Monday, May, 20, 2013
It’s finally springtime here. For us Midwestern folks, that means rhubarb and morel mushrooms are making their way into the kitchens of those with a good connection.
And a good connection I have! My sweet friend Judy brought rhubarb to me from her garden in Iowa. I enjoy eating rhubarb, but have limited experience cooking and baking with it and have never tried to grow it. Judy cautioned me, “Don’t juice or eat the greens, they are poisonous!” Now what would make anyone think I’d attempt to juice those beautiful, dark, leafy greens atop the rhubarb stalks? 
The area where this rhubarb exchange took place had limited cell service for me, so I couldn’t immediately use my phone to research why I shouldn’t eat the greens. My guess was high levels of oxalic acid (yes, this is how my food nerd brain works) but I couldn’t imagine how high the levels would have to be for it to become toxic. Turns out it is oxalic acid and one would have to eat a pretty hefty amount of the greens for them to be deadly. But juicing them doesn’t sound like a good idea at all, since I’m guessing removing the insoluble fiber would make the absorption of the oxalates more rapid.
So I stuck with a more traditional preparation of rhubarb. I made a strawberry rhubarb crumble with a few less-than-traditional ingredients like quinoa and bourbon. Yep, bourbon. I heard once it’s good for digestion. Really, I heard that somewhere.
A quick tip on the quinoa flour: you can buy quinoa flour at many stores now but if you already have quinoa in your pantry, just turn it into flour using a high speed blender, spice or coffee mill. It can be a challenge to keep everything in the pantry fresh, so why keep two items in the pantry when you can keep just one? I do this with quite a few other ingredients, including flax seed. Anything I can do to keep my food fresh, cost and waste down, wins with me!
Strawberry Rhubarb Quinoa Crumble
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups certified gluten-free oats
- 1 cup quinoa flour
- 2/3 cup coconut sugar (or other unrefined sugar)
- 1 t. pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 1/2 sticks chilled Earth Balance non-dairy butter substitute
-
- 2 cups rhubarb stalks (1" dice)
- 2 cups fresh strawberries, halved or quartered depending on size)
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar (or other unrefined sugar)
- 3 T. fresh squeezed orange juice
- 2 T. bourbon (replace with orange juice if you prefer to skip the bourbon)
- 1 t. orange zest
- 1 t. arrowroot
- Optional: Vanilla Ice Cream (I used So Delicious Vanilla Bean)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Have a 9 x 13 baking dish ready.
- Combine oats, quinoa flour, coconut sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Mix together just to combine.
- Add chilled Earth Balance (or butter of your choice) and cut in using either a fork or pastry cutter until mixture is crumbly.
- Cover bottom of 9 x 13 baking dish with HALF of the crumble mixture. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
- While crust is baking, prepare filling.
- In a small bowl, combine orange juice, bourbon, orange zest and arrowroot. Mix to combine.
- Pour the liquid mixture over the rhubarb, strawberries and coconut sugar.
- When crust has baked for 15 minutes, remove from oven. Top with fruit mixture.
- Sprinkle the remaining crumble mixture over the top of the fruit. Return to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.
- Serve warm with a scoop of your favorite ice cream.
2.2
http://injohnnaskitchen.com/2013/05/strawberry-rhubarb-quinoa-crumble-a-sweet-start-to-the-week/
Thursday, May, 16, 2013
I have a fascination with Brazilian food. This might surprise you if your idea of Brazilian food is visiting a churrascaria to eat endless mounds of meat cooked on a skewer. What would a plant-based eater have in common with a meat-on-a-stick way of eating?
Nope, it’s not about the meat for me. It’s about the breads, the crepes, the desserts, made without gluten. Naturally gluten-free, always have been.
But here’s the thing (there’s always a *thing* with me and food)…many of the Brazilian desserts I like best are made with sweetened, condensed milk. That doesn’t work well for me, so I wanted to find a way around it. Then I started thinking about how that became the Brazilian way in the first place. How did a processed food become an essential ingredient in the desserts of a country so rich with fresh products, fruits, seeds, nuts? It was because of World War II food shortages. Nestle introduced sweetened, condensed milk and cocoa powder to Brazil to compensate for their shortages of fruits and nuts. Interesting!
