Last week when I made chocolate covered strawberries, I decided I wanted something a little more decadent to go with them on the dessert plate. I made these chocolate dipped brownie torte wedges and they were a big hit!

Cooking Note:   The torte is not going to be very tall, but that is intentional. These wedges are supposed to be petite and cute after all.  You can also make this recipe in a 9 inch springform pan, but the cooking time will be slightly different.

CHOCOLATE DIPPED BROWNIE TORTE WEDGES

8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (I used half and half)

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup butter or butter substitute, melted

2/3 cup almond meal

3 Tablespoons sweet rice flour

5 eggs, separated

1/4 cup milk or milk substitute

1 Tablespoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking powder

DIP COATING:

Melted mixture of semisweet and bittersweet chocolate for dipping wedges (6 oz maybe)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and line a 10 inch spring form pan with parchment paper (9 inch will be fine, but baking time might be a little different). Melt the chocolate for the brownie wedges (leaving chocolate for topping aside) in a double boiler over very low heat, stirring until smooth. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla. Remove from heat and stir in the almond meal and sweet rice flour. Add the egg yolks one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Whisk the egg whites in your stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl until they reach soft peaks and fold them in the batter. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes until firm (the surface of the cake might crack during baking and this is ok). Let it cool in the pan for 45 minutes on a wire rack or until cool. Remove the side of the springform pan, but let the cake remain on the bottom of the springform pan. Place the torte in the freezer for 1 hour to cool. Prepare the melted chocolate for dipping the torte wedges. You can melt the chocolate in the microwave or with a double boiler. Once the torte is cool, cut it in petite small wedges (think tea party) and dip the tips of wedges in chocolate. The torte wedges should be cool/dense enough to do this without a problem. Place in a sealable container on parchment paper and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. I think these torte wedges are best the day after they are made. Perfect make ahead dessert for parties!

Note: I made these especially for my gluten-free sisters. Even though I am on a diet, I find it hard not to spoil them when they come over. I just had to do extra cardio this week.

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Posted on May 9th, 2008 by Natalie
Filed under: Baked Goods, Cakes, Desserts, GF Living, Gluten Free, Gluten free diet, Holidays, Make Ahead, Menu Plan, gluten free lifestyle | 7 Comments »

Quinoa is a favorite in my house. The name “keen-wah” sounds adventurous and exotic to Americans, but this “mother grain” is a staple in many other cultures. Quinoa is low on the glycemic index and contains a complete protein, making it a great addition to anyone’s diet. Since Quinoa is new to a lot of people (including me!) I was not sure how to integrate it into my cooking. I have made enchiladas with quinoa and even cookies with quinoa flakes. For this recipe, I cooked my red quinoa in my rice cooker! The rice cooker makes this recipe even more simple and weeknight friendly. I had a large number of assorted peppers to use, so this recipe serves eight.

I am submitting this recipe to Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska.

Weekend Herb Blogging was started by Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen.

Weekend Herb Blogging gives bloggers a chance to share an interesting dish prepared with an herb, flower, vegetable, or plant.

In my dish, I paired kale with red quinoa. Kale is known for its anti-cancer properties.In order to optimize the nutrients found in kale, wait 10 minutes after cutting before eating or cooking and squeeze a little lemon juice on the leaves (find out more here).

If you would like to learn more about Weekend Herb Blogging, visit Kalyn’s Kitchen.

RED QUINOA STUFFED PEPPERS

2 cups red quinoa (the whole box!)

4 cups water (you can sub broth for some of the water if you wish)

A few Tablespoons oil

2 green onions, both white and green parts diced

1/4 tsp salt

1 can Muir Glen diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning

3 small fresh basil leaves, chopped

2 small fresh oregano leaves, chopped

1/2 of a jalapeno to 1 whole jalapeno, chopped (depending on preference) OPTIONAL

8 assorted bell peppers

1/2 cup cilantro

1 bunch kale, chopped (I like the taste and texture of kale in this dish, however, another leafy green could be sub’d in fine)

Squeeze of lime juice

AVOCADO TOPPING

2 avocados

juice of one lime

salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare your bell peppers- Hollow out, cut the membranes from the peppers, and make sure they can stand upright. Place them in a 9 x 13 dish. I do not like my bell peppers pre-cooked. If you do, boil them for a few minutes. I prefer the texture of the peppers to be crisp-tender (and overall prep to be easier) so I do not precook my bell peppers. Cook the red quinoa. This was a no-brainer for me because I used pre-rinsed red quinoa and threw mine in the rice cooker. Heat oil in a large deep skillet over med. heat. Cook the onions for two to three minutes. Add the salt. Add the kale and wilt (will take just a few minutes). Mix in the cilantro, jalapeno, basil, and oregano. Squeeze with lime juice. Remove from heat. Add the red quinoa, diced tomatoes and mix until combined. Fill eight peppers! Cover the 9 x 13 dish with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. While the peppers are cooking, mash two avocados with a fork, squeeze lime juice over the top, and salt in a small bowl. Top with peppers with the avocado mixture or serve on the side.

Serves 8!

Thanks Cheryl and Cris for the nudge to post the recipe!

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Posted on May 7th, 2008 by Natalie
Filed under: Dinner, Easy, Gluten Free, Vegetarian | 12 Comments »

We had a big weekend with family at my house, so I will spend the rest of the week in recovery mode. My menu is important so I get back in the swing of things with South Beach Phase 2! I did not lose any weight last week, but I did cheat a little bit on Phase 2 for Dan’s baptism party. I made delicious chocolate covered torte brownie bites that I will post later, in case any one wants to make them! I found out that I am very allergic to Splenda, so I will be cooking with sugar or agave when appropriate. I am too afraid to try stevia or any other artificial sweetener at this point.

The ingredient of the week is potatoes! Since potatoes (the white kind) are high on the glycemic index, Hubby and I will be avoiding them. Sweet potatoes are a wonderful source of nutrition though and are lower on the glycemic index (think middle). I keep the Alexia brand of Sweet Potato Fries in my freezer for Jude.

GLUTEN FREE MENU

Monday: Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing (salad to be posted later) with Mahi Mahi

Kid notes: as for Jude, I will attempt to feed him the salad. He will probably end up eating the strawberries and the fish with ketchup.

Tuesday: Marinated Flank Steak with Stir Fried Cabbage

Kid notes: as for my Jude, he may eat the flank steak if I provide dip and I will give him a handful of sweet potato fries to finish off his meal.

Wednesday: Quinoa Stuffed Peppers (did not get to this last week and really wanted to make it!)

Kid notes:I am not sure if Jude will go for the texture of the peppers or the quinoa. I may end up giving him crackers, veggies and hummus and maybe a little fruit.

Thursday: Zucchini or Eggplant Lasagna (no noodles, like Simply Gluten Free’s recipe) with Mixed Green Salad

Kid notes: Tomato Sauce and cheese= Jude happiness

Friday: Simply Recipes’ Blue Cheese Burgers Low Carb Style (these are awesome!) See Gluten Free Guide’s note on the gluten-free status of blue cheese.

Kid notes: Jude has a natural love for cheeseburgers.

For more gluten-free menu ideas, check out the menu swap hosted this week by Cooking Illustrated.

Monday Mommy Brag:

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Posted on May 5th, 2008 by Natalie
Filed under: Gluten Free, Holidays, Menu Plan | 3 Comments »

When my husband and I got married, I was delighted that he had a few cookbooks of his own to add to our collection. Our much loved pico de gallo and guacamole recipes come from his Chevys Fresh Mex Cookbook. The proportions have changed to suit our tastes, so I will post our version. You really should get the cookbook though if you love Tex-Mex. It is one of my favorite cookbooks and Tex Mex is very easy to make gluten-free. Maybe my fellow blogger and displaced Texan, Meg, will put her stamp of approval on this one.

Out of sheer laziness (and brilliance?!) this cookbook combines the tasks of making pico de gallo and guacamole, so I will start with the pico recipe.

PICO DE GALLO

4 cups fresh tomatoes, diced (plum tomatoes are a good choice)

1 cup onions

1/2 cup cilantro

2 or 3 Tablespoons jalapeno (this is to taste)

juice of one small lime

3/4 teaspoon salt

Directions: In a med. bowl, combine your ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours (or overnight) before serving.

Serve with tortilla chips. If you have any leftovers, pico de gallo is great in eggs- Migas Tacos anyone?

GUACAMOLE

4 avocados (large)

1/2 cup pico de gallo (see recipe above)

juice of one small lime

1 tsp of minced garlic

1 tsp olive oil

1 1/2 tsp jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, minced

1 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:

Pit and score the avocados. Scoop out the avocado “meat” and put in med. bowl. Squeeze lime juice over the avocados. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Play with the consistency of the guacamole. Mash some of the avocados (don’t overdo it) and leave others in chunky pieces.

Makes a little more than 2 cups.

ENJOY!

Other recipes to check out:

Simply Recipes’ Perfect Guacamole

Joey’s Kicked Up Rockin’ Guac (Karina’s Kitchen)

Anne’s Favorite Guacamole

Chef Michele’s Homemade Salsa

Kalyn’s Cilantro Salsa Dip Recipe

Also take a look at Taste and Tell’s Coconut Cream Flan recipe!

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Posted on May 4th, 2008 by Natalie
Filed under: Easy, Gluten Free | 4 Comments »

I have been quiet this week because I have been busy preparing for Dan’s baptism party. We are having my huge family over to celebrate the occasion. Dan’s separation anxiety has held me hostage and so I was playing catch up all week trying to get ready! Dan will literally not let me put him down for more than 30 minutes a day. My mom came to help me and she has dubbed him “W.B.E” (Worst Baby Ever). Today, Dan was actually really good. He crawled around the whole house contentedly and he even took a few steps for me (hope that continues…) Maybe he is finally coming around to the fact that we are not the same person. We’ll see.

I thought I would post a simple snack idea since I was sitting down for a few minutes!

TAMARI ROASTED ALMONDS

1/4 cup San-J Wheat-Free Tamari Sauce

6 oz. almonds (I prefer plain, unsalted)

DIRECTIONS:

Combine the almonds and tamari sauce in a medium bowl. Let the almonds marinate with the tamari sauce for about 30 minutes. Drain the almonds. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and roast at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes. You may want to stick around in case your almonds roast a little faster than mine! Loosen the almonds with a spatula. Serve.

Remember this snack is good for you, but it is energy-packed, so try and exercise restraint!

If you have a friend around, you may want to double the recipe!

Note: One of my dear readers informed me that roasting nuts above 170 degrees may release free radicals. Blogging is great for learning new things; it is amazing how much I have learned in a year! Anyway, check out the article here and try the recipe at a lower temperature if you are concerned about this issue!

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Posted on May 2nd, 2008 by Natalie
Filed under: Appetizer, GF Living, Gluten Free, Gluten free diet, Holidays, Lunch, Make Ahead, Snacks, gluten free lifestyle | 6 Comments »