Chocolate Raisin-Date Spread and Bread

Raisin-Date Spread and Chocolate Raisin - Date Spread Bread
Gluten Free, Egg Free, Sugar Free, Nut Free, Soy Free

Chocolate - Raisin Date Spread / Paste / Jam / Honey

Today is National Raisin Day!  In honour of this rather odd day, I decided to share some raisin facts and a rather unusual raisin recipe.  If you happen to not like raisins very much, don’t worry, you won’t even know they’re in this bread or spread!!

Apparently, back in the early 1900s when the raisin industry was just getting going, it was decided that a National Raisin Day should be started in order to gain attention to the new industry.  Now this is not to say that raisins haven’t been around long before the 1900s.  According to the SunMaid.com, cultivation of grapes began in about 6,000BCE in the present-day countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. 

Raisins are very, very good for you.  They are high in antioxidants and fibre.  Some of the purported health benefits of raisins include: balancing of the acidity of the blood (high acidity of the blood can cause skin problems, arthritis, gout, heart disease, tumors, and even cancer); anemia; relief from constipation; fever; bone health; ocular health (due to high amounts of Vitamin A and Beta-Carotene); fighting bacteria that cause gum disease and cavities; lowered blood pressure.

I never used to like raisins.  For years I thought they were gross and tasted funky.  Now that I’m older and my palate has changed, I’ve really become a big fan.  It all started a few years ago when I was craving a bagel and the only one I could find in the house was one cinnamon raisin bagel.  I was hooked.  After that I started making my own raisin bread, putting raisins on my sandwiches, and on breakfast buns with eggs.  Then I moved on to mixing them in with dried fruit, and finally, as of a few weeks ago, I started making them into a raisin-date paste.  Dates are also super, super healthy and the original inspiration for this paste comes from this site that provides a recipe for the date spread.  Sometimes this is referred to as Date Honey or Date Jam.  Well dates are expensive at my market in Wisconsin, but raisins are cheap, so I substituted half the dates for raisins and haven’t looked back.  This way you can enjoy the health benefits of both dates and raisins!

Chocolate Raisin - Date Bread

So I’m sharing two recipes here.  One for Chocolate Raisin-Date paste/spread, and one for Chocolate Raisin-Date bread.  The Soaked Raisin and Date Spread is a sweet, processed sugar free paste that can be used for a variety of things on its own.  For example:

Spread on toast

Mixed in to yogurt

Over ice cream

Blended in a smoothie

In lieu of applesauce in baked goods

In the bread recipe I’ve shared below!

Oh, and as for the photos, well, I’m visiting my mom and clearly one of her cats thought my little photo shoot was a great chance to come, hang out, and get some attention… Don't worry, these are not the raisins I used to make the spread and bread! 

Dates for Raisin - Date Spread

Raisins for Soaking

Soaked Raisin - Date Spread

½ c dates

½ c raisins

1c water or orange juice

Soak the dates and raisins in a bowl with the water and orange juice for 3-4 hours, until thoroughly softened. 

Blend fruit and juice in a food processor until smooth. 

To make the chocolate raisin-date paste, add:

2 Tbsp cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla

Other options:

For a thicker spread, drain the soaking liquid (you can use this to sweeten a drink or smoothie) and blend the raisins and dates alone.

  

Checking things out

Establishing domination

Chocolate Raisin-Date Bread

Dry Ingredients

2 Tbsp ground flax

½ c brown rice flour

¼ c tapioca starch

¼ c potato starch

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp xanthan gum

1.5 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp ground cloves

¼ tsp ginger

1/8 tsp nutmeg

Pinch of salt

Wet Stuff

2 Tbsp oil of choice (canola, coconut, etc)

1 Tbsp honey

1 tsp vanilla

1 c chocolate raisin-date paste

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a bread pan.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a large size bowl.

Add the wet ingredients and mix until smooth.  Pour into the greased bread pan and bake for 25 – 30, until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. 

Allow the bread to rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out on to a cooling rack. 

For an extra dose of healthy goodness, serve this with a bit more Chocolate Raisin-Date Spread!

*OAS Info: Note that dates are listed on the Oral Allergy Syndrome chart as potentially cross-pollinating with birch pollen.  If dates make your mouth itch, you may want to skip this one, or try using just raisins instead :)

King of the Raisins

 Happy National Raisin Day!  Do you have a favorite raisin recipe?

