Pollen Honey Fudge

I was really excited to make this recipe from my new favorite blogger, Forager Chef. I almost missed cattail pollen season, but last week while doing my regular walk around Lake Hiawatha, I spied the cattails and went in for a closer look. Sure enough, the tops were emitting yellow powder. I feel hesitant to collect pollen from plants so near the golf course or roads, cattails being useful for removing toxins in the environment by absorbing them, but I'd been cataloging a few locations on some hikes around the city that felt a bit more remote. So that night I headed out to one spot, and another the following day. That 2nd day was windier, and I only got about a tablespoon of pollen, despite some of the cattail shoots just opening and turning yellow. When people say it is a short harvesting season, they are right! 

I got about a cup of pollen from both trips, a low return on two hours of time, but enough to do something with. I consoled myself that first attempts at anything have lower yields, and now I am more aware of what I am looking for. 

So! This pollen fudge - it totally highlights the pollen. It's so yellow! I had to add a little more pollen than Forager Chef suggested, but that might be because I loosely measured my honey and may have been a little off. In any case, his recipe follows, which he says was inspired by Chinese and Iraqi pollen confections. His recipe links to this YouTube video of Pine Tree Flower Cake made by a woman in China, which is totally stunning. I watched more of her videos - no wonder she has millions of views! I found this fudge tasty, unlike anything else I've eaten, and a nice post dinner bite. I found I wanted a little crunch, so I tried rolling one in shredded coconut (good), and will try another in some crushed roasted nuts.

My one cup of cattail pollen.

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons pine or cattail pollen (previously frozen to sterilize it)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter or coconut oil for a vegan version
• 4 teaspoons mild honey
• Pinch kosher salt

Instructions

• Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, working with a fork until it just comes together, then switch to your hands and knead to a soft mass.
• Gauge the texture of the fudge, if it seems to soft to work with, add some more pollen.
• Chill the “fudge” to make it stiffen if it gets too soft on you. I like to form them, then chill to hold their shape. Just imagine you’re working with PlayDoh
• Shape the fudge into truffles, or another shape, dust with powdered dried pine needles, chopped fresh spruce tips, or more pollen as for truffles, and serve as a small sweet after a meal.

Grain-free brownies

Well, for no particular reason, other than we are in some weird times, I wanted to eat brownies. Also, because sometimes I can be a little rigid with myself - with intermittent fasting and wanting vegetables at each meal and all this business - I'm bringing in a little more intuitive eating. Like, maybe I will not have some major health fallout if I don't eat greens most days?!

So, I did not wait for my birthday, or someone else's birthday, and just made them. And so far, I am thoroughly enjoying my brownie encounters. These are good. Not overly sweet. Chocolatey, more dense than cake, but not fudge-like. Eating them feels really satisfying, unlike some treats I might get myself (the GF cream puffs at the co-op, for example) that actually are NOT that good, in the end. Last time I ate said cream puffs, they were dry and under-whelming. 

I recently saw a tiktok video by BlackForager (Alexis Nikole), who I LOVE, of her acorn flour pancakes. (I wish I was savvy enough to upload a tiktok video here, but alas, I am not.) It makes me think, hmmm, these brownies with acorn flour?! That would be the most stunning of treats, so maybe I'll see about making that happen. (Also check out her cattail song!)

So. These brownies are sweetened with dates and dark chocolate, and come together pretty easily in the food processor. One of my chocolate bars had some cayenne in it, which I get a little kick of in the brownies. I baked mine in a 9" cast iron skillet, though it was lined with parchment and my batter was fairly thick and didn't spread all the way out. The original recipe (another Mark's Daily Apple one) was baked in a 7" square baking pan, which reportedly resulted in thick brownies that could easily be thinner. So - go with something in this sort of size arena. (Note the original also has instructions for a keto, sugar-free version if you are interested.)

