A Happy GF 4th!

I did have one! I traveled with my boyfriend to Pueblo, CO to meet up with some friends for the weekend. I really wanted to get some tamales :) but my friend said they don't make bean ones. They do in Boulder, DUH it's Boulder. So I'll have to travel up there sometime soon for some! They are Amaizing Corn Tamales found at the Boulder's Farmers Market or Berry Best Smoothies. Anyways, I traveled pretty simply food wise for the weekend. I brought things that could be eaten for many meals. I packed a lunch for the way down, 2 little containers of Whole Foods Black Bean Quinoa, tortilla chips, salsa, eggs, strawberries, granola bars. And of course I had to make a GF Flag Cake to share! Seen above, I remember making one when I was little and haven't had one for a while so I made one! I used the Betty Crocker Mix and frosting mentioned in an earlier post. It was kind of dry.... but it got eaten! And it looked pretty so that's all that matters :) The weekend worked out well with food and fun! We launched our own fireworks! Fun!

Work Lunches

Work lunches are hard, as I found out this week. Having a party/meal with my friends is easy. They all know what kinds of foods I can eat or that they need to ask me about them. At work well people don't know me, I'm the "new temp girl". They don't know people with food allergies either, so just don't know how to work with that type of person. So one of my coworkers last day was Friday so this lady planned a lunch for him on Thursday. The menu: pizza, wings and cake. Oh great. The absolute of what I can't eat. Pizza and wings: no big deal I'll just bring lunch like normal. Cake: I had, what I thought I was a very good idea. I offered to make the cake. I would use GF cake mix and regular trans fatty frosting. Well apparently our department is a bunch of pigs because the planner lady said she was going to get a Costco cake. (We don't have THAT many people, and lots of the women don't eat sweets) And said I could bring my own cake. Yeah lady, I'm going to make a whole cake just so I don't feel left out. I'm NOT 5 years old thank you. Then I remembered that Costco only has white cakes. And I know their are chocoholics in my department (me included) so I just decided to make a chocolate cake. I wasn't trying to go behind the lady's back at all. I just knew she didn't understand. And I think she's the type of person that doesn't cook. And any thought of cooking just seems unnecessary. And I'm the opposite, I would rather cook because it shows more effort and tastes better :)

So I made a chocolate cake with Betty Crocker GF Cake Mix and Frosting. General Mills has really jumped on the GF bandwagon. They have a list of GF items online. They label all their products that are GF. And have a few boxed mixes and is coming out with GF Bisquick this summer! I love their boxed mixes. Reasonably priced, turns out well, and tastes good. Some of the mixes at Whole Foods are kind of scary.... I used to be totally against Betty Crocker because most of her stuff has trans fats in it and many other ingredients I can't pronounce. But the GF stuff is surprisingly quite pure.

I brought the whole cake to work. The guy it was for thanked me, he liked the effort. A couple people tried it at lunch and liked it. And then I had some to bring home (and hide from my boyfriend)! Overall, it worked out well. This is new territory for me, work lunches. And many more to come. (Sorry no picture)

Easter Dinner

One week later, I have time to blog about Easter dinner.... I haven't been cooking much lately, as you can see. Tax season is upon us and when working in the financial industry that means lots of work and not much time to cook. With tax WEEK this week I have been planning meals I can cook ahead of time. Major meal planning. But last Sunday I took the time and made a yummy Easter dinner for my boyfriend and I. It turned out pretty well. I ordered and picked up a Honeybaked Ham (now the glaze is gluten free). I also made roasted asparagus and mashed potatoes. Oh and then there was the failed carrot cake. Well the cake part was great. I used Betty Crocker Gluten Free Cake Mix. The cream cheese frosting didn't quiet work. Dairy free cream cheese and marshmellow cream. It turned out so watery and would not thicken up. I tried powdered sugar (not in the recipe) and chilling it in the fridge. Didn't work. I frosting the cake anyways but it just got soggy. Gross. But I tried, I guess and that's why I don't bake.

The recipes:
Roasted Asparagus
GF Betty Crocker Carrot Cake

We stayed home for Valentine's Day

Yes, my boyfriend and I did. He came up to my house, there are not quite as many "special" restaurants as in Denver so we decided that any food I make would be better. I made Spinach Tofu Lasagna which was amazing with the fake cheese. I was surprised, usually I don't like these "replacement" recipes but this one was really good. The Ricotta Tofu worked out well even in a blender. Adding beef would have made it good also. I will try that next time because yes there will be one. The only complaint was the top layer of noodles did not soften. I suppose there was not enough sauce and cheese covering it (even though it did not melt on the top.) Next, to the cake. Gosh, I have seen recipes for this so many times and have never had the guts to make it (because I would eat all of it) but Valentine's is the perfect excuse. This is our new Valentines tradition I have decided because it was amazing. Usually anything with chocolate is. I added the raspberries on top which were the best pieces. Put them all over when you make it! Anyways, pretty good for my posting lately. My goal for the month is to be better. Plus, good distraction and break from massive amounts of homework!

Spinach Tofu Lasagna

2 C Spinach
1 package "Follow Your Heart" Mozzarella Cheese
12 Lasagna Rice Noodles
Tofu Ricotta (see below)
2 C (maybe 2 1/2) Tomato Pasta Sauce

1. Cut cheese into slices.
2. Layer in a 11x14 in baking dish:
1/2 c sauce
1 layer of Noodles
1/3 of Ricotta
1/3 of Spinach
1/3 of Mozzarella Cheese
3. Repeat 2 more times.
4. Bake in a preheated oven of 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes after done.

