Royal Tahiti Cocktail

Drinks

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

When I said that I might throw in some tropical drinks to take me away Calgon-style, this is exactly what I envisioned. It looks like a lava flow, but it’s made with bananas, cream of coconut, lime juice and rum. A little bit of strawberry puree gives it some color and sweetness. It was adapted from a recipe served at the Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa, pictured below.

Images via GoTahiti and Ocean Home

Wow. I’d sure wouldn’t mind lounging by the water with one of these frosty drinks after a nice little dip or kayak session (a girl can dream, can’t she?), but until that day comes, I’ll just have to blend one of these babies up from time to time and use my imagination.

Royal Tahiti Cocktail

Yield: 1-2 servings

Ingredients:

* 1-1/2 ounces rum
* 1/2 banana (or one small apple Banana)
* 1/4 cup cream of coconut
* 1 Tablespoon lime juice
* 2 cups ice
* 4 strawberries, pureed

Directions:

Combine the rum, banana, cream of coconut, lime juice and ice in a blender and process until smooth. Pour into one or two glasses and then top with strawberry puree. Use a straw to swirl the strawberry puree through the drink. Serve immediately.

Peppered Pear and Goat Cheese Scones

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

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I’ve been waiting patiently all week to post these… I loved them so much that I wanted them to get three full days on top of the Girl Cooks World main page. These peppered pear and goat cheese scones are the perfect marriage of savory and sweet.

Punctuated with small chunks of tender pear and tangy goat cheese, these light and moist scones are perfect for breakfast or brunch. (I happily ate one just about every morning for a two week period). They’d also make a fun gluten-free bread option for a festive dinner.

Although I love love loved the pear and goat cheese combo, feel free to play around with other combinations like apple and cheddar. Hope you guys like these as much as I did.

Peppered Pear and Goat Cheese Scones

Yield: 8-12 scones

Ingredients:

* 1 cup plus 3 Tablespoons superfine rice flour
* 1/2 cup potato starch
* 1/2 cup tapioca starch
* 2 Tablespoons sugar
* 1 Tablespoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1-1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
* 8 Tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
* 1 pear, peeled, cored and diced
* 4 ounces goat cheese, roughly crumbled
* 1/2 cup plain yogurt, preferably whole milk
* 2 Tablespoons milk, plus extra for brushing

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.

Place the rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, sugar, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix to combine. Add the butter and use your fingers to break it up into small pieces and incorporate into the dry ingredients, but do not overwork it and melt the butter.

Add the pear and goat cheese and carefully mix. In a small bowl whisk together the yogurt and 2 Tablespoons of the milk. Pour into the flour mixture and gently fold to combine. Use your hands to divide the dough into roughly 8-12 scones, depending on how large you’d like them to be. Arrange on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about an inch of space between the scones. Gently flatten the top slightly and then brush with milk. Sprinkle with a little extra ground black pepper, if desired.

Place in the preheated oven and bake 22-25 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden. Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack.

Dark and Rich Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes

Dessert

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

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Dark and Rich Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes

Among the things that one must absolutely have in life: a go-to chocolate cake/cupcake recipe. And not just any chocolate cake, but a rich, moist chocolate cake that can work for children’s cupcakes as easily as the base for a death-by-chocolate cake.

I’d heard great things about Elizabeth Barbone’s gluten-free recipes over at Serious Eats (she posts on Tuesday, so go check her column today!), and decided to give one of her chocolate cakes a whirl. Never one to leave well enough alone, or actually try a recipe as stated without making adaptions, I changed things up to use one of my preferred gluten-free flour and starch combinations.

Wow. It’s rich, moist and virtually indistinguishable from the Hershey “Perfectly Chocolate” cake that served as the inspiration. And she gets major bonus points for making this a one-bowl affair. I’m looking forward to reading through her Gluten-Free Tuesday archives to see what other goodies she has posted. I’ll be sure to report back with any special finds.

Dark and Rich Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes

Yield: 12-14 cupcakes

Ingredients:

* 1 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup rice flour
* 1/4 cup potato starch
* 2 Tablespoons tapioca flour
* 1/2 cup cocoa
* 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
* 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
* 1 egg
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/2 cup warm water or coffee

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 12-well muffin tin with paper liners.

In a large bowl combine the sugar, rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and xanthan gum. Mix well.

Add the egg, milk, oil, vanilla extract and water (or coffee). Mix until smooth. Divide evenly among the prepared muffin wells.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely and top with your favorite frosting.

Note: recipe can be doubled. Click to see the original recipe (which uses rice flour, cornstarch and sweet rice flour) and baking times for two 8-inch round cakes or one large 9×13 pan.

Buttermilk Pound Cake with Meyer Lemon Glaze

Dessert

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

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Buttermilk Pound Cake with Meyer Lemon Glaze

Remember when I sung the praises of Elizabeth Barbone’s gluten-free column at Serious Eats and told you I’d report back with other special finds? As it turns out, I’d already pinned her buttermilk cake recipe on my kitchen inspiration board over on Pinterest. I took that as a sign that this was the recipe to try next.

Once again, I couldn’t leave well enough alone and adapted it to use Meyer lemons for the glaze and one of my preferred flour and starch combinations. Much like those gluten-free chocolate cupcakes, this bread turned out really well. Dense and moist, with a hint of pucker from the Meyer lemon glaze, this is a perfect cake for spring. Have it in the afternoon with a cup of tea or first thing in the morning (I won’t judge).

I might have to pull a Cate and Elizabeth (à la Julie and Julia) and bake my way through her column. I also need to put her blog, Gluten-Free Baking on my blogroll stat.

Buttermilk Pound Cake with Meyer Lemon Glaze

Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients:

* 1-1/4 cups superfine rice flour, plus extra for dusting pan
* 1/2 cup potato starch
* 1/3 cup tapioca starch
* 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
* 3/4 cups (1-1/2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
* 1 cup sugar
* 2 eggs, at room temperature
* 1 cup buttermilk
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Meyer Lemon Glaze:
* 3 Tablespoons Meyer lemon juice
* 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan and dust generously with rice flour.

In a medium bowl, combine the rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, baking powder, salt and xanthan gum. Mix to combine and set aside.

In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar for 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time. Alternate adding the flour mixture with the buttermilk, mixing well to combine after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove and let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Turn out the loaf from the pan onto the wire rack and let cool completely.

Prepare the glaze by whisking together the Meyer lemon juice and the powdered sugar. Place the loaf on a piece of wax paper and drizzle or brush the glaze over the top, allowing the glaze to drip down the sides.

Cut into slices and serve.

Infinitely Adaptable Gluten-Free Thin Crust Pizza

Recipes

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

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I know I’ve mentioned my love for pizza before, so I thought it would be fitting to finally post my go-to pizza recipe on Valentine’s Day. Forget those fancy-pants, elegant meals… pizza’s the way to my heart.

It took years, four to be exact, to find a pizza dough that didn’t remind me of it’s gluten-free nature with each bite. Which is why I was so ecstatic to finally stumble on the pizza dough recipe in The 125 Best Gluten-Free Recipes. It wasn’t quite perfect, but it had major potential. After making some teaks I ended up with a thin crust pizza dough recipe with both the crunch and chew you remember from your gluten eating days… just remember to pre-bake it for the full amount of time.

Pepperoni, veggie, margarita… there is no wrong way to top a pizza. Trouble deciding? The dough can easily be doubled. Everybody wins.

Infinitely Adaptable Gluten-Free Thin Crust Pizza

Yield: One 12-inch pizza

Ingredients:

Dough:
* vegetable or olive oil for greasing baking sheet
* 3/4 cup superfine rice flour
* 1/3 cup potato starch
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
* 1-1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 cup warm water
* 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
* 1 Tablespoon olive oil
* sweet rice flour

* 1/2 cup prepared tomato sauce
* 1-1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
* your choice of toppings (optional)
* 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
* 1/8 teaspoon dried basil leaves
* salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and generously grease a 12-inch or larger round baking sheet with your choice of oil.

In a medium bowl, combine the rice flour, potato starch, sugar, xanthan gum, yeast, and salt. Mix well and set aside.

In a large bowl (or in the bowl of your electric mixer), combine the water, vinegar and oil and mix on the lowest speed of your electric mixer. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix for one minute.

Use a wet spoon to transfer dough to a baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with sweet rice flour and use your hands to press out into a 12-inch circle, adding more sweet rice flour as needed. Set aside in a warm area and let rise for 20 minutes.

Bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes. Remove from oven and increase oven temperature to 450 degrees.

Top pizza with tomato sauce and cheese. Sprinkle with the crushed red pepper, basil and salt. Place in the oven and bake an additional 12-15 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the cheese has browned.

Spicy and Sweet Ginger Lemonade

Drinks

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

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It’s been a little while since I’ve been on a ginger bender and I thought with the holidays coming up, it was the perfect time to fall off the wagon. In the past, whenever I’ve made ginger lemonade I’ve done so using homemade ginger syrup. That’ll continue to be my standard, but using crystallized ginger instead is a great way to make a couple quick ginger-spiked drinks without the lengthy wait or if you want a sugar-free drink.

I have the Neely’s to thank for this little trick. Although I didn’t actually make anything from their cookbook, I was definitely inspired by the use of crystallized ginger in their Pucker-Up Lemon-Limeade. I used stevia in this drink, since I’ve been burning through sugar like a madwoman the past couple weeks, but feel free to use whatever sweetener you like. And if you’re feeling naughty, this would also make a great boozy lemonade.

Spicy and Sweet Ginger Lemonade

Yield: 3-4 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 cup lemon juice
3 1/2 cups cold water
1/4 cup crystallized ginger
stevia or sugar to taste
lemon slices for garnish, optional

Directions:

Combine the lemon, water and crystallized ginger in a blender and process until smooth. Add stevia or sugar to taste. Serve over ice.

Gluten-Free Mississippi Mud Brownies

Dessert

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

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I think it’s safe to say that I saved the best for last. Perhaps it’s just nostalgia… my grandmother used to make a mean Mississippi Mud Cake and this brownie version brings back a lot of good memories of summers at grandma and grandpa’s.

Those were the days… wake up, eat breakfast, go to the beach for the day, come home, swim in the lake to rinse the salt from our skin, eat dinner and then play outside until dark. Sleep and repeat again the next day. Not a bad life. While Flavor Ices (Otter Pops for you West Coasters?) or popsicles were our go-to dessert, every once in awhile my grandmother would pull out a showstopper like this and we’d all go crazy (especially after we consumed all that sugar!).

I tried to do a couple quality upgrades without straying too far from the original that I know and loved. Instead of a cake made from a mix, rich, fudgy gluten-free brownies serve as the base layer. Pecans are toasted for extra flavor and the frosting is a little bit darker and more intense than some other versions.

It all adds up to a über rich and very addicting dessert … you’ll want to cut the pieces small and have a tall glass of milk ready.

Gluten-Free Mississippi Mud Brownies

Ingredients:

Brownies:
1/2 cup (8 Tablespoons) butter
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2 ounces semi or bittersweet chocolate (1/3 cup, if using chocolate chips)
1/3 cup rice flour
1/3 cup sorghum flour
1/3 cup sweet rice flour
3/4 xanthan gum
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups marshmallows
1-1/4 cups chopped pecans, divided (preferably toasted)

frosting:
1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons) butter, softened
1/4 cup cocoa
1-3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan and dust generously with rice flour.

Combine the butter and chocolates in a large bowl and and microwave at 50-percent power for one minute. Stir until the chocolate is entirely melted and the chocolate is smooth. If necessary, put the mixture back in the microwave in 20 second intervals. Set aside.

Combine the rice flour, sorghum flour, sweet rice flour, salt, baking powder and xanthan gum in a small bowl and set aside.

