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Sweet Cinnamon Date and Roasted Parsnip Spread Recipe

March 10, 2013


A few years ago I attended a cooking show with the Voltaggio brothers back in Lexington. They did several interesting creations during that show, but one that has stuck in my mind since was a roasted parsnip and date spread for toast. 
Confession:  I don’t love dates or parsnips. I can handle dates in moderation and the less sweet variety. Parsnips are a little too earthy for me, but I can handle them roasted with other root vegetables. 
So why did this combination stay in my head for 2 years? You got me. I have no idea.
I think maybe it is because I’m always looking for something that is low in added sugar that can fulfill my crazy sweet tooth. 
At the Farmers Market on Friday, I happened to come across both parsnips and dates, and I was reminded of that combination once again. I bit the bullet and bought both to see if I would even like this intriguing creation. 
I’m thankful to California that I now have several varieties of dates to choose from. Back in Kentucky it was usually Medjool dates or the diced kind coated in sugar that are sold during the holidays. And I’m thankful to the vendor who had them all labeled – sweet, less sweet, more sweet, etc. I like it simple.
I picked up a variety that she had labeled, Caddy Candy. Although now I’m wondering if my memory serves me right because I can’t find that name associated with dates anywhere. But for what it’s worth, these are less sweet. 
So I roasted up the parsnips, just like they did in the show, and then blended them with dates in the food processor. I wanted a little more flavor so I added a little cinnamon, some vanilla and a little olive oil to help with consistency. 
This is such a great combination! Even for someone who doesn’t like dates and parsnips. It’s a naturally sweet spread perfect for sourdough toast. I can see it working with oatmeal, pancakes and waffles, too.

Sweet Cinnamon Date and Roasted Parsnip Spread

2 medium parsnips, peeled and cubed (about 1 to 1 ½ cups)
Pinch of sea salt
8 to 10 medium-sized whole, pitted dates
½ tsp vanilla
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1 to 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil (optional)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Spread the parsnip cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Spray or drizzle with just a little of the olive oil. Add just enough to lightly coat them and keep them from sticking. Sprinkle them with the pinch of salt. 
Roast for 20 – 25 minutes, or until they begin to brown and are tender all the way through. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Transfer the parsnips to a small food processor. Add the dates. Pulse until a spread begins to form. Add the vanilla and cinnamon. Pulse until smooth (or as smooth as you can get it). Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil as you puree if you want a thinner, more spreadable consistency. Makes about ¾ cup. 

Avocado Pound Cake with Blood Orange Glaze Recipe

March 1, 2013
Avocado Pound Cake with Blood Orange Glaze | Fake Food Free


I started the New Year off with a sense of adventure. After a long break from blogging due to our move, I was ready to jump right into some baking experiments. 

I did. And I failed. 

For a few weeks our apartment was filled with dry, gritty donuts and collapsed cakes. So I claimed 2013 the year of cooking, not baking. 

But then I got the bug again. The kind of bug that sees an avocado sitting on the counter and wonders if I can use it in place of butter or oil in a recipe. Not that I don’t fully embrace butter. I was simply up for a challenge. 

The first challenge was getting the right consistency. After blending the avocado and mixing it with sugar, eggs and flour I seemed to be on the right track. It even looked pretty when I took it out of the oven.

Avocado Pound Cake with Blood Orange Glaze
The next challenge was getting it out of the pan. Even though the avocado has a good amount of fat, I was using a non-stick pan and I greased it, given my track record, I wasn’t hopeful. I’m pretty sure I cheered when it slid right out of the pan.

Avocado Pound Cake with Blood Orange Glaze | Fake Food Free
 
The final result? You can replace the butter or oil with avocado. At least with this recipe you can. I ended up with a dense, sweet pound cake, with a tiny hint of avocado flavor and a burst of citrus from the glaze. 
 

Avocado Pound Cake with Blood Orange Glaze

Makes: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

1 avocado, peeled and pitted, pureed
1 cup raw sugar (turbinado or Demerara)
¼ cup mascavo sugar (you might be able to substitute brown sugar)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
 
Glaze
1 tablespoon blood orange juice
½ teaspoon orange zest
5 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar 
 
Prep
 
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a small loaf pan. I used a mini loaf pan, the size that comes with a 4 piece set. The cake expands so this was easily enough for 6 to 8 slices once it was baked. 
 
