Gingerbread Waffles (GF, vegan)

Yum yum!

DELICIOUS GINGERBREAD BELGIANWAFFLES! Perfect for festive winter mornings. Not pictured: I also made these with a Disney Frozen snowflake-shaped Belgian waffle maker that I got for Christmas, and it was phenomenal.

WAFFLES:

1 cup teff flour (or use some all purpose GF)

¼ cup coconut sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

½ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon allspice

¼ teaspoon clove

¼ teaspoon xanthan gum (optional)

¼ teaspoon salt

⅓ cup coconut milk

1 large egg (or 1 flax egg, which is what I used)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 tablespoon agave nectar

3 tablespoon melted coconut oil

      ---> combine ingredients, waffle-ize in your favorite waffle maker (Belgian worked very well)

GLAZE: 

1 cup coconut sugar (powdered, if you want to be picky about consistency)

1 tablespoon coconut milk

1 tablespoon lemon juice

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

     ---> whisk together. You can also mix these ingredients by taste.

Enjoy!

Magic Cookies Bars

Magic! (cookie bar)

Magic cookie bars (also known frequently as Seven Layer Bars-- although I'm nver quite sure what the 7th layer is... maybe the pan?!) are one of the first desserts I learned to make by myself. The original recipe came from an EagleBrand Sweetened Condensed Milk can. I remember layering the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, walnuts, and coconut flakes on many a late-night dessert-making spree, often accompanied assisted by friends, and often followed by gobbling up the whole pan while watching movies and gossiping in my basement.




Fast forward to now, and my current recipe is really just as easy to make and just as delicious to eat. (I may or may not have eaten it for breakfast all week... which actually worked great!) Benefit over the traditional version: no crushing graham crackers. Downside: spreading marshmallow fluff is a pain. Either way, they're still easy and worth it.

MmmMmm, pan of gooey deliciousness...

THE RECIPE:

Layer in a baking pan: (8x8, or 9x13)

Uncooked.

crust, in 2:2:1 ratio - almond meal, flaxseed meal, coconut sugar
melted coconut oil - add to crust, mix with fork until consistency is gooey but not wet, and covers entire bottom of the pan
vegan marshmallow fluff (I get mine at WholeFoods) - spread (or rather, lump/drizzle on) until it more-or-less thinly covers the whole pan
chocolate chips - use ~10 oz to cover the whole area
chopped walnuts - again, sprinkle or spread over surface
shredded coconut - sprinkle over surface


By now the chocolate chips, walnuts, and coconut should have entirely covered the gooey fluff layer-- thus, you can use your hands to gently press all along the top layer to compact the layers together. 


Heat oven to 350 and bake until chocolate is melted and coconut begins to toast - around 20 minutes.

Cooked, served, half-eaten.

 

Chocochip Cookies

MmmMmmmmmm, choco chips!!!

Amazing chocolate chip cookies: yes, this just happened.

In college, Frist Campus Center used to have the most amazing, soft and gooey chocolate chip cookies- they were by David's Cookies, and were one of the highlights of pre-ACD campus life.

I haven't eaten a genuine chocolate chip cookies since then! In place, I just guzzle Sunspire grain-sweetened chocolate chips straight from the bag. But, a couple weeks ago, I was inspired to make a David's quality ACD-friendly chocolate chip cookie recipe, and because I'm awesome, I succeeded- in taste, texture, and deliciousness!!


THE RECIPE:

4 tbs ghee
4 tbs coconut sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

2 tbs oat flour 2
1 tbs millet flour 1
1 tbs tapioca flour
3 tbs teff flour
1  tbs brown rice flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp guar gum
1/4 tsp cinnamon
dusting stevia
2 tbs + 5 tsp flax seed meal

~1/2 10oz bag of Sunspire

Cream eggs and coconut sugar; add ghee and vanilla. Seperately combine dry ingredients and stir well; slowly add dry ingredients.

Cook for ~15 minutes at ~375. Makes about 20 cookies.

Also, I ate them all before remembering to take a plated picture. :)

Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cake

My birthday was a couple weeks ago, and I made myself a cake.

