Gluten-Free Fall Specials: Adzuki Beans and Rice

Have you ever visited Iris over at The Daily Dietribe? If not, what better time than now? The Daily Dietribe is full of gluten-free, allergy-friendly, healthy recipes, and honest discussions of weight loss, self-image, and healthy living. I’m a subscriber, that’s for sure. I always anxiously await her posts. So when she asked if I could create a guest post for her blog, I happily agreed.

You see, Iris is currently in the middle of a big move and a big life change – one worth celebrating. She is moving from the East Coast to Washington state to pursue a Masters in Nutrition at Bastyr University. I commend her. A cross-country move alone is a big decision; to continue education is even bigger!

I decided to share my recipe for masala-spiced adzuki beans and rice for her Gluten-Free Fall Specials, as the dish is humble, comforting, and warming – all attributes I seek out in the fall. Additionally, it’s a healthy recipe – vegan, gluten-free, and full of nutrients. Head on over to The Daily Dietribe to check it out!

End of Summer Peach Salsa

I am honored to say that I am guest blogging over at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free today. Come on over and check out this super-fast peach salsa and celebrate fresh summer produce before it’s gone!

Kids in the Kitchen: Gluten-Free Donuts

The kids received cell phones this summer from their mom. Great for them – because they can text and call their friends all the time. Great for us – it makes it easier to get in touch with them. Case in point: Matt was undecided on what to make for his turn in the kitchen the last time he and I spoke. But now, rather than hunting him down at his house, I could simply send a text message. And when I did, what was his response?

Breakfast: little donuts.

Awesome, I thought. Never had I tried to make donuts, gluten-free or otherwise. This would certainly be a challenge – and if we could pull it off, a tasty one! I researched a few recipes, and found a promising one at Living Without. The last recipe I’d tried from their site was successful (I made baguettes), so I went with it. Of course, I can’t leave well enough alone, so I modified the recipe slightly to accommodate my dairy-free needs and my pantry supplies.

The result? While they definitely didn’t look gorgeous, they certainly made up for it in taste. The texture was just like a gluten-y donut. The kids gobbled them up. I think that Matt was surprised – his eyes lit up when he took his first bite. It was gluten-free donut love.

I think I was in love a little bit too.

Gluten and Dairy-Free Donuts, adapted from Living Without

1 1/4 c white rice flour

1  c granulated sugar

 3/4  c potato starch

1/4  c tapioca starch

1/3 c arrowroot starch

1/2  cup plus 1 T chickpea flour

4  t xanthan gum

1  t salt

1 3/4 t baking powder

7 1/2 t instant dry yeast

1 1/4  c unsweetened almond milk, warmed to 110 degrees F

1/4 c palm shortening, melted

2  large eggs, lightly beaten

4  cups canola oil (or more)

Extra sugar, powdered sugar or cinnamon, optional

Place rice flour, granulated sugar, potato starch, tapioca starch, arrowroot starch, chickpea flour, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder and dry yeast in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat briefly to combine.

Add almond milk, melted shortening and eggs to dry ingredients. Beat for 5 minutes at medium speed. Let dough rest for 20 minutes in a warm, draft-free area.

Cut 5×5-inch squares of parchment paper. Spoon dough into a pastry bag fitted with the widest tip or use a plastic bag with the bottom corner cut to create a 1/2-inch opening. Pipe a donut-shaped circle onto each parchment square. Set squares on baking sheets and let proof for 20 minutes in a warm, humid environment. (I turned my oven on for just a minute or two, then turned it off. I threw a bit of water into the bottom of the oven to evaporate and make it humid, and placed the donuts on baking sheets in the oven.)

In a deep skillet or electric fryer, heat oil over medium heat until oil reaches 350 degrees. Gently slide 3 or 4 donut sheets into the oil and fry 4 minutes or until golden brown. (Yes, put the donut, still stuck on the paper, into the fryer.) Use a slotted spoon or tongs to remove the paper and gently turn donuts. Cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove to a tray lined with several sheets of paper towels.

While still warm, sprinkle donuts with sugar, powdered sugar or cinnamon, if desired.

Foodista Best of Food Blogs Cookbook

Earlier this year, my recipe for Vegetarian Bean and Pumpkin Chili was submitted to Foodista’s contest for Best of Food Blogs. Winners were to be published in the upcoming cookbook.

Well, this recipe won! Needless to say, I am excited.

If you’re interested in the chili, check it out here. And if you would like to pre-order the book (it releases on October 19, 2010), check it out here at Amazon.com.

