Apple Cake (Gluten Free)
April 12th, 2009
Julia's Apple Cake and Thumbprint Cookies
This past fall my beloved gifted me with a private gluten-free cooking lesson with a very talented gluten-free baker. We met Julia of Adaba Foods at the Boulder Farmer’s Market where she sells her gluten-free treats, and were both quite excited about her specialties. I have always wanted to learn more about baking gluten-free, and was excited to have a private session where I could ask her lots of questions, and learn more about alternative grains. I left her house with lots of goodies, and some new recipes to play with.
Today I decided to make her recipe for Apple Cake and since I didn’t have all of the ingredients I made some substitutions. I will let her share her recipe with you so be sure to check out her blog. If any of you live in the Boulder area, she also has soup nights, so you could taste her delicious creations!
If you would like to see her in action you can follow this video link to see Julia as a guest baker on the Minimalist Menu. She teaches you how to maker her Lemon Poppy Seed Bread with sprouted quinoa!
Enjoy!
Banana Buckwheat Pancakes
April 5th, 2009
A Feel-Good Sunday Brunch
Lazy Sunday mornings, lounging in bed, taking it slowly, and enjoying a long brunch. Our favorite treat on these days are pancakes. The pancakes that don’t leave you feeling weighed down afterwards.
For those that don’t know, buckwheat is actually not part of the wheat family. It is a gluten-free grain with a pronounced taste. This grain adds character to the pancakes without overpowering them and since there is no gluten, the pancakes are light and fluffy going in and easy to digest!
I have adapted my recipe from a beautiful cookbook called Conscious Cuisine written by Chef Cary Neff. His recipe uses some wheat flour with the buckwheat flour, but I find that there is no need for it. I have tested this recipe on tons of friends and family and they love the pancakes!
Definitely try them out! We usually make a double batch and save them for snacks too.
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Tags: agave, banana, buckwheat flour, eggs, lemon, olive oil, rice milk
Posted in alternative grain, breakfast, dairy free, gluten-free, vegetarian, wheat-free 3 Comments »
Portabello and Spinach Pizza
March 7th, 2009
Pizza night!
Pizza night is a special occassion in our household. Most specifically because we have found a great gluten free pizza crust. So in addition to this being a pizza recipe, this is also a quick and easy recipe, using a pre-made crust. Our favorite crust comes from Sami’s Bakery. He makes millet and flax pizza crusts, all gluten free ingredients, but just a warning that they do make their gluten free products in the same facility as products with gluten.
Their millet and flax products (also include crackers, bread and lavosh) are so good that I am dying to know the recipe because nothing compares to the quality of the products, and you can’t really tell that they are gluten free. It might have something to do with the use of a brick oven…but it is still a mystery to me.
We used to be able to purchase their products when we lived in Key West, but they haven’t made it out west yet, so we order online, and therefore keep it as a special treat.
Our favorite pizza lately is a portabello mushroom and spinach pizza which is pretty easy to put together. We even use a store bought sauce. After looking at the options around town, we are happy with Whole Foods Organic sauces. I am pretty surprised when I see how many companies use sugar in their pasta sauce. It seems like a violation of nature! Thankfully Whole Foods organic sauces (as far as I have found) do not add sugar to their sauce (and the price is great!). We have tried a few but personally I like the Mushroom Tomato Sauce.
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Tags: millet, mozzarella, mushroom, spinach
Posted in alternative grain, egg-free, entree, gluten-free, vegetarian, wheat-free 2 Comments »
Falafel (2 ways)
March 1st, 2009
Little chickpea patties, perfectly spiced and slightly crunchy on the outside. Falafel are something that I did not discover until my adult years, but since then, I have made up for the lack. I have yet to travel to a country where falafel is the specialty, but after trying around, my favorite falafel was at a Lebanese restaurant in Paris. I tried to search for the restaurant online so that I could give you a link or an address, but I haven’t been able to find it so far. Their falafel was so good though! It was always on my list of places to go when I visit Paris.
While I have great affection for falafel, I prefer my falafel to be very lightly fried, or not fried at all, which is why C. and I prefer to have homemade falafel when possible. Personally, one of the most important ingredients is fresh chickpeas… I know that soaking and cooking chickpeas seems like so much more work, but it is totally worth it! And personally I don’t think it is more work, it just takes some planning ahead. Try comparing them sometime and I think you will taste the difference! If you are overwhelmed by the idea of making falafel and cooking your own chickpeas, take it easy and just start with making the falafel, but once you get more confident…definitely try it!
The recipe below is the same for both ways of cooking, but I will give you 2 options to cook them.
