Book of Yum

This is a Valentine’s Day that I may never forget. After all, it is the first Valentine’s Day I get to celebrate with the new love of my life, Baby Yum, and the first and last love of my life, the DH. I thought that a day like this deserved a treat that was equally special. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are one of my favorite gluten-free candies, and I was recently inspired in a visit to Boulder, Colorado by a new company and their gluten-free (but not dairy-free) sunflower seed butter cups. So, this holiday I decided to make my own, completely free of soy, dairy, gluten, peanuts and of course eggs. (Luckily I’ve not yet seen peanut butter cups with eggs, but you never know what some maniac might decide to do..) I made the sunflower seed butter from scratch, combining about a cup of sunflower seeds (some raw, some roasted, all unsalted) with 3 tbsp. canola oil, a tablespoon of honey and a dash of salt in my mini food processor. It was a darned tasty treat already, but when I used it in my non-peanut butter cups, it was even better. Feel free to adjust sweetness and saltiness to taste- this recipe is all about pleasing your own palate while avoiding some not-so-pleasing allergens. I hope you enjoy and have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!

*This recipe is easily vegan if you substitute vegan sugar and use agave nectar instead of honey. Go for it!

Homemade Dairy, Soy and Nut Free Sunflower Butter Chocolate Cup Recipe Dessert  American

Ingredients 1 cup Enjoy Life DF SF chocolate chips 1 tablespoons palm oil shortening (Spectrum or Whole Foods) 1/3 cup Earth Balance No Soy margarine 1/2 cup and 2 tbsp. crunchy homemade sunflower seed butter 1/4 cup honey 1/4 cup organic sugar 1/4 tsp. salt Shaped paper cups (for confectionery or mini muffin tin liners) Directions Melt chocolate and shortening in microwave on half power for 1 minute, stirring and then heating in 30 second intervals, stirring after each cycle. It only takes me one or two 30 second cycles. Baste your paper cups with a layer of melted chocolate on the bottom and sides. Put in refrigerator to cool and harden. Reserve enough chocolate to cover the top of your cups. Meanwhile, combine margarine, sunflower seed butter, sweetener and salt in a pan and heat on medium-low, stirring frequently. When smooth and tasty, remove from burner and let cool. To assemble fill each cup with your cooled sunbutter filling and then drizzle chocolate on top, using a spoon to spread it and smooth around the edges. let cool and then enjoy as desired. Freezes well! Notes *I had 6 tini heart-tins and six about the size of a regular 12 count muffin liner, but had to be slightly skimpy with the chocolate. Recipe makes extra nut butter filling- try it in a “nut butter chocolate pie”

Rating:  7 Original Source:  Contents of my brain. Please do not replicate without my permission. Recipe ID:  1484 Added:  February 14, 2010 Last Modified:  February 14, 2010

I don’t know if you’ve noticed by now, but I have a huge weakness for peanut sauce. Nothing makes me happier than a fresh spring roll dipped in creamy, salty, sweet gingery peanut sauce. I take them to dinner parties, assemble them on picnics, and have even been known to throw spring roll making parties just for an excuse to eat the sauce. I could eat the stuff straight, honestly, but usually try to pacify my calorie-conscious guilty conscience by eating it with fresh veggies. I have whipped up many different batches of peanut sauce, with the occasional nod to almond butter as a more allergy-friendly base.

But with my new top-allergen free diet for baby yum, it has been many a sad, sauce-less day since I last enjoyed a big saucer of peanut sauce. Today I decided that had to change. I looked into the fridge and pulled out a long-neglected jar of Sunbutter. The good news? This stuff is completely Peanut, Tree-Nut Free, and Gluten Free and produced in a dedicated facility. The bad news for those highly sensitive to soy is that their facility DOES produce soybeans. However, although I’m not eating soy these days just in case it would bother Baby Yum, she never reacted to soy as far as I could tell, and so I thought Sunbutter was worth a try. *Although Sunbutter is the brand-name variety, I actually used the less expensive Trader Joe’s version of this product.* If you do react to traces of soy, you can make your own Sunbutter recipe. I played around with some of the traditional ingredients used in peanut sauce and came up with this highly satisfying sunflower seed un-peanut sauce. It would be wonderful on spring rolls, but I enjoyed mine drizzled over sauteed yellow pepper strips and zucchini and wrapped in a gluten-free amaranth crepe. Who says eating gluten free and top eight allergen free has to be boring?

Looking for more fun things to do with sunflower seeds?
Try this Vegan Sunflower spreads with red pepper variations and more
Depressed over a new rice allergy or interested in raw foods? Try Rice-free Sunflower-seed Sushi Recipe
Did you know you can make Sunflower Seed Milk?

Peanut-free Sauce Recipe with sunflower seeds Sauces & Condiments  American

Ingredients 2 tbsp. sunbutter (or homemade sunflower seed butter) 1/4 cup hot water 1/4 tsp salt 1 tsp. cider vinegar 1 tsp maple syrup 1/4 tsp powdered ginger or freshly grated ginger pulp Directions Whisk together ingredients in a small bowl. Pour into small sauccepan and heat on low until thickened and bubbling. Take off heat, whisk again, and serve.

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Contents of my brain. Please do not replicate without my permission. Recipe ID:  1477 Added:  January 1, 2010 Last Modified:  January 1, 2010