Crepes!

Today, I made crepes.  I have been experimenting with different kinds of crepes and found this recipe for Gluten Free Crepes to be very very good.  It's made with rice flour, guar gum, milk, eggs, and butter.  The guar gum helps the rice flour stick together since it does not contain gluten but if you can't find it, you can leave it out.

For my crepes, the filling consisted of a lemony cream cheese, with added strawberries and bananas, and topped off with whipped cream.  I found this to be a good combination even though I tend to eat the strawberries with the cream by themselves before eating the filled crepes.  Perfect Sunday morning breakfast.  :)

Another way you can make these is with just the cream cheese filling and a raspberry coulis topping (I'll add the raspberry coulis recipe at the end of the post).

Without further ado, here are the recipes:

Gluten Free Crepes

1/3 cup rice flour
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk (I use 2% lowfat milk)
1 TBSP unsalted melted butter
1/4 tsp guar gum

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth, about 1 minute.  Allow to rest for 10 minutes.
2. Preheat a non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Place enough batter in the pan to just cover the bottom.  You may need to swirl it around a bit. Dump out the excess batter back into the blender and let cook.
3. The crepes will start to bubble and lift away at the edges.  Once this happens, they should be slightly browned on the bottom and ready to turn.  
4. Turn and let brown slightly on the other side and slip into a warmed plate.  
5. Continue in this way until all the batter is used up.  You should have between 6 to 8 crepes.

Cream Cheese Filling

1 cup cottage cheese

1/2 cup softened cream cheese

3 - 6 TBSP powdered sugar (depending on how sweet you want it)

zest of 1/2 lemon, grated finely

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Place all ingredients in a hand  held blender and blend until creamy.  
2. Once smooth, place in a small bowl.

Whipped Cream Topping

1/2 cup of heavy cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 TBSP powdered sugar

With a hand-held powered whisk, blend all ingredients until smooth peaks form.  Once whipped, place in a small bowl.

Additional recipe for the raspberry coulis (not shown) is below:

Raspberry Coulis

450 g packet of frozen raspberries, thawed
7-8 TBSP white sugar
1/4 cup water
dash of salt
1 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. Add all ingredients to a heavy bottomed sauce pan and simmer over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved.  Be careful not to boil the mix.  
2. Remove from heat and allow to cool.  
3. Once cooled, blend with a hand blended until smooth.  
4. Transfer to a mesh strainer over a larger bowl and push the residue with a spatula until there is nothing left in the strainer except the raspberry seeds.  
5. Discard the seeds and transfer the puree to the refrigerator and leave at least 2 hours before serving.  

This recipe makes plenty of sauce and you only need a little to drizzle over the top of your crepes.  It is very very tasty.

Which ever way you decide to make the crepes, they are very good. You may have enough to store for later.  If you do, store unassembled crepes with wax paper in-between each one and placed in a large zip lock bag.  They'll keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days at most.

If you decide to make these, please let me know which way you served them (with filling, bananas, strawberries, and whipped cream or just filling and raspberry coulis) and if you liked them as much as traditional crepes.  And of course...  Enjoy!

Mango Season!

It's mango season in New South Wales.  The mangoes are beautiful, delicious, plentiful, and cheap this time of year. With that much delicious fresh fruit around, I bought a package of twelve.  I had eaten a few of them and still had plenty left to go, so I looked around for something to do besides just having fresh mango for breakfast.  Not that that is a bad thing mind you but a little variety never hurt.  :)

I found a recipe for Mango Syllabub that I thought I would like to try. Since then, I have made it three times and I believe I have it worked out to a fantastic, easy, dessert recipe that even a child would love.

First, you start with the sugar syrup. Place 1/2 cup of water, two whole star anise, and 1/3 cup of white sugar in a heavy bottomed pan on the stove top. Turn the heat to low and stir until the sugar dissolves. Once dissolved however, STOP stirring and turn the heat up to medium high. Set a timer for five minutes and let it go to come to a soft boil. When the timer goes off, check the consistency. It should be like thin syrup. If it is, take the star anise out and let it cool. Once cooled, place in an airtight container and put it in the refrigerator until cold. You can make this portion a full day ahead of time if necessary.