This recipe was shared on the following great sites: 
My Sweet and Savory, The Healthy Home Economist, Hey What's for Dinner Mom?
Simply Sugar and Gluten Free, Cooking Traditional Foods, The Gluten Free Homemaker , Tessa Domestic Diva

Gluten Free German Potato Noodles with Sage and Garlic Butter

Gluten Free Fingernudeln

A.k.a.Schupflnudel, Fingernudeln, Bubespitzle, rolled potato noodles, finger noodles

Gluten Free, egg free, nut free, soy free

Whew.  It’s been a long week.  I traveled from visiting The Flipper (Hubby-to-be) in Madison, Wisconsin, back home to Vancouver, BC and what with the uber-long bus trip from Madison to the Chicago airport, a flight delay of several hours, and my dearest mother losing the car at the airport after kindly coming to pick me up, then running around and trying to play catch-up after being out of town for some time, I’m already worn out.  So here’s a little something I prepared before I left in anticipation of being too tired to experiment with cooking.  As a warning, from here on out, my photos might change a bit, as I’ve gone from a lovely, south facing, brightly lit apartment in the prairies to rainy, gloomy old Vancouver…

I’ve noticed that since I started posting my gluten free German fusion recipes, many people have actually been finding my site as a result of searching for German dishes like Cabbage Rolls / Holopchi, Gluten Free Kartoffelkloesse, and Gluten FreeSpaetzle.  I hope that those of you who have run across my site as a result of these searches have found the recipes helpful, or at least have provided some guidance in adapting your own versions!  I’m thrilled to see that there are so many other people out there like me trying to adapt German cuisine to be gluten free and egg free.  So I’ve decided to share another fantastic, tasty, super duper cheap meal.  It works out to be under a dollar to make about 6 servings of these little doodle-y things. 

Gluten Free Bubespitzle

 

As I’ve been working my way through some of my favorite old German dishes, I realize I refer to most of them as comfort food.  However, the more searching I do to find out more about German cuisine, the more it becomes apparent to me that ALL German food is comfort food! You can’t go wrong with potatoes and flour and butter.  Unfortunately it’s not exactly the healthiest comfort food.  So like all the cheap potato recipes I’ve been posting (i.e. Gluten Free Boxty and Potato Dumplings) I’ve mixed sweet potatoes with regular russets into this schupflnudel, which makes for a slightly sweeter and much healthier version as sweet potatoes are extremely high in beta-carotene and Vitamin A, without the high starch content of white potatoes.  The other day I served it with asparagus sautéed in lemon juice and garlic and some of my GlutenFree Zataar Rolls, which are based on a Syrian recipe, so these definitely qualify as another German fusion dish. 

Who says Germans have no sense of humour?

There are a variety of names for these rolled potato noodles, and like most traditional dishes, there is no universal recipe, so I’ve adapted mine to be gluten free and egg free.  Schupflnudel means “rolled noodle,” Fingernudeln literally means what is sounds like, due to the finger-like appearance of these noodles, and finally Bubespitzle which means “boy’s penis,” also thanks to the shape of the noodle.  Who says Germans have no sense of humour, right? 

Gluten Free Egg Free Fingernudeln

This is very similar to the recipe I use for making gnocchi so you could alter the herbs and spices a little and simply mold them into little gnocchi balls instead of rolling them into fingernudeln if you prefer.  In this case I’ve sautéed them with garlic and sage butter, which is truly wonderful and savory, but sometimes these are served as a sweet dish, with poppy seeds and icing sugar sprinkled on top.  This makes quite a lot of fingernudeln, and serves about 6 people.  Instead of cooking them all at once, I reserve the extras and freeze them on a baking sheet.  Once frozen, I pile them in to containers and freeze until needed.  Then I simply remove them and continue to boil and cook as directed below.  

Also, it is not necessary to boil, then fry them if you don’t want to.  These are great simply boiled and eaten that way with a bit of sauce.  I like to fry them because they really absorb the flavour of the garlic sage butter, and I like the difference in texture, crispy on the outside and soft inside, as opposed to simply soft after boiling.

Rolling Fingernudel tutorial

Ingredients:

Approx. 2 cups mashed russet potatoes (about 3 medium sized potatoes)*

Approx. 1 c mashed sweet potatoes (about 1.5 potatoes)

½ c tapioca starch (or corn starch or potato starch)

¼ c rice flour (brown or white) + more for dusting and rolling

1 Tbsp parsley (fresh is best, but a little bit less of dried will do also)*

¼ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp salt

Pinch of sugar (optional)

Sage and Garlic Butter

2 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp oil

1 clove of garlic, minced

About 1 tsp dried sage

Pinch of salt

Pinch of sugar (optional)

Directions:

1. Mix all the noodle ingredients together.  This will be a sticky dough. 

2. Dust a flat surface with rice flour and pour the dough on to it.  Dust with more flour and knead the dough 4 or 5 times to work in a bit of extra flour.

3. Divide the roll into 2 halves, and roll each one into a log about 2” in diameter.  With a sharp, wet knife slice the roll in to 3/4” rounds.  Take a round and, rolling your hands back and forth a couple of times, shape the dough into a long finger-like noodle.  

4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Slide the fingernudeln into the pot and boil until they begin to float (this will happen fairly quickly).  Once they float, continue to boil about half a minute, then use a slotted spoon or hand strainer to remove them immediately from the pot on to a plate.  They will be a bit sticky so try not to pile them on to one another.  You may also need to do this in more than one batch, depending on the size of your pot.

5. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat.  You may need to do fry these in a couple of batches, so divide up your butter and seasonings accordingly.  Melt the butter and oil, then add a single layer of fingernudeln. 

6. Fry until one side is slightly crispy and browned.  Roll the noodles over and fry on the opposite side.   

7. Sprinkle with sage, salt and optional sugar.

Serve and enjoy.  Beware though, they are so yummy will not notice how filling they are until you feel as if you may explode and must lie down for a nap…

Do you have a favorite European comfort food that you have tried to convert to be gluten free and maybe a little bit healthier?

*OAS Info: Potatoes and parsley are both common Oral Allergy Syndrome foods.  The double boiling of the potatoes and boiling of the parsley *should* help kill the allergen proteins and make these safe to eat. When in doubt, however, avoid them or check with your doctor. 

This post was shared on the following great sites:
The Healthy Home Economist, My Sweet and Savory,Hey What's for Dinner Mom? 
Simply Sugar and Gluten Free, Cooking Traditional Foods, The Gluten Free Homemaker,
Tessa Domestic Diva

Gluten Free Herb Rolls

Gluten Free Zata'ar Rolls

Gluten Free Zataar Rolls and a Biscuit recipe

A.k.a. Middle Eastern Buns or Syrian Rolls

gluten free, egg free rolls, dairy free alternative

I’ve filled these rolls with a flavourful boost of spices, but you can easily use the dough for a variety of other things, like biscuits, cinnamon rolls, or sprinkle them with cheese and garlic powder. 

I’ve really missed Middle Eastern food.  I spent some time traveling in the Middle East a few years ago and actually had cooking classes in Egypt, back when I didn’t know I had a gluten problem.  Most of you probably don’t know that I have an MA in history, with a focus on the modern Middle East.  I’ve been closely following what’s been going on with the Arab Spring of course, and my heart goes out to the Syrian people right now.  It is a beautiful country to travel in, the amazing ancient sites were nearly empty, and people were incredibly friendly.  It makes me so sad to think of the destruction and death that has occurred there in the last year.    

Let me just say that Syrian food is some of the best food in the world, and is seriously underrepresented in the western world.  Even the Syrian airline had the best airplane food I’ve EVER had.  That airplane food beats out most restaurants any day!!

Alas, a lot of popular Middle Eastern food is built around flour and meat, two things I can’t or don’t eat.  So begins my journey to recreate some of my favorite, and others newly discovered, Middle Eastern foods.  Like my German fusion dishes (dumplings, cabbage rolls, spaetzle) I can’t claim my dishes as authentic, they’re more like Middle Eastern fusion because they are not glutinous and don't contain meat.  That said, numerous variations of these zataar rolls are served in tiny bake shops in the streets all over Syria.    

  

Zataar (pronounced zata’ar) is a popular spice mixture in the Middle East.  The combination varies, but it is usually a mix of spices such as sumac, oregano, thyme, basil, marjoram and savoury, often with sesame seeds as well.  Sumac is a lemony flavoured fruit that is dried and ground to a spice.  Zataar and Sumac are not always easy to find.  You can look for them in Middle Eastern shops, or some Asian stores, or online.  That said, be careful and check the ingredients!  I found zataar recently at an Asian market, but it had roasted wheat in it.   

Instead, you can create something similar without the sumac or pre-made zataar.  It won’t have quite the same tang, but it is super tasty nonetheless.  If you’ve ever had Middle Eastern food before, you’ll know that the cuisine does not shy from white flour, sugar, and butter, things many of us often try to avoid!!  I’ve added the option here of tossing in a bit of healthier flour but the starches are necessary or else it upsets the delicate biscuit-y like texture of the rolls (SEE NOTE UNDER INGREDIENTS FOR AN UPDATE) and makes them crustier so it’s difficult to add too much. 

  

Gluten Free Herb Roll-ups

Biscuit Ingredients:

½ c warm water

1 Tbsp yeast

1 tsp sugar

1c tapioca starch

1c cornstarch *

1 ½ c either sorghum, brown or white rice flour, garbanzo bean flour, lentil flour or mix of flours

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 tsp xanthan gum

Rice flour for dusting

3/4 c milk or yogurt brought to room temp.

