Well, right off the bat, I want to say this to all the other Vegan MoFo participants:
I salute you.
Kudos to you all.
Hats off.
You have my admiration.
I am in awe of you.
You rock!
And also, I am very tired.
Sure, I’ve been accused of being a little bit off my rocker in the past (and have, coincidentally, been turned off of Rocker Guy–He of the Black Leather Pants–for quite some time, now, too), but let me tell you, this “writing every day” business? I must have been utterly, truly mad when I signed up.
Don’t get me wrong: I love my blog. I love writing my blog posts. I love Vegan MoFo. I love writing, period. And I really love my blog readers and reading their comments. But writing every day?? For a month–????
Insanity, I tell you.
Well, today marks the (almost) halfway point of the quotidian posting that is Vegan MoFo IV, and I’ve made it this far–yay!. (I make no promises about the future, however.)
This past week was hoppin’ here at the DDD household! I thought I’d share a few highlights, plus a few of my favorite MoFo posts from the past week.
[Win my giveaway and get a gift pack so you can make this at home!]
II. Giveaways Galore–and you can still enter all three of them!
The regular monthly SOS Kitchen Challenge hosted by Kim of Affairs of Living and me is still going strong! Show us your best (or even your “just okay”!) recipes using sweet potatoes and you’re automatically entered to win a package of my two anti-candida ebooks or a handmade jar cozy from Kim. See full details here.
Shirley over at Gluten Free Easily is hosting this week’s A Gluten Free Holiday post, and she’s got a fantastic, foolproof pie crust recipe to share–plus SIX COPIES of two amazing cookbooks! If you’d like to win The Spunky Coconut or Make It Fast, Cook It Slow, head over and leave a comment or share a Thanksgiving favorite–full details here.
And my cinque e’ cinque giveaway will continue until midnight on Tuesday, November 16th! If you haven’t yet, head on over to read my rave review and enter to win a gift package for yourself!
III. Cranberries Galore–and you can make them yourself!
If you’re like me (hmm, sorry to hear that), then you don’t eat sugar at the moment, in any of its myriad forms. That means no unrefined evaporated cane juice, no maple syrup, no brown rice syrup, no Sucanat, no dextrose, maltose, sucrose, glucose or any other -ose. . . basically, the only permitted sweeteners are stevia, yacon syrup and the (very) occasional grain of palm sugar or drop of agave nectar. Well, around holiday time, I like to bake things with dried fruits, but the ACD doesn’t allow dried fruits. I am, however, permitted fresh berries. So. . . I decided to dry my own.
This recipe for oven-dried cranberries seemed to stike a chord with many of you, and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve used them in biscuits and muffins so far. . . and must admit, I just ate the rest as-is, by the handful.
[Moi, with the lovely Natali who interviewed me today. See the special foil-covered light above her head? How cool is that?]
IV. Cameras Galore–and you can peek into a TV shoot at my house!
This afternoon, the lovely folks from York Region Livingdropped in to interview me and tape me making up some Coconut Macaroons. I’ve shared the recipe before on my one and only YouTube video, but here it is again (below) for those of you who don’t want to skip over there.
The two hours they were in the house flew by, and before I knew it, the interview was over and the crew was busy filming the props (ie baked goods). Here’s Jeff, the cameraman, taking a shot of the table after the interview was done:
Yes, I am a total nerd: the entire experience was incredibly fun and exciting. I really enjoyed setting up the kitchen space and chatting about healthy baking, food intolerances and the ACD. Thanks so much to everyone on the show for a great afternoon! (NB: the show doesn’t air until January; of course I’ll let you know when it’s available to view!).
And here’s the recipe Natali and I baked up during the segment:
These were one of the most popular cookies from my bakery, Bake it Healthy. The HH still requests them on a regular basis. Nicely browned and crisp on the edges with a soft, chewy interior, these are bona fide macaroons. The tahini adds a good source of calcium, yet the flavor isn’t prominent in the cookies.
3/4 cup (135 g) raw, natural almonds, with skin
2 Tbsp (30 ml) finely ground flax seeds
1/8 tsp (.5 ml) fine sea salt
2 cups (160 g) unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup (60 ml) pure maple syrup
1/4 cup (60 ml) light agave nectar
1/4 cup (60 ml) tahini (sesame paste)
1 tsp (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) coconut extract, optional
2 Tbsp (60 ml) cacao nibs or chocolate chips, optional
Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper, or spray with nonstick spray.
In the bowl of a food processor, whir the almonds, flax and salt together until they resemble a coarse meal, about the texture of cornmeal. The mixture should be very finely ground, without any identifiable pieces of almond visible. Add the coconut and pulse once or twice to combine.
Pour the maple syrup, agave nectar, tahini, vanilla and coconut extract over the dry ingredients. Process again until everything is incorporated and the mixture forms a sticky ball (you may need to stop and scrape down the sides of the processor bowl once or twice). Stop as soon as the mixture holds together to avoid grinding the coconut too fine. Stir in the cacao nibs or chocolate chips by hand; do not process again.
Using a small ice cream scoop or tablespoon (15 ml), drop small mounds of the mixture onto the cookie sheets about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. Wet your palms (or use a silicon spatula) and flatten the cookies slightly.
Bake in preheated oven 10-12 minutes, rotating sheets about halfway through, until the cookies are deep golden brown on top. Cool completely before removing to a cooling rack (the cookies will firm up as they cool). Makes 14-16 cookies. May be frozen.
V. MoFo Posts Galore:
It’s been tough to keep up with all the posts happening over the past two weeks–so many amazing bloggers blogging daily! I’ve been reading and commenting as much as I can, but am woefully behind even now. Here are but a few of the stellar posts I’ve encountered recently:
As always,I love it when readers try my recipes and let me know that they did. I thought I’d share links to other people who made recipes from the blog and posted about it during the past few weeks.