Add the pureed avocado, the raw sugar and the mascavo sugar to the bowl of a mixer. Beat on medium for about 45 seconds. Add the eggs and beat for about 30 seconds. Mix in the vanilla. 
 
Add the baking powder and salt. Slowly mix in the flour just until all ingredients are combined. 
 
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Place the pan on a baking sheet. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
 
This is a dense pound cake so make sure to use the knife test to ensure it is baked through. The top of the bread will darken quite a bit.
 
Place the loaf pan on a cooling rack to cool for about 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and allow to cool completely.
 
In a small dish, stir together the glaze ingredients, adding the powdered sugar one tablespoon at a time. You might decide you like a thinner or thicker consistency, so add more or less sugar to your liking. 
 
Poor the glaze over the cooled pound cake and let set before slicing and serving. 

Avocado Pound Cake with Blood Orange Glaze | Fake Food Free
Thanks for reading! All images and content are the property of Fake Food Free unless otherwise stated. Please do not republish full recipes and images without written permission. What is okay? Feel free to Pin images, share links to my posts or share the photo in a round up post with the title of this recipe and a link back to the post. Confused about copyright and food blogs? Here is some helpful information on Recipe Attribution. If you want to use a photo or full recipe, just ask. I’m sure we can work something out.  
 

Page Tangerine Walnut Muffins Recipe

January 22, 2013
Page Tangerine Walnut Muffins Recipe | Fake Food Free

One change that goes along with living in the Bay Area is that I can no longer complain about the endless cold days of January and February. No, no complaining here. In fact, you can’t get much closer to perfect for me. Sunshine and jacket weather, nicely balanced with a gloomy day that requires a scarf and maybe gloves.

I’ve always considered citrus season a bright spot in a long, dreary winter. Now it’s a bonus during an already enjoyable time of year. And wow, did I completely underestimated how amazing citrus season would be around here!

California Oranges

I’m not unfamiliar with regular access to amazing oranges. I had my pick of them when we lived in Brazil, but four varieties of oranges, mandarins, tangerines, lemons and sweet limes is a whole new ball game. We’ve purchased so much the past two weekends, we can barely carry them back to our apartment. Yet the fruit basket is completely empty come the following Saturday.

California Citrus

I’m incredible picky about my citrus. Mainly the seeds and tough membranes. It’s such an issue for me that I still serve my oranges old school cafeteria-style, sliced in quarters and eaten like a fourth grader. I’ve just now come around to the peel-and-eat citrus like mandarins, if they are small, tender and sweet.

Last week I was introduced to a new favorite that meets all my criteria – Page Tangerines. They are a cross of clementines and minneolas (tangelos). They are unbelievably sweet and tender. Some people at the Farmer’s Market stall complained that they are a little hard to peel, but I didn’t mind this too much.

Page Tangerines, a cross of clementines and minneolas (tangelos). | Page Tangerine Walnut Muffins Recipe | Fake Food Free
California Citrus | Ferry Building Farmers Market, San Francisco | Fake Food Free

Given that I can’t seem to control myself, and always buy way too much citrus, I decided to use some in muffins this past weekend. Along with the sweet citrus, I added walnuts for a little crunch and a sprinkle of raw sugar on the top.

Page Tangerine Walnut Muffins Recipe

Makes: 12 muffins

Ingredients:
2 cups white whole wheat flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup raw sugar
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup olive oil
1 large egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
3-4 Page tangerines, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp Page tangerine zest
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
Raw sugar to top the muffins

Prep:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease the bottom of each muffin tin. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl whisk together the sugar, milk, olive oil, egg and vanilla.

Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing just until combined. Fold in the tangerines, zest and walnuts.  Divide into 12 muffins. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with about a 1/2 tsp of raw sugar. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until muffins are browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool and remove from pan. 

 
Page Tangerine Walnut Muffins Recipe | Fake Food Free
 Thanks for reading! All images and content are the property of Fake Food Free unless otherwise stated. Please do not republish full recipes and images without written permission. What is okay? Feel free to Pin images, share links to my posts or share the photo in a round up post with the title of this recipe and a link back to the post. Confused about copyright and food blogs? Here is some helpful information on Recipe Attribution. If you want to use a photo or full recipe, just ask. I’m sure we can work something out. 

Where to Eat in 2013

January 13, 2013

Hello from California!