Ingredients (for 10-12 brownies)

• ¼ cup Salted Butter
• 3.5 oz. (100g) 70% Chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup Full Fat Coconut Milk
• 10 Dates, soaked (I used mostly Medjool, with a few Deglet)
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 cup Almond Flour
• 5 Tbsp. Cacao Powder
• 2 Large Eggs

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Set up a double boiler by filling a pot with a few inches of water and placing it over medium heat. Once it begins to boil, reduce to a simmer and place a heat-safe bowl on top of the pot. Add the chopped chocolate and butter to the bowl and gently mix using a spatula until the mixture is melted.

Soak the dates in hot water for at least 10 minutes. Drain the dates and add the dates, coconut milk and vanilla extract to a food processor. Blend until the mixture is fairly smooth, making sure to stop the processor occasionally to scrape down the sides. Add the chocolate and butter mixture and pulse a few more times. Add the almond flour and cocoa powder and pulse until combined. Add the eggs and blend until smooth.

Pour the brownie batter into a greased or parchment lined baking dish (a 7”x7” but made fairly thick brownies, so you can also use a larger dish). Feel free to top with chopped chocolate or walnuts. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until the center is fairly firm. Allow the brownies to fully cool before slicing.*

*I couldn't resist and ate some before they were all the way cool. They are better cool, FYI. 

Rhubarb-Raspberry GF Crostata

I went through my Ramadan fasting days without eating sugar - I did have dates of course, and some honey, but I didn't eat sweets or ice cream or baked goods (mainly to have more ease for my fast, because sugar creates for me a vaccuous hunger). It seemed fun then to make some kind of special thing for Eid, especially since my rhubarb plant has been particularly robust, sunning itself these days, with some fat stalks. I also had some raspberries in the freezer, and just enough GF flour mix to make this crostata. I used to love pastry making - so this was a fun revisit to using a rolling pin.

In the early days of my food blogging, when I still ate gluten, I made a zucchini gallette (which does look decidedly more stunning - glutenous flour really can do that for you!) It turns out crostatas and gallettes are really Italian and French words for the same thing: a pie pastry folded over itself in a casual, rustic sort of way. Freedom from the pie pan! I could have rolled mine out a little bigger, I grew impatient, and had a smaller, thicker crust and some leftover filling.

The original recipe is from a low fodmaps website, which is a particular anti-inflammatory way of eating that seems to help with several chronic health conditions. It was the only GF crostata recipe I came across, though I could have made one up, I suppose. This recipe was not at all sweet, so I increased the sweetener to half cup (from 1/3 cup), and I modified it a bit because I had frozen berries and added my tapioca starch directly (no added water), which seemed to do the right thickening trick. I ate my crostata with heavy cream and a little maple syrup on top, which was very tasty.

Crostata crust:

1 large egg, cold
3 tablespoons ice water
1/4 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 1/4 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar/sweetener
1/2 (Scant) teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

 

1. Place the flour, sugar, xanthan gum and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade attachment and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse on and off until the butter is cut into very tiny pieces; the mixture should ultimately be a consistent meal texture, like coarse corn meal. 

2. Sprinkle wet mixture over the dry and pulse on and off until dough is evenly moistened, then process on “ON” until dough begins to form in a ball above the blade. Put dough ball in fridge until ready to roll out.

Filling:
1 1/4 pounds (about 4 cups) rhubarb, trimmed, cut into 1/2-1" pieces
6 ounces raspberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup sweetener: sugar, coconut sugar, honey, etc
2 T cornstarch (I used tapioca flour)

1. Stir rhubarb, raspberries and sweetener together in a non-reactive saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until juices begin to exude. Continue simmering until fruit is nice and juicy and a bit tender but not yet soft, about 3 to 5 minutes total.

2. Stir in the cornstarch mixture. Boil for 1 minute, stirring well to combine, then remove from heat. Scrape into a bowl and refrigerate for about 30 minutes, stirring once or twice to release heat.

3. Position oven rack in upper third of oven. Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C.

Roll out dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper to a large freeform round about 15-inches across. Scrape chilled filling into center of dough, leaving a broad 4-inch (10 cm) border. Flip the edges of the dough up and over the filling, leaving the center open. Slip parchment onto a baking sheet pan. Brush dough with a little beaten egg or milk, if desired, and bake for about 40 to 50 minutes, until pastry is golden brown. Cool pan on rack for 10 minutes. Serve crostata warm or at room temperature. 

