Book of Yum » low-sugar http://www.bookofyum.com/blog Yummy Adventures in Gluten Free Cuisine Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:39:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc en hourly 1 When gardens go wild: Low Carb Pattypan Crustless Pizza Recipe http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/when-gardens-go-wild-low-carb-pattypan-crustless-pizza-recipe-7483.html http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/when-gardens-go-wild-low-carb-pattypan-crustless-pizza-recipe-7483.html#comments Tue, 26 Jul 2011 19:05:53 +0000 yum http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/?p=7483
The DH and I have always dreamed of having our own garden. It is a bit hard to do when you live in an apartment, and the only access you have to the great outdoors is on your balcony. Nevertheless, we managed to grow a few tomatoes and basil plants, and were happier because of it. When we bought a house we went a bit wild, and transformed a fourth of our back yard from a neglected underutilized corner to a bustling organic gardening paradise, complete with homemade redwood planters. Once we had the planters, we had to put something in them. We chose a wild assortment of the most exotic things we could think of- purple bush beans, dragon carrots, candy radishes, purple tomatillos, and a ton of squash and gorgeous heirloom potatoes. Ok, squash isn’t usually exotic, but it has a certain appeal to lifetime apartment dwellers because it is not generally something that you can grow on a balcony. (Amazing container gardening magic aside.) The plants were in, the DH put in a drip watering system, and then we waited for the bounty to come rolling in. And roll in it did, with pattypan squash seemingly bursting into existence on the vine right along with fourth of July fireworks.
This gave me pause. I had the basics of organic gardening thanks to reading and a class at Love Apple Farm, but one thing I hadn’t researched was when to harvest my beauties. When was I supposed to take the pattypan off the vine? I wasn’t really sure, but they rapidly grew to an impressive size that I’d never seen at farmer’s market harvest. Why did they pick them when they were so small? I felt rather proud of their size.

Then I went online to research the correct harvesting of pattypan. Whoops. Turns out if you let them get large, supposedly they get rather woody and coarse. I was disheartened but couldn’t believe they could really be that bad. People let zucchini get big, after all. Besides, looking at them gave me an idea. They were such nice, round shapes, and I was reminded of my old traditional eggplant parmesan recipe. They would be the perfect size for a personal pizza un-crust. So, I dipped them in a spiced oil and vinegar marinade and put them on the grill to soften them and add flavor. Then I topped them with a really good pizza sauce and cheese. For my dairy-free Mother, I made a few with Daiya cheese instead. The cheese melted and got all bubbly and delicious, and when I got a bite, I didn’t miss a grain crust at all! They were delicious, and the “hard” rind added structure and texture to the crust but the soft squash interior was still soft and delicious. I did notice that the larger they got, the larger their seeds were, and the center of the round was a bit softer than the rest. It could still hold up to a pizza topping, though, and was easy to eat with a fork, although I wouldn’t try to eat it with my hands just because it is a bit messier than a regular pizza.

I’ve been experimenting with my other giant pattypan and have found that they taste just as good as the littler ones. I like a sturdier squash anyway, and one of my biggest complaints over (bad) zucchini or yellow squash recipes is when they get mushy. It is hard to make these giant pattypan mushy, and they take on flavor and are just delicious sauteed in oil. I did prefer to peel them for sauteed applications as otherwise the rind is hard to eat. It reminds me of kabocha squash, actually.

So, if like me you have monster pattypan growing out of control in your garden- take heart! You can still enjoy them, in a fun way generally only possible when you have a home garden or belong to a garden co-op. You could also try mini pattypan pizzas with farmer market or supermarket babies. In that case, you would probably have to simply slice them in half and take care not to overcook them. They should be just as delicious either way!


Other Pattypan Recipes:
Fried Pattypan Squash Recipe
Pattypan Squash Recipe
Stuffed Pattypan Squash Recipe
Herbed Pattypan Squash Medley Recipe
Simple Pattypan Squash Recipe
Vegan Stuffed Pattypan Squash Recipe

Other innovative recipes using squash as a “crust”:
Butternut Squash Crust Quiche Recipe

Shared with Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays and Seasonal Sunday

Pattypan Crust-less Pizza Recipe
Main Course  Vegetables  American  
Ingredients
Mutant, overgrown pattypan squash (5 or more inches diameter)

Marinade:
Olive oil
dash of white balsamic vinegar (brown is fine but will discolor your “pizza” crust)
your favorite multi-herb blend seasoning (italian or other)
salt (if not included in above herb blend)

Topping:
High Quality Pizza Sauce such as Muir Glen Organic
Grated mozzarella OR Daiya equivalent for dairy-free, vegan

Fresh basil for garnish

Directions
Slice your monster Pattypan beasts into 1/2 inch thick slices appropriate for mini-pizzas.

Whisk oil, vinegar, spices and salt together in a pie tin or other medium-sized dish with sides. Keep in mind that pattypan are like eggplant. They are greedy little sponges for oil. Make more than you think you need. Dip both sides pattypan slices in seasoned oil and reserve on a large plate.

Heat your grill or grill pan to a high searing temperature. Lightly shake off any excess oil from your pattypan slices and place them on your grill. Sear and then lower temperature to medium. Let slices soften, and then turn to sear and cook the other side. You want your pattypan tender but not mushy.

You have two options for the pizza preparation if you are using a grill. You can either place your topping on top of your seared pattypan crust in the grill, close the lid and allow the heat to melt the cheese, or you can reserve your slices and heat the topping in the broiler of your oven. The latter option will result in more browning, so I found I preferred to use the broiler. For broiler option, place pattypan slices on a baking sheet and place under broiler on high. Remove when cheese is melted and has browned. You can use Daiya cheese as a dairy-free alternative, but it will not brown in the same way so just remove when melted.

Rating:  9

Original Source:  The contents of my brain, please do not replicate without my permission.

Recipe ID:  1564 		Added:  July 26, 2011

Last Modified:  July 26, 2011
]]> http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/when-gardens-go-wild-low-carb-pattypan-crustless-pizza-recipe-7483.html/feed 14 Gluten-free Coconut Sugar Sweetened Apricot Cobbler Recipe http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/gluten-free-coconut-sugar-sweetened-apricot-cobbler-recipe-7402.html http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/gluten-free-coconut-sugar-sweetened-apricot-cobbler-recipe-7402.html#comments Wed, 20 Jul 2011 15:18:20 +0000 yum http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/?p=7402
Welcome back to Cobbler Week at the Book of Yum! This time I’m doing a recipe geared towards those who prefer not to use processed sugar and dairy. I’ll tell you a secret, though. Even though this recipe is allergy-friendly, uses special coconut sugar and contains no dairy, it was met with unbridled enthusiasm from gluten-eaters who can eat any darned thing they like. My Dad who is visiting us right now has fond memories of a neighbor lady’s apricot cobbler that he ate when he was a child. He said this recipe made him feel like a seven-year-old again, knocking at the door of his neighbor’s house asking for cobbler. I never thought I liked apricots that much, but somehow these large, golden fruits fresh off our own tree taste different than they do in the supermarket, and even I gobbled up this cobbler. The DH preferred it over the plum cobbler, and we were all fighting for the last piece. If you don’t have coconut sugar in your pantry, never fear. You can substitute ordinary sugar, but you might want to decrease the amounts in that case. I like coconut sugar because it has a neutral flavor reminiscent of a less sweet brown or raw sugar and gives a mild sweetness to your recipe. After all, apricots are pretty sweet all by themselves.

It is funny the things that having fruit trees change. I dehydrated apricots for the first time, and the DH made apricot freezer jam, and I made this cobbler. And we still have a table covered in apricots. I’m thinking we’ll have to make another cobbler… or two. And maybe even freeze one, if I can pry it away from my Dad and the DH.

