Lemon Ricotta-Almond Cake

This rich, lovely cake is inspired by Ilva's gluten-free Almond and Ricotta Cake. This cake is one of the most exciting things I've baked this year. I really loved how it turned out. I packed up slices of it to take with me on my trip this weekend and it satisfied my sweet tooth while the folks around me snacked on gluten-laden treats that looked just plain boring in comparison. Unlike many gluten-free cakes, this one will stay moist for days, even when eaten at room temperature. The delicate tastes of almond and lemon compliment each other beautifully. It is higher in protein and calcium than most baked goods, which is a great perk (though it obviously doesn't negate its sugary, buttery decadence). I use the Almond Meal/Flour from Bob's Red Mill, which can be bought at most health food stores or online. I recommend using Pamela's Ultimate Baking and Pancake Mix* like the recipe calls for, but you can use another gluten-free all-purpose flour mix as long as it contains xanthan or guar gum!

Happy New Year to all! Let's raise a slice of cake to a 2007 full of health, joy, and peace.

LEMON RICOTTA-ALMOND CAKE

3 eggs
1/2 cup almond meal or almond flour (finely ground)
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup Pamela's Ultimate Baking and Pancake Mix*
3/4 cup of sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Whisk eggs and sugar. Add almond meal and butter, and stir well. Pulse ricotta in blender or mash by hand, and then add to batter. Stir thoroughly to combine before folding in Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix. Lastly, add the lemon zest, lemon juice and lemon extract and mix the batter to blend. Grease 8" round cake pan. Pour batter into the cake pan, and bake for 30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving warm. Dust with powdered sugar and/or garnish with fruit.


*Edited 3/09 to add: Pamela's baking mixes are under kosher supervision but are not certified by a mainstream kosher certifying agency, so most people who keep strictly kosher kitchens will want to use another gluten-free all-purpose flour mix. I no longer use Pamela's products in my house since I now have a more strictly kosher kitchen. If in doubt, check with your rabbi!

Weekly Gluten-Free Recipe Roundup 12/28/06

Our last gluten-free recipe roundup of 2006 is a day late, but certainly not a dollar short! I don't know about you, but I'm recovering from all the unhealthy food I ate over the holidays. Yep, even gluten-free food can be unhealthy - Not to mention the hours of pain from the accidental "glutening" that can happen when you're eating at restaurants or family members' homes more than usual. So for this post-holiday roundup I tried to make this list a little lighter on the grease and sugar and heavier on the fiber and antioxidants. Without further ado, here are the week's most droolworthy gluten-free recipes from the food blog universe:

• Cranberry Jam

• Buljol (Salted Codfish, Tomatoes and Peppers)

• Apple and Lime Salad with Mint

• Kohlrabi Two Ways: Spicy Kashmiri-Style Kohlrabi and Crunchy Thai Kohlrabi Salad

• Pumpkin Corn Muffins

• Pan-Seared Ribeye Steak with Smoked Paprika Rub

• Dad's Favorite Fudge

• Roasted Brussels Sprouts

• Chocolate Chip Muffins

• Bananas in Green Rice and Coconut Batter

• Risotto A-Go-Go with Squash

• Carrot and Fennel Soup with Balsamic Vinegar

• Spanish Deviled Eggs

• Lentil and Chestnut Soup

• All Day Apple Butter (and Pumpkin Butter, too)

• Spicy Thai Jicama Salad

• Radish Curry Saute with Onions, Garlic and Chili

• Pumpkin Gingerbread

• Roasted Chicken Drumettes

• Ricotta and Sundried Tomato Stuffed Onions

• Oatmeal Cranberry Delight Cookies

• Seared Tuna with Roasted Capsicum Sauce

• Rosemary Lentil Vegetable Soup

• Persimmon Flan

• "Sauce" (a/k/a Porcini Mushroom Pasta Sauce)

• Pizza Crust

• Velvet Chocolate Torte with Kahlua Chocolate Sauce

• Celery Root and Potato Latkes

• Snickerdoodles

• Hot Indian Coleslaw

• Borscht (Beet, Cabbage and Kale Soup)

• Mesquite Pumpkin Bread

• Whole Mung Dahl

Pan-Seared Ribeye Steak with Smoked Paprika Rub

You all must think I'm a vegetarian, given that I almost never post recipes for meat. But I do eat some (kosher) meat every now and then. I picked up a ribeye steak at Trader Joe's last week and pan-seared it using the technique that's become my hands-down favorite: Alton Brown's pan searing method. It turned out so perfectly-- tender and pink on the inside with a brown, spice-laden crust on the outside. The simple smoked paprika spice rub gave it a sweet, barbecued flavor. I sliced it and served it with steamed spinach and pureed cauliflower - Talk about an iron-rich meal!

Try this recipe and let me know what you think - It's such an easy way to cook up a smoky, juicy ribeye steak without firing up the grill.


PAN-SEARED RIBEYE STEAK WITH SMOKED PAPRIKA RUB

1 boneless 1 1/2" thick ribeye steak
1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (1/2 teaspoon if you're cooking a non-kosher steak)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil

Mix all spices and oil into a thick paste. Rub spice rub mixture onto both sides of the steak. Wrap with plastic wrap and allow to sit for 15 to 30 minutes at room temperature.

