Gluten Free, Vegetarian Cabbage Rolls (holopchi or goluptsi)

Vegetarian Cabbage Rolls

Vegetarian Cabbage Rolls for a Gluten Free Easter Dinner

I consider these the epitome of European comfort food, probably in part because they were a common element at family dinners with my grandparents.  Growing up, cabbage rolls (or holopchi in German and Ukrainian and goluptsi in Russian) were often served by my German grandmother, especially at Easter.  Those cabbage rolls were stuffed with ground meat and covered in tomato soup.  Since I don't really eat meat, I decided to make these in a healthy, cheap, vegetarian version. I've followed the bare bones of my Omi's recipe, but stuffed the cabbage leaves with rice and vegetables, then smothered the rolls in easy homemade tomato sauce.

Also, since Easter weekend is two weeks away, I thought I would get the jump on it and start posting some low-cost, gluten free Easter dinner dishes, starting with these cabbage rolls.  Later this week, I'll be experimenting with more German dishes, gluten free potato dumplings, and gluten free spaetzle, a flour and egg noodle that is boiled and smothered with butter.  Mmmmm....butter...

The ingredients are naturally gluten free, and very cheap, perfect for a budget friendly, gluten free Easter dinner.  They also serve double-duty as part of "cabbage fest," my attempt to provide recipes that make use of the ever so cheap cabbage in a variety of ways, while cooking gluten free on a budget.  Last week for cabbage fest I posted Veggie Wraps with Sprouts and Cabbage, an Asian inspired dish.  This week's cabbage roll hails from Germany, at the far end of the next continent, which I think speaks to the versatility of cabbage to work with a variety of flavours and international cuisine.  These are deceptively filling, too, so they can serve as a meal all on their own, or have one or two as a side with something else.

These vegetarian cabbage rolls also make a great dish to take to a potluck any time of year, as the recipe makes about 30 rolls, and they are free of most common allergens if served plain.  The bonus: since the rolls and all the vegetables are cooked, the allergen protein in the tomatoes, carrots and zucchini is destroyed, making them safe for people with Oral Allergy Syndrome.  Leftovers can easily be frozen and reheated for quick dinners later.    

Ingredients: (makes about 30 cabbage rolls)

1 c. white rice (your choice of type)

½ medium zucchini, grated*

2 medium sized carrots, peeled and grated*

½ onion, chopped fine

1 c. grated cabbage, approximately

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp oregano

¾ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1 large head of cabbage for wrapping the rolls

Vegetarian Holopchi

Sauce

2 c. vegetable stock*

1 15-oz can plain tomato paste or diced tomatoes*

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp lemon juice

Optional toppings

Yogurt

Sour cream

Shredded cheese

More tomato sauce
Chopped parsley

    Directions: 

     

1. Prepare the head of cabbage to use for wrapping the rice and veggies.  There are two ways to do this.    The easiest one is to freeze a whole head of cabbage overnight, then remove it several hours before use to defrost.  Using a sharp knife, cut the core out of the bottom of the cabbage head and gently peel off all the leaves.  Alternatively, you could cut out the core, then boil the whole head until the leaves are soft and start to fall off.  

2. Mix the rice, zucchini, carrots, shredded cabbage, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper in a large bowl. 

3. Line a 9x13” casserole dish with extra cabbage leaves from the head of cabbage (optional, this is to help prevent the rolls from sticking to the bottom).

4. Roll the cabbage leaves on a flat surface: take a cabbage leaf and cut out the bottom of the hard stem.  Add 1-2 Tbsp filling to the bottom end of the leaf, leaving approximately 1” leaf to the right and left.  Folding the leaf like an envelope, lift the end of the leaf up and over the filling, then fold the right and left sides over.  Continue rolling to the end of the leaf.  Continue with the rest of the leaves to use all the filling. For a more detailed how-to, follow the directions for rolling Asian rice wraps.

5. Place the cabbage rolls in the baking pan, tucking them in close together. 

6. Mix together the sauce ingredients.  If using diced tomatoes, blend in blender or with hand blender until a paste.  Pour over the cabbage rolls to cover. 

7. Cover the dish with lid or aluminum foil and bake at 350F for 1 3/4 hr - 2 hrs, until rice inside the rolls is cooked through and leaves are soft. You may want to baste the rolls partway through to ensure the tops are evenly cooked.  

What does your family make for Easter dinner?  I'd love for you to share your traditions, and where they come from!   

*OAS Info: The boiling process *should* kill the allergen proteins in the zucchini and carrots.  If you are reactive to either, simply remove them, or replace with something you can eat.  As for the stock used, most commercial stocks use celery, an OAS food that likely does not lose its reactivity during processing, so if you are very reactive to celery you may want to make your own stock and eliminate the celery.

This recipe is shared with the following sites:

Meatless Monday at My Sweet and Savory Just Another Meatless Monday at Hey What's For Dinner Mom? Foodie Friday  on Rattlebridge Farm

Veggie Wraps with Sprouts and Cabbage

Gluten Free Asian Rice Wraps

Gluten Free Asian - style Sprout Wraps
a.k.a. cheap wraps, grow your own sprout wraps
gluten free, dairy free, egg free, nut free, sugar free (optional)

This might sound strange to some of you, but I always keep a head of green cabbage in my fridge.  Always. No exaggeration.  I slip it into all kinds of dishes as a cheap filler, like the wraps shown here. These wraps are a standard in my house and my fiance was actually around the corner nibbling on the other ones while I was photographing these. 

I also love these wraps for traveling.  With so many food allergies, airport food offers very little in the way of options so I always pack a ton of food with me (more on packing food for traveling later).  The last thing anyone wants is to be sick on an airplane, or better yet, miss your flight because you're stuck in the bathroom!  I've found that taking lots of fresh veggies and rice cakes really helps to stave off that "I'm so gross, bloated, dirty, yucky, shouldn't have eaten that whole bag of chips" feeling from spending a day traveling.  These little wraps are a staple in my traveling lunch bag.  They hold up really well and I actually feel good after eating them, even if I am stuck on a smelly bus on the way to the airport. 

Ok, so on Saturday I suggested to my followers on my Facebook page and on Google+ that you all stock up on cabbage, as it's on sale right now for St. Patrick's Day.  I promised to give you recipes that had to do with cabbage!  (Here's a thank you to Rogene whose post on Gluten Free and Loving It reminded me about buying cabbage for St. Paddy's Day, therefore inadvertently inspiring me to post on cabbage).  Cabbage is always a good deal, even when not on sale, and is extremely versatile.  It can be used for everything from British to German to Asian to Indian cuisine and everywhere in between.  It can be raw, cooked, boiled, baked, or anything else you like.  It also stores well in the freezer, and can be taken out to use for cabbage rolls and wraps, or shredded for stir fries and curries. So to kick off the cabbage fest, I'm posting my recipe for gluten free Asian rice wraps. 

Mung Beans

So this recipe that I developed a while back uses cabbage, along with one of my favorite things - Home Grown Sprouts.  Those of you who have been following along with me for a bit know that I seriously love sprouts and have been working on incorporating them into everything, including Sprouted Green Lentil Bread and Sprouted Red Lentil Bread.  Well these wraps are actually based around two types of sprouts that you can grow at home, Mung Bean and Alfalfa.

Of course, you can just buy the grown sprouts in almost any market, but I prefer to grow my own.  It's cheaper, of course, and I just love to sprout.

Mung beans can be found in many markets that have a bulk section or an Asian section, or they can be found at an Asian market.  They are often used in soups, stir fries, or in mung bean noodles.  They're like little green, oval pea-type things with a white dot (see the picture to the right).   Alfalfa can be found in health food stores, or some enlightened markets ;)  Both should be very cheap, and you only need a very small amount to make about a dozen of these filling little wraps.

Ready-grown alfalfa is easy to find, but if you can't find sprouted mung beans, or the seeds, you can substitute sprouted soy beans (or sprout soy beans yourself) or most other pea or bean mixes.

Alfalfa sprouts

Note: If sprouting these yourself you'll need to plan about 5 days ahead, as the alfalfa take a few days to grow green leaves.  If one or the other of these sprouts is ready to go ahead of the other, you can refrigerate them.  Rinse and drain once per day until you are ready to use them.  They will keep in the fridge up to 4 days.

