Microwave Sweet Potato Cranberry Cookies (gluten free)

I wanted cookies to serve my gluten free guests during my parties without resorting to using expensive gluten free flour.  Since I would be busy preparing food for my other guests who do not have to adhere to that diet, I wanted something that can also be prepared in less than fifteen minutes.  I came up with this recipe for that purpose.  I use the microwave to bake it for further speed in preparation.  There are only three ingredients and they are plant based.  No oil or butter, eggs, dairy, added sugar and flour were used. Yet these cookies are delicious. See the three magic ingredients below.

Microwave Sweet Potato Cranberry Cookies

Yields 5 cookies

• 1 banana
• 1 cup cooked sweet potato 
• 2 tbsp dry cranberries
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon or nutmeg or cardamon or pumpkin spice (your choice), optional

Mix the banana and sweet potato in a small bowl with a fork. Add the cranberries.

Divide the mixture into 5 portions. Place in round shapes into a microwaveable plate with spaces between them and the middle of the plate empty.

Microwave for 5-6 minutes.  Flip after 4 minutes for even cooking.  Microwave till no longer mushy but not burnt either.  The cookies are pliable but they can be picked up.  I used a 1100 watt microwave oven.

Thai Tofu Rice Bowl

This dish definitely has the Thai flavors that one craves for once in a while and maybe all the time.  When you have to have that fix, here is a simple recipe.  I made this pretty close to being plant based except for the fish sauce which you can easily substitute tamari or soy sauce with.  The secret to attaining the Thai flavors is the trio of fish sauce (or soy sauce), lime and sugar.

This recipe was inspired by the one on the awesome Closet Cooking website which utilized ground beef instead of tofu.  I wanted a plant based recipe so I dared to substitute silken tofu for the beef.   You can also use firm tofu instead.

I love the overall result which is pretty close to the Thai flavors of the Pad Thai that I love to devour.  I could have eaten the whole recipe.  So good.  You can serve this over brown rice or with rice noodles and come up with Pad Thai easily.

Thai Tofu Rice Bowl

• 1 block (8 - 12 oz) silken tofu (or firm tofu)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 green or red pepper, diced
• 2 dry red chilies, crushed
• 2 tbsp fish sauce (or soy sauce or tamari to be plant based)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 lime, zest and juice
• 1/2 cup basil
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 carrot, peeled and julienned

Saute the onion and garlic. Add the tofu, green or red pepper, crushed red chilies, fish sauce, sugar. lime zest and juice and basil.  Mix till the mixture is heated through.  

Serve garnished with green onions and carrots. You can provide more fresh basil and whole dry red chilies for the strong hearted if desired.  You can also garnish with peanuts if you like.  

Microwave Korean Sweet Potato Pancakes (Gluten Free)

This was inspired by the recipe for Korean Savory Pancakes found in the wonderful food blog Spicy Perspective.  These savory pancakes are vegetable laden Korean delicacy. The list of ingredients in this particular online source called for flour and eggs.  I try to adhere to a plant based approach to eating in which eggs are not used.  I also wanted to lower my consumption of non complex carbohydrates so I wanted the flour out.  I also wanted a microwave version and adding flour sometimes make the cookie or any dish tough if over cooked.  I wanted a more forgiving low maintenance microwaveable recipe that is reliable.

I have been successful with using banana in microwaved cookies and I thought of using it as the binder to take the place of eggs and flour in this recipe. Combined with mashed sweet potatoes, I envisioned the resulting product to have body. The presence of the salt and pepper and other vegetables would help make the patties or pancake savory plus dipping them in them in the spicy soy dipping sauce would also make you forget it has banana in the ingredients.   With the banana in the recipe, I skipped adding sugar called for in the original recipe.

The Korean pancakes are usually shallow deep fried but I decided to stick to microwaving to lower the fat content and just pan fry the microwaved patties using cooking spray to give more color to the surface of the pancake.  They are still soft not crisp but you would not mind that when you dip them in the Spicy Soy Dipping Sauce.  They are close to the fried version and healthier.

Microwave Korean Sweet Potato Pancakes  (Gluten Free)

Makes 5 small patties

Pancakes 

• 1 banana
• 2 medium sweet potatoes cooked (about 2 cups)
• 2 tbsp zucchini, julienned
• 2 tbsp red pepper, julienned
• 2 tbsp green onions, chopped coarsely
• salt and pepper to taste

Sauce

• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• pinch of red pepper flakes

Pancakes

• Mix in a bowl the banana and sweet potatoes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Add the vegetables. 
• Microwave the mixture in the bowl for two minutes.  Shape into 5 large patties.  Arrange in a circle on a plate.  
• Microwave for 5 more minutes.  You can pan fry using cooking spray to crisp the cooked patties if you like.  Serve with the spicy soy dipping sauce.

Spicy Soy Dipping Sauce

• Mix all the ingredients in a small container.  

