Any Kitchen Will Do

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Archive for the category “baked”

25 Jan 2014

Mini Pizza Pucks

mini pizza pucks_edited-1

Our whole family loves pizza. Lately I have been trying to find simple dishes for weekday meals, what with Little B getting involved in evening activities and Big D and I with busy work days. In our endeavor to avoid wheat there are few alternatives for quick pizza where we live. The local pizza places just give blank looks when the words ‘wheat free’ or ‘gluten free’ are used, and delivery is a joke when wheat free is concerned. To be fair, there is one place with gluten free pizza, but it is still has nutrition-poor carbohydrates in a rice based crust. Not the end of the world for Little B on the rare occasion, but for me and Big D, who need to avoid the carbs, it is not a solution. These pizza pucks I made are a result of spontaneous experimentation. I tried to combine my cheese crisps and low carb pizza recipes to make this meal and it turned out pretty darned good! They were quick, fun and Little B enjoyed helping making them, of course. I call them pizza pucks, not because they are overly hard or difficult to eat, but because you can pack them up, like pucks, and I am currently living in a place where hockey is popular. I am not yet ensconced in watching or playing the sport, I just went with it. And it is cold. What other time of the year can you call pretty much anything a puck? Besides being a good dinner, the leftovers worked well as a cold snack on the way to Little B’s soccer practice, or ballet, or whatever happens after five but before bedtime that does not involve crashing on the couch at home. What better snack than some protein before running around for an hour or more? Maybe I should come up with some pizza balls to go with the soccer theme, but that is for another day and time…

Mini Pizza Pucks

3 cups shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese
1/2 cup golden flaxseed meal
1 egg
1 Tbsp dried parsley leaves
1 Tbsp dried basil leaves
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup large black olives
6 roasted or pickled garlic cloves (you can use raw, but they may not cook through and cause problems for sensitive stomachs)
20 – 30 slices pepperoni
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor combine olives and garlic, then pulse until a rough paste forms. Set aside. In a medium bowl combine the mozzarella and cheddar cheeses with flaxseed meal. whisk the egg and add to cheese mixture, folding it in until the cheese is coated. Add the salt, parsley, basil and garlic powder, doing a final few stirs to distribute the spices. On two nonstick cookie sheets make flat piles of cheese, about 2 inches in diameter with about an inch between them. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of olive paste on each pile, spreading it gently with the bottom of the spoon. Place one to two slices of pepperoni on each pile, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake in the oven (using two different rack levels) for 12 – 15 minutes, until the edges of cheese begin to brown and the pepperoni glistens. Yes, it must glisten to have the right flavor. Remove from oven and let cool for five minutes before serving.

Posted in baked, cheese, Douglas Kitchen, eggs, flaxseed, parsley, pizza, Uncategorized, wheat free | Leave a Comment
16 Jan 2014
25 Comments

Yowza Anniversary Cinnamon Rolls

cinnamon rolls

Year three of my blog is starting. Tomorrow. Wow. Yowza. It amazes me that I have been able to continue with it. Not because it is hard, for I love exploring new recipes and sharing old ones, but because making it a priority has given me so many opportunities to focus on myself. This may mean more to people that know me well, but can also make sense to those who don’t. I very often get caught up in helping and supporting people around me – family, friends, co-workers. I discover too late that I do not do ‘me’ stuff frequently enough, so my energy stores and momentum fade away. Knowing that I promised myself to continue the blog has given me a way to keep my personal enthusiasm up. With all the changes and moves and adjustments our family has gone through during the past year I am proud of myself for continuing the blog. Picking up and moving cross country (contiguous) and beyond takes a lot of energy, to embrace the experience and joy of every day. I love we had the experience and expect to do it again and again in our lifetimes. As I look back on the past two years I also see how our eating habits have changed. Moving from eating everything imaginable to excluding wheat to also excluding most starchy carbs and sugar, I see how our journey has evolved. We are not perfect, as with all human being, but we try. Some exclusions have driven us to challenge ourselves to continue our traditions without the ‘evil to us’ ingredients. Things like tamales and king cakes and cookies and muffins are part of the plethora of recipes we rely on to add variety to our diet without deviating. As I work through the various recipes that we love in nostalgia, and discovering new ones, I am so excited to share them with our daughter. It is a constant effort to balance our memories while developing new, healthier versions for her. Miss Marie has recently shared a recipe for cinnamon rolls. I made some changes, of course, and the result made for some amazing treats to celebrate my second anniversary. Between Big D’s love for such rolls and my extensive time spent in airports sniffling the wafting aromas from the cinnamon roll denizens who live there, the treats are cherished and longed for. I am ecstatic about finally making some and feeling indulgent in celebration. What better way to celebrate an anniversary than to make such succulent yummies. Little B loved helping spread the filling and, as always, frosting, just like the cupcakes we made a while back. Thank you to those who have followed my journey the past two year and welcome to those who joined me recently! Slainte!

