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Grain-free Cardamom Vanilla Bean Cupcakes – Gluten-free and Dairy-free
I feel like I am constantly reiterating how aloof I am about most sweets, but here I am again. I honestly just don’t have much of a sweet tooth, never have. Yet, as of late, I feel like I am constantly creating and sharing sweets and baked good recipes. I was thinking about why that might be – as someone who is much more into savory cooking. I started to realize that it was a subconscious decision I was making because of how much happiness sweets bring people and how intimidating baking and desserts can be with a restricted diet.
More specifically when I say “people” – besides all of my lovely readers, I really mean my husband, Mark. He is a self-professed sweets junkie. He loves any and all sweets and has been known to eat a slice of cake for breakfast, on occasion. So, whenever I can create a healthier sweet that not only works for my dietary restrictions, but also makes him very happy, it is a HUGE win, in my book. I have been on a roll lately, so I am just going with it. Read the rest of this entry »
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How-to Make Homemade Nut Butters
How-to Make Homemade Nut Butters
I am so excited about this next post in the Tutorial Tuesday series. It has been quite the undertaking sampling, soaking, dehydrating and playing with different flavors but it is so easy and so totally worth it to make your own homemade nut butters. OK, so I may have gone a little overboard, but hopefully all of your nut butter questions have now been answered.
Besides the simple how-to instructions, I wanted to include some insight as to why I recommend soaking your nuts and seeds, how to also dehydrate them after you have soaked them and all of the various times for doing so. Plus, you will find some various flavor combinations that I love and even a nut-free sunflower seed butter recipe. Hope you guys enjoy.
What Nuts?
Basically if it’s a nut (and even many seeds) and you like it, you can make a butter out of it. I have sampled so many different types of nut butters and the sky is the limit. I wish I could afford to buy enough of each of the nuts pictured to sample making nut butters with all of them for you guys, but that is certainly out of the budget when buying organic. So for this tutorial, I just went with a couple of my personal favorites. Almond, cashew, pecan, hazelnut (in a homemade nutella) and I even made a nut-free sunflower seed butter for you.
To Soak or Not To Soak.
Why I Choose to Soak: Most nuts, seeds, grains and beans are covered in natural chemicals – enzyme inhibitors and toxins – that protect them while growing, both from sprouting prematurely and also from predators. These nutritional inhibitors and toxic substances are enzyme inhibitors, phytates (phytic acid), polyphenols (tannins), and goitrogens. Once harvested, those same chemicals, the major one being phytic acid – are indigestible to the human body and must be broken down before consumption. When food containing phytic acid is consumed, the acid combines with important minerals like calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and especially zinc in the intestinal tract and blocks their absorption which inhibits our digestive systems’ ability to break the nut down properly.
The very simple process of soaking releases these chemicals, helping you to absorb your food’s essential minerals and nutrients. Additionally, by soaking the nuts with the removal of these nutritional inhibitors and toxic substances, the flavor and taste is much more ideal and appealing.
To summarize: Soaking nuts and seeds makes them easier to digest and improves their flavor. Read the rest of this entry »
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Wild Mint Eco-Friendly Giveaway
If you’ve been reading Tasty Yummies for sometime, you know that my passion for living well, extends past the yummy foods I choose to nourish my body with. I try to evaluate all areas of my life for ways that I can be living more mindfully and more consciously.
I can admit that even with all my work and attention in this area, I am far from perfect and as I am sure most of you feel, there is much room for improvement. I choose to look at all of it as an ongoing, ever evolving practice and I try to take small simple steps while enjoying every bit of the journey.
For me, choosing household and lifestyle products that support my healthy way of living is just as important to me as each and every one of the ingredients that go into my dishes. Why should what I cook that food on, clean my home with, what I eat off of and drink out of, what my food is stored into, be treated any differently than the food I am consuming? To me, with this realization has come lots of changes – some small and simple, many very large and cumbersome. It’s a hard way to navigate and it’s hard to know where to even start.
I am so happy that there are so many incredible companies, large and small, creating beautiful eco-friendly non-toxic products that support my choices. Finding all of these amazing, mindful companies can be where the real challenges lie. When Wild Mint contacted me about working together to introduce their brand to my readers, I instantly knew that they would be a perfect fit and I immediately began perusing their beautiful online store that is filled with exactly the products that I am always on the look out for.
Wild Mint’s Mission
At Wild Mint, we are dedicated to providing the best non-toxic and eco-friendly products to help you build a healthier lifestyle and environment. We are continually learning, growing, and making sure we are as up-to-date as possible on research about harmful chemicals, new products, and green practices. We want to make change easier and hope to portray that no matter how big or small the changes you make in your life are, you are making a difference!
To learn how Wild Mint got started, check out their About Us page for their story.
Here are just some of the wonderful Eco-friendly products that Wild Mint carries:
- Lunch boxes for kids
- Reusable sandwich bags
- Reusable snack bags
- Stainless steel food containers
- Glass food storage containers
- Glass water bottles
Wild Mint’s commitment to an eco-friendly and conscious way-of-living extends past the products they sell, Wild Mint has gone as far as creating a Learn page where they share articles, tips and guides to the chemicals we should be avoiding, recipes and more!
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Photo Fun Day Friday
Hi friends, happy Friday! I hope you’ve all had a lovely week and that you have a beautiful weekend ahead of you.
What’s been going on in your worlds? Getting antsy for Spring? Excited about having more hours of daylight? I wanna hear from you. Leave some comments, let’s chat 😉Since it’s Friday, that means it’s time for another Photo Fun Day Friday. Here’s some photos from the last two weeks. Hope you enjoy.
Mise en place for my Spinach, Lentil and Sweet Potato Slow Cooker Soup
Totally digging the new Thrive Energy Cookbook from Brendan Brazier. So many amazing recipes and so much incredible knowledge and the photos are gorgeous.
Scenes from a walk around our neighborhood. Not sure I will ever get used to the fact that this is where I live.
Leafy greens turned into cups and wraps. Favorite lunch. This are lettuce cups with lentils, marinated artichokes, feta, sprouts, chives and sun dried tomatoes.
Quite possibly one of the most random juices I have ever made. I call it a “CSA/Farmers Market Hodge Podge” Carrots, celery, green cabbage, red bell pepper, ginger, orange and grapefruit.
I love cooking out on our deck. So peaceful.
Mixing inks, reprinting our Home Sweet Home print.
Making some homemade chai. My favorite.
Sunrise at the beach. The best.
Writing and practicing some yoga sequences. I love the amazing light in our living room.
Turned my Dirty Chai recipe into a smoothie by adding a frozen banana and 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseeds.
These orange blossoms on our tree have just about the most amazing aroma that has ever graced this sniffer. So good!
I am super proud and excited to have a recipe in the April issue of Gluten-free Living Magazine – with a full page photo, that I shot and everything.
Working on this upcoming week’s Tutorial Tuesday post. Cannot wait to share this one with you guys.
It’s not always easy to find time for my home yoga practice, but I am always so grateful when I do.
This morning’s post yoga juice. So much goodness.
A beautiful California Poppy I love seeing these things growing wild everywhere.
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Iced Dirty Chai Almond Milk Latte {Gluten-free and Vegan}
Many of you already know that I generally try to avoid most ALL dairy in my diet, but what you may not know is that I made the switch a long time ago to nut-based milks, even before I stopped consuming dairy in other places. The difference in how I feel consuming a plant-based milk versus regular dairy milk – is incredible. I find myself less bloated, I feel lighter and I can tell that it requires much less on my digestive system to process than cow’s milk dairy.
Most of you know, I generally prefer to make my own almond milk whenever I can, but there are times when our schedule is just so crazy – when we are traveling, we have house guests or I am just bogged down with work. When life gets busy like that, it usually means stopping to make my own almond milk, just isn’t in the schedule.
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Mint Chocolate Chip Cashew Cream Cake {Gluten-free, Vegan and Refined Sugar-free}
Before you jump ahead and read the ingredient list on this cake and get pissed at me for adding a vegetable to your dessert – please, please hear me out and give it a chance! This cake is life changing. It is creamy, thick, rich and so decadent.
I know I tell you guys this all of the time, but the true litmus test to a successful gluten-free dessert or baked good that I create – is the reaction of my husband. As a man that literally can and will eat just about anything, the gluten-free treats that I get so excited for are oftentimes totally unappealing to him. He likes traditional sweets, the sweeter the better – that man most times would prefer a cookie from a tube, than a less than perfect homemade gluten-free cookie fresh from the oven. The same also goes for (and usually more-so) the vegan creations I develop. I can’t blame him though – he literally can eat anything, no food intolerances, no responses or reactions. Just a stomach of steel!
The thing is, when I can create something gluten-free, that isn’t made with refined sugars, that uses an alternative to cream and butter that he actually goes nuts for – nothing makes me happier and that’s how I know I’ve created something amazing. He really loved this one and he cannot stop talking about it, he actually ate a piece for breakfast today. That’s a WIN!!
I’ve been obsessed with cashew cream cakes a while now, I love the versatility and how it appeals to all eaters, vegan or not. The No-Bake Vegan “Cheesecake” I made last summer is something I have made for many of our friends and every single one has always been impressed that the creaminess is all from soaked cashews.
This cashew cream cake has the perfect amount of subtle mint flavor, both from the fresh mint and the mint extract and the chocolate of the crust and the chocolate chips on top compliment it so well. I love serving it with a little whipped coconut cream on top. Plus, rather than the beautiful green color coming from an artificial dye, it comes from some fresh baby spinach! Whether you want to believe it or not, there isn’t a bit of flavor from the baby spinach – just a beautiful, fresh and natural green hue. Read the rest of this entry »
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Spinach, Lentil and Sweet Potato Slow Cooker Soup {Gluten-free, Vegan}
This post is part of my ongoing restricted diets series with the Free People Blog BLDG 25.
Since it seems this winter is hanging on until the bitter end for a lot of folks this year, I decided it was the perfect opportunity for one last comforting winter meal, like this simple to make spinach, lentil and sweet potato slow cooker soup
OK, sure, I am in California and our idea of winter weather is the low 60s and some rain, but even with our (not so) cooler than usual winter weather — I want hot, comforting foods, that literally feel like a warm hug with every spoonful.
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How-to Make Whipped Coconut Cream
Over the past few years, whipped coconut cream has become one of my favorite tricks I’ve come up with in the kitchen. I love whipping up (literally) a batch for dinner guests, not even bothering to tell them it isn’t heavy whipped cream. I love how amazed people are when I tell them that it’s totally vegan and just 3 simple ingredients. I have shared how to make this glorious stuff within several of my recipe posts before, but I thought what better way to kick off my new Tutorial Tuesdays series than with this favorite how-to!
Plus, since canned coconut milks can vary drastically, I wanted to give you my comparison of 5 different coconut milk brands. You’ll be shocked at how different each one is. Because of the vary degrees of whipability (is that a word?) – the results and the work can be quite challenging if you choose incorrrectly. Due to the different stabilizers in each brand and sometimes even where the coconuts originate from, these can cause the much needed separation of the coconut cream from the water to just not work – no matter what you do.
Outside of the varying brands, I have also read that extra air in the can, may also cause less separation to occur. This isn’t something I have tested too much myself, but if you want to shake cans of coconut milk at the store, I say go for it. You are listening for little to no swishing around of the liquid in the can.
Whipped coconut milk is creamy, rich and thick, much like traditional whipped cream and the coconut flavor is very faintly there. Not nearly what you would expect it to be. The best part about homemade whipped coconut cream is all of it’s many uses and how much you can vary the flavor. You can add raw cacao powder for a chocolate cream, muddle some fruit and fold that in, maybe a squeeze or two of your favorite citrus, or even just a good quality all natural extract, you can even add a bit of your favorite liqueur. It would be hard to choose my favorite way to customize my homemade whipped coconut cream, but the easy part is actually making it. So, let’s get to it. Read the rest of this entry »
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Paleo German Chocolate Bundt Cake {Grain and gluten-free, Dairy-free}
Around Christmas a good friend of mine, Margaux, contacted me to ask if I had any good gluten-free cake recipes for her newly gluten-free sister-in-law, Mandy. I realized that I had really never experimented with a full-on cake recipe in all the years of me being gluten-free. How is it possible that in 9 years of eating gluten-free I had never made a chocolate cake? Shame on me, right? This has to be considered sacrilegious.
Cake is something I have never really cared about too much about, most times I find cake to be far too indulgent for my taste. Too sweet and just too much for me. I much prefer a small square of great quality dark chocolate or maybe one good homemade gluten-free chocolate chip cookie. My husband, Mark, however is quite the opposite. That man could live on a slice a cake every single day, that is if I wouldn’t nag him to death even before the excessive sugar would get to him. If there is but a single slice of cake in our house, no matter the flavor, it will haunt him until he finally gives in and indulges. Cake for breakfast is a common occurrence ’round here. Considering there was a time he used to drink several Cokes in one day, and he has stopped that and many other bad habits, I have chosen to pick my battles with this kind of stuff. A little cake in the morning never killed anyone.
When MightyNest contacted me to ask if I wanted to try out their amazing glass bundt cake pan, creating a new gluten-free recipe with it – I was slightly hesitant and a bit intimidated. Not only had it been forever since I made a cake, I have never made a bundt cake. I know, right? Read the rest of this entry »
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California, One Year Later – Don’t Forget to Believe in Your Dreams
Today we are celebrating one year since we arrived in California from New York! It seems like just yesterday we pulled up to our new home in the moving truck, tired from a long, teary-eyed adventure across the country. Since much of the last year feels like a blur and a whirlwind, I haven’t taken much time to reflect on this huge life shift, so what better time than now?
The decision to uproot our life in New York, leaving our family and all that we had built together over nearly 10 years, wasn’t one that was brewing in all that time. It started as a pipe dream just two years prior, something my husband Mark and I lustfully talked about in a very dreamy way – “wouldn’t it be amazing if we just up and moved to California” or “one day we need to live in California”. One day we decided to stop merely dreaming and started taking the actions necessary to actually make it happen. Within a year of that decision we had sold our house, we said our goodbyes and we hit the road for the west coast.
So much has happened in this first year of living somewhere new, we have both accomplished new and major things, we have had our struggles finding our way in a new place, we’ve seen relationships change and new ones flourish and grow, but through it all – we have always had our dreams and each other.
Listening to your Inner Voice
The most important thing I have taken from this major life shift, is that the biggest dreams sometime require the biggest changes, some of which may not pleasant. Part of allowing your dreams to come to fruition, is taking the time listen to your inner voice, to realize that your unique path isn’t supposed to or going to, be the same as anyone else’s. Most of all – you need to realize what is holding you back from that dream and with that, you will likely be forced to look your biggest fears straight in the face. Read the rest of this entry »
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Photo Fun Day Friday
Well, it’s been WAY too long since I have put together a Photo Fun Day Friday post. It’s been a busy couple of months. I went right from the holidays into my yoga teacher training program, into a month of catching up on work. February has been busy, hectic, overwhelming but as always – fun and filled with happiness.
Here’s some of my favorite moments for the last month and a half or so:
I found this ticket in an old jacket recently, when I was cleaning out some boxes. My husband Mark and I hadn’t yet met. I was at this show with a friend, and he was, as well. The story goes that he picked me out from the crowd, from across the room and pointed me out to his friend as the prettiest girl there. Flash forward a month later after meeting online, through some mutual friends. We are on our first (blind) date, we get to talking and he realizes he had actually seen me once before at a show, he thought. I didn’t believe him and he tells me exactly what I was wearing, right down to the jacket. 11 years later, I found that jacket in a box, the ticket from that show still in the pocket. We’ve since framed it, of course 🙂
Seri and Jpeg spooning.
My handsome hubby.
I checked in on my garden after a month away and it was going nuts!
I finally got to take one of Kathryn Budig’s classes at YogaGlo. She is so sweet and I found out she actually has a print of ours on her alter at home.
On the Matterhorn at Disney. Took a day off to spend it with m
Cuddling with my sweetie. Read the rest of this entry » -
Snickerdoodle Smoothie {Gluten-free and Vegan}
I am not above having cookies for breakfast, I may have done that a time or two. But, generally I prefer smoothies in the mornings. They are so quick to put together and the variations on flavors and add-ins are really endless. So, why not combine the two and make a smoothie inspired by a cookie? This Snickerdoodle Smoothie is everything!
Up the street from my house is a smoothie/juice shop that is pretty amazing and so convenient. Meg and I love taking walks there to grab a couple smoothies and to catch up since we saw each other last. Most of the time, I have instant guilt when I spend $7 – $10 on a smoothie that I could easily make myself at home, but it’s a great convenience for when I don’t have the desire to or when I want something a little different.
In early February the smoothie shop featured a Snickerdoodle Smoothie that I had to try and I instantly both fell in love and also realized that I should be making something similar at home. My version is made with different ingredients, but that same flavor is there. Theirs included Maca which I can’t seem to consume at all and I think they may have also added hemp seeds to it, I honestly can’t recall what was in there. I decided to simplify it to what I had on hand and what I like best. I am just gonna go ahead and say it, mine is way better! There!
To me, the best part of this smoothie is the flavor and texture from the rolled oats, not something I usually put in my smoothies (since I prefer to limit my grains whenever possible) but a really nice addition. The oats really brings the cookie flavor to life, the texture makes it different from other smoothies and it ends up being a bit more substantial.
Of course the spices are what really bring the Snickerdoodle flavor to life. I put a lot of cinnamon in this smoothie, both for the flavor and all of the amazing benefits.
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Spiced Orange Chocolate Chip Waffles {Gluten-free + Dairy-free} with Orange Spice Maple Syrup
It’s rare that I have a morning with enough time to make a big breakfast. Most days I start with my warm lemon water, a home yoga practice, then I make a quick smoothie and get right into my work for the day.
On the rare occasion where I don’t have to rush to my desk or to some sort of commitment, I love making a scramble or frittata of some sort, or on the extra special days, a delicious and comforting waffle.
I have been playing around with a different waffle recipe from the ones I have used in the past. I was looking for a lighter waffle, that wasn’t dense and heavy in the center, but would also get a nice crispy outside to it, which is my favorite part. I have made several variations to this waffle recipe and they always come out amazing.
I happened on this recipe from Aretha Frankenstein a while back and I adapted it to make it gluten-free. Since I had picked the last of the beautiful oranges from our tree, I also updated the recipe with a fun new flavor combination. The orange spice flavor is subtle in the actual waffles, but it is brought out and complimented nicely by the little bits of dark chocolate chips. Two things that go so perfectly together, if you ask me.
The specially made Orange Spice Maple Syrup I created to compliment these waffles is a very simple-to-make addition, that shouldn’t be overlooked if you have an extra few minutes to spare. To me, that delicious unique maple syrup really sets this recipe over the top!
My waffle iron makes two massive waffles with this recipe and usually hubby and I share one and save the other for the next day.
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Chocolate Chia Seed Superfood Pudding – Gluten-free and Vegan
Does anyone else find that they crave chocolate more than ever in February? With all the Valentine’s Day recipes in blogs and magazines and all the treats in stores, I feel like I see the stuff everywhere! Of course, a good quality chocolate treat isn’t bad for you, in moderation, but why not a chocolate treat that actually has tons of additional, wonderful health benefits, even?
Today as part of my ongoing Restricted Diet series with Free People, I am sharing a super simple to make, raw Chocolate Chia Seed Superfood Pudding that will knock your socks off. The best part about this pudding, besides it being chocolate, is that you can really make it you own. Select your favorite toppings, add some cinnamon or cayenne for a little heat, whip up some coconut cream for topping, the possibilities are endless.
