Worth the Wait: Crunchy-but-not-crunchy Cookies

The only 'family' recipe that has been passed down to me from my mom's side is my grandmother's Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. Everyone says its the best. Perfectly soft. Plenty of chocolate. I like to imagine that my grandmother made these numerous times and sat at her kitchen table in the afternoon eating them with friends and family. 

I've modified this recipe accordingly to finally create the elusive Crunchy-but-not Cookies. As mentioned before, these cookies have been several years in the making. I've had many troubles with cookie dough in general. Straight up substitution of GF flour in cookie recipes makes hard biscuits, at least in my experience. Too little flour can render your cookies flat pancakes of mush. This flour combination was just perfected last night.

And then there was the ultimate question: how to make it perfectly crunchy? The answer has been elusive and vague. I tried cooked rice, rice crisps, puffed rice, quinoa. (Cooked rice in cookies IS a terrible idea. Don't ever let a crazy girl like me convince you otherwise.) None of them were, to borrow the colloquialism, just right.

This recipe has been fought so hard for I almost didn't want to share...but for the greater good, I'll relinquish it to all my faithful readers for the time being ;)

Crunchy-but-not Cookies 

1 c coconut sugar
1 c coconut oil softened
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs

1 1/4 c almond flour
1/2 c coconut flour
3/4 brown rice flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

3/4 c coconut flakes
1/2 c flax seeds
1 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread coconut flakes on greased cookie sheet and place in oven for 3-5 minutes to toast.

Combine coconut sugar and coconut oil in a large bowl. Add vanilla and mix. Add eggs. Beat for 2-3 minutes, or until rather fluffy and batter pulls away from side of bowl.

In a small bowl, combine dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly.

Slowly add dry ingredients to wet. Fold in coconut flakes, flax seeds and chocolate chips.

Form into round discs and place on pan. (These do not spread like traditional cookies, so if you want them to look pretty, make an effort before placing them in the oven. They do rise a bit; don't make them too thick.)

Bake for 11 minutes, or until a light golden brown.

Let cool  and set for a few minutes on pan, then transfer to cooling racks. You may now enjoy one yourself.

Dough on the pan

I exclaimed 'Perfection!' Look at those beautiful babies :)

My constant baking companion: Fritter Kitten. He was very playful at 11pm last night.

Om nom nom.

P.S. I was baking in celebration! This week I received a part-time job offer at a local bakery. So. Freakin. Excited.

Vancouver Coffee Cake

So there's this national (possibly international) coffee chain that makes a coffee cake called "Portland Coffee Cake". And I never understood why. The company is based out of...well let's just say, not-Portland. And on top of that, the coffee cake was never cinnamony or moist enough.

When I set out to make a coffee cake, I wanted one like your grandma would make. Lot's of crunchy topping; soft, moist cake; and plenty of spicy cinnamon. And, to be honest, this may be the closest to gooey cinnamon rolls I will ever get. I named it after my home town, because: One: It actually makes sense since I live in Vancouver. And, Two: It drove all over Vancouver with me yesterday and fed many of the people that I love. When I got home I had 6 pieces left, and by the time I woke up this morning, only two small pieces with nibbles all around the edges were left. My sister will never admit it, but that is her MO.

Vancouver Coffee Cake

(adapted from this original recipe: http://www.hautappetit.com/2011/12/gluten-free-coffee-cake-worth.html. My modifications make this low sugar and dairy-free.)

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 13"x9" pan with a bit of olive oil.

1 c almond milk
1 TBSP white vinegar (apple cider is even better)

Pour almond milk into bowl, then pour vinegar over. Set aside and let sit for 5-10 minutes (or until the recipe calls to add it). This process creates dairy-free buttermilk, which is very exciting. Gosh, I love science.

Isn't that SO cool looking? Ok, ok. I'll stop nerding out. For a bit.

1/2 c coconut oil, melted 
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Mix oil and eggs in a large bowl. Add vanilla and mix again.

Sift together the following dry ingredients. (I just use a fork and blend them well together in a small bowl. No sifter needed.)