A big thanks to everyone for their support and votes!

Tropical Traditions Coconut Flour Giveaway – Winner!

The winner of the Tropical Traditions Coconut Flour, chosen via random. org, is Katrina of Baking and Boys! Congratulations, Katrina! Please send me your mailing information and I’ll be sure to get your prize out to you!

Daring Bakers: Ice Cream Petit Fours

Yes, I realize I’m late on this post. REAL late. Wish I had a good excuse, too. I could have been on vacation – relaxing at the beach, hiking in the mountains…or I could have been at IFBC like so many of my food blogger friends. But alas, that wasn’t the case. Where was I? Oh, just going about everyday life, and somehow, had it in my head that the challenge was due on the first of September, and not August 27.

Whoops.

What made it even worse? I waited until the last minute to make these. I didn’t even start until after August 27. So I’m not sure if I get to actually “count” this for this month or not. No matter, I still wanted to attempt the challenge – so I forged ahead and made ice cream petit fours – and made them gluten-free, dairy-free, and for the most part, refined sugar-free.

The August 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Elissa of 17 and Baking. For the first time, The Daring Bakers partnered with Sugar High Fridays for a co-event and Elissa was the gracious hostess of both. Using the theme of beurre noisette, or browned butter, Elissa chose to challenge Daring Bakers to make a pound cake to be used in either a Baked Alaska or in Ice Cream Petit Fours. The sources for Elissa’s challenge were Gourmet magazine and David Lebovitz’s “The Perfect Scoop”.

When I first read this challenge, it took a minute to figure out how I would approach it. Sure, I can do gluten-free pound cake – no problem. Dairy-free ice cream? Done that. But we were supposed to make a browned butter pound cake. Make browned butter without butter? How does one accomplish that? I contemplated scrapping the whole idea and making another type of pound cake, but that really wouldn’t be in the spirit of the challenge. So I started this challenge with an experiment – browned vegan butter.

For those occasions when I simply must have a buttery taste to my food, I use Earth Balance soy-free buttery spread. I prefer to use whole, natural fats for my baking and cooking, but for this challenge, I wondered if this buttery spread could be “browned”. So I attempted it. I started by scooping out the required amount of “butter” and placing it in a skillet to “brown”. What ultimately resulted wasn’t really browned butter – it was melted and separated vegan butter.

However, if I left the solids in the pan and only used the liquid “butter”, it tasted nice and buttery. So I went with the flow, and used that melted “butter” for my recipe in the pound cake. It was a successful decision, because the pound cake baked well and had a lovely flavor. Paired with the vanilla-honey-date ice cream, it was a match made in heaven.

Layering the cake and ice cream proved to be easier than I imagined as well. Once I finished that piece of the preparation, I was starting to truly become excited about the challenge.

However, the chocolate glazing didn’t go as smoothly as I’d hoped. I made sure my chocolate glaze was no longer hot (in fact, it was barely warm), but it still managed to melt the ice cream as I was glazing. Also, it wasn’t as smooth and “glazed” as I’d hoped. However, my final brushing of the chocolate on the top and decorations made the petit fours look a little more composed and pretty.

The verdict? These were quite tasty! I think that I would like to try petit fours again, but next time, either make them entirely out of ice cream, or make non-frozen ones with cake. While I loved the pound cake flavor, when it was frozen, I wasn’t as happy with the texture. Also, it seemed that the chocolate glaze hid some of the wonderful flavors the cake and ice cream brought to the treat.

All in all, I still had a lot of fun making these! A big thanks to Elissa for this challenge!

Vanilla-Honey-Date Vegan Ice Cream

3 c coconut milk, refrigerated until cold (overnight is best)

3/4 c pitted dates

pinch of salt

1/2 c honey

1/2 T cognac

2 T vanilla extract

1 dropper full of stevia (optional, sweeten to desired level of sweetness)

Combine ingredients in a blender. Blend until dates are finely chopped and everything is well-blended. Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Line an 8X8 inch baking pan with plastic wrap, leaving some plastic wrap hanging over the sides. Spread 1 3/4 to 2 cups of the ice cream in an even layer into the bottom of the pan. Freeze until firm.

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Browned “Butter” Pound Cake

19 T vegan butter, such as Earth Balance buttery spread

1 c sweet white rice flour

1 c tapioca starch

1 t xanthan gum

1 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

2/3 c coconut sugar or sucanat

2 T blackstrap molasses

4 large eggs

1/2 t vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and put a rack in the center. Grease and “flour” an 8X8 inch baking pan. (I used sweet white rice flour to “flour” the pan.)