Yowza Anniversary Cinnamon Rolls

Pastry
3 eggs
1/2 cup butter or coconut oil, softened
3 Tbsp erythritol/stevia blend
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup blanched almond flour
1/2 tsp aluminum free baking powder
1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Filling
3 TBS Coconut oil or Butter, softened
2 TBS Cinnamon
3 TBS erythritol/stevia blend
1/4 tsp stevia glycerite

Frosting
6 TBS cream cheese, softened (or coconut cream if dairy allergy)
3 TBS butter, softened
2 TBS spoonable erythritol/stevia blend
A little heavy cream (to thin it out, if desired)

Pastry: In a medium bowl, cream the butter and the sweetener until very smooth. Add in the eggs. In another bowl mix together the coconut flour, almond four/meal, salt and baking powder. Slowly add in the dry ingredients into the wet, then add in the vanilla. Stir until a thick dough forms. Cover and place in fridge to chill the dough for 1 hour or overnight.

Frosting: Place all ingredients into a medium sized bowl and combine until smooth. Store in fridge overnight. When you start the Pastry Again section below remove Frosting from the fridge.

Filling: Mix all ingredients together.

Pastry Again: Place a sheet of parchment on counter, then spray with coconut oil spray. Place dough on greased parchment, push the dough down a bit, and spray with another layer of coconut oil. Top with another sheet of parchment. Roll the dough out with a rolling pin until a long rectangle shape, about one foot long. Remove the top layer of parchment.

Spread filling evenly over the dough. Roll up dough, with the longer side becoming the roll, using the edge of the plastic to make a tight log. Cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces.

Place the rolls into a greased muffin tin or onto a cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until baked through. Insert a toothpick to check doneness…the toothpick should come out clean.

Spread the frosting on the rolls. Serve immediately to family members who were drooling over the smell of the baking rolls. Store extras in airtight container for up to one week at room temperature, or freeze.

 

Posted in baked, breakfast, cinnamon, coconut flour, Douglas Kitchen, eggs, wheat free
26 Dec 2013

Wheatless Pecan Pie

low carb pecan pie

Posting about a wheatless, sugar free pecan pie has been a long time coming. We have tried a number of variations, trying to get the texture and flavor of the pie just right. I officially think we have gotten so very very close that we are going to call it good. No, great! Pecan pies have a deep history in both mine and Big D’s histories. It begins with pecans. Harvesting pecans is a popular past time in the South, and in Texas. Yes, Texas and ‘the’ South are different. That is a whole other conversation/discussion/argument. For the here and now we are talking about a traditional holiday dessert. The challenge we faced was getting that smooth, gelatinous, caramel texture of the pie, while still having pecan halves floating atop the pie. You cannot imagine how challenging it is to accomplish without sugar, milk or flour. It is not impossible, which I must say, is proven below, but was definitely not a first-time feat. We very much enjoyed the pie, along with some pumpkin pie, after our feast of prime rib and mashed cauliflower. It was a simple, delicious meal. I hope you kept your holiday meal simple and focused on your people, because I know in my life that my people are most cherished.

Wheatless Pecan Pie

Crust
3/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup toasted pecan halves
3 large eggs
8 tablespoons chilled butter or coconut oil
2 tablespoons Stevia in the Raw granular
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Filling
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup Stevia in the Raw granular
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup Walden Farms Pancake Syrup
2Tbsps chia seeds
1 1/2 cups toasted pecans (chopped or halves)

For the crust combine the coconut flour, 1/2 cup pecan halves, fat (either butter or coconut oil), Stevia in the Raw and salt in food processor and pulse until combined and pecans are finely chopped. Add the eggs and pulse until a dough is formed. Spread the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of a 9 1/2 inch tart or pie pan. For the filling beat the eggs with the Stevia in the Raw. Add the vanilla, butter and syrup, then add the pecans. Pour into the crust and bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes, but check after about 30 minutes in case it is cooking quickly. Let pie cool to room temperature before serving, or after it cools to room temperature, chill before serving.

