Chocolate Raspberry Cake

Sometimes I make baked goods just because we have nothing else to eat in the house :-) Today I opened the fridge and saw nuts, leftover soup (which I was saving for dinner), and less than a dozen eggs. That was about it. I don't know about you, but I like to see how long I can go without buying groceries - heehee! So we made my chocolate raspberry cake and had it with tea for a snack this afternoon. There is never any shortage of tea in this house!

It's the exact same recipe as the cupcakes, but baked in a spring form pan for about 34 minutes and topped with some icing I whipped together. The raspberry flavor is very faint, but you could substitute with another one of the flavored liquid stevias if you like. I'm going to try Root Beer or English Toffee next time I think. 

Both the cake and the icing were so good. My husband said it was the best thing I've ever made - ever! Then I asked why he was kissing up to me, what did he want? He shook his head, laughed and said, "I just call it like I see it." My Mom is also here, visiting, and she was impressed by how little flour there was in the cake. She just found out that she is celiac too. It's genetic, so I knew at least one of my parents must have it, to pass it on to me. 

But with cake this crazy good, who needs gluten anysway?

No one would ever believe this cake was gluten-free. It's better than any cake I ever ate, "when I was wheat," as Zoe would say!

Click for the recipe:
Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

For the icing I pureed:

1/2 cup cashews, soaked for a few hours, rinsed and strained

1/2 cup agave

1 tbs coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla 

2/3 cup shredded coconut

note: you can find these cute little cake toppers at Bake it Pretty .

Holiday Hazelnut Blended Drink, Fairies, & Spiced Almond Brittle

Holiday Hazelnut Blended Drink:

Blend:

9 cubes of frozen cashew milk

1 tbs honey

1 and 1/2 cups chilled Nutcracker Sweet tea

1/4 cup hazelnut liqueur

a pinch of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice

This brittle is based on a recipe from a book my husband reads called, The Medieval Kitchen, Recipes from France and Italy. Andrew checked it out from the library after listening to a history podcast on iTunes, which talked about this book. He also made me candied orange peel for my birthday once, using another recipe from The Medieval Kitchen. It was awesome.

I changed the brittle ingredients notably because it originally called for honey and no oil. I thought that the honey made it way too sweet, and took away from the spices. I also added coconut oil because after Andrew made the recipe from the book it was very soft, like honey with nuts in it. I wanted it to be more brittle-like, although my recipe isn't as hard as a true brittle. (If you kept it in the freezer it would be very hard of course, which is why I take it out after 2 hours.) 

Spiced Almond Brittle:

First make the spice mixture:

1 tsp dried ground ginger

1 pinch ground black pepper

1 rounded tsp ground cinnamon

1/3 tsp ground cloves

note: you wont use all of the spice mixture in one batch, but you can save it for next time

In a saucepan bring to boil:

1 cup agave 

1/3 cup coconut oil

Add:

1 and 1/2 cups slivered almonds

1/2 tsp of the spice mixture

Simmer (so there are little bubbles) for 20 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat.

Add another 1/2 tsp of the spice mixture.

Spread on a cookie sheet lined with unbleached parchment paper. 

Place in the freezer for 2 hours.

Break into brittle.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Go Ahead Honey! Foods That Bring Good Fortune

Heather, at Life, Gluten Free, is bringing us the theme, Foods That Bring Good Fortune for this this months Go Ahead Honey, it's Gluten-free! I love this idea! Heather's post about Foods That Bring Good Fortune was so interesting and inspiring, that I couldn't wait to make something to fit her theme!

For my part, I chose the tradition of Japan, where long Soba noodles are eaten to symbolize long life. I added red peppers because the color red is thought to be good luck. 

Here are the peppers and onions sauteing in coconut oil in my cast iron skillet. 

To make this gluten-free I had to find Soba noodles that were 100% Buckwheat , as many Soba noodles contain wheat as well. These noodles are really good, but I recommend you cook them for 7 minutes rather than 8. Also, after cooking you have to really rinse them well in fresh luke warm water, or they will stick together and become one solid mass.

Soba Noodles with Red Pepper & Sunbutter Sauce:

Sauce:

add to small bowl:

1/4 cup coconut oil, liquified

1/4 cup Sunbutter

1 tsp wheat-free tamari sauce

1 tsp wheat-free teriyaki sauce (I use Premier Japan, www.edwardandsons.com)

1 tbs honey

mix with hand mixer

Saute in a pre-heated pan:

2 tbs coconut oil

3 red peppers, sliced

1/2 onion, sliced

for about 5 minutes

then add 1 clove of garlic, minced

saute one minute more

Add peppers, onion and sauce to rinsed soba noodles. Toss and garnish with green onions.

