Persimmon Bread (Gluten-Free)

This gluten-free sweet bread is a terrifically satisfying baked treat. Unlike many gluten-free desserts that are a “decent substitute” for treats made with wheat, this moist and light persimmon bread is a strong contender matched against any wheat bread (with no explanations or excuses needed). Use soft-ripe persimmons (such as the Hachiya) rather than crunchy persimmons (such as the Fuyu). The persimmons must be very ripe and squishy (so that they are at their sweetest). Remember that the soft-ripe style of persimmons are astringent until they become ripe. Even overly ripe persimmons work well for this bread. You can use this recipe for making persimmon muffins too, just note the reduced baking time. 

Ingredients

2 c. soft-ripe persimmons (approximately 6 persimmons)

4 eggs

½ c. coconut oil
½ c. melted butter

1 c. honey

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla

1½  c. teff flour

2 c. brown rice flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tbsp. orange peel

½ tsp. salt

1½ tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. nutmeg

¼ tsp. allspice

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Peel the skin off the persimmons. Swirl the persimmon meat in the blender until smooth. Beat the eggs in a small bowl. Melt the butter. Combine the oil, butter, and honey in a large mixing bowl. Add the swirled persimmons, beaten eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla.

In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients and blend them together well.

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir them together (scraping the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl) until they are fully blended. The mixture will remain a little lumpy because of the orange peel, but try mix in all “bubbles” of flour, without over-mixing (since over-mixing can cause the batter to become tough and make the bread heavier.

Divide the batter into 2 oblong standard-sized bread-baking dishes. Bake the persimmon bread for one hour at 350°. Bake muffins (in muffin tins) for 30 minutes at 350°. Bread or muffins are done when a knife inserted comes out clean.

You may wish to get creative by adding ½ c. of walnuts, pecans, chocolate chips, chopped dates, and/or crystallized ginger chunks to this recipe. Personally, I love this bread just plain with butter, soft goat cheese, or cream cheese spread.

Eat well, be well, live deliciously!

Winter Squash and Wild Rice Platter

This is a winter squash-lover’s delight. It is a simple dish but the flavor is wonderfully complex because of the variety of ingredients.

Ingredients

 

½ c. uncooked wild/exotic rice (a blend of black japonica, red, and wild rice is my favorite)

1 c. water

1 good-size butternut or kabocha squash (or 2 acorn squash)

8 oz. sundried tomatoes marinated in oil (julienne cut)

6 oz. grated sharp cheddar cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350˚.

Bring the water to a boil, add the rice, cover tightly, and cook on a very low temperature until all the water is absorbed (about 50 minutes). Fluff with a fork and allow to sit for 5 minutes covered.

While the rice is cooking, cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and strings. Put the halves upside down on a cookie sheet with a little water in it (up to about ¼ of an inch). Bake at 350˚ for about 40 minutes or until the squash is clearly soft when pierced with a fork. Check frequently after 30 minutes in the oven so as not to overcook. Once the squash has cooled enough to handle, scoop out the squash meat and mash it until smooth.

Grate the cheese.

When the rice is cooked and the squash is baked and mashed, then you are ready to assemble the ingredients in layers. In a pie plate or on a platter, spread the squash as the bottom layer. Spread the cooked rice across the squash as the next layer. The third layer is the sundried tomatoes. Spread the tomatoes evenly and drizzle the oil marinade from the jar evenly. Finally, spread the grated cheese across the top.

Place the dish in the oven at 350˚ for 10 minutes to melt the cheese and warm the sundried tomatoes or, alternatively, microwave the entire dish for 2 minutes. Serve hot.

Eat well, be well, live deliciously!

Greens, Asian Pear, Pecan Salad

This variation on my kale salad has a gourmet kind of twist to it. Enjoy this terrific combination of flavors, including sweet Asian pears, sesame oil, and kale. 

Ingredients

½ bunch of kale chopped coarsely

½ bunch of chard chopped coarsely (red chard makes for a pretty presentation)

1 c. shredded romaine lettuce

1 Asian pear

¼ c. pecan halves (or more if you like)

2 tbsp. sesame oil

2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp. maple syrup

½ tsp. onion granules

Directions

Remove the stems from the kale and chard and then chop it. Shred the lettuce. Chop the Asian pear. Combine the greens in a bowl. Add the oil, vinegar, maple syrup, and onion granules, and toss the salad until the greens are fully coated with the dressing. Add the chopped Asian pear pieces and fold them into the top of the salad gently. Sprinkle the pecans over the top.

