The Smiling Onion

Vegetarian and Gluten-free Cooking

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Turmeric-Carrot Muffins

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Despite my obsession with carrots, carrot cake and carrot muffins have never really done it for me. I’ve always placed them in the “oatmeal raisin” camp, which to me translates as not my jam. Maybe I’m just biased against desserts with raisins? But something about your run-of-the-mill carrot muffin is just not that appealing to me. Yet when the polar vortex hit the other day, so did the baking bug. And I’m now completely sold on carrot muffins.

But – big caveat – these are definitely not your ordinary carrot muffins. There’s no cinnamon and no raisins: instead, I went with fresh turmeric and ginger, a generous dose of sour cream, a hint of cardamom, and a subtle kick from some ground black pepper. They are also less sweet than a typical carrot muffin, making them a fantastic (and not so sugary) breakfast or snack that is delicious warm or cold. So let me rephrase my previous statement: I’m now completely sold on carrots in muffins – as long as there’s turmeric and sour cream in there too. These are definitely going into my muffin rotation!

In addition to the flavor profile, I’m also excited about these muffins because they are completely nut-free. While I normally depend on a small amount of almond flour to add moisture and tenderness to my baked goods, I wanted to create some muffin recipes that don’t use this somewhat polarizing (because of its cost and because not everyone can eat nuts) ingredient. Since it’s the high protein and fat content that makes almond flour such a great ingredient in gluten-free baked goods, those elements are taken care of by the sour cream, eggs, and butter in this recipe. High protein oat and sorghum flour seal the deal, and – along with a teaspoon of binding psyllium – help to create the perfect texture.

So – whether you are offended by or sympathetic to my stance on the “typical” carrot muffin, I do urge you to try this remix. You can even add in some raisins – if you must. (Just make sure to soak them first.)

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Banana Spice Muffins

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I didn’t plan to bake today. But sometimes, inspiration just strikes and the mixing bowls have to come out. Of course, knowing your baking triggers can be helpful when it comes to acceptance. Here are mine:

-Rain or snow

-The remnants of rain or snow (snow-covered trees, clouds of fog, etc.)

-Waking up early without an alarm

-A clean kitchen

Today, waking up at 7 to a light dusting of very pretty snow and realizing that I had the morning free set my internal baking clock to “Go.” And why fight that? Especially when it resulted in these surprisingly healthy (you wouldn’t know it from the taste) banana spice muffins that happen to be gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined-sugar free. Yum!

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Carrot Tea

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Wait, what?! Carrot tea?! Oh, yes.

I’ve been sitting on this recipe for a while, but it’s been such a busy couple of weeks that I haven’t had time to actually sit down and write it up until now. You may think I’ve gone nuts during that hiatus and that my carrot obsession has crossed a line – carrot breakfast pudding and carrot lokshen kugel were fair enough, I guess, but carrot tea? Really?

Yes, really! I urge you to reserve judgment until you try the recipe. It’s really quite lovely.

You can make your carrot tea savory or sweet, hot or cold. I recommend the savory version hot and the sweet version iced. If you have kids, see if they like the iced version – it has a lot less sugar than juice or soda but tastes like a new kind of lemonade, if lemonade wasn’t tart.

I love to drink the savory version when I’m feeling like my system needs a bit of extra help  – there is something very healing about it, and the celtic sea salt provides mineral support.

So, am I crazy? Let’s find out!

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Imitation Horchata

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Horchata is a delicious, creamy beverage that originates in Valencia and is popular in many parts of Latin America. The version I’m familiar with is served in Mexican restaurants and usually made from rice, but this “imitation” version uses boxed almond milk for simplicity’s sake. In fact, I almost didn’t want to post this recipe, since it’s laughably easy! However, I realized that if I was making it all the time, maybe others would want to do the same – especially since drinking something cold, sweet, and creamy on a summer day just can’t be beat. Boy does it hit the spot! So I decided to share.

All you need is some unsweetened almond milk, maple syrup, and a light sprinkle of spices. Mix it all together and it tastes like…well…horchata! So easy!

This drink is a perfect afternoon pick-me-up, especially if you’ve been out in the sun all day. It’s also fantastic as a dessert craving quencher or the sweet ending to a spicy meal. You’ll be amazed how something so easy can taste so delicious.

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Bourbon-Sour Cream Ice Cream for the 4th of July!

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You may have noticed that I tend to put whiskey in my holiday blog posts – at least once a year.  There’s this year’s Irish Whiskey Banana Bread (St. Patty’s Day), last year’s Cinnamon-Sugar Sandwich Cookies with Chocolate-Whiskey Cream (Valentine’s Day), and my whiskey-glazed Apples & Honey Cake from Rosh Hashanah 2015…er…5776 (Jewish calendar). In any case, I’m beginning to realize I may have a whiskey dessert problem.

