Chocolate Quinoa Crackers

We have been quite busy moving, yet again.  This time just down the street though and not internationally. Between pregnancy and moving to-do lists, I am just starting to get back into looking for new recipes to try.  I bookmarked these chocolate quinoa crackers a while ago because I liked the short list of ingredients.  I also liked that they are vegan and gluten free.  Since I would like to share these with a friend who does not tolerate gluten, I wiped down my counter top 3 times, made sure to inspect all cooking utensils out of the dishwasher, and used parchment paper on bottom and top of dough when rolling out as well as a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  I just didn't trust that my rolling pin was totally free of traces of gluten.  I still need to calibrate the oven since I'm sure the temperature is off some; let's hope that the 390 I set the oven to worked out ok.  Off to try one now!

Original recipe found at: http://chockohlawtay.blogspot.com/2012/07/chocolate-quinoa-crackers.html

                                                                  

What you need:
1 cup of quinoa flour (Ancient Harvest Organic Quinoa Flour)
1/2 cup cocoa powder (Trader Joe's Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: "Our Vendors Follow Good Manufacturing Practices To Segregate Ingredients to Avoid Cross Contact With Allergens Made on Shared Equipment With Milk.")
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup sugar (please note that recipe calls for other sweeteners)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon canola oil
1/2 cup water

What to do:
Tape down a large square of parchment paper onto your counter

Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Take out third parchment paper and set aside for putting on top of dough for when rolling out

Measure the oil and water in different bowls and set aside.

In bowl, whisk together the quinoa flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.  

Drizzle the oil over the mixture and rub in with your fingers until it looks a little like sand 


Slowly add in the water, still mixing using your fingers.  Add enough water to form a ball (should not be too moist and should not be too dry where pieces crumble off).  Pat the dough into a ball and place on the taped down parchment paper.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Roll the dough out , making sure that it doesn't tear.  If it does, add a little bit more water, re-pat into a ball and roll out again.  Roll out to about 1/8" thickness.  Slice using a pizza cutter.  Transfer squares individually onto the prepared pan--about 1-2" apart--and poke holes into them using a toothpick or fork.  Bake for 10-11 minutes (they will be soft out of the oven but will become crunchy once cooled), and cool on a wire drying rack.

poking holes

Today, Cats!
Tomorrow, Trains!

                                                       

Avocado Bar, Great Summer take on Baked Potato Bar

Saw this idea today on thekitchn.com.  I can't wait to try this out and to share with my mother-in-law in Chile.  Just remember to serve each topping on its own plate and with own serving utensil.  And it's always a good idea to let allergic individual help themselves first to avoid possible cross contamination. And when it comes to prepping the ingredients, keep cross contamination in mind if you have an allergic guest or family member.  


http://www.thekitchn.com/backyard-party-idea-an-avocado-bar-174480

Rice pudding (arroz con leche): No Egg In Mine

Arroz con leche/rice pudding could be my all time favorite treat, maybe even more so than ice cream. This rice pudding recipe contains no egg.   It is creamy and comforting and easy to make in the Thermomix.   The Thermomix requires so little effort that you will hug your machine with each delicious bite.  This is a great go-to treat for any time of day.  I even like it for breakfast, especially during pregnancy; filling and not too sweet.  Top with ground cinnamon or add cinnamon sticks, lemon/orange rind to milk as it cooks.  

I froze two rocket pops with the rice pudding, let's see how they come out:

Recipe on Thermomix App under "Desserts and Sweets".  Great step by step instructions and pop-up ingredient list

What you need:
1000 g milk
50 g sugar
1 pinch salt
220 g white short-grain rice (I use Whole Foods Arborio)

What to do:
Place, mik, sugar and salt into mixing bowl, heat 8 min/100 degrees C/speed 1 without inserted measuring cup.

Add rice, cook 30 min/90 degrees C/reverse/speed 1 without inserted measuring cup.

Sprinkle with cinnamon and enjoy!

When in Toronto, please enjoy Monforte cheeses; I miss them terribly!

wrapped like a present

I was just thinking about all the yummy things I miss eating in Toronto.  And funny that I stumbled across Monteforte Dairy on the kitchn.com today.  Oh, what I'd do to get some of their pescorino fresco.  It happens to be my son's favorite cheese spread on bread and one of our summer go-to cheeses.  I often would pick up a variety of their cheeses twice a week at St. Lawrence Market, Brickworks, and the Metro Hall Farmer's Market on Thursday mornings.  My son knew the names of the friendly people behind the cheeses and loved strolling to get it.  Check out a good description with photos here: http://www.thekitchn.com/in-canada-try-monforte-dairy-cheeses-the-cheesemonger-174298

drizzled with local buckwheat honey!

Allergy-Friendly Entertaining Ideas

So great to come across allergy-conscious articles on entertaining with food.  It is great to feel included, no?  It is great to a have a host make sure an allergic person, especially child, feels included and safe.
Check out these ideas for baby showers:
http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2012/07/12/allergy-free-recipes-for-your-baby-shower/
They bring up a good idea for avoiding cross-contamination:  put out items on separate tapas-style plates with separate serving utensils for each one.  No bananas mixing with the strawberries, thanks!

How funny, and later in the day I stumbled upon this question: How far should a guest go to accommodate?  Some good comments to read on this subject. 

 http://www.thekitchn.com/restrictive-diets-burden-of-the-guest-or-host-the-new-york-times-174088

I struggle with how much to hope for as a guest, especially with an allergic child.  I just feel that it comes down to basic empathy and wanted to include vs. exclude.  

And check out: 
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/dealing-with-food-allergies-as-a-host-180304

Strawberry Icebox Cake

Fast-Forward to whipped cream with
stiff peaks!

Icebox cakes are perfect for this time of year. I'm sure I'll feel that way about no-bake cakes for most of the year here in hot Houston.  All you have to do is make an assembly line and build your cake.  Just don't over whip the cream like I did this time and create butter-like whipped cream!  That's what happens when you multitask and walk away from your cream. I blamed it on the cream being different in Houston than in Toronto and that the freshness of the cream affects the whipping time.  The only truth is that I do prefer the fresh cream in glass bottles with less shelf life and will miss making butter with it.  I made this cake for Father's Day when organic strawberries were on sale.  I think that I will make a version of this cake next year for either Canada Day or the Fourth of July and use berries to resemble the flag.  I also like the idea of making these icebox cakes for cookouts.  The graham crackers soak up the moisture and takes on a spongy cake-like consistency.  Best part is that no eggs needed here!!!! Feel free to drizzle yours with chocolate sauce.  I'll make it next time right before serving using the ganache recipe in the Thermomix Everday Cooking For Every Family.  The original recipe is from The Kitchn: http://www.thekitchn.com/summer-recipe-nobake-strawberr-117900


What you need:
2 pounds of fresh strawberries: washed, hulled and sliced.  (keep a few intact for decoration)
3 1/4 cups whipping cream, divided
1/3 cup confectioner sugar (made in an instant with Thermomix with Wholesome Sweeterners regular sugar)
4 sleeves of graham crackers (I use Whole Foods 365 brand.  Allergy warning states: "produced in a  facility that also processes peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs and soy".  My toddler's allergist gave the go-ahead for such warning for my toddler at this moment in time)
1 teaspoon of vanilla


What to do:

Take out a few of the best-looking strawberries and set them aside for the garnish. Hull the remainder of the strawberries and slice each berry into thin slices.

With a hand mixer, Thermomix or in the bowl of a stand mixer, whip 3 cups of cream until it just holds stiff peaks. Add the confectioners sugar, vanilla, and rosewater(if using) and whip to combine.

Spread a small spoonful of whipped cream on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan, or a similarly-sized platter. Lay down six graham crackers. Lightly cover the top of the graham crackers with more whipped cream, and then a single layer of strawberries. Repeat three times, until you have four layers of graham crackers. Spread the last of the whipped cream over the top and swirl it lightly with a spoon. Add a few more strawberries.

To make the ganache, heat the cream until bubbles form around the edges, then pour over the chopped chocolate. Let it stand for a few minutes, then whisk until the mixture is thick and glossy. Drizzle this over the layered dessert with a spoon, or transfer to a squeeze bottle and use that to drizzle.  Or use your Thermomix and just add ingredients and press buttons!

Refrigerate for at least four hours, or until the crackers have softened completely. Garnish with additional berries.


For more no-bake dessert recipes:
http://www.kitchenmeetsgirl.com/desserts-2/seriously-easy-fresh-strawberry-pie-no-bake/


Recetas en español-----Para MásTortas Frías:
Torta Fría con Galletas María: http://www.centrodepostresroyal.com/recetas/torta-fria-con-galleta-maria/

Easy Treat To Celebrate Canada Day

So easy to do with a maple leaf cookie cutter. I got mine at St. Lawrence Market in Toronto right before we moved to Texas.  Oh, how I miss Saturday mornings there!






A nice Canada Day, Sunday morning breakfast, eggless waffles with vanilla strawberry compote and Canadian maple syrup, well sort-of but not quite the syrup I would buy at the markets in Toronto.