I have a fondness for this apricot tree because it was the tree that dropped its leaves on the day Neko left us. And now, every year we enjoy the fruits from this tree, I can remember him.
Look for my Mr Linky on Friday, and add your recipe links for your favorite gluten-free cobbler, pies, and crumbles then!
In case you also have more apricots than you know what to do with, here are some recipes to inspire:
Agave Apricot Quick Bread Recipe (Ratio Rally)
Gluten-free Apricot Power Bar Recipe
Dairy-free Apricot Carob Blondies Recipe
Nutty Apricot Ball Recipe
Apricot Salad Dressing
Crockpot Brie with Apricot Topping Recipe
Apricot Glazed Roasted Brussels Sprouts Recipe
Apricot Butter Recipe

This recipe shared with Diane’s Real Food Weekly Roundup

Coconut Sugar Sweetened Apricot Cobbler
Dessert  Alternative Grains  American  
Ingredients
1/2 C coconut sugar or regular white sugar (add more if your apricots are under-ripe)
6 C fresh apricots
3 tbsp. cornstarch or arrowroot starch
1 tbsp. butter or vegan margarine (optional)
1 tsp. almond flavoring
1/2 tsp. vanilla

3/4 C sorghum flour
1/4 C potato starch, arrowroot or corn starch
1/2 C tapioca starch
1 1/2 tbs coconut sugar or regular white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
5 tbsp. palm oil shortening
1/2 C milk (dairy-free milk is fine)

coconut sugar or raw sugar for garnish

Directions
Get a deep, ceramic pie pan out of the cupboard and preheat oven to 350F.

Pit your apricots and cut into bit sized wedges and place into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with cornstarch, flavoring and sugar and fold in so they are evenly distributed. Melt your butter or margarine and gently fold into the apricot mixture. Reserve. If you like you can pour this apricot mixture into your pie pan and use the bowl for the cobbler.

Combine your flours, starches, sugar, salt and baking powder in a bowl. Cut in your palm oil shortening with a fork, pastry cutter, or (my personal favorite) your fingers. When the shortening has been worked into the flour and you have a crumbly texture of dough, fold in your milk. Spoon your biscuit mixture on top of the apricots in your pie pan, sprinkle the top with coconut sugar or raw sugar for sparkle, and bake at 350f for around 35 minutes or until cobbler turns a light golden brown and seems firm on top.

Enjoy with a dairy-free vanilla ice cream or plain. Delicious!

Notes
Cobbler runnier than you like? Store it in the refrigerator and the filling will set up.
Rating:  9

Original Source:  The contents of my brain, please do not replicate without permission.

Recipe ID:  1561 		Added:  July 14, 2011

Last Modified:  July 20, 2011
]]> http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/gluten-free-coconut-sugar-sweetened-apricot-cobbler-recipe-7402.html/feed 9 Gluten-free, Dairy-free, and Egg-free Amaranth Scone Recipe http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/gluten-free-dairy-free-and-egg-free-amaranth-scone-recipe-5111.html http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/gluten-free-dairy-free-and-egg-free-amaranth-scone-recipe-5111.html#comments Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:54:05 +0000 yum http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/?p=5111
I think we might have to rename the Book of Yum to “the Book of Amaranth” if I keep this up. I can’t help it. I’m eating amaranth every four days, thanks to this crazy allergen-free, gluten-free diet that I’m on. I’ve gone through phases. There was the amaranth banana muffin phase, the “amaranth gruel baked into a cracker phase, the amaranth soda bread phase, the amaranth pizza phase… but lately I’ve been bored with all of these. My food fantasies turned towards the sweet, and I started having visions of raisins and cinnamon sugar. Sorghum recipes go with cinnamon and sugar like jam goes on toast, so that has been easy. But the other day it occurred to me that perhaps the earthy flavor of amaranth might be coaxed into submission by the assertive flavors of cinnamon and raisin. In fact, amaranth might start to function like teff in my favorite gluten-free graham cracker recipe by Rebecca Reilly, adding depth and an almost graham flour flavor. So, I decided to try. I used my amaranth soda bread recipe as the jumping off point to create a healthy, low in fat and low in sugar scone that you can have for an everyday breakfast without an obscene sugar rush. And you know what? I liked it. I liked it a lot. Oh, and if you don’t want to bother with forming individual scones, you can also just make a cinnamon raisin soda bread round and cut it to serve. It isn’t quite as cute, but it tastes every bit as good. Tell me what you think, and about your experiments with amaranth. Let’s dish amaranth!