Here’s a list of recent culinary creations based on DDD recipes. If I missed yours, let me know and I’d be happy to add it to the list!
River of the adorable Wing-It Vegan was another busy bee (or would that be turkey?) who cooked up some beetaroni (faux pepperoni) as well as some Chocolate Fudge Nut Clusters. But most importantly, River launched her crafty campaign to help get me on the Ellen Show! (for those of you who weren’t reading back then, Ellen has recommended my book on her website. The next step is to actually bake goodies from it on her show! If you’d like to support the campaign–and get a free copy of the book if I’m on the show–just check out River’s blog);
[Sometimes, you just want to eat something now. I've decided to offer a mini-post every once in a while, for a dish that comes together incredibly quickly or else is so easy to make that no recipe is required. Here's today's "Flash in the Pan." (For other FitP recipes, see "Categories" at right).]
[Here's how the cranberries look straight out of the oven.]
As you know, I love baking. (I know, I can almost hear you say, “NO WAY!). But what I miss these days, since the ACD vetoes all dried fruit, is baking with. . . dried fruit. Raisins, currants, dried cherries, dried cranberries, even goji berries–I just love adding them to baked treats and desserts.
But infirmity is the mother of invention (or something like that). Ever since embarking on the ACD, I’ve been forced to find innovative ways to reproduce common ingredients. I came up with a homemade substitute for sundried tomatoes (since they’re not permitted, either), based on Martha Stewart’s Oven Dried Tomatoes. Since they’re used basically straight from the oven, my premise is that they don’t have time to develop mold. And they are truly yummy.
Well, I thought I could apply the same principle to cranberries. Why not just bake up my own, made with agave and stevia, in place of the sugar-laden ones you get in stores? Bags of cranberries abound in the markets these days, and I even had a couple in my freezer. And I’d bet that several Vegan MoFo participants this month have some at home, too!
I used these very berries in the Sweet Potato Biscuits I baked up for My Little Biscuit the HH the other day. And I’m so glad I did. Even if the biscuits themselves could have been better, at least the berries tasted great.
[And here's how they look, baked up in one of my neurotic little Sweet Potato Biscuits].
Use these anywhere you’d use raisins or conventional dried cranberries. Because these do retain some moisture, however, they can’t be stored at room temperature like the regular kind or they’ll develop mold. Keep refrigerated for up to 3 days, or freeze in an airtight container.
1 Tbsp (15 ml) agave nectar
2 tsp (10 ml) extra virgin olive oil or melted coconut oil, preferably organic
10 drops plain or vanilla stevia liquid
12 ounces (340 g) fresh or frozen cranberries, rinsed
Preheat oven to 225F (105 C). Line a large rimmed cookie sheet with parchment.
In the bottom of a large bowl, whisk together the agave, oil and stevia. Add the berries and toss well to coat them all as much as possible. Spread the mixture evenly on the cookie sheet, taking care that the berries are in a single layer and don’t overlap.
Bake for 45 minutes, then check. The berries will puff up and then begin to wrinkle like raisins. If necessary, continue to bake (it will depend on the size and moisture content of the berries), stirring every 30 minutes or so, until desired texture is reached. They should still be soft in the middle, but slightly shrivelled and smaller than when you began. (NOTE: If you set your oven temperature lower, there is less risk of the berries browning or drying out too quickly, but it takes longer for them to be ready. I was just too impatient–but feel free to use a lower temperature!).
Allow to cool before using. Store, covered, in the refrigerator up to 3 days, or freeze for later use.
I couldn’t resist submitting this recipe to Amy’s Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, which asks for healthier recipes. This fits the description so perfectly! Check out the event, or perhaps add your own recipe!
[This is the final recipe I have to share from this year's Thanksgiving feast--but what a way to end off the meal! We also had an interesting savory oat-stuffed squash, which I posted on my Facebook page if you're interested. ]
I do seem to be on a “pumpkin and chocolate” kick these days. I think it’s a throwback to my childhood Halloweens, when those two items always went together. Chocolate, more chocolate, topped with a few chunks of chocolate, coated in a sheath of chocolate, served up with a side of chocolate. Oh, and a plastic pumpkin used for collecting. . . . chocolate.
These days, my pumpkin is real and often home-roasted, and my chocolate is fair trade, organic, and unsweetened. But hey–it’s still chocolate.
The combination of pumpkin and sepia sweetness first occurred to me as an offshoot of Ellen Abraham’s genius brownies in Simple Treats. In that recipe, Abraham employs a smidge (isn’t that a great word?) of sweet potato purée to help bind and sweeten the brownies, and to approximate the dense fudginess of egg- and butter-based bars. I loved them and used to bake (and eat) them all the time pre-ACD.
This dessert is sort of like the evil twin of the mousse I posted recently: whereas that earlier version is virtuous and pure, this one is luxuriant and verging on debauchery, with a rich, velvety texture that beguiles. Tradtional pôts de crème are pillowy, light custards suffused with cream. Lighter and smoother than typical custards, they fairly float across the tongue, irresistibly. (For some enticing photos of a true pôt de crème, see this blog post). Not quite as solid as the real thing, this silky, smooth and airy vegan version is so reminiscent that I just had to use the French term. But who cares what we call it? This is one of the most decadent desserts you’ll ever eat.
The pumpkin and chocolate command equal roles in this mousse-like dessert, sharing the flavor spotlight much like chocolate and coffee do in mocha confections. Enhancing the squash is a breath of cinnamon, which adds depth and warmth. The small amount of agave softens the bitterness of the unsweetened chocolate just enough so that stevia can take over from there, resulting in a dark yet rich chocolate intensity.
