Grain-Free Cheese Crackers

it is may... and along with its flowers (or a possible snow flurry on thursday if you live near me - seriously?) may brings with it the honor of celiac awareness month. 

be sure to check out national foundation for celiac awareness' page to see what events, activities and information they have included in celebration of this month.

but first... today i took on a favorite in my family. my people love cheese crackers. cheddar bunnies, goldfish, cheez-its... all of them. my son, as all good-ol' american kids do, loves to snack on them. my husband, who typically limits his carbohydrates with iron-clad restraint, will down an entire bag of cheese crackers with a glass of milk if unsupervised. 

i've not had one cheese cracker in over 6 years... until today.

not only are these crackers gluten-free, but also grain-free. and because they're made of almond flour and some whey protein, at least snacking on too many of these means a little bit of added protein too.

best of all, i got two sets of thumbs up from my cheese cracker enthusiasts! too bad i have to share... now, i can't stop eating them.

Grain-Free Cheese Crackers

105   grams (about 3/4 cup) almond meal (i used trader joe's)
105   grams (about 3/4 cup) tapioca flour
1       tablespoon whey protein
1       teaspoon salt
1/4    teaspoon onion powder
1/8    teaspoon turmeric
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4    cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
3       tablespoons ice water

Combine first 7 ingredients in the bowl of a food processor; pulse until well-combined. Add butter and pulse until mixture looks like coarse meal.With processor running slowly add ice water until mixture forms a ball.

Remove dough onto large piece of parchment. Cover with another large piece of parchment and roll dough into a large rectangle, about 1/8-inch thick. Place on a baking sheet. Chill dough for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°. Remove top layer of parchment and discard. Cut dough into 1-inch squares with a pizza cutter. Poke a hole in the center of square with a toothpick, if desired. Separate squares on parchment so no squares are touching. Bake at 350° for 20-22 minutes or until edges are barely browned. Allow to cool; store in airtight container.

Red Quinoa & Cranberry Salad

"here comes the sun.... and i say, it's all right."

this winter has not been an easy one. it has snowed every month since we moved to kansas in february (including this past tuesday... honestly). countless dreary, cold, rainy days too. hibernation could be an appropriate word for what i've been doing.

ahhh, but today was lovely... full of soul-feeding sunshine, blue skies, and pleasant temperatures.

hallelujah... cause this girl needs her sunlight. days like today make me want to cook and eat delicious, healthy salads.

this salad is a hit with my boy (who is also beyond thrilled that daddy just bought him an enormous outdoor trampoline). it's a great vegetarian main dish or perfect as a side for grilled chicken.

here's hoping for an abundance of trampoline-jumping, salad-eating, vitamin d-inducing, "all right" days from here forward.

Red Quinoa & Cranberry Salad

1        cup red quinoa 

2        cups water

2/3     cup dried, sweetened cranberries

3        green onions, sliced diagonally into 1/4-slices

2        cloves garlic, minced

1/2     cup chopped pecans, toasted

2        tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint

2        tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

1/4     cup olive oil

2        tablespoons champagne vinegar

1        tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1        tablespoon honey

1/2     teaspoon salt

1/4     teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Combine quinoa and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Set aside to cool.

Combine cranberries, green onions, garlic, pecans, mint, and parsley in a medium bowl. Stir in quinoa. 

Combine oil and remaining ingredients; stir well. Pour oil mixture over quinoa mixture; stir well. Chill or serve immediately.

       

Recipe Redux: Chocolate-Espresso Cupcakes

what a week... i think we all agree that our hearts go out to the city of boston and the tiny town of west.

cs lewis said that pain is God’s “megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” i believe it is true. prayers are lifted, humanity joins together, and our souls unite for justice, peace, and hope. suffering works to focus our distracted attention from the frivolous and brings us back to the things that are most valuable. i hope we can hang onto those precious and eternal things we have all been crudely reminded of these past days...

meanwhile, we breathe easier after friday night, knowing righteousness is alive in boston. bad guys still get got. and, Lord, may they be the end of that story. as for west, the sweet little town i’ve driven through hundreds of times on i-35, where i’ve purchased boxes of kolaches (in my gluten-eating days) and even polka-ed in their meeting hall... prayers of comfort continue for you.

these big things do help put my own things in perspective. i continue to give thanks and sow seeds of joy, even with the small. and am so grateful to have moments to return to some of the simple things that bring smiles and comfort to my own life.

a few of those things are listed here... 1. baking 2. chocolate 3. coffee 4. cupcakes 5. this blog.

it’s been several months since i’ve had the time to participate in the recipe redux. however, when i read that this month’s “challenge” was all about cupcakes, i knew that the list above could all be joined together in a very hopeful way. while watching the man-hunt in boston playing out on my television screen, my son at preschool... these were born.

i will admit that they aren’t tremendously “redux-ed” to the perfect picture of health. it’s a cupcake. and i believe a cupcake is a classic that deserves to occasionally reserve a place in everyone’s life. and like cupcakes, chocolate, and coffee have at times gotten a bad rap for being unhealthy. however...

dark chocolate and natural cocoa have been documented in more than 250 studies as having tremendous health benefits, specifically with respect to cardiovascular health, cholesterol, and blood pressure. not to mention the serotonin release that brings on that happy chocolate feeling. according to hershey, "recent research suggests that cocoa powder has significantly higher flavanol levels than other popular super fruit powders such as pomegranate, cranberry, acai and blueberry. natural cocoa contains more than 700 phytonutrient compounds, some of which research is just beginning to uncover."

coffee has recently been receiving some rather glowing press too. studies are showing that moderate amounts coffee can lower your risk for parkinson's disease, dementia, stroke, and certain cancers.

alone they are obviously delightful. together they pull out the best in each other's flavors. "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts."

chocolate. coffee. cupcakes. for me... a simple recipe for joy.

Chocolate-Espresso Cupcakes

For Cupcakes:

1/2       cup brewed, cooled coffee

1/3       cup dark chocolate cocoa powder

1          tablespoon espresso powder

1          teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2       cup melted, cooled coconut oil
1          cup sugar

2          large eggs

1  1/2   cups (210 grams) kumquat's all-purpose flour or other gluten-free flour

1          teaspoon baking soda

1          teaspoon baking powder

1/4       teaspoon salt

1/2       cup buttermilk

For Frosting:

1/2       cup butter

1/4       cup dark or regular cocoa powder

1/4       teaspoon espresso powder

3          tablespoons brewed, cooled coffee

1/2       teaspoon vanilla extract

4         ounces bittersweet chocolate (60% cocoa or higher), melted and cooled

8         ounces powdered sugar

For Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.

Combine coffee, cocoa powder, espresso powder, vanilla, coconut oil, sugar and eggs in a large bowl. In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients to coffee mixture; stir well. Add buttermilk to mixture and stir until well-combined.

Divide batter evenly among cupcake liners. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until pick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

For Frosting:
Beat butter with a mixer (stand mixer, if you can) until pale and fluffy. Add cocoa powder, espresso powder, cooled coffee, vanilla, and cooled chocolate. Beat until well-combined. Add powdered sugar and beat until frosting is nicely spreadable, but not stiff. (add more coffee, if frosting is too stiff.) Try not to eat the entire bowl prior to frosting cupcakes.
Yield: 12 cupcakes.
 *recipe inspired by this one.

* this recipe was originally published with an ingredient error,  but has been corrected.

"Oreo" & Peanut Butter Brownie Cakes

oh, facebook. 

what did we do with all of our time when we weren't peeking into the lives of family, friends and acquaintances. honestly though, being a military wife, facebook truly is a gift to be able to keep up with all of the people i love all over this big planet. i love seeing photos of kiddos as they grow and to get little highlights of life events as they occur. but... 

 then there are my foodie friends... they post things like this... oreo and peanut butter brownie cakes. 

and then i'm forced to see if i can make them gluten-free. forced.

thanks, josh. stupid facebook.

"Oreo"* & Peanut Butter Brownie Cakes

Cooking spray

1 box Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Brownie mix 

Milk 

1 package Kinnikinnick (i used these) or Glutino chocolate sandwich cookies 

Peanut Butter 

Preheat oven to 350°. Generously spray a muffin tin with cooking spray.

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions, but add enough milk to thin the batter a bit (about 1/2 to 1 cup). 

For each cake, spread a bit of peanut butter over 2 cookies and stack them on top of each other. Place cookie stacks into prepared muffin cups. 

Pour prepared brownie batter into muffin tins over each stack of cookies. Allow to fill tin. (If you have left over brownie batter, bake separately in a muffin tin.) Bake at 350° for 23-25 minutes or until brownies are cooked through. Cool completely before removing from tins.

 Yield: 10 cakes.

*i hope it goes without saying, but OREO cookies contain gluten. if you must eat gluten-free, please do NOT use OREO, but opt for the Kinnikinnick or Glutino gluten-free versions.