Since we aren’t currently short of unprocessed foods, I’m reinventing the Brigadeiro. My version is free of dairy and refined sugar, it’s technically raw and vegan if that’s how you like to eat. You can also make it nut free if you prefer. Instead of rolling the truffles in the traditional chocolate sprinkles, I’ve rolled mine in cacao nibs. You could also roll them in finely shredded, unsweetened coconut. Any way you go about it, these are decadent, luscious bites of chocolate. Enjoy!
Oh! One more thing…there’s still time to enter my giveaway for a signed copy of Michael Pollan’s new book, Cooked. Click here to enter.
Brigadeiros, a raw vegan twist on Brazilian chocolate truffles
Ingredients
- 3/4 cups raw sunflower seeds, soaked in water overnight and drained
- 1/4 cup raw nut butter of your choice OR raw sunflower butter
- 3 T. maple syrup, raw agave or raw local honey
- 1/4 cup raw cacao powder
- 2 Tablespoons maca powder (replace with cacao if you don't have maca)
- 2 T. coconut oil, softened but not liquified
- 1/2 t. cinnamon
- 1/4 t. raw vanilla powder (or scrape 1/4 of a vanilla bean)
- dash of sea salt
- raw cacao nibs for rolling, about 1/2 cup (I break mine up a bit in the food processor)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except the cacao nibs in either a high speed blender or food processor with the "s" blade. Process until smooth.
- Put mixture in a bowl and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. It will be firm enough to roll into a ball. Roll into 12 to 14 balls. Roll each ball in cacao nibs.
- Store these in the refrigerator.
2.2
http://injohnnaskitchen.com/2013/05/brigadeiros-a-luscious-chocolate-truffle-with-good-for-you-ingredients/
I’m linking this post up with Gluten Free Cat’s Raw Foods Thursdays , Wellness Weekend at Diet, Dessert and Dogs and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free. Drop by to see all of the goodness folks have shared this week!
Thursday, March, 21, 2013
Yesterday, on my appearance on Better Kansas City, I shared my favorite chocolate cupcake and chocomole frosting. I’ve turned my TV leftovers into a dessert that may be even more decadent than the original!
Leftovers? Leftover cupcakes? Yep. I’m a bit of a perfectionist about my recipes. Not so much that they be impeccably formatted (maybe you’ve noticed) or that they have some specific nutritional balance (just healthy ingredients works for me), but that they actually work and taste great. So every time I’m going to be on TV, teach a class, post a recipe here, I find myself testing a few times just to be sure. Which means I had lots of cupcakes and lots of frosting from my TV appearance. What’s a girl to do with several batches of frosting staring her down every time the refrigerator door is open? Make trifles!
Here’s all you need to do this: a few fresh raspberries, one batch of Chocomole frosting (recipe below) and one batch of My Favorite Chocolate Cupcakes.
I used small plastic punch cups to make these for a couple of reasons. First, I could share these with friends and neighbors and not worry about getting a container back. Second, the shape of the punch cups follows the shape of a cupcake, narrower at the bottom, flaring at the top. These can also be created in small mason jars.
Slice each cupcake in half. Place bottom of cupcake in the bottom of the cup.
Top with a layer of chocomole frosting, following by a layer of raspberries.
Top with remaining half of cupcake.
Finish with another layer of chocomole frosting and a few raspberries for garnish.
Store these in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Ingredients
- 4 ripe avocados
- 2 T. coconut oil
- 1 pound medjool dates, pitted
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ cup coconut nectar, honey, maple syrup or raw agave
- 2 t. vanilla bean paste
- ¼ to ½ cup So Delicious unsweetened coconut milk or unsweetened almond milk
Instructions
- If you are using a food processor 11 cups or smaller in size, please consider splitting this recipe in half.
- In food processor, place dates and process until finely chopped. They will turn into a ball of date paste in the food processor.
- Slice the avocados in half carefully. Remove the pit and spoon out the fruit. Place the fruit into the bowl of the food processor.
- Add the cocoa powder, coconut oil, agave nectar and vanilla bean paste to the food processor. Process until smooth, at least a few minutes.
- Slowly add in milk, until desired frosting consistency is reached. Pipe or frost with a knife onto cupcakes.
- This frosting is best kept refrigerated.
2.2
http://injohnnaskitchen.com/2013/03/mini-chocolate-raspberry-trifles/
Wednesday, March, 20, 2013
This morning I appeared on Better Kansas City, a local lifestyle show on KCTV5. I shared my favorite chocolate cupcakes and chocomole frosting. I really had a terrific time!
