Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Recipes’ Category

Watermelon, beet, pea and feta salad with chili-lime vinaigrette

Posted in Recipes, Tips, tagged , , , , , , , on September 4, 2020| 3 Comments »

 

I hope you and your loved ones are staying healthy! These extraordinary times we’re living in seem to be challenging just about everyone–even those with secure jobs and plenty of resources.

Here in Northern California, we’re also experiencing horrific wildfires and the resulting smoke, which makes the air quality so poor you often can’t go outside to escape the stress of being cooped up because of Covid-19. What’s more, the recent heatwave brought thousands of tiny ants into my home, and one day, a few dozen large ones. I tried joking with friends about the “fire, plague and pestilence,” because when you think about it, things are so bad it can seem unreal or surreal, and you almost have to be able to joke about it to keep sane.

I try to cope by reminding myself of all the good things I have in my life–particularly my health and my children’s health. I also remind myself that it’s pointless to worry about those things I have absolutely no control over. And I take joy in small things–like seeing a fawn with its mother on my lawn, a funny meme one of my kids shares with me, a simple but delicious meal or favorite sweet. (Of course, there’s always Netflix, too!)

Back to the food… I love this salad! I’ve been making it nearly every week since May, and I definitely rate in among my top five favorites. It boasts beautiful color, complex flavor and texture, and you can easily source its ingredients all summer and into autumn. It has just the right combination of sweet, savory, soft and crunchy, and the chili-lime vinaigrette gives it just a little added kick. You can make a vegan version leaving out the feta.

Make sure you use a nicely ripe watermelon. My nearly full-proof technique for choosing watermelons is to pick one up and rap on it gently with my knuckles–just like you would knock on someone’s door. If you get a true “hollow” knock, then the melon is ripe. If you get more of a “thud” sound, try another.

 

Ingredients (for 4-6 servings)

1/2 a ripe watermelon, rind/seeds removed and cut into 1-inch cubes

2-3 golden beets

1 large handful sugar snap peas, trimmed and sliced thin

1/2 cup firm feta (I use sheep’s milk feta)

2 large handfuls arugula leaves

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Juice from 1 lime* (about 3 Tbsp)

1-1/2 tsp ground chili pepper

1/2 tsp sea salt

Optional: 1/3 cup chili lime pepitas (recipe follows)

Mix 1 cup raw pepitas with 1 tsp olive oil, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika or ancho chili powder, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper and the juice of one lime. Preheat oven to 325F. Spread pepitas on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

*Get the most juice out of your lime by pressing down on the lime while it’s still whole, and rolling it while pressing down on it against a countertop or cutting board.

 

Preparation

Trim away any roots or pointed tops on the beets, wrap in foil and roast in the oven or toaster oven at 375F until cooked through, 30-40 minutes. Let cool. Run under cold water to help slide the skin off. Cut into 3/4-inch cubes. Place in a large bowl.

Add cut watermelon, snap peas and arugula and toss to combine.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice chili pepper and salt. Drizzle over the watermelon and beet mixture and toss to coat evenly. Crumble feta over the salad and lightly toss. Sprinkle toasted pepitas if using and serve immediately.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Advertisement

Read Full Post »

Almond hempseed pancakes

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , , , , on August 20, 2020| 1 Comment »

 

Happy almost end of “not-like-any-other” summer! I hope you and your loved ones have kept healthy–both physically and emotionally. These are extraordinary times for sure, and so many of us regularly feeling anxious, stressed, even depressed. I hope you have been managing all right. I’ve developed my own strategies for staying (relatively speaking) positive and optimistic. I recognize (and remind myself!) that the pandemic is temporary, even if it’s not as temporary as we had initially hoped. I try to spend as much time in nature as I can, which has been challenging since I’m working full-time and raising two children who can’t be in camp due to Covid-19 restraints.  I also bought an excellent book on mindfulness, which has helped me reduce stress more than meditation has because it’s very purposeful and intentional and helps me reshape and redirect my thinking. I found mediation was leaving too much to chance even if it helped me relax.

