Month: December 2013

Coconut and Meyer Lemon Cupcakes

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This recipe is a paean to my love of all things coconut.

I use every form of it in my baking – milk, oil, butter, meat, yogurt, flakes, flour… even coconut vinegar. And I love the subtle sweetness and moist and tender crumb it gives these cupcakes.

The sweet yet acidic Meyer Lemon compliments the coconut perfectly and prevents the flavor from being cloying. As much as I love coconut, I’ve definitely had overly sweet coconut cakes I could only take a few bites of.

As decadent as coconut can seem, it is actually one of the healthiest ingredients to bake with. Coconut oil is arguably the oil with the most benefits: it is composed of Medium Chain Fatty Acids which are smaller, easier to digest and actually stimulate your metabolism as opposed to the larger Long Chain Fatty Acids found in most vegetable or seed oils which are much harder to break down and end up being stored as fat. So what I’m basically saying is that these cupcakes are essentially diet food and you should go ahead and have one or five…

Coconut and Meyer Lemon Cupcakes

Ingredients for the cupcakes:

1 ½ cup Sorghum Flour

1 cup Potato Starch (or Tapioca)

¾ cup Almond Flour

¼ cup Coconut Flour

1 ½ cups organic Cane Sugar

2 teaspoons Xanthan Gum

1-Tablespoon Baking Powder

½ teaspoon Baking Soda

½ teaspoon Sea Salt

½ cup Coconut Oil

3 Eggs or Ener G Egg Replacer

1 14oz can Coconut Milk

1 teaspoon Meyer Lemon Juice

Zest from one Meyer Lemon

2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

Method:

Whisk together flours and dry ingredients

Add in wet ingredients and beat until smooth.  Scoop the batter into lined cupcake pans, filling each cup around ¾ of the way full

Ingredients for the frosting:

1 cup Earth Balance or other Vegan Butter substitute

4 cups Powdered Sugar, sifted

2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

3-4 tablespoons Coconut Milk

Toasted Coconut Flakes

Method:

Cream the Earth Balance and Vanilla Extract with an electric mixer until smooth.  Add the powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of the Coconut Milk and beat until creamy frosting starts to form.  Add in the remaining coconut milk as necessary to achieve a spreadable texture.

Frost the cooled cupcake and decorate the tops with the toasted coconut flakes.

I’d love to see your cupcake pictures – tag me in on Instagram.

Fig and Lavender Goat Cheese Pizza

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Fig and Lavender Goat Cheese Pizza

Ingredients:

1-½ cups fresh figs, cut into quarters or sixths depending on size

8 oz. goat cheese, I use Nettle Meadow’s Honey Lavender Fromage Blanc, which adds some nice subtle undertones of flavor but any soft goat cheese will work

A few sprigs fresh thyme

Olive oil

1-teaspoon lavender

Honey to drizzle (optional)

1 prebaked pizza crust

Sea Salt

Method:

Preheat the oven to broil.

Drizzle the prebaked crust with olive oil and spread cheese to cover in an even layer. Top with figs in a circular patter and drizzle with more olive oil. Sprinkle with the fresh thyme, sea salt, and lavender and place in the top rack of the oven. Broil until the cheese is melted and starting to bubble and the figs are slightly wilted, about 5- 10 minutes. Serve warm, and if serving more as a dessert course, drizzle honey over the top of the pizza.

Apple Cheddar Pizza with Arugula

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Apple Cheddar Pizza with Arugula

Ingredients:

2-3 Apples of your choice (I used Gala Apples, but use your favorite)

4 oz. Garlic Cheddar, grated (Any type of cheddar or nice melting cheese would be great as well- fontina for example)

3-5 Shallots, thinly sliced

1 bunch baby Arugula

Olive oil

¼ cup Brown Sugar, divided

1 prebaked Pizza Crust

Method:

Slice the Apples very thin – I use a mandolin for speed, but this can also be done by hand

Sauté the shallots in olive oil on medium low heat, adding 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar once they have softened to help caramelize. Sauté on low until a nice golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste

Drizzle the Pizza Crust with olive oil and spread the shallots to cover evenly. Sprinkle the cheddar to cover the shallots. Place the apple slices on top, layering the thin slices on top of each other to form a concentric circle on the outside of the crust. Reverse the direction of the apple slices for the inner circle. Drizzle the top with olive oil, sprinkle with the remaining brown sugar and some sea salt,

Place the pizza in the over on the top rack. Broil for 5-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and the apple slices are starting to brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. While it’s cooling, toss the arugula with olive oil and sea salt. Place the arugula on top of the pizza and serve.

