All posts tagged recipe

Peanut Butter Coconut Cookies

I’ve been holding onto a fierce craving for coconut as of late. I think it’s because the lovely white flakes remind me of snow… which we haven’t actually seen much of in Philly. It’s been 50-60 + degrees almost every day. With sunny skies.

Don’t get me wrong, I prefer flaked coconut snow over the real stuff any ol’ day– but there is something so magical about watching snow fall slowly against the glow of a streetlight. I am really looking forward to seeing some white stuff this year–which is a bold statement coming from a self proclaimed snow loather. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder, and since by now in Ohio I’m positive my family and I would have been pummeled by at least some atrocious freezing rain with me cursing up a storm about how we need to move to Tahiti, I guess it’s true. I think I’m really ready to brace the cold this year, armed with cute scarves and warm toasty beverages. If it ever actually gets here, that is. If not, I’ll happily play along in 60 degree temps.

Whether it’s snowy and cold or sunny and warm wherever you may be in the world, these cookies will fit the bill. Chewy and full of texture like an oatmeal cookie, these are best served completely cooled rather than warm from the oven.

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Loaded Blueberry Muffins

 

As you guys can probably tell by now, I am a huge advocate of muffin making. I bake them often, and many times I like to feature them here on the blog. This is because, in my eyes, muffins may be the world’s most perfect food.

They are simple to prepare, they taste kinda like cake, and there are endless variations to be thought up. I could probably make muffins every single day and never repeat a flavor combo even once… at least for a year or so. And I’d relish every single minute of it.

You know what else I love about muffins?  My picky two year old will eat them for breakfast. She has a hard time agreeing to putting anything in her mouth that’s not a “leaf” (kale salads, raw spinach, etc.) or a cookie. Yet, every single muffin I’ve ever fed her has been happily gobbled up–mostly by her, sometimes by the dog. She’s also into sharing.

When I make muffins these days, I like to jam them full of mix-ins to balance out all those leaves. ;) These are typical blueberry muffins with a few extras–buckwheat, zucchini, and banana–added in for good measure.

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White Chocolate, Raspberry & Sage Tart

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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Raspberry Pecan Tart

This humble little dessert turned out to be quite a big hit with my family. There’s just something about toasted pecans and tangy raspberry jam that make for a delectable combo. My husband likened it to an extremely delicious (and much more appealing) nutra-grain bar. Yeah, I can get behind that.

It’s easy to toss together, and even easier to eat much more than intended. This is some addictive stuff; serve with caution.

By the way, there are some incredible double milled GF flours available from Authentic Foods. I was first introduced to the ‘superfine brown rice flour’ by the wonderful Julie Hasson (accompanied by raving reviews of the stuff by miss Kittee). But you guys, guess what? The fine folks at Authentic Foods also make a superfine sorghum flour (oh yes, my dreams have come true!)… and it’s the bees knees. For serious. I have been using it in everything lately, and I really enjoyed the results when I used it in this tart. I highly recommend trying it out if you’re up for a superfine splurge. Otherwise, just stick to regular sorghum flour for this recipe–it won’t hurt anything.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Tartlets

If you peruse the archives of Manifest Vegan, chances are you will find a ton of recipes calling for chocolate and peanut butter. That’s because both chocolate and peanut butter are easy winners in my book. The combo of the two makes for an undefeated champ; add pretzels and you have yourself a legendary dessert.

After I secured myself a nice bag of Glutino brand pretzels the other day (so excited as I hadn’t eaten pretzels in over a year!), I knew they would be the perfect crust for a pb & chocolate tart. If you’re gluten free and you haven’t tried these pretzels, look for them at your next grocery outing. They are so good!

If you too love a good choco-butter combo, make these tarts… your taste buds will forever thank you.

And, if you are feeling not so adventurous with the tarts, feel free to put the filling into small cups and garnish with crushed pretzels… still excellent!

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Colcannon Casserole

With St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, my google reader seems to be spitting out hundreds of recipes for Colcannon.

And for good reason. This Irish dish is not only easy to make, it is also quite tasty. It’s composed of two of my most favorite foods: kale and mashed potatoes. Sometimes the kale is replaced with cabbage (or is it the other way around?). It makes no difference to me… I am still smitten. Really, any cruciferous veggie mixed with mashed potatoes is sure to win my heart.

