Gluten-Free Cherry Clafoutis

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Gluten-free dessert is solved. A luscious cherry clafoutis, no sugar.

My cherry clafoutis has a little secret. Well. Two secrets. Wait. Actually, three. At least. It's a clafoutis bursting with secrets. But first, I must mention something.

Are you listening, darling?

Put down your iPhone for a moment, will you? You can text later. When you're not driving. Or brushing your teeth- hazardous especially if one attempts texting while scrubbing one's used-to-be-pearly-enough whites (before the advent of dental bleaching) with a vibrating rechargeable toothbrush. Vanilla mint toothpaste can spatter in shockingly wide and impressive arcs, inflicting remarkable damage upon various household goods and personal items including tidy, stacked baskets of freshly folded jeans and t-shirts still cozy-warm from the dryer in the basement, I am sorry to tell you.

But I digress. Back to dessert.

Cherries- the ruby jewels of summer.

This elegant, company worthy gluten-free dessert is so easy to make you can do it while you mambo. Or hula hoop. Or in between practicing your Windmill and extended Puppy Pose. The hardest part is pitting the cherries. And that's not exactly hard. It ain't rocket science, after all. It just requires a patient heart. And some breathing. You know, so you don't fall over.

And alarm your beloved.

And knock three cups of oozing, juicy cherries (with attendant slippery pits) off the kitchen counter and on to the newly mopped, clean and shiny floor.

A colander of washed cherries awaits.

I use a paring knife- precise and delicate- to slice the cherries for pitting.

So pay attention while you pit, and you'll be golden. I halve my cherries (carefully, of course) and dig out the pit with my thumb. Not exactly high tech. I suppose you could get a cherry pitter. And keep it in the drawer with your apple peeler. And your hard boiled egg slicer.

We all have a drawer like that, don't we?

Cluttered with gizmos that are supposed to make our lives easier. Simpler. Freer.

And yet.

I wonder if such gadgetry really saves us anything, especially time.

In spite of all my modern conveniences (I am most humbly thankful for our built-in dishwasher- after living in New Mexico without one for three years) I always manage to fill my days end-to-end with things that need to get done. With tasks I can't ignore (though I try, valiantly). Like folding laundry. Excavating dust bunnies. Deleting email. Shopping for chocolate. Brushing my teeth. Adding another book to my bedside stack.

Though when I think of it, adding a book to my pile of must-reads does indeed feel expansive. More so than any gadget. Adding a new book is like adding on new psychic space.

Books make time even more elastic than it is.

Warren Zevon once paraphrased Kierkegaard (he could quote him in his sleep), saying we buy books with the belief that we are buying the time to read them.

It's true. I do feel that way. I believe, with every new book, I will find the time (and space) to read it. Even though I unsubscribed to magical thinking years ago, I admit, when it comes to books- and sexy wild topics surrounding the space-time continuum- my visual imagination conjures parallel universes and bi-locating self expressions faster than you can mimic John From Cincinnati parroting, I don't know, Butchie instead.

I think about this whole time question (another birthday looms, after all) as I stand at the kitchen window pitting cherries. I focus on slicing this petite stone fruit in half, one by one, exhale slowly, and fall in love just a little bit with the Merlot red staining of my fingers.

How many cooks making clafoutis have stood like this in some far off June, pitting cherries to the open window sounds of summer, their fingers crimson with sticky juice?

If for nothing else beyond this red sisterhood, alone, I am grateful today.

The clafoutis bakes.

Vanilla and coconut fill the apartment.

I grab a fork.

The mysteries of the space-time continuum will just have to wait.

Warm from the oven cherry clafoutis- with the scents of vanilla and coconut.

Gluten-Free Cherry Clafoutis Recipe

The secrets of my clafoutis? Not only is it gluten-free, Darling, this cherry clafoutis is dairy-free and refined sugar free. I used pure maple syrup to subtly sweeten the almond milk based custard. Coconut flour and brown rice flour are the gluten-free flours I chose to thicken it into its lovely pudding cake texture- light, yet rich. Beyond delightful.

Note: The recipe I used for inspiration is a Julia Child clafoutis recipe as posted by Amy Sherman at Cooking with Amy. I took some liberties with Julia's recipe ratio. Knowing the quirks of coconut flour, I added more egg. I also avoid sugar lately, so I experimented. I cut out the 2/3 cup sugar called for, and used 1/4 cup pure maple syrup to sweeten the custard. I used organic unsweetened almond milk as my non-dairy milk of choice. The result? You won't miss the gluten. Or the dairy. Promise.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup vanilla almond milk or coconut milk
4 organic free-range eggs
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour or sorghum flour
1 tablespoon bourbon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
3 cups fresh cherries, pitted

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Using your favorite vegan butter, grease the bottom and sides of an 8x12-inch oval gratin baking dish. Set aside.

Using a blender or Vita-Mix, whip the almond milk, eggs, maple syrup, coconut flour, brown rice flour, vanilla extract, and sea salt till smooth and frothy.

Pour roughly half an inch of batter into the buttered gratin dish and bake it in the oven until it is lightly set- just a few minutes. Take the baking dish out of the oven and add the cherries in an even layer. Pour on the remaining batter.

Return the dish to the oven and bake for about 50 to 55 minutes, until slightly golden around the edges, and set in the center.

Serve warm. Heaven.

Options:

Dust with powdered sugar if you like (it really looks pretty), or serve with a spoonful of Greek yogurt, or vegan sour cream.

Cook time: 1 hour

Yield: Serves 6-8



Enjoy sugary treats in moderation. Gluten-Free Goddess advises consuming no more than 2 tablespoons of sugar a day. 

More gluten-free clafoutis goodness:

Amy's Cherry Clafoutis at Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free
Gluten-Free Girl's Clafoutis with plums
Gluten-Free Cherry Clafoutis at Adventures of a Gluten-Free Mom
Tartelette's gorgeous Cherry Clafoutis

Gluten-Free Blueberry Crumble-Crisp Recipe

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Kick-off your gluten-free summer with a blueberry crumble-crisp.

Summer is not officially here until the eve of June 20th- the longest day of the calendar year. But why wait to share one of my quintessential Midsummer recipes? The kindest season is far too brief. As the Bard of Avon once penned, summer's lease hath all too short a date. So who am I to hold back and play hard-to-get, to deny you even one day of partaking in this (rather modest) indulgence?

I believe in the here and now more than the promise of ever-after.

Not that ever-after does not hold its enduring charms. The swath we name eternity is threaded through and through with everyday blinks as brief as a silk worm's life. Which, as it turns out, is perilously close to a single, fleeting summer.

In my view, if I am honest with myself and paying attention, eternity can be found inside a June. Within a child's hand clasp. Echoed in a tea cup. All that I long for, wish for, dream of, has already happened, this I know. In some far off starlit part of me that remains forever untouchable and true, eternity is happening now, and breathes within the tiny beating bud of even my fears, and pain. It knows no boundaries, or Gregorian demarcation. It is patient. And full of music.

I see it flicker in my sons' eyes.

This gift of time.

And the moment I spot it, it is already gone, light years away, clean and immaculate.

Gluten-Free Goddess® Blueberry Crumble-Crisp

Blueberry crumble-crisp is a gluten-free family favorite (you may remember this recipe), now made even tastier with new ingredients. After all, even the best desserts can sometimes use a makeover.

Recipes evolve.

Big, bursting blueberry taste.

 

Gluten-Free Blueberry Crumble-Crisp Recipe

Nothing evokes the pleasures of summer like a fresh blueberry crumble, warm and purple and sweet. I used quinoa flakes and millet flour for the gluten-free crumble-crisp topping. Quinoa flakes have a light, delicately nutty flavor that pairs beautifully with brown sugar, cinnamon and blueberries.

Ingredients:

2 pints fresh blueberries, washed
1 tablespoon turbinado or raw sugar
2/3 cup quinoa flakes
2/3 cup GF millet flour
2/3 cup organic light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup virgin coconut oil

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Rub the inside of a 9-inch baking or gratin dish with a dab of coconut oil.

Place the blueberries into a bowl and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. Toss to coat. Pour them into the greased baking dish and distribute evenly.

In a separate bowl, combine the quinoa flakes, GF millet flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and sea salt. Add the coconut oil. Stir in or rub the coconut oil and dry mixture together to create a sandy, crumbly texture.

Sprinkle the crumble topping over the blueberries.

Bake in the center of a pre-heated oven till browned and slightly bubbling. Check for desired tenderness with a fork. I baked mine for 25 minutes because I like my berries tender but not soft. If you prefer your fruit traditionally soft, bake it for 35 minutes.

Set the crumble aside on a rack and allow it to cool a bit before serving. I love it slightly warm from the oven.

A scoop of vegan Coconut Vanilla Ice Cream is entirely optional.

Serves 6.

Karina's Notes:

This is a vegan gluten-free recipe (dairy-free) but if you prefer using butter, use butter instead of coconut oil.

Quinoa flakes are found in the hot cereal section of many natural markets. They are light, nutty tasting, and packed with protein.

To substitute millet in this recipe I'd use sorghum flour. Or try GF buckwheat flour (if you enjoy the taste of buckwheat).

Please make sure the millet flour you use is indeed gluten-free. Some brands of gluten-free flour are testing with higher than acceptable levels of gluten cross contamination. If cross contamination is an important issue for you and your family, I suggest you subscribe to Gluten-Free Watchdog, like I do.

I don't add nuts to my blueberry crumbles or crisps- but if you love a good nut with your berries, darling, add a half cup chopped nuts to the topping.

An earlier version of this Gluten-Free Goddess® recipe originally appeared in Allergic Living.

Quinoa Salad with Blueberries, Strawberries and Watermelon

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A summer quinoa salad studded with fresh, ripe fruit.

I cook sparingly in the heat of summer. And only if I absolutely have to. It's one of the perks of being a grown up- and post empty nest. We cook if we feel like it. And if we don't? We grab some baby spinach and chard, frisee and herbs and make a salad. We like to keep things simple.

That's no surprise to you, I'm sure.

I don't exactly do elaborate. We don't go for complicated around here. And goddess knows, we don't do formal. If we can toss together a bowl of fresh salad greens and herbs, and add some quickly cooked protein to make a meal of it, we're content. We might add strips of organic free-range chicken grilled with lemon and black pepper. Or a piece of wild salmon broiled with a touch of agave and lime. Perhaps an organic hard boiled egg. Or two. If we're lucky, some leftover cooked quinoa.

Dinner in a flash.

Quintessential summer.

So today's post (and recipe) is a nod to the natural marriage of summer and simplicity. Get out of the house. Step away from the screen. Disconnect. Reconnect.

Redondo Beach just before sunset.

May we just take a moment of appreciation to embrace the natural beauty and soul restoring power of a walk on the beach? There is nothing that soothes my heart quite like the thunder of ocean surf. The invigorating rush of water and salt air and foam.
Walks are a daily ritual. Morning and evening. Summer walks here in Southern California are cool and still.

At the beach, the air hangs in angles of yellow light that glance the pod of surfers rising and falling with each unpicked wave. Evening walks are cool, sometimes chilly and brisk, with a dampish steady on-shore wind that smells like Provincetown. When the western sky begins to turn pink it always startles me how much it resembles a Cape Cod sunset.

Hydrangea near our apartment. The word gorgeous comes to mind.

Last night I discovered a garden voluptuously Victorian with vintage-toned hydrangea blossoms the size of dessert plates.

And speaking of dessert plates.

Watermelon wedges with blueberries, strawberry and mint.

My favorite summer meals are picnics. Don't worry if it's too hot to bake dark chocolate brownies. Make a no-cook, sugar-free vegan dessert plate with wedges of fresh watermelon, blueberries and strawberries. Add a mint leaf. Summer fruit is simply glorious as dessert.

Light, refreshing, and fabulous.

A vegan quinoa salad to celebrate summer.

Quinoa Salad Recipe with Blueberries, Strawberries and Watermelon

Make the quinoa in a rice cooker and you'll keep the kitchen the cool. This time I used Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Cooking ratio of two cups uncooked quinoa with three cups water. It turned out fluffy and perfect, and made enough to create a generous quinoa salad.

First make the quinoa:

2 cups uncooked quinoa
3 cups fresh water
Pinch of sea salt, to taste

Place the quinoa, water, and sea salt in a large to medium rice cooker, and cover. Cook until all the water is evaporated and the quinoa is tender. Scoop the cooked quinoa into a large bowl and fluff with a fork. Let it cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, prepare the fruit and baby greens.

Ingredients:

1.5 cups fresh blueberries, washed, picked over
1.5 cups fresh strawberries, washed, sliced
1.5 cups diced watermelon
6 cups baby salad greens
A handful of fresh chopped herbs: cilantro, dill, parsley and mint

For the dressing:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Fresh squeezed lime juice from 1-2 limes
Cracked pepper, to taste

Instructions:

When the quinoa has cooled, drizzle it with the extra virgin olive oil and toss well to coat, fluffing with a fork to separate the grains. Add the fresh squeezed lime juice and toss again. Season with cracked pepper, to taste. Taste test. Add more olive oil or lime as needed.

Add the blueberries to the quinoa, and toss lightly.

Distribute the baby greens on six plates. Add the quinoa and blueberries. Add the sliced strawberries and diced watermelon, and the fresh chopped herbs.

And voila! A vegan gluten-free salad worthy of July Fourth. 

Cook time: Maybe 30 minutes

Serves six.

Refreshing. Easy. Gluten-free. Vegan.

This coming Independence Day, celebrate your independence from gluten!

Cheddar Beer Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

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What to do with leftovers of cheddar beer chicken? I think I ate that every single day for lunch and dinner last week. It was so flavorful and satisfying. It tasted amazing as a taco salad or in a burrito with the simple flavors of avocado, lettuce and Greek yogurt.

I was really craving a baked sweet potato for lunch the other day and thought that be the perfect vessel for this chicken. I cooked several sweet potatoes until their sugar started to burst from their skin. I topped them with spinach, cheddar beer chicken and honey goat cheese. The sweet and savory worked really well for this chicken. The extra kick of hot sauce was a nice surprise.

Cheddar Beer Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
By Fallon

Ingredients:
4 Sweet potatoes
1 cup of cheddar beer chicken
1 large handful baby spinach, chopped
Honey goat cheese
Hot sauce

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and clean sweet potatoes. Bake sweet potatoes on a baking sheet for 60 minutes or until soften and sugar starts to burst from skins.

Combine chicken and spinach and heat on stove top till hot. Once potatoes are done, remove and cut horizontal. Place chicken mixture in middle and top with crumbles of goat cheese and a couple dashes of hot sauce.

Today is the Superbowl and I’m going for the GIANTS all the way! 

Who are you rooting for?

ENJOY!
Fallon

Rolo Cake Mix Bars

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As soon as I saw this recipe I knew they would be good. Yellow cake mix and a milk chocolate covered caramel candy baked together, yeah it just sounds good! With this simple recipe there are so many other dangerous varieties like a chocolate cake mix and peanut butter cups, funfetti cake mix and marshmallows, yellow cake mix and heath bar etc. I could just go on but instead I’ll just share you this recipe. I found the recipe over at Cookies and Cups. I knew it would be good coming from her blog. She makes everything look delicious.They were well liked by my friends over the weekend and I think they will start to make a regular appearance. Just make sure you have a lot of time to unwrap each piece of Rolo candy. Yeah that wasn’t fun at all!

Rolo Cake Mix Bars
Adapted from Cookies and Cups

Ingredients:
1 box (18.25oz) yellow cake mix (Definitely use Duncan Hines)
1 (5oz) can evaporated milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
40 Rolo candies, unwrapped and cut in half

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13in pan with cookie spray. With a mixer, beat cake mix, evaporated milk and butter until combined. Mixture will be thick and sticky.

 

   

Divide batter in half and press 1 half onto the bottom of the pan. Bake until just set, approximately 8-9 minutes.

Remove base from oven and place Rolo candies, caramel-side down on top. Drop remaining batter on top of Rolos in teaspoon sized amounts. Bake for 20-24 minutes longer until top begins to golden.

Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Oh yeah!

Enjoy,
Fallon

The Secret Recipe Club: Dried Cranberry, Grape and Pine Nut Salad

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So do you remember when I started to participate in my first food club called The Secret Recipe Club? Well it is finally back this month! There have been a lot of changes to the club but all for good reasons. I’m part of Group B and today is our reveal day. I had such an awesome blog called Cafe Lynnylu. Lynne has beautiful photography skills and lives in Augusta, GA. Sometime last year I was living in Georgia and I wished I would of been able to meet up with her, if I had found her blog earlier! I could use a few photography skill tips from her. ;)

I had a really hard time deciding what to make because everything looked good. I was going to make one of her Thirsty Thursday drinks because it reminded me of the south with their fun lingo. Instead I settled for a salad. A very delicious salad with an orange honey Dijon dressing and crumbles of goat cheese! I added a very small twist to the salad and used a honey goat cheese versus plain. I took her recommendation to add red onion and it brighten up the salad and paired well with the sweet and tart flavors. I don’t usually care to put fruit in my salad but the green grapes actually worked. I like to think of this salad as a nice “winter is almost over but not quite yet” salad! Oh and restaurant quality for sure!



Dried Cranberry, Grape and Pine Nut Salad (for 1 serving) 
Adapted from Cafe Lynnylu

Salad Ingredients:
2 cups mixed baby greens
1 tablespoon dried cranberries
8-10 grapes, sliced
1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts
1-2 tablespoons crumbled honey goat cheese

Direction:
Combine greens, dried cranberries and seedless grapes. Toss with a small amount of dressing just to coat leaves and top salad with toasted pine nuts and the goat cheese. Drizzle a little extra dressing on top.



Orange Honey Dijon Salad Dressing (6 servings, 1 tablespoon size):
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup 100% orange juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon fresh orange zest
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (I used less oil, Lynne calls for 2/3 cup)

Direction:
On cutting board, mash garlic and salt together. Place in bowl, whisk in orange juice, Dijon mustard, honey and orange zest. When combined, whisk in olive oil until dressing is emulsified. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

 

I was getting very bored with salads but I’m glad I experimented with something different! It was definitely worth my while.
Fallon

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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The only good thing about today is being able to eat chocolate. I think that is a good excuse, no? Now these brownies I’m about to share with you are definitely a good excuse to enjoy on Valentine’s Day. They are really, really, really decadent. Just a little square and you will be in heaven! I made these for my friends’ but they’re also be great to share with someone special in your life or just a valentine you may have on your mind.

I’m going solo this year with the exception of drinking a bottle of wine and enjoying some decadent dark chocolates. Actually.. I may go out and have a pizookie instead! If someone can’t take care of me, I need to know how to take care of myself. Right? Right!

These brownies are super easy to make. I used a fudgy boxed brownie as the base, melted some chocolate with butter and topped with chopped snickers. I pretty much followed the recipe exactly except swapping out vegetable oil for coconut oil. The coconut oil sealed the deal. The brownie base was super fudgy and very moist. The recipe is from the cookbook The Ultimate Shortcut Cookie Book and many sites post previews of some of the recipes featured in the cookbook.

The only weary thing I have about the cookbook is using boxed cake and brownie mixes. Which I believe I’ve mentioned before. The ingredients listed are so scary but you know what… they make good desserts. I could easily make the brownies by scratch but why? These took minutes to put together and they were enjoyed by everyone. At least with a box mix you really can’t screw it up!

Snickery Supreme Brownies
Adapted from The Ultimate Shortcut Cookie Book

Ingredients:
1 (19.5oz) package fudgy brownie mix
1/2 cup melted extra virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup water
2 large eggs
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
3 regular sized snicker bars, coarsely chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, Position rack in the lower third of the oven. Spray the bottom only of an 8x8in square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray for foil-line pan.

Combine the brownie mix, oil, water and eggs in a medium mixing bowl with a wooden spoon until just blended and all dry ingredients are moistened. Spread batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 40-44 minutes or until toothpick inserted in 2 inches from side of pan comes out clean or almost clean (do not over bake). Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Combine chocolate chips and butter in a medium saucepan; stir over low heat until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Pour and spread over brownies and immediately sprinkle with chopped snickers. Gently press chopped snickers into chocolate layer. Cool. Cut into squares. Makes 9 large or 16 small brownies.

I recommend cooling the brownie base completely before adding the melted chocolate and snickers on top. This definitely takes a few hours and lots of patience to not dig in right away. ;) 16 small brownies are the perfect serving, trust me!

Happy Valentine’s Day from Fallon’s Cucina! 

Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)

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There are some songs lately that I feel like have been made for me. This is one of them from Kelly Clarkson. I know I'm getting stronger ever day, from the hurt I've gone through. When I hear this song it puts me in SUCH a good mood.


A year ago today my life was in a different direction. I couldn't tell where my future was going to be, it definitely turned out to be completely different today. And I'm finally happy to admit I'm glad that what happen in the past didn't last. I wasn't happy. I wasn't living for myself. I realized how weak I was and today I know what I want. I'm getting stronger each day.

{Real Parties} Angry Birds Birthday Party

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I can't wait to show you a clients Angry Birds birthday party for their 12 year old. I'm a huge fan of Angry Birds... I just can't get enough. Every second I'm in line or any place I start playing. 
Tracy from Enchanted Events (Tracy Marks & Co.) designed this exciting Angry Bird gamers dream party! It was so fun creating these printables for Tracy. If you are interested in any of the items you see here just convo me  or email me {wantsandwishes@gmail.com} and I can give you a quote! 


I designed these large (18"x18") angry birds, green pigs, sling shot and bomb explosive boxes. I love how she used them for the background with the sky. The slingshot is proportionate so you can actually place a bird in there so it looks like it flying into air ready to smash some pigs. 




The large formate Angry birds faces can also be cut out and put on balloons to add some 3 dimensional flare to your party.




An Angry Birds party wouldn't be complete without playing the game, so they had a game truck.  




In our collection we have the following items: drink wrappers, candy bar wrappers, cupcake wrappers, Happy Birthday banner, favor toppers (round 3.5") and cupcake toppers/ tags (2.5" or 2")


Large format birds, sling shot, explosion bombs and eggs are part of the large format Angry Birds collection available in our Etsy shop.