Nourishing Flourishing

Hello! It’s a beautiful day here in Boulder, Colorado — the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, the squirrels are peaking into our window, and… people are stumbling home wrapped in nothing but a blanket. It’s the day after St. Patrick’s, so you better believe our university town is pretty hungover this morning. Thankfully, I’m only nursing a reaction to all the Benadryl I had to take yesterday — Spring is lovely, but a bit of a transition, immunologically, for some of us!

I must say that Sunday is, now, without a doubt, my favorite day.  While they used to be a source of great anxiety, I feel like I’ve finally grown up a little, and now I look forward to Sunday mornings with joy. At last I’ve realized that a necessary component of “success” in my endeavors, is to set boundaries for myself, and to commit to making time for rejuvenation. Because Sundays were such a stressful time for me in the past, I chose to implement them as a day devoid of all pressure; I do only what I want to do on Sundays, insofar as it is possible.

Today, I wanted to drink strong coffee (usually a once-a-week treat for me), make a special breakfast, and linger over it with my favorite person.

So that’s precisely what I did.

And I was so utterly delighted (and shocked!) with this recipe — which I’ve been playing with for months, and only today wrote down the measurements for — that I just had to share it with you. Forgive me if the photos aren’t the best — I was so eager to post the recipe that I shot this stack on my porch as soon as they were off the griddle! It is wonderfully simple, and my husband (who is a gluten-eat) devoured two batches… Two batches!

Gluten-Free Almond Flour Pancakes
These pancakes taste just like those of my childhood, but without all the dryness that would compel me to drown them in syrup. They are perfectly moist, tender, and just sweet enough to tantalize. Delicious even without maple syrup, they would work beautifully as a quick rolled-up PB and J. Top with succulent fruit, and savor spring’s arrival! Reawaken those mornings of your youth — but be sure to serve with a more adult side of strong coffee for maximum pleasure. (That sounded like a prophylactic commercial. Sorry.)

Ingredients:
~1 TB extra virgin olive oil for pan (you can’t taste it, don’t worry!)
2 C. blanched almond flour  (make your own, or buy it here in bulk, like I do)
1/4 C. arrowroot powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 whole eggs + 2 egg whites
1/4 C. agave nectar (you can decrease this by 1 TB if you like)
1/2 C. unsweetened almond milk
dash of vanilla extract

Recipe:
1) Heat oil in a small cast iron skillet over medium.
2) Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3) Mix wet ingredients in a small bowl; whisk eggs thoroughly.
4) Add wet ingredients to dry. If you want to thin it out a tad more, add another small splash of milk.
5) In ~2-3 tablespoon size scoops, pour the batter into the skillet one pancake at a time. Using a fork, spread evenly to a thin layer.
6) Keep a close eye on the bottom of the cake — you will likely need to turn it down a notch over the course of cooking the pancakes, because almond flour burns easily. Once bubbles start opening on the top of the batter, very, very carefully (supporting the pancake completely with a spatula), flip the pancake. When browned on both sides, set aside on a plate. (It may take a couple tries to get the method down, but they’ll be delicious even if malformed.: )
7) Repeat until all the batter is gone.

Top with pure maple syrup, and, if you like, fresh, organic strawberries. My husband liked a few of his slathered with a little natural peanut butter as well. They keep quite well in the refrigerator, just be sure to keep them well-covered.

Over breakfast, we chatted (amongst other things) about how reading fiction changes us (which was rooted in this interesting piece). This semester, I have achieved my goal of reading for fun again — not academic purposes — and it is a beautiful revival! I can’t seem to put my reading down at night, and I have even been walking home from classes and the gym with novel in hand (well, my novel on my Kindle in my hand, but you know what I mean). There’s so much to be learned about a good and flourishing life in works of imagination!

I’m now going to return to my novel, and pretend that I don’t have any midterms this week. Just for today. Ah, grad school — it’s one big delusion after another… I also hope to catch up on comments, which I seem to be perpetually behind on — alas. Know that I love reading them. I hope you can take some time today for a healthy and delicious treat (like pancakes!) and/or a good chapter of a novel. Nourish yourself!

What is your Sunday ritual?

Are you reading anything for fun?

Some of you might be intrigued by the title of this post — what in the world is a biscochito (or, as my abuela spelled it, bizcochito)? If you come from a Hispanic family, you probably already know that bizcochitos are most easily described as anise sugar cookies with cinnamon. Historically, bizcochitos are thought to have been brought over to the Americas from Spain in the 17th century. They are thick enough to have a chewy center, and crisp around the edges for that satisfying crunch.

When I introduce them to those “uninitiated” in this cookie cult, I emphasize the anise component, because most people are unfamiliar with the ingredient and its strong, rich, but very unique flavor. In short, anise seeds taste like fennel, and might conjure associations with black licorice (but in my opinion, anise is more delicious than either). With that warning out in the open — I know not everyone is crazy about such tastes — , I also frame these cookies as my absolute favorite of all time.

And I mean it.

The reason is partly sentimental; these are the only cookies that absolutely were, will be, and must be made at Christmastime. In my family, they are ubiquitous at weddings, funerals, and nearly any holiday, as well. My grandmother used to cut them into a beautiful shape (I did a search but haven’t found anything to its likeness yet!), and the beauty of the cookies was enough to make one indifferent about all the lard they contained. Many joyful times in my life have been marked by their presence.  I could summarize by saying that they are special; they evoke family, comfort, celebration, and tradition for me. Bizcochitos signify both a specific and general culture in which I find much of my identity. (All this in a cookie!)