 

Bonus rhubarb cordial recipe (courtesy of Hilary): I also made a half batch of this cordial (gin/rhubarb/orange peel), which requires a month or so of sitting before it is ready to drink with some grand marnier and soda water. If it is good I'll post about it later! 

 

Sour Cherry Crisp

I have an abundance of sour cherries! Some are from trees in the park, some are from the former northside homestead, and most are from my neighbor, who generously shared her bounty. This is me picking them by the handful!

The most time consuming thing about sour cherries is pitting them. I generally enjoy it, though I've found my fave thing is to sit and watch a Lynx game while pitting. I just use my fingers to push the pit out - be aware that bright red juice sometimes squirts out, covering any nearby surface (it washes off easily). 6 cups of cherries takes me about half of a game (30-45 minutes).

I have made a few different versions of this crisp - and this is my favorite version so far. I am also attempting to make a tart cherry vishniac (Romanian sour cherry brandy) that includes fermenting the cherries in sugar for 2 weeks before adding vodka, which I'll post if it turns out.

Sour Cherry Crisp
6 cups pitted sour cherries
1/2 c. sugar
1-2 T cornstarch (opt)

Topping:
1 1/4 c gluten free oats
stick of butter, softened
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c sliced almonds
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375. Mix cherries, sugar and cornstarch together. I have made this both with and without cornstarch: I usually pit my cherries a day or two before making the crisp, in which case I can pour off excess juice (which is delicious) and thus have not really needed the cornstarch. I did use it in this most recent batch because I was making it a bit bigger. Pour cherry mixture into large baking dish (9").

Mix topping together, creaming the butter into the oats/sugar/almonds with a wooden spoon until the mixture is very course and crumb-like. Spread the topping evenly over the crisp, and bake at 375 for 50 minutes. The cherries will bubble up through the topping a bit.  Let crisp sit for 15 minutes before eating to allow it to set/cool.

This is delicious warm or cold, served with some kind of dairy/faux dairy product (cream, whipped cream, coconut cream, ice cream...you get the idea), though it is good plain too.

Rhubarb Shortcake (with almond flour biscuits)

It's been a long time since I posted. I don't know if I am going to post regularly or not, but I made some delicious shortcake this week and I want to preserve the recipe. There has been much change afoot. I am back in my southside house and am working to make it more homestead-ish. Bit by bit. I keep staring at the yard space trying to figure out how to convert more of it to garden. 

I read a couple of books recently about a woman who lives in the Taiga in Russia. It's unclear if the story is fiction or not, but I enjoyed them and they are making me even more intrigued about my relationship to my garden and plants. She talks about how walking barefoot in your garden (among other things) shares information about your body and what it needs so that as fruit/vegetables grow, they will take in that information and pick up from the universe/the earth the optimum blend of energies for you. She says that the food cultivated in this way can give you the very things you are needing for your wellness.

I have no idea if this is "true" or not, but I've been going out each morning to greet my seedlings/plants, and have even more appreciation for the things that I grow and then eat. It makes me feel happy and grounded. And in this time of change, that feels like a welcome companion.

I have just one rhubarb plant, but it loved all this rain and the bright sun and is bigger than I've seen it before. I don't think any of it was harvested in the past two years, and there were several fat stalks for me to pick. With just the one plant, it feels quite sacred! I made rhubarb shortcake in honor of my dear friend who is now making her way to California, where she will spend the summer. She and I had near weekly Sunday dinners for the past 8-9 months, and yesterday was the last until she returns. I also got to share the shortcake with my sisters and my dad: none of us have been in a room together more than a couple of times in the past 5 years. None of us are taking for granted that it will happen again. Rhubarb shortcake as present moment awareness: change, loss, and love.

The rhubarb compote is not one I've made before - I used raisins and fresh ginger. With the biscuit it became almost ginger-bready, a little spicy. These biscuits are also my favorite gluten-free/paleo biscuit yet. They were delicious.