Add the sugar and vanilla to the chocolate mixture and stir to combine. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until completely smooth. Add the flour mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with marshmallows and 1 cup of the chopped pecans. Place back in the oven for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

When the brownies are almost entirely cooled, make the frosting by combining the butter, cocoa, confectioner’s sugar, evaporated milk, vanilla and pinch of salt. Mix until smooth. Carefully spread on top of the marshmallow and pecan layer. Sprinkle with the reserved pecans.

Gluten-Free Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread

Recipes

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

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In my childhood home, on the top shelf of the cupboard just to the left of the stove you could always find several blue and white boxes of Jiffy Corn Muffin mix. Actually, it’s a good bet that my mom has a couple boxes stashed away in there now. It wasn’t until college when a roommate told me that she always added in drained, canned corn that it even occurred to me that you could spruce up cornbread. Clearly, any sort of culinary creativity I now possess is a recent development.

Looking for even more of an upgrade? How about taking things up a notch or two and making some cheesy, spicy Jalapeno cheddar cornbread? Any leftover bread is just fine at room temperature, but heat it a bit in the oven or microwave to really let it shine. The incorporated cheese will melt and keep things super moist. If you’re a glutton like me, spread it with a hefty pat of butter. Yum.

One Jalapeno gives the bread a good, medium-level heat. If you want some real fire, up the number of Jalapenos or use a hotter pepper. Or if you prefer things mild, use only half a Jalapeno.

Gluten-Free Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread

Ingredients:

* 1 cup white or yellow cornmeal
* 1/2 cup rice flour
* 1/4 cup sorghum flour
* 1/4 cup potato starch
* 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
* 2 Tablespoons sugar
* 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1-1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
* 1/4 cup melted butter
* 1 cup buttermilk
* 2 large eggs
* 1 Jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a 9-inch by 9-inch pan.

In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, rice flour, sorghum flour, potato starch, xanthan gum, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1 cup of the cheddar cheese. Pour the melted butter on top of the mixture.Add the buttermilk and eggs and stir to combine. Mix in the minced Jalapenos.

Bake in the preheated oven until the top begins to turn golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven and sprinkle with the reserved cheddar. Return to oven and bake for a couple additional minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Let cool slightly before cutting into squares. Serve warm.

Ethiopian Spicy Red Lentils

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

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This is exactly the kind of dish that I was hoping I’d find when I chose Ethiopia as my next culinary destination. It’s healthy, quick, spicy, and vegan-friendly. Another bonus: it’s made with common, easy to find (in a health food store anyways) ingredients.

I’m a huge fan of lentils but I tend to use the green/brown or black beluga variety. Red lentils cook up even faster, making them perfect for a quick weeknight meal.

I gave the same word of caution when I posted the berbere recipe, but berbere mixes can vary widely in terms of heat. If you’re using a pre-made mix, you might have to adjust the amount of seasoning to taste, or even add some cayenne to spice things up. I found 1 1/2 Tablespoons of berbere to be just right when the lentils were mixed with an equal amount of rice to help temper the heat, but it’s probably better to start with less… you can always add more at the end.

Ethiopian Spicy Red Lentils

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons nit’ir qibe (can substitute vegetable oil)
1 large red onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1-inch piece fresh, peeled ginger, minced
1 Tablespoon berbere (can use up to 1 1/2 Tablespoons if you like a lot of spice and heat)
15-ounce can diced tomatoes, pureed with the juice

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup dried red lentils
salt and pepper to taste
chopped cilantro

Directions:

Heat the nit’ir qibe or oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened. Next, add the garlic and ginger and cook for two minutes. Add the berbere and stir to coat.

Add the pureed tomatoes and broth and bring the mixture to a simmer. Rinse the lentils under cold water and then add to the broth mixture. Stir to combine. Simmer, partially covered, until the lentils are tender. Taste and add salt, if necessary, and pepper to taste. Top with plenty of chopped cilantro.

Serve hot over rice.