Flourless & Frozen

You know you’ve had a tough day when you’re forced to eat desserts all day.

 puddings- rice, tapioca, fruit, chocolate 

We had the “Flourless and Frozen” class today- never has a title been simultaneously nondescript yet appropriately named. We spent the entire day making flourless and frozen desserts. Yes, life has been harder.

 vegan sorbets & ice creams

 fruit compotes to top our “frozens”

We had an extremely busy month, which is why I’ve been quiet. School has been flying by and I can’t believe I’m already past the midpoint. Look out for more pictures and recipes!

Apple Cake

My sister left me with a big bag of organic almond flour, a popular replacement for gluten-free recipes, so I decided to make a cake. This was my first time using almond flour so I didn’t know what to expect. I rarely bake sweets and I’ve never made anything gluten-free, so I was excited!

I loosely followed this recipe from comfy belly and made it my own with several substitutions.

The cake turned out really well! I was surprised how moist it was and how easy it was to make. I would definitely make it again.

About the Cake

This recipe is extremely low in carbs, which is one of the benefits of using almond flour. However, the fat content is high because of the ground almonds as a base. Naturally, almonds are high in fat, but contain good fats which may help lower cholesterol.

As far as diets are concerned, I have never tried a gluten-free diet so I don’t know what the long-term effects are.

Recommended blogs below to learn more about gluten-free diets and what to cook.

• Elana’s Pantry
• Comfy Belly   

Let’s Bake!

Ingredients

• 4 Fiji Apples (use what you have)
• 1 tbsp of butter
• 1/4 tsp of cinnamon
• 1/4 cup of maple syrup
• 1/2 cup of pear sauce
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• tiny pinch of salt
• 2 cups of almond flour

To Make

Step 1: Peel, slice and remove core for all 4 apples

Step 2: slice apples evenly about the same width

Step 3: pre-heat oven to 300°F

Step 4: toss all slices, cinnamon and butter in a pan and allow it to soften on medium heat

Step 5: in a bowl, mix all wet ingredients together

eggs, maple syrup, vanilla & pear sauce

Step 6: in the same bowl, mix in all the dry ingredients

Step 7: in a 9″ cake pan layer the sliced apples to cover the bottom

Step 8: evenly spread the cake batter over the apples

Step 9: bake on the center rack for 40-50 mins till goldenbrown- insert toothpick in the center to check if it comes out clean (if clean, you’re done.)

Step 10: Let the cake cool completely, then flip over on a plate and serve

 

Enjoy!

TSUJIRI Matcha Tea Desserts

TSUJIRI float (NT $150)

About TSUJIRI

This company was established in Taiwan last year and currently has three locations listed below. It utilizes matcha (Japanese green tea) in several forms through desserts and drinks. This brand is significantly more expensive than the average price of tea (~NT 30-50), but it’s worth splurging.

Review

I was browsing a food court (located at the basement of every department store) and TSUJIRI immediately drew my attention. A lot of people were waiting in line at a place that seemed to only sell one item, matcha. I was curious. There were a couple of tea shops within a few feet; why were people waiting in this line?

I got the TSUJIRI float with blended macha on the bottom, macha froyo and a scoop of red bean. I know this may not be everyone’s ideal dessert, but it was just what I needed. I understood why people were waiting in line and willing to pay 4x the price of a regular tea. It was delicious, full of flavor without being overly sweet. I can’t wait to go back!

Interesting facts about matcha (taken from matcha’s wiki page)

• Pound-for-pound, matcha contains more antioxidants than blueberries, gojiberries, pomegranates, orange juice, and spinach.
• It can take up to one hour to grind 30 grams of matcha.
• The flavour of matcha is dominated by its amino acids. The highest grades of matcha have more intense sweetness and deeper flavour than the standard or coarser grades of tea harvested later in the year.
• The most famous matcha-producing regions are Uji in Kyoto, Nishio in Aichi, Shizuoka, and northern Kyūshū.

pure matcha from site

 

click to enlarge

 

 

 

 

 

 

Review: Tasty Harmony, Ft. Collins

I spent Memorial weekend in Fort Collins, Colorado. After my friend picked me up, we were both hungry. I only had an energy bar and some over priced rice crackers from the airport. I needed a good meal. As a lifelong vegetarian, I didn’t know what to expect from Fort Collins. I was excited to find out.

Tasty Harmony is not a pretentious organic vegetarian restaurant that it would be if it was in Los Angeles. It’s inviting and not over the top friendly, which I find creepy. They’re there to serve good food. The menu is diverse and provides a large drink menu, from teas, smoothies to local beers.

I ordered the Kentucky Fried Freedom, $13 “Battered and pan fried mock chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, black eye peas and garlicky greens.” It was delicious! The prices are higher than I expected, but their portions are big enough for two.

My friend ordered the Nachos de Ynez, $10.50 “Layers of our homemade cashew cheese, black beans, guacamole, vegan sour cream and salsa piled on top of corn chips.” They tasted just like nachos, not vegan nachos, which is great!

Then, we proceeded to dessert. My friend and the waiter boasted about their desserts so I was excited to try them.

I ordered the raw strawberry cheesecake, $7.50. It had a strange grainy texture that I expected from a vegan cheesecake. So, I was disappointed after having an amazing non-vegan tasting meal.

My friend ordered the Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie, $6.95. I still dream about this pie. It was smooth and creamy with the right amount of everything. I was so close to licking the plate. If you don’t come here for the food, you should come here for this!

Yelp Reviews of Tasty Harmony

Review: Carmela Ice Cream

screenshot links directly to website

Artisan Creamery
2495 E Washington Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91104
626.797.1405

Carmela Review Summary:

Taste: Delicious! The hand crafted ice cream is made in small batches with herbs, spices, fruits and flowers. It’s smooth, creamy and definitely worth my 20 mile drive.

Cost: Scoops $3.50 for 1/$4.50 for 2/$5.50 for 3 & various take out container sizes

Recommendation: Must try! This is the best ice cream I’ve had in Los Angeles. My favorites are Mint Cacao Nib and Salted Caramel.

I brought two flavors home-mint cacao nib & guinness.

Signature Flavors

Salted Caramel
Brown Sugar Vanilla Bean
Dark Chocolate Cacao Nib
Strawberry Buttermilk
Lavender Honey
Mint Cacao Nib
Lemon Basil Sorbet
Spiced Strawberry Sorbet
Cucumber Sorbet

5 minute semi-Sorbet

This semi-sorbet is a great way to celebrate the hot weather. It’s refreshing and easy to make. I don’t have a blender, but I do have the Ninja! It has such a hilarious name. I got it as a gift and use it for almost everything! I love it. I’m not sure how this recipe will work with an actual blender so you may not get a sorbet. Worst case you add some more juice and get a refreshing smoothie!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of frozen strawberries
• 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries
• 4-5 ice cubes
• 2-3 tablespoons of honey
• 1 cup of coconut water

Step 1: Put all the ingredients in your blending device

Step 2: Serve and Eat!

It was hard to resist digging into it. So I didn’t. This was taken half way through my second serving so it started to melt.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!