My dad perfected his own version, nixing the lard, as well as the complicated design. Each family that makes bizcochitos will probably tell you that the right way to make them is their way. Such is the nature of a bizcochito — we can’t even agree how to spell it! Nevertheless, permit me a few sentences to reminisce on my family’s methods, to give you a sense of what an art this is (and you will appreciate, I hope, the simplicity and liberty of my own adaptation all the more).

My father used to make as many as 200 cookies at a time to celebrate the onset of Advent. Or before visiting (our very, very, very numerous and wonderful) relatives.

When making bizcochitos in our home, the keys to remember were:

1) You cannot make bizcochitos in batches smaller than 12 dozen.
2) You must cream the ingredients with your hands — any other utensil involved  in the mixing is blasphemy, and everyone will know if you transgressed; the cookies will be flat. People will be sad. You will probably need to go to confession. Twice.
3) There is no such thing as too much cinnamon.
4) You will need — literally — an entire dinner table for the process of rolling the dough.
5) Use a timer, and you will avoid many tears.

Bizcochito baking is an all-day, seriously labor-intensive affair — early morning to dinner is spent in la cocina. It is a true act of love. My dad, being the thoughtful and dear man he is, would bring gallon-sized ziploc bags filled with biscochitos to mass on Sunday and hand them out to all the older Hispanic women in our church who grew up with them, but weren’t able to make them anymore. They would kiss him and cry out with total joy — these cookies have so much meaning for many of us!

This is what bizcochitos do: they make people happy, they make the world a better place.

Also, they are delicious.

Almond Flour Anise Bizcochitos (or Biscochitos!)

This was the only recipe I wanted to work on over my winter break, and thankfully I had the godfather of Bizcochito Baking taste-test and critique my labors to perfection. I wanted to share these with my “uninitiated” friends to get a sense of how well anise might be received by younger folks that hadn’t grown up on it. I am so delighted that anyone who tried it loved it! The best part, of course, is that nearly anyone can eat these — they are not only gluten-free, but grain-free, vegan, and — contrary to many other bizcochito recipes — easy! The recipe is much simpler and quicker than it first appears. I hope you and yours love them.

Ingredients
Cookies
2 ½ C. blanched almond flour (you can make your own, or buy it from here in bulk, like I do)
2 TB arrowroot powder
2 TB coconut flour
2 TB cinnamon
½ t. salt
½ t. baking soda
6 TB non-hydrogenated shortening
½ C honey or agave (honey is not vegan, of course)
2 TB pure anise extract
1 TB vanilla extract
2 TB anise seeds

Cinnamon Sugar Topping
¼ C sugar
2 TB + cinnamon

Recipe:
1) Preheat oven to 350*.
2) In a small, flat bowl, mix the cinnamon sugar. Set aside.
3) Mix all dry ingredients except the anise seeds together, and set aside.
4) In a small bowl, add wet ingredients and mix thoroughly with a fork until combined.
5) Add wet ingredients to dry, and either mix with a fork or cream together with your hands.
6) Add anise seeds, and mix gently but thoroughly.
7) Form dough into 1” balls, and flatten into circles with your hands. You may want to experiment with keeping the edges rugged, or smoothing them, and with size and thickness. (See note below.)
8 ) Arrange the shaped dough balls on a parchment lined baking sheet, and place in the oven. Keep a close watch on them, and when the bottoms and edges begin to brown (around 8 minutes or so), remove. Let sit for one minute.
9) Now the tricky part: Working carefully and quickly (it might take a couple tries), remove one cookie at a time from the sheet, and press the top of each into the bowl of cinnamon sugar. Set aside and repeat until all cookies are topped. (The cookies must be quite warm to get the sugar to stick, so please be very careful not to burn yourself!)
10) Rejoice.

Note: I find I enjoy them just as much without taking the time to make them look like the rolled-out, perfectly round, glutenous bizcochitos of my youth, but please feel free to take a little extra time and give yours a more refined edge, or experiment with shape and thickness!

As I mentioned, every community or family will have its own cult(ure) of the bizcochito. While my version is a tad different than my grandma’s or dad’s, it is a recipe I look forward to passing on in my own family someday — a recipe with a legacy, evolved ever so gently for each generation.

I hope all is well with you, dear readers.

What are your sentimental foods?
Have you tried anise (or even a bizcochito) before?

Ok, this post has been weeks in the making. Literally. I haven’t been sitting idly on my fanny though — no, no. I’ve been baking about seven (huge) batches of donuts. My personal test kitchen has been a disaster every single day — baking pie pumpkins, testing and re-testing, “forcing” samples on friends and strangers… I think I’ve got it now. I really hope that if you try it, you find it well worth the wait. My photos, as I mentioned, are still disappointing, but for the record donuts, with all their shimmery sweetness, are a downright challenge to capture! (That, at the very least, shall be my excuse…) Just don’t judge this book by its cover; I should illustrate how tasty my testers found this recipe — my husband was told by four different people that he is very lucky to be married to me, just because of these donuts/doughballs. (Trust me, you take away this recipe and I’m probably not worth the headache. Ha! : ) They’re pretty dang good.

Anyway. So, here’s the best part about this recipe: it can be three different types of treat, depending on how you choose to employ the dough/batter. Donuts, donut holes, or doughballs. The only tangible difference between the donut holes and doughballs is that I consider a “proper” (really, Katie?) donut hole to be glazed, whereas a doughball has something like chocolate chips in it. But really, define this for yourself; just enjoy it, whatever you do.