1/4 c brown rice flour
1 1/4 sweet rice flour
1 1/2 c almond flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 c coconut sugar
3 dashes salt

(Side note: A new blog title could be "Almond Flour on My Laptop")

Add your newly created buttermilk to the egg mixture. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet, mixing thoroughly to avoid flour pockets.

Scoop and spread batter into the pan you greased earlier.

Now to make the crumble topping.

1 1/2 cup brown sugar
2 TBSP cinnamon
5 TBSP almond flour
1 c walnuts
3 TBSP melted shortening

Combine all ingredients excepting the shortening. Pour the shortening over top of mixture and mix lightly with a fork. It will be crumbly!

Sprinkle over batter in pan. Place cake in oven and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

While waiting for this delicious smelling cake to finish, and after cleaning up your mess, make the Maple Drizzle. (I know, I know...your mouth just watered more.)

1/2 c powdered sugar
1 splash vanilla
1 TBSP maple syrup
2 TBSP almond milk

Whisk all these ingredients up in a bowl. When cake is done, drizzle over top and let cool completely.

Now go share with the one's you love over a cup of coffee on a drizzly Saturday morning.

Cookie Monster

I'm working on an exciting new project: Crunchy-But-Not Cookies. I've had this theory since I was a little girl that rice would be great in cookies. Think Nestlé Crunch rice.

Anyways, I'm working on a healthy alternative. Lot's of experimenting to do and they're not quite ready, but so close!

Here's a sneak peak at the trials. My friends have been happy to gobble these down for me, even though they haven't yet reached perfection.

First try:

So maybe more than just my friends have been gobbling these up...

Stress-bake Brownies

I was really stressed out about work stuff (stupidly) and family stuff (out of my control) so I did the only thing that is reasonable under such circumstances: I experimented with a new recipe.

I then offered the results to my friends. (Always a good option because then they help you forget about your stress and let you pet their puppies.)

This recipe produces a dark chocolate brownie, AND they are as healthy as brownies can get. If you like fudgy brownies, use one less egg.

Ingredients:

2 cups coconut sugar
1 cup coconut oil
Big splash of vanilla
4 eggs
1/4 cup almond milk
1/2 cup brown rice flour
2/3 cup almond flour
2/3 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

Method:

Mix all ingredients, spread in a 13" x 9" pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

Eat with coconut milk vanilla ice cream :-)

What I Eat in a Week

I've been asked by several people to give them a sample menu plan to help them get started living a healthy or gluten- and dairy-free life. When you're new to this, it can be difficult and you feel as if you're eating the same food ALL the time. Plus, everything that you used to eat you miss. ALOT. Some of this you'll just have to get used to and some of it you can change.

A few ground rules before the menu plan:

-I try to vary my diet as much as possible. The rule of thumb is don't eat one food more than 3 to 5 times in a week. (Again, this is difficult in the beginning before you find all the other delicious foods you've been missing over the years.)

-At least 75 percent of my diet is produce. To eat fresh produce and keep it from spoiling, I grocery shop about every five days. This may seem daunting at first, but you'll be purchasing less each time you shop and as you progress in healthy living you'll know quickly which foods to grab if you need to make the grocery trip fast.

-Explore different kinds of veggies and seasonings. You'll be surprised what you find that you like.

Note: I could have incorporated more meals from the blog too, but I don't cook every night (I really wish I could) and I end up with leftovers quite often. Therefore, I eat them for lunch.

And now...the plan.

Sunday

Breakfast: Berry Banana Smoothie

Lunch: Cashew Tomato Pasta.

Dinner: Salad. Hardboiled eggs, sweet potatoes, avocado on spinach with balsamic vinegar dressing.

Monday

Breakfast: Egg Scramble

Lunch: Salad. Chicken, cabbage, broccoli, avocado, carrot, olive oil and vinegar dressing.

Dinner: Leftover Cashew Tomato Pasta with asparagus.

Tuesday

Breakfast: Gluten free granola with almond milk and banana.