¼ c oil (canola olive or coconut)

1-2 Tbsp melted butter or dairy free alternative

Zataar Mixture

4 Tbsp sumac (omit if you can't find it)

2 Tbsp thyme

1 Tbsp oregano

1Tbsp basil

½ Tbsp parsley

½ tsp salt

1 tsp sugar (optional)

*After several tries, I have found that the starches can in fact be cut way back, and I no longer use cornstarch (unless I could, by some miracle, find organic, GMO free cornstarch).  

How to Roll Zata'ar Rolls

 Directions:

1. Grease a baking sheet and/or line with parchment paper. 

2. Mix the water, yeast and sugar together and set aside to rise.  The yeast should begin to rise and bubble (if it doesn’t, you might need new yeast or warmer water.  The water should be warm to touch but not too hot to touch).

3. In the meantime, mix the dry ingredients together. 

4. Add the milk and oil and mix until blended (this will be pretty crumbly).  Add the yeast mixture and mix approximately 3 minutes or so, until well blended.  This will be a fairly gummy mixture.

5. Generously dust a flat surface with rice flour.  Turn the dough out on to it and dust with more rice flour. 

6. Knead about 5 or 6 times to work a bit of extra flour in, so the dough is not so sticky.  Then dust again and, using a rolling pin, roll the dough out about ¼” thick. 

7. Brush about 1 Tbsp of the melted butter liberally over the dough.  Sprinkle liberally with the spice mixture. 

8. Very carefully, using a knife or spatula to help, lift the edge of the dough nearest to you up and over to roll the dough.  Roll all the way to the opposite edge so you have a large log.  Using a wet, sharp knife, slice into rounds about 1- 1 ½” thick. 

Gluten Free Zata'ar Rolls

9. Lay the rolls out on the baking sheet, cut side up.  Brush with more melted butter. 

10. Allow the rolls to rise in a warm place, about 30 minutes.  There are a few ways to do this – place a bowl of hot water in the bottom of the oven and put the baking sheet on a rack over top.  Or, heat the oven to 250F, then turn it off and place the sheet inside. 

11. After the rolls have puffed up somewhat, remove from the oven.  Heat oven to 375F, return the baking sheet, and bake for about 20 minutes, until slightly browned on top and a bit crusty on the sides.   

These are wonderful eaten warm!!!  

What is your favorite Middle Eastern food?  

 * *OAS Info: Some of the herbs listed here are also found on the Oral Allergy Syndrome chart.  If you have OAS and react to certain herbs (although these are dried, which *should* kill the allergen protein) you may want to substitute with something you know is safe. 

This post is linked to the following great sites:
Meatless Mondays on My Sweet and Savory, Melt in your mouth Monday on Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms, Monday Mania on the Healthy Home Economist, Just Another Meatless Monday on Hey What's for Dinner Mom? Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays on Simply Sugar and Gluten Free, Traditional Tuesdays on Cooking Traditional Foods, Tasty Tuesdays on 33 Shades of Green, Tuesday's Tasty Tidbits on Permanent Posies

Writers' Institute, food writers and children's allergy books

I just had to post a quick note today to share some of my experiences this past weekend at the Wisconsin Writers' Institute.  It was a three day conference with numerous panels each day that dealt with various aspects of writing.  I'm talking fiction, non-fiction, finding an agent, getting published, self-publishing, finding inspiration, etc.  Most relevant to those of you stopping in here is the fact that a couple of these panels were run by food writers.  You might find their food books and websites of use, so I'm passing them on here in case you're interested. 

Also, I met a woman who has written a couple of children's books on having friends with allergies.  Those of you who have kids might find this helpful - it's about bugs who have to face food challenges on a daily basis and how they manage them.  I think it's a fantastic way to raise awareness.  When I was a kid, other kids who had allergies got picked on all the time for being "dorky" or "weird" or "picky" or "wussy" (my own allergies had yet to manifest so I couldn't relate either).  So I think it's great to help kids understand what their allergic friends (and they themselves) have to face with food allergies.  The book is called The BugaBees - friends with food allergies and can be found by clicking on the title. 

And here's my shout out to the people who shared their knowledge and inspired me to develop my own writing abilities.

Wisconsin's own  Jeannette Hurt gave a talk about breaking in to the world of food writing.  She is the author of several food books including The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wine and Food Pairings and The Cheese of Wisconsin.  You can find her site here.  And let's just say that if you are in to cheese, this is your girl!