Spotlight: Gluten-free Bagels & Candy Cane Lane

It's Monday, which means it's time again for Gluten-free Products, Spotlight Holiday Edition! 

People often ask me for a recommendation for good gluten-free bagels, and there are two that I know of: Outside the Breadbox in Colorado, and Francis Simon Bakery in Texas. I believe that OTB is a completely gluten-free facility, whereas FSB does use wheat and gluten.  Above is a picture of a blueberry bagel from OTB, toasted with ghee and a sprinkle of xylitol. 

The bagels from both of these bakeries are really good toasted. There is some kind of magic that happens to them when you toast them. I don't know why. We'd have to consult Alton Brown :-) They are not as amazing as bagels made with wheat, but they are a close second, and they are way better than some of the other gluten-free ones out there. 

The tea above is another gluten-free Celestial Seasonings that I found. Like I said before, several of them contain barley, but this one doesn't. It's called: Candy Cane Lane and it's so good.

Cheers, Kelly

Mint Chocolate Brownies & a Tea Party

This morning, as is our custom, Ashley and I came downstairs while Zoe slept another hour or more. I decided to make brownies for breakfast. Yes, brownies for breakfast :-) When I peered into the pantry, sort of sleepy still, I happened to look straight at my little bottles of extract. That's when it hit me: Mint Chocolate Brownies. We whipped up the ingredients in no time. I know this recipe by heart because we eat it so often. Ashley watched at the counter as I measured out the mint extract. We had to taste it of course, to make sure it was the right amount, and in deed it needed a tad more. 

I am so crazy about how they came out I may never make them without mint extract again. Ashley didn't seem to mind either :-)    (see above, as she works on the spoon of batter!)

The recipe I used:

Flourless Brownies

Plus 1 teaspoon of mint extract. 

They are even better cold after after being in the fridge. So yum!

Note: I used alchohol-free extract because it was the only spearmint I could find, and I don't care for peppermint. If you use one that is not alchohol-free, you probably wont need 1 and 1/2 teaspoons. I'd start with 1/2 tsp and taste to see. 

Then, tonight was the first of two very special little girl Christmas parties. Zoe invited our neighbors over to make (gluten-free/casein-free) chocolate chip cookies and have tea. Here they are at the table which Zoe decorated. Next week we have another cookie baking date with good friend who is also gluten-free. It's the most wonderful time... of the year :-)

Spotlight: Namaste Pancake Mix

It's Monday, which means it's time again for Gluten-free Products, Spotlight Holiday Edition! Today I'm reaching back to last May, when I posted about Namaste pancake mix, for something you might like to make your overnight guests on Christmas morning. This is such a great mix, especially for those of you who, like me, avoid refined sugar in addition to gluten and/or casein. As I said before, like the Bisquick of the past, you really can't mess it up, but here is how I do it:

Add to blender:

2 eggs

2 tbs coconut oil

1/3 cup honey

1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup coconut milk 

1 and 1/2 to 2 cups mix, depending on how thick you like them

Blend. Let rest for a few minutes before pouring. Top with real maple syrup or agave and fresh sliced fruit. Yum!

Spotlight Cinnamon Apple Spice & Nutcracker Sweet Holiday Tea

I have been having so much fun each week with the Gluten-free Products, Spotlight Holiday Edition, which Heather is having through December 22. She is inviting all of us to join her in featuring gluten-free and allergy-free products every Monday.

I really hope you try my favorite gluten-free product of the week: Nutcracker Sweet Holiday Tea. I wasn't really crazy about this tea when it was hot, but chilled and blended with frozen cashew milk it is incredibly delicious. Like, I want to go make another one right now just talking about it, delicious. If you got something like this at Starbucks they would rob you of 4 dollars, delicious. You've gotta try it. Just a add to your blender:

9 cubes of frozen cashew milk

1 tbs honey

2 cups chilled Nutcracker Sweet tea

(double for two servings)

You could also spike this a little and serve it to company at a holiday party. Yum!

But, seeing as how they are marketed as gluten-free, and locally made in Boulder, I couldn't pass up trying another holiday tea by Celestial Seasonings: Cinnamon Apple Spice herbal tea. This one is excellent hot. It will warm you up and fill you with the Christmas spirit. I just added a teaspoon of honey. Divine. 

Today I decided to make one of my favorite muffins: Quinoa Almond Muffins, to go with my breakfast drink (which you can see in the background there): frozen blended Nutcracker Sweet tea.

Note: Many coffee shop syrups, and teas, especially at the holidays, are not gluten-free. We found more than one tea which contained barley.