Because y’all asked, here’s the video. I can’t watch it, really I can’t…but you go ahead, as long as you promise not to point out my blunders. Like neglecting to mention the vanilla bean paste in the frosting or putting my words in the wrong order. I did manage to not cuss like a sailor, so there’s that… And how cute is Lisa Holbrook? She’s a fun TV host and jumped right in frosting cupcakes with me, even sticking her finger in the frosting for a taste.
KCTV 5
Wanna give these cupcakes a try? Here’s a link to the recipe from KCTV5. Tomorrow I’ll share another fun way to use these recipes. Check back, it’s a good one!
Thursday, March, 14, 2013
Happy Pi Day! I love when a food holiday rolls around, giving me an excuse to concoct something that tickles the tastebuds. Today’s excuse: pie. I would like 3.14159269359 slices of this one! It’s got a nice hint of mint and plenty of chocolate flavor thanks to cacao nibs in both the filling and the crust.
Often I use soaked cashews or almonds in making raw/living foods pie. Today I’ve used macadamias. Beyond the amazing flavor of macadamias, they don’t require soaking. This works great for me because I often neglect to plan ahead and find myself ready to make pie but didn’t put nuts in to soak eight hours earlier. Macadamias to the rescue!
Pie for Pi Day, Mint Chocolate Chip Pie (raw, vegan, gluten-free, indulgent)
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups macadamia nuts
- 6 medjool dates, pitted
- 2 T. cacao nibs
-
For the pie filling
- 3 avocados
- 2/3 cup macadamia nuts
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup raw honey (use agave or maple syrup to vegan)
- 1/4 cup cacao nibs
- 8-10 fresh mint leaves or 1/2 t. mint extract, extra leaves for garnish
Instructions
For crust:
- Set a 9" pie pan nearby
- Combine macadamias, dates and cacao nibs in bowl of food processor. Process until the mixture is well combined and the nuts are a fine texture.
- Press into pie pan and place in refrigerator while making filling.
For the pie filling:
- Combine all ingredients EXCEPT CACAO NIBS in bowl of food processor or in high speed blender. Process until smooth.
- Stir in cacao nibs by hand.
- Pour over pie crust and chill for at least 3 hours before slicing.
- This pie should be refrigerated. I like it topped with a generous dollop of coconut whipped cream and a mint leaf for garnish
2.2
http://injohnnaskitchen.com/2013/03/pie-for-pi-day-mint-chocolate-chip-pie-raw-vegan-gluten-free-indulgent/
Are you celebrating Pi day? Wanna join me for a slice?
Monday, March, 04, 2013
I love browsing at the grocery store. I know, I know, it’s weird. I hear people say often they dread grocery shopping. I actually look forward to going to the store alone, pushing my cart around, checking out all of the things I’ve never tried, seeing what produce looks great, what’s on sale. It’s my happy place, a store packed full of food with so many possibilities, so much goodness just waiting to be created in those aisles!
While at Nature’s Pantry recently, I spotted date syrup from The Date Lady. I’m a big fan of anything made with dates so of course I bought it. While waiting in the check-out line, I noticed it was made just down the road a few hours in Springfield, Missouri! I’m excited about a local product that’s full of all sorts of goodness and contains none of the not-so-goodness. I’m even more excited to share it with you!
So what’s one do with date syrup? Well, about a million things. My favorite is as a topping for waffles, it’s better than any syrup I’ve ever had. And The Date Lady caramel sauce is the most decadent ice cream topping I’ve ever had. If you told me there was a way to make caramel sauce dairy-free and more flavorful than the “regular” sauce, I would not have believed you. Then I tried The Date Lady’s caramel sauce. Unbelievably rich, yet it contains no ingredients that I worry about eating. Just good stuff here, folks.
Surely it’s no surprise I decided to bake with the date syrup, to use that amazing caramel sauce in a dessert. AND thanks to the kind folks at The Date Lady, you can enter my giveaway so you can bake these at home! Or top your waffles or ice cream or eat it on a spoon from the jar. Yep, I did that. You’ll find the entry information at the bottom of the post. The winner will receive a jar each of the date syrup AND the caramel sauce!
I baked up chocolate cupcakes, except they are just dense enough to be a muffin, a really sweet muffin. Cupcake + muffin = cuppin. Then I frosted them with a classic American buttercream with a hint of caramel. These are definitely more cupcake than muffin when frosted, but unfrosted you might be able to pass it off as a muffin. These are great either way!
