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Breakfast Pizza

By Christy on September 16, 2012 in Appetizers & Snacks, Breakfast, Desserts, Recipes

This is so easy it barely qualifies as a recipe but it was so delicious I had to share! It can be eaten any time of the day but I have found it is a good way to get kiddos (and stubborn adults) to eat fruit for breakfast. I used figs but mix and match with what you have. The rosemary goes especially well with the figs but again feel free to use what you have or what you like.

1 Tortilla

1 Heaping Tablespoon of Greek Yogurt

1-2 Figs, Sliced

Honey, to taste

Pinch of Rosemary

Heat the tortilla on a skillet over medium heat flipping as needed. You want the tortilla to brown slightly and become crisp. When tortilla is cool enough to handle, smear with greek yogurt. Place sliced figs on top and drizzle with honey. Finish with a sprinkle of rosemary.

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I Love You, Honeydew.

By Christy on September 9, 2012 in Beverages, Desserts, Gluten-free, Recipes

Ever get a melon that looks perfect but once you cut it open you find that it is not quite sweet enough? A little ice and a bit of sugar will fix that. This recipe works with any melon but honeydew is definitely my favorite. It even works with melon that has been in the fridge a bit too long. Adjust the sugar to taste depending on the melon. If you are feeling extra decadent substitute the ice for ice cream. Or if somebody accidentally spills some coconut rum into it, drink it. It is still good. I’m just saying…

2 Cups Honeydew Melon

1 Cup Ice

1 Tablespoon Sugar

Add all ingredients into blender and blend on high till smooth.

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Blueberry Breakfast Ice Cream

By Christy on June 5, 2012 in Breakfast, Desserts, Recipes

Ice cream for breakfast? Yes! If you make it with Greek yogurt, creamy coconut milk, and field fresh blueberries. I use a combination of honey and corn syrup to sweeten the dish as the invert sugar helps crystals from forming in the ice cream. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can pour the ice cream base in a freezer safe gallon bag. Place the bag in the freezer and squish it around to break up the ice crystals every 30-45 minutes over 4-5 hours. The Amaretto helps the ice cream from freezing too hard but if you are serving it to kiddos or do not want to use alcohol, substitute another 1/4 cup corn syrup and 1/8 teaspoon almond flavoring.

1 cup blueberries (about 1/2 a pint)

1/3 cup honey

2/3 cup corn syrup

1/4 cup water

dash of salt

8 ounces Greek yogurt

1 can coconut milk (NOT Coco Lopez)

1/4 cup Amaretto

1 Tablespoon lime juice (about 1/2 of a lime)

Combine blueberries, honey, corn syrup, water, and salt in small saucepan. Boil over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Let cool. In large bowl combine yogurt, coconut milk, amaretto, cooled blueberry syrup, and lime juice. Pour mixture into ice cream maker following manufactures directions.

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Strawberry Cream Cheese

By Christy on May 13, 2012 in Appetizers & Snacks, Breakfast, Desserts, Gluten-free, Recipes, Spring, Staff Picks

Yummy, luscious, oh-so-sweet local strawberries! I ordered a pound of these beauties and savored a few every morning with breakfast for a week. When I reached the bottom of the container, I had a few mushy berries left. Too scrumptious to just throw away or turn into compost, I used the Full Quiver cream cheese I had in the fridge to make a strawberry cream cheese spread. A touch of cinnamon adds an interesting taste but feel free to omit or substitute vanilla if you prefer. I used brown sugar to sweeten but of course, you can use honey, agave, or plain sugar.

3-4 strawberries

8 ounces cream cheese

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1-2 Tablespoons brown sugar

Rough chop berries and sprinkle with 1 Tablespoon sugar. Allow berries to sit for at least 1/2 hour to macerate, which means the sugar will draw moisture and flavor out of the berries. Add berries, cream cheese, and cinnamon to a mixing bowl and mix for 2-3 minutes on high speed. Taste and add more sugar if desired.

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Gluten Free Browned Butter Salted Caramel Brownies

By Christy on April 8, 2012 in Desserts, Gluten-free, Recipes

Browned butter adds a wonderful depth of flavor to your baked goods. The trick is to brown the milk solids in the butter to get a rich nutty flavor without burning it. Use medium to low heat and keep a close eye on it. It will bubble, hiss, and turn brown but you know it is ready when it quits hissing and turns eerily quiet.

3 ounces butter (6 tablespoons), unsalted

8 ounces good quality chocolate (the Sunspire chocolate chips come in a 9 ounce package, add remaining ounce into batter before spreading in pan)

3/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon cocoa

2 tablespoons corn starch

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup salted caramel sauce, recipe to follow

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8 inch square pan with foil or parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray. Brown butter over low to medium heat. Remove from heat and add chocolate chips. Retained heat should melt the chips, stir until smooth. Stir in sugar. Add eggs, one at a time. Sift together cocoa powder, corn starch, and salt. Add to chocolate mixture and beat vigorously for at least one minute. Mixture should turn paler and be smooth looking. If you do not beat batter long enough, it may break and become crumbly when you bake it. Since there is no gluten from flour, better to err on the side of over-beating. Fold in any remaining chocolate chips if desired. Spread into prepared pan. Pour caramel sauce in parallel lines on top batter. Draw a knife through the batter and caramel sauce in perpendicular lines to get a marbled effect. Bake for 30 minutes until brownies are set.

Salted Caramel Sauce

This makes extra sauce, it makes a delicious ice cream topping or dip for fresh fruit.

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

3 ounces butter (6 tablespoons)

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Use a large saucepan to make the caramel, it will bubble up and sputter when you add the butter and whipping cream and if your pan is too small, it may spill over or worse, burn you. Mix sugar and water together and cook over medium heat. You can stir it until it starts to boil, but once it does, do use a spoon to stir it any longer, only lightly swirl the pan if you have to distribute the heat. The art in a caramel sauce comes from finding that fine line between deep caramel flavor and burned. Once it starts to brown, it quickly goes from brown to burned, so watch it close and the second it gets dark enough, remove it from the heat and add the butter. Stir to melt the butter and smooth the caramel. Place it back on the heat and bring it to a boil again, then add the cream and salt. Mixture may seize up but will smooth out again as it heats.