Gluten-free Vegan Amaranth Raisin Scone Recipe
Breakfast  Dessert  Alternative Grains  American  
Ingredients
1 cup raisins (i used jumbo assorted) soaked in warm water
2 tablespoons boiling water
3/4 teaspoon unbuffered vitamin C crystals
4 tablespoons coconut oil or other oil (grapeseed, canola, etc)
3/4 cup warm hemp milk (or other dairy-free milk)
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cup cups amaranth flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
3/4 cup arrowroot starch
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Penzey’s Baking Spice (or pumpkin pie blend, or cinnamon sugar)
2 teaspoons baking soda

Extra warm hemp milk (or other dairy-free milk) for basting
cinnamon sugar
Raw sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 400F. Cut a circle of parchment paper to cover the bottom of a round cake tin. Also cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Put your raisins in a small bowl and pour warm or boiling water over them. Let sit.

Put your vitamin c in the boiling water. If it doesn’t dissolve, whisk it in.

Combine amaranth flour, sorghum flour, arrowroot starch, brown sugar, salt, baking soda and baking spice in a large bowl. Drain your raisins and add them to the dry mix. Next, add your water with vitamin C, hemp or other dairy-free milk, vanilla, and oil, and stir with a big wooden spoon. Begin to fold it all together. You can mistreat this dough a bit. Beat it up, fold it up until it seems thoroughly mixed and your arm feels tired. Plop the dough onto your cake pan and shape it into a circle about 1 inch high that doesn’t quite touch the edges. You can dampen your hands to shape it or use a cake frosting knife to smooth out the edges.

Remove dough round (along with parchment circle) from the cake pan and put on a cutting board. Use a damp or oiled bread knife to cut the round in half, then quarters, and finally into eighths as if you were cutting a pie. Use a thin spatula or pie server to remove the triangles of dough one by one and place them onto the cookie sheet’s parchment paper. Do not let their edges touch. Brush with warm hemp milk and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and raw sugar. Pop in the oven. Lower oven temperature to 325 and bake for 45 minutes or until scone has a nice texture. (Depends on your preference; I like my amaranth a little over-baked so it is not gummy.)

Remove from oven and serve! Would be good with soy-free margarine, coconut ice cream, or cashew cream if you do nuts.

Rating:  8

Original Source:  Inspired by an earlier recipe for irish soda bread, but my original creation. Do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Thanks!

Recipe ID:  1513 		Added:  August 20, 2010

Last Modified:  August 20, 2010
]]> http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/gluten-free-dairy-free-and-egg-free-amaranth-scone-recipe-5111.html/feed 6 Delicious Gluten-free, Dairy-free and Egg-free Apple Quinoa Muffin Recipe http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/delicious-gluten-free-dairy-free-and-egg-free-apple-quinoa-muffin-recipe-4814.html http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/delicious-gluten-free-dairy-free-and-egg-free-apple-quinoa-muffin-recipe-4814.html#comments Tue, 06 Apr 2010 18:00:54 +0000 yum http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/?p=4814
As many of you may know, in order to breastfeed my darling Baby Yum I had to go on a rather extreme allergen-free diet, cutting out the obvious (dairy, soy, nuts, eggs) and even the less obvious, like rice, potatoes, and sweet potatoes.* In the course of trying to figure out how to help my allergic baby, I reached out for advice from communities like la leche league, attending meetings and reading their allergy boards avidly. The latter was especially helpful as I met other Moms who had battled allergies with their own infants and found solutions that worked for them. Thanks to suggestions on this board, I tried digestive enzymes (didn’t work for us), diet modifications, and finally probiotics for her which markedly improved her symptoms and my sanity. While there are many probiotics on the market, we found success with a Klaire infant probiotic free of just about everything from dairy to rice. (Annoyingly, you can only get it through a holistic medical professional, so we went to Whole Child Wellness for this “prescription” as well as some thinking-outside-of-the-box advice.) These resources were all very helpful, but one thing I’ve struggled with is getting the fuel to keep me going that conformed with an everything-free diet. Allergen-free blogs have been helpful, and I’ve enjoyed researching international options like one-flour-ingredient Indian flatbreads (see my sorghum flatbread or millet flatbread recipe), but the same allergy-expert ladies on the La Leche League forums also had some recipes that I have found very useful. Happily, I found one of the best gluten-free, dairy and egg free muffins I’ve ever had thanks to “Shannon75″ on the boards. I had to modify them a little to suit our restrictions, but this recipe is nothing short of a chemical miracle that results in amazing, fluffy, sturdy muffins that taste pretty awesome with a swipe of dairy-free soy-free margarine from Earth Balance and a little local honey. You can even use them as a sandwich base or eat them plain. I’ve made them in regular muffin tins and in mini-muffin tins- they are great either way. These babies don’t need eggs at all- and they beat most egg-free gluten-free muffin recipes hands down. Got any favorite winning gluten-free, egg-free muffin recipes or links? Share them in the comments! Me, baby yum, and my fellow allergen-free readers will thank you!

