Thumbprint Cookies

There are many recipes for thumbprint cookies out there.  In cookbooks, magazines, on the internet.  Though I have yet to come across one that matches this recipe.

Very loved, much used cookbook.

It looks short and unassuming, coming from a 1970s church cookbook, with few ingredients.  The result, however, is a cookie that vanishes quickly.  You'll swear your relatives are also somehow related to cookie monster.

This recipe is something I also hold near and dear because it is one handed down through generations.  My Great Grandmother used it, then my Grandmother, my Mom (Mom still uses it), and now I use it.  Handed down through generations of Swedes, I thought I would share it with my readers, so they/you can enjoy it too!

Save the Egg whites!
You can make an omelet,
or meringues!

As written by Ellen Almst [with my kitchen notes]

•  1 c. butter

•  1/2 c. sugar

•  2 egg yolks

•  1/8 tsp. salt

•  2 c. flour [you may want to sift]

•  1 tsp. vanilla

•  1 tsp. almond extract

[• jam/jelly of your choice (I usually use currant, raspberry, or apricot.  I find that something with a bit of sweet-tart works best and compliments the sweetness of the cookie dough.)]

Found this great locally produced
butter (local to Mom & Dad).
Hormone and Antibiotic Free!

Cream butter; add sugar and remaining ingredients in order given.  

[I use butter pretty much straight out of the fridge.  Coldness of the dough is important in this recipe.  When you beat in the sugar, the sugar will create air pockets in the butter.  These later fill with steam during baking and will make a nice, light, melt-in-your-mouth texture.]

Make small round balls and make [an] indentation with thumb.  [Once again, dough temperature is key.  Don't handle the dough any longer than you have to.  If you're one of those people who often have cold hands (I do sometimes), you're in luck.  If you have warm hands, you may find it helpful to wash them in cold water before you form the dough - when it gets too warm it gets sticky and difficult to handle.

If you have to walk away from the dough for any extended period of time; i.e. an emergency last minute Christmas present you forgot to buy, put the dough in the fridge.] Fill indent with jam.  Bake in moderate oven (350º F) about 10 minutes.  Watch closely.  [It's important to watch them.  No, they don't jump, or do tricks, but they will brown too much if you're not careful.  With my Mom's oven, for example, the cookie sheet must be turned 180º at the 5 minute mark because the back of the oven is warmer than the front.  With my oven at home, I can place the cookies in and leave them be for the whole 10 minutes.]

These cookies are seriously delicious.  You may want to make a double batch for your cookie monsters.

Mmmm.....Cookies.

Gluten Free Blueberry-Lemon Cupcakes with Coconut Oil/Buttercream Frosting

NO GMOs here!

'Holy blueberry cupcakes Batman!!!'
This one's a winner.  Winner of what, precisely, I'm not sure, but the end product is super tasty.

It all started with a Hodgson Mill® gluten free yellow cake mix.  You may have noticed my excitement about this company and their products - let me reiterate; they are a Family Owned company, dedicated to transparency of ingredients & green business practices, their products are made right here in the U.S. of A., there are NO preservatives, NO gmos, and NO 'unpronounceable ingredients' all at a very reasonable price.  Honestly, what more can you ask for?

So yes, I was in the mood for cupcakes; unconventional cupcakes.  Suddenly I remembered the enormous amount of organic blueberries I still had in the freezer...

And some lemon would be nice, with frosting of course (That goes without saying. It is not a cupcake unless it has frosting on it, and to call something a cupcake and not put frosting on it would be blasphemous).

I used some parts of the recipe on the box and came up with this:

• 1/2 cup butter (one stick), softened

• 2 large eggs

• 3/4 cup milk

• zest of one lemon

• 1/4 cup lemon juice (I squeezed the zested lemon and added about 3 or 4 more tablespoons for a total of 1/4 cup.  You may need more or less depending on the size of the lemon.)

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

• 1 box of Hodgson Mill Gluten Free Cake Mix

• 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (I used frozen - there's a really great organic blueberry farm near me.  I usually buy about 20 lbs of organic blueberries at a fantastic price - about $2 a pound-  freeze them, and then use them throughout the year.  It pays to shop local.  Check out some of the links on this blog to find the local farms near you! You may be pleasantly surprised to find out whats right in your backyard.)

* A Note about blueberries (and other produce): If they are fresh it's great. Frozen is ok too.  More importantly, if you can afford to get organic berries (this includes other varieties, like strawberries), do it.  You can't peel berries, so any pesticide or other chemical that is sprayed may absorb into the fruit's skin.  There is only so much that washes off...you're eating the rest (Yuck!).  Here's a link to the EWG's shopper's guide to help you avoid pesticides in your food: ewg.org 2013 shoppers guide

Back to the recipe.

Evil Sifter

For the frosting, I used the Original Wilton Recipe with a few adjustments:

• 1/2 cup organic virgin coconut oil (much better for you than shortening)

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately 1lb.) - (I know sifting is not fun.  I share your resentment, especially with a sifter handle that once tried to slice off my finger- long story.  Try to think of something else while you're sifting, or call your Mom, or listen to some soothing music.  The point is, you really do need to sift the sugar, and you will be more thankful when your frosting comes together, all beautiful and smooth.)

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

In your mixing bowl, cream butter.  Add eggs, mix.  Add milk, lemon juice, zest, vanilla & almond extract and blend well.  Add cake mix and combine thoroughly.  Gently fold in the blueberries.

Fold in frozen berries gently
unless you want purple cake.

Spoon into paper-lined cupcake pan.  Bake for about 24-28 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Allow to cool completely before frosting (coconut oil is very heat-sensitive).  You'll end up with about 18 cupcakes.

On to the frosting!  In your mixing bowl, cream butter.  Add coconut oil and combine well.  Add sifted sugar while mixing, one cup at a time, to prevent powder-coating your kitchen.  The mixture should look all crumbly, and a little like fake snow.  This part is pretty neat to watch - add the lemon juice and vanilla and mix thoroughly - the mixture rapidly transforms from crumbly mess to velvety smooth frosting!  You can spread this on with a knife, or you can go the fancy route with a decorating bag and tip (this makes for a great presentation, and it's just plain fun.)  When you're done, serve or store in an air-tight container (if there are any left).  Enjoy!

We got the beets!

Pickled Golden Beets ready for eating!

Pickled beets have a tendency to disappear in my household, like they were 'going out of style' or something.  Yes, I eat some too, but the rate at which they vanish is rather alarming.  So, I have taken to preparing them at home.  This seems to be somewhat more cost effective (I think. I haven't actually sat down and crunched the numbers).  And really, that's not the only point.  The bigger issue is controlling the amount of unwanted 'extras' in your food.  By preparing your own food from scratch, you can eliminate a lot of preservatives and other unsavory ingredients.

When setting out on the quest of preparing home-made beets, one must decide whether to go for the refrigerator-canning method, or shelf stable.  I'm still somewhat intimidated by shelf-stable canning (though I've heard that its not very complicated...perhaps I shall attempt this in the near future), so I continue to opt for the fewer-steps refrigerator method (throw whatever it is you made in a clean jar with a lid, and put it in the fridge).

When I made pickled beets for the first time, I had found a relatively simple recipe for refrigerator pickled beets.  My husband, a self-proclaimed pickled beet aficionado, tasted this first batch and declared it to be much too sweet.  I agreed (he comes from one of the regions in Europe - former Yugoslavia - where people eat a lot of pickled food, so this is one area of cooking where I don't argue - in fact, I'm just going to own up to it and say that, in reference to anything pickled, he's right most of the time).  Several batches later, I had honed the recipe amounts down to a very tasty, much less sweet version (about 1/4 the sugar, more vinegar & garlic), which I followed for this batch.

(These amounts are for a large batch -  about 6 or 7 lbs of beets - I wasn't kidding when I said they disappear FAST.  You can cut the amounts in half for a smaller batch.)

6 to 7 pounds fresh beets (This time I was able to buy all organic, and there were golden beets available!)
6 cups vinegar
4 cups water
1 cup sugar
8 to 10 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced (you can add more if you like)

You can bake or boil your beets (the cooking method for the beets and the brine are pretty spot-on in the original recipe).  I use the boiling method (I feel like its easier to monitor them this way, especially if your beets are different sizes or vary greatly in size from one batch to the next).  The larger the beets are (the ones in this batch were particularly gargantuan), the longer they will need to boil.  The original recipe says about 25 to 30 min.  I use this as a starting number, and poke the beets with a fork every additional 5 to 10 minutes or so.  As they reach 'fork-tender,' I remove them one-by-one, and place them in a bowl to cool (this way, all beets can be evenly cooked regardless of size).  I usually make the brine while the beets are cooking (to a large saucepan add vinegar, water, sugar and garlic, "bring to a boil, stirring until sugar melts. Reduce heat and let simmer approximately 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool before adding the cooked beets." - method from whatscookingamerica.net).  Then you may go wreak havoc somewhere else, and everything will be cooled off and ready for assembly when you return.

No pink hands here.

Hand peeling is a great way to get
involved with your food.
(it's also the least wasteful method)

When they're cool enough to handle, beets are very easy to hand-peel (pushing with your thumbs) but please - do yourself a favor and wear gloves, or you will have vibrantly pink hands for a few days.  Slice the beets, place in clean glass jars, pour in enough brine to cover, put on the lid, and shake like the dickens! This will make sure the bits of garlic are evenly distributed and will remove any air bubbles that may be trapped between beet slices.  (If there are a lot of air bubbles, you may need to top off with more brine after shaking.  Also, you really want to be sure you have a decent jar and lid that seal tightly, unless you are redecorating).

Another note about glass jars...
Glass jars are wonderful for storing a number of things; beets, home-made salad dressing or spaghetti sauce, home-made apple sauce, lemon juice, etc.  They're better for you than plastic storage (No BPAs or phthalates), and they go through the dishwasher like a charm!  Plus, if you find jars with the right size mouth - you can replace any lids that might rust with Ball canning lids. Bonus!  So the next time you are grocery shopping, think not only about what you need to buy, but the container it comes in - some brands of spaghetti sauce, coconut oil, jams, salad dressings, and other foods come in heavy, quality glass jars that can withstand a little heat.  I am developing quite the collection, as my husband will attest, though he doesn't complain about them if I am making pickled beets.....funny.

