During this month that was MoFo, I’ve been writing up weekly roundups at the end of each week to recap what transpired. As you can see, I missed this past weekend, what with exciting events (both the “exciting-scary” and “exciting-fun” categories) taking place between Thursday and Saturday. And since Vegan MoFo actually ends today, I thought I’d combine my farewell MoFo post with my roundup from last week.
My aspirations were lofty: write one post a day for at least 5 days a week. Sounds eminently doable, doesn’t it? I mean, when I first began this blog back in November 2007, I was zipping off at least one post a day for quite some time (ah, chalk it up to infatuation of the newly enamored; such excess energy and enthusiasm comes but once in a blog’s lifetime. Nowadays, my blog-love may be deeper and more permanent, but it operates a little more slowly, too. . . just like in marriage). My usual pace of two to three posts a week feels much more natural, and much more achievable.
I enjoyed all the MoFo excitement, but was already scrambling toward the middle of last week. And when the HH was blindsided with a major car accident on American Thanksgiving (three-car collision in which his car was totalled. . . details here), I missed my MoFo post. And then. . . missed another. And here I am today, the final day of MoFo. (Is that a little too “Curb Your Enthusiasm” of me, to use the HH’s accident as an excuse for skipping blog posts? Well, at least I’m not like Larry, using his bad news as an excuse for. . . everything).
So, so long, MoFo. It’s been fun. It’s been tantalizing. It’s been more fantastic vegan food than you could ever cook up in a lifetime. And also more reading or writing than I could master in a day.
See you same time, next year! :)
II. Cookbooks and other Prizes!
Last week’s Festive Freebie offers a cookbook of your choice! The giveaway continues until midnight tonight, so skip over to the contest page and let me know what you’d like if you win! Open worldwide.
Also continuing until tonight is the SOS Kitchen Challenge, hosted by Kim and me. I posted a sweet potato spread that’s definitely worthy of seconds, but my other ventures haven’t been quite so successful. If you’ve got a sweet potato recipe you made in November–lay it on us! Details here.
Finally, the Gluten Free Holiday event is back in full swing this week. On Thursday, we’ll be featuring holiday side dishes, so be sure to check it out then! In the meantime, our previous topic, Gifts of Good Taste, continues until Wednesday evening–and you can enter to win one of seven cookbooks simply by leaving a comment on Alta’s post.
III. Food for Comfort, Times Two Three
[Mega comfort in a pile of zucchini fritters (recipe below), topped with a (mega) dollop of avocado sour cream (this recipe without the basil).]
It was a comfort-food kinda week. First up, I made some easy, warming, belly-filling Pan Seared Oatmeal Wedges, great for either breakast (with fresh plum sauce) or as a savory starter, perhaps with a spoonful of creamy mushroom or tomato sauce ladled on top. By the end of the week, after the HH’s collision, I was craving soup–hot, hearty, nourishing–so I mixed up some borscht. Then, over the weekend, my inner mad pancake scientist came to life as I cooked up some quick and (also comforting) zucchini fritters–recipe below.
IV. Presents! Is It Christmas Already?
Gifts for Me: You know, I’ve said it before, but bloggers and blog readers are truly some of the most generous, supportive and big-hearted people I’ve ever “met.” In the past month, I’ve received gifts from two other bloggers, both of which came as a delightful surprise.
[Rover Indulgence--upscale treats for dogs! Rawganic agave-sweetened chocolate (every morsel of which I savored), and Outback Pride combination spices for savory cooking. The winsome backdrop, an original design linen tea towel, was also in the package.]
Way back in October, Johanna sent an incredibly thoughtful package of goodies from the antipodes (sorry it’s taken me so long to blog about it, Johanna!). Not only did the box contain amazing, edible gifts for me, but there was even something for The Girls! (“We really appreciated that, Johanna! When are you coming to live with us?”). And wrapped around it all, of course, was one of Johanna’s signature tea towels. (See how cute?)
Thanks so much, Johanna! The agave-sweetened chocolate was a perfect occasional treat for an ACD-er. In fact, I rationed it out in tiny portions to make it last as long as possible. And I can’t wait to use the spices! Thanks for this very thoughtful, sweet (in more ways than one) gift!
Then, just this past week, I received this little guy in the mail:
Isn’t he too adorable? I cannot tell you how loudly I squealed when I opened the envelope to reveal this cutie! Thanks to the incomparable River, who crafted him (her talent knows no bounds–pun intended!) The design is flawless, each teeny tiny stitch perfect. Todd (as we’ve named him) the Turkey now hangs over our mantlepiece, where he’ll remain through the holidays. River’s had the brilliant idea to send his twin (Ted the Turkey) to Ellen and Portia with a request that they have me on the show (and y’all know how much I’d love that to happen!). Let’s keep our fingers crossed that Ellen finds Todd to be just as cute as I do!!
Thank you so much, River, for your unending generosity, talent, and support.
Gifts for YOU: I’ll be back tomorrow with the cookbook winner and this week’s Festive Freebie giveaway. This next one was instrumental in helping kickstart my baking business back in the day. . . can’t wait to share these treats with you!
V. DDD In Your Kitchen
Finally, I love it when readers tell me they’ve tried out a DDD recipe and provide feedback, and I love to share these with all of you!
Here’s a list of recent culinary creations based on DDD recipes over the past couple of weeks. If I missed yours, let me know and I’d be happy to add it to the list!
Sonal reports making Beet Burgers with an Indian twist (sounds delicious)
Rachel de-lurked to tell me that she tried out last week’s Borscht recipe with a slight twist (thanks for the comment , Rachel! Loved to hear from you!)
And finally, Crispy Cook included Diet, Dessert and Dogs in her list of 100 Gluten Free Blogs.
Thanks so much, everyone!
VI. Today’s Comfort Food Recipe: Zucchini Fritters
With Chanukah (or was that Hannukah? Or, as we saw it on a poster in a restaurant the other day, Hanukkah?) around the corner, these are my contribution to the ever-evolving world of alternative latkes (okay, they may not really qualify as “latkes,” but I’ve had traditional potato latkes in the past and wasn’t a fan). A couple of years ago, I made some two-toned potato pancakes and enjoyed those a lot more than the conventional type.
But these zucchini-based fritters are my new favorite veggie pancake, whatever you call them: thin, soft shreds of zucchini encased in a light chickpea flour pillow. The outside is browned and crispy with an airy, pancake-like inside, punctuated with the occasional crunch of black sesame seeds. The mild, unassuming flavor whispers of fragrant tarragon and would happily be complemented by almost any topping (I used avocado sour cream). Wrapped and packed to take along, they’d provide a great high-protein lunch or snack.
A quick and easy savory alternative to weekend pancakes. While they have the same light, airy base as a traditional cake, the zucchini lends moistness and a mild savory overtone. Paired with some nut butter and a green salad, these would be a great focal point to a light lunch.
1 large zucchini (about 5.5 ounces or 160 grams)
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) fine sea salt
1/2 cup (80 g) chickpea flour
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) dried tarragon
4 tsp (20 ml) black sesame seeds
1/4 tsp (1 ml) baking powder
1/8 tsp (.5 ml) baking soda
1/3 cup (80 ml) drained zucchini juice (see recipe), water or vegetable broth
2 tsp (10 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
Wash and trim zucchini and grate medium-fine. Place a colander or sieve above a large bowl and add the zucchini to the colander. Sprinkle with salt and toss lightly. Allow the zucchini to rest at least ten minutes so that the salt will extract excess moisture from the zucchini. Then squeeze zucchini to remove as much liquid as you can without straining (allow the juice to drain into the bowl).
While the zucchini rests, place the flour, tarragon, seeds, baking powder and baking soda in a medium-sized bowl and whisk to combine. If you wish to use the zucchini liquid, pour it into a glass measuring cup and add any water or broth necessary to make 1/3 cup (80 ml). Add lemon juice to the cup.
Turn the drained zucchini into the bowl with the flour and add the liquids. Stir quickly to combine, but don’t overstir.
Heat a nonstick frypan over medium heat. Using a large ice cream scoop or 1/3 cup (80 ml) measuring cup, scoop the batter into the pan and flatten slightly to create pancakes. Allow to cook 4-5 minutes, until the tops are almost dry and bottoms are browned. Flip and cook another 3-4 minutes. Makes 5-6 fritters. May be frozen.
*Okay, it’s a horrible pun. But I”m an English teacher. We’re genetically programmed to come up with groaners like that.
[Don't forget you can still enter the Reader's Choice Cookbook Giveaway until Tuesday! And the SOS Kitchen Challenge, hosted by Kim and me (and featuring prizes from each of us!), will continue until the end of the month. This month's ingredient is sweet potatoes.]
[Sorry about the bad lighting. . . by the time I got this photo, the sun--and the HH's car--were long gone.]
Hope those of you who celebrated had a great Thanksgiving yesterday. And for the rest of you–hope it was a great Thursday!
Well, we had quite a bit of excitement here in the DDD household while all you Americans were feasting on (perhaps) too much food and (definitely) too much football,* which is why I missed my usual MoFo post. Allow me to fill you in.
It was 8:37 AM and I was getting ready for a day of student appointments. I’d almost finished my morning smoothie (berries, kale, dandelion, beet, lemon, Sun Warrior and one garlic clove to stave off a cold that’s been threatening to erupt) when the phone rang. A quick glance at the call display revealed a name I didn’t recognize–wrong number or telemarketer. Neither one, I decided, was worth answering, as I was running a little late (gee, what a surprise) and wanted to finish eating, pack up my books, and go.
Knowing I’d be gone all day, I began to pack up an ACD-friendly lunch as well (my daily routine does seem to revolve a little too heavily around food, doesn’t it?). I was spooning leftover Butternut Tahini salad from a couple of days before into a container when the phone rang again (8:52 AM). Another unfamiliar name! With my first meeting set up for 9:30, I knew I’d have to get out of the house tout suite to make it on time. But something about getting calls from two wrong numbers in such a short time span–a rarity, to be sure–drew me back to the phone. I picked it up and was surprised to hear the familiar beep, beep, beep indicating a message waiting.
Well, you can imagine my astonishment** when I punched in the password, only to hear the HH ‘s voice on the other end!
In a nutshell, he’d been in a major car accident and his car was totalled. Apparently, another driver had rammed the side of his car so hard that he went spinning across two lanes of traffic (the stream of which was headed in the opposite direction), up over a sidewalk onto the front lawn of a bank, sliding to a stop less than a foot (30 mm) from the bank’s picture window. Almost unbelievably, he (as well as the two young women in the car that hit him, plus the woman in the car he inadvertently hit while skidding across the street) were all relatively unharmed (one woman suffered a split lip, but that was the extent of the physical damage). Another bit of luck was that he had just dropped off The Girls at doggie daycare moments before (since we had both planned to be out of the house all day); otherwise, they would have been in the back seat and could have been easily thrown through the windshield.
After racing out to pick him up and then spending the day in negotiations with insurance adjusters, the towing company and the car rental place, we settled down yesterday evening to a quiet dinner. Clearly, comfort food was in order. The HH selected pasta carbonara from the freezer, but I craved something a little more earthy.
Even though I hated beets as a kid, they now rate as one of my favorite comforts. Bulbous and deeply hued, their color reflects their contributions to one’s health as well, since beets are both blood cleansers and toners of the liver (not to mention a great source of minerals and fiber). I needed something that would leave my body more nourished, perhaps slightly detoxed of all the negative vibes from the day, and happily satisfied in the saporosity department. Borscht seemed just the ticket.
This is a recipe I adapted from Nava Atlas’s classic cookbook, Vegetariana. I love that she adds an apple in the soup. I’ve also included some cabbage, partly because we had it on hand, and partly because cabbage soothes the digestive tract. . . so even when faced with a day as stressful as the one I had yesterday, it won’t encourage any ulcers to take up residence in my duodenum.
The soup was just what I needed: warming, slurpy, soothing, nutritive. Like most homemade soups, the flavor intensified as I reached the bottom of the bowl, prompting me to ladle out a second bowlful. It really did help calm and comfort me.
After a consoling dinner, the HH and I settled in to watch an old episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm–we figured we’d earned a few laughs after the day we’d shared.
“Mum, we’re glad that Dad is all right and it’s horrible that the car was towed. But, um. . . do you think maybe he managed to salvage that bag of treats he kept in the glove compartment for us. . . ??”
[Luckily, borscht only looks like blood--but we didn't see any of the real stuff all day.]
Slightly Untraditional Russian Borscht
adapted from Vegetariana by Nava Atlas (suitable for ACD Stage 1 and beyond)
I’m guessing that the original recipe contains a typo, as there is no mention of adding any liquid to the soup. So I’m guessing when I say 6 cups; you can adjust to your own tastes. After the soup sits overnight in the fridge, the flavors meld and intensify for a robust Russian flare.
1 Tbsp (15 ml) extra virgin olive oil, preferably organic
1 large onion, chopped
4 medium beets, peeled and grated (mine were organic, so I left the peel on)
3 medium carrots, peeled and grated (mine were organic, so I left the peel on)
1 medium apple, cored (I left the peel on)
2 cups (480 ml) finely shredded white cabbage
4 cups (1 liter) vegetable stock or broth
2 cups (480 ml) water
juice of one lemon
1 heaping Tbsp (20 ml) dried dill weed
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) sweet paprika
10-20 drops plain stevia liquid, to taste
salt and pepper to taste
In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until the onion is translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring to the boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer until all the vegetables are extremely soft, 45 minutes to one hour. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve with a dollop of dairy free sour cream, if desired. Makes 6-8 servings. May be frozen.
* I suppose that’s rather presumptuous of me to suggest that you may have eaten too much, isn’t it? Then again, it’s the holidays! As for football, though, I know I’m right about that, since any football at all is too much.
**Astonishment (I): the HH never calls me (so of course I would would never have thought it was him). He absolutely loathes talking on the phone. When we were dating, he moved house once and didn’t get in touch for over two weeks, leaving me not knowing his new address or phone number (one reason why we broke up–the first time). Nowadays, after 14 years together, he still doesn’t call me: we speak once a day only because I pester him at work.
**Astonishment (II): the HH does not own a cell phone (see above). Naturally, I didn’t recognize the names on the call display, because he had to borrow someone else’s cell phone to call me each time. Hearing his voice when I expected a stranger’s sure was jarring, let me tell you. (Oh, and I have a pretty good idea of what I’m getting him for Christmas now).
[Disclaimer: I did not receive any free books for this giveaway. I am paying for the prize and the shipping out of my own pocket. Happy Holidays!]
[Do you love cookbooks as much as I do? Let me know which one you'd like to own and it could be yours!]
I know there are bloggers out there (some of them with a good deal of clout) who don’t like giveaways. They think giveaways diminish us all because they are basically shilling for products and provide free advertorial to companies.
I don’t feel that way.
In fact, I love giveaways.
It’s not just that I love the feeling I get from offering a gift to someone and reveling in their excitement and appreciation (though of course I do love that). I also love–almost as much as the feel-good emotion–how giveaways draw out the lurkers, allowing me to see comments from so many of you whom I’d never hear from otherwise! So please, don’t wait for giveaways to say hello.
In addition, I honestly don’t feel as if my blog or ethics are compromised when I hold giveaways because I will never promote something in which I don’t truly believe or something I wouldn’t truly use myself. (Hmm. . .perhaps that explains why so few companies ask me to review products compared to many other bloggers out there. . . all my dietary restrictions do reduce the number of potential products I could try. On the other hand–hey, Cuisinart Food Processor people! Or Henckels knives people! Or Green Star Juicers people! Just ask, and you know I’m there for you!). Every one of the Festive Freebies so far has featured a food or product that I already use regularly and can wholeheartedly endorse–and I plan to keep it that way.
So let’s have another giveaway, I say! And today, I’m giving away something I know every one of you will love–your favorite cookbook! I held a “Reader’s Choice” cookbook giveaway last year with great success, so I decided to repeat the idea this year.
I’m giving away a cookbook to a lucky DDD reader–and you get to choose which one you want! As long as it’s available through amazon.com and I can ship it to you, it can be yours.
To enter the giveaway, just tell me which cookbook you’d love to own and why you love it (include author’s name and title). That’s it!
After midnight next Tuesday, November 30th, I’ll choose a winner at random and announce the name on Wednesday. PLEASENOTE THAT I WILL NOT BE CONTACTING THE WINNER–you will have to come back to check and then either leave a comment or send me an email with your full name and mailing address (sorry, but it becomes too difficult for me to track down the winner, especially if they don’t respond). If I don’t hear from the winner by Friday, December 3, I will choose another winner, until the prize is awarded.
The contest is open worldwide.
Good luck, everyone! I look forward to learning about some great new cookbooks from y’all.
And to all my American friends and family–have a very Happy Thanksgiving!
[A small request. . . The Canadian Food Blog Awards are accepting nominations for everything from best blog to "best recipe blog" to "best writing" to "best niche blog" and more. If you enjoy reading DDD and my recipes, please consider heading over to Beer and Butter Tarts to nominate my blog! Nominations are open until December. Just click here. Thank you!]
I know it’s insanely popular, but I just can’t get into Sudoku. Something about having to project ahead on so many levels at once, wading through multiple strata of possiblility, the endless contrasting options being played out in one’s head–I just find it exhausting.
It reminds me of when my cousin Marketing Guru tried to teach me chess when we were kids. Each time it was his turn, he’d contemplate the myriad options, his elbow resting on one knee, his chin perched on his fist. His eyes would roam from the Bishop to the Pawn to the Knight to the Pawn to the Rook to the Pawn as he scrutinized the board the way an oncologist scrutinizes an X-ray. I’d be there fidgeting and sighing while I waited for him to make up his mind until it was finally my turn, when I’d just grab a piece and move it. (Needless to say, I never won. Oh, and it drove him bananas).
Now, that is not to say that my mind isn’t capable of entertaining a plethora of options all at once–far from it. In fact, I’d hazard a guess that such games are ill suited to anyone like me who is, shall we say, prone to a tad more anxiety than the average person–precisely because we think that way, all too often. To wit:
Scene I.Mid-February in Toronto,6:55 PM. The HH is late getting home from work; normally, he’s home by 6:45. Ricki glances at the snow outside, pelting waves of white bullets that ping across the surface of the window. She presses her nose up against the glass.
Ricki: Hmm. . . what could be taking him so long? Winter sure sucks. I hope he remembered to fill the tank with gas this morning. Oh, no, what if he ran out of gas on the highway? And what if his car just stopped running right in the middle of the road–amid all those cars? Oh, no! And what if the vehicle behind him was speeding so fast it couldn’t stop in time to keep from rear-ending him? [She presses her face more firmly against the window in an attempt to see outside.] And then they got into a huge accident and the HH’s car was propelled across black ice and ended up spinning and losing control and racing headlong into a ditch–Oh my God!! The HH is lying dead somewhere in a ditch!! I have to call the hospitals! I have to call the police! I have to–
HH: [strolls through the door] Hi honey. Whew–it’s bitter cold out there! Traffic is hardly moving. So many bad drivers on the–hey, why does your nose look so flat?
