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