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

Cheddar Potato Cakes

These are the best "what do I do with these leftover mash potatoes?" recipe ever!! I have made several variations on it but I think this is by far the yummiest. 

The cakes are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, you can serve them with eggs on the side but I ate them for breakfast with catsup and was more than happy. 

Cheddar Potato Cakes

• 2 cups mashed potatoes
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar
• 1/2 cup corn flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup corn oil

1. Mix mashed potatoes with egg, brown rice flour, corn starch, garlic powder till combined.

2. Add shredded cheddar and mix till just combined. 

3. Mix corn flour with salt in a small bowl and set aside. 

4. Heat oil in skillet.

5. Shape dough into patties and roll in corn flour so they are covered. 

6.  Fry patties in oil till golden brown on both sides. The heat needs to be high enough to crisp the patties but low enough to heat them/cook them through. 

7. Serve hot with sauce... I thought they were really good with fresh sliced avocado too. 

Feel free to add more seasoning to vary the flavor to your own preference. They would be excellent with a little paprika or rosemary added. 

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