Overall, the HH and I absolutely adored these. I ended up freezing leftovers so we wouldn’t over-indulge and I plan to use them for some mighty fine ice cream once we’ve had a chance to recover from the chocolate overload. (Okay, let’s be honest: once the HH has a chance to recover from his chocolate overload. There is no such thing where I’m concerned. ).
Because they taste so decadent and contain such healthy ingredients, I’m submitting these babies to Amy’s weekly Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays event. Hop on over and see what else is on the menu this week!
Chocolate Pumpkin Pôts de crème (suitable for ACD Stage 2 or beyond)
from Diet, Dessert and Dogs (http://dietdessertndogs.com)
The key to perfect pôts de crème is to mix the custard in a blender. Even though the pumpkin is already puréed, the blender smooths out the dessert just that much more to create a truly light-as-air treat.
2 Tbsp (30 ml) plain or vanilla rice milk
2 Tbsp (30 ml) agave nectar or maple syrup
2 Tbsp (30 ml) corn starch, tapioca or arrowroot starch
1 cup (240 ml) pumpkin purée, homemade or canned
1 can (12 oz or 400 ml) full fat coconut milk, preferably organic
In the bottom of a medium-sized pot, whisk together the rice milk and agave. Add the corn starch and whisk until smooth and there are no lumps. Mix in the pumpkin until smooth. Add the coconut milk, salt and cinnamon.
Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it begins to bubble and thicken; continue to cook, stirring, for one minute and remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla, stevia and chocolate; allow to sit 30 seconds, then stir again until the chocolate is melted and completely blended. Pour into a bowl and allow to cool to room temperature, stirring once or twice during the first five minutes (this will help prevent a “skin” from forming on top; if one develops anyway, don’t worry too much, as everything will be blended later).
Once the mixture has cooled, pour it into a blender and add the xanthan gum. Blend on high until well combined and smooth, then return to the bowl. (It may appear quite liquid at this point–this is fine).
Refrigerate overnight or at least 6 hours before spooning or piping into serving dishes; garnish with cacao nibs or shaved chocolate, if desired. The mousse will be soft but should hold a shape. Makes 4-6 servings. Store, covered, in refrigerator up to 4 days. Freeze leftovers for ice cream maker-free ice cream (see my method here).
[And don't forget--if you're looking for other low glycemic, ACD-friendly desserts, I've got 19 of them in my new ebook, Desserts without Compromise!To see what's in the book or to order, click here.]
I do love my HH, but he is so often a conundrum to me. I mean, how is it that the guy (and most guys, really) can tell the difference between, say, a Corvette from 1974 and one from 1976 when I can’t even discriminate between a Corvette and a Porsche–from different decades? (And believe me, I’ve tried. Since the HH is such an autophile*, he’s often pointing out sports cars as they pass us on the roads, and eternally surprised that I can’t differentiate one from the other). It’s all in the details, he tells me.
In the kitchen, that same ability to differentiate between two similar but ultimately unique ingredients is a key requirement for a discerning palate. While I may suck at vehicular identification, I’ve always excelled at culinary classification.
Back in high school, for instance, I took a course called “Home Economics” (for all you young’uns, that’s what “Domestic Science” was before political correctness was invented). Our cooking teacher, Mrs. Jennings, could have been plucked from the pages of a Dickens novel. Almost six feet tall with clay-brown hair cropped tight to her head, she tended to wear stiff cotton or linen shirtdresses in varying shades of brown, black, or beige, tightly belted at the waist (well, to be honest, she didn’t actually have a waist; but the belt was sort of midway between her knees and her shoulders). With buttons just a bit too tight and the hem clinging to her knees, she’d stride through the classroom like a union leader marching at a pep rally, barking orders.
One day, she set up an impromptu quiz in the classroom: six miniature plastic cups–the type you get samples in at supermarkets–were lined up at the front of the room, each containing an opaque white liquid. ”There are many types of milk,” she told us, “and you should know the different kinds and their uses. Who would like to sample them and try to tell us what is in each cup?”
Nobody raised a hand. I was conflicted: I’d been baking since I was six, drinking milk for many years before that, and I was absolutely confident that I’d be able to identify them all. At the same time, Mrs. Jennings was, shall we say, about as approachable as an angry porcupine. Add to that the fact that we had just completed the “sewing” section of the course, and she had been none too pleased with my crooked stitching, uneven hem, and brown thread on a turquoise blouse. My mark already in jeopardy, I knew I was taking a risk.
I stretched my arm toward the ceiling. “I’ll do it,” I said. Her eyes widenened, but she motioned me over to the table.
One by one, I sipped from the samples. “This is evaporated milk,” I pronounced, swishing the thick, slightly gray liquid in my mouth. I took up the next cup. It contained a thinner, blue-tinged liquid. ”And this one skim milk.” A third: “This one is homogenized.”
One by one, I sipped from the containers, and with each sip, Mrs. Jennings’ face turned a deeper shade of crimson. By the time I had finished, she looked like she’d been hit with two overripe tomatoes, one on each cheek.
“That’s. . . very. . . good, Ricki,” she hissed through clenched teeth. “You got them all. .. correct.” She pronounced it “CO-rrrrect,” like two words, as if she were contemplating her next move between syllables. After that, she never called on me again. But she did put me in charge of Christmas cookies for our end-of-term party.
You’d think that someone with such a sensitivity to minute variations in taste and texture would likely possess a discerning palate as well, wouldn’t you? Um, nope. In the house of my childhood, we didn’t discriminate. If it was sweet, we liked it. I was equally happy with a Hershey bar, a Godiva Hazelnut Praline Chocolate Truffle, or a handful of Chipits chocolate chips. I mean, they’re all chocolate, right?
