Christmas 2010

The count down is here.  Are you ready?  I just finished in the kitchen. I have been busy making several goodies.  I do not have the recipes together.  I decided not to knock myself out trying to pull all that together.  I will finish the details and post in January.  That way you have all year to practice for next year.

As you can see I made cookies, cranberry bread, truffles and toffee. Most of the recipes are from my card index of old recipes from family members.  I of course changed all of them to be gluten, casein, soy and egg free.  At this point I am not sure which ones I feel are perfected to post.  Check back.

In true gypsy spirit I will spend Christmas traveling "over the river and thru the woods, to grandmother's house we go; the horse knows the way to carry the sleigh, thru the white and drifted snow, Oh!" (Lydia Maria Child)

So I wish everyone a safe and Very Merry Christmas and hope you enjoy all the goodies, the gifts and the LOVE.

Chocolate Winter White Cupcakes

I just had to try making cupcakes.  Highly unusual food for me,  but very in vogue from what I see on TV, cookbooks and blogs.  Everyone is cupcake crazy.  There seems to be some curious obsession with this little mini wonder cake.  I am more fascinated with the creating part I guess.  It is in this gypsy's blood to be creative.  If  I don't do something creative everyday with food, art or interior design I get very unsettled.

So I attempted this curious cake we call a cupcake.  I decided to try it in chocolate since I always have chocolate on the brain (and in the stomach) this time of year.  Don't you?

Now this is not health food - but cupcakes aren't meant to be.  I, of course, had to have my salad and fresh squeezed carrot juice and then the cupcake.  That is just my approach to food.  I just feel better when I eat that way.

Anyone who knows me is aware I try to keep up with the trends, whether fashion, art or food.  So here is my attempt at keeping in cupcake style.

Chocolate Winter White Cupcakes

1/3 cup sorghum flour
1/3 cup sweet rice flour
1/3 cup potato starch not flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp xanthum gum
1 tsp baking soda gluten free
1/2 tsp baking powder gluten free
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup cultured coconut milk (I use So Delicious)
3/4 cup organic cane sugar
1/3 cup grapeseed oil
2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350.

I started by sifting the flours, cocoa, xanthum gum, baking soda, baking powder and salt in separate bowl.  I put the cultured coconut milk in the stand mixer bowl and added the sugar, grapeseed oil and vanilla. I beat this until well mixed and creamy.  Then I added half the flour mixer, blended it.  Then other half, blended it again. Put cupcake liners in muffin pan and fill with batter about 3/4 full.  Bake 20 minutes.  Test with toothpick.  Cool. 

For frosting I just used any basic butter cream frosting recipe.  Change out the dairy for non dairy.  Then I just piled unsweetened coconut on top.

Even I have to admit they are pretty "tasty" as a friend of mine would say.  Really it didn't take much time.  I baked my cake and ate it too.

Apple Snow

It is snowing outside here so I thought snow in a bowl would be fun.  You can do this with just about any fruit if you puree it.  This one is apple.  If you happen to be lucky enough to have snow as a kid you know what is like to eat it. 

At least this snow tastes good and you know what it is made of.  Thinking about eating snow as a kid reminds me of the movie we watch every year.  "A Christmas Story".  Ralphie gets a snowball in the face and Flick sticks his tongue to a flag pole.  Funny every time you see it.

So in honor of Christmas, winter and all that crazy stuff we do with snow.

Apple Snow

Take equal parts of apple sauce and apple cider.  Put in a blender.  Add a few tablespoons of maple syrup depending on how sweet you want it.  Blend then put in a bowl in the freezer.  When frozen scrap off what you want into a bowl.

Just something fun, quick and easy to take your mind off all the projects you have to do yet.

Ho Ho Ho

Christmas Present Salad

With all of us about to turn our attention to December activity, I wanted to put this salad out. Although not really a recipe, I thought it looked like Christmas.  Green, red and white.  It looks like a festival of color.  We are all getting ready to shop, decorate, hang lights, wrap presents and think about holiday baking.

A salad is an easy and healthy dish to ponder those extra calories over.  Have a cookie, have a salad, have a piece of candy, have a salad, have.....balance.

Christmas Present Salad

Really I just cut up julienne style (to cut food into very thin strips) celery, red bell pepper, carrots and red cabbage.  Tossed it with my favorite oil and vinegar.  Toss some pomegranate seeds and sesame seeds on.  Put it on a green plate and there you have it.

Ho Ho Ho

Thanksgiving

No recipe today just gypsy thoughts on this holiday called Thanksgiving.  I did some research the other day on the history just to see what I think I know.  I found truth, some mystery, myth and gratitude.  So just like everything in life.....find your own truth.  This is my approach to life.  Thanksgiving is what you make it.

Today Thanksgiving 2010 is like most things - it's about people.  Life is a little more special if you have people to share things with.  People your are intimate with or the ones you just connected with.

Sharing and doing onto others as you want others to do unto you is a good concept to adopt.  I believe it is the energy that powers our planet.  In this new era of the internet and blogging we can share concepts with many people.

I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday.  I give thanks for this location of the planet I am occupying.  As you can see it is beautiful.  I appreciate every day and all the people who are a part of my journey.  As the line goes from one of my favorite musicals "This story is about truth, beauty, freedom; but above all things, this story is about Love".  Moulin Rouge.

So if you do nothing else on this Thanksgiving.....stop, look, listen, breath and have gratitude for all....it is awesome out there.

Yam Good Bars Gone Coconut-ie

All things yam, sweet potato or pumpkin seems to be on the brain.  Guess that is what we do in preparation for the big feast.  That time of year when we get together and share our favorite foods.  I have been testing a lot of recipes and know others are doing the same.  My sister is having Thanksgiving this year.  We have a family with a few of us eating gluten free so it is a little more time consuming getting it all to work out.