Rhubarb Compote (a la Martha Stewart)
2 pounds rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup raisins
1 cup packed light-brown sugar (or sugar substitute)
2 tablespoon peeled minced fresh ginger
2 cinnamon sticks or 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Put all ingredients in a saucepan and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until rhubarb is soft (about 6-8 minutes). The rhubarb will quickly let out moisture, so no need to add extra water.

Almond Biscuits (from the Nourishing Home) makes 8
2 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
3 tbsp butter, melted (or melted coconut oil)
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp milk or coconut milk
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, baking soda and salt.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together melted butter (or coconut oil) and honey, until smooth. Add the coconut milk, eggs and vinegar, whisking together until well combined. Using a spoon, stir the wet mixture into the dry mixture until thoroughly combined.
3. For quick and easy drop biscuits: Drop biscuit dough by large spoonfuls onto a baking sheet, placing the biscuits approximately two-inches apart,
4. For classic-style rolled-looking biscuits: Scoop a large spoonful of batter into your hands and roll into a ball about the size of an apricot. Then place the dough balls on baking sheet and gently flatten using the palm of your hand.
5. Bake about 15 minutes, until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.

For shortcake: Slice biscuit in half. Spoon compote on top of bottom biscuit, and sandwich between biscuit halves. Top with either whipped cream or coconut cream. (This is all especially good fresh and warm, but the biscuits also refrigerate well.)

Lemon chia seed pudding

My Charming Companion has been doing lots of blood sugar experimentation of late - he is being vigilant about keeping his blood sugar in check to prevent any possible blood sugar-related health issues. I read one of the books he has about diabetes - it's by this guy who has type 1 diabetes who was an engineer, and later become a doctor just so he could share what he has learned about diabetes and be taken seriously. His information is counter to general diabetic practice - but basically he has found a way for diabetics to live healthy lives. He also purports that diabetes (or what western medicine calls "pre-diabetic") is actually the cause of death for many people, not heart disease or whatever comes after. He says blood sugar issues are the reason, and he has basically found a way to keep blood sugar spikes from happening in diabetics. And it is of course all diet, and self awareness about what particular foods spike a person's particular blood sugar. Which means lots and lots of checking on a glucometer.

Anyway - all this digression to say that My Charming Companion has discovered that he can't really eat many carbs in the afternoons and evenings. So there was some weekend experimentation about what to fry fish in for next month's boundary waters trip (it had been rice flour). Turns out ground up pork rinds mixed with Kraft parmesan cheese works great. (Neither product typically being in the cupboard - but both actually being free of weird added products?!) There was also some pudding experimentation to try to find something sweet to eat (and maybe sans chocolate for night-time caffeine sensitivities).

Which leads me to this post. This recipe does have some honey in it - so if you have blood sugar issues, increase the stevia and eliminate the honey, or if you don't want stevia, increase the honey. It turned out really nice and lemony and creamy. And as chia seeds are - it was super easy.

Lemon Chia Pudding
5 tablespoons chia seeds (I used white)
1 can coconut milk
1/4 c coconut water or water
2 teaspoons honey, plus 4-6 drops stevia
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
pinch salt

Stir all ingredients together in a bowl. Leave out on counter for another 5-10 minutes, stirring two more times and making sure chia seeds are not clumped up. Put in the fridge overnight, or for a couple of hours. The final product will be a little bit soupy and not totally firm. I ate mine with some toasted coconut flakes and some toasted pepitas - yum!

Dark Chocolate Chunks with Fleur de Sel

My birthday is this week, so I am making a treat!
Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup quality coconut oil Note: if you do not want your chocolate to taste coconutty, you can opt for quality refined expeller-pressed coconut oil which does not have a coconut flavor. 
• 3/4 cup  cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup liquid sweetener—honey, maple syrup, agave, molasses, or a mix
• 1 tsp vanilla extract OR a good scraping of vanilla beans
• Optional: Fleur de sel or large grained seas salt

Instructions:

Melt the coconut oil in a small saucepan, then add in the rest of the ingredients (except the fleur de sel). 
 





