Corn is Evil... And I Don't Care (Today)

I am well aware of the evils of Monsanto and their products and practices. I just need corn syrup sometimes.  I wish I had an alternate option. I also wish Monsanto was different.

We do not eat corn here.  My son and daughter are allergic and I am digestively intolerant.  I recognize the important role corn has in the diets of many wheat allergic or gluten intolerant people. Evil or not, sometimes we have to use it.

Cake

1/2 cup Very Vanilla Soymilk
1/4 light or dark corn syrup
1 egg replacer egg
1-1/2 cup GF baking mix
1 teaspoon baking powder
Dash of salt
1/2 sugar
1/2 cup sugar mixed with 2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 cup cold margarine cut into 8 pieces

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease and flour an 8" square cake pan.

In a small bowl, combine the milk, corn syrup and egg replacer.  In your mixer bowl combine the baking mix, baking powder and salt.  Add the sugars and mix on low to combine.  Add the margarine one square at a time while mixing on low.  After all the pieces are incorporated, the mixture will be clumpy (like when making biscuits).

Slowly add the soymilk, corn syrup, egg replacer mixture mixing well after each addition.  Scrape bottom and sides of bowl and mix once more time.  Pour into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes until golden brown and center is set.

While the cake is baking, prepare the topping.

1/3 cup sugar mixed with 2 teaspoons maple syrup
1/3 cup GF baking mix
3 tablespoons light or dark corn syrup
3 tablespoons Very Vanilla Soymilk
2 tablespoons melted margarine.
Optional - 1/3 cup chopped nuts or flaked coconut

Combine the above.

After removing cake from the oven, increase the oven temperature to 400.

Slowly pour the topping over the top of the hot cake adding a little bit at a time.  Return to oven and bake for 7-10 minutes or until the topping is all bubbling.

Cut in pan and serve warm.  I imagine this would taste excellent with vanilla ice cream.

Breakfast Carrot Cake

Yesterday, after successfully hunting down a 20's style dress for Len to wear to a murder mystery party tonight, crashing on the couch was necessary!

We were watching a classic Good Eats episodes and Alton Brown pointed out how a carrot cake is really a giant carrot muffin by the way it is assembled (add wet ingredients to dry) and, therefore, is a breakfast food.  While he was able to make the cream cheese frosting, I am not.  I think a classic cinnamon bun glaze would work too but I do not need all that extra sugar and carbs and calories!  Besides, this cake is so moist it doesn't need anything added to it!

Below is Alton's recipe, doctored for vegan and gluten free eaters.

Grease and flour a Bundt pan.

2-1/2 cups GF baking mix
1-1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1-1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
(I am not an adventurous eater and tend to stick with what I KNOW I can have.  You may add 1/4 teaspoon All Spice and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg here.)
1-1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon maple syrup
3/4 cup Very Vanilla Soymilk
Mix together 3 ounces melted margarine and 3 ounces vegetable oil
1 egg replacer egg

Put the shredded carrots in a large bowl.  Add the baking mix, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and other spices mentioned above if you are using them.  Toss until all the carrots are coated with dry ingredients.  Make a little well in the middle too.

In your food processor or blender or a medium bowl and immersion hand blender, combine the sugars, soymilk, and egg replacer egg.  While blending, slowly add the melted margarine and oil combo until completely incorporated.

Pour the wet ingredients into the well you made in the carrot mixture.  Stir only enough to make all the dry ingredients wet.

Pour into your prepared pan.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Reduce heat and bake at 325 for 15 more minutes or until knife in center comes out clean and cake is pulling away from sides of pan slightly.

Cool in pan 5 minutes.  Gently jostle the pan to make sure cake is not sticking to bottom.  I usually have to run a knife along the inside circle of the Bundt pan.  Turn out onto serving dish.

Tastes great warm...  even without any frosting!

Creamy Snowy Bean and Ham Soup

Staying in the kitchen today... my favorite place to be! Since there is a pretty dusting of snow on the ground today, I am going to make cannellini (aka white beans) soup for the boys with the Christmas ham leftovers and the hambone.

Did you know that spelling 'hambone', using all your letters on Words With Friends, as the first word played will get you A LOT of points? So many points that your opponent will quit the game?  Don't hate the player, hate the game!


Ham and/or hambone (1 cup diced ham)
6 cups water (you can do half chicken broth if desired)
1 cup plain Soymilk or cream
1 cup shredded carrots
1 diced onion or some leeks
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Dash of garlic
Dash of turmeric
You can add salt too but be careful since ham can be salty already.
2 cans of cannellini beans (reserve until end)

Put the above, EXCEPT the beans, in 5qt Dutch oven. Gently bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until veggies are tender.  You will want to cover and simmer for a couple hours if you are using a hambone to allow the natural fat and larger bits of ham to work their magic into the soup. Stir occassionally, flipping the bone over too.

After about 90 minutes, remove the bone and pick any meat off it and return those to the pot.

Add two 15 ounce cans of cannellini beans and stir until heated through.   Combine 1/4 cup GF baking mix with 3 tablespoons melted margarine, stir into soup and continue to stir until the soup thickens (5-8 minutes).

My cats are hovering around the stove hoping for a tasty nugget! It does smell great in here. Between the smoky ham and the carrot cake I made today, it smells like a holiday!

Don't Judge a Cake By Its Looks

A golden little banana cake with a tasty, sweet ribbon of chocolate in the middle.  It may look ordinary but there is a surprise inside!

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a Bundt pan.

2 cups GF baking mix
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 medium ripe banana
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup Very Vanilla Soymilk
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 chocolate chips

Combine the baking mix, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a mixer bowl.  In a separate bowl, mash the banana and mix in the sugar, soymilk and oil.

Add the banana mixture to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.  Ladle in half the cake batter.  Place the chocolate chips in a row along the middle of the cake batter.  Spoon the remain batter over the chocolate chips and smooth the top.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden.