Amaretto Pear Cobbler (Gluten Free)

You can use just about any fruit with this recipe but I was feeling like the winter weather meant I needed to go with the something like apple or pear... in the summertime I could see it as a cobbler with nectarines, peaches or berries...

Amaretto Pear Cobbler

• 1 3/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/4 cup potato flour
• 2 Tablespoons corn starch
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup cane sugar 
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 6 Tablespoons soft butter
• 1 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 large egg

For filling: 

• 3 cups fruit (in this case I used pears)
• 1 tablespoon amaretto liquor
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 1/2 cup cane sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease casserole dish.

2. In a large bowl mix brown rice flour, potato flour, corn starch, baking soda, baking powder, cane sugar, and sea salt.

3. Add soft butter and mix. 

4. In a small bowl beat buttermilk with egg and then add to batter mix. Mix till combined.

5. Mix cornstarch with sugar and then toss sliced up fruit till coated. You can prepare the fruit to your own preference. I used peeled and sliced pears in this instance. 

6. Drizzle mix with amaretto liquor and toss. 

7. Spoon batter into greased casserole dish until bottom is covered. Gently add fruit filling. 

8. Spoon remaining filling on top of fruit. Sprinkle top with 1-2 tablespoons of cane sugar, this will give the top a sugary sparkle. 

9. Place in oven and bake for 50 minutes or until the top is golden brown. 

10. Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Excellent with a side of home whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. 

xoxo- Iris

Quick Buttermilk Fresh Baked Sweet Sorghum Bread (Gluten Free)

I decided if I ever owned a Cafe that my guests would be treated to a warm basket of mini loafs of this bread with soft butter. I can think of no more welcoming way to say to my guests "you have entered a gluten free zone and it is delicious!"

This was actually my first foray into baking for Sweet Sorghum Flour and I wasn't sure what to expect. I tried googling descriptions of the taste and came up empty handed. So to clarify it tastes a bit like a mild sweet corn. In the nutritional scheme of things Sorghum flour is higher in protein than rice flour but if you are using rice flour then brown rice is nutritionally superior to white, higher in protein and lower in calories.

Quick Buttermilk Sweet White Sorghum Bread

• 1 cup White Sweet Sorghum Flour
• 3/4 cup Brown Rice Flour
• 1/4 cup Potato Flour
• 2 Tablespoons corn starch
• 1/2 cup cane sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup buttermilk (if your buttermilk is thicker you may need an additional 1/4 cup)
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350. Grease 3 x 8 bread pan with either butter, shortening or a cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl combine all dry ingredients flours through salt and mix thoroughly. 

3. In a smaller bowl combine buttermilk, egg and oil and beat. 

4. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix gently till just combined.

5. Immediately transfer into prepared pan. I find if you wait too long the dry ingredients will start to absorb the moisture so you want to do this immediately to achieve the nicest shape. 

6. Place in preheated oven and bake for 50 minutes to an hour or until the top of the loaf is a dark golden and when you look at the side of the loaf you can see that it has turned golden too. If your loaf is too dark on top and seems light on the side you can cover the top once it is par baked and continue to bake. This will allow the sides to darken and not over brown the top. 

7. Remove baked loaf from the oven and permit to cool for about 20 minutes before removing from pan and slicing. 

I loved this loaf fresh from the oven with a generous smear of butter. It tastes like a very delicate corn bread and satisfies all cravings for fresh baked bread. This bread would be great with jam or perhaps a nice creamy brie cheese. 

Enjoy! xoxo - Iris

Cantaloupe Honey Sorbet

Ripe sweet melons are one of the best things about summertime. In recent years I started purchasing Tuscan Cantaloupe. Tuscan Cantaloupe is a sweeter variety of cantaloupe, the good news is that it is not genetically modified, they are a hybrid melon developed through conventional cross breeding to produce a particularly sweeter melon. I like the sugary almost floral fragrance of the melon.

Of course I must talk about the benefits of eating cantaloupe as well! They are vitamin rich in A, C and beta-carotene. Cantaloupe reduces stress because it is high in potassium which reduces stress and anxiety by promoting good heart health and increasing oxygen to your brain. Also, like some of my other favorite foods to talk about, cantaloupe is an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory. So you can go ahead and add this melon to your list of super-foods!

Cantaloupe Honey Sorbet

• 1 average size Tuscan Cantaloupe (you can use a regular but make sure it is super ripe!)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 lemon

Directions:

1. Slice and cube melon, remove rind and seeds and place into blender with water. 

2.  Blend till melon is completely liquified. 

3. Add honey and juice of the lemon. 

4. Puree until completely combined. 

5. Taste mixture to determine sweetness, depending on the level of sweetness of the melon you may want to add more honey. 

6. Use ice cream maker to process mixture. I have a Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt and Ice Cream Maker. 

7. Serve frozen!

Enjoy! xoxo - Iris

Matza/Masa Ball Soup Gluten Free Recipe

I LOVE matza ball soup but when I tried to make it with gluten free crackers they were a bit dense. The flavor wasn't bad but the texture was all off. As a vegetarian I have not had the pleasure of enjoying a bowl of matza ball soup at Canter's but my own version back in my wheat eating days was certainly delightful.

I made these dumplings with a slightly Mexican themed broth however I think that you could probably use whatever broth you like and it would definitely effect the overall tone of the dish. You can taste the corn of the masa but primarily they are like a nice light matza ball that soaks up all the heartiness of the broth in which it is served.

Matza/Masa Ball Soup

• 3 eggs
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 cup masa flour

1. Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. 

2. In a small size bowl mix the egg yolks with the salt, pepper, garlic powder and melted butter. I was staying simple with this but if you want a more matza ball style dumpling you could add some finely diced parsley too, about a tablespoon. 

3. Beat the egg whites in a large bowl till soft peaks form. 

4. Alternately fold in the egg yolk mix and the masa to the egg whites. You want to mix thoroughly but not lose the fluffiness that separately beating the egg white imparts on the dumplings. 

5. Heat your broth... I used a tomato vegetable based broth and added a little cumin and bay leaf but this works in an onion or mushroom broth, for meat eaters you could use a chicken soup base. 

6. Once the broth is at a low boil, lower heat. Shape dumplings by rolling into 1 inch balls and setting aside on a plate. 

7. Drop dumplings into heated broth and cook for about 10 minutes or until the dumplings rise to the top. 

8. Turn off heat and let sit for approximately 15 minutes. The soup should still be warm but its nice to let the dumplings really soak up some of the flavor from the broth without overcooking them. 

You can serve warm right away or reheat later, it keeps very nicely and the dumpling do not get soggy in the broth. They should be firm but tender and porous enough to really soak up the flavors from your broth. 

Enjoy! xoxo - Iris

Strawberry Rhubarb Oatmeal Crumble

When I was a kid I used to receive these care packages from my grandmother, especially around the holidays. They always contained these raison oatmeal bars. The raisons were so sugary that the the syrup would soak into the oatmeal and I would pull the raisons off and eat just the oatmeal cookie portion of the bars. 

When my grandmother passed a few years ago I went on a mission to find the recipe for the raison bars, it's the kind of thing you never think to ask for and then when you realize it's gone you really miss it. 

I eventually came up with a recipe but still I think it wasn't the same since it didn't come in a box, all squished from shipping with that same loving touch that only a grandma can impart on a box of baked goods. 

This recipe is like a compilation of my childhood as strawberry rhubarb pie was also a favorite of mine. Here I marry together the simplicity of the oat bar with a less cloying filling than the original raisons cooked in sugar. To me this is the perfect gluten free summer treat and can be served warm or cool and eaten plain or a la mode to suit your mood!

Strawberry Rhubarb Oatmeal Crumble

• 1 cup gluten free rolled oats
• 1/2 cup oatmeal flour
• 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/8 cup potato flour
• 1/8 cup corn starch
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup butter (use butter subsitute if you wish to make this dairy free/vegan)
• 2 cups chopped rhubarb
• 2 cups diced fresh strawberries
• 1 cup cane sugar
• 3 tablespoons corn starch

1. Preheat oven to 350. 

2. Mix together diced rhubarb, strawberries, cane sugar and cornstarch in a sauce pan. Cook on low temperature till thick and bubbly. Turn off heat.

3. Combine all dry ingredients with butter. 

4. Press half of oat mixture into bottom of greased 9x9 pan. Pour cooked fruit mixture on top. 

5. Top with remaining oat mixture. 

6. Bake until top is golden brown and set. 

7. Serve warm or cooled. Particularly delicious a la mode!

Enjoy! xoxo - Iris

How to Make Watermelon Lime Jam!

This is first my first video "how to" please enjoy!

Gluten Free Spaetzle, German Noodle/Dumpling

I got this new light box for photographing my food dishes. I've been working on a gluten free cookbook for Thanksgiving so I wanted to be sure that I was going to get consistant high quality pictures of the dishes. I think that I need bigger lights in the long run but I'm decently pleased with my first use of the box. 

Today I decided to tackle spatetzle. Spaetzle is a German noodle/dumpling. It can be served topped with grilled onions and cheese or mushroom paprikash. I prepared mine boiled and then pan fried in butter but you can serve it straight from boiling.

Gluten Free Spaetzle with mushroom paprikash sauce.