Another panel that had more to do with social networking, and this was run by another of Wisconsin's own, Kimberly Aimee.  Kimberly blogs about food, and is currently writing a cookbook with the chef of Lombardino's and the Tipsy Cow in Madison.  To check out what she has to say about food, check out Learn to Cook Badger Girl

So there you have it!  Now I'm off to take action on that inspiration before it fizzles and end up spending all day scrolling the internet for recipe ideas.... ;p

How to Make Seed and Nut Butters

Sunflower Seed Butter

How to make cheap, homemade spreads and butter

Sorry for the later post today, I'm a little behind because I spent the weekend at the Wisconsin writers conference and was so pooped last night after three days of intensive listening and giddy inspiration (see my last post if you want to hear me being silly-giddy).  

Also, my internet has been going very sloooowly this morning.   I attribute it to the incredible wind storm we had last night in Madison, Wisconsin (where I'm currently at).  This week has been awe-some for weather, and I mean that in the classical sense, rather than the "awesome, dude" sense.  Saturday night we had a fantastical thunder and lightening storm, with the type of lightening that streaks through the air and turns the whole sky purple and thunder that practically shook our apartment (which is a little frightening, we're on the 7th floor - top floor - of a building!!).  

Saturday daytime was incredibly warm, like 21C warm, and sticky muggy-like, but with major winds that rattled our windows and made the whole building creeeeaaaak in the evening.  Seriously, like 50km/hr winds.   These winds were actually breaking the town speed limit, they were going so fast.  Pure recklessness on their part I say.  Someone could have been hurt!  Then, after heat that made the air so heavy it was hard to breathe, the temperature was supposed to drop down to -4, with a chance of snow!!  Sometimes I think we've become so domesticated we forget just how meek and mortal we are in relation to the awe-inspiring (hence awesome) power of nature. Well, that and the power of global warming...

Sooo....on a more uplifting note, I have a recipe here for seed and nut butter.  For those who are allergic to peanut butter or who want an easy and cheap way to make a yummy spread at home, this is a great option.  I use sunflower seed butter (a.k.a sunbutter) here as an example, but it works essentially the same for most seeds and nuts, so feel free to experiment!

 If you have Oral Allergy Syndrome, you may want to be careful with this one, as many people with OAS have problems with sunflower seeds.  I can eat this, but only in small amounts, otherwise my tongue starts to itch and feel like sandpaper!  You could try using cashews, flax seed or hemp seeds instead. 

Sunflower Seed Butter on Sprouted Lentil Bread

Ingredients:  For approximately 1 cup of butter. 

1 c unsalted sunflower seeds (optional, roast in 350F oven for 10 minutes to enhance flavour)*

Honey, agave, brown rice syrup or sugar to taste

Oil (olive or coconut, etc)

Pinch of salt

Directions:

There are two ways you can go about this – coffee/spice grinder or food processor.  If you don’t use a food processor, you will have to add a bit more oil to the paste to make a smoother butter.  You may want to put your grinder in the freezer about half an hour ahead of time to keep the little motor from overheating.  If the grinder gets hot as you work, stop and let it cool down, otherwise it will overheat and cause the oils in the seeds to become rancid.  For more on grinding, see this post on grinding. 

Here are the two methods: 

In a coffee grinder

1. Grind the sunflower seeds into a powder using a coffee /spice grinder.  You will likely have to do this in a few small batches.  

2. Continue grinding until the seeds release their oils and begin to clump.  Remove from grinder into a mixing bowl and repeat with the remaining seeds. 

3. In the bowl, drizzle oil one teaspoon at a time and beat rapidly.  The longer you mix this, the more of the natural oils of the seeds will be released and the less olive or coconut oil you will need.  Partway through, add a pinch of salt and sweetener (sugar, agave, honey, etc) to taste .  Once the desired consistency is achieved, you’re done!  

Sunflower Seed Butter in a grinder, getting clumpy

Paste-y sunbutter

* Consistency is individual - if you like your butter chunkier and harder, use less oil.  If you want it smoother, use more.  Just keep in mind that the butter will harden slightly in the fridge, so make it a wee bit smoother than you actually want it. 

In a food processor

The directions are essentially the same as for the grinder, but you can do this all in one batch.  Grind the seeds into a powder, then whirl in the food processor until it turns in to a paste.  This can take about 10 minutes on and off of grinding (make sure you give your processor a break by letting it cool down periodically.  If it gets hot it can cause the oils in the butter to go rancid).  During this process, you can add oil by the teaspoon, a pinch of salt and sweetener of choice.  I usually end up using about 1 Tbsp. oil in total. I like mine a little sweeter, so I use about 1 Tbsp of honey as well.   

