Dairy-Free Hot Cocoa

What's more comforting and yummy than a hot cup of rich, creamy cocoa on a cold winter's day?

Homemade cocoa is the perfect warm beverage for grandkids while the work away on paper craft projects.

Homemade cocoa using a high quality cocoa or cacao powder packed with nutrients makes this creamy cup especially comforting and satisfying. It should be so smooth and creamy it lines the sides of your cup as you sip away.

Grandson, who's been busy cutting out construction paper snowflakes (his favorite being his "Blackout" creation)
says he loved his cocoa so much it made him burp!

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup Cocoa or Cacao Powder

1/3 cup fine, granulated Sugar

1-1/2-2-1/2 cups Dairy Free Coconut Milk, unsweetened

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix together the dry ingredients until well-blended and any dry lumps are removed with a whisk or fork.
2. Slowly drizzle in the milk and stir with a flexible spatula until the desired consistency and taste, while simmering on a low-heat. Be sure to scrap the cocoa mixture away from the sides and from sticking to the bottom on the sauce pan. I enjoy my cocoa thick and silky, while the grandkids prefer a thinner consistency.
3. Optional: add whipped cream or marshmallows.
4. Serve warm. If too hot, you won't enjoy the rich chocolate flavor as much. 
5. Serves 3-4

Granddaughter made me a "Bird on a Shelf" of blue construction paper, crayon and tape that I get  play a game with moving it from shelf to shelf every day. Such a clever, creative girl!

Prickly Pear Aguas Frescas and Thanksgiving

This has been a year, not just a season, of great transition... an epic relocation back to Oregon from the far reaches of Washington. It took us months to accomplish our move with a husband who suffered an injury, required surgery and a long stretch of recovery time. Transitions into new jobs, new opportunities, putting down roots, networking for business, and yet another move, have kept my dance card pretty full.

I don't wonder where the time went, that's pretty clear, but as I reflect on how much has been packed in to this year, I'm going to take some time here to be thankful for all blessing packed in to this year too. Surviving and thriving, I'm amazed and thankful for all.... after all, everything leading up to right now has brought me here. "Here" is good, and it's right here that I attend to my languishing food blog, and that's another good thing!

Oh yes, my food blog has seriously languished... my last post was in April, like seven months ago! A quick post about the marvels of peeling an egg. Wow! During these past months, there were so many meals shared, and mostly prepared by family, who are far better cooks than me; quite a few meals on the go, and with so much on my plate, there has hardly been room for food.

I may not post as often as I have in the past, but I do want to play catch up during the winter and share some tasty recipes that are creations of my daughter and her husband (at one time a chef). Hopefully, we can get some good photos of our fare and feasts, and I'll try to get back in my kitchen as my own creative juices start flowing again...

And speaking of juice... Fantastic to serve at Thanksgiving, here's my daughter Effie's recipe for her non-alcoholic Prickly Pear Aguas Frescas:

Ingredients:

4 prickly pears (available fall/winter seasons), peeled with a knife and rubber gloves (a must)
1/4 cup white sugar
2 limes, juiced plus 1 lime for slices to garnish
1/4 teaspoon ground canela (Mexican cinnamon) or regular cinnamon
2 cups ice

Directions:

1. Puree the prickly pears in a blender.
2. Pass through a fine sieve or mesh strainer in to a bowl to strain out ever seed; use rubber spatula.
3. Puree the pear liquid again, adding in the sugar, lime juice and ice in a blender for 1 minute.
4. Pour into glasses and garnish with lime.

“I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Novembers.”  

Cheers!

Gift Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix

Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home. ~Edith Sitwell

Our family tradition, since I was a child, is to bring out our beautiful, antique chocolate set and sip hot chocolate and nibble on homemade Christmas cookies as we listen to holiday music and exchange gifts on Christmas Eve.

Invite loved ones to share a cup of hot cocoa with you around the fire on Christmas Eve or festively package your homemade, gluten-free, organic hot cocoa mix and gift a batch to your family, friends and co-workers during the holidays. Include packets of toppings like chocolate nibs and mini-marshmallows - the kids will love it!

Ingredients for Vanilla Sugar:

2 cups organic unbleached raw cane sugar
1 whole vanilla bean, cut up into small pieces

Ingredients for Organic Hot Cocoa Mix:

1 cup organic dry powdered milk
1/4 cup high quality organic cocoa powder
1/2 cup vanilla sugar
Pinch of sea salt

Directions for Vanilla Sugar:

1. Combine the sugar with the vanilla bean in a food processor or a blender.
   
2. Process until the vanilla bean is completely minced.
   
3. Strain sugar into a container with a tight fitting lid. Store in a cool dry place.

Directions for Organic Hot Cocoa Mix:

1. Mix all the ingredients together and store in an airtight container.
   
2. To make hot cocoa, stir one cup boiling water into 1/4 cup mix.

'Tis the Season for Prickly Pear Aguas Frescas

The night before Thanksgiving, our family enjoyed a festive, filling and flavorful meal of my homemade spoon bread topped with Cookwell & Company all natural, gluten-free Green Chili Stew made with Hatch chilies, a green salad, chips and salsa, seedless grapes and Effie's incredibly delicious Prickly Pear Aguas Frescas.

Here is Effie's recipe for non-alcoholic Prickly Pear Aguas Frescas:

Ingredients:

4 prickly pears (available fall/winter seasons), peeled with a knife and rubber gloves (a must)
1/4 cup white sugar
2 limes, juiced plus 1 lime for slices to garnish
1/4 teaspoon ground canela (Mexican cinnamon) or regular cinnamon
2 cups ice

Directions:

1. Puree the prickly pears in a blender.
2. Pass through a fine sieve or mesh strainer in to a bowl to strain out ever seed; use rubber spatula.
3. Puree the pear liquid again, adding in the sugar, lime juice and ice in a blender for 1 minute.
4. Pour into glasses and garnish with lime.

Serves 2-4

Mock Balsamic Vinegar and Jeera Lassi

The aromas coming from the kitchen were incredible. My pre-holiday test-run to try out these dishes was not without its challenges. While enjoying the warm notes of the smoky Provolone wafting from the kitchen as the strata baked, I took time out to defrag from a couple of glitches during preparation.

In the course of preparing dinner, I discovered (1) that my blender’s bearing was shot, leaking some of the swirling yogurt mixture all over the counter top as a metallic gray slurry, having run down through the motor first; (2) this is also the first time our fillet of sole came with its tough gray skin and spiny bones attached. My husband only noticed the topsides while making his selection at the fish market. Problems out of the way and resolved: blender in the recycle bin, fish recipe revised to accommodate two people who are not the least up to spending the next hour removing skin and bones, all ended well. The commingling of aromas kept us in a mood of great anticipation... and we weren't disappointed. Great meal!

Jeera Lassi is a traditional drink in India made by blending dry-roasted cumin seeds, yogurt, water and salt and pepper to taste. Especially with spicy foods, this beverage refreshes your palate between bites. Garnished with mint and roasted cumin.

Christmas Fish is a holiday entree meant to be presented as stuffed, rolled fillets sprinkled liberally with red paprika. Here you see that I spread the stuffing over the top of the sole fillets and baked according to the directions. This worked out quite well; much less work than rolling the fillets around loose stuffing.

Dinner this evening was an infusion of textures and flavors from four recipes taken from both of my Cooking Course Challenge books. The Christmas Fish is found on page136, Shilpa’s Roasted Beets on page 96 and Jeera Lassa on page 207 of the Recipes for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet; Asparagus and Provolone Cheese Strata is found on page 156 of The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen.

Asparagus and Provolone Cheese Strata can be prepared a day ahead. Chill 3 hours or overnight before baking.

Shilpa's Roasted Beets first marinate in Mock Balsamic Vinegar, combined with garlic, oregano, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. This is now my favorite way to prepare beets. No boiling or peeling necessary. Delicious served hot or cold.

How to make Mock Balsamic Vinegar:

Ingredients:

3/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 cup red wine

1 tablespoon honey

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together in a small saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil for 3-5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 20-25 minutes longer. Let the vinegar cool. Refrigerates well for up to 2 weeks. Yields 1/2 cup.

Because the beets cook for an hour at 400 degrees, the strata for 45 minutes at 325 degrees and the fish for 30 minutes at 375 degrees, I baked the strata first, then increased the temperature, roasting the beets for a half hour, placing the fish on the lower rack to bake for the last 30 minutes without adjusting the temperature. The fish was moist and tender; not overcooked. I kept the strata hot in my warming drawer until the other two dishes were ready to serve.

 

Here's how to make Jeera Lassi:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
• 1 cup yogurt
• 3/4 cup water
• Salt and pepper to taste ( I used cayenne)
• Ice, optional
• Mint sprigs and roasted cumin seeds for garnish

Directions:

1. Dry-roast the cumin seeds in a small pan, without oil, over medium heat.
2. Stir seeds until they brown; do not burn.
3. Set a few seeds aside for garnish.
4. In a blender, combine all the ingredients except the ice and mint.
5. Chill or pour into glasses and add ice. 
6. Garnish with mint and cumin seeds.

Serving size: one 10 ounce glass

Enjoy!

"A messy kitchen is a happy kitchen and this kitchen is delirious." Anon

Homemade Horchata de Arroz

Last year, our daughter and son-in-law introduced us to the Mexican beverage horchata (or-CHA-tah), a delicious, sweet creamy cinnamon rice (arroz) milk. For some reason, horchata popped into my mind as I was reading a Mexican rice recipe. When I discovered I had all the ingredients here at home, I opted to make homemade horchata to serve as a cold beverage when I serve the Mexican rice on Friday night.

 

It's a very simple 3-step process to make your own horchata from ingredients you probably already have on hand.

 
Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked rice, rinsed
2 quarts hot water (almost boiling)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Step1: In a blender, pulverize the rice grains to a smooth consistency. Pour the rice into a big bowl, stir together with the hot water, and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Stir in the vanilla and cinnamon. Step 2: Cover the bowl or pour into a container with a lid and let the rice mixture sit in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight. Step 3: Strain through a fine sieve or cheese cloth. Serve chilled or with ice cubes. You can store your homemade horchata in the refrigerator for up to  3 days.

I have a set of glass straws for such occasions.