Gluten free  isn't so difficult anymore for me, it is the casein and egg free that adds a new twist. I have made a few trial pumpkin pies, but haven't really liked them.  So I started thinking about gelatin and no baking.  I found these amazing organic garnet yams or sweet potato.  I decided to put the two together.  Of course, recently I discovered the coconut milk whipped cream and knew I wanted to use that.  I combined all those and there you have it yam good bars gone coconut-ie.

I found if I left it in the refrigerator a day or two it got really firm.  The crust fell apart a little trying to get the first bar or two out, but it worked fine after that.

Yam Good Bars Gone Coconut-ie

2 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut (I used Bob's Redmill)
3 Tablespoons coconut oil, melted
3 Tablespoons Sugar (I used Sweet Tree organic blonde coconut palm sugar)

Blend sugar with coconut and add melted oil.  Press firmly into square glass 8x8 dish.  Bake 15 minutes at 325.  I didn't grease the pan but maybe if you do the bars will come out easier? Try it.

2 cups yams or sweet potato baked or microwaved (I used organic garnet sweet potato it took about 3)
1/4 cup maple syrup
2/3 cup coconut milk, canned (make sure you shake it up before opening)
1 can coconut milk - place in refrigerator for at least 2 days do not shake(this is for the whipping cream)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg (I used fresh grated)
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp Smoked Spanish paprika (can omit)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tablespoon Knox unflavored gelatin (one package)
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or any nuts you like

Punch holes in sweet potato with fork.  Cook in microwave or bake until done.  Scoop out puree and put in food processor.  Add maple syrup, coconut milk (this is separate coconut milk from the one you are refrigerating for the whipping cream)cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, paprika, salt and vanilla to food processor and blend slightly.

Put 1/4 cup water in small kettle.  Sprinkle gelatin over water and let sit a minute.  Place over low heat and stir until dissolved.  Pour gelatin into sweet potato mixture and blend well.

Spread over coconut crust evenly.  Sprinkle chopped nuts on top and chill.

For the whipped cream take the can of coconut milk from the refrigerator and open the top of  the can and do not shake.  Scoop the heavy cream off the top and leave the coconut water in can(drink it later - yum).  Add a tsp of vanilla and some agave depending on how sweet you like it.  Whip with hand mixer just like any whipped cream.  

So in our count down to Thanksgiving - gather your ingredients, make your plans, think about what you are thankful for and good luck with the details.  Most of all have fun.

Wild Rice

With November upon us and considering my location...I have to talk about wild rice.

Here in the Great Lakes area you can buy wild rice anywhere.  Vendors along the roadside or at almost any store.  If you are lucky maybe even directly from a Native American.  It is a long-grain marsh grass native  to the Northern Great Lakes area and harvested by the local Indians.  Living in Wisconsin or Minnesota you get very familiar with this rice.

Wild rice has a nutty flavor and chewy texture.  Often cooked and used like brown and white rice.  One cup of raw rice yields three to four cups of cooked rice.  It is important to clean wild rice thoroughly before cooking it.  Depending on the method used, wild rice can take up to an hour to cook.  I often include wild rice for Thanksgiving because it is one of the original native foods.

This is a basic recipe.  It is a good place to start if you are up for a new side dish.

Basic Wild Rice

Cook according to the package or if you buy it bulk try this.

1 cup raw rice - washed and drained
3 cups Pacific organic chicken broth low sodium or just water
Salt to taste

Put rice and stock in kettle, bring to boil.  Reduce heat cover and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour.  I add salt in the water in the beginning then I adjust for taste after.

My pictures feature the grain raw and then cooked.  This time I sauteed onion, celery and mushrooms in olive oil then added the rice to it.  So many possibilities for ingredients to add.  I am working on my recipe for Thanksgiving.  So find some wild rice and feel a little connected to the spirit of a native food.

Apple Crisp

Boo.  Since I am posting on Halloween I had to discuss those black and white movies from the 30's.  I watched "Hunchback of  Notre Dame", last night.  I love all those old black and white movies for Halloween.  How can you not love Quasimodo.  I can relate to Esmeralda of course she was a gypsy.  I have been to Notre Dame in Paris which makes it even more exciting to watch.  So honor of Halloween and Esmeralda let us get on with this gypsy's adventure.

I have been in transition.  This seems like the appropriate recipe especially for this time of year and my new adventure.  I didn't leave Wisconsin just went more north.  Actually I am as far north as you can get in this state.  Up near the Apostle Islands, Bayfield and Cornucopia.  If you look at a map you can see how unusual the area is.  I have a view of Lake Superior the greatest of all the Great Lakes.  I have the pleasure of watching the ferry and sailboats grace the waters daily.

The season is over now for apples, but when I arrived it was the peak of apple season.  Bayfield has an apple festival every year which we had the opportunity to witness.  The main street was lined with apple crisp.  Really, vendors all up and down the quaint village and all the local orchards selling their goods.  Bayfield is "Berry Capital of Wisconsin".  The numerous orchards grow many berry varieties and of course apples.

This again is a recipe from my husband's family.  His favorite after school treat when he was young.  Who doesn't enjoy the smell of apples baking on those rainy October days.  Especially here the Gateway to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore with its 21 enchanting Apostle Islands.

Changing this recipe to gluten free is pretty simple.  Just use your favorite flour or flour blend.  I changed the butter to Spectrum Organic Vegetable shortening.  Use butter if you can.  Apple crisp is such a simple pleasure.

Apple Crisp

7 or 8 large apples - peel, core and slice into a 7x7 pan or large pie dish.  Tart apples are the best.  The apple variety does affect the taste.
1/2 cup brown rice flour or white rice flour or a blend or whatever you like
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup spectrum organic vegetable shortening or butter
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice or just cinnamon

Blend the flour, sugar, spices and shortening with your fingers until a coarse crumble forms.  Spread over the apples.  Bake at 375 for about 35 to 45 minutes or until apples are done.  Serve hot or cold.

If you can eat dairy this is really good with a little cream or ice cream.  We just eat it hot out of the oven.  This apple crisp was especially good.  We got our apples straight from the local farmer who was happy to give us one of his last bags and a few special apples to try - as he welcomed us to the community.