The move has been made and I’m working on getting comfortable in my new kitchen. I’m excited to start this new year in a new place and to see where my experiences take me and the blog.

I have to be honest. I can already feel things shifting a bit. I still want to cook with all the amazing ingredients that are now available to me, but I’m also in a place where there is some pretty amazing food (and drink) being made by others.

This year, along with recipes you are probably going to find more places dine and events to attend. I also hope to put the focus back on the global aspect of my blog. I have so much more to learn about the cuisines of other countries and it’s time to start trying more in my own kitchen.

Considering we’re already halfway through January, I really don’t want to look back and recap last year. But in 2012 I took part in 2 cross-country road trips, a trip to Toronto, a visit to New York City, a trip to Vegas, a day in Sonoma and Napa Valley and New Years Eve in Santa Barbara. Not to mention our explorations of Kentucky.

So, yeah. I have a few food recommendations for you.

So let’s not look back at the best eats of last year, but let’s look at it as where you need to eat and drink in 2013! These are my picks so start planning your road trip


Kansas City, KS – Oklahoma Joe’s 

We moved my husband out to California last September. That was road trip #1, to the north via I-80. What an amazing drive! I want to do it again already.


We didn’t have our food planned out, but left it to tips from friends and popular TV shows along the way. First up, Oklahoma Joe’s in Kansas City. It turns out Anthony Bourdain kind of likes the place too.

I like barbecue, but I’m not all crazy for it. And I don’t understand all the allegiances to different types. I like all of them for different reasons. But, oh my goodness. This food was amazing! My husband and I are still talking about it months later. The meat, the sauce, the hour-long line, the restaurant-in-a-gas-station atmosphere. It was one of the best meals I had all year.

My favorite was the burnt ends sandwich, and the beans were as perfect as they can get. Slightly meaty, loaded with barbecue flavor. I’m usually not a fan of ribs, but I’d order them again in a second. 



Salt Lake City, UT – Red Iguana 
 

We had no plan when we got to Salt Lake, but after checking out the FoodNetwork app we found the Red Iguana which had been on an episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. It’s described as pre-Hispanic Mexican, and the big draw? 7 kinds of moles. 


I got the Mole Verde. This wasn’t your classic, chocolately mole, but it was delicious. The chicken was so tender and the sauce was full of spicy flavor. My husband got the Mole Negro and this is what I think of when I think of mole –  rich, dark, slightly spicy sauce. It was my favorite. 

Toronto, Canada – Steam Whistle 

In July last year, I made my first trip to Canada. It’s hard to believe I hadn’t been before! And yes, I know. Everyone is telling me that I need to see more places, but I LOVED Toronto. One of our favorite things was the local beer, Steam Whistle. We did the brewery tour, and the bar just happened to be one of the most affordable places to grab a beer so we hung out for a while and enjoyed it. 

New York City – Momofuku Noodle Bar

I traveled to New York City in October for the first time since I was in high school. Needless to say, a lot has changed. Mainly that I now have a deep appreciation for good food. I recapped the trip last year, but a round up on where to eat in 2013 wouldn’t be complete without a mention of Momofuku Noodle Bar. It was the first place I went when I got to the city, and I’m already planning to take my husband back this year. 

The corn ramen was the special on my visit and it didn’t disappoint. The blackboard lists the farms where a majority of the food is sourced, and with a huge bar for seating it is perfect for dining alone if you are traveling on business like I was.  

Sonoma, CA – The Girl and The Fig

Over the Thanksgiving holiday we took our first trip to California wine country. Knowing we would be in Sonoma around lunch time, we did what every food-lover does. We ate at The Girl and The Fig. We made reservations for lunch, as you should too because although the restaurant was only half full when we arrived, every table was taken by the time we left. 


We started with a cheese plate and that was good, but the best part of it was the dried fig cake made in house. It was delicious with the cheese. 


I had a simple lunch of a tasty grilled cheese, but for me my husband’s meal was the best. The pork belly sandwich with a slightly sweet apple slaw. 


Stanford, KY – Bluebird Cafe


If you think a small-town, rural restaurant can’t compete with food-cities around the U.S., I encourage you to go to Bluebird. On a downtown street that barely has one stoplight, this place will amaze you. With locally sourced ingredients and a creative menu that would rival any restaurant in the big city, Bluebird serves Kentucky favorites with a twist. 