Place the tart onto a sheet pan and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for approximately 45-50 minutes. Check the tart at 30-35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

 

Posted in baked, coconut flour, Douglas Kitchen, eggs, wheat free | Leave a Comment
23 Dec 2013

Cookie Cut Ups

cookie cut upsThis is the tale of the cookies that kept cutting up. I found the delicious recipe from Ginny at Ginny’s Low Carb Kitchen. I mostly followed it, but made a tweak or two because of timing – there was nooooo way I was going out in the snow storm to buy xanthan gum, and Little B was gonna die if she could not make cookies soon! I don’t know how different they turned out without it, but we had success! Eventually. Little B and I mixed up the dough, rolled it out and ugh. A bit too soft for manipulating. I suggested to Little B that we form the cookies into shapes with our hands, but she insisted on using the cookie cutters. The cookie cutter use was a disaster. We piled up the dough and stuck it in the refrigerator for an hour. We rolled it out – again – with slightly more success, but still smooshing of the shapes by the spatula, even with a bit of help from arrowroot powder. Ack! Little B still insisted on cookie cutter use, so we again chilled the dough, for about six hours this time, occupying ourselves with movies and art projects and carols. When it was finally time to try again it worked! The cookie cutters did their duty, as long as we made sure to ‘shimmy’ them before pulling them off, separating the shape from the extra dough around it. I then carefully tilted the parchment paper and the shapes, one by one, fell onto my hand. They were delicate, but cooked up nicely and were very buttery and nutty; a wonderful accompaniment to hot chocolate. I will be more adventurous next time figuring out icing, but for now, we were able to experience cut out cookies on a snowy Alaska day, even though they resisted. Kudos to Little B for holding out for use of cookie cutters, and being flexible enough to hand shape those pesky candy canes! Three were set aside especially for Santa. Fingers crossed to have them survive that long!

Cookie Cut Ups

1/2  cup  Stevia in the Raw
1/2  cup  butter
1  large  egg
1  teaspoon  baking powder
1  teaspoon  vanilla
1/2  teaspoon  salt
2 cups  almond flour
In a food processor blend together Stevia, butter, egg and vanilla. In a medium bowl combine the baking powder, salt and flour. Add the butter mixture to the flour mixture and combine into a stiff dough. Refrigerate for 2 – 6 hours. Sprinkle a square piece of parchment paper with arrowroot powder, and have another piece of parchment of the same size nearby. Also prepare a large baking sheet covered with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove dough from refrigerator and work quickly with it. Place dough between parchment paper and roll it out 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Carefully peel off top layer of paper and use cookie cutters to make cookies. Two methods can be used to transfer cookies to the baking sheets. Either tilt the paper, letting the cookie fall into your hand, transferring the cookie to the baking sheet, or sprinkle a thin spatula with arrowroot powder and use it to slide under the cookies and remove them from the parchment paper. Bake for 10 – 15 minutes, until the edges start to turn a golden brown. Let cookies cool completely before removing them from the baking sheet. Frost as desired and store in airtight container.
 
Posted in baked, cookies, Douglas Kitchen, eggs, seasonal, snack, wheat free | Leave a Comment
13 Nov 2013

Lemon Infused Artichokes

lemon infused artichokes

I found some beautiful artichokes at the store and whisked them home. Instead of preparing them in the more nostalgic way I have in the past, I wanted to try something a little different. To get more of the lemon and garlic flavor deeper into the artichoke I thought cutting them in half and baking would be useful, so chop chop! I did not want them to dry out, so I surrounded them with moisture and covered it all up. Since they are already divided into individual servings it is easy to rely on them for an appetizer course of a dinner party, or have them cooked and ready for whenever you can get the family sat down at the dinner table. The fun thing about making these for a dinner party is watching the guests try to be dainty and tidy while eating them. Although some (like fancy schmancy restaurants) discard every bit of the artichoke except the heart (which can be cut into about four dainty bites) many like pulling off meat from the leaves of the vegetable with their teeth. We fall in the category of pulling off meat from leaves, so it can get a bit messy. That’s okay – either way, conversations can get started over the nuances of artichoke consumption. Have fun with them and don’t forget the dipping sauce!