Gluten Free Spaetzle

• 1/3 cup brown rice flour
• 1/3 cup potato flour
• 1/3 cup potato starch
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons butter

1. Mix together dry ingredients.

2. Beat eggs and add to dry mixture with milk till combined. 

3. Boil pot of salted water. 

3. There is something called a spaetzle maker but I used a flat cheese grater and pressed the dough through into the boiling water. This makes inconsistant noodle dumplings but thats part of the delicious appeal. 

4. Once dumpling/noodles float the top of the boiling water strain into a colander. 




5. Heat a large skillet and add the butter. Once pan is very hot toss in the boiled spaetzle. Fry till some of the dumpling have golden brown spots. 

6. Serve as you wish or eat with just a little salt and pepper! This would probably serve 2 people but if you want to eat a lot of it then double the recipe. 

Enjoy! xoxo - Iris

Pan butter fried gluten free spaetzle.

Cold Summer Beet Soup or "Is that an anti-inflammatory or are you just happy to see me?"

I've been eating cold beet soup since I was a kid... there is nothing in the world more beautiful than the color of beets and the fact that they are edible is just fabulous!

Saturday night I was having a girls night with one of my best friends, nail polish, hair curling and a viewing of Amelie were all involved. When I asked her what her request for dinner was she immediately asked for the beet soup I had made a few weeks prior for a dinner party... the beet soup had made her a total convert.

Some people think beets taste dirty, I think its more of an earthiness and really you just have to have them prepared and seasoned properly. I once dated a man who had only ever had canned asparagus *shutter* and when I served him steamed asparagus with hollandaise sauce his mind was forever changed.

And why are beets an excellent addition to your diet? That gorgeous color comes from betacyanins and are antioxidants and anti-inflammatories, reduces cancer risk, and the beet fiber promotes digestive and cardiovascular health.

More on the benefits of beets from Whole Foods.

Also the reason I love this soup is because its refreshing, delicious, filling and EASY to make!

Cold Beet Soup

• 5 medium/small beets
• 2 cups cold water
• 1 Tablespoon vegetarian Better than Bouillon
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon salt

This is a very unprecise recipe. Much of what I am going to describe here is really based on personal preference. 

1. Depending on the size of your beets you will want to cut them into more manageable pieces to boil or leave whole. Peel your beets and add to cold salted water. I once read that you must boil things from the earth in cold water but things from above ground can be cooked in warmed water... 

2. Cook beets until soft to the piercing of a fork... not mushy just soft. 

3. Strain beets and then place in blender. Add 2 cups cold water and 1 tablespoon vegetarian Better than Bouillon and salt. You could alternately use cold vegetable stock here but I like the taste of the Better then Bouillon because I find I can add more if I want it to taste more vegetably without watering down the soup. 

4. Once beets are pureed add 1/2 cup sour cream and continue to blend till completely smooth texture has been achieved. 

5. At this point I modify to taste, the beets have a naturally wonderful sweetness to them but you might want more saltiness and you can adjust this by adding more bouillon paste or salt depending on your preference or if you want the soup a little creamier you can add more sour cream. I personally leave the soup less creamy and serve with a dollop of sour cream on top, this makes for a lovely presentation and you can stir it in to get that creamier soup. 

If you serve this soup immediately it will still be slightly warm from the boiled beets and is tasty that way too... but if you make it ahead you can chill it and serve the cold soup with gluten free crackers and cheese. 

Enjoy! xoxo - Iris

PS: Warning about beet consumption: The red pigmentation of the beets WILL effect the color of your urine and BM so don't be alarmed if you pee a little pink after. :) They even have a name for it, its called beeturia, it is caused by the unmetabalized betalain pigment and so its intensity will vary person to person. 

Coconut Flour Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies! Gluten Free! Grain Free!

I've recently begun seeing a naturopath, we're working on getting my health back to its optimal condition and I'm finding it to be an amazing experience. He's recommended a handful of supplements for my diet and the one I'm having difficulty getting down is octanoic acid.

I began searching the internet to find out what natural sources of octanoic acid exist, also known as caprylic acid. The benefit of caprylic/octanoic acid is that it restores the beneficial bacteria to your gut. So for those of you who are dealing with long term gluten sensitivity damage you will find this to be a wonderful addition to your diet. Specifically it addresses candida infections in the gut.

Caprylic acid is found in various milks, specifically goat's milk and also in palm and coconut oil. I LOATHE goat's milk cheese and the thought of the foot-odor infused dairy product makes me cringe... However I am all about getting myself healthy... I'm even thinking I will try some goat's milk yogurt in the coming days and I promise to report back.