Ingredients: (makes about 10-12 wraps)

2 Tbsp alfalfa seeds (or about 2-3 c alfalfa sprouts)

4 Tbsp mung beans (about 2.5 c mung bean sprouts)

Shredded cabbage, carrots and mung beans

2-3 medium sized carrots, peeled, shredded or julienned finely*

approx. 2 cups of packed green cabbage leaves, then shredded or finely chopped (cut out the hard white centre)

1 Tbsp fresh ginger, chopped fine

1 clove garlic, chopped fine

1 Tbsp oil for stir frying

approx. 12 rice wrappers, available in the Asian section of most markets

Sauce:

3 Tbsp Gluten Free Soy Sauce (I use Bragg, widely available in markets - in Canada in Save-On or Choices) or GF Tamari sauce*

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 Tbsp honey or brown sugar

1/4 c warm water (or veggie stock)

Directions:

1. If sprouting alfalfa and mung beans yourself, start with the alfalfa.  Soak for 5-6 hours, then drain.  Continue to rinse and drain 2-3 times per day (see here for more details on sprouting).  On the third day, once little tails have begun to grow, set the alfalfa seeds in a sunny spot.  On this day, you can begin the mung bean sprouts.  Soak overnight, or 8 hours, then drain.  Continue to rinse and drain 2-3 times per day.  When the alfalfa sprouts have little green leaves and the mung beans are about 1" long (really, you can use them anytime once they begin to sprout, but I like them a bit longer for stir fries) they are ready to go.

2. Heat a wok or large pan over medium heat.  Mix together the sauce.

3. Add chopped garlic and ginger to pan and cook 1 minute to release their fragrance.

Figure 1, laying out the veggies

4. Add cabbage and carrots, along with the sauce.  Cook until softened and cabbage begins to change colour.  This will depend on how you've chopped your veggies, julienned and hand sliced will cook a little bit longer.

5. Add mung beans and fry another 2-3 minutes, stirring to ensure the beans are cooked through.  Remove from heat and cool until easy to handle. 

6. In a large bowl, pot or plate, soak 2 rice wrappers at a time for about 1 minute (you can leave one in the pot while you work with the first one).  The wrapping is only a little tricky, but might take a couple of practices to get tight enough.  I've added some step by step photos to help. 

7. Lay out one rice wrapper on a flat surface (I use my cutting board).  Add a couple of spoonfuls of the cooked veggies to the end of the wrapper closest to you, leave a 1" border around the veggies.  Fig 1.

8. Using a fork to pry them apart, add a thick layer of alfalfa sprouts, about 1" high worth. Fig 2.  (Here you can see my set up - large pot for soaking rice wrappers, bowl of alfalfa sprouts, and off screen to the right, a plate for the finished wraps)

Figure 2, Adding alfalfa sprouts

Figure 3, wrapping the veggies

9. Fold the end of the wrapper up over the veggies, tucking it under them slightly and pulling it tight.  Fold the the right and left sides over this, creating an envelope.  Fig 3.

10. Keep rolling towards the end, pulling the veggies towards you as you go to wrap them tightly. 

11. Repeat with remaining veggies and wrappers.  How many wraps you get depends on how much filling you put in them.

Serve plain or with a little bowl of  dipping sauce, such as more Bragg and rice vinegar, or tamari sauce.

These little wraps are deceptively filling.  You can eat them as soon as you're done wrapping, or chill them in the fridge.  They also last a day or two in the fridge (honestly mine all get eaten within 24 hours so I can't say for sure how long they last).  As I mentioned, they also pack really well into a plastic baggy or container for traveling snacks, too.  So there you have it, wraps that are filled with cheap cabbage and sprouts, the fruits of your own hard labour, out tilling the soil in the hot sun, breaking your back, praying for rain... oh wait, it's not that hard at all!  Just spoon a couple of tablespoons of seeds into a jar and away you go!

What do you do with your cabbage?  I'd love to hear your ideas, and stay tuned for more of mine!  

*OAS Info: Carrots are high on the list of OAS foods.  The cooking process here *should* kill the allergen proteins and make the carrots safe to eat.  However, if you are very reactive you could try boiling them first, or eliminating them altogether.  If you have a problem with soy sauce, you could try substituting coconut aminos instead, or fish oil. 

This recipe is linked to the following wonderful sites:
the Gluten Free Weekly Meal Plan on www.musingsofahousewife.com,  Made From Scratch Mondays on www.allergiesandceliac.blogspot.com,  5 Dollar Dinners.com, Sugar Free Sunday on www.flipcookbook.com Fresh Bites Friday 
 

Gluten Free Irish Boxty

Boxty and Yogurt

Gluten Free Boxty (Irish Potato Pancakes) for St. Patrick’s Day

These are so good I had two last night after I made them - one for breakfast, and then another while I was taking these photos!  Oh, and those ones you see in the photo to your right?  I’m eating them right now as I type this. 

