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No-Bake Gluten-Free Date Bars

Written on October 14, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

I’m a very brand-loyal person, whether it be the shoes on my feet or the food on my plate. One brand I absolutely love is Attune Foods. I met their representative Annelies at the Chicago Healthy Living Summit; her passion for Attune’s healthy line of cereals and chocolate was immediately apparent and impressed me and I’ve been a fan ever since.

Their Erewhon line of cereals make terrific certified gluten-free alternatives to mainstream rice and corn-based cereals and have been doing so for decades. While I’m not a fan of cereal for breakfast, I do like baking with it, especially for no-bake desserts like this one. These bars have the same flavors as my other date bar recipe but are so much simpler to make. The bottom layer is only slightly sweet with a nutty and spicy rice flavor to it, while the topping adds a good punch of flavor and texture difference. It’s a quick and easy crowd-pleaser.

No-Bake Gluten-Free Date Bars

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 16 squares):

1 box Erewhon Rice Twice cereal
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup almond butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2-3 Tablespoons water
1 cup dates, diced
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup crushed walnuts
1/2 teaspoon course sea salt(optional)

Method:

In a food processor, blend the cereal until it makes a fine flour.
Add the melted butter, powdered sugar, almond butter, and cinnamon and continue blending until mixed.
Slowly add the water until the cereal mix starts sticking to itself. Shut off the processor and move it into an 8 by 8 baking pan and press into an even layer. Refrigerate for the time being.
In a small pot, bring the dates, brown sugar, and water to a boil. Continue boiling until the dates are soft and mushy and the water has evaporated. Remove from the heat and mash together into a somewhat smooth puree.
Spread the date mixture over the crust in an even layer. Top with walnuts and sea salt if using. Chill for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

The Attune Foods October recipe challenge is open until October 20th. They will also be holding a November and December recipe challenge so don’t worry if you can’t think of anything to submit for this contest period. In fact, just don’t enter so that I have a better chance of winning. Kidding. Sort of.

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Maple-Curry Acorn Squash

Written on October 13, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

One of my favorite things is when readers make recipes from really old posts on this site. A lot of the time they’re recipes I’ve forgotten about. More importantly, I’ve forgotten how good some of the recipes are, too.

When Danielle made my maple-curry squash recipe I immediately added it to the list of foods to make. The unexpected combination of maple and curry powder work surprisingly well together for a squash that’s spicy and earthy.

Another reason I like remaking old recipes is it gives me a chance to take better pictures. Over the past year, I’ve learned a lot about what goes into a good food photo. While I still have a lot to learn in terms of lighting and styling, I can look at these and not cringe like I do some of the photos I published when I first started writing this blog.

Maple-Curry Acorn Squash

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 3 servings):

1 Large acorn squash
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 Tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt*

*omit if your curry powder is already salted.

Method:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line a baking tray
Cut the squash in half to remove all the seeds. Once de-seeded, cut along the ridges into thin wedges.
In a large bowl, toss the wedges with the maple syrup, curry powder, and salt.
Lay the squash out on the baking tray and roast for 45 minutes or until fork tender.
Remove from the oven and serve hot.

Maple syrup and curry powder—who would’ve thunk it?

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Green Beans Provencal

Written on October 12, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

When you’re around Italian cooking a lot, you start to pick up the unspoken rules of Italian cooking. These are the rules that tell you how to pair sauce with a specific shape of pasta, not to pair cheese with a fish dish, and to never put a red sauce over green vegetables.

Lucky for me this isn’t Italian, it’s French. There’s also no red sauce, just whole tomatoes. But I’m not sure that exception would fly in Italy. But what no Italian can deny is that when tomatoes combine with garlic and olive oil magic happens and whatever comes out of the pot will undoubtedly be good.

Green Beans Provencal

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

1lb green beans, trimmed
3 medium tomatoes
5 cloves of garlic
3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Heat 2 Tablespoons of oil in a large pan over medium heat.
Slice the garlic cloves thinly lengthwise. Add the slices into the hot oil and sauté just until the edges begin to brown.
Add the green beans into the pan and toss with the oil. Continue cooking until the green beans cook and darken their color.
Slice the tomato into halves and then quarters so that each tomato yields 8 slices. Add those to the pan and toss with the green beans.
Continue cooking until the tomatoes blister. Remove the pan from the heat and drain off any water that’s cooked out. Add in the remaining tablespoon of oil, salt and pepper and toss one last time. Move to a serving dish and serve hot.

My original plan was to serve this with spaghetti squash. By the time I finally cooked it, I had eaten all the spaghetti squash and had it with quinoa instead, which is a grain that always reminds me of quinoa. I guess what I’m getting at is that this makes a great dish with any pasta.

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Peas And Carrots Quinoa

Written on October 11, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

I’ve never understood why there are so many pea blogs out there, and then it hit me: I can’t remember ever trying peas before. I’ve had snap peas, but never peas out of their pod—at least not ever since I’ve been old enough to remember. I used to ice my legs with frozen peas I stole from a common room refrigerator, but that doesn’t count I don’t think. I even went to London where I was promised there would be mushy peas and I never saw any. What a disappointment. So when I went to Trader Joe’s and saw a bag of frozen peas for fairly cheap I thought I’d try them out.

Peas and carrots seem to be the quintessential baby food. I’m not sure why; they’re two vegetables that just about anyone can enjoy. Dressed up with quinoa, they’re perfectly good for adults, too. And these were good. Now I see why all the fuss over peas. I can’t believe I’ve gone so long without trying them! Never again. I find their sweet, earthy pop of flavor addicting. I absolutely couldn’t get enough of this when I made it, and you won’t be able to either.

Peas And Carrots Quinoa

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

1 cup uncooked quinoa, washed and drained
1/2 cup cooked peas
1 carrots, sliced thinly
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon honey(optional)

Method:

Bring the quinoa and 2 cups of water to a boil over the stove.
Add in the carrots and cook until the quinoa has soaked up all of the water.
Add in the peas, salt, and honey. Mix and fluff the quinoa. Move to a serving bowl and serve hot.

More peas, please.

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Almond Flour Pumpkin Bread

Written on October 10, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Breakfast, Holiday, Snack

Christopher Columbus discovered America.

I discovered that you can make a moist and delicious pumpkin bread that’s gluten and grain-free. Not to belittle Mr. Columbus’ achievement, but I think that’s pretty damn good.

Maybe I’m just a little too excited because I wasn’t sure this could be done. A few hours before I pulled this loaf out of the oven, it was literally just a bunch of almonds and a whole pumpkin. Not pumpkin puree. Not almond meal. Just the raw ingredients.

After roasting + pureeing the pumpkin and grinding the almonds, I threw these ingredients together and hoped for the best. Luckily, the best is what I got. This pumpkin bread is sweet, soft, moist(I hate that word but it really is) and spicy. It’s one of the best pumpkin breads I’ve had ever; it just happens to be gluten-free.

Almond Flour Pumpkin Bread

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 75 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 1 loaf):

2 cups almond flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
4 eggs
6 Tablespoons oil
1/4 cup tapioca starch(or corn starch)
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon ginger
pepitas to garnish(optional)

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Add all of the ingredients except for the pepitas into a large bowl and mix until fully combined. Stir extra well to ensure there aren’t any clumps.
Grease a medium-sized loaf pan and pour the batter in.
Bake for 75 minutes or until the center is cooked through.
Remove and let cool for an hour before removing from the pan.

On top I spread a little(or a lottle) ginger jam. Have you seen this stuff? It’s made by Ginger People; it’s basically crystallized ginger made into a jam, and it’s heaven. A little goes a long way, though, which is why that jar has lasted me almost 2 years. This would also be good with pumpkin butter, cream cheese, peanut butter, or plenty of other spreads.

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Southwestern Stovetop Frittata

Written on October 7, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Breakfast, Entree

My weekly schedule is a little funny. Tuesday and Thursday are always go-go-go and I hardly have time to sit down and eat let alone cook. But on Wednesday I have all the time in the world if I work enough over the weekend to take my time and lounge around. This Wednesday I realized I didn’t have very much food to get me through the next couple of days, so what did I do? Cook. A lot.

On top of lunch and dinner, I roasted a spaghetti squash, acorn squash, and used up a dozen eggs in this frittata. My 3-foot fridge might have been bursting open with squash that night, but it’s made my next couple days a breeze. I ate 3 servings of this frittata yesterday and still wanted more after dinner. I can tell I’ll be making another again soon.

If you don’t feel like cutting the peppers and onion yourself, check in the frozen section of your grocery store for something called a “southwestern vegetable blend” and substitute the vegetables here for 1 cup of the vegetable blend.

Southwestern Stovetop Frittata

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

12 medium eggs
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 green bell pepper, julienned
1 yellow onion, diced
1 Tablespoon oil
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded Mexican blend or cheddar cheese(optional)

Method:

Heat the oil in an 8’ non-stick pan with a fitting lid over medium heat.
Add in the peppers, onion, spices and salt and sauté until the onion is translucent. Make sure to mix the ingredients to evenly distribute the spices.
In a large bowl, crack and beat all of the eggs.
Remove the onion and peppers from the pan and pour in the beaten eggs(if you’re using a pan that’s not non-stick, it’s a good idea to add a little oil to the bottom before doing this).
Wait 10 seconds and then distribute the onion and peppers and cheese if using into the egg batter.
Put a lid on the pan and leave untouched for 10 minutes until the egg has cooked through. You’ll be able to tell it’s done when the egg in the center has set.
Remove from the pan and cut into quarters. Serve hot.

Next time I try this I think I’ll add some cheddar-style Daiya, because if it’s that good without cheese it can only be better with.

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Orange And Herb Quinoa

Written on October 4, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

I’ve gotten into a practice—a good practice—where I make a big batch of quinoa over the weekend using this method to heat and serve throughout the week. It saves me a lot of time and dramatically increases my options for meals when I don’t really have the patience to cook or turn on the oven.

I usually cook the quinoa in just water(as opposed to veg stock) because I’m never quite sure what I’m going to use it for. Sometimes I like it dressed up in Asian flavors like in this fried quinoa recipe and other times with more Western ingredients like this recipe, which I could just as easily see served with roasted chicken and mashed potatoes. It’s an easy way to dress up leftovers so that it doesn’t taste anything like it started as.

Orange and Herb Quinoa

Prep time: 5 minutes(longer if you aren’t using leftover quinoa)

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

2 cups cooked quinoa(or 1 cup uncooked quinoa and 2 cups water)
Juice from 1/2 an orange(2-3 Tablespoons)
Zest from 1/2 an orange
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon herbs de Provence(or any other seasoning blend)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons sugar(optional)

Method:

If using uncooked quinoa, bring to a boil over the stove with the 2 cups of water and cover with a lid until the water’s been absorbed and the quinoa shows that it’s cooked like above.
Mix the cooked quinoa with all of the other ingredients thoroughly. Adjust the taste by adding more salt or sugar.
Serve cold or heat up briefly in the microwave or oven for a warm side dish.

Shown with kale, tempeh cooked in soy sauce, and black olives.

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Homemade Peppermint Patties

Written on September 29, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

While I definitely have a sweet tooth, you could count the different candies I like with one hand: peanut butter cups, Snickers, Swedish fish, and Peppermint Patties. Oh, and candied ginger, but that doesn’t really count; I mean, it has ginger in it so that practically makes it a medicine.

I might be jumping the gun with Halloween still over a month away, but I’ve been really excited to make my own candy for a while. The last time I made these peppermint patties was for a New Years Eve party, so almost 9 months ago. That’s way too long for something this good. The filling is soft, smooth, and refreshing while the outside is dark and crunchy. Well I don’t need to tell you—you’ve probably had a Peppermint Patty before, and these taste just like the real deal!

Homemade Peppermint Patties(gluten-free/vegan) recipe here.

Recipe notes:

I had to use more than the amount of powdered sugar listed in the ingredients. My best guess is that the temperature affected the dough since the last time I made them was the dead of Winter. Just keep adding powdered sugar by the 1/4 cup until you can break off a piece and roll it into a ball without the sugar sticking to your hand.
I froze completely the filling part before dipping it in chocolate, which I think made the process easier.
I used chocolate chips again, but I think real bakers chocolate would be better since the coating had some trouble staying hard after being melted.
I froze the filling and finished patties on aluminum foil and it didn’t stick like I thought it might.

I was debating covering the tops with white non-perils but the chocolate hardened before I got a chance so I didn’t bother. You could spend the extra time to make sure all the sides are covered evenly and the coating is smooth; I, however, like when not every dessert is identical or perfect. It shows that it’s homemade and unique.

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Fried Quinoa

Written on September 26, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Entree

The downside(or benefit depending on how you look at it) of making things like quinoa in big batches is that you have the same old food meal after meal. Luckily, quinoa is one grain that’s easy to dress up. You can eat it in the morning in place of oatmeal, or later on in place of rice. Here I used it to make a tasty, higher protein version of fried rice.

I’ve never really found rice interesting, even as fried rice from a halfway decent Chinese takeout restaurant. This, however, I could eat meal after meal. The vegetables and egg add a play of textures and the quinoa has a nice nutty flavor to it to compliment the sesame oil. Add some stir-fried tofu or chicken and you’re good to go.

Of course, if you have leftover rice you could make the same recipe subbing in rice for quinoa and have a more traditional dish.

Fried Quinoa

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients(makes 2 servings)

1 cup cooked quinoa
2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil
3 Tablespoons soy sauce(use wheat-free tamari for a gluten-free meal)
1/2 an onion, diced
1 bell pepper, chopped into bite-sized chunks
1/2 cup bean sprouts
4 eggs

Method:

Heat the oil and soy sauce in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until the oil starts to bubble.
Add in the onion and sauté until translucent.
Add in the quinoa, pepper, and bean sprouts. Toss the pan to mix. Cook until all the liquid has been absorbed and the quinoa on the bottom of the pan begins to pop.
Crack the eggs directly into the pan. Lightly mix them in with the other ingredients. Continue mixing until the all the whites and yolks have cooked through.
Plate and serve hot. Can be kept in the refrigerator and reheated as leftovers for up to 3 days.

I ate this as leftovers and it was most definitely better the next day, with a strong, nutty sesame flavor and crunchy bean sprouts.

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How To Cook Quinoa In A Rice Cooker

Written on September 23, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in How To, Side Dish

Last year around this time I bought a rice cooker. Since then I’ve made rice approximately 2 times, both being for other people. I just don’t care for rice. Why’d I buy it then? To cook other things like quinoa.

Quinoa is traditionally made in a pot on the stove. That method works well if you have a full kitchen, but there are definitely benefits to using a rice cooker, too.

You don’t have to watch a rice cooker as much as a burner.
Rice cookers with “keep warm” settings make it easy to serve warm food even during a busy party.
You can use a rice cooker almost anywhere there’s an electrical outlet—even in a dorm room.

I use a Zojirushi rice cooker. They’re one of the more expensive brands but totally worth the extra cost. This will last for years and years, is easy to clean, and has plenty of cooking features. I’ve made a number of different things in it, from quinoa to date paste. It’s worth the investment if you’re in the market for a rice cooker.

How To Cook Quinoa In A Rice Cooker

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

1/2 an onion, small diced
1 large carrot, small diced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
2 1/2 cups water or stock
3/4 teaspoon salt(omit if using salt)

Method:

“Sauté” the carrots and onion in the bottom of the rice cooker by cooking them in the oil on a high-heat setting until the onions are translucent.
Add in the quinoa, liquid, and seasoning if using. Close the lid on the rice cooker and cook on high for 15-20 minutes until the liquid has boiled off. The quinoa will be ready when it has doubled in volume and a “tail” sprouts from the end.
Fluff the quinoa with a serving spoon and serve hot or let cool and store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Once you get comfortable preparing basic quinoa, you can make more complex recipes, all while still using your rice cooker. Here are a few of my favorites that I have picked to make for Fall:

Vegged-Out Quinoa

The Best Quinoa Dressing

Savory Pumpkin Quinoa

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