gluten free by nature — casein, soy and entirely almost sugar free…

The cool rainy days of June are no longer. July in Colorado is without a doubt the hottest month of the year.  The temperatures have been hovering in the 90’s and I simply cannot drink enough water to feel hydrated.

Alas, I came across this recipe for a grape spritzer and it sounded so refreshing. It called for white grape juice (from a bottle). Which is fine. But, if I am choosing to milk this recipe for the biggest bang of nutritional value, the first thing I think of is red grapes - and actually crushing the grapes with my blender instead of using store bought juice.

Grapes are a cooling food, alkaline in nature and are chock full of antioxidants. Yes, they contain the highest percentage of sugar when compared to other summer berries (funny enough - grapes are considered a type of berry). But, it doesn’t change the fact that they are very good for you and have for thousands of years been used to treat a wide range of ailments (including cancer) due to their therapeutic/cleansing properties.

Word of caution. (Conventional) grapes are one of the most highly-pesticided fruits. For my family,  if organic grapes are unavailable we simply go without. Domestically, organic grapes are not “technically” in season until early September.  I shamefully admit I broke my own “buy local” rule when I purchased these imported grapes.

2 cups organic grapes, blended with
1 tblsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
strain juice using a cheesecloth or nut milk bag
then add
8 oz  Hansen’s club soda and
6 drops (not droppers) liquid Stevia
pour over ice then garnish with
some fresh grapes and some organic mint

This recipe is inspired by the New York Times original recipe as well as the stunning  photos of Smitten Kitchen’s adaptation. Delish. I’m not a huge sweet person. But, every once in a while, I like to enjoy a little piece of heaven on the weekend for our “Sunday morning family breakfast extravanganza.”  It’s been years since I’ve made something like this. I absolutely LOVE rhubarb so when I saw it at the market I was inspired. But, what I really desired was a whole grain version  - this recipe is sort of a cross between a gluten free crumb cake and a coffee cake.

The recipe has quite a few ingredients - and may look intimidating but it is not.  You’ll just need 4 prep bowls in order to create the 3 separate layers in the cake. At the end, assembly of the cake layers is quick and easy.  Looking for success when baking with gluten free flours?   Scooping your measuring cup into the bag or container will not yield proper measurements (like it does in regular baking). Rather use a spoon to transfer the flour into the measuring cup. It may take a few seconds longer, but it yields a more  accurate  measurement. For more information, click here.

bowl 1 - for the crumb mixture:
3/4 cup ground blanched raw almonds
1/4 cup rapadura sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

bowl 2 - for the fillling layer:
1 1/2 cups organic raw chopped rhubarb (cut into 1/4 inch pieces)
1 tblsp rapadura sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp arrowroot starch

for the cake layer:

bowl 3:  whisk together the 6 wet ingedients:
1 egg - room temperature
1 egg yolk - room temperature
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
6 tblsp liquified coconut oil
1 tblsp gluten free vanilla

bowl 4: whisk together the 6 dry ingedients:
1/3 cup + 1 tblsp sorghum flour
1/3 cup + 1 tblsp buckwheat flour
1/3 cup + 1 tblsp arrowroot starch (a.k.a. arrowroot flour)
1 /2 tsp baking soda
1 heaping tsp baking powder
1 tsp xanthan or guar gum

Place batter in the bottom of an oiled and lined (with unbleached parchment paper) baking dish.

Sprinkle rhubarb mixture over the batter . Using your hands, lightly press down on the rhubarb so that it sinks ever so slightly into the batter.

Lastly, sprinkle the almond crumb mixture on top of the rhubarb and batter.  Place in a 325 degree oven and bake for 45 minutes.

My friend Linda got me in touch with this woman last week who distributes organic oranges from Arizona. She gets them straight from the farmers - and they come in 25 lb bags - which is as big and as heavy as a small child. It was an awkward package that I struggled to carry from the door to the kitchen. Since we received the bag last week, we have had wonderful, juicy oranges in just about every application. The favorite appears to be juice. I think it’s hilarious that my children are asking for “fresh squeezed orange juice” - like it’s part of our regular menu offerings. I already consider myself to be a short-order cook each morning - standing behind the kitchen island at the ready for whatever request comes my way. But, this request in particular gives me a good laugh.  

