baking without butter and wheat

Posted on August 7, 2013 by hilary924

i've been trying something a little new . . . gluten-free and/or vegan baking. this is partly because, well, i moved back to california. but also because my main baked goods audience has shrunk to the very lovely people who work for the somm.

and they HAVE to like my baking! it's a win win win.

just kidding.

i'd already gone down the gluten-free road for the yogi. and after having read about how terrible wheat is for you.

plus there are so many fun types of flour out there! i now own about 10 varieties taking up precious freezer space. right next to my highly glutenized leftover bagel dough. whee!

i do not yet have an opinion on what type of flours i like best. luckily, there are many wonderful bloggers who regularly share their wisdom. i've been spending time with gluten-free girl who has many great recipes and some really lovely writing on her blog. she has a great post on how to put together your own gluten-free flour blend. it doesn't require you to buy anything that sounds too crazy (xanthan gum? seriously? isn't avoiding words like that WHY we bake at home?).

almond and coconut were my gateway flours. who doesn't like almonds and coconut?

also, chocolate?

i pulled this recipe from the new york times, which also likes them some gluten-free girl. i skimped on the bananas – don't do that! add plenty of chocolate chips. almond, buckwheat and rice flour are the stars here, but next time i'd cut back on the buckwheat. you want something lighter to really let the chocolate and banana sing.

served warm out of the oven, these didn't immediately seem gluten-free. want a close up of that tender crumb?

pretty normal, right?

but do NOT give them to your vegan friends. there are eggs and buttermilk in there, the sneakers. plus, we've got something else for them.

there are a number of vegan alternatives for eggs. so much good learning, and i would especially like to thank the kind woman who saved me from myself in the tofu aisle at the food co-op.

yeah, i'll pause to let that sink in. caleeefornia!

the tofu you want, that tofu is not in the refrigerator section of the market. it's the shelf-stable stuff. but i went for the flax seed slurry substitution.

slurry! almost as good as shelf-stable tofu.

just mix one teaspoon ground flax or chia seeds with three tablespoons hot water for every egg you're replacing. let the slurry sit, then add to the batter.

ground flax seeds can be found in the oatmeal and hot cereals section, NOT with the various gluten-free flours and starches in the baking section.

are you writing this down?

also, skip the honey and use agave. skip the buttermilk or yogurt and use unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

double the blueberries. whip yourself up some blackberry jam.

have yourself a muffin fest.

Vegan & Gluten-Free Buckwheat Blueberry Poppyseed Muffins

Adapted to be vegan from the New York Times

180 grams (1 1/4 cups, approximately) buckwheat flour
100 grams (3/4 cup, approximately) gluten-free all-purpose flour mix or whole grain gluten-free mix*
10 grams (2 teaspoons) baking powder
5 grams (1 teaspoon) baking soda
3.5 grams (1/2 rounded teaspoon) salt
2 eggs or 2 teaspoon ground flax seeds mixed with 6 tablespoons hot water
125 grams (1/3 cup) agave syrup
360 grams (1 1/2 cups) unsweetened vanilla almond milk
75 grams (1/3 cup) canola or grape seed oil
5 grams (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
2 cups blueberries
10 grams (1 tablespoon) poppy seeds (more to taste)

*For the gluten-free flour mix I used about 70 grams of a mix of teff, almond and rice flour and 30 grams of arrowroot starch.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees with the rack adjusted to the middle. Oil muffin tins. Sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl. Add any grainy bits remaining in the sifter to the bowl.

In a separate bowl combine ground flax seed and hot water. Stir and let sit for a minute. Beat in agave, almond milk, oil and vanilla extract. Whisk in the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Do not beat for too long; a few lumps are fine but make sure there is no flour sitting at the bottom of the bowl. Fold in the blueberries and poppy seeds.

Using a spoon or ice cream scoop, fill muffin cups to the top. Place in the oven and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly browned and well risen. Remove from the heat and if the muffins come out of the tins easily, remove from the tins and allow to cool on a rack. If they don’t release easily, allow to cool and then remove from the tins.

Best served with some sort of butter product (that means Earth Balance for you vegans) and jam.

Yield: 12 muffins (1/3 cup muffin tins)

Advance preparation: These keep for a couple of days out of the refrigerator, for a few more days in the refrigerator, and for a few months in the freezer.

pumpkin cranberry bread

Posted on January 14, 2013 by hilary924

this fall felt so long and warm, i thought that winter would never really come to california. when the cold finally began to hit, it came as a bright surprise, a delicious reason to hunt for boot and socks and layers of long sleeves. for a mug of afternoon tea and slice of buttered toast.

you look like you could use a piece of toast too. and not just any piece of toast will do to drive away the now lingering chill in the air.

particularly if your work furnace, like mine, emits any number of lovely knocking sounds but not much actual heat.

this isn't your typical pumpkin bread, dense and spicy. it's an airy yeast bread. the cranberries burst in your mouth with a tart contrast to the lightly sweet, faintly pumpkin bread and crunchy toasty walnuts.

this is the perfect antidote to the post-holiday season food slump, offering comfort without excess. it may not be quite as virtuous as salad with grilled chicken, but it's a far cry from a platter of christmas fudge.

i am so sadly off track with tuesdays with dorie. you don't want to know how long these photos have languished in my camera. but find out by going to tuesdays with dorie or this bountiful backyard to find the recipe and lots of blog coverage.

almond chocolate biscotti . . . or chocolate toffee cookies.