Tofu Ricotta
1 package firm tofu, rinsed and drained
1/4 C packed, shredded fresh basil
1/4 C chopped parsley
2 TBS finely chopped red onion
2 TBS fresh thyme leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper

1. Combine all ingredients into a food processor or blender.
2. Blend until slightly crumbly.


Flourless Chocolate Cake with Dark Chocolate Glaze (from WholeFoodsMarket.com)

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips or bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
1 cup (2 sticks) plus 3 tablespoons vegan butter, cut into chunks
1 1/4 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon soymilk
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray, then line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Spray the paper with cooking spray, too, then set the pan aside. (I used a 9X9 baking dish and it turned out fine)

3. Place two-thirds (8 ounces) of the chocolate and 1 cup (2 sticks) of the butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Stirring often, melt chocolate with butter until completely blended.

4. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. Add sugar and mix well.

5. Add eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition.

6. Sift cocoa into bowl and stir until just blended.

7. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cake has risen and top has formed a thin crust. The cake should be just firm in the center when done.

8. Cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto a plate, removing sides of springform pan. Remove and discard parchment paper and set cake aside to cool completely.

9. Meanwhile, make the chocolate glaze. Melt remaining 4 ounces chocolate and 3 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat, stirring until smooth.

10. Remove from heat, then stir in milk, honey and vanilla. Set aside to cool slightly.

11. When cake has cooled, pour glaze onto the center.

12. Using a spatula or the back of a spoon, very gently smooth glaze along the top and sides of the cake.

13. Chill cake, uncovered, for 30 to 60 minutes before serving to set the glaze and make the cake easier to slice.

More Boxes

Happy Birthday to the boyfriend. A friend gave me this mix and I had been waiting for a good time to use it and this seemed like it. I was a little wery of using a box cake mix, especially GF. But I added the stuff it said to in the mix. You had to add 2 eggs, 1 1/2 cups of yogurt (I used plain soy yogurt), vanilla, butter (vegan Earth Balance) and I think that's it. I mixed it all together and it got really thick. I got excitied and started eating the batter. yummm I can taste it now...... I used partchment paper because I wanted the cake to come out well to decorate it. But I didn't know cakes had to bake for so long! I've actually never make a cake by myself before ;) And I ended up doing this late on a friday night, which worked out well because I made the AMAZING frosting while it was baking, did dishes then the cake was done. Took it out and left it to cool overnight, then frosted in the morning. In the end, it turned out super well. I would highly recommend this mix. Now I want to try all the Whole Food's GF mixes! I finally got to try the cake after I gave it to my boyfriend. We both loved it. It stuck together quite well and was moist. So I was proud for making yet another desert! Here's the recipe for the frosting! Cheers to a gluten and dairy free cake!

Dairy Free Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup (1 stick) dairy-free margarine, room temperature
2-1/2 tablespoons honey (really added to the texture!)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup dairy-free 100% cocoa powder
2-1/2 tablespoons water
2-1/2 cups powdered sugar

Place margarine, honey, and vanilla in mixing bowl. Sift cocoa into this bowl. Using electric beaters at low speed, cream these ingredients together. Add water and sift powdered sugar into mixture. Beat with electric beaters on medium speed until well mixed. Use frosting to frost cake.

Makes about 2-1/2 cups frosting, enough to frost a 9-inch double-layer cake.

Finished!

It's a party

And it's graduation time. My brother graduated from high school yesterday. So of course with big events like this come the parties. Well yeah I basically can't eat anything at parties ever so I made my own food. This is "Wonder Cake" from The Kid-Friendly Food Allergy Cookbook. It's gluten, dairy and sugar free. My brother is currently living sugar free so I wanted to make a treat for him that he can eat. So needless to say the cake turned out pretty well. The texture was moist and fluffy. A little crumbly like all GF things are. Then I made royal frosting in his school colors for people who eat sugar. The weird thing was the recipe called for olive oil and not vegetable oil. I could kind of taste the olive oil and it was kinda gross. So maybe next time I'll make it with just vegetable oil. Anyone have any thoughts?

Wonder Cake
1 egg
1/3 c each honey and molasses (I only used honey)
6 TB olive oil
1 3/4 c rice flour
dash of salt
2 ts cinnamon (I used 3)
2 ts baking powder
1/2 ts baking soda
1 cup apple juice
1 small apple, chopped
1 small pear, chopped
1/2 c raisins (I used Craisins)

Cream the egg. Blend in honey, molasses and oil. Add the flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder and soda. On low speed mix in the juice. Stir in the chopped apple, pear, raisins. Pour into a parchment lined 8 or 9 inch cake pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.

Royal Frosting
1 egg white
1 3/4 c powdered sugar
2 TB water

Mix all together. Add more powdered sugar/water if needed. Can add food coloring.


I also needed to make something with substance to eat for dinner. So what better than quinoa?! I actually had this recipe for lunch at PCC last week. I immediately tried to find the recipe online when I got home. I came up with one pretty close. It's really easy and doesn't call for many crazy ingredients. Remember you can buy some them in the bulk section. Pumpkin seeds, quinoa, pepper. Anyways, the salad turned out really well, my family was impressed. And it's just super healthy and makes you feel good! Oh the perks of being gluten, dairy, meat free!

Aztec Quinoa Salad
1 cup quinoa, well rinsed
1 cup thawed frozen corn kernels
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 or 3 scallions, minced
1-pound can pinto, pink, or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 heaping cup diced canned tomatoes (I used 1 fresh)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 c Pumpkin seeds

Optional:
Black olives
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into strips

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Add quinoa and simmer gently, covered, for 15 minutes. When the quinoa is done, remove it from the heat, fluff it with a fork, and transfer it to a mixing bowl. Combine the quinoa with the remaining ingredients and toss well. Also good when served chilled.