My Favorite Pie Crust

Since being gluten free I've tried my hand at making a few pies, and I have finally settled on my favorite version! This pie crust isn't the buttery and flaky crust that looks like phyllo dough., this crust is more...cakey, I suppose. It has a soft texture with a crumb. It might make for a less-than presentable slice, but after tasting it, no-one will be complaining about it's presentation.

Pro Tip: Occasionally I will be making a pie, and while I have all the ingredients out, I will make a few to freeze for later. I individually wrap them up in saran wrap and just pile them in the freezer to chill for whatever or whenever I need it.

What I really like about this crust recipe is how versatile it can be. You can use your favorite flours and feel free to make it as sweet or even savory as you want! The crust can even be made vegan with a vegan replacement for the butter and eggs. I have definitely done this in the past, and am happy to report that flax eggs do work well!

1 flax egg =  1 T flax + 3 T hot water

I will often cut out some of the sugar if I am going to freeze the dough,  just because I don't know what it will be made for at a later date, and I may not want it that sweet if it is being used for a savory quiche or something. If the dough will be used for pie, after letting it thaw and I'm rolling it out, I will just add a bit more sugar or syrup on it.

Suzy's Favorite Pie Crust

Yield: 1 crust (double for pie that requires a top and bottom crust)

1 1/2 cup finely ground oatmeal flour

1/2 cup butter or 1/4 cup coconut oil

2 eggs, or equivalent egg replacement (flax eggs do work!)*

2 t baking powder

3-4 T honey/agave/rice syrup
splash of vanilla extract

salt
cinnamon or other spices, if you desire

*Flax eggs do work, combine 2 T flax seed meal + 6 T hot water (allow to sit before combining to other ingredients. I actually prefer the taste and texture of the flax egg to the normal eggs, there's a subtle nuttiness:)
Combine all ingredients in a food process or a large bowl and combine until a dough forms. 

You can freeze the dough now to use later, if you like. Or fill it with your favorite pie fillings and bake!

You need to do a bit of patch-work to lay this crust out, I don't bother rolling it out into the pie dish, I just plop the whole dough ball down and flatten it out using floured (sorghum or a starch) hands.

Fill with favorite filling

Bake at 350° F for 35-40 minutes until the crust is lightly browned. If you pre-bake the crust before adding a filling, the crust won't need to bake as long, maybe 15 to 20 minutes.

Cheers,     Suzy

Garden Galette

Is your garden bursting with zucchini yet?...Or your neighbor's garden?

I'm lucky, I don't currently have a garden, but I have a very generous neighbor that gives me zucchini from their garden when it's abundant; and I look forward to the donation every year! Sometimes I even think up and save recipes that contain zucchini specifically to make in late summer because even if my neighbors have a low turn out, it can easily be found at farmer's markets in abundance!

I love gardening, I even had an internship last summer where gardening was a focus for community involvement and outreach. There was a farmer's market that took place weekly with other's who shared the same love of fresh food and community. In all, it was a really neat experience, I was able to learn so much about growing fresh fruits and vegetables, but more importantly I also learned a lot about the community that revolved around the weekly market.

 And for funsies, here is a step-by-step photo-op: 

I used this crust recipe of mine!

Finished!

 Now Enjoy!

Being surrounded by such vibrant and fresh food excited me to someday have a garden of my own! Until then, I thank my neighbors very much for their garden produce!!

Here's what I have made with it this year, a Suzy original:)



Garden Galett
3 zucchini, cut into ribbons
1/3 large Vadalia onion, chopped
1/2 cup Parmesan, grated.
Handful of fresh garden herbs (really any kind, I used basil, parsley, chive, and cilantro)
1 recipe for savory (buckwheat) crust

Preheat oven 350 degrees.
Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment and a light coating of cooking spray.
Roll out prepared dough for crust,
Slice zucchini into ribbons, I use a vegetable peeler to make thin slices length wise, and chop the onion and fresh herbs.
Layer vegetables evenly over the crust dough, alternating between vegetables and a sprinkling of cheese.
When done, layering vegetables, fold edges of dough over the vegetables the best you can. I use a fork to help out a bit. It doesn't need to be even, it will just look rustic, right? That's what I tell myself anyway.
Bake for 25-35 minutes. The time will depend on the amount of vegetable you manage to pile on top of the crust.
Allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting into slices.
Enjoy!

This galette is scrumptious straight out of the oven, or cooled. This means you could  make it ahead of time and store in the refrigerator before serving. Either way, it is a delightful garden treat!

Cheers,
     Suzy

Crust for a Savory Dish

I use this crust for savory dishes, like this galette recipe that I will post soon

It is versatile and can easily accommodate for whatever ingredients you have or prefer to use.

Suzy Tip: I often add spices to my crust dough. This is another dimension of flavor not often thought about, and the addition makes the whole dish a little bit more special :)

Savory Crust

1 cup buckwheat flour
1 cup almond meal
pinch salt
3 T cold water
3 T coconut oil
any spices you like, I often add a pinch of paprika and/or rosemary depending on what I feel like.

Combine all ingredients. Being sure to keep the dough cool (so the coconut oil remains solid), roll it out.

Suzy Tip for rolling out dough: place the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, parchment or wax paper and, place another piece of plastic wrap/parchment/wax paper on top (you can even spray so it doesn't stick if your dough is really sticky).

Roll out the dough using a rolling pin or another cylindrical object (between the two papers). Remove the top paper, and place the dough in the pie dish or on the baking sheet
Top or fill with other tasty and wholesome ingredients.
Bake on prepared baking sheet with parchment or cooking spray, at 30 degrees for about 20 minutes, depending on filling (the galette cooks for 25-35 minutes)

Crust!

Other flours I would consider using  in place of buckwheat: (sweet white) sorghum flour, teff flour, corn flour, millet flour, quinoa flour, oatmeal flour (making your own is easy!)
The dough should be pliable, but not too sticky...depending on your flour substitution and humidity you may need to add more water, one teaspoon at a time!

What would you fill this crust with?

Clearly from the photos I made a galette with it, using garden fresh ingredients that I had on hand. It turned out really well, and will definitely be something I'll be making in the future! Be sure to check back, I'll have the recipe up for that soon!!

Cheers,
     Suzy

Rain-y Day Food

I love to be in the kitchen when it's raining out. Chopping veggies with the window open so I can hear the rain... it's just so comforting. And this dish was the perfect cozy weather food. It's filling, colorful, warm, and quick to put together with ingredients you may already have in your pantry and fridge. This skillet meal IS BRIMMING with veggies, but I evened that out with some turkey bacon and pure maple syrup. I had to, I couldn't help myself.

Look at that satisfying pile of veg!

This is easily made with substituted veggies, anything you have on hand or like.
And next time I might try a savory version with a balsamic vinegar or reduction instead of the maple syrup, and toss in some spices. Spices was something I over looked this time around, I was thinking about it afterward and a pinch of nutmeg would have complemented the dish well.

Maple Sweet Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts

Yeild: 3-4 servings
1 lb. brussels sprouts, quartered
1 large sweet potato, diced
6 strips (turkey) bacon or about 2/3 cup meat/substitute of choice (it would be great with beans for a vegan version)
1 large onion, diced
2 T maple syrup
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook the turkey bacon and set aside. Allow to cool while the rest of the ingredients are cooking. When cool, chop into pieces.
(If you are making a vegan version, cook any meat substitute...even the beans! And set aside.)
2. Carmalize the onions in the bacon drippings that are left in the pan (for a vegan version use any oil you like, olive or even coconut would be great...you only need enough so the onions can caramalize and don't stick to the pan)
3. Add the chopped sweet potato.
4. When the sweet potato is still somewhat firm (does al dente only apply to pasta?) add the quartered brussels sprouts. Allow this to cook for a few minutes until tender.
5. Add the bacon or whatever you previously cooked back into the mix.
6. Drizzle the maple syrup over the cooked veggies. Stir, flip, mix the veggies...do whatever you have to to get that maple-y goodness distributed.
Salt and pepper to taste.
7. ENJOY

Cheers,
     Suzy

The Banana Cake Challenge

My Mom's makes an excellent Banana Cake, that I and everyone else, LOVES. But I recently decided to try my hand at making one and see how it measured up. Could I make a banana cake equally as tasty, or dare I even imagine better?!?
So the only logical way to figure out how my cake compared to Mom's is to have a Banana Cake Challenge. Yah-huh.


And what a delicious challenge it was (I mean, how bad can bananas, sugar, and butter be?).

Mom's Best Banana Cake

My Banana Cake
Yeild: 8x8-inch cake

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt (I used non fat), or sour cream
1 1/2 t vanilla extract 
2 tablespoons butter, softened*
2 large bananas, mashed
1 egg (I used a flax egg substitute)
1 cup favorite GF flour mix (This time I used 1/2 cup sorghum and 1/2 cup arrowroot, but next time I'm going to use a mix of 2/3 cup ground oatmeal and 1/3 cup sorghum, just because I like the chewier texture of oats)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Butter and sugar the sides of and 8x8 inch baking dish.
Combine the sugar, yogurt, vanilla and butter (*coconut oil would *probably* work just fine for a vegan version, of course you could use a vegan butter substitute). Mash the banana and combine with the egg. Combine the banana and yogurt mixture.
Combine the flours, baking soda, and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden brown (If you are using a glass dish, the baking time might be closer to 25-30 minutes). Allow to cool before frosting.

Pre-frosting of my banana cake

Remember how in the last post that I mentioned no pictures were taken of my Mom's Banana Cake, well...there was this one, and only this one. After this picture was taken, both slices were promptly eaten.

I topped mine of with an atrocious amount of the Fluffiest Frosting (You should only make a half batch of this for an 8x8 cake... otherwise you WILL have A LOT of fluffy frosting on your hands that you must do something with...like continue to put on a cake in absurd quantities. Refer to pictures, oye.)

The Verdict:

Drumroll Please!
Mom's Best Banana Cake stands on the first place cake stand! Kuddos Mom, you deserve it!
Did I really think I could out bake THE Best Banana Cake? It's not called the Best Banana Cake for nothing.

I did decided however, that the cake I constructed would be good for those days when you are by yourself and in need of banana cake, because it takes less effort and fewer ingredients to throw together. And it makes an 8x8 cake instead of a 9x13, so that just makes it more of an individual size, right? ;)

What is one irreplaceable recipe that you have?

Cheers,     Suzy

Bursting Blueberry Compote

This is by no means an exact recipe, but the flavors complement each other so well! But please adjust the ingredients according to your own tastes!

2 cups Blueberries (fresh or frozen)
2 t Orange Zest
1/2 t Ground Clove
1/4 t Ground Cardamom
Splash of vanilla extract
water

Put the blueberries in a saucepan and add the water and orange zest. Allow the mixture to simmer for about half an hour until it is reduced and the blueberries have burst. Add the ground clove, cardamom, and vanilla extract and stir.
Take of the heat and serve warm or store in the refrigerator until ready to eat!

This is good warm, cold, or re-warmed in the microwave. Serve on top of yogurt, ice cream, cake, or oatmeal...or eat it straight with a spoon. I'll admit, I did that.

Cheers,
      Suzy

Banana Almond Breakfast Smoothie

I wanted to make myself think I was drinking almond nut butter. Sometimes you just need an absurd amount of nut butter for all to be right with the world. Luckily for me this smoothie did the trick and I didn't have to resort to the spoon in the jar, before reaching for another spoon because the second scoop always tastes better ;)

Yeild: 1 Satisfying Smoothie
1 Cup Milk of choice (I used almond)
2 Tablespoons nut butter (almond)
handful of ice
1/2 (preferably frozen) banana
1 teaspoon flaxseed meal
splash of vanilla extract

Dump all ingredients in a blender and whirl away!

Tip and Trick: Sometimes I like to add a little chia seed, or a pinch of ground oatmeal flour for not only a fiber boost, but to help thicken the smoothie. If this is the case, then I will let the seeds or oatmeal to sit in the milk for a minute before blending to let it get a head start on absorbing the liquid and thickening the smoothie!

What do you crave by the spoonful?

Cheers,     Suzy

‘Macaroni and Cheese’

Things aren't always what they seem, and in gluten free cooking or baking, often times you need to be a bit inventive with your ingredients and use them thoughtfully. What I have found is that often times, after recreating a recipe it ends up more nutritious and just as tasty as the original. You see, it’s easy to make something taste good, the recipe for that is simple, add butter, sugar, and salt. These are the ingredients we crave as humans because they are quick and easy calories. We have evolved to crave these. The trick is to re-make a recipe without these ingredients and have it taste just as good. Yep, it’s possible, and I can’t think of a better recipe to healthi-fy and gluten-free-ize than a good old fashion bowl of homemade Macaroni and Cheese. Oh yes I did.

The really need thing about this recipe is that it not only is healthy and gluten free, but it is also vegan. Ta-da! It’s like magic. You just have to taste this recipe for yourself.
I'm don't usually like outright deceiving people, If you ask I will always let you know what ingredients make up a recipe, but I didn't come right out and say what this all was made of before my family tasted this 'macaroni and cheese'. Let me just say, it looks and smells divine so there isn't much of any convincing to taste going on. It is a "Grown-up" version of macaroni and cheese with more complex flavors than the blue cardboard box version you make while babysitting.

Here is a recipe that I myself, don’t think I will ever mess with. I think it is perfect the way it is, and I would be happy to eat it just the same again. This recipe makes a lot, and it’s really beefed up with all of the vegetables. It makes for a satisfying main dish, and leftovers that you can look forward to!

Yield: 6 servings.

Ingredients:

1 box of quinoa pasta

1 head cauliflower, steamed and pureed.

2 cups veggie cheese*

1 carton of mushrooms, any kind you like

½ onion, diced

1-2 leeks, washed and sliced

A handful or two of torn kale or spinach

1 Tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

*I used a variety of Vegan veggie cheese that I bought pre-shredded at the supermarket. I found it in bags that were on display by hanging by organic cold items. If you are not vegan/vegetarian an want to use regular cheese of your choice, by all-means, feel free! Sometimes I have fun making dishes vegan and gluten free, just because of the challenge.

In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil, adding a pinch of salt to the water. Once boiling, add quinoa pasta noodles until al dente. Watch the noodles closely, if you have ever cooked with G-free noodles before, you know how quickly these cook. Follow the cooking time provided on the packet. Strain the noodles out and set aside, being sure to save some of the past water to use later in the recipe.

Cut the whole head of cauliflower into florets and steam them. Once cooled a bit, puree in a blender. Depending on the size of your blender you may have to puree the florets in batches. If you needed, add some pasta water to help puree. Store the puree in a large bowl until later.

Mix the ‘cheese’ into the cauliflower puree.

Heat a large skillet with the olive oil. Add the onions and leeks. Allow these to cook a few minutes before adding the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and allow these to cook down until the onions are slightly caramelized and golden. Once cooked, add the cooked noodles and kale or spinach. When the greens are cooked down, stir in the cheese and cauliflower puree until combined and thoroughly warmed.

Taste and Season with more salt and pepper if needed.

Serve in the skillet or you can transfer to a large serving bowl.

Have you made macaroni and cheese from scratch? What is your favorite pasta to use? I liked these little shells, mostly because all of the melted cheese and mushrooms fill them and you get plenty of flavor in every bite!

Cheers,

     Suzy

Is It A Smoothie Without A Blender?

Did you ever want a smoothie, and not have a blender available?
This is a problem.
By definition you need a blender in order to acquire a smoothie, I checked...

smooth·ie

 [smoo-thee] 

noun Informal.

1.

a person who has a winningly polished manner: He's such a smoothie he could charm the stripes off atiger.

2.

a thick beverage of fruit pureed in a blender with ice and milk, yogurt, or juice.

                                                                                           copied from Dictionary.com

I miss the blender when I'm at school. First week of summer I live off of smoothies and shakes to make up for the lack of them during the school months. But during school, I can improvise.
I've developed a smoothie-like drink that does the trick when you just need the refreshing and healthiness that is a smoothie. It consists of contraband frozen berries from the caf, and almond milk I keep in my room. I sometimes add protein powder if I'm in the mood, and maybe even a bit of sweetener. It is a quite satisfying and convenient treat, and something I will continue making, even without my beloved blender.

(please excuse the below-par photography...I'm banking on the paper hearts as a distraction) 

Blender-less Smoothie:
1 1/4 C frozen berries of choice, I use raspberries and blueberries
1/2 C almond milk
1 scoop protein powder (chocolate would be fun to try!)
1 t sweetener of choice

Put the frozen berries in a cup. Allow them to defrost a bit, until the berry juice begins to form puddles at the bottom of the cup. Pour in almond milk, add protein powder and sweetener if using. Now, with a fork, mash and stir the mixture.

Of course the berries will not be pureed like a blender. In fact  most blueberries will stay very much intact, though the raspberries tend to break apart. This is just fine by me and is kind of fun in a way. I like to eat all the blueberries first and then sip the rest of the smoothie through a straw.

The beauty of this smoothie, besides the color, is that it is very versatile. You can add however much fruit, milk, or protein powder as you want. I would even suggest using orange juice, yogurt, or even banana that has been frozen and defrosted.
It is completely customizable.

So, by definition...
this is a thick beverage,... check.
made of fruit,... check.
pureed in a blender....okay, no.
with ice, milk, yogurt, or juice;... check...well, it's made with ice-y berries, that make the milk icy-y.

So, this is 3/4 of a smoothie, I suppose. But whatever it is, It is tasty, healthy, and easy, meaning I will continue making it!

I'll be taking this to go..

Cheers,
     Suzy

Broiled Grapefruit?

Sounds strange, tastes fantastic!

Its a great way to jazz up a simple breakfast.

Before

After!

There are a lot of variations out there for this tasty treat, but they pretty much are all the same, grapefruit halves sprinkled with sugar and baked in the oven until the top is caramelized. Sounds good to me! :)

Broiled Grapefruit

Yeild: 4 halves

2 grapefruits, halved
4 Tablespoons sugar, brown sugar, vanilla sugar
sprinkle of any spice you like: cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, clove
---
Greek yogurt
Honey
Granola

1. Preheat your oven broiler. 
2. Halve your grapefruit. You can make a base oh your grapefruit so they don't roll around on a baking sheet by slicing off part of the bottom peel around the stem of the fruit.
3. In a bowl, combine sugar and spices.
4. Place the grapefruit halves face-up on a rimmed baking sheet.
5. Sprinkle about 1 Tablespoon of sugar and spice on each fruit half.
6. Broil 7-10 minutes, until the sugar has melted and turned a little golden.
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving plain or with yogurt, honey, and granola.

Look how lovely and pink! Just makes for a happy morning!

I enjoyed these with some Greek yogurt and granola.

Mmmm, enjoyed until the very last drop!

I think this recipe is the epitome of sugar and spice and everything nice.

And look! It's perfectly pink, just in time for Valentine's Day!

Cheers,     Suzy