Have you ever used: Plantain Fufu Flour

I take pictures when I go to the grocery store. That probably sounds odd. I take pictures to remind myself of foods I don't know how to use or would like to try somehow. Maybe that's still odd...

Anyway, I've been exploring alternate starch sources, and on one visit I found this: 

I had no idea what fufu flour is, or knew that you could make flour from plantain. Or maybe I never really thought about it, because now that I think about it, why couldn't you make a flour from dried plantain? It's starchy enough. 

Sources (i.e. Wikipedia) state that it's a traditionally West African food eaten mostly like a dumpling. The term fufu can refer to dumplings made from a number of flours, including plantain. It's often served with soups or stews, and I imagine it would be good alongside anything saucy. 

I found two recipes to start out with, this one seems more traditional, Plantain Pancakes completely not. I think I'll pick up a box next time I'm there and give it a whirl. 

Have you ever used plantain flour? 

Polenta Cakes

Polenta Cakes

One of the things I enjoy so much about polenta is how the same concoction takes on different textures. Fresh polenta is rich, creamy comfort food at its best. But if you let it set awhile, it gels up in a very easy non-sticky kind of way. Totally lending itself to putting into shapes. 

It starts out looking a lot like bird food. Or something we would mix into the horse feed. Completely inedible. But liquid, fats, and time will make it better than merely edible. 

It takes shapes so well - I made little individual bundt-shaped servings - great for a dinner party. 

I have some Pampered Chef shaped bread loaf pans to try out next and make some slices of star-shaped or flower-shaped slabs of creamy corny goodness...

Stay tuned!!

Pumpkin Spiced Mini-Muffins with Dark Chocolate Bits

I've been deep in use-it-up-before-you-have-to-throw-it-out mode. It started with Thanksgiving leftovers. We cook pretty regularly, and it's not unusual for us to accumulate the odd container or two in the fridge. They don't start out odd, but after lurking in the back of the fridge long enough...

I had leftover roasted pumpkin puree after making pie at Thanksgiving. Not wanting to leave it in the freezer until next year (not that I've ever done that...), I thought some bite-sized sweet treats for lunches would be ideal. Anything too starchy-sugary would leave me logey-headed for the afternoon, so I also thought something nut flour-based would be even better. 

I'm a huge fan of Danielle Walker and her recipes on Against All Grain. The Spiced Pumpkin Muffin in her Against All Grain: Delectable Paleo Recipes to Eat Well & Feel Great cookbook was just the ticket. 

I followed her recipe pretty much, except I substituted agave nectar for the honey (also using up the nectar), making it barely sweet; I think I will use honey next time. Although, I used dark chocolate morsels and I think the chocolate flavor really stands out in this version. And I tweaked the spices a little to suit our taste. I left out the pecans because I thought it might conflict with the almond flour base. Maybe next time I will add sliced almonds or coconut flakes on top for some crunch. 

Pumpkin Spiced Mini-Muffins
adapted from Against All Grain: Delectable Paleo Recipes to Eat Well & Feel Great
by Danielle Walker of Against All Grain

Dry ingredients

• 2 c almond flour
• 3 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon (we really like cinnamon)
• 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Wet Ingredients

• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup agave nectar (the original recipe called for honey or maple syrup; I definitely I'll use honey next time)
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted (I might use butter next time for the flavor)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions

• Line a mini-muffin tin with paper liners. This recipe made 24 minis for me (the number will depend on the size of your minis - there are a couple sizes out there...).
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
• Add the dry ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine. 
• Add the wet ingredients to a large mixing bowl, and whisk to combine (you can use the same whisk - save on dishes!). 
• Add the dry into the wet, and mix well (wooden spoon duty).
• Let it rest a few minutes and allow the coconut flour to hydrate and thicken the batter.
• I found the batter too thick to pour, so I used a cookie scoop (about 1 inch size) to divide the batter into the liners. They also didn't rise much for me, so I filled them pretty full. 
• Sprinkle a few chocolate pieces on top of each muffin.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the largest muffin comes out clean. 
• Cool. Store in a container to keep 'em moist and tasty!

Apple Sausage Tartlets

I have a weakness for anything quiche-like. When the whole flavor comes in one bite, I'm totally hooked. Being apple season, and needing goodies for a party, I wanted to do something savory with apples. I don't know what made me think of combining them with sausage, but the result was a success. 