Next, take six med mangoes and cut them up, removing peel and seed. Place most of the mango, reserving out the flesh of one, in a food processor with the juice from 1/2 of a lemon and pulse until smooth. (If you have never cut a mango or would like a refresher, take a look at this video.)

Once the mango is done, pour 300 ml of whipping cream in a cold (tall) bowl and whip until soft peaks form.  Fold the cold syrup (you made earlier) throughout.

Place a couple of tablespoons of the mixed cream into the bottom of six ramekins, spoon mango puree over that, place the mango pieces in next and top with remaining whipped cream. If you have extra mango pieces, you could top the final product.

Refrigerate for at least an hour and then enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup white sugar

1/2 cup water

2 star anise

300 ml whipping cream

6 fresh medium to large mangos

juice of 1/2 lemon

Apple and Cherry Crumble

Hello, you are in for a special treat.  We went to the grocery store last weekend and found cherries on sale.  They were delicious by themselves so I knew they would make a great dessert too.  I decided to use them in a hot crumble and present them as a contribution to a lovely meal our friends served us last night. So, back to the store on Saturday to buy a few more ingredients and now we have a fabulous Apple and Cherry Crumble.

For the first step, peel and core five medium to large Granny Smith apples.  Place them into a saucepan and add about three to four cups of cherries that have been pitted and halved.  To that, add one third cup of white sugar, and the juice and zest from half a lemon.  Cook over medium to medium-high heat on the stove-top until the fruit gets slightly soft.

Fruit starting to cook

Fruit slightly soft after about 10 - 15 minutes of simmering

While the fruit is simmering, create the crumble topping.  Start by putting oats, brown sugar, rice flour, butter, pitted dates, sunflower seeds and cinnamon into a food processor and pulse until crumbly... then top the apple/cherry mixture and cook in a preheated 180 degree Celsius oven for fifteen to twenty minutes or until topping is brown and bubbly.

Crumble ingredients

NOTE:  The recipe I made here makes plenty of crumble topping.  (I doubled the crumble portion of the recipe) I happen to like a lot of topping but if you don't, you can make the single recipe or double it and save some for later.  :)

Crumble once pulsed/mixed

Take it out of the oven and let it cool slightly.  Serve with ice-cream or double whipped cream.

Completed Apple/Cherry Crumble

Presto...  a wonderful use of apples and cherries!

Ingredients

5 med to large granny smith apples
3 - 4 cups pitted & halved cherries
1/3 cup white sugarjuice & zest of 1/2 lemon

Topping:

½ cup rolled oats
3 Tbsp brown sugar

¼ (or less) cup rice flour
3 - 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
¼ cup of pitted dates

¼ unsalted sunflower seeds

1/2 tsp of cinnamon

Millet Pilaf with Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

My husband and I have been eating more meat free dishes lately.  I won't say vegetarian because they sometimes contain cheese and/or chicken stock but they are meat free.  You could make either of the entrée's here vegetarian with some simple modifications but I will present it to you the way we made it.

For starters, I would like to suggest the Millet Pilaf for anyone who is gluten sensitive as it is a gluten free dish.  It would readily replace stuffing in your Thanksgiving Dinner (for those in the USA or contemplating a Thanksgiving abroad).  We love it so much that it has become a staple at our house and yes, we have replaced stuffing entirely with this dish.  We make enough for four and take the left overs to lunch with us the next day.  It travels very well in Tupperware type containers.

I use organic ingredients whenever I can.  For this recipe, I've found organic Millet but not much else.

You start with 3 cups of vegetable or chicken stock brought to a boil.  I used chicken stock here and love the flavour but I have used vegetable stock as well and am very happy with that final taste also.  Once the stock is heated through to boiling, add the millet and reduce the heat to a low boil.  Stir it often until the liquid is all absorbed.  Once that happens, cover and remove from heat to sit for 10 minutes.

While your millet is resting, sauté a sweet yellow or red onion (I used red) in olive oil until translucent and slightly caramelized.  Add the pistachios and continue to sauté for a minute or two more.   Once the millet has rested the full ten minutes, fluff it up with a fork and mix it into the onion/pistachio mixture.  Add your cranberries and coriander (cilantro) and stir until heated through.

Serve with fresh vegetables or as a side for any meat dish (turkey for example) and enjoy!

For my side dish, I thickly sliced four tomatoes and placed them on a prepared oven proof oblong baking dish.  Over the top, I lightly sprinkled olive oil, chopped garlic, a little salt, and some "Herbes de Provence" and baked in 190-200 degree Celsius oven for about 20-25 minutes.  I have used "Roman Herb Dukkah" as a seasoning instead of "Herbes de Provence" with equal success.  Try whatever strikes your fancy.

Once browned slightly on top, take the tomatoes out of the oven and place neat rounds of goats cheese atop each slice.  Turn the heat to the broiler setting and place back in the oven for a minute to three, until cheese is hot but not runny.

You'll notice the goat cheese here has some black flecks on it.  For this recipe, I've tried all kinds of goat cheese and found that I really prefer the ash coated variety so that it what you are seeing.  The ash coated goat cheese is flavourful but not overpowering.  It's a delight to the senses.

Arrange the tomato slices on individual plates with your meal or on a serving platter and sprinkle lightly with balsamic vinegar.

Oh my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Here are the ingredients listed out for each dish:

Millet Pilaf

1 cup of millet

3 cups of stock of your choice

olive oil

1 onion, sliced thin

1/2 cup pistachio, chopped

1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped

handful of coriander, chopped

(notice - no celery!)

Grilled Tomato with Goat Cheese

4 organic tomatoes

olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

pinch of salt

1/2 - 1 teaspoon of herbs of your choice

("Herbes de Provence" or "Roman Dukkah" is preferred)

150 grams goat cheese

balsamic vinegar

We enjoy this type of meal very much and believe you will too!  Bon appétit!

Did someone say, "Molten Chocolate Cake"?

Ok, if you know me at all, you know that I love chocolate.  Specifically, dark chocolate.

Recently, I have been experimenting with different gluten-free flours and being winter here, I have been craving warm chocolaty desserts.  I wanted to satisfy that craving with something that wouldn't cause me any digestion issues.  Well,  the cake that I have come up with, and presented to you here, is something I think you'll really enjoy.  Every time that I've made it, it has come out beautifully (and I might add, delicious).  My husband agrees that it is the best yet, so I thought I'd share it with you.  

The first thing you will notice is that this chocolate molten cake is gluten-free.  I achieve this by ditching the regular flour and using chestnut flour instead.  Chestnut flour can be purchased at most health food or whole food type stores.  I got mine from a little fresh grocer in Winston Hills Mall (for those that don't know, that's in NSW Australia). This type of flour is fine, mixes easily, and adds a slight nutty taste. Add that to the dark chocolate and you have an instant hit.

Rebecca's Dark Chocolate Lava Cake

Serves: 2
Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

• 2 TBSP unsalted butter, plus more for the ramekins
• 2 ounces dark chocolate, broken into pieces (don't skimp on the chocolate... use a good quality brand) plus two small squares
• 1/3 cup icing sugar, plus more for the ramekins
• 2 medium eggs
• 1 tsp finely ground espresso
• pinch salt
• 3 TBSP chestnut flour
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• berries of your choice

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F or 200 degrees C.  Butter two 6-ounce ramekins, then dust with icing sugar.

• Place butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 20-30 seconds.  Stir and microwave again in 15 second intervals until the chocolate has melted completely and mixed with the butter.  Let cool slightly.