Back in the day, when I wanted to make something truly decadent, I used to look up recipes on the Godiva chocolate website (they have a great gourmet recipe selection). Birthday desserts, boyfriend desserts- Godiva had me covered for all of 'em. So, I decided to take on the challenge of adapting a truly decadent chocolate cake recipe.

Also influencing my inspiration- around this time for the past 4 years was Lawnparties at my eating club in Princeton. This involved an enormous brunch with just about every type of gourmet cake / tart imaginable... and thus resulted in a total deterioration of my diet, for at least a couple days. Obviously I had to make a substitute for that experience, too.

So, I present, the best cake EVER, and of course, gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free.
I also submitted this recipe for the Daily Dietribe's Gluten-Free Birthday Cake Challege (awesome).

Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a round (~9 inch?) springform pan.

LAYER 1: Dense Chocolate Cake

¾ c ghee/coconut oil mix
1 c coconut sugar
¼ c light agave          ---> heat on stove until melted and well-mixed; whisk together/stir continuously. Let cool slightly.

2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla    ---> after wet ingredients cool slightly, whisk in eggs and vanilla

2/3 c flour combination: oat, all-purpose GF, brown rice, millet, tapioca

¼ tsp guar gum

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ c cocoa powder    ---> combine dry ingredients in a bowl, then add them to the wet ingredients. Mix well. 

Pour batter into springform pan, and bake ~30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool in springform pan.

 

LAYER 2: Raspberry Layer

2 c rapsberries
1 tsp powdered chia seeds
½ truvia packet
Stevia dusting       ---> combine all ingredients. I used about half frozen raspberries and half fresh raspberries.

LAYER 3: Chocolate Truffle Ganache Layer

1 c canned coconut milk (the more thick/fatty, the better)
10 oz Sunspire chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla                           ---> heat coconut milk until hot. Pour over chocolate chips, add vanilla, stir until all chips are melted/smooth consistency is obtained. Let cool slightly.

ASSEMBLY:

After cake layer has cooled, (leaving it in spring form pan) spread a thin layer of truffle layer on top (so that raspberry layer won't make cake soggy). Next, spread on raspberry layer. Finally, top with truffle/ganache layer. Place in fridge to chill.

Before serving, remove sides of spring form pan.
Keep chilled before/after serving, or top layer will "sweat."