Place vegan butter in a large skillet and heat at medium heat. Stir until fully melted. Leaving the solids behind, pour melted “butter” into a bowl and place in freezer for 15-30 minutes or until congealed.

Whisk together rice flour, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt.

Beat the “butter”, sugars, and molasses in an electric mixer for about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each egg is incorporated. Beat in the vanilla extract.

Stir in the flour mixture at low speed until combined.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, using a spatula to smooth the batter out to the edges. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes.

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the cake, invert onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

Chocolate Glaze (don’t make until you’re ready to assemble the petit fours)

1 – 1 1/2 c coconut milk

1 t agave nectar

9 oz dark chocolate, finely chopped

2 t vanilla extract

Place the coconut milk and agave nectar in a small saucepan and heat just until it starts to boil. Remove from heat and add the chocolate, allowing it to sit, undisturbed, for a minute. Stir chocolate until it melts completely, and stir in the vanilla extract. Allow the chocolate to cool before glazing petit fours.

To assemble:

Once the cake has completely cooled, level the cake using a cake leveler or a knife, and cut the cake horizontally into two thin layers.

Unwrap the frozen ice cream. Flip out the ice cream onto one of the layers of cake, and then top with the second layer of cake. Wrap well in plastic wrap and return to freezer overnight.

Make the chocolate glaze.

While the glaze cools, remove cake from freezer and take off the plastic wrap. Trim about 3/4″ off of each side of the cake. Cut the cake into 25 equal squares, about 1.5″ X 1.5″ each.

Glaze the petit fours one at a time by placing the petit four on a fork and dipping it into the chocolate glaze. (I found that using a pastry brush helped to coat each petit four.) Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze for an hour.

Remove from freezer and decorate as you choose. I used candied ginger, toasted coconut flakes, turbinado sugar, and squiggles of icing. Return to freezer to firm up a bit.

These should be eaten relatively soon after making. I froze them overnight and served them the next day without issue, but the cake will start to dry out if you try to store them for longer.

Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger: Celiacs in the House

I don’t know why I’ve missed the “Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger” events for the past few months. I’m regretting that I haven’t participated. It’s fun, and it’s an excellent opportunity to try out gluten-free recipes from my gluten-free blogger friends that I have been meaning to make for what seems like forever. I think somehow, it’s just slipped from my mind for a while. This month, I decided that I’d change all that.

Sea at Book of Yum was the original creator of this event. It continues to be a wonderful opportunity for those of us that blog gluten-free. Shirley at Gluten-Free Easily is hosting the Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger event this month, and she will have a roundup of all of the recipes in early September. Be sure to check it out!

I adopted a new-to-me blog this month – Celiacs in the House. Wendy, the author, writes about everything gluten-free, from new packaged goods to recipes to everything in between. She and her two teens have celiac disease, and so they follow a gluten-free diet. Wendy recently took a new look at her eating and lifestyle habits and blogged about a journey she took to become healthier as she approached the big 5-0. (Read more about her journey here.) I’ve only recently begun reading Wendy’s blog, but I’m hooked – Celiacs in the House is a delight to read.

As I was reading through numerous posts, I came across one recipe that stood out to me – a chickpea, zucchini and quinoa salad recipe. It’d been a while since I prepared quinoa, and so I opted to try Wendy’s salad. I decided to substitute pecans for the chickpeas, as chickpeas and I just don’t get along. Otherwise, I followed the rest of the recipe exactly – even adding some shredded carrot along with the zucchini as Wendy suggested. It was a delicious salad. The dressing was sweet, but had a bit of bite from the ground chipotle chile powder. I enjoyed more than my fair share for dinner last night, and then had a generous helping for lunch today. I think I could definitely incorporate this salad into my lunches on a routine basis. Can’t wait to see what else comes out of Wendy’s kitchen.

Visit Celiacs in the House to check out the recipe for this quinoa salad, and while you’re there, be sure to browse around and get to know Wendy a bit. You might just find a few more ideas for delicious gluten-free munching!

Butternut, Black Bean and Smoked Pork Stew

It’s not really time for stew. It’s late August, so for a Texan like me, that still means at least 3-4 weeks of hot temperatures to go. The stars were aligned for us last night, however, and a cold front blew in. The high temp yesterday? 80 degrees. It was 107 on Monday. That makes 80 degrees practically feel like sweater weather in comparison! Nearly every day in August has been over 100 degrees here, so we were a touch giddy.