Ironically, it’s only since I changed my diet to embark on the ACD (having to eliminate pretty much all conventional treats of any kind) that I’ve truly begun to consider the quality of the ingredients I use (and even then, I still sometimes ignore that, too). When dessert is a rarity instead of a twice-a-day indulgence, you want to be sure you really, really enjoy it. And when you know that the crappy desserts you used to binge upon are the main reason you’ve been sick for 18 months (who am I kidding? I’ve been on the diet for 18 months, but the illness began long before that), you want to be sure that they are the finest quality you can get.
When I came across the inspiration for this recipe a while back, I immediately thought, “there’s no way I could make these healthy!” The original contained all the horrific sweets from my childhood: hydrogenated, sweetened peanut butter, sugar-laden chocolate chips, white flour, eggs, butter, and various other artery-hardening ingredients. Then I got to thinking: my palate may not be so discriminating, but it sure can be creative. So I decided to go for it and turn the recipe into an ACD-friendly delicacy.
This is actually a reworking of two other recipes on this site, my Bean Brownies (from way back in 2008) and the Cookie Dough filling from earlier this year. I’ve revamped each of them just enough that together, they really do constitute a new recipe. All the ingredients in these babies are, on balance, good for you–and they taste good, too. Really good.
Almost like a nanaimo bar in its tri-level structure, the brownie combines a fudgy, densely chocolate base with a slightly lighter raw chocolate chip cookie dough topping. Poured over all is a thick, bittersweet chocolate coating that’s midway between a crunchy topping and a ganache, glossy and firm yet soft enough to slice without cracking.
When I served one of these to the HH, he announced (after relishing it bite by bite and even licking the melted chocolate off his fingertips), ”These are a triumph.” Seriously, that was the word he used! He went on, ”They’re like something you’d buy in a fine European pastry shop, that dark imported chocolate you get. And you think, “oh, well, these are supposed to be like this,’ and you gobble them up.’”
Could I have asked for a better compliment? I think not.
So next time you have friends over for dinner, serve them a platter of these brownies for dessert. No matter how discering their palates (and even if they drive a 1976 Corvette), you can proffer these with pride, knowing people will never guess that they’re “healthy.”
. . . And now it’s time for a “Back-to-School Swag” Giveaway–Number Two!
I’ve just recently started experimenting with a couple more conventional low-glycemic sweeteners, and these squares make use of agave. If you’d like to read about the brand I used or win some for yourself in a giveaway, click here.
[Side note: as a member of the BlogHer ad network, I am required to place my review and giveaway on a separate page--apologies that you have to click through before you can enter the giveaway! I figured I'd offer you this awesome recipe to help mitigate the pain. ]
*no, it’s not some perverted onanistic activity, though it sounds like it. All I meant was “car-lover.”
And wouldn’t this be a perfect contribution to Amy’s Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays event? Hop on over to her blog to see what else people contributed!
Cookie Dough Topped Brownie Bars: Gluten Free, Sugar Free, Egg Free and Dairy Free (suitable for ACD Stage 3 or Maintenance)
Don’t let the long ingredient list deter you here–the brownies come together quickly since almost everything goes into the blender and blends up in just a few minutes. While they bake, you can mix up the cookie dough and chocolate topping.
For the brownie layer:
1.5 cups (360 ml) white, navy or white kidney beans, rinsed and well drained (canned beans work best for this recipe)
2 Tbsp (30 ml) unsweetened almond, soy or rice milk
2 Tbsp (30 ml) tahini (sesame paste)
3 Tbsp (45 ml) coconut oil, soft at room temperature (if it’s solid, melt before using in this recipe)
20-30 drops plain or vanilla stevia liquid, to your taste
Make the brownie: Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Line an 8 or 9 inch (20 or 22.5 cm) pan with parchment, or spray with nonstick spray.
In the bowl of a powerful blender (a food processor is not suitable for this recipe), combine the beans, milk, tahini, coconut oil, chia, Bragg’s, Xagave, coconut sugar, stevia and vanilla until velvety smooth and absolutely no lumps remain. (If using a conventional blender, you can still make it this way: blend the beans, milk, Xagave, vanilla and stevia first until perfectly smooth, blending in smaller batches if necessary. Add the tahini, coconut oil, chia and coconut sugar and blend again until well combined. Proceed as below.)
In a large bowl, sift together the sorghum flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda, sea salt and xanthan gum; whisk until everything is evenly distributed. Pour the wet mixture over the dry and stir just to combine well. Stir in the chopped chocolate or cacao nibs. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan once about halfway through, until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, then place in freezer to hasten the cooling process while you prepare the cookie dough topping.
Make the cookie dough: In the bowl of a food processor, blend the oats, cashews, salt and cinnamon until they are the texture of cornmeal. Add remaining ingredients except cacao or chocolate and blend until you have a smooth, soft cookie dough. It should be thin enough to spread (like a frosting), yet slightly too firm to pour (don’t worry: it will thicken up overnight in the fridge as it chills). Add the cacao or chocolate and stir it in by hand.
Once the brownie is very cold, spread the cookie dough mixture on top, spreading it as evenly as possible. Pop the pan back in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to firm up.
While it chills, make the chocolate topping: in a small, heavy-bottomed pot, melt the chocolate and coconut oil. Stir in the agave and stevia and blend well. Pour the mixture over the cookie dough topping. Place the pan (uncovered) in the refrigerator until the chocolate is firm; then cover with plastic and continue to chill for at least 4 hours or overnight. Slice into squares and serve. Smile as you receive grateful praise. Makes 16-20 small squares. May be frozen.