Put a 10 to 12-inch cast iron skillet in the oven, and heat oven to 500 degrees. When the oven thermometer indicates that it has reached 500 degrees, remove the pan from the oven (do not turn oven off). Transfer quickly to a stovetop burner on high heat.

Immediately place the steak in the middle of the pan. Cook for 30 seconds without moving. Flip with tongs and cook for 30 seconds on the second side. Quickly remove the pan from the heat and place into the oven. Cook for two minutes on each side for a medium rare steak, or three minutes on each side for a medium steak.

Transfer steak to a wooden cutting board and make a loose tent of aluminum foil over it. Allow it to rest for a few minutes before serving.

Soup's On: Rosemary Lentil Vegetable Soup

When I woke up to frost on the ground I knew it was really winter. And winter, of course, means soup season. This is an easy vegan lentil soup that is extremely flavorful. It is thick, almost like a stew. It has a spicy kick from the jalapeno, but feel free to leave that out for a milder soup. Try serving it with a dab of Cashew Sour Cream or dairy sour cream.


ROSEMARY LENTIL VEGETABLE SOUP

2 medium onions, diced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced
2 cups dried green lentils
7 cups of water
3 cubes of gluten-free vegetable bouillon
1 jalapeno pepper (including seeds), chopped finely (optional)
4 large carrots, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
1 small parsnip, peeled and diced
4 bay leaves
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon thyme
Salt, to taste
2 cups frozen chopped spinach (or 3 firmly packed cups of fresh shredded spinach)

Heat oil over medium-high flame in large pot. When the oil is heated, add onions and sautee until translucent. Add garlic and rosemary, and cook until they fragrance the oil (1-2 minutes). Add remaining ingredients, except for spinach. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add spinach and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat. Adjust salt to taste. Allow to sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Makes approximately 10 servings.

Celery Root and Potato Latkes

I hope you're not tired of latkes already, because I have one more recipe for you. Don't worry, Chanukah's almost over and I'll move on to less greasy foods. I promise.

This time, I combined the distinctive taste and wonderful crunch of celery root with the usual starchy Russet potatoes. I created this particular gluten-free latke recipe with the intent to freeze most of them, which is why it instructs you to make each latke into a well-packed patty to create a more cohesive pancake rather than loosely spreading the batter out to make a thin, lacy latke. I loved the flavor and the texture, and I ate a bunch of them for dinner, topped with applesauce. My freezer is now happily filled with many ziploc bags full of latkes.



CELERY ROOT AND POTATO LATKES

4 large Russet potatoes
1 large celery root (approximately .75 lbs)
1 1/2 large onions
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup Pamela's Baking Mix* or other rice-based gluten-free flour mix
Olive oil for frying

Preheat oven to 200 degrees or "warm" setting.

Peel potatoes and submerge in cold water. Peel celery root with a paring knife. Pulse the onion and garlic in food processor. Mixture should be coarse, not completely pureed. Pour onion-garlic mixture into a large bowl. Grate the celery root using the larger grate of a box grater, or use the grater attachment of a food processor. Add to onion-garlic mixture and stir. Grate potatoes.

Quickly squeeze a handful of grated potatoes at a time over a second bowl (or the kitchen sink) to remove all liquid. Add the dry potatoes to the onions and celery root, mixing as you go. This step should be done as quickly as possible to prevent oxidation of the potatoes.

Heat 1/4 inch of olive oil in a large, heavy skillet (cast iron works best) over medium-high heat, until just below the smoking point.

Add remaining ingredients to the batter, and stir until fully combined. Place a small handful of batter (approximately 1/4 cup) in the hot oil at a time. Pat each handful into a 1/2" thick pancake shape before placing in oil - This will help each latke stay together. Fry until completely golden-brown on the bottom and crispy around the outside corners. Flip and brown on the second side.

Transfer latkes to a plate lined with paper towels or several layers of brown paper (I use grocery bags). Allow paper to absorb excess oil, then transfer latkes to a cooking rack placed over baking sheet in the preheated oven, where they will stay warm until ready to serve. Serve hot, with sour cream and applesauce.

Extra latkes can be frozen on a baking sheet in the freezer, with parchment paper or freezer paper between the layers. When frozen, transfer to ziploc bags. Reheat in oven at 400 degrees F.

Makes 6-8 servings.


*Edited 3/09 to add: Pamela's baking mixes are under kosher supervision but are not certified by a mainstream kosher certifying agency, so most people who keep strictly kosher kitchens will want to use another gluten-free all-purpose flour mix such as Arrowhead Mills Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Mix. I no longer use Pamela's products in my house since I now have a more strictly kosher kitchen. If in doubt, check with your rabbi!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Roasting at a high heat caramelizes the edges of the brussels sprouts, and the flavor is emphasized by a simple combination of spices. This recipe just might make even a brussels sprout hater change their mind.

ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS

1 1/2 pounds fresh brussel sprouts
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried sage

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the bottom of each brussel sprout off (about 1/4" or less) and then slice in half lengthwise. Toss all ingredients and place in a single layer on a baking dish. Roast for 25 minutes or until brussel sprouts are slightly browned and tender throughout. Toss once, half-way through cooking. Serve hot or cold.

Weekly Gluten-Free Recipe Roundup: 12/20/06

This week's best gluten-free recipes from all over the food blogosphere.

• Potato Gratin

• Green Curry Paste

• Marinated Tri-Tip Roast with Mushrooms and Garlic

• Vanilla Butterscotch Bark

• Chickpea and Chorizo Soup

• Oven-Baked Tomatoes with Celery Root

• Homemade Cranberry Applesauce

• Gluten-Free Potato Latkes

• Green Olive and Chickpea Tagine

• Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower

• Cream-Braised Brussels Sprouts

• Vanilla-Flavored Celery Mash and Pomegranate Sauce
  

• Migas Breakfast Scramble

• Pan Seared Chicken Breasts with Kumquat Jam

• Mango & Sticky Rice With Coconut Sauce (Koa Niew Mamuang)
  

• Sufganiyot (Chanukah Jelly Donuts)

• Rosemary Salt

• Fish Molee (Fish Stew with Coconut Milk)

• Fruity Gumdrops

• Parsnip and Carrot Latkes


• Rosemary's Christmas Cookies

• Butternut Squash and Coconut Curry

• Calamondin (or Lemon) Pie with Oatmeal Cookie Crust

Homemade Cranberry Applesauce (and Traditional Applesauce, too)

Both of these applesauces go beautifully with potato latkes, or eat them by the spoonful like I do. Depending on what varieties of apple you use, your sauce can range from extremely sweet to very tart. I recommend using half sweet apples (I chose Braeburn) and half tart apples (Granny Smiths are perfect). This recipe has no sugar added, which lets the fruit shine on its own.



HOMEMADE CRANBERRY APPLESAUCE

3 pounds of apples, peeled and cored
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cups fresh cranberries
1 1/2 cups of water
2 thin slices of lemon
Juice of 1/2 an orange
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cut apples into approximately 1 inch cubes. Add all ingredients to pot, and turn heat on high. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the apples have softened significantly. Stir frequently, making sure that the apples are not sticking to the bottom of the pot. Add more liquid if necessary. Remove lemon slices. Mash with a potato masher or use a food mill for a smoother consistency. Serve warm or at room temperature.




HOMEMADE TRADITIONAL APPLESAUCE

3 pounds of apples, peeled and cored
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
1 1/2 cups of water
2 thin slices of lemon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cut apples into approximately 1 inch cubes. Add ingredients to pot, and turn heat on high. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the apples have softened significantly. Stir frequently, making sure that the apples are not sticking to the bottom of the pot. Add more liquid if necessary. Remove lemon slices. Mash with a potato masher or use a food mill for a smoother consistency. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This recipe is part of the Antioxidant Rich Foods / 5-A-Day recipe roundup.

Gluten-Free Latkes (Potato Pancakes)

Ah yes, the obligatory latke post. This is more or less my family potato latke recipe, but made with a gluten-free flour mix instead of matzo meal. The rice flour mix works wonderfully. We gobbled them up so fast last night that by the time my friend Poet With a Day Job reminded me to take photographs there were only three sad, cold latkes left. I was in such a food coma I slapped them on a paper plate, gussied them up with some sour cream and cranberry applesauce, and took a lazy, crappy photograph. Sorry folks, you're just going to have to take my word for it that these puppies are some top of the line latke specimens.

It made my day yesterday to be able to hook two other gluten-free friends up with latkes and sufganiyot. Chanukah is so much more full of naches* when you don't have to worry about getting glutened.

*Yiddish for "joy"

POTATO LATKES

4 pounds Russet potatoes
1 large onion, peeled
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon ground white pepper
1 cup Rice Flour Mix
3 eggs, beaten
Olive oil for frying

Preheat oven to 200 degrees or "warm" setting.

Peel potatoes and submerge in cold water. Grate the onion into a large bowl. Grate the potatoes using the larger grate of a box grater, or use the grater attachment of a food processor.

Quickly squeeze a handful of grated potatoes at a time over a second bowl (or the kitchen sink) to remove all liquid. Add the dry potatoes to the onions and mix as you go. This step should be done as quickly as possible to prevent oxidation of the potatoes.

Heat 1/4 inch of olive oil in a large, heavy skillet (cast iron works best) over medium-high heat, until just below the smoking point.

Add remaining ingredients to the batter, and stir until fully combined. Place a small handful of batter (approximately 1/4 cup) in the hot oil at a time, gently pressing each latke with the back of the spatula so that it is no more than 1/3" thick. Do not press too hard, as the latkes will be more crispy if the the batter is not densely packed and each latke is thin and lacy (space in between the pieces of potato). Fry until completely golden-brown on the bottom and crispy around the outside corners. Flip and brown on the second side.

Transfer latkes to a plate lined with paper towels or several layers of brown paper (I use grocery bags). Allow paper to absorb excess oil, then transfer latkes to a cooling rack placed over a baking sheet in the preheated oven, where they will stay warm until ready to serve. Serve hot, with sour cream and applesauce.

Extra latkes can be frozen on a baking sheet in the refrigerator, with parchment paper or freezer paper between the layers. When frozen, transfer to ziploc bags. Reheat in oven on 400 degrees F.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Confetti Latkes: Parsnip and Carrot Pancakes

I'm generally a bit of a purist about Ashkenazi Jewish food. When a Jewish holiday comes around, I want to eat foods that taste exactly how I remember them from childhood - Simple, hearty, with no gourmet ingredients or avant-garde interpretations. For this year's Chanukah Party, however, I decided that to mix it up a little. In addition to a gluten-free version of the standard potato latkes, I created a recipe I have nicknamed "Confetti Latkes"... Colorful vegetable pancakes made with carrots, parsnips and chives. They are delicious with sour cream (but save the applesauce for the potato latkes!)

PARSNIP AND CARROT LATKES

1 pound parsnips
1/2 pound carrots
1 large onion
6 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon pepper
2 teaspoons salt
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup of chives, finely chopped
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup Rice Flour Mix
Olive oil for frying

Peel and remove ends from parsnips and carrots. Grate parsnips and carrots by hand or with your food processor's grater attachment. Place in large bowl. Puree onions and garlic in food processor and add to vegetable mixture. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Heat 1/2 inch of olive oil in a heavy pan until right before the oil's smoking point. Add 1/4 cup of batter at a time to the hot oil, pressing gently with the back of the spatula until each pancake is 1/2 inch thick. Cook until the exterior is crispy and a dark golden brown in color (approximately 2 minutes), flip and cook on the second side. Remove with slotted spatula and place on plate lined with several layers of brown paper or paper towel. Serve hot.

More gluten-free donut joy

The other donuts I made turned out even better than the sufganiyot. To make regular donuts, follow the Sufganiyot recipe, but roll dough out to only 1/3 of an inch (a little thicker than for the jelly donuts/sufganiyot), cut into 3 inch circles with a biscuit cutter or jar, and then use the cap of an oil bottle or other small circular cutter to remove the centers. Fry just until golden-brown. Glaze or coat in plain white sugar, powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar while still warm.

Gluten-Free Sufganiyot (Jelly Donuts) for Chanukah

Latkes may be the most popular Chanukah food, but they're definitely not the only traditional deep-fried holiday dish. What I've missed the most are sufganiyot, or jelly donuts. Most Chanukah foods are fried, in honor of the Chanukah miracle of one day's worth of oil lasting eight days. And what better deep-fried dessert than a donut filled with jelly? This recipe is based on a Old Fashioned Doughnuts recipe I found on another site. The recipe includes sugar, but I made these successfully today without any sugar, so that my friends who are sugar-free or don't eat cane sugar could eat them. If you make them without sugar, add an additional 1/4 cup of flour mix. Folks who avoid sugar can fill them with no-sugar-added raspberry or strawberry preserves, or with applesauce. This is a surprisingly easy recipe. Chag sameach!

GLUTEN-FREE SUFGANIYOT (JELLY DONUTS)

2 eggs, beaten
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted
5 cups Rice Flour Mix
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 beaten egg, set aside
1/2 cup sugar, set aside in a bowl
Raspberry or strawberry jelly (seedless)

Beat 2 eggs, buttermilk, and melted butter in a large bowl with a whisk.

Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Fold slowly into the wet ingredients, mixing by hand with a wooden spoon. When the ingredients are mostly combined, use your hands to knead a few times to make sure the ingredients are fully incorporated.

Let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Sprinkle extra rice flour mix on your countertop or a large cutting board. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick. If dough is sticky, work in more rice flour blend.

Heat 2 inches of canola oil until very hot (375 degrees F).

Use a glass, biscuit cutter or jar with approximately 3-inch diameter to cut disks out of the dough. Place 1/2 teaspoon of jelly in the center of one disk. Brush the beaten egg you've set aside around the outer edge of the dough. Place a second disk of dough on top, and use your fingers to crimp the edges until they are sealed. Repeat until you've used up all the dough. Remaining dough scraps can be rolled into balls ("donut holes") and fried.

Carefully place sufganiyot in hot oil with a slotted spatula. Cook until very brown on one side. If necessary, turn the donut over and brown on the second side. Remove from oil and place on a plate lined with two layers of paper towel or brown paper. While warm, roll sufganiyot in the bowl of sugar to coat.

Serve while warm.

Rice Flour Mix

A slight variation on the cake flour mix that I usually use, which I'll be referring to in some upcoming recipes. This gluten-free flour mix doesn't have xanthan or guar gum in the ingredients - Add the gums as necessary in baking recipes. Generally 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan or guar gum should be added for cakes and pastries, 1 teaspoon per cup for breads or pizza. Cookies can vary between no xanthan gum and 1/2 teaspoon per cup of flour.

RICE FLOUR MIX

3 cups white rice flour
3 cups brown rice flour
2 cups potato starch (not flour)
1 cup tapioca starch

Works well for most baked goods and other recipes. Not fine enough for use as a gravy thickener or for very delicate pastries. Has a fairly light consistency.

Something that matters: People's Grocery

Enough about KitchenAid mixers. Let's talk about something that really matters.

Imagine that in your neighborhood there are liquor stores on every corner, but no grocery store or produce market anywhere around. You have your choice of candy, chips, liquor and cigarettes but the freshest food at these corner stores might be a withered lemon or, if you're lucky, a wilting bunch of overpriced lettuce. You might have a medical condition like celiac disease, heart disease, lactose intolerance or diabetes, but the food you need to control your condition is simply not available.

Picture that you are low-income, you don't necessarily have a car and may not have the option to leave your neighborhood on a regular basis. You may be on food stamps. Stores that sell healthy food are in another part of town, and have prices that are out of the range of affordability. Imagine that like most Americans you worry about your health but were not taught nutrition in school in any meaningful way. You might be eating a lot of fast food because it's cheap and available. You know that eating healthily could improve your quality of life and your health, but you don't have the resources to do so. On top of these food access issues, your community is struggling with disproportionately high unemployment rates and limited access to medical and social services. People assume the high murder rate in your neighborhood is the biggest risk faced by residents, but in fact heart disease is the number one killer.

What you just envisioned is the reality for many people in West Oakland, CA, and residents of low-income urban communities across the country.

Now imagine that folks in your neighborhood start a non-profit organization that works with residents to help empower the community to meet its own nutritional needs. Not an outside organization that comes in to distribute food, but a community-based organization that helps people learn how to grow their own food through urban farms and gardens, that teaches culturally relevant nutrition and healthy cooking classes to people of all ages. The organization goes into schools to teach nutrition to kids. They start a "mobile market" that drives around areas of your community selling local produce and healthy groceries. This organization is not about "charity", it's about creating a self-reliant, socially just and sustainable food system in your neighborhood.

Imagine that they start selling healthy, organic produce and snacks to kids at public schools and YMCA afterschool programs. Picture a program that trains and employs young people from the community as nutrition educators, entrepreneurs and farmers. The organic produce harvested from the 5 urban gardens and a local farm get sold to neighborhood residents at rock-bottom prices, and what is left gets purchased by local restaurants and individual consumers. The focus is on local, sustainable agriculture and the health and economic empowerment of low-income people.

What you've just imagined is not just a dream, it's become reality... The organization is People's Grocery.

People's Grocery started in 2002 and with a tiny little budget has been making a huge impact on many peoples' lives with a number of successful food security projects. It is becoming a model for organizations all across the country. Now it is time to realize their ultimate goal, of creating a full-service, community-run, cooperative grocery store... The first of its kind in West Oakland. They envision a grocery store where all the produce is local, much of it sourced from urban farms. There will be culturally-competent nutrition educators on staff, and a cooking school located at the facility. They will give double the face value of food stamps when they are used to purchase fresh produce. A sophisticated business plan is in its final stages, incorporating community involvement at all levels of the enterprise and focusing on health and empowerment. This is a major new step for food security for the people of West Oakland as well as the rest of the city.

Are you as excited about this as I am? Do you want to help support their programs? Here are a few ways you can get involved:

Read the blog of the People's Grocery founder

Buy some stylin' People's Grocery gear

Volunteer to do garden work, teach gardening or cooking classes, help with aftershool programs, or provide much-needed office assistance

Donate to the farm

Donate to the general fund

HEALTHY FOOD FOR EVERYONE!

Gluten-Free Gifts for the Holidays

Gift guides are popping up all over the blogosphere, so let's talk about some gifts ideas for people with food intolerances. I'll share with you my own holiday wishlist, as well as some other ideas for food intolerant people in your life. Some of these links are affiliate links, which means that if you do purchase something by clicking over from my site, you will be helping to maintain and expand this site at no cost to you. I hope these ideas are helpful to someone out there who's looking for a way to support a friend or family member with celiac disease or food allergies during this holiday season.

Here is what I want for Chanukah:

What's missing most from my kitchen is a Factory-Reconditioned KitchenAid RRK150WH Artisan Series 5-Quart Mixer (preferably in Glacier Blue, but beggars can't be choosers). Because of health issues it is painful for me to stir, knead, etc and my muscles fatigue easily. This would open the door to much more bread-baking and other culinary endeavors that are just too much work right now.

The most highly acclaimed bread machine for gluten-free bakers is the Zojirushi BBCCX20 Home Bakery Supreme Bread Machine. Every post about bread machines on the gluten-free bulletin boards I read sings its praises. Other models entice buyers with a gluten-free cycle, but this seems to be the one that actually delivers. I'd end up saving quite a bit of money by baking my own bread rather than buying all that overpriced, disappointing packaged gluten-free bread at the store.

Let's be honest, I don't need both a bread machine and a mixer. A mixer would probably do the job just fine. But hey, when I have the kitchen of my dreams there will be room for endless kitchen appliances!

Arrowhead Mills Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Mix - Pack of 6
Yes, I pride myself on making my own flour mixes from scratch. But there are times when convenience is everything, and this mix really does the job, with no added sugar or other unnecessary ingredients.

Being a total cookbook junkie, there are a number of titles on my wishlist right now:

• The Gluten-Free Gourmet Bakes Bread by Bette Hagman
• Exotic Ethiopian Cooking by Daniel J. Mesfin
  
• Gluten-Free Baking Classics by Annalise G. Roberts
• Cooking Free: 200 Flavorful Recipes for People with Food Allergies and Multiple Food Sensitivities by Carol Fenster
• Vegetarian Cooking for Everyoneby Deborah Madison

But enough about me... Let's talk about some other gifts that will make your loved one/s smile!

For someone who has recently discovered that they have to avoid gluten for the rest of their lives, the book Living Gluten-Free For Dummies by Danna Korn is a thorough guide to understanding what you can and can't eat, how to cope, and how to navigate grocery stores and restaurants.

Food shopping is stressful for people with celiac disease. You can take the stress out of it with a subscription to the frequently updated downloadable Gluten-Free Food & Drug Product Lists. They can be downloaded to a Pocket PC, laptop or desktop computer, or Palm Pilot for easy reference while at the grocery store - Some come with subscriptions that allow you to update the list on a regular basis. This is a great way to keep a loved one safe and healthy.