Armed with fresh butternut squash from a local farm, and a desire to make a frugal, simple meal, I set off to make a stew. I cooked beans in the slow cooker while I was away at work, and when I came home, I was able to assemble this dish and have dinner in under 45 minutes. Not bad. If one was in a real hurry and bought frozen, cubed butternut squash, I imagine you could cut that time down to 15 minutes. For me, I prefer fresh – especially when it’s in season!

This stew is a lovely, spicy-sweet blend of flavors and textures. I forced myself to stop after a huge bowlful, but I could have easily had seconds or thirds, in spite of how filling it was. I brought a sample to a coworker for a taste; she loved it. Sounds like a win to me! 

I measured amounts in this recipe, but you can certainly alter as you see fit. Feel free to use canned beans if that’s your desire. Increase or decrease the jalapenos or chipotle chili powder to suit your heat tolerance. It was relatively spicy when I made it, so if you can’t handle a lot of heat, you might want to only use 1 jalapeno. If you don’t have smoked meat, a bit of cooked, crumbled bacon or salt pork might do nicely, or you could simply omit the meat altogether, and add a touch of smoked paprika. That’s what I love about stews – there really isn’t a “wrong” way to go!

Butternut, Black Bean and Smoked Pork Stew

2 T grapeseed oil

1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)

2 jalapenos, seeded and diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

3 c butternut squash, diced in half-inch cubes

3 c cooked black beans (about 2 15-oz cans)

2 c shredded, smoked pork or chicken

1 ½ T ground cumin

½ t ground chipotle chile powder

1 t sweet paprika

3 c chicken stock

Salt to taste

Optional accompaniments:

Chopped tomatoes

Chopped cilantro

In a large, heavy pot, heat grapeseed oil to medium heat. Add onion and jalapenos and sauté for 8-10 minutes, or until soft. Add garlic and sauté for another minute. Add butternut squash and sauté for 2 more minutes. Add beans, pork, cumin, chipotle chili powder, and stock and stir. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Season with salt. Allow to simmer until butternut squash is tender, about 15-20 minutes. Adjust seasonings as necessary. Serve  topped with tomatoes and cilantro.

Serves 4.

Peach and Lemon Thyme Freezer Jam and a Giveaway!

It’s peach season in Texas. Well, it’s been peach season for a while now, truthfully. I love it. Peaches are one of my favorite fruits. I won’t settle for those cold storage, flavorless specimens at the grocery though – it’s local or nothing for me. Texas peaches simply are juicier and more flavorful. Because of my devotion to this favorite fruit of mine, I recently bought a huge quantity of peaches, just so I could freeze some and enjoy them in the colder months of the year.

I did set some aside for jam, however. I found some low-sugar pectin, so I wouldn’t have to add cup after cup of the stuff. Of course, I was lazy and didn’t want to can the jam, so I simply stuck it in the freezer. Easy peasy. And since my lemon thyme has been flourishing, I decided to throw some in the mix, just for fun.

What resulted was a lovely, fresh, flavorful jam. Not too sweet, as I only used a half-cup of honey for the entire batch, but plenty delicious for sure. Other than the “taste tests” I performed on the jam as I was making it, it was first enjoyed on these lovely coconut flour biscuits, courtesy of Diet, Dessert and Dogs. With a cup of coffee, this was a lovely breakfast. I also plan on glazing roasted chicken with the jam in the near future.

Speaking of coconut flour, I’ve been baking with it quite a bit lately. It’s a great gluten-free, grain-free flour. It’s very high in fiber and protein. It doesn’t mess with my digestive system (a big win for me!). And it lasts a while, since coconut flour is quite absorbent, and you don’t need as much in a baked good recipe.

I’d love to share in my coconut flour baking experiences, so when Tropical Traditions gave me another opportunity to give away one of their products, I opted for their coconut flour. I’ve been loving it – using it in pancakes, brownies, and biscuits.

I’d love for you to bake with it too! This giveaway is for one 2.2 pound bag of coconut flour, courtesy of Tropical Traditions.

How do you win? Lots of ways! Leave me a comment for each of these activities:

1. Leave a comment telling me what you’d like to bake with coconut flour.

2. Become a fan of Tasty Eats At Home on Facebook and leave me a comment telling me you did so.

3. Post an update on Facebook about this giveaway and leave me a coment telling me you did so.

4. Follow Tasty Eats At Home on Twitter and leave me a comment telling me you did so.

5. Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter and leave me a comment telling me you did so.

