Brownie in a Mug Recipe

Kayleigh here. So, who here has tried that old standby of brownies in a mug?

Well, for those who haven't seen this odd concoction before, it's a wonderful vehicle for making a decent dessert for one in a matter of five minutes, with the use of common household baking ingredients. It's great for rainy days, sudden chocolate cravings, and spontaneous house guests!

Now, I've always made the original kind a bit differently than the standard recipe. It might be just because I love peanut butter, but I've found that adding a tablespoon or two in place of some of the oil or sugar tends to give it a much nicer texture. I know Jason sometimes prefers the oil, and adding extra chocolate syrup or chips. But let's just stick to the standard formula for here, so you can figure out your own sweet spot!

Gluten Free Brownie in a Mug

Ingredients:

1 Mug (or microwave safe bowl/container)
1 Egg
4 Tbs Sugar
2 Tbs Sorghum Flour
1 Tbs White Rice Flour
1 Tbs Tapioca Starch
Pinch Guar Gum (really, like 1/8 ts)
1 1/2 Tbs Cocoa Powder
3 Tbs Milk
3 Tbs Vegetable Oil
Handful chocolate chips, Reeses Pieces, Nuts, etc.

1) Combine all ingredients in the order listed (putting the egg in first makes sure you don't end up with unmixed flour at the bottom of the bowl)
2) Stir and add candy/chocolate/nuts.
3) Microwave (2:40 is perfect on our machine, but it may be more or less depending on yours).
4) Eat.

If you're feeling guilty about this last minute indulgence, you can always put Millet or Brown Rice flour in instead of the White Rice. Give it a whole-grain sort of feeling, and it won't seem so bad.

On the other end, you could all out, an mix up a simple sugar-milk glaze, or top with chocolate syrup, ice cream, or more nuts/candy. There- just as good as any diner dessert, and even faster than going out for it!

Jason here. Ignore her guilty comments. Top it with all the chocolate syrup you want. Add handfuls of chocolate chip. Mix in some chocolate syrup. Basically you can make it as decadent as you want, and to me that means go crazy.

To me this recipe doesn’t really match the name. It tends to come out more like a dense cake in a mug, then a brownie. Perhaps that’s why I like to add so much extra chocolate. Saying it is more like a cake is not necessarily a bad thing; It still tastes delicious! Also make sure you mix the ingredients well enough. I have often found that they don’t mix well and makes the taste uneven throughout, especially the egg.

This recipe is great for kids to. If you premix the dry ingredients, you can whip up a brownie in a mug in a no time at all. All the while you can have the kids add whatever ingredients they want to their own individual brownies. Seeing a kid’s face light up as they throw their own handful of chocolate chips in, and add the sprinkles on top will let you know you have found a hit recipe.

Blue Moon Burgers Review

Jason here. A weekend or so ago, we decided to take a trip downtown to the Woodland Park Zoo. We planned it so we left early in the morning, and be leaving sometime between lunch and dinner. This way we could stop at one of the nearby gluten free places and grab a bite to eat. We decided on a burger joint named Blue Moon Burgers.

Wow do they have some delicious burgers. Both Kayleigh and I got their signature El Diablo Azul burger. The burger has cayenne and cumin seasonings, as well as a buffalo sauce. Jalapeno bottle caps, pepper jack cheese, fresh lettuce, and Pico de Gallo. Usually it is served on a Potato Square, but we requested the gluten free buns. As I said this burger is delicious. It came dripping in sauce, which had a unique creamy buffalo taste. Much more than a burger with Franks Red Hot splashed on top, which you see so often. The jalapeno bottle caps were substituted with fresh jalapeno slices, to make the burger gluten free. All of the produce was very fresh, including the jalapenos which added a nice kick to the burger. Despite all of the spicy toppings, I would not call it overly spicy. The buffalo sauce and jalapenos added spice, and only enough heat to add to the experience. The gluten free buns were good, but fairly standard in both taste and texture. That is to say, the burger buns were not there to add taste, but merely a device used to transport the rest of the meal. The only warning I have about the burger is that it was very messy. The sauce was dripping off the burger, and there were a lot of toppings which slid out at times. So if you are on a date, I would recommend you get something a little more manageable to eat.

We also split an order of fries. For one serving we definitely got our money’s worth, because there was a heaping of fries in our dish. The fries were nicely cooked. They came out on that fine line of well done enough to be crunchy on the outside, but still light and fluffy on the inside. Other than that I don’t have much else to say about the fries.

I am happy to say the restauaunt is very gluten friendly. They advertise right on their website and menu that they cater to gluten free individuals. When I ordered the El Diablo Azul burger with the gluten free bun substation, without missing a beat the waiter asked if I would also like to substitute the jalapeno bottle caps with just fresh jalapeno slices, since the bottle caps contain gluten.

