cooking – Page 33 – GUTSy Performance Nutrition

Crisp Rosemary Crackers

July 29, 2012July 29, 2012by Rebecca4 Comments

It’s finally beginning to feel like real summer here! And when it’s summer, my eating habits change a bit. I eat later dinners each night (think 8:30-9:00 pm), dine on fresh Hermiston Watermelons, and make huge veggie salads for lunch. I’m not sure if these habits are because of the season, or as a result of habit from growing up on the hot side of the state, where true summers actually exist!

Lately too, I’ve been craving crispy, savory crackers and yesterday had a snack-lunch of crackers, hummus, and fresh vegetables. There might have been a couple slices of salami thrown in there too, but, ahem, we ate it! The rosemary and black pepper give a small hint of uniqueness to these little rounds, but even so, they pair nicely with a variety of other foods! (Think cheese board, if you’re fond of eating cheese).

Our July 2012 Daring Bakers’ Host was Dana McFarland and she challenged us to make homemade crackers! Dana showed us some techniques for making crackers and encouraged to use our creativity to make each cracker our own by using ingredients we love.

Crispy Rosemary Crackers, adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

3/4 cups gf flour mixture

1 cup Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour (about 8 oz. of gf flour all-together)
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil plus more for brushing
Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450°F. Place a baking sheet on the middle rack to preheat.

Stir together the flour, minced rosemary if using, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in center, then add water and oil and gradually stir into flour with a wooden spoon until a dough forms.

Knead the dough gently in the bowl. It should be compact but not stiff.

Divide the dough into 3 pieces and roll out 1 piece (keep remaining pieces covered with a towel) on a sheet of parchment paper into a 10-inch round. Cut into cracker rounds with 3-inch round cookie cutter. Remove excess cracker dough from rounds on the parchment, so the crackers won’t have to be picked up and moved. Gently score the top of each cracker with a knife with a design of your choosing, if desired.

Then lightly brush the top of each cracker with additional oil and sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper, if desired. Slide round (still on parchment) onto preheated baking sheet and bake until pale golden and browned in spots, about 10 minutes. Once baked, transfer parchment to a rack to cool. Continue this process with remaining cracker dough on fresh parchment.

Summertime

Gluten-Free Flaxseed Crepes with Oregon Berry Sauce and Orange Curd

July 8, 2012July 8, 2012by RebeccaLeave a Comment

This past week has been a trial of tough decisions. Growing up, one of my mentors always had two phrases that will forever stay with me: “Show up to win” and “Remember the good things, the things that were done right; forget about the rest, and focus on what you did that went well.” He was talking about showing horses, but I’ve found, years later, that he lives his life by that motto, and we should too.

Though life can often be found challenging, W and I try to embrace the good, the fun, and the beautiful moments that can be had. So we made crepes. Deliciousness ones with fresh berries that are perfectly ripe right now, and slathered with creamy, sweet orange curd. They were a momentary cure for life’s uncertainties. We followed the crepes with a beautiful hiking adventure through a short stretch of old growth forest up to a serene and quiet lake. There were few people, and we could embrace the quiet of only the birds and other small creatures living amongst the foliage.

If you, too, find you need a little something to forget about your worries for a while, calm your spirit, and focus on the moments that be lived fully, I suggest you make crepes and then wander on into the woods. It worked for us!

Gluten-Free Flaxseed Crepes, makes 4

14 grams flaxseed meal (about 2 Tbs.)
14 grams amaranth flour (about 2 Tbs.)
47 grams gluten-free flour mix* (about 1/3 cup)
1/8 tsp. sea salt
1 large egg
160 ml water (about 3/4 cup)

Combine all flours and salt. Use a fork to stir in the eggs. Stir in the water. Rest 30 minutes.
Heat a well-oiled 8-inch skillet to medium-high. Spoon 1/4 cup-amounts into skillet. Tilt so the batter spreads as thin as possible. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side.
Continue with batch, until all cooked.

Oregon Berry Sauce

Mix 1/2-1 cup fresh Oregon berries together. We used blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries.
Heat on stove top until the mixture is warm and bubbly. Serve over crepes.

