Desserts

Sometimes I can be intimidated to cook certain foods, especially new gluten-free dishes. For some reason, I thought crepes would be similar to going into the chem lab. I’m happy to report it can be made just as easily as regular ones! But, my theory behind knowing how to cook, regardless of whether it’s gluten-free or not, holds true. Technique is very important.

The recipe I used was from Gluten-Free Gobsmacked. I really like her simplicity and explanation of each step. See below for my version and additional instructions. Either way, great product.

I can’t wait for my little girl to try them. She made some in camp this week but could only eat a bite as it was made with regular flour. While at camp, she also had a hamburger bun because she thought it was gluten-free; a bit of miscommunication. Poor thing was so itchy last night, it made me sad. Her gluten sensitivity comes out in her skin. I suppose it is this that motivates me to try things. Read More »

Brownies, no doubt due to their high chocolate content, are generally loved by everyone. What is it about chocolate? Is it the ensuing relaxation from its high magnesium content, or just the mere addictive qualities attributed to chocolate? Probably, all of the above. The creative ways of using chocolate are endless.

There are also a hundred different ways of making brownies, gluten free or otherwise  – and we have a few options up our sleeves! Read More »

Who doesn’t dream of a really good old-fashioned chocolate chip cookie? The kind you used to make when you were a kid? This is a very easy and quite tasty recipe from Chef Sunshine Best of Your Safe Kitchen in Chicago, IL. Chef Sunshine presented this recipe at the 2008 Gluten Free Cooking Expo and it was loved by all.

Ingredients for Flour Blend:
3/4 cup white bean flour
3/4 cup tapioca flour
3/4 cup arrowroot flour

Ingredients for Cookies:
2 1/4 cups Flour Blend (above)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup shortening, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar Read More »

You can either serve this heated as a vegan chocolate fondue (minus the pomegranate) or chilled and made into a velvety mousse. By adding 1 Tbsp nut butter for every 1 Tbsp chocolate mousse, it also makes a great alternative to store bought chocolate/nut butter! Read More »

In the past, I’ve called this my lazy day skillet bread.

I thoroughly love this recipe. It’s not a traditional banana bread, and it’s not a cake, per se, I suppose it’s best compared to a cornbread. I tend to make things that pop up in my head, and then try to figure out how to explain it. Generally, if someone asks what something is, I tell them to taste it and figure it out that way! I’ve had it for brunch, as a snack, as a dessert with chocolate chips, and it could be used (sans nuts) with chili instead or as a side for, say, a BBQ!

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Have I mentioned before that I love peanut butter?  Well, I do.   The other day I was craving the combination of peanut butter and chocolate (again!) so I decided to make peanut butter brownies.  I used a recipe from Epicurious as my guide for this experiment, and I must say this dessert turned out very yummy.  These brownies had the perfect balance of peanut butter and chocolate goodness.  The peanut butter was not overpowering.  The brownies sank a little in the middle after I took them out of the oven, but I only used ¼ teaspoon of xanthan gum when I made them.  In the recipe below I’ve changed that amount to ½ teaspoon.  This extra xanthan gum should deal with Read More »

Gluten-free shamrock sugar cookies are buttery good, easy to make and a charmin’ St. Patrick’s Day cookie.

You will need a small (about 3/4-inch diameter) shamrock cookie cutter to use as a stencil on your cookies. If you can’t find this type of cookie cutter you can make your own stencil by tracing and cutting a shamrock shape on a plastic kitchen mat (available at most stores in housewares.)

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

For this recipe, you will need:

• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract Read More »

Did you remember to Spring forward Sunday? I can’t believe it is this time already!  I am so excited about it being light later, that I really don’t care about the hour of lost sleep.  Make sure to ask me how I feel about that in a couple of weeks when my schedule is all screwed up, okay?

With Spring, comes St. Patrick’s Day and Easter. I don’t quite celebrate St. Patrick’s Day the way I used to, and my body thanks me for that.  This St. Patrick’s Day, perhaps I’ll indulge in some green eggs & ham or Pistachio Cheesecake (just happens to be green), instead of green beer.

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I have lived in Northern California for over a decade and I have never made cioppino until last week. I have no idea why; maybe it seemed intimidating, even to me! After having it at a friend’s house over the holidays and seeing how simple it was, I knew it was time for me to tackle it.

The recipe she used was this one from Giada de Laurentiis which was delicious, of course, but one thing she (my friend, not Giada) complained about was the availability (and cost) of the fish stock. Since I often make seafood risotto with chicken stock, I was curious if I could pull it off for cioppino as well.

After making it last weekend for some friends, the results were unanimous; the chicken stock not only made the broth lighter but it was less salty. I decided to use the juice from the canned clams to add some extra flavor. With the exception of the halibut and the crab (it’s high season for Dungeness right now), the other fish was frozen (shrimp and scallops) or from a Read More »

Yes it is possible to microwave delicious puddings.

No that isn’t a typing error in the title.

When I first got married I remember someone told me how to make a sponge pudding in the microwave. This recipe became a regular treat for us and now that we have four children, this ticks all the boxes for a family pudding: cheap, very quick, and very tasty.

The good news is, it works gluten free too!

The name that the family has given this pudding over time is Two Four Two Four Pudding – when you read the (imperial) quantities for the recipe you will see why – easy to remember the quantities so that you can impress someone by making a pudding from memory! Read More »