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In , on April 4, 2017 with No Comments

Gluten-Free Decadent Chocolate Cake

I’ve missed baking since starting my Paleo diet. By baking, I mean baking from scratch. I’ve tried several different gluten-free mixes that I’ve bought at the store, and while some of them have been pretty good, they all seem to be a bit sweet for my taste buds. I’ve doctored them by adding in things like coconut oil, but I figured I’d better start finding some scratch-made recipes in order to appease my sweet tooth.




My goal is to eventually convert my favorite family recipes into gluten-free and Paleo-friendly versions, but while I was looking at recipes on Pinterest, I came across a gluten-free recipe that I couldn’t wait to try. It’s from Gluten-Free on a Shoestring, and the recipe is super simple. If you omit the glaze in the recipe, which has whipping cream, it’s even Paleo, but I wanted to try the recipe as it was written – then the next time I make it I’ll put my own spin on it. I will say that I’ll probably increase the amount of cinnamon next time, just because I really couldn’t taste it. It was there, just not enough for my taste. The recipe also gives you an option for the liquid you use: brewed coffee, dry red wine, or water. I went with the coffee because I still had some in the coffee pot, and besides, I love the flavors of coffee and chocolate together, but I bet the wine would be killer too.

This cake has no eggs and no butter (in the cake anyway), and it was absolutely moist as could be. Sometimes I notice an off-texture in the store-bought gluten-free cake mixes, and I didn’t notice that with this cake. The boys said I had to make this again – and soon!

 

Decadent Chocolate Cake – Gluten-Free

3 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill)

1-1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum (omit if your flour already has it)

1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (I’m going to increase this to 1 teaspoon the next time I make this)

12 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons good vanilla extract

2 cups of either brewed coffee, dry red wine, or lukewarm water

For the Glaze:

6 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons brewed coffee, dry red wine, or lukewarm water

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a standard 12-cup Bundt pan, dust it lightly with cocoa powder, and set aside.

In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon, and whisk to combine well.

In a separate medium-sized bowl, place the melted coconut oil, vinegar, vanilla, and coffee (or wine/water). Whisk to combine well.

Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour in the wet ingredients, and whisk until just combined. The batter will be soft. Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan, and smooth into an even layer. Place the pan in the center of the preheated oven, and bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean (about 45 minutes). Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

While the cake is cooling, make the glaze. Place the chopped chocolate and the butter in a small heat-safe bowl, and microwave in 30-second bursts (or melt over a double boiler), stirring until melted and smooth. Add the whipping cream and your choice of the coffee, wine, or water, mixing well to combine. Allow the glaze to sit until no longer hot to the touch. Pour the glaze over the top of the cooled Bundt cake.

 

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In , , on April 3, 2017 with No Comments

How to Make Kombucha

I’m a newbie to the fermenting world, and I’ve always wanted to try making kombucha, but I admit I was definitely intimidated by the whole process. Which is really silly considering how much canning and preserving I do, which is way more labor intense than home brewing. I love fruit-flavored tea, so I decided to make the plunge and brew my own kombucha. Kombucha has a world of health benefits, as the fermentation process develops good bacteria that your digestive system loves. As I’ve given up soda and am weary of drinking plain water, kombucha seemed to be the way to go for me.

I originally ordered 2 SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) from Amazon. This is what turns sweet tea into fermented kombucha and adds all the wonderful health benefits. When my family first saw a SCOBY , they weren’t too thrilled about the idea of something that looked like a blob of gelatin floating in their tea, but they’ve come around and really do like kombucha now.




There are literally hundreds of places to buy a SCOBY  (if you don’t have a brewing friend who can give you one to start). If you buy one, make sure the SCOBY  comes with enough starter kombucha fluid (about 1-1/2 cups). On my first purchase of 2 SCOBY , there wasn’t enough starter, so that batch didn’t ferment like it should. I found a different vendor on Amazon, however, and they sent me one huge SCOBY  and more than enough starter tea. The first batch turned out great, and it made a new baby SCOBY  (it grows on top of the original SCOBY ), just like it was supposed to.

You can do an Internet search and find multiple different recipes on how to make kombucha, and everyone has their own tricks of the trade. I read a lot before I decided to make my own. What I did may be different from someone else who brews, but here’s what I did, and it turned out very tasty.

 

 

You can see the SCOBY to the right side – the dark shadow is a new baby SCOBY that has yeast tendrils hanging from the bottom side. This is normal.

 

 

Floating SCOBY.

 

The first picture was taken right after I added the fruit.

 

This picture is after the kombucha sat for a day. The colors really deepened.

 

How to Make Kombucha

5 to 6 tea bags (I used black tea)

1 cup sugar

1 gallon water less 1 cup

SCOBY  and 1-1/2 to 2 cups starter tea

Gallon jar

Cover for jar (I used a coffee filter and a rubber band)

 

Boil 2 quarts of water in a stockpot. Turn the heat off and add 5-6 teabags. Let steep for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the tea bags, and add the sugar. Stir to completely resolve. Let tea cool to room temperature.

When the sweet tea is at room temperature, pour the tea into a clean gallon jar. Add the additional 2 quarts of water (room temperature), making sure you leave room in the jar for the SCOBY and starter tea. With clean hands, add the SCOBY and starter tea to the gallon jar. Cover the top of the jar with something that is breathable (kombucha needs oxygen to ferment), and let sit out of the sun for 7 to 10 days.

Fermentation time will depend how warm your room is. I brewed mine in mid-March with an average room temperature of 72 degrees, and my batch took 10 days. Obviously, cooler rooms will take longer, and it won’t take as long when it’s hot outside. You should smell a sweet, vinegar-like smell.