Lemon Infused Artichokes

4 medium artichokes
1 cup water
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp sea salt

Butter
1/2 cup salted butter
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a five quart pot add the water and about 1 Tbsp of lemon juice. Cut the stems off the artichokes then cut them in half. Drizzle the halves with oil and lemon juice, then sprinkle with garlic powder and salt. Arrange halves loosely in the pot. Cover and place in oven. Cook for about 45 minutes until tender. If the heart, above the stem, is not tender, then cook them for 10 – 15 minutes longer. While the artichokes bake prepare the butter – in a small sauce pan over low heat add the butter, garlic powder and lemon juice. When butter melts stir, cover and let simmer for about one minute, then turn off heat. Add salt as desired and stir. Serve as a dipping sauce with the artichokes. When you serve the artichokes make sure to remove the hairy choke portions of the vegetable, right above the heart, and discard. Spooning it out should be easy, since it is exposed when the artichokes are cut in half. In the picture above you can see the dark line where the choke ends and the heart begins, right above the stem. If you want more about the basics of eating artichokes check out the step by step guide here.

Posted in artichoke, baked, garlic, Hotel Kitchen, side dish, vegetables, wheat free | Leave a Comment
25 Oct 2013

German Chocolate Fusion Cake

german chocolate fusion cakeI woke up this morning with a plan to fulfill a birthday request. It sounded simple – a low carb, wheat free German Chocolate Cake for dessert. Now, I could have gone to a version I made before, but there were a few barriers to doing so: 1) in our little hotel kitchenette with not much room, 2) the absence of measuring cups, a mixer, blender, food processor or more than one mixing bowl (which was actually an ice bucket absconded from the ferry we floated to Juneau on), 3) time was not in abundance. To balance all these challenges I did some digging to come up with a simple recipe that kept the ingredients list of the cake short, allowed for minimal processing, and maximized the small kitchen and involvement of Little B. The results were wonderful, if I may say so myself, and achieved the German Chocolate Cake flavors, if not necessarily in a more traditional presentation. Why do I call it a fusion cake? Because I was inspired by a energy bar recipe. I got some inspiration from the recipe found here, then leaped off into a search for my own results. Big D and I talked recently about coming up with some low carb, portable snack or energy bars. Something we could throw in a backpack to nourish us during long hikes or camping trips, beyond the old reliable of mixed nuts or peanut butter. This cake is a step in that direction – I think with a few tweaks of the cake portion of the recipe we could have some good snack bars, but that is a different story. This cake gave Big D the nutty, coconutty, chocolaty birthday dessert flavors he wanted, which was most important to me. My initial hesitation in even trying to make the cake, what with everything else going on in our lives lately (under-supplied kitchen, new town, looking for permanent housing, furlough, new job, new everything), helped me get everything back into perspective. Cooking always has and still does calm me, and stressing about giving a gift is unnecessary if you create it from the heart. Happy Birthday Big D!

German Chocolate Fusion Cake

Cake
1 cup almond flour
2 scoops vanilla whey protein powder
½ cup cocoa powder
2 cups Stevia in the Raw
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1 cup pecans, finely chopped
4 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup water
3 tsp vanilla

Topping
12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 Tbsp coconut oil
2 Tbsp heavy cream
1 1/2 cup Stevia in the Raw
½ cup unsweetened coconut
½ cup pecans, finely ground

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place all dry cake ingredients into a large bowl. Stir until well combined. Add the eggs, cream, water, and vanilla. Stir again until batter is well combined. Pour into two greased (or lined with parchment paper) 9-inch baking rounds. Bake until solid firm in the middle. It will not rise very much. Baking time will be 35 – 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Remove rounds from pans and peel off parchment paper. Make the topping while the cake bakes and cools: combine cream cheese, heavy cream, coconut oil and Stevia in the Raw in sauce pan. Heat through and stir until smooth. Set aside and let cool about five minutes. Add coconut and pecans and stir again until well combined. Let topping cool completely. Place one cake round on a serving plate. Top round with half of the topping. Place second round on top of first, then finish the cake with remaining topping, spreading it on the sides if there is enough – the layers will be thin so you may not need to put on the sides at all. Chill to let the topping set. Serve cold or remove from refrigerator about one hour before serving.