These aren't really mini-quiches as they have no cream or egg. I think these invoke that richness in flavor though, and each bite comes complete with a great flaky crust. 

Apple Sausage Tartlets

Makes 24

It matters here to use good pork sausage, lots of flavor, not too fatty (we like Jones Dairy Farm; kinda local, mighty tasty). I used Golden Delicious apples for sweetness and because they will hold their texture. Apples vary tremendously in size; I find the smaller ones have more flavor. The amount of maple syrup you want to use will depend on how sweet your apples are. 

Dough (standard tartlet dough)

3 oz cream cheese, room temperature

8 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup flour*

Pinch salt

Cream together cream cheese and butter; mix in flour & salt well. Divide into portions and press into cups of mini-muffin tins. Chill while you make the filling. 

Filling

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1-lb pork sausage (bulk, or casings removed)

1-2 tablespoons maple syrup

2-3 apples, peeled, cored, chopped

1/2 cup (or so) shredded smoked gouda cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, sprinkle with salt. Sauté lightly until softening and turning translucent. Add pork sausage; break up into small pieces while cooking. When almost all the pinkness is gone from the sausage, add 1 tablespoon of maple syrup and the apples. Turn the heat down to medium and continue cooking until the apples begin to soften. Test and add another tablespoon maple syrup if you'd like. 

Fill chilled crusts with apple/sausage mixture. Divide shredded gouda evenly onto each tartlet. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and both the cheese and crusts are turning golden. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a serving platter. Good warm and at room temperature. 

*Our household eats largely gluten-free (I can't tolerate gluten at all), but not grain-free. I use a personal blend based on the 70% grain, 30% starch ratio over on gluten-free-girl and the chef. 

Easter Carrots

This Easter holiday was the first family gathering since I've had to go gluten-free with my diet. geekMan has been such a good sport through the saga of elimination diet diagnosis, but it was a new concept for the rest. We are an incredibly supportive bunch, and so many questions were asked about what I could eat. Pretty much everything at table, and I could avoid the dinner rolls and various breads (I miss my Aunt's date nut bread with dried apricots - yum!).

But then there's dessert. Apple pie. Sounds lovely, but not for me. And not wanting to make everyone else give up a favorite, I offered to bring another dessert. Something I could eat. Something they might want to.

Gluten-Free Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
I adapted the following recipe from Ellie Krieger's, and tweaked the technique à la Ina Garten. Most of the adaptation was converting wheat flours by volume to GF flour by weight (the only way to bake - just ask Shauna at Gluten-free Girl and the Chef). The final result was unbelievably good. Moist, rich. A good semi-sticky crumb, perfect for a carrot cake. I also like that the cupcake to frosting proportions match: exactly 12, and exactly enough. 
 
Ingredients - Cupcakes
2 large eggs
165g (~5.8oz) dark brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
154g (~5.4oz) Gluten-free flour mix*
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups (or so) finely shredded peeled carrots (I used 4, but I really need to list this in weight)

Ingredients - Frosting
4oz cream cheese, softened (half a standard package)
85g (3oz) confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350 °F (325 °F convection). Place 12 paper liners in muffin cups (I used "Texas-sized" liners so they were tall enough to contain the frosting).

Combine eggs and sugar in bowl of stand mixer fitted with a paddle. Mix well. Add oil, applesauce and vanilla. Mix until smooth. In a separate bowl, measure flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in medium bowl; whisk to combine. Add half dry ingredients to wet ingredients in mixer bowl. Combine carrots with remaining dry ingredients; stir to distribute the carrots. Add to mixer bowl, and stir to combine.

Distribute batter evenly among paper liners. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

To frost, combine cream cheese, sugar, and lemon zest, stirring well to combine. Divide evenly onto the 12 cupcakes.

Cupcakes sprinkled for the occasion.

*Gluten-free flour mixes can be purchased pre-blended, but they are just as easy (and far cheaper) to do on your own. I've been using the proportions of 7 parts flour to 3 parts starch suggested on Gluten-free Girl and the Chef with some success depending on the exact blend I make (she also explains vegetable gums, which I'm trying to avoid although it's not clear I'm sensitive to them; the thought of eating mold in my cupcakes is not appetizing). The blend I used for this recipe was comprised of brown rice flour, GF oat flour, sorghum flour, and tapioca and corn starches.