Pumpkin Waffles - Gluten Free

I haven't told you about something.

I really should have shared this a lot earlier.

You know the waffle story a couple weeks back?

Turns out, HE was right.

Yeah, I know.....

Egg white waffles are far superior to anything else I have tasted. I have yet to try yeasted waffles, which seems like my perfect waffle, until then, I will stick to the egg white method of making waffles. Further more, I will adhere to this pumpkin waffle recipe until tulips are pushing up through the frozen ground next Spring.

Pumpkin because I love any vegetable that is orange. Give me something that is orange and I will eat or drink it. Well, anything but government cheese. I draw the line folks. I have a love hate with Cheetos. Love 'em but hate everything about them. Doritos? Don't even set a bag near me they will be gone. The orange that I do want to devour with reckless abandon include pumpkin, yam, every form of winter squash, anything candied with orange. That is the orange I am talking about - the real orange. Mother Nature's GOLD.

I put pumpkin in waffles and melted my own heart. Three weekends in a row. This recipe is large, large for a family of two. I try my hardest, I powered through 3 waffles in one morning but I do not recommend it and the stomach ache accompanied by complete and utter lack of motivation brought on by a full belly.

Unless..... you are with someone with the same intent.

And if you must know......

If we are going to eat ourselves into a waffle pile of worthlessness:

I do not like anything on my waffles. I use a fork to cut manageable pieces off so I can eat them with my hands. I dunk waffles if the mood strikes. I eat waffles like toast.

Pumpkin Waffles
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour ( I used Bob Red Mills GF AP Flour and J didn't even notice )
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
4 large eggs, separated
2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted


Preheat oven to 250°F and preheat waffle iron. Sift together flour, brown sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, and spices. Whisk egg yolks in a large bowl with buttermilk, pumpkin, and butter until smooth. Whisk in dry ingredients just until combined.

In a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Fold them gently into the waffle batter, until just combined.

Brush waffle iron lightly with oil and spoon batter (about 2 cups for four 4-inch Belgian waffles) into waffle iron, spreading quickly. Cook according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Transfer waffles to rack in oven to keep warm and crisp.

Make more waffles in same manner.

Freeze excess waffles wrapped in plastic wrap and pop in the toaster to reheat.

Vegetables - Summer Salads

Salad.

I have salad on the brain.

A friend asked me what to do with all the summer vegetables that can take over a kitchen if not careful? I usually roast them, that is when it is not 90 degrees and turning on the oven is a sane thing to do. It is hot as all get out here in the desert, firing up the oven turns our apartment into a sauna. No likey.

Now, in the heat of summer I can eat raw vegetables and be totally satisfied. If I do heat up the oven it is for pizza which is also a great way to eat loads of produce. 

With produce in full swing, get to chopping, tossing and dressing!

I hope this helps spark some inspiration!

Summer Pasta from The Wednesday Chef

 

Carrot and Zucchini Salad with Seeds via Food52

Warm Beet Greens with Sour Cream Dressing via Food 52

 

Marinated Roasted Peppers with Capers and Mozzarella from Smitten Kitchen

Salad with New Potatoes and Pickled Spring Onions from Smitten Kitchen

 

Green Israeli Couscous Salad from Joy the Baker

 Heather's Quinoa Recipe from 101 Cookbooks

 

Quinoa with Currants, Dill, and Zucchini from 101 Cookbooks

 

Cucumber Peanut Salad from 101 Cookbooks

 

Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread for Bread Baking Babes

Summer is here.

Let me repeat: SUMMER IS HERE!

This being the longest day of the year, I wish you a wonderful solstice and a beautiful summer filled with Popsicles, large bodies of water, potlucks and most importantly happiness.

Gather the troops, your trusty friends, make a summer of fun. Reach out making new friends, become closer with the ones that you have and cherish. Spend the summer cracking jokes, laughing as hard and as often as you can, going for walks, getting on bikes and rolling to the nearest ice cream shop.

Eat ice cream and laugh all summer.

Summer is a time spend outside, grass between your toes, sun on your face, a breeze in your hair, friends never a far reach. Fire up the grill, keeping it simple, don't fuss over food or fuss over the food but please don't stress over the food.

This simple soda bread is the perfect loaf to tuck into a picnic basket and toted to the park. In the picnic basket toss in a bottle of crisp white wine, a wedge of salami, wheel of your favorite soft cheese or cool butter mixed with fresh herbs and make an afternoon seem like paradise. Spread a soft blanket at the base of a tree, spread a few napkins across your legs and arrange the contents of the picnic basket within an arms reach. Pour a little wine into a tumbler. Lay on your back and take a few deep breaths and remember that everything is okay. Close your eyes and relax. Get lost in conversation and taken away by the simple act of spreading butter on bread.

This bread really is not that crumbly and actually has great texture that holds together with a light crumb. I honestly got hungry and sliced into the loaf before it cooled. My bad. It smelled too good. This happens.

Gluten-Free Soda Bread with Herbs

 Recipe via Lucullian Delights from The Ballymaloe Bread Book by Tim Allen

I use Bob Red Mill's all purpose gluten-free baking flour for gluten-free baking, it has not yet let me down. In a loaf like this that does not require yeast, I weigh gram for gram the GF flour replacing the traditional all purpose white flour. With the GF flour, the amount of liquid varies, I used too much milk and had a very runny loaf and had to bake it in a skillet. It sill tasted great but next time add only half the requested milk and add more from there. Do not over mix, you will be very disappointed.

1 loaf

450 g/1lb Gluten-Free AP Flour (or plain white four)
1 level teaspoon salt
1 level teaspoon bread soda, finely sieved
1 dessert spoon each of rosemary, sage and chives, all freshly chopped
400 ml/ 14 fl oz buttermilk

Heat up the oven to 230 degrees C/450 degrees F

Sieve the flour, salt and bread soda into a large, wide mixing bowl. Add the freshly chopped herbs to the dry ingredients.

Make a well in the center. Pour most of the milk into the flour. Using one hand with the fingers open and stiff, mix in a full circle drawing in the flour from the sides of the bowl, adding more milk if necessary. The dough should be softish, not too wet and sticky.

The trick with all soda breads is not to over-mix the dough. Mix the dough as quickly and as gently as possible, keeping it really light and airy. When the dough comes together, turn it out onto a well-floured work surface. Wash and dry your hands.

Gently roll the ball of dough around with floury hands for a few seconds, just enough to tidy up. Then pat it gently into a round, about 5 cm/2 in high.


Place the dough on a lightly floured baking sheet. With a sharp knife cut a deep cross in the middle of it, letting the cuts go over the sides of the bread. Then prick the four triangles with your knife: according to Irish folklore this will let the fairies out!

Put this into your preheated oven for 10 minutes, then turn the heat down to 200 degrees C/400 degrees F for a further 25 minutes, or until cooked. When the bread is cooked it will sound hollow when tapped.

Cheese Grits with Asparagus and Spring Onions

I have been thinking about Texas a lot lately. Father's Day is closing in on the horizon and I would love to spend it deep in the heart of Texas with the world's greatest father in law.

I want to go see family, eat fried okra, go fishing, explore Austin again, devour tomatoes, pretend that I will meet Guy Clark at the local bar.

Totally normal things for a girl to be dreaming about.

I want to drink a cold Shiner Bock while sitting on a porch swing with scruffy country dogs curled up at my feet panting, exhausted from the heat.

People wave to each other on dusty country roads in the south. They really do wave while driving. It is like a breath of fresh air. Friendly strangers, God bless them.

There are cowboy hats, bouffants, fire flies and big open skies that I can't find in Washington.

I want to eat Tex Mex until my eyes go crossed.

I want J to wake me up in the late hours of the night to watch a lightening storm from the bedroom window.

Until our lives settle down a bit we have to make our own Texas here in Washington. Cheesy grits will have to hold me over until we can take our time visiting the south.

I can eat my weight in cheesy grits, I know I will be just fine when the buttery fried egg hits the mound of grits. Comfort food. John Prine and Guy Clark are always on the play list, a bit of Texas to hold me over.

Cheese Grits with Asparagus and Spring Onions

serves four, or 3 servings for me and 1 for J.

4 cups water

1 cup stone ground grits (also known as polenta)

salt and pepper

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 pound asparagus spears, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 cup thinly sliced spring onion

1 large garlic clove, minced

Fresh juice from 1 lemon

Optional (not really):

4 fried eggs
Slices of tomato

Butter four bowls and set aside.

Bring water to a boil.  Add grits to the boiling water while whisking to prevent clumps.  Add a bit of salt and pepper.  Lower heat, bring to simmer and cover until water is absorbed.  Follow the directions on your box of grits or polenta.  Cooking times vary.  Once thick, remove from heat and stir in butter and shredded cheese. Divide the grits among four buttered bowls and set aside.

In a (cast iron) skillet over medium heat brown onions and garlic with a pat of butter.  Add the chopped asparagus and another pat of butter to the onions and cook until the asparagus turns a bright green, this should take only a few minutes and the asparagus should still have a crunch. Remove the pan from the heat.

The grits in the bowls should now be set, turn each bowl so the grits slide onto a plate, creating a "dome of grits". Top each serving of grits with a pile of asparagus and onions. Squeeze a lemon over top of each one.