Posted in baked, chocolate, Hotel Kitchen, nuts | Leave a Comment
06 Oct 2013

Topped Oatmeal Cookies

oatmeal cookies no wheat

We made these for Santa last year, topped with blueberries. We decided our house was the only one in the whole wide world where he would get blueberry oatmeal cookies. In the morning the cookies and milk were all gone! He must have liked them. I forgot to take pictures then, but recently made a batch with Little B and she wanted to top them with sugar free chocolate chips instead of blueberries. Wheat free and sugar free, these went with Little B to her last day with her daycare group in Maryland before we moved. The group gets so excited just being around each without any stimulation, why the heck would I put wheat or sugar in the treats?! They were soft and chewy and seemed to be a hit. We may make them for Santa again this year, and try again to make them memorable. Involving Little B in deciding the topping and standing back so she can stir stir stir makes for a great opportunity to practice measuring, mixing and creativity. Go crazy with the toppings – she was so proud to share her creations. I got the original idea here, but tweaked to my liking. Thanks Alton!

Toasted Oatmeal Cookies (no wheat)

4 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated stevia in the raw
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup optional toppers (raisins, blueberries, sugar free chocolate chips, etc)

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spread oats in a single layer on half-sheet pans and bake until lightly toasted, about 20 minutes. Watch carefully to avoid burning. Remove the oats from the oven and let cool for 2 to 3 minutes. Grind half the toasted oats in a food processor until they are the consistency of whole wheat flour. Add the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cocoa, stevia and salt, then pulse to combine. Combine the butter, egg and vanilla in a mixer and mix on medium speed for about a minute. Slowly add the oat mixture and the remaining oats until just combined. Let batter sit and thicken if it is soupy and will not hold shape if scooped. Using a teaspoon, scoop batter and drop onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. If adding a topping gently push into the middle of each cookie. Bake the cookies for about 12 minutes until they begin to brown around the edges. Remove the pans from the oven and let the cookies cool on the pans for 2 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack until cooled completely – they should remain soft and chewy. Store in airtight container.

 

Posted in baked, blueberries, chocolate, cinnamon, cookies, eggs, oatmeal, snack, Takoma Park Kitchen, wheat free | Leave a Comment
02 Oct 2013

Poached Salmon

poached salmon

As we head towards our new home in Alaska I ponder the loveliness of the salmon we can get up there. The salmon season is coming to an end as I type, but the bounty will be enjoyed all year. I get a serious craving about once a week for salmon. I have been trying to appreciate Atlantic salmon, but the taste is a bit too mild for me, compared to Alaskan and Pacific versions. Depending on my craving, I vary the preparation – do I want tart, or sweet and spicy, or maybe traditional dill with citrus? I should have called this post ‘variations on a salmon’ because each time I make it the ingredients vary. I am going to discipline myself for the time being and make sure you have a good base recipe, then list some variations that give the salmon a subtly different flavor. I am all kinds of in the mood for salmon lately, because thoughts of Alaska remind me of it so! We are excited to return to the most awesome state ever, and the home of the bestest salmon ever. Even if you can’t find the freshest or never frozen salmon, this recipe still works on any piece, as long as it is completely thawed. As you see, we like our salmon warm but still pink in the middle – to each his/her own…

Poached Salmon

Basic
1 – 2 pound fresh salmon fillet
1 lemon
4 Tbsp vinegar (champagne, red wine or white wine)
2 Tbsp butter or extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
Additional ingredients from the variations below

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a shallow baking sheet place a piece of aluminum foil – twice the length plus about four inches – with the center of the foil in the center of the pan. Place the salmon fillet skin side down in the middle of the foil and bend up the foil edges, so the liquid does not leak out. Drizzle juice from half the lemon over the fish, followed by drizzling vinegar. Sprinkle salt over fillet lightly. Add any additional ingredients from the variations below. For variations with liquid ingredients I recommend mixing them all together before adding to the fish. Fold over the edges of the foil and seal into a pouch so no fish is exposed. Bake for 15 – 25 minutes until desired doneness. It is better to under cook than over cook, then let it set outside the oven covered up – it will still cook and reduce the risk of it overcooking and getting dry.

