Cauliflower Cheesy Spread

Made this the other night as a last minute addition to our beef tacos.  It made a great healthy non-dairy addition to our meal.  Can also be good for a vegan dinner with bean-based tacos, which is what I made the kiddos since I added way, way too much spice to our taco meat (even I was crying a little when I ate them :)  This cheesy mixture mellowed it out some though!

Cheesy Cauliflower Spread

Vegan, Dairy/ Gluten/ Soy/ Grain/ and Egg Free
Makes about 1 1/2 cups 

Ingredients

• 1 10 oz. bag frozen cauliflower or 255 grams of fresh cauliflower
• 1 1/2 - 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 roasted red bell pepper (from a jar, or roast the pepper with the cauliflower in the oven, see note*)
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• small handful of cilantro leaves (optional)

Method

• Roast the cauliflower on a parchment-lined pan in the oven @ 400 degrees F for about 20-30 minutes until slightly browned.  *Note: if not using canned roasted peppers, you can roast the pepper in some foil along with the cauliflower.
• Then add all ingredients to a blender and puree.  Add a little olive oil if needed to thin it out some.
• You might could make this raw as well, although I haven't tried it.  It would be similar to my raw pimento "cheese" spread.

This Post Has Been Linked Up To:
Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays @ Simply Sugar & Gluten Free
Wellness Weekend @ Diet, Dessert, & Dogs

A Quick Yummy Post

Our family has decided that we are going to start observing the Sabbath.  We had the Friday night meal (which you can read about here), and I wanted to post our dessert even though it's not my original recipe- but was too good not to share :)

I used this crust recipe from The Spunky Coconut and this lovely mousse recipe from Lexie's Kitchen (two of my fav blogs).  After the crust baked I spread sliced bananas over the crust, then poured the mousse over that (stopped just before the step of putting the mousse into an ice cream maker- just poured it warm).  Then I let it set up in the freezer for about 30 min and put it in the fridge until dinner time.  We loved it!  It was light and satisfying all at the same time.  This would probably be great with any fruit- especially since summer berries are in season!

Cherry Cola Cake

Cola.  Soda.  Pop.  Here in the South, we mostly call everything a "coke".  Maybe that's because the popular soda company is based here in Atlanta and they have brainwashed us all :)

Now, don't think I am advocating the drinking of high fructose corn syrup fizzy drinks by this post!  This cake recipe is near and dear to my heart.  My first baking experiment ever was in high school with a Coke-a-Cola cake.  I probably made various versions of it at least ten times for my family.  And while I would never be caught making a cake like that now, I was inspired and thought an interpretation of it would be nice for Iris' birthday.

Sidebar:  If you have not checked out the talentedly thorough Iris who co-wrote The Essential Gluten Free Baking Guide (Part 1 and Part 2) and blogs at The Daily Dietribe, please give her work a look see right now!

It was also my neighbor's birthday, so me and my daughter made this cake together.  It was neat to teach her some basic baking lessons, let her hold the hand mixer all by herself and smile at her accomplishment, make messes :), all while creating a healthier version of a nostalgic recipe.

And yes, this cake does have coke (or soda/pop/cola) in it; however, there are healthier versions like this, this, and this one.  I like using sugar-free, artificial sweetener-free Zevia.**

Cherry Cola Cake
This recipe makes a 2 layer 9" x 13" cake or a four layered 8" torte-style cake

Ingredients
For the Cake

• 3 cups gluten free all purpose flour mix (I make my own with 2 parts sorghum, 1 part chickpea flour, and 1 part starch in weight)* 375 grams flour mix
• 1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• ¼ cup cocoa powder (20 grams)
• 1 cup palm shortening (155 grams)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar (I use sifted coconut sugar- 100 grams after sifting)
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup cola**see above (200 grams )
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup "buttermilk" (coconut or almond milk with 1 ½ tsp apple cider vinegar) 125 grams + 10 grams ACV- 135 grams total
• Vanilla Crème Stevia to taste- I use 20 drops

*Note: make sure your AP flour mix is not one with salt added as the cola you choose will most likely contain sodium

For the Marshmallow Icing

• 2 egg whites (70 grams)
• ¼ cup granulated sugar (50 grams)
• 2 Tbsp cola (45 grams)
• ¼ tsp cream of tartar
• 1 ¼ cup mini marshmallows (135 grams)***
• ½ tsp vanilla
• 1 cup dried cherries, chopped fine (120 grams)

***Note: for a certified gluten-free marshmallow brand try this one , which I buy from Whole Foods.  And yes, this is a bit indulgent, but you can also make your own healthier versions from The Norishing Gourmet or this one @ Ginger Lemon Girl.

Method

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• First, sift all dry ingredients for the cake together in a bowl and set aside.
• Cream the room temp palm shortening and the granulated sugar together until light and fluffy with either a hand mixer or a stand mixer with paddle attachment.
• Then slowly add the eggs (important that they are room temp) one at a time, beating until fully emulsified and scraping down the bowl between eggs.
• Add the vanilla to the cola and have the vanilla cola mixture ready as well as the buttermilk and flour mixture nearby to add alternately to the egg/sugar/shortening mixture.
• Start by adding about 1/4 of the flour, then add 1/2 the coke, 1/4 flour, the rest of the cola, 1/4 flour, the buttermilk, then the remaining flour, mixing in between each addition.  You do this so that each addition does not deflate the batter too much and the structure of the cake will not be compromised.  It seems fussy, but if you follow this exactly you will have a lighter fluffier (and sturdier) cake :)
• Taste the batter and fold in some Vanilla Creme Stevia to taste.
• Then pour into prepared cake pans- two 9x13 for a sheet cake or four 8" rounds for a torte cake.  Tip: if you spin the pan around on the counter a couple of times, they will turn out flatter with less of a rounded middle and will be easier to ice.
• Bake at 350 for 22-30 minutes, depending on the size pan you use.

While the cakes are baking make your Marshmallow Creme Icing and Cherry filling.

• Over a double boiler (or a small pan with 1" simmering water and a larger heat safe bowl over it), heat the whites, sugar, tartar, and cola while whisking constantly.
• Whisk them over the heat until soft peaks form.
• Then add the marshmallows and vanilla.  
• Remove from heat and let sit for a couple minutes, then whisk until all the lumps are gone.
• Divide out about 1/3 of the marshmallow icing and mix in a bowl with the chopped cherries.  This will be used to fill the cake.  The rest of the 2/3 marshmallow icing will be used to top the cake.

For assembly

• Not necessary, but a nice touch is to make a simple syrup out of the cola by boiling it until it reduces half in size (if using a sugar-free cola, you can add granulated sugar if desired).  Then brush this on the layers of your cake before assembly.
• Once the layers have cooled completely you can assemble as desired.
• I prefer to alternate the cherry filling with the plain and top it with a dusting of cocoa powder.

Check out the following links for other yummy ideas:
Allergy Free Wednesdays
The Daily Dietribe 2nd Annual Birthday Cake Challenge
Slightly Indulgent Tuesday

All Natural Food Dyes Made @ Home: Pink

My three year old's birthday cupcakes with naturally dyed pink icing using this cream cheese icing recipe

Food dye has been reported to contribute to a number of known behavioral conditions (ADHD, for example- source), and also digestive issues for me and my loved ones.  So I started thinking about ways to develop healthier food dyes that I could make at home for things like dying icing and Easter eggs.

Well, sorry that I'm too late for your Easter festivities, but I thought I would share anyways because this is helpful stuff! 

If you have tried to find a natural alternative to the food dyes that come from the grocery store or a Hobby Lobby/ Michael's type craft store, you most likely were met with a pretty steep price.  I think I once paid $20+ dollars for natural versions of a 3-pack of red, blue, and yellow.

Formerly having decorated cakes professionally, with the "bad" dyes that worked so well, I also never found any natural dyes that fit the bill for my dying needs.

Until now, that is- and I made them myself so even better!  Here is my recipe for pink icing and a couple of tips and how-tos for home dye used for icings.

Home-made Icing/ Food Dyes: Pink (see below for other color possibilities)
This recipe ends up yielding about 3-4 Tbsp of concentrate (depending on how concentrated you make it), which I used to dye about 4 cups of icing for a light pink color.  Use more beet and honey if you want it to be more fuchsia or dark pink.

The slightly tan icing on the right is what I started with before adding this dye recipe

 Ingredients:

• Beet, shaved or grated with a microplane (a microplane is particularly helpful if you don't have a high powered blender)
• Honey
• Water

Method:

• I used equal parts grated beet and honey- 2 Tbsp of each, and filled the bottom of a pot with water- just enough to cover.  The main part is to have equal parts honey and equal parts grated food you are using for color.
• Bring to a boil and then simmer until most of the water has evaporated off.  You can let it simmer for up to 30 minutes if you want it to be really concentrated- which will emulsify better with an icing or frosting.
• When it has reached desired consistency- like a thick sauce, puree, preferably in a high powered blender, but you can also use a food processor or a magic bullet type blender.
• When you blend with icing or frosting (or ice cream base, etc. the possibilities are endless :), make sure all parts are at room temperature so they will emulsify better.  Add concentrate one tsp at a time for easier emulsification.
• And pipe, prepare, eat. etc.- that's it!

 Tips and Tricks:

• The trick to a good dye is for it to be viscous (very thick) and concentrated.   You want it to emulsify well with the icings or frostings since your they will most likely contain a good amount of fat (water- or runny icing dye and fat would not mix well together).
• You will want to also have a thick sweetener handy.  Honey, I believe, would be best here.  But you could also use glucose (although somewhat hard to come by), coconut nectar, and perhaps maple syrup.  I have had the best results with honey.
• The honey neutralizes the beet flavor so no, there is no funky beet taste :).
• If you have found that your color is too bright or bold, and you want to make it more muted, then try adding a color from the opposite of the color wheel, which you can find here.  For example, if I wanted more of a salmon color- like a muted pink, I could have used a pinch of spinach or mint added to the beet dye to mute the pinkness some.  If you notice that the icing above seems somewhat muted anyways because I started with a brownish (because of the coconut sugar) icing.  Brown mutes everything- all colors interact with each other so experiment, experiment!
• There are many colors found in nature; however, when it comes to food dying I believe the lower the water content of the food, the better.  Also avoid foods that oxidize easily (like bananas- they turn brown) when heated.
• Possible other foods that could be used with this recipe formula:
• Red/ pink foods- raspberries (although higher in water content), beets, red cabbage.  I would not recommend using strawberries- even if ripe because they are extremely high in water content.
• Orange/ Yellow foods- turmeric (one tsp of this goes a long way without adding any kind of funky taste), lemon or orange zest.
• Green Foods- spinach, even though it has a high water content is the best I have found for turning things green, also mint.
• Brown- dates and prunes are a great source for brown
• I'm still trying to come up with ideas for blue.  Purple is easier- blueberries I'm sure could do the trick. 

This post has been linked up to:
Sugar Free Sunday @ Flip Cookbook
Slightly Indulgent Tuesday's @ Simply Sugar and Gluten Free
Allergy Free Wednesdays , a wide variety of allergen-free recipes hosted by six different bloggers

Cocoa Macaroons

Here's a quick and easy recipe for Easter.  These can be made as fancy as you like by piping them through a wide star tip with a piping bag or you can just roll them by hand into small 1" balls.  I also used a small brownie mold with some and they would be great like that dipped in chocolate!

And as I posted here, these little cookies are fitting my diet these days (if I only have a couple :) because of the high fiber, high protein, and low sugar content!  They are also great as a carob treat.

Cocoa Macaroons
Soy/ Dairy/ Gluten/ Grain/ Nut/ and White Sugar-free
Yields about 42 1" macaroons, more or less depending on how you size them

Ingredients

• 9 oz shredded coconut, unsweetened, unsulfured (appx. 3 cups)
• 1/2 oz coconut oil (1 Tbsp)
• 1/2 oz vanilla (1Tbsp)
• 10 grams cocoa or carob powder (2 Tbsp)
• 45 grams coconut sugar (rounded 1/4 cup)
• 6.5 oz egg whites (or the whites from 5 large eggs)

Method 

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Blend all ingredients together in a food processor until just combined, or blend in Vitamix- but put the whites in first- on speed 5-6 until combined.
• The dough will be somewhat sticky, but you can roll them out into 1" sized balls or you can pipe them onto a cookie sheet.  If you need to, you can add up to 2 Tbsp of water to make piping easier- but increase baking time by a couple of minutes.  They will not rise much, so you can pipe closely together.
• Bake at 325 F for 12-15 minutes.

This post has been linked up to:
Sugar-Free Sunday @ Flip Cookbook
Slightly Indulgent Tuesday @ Simply Sugar & Gluten Free