Lunch: Mighty Bowl! Check their FB page out.

Dinner: Cumin Spring Rolls.

Wednesday

Breakfast: Egg Scramble

Lunch: Leftover Spring Rolls

Dinner: Curry Bake

Thursday

Breakfast: Berry Banana Smoothie

Lunch: Salad. On the Go! Whole Foods is where it's at.

Dinner: Pumpkin Quinoa Soup w/ avocado and maybe half a gluten-free bagel.

Friday

Breakfast: Egg Scramble.

Lunch: Mediterranean: Garlic Chicken, carrots, tomatoes, other veggies dipped in hummus. Maybe some sweet potatoes too.

Dinner: Chicken Salad.

Saturday

Breakfast: Protein Pancakes

Lunch: Gluten-free, vegan pizza from Mississipi Pizza. (Basically lot's of veggies w/ a pesto sauce. Yummy!)

Dinner: Beef and steamed veggies.

Snacks

Here are some snack ideas. Be creative!

-Almonds
-Apple w/ peanut (or other nut) butter
-Any fruit
-Carrots/Broccoli and hummus
-A spoonful or two of sweet potatoes w/ ketchup
-Small side salad
-Avocado
-Smoothies

Remember, cheating on your allergy isn't worth it. I've learned this several times. Stick through the craving...and eat an apple!

Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup

What is better than a warm bowl of soup after a cold, long day? Mexican soup, that's what! As I mentioned recently, I'm in a cumin phase, and I warned you chicken enchiladas were coming...but I had to make soup. I can't apologize for wanting something this delicious.

One of my mom's friends made this to-die-for, eat-three-bowls -of-chicken enchilada casserole. It used coriander, a spice ground from seeds. Described as having a sage-lemon taste, these seeds sprout the plant which has cilantro leaves, a commonly used herb in other ethnic dishes.


Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium to large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 chicken breasts, cubed
1 7 oz. can mild (you can use hot if you like spice) green chili peppers. I find these in the ethnic food section of my grocery store.
1 can black olives, sliced
1/2 cup brown rice or quinoa flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp coriander
1 tbsp cumin
1 quart chicken broth
1 quart butternut squash soup (there's a kind that's gluten and dairy free!)
2 avocados
Fresh cilantro
Corn chips to garnish

Method:

Saute onion, pepper and chicken in olive oil until onion and pepper are tender and chicken is cooked through. Transfer to crockpot. Drain juice from can of chili peppers and olives. Add to chicken mix.

In same pan, mix flour, salt, coriander and cumin to make a paste. Slowly whisk in chicken broth and heat over medium - high heat. Stir more than occasionally and let cook until thick (ish) and bubbly. Add butternut squash soup. Continue to stir until slightly thickened. Add soup to crockpot.

Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Serve garnished with avocado, cilantro and crumbled corn chips. Yum!

Gingerbread Cookies

This post has been long overdue. December has been just as busy for me as I'm sure it's been for you.

I was really craving gingerbread cookies. I never used to be a fan. Maybe the large quantities of coma-inducing sugar turned me off. But then, a friend had a Christmas cookie party, and I suddenly craved gingerbread cookies and milk. Unfortunately, I forgot my almond milk at home and had to settle with water :(  Oh, well. Next time.

Ingredients:

2 cups almond flour

1 cup quinoa flour

1 cup coconut flour

1 tsp. salt

1½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

1 tbsp. ground cinnamon

1½ tsp. ground cloves

3 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 cup coconut oil, at room temperature

1 cup coconut sugar

1 cup molasses

1 large egg

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and spices to combine; set aside.  In a separate bowl, cream together the coconut oil and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Mix in the molasses and egg until combined.  Add in the dry ingredients, 1/2 cup at a time and mix just until incorporated.  Cover the bowl and chill the dough for at least one hour.

 Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface to about ¼-inch thickness.  Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters.  Place the cookie shapes onto the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.  Bake for 10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking.  Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes.  Transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool completely.  Decorate as desired.