Orange Curd, recipe adapted from Culinate

2 1/4 cups freshly squeezed orange juice

9 large egg yolks

9 Tbs. sugar

3 Tbs. finely grated orange zest

6 Tbs. cold butter, cut into small pieces.

Pour the orange juice into a small saucepan, and cook over medium-high heat until reduced to 3/4 cup. (Have a liquid measure nearby so that you can check the volume as necessary.) Set the reduction aside to cool slightly.
Fill a small pot one-third of the way with water, and bring to a boil.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and orange zest. While whisking, slowly add the reduced orange juice until completely incorporated. Set the bowl over the pot of boiling water, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Whisk constantly for 6 to 7 minutes, or until the curd thickens and holds its shape when stirred. (You can also do this in a double boiler.) Remove the bowl from the heat and gradually stir in the butter.
Set a metal bowl into a larger bowl of ice water, and strain the curd through a fine-mesh sieve into the smaller bowl. Stir the curd occasionally until it is cool, about 5 minutes. Transfer the curd to a small container, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until well chilled. Use within 1 week.

* My current gluten-free whole-grain mix of flour is:

200 grams brown rice flour

200 grams millet flour

200 grams sorghum flour

100 grams buckwheat flour

100 grams tapioca flour

100 grams potato starch

100 grams cornstarch

Spring

Armenian Nutmeg Cake for a Fabulous Spring Tea Party

April 29, 2012June 10, 2012by Rebecca6 Comments

I grew up not far from a spectacular place. My mom used to take me to visit the nursery as far back as I could remember. In my memory, the sun was always shining, the flowers were always in bloom, and a spectacular family lived in the house separated by a wooden fence. I liked to think the house was a real-life version of the secret garden, hiding behind the fence enclosed with vines. One day when I was small, one of the little girls from that house and nursery offered me a piece of her zebra stripe gum, and a lifelong friendship was formed.

The other little girl that lived in the house had a fondness for tea parties. She collected cups, and like many little girls are wont to do, had parties with stuffed animals and held mock weddings pretending she was marrying the neighbor boy. Or that’s how I remember it.

These two special people are still my friends to this day, and happily enough, have each in their own way helped me to celebrate and prepare for a real wedding–my own. Even though K is thousands of miles away, S stepped in with the tea and hats, photos, and friends. And A, a third friend, brought out her fabulous party and people coordinating abilities. It was a special time in the garden, with the sun shining and the flowers blooming. The only difference from my childhood memories was there was real tea served, more friends to celebrate beyond the stuffed animals, and the wedding this time around is really happening!

Now the cake–which is perfect for afternoon tea, was the April Daring Bakers Challenge recipe. The Daring Bakers’ April 2012 challenge, hosted by Jason at Daily Candor, were two Armenian standards: nazook and nutmeg cake. Nazook is a layered yeasted dough pastry with a sweet filling, and nutmeg cake is a fragrant, nutty coffee-style cake. While it may seem as if this is just a standard spice cake, it really is special, with the crumbly crust and sweet hint of spice, not overpowering despite the amount added. To top it off, I made this cake both gluten and dairy free, though you can certainly substitute the butter and wheat flour back in!

Tea Party photos are credit to my dear friend Shannon at FotoNovella.

Armenian Nutmeg Cake, makes one 6-inch cake

1/2 cup almond milk

1/2 tsp. baking soda

5 oz. whole-grain gf flour mix* (about 1 cup)

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. xanthan gum

4 oz. brown sugar (a bit over 1/2 a cup)

2 oz. coconut oil (1/4 cup)

3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

toasted sesame seeds

1/2 an egg (I broke an egg, whisked, and separated half by weight. I mixed the other half into fried rice for dinner!)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Whisk the baking soda into the milk. Set aside.
Put the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, and the brown sugar into your food processor. Pulse until uniformly mixed.
Spoon in the coconut oil, breaking into small pieces as you do so. Pulse until uniformly mixed into tan-colored crumbs.
Pour HALF of the crumbs into your cake pan. Press out a crust using your fingers and knuckles.
Pour the egg into the food processor with the rest of the crumbs still in it. Add the nutmeg to this addition. Pulse until well-incorporated.
Pour in the milk and baking soda mixture. Continue to mix until a slightly lumpy tan batter is formed.
Pour the batter over the crust in your cake pan pan.
Using a small bit of sesame seeds in your hands, gently sprinkle over the batter until it’s covered to your desired amount.
Bake in a preheated moderate oven for 35-40 minutes. It’s ready when the top is golden brown, and when it passes the toothpick test.
Cool the cake in the pan, and then dig in. It’s amazing with a nice cup of tea, I’m telling you!