8 Ways To Use Lemons

I came across these different ways to use lemons and I thought I would share.

1. Add a squeeze of lemon juice to rice or pasta water while cooking to prevent stickiness. 

2. Add to white vegetables, such as potatoes and cauliflower to intensify whiteness. 

3. Instead of salt or butter, try a squeeze of lemon on salads, vegetables, soups and stews.

4. Remove lemon peel with a vegetable peeler. Spread on baking sheet and cook in 170 degree F oven until dry. Put in a peppermill and grind; use as a salt replacement. Or blend with red peppercorns, bay leaves and a little salt for a low-sodium seasoning. 

5. In a spice grinder or food processor, blend dry peels with granulated sugar to a fine powder. Sprinkle over fresh fruit. salads, cocktails or french toast. 

6. For a lemon vinaigrette, combine one part lemon juice and zest with three parts rosemary infused olive oil plus shallot, Dijon mustard and fresh ground pepper. 

7. Drop tiny wedges of fresh lemon into ice cube trays; fill with water and freeze. Use in lemonade or iced tea. 

8. Remove fish, garlic, or onion odor from fingers by rubbing with lemon juice. 

Healthier Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am always looking for snack ideas for my 17 month old daughter Layla. As I was walking though the grocery store, I noticed all the cookies/snacks had a lot of artificial ingredients and were full of sugar and preservatives. I want Layla to be able to have a healthy treat now and then, so I decided to forgo the store bought snacks and make some of my own.

I looked through my bazillion cookbooks and found a healthier version of chocolate chip cookies in Ellie Kreiger's cookbook Comfort Food Fix. Cookies in general, are not the healthiest snack but I wanted something special for her today. These cookies are made with whole wheat flour and 1/4 of the butter you would find in a regular batch of cookies. She enjoyed them VERY much, as you can see in the pictures below. I think this is a great recipe for baking cookies on a weekday for no occasion at all. Obviously this recipe isn't only for children, my 22 year old sister enjoyed them very much and I am sure once my husband comes home from work he will too!


Healthier Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 20 cookies

Ingredients:
3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp canola oil
1 large egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, mash together the butter and sugars with a fork until combined. Add in the oil and egg and mix well. Stir in Vanilla.

3. Combine flours, baking soda and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and mix well. Gently fold in chocolate.

4. Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough onto prepares baking sheets, leaving 1 1/2" to 2" space in between (they will spread) Bake until golden brown; about 12 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire cooling rack. They will crisp as they cool. These cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 4 days.

*1 cookie has 110 calories and 5 grams of fat

Chocolate Cake: Light, Moist and Gluten Free

I have made this chocolate cake on a few different occasions and I am always very happy with the results. This recipes comes from one of the most beautiful cookbooks La Tartine Gourmande by Beatrice Peltre. What I love most about this book is her use of ingredients. You will find most of her baking recipes to be gluten free, not because it's necessary for her health, but because she uses the combinations of different grains to give you the best overall flavor and textures for each recipe. She says "It's a deliberate choice, not a medical one." She prefers these different types of flours for the health benefits over regular wheat flour. I am very lucky I came across this book, all the recipes are amazing.

This cake is originally made with both buckwheat flour and almond meal. The first time I made this cake, it was on a whim so I used what flour I had on hand. I ended up using the almond meal and sweet sorghum flour, the results were great. Next time I make this cake I will try it with the buckwheat flour, and I will let you know how it comes out. I imagine the taste may change a little but not the overall texture. This cake has a nice light, moist texture without being overly rich or dense like a flourless chocolate cake. Enjoy this cake with fresh whipped cream and berries or some vanilla ice cream.

Almond Chocolate Cake (You will need one 9-inch round cake pan)
Serves 8

Ingredients:
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for cake pan
3 1/2 ounces (about 7 tbsp) bittersweet chocolate
4 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch of sea salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup buckwheat flour (I used sweet sorghum flour)
1/4 cup almond meal
Confectioner sugar for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut a round piece of parchment paper large enough to cover the bottom of the cake pan. Grease the cake pan with butter (or shortening) and line the bottom with parchment.

2. Place the butter and chocolate in a bowl and melt over a double boiler. (Place 1" water in a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer, place bowl over the simmering water, resting on the sauce pan and melt chocolate/butter)

3. In the bowl of a stand mixture, beat the eggs, sugar and sea salt until light and pale in color and the batter has doubled in volume. Gently fold in vanilla extract and melted chocolate mixture. Sprinkle the flour and almond meal over the batter and fold gently to combine.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, place in oven, and bake for 30 minutes or until cake tester comes out dry when inserted into the middle. Remove from oven and let cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then flip gently onto plate and remove parchment paper. It is normal for this cake to look a bit cracked on top and it will fall slightly when cooled.

5. Dust cake with confectioners sugar and serve at room temperature with whipped cream, berries and/or ice cream.

Homemade Hostess Snow Balls

I decided to look into a recipe for homemade Hostess Snow balls. I wanted to make these for my Father-in-Law as a special treat (one of his favorites). I came across a few different recipes and decided to try this one. I have to admit that I have never had a real Hostess Snow Ball, I didn't even know what was under all that coconut. I found out that it is chocolate cake, with a cream filling, marshmallow frosting, covered in coconut...sounds delicious to me. When I told my husband that I never tried one before, I also admitted that I have never tried a Twinkie before either. The look on his face was pure disgust. The same look he gave me when I told him I have never had a fast food hamburger before, followed by a "You are not a true American"   Oh well, its too late now, I have to be on a Gluten Free Diet. Which brings me to another point,  I didn't get to try this recipe. I did however, get great feedback and it's definitely a recipe worth making again. I think it would be a GREAT dessert for a children's birthday party. You can make the coconut any color you like, which is really fun for kids. I did get to taste the marshmallow frosting which was addicting :) Now that Hostess has gone out of business, you can have a Snow Ball anytime..enjoy!!!

Homemade Snow Balls (Original recipe comes from Bakingbites.com)
Makes 24 

Ingredients for Cake:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and lightly grease two 12 cup muffin tins (do not use wrappers)

2. In a large bowl on a mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in eggs one at a time, followed by vanilla.

3. In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, followed by the milk, then finished with remaining flour. Stir well between each addition and mix until no streaks of flour remain.

4. Evenly distribute between muffin cups. Bake for about 15 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes and then turn cupcakes out on a wire rack and cool completely before frosting.

5. Once the cupcakes are cooled, prepare them for filling by cutting a circle on the top of the cupcake 1" across by 1" deep. Trim off the pointed end of the cone shaped piece you cut from the cupcake to leave a flat circle of cake. Set them aside for later use.

Ingredients for frosting: (you will need a candy themometer)
6 large egg whites, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/3 cup water
2 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut

1. Put the egg whites in a bowl of electric mixer.

2. Combine sugar, cream or tartar and water in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil and cool until syrup reaches 242 degrees F. (Use candy thermometer)

3. As syrup cool near correct temperature, begin to beat egg white to soft peaks. Slowly stream in the hot sugar syrup, followed by vanilla extract. Beat for about 10 minutes after everything is incorporated, or until frosting reaches room temperature.

4. Meanwhile, process the coconut in the food processor until very fine. Add a drop or two of food coloring. Pour coconut onto a piece of wax paper or into a shallow dish.

To assemble:

Place 1 cup of frosting into a piping bag and pipe the filling into each hollowed out cupcake. Top each cupcake with reserved flat circle of cake to plug the hole.

Using a butter knife or offset spatula, frost the sides and top of each cupcake, making sure not to leave any exposed cake (except for the bottom) (This can get a bit messy but its worth it) Gently roll the frosted cupcake in coconut and place unfrosted-side down on platter  Repeat for all cupcakes.

Soy Ginger Chicken

This recipe came out so delicious, I am looking forward to making this one again. A huge plus, it is one of the easiest recipes I have ever made. I love being able to use one pot for the entire meal. The chicken cooks slow for a few hours and becomes tender and falls off the bone. It has Asian flavors without being too over powering which is great for the entire family, especially with picky eaters. Layla, at 17 months old really loved this meal.

After making this recipe, I have a few suggestions. The original recipe calls for bone-in chicken but I found the boneless, skinless thighs came out best. It also safer to feed young children this meal without the risk of bones in the sauce. I also suggest serving this over rice, so it can soak up all the great sauce. To make this recipe gluten free, just use GF soy sauce Hope you enjoy!

Soy-Ginger Chicken (original recipe from Martha Stewart: Everyday Food Light)
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce (I used gluten free soy)
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
3 garlic cloves-thinly sliced (I decided not to add garlic)
2/3 cup fresh cilantro-chopped, plus leaves for garnish
1 piece fresh ginger (about 2 inches) peeled and cut into thin strips
5 scallions, sliced thin (use the whites and lighter green parts only), divided
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
4 chicken drumsticks and 4 thighs, skin removed or 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced thin
1 cup plus 1 tbsp water
1 tbsp cornstarch
Rice for serving -optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a dutch oven or other heavy pot, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, cilantro, ginger, 1/2 cup scallions, vinegar, coriander and pepper. Add in chicken and carrots, toss to coat in sauce. Stir in 1 cup of water. Cover the pot and place in the oven; cook until chicken is tender; about 1 1/2 hours. Using a large spoon, skim off any fat from surface of cooking liquid.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 1 tbsp water. Ladle one cup of the cooking liquid in a small sauce pan. Bring to a simmer and add in cornstarch to thicken; mixing constantly about 1 minute. Add thicken sauce back to pot with chicken and mix together.

4. Serve chicken over rice, if desired. Garnish with cilantro leaves and remaining scallions.