*Note: I am not a doctor, so this is not medical advice- just the path we chose that worked for us personally.

Quinoa Apple Allergen-free Muffins
Bread  Alternative Grains  American  
Ingredients
Dry:
1 Cup quinoa flour
1/2 + 1/3 cup arrowroot starch (may replace one portion with an alternate starch such as tapioca, corn, or potato)
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Wet:
1 1/2 Cup liquid- (I use 3/4 cup apple juice concentrate with 3/4 cup apple juice to mellow out the strong flavor of the quinoa flour, but you can substitute other juice or water)
1/4 c oil
2 tsp egg replacer

Directions
Grease muffin tin with palm oil shortening or other oil. Preheat oven to 350F.

Whisk together dry ingredients, and then make a well in the center for the liquid ingredients. Mix all together with a large spoon.

Pour batter into muffin tin and bake for 12 minutes. Cool and enjoy!

Notes
Thanks to Shannon of the La Leche League forums for providing the template for this recipe, which I modified for our allergies.
Rating:  9

Original Source:  Based on recipe adapted by Shannon and posted on the La Leche Leage forums WITH permission. Please do not replicate anywhere without both of our permission.

Recipe ID:  1497 		Added:  April 3, 2010

Last Modified:  April 6, 2010
]]> http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/delicious-gluten-free-dairy-free-and-egg-free-apple-quinoa-muffin-recipe-4814.html/feed 16 Gluten free Menu of the Week: Sugar-free Vegetarian Caribbean Pineapple BBQ Black Bean Recipe http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/menu-of-the-week-sugar-free-caribbean-pineapple-bbq-black-bean-recipe-3470.html http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/menu-of-the-week-sugar-free-caribbean-pineapple-bbq-black-bean-recipe-3470.html#comments Sun, 24 May 2009 17:52:02 +0000 yum http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/?p=3470 sammy tahinisammy Pictured are two very different Gluten-Free Sandwiches. Top photo: Bette Hagman French bread with arugula, eggplant baba ghanoush, tahini sauce, and roasted red pepper. Lower photo: Authentic Foods mix oven-baked falafel with organic purple greens sauteed and combined with a tahini sauce in a Chebe flatbread and baba ghanoush.

This week Angela’s Kitchen is hosting the Gluten-Free Menu of the Week with an avocado theme. I love avocados so couldn’t be happier about this theme. I use avocados all the time in veggie sandwiches, as a substitute for cheese on pizza (added after pizza is baked), in a tofu breakfast scramble, and in sushi and onigiri (Japanese rice balls.)

From searching online, I found the following interesting ways to use avocado:
A vegan fudge using avocado for the fat in the recipe
Recipes from California Growers of Avocado
Recipes from the Haas Avocado Board

Here’s my menu for this week. You can find more great menus with Org Junkie.

Monday: Italian
Gluten-free Vegetarian Green Veggie Ricotta Lasagna with Homemade pasta

Tuesday: Indian
Dosa with Homemade Indian Soup

Wednesday: South American
Corn-Zucchini Sopes

Thursday: Japanese
Avocado-cream cheese sushi rolls

This week I posted
a whole-grain montina cornbread recipe and a vegan eggplant-tahini-lentil soup recipe

an Apple Pie Crepe Recipe

and the April Adopt-a-gluten-free Blogger Roundup with recipe links

You can still Adopt a gluten-free Blogger, so sign up today!

Cheryl of GF Goodness is also hosting a virtual baby shower with recipes for baby Yum and you are all invited to attend!

Here’s a healthy recipe for baked beans that uses no refined sugar and is naturally sweetened with pineapple, perfect for a summer picnic or healthy side dish at home. Enjoy!

Caribbean Pineapple Black Bean Bake Recipe
Side Dish  Vegetables  
Ingredients
1 can organic black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 whole cloves garlic
1/4 fresh pineapple, minced
3/4 fresh red pepper, chopped
smoked paprika for mild or chipotle powder for spicy
salt to taste
1 fresh lime, juiced
1 tbsp. agave nectar (or honey for non-vegan)

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro
salt
a drizzle of lemon olive oil (or normal EV olive oil)

Directions
Heat oven to 375F. Heat olive oil in a fry pan and add chopped onion and whole garlic. Sautee until onion begins to turn translucent. Add black beans and half of minced pineapple and sautee for a few minutes. Press remaining pineapple in a lemon press and season with smoked paprika or chipotle and salt. Squeeze lime juice into pan, distribute evenly through ingredients and add tablespoon of agave. Mix and heat for a few more minutes. Then put into a medium baking dish and bake on 375 for 25 minutes.

Combine cilantro, salt and olive oil in a tiny bowl, mixing so elements are evenly distributed.

Take baked beans from oven and sprinkle with cilantro seasoning. Enjoy!

Rating:  7

Original Source:  Contents of my brain, please do not replicate without my permission. Thanks!

Recipe ID:  1414 		Added:  May 18, 2009

Last Modified:  May 23, 2009
]]> http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/menu-of-the-week-sugar-free-caribbean-pineapple-bbq-black-bean-recipe-3470.html/feed 7 Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger April: Susan the Fat Free Vegan’s Gluten-Free Pumpkin Waffles http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/adopt-a-gluten-free-blogger-april-susan-the-fat-free-vegans-gluten-free-pumpkin-waffles-3045.html http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/adopt-a-gluten-free-blogger-april-susan-the-fat-free-vegans-gluten-free-pumpkin-waffles-3045.html#comments Tue, 28 Apr 2009 17:33:46 +0000 yum http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/?p=3045 pumpkinwaffle5I’ve been a fan of Susan over at Fat-Free Vegan for quite some time. While I am not personally vegan, but rather vegetarian, I love experimenting with vegan recipes. Not only are they often the most delicious and innovative vegetarian recipes around, but vegan recipes also work beautifully and adapt nicely when cooking for those with multiple intolerances. If you can’t have dairy and/or eggs, experimenting with vegan recipes should be one of your first stops in the cookbook aisle, whether you are gluten-free or not. It is true that being gluten-free can complicate some vegan or vegetarian staples (seitan, oats, the whole wheat flours etc.), but there should be plenty of recipes that you can adapt to a gluten-free diet. And don’t worry if you aren’t even vegetarian (although it helps)- vegan recipes make wonderful side dishes, desserts, and should give you lots of creative ideas for dairy and egg substitutes. Anyway, back to Susan. I’d come across her blog multiple times but hadn’t made one of her recipes until I came across an absolutely irresistible recipe for dairy-free pumpkin cheesecake. Granted, it wasn’t gluten-free as written, but I came up with a Gluten-free version of the recipe and liked it so much I asked Susan for permission to publish my version as a complimentary, gluten-free variation on her recipe. She kindly agreed. The cheesecake was extremely popular with friends and family, and probably ended up being one of my favorite dairy-free cheesecakes ever.

While that recipe was not gluten-free as written, Susan does sometimes experiment with gluten-free recipes. She qualifies as an excellent candidate for “Adopt-a-gluten-free-blogger” because she has an easy to navigate section of just gluten-free recipes. The only thing is that when you go there, you get a huuuuuge long page of gluten-free recipes, which is fantastic, but a little hard to navigate. After the first 1/5 of the page, I had found plenty of inspiration and so didn’t keep reading… But the point is, there is a wealth of gluten-free options, all on the healthy, low-fat vegetarian spectrum (and of course also vegan). Perfect!

pumpkinwaffle3I was inspired to adopt Susan by her gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free pumpkin waffle recipe. It would be great for those with multiple intolerances and could easily also be soy-free and potato-free as well (JM THIS IS FOR YOU!!!). I mixed up a batch and had some for a delicious breakfast one morning. I found that it was really important to spray the waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray or it did run the risk of sticking to the iron. (You could baste the waffle iron with oil if the soy lecithin in cooking spray is a problem.) I loved the pumpkin flavor combined with all the spices, and was very pleased with the texture. Many waffle recipes are high in fat, so it was refreshing to find one that was low-fat and healthy.

