Bright Beginnings: Gf/Sf Blueberry Muffins

Yum a dum dum. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and these blueberry muffins are a grainfree, easy-peasey way to feed a crowd. Thanks to Guilty Kitchen!

Sometimes gf/sf cooking can be an exercise in abstraction, as baked goods can easily become an interpretation of the intended treat rather than a version of it. These muffins, however, are the real deal and  I was impressed by how very recognizably blueberry muffiny they tasted.  I admit that coconut flour is a huge moisture suck, but the resulting teensy lack of moisture was not enough to stop me from eating three...a day.

When I was in seventh grade, I spent a few weeks learning html so I could build an awesome website on Geocities. I'm dusting off the ol' coding cap to upgrade Cooking Up Kefi--so bear with me as I figure out how to tweak the new template.

Gf/Sf Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients

• 3/4 c coconut flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp + pinch baking soda
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• dash nutmeg
• 6 eggs
• 1/3 c maple syrup
• 1/3 c Greek yogurt (FIBYDY)
• 1 TBSP vanilla extract
• 1/3 c + 3 TBSP coconut oil, melted
• 12 oz frozen blueberries (I used 10 oz and think the extra berries would have helped the moisture issue)

Assembly

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tins with paper or lightly grease each muffin hole.

2. Combine dry ingredients.

3. Add wet ingredients to dry mixture and stir until lumps are out--it won't be perfectly smooth, but it'll do.

4. Spoon into muffin tins until each is nearly full, as these guys don't rise too too much. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until you can stick a fork in them and it comes out clean.

5. Let cool completely before gobbling up.

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A Brunchypoo for Obama

As you may have heard, a fairly large event took place this week in Washington, DC. Last time around, I left the house at 3 am and slept under the Department of Labor in freezing temperatures to watch B.H.S. on a jumbotron from 15 blocks away.   Not even a little bit interested in doing that a second time, I invited some dear friends over for a little brunchypoo.

FatherKef is a big fan of breakfast-making, and especially loves to make a cheesey frittata when there are enough people around to eat the whole thing. He got the recipe from a man named Tyler who is apparently on the Food Network and, as such, this dish is referred to as 'a Tyler' in the Kef household.

I also made a batch of blueberry foccacia, which is most definitely NOT gluten free but I devoured anyway. Whoopsies.

Cheesey Potato Frittata

Ingredients

• 8 extra-large eggs
• 2 TBS heavy cream
• 1 c grated Gruyere cheese
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 TBS unsalted butter
• 1 small onion, diced
• 4 small red potatoes, diced
• 1 c diced smoked ham or Canadian bacon (optional)
• 1 c grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for finishing top
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 bunch chives, chopped

Assembly
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, Gruyere cheese, salt, and pepper until foamy. Melt butter over medium-large heat--make sure this pan can be transferred to the oven (it will say on the bottom "oven safe" and should NOT have a rubber handle!). Add the onion and potatoes and cook thoroughly.

3. Pour the egg mixture over the top. Pull the edges away from the sides of the pan with a spatula so the eggs flow to the bottom of the pan. When the frittata is half set, add the ham if using it.

4. Transfer the pan to the heated oven. Bake for 10 minutes until puffed and golden, with firm (but not dry) center.

5. Remove from oven.  FatherKef has developed an amazing technique for this last part--grab a big serving dish, cover pan and flip in one swoop so that frittata is now right-side-up and on dish. Shower with grated Parmesan and serve garnished with sour cream and chives.

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One Cake, Two Ways

This Monday is too beautiful for me to be inside blogging--so Ima get right to it: today, we're working with two versions of a hearty strawberry cake with buttercream icing.  One is full of sugar, flour, and deliciousness; the other is for those interested in a sugar-free, gluten-free, almost-paleo treat.  I will leave you to guess which is which:

So--why two cakes? Earlier this summer, I was honored to bake the cake for my Aunt Tina's wedding, and though I'm sure everyone would have loved knowing their dessert qualified as "clean eating," we decided to go the traditional flour-sugar-butter route.  My aunt and her now-husband, Larry, requested a strawberry cake with vanilla buttercream icing, and we went through several renditions before landing on this one, which turned out to be quite a keeper.  A HUGE THANK YOU to my dear friend KefiKathleen, who offered up her childhood home and adult know-how to ensure that this mama-jamma made it from inspiration to fruition.

A few weeks later (still hung over from all the gluten-filled taste tests), I decided to see if I could make a healthier version of the nuptial confection. So I spent my morning puttering about in the kitchen, and came up with the below, which is not as "pow! that's strawberry!" as the wedding cake was, but it is a good just-sweet-enough cake that would be great for a brunch. 

Full-o-flour Strawberry Cake
Ingredients (makes two 8-inch cake layers)

• 3 c flour
• 2 c sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 c vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 c pureed strawberries
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 4 large eggs
• whatever buttercream icing you like best, homemade or store-bought

Assembly 
1. Preheat oven to 325. In a standing mixer, combine in this order the oil, sugar, eggs (one at a time), extract, and zest. Mix on low until completely mixed.
2. Combine flour and baking powder in a separate bowl. Prepare strawberry puree and have ready.
3. With the mixer on low, alternate adding the flour mixture and then the strawberry puree to the wet ingredients.  Begin by gradually adding about 1/2 the flour, then 1/3 of the strawberries and repeat until you have combined everything, finishing with the puree (basically: flour twice, strawberry puree three times).
4. Pour into two greased eight-inch cake rounds.  Start checking at 25 minutes--this is a dense batter, so it will almost definitely take 35-40 minutes to be completely done. They're done when you can stick a toothpick into the center and it comes out clean.
5. After cakes are removed from oven and cooled, ice 'em and eat 'em!
 
Gluten-free, Sugar-Free, Strawberry Breakfast Cake
Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c almond flour
• 1/4 c corn starch
• 2.5 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 TBS vanilla extract
• 1/2 stick butter, melted
• 3 TBS honey
• 1/4 cup coconut flour (or 1/2 c shredded coconut)
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup of berries, cut small
• 1/2- 1 c milk
  ---
• 1/2 c coconut oil (NOT melted)
• 1/4-1/3 c honey
• 3 TBS lemon juice

Assembly
1. Preheat oven to 325. Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
2. Add wet ingredients--EXCEPT BERRIES AND MILK-- in whatever order you'd like. Mix until well combined.
3. Add the berries and mix in gently but completely.
4. Add milk, starting with 1/2 c and adding more if you need it, until you get to "cake batter" consistency. It should be moist and liquidy but not runny.
5. Pour into one greased 9-inch cake round. Bake for 30 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
6. While the cakes are cooling, beat coconut oil, honey, and lemon juice together with an electric mixer.  Apply the icing IMMEDIATELY before serving-- this stuff will melt faster than you can say "holy sugar-free glaze."

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Pancakes, Chef Kef Style

In theory, things should have calmed down a bit in Keftown--nursing school is done, I'm unemployed, and summer is in full swing.

Instead, I'm feeling crazier than ever--searching for a job (anyone need a pediatric nurse?), training for a triathlon that's a month away, babysitting about 10,876 hours a week, and traveling to what feels like EVERY wedding on the Eastern seaboard this summer. In short, I've been eating at Sweet Green a lot.

A few weeks ago I came up with these guys--gluten-free, sugar-free pancakes that are probably--ok, definitely-- higher in calories than regular ones, but have a rich, distinctive flavor that makes up for blowing a calorie budget (1,800 is just a suggestion, anyway....right?). Anyway--I love the way the honey, soy, and coconut flavors come together, I hope you do too. 


Ingredients

1/2 c gluten-free flour
1/3 c coconut flour
2 eggs
1/4 c honey
3 TBS vegetable oil
6 TBS soy creamer (or more if you want more liquidy batter)
1 TBS baking powder

 
Assembly
 
1. Mix everything together, saving creamer/milk for last.  Dough will be very thick--this is okay.  If you prefer more traditional pancake batter, add creamer 1 TBS at a time until you reach desired consistency.  Raw batter will not taste great, as the GF flour has garbanzo bean flour which tastes horrible raw.

2. Cook in greased skillet over med-high heat for about 3 minutes/side.  Pancakes will rise up beautifully and fluffy because of the baking powder.

Enjoy!

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