• In a different, small bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, espresso powder, salt and flour.  Slowly stream in melted chocolate mixture and whisk until just combined.

• Pour batter into previously prepared ramekins.  Place one small piece of chocolate into the center of each ramekin.

• Bake for exactly 10 minutes.  A toothpick inserted 1/2 inch from the edge of the ramekin should come out clean.  DO NOT OVER-BAKE.  Your cake should look something like this. The centre is obviously still soft and liquidly.

• Cool for about 5 minutes.  Run a knife around the inside of the ramekin to loosen and invert the cake into a serving bowl.  Add berries of your choice and a dollop of whipped cream.  I used strawberries here but it's equally good with pitted cherries or raspberries.  Whatever berry you want!

What you'll end up with is the most decadent, wonderful, chocolaty dessert known to man and your bowl will resemble the following photo.

A couple of side notes: You can prepare the batter ahead of time and refrigerate up to 1 day without any ill effects. I have successfully done this and noticed that the espresso taste becomes more noticeable, but only slightly. Also, you can double or triple the recipe to make more but you may need to adjust the cooking time slightly. Just watch it closely to ensure it doesn't burn.

Try it and let me know how it turns out for you.

Bon Appetit!

Healthy Heart Cookbook by the American Medical Association

Hello fellow Foodies!  Today, I am reviewing the cookbook "Healthy Heart Cookbook" by the American Medical Association.

The front cover says that it is a cookbook for healthy living.  The first 25 or so pages covers topics from understanding & fighting heart disease, nutritional information & goal setting, activity & exercise, and ends with a section of foods that fight heart disease.  I particularly like that last section because it provides you examples of a food  (such as nuts & seeds) and informs you of what it contains (plant sterols) and how it benefits you (lower cholesterol levels).

The cookbook section contains:

• Starters, soups & salads
• Main dishes
• Side dishes
• Desserts & snacks

The very last pages contain not only the index, but a nifty "Ingredients & Techniques" section that help you understand what terms such as al dente, braising, and zest mean. It also tells you how to peel a mango and what other types of foods stuffs are used for.  

The first recipe that I would like to share with you is Hoppin' John.  It's an old-fashioned recipe with plenty of wholesome goodness in it. Even though it takes about an hour to cook, it is very very easy to make.  

Clicking on this recipe should enlarge it for you.

The first thing that you should notice is that it has five stars which, according to my rating scale, means that this is the best food ever! 

Normally, I will follow a recipe to the letter but I have perfected the way I cook this one with a few small changes. Firstly, I don't actually add any salt as I use prepared chicken broth which always contains plenty of salt. The next thing I do differently is that I will cook the black-eyed peas, without the rice, for only 15 minutes instead of the stated 30.  The reason is that my rice always takes a little longer than 30 minutes to cook and I don't want to over cook my black-eyed peas.  The last thing that I do differently is cook the rice in with the black-eyed peas for 40 minutes, not 30 for reasons explained above.  This particular recipe calls for mustard greens or spinach and I have always used fresh baby spinach as I like the mellower flavour of spinach.  

My finished product.

Just perfect with a little hot pepper sauce.

You could add bacon or something like that to this meal but I like it just the way it is. You might notice that I have a type of bread product on my plate here. That is my attempt at home made gluten free cornbread. It is wonderfully delicious and quite spicy (it has jalapenos in it). When I get the recipe developed with the best possible combination of ingredients, I will share it on a later blog.  ;)

The next recipe I would like to share is "Southwestern Chicken Soup".  

This is a photo from the book, reprinted with permission.

Clicking on this recipe should enlarge it for you.

Once again... five stars!  This recipe comes out of the Starters, Soups, and Salads section but my husband and I will eat it as a main meal. It is just the thing for a cold evening when you want something fast and easy but delicious.

Something that you should have noticed is that the bottom of both of these recipes have the nutrient analysis for one serving. This is really handy for those of us watching our intake of calories, carbs, or fat.

