Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 ... and Happy Pi Day- also belated. I've had a lot going on (see bottom of post), so sorry for not getting these up on time!

Leprechaun Pudding with Gold-Chocolate Crumbles!

 

Creme de Menthe Pie

Irish Soda Bread!

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1. Lepruchaun Pudding with Gold-Chocolate Crumbles

 Pudding:

1 banana
1 generous handful spinach
2 tsp vanilla   ---->  puree in magic bullet until smooth


2 tbs walnuts
2 tbs raisins
1 tbs cocoa powder
dash of salt   ----> pulse in magic bullet until it clumps
 
Pour pudding into a bowl and top with chocolate crumbles. It tastes light and sweet-- you can't taste the spinach at all, but it adds a healthy punch (which also makes this recipe very breakfast-eligible!)


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2. Creme de Menth Pie (aka Grasshopper Pie)

So, making this didn't end up going as smoothly as I had hoped.

I was going off of this recipe from pure2raw, but ended up adding WAY too much guar gum..... which turned my filling into rubber. So, whatever you do, do NOT add two tablespoons of guar gum to two avocados and expect edible pie filling. Seriously-- it almost broke my Bullet!

That being said, I worked for about two hours trying to salvage the filling, and I finally got it to a delicious flavor and "acceptable" consistency-- still all but too rubbery for me to really be satisfied. Nevertheless, all three of my taste testers stated it tasted just like the "real" version that my mom made.

So, since I was in "salvage mode" as I threw together ingredients, I didnt' record much. If you're interested in making this pie, I recommend going from the pure2raw version, with the possible modification of adding lemon juice to the avocado layer (helps reduce browning, too!) The color of the pie did start out avodaco-green, but slowly began to brown after some fridge-time.


Crust: (delicious!):

1/4 c walnuts
1/4 c coconut powder/flakes
1/4 c raisins
1 date, chopped
2 tbs cocoa powder
1 tbs vanilla      ----> pulse in Bullet until powdery/clumping, then press into bottom of 6 inch pie pan


Garnish layer: (yummy but not minty) -- this is the dark green layer on top and bottom

1 banana
1/4 c yacon powder (kinda gross)
stevia/agave to sweeten
vanilla (will darken color)
little bit of spinach, purreed/juiced, to green it up 
almond milk to thin to desired consistency     ---> puree it all until smooth


Main filling layer:

2 avocados
1/2 tbs guar gum? start low and add more! (2 tbs = rubber, fyi)
2 tsp peppermint oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon juice
almond milk to thin if guar gum over-rubberizes
agave to sweeten
   ... aaaand a pinch of Irish luck that it works easily!      ----> puree in Vitamix/Bullet/whip together by hand


White whipped meringue layer:

1.5 tbs coconut oil, softened (I used the non-coconut-y kind)
1.5 tbs ghee, softened
1/2 c erythritol, powdered
if needed, almond milk to thin to desired consistency    ----> blend in Bullet until creamy and smooth

Assembly: On top of crust, spread half of Garnish layer, then freeze to harden. Next, pour in all of Main filling layer, freeze again. Cover with the rest of garnish layer or white layer to prevent browning; alternately, use both to decorate. Perfect taste is definitely attainable, even if consistency may be a bit more challenging!


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3. Irish soda bread!    

        
Now THIS is an epic win. Epic, I tell you-- EPIC! Way better than my mom's breadmaker Irish soda bread (probs cuz I made mine sweeter!), and definitely the best ACD bread I've ever made. It's almost like a coffee cake, but still bread-y enough to be eaten with dinner (Irish stew, which we had yesterday!)


THE RECIPE:

2 cups gluten-free flour blend:
         1/2 c oat flour
         1/2 c brown rice flour
         1 cup mix of: garbanzo flour, amaranth flour, all-purpose GF blend
1.5 tablespoons agave (or to taste)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon xanthan gum
½ teaspoon salt                     
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg                              ----> stir together dry ingredients
2 tablespoons coconut oil            
2 tbs ghee                                    ---->cut, then pinch fats into dry ingredients to obtain a sandy texture
½ cup raisins                                ----> fluff into the mixture
¾ cups buttermilk:                        ----> add to dry ingredients to form dough
          1.5 tbs apple cider vinegar
          scant 3/4 c almond milk ----> let mixture sit 10 mins

(Batter should taste delicious (almost cookie-like) on its own too!)

Preheat oven to 400. Add extra flour until dough is kneadable, then knead a few times on waxed paper sprinkled with (oat/rice) flour. Shape into a 6-inch loaf on a greased cookie sheet and slice an 'X' on top with a knife. Bake in oven for 20-30 minutes. Yum!

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So, I said I've had a lot going on-- most recently, one of our two cats passed away two days ago, after 19 years of being our faithful friend. (This dampened our St. Patty's festivities- hence the late posts!)

Misty and I playing volleyball.

When I was five years old, my sister and I each adopted a kitten. My sister picked a lively black and white kitty, which she named Misty Moonmew Oreo. I picked a friendly orange tabby, who I dubbed Starry Crystalmew Peanut. Misty and Starry were our best companions, and grew up beside us for the greater portions of both of our lives.

Coming up upon their twentieth birthdays (July 13), both cats have been slowing down, but still happy and enjoying life. Misty began fairing a little worse, and she had a noticeable lump on one side of her abdomen. She was active and spunky up until the afternoon of March 16, at which point she laid down on her special chair cushion- and never did get up. She faded for a few hours, occasionally appearing to have minor seizures or spasms of her arms and legs. We stayed with her right up until the end, and are thankful that she did not suffer long. She was cremated today at a special pet facility, and at this point we plan to keep her ashes in a cat-shaped urn, in the home that she loved so well.

Her temporary coffin with candle and flowers.

Misty was lively and smart, and always was the first one to the door to greet company. She had flair: loved to eat cooked broccoli, raw tomatoes, strawberries, grapes-- we called her a 'little human.' She was fascinated by running water in the shower, and thus was also our resident 'hydrologist.'  On her black face she had a white diamond marking on her nose, and a little white beauty-mark dot.

As my sister put it, "We're not kids anymore- Misty's dead!" and indeed, it is a whole new concept to be without one family member. I'm thankful for the time that we had with her and for her companionship throughout the years. RIP Misty!


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Switching gears to a happier tone: I returned from my week-long trip to Carnival in Trinidad on Sunday. It was AWESOME, and my month or raw-dieting sure paid off while I was strutting my stuff in my skimpy costume! Here are some shots from the fun:

Drinking coconut water straight from the coconut!!!!

Chrysocolla girls of the group (guess who I am...)

Summarizes the scene through town- for two days straight!

 Climbing.........                                                                                     for...........

                                                                 COCONUTS!!!

(even though they were unipe/inedible!)

--> all in all, SUPERfun trip! A million thanks to my Trini girl for giving me the best vaycay ever!


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French Macarons Fail

Apparently, Macarons are all the rage in Paris. I, however, have never eaten one. Yet, I did help make a real-person version of them while visiting friends in Charlottesville for the weekend. Which of course inspired me to subsequently attempt my own ACD version.

...which went pretty far-off.

Cool lookin' cookies, but certainly not macarons.

Macarons are supposed to be light merengue cookies, perfectly smooth and gorgeous, filled with a smooth and delectable creme/caramel/jam filling.

Mine were pretty much none of the above. My cookies turned out dense and chewy, which was a result of several fundamental issues:

Issue #1: Eggs did not creme properly. AKA I did not creme them long enough to achieve truly stiff peaks before adding flour. Then, I probably added too much flower, which resulted in a dough, instead of a ribbony, lava-flow meringue. Problem, indeed. Also: I did not have the traditional almond flour, so I used brown rice flower. Which is ironic, that for once a recipe calls for an ACD friendly flour, and I have to substitute for a less-healthy one.

Issue with egg creaming leads me to ask: Can eggs creme properly, and remain stable that way (aka make a successful meringue) without the addition of granular sugar? (I did add cream of tartar to assist with this). Answer TBD...

Issue #2: Salted caramel agave sauce did not thicken. Ghee added to it separated to top of jar in fridge. Not good. Filled cookies with jam instead. Lame.


So yes, these cookies were quite sub-par.

BUT

1) Sometimes I like a challenge:

(as clearly stated by this lolcat, and exemplified by my Freshman year spring )

AND


2) Everybody Makes Mistakes

(as expressively-danced by good ol' doglover 19970, youtube sensation)

Watch this Now!


thanks doglover, for providing a whole lot of college procrastination...

~~~

So, yes. STAY TUNED for updates on macaron attempts, AND popover attempts- I still haven't forgotten about those! And, of course, the dreaded white frosting. And hopefully no more obscure lolcat/youtube/unidentifiable internet references.

Rocky Mountain Mystery Green Dinosaur Cookies

1. When I was little I thought the Rocky Mountains looked like chocolate chip cookies, because they were tan with dark spots (which were trees, and sadly not chocolate.)

2. I decided that I'm going to be a dinosaur for halloween this year. Also, when I was little, I had a song that went "Roo doo doo doo dooo doo-doo di-o-na-saaur, what are YOU going to be-for-Hallow-ee-een?" I would sing this consistently from Sept 1-October 31, and I though that a dinosaur was the WORST thing in the WORLD to be for Halloween.

3. I read that when sunflower nut butter is cooked it turns green. Sometimes. How mysterious!

1 + 2 + 3 = Rocky Mountain Mystery Green Dinosaur Cookies!!!!!

Version 1: 

THE RECIPE:

1/2 c coconut oil
1 egg
1 tbs + 1 tsp agave
1/2 c sunflower nut butter (I use Maranatha)   --> cream all above ingredients
1 c all purpose gluten free flour
1/2 c millet flour
1.5 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbs tapioca flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 drops stevia

Mix all ingredients. I tried rolling/cutting a few into dinosaur shapes, but they were too crumbly. Also, too oily. Also, not alll that sweet, but still yummy. ALSO: THEY WERE NOT GREEN!!!!! how disappointing.

This led me to:

Version 2: (aka, WTF??!? cookies)

THE RECIPE****:

1/2 cup coconut oil
2 eggs
3 tsp agave
1/2 cup sunflower nut butter  ---> cream all above ingredients
1 c all purpose flower
1/2 cup millet flower
1.5 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tbs tapioca flour
10 drops stevia
unknown and unrecorded amount of yacon syrup.


Okay here's the deal. 1) They turned green. Very, very, awesomely green. 2) They were absolutely disgusting, and WAY too greasy. And, I had NO idea why. Then, two weeks after I fed these green monsters to my dad and sister because I couldn't stand them, my mom told me that she put sesame oil in an unlabeled Yacon Syrup can.

So, these probably would have been great, had I actually used yacon and not, apparently, sesame oil. As it were, they were awful. So, make at your own risk. (= ****)

Oh- also- sunbutter + baking powder = green. Mystery solved. DINOSAURRR!!!!!

Fun with Popovers, Part 2

I tried again.
Twofold.
 
First, I used the same flour combination of millet + garbanzo, but added baking soda.
Second, I tried my teff-cinnamon 'waffle flour' blend.

My current hypothesis is that it is impossible to create a true, exploding-out-of-the-pan popover with GF flours. ...I hope to prove myself wrong. However, I did succeed in creating something highly delicious with my present results.


1. Garbanzo-Millet Popover , version 2.0

THE RECIPE:

1 egg
3/4 c almond milk
1/4 c garbanzo bean flour
1/4 c millet flour
1/4 tsp salt ... plus a little more to taste*
1 tsp baking powder.
(extra light olive oil, for pan)

Mix milk + egg. Mix dry ingredients. Mix together wet and dry ingredients. Let sit for 30 min to let flour aerate.

Place muffin tins on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil (to catch oil spills) in the oven. Heat oven to 450F. When hot, take out pan setup, and drop enough oil into the each well to cover bottom (0.5 cm deep-ish). Fill each well with batter, and place pan back into oven.

Bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes. Lower heat to 350, and bake for another ~30 minutes, until done (test with a toothpick).

Remove and enjoy! I sprinkled veggie cheese and rosemary ontop.

THE RESULTS:

The texture of these was HEAVENLY! Light, fluffy, spongey-- it could pass for a legitimate spongecake.

The taste resembled a gentle cornbread-- slightly sweet, slightly salty, and extremely yummy!