Of course, I’m also trying to maintain a healthy diet so I’m better protected against the Coronavirus–or any virus for that matter, and so I can maintain a healthy weight since I can’t go to the gym anymore and my workouts are more sporadic. I will admit I’ve fallen victim to the Covid-19 snack phenomenon, whereby I often find myself standing in front of my refrigerator, door open, considering what to eat when I’m not actually hungry! Do you know what I’m talking about?? There have been so many funny memes posted about this, and it really gives us insight into the human psyche.

But back to the pancakes… I have made these my go-to breakfast because it’s super easy to whip up a lot of batter, store it in a glass jar in the refrigerator, and quickly make a nutritious, delicious breakfast for days to come. I usually don’t put maple syrup on mine, and instead use a big dollop of my strawberry chia puree, which I also make a big batch of and keep stored in the fridge.

These pancakes are really good, eggy in texture and packed with protein thanks to the four eggs, almond flour, hempseed and collagen peptides. Sometimes I make them with extra cinnamon, but then use maple syrup instead of the strawberry puree so the strawberry and cinnamon aren’t competing with each other. And the best part? You can just throw all the ingredients into your Vitamix or other high-powered blender and voila!

 

Ingredients

1 large banana

4 eggs

1/4 cup almond milk

3 Tbsp coconut oil, melted and cooled

1 cup almond flour

1/2 cup raw hulled hempseed

1/2 cup tapioca flour

2 scoops collagen peptides (I like this brand)

1 Tbsp coconut sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon*

1/2 tsp salt

*If you want the super-cinnamony version, use 1-1/2 Tbsp cinnamon

 

Preparation

Blend everything together in a high-powered blender until completely smooth. Cook in a buttered or oiled cast iron or nonstick pan over medium-low to medium heat until golden brown (3-4 minutes). Flip and cook the opposite side until just golden (1-2 minutes).

Strawberry Chia Puree (made in advance)

In a glass bowl or large glass jar, stir 4 cups fresh or frozen pureed strawberries with 2 heaping tablespoons chia seeds, the juice of half a lemon, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract and 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup. Cover and let sit in the fridge for four hours before using. Store in the fridge for up to five days.

Be well, and enjoy!

 

Read Full Post »

Farro salad with radish, roasted beet and feta

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on June 10, 2020| Leave a Comment »

 

I hope you are in a safe place–both physically and emotionally. Last week was a very difficult one for our nation, for our nation’s black community, and for many of us individually.

I won’t begin to think I am informed enough or experienced enough to talk about the struggles that so many people of color still face today across our nation. What I will say is that I am fully aware of my white (half-Asian, actually) privilege, and I remind my children of it regularly–not just speaking of the color of their skin, but also the circumstances into which they were born.

But above all else, I try to teach them to treat everyone with kindness and compassion, to look beyond any outward appearance or labels (e.g. black/white, gay/straight, racist/antiracist). After all, while there may be an occasional bad egg amongst all the good ones, racism is born out of ignorance, and it’s often born into. Our country is vast, our neighborhoods are mostly still segregated, and that ignorance is allowed to continue year after year, generation after generation.

I do believe we all have a responsibility to be actively antiracist, and we have a responsibility to seek to understand.

I stress-bake, and I stress-eat, so was doing a lot of both last week. Luckily, I still managed to keep it healthy. Here’s a dish that’s colorful, tasty and easy to prepare (although you need to allow 30 minutes to cook the farro and 35-40 minutes to roast the beets). You might be thinking, wait, isn’t she gluten-free? No, I’m not. I rarely eat gluten, but I have no obvious intolerance to it, and indulge occasionally when it’s something I really like, such as farro–because I just love the texture and slightly nutty flavor, and a good loaf of pain levain.

Farro, like Einkhorn, hasn’t gone through all the hybridization that modern wheat has (which has significantly increased the gluten content of today’s wheat), so it’s largely believed to be much the same grain as it was more than 100 years ago. While it still poses real dangers to celiac individuals or anyone with high gluten sensitivity, it (luckily) can be enjoyed by the rest of us.

This recipe serves as a great main dish for lunch or a side dish for dinner, and it travels well for a picnic at the beach. You can also make it vegan by leaving out the feta, although it changes the flavor profile.

 

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

2 cups cooked farro*

2 golden beets roasted at 375F until tender (about 35-40 minutes)

1 cup mixed radishes, trimmed and quartered

2 oz feta (I use a sheep’s milk version)

3 Tbsp chopped fresh chives

2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Salt and fresh-ground pepper to taste

* Place 1 cup of farro in a medium saucepan. Wash and rinse 2-3 times. Add two cups water and place over medium-high heat. When the water begins to boil, turn down the heat, cover the pan and simmer the farro for 30 minutes. Drain off any excess water.

 

Preparation

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil and vinegar. Set aside.

Carefully peel the skin off the beets, and slice into 1/2-inch chunks. Place in a medium bowl. Add in the radishes, fresh herbs and oil and vinegar mixture and toss to combine thoroughly. Add in the feta and toss again. Season with salt and pepper

Best served immediately, still slightly warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

(Serves 4 as a main or 6 as a side. Adapted from http://www.bonappetit.com)

 

Read Full Post »

Spiced almond pear cake, gluten-free

Posted in Desserts, Recipes, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on May 13, 2020| 2 Comments »

 

Do you ever get a sudden inexplicable craving for a particular dish or flavor? When I get stressed, I start craving pickles (the really crunchy dill kind) and salami–basically anything really strong in flavor. Often sauerkraut or kimchi will do in a bind. I also regularly crave almond flavor, and I’m not talking about the flavor you get from a handful of almonds. I’m talking about that super strong flavor you get from almond extract.

My mom used to make these delectable almond butter cookies using white flour, loads of butter and sugar and almond extract. They were flaky, sweet and super almondy, and while I haven’t attempted to recreate them gluten-free, I’m often nostalgic for that flavor.

I recently discovered some pears in my fruit bowl that had become very ripe, and since they were too ripe to slice into a salad, I thought why not bake them into an almond cake? Who doesn’t love the combination of pears and almonds? The added spices make this version more flavorful and a little more “sophisticated” in case you’re serving it to guests (or leaving it on a friend’s doorstep during the COVID-19 restrictions).

Like most of my recipes, this one is super easy to make. After all, who needs more challenge and stress in their lives right now? You can make this using any variety of pear, but I prefer to use Bartlett or Packam.

 

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour (I like this brand)

1 cup almond flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, softened or 1/2 cup mild-tasting olive oil

1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

3 Tbsp nut milk

2 ripe pears, peeled, quartered and cored, and cut crosswise in 1/4-inch slices

 

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease and flour a standard 8-inch cake pan or springform pan. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom.

In a medium size bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

In a larger bowl, beat the butter (if using) with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until its a smooth, even consistency. Beat in the sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, blending well. Add in the extracts and nut milk, and blend. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and fold in just until blended. Fold in the pear slices. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and gently smooth the top using the back of a spoon or rubber spatula.

Place in the center of the oven and bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and the cake has turned golden brown.

Allow the cake to cool completely and serve with a dusting of powdered sugar and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Enjoy!

 

Read Full Post »

Chocolate ganache tart

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , , , , on April 20, 2020| Leave a Comment »

 

 

What could me more appropriate for starting up my blog again than a recipe involving chocolate? This tart is super easy to make, and will win you cheers and accolades. It’s been my go-to dessert for the past 4-5 months since I have a lot of chocolate lovers in my life. Added bonus: At least in my case, it’s made from pantry staples. It’s also simple to make this dessert vegan by subbing coconut oil for the butter and using vegan chocolate chips (Enjoy Life‘s are my favorite).

I slightly modified this recipe from one that was in last year’s holiday issue of Bon Appétit–replacing the 2 cups of heavy cream with 2 cups of coconut cream. I’m dairy averse as you may recall, and using coconut cream instead of regular cream makes for a lighter dessert that doesn’t sit in your stomach like a 5-lb weight after you’re done eating.

 

Ingredients

Crust:

4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

2 1/2 cups nuts (e.g., walnuts, pecans, almonds)

6 Tbsp evaporated cane juice (sugar)

3/4 tsp sea salt

Ganache:

12 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 cups coconut cream or full-fat coconut milk

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature cut into 6 pieces

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

 

Preparation

Lightly grease a 12-inch diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Cut a circle of parchment paper for the bottom.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Preparing the crust: Combine nuts, sugar and butter in a food processor until the mixture begins to clump together and is the consistency of coarse sand. Empty into the prepared tart pan and using your hands, press firmly and evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Bake in the center of your oven until the crust turned a golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Let cool.

Preparing the ganache: Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat the coconut cream or milk in a small saucepan until it just begins to simmer. Remove from the heat and immediately pour over the chocolate. Let it sit, undisturbed for 5 minutes. Add butter chunks and vanilla and mix with a heatproof rubber spatula until you get a smooth, glossy mixture. Scrape it into the crust, and smooth out any bubbles using the tip of the spatula. Place the tart in the fridge, uncovered, until set–about 2 hours.

To serve, carefully remove the tart from the pan, sprinkle it with flaky sea salt (Maldon’s Sea Salt Flakes are great!), and cut with a hot knife.

Enjoy!

 

 

Read Full Post »

Green powerhouse drink

Posted in General nutrition, Recipes, tagged , , , , , , , , , on May 15, 2019| 4 Comments »

 

This post is to share one of my favorite green smoothie drinks, but first, I want to report back on another morning ritual drink I’ve incorporated into my life.

If you happen to follow me on Instagram, you may have seen me post my current celery juice “practice.” With all the recent hype about the wonders of celery juice (e.g., anti-inflammatory, detoxifying, cancer fighting, etc.), I naturally wanted to see if the hype had merit.

I’ve been drinking it first thing in the morning nearly every day for the past 2-3 months, and I have to say, I feel healthier. I almost never get sick in the conventional sense, such as getting a cold, flu or stomach bug, so I can’t say whether I think it’s improving my overall immunity. However, my skin seems clearer (I’m prone to getting roughness on my cheeks or small bumps on my upper arms), my seborrheic dermatitis lessens, and I just feel better–stronger and more energized. Yes, this is just anecdotal evidence from one person, but combined with what the research suggests, a lot of other people’s anecdotal experience, and the fact that it costs next to nothing to make, I recommend trying it for at least several weeks to see if you notice improvements, too.

I can’t say it tastes delicious, but if you haven’t tried it yet, I can tell you that you will get used to the taste. And if you drink it really cold, you will notice the taste less. So I nearly always start my day with about 6 oz of celery juice, and try to hold off on breakfast for at least 30 minutes. When I want to feel really energized, and since I’m still on a quest to incorporate greens into nearly every breakfast, I like to follow with this powerhouse drink and an egg.

This smoothie drink does tastes delicious and gives you several serving of fruits and vegetables in a glass, along with a healthy dose of Vitamins A, C and K (K is important for preventing osteoporosis, lowering cholesterol and reducing your risk of several cancers, including breast, colorectal and kidney) from the collard greens. Romaine, although low in fiber, is high Vitamins A, K and C as well as folate. Pears and apples both provide dietary fiber.

If you alternate this drink with my green paleo pancakes, you will supply your body with a lot of vitamins, minerals and fiber important for achieving good health. In short, you will do your body a lot of good!

 

Ingredients (for 2)

1/2 a pear, core removed

1/2 an apple, core removed

2-3 leaves of romaine lettuce

2-3 leaves of collard greens or chard

1 banana

2 stalks celery

1/4 of a lemon, seeds removed

ice

Optional

2 tbsp fresh parsley

or

1 tbsp fresh mint

 

Preparation

Blend everything together in a high-powered blender (e.g., Vitamix) until smooth. Add ice to suit your personal taste of how cold you like your drinks.

 

Enjoy!

 

Read Full Post »

Banana cake (Bolo de banana), gluten- and dairy-free

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on May 3, 2019| Leave a Comment »

 

 

This cake has become my family’s favorite easy-bake, easy-to-make, cake. It’s essentially banana bread masquerading as banana cake, but the cake shape makes it seem more special. It’s crazy moist, contains very little added sugar (because how much sugar do you need with all those bananas in there?!), and it’s a great way to use ripe and/or spotty bananas. We buy tons of bananas in Brazil because they are super inexpensive. However, I don’t even like raw bananas, so I literally buy 20 bananas a week to use in my Green Paleo Pancakes, Green Power Shake, oatmeal pancakes, breads, cakes and muffins.