Hope you enjoy this delicious treat! Everyone's response to it was "I love how buttery the cake tastes!" And I said, "well, there's no butter in it!" Oh, the magic of quality ACD baking! :)












~~~~~~~~

In other news, I just went to my 1st Princeton Reunion! I'm proud to report that ate and drank (aka, didn't drink) well all weekend. Hooray for good life choices!!

Saturday fireworks show-- Goodness gracious, great balls of fire!!

View of the 5th reunion dancefloor from the Grass Knoll, c. 1am Friday Night.

Orange Sweet Rolls: Pillsbury Style

These are one of my favorite things ever! Easy to make in advance, then pop in the oven for a special brunch. I slightly improved the dough from my cinnamon rolls, and topped with a delicious fresh orange glaze.

THE RECIPE:

The Dough:


½ c tapioca flour
½ c potato starch
¾ c arrowroot powder
¼ cup brown rice flour
1/4 c millet flour
½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp guar gum
2 tsp baking powder            
1 tiny stevia-scoop stevia

3 tbs coconut oil (melted)
2 ½ tbs agave
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs                           --> combine wet ingredients; whisk in egg; add wet to dry


1/4 c almond milk    -->  add milk slowly, until it is dough consistency (a little sticky is ok.)

If dough is too sticky, dust with brown rice flour until it does not stick to your hand/spatula when touched.

--> Tape a sheet of waxed paper down onto a counter/table. Dust with brown rice flour. Place dough in the center, and use a (floured) rolling pin to roll out to ~¼ (or thinner) inch thick rectangle.


Filling:
2 tbs coconut oil (softened)
4 tbs coconut sugar
2 tbs cinnamon
2 tbs agave                        
                   ....or basically any combination of the above ingredients (leaving out the oil works fine too!)

--> Wisk together all ingredients until combined. Use a rubber spatula to spread filling over entire rectangle of dough.

Untape the waxed paper under the sheet of dough. Begin rolling dough “hot-dog style” (AKA, roll the long side, to make a thin, long roll) by lifting the waxed paper and gently coaxing the dough into a tight roll. Since the part of the roll is the tightest, starting it is the trickiest, and after that you can just left the waxed paper and let the log of dough roll on its own.

If making the dough in advance, tape the waxed paper around the log of dough, put plastic wrap around the open ends, and place in the fridge overnight. When ready to bake them, place the roll on a cutting board, and slice into ~1-inch thick rounds. Arrange them evenly spaced in an 8-inch round cake pan. Dough will expand as it cooks, so it's fine if there's extra space in the pan.

Heat oven to 350, and bake for ~30 minutes. Dough will still be soft when it comes out (don't bake until it's hard! 30 minutes max should do it). After removing from the oven, let cool in pan for ~5 minutes (ie, while you make the glaze!).

Glaze:

1 orange
1 tbs agave (preferably "light" agave)
1 tsp ghee, softened
1 tsp chia seeds (to help thicken it)
orange zest (from the rind) to taste (~1/8 tsp)
dash salt (if needed)               ----> puree in blender/food processor (Magic Bullet!)

Let glaze sit for a couple minutes to let the chia seeds work their thickening magic. Then, spread over all rolls in the pan.

Dig in and enjoy the anti-pillsbury deliciousness! (no disrespect to my guy the Doughboy)






 


          <

It's.... INTERNATIONAL WAFFLE DAY!!! (March 24)

 
and it's time to celebrate!  (I'm posting this a bit in advance, to give ample inspiration for waffley breakfasts tomorrow.)

What a wonderful week. A supermoon, the first day of spring, warm weather, two best friends' birthdays, and International Waffle Day on March 24.

Not gonna lie, I've been waffling all week in anticipation. Monday night I made cinniteff waffle sandwiches with pizza sauce, cheeze, and mixed greens on them. I also came to the discovery that (at least in my belgian waffle maker, with cinniteff waffles) thinner batter makes soft, flexible, moister and lighter waffles, whereas thicker batter (which is what I usually do for breakfasts) makes crispy belgian-style waffles. I liked the lighter option for dinner, when I want proportionally more protein and less carbs. So keep that in mind!

Also, I ran out of teff flour Monday. Which led me to create the above-pictured Goldi-squares Stairway to Waffleheaven #Winning Waffles. We'll just call them #WinningWaffles for short..... (TIGERBLOOD!!!!)

They pretty much are amazing. Light, faintly sweet but still neutral flavor allows for unlimited possibilities. Such as:

PIZZA WAFFLE!!!! huge success. I used Bridgford Turkey Pepperoni, and Prego VeggieSmart sauce. yum.

OMG  it's a WAFFLEDONUT. okay not really, but that's what it tastes like. Just sprinkle on top: Organic cocoa powder, coconut sugar, and shredded coconut. And it tastes like a chocolate powdered sugar donut! Slash some kind of intensely amazing pastry delicacy.


So, for the substrate behind all this madness:

THE RECIPE:

1 egg
1 tbs extra light olive oil  ---> whip together until a bit frothy