Our first couple visits were for breakfast where I enjoyed the breakfast fries with smoked gouda sauce. We finally made it for lunch just before we moved – a fried green tomato BLT on a whole wheat sorghum bun. Yes, yum.


Santa Barbara, CA – East Beach Grill

We stayed in Santa Barbara on our final leg of the official move which also happened to be New Years Eve. (This time we took I-40 through the southern US.) Other than the wonderful ocean views, we experienced very little of what this awesome town has to offer. But we did manage to have pancakes on New Years morning. The East Beach Grill was close to our hotel, dog friendly and rumor had it they offered some amazing wheat germ pancakes. The rumors were true. I had a stack of blueberry and my husband a stack of strawberry while we relaxed outside with the pugs and enjoyed the view of the ocean. 

Oakland, CA Bocanova

There will be many more Oakland favorites to come, but I definitely found a place I love with only a few days of being here. Bocanova in Jack London Square has unique cocktails and one fine happy hour. One of my favorite appetizers is the Dungeness Crab Deviled Eggs with Chipotle Aioli.  

That about sums it up. Hopefully I’ve shared enough to keep you busy. And full. Recipes will resume soon, but for now I’ll leave you with one of my favorite offerings at our Farmer’s Market. Gorgeous greens with edible flowers. Happy New Year!

P.S. I was having some trouble with formatting on this post. The names of the cities and restaurants are links that will take you to the restaurant website.

Chewy Chocolate-Tahini Puffed-Grain Squares Recipe from Whole Grains for a New Generation

November 12, 2012

These puffed-grain squares are sweet with chocolate and slightly nutty with the flavor of tahini. A great snack from the cookbook Whole Grains for a New Generation by Liana Krissoff!

 Chewy Chocolate-Tahini Puffed-Grain Squares | Fake Food Free | A whole grain chocolate snack!  
Cookbooks. I love everything about them – the valuable information, the creativity, delicious recipes, beautiful photos and stories about the hard work that went into producing them. 
 
There is nothing better than cookbooks that cover my favorite topics and Liana Krissoff has managed to write two that fall into that category – Canning for a New Generation, and now, Whole Grains for a New Generation. 
Whole Grains for a New Generation | Interview with author Liana Krissoff on Fake Food Free
 
I received a copy of the latter just a few weeks ago, and as with most cookbooks I love, I read every recipe before I could put it down.  Liana covers whole grains with every bit of the creativity and thoroughness that she covered food preservation. My favorite part is the section on steel cut oatmeal options. Internationally inspired ideas include avocado and oranges, goat cheese and honey and blue cheese with soy sauce.
 
But don’t think for a minute that this book is all oatmeal. I consider myself pretty well versed in whole grains, but this book took them to a new level for me with recipes such as Curried Cauliflower and Sorghum, Millet Maki Rolls with Avocado Puree and Chickpea-Flour Crepes with Quinoa, Melted peppers and Goat Cheese. The book is filled with gluten-free, vegetarian and meat and fish dishes. 
 
I was excited to learn that Liana was open to email interviews, so I decided to ask her a few questions that came to mind as I browsed her work. Here are a few things she had to say. If you are as big of a cookbook and whole grains fan as I am, I think you will find them inspiring! And she also provides some great tips. See the note about prepping steel cut oats!
 
ME:  Working in public health I find it difficult to convince people to eat whole grains, let alone cook them. What are some tips you would give a person just beginning to cook or bake with whole versus refined grains? 
 
LIANA:  I think the key is to enjoy whole grains for what they are rather than expecting them to be something they’re not. I’ll be the first to admit that it’s not easy to become acclimated to most whole-wheat pasta or switch to multigrain baguettes after years of enjoying the traditional refined-wheat-flour versions. Pasta is delicious! Bread made with white flour can be truly amazing stuff! But instead of making those the basis of your meals every day, I’d suggest just skipping the pasta and white bread and making something different altogether: try a polenta tart with chard and Gruyère, for example, instead of pasta; serve your wine and cheese with a crisp seeded rye flatbread instead of white French bread.
 
I understand that in a lot of cases this does mean spending a bit more time in the kitchen, so I’ve really made an effort to simplify the recipes and pare down the processes in this book—a polenta tart isn’t the no-brainer that a big bowl of pasta with tomato sauce is, but it’s in the ballpark, totally doable.
 
Another thing I’d recommend is starting with whole grains that are especially easy to cook and easy to love: quinoa, for example. Fifteen minutes on the stovetop, and it’s so incredibly versatile: it goes with just about anything—summer or winter vegetables, meat, fish, fruit, sweets—and can act as the grain or starch in just about any meal. It also makes a great quick dessert pudding.
 
Or just focus on one meal of the day and replace your dry sweetened prepared breakfast cereal with steel-cut oats: In the evening, bring the oats and water to a boil, remove from the heat, and let stand overnight; the next morning, just warm it up and it’s ready. Try savory toppings on your oatmeal if you’re the adventurous type. Instead of store-bought snack crackers or cookies in the afternoon, pop some popcorn on the stovetop and experiment with unusual toppings—there are tons of suggestions in the book.
 
ME:  Travel and food culture inspire my own blog so I love the international influences in your recipes. Where do you get your inspiration for these dishes?
 
LIANA:  I’m glad to know that’s a selling point for cookbooks these days! A lot of my cooking is influenced simply by what I find in the stores and markets around me at any given time of year, or wherever I’m living at the time. I’m cheap, so I use whatever is most plentiful and readily available, and sometimes that means coming up with a dozen ways to use plums or whatever because they’re in season and the ones on sale happen to be really good.
 
I go to a lot of restaurants—not so many high-end places, but taco shops and pho restaurants, random Middle Eastern and African places in strip shopping centers, and German bakeries on Main Streets in the Midwest. Just becoming familiar with the wide variety of cooking techniques used around the world—by eating in restaurants (and maybe peeking into the kitchens), by reading books, by traveling—can open your mind to new ways of doing things. For example, the Indian technique of tempering, or frying whole spices in ghee or oil and adding the sizzling mixture to a dish at the end of cooking: It works so well to infuse the food with a bright but deep flavor, can’t this be applied to dishes that aren’t necessarily traditionally Indian? Would it work with a Texas-style chili? Can’t hurt to try it, right? 
 
My friends have been incredibly valuable as resources too: Their creativity and willingness to try anything are constantly inspiring. I love getting that email from a friend who’s just made the best vegetarian tom yum, or the best oatmeal cookie and has to share the recipe. My parents, too, of course, are always experimenting with new foods and have many times pointed me in a direction I wouldn’t have thought to go in otherwise. I often feel like I’m just taking in raw information, massaging it a little, interpreting it, and sending it back out.
 
ME:  If I’ve counted correctly, this is your fourth cookbook. What were your experiences with the process of writing a cookbook? Were there any major lessons learned from the first that made the ones to come easier to write and publish?
 
LIANA:  Yes, this is the fourth. The first two were work-for-hire jobs, which meant that the publisher needed books written about those particular subjects, and I was given the job of writing basically to certain specifications—although it still surprises me how much leeway I was given to come up with my own selection of recipes and to write what became quite personal books. I occasionally wonder how they let some of those headnotes fly!
 
The canning and whole grains books were more traditional arrangements, which just meant that after they were done I felt more like an “author” than a “writer.” I wish I could say that writing has gotten much easier for me, but each book has been hard in its own way. The first two because the schedule was crazy and I had to make so many slow cookers’ worth of food in a short period of time in a very small apartment. The canning book because I was essentially canning something nearly every day for almost a year. The whole grains book because I felt like I was learning about whole grains as I worked: a lot of those grains were new to me, and the experimentation phase was pretty intense. The book I’m working on now, a vegetarian cookbook, has been challenging simply because of the sheer scale of the project: How do I narrow my focus? 
 
To answer your question in a more fine-grained way, from book to book I have gotten better about methodology: my system for developing and testing recipes, and keeping track of what I’m doing and what I’ve done, has become more refined, so not as much energy is wasted on procedural issues. I don’t repeat my mistakes because I’ve misplaced a page of notes or forgotten how long I cooked something. And some idiosyncrasies I’ve just learned to deal with: I thought for this current book I’d try to write the headnotes for the recipes as I was writing the recipes themselves, so I wouldn’t be scrambling to write them at the end, but I’m realizing that this just doesn’t seem to work for me.
 
Writing clear recipes and writing fun and helpful headnotes are two different skills. One is the kind of thing I’d prefer to write standing up at the kitchen counter with my notes and timers around me, or at the very least at a desk; the other needs to be written cozied up in a soft chair with a glass of wine or cup of tea nearby, late at night with a deadline looming. So I guess I’ll be writing a couple hundred headnotes right before the manuscript is due, and I’ve come to accept that the book will probably be better and more interesting for it even if my hair is a few shades grayer at the end of the day.
 
ME:  Any tips for those out there who aspire to write their own cookbook?
 
LIANA:  People who know about publishing say that in a glutted cookbook market you need a platform, a built-in audience, a blog with a ton of traffic. And that’s probably true if what you want to write is not within a small, specialized niche. But I think that if you can find a niche and fill it very well—like Sandor Katz has done with his fermentation bibles, or Isa Chandra Moskowitz with her vegan cookbooks written in a certain clever style, or Samuel Thayer with his foraging books—you can be very successful. You just have to convince a publisher that people want to read a book about that topic even though there aren’t already a lot of books in the market segment yet.
 
Publishers tend to be pretty conservative, and want to go with what they know will sell, especially with cookbooks, which are very expensive to produce, but I would like to believe that when presented with solid market research they’ll take a chance on something different. I wrote a canning book because there weren’t very many out there yet; there wasn’t even a canning section on the bookstore shelves, and I didn’t know where bookstores would even place it, but I knew there was this latent desire for more canning books out there and was lucky to find an editor and publisher who were eager to take the plunge.
 
Think about what’s missing from your bookstore shelves. What do you want to read? That may be what you should write! I’d also suggest you read, read, read. Blogs are great, but read actual published cookbooks, too, so you know how to write a recipe clearly and make your language consistent. This is the editor in me talking, of course: Clarity! Consistency! But I’m convinced that if your mechanics are sound, your personal voice comes through more effectively and the whole pitch becomes more persuasive.
*********************************************************************
 
Such great answers to my questions.
 
I’ve tried for a while to come up with a good krispie treat-like recreation using puffed kamut and rice without much luck. I was thrilled when I saw the Chewy Chocolate-Tahini Puffed-Grain Squares in this book, and I knew right away it was what I wanted to make.
 
Chewy Chocolate-Tahini Puffed-Grain Squares | Fake Food Free | A whole grain chocolate snack!
 
These are so quick and tasty. I kept mine stored in the fridge and cut them with a serrated knife after they got firm. I love these as a fast breakfast on a busy morning or as a post-run snack. 

Chewy Chocolate-Tahini Puffed-Grain Squares 

Reprinted with permission from Abrams Books. 
Makes 16 | vegetarian 
 
From the book: 
 
These chewy, dense squares were inspired by a recipe in Terry Walters’s brilliant book Clean Food. There’s very little in here that isn’t good for you, and yet my daughter—who is certainly no stranger to real sweets—absolutely loves them. Parents in particular should appreciate the value of a treat-snack you don’t really have to think twice about allowing.
 
These keep nicely for up to two weeks in the refrigerator. If you want to keep it gluten free, use puffed brown rice or millet or a combination of the two. You might also consider substituting sunflower seeds for the almonds (allergenic to many kids) if you plan to pack one of these into a kid’s school lunchbox or send them to school as a treat for the class.
 
Ingredients
 
 1 cup (110 g) whole almonds
 4 cups (60 g) unsweetened puffed Kamut, brown rice, spelt, or millet, or a combination
2 tablespoons shredded unsweetened coconut (optional)
1 tablespoon flax seeds, coarsely ground
3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
1/2 cup (120 ml) honey or maple syrup
2 ounces (55 g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons tahini
Pinch of salt
 
Prep
 
In a food processor or blender, pulse the almonds until finely ground. Dump into a large bowl and add the puffed grains, coconut, if using, and flax seeds.
 
In a small heavy saucepan, combine the oil, honey, chocolate, tahini, and salt. Cook over medium heat just until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is semi-uniform. Pour over the mixture in the bowl and stir with a rubber spatula until well coated. Dump the mixture into a 9-inch (23-cm) square baking pan or dish and press firmly with your palms or the spatula to an even layer. Use a bench knife or metal spatula to cut into 16 squares, then cover and put in the refrigerator until firm, about 15 minutes. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
 
 
Chewy Chocolate-Tahini Puffed-Grain Squares | Fake Food Free | A whole grain chocolate snack!

Disclosure:  This cookbook was sent to me free of charge for review purposes. I was not required to post about it and received no compensation for doing so. As always, thoughts and opinions are my own.

 

Thanks for reading! All images and content are the property of Fake Food Free unless otherwise stated. Please do not republish full recipes and images without written permission. What is okay? Feel free to Pin images, share links to my posts or share the photo in a round up post with the title of this recipe and a link back to the post. Confused about copyright and food blogs? Here is some helpful information on Recipe Attribution. If you want to use a photo or full recipe, just ask. I’m sure we can work something out.

No-Bake Running Snacks and Christmas Carols

November 4, 2012
 
As I pulled up to a stoplight on my commute to work last Thursday, the radio scanner stopped on a local station. I sat there for a few seconds before my ears recognized what I was hearing.
A Christmas carol.
Normally, this time of year, I would immediately change the station and swear off any mention of winter wonderland, snowmen and reindeer for a few more weeks. But not that morning. I listened and I thought – this is kind of nice.
It felt a little like a guilty pleasure, a secret I should keep to myself. Kind of like when you have the second cookie you don’t need. Or the no-bake chocolate snowball.
That is, unless you are talking about these No-Bake Chocolate Snowballs.
I came across the recipe when I was catching up on Michelle’s blog at Find Your Balance Health, and I couldn’t wait to try them.
There are many healthy bars, protein bites and energy cookies around the web and these are perfect pre- and post run snacks. The only problem is that many use dates as the base, and while I can handle them in moderation, I get tired of that date flavor.
Big bonus, these don’t have a date in sight! I’m already on my second batch and I’m still loving them. You can get the recipe at Find Your Balance Health. It’s nice and simple, and bananas, nut butter, maple syrup and unsweetened coconut just happen to be staples in my kitchen.
Turn up the Christmas carols and grab a couple snowballs. Around here 2012 is going to be one great holiday season!

Baked Eggs with Pumpkin and Greens Recipe

October 16, 2012

I love eggs just about any way you can make them. No problems with the taste or texture here, I could eat them at every meal. Over the years my tastes have evolved from scrambled and hard boiled only, to fried, and just recently to poached with rich, runny yolks.

I realized recently that one of the only ways I have yet to make eggs is baking them. It had to be easier than poaching, right?

I had some left over pumpkin puree from roasting a pie pumpkin last week, and my mom brought me some kale from their garden this past weekend. I mixed in a few other ingredients and made this the base for eggs.

No surprise – I now love baked eggs too!

Even if eggs aren’t your thing, this combination makes a great baked side dish. I used kale and bok choy, but any hearty green will work fine

 Baked Eggs with Pumpkin and Greens Recipe

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chopped kale
2 cups chopped bok choy (mostly greens)
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 eggs
1 tbsp panko bread crumbs (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 F and lightly grease a small casserole dish with olive oil.

Heat the 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high and add the onion and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes, or just until the onions begin to soften. Add the greens and cook only 60-90 seconds, just until the greens begin to wilt. Remove the skillet from the heat.

Stir in the pumpkin, ricotta cheese, salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to the casserole dish.

Make four small indentations in the pumpkin mixture. One at a time, crack the eggs into the wells you created. Sprinkle the top evenly with the bread crumbs.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the whites are set, but the yolks are soft. Less if you like runny yolks, more if you like your eggs firm. Remove from the oven and serve warm. Makes 4 servings.

Black Sesame Granola Recipe

September 12, 2012
Black Sesame Granola Recipe made with dried fruit, nuts and tahini | FakeFoodFree.com #granolarecipes #healthyrecipes #healthyeating #breakfast
 

The first signs of autumn are in the air and that means oatmeal has returned to the breakfast scene around here. I eat it almost every day, but as much as I love a warm bowl on a cool morning, everyone needs a little variety. That’s where granola comes in.

I’ve made Coconut Lime Granola and Cranberry Pumpkin Granola, but this batch had a purpose – to use up some specific ingredients in the pantry.

First up are black sesame seeds, followed by tahini. I love them both, but when most recipes call for only 1 to 2 tablespoons, it takes a while to use them up.

Both ingredients give this granola a nutty, salty flavor. If you like yours a bit sweeter you can add more honey or some extra dried fruit. I used dried cranberries and unsalted peanuts in this version, but any fruit and nut combo would work well.

Black Sesame Granola Recipe

Ingredients
1/4 cup virgin coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup raw honey
2 tablespoon tahini
4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
1/4 cup black sesame seeds
1/4 cup dried fruit (I used cranberries)
1/4 cup nuts (I used unsalted peanuts)
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Whisk together the oil, honey, and tahini in a large bowl. Stir in the oats.

Add the remaining ingredients and stir to coat well. Pour out onto a baking sheet sprayed with coconut oil and spread evenly.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Makes about 5 cups.

 
Black Sesame Granola Recipe | FakeFoodFree.com #granolarecipes #healthyrecipes #healthyeating #breakfast

 

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Cheddar, Sun-dried Tomato and Zucchini Scones Recipe

August 15, 2012

I’m happy to say that Fake Food Free has transitioned to the Substack Newsletter called Every Corner of the World.

I hope to see you there.

Cheddar, Sun-dried Tomato and Zucchini Scones Recipe | Fake Food Free
 
I’m no stranger to scones. I’ve written about my favorite breakfast pastry a few times in the past. But I rarely make savory scones. 
 
Our zucchini plant just stopped producing this week, so I’ve had plenty to work with this year. When I was trying to use it up, scones seemed a logical choice. I stepped out of my sweet comfort zone, though, and decided to do something a little cheesy and spicy.
 
These scones are great by themselves, but they also make a good base for a breakfast egg sandwich.  If you happen to have a tomato jam, that would dress them up nicely, too. 
 
Cheddar Sun-dried Tomato and Zucchini Scones
Makes 8 to 10 scones
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Ingredients
  1. 2 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
  2. 4 teaspoons baking powder
  3. ½ teaspoons salt
  4. ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  5. ½ cup shredded zucchini
  6. ¼ cup sundried tomatoes, chopped fine
  7. 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus extra for topping
  8. 1 tablespoon hot sauce
  9. ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon 2% or whole milk
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the butter cubes and use a pastry blender or two knives to cut the butter into the flour until it is in pea-sized pieces.
  3. Stir in the zucchini, sundried tomatoes and cheese. Add the hot sauce and milk, and mix ingredients until a dough is formed. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead gently for 1 to 2 minutes.
  4. Shape the dough into a rectangle, about ¾ of an inch thick. Cut into 8 to 10 squares.
  5. Place the squares on a baking sheet. Top each with a small amount of shredded cheese and press it gently into the dough.
  6. Bake 12 to 15 minutes until the cheese and edges are browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of the scones comes out clean.
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Cheddar, Sun-dried Tomato and Zucchini Scones Recipe | Fake Food Free
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Coconut Zucchini Pumpkin Pancake Recipe

July 29, 2012
Zucchini in the garden; pumpkin in the freezer.
 
That’s the current situation at our house.

I went a little crazy with the pumpkin purchases last fall, and now the frozen puree is waiting to be used. With all the tomatoes, peppers and summer squash going wild in the garden, the pumpkin needs to move over so we can create more room in the freezer.

Summer squash and winter squash? It can work, and these pancakes are proved it to me. They are soft and tender with just a hint of that fall flavor that will be in full swing in a few months. 

 

 
 
 
They just happened to end up being vegan if that is your thing, but my husband kindly pointed out that the bacon I served with ours was not. I do like mine with bacon.

And I definitely think these count as having vegetables for breakfast!

 
Coconut Zucchini Pumpkin Pancakes
Yields 10
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Ingredients
  1. 3/4 cup coconut milk
  2. 3/4 cup pumpkin puree (*very thin)
  3. 1/2 cup shredded zucchini
  4. 3 tsp baking powder
  5. 1/4 tsp salt
  6. 2 tbsp mascavo sugar
  7. 1/8 tsp ground ginger
  8. 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  9. 1 cup white whole wheat flour
  10. Toasted, unsweetened coconut for serving
Instructions
  1. In a medium sized mixing bowl, stir together the coconut milk and pumpkin. Add the zucchini.
  2. Next stir in the baking powder, salt, sugar, ginger and cinnamon. Fold in the flour just until all ingredients are combined.
  3. Pour 3 to 4 tablespoons of batter onto a heated non-stick griddle for each pancake. Cook pancakes 1-2 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned and cooked through. Garnish with toasted coconut before serving.
Notes
  1. *I used fresh pumpkin puree from previously frozen so my puree was very thin. If you are using a thicker puree, or a different type of flour, you made need to adjust things to reach the right pancake batter consistency.
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