I will be honest - I have never tasted an Orange Julius. Growing up, I distinctly remember seeing people strolling around the mall with one in hand,  sipping it through their straw.  It always incited such curiosity.  Frankly, I am not sure why I never had one. I am guessing my mom (amateur child- nutrition advocate) had something to do with it. For some reason yesterday, I felt inclined to try my hand at making one.  I adapted the recipe, adding more ice than called for. I especially enjoy drinks that have a nice froth to them.  Adjust the ice depending on your froth preference.  Ground cinnamon helps regulate blood sugar - so I added just a touch here - the taste is barely discernable.  

1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup filtered water
1/2 cup non-dairy milk
2 tblsp honey
1 tsp gluten free vanilla
1/4  tsp ground cinnamon
15 or so ice cubes

Place all ingredients into blender for 2 minutes, then serve.

This past Saturday morning, we went and strolled around the farmers’ market. We  came across some great finds. I bought some incredibly beautiful Batavian lettuce - which I proceeded to savor each evening for 4 nights straight. Sadly, it is now gone. And I shall have to wait until Saturday morning to go back to the market and buy some more delicious-ness. I can hardly stand the wait. I would have loved to have joined a CSA this year. But, as our home is up for sale  - and we are unsure as to whether it is going to sell or not - we simply could not take the chance of buying a CSA share only to move away.

Another little gem we found at the market were  Olomomo gluten free flavored nuts (from a local Boulder-based company). They had samples at the ready - the “masala” were our favorites. Even the kids went nuts over these treats. No pun intended there. They were a wee bit on the expensive side but we treated ourselves to a small bag anyway. And after the bag was gone - which, I admit , did not take long at all - I decided to make some.  As I put the tray on the counter-top at snack time - my kids assumed the position and declared, “these are GOOD mommy!”  I actually had to cut them off….

I chose to use Grade B maple syrup on these. Grade B syrup contains more trace  minerals (both manganese and zinc) than the often more expensive and more processed Grade A.

2  1/2 cups raw pecans, soaked overnight in filtered water
1 tblsp garam masala
3 tblsps maple syrup
1 tblsp turbinado sugar

1. Combine the garam masala, maple syrup and sugar in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Pour over the soaked and rinsed nuts and stir to make sure all the nuts are coated.
2. Line a cookie sheet or baking tray with parchment and spread out the nuts in a single layer.
3. You can dehydrate them. Or you can put your oven on the “warm” feature and let sit in the warm oven for 3-4 hours until they are dried.
4. Store in a covered container.

This past weekend, I made these noodles. Our Memorial Day weekend was very nice but it was rainy and the weather was rather cool - the entire weekend. It’s supposed to warm up quite nicely this week so this was  probably the last time we’ll have a dish with ginger in it until the weather turns cooler in October. Ginger is a warming food: if you ever are chilly eat a piece of ginger and it will help to heat you up from the inside out. It is not recommended to consume ginger in the hotter months - for our bodies are plenty warm enough during that time…and require cooling foods instead.

Initially, I was a bit weary to make this dish as the original recipe called for soy sauce. And, to be honest, I was skeptical about whether the sauce would even be tasty without it. Boy, was I wrong. My husband loved it - he had seconds. My children also ate a plateful.  I changed up the recipe quite a bit - making it less of a salad and more of a noodle dish.  Hope you enjoy it…

2 packages rice noodles
4 tblsp coconut oil or grapeseed oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1/4 inch pieces
2 inch piece of ginger, finely grated
3 small to medium sized carrots, shredded with a box grater
2 cups organic green cabbage, shredded
bunch scallions (green onions) chopped
touch of kosher salt & pepper

sauce:
combine in a bowl and pour over noodle mixture just prior to serving.
4 tblsp orange juice
4  tblsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tblsp honey or agave

