Rabu, 29 Juli 2009

Blueberry Corn Muffins

Gluten free banana corn muffins
Summery blueberry corn muffins

August is fast approaching. I am trying not to think about it. I am baking blueberry corn muffins. Denial ain't just a river in Egypt. Or so I'm told. I am constructing my best defense to put off thinking about hauling our California-loving selves back to the stoic hills of Ojo Caliente, 913 miles away from my sons, 915 miles from the ocean.

Anyone out there want to buy a charming casita with mesa sunset views? Two kiva fireplaces. Saltillo tile floors. Vigas. All the rustic Southwest vibe you could ask for. Price reduced (thrice).

To less than what we paid for it.

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Senin, 27 Juli 2009

Vegetarian Puttanesca for Two


Easy pasta putanesca- gluten-free with rice spaghetti.

Oh, you paint, too? is the faint, flat interest we get, we artist's wives who paint. Inevitably followed by, Isn't that difficult? In fact, I assure them, it couldn't be easier. (Try being married to a real estate agent who sprays Sun-In in his hair, I want to say, but don't.)

The scene is my husband's art opening and I play my role with decorum, clutching my plastic cup of Australian Chardonnay.

Do you compete? Darling, this question says a lot more about you than than me. No, I always answer, trying not to audibly sigh. We mutually admire. Then comes the big one. The favorite question.

Does he influence your work? (The subtext being, of course, he is the man, after all.)

I influence his, I answer, slugging down the last warm drop of wine. They will smile their awkward smile at this and wobble toward the grapes and brie. The word tedious comes to mind.

I catch my husband looking at me through the peanut nibbling crowd. He raises an ironic eyebrow. I laugh. A sparkled perfumed woman leans in to him for a kiss on the cheek. He is polite. I will tell him later he smells like Bloomingdale’s.

At home he will make me an ice cold vodka martini. We will kick off our shoes and eat spaghetti to Chet Baker. So what's on your agenda for tomorrow? he will ask. Maybe painting, I will say with a yawn. Or blogging. I'm not just an Artist's Wife, you know. 

Nope, he always says. You're the cutest girl ever.

Yeah, I remind him, You're lucky I'm a new-school feminist.


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Kamis, 23 Juli 2009

Quinoa Salad with Yellow Tomatoes, Kalamata Olives, Basil + Mint

A light and easy quinoa salad recipe with mint.

I've written about quinoa more than once, so I doubt, Dear Reader, you need me to list all the pro-quinoa reasons why you should try this gluten-free faux grain. You already know it's high in protein. You know how easy it is to cook. You are well aware that quinoa works as a salad- warm or cold- or as stuffing for big juicy mushrooms or rather unconventional stuffed cabbage rolls that might cause your Bubbe to sit up straight in her chair and say, Oy, have I never heard of such a thing! Where do you get these ideas, Shayna Punim?

So I'm not going to wax all educational on ya.

I'd rather wax philosophical. I haven't felt practical. Or pragmatic. Truth is, I sold off furniture to be here. To get out. It's been a long, dry three years in the desert, and living here in Santa Monica is like living inside an intricate dream. The edges here are soft. The colors are gauzy with the salt air. We walk the winding path in Palisades Park at dusk and pass by strangers who meet our eyes and smile- ever so slightly.

As if we share a secret.

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Selasa, 21 Juli 2009

Taking a Holiday



Hello everyone!

I am currently on holidays and needing a break from the computer, all in the name of health and balance! I will be back soon.

Happy summer,
Sarah B.

Selasa, 14 Juli 2009

Egg-Free Olive Oil Mayo

How to make an egg-free olive oil mayo.

One truth about myself that I'm learning- more and more- is it's the little things in life that stick.

It's the small moments I remember instead of the big ones, the quiet tender gesture rather than grandiose theatrics designed to make you swoon. Big and blown out- for me- simply fizzles and dissipates. There are gaps in my memory that reveal this proclivity to live off to the side, observing the small and overlooked, wondering what all the mainstream fuss is about. So much of what parades by as important strikes me as a lot of loud and self conscious whistling in the dark.

I prefer and savor the simple pleasures in life. Hot water and soap. Holding hands. Opening a new book. The unlauded bite of a new recipe that works- especially if you missed a certain taste- a condiment taken for granted, a spoonful most Americans plop onto their turkey sandwich, or stir into crab cakes, potato or tuna salad with no more thought or effort than simply reaching into the fridge and opening a jar.

Yes, I'm talking about mayo.

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Sabtu, 11 Juli 2009

Summer Lovin' Vegetable Tart



With the markets overflowing with summer squash lately – zucchinis, crooknecks, straightnecks and pattypans - I thought that it was time I explored a recipe that highlighted their unique qualities: tender flesh, smooth edible skin and mild creaminess that compliments any summer meal.

Which ever one you choose, summer squashes are excellent sources of manganese and vitamin C and a very good source of magnesium, vitamin A (notably through its concentration of carotenoids, including beta-carotene), fiber, potassium, folate, copper, riboflavin, and phosphorus.
Many of these nutrients have been shown in studies to be helpful for the prevention of atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease. Summer squash's magnesium has been shown to be helpful for reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke. Together with the potassium in summer squash, magnesium is also helpful for reducing high blood pressure. The vitamin C and beta-carotene found in summer squash can help to prevent the oxidation of cholesterol. Since oxidized cholesterol is the type that builds up in blood vessel walls, these nutrients may help to reduce the progression of atherosclerosis.

I had never baked a tart before, but this was surprisingly easy with an impressive product to bring to the table. The tart crust boasts a fantastic flavour with help from the sage and lemon zest, but you can also use thyme, rosemary – any woody herb would do, really. The sauce recipe is a slight variation on the pizza / pasta sauce I always use, posted first here. And the vegetable mixture is completely versatile, so use your favorites. I prefer to use seasonal produce in order to receive the most flavour and nutrients. In late summer or early autumn I will try sweet potatoes or butternut squash with mushrooms and cauliflower and kale….mmmm! I’m excited! I love versatile recipes.

Summer Lovin’ Vegetable Tart
Ingredients:
Summer squash (equivalent of 2 medium zucchini), sliced thin
2-3 leeks or 1 red onion, chopped
1 red pepper
1 tsp. fine grain sea salt



Herbed Tart Crust
2 cups spelt flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
handful of fresh sage, rosemary, chopped (or you can use dried)
1 tsp. fine grain sea salt
zest of one lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
scant 1/2 cup cold water

Tomato Sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
scant 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
pinch of salt
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 375F degrees, and place a rack in the middle. Oil a 10-inch tart pan and set aside.

2. To make the tart shell combine the flour, herbs, salt, and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle the olive oil over the flour and stir that in as well. Drizzle the cold water over the flour and mix with a fork just until it is absorbed. Knead one or twice - just until the dough comes together into a ball. On a lightly floured surface use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a circle roughly 13-inches across. Ease the pastry into your tart pan (I cleverly placed the tart pan upside down on top of the dough and flipped the cutting board I was rolling it on!) and press it into the corners and up the sides without stretching the dough. Trim away any excess dough, and place the pan in the refrigerator for at least thirty minutes. When the dough is done resting, prick the crust with a fork a few times. Now line the pastry with parchment paper and fill the tart with pie weights (alternatively you can use beans or lentils). Bake for 15 minutes. Carefully remove the paper and pie weights, and then toast the tart crust in the oven for another five minutes or so before transferring it to a rack to cool. Leave the oven on, but dial it down to 350F.

3. Sautee and season the spring vegetables on low heat until they soften slightly and taste delicious. Set aside.

4. Make the sauce by stirring the garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes, and salt together in a small, cold saucepan. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook until the garlic starts to sizzle just a bit. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, bring to a simmer, cook the sauce down a bit, 10 minutes or so, then remove from heat.

5. When you are ready to assemble the tart, spoon about half of the vegetable mixture into the tart shell in a single layer and top with sauce. Repeat layering until you reach the top of the pan, finishing with the sauce. You want the filling to nearly,
but not quite fill the pan.

6. Place the tart on a rimmed baking sheet - in case you end up with an overflow - and bake for roughly 40 minutes or until the tart is cooked through. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Tips: For you dairy lovers out there, I bet that this tart would be delicious with some cheese; parmesan dusted on top, or ricotta in a layer somewhere between the vegetables and sauce. Make sure you buy organic!

info source: whfoods.com

Quinoa Muffins with Pecans

High protein quinoa flakes make this gluten-free muffin yum.

Not since my Quinoa Breakfast Cake recipe have I enjoyed a morning treat more. I am seriously digging these cute little quinoa beauties. I started out imagining a quinoa breakfast bar, an easy to-go treat that might fuel my morning walks on the beach (I've been walking three miles almost every day- which is a minor miracle, for those of you who remember the trippy Richard Gere incident). I wrote up a recipe I thought might create a higher protein snacking bar I could munch with my mug of Irish Breakfast Tea as I browse, bleary-eyed and yawning through the morning chirps over at Twitter.

But it became apparent rather quickly this batter was born to be muffins. I could just tell. It had that perfect stretchy je ne sais quoi that I knew deep down in my private tiny girl heart would urge the dark chocolate studded dollops of earthy quinoa goodness to rise into tender golden domes like champs.

So I followed my intuition and switched gears and veered into Muffin Land.

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Selasa, 07 Juli 2009

CloneCD 5.3.1.4 Multilingual




Backup your music, data or navigation CDs with the famous CloneCD - regardless if they are copy protected or not! without installation.

Download Portable CloneCD (english fixed) from RapidShare (2.1 MB)

Don't run on 64 bit


Extract and run CloneCDPortable.

Language set by launcher according UserDefaultLang (if you don't want: write UserDefaultLang=false in CloneCDPortable.ini): Arabic, Bulgarian, PortugueseBR, Catalan, Czech, German, Danish, Greek, English, Spanish, Estonian, Finnish, French, Hebrew, Croatian, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Malay, Dutch, NorwegianNynorsk, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, SerbianLatin, Slovak, Slovenian, Swedish, Thai, Turkish.

Settings of installed CloneCD should be preserved.

Senin, 06 Juli 2009

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Gluten-free chocolate chip cookies with chunks of dark chocolate.

Quick question. Which camp are you in? The You Can Never Have Too Many Cookie Recipes camp- or the Enough with All the Cookie Recipes contingent? You already know which faction I belong to. I don't even have to say it. In fact, I might even rename my culinary caucus. Something like, You Could Never In a Million Spectacular Carbon Infused Star Struck Years Have Too Many Cookie Recipes, Goddess Forbid.

My Ode to Cookies

Why all the cookie love? Life is short, number one. And just because I have celiac disease doesn't mean I surrender to a life without chocolate chip cookies and coffee laced cookies and mint chocolate chip cookies. I'm not giving up on warm-from-the-oven melty chocolate goodness. I'm most definitely not settling for any month old pre-packaged gluten-free poor excuse for a cookie. No way. Not gonna happen.

Because a good cookie is no small thing.

A good cookie can make you smile, even after a long, achingly crappy day. A good cookie might even bring you a kiss. Or little arms of appreciation wrapped around your neck. A good cookie might make you a new friend. Or prove to the class that you're not a total, allergic freak living on weirdo food that you have to feel sorry for and throw bread balls at.

A good cookie can make you feel like you belong.

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Kamis, 02 Juli 2009

Blueberry-Strawberry Cobbler

A vegan berry cobbler. Two berries are better than one.


Baking at sea level- in an unfamiliar oven- has been a challenge that has humbled your intrepid gluten-shunning goddess at large. My mojo is askew. All my old tricks and tweaks for high altitude baking are no longer required. It's like losing a third of your favorite play list. Or half your shoes. All the left ones. I have to realign my route. I must toss out all my assumptions (a favorite mid-life goal, anyway, so I may as well practice it).


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