[I've decided to offer a mini-post every once in a while, for a dish that comes together incredibly quickly, or else is so easy to make that no recipe is required. Here's today's "Flash in the Pan."]
[Thanks to everyone who hazarded guesses about what type of peppers I've got flourishing in my backyard. . . I think we all agree they're not jalapenos, but as to what they actually are, we may never be sure. They're definitely spicy, yummy, and abundant--all I need to know, I guess!]
Another plant that grew beyond any sense of propriety in my back yard this past summer is mint. In my eternal quest to find as many uses as possible for the wayward herb, I began to drink this refreshing, ridiculously simple-to-prepare iced tea almost daily. I’d mix a huge batch of the beverage, pour it into a pitcher in the fridge, and just add ice whenever I felt parched, tired, or even a bit peckish. It always worked to perk up my spirits and leave me reinvigorated.
And no wonder: mint has long been used to help soothe digestive problems, and the oils may also aid in preventing bacterial or fungal infections (perfect for someone like me, who’s been rather slack with her ACD lately). Ginger is renowned as an anti-nausea remedy (which is why real ginger ale is so great for pregnant women). It’s also an effective anti-inflammatory and has been shown to help prevent various types of cancers while boosting the immune system.
With all these benefits in a delicious and easy drink, there’s just no reason not to sip some every day.
Fresh Ginger Mint Iced Tea
about 2 cups (480 ml.) unpacked fresh mint leaves
2 2-inch (2.5 cm) pieces of ginger, peeled and sliced into think disks
8 cups (2 liters) boiling water
agave nectar, to taste
splash of lemon juice, if desired
Either coarsely chop the mint, or place In the bottom of a large glass or other non-reactive bowl (big enough to hold 8 cups or 2 liters) and then muddle with the end of a wooden spoon or muddler (but really, who actually owns a muddler??). Add the ginger disks.
Pour boiling water into the bowl and stir gently to submerge all the leaves. Cover if possible while allowing to steep (I used the lid from my wok, which was large enough to cover the entire bowl). Allow to steep 5-10 minutes, or longer if you prefer a stronger brew. Add agave and lemon juice, if desired. The tea can be used immediately if poured over lots of ice (the ice will cool it sufficiently). Refrigerate any leftover tea and use as needed. Will keep up to a week in the fridge.
Necessity is the mother of many a new recipe in our house.
Because there are only the two of us (humans) living here (“Don’t forget about us, Mum!“), it’s usually fairly easy to decide what to have for dinner, or what to buy at the grocery store. My HH and I share many a similar taste, except for all that animal flesh he eats, and we even enjoy cooking together whenever we do cook (which seems to be less and less frequently these days, come to think of it).
One thing we have in common is an apathetic response to pears. I crave a fresh pear probably twice a year–no connection to any other event or season; it’s just something that happens, and then I eat a pear. When I do bite into it, I do appreciate all its lush juiciness, smooth, aromatic flesh and the little-known fibre boost it supplies.
Pears wouldn’t be a problem over here, except that we are also the happy recipients of a weekly organic fruit and vegetable box. When I’m not being lazy, or when I have extra time on my hands, I will contact the company ahead of time if there’s something I don’t want (such as cantaloupe, or extra mushrooms) and they will kindly exchange it for something else I do want (such as kale, or sweet potatoes). However, more often than not, I am forgetful this way, and we end up with two to four pears in the box.
If I’m indifferent to fresh pears, my HH is positively aloof. He won’t eat them; doesn’t like them; won’t even so much as glance in their direction. The result of this situation at home is the all-too-frequent overly ripe pears sitting in a bowl in our kitchen, looking ennervated and gloomy and feebly hanging on for dear life. What to do?
In the past, I’ve simply chucked them, with no fanfare and lots of guilt (well, at least I put them in the organic waste bin). Then I realized that I could quarter, core, and freeze them for later use in a morning smoothie, along with my frozen banana and berries. This worked well, and I enjoyed the added flavor imparted by the pears. Eventually, though, the number of ziplocs containing pears just grew too large.
A couple of weeks ago, I decided to whip up some of my favorite oatbran banana muffins, and grabbed a bag of frozen overripe bananas to defrost. To my dismay, I realized once it was too late to re-freeze them that the melted, leaky mass in the bowl wasn’t bananas at all, but a batch of my frozen pears. What to do?
The pear slices were too soggy and soft to use as they were (and certainly not suitable to cut into dice, as is so often the requirement for any baked goods made with fresh pears). I had a wonderful recipe for pear and ginger muffins that I’d made about a year ago, but it called for freshly diced pears, and this mass of oozing, juicy, soggy goo was just too amorphous for any such recipe.
Then it hit me that I could do with the pears what I had intended to do with the bananas: grab my trusty hand blender and whip them in to a puree. Then use the puree in a quickbread recipe.
I got to work and concocted what I thought would work. I even threw in some Salba, as I’d just bought my first bag (for the low, low price of $13.70!!!) and wanted to experiment. An hour later, I had four pear and ginger loaves–a little too flat, a little too dry, but on the right track. A few more test runs, and I was pleased enough to give the results to my HH to taste. I told him it was a “spice bread.”
Well, let’s just say, the days of the Pear Prohibition are over. My HH made quick work of 2 loaves in succession that very night, then asked for another for breakfast the next day. I’ve since told him they contain pear, and he’s even okay with it.
Here’s the recipe, so you can see what you think. Another reason I’m excited about it is that this will be my first contribution to the ARF/5-A-Day Tuesday round-up next week, hosted by Cate at Sweetnicks.
[NB. Those eagle-eyed among you (okay, technically "between you," since among is reserved for more than two) will notice that there is, indeed, a photo attached to this post, despite my earlier whining that I'd forgotten my camera up north. Luckily, I shot a few photos of my pear loaves last week, when I baked them. Wow, that free camera can snap nifty photos!]
