I made these cookies for my friends birthday and to celebrate the Chinese New Year, 2012 is the year of the Dragon.  It is predicted to bring happiness, wealth, and prosperity!  Sounds good to me.  This is my first foray into gluten free cookies.  Which is interseting since my first perfected recipe was for chocolate chip cookies that I worked on for many years to get it just right. Haven’t tried to convert that one to gluten free,  but thats for another day.  So do you remember those yummy almond cookies you used to get after dinner at Chinese Food restaurants? These are similar to those only healthier and gluten free!  Very easy to make, sweet crispy, and almond scented and flavored with a double whammy of almond flour and almond extract. The recipe does call for chilling the dough once you make it before baking so keep in mnd that you will need an extra hour to let these chill.  So here it is, enjoy and may we all have a prosperous and happy 2012!!! Bring on the DRAGON!!!

1 1/3 cups almond flour/meal, you can find this at Trader joes or try Bob’s Red Mill

1 cup of organic unsalted butter cold and cut into chunks

1 tsp fine sea salt

2 large organic free range eggs, 1 is for an egg wash

2 tsp of pure almond extract

1 cup Sweet Sorguhm flour

3/4 cup Tapioca flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp xantham gum

1 cup organic sugar

3 tbs of turbinado sugar, for sprinkling on top

1/3 cup thinly sliced almonds, for decoration

Combine the cold butter and almond flour in the bowl of an electric mixer using the paddle attachment on medium speed until nicely combined, add 1 egg and the almond extract, mix well.  In a seperate bowl, sift together the sorghum flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, xantham gum, sugar, and salt.  With the mixer on low slowly combine the dry ingredients into the wet scraping down the sides of the bowl several times, making sure everything is well distributed.  Remove from mixer, divide into 3 equal amounts, shape into discs, wrap with parchment or pvc free plastic wrap(you can get this at whole foods) and chill in the fride for 1 hour. 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Beat the remaing egg well in a small bowl, put the almond slices in a small bowl next to the egg, put turbinado sugar in a small bowl next to that.  Using a small scoop or spoon form the dough into 1 inch balls, place on parchment lined baking sheet and lightly press down with the palm of your hand.  Place 1 almond slice on each cookie, using your finger or a pastry brush, cover each cookie with a thin coat of the beaten egg, this makes them nice and shiny!  Sprinkle lightly with turbinado sugar and bake 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheets for about 10 minutes, then slide them onto a wire cooling rack. This recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies.  You want them to be crispy and crumbly so don’t be afraid to let them brown a bit in the oven.  Allow to cool completely and enjoy! 

If you wanted to make these vegan, it would be really easy to replace the butter either with coconut oil or your favorite non dairy spread, and either egg replacer or flaxseed meal mixed with water, and instead of an egg wash use your favorite non dairy milk, I recommend plain organic soymilk. 

Ok, so I have been craving baked goods in a major way.  We all know that nothing says comfort like fresh warm baked goods.  For me that especially means muffins.  I adore muffins, all sorts, but especially corn muffins and blueberry muffins.  So as i was perusing a pretty sweet gluten free blog Gluten Free Goddess, I came across a blueberry corn muffin recipe.  The basics sounded good so I made my usual tweeks and voila!  Super yummy, moist, and delicious gluten free corn muffins!  So here you go, i strongly suggest giving them a try.  Also make sure to check out her website, here gluten free bread recipe is awesome!  Thanks for the inspiration gluten free goddess!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, line a 12 cup muffin tin

3/4 cup  Gluten-Free Cornmeal

1/4 cup organic millet flour *(I made my own)

3/4 cup sweet sorghum flour

1/2 cup tapioca starch

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 1/2 teaspoons xantham gum

3/4 cup organic light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 cup organic extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 egg plus 2 egg yolks

3/4 cup room temperature buttermilk

1 heaping cup blueberries (i used tiny frozen wild blueberries)

Combine dry ingredients with whisk in a large bowl.  In a smaller bowl whisk together egg, egg yolks, buttermilk, honey, olive oil, and vanilla, make a well in dry ingredients and mix until well combined.  Gently fold in blueberries, using an scoop fill all muffin cups with the same amount of batter so they bake evenly.  Bake for about 20-22 minutes until just starting to brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.  Serve warm with fresh butter! (Kerrygold Irish butter is my fave!)

*To make millet flour, simply put millet in food processor and process until desired consistency, a little smoother than cornmeal, but not as smooth as all purpose flour.

If I had to describe this in one word it would be, yumtastic.  Ok so maybe that isn’t really a word, but that’s how good it is!  I adapted this recipe from 101cookbooks.com’s Spiced Tomato Gratin.  As usual I love what Heidi does with recipes, but always have just a little something I want to tweak to make it my own.  I have a garden this year and my tomato plants are insane.  Like 5 feet tall and really bushy and wild!  No complaints though since they have already provided quite a bounty of fruit.  I think I am the only person in Northern Illinois who already has ripe tomatoes, everyone is in awe.  Anyway back to the recipe. So here it is.

1 1/2 lbs new potatoes with skins on-thinly sliced

1 1/2 lbs of tomatoes-thinly sliced

1 bunch Lacinato or Tuscan Kale-stems removed

3 large onions-thinly sliced

1 teaspoon of cumin seeds

2 teaspoons of curry powders

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup basil julienned

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 bread crumbs

Preheat a large skillet and olive oil over medium heat.  Thinly slice the onions and cook over medium to medium low for about 20 minutes until nicely caramelized.  While the onions are cooking preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Slice potatoes with a mandolin if you have one it saves a ton of time, then put in a bowl and pour the milk over them.  Slice tomatoes and set aside. Remove stems from kale and chop into approximately 1 inch pieces.  Once the onions are almost ready add the cumin seeds, curry powder, and red pepper flakes and cook for about another minute.  Turn off onions.  In a medium sized casserole dish begin layering the gratin.  First half of the onions, then potatoes, then tomatoes, then basil, then half the salt and pepper. Repeat this with a second layer taking care to arrange the top nicely since you can see it.  Melt the butter and toss with the bread crumbs and set aside.  Bake covered for about 2 hours.  After 2 hours, remove cover and top with the breadcrumb and butter mixture.  Increase temperature to 425 degrees and bake an additional 20-30 minutes until potatoes are fork tender and bread crumbs are nicely browned.  Let cool for about 15 minutes before serving.

I had this for breakfast the next morning with a poached egg on top.  FABULOUS!

So while on vacation visiting old friends in sunny California, i was browsing through the latest Martha Stewart Living.  There was a recipe for Potato salad with smashed peas and mint. It sounded really good and fresh and light as opposed to the traditional mayo heavy potato salad.  Plus I am always looking for alternative potato salad ideas since my husband hates mayo.  So I prepared it following the recipe, and it was ok.  Kind of bland though, so as usual I tweaked it and jazzed it up until it was awesome!  I paired it with a whole roasted chicken on a can cooked on the grill, but that is another post entirely!  So here it is.  Thank you Martha for the inspiration!

3 pounds of red potatoes

1 bag frozen peas

1 bunch of fresh mint

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup of olive oil

Generous sprinkling of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Wash and cut the potatoes into bite sized chunks.  Place potatoes in a large pot of water with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar*this helps the potatoes retain their shape* bring to a boil and cook until fork tender, drain and set aside.  Cook peas in a small sauce pan with 1/2 cup water, bring to a boil , reduce heat and simmer until tender( about 3 minutes).  In the bowl of a food processor combine garlic, mint, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Whiz until smooth.   Strain peas, taking care to reserve cooking liquid. Add all but 1/2 cup of peas to the food processor. Whiz and add cooking liquid until desired consistency is reached. put remaining peas into a bowl and lightly crush with fork.  In a large bowl combine potatoes mashed up pea mixture and remaining 1/2 cup of fork smashed peas.  Add cooking liquid from peas as needed until desired consistency has been reached. I left mine kind of chunky.  Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.  Serve chilled or at room temperature!

This is a super delicious gluten free, high protein recipe that I am in love with!  I love quinoa and am always trying to think up new recipes.  Its super quick and super easy, seriously anyone can make this.  If you shy away from canned beans, Eden Foods beans are in BPA free cans and as long as you rine them well they are not high in sodium.  Alternativley you could soak and cook your own beans.

1 cup organic quinoa

2 cups water

1 cup of your favorite salsa

1 can organic black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can organic garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup organic frozen corn, rinsed

freshly grated organic monterey jack cheese

diced avocado

combine quinoa, water, beans, and corn in a large sauce pan.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low.  Simmer 10-15 minutes until quinoa in fully cooked.  Remove from heat, add in salsa and then top with a bit of diced avocado and monterey jack cheese.  Enjoy!