 Special bonus tip: I used my mom's old crisco measuring via cold water displacement trick to measure the coconut oil.  Less messy when it is hard. 




 Whisk together thoroughly. Turn off heat.  This happens fast.

To make chunky dark chocolate bars, line a baking dish with parchment paper, and pour in the chocolate. Refrigerate until hardened (it doesn’t take very long). Then, either cut into bars or break into chunks. If you want to add a sprinkling of fleur de sel, do so.

Another yummy idea: chop and toast some nuts, like almonds, and add to the top or bottom.  (I love this with toasted chopped almonds!)

Be sure to store your chocolate in the refrigerator or even the freezer so it doesn’t get melty. Coconut oil liquifies at 76 degrees.

You can also use this chocolate for dipping things like fruits, nuts, marshmallows, or pretzels.

Chocolate date balls

I decided to make chocolate date balls as part of my recent/ongoing feasting. The half batch I made was such a hit (with myself and My Charming Companion), that we are now going to make another batch to bring on next week's cabin excursion. This next batch is going to get a little extra glam with some experimental cointreau liqueur added to the batch. ! (Cointreau is gluten free, btw.) These tasty little things are pretty over the top delicious. They are like fudge, but not so sweet and way better (which having had a square or two of fudge this past week, I WAY prefer these date balls). And they are easy to make.

Chocolate Date Balls
1 c whole pecans (walnuts would work too)
1 1/3 cups pitted dates (I used medjool)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons quality cocoa powder
good pinch of nice sea salt

Garnish with: Maldon (or other) sea salt, toasted shredded coconut, toasted pistachios...?

1. Place ingredients in a food processor and process on high until the mixture becomes paste-like. 
2. Wet your hands with water (so the dough won't stick to them) and roll the “dough” into 1-inch balls. Set on a baking sheet or plate.
3. Garnish!
Sea salt: Put a few tablespoons of sea salt on a plate and dip the top of the fudge bombs into the salt.
Coconut: Toast coconut on a dry cast iron skillet for 3-5 minutes on medium heat until lightly browned. Stir often! Put a few tablespoons of shredded coconut on a plate and roll the date ball in the coconut, pressing it into the sides of the ball with your hands.
Pistachios: Toast whole pistachios on a dry cast iron skillet for 5-6 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and chop finely. Role the date ball in the pistachios, pressing them into the sides of the ball.
5. Set date balls in fridge for 30-60 minutes to firm up, then eat.Yum!

Pumpkin Custard

I've been eating a lot of orange vegetables lately: carrots, squash, and sweet potatoes. The first two are still from the garden, and the latter is just what I want this time of year. And even though greens sound good, I can't quite bring myself to buy any at the store. It seems silly after spending the past numerous months picking whole armfuls in the backyard. (Incidentally I was able to keep picking it basically up until this last snowstorm. The kale was frozen out there and snapped off the plant when I "picked" it, but cooked up just fine). So - it's me and lots of orange veggies. My feet and hands have not turned orange yet, but I keep checking them to see.

Amidst the orange is this lovely pumpkin custard. I remember a few years ago when my sister was visiting and staying with my dad for several weeks - they seemed to have an epiphany/burst of enthusiasm for pumpkin pie. "It's really just eating vegetables!" they would exclaim gleefully, and were baking several a week to eat alongside breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I'm having my own version of their glee - pumpkin custard?! Eggs, squash/pumpkin, and a little sweetener. Yum! I've made this a few times in the last month or so.

I tend to like a thicker custard, and that seems best accomplished by reducing the amount of coconut milk in the recipe. I also like lots of the pumpkin and some strong spices. The recipe is pretty forgiving though - I mean, whats to go wrong?! In terms of sweetener: You can use 1/2 c honey if you want to go full out, but I usually do a mix of stevia and honey. My version is pretty modestly sweet (I prefer only 16 drops of stevia, but I'm a light weight on the stevia usage). One time I added in a Tablespoon of molasses, which gave it a really rich flavor. I'm listing the stevia/honey blend here, but use whatever you like.