Quinoa Chocolate Chip Cookies with Goji Berries

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Quinoa Chocolate Chip Cookies with Goji Berries

Ingredients:

¾ cup Quinoa Flakes

¼ cup Quinoa Flour

½ cup Potato Starch or Tapioca Starch

½ cup Almond Flour

¾ cup Sorghum Flour

1 ¼ cup Light Brown Sugar

1 ½ teaspoon Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

¾ teaspoon Sea Salt

1 teaspoon Xanthan Gum

2/3 cup Coconut Oil

3 Tablespoons Maple Syrup (Grade B)

1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract

2 Eggs, beaten or Ener G Egg Replacer equivalent (1 tablespoon Ener G plus ¼ cup warm water)

1 cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips or Chunks (I love Guittard’s Super Cookie Chips)

2/3 cups Goji Berries

Method:

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in the coconut oil, eggs, and vanilla until the mixture forms a soft dough. If the mixture is still dry add a few tablespoons warm water to achieve the right consistency. Stir in the chocolate chips and goji berries to disperse evenly. Wrap the cookie dough in plastic and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes

Preheat the oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with parchment. Take the refrigerated dough and roll large tablespoonfuls of the dough into balls with your hands, slightly smaller than the size of a golf ball.  Place the balls on the baking sheet and press down to flatten a bit. Place in the oven and bake for 23 minutes. Makes 20-24 cookies.

Gluten-Free Pizza Crust

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Gluten-Free Pizza Crust

Note: Makes 2 crusts

Ingredients:

1 cup Sorghum Flour

1 cup Tapioca Starch

1 cup Potato Starch

½ cup Sweet Rice Flour

½ cup Millet Flour

1 tablespoon Baking Powder

2 teaspoons Xanthan Gum

1 teaspoon Sea Salt

3 tablespoons Brown Sugar

1 ¼ cup Warm Water

1 Packet Active Dry Yeast

1 teaspoon Sugar

¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

¼ cup Egg Whites

¼ teaspoon Rice Vinegar

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400° F.

Proof the yeast by combining in a bowl with the warm water and 1-teaspoon sugar. Let sit for 15 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients. The top should be bubbly, indicating the yeast is active, by the time you’re ready to add it.

Combine the flours, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt, and brown sugar in a larger bowl.

Mix the Egg whites, Olive oil and Vinegar in a small bowl.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in the proofed yeast and warm water and the remaining wet ingredients.

Mix until the dough starts to come together.

Unlike traditional pizza dough, there is no kneading (and no gluten to knead), once the dough is mixed, divide in two.

Place each half of dough on an oiled 9” pizza pan lined with parchment or dusted with cornmeal.

Work the dough with your hands to spread it in a thin, even layer covering the pizza pan. This takes a bit of practice to get comfortable with and perfect. It feels a bit odd- the dough is wet and tender compared to normal wheat-based versions. I find wetting my hands as I’m spreading it helps glide the dough more smoothly on the pan and prevents it from sticking to my hands too much.

Once you’ve spread the dough evenly, allow the pans to sit in a warm area for 30 minutes, the dough should rise slightly in this time.

Place the crusts in the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes.

Once baked, the crusts are ready for your choice of topping.

White Chocolate Chunk Chocolate Cookies

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These are the easiest and most decadent cookies.

I love the contrast between the rich, gooey chocolate cookie and the light, vanilla scented white chocolate chunks, but these cookies are also amazing with semisweet chocolate chips or chunks if you’re in the mood to go full double chocolate.

Sometimes I serve these with Van Leeuwen Vegan ice cream to make the most incredible ice cream sandwiches – you won’t believe they’re Vegan and Gluten Free!