So the only time I have ever had a jamaican patty was on our honeymoon in Jamaica.  it was at a little roadside stand on the way to the resort.  I just remember it being so good so when I was looking through recipes on my favorite website 101cookbooks.com and came across a recipe, I just had to give it a try.  I tweaked the recipe as always and this is what I came up with.  With the first bite I was taken back to that sunny day at that silly roadside stand on the side of the road with the beautiful ocean providing the backdrop.  Its funny how our memories can be triggered by so many things, a picture, a taste, a smell. The original recipe was vegetarian, but I had about a half a pound of ground bison that needed to be used so I threw it in. I beefed up the spices a bit, since the meat would add a strong flavor, and gave it my own spin.  The color of the dough comes from the addition of turmeric, which is super healthy, and the pastry is made with coconut oil instead of butter.  One of the “good fats” that makes up about 50% of coconut oil, is lauric acid. Lauric acid is a rare medium-chain fatty acid found in mother’s milk. It is now being shown to have anti-fungal, anti-viral, and anti-bacterial health-protecting properties.  I used Nutiva brand.  Here is a link to their sight:

http://nutiva.com/products/coconut-oil-organic-benefits-nutiva/

Here is some info on the health benefits of Turmeric:

http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/20-health-benefits-of-turmeric.html

I hope you enjoy these as much as we did! YA MON~

For the filling:

1/2 pound ground bison (any ground meat would work or you can leave it veggie)

1/2 cup peas

1/2 cup diced carrot

1/2 cup diced potatoes

1/2 cup diced onion

2 cloves minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

3/4 cup coconut milk

1 tablespoon coconut oil

For Pastry:

3/4 cup chilled coconut oil

2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

2 teaspoons turmeric

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup plus 2-3 tablespoons ice water

1 beaten egg to brush on patty before baking

To make the pastry combine the flour, turmeric, and salt in food processor.  Add chilled coconut oil and pulse until it resembles coarse sand with pea sized chunks of oil speckling the dough. Add vinegar then water a little bit at a time until the dough just starts to hold together taking care not to over mix which will make the dough tough.  empty onto a piece of plastic wrap.  Form into a disc and wrap.  Chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Pre-heat oven to 350.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Heat coconut oil in large skillet. I prefer cast iron.  Add onion, carrot, and potato and cook until soft and starting to brown.  Add spices, garlic, and bison, can cook until bison is browned.  Add peas and coconut milk and cook for about 8-10 minutes. 

Remove dough from fridge and working in batches, roll out dough to 1/8 thickness.  Use a large round cookie cutter or cereal bowl to cut out rounds of dough.  My bowl was about 4 inches across and it made a nice sized patty.  Place circle of dough on baking sheet and place about 2-3 tablespoons of filling onto half of the pastry.  Fold over dough, and seal by using a fork to press along the edges.  Continue making patties until all of the filling is gone. Brush with egg wash and bake about 40-45 until pastry if just starting to brown.

Remove from oven and cool slightly before eating.  Enjoy and make sure you have a beverage on hand these are spicy! 

This recipe is inspired by a Huckleberry cake on Heidi Swanson’s site 101cookbooks.com.  I didn’t have huckleberries, so I substituted fresh blueberries.  This recipe is easy and pretty quick and makes a beautiful breakfast coffee cake or tea cake or just plain yummy dessert!  The cake is sweetened with pure maple syrup and it nicely scented with lemon zest and thyme.  A beautiful combination of flavors and tender crumb makes this cake a keeper!  This is just absolutely perfect! 

Pre-Baking

Just out of the oven

Slice view

For the cake:

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

4 tablespoons rolled oats (not quick cooking)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme

zest of 1 lemon

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 cup half and half

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

1 egg-room temperature

4 tablespoons butter-room temperature

1/3 cup maple syrup-room temperature

For the topping:

1/2 cup flour

2 tablespoons oats

4 tablespoons cold butter

1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme

3/4 chopped pecans

3 tablespoons raw turbinado sugar

Preheat oven to 350.  Butter and line a pie plate with parchment paper, set aside.