Pumpkin Custard (modified from this "Against All Grain" recipe)
Makes 4-6 servings

1 can pumpkin puree*
3 eggs
2 T honey
16-24 drops liquid stevia
1/4 c coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp lemon zest (opt)
pinch of sea salt

*or 2 cups of your own: I've found that kabocha squash makes a really nice, dense "pumpkin"

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Whisk all of the ingredients in a bowl until a smooth consistency. Pour the filling into ramekins or oven proof bowls, filling not quite full. (I only have 4 ramekins, and so I use a muffin tin for the overflow last cup or so. Not as picturesque, but very practical!)
3. Set ramekins in a cake pan or on a baking sheet, and set carefully in the oven to bake for 20-35 minutes (depending on the size of your ramekins/bowls). They are done when they are "set" - meaning the center is just a bit jiggly, but not sloshy when you shake them. Those are very technical terms.
4. Let cool (really they are better after they cool) and refrigerate for an hour or so.  Serve with a little coconut cream or just as is. 

Note: I did fill this left over (from my quiche crust) mini-crust with some of the pumpkin custard and oh my. It was very delicious, especially with some coconut cream all over the top. I didn't even whip the cream, it was just the thicker stuff that was at the bottom of the coconut milk can. It was very good if you want to go all out for the whole pumpkin pie thing.

Chocolate chia seed pudding

I went to a big "harvest dinner" this week and ate all kinds of things that I have not been eating lately. Like wine, potatoes, and sugar - in several forms, including flourless chocolate cake. My Charming Companion asked, "Did you get romantic with that cake?" (referring to a line from It Starts with Food where they recommend eating dessert type treats with some romance. They want you to take your cookie on a date and really get cozy with it - or some such similar sentiment.) Mine was a hurried love - I was overly excited and perhaps rushed things a bit. I was wired afterwards and the next several days keep feeling hungry, hungry, hungry. Is that the sugar? I don't know for sure, but seems likely.

Other discoveries post my Whole30 - I guess I do react to dairy. My nose seems to have a tendency to be a bit wet whether I eat dairy or not, but there is significant dripping when I do. So. I don't know what I'll do with that information. Maybe not have so much dairy. We'll see.

In the wake of my sugar crash, I did decide to make this minimally sweetened chocolate pudding. It has only 5 ingredients: dark chocolate (I used my fave 80% Equal Exchange), chocolate powder, chia seeds, coconut milk, and vanilla. At first bite, I thought it was not so sweet (it was the day after the flourless chocolate cake, afterall), but a couple of days later when I had ramekin number 2, I was totally sold. My Charming Companion found these pudding cups quite delicious and was totally prepared to eat them all if I was not into them.

With a drizzle of coconut milk!

Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding (4 servings)
1 14oz can coconut milk
2 oz dark chocolate, 70% or higher, chopped
1 T high quality cocoa powder
5 T chia seeds
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Heat coconut milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir/whisk in chopped chocolate and cocoa powder.
2. When chocolate is all melted and the saucepan looks like delicious hot chocolate, turn off the heat and stir in the chia seeds and vanilla. *Do this while stirring continuously so that the seeds do not clump up at the bottom. Keep stirring as mixture starts to thicken.
3. Pour into individual serving cups or ramekins, and refrigerate for at least an hour until "pudding" is firm. Serve! (I ate mine plain, but it would probably be delicious with some whipped coconut cream and cinnamon sprinkled on top.)

SCD/Paleo Pumpkin Pie

When fall rolls around I always find myself craving pumpkin pie.  Naturally, the pie pumpkins have been plentiful at the market lately, and they have been calling my name.  I bought one a couple weeks ago and whipped up with this tasty pumpkin recipe that is remarkably similar to pumpkin pie.  I didn't make a crust, but you could easily add the mixture to any sort of crust.  You could probably use canned pumpkin, too, but there's just something so cozy about pulling a roasted pumpkin out of the oven.  Plus, you can roast the seeds for a great snack.

How to roast a pumpkin

Cut pumpkin into large pieces- around 4 pieces.  Put them flesh side down on a baking sheet and roast in a 350 degree oven for about an hour.  Once you can easily stick a fork in the shell and the pieces start to flatten out, you know it's ready.  Let the pumpkin cool until it's easier to handle.  Then, scoop out the flesh using a metal spoon.

SCD Pumpkin Pie

3 large eggs
1 can pumpkin puree (about a cup and a half)
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven to 350 F. Generously grease a 9″ pie pan with coconut oil or butter. In a medium bowl, beat eggs. Add pumpkin and coconut milk. Stir to combine. Add honey, vanilla, salt and spice. Mix well. Pour into greased pie pan and bake for 1 hour until the top is nicely browned and the custard filling has set. Let cool and then refrigerate overnight. It’s very important to refrigerate and thoroughly chill the pie before serving as it helps the filling to set. If cut when still warm out of the oven, the filling is way too soft and more of a pudding than a pie.

I eliminated the honey and made my own coconut milk.  The natural sweetness of the coconut and pumpkin made up for the loss of the honey.  Over all, this is a super tasty fall dessert.

Happy Halloween!

Coconut Milk Ice Cream

Coconut Milk Ice Cream

I have been trying to find a non-dairy ice cream recipe that doesn't turn into a big block of ice when frozen, and I think I have finally done it. This coconut milk ice cream stays relatively creamy due to two key ingredients: eggs and vanilla extract with alcohol.  The key to the eggs is separating them and then whipping the egg whites into stiff peaks before adding them to the mixture.  This process helps the ice cream become more creamy than icey.  The alcohol in the vanilla also helps the ice cream not freeze completely.  Then, stirring the ice cream periodically as it freezes keeps the eggs from separating.  All of these elements help it turn out more like real ice cream.  I am still perfecting his recipe, so if you have any alterations please post.

You do not need an ice cream maker or a vita-mix, but they do come in handy.  The ice cream maker helps the ingredients stay well mixed while freezing and the vita-mix helps make the coconut milk if you decide to go that route.  However, you may want to skip making your own coconut milk and just get a can from the store.  Although, making your own coconut milk is very easy.

Ingredients:

Coconut Milk:
2 cups water
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
3 drops liquid Stevia
1 tsp vanilla

Ice Cream:
Coconut milk from recipe or large can of coconut milk
3 drops liquid Stevia
1 tsp vanilla with alcohol
2 Tbsp coconut oil
2 egg, separated

Instructions:
Soak coconut flakes in water for 1-2 hours.  Blend in vita-mix with Stevia and vanilla for 1-2 minutes.  Strain through a nut milk bag or cheesecloth.  Discard coconut solids.

Blend coconut milk, Stevia, vanilla, and 2 egg yolks in the vita-mix.  Beat the egg whites into stiff peaks and gently stir into mixture.  Put in freezer and stir every 30 minutes until frozen.

I am addicted to ice cream, especially in the summer, and this recipe is a great non-dairy alternative.

Jane

Raspberry Bars

I don't bake too often, mostly because I really hate cleaning food mixers. Sometimes on Sundays I'll make an exception. Today was stormy and I felt a little homesick for my mom, so I tried one of the recipes she has been working on for a while. I believe that this recipe is a blend of a few from different gf cookbooks. These were pretty tasty.

Thanks to Megan and everyone else who has posted and inspired me in the kitchen.

Crust:

3/4 cups gf flour

1/4 cup almond flour

1/4 cup confectioners sugar

1/4 tsp xanthan gum

pinch salt

6 T butter

Bake at 350 for 15-20 - until golden

Filling:

1 cup raspberries

6 oz raspberry jam

Topping:

7 T butter (soft)

3/4 cups superfine sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3 cups shredded coconut

1/2 cups rice flour

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until skewer comes out clean.