Interested in Susan’s wonderful recipes? These gluten-free vegan recipes caught my eye…
Herbed Polenta in a pressure cooker with beans and bok choy
Colcannon potato kale puffs
Mushroom Lentil and Wild Rice Timbales
Tofu, Tempeh and Butternut Squash in slow cooked peanut mole
Sweet Potato Falafel with Yogurt Tahini

Hope you enjoy exploring the gluten-free recipes at the Fat Free Vegan blog as much as I did!

I am also entering this in the Tried and Tasted Blog Event since Susan has been selected as the blogger of the Month! (Congrats, Susan!)

]]> http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/adopt-a-gluten-free-blogger-april-susan-the-fat-free-vegans-gluten-free-pumpkin-waffles-3045.html/feed 6 Gluten Free Desserts: Ginger Molasses Muffin or Mini Bundt Cake Recipe http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/gluten-free-desserts-ginger-molasses-muffin-or-mini-bundt-cake-recipe-2312.html http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/gluten-free-desserts-ginger-molasses-muffin-or-mini-bundt-cake-recipe-2312.html#comments Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:25:07 +0000 yum http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/?p=2312
This weekend I was in the mood for Fall. On Saturday we went to the Great America Haunt and not only did the Halloween decorations make me feel like it was Fall, but the chill in the air and the almost full moon made me want to curl up at home in front of the fire with a hot beverage and some delicious spicy-sweet dessert. That weekend, thanks to our Yahoo SillyYaks support group, I happened across a (gluten) recipe for ginger-molasses muffins from the New York Times that I found intriguing. It had crystallized ginger and fresh ginger for lots of kick, and didn’t call for any dairy at all, leaving the question of dairy or dairy-free milk entirely out of the equation. It was also naturally free of soy. I appreciated its usage of blackstrap molasses as one of the main sweeteners- with its high iron and calcium content, it is a great alternative to less nutritious mainstream sweeteners. When I decided to invite a friend over with multiple allergies, including an allergy to tapioca starch, I thought this recipe might be just perfect to share with a little tweaking. I came up with a flour blend without tapioca starch using potato starch instead, and used brown rice flour and teff for more whole-grain nutrition and flavor. The recipe was a hit with the DH as well as our guests, although DH’s first inclination was to whip up a batch of cream cheese frosting to slather on the muffins like cupcakes. Actually, that’s not a bad idea- I was just trying to be calorie conscious. However you frost or don’t frost them, these muffins are sweet and hearty, perfect for a cool fall night or a cool, sunny morning breakfast. They’re especially pretty baked in mini bundt cake tins, but would be great (and easier to remove) from muffin tins. Hope you enjoy!

Gluten-Free Ginger Molasses Muffin Recipe
Dessert  Alternative Grains  American  
Ingredients
Canola oil for greasing muffin tins
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup blackstrap molasses
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/3 + 1/6 cup potato starch
1/6 cup whole grain GF flour- teff, quinoa, or buckwheat
1/2 cup raw sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. high quality ground cinnamon
pinch of ground cloves
4 tbsp. crystallized ginger, minced
1/4 cup chopped raisins

1/4 cup walnuts for serving, toasted (optional)

Directions
Grease a muffin tin with oil (or use paper liners) and preheat oven to 350 F.

Bring 1/2 cup water to boil (in microwave, in electric kettle, or on stove). Add to a medium bowl and whisk in the baking soda. Next, add your molasses and oil and combine thoroughly. add eggs and ginger.

In a large bowl, whisk your flours, sugar and dried spices (reserving the ginger) until ingredients are evenly distributed. Fold your wet ingredients into the dry ingredients without over-mixing. Stir in the crystallized ginger and raisins.

Pour evenly into your muffin tin and bake for 30 or 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out dry. Cool in pan for five or ten minutes and then put on wire rack to cool. Sprinkle and serve with toasted walnuts if you like.

Rating:  9

Original Source:  Adapted from New York Times recipe, inspired by SillyYak Yahoo group member, but my own take on the recipe. Please do not replicate without my permission.

Recipe ID:  1302 		Added:  October 13, 2008

Last Modified:  October 14, 2008
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