up to 3/4 c almond milk
1 tsp vanilla
5 drops stevia
1.5 tbs millet flour
1.5 tbs garbanzo bean flour
1 tbs Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose GF Flour
1 tbs coconut powder (ie, finely shredded coconut/coconut flakes)
scant 1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda     ----> mix all together, pour into [belgian] waffle iron and WAFFLE IT UP!

Ghee (or coconut oil) it after it's off the iron.


#WINNING

Raw Triple Chocolate Mudpie Pudding

This was maybe one of the most satisfying items I've eaten in a long time. Once again, it was inspired by RawOn10. This decadent concoction features chocolate pudding topped with chocolate brownie bits topped with chocolate syrup. Can't go wrong!

THE RECIPE:

Pudding:
1 1/2 frozen bananas
1 tbs almond milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbs cocoa powder        ---> puree in magic bullet

Brownie bits:
1/3 c walnuts
1/3 c raisins
dash salt             ---> pulse food processor until well mixed-- it should be crumbly, but stick together

Chocolate syrup:
Agave nectar
Cocoa powder   ---> whisk together

Layer pudding, brownie, and syrup in a nice big bowl. Dig in and enjoy!

Cinnamon Rolls: Pillsbury Style

Get ready for some food porn:

So, every year for holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter) I would wake up to the delicious treat of Pillsbury cinnamon (/orange) rolls. They were fast to make in the morning, just requiring removal from their cylindrical cardboard pop-tube, and arrangement into a round pan. Then we'd pop them in the oven, and in to time we were spreading the accompanying frosting on top, then devouring the entire pan of them.

Well. I haven't eaten one of those in years.
But this time I was determined to not go without.

Thus, I have created the ultimate cinnamon roll recipe. It can be prepared ahead of time, and then the tube of dough can be chopped into individual rolls the morning-of, just like with the old Pillsbury's.

So let's make a list-- or even better-- a VEN DIAGRAM

Figure 1.1: The only difference between my cinnamon rolls and Pillsbury's is that mine are healthy and theirs are not (and make dinosaur noises, apparently)

 Here we go:


THE RECIPE:

The dough:

½ c tapioca flour
½ c potato starch
¾ c arrowroot powder
¼ cup brown rice flour
½ tsp salt
2 ½ tsp guar gum
¼ tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder                  --> combine dry ingredients

3 tbs coconut oil (melted)
2 ½ tbs agave
1 tsp vanilla
10 drops stevia
1 egg                           --> combine wet ingredients; whisk in egg; add wet to dry

½ c coconut milk    -->  add coconut milk slowly, until it is dough consistency (a little sticky is ok.)

If dough is too sticky, dust with brown rice flour until it does not stick to your hand/spatula when touched.

--> Tape a sheet of waxed paper down onto a counter/table. Dust with brown rice flour. Place dough in the center, and use a (floured) rolling pin to roll out to ~¼ inch thick rectangle.



Filling:

2 tbs coconut oil (softened)
2 tbs ghee (soft)
4 tbs coconut sugar
2 tbs cinnamon

--> Wisk together all ingredients until combined. If oils are completely melted, place bowl in freezer for a few minutes until it is a spreadable paste consistency.

Spread filling over entire rectangle of dough.

Untape the waxed paper under the sheet of dough. Begin rolling dough “hot-dog style” (AKA, roll the long side, to make a thin, long roll) by lifting the waxed paper and gently coaxing the dough into a tight roll. Since the part of the roll is the tightest, starting it is the trickiest, and after that you can just left the waxed paper and let the log of dough roll on its own.

This dough gave me ZERO problems, and it rolled up like an AMAZING dream.

I made these the night before I wanted to eat them for breakfast, so at this stage, I just taped the waxed paper around the log of dough, put plastic wrap around the open ends, and stuck it in the fridge overnight. (You probably could freeze them for an extended period of time too.)

Roll of delicious potential, just waiting to be released in the oven!

When you’re ready to cook them, unwrap the log and place roll on cutting board. Slice inch-thick rolls, and place into an 8-inch round cake pan.



Bake in the oven at 375 for ~25 minutes. Meantime, make the glaze!:



Glaze:

1 tbs erythritol (powdered if you have it; I used granular)
1 tbs almond meal
1 tbs coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp vegetable glycerine

--> Whisk together all ingredients. This amount will just-cover pan of rolls; if you want a more substantial covering, double recipe.  And, O.M.G. this stuff takes like Cinnabon. Or rather, it tastes like Cinnabon smells at the mall, because I’ve never actually eaten a Cinnabon.

When rolls come out of the oven--  (they should have just a HINT of golden-ness on top from cooking; they don’t really change colors when done, but should have a firm crust on top to the touch) -- pour glaze over rolls.

Before Baking.

After Baking.

After Baking, with Glaze!

EAT!!! Phen.o.men.AL!!! :):):)

Yum! All gone.