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?

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.

Printer-Friendly Version

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?

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.

Printer-Friendly Version

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?

Thank you so much for your wonderful input on yesterday’s post! My heart is just full from reading your thoughts and reaching points.

So. Cinnamon Rolls. Whenever a sheet of them was around our house as a child, I would devour only the gooey centers — you know what I’m talkin’ about — and leave the drier outer rings for less ingenious family members. The entire pan of cinnamon rolls was a casualty of this destruction — not one remained unmarred.

(click for source)

I actually still get in trouble for picking raisins, nuts, berries, etc. out of things (don’t be afraid to eat with me — it’s strictly a family dysfunction). I once ate all — ALL — the raisins out of a new bag of bagels. When my BFF Manfriend got home he said, “Why is this bag full of torn up bread?” I tried to explain that when a raisin hankerin’ hits, I can’t be held accountable, and surely he understood how much better plump raisins with dough residue on them are than the dry, unadorned kind from a box…? Plus, we were out of the latter.

We now buy raisins regularly.

This is a high protein, vegan, refined sugar-free, grain-free, fairly low-glycemic (at least compared to the “original”) delicacy. It is surprisingly healthy, simple, and close to the real deal. It isn’t dry like other gluten-free breads, and will satisfy all the other crazies gooey-center lovers out there. ;  ) As you see below, you can shape these however you like.

Ingredients:
1/2 C blanched almond flour (Bob’s Red Mill doesn’t work well, I hear. I use this brand, or you can d.i.y.)
1/8 t baking soda
pinch of salt
1 t cinnamon (+ more for inside)
1 Tb ground flax seed
4 Tb water
1 Tb agave (or honey, or other sweetener)
1/8 t almond extract (optional — just to enhance almond flavor)
2-3 dates (insert jokes here)

Makes 2 rolls.

Recipe:
1) Preheat oven at 350*. Vigorously mix warm water with ground flax to create a “flax egg”. Let sit to thicken.

2) Mix dry ingredients.

3) Mix wet ingredients.
4) Mix wet and dry ingredients with a fork.

5) (Once combined, it will be sticky, so wet your hands and keep ‘em that way.) Shape the dough into two equal sized rectangles on a baking sheet (I used parchment).
6) Squish or chop dates.
7) Cover each dough piece with dates, and generously sprinkle cinnamon on top of dates.
8 ) Wet hands again, and carefully start rolling from the short end of the dough.

9) Bake. Watch closely; they take about 20-25 minutes, depending on your oven. Remove when you see light browning on the top and/or edges. Frost if desired (see below).

Printer-Friendly Version

While the rolls bake, you can whip up The Best Vegan Frosting of All Time. It tastes just like frosting should. It has some cream cheese flavors going on, ever so slightly, and thus is perfect for a cinnamon roll! Also glorious on carrot cake. Or a spoon. Anything, really…

Ingredients:
2 Tb coconut butter*
1 Tb agave (or other sweetener)

Recipe(ish):
1) Mix together with a fork until smooth.

For 2 cinnamon rolls, cupcakes, etc.

I guess one step doesn’t qualify as a recipe, but whatever this is, it falls into the Awesome category. Adding vanilla would up the classy factor, too. *Note that coconut butter is not the same thing as coconut oil. To make coconut butter at home (and save some major $), just dump a bag of unsweetened coconut flakes into a food processor and whir it up until smooth. Bam. Done.

Well. I hope this wasn’t anticlimactic for you. I have been lusting for a cinnamon roll for roughly 4 years now, so this may have been more exciting for me than it was for you ;  ) In any case, it came together (labor time) in about 10 minutes. The only hard part was waiting 20 minutes while they baked. That and the sadness that ensued when they were gone, 1 minute later.

Better go make some more. Enjoy your Sunday!

What is a weird thing you did with food as a kid (or now)?

These recipes are part of the fabulous Kelly at The Spunky Coconut’s Our Spunky Holiday post. Thanks Kelly! : ) She has awesome gluten-free, casein-free, and sugar-free recipes on her site, plus she lives near Boulder. What could be better?!

Ok, I hope I kept you in suspense with my teasing “hints” and the announcement that I totally mastered a recipe I’d been working on intermittently for about a month! I think I got a little scone crazy when they started popping up everywhere (I first saw the beginnings of the trend at The Pioneer Woman and Joy the Baker). There may be recipes for gluten-free scones, but I find that a lot of gluten-free flours are just way too high-glycemic for me. As in…they give me (and my pancreas) a sugar rush, and I hate that sluggish feeling afterward. I find almond flour is usually my top choice for baking bases, and it turns out the flavor of almond goes beautifully with these bright raspberries. What can I say? I need a little taste of Spring!

Ok, enough talk. You want the scones.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 C. blanched almond flour (It can be pricey, so here’s a tutorial for d.i.y.)
2 Tb. arrowroot powder (if you don’t have it, sub some coconut flour, chickpea flour, or extra almond flour)
3/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 egg (+ one if you want to do the egg wash for a crisper top)
1/4 c. agave or honey
1 t. apple cider vinegar (you can’t taste it + it’s necessary — trust me on this!)
1 Tb. vanilla
1/2 t. almond extract
1/2 C. Frozen raspberries (I prefer organic, as you might already know…)

(Printer-Friendly Recipe)

Recipe:
- Preheat oven to 350*. In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
- Mix all wet ingredients in a separate….vessel of some kind. (I hate getting unnecessary dishes dirty, so I just reuse my 2 cup liquid measuring cup to mix wet stuff together in.)
- Pour wet into dry. Mix gently, but thoroughly.

- Carefully fold in raspberries. Make sure they are still frozen, because it helps keep the dough together. Spread evenly, but keep ‘em intact as you can.
- Quickly place all dough in a ball on parchment covered baking sheet. Flatten with hands to about 3/4″.

- Slice into 8 equal pieces (like a pizza).

And yes, that bright pink is not due to photo-editing. It really does look exactly like that! The raspberries start melting quickly, hence the need to work at a good pace!

- Using a thin, wet spatula and fingers, carefully move every other section a few inches away from the rest, for room to bake.