For waffle recipe, click on "breakfast"
tab and arrow down

                                                                   

Delicious Meals to Feed Us Difficult Dinner Guests

I just finished reading this post on a favorite website, www.thekitchn.com.  I thought I'd include the link for  ideas and future reference.  I did note the use of sesame in several of the dishes, something to just work around.  Well put, "To the engaged cook, however, these guests and challenges are not moments of exasperation — they are inspiration and a challenge to create something delicious in constrained circumstances."


http://www.thekitchn.com/the-most-difficult-dinner-guest-ever-and-5-delicious-meals-to-feed-them-169102

Passover Inspired Anytime Carrot Coconut Macaroons

ready to eat and to take on the go

This is a good time of year to post my favorite coconut macaroon recipe.  This is my first post from our new home in Houston.  I have a lot of thoughts and things to share about major moves with multiple food allergies, but that's for another post. The macaroon recipe is from the April 2010, Canadian Family magazine.  I love these! They are delicious and have just the right balance of sweetness and flavor, I contribute this to the grated carrots and ginger with maple syrup and apple juice and no added sugar. This recipe is vegan and nut-free (coconut is ok for us) but not necessarily kosher for passover.  This is my go-to recipe for macaroons without eggs.  I froze a dozen, they defrost nicely.  It is tricky shopping for coconut oil without worrying about sesame and tree-nut contamination.  I use Artisana coconut oil, http://www.artisanafoods.com/, but please check the label and determine if it is safe for your family. There is a great article on reading labels for allergy information at: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/04/06/consumers-often-ignore-food-allergy-labels/
I am going to make coconut butter with my Thermomix for the next batch and see how these turn out.  But first I have to get a better understanding of the difference between coconut butter and oil. For Thermomix coconut butter instructions, please visit: 
http://www.superkitchenmachine.com/2011/11949/make-coconut-butter-thermomi.html


 What you need:
1 cup  grated raw carrots (one large carrot)
1/4 cup apple juice
1/2 cup coconut oil (I use Artisana brand)
2 cups coconut flakes (I use Let's Do Organic brand, it's unsweetened and contains no sulphites:http://www.edwardandsons.com/ldo_shop_coconut.itml)
2/3 cup whole wheat flour (I suppose you could play around with types of flour according to allergy restrictions)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 tbsp maple syrup (Oh how I miss buying giant bottles locally from St. Lawrence market on Saturday mornings!)


What to do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Line cookie sheet with silicone baking mat
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl
Roll into approximately 24 balls with the help of your children
Transfer to rack to cool, but I skip this part 
I then listen to my toddler scream as he always does when baking: "no oven!" which means he wants to eat them right away


For original recipe, please visit: http://www.canadianfamily.ca/recipe/carrot-coconut-macaroons/

Naturally Yours

blueberry scone with
blueberry/strawberry/kefir
smoothie

If you live in Toronto or just happen to be visiting, stop by Naturally Yours for healthy and nutritious snacks and meals.  The location in the Path is perfect for when you are passing through downtown. I occasionally pick up one of their blueberry scones made with a variety of healthy flours.These scones are free of egg and nuts.  Risk of sesame cross-contamination is very low.  They are very large and not very sweet, perfect for when you are hungry mid afternoon with tea or coffee.  If you have any allergies or dietary concerns, they are open to questions and concerns.  Check out their website and then go there to pick up something to eat: http://www.naturallyyours.ca/

Cat Cora's Crispy Baked Fish Sticks with My Sweet Potato Hash

Fish is certainly not my favorite protein.  I have discovered that it is the skin that I find offensive and not necessarily the actual fish. I am not one for simply prepared, pop-in the oven with some lemon and olive oil, fish eaters.  Like a toddler, I sometimes need to trick myself into liking fish.  Here is one fish dish that passed my taste test.  No egg used in the breading process.  And no bread crumbs (possible egg and sesame). You can use simple cornflakes or even another cereal that sticks on the fish with the buttermilk.  You will love how crispy these fish sticks turn out.  The sweet potato hash is a quick and yummy side dish. Alternatively, serve with baked sweet potato fries and side salad.  


What you need for the fish:
2 tsp olive oil/canola oil
3 cups corn flakes ( I used Whole Foods 365 Organic)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp dijon mustard (check if anyone eating has mustard allergy! )
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 pound cod/sole/snapper fillets cut into strips


What to do: 
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Coat baking sheet with thin layer of oil


Crush corn flakes in a plastic bag by pressing down with hands or rolling pin.  Place in shallow bowl or plate.


Whisk the buttermilk with the mustard and garlic powder together in shallow bowl or plate


Pour flour into another shallow bowl or plate and add in salt and pepper.


At this point you should have a "breading station" with three bowls/plates:  flour first, then buttermilk mixture and then crushed cornflakes


Rinse off fish and pat dry.  Dredge in flour, then dip in buttermilk mixture and finish by dredging in crushed cornflakes.


Place fish strips on baking sheet leaving some space between each one.  Bake until cooked through and crispy, about 20 minutes


You can make a dip:
3/4 cup dijon mustard
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp lemon or lime juice


What you need for the hash:
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled
2 shallots, chopped
1 packaged baby spinach chopped
hot sauce, optional


What to do: 
Grate the sweet potatoes in food processor fitted with the coarse grating disk


Heat tablespoon of canola oil in skillet over medium-high heat.  Add shallots and cook until brown, 2-3 minutes.  Add in the sweet potatoes and cook, tossing occasionally, until tender, about 8-10 minutes.  Add the spinach and cook until just wilted.  Serve with hot sauce or a tad of maple syrup.