Ev's Gluten Free Coconut Flour Chocolate Cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream Icing

Today we celebrated Ev’s third birthday with a lunch time fiesta on the deck. We love having the Feks over for fiestas and it had been too, too long.   A Mexican buffet - or fiesta as we like to call it - is such an easy way to entertain a crowd.  It seems that getting everyone in the same place at the same time gets more and more difficult so I was so thankful to have all of us here – including Marc and Ev’s very favorite person, Marie. =D 

The meal – carnitas tacos, spinach, pepper and onion enchilada casserole, a pot pinto beans, quesadillas, salad, guacamole, salsa and a bowl of chopped cilantro with jalapeños - was filling.  Somehow we saved just enough room for cupcakes.

This cupcake is an adaptation of Elana’s chocolate cupcake from Elana’s Pantry.  I stumbled upon Elana’s stunning website quite some time ago and was thrilled to find it. If you are feeling the least bit deprived by your new gluten free lifestyle; read through her site and get a hold of her cookbook.  She creates truly beautiful and healthy gluten free recipes.  Elana bakes with almond flour and coconut flour – both of which I love – and her recipes are simple and scrumptious.  


Coconut flour is wonderful to bake with.  You use a very small amount compared to traditional flours because it expands so much.  It's full of protein and fiber and gives a wonderful subtle coconut flavor to everything you bake.  I even put a scoop of coconut flour into fresh coconut kefir and fruit smoothies for a nutritional boost and a great texture.  I use Tropical Traditions coconut flour and store it in the freezer.

For Ev’s birthday I wanted a slightly more decadent treat and bigger cupcakes - celebration size!  I chose to use butter for added richness. I also used cane sugar rather than the agave that Elana prefers, increased the cocoa and added a touch of vanilla.  The icing is also decadent – an entire bag of Ghirardelli all natural white chocolate chips is the main ingredient.

Coconut Flour Chocolate Cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream Icing

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Line cupcake tin with 12 paper liners

Makes 12 large cupcakes

1/2 cup coconut flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter, cooled
1 cup organic cane sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients and beat on low until well combined.  Turn mixer to medium and let it go for about two minutes or until the mixture starts to turn lighter and glossy.  I use a Kitchenaid stand mixer and usually let it mix as I line the cupcake tins or prepare my pans.

Scoop batter evenly into the liners – they will be at least ¾ full.  Bake approximately 25 minutes.  Use a toothpick in the center to test for doneness. Cool and ice with:

White Chocolate Buttercream Icing

1 11 ounce package of Ghirardelli White Chocolate Chips

¼ cup So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk

1 cup butter

2 cups powdered sugar

In heavy saucepan place white chocolate chips, coconut milk and butter and melt over very low heat stirring so the white chocolate chips do not scorch.  Remove from heat and mix in powdered sugar.  As mixture cools it will thicken to an icing texture. Stir every five minutes or so – mine was ready to spread in about twenty minutes.

The recipe made enough to generously ice one dozen cupcakes with approximately 1 cup of icing left over.  That will make gluten free graham crackers a special treat this week.

One cupcake will give you more than enough energy for a rousing game of "beachy ball".

Our littlest guest.  Too small for cupcakes this time but plenty sweet on her own. 

Have a lovely week.

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

This recipe needs to be pressed into the hands of every newly gluten free person.  It’s an easy go to recipe when you need a plate of cookies to share. Your non-gluten free friends will love them as much as you will. It's a fast treat you can make for yourself when you're feeling deprived of your old favorites in the early weeks. They're a little on the crispy/crumbly side and perfect with with a cup of tea or So Delicious Coconut Milk. Three simple ingredients that are in most kitchens gluten free or not - peanut butter, sugar and an egg - that’s it.

If you have a peanut butter allergy, just substitute sunflower butter, almond butter or even cashew butter.  All work well and have slightly different nutty flavors.  I make sure any of the butters I use have only nuts or seeds and salt in the ingredients.

I use sugar most of the time but Xylitol works very well for those who cannot tolerate any sugar.  The original recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar but I find that a bit sweet for my taste. Lowering the sugar any further affects texture too much.  

Three Ingredient Cookies

Preheat oven to 350

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Makes 1 dozen

1 cup peanut butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

Mix together and shape into 12 balls – depending on the peanut butter you use you may have to squish the crumbly dough into balls.  Use a fork to cross hatch the tops for a traditional peanut butter cookie look.  I hold the sides of each cookie as I press the fork to keep them from crumbling and hold their shape.  It won’t be a problem when they are baked.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes.

Cool a few minutes before removing from your cookie sheet.

Cocoa Variation:

I doubled the recipe this morning and added 2 Tablespoons cocoa and 1 teaspoon vanilla to half of the dough.

Happy Birthday Ev!

Happy birthday to our favorite 3 year old!

You are the best.

I am so happy to be your chacha.

We all (and especially elle belle) love you!!!

xoxoxo chacha

Gluten Free Valentine's Breakfast

Happy Valentine's Day!  Last night Joe helped me make this morning's breakfast cake.  Since he was pulling ingredients for me I asked him to make suggestions for his own version.  He handed me white chocolate chips (about 2 cups) and decided on a handful of chopped crystallized ginger (1/2 cup).  I cut the sugar down to 1/2 given the sweet additions.  Oh my gosh it's an awesome combination. Literally half the pan is gone and it's only 10:00 a.m.   Wishing a sweet day to everyone.

Martin's Curry Rice - Gluten Free Curries!

Tonight we had a spicy gluten free meal that I didn't have to cook and I have to share!  We'd read about Martin's Curry Rice in Morrisville and their create it yourself curries.  You choose the protein, pick any of the vegetables you like and then choose between mild yellow, medium green or spicy hot red curries. Some of their produce is from local farmer's markets. Your meal is then freshly cooked and quickly served over brown or white rice with a little cup of delicious yogurt salad on the side.  The curries and salad are naturally gluten free but there are other items on the menu that are not. The website says they've been open since July - I can't imagine how it's taken us so long to find out about them. Hope you get a chance to try it soon.

Easy Hummus Pitas

  

ChaCha's kitchen was a busy place this afternoon. After lunch dishes were cleaned up, it was time to make some Kombucha and start a batch of coconut milk kefir.  (Coconut milk kefir makes great dairy free, probiotic rich smoothies.)  Next on the agenda, cheese bread baked in a 9 x 7 rectangular casserole. While I was making the cheese bread I decided to make a pita type bread. As I thought about it I decided that a hummus based bread would be full of protein and flavor.  So starting with the cheese bread recipe since all the ingredients were still on the counter, I made a basic hummus recipe thinned with extra olive oil to use instead of cheese and tweaked the egg/flax amounts. The dough was soft, easy to work with and smelled great.  

This is a really fast and easy recipe.  Preparation took ten minutes and baking about twenty minutes.  These pitas would not only make great sandwiches but would be good with just about any meal.  I think mini falafel sandwiches could be a fun appetizer.  

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and prepare two large baking sheets by lightly oiling.

In a food processor, blender or Vitamix, puree:

1 can organic garbanzo beans with liquid

¾ cup olive oil

2T lemon juice

2 large eggs

4T finely milled golden flax

1T sunflower seed butter

1 clove garlic

In a large bowl mix hummus mixture and:

1 lb bag tapioca flour

1T baking powder

½ t sea salt

Mix until well incorporated.

Using lightly oiled hands to shape the breads divide into 12 pieces and shape into circles about 1/3 inch thick.

I baked them for ten minutes, flipped them over and baked for about ten more.  They were soft and easily sliced.  We ate quite a few of them plain and dipped in olive oil.

I had to laugh at how much my sons loved them because neither of them likes hummus.  I think we've found a new favorite.  

Jumbo Peanut Butter Oatmeal Muffins

Here’s another simple and delicious gluten free recipe with no combination of gluten free flours or gums to mix.  In fact, no flour at all.  Gluten Free Oats are the main ingredient.  While oats are technically gluten free, it’s important to buy gluten free oats as they are often contaminated in the field and in processing.  

Like my breakfast cake it is a sweet treat in the morning but as muffins they are also a quick grab and go snack. This recipe combines peanut butter and oatmeal to duplicate the taste of Gabby’s famous Jumbo Cookies. Adding So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk gives just enough vanilla and sweetness.  The finely milled flax adds nutrition and gives the muffins a great texture.

I have very tall muffin liners I found at World Market right now so I can fill the tins up to the very top and make 13 truly jumbo muffins as shown in the jumbo hand in the picture.  If you use regular sized liners (or have smaller appetites than my guys) you can make about 24 small muffins.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl mix:

4 large eggs

1 cup So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk*

½ cup grapeseed oil *

½ cup peanut butter

2/3 cup sugar

Add to bowl:

3 cups gluten free oats

6 T finely milled golden flax

2 t baking powder

At this point I briefly use my immersion blender and finish mixing with a spoon.  By using the blender for under a minute about half the oats will be finely chopped giving the final muffin a finer texture. (If you mix by hand they will have a larger crumb but be just as yummy).

Fill the liners and bake.  Jumbo muffins took 17 minutes in my oven.  Start checking smaller muffins thee or four minutes earlier.

* The last several times I've made these muffins I have omitted the So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk and the grapeseed oil and used 1 1/2 cups of light coconut milk from Trader Joe's. Lightening the fat and sugar content a bit without losing any flavor. I add a splash of vanilla most times. You can also bake in a 9 x 13 pan for about 25 minutes for breakfast bars. Especially good with mini chocolate chips.

Variation – dark chocolate chips make a very special treat!  Just add one to two cups of your favorite all natural chocolate chip or chopped dark chocolate.

This is a Feingold Stage 1 recipe - just make sure to double check your ingredients in your foodlist.

Everyone should always make sure all their ingredients are gluten free.

I do realize this would have made a better post on March 14th. =D

Grab a cup of tea and enjoy.

Chocolate Coconut Bars

This morning I took these bars to a friend's house for a time of coffee and crafting.  It was such a nice way to spend the morning.  Ann, this one is for you!

This is Joe's new favorite bar.  He loves white chocolate chips so I decided to use lots of cocoa for contrast. I love coconut and use it in every form in much of my cooking and baking.  There are so many health benefits and it just tastes wonderful.  A more informative coconut post is in the works but I would encourage you to research and see if coconut oil or other coconut products would be a good addition to your diet.  This gluten free bar is chewy and moist.  Hope you enjoy it.

1 lb. Almond Meal – Trader Joe’s

6 T Finely Milled Golden Flax

1 Cup plus 2 T filtered warm  water

1 Cup Coconut Oil, melted

¾ Cup Cocoa – Hershey’s

2/3 Cup Organic Cane Sugar

½ Cup Coconut Flakes

1 T Gluten Free Vanilla

1 t Baking Powder

½ t sea salt

1 cup Ghirardelli all natural White Chocolate Chips

Mix all ingredients except chocolate chips until well incorporated; add white chocolate chips.

Spread into ungreased 9 x 13 pan and bake at 375 for 40 minutes.

In this recipe I use Tropical Traditions virgin coconut oil which has a strong but sweet coconut flavor.  I also use their coconut flakes which are not sweetened. 

Homemade Gluten Free Vanilla

Potato vodka with a handful of vanilla beans - it's that easy.

Making your own gluten free vanilla is so simple.  Here are my own bottles. The bottles appear lighter than they actually are because of the lighting through the window so you'll want to let yours get a tad darker than what you see in the bottle on the right.  The large bottle on the left had gotten nearly half empty and was just refilled last night.  I gave it a big shake just prior to taking the picture so it appears a bit cloudy due to vanilla seeds.  It will sit and steep for a few weeks while I use the bottle on the right.  I'll then top off that one and let it steep while I use the other. 

The vodka shown is an inexpensive potato vodka and therefore gluten free. The amount of vanilla beans you use is up to you - the more you use the faster it will steep.  All you do is to make a slit lengthwise down the beans to expose the inside and seeds with a sharp knife.  Slide the beans into the vodka bottle or any other bottle you like. Vanilla beans vary in price greatly - shop around online for the best price. They're pricey at first but a bargain in the long run..  You'll just keep topping your bottles off because the vanilla beans last a really long time.

Getting out of the kitchen for a moment. . .

If you are new to gluten free living you are probably much more concerned about eating safely than your current beauty and hygiene products.   And while it is very important to quickly and fully educate yourself about food, I think your personal products are key to successful gluten free living. I also strongly believe that everything that goes in your mouth or on your skin should be additive free and as pure as possible.  It’s taken me a while and I’ve made some mistakes along the way.  Hopefully I can help you avoid doing that.

Remember to always do your own homework to make sure everything you buy is safe.  Recommendations from others are great – you need them – but formulas for can change at any time so read the ingredients every time you purchase a product whether for your kitchen or for personal use.  Many companies now list their ingredients on their websites and you can always call or email to be certain.

Listed below are some of the things I use. I have no ties with any company listed and no doubt there are many other appropriate products available. 

The Basics:  Soap – I use bottles of Dr. Bonner’s Peppermint.  The label is wild but the ingredients are very simple and very pure. 

For skin care beyond soap the easiest gluten free skin care regime may be right in your kitchen.  Baking soda makes a skin softening scrub when mixed with just enough water in the palm of your hand to make a paste.  Massage gently into your skin and rinse well with warm water. Apple cider vinegar diluted with water (50/50 is what I do) is an excellent toner.  Coconut oil makes a great moisturizer.  Just the tiniest bit will do the trick – it works great for my combination skin, too.  It may not be a glamorous spa line but it works well for me.

A dab of olive oil is thicker than coconut oil and relieves chapped hands.  Both coconut and olive oils are great for dry hair as well.  Just a few drops rubbed into the palms of your hands and smoothed through your hair will do the trick.

Toothpaste/Mouthwash – Tom’s of Maine is our favorite brand.  The Tom’s website states that their mouth care items are gluten free.  (Their hand soap and body wash DO contain gluten).  Tom's deodorant is also gf.

Edited 2/21/12 - Because I avoid gluten as well as artificial colors and flavors and lanolin I am especially careful with lip products. I have removed the two products I recommended after reading a listing by the FDA of lipsticks and glosses that contain lead and I can no longer feel confident using them.

When I contacted Honeybee Gardens I found out their entire line of cosmetics with the exception of their hairspray is gluten free.  I recently tried their mascara and love it.

Mineral Fusion is currently my favorite pressed powder – mineral make up has natural sun protection and this brand provides a bit more coverage than most.  I like that I can skip sunscreen when using it as I haven’t found an all natural one I really love yet. According to an email from their customer service department today all their products are gluten free.

So that’s a short list of the few things I use.  If you have any you love please leave a comment.

Cake for Breakfast!

As anyone who knows me will tell you, I’m not a morning person.  Really, really not a morning person.  I have also never cared much for breakfast because breakfast foods, with the exception of pancakes, just are not that appealing to me.  Almond meal pancakes are good and pancakes made with Pamela’s pancake mix are awesome.  As much as I like them, making them on a weekday rarely happens.

We all know eating a healthy breakfast is important. Hot cereals can be great but they never appealed to my sons.  Cold cereals are fast and easy but according to what I’ve read in Nourishing Traditions and elsewhere even the best of them are not a very healthy choice.  

This cake packs enough nutrition to count as breakfast and it’s a sweet way to start the day.  It’s fast and easy to make and tastes even better by the next morning. It’s grain free and full of heart healthy almonds and protein packed eggs.  Almonds are a stage 2 item in Feingold, so FG friends keep that in mind.  If you would prefer a vegan cake, just sub flax meal for eggs and you’ll be just as happy with the results.

You can’t go wrong with this one, it’s a quick grab and go breakfast for my oldest and something my youngest snacks on throughout the day.  It’s endlessly adaptable by adding dried fruit and nuts and makes great muffins, too. This is the version my family likes the most.

Vanilla Almond Breakfast Cake with Chocolate Chips

1 lb. Pkg  Almond Meal (see Notes)

6              Eggs

1 cup       Grapeseed Oil

2/3 cup    Sugar, Organic Cane (see Notes)

1 T          Vanilla (I make my own so I know it’s gluten free)

½ t          Salt

1 T          Baking Soda

1 cup       Dark Chocolate Chips or roughly chopped dark chocolate

Double check your ingredients and make sure they're all gluten free.

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until well incorporated, pour into lightly greased 9 x 13 pan.

Bake at 375 for 40 minutes or until golden brown. 

Notes:

I use Trader Joe’s almond meal.  It’s accessible and reasonably priced.  I like the convenient one pound bags and develop most of my almond meal recipes around that weight.

Not everyone would appreciate the fact that there is sugar in this recipe – even such a relatively small amount.  If that’s the case for you, check out Deanna’s recipe for Bossk Brownies at TheMommyBowl.com.  She purees whole dates with boiling water to use as a sweetener.  

It's a creative and fun site and I'm looking forward to trying several of her recipes.  I loved the idea of using the date puree, so I experimented with 1 cup firmly packed dates and 1 cup boiling water pureed in my Vitamix in lieu of the sugar in this recipe and my chocolate coconut bar recipe (will post that soon).  We all loved the results in both recipes and I would definitely use dates again.