No Bake Oatmeal Coconut Cookies

These cookies are very simple to make and taste absolutely delicious.

Ingredients

1 ½ c. Rolled Oats

¼ c. Shredded Coconut, plus extra for garnish

1 tsp. Cinnamon

¼ c. Coconut Oil

1 c. Dates

¼ c. Raisins

Instructions

Line a baking sheet or large platter with wax paper. Put rolled oats, shredded coconut, and cinnamon in a food processor. Blend until well combined. It is important to blend all the dry ingredients first for a smooth texture.

Add the coconut oil and the dates. Blend until the mixture forms a dough-like consistency. It will separate from the sides of your food processor. Add the raisins and blend 2 minutes more.

Roll small amounts of dough with fingers to create 1-inch balls. Roll into the extra shredded coconut for garnish, then place on baking sheet. Serve immediately for a chewy consistency or place in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to obtain a firmer cookie texture.

Vanilla Egg Custard Ramekins

From Fagor Dessert Kit Cookbook

The Fagor Pressure Cooker Dessert Kit offers an unusual, quick, and completely delicious way to prepare dessert in no time. It includes a medium silicone baking dish, 4 individual silicone ramekins and a metal rack.  These kits are available at the Boise Co-op.

Ingredients

1-2 Tbsp. Butter, enough to coat the ramekins

4 Large Eggs

2 c. Milk

½ c. Sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 pinch Nutmeg

1 pinch Cinnamon

½ c. Fresh Berries, for garnish, optional

Preparation

Lightly butter the bottom and sides of ramekins, place on the metal rack and set aside. Add 2 cups of water to the pressure cooker and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the vanilla extract. Heat the sugar with the milk, then pour egg mixture, stirring constantly. Pour mixture into dish, being careful not to fill the ramekins more than ¾ full. Sprinkle with a little nutmeg and cinnamon.

Cover  with a piece of foil. Lower the rack inside the pressure cooker. Lock lid in place and bring to high pressure. Lower the heat and cook for 1o minutes. Release the pressure, carefully open the lid, and remove the rack. Serve warm or cold.

Serves 4.

Candied Chestnuts

Marrons Glacés

A note from Sylvie:

Chestnuts are really delicious when they're simply roasted, but the candied version is a very special treat in France and is a traditional Christmas gift. They take about a week to make. But, this recipe is truly easy to prepare and is well worth the effort. I tested numerous methods of peeling the chestnuts, and I think this one's the most efficient.

3 lbs. Chestnuts

6 c. Sugar

2 whole Vanilla Beans or 3 Tbsp.Vanilla Extract

1 c. Powdered Sugar

Easy Peel:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

With a small, sharp knife cut a cross on the outer layer of the chestnuts. Boil the chestnuts in enough water to cover them for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and place on a baking sheet to roast for 8-10 minutes. Do not overcook them, as the skin will re-attach itself.

Remove chestnuts from the oven to peel them. It is best to work with them while they are still hot. You may do this step in batches and keep the chestnuts warm by covering them with a kitchen towel.

To Candy and Glaze the Chestnuts:

In a large saucepan, prepare the syrup by bringing 6 cups of water, 3 cups of sugar, and the vanilla beans to a boil. Turn heat off, and plunge the chestnuts into the syrup.Cover and set aside overnight.

The next day, add the remaining sugar,bring the syrup to a boil for 1 to 2 minutes, set aside and cover again. You will need to bring the syrup to a boil for 1 to 2 minutes everyday for 6 days, or until the syrup is almost completely absorbed. You will have enough syrup left to use in your glaze.

The last day, preheat the oven to 350degrees, then line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drain the chestnuts well and place them on the lined baking sheet. In a medium bowl combine the powdered sugar with enough warm syrup to obtain a smooth paste. Dip the chestnuts in the glazing paste and place on the prepared baking sheet again. To set the glaze, bake the chestnuts in the preheated oven for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the glaze looks set and dried. Remove from the oven and when cooled place the chestnuts in an air tight container. They will keep for up to two weeks.

Clafoutis with Grapes and Toasted Almonds

Traditionally, Clafoutis is prepared with cherries, but it seems that every time I try this recipe with a different fruit it comes out tasting deliciously creamy. I've made Clafoutis with raspberries, pears, figs, apples, apricots, peaches and now grapes. Just let your imagination create your own version. For a Gluten-Free version, just substitute the regular flour for a gluten-free flour mix.

1 cup sliced Almonds, toasted
1 Tbsp Butter
1 Lb. mixed Green, Black and Purple Grapes, I used Ron Mann’s local organic grapes
4 Eggs, beaten
1 cup Sugar
½ cup Heavy Cream, you may use milk or even coconut milk
½ cup Flour
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tsp Kirsh, optional
1 Tbsp Confectioner’s Sugar, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the almonds on a baking sheet and bake for about 5 minutes or until almonds start turning golden brown. Set aside to cool.

Butter a large gratin dish and place the grapes at the bottom of the dish.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs then add the sugar and beat well to fully incorporate. Add the heavy cream, flour, vanilla extract, and Kirsh if using. Mix well and pour mixture over the grapes. Bake for 20 minutes, sprinkle the toasted almonds over the top. Bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Set aside to cool for a few minutes. Dust the top, using a sifter, with confectioner’s sugar. This dish is best served warm.

Tips for Fabulous Gluten-Free Cookies!

Compiled by Sylvie Ryan, our Culinary Educator

What I love most about cooking is the infinite creativity it inspires. Baking, however, is a very precise science, so it’s important to have a specific, well-measured recipe to help you achieve delicious results. And, when it comes to baking gluten-free cookies, I've discoverd some excellent tips that will ensure success!
Mary Frances from the Gluten Free Cooking School blog has tons of incredibly helpful information, and I've listed here 5 of her very best cookie baking tips and a great sugar cookie recipe, too. Be sure to sign up for her newsletter when you visit her blog!

Did you know that gluten is very rarely necessary in a good cookie? This also means that most gluten-free cookies can be made without xanthan gum or guar gum. A little of these ingredients might help with crumbliness, but they are not an essential ingredient like they would be with a bread recipe. Here are 5 more tips that I picked up during my cookie research this week:

1. Remove cookies from the baking sheet and onto a cooling rack as soon as they can be moved without breaking. They will continue to cook while they are on the sheet and, as I can personally attest, will become stuck. Instead, check them to see whether the cookies are ready to be moved every 30 seconds after they come out of the oven.

2. A good general rule is that you should always grease your cookie sheet with shortening, butter, or a non-stick spray (make sure that it doesn't contain flour). Alternatively, you can cover the sheet with parchment paper and bake the cookies on top of that.

3. If your cookies are too domed, try adding baking soda to the recipe in 1/4 tsp. increments. Baking soda will help increase the spread of the cookie as long as the recipe also includes an acidic ingredient like honey, brown sugar, or cream cheese.

4. Any number of things can cause a cookie to spread too much, and the problem isn't specific to gluten-free cookies. If this happens, consider whether your flour measurement was incorrect. Volume measurements (like cups) are notoriously inaccurate, and if you did not measure out enough flour then the fat in the recipe overwhelms the flour and the cookies' structure is not able to form.

5. Cool cookie sheets completely between batches to prevent the pan from warming the dough to much. A warm cookie sheet can cause the cookies to flatten and spread. Use several cookie sheets so that you can rotate through them as you bake batches of cookies.


A Gluten-Free Sugar Cookie for Decorating

1/2 lb (2 sticks) Butter, softened

2/3 cup Sugar

1 large Egg

1/4 tsp. Baking Powder

1/8 tsp. Salt

1-1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

2-1/2 c. Mary's Gluten-Free, All-Purpose Flour Mix

Cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg, baking powder, salt and vanilla and mix until well combined. Then stir in the flour until well-blended and smooth.

Divide the dough in half and roll out each half to 1/4 in. thickness between two sheets of parchment paper. Keeping the paper in place, move the dough to the refrigerator and chill for 20 - 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Move one oven rack to the upper third of the oven. Grease your cookie sheets.

Take one portion of dough out of the refrigerator. Peel one piece of parchment paper off and then replace it. This is now the bottom side of your dough. Take off the other piece of paper and discard. Cut out the cookies using cookie cutters that are 2 - 3 in. long. Place the cut-out cookie on the cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. Roll out the dough scraps and keep cutting cookies until all the dough has been used. Refrigerate the dough again if it gets too soft to handle.

Bake the cookies just until they are lightly colored and slightly darker at the edges - should be around 6 - 9 minutes. Rotate the cooking sheet halfway through baking for even browning. After they are done, transfer them to a cooling rack as soon as possible.

Gluten-Free Pie Crust

Adapted from Glutenfreegirl.com

Makes 1 pie crust

1 cup White Rice Flour                   

½ cup Sorghum Flour                  
½ cup Potato Starch                   
3 Tbsp Sweet Rice Flour                   
3 tsp Sugar                                         
¼ tsp Salt
1 tsp Cinnamon
8 Tbsp Cold Butter
1 large Egg
2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
¼ cup Ice-Cold Water


Mix together all dry ingredients. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch thick pieces and meld it into the dry ingredients with a fork until the mixture crumbles into pea-sized pieces. Make a well in the center and drop the egg and apple cider vinegar in, then stir them in gently with a fork, from the center out. Once they are incorporated, slowly drizzle the ice-cold water into the mixture, a little at a time. You do not want the dough to be too wet. Add water only if dough seems too dry.


Sandwich the dough between two pieces of parchment paper and spread the dough outward, equally in all directions, until it is a thick, round cake of dough, about the size of a pie plate. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or ideally, overnight. Take the dough out of the refrigerator at least 20 minutes before you want to work with it.

Leave the dough in the parchment paper “sandwich” and roll it out as thinly as you can, then remove the top sheet of parchment. Lay pie plate on top of the dough, then flip the whole thing over. The dough should sag into the pie plate. You may crimp the edges at this point. If some of the dough falls off the sides, simply re-attach the pieces to the crust by pressing in with your fingers.

If your recipe calls for a pre-baked crust, place it in a 350-degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Otherwise, fill and bake according to your pie recipe.

Raw Strawberry Pie

2 cups Nuts of your liking (I like to use almonds or cashews or a combination of the two)

3/4 cup pitted Dates

Pinch of Salt

2 containers of Strawberries, sliced (approx 4-5 cups)

6 Dates soaked in warm water for about 10 minutes

1 teaspoons Lemon Juice

1 tablespoon Agave Nectar


Put 6 dates in a bowl with enough warm water to cover, and set aside.

Put the nuts, pinch of salt and pitted dates in a blender and blend until well broken down and sticky enough to press together. Press into a 9 inch pie tin along the bottom and sides. Put in the refrigerator to cool while preparing the filling.

Wash and slice your strawberries, set aside. Drain the soaking dates, drop into a blender along with 1 cup of the sliced strawberries, lemon juice and agave nectar and blend until smooth and set aside.

Layer the remaining strawberries in the pie crust and then top those with the blended strawberry mixture. Refrigerate for an hour or more and then slice and ENJOY!

Mexican Brownies

By Liz Allred


• 2 sticks Unsalted Butter, plus more for greasing

• 2 cups Sugar

• 4 large Eggs

• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

• 2/3 cup good-quality Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

• 1 cup all-purpose Flour

• 1 teaspoon ground Mexican Cinnamon (canela)

• ¼ teaspoon pequen Chili Powder or Cayenne Pepper

• ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt

• ½ teaspoon Baking Powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides. Press the paper into the corners of the pan and lightly grease the paper with butter.

Melt the 2 sticks of butter in a nonstick saucepan over medium-low heat; do not boil. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Add the sugar, eggs and vanilla to the saucepan and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Add the cocoa, flour, cinnamon, chili powder, salt and baking powder and mix until smooth.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out fudgy, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack, then use the parchment paper to lift out the brownies before slicing.

Raw Cacao Pudding

By Liz Allred

Note: The Goji Powder, Raw Cacao and Maca Powder are available in our Raw Food section on Aisle 7. 

1 Avocado (diced)
3 Dates (pitted and diced)
5-6 Tbsp Raw Cocoa Powder
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of Cinnamon
1 tsp Vanilla Extract (or 1 Vanilla Bean w/ seeds scraped out)
1/3 cup Goji Powder
¼ cup Coconut Oil
1 Tbsp Maca Root Powder (or other powdered herbs you prefer)
¼ cup Water (add more if needed to thin pudding)

Blend all ingredients into blender or food processor. Add water last, slowly pouring in until you reach desired consistency.  Refrigerate overnight in air tight container for a thicker pudding.  Enjoy!!

Organic Flourless Chocolate Pomegranate Tart

From the kitchen of Weleda Naturals chef, Brigitta Ulmer

What could be better than a body care product so pure and clean you can actually make a decadent desset with it? Weleda's Pomegranate Regenerating Body Oil is an incredibly nourishing product that feeds the body both inside and out, and if chocolate comes along with it, all the better!

Serves 6–8

10 Organic Eggs
1½ c Organic Butter
17½ oz Organic, Fair-Trade Dark Chocolate (not Unsweetened Baker's)
5 Tbsp Organic Sugar
2 Tbsp Weleda Pomegranate Regenerating Body Oil

Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler. Mix in eggs, sugar and pomegranate oil. Pour into a springform pan and bake at 400°F for 30-35 min. Serve with fresh kiwi, black currants or any fresh fruit of your choice.

Enjoy!