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Tags: chickpeas, parsley, sesame seeds, tahini
Posted in dairy free, egg-free, entree, gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, wheat-free 3 Comments »
Millet Cornbread
February 15th, 2009
Millet Cornbread
Whenever my partner makes chili, the next question that follows is “Wanna make cornbread?”. We love our Vegetarian Chili recipe, (I will be sure to share it in a future post), and it is almost inevitable that when we have chili, we want cornbread too.
When I went to the fridge to start making the batter, I realized that I didn’t actually have any corn flour! Thankfully I quickly came up with an improvisation. I had some polenta meal, and millet flour, and then I remembered we also had cooked millet…I am always up for experiment.
The polenta meal and the cooked millet add texture to the cornbread, and the surprise ingredient (banana!) adds moisture. So the combination is really nice. Some cornbreads can be really dry, but I think this recipe has a nice balance to it. I was really happy with the experiment and so was C.
A Key West Cookie Creation
February 6th, 2009
Cashew Oat Cookies basking in the sun
We are back from our Key West vacation, and were happy to find that it is actually warmer in Boulder than it was when we left Key West! It was a nice chance to visit with family and see a few friends, but I realized that my love for cooking and my desire to feed my body with nourishing foods set me up for a vacation full of grocery shopping and cooking. Lets just say between the cooler weather and my time in the kitchen, I did not come home with a tan.
I did however come up with a great new recipe for oatmeal cookies. Improvising from a basic cookie recipe that I had, and using what was available in the house, I came up with these delicious Cashew Oat Cookies which are full of many other yummy ingredients.
(Although I did not make them with gluten free oats, those of you who eat only gluten free could easily use the gluten free version.)
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Tags: agave, applesauce, cashews, chocolate, oatmeal, raisins
Posted in cookies, dessert, egg-free, gluten-free, indulgent, vegetarian, wheat-free 3 Comments »
Giambotta
January 21st, 2009
Hearty Giambotta Stew
Eggplant.
Some people love it and some people really dislike it. I even know someone who passionately dislikes it. Personally, I am a big fan, and am always looking for something different to do with it. This past fall I discovered Giambotta while I was cleansing and looking through cookbooks for recipes that could fit into the phase of the cleanse that I was currently on.
Cleansing is a great way to step back and gain some perspective on how my body feels eating certain foods, and how I can actively promote my physical well-being. I have tried a few cleanses in the past few years, but the one that I have found the most rewarding and compassionate is from the book If the Buddha Came to Dinner: How to Nourish Your Body to Awaken Your Spirit by Hale Sofia Schatz. During the first phase of the cleanse you eat mostly vegetables, so Giambotta was a great choice. It is a hearty stew, and is very nurturing during the winter months.
It is described in the cookbook Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites (where I discovered it) as an Italian version of the French Ratatouille dish, and I have to say, I agree. It reminds me of Ratatouille, and the potatoes definitely “frenchify” it. My french sweetheart was definitely happy with it!
I have modified the recipe changing a few ingredients and quantities from the original recipe. So, with no further ado, here my Giambotta recipe. Stew and enjoy!
Tags: bell pepper, celery, eggplant, potato, tomato, zucchini
Posted in dairy free, egg-free, entree, gluten-free, soup/stew, vegan, vegetarian, wheat-free No Comments »
Herbed Polenta Crackers
January 12th, 2009
Herbed Polenta Crackers
I love crackers! Since I prefer to eat gluten free, most crackers in the store are not an option for me, and since I love to bake and try new recipes, I am always working on home baked crackers and chips. These polenta crackers are a lot of fun, and really easy to make.
I found the recipe in a book that I discovered a few years ago while I was perusing the shelves of the Strand Bookstore in NYC. I don’t get to go to NYC all that often, and I think I could have camped out in that bookstore for a few days in order to really get to know the amazing selection of books.
These crackers come from the book Blissful Detox: Over 100 simply delicious cleansing recipes. It is a great book, with an introduction to detox, Chinese Medicine, and the view that foods can be Warming, Cooling and Neutral and how that relates to your bodytype. The recipes are beautiful, and for the most part have a clean simplicity. I hope to be making some other recipes from this book in the future. For now, here is the polenta cracker recipe which I have modified slightly to work with my own preferences…
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Tags: cornmeal, herbes de provence, polenta
Posted in crackers and breads, dairy free, egg-free, gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, wheat-free 3 Comments »
Fresh start…
January 4th, 2009
Welcome to Well Being in the Kitchen! I am very excited to start sharing my recipes, cooking ideas, tips and other food related fun with you. I have already started testing some recipes and gathering new ideas for the future, so be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a new addition.
Feel free to contact me with questions or requests!
Thanks,
Christine
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