GF Whoopie Pies with Nutella Cakes and Mascarpone Cream Filling

If I am going to bother making a dessert it has to be 2 things: simple and delicious. If it takes too much effort, or isn't worth the calories, I am likely to grab a spoon and a jar of Nutella and call it a night. This treat satisfies both requirements and, alas, Nutella still has a starring role... 

The seed for this dessert was planted this afternoon when I saw a little boy sitting on a bench, devouring a whoopie pie. Whoopie pies are the #1 reason why I will never move away from New England. Every once in a while I give in to temptation and eat a giant-sized, gluten-filled, deliciously decadent New England Whoopie Pie. And then for several days I pay the consequences...  Tonight, I was determined to have a different fate when faced with my intense craving! In just the first try, I managed to create a creamy, moist, chocolatey, simple, gluten free version of a whoopie pie that is sure to keep me from indulging in ways that my body wouldn't approve. Although my goal is to continue working on this recipe until the proportions are perfect, I wanted to share immediately just in case anyone else is caught in the same situation. I will be sure to update with any changes! Enjoy!!!


To make the Nutella cakes: 

In a medium bowl, mix by hand the following ingredients: 

3/4 cup Nutella
1 large egg
3/4 cup All-purpose GF flour

I love that there is no need to add any extra sugar!

Bake 6-8 minutes at 350F.


To make the mascarpone cream filling:

Combine the following ingredients in a bowl and whip (with a wire whisk or an electric mixer) until it is a nice thick cream. This cream will be much thicker than the regular cream filling in a whoopie pie. Because GF cakes don't achieve the same moisture level as their glutenous counterpart, I had to add a little extra decadence!

                               1 cup mascarpone cheese
                               1 cup whipping cream
                               1 teaspoon GF vanilla extract
                               5 tablespoons sugar

Zucchini Pizza Crust

Disclaimer: A lot of people like to make crusts out of veggies so as to cut down on carbs. This recipe is not carbohydrate free!! I use a rice flour because it helps with the consistency of this crust. You can skip the flour if you are looking for a low carb option, but it will have an effect on the success of your crust.

Ingredients for the crust: 
2 cups grated zucchini
2 large eggs - beaten
1/2 cup rice flour (brown or white)
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan or asiago cheese
1 tblsp of EVOO
A pinch of salt, pepper, basil, oregano, rosemary, marjoram - use a little of each, or just the ones you have around!

Method: 

1) Preheat oven to 400F

2) Oil your pan!

3) Rid the grated zucchini of some excess water. You can do this a few different ways but the simplest is with paper towels: lay the zucchini on a plate lined with paper towels and then cover with another. Press firmly into the zucchini to absorb the water. No need to do it more than once.


4) Add everything but the rice flour to a bowl and stir until all of the ingredients are evenly dispersed.

5) Add the flour and continue to mix.

6) Pour the mixture into your preferred baking vessel. This time around, I chose to use my shallow muffin tin to make slightly thicker, but smaller, crusts. You can use practically any metal baking vessel, as long as you grease it first and you don't allow the mixture to be thicker than 1/4 inch before baking. You could also use a regular cookie sheet and line it with parchment paper. The good news about this recipe is that you can accomplish it using what you already own!

7) Baking time will vary slightly based on the dish you use. For these smaller crusts it only took 15 minutes. If you are making one large crust on a metal pie plate expect 15-20 minutes. You will know that it is done when the edges begin to brown.

8) Take the crust out and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes. Add the toppings of your choice and place back in the oven at 300F and cook only as long as it takes to get the toppings where you want them- if you are using vegetables or garlic if is a good idea to sauté them first.

Here are some of the toppings that I like best:

Fresh mozzarella
Tomato sauce, pepperoni and fresh mozzarella
Fresh salsa with tomatoes, garlic, cilantro, red onion and lime juice 

 

Need another idea? 
These crusts are also delicious when topped with a simple balsamic drizzle.  Balsamic drizzle can be easily made by combining one cup of balsamic vinegar with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Bring it to a boil over medium high heat and then reduce the heat and let it continue to reduce by about half. This should take about 10 minutes. It is also good to use on any cut of red meat!

How about this? 
You can easily turn this crust recipe into a "zucchini bite" by keeping the water in the zucchini and then using the mixture in a mini muffin tin,  a regular muffin tin, or in a tortilla bowl tin, as pictured below. Using different shapes can create a fun effect and offers different surface areas for other toppings.

Cheesy Fried Polenta Cakes

Because I have humans to take care of other than myself, I really appreciate simple meals that taste good. I generally stick with nutrition-packed meals for my family but every once in a while I need something fried. Deep Fried. Deep fried and salty. 

Cheesy Fried Polenta Cakes:

Including prep and cooking time, this side dish can take a total of 15 minutes if you are using firm polenta that is pre-packaged. If you are making polenta from scratch it will take quite a bit longer. 

Ingredients: 

Firm polenta, cut into rounds

Parmesan cheese

Asiago cheese

Salt 

Pepper

Canola Oil 

Method: 

 Set the oven to Broil while you slice the firm polenta into rounds. 

 Heat up the canola oil so that it sputters a bit if you add a few drops of water. Fry the polenta rounds until they turn a bit darker. You are going to finish them with the broiler so there is no need to brown them in the oil. You may want to place them on a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Place them on a baking sheet and sprinkle with a good salt. Add grated parmesan and asiago cheeses to the top of each round and then sprinkle some fresh black pepper to the top. 

Broil the cakes until the cheese is nice and bubbly and starts to brown; this should take between 5-8 minutes depending on your oven. Serve immediately! 

Of course we all know that baking polenta is a low-fat, lower calorie option.... Still I welcome you to try this method for the ultimate experience in gooey/crispy/cheesy/salty goodness. 

Strawberry and Steak Tip Summer Salad

Warm weather always makes me think about my childhood. Running in from the house all sweaty and sitting down to a meal that was likely prepared by Dad on the grill on the back porch... Summer was all about grilling meat, chowing on corn on the cob and eating fresh fruit by the bushel. This salad is the adult version of what summer tasted like to me as a child. 

Although steak and strawberries don't seem like they would play nice on the same plate, the sweet and salty combination of tender meat and crisp fruit is undeniably delicious. 

 Begin with a bed of fresh baby spinach. I make massive portions of this dish since the salad is the entire meal. 

I will sometimes vary the vegetables that go into this salad depending on what is in the fridge. The absolute necessary elements are spinach, cucumber, sweet corn (fresh or frozen - never canned!) and diced bell pepper. On top of the vegetables, I add parmesan and asiago cheeses. 

The next layer of the salad is the best part; fresh sliced strawberries and steak! Mmmmm...

Since James and I are both red meat lovers, we go with small portions on any given day so that we can eat it more than once a week. I buy our steak tips from our gourmet food shop and then season or marinate them at home. A lot of pre-marinated meats contain gluten so I never buy them unless they are clearly marked that they are, indeed, gluten free. I marinated these tips with burgundy wine and garlic and then seared them in a frying pan with a little butter and olive oil. Be sure to drizzle the pan juices over your salad if you aren't counting calories! 

The last step for the salad is to add a splash of balsamic vinaigrette. You really don't need very much because there are so many bright, fresh flavors on this plate already! 

Ingredients: serves 2

1/2 - 3/4 lb of steak tips (marinated or simply seasoned with salt and pepper)

1 bag of baby spinach

fresh strawberries

sweet corn (fresh or frozen)

parmesan cheese

asiago cheese

1 cucumber

bell peppers of your choice

balsamic vinaigrette 

Black Bean and Toasted Chickpea Salad

Sometimes I look in my fridge and I start to panic that food is about to go bad... 

and then I make a salad with those things and all is well with the world. 

It is under those exact circumstances that this delightful little dish was born. I had a bunch of bell peppers that were likely to not last another day so I wanted to build a healthy, tasty, nutrient rich meal based around them. We have been eating a lot of beans lately because it is the perfect finger food for our almost 1-year old, Wesley. I like for him to be a part of our dinner rituals so I always make a dish that he can dig into as well. 

I love simple food that feels good to make, and that I feel good about giving to my family. James works a lot of hours at the hospital and often comes home without having eaten much during a 12 hour shift. I try to pack as much nutritional value as I can into those meals so that he can recuperate his lost energy. Salads are the perfect tool for my gastronomic goals:

1) Nourish my loved ones and myself.
2) Use up food that is on its way out.
3) Make yummy things that look beautiful.








This salad satisfied all of those goals and turned out to be
something that I will definitely make again. Here is how it goes:

Ingredients:
1 can garbanzo beans / chick peas
1 can black beans
1 medium tomato
1/2 red onion
1/2 of each red, green and orange bell pepper
1 green onion - green and white parts
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 small diced jalapeño
Juice of 1 lime
cilantro
olive oil
salt and pepper

Method:
1) Dice up all the veggies and put them in a bowl.
2) Toast the chick peas over medium heat for just a few minutes; when the skin starts to darken you should take them off the heat. Add them to the bowl
3) Do the same to the black beans.
4) Squeeze the juice out of the entire lime into the bowl.
5) Mix the salad well for a minute.
6) Add salt and pepper to taste.
7) Add fresh cilantro to your taste. I like to wait until just before I serve the dish to add my cilantro to keep it as fresh tasting as possible.

Note: I added cubed muenster cheese to my plate. We had a dairy free guest for lunch so I didn't add it to the original salad. I am 100% that cheese makes everything better... except fish... :) 




                                                             ENJOY!!!!!!

Peach Lime Salsa

Winter bores me. Stuck inside all day... nothing fresh and exciting growing on the trees... the cold... oh, New England...

But the sun is back! And that means that I am finally realizing how asleep I have been since November and it is time to make exciting things happen... So I open the fridge.... and... PEACHES!!

Peaches are one of my all-time favorite foods. Sweet, juicy perfection.

Dinner tonight is going to be turkey sliders (boring) with Peach Lime Salsa (exciting!)
You have seen a million turkey slider recipes so I am not even going to bother with how those are made but I am thrilled to share the method for making this dull dish come alive. I cook for two people so my portions are always quite small. Feel free to double or triple the recipe to feed more people, or to enjoy as leftovers!

Ingredients:
1 peach
1 green onion (white and green parts)
1/2 lime
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 orange bell pepper
salt
cilantro

Method: Dice up the peach, bell peppers and onion and put in a bowl. Squeeze the lime juice into the mixture and then add some nice salt. I like to let the salsa marinate in the lime juice for a few hours and then add the fresh cilantro just before serving. Enjoy!!

Brussels Sprout Perfection

I loooooooooooooooooooove brussels sprouts.

Thankfully I have a very patient husband; my house reeks for hours after cooking them, which I do at least 3 times a week.

I find these odd little veggies so delightful that I have actually thought to myself on more than one occasion how insane it is that some people just boil them and put them on a plate. Although I have enjoyed them prepared many different ways, and with many different plate-mates, this preparation is by far my favorite. Just three ingredients, so as not to mask the unique flavor...

Los Ingredientes:
Brussels Sprouts 
Olive Oil
Sea Salt

If you aren't keen on the brussels sprout flavor (but eat them because you know they are good for you, they were on sale, your partner loves them, etc...) then add a little lemon juice before cooking them.

Method: 
1.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2) Shave the brussels sprouts - make sure that you have some larger pieces and some very fine pieces. This ensures that you will end up with different textures in each bite. You can achieve this with a mandolin or just by slicing them with a knife.

3) Place the brussels sprouts in a dark baking dish. I actually like to use my round cake pan! They should pile up a little and should not be in a flat layer on the pan. Add enough olive oil so that all the pieces are just a little shiny.

4) Sprinkle sea salt.

5) Place in the preheated oven and let cook for about 15 minutes. Stir at least twice during the cooking process so that the little pieces don't burn to the bottom of the pan. They are done when the smaller pieces are brownish and the larger pieces have brightened in their green color.

I like to eat brussels sprouts by themselves for a snack but this also make a wonderful topping for a cheeseburger, a ribeye steak or as an addition to a quinoa salad. I even once made a sandwich out of it by adding a thick slice of tomato, bacon and parmesan cheese. (I'm drooling!)