Coconut oil though is actually recommended as a supplement so I decided naturally that while I can begin to add the oil to my diet (I've read online to start with 1 TBL and work up to 3 per day) I also can add coconut in other ways to my diet.

For more on why coconuts are a miracle food check out the Coconut Research Center.

Some basic highlights are: improves digestion and bowel function, protects against osteoporosis, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.  

So I picked up a bag of organic coconut flour at whole foods last week. A few years ago I had attempted a coconut flour crust which proved to be vile so I approached this culinary adventure with a wee bit of apprehension. I did some research online for cookie recipes that I thought might provide some guidance. Coconut flour seems to be popular within the paleo community so I found recipes that tended to be be on the "healthier" side than what I was striving for. If I'm making a darn cookie I want it to be a cookie!

This took a bit of experimentation but what follows I consider to be a successfully delicious coconut flour cookie recipe.

Gluten Free Coconut Flour Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 Tablespoon gluten free vanilla extract (I recommend Spice Island)
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup half and half (you could can also use milk or a dairy free milk like almond or coconut, I just had half and half in my fridge)
• 1 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 1/2 cup strawberry jelly or other flavor of your choice.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Foil and butter baking sheets.

2. In a mixer combine peanut butter, honey, vanilla, egg and brown sugar and milk, beat till combined.

3. Add Coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix till all ingredients combine. 

4. Chill dough in fridge for 15 minutes. 

5. Remove dough from fridge and with moist hands (I make sure my hands are very clean and then and I just run them under a little water) roll into 1 inch balls and place on sheet. I suggest moist hands because this dough is very sticky and keeping your hands moist (not dripping wet) really seems to help the process. 

6. With your finger tip (moist) press and indent into the center of each cookie. This creates the spot for your jelly. 

7. Fill each indent with a drop of jelly (you can use jam too.)

8. Bake in oven for 8 minutes. You will find that these cookies puff a little but they do not spread and also they do not brown that much on the top so while you are looking for them to be golden underneath don't over bake them. 

9. Once removed from oven allow to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet and then remove with a spatula. The cookies are not stackable because of the jelly and they stay very moist and chewy after they have cooled, store them in tupperware. 

My first bite I did notice the flavor of the coconut but my friend who was hanging out with me said she noticed it less... now I really only taste the peanut butter but the texture of coconut is still evident. I really like these cookies and they are a great alternative for those seeking a grain free (and corn free!) diet. 

Enjoy! xoxo! Iris

Gluten Free Banana Cheesecake

I first envisioned this cake on my friend Erika's birthday. I adore cheesecake in general but have been seeking out new flavor profiles. I am a huge lover of citrus so of course I gravitate toward flavors like key lime. I had no idea how wonderfully banana cheesecake would be and its immediately become a favorite of many of my friends.

This is not your typical dense cheesecake and I learned a wonderful trick from a cashier at the Smart and Final that with solve that horrid problem of cracking cheesecake. The use of condensed milk in the recipe makes it a nearly fool proof recipe as well as needing little additional sugar.

Gluten Free Banana Cheesecake

• 2 eggs
• 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (8 oz) package full fat cream cheese
• 1/8 cup cane sugar
• 4 ripe bananas
• 4 Tablespoons corn starch
• 2 cups gluten free Trader Joes' Ginger Snaps
• 3 Tablespoons soft butter
• 1 cup almonds

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

2. Prepare gluten free cheesecake crust by dumping 2 cups of gluten free Trader Joes' Ginger Snap cookies in your food processor and blending till crumb texture has been met. Add 1 cup of whole raw almonds. Pulse till almonds are ground into cookie crumble and add 3 tablespoons soft butter. Alternately if you can not get to a Trader Joes easily you can make a plain almond crust with ground almonds, cane sugar, butter and a few tablespoons of water till a moist crumb texture has been found. You can season the almonds as well with various spices like ground dry ginger or cinnamon.

3. Place crust crumble into the bottum of spring form pan. Press gently into place. 

4. Clean food processor and combine cream cheese, ripe peels bananas, sugar, cream cheese, corn starch and condensed sweetened milk. Blend till completely smooth and combined. 

5. Pour cheesecake filling on top of crust and bake in oven for 30 minutes or until just set across the entirety of the cake.

6. Cool on counter top for an hour, loosen with a knife and then pop off spring form ring.

7. Chill in the fridge. Serve with homemade sweetened whipped cream. I like to use whiskey in my whipped cream in place of vanilla extract for this particular recipe. 

Of course once chilled this dessert can be served the same day but I have found that waiting one allows the banana flavor to fully ripen in the cake. Its also important that you use fully ripe bananas as they will provide for the sweetest and strongest flavor. 

Enjoy! xoxo - Iris