Two gluten-free granola bar recipes

In addition to the fig, pecan, and flax crackers I made for my Mother's Day care package, I also sent two kinds of granola bars.  I found two recipes that sounded fantastic and couldn't decide between them, so I went overboard as usual.  Luckily granola bars fare well in the freezer, so none of them went to waste.  Both have relatively little refined sugar and are gluten-free, and I thought both were delicious.  Unfortunately the cocoa and orange variety (on the bottom in the picture, if you can actually tell them apart) had too much liquid and didn't stay together very well at all (I pieced one together for the picture).  I loved the combination of chocolate and orange, though, and I think the problem could be remedied simply by reducing the amount of orange juice.  The fig, raisin, and walnut ones were fabulous, too, and these held together well.  So, here are both recipes.  I recommend going overboard and trying both.  What do you have to lose?

Cocoa and orange granola bars (adapted from Anja's Food 4 Thought)
(Printable version)

1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
zest of one orange
3/4 cup dried fruit (I used half apricots and half currants)
1 1/4 cup orange juice (I would start with 3/4 cup and add more if necessary)
2 Tbsp honey

Combine oats, walnuts, salt, cinnamon, cocoa powder, zest, and dried fruit in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, stir together orange juice and honey.  Pour the orange juice mixture into the dry ingredients and stir well.  Let this sit for 15 min, and then add more orange juice if the mixture isn't sticking together.  Spread this out on a parchment-lined baking sheet so that it's about 1/2" thick, and bake at 350 for 25 min.  Then let cool and cut into bars.  Wrap individually and freeze for long-term storage.  Makes 20 bars.


Fig, raisin, and walnut granola bars (adapted from Simply Sugar & Gluten-free)
(Printable version)

2 cups rolled oats
2 Tbsp flax meal
6 Tbsp teff flour
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dried figs, chopped
1/2 cup raisins
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/3 cup agave nectar or honey
2 eggs, beaten
water if necessary

Combine oats, flax meal, teff flour, walnuts, figs, raisins, cinnamon, and ginger in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, stir together agave nectar and eggs.  Pour the agave mixture into the dry ingredients and stir well.  If you need to moisten the mixture so that everything sticks together, add water a tablespoon at a time.  Spread the mixture out on a parchment-lined baking sheet so that it's about 1/2" thick, and bake at 350 for about 20 min.  Then let cool and cut into bars.  Wrap individually and freeze for long-term storage.  Makes 20 bars.

Rhubarb and strawberry compote recipe

My favorite farmers' market opened last weekend, and I'm so happy to have plans every Saturday morning again.  I'm trying to enjoy the spring offerings and not think about the fact that I'll move before the market really gets going.  Last week I picked up rhubarb on a whim.  The challenge with rhubarb is that most recipes call for tons of sugar to cancel out its sour nature.  However, I really enjoy rhubarb's sourness, and I also try to avoid much added sugar.  So, I decided to cook the rhubarb into a compote with strawberries (for some natural sweetness) and then added small amounts of honey until I was satisfied with the flavor.  Luckily my strawberries were very sweet and in the end I didn't have to add much honey at all.  I've added this compote to yogurt and oatmeal for breakfast, and I've also eaten in by itself as a dessert because it's just that good.  I just finished the last of it and I'm kicking myself for not getting more rhubarb at the market this morning.  I'm submitting this dish to Weekend Herb Blogging, which is organized by Haalo from Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once, and hosted by Lynne from Cafe Lynnylu this week.

Rhubarb and strawberry compote
(Printable version)

5 large stalks of rhubarb, chopped into 1/2" pieces
1 lb strawberries, tops removed and halved
1 Tbsp honey or agave nectar (to your taste)

Put the rhubarb and strawberries in a large saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.  When the fruit has broken down significantly (after about 20 min), add honey or agave until it's sweet enough for you.  Continue to cook for 10-20 more min.  Makes about 2 cups.