Easy Microwave Macaroons (gluten free)

I had macaroons in a recent meeting and my love for them was revived. I had been playing with a microwave cookie recipe using bananas and coconut and a light bulb lit to use the same approach to make the macaroons.  I actually found out I only needed three ingredients.  I just needed to determine how best to do it in the microwave.  I was lazy and I wanted my macaroons right then so microwaving suits my impatient personality,

You can add raisins, nuts or chocolate chips but I found the sweetness of the banana that was ripened by the microwaving mixed with the coconut together was enough to satisfy my sweet tooth. Warning this is addictive.

Easy Microwaved Macaroons (gluten free)

• 1 banana
• 1/2 cup coconut flakes (sweetened or unsweetened)
• 1 tsp baking powder

Mash the banana in a small bowl with a fork. Add the coconut and baking powder and mix with the banana with a fork. 

Microwave the mixture in a bowl for 2 minutes. Remove from the microwave and form the mushy mixture into small balls. About 8 small balls.

Place the balls in a dinner plate along the edge of the plate in a circle leaving space in between and in the middle of plate 

Microwave for 2 more minutes till the macaroons have body but still pillowy. Too long amd they get tough. I used a 1100 watt microwave.You might have to play around a few seconds at a time if still too soft.  

Chocolate Coffee Chia Pudding

This pudding can provide you with the necessary nutrients to start your day for breakfast.  It has minerals, vitamins and antioxidants derived from its various components including the power food chia seeds.  It also has coffee and cocoa which will definitely wake you up early in the morning with their caffeine content.  It can also be served as an elegant dessert for your next dinner topped with fruit or nuts.  If you use decaffeinated coffee, this is also wonderful and healthy after school snack for your kids.  It is simple to prepare and comes together quickly with ingredients right from your fridge or pantry.  No cooking is required.

Chocolate Coffee Chia Pudding

4 servings

• 1 cup non dairy milk (I used cashew milk)
• 1 tsp instant coffee granules
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 4 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 ripe bananas
• 4 dried apricots, sliced

Place all the ingredients except the apricots in a blender (I used a Vitamix) until they are thoroughly mixed. Transfer the pudding into four containers. Garnish with apricot slices.  Enjoy.

Wheat Free Lemon Sponge Cake

I wanted to bake a cake for my friend Rose that I could bring to our prayer meeting that is held at Dorothy's house. It is Rose's birthday in a few days.  I thought it would be appropriate to celebrate it after our prayer meeting with Sr. Paula.   After all prayer groups are top in the list of Rose's favorite things in life and they are in mine too.  I actually wrote an ode to groups, like my prayer groups, today that can be found in this blogpost.  

It has to be gluten free in deference to our host's food preference.  I googled for the best and easiest recipe I could find. I found the recipe for Wheat Free Sponge Cake in a delightful website Ancoo Journal.  I could not believe the list of ingredients.  Not only is it short with no use of butter or baking powder;  it does not use any of the usual gluten free flour that are so expensive to buy like almond or flax or soy flour. Instead it uses good old corn flour aka cornstarch!  

The delightful website, Ancoo Journal, gives helpful pictures that demonstrate the proper techniques.  If one follows the steps shown in this website it actually works and results in a sponge cake with a great texture that is delicious as well. I tweaked the recipe by adding lemon extract aside from the vanilla in the original recipe. Did I say it is pretty too with powdered sugar and fruit of your choice on top?  A fruit jam can be also used. Lemon curd if you happen to have it would be perfect.  

Here are pictures of Rose celebrating her birthday in advance with the prayer group facilitated by our dear Sr. Paula Drass. We are grateful to Dorothy for generously hosting this group in her beautiful house this year. By the way the group members gave this cake the two thumbs up. Advance Happy Birthday Rose!

Wheat Free Lemon Sponge Cake

(Adapted from the Ancoo Journal website)

• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup caster sugar (I prepared this by blending granulated sugar in the blender till powdery in texture but not as fine as confectioner's sugar)
• 3/4 cup corn flour or cornstarch (sifted twice)
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp lemon extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease an 8-inch round pan and line it with wax paper that fits the bottom of the pan.  Set aside.
2. Beat the eggs, the vanilla and lemon extracts at medium speed for 10 minutes till it turns pale yellow and creamy.  (I used my Kitchen Aid Mixer for this step).
3. Add the sugar gradually to the beaten eggs at medium speed till the sugar dissolves.
4. Add the sifted corn flour or cornstarch through a sifter and into the sugar egg mixture.  Gently fold the flour with a spatula till fully incorporated with the sugar egg mixture.
5. Transfer to the prepared round pan.
6. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Transfer the cake in a cooling rack.
8. Drizzle the cooled cake with powdered sugar and top with any fruit or jam of your choice.  I used blackberries I happened to have in the fridge.  Lemon curd will also be good to use.  Enjoy this pretty and delicious cake.