I really wanted to create a recipe that was versatile enough that if you don’t own a mini donut pan (I finally found one at Goodwill for $1 after years of pining) you can still make something outrageously, ridiculously delicious. And I mean that. If you choose to go the mini-donut route, there’s a good chance you’ll be surprised that something gluten-free, grain-free, and vegan can taste and feel like a traditional donut. (Or — dare I say? — better!) I was shocked, to be honest. But really, it’s the shape that’s fun — otherwise, everything will taste the same if you choose to make donut holes instead. I think the icing is what really put it over the top as a bona fide donut product. I don’t usually consume sugarcane products, but this was such a minute amount, I decided to at least see if it made a big difference for the donut experience… WHOA. Yes, yes it does. You will think these are fresh from a bakery. And not a crappy big corporate grocery store bakery. A legit, neighborhood bakery. I was floored.

If you prefer not to have a glaze, throw a handful of dark chocolate chips in the batter. Taste a little of the dough [vegan so salmonella-free!], you know — just to be sure it tastes alright. And then rejoice. Dance. Sing. Call a friend. Pat yourself on the back. Whatever. Just celebrate that deliciousness. Savor it.

Repeat.

This is literally the best donut (and doughball) of my life. Glutenous or not.

And I used to have one every single Sunday growing up, so these had some serious nostalgia to live up to.

Best Ever Pumpkin Dough for Mini-Donuts, Donutholes, and Doughballs

This might appear more intimidating than it is. Granted, it takes slightly more time than most of my baking recipes, but it is well worth the extra couple of steps, which are a cinch! This batter, whichever way you choose to bake it — mini-donuts, donut holes, or doughballs –, will amaze you. Everything about it is resonant with autumnal comforts — moist in the center, sweet and aromatic, just enough pumpkin and cinnamon to awaken your senses, and a true melt-in-your-mouth finish. Bundle up and savor the taste of fall while you can; all you need is a cup of coffee and someone to share this special treat with. I have never been so proud of, or pleased with, a recipe!

If you choose to forgo the icing/glaze, adding some dark chocolate chips will enhance all the flavors. I used mini-chips, to go with my “petite treat” theme. ; )

Ingredients:
2 1/2 C blanched almond flour (click here to make your own)
2 TB arrowroot powder
1 1/2 TB cinnamon
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 C cooked pumpkin puree (how to make your own — so easy, way more tasty, and cheaper!)
1/2 C agave (or honey) + 2 TB maple syrup
1 TB coconut oil
1 TB vanilla
1/4 C dark chocolate chips (if desired)

Batter Recipe:
1) Mix dry ingredients.
2) Mix wet ingredients, and add them to the dry.
3) If chocolate chips are desired, add them now.

(Please note that I have not tried this with a full-size donut pan, so I’m not sure if that will work!)

Directions For Mini-Donuts:
1) Grease donut pan (I used coconut oil). Dust with almond flour.
2) Fill a plastic/ziploc bag with the batter, and cut off one of the tips. Pipe through into the donut impressions.
3) Bake at 325* until lightly browned on edges — you will be able to see the edges pulling away slightly from the pan. Keep a close eye on them! (If it looks like the bottom half of the donut [around the impression part of the donut pan] is browning too fast, move to the top rack and watch carefully). Mine took a while — about 20 minutes.
4) After removing, allow to cool for at least 15 minutes.
5) I removed the individual donuts by turning the pan over, and evenly hitting the pan on the table. They should pop out intact. If they are too warm, they’ll fall apart, so the cooler, the better. (You can also try to wedge them out with a butter knife, but I didn’t have a lot of luck with that method.)
See below for icing.

Directions For Donut Holes and Doughballs:
1) Roll dough into small, 1″ balls. Try to make them higher, rather than wider, as they flatten a bit from the heat in the oven. You can wet your hands a little if you like.
2) Place each doughball on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 325* until lightly browned on edges. (It took mine a little over 15 minutes, but watch carefully!)
3) Remove and allow to cool on the sheet for at least 15 minutes.
See below for icing.

Vanilla Glaze/Icing Ingredients:
1/2 C powdered sugar (I used a grain-free, organic brand with tapioca starch, because the cheap brand was sub-par — you could taste the cornstarch. Blech.)
1 TB unsweetened almond milk (I used vanilla)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Chocolate Glaze/Icing Ingredients:
1/2 C powdered sugar (
2 TB cocoa powder
2 TB unsweetened almond milk (I used vanilla)

Glaze/Icing Recipe:
1) Add almond milk to powdered sugar (and cocoa powder if desired), whisking vigorously with a fork until lumps are gone.
2) If desired, add vanilla.
3) Dip the tops of donuts, donut holes, or doughballs into the glaze. Allow glaze to dry for at least half an hour.

Notes on Icing/Glaze: I used a grain-free, organic brand (365 Organic) of powdered sugar, made with tapioca starch, because the cheap brand was awful. You could taste the added cornstarch. I highly recommend spending a tiny bit extra for the sake of quality! Seriously. I promise it’s worth it. Also, resist the urge to add more milk; you want the glaze to be as thick as possible, because if it is too wet, it won’t dry, it will just soak your donuts and they will be mushy.

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I am honestly in awe that this recipe turned out. I started with no idea what I was doing, and ended up with something I’m really excited about. I had been thinking an almond flour pumpkin donut was needed in the world, but could never find a recipe for one. While I am still unsatisfied with my photos (the main reason for the delay of this post), I think the recipe makes up for any aesthetic disappointment. Try it, and let me know if you agree! These are a perfect holiday sweet, without being unhealthy (in moderation, of course); I already plan to make them for my family over Thanksgiving.

Also, bake these while listening to 40s and 50s tunes — somehow, it will make everything in life seem alright again.

Are there any seasonal treats you are eager to create or make again?

Hey friends!