Said to Husband:
 "No, my collection of  glass jars is
not taking over the kitchen.

Delicious!

So, into my wonderful glass jars went all those organic beets.  I was particularly excited to see the brilliant color of the golden beets! (The more bright colored vegetables you can get into your diet, the better: lots of carotenoids and antioxidants.)  Here's to eating more veggies and happy pickling!

A Kitchen Science Experiment...

Otherwise Known as Gluten Free, Vegan Citrus Poppy Seed Cake, Using Hodgson Mill's Baking Mix and Hodgson Mill's Milled Flax Seed.

This was quite an adventure, and a pretty tasty one at that.  I decided, since the apple cinnamon muffins came out quite nicely, I would attempt a bolder experiment.....

Ingredients

For the cake:

•  4 Tablespoons Hodgson Mill Milled Flax Seed
•  6 Tablespoons water
•  2 cups Hodgson Mill Gluten Free Baking Mix
•  3/4 teaspoon baking soda
•  1/2 cup coconut oil (plus a little bit more to grease the pan, unless you're using a non-stick like I did.  I greased it a bit anyway - I've had less than desirable results with vegan cakes in the past.)
•  3/4 cup sugar
•  3/4 cup NON-GMO soy milk
•  Zest & Juice of 2 Lemons (the ones I had were little - about the size of big limes, so if you buy one of those huge monster lemons, you could probably get away with using just one. And in honest retrospect- I suppose I could have gone a little bit lighter on the zest.)
•  1 Tablespoon of Lemon Juice
•  1/4 cup orange juice
•  1 teaspoon almond extract
•  1 Tablespoon poppy seeds (you can add more if you like lots of them)

Flax-water gel acts as
an egg-like substitute.

For the frosting:

•  3 cups powdered sugar
•  2 Tablespoons lemon juice
•  3 Tablespoons orange juice
•  1 1/2 Tablespoons cashew nut butter

Directions:

Whisk the 4 Tblsp milled flax and 6 Tblsp water together and set aside.  Zest and juice the lemon(s)*

Avoiding mess!
(a rarity in my kitchen.)

*helpful tip: if a recipe calls for the zest and juice of a lemon & they are added to the mixture at the same time, I mix the juice with the zest.  This keeps the zest from drying while you work and makes it so much easier to not have it stuck everywhere (on hands, spoons, the bowl, the floor, etc.)

Seriously Awesome.
If you don't own one yet, you should.

An additional note on the zesting of lemons: if you don't already own one, buy a Microplane™.  This, as far as my kitchen is concerned, is the best zesting tool on the face of the planet - seriously.  My mom bought one for me last year, and I love it so much, I think my other kitchen utensils are getting jealous.

Glass jar for lemon juice.

*second helpful tip: Yes, I know it's additional work juicing lemons, but it's well worth it.  It really does make all the difference - especially when you make lemon curd or any other recipe featuring lemon.  It's a brighter, cleaner lemon taste without preservatives, and the more of those you can eliminate from your diet, the better off you will be.  Something to simplify your life...buy a lot of lemons.  You can juice them and store them in a glass bottle or jar in the fridge.  If you don't use a whole lot of lemon juice in your household, you can measure out tablespoons of it into an ice cube tray and freeze for longer storage.  As a green tea-with-honey-and-lemon drinker, my taste buds feel that there is no substitute for home-squeezed lemon juice.
But yes...on with the recipe.


In a small bowl: combine Hodgson Mill Gluten Free Baking Mix and baking soda.


In a larger bowl: combine the sugar and coconut oil (I like to use a whisk).  Add the flax/water blend, stir well.  Add the soy milk, stir.  Add the lemon zest, juice, orange juice, almond extract and poppy seeds, stir.  Add the Baking Mix and baking soda mixture, slowly, while stirring (this helps prevent flour-explosions), stir until combined.  Spread batter (it will be a little thick) evenly into a Bundt pan and bake at 350º F for 40-50 minutes.

Mmmm....Frosting.
What more need be said?

When pan has cooled enough to handle, turn cake out on a plate.

 Mix frosting: combine juice with powdered sugar, add cashew butter last,  mix well & spread evenly.  There is enough in this recipe to completely cover the cake.  You can make/use less if you prefer. (I have a HUGE sweet tooth, and personally, there is nothing I find more disappointing than a piece of Bundt cake with a tiny little drizzle of frosting.  And the frosting recipe here is very tangy - not overwhelming sweet- I feel like it adds to the flavor, so I would encourage you to use as much as you like!)   Slice & enjoy!

Hodgson Mill Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins Product Review

Recently I re-discovered a company called Hodgson Mill (you may have noticed their products in my store).  I had a box of their milled flax seed in my cupboard.  It worked very well as an egg substitute when I made some vegan cupcakes.  But until just recently, I had no idea that they make such a wide range of products!  And many of them are gluten free and Non-GMO! I almost fell off my chair.  One of the many products that caught my eye was the Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Muffin Mix.  So I thought I would try it. 

 

The directions are simple, and you only need a few ingredients: vegetable oil, milk, one egg, and sugar (possibly some extra cinnamon if you are a cinnamon fiend like my husband - but I found the mix to have a nice balance all on it's own.)I put all the wet ingredients in first (this prevents any dry mix from sticking to the bottom of the bowl.  It also helps those of us who are prone to over-mixing, not to over-mix).  Then I added the sugar and the bag of mix....