I have ordered Bolo de Banana several times in Brazil, and while I’ve always found the cakes here overly sweet (not to mention full of gluten), I like how they incorporate so much banana into their recipes. So I tinkered with my gluten- and dairy-free banana muffin recipe to come up with this recipe. It uses 4-6 bananas, and instead of blending the bananas with the wet ingredients, I only mash the bananas a little with a fork so there are lots of chunks of banana in the final cake. Topping the cake with slices of banana makes the cake look more festive, and the banana caramelizes in the baking making it taste better.

 

Ingredients

1/2 Tbsp butter or oil

1 scant cup gluten-free all-purpose flour (I like this brand)

1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp almond flour

1/3 – 1/2 cup sugar*

1 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

2-4 ripe bananas

1-2 yellow bananas

2 eggs

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup plant-based milk (I like almond or coconut)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

*I’ve used as little as 1/4 cup of sugar, and the cake is still delicious!

 

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Grease and flour a standard cake tin. Place the tin on a piece of parchment paper, draw a circle using the base of the tin as a guide, cut out the circle and set it inside on the bottom of the tin. Set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients until there are no lumps and everything looks thoroughly combined. Set aside.

Peel the 2-4 ripe bananas and mash with a fork until broken down but still very lumpy in consistency. You need 1-1/2 cups for this recipe, but the recipe is very forgiving if you have slightly less or slightly more. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla. Whisk in the oil and milk. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and using a rubber spatula, fold until combined, but do not over stir. (I’ve read and been told that you can’t over stir anything made with gluten-free flour. However, in my personal experience, particular when baking cakes, one should never over stir.) Pour the batter into the prepared tin and give the tin a little jiggle to evenly distribute the batter.

Carefully slice the remaining 1-2 less ripe bananas into strips approximately 3/8-inch in thickness. Depending on the size of your banana(s), you may only need one banana. I aim for three to four strips. Lay the strips on top of the batter, and pop the tin in the center of the oven. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

 

Enjoy!

 

Read Full Post »

Orange almond chocolate scones – vegan

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , , , , , on March 8, 2019| Leave a Comment »

 

My son asked if we could make scones this week, and I realized we haven’t made any in the past several months. Have you noticed that at times, you completely forget to make something you really like and/or something your family loves? Do you find that sometimes, a favorite dish just falls from memory for no particular reason?

Luckily, I had an orange, some dark chocolate and all my regular gluten-free flours on hand, so we make these super flavorful and delicious scones. These are very similar to my orange current scones, but the dark chocolate chunks make them more of a treat for my kids.

 

Ingredients

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled

1/3 cup almond (or other) nut milk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

Finely grated zest of one orange

6 Tbsp of fresh-squeezed orange juice

1-1/4 cup almond flour

1-1/4 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour (I like this brand)

1/3-1/2 cup evaporated cane juice

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips or 1/3 cup of a dairy-free dark chocolate bar cut into small chunks

 

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk all the dry ingredients, except for the chocolate, together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Whisk the wet ingredients until well blended. Pour the wet mixture into the dry using a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides. Fold the wet and dry mixtures until just blended. Fold in the chocolate chips or chunks. Using the spatula, scoop out the dough onto a lightly floured cutting board or directly onto the parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

Gently pat the dough into a disc shape, approximately 1-inch thick (flouring your hands if necessary to prevent the dough from sticking). Using a chef’s knife, cut the disc into 6-8 pieces (3-4 cuts). Carefully separate the pieces roughly 1-2 inches apart.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a light golden brown color develops on the tops and edges. Remove and allow to cool 5-10 minutes before serving. Leftovers can be stores in an airtight container for 2-3 days, once the scones are completely cooled.

You can add a little honey or raspberry jam to these, but they’re so flavorful and yummy on their own, they don’t need anything extra.

Enjoy! 

 

Read Full Post »

Lemon shortbread cookies, gluten-free

Posted in Desserts, Recipes, tagged , , , , , on February 13, 2019| Leave a Comment »

 

 

 

Shortbread cookies hold a special place in my heart for many reasons. I have been eating them my whole life. They remind me of my parents–who are entering their twilight years, and who both love shortbread over all other cookies. I used to relish opening a new tin of Walkers assorted shortbread cookies, carefully selecting different shapes. And I like shortbread because I generally distrust sugar and love butter.