Ingredients
- 1 cup of Johnna’s Gluten-free flour blend
- 1 cup almond meal
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder (don't skimp on this, buy a good one like Askinosie.)
- 1 t. baking powder
- 1 t. baking soda
- 1 t. fine sea salt
- 1 t. guar gum
- 1 jar Date Lady date syrup
- 2 T. flax meal, added to 6 T. hot water to make a slurry (this is an egg replacement)
- 1 container, 6 oz., So Delicious Greek Style Vanilla cultured coconut milk or other non-dairy yogurt
- 1 1/4 cups unsweetened almond milk or other non-dairy milk
- 1/2 cup grapeseed oil
- 2 T. vanilla (I know it sounds like a lot, trust me on this one)
- 2 t. instant coffee (I use the Trader Joe's variety)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with liners for 18 cupcakes.
- In bowl of stand mixer, mix the Date Lady date syrup, flax meal slurry, So Delicious cultured coconut milk (the yogurt-y stuff), non-dairy milk, grapeseed oil, vanilla extract and instant coffee. Mix just until well combined.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together gluten-free flour blend, almond meal, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and guar gum.
- Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the stand mixer bowl. Mix on low until combined. Repeat two more times, incorporating the dry ingredients into the wet. There's no need to over-mix, just mix until it's combined.
- Fill each well of the muffin tins with a scant 1/3 cup of batter. Place in oven that has been pre-heated to 350 degrees. Close the door. Turn the temperature down to 325 degrees. Bake for 20-22 minutes. A cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean when they are done. (The temperature instructions will result in a slightly better dome on top of the cupcake. If you like a very flat or concave cupcake top, bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes.)
2.2
http://injohnnaskitchen.com/2013/03/chocolate-cuppins-with-caramel-frosting-a-giveaway-from-the-date-lady/
Caramel Buttercream Frosting with The Date Lady Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 sticks Earth Balance non-dairy butter substitute
- 1 pound powdered sugar
- 2/3 cup Date Lady caramel sauce
Instructions
- In bowl of stand mixer, cream Earth Balance until fluffy.
- One cup at a time, add in sifted powdered sugar. Mix until each cup is incorporated before adding another.
- Once the sugar is well combined with the Earth Balance, add the Caramel Sauce. Turn mixer onto high and let it mix for about 5 minutes. Frosting will be fluffy.
- Top cupcakes using your preferred method. I use a piping bag and large tip, but this frosting works just as well with the traditional knife frosting technique.
2.2
http://injohnnaskitchen.com/2013/03/chocolate-cuppins-with-caramel-frosting-a-giveaway-from-the-date-lady/
You can win goodies from The Date Lady! Make your own Chocolate Cuppins with Caramel Buttercream Frosting! The Date Lady will send the winner one jar each of her delectable date syrup and the decadent caramel sauce. Just enter below, lots of ways to earn more entries and increase your chances of winning!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclosure: The Date Lady provided date syrup and caramel sauce for use in developing the above recipe. The opinions expressed are my own.
Monday, February, 25, 2013
These cookies, OH MY GOODNESS!
I am over-the-moon crazy about these cookies and I’m pretty darned sure you will be, too. I should mention all of the good stuff about them, like they are almost free of refined sugar, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, grain-free, packed with superfoods (at least five by my count), vegan with a simple swap…
But what I really want to tell you is that these cookies are SO very good. Like favorite-cookie-ever kind of good. Not kidding! And they are pretty close to the famous Scout cookie sold by Watercourse in Denver. I’ve mentioned those divine Scout cookies a few times here on my blog.
I’ve named these cookies Recon Cookies because I feel like I’ve been on a few reconnaissance trips to the bakery, always asking, “What’s in these?” I was convinced there was some super secret ingredient and perhaps there is in the original. I’m still convinced there’s something exceptional about the original version that mine will never completely embrace, perhaps it’s the altitude in Denver. Every time I go to/thru/near Denver, I buy those cookies. I’ve begged friends in Colorado to ship them to me. I’ve bought them myself at least five times in hopes of getting them home and having a good look at them to try to figure them out on my own, but I never quite make it home with them. I’ve told myself repeatedly it is a good thing they are only available 600 miles away from home.
