Sour-Cream Apple Coffee Cake with Oat Crumble

Sometimes you need a really good, dense coffee cake to satisfy those winter-driven sugar cravings.

And I wanted streusel/crumble on top, so I combined two recipes.

Both are from Carol Fenster's 1000 Gluten-Free Recipes, which I highly recommend, if only for the baked goods recipes.  The rest are kind of blah and can be found readily on blogs throughout the internet.

Ingredients:

Cake:

1/2 cup melted butter/canola oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. lemon extract (optional)
1 cup sour cream (this can also be swapped out for plain Greek yogurt)
2 cups Carol's sorghum blend (35% sorghum flour, 35% potato starch, 30% tapioca starch)
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. ginger (I used fresh)
2 cups diced Granny Smith apples

Crumble:

1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
1/2 cup Carol's sorghum blend
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts (I used pecans, but walnuts or almonds can be used as well)
2-3 T. maple syrup
2 T. brown sugar
3-4 T. melted butter
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Butter and (gf) flour a springform pan for the cake (this makes cake-removal easier and looks really nice--if you want to use a normal cake pan, just make sure it will all fit).

In a large bowl, mix your oil/butter, eggs, and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth.

Add in your sour cream and extracts.  Mix until smooth.

In a separate smaller bowl, mix together all your dry ingredients.  Add them in batches to the wet mixture and mix until combined.

Stir in your diced apples and freshly grated ginger.

Pour into prepared cake pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

While your cake has begun baking, mix together all the topping ingredients until there are chunks of crumble-topping.  If it's not sticky enough, add more syrup.  If it's too dry, add more butter.  

When your cake has 15 minutes left of bake-time, crumble the topping over the cake and lightly press down.   Don't burn yourself! 

Bake until finished, and allow to cool a bit before popping the sides off of the pan.  

Enjoy!  This is also amazing with a little scoop of ice cream.

Vegan Mondays: Sweet Potato (or Butternut Squash) Hash

This is a great, great recipe for a very simple and quick meal that's also high in protein, fiber, and satisfaction!  While it's fantastic for dinner, I also think it'd make a great breakfast dish.  Credit to the original: http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2009/10/sweet-potato-tofu-hash-vegan-comfort.html

Tofu hash is basically a mimic of scrambled egg hash, so crumble your tofu about the size you would want your eggs to be.  Seasonings and vegetables can also be adjusted to your own tastes.

I roasted my squash to get it caramelized, but if you're in a rush, you can very simply just pop your cubed squash in a bowl in the microwave and cook it for 5 minutes in there.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cubed butternut squash or sweet potato
1 T. olive oil
Dash of salt, pepper, ancho chili powder

1 T. olive oil (more as needed)
1 shallot, diced
1 yellow/red/orange bell pepper, diced
1 15-oz block of firm tofu, pressed, crumbled
1 bunch green onions, chopped
8 oz. shiitake mushrooms, sliced
2 T. coconut milk
2 t. cumin
1 t. turmeric
1 T. paprika
Dash of Hungarian paprika (optional, for heat)
1 t. salt
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2-1 t. liquid smoke (depending on how smoky you want it)
2-3 T. maple syrup

Instructions:

Cook your squash/potato by roasting in the oven at 425 degrees F (coated in the olive oil and spices) for 20-25 minutes, or in the microwave for about 5 minutes on high.

Heat up your oil in a large skillet (with a lid) over medium-high heat.  Toss in your shallot and bell pepper, sauteing until cooked through, about 5-6 minutes.

Add in your tofu, green onions, and mushrooms, and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the tofu is firming up.

Then add the coconut milk and spices/seasonings/liquids, stirring to coat, and allow to cook with the lid on for about 5 minutes (to let all the flavors mesh!).

Toss in your cooked squash/potato last, heat through, and serve!  I, of course, had to top mine with a healthy dash of Sriracha deliciousness.

Slightly Sweet & Spicy Baked Beans

I threw this together, not wanting typical sweet baked beans, not quite wanting charro beans, but something in between.  We had it with our delicious barbecue pork!  (It was then somehow glutened, so, alas, I cannot eat the delicious leftovers.)

Ingredients:

6 oz. bacon, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 15 oz. can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz. can of white beans, drained and rinsed
1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
2 t. yellow mustard
1 T. (or more) sriracha
3 T. fancy molasses
1 T. worcestershire sauce
3 T. red wine vinegar
Dash of liquid smoke
2 t. dried oregano

Instructions:

Stir all ingredients together!

Bake in a 400 degree preheated oven for 50-55 minutes, until liquid has been absorbed.  Uncover if it's not absorbing enough!  Taste and adjust any seasonings.

Eat the deliciousness!

Sweet Pork "Barbacoa"

Ingredients:

2.5-3 lb. pork shoulder, bone-in

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 T. chili powder
1 t. paprika (I did half normal and half "half-sharp")
1/2 t. ancho chili powder
1 t. course salt

1 T. tomato paste
1.5 cups chicken broth

6-7 cloves garlic, peeled
1 onion, thickly sliced

Instructions:

Place the pork shoulder in a Dutch oven OR slow-cooker.  If you're using a Dutch oven, preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.

Mix your brown sugar and spices together in a bowl until well-mixed.  Add in the tomato paste and chicken broth.  Pour over the pork shoulder.

Toss in the garlic and sliced onion.

Cook in preheated oven for 4-5 hours, OR on low heat in the slow-cooker for 8 hours.

Once the meat is falling off the bone and much of the cooking liquid is gone, pull out the bone.  Shred. Place back in the oven, uncovered, to reduce any remaining liquid.

The original recipe said that this was to be served in tacos, burritos, enchiladas, etc, but I find it far less of a Mexican-esque flavor and more of a barbecue one.  It's quite sweet.

Also, look at my new pretty knife :D!  It's a Shun Ken-Onion chef knife.  This this is scary sharp.  One must respect it.  My Christmas present from my amazing husband!

Happy New Year, Everyone!

It's a new year (cue song: new dawn, new day, new life).  The world didn't end, we've all gained a little poundage over the holidays, and now it's 2013!  Rejoice!

I've been negligent over the last month for a few reasons.

1) My SAD is kicking in.  Having a history of depression kinda sucks, and living in Canada, where it's dark longer than it is light, doesn't help.  (Yes, I take Vitamin D.  Yes, I take it with calcium.)  My motivation is low, and I lost interest in my blog for a bit.

2) A lot of the recipes I've been trying lately have come out either not how I wanted or they're just plain mediocre.  I don't wanna post crappy recipes for y'all, just for the sake of having a recipe posted, so I kept holding off till I had something GOOD.

3) Sheer laziness.  Due partially to SAD.  Due partially to reason #2.

Anyway, I have resolved to get back to posting.  I have no food in the house, as we just spent 2 weeks in the States visiting my family, so I'll have to take care of that first!

Vegan Mondays shall be a regular thing (if not vegan, vegetarian).

Gonna be cooking some healthier stuff.

All will certainly be GF.

Oh, and I have to show off my prezzies from Christmas :D.  Got some exciting things!

Vegan Mondays Continued: Chocolate Pots-de-"Creme"

These were very, very tasty little pots-de-creme made with a few simple ingredients.  No butter or cream to be found here!

Ingredients:

1 14-oz. can full-fat coconut milk
5 oz. bittersweet chocolate (I used Baker's), roughly chopped
1 t. grated orange zest
2-3 T. sugar
1/2 t. vanilla extract

Instructions:

Heat a double-boiler over high heat.  Add coconut milk and chocolate and stir until the chocolate is melted.

Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until smooth.

Pour into 2-3 mini-cocottes or small bowls, and refrigerate for 2-3 hours, until set.

My only complaint was that the texture was a tad bit grainy--I might try whisking it next time while it's heating.

Vegan Mondays: Ramen

Last weekend, my husband, Charles, came to me and asked if we could start having less meat-centered meals during our weeks.  Sparked by an article he read about human evolution and diet, he concluded that perhaps we should be consuming less animal products.  Combine that with the environmental aspect and cruelty of the meat industry, and we now have our reasons for Vegan Mondays.  (By the way, I was always for this, but you know how dudes can be about their meat.)  This may expand to a few more days of the week later on, but right now, we're trying it out once a week.

If this ramen is any sign of what's to come, we're going to be having many, many more meatless meals.

Forget the ramen you had in high school and college that was ten cents a package and came with a little packet of MSG seasoning.

This is the real stuff. It's man-approved.  I was even asked to make this for the in-laws about five minutes into eating.  And we couldn't believe that it's animal-byproduct-free!

This is a bit of work for a meal, but I think it's so worth it.  It'd also be a GREAT idea to double the broth recipe and have a ramen party where people bring their own little topping.

The original recipe also used smoked shiitake mushrooms and features guidelines for David Chang's Momofuku ramen broth, so if you're interested in that, you'll find it here.

Ingredients:

Shiitake Mushroom Broth

3 quarts (12 cups, or almost 3 liters) of water
3 oz. dried shiitake mushrooms, enough to result in 1 cup of ground mushrooms (these come in tiny bags at my supermarket that are very expensive--I used 3 .5-oz bags and it was enough, so YMMV)
1 sheet Kombu seaweed, rinsed (I could not find this at the supermarket, so I used 3-4 sheets of toasted seaweed sushi wrappers...I have no idea if that was really different)
5 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
8 whole peppercorns
3 whole cloves
1/4 cup mirin
1/3 cup soy sauce (or more, to taste)
2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, and 1 medium onion, tossed in olive oil and roasted at 425 degrees F until lightly browned (if you have the time)

Toppings
Tofu, cube
Chopped green onion
Bamboo shoots
Roasted cauliflower
Roasted butternut squash
Lightly steamed bok choy (or other sturdy greens)
Bean sprouts
Enoki mushrooms
Roasted/smoked/sauteed shiitake mushrooms
Soy sauce (to top)

Noodles (udon, if you're not eating GF, but for GF people, I suggest soba or shirataki noodles)

Instructions:

Powder up your dried mushrooms in a food processor.

Shiitake!

The dried portobella mushrooms powdered up easier.  (They didn't have enough shiitake bags at the store.)

 Place all broth ingredient in a large stockpot.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Remove seaweed pieces, then simmer 30 minutes more until reduced by half.

Strain the mixture with cheesecloth, return to the pot, and keep warm.  Once it's time to eat, bring the broth back to a full boil.

Prepare your toppings and noodles.  We tried these low-carb, low-calorie shirataki noodles for the first time.  If you can ignore the smell when they first come out of the bag, they're fantastic!

Serve by placing noodles in a bowl, and toppings in their own bowls around the table so people can add them as they wish.  Pour the broth over everything, once assembled.  (You may need to reheat your bowl if your toppings are cold when you add the broth.)

The set-up!   Note the ubiquitous Sriracha.

Bowl of deliciousness, and a Japanese cucumber salad on the side.

This is an incredible meal, and it gets a 10 on the healthiness scale.  Dig in!