But what a wonderful problem it is! Bourbon lends itself perfectly to ice cream. In fact, no matter what flavor I decided to create, it probably would have included at least 1 tablespoon of the stuff since adding alcohol to homemade ice cream helps make it creamy and prevent iciness. (So does arrowroot starch, incidentally, which you’ll also find in this recipe!) And the caramel notes of the bourbon with the tanginess of the sour cream – it really can’t be described in words.

In addition to tasting divine, this ice cream recipe is also lactose-free, low fodmap, egg-free, coconut-free, soy-free, and nut-free! Interestingly, I haven’t been able to find a lactose-free ice cream recipe that doesn’t use coconut milk or nut milk, and really wanted one, since coconut can tend to taste quite coconuty and nut milk doesn’t quite have the proper texture to yield a creamy result. This probably has something to do with the fact that traditional ice cream is made from a blend of heavy cream and milk, and, while there is plenty of lactose-free milk on the market, I don’t think there is any heavy cream. There is, however, lactose-free half and half and lactose-free sour cream. I had a hunch that thickening the half and half slightly with some arrowroot starch (which also prevents an icy ice cream texture) and then blending it with the sour cream might be a winning combo –  and I’m happy to say I was right!

This ice cream is the perfect balance of creamy, rich, tangy, and sweet. Whether you’ve never had sour cream ice cream before, or you’re already a convert, you really must try it! So plug in that ice cream maker, grab yourself a bowl, and get ready for some fireworks.

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Maple Teff Muffins (and a Review of Tenera Grains Teff Flour!)

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As the rain pours down in New York City and gusts of wind slam against our windows, I’m drinking a nice, hot cup of earl grey tea and enjoying a basket of fresh-from-the-oven teff muffins, slathered with grass-fed salted butter. I haven’t felt this peaceful in a while.

Later today, things will get done. The state of the bedroom matches the weather – it’s a tornado of papers and clothes that need to be sorted and folded. And laundry awaits, too. But right now, sitting at the table watching the cat admire the rain, muffins, tea, and butter are all-consuming.

I can thank the kind people at Tenera Grains for making these muffins happen. Seeing that I use teff quite frequently in my recipes (check out more teff flour recipes here), they offered a bag of their freshly milled flour in exchange for an honest review. It’s been sitting in the cabinet for a while now, urging me to make injera, or waffles, or pizza crust, or … the call that finally got through to me … muffins! I absolutely love teff flour in muffins because it’s high in protein (which gives you a nice boost in the morning, helps cut the sweetness, and adds moisture to gluten-free baked goods) and has a hearty, nutty flavor that reminds me of bran. In fact, these muffins are quite similar to my Mystical Applesauce “Bran” Muffins which also use teff, with a few notable changes:  banana instead of applesauce, maple syrup instead of agave, and more teff flour. Just like that recipe, however, I’ve used the same baking powder/baking soda combo (see why here) and remained true to my tradition of making a “mystical” dozen (11 muffins instead of 12).

Well, Tenera teff flour did not disappoint! The muffins came out moist and delicious – with a lovely, nutty maple flavor and a light and airy texture.

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Mexican Chocolate Chia Pudding

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Yes, this is the second recipe I’ve posted recently involving Mexican-spiced chocolate. But can you blame me? I was so enamored with my Mexican chocolate hamantaschen filling that I just had to keep the love fest going with a delicious chia pudding. Especially since — despite making and eating chia pudding on a regular basis — this is the first chia pudding recipe I’ve posted in two years of blogging!

How can this be?!  Chia pudding is one of the world’s most perfect breakfasts. It is remarkably filling, nutrient-packed, and exceedingly versatile. All you need are some chia seeds, some liquid, and some “seasonings.” I’ve made chia puddings “seasoned” with matcha, raspberry-black sesame, maple, you name it. I even recently made a savory chia pudding with turmeric and ginger. But today, I wanted to share this Mexican chocolate chia pudding with you, because it’s just what you need to start your day off right: with flava.

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Apple-Ricotta Tart with Pumpkin Seed Crust

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Tuesdays must be lucky because I have an incredible Fall dessert to share with you today. Imagine a light and creamy maple-ricotta mousse tucked inside a rich, buttery grain-free shortbread crust. Can you taste it? Okay. Now add some fresh apple slices and a couple honey hazelnuts to the mix. All good? Great. So just focus on the crust for a second – can you taste the freshly ground pumpkin seeds in there? They’ll be the rich, nutty savory hint that pops through. Now don’t forget to let that note intermingle with the fresh, brightness of the apple slices and the creamy ricotta mousse…

Having trouble holding all those flavors together in your mind? No worries. Let me take you through how to make this beauty so you can taste it for real. But first, a quick note about what inspired this dessert: Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

For me, Rosh Hashanah signals the beginning of Fall, the beginning of apple season, the beginning of the long, bountiful “time-to-eat-all-the-time-especially-sweets” season that continues with Thanksgiving and doesn’t end until after Valentine’s Day. I’ll be going home to Massachusetts soon for my family’s annual Rosh Hashanah walk on the Mount Holyoke Range and apple picking in Ashfield. We’ll each take some time to think about the year that’s passed and the one to come, and then we’ll have a delicious meal and dip apples in honey to symbolize our hope that it’s a sweet one.

Hence this apple tart. It screams Fall – apples, pumpkin seeds, hazelnuts – short of sprinkling on some colorful leaves, I’m not sure how it could honor the season more. And of course, the Rosh Hashanah elements of apples and honey are represented. But what’s more, while there’s an elegance about it, there is also a homey, comforting quality that seemed appropriate for the holiday.

After all, what do most of us want when entering a new year? Sure, there are always things to change: new beginnings remind us to be creative, daring, unafraid to take risks. That’s your pumpkin seed crust right there. But there is also something to be said for holding on to some familiarity –– to comfort, to home. We tend to feel better about starting anew when we have some sense of security and grounding: for this, Fall, baking, and apple slices seemed like a good place to start.

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Mascarpone and Berry Parfait with Balsamic, Basil, and Mint (4th of July, Here We Come!)

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My brother and I have always been very attached to traditions. Most people have to do something at least twice for it to be considered a “tradition” that should be repeated; for us, it only takes once. As soon as we do something to commemorate a special occasion or event, if it goes well, it’s a tradition. And we better repeat it, or face the consequences!

My parents were frequently frustrated with us growing up – “But mom, we can’t celebrate Rosh Hashanah on the day itself – we ALWAYS celebrate it one day early!” – or “Dad, we HAVE to go to the store right now and get chocolate covered espresso beans to put in the cookies – it’s a tradition!” I’ve cut vacations short just so that I could be home for a certain occasion I’m always home for and I once took a “birthday walk” in the pouring rain (complete with thunder and lightening) because … well… it was the birthday walk. Tradition! You can’t mess with it.

Anyway, I have two 4th of July traditions that I try to repeat every year. I’m not going to tell you about the first one, because it will probably make me sound even crazier than I already do. But I will tell you about the second: vanilla ice-cream with strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. Red-white-and-blue deliciousness.

So, for my 4th of July blog post, I wanted to create something in the spirit of that tradition. I definitely did not want to make ice-cream this week (I’m a little ice-creamed out from the Ben and Jerry’s fiasco I wrote about last week) but berries and cream … this I could do. And boy could I eat it! Because this parfait is a mascarpone cream interspersed with balsamic-basil strawberries, blueberries infused with mint and red wine, and salted-maple raspberries. Need I say more? At the risk of sounding super cheesy, it’s fireworks in your mouth.

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Pumped-Up Jam Bites

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Pump up the jam…bites. Anyone? Here’s a link to what I’m talking about – go 90’s!

Anyway, there are actually a variety of reasons why these delicious little bites are “pumped up.” They are made from teff and oats, which are both whole grains that pack a big nutritional punch. Teff flour is very high in protein, iron, and calcium – in fact, its iron and calcium content is much higher than that of whole wheat flour. Oat flour is protein rich as well, and also happens to be the winner of the soluble fiber contest: it has the most of any grain, ever! If you’re not familiar with soluble fiber, it has a wide range of benefits, from helping you digest all the insoluble fiber you may be eating (and if you’re vegetarian like me, you are probably eating a lot!) to lowering your cholesterol levels, to…well,  a whole lot more. Additionally, these guys have no refined sugar (if you use a fruit-sweetened jam like my favorite brand Fiordifrutta) and are also completely dairy-free. So pump it up!

Okay, but enough about all the health benefits. Let’s get to the taste! And in that respect as well, these little jam bites are totally awesome, in my humble opinion. If you eat them still warm from the oven, they are soft, tender, decadent, and seriously sticky! (The jam will not stay inside these little guys when they are still warm, but will instead ooze out in the most delightful – if messy – way, covering the entire bottom layer with a heavenly fruity finish.) Once they’ve cooled down, they are more akin to a Nutrigrain bar– the outer layer will take on the slightly drier texture of a cereal bar and the jam will stay inside. So you’re really getting two delicious bites from only one recipe! How’s that for pumping it up? (How many times can I reference this song, you guys? Is once per paragraph too much? :p )

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