Until now. I’ve come up with a pretty good fill-in for the 363 days of the year when I’m not in Denver to buy my favorite cookies from one of my very favorite restaurants. The texture isn’t quite as coarse as the originals but they are still a very soft, almost cake-like, cookie in the center, slightly crunchy on the edges. I’ve got the key ingredients covered (sweet potato, walnut and coconut) but really have no idea what other ingredients are used in the original. I was going for flavor here and nailed it. I think I did pretty good on the appearance, too. The original from Watercourse is on the left, my version on the right:
Have I sold you on these yet? I hope so! They remind me a bit of a Girl Scout cookie, but yet aren’t anything like those cookies in a box. These are the size of my palm, chocolate-y, a hint of caramel, cake-y but still crunchy. There’s really nothing like them unless you visit Watercourse. Make these and then swoon, would ya?
Big thanks to Peace by Pastries for her version of the Scout cookie. It gave me a really terrific starting point for my version!
Recon Cookies (or Almost-Scout Cookies)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sweet potato (uncooked, unpeeled if organic is fine)
- 1 1/2 cups finely shredded unsweetened coconut (I use Let's Do Organic)
- 1 1/4 cups almond flour (I use Honeyville)
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1 t. sea salt
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, solid or liquified is fine
- 1/2 cup honey (substitute with agave nectar to make vegan)
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 T. flax meal in 3 T. hot water (Flax slurry, egg replacement)
- 1 T. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 6 oz. dark chocolate (non-dairy and you can use chocolate that is dark enough to have no refined sugar added)
- 1 t. coconut oil (to be added to chocolate)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grate the sweet potato using either a box grater or food processor. I grated mine using the larger of the narrow sides on a box grater. This is the second smallest option. Place in large mixing bowl.
- Add remaining dry ingredients.
- Mix in remaining ingredients (except for chocolate and remaining 1 t. coconut oil) either by hand or with a wooden spoon. I prefer to get my hands in it to incorporate all of the ingredients completely. The warmth of your hands will also melt the coconut oil if you used it in its solid form.
- Once well combined, use a biscuit or round cutter to shape into 3" patties, well compacted. Turn out onto a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet. You will have 9 or 10 patties.
- Pat down just a bit with your hand to make a rounded top.
- Bake for 27-30 minutes. Top and edges will be slightly browned when done. Center will still be moist but not doughy.
- Move to cooling rack.
- While cooling, melt chocolate and 1 t, of coconut oil either in the microwave or in a double boiler.
- Once cookies are cool to the touch, place a sheet of parchment paper on countertop. Dip the flat bottom of each cookie in chocolate and place on the parchment. Once the bottoms are all dipped, drizzle remaining chocolate over the tops of the cookies. Allow the chocolate to harden before serving.
- These freeze very well. I would like to tell you they store well in an airtight container, but we eat them all if we don't freeze them so I don't know how well they store if not frozen. Enjoy!
2.2
http://injohnnaskitchen.com/2013/02/recon-cookies-or-almost-scout-cookies/
I am sharing these in Linda’s Gluten-Free Wednesdays. Click over there and check out all of the goodness, so many terrific recipes!
Friday, January, 25, 2013
Happy Valentine’s Day…a little early!
Did you see my story in the latest issue of Simply Gluten Free Magazine? I’ve shared how to host a Valentine’s Day Cupcake Party for everyone, including folks like me with dietary restrictions. Recipes for my favorite cupcakes, frosting, toppings and more are in the article.
And (I love this part!), you can download the party printable shown in the magazine for free! My favorite fella helped me create this wonderful printable package, complete with a pennant-style banner, cupcake toppers and food labels. Click here to download.
What’s that? You haven’t seen the article? Well, hurry over to Barnes & Noble or Whole Foods. I saw copies on the shelves at both stores this week. Valentine’s Day will be here quick and cupcakes are just the thing to celebrate!
Big thanks to Angie of G’s Photo FX for the wonderful photos. She’s a dream to work with!
Wednesday, January, 23, 2013
I recently received a beautiful plate of cookies in the mail from Debi at Hunter’s Lyonesse. And before that, Debi received a plate of cookies, the same plate, from Heather at Gluten-Free Cat. And before her….well, you see where I’m going with this.
The plate, a 2012 Jacques Pepin design, was sent on its journey by BeBetsy, inspired by Kitchenaid’s Cook for the Cure. This is a program that brings passionate cooks a way to support the fight against breast cancer through culinary fund raising with programs like Pass the Plate. I was tickled to get the plate in the mail.