Lemon Tartlets (paleo)

I was feeling motivated to try making some kind of dessert that fits within my current paleo preferred eating habits. My mom had already aced a paleo chocolate pudding (primary ingredients: avocado, cocoa powder, almond butter, and some honey - it was super tasty - thank you mom!), so it seemed time to try out something with lemon. I love lemon curd. Love love love.

This recipe was originally lemon bars, but calling them lemon bars conjures up a different idea. These aren't cakey or powdered sugar-y, these are rich and tart like. With several egg yolks. I ended up making mine in little muffin cups, which thus created tartlets. I followed this online recipe, which was adapted from a cookbook (that I now have on order from the library), but I halved the recipe because I only wanted a few and because macadamia nuts are expensive and because I couldn't figure out what I would do with 8 egg whites.

So. Follow the linked recipe, which is for a 9x13" pan (even though she says 9x9 in one spot). You can make it in a pan, or you can make some in a muffin tin - which made 8 for me when I halved the recipe. I made the crusts in a tin, and then transferred them to muffin cups in order to add the lemon topping to bake them again. (*Note you do not actually need to do this 2nd baking for tartlets. Instead, you can just spoon some cooled curd over a cooled crust bottom. And maybe put on some whipped cream and strawberries too!)

Another note: The crust pieces were puffier than I thought they would be - but once they cooled, they fell a little and were pretty firm (not cakey). They almost had a coconut-y texture, in a really good way. And really, you can't go wrong with macadamia nuts. omg. Also, go easy on the lemon curd for each tartlet. I was a little short for my 8th tart...

parsnip macaroons

i found these lovely macaroons on the equally lovely blog by apt2b baking co which has delicious recipes and gorgeous pictures. these turned out so well! the parsnips add some earthiness and go really well with the almonds, coconut and lemon zest. i made two pans and the pan that got a little more done was, in my opinion, better because it made the outer crunch even better. the only change i made to the recipe was that i doubled the recipe but didn't double the sugar and they were still plenty sweet. i think you could probably even cut out the sugar altogether but i'm not sure if it would change the consistency. yum! (and i think they're gluten-free?)

Gluten Free and Vegan Fruit Crisp

I made this Gluten Free and Vegan Crisp recently and I really enjoyed it!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In mixing bowl, toss together:

5-6 cups your favorite fruit

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup granulated sugar

in another bowl:

1 cup masa harina corn flour

1 cup gluten free oats

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

optional: 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

1/3 cup margarine

2 level teaspoons of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Pour fruit mixture into prepared pan then spread/sprinkle on the topping. Cook for 30 minutes or until topping is lightly browned, and fruit filling is bubbling around edges and slightly thickened.

Almond Butter Flourless Cookies

These tasty gems are a mystery to me - mostly just almond butter, an egg, and honey. They aren't very sweet, which makes them a good snack mid-day. I added both chopped almonds and chocolate to mine (I didn't have choc. chips, so I chopped up part of a dark chocolate bar). I baked mine just until brown, and they turned out really soft. Next time I'll keep them in a bit longer to get a little crispy. But really - these are super good and nutritious.


Almond Butter Flourless Cookies (she says it makes 21, but I had 15) *Thanks to Shawn for posting the original recipe!

Nanaimo bars

Thank you to Megan for hosting such a magical blogluck and for creating an incredible summer table! Here's the recipe for the dessert, courtesy of Oh, She Glows. Yum!


Note: they can be made gluten-free by using GF graham crackers!

Key Lime Kream Bars

This recipe is from a cute little cookbook called Ani's Raw Food Desserts by Ani Phyo (who has branded herself an "eco-lifestylist"). Oh my. Anyway, I'm excited about some of the recipes because they are so easy! (And very tasty.)

I cut this one in half because I didn't have 4 cups of cashews--it worked just fine.

4 c. cashews
1 c. lime juice
1/2 c. agave nectar
1/2 c. liquid coconut oil
1 c. water, as needed (I probably used 1/4 c. water)

Combine everything in a food processor (or high-speed blender) and process until smooth. Scoop the mixture into a pie dish and freeze until chilled. Cut into bars to serve.

Yum!

Brazil Nut Stuffed Date