If there's a little one in your life who's too young to advocate for their own dietary needs, how about a child's allergy awareness t-shirt or bib? And for the grown-ups, Karina the Gluten-Free Goddess has a line of very cute and stylish t-shirts at her shop Mucho Gusto that feature colorful graphics and messages.

Last, but not least, tasty treats make a great gift! There are gluten-free cookie gift baskets, and even a special gluten-free gift-basket just for kids.

What's on your wishlist?

Weekly Gluten-Free Recipe Roundup: 12/13/06

Forgive me for not having the energy to write about each recipe this week. A simple list will have to do. All of these recipes are gluten-free and look fantastic. Bon appetit!

• Gluten-Free Panettone


• Potato Korma


• Chocolate Blocks With Fruit and Nuts


• Roasted Vegetable Caponata
  


• Cardamom and Wattle Seed Macarons with Orange Filling


• Roasted Butternut Squash Purée with Caramelized Onion, Goat Cheese and Sage
  


• Thai Cassava Cake
  


• Orange Vanilla Dream Cookies
  


• Delicata Squash with Hot Pepper Glaze
  


• Orange Creamsicle Dairy-Free Smoothie
  


• Chicken Rice Curry With Coconut
  


• Espresso and Hazelnut Chocolate Cake
  


• Pan Seared Mahi Mahi on Sauteed Rapini with a Citrus Reduction


• Aloo Gobi Mattar (Potato, Cauliflower and Pea Curry)


• Roasted Mahi Mahi with Fennel, Olives and Orange
  


• Eclairs
  


• Persian Pomegranate Soup (Ash-e Enar)
  


• Wild Rice Cranberry Pecan Salad
  


• Spiced Pomegranate Meringues
  


• Persimmon Pecan Pudding Cake
  


• Stir-Fried Chicken with Mushrooms and Cashews
  


• Peanut Butter Cookies
  

Aloo Gobi Mattar: Potato, Cauliflower and Pea Curry

Last night I really needed some comfort food. There must be something about potatoes that sets off a chemical comfort explosion in my brain, because I knew immediately that's what I wanted. So I cooked up one of my favorites - Aloo gobi mattar, an Indian curry with potatoes, cauliflower and peas in a rich blend of spices. My recipe is a slightly more "saucy" adaptation of aloo gobi, which traditionally tends to be a dry curry.

I generally make this as a vegetarian dairy dish, using ghee and vegetable broth (I keep gluten-free bouillon cubes on hand). While you can make this dish vegan/pareve by using olive oil, ghee dramatically enhances the flavor. Serve this dish over basmati rice with naan or chapati. The flatbreads pictured were my second attempt at making gluten-free chapati. After my initial failure I threw together a slighly more palatable version which I spread some tamarind sauce on before using them to scoop up the curry. The recipe is not good enough to share with you all yet, but I'll post it when I've tweaked it a bit.

ALOO GOBI MATTAR (POTATO, CAULIFLOWER & PEA CURRY)

1 large cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 large onions, chopped into 1/2-inch chunks
3 medium baking potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2 "- 3/4-inch chunks
1 cup frozen green peas
1 cup vegetable stock or chicken stock
4 tablespoons olive oil or ghee
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated (including juice)
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium hot green chili peppers, minced (seeds included)
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 tablespoon garam masala
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper (optional)
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 lemon, juice of
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Heat oil in a large wok, karahi, or deep nonstick pan over high heat. Add onions and cumin seeds, and cook until onions are translucent. Then add the minced garlic, chunks of ginger and chili pepper. Sautee for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add all remaining spices, including salt. Stir well.

Immediately add potato to pan. Stir until coated in oil and spices. Turn heat down to medium and sautee potato for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add chicken or vegetable stock, then put lid on pan, lower heat to medium-low and simmer for around 15 minutes.

Add the cauliflower florets, grated ginger and lemon juice. Stir well. Replace lid, turn heat to low, and let simmer for about 10 minutes. If the ingredients are sticking to the pan, you can add a bit more stock or 1/4 cup of water at this point.

Add frozen peas to pan, and stir ingredients. Cover and simmer for 10 more minutes.

Turn off heat. Add half of the fresh cilantro, and mix thoroughly. Replace the lid, then allow to rest for 10 minutes before adjusting salt to taste and serving dish over rice. Garnish with remaining fresh cilantro. Makes about 6 generous servings.

I like this picture because of the piece of cilantro that looks like it's balancing precariously
on top of a cauliflower stalk... Careful, don't fall!

When good recipes go bad.

Following GlutenFreeGirl's brave lead, I want to share with you that I do make dishes that end up in the trash. Dishes that are too ugly and embarassing to photograph. Dishes that are so inedible there is no creative way to salvage them. I've made two such "losers" in the past week, in fact... Which is an all-time record.

First, we have a failure to follow directions. Folks, when the recipe says "proof the yeast," it really means "proof the yeast." If it doesn't bubble, don't use it. If you do use it anyway, you may end up with some bum yeast and have a "jelly donut" (a traditional Chanukah delicacy called sufganiyot) on your hands that looks like this:


NASTY! Not just ugly, but so awful that they ended up in the garbage (and you all know GF flours aren't cheap! What a waste.) Just be glad I didn't post a picture of the incinerated "donut holes" which were a dense, inedible ball of uncooked, unrisen dough with a fully incinerated black crust. It might have made you cry.

