Sunbutter and Jelly Crepes

I’ve been working hard lately. Jam packed days filled to the brim of one thing after another, never getting it all dome and carrying over the uncrossed items from my to-do list onto the next day’s list. My typical day starts with a quick cup of coffee and then straight to work. Fortunately I usually work at home so such frivolous things as make-up clothes don’t slow me down.

But today I decided I wanted to start my day with a real breakfast. And I wanted it special. (After all it’s Labor Day, which I hear is a holiday.) I wanted gluten-free crepes. But I didn’t want to work very hard to get them.

I’ve been making egg crepes for years. They are quick and easy to make and a protein packed, gluten-free, dairy-free and grain-free way to have all the satisfaction of eating crepes typically made with flour and butter. But today I wanted something different and decided on Sunbutter and Jelly crepes.

I have an adorable three year old nephew, Kelton, who is incredibly smart, super charming and allergic to peanuts. It is because of him I started keeping Sunbutter in my pantry. Sunbutter is a fabulous sunflower seed spread that is the perfect alternative for peanut butter. It is peanut free, tree nut free, gluten-free and dairy free.

It literally took me 10 minutes to whip up this delicious, nutritious, gluten and dairy free breakfast. And then I took a good long time enjoying them with a second cup of coffee and reading the newspaper. Ahh, I just love holidays, don’t you?

BTW- if you need to trick your kids into eating protein in the morning then you must give these a try!




Sunbutter and Jelly Crepes

(Printable)

Ingredients

2 large eggs
3 tablespoons creamy Sunbutter
3 tablespoons water
1/3 cup Jelly or all fruit spread

Directions

Put all the ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and blend with a hand held mixer until everything is fully incorporated and smooth.

Heat a small skillet or crepe pan over medium heat until a drop of water sizzles immediately when dropped in the pan. Spray pan lightly with gluten-free non-stick cooking spray. Ladle in 1 tablespoon of the batter into the hot pan and immediately start tilting and rotating the pan to spread the batter evenly. Cook for 1 – 2 minutes or until the edges appear dry and the batter looks almost set in the middle. Flip the crepe and cook for another 30 -40 seconds. Repeat with remaining batter. You can keep the crepes warm in a low oven or microwave them for a few seconds to warm up if not using immediately.

Spread each crepe generously with the jelly and roll up. Serve immediately.

Makes about 6 crepes.

Slow Roasted Salmon

After having such a wonderful time at the International Food Blogger Conference (IFBC) in Seattle, I thought I would share with you my hands-down favorite way to prepare that Pacific Northwest favorite - salmon.

Slow roasting salmon at low temperatures produces the most succulent, melt in your mouth tender, silky, vibrant salmon.

Here’s why.

Salmon is a protein and as is true with all proteins, when subjected to high heat it seizes up immediately. This is what gives steaks a nice sear and is also, unfortunately, why those scrambled eggs you get from a diner (where they are cooked quickly on a hot griddle) are tough. And it is also why it is so easy to end up with dried out, overcooked salmon.

Imagine being thrown against a screaming hot surface. OUCH!  You would seize up too!

Now imagine yourself laying on a beautiful, temperate beach somewhere. Ahhh. All the tension you have been carrying around just melts away, you become relaxed and happy.

Well, that’s what slow roasting does for salmon. Low, slow cooking actually breaks down the protein allowing it to cook through without seizing up resulting in a silky, almost creamy texture that really lets the pure flavor of the fish shine through.

Cooking salmon low and slow also allows the vibrant coral hue of the fish to remain basically unchanged. The picture at the top of this post is the salmon raw, ready to be put in the oven.

The picture below is the salmon fully cooked. Gorgeous!

And just look at the internal texture. Creamy, dreamy, melt-in-your-mouth tender and moist.

There are just a few simple steps to getting perfect, tender, vibrant salmon every time.

1. Allow the salmon to come to room temperature (about 30 minutes) before placing in the oven.  This will ensure that the time the salmon spends in the oven is for cooking not warming up.
2. Create a "rack" of sliced onions, fennel, citrus, herbs - whatever you want to allow the protein and fats to drain away while the salmon cooks. It also helps flavor the salmon.
3. Cook in a low oven (250 degrees) for 30 minutes for fillets. Give or take.  The really great thing with low and slow cooking is it is a little more forgiving than fast and furious cooking.  A couple minutes over won’t ruin the salmon as with grilling or broiling.  Insert a paring knife into the thickest part of the salmon and if it goes in and comes out easily, it’s done!

Salmon cooked this way can be served hot or refrigerated and served cold later on for those scorching summer evenings when you prefer not to turn the oven on at the hot part of the day.  Use it cold in anyway you would cold poached salmon.  I prefer this method to poaching since the humidity where I live is already high enough to grow gills on a human.

Below is my favorite recipe, so classic, but feel free to change up the ingredients of the “rack” and the flavorings anyway you like.

Oh, and this same method works really, really well with tuna fillets too!

Slow Roasted Salmon

(Printable)

Ingredients

4 – 6 ounce salmon fillets
1 medium onion, sliced
2 lemons, sliced
6 or 8 fresh dill sprigs
2 teaspoons olive oil
Kosher or Sea Salt & Pepper

Directions

Remove the salmon fillets from the fridge and allow them to come to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Layer the sliced onion, half the lemon slices and half the dill sprigs in a baking dish. Top with the salmon fillets and brush each fillet with a little olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, top with remaining lemon slices and dill sprigs.

Cook for 30 minutes. (If you are cooking more than 4 fillets at a time you may need a few more minutes.) Insert a paring knife into the thick part of one fillet and if it goes in and comes out easily, it is done.

Serve hot or let cool and refrigerate for later.

Serves 4.

Shirley Temple Cupcakes

As children my sisters and I were not allowed to drink soda with two exceptions; tummy aches and nights out with our parents when they ordered cocktails before dinner. On the later occasion, we girls always ordered Shirley Temples, ginger ale or 7-Up with grenadine topped with a maraschino cherry. We felt so sophisticated sipping our pretty little drinks.

A few months ago my baby sister Karen was visiting and when we went out for dinner she ordered a Shirley Temple.  This made me smile.

Karen is all grown up, well past the legal drinking age in this country, has a three year old child and her own business but in a part of my mind she remains an adorable little girl with huge ginger colored eyes, red hair and a smattering of freckles across her nose who I helped raise after our mother passed away when she was 8.

Karen has gotten short changed a lot over the years.  When other children had mothers making them Halloween costumes, Karen had me struggling with a sewing machine I didn’t know how,  to use trying to fashion a trick or treat outfit for her.  While my older sister and I grew up eating dinners prepared by my mother, Karen had to suffer through the three meals I sort of had down at the time.  When her son was born it was slightly overshadowed by my father’s illness and just recently her birthday was almost ignored because the marriage of my son.

So with Karen in mind I developed these gluten-free cupcakes after her favorite “cocktail” the Shirley Temple.

These cupcakes, which are basically a doctored up, gluten-free version of 7-Up cupcakes, are so pretty and whimsical I can easily see them served at Bridal and Baby Showers, little girl’s Birthday Parties and for Afternoon Tea.  And of course for Karen’s next birthday.




I used my own all purpose gluten-free flour blend but feel free to use what ever gluten-free flour blend you prefer. If the blend does not contain xanthan gum, add 1 teaspoon in with the flour mixture.




Gluten-free Shirley Temple Cupcakes

(Printable)

Ingredients

Cupcakes

1½ cups plus 1 tablespoon all purpose gluten free flour blend – use divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
½ cup 7-Up, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon maraschino cherry juice
Several drops of gluten-free red food coloring gel

Frosting
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large pinch of Kosher or fine sea salt
2½ cups confectioners’ sugar
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon maraschino cherry juice
12 maraschino cherries, patted dry with paper toweling

Directions

Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 standard muffin cups with paper or silicon cupcake liners.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together 1½ cups of the gluten-free flour blend, baking powder and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium high speed for two minutes or until light and fluffy.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well and scraping down the bowl after each addition.  Turn the mixer to low and add half of the flour mixture, then the 7-Up and finally the rest of the flour mixture.  Add the vanilla extract and mix.  Scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl well to ensure all the ingredients are fully incorporated.  Do not be concerned if the batter looks a little curdled.

Take a ½ cup of the batter and put in a small bowl.  Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of flour, the maraschino cherry juice and enough red food coloring to turn the batter red. Stir well.  Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans (about 1 big teaspoon per cup).  Gently spoon the remaining batter on top of the red batter trying not to mix the two colors but to keep in layers.

Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until the tops of the cupcakes are slightly springy and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling. (The cupcakes will puff up a bit while cooking because of the 7-Up.)

While the cupcakes are cooling, prepared the frosting.

Frosting

In a mixing bowl of an electric mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and salt on high speed until creamy.  Sift in the confectioners’ sugar and mix on low until fully combined.  Add the vanilla, lemon juice and maraschino cherry juice.  Mix to combine.

Pipe on or frost the cupcakes with the frosting and top each cupcake with a maraschino cherry.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Brined Pork Chops with Spicy Pear Chutney

As a kid, one of my favorite dinners was pork chops and applesauce.  Now that I am all grown up, I realize how so 1970’s Brady Bunch that dinner is.

It is a new decade in a new millennium and definitely time for a makeover!

Applesauce was fine when I was 8.  Now I find the sweet, one-note flavor, bland color and baby food texture just plain boring!  These days I want texture, color and complexity of flavors; a little sweet, a little spicy and a little tangy.

Spicy Pear Chutney is just the answer!  Green Anjou pears are in season now and I figured their crisp, juicy sweetness would be a perfect compliment to pork chops.  Boy was I right!  In about 15 minutes with some fresh, ripe pears, a few pantry items and a handful of dried cranberries I whipped up a side dish to make any ordinary pork chop company worthy.

This is a must try recipe!  It not only goes great with pork chops but also makes an amazing topping for pulled pork, baked chicken breasts and would even make a welcomed change as an accompaniment for your Holiday Turkey!

Now let’s talk pork chops. When I was a kid, they actually tasted good. But about 25 years ago, the pork industry answered the demand for leaner meat. They bred pigs to have less fat and as we all know, less fat means less flavor and drier meat. So in order to pump up the flavor and juiciness of cheap supermarket pork chops, brining is the answer! Brining is soaking meat in a salty water solution with some flavoring added.

Why it works:

Remember in 5th grade science class we learned about osmosis?  No, not smarter than a fifth grader?  That’s ok.  Simply put, water flows out of things that are less concentrated into things more highly concentrated. Brines have a higher concentration of salt than the water in the pork chop cells so the water flows out, the salt from the brining solution flows into the meat making the meat cells more concentrated so they draw the moisture back in.  You can read more about that here if you like but the bottom line is that brining makes tough, flavorless meat moist, tender and appetizing .

For my brine I used classic pork flavors; onion and sage. You can change up the flavor anyway you like with different herbs, spices and vegetables but keep in the basics of water, salt, sugar and vinegar.  They all play their part in the brining process.  The sugar will keep the pork chops from tasting too salty and the vinegar tenderizes the meat.

I bought 4 pork chops on sale for about $5.00, brined and grilled them, added my Spicy Pear Chutney and some steamed green beans and prepared a delicious dinner for 4 for under $10.00!  And aside from the brining time the whole meal was ready in about half an hour. How’s that for a new cooking show – Thirty Minute Gluten Free Meals for Under $10.00.  (Ok, the title needs work.)





Spicy Pear Chutney

(Printable)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
½ medium sized red onion, minced
½ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ - ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you want it)
3 fresh pears, chopped

Directions

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and minced red onion. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes until the onions start to soften. Add the dried cranberries and cook for 5 more minutes. Stir in the sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and pears. Combine well. Simmer on low heat for 5 to 10 minutes or until the pears and cranberries have softened but the pears still retain their shape. If the mixture is too liquid, turn the heat up and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Serve warm.

Makes about 2 cups.




Brined Pork Chops

(Printable)

Ingredients

4 cups water, use divided
¼ cup kosher salt
¼ cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
4 pork chops about ¾ inch thick
½ white onion, sliced
2 or 3 springs of fresh sage
Olive oil for brushing the pork chops


Directions

Combine 1 cup water with the salt, brown sugar and pepper in a small saucepan. Heat, stirring until the salt and sugar dissolve. Add 3 cups of cold water and let the mixture cool. Stir in the apple cider vinegar. Pour mixture into a glass baking dish or large freezer weight plastic storage bag. Add the pork chops, onions and sage. Refrigerate for 1 – 12 hours. Even a little bit of brining is better than none.

Take pork chops out of the fridge and rinse them well with cold water the pat dry with paper towels. Let set for about 5 minutes before cooking.

Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium high heat. Brush the pork chops with olive oil and cook for 4 minutes per side (more or less depending on the thickness of the pork chops). Remove from pan, brush the top with a little more olive oil and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 4 pork chops.

Gluten Free Pistachio Cookies - Two Ways

There are so many reasons I love this recipe it is hard to know where to start.  So let’s start with the star of this show, pistachios.

Pistachios are positively addictive and yet it is an addiction one can indulge in guilt free. They are high in protein, have no trans fats and may actually help you reduce cholesterol. They also happen to contain they highest number of nuts per serving than any other nut, great news if you are on a diet.

The second reason I am so enamored with these cookies is they are simple to make and the food processor does all the work.

This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free and grain-free. These are cookie you can feel pretty darn good about eating but of course no matter how good for you something is, if it doesn’t taste great, who cares?

Which brings me to the final reason I love these cookies, they taste delicious; intense pistachio flavor, not overly sweet, crispy on the outside with a hint of chewiness inside. In fact I loved the flavor so much I decided to make then two ways, plain and with a layer of chocolate sandwiched between.

For the Pistachio Chocolate Sandwich Cookies I decided to add a pop of red by topping with a bit of dried cranberry. I know we are currently in the dog days of summer but I am already thinking these are going to make fantastic Christmas cookies!




Gluten-free Pistachio Cookies

(Printable)

Ingredients

2¼ cups roasted, salted pistachios – use divide
1 cup granulated sugar plus more for sprinkling
2 large egg whites
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 drops green gluten free food coloring - optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with Silpat mats or parchment paper.

Roughly chop ¼ cup of the pistachios and reserve for garnish. Place the remaining 2 cups pistachios in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process the pistachios until they turn into a paste, this will take 2 or 3 minutes, scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times during the processing.

Add 1 cup sugar to the pistachio paste and process in long pulses until combined. Add the egg whites, vanilla and food coloring if using and pulse to combine. You should have a thick batter. Using a small ice cream scoop or two teaspoons, drop the cookies onto the prepared pan, spacing two inches apart. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with a little granulated sugar and the reserved chopped pistachios. Gently press the pistachios into the cookies.

Bake for 12 – 14 minutes for chewy cookies, 15 – 17 minutes for crispy cookies. The cookies should be lightly browned around the edges. Let cool on the pan for 10 minutes then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Makes about 24 cookies depending on size



Gluten-free Pistachio Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

Cookies

Same recipe as above
6 dried cranberries or cherries, halved

Prepared the cookie batter as in the recipe above. Top half of the cookies with granulated sugar, chopped pistachios and a bit of dried cranberry or cherry. Leave the other half of the cookies plain. Bake and cool as above.

Filling

½ cup dairy free dark chocolate chips
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 – 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until just melted. Keep the chocolate in the warm bowl and stir in the vanilla. It may start to seize up a little, that’s ok, just keep stirring until smooth again and thickened. Let cool. The chocolate will thicken more as it cools.

Spread some of the cooled chocolate on the flat side of the plain cookies. Top with a cookie that has the chopped pistachios and cranberries or cherries, flat side down.

Makes about 12 cookies depending on size.