Fluffy Meringue Cookies

I recently re-introduced eggs to my diet.  Easy to digest protein and portable are all wins for me.  Since eliminating all grains for my diet, I have not baked or cooked many things worth posting.  The most action my Kitchenaid stand mixer and my Cuisinart food processor have been seeing is a good dusting off.  Eggs have breathed new life into my appliances and my psyche. 

I used Genius Kitchen's two ingredient recipe since I still wanted to avoid powdered sugar and cream of tartar.  For real...  don't need them and didn't miss them.

These cookies take forrrrrreverrrrr to bake and dry out.  While they are easy, plan on being home for a few hours.

Fluffy Meringue Cookies

Preheat oven to 225 degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment.

3 egg whites
3/4 cup sugar

Whip the egg whites until white and shiny and sort of thick (no more foamy look and will keep a soft peak).  Slowly add the sugar while still whipping and continue to whip until hard peaks form.

Drop by teaspoon full onto lined cookie sheets about 2" apart.

Here is where Genius Kitchen was wrongo I believe.  They instruct to bake for 30 minutes...  uuuhh, mine took 90 minutes.  I just recommend to start checking them after 30 minutes.  Your goal is to dry them out.  You can tell by touching the tops if they are sticky.  When they lift off the parchment, I called them done.  Good news is, with the lower temperature oven, they are easy to check on, repeatedly.

I seriously ate these ALL in a day.  Happiness is fluffy cloud Swablu cookies!  It was equally as tasty before baking tbh.

I am sorry that I didn't take more pics.  Next time!

How Sweet It Is

The grain free life ain't always easy and it sure isn't fun.  The trade off?  Feeling better!  So worth it.  I also feel like the calories I consume have more nutrients in them.

Another plus changing from gluten free to grain free is saving quite a bit of cash!

This was too easy and too damn delicious not to post.  Cooking for the week ahead leaves more time for, well, anything else!

These turn to sweet potato caramel.  So good!

You'll need sweet potatoes, melted margarine, and salt. That is it!

Preheat oven to 425.

Wash and dry your sweet potatoes.  I usually make 3 large ones and take half per day for work lunches. Slice them in half lengthwise.

Brush the cut sides with melted margarine and sprinkle with salt.

Arrange them cut side down on a baking sheet.  Bake for 35-40 minutes.

They will be tender and sweet and carmelized.

When they are cool, I peel off the skin and pack in Pyrex for work.

Sweet and Simple

Since going grain free, there are so many things I miss (muffins, cake, gravy, biscuits).  On a recent trip to Toronto, I was lucky enough to eat the best Belgian fries with maple syrup.  Since then, I was missing all the great vehicles to get maple syrup into my mouth.

I felt quite brilliant when I thought of simply using sweet potatoes and make them pancakes!

I've cooked them two ways, in a pan on the stove top and on a cookie sheet in the oven.  I'm happy to say they both worked beautifully and both taste heavenly.

Peel some sweet potatoes and slice into rounds.  You can either cook until brown on both sides in a skillet or frying pan with some Earth Balance margarine or lie them on a parchment lined baking sheet and brush with melted Earth Balance margarine and bake at 450 for about 15 minutes or until golden brown and delicious.

Serve with real Canadian maple syrup.  I also imagine nuts or nut butters would be a nice addition!

Coming Home Cardamom Cookies

My girl is coming home today for Christmas!  I haven't seen her since JULY.  Thank goodness for FaceTime and smart devices and Snapchat and her always willingness to communicate with her old lady.  I'm so proud of her and happy for her as well.

Vegan sour cream makes a gluten free chocolate cake spectacular.  I figured why not for cookies too! These remind me of toralli's without the lemon.   Cake-like and moist with a little crispy layer of glaze.  I added a sprinkle of Cardamom to the tops of some for a little kick of warm flavor.

Preheat oven to 325.

1/2 cup softened margarine, Earth Balance sticks

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup plus two tablespoons vegan sour cream, I used Tofutti Sour Supreme

The beans from half a vanilla pod

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Dash of salt

2 cups GF baking mix

Blend well the margarine, sugar, sour cream and vanilla.  Add the baking mix, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  The batter will be stiff.  It isn't quite like, say, chocolate chip cookie dough. It's more of a thick batter.  Waaaaay thicker than cake but not as stiff as cookie dough that is shaped with your hands.  These are def drop cookies.

Drop by teaspoon full onto cookie sheet about an inch apart.  These don't spread much but they do puff up nicely.  Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the bottom edge just starts to brown.  Don't wait for the tops to brown or you'll dry them out.  Just a little toasty around the edges is good.

Remove from pan and allow to cool before adding the glaze, if desired.

Glaze

3/4 cup powdered sugar, I used Whole Foods brand which does not contain corn

Approx 2 tablespoons soymilk

Add the milk slowly until the glaze is smooth and thin enough to spoon onto cooled cookies.  You may need more or less milk.  You can also add more vanilla bean here.

Spread a bit of glaze onto the cookies with the back of a spoon.  Carefully sprinkle a bit of ground Cardamom onto the tops of the glazed cookies.  

Thumbs up from my Bub and I'm sure a thumbs up from my Jen when she gets here!