Scene II. End of July. Some time in the afternoon. Ricki notices a mole on her calf.
Ricki: Hmmm, that’s strange. . .looks a little darker than I remember. Was it always that brown? Is that a fleck of black I see in the middle? Or could it be that it’s gotten bigger? Hmm, those edges look a little erratic to me. . . what if it’s actually not a regular mole? What if it’s something more sinister. . . and what if it needs to be excised and biopsied? And then what happens if it doesn’t heal properly?? And what if they have to send me for tests? And oh, no, what if they have to operate??? I could lose my leg! And what if I can’t find a proper prosthetic to match my skin tone?! And what if–oh, I think I’d better just grab this pencil and check the eraser’s diameter against it. . .
Scene III.Late November. Afternoon. Ricki is frustrated with her old computer.
Ricki: This darned thing is getting slower and slower. Oh, I know I should buy a new one, but maybe I’ll try defragging it first. But what if that doesn’t work? And wasn’t the external drive supposed to help? But it didn’t. Does that mean it’s beyond help? Or maybe that means something else isn’t working properly. Did I remember to update my virus protection? Oh, no, what if the virus scan isn’t working properly and that’s why it’s so slow? That strange email I got last week was pretty suspicious. . . what if my computer is infected now?? And what the virus wipes out all of my hard drive? Oh, no!!!! And then I’d lose all my files and all my photos and all my writing and my entire blog–and I wouldn’t be able to access the Internet! And I couldn’t do my job properly!! And then they’d fire me!! And I’d have no job! And then I’d end up homeless and penniless. . . Aaaarrrghhhh!
You see what I mean.
On the up side, people who exercise their brains regularly are less likely to suffer from dementia of all kinds. And while my brain gymnastics may be of no use when it comes to Japanese number games, it’s a plus in the kitchen when you’re looking for culinary variety. Unlike the HH, say, or my dad, who consume the exact same breakfast every morning, I find that I rarely eat the same thing two days in a row. Even when it comes to foods I love, such as steel cut oats, I feel the need to vary the preparation or accoutrements each time I consume it.
I’ve played with baked oats and almond-butter topped oats and veggie-dense oats for breakfast, and this week I tried the “cut into wedges and served on a plate” oats. I was inspired by the huge array of vegetarian options for Thanksgiving in a recentNew York Times article–an entire Thanksgiving menu of meatless recipes! And tucked within the collage of photos was this unusual presentation of oatmeal: Pan-Seared Oatmeal with Warm Fruit Compote and Cider Syrup. Well, my mind skipped over the compote and syrup (neither of which I can eat on the ACD) and latched onto the oats.
I immediately threw together my own version, which I enjoyed for breakfast yesterday. I loved it! Inside, the texture is much like what you’d expect from a bowl of steel-cut oats: chewy, nubby bits suspended in a creamy base. But the exterior is browned, slightly crispy and dry, encasing it all in a neat little package (one that’s portable if need be). Brilliant!
I topped my first meal with almond butter and applesauce, a winning combination. Then yesterday, I feasted on leftovers with some warm fresh plum sauce and a dollop of my Sweet Potato Spread (sweet variation). Both were heavenly. This afternoon, I may just have to snack on some oatmeal wedges on their own, perhaps sprinkled with a touch of garlic powder, curry powder, or garam masala. And then maybe tomorrow, something else a little savory. . .
I mean, the possibilities are endless, aren’t they?
[And don't forget to come back tomorrow for the next Festive Freebie--you get to choose the prize!]
Preparing oatmeal as you would polenta, this recipe is versatile enough to serve at any meal, or as a snack. Keep it sweet with maple syrup or fruit for breakfast or dessert, or top with a savory mushroom or tomato-based sauce for lunch or dinner. However you prepare it, you’ll love this easy and delicious use of oats.
3/4 cup (125 g) steel-cut oats
1 cup (240 ml) water
1 cup (240 ml) unsweetened almond, soy or rice milk
1 tsp (5 ml) cinnamon
1/4 tsp (1 ml) fine sea salt
1 Tbsp (15 ml) coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil, preferably organic.
Line a loaf pan with parchment or spray with nonstick spray and set aside.
Place all ingredients in a medium sized, heavy-bottomed pot and heat over medium-high heat until the mixture boils. Stir, then lower heat to simmer and cover the pot. Allow to simmer over low heat until almost all of the liquid has been absorbed 20-30 minutes, stirring frequently during the last 15 minutes to prevent scorching. (It should be a tad thicker than regular oatmeal).
Turn the mixture into the loaf pan and spread evenly. Allow to cool at reoom temperature for 20-30 minutes, then place in refrigerator until cold.
Once cold, invert the pan over a cutting board to remove the oatmeal (it should stay in once piece). Cut into desired wedges. Heat the oil in a large frypan over medium-high heat and add the wedges; cook until browned, about 5 minutes, then flip and brown on the other side as well. Remove to a plate and serve with maple syrup, fruit compote, nut butter, or another topping. Makes 3-4 servings.
What better way to start this fine Tuesday morning than with chocolate?
I’m popping in to tell you all that the Cuisine Camino Baking Kit winner has been selected. And the winner is:
Number 133–Kristi!
Here’s Kristi’s comment:
Sugar cookies! Then our whole family decorates them. So much fun.
Congratulations, Kristi! In order to claim your prize, you must email me at dietdessertdogsATgmailDOTcom (I’ll need your full name and mailing address).
NOTE: If I don’t hear from you by the end of this week (Friday), I will select a new winner. . . sorry, but I am unable to track down absentee winners. So please get in touch!
I’ll be back tomorrow with the Festive Freebie for this week, and later today with a recipe for my latest breakfast obsession (“And we are kind of partial to it, too, Mum!”)–it’s healthy for the whole family!
Another week of Vegan MoFo is over–and I’m still standing (or, to be more precise, sitting here at my desk). I can hardly believe how quickly the past three weeks have whizzed by! I must admit, I am stretching more than culinary muscles with this event. My usual modus operandi for blog posts is to let them stew a bit before posting, but there’s no time for that with MoFo. And speaking of stew, who (other than the professionals, of course) has time to cook something new each and every day? Not I.