So, I’m later on posting than I had hoped, but for a good reason; today my husband whisked me off to the mountains for a birthday getaway! Perhaps I’ll do a little recap just because it’s been such fun already, but we’ll see. Regardless, I did promise a post today, and though I had hoped to publish the new recipe (I made three batches over the past two days and they are completely gone — also, it was what I chose to eat for my birthday “treat” — and it’s definitely not cake, or a traditional thing to celebrate with, at that!), I not only left the recipe scrawled on some paper on my counter at home, I also am seriously disappointed with the photos I took! Darn, I guess I’ll need to make them again… Heh heh. So, I thought I’d talk about something that I’m frequently asked about, just as a resource in case you were curious.

Fear not, though, if this isn’t something you’re interested in. The recipe is coming soon. SOON!

So, as you’ve probably noticed, I use blanched almond flour for the majority of my baked goods. Below are the most common questions I get. Please let me know if you have more in the comments! : )

Almond Flour FAQs

1) What is blanched almond flour? What isn’t blanched almond flour?

Blanched almond flour is essentially just almonds that have had their skins steamed or boiled off, and then been ground up into fine particles. It’s consistency would be comparable to cornmeal.

Blanched almond flour (usually just referred to as almond flour) is not the same as almond meal. Almond meal can be blanched, but most of the time it is made from almonds with the skin still on, and thus it is coarser and not as fine as blanched almond flour. This can result in a crumblier texture. Almond meal — even if blanched — is going to be a larger particle than almond flour. I can’t guarantee things will go perfectly if you substitute almond meal, though many have let me know that it worked great for them!

2) Why do you use almond flour?

I started using almond flour when I was on a grain-free eating plan (I followed it strictly for over a year, not for weight loss, but health reasons).  It is amazingly versatile — and always simple. I don’t need to have 12 different types of gums, starches, and GF flours to make one loaf of bread (that is going to be nutritionally lacking anyway). I strive to keep my ingredients minimal in recipes, and almond flour allows me to do so.

BUT. It is also the tastiest flour, and one of the most nutritious, in my opinion. Almond flour is a great option for people who need to eat grain or gluten-free, but it is also awesome for those who don’t! Whatever your dietary needs, almond flour is low-glycemic, high fiber, and high protein. It is also rich with Vitamin E and perfectly moist. You simply can’t say that about any other GF flour — most are dry, high starch, low protein, low fiber, and leave me feeling sugar buzzed and sick.

Did I mention that it’s also just plain delicious? Like buttah (…but without buttah. Which = great for vegan baking, by the way).

3) Where do you buy blanched almond flour? Isn’t it expensive?

Yes and no. If you purchase almond flour in bulk, like I do, you won’t be selling off a kidney anytime soon. I don’t use almond flour every week, either, so it’s not a huge expense. If you buy almond butter on a regular basis, you can buy almond flour — by the pound, almond flour is about the same price (~$6/lb, usually less if you purchase it like I do — see following). I buy several 5 lb bags from Honeyville (a great company; I’ve bought from them for over 3 years now) when they periodically have sales. I signed up to receive email alerts, and they usually range between 10-15%. I store mine in the freezer for months. (See #6.)

Whole Foods and other health food stores are now carrying almond flour — even if the bulk bins! Just make sure it is finely ground. And be careful about cross-contamination if you’re celiac, of course. Kind Arthur Flour used to sell almond meal that was really coarse, but recently it looks much finer and might work (though it is $$). I do not recommend Dowd & Rogers brand.

4) Can I make my own? How?

This is a great tutorial, and one that I try to link to in all my almond flour posts. You can definitely make it at home! This is an excellent option if you are just trying it out for one recipe. It can also be more cost-effective, depending on your local prices. (Honeyville is always cheaper for me though.)

5) Where did you learn to bake and cook with almond flour? Are there other resources I could use?

The first introduction I had to almond flour was through the book Breaking the Vicious Cycle, and Elana Amsterdam. If you aren’t familiar with Elana’s site Elana’s Pantry, you need to check it out. She is an almond flour goddess, and when I first found out I couldn’t eat gluten, I was lost. Her recipes and tutorials really did teach me how to cook again, when I felt like I would never be able to return to my passion of baking. Through Elana’s recipes, and a LOT of trial and error, I figured out how to bake with almond flour. I certainly owe my ability to gauge ratios (e.g., wet to dry, etc.), and other almond flour essentials, to Elana. I had the privilege of meeting her in person to thank her for all she’s done (she also lives in Boulder), and she was very gracious, and very enthusiastic about helping the GF community. If you haven’t perused her two cookbooks, I really can’t recommend them enough. Even my parents (who do not eat GF) frequently make her recipes, as my father is diabetic and most of her dishes are low glycemic and please even the pickiest eaters (that’s you, Dad).

6) How should I store almond flour?

Almond flour will go rancid much more quickly than glutenous flour. Store it in the fridge and use it up in a few months, or store it in the freezer and use it up in a year or two. Just be sure to let it thaw before baking with it! : )

Ok — that took way longer (and was way longer) than I expected! (TWSS) Anyway, I hope some of you found it helpful. My next recipe uses almond flour — in a way I have only dreamed. Ohmyword.

Have a great weekend!

Any other questions? Have you used almond flour?

FRIENDS.

I’m back.

Sorry about the weeks-long hiatus. Life got crazy like whoa very, very quickly — pretty much as soon as my grad classes started up, and I took a new job, and so on. Enter: Katie’s Life Without Any Free Time Whatsoever. Thank you so much for being understanding and supportive while I adjusted! If I have missed an email or anything, please let me know; I’m worried that some things got lost in the chaos. : / Also. I’m going to aim for posting at least once a week from now on. Let’s hope I can manage that. I missed blogging! I missed chatting with you guys, cooking crazy things, and telling you about it. It’s true that having to take a break from the internet in general was also seriously refreshing. But I am delighted to be back. And with a very worthy recipe to celebrate!

Now let me explain — this recipe looks complicated. It looks like it will take hours to make. It looks like it has a lot of ingredients. But really, this took me about 45 minutes total, prep and cook time, and it’s actually fairly simple. Plus, doesn’t it just look and sound so classy?

Ok, I admit it; I’m a grad student who huddles around free food at lectures. And puts samples in my pockets. That have holes in them. My already questionable hygiene has taken a further hit due to studying. An apple with gobs of peanut butter suffices as a meal on (frequent) occasion. Nearly all my clothes are thrifted.

I know nothing of classiness.

I came across a photo of a Caramelized Tomato Tarte Tatin on Pinterest way back when, and while I wasn’t so keen on the recipe itself (especially since it had gluten in it, ha), I fell in love with the visual. I actually bought cherry tomatoes at the store every single week while I was away from the blog, vowing that I would find time to make the tomato tart of my dreams… And here we are, three or four weeks and pints of tomatoes later, with — at last! — my own gluten-free, grain-free, and vegan version of a savory tart. I knew I’d get around to it! Good thing those overripe, wrinkly, geriatric tomatoes are easily disguised by the oven’s magic. : )

Sweet and Savory Balsamic Caramelized Onion and Cherry Tomato Tart

This tart has a buttery crust that mimics a glutenous one beautifully. It is topped with sweet caramelized onions and garlic — I use red onions for a richer flavor. The touch of balsamic vinegar carries the sweetness of the onions and candy-sweet, juicy tomatoes, while also bringing the perfect amount of complexity and depth to this (surprisingly) simple, high-protein dish. It’s savory, sweet, and one of the most delicious things I have ever made.

Inspired by this Caramelized Tomato Tarte Tatin.

Ingredients:

Crust
1/2 C garbanzo bean (chickpea or besan) flour
1/2 C blanched almond flour (how to make your own)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 C water
2 Tb extra virgin olive oil

Topping
1 small red onion (or half of a medium)
1.5 Tb extra virgin olive oil
salt
2 cloves garlic
2 Tb balsamic vinegar (plus more for drizzling)
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes (you might not use all of it)

Recipe:

Crust
1) Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
2) Add water and mix thoroughly with a fork.
3) Add olive oil and mix thoroughly.
4) Preheat oven to 350*. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, using wet hands, press dough into an even circle.
6) Using a fork, pierce the dough to create vents all over. Place in oven and begin working on topping. (You will remove the crust once it turns a light tan on the very edges.)

Tart Topping

1) As crust bakes, slice onion into thin rounds.
2) Heat olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add onions.
3) Sprinkle onions generously with salt to make them sweat. Stir occasionally.
4) Chop garlic, and once onions are translucent and beginning to brown, add garlic.
5) Stir occasionally to keep garlic from burning, but since you want the onions to caramelize, you can just leave them alone for the most part. Once they turn a beautiful dark brown, turn off the burner, and add the balsamic vinegar.
6) Scrape the skillet as the vinegar reduces down and infuses the onions and garlic.
7) Your crust should be ready by now, if it wasn’t beforehand. Remove it when it is a light tan on the edges. Keep the oven on.
8 ) Spread the onion/garlic/balsamic mixture onto the crust.
9) Quickly slice the tomatoes in half and arrange on top of the onion mixture.
10) Return tart to oven. Once the edges of the tart are lightly browned (see pictures) and the tomatoes are cooked (starting to break and release their juice, or wrinkly, or swollen), remove. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve.

Serves two as a meal, or six to eight as an appetizer.
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We literally devoured the entire thing in five minutes. There are simply no words. None.

And since I’ve probably overwhelmed you with the apparent length of the recipe, I’ll close it down here. (Also, it is waaay past my bedtime, and I am suddenly very committed to getting a solid set of hours in each night. Amazingly, sleep makes the waking hours more productive. Who knew, right?)

Yay — I’m blogging again! Give me a day or so to catch up on comments — it’s unlikely that I’ll be able to respond as quickly as in the past, but it is still so important to me to keep up our conversation. Comments and emails will always be a priority, so don’t think I care less just because I’m posting less! New recipes are coming, friends. I have so many tasty ideas percolating that I really had to restrain myself from experimenting in the kitchen all night on Sunday, when I made this dish. This is a very good thing.

OK — what did I miss this month? How have you been?!

Any requests?

xo.

Welp, I found my lost recipe! Phew. And just in time for autumn to arrive — it’s starting to feel a bit chilly in Boulder! I know, I know… Fall is still a dirty word for some of you : ) But I am lovin’ it. I’ve been sipping on tea and nibbling on these tea squares to keep warm.

I had been dreaming of these for a while (read: years) before I attempted a weeklong baking extravaganza during a heatwave last month to finally get a recipe hammered out. I had been frequently disappointed that most tea squares didn’t seem much different than a cookie bar; I wanted them to be distinctly TEA squares — to have tea in them. Thus, these (vegan, GF) tea squares — unlike most I’ve seen — actually contain tea leaves. That may make you curious, freaked out, or titillated. I love tea, so you can imagine where I fell on that spectrum… Anyway, awkwardness aside, these are the perfect pastry-biscuit hybrid to bring to a brunch or — if you have really cool friends and do things like this — a tea party. Why yes, I do plan on having one sometime soon — complete with cucumber sandwiches. How did you guess?

I tried three flavors…

#1 — Rooibos.

An African red tea that is sweet, perhaps nutty, and reminds me of honey. 

My mom had a little breakdown when she thought I was taking them home with me. She was a fan.

#2 — Earl Grey.

A nice combination of “bite” from the black tea and citrus, with the balancing undertones of sweetness from the agave.

A classic! I would eat these on the regular.

#3 — Chai.

A comforting blend of aromatic spices and herbs like cardamom, fennel, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.

It tasted like autumn!

I played with this recipe quite a bit, and though I kind of disagreed with the majority of my (20) tasters (I liked mine with a little less oil and sweetener), I am posting the most popular variation; ’twas hands-down the winner. These bars are chewy, moist but firm, and sweet enough to feel like a treat without being a dessert. This is what I would call a Grown-Up Cookie — unique, mature flavors, and just a hint of that pretentious gourmet flair that you get from classy food magazines. You know what I’m talking about.

Work that pretentious pinky. Work it.

I do not recommend using tea from a bag in this recipe… Don’t be misled by the Twinings in the photo — that was to drink, not to bake with. It would be far too mild to even detect. Instead, you can get just the amount of loose leaf tea you need from many bulk spice sections of grocery stores. My store carries organic and fair trade Frontier brand spices and teas, so that’s what I used. The BFF Manfriend found that one of the teas was a little too big and rough in a couple of the bars, but I didn’t mind the crunch. If you are worried about this, feel free to chop the leaves a tad with a chef’s knife or whir ‘em briefly in a food processor first. These are also pretty heavy on the tea leaves, so you may want to use less for a subtler flavor.

True Tea Squares — GF, Vegan, Grain-Free

Ingredients:
2 C almond flour
1/4 C loose tea leaves (do not use tea from a bag!)
1/2 t salt
1/4 C coconut oil
1/4 C agave (or honey)
1 TB vanilla

Recipe:
1) Preheat oven to 350*.
2) Mix dry ingredients.
3) Add wet ingredients to dry and thoroughly combine with hands.
4) Using wet hands (to prevent sticking), press dough into an 8″ x 8″ glass pan.
5) Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown on bottom and top.

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Oh, and by-the-by (<– someone please explain this phrase to me)… This weekend, I made one of the best recipes I have ever concocted. Ever. And it has three ingredients.

And I am dying to share it with you.

That is all.

Have a great Labor Day!

Do tea squares freak you out, or excite you?

Ok. I am still a blogger in progress… I learn things from trial and error. Case in point: I now know that I should have spread some ketchup on the top of this to make it “pop” more in the pictures. It looks bland, it looks boring, it looks…like meatloaf. But I assure you, this loaf is not only cheap to make, healthy to eat, packed with protein, and unphotogenic — it’s also really, really tasty. I had my worries when I served it to my friends Matt and Megan; I had finally actually measured what I put into this dish, and written a real recipe down. I worry that meals don’t turn out as well when I have to use tablespoons to calculate instead of handfuls and pinches. But Matt and Megan ended up asking for the recipe to make an appearance on the blog! I figure, if Matt was comfortable saying, “This is my new favorite food! Something Loaf! What did you call it?” it can’t be that bad. This is a very tame recipe, too, so it’s a decent way to introduce lentils to someone not very well acquainted with them. I’d like to do more potent variations — strong Italian flavors, and so on. Mmm. So on.

Also… Meat Loaf is my ALL TIME favorite 80s/90s rocker. My friends and family totally know what I mean when I casually talk about “The Loaf.” In high school, I once jammed out in my little red Saturn to his best song ever (see below) with my friend Haley. As we sat parked in her driveway, Sonic Limeaides in the cupholders (forgive me), at the height of the ballad, I grabbed my car lighter and proceeded to wave it around like a “real” lighter. You know, just like you would at a concert? Yeah. One limeaide too many, apparently, because my thumb slipped… The burns didn’t go away until late college. ( = I had a circle on my fingerprint for years.) True fan devotion.

There is a fine line between “ironically” liking something (the 80s, for instance), and actually liking something. Meat Loaf was once in the blurry overlap of these categories for me. Now, I think I’ve discovered that I legitimately enjoy the doofus. He’s lovable, in a stray cat kind of way, you know? A really, really large, odd, stray cat. That likes to dress up in costumes. Bonus: I do the best rendition of “I Would Do Anything for Love” (the 12 minute version) that you will ever see. Seriously. I have witnesses.

Back to the Non-Meat Loaf… I honestly don’t remember where I first learned about the concept of a lentil loaf, so I’m not sure who to credit for initially inspiring the idea! I’ve been making these types of loaves for a year or so, and this week when I did a search to try and find out where I encountered it back then, I found that there are a myriad of similar recipes out there. That did not make sorting through them easy, and I still don’t know who the catalyst was for me. But I did find Angela at Oh She Glows’ lentil loaf recipe in the process, and Angela’s version looks wonderful, with accents of apple, raisin, and walnut. I would definitely recommend checking out her unique take on this dish if you’re looking for something a little different. Also, she used the blending method with success as well, so trust us — it works : )

Ingredients:
1/4 C flax meal
1/2 C water
1-2 Tb extra virgin olive oil
1 C shredded carrot (I used a cheese grater…classy)
1 small onion (I always use red)
2-3 cloves garlic
1 Tb oregano
1 Tb (heaping) cumin
2 C cooked lentils (I used French; they were on sale)
1/2 C almond flour
salt
pepper

Recipe:
1) With a fork, whisk together flax and water in a bowl and set aside.
2) Dice onions and garlic.
3) In a large pan, saute onions and shredded carrots in olive oil over medium heat. (I sprinkle salt on mine to get them to sweat out moisture.)
4) Add garlic after a few minutes. Stir frequently to prevent burning.
5) Remove from heat after onions become translucent. Add lentils and almond flour.
6) Place 80-90% of the mixture in a food processor or blender until it is more processed than not. (See below for pictures.) Place back in pan or a large bowl.
7) Salt (and pepper) generously, and add flax “egg” mix to lentil mix.
8 ) Press into two loaf pans (mine are the strange size of 7 1/2 x 3 1/2 x 2 1/4, but you can use bigger or smaller ones — the baking time will vary, however), and place in a 375* oven.
9) Check on the loaf periodically, but they will most likely take at least 45 minutes. It’s done when you tap on the top and it’s stiff, and sides are browned. Let them cool before slicing!

Some tips: I tend to put some parchment or foil into my pans before I make this (mainly because my pans are kind of…”used”). It makes taking the loaf out a cinch, so I remove it after a few minutes of cooling to speed up the process. Here is the texture I achieved when I processed the lentil mix (go a tad smoother than this, though — I liked it better that way when I re-tested):

Here’s the contrast of how the processed lentil mixture looks next to the whole mixture.

You can omit this step, but it will most likely be crumbly if you do. Just a head’s up!

We love to have these loaves on hand during the school year, especially, because they make a portable, fast lunch, and a quick, easy dinner if made ahead of time on a lazy Sunday afternoon. We douse ours in agave ketchup, mustard, and hot sauce. It sounds juvenile, but really it’s just delicious ; )

Have you tried lentil loaf before?

(more…)

Ok, so. About this… I had to practice a lot of self-restraint to not blurt out what I had made all over Twitter and Facebook. Instead, I teased. I talked about riding my bike to various grocery stores 5 times in 95*+ heat. I talked about my 4 failed attempts. I talked about standing in front of my stove for hours with no air conditioning in the middle of summer. I talked about letting some frustrations slip out of my mouth as I paid for yet another jar of vanilla beans. And I taunted that I had hit the vegan, gluten-free jackpot of deliciousness with the final success batch. After all that dramatic build-up, you can see what I was so dedicated to making…

When I saw Mama Pea’s take on a vegan version of Starbucks’ Petite Vanilla Scones last week, I was excited. I had been contemplating making a gluten-free version for months — literally, months. Somehow I had gotten wind of this Starbucks scone craze, and then ran across it via a random link to The Pioneer Woman’s blog. The wheels were churning. If you take a look at that version, you might notice why I would need to use some creativity; cream, wheat, and butter aren’t so much included in my diet. I was totally overwhelmed. What would they be made out of?! But then I saw Mama Pea’s genius “health-ified” upgrade — and a vegan one at that! No more excuses. No more missing out on tasty treats. It was time to vegan-ify my scone recipe, and make a gluten-free alternative to these adorable little scones. At last — gluten-free eaters, rejoice! You can partake in the deliciousness. Huzzah!

P.S. My recipe looks way more complicated than it is — trust me.

Ingredients:
3 Tb water + 1 Tb ground flax seed
2 1/2 C blanched almond flour (make your own and save)
2 Tb arrowroot powder
2 Tb coconut flour
3/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/4 C agave nectar
1/2 Tb vanilla extract
1 t fresh lemon juice
1 vanilla bean pod

Recipe:
1) Mix water and flax together with a fork and set aside for 10 minutes (ideally, you can put everything else together during this time).
2) Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3) Mix agave, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and vanilla bean pod scrapings (click here for tutorial).
4) Add agave mixture to dry ingredients. Stir, and add flax egg.
5) Stir until combined. I like to actually use my hands to mix gently and thoroughly.
6) Flatten into a rectangle on a parchment-lined baking sheet. It won’t rise much in the oven, so keep that in mind, thickness-wise. My dough was around 1/2″-3/4″, I would guess.
7) Cut four even lines into dough with a sharp knife,. (Example)
8 ) Cut three more even lines in the opposite direction. (Example)
9) Cut each small rectangle/square in half on the diagonal for a total of 24 mini scone triangles.
10) Arrange carefully on the baking sheet so that they are spread evenly. Pop in a 350* oven for about 10-12 minutes — until the edges and tops are lightly browned. Let cool.

Vanilla Bean Glaze

Ingredients:
1 C powdered sugar (corn-free for some of us!)
2 Tb unsweetened almond milk (I used vanilla for added flair)
2 vanilla bean pod

Recipe:
1) Add almond milk to powdered sugar. It will seem to dry at first, but just trust and keep stirring with a fork until smooth.
2) Scrape the vanilla bean pod and stir into glaze mixture.

You can certainly halve the glaze recipe and just lightly lace your scones with a slight drizzle of frosting. I just included the whole recipe in case you are crazy about the glaze…y. I avoid refined-type sugar as much as possible (my body doesn’t do well with it), but I’m still working on a mild-tasting, sugar-free alternative. If you can’t eat this small amount of powdered sugar, don’t fret! Simply mix the vanilla bean scrapings with agave or honey and drizzle immediately before serving (it will eventually soak into the scone and make it soft). Still delicious — just different : )

So. Do they look worth the teasing? Perhaps not after you look at Mama Pea and The Pioneer Woman’s beautiful photography. I admit it, I don’t have a DSLR, or — what really counts – mad skillz. BUT if you taste these, do come back and let me know what you think. I’m guessing somewhere in between “vanilla sugar cookie” and “what a rainbow would taste like if it exploded with joy in my mouth.”

Oh yeah — and speaking of exploding (good transition, Katie)… If you want to make a fun 4th of July brunch spread, how about this banner of delicious, patriotic themed scones?! Thanks to Kelly of The Spunky Coconut for hosting another great Our Spunky Holiday Gluten-Free Carnival!

Red (ish)

White…

And blue:

Any other fun ideas you’d like to see adapted?

The night before last, the husband and I walked into my in-laws house (Mom S. was gone, Dad S. knew we were coming), and I looked at the four zucchinis we brought and saw potential. I wanted something more substantive than just sauteed zucchini, so I tried to envision the various ways they could be cut. I sliced most into fry shapes, without giving it much thought. And then I remembered Ashley (of The Edible Perspective)’s post on asparagus fries! Those had looked so good – why not an Italian squash, too? I tend to gravitate more towards grain-less flours like almond, as they are easier on my body, but I also love the nutty, almost buttery flavor almond flour lends to dishes. Not to mention that it adds a protein and fiber punch! These did not disappoint — they were perfect. As you will see below, I also tried breading long strips of zucchini and frying them on the stove (rather than making them into fries and baking them). My taste-tester was just slightly more partial to the fried zucchini. You could also cut the squash into round medallions, and bread them following the same steps, like fried pickles! Easy peasy.

This is another “recipe” that is more of a method… The amounts will vary by how much zucchini you use. But it’s no big thang. Just make more flax egg and add more almond flour as needed. But don’t skimp on the salt – that’s what brings out all the deliciousness.

Ingredients:
2 medium-sized zucchini
~1/2-3/4 C almond flour
1/4 C water
2 Tb ground flax seed
salt

Recipe(ish):
1) Mix water with flax seed and set aside for about 5 minutes to gel.
2) For fries, slice zucchini into ~3″ long fry spears (i.e., about the length of normal fries, but about double the thickness). For breaded zucchini, just slice  into long, flat strips. Follow directions the same unless noted.
3) In a deep plate, add about 1/4 C almond flour, and generously mix in salt.
4) Once flax has gelled some, dip or roll zucchini in the flax “egg”.
5) Roll each individual fry in almond flour breading mixture to coat. Set aside.
6) Add more flour/salt mix to plate and make more flax egg as needed until all zucchini is used.
7) Place on greased, flat baking sheet, and cook in oven at 400*, flipping carefully after the first side browns. (Keep a close eye on these — they can burn fairly quickly.) For breaded zucchini, simply fry them in some olive oil on the stove, flipping once browned on one side.

This may not be the most photogenic, but don’t worry about how it looks. It will more than make up for it’s rather non-uniform appearance with it’s uniformly delectable flavor. <3

Featured in Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays at Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free.

What are you cooking this weekend?

Stay tuned for another veggie-centric recipe for tomorrow…!

Thanks for understanding that I needed a day to regain my balance, friends. I’m sorry to unexpectedly not show up yesterday, but…life happens. I stayed up the night before last until around 1am hammering out a (very long) post, but when the time came to push “Publish” for Saturday’s (intended) post, it just didn’t feel right. There are some times that I need to write, just to vomit all my thoughts up in a tangible way (sorry for that image…), so that I can revisit and edit them later into something more useful. So it’s not that I just flaked on you, if that makes a difference. I want my posts to be worth reading!

But, to be transparent, I also felt that it would have been disingenuous to post – to say I’m striving to live a holistically healthy life, yet all the while I’m sick, totally depleted, can barely get off the couch, and am still forcing myself to spend hours and a good deal of energy blogging. Is that health — to push myself to the limits of exhaustion, denying myself the rest that I need? No, and I think I would have been a hypocrite if I would have posted yesterday. I often discuss the significance of being good to ourselves, listening to our bodies (and minds) to better understand our individual needs. Stressing out about putting together a new post and other blog-related responsibilities would have been destructive for me, and diametrically opposed to the mission of this website. It would not have nourished a flourishing life for me. Sometimes, “pushing through the pain” is the worst possible option. Sure, canceling plans on (blog-reading) friends sucks. But in the end, it’s what’s best for everyone.

However, I think I can make my “calling in sick” day up by having awesome posts this week. Right? That will be my goal. In the meantime, I have a wonderful recipe for Memorial Day. Or any day. You know, whatever. You’ll notice that this is, admittedly, nearly the same recipe as my Dark Chocolate Chip Biscotti. But, the great news is, it’s also just as delicious! This new method actually saves a few steps. And…it’s a giant cookie. Any objections? Good.  Just think of it as recycling : )

Ingredients:
2 1/2 C blanched almond flour (you can easily make your own — yay!)
2 Tb arrowroot powder (you can probably sub a little coconut flour or extra almond flour if you don’t have it)
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/3 C agave or honey
1 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 Tb vanilla
~1/4 C dark chocolate chips

Recipe:
1) Mix all dry ingredients except chocolate chips.
2) Add wet ingredients and stir to combine (it may seem too dry — just trust and keep stirring, or wet hands and mix that way). Add chocolate chips.
3) Lightly oil an 8×8 glass baking dish (I rubbed some coconut oil on mine).
4) With wet hands, press dough into the dish.
5) Place in a preheated 350* oven. Remove when it begins to brown on top, and a fork comes out clean in the middle. Cut into bars.

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This is essentially a gluten-free, vegan (if made with agave and vegan chocolate) version of a cookie bar or pizookie. It’s surprisingly healthy, and insanely delicious. Imagine a hint of crunch on the outside, and soft chewy yum-ness with burst of dark melted chocolate on the inside. I would suggest doubling the recipe if you plan to bring this to a Memorial Day cookout, because it is addictive!

What are you doing for Memorial Day?

Or, just tell me what you’re doing to nourish your flourishing life right now : )

xoxo