Variations

1 Tbsp fresh dill
1 clove garlic, finely minced

or

2 tsp ginger, freshly grated
2 Tbsp soy sauce (gluten free if you are sensitive, because regular soy sauce has wheat in it)

or

3 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin

or

1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tsp ginger, freshly grated

or

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp garlic powder
1tsp onion powder

Posted in baked, fish, seafood, Takoma Park Kitchen, wheat free | Leave a Comment
22 Sep 2013

Coconut Macaroons

coconut macaroons

Big D is all about things coconut. Well, maybe not ALL things, like blue coconut sno cones, but definitely macaroons. I have discovered recently that my longstanding disregard for coconut was primarily based on exposure to sweetened strips of coconut. You know, the stuff in bags from the baking aisle of the store that is oft used for cookies and cakes? It is just too, pitchy and string for my taste. It always made me pucker. Our discovery of coconut flour as a low carb thickener and baking ingredient has changed my mind. Along with coconut oil I have found the coconut flour and unsweetened coconut meat are great conduits for baking – wheat free, high fiber, low carb tasty treats have come out of our kitchens over the past year. I am finally getting around to making this Big D favorite treat. These macaroons are a little too coconut-y for my taste but Big D and Little B scarfed them right down – almost the whole batch before lunch! Big D said that after they sat for a day and were chilled they had the chewy middle he loves about such macaroons, do double yay me. I looked through a bunch of recipes to figure out a good coconut/liquid ratio, but not sure there is a single source to credit, so thanks all you low carb macaroon makers out there! I plan to make a big batch right before our big move so we can nibble on them as we toodle across the country, or at least into the next state. By the way,
I promised credit to Litte B – I had a pile of macaroon for a picture, but Little B insisted on nestling each one carefully in mini muffin papers – after half an hour of manipulation she came up with the wonderful presentation you see above. Beautiful!

Coconut Macaroons

1 1/4 cup unsweetened minced coconut
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 cup granulated erythritol
2 egg whites
2 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp water

In a medium sauce pan combine coconut, coconut oil, erythritol, cream and water. Stir over medium heat until erythritol is dissolved – if you use finely minced coconut the mixture should be rough and not soupy at all. Remove from heat and let cool for about twenty minutes, so the mixture won’t cook the egg whites. Preheat oven to 350F. Whisk egg whites until they hold shape, but stop before stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into coconut mixture. With your hands gently form dough into balls no larger than 1″ in diameter. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper – one batch should make 16-20 macaroons. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until bottoms begin to brown and tops get brown edges. Let cool before removing from parchment. Store in refrigerator or room temperature in air tight container.

Posted in baked, coconut flour, eggs, Takoma Park Kitchen, Uncategorized, wheat free | Leave a Comment
12 Aug 2013

Cheese Crisps

cheese crisps

I like chips. I like crackers. Don’t eat much of either anymore, but still crave them. I have tried to make cheesy low carb versions in the past but to no avail and pork rinds just don’t always do it for me. Some experimenting on my own resulted in gooey, stretchy cheese pucks. Delicious, but not crispy. I did some research and found this approach. Perfect! Each pan I cooked for a different amount of time to see how the results varied. As you can see from the picture, I came up with three different types of crackers, in a good way. They were all stiff enough to dip or hold stuff piled on them, but the flavor was very different. I used sharp cheddar, and the sharpness really stood out in the browner, crispier crisps. The ones with the browned edges and lighter middle had a nice crispy and chewy balance, but mostly crispy. The lighter ones were not crispy, but were stiff enough to bend without breaking and make mini tacos. They inspired me to try bigger rounds and cool them in a curved, crispy taco shape. I did the basic sandwich thickness slices of cheese, but plan on trying the shredded, herby versions in the near future. I will update you when I do. When I made these the other night it was just me and Little B we ate every single one, experimenting with dipping and loading the different donenesses to test their capabilities. It was fun, we were very full, and Big D will get his own batch very soon.

Cheese Crisps

1 pound block sharp cheddar cheese
Parchment paper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice cheese into reasonably thin (like sandwich cheese thick) slices 1 – 1 1/2  inches in diameter. Place slices at least one inch apart on parchment paper on top of shallow baking sheets. Bake for five to seven minutes until the edges just start to brown, or they are brown all over, depending on preference. Remove from the oven immediately. Slide parchment paper off the sheet onto the kitchen counter or other heat resistant flat surface. Let cool. When cool remove crisps to paper towels to soak up lingering grease. Repeat slicing and baking until cheese is gone, because you will eat all of them. If you do have leftovers they can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container.

Posted in baked, cheese, Takoma Park Kitchen, wheat free | Leave a Comment

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