Oh, but that wasn't enough of a cooking disaster for the week. No, we also had the "Gluten-Free Chapati" experiment.


GROSS! This was a chickpea flour-based recipe. Now, I'm no fan of chickpea flour generally speaking, but it's hard to imagine how an ingredient that makes something as thoroughly tasty as the socca could also make something as utterly disgusting and inedible as this horrible attempt at the Indian flatbread I used to cook frequently when I could eat wheat. Don't be deceived by the picture - These babies were horrendous and I threw them straight in the garbage. I'll try a slightly more hopeful-looking gluten-free naan recipe soon and we'll see how it turns out.

I comforted myself after my latest culinary failture by cooking up a tried and true curry for dinner (recipe forthcoming), and settling in with a CSI rerun.

Gluten-Free Joy from Sweden [A Blogging By Mail Update]

When I pulled up in front of my house today I could see a big package sticking out of the mailbox. "Could it be my Blogging By Mail package?" I wondered. Indeed, it was... And it came all the way from Stockholm, Sweden! It felt like what I can only imagine [Christian] kids feel on Christmas morning. I couldn't wait to tear it open. Inside was a lovely note from Kristina of Clivia's Cuisine telling me about Swedish Christmas traditions and explaining in detail the contents of the package:

• A sweet coarse-grain mustard
  
• Dried organic apricots from Turkey
  
• A polkagris, a traditional Swedish peppermint candy
  
• A box of gluten-free pepparkakor - Swedish ginger snaps! They are incredibly crisp and full of flavor. I don't speak Swedish but I got the sense from the ingredient list they were made of rice flour and potato flour, but mostly just a whole lot of sugar and margarine. So tasty!
  
• Spice mix for making glogg (Swedish mulled wine), as well as Kristina's recipe for making it, and instructions on how to make an alcohol-free version.
  
• Loose herbal tea, the ingredients of which I haven't figured out yet - They are listed as Vinbarsblad, Citronmeliss and Abrodd. Anyone know Swedish?
  
• A wooden Christmas tree bottle stopper
  

I have to admit I worried that whoever I was matched with wouldn't understand the "gluten free" thing and would send me lots of things I can't eat. It was such a treat to get a package full of things I can eat. Thank you, Kristina! The package was the highlight of my day, and I can't wait to taste everything. It will be a miracle if the pepparkakor last more than 24 hours!

Once Upon a Persimmon Cake

Once upon a time, the blogger known as "By The Bay" purchased two pounds of Hachiya persimmons at Oakland's Grand Lake Farmers' Market. She wasn't a big fan of persimmons, but something about Elise's Persimmon Pudding Cake recipe called to her.


She bought them firm and unripe, but knew that in order to be edible this variety of persimmon needed to be so ripe and mushy that they would practically fall apart in her hands. She figured they would be ripe enough in a week's time. A week passed, and they were still hard as rocks. She knew she could do things to help ripen them, but decided instead to wait and see how long it would take for them to do so on their own. Another week passed, and still they weren't ripe. Thanksgiving came around and she left town, thinking for sure when she got back they'd be ready to use. No such luck. But a full month later, she came home from work and knew today was the day... The persimmons were finally ripe!

So she set about adapting Elise's recipe to be gluten-free, changing the recipe just enough to make it her own.


The result was a rich, sweet cake with a moist consistency akin to bread pudding. The distinctive flavor of the persimmons came through beautifully, and the taste of pecans and caramelized sugar rounded out the flavor.

PERSIMMON PECAN PUDDING CAKE

2 cups of pulp of extremely ripe Hachiya persimmons
4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups Gluten Free Cake Flour Mix
2 tablespoons coconut flour
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon ginger

Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease a 8" round cake pan. In a large bowl, mix persimmon pulp, eggs, butter, buttermilk and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Slowly fold the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until thoroughly combined. Add chopped nuts and stir to incorporate. Pour into cake pan and bake for about 50 minutes. When done, the center will still be very moist and soft, but the outside of the cake should have formed a firm crust and be well-browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before serving. Slice and serve warm.

The Orange Creamsicle (Dairy-Free Smoothie)

When I was a child, I spent many summer days at Moriello's, our town's public swimming pool. After a few hours of splishing and splashing, I would run barefoot over to the ice cream stand, where for pocket change you could buy Good Humor ice cream in deliciously soggy frozen cones; Mickey Mouse popsicles with a gumball for a nose; or red, white and blue rocket popsicles. My hands-down favorite was the Creamsicle (orange flavor only, of course)... Vanilla ice cream encased in a thick layer of icey orange sorbet. This creamy drink is inspired by Creamsicles and memories of hot summer days. No dairy, vegan, no added sugar.

THE ORANGE CREAMSICLE

1 cup orange juice, not from concentrate
1 cup rice milk, fortified (plain or vanilla)
1 banana
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Combine ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth and frothy. Serve immediately.

Weekly Gluten-Free Recipe Roundup: 12/6/06

• For a one pot meal, try this quick version of Chicken Pelau, one of Trinidad's signature dishes.