White Chocolate Chunk Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup Gluten Free Oat Flour

1 cup Sorghum Flour

1 cup Almond Flour

1 cup Potato Starch or Tapioca Starch

2/3 cup Cocoa powder

4 teaspoons Xanthan Gum

2 teaspoons Sea Salt

4 teaspoons Baking Powder

2 cups Brown Sugar

1 cup Coconut Oil

2 tablespoons Vanilla Extract

1 cup Almond Milk* (or your non-dairy milk of choice, e.g. Coconut Milk, Hemp Milk etc.)

7 oz. White Chocolate, chopped into chunks (my favorite is Green & Black)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Once evenly combined, make a well in the center and pour in the coconut oil, vanilla, and almond milk. Stir to combine and make a soft dough. Finally, add in the white chocolate chunks and stir to disperse evenly.

Form the dough into golf ball sized rounds and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Flatten the tops of the balls slightly to form them in the shape of the cookie.

Bake for 20 minutes- the cookies may seem under-baked but you want them to be soft and gooey and dense even after cooling. Cool if you can let them, but these cookies are amazing when eaten warm with the white chocolate chunks still melting.

 

*Notes:

The Whole Foods 365 brand of Almond Milk is the best widely available brand I’ve found because it doesn’t use carrageenan as a binder to prevent the almond solids from separating. Carrageenan is a seaweed extract used to give a thicker consistency and prevent separation in many dairy replacements and is even in Organic products. However, carrageenan has been shown to cause inflammation and is especially destructive to the digestive tract and has been linked to gastrointestinal disease and cancer in animals. Ingesting it occasionally is probably fairly harmless, but having carrageenan in an item you consume daily, like Almond Milk (or Soy, Cashew, Hemp, Coconut… it’s in ALL of them) is best avoided if possible.

Blueberry Lavender Scones

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I love lavender in all forms- soaps, candles, perfumes there’s something so soothing and calming about its perfume.

Harnessing the sweet floral scent of lavender for baking is a bit more delicate. Go too heavy handed and it can taste vaguely medicinal and soap-like and be pretty off putting. I’ve found I like it best when balanced with the sweet flavors of berries and vanilla, which mellow it out a bit. These flavors come together beautifully in the scones.

Blueberry Lavender Scones

 

Ingredients for the lavender sugar:

2 tablespoon Culinary Lavender

2 tablespoons Demerara Sugar or Organic Cane Sugar

Method:

Grind Lavender in a coffee grinder or spice grinder, until finer in texture.  Add in sugar and pulse a few times to combine.

Set Lavender Sugar aside.  I often make a greater amount and keep the remaining Lavender Sugar in the pantry, adding it to compotes, baked goods, or even smoothies.

Ingredients for the scones:

3 cups Sorghum Flour

1 ½ cups Almond Flour

1½ cups Potato Starch (not Potato Flour!) or Tapioca Starch

3 tablespoons Baking Powder

½ cup Organic Brown Sugar

3 teaspoons Xanthan Gum

1 ½ teaspoons Sea Salt

¾ cup plus 3 Tablespoons Earth Balance, in small pieces

1 ½ cups Coconut Yogurt

Ener G Egg Replacer for 3 eggs (1 tablespoon plus 1 ½ teaspoon Ener G mixed with 6 tablespoon Warm Water)

2 tablespoons Vanilla Extract

Method:

Preheat Oven to 400° F.

Combine Dry ingredients and 2 Tablespoons Lavender Sugar in a large bowl.

Add the Earth Balance to the dry ingredients and work in until the flakes are the size of peas and it is evenly dispersed. I find using my hands to do this is the easiest method, but a pastry cutter or fork also works.

Mix the wet ingredients together and add to the flour mixture, stirring to combine and make a soft dough.

Add the blueberries and gently mix in. With frozen berries, the excess liquid often bleeds into the dough when mixed, but I find the purple swirls only make the scones prettier.

Form the dough by hand into rounded scones and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. You should be able to make 12-15 from the mixture.

Once all the scones are formed, brush the tops with any leftover coconut yogurt or with any non-dairy milk you have on hand and sprinkle the tops of the scones with the remaining lavender sugar.

Bake for approximately 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Show me your scones on Instagram!