Consequently, today’s post is another recap of the week just past, plus a few ruminations about birthdays. Blog birthdays, to be precise.
Weekly Recap: During the past week, DDD introduced another Festive Freebie giveaway (a baking kit starring–CHOCOLATE! Could there be a more alluring food? I think not. You can still enter until midnight tomorrow) and the third installment of “A Gluten Free Holiday” event (with its own giveaway–check out Alta’s post to see the two gluten free cookbooks on offer!). I also baked up some Coco-Nut Shortbread Buttons, made a Roasted Chestnut and Parsnip Soup, and put together homemade “Chocolate Bark” with carob and mixed nuts. Oh, and I was a guest on Toronto’s local Daytime show on the Rogers network for the first time! Getting to the studio for 9:00 AM was a bit of a challenge in Toronto’s rush hour (a 29 kilometer/18 mile drive took over 1-1/2 hours!!!), but the segment was lots of fun and I really enjoyed meeting the hosts.
Amid all the excitement the past few weeks, I never did write about my blog’s third anniversary, which happened a couple of weeks ago! I had fully intended to devote an entire blog post to the topic. Instead, because it’s MoFo and I haven’t had time to write said post, I’ve decided to enumerate a few of the most crucial lessons I’ve learned through blogging.
There is nothing like the friends you meet through blogging. I’m sure you’ve heard this one before, but I have to reiterate: there is really nothing else like the blogging community. When I talk about my blogging buddies (other bloggers or readers whom I’ve gotten to know) with my local friends and family, I am invariably met with a blank, slightly denigrating stare. And yet, as I’ve remarked to the HH on many occasions, my blogger friends often know more about what’s going on currently in my life and are more frequently in touch than my “real” friends and relatives (well, except for the ones on Facebook or twitter, of course).
["Thanks for the help, Elsie. You're a real pal."]
It never ceases to amaze me how generous, caring, and helpful the people who blog, and their readers, are. They’ll support you in your latest endeavor (no matter how wacky); they’ll wish you well when it’s your birthday or anniversary, they’ll email when it seems as if you might be having a hard time (and even email you when it seems someone else is having a hard time, so that you can get in touch with that person), they’ll cheer you on when you succeed, they’ll post helpful suggestions when you don’t. I feel very privileged to have met a few of my blogging buddies in person, too. I loved that there was no awkward “getting to know” them phase, either–we just dove in as if we were already old friends.
Because we were.
["This is a great read, Mum, but where are all the animals?"]
Bloggers Love a Good Bon Mot. Okay, this one may be my own quirky observation, but as a college English professor, I’ve seen literacy decline alarmingly over the past decade (tangential rant: the proper pronoun is “its,” not “it’s”! That’s right: no apostrophe. “It’s” is a contraction that means “it is.” If you can’t replace the word with “it is,” there’s no apostrophe!! No apostrophe!!! Aaaarrrggghhh! [pulls at hair like a banshee]).
Yet I’ve noticed that pretty much all bloggers, whether daily posters (or thrice-daily–is this woman mortal??) or twice-a-week like me, all revel in the craft of writing. Indeed, you’d have to love it in order to write consistently and then expose your work to public scrutiny on a regular basis. It’s (ie, “it is”) become clear to me that the problems in the college classroom are not indicative of writing everywhere, however. Most bloggers I read, even thereallyyoungones, are better writers than most of the young people I meet in other areas of my life (sorry, guys. Maybe you should begin a blog?). These days, a huge portion of my reading material appears online, and I am regularly inspired, entertained, educated, or reassured by what I read.
["Sorry, Mum, I just don't see the appeal of this blogging stuff. . . . oh, you mean, I have to turn it ON first?"]
Blogging is an Integral Part of Bloggers’ Lives. In order to blog in the first place, blogging requires its (ie, “belonging to it”) users to embrace new technologies just to sign on. So it makes sense that those same people would also embrace other opportunities for growth in their lives–and continue to blog right through them.
In my own case, a surprise diagnosis of candida caused a complete shift in my diet and the kinds of foods about which I write (and I am eternally grateful to all you loyal readers who’ve stuck with me despite all that!). Some bloggers find themselves in similar situations and the dietary shift is reflected on their blogs; others find themselves returning to previous eating habits. Sometimes, a blog is renamed after someone feels they’re no longer connected to the original concept. Bloggers changetheircareers, graduate, retire, get married, havebabies, move across the country, move across the planet–and they still continue to blog. And, perhaps most obviously, they keep cooking up new foods, posting new recipes and trying out new and unique combinations of ingredients–and share it all with the rest of us.
The blogosphere truly is a microcosm of the outside world, and while it may exist on the virtual plane, it offers many of the same social interactions, connections, benefits and opportunities as the world outside the blog.
You know how parents always say, “I had no idea how much I’d love this baby until s/he was born”? Well, blogging is like that: it’s inconceivable how much it will become a vital part of your life until you’re right there in the thick of it. And once you are, you can’t imagine ever going back to how it was before.
Thank you to every one of you who reads this blog, who comments, who writes a blog of your own–to all of you I’ve come to know and cherish over the past three years. It’s been a joy and a privilege, and I am grateful for how much my life has been enriched immeasurably because of all of you.
[And thanks from us, too--because the more Mum blogs, the more there's food in the house--and that means more leftovers for us! Yay!"]
* actually, three years plus a few weeks–but that’s how far behind I am in writing my blog posts!
And, TWO copies of Artisanal Gluten Free Cookingby Kelli and Peter Bronski (also not vegan). Peter was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2007, and Kelli is a professional chef, which makes for some gorgeous gluten-free fare!
For my own contribution this week, I decided to re-create a holiday staple that’s often used for gift-giving–Almond (or any nut) Bark!
According to the media, we should all be making homemade gifts this year, what with the economy as bad as it is. True, many of us may find ourselves frugally filling jars with mom’s granola recipe; mixing up homemade hot chocolate and bagging it with ribbons; placing shortbread and gingersnaps toe to toe in cellophane-lined boxes; steeping vanilla beans in vodka in tall, pretty bottles; or wrapping our own version of almond bark in glittery gift bags. But I’ve always loved making gifts of food for friends and family (and using a lot of “F”s in one sentence, too, apparently).
A gift of food is more than an inexpensive way to fulfill the need for a present. It represents time spent thinking about what the person might like, as well as time spent carefully preparing, baking (or soaking, or drying, or stirring, or whatever), and then carefully packaging the gift. It’s the personal dimension that makes it so special–and so cherished.