Sunbutter getting clumpy

Sunbutter, almost done

 

Unlike peanut butter, this needs to be refrigerated.  Sunflower seed butter can be used in place of peanut butter in most recipes.  I use it on crackers, Sprouted Lentil Bread (as shown above), mixed with melted chocolate to make sunbutter balls (recipe to come) and sometimes, all on its own by the spoonful ;p

Depending on the nuts or seeds you use, you may find that they require more or less oil.  I personally haven’t experimented with other nuts (I’m allergic to them, of course ) but I’d love to hear your experiences.  

You could also jazz this up and make flavoured butters, like maple syrup and cinnamon, coconut, vanilla, pumpkin pie, chocolate, or anything else you can dream up!  I’d love to hear your ideas on how you might flavour your nut and seed butter.  I'd also love to hear if you’ve tried a great flavoured butter!

*OAS Info: Note that sunflower seeds are amongst the foods that people with OAS can react to.  You may want to substitute another type of seed or nut you know is safe for you to eat if you have any problems with sunflower seeds.  Try cashews, flax or hemp seeds instead.

This post was shared on the following great pages:
My Meatless Mondays on My Sweet and Savory, Melt in your Mouth Mondays at Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms, Monday Mania on the Healthy Home Economist, Just Another Meatless Monday on Hey What's For Dinner Mom?, Traditional Tuesday on Cooking Traditional Foods, Tasty Tuesdays on Naptime Creations, Tuesday's Tasty Tidbits on Permanent Posies, Tasty Tuesdays on 33 Shades of Green, Gluten Free Wednesdays on the Gluten-Free Homemaker, Allergy Free Wednesdays on Tessa Domestic Diva

April Writing Madness

I have a little something to share with you all, and for once, it's not a recipe!  I'm coming out ... of the writer's closet that is.  I've been a closet, mostly non-practicing aspiring writer for almost my entire life - well, since kindergarten when my teacher taught us how to bind our own books with pretty wrapping paper and cereal box cardboard and we wrote short stories in them.  

One of my first stories was about a romance between two cats of different colours from different planets who found a way to make it work in the end and lived happily ever after... 

During high school I wrote a ton of creative fiction (teen angst and all that) and won a few awards and a scholarship.  In my early years of college I also took a lot of creative writing.  However, I eventually decided that I needed to do something more "practical"... so I became an English major!  (Haha, it's a joke, get it?  Because everyone and their dog has a BA in English lit, so it's not really "practical") and then I went on to get an MA... in history!  Please don't ask what you can do with a history degree, please, just don't.  I've been trying to justify this to my mother since I started the degree...

But I digress!  I just wanted to drop a quick note in here to share that I've jumped back into writing feet first.  I've been working through the April challenge on Robert Lee Brewer's site, My Name is Not Bob.  This is to encourage and help writers build a platform, but has the added bonus of connecting with other writers, as well as inspiring one to write more!

I'll also be spending most of Friday and this weekend at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Writer's Institute.  I'm very excited for three whole days of presentations, panels and discussions, and there will be food bloggers and writers and agents, oh my!  I've been reading up on prep'ing for conferences, and have found these 25 Ways to Rock a Writers Conference to be helpful so far. 

I have to confess, it's a little scary.  It's been about 15 or 16 years since I was last at a writers conference - I was very, very young then.  Seriously.  Like 5... ok, maybe a little older, but not much...

I'll be posting an update at the end of this weekend and hopefully will be able to impart some sort of wisdom to you all. 

In the meantime, are there any of you out there who have been to writers conferences?  How do you prepare, and manage your time while there?  What criteria do you use to choose a talk to go to, and how do you make the most out of it?  What advice would you give a rather nervous person who feels like they are in way over their heads??

Gluten Free German Potato Dumplings

Gluten Free German Dumplings with carrot salad

Gluten Free, Egg Free German Potato Dumplings (Gluten Free Kartofelkloesse) with Gluten Free Vegetarian Gravy and Cooked Carrot Salad

          Some of you know that I’ve been on a mission these past two weeks to make gluten free versions of my old favorite childhood dishes.  Part of this is because it’s Easter and right now I’m far away from most of my friends and family, which has made me a little nostalgic.  Another, and more prominent reason, is because my Polish grandfather (my Opa) passed away at the end of January, and despite having spent a lot of time with him as a child in my hometown of Winnipeg I feel like there is so much that I don’t know about him.  I had the same impression when my other grandfather passed away a few years ago at the age of 94.  Although I was blessed with all four grandparents for such a very long time, I feel like kicking myself because suddenly I have a million questions that I never thought to ask them, and for some reason still can’t quite articulate to those that remain. 

 

Me, my Opa and his best friend

In the photo to the left, that's me in the middle, with my Opa on my left in the light coloured jacket.  To my right was my Opa's best friend, who passed away a couple of years ago as well.  My Opa was a very proud member of the Royal Canadian Polish Legion, Winnipeg Chapter.   

There are so many memories and emotions wrapped up in our senses that the smell and taste of certain foods can have such a strong impact on us so many years later.  The dishes I’ve posted the last two weeks, CabbageRolls and Spaetzle, and now these dumplings, remind me so much of my childhood that I can really see myself sitting in my Omi and Opa’s little kitchen, with the giant windows overlooking their backyard gardens.  They had flower beds everywhere, encircling the house, the sides of the fence and all around the garage.  They also had a little vegetable plot where my Opa would putter all day, mixing eggshells and compost and nursing his prized tomatoes and peas. My Opa also loved to make cement blocks, and had created stepping stones all around the house.  As small children, he had my sister and I (and their dog, Tosca) place our hands and feet in wet cement, documenting our growth through foot imprints. 

     

         So anyway, my point here is that Easter for me has always been about getting together with family.  This year, I’m visiting my fiancé in the U.S. (let’s call him The Flipper, since that is his job in the kitchen, flipping pancakes and scrambled eggs.  Aside from some amazing pasta sauce, he isn’t interested in cooking, but really, really does not want to be considered a negligent partner in the kitchen, so he has positioned himself as the master stirrer and flipper) and we’re both far from our Canadian families.  So instead of celebrating Easter on one day, or the long weekend, I’ve essentially been celebrating it for over 2 weeks by recreating all my favorite German comfort foods. 

             

These potato dumplings are the last of my gluten free German Easter specials.  My Omi would make these huge, white, fluffy potato dumplings and smother them with gravy and chunks of meat.  It was wonderful.  But I don’t eat chunks of beef anymore, so I’ve covered mine with vegetarian, gluten free gravy instead (recipe below).  Also, I wanted to make these slightly healthier by adding some sweet potatoes to the russets.  This is not necessary, but sweet potatoes are so much healthier than russets, and have none of the starch, so I try to incorporate them when I can.  I’ve also paired it here with some Carrot Salad with ginger, lemon and dill sauce, another one of my attempts at healthy “German fusion.”

            The original recipe inspiration comes from this website on German recipes, although I have, of course, altered it somewhat with the addition of sweet potatoes and nutmeg.  I boiled the russet potatoes for about 25 minutes, and the sweet potatoes for about 15 minutes, to soften them.  However, you could bake them for about 45 minutes or microwave them instead.  The potato measurements are approximate because it is always difficult to measure them but I used about ½ c mashed sweet potato and 3 cups mashed russets, or about 2 small sweet potatoes and 3 medium –large sized russets.   

Ingredients: Makes about 15 dumplings

* Potato measurements are approximate.

½ c mashed sweet potato (about 2 small or 1 medium sized)

3 c mashed russet potatoes (about 3 medium)*

½ tsp nutmeg

1 ½ tsp salt, plus more for boiling water

¾ c corn starch or potato starch (potato is preferable, but corn is cheaper and readily available)
Update Feb 25, 2013 - I've recently found that adding approx 2 Tbsp of glutinous rice flour (a.k.a. sweet rice flour - don't worry, it IS gluten free) helps to bind the dumplings even more.  

Directions: 

1. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.  Roll the dough into dumplings about 2 inches in diameter, slightly larger than golf ball-sized.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Using a slotted spoon, place several dumplings into the water.  They will sink at first, but will eventually rise and float.  Once they float, continue to cook over a rolling boil for approximately 10 minutes (this will depend on the size of your dumplings, but you want them to cook all the way through and take on a “light and fluffy” appearance).  Remove from the water and continue with the remaining dumplings.  

Mashing, Shaping and Boiling Potato Dumplings

Gluten Free Vegetarian Gravy

This is so easy to make, I don’t know why I avoided attempting it for so long.  I’ve used it here for the German dumplings, but have also served it over bean burger patties and bread as a mock meatloaf.  Keep in the fridge and use later for leftovers if you like.  Reheat according to the instructions below. 

Ingredients:

2 c vegetable stock*

1/4 c water

1Tbsp corn starch or arrowroot starch

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and ¼ c water together. 

2. In a small pot, bring stock to a boil.  Slowly add in the mixed cornstarch and water, whisking the stock to incorporate.  Once the sauce begins to thicken, remove from heat and continue whisking.  Serve warm. 

* To reheat, place in a microwave or back in a pot and heat for 30sec – 1 minute.  Whisk to blend (it will separate a bit when chilled in the fridge).

Whatever you celebrate this weekend, enjoy it with family and friends!! 

*OAS Info: Potatoes are on the OAS chart. The double boiling process *should* eliminate reactive allergen proteins and make this ok to eat.  If in doubt, try substituting with all sweet potatoes, or avoid altogether.  Most stock is made with celery, a common OAS food. In the case of celery, boiling may not destroy the allergen protein, and it may cause a reaction in severly allergic people.  If in doubt, make your own stock without celery.  

This recipe was shared on the following sites:
My Meatless Mondays on My Sweet and Savoury, Just Another Meatless Monday on Hey, What's for Dinner Mom? Monday Mania on The Healthy Home Economist, Melt in Your Mouth Monday on Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays on Simply Sugar and Gluten Free, Traditional Tuesday, Tuesday's Tasty Tidbits on Permanent Posies, Allergy Free Wednesdays on Tessa the Domestic Diva, What's Cooking Wednesdays on The King's Court IV

Carrot Salad with Ginger, Lemon and Dill Sauce

Carrot Salad with ginger, lemon and dill dressing

Cooked Carrot Salad with Ginger, Lemon and Dill Sauce

This one came out of desperation really.  It was Friday, and my fiancé (aka The Flipper, because he likes to help flip and stir in the kitchen), and I weren’t due to go shopping and restock the fridge until Saturday.  I’d had a busy day and had little inclination to be creative in the kitchen.  That said, I had allotted Friday as the day that I would try to make some glutenfree German potato dumplings, and take another stab at making a sprouted buckwheat and mung bean bread. 

Yeah, I know the sprouted buckwheat and mung bean bread sounds kind of crazy, but imagine if I had pulled it off!  I’ve been pretty sprout happy lately, and it’s quite possible that with the thrilling success of my sprouted green lentilbread and sprouted red lentil bread I’ve gotten cocky (don’t worry, I’ve been since humbled).  I decided to get creative and make use of some extra sprouted mung beans and buckwheat I had kicking around on the kitchen counter.  I had envisioned a lovely flat bread that was sweet and nutty, flavoured with honey, raisins and cinnamon. 

...with half of dinner resting in peace at the bottom of the kitchen garbage can…

Well, after two utterly failed attempts at it, I’m now firmly convinced that, yes, it really was just a foolish flight of fancy that somehow made me believe I could create such a thing. The first attempt rose beautifully at first, and I had grand hopes for it.  But alas, I had made too much of it and after an hour and a half, it was still goopy on the inside and I gave up.  I should have been warned; the smell was…well…funny.  The second attempt I spread thinly on a baking sheet and lo and behold, it baked through.  So that was a success, but ultimately the end result was nothing like I had imagined it to be, nor anything I would ever want to imagine… let me just say that I would be incredibly impressed if anyone could ever combine those two sprouts together into a tasty bread, ever. 

Carrot Salad and Potato Dumplings

Anywhoo, with half of dinner resting in peace at the bottom of the kitchen garbage can, I had to figure out something else to accompany our dumplings.  With veggies in short supply the day before shopping (there are always lots of leafy things, but we blend those to make green juice every day) all I could dig out from the crisper were 4 carrots.  For some reason my fiancé’s arm smelled like dill pickles the other day, and I’ve been craving dill ever since… so I made this salad.

I can’t eat fresh carrots (I have oral allergy syndrome) so I cooked these first to soften them, and then concocted a ginger lemon and dill sauce and chilled them.  You could serve this dish warm, sautéing the carrots with the sauce, or you could skip the cooking and shred or slice the carrots instead.  I served it with my Gluten free German Potato Dumplings, but it would easily work with a wide variety of other entrees.

Ingredients:

4 carrots, peeled and boiled until slightly soft*

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tsp ginger, finely chopped

¼ tsp salt, more if desired

½ Tbsp dried dill

Directions:

Slice carrots into rounds (or shred uncooked carrots).  Mix all ingredients together and pour over carrots.  Toss and chill before serving. 

*OAS Info: If you have OAS and react to carrots, the boiling of the carrots *should* kill the offensive allergen proteins and make it safe to eat.  If you are very reactive to carrots you may want to avoid this one.  

I hope that you are all enjoying a lovely long weekend with family and friends!

 

This recipe was shared on: Slightly Indulgent Tuesday on Simply Sugar and Gluten Free, Traditional Tuesday, Tuesday's Tasty Tidbits on Permanent Posies, Allergy Free Wednesdays on Tessa the Domestic Diva,Gluten Free Wednesdays on the Gluten Free Homemaker, What's Cooking Wednesdays on The King's Court IV, Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable,