Gluten-Free Amaranth Honey Cake

Dessert

Girl Cooks World

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April 16, 2019

I guess honey cake is traditional for Rosh Hashanah because I saw versions of it in many Israeli cookbooks. It was easy enough to convert to gluten-free. You could also use oil in place of the butter if you’d like; most of the honey cake recipes originally called for oil. But amaranth, butter and honey is one of my favorite whole grain flavor combinations (it makes a great hot breakfast cereal) and so I decided to stick with butter.

I use a coffee grinder to grind amaranth into flour. I stop just short of grinding it completely and leave some grains whole- it adds a nice little crunch.

A note for those who aren’t coffee fans: feel free to substitute the coffee for tea or hot water, although my friend who hates coffee LOVED this bread. I didn’t mention the secret ingredient…

Gluten-Free Amaranth Honey cake

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1/2 cup honey
one half cup coffee (can substitute tea or hot water)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil
3/4 cup brown rice flour
2/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup amaranth flour
1 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease a loaf pan.

Combine eggs, honey, coffee, sugar, and oil in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine starches and flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Gradually add in dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until blended.

Bake in preheated oven for 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Acarajé- Brazilian Black-Eyed Pea Fritters

Appetizers

Girl Cooks World

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April 16, 2019

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Acarajé- Brazilian Black-Eyed Pea Fritters

In the book Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon, main character Nacib quickly finds himself the owner of the most popular bar in town after his new cook, Gabriela, starts whipping up bar snacks like these. Of course her good looks don’t hurt, but I think these fritters deserve some of the credit too.

Great as a snack, but would also make a great topping to a salad. Why should falafel have all the fun?

Black-Eyed Pea Fritters

Ingredients:

* 1 cup dried black-eyed peas
* 1/2 medium onion, chopped
* 2 cloves garlic
* salt, pepper and cayenne to taste
* several cups oil for frying

Directions:

After rinsing, place the beans in a bowl and cover with water. Let soak for 12-24 hours.

Drain the beans and place in a food processor with the onion and garlic and process until finely ground. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne and pulse until well-mixed.

Place the oil in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat until 350. Use your hand to shape the dough into balls, about the size of a heaping tablespoon and drop into the oil, being careful not to crowd the fritters. Fry for several minutes until golden brown on all sides. Drain on paper towels.

Pad Thai Noodles

Girl Cooks World

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April 16, 2019

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If I’m going to make Thai noodles, nine times out of ten it’ll be a simpler spicy noodle with garlic and Chinese cabbage. But sometimes, and I’m pretty sure you’ll all agree, only Pad Thai will do, with those chewy, sticky noodles, a sweet and slightly spicy sauce, crunchy beans sprouts and peanuts, and a sprinkling of fresh herbs. There’s a reason why it’s one of the world’s favorite Asian dishes.

Even just a few short years ago, the idea of making Pad Thai would have seemed overwhelming. So. Many. Ingredients. But I didn’t go on this culinary adventure to back down from food challenges. So I finally put on my big girl pants, made the rounds to the grocery store, Asian supermarket and farmer’s market, and gave it the ol’ college try.

And wow. I’m pretty sure that a large number of Thai restaurants would go out of business if more people knew just how easy it is to make Pad Thai at home. You’ll have to make a special trip to the Asian grocery store, sure, but that’s pretty much the most difficult part.

And please don’t go crazy (or get lazy) and make the very Americanized versions of this dish. Friends don’t let friends make Pad Thai with peanut butter. Tamarind is a non-negotiable ingredient. No Asian market nearby? Amazon is your friend.

While the noodles are soaking, just be sure to get all of your ingredients chopped and organized. Mise en place will make all the difference in this recipe, as it’s a quick race to the finish once the chicken is cooked.

Pad Thai Noodles

Although there are a lot of components to pad thai, you can easily prep the sauce and all of the ingredients while the rice noodles are soaking and the chicken is marinating. Once the 30 minute soak and marinade is done, the noodles come together in just minutes.

I like a mix of proteins in my pad thai, but feel free to use just shrimp, chicken or tofu if you’d like.