Sausage

I am still trying to get settled with my move and wanted to start with something from where I am....but that is not ready yet so lets do sausage.  You love it or hate it I think - seems most people I know anyway.  In Wisconsin the sausage of choice has been bratwurst.  Many are made here because there is an abundance of German heritage.  Sausage can differ dramatically depending on the ingredients, additives, curing techniques, shape and whether it is fresh or cooked.

Sausage when you are gluten and soy free can be a problem.  If you read your ingredients you will find most have one or the other as a filler.  If you really search you can find pure sausage with no fillers or artificial anything.  Whole Foods Market is one place that makes their own.  Some are gluten free and some are both soy and gluten free.  They also carry some brands from old time sausage makers that are also pretty pure.  I  have found local farmers getting into the act and having more pure types made.  So if you really look around they are out there.

One thing I have discovered on this gluten free adventure is the bread is a work in progress.  Hamburger and hot dog buns don't really appeal to me, especially the gluten free kind.  So I have adopted a different approach to sausage.  I serve it over gluten free pasta.  We have been having it this way some time now and prefer it.

This isn't so much a recipe as a suggestion for a different way to serve sausage.  This picture features Yak sausage.  Actually they called it a Yak bratwurst.  Yes Yak.  We have a local farmer raising these animals and they made sausage with it.  Very interesting for something different.  An extremely lean meat and grass fed.

In my new location I have already found an apple bratwurst.  So start searching and you might discover a new sausage.

Sausage

We just cook all our sausage on the grill according to the type we are making.  Some take longer than others.  Just follow the package or ask the sausage maker.  Some are precooked and only need heating.  Make sure you know if it's fresh or cooked.

For the pasta I just make any combination of what I have from my gluten free pantry which is always Tinkyada rice pasta.  Just cook according to the package directions.  I add olive oil and fresh herbs once cooked.

I always  feature some vegetable with the combination.  In this dish I used asparagus and onions that I just sauteed in olive oil.

That's it.  Explore sausage it's a big adventure.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Fall Food.  You know when it's a little cooler and the leaves are changing and you want more than a salad.  This recipe is a family favorite from my husband.  His family got this recipe from an Italian friend.

Family recipes are part of that food connection I like to talk about.  When  you make it you remember all the other times you had it.  That is so misunderstood today, I think.  Seems people are in a hurry and the food gets in the way of all the stuff.  To me food is important everyday all the time.  Even as busy as I am trying to pack for my next move.....

Everyone has some food from the past they like to make every now and then.  This is one of those recipes.  The only part of the original recipe that was affected by the gluten free life is the bread crumbs and the spaghetti.  So not really a big deal I just switched those to gluten free brands.  The original recipe had 2 eggs in the meatballs which I omitted.  Use them if you can.

Yes it does take 3 hours to prepare and I know a lot of people think they don't have that much time - but it is so worth it.  Good food does take time.  So some rainy day when you find 3 hours to spend on food - try this I think you will enjoy it and who knows maybe you will create a memory.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

2 - 28oz cans whole tomatoes (I use Bella Terra whole peeled San Marzano from Whole Foods Market)

Cook tomatoes slowly over low heat for 1 1/2 hours.  Use emulsion blender or potato masher to make smooth.  Add 2- 6oz cans tomato paste (I use Contadina) and 6oz of water.  Season with salt and pepper.

Make meatballs with the next ingredients

1# ground beef organic
3/4# ground pork organic
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 cup bread crumbs (I use Hol-Grain brown rice bread crumbs)
Handful of parsley chopped
1 medium onion chopped fine
1 green bell pepper chopped fine
salt and pepper

Blend well with hands then form meatballs.  Brown meatballs in 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 garlic clove sliced.  Add browned meatballs to tomato sauce.  Add some dripping from the meatball pan about 1 tbsp.  Cook for an additional 1-1/2 hours on low heat.

Cook spaghetti according to package. (I use Tinkyada brown rice spaghetti)  Serve meatballs and sauce with spaghetti.

Generally I make the meatballs while the tomato sauce is cooking.

Beef Stew

Yes this is a fall dish and it is still summer, but we are all moving into that fall frame of mind.  With the Labor Day weekend upon us we are shifting gears to school, football and comfort food.  Our bodies naturally shift with the seasons which affects our taste for food.

I have had so many vegetable recipes because of my garden, I thought it was time for something else.  This is a recipe I have been using for some time.  I have changed it to my way.  You should do the same after you try it this way.   It is easy and so good.

Try stew when you start that fall shift of mind, body and soul, when you are seeking one of those comfort foods.  I am shifting gears myself.  Yes we are dusting off the gypsy wagon to get ready for our next adventure.  A new location after 3 years at this one.  I will let you know more on that later......

Beef Stew

2-3 pound organic beef roast cut into stew size pieces
3-4 pieces of bacon cut into pieces
3 Tbsp olive oil
4 carrots, peeled and chopped into large pieces
1 onion coarsely chopped
Bouquet garni made with 2 stalks celery cut into 3 inch pieces, 4 sprigs of parsley, 3 sprigs of thyme and 1 bay leaf all tied together
1 Tbsp rice four in separate dish
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
1 bottle red wine 750ML (I use cabernet sauvignon) Only use wine you like to drink

I use a large cast-iron pot.  Add olive oil over med heat.  Add onions and bacon and cook for about 3 minutes.  Salt and pepper the meat and add it to the pot and brown on all sides.  Lower the heat.  Add the bouguet garni and the carrots and simmer covered for 20 minutes.  Remove the meat,onion, bacon mixture with slotted spoon.  Stir a little water into the flour to make a liquid and add to the pot stirring constantly.  Now add the tomato paste and stir.  Add the bottle of wine slowly while continuing to stir.  Add garlic.  Then return the meat mixture back into the pot and salt and pepper.  Cover and simmer for about 2-3 hours.  I add potatoes about 1 hour before it is finished and more vegetables if you like.  Remove the bouquet garni and serve.

