No Joke Dark Chocolate Cake (GF)

This cake is insanely good. I made it for a special occasion last year and it blew everyone away. And no one knew it was GF and SF. SF means that it uses alternative sugars--like maple syrup. My trainer Jennifer Hardwick gave the recipe to me...it's from "zenbellycatering.com". Yep, it's a lot of work--but it's worth it!

Ingredients:

Cake:
1 C almond flour
1/2 C arrowroot powder
1/4 C coconut flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 C cocoa powder
1 C maple syrup
1/4 C coconut oil (plus more for greasing pans)
4 eggs
2 t vanilla

Chocolate Whipped Cream:

3/4 C heavy cream (or equivalent in coconut cream from the top of an unshaken can of coconut milk
1/4 C chocolate chips
1 t vanilla

Ganache Glaze:

4 T butter or coconut oil
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1/4 C chocolate chips
2-4 T honey (I use 4)

Directions for Cake:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease and line 2 small spring form pans (6" or 8")
Sift dry ingredients into a medium sized bowl. In a small bowl--whisk the eggs and add the melted coconut oil maple syrup and vanilla. Stir to combine and add to the dry ingredients. Beat until well combined by hand and pour into the prepared pans. Bake rfor 25-30 minutes--depending on the size of your pans. If using larger ones check after 20 minutes.

For Chocolate Whipped Cream:

Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler over simmering water. Beat your cream until it's stiff. If using coconut cream--it may not get as still but that's ok. Add the melted chocolate and give it another quick whip and scrape down the sides of the bowl so it's mixed well.

For Ganache Glaze:

Melt the bitter unsweetened chocolate and the chocolate chips in a double boiler over simmering water (use the same bowl you melted the chocolate in for the whipped cream?). Once it's melted...stir in the honey and turn off the heat. Here's where the patience and attentiveness come in: Remove the bowl from the heat and allow it to come to room temperature stirring every 5 minutes or so. You want the ganache to thicken but not get so hard that you have to spread it on the cake. You want to be able to pour it. It will probably take about 1/2 hour to get to the right consistency--a good time to do all of the dishes you just made dirty.

Pull it all together: I made a small 4-layer cake out of this recipe--but could have easily kept it simple and made it 2 layers instead. If you are going for 4 layers--cut each layer in half and arrange the bottom layer on a plate with parchment paper tucked in around the edged to keep the frosting from getting all over the plate. Plop 1/3 of the cream in the center and spread out to the edges. Repeat until you are out of layers.Stick cake in refrigerator for a while so it can harden a bit. Then spread ganache all over the cake--but if it isn't enough for the sides that's OK . Just drizzle some down the sides. Mangia!

Favorite Chocolate Brownies (GF)

Omigoodness! These brownies are my family's favorite--bar none. Including those that are not gluten-free! So chewy and good! This recipe was by David Lebovitz in his cookbook "Ready for Dessert". They are a bit of a science experiment, so be sure and follow the directions exactly.

Ingredients:

6 T butter. unsalted
8 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate--chopped
3/4 C sugar
2 lg. eggs at room temperature
1 T unsweetened cocoa (natural or Dutch chocolate)
3T cornstarch
1/8 t salt (I would use 1/4 t))

Optional: 1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the inside of an 8-inch square pan with foil so that it goes up the sides to the rim. Lightly grease the foil with butter or non-stick cooking spray. Melt the butter and chocolate (and salt if using it). Stir constantly until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar then the eggs (one at a time). Sift together the cocoa powder and cornstarch in a small bowl then stir them into the chocolate mixture. Beat the batter vigorously for at least one minute until the batter is no longer grainy and nearly smooth. It will pull away from the sides of the pan a bit. Add the nuts--if using. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until the brownies feel just set in the center. Do not overbake. They should be fudge-y. Remove from oven and let cool completely before removing from the pan and slicing. Brownies can be stored at room temperature for at least 4 days and can be frozen for up to a month. Common Sense Tip: If the finished brownies are crumbly...that means you didn't beat the batter long enough in step four. You can then use the crumbles to fold into vanilla ice cream for a fun dessert.

Chewy Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies (GF)

These are a great alternative to those expensive breakfast bars you find at the store. And like the breakfast bars, they have a LOT of sugar. But at least it's the kind of low-glycemic level sugar that is more slowly absorbed by the body. And since there are a lot of nuts in this along with eggs--they balance the sugar out. So, no one eating the cookies will experience a huge sugar high and low! Especially if they are eaten with milk...

Note: These cookies are utterly addictive. They are very chewy--and they keep well. East some and freeze some.

Ingredients:

2 C Palm sugar
2 eggs
1/2 C butter and 1/2 C solid coconut oil
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
1 t real vanilla
1/2 C almond meal
1 C good GF flour (Pamela's or King Arthur's)
3 C oatmeal (preferably gluten-free but Quaker is fine)
Any two additions: 1 C raisins or cran-raisins and/or 1 C chopped almonds or walnuts and/or 1/2 C sugar-free coconut

Note: Do not chop the almonds in a food processor--it pulverizes them! Use a mallet and a paper bag if you have to.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat sugar eggs solid coconut oil butter together at high speed. When well blended beat in 1 t salt and 1 baking soda with a slow mixer then add: 1 t vanilla. Then slowly add flour and oats. Mix in any additions and scoop onto a cookie sheet with a 1 3/4-inch ice-cream scoop or with a tablespoon. Make blobs the size of golf balls. Bake for 10-14 minutes until light brown. Cool and devour with a glass of ice -cold milk --for breakfast or anytime.

Mashed Cauliflower-- The Healthy Mashed Potato Substitute

This is something that is so easy I can make it on weeknights with no problem. It is a great substitute for mashed potatoes--which have a higher glycemic level. Better yet...it gives you that great "I am eating coooomfort foood " feeling. Go for it--it's good.

Category: Vegetables
Difficulty Rating: Very Easy
Healthy--except for some butter

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower--chopped up in chunks
1/4 C butter
salt and pepper
1 large pinch garlic salt (if you want it to taste like mashed potatoes)
nutmeg (optional--only if you don't want it to taste like mashed potatoes)

Directions:

Steam the cauliflower in a covered bowl in the microwave with some water or the old-fashioned way. If you don't know how to do this--look on Google under "How to Steam Cauliflower". After it's thoroughly cooked--it should be really soft and a bit watery; put it in a colander to drain water. Then
mash it in a bowl or a baking pan with a potato masher or a fork. Once it's mashed--mix in butter and salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm!

"Marry Me" Roast Beef Tenderloin

Actress Jennifer Grey makes this glorious beef recipe whenever she wants to impress a man she is dating. Eventually she realized that she had to be careful about whom she cooked it for. It seems they would invariably ask her to marry them after dinner. So, use appropriate caution if you are single. Adapted from "The Pollan Family Table" cookbook. Yield: 6 servings.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs. beef tenderloin
2 extra-large beef bouillon cubes
2 garlic cloves
1 1/2 t Dijon mustard
1 T tomato paste
1/8 t freshly ground pepper (or whatever you have)
2 t Worcestershire sauce
1 T unsalted butter
3/4 C red wine
1 C beef or chicken broth
1 T cornstarch mixed with 2 T water

Directions:

Poke the meat with a sharp paring knife all over to make small holes. Set aside. In a small mixing bowl--combine bouillon cubes and the next five ingredients. Pour in 1/4 C boiling water to dissolve the bouillon. Crush the bouillon cubes with a spoon. Keep crushing and stirring until you've made a thick paste. Rub paste all over the meat--rotating it to coat all sides well. Cover meat loosely with foil and marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes or up to 1 hour in the refrigerator. Meanwhile, set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees.

Pour about 1/2 inch of water in the bottom of a roasting pan. Remove foil...place beef in pan and the pan in the oven.  Cover with foil and roast 15 minutes. Remove foil and rotate the pan. Continue cooking and check after 10 minutes. Add 1/4 C water if there is little or no water left. Roast for and additional 15 minutes for medium-rare or until thermometer registers 130 degrees F. Roast for an additional 20 minutes for medium or until the thermometer registers 140 degrees. Allow roast to rest at least 10 minutes covered with foil on a cutting board while you make the gravy. Slice and serve with gravy on the side.

Gravy: Place the roasting pan with all of the drippings on a burner over medium heat. Scrape up the brown bits with a spoon and throw out. Add the butter and stir. Whisk in the wine...sherry and broth. Add the cornstarch-water mixture and whisk until thickened (like...gravy?) another 2-3 minutes.

Warm Asparagus with Balsamic Tomatoes and Chevre

This yummy vegetable dish is also very pleasing to the eye! Pretty enough for company--easy enough to make last minute--healthy enough to serve to everyone. Go to a Farmer's Market or a store that features organics in your area and get really fresh asparagus and sweet cherry tomatoes. Somehow the sweet offsets the savory Chevre cheese...creating a succulent vegetable delight. Pair with something hot off the grill and you have dinner! Common Sense Tip: If you don't have cherry tomatoes--try using sun-dried tomatoes (drain off the oil they're packed in). They need no pre-roasting! Featured in our favorite recipe source: "Cooking Light" magazine. Yield:  Serves 5-8 depending on portion size.

Ingredients:

1 lb. asparagus (washed and trimmed)
3 t olive oil
1 1/2 C halved grape tomatoes
1/2 t minced fresh garlic
2 T balsamic vinegar
1/4 t salt
3 T crumbled goat cheese
1/2 t black pepper

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Rub or spray a foil-covered cookie sheet with 1 t olive oil and roast halved grape tomatoes until they are wizened like old men. If you are in a hurry--skip this step and use the tomatoes un-roasted. Cook asparagus in boiling water 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain. Heat remaining 2 t oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes and garlic; cook 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar; cook three minutes. Stir in salt. Arrange asparagus on platter, top with tomato mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and pepper.

Carmelized Brussels Sprouts and Bacon

This is all the rage in 2014. For those of us who like Brussels Sprouts anyway it's heaven to make this version that CARMELIZES them. Wolfgang Puck puts a little brown sugar in the sauté pan to help caramelize the sprouts without burning them. I prefer them without sugar. And I actually LIKE them a bit burned. But then...I am a little weird...

Ingredients:

4 lbs. Brussels sprouts--washed and trimmed and sliced in half
4 slices uncured Bacon--diced
Juice of 1 lemon
1 t sea salt (or any salt is fine)
1/4 t black pepper
3 T olive oil
Optional: 2 T Palm sugar or brown sugar

Directions:

Fry bacon in a large (12") sauté pan or a 4 qt. soup pot until almost crisp. Meanwhile toss Brussels sprouts in a large bowl with lemon salt pepper and oil.  After it's done--set bacon aside on a paper towel to drain. Wipe out pan or pot with a paper towel to remove any small bacon pieces that will burn.  Then dump the lemon and oil covered sprouts into the pan and saute until browned on at least one side. You will most likely have to do this in two batches unless your pans are VERY large.  Try to have only one layer of sprouts on the bottom of the pan instead of stacking them on top of each other. Optional: throw in Palm sugar at this point if you want them a little sweet. After browning (they should be al dente--still a bit crunchy) --return all sprouts to the same pan. Chop bacon and toss it on top. Serve warm!

Pepper Steak with Port Mushroom Sauce

This is what you make when you can find some really great mushrooms at your local market. Pepper steak has been around forever. I first had it when I was dating in the 1400's. I was dating Christopher Columbus and he made it for me before he got married. It's so easy to make it's ridiculous. So is this wonderful wine mushroom sauce that goes with it. Serve with Mashed Cauliflower and a green salad. Virtually fat-free this is only 241 calories per steak. From "The Best of Cooking Light" cookbook. Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

4 4-oz beef tenderloin steaks
1 T black peppercorns (crushed)
1/2 t kosher salt
1 1/2 sliced Shitake (or any other variety) mushroom caps
1 T flour or GF blended flour (like Pamela's)
1/3 C port or other sweet red wine
1/4 C minced shallots (use onion in a pinch)
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 C beef broth
2 t Worcestershire sauce
1 t tomato paste
1/8 t dried rosemary
1/2 t Dijon mustard

Prepare the Port Mushroom Sauce: Combine mushroom and flour in a bowl--toss. Combine wine shallots and vinegar in a medium skillet. Bring to a boil cook until thick (about 3 minutes). Reduce heat to medium. Add broth, Worcestershire sauce,

 tomato paste and rosemary...cool 1 minute. Add mushroom mixture and cook 3 min. --stirring constantly. Stir in mustard and set aside while you prepare the steaks.

Sprinkle steaks with peppercorns and salt. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add steaks...cook for 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Serve each steak with rt 1/4 C Port Mushroom Sauce.

Pamela's Gluten-Free Pie Crust

I am putting a few exceptional GF recipes in my blog because my son-in-law is allergic to gluten. He also really loves good food, so it's got to be absolutely delicious.
This tastes like real piecrust because there is real shortening in it. I wouldn't do any substitutions if I were you...

Ingredients:

8 T shortening--well chilled
8 T unsalted butter--well chilled
1/3 C iced water
2 1/2 C Pamela's Artisan Flour Blend
1 t salt
1 t sugar (optional--can use Palm sugar)
Directions:

If you plan on a pre-baked pie shell--preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut cold butter and shortening into 1/2 cubes. In separate bowl combine flour sugar and salt. Using a stand mixer with paddle or a pastry blender or fingers cut into fine crumbs. If you have a food processor--process ingredients with blade until fine crumbs form. Add ice water and mix until dough forms a ball. Use up to 1 T additional water if needed. Roll out dough between 2 pieces of parchment or plastic wrap and fix in greased pie pan. For pre-baked shell: bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees then turn down oven to 375 degrees and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes until brown. If filling...bake according to individual recipe.

Chicken Sausage Skillet with Apples and Cranberries

This is a fantastic recipe I found online in the Paleo recipe section. I did alter it by using chicken sausages that have a little sugar in them. However, if you are entertaining a Paleo diet person, simply find a chicken sausage without sugar. Paleo diet people eat nothing that is refined or that has sugar in it. Or most dairy products. Or most grains. Or potatoes. You would think life lived this way would be really BLAH--but this recipe is good evidence that it can be very tasty indeed! Common Sense Tip: Don't have apple cider vinegar? Rice wine vinegar will do. Yield: 4 servings (at least 2 sausages each)

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil
8 fully cooked apple-chicken sausages 
1 medium onion (thinly sliced)
2 medium red or partially red apples (peeled, quartered and sliced)
4 C shredded cabbage

3/4 C dried cranberries
1 1/2 T apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 T honey plus 1/2 t more if it isn't sweet enough for you
1 t minced fresh thyme (I used dried)
1/2 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
1 T chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Instructions:

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until browned on at least 2 sides. Transfer sausages to a plate and set aside. Wipe out skillet with paper towel to collect all burned particles. Stir in rest of the ingredients except parsley. Cover the skillet and cook until the vegetables are tender (but not mushy) and the liquid is evaporated...about 8-10 minutes. Taste and add additional honey or salt and pepper as needed. Serve with sausage and parsley on top of warm vegies.

Lemon-Garlic Sauteed Greens

This is so good and so easy and so healthy you will make it at least once a week! Common Sense Tip: Keep a small chunk of real Parmesan cheese on hand at all times. You will use it! If it starts getting old, you can always grate it and put it in your freezer for times of desperation! Lemons are also good to have on hand. If they start getting old--juice them and freeze the juice in ice trays. The original recipe is from "Cooking Light: Super-Fast Sides and Salads"--but I changed it from Swiss chard to kale. Spinach works too.  If takes a lot of greens to feed a family of 4-6, but it's just Common Sense to halve this recipe if there are 2-3 of you.

Ingredients:

1 T olive oil
1 T smashed and minced garlic
12 C chopped kale (or Swiss chard or spinach)
2 T water
1 1/2 t fresh lemon juice
1/8 ground pepper
4 t shaved fresh Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan, swirl to coat. Add garlic; sauté 2 minutes or until garlic just begins to brown. Add greens and 2 T water to pan; cook 3 minutes or until greens go limp. Stir in lemon juice and pepper. Sprinkle with cheese and serve warm!

Rainy Day Pot Roast with Marinara

This is a recipe my mom made that you could make with or without a slow cooker. It is a very comforting meal. Perfect for those long winter days when you come in from the cold all red-cheeked and exhausted! And so easy.

Ingredients:

1 3-lb. loin beef pot roast (don't get a fatty one!)
2 T olive oil
1 16 oz. bottle good marinara sauce (homemade or whatever brand is your favorite--but thicker is better)
1 medium-sized onion--sliced
2/3 C red wine (Cabernet, Pinot Noir, Burgundy...or Chianti?)
1/2 C water (only if you don't use a slow cooker)
1 C carrots (sliced into 1" thick slices) or a bag of peeled "baby" carrots
6 or 7 small boiling potatoes (russets?) well-scrubbed or larger potatoes (peeled and quartered)

Note: If you use a sugar-free spaghetti sauce you may want to add 2 T coconut palm sugar to it to cut the acidity a bit. 

Directions for the Oven:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Sear both sides of beef loin with olive oil in a skillet on medium heat.  Place beef in a large, greased baking dish (9X13 is fine). Slice onion over it, throw in carrots and pour spaghetti sauce overall. Splash on wine and 1/2 C water over the top. Bake uncovered for an hour and a half, or until beef shreds easily when poked with a fork. Serve in bowls or ramekins with crusty bread and a salad on the side. Mmmmmm....

Directions for the Slow Cooker:

Sear both sides of beef loin in a skillet with olive oil on medium heat. Sautee sliced onion in same skillet until limp.  Place beef and onions in slow cooker. Throw in sliced carrots and patooties. Pour spaghetti sauce and wine (with NO water) overall. Cook in slow cooker all day or as many hours as you can on HIGH heat until beefs shreds easily when poked with a fork.

Orange You Glad We Have Yams?

"Knock-Knock!" "Who's there?" "Orange" "Orange who?" "Orange you glad we have yams for dinner?"  Sorry folks, for being so corny, but I just couldn't resist. It's Autumn and we are rapidly closing in on Thanksgiving. The sun is golden on the russet and green leaves flickering on trees outside of my house. Acorns from the Oaks pelt the ground all hours of the day and into the night. In fact, I keep getting up to answer the door--but it's just an acorn knocking! I am making plans for a bunch of new recipes--but we always have two or three dishes every year. This is one of them. I have altered the original recipe to use Palm Sugar instead of regular sugars to lower the glycemic level. But regular brown sugar is wonderful! Serves 8

Ingredients:

6 med. sweet potatoes or yams, or 3 huge ones (I like the red kind best)
1 C orange juice (fresh-sqoozed is best)
grated rind of one orange
1 T cornstarch or arrowroot
3 T butter
2/3 C brown sugar or Palm sugar 
pinch of salt

Cook potatoes or yams in jackets until half-done--about 15 minutes. Remove and let cool. Combine remaining ingredients in saucepan and cook, stirring, until thickened. Skin potatoes and slice in half-inch wide pieces crosswise of lengthwise--depending on the potato's size. Lay slices in a 2 qt. baking dish that has been buttered. Pour sauce overall, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees 45 to 60 minutes. These can sit in the oven to keep warm or be refrigerated after cooling to heat up the next day.