GF Gingery Gingersnaps

I love a good chewy (but still soft) gingersnap (molasses) cookie. Today I tried my hand, using GF flour and used coconut oil (as well as butter). Fresh ginger, five spice powder and other tasties made this an over the top cookie! They are for sure hard to resist! They also would be LOVELY as an ice cream sandwich!

• 2 cups GF flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp grated nutmeg
• ½ tsp five spice powder
• ½ tsp sea salt
• ¼ cup unsalted butter (melted & cooled)
• ¼ cup virgin coconut oil (melted & cooled)
• ¼ cup unsulfured molasses
• ½ cup coconut sugar
• 1/3 cup organic turbinado sugar
• 3 Tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 large egg

• ½ cup of turbinado sugar additional for rolling cookie dough for baking

• Position racks in oven and turn to 350 degrees
• Line cookie sheets - can use parchment or Silipat’s

• In a medium size bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, spices and sea salt
• In a separate large bowl, whisk together the butter & coconut oil, molasses,
brown sugar, turbinado sugar, 3 Tbsp of grated ginger and egg.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
• Mix well and chill - for at least one hour

• Put the ½ cup of turbinado in a small shallow bowl

• Using a tablespoon, scoop out a ball of dough
• Roll dough into a small ball (1 inch diameter) and then roll in the turbinado sugar
• Place on cookie sheet approx 2 inches apart (12 dough balls fit perfect)
• Bake 10 - 12 minutes (I went w/ 11) rotating sheets ½ way through baking process
• Transfer cookies to wire racks / cutting board to cool.
• Makes approx 4 dozen cookies.
• Store cookies between sheets of waxed paper in airtight container.


Bon Appetit!

Summertime Black Bean Salad

Last Friday my sweet husband was making the trek home from his work week and in preparation for his return, I went about soaking organic black beans for his weekly “batch” of black beans. No sooner, had I poured the water over them to soak, John called and notified me that he would have to return to Albany this week, to finish up the install job he is working on. OMG - my first thought was, what am I going to do with all of these beans? For while he LOVES black beans, I am just okay with them. That said I was going to have a LOT of black beans on hand. Putting my thinking cap on, I decided to try my hand at a black bean salad. With so much lovely fresh corn and other goodies available at the local produce stand, I went there straight-away. The salad turned out “muy bueno”, great flavor and excellent “staying” power, in that we had it on a bed of greens both Saturday and Sunday and today, it was just the right filling for Johne’s road “wrap”. So without further ado - here is my latest creation. Note - most ingredients are "organic" as I prefer them when they are available and fit into our food budget.

Ingredients for salad

• 3 cups of organic black beans, cooked but still firm (drained of all moisture)
• 2 large ears of fresh corn / cooked & removed from the cob
• ¼ cup red bell pepper, chopped fine
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 medium shallot minced
• 2 slices of red onion, chopped fine
• ½ cup of Jicama cubed
• ¼ cup cilantro chopped coarse
• 1 avocado, can chop up or slice, as the topping/garnish for this salad

Ingredients for dressing

• ¼ cup fresh lime juice (approx. 2 limes juiced)
• ¼ cup virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Agave syrup
• cumin and chili powder (use according to your audience and tastebuds)
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

To make the salad

• Combine the beans, corn and other salad ingredients/ toss lightly together
• Mix the dressing
• Pour over the black bean mixture, being careful to NOT overdress
• Chill for several hours/ or overnight
• Serve on a bed of lettuce (fresh red leaf is what I used, using the whole leaf)
• Garnish w/ sliced avocado
• Serve at room temperature

Last but not least!! Bon Appetit!

OMG Figgy Bars

Okay, so this is a record, posting twice in the same day...but let's just say I am catching up from being so poky in my posting efforts. This recipe is another GF recipe and for all of you Gluten Free lovers this is a serious to die for desert! Tweaked it from another recipe for our dear "Fairmaiden" awhile back and it is safe to say that this one receives RAVE reviews. Even better, they have a wonderful shelf life, of course that is, if you don’t inhale /consume them rapidly. They do not have to be refrigerated, but they do require “sitting and settling” for a few hours before you can dig/slice in.

OMG Figgy Bars (serves approximately 16 generous slices)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees
Tools - one 9 inch pie pan (I used my Emile Henry ceramic pie dish)
Parchment paper

Fruit topping
• ½ cup of figs (can use dried Mission/Black or Calimyrna)
• ½ cup of craisins
• 1/3 cup pomegranate juice
• 1/3 cup fresh orange juice (I used Knudsen’s orange/carrot)
• ½ of a vanilla bean - sliced open to expose the seeds
• 2 star anise pods
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 - 2 tablespoons of fresh grated ginger
**Or - ½ packet of Prince of Peace honey ginger crystals

Combine the figs/craisins and the remaining ingredients in a small saucepan.Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce and simmer gently, approx 20 minutes. Remove large chunks of spices. Place in a small food processor and coarsely mash the fruit into a thick paste. Set aside to cool.

Bar crust
• ¼ cup of almond meal
• ¼ cup of cashew meal
• ½ cup of flaked unsweetened coconut
• ¼ cup coconut flour
• 1 cup of GF flour
• ¾ cup rolled GF extra thick oats
• ¾ cup coconut palm sugar
• 1 teaspoon (or more) of cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 12 tablespoons of coconut oil (freeze slightly and cut into chunks)

Combine the first eight ingredients and mix together well on low speed. Add in the butter chunks turn up to medium speed until the mixture pulls together into coarse crumbs (takes approx 3 - 5 minutes).

Set aside 1 cup of the coarse crumbs for the topping. Firmly press the remaining crumb mixture into the bottom of a glass 8 inch square baking pan, lined with parchment paper. Scatter the reserved 1 cup topping over the fruit, press down lightly. IF desired, sprinkle a wee bit of sea salt to get a sweet / salty hit (LOVE! sweet and salt).

Bake in the middle of the oven until lightly browned, 30 - 35 minutes (might take longer, based on altitude and modified ingreds and they do look gooey/runny while baking). Remove from the oven and cool completely. Slice into bars and store. These hold up well in terms of freshness.

Bon Appetit!

GF oatmeal muffins

A request after a Facebook posting earlier today, prompted me to post the following “muffin” recipe. Sad but true, it has been awhile since I have posted anything. And as with my last posting, there are no excuses, I simply haven’t felt compelled to post. That all said… This one’s for you Lori Shepard Naon!!

This recipe comes from my first cookbook ever. My parents gifted me with the classic Betty Crocker in 1973 and it remains one my “go-to” cookbooks for basic recipes, in which I can alter, adapt or “doctor”. As I continue to venture into the land of experimentation of recipes (think Food Alchemist) today, I decided to put a spin on this recipe and turned it into a gluten free treat.

Gluten Free Oatmeal Muffins

• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk (can subs. coconut milk)
• ½ cup blend of organic turbinado and coconut sugar
• 1/3 cup of organic coconut oil
• 1 cup organic GF oats
• ½ cup of Bob’s Red Mill GF mix
• 2 Tablespoons of Almond Meal
• 2 Tablespoons of Coconut Flour
• 1 generous Tablespoon of micro-planed orange zest
• cinnamon (I use a generous 2 teaspoons)
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 12 FAT marionberries

Silicone baking cups
(I use these so I do not have to use cooking spray, butter etc)

• Heat oven to 400 degrees.
• Place silicone baking cups into a muffin pan -or- spray a muffin pan lightly

• Beat egg
• Add in buttermilk, cinnamon, orange zest , mix well
• Partially melt the coconut oil and add in to the wet mixture
• Stir in remaining dry ingredients, JUST until the flour/oats are moistened
• Batter should be lumpy.

Fill muffin cups 2/3’s full
Place on FAT marionberry into the top of each muffin
Sprinkle with cinnamon/ coconut sugar

Bake for 20 minutes - rotate the pan after the first 10.
Cool...and as Julia would say…Bon Appétit!!