Book of Yum

This weekend I found myself extremely busy with a gluten-free tea planned with friends on Sunday. I had made arrangements with a local tea-shop that specialized in tea scones and sandwiches to cater a meal for myself and some friends. They were willing to work with me using gluten-free bread, but unfortunately all their sandwich toppings had some allergen. A friend of mine was coming to the party but would only have been able to have their salad (with her own dressing). I didn’t think that sounded like much fun, so I decided to whip up a little something that she could enjoy- a dessert that was dairy-free, soy-free, potato-free and of course, gluten-free. Ordinarily I might have made something from scratch, but I was a bit busy, so I was happy to find a package of Namaste Gluten-free Blondie Mix in my pantry. A plain blondie sounded a bit dull so I split the recipe in two and made two variations- one, a strong chocolate mocha brownie, and two, a coconut macadamia nut blondie using lots and lots of coconut and macadamia nuts. Both turned out really well, especially considering I made up the variations as I went along. The coconut-macadamia blondie was very rich, so was a good treat in small quantities. The mocha brownie was just plain addicting, and I could have eaten up the whole thing, except of course for the fact that I was making it for our gathering the next day. Either recipe would be great for an Easter treat or wrapped up in someone’s Easter basket- so I thought I’d post the recipe for you all. I especially enjoyed getting two such different treats out of one little mix-to spread out the yumminess. This kind of treat freezes well, so since I didn’t need more sweets, i decided to follow my standard operating procedure for Mariposa lemon bars or brownies- I wrapped them in individual packages and froze them for my next sweet craving. And my friend? She got to drink tea, have her salad, and then top it off with enough sweets to satisfy any sweet tooth… which made the outing that much better. The next time you need to bake for a friend with complex allergies (or yourself), why not try a Namaste mix? They’re slightly pricey but can’t be beat for their allergy-friendly ingredients.

Namaste No-dairy, No-soy, No-potato Mocha Brownies Dessert  Alternative Grains  American

Ingredients 1/2 recipe Namaste Blondie batter (mix + 3 eggs+ 1 cup oil +1/4 cup water, then divide batter) 2 unsweetened baking chocolate squares 1 tbsp. Spectrum natural shortening 1 or 2 tbsp. vanilla bean infused sugar 2 shots decaf (or caffeinated) espresso or equivalent strong coffee Directions Prepare square baking dish by lining with parchment paper and greasing with natural shortening. Preheat oven to 350 f. Melt your baking chocolate squares in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add your shortening and put back in microwave for another 30 seconds. Stir and if needed, microwave again. (Will depend on your microwave power- you want the chocolate liquid.) When you have melted, liquid chocolate add your espresso. Stir and add sugar. Leave on counter for a few minutes. After preparing Namaste Blondie to directions, separate batter into two large bowls. Reserve one. Add your chocolate mixture which should have thickened again to one batch of batter. Pour chocolate batter into your pan. Bake for 40 minutes or so and let cool. To remove from pan, slide knife around edges and invert onto a cooling rack. Notes You can add cherrybrook vanilla icing or other allergen-friendly icing if desired.

Rating:  8 Original Source:  My own modifications to Namaste recipe for friend with multiple complex allergies. Do not replicate anywhere without my permisison. Recipe ID:  1393 Added:  April 4, 2009 Last Modified:  April 7, 2009

Gluten-Free Namaste dairy-free, soy-free, potato-free Macadamia Coconut Blondie Recipe Dessert  Alternative Grains  American

Ingredients 1/2 recipe Namaste Blondie batter (mix + 3 eggs+ 1 cup oil +1/4 cup water, then divide batter) 1/2 cup macadamia nuts, chopped 1/2 cup unsweetened dried coconut 1/4 cup macadamia nuts, halved or chopped to taste 1/4 cup unsweetened dried coconut 2 tbsp. raw organic sugar (or more to taste) Directions Directions Prepare square baking dish by lining with parchment paper and greasing with natural shortening. Preheat oven to 350 f. After preparing Namaste Blondie to directions, separate batter into two large bowls. Reserve one. To one recipe of batter, add your chopped macadamia nuts and dried coconut and combine thoroughly. In separate small bowl, combine remaining nuts, coconut, and raw sugar. Pour batter into your pan. Sprinkle top with nut mixture in small bowl. Bake for 40 minutes or so and let cool. To remove from pan, slide knife around edges and CAREFULLY invert onto a cooling rack. Do not move unless you must and it is completely cool as it will be prone to breaking into delicious but untidy pieces.

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Completely original, made for friend with multiple allergies. Please do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Recipe ID:  1394 Added:  April 4, 2009 Last Modified:  April 7, 2009

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