Out and About

Chocolate POMerdoodle Ice Cream

February 12, 2010 · Filed Under Out and About, Slightly Indulgent, Suite of Sweets, Valentine's Day, dairy free, dessert, easy, gluten free, ice cream, pomegranate, raw, recipe, sugar free ·1 Comment

Full disclosure: Last September, I attended BlogHer Food. I paid all my expenses, but I did receive some amazing swag. Included was some Scharffen Berger cocoa. I was not paid to write about Scharffen Berger, but I think their products are excellent. October, I attended the POM Wonderful Blogger Harvest Festival in California—all expenses paid. I was not paid to write this post, but the POM Wonderful product used was given to me. However, I write about POM products because I consider them to be excellent products and, of course, they are gfe compliant.

This post is linked to the Valentine’s Day roundup at Ellen’s I Am Gluten Free and Amy’s weekly roundup, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.

Some of you may remember the POMerdoodle Ice Cream that I made last September for the Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten Free! blog carnival. Katrina (Gluten-Free Gidget), who greatly enjoys drama and theatrical arts had chosen a Disney theme. I couldn’t settle on a particular Disney movie for my recipe inspiration, so I decided to pay homage to all Disney dogs with a designer dog ice cream. You’re welcome to read the original POMerdoodle post, but basically I added POM Wonderful pomegranate juice to a version of Snickerdoodle ice cream and created the doggie-named POMerdoodle ice cream. Both a fun and delicious creation.

I loved the POMerdoodle flavor as did many others, but I simply had to try a chocolate version. Carrying on with my light-hearted dog theme, I decided to call it Chocolate POMerdoodle (you know … like Chocolate Lab, Chocolate Poodle). Adding just a small amount of cocoa adds richness and depth to this ice cream, particularly if you use a high-quality cocoa. I used Scharffen Berger cocoa, which I’d received in my BlogHer Food swag. I love both that cocoa and POM Wonderful pomegranate juice and I love this ice cream. It’s both gluten free and dairy free. It’s not refined sugar free, but I believe you could skip the brown sugar and simply use 2/3 cup honey or the same amount of agave nectar and end up with an equally delicious, dairy-free ice cream. (I wouldn’t use a one-to-one swap because of the liquid content of honey or agave.)

Chocolate POMerdoodle Ice Cream
(Click here for a print version of this recipe.)

½ cup honey
½ cup light brown sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
2 ½ cups full-fat coconut milk, chilled
½ cup POM Wonderful pomegranate juice
2 ½ to 3 tbsp Scharffen-Berger cocoa (or other good quality cocoa, amount to taste—once mixed in, of course)

Mix all together in a mixing bowl or blender. Add to ice cream maker. Churn about 20 minutes until firm. You may remove ice cream from ice cream maker and store in freezer for additional firmness, if needed.

Recipe by Shirley Braden

If you enjoy the wonderful flavor that POM Wonderful pomegranate juice adds to recipes, you’ll want to check these recipes, too:

–POMerdoodle Ice Cream (pretty pale pink—lovely for Valentine’s Day)

–POM’d Pork

–Reindeer Antlers Punch (it’s the perfect color, but perhaps rename it Cupid’s Punch for Valentine’s Day … just skip the alcohol if serving to children or teetotalers)

Don’t forget to check out all the other SSS entries this week:

–Surprise Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

–Cinnamon-Sugar Crusted Almond Popovers

–Perfect Pound Cake

–Pleasing Pecan Pie

And, if you’re looking for a momentary chocolate overload … pair a Flourless Sparkling Chocolate Cookie with a dish of this ice cream. Happy Valentine’s Day all!

Shirley
Not just gf, but gfe!

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Tags: brown sugar, chocolate, coconut, easy, gluten free, go ahead honey, pomegranate, recipe, Valentine's Day

Pleasing Pecan Pie—Raw, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan

February 11, 2010 · Filed Under Suite of Sweets, breakfast, dairy free, dessert, easy, flourless, gluten free, raw, recipe, sugar free, treats, vegan ·23 Comments

This post is linked to Friday Foodie Fix–Pecans.