1. Tear the dry noodles in half and then prepare them according to the directions and set aside.  
2. In a large saucepan, place 2 tablespoons oil and saute the chicken pieces for 5-7 minutes until pink is gone. Transfer to a plate for a few minutes.   Drain out any water or chicken fat and wipe out skillet with a paper towel. 
3. Place the remaining oil in the saucepan. Add the ginger, cabbage, carrots and salt and pepper. Saute for about 4-5 minutes just until cabbage is wilted…. take off heat. 
4. In a serving bowl, place noodles, cabbage mixture and chicken. Pour the sauce over the top and stir to combine.
5. Serves 6.

Strawberries are here.  Alas, spring has arrived. I could not decide what to make first: muffins, a coffee cake, or paired with rhubarb as fruit dip for pancakes or waffles. Finally, I settled on ice cream - because I wanted to make some to accompany my husband’s birthday cake.  It’s not very sweet - just because we were going to be eating it with cake. If you are going to eat it by itself, however, you could up the amount of agave or honey a tiny bit.

Strawberries are fascinating little gems. Unlike most fruit, its seeds are actually located on the exterior. Not only are they beneficial for the liver (as they aid in detoxification), these cancer fighting berries contain some antiviral properties. Added bonus: vitamins A, B, C and E. 

2 cups almond milk
3 tblsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup lite coconut milk (I prefer Whole Foods 365 brand)
1 tsp gluten free vanilla
pinch salt
1 cup organic strawberries, green stems removed
1 cup organic strawberries, green stems removed and chopped (reserved until the end)

1. In a bowl, place the milk, lemon juice, vanilla, coconut milk and salt. Set aside. 
2. In a blender, puree the strawberries and agave nectar. Using  a spatula, push the strawberry agave pulp through a fine mesh sieve into the bowl housing the liquid coconut mixture - this ensures no seeds get into the liquid. Pour liquid into a glass jar or container. Refrigerate for 2 hours or more.
3. Chop up the remaining strawberries and refrigerate. 
4. After several hours of refrigeration (or even overnight) add the strawberry liquid to the ice cream maker and make according to manufacturers instructions.
5. Remove from ice cream maker bowl, transferring into a stainless steel bowl. GENTLY fold in the reserved strawberries with a spatula.  Transfer to a covered freezer-proof glass dish.
6. Allow ice cream to soften slightly by taking it out of the freezer 10-15 minutes before serving.

Necessity is the mother of invention they say. In the case of cooking,  sometimes the best recipes come when you least expect it. I was out of sandwich bread the other day. The morning got away from me and I didn’t have enough time to bake a fresh loaf before lunchtime.  The day before, I had picked up some 7 inch rectangular Kinnikinnick pizza crusts from the frozen section at Vitamin Cottage. At the store, I was so thrilled to see that these were safe for us to eat because often times their gluten free products are neither soy nor casein free. I cut them into triangle shapes, tossed them with some extra virgin olive oil and some freshly chopped rosemary and baked them.  To be honest, before I tasted them I was half-heartedly expecting them to be hard and inedible (like so many other gluten free pizza crusts out there).  However, these are soft and chewy - yet crispy at the same time. A few hours later, they had yet to become hard - I stored them in a glass storage container after they cooled.  {Kinnickinnick has not asked me to write this. Nor did they send me a sample. I just took a chance on one of their products}.

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cut frozen pizza crust into the desired shape. Place pieces into a deep prep bowl. (I only used 2 out of the 4 crusts for this recipe).
3. Drizzle with 4 tblsp extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with 2 tsp finely minced fresh rosemary and 1/4 tsp kosher salt. Toss gently with a wooden spoon to coat the pieces with the oil mixture.
4. Spread pieces out on a cookie sheet and bake for 10-11 minutes - only until the pieces are lightly golden brown.
5. Serve immediately or at room temperature with some dip or raw vegetables. I suggest eggplant spread, some yellow split pea dip, the delicious curried avocado dip or the  old standby favorite hummus.