b a k e a h o l i c

TGIF: Thank god it’s – flourless?

March 14, 2014

Happy Friday everyone!

As a teacher, this marks the first day of Spring Break.

School today was a little hectic – especially when one parent brought in a 10-pack timbits for every kid in class. All 23 of them.

Sugar high + last of school before a two-week break? Crazy.

Luckily it’s sunny out, I’ve already gone to the gym and can begin my two weeks off.

I wanted to share this Flourless Brownie Recipe I created for Vancity Buzz this week. It’s the perfect brownie made with no flour, or flour substitutes. Just almond meal. It’s dense and fudgey with the must-have top crust.

Be sure to check them out – and make them for a sweet (wheat-free) weekend.

Birthdays, Cakes, Dairy-Free, Wheat Free

Quinoa Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Coconut Frosting

March 12, 2014

Yesterday I shared a meatless ‘tuesday’ meal I made from GoGo Quinoa products that I received from the company. I was so excited to discover them in the store, and then to have them send me some more items to try out.

One of the items I received was their Dark Chocolate Cake Mix. I was excited to try it, because I had seen lots of quinoa cake recipes online, and now I had an all-in-one mix to give it a try. I used it to make mini cakes and cupcakes for Adam’s birthday last weekend.

The cake was light and fluffy without being overly sweet. The cake actually has chocolate chips in the mix as well. It is definitely a much lighter cake than others I’ve made, not as dense which makes it easy to eat 😉 I would definitely use it again, it’s perfect for wheat-free and gluten-free celebrations.

I wanted to keep it dairy-free, so I used coconut cream to make a chocolate coconut cream frosting. I used it on the cake as well as on some cupcakes that I made with the leftover batter. The mix makes enough for a large cake, or cupcakes or even a mini cake like I made.

To make the Chocolate Coconut Cream Frosting:

1 can of coconut cream, refrigerated overnight
2-3 Tbs. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

Directions:

1. Remove coconut cream from the fridge and scoop out the thick cream – if there is any water at the bottom (although mine had none) leave it out.
2. Using an electric mixer, whip the coconut cream until smooth and creamy. Add in the cocoa powder and mix again.
3. Frost cake or cupcakes. Refrigerate any unused portion.

Meatless Monday

Meatless Tuesday: Quinoa Burgers

March 11, 2014

My little site was hacked Sunday night, meaning I wasn’t able to get up my Meatless Monday post – but, luckily we have meatless Tuesday. I’m not sure why they attack my site, but they have often. It’s a bit of an annoyance, especially when you’re planning posts.

A while ago I discovered GoGo Quinoa at my local drugstore and fell in love with it. They had so many quinoa products to choose from that are wheat free, gluten free, dairy free and vegan. Even better – they’re Canadian =)

GoGo Quinoa offers lots of different produce under the headings: Grains, Cookies, Pastas, Breakfasts, Quick to Prepare Meals and Soups. Each category has a large variety of products and ingredients to suit your needs.

I have since spotted GoGo Quinoa products at the Canadian Superstore, HomeSense as well as London Drugs.

I picked up their Cocoa Quinoa Puffed Cereal and made some Quinoa Rice Crispy Squares. They were so delicious, I tweeted to the company and then made another recipe from their website for Quinoa Coconut Bars – which were equally delicious. I then e-mailed them asking if I could have some of their products to review and make recipes with. To my delight they happily sent me lots of goodies to try!

I was intrigued when I saw there were Quinoa Burgers in the package that arrived. They looked good – and I couldn’t wait to try them.

source
One day when I was home in the snow a couple weeks ago I decided I needed a quick lunch. I remembered I had these burgers in the cupboard and got to work. The mix makes enough for 6 burgers, however it was just me so I took about 2/3 cup of the mix and added just enough water until the mix came together. I let it sit for a few minutes then shaped them into small patties. However, they are very filling and one little patty would have been good for me.

To keep it wheat/gluten free I used lettuce wraps instead of a bun as I do for regular burgers. You can top it with any additions you like such as tomatoes, avocado, onion, pickles, mushrooms etc. And of course, ketchup and mustard.

The instructions say to sauté them in oil in a pan, however I used my George Foreman grill – which worked like a charm. Crunchy exterior and warm, soft exterior. Almost like a falafel. The seasonings are delicious too.

I was also super impressed at how well the burgers stuck together – not crumbly at all!