A Trip to the Punahou Carnival and a Salsa Recipe for Mom

Girl Cooks World

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April 12, 2019

A Trip to the Punahou Carnival and a Salsa Recipe for Mom

What football game? The highlight of my weekend was the Punahou Carnival. Each year Punahou (the President’s alma mater) puts on the event to raise money for financial aid. If you’re ever visiting at the first weekend of February, definitely put it on your list of things to do.

Besides the standard carnival rides, there’s a White Elephant, vintage/antique sale, local produce stand, and all sorts of activities for kids. Just come ready for crowds.

The main draw? The food. People come from all over the island for the malasadas, Portuguese bean soup, teri burgers, gyros, Saimin, etc., etc. Want to try it all? They stock plenty of boxes so you can take a couple meals to go.

I was relegated to the few gluten-free items that they sell, but you could do worse than an Orange Dream smoothie and beef nachos. Although I wouldn’t have minded a salsa upgrade. I haven’t bought the jarred stuff in years; the lack of fresh cilantro is a total deal-breaker.

And so now it’s one of those basics that I always make myself… super easy and so much better than store bought. People are always surprised to find out that I use canned tomatoes but I find that they’re more reliable than standard supermarket tomatoes. Plus they’re always available, inexpensive, and I invariably have a can or two in the pantry.

I’ve been meaning to post this for over a month now. My mom wanted the recipe and I told her to just wing it and throw some tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and lime juice together. Apparently that wasn’t satisfactory. So mom, this one is for you… I’m still working on that chicken tortilla soup recipe.

Fresh Cilantro Salsa

2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes, drained
1 red or yellow onion, chopped
leaves from 1 bunch fresh cilantro
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, partially seeded and diced (or use a couple jarred jalapeno pepper rings)
2 Tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Use an immersion blender to pulse several times until the ingredients are chopped finely and well combined. Alternatively, pulse in a food processor or blender.

Toor Dal- Nepali Yellow Dal

Recipes

Girl Cooks World

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April 12, 2019

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When I think of comfort foods, rich and unhealthy items like macaroni and cheese or ice cream come to mind. I’m hoping that I’ll eventually be able to train my mind to first turn to something healthy, like this warming and nutritious dal.

In this Nepali vegetarian dish, yellow split peas and diced tomatoes combine with a spiced onion mixture. The ingredients are pretty simple, but everything combines to create a dish that is anything but boring.

So far Nepal has challenged my perception that spices like cinnamon, cloves and cardamom are only for sweet, not savory dishes. The inclusion of cinnamon and cardamom is really the major difference between this yellow dal and the Indian yellow dal I often make from 5 Spices, 50 Dishes. As long as they’re used somewhat sparingly, these spices add a nice, slightly perfumed aroma and extra depth of flavor to savory dishes.

I often eat dal plain, but feel free to serve it over some Basmati rice for a full meal. And one final note: dal makes a great weekday meal for company. I often make the split peas the day before. The day of, all that’s left to do is reheat the split peas and then cook up the onion mixture. Easy peasy.

Toor Dal- Nepali Yellow Dal

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

* 4 cups water
* 1 cup yellow split peas
* 1/2 cup diced tomatoes, drained
* 3 Tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
* 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
* 1 onion, chopped
* 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated (I freeze peeled ginger and use a Microplane zester)
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 cinnamon stick
* 2 bay leaves
* 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
* 2 cardamom pods, crushed
* 1 Tablespoon butter
* 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
* salt and pepper

Directions:

Combine the water, split peas, and diced tomatoes in a large saucepan. Cover and simmer over low heat until the split peas have softened.

While the split peas are cooking, heat the oil in a large pan over high heat until very hot. Add the cumin and cook, stirring, until very fragrant. Reduce heat to medium-high and add the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion has browned. Add the ginger, garlic, cinnamon, bay leaves, turmeric, and cardamom and stir to mix. Pour into the prepared split peas. Add butter, cilantro and salt and pepper to taste. Let cook over low heat for a couple minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

Gluten-Free Mini Ricotta Doughnuts with Bittersweet Chocolate and Salted Caramel Dipping Sauces

Dessert

Girl Cooks World

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April 12, 2019

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Gluten-Free Mini Ricotta Doughnuts with Bittersweet Chocolate and Salted Caramel Dipping Sauces

Resistance is futile. Even if you have the willpower to resist the doughnuts, the bittersweet chocolate and salted caramel will likely lure you in with their siren song. Although the doughnuts themselves are pretty spectacular… super moist, impossibly fluffy, with just the slightest hint of citrus. One plain, one with chocolate, one with caramel. Eat and repeat.

The recipes for the chocolate and caramel sauces make more than you’ll need for these doughnuts, so you’ll have plenty for a double batch. Or use any extra to top some ice cream. I’ll throw out another idea for any sauce leftovers tomorrow…

Gluten-Free Mini Ricotta Doughnuts with Bittersweet Chocolate and Salted Caramel Dipping Sauces

Yield: 16-24 doughnuts, depending on size

Ingredients:

Doughnuts:
canola or vegetable oil for frying
1/2 cup superfine rice flour
1/4 cup potato starch
2 Tablespoons tapioca starch
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
powdered sugar
bittersweet chocolate and salted caramel dipping sauces

Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce:
2/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream, heated on the stovetop or microwave until very warm

Salted Caramel Sauce:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

Heat several inches of oil on a small, heavy saucepan to 370 degrees.

While the oil is heating, combine the rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, baking powder, lemon zest and salt in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and whisk until blended.

Working in small batches, drop heaping Tablespoons of batter into the hot oil, turning occasionally, until the exterior is golden and the insides are cooked, about 4 minutes. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

Lightly dust with powdered sugar and serve with bittersweet chocolate and salted caramel dipping sauces.

To make the chocolate sauce, place the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals until soft. Stir until smooth. Whisk in the warm heavy cream until smooth.

To make the salted caramel sauce, combine the sugar and water in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil without stirring, washing down any crystals on the side of the pan with a wet silicone or pastry brush.

Boil until the syrup is a deep amber/caramel color. Remove the mixture from the heat and carefully whisk in the heavy cream (the mixture will bubble). Stir in the butter and salt.

Pinattipannukakku – Finnish Gluten-Free Rolled Spinach Pancake

Girl Cooks World

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April 12, 2019

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Pinattipannukakku – Finnish Gluten-Free Rolled Spinach Pancake

I suppose it’s confession time: even after making and eating this dish, I’m not quite sure what to make of it. Is it a breakfast dish? A lunch dish? Of all the Finnish cookbooks I have, nobody provided much in the way of background. I’m going to take the easy way out and guess that it’s best served at brunch.

A pancake baked in the oven is topped with spinach that’s flash cooked to keep its vibrant color and spiced with grated nutmeg. You then roll it up like a jelly roll and top it with a heavy sprinkle of grated cheese. Things got even more interesting with a (non-traditional) dollop of sour cream.

Finns are onto something with the whole giant pancake baked in the oven and prepared jelly roll style. Maybe next time Nutella as the filling?

Pinattipannukakku- Finnish Gluten-Free Rolled Spinach Pancake

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

Melted butter, for greasing pan

Pancake:
2 eggs
2 cups milk
1/3 cup rice flour
d1/3 cup sorghum flour
1/3 cup potato starch
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

Filling:
2 Tablespoons butter
3/4 to 1 pound baby spinach, washed
salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Topping:
Grated Parmesan

Directions:

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the milk. Sift the rice flour, sorghum flour, potato starch, salt, baking powder and xanthan gum into a large mixing bowl. Add the egg mixture and stir until smooth. Let rest for 30 minutes, uncovered.

While the batter is resting, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and generously butter a flat, rimmed baking sheet (I used my 13 by 18-inch sheet).

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly across the bottom. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until set.

While the pancake is baking, melt the butter in a large frying or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the spinach, in increments if necessary, and cook only until just wilted. Add the nutmeg and then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spread the prepared spinach over the cooked pancake. Gently roll up the pancake like a jelly roll and cut into slices. Top with grated Parmesan.

My Top Tips For Gluten-Free Baking

Girl Cooks World

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April 12, 2019

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I’d actually planned on taking a break from baking over the holidays. After all, I was traveling and away from my well-stocked gluten-free kitchen. But then my mother decided to try going gluten-free and I knew I wanted to make the transition as easy as possible… especially during the holiday season when there are so many glutinous temptations around.

So I stopped by a store that sold gluten-free provisions and stocked up on whatever they had, thinking that the results would be the same as when I baked using my usual ingredients and tools at home. Boy was I mistaken. Only then did I understand why a lot of people think of gluten-free baked goods as gritty and unappealing.

I thought it was time to pass along a few tips that will help ensure your gluten-free baking endeavors are a success. These tips are really geared towards novice gluten-free bakers (hi mom!), but I’d love to hear any additional tips or suggestions from seasoned gluten-free bakers in the comments.

1. Find Ultrafine Gluten-Free Flours.

I can’t stress this point enough. I’m extremely lucky in that there are dozens of Asian stores that sell ultrafine gluten-free flours within a several mile radius of where I live. In addition, the health food stores sell an excellent brown rice flour in their bulk bins. I almost always buy my white rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, and glutinous rice flour from Asian supermarkets. Even in Honolulu these tend to be very inexpensive (about $1.00 or less for a 1-pound bag). I’ve also heard great things about the Authentic Foods superfine rice flours.

For sorghum flour and teff flour I’ve always used the Bob’s Red Mill varieties. Although as much as I love Bob’s Red Mill, I would definitely caution you not to use their stone ground rice flours.. unless you like gritty baked goods. I’m also not a huge fan of the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Mix.. probably because of the bean flours.

2. Buy Quality Ingredients:

No, I’m not suggesting that you need to buy $20/pound anything to get good results, but sometimes you really can get much much better results just by spending a little bit more. For instance, the difference in taste between Nestle or Hershey chocolate chips and the Ghiradelli bittersweet chips (which really only cost a little bit more) is substantial. Ditto for unrefined sugar and coffee. Have some fun and do a blind taste test to see what is worth the splurge and what isn’t.

3. “Splurge” on Tools that Make Your Life Easier (and Your Baked Goods Better):

I’m not going to say you need to go out and buy a Kitchenaid mixer or a Vitamix blender (although I love both!), but there are a couple low-cost tools that I consider to be total kitchen necessities. For instance, an immersion blender and a Microplane zester, will make your life so much easier. Ditto for a pastry cutter/blender, which I somehow still haven’t acquired despite the fact that I make a mental note to buy one every single time I make shortbread, biscuits, or a pie crust.

4. Don’t Be Afraid of Failure/Learn to Improvise.

Sometimes your gluten-free baked goods won’t turn out, even if you follow a recipe carefully. There are plenty of times I’ve painstakingly followed tested recipes from a trusted gluten-free source and the results have been total flops. The more you bake the easier it’ll be for you to tweak recipes to your liking and/or spot when a recipe is headed for disaster. You’ll also get more comfortable substituting flours to add more whole grains, lighten the result, add more protein, etc.

Hope these tips have helped some of you… with all the great gluten-free products and tools out there, there’s really no reason to be eating substandard baked goods! I’m sure I’ve forgotten some other basic tips, so I’ll be sure to update this post as soon as I think of other suggestions. And again, I’d love to hear other tips from readers… I’m sure you guys could all teach me a lesson or two 🙂

Kauranäkkileipä- Rustic Gluten-Free Oat Crackers

Girl Cooks World

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April 12, 2019

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Kauranäkkileipä- Rustic Gluten-Free Oat Crackers

Those of you living on the mainland might have better luck finding good, inexpensive gluten-free crackers, but out here in Hawaii they cost something ridiculous… like $6 to $8 for a small box. At that price, I’m going to have to have one major craving to justify the purchase.

And since I hadn’t found a good cracker recipe that replicated the buttery goodness of a Ritz or Townhouse, that means most of the time I’m eating cheese all by its lonesome and soup without any accompaniment. But let’s face it… nobody wants to live a life without crackers.

I’ll admit that I didn’t have much hope for my gluten-free adaptation for Beatrice Ojakangas’s oatmeal cracker recipe. Specifically, I wasn’t sure how uncooked oats would affect the texture and whether the dough would stick together like one that contains gluten. I did run into some issues rolling out the dough as directed in the initial recipe. But changing to a ‘roll the dough into a ball and smoosh with your hands’ technique was a simple solution.

You end up with a charmingly imperfect cracker (I’m going with the term “rustic”… just roll with it) that’s full of buttery goodness and super easy to make. Just be sure to try to smoosh the dough to approximately even thickness so they’ll bake up even and crispy. And now my cheese and soup won’t have to be consumed all by their lonesome. All will be right with the world…

Kauranäkkileipä- Rustic Gluten-Free Oat Crackers

Yield: approximately 24 crackers

Ingredients:

* 3/4 cup gluten-free oats
* 1/2 cup milk
* 4 Tablespoons melted butter
* 1 Tablespoon sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup rice flour
* 1/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon sorghum flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and lightly grease a baking sheet or line with a Silpat mat.

Place the oatmeal in a large bowl and pour the milk over it. Let sit for 5-10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to mix.

Roll small pieces of dough in your hands and then press the dough into flat disks and place on prepared baking sheet. Prick the surface of the dough with a fork. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the edges of the crackers are turning golden brown. Best when eaten the same day.

Karpalojuoma- Cranberry Sparkle

Drinks

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April 12, 2019

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I had so much success with the Sima, that I wanted to try my hand at another Finnish fermented drink. This time I choose a cranberry sparkle, made from just four ingredients: cranberry juice, water, sugar and yeast.

I love that such a fun, fizzy, pink-hued drink can be made with such common and simple ingredients. And perhaps the fermentation process appeals to the dork inside of me who loved chemistry class? (Although I suppose I could have done without the lame lab partners…)

This drink takes a bit longer to mature than the Sima, but it’s even easier to make… you just need a little patience. If you happen to have any cranberries stockpiled in the freezer, they make great, festive alternatives to ice cubes.

Karpalojuoma – Cranberry Sparkle

Yield: just shy of one gallon

Ingredients:

4 cups cranberry juice
10 cups water
2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast

Directions:

In a large stock pot, heat the juice and and water to boiling. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Let stand until lukewarm, about 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour into a non-reactive container and add the yeast. Stir to mix. Let stand, partially covered, overnight or about 8 hours.

Pour into sterilized jars with an airtight cap. Let stand until the liquid has little bubbles. Chill and store in the refrigerator.

Pumpkin Spice Chia Pudding

Dessert

Girl Cooks World

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April 12, 2019

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Here’s one more healthy holiday recipe for those of you starting your detox early this year – pumpkin spice chia pudding. I did so much baking early on this holiday season that I’m already craving foods that are a little bit healthier. And while I tend not to buy into the hype regarding superfoods, it’s pretty hard to ignore the health benefits of the mighty chia seed. They’re a great source of Omega 3 fatty acids and packed with fiber (something that most Americans are definitely lacking).

While I’m probably only going to be able to convince the most virtuous of you to forgo the holiday desserts and try this as a dessert, but maybe a few more of you would be willing try this as a healthy, filling breakfast?

Pumpkin Spice Chia Pudding

Yield: 1-2 servings

Ingredients:

1/4 cup almonds
2 Tablespoons chia seeds
3/4 cup water
8 dates, pitted
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 banana, peeled and cut into chunks
chopped almonds or whipped cream for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender and process until very smooth and fluffy. Sprinkle with chopped almonds or whipped cream, if desired.

Note: I used my Vitamix for this pudding. I’m not sure whether a regular blender will work, since the Vitamix pulverizes the seeds, allowing the pudding to thicken very quickly and get a very smooth texture. One option for those without a high speed blender would be to use 3/4 almond milk in lieu of the almonds and water, and blend this with the dates, pumpkin, banana and spices. Mix this with the chia seeds and let sit for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pudding is thick. This will give it a texture closer to tapioca pudding rather than the smooth pudding shown here.

Classic Chocolate Mousse

Dessert

Girl Cooks World

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April 12, 2019

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I’m something of a floozy when it comes to chocolate mousse. I don’t think I’ll ever be faithful to any one recipe in particular… avocado-based mousse (like this one) or raw egg versions, I like them all. But there are times when a girl doesn’t have any ripe avocados or isn’t comfortable serving raw eggs to guests.

That’s when I turn to this recipe for classic chocolate mousse. A tiny bit of coffee and coffee liqueur help enhance the chocolate flavor without turning things too mocha (if you’re a fan of the Ina Garten, you’re familiar with this old trick). But if you’re really not a coffee fan, feel free to substitute water and vanilla extract.

Chocolate Mousse

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

* 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (I use Ghiradelli 60% cacao bittersweet chips)
* 2 Tablespoons coffee (can substitute water)
* 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
* 1 Tablespoon coffee liqueur or vanilla extract
* 1 cup heavy or whipping cream
* 2 Tablespoons sugar
* whipped cream for garnish
* chocolate shavings or chopped chocolate for garnish

Directions:

In a small heavy saucepan, melt chocolate chips with coffee over low heat; stir until smooth. Temper the egg yolks by stirring a small amount of hot chocolate mixture into the egg yolks. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan, stirring constantly. Continue to cook until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in the coffee liqueur or vanilla. Cool, stirring several times to speed up the process.

In a large bowl, beat whipping cream until it begins to thicken. Add sugar; beat until soft peaks form. Add 1/3 of the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate mixture and stir to combine. Gently but thoroughly fold in the remaining whipped cream. Spoon into individual serving glasses or dishes and cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate shavings or chopped chocolate if desired.