Macaroons! YUM YUM!

I love coconut.
So I made coconut macaroons today.  The ones I made are inspired by
http://joyofbaking.com/CoconutMacaroons.html
But with my own twist, and I think it's a twist for the better.   It's kind of an easter-ish dessert for some reason, but honestly I've been looking for an excuse for weeks to make these.  They're super easy too.  Hope you enjoy!

COCONUT MACAROONS!

INGREDIENTS:

baked!  check out the nice golden colour

2 egg whites (about 60g, if you have pasteurized ones in a container, those are good)
Scant 1/2 cup of white sugar (about 90g)
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup on unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut1 cup of sweetened shredded or flaked coconut
1/4 cup (approx 1 oz) of almond meal
1/4 tsp of almond extract
1/4 tsp of vanilla extract

Beef and Sweet Potato Stew - Moroccan style!

This is an old post, and I don't have photos, but it was delicious so I'm sharing!

I've made a very similar recipe for chicken, which you can see here but I like this one better!   Not so many photos because we've all seen crock pots before (that, and I forgot to take some)

Serves 6 (quite heartily!)

Recipe inspired by and adapted from:
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/slow-cooker-colombian-beef-and-sweet-potato-stew/
http://www.bhg.com/recipe/soups/beef-and-sweet-potato-stew/

INGREDIENTS
1 KG of stew beef (cut off visible flat globs)
2 tbsp of cornstarch = 1 tbsp of potato flour (alternately, use 1/4 c all purpose)
salt and pepper (about 1/2 tsp each)
4 C of sweet potatoes peeled with large dice (about 2 large, or 3 medium)
1 small onion chopped
4 cloves of garlic minced
2 stalks of celery sliced
2 medium carrots sliced
4 whole cloves
1 large cinnamon stick (or 2 small ones, alternately, use 1 tsp of grated cinnamon)
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp of cumin
1 cup of beef broth
1 28 oz of diced tomatoes in juice
Fresh parsley for garnish
2/3 c of sliced dried apricots and/or prunes

Chocolate Almond (Insert Dessert Name Here)

So I haven't been blogging lately. I've been cooking and baking up a storm, seriously.  I've done some great stuff in my kitchen.

The finished product! jiggly on top

One thing I've figured out is that I'm definitely lactose intolerant, so no milk in great quantity (or a bunch of lactaid pills, but the first option works the best!!!) and I'm not necessarily gluten intolerant, but I feel and it works better for me if I don't go crazy on gluten based foods (not to say I don't enjoy them at times!!)

I'm coming back in here with DECADENCE.  You will find recipes for two of the most delicious things I've baked in a looooooong time!!!

CHOCOLATE ALMOND (LAVA CAKES)
This recipe below is very similar to the Peanut butter chocolate cakes I've made before, except this time with almond butter.  Oh, and no flour either!  These were OUTSTANDING.  I talked about them for days after I made them, and honestly, I still think about them.  The appeal besides the flourless aspect is the honey used as sweetener! Brilliant!!  (I made half of this recipe)

cocoa'd ramekins

TOOLS:
4 6-8 oz ramekin dishes
2 tbsp cocoa powder
Butter for greasing

Ingredients:
6 TBSP unsalted butter
3 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 TBSP almond meal
1/3 C liquid honey
2 eggs
1/4 tsp almond extract
2 TBSP natural almond butter mixed with 1 TBSP icing sugar and a bit of water (to help it combine)

Avocado Coconut Chocolate Mousse

Yes, the base of this dessert is AVOCADOS.  You won't even know they are there.  I served this to Adam's parents and I told them AFTER they ate it that they just ate a dairy free dessert with fibre and a low glycemic index.   They were suprised.  And they really enjoyed the dessert.

My inspriations (or, basically exactly what I did) come from these recipes:
http://www.hgtv.com/holidays-and-entertaining/chocolate-of-the-gods-mousse-with-raspberries-and-mint/index.html
http://www.notquitenigella.com/2011/06/17/in-my-kitchen-masterchefs-skye-craigs-chocolate-avocado-mousse/

AVOCADO COCONUT CHOCOLATE MOUSSE (serves 6)


Looks great!!!

 INGREDIENTS:

3 medium ripe haas avocados, peeled and wedged.
2/3 C Agave Syrup (or use pure maple syrup, add a bit more if it needs it as agave is sweeter)
3/4 C FULL FAT coconut milk (or about half of a 400 mL can)
6 packed TBSP of cocoa powder (I like the original, dutch process for a milder cocoa taste)
1/2 tsp of tamari (soy sauce is OK too)
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
itty bitty pinch of kosher salt

Raspberries, dried coconut, and mint leaves to serve

DELICIOUS roasted potato fries.

I have no photos of this, but after the reviews on Saturday night for making these when Adam's parents came over for dinner, I had to post what I did, or else I'll lose the recipe in the back of my mind forever!  These were some of the best roasted potatoes I've ever made.

INGREDIENTS:
4 large white potatoes (oblong is best)
Olive oil (will use about 1-2tbsp total)
2 tsp of nutritional yeast
3/4 tsp granulated garlic powder
2 tsp of italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon of smoked paprika
fresh ground sea salt and pepper

I intolerate food

You know, I love food and as a foodie of sorts and food intolerances and even worse - food allergies, are definitely not an easy thing to grapple with.  But they must be acknowledged.

I have a sensitive stomach, and have experienced stomach issues of varying types and degrees for several years. After over 20 years of being the kid who would always clean her plate and ask for seconds of pretty much anything under the sun - things changed for me literally overnight in my early 20's and it hasn't been the same since.

I don't have allergies or intolerances diagnosed by a physician (YET), just the experience in my gut, on my skin, and in my throat to thank for alerting me that something just ain't right.

I've done much research on the subject of food sensitivity and food allergy, and the former is actually extremely common, infact, most people have at least a mild intolerance to SOMETHING. 

Why this post is coming out now is because I am pretty sure I need to put more foods on my hit list.  I'm in an exploritory phase and trying to figure out in a dietary sense what is causing my various stomach troubles, and omitting suspect foods.

__________ Noodle Casserole

You fill in the blank here.  It could be tuna, chicken, ham, turkey, whatever.  Same with the vegetables.

The finished product!



This is a recipe that came from my grandmother, passed to my mother, passed to me.  It's an homage to 'convenience' cooking when it started to shine post war.  It uses a can of cream soup as the casserole base. When I make this, it's good, when mom makes it, it's quite good, when Grandma makes it, it's great.  I have no idea why.  It reminds me of when I was a little kid.  Yummy.

The traditional recipe is for tuna noodle casserole.  I made a ham noodle with broccoli casserole.  Similar principles, great results!   (see the Ham Noodle version below the original recipe)



ORIGINAL RECIPE (copied straight from my mom):

Broad Noodles cooked (2-3 cups dry depending on how large a casserole you are making

1 can drained flaked tuna (can also used left over turkey or chicken for a change)
1 large onion chopped
1 can mushroom soup

1 green pepper

Ingredients....

3 stalks of celery chopped

(may add other veggies for variety)

salt and pepper

Mix together and put in a casserole dish
cover with milk

sprinkle top with bread crumbs (or cracker crumbs)

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours (give or take depending on casserole size)