's just nothing like stovetop popcorn to get you in the mood for a good movie. Next, drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil over the popcorn. This is the 'glue' that will help the spices stick. Toss the popped corn around with the lid back on, then open it up and finish it off with the salt, cayenne, and cinnamon sprinkled over. Put the lid back on for a final toss, then dump into a big bowl or scoop out of the pot with smaller ones for a less communal experience. 


Enjoy your delectable treat!

let's try this again...

A year or so ago I decided to start a blog because, well, who hadn't really? But I failed to keep it up because I never had any focus and everything I wrote really belonged in a personal journal. Well, I'm back and I'm focused.

I have, for the past three months, been eating by a strictly dairy, soy, and gluten free diet at the counsel of my naturopathic doctor. This diet began following extensive allergy testing, which I underwent in a search for the root of the chronic fatigue and acne I was experiencing. In an effort to avoid all the allergens to which I tested sensitive, I have also cut peanuts and refined sugar, though there have been several 'falling off the wagon' episodes on those fronts. This very specialized diet has forced me to broaden my horizons and learn to make things in new ways with new and unfamiliar ingredients.

I am aware that there are hundreds of food blogs out there, but when it comes down to it I want a place for myself to keep track of what I've made - my successes and failures along the way. I am based in Portland, OR and have vague ideas (dreams?) of running an all allergen-free food cart some day. I have the good fortune to live with a fantastic photographer whom I hope to weasel into taking glamour shots of the successes in return for a portion of the delicious bounty, but until then you will have to do with my descriptions. 


Recipes to follow. Bon appétit!