So in honour of St. Patrick’s Day this coming weekend, I’ve been looking at things green and Irish.  A couple of days ago I posted about the easy blender green juice I like to drink, and the little ritual involved in it.  I know, it’s not remotely Irish, but it is a lovely emerald green colour.  Today’s recipe is much more Irish inspired.  I’m going to share a gluten free version of Boxty, an Irish potato pancake.  There is even a poem (also with variations) dedicated to boxty:

Boxty on the griddle

Boxty on the pan

If you can’t make boxty

You’ll never get a man

So there you have it.  All of us who want a man must learn to make boxty.  Uhm… 

Anyway, I hope that any Irish folks out there won’t take offense to my alterations, but I found it a bit plain all on its own, and very potato-y.  Boxty is really just mashed or grated potatoes, some milk and some flour (although everyone seems to have a variation on that), then fried in butter or oil.  I wanted something with a bit more nutrition and flavour, but maintain the concept of a cheap potato pancake.  

Also, some people with OralAllergy Syndrome (like me) have problems with white potatoes.  So, I used half sweet potatoes (also because I got a 5lb bag for cheap at the farmer’s market this weekend) and half russet potatoes instead of all russets.   Sweet potatoes are healthier than regular potatoes – they have Vitamin A and C, beta-carotene, iron, and all kinds of other good antioxidants and minerals, but without the starch of regular potatoes. 

These make super cheap, gluten free pancakes, and can be had any time of day, breakfast, lunch, tea time, or for dinner.  Jazz them up with sour cream or yogurt (as I’ve done here), or syrup, whipped cream, jam, fruit, or even use them as a cheap, gluten free sandwich bread.  A bag of potatoes is cheap, and if you boil or bake several at once, you can use the rest for regular mashed potatoes, gnocchi, or shepherd’s pie.  Alternatively, if you have leftover mashed potatoes, use them to make this Irish boxty!

Boxty, Irish Potato Pancakes

Ingredients: (Makes about 12 pancakes)

2 medium sized russet potatoes*

2 smallish – medium sweet potatoes

(about 2 lbs potatoes total)

¾ c milk or milk substitute

¼ cornstarch*

½ c brown rice flour**  

1 ½ tsp salt + extra for sprinkling

¼ tsp pepper

1 egg or egg substitute

Flavourings as desired – I used ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ Tbsp rosemary and a pinch of dried parsley

* Can substitute potato starch, or a gf flour if desired.  I used cornstarch because it’s cheap and it binds the pancake together well.

** I grind my own rice flour with my coffee grinder, it’s slightly grainier than store bought, but in small amounts I don’t notice it at all, and it’s much cheaper than buying rice flour.

Directions

1. Grate one potato, sprinkle with salt, and place in a sieve over a bowl.  Periodically press on the grated potato to squeeze out excess starch and water.*

2. Peel the remaining potatoes and cut into large chunks.  In a large pot, cover and boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, about 15 minutes.  

3. With a fork, mash the potatoes with ¼ cup of the milk in a bowl until smooth.  Add in the grated potato.

4. Whisk together the remaining ½ c milk with the egg, corn starch, flour, salt and pepper until smooth.  Add to the potatoes and mix until smooth.  Add any desired seasonings and blend again.

5. Heat a pan or griddle to medium –high heat.  Test this by dropping a drop of water on the pan – if it dances across the pan it is ready.  Add 1 Tbsp oil or butter to the pan.  Scoop batter on pan in pancake-sized drops (about ¼ c full)

6. Fry with a lid on for 4-5 minutes, until nicely browned on the bottom.  Flip, and fry 4-5 minutes uncovered on the opposite side. 

7. Remove from heat and repeat.  Serve warm with toppings.    

*Some people use all grated potatoes while others use all mashed potatoes.  Since I was using sweet potatoes I felt they would be better mashed, but wanted some grated for texture, and to lessen the starch.  This is simply personal preference and if you want to skip the extra step of grating the potatoes you can use all mashed instead. 

I readily confess I’m not very familiar with Irish cuisine, but am experimenting with Irish foods for this week’s theme.  If you have a favorite Irish dish, or an experience with boxty, I’d love to hear about it!  

*OAS Info: Potatoes are a common OAS food.  The boiling and cooking process here *should* kill the allergen proteins and make them safe to eat, but if in doubt use all sweet potatoes instead, or avoid altogether. 

Blender Green Juice (No juicer required! Just a blender)

Green Juice

In honour of St. Paddy's Day this coming weekend - something green.  This enchantingly emerald nectar has taken on an almost spiritual essence for me!  It's such a beautiful colour to look at, the flavour is light and smooth, and afterwards I always feel refreshed.  Plus, there's a secret ritual around it.

This green juice is naturally gluten free, but I've added it here because the bulk of my diet consists of naturally gluten free foods.  While I love me some cheap gluten free bread (like my sprouted lentil breads)I try to get the bulk of my calories from fruit and vegetables.  The greens I use in this juice, like kale and Swiss chard are super greens that are packed with important vitamins and nutrients.

So here's the ritual.  First, I clear a spot on the counter and put out two small glasses.  They're about the equivalent of a double shot glass (they were soy candles at one time.  When the candles were done, I melted the wax out, cleaned them, and now they serve as glasses).  Then, I pack my regular, cheap-o blender full of greens and other goodies.  I run it for a minute or two until the liquid looks almost clear.   

Finally, I fill the glasses and call my handsome partner in to the kitchen.   We each sprinkle a couple of grains of sea salt onto the frothy tops.  We pick up our glasses and make a toast.  We toast to something simple, and to accomplishing small things that are manageable, like "to having alkaline blood."  This is manageable, because by drinking green juice we are balancing out the acidity in our blood and making it more alkaline.  Because I make about 4 cups worth of juice, we are able to repeat this ritual 4-5 times right then and there.  We toast "to having a productive day," or "to enjoying a movie tonight," "to having a nice walk in the sunshine" or "to having a good sleep and waking up feeling refreshed," and various other little things we want to make happen.  That 5 minutes or so of toasting and drinking a healthy, refreshing and tasty juice is such a boost!  Not only is the juice itself a healthy blast, but taking the time to appreciate all the little things that can make a day better feeds our souls a bit too, and motivate us to make good things happen.  So go ahead - try some of this and toast to all the good, little things that can happen in your day!

There is nothing new about green juice; everyone seems to have their own version.  Mine changes depending on what's in the fridge, but there's a basic structure I follow, mostly green veggies, a piece of fruit for sweetness, and about 2 c water to smooth it out.  Also, I don't use a juicer.  I've had them and I've returned them.  I know they're great, but a) they're much more expensive to buy than a blender and b) I hate that so much of the produce ends up in the garbage (or hopefully the compost at least) once the juice is squeezed out.  It's more expensive to juice than blend, as it takes so much more produce to get a shot of juice. I don't mind the slightly pulpy juice my blender produces.  The longer I blend, the smoother it gets, especially with added water.  In the above photo, the juice is frothy because I had just blended it, if you let it sit for a couple of minutes, the forth settles a bit. 

This can actually be fairly filling, so make this in between meals as a shared snack, or as a meal supplement. 
Oh, and I call this nectar because that's what it is, literally.  Nectar comes from the Greek words necros and tar, meaning death-overcoming.  Pretty fitting for a juice that is utterly packed with nutrients and goodness. 


Ingredients:
2 large leaves of Swiss chard (or 1.5 c of spinach)
2 leaves of kale
4-5 leaves of romaine lettuce
1 apple or pear (if you, like me, have Oral Allergy Syndrome, use 1/4 c applesauce or pearsauce as the processing helps kill the allergen proteins)*
3-4 springs parsley (if you have OAS blanch this for a minute in boiling water)*
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 c cool water
1/4 c sprouts (optional) 
salt to taste (optional)

Directions: 
* Remove the thick stems from the kale and chard (the chard stems can be saved for soups or stir fries, but the kale is too tough)
*Pack all the ingredients (minus the salt) into a blender and pour the water over top.  This should fill a 6c blender.  Blend on high for a good minute or two. 
* Sprinkle with a couple of grains of sea salt (or regular salt), if desired.
* Toast your partner, your kids, or yourself, and enjoy your day knowing that you have given yourself a shot of nectar. 

What do you like in your green juice?

*OAS Info: See the notes within the recipe for substituting and making this safer for OAS folks.

Grow Your Own Bread2 - Sprouted Red Lentil Bread

Sprouted Red Lentil Bread 

Red Lentil Bread with olive oil and balsamic dip

a.k.a. Another gluten free sprouted bread for under $1

free of dairy, yeast, eggs, sugar, gluten, nuts, soy

There are some seriously lovely layers to this bread.  The soft outer crust is naturally bright orange, while the creamy caraway seed speckled inside calls for you to take a giant bite out of it.  I was so thrilled with the success of the sprouted bread I made a couple of weeks ago that I decided to keep experimenting; this time I tried baking bread with sprouted red lentils.  Now I can’t tell which one I like more, this simple sprouted red lentil bread, or the sprouted green lentil bread that inspired it.  While the green lentil bread has a deep, earthy flavour with an added sweetness thanks to the raisins, there is something addictive about this red lentil one.  Both breads are very filling, and therefore provide lots of bang for your gluten free buck!  If you’re an impatient baker like me, you’ll appreciate that the sprouted red lentil bread is much faster to soak, sprout and bake than the green one.  

Sprouted breads combine so many of the things I love: cooking gluten free on a budget; growing healthy sprouts; eating sustainably; and eating good tasty food.  Lentils are so good for you that you can eat this gluten free Essene bread guilt free.  Lentils are high in fibre, but super low in calories and have no fat.  They have been shown to help balance blood sugar levels and are high in iron = perfect for diabetics and ladies who are lacking in iron now and then.  With their high protein and iron content, lentils are also a vegetarian’s best friend.  

           So last week I started sprouting red lentils to try to create a similar version of my gluten free Essenebread of the previous week.  At the same time I was still enthusiastic about using my new coffee grinder to make flour and wondered if I couldn’t do something with lentil flour.  I came across this red lentil flour bread recipe from natural noshing that helped form the base of this sprouted red lentil bread.  I’m really pleased with the results of this bread.  If you don’t have caraway seeds on hand, you could use dried rosemary, onion flakes, or other seasonings instead.  Next week I’ll share another sprouted bread I’ve concocted – sprouted chickpea bread – so be sure to check back!     

Red Lentils

Ingredients

1/3 c red lentils, soaked for one hour only and sprouted for 1 day (click here for more details on sprouting)*

2/3c dry lentils

1c water

1 tsp salt

1 tsp caraway seed

Oil for greasing pie plate

Directions

    1. Grease a round pie plate with oil (your choice, canola, olive, coconut, etc)  You could also use a baking sheet, oiled and covered in parchment paper, or a square baking pan. 

                

    2. Grind the sprouted lentils, either in a coffee grinder or food processor.  I actually just use my coffee grinder, it works better than my food processor.  See here for using a coffee grinder for grinding flour.  I do the sprouted lentils first as they are stickier, than the dry, as the dry will absorb the mashed leftovers and make it easier to clean the grinder after!

        

    3. Grind the 2/3 c dry lentils, also in grinder of choice.  See here for more details. 

        4. Add water, salt and caraway seeds to ground lentils and combine.  This will be a spreadable paste.        

    5. Preheat oven to 350F.

        6. Pour paste into plate or pan and let rest 5-10 minutes while oven heats up.  

  

          7. Bake about 15 minutes.  If using a baking sheet, this may cook faster as it will be thinner.  

      This is wonderful on its own, or, drizzle some olive oil on a plate, then add a splash of balsamic vinegar.  It's the perfect appetizer for a Mediterranean inspired event!  Add a glass of red wine and nothing else is required...

*OAS Info: Lentils are a common OAS food.  The sprouting and baking process *should* destroy the allergen proteins and make this safer for OAS folks to eat.  If in doubt, check with your doctor. 

This recipe was shared on:
 Simple Lives Thursdays

Freaky Friday

Beet Chocolate Muffins and Cupcakes

Beet Chocolate Muffins and Beet Chocolate Cupcakes

Beet Chocolate Cupcake

Muffins are gluten free, egg free, sugar free and dairy free

Cupcakes are gluten free, egg free and dairy free

Surprisingly, every step of baking these beet chocolate muffins and cupcakes offers some form of sensual delight.  From the smell of baking beets, to the bright red batter, to the earthy and naturally sweet flavour of a bite of beet muffin, these beautiful baked beet goods offer something to engage your senses. The best part of these - you don't even have to like beets to enjoy the end result. 

I'm so thrilled I persisted in trying to make some baked goods out of the beets I picked up at the Dane County Farmers Market last weekend.  I always try to eat as much local produce as possible (support the local economy, avoid GM foods and chemical products, yay planet, etc) and beets are one of the few things available right now.  I like baked beets all on their own, and usually toss a few in a green salad, or a smoothie.  But my wonderful partner does not share my love of beets.  I wanted to find a way for us to enjoy beets together, and for him to enjoy their wonderful health benefits.

Beets have powerful antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and detoxification vitamins and nutrients.  They have been shown to reduce tumor growth and may help prevent certain forms of cancer.  They may even be better for your eyes than carrots. 

Beet muffin

After much searching on the internet at other recipes, I decided to concoct my own beet muffins and cupcakes.  Some of the recipes looked fantastic, but I like to cut down on sugar and oil as much as possible, and I often substitute applesauce for most of the oil and sugar in recipes.  For the muffins, I cut out the sugar completely and used honey instead.  The first time I made these, they were very tasty, but the texture was off - too gummy.  I was a bit too liberal with the applesauce in my zeal for optimal health!  The second time, I cut back a bit on the applesauce and added more flour.  As a testament to their tastiness, my fiance had 6 muffins from the first batch, and 3 from the second...

I make my own applesauce to use in baking and smoothies (I will post a tutorial on this in the near future) as this is a healthy alternative to oil and sugar, and for people with oral allergy syndrome it's a great way to enjoy the benefits of apples without the allergic reaction, as the canning process destroys the allergens.  I make my applesauce sugar free too.  I don't see any reason to put sugar - or worse, corn syrup as some companies do - in a product that is naturally sweet.  So when choosing applesauce for this recipe, look for sugar free varieties.

As for whether these are a cupcake or a muffin, that's up to you.  They are great as healthy, tasty muffins for breakfast and snacks, but if you want to sweeten them up for kids or for a dessert add the icing and make them cupcakes instead!  If you want to make the icing pink, as shown, reserve one slice of baked beet to use in the icing. 

Using a hand blender for a lovely red batter

Ingredients (makes 15 muffins or cupcakes)

Wet Stuff
1.5 Tbsp ground flax seed (flax seed meal)

4.5 Tbsp water

 
1/4 c oil (your choice, canola, coconut, etc)
3/4 c applesauce*
1/4 c honey

Using a blender (messy version)

1 Tbsp vanilla
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 c pureed beets (or approximately 2 beets, baked for 1 hour at 350F, peeled and roughly mashed)

Dry Stuff
1c brown or white rice flour
1/4 c tapioca flour
1/4 c potato starch
1 tsp xanthan gum

1 1/4 Tbsp baking power
5 Tbsp cocoa
pinch of salt

Directions: 
1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Line a muffin tin with cupcake papers or spray with oil. 

2. Mix ground flax seed with water and allow to sit until gelled, about 5 - 10 minutes.  

3.  In the meantime, in a large bowl or blender, combine the oil and applesauce.  Blend with a hand blender, or blender (a messier and harder clean up), until creamy, about 2 minutes. 

4.  Add honey, vanilla and beets.  Blend until smooth.  Add the flax mixture and blend again.

5.  In a medium size bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and mix well.  Add to wet ingredients (if using blender add wet to dry). 

6. With a spoon, fill muffins tins 3/4 full.  Bake for 25 minutes.

*It's important to let these cool completely before eating.  They will be slightly gummy at first, but will improve in texture after cooling. 

Icing:
Unfortunately, I had a hard time making the icing sugar free.  I tried with using honey instead of sugar, but wasn't happy with the texture.  Alas, I will try again in the future, but as is, here is a dairy free icing.

3 Tbsp dairy free margarine
1 c icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp water
1 slice of baked beet

Directions:
 1. Add all ingredients except the beet slice to a bowl and blend with a hand blender until smooth and somewhat stiff (add more sugar as necessary).
2.  After beating, add the beet slice and stir in, mashing a little to get the juice out to colour the icing.  Once coloured, remove the beet slice.  Or, if desired, chop the beet slice finely and just mix in to the icing.
3. Refrigerate icing for 10 minutes to stiffen, then decorate cupcakes with a thin layer of icing.  Decorate as desired.

Do you bake with beets?  I'd love to hear your ideas!   

*OAS Info: Apples are a common OAS food.  The process of boiling and canning applesauce usually renders it safe for folks with OAS to eat.  However, if you are very allergic and in doubt, substitute the applesauce with oil instead. 

This recipe is linked to the following sites: