Frozen Peanut Butter Pie with Pretzel Crust

For 3 years of doing the dishes. 
For 3 Years of sweeping up sprinkles and spices and wiping cake batter off of the walls. 
For 3 years of making me laugh when I want to cry... for telling me everything is going to be alright. 
For tolerating 3 years of bad reality TV and 90's pop music. 
For 3 years of letting me be right, even when he knows I'm wrong. 

For 3 years of tech support. 
For 3 years of cuddles. 
For 3 years of living in a girl mess of magazines and cookbooks and scented candles... for constantly having to step over shoes, purses, scarves and nail polish, only to be yelled at when he leaves his hat on the kitchen table. For all that and so much more, this guy deserved dessert.

And not just any dessert... a dessert with peanut butter AND Reese's peanut butter cups. His favorite things.  

I made this treat for my guy on our 3 year anniversary. An attempt to make up for me being a high-strung-high-maintenence-whiney-stress-basket the other 364 days of the year, and because I love him. And seriously? Because I'm beginning to think it's the desserts that keep him hanging around ;)

The original recipe I followed did not involve yogurt, but I had issues when it came to "melting" the peanut butter with the icing sugar... It simply wouldn't happen. The peanut butter stayed firm when heated, and as I added the sugar it only seized up more. I blame it on my all natural peanut butter... Or my all natural incompetence. 

Either way, I had to toss the first batch and start over. I needed to bring the nut butter to a consistency where it could be easily folded in with the whipped cream. My solution came in the form of a tub of Greek yogurt already in my fridge. Thank god for Greek yogurt! Its thick, creamy, tangy, and low in fat (because thats totally what I was going for here.not). The final result was just a dish full of sweet-salty-nutty-chocolatey-amazingness. The boy loved it and so did I. 

Frozen Reese's Peanut Butter Pie with Pretzel Crust 

Adapted from Bakers Royale.

Crust- Ingredients 
4 Cups Pretzels (I used Glutino gluten free pretzel sticks) 
1/2 Cup butter, melted 
1/2 Cup white sugar 


 1. Lightly butter a springform cake pan or tart dish (I used a 9 Inch cake pan), preheat an oven to 350F. Combine sugar and pretzels in a food processor, pulse to combine. With the processor running, stream in melted butter through the opening. The mixture will be the texture of wet sand. 


2. Press the pretzel mixture into the prepared pan with your fingers, use the palm of your hand to firmly press down the bottom crust until it is flat. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown and set. Let cool. 


Filling- Ingredients 
2 Cups whipping cream
1 1/4 Cup icing sugar
1 Cup smooth peanut butter 
3/4 Cup plain Greek yogurt 
1 Cup Reese's minis, roughly chopped 
Reese's cups for topping, halved


1. Whip the whipped cream until peaks form, add 1/4 cup of the powdered sugar and beat briefly just to combine. Set in the fridge to stay cool. 


2. With an electric mixer, cream together the peanut butter and yogurt, add the powdered sugar and mix until all lumps are gone. Fold together with the whipped cream, then fold in the mini Reese's cups (or chocolate chunks, or whatever add-ins you want!). 


3. Pour into the prepared pie crust and top with Reese's halves. Freeze for at least 3 hours before serving. 


This can be made a few days in advance, just be sure to take it out of the freezer at least a 1/2 hour before serving to allow for easier cutting.  Will keep in the freezer... indefinitely? I mean, it's ice cream. Come on. 


P.S. Make this for your Canada day celebrations and everyone will love you. I promise. Have an amazing long weekend friends! Hopefully the weather will stay nice and I will see you all at the beach :)

Dark Chocolate Buckwheat Brownies with White Chocolate Chips and Cherries

Hello lovelies! Happy Friday :) Are you ready for the weekend? I know I sure am! But first, I have a great brownie recipe for you here.

My good friend Megan came to visit from Seattle not too long ago. Megan was my roommate back when we were both in school - her for culinary, me for design. Kinda crazy which one of us ended up with a food blog, isn't it?! Needless to say, we are both huge food lovers and whenever we get together it's jam packed with culinary adventures.

In two days we managed to scarf down a whole lotta deliciousness. This included (the BEST EVER) sushi at a little local place called Toshi. I could eat here everyday, its that good. The miso black cod is ridiculous (and I hear the eggplant is pretty good too... if you're into that kinda thing). Then there was this Gelato: Flavours settled on after sampling nearly every one of the 218(!!) on site were grapefruit-champagne and guava-papaya. Holy yuuuum. There was also... poutine, a crepe breakfast, chocolate truffles, spiked raspberry lemonades, many cups of tea, and of course, the brownies!

I think Meg put it best when she said "If we lived any closer, we'd both be a lot fatter". 

A whooooole lot.

Back to the matter at hand, these brownies. They are dark, sweet, gooey and fudgey.  And also gluten free!

The gluten free-ness here is hardly noticeable, as there is so little flour in the recipe to begin with. But you can easily swap it out for regular flour if thats what you have. Make sure to use a reeeeally good dark chocolate for this recipe though. The sweet white chocolate and tart cherries are amazing with the ultra-chocolatey-not-too-sweet-brownie batter. LOVE.

Dark Chocolate Buckwheat Brownies with White Chocolate Chips and Cherries

If gluten is your friend, simply swap the gluten free flour for all purpose flour and omit the xanthan gum 

Ingredients

6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/2 Cup butter

2 Large eggs

1 Cup dark brown sugar

1 Teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 Cup gluten free all purpose flour (I used Bob's red mill)

1/4 Cup buckwheat flour

1/4 Teaspoon xanthan gum

1/2 Teaspoon salt

1/4 Teaspoon baking soda

1/2 Cup white chocolate chips

1/2 Cup dried sour cherries

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter an 8X8 Inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper, so that the edges hang over 2 sides of the pan.

2. Melt the chocolate with the butter in a double boiler (or the microwave!), set aside to cool.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, xanthan gum, salt, and baking soda.

4. Add the sugar to the chocolate mixture and beat well. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition, followed by the vanilla. Combine the dry ingredients into the chocolate mixture until just combined, try not to over mix. Fold in the chocolate chips and cherries. 

5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the sides begin to firm up. The centre will still be quite soft, and may seem underdone. But be careful not to over bake them.

Let cool before slicing into squares… if you have the will power. Clearly, we did not.

Love ya Meg! Can't wait for the next time we get to visit. We still need to get our glitter on!!

Spicy Edamame Hummus

Good morning! I made a snack...

Who doesn’t love snacktime? I mean really, it’s just another excuse to eat, and who doesn't love that? Keep in mind this is coming from someone who’s life revolves around finding more opportunities to cram delicious-calorie-filled-treats into her face.

Snack time makes me think of recess. I really miss recess... Ritz crackers and spreadable orange cheese. Animal crackers. Oreos. Pop Tarts. Capri sun. Those were the days.

Really though? I was never the kid with the capri-sun. I was sooooooo envious of the kid with the capri-sun! Instead, I got stuck with the hippie kids juice box – a recycled glass bottle, with the label torn off but that layer of sticky goo left behind, and filled up with apple juice. Not even the clear kind! The gross muddy brown kind. I don’t think I ever took this incriminating item out of my lunch bag around my classmates, that’s how embarassed I was. My friends were the ones with mini bags of doritos or dunkaroos (omg remember DUNKAROOS???), while I always felt so uncool with my juice and granola bar.

The most ironic part? I think Mom was on to something. Fast forward to 2012 and reusable glass bottles are all the rage. I don’t hang out at school playgrounds much these days (cus how creepy would that be?), but I’ll bet all the cool kids are sporting eco-friendly glass bottles and toting snacks of homemade sugarfree-chia-hempseed-applesauce-cookies.

Hmm...I just made that up, but it sounds like it could be kind of good. Maybe?

My snacktime nowadays isn't limited to a 30 minute period mid-morning. It extends thoughout the day and involves lots of fruits and veggies, nuts, trail mix, cheese and crackers, and chips with hummus. A lot of hummus.  Garlic and roasted red pepper are old favourites, but this one is stellar too.

It has edamame, sesame oil and a spicy wasabi kick. You can totally leave out the wasabi if you're not a fan, the boy for one detests wasabi, so I left a portion plain for him. But I loved the flavour and spice it brought to the party. With a pile of pita or corn chips this is so totally addicting, and a great change if you are bored of regular old hummus.

Edamame Hummus

If you prefer to leave out the wasabi, try adding a touch of chili paste or Sriracha. I think a bit of spice really takes this to the next level.

Also, both the chickpeas and edamame beans have a kind of "skin" on them. Although the hummus has a smoother texture if they are removed, the process is time consuming and not absolutely necessary. This time I did a kind of once over on them, removing any skins that were easy to slip off. This didn't take too long and worked for me.

Ingredients

1 Can chickpeas

1 16oz bag (1 pound) frozen shelled edamame, defrosted

2 Cloves garlic, peeled

1/2 Cup tahini

Juice of 2 lemons (about 2/3 cup)

1/4 Cup olive oil

1/4 Cup toasted sesame oil
4-6 Tablespoons water
1 Teaspoon salt

1-2 Teaspoon(s) wasabi paste, to taste

Toasted sesame seeds, optional

1. Remove the edamame from shells (pods)  if needed, the ones I bought were already shelled so I skipped this step. Peel skins from the edamame. Drain and rinse chickpeas and remove the skins from them as well.

2. Combine the chickpeas, edamame beans, garlic, tahini, and lemon juice in a food processor. Blend until combined and then, with the processor on low, slowly add the 2 oils. Drizzle in water 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dip reaches a smooth consistancy, for me this was about 4 Tablespoons.

3. Add the salt and wasabi paste and blend to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Top with a generous drizzle of sesame oil and some toasted sesame seeds. Serve with pita or corn chips for dipping.

I think offices need to bring back recess in a big way. Also? Naptime. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m heading the the supermarket to see if they still make dunkaroos.

Strawberry Mango Coconut Crisp (Gluten Free)

The delightful dish household was hit with one killer cold/flu virus last week. I was completely incapacitated for the better part of the week. And when the plague was finished with me, it moved on to the boy! The nerve of it. 

The worst part? I was hardly interested in any food at all for daaaaaaaays. This was new to me. No matter what goes wrong there is one thing you can be sure of, and it is that I am planning my next meal. Scheming my next snack. So you KNOW there is a problem if I am not hungry. I am only aware of one other occurrence of this, after having my wisdom teeth removed last year, and even that didn't last long (oh hello, pudding cups!).

I eventually realized my lack of interest was due to out-of-order taste buds. Poor little guys had lost their flavour-detecting-powers. And what point is there in eating when everything tastes like sand? None, I tell you. None. I started overloading everything with salt or sugar just to get my fix, the flavour junky that I am. A life without taste buds sure would be a sad life to live...

One of those awful days, the only food I would even consider touching was the soba-noodle-nebiyaki from our favourite Japanese (which we sadly no longer live around the corner from). The craving popped into my head and stayed there stubbornly... the hot, spicy, salty (sinus clearing!) broth swimming with noodles, chicken and egg. I had to have it. So my sweetheart of a boyfriend, already feeling not-so-hot himself, but probably sick of hearing me whine, ran right out and got it for me.

(Isn't he the best?)

That soup. I swear. It is the reason I am still living. 

By Saturday we had both mostly recovered, save for some headaches and coughing fits. My taste buds were on the mend and I was craving normalcy. And normalcy for me means gettin' in the kitchen! We also happened to have a huge amount of strawberries deteriorating in the fridge... so I set out to create something yummy with them and this crisp/ crumble is what resulted.

This was like a flavour explosion after a week of bland tasting foods. Once again, I was surprised at how good a gluten free dessert could be. It really doesn't taste it! With the sweet fruit and nutty coconut pieces it is a little bit tropical. But still a familiar-comforting dessert in the way crisps and crumbles are. I would make this again in a heartbeat and share with all my non-GF friends :)

Even if you are not gluten free, you must find a way to get this flavour combo in your mouth. Seriously yummy!

 

Strawberry Mango Coconut Crisp (Gluten Free)

 

Switch the butter in the topping for margarine or coconut oil to make this recipe diary free.

Ingredients - Fruit Mixture

2 Cups strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 Mango, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 to 1 Tablespoon agave syrup or honey
Sprinkle of cinnamon
2 Teaspoons corn starch

Ingredients - Topping

1 Cup gluten free baking or pancake mix ( I used Pamela's)
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
Pinch nutmeg
1/3 Cup butter, softened
1 Cup large flake coconut, unsweetened

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease the bottom and sides of a pie plate or gratin dish. Cut up the fruit and mix with the agave/ honey, cinnamon, and cornstarch. Set aside.

2. Whisk together the baking mix, sugar, and spices. Add butter and work in with your hands until the dough forms pea-sized pieces, mix in coconut flakes.

3. Press about 1/3 of the flour mixture into the bottom of the baking dish. Use the palm of your hand to press it flat, this will be a thin layer. Spread the fruit in an even layer over top, and top with the remaining crumble mixture. Bake at 350 F for 30-40 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the top is browned.

Toppings are endless: a drizzle of full-fat coconut milk , a dollop of whipped cream, or a scoop of a vanilla bean gelato. I think I'll help myself to that last option right about now.

Recipe adapted from this one.

Gluten Free Blueberry Coconut Muffins with Coconut Streusel Topping

The first time I cut wheat from my diet, I lost ten pounds in two months. I was eating salads and nuts and lean protein and very little gluten substitutes.  My intention had mainly been to be healthy, not to lose weight, but it sure was a great bonus. I felt lighter and better all over.  And then I started to discover things... like gluten free cupcakes! And cookies! And Nanaimo bars!

Uh ooooh.

Turns out a lot of chocolate bars are gluten free, same goes for ice cream. And chips. And popcorn.  Then of course I started to try out things like wheat free breads, pastas, and cereals. I found there are some fantastic substitutes out there. I realized that living gluten free might not have to mean living without all of these delicious foods. 

But it does mean I'll have to get my butt to the gym. Especially if I keep eating these muffins!

 

As I mentioned yesterday, I am brand new to the world of gluten free baking.  And a bit intimidated by it at that. So, I chose to eliminate some of the guess work involved and use a pre-made gluten free flour blend here. I'm not up for having to buy and measure out 8 different flours quite yet. I'm just dipping my toes in here.

To be perfectly honest, I was completely surprised by how easy and good these muffins turned out to be. I had myself convinced that gluten free baking was hard, something I couldn't possibly master. And that the results would suck. I have tried some wheat free baked goods that simply don't measure up to their gluten-y counter parts. They can be overly dense, dry, grainy and just plain YUCK.

But these little cuties puffed up beautifully in the oven and are moist and tender and bursting with sweet blueberries. And that topping. It's ridiculous. This is such a great beginner recipe. I brought the muffins to a picnic and even my wheat-eating friends loved them!

Gluten Free Blueberry Coconut Streusel Muffins

This recipe can very easily be made dairy free too, just swap the butter in the batter  for oil, and the butter in the topping for dairy free margarine or coconut oil.

Makes 16 Muffins

Ingredients

1 1/2 Cups all purpose gluten free flour mix (I used Bob's Red Mill)

1/2 Cup shredded unsweetened coconut

2 Teaspoons baking powder

1 Teaspoon xanthan gum

1/2 Teaspoon salt

1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon

2/3 Cup light brown sugar

1/3 Cup melted butter

2 Large eggs

1 Teaspoon vanilla extract (gluten free)

1 1/4 Cups coconut milk

1 1/2 Cups fresh blueberries

Streusel Topping

1/3 Cup butter, melted

1/2 Cup brown sugar

1/3 Cup all purpose gluten free flour

2/3 Cup coconut (I used half shredded and half coconut ribbons)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, coconut, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

2. In separate bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the butter, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs and beat well. With mixer on low, alternate between adding the flour mixture and coconut milk until just combined. Gently fold in the blueberries.

3. Mix all ingredients for topping together in a small bowl. Use an ice cream scoop to fill liners about 2/3 full with muffin batter. Press 1-2 Tablespoons of topping on to each muffin. Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating once halfway through, until topping is browned and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from pan to cool.

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour.

I am submitting this post to Food Allergy Awareness Day hosted by Tastespotting and the FIA. Please note that this recipe has not been reviewed by FAI or medical experts. Avoidance is the only accepted course of treatment for food allergy. Always verify ingredients or food products by checking with the manufacturer and/or your physician to ensure that any foods are safe for your unique allergy issues.

On Eating Gluten Free...

It is National Food Allergy Awareness Week in the states, and although we are in Canada, I thought I’d take this opportunity to share a bit of my experience with food allergies on the blog. I don’t want to get TOO personal. Ultimately, this blog is just about pretty pictures of yummy food. But I can’t ignore the fact that this food goes into my body. And I need to treat my body well.

I have had stomach and digestion issues since I was a teenager, but up until recently I was more about band-aids and quick fixes than looking for solutions. Don’t ask me why… I can be slow to catch on sometimes! Anyway, over the past couple of years – through elimination diets, many doctors’ visits, plus a lot of trial and error, denial and frustration – I have come to the likelihood that the culprit is, sadly, wheat.

Gluten.Wheat. Flour. The main ingredient in all those delightfully light and fluffy pastries I love soooo much.

Lord, no.

Does being healthy really have to mean living without cakes and brownies and profiteroles? I have searched high and low for a solution that doesn’t point to wheat, but it just isn’t happening.  Since the first time I ruled out wheat, I have fallen off the wagon more than once. And once it was for like… half a year. The consequences of that were not fun. Denial doesn’t make this any easier. Many of you know the feeling. That sinking, hopeless sensation that comes with discovering a food allergy…

You mean I can’t eat that for HOW LONG?! 

Oh, just the rest of your life. No big deal.

Yeeeaaah... right. No big deal at all.

It begins to look like you will never enjoy food again... But then there is the over-the-top joy that comes with finding something amazingly delicious that is also gluten free. It is pretty much the best feeling ever.   And let me tell you, those brownies pictured above? They were a god send.

They were made with a mix from Trader Joe's (sorry, can't find a link), and were the first thing I baked after going gluten free. They were nothing fancy. But they saved me. To be perfectly honest, I have been a bit scared to start baking gluten free.

OK, not scared… terrified.

See, you give me flour, butter, eggs, and sugar and I KNOW I can throw it all together into something freaking delicious. But take away any one of those variables, and I am lost. Baking is something I consider myself GOOD at. I am so scared that being gluten free will take that away from me. But I have far too big a sweet tooth to give it up that easily. So I will come back fighting, with an arsenal of gluten free flours, and give it another try.

I want to be clear that I am not Celiac (as far as I know) and this is not a gluten free blog. I still bake for friends and family using wheat flour. And although its a slippery slope, I do sample a bite here and there myself. However, I will be giving lots of gluten free recipes a try, so stay tuned for those. When a recipe is gluten free, it will be clearly stated.

Be back soon, with mmmmuffins! 

Snapshots of Spring and a Quinoa Salad

It's Spring. It's Friday. The sun is out. I couldn't be happier.

The last few weekends have been filled with brunching, shopping and lounging in the sunshine.

Plus some spring cleaning... but I won't share pictures of that. 

 

(Brunch at Cafe Medina in Vancouver)

(Waffle with white chocolate pistachio rosewater dipping sauce. Oh. Em. Gee. was this ever good)

This weekend to come should hold more of the same... plus a quick trip to the states AND our first BBQ Picnic of the season. Yay!

I hope I'm not boring you with the salads... I have been making a quinoa salad of some sort almost weekly this spring, and I am still loving them! Quinoa is just so good. and easy. and versatile. 

This one features in-season asparagus, the first of the plump, juicy grape tomatoes (they aren't quite there yet, but not long now!), and creamy dreamy goat cheese. Douse with balsamic vinaigrette and enjoy for lunches or as a side with grilled chicken or fish throughout the week.

Me? I can't wait to grab this salad and a bottle of chilled white wine and head to the park for the afternoon. 

Heaven.

 

Spring Quinoa Salad with Asparagus, Chickpeas and Goat Cheese

Ingredients

Salad

1 Cup Quinoa
1 Bunch Asparagus, blanched and cooled
1 Pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 Cup marinated artichoke hearts, coursely chopped
1 Can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 Bunch (3-4 stems) green onions, thinly sliced
6 Oz. soft goat cheese, crumbled

Dressing

1/4 Cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
1 Garlic clove, crushed or minced
Pinch each salt & pepper
3/4 Cup olive oil


1. Prepare quinoa according to package directions. I personally like to use just a little less water than directions usually say, it makes for a slightly drier end result. Once quiona is cooked (about 15 minutes), fluff with a fork and refrigerate to cool while you chop the vegetables and prepare the rest of the salad.

2. To make dressing, combine first 5 ingredients (excluding oil) and whisk together. Slowly add oil while whisking quickly, the dressing should thicken slightly.

3. Once quinoa is cooled, combine with the vegetables in a bowl, crumble in goat cheese, drizzle with dressing, and toss to combine.


Delicious served on a bed of baby arugula or spinach.