Amazing Spiralizing

I just had to share the best $70 I've spent in a long time... The Kitchenaid spiralizer attachment!  It's on sale right now aaaaand I had $10 off too. I've been feeling sick lately and really down about it.  

A nice stroll on a fall evening with Big D at the mall got me this serious tool (and new perfume too).

Enjoy!

Fun-Fruity Birthday Cake!

My Jennie had the so super smart idea to make a funfetti type cake using gluten free and milk free Fruity Pebbles!  And it worked!

I used my Little Goldie Girlie Cake recipe and added about 1/4 cup lightly crumbled Fruity Pebbles cereal.  So pretty! Festive and yummy too! 

I made cupcakes out of it and a couple of cute hearts too!

Fun-Fruity Birthday!

Little Goldie Girlie Cake --- With Fruity Pebbles 

My Twiggy cat (aka Goldie) is sooooo happy to see Len today! And we are all happy to eat cake!

Easy. One bowl. No mixer.

1/2 cup margarine, softened
1-1/2 cup GF baking mix
3/4 cup sugar
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Dash of salt
3/4 cup Very Vanilla Soymilk, room temperature or slightly warmed in microwave

1/4 cup slightly crushed (more like just broken) Fruity Pebbles cereal

Preheat oven to 375.  Grease and flour 9" square cake pan or cupcake pan.

In large bowl, put the margarine.  Cut it up a bit.  Put the sugar, baking mix, baking powder and salt on top of it.  Mix with wooden spoon until combined.  It will be thick batter, sort of like biscuit dough.  Whisk in the Soymilk. Stir in the Fruity Pebbles.

Today, I put the margarine, sugar, baking mix, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. I poured the Soymilk in measuring cup. I covered both items with Saran and left to pick up Len. When I came back, the margarine was soft and the Soymilk was room temperature. I even greased and floured the pan and covered it before I left. I just mixed it all when I got home and baked it.

Super easy!

Pour into prepared pan. Jiggle it around a bit to evenly distribute.  Bake for 25 minutes for cake and about 12-15 for cupcakes.

Cool in pan 5 minutes.  Loosen edges with a knife and jiggle it around again to loosen.  Turn out onto cooling rack and cool completely.

Frost as desired.  I used another one bowl, no mixer recipe to frost!

2 cups powdered sugar (Trader Joe's and Whole Foods have corn free)

2 tablespoons super soft Earth Balance Margarine

2 tablespoons vanilla Soymilk

Mix powdered sugar and margarine in bowl.  Add milk and whisk until smooth.

Bam!  Easy!

Bringing The South to Chitown

Boiled peanuts!  A little salty. A little sweet. A little smoky.  And a lot delicious!

Jennie found raw, in the shell peanuts at Treasure Island!  I've been on the hunt for several weeks with no luck.  Leave it to my girl to take such good care of me!  

I had no errands to run today but only household chores to do.  What a perfect day to boil peanuts.  You really need to be home 5-6 hours to make these.  I had to add water every hour or so.  Setting a timer is definitely necessary.  

I used Alton Brown's recipe as a guide to get started.  I had to tailor it since I didn't have a full two pounds of peanuts.  

For my 24 ounces of peanuts. I used 1/3 cup of salt and 26 cups of water to start.  I can't tell you how much water I added over the course of 6 hours of boiling but it was a lot.  I just made sure the peanuts were covered by 3" at all times.  I did not add any more salt and these were plenty salty.

Wash and rinse peanuts in cool water.  Soak and rinse until water runs clear.  

Put the peanuts, 26 cups water, and 1/3 cup salt in an 8-12 quart stock pot.  Bring to full boil and cook covered 4-6 hours until desired tenderness.  Check your water level every hour.  

 

Drain and store in air tight container for up to 10 days.  Freeze portions you want to keep for longer.  I packed individual baggies and put those in a big freezer bag for freezer storage.

They taste amazing warm!  If they last long enough to put into recipes, I'll post those too!

When Puree Met Roux

This is a creation of Jennie's and I'm finally posting it!

We love Soychamel and we love puréed edamame.  Jennie put the two together to make a smooth, creamy, speedy sauce/gravy/topper/dip.  It hits all the marks for me.  Easy to make.  Easy to eat.  Easy on my messed up digestive system while also packing in some nutrients.

The possibilities are endless if you can use a variety of spices!  You can give it an Asian flare with ginger and garlic or a Mexican twist with cumin and chili powder.

You can top a pizza crust.  Dip veggies in it.  Dip crackers or chips in it.  Spread it on a sandwich.  Fill crepes or tortillas. It is so much faster than making a béchamel type sauce and better for you with vegetables in it!

16 oz bag frozen, shelled edamame
1/4 cup Earth Balance margarine
1/4 GF baking mix
2 tablespoons Bragg Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce substitute)
1 cup plain soymilk
Black pepper to taste

Simmer the edamame until tender and drain.  Add the margarine, baking mix, and Bragg.  Return to low heat and stir quickly until margarine is melted and beans are coated with baking mix.  Turn off the heat.  Add the soymilk and black pepper and stir well to combine, scraping bottom of pan to get any caramelized Bragg off.

Puree with immersion blender or in a food processor until smooooooooooth.

So good!  And good for you too!  I topped biscuits with mine... I even had a biscuit that looked like a heart turn out.

Thanks Jen! ❤️