It’s day 4 of SSS—Suite of Sweets for Sweethearts! When I shared My First Raw Pie I mentioned that one of the other recipes I planned to make later was the raw pecan pie. I like pecan pie a lot. It can be a bit intense though—a jolt of sweetness–so it’s not a pie that I make very often. I did make a crustless version for Thanksgiving that my family loved and a few gfe readers have really enjoyed as well. This raw pecan pie appealed to me because it’s naturally gluten free and dairy free. Plus, it takes its sweetness from dates, and honey, if used, which also makes it refined sugar free. If no sweetener or agave nectar is added, this pie will also be vegan.

Like the first raw pie I made, this one has a great taste. It really pretty much tastes like what you expect a pecan pie to taste like … just not over-the-top sweet. Instead, it’s just sweet enough for my taste. And, once again, I was impressed that I could actually cut this raw pie into slices like a traditional baked pie. A small piece is more than enough, because this pie is delightfully dense and filling, although it doesn’t taste “heavy” in any way. I would have a hard time choosing between this raw version and crustless, baked pecan pie. This pie is healthy enough to eat for breakfast and that’s just what I am going to do! (Incidentally, offering a piece for breakfast may be a way to get your raw food skeptics to give it a try.)

Pecan Pie (Raw, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan)
(Click here for a print version of this recipe.)

2 cups pecans, divided
2 tsp coconut oil (liquefied)
3 tsp honey, divided
½ cup medjool dates, pitted
cinnamon, a few dashes (to taste)
1/3 cup water (may use less if dates are very fresh and juicy)

Crust

1 cup pecans, frozen
2 tbsp coconut oil (liquefied)
1 tsp honey (optional; agave nectar may be used. I did not use either.)

Filling

1 cup pecans
½ cup medjool dates, pitted
2 tbsp honey (optional; agave nectar may be used; but either sweetener is optional. I did not add either.)
A few dashes of ground cinnamon
1/3 cup water (may use less if dates are very juicy)

For crust:

Place 1 cup of frozen pecans in food processor; process 15 to 30 seconds, until mostly ground. (Should not be finely ground, should have a few small pieces still.)

Add coconut oil and honey (if used). Process a few more seconds until the pecans and coconut oil are blended.

Press into 5-inch pie plate (or similar serving dish).

For filling:

Soak medjool dates in 1/3 cup of water for 10 minutes, stirring after 5 minutes.

Add dates, pecans, and water (after the 10 minutes have passed) to food processor.

Process 15 to 30 seconds or so, slowly adding honey (if used).

Pour filling into crust. Garnish with pecan halves, etc., if desired. Serves 4.

Pie crust adapted from recipe from About.com. Filling adapted from a recipe included in newspaper article attributed to Beth Wood, Creators.com.

Shirley’s Notes: Freezing the pecans is supposed to make them bind better with the shortening to make a more viable crust. I’m not sure if it’s really necessary. I froze my pecan halves fairly quickly by spreading them out on an uncovered cookie sheet in the freezer. However, you can try them without freezing and just process with the coconut oil a shorter amount of time. I liquefied my coconut oil just by having the small amount in a bowl on top of my stove while I baked something else. Melted butter (dairy or non-dairy) can be used instead of coconut oil. (Of course, with the addition of dairy butter, this pie will neither be dairy free nor vegan.) In the filling, ½ cup of raisins and ½ cup pecans can be added instead of 1 cup of pecans. Finally, I used sliced raw almonds and dried cranberries for garnish.

Enjoy your day off from baking! Be sure to check out previous Suite of Sweets for Sweethearts entries:

~Surprise Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

~Cinnamon-Sugar Crusted Almond Popovers

~Perfect Pound Cake

Last, in the “don’t forget” category … The Spunky Coconut Cookbook giveaway, A Hand for Haiti ebook charity purchase opportunity (matching funds through Feb. 12!) at Celiac Teen, and Diane’s Friday Foodie Fix—Scallops over at The W.H.O.L.E. Gang.

Shirley
Not just gf, but gfe!

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Tags: dairy free, easy, GFE, gluten free, honey, pecans, pie, raw, recipe, vegan

The Spunky Coconut Cookbook

February 6, 2010 · Filed Under Out and About, appetizer, beverage, bread, breakfast, dairy free, dessert, entree, giveaway, gluten free, raw, sugar free, treats, vegan ·115 Comments

Update: This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Rachel R.! Rachel was selected by Random.org and her comment was: “I would love to win this; we’d like to incorporate more coconut into our diet. Thank you for hosting the giveaway.” My sincere thanks to all who entered the giveaway. Remember that The Spunky Coconut Cookbook can be purchased at Amazon here if you’d still like to get your own copy. Stay tuned for more giveaways that fit the gfe approach!

Full disclosure: I was provided a complimentary copy of The Spunky Coconut Cookbook by Kelly Brozyna. Kelly is also graciously offering the signed copy of her cookbook for the giveaway. However, I was not paid to write this review.

I am a huge fan of Kelly Brozyna and her blog, The Spunky Coconut, which I’ve followed for a long time. I’ve been consistently impressed with Kelly’s positive attitude, her willingness to reach out and help others, and her many simple, but extremely creative recipes. So, I was delighted when she published her cookbook—appropriately named, The Spunky Coconut Cookbook—last spring. As she states in her cookbook, her mission is to “create food that is so good that no one would ever know or care it was free of gluten, casein, and sugar.” I think you’ll see that Kelly does that when you make any of the recipes from her blog or her cookbook, The Spunky Coconut Cookbook. The cookbook includes 115 recipes, some of which in addition to being gluten free, dairy free, and refined sugar free, are also egg free and grain free. There are even raw and “raw-inspired” recipes. For so many with multiple food intolerances, these recipes are a true gift. You have only to read the comments on Kelly’s blog or check out the reviews of her cookbook on Amazon to know this is the case.

I’ve made a version of Kelly’s almond muffins, Almond Banana Carrot Muffins, shown above (recipe here). I had hoped to make her Custard Pie. It’s flourless and crustless—my favorite characteristics—how could I resist? But, alas, I found out I was short of eggs and I wasn’t about to brave the grocery store with the impending storm of the century. Here’s Kelly’s fabulous photo of her Custard Pie. Kelly even made a gluten-free, casein-free, and refined sugar-free version of my crustless coconut pie. Check her version out here.

My support group was honored to have Kelly speak (via Skype) at our October meeting. She shared her family’s journey to their current diet with us. Their tale (also shared in her cookbook) involves misdiagnoses, celiac, autism, attention deficit disorder, gluten sensitivity, and more. (She also shares their story in the introduction of her cookbook.) However, their new diet has allowed resolution of their symptoms in almost all cases.

Kelly talked to us about the cooking techniques she’s mastered over the last few years. She even did a cooking demo of her Flourless Brownies. Made from almond butter, Kelly says they are healthy enough to even eat for breakfast. Yes, the recipe is in her cookbook, along with a mouth-watering photo. (Kelly took every one of the gorgeous photos in her cookbook.)

By the way, one of our members has made a couple of Kelly’s recipes for our meetings. She made the Cider Cabbage & Kale dish for one and Almond & Orange Spinach Salad for another. I don’t think she took leftovers home either time. That is how good all of Kelly’s recipes are.

The deadline for the giveaway is Friday, February 12 (Abraham Lincoln’s birthday), 9:00 pm, Eastern. Here are the many ways you can enter:

1. Leave a comment below.
2. Subscribe to my feed via email or RSS and leave a comment saying that you did.
3. Tweet about the giveaway sharing the link and leave a comment saying that you did.
4. Post a message on your Facebook page about the giveaway and leave a comment saying that you did.
5. Post about the giveaway on your blog and leave a comment saying that you did with your link.
6. Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment saying that you did.
7. Become a fan of my new gfe-gluten free easily page on Facebook and leave a comment saying that you did.
8. Read and comment on either of these gfe discussion posts: Stop the Madness or Educate, Not Eviscerate. Also, leave a comment on this post saying that you did.

All entries will be tracked by the individual comments, so you must enter a separate comment to get an additional entry. One comment showing you did all these things will only be counted as one entry, so please remember to note each by separate entries.

Good luck!

Shirley
Not just gf, but gfe!