Kayleigh here. The waitress really did impress me with how well she knew the menu, and what allergens were in each item. She filled us in about the gluten free frier as well, guaranteeing that no cross-contamination would reach the fries. I would also like to mention how fabulous the handmade peanut butter shake is. I mean, I'm a happy camper any time a restaurant has peanut butter somewhere on the menu, and it is a huge bonus when I do not need to finagle a special order to get it. According to their menu, you can even mix the various flavors together- maybe I'll throw in some strawberry next time!

So, next time you are planning a trip downtown, check to see if there is a Blue Moon Burgers in the neighborhood. Plenty of signature burger options, as well as the ability to make a custom burger with gluten free, vegetarian, and just plain unique options. Of course, it helps that their ingredients are locally sourced, fresh, and hand-made on premises. And really, it is a freshness you can taste.

Cinnamon Roll Waffles

Kayleigh here.  When is the last time you indulged in a warm, gooey cinnamon roll? The kind that comes from a high-end bakery, or over a full day of preparation and patience? Don't you wish you could get that kind of satisfaction on a whim, whenever you start to get that craving?

My desire for instant cinnamon buns ended in a realization- I really like waffles, too. And waffles are quite a bit faster than overnight rolls.

So, now the work came of making a waffle batter with the deliciously sweet kick of cinnamon sugar in each bite, and just enough denseness to hold up to the syrupy soaking it would receive. And really, I think these did the job quite well.

Ingredients:

For the waffles (makes 2)

1/4 cup Sorghum Flour
1/4 cup White Rice Flour
1/8 cup Tapioca Starch
Pinch Guar Gum
2 ts Baking Soda
1-2 TB Cinnamon, depending on tastes
2 TB Brown Sugar or Maple Syrup
1 TB Cashew Butter (optional, but adds a richness to the batter)
1 Egg
1/2 cup Milk
1 ts Vanilla Extract
1 TB Butter, melted
Handful Walnuts/Pecans (optional)

Cream Cheese Sauce

4 TB Cream Cheese (room temperature)
1 TB Butter
1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar
Small splash of Almond or Vanilla extract

Directions:

1) Combine all waffle ingredients in a bowl. Mix only until combined- overmixing batters can cause weird texture changes in the final product.
2) Heat up the waffle iron, and begin making those waffles. While you're waiting, mix the cream cheese sauce ingredients in a smaller bowl. If you desire, you can heat it up in a microwave in 10 second intervals. Be careful- cream cheese has a tendency to coat the walls of your microwave if you are not watching closely.
3) Once both waffles are done, cover them in the sauce and serve up hot!

Other variations: If you find the waffles to be too dry, or miss that cinnamon sugar filling, then microwave a mixture of 2Tablespoons butter, 2 Tablespoons brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon, and a pinch of powdered Ginger. Also, if you're not a big cream cheese fan, you can always mix up a standard milk and sugar glaze ( I won't put a recipe up here, but you should be able to find one easy enough)

Jason here. First thing, always be careful when microwaving the cream cheese sauce. Any sauce really, but I have found anything with sugar to come out like lava, if microwaved for even a second too long. Second, these are really delicious. We whipped up a generous amount of cream cheese sauce and kept the extra in the fridge, since it reheats so nicely. Delicious cinnamon bun waffles for breakfast before heading off to work really started my day off right.

Gluten free baking has been a very odd experience for me. So far we have been trying to duplicate different baked goods. This of course makes it impossible to bake the exact same thing using different ingredients. I have no other better way of describing it other than saying it is a weird mental sensation. I look at something we have baked, say bread, and think to myself this will taste exactly like the bread I have always tasted. I can’t help but to think that. This means even if tastes fine, it still doesn’t taste like “bread”. 

Thankfully, these unique tasting experiments we create can be repurposed. The cinnamon bun waffles are such an example. When I eat the cinnamon bun waffles, I don’t have a preconceived notion of what they should taste like, what their texture should be. I only know that they taste delicious, and the waffles we created work perfectly.

So I’ll end this post by saying, don’t be afraid to repurpose things you cook. Just because it didn’t come out exactly how you would like for one dish, doesn’t mean it isn’t perfect for another.

Blueberry Coffeecake Recipe

Kayleigh here. Being the season of fresh berries and deliciously cold drinks, Jason and I have a long standing tradition of buying up ridiculous amounts of strawberries the moment they go on sale each summer. Usually, they go into frosty daiquiris or warm, freshly baked muffins, but the pure pleasure their fresh taste brings is the same either way.

This post, though, is not about those strawberries. No, we have found new loves that injure the wallet even less than on-sale produce- the kind you pick yourself. For the past month, Jason and I have been seeing hundreds of ripe blackberry bushes lining the roads we take to work, where picking some to wash and eat is as simple as reaching your hand out from the sidewalk. On top of this, we were informed of a blueberry farm literally within walking distance of our apartment, where the berries are as tart and refreshing as they are cheap.

With these particular harvests, they have mostly disappeared into our mouths before ever seeing a recipe book. But we have been careful to save a handful for pancakes each weekend, served with our favorite real maple syrup. This weekend, however, I realized that I should get a little more creative about things, and remembered all the standard cookbooks on our shelf that hadn't seen the light of day since gluten became the enemy. Perhaps I could take one of the pages, and alter it without losing the original taste?

The concept this stems from is the Buttermilk Coffeecake recipe in the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. In addition to replacing the flours and halving the original amounts, we added fresh blueberries to the bottom, and a sparse coating of maple syrup, brown sugar, and walnuts to the top.


Ingredients:

½ cup Sorghum flour

¼ cup white rice flour

½ cup Tapioca Starch

1 ts Guar Gum

2/3 cups Brown Sugar

1/3 cup Butter

1 ts Baking Powder

¼ ts Baking Soda

½ ts Cinnamon

1 Egg

2/3 cups Buttermilk (or 2/3 cups Milk with 1 ts Cider Vinegar)

Pinch of Salt
 2/3 cup Blueberries
1/3 cup Walnuts (or pecans)
2-3 TB Brown Sugar
Maple Syrup (the cheaper, thick kind)


Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of a 8x8” baking pan, then set aside. In one bowl, combine flours, guar gum, brown sugar, and salt. Add butter in tiny pieces, mash in slightly (we found leaving small chunks of butter in the batter made a delicious texture when baked). Add baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon, stirring until combined.
2) In a second bowl, combine egg and buttermilk. Add this to the flour mixture, stirring just until barely combined.
3) Pour mixture into prepared pan, then place blueberries around, evenly spacing them as well as you can. Place this in the oven for 20 minutes.
4) At this point, check with the toothpick test. If the toothpick comes out dry or nearly dry, then drizzle the entire top with maple syrup. Sprinkle brown sugar and walnuts on top of this, then shake the pan a bit to make sure it all adheres to the maple syrup. Place this back in the oven for 5 minutes, just to brown things a bit.
5) Remove from oven, then wait 15 minutes or so before cutting in. We found this made about 6 breakfast-sized pieces, or 9-12 if serving at a party.

The somewhat thin batter makes the blueberries sink into a layer at the bottom, which really looks rather lovely. There is JUST enough moistness to hold everything together without weighing it down, which is somewhat of a rarity in Gluten free cooking. If you're a fan of coffeecake, or are just looking for another idea to use up berries, give it a shot!

Jason here. These blueberry coffeecakes came out delicious. They were the perfect consistency, and taste. We had a lot of blue berries laying around so Kayleigh made sure to add a lot, which goes a long way in taste. I would say they were a little heavier then traditional coffeecakes I had in the paste, but honestly that went well with how many blue berries we added. As an added bonus, these made great on the go breakfast treats. 

Rok's Bistro Review

Jason here. It’s going to be just me this time, since Kayleigh wasn’t with me to enjoy this unique restaurant dining experience. 

Not too long ago I took a trip down to lovely Sunnyvale California, and ate a restaurant called Rok Bistro (Warning it plays annoying music). The restaurant caught my attention because it advertised having hot-stones. What are hot-stones you ask? Well you can read about them on their website here (no music), but essentially they are square stones they heat up to incredibly hot temperatures and they serve your food on when it comes out. The whole idea is that you don’t have to order your main entrée in any particular style (well-done, medium, rare), instead it comes out sizzling on the hot-stone rare and you leave it to cook, or slice off bits and cook them individually to your exact liking.

 I should point out at this point that I ordered a steak, but they do serve plenty of other items which can come on the hot-stone.  I wasn’t immediately sold on the idea, since the part of the appeal of eating out is that ideally my food is cooked by an expert chef to perfection. However, when my food arrived I immediately warmed up to the idea.

 The hot-stone certainly adds presentation and style to the meal, which in turn adds into a good meal. My steak came out sizzling on the hot-stone giving off a delicious aroma. Furthermore, when I said I warmed up to the idea, I also meant that literally since the hot-stone gives off a decent amount of heat making it feel like you are sitting next to a small fire. It was chilly that day, so the heat made me think of eating by a nice warm campfire.

Then came the actual part of cooking the meal to my liking. I actually found this an enjoyable experience. Slicing off little bits so they would lay more flat against the hot-stone and cook quicker, made it so that each piece was more-or-less how I wanted it done. The benefit I didn’t foresee, but completely sold me on the entire thing, was that the whole time I was eating, my steak never got cold, or even warm. It was always hot, like it just came out of the kitchen. I am a pretty slow eater, so having each bite taste like that first bite fresh out of the kitchen was great! 

I am pleased to say the restaurant is also gluten intolerant aware. When I asked if the sauces which came with my meal were gluten free, the waiter politely said she wasn’t, sure but has a list in the back. It is always a very good sign when they say they have a prepared list, since that means at some point someone took the time to really figure out which items were safe. 

It’s worth mentioning the restaurant also specializes in fondues, but I did not get a chance to try them. Perhaps next time.

Overall, I would say it was a unique experience that I think everyone should give a try. The food was good, they are gluten friendly, and they offer an experience that would be hard to find anywhere else.

Recipe Experimentation, Part Two

All right, so last week we were talking about the whole issue about trying different cuisines of the world while avoiding gluten. Sometimes, the solution is simply looking up "___ gluten free recipe". Other times, you may just end up finding recipes for similar dishes, and cobbling things together yourself. The best solution, though? Just look into gluten free cuisine!

Back when most cultural cuisines were first invented, people really couldn't just hop on Amazon grocers for flour and yeast. They worked with what grew there, which often didn't involve gluten at all. Growing corn, rice, or potatoes were much easier to cultivate and harvest in their climates, so they made do just fine.

So, instead of lamenting the loss of airy French pastries, try making mochi instead! Make fried rice with a decorators flair. Give Brazil's cheese bread a chance, or Sweden's almond-based cakes. Most authentic mexican foods are cornmeal or cornflour based, and Japan just as soon uses sweet rice flour for their sweets. Just search around a bit with naturally gluten free foods in mind, and you can guarantee that nothing will get lost in translation.

Jason here. It’s been amazing finding new interesting cuisines from around the world that are naturally gluten free. The Swedish almond-based cakes were particularly great, and Brazil’s cheese bread was wonderfully delicious. Since becoming gluten free, I have learned to appreciate the recipes I have always cooked that were gluten free. For example, simple fried rice, or chili.

As a final note, just be creative! Making eggs benedict with arepas instead of english muffins, for example, is pretty darn good. Throwing an extra egg or two into gluten free pancake batter, along with a bit of extra liquid, can make a great crepe. Instead of feeling like you're just making do, change it to something you'd like even more than the original!

Recipe Experimentation, Part One

Kayleigh here. This week's post is going to be about experimenting with unusual foods, since I grew up trying new recipes and cuisines on pretty much a weekly basis. Chicken Mole Enchiladas one night could lead to Mediterranean style pasta the next, and Peanut Turkey Sliders on Friday.

With this level of variety going through the kitchen, sometimes our only knowledge of the dish was through the recipe, or through a friend’s description of how it should turn out. So when we were suddenly slammed with that Gluten Free barrier, there came a question- How can we try different cuisines, if we have to go and modify the recipes to eat them?

The first option, of course, is to look up blogs and recipes that are already gluten free. Find an authentic cook, read their story behind the recipe, and know that they can compare it to the original dish through their own experience. You'll still be getting exactly what you crave, and you won't have to fret about it being 'different' from how it is supposed to come out.

Of course, sometimes your desire for that dish may be from a gluten-full recipe that caught your eye, and you do not really want to try a different chef's take. If you have just been DYING to try Cooking With Dog's Okonomiyaki recipe, or you were handed a recipe for Nutella Crepes by a good friend, you may be able to find a gluten free recipe with a similar serving size, and substitute the flour blend and xanthan/guar gum for the flour in the original recipe.

Once you have gotten a pretty good hang of how each flour and component reacts to each other in gluten free baking, you may just find yourself able to concoct those substitutions on your own. Knowing in advanced if the bread is supposed to be light and fluffy or a heavy batter to deep-fry with can provide some excellent clues for what to use. Besides, the end product will usually still be delicious, so why not just give that a shot!

Jason here, with some examples. Our third post was all about our Buffalo Seafood which we created by guessing which flours would work together well to create a nice batter for deep-frying. That recipe is still one of my all-time favorites. We also tried creating a gluten free toaster strudel. It made a terrible toaster strudel, but pretty good pop-tart. We are slowly perfecting our bread recipe, making it better with each iteration.

And, of course, there is one other way of making gluten free ethnic foods, but why don't we save that for another post, hmmm?