While this is not a large cookbook, it is a good one. I have enjoyed many of the recipes that I have made from it and I believe you will too. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Raspberry Soufflé

My husband and I were recently watching Food Safari, the French edition, and saw them doing a Raspberry Soufflé.  Now, I've never had much luck with soufflé's but this chef (I know I know... he's a professional) made it look soooooo easy that I just HAD to try it.  So, I did...  Good things happened!  The soufflé was FANTASTIC... even though it was a little overdone on the top.  (Here's a link to the recipe.)

A couple of points about how I did this:

• I used frozen raspberries.
• My serving bowls were to large.  Next time, I'll use those little six ounce bowls.
• I used fan forced heat in my oven... don't do this.  It browns the top a little too fast.
• They didn't include a coulis recipe so I made my own...  I've added that at the end of this post.
• I didn't have freeze-dried raspberries so I used caster sugar instead.

Removing the raspberry seeds through a sieve  

Finished soufflé, fresh out of the oven...notice the overly
 browned tops.  It didn't subtract from the taste at all!

Finished (well almost) product complete with raspberries
and icing sugar.

My raspberry sauce, being poured into the soufflé.

About to take the first bite!

And the mess that I had to clean up afterward....
it was totally worth it!

As promised, here's my recipe for raspberry coulis:

• 1 450g package of frozen raspberries, thawed
• 5 TBSP sugar
• 1 TBSP fresh lemon juice

1. Place the raspberries and sugar in a saucepan and simmer over low heat until all sugar has dissolved.  If your mixture is overly dry, add a tablespoon or two of water.
2. Transfer the mixture into a blender, or if using a hand blender a tall glass, and puree until smooth.
3. Using a mesh strainer, strain the mix into a bowl.  Continue pushing the residue through the sieve until just seeds are left.  Discard seeds.
4. Transfer to a serving dish.  

BTW... I've used this recipe for a number of things.  Over fruit, ice cream, crepe's, etc... 

If you decide to make this, you will not be disappointed!  

Tosca Reno's "The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook"

I've made almost every recipe in this book!  Typically, I will make a few recipes and depending on how they turn out, I may or may not continue with a book.  It is very rare when the right combination of ease, direction, and other information make a recipe book worth returning to again and again.  This is one of those books and I wholeheartedly recommend it!

The contents include:

• Foreword by Dr. Lisa Hark, PhD, RD
• Introduction 
• Breakfast
• Soup
• Grains
• Sauces, Spreads and Salsas
• One-Dish & Easy Meals
• Proteins
• Vegetables
• Pasta 
• Sweets & Breads
• A Festive Occasion
• Q & A
• Index
• Credits

Normally, I don't read forewords.  I did for this book.  I was interested why Tosca Reno would write a book like this.  I think the fact that she is living embodiment of what we all wish we could do; change our lives for the better, get control of our health, feel good, and have a purpose in life.  Her insight gave this book character and depth.  In her words, "I want to live a long, healthy life with my husband and children, so I work hard at Clean Eating.  I don't want to miss a single day God has planned for me."  I agree!!! 

All the recipes have nutritional value per serving at the end.  They also highlight the servings per recipe, time it takes to prepare and cook.   I find this immensely valuable information when I am attempting to plan out my meals for the week.

The first one I would like to highlight is Quinoa Pilaf.  Many of you may not have heard of this grain.  Let me tell you, it's worth seeking out.  

Here's a photo (out of the book) by Donna Griffith.  When you make this recipe, it will look just like the photo.

All copies reprinted with permission.

Try this recipe and let me know how you like it. 

Now, if that wasn't enough to convince you... try the Moroccan Chicken and Lentils from page 150:

Once again, here's a photo (out of the book) by Donna Griffith.  

All copies are reprinted with permission.

After making this, you should have  no doubt as to the wholesome goodness that awaits you in the book.  This book is full of good, healthy recipes. Try it out and let me know what you think.  

Cheers!