Strawberry Fruit Filled Sour Cream Muffins

"A thought is a thing." "I'm okay, you're okay." "Everything that happens was meant to happen." Blah-blah-blah-blah-BLAH. . . World I live in, a thought ain't no thing 'til you get off your fat patootie and make it so. World I live in, I'm okay (today), but the guy next to me in the grocery store checkout line is, for all I know, an axe murderer. World I live in, everything that happens is MADE to "happen" by me, myself and I -- I make it up, bake it up and when things get REALLY dull I freakin' shake it up!!!

Which leads to my next thought: These little muffins are really good, so only make as many as the recipe does and don't double on this one. See, the more I learn about gluten-free baking, some stuff can survive a couple days, and other things not so much, as is the case here, and you don't want to have to choose between tossing them and eating more than is good for ya! The first day is THE day for these. Serve 'em warm with some good strong coffee or a nice English breakfast tea! No reason in the world to ruin these tasty morsels with globs of butter or cream cheese . . . but hey, do what you feel you must! I know I always do whatever floats my boat. So, NO JUDGMENTS. That's what's so great about this blogging thing, you can't see me or what I'm doing, and in turn I can't see what you are doing to my recipe or the results of it, so . . . if you want to use butter (or whatever), it's really not for me to dictate, just . . . advise. Butter would be delicious on these, I can't deny that, but just so you know, following the recipe precisely, each muffin has 141 calories and 5.4 grams of fat. Pretty good if you ask me, but not if you have, well, TOO DARN MANY of 'em!!So think twice as you glance over at the swim suit on page 3 of the fashion section of the "Times," take heed .....Summer is here! And as you know the water is warm, so . . .

Strawberry Fruit Filled Sour Cream Muffins:

Preheat oven to 375º F and line and grease 16 muffin tins. Mix together:

1-3/4 cups white rice flour and 1/2 cup tapioca flour, or 2-1/4 all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. xanthan gum (if using gluten-free flour)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup Splenda or sugar or a mix of the two

Add to dry mix:

1/2 cup 2% milk

3/4 cup fat-free sour cream

2 tsp. vanilla

3 tbs. canola oil

Mix in until well-incorporated:

1 jar strawberry Simply Fruit or preserves

Drop a dollop of batter to fill 1/3 of tin and top with a spoon of strawberry Simply Fruit or preserves, top that with another dollop of batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and a gentle press springs back, or a tooth pick comes out clean. Cool slightly and serve warm.

And as always, Enjoy!!!

LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH, COOK!!!

© Jennifer Green Alger 2010

Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes w/ Cream Cheese Frosting

This year I was not looking forward to my birthday. It was merely another reminder that I was getting older. Then I found myself at a crossroads: I could go down to the kitchen and bake myself a b-day treat, OR . . . go to Sprinkles in Beverly Hills and buy half a dozen dark chocolate marshmallow cupcakes and eat every last one myself -- bad idea, but very tempting and available. But I figured since baking always cheers me up anyway, why not??!! So down to the kitchen I went. I put on my favorite music (XM Satellite Radio's 60s station) and my favorite apron, opened my favorite soda (Fresca) and poured it into a wine glass, and got down to my favorite work. I'd been dying to try a certain recipe using my latest, greatest non-gluten formulation, i.e. the white rice and tapioca flour mixture, but keep everything else the same: Full butter 'n' sugar and full down 'n' dirty Chocolate Style using (naturally) Green & Black's cocoa, the best!!!!

By the time I assembled my ingredients I was happy as a clam. The music, the vibe, the dogs all lined up asleep -- what could be better?? Not much, because for me that place I go in my head when I'm cooking is the most relaxing place in the world, full of possibilities, hopes, wishes, dreams, desires -- I create a wonderland, a sanctuary if you will, where no thing and no one can harsh my buzz, baby!!! It's like my special, most favorite apron is my superhero costume; when I put it on I will be using special powers and abilities no one else has, and possess an extraordinary lightness of being -- I can leap small kitchen appliances with a single bound (don't try this at home, kids)!!!

These particular cupcakes came out so great I'll be making them again and again, and that my friends is why I'm sharing this recipe with you!!!

Gluten Free Chocolate Butter Cupcakes:

Line 16 muffin tins and spray with cooking oil. Preheat the oven to 350ºF about 20 minutes before baking. Mix:

1/2 cup + 1 tbs. Green & Black's Cocoa (available at Whole Foods) with

1/2 cup boiling water and stir well

Cover with plastic wrap and set aside. To speed cooling place in fridge.

Whisk together:

2 eggs

3 tbs. water

1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Set aside.

Mix dry ingredients:

Sift:

1 cup white rice flour

2/3 cup tapioca flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Add:

1 cup superfine sugar

1-1/2 cups unsalted butter

 Softened chocolate mixture then, the egg mixture.

Mix well until all ingredients are incorporated, scaping down the sides of the bowl often. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a tooth pick comes out clean and they spring back when pressed gently. Cool on a rack and don't frost until fully cool!!!

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 12 oz.-package cream cheese, softened

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 package or 3-1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

First cream together cheese and butter with a hand-held mixer. Then add vanilla and then powdered sugar a little at a time at first, creaming and making sure there are no lumps.

Frost cupcakes and serve!!!

And as always, Enjoy!!!

LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH, COOK!!!

© Jennifer Green Alger 2010

Baked Truffle & Sage Chicken Rolls and a Dry Riesling Caprese Salad

Well, the Memorial Day Party was a fabulous success!!! People were thrilled with the food, the company and the music, and the weather cooperated fully! I worked my ass off for two days prepping and cooking so that all would run smooth as silk, and it did, not the least because I'd planned the menu during the preceding week, selecting from among what's already here on the blog to avoid the extra stress of documenting every little thing I did!!! I was even able to make some of the wonderful Baby Rose Banana Cakes the night before because I had prepped and worked so methodically through the whole process. Sometimes I'm just so darned smart--I ROCK!

Eating the leftovers for the next few days was great!!! However by Thursday night I had some things left that absolutely had to be cooked or frozen. Now, I must say, one of my favorite things in the world is when an idea just comes to me out of nowhere, demanding no special trips to the store, just working with what is already in the house. That kind of inspiration makes for some of the best meals I've ever made. In this case, there were so many odds and ends from the party to choose from, I had almost everything I needed at my anxious little fingertips!

I love to cook and create, it's my biggest thrill, an incredible rush of absolute joy as the idea travels from my mind through my palate over my tastebuds, tingling through my spine down to my hands and then they just seem to know where to go! How cool is that? Pretty freakin' cool if you ask this girl!!! Now, mind you, this was done with 30 minutes prep, about 35 for cooktime and 10 minutes to rest and set the chicken!! Not much more than a hour for such a GLAM meal!!! Did I mention I ROCK?????

Baked Truffle Sage Stuffed Chicken:

First:

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Cover a cookie sheet with foil and spray with PAM. Then set out:

5 chicken breasts (pounded just enough to make round and ready to roll up, in other words don't kill it, it's already dead!)

1 package soppresata (or other Italian dry cured meat)

1 package semi-hard truffle cheese - I used Robusto

1 package fresh sage leaves (if you can take them from your garden, all the better)

Breading:

2 cups panko breadcrumbs (Japanese, and quite delicious!)

1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1 tsp. (each of these) or to taste: truffle salt, garlic salt, fresh black pepper, paprika, Cajun seasoning, and dried sage (crumbled)

3 eggs (or the equivalent in egg whites or Egg Beaters)

Add a dash of milk and stir well, then set aside.

Pound chicken and line with Soppresata. Place a few sage leaves and some cheese in the middle, roll chicken up like a burrito and secure bottom with toothpicks. Roll in egg and then in breading mixture and place seam side down on cookie sheet. Spray chicken with a light coat of PAM to help with browning; repeat until done. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes , remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice as shown and serve.

Dry Riesling Caprese Salad:

4 tomatoes, sliced

3 packages mozzarella di bufala, sliced

1 package fresh basil (picked over for the perfect leaves)

Extra virgin olive oil

Dry Reisling wine vinegar

Truffle salt

Fresh ground black pepper

Assemble and serve!!!

And as always, Enjoy!!!

© Jennifer Green Alger 2010

LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH, COOK!!!

Mediterranean Red Quinoa Salad

I amaze myself sometimes. Thinking back over my childhood, "Growing Up Hippie" in Big Sur, all the communes' crazy folks 'n' weird situations 'n' funky log cabins 'n' wood stoves for cooking and heat, outhouses with little moons on the doors (which put a new spin on the term "funky"), long and treacherous trails that went on seemingly for an eternity just to get home from The Road, a/k/a Highway 1 . . . schlepping groceries 'n' laundry 'n' wood 'n' this, that 'n' the other . . . you'd think -- actually, I'd think -- that would've made me hate it all! But quite the contrary, I love the distinctive smell of wood stoves and rustic old cabins under the sky-scraping Redwoods -- I still have an affection for all of it. And even for the food that was cooked up in these humble little places, so many, many moons ago -- although as in the case at hand, I have. shall we say, rehabilitated some of those recollections.

See, I've been doing a lot of experimenting with those culinary memories, using some of the freshest and healthiest ingredients to do so, and this particular instance involves red quinoa, something I'm sure as a child I vowed never to eat again as long as I lived, along with wheat berries, brown rice, avocados, beans, mushrooms, tofu -- all foods I now love; the list was so long you can't even fathom it. I was convinced at the time my mom was making me eat these foods just to torture me, and when I would arrive at school with one of her famous "Rock Bread Avocado Sprout Sandwiches," I would promptly find some gullible waif toting a bologna-on-white to trade with me. This set me well on my way to a career in crime, door-to-door sales, tending bar or food blogging. Take your pick, 'cause I've done 'em all. And of all the things I've done nothing makes me happier than making things taste delicious, so try this one out on your family to keep them happy AND healthy!

Mediterranean Red Quinoa Salad:

In a saucepan with put:

2 cups red quinoa

With 2 tbs. olive oil, sauté until it gives off a nice aroma, about five minutes.

Then add:

3 cups chicken stock OR water with bouillon

Reduce to simmer and cook 15 minutes. Remove from heat and remove top, fluff with fork and allow to set awhile and cool. Meanwhile get all this stuff together in a really large bowl:

1 bunch fresh basil, chopped

4 cloves garlic, pressed

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 tomatoes, chopped OR 1 package grape tomatoes, all halved

3 medium cucumbers, chopped

1/2 -3/4 cup chopped Kalamata olives

1 6- to 8-oz package of feta cheese, chopped or crumbled

Add the still-warm quinoa to the rest of the ingredients and toss. Salt and pepper to taste if necessary; the bouillon cubes, olives and feta are all very salty, so really taste before shaking out any more at this point. Serve at room temp.

Serve at room temp.

And as always, Enjoy!!!
LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH, COOK!!!
© Jennifer Green Alger 2010

Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins

Hey there! Hi there! Ho there! Jenni of Jenni's Dish reporting live from the great land of LaLa, where people buy convertibles and refuse to put their tops down. And in this neck of the woods it seems like the blinker, yeah, that thing attached to the steering wheel that's actually meant to let the cars around you know what which way you're headed, is as antiquated as I am, being that on recent birthday I turning 39 . . . AGAIN.

But there's something here in the land of swimming pools and movie stars that is extremely popular right now which at first seemed to me to be borderline ridiculous. But I have since come to think it is such a great concept that I have been sucked into the vortex of advocating for it just like every Tom, Dick and Hayley in this town who believes in the healthier alternatives. It's gluten-free baking, and I, my fine friends, am, as they say "on it"!!!

The goodies at hand came out of nowhere after a trip to Whole Foods, where I delved into the land of alternatives to wheat flour. Remember the gluten-free cake I made not long ago? Well, I got such great reviews on it that it has become one of my basic recipe mainstays. I won't bore you with the scientific details; all you have to do is follow some simple rules of thumb and success can be yours.

First things first: Brown rice flour when used alone tastes like sand, yes, sand -- I mean majorly gross. So I've switched to a mixture of white rice flour and tapioca flour and now, Voliá, I have figured it out. Using these basics will bring the house down every time, so don't be afraid, the water's wonderful, jump right in!

Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins:

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line or grease 16 muffin tins, set aside, gather your ingredients:

Dry:

1-1/2 cups white rice flour

3/4 cup tapioca flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup Splenda or sugar or a blend of both

Wet:

1/3 cup honey

3/4 cup milk at room temp

1/2 cup applesauce

2 eggs at room temp

2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 cup canola oil

2 cups fresh blueberries, cleaned and tossed with 1 tbs. flour

Mix all Dry ingredients and set aside

Mix all wet ingredients well and slowly add to Dry ingredients until well combined. Fill tins 3/4 full and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in muffin comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes in tins, continue to cool on rack, serve warm.

And as always, Enjoy!!!

LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH, COOK!!!

© Jennifer Green Alger 2010

Applesauce Cranberry Bran Muffins

I ask you, who doesn't like muffins? They are a perfect little food, just like the cupcake, plus I really love that it's a non-share item. I love having a light snack, and these are IT!!! This whole recipe calls for just two tablespoons of oil -- I'm using canola -- so the muffins are very low fat, and they are sweetened with a mixture of Splenda and honey, so they are free of processed sugar, with a low calorie count all around. And moist? Well, you'll find the applesauce takes care of that, not to mention the cranberries, with which  they are loaded!!! I use only the best ingredients which I buy at Whole Foods. The Red Mill products are all natural and spectacular. The wheat bran is some of the best I've ever used in baking. You can use whole wheat or unbleached white flour; the result is a little lighter with the latter but otherwise it's just a matter of taste.

Also, recently while rockin' around Jenni's Dish Test Kitchen to the sounds of my fave '60s and '70s tunes, I was suddenly inspired to add some spices to the muffins. I was struck by the idea of adding a small amount of nutmeg, and then a little bit of ground ginger and lastly I turned to that tasty ingredient that's also a great blood sugar regulator, cinnamon. Not only did this improve the taste, but it also bumped up the nutritional value. I am appalled at the size of so many of the muffins available today and how they're made -- these behemoth atrocities are a contributor to our growing population, and the growth I'm talkin' 'bout is the measure of their girth!!! The baby muffins I make are well under 100 calories apiece, so enjoy one with your morning coffee and/or have one as a snack, and you can still stay within your guidelines for a healthy diet, feeling good about yourself and looking good as you do it!!!

Applesauce Cranberry Bran Muffins:


Preheat oven to 350ºF grease or spray or line a muffin tin and a 1/4, this makes 16 muffins, put a little water in the rest of the muffin cups which are not being used, so they don't get burned.
In a lg. bowl mix well all dry ingredients,
1 1/2 cups whole wheat or unbleached white flour
1 cup wheat bran
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup Splenda or Granulated Sun Crystals Stevia (they came out with one for baking)
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 tsp. fresh ground Nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

In a lg measuring cup mix,
1 cup skim or lowfat milk
2 eggs
2 TBLS. Canola Oil
1/4-1/3 cup honey
3/4 cup all natural applesauce, I use the unsweetened and chunky, breaking the bits of apple a little as I stir this mixture, mix well and add to dry ingredients just until moistened, over beating will produce a tough muffin.
Spoon into muffin tins 3/4 full, bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean and the muffins spring back when gently pushed.
Let cool in pan for 5-10 minutes, hen remove to a rack to finish cooling.

And as always, Enjoy!!!
LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH, COOK!!!
© jennifer Green Alger 2010

Lemon Thyme/Pineapple Sage Roasted Chicken with Arugula Salad and Purple Asparagus

I'm visiting for a few days here in Big Sur at the house of Kim, my best friend of many years, and of course I'm going to cook for her, because, well, that's a big way I show my love for people: I cook for them. It's a lovely little house on the Old Trout Farm at Garrapata Beach, set back in the beautiful redwoods, surrounded only by the sounds of nature, like the wind which is whipping everything into a frenzy! That wind only adds to the beauty but is making me glad to be indoors cooking and looking forward to yoga, and to Kim's beau Lucas lighting a fire later.

But this is about more than just being here and the gorgeousness of it all: After we drove to the Whole Foods in town (Carmel/Monterey) to get supplies, we went by my mom's old favorite beach -- and mine too -- to fill this cool glass bottle with sand from there. I've wanted to do this for a long time as I do not have my mother's ashes, but collecting a little of this sand makes me feel I have something of her and gives me closure. And after that we came back down the coast, which is so special to me -- hey, it's just plain special, period.

This visit is so easy to take! Kim, who is a yoga teacher, is immersing me in yoga. I'm out-of-shape sore all over, but it's that good kind of sore, from stretching out all the kinks of winter and feeling the spring/summer coming to life inside me -- it feels great to be moving and grooving this way again, in a perfect place for this transition take place. The long, cold months of winter seem far behind me now as I walk the property here, and I just had to share all the beauty of this with my readers so you could experience a taste of it with me.

Speaking of taste, I picked herbs for cooking from the little garden Kim and Lucas had planted, and in a store I found this terrific Himalayan pink salt. I'm whipping up a fresh herb roasted chicken and an arugula salad with sharp cheddar, Pink Lady apples, and Trader Joe's Sweet and Spicy Pecans, with a delicious tangelo/lemon thyme vinaigrette, and steamed Purple Haize asparagus (yes, purple!). Why Purple Asparagus, well because it was there!!! Cooking good food and and absorbing the beauty surrounding me have put me into a state of euphoria, like a dream only better because I'm wide awake, with my dearest friend, and Big Sur pulsing through my veins -- this is living life to the fullest!!!

Herb Roasted Chicken w/ Pineapple Sage , Lemon Thyme and Rosemary:


In a large plate put:

1 whole chicken, washed and dryed
Rub with:

Olive Oil
Juice of one Lemon
Season w/:

Himalayan Pink Salt (or any gourmet salt, kosher will do)
Fresh ground pepper
Paprika
Pinch of Cayenne (or if you are like me, a lot of Cayenne)
Seasoning of Choice, (I used Spike because I was in Big Sur and it's a old tradition w/ me)
1 Tbls chopped fresh Pineapple Sage
1 Tbls. chopped fresh Lemon Thyme
1 Tbls, chopped fresh Rosemary


In a small bowl put:

1 Good quality apple, cut up
1/2 red Onion cut up
2 sprigs Lemon Thyme
2 sprigs Pineapple Sage
1 Sprig Rosemary
3 cloves Garlic roughly cut up


Season with:

A little Olive Oil
2 Tbls. Lemon juice
Salt and Pepper and Cayenne
Mix to coat and stuff into cavity
Place Chicken on a rack in a pan and roast at 400ºF for 1 1/2 hrs, basting after 40 minutes and then every 20 until done, remove from oven and let rest for 20-30 minutes. While chicken is resting, steam asparagus.

Arugula Salad w/ Tangelo and Lemon Thyme Vinaigrette:

1 package Arugula
4 oz. Sharp Cheddar Cheese of choice sliced into triangles
4 oz. Sweet and Spicy Pecans (I used Trader Joes) cut in half lenthwise
1 Pink Lady or Fugi Apple sliced on the diagonal

Dressing:


1/2 cup good extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup rice vinegar
Juice of 1 lg. Tangelo(or more if necessary) should make a 1/2 cup
2 Tbls. Lemon Thyme chopped fine
Salt and Pepper to taste, again I used this fabulous Himalayan Pink Salt and it really makes a difference what salt you use!!!
Fresh ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne
1 Tbls. Lt. Brown Sugar
Mix well and dress salad right before serving.

Always the right side!!!!

And as always, Enjoy!!!
LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH, COOK!!!
© Jennifer Green Alger 2010