Mini Pear and Ginger Loaves
1-1/3 cups (approx 325 ml) pear puree (can be fresh or previously frozen; use overripe pears)
2 tsp. (10 ml.) freshly grated ginger root
2 Tbsp. (30 ml.) finely ground chia seeds (I’m guessing you can substitute ground flax seeds as well)
2/3 cup (160 ml) agave nectar (dark or light–your choice)
1/2 cup (120 ml) organic sunflower or other light-tasting oil
2 Tbsp. (30 ml.) good quality balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. ( 5 ml.) pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. (2.5 ml.) pure lemon extract
2/3 cup (75 g.) walnuts, broken into pieces
1-1/3 cups (175 g.) whole barley flour
2/3 cup (85 g.) whole oat flour
1-1/2 tsp. (7 ml) aluminum-free baking powder
1 tsp. (5 ml) baking soda
1/2 tsp. (2 ml.) sea salt
2 tsp. (10 ml.) ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. (1 ml.), scant, ground cloves
Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Lightly spray an 8-loaf mini loaf pan (or 8 individual mini loaf pans) with nonstick spray, or line with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, combine the pear puree, ginger, Salba, agave nectar, oil, vinegar, vanilla, and lemon extract. Mix well, then gently fold in the walnut pieces. Set aside while you measure the dry ingredients, or for at least 2 minutes.
In a large bowl, sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves.
Pour the wet mixture over the dry mixture and stir to combine. Do not overmix (it’s okay if a few small dry lumps remain here and there). Using a large ice cream scoop or small measuring cup, pour the mixture into the loaf pans, filling about 3/4 full (these won’t rise a lot more once they’re in the oven).
Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes, rotating the pan once after 20 minutes to ensure even heating. Loaves are ready when a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean but moist.
Cool 5 minutes in pans, then remove to racks to cool. These freeze well. Makes 8 mini loaves. May also be baked as muffins.
Final note: the last time I whipped these up, I was probably daydreaming while stirring and forgot entirely to add the oil; it didn’t make a huge difference, and they were still delicious. So you can also bake these as fat-free Pear and Ginger Mini Loaves or Muffins, if you wish.
[This recipe will also appear in my upcoming cookbook, Sweet Freedom, along with more than 100 others, most of which are not featured on this blog. For more information, check the "Cookbook" button at right, or visit the cookbook blog.]
Talk about under the wire. Here it is, the LAST DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS, and I’m still experimenting with baking cookies (and still posting to Holidailies). And guess what? I think I’ve hit on something.
I’ve been wanting to do a Christmas sugar cookie for years. Ever since I had to alter my diet and cut out wheat and refined sugars, it’s been a bit difficult to bake traditional treats (though there are so many greatcookbooksout there, not to mention a whole lot of blogs using all-natural ingredients, which makes it easier and easier).
After baking with agave nectar for the past few years, I felt pretty good about that. But a sugar cookie? Wouldn’t it be kind of heretical to take the sugar out of it? (And what would I call it, anyway–”agave cookie cutouts”?).
But recently, I also started baking chia seeds (yes, those selfsame seeds that used to grow into little animals in pottery shapes for kids), only edible. One could say that “chia is the new flax,” since it contains the same healthful Omega 3 fatty acids, only more so than flax. Further, chia is lighter in color and texture–perfect for a creamy white, snowy “sugar” cookie.
Sugar cookies are also, traditionally, rolled and cut. When baking with agave, however, the cookie dough is more often soft and most suitable for scooping or smoothing into pans, to be cut later into bars (since agave is a liquid sweetener, after all). So what to do? I decided that the combination of coconut butter instead of butter (since it’s also solid at room temperature), and chia as an egg substitute would work best, since the chia would absorb some of the excess moisture in the agave. That way, I would be able to use almost the same ratio of flour to sweetener in a “regular” sugar cookie.
I’m happy to report that the dough came out beautiful! It was a teeny bit softer than expected when first mixed, so I split it in two parts, and scooped the first half (at room temperature). These cookies came out just barely golden on the bottoms, uniform in shape, with a beautiful, tender crumb and delicate flavor. Truly, they were delicious–a great plain all-occasion cookie that’s not too sweet.
I put the second half of the dough into the fridge to sit for an hour or two and firm up. I’m going to roll it out later, cut it into shapes (should be interesting, as we haven’t yet unpacked all my baking supplies, and I’ve got neither a rolling pin nor my cookie cutters), and bake it that way; I’ll post those photos as soon as they’re ready.
[Edit, December 2008: The dough was perfect once chilled--firm and easy to roll. Here's what the cookies look like rolled out, and cut with cookie cutters:]
In the meantime, I’ll share this recipe for those of you who may want to play around for next Christmas!
[EDIT, NOVEMBER 2011: I've since created a gluten-free version of these cookies, which is posted (along with a few other recipes) in this blog post.]
Ricki’s Sugar Agave Cookies (aka Sugar-Free Sugar Cookies)
6 Tbsp. (90 ml.) light agave nectar
1 Tbsp. (15 ml.) finely ground chia seeds
2 Tbsp. (30 ml.) unflavored soymilk
1 tsp. (5 ml.) pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. (2.5 ml.) pure lemon flavoring
2 cups (280 g.) spelt flour
1-1/2 tsp. (7.5 ml.) aluminum-free baking powder
1/8 tsp. (.5 ml.) sea salt
1/2 cup (120 ml.) refined organic coconut oil (or use unrefined if you don’t mind the coconut taste)
Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper, or spray with nonstick spray.