6. Blog about this giveaway and leave me a comment telling me you did so.

7. Subscribe to Tasty Eats At Home via RSS or email and leave me a comment telling me you did so.

That’s it! This means you can enter up to 7 times for this giveaway. The giveaway will end on August 31, 2010, and a winner will be randomly chosen and announced on the following day.

And now, on to the jam recipe!

Peach and Lemon Thyme Freezer Jam, adapted from Pomona Pectin

4 c peeled, chopped, and/or mashed peaches

1/4 c lemon juice

1/2 c honey

1 t lemon thyme leaves, minced

4 1/2 t pectin powder plus 3 t calcium water (from a Pomona low-sugar pectin box)

To easily peel peaches: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Slice an “X” just through the skin on the bottom of each peach. Using a slotted spoon, lower the peaches into the water. Boil for 1-2 minutes, remove with the slotted spoon, and immediately plunge into a bowl of ice water. The peels should slip off easily.

Add the calcium water to a medium saucepan. Pour honey into a separate bowl. Mix the pectin powder into the honey.

Add the peaches, lemon juice, and thyme to the calcium water. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add pectin-honey mixture and stir vigorously for 1-2 minutes. Return to a boil and remove from heat.

Fill jars or containers to 1/4 inch from top. Allow to cool to room temperature. Place jars in freezer without lids and freeze overnight or until firm. Place lids on jars.

To use, thaw jam in refrigerator overnight. Should be used within 2 weeks once opened.

Kids in the Kitchen: Braised Sea Cucumber

Yep, you read that right. Braised sea cucumber. As in, the big worm-looking echinoderm. We have a house full of picky eaters, for sure, except Brandan. Brandan is always ready to try a strange food. Specifically, a strange protein. (While he will try new vegetables, his focus is generally on meat, seafood, and the like.) He’s talked about sea cucumber multiple times in the past, and my response has always been “Honey, I have no idea where to buy such a thing.” So each time it was Brandan’s turn to cook, we turned to other options.

Until now.

A few weeks ago, the new 99 Ranch Market opened near our home. I visited during the grand opening. We already have many other Asian markets in the area that are exceptional, and I love that each is unique. 99 Ranch Market was no exception. They sold things I’d only read about – durians, jackfruit…and sea cucumber.

I was giddy when I found it. They sold it several ways – frozen, frozen and pre-sliced, and fresh. When I next saw Brandan, I told him about it. Needless to say, he was excited. I cautioned him that I’d never eaten it, and while I researched a bit on how to cook it (I explained the recipe, and what I read about the general flavor and texture), there was no guarantee we’d get it right, because I was unfamiliar. He was up for the challenge, and so we made plans to make it this weekend.

Once we got down to it, it wasn’t hard to make. The big “hassle” was that it needed to be cleaned and blanched prior to cooking. No biggie. It only took us about 45 minutes from start to finish. (That’s probably about 30 minutes in regular cooking time)

The verdict? Not bad. Sea cucumber really has no flavor on its own, so it adopts the flavor of the sauce. The texture is what is most interesting. It’s gelatinous. Which in my mind isn’t a bad thing – I love texture. Slippery, slimy, crunchy, chewy – all good for me. Brandan ate it and thought it was interesting. As for everyone else? Well, as I said before, we have a house of picky eaters. And Brandan and I had as much sea cucumber as we liked.

Braised Sea Cucumber, adapted from healthy-chinese-recipes.com

1 lb fresh or reconstituted sea cucumbers

5 T grapeseed oil

2 carrots, sliced thin

1 medium onion, sliced thin

5 T grapeseed oil

1/2 t ginger, grated

1/2 t garlic, grated

1 t rice wine

1 T gluten-free soy sauce

4 fl oz chicken stock

1 t agave nectar

1 T arrowroot powder

1/4 t sesame oil

Slice the sea cucumbers at the stomach and rinse clean. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and blanch sea cucumbers for 1 minute. Remove from water with a slotted spoon and drain. Set aside.

Heat grapeseed oil in a large wok or skillet to medium-high heat. Add the carrots and onion and stir-fry until tender, 2 minutes or so. Add the sea cucumber and stir-fry for another minute.

In a medium bowl, combine the ginger, garlic, rice wine, gluten-free soy sauce, chicken stock, agave nectar, and arrowroot and whisk together. Pour sauce into wok and stir. When sauce comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer and allow to cook until thickened. Drizzle sesame oil over and serve over steamed jasmine rice.

Serves 4.