You have to taste your brew to see when it’s ready. Some people like it sweeter, and some don’t. After about a week, remove the lid. Carefully slide a straw underneath the SCOBY, and taste. When it tastes good to you, carefully remove the SCOBY and place it in a small dish. Remove about 1-1/2 cups of your fermented tea, and place it in the same dish as the SCOBY – this will be your starter tea for your next batch.

Now it’s time for the fun part – flavoring your kombucha 🙂

The flavor possibilities are endless. If you do an Internet search (and Pinterest is a great starting place), you’ll find both sweet and savory ways to flavor your “booch.” I’m more of a fruit tea person, so I experimented with peaches, red raspberries, and blueberries on my first brew. Now, you don’t need special equipment to do the second fermentation where you’re flavoring your kombucha. You can use Mason jars or whatever you have on hand – just make sure if you want it to be fizzy that you can cap the container to let the carbonation build up. I purchased Grolsch bottles on Amazon, which are pretty inexpensive and work perfectly for this.

When I was ready to flavor my kombucha, I chopped up peaches, blueberries, and red raspberries and added about 2 tablespoons of fruit into each bottle. Pour the kombucha into the bottles, and cap the lids. Let the bottles sit on the counter for a day or two (out of the sun), but keep an eye on the fermentation. The tea will interact with the sugars in the fruit, and it won’t take long for carbonation to take place. You may need to “burp the lids” to release some of the pressure – you don’t want your bottles or containers exploding (it can happen).

After a day, taste your brew. If the taste is pleasing, place the bottles in the refrigerator. Fermentation will still keep occurring, but it does slow down once in the cool.

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In , , , on April 3, 2017 with No Comments

Fermented Garlic Dill Pickles

I’ve made a lot of pickles over the past 25 years: garlic dills, sweet pickles, bread and butter pickles, pickled beets, mustard pickles, and even dilly green beans. I’ve made tons of cucumber relish and salsa too, but everything I’ve done in the past has been vinegar based. That’s great if you have a huge garden and want to preserve your veggies for winter storage. However, after working for a Paleo diet expert, I’ve come to the realization that I’m not getting much nutrient value from these types of pickles.

The best way to preserve your veggies and get the most nutrition from them is to ferment them. It’s so simple to do, and fermenting has been around forever. And the best part is when you eat fermented foods, you’re adding good bacteria into your digestive system.

It doesn’t take much for special equipment to ferment your veggies. I already had a ton of canning jars (although other jars will work fine). All I needed to do was purchase some air locks (can find a variety of styles on Amazon), and I was all set.

I wanted to experiment with some cucumbers before gardening season arrived so I could decide 1) if I liked fermented pickles and 2) how much garden to plant. Wal-Mart actually had a small bag of pickling-sized cucumbers, so I snagged those and proceeded to start my experiment.




I had enough cucumbers to do 2 quart jars of fermented pickles. One I decided to do as close to my usual garlic dill pickles as possible, and the other quart jar I experimented with some pickling spice. The recipe that was closest to my usual dill pickles turned out terrific, and my youngest son told me I had to make crocks of them this summer when we’re overloaded with cucumbers. These pickles did not last long. The second jar – not so much a success. It fermented as it was supposed to. I just didn’t like the taste of the pickling spice, so the chickens got a fermented treat.

For my experiment, since it was March and fresh dill just isn’t available in Iowa, I used a combination of both dill seed and dill weed in my quart jar, but come summer, I’ll be using fresh, probably a big head of dill per jar. I like lots of dill and garlic in my pickles, but if you prefer less, feel free to adjust the amounts. The red pepper flakes are also optional. Sometimes I would make my usual garlic dills with a small piece of pepper to kick up the flavor, but the pickles will taste just fine if you don’t want the extra heat. I also didn’t have any grape leaves or horseradish leaves ready in the garden yet since it’s March, but I do add them when available. However, these pickles were perfectly crisp without them, so if you don’t have access to the leaves, don’t worry about it. Just be sure to keep the salt-to-water ratio the same so that you have enough salty brine for the fermentation to take place.

The spices and brine recipe are for 1 quart jar. Double as needed depending how many jars of pickles you want to make.

 

Fermented Garlic Dill Pickles

6 to 8 pickling size cucumbers (whole or slice into chunks as you prefer)

1 to 2 cloves garlic, peeled

1-1/2 tablespoon dill seed

1/2 teaspoon dill weed

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Grape leaf or horseradish leaf (optional – this provides tannin to help keep pickles crisp)

For the Brine (per quart):

3 cups water (room temperature)

3 tablespoons fine sea salt (can use canning/pickling salt too)

 

To each quart jar, add the grape or horseradish leaf if using, the garlic, and the spices. Pack your cucumbers in tightly. Combine brine ingredients until the salt is dissolved, and pour the brine over the cucumbers.

Add a glass weight to the jar to keep the cucumbers submerged in the brine, and place an air lock to the top of the jar. Let the jar sit on the counter for 2 to 3 days out of the sun. How fast fermentation takes place will depend on how warm the room is. Ideal temperature would be around 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, so if it’s wintertime, it will take longer, and fermentation will definitely speed up when it’s hot.

You’ll see the brine turn cloudy after a day or two. Don’t panic – that’s what you want to happen. It means things are fermenting as planned. After a couple of days, remove the air lock and the glass weight, and taste a pickle. It should be crunchy and full of dill and garlic flavor. If it isn’t, replace the glass weight and air lock, and let the jar sit for another day before re-tasting. When you’re happy with the pickles, remove the air lock and glass weight, place a different lid on the jar (I use a new canning lid and ring), and put the jar in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

Note: If you slice your cucumbers, the slices will ferment a bit quicker than if you leave the cucumbers whole in the jar. My whole cucumbers took about 4 days in mid-March before they were fermented all the way through, but my slices were ready in 2-1/2 days.

 

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