When the Sweet Tooth Aches (GF Crepes)

That's how my sweet cravings feel, sometimes--this longing, aching for sweet and chocolatey and delicious.
So what's a person to do in the face of such cravings?
I heard once that eating a piece of fruit and drinking water can help satisfy the sweet famishment (also I wanted to use the word famishment).
I've found pairing something sweet with something whole grain (and thus more filling) helps.
Fruit desserts are always winners.
Jell-O Instant pudding, especially with fruit.
And here's a new one for the list:
Crepes.

Gluten-free crepes are so simple, every time I make them I wonder why we don't make them more often. If you haven't tried them, you should! They're delicious and fat free and very versatile--great with everything from fresh fruit and yogurt to pudding or cool whip and bananas. And that's just the sweet stuff.
Crepes. Try some today. Here's how.

Gluten-Free Crepes
(I don't know where the recipe originated, but it wasn't with me. Thank you, whoever you are.)

2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup rice flour
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1. Beat the eggs just until blended. Add the salt, milk and flour. Whisk until smooth.
2. Cover the batter and let rest 15 minutes. The batter should be thin. (Just enough to coat a spoon dipped in it.) Add more milk if the batter is too thick.
3. Heat a frying pan with butter or vegetable oil to grease the pan.
4. Working quickly, pour 1/4 cup of batter for a small crepe, or 1/3 cup batter for a larger crepe, into the hot pan. Tilt the pan so that the batter spreads out evenly. Cook on one side (it cooks quickly), turn with a spatula and cook the other side.
5. Pile the cooked crepes on a plate. Refrigerate if not using immediately. These may be prepared up to a day ahead of time.

Ideas for filling:
It works best to use a combination of creamy, fruity, and if you choose, a garnish.

Creamy
sweetened sour cream (start with 2 Tablespoons sour cream per serving; add brown or white sugar to taste. The cream will become runnier as you add more sugar.)
cool whip (a low-fat, low calorie option. Not exactly health food, but mmm. Especially with bananas)
yogurt

Fruity
berries
berry syrup
jam or fruit preserves
poached fruit, such as pears or peaches
bananas
fruit salad mix--diced berries, mango, kiwi
even canned fruit--mandarin oranges, pineapple, peaches, pears...

Garnish
citrus zest (lemon and orange are tasty with berries)
chocolate sauce
shaved chocolate
a drizzle of poaching syrup
fruit juice
whipped cream or cool whip
toasted nuts or coconut
drizzle of caramel sauce

There's no way I have all the options here--what do you or would you add?

Lighter Sesame Chicken

Martha Stewart and the folks at Everyday Food give us this Chinese food classic lightened up--and made gluten-free in the process.
I think this is a recipe-in-progress. I'm encouraged by the batter, though my husband wasn't sure about it. We both think the sauce needs a little tweaking--a little sweeter, maybe more spice. It does make me feel like we could make Chang's Spicy chicken here at home, so I'll keep you posted on that front. In the meantime, if you're craving take-out and looking for a lighter or gluten-free version (for less bucks than PF Chang's), give this a whirl.
A side note: PF Chang's, as well as their faster-food counterpart Pei Wei, both offer delicious gluten-free menus. Click here and here.


photo from original recipe site.

Lighter Sesame Chicken

Everday FOOD

Serves 4

• 3/4 cup brown rice
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped or crushed with a garlic press
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 2-inch chunks
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as safflower
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 pounds broccoli, cut into large florets, stems peeled and thinly sliced

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1. Place a steamer basket in a large saucepan, and fill with 1 inch water; set aside for broccoli. Cook rice according to package instructions.
2. Meanwhile, make sauce: In a small bowl, combine honey, sesame seeds, soy sauce, and garlic; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together egg whites and cornstarch. Add chicken; season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.
3. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add half the chicken; cook, turning occasionally, until golden and opaque throughout, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate; repeat with remaining tablespoon oil and chicken. Return all the chicken to skillet; add reserved sauce and scallions, and toss to coat.
4. Meanwhile, place saucepan with steamer basket over high heat; bring water to a boil. Add broccoli, and cook until crisp-tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Serve sesame chicken with broccoli and rice.

Homemade Applesauce, Pear Sauce

My favorite part of the gluten-free diet: we can always say yes to fruits and vegetables! And keeping foods in their most basic element can be both tasty and rewarding. This is the most basic recipe for applesauce, but the results are so delicious. Sweet apples make a sweeter sauce, obviously, and the sweeter the apple the less inclined you'll feel to add any sugar. This is a great first food for baby, but be sure to make extra because other members of the family will probably want some too.