Fry a couple eggs if you desire and place a fried egg on top. Enjoy a few slices tomato tucked between bites. 

Serve immediately.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

There are a few staples in our house, simple staples, trusted. Peanut butter is at the top of the list. Fresh fruit and coffee make the cut.

While living in a van for a large chunk of our post college years we became very efficient at living on little as we could, rarely anything perishable. What were our staples while sustaining on primarly dry goods? Peanut butter, bananas, coffee. Dessert? Peanut butter. Peanut butter on a spoon or smeared on Frosted Mini Wheats.

Most of this trip was spent in Mexico where meals were taco trucks, street vendors and avacados smashed over tortilla chips.We ate incredibly well without a fridge and a makeshift stove/grill.

We were climbing everyday and biking in between, it was the life, we did exactly what we wanted to do. We were active and ate anything including several jars of peanut butter a week.

It has been a couple years since climbing was a daily activity, we sold the van, real jobs have replaced endless free time. Times change, we were ready to settle down. We still have peanut butter for dessert, ride bikes, climb.

J and I have are very fortunate in many ways but I know that we are going to grow old, happy and healthy together. We know what we like to do, we both find incredible confidence, satisfaction and general well being in health and general fitness. We both strive to be better and being active is the cornerstone to our well being.

Being active means that healthy food must take precedence in our lives.  I am not about to give up some of my favorite things, I enjoy everything in moderation. When a cookie can be simple, satisfying my hunger for sweet treats without making me feel sluggish, I am eager to warm up the oven and crank out a batch to nibble on all week.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

Adapted from Joy the Baker

makes about two dozen cookies

1 cup all-natural chunky or smooth peanut butter

1 cup raw sugar

1/3 cup roughly chopped peanuts

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet with butter and set aside. In a mixer combine peanut butter, chopped peanuts and sugars until well combined, about 2 minutes. Add eggs and baking soda and mix for another 2 minutes. Roll into walnut sized balls (1 tablespoon of dough) and flatten with your palm. If you’d like, add a few chocolate pieces to the top of the cookies. Bake for 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool on a baking sheet for two minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Shaved Asparagus with Salty Garlic Aioli

I have a saving grace.

I can't imagine her not in my life, her sweet support and witty as all hell personality brings me back each conversation. She has been by my side through the thick and thin, took me under her wing countless times. It is a relationship that is decades strong and a generation separates us just enough to make it work.

I can thank her for my appreciation of a fierce and fiery Cesar salad made with a raw egg, I can attribute a playful passion for wine to her - in some not too far and distant way know that I am a the woman I am today with her help. I thank her for her patience and faith in me. She has an endless way of making everyone around her feel comfortable. She calls me at the exactly right moments and encourages me when I feel that I have lost sight. I can count on her to tell me to buck up and get over it and reminds me that I have an amazing life.

All I can do in return is call her, sit on her couch and carry on endless conversations and pray for her. For some reason, beyond any ones comprehension she is haunted by undiagnosable chronic and debilitating pain. A pain no one can understand. A pain that she deals with every day. She fights the good fight and never loses sight of the important precious aspects of her life like her son and the people around her. This is a pain that we wish she could shake, a fleeting feeling that would escape her body in the Spring breeze. I wish the world for her.

I called her today, she brightened my entire afternoon and reminded me that no matter where I go, what happens, life is wonderful. I went inside and made this salad after our short conversation, inspired to do what I love and enjoy all the blessings that I do have, including her.

Shaved Asparagus with Salty Garlic Aioli

Garlic-Anchovy aioli
Inspired by The Wednesday Chef

Makes about 1/2 cup

1 egg yolk
Salt
1 or 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 inch squirt of anchovy paste
1/2 lemon
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Put the yolk in a wide-mouth jar and pulse for about 30 seconds with an immersion blender. Add a good pinch of salt, as much minced garlic as you'd like (I used 2 cloves, spicy!), the squirt of anchovy and the juice of half a lemon. Pulse again. While pulsing, slowly drizzle in the oil until the mixture is emulsified and creamy. Taste for salt and thin with a little water if necessary.

1 pound asparagus spears

Parmesan cheese

Fresh cracked pepper

Holding onto the tough end of a single spear of clean asparagus, use a vegetable peeler to shave off thin ribbons from stalk to tip, peeling away from the tough end in your hand. Discard the tough ends once you’re done peeling (I save mine for making stock). Gently pile your ribbons on a medium-sized serving platter. Drizzle aioli to coat the shaved asparagus, using as much dressing as desired. Toss with freshly shaved Parmesan and fresh cracked pepper. Serve immediately.