Eat well, be well, live deliciously!

Kale Salad

This is, without a doubt, the prettiest salad. Make it with a combination of purple kale and green kale for even greater beauty. It not only looks gorgeous but it tastes delicious, and what could support better health than a plate of kale, cabbage, and carrots?

Ingredients

1 bunch of kale chopped coarsely

1-1/2 c. loosely packed shredded red cabbage

2 large carrots grated

3 tbsp. sesame oil

2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp. maple syrup

1 tsp. onion granules or 1/3 c. chopped onions (see below about onions)

Directions 

Remove the stems from the kale and then chop it. Shred the cabbage and grate the carrot. Combine the vegetables in a bowl. Add the dressing ingredients and toss the salad until the kale is fully coated with the dressing. I prefer not to overpower the taste of this beautiful salad with the flavor of onion, so I simply dust it with finely ground onion granules (or powder). If you love onions, you might wish to add more onion flavor by chopping onions and including them in the salad. Add onions or onion powder to suit your taste. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds for an added treat.

Serve this dish right away for the best texture; however, it will keep fairly well in the refrigerator for up to 20 hours or thereabouts without becoming too soggy to still enjoy.

Eat well, be well, live deliciously!

Chard and Dill Pesto

I had a crazy dill plant going wild in my garden and heaps of five-color chard, hence this recipe was born. This is a light, refreshing pesto. Spread it on crackers, use it for the base on a pizza, or just toss it with pasta as usual.

Ingredients

3 cups packed fresh chard, cleaned and de-stemmed (see below for details)

3 tbsp. packed fresh dill or 1 tbsp. dried dill

1/3 c. raw almonds

1 clove of garlic (sliced)

¼ -½  c. grapeseed oil (see how it goes)

4 oz. Romano cheese (chopped or sliced)

Directions

This recipe is the very best with fresh garden baby chard and fresh dill. If you go with store-bought chard, then use about one-and-a-half bunches and remove the heavy stems. As for the dill, I love it and so I use a lot but you might want to start with less than the recipe calls for and see how it tastes to you before adding more.

Put all the ingredients into a food processor and whirl until creamy smooth. Be careful with the oil, don’t add too much. Start out with about ¼ cup and add more if needed to get the consistency right. It should be a creamy green paste, not too wet.

You can freeze this pesto in a Ziploc bag for use at a later time.

 Eat well, be well, live deliciously!

Green Bean and Cilantro Pesto

This recipe is a great way to use those garden green beans when they are growing faster than you can eat them. It’s an excellent dip for chips or crackers, can be spread on bread, or serve it as a side dish for a Mexican-themed dinner.


Ingredients

3 cups “snapped” green beans

1/3-1/2 c. fresh cilantro (loosely packed – equivalent of a little more than half a “bunch”)

2 hard-boiled eggs

¼ c. mayonnaise

1-1/2 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. oil (olive oil or grape seed oil)

1 tsp. onion powder or one thin slice of raw onion

salt to taste

Directions 

Hard boil the eggs. “Snap” the green beans (trim the ends and remove all strings if they have a tough vein). Steam the green beans until just tender.

Combine the hard-boiled eggs, steamed green beans, cilantro, oil, and lemon juice in a food processor and whirl until coarsely chopped. Then add all other ingredients and whirl again briefly.

 Eat well, be well, live deliciously!

Heavenly Chocolate Chip Cookies without Flour or Grains

These cookies are gluten-free and in fact have no flour or grain in them at all, so they are even kosher for Passover. You will be surprised at how tasty and satisfying they are.

Ingredients

1½ c. raw walnuts
1½ c. raw almonds
2 eggs
½ c. honey
¼ c. maple syrup
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. dried orange peel
1/8 tsp. salt
3/4 c. dark chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Put the walnuts, almonds, cinnamon, and salt into a food processor and process these ingredients until they are a uniform finely ground meal. In a separate bowl beat two eggs and then add the maple syrup, honey, and vanilla.

Add the nut meal to the egg mixture and blend thoroughly. Then add the orange peel and the dark chocolate chips so that they too are evenly blended.

Drop the batter onto a greased cookie sheet by the tablespoon and bake for approximately 8 minutes, or until the edges are just turning golden brown.

Eat well, be well, live deliciously!