Yield: 4 side servings; 2 as a main dish

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

* 8 ounces dried rice noodles (banh pho)
* 4 ounces chicken, cut into strips or large chunks
* 1 Tablespoon palm sugar (can substitute light brown sugar)
* 1 Tablespoon fish sauce
* 1/4 c cup canola or another frying oil
* 4 ounces medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 2 eggs, lightly beaten
* 1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 4 ounces drained, firm tofu, cut into small cubes
* 1-1/2 cups bean sprouts
* 1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves
* 1/2 cup 1-1/2″ lengths green onion
* 1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts
* 1 lime, cut into wedges

SAUCE:
* 2 Tablespoons Sriracha chile sauce
* 2 Tablespoons palm sugar (can substitute light brown sugar)
* 2 Tablespoons fish sauce
* 3 Tablespoons tamarind concentrate
* 1/4 cup water

Directions:

Place the rice noodles in a large bowl and cover with warm water. Let soak for 30 minutes, drain and set aside. Combine the chicken, 1 Tablespoon of palm sugar and 1 Tablespoon of fish sauce and set aside for 30 minutes.

While noodles are soaking and the chicken is marinating, prep all of your ingredients and make the sauce by combining all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and stirring well to combine.

Heat the oil in a wok or a very large skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook until they turn pink. Immediately remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside in a small bowl. Add the eggs to the same oil. Let cook until partially set, and then scramble. Remove the egg to the same bowl as the shrimp.

Add the shallots and cook until they begin to turn golden. Add the garlic and cook another minute or two. Next, add the chicken and all of the marinade. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the outside of the chicken is no longer pink (it does not need to be cooked through at this stage). Add the tofu and cook for another minute.

Add the drained noodles and cook until they begin to soften and begin to brown a bit on the edges. Stir in the prepared sauce and bean sprouts. Finally, add the cilantro, green onion, the reserved shrimp and eggs, and half of the chopped peanuts and cook until everything is nice and hot. Remove from the heat, transfer to individual dishes and sprinkle with the remaining peanuts. Squeeze a wedge or two of lime on each serving.

High-Speed Blenders

Girl Cooks World

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April 16, 2019

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So, I pretty much never ever do these kinds of posts, because I worry that it would come across like I’m just trying to make a couple bucks from Affiliate links. But this time I’m making an exception because, really, it’s more like a Public Service Announcement.

I first heard about high-speed blenders soon after I was diagnosed with Celiac disease. I was looking at getting a grain mill for making my own gluten-free flours and was researching different models. Then in some online forum I saw a recommendation to buy a high-speed blender instead of a grain mill because it wasn’t a single purpose appliance. In addition to grinding flour, you can use it to make soups, smoothies, nut butters, ice cream, etc. as well. Within the hour I was pretty much obsessed with the idea of getting one. I didn’t want to plop down $400-$500 for a blender, so I stalked Craigslist and finally became a proud owner of a used model several months later.

It’s an expensive appliance, but so, so worth it. Five+ years later and I still use it pretty much every day for green smoothies, shakes or soup (or homemade Nutella!). I’ve bought a couple high speed blenders to give away as gifts and several friends have, after seeing what mine could do, bought one for themselves (although those Will it Blend videos may have also influenced them 🙂.

High Speed Blender Deals

I wanted to give you a heads up that Blendtec (one of the two most popular brands of high-speed blenders… the other is Vitamix) is having an amazing sale right now. They’re new and they come with a 2 year warranty. If you’ve been wanting to buy one, now’s the time.

A well-deserved reward for sticking to your New Year’s get healthy resolution? Or a nudge to get you back on track? If you use the links I provided I’ll get a small commission from any purchase you make (at no extra cost to you). But if you prefer, you can also get the same exact deal if you went straight to the Blendtec site.

Happy shopping and blending!

Thai Chile Jam

Girl Cooks World

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April 16, 2019

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For those of you who have already tried nam prik pow, I certainly don’t need to sell you on its virtues… you’re likely already a huge fan of the stuff. But for those of you who maybe aren’t that familiar with Thai cuisine and haven’t ventured beyond Pad Thai and Thai iced tea? Well, I’m not sure any words can really convey the magic of nam prik pow.

I’ll just say this: this stuff is pure, jammy gold. It’s rich, savory, sweet, and tart with a bit of heat. If I were to try to sell it to an American audience, I would say it’s like a Southeast Asian version of spicy bacon jam. I initially made it because it’s one of the main ingredients of Tom Kha Gai, the popular chicken and galangal soup, but I’ve found that I’ve been putting it in and on just about everything. A dollop in my fried rice, a spoonful on my spicy Thai noodles, and even a slather on some plain crackers. I ran out of my first batch within about a week and immediately made another double batch. Next time it might be a quadruple.

Nam Prik Pow: Thai Chile Jam

I love the umami funk that the dried shrimp provides, but if you’d like your version to be a little less “fishy,” feel free to cut the dried shrimp back to 1 Tablespoon.

Yield: About 1 cup

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

* 2 Tablespoons dried shrimp
* 1/2 cup canola oil
* 1 cup sliced shallots
* 1/2 cup sliced garlic
* 1/4 cup seeded and roughly chopped dried red chiles
* 1-2 thin slices of ginger
* 2 Tablespoons fish sauce
* 2 Tablespoons tamarind pulp
* 3 Tablespoons palm sugar (can substitute light brown sugar)

Directions:

Place the dried shrimp in a very small bowl and cover with water. Let sit for at least five minutes and then drain and pat dry using a paper towel. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a small skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the dried shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden. Remove the shrimp to a bowl and then add the shallots to the oil. Cook the shallots until they begin to turn golden, about 4 minutes. Remove the shallots to the bowl with the shrimp. Add the garlic to the oil and cook until the garlic begins to turn golden, about 2 minutes. Remove the garlic to the bowl with the shrimp and shallots. Add the red chiles and cook until they begin to darken, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and place the chiles in the bowl with the shrimp, shallots and garlic.

In a mini processor or a mortar and pestle, process the mixture and the ginger until nearly smooth. If you use a mini processor, you’ll have to stop the machine periodically to scrape down the sides. You can add some of the cooking oil or the fish sauce, if necessary, to get the mixture smooth. Combine the mixture with all of the remaining ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and then boil the mixture for 1 minute. Remove from heat, let cool, bottle and refrigerate. The jam should keep a couple months in the fridge.

Spicy Eggplant with Red Bell Pepper and Thai Basil

Girl Cooks World

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April 12, 2019

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Spicy Eggplant with Red Bell Pepper and Thai Basil

Every so often I stumble upon a food blog post in which the author is trying to persuade his or her readers into “trying eggplant again,” with the underlying assumption that a lot of folks have tried eggplant and not liked it. Really? I guess I’ve always assumed that everybody was fully on board the eggplant train.

Granted the eggplant was likely well hidden under a heavy blanket of tomato sauce, bread crumbs and cheese, but I’m pretty sure that I fell for eggplant on my first try. I have a feeling that eggplant Parmesan was the gateway eggplant dish for many of us.

I think what I love most about eggplant is its versatility. It’s equally capable of stepping up to be star of the show as it is of fading into the background. In this quick and healthy Thai dish, eggplant is sautéed with red bell peppers in a spicy and sweet fish sauce-based sauce. A couple handfuls of Thai basil keeps the dish tasting fresh instead of heavy.

If you’re a fan of Vietnamese claypot dishes, this should be right up your alley. And while I liked the look of the eggplant wedges and red bell pepper strips best, if you’re really in a hurry, feel free to dice both the eggplant and bell pepper to help speed the cooking along.

Spicy Eggplant with Red Bell Pepper and Thai Basil

Yield: 4-6 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

* 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons oil, divided
* 1 medium yellow onion, diced
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 red Jalapeno peppers, minced
* 4-5 Japanese eggplants, cut into 3-4″ wedges
* 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
* 1/4 cup fish sauce
* 1 Tablespoon palm sugar (can substitute regular sugar)
* 1 cup water
* 40 Thai basil leaves

Directions:

Heat 1/4 cup of the oil in a wok or very wide, large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened. Add the garlic and Jalapeno peppers and cook, until softened. Cook the red bell pepper for one minute. Add the remaining 2 Tablespoons of oil and the eggplant and cook an additional 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the fish sauce, palm sugar and water and let the mixture come to a boil and then continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened. If you’d like your eggplant extra soft, add more water and continue to cook until the eggplant reaches your desired texture. Add the basil leaves and give everything a quick stir. Remove from heat and serve.

Ginger and Lemongrass Syrup

Drinks

Girl Cooks World

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April 12, 2019

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It’s not exactly groundbreaking, but here’s the lovechild of my two favorite syrups: ginger and lemongrass. The condiment shelves in my fridge are generally stuffed to the gills, and so I’m considering the consolidation of two bottles into one to be a step in the right direction. I’m not sure why I didn’t take the leap years ago.