Ratatouille

My favorite stew to make from my garden vegetables.  Have you tried this.  You will love it.  Eggplant, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, zucchini, garlic and herbs.  I had to wait for my eggplant to catch up with everything else.  This dish can be served hot, cold or at room temperature.  I have had it as a side dish, as a main dish and even as an appetizer.

You may have heard of the word ratatouille.  It is a movie, a video game and this great dish from France, I believe Provence.  Although I never got to Provence I did manage to squeak in Paris once on a trip to Spain. 

Summer seems to be rapidly coming to an end so this is a good dish to bring all these vegetables together.  It is one of those recipes you can just experiment with.  Add more or less of what you like.  You can't really mess it up.  Use this recipe as a guide then adjust how you like it.  I don't even measure anymore but that is a good place to start.

Ratatouille one of those free spirit gypsy style dishes we love.

Ratatouille

1/4 cup olive oil, plus more if you need it
1 1/2 cups diced onion, I used red this time
1 clove garlic diced
2 cups eggplant, diced with skin on
2 cups diced bell pepper any color
2 cups zucchini diced
2 cups tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 Tbsp fresh basil chopped
1 Tbsp fresh parsley chopped
1/2 Tbsp fresh thyme
Salt and Pepper

Use a large pot over medium heat and add olive oil.  Add onions and garlic and cook until wilted about 5 minutes.  Add eggplant, cook 5 more minutes.  Add bell pepper, cook 5 more minutes.  Add zucchini, cook 5 more minutes.  Add tomatoes, herbs and salt and pepper.  Cook 5 more minutes.  Put cover on, reduce heat to simmer and cook 15 more minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.

So explore ratatouille.  The movie, the video game and the dish it's all fun.

Okra

This isn't really much of a recipe just maybe a way to get you to look at a vegetable you probably ignore.  How many times have you seen okra and just walked past it.  These are from my garden.  This year it has been hot and humid so I am getting a bumper crop.  Have to do some research myself to see how to preserve them, I haven't had that problem before.  Okra is popular in the south and tougher to grow in the north.

Look for firm, brightly colored pods about 2-3 inches long.  Larger pods may be tough and fibrous.  Sometimes okra in the stores looks black and wilted, walk past those.  Canned and frozen okra is widely available.  Braise, bake, saute and of course try them raw.  When cooked okra gives off a substance that serves to thicken any liquid in which it is cooked.  It is a favorite ingredient in many dishes, the best known being gumbo.

I like it sliced in half and sauteed in olive oil with some spice added.  When doing it this way I don't seem to get that thickening effect so much.  What is a northern girl doing with all that okra you ask.  Just like to explore I guess.  Since this is a southern vegetable.....Oh here it comes "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn", they are just good.  Next time stop, look, buy, try.

Okra Sauteed

Okra sliced in half
Olive Oil
Spice

Just slice the pods in half and saute in the olive oil.  Sprinkle your spice and maybe salt and pepper.  The trick is put the cut side down first until brown.  Then turn and saute until desired firmness.  I turn each individual okra piece once.  This might be the secret to not getting that thickening effect people seem to dislike.  I think it is all part of the character of the vegetable.  Just like us humans, vegetables have individual traits.  Enjoy each one for its uniqueness, just like the people in your life.

Gypsy Kale Slaw

I have so many greens coming from the garden I had to do another recipe featuring them.  I recently posted collard wraps this is all about kale.

This slaw is something I created as I went along.  Four different types of kale in this one.  Yes I have collards, four varieties of kale, chard and lettuce in my garden.  When I say I eat greens there is no exaggeration there.  Now that we are in August this food type is almost over in this area.  Greens like cool weather and August around here is hot and humid.  We have been eating greens everyday for almost ten years now.  So many ways to use them.  Soup, juice, steam, stir fry, bake, dehydrate and of course raw.  Breakfast, lunch or dinner works for me.

I notice the grocery stores are now carrying many varieties.  This can only mean some of you are at least experimenting.  If you are uncertain try them slightly steamed or wilted first.  A very nutritional food.  I think life is about change.  Why not change out a white food for a green food.  Mix up that energy in your life.  Do it for fun, do it for the adventure, do it for the color, do it for your health.......anyway just DO IT.

Gypsy Kale Slaw

4 different kale varieties (Just use one that works too) Remove center stalk and rough chop
2 carrots shredded
1/2 red onion shredded
1 red bell pepper chopped
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

Dressing

1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 garlic clove chopped
3 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
4 Tbsp grapeseed oil
1 tsp celery seed

Extras

1 dried chipotle pepper chopped
Sprinkle of S&B Nanami Togarashi (Japanese mixed chili pepper) Or use red pepper flakes

I put the kale, carrots, onion and red bell pepper in a large bowl.  Make the dressing in a blender or I used a mason jar with my emulsion blender.  Blend well.  Pour dressing over kale and stir. Use all or part depending on the amount of kale you have.  Add sesame seeds.  Taste and adjust seasoning.  Then add chopped chipotle and sprinkle spice.  I like things spiced up so skip that if you don't.  Easy.

Beet Salad

The beet is a highly versatile vegetable.  They can be boiled, sauteed, roasted, pickled, eaten raw, made into soup or juiced and I have even substituted them for zucchini when making bread.  I like them all these ways.  Today I am featuring beets in the raw.

The most common color is a garnet red.  However, they can range in color from deep red to white.  The one I really think is intriguing is the concentric rings of red and white.  I have all of those and yellow in my salad and of course all are from my garden

The poor beet is so misunderstood.  People have a love or hate relationship with them.  It seems that relationship might have something to do with how you have had them prepared.  The taste is very different when they are raw to let's say boiled.  I think that is the key to a lot of food.  Bad experiences can set some people off of a food for life.  I always say "try it you might like it but how will you know if you don't try."

Be careful beets bleed.  The juice acts like a dye and everything it touches turns red.  Yes that is a unique trait of beets - one we all wish we had.  The ability to be so colorful.  Reminds me of a song I heard at a concert Monday night - You know the song "Colour My World" by the great band Chicago.  Talk about memories.  As airplanes were flying over our heads, Chicago was playing the song at sunset.  I was at EAA in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.  Wonderful.

Try the beet next time you are in a colorful mood, you might expand your food horizon and add some color to your soul.

Beet Salad

3-4 different colored beets, peeled, stems and root removed, sliced thin on mandoline
1/2 to whole lemon juiced
Handful of cilantro, chopped
12 cherries pitted and chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Just combine all the ingredients and adjust the lemon and olive oil to your taste.  How easy.  

Cookie Dough

It's Friday and not so sunny here today so I thought a quick weekend pick me up would be good.  This feeds that childhood habit of wanting to eat the cookie dough.  The dough I grew up with however had eggs in, this does not.  There are a number of ways to make dough like this and I have tried various ones.  This is raw and quick and perfect for summer no baking.  Adapt it for yourself and use whatever ingredients you like.  The nut choices can be any nut varieties.  Just try it and have fun.


Gypsy Dough Delight

1/2 cup macadamia nuts
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup dates pitted
1/4 cup chocolate chips (I used enjoy life dairy, nut, soy and gluten free)
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice (combination of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger and cloves use whatever you like)
1/4 tsp cardamom (skip if you don't have it)

Put nuts and spices in food processor and pulse until chopped.  Add dates and chips and blends until it forms a sticky dough.  I pressed into foil cupcake tins and refrigerated for 1-2 hours.  I filled with coconut bliss vanilla.  So easy so good.  I rolled some of the dough into balls for quick bite size future snacks.  Refrigerate or freeze. 

Use your imagination and fill with whatever your heart desires.  How fun.

Collard Wrap

The wrap is a fast healthy lunch I enjoy.  With all the greens coming out of my garden it is a fun alternative to corn or flour.  I like the collard wrap which is what I have here today.  You can use lettuce, kale, chard or whatever you have available.  The filler in this one is a hummus and a Romesco sauce with vegetables.

The Romesco is a classic sauce from Catalonia, Spain.  Finely ground mixture of tomatoes, red bell peppers, onion, garlic, almonds and olive oil.  This sauce tastes like Spain.  Yes another gypsy adventure.  I loved Spain.  The smells, the tastes, the gazpacho, the olives, the architecture.  Definitely a place I would go back to.  I adapted this sauce a little of course.  The traditional one is good too.

So when you are feeling like something healthy and green with a little hint of Spain try this.  A master piece even Picasso could appreciate.

Gypsy Romesco

6 colored sweet petite peppers, stems and seeds removed
3 garlic cloves
1/2 fresh tomato
1 1/2 tsp smokey Spanish paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp sherry wine vinegar
1 Tbsp almond meal (or use blanced almonds)
1/8 cup olive oil

Put all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add more of any ingredient to your taste.  Keep leftovers in refrigerator.

Hummus

I think we all have our favorite way to make this.  This is mine for this day.

1 15 oz can eden organic garbanzo beans drained
1/2 lemon juiced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 handful chopped parsley
1 garlic clove
salt and pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in food processor and blend.  Adjust to your taste.  Keep leftovers in refrigerator.

Collard Wrap

Collard leaves with middle stem removed
Assortment of vegetables like cucumbers, carrots, fresh beans, avocado all sliced small.  Basically whatever vegetables you like.

Spread the hummus on collard then place vegetables on and spread some Romesco sauce on top.  Roll.  That's it.  Once you have the hummus and Romesco in the refrigerator just keep chopped vegetables around and you can make these in a flash.  Just feel the nutritional goodness with each bite. Enjoy!

Zucchini Noodles

Yes here comes the garden.  This was dinner Saturday night.  Steak, garden beans and zucchini noodles.  The steak was from a local farmer but the vegetables are all mine.  The fruit of my labor.  The first ones are the best.  So many ways to deal with this great summer squash.  For this recipe you want the medium large zucchini, not those huge ones you make bread with.  You know how zucchini is, if you turn your back on it you swear it wasn't there yesterday and today OMG!  Where was that hiding.  Its looks like something from a sci-fi movie like the alien zucchini thingy.  I try to pick most of mine small and petite to medium.  However, every now and then you get one of those monster bread making kind.  I will do some other recipes with this vegetable later.

I have been eating this way so long I always think everyone knows this stuff.  Maybe there are some of you who have never tried zucchini this way.  It is so easy.  There seems to be a heightened awareness of vegan and raw cooking going on and I think both of those styles make zucchini noodles.  I have done these totally raw as well but this recipe is slightly cooked.  When the gypsy lived in Hawaii raw was everywhere - even at the beach (I am talking food of course).  So call it what you want I just call it good.

Zucchini Noodles Gypsy Style

2 medium large zucchini any color (this was just enough for two)
1 garlic clove minced
2 artichokes with stems (I used the kind that are in water not marinated Trader Joe's)
olive oil
fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste

Take a vegetable peeler and run along length of zucchini to create noodles.  You can also use a mandolin.  Put olive oil in pan on medium heat.  I used about 2 tablespoons use what you like. Saute the zucchini noodles, garlic and artichokes to desired texture.  Add fresh chopped basil and salt and pepper.  That's it.  Faster than fast food but oh so much better for you.

Colorful Salad

I just could not resist this one.  The colors are unbelievable.  How can you not get excited about your food when it looks like this.  What makes it even more special, of course, it is from my garden.  I eat a lot of salads.  When I don't have one for lunch I have one for dinner.  In the concept you are what you eat - I want to be this salad.  Colorful, fresh, a little spicy and full of flavor.  I added a beet I just picked, cucumber, pea pods, tomatoes, garbanzo beans vegetable pulp and edible flowers.  I consider this a complete meal because it does have protein from the vegetables as well as the beans.

Edible flowers.  These are nasturtiums.  All parts of this beautiful plant are edible except the roots of course.  The flowers, leaves and stems are a peppery taste.  I just love using them as garnishes or in salads.  If you haven't tried edible flowers go for it but make sure because not all flowers are edible.

The vegetable pulp I added is what is left after I juiced carrots, beets and cucumber.  Juicing is a topic to discuss another day.  I save the pulp from juicing and use it in a variety of ways.  Generally I freeze it for future use.

There you have it my salad for today.  Once again not really a recipe but maybe some inspiration for you to go out and explore the great world of colorful food.  Do something nice for your body.

Coconut Mango Surprise

Ahhhhh summer. We all have our triggers of what that stirs up deep in our souls. Mine today is ice cream. Think of all the different memories we all have just from that one food item. Food is such an important part of who we are. It is sad how much that vibration deep within us is being lost today because of the lack of connection with our food. My connection is a powerful one because I strongly believe you are what you eat.

Today in my world of gluten, dairy, soy and egg free this treat can be a challenge. I have found a friend in Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss frozen dessert. They have many flavors to satisfy that summer craving. So this isn't really a recipe, just some ingredients I combined to create a new memory. I just finished a weekend with a great summer concert and felt like being creative.

We found these interesting peppers this weekend. Spicy Calabrian Peppers. A new taste treat for me from Italy. The brand is Isola. The sodium content is higher than products I normally purchase but I only used one so it was fine.

I just scooped Luna & Larry's vanilla island flavor in a dish. Sliced and chopped up an Ataulfo mango for the topping. The inside is velvety smooth with almost no fibrous texture, unlike other varieties. Really this mango variety is so similar to the ones you get in Hawaii. Then put the pepper on top. Indulge.

It was the perfect treat to top off the great summer weekend concert MOJO. So much fun!!

Cauliflower Timbale

OK are you ready for this one? I have tried cauliflower so many ways, haven't you. It is interesting all those bunches of tiny florets on clusters of stalks. The entire floret portion (called the "curd") is edible. I like the fact that you can eat it raw or cooked. Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable. So I got this idea to really go out there and make it fool you. The artist in me took from the French word Trompe L'oeil "fool the eye" to a whole new level in food. I am French and I do paint so it is a fusion I guess. This is what I got. A cauliflower timbale. Now maybe this exists out there on our little planet, but I never went looking for it so I will just believe for now that I created it. So just have fun. Maybe fool someone with it.

Cauliflower Timbale

1 whole head of cauliflower washed and trimmed of green leaves

2 tbsp of olive oil

1/3 cup of minced red onions

1 garlic clove minced

1/4 cup chicken broth (I use Pacific organic low sodium)

1 tsp smoked Spanish paprika (I use Penzeys spices)

1/2 tsp of Zatar ( I use Penzeys spices - this is a blend with sumac)

Cut or pull cauliflower apart and put in food processor and pulse until grated. Heat the oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and saute about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and saute one more minute. Add cauliflower and saute 2 minutes more. Add chicken stock and spices, turn heat to medium low and cook for about 10 more or less. Add salt and pepper to taste. You could just eat it like that but I oiled 2 glass timbale molds, put cauliflower in and packed down. Turn over to release the shaped timbale on the plate. There you have it. You can experiment like I did.

Salad

How exciting. Look my first salad from my garden. Yes gypsy fans I grew this beautiful feast. This one has micro greens, a mix of mesclun and a combination of fresh chives, basil and sage. Mesclun is a potpourri of young, small salad greens. Micro greens the newest and greatest food in gourmet restaurants. Tasty and very nutritious. Just a few of the many greens I planted this year.

I often choose a salad for lunch. When you are gluten, soy, dairy and egg free it is a good choice. I will often put avocado in as well. I could and often do eat one avocado a day. When this gypsy lived in California and Hawaii I had so many varieties of avocado. This salad doesn't have it but often times I will put quinoa in as well. Quinoa (KEEN-wah) - it contains more protein than any other grain. A complete protein because it contains all eight essential amino acids. I will do something in the future on grains. So many we can have in place of the ones we can't.

The salad is such a creative dish. I love to be creative with my food. I don't use many bottled dressings. Too many ingredients I don't like and now can't have. I choose Annie's Naturals the roasted red pepper vinaigrette when I buy one. Olive oil and vinegar works for me. So many choices of vinegar. Gluten free people have to read the labels and of course can not have malt vinegar because it is made from barley. Sometimes I use fresh lemon instead of vinegar. Lately I am stuck on white balsamic vinegar. If you haven't tried that one look for it. With all the farmers markets starting think of the possibilities for salads. To me it is better than going to a candy store!

Asparagus

Spring is asparagus time. With the calendar quickly turning to June I thought I should get this out there. On this corner of the planet we go asparagus picking. Yes gypsy followers we find wild asparagus. Actually this is a tradition my husband enjoys. He loves to hunt and gather wild food no matter where we live. This asparagus thing is something he grew up doing and continues to enjoy whenever we find ourselves in this neck of the woods as they say around here. Here in Wisconsin you can find onions or ramps, mushrooms, berries, fiddle heads and who knows what else. I actually went mushroom picking myself when I was a child. That is one tricky adventure and you had better know what you pick when it comes to mushrooms. I digress. Asparagus one of the lily family's cultivated forms. The beautiful tender stalks are apple green with purple-tinged tips. There we go with the colorful food thing again. Its funny how nature knows exactly the colors that go together - something I learned early on as an interior designer. Asparagus contains a good amount of Vitamin A and is a fair source of iron and Vitamins B and C. When we get them wild we blanch them. Blanch means to plunge into boiling water briefly, then into cold water to stop the cooking process. When I have more than I can handle just plain I will make asparagus soup. I just cook the asparagus in chicken stock with a little leek and celery. Then I puree it in the blender. So good. I ordered a food dehydrator this week. It should arrive today so I will put some asparagus to the test. So enjoy the great asparagus even if you buy it at the store.

Scones

I guess It is time for me to post a bakery item. Yes the gypsy does indulge from time to time. One of my recipes I have been reworking for a while is scones. I like them dry and not very sweet. My recipe was great before the gluten, dairy, egg, soy thing. My family asks me about this recipe all the time. I had it figured out the first time just for gluten free. Then all that other stuff got eliminated for me and some of my sisters, so we all keep working on it. I like scones especially when doing the gypsy thing, traveling. Coffee and a scone is the way I start out my day. Of course, as you should know by now, this is not my breakfast just a starter. In early spring this year I made a batch with fresh strawberries and served them with some rhubarb sauce I made. YUM

This time I put dried cherries and walnuts in. This basic recipe is where I am at for now, but it can change at any moment. Switch the ingredients like fresh fruit and dried fruit and nuts and coconut and chocolate chips and so on and so on. Like when I lived in Hawaii I made macadamia nut and coconut scones. Now in Wisconsin the recipe is dried cherries and walnuts. You get the picture. So as always experiment its fun.

Door County Scones

1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup arrowroot starch
1/4 cup sugar (I use Wholefoods 365 organic)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
dash salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp xanthan gum
5 Tbsp coconut oil (can use butter or shortening)
1/2 cup hemp milk (whatever milk you use)
1/4 cup coconut milk kefir plain ( or use sour cream)
1/2 tsp vanilla
Ener G egg replace for 1 egg according to box (or use whole egg)
1 cup dried Door County cherries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 400
Combine all flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda and xanthan gum in steel bowl of stand mixer. Add coconut oil and blend to coarse meal. In separate bowl mix hemp milk, kefir, vanilla, and Ener G. Remove bowl from stand and make a well in middle of flour. Pour liquids in middle and blend slightly by hand. Add cherries and nuts and combine. Let rest 5 minutes. Turn out onto floured surface. Using floured hands knead gently until dough comes together. Pat into 7 1/2 inch round. Using knife cut into 8 wedges. Transfer wedges to baking sheet. Bake until golden and crusty about 20 minutes. Sometimes it takes 18 minutes, sometimes up to 25 depending on the ingredients.

Meatballs

As I am contemplating who my horse is for the Kentucky Derby race today, I thought I would share the recipe I just had for lunch. Ah yes the derby. Another of those gypsy adventures in my life. I lived in Lexington, Kentucky in the the 70's. What a beautiful place if you haven't had the opportunity to go. All the white fences and rolling hills and of course the horses. I get so excited on race day. My mother told me yesterday "You probably got that from your grandfather". I remember going to the farm as a child and seeing those huge horses which actually were huge because they were the Belgium type. I guess you never know what influences from your childhood will carry forward and in what way. This recipe has nothing to do with any of that probably the only thing I will have today that does is a mint julep when I watch the race. So now for the recipe. I gave you the Kicked Up Ancho Sauce on a previous blog which is part of this. We originally had this for dinner and now today as a leftover for lunch. It was very good either way. The combination is meatballs, polenta and the ancho sauce. Meatballs can be made so many different ways with so many different meats. This one was with pork and beef. If turkey or chicken is what you prefer go for it. I like all varieties. For the polenta I used Bob's Red Mill gluten free corn grits. I just make the polenta according to the package directions.

Meatballs

1# ground beef (I buy grass-fed no hormone no feed grade antibiotics sustainable from local farm)
1# ground pork (same resource as beef)
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped colored bell pepper (any combination I used orange and yellow)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp smoked Spanish paprika (Penzeys Spices)
1/3 cup Bobs Red Mill gluten free cornmeal
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all in bowl. Form meatballs. Brown in 2 Tbsp olive oil.

Serve with polenta and Kicked Up Ancho Sauce

My Garden

Yes it is that time again for the annual planting of the seeds. I attempted a few starter plants and time will tell if that will work out. Gardening is not for the weak of heart. It is that passion to dig in the earth that gets me going. I get so excited about the vegetables to come. I realize most people think about dessert like I think about vegetables. Probably a Freud analysis there. The White House is getting in on the act of gardening so we all should try it. It is the best quality produce you can get for your health. For those of us on gluten, dairy, soy and egg free diets we can't go wrong. If you don't have a huge space it can be done in containers. I grew up with a garden. Actually back then I hated the weeding part. I don't have a problem with that now but just the difference in attitudes from teens to fifty is all that is. I think it is fun now. Try it you might like it. A little hard work is good for all of us. This will be a work in progress, so after I gather all my seeds and plants I will show you my beautiful garden. Think of all the recipes to come....

Sauces

This recipe has been around for a while and I don't recall exactly where or when I first discovered it. It is southwestern influenced so this gypsy may have collected it in California, Mexico, Texas, Arizona or Nevada. My little wagon gets around this country so all things are possible. I like to make chicken tortillas rolled with cilantro and onions covered with this sauce and baked. This works really well on chicken many ways. It is one of those staple sauces you try on various things then decide where you like it best. If it is time to kick up the taste buds and chocolate doesn't satisfy your restless soul go for the spice. We all need a little spice in our lives. Make it when you want your kitchen to have that roasted pepper smell. When you just can't get away to a new location but want to feel like you have. It is oh so easy but so rewarding. It doesn't really have a name so I officially name it kicked up ancho sauce.

Kicked Up Ancho Sauce

2 1/2 cups chicken stock ( I use Pacific Organic low sodium)
13 oz chopped tomatoes no salt (I use 1/2 of Pomi 26 oz box all natural no sodium)
1 medium white onion coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves peeled
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp dried oregano
2 dried ancho chili peppers seeds and stem removed
15 no salt white corn tortilla chips
All my spices and the ancho are always the best I can buy. I use Penzeys Spices

Place all ingredients except tortilla chips in stockpot bring to boil reduced heat and simmer 15 minutes. Add tortilla chips and continue to simmer 15 minutes more. Remove from heat and cool. Place in blender and puree. Keep refrigerated. If you like it more kicked up add more ancho.

Chicken Soup

Chicken soup, that dish which replenishes our soul. It is interesting how our recipes change as we do. Often when we travel we discover new taste sensations and then incorporate them into our recipes. I have had many chicken soup variations from different avenues on my adventure. This is the dish of the hour for this moment in time on this stretch of the road. I like the simple as well as the complicated versions. This one has many of my favorite ingredients including vegetables of course. It is influenced by my years of living in California and Texas. Chicken soup is that dish we turn to when we need comfort or when we are contemplating life and the many challenges it throws our way. Food....good healthy food....it keeps us going....feeds our soul....makes us curious for more.....and we all hope in the end helps us be the best we can be.

Gypsy Chicken Soup

4 garlic cloves minced
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 quarts water
2 cups chicken broth (I use Pacific organic low sodium)
1 whole chicken (I buy free range from my local farmer)
1 tsp salt (I start here and adjust as I go for taste)
1 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 sprig fresh basil
3 bay leaves
2 1/2 cups fresh zucchini cut in halve and sliced
1 1/2 cups carrots quartered and sliced
1 1/2 cups diced green bell pepper
1 medium onion chopped
1 15oz can garbanzo beans drained (I use Eden Organic no salt)

Mix garlic, oregano and cloves to a paste. Bring water to a boil in large soup pot. Add stock, salt, pepper, cumin, basil, bay leaves, garlic paste and chicken. Return to boil. Let chicken simmer about an hour. Skim off any foam as it rises to the top. Remove chicken and let cool. Add zucchini, carrots bell pepper, onion and garbanzo beans. Bring to boil then reduce to simmer for approximately 15 more minutes. Remove bay leaves.

Remove skin and bones from chicken and shred meat. Add meat to pot and heat through. Top each serving with garnish.

Garnish

1 bunch green onions chopped
1 or 2 jalapeno chilies chopped
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro chopped
2 tomatoes cubed
1 avocado seeded and cubed

I also cook brown Basmati rice separately and place 1/4 cup in each bowl. Pour soup over and top with garnish.

As always experiment, adjust and have fun.

Breakfast

Yes breakfast. I am a vegetable breakfast fan. This is why I really haven't struggled like others with this gluten free thing. I don't like cereal for breakfast. All those boxes down that aisle in the store seems amazing to me. If you read the labels, it is very difficult to find one that is not all sugar. I thought the only reason to eat it is to get fiber but you hardly see much fiber. Now add that gluten free thing and it really gets interesting. I prefer food for breakfast. Anything I would eat for lunch or dinner. I have greens with breakfast often. Nothing hard about what I make. I just scan the refrigerator every morning and decide. No matter what I make it almost always has celery, onions and bell peppers. Some greens be it collard, kale, or Swiss chard and always a protein. I use beans often for protein, but I have a wide variety of things to choose from. There is no real recipe for this type of cooking. It is sort of like stir fry. I just put a little chicken stock (I buy Pacific organic low sodium) in the pan then add chopped celery, onions and bell peppers. Then I decide what else. This dish has tomatoes and kale and black eyed peas. Some herbs or spices and we are good to go. The beans I use are Eden organic no salt. They have so many types and its easier than buying dried. Life is a journey so try the adventure of a different breakfast maybe you will discover a new adventure and maybe even a little gypsy spirit.

Vegetables

Time for a vegetable recipe. After showing you all those vegetables I buy seems like it is time to share. This is such a colorful dish. I think you can tell by now I like colorful food. I guess that comes from my interior design background. The fact is colorful food is healthy food. We try to stay away from that white food. This is a coleslaw dish. You can of course make this with green cabbage instead of red or a combination of the two is interesting. Coleslaw from the Dutch meaning "cabbage salad". Basically shredded cabbage mixed with a mayonnaise or vinaigrette dressing. Here is how we do it.

Coleslaw

1/2 head red cabbage
2 carrots peeled cut in halve
1/4 red onion
1/2 lemon juiced
1 Tbsp grape seed oil
6 dashes Tabasco
1/4 tsp Old Bay seasoning

Shred the cabbage, carrot and onion. I use the food processor with the shredding blade. Place in a bowl set aside. In a separate bowl mix lemon juice, grape seed oil, Tabasco and Old Bay seasoning. Add this to shredded cabbage and mix. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Simple quick and easy and oh so healthy. This recipe is enough for the two of us for a couple of meals. You don't have to be so exact with this recipe just experiment with it and see what works best for your taste. enjoy

Going to Market

Vegetables, veggies, and some fruit. I thought it would be fun to show how much I love veggies! This is my shopping for today. It might last a week and it is just for myself and my husband. I think everyone should be eating this way. Look how beautiful. The colors are amazing. I buy organic as much as possible and most of this is organic. Tomatoes, bell peppers, lettuce, sprouts, cabbage, cucumber, rhubarb, kale, asparagus, zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, strawberries, avocado, banana, kiwi, grapefruit, oranges and red onions. Let the cooking begin. For dinner I will have salmon and two of these veggies. I will share some vegetable recipes at a later date. Get out there and start shopping.

Funky Food

From time to time I will share favorite funky food. This is the rambutan. How cool is it. I have eaten many of these on my many trips to Hawaii. It is similar to a lychee if you know what that is. Sweet, sour and slightly grape like to taste. It is one funky food. I love it. How exciting is that. So if you ever come across this in your travels be sure to try. Score the skin pull the top off and eat the white fruit inside which has a pit. yum

lunch

Black quinoa and regular mixed with bell peppers, celery, tomatoes, olive oil and meyer lemon juice.

Ahhhhhhhh spring

The Hippstie Smoothie

Coconut Kefir
Hemp milk
2 Tbsp almond butter
1/2 banana
Blend mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm yum

This is the start the beginning of the blog life. This is an attempt to share my recipes let us see how this goes.