Sweet potato pie with gluten-free pecan crust recipe

There are a million types of pie, but my favorite is a simple sweet potato pie.  I will never understand the pumpkin pie craze around Thanksgiving - to me, sweet potatoes have a much better flavor.  A good sweet potato pie lets the natural sugars shine through, and only uses a bit of spices to enhance the flavor.  I made this pie at Thanksgiving, and Mom requested another for Christmas.  I was happy to oblige.

With tons of fresh Georgia pecans lying around the house, I decided to try out a pecan crust that I noticed over at Kalyn's Kitchen.  It's SO easy, and I think I prefer it to standard pie crust.  At Thanksgiving it came out perfectly, but did get a bit soggy in the middle this time.  It was still delicious, though, and I'm guessing that it's because I used milk instead of half-and-half, and next time I'll go back to the thicker stuff or use a little bit less liquid.  I really like the concept of this crust, and it allowed me to avoid spending lots of money stocking my parents' house with gluten-free flours.  I imagine that it would be great with any nut, but I'll have a hard time straying from pecans.

Sweet potato pie with gluten-free pecan crust (filling adapted from Blue Ridge Baker and crust barely adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen)

(Printable version)

1 Tbsp butter
1 cup pecans
2 extra large sweet potatoes (or 3 large ones)
1/4 cup honey
1 cup half-and-half or whole milk (I would reduce to 3/4 cup milk)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten

Rub the butter over the bottom and sides of a 9" pie pan.  Pulse the pecans in a blender a few times until they make a pecan meal consistency (don't overdo it - you don't want to make pecan butter).  Pour the meal into the pie pan and press down on the bottom and sides.

Bake the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet at 400 until very tender (60-80 min, depending on the size).  Let the sweet potatoes cool until you can handle them, and then peel and mash them.  Measure out 2 cups of sweet potato (a little bit more is ok), and combine it with the honey, half-and-half or milk, vanilla, and spices in a large bowl.  Adjust the spices to your taste, and then stir in the eggs.  Pour the filling into the prepared crust and bake at 400 for 35-45 min, until it's set in the middle (jiggle the pan a little bit to check it).  Let cool and serve room temperature, cold, or warm.  Make sure to store leftover pie in the refrigerator.  Serves 8-10. 

Gluten-free pecan and almond cake recipe

If you're looking for a delicious gluten-free cake that is so amazing that you'll want to eat the entire thing, I have your answer.  My friend Laurel directed me to this recipe, and I'm so glad that she did. The combination of the nuts and honey is unbeatable, but it's not very sweet (which is exactly how I prefer my cake).  I was very impressed that the cake stayed very moist for several days, until we finally polished off every last morsel.

Almond and pecan cake (adapted from Eating Well)
(Printable version)

1 cup whole pecans, toasted*
1 cup whole almonds, toasted*
4 eggs at room temperature
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Process pecans and almonds in a blender or food processor until they are in a fine meal (don't overdo it here - you're not trying to make almond/pecan butter).  You want about 2 cups of meal, so add more nuts if necessary.  Separate the eggs, and beat the yolks with honey, vanilla, baking soda, and salt with an electric mixer until combined.  Add the pecan and almond meal, and continue to beat until well mixed.  Rinse and dry your beaters, and beat egg whites in a separate bowl for about a minute, until they're foamy and double in volume (but not to the point that they hold peaks).  Fold the egg whites into the nut meal mix, and pour this into a springform pan that has been lined with parchment paper on the bottom and lightly oiled.  Bake at 350 for about 30 min, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool for 10 minutes, and then remove the sides of the pan.  Before serving, drizzle with a little bit of extra honey, if desired.  Serves 10.

* To toast nuts, heat them over medium heat in a large, dry skillet.  Stir frequently, until they begin to brown and are very fragrant (usually about 7-8 min).

Cantaloupe sorbet recipe

I've been obsessed with local cantaloupe this year, except that the farmers argue that it's not cantaloupe, but muskmelon.  Mom was skeptical that they are different, and apparently she's right.  I've also heard them called rockmelons at the market, which is an Australian term for cantaloupe.  Who knew that our market had so many international influences?  Whatever you call them, they're delicious and don't even compare to what is available in grocery stores.  Last week I scored a great deal on several melons that had small soft spots.  I saved one of them for this special treat.

This sorbet was amazing and incredibly sweet.  In fact, if using great melons, it's probably best to skip the honey all together and rely on the natural sugar from the fruit.  The taste is fabulous, it's a very refreshing treat, and it's almost too easy to make.  So easy, in fact, that I managed to have a huge kitchen fiasco.  As I was putting my blender jar on the counter, it slipped out of my hand and dropped on the counter, and the bottom ring broke.  The food processor worked fine for this, but I was momentarily upset that I was going to have to replace my ancient blender that I inherited from my parents.  Luckily the crisis has been averted, as the replacement that I ordered arrived yesterday and actually fits!  Perhaps I need to test it with more sorbet??

Cantaloupe sorbet (adapted from Dawn's Recipes)
(Printable version)

1 cantaloupe (or whatever you want to call it), cut into chunks
juice of one lime
2 Tbsp honey

Combine ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.  Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions.  Makes about 1 1/2 quarts.

Peach frozen yogurt recipe

Needing to use yogurt is never a bad thing.  In this case, I knew that I wanted to get more use out of my ice cream maker before I pack it away and crawl under several layers of blankets for the winter.  I contemplated making frozen yogurt with some of the fruit already in my freezer, but in the end I decided on the peaches calling out to me from my counter. 

I love the simplicity of this frozen yogurt.  The peach flavor is strong, and provides almost all of the sweetness.  This isn't your extra creamy, cloyingly sweet ice cream, but it's light, refreshing, and delicious.  I imagine that the recipe would work well with other fruits, too, and I might even crank up my heat this winter to enjoy this on occasion.

Peach frozen yogurt
(Printable version)

2 cups peach slices (I left the skin on)
juice of 1/2 lime
3 cups plain yogurt
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Toss peach slices with lime juice, spread them out on a baking sheet, and freeze for at least several hours (or use already frozen fruit).  Combine peaches with remaining ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.  Freeze according to your ice cream maker's directions.  Makes about 1 quart.

Fig preserves giveaway and a roasted figs recipe

I don't think that my parents realized that they were going to be in the business of hauling food back and forth between Florida/Georgia and Michigan when they decided to drive up to visit me.  They arrived with 3 dozen eggs from my mom's boss and hundreds of tomatoes, a giant watermelon, 6 butternut squash, and a ton of figs from my grandparents' garden.  On the way back, they were loaded down with apples and peaches, Michigan wine, and all of the gluten-filled products that were still sitting around my kitchen.

We were in somewhat of a hurry to eat the figs, because we knew that they needed to be consumed before we headed off to Toronto.  While I can sit and eat dozens of figs, I thought it would be fun to do something a little bit more interesting.  I didn't want to interfere with their amazing flavor, so I decided that a simple roast with honey would be a nice solution.

Roasted figs with honey
(Printable version)

20 fresh figs, ends trimmed and cut in half
2 Tbsp honey

Place fig halves in a medium baking dish and drizzle with honey.  Bake at 350 until figs are soft, but haven't completely fallen apart (about 40 min).  Serves 3.

These were delicious because they retained their amazing fig taste, while taking on a slightly caramelized flavor.  Mom, Dad, and I gobbled these up in no time, and I bet that we would have eaten more.  Oh, how I long to have access to a fresh figs on a regular basis...

And on to the giveaway...

My parents also brought a jar of fig preserves that my grandpa made from this year's harvest.  He makes wonderful preserves and, as a small way of saying thanks to all of my faithful readers, I would love to share them with someone.  So, just leave me a comment telling me about your favorite way to eat figs by Wednesday, September 9th, and I'll draw a random number on Thursday to select a winner.  Make sure to leave me your email address if I can't access it through your blog profile.  Unfortunately I can only afford to ship to them within the United States.  I wish I could share a jar with all of you!!

Crock pot napa cabbage with apples

One of the things that I chose for my CSA share this week was a gigantic head of napa cabbage. This was the largest cabbage that I've ever seen, in fact. Rebecca, who runs the CSA, looked at me in shock when I took the biggest one. I assured her that if there's one thing I know how to eat, it's cabbage.

Crock pot napa cabbage with apples (adapted from "Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook" by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann)

1/2 head napa cabbage, shredded (or as much as your crock pot will hold)

2-3 granny smith apples, cored and diced

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1 1/2 Tbsp honey

salt to taste

Combine cabbage and apples in a large crock pot (I used a 6 quart). Combine vinegar and honey and pour over cabbage and apples. Then toss to combine, cover crock pot, and cook on low for 5 hours. Season with salt. Serves 5.

I've made cabbage with apples before, but this was slightly different because the cabbage and apples dissolved into each other and the vinegar gave quite a bit of tang. Actually, now that I think about it, the taste of this was a combo of the cabbage with apples and sweet and sour cabbage. It was quite tasty, and extremely easy... once I figured out how to wrangle my huge cabbage head.

Honey winners!

The winners of the second tupelo honey giveaway are...

Kat Bryan and Carolyn G

Again, I got great comments about things to do with honey and peaches.  I agree with Kat, Amy, and Sam that perhaps the best way to eat peaches is right off the vine or fresh from the farmers' market, and I love the way that Amy described the way that the juice drips down your arm.  I will be in heaven when they're ready to be picked here in Michigan!

Naturally sweetened carrot cake

**This is not a gluten-free recipe and was posted before I eliminated gluten from my diet. **

Even though I really enjoy the challenge of trying to bake with natural sweeteners (particularly fruit), I don't end up cooking sweet things very often because savory treats are my real weakness. Don't leave me in front of a bag of tortilla chips or bowl of nuts if you want any for yourself. Seriously.

But one person in my family will do just about anything for sugar (I suppose a fondness for sweets doesn't get passed down through mitochondrial DNA). I'm still trying to convince people that desserts with natural sweeteners can be just as good (and sweet) as ones laden with refined sugar. When I saw a recipe for carrot cake at 101 Cookbooks, I knew it would do the trick. Dad loves carrot cake, and Mom loves just about anything with the word 'cake' in it, so I gave this a shot while I was visiting them.

Carrot cake (adapted from 101 Cookbooks)

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup pecans, chopped

4 Tbsp butter, melted

1/2 cup dried dates, seeded and minced

3 large ripe bananas, mashed

3 medium carrots, grated

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup plain yogurt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

8 oz. cream cheese at room temp

2 Tbsp honey

Mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in pecans. In a separate bowl, combine butter and dates. In a third bowl, combine bananas, carrots, and applesauce. Stir the butter and date mixture into the banana mix, and then add the yogurt and eggs. Add the flour mixture and stir just until everything is combined. Pour into a loaf pan that has been lined with parchment paper and lightly oiled. Bake at 350 for about an hour (until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean). While cake is baking, whip together cream cheese and honey. After cake is done and cools, frost cake with cream cheese mixture.

Stop reading and go make this now. So much for my ability to pass on sweets! Even after eating a ton of boiled peanuts in the afternoon (I told you not to leave me alone with the nuts!) and a very filling dinner of gnocchi, I ate two pieces of this cake. Dad described this as "real carrot cake," and I agree. You could actually taste the carrots, and the cake had a very nice and somewhat dense texture (similar to that of banana bread). The frosting was good, too, and had a subtly sweet flavor that didn't send me into a sugar coma. I think this would have also been great without the frosting, but when I started to asked whether I should put it on the cake, Mom wouldn't even let me finish the question.

Speaking of the frosting, this is another great use of tupelo honey, so be sure to leave a comment on my post about grilled peaches to be entered in the drawing for the honey giveaway.

Honey winner

And the winner of the tupelo honey giveaway is....

Julia!

I really appreciate all of the comments, and I now have more ideas for using honey and cabbage!

I had completely forgotten about mead, and am glad that both Sam and Mel brought it up. It sounds like it could be fun to make some with tupelo honey. Perhaps I'll try it out one of these days...

Although there was only one comment about the best honey-related word, I have to emphasize that I also love mellifluous. It's one of the few Latin derivatives that I actually remember. Thanks, eli!