• Elise's Eggplant Lentil Stew with Pomegranate Molasses looks divine.


• Use gluten-free bread crumbs and Worcestershire sauce to create Artichokes Dunbar, a kosher and vegetarian dish inspired by Creole favorite Oysters Dunbar.


• It's soup season, and Spicy Sweet Potato & Carrot Soup looks creamy and flavorful.


• This beautiful recipe for Eggplant Stuffed with Carrots, Garlic, and Herbs can conveniently be prepared the day before you plan to serve it.


• Crushed White Bean Spread with White Truffle Oil looks like it would be terrific slathered on toasted gluten-free bread, crackers, or raw vegetables.


• Brendon takes biscotti to new frontiers with his recipe for savory Black Pepper & Parmesan Biscotti.
  


• Two words: Snickers Fudge.


• Shaheen shares with us her recipe for Kalthappam / Rice Cake with Jaggery, which she suggests for breakfast.


• Serve up some Lentil and Artichoke Soup, another simple yet sophisticated recipe from the kitchen of Ilva.


• For the eggless among us, Susan's Mini Crustless Tofu Quiches are sure to please.


• It's summer in December with Shannon's Blackberry Upside-Down Cake.


• Who said salads have to be served cold? Warm Spiced Pumpkin and Lentil Salad with Pears, Almonds and Goat Cheese is both colorful and seasonal.


• Avocado and Bean Salad with Tomatoes and Fried Quinoa introduces different way to prepare quinoa, one of the most nutritious GF grains around.
  


• Mona bakes a Gluten-Free Holiday Coffee Cake.


• My own recipe highlights this week include Roasted Butternut Squash, Marcona Almond and Pomegranate Salad and nouveau Chanukah treat Chocolate Dipped Apricots (Apricot Gelt).
  

Fall Salads: The Autumn Harvest on Display

As part of a meal I cooked for my mother, who's visiting from New York, I put together this sald. I based it around some ingredients I had on hand - roasted butternut squash, a ripe pomegranate, and Marcona almonds-- the sweet, heart-shaped Spanish variety of almond that is fried lightly in olive oil and sea salt. I bought the almonds at Piedmont Grocery, but discovered today that you can find them in tins at a very reasonable price at Costco. This salad was a side dish for grilled chicken breasts but cended up as the star of the meal, with the meat nothing but a footnote. Since it was a meat-based meal, for reasons of kashrut I didn't add goat cheese - But if you're not kosher, or are not eating it with meat, I think goat cheese (soft or feta, crumbled) would be a perfect touch. This was one of my favorite salads, with perfectly complementary textures and flavors along with vivid fall colors.

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH, MARCONA ALMOND AND POMEGRANATE SALAD

4 cups mixed salad greens
Seeds of 1/2 pomegranate
1 cup Spice-Roasted Butternut Squash or other roasted squash cubes
1/3 cup Marcona almonds
Crumbled goat cheese (optional)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Combine vinegar, olive oil, honey, mustard and black pepper in a jar. Shake thoroughly to combine. Add just enough dressing to the salad greens to coat the leaves very lightly. Add squash and pomegranate seeds. Toss gently. Sprinkle marcona almonds and goat cheese (optional) on salad just before serving. Makes 3-4 servings.

Note: A tutorial for removing the seeds of a pomegranate can be found here.

This recipe is part of the upcoming Fall Salads Event at My Life As a Reluctant Housewife.

Spice-Roasted Butternut Squash

SPICE-ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

1 large butternut squash
1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 375. Cut ends off butternut squash, peel, and slice lengthwise. Remove seeds and chop into 1 inch cubes. In a medium bowl, combine spices, oil and vinegar into a paste. Add squash and toss until coated. Arrange the squash cubes in one layer in a roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes, toss once, and cook for an additional 25 minutes or until the squash is browned and is tender throughout. Serve warm as a side dish, or chill and use in a salad.

Chocolate-Dipped Apricots: A Gourmet Approach to Chanukah Gelt

As a child we played dreidel with chocolate-wrapped coins, called Chanukah gelt. Money given to a child by a parent on this holiday is also referred to as gelt. Here is a tastier take on Chanukah gelt, inspired by a recipe in this month's Martha Stewart Living. I used Ghirardelli bitterwsweet baking chocolate bars. These morsels make a great holiday gift, too. After you make the chocolate-dipped apricots, read up on how to play dreidel and use the candies in place of coins.

APRICOT GELT (CHOCOLATE-DIPPED APRICOTS)

Makes about 4 dozen

1 pound dried apricots
1 pound dark or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Foil candy wrappers (optional)

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Heat chocolate over a double-boiler. Allow the water in the boiler to get hot but not fully boil. Use a plastic spatula to scrape chocolate away from the sides. Remove from heat as soon as the chocolate is melted. If you prefer to use a microwave, melt the chocolate in a glass bowl in short intervals, stirring well with spatula.

Immediately add all the apricots to the pot melted chocolate, and stir gently until they are all coated fully. Carefully lift each piece out of the pot with a fork, allowing some of the excess chocolate to drip off. For a more sophisticated look, you can also try holding each apricot by one end with your fingers and dipping only half of it into the chocolate.

Place carefully on parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate until the chocolate has become firm (20-30 minutes). Store in ziploc bags or wrap in foil wrappers.



This recipe is part of the Festive Food Fair blog event.