Well, having been on the ACD for almost 2 years now (I know, time flies when you’re fighting fungus), I thought about those of us who can’t enjoy the tradtional almond bark. I knew that an all-chocolate version (unsweetened chocolate with added stevia) could be bitter tasting, so I almost abandoned the idea. Then, about a month ago, I stopped in to the local health food store on my way home from work. I’d forgotten to bring a lunch with me (bad, bad) and was ravenous. I posed my usual enquiry: “Do you have any snack-like foods that are vegan, unprocessed, gluten free, without sweeteners of any kind except stevia, with no yeasts. . . etc.?”
“On a candida protocol?” the clerk asked. Smart cookie, that one (though, inevitably, one likely containing gluten, sweetener, or yeast).
“Why yes! Yes I am!” I responded. As expected, she led me to the bags of Mary’s Sticks and Twigs. Snack-like, yes, but not sweet.
“Oh, wait!” she went on, heading toward the bulk section. “We just got these carob-covered almonds. They’re vegan, with no added sugars. Just carob coating. I actually tried them and they’re not bad at all. . . “
Well, desperate times call for desperate measures. “You’re sure they’re vegan?” I insisted. “Yep,” she replied. “Just carob and almonds.”
Perhaps it was my near-blinding hunger,* or perhaps just that they looked so much like chocolate-covered almonds. Either way, I managed to consume the entire portion on the way home. While perhaps not the most ACD-friendly snack (I’m sure the oils used weren’t top quality), at least there were no sweeteners to spike my blood sugar, I reasoned.
Sadly, the next time I visited the same store, they had posted the ingredient list for the almonds–and the second from the top was “whey powder.” A DAIRY PRODUCT!!! Never mind that dairy is a hidden source of natural sugars not recommended for the ACD; but whey is most definitely NOT vegan. I really hate it when I find out, after the fact, that I’ve eaten something I don’t want to eat. Grrrr.
[Freshly made nut bark still in the pan, just set.]
That made me more determined to create my own version. I decided to combine the concept of barely-sweet carob coating with various nuts to create a carob-based stevia-sweetened nut bark! After playing with proportions of carob vs. chocolate, I came up with a very appealing variation that uses very little stevia, retains a smooth, chocolatey consistency, and offers up a tiny hint of peppermint in reverence to the season. It would make a perfect gift for anyone who’s on an anti-candida regimen, Type II diabetics, or anyone concerned with blood sugar levels (which would be everyone around the holidays, I’m guessing).
Of course, if your dietary habits allow, you can make this the old-fashioned way, with semisweet chocolate instead of the carob; omit the stevia in that case.
* Who am I kidding? I’ve never experienced “near-blinding hunger” in my life. . . I always make sure to eat long before that!
[. . . and revealing the nutty goodness inside.]
Dark “Chocolate” Nut Bark for Gift Giving (ACD Stage 2 and beyond)
A perfect gift for those you love. . . this nut bark won’t spike blood sugar levels and contains minimal caffeine because of the carob. Plus it’s filled with heart-healthy oils courtesy of the nuts.
3/4 cup (60 g) unsweetened carob chips
1.5 ounces (45 g) good quality unsweetened chocolate (I used Cocoa Camino), chopped
2 Tbsp (30 ml) extra virgin coconut oil, preferably organic
pinch fine sea salt
15-25 drops plain or vanilla stevia liquid, to your taste
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) pure vanilla extract
3 Tbsp (45 ml) soymilk powder
1 cup (240 ml) unsalted toasted nuts–your choice (I used cashews and almonds)
3 Tbsp (45 ml) lightly toasted seeds (I used sunflower, but pumpkin would be stellar)
Line an 8 x 8 inch (20 cm) square pan with plastic wrap and set aside.
In a small, heavy-bottomed pot, melt the carob chips, chocolate and coconut oil over lowest possible heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in the salt, stevia and vanilla. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a mini food processor or blender.
Add the soymilk powder and process until perfectly smooth. Stir in the nuts and seeds to coat.
Working quickly (the carob chips will cause it to set fairly fast), pour the mixture into the prepared pan and tilt the pan this way and that until the mixture is evenly distributed (if you try to spread it out with a spatula, you will dull the naturally glossy sheen on top). Set aside at room temperature and allow to set; mine took about an hour in a cool kitchen. Or place in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
Once set, remove from pan, peel off the plastic, and break into shards of “bark.” Wrap in decorative cellophane, bags, or boxes as gifts.
Variations: the recipe is infinitely adaptable–you can add dried fruits if permitted, cacao nibs, coffee beans, candied ginger, or whatever strikes your fancy.
Before I get to today’s recipe, it’s time to announce the winner of the Lucini Cinque e’ Cinque giveaway! Thanks to everyone who entered, and for your enthusiastic response to the product (and your enthusiasm for this week’s giveaway as well for a Cocoa Camino baking kit, running until next Monday)!
The winner of the Cinque mix, olive oil and pizza sauce is:
“I’ve been in a bit of a food rut lately — need new ideas. This looks like it might be just the thing to get me out of the rut.”
I do hope this is just the thing for you, Rogene! And congratulations. Please email me before the end of the week (at dietdessertdogsATgmailDOTcom) with your mailing address to claim your prize.
And now, for some soup:
For several years after I graduated university, I’d return to Windsor to visit with my former room mate and her husband. They’d gotten married straight out of school and had purchased a house almost immediately (a very grown-up thing to do, I thought, and entirely beyond the realm of my abilities at the time). During one visit, Roomie showed me her collection of (grown-up) china and silverware. Everything was stored in a breakfront in the dining room, with the dishes each encased in its own silk slipcover, like a miniature pillowcase sized specifically for the dish. The cases were stacked neatly on shelves, clearly never used. The silverware, likewise, remained in its original box–the forks, knives and spoons lined up like subjects in suspended animation, having never been disturbed from their slumber.
I suppose we all have “special occasion” items that we’re saving for some undetermined future. Most families own a set of fancy dishware–bone china, maybe, with perhaps a line of gold filligree looping around the scalloped edge of each plate–reserved for family reunions or holidays. Or maybe you treasure your “once in a lifetime” dress, the black Chanel sheath you nabbed for half price at the designer discount outlet, the one you adore but have never worn because you’re saving it for “that special date.”