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Swiss Chard Wraps with Raw Walnut Taco “Meat” (Gluten-free and Vegan)
There are so many things to love about Southern California – the year-round beautiful weather, the sunshine, the incredible varying produce was have access to throughout the year, the beaches, mountains, hiking trails – I could go on and on. But, one of my very favorite things is that I can have a vegetable garden growing year round. I am not sure I will ever get used to that or ever take it for granted. When I was planting the seeds for my winter garden, I was convinced there was no way it would work. It seemed impossible to this New York girl. I am used to a growing season that lasts from May to, if you are lucky, October. And this is barring no major unseasonal frosts.
I planted a bunch of goodies from seeds right at the end of fall – peas, broccoli, leeks, carrots, radishes, lettuces, kale, spinach and Swiss chard. Not everything has grown perfectly, I am still learning what does well in my soil and what doesn’t, but my Swiss chard is one of the many that did amazing. Since we had a pretty hot and dry December and January, everything got off to a slow start. Then, suddenly one day, after my yoga teacher training program ended and I had been too busy to check on things all month, I went outside to see that everything had a major growth spurt, especially my beautiful chard.
I find Swiss chard to be so beautiful. Those leaves have that lovely contrasting, vibrantly colored stem and the surface of the leave is so perfect. It is so gorgeous growing out in my garden that I almost hate to pick it. Almost. Read the rest of this entry »
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Smokey Tomato Vinaigrette {Gluten-free, Vegan}
Last month while in my yoga teacher training program, I basically lived on salads every single day for lunch. They are such a simple thing to pack up in the morning and with all the many variations, I never find myself getting sick of it, even if you are having it every day. Some days I added grilled chicken or cooked lentils, often I would skip out on cheese, but other days I would add some crumbled feta cheese or goat cheese. I would add nuts or seeds, dried fruit or sun dried tomatoes, etc. It was quite fun and always delicious.
I started out the month by making my own dressings and vinaigrettes and then on a trip to Whole Foods in a moment of weakness and desperation, trying to save some time where I could, I bought a couple different bottles of organic dressings and vinaigrettes. Of course, as soon as I tried all of them, I realized I could easily be making these myself and I realized how silly it was to buy store-bought dressings, especially because even when organic, they have far more ingredients than they should, many of which as strange preservatives.
I had bought a yummy creamy, vegan, smokey tomato dressing that I really loved and instantly realized I should be making this myself. And often. This Smokey Tomato Vinaigrette is creamy and full of so many amazing flavors. It is of course, great on a salad, it would make an amazing marinade for chicken or fish, it’d be great on a pasta salad and it’s delicious drizzled on your favorite sandwich or wrap. I bet it would also be incredible as a marinade and/or dipping sauce for these grilled artichokes, too. Tomorrow I am sharing a yummy recipe for a plant-based sandwich alternative and this is the perfect condiment on it. So keep a look out for that. Read the rest of this entry »
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Gluten-free Sandwich Bread from America’s Test Kitchen – How Can It Be Gluten-free Cookbook
I am very fortunate, as a blogger, to have the opportunity to sample and test out many different gluten-free cookbooks, of all different types from a variety of different sources and authors. Generally, I am always very happy with them and so excited with in the 9 years I have been gluten-free, how far recipe development has come. The things people are doing in their gluten-free kitchens now, blows my mind. I can honestly tell you that when I first went gluten-free – 9 years ago, I honestly never thought some of what is being made now, even the things that I am making and creating, were ever even possible.
Bread is something that I have just come to accept as something that will never be the same for me. It has come a very long way in the 9 years I have been eating gluten-free, but I still generally find it to all to just be – OK. I have made a few good recipes here and there, there are some decent store-bought brands that are OK when I am really craving a sandwich, but by-in-large, I tend to just avoid it and not go out of my way. What’s the point?
When America’s Test Kitchen contacted me, with an exclusive invitation to check out an advanced copy of their latest creation – The How Can It Be Gluten-free Cookbook – I, of course, instantly and happily obliged. I was so excited to try out their recipes and share one with you. As an industry standard, America’s Test Kitchen works recipes to utter perfection, sampling, testing and playing around until they get it just right. This cookbook is literally the results of a yearlong gluten-free odyssey in the Test Kitchens.
America’s Test Kitchen Revolutionizes Gluten-free Cooking
Not only did America’s Test Kitchen send me the book to test out and review, but they also sent a large container of their pre-made custom created all-purpose gluten-free flour blend to bake with. So, in addition to this incredible gluten-free sandwich bread recipe, I am also sharing their easy-to-make, economical gluten-free flour blend recipe and a simple sandwich that I am obsessed with, don’t get very often and had to make with this yummy bread. Oh, and one lucky Tasty Yummies reader will receive a copy of The How Can It Be Gluten-free Cookbook. See the bottom of this post for the giveaway.
My favorite thing about this amazing cookbook is the fact that America’s Test Kitchen knows not every reader will want to make a homemade blend, they evaluated all the leading store-bought options and found two commercial blends (King Arthur and Bob’s Red Mill) work well in all of their recipes, too. The recipes include everything from foolproof bread, cakes, cookies, pie crust, pizza dough, weeknight dinners, and even fried chicken.
Besides being filled with amazing recipes, The How Can It Be Gluten-free Cookbook helps readers understand gluten-free baking and cooking, with an extensive section in the front of the book explains the science of gluten as well as breakthrough strategies that every gluten-averse cook should utilize.
Finally, you’ll learn what to stock in a gluten-free pantry and the very best ways to cook many familiar (and not so familiar) gluten-free grains. With The How Can It Be Gluten-free Cookbook, you’ll acquire more than just recipes that will amaze your family and friends: You will also get a valuable education in gluten- free cooking and baking.
Just an FYI for you 100% dairy-free folks, as someone that generally tries to avoid dairy when I can, many of the recipes in this book, including this bread recipe and even their flour blend, do include dairy. So, keep that in mind if you need to be dairy-free. They offer dairy-free subs in many cases, but I did think it was worth mentioning. For this particular bread, I went with goat milk dry milk powder in the actual bread recipe, since that is what I keep on hand for baking and it worked great. But, since I can consume dairy as long as not in large amounts or too regularly, I decided to keep the butter and use their blend as-is.
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Grain-Free Double Chocolate Brownies {Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Paleo-Friendly}
Happy Valentine’s Day, friends!! What better way to celebrate LOVE than with chocolate, am I right? I can’t get enough chocolate this month, in case you couldn’t tell. I have been seeing chocolate everything, everywhere and I am not sure what made me think of it, but I realized the other day that I hadn’t made brownies in forever. And that made me sad! What is wrong with me?
I mean really, brownies are happy-making, magical squares of my very favorite stuff!! Soft cocoa-y chocolate chewiness and little bits of dark chocolate in every bite. Ahhhh! It is torture just writing about it.
Though hubby and I don’t generally celebrate Valentine’s Day, I’d like to think we celebrated a little bit early with these beauties. It’s rare that I make a gluten-free or grain-free baked-good and my husband doesn’t tell me what about it makes it taste not quite like the “real thing”. I mean, I don’t blame him. He doesn’t have to eat gluten-free. He gets to enjoy all the “normal” bakeries and their delectable delights, whenever he wants.
JerkGenerally he eats and loves whatever I make (with exceptions, of course), but I think given the opportunity he would still choose it’s gluten-containing inspiration. This time around, he couldn’t get enough of the gluten-free version. He was obsessed with these brownies and we were literally fighting over the last one. I let him have it, but I really should have told him to back-off and take a hike to the neighborhood bakery. At one point during the few days we were eating through these, he walked to the corner store to get a pint of vanilla ice cream, he heated one of these brownie squares up and served it à la mode. What can I say? He’s a sweets guy, the man sure knows how to eat his desserts. -
Slow Cooker Chicken Chile Verde {Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Paleo-friendly}
I have really come to love my slow cooker over the years. Crock Pot cooking is one of my favorite ways to make easy dinners, especially recipes that make multiple meals. I have said it before and I will say it again – a meal made in a slow cooker is just about the closest I may ever come to a personal chef. I load it up in the morning and by dinnertime the house is filled with incredible aromas and all I have to do is set the table and serve. It is amazing.
I have shared many plant-based slow cooker recipes here on Tasty Yummies, over the years. Like this Butternut Squash and Chickpea Coconut Curry or this Chipotle Black Bean and Quinoa Crock-Pot Stew, which is a reader favorite. I also have a simple recipe for Slow-Cooked Black Beans, that are great for vegan tacos or it can just be pureed into an amazing soup. Speaking of soup, this comforting Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup can be made with or without ham, to be vegan. Or for a really different Crock Pot experience, try my Creamy Crock-Pot Pumpkin Risotto recipe.
Since I have shared so many plant-based Crock Pot recipes, I thought it was time to share a meat-based recipe since, I know many of you are like me and do eat meat from time-to-time. Plus, when I asked on my Facebook page, a good majority of you were lookin’ for a “meaty” recipe. I had tons of ideas I was working on, but I had a beautiful locally-raised whole organic chicken that I thought would be perfect to create something different with. I thought about making my Chicken and White Bean Chili again with the whole chicken, but then I saw the beautiful tomatillos at the market and came up with the idea for this Slow Cooker Chicken Chile Verde.
This post is extra special – because it’s actually a two-part recipe. Besides the amazing chile verde, first – I have a super simple salsa verde/sauce that can just be used as-is, a salsa perfect for dipping your favorite corn tortilla chips into, or even better, served warm in this amazing chile verde or it’d also be great as a topping for homemade veggie enchiladas. So many possibilities. This salsa verde is just loaded with amazing fresh flavors, so bright and unique. You could certainly use the tomatillos raw if you wish, but I have found that roasting the tomatillos first really brings out their incredibly bright flavor. I have a feeling I will be making homemade salsa verde way more often now. It was so easy. Read the rest of this entry »
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Energizing Green Smoothie – Gluten-free and Vegan
I am not one for coffee much anymore, now-a-days I only have it when I am craving it, when we have an insanely early morning of travel or when I am somewhere with an exceptional brew – but generally that’s only about once or twice a month, at most. I used to drink it regularly, an every morning ritual type of thing. It was more of a habit than anything. Though, I really didn’t like feeling like a slave to my habit, getting a headache if I just wasn’t in the mood to drink it. These days, I prefer to start my days with a mug of warm lemon water, usually followed by a hot tea with my breakfast, after my morning yoga.
Last month during my yoga teacher training, by around the second week – the 3 hours of driving to and from Venice Beach during rush hours and the 12+ hour days of being gone, then getting home to cook dinner, study, and get my work done – started really taking their toll on me. It was wildly different than my usual days of working from home, staying in my PJs until 2pm, if I chose. I was trying to take hot tea with me on the drives in the morning, but I realized we didn’t have any good travel mugs and I find drinking scalding hot liquid from glass jars while driving in heavy traffic to be insanely stressful. Since I was also making a smoothie every day for breakfast and drinking that on my drives, I decided to combine everything into one. An energizing green smoothie to help get my day started right. A little boost of caffeine before our daily 3 hour morning yoga practice and our 6 hours of lectures, was just what I needed.
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12 Gluten-free Chocolate Recipes
With Valentine’s Day being just a week away, I have had chocolate on the brain! So, I thought I would share some of my very favorite gluten-free chocolate recipes that would make just about anyone swoon this Valentine’s Day.
What’s your favorite way to enjoy chocolate?
This post is part of my restricted diet series from the Free People Blog BLDG 25.
Dark chocolate Almond Butter Mini Cups (vegan)
Joyful Almond Coconut Bites (vegan)
Dark Chocolate Red Wine Truffles (vegan)
Grain-Free Salted Chocolate Tart (vegan)
Dark Chocolate Bark with Pistachios, Dried Bing Cherries and Grey Sea Salt (vegan)
Frozen Chocolate Covered Bananas (vegan)
Head over to the Free People Blog BLDG 25 to get the other 6 recipes.