This recipe is just an elaboration on the popular dish. It’s basically colcannon topped with a whiskey marinated tofu, fragrant toasted walnuts, and a decadent mushroom gravy. Altogether, it makes a killer main course.

I’ve always been fairly indifferent to St. Patrick’s Day as celebrated here in the USA. I’ve never been much of a bar-hopper, and now that I have children, even if I had the urge to do so, I’d have to hassle with a sitter, and then we’d have a curfew–and well, it’s just much more fun for me to snuggle up next to my hubby and sip green beer in our cozy living room. Maybe watch Leprechaun or something.

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Anyways, the whole time I was making this, I kept thinking how wonderful this casserole would be for a holiday dinner… like Thanksgiving. Or any holiday where there’s some sort of feast involved.

St. Patty’s Day? Yep, that’ll do.

So this year, I’m declaring Colcannon Casserole as our family’s official St. Patrick’s day celebration meal… complete with a few (gluten free) green beers. Now that’s a tradition I can get behind 100%.

It takes a bit of elbow grease* and a whole lotta ingredients to get this thing put together, but it’s well worth the effort if you’re a fan of the green stuff + mashed potatoes like I am.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

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Cherry Almond Coffee Cake

Okay dear readers, file this one under Allyson’s favorite recipes.

I have made this coffee cake three times in the past three days (yes, that’s right: one per day) and have regretted not one single moment of it. There is just something about a good cherry-almond combo that makes my heart sinnng!  Plus, it’s an easy cake to throw together since it calls for dried cherries, and not those delicious juicy ones with the pesky pits.

And, this coffee cake does not require coffee to make it shine (do any, really?), it stands up quite nicely on its own.

So what are you waiting for? Get in your kitchen and whip up what I consider to be the best coffee cake I have ever made.

Yep, ever.

Hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as I do… and if you happen to not like it, please don’t hesitate to send me the leftovers!  ;)  nom nom nom

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Triple Chocolate Pancakes

As I sit and type this post bright and early in the morning , I can honestly say that I have no desire to eat these pancakes for breakfast. Ever. Nothing at all against this recipe–in fact–I believe it to be a very good one. But these pancakes… are much more like “cakes” than your typical flapjack. The chocolate chips and ganache may or may not exaggerate this inherent quality.

Stacked up, they actually make a pretty decadent chocolate cake. With a moist and tender crumb, dark chocolate bits strewn throughout, and covered in thick silky ganache… it is definitely my kinda flapjack.

But, fair warning: eat these for dessert, not first thing in the morning. Unless you are some sort of hardcore chocolate devotee (in which I enthusiastiacally applaud you), you won’t find these very appealing with a glass of OJ. A tall glass of chilled almond milk, on the other hand, washes them down perfectly.

Oh! I almost forgot to mention that today is the last day of Pancake Week (thanks Marly!)… did you know? Kind of a bummer that I was only able to catch the tailend of the celebration, but it’s a good thing the internet is around to preserve the past week’s pancake contributions indefinitely. I intend on spending the day engaged in some serious pancake appreciation.

Cheers!

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Spicy Cilantro Crackers

Crackers are great little gems to have tucked away for the random occasion when you need something quick, savory and snappy. They shine in celebratory times where they make there subtle, but necessary, appearance on party trays. They come to the rescue during more dismal times–acting as the only food some folks can stomach when feeling under the weather. They also work well as a simple and delicious snack, for no good reason at all.

Store bought gf crackers can be quite costly, though. I’ve seen small (teeny) bags of them in my grocery store selling for seven dollars. Seven! Now, I appreciate a good snack that won’t compromise my health just as much as the next gal–but seven dollars? That’s just silly. And a darn good reason to make your own crackers from scratch. This particular recipe reminds me of a goldfish cracker with more sophistication, an extra dose of crunch, and a subtle touch of curry.

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Banana Cream Pie

This recipe is a combination of this cheesecake I made a while back + an insatiable craving I’ve been having lately for some banana cream pie.

It is not at all what I remember my mother’s banana cream pie to taste like (I’m pretty sure she included shredded coconut and jello pudding in her version), but it certainly hit the spot. With cashew cream, walnuts, bananas and almonds… it has all the fixins for a proper pie.

Did I mention it practically makes itself?

Okay, it definitely gets a little help from a food processor. Still, it is very easy to make if you have one of those aforementioned fancy gadgets, and a little extra time to spare.

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