I also like that I don’t mind giving my children a shortbread cookie as a sweet treat since they’re relatively low in sugar (emphasis on “relatively”), yet my kids still see it as a cookie, a treat. They also enjoy helping me make the cookies, which can be whipped up in 30 minutes. Well, full disclosure here, it is currently so hot in Brazil, that by the time I incorporate the butter with the dry ingredients, it has melted so much that I have to chill my dough before rolling, cutting and baking it. But in most parts of the world, shortbread cookies can be made quickly and easily with so few ingredients.

Perhaps the best part about shortbread is that you can add just about anything you want to the dough. Here, the recipe is with fresh-grated lemon zest, but you can add chocolate chips or chocolate chunks, grated orange zest, ginger, lavender, or chopped nuts and dried fruit as seen in my holiday recipe for pistachio cranberry shortbread.

 

Ingredients

8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature or slightly cooler

1/3 cup sugar (also good using just 1/4 cup)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

zest of one lemon (finely grated)

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 cup (140 g) all-purpose gluten-free flour, I like this brand 

1/3 cup almond flour

 

Preparation

In a medium-size bowl, or food processor, combine the butter and sugar until evenly incorporated. Stir in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.

Whisk together the flours and salt in a small bowl and add to the butter mixture. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Turn out onto a floured surface and roll into a rectangle that’s approximately 3/8-inch in thickness. Cut into bars roughly 1.5 inches by 3 inches or use cookie cutters to cut into different shapes. Place cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 325F for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden brown on the edges. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for at least 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack or munching. These cookies keep for several days if you store them in a airtight container after they’re completely cooled.

Enjoy!

 

Read Full Post »

Orange almond muffins

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , , on January 22, 2019| 2 Comments »

 

I should rename my blog, “Muffin Mama,” since it seems I bake muffins at least twice a week. Baking is stress-relieving for me. In California, I baked muffins and breads regularly, but I because I haven’t bought a loaf pan yet here in Brazil, I’m all about the muffin. Unfortunately, because I can’t figure out the temperature on my oven in Brazil, there have been many muffins batches I wanted to share but couldn’t because they cooked too hot to be worth photographing.

I like making muffins because they’re simple to prepare, fun to eat, easy to make gluten- or dairy-free and low-sugar, and possess some element of nostalgia (possibly from the 80s–or was it the 90s when muffins became so popular that offering “muffin tops” even became a thing?). My kids love them, too, and I can put in all sorts of ingredients, such as carrots, zucchini, wheatgerm, and nuts, while keeping everyone happy.

This recipe is slightly more sophisticated than the banana or blueberry muffins I usually bake. These muffins you might serve when you invite someone over for tea or coffee, or as part of a brunch spread. They have a moist, delicate, cake-like texture, and the orange and almond combination make them just a tad sophisticated–if I can be so bold as to suggest muffins can have any sophistication. These would make a great companion to a leek and gruyere quiche or tart or an herb omelette if you’re inviting friends for brunch.

I’m crazy about almond, so you’ll appreciate the subtle almond flavor in these. If you don’t like almond, just use vanilla extract–just make sure it’s good quality, pure vanilla. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.

 

Ingredients

3/4 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour (I like this brand)

1 cup almond flour

2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp sea salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

zest of one orange (roughly 2-3 tsp)

1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

1/3 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

1/3 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted

 

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare a 12-muffin tin by either greasing the cups with a little olive oil or lining them with paper muffin cups.

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs until mixture is even in color. Whisk in sugar, orange zest and juice, yogurt, oil, and extracts.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and stir until combined. (Don’t over stir.) Spoon the batter evenly into the muffin cups.

Lightly toast the sliced almonds under just lightly golden. Sprinkle evenly over the batter-filled cups. Place in the center of the oven and bake 18-22 minutes or until the edges turn gold and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool 5-10 minutes before serving. Once completely cooled, muffins can be stored in an airtight container for up to four days.

Enjoy!

 

Read Full Post »

Older Posts »

Cook the Beans

inspired by ingredients, smells and Travels, vegan & vegetarian

Cooking Without Limits

Food Photography & Recipes

H o l l y 's a H e r b i v o r e

Selma's Table

Life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful - stories and recipes from a wonderful life...

Manger

Peri's Spice Ladle

%d bloggers like this: