Gluten Free Oatmeal Quinoa cookies

This is my version of everyone's favorite oatmeal cookie...but made with cooked quinoa!

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup raw quinoa

3/4 cup cold water

Pinch of kosher salt

6 Tablespoons coconut oil

2 eggs

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup almond meal

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp fine salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup chopped nuts such as walnuts or pecans (optional)

1/2 cup dried cranberries and/or chocolate chips (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

• In a small saucepan, bring quinoa, water and a pinch of salt to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Let cook for about 15 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Don't let it cook too long. I stop it just as the small threads start to appear.
• While the quinoa is simmering, beat eggs in a large bowl. Blend in the vanilla and maple syrup until all incorporated. Add the remaining ingredients (except for the coconut oil and the chocolate chips) and mix to combine. The batter will look very wet at this point.

• Let the batter sit on the counter while the quinoa cooks. The oats will begin to absorb the liquid and it will eventually look like this...

• When the quinoa is done, add 6 tablespoons of coconut oil to the quinoa and stir to let it melt.
• Stir the quinoa into the oatmeal batter. If you are adding chocolate chips, put the bowl with the batter in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes before adding the chips and let it cool down otherwise the chocolate chips will melt.
• Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and arrange 2 of the oven racks towards the center of the oven. They don't have to be far apart. In my oven, I use 2 notches for the racks, one directly on top of the other.
• Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Once the batter is cool, mix in the chocolate chips. Using a small ice cream scoop (mine is 2") place scoops of the cookie dough on the parchment paper. I get about 11 scoops on each baking sheet.

• Bake, checking them after 6-7 minutes and rotating the pans in the oven. Continue cooking, allowing cookies to get golden brown on bottoms and along edges.
• Let cookies cool on a wire rack. These freeze beautifully!

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A Healthy Taste of Heaven

This flourless dessert is so ridiculously delicious, so moist, and so full of decadent flavor that you have no problem missing all the fattening ingredients that usually make a dessert taste like heaven. Amazingly, the base of this brownie-like cake is ground chick peas and it is really good for you. How many desserts can you say that about? So why not go wild and top it with a dollop of fresh shlog (whipped cream) and a drizzle of chocolate syrup!

Just a side note about sugar... Cooking healthy for my family has always been about substituting healthier ingredients in my favorite recipes. Because of my gluten intolerance, I have learned how to do without white flour and turned my quest into a fun science experiment trying out different 'flours' made out of nuts, healthy grains like quinoa, or even chick peas. Sugar, however, has not been an easy ingredient to swap. If I were cooking just for myself, I would just eliminate it altogether and deal with the taste...but that is not what I am all about. My food has to taste good to my family and friends. It is what make me happy. I love to cook and I love to bring a smile to everyone around my kitchen table.
     A recent episode on Dr. Oz brought to light a problem of using agave as the 'new' sugar. For the last couple of years, I have used it in my recipes with delight, even finding large bottles of it in Costco! Along with everything else that they first claim is good for you, agave turned out to be just as bad as white sugar by quickly spiking your blood sugar. And here I tried so hard to change over traditional recipes that depended on the consistency only real sugar can give to a batter.
      The new recommended sweeteners to use (at least for this week!) are coconut palm sugar which says right on the bag that it is a low glycemic food, and the all natural sweeteners such as honey and pure maple syrup which actually have beneficial nutrients. The following recipe successfully uses a combination of coconut palm sugar and maple syrup.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup rolled oats
2 cans chick peas, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1/3 cup pure pumpkin purée (save the rest of the can in a container in the refrigerator because you will be making this again and again!)
2 tsp. vanilla
1+1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tsp. fine salt
1/2 cup coconut palm sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a brownie pan (9x12).
• Gently pulse the rolled oats in a food processor with a bottom metal blade to break up the grain. Not necessary to reduce it to a flour.
• Drain and rinse the chick peas in a fine mesh colander and add to the food processor. Run the motor again to break up the chick peas. It will not purée smoothly, but break up into smaller pieces and cling to the sides of the bowl.

• Now add the rest of the ingredients (except the chocolate chips) and run the processor until all combined and puréed. It will be a very thick batter.
• I transfer the batter to a large bowl, scraping all the deliciousness out of the processor and off the blade. Fold in the chocolate chips.
• Pour batter into brownie pan and smooth top with spatula. Bake for about 30 minutes on the center rack. Top will crack as it bakes. Test with a toothpick in the center for moist crumbs.

• After cake cools, cut into squares like a brownie. For a special presentation, top with whipped cream and chocolate syrup. I also freeze the squares in a Ziplock bag for perfectly portioned and healthy treats! Credit: This recipe is adapted from "chocolatecoveredKatie.com"

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Blueberry Crisp

What is a gluten free Jew to do on Christmas Day after the movies and Chinese food? Go home and make a GF dessert of course! With the stores closed for the holiday, I made do with what we had in the house. There is always a bag of frozen blueberries in my freezer and rolled oats in the pantry, so blueberry crisp it is!