* I only used 1/4 tsp salt, and they probably could have used a full 1/2 tsp. Next time!





2. Cinni-Teff Surprise Popover, version 1.0

So, the teff popover turned out a little less-than satisfactory.

The problem is almost definitely that I did not add salt. Had I added salt, I believe these would have been perfectly delicious, as their two biggest, and really two only problems, were (1) flat taste, and (2) heavy consistency.

However! They have a saving grace surprise! ...a nice glob of almond butter hidden in the center. This saves the day by adding saltiness and texture.

So, at any rate, here is...

THE RECIPE

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 c almond milk

1.5 tbs cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

enough teff flour to make dry ingredients equal 1 scant cup

... and 1/2 tsp SALT! (which I did not add)

(+ some almond butter)

(+ coconut oil for pan)

Follow same instructions as for millet-garbanzo version, only using coconut oil instead of olive. When pouring batter into pan, half-fill, then add a dollop of almond butter, and then continue filling with batter to the top. Yum.

The 'popover' shown here is surprise-less, aka almond-butter free. The texture here does appear cake-like, but in the mouth... it tastes bloated. It just needs salt to lighten it up!  

SO. It's not over yet, POPOVERS!!!! (score: Popovers- 2. Mac- 1.)

Popovers! ...attempt #1: the donut.

 
Fun with Popovers, Part 1

What is a popover, you may ask?
Well, I will tell you.

A popover is a cute! A popover is delicious! A popover is a big puff of oven-baked fun!
Or to be more specific, a popover is made with a basic batter of 2 parts liquid, 1 part egg, 1 part flour. Batter is poured into a hot cup-type pan (aka, muffin tin). After they're "popped" into the oven, the batter puffs up into a delightful, doughy poof!

... or, at least that's what happens with regular flour. Mine turned out a bit more donut-like, with puffed sides but an indented center. On the bright side, this was the perfect nest for a sprinkle of shredded veggie cheese and seasoning! So, it all worked out.

However, the next time that I try these, I will add 1 tsp baking soda for every egg in the recipe. Adding baking soda is one of my gluten-free baking standards. By definition, baking powder increases volume and lightness in baked goods by releasing CO2 through its acid-base reaction. When using GF flours (plus no yeast), this is a highly useful trick to imitate natural rising of wheat/white flour.

Having never made white-flour popovers, I figured diving into the ACD friendly version might be risky without any basis for comparison. So, I made my family a normal vesion!

Can't tell you how they taste, but they DID look fluffier and puffier.
I used white flour, milk, egg, and salt, and shredded some muenster cheese on top when they came out. The padres certainly liked them! My dad recommended some maple syrup on top ... mMmm






Without further ado... 
THE RECIPE


1 egg
4 oz almond milk
1/4 cup millet flour
1/4 cup garbanzo flour
1/2 tsp salt (or a little less)
+  olive oil (but NOT in the batter... so don't add it! ...as I may or may not have initially...)

Whisk together egg and milk. Add flour and salt and stir. Let batter sit for ~30 minutes to let flour aerate.
In the meantime, put muffin tins (or popover pans, or oven-proof coffe mugs...) into the oven, and heat to 450F.

When oven is hot/flour has sit for a bit, take out pans, and pour ~1tsp oil into each well*. Pour in batter to fill each well. Place pans back into oven.

Bake at 450 for about 15 minutes, then turn down to 375... then bake until done (about an hour**).

Take out and enjoy! Try sprinkling on seasoning/garnish. I used veggie soycheese with rosemary and thyme.

YUM!

* I used 2 tsp in regular-sized muffin tins, and this was too much! It inhibited the center of the popovers from rising, plus is spilled all over the oven. Hence, I recommend reducing this amount, plus possibly putting an old cookie sheet under the muffin tin to catch any overflow.

** The guidelines I followed said these should be done after 30 minutes. However, that was very incorrect. So keep an eye on those babies and don't plan to eat em so soon.