Applesauce, Pear Sauce

2 medium apples or pears (sweet, ripe)
2 Tablespoons water or unsweetened apple juice

Peel fruit and chop the apple or pear into small, even-size pieces. Put the fruit into a heavy-bottomed saucepan with the water, cover, and cook over low heat until tender, about 6 to 8 minutes for apples, 4 minutes for pears.
Blend the fruit to a smooth puree using some of the cooking liquid. This is delicious warm or cold.

Butternut Squash Soup

Image from flickr.com

Here is a classic recipe for squash soup where the vegetable is the main event. The Joy says you can make this soup with any winter squash, but of course, butternut is the classic.
Also, a word about leeks. Leeks look like giant green onions (scallions), and are "an ancient member of the onion family," but they are milder and sweeter than any of their relatives. They are in season from fall to spring, the soup season, really, and they are so lovely in soups. Look for bunches with leeks the same size, preferably small, with bright crisp leaves.
And a word about ginger. If you don't have fresh ginger, you can use powdered, but know that it is much hotter and should be added slowly. Preparing fresh ginger is a refreshing experience and I think everyone should try it at least once.

There are so many butternut squash soup--anyone else have a favorite to share?

Butternut Squash Soup

1 medium to large butternut squash (about 3-1/2 pounds), halved and seeded

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter or vegetable oil
2 large leeks (white part only), cleaned thoroughly and chopped
4 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

2 cups more chicken or vegetable stock
1-1/2 teaspoons salt

chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
croutons
toasted squash seeds (optional)*

Preheat oven to 400.
Place cut squash cut side down on an oiled baking sheet and bake until squash can be easily pierced with a fork, about 1 hour. Let cool, then scoop the pulp from the squash skin and discard the skin.
Melt or heat butter or oil in a soup pot, over medium-low heat. Add leeks and ginger and cook, stirring, until tender but not browned.
Stir in the squash along with the stock. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring and breaking up the squash with a spoon, 20 minutes.
Puree in a blender or using a stick blender (be careful, it's hot!) Return to the pot and stir in 2 additional cups stock and salt.
Heat through and serve immediately, garnishing with fresh herbs and croutons and seeds, as desired.
To toast squash seeds: rinse and dry the seeds, toss them in 1-1/2 teaspoons oil to lightly coat, and bake them along with the squash, until browned, reserve to serve with soup.

Pluots and Apriums

Pluots and apriums are hybrids of apricots and plums. pluots are more like plums, while apriums are more like apricots. image from alice q. foodie.

Ahh, the fruits of summer. It's been a while in coming--we've suffered from an extreme case of Junuary--but finally, summer is here.
It's at the farmer's market, where cherries, sugar snap peas, fava beans, and wild strawberries tempt with their vibrant color and sun-soaked flavor.
It's in our backyard, where wild roses bloom, the river runs high, and blackberry bushes are starting to flower, a sweet white promise of what's ahead.
And of course, summer is in my mind. As the weather shifts, so does my palette. I start craving light, fresh food--pasta tossed with chicken and vegetables, tostadas topped with fresh tomatoes, smoothies in every color of the rainbow, plums and berries and nectarines and peaches, all delicious with little adornment or fuss.
Summer is also a time of bbq. Alas, we are grill-less. We
This summer I'm excited to experiment with more rice bowls and pasta dishes. For gluten-free versions, we highly recommend Tinkyada brown rice pasta. It has a great texture and neutral flavor that works with anything we've tried. It also comes in many shapes--rotini, fettucine, even penne. As for rice, it's always a treat to try basmati (think Indian food), or jasmine (think Thai). No matter what kind of rice or pasta, the possibilities for a delicious bowl are endless. I'll try to share recipes as the summer wears on.
What's your favorite summer meal?

Broiled Tomatoes with Bleu Cheese
( Joy of Cooking)
Allow one tomato per person. At least.

4 Ripe tomatoes
4 ounces bleu cheese
2 teaspoons chopped fresh herbs (oregano, marjoram, or basil; or scant 1 teaspoon dried oregano)
extra-virgin olive oil

Cut tomatoes in half and arrange cut-side up in a ligtly-oiled gratin dish or glass pie pan.
Sprinkle with bleu cheese, herb of your choice, and ground black pepper, to taste.
Drizzle olive oil over the tops.
Broil about 6 inches from the heat until the cheese has begun to brown, about 7 minutes. Serve hot or let cool slightly.

An Apple a Day

I found these perfect little gala apples at the store the other day, and couldn't resist. Apples are one of Jane's favorite fruits: she loves to eat them whole, peeled, right to the seeds in the center. What kind of blessed time and place is this that we can eat good, fresh apples in the middle of winter? It's nice that even when it's cold and dark, we can reach to warmer months through taste.

Jane might turn into a tomato

Right now, I only take photos like this...from other people. Please don't throw tomatoes at me.

We stopped in at our favorite little produce shop yesterday. I was craving Brussels sprouts (hooray for healthy pregnancy craving!) and Jane, apparently, was craving tomatoes. The mere sight of them kept her "mmm-mmming" all the way home. It inspired me to make a t-shirt for her with a big tomato on it and some clever phrase like "I don't just eat tomatoes, I wear them" or "My mommy says it's okay to eat tomatoes in this shirt." Yeah, i'm using the word clever quite liberally up there. That's how creativity goes for me, lately--the spark of an idea is there, even if it hasn't developed into any kind of happy campfire.
If anyone has any ideas for a tomato shirt that you would like to share, please do. You may even get to see your idea *published* on Jane!
Whatever she is wearing, nothing makes me happier than watching Jane bite into a juicy, tangy tomato. Yesterday was actually pretty incredible--she ate baby carrots, bites of sweet pepper, munched on some "trees" (broccoli), and ate half of a satsuma. I love sharing my food discoveries with her, and she is proving an agreeable partner in exploration.

Going Green

Brussels sprouts are named for their place of origin.

I've been tempted to try Brussels sprouts for months, and today I finally did. Mundane indulgence, I know. After Brad's warning that they are often bitter, I settled on the following recipe from the Joy of Cooking, which is introduced like this:
"Ethan Becker was always disappointed by Brussels sprouts--until he tried these."
If they're good enough for Ethan Becker, I thought, they are good enough for me. I would recommend these to anyone. They also fall into the category of "fancy-named recipes that make me feel like more of a chef" (I'm working on a shorter title for that). I'm not about to keep that wonderful feeling all to myself: here's the recipe.
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Brussels Sprouts Cockaigne
2 to 4 servings

Rinse, pat dry, and slice in half lengthwise:
12 Brussels sprouts

Warm in a medium skillet over medium-low heat:
3 Tablespoons butter, or 1-1/2 Tablespoons butter & 1-1/2 Tablespoons olive oil

Add and Cook, stirring, until beginning to brown:
1 to 2 cloves garlic, crushed

Remove the garlic from the skillet with a slotted spoon and discard. Place the sprouts cut side down in the garlic butter. Cover and cook over low heat until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Arrange on a warm platter and drizzle with any remaining butter. Serve with:
Freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional)
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I didn't add the parmesan, but that would be even more delicious. I ate the tender, lightly garlicky and sweet Brussels sprouts over a bowl of white rice. They reminded me of steamed artichokes, another of my favorite green treats.

Like a Kid in a... Produce Shop

Is it normal that my heart flutters a little bit at the thought of parsnips? Or that the sight of fresh blueberries, strawberries, and cranberries lifts my spirits to a new elevation? Maybe it's the pregnancy, but when I cross the threshold at Top of the Hill produce market, it's like crossing a threshold into sensory euphoria. And today, I take Jane with me.
We walk through the whole shop, which isn't hard since you can see the entire store from wherever you stand. Eight kinds of apples, exotic carrots, tantalizing herbs...they all line up before us in brightly colored rows. Jane embraces the opportunity to show off her knowledge of all the colors of the rainbow. "Red apple! Green apple. Yellow. Orange?" It also proves a prime moment to practice different voice inflections.
I quickly cross items off our list, and seek Jane's opinion on some kind of snack fruit. "Would you eat pears?" I ask her. She shakes her head and says, "No." her face completes the negatory response. We move on in our search.
I turn my back for a second and when I look at Jane again, she holds a brussels sprout. "Do you want to try some of those?" I ask her. She doesn't really answer, but I decide to take advantage of her initial interest and put a few in a bag. I've been wanting to try them for some time myself.
We pass by the onions and garlic, and Jane spots a pint-sized basket of cherry tomatoes. "Me tomatoes," she informs me. The price is right and they look good, so we pick up a basket. "Me hold it," Jane says. I let her, despite my first instinct. She picks one out of the basket, but I ask her to wait until we've bought them before she eats it. "Okay, mommy," she says in her usual cooperative tone. She then pretends to eat the tomato instead. "Mmm, yummy," she says.
We end up walking around the store a few minutes longer, and Jane manages to hold the tomatoes steady until we are walking between two other people and their carts and I'm holding a pineapple in one hand and about seven cherry tomatoes spill onto the orange tile floor. I do my best to brush them aside so that they don't squish under other people's shoes.
As we pay for our produce, Jane still holds the tomato she pretended to eat. "You've been so good! You can eat that tomato now," I tell her. Juice and seeds trickle down her chin, down her shirt. The tomato bursts with flavor too, I assume, because Jane says, "Mmm, dat's good!" She sums up our visit perfectly.

Three Tempting Tomato Soups

Summer favorite: fresh tomatoes.

This first soup is from Whitney. It's warm and delicious and great with crackers or bread.

Tomato Basil Soup

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2 c. sliced leeks
4 oz. butter
3 qt. beef broth
2 cans whole tomatoes, diced
1/3 c. red wine vinegar
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. white wine
0.25 c. cornstarch
1 c. firmly packed fresh basil leaves
1 star anise
0 Cooked rice (optional)
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Drain tomatoes and set aside juice for later. Saute together the
leeks and the butter until soft. Add the broth, diced tomatoes,
vinegar, sugar and wine. Cover partially and simmer for 25 minutes.

Optional: Add cooked rice in whatever amount suits your fancy. I like
adding cooked, rather than uncooked rice, because I always end up
adding too much uncooked rice and it turns into more of a casserole
than a soup. You may not need cornstarch, or at least not the full
amount if you add rice.

Mix together the cornstarch and the juice from the tomatoes and add
to the soup mixture. Bring back to a simmer and add the basil and
star anise. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Note: This is the closest recipe I've come to the tomato rice soup at
Pyrenees. I've substituted onions for leeks and it tastes good as
well. I've never used the star anise, because I always forget to buy it.

Joy of Cooking, from which this recipe comes, describes the Fresh Tomato Soup as "A simple, clean-tasting soup." For a zestier soup, make Cream of Fresh Tomato Soup. This soup reminds me of the Tomato Basil soup at Zupa's in Utah.

Fresh Tomato Soup/Cream of Fresh Tomato Soup
Joy of Cooking
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2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion coarsely chopped
3 pounds ripe tomatoes peeled, seeded, and chopped, with juices
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream (for Cream of Fresh Tomato Soup)
1 Tablespoon pesto sauce (for Cream of Fresh Tomato Soup)
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1. Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium-low heat.
2. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until tender but not browned, 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the tomatoes and their juices.
4. Simmer until the tomatoes are covered in their own liquid, about 25 minutes.
5. Puree until smooth, either in a blender or using a hand blender (be careful either way--the soup is hot).
6. Return to the pot and stir in the salt and pepper.
Serve hot or cold.
For Cream of Fresh Tomato Soup:
7. Stir in the heavy cream and pesto sauce. Gently heat through and serve immediately.

Renton Farmer's Market

Fresh basil, apricots, & blueberries were among our market finds.

I am in love with farmer's markets. I went to one in Provo and came home with some delicious zucchini and tomatoes last summer, and for a bargain. I love the idea of buying fruits and vegetables directly from the person who grew it, and I love how affordable it is. I also love the sense of community that comes with markets--it's beyond a shopping trip, it's an experience, from talking with growers to live music and craft booths. I am on cloud nine to find that I could go to a farmer's market every day of the week, not to mention Pike Place, you-pick farms, and fruit & vegetable stands just a few miles up our highway. We checked out our local Renton market on our anniversary back in July, and picked up some delicious treats. Brad also bought me a beautiful bouquet to show he still cares after three years. Romantic sigh. It has been a breeze with him. He's better than all the farmer's markets in the world.


My "Happy Anniversary" from Bradford. I still owe him a decent cheesecake!

Summer Squash with Fresh Basil

Photo from Leslie Land.

I love simple recipes with fresh ingredients. Rozanne Gold's 3-ingredient cookbook (she doesn't count salt, pepper, or water) strikes just the right balance.
As summer winds down (it's not really over until September 21), this recipe keeps it alive with lots of flavor and freshness.

1 & 3/4 pounds small yellow squash
1 large bunch basil
1 & 1/2 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter

Wash squash and trim ends. Grate on large holes of box grater. Place in a bowl.
Wash basil and dry thoroughly. Chop enough basil leaves to yield 2/3 cup, reserving remaining leaves for garnish. Add chopped basil to bowl with 1/4 teaspoon sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Stir.
In a large nonstick skillet, melt butter. Add squash mixture and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring often. Do not let squash brown. Cook until squash is soft. Add additional salt and pepper if necessary. Serve hot.
Garnish with small basil leaves. Serves 4.

Creamy Zucchini Soup

This light vegetable soup becomes creamy when you blend it.
serves 4-6
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2 onions, chopped
3 gloves garlic, minced
4 Tablespoons butter

8 medium zucchini, sliced
1 to 2 stalks celery, chopped
1 large carrot, sliced
3 cups chicken stock

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
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1. Saute onions and garlic in butter until onions are golden.
2. Add remaining ingredients, except lemon juice. Bring to a boil and simmer 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Cool slightly. Puree in a blender (or using a hand blender).
4. Add lemon juice & serve.
If necessary, thin with additional chicken stock or white wine.

from Millie Deeton, found in 30 Minutes or Less: For People Who Don't Have Time To Cook, 1999.

From the Backyard

We are excited to be here in the Pacific Northwest. One perk: plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. We went out to our backyard this afternoon to pick these wild blackberries. They are sweet and free and make anything taste better.