Archive for June, 2011

Jalapeño Cheddar Bagel

By On June 30, 2011 In Baked Goods, Bread, Gluten-Free With 31 Comments Permanent Link to Jalapeño Cheddar BagelPermalink

Hey, lovely readers! Happy Thursday! I bring you this bagel as part of a group blogging challenge entitled, “Gluten-Free Dream Day at Panera Bread“.

What’s a Gluten-Free Dream Day at Panera Bread?

Well, basically a bunch of us bloggers came together and we each re-created our favorite Panera Bread bakery treat into a gluten-free vegan version. Pretty cool, huh? Some very talented folks are participating, and I’m excited to be part of it.

When I was invited to work on this idea with Marly, of Namely Marly, the same genius who brought us Top Ten Sandwiches: Veganized , I was all about it. But, I have to admit…. I haven’t been to a Panera Bread chain in a very, very, very long time. In fact, I think the last time I was in one was about 4 years ago, and that was only to pick up some grub for my office friends’ lunches. I did however get myself a soy latte, and from what I remember, it was pretty tasty.

Once I finally took a looksy at Panera’s menu and realized they had a Jalapeño Cheddar Bagel, I decided I wanted to recreate it in my own gluten-free and animal friendly kitchen. I love bagels… so I thought this would be right up my alley. Even though I had never had the actual Panera bagel, it sounded like something I would totally be into. And, man, was I right.

Chewy, crunchy (once toasted), spicy, and cheesy, this is definitely my kinda bagel. I’ve always been much more of a savory breakfast kinda gal, and I could get used to waking up to this deliciousness each morning with a piping hot cuppa joe… couldn’t you?

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White Chocolate, Raspberry & Sage Tart

By On June 26, 2011 In Baked Goods, Desserts, Gluten-Free, Pies, Sauces With 33 Comments Permanent Link to White Chocolate, Raspberry & Sage TartPermalink

Homemade white chocolate, berries from the backyard, and fresh sage from the garden all add up to a ridiculously easy, yet sophisticated, tart.

As I was making this tart (at this point, I had only finished baking the crust) my husband kept begging me to let him try it. So, by the time the whole thing was said and done and photos had been shot, he managed to eat HALF of said tart in about 10 minutes. And he’s not even a white chocolate fanatic like moi. My son and I were equally impressed with how much he liked this recipe; but, given its delectable and slightly minty flavor from the sage, neither of us were surprised. This is a really great tart.

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Lemon Olive Oil Cookies

By On June 17, 2011 In Baked Goods, Cookies, Desserts, Gluten-Free With 19 Comments Permanent Link to Lemon Olive Oil CookiesPermalink

Friends, today I set out to share a delicious new cashew cream truffle recipe with you, while trying to juggle a multitude of other tasks. And I failed. Miserably. :\ I won’t go into details, but let’s just say my kitchen was definitely a pathetic sight to see.

But! Then I remembered I had this bag of lemons kickin’ around, and the fresh smell of lemon always pulls me out of a funk. So I cheered myself up by baking a batch of these citrusy morsels. And man, am I ever glad I screwed up those truffles; these cookies are really good.

Soft, tangy, and similar to a snickerdoodle in texture, these cookies are a nice treat on a warm summer day — especially alongside a refreshing scoop of lemon sorbet. If you don’t like the flavor of olive oil and would prefer a milder cookie, feel free to sub it out with melted margarine or coconut oil.

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Fruity Spinach Salad & Happy News!

By On June 10, 2011 In Gluten-Free, Salad dressing, Salads, Vegan Community With 41 Comments Permanent Link to Fruity Spinach Salad & Happy News!Permalink

 

It’s been a buuuuuuusy week around the Kramer household. I’ve been putting in some major overtime trying to get this cookbook wrapped up. Sleeping has been replaced with early morning recipe testing and late night writing, my refrigerator is jam-packed with WAY too much food for a family of three and a half to deal with, and there are regularly just enough dirty dishes in my sink to keep me from filling my coffee pot with water so I can function throughout the day. :\

But, despite the busyness, I am loving life right now. The weather outside has been a blissful 90 degrees (yeah, I’m a heat junkie), and my garden is in full bloom even though I haven’t been able to tend to it this year. I guess it wanted to grow so badly that it just took care of itself. Pretty rad! We have kale, scallions, chamomile, rosemary, parsley, cilantro, mint, oregano, sage, berries, roses, and even purslane! So, it’s really a great time to be cooking up a storm. Ah, yes… life is good.

And, you guys… I have good news! Well, great news! I’ve been sitting on this exciting announcement for a while until it became “official”. And now it is. I’m super happy to say that my cookbook is getting published by Fair Winds Press… one of my all time favorite publishers of beautiful reads! So with that, comes an emphatic thank you to all of you. There’s no way in heck I would have ever had this opportunity if it wasn’t for you glorious readers out there, subscribing to my culinary rants, making my recipes, and keeping me motivated. You guys are the best.

The book’ll be hitting shelves Spring of 2012, and the [tentative] title is Great Gluten-Free Vegan Eats. Keep an eye out for it! Unless of course you’re a regular follower of my blog, in which case I’ll be sure to remind you. :)

My testers have been hard at work too! Check out what a few of them have been up to:

The Vegan Chickpea

Forest Raven

Tiffany’s (of Bread Without Butter) flickr photostream Check out her blog too!

And, last but not least, Tofu’s Mobile Me Gallery

They’ve been busy helping me out, and I couldn’t be more appreciative of all their hard work. ♥

With a schedule like I have these days, one thing that’s keeping me fueled up is salads. Yep… I’ve been thriving on simple, colorful, nutritious bowls of yum. They always include some of my garden bounty in ‘em, which makes me especially proud to be noshing them. They’re good for your mind and body, and they are super easy to prepare. Oh, and they require very little cleanup!

This recipe is one of my faves. It’s filling enough to count as a full meal, yet simple enough to whip up last minute before heading out the door for some summertime fun (if you happen to have some cooked brown rice on hand, which is a frequent occurrence in my refrigerator). Feel free to adjust all seasonings and ingredients to your taste! This is, after all, a salad… mix it up!

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Coconut Basil Ice Cream

By On June 3, 2011 In Desserts, Frozen Treats, Gluten-Free With 20 Comments Permanent Link to Coconut Basil Ice CreamPermalink

If you like basil… and you like coconut, try this ice cream. Since I’m from the sticks, I very rarely get the treat of eating “gourmet” vegan ice cream.  So, I realize that this flavor may very well be played out… but this is some tasty stuff!

Yesterday I was thinking how a mango/basil sorbet would be killergood for lunch (yeah, it’s been one of those weeks), and it clicked. Basil ice cream! No frills, just pure and delicious basil-y goodness hyped up with a little coconut milk. Then I googled it and saw that a few other folks had thought of that one already. But, it’s a really good idea! Maybe even classic? I think it’s my new favorite flavor.

Or not. Nothing will replace vanilla bean in this gal’s heart… but a close second? Yeah, I’ll give it that.

This ice cream has just the right amount of oomph from the peppery and minty basil, and a dash of coconut flair to make it shine. Perfected with a drizzle of chocolate on top.

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