While the plate is beautiful, to be honest it was the cookies I was most excited about. In my gluten-free years, I can’t recall many folks bringing me cookies. Gluten-free donuts, yes. Gluten-free cinnamon rolls for my birthday, yes. But cookies, nope. This was indeed a sweet treat for me in many ways. And the cookies were perfect, so much so that my favorite fella and I consumed them quickly. I should have taken a photo of them, but they were gone before I thought to. You’ll have to visit Debi’s site to see these marvelous morsels of oats and chocolate. Not only did they taste great, they shipped well, a great quality of a cookie in my book.
To keep the plate moving along, I baked Sweet Potato Chocolate Chunk Cookies for Deanna at The Mommy Bowl. Deanna’s blog is full of great recipes, including lots of cookie recipes that sound delicious to me. I’ve got big shoes to fill with these cookies!
This recipe was inspired by a recipe from the most recent Penzey’s Spices catalog.
Sweet Potato Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free
Ingredients
- 1 cup mashed sweet potato (this was 1 large potato for me)
- 2 sticks softened Earth Balance vegan butter-y sticks OR 1 cup soy-free Earth Balance
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups coconut sugar
- 2 t. vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
- 1 cup Johnna's Favorite Gluten-Free Flour Blend
- 1 cup Almond Flour
- 1 t. baking soda
- 1 t. baking powder
- 1/2 t. guar guam
- 1/4 t. salt
- 1/4 t. cinnamon
- 1/2 cup chocolate chunks (I use Enjoy Life)
- 1/2 cup cacao nibs (I use Navitas)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line baking sheet with silpat mat or parchment paper.
- In bowl of stand mixer, cream together the cooked mashed sweet potatoes, Earth Balance, eggs, coconut sugar and vanilla.
- In a second bowl, combine Johnna's Favorite Gluten-Free Flour Blend, almond flour, baking soda, baking powder, guar gum, salt and cinnamon. Gradually add those ingredients into the sweet potato mixture with the mixer running on low. Mix until blended.
- Fold in the chocolate chunks and cacao nibs last.
- Drop by generous teaspoonful onto baking sheet. Bake at 300 for 22-25 minutes until just firm in the middle. This cookie has a slightly cake-like texture. Makes approximately 48 cookies.
2.2
http://injohnnaskitchen.com/2013/01/sweet-potato-chocolate-chunk-cookies-passing-the-plate/
Friday, January, 11, 2013
Last week my friend Suzanne, who lives in Denver, emailed a photo to me of a giant three pound tub of cookie dough she spotted at Costco.
Huh? Why would she send that? To me?
She sent it because it’s gluten-free, egg-free and dairy-free. She also read the label and said she thought I would be comfortable with most of the ingredients.
I responded with a thanks, but no thanks, I’d rather make my own cookies, blah, blah, blah…
And then I saw it, sitting up high in the dairy cooler at Whole Foods, mini 14 ounce tubs of the same cookie dough from Eat Pastry. Gluten-free, no ingredients that I try to avoid, a label with ingredients I could pronounce and only two ingredients I don’t have on hand in my own kitchen. Hmm…sounds like something I should try.
So I bought it. It only makes 20-some cookies, how much harm could that be?
Well, I ate cookie dough, a store bought variety, out of a container for the first time in 4 years. It was every bit as good as I remembered. Not quite like homemade cookie dough, but that’s part of the joy of it, not having to make it.
Then I baked the cookies. I followed the directions, a Tablespoon of dough, rolled into a ball, slightly flattened with the back of a spoon and baked at 350 for about 12 minutes.
The cookies were good warm.
They were good at room temperature. And also with a glass of almond milk.
I wish I could tell you they store well in an airtight container, but I have no idea. They didn’t last that long. My favorite fella, with a mouth full of cookie, tried to say things like, “These aren’t as good as your cookies,” and “I like your cookies better.” But his comments were a sham,the plate of cookies was gone within an hour.
Are these as good as from-scratch homemade cookies? Not really, because it’s not exactly the same thing. But are they every bit as good as the store bought cookie dough we occasionally indulged in back in the gluten-rich days? ABSOLUTELY! And the ingredients don’t give me pause the way the mainstream cookie dough of my past should have.
There is a list of stores that carry the Eat Pastry cookie dough on their website. In addition to chocolate chip, I see a couple of other gluten-free flavors offered, too. Have you tried them? What did you think?