FILLING:
4 cups frozen, unsweetened blueberries
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
Zest of one lemon
1/4 cup agave sweetener
Pinch of Kosher salt

TOPPING:
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup quick cooking GF oats
1/4 cup rolled oats
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 Tablespoons butter

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• In an ungreased baking dish, mix together the frozen blueberries, the cornstarch, lemon zest, salt and agave.
• In a small bowl, blend together the flour, the oats, the brown sugar and cinnamon. With your fingers blend the butter into the topping until evenly distributed.

• Sprinkle the topping over the blueberries in the baking dish.
• Bake for about 45 minutes or until hot, bubbly, and golden brown. Serve with your favorite whipped topping.

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Dorothy's Apple Latkes

My friend, Dorothy, would occasionally bring in Polish pancakes with kielbasa as a treat for brunch at school. As much as I will always treasure our friendship because of Dorothy's (and her mom's) culinary expertise, she is also someone I deeply admire. Dorothy, born and raised in Poland, is an extremely talented musician and earned her doctorate in this country in Viola. (All this with English as her second language!) As we all know her as Dr. Sobieski, she conducts the string orchestra at school and makes even the youngest students (with violins crafted so small that they look like toys) play like accomplished musicians. For years, my art room was next door to her music classroom and I was able to enjoy the sounds of her music all day. Her students are very lucky to have her as their mentor as I have been to have her as my friend.

Dorothy gave me her mom's apple pancake recipe, "placki z jabikami," just as they make it at home and I followed it perfectly each time to my family's delight. The tangy flavor of the sour cream is really nice. I haven't made them since changing my diet to be gluten free so this time I changed the flour to GF and also reduced the amount of flour and wet ingredients by half. This made the grated apple more of a prominent ingredient (more like a potato latke). We all loved our Polish "apple latkes" this morning! Thank you, Dorothy!

INGREDIENTS:
3 eggs, separated
1 cup light sour cream
1 cup gluten free flour (I use King Arthur brand)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2-3 apples, peeled and grated
Oil for frying (I use grapeseed oil)
Cinnamon and sugar

1. Separate eggs, placing whites in a mixing bowl and yolks in a small bowl to reserve. Beat egg whites until stiff.
2. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the yolks, sour cream, flour and salt. Fold in the grated apples.
3. Fry the latkes in small rounds on a non-stick griddle with a little oil. Cook until golden brown on both sides.
4. Sprinkle the top with a little cinnamon and sugar while they are still hot. Enjoy!

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Rice Pudding

An easy and elegant dessert for anyone with a gluten free diet is rice pudding! Mine is made with almond milk which makes it dairy free too. The almond milk gives it a slight mocha color. The pudding will not look as white as typical dairy rice pudding does, but the nutty taste of the almond milk is wonderful. When you are making this dessert, plan ahead. The finished rice pudding needs to chill in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours. Delicious served with mandel bread (see my post for a gluten free recipe) or biscotti!

Ingredients:

1 cup of arborio rice

4 cups of unsweetened almond milk, plus extra if needed (You can use regular milk instead)

1/4 cup of sugar

1/4 cup of agave sweetener (You can use all sugar or all agave if you prefer)

Pinch of kosher salt

1 tsp. real vanilla extract

Whipped topping and cinnamon for serving

• Stir together the rice and almond milk in a pot on the stove. Add the sugars, salt and vanilla. Bring this to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover and let simmer for about 40 minutes, checking every 15 minutes and stirring the pot.

• Let it simmer, covered, until all the milk has been absorbed. The rice should taste very tender. If the rice is not soft enough and there is not enough liquid to keep cooking, add another 1/4 cup or so of milk to the pot and stir together. Let it simmer away until it is soft and the consistency is how you want it for the pudding. The rice will not magically become softer after it chills. If you don't like a slight bite or texture to your pudding, you must let it cook until it is ready.

• Transfer the hot pudding to a baking dish and cover the surface of the pudding with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator.

Note: After the rice pudding chills it often gets much thicker in consistency and you may want to add a bit more milk and stir it though before spooning it into bowls. I sometimes stir in a splash of cream or my husband's half and half that he uses for his coffee. The rich and creamy flavor stirred in at the last moment is wonderful. Add your favorite whipped topping and cinnamon. Enjoy!

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Penne Pasta With Chicken, Roasted Butternut Squash, and Kale

Years ago, we ate dinner at Carmine's in Atlantic City and ordered our meal family style. I'll never forget how delicious one of the pasta dishes was! We had pasta with sausage and broccoli rabe in a bowl large enough to feed an army. Growing up in a Jewish home, I never ate things like this before and I was so impressed with the deep flavors in the dish and how the pasta was presented in one bowl with the meat and vegetables. I have been making variations of this dish at home ever since and one of my healthier versions is often made with ground turkey and broccolini and is just as delicious.

Creating a sauté of meat and vegetables in a large pan is a perfect addition for any pasta and the sauté creates a delicious sauce at the same time.  With all the ingredients, your guests will never know the pasta is gluten free! My chicken, butternut squash and kale combination was made using this same technique and the flavors work beautifully together. Note: I usually prefer fresh basil as my herb of choice for any of these pasta and sauté dishes, but I did not have any at home this time. I did have sage leaves left over from Thanksgiving so I used that instead. Sage works well with poultry and with the butternut squash so I do recommend using it here, but feel free to use whatever fresh herbs you happen to have. Delicate, fresh herbs such as basil should be added just before serving.

2 thick skinless, boneless chicken cutlets cut into strips
3 cloves of garlic
Zest of a lemon
Juice of a half a lemon
Olive oil
Kosher Salt and Pepper
2 cups fresh butternut squash, cut into a small dice
1 small onion, diced
6 leaves of fresh sage
Freshly grated nutmeg
2 cups kale, with stems removed and leafs cut coarsely into bite size pieces
1 package GF penne rigate
Grated Parmesan cheese

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bring a large pasta pot of water up to a boil on top of the stove.
• In a bowl, mix together a marinade for the chicken with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, grated or crushed garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Coat the chicken pieces with the dressing and let it marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, arrange pieces of butternut squash, onion and sage on a sheet tray. Drizzle it with olive oil and add a pinch of salt and freshly grated nutmeg. Roast in the oven until the butternut squash is tender and golden. (To make sure the squash does not stick to the tray, remove the tray from the oven every 15 minutes or so and move the pieces around and flip them over for even browning.) Do not shut off the oven when it is done. You'll need the sheet tray and the hot oven for the kale.
• Heat a large sauté pan with olive oil. Cook the marinated chicken pieces in one layer until golden on the bottom. Flip pieces over and cook through on other side. Do this in batches if there is too much chicken to cook in one layer.
• Once both the chicken and the butternut squash pieces are browned and tender, drop your pasta into the pot of boiling water. Don't forget to salt the water before adding the pasta.
• Transfer all the butternut squash from the sheet tray into the sauté pan with the chicken and stir to combine. Place a cover over the pan to keep it warm and allow all the flavors to come together.
• Arrange your kale leaves on the sheet tray you cooked the squash on and add a drizzle of a olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast the kale in the oven until crispy.
• When the pasta is almost done... just shy of al dente... Add a ladleful of pasta cooking water into the sauté pan and use your spatula or wooden spoon to scrape up any flavorful bits on the bottom of the pan and create a sauce. Then add the pasta to the sauté pan and stir to combine. Let it sit for a few minutes in the pan.
• Remove the crispy kale from the oven and just before serving, add the kale to the pasta mixture and top with grated cheese if you like.

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Cooking with Gluten Free Pasta

We have a pasta dinner at least once a week in my family. Before my diet became gluten free, a favorite meal for us would either be a baked pasta like ziti or lasagna and we would have delicious leftovers for another day, or I would cook a pot of fresh pasta and pair that with a hearty meat sauce. Before the newer versions of GF pastas came out on the market, I could never just substitute brown rice pasta for regular semolina pasta and get away with calling it dinner at my table! It was awful in taste, gummy in texture, and could never stand up to leftovers. This meant making regular pasta for everyone else and boiling a separate pot of water for my portion of noodles. I was so happy to be able to eat anything remotely similar to pasta that I didn't complain much about the extra pots, strainers, and utensils to clean.

About a year ago, we were invited to our friends' apartment in Manhattan. Vicki's son, Ned, was in charge of making a dinner for us and he was sweet enough to make sure that even I could partake in the meal. He found a brand of GF pasta in one of the specialty shops in the city called "Bionaturae" Organic Gluten Free Pasta. What a difference it made! We could not tell that it wasn't "real" pasta. Reading the package, I saw that this pasta was a mixture of rice, corn and soy. A blend like this helps to create a better taste and texture. I was able to find this brand of pasta near my home at stores like Wegman's, Whole Foods and even Stop and Shop, and I now always keep packages of Bionaturae's penne, elbows, and fusilli in my pantry to grab for any night of the week. Thank you Ned!

• The biggest lesson I learned from this experience is to never buy a single ingredient pasta. Corn pasta by itself is just as horrible as rice pasta. Always look for a mix of at least two different grains for the best taste and texture.
• One of the most important tips I learned from watching my favorite chefs on television make their pasta dishes is something that becomes even more crucial with GF pasta. Rachel Ray, Mario Batali, and Lydia Bastianich all say it is important to cook your pasta a little shy of al dente and then let your pasta continue to "cook" in the pan with the sauce as you stir the entire dish together. This not only coats all of the pasta, but it imparts flavor into the actual noodle. By the time you are ready to serve a dish prepared this way, any kind of noodle would be delicious!
• I have also learned to use the salted pasta cooking water as part of the sauce. It somehow acts a binder, helping the sauce stick to the noodles and it makes a healthier addition (it is just starchy water after all) than using oil, heavy cream, or butter to make more sauce. In order to have this water on hand when I finish up the sauce, I find it easier to scoop my cooked pasta out of the water with a big spider (or a slotted spoon) and transfer the pasta into the pan with the sauce instead of pouring the entire pot of water over a strainer in the sink. This way, you don't have to go to the trouble of remembering to save some of the water.

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