Chunky pieces of apple!

And I paused for just a moment, to admire the large size of the REAL apple pieces that are in the mix!  You can see in the photos - the muffin batter looks chunky.  Well it looks chunky because it is! That's real fruit in there!
Impressed thus far, I pulled out my muffin pan, and then broke into a cold sweat, not knowing if I had enough paper liners to finish the job.  I was lucky.  There were seven; just enough.  (The mix makes 7 or 8 muffins.  This is a nice size.  You don't have to worry about eating a whole bunch of muffins in a short period of time.  This is very beneficial because some of us would eat all the delicious muffins too quickly and get a tummy ache.)


I spooned the nice thick mix evenly into the seven paper liners, sprinkled a little bit of sugar on the top (adds a sweet little crunch), and placed them in the oven.

About 15 minutes later, I had some amazing looking Gluten Free apple cinnamon muffins.
And then the taste-test... (cue exciting music)







They are delicious!  You can taste the cinnamon and apples in a pleasant and equal balance.  What's really great is that there are large bits of apple that you can actually taste - and some you might actually have to chew!  The combination of the milled flax seed, sorghum flour, and millet flour provide a delicate, slightly sweet and nutty background flavor and also give you some needed omega-3s and fiber.  There's also a recipe on the back of the box for apple cinnamon pancakes! I can't wait to try this one.
Ready for one more mega-benefit? No additives! No preservatives! And it's made right here in the U.S. of A. by one very dedicated family! (ok, that was actually three benefits, but who's going to complain about more good things? Not me.)  I definitely recommend this muffin mix, and their other products as well.  If you can't find Hodgson Mill in your local store, ask for it by name.  You can also buy many of their products on this website or from the hodgson mill store.  Happy Baking!!!

Naomi's Savory Pepper Sauce Product Review

Brilliant Orange

Let me start off by saying that the folks at Naomi's Savory Pepper Sauce company are really nice people; they went out of their way to send me a sample of their pepper sauce. When the sample arrived, I immediately noticed that the bottle was of a very generous size, and that the sauce itself was a beautifully vibrant orange in color!
My curiosity peaked.

The recipe for this curiously orange and spicy sauce has been in existence since 1935 and has been handed down through three generations of their family. Originating from the Caribbean, this sauce has trekked northward and is now in kitchens across the U.S. So I decided to put it to the test in my own kitchen, and I was delighted!

Naomi's is perfect in the recipe or on the side.

Sauteeing with Naomi's

Naomi's Savory Pepper Sauce already has a famous chili recipe that won first place in the 2012 Atlanta Gourmet Gents, so I thought I would start with chili's cousin; the taco.
To a pound of sauteed ground beef with your average taco seasoning blend, I added about two teaspoons of Naomi's Savory Pepper Sauce. Then, I sprinkled a little extra sauce on when I assembled my taco.  It was the perfect mix of both flavor and heat.  Naomi's Savory Pepper Sauce adds an extra something special that is hard to come by in a hot sauce.  If you're looking for that dimension of umami in your spicy dishes, I would highly recommend you keep a bottle of Naomi's in your kitchen.

With simple ingredients,
Naomi's shines through.

Wanting also to test the diversity of the sauce, I decided that a seafood dish was in order. For this one, I chopped a whole onion and sauteed it in olive oil until it began to turn soft. Then I added a can of tomato sauce (8 oz.), about a 1/2 cup of ketchup, 1 tablespoon of Naomi's Savory Pepper Sauce and simmered the mixture for a few minutes. I poured this over some flounder fillets (about 5 large ones) in a glass pan and baked the dish for about 45 minutes at 375º F. The fish was fall-apart-melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

Flounder with Naomi's.

Having made this same recipe before without the Naomi's Sauce, I was impressed with the extra zest it added to the dish (the next time I make it, I think I will add a little more; I like really spicy food). Naomi's Savory Pepper Sauce is very versatile and has many recipe applications. I am excited to have this sauce in my kitchen and cannot wait to experiment with it in other dishes. Read more about Naomi's Savory Pepper Sauce, and buy your bottle here! They also have Holiday Gift packages available, "The perfect gift idea for the chef or pepper sauce lover in your life."

Punjene smokve (stuffed figs)

Here's the other one!

From: tortekolaci.com

Punjene smokve 

(stuffed figs)

Author: Anita Mehicic

Translation, with added kitchen notes provided by Rachel Nedic

Helpful tools:

• food processor

• digital kitchen scale

Ingredients:

• 15 figs

• 30 walnut halves

• 100 150 gr ground biscuits  => *see note below

          (I used Lotus brand)           

• 100 150 gr ground walnuts => *see note below

• 50 gr sugar

• 80 gr butter (I used organic unrefined coconut oil)

• about 2 tablespoons of water

• ground walnuts or finely shredded coconut for rolling (I used very finely shredded organic coconut)

Directions:

Place the figs in a bowl of lukewarm water and let soak until soft. In each fig, put 2 halves of walnut.
Stir the sugar and water over medium heat until sugar dissolves, add butter (or coconut oil) and mix until melted.

Mix ground biscuits and ground walnuts, and pour the melted sugar/butter(oil) mixture over. Mix well and leave to cool.
Take some of the dough in hand and flatten slightly, place a stuffed fig in the center and roll into a ball.
Roll in ground walnuts or finely shredded coconut. Place in refrigerator to firm up. Leftovers should be stored in the fridge (they’re so delicious, there probably won’t be any left over.)

Enjoy!

*Note: The original recipe calls for 100 gr. of each. After mixing the dough and observing the

consistency and quantity, I added 50 gr more of each (I was pretty sure that it was not enough

dough to cover all 15 gs and have the inside look comparable to the picture. Adding the

extra 50 gr turned out to be a very good decision, and I was very happy with the end result;

just like the picture.)

Rolat od cokolade i kafe (Roll of Chocolate and Coffee)

From: tortekolaci.com

Rolat od cokolade i kafe (Roll of Chocolate and Coffee)

Author: Marijana Milic

Translation, with added kitchen notes provided by Rachel Nedic

Helpful Tools:

• digital kitchen scale

• food processor

• whisk(s)

• rubber spatula(s)

Ingredients for the chocolate coffee dough:

• 500 gr ground dairy free biscuits (I used Lotus brand. Each package is 250 gr so you need exactly 2 pkg.)

• 4 tablespoons cocoa powder

• 200 gr dark chocolate, melted (I used semi-sweet non-dairy chocolate chips)

• 1cup, prepared, very strong black coffee (I took a tablespoon of french roast coffee grounds and put it in a small sauce pan with 1 cup water, brought it to a boil, then turned the heat down and let it simmer a few minutes, stirring continuously. Strain with a coffee filter.)

• 200 gr sugar

• 4 tablespoons rum

Ingredients for the fill:

• 250 gr margarine (I used organic coconut oil)

• 250 gr powdered sugar

• 100 gr white chocolate (this was a tricky one; all of the white chocolate I could find in the supermarkets had dairy, but I was able to find a nice vegan one here. It's also included in this post at the bottom.)

• 200 gr shredded coconut

Directions:

Mix the ground biscuits with the cocoa and add the melted dark chocolate; mix well (I prefer to start with a spoon, then mix thoroughly with my hand - messy, but it really does the job!  Like Andrew Zimmern says, "Best tools in the kitchen"). 

Heat the coffee with the 200 gr sugar and the rum until the sugar is disolved, remove from heat and allow to cool, then pour over the biscuit/cocoa/chocolate mix. Mix well.

Prepare the fill; combine the margarine (or coconut oil) and the powdered sugar (if you are using cocount oil, and are having trouble getting the oil and sugar to be smooth, place your bowl over an OFF but SLIGHTLY warm-to-the-touch burner and stir. This will smooth it out very quickly.) Add coconut and melted white chocolate. Stir until well blended.

Split the chcolate-coffee dough evenly into 2 parts (for 2 rolls). Roll out the dough on plastic wrap (about 1/8 of an inch thick)  You can use Parchment paper here too - it's stiffer and makes the rolling-up easier when you've only got two hands (wishing I had 3 or 4 sometimes). Spread the fill evenly over the dough. (Note: the original recipe does not say this, but I found it helpful, especially when working with coconut oil, to put it in the fridge to firm up just a bit before rolling. It seemed to make the roll-up part a bit easier - it was messy when I first tried to roll it.) 

Roll up & place in the refrigerator. Unwrap and slice when needed. 

(Another Note: If you do decide to use coconut oil, it will be easier to slice the roll if you leave it out on the counter for a bit. If you slice it when it's still very cold, the slices have a tendency to crumble.)

Enjoy!

White Chocolate Chips

as written by: Chocolate Covered Katie

(can be sugar-free)

2-inch cube cacao butter (30 grams, or 2 tbsp after melting)

scant 1/8 tsp pure vanilla extract

stevia or powdered sugar to taste (2 tbsp if powdered sugar)

1 tbsp raw cashew or macadamia butter (can omit; it’ll just be less creamy) (15g)

very tiny pinch salt

optional: If you can find it, I highly recommend adding 1/2 tsp dry milk powder—such as soy or ricemilk powder—to the ingredients for optimum creamy texture, as this is one of the basic ingredients in every white chocolate bar I looked at during my aforementioned research. However, knowing that a lot of people would have trouble finding the powder, I also tried omitting it. And then I tried adding protein powder instead (increasing to 1 tsp). Omitting or adding the protein powder instead will yield a texture that’s a little different than store-bought white chocolate, but both ways still work! (Just please don’t add liquid milk. I tried that too, and it doesn’t work.)

Melt the cacao butter (either in the microwave or on the stove). Turn off heat, then stir in all other ingredients.

Pour into candy molds or a plastic container, and freeze until it hardens. Healthier and vegan white chocolate chips.

The elusive cookie in it's natural habitat...

I was so excited to have found these dessert recipes!  I almost couldn't contain myself!  I had tasted these wonderous delights at other friends' parties and holidays.  Many of them had been purchased, or someone else had made them; the bottom line was that these elusive recipes always seemed to be just out of my grasp...then along came Pinterest.  I can't even remember the series of clicks that brought me to tortekolaci.com, I was so thrilled.  The not so easy part was that the entire site is in Serbo-Croatian; enter google translate, and my husband who speaks the language fluently - tragedy averted.
So, after the translation, and the somewhat burdensome task of finding all the ingredients (I'm sure it's probably not quite so hard to find them, but I'm not a huge fan of going to the grocery store, and I usually shop in several different ones to get good prices, but I digress...), I began the epic journey of making the newly found recipes.
After 2 days, a bit of trial and error, a lot of sweat, dirty dishes and mess, I had them; some of the most delicious sweets I have ever tasted (As of yet. There is always room for new discoveries).  I marveled at not only how they tasted, but that they were also egg and dairy-free! (holy smokes, they were vegan too!)  I was so overjoyed, I felt I needed to share them! So here they are, enjoy!

(Bajadera is posted below, the others will follow shortly!)

Bajadera

From: tortekolaci.com 

Bajadera

Author: Marijana Milic

Translation, with added kitchen notes provided by Rachel Nedic

Helpful Tools:

• digital kitchen scale

• food processor

• whisk(s)

• rubber spatula(s)

• measuring cup with metric measurements

Ingredients:

• 2 dl (200 ml) water

• 300 gr sugar

• 250 gr margarine (I used organic virgin coconut oil instead)

• 100 gr chocolate (I used dark chocolate; semi-sweet, dairy-free chocolate chips)

• 300 gr ground dairy-free biscuits  (I used Lotus brand. Each package is 250 grams, so you need a         whole package plus about 6.5 biscuits)

• 150 gr ground walnuts (very finely ground, to the point of nut-butter yeilds a smooth, melt-in-your-mouth could-eat-half-a-pan taste.)

• 150 gr ground hazelnuts (also very finely ground)

Glaze:

• 200 gr chocolate

• 6 tablespoons oil (I used vegetable oil)

Directions:

Over low/medium heat, disolve sugar in the 2 dl of water. Add margarine (or coconut oil). When the margarine/oil has melted, add the ground biscuits, hazelnuts and walnuts. Remove from heat, mix well.  Remove 2 cups (slightly less than half) of the mixture. Melt the 100 gr. of chocolate and stir into the 2 cups of biscuit/nut mixture.
Line a 13x9 pan with plastic wrap. Spread the chocolate mixture in the pan evenly.

(Note: The original recipe does not say this, but I found it helpful to place the pan in the fridge and let the chocolate layer firm up a bit before adding the light layer. If you decide to use coconut oil like I did, you will need to put it in the refrigerator to keep the two layers from combining) 

Next, spread the light layer evenly, then allow to cool. (Mine went back into the fridge again.)

Prepare the glaze.  Melt the 200 gr. of chocolate with the oil (a whisk is a helpful tool here), and pour over the top. Place in fridge to firm up. Cut into desired shapes and serve. Store any leftovers (there probably won’t be any) in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

So Much Excitement About Cheese...

Whenever I travel, be it to someplace new, or an old haunt, I make a point of stopping into unique food stores.  I'm always on the lookout for new taste experiences.

raincoast fig & olive crisps

While I was in Orleans, MA this summer (part of Cape Cod) My Mom and I happened across Main Street Wine and Gourmet.  I decided that we must have a look inside.  We found these interesting-looking raincoast crisps on the shelf, alongside several others, and quickly came to the conclusion that they looked too tasty to leave without buying.  It was also agreed that they seemed a good pair for the bijou aged goat cheese that we had purchased earlier from PB Boulangerie Bistro (along with a number of to-die-for french pastries) in Wellfleet.
Now I'm going to be upfront about the cheese; it is smelly.  If you're not going to eat it right away (storing it in the fridge) I'd recommend putting it in a plastic bag.  I do enjoy the smell of cheese, but it's not necessarily a smell that is nice to have permeating your entire refrigerator.

bijou aged goat cheese from Vermont Creamery

 
Yes, there are some cheese fanatics who would argue that this is an inappropriate method of storing a cheese, and that you must allow it to breath somewhat, but the bottom line is that some cheeses smell like feet, or other strong odors. And don't get me wrong, I mean this in the best way possible- I love smelly cheese! But in modern days, the kitchen has become more of an entertainment spot at small dinner parties, and not every guest will appreciate eau de cheese cave emanating from your cold food storage.  Shorter story: until I am wealthy enough to afford my own cave (will probably never happen), or another fridge used solely for the storage of wonderfully ripened cheeses (unlikely, but hopeful), I will be resorting to 'bagging and tagging', so that my refrigerator does not reek of cheese.

raincoast crisps, fig & olive variety

Now, with that said, the cheese has a delightfully mild and nutty flavor! It is a delicious cheese that pairs well with rosemary crackers or fig & olive raincoast crisps (there is a rosemary raisin pecan variety of the crisps too; I can't wait to try it!).  The crisps themselves are thick and crunchy.  They have a very nice fruity-oat flavor, with a hint of olive savory, that matches the mild nutty-ness of the bijou, and the extra crunchy texture is an interesting compliment to the creamy cheese.

fig & olive crisp with goat cheese

This is one of those amazing culinary situations where the whole becomes more than just the sum of it's parts.  There is a third, and different, experience offered by tasting the two elements together.  (This doesn't always happen, but I get terribly excited when it does! Like bananas in chocolate.)  It's a great appetizer for your next party, or even just a before-dinner treat to spoil yourself. Enjoy!

Mommy...there's a rutabaga in my closet...

     Yes, when I was younger, I was not very fond of eating my vegetables.  I hated broccoli, carrots, summer squash, and there were several others that you couldn't get me to touch with a ten-foot pole, much less put them in my mouth.  As I got a bit older, I started to like a few vegetables that had once repelled me.  I started to put diced onions on my hotdogs, and every now and then I would take a small bite of pickle.  Small steps, but for someone who, for a long time, considered ketchup to be a vegetable...these were momentous occasions.

     In the last three or four years, however, this vegetable eating has expanded drastically.  To tell you the truth, I wasn't sure this kind of progress was possible.  It all began with my chiropractor.  That's right - chiropractor.  Dr. Mark convinced me to try to eat more vegetables.  I know, I know, everybody and your mother says "eat more veggies." That's true, and they are right, but what Dr. Mark said in conjunction with "eat more veggies" was something that I hadn't heard before.  He said "Stick with it for two weeks, and your body will start to reprogram itself.  After that, your body will start to crave healthy food."

     At that point, my inner-child was trying to convince me that this 'craving of vegetables' was just another fabrication, created to try and get me to eat healthy foods, but I trusted Dr. Mark, and told my inner-child to be quiet because he might be right.  Low and behold, he was absolutely 100% right.  With genuine effort, I began following a more plant-based (and brightly colored - this is very important) diet.  Little by little, just as he said...I began to want to eat my veggies!  (I know mothers and doctors everywhere are rejoicing at this statement, well...at least my mom is.)  It's true; your body can and does 'reprogram' itself; you will crave vegetables.

  That being said, I do admit that the vegetable-eating may be getting a tad unruly.  I have been eating a full plate of raw veggies (usually organic baby carrots, broccoli, and radishes) and a chopped avocado for lunch most days - with a small side of hummus or cheese for dipping, and a few strawberries or some pineapple for variety.  I must tell you that all this vegetable eating does have some excellent side-effects though.  My mind feels sharper, I have few-to-no joint aches (even the occasional Jiu Jitsu or Muai Thai, injury seems to heal faster), my body just feels better.

Thanks Dr. Mark! And Mom, I no longer fear that rutabaga!

If you'd like to read some more about what Dr. Mark has to say, visit his website: Goodlivingwarehouse.com  He also has a whole bunch of great healthy products, and he's adding new stuff all the time.

Honey For Your Tea

This article really did make me shed tears, and it gave me that funny hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach.  25,000 bumblebees, needlessly slaughtered.  Although authorities are "[not] ready to pin the blame on the landscapers until they have investigated other pesticide applications in the area," they do think it is "a very strong possibility" that the massacre resulted from the spraying of nearby trees.

I am a gardener, and I do like my bees.  Having read this article, I am even more thankful that two bumblebees have decided to take up residence in my wooden garden fence posts.  They're amazing little creatures, with a bizarre crunching sound as they chew a hole for themselves in the wood.

Bees, as everyone knows, are very important for the pollination, and resultant produce bearing of many plants.  Without them, it is a very bleak outlook for our food supply.  Sadly, their populations are being threatened by colony collapse disorder, and there is mounting evidence that this caused by pesticide use; especially neonicotinoid pesticides (although the manufacturers of these pesticides routinely deny this allegation).  Some beekeepers and other supporters have taken legal action against the EPA for "approv[ing] registrations of the pesticides without providing the opportunity for public comment, thereby violating the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act and the Administrative Procedure Act."  This is a great instance of people joining together.  If the Environmental Protection Agency is neglecting its responsibilities to protect, it is left up to us; we are our own best advocates, and we must join together to stand up for ourselves.  We need to protect the bees, and by extension protect us.

Yes, filing a lawsuit is a big step, but everyone can help with small steps at home like planting gardens and avoiding any use of pesticides.  Also, support your local beekeeper and buy local honey.  Imported honey (especially from India and China) has been shown to contain harmful substances like illegal antibiotics and heavy metals- and our U.S. grocery shelves are drowning in it.  There are also other recorded instances of honey containing little or no bee pollen, and/or being diluted heavily with corn syrup.  Just another example of why it is so tremendously important that we know where our food comes from.  Think about this the next time you put honey in your tea.

Origins

I would like to take a quick moment to say that, although our food system is in a bad state of dis-repair, I am thankful to be living in the United States of America, and I am extremely grateful that our domestic food news is not quite as disturbing as the following three articles from the NY Times.  It is very important, however, that we read our labels and know where our food comes from.  Please take a few minutes to read these eye-opening articles.  They are listed chronologically in the order they appeared.

A Tide of Death, but This Time Food Supply Is Safe

Rat Meat Sold as Lamb Highlights Fear in China

China’s Food Deal Extends Its Reach, Already Mighty

I would like to highlight a section from the last article:

"The United States government has continued to have concerns about Chinese food exports, with a Congressional hearing this month that was billed as “The Threat of China’s Unsafe Consumables” as the latest example. 'The health and safety, not only of the United States and Europe but that of people around the world, has come to be dependent on the quality of goods imported from China,' Dana Rohrabacher, a California Republican who heads the House Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia and Emerging Threats, said in opening the hearing. 'Yet the task of inspecting and testing Chinese goods is beyond the ability of governments, considering the magnitude of that challenge.'

Imported foods sold in groceries and other food stores must be labeled with their country of origin, but a substantial portion of imports end up in restaurant and food service meals, where consumers have no idea of their source.

Additionally, once imported foods are processed in any way, such labeling is no longer required under government regulations.

Thus, frozen imported peas and carrots would require a label if packaged separately, but mixed together and sold in a single package, they do not need labeling, Ms. Lovera said. Fish fillets must carry labeling, but imported fish sticks or crab patties do not." 
China’s Food Deal Extends Its Reach, Already Mighty - by Stephanie Strom, May 29, 2013, NY Times

Something to think about the next time you're buying groceries.

Tales from the Wheat Fields...

Wheat is in the news. 

This is no surprise for a lot of folks, especially the gluten-free crowd.  Every year there are more and more people discovering that they have Celiac disease or that they have some sort of a gluten-intolerance.  Make no mistake- Celiac disease is not a joke, and the people who have it must have a ZERO gluten diet (not just “mostly gluten free,” which is how I’ve heard some food companies describe their product - it seems to me that this is rather a dangerous statement.  I have also seen a TV show clip wherein it is said that Celiacs can have “almost” no gluten, not to mention several other fallacies.  Needless to say, I just shook my head.)  I myself have begun to suspect that I may have slight issues with gluten, especially after eliminating bread from my regular diet.  I feel more energetic, and am able to think more clearly (and it turns out, there are a myriad of symptoms that may be related to a gluten-intolerance).  I also try to avoid processed foods as much as I can.  And I have to say, that age-old statement, “you are what you eat,” has more truth to it than I like to admit sometimes.

            My personal diet aside, Celiac disease and gluten intolerance are big issues.  Most everyone involved in the food industry is well aware that the gluten-free market has exploded over the past few years and continues to expand.  There are more gluten-free food choices than ever before, and awareness is spreading about Celiac disease and gluten-intolerance issues, but not fast enough.  There isn’t enough space here to list all the websites of gluten-free foods, blogs or help groups, but here are just a few that I found helpful and interesting:

celiaccentral.org

simplygluten-free.com *

delightglutenfree.com *

glutenfreeliving.com *

allergicliving.com *

gluten free allergy free expo

glutenlibre.com

glutenfreeeasily.com

glutenfreeformen.com

glutendude.com

helloglutenfree.com

spruestory.com

glutenfreegirl.com

foodallergygal.blogspot.com

            *traditional print magazine available

(since there are so many, and each page has it’s own unique and interesting flavor, there will be a gluten-free links category on this blog)           

            Short of completely eliminating gluten from one’s diet, there is no cure yet for celiac disease. 

            Medical Note: Before you go eliminating all gluten from your diet, if you are experiencing symptoms it is recommended that you get a blood test first to determine if you have Celiac disease. 

Doctors also are not sure exactly what causes it, though there is evidence to suggest that environmental triggers may be strong contributing factors.   The recent environmentally related news about wheat surely is not helping anybody, whether Celiac, gluten-intolerant or not:

            Strains of GMO wheat have been found in Oregon fields.

That’s right - even though GMO wheat was never approved for commercial use, there are still GMO wheat plants that managed to make it out into the fields.

            You cannot contain Mother Nature.

Try as you might, accidents happen.  Seeds and pollen travel.  Grass and mushrooms grow and break through parking lots.  Trees grow over and around things in their path, moss grows on rooftops…you get the idea.  So why didn’t Monsanto? 

Good Question.

Monsanto asserts that everything from the test-fields of GMO wheat “in 16 states from 1998 to 2005” was cleaned up, and that this incident in Oregon is an isolated one, resulting from "accidental or purposeful mixing of seed.” They maintain that pollen flow is not how it happened.

Whether it happened by human hand or otherwise, our Oregon wheat supply has been contaminated.  Other countries won’t buy U.S. west-coast wheat now, or will not do so without proof of non-gmo by extensive testing.  The whole supply chain has been disrupted, and farmers are getting the chaff. 

            They may have an opportunity to save their livelihood in a class-action suit filed just days ago (June 6, 2013).  This followed a federal suit filed on June 3^rd by a Kansas farmer.  I, for one, certainly don’t blame them for being upset, and we should all join these farmers in taking action.  As consumers united, we have a VERY powerful voice.  Together, through voting regularly, and voting with our wallets, We The People can make change.  This is exactly why Monsanto gave up on getting commercial approval for their GMO wheat in 2004, because we the consumers said “No” to GMO.  When California voted on a GMO labeling law, it was only by a very narrow margin of about 2% that it didn’t pass, despite the millions of dollars spent by large corporations (including Monsanto) to try and bring proposition 37 down.  The state of Connecticut has very clearly said “No” by passing a GMO labeling law, but other eastern states must join in for it to take effect.  As many grass roots leaders have said, we are at a turning point.  We must ban together and continue to fight for real food with our everyday actions - as illustrated by a famous quote (and mentioned by Gary Hirshberg in his great commencement speech at Bates College): 

“Anyone who feels they are too small to make a difference has never been in bed with a mosquito.”  

Everyone can make a difference. 

Let us “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” - Gandhi