Thursday, January, 10, 2013
It’s not often I find myself dining where I don’t have to ask a gazillion questions about the menu. “Is there gluten in this? Are you sure? There’s no soy sauce in the marinade, right? How about the salad dressing? Can I please read the label? Would the chef please confirm for me?” It was an absolute treat to visit Annie May’s Sweet Cafe for this exact reason.
And also for the amazing food.
I visited Annie May’s a few times while working in Louisville. One day I had an oatmeal cream pie and a classic cupcake.
The oatmeal cream pie was much larger than the Little Debbie version and also much more flavorful. If I could figure out how to make the filling, I would eat gallons of it. It’s better that I don’t know. The oatmeal cookie part had a nice crunch around the edges and was chewy in the middle, my idea of a great cookie.
The Classic cupcake, Annie May’s take on a Hostess cupcake, was a light and moist cake with a fluffy filling and a ganache on top. I think it is clever that they piped the word “classic” into the swirls of frosting. This was one of the best gluten-free cupcakes I have had.
On another visit, I had a funnel cake. While writing the 52 Foods on a Stick blog, I watched my friends eat a lot of fair food. Most of it I’m okay with not being able to eat, but I do really miss an occasional funnel cake. Sure, I could make one at home, but having one out is part of the experience. While it’s not exactly a fair food experience, this funnel cake was perfect in every way. In some ways, it was better than fair food, grease had not completely saturated the plate it was served on and I didn’t have to wait in a line outdoors on hot concrete. Fluffy, soft cake on the inside, slightly crispy on the outside, it was a perfect funnel cake. Toppings were available but I ordered mine in fair-food-purist fashion, powdered sugar only.
My final visit was for lunch. I got a box lunch to go, a sandwich, quinoa tabouli and fresh fruit. I got to customize my sandwich with a wide selection of vegetables and vegan cheese. The quinoa salad was a nice, light salad with a vinegar dressing. The bun, made in-house at Annie May’s, was a nice sandwich size and didn’t fall apart as so many gluten-free breads do.
The next time I’m in Louisville, I’ll definitely go back to Annie May’s. I may find a reason to visit Louisville just to go back to Annie May’s. I’d very much like to try their pizza and the other bakery items I didn’t manage to eat my way through. I highly recommend you stop by to visit, too!
I got a good laugh out of their tip cups. Which one would you choose?
EAT WITH: wild abandon! They get gluten-free here and will take great care of you. Tell them what you can and can’t eat and they’ll point you the right direction.
Annie May’s Sweet Cafe is located at 3110 Frankfort Avenue in Louisville, Kentucky. 502.384.2667.
Johnna’s I Ate Here series is not intended as a restaurant review, rather a summary of Johnna’s experience dining out. You may or may not have a similar experience. Menu prices, items and ingredients featured were current at the time of writing. Please read the menu carefully and ask your server for assistance in ordering if you have dietary restrictions. It’s never a bad idea to call ahead and let the restaurant know of your food needs.
Thursday, December, 20, 2012
I’ve been sharing this cupcake with my culinary class students lately and it’s so good I wanted to share with you, too!
For a vegetarian, regular marshmallows aren’t an option because they contain gelatin. Worry no more, my fellow gelatin adversaries! These cupcakes fix that challenge and even have the oooey-gooey roasted marshmallows on top.
Here’s what you will need:
1 batch of My Favorite Chocolate Cupcakes
1 container of Suzanne’s RiceMellow (like marshmallow fluff, only free of eggs)
1 box of Kinnikinnick S’moreables Graham Style Crackers — 8 oz
1 bag of Dandies vegan marshmallows
Bake the cupcakes according to this recipe and allow them to cool.
On top of each cupcake, put a quick schmear of the RiceMellow. This will act as glue for the marshmallows.
Place a few Dandies marshmallows on top of the RiceMellow.
Roast with an Orka Kitchen Torch
or place under the broiler in your oven. Keep a very close eye on these if you are using the broiler.
Once marshmallows are roasted to your liking (I like mine crunchy on the outside), stick a piece of a graham cracker in the top.
There you have it! A super easy way to make a very boutique-y cupcake in a hurry. This is faster than whipping up frosting. And…it’s gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, vegan and tastes amazing.
So tell me, dear readers, how do you like your marshmallows roasted? Just lightly browned? Burnt to a crisp? A little crispy on the outside yet gooey on the inside? Tell me what makes you want s’more!