In a measuring cup or small bowl, combine the agave nectar, chia seeds, soymilk and flavorings. Mix well and allow to sit while you prepare the dry ingredients, or at least two minutes.
In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Drop the coconut butter in small chunks (about 1 tsp./5 ml. each) over the dry ingredients. Pinch the mixture repeatedly between your thumb and fingers until all the coconut butter is blended in, no little lumps remain, and the mixture is crumbly. (It should hold together when you squeeze it in your palm). This should NOT be the same consistency as when mixing pie dough; you want all of the coconut butter to “melt into” the flour, with NO pea-sized bits of butter visible.
Pour the wet mixture over the flour mixture and stir until well blended. You should have a soft and slightly sticky dough, but one that holds together.
For drop cookies, you may use the dough immediately. Drop from a teaspoon or small scoop onto a cookie sheet about one inch (2 cm) apart. Flatten slightly with the palm of your hand or a silicon spatula.
For rolled cookies, gather the dough together and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate about an hour, until firm. Roll out to about 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) thickness on a lightly floured board. Cut into desired shapes and place on a cookie sheet.
Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, until edges are just golden. Cool before removing from sheets and decorating as desired. Makes 24-30 cookies. May be frozen.
Note, 2011: I’ve since made this recipe as a gluten-free cookie, using my all-purpose gluten free flour for the spelt and adding 1 tsp (5 ml) xanthan gum. They worked beautifully!
(“Agave is also low-glycemic, Mum, so it should be just fine for dogs. How about some agave biscuits for us?”)
[This recipe (along with about 100 others, most not on this blog) will appear in my upcoming cookbook, Sweet Freedom, scheduled for release in early 2009. For more information, click on "Cookbook" at right, or visit the Sweet Freedom blog.]
Every year, when my sisters and I were kids, for our birthdays we each got a made-from-scratch, personally decorated birthday cake for our party. One year it was Little Bo Peep, another it was Barbie, still others it was a pretty array of colorful frosting flowers splashed across a chocolate rectangle. Cake, always cake; but never can I recall having cupcakes for my birthday.
Well, times have changed. In just a few years, cupcakes have become all the rage. Little cupcake-only shops have sprouted in every major city; and my friend Angie tells me that, in Dallas, they’ve reached a peak of price and exculsivity. One might even say that cupcakes are poised to take over the world!
And so, this season, though I’ve been asked to bake for several children’s parties and an at-home Christmas celebration, in every case I’ve been asked to bake up a batch of cupcakes.
As a vegan baker who uses neither refined sugar nor margarine, I can sometimes find it incredibly difficult to come up with substitutions that will approximate the same look and taste as conventional recipes (even though I own, and have carefully persued, every page of Isa and Terry’s phenomenal book, and send major kudos their way–especially for the agave-based vanilla cupcakes). I find it fairly easy to substitute organic coconut butter for margarine, but sugar really is one of a kind, especially when you’re talking buttercream.
So, while I continue to experiment with an agave-based buttercream frosting (and to post to Holidailies), I am left with my old standby, agave fudgy frosting, for cupcakes. Though delicious and thoroughly chocolatey, it’s not airy in the least, and not as easy to pipe into ruffles or scallops or drop flowers. It tends to sport a high-gloss finish, and can be a bit stiff, sometimes firming up so much that it won’t agree to be piped at all. When the vanilla version is colored for decorations, it resembles the type of gel-like icings you buy in little tubes in the grocery store–not much fine detail to work with, there.
[cupcakes with a scoop of frosting, waiting to be transformed. . . ]
So, when I received an order for some last-minute cupcakes decorated with a holiday theme, I wasn’t sure what to do. Without any formal training in cake decorating (which, I’m fairly sure, wouldn’t be much help with this type of frosting, anyway), I had to improvise. So I thought about simple line drawings of bells or bows that I could pipe onto the cupcakes, or how I might fill in an outline with colored frosting, which would then be smoothed flat, with something like a stained glass effect.
[The blank canvas waiting for inspiration]
Well, in the end, I would say the experiment was a semi-success. You can tell what I was trying to achieve, but the icing just wouldn’t smooth out, so my holly leaves have little bumpy ridges on them. Still, they tasted great (what? I couldn’t very well give them away without sampling to ensure quality, now, could I?), and I know that the kids who’ll be eating them will be thrilled.
[chocolate and agave holiday cheer]
With precious little time left before the holiday and so many people on the lookout for Christmas recipes, I’ll contribute one more festive cookie. These are a dense, chewy round that combines a peanut butter base with chocolate chips and cranberries. If you bake them the full suggested time, they’ll be crispy on the edges and soft but dry inside. Bake a little less, and they’ll cool to a moist and chewy goodness. These are actually better the second day, as the PB flavor intensifies.
Hmm. Peanut butter, chocolate and cranberries. . . I may just have to bake some of these myself. In the meantime, I’ll keep working on that sugarless vegan buttercream.
Holiday Cranberry Chippers
This big-batch cookie recipe is a great way to involve the kids. They’ll love helping out, especially since they can use their hands to mix the dough.
1/2 cup silken tofu
1/2 cup natural almond or peanut butter
1/2 cup soft coconut butter (or substitute 1/3 cup sunflower oil)
1 cup Sucanat
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 cups whole spelt flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup large flake old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional (or substitute an extra 1/4 cup chips instead)
Preheat oven to 375F and lightly grease two large cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
To measure tofu, spoon it into a measuring cup and “chop” it with the spoon or press it to pack down. Drain off any excess water.
In bowl of a food processor or using a whisk, combine nut butter, coconut butter, tofu, Sucanat, cinnamon and vanilla. Blend until perfectly smooth and no lumps of tofu remain.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, soda, oats, chips, cranberries, and nuts, if using.
Pour wet mixture over dry and combine to make a dough that is firm but not dry (you may need to use your hands at the end of mixing the dough to combine it well).
Using a heaping tablespoon or small ice cream scoop full for each cookie, roll dough into balls and place on lightly greased cookie sheets about 1 inch apart. Flatten the balls slightly with your palm or the bottom of a glass.
Bake at 375F for 8-12 minutes, until edges are golden. Cool and remove from sheets. Makes about 3 dozen. May be frozen.
What was I thinking, agreeing to post an entry a day for a whole month? True, I have really been enjoying the whole Holidailies event, but given the whirlwind of events that are generally going on this time of year, coupled with the fact that I’ve been fighting some kind of weird virus the past two weeks (hope it’s not some alien quinoa I ate, or something), and this whole idea of posting to a schedule seems insane.
And so, I’m going to chuck the schedule tonight and write about something else entirely, instead of the pre-planned “diet” post. True, the title of my blog includes this very word, AND it is so often foremost on my mind that I may as well have a “diet” tatoo emblazoned on my stomach (where, of course, no living soul will ever see it if I can help it). Still, I am, every so often, occupied with something other than diets. Like dessert. Or dogs, for example.
These days, when I make or bake desserts, I tend to use organic, natural, unrefined sweeteners. That wasn’t always the case. I grew up in a home with an immigrant father who’d been raised on a dairy farm and was quite accustomed to home-baked desserts (not to mention everything else made from scratch as well). As it turned out, my mother was a dessert lover herself (the ultimate cause of her death, I’d wager) and an excellent baker. So we always had homemade goodies in our house, and my sisters and I would come home from school to cookies, cakes, or whatever else my mom had whipped up.
Growing up in a house like that was both a blessing and a curse. I knew how to bake by the time I was six or seven, helping my mother and aunt (who was also a professional baker and happened to live right upstairs in the same duplex). On the other hand, all the females in my family have or had weight problems, and struggle with sugar addictions. (My father, in contrast, is now in his eighth decade, has never been overweight, and just doesn’t understand how it can happen. “If I feel my belt getting a bit tighter,” he says, “I just stop eating dessert for a couple of days, and I go back to my normal size.” There’s no point telling him that (a) he doesn’t have an eating disorder, so of course he just “stops eating dessert”; and (b) he’s male, so all he has to do is have one less sip of coffee a day, and he’ll probably drop 10 pounds in a week.
The curse part is being so attached to dessert that I’m unwilling–perhaps unable–to cut it out of my life entirely, despite the deleterious effects I witnessed growing up. Even when my naturopath put me on a rigid diet that excluded all sweeteners for two years (including all fruits for the first 3 months), I eventually found a way to make dessert. I’d grind nuts with fruit puree–once the fruit was allowed–along with carob and spelt flour, shape it into patties and bake it; my HH called them “Dust Cookies.”
So maybe I just need to accept that baking is something I’ll always do, like writing, or patting my dogs, or brushing my teeth every night. I can live with that, as long as I’m not harming my health in the process. And that’s where the alternative sweeteners come into play.
It’s true that all “real” sweeteners will be converted to glucose in the body, thereby raising blood sugar levels. But there’s a huge difference between the immediate BOOM of sugar (converted quickly) and something like agave nectar, (converted slowly, more like a whole fruit would be, allowing for a more even rise in blood sugar levels). The lower GI (glycemic index) of agave also supposedly makes it appropriate for diabetics (if only it had been available when my mother was younger!).
It was a huge challenge at first when I began to bake with alternative sweeteners (not to mention the shift from regular flour to mostly spelt flour, from using eggs to no eggs, from butter to vegetable oils, and myriad other small changes). Eventually, though, I learned how to substitute healthier (for the most part, liquid) sweeteners for the sugar.
I use a variety of natural sweeteners now, but agave is by far my favorite. Somewhat like honey with a lighter consistency, it has a delicate flavor that won’t overpower the other tastes in your dessert (so, for instance, while I will use maple syrup in baking, I opt for agave when I’m making something light, like a lemon cake or banana cupcake). It’s also less sticky than honey, so it won’t cling to the bottom of the jar when it’s almost empty (just invert and wait a few seconds, and every last drop makes its way out).
If you haven’t tried it and would like to, here are a few quick tips for converting your existing recipes:
Agave is about 1-1/2 times sweeter than regular sugar. So if you’re replacing sugar with agave syrup, you can start with 2/3 to 3/4 cup agave for each cup of sugar.
Since agave is a liquid sweetener, simply substituting one for one with sugar will alter the chemistry of the batter by adding more liquid. To compensate, either cut other liquids in the recipe (say if it calls for 1 cup milk) by about 25%. In other words, if the original recipe used 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk, change that to 2/3-3/4 cup agave and 2/3-3/4 cup milk.
If the original recipe didn’t use much liquid, you can still compensate for the agave by increasing the flour. Add about 25% extra flour for each cup flour (in other words, if the original recipe calls for 1 cup flour, use 1-1/4 to 1-1/3 cups with the agave).
Baked goods made with agave may be a little heavier than what you’re used to, so you might want to increase any leaveners. If the original recipe calls for 1 tsp. baking powder, I usually up it to 1-1/4 or 1-1/2 tsp.
Finally, agave browns faster than sugar (just as honey does), and so should be baked at a slightly lower temperature for best results. If the original recipe uses 350F, I will bake an agave-based recipe at 325F.
Baking with agave allows me to create sweets that I’m willing to eat (that is, things that are actually tasty), without causing terribly unhealthy swings in blood sugar levels. And I do believe that dessert can be part of an overall weight loss eating plan (see, I didn’t say “diet.”).