In a large bowl combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and thyme.  In a medium bowl beat butter with a hand mixer until light and fluffy.  Add maple syrup, egg, half and half, vanilla extract, and lemon zest and beat until well combined.  Pour wet mixture into flour mixture.  Stir until just combined.  Add the blueberries and fold in very carefully taking care not to crush the berries.  Put batter in prepared pie pan.  in a small bowl combine topping ingredients with your fingers or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse sand.  Sprinkle the crumble on top of the cake, bake 40-45 minutes until lightly browned and just set.  Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. 

With the warm weather we had last week, I was inspired to make something springy!  I immediately thought of asparagus and pea shoots.  I’d been craving soba noodle stir fry so I combined the two.  I also used shiitake mushrooms, green onions, and some toasted sesame oil to add a traditional Asian flavor to the dish. I wanted a sweet and salty flavor so I also added a little honey and topped it ff with a salty goats milk feta cheese.  This ended up being just what I wanted.  It was nice to eat something light and fresh tasting after a long winter full of heavy dishes.  Unfortunatley we ate it all before I got a picture!

1 package soba noodles

4 cloves minced garlic

1 bunch green onion thinly sliced on an angle

1 pint shiitake mushrooms stems removed and sliced thinly

1 bunch asparagus woody ends removed rinsed well and sliced into 1 inch pieces

1 bunch fresh pea shoots (trader joe’s carries these year round)

1 tablesppon olive oil

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons honey

1/2 cup crumbled goats or sheeps milk feta cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the soba noodles. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the mushrooms and asparagus and saute until asparagus is slightly soft and mushrooms are nicely browned.  Add soba noodles to water and cook approximately 5 minutes or until soft.  Add garlic, pea shoots, and green onion to skillet and saute about 4 minutes until the garlic is just cooked.  Remove from heat and add soy sauce, sesame oil, and honey.  Drain soba noodles and combine noodles and veggies.  Top with crumbled feta and enjoy!  This dish is also great cold.  A sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds would be great as well. 

So this is a new recipe.  I got the idea from a similar sweet bread/cake on 101cookbooks.com. I did what I always do though and tweaked it to make it yummier!  I started out by browning the unsalted butter in a pot on the stove.  It took about 15 minutes to brown.  You have to be careful not to burn it you just want to develop a nutty flavor.  i melted it over med/low heat and swished it around the pot frequently so it would burn.  I roasted a sweet potato in the oven until it was soft, then i pureed it until smooth.  For spices i went a little toward the indian flavors.  I used a hefty amount of cinnamon along with coriander, cardamom, cloves, and a tiny bit  of garam masala and warming indian spice blend.  Since i am eating gluten right now i used unbleached all purpose flour, but it would be pretty easy to make it gluten free by substituting a mix of gluten free oat flour, tapioca flour, sweet sorghum flour and xantham gum.  If you want details let me know.  I am really into layering flavors to give things a full well rounded taste.  I hope you take a chance and give this a try!  If the spices sound too weird for your palate a simple mix of cinnamon, and cloves would be good too, but the cardamom and coriander really add a special flair and an exotic flavor.  Feel free to substitute any roasted squash for the sweet potato, canned pumpkin would work also.

1/2 cup pureed roasted sweet potato

1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon cardamom

1/8 teaspoon cloves

1/8 teaspoon coriander

a pinch of garam masala

1 stick plus one tablespoon of butter melted and browned

2 eggs

1/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk or milk of your choice

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons blanched sliced almonds

3/4 cup unrefined natural sugar or light agave nectar

2/3 cup raisins

1 tablespoon turbinado sugar for sprinkling on top

Start by roasting the sweet potato at 425 for about 30-40 minutes.  While that is roasting, start browning the butter.  Once the sweet potato the oven to 350.  Butter a loaf pan and set aside.  Puree the sweet potato with a tiny bit of water until smooth.  You can just use a hand mixer, it works fine as long as it is thoroughly cooked.  Once the butter is nicely browned let it cool slightly.  In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, spices, and salt.  In a medium bowl combine sweet potato, eggs, sugar and milk.  Add cooled butter to wet mixture.  Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet.  Mix until just combined.  add in the raisins and all but 2 tablespoons of the almonds.  Pour into greased pan and top with turbinado sugar and remaining almonds.  bake on top rack for 45-50 minutes until just set.  Try not to over bake.  Cool in pan on wire rack.

Enjoy!