Posted on July 3, 2012 by hilary924

i don't really understand biscotti. i like a gooey cookie. a chewy, melty chocolate chip cookie. i can handle a crispy cookie . . . a ginger snap or crumbly shortbread. but biscotti. what, my friends, is the point?

this isn't to knock the joy of dunking. i very much enjoy a good milk-soaked oreo or graham cracker. but the biscotti doesn't do it for me.

i tried here. the baking with julia recipe was for hazelnuts. but i decided to pull a total hilary. i used almonds. and rather than buying frangelico, i made amaretto.

that's right. i have two mason jars of boozy almond goodness in order to put two teaspoons of almond liqueur in these bad boys.

but neither the homemade amaretto or the judicious addition of chocolate could save the biscotti from their inherent hard as a rock biscottiness. they were lovely biscotti, easy to make (even with the exceptionally unnecessary step of homemade liqueur, a recipe for which you can find at shutterbean) and were munched down by italian and spanish fans alike at my euro cup party.

but still. if i'm going to eat a cookie, friends, biscotti will not get the job done. my newest cookie obsession will: chocolate toffee cookies, courtesy of smitten kitchen.

yeah, that's the stuff. the perfect slightly gooey center, crisp and chewy edges, intense chocolatey goodness with the crunch of slivered almonds and caramely, toothiness of the heath bar crumbles. dunking optional.

if you insist on enjoying biscotti, check out the recipe at tuesdays with dorie.

chocolate banana oat bars

Posted on November 4, 2011 by hilary924

this is kind of a cop-out post. i'll be honest.

there are lots of photos on my camera for lots of yummy recipes. short ribs. brownies. cauliflower. (yes, cauliflower. trust me.)

there are even more recipes on my weekend to do list. pumpkin apple cake. more short ribs.

plus, i have things i want to tell you. about dutch-processed cocoa and chili sauce. and frosting.

but this week, i was distracted. by margaritas and tequila shots and, well, what it feels like to be nearly thirty the morning after you have a bit too much fun on a school night. plus, there was giggling and vampires and new extracurricular activities. oh, and after months of running jail, i'm totally supposed to be training for some crazy half-marathon that is exactly one month away.

whew. no wonder i'm sleepy!

next week . . . i promise awesomeness.

in the mean time, these bars are pretty darn good.

i found this recipe on a great blog. cookies masquerading as breakfast bars.

they might be vegan and vaguely healthyish. they might contain two tried and true breakfast foods – banana and oats – but don't be deceived.

they are rich and gooey and wholly satisfying. the banana chips are such a value add – giving each bite a soft crunch. and the edges have that perfect, brownie-like chew. mmm.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Banana Oat Bars

I didn't change anything about this recipe except rename it for accuracy, dammit, accuracy! Go visit Eat, Live, Run for her recipe!

trick or treat

Posted on October 31, 2011 by hilary924

it got spooktastic in manchego’s kitchen this weekend. we ate a lot of sugar. we got into the spirit of halloween.

perhaps some of us got a bit too into the spirit.

this is the danger of hosting the halloween party. cobwebs and spooky creatures everywhere.

shrunken heads in the cider.

also, eyeballs.

and swamp creatures. adorable swamp creatures.

have you heard of cake pops? i hesitate to send you to this site, because, well, bakerella’s look legit. let’s all just remember mine were made with love, ok? and with some able assistance, not just from Duncan and Betty, but from one very sexy pumpkin.

yes, that is a cake pop landscape i crafted out of tin foil. yes, i do enjoy using my glue gun at halloween.

but, let’s get serious here for a second. i have some snacks for you that aren’t wearing halloween costumes. they’re yummy just as is.

both snacks play off of the salty-sweet combo that you know i’m obsessed with.

this snack mix i made with pretzels, malted milk powder and jazzed up for halloween with candy corn and chopped up snickers – peanut butter and regular. it was insanely, amazingly good. it was also ridiculously un-photogenic. so please just trust me. it is super easy to make. just be sure you have friends coming over – maybe for a marathon viewing of seven and riggins? – so you don’t put yourself in a food coma.

this peanut butter caramel popcorn is just as good – and slightly less likely to give you a toothache.

it has that chewy goodness of caramel corn, but the peanut butter softens it and makes it much less likely to stick in your teeth. plus, it’s just plain addictive.

winning!

Peanut Butter Caramel Popcorn

Adapted from Cooking Light

1/2 cup popcorn kernels
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted if you’re feeling fancy
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup peanut butter – I used chunky and liked it
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 & 1/2 tsp salt

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. If you have one with sides – like a jellyroll pan – that is better cause you’re going to be tossing the corn around. But I made a batch on a flat sheet and I was careful and it was ok.

Pop your popcorn! You can do it on the stove with oil, or you can air pop it 1/4 cup at a time in a brown paper lunch bag. Just put the kernels in the bag, fold it over a few times and then microwave for 2-3 minutes. Magic!

Toast your almonds if you feel like it. Toss them with the popcorn in the biggest bowl you’ve got.

On the stove, mix your sugar, corn syrup, butter and 1/2 tsp salt. Bring to a boil and stir for about 3 minutes. It’ll get foamy and kind of look like you’re making toffee, but we aren’t getting that fancy here. Add the peanut butter and vanilla and mix it in.

Here, I gave the super hot caramel mix a minute to cool down because I was afraid it would melt the popcorn.

Then, have your OCD self pour the caramel over the popcorn and toss/stir it so that all the kernels get some coating.

Spread out on your cookie sheet(s). Sprinkle with 1 tsp salt. Bake for an hour, and every 15-20 minutes, pull the sheet(s) out and mix up the popcorn so it toasts evenly and doesn’t just turn into a giant slab of caramel popcorn.

Crumble into a bowl, and try not to eat it all in one sitting.

Manchego's Kitchen

it's his kitchen. i just cook here.

Category Archives: Snacks