We had “special occasion” furniture in our house when I was a kid, too, with couches sealed in plastic slipcovers just like Marie’s on Everybody Loves Raymond. My parents claimed the plastic was there to preserve the cream and white French Provincial sofas in pristine condition for when company arrived, but Mom and Dad never did take off the plastic, even when the house was full of people. It wasn’t until I was in my 30s and my parents were old enough that they no longer had much company over anyway, that the covers finally came off.
I’ve certainly been equally guilty of hoarding things I hold dear, only to discover when the time finally arrived that said item was tarnished (silver pie server), out of style (square-toed boots), moth-eaten (pure linen tablecloth), no longer my size (favorite mini skirt) or simply extinct (cassette tapes). You know the LeeAnn Womack song, “I Hope You Dance“? Even though I never particularly liked the song, I’ve been making a concerted effort lately to apply the message behind the lyrics. I want to actually use my beloved possessions, not just for rare occasions, but as often as possible. So I’m drinking tea out of antique cups and saucers, and juice out of champagne flutes, and using my Mom’s china (which I inherited) for our weekend dinners. (Oh, and I’m dancing, when I can, too.)
When I think of chestnuts, well, they always bring to mind those ”special occasion” items. Chestnuts are the kind of food we rarely see during the rest of the year but are ubiquitous during the holidays. In fact, I never gave them much thought at all until a few years ago, when The CFO came to visit. As a snack on the train, she brought with her a plastic bag of dried chestnuts. She loved the starchy, meaty taste and enjoyed munching on them as a regular part of her diet. No major holiday; just a desire for one of her favorite snack foods.
I must admit, I wasn’t entirely sold at first. My only previous encounter with chestnuts had been in the form of chestnut flour shortly after my ND commanded a complete overhaul of my lifelong eating habits, back in the 1990s. At the time, a pronouncement of “NO GLUTEN” seemed worse than solitary confinement. As someone who’d eaten wheat virtually every meal (sometimes it was pretty much the only ingredient in the entire meal, come to think of it), I was frantic to secure some replacements for my daily gluten fix. After some quick online research, I came across a recipe for chestnut flour pancakes.
Pancakes! Now, that sounded like something familiar, comforting and delicious. I went and got myself a bag of chestnut flour, mixed up a batch of pancakes using the flour in place of wheat, and dug in.
Pew! Bah! Bleh! Spitooey!
No, I would not say I was a big fan of chestnut-flour pancakes. (They would have been great to plug the holes between the bricks on our back wall, though. )
Needless to say, I was a bit reluctant to try this soup. But when I saw the recipe in this month’s Good Housekeeping, the photo was so alluring, the tureen brimming with a deeply golden, silky purée topped with a swirl of rich sour cream, I knew I had to try it. Besides, what was I waiting for?
It was no trouble at all to veganize the original, subbing vegetable broth for the chicken stock and my own homemade sour cream for the original dairy variety. It mixed up fairly quickly, as I sautéed the onions while the other ingredients baked, the kitchen awash in scents of cararmelized parsnip and smoky chestnut.
The final result was even better than I’d imagined. Thick, rich and pillowy smooth, the slight sweetness complemented by a woody undertone, as if the soup had simmered gently over a campfire.
In fact, I’d say this soup is so good it would transform any occasion into something special. So don’t save it for the holidays alone. Eat it any time, just because you want to and because it’s enchanting. Carpe Castanea!
Although I haven’t tried chestnuts on their own, I am guessing that this soup doesn’t deliver an overpowering chestnut flavor. Instead, the chestnuts seem to confer both richness and thickness to the soup, which is velvety smooth and irresistible.
10 ounces (275 g) roasted and peeled chestnuts (measure after peeling–about 25 fresh)
2-3 cups (480-720 ml) water, as needed to reach desired thickness
about 1/2 cup (120 ml) dairy-free sour cream (you can just buy it or make your own), optional
If you are using fresh chestnuts, as I did, preheat the oven to 350F (180C) and line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment.
Use a very sharp knife to cut an “X” shape in the shells, just enough to pierce the outer layer but not open up the nut. Place in a single layer on one sheet and bake until the shells open up and curl away from the nuts, 30-40 minutes (I like mine a bit browned). Remove from oven and allow to cool completely, then peel off the outer shells with your fingers and coarsely chop the chestnuts. May be prepared a day ahead; store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one day. (Be sure to keep them refrigerated! The first time I attempted to make these, I left them on the counter at room temperature in a plastic ziploc bag. By the end of Day 2, they were growing mold.)
Bake the parsnips at the same time: drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat, then place on the other baking sheet and bake until browned and soft, about 45 minutes.
While the parsnip bakes and the chestnuts cool, heat the other 1 Tbsp (15 ml) olive oil in a large saucepot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, potato and chopped chestnuts. Cook 2-3 minutes, or until the onion is golden, stirring frequently. Add the broth and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
Transfer the soup, along with the parsnips, in batches to a blender and blend until velvety smooth and no lumps remain (be sure to guard against splatters as the soup is HOT!); or use an immersion blender. Transfer each batch to a large bowl and stir together to combine evenly once all the batches are blended and transferred. To serve, return the soup to the pot and heat until gently it is warmed through. If it’s too thick, add more water.
Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with sour cream, if desired. Makes 12 appetizer or 6-8 regular servings. May be frozen.
[This year, I decided to offer a "Festive Freebies" series in which I give away some of my favorite food products. . . hand-picked by me! These are things I already loved and actually eat (or use) regularly, and which I'd love to share with you. Here's my second Festive Freebie--click here to enter!]
Well, it’s the holidays, which means it’s time for all of us to dip into the chocolate (and peppermint, and cranberries, and eggnog, and pumpkin. . . okay, basically, it’s time for us to pig out.)
Whatever you’re mixing up this holiday season, I’ve got a wonderful pack of baking ingredients–my favorite of which is chocolate, of course–to give away. I use this chocolate exclusively these days in my baking. But even as a consummate Chocophile, I understand that there’s more to baking than 100% cacao. So hop over to the giveaway page to read more about my baking staple and a bunch of other cool ingredients you can win!
Click here to read the giveaway details and enter!
PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE A COMMENT ON THIS PAGE. . . GO TO THE GIVEAWAY PAGE (a requirement of BlogHer, whose ads appear here) INSTEAD. THANKS!
(Oh. Sorry to alarm you–no, I didn’t mean “that” way. I’m waaaaay too old for that!).
What I meant was, “late in posting this recipe.” You see, I had hoped to get it posted yesterday for a special blog event and giveaway hosted by Shauna, also known as Gluten Free Girl. Also known as blogger and book author extraordinaire. But my baking mojo was being coy and wouldn’t show up.
Instead, what I got were multiple trials that looked somewhat like this:
[Not a pretty picture.]
Ouch.
Luckily, my mojo returned after three attempts (really, Mojo, did you have to make me go through all that trouble, when you were planning to show up later anyway? Really, why must you be so frustratingmuch like the HH coquettish? Now I think you should eat all the cookie rejects as reparation.)
Shauna’s event is called the “Gluten Free Baking Challenge” and you can all enter, too! ( Yes, my friends, the giveaway madness has gone over the top–and this one isn’t even mine! Come back tomorrow for one of those).
Shauna and her Chef hubby, Danny, have just published their first book together, and as part of the kickoff, she’s giving away a whack of amazing prizes (seven in all) including multiple copies of the book–and a Cuisinart stand mixer!! So pop over to the blog to enter, and start thinking about your own GF contribution! (If GF cooking isn’t something you’ve tried before, I would wager there are already many gluten free staples in your repertoire–lots of foods are actually naturally gluten free! If you need some help, send me an email and I’ll make suggestions).
My initial idea was to combine two cookies I used to bake and love: first, from Australian Women’s Weekly, a little gem called Butterscotch Shortbread Buttons; and second, a treat my mother baked but once a year during the holidays, called Frozen Nut Cookies (why they were called “frozen” nut cookies, I have no idea; none of the ingredients was frozen). I also had some newfound unsweetened coconut I received recently and thought I’d throw that in, too.
I’ve always found the marriage of walnut and coconut to be utterly celestial (whenever I make homemade walnut butter these days, I habitually include a tablespoon (15 ml) or so of coconut oil in the mix, both for the subtle flavor and to help the naturally jiggly walnut butter firm up to spreadable consistency when refrigerated). I decided to name my new creation ”Coco-Nut Shortbread Buttons,” to reflect this pairing, but mostly because I think that calling cookies “buttons” is just so darned cute!
[This will melt in your mouth--like buttah.]
Well, the flavors weren’t the problem: as I suspected, toasted walnut and toasted coconut complemented each other perfectly. Like sunny days and convertibles, like Butch and Sundance, like fishnets and mini skirts, like Katy Perry and. . . nothing, they were made to be together. No, it was the texture that tripped me up.
I was determined to include some all-purpose flour mix I had left over from an earlier baking experiment. Of course, to retain a somewhat traditional texture (the HH is of Scottish ancestry, you see), I added brown rice flour. But somehow, the flour was too light, the nuts and coconut dissolved into butter, I added too much oil, there wasn’t enough xanthan gum. . . hence, the spattering of crumbs across the cookie sheet any time I attempted to lift a cookie. (I’ve packed all the crumbles in a plastic container for future use and already have a good re-purpose in mind. Can’t afford to waste anything edible these days, people!).
Finally, I thought to add a bit more flour and decided to dissolve the palm sugar in water before combining. And. . . the result was exactly what I’d been looking for! These buttons (see how cute it sounds?) are golden and slightly crispy on the edges, with a soft, sandy interior and just a hint of butterscotch flavor from the palm sugar. They’re solid and release just the slightest crumb when you bite into one, and they melt langorously on the tongue. A perfect treat for a holiday dinner.
Just don’t eat them all before then, or you might end up scrambling to bake something at the last minute, too.
“Mum, these sound great and we’d love to try them, but you know, if your mojo isn’t eating all those rejected crumbs, we’d even be happy with those.”
Coco-Nut Shortbread Buttons (suitable for ACD Stage 3 and beyond)
1/2 cup (40 g or 1.5 ounces) lightly packed coconut sugar
2 Tbsp (30 ml) agave nectar
2 tsp (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) coconut extract, optional
2 Tbsp (30 ml) water
1 cup (110 g or 4 ounces) lightly toasted walnuts
heaping 1/2 cup (40 g or 1.5 ounces) unsweetened shredded coconut (I used Cocoa Camino)
2/3 cup (160 ml) all purpose GF flour mix*
1/2 cup (90 g or 3.2 ounces) brown rice flour
1/2 cup (90 g or 3.2 ounces) glutenous rice flour
1 tsp (5 ml) xanthan gum
1/4 tsp (1 ml) fine sea salt
1/3 cup (80 ml) unrefined coconut oil, preferably organic
Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Line two cookie sheets with parchment, or spray with nonstick spray.
In a medium bowl, combine the coconut sugar, agave, vanilla and water and stir to begin dissolving the sugar. Set aside while you measure the dry ingredients.
In the bowl of a food processor, place the walnuts, coconut, all purpose flour, brown rice flour, glutenous rice flour, xanthan gum and sea salt. Process until it has the consistency of a meal and there are no walnut crumbs larger than a grain of quinoa. Add the sugar-agave mixture and coconut oil and process until it comes together in a clumpy dough (this may take a while; at first, it will just look like dry crumbs. Resist the urge to add more liquid until you have processed AT LEAST three minutes). The dough should hold together when squeezed between your thumb and fingers.
Using a small ice cream scoop, pack the dough into the scoop and place mounds on the cookie sheet about 1.5 inches (3-3/4 cm) apart. Using the tines of a fork, press into the top of each cookie to flatten it slightly and leave an indentation.
Bake the cookies in preheated oven for 20-22 minutes, until browned on edged and bottoms, rotating the pans about halfway through. Allow to cool before removing from pans to store. Makes about 2 dozen. May be frozen.
* I didn’t include a weight measure for the AP flour, as they tend to have different weights depending on the ingredients. I tried this with two flours: first, Maggie’s all-purpose mix, here, and Bob’s Red Mill premixed AP gluten free flour–both were good.
This recipe is linked to Maggie’s 12 Days of GF Christmas Cookies event. . .head over to her blog to see all the other great entries!
The design is flawless, each teeny tiny stitch perfect. Todd (as we’ve named him) the Turkey now hangs over our mantlepiece, where he’ll remain through the holidays. River’s had the brilliant idea to send his twin (Ted the Turkey) to Ellen and Portia with a request that they have me on the show (and y’all know how much I’d love that to happen!). Let’s keep our fingers crossed that Ellen finds Todd to be just as cute as I do!!