The syrup is surprisingly versatile… drizzle some into your tea, lemonade, or use it in place of simple syrup in your favorite cocktail to give it some Asian flair (a ginger lemongrass mojito sounds pretty fab). It can also provide a base for one heck of a fantastic mocktail. Recipe is coming soon, but here’s a sneak peek.

Ginger and Lemongrass Syrup

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

1/2 cup peeled and diced ginger
1/2 cup thinly sliced lemongrass (bottom part of the stalks only- remove the woody top section)
2 cups sugar
1-1/4 cup water

Directions:

Combine the ginger, lemongrass, sugar and water in a small saucepan. Stir to combine and then bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 15 minutes to let the mixture reduce a bit. Remove from heat and let cool for about half an hour.

Strain the mixture into a bottle or jar. Use immediately or refrigerate for future use. Will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Mug Cake

Dessert

Girl Cooks World

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April 12, 2019

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I’ve never been much of an early adopter when it comes to food. Evidence? I tried a single serving mug cake for the first time about a month or so ago. A recipe from a very, very popular food blogger had just popped in my reader earlier that day and I was in dire need of some chocolate.

My excitement about entering the world of mug cakes was premature: that thing was a gummy mess. It was my intense craving for chocolate that persuaded me to try again. This time I turned to a recipe from Jessica over at the Novice Chef. She promised that it was a winner and she delivered. Big time.

Her recipe was easy to convert to gluten-free (although for full disclosure, I made it even MORE chocolatey) and nearly impossible to muck up. I’ve used regular, coconut and almond milk… all with great success. And despite the fact that I almost never measure carefully when I’m not working on a blog recipe, it’s worked every single time. There’s a pretty big margin for error here folks.

So if you don’t have time to make my favorite gluten-free chocolate cupcakes, or don’t want any tempting leftovers around, then this one’s for you. And if you’ve got somebody who is always sneaking a bite or two of your dessert, I should note that this recipe is easily doubled. Just make sure to make it in a large bowl (or a giant mug) so that it doesn’t overflow while cooking in the microwave; the batter tends to rise up quite high about halfway through the process. If you double the recipe you’ll also have to add some additional cook time.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Mug Cake

Yield: 1 serving

Prep Time: 4 minutes

Cook Time: 1 minute

Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons sugar
1-1/2 Tablespoons rice flour
1 Tablespoon potato starch
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
3 Tablespoons milk
1-1/2 Tablespoons oil
1 Tablespoon almond or another nut butter

Directions:

Combine the sugar, rice flour, potato starch, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a mug and stir to mix. Add the milk, oil and almond butter and mix until smooth.

Cook for approximately 70 seconds in the microwave on full power. Serve immediately.

Gluten-Free Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Girl Cooks World

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April 12, 2019

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Gluten-Free Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Is it just me, or is getting sick in the middle of summer just plain cruel? Sometimes in the rainy season I half hope that I’ll come down with a little cold. Staying home from work and curling up on the sofa with a hot cup of tea, without any chores to accomplish, sounds pretty good to me.

But being sick with a fever during a particularly sweltering July when I’d rather be taking advantage of prime beach season? No thank you. Even if it does mean that I can lounge around and watch The Italian Job and re-runs of The Big Bang Theory all day long.

I’m finally starting to feel like my old self again, which means I’ll be giving this whole blogging thing the old college try again. I’ve long had my next destination picked out, but I can’t get in the swing of things before I do a much-needed fridge and pantry clean out.

I had some buttermilk in the fridge from making red velvet cake, so my first thought was, quite naturally, pancakes. Specifically thick, fluffy pancakes studded with fresh blueberries. Even a fever-induced funk is no match for a breakfast with these beauties.

Gluten-Free Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups superfine rice flour
3/4 cup potato starch
1/2 cup tapioca starch
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
One teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup melted butter, plus extra butter for greasing pan
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups blueberries, picked over to remove stems and rinsed

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine the rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Add the buttermilk, melted butter, vanilla extract, and eggs and mix until smooth. Gently fold in the blueberries.

Heat a skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat. Melt a pat of butter. When a drop of batter sizzles when it hits the pan, ladle about 1/4 cup of batter onto the pan. Repeat, leaving plenty of space between the pancakes. When bubbles dot the surface of the pancake, flip to the other side and cook until golden.

Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve with your choice of syrup.