Raspberry Walnut Kefir Muffins (Gluten Free)

Happy Monday!

I had a fun and delicious weekend that included dinner at Pace Restaurant (yum) and a trip to the Studio City Farmers Market yesterday. I snapped up a lot of great items, from local fresh fish and shrimp, to sugar snap peas and spiky artichokes, to gluten-free buckwheat bread. 

But onto this week's recipe...

My new favorite ingredient is... kefir!

It's fermented milk made with a yeast and bacteria starter, kind of like yogurt. It contains healthy probiotics, yeasts, enzymes... all that good stuff. Sometimes I make smoothies or drink it with a little raw honey. It's also a great substitute for buttermilk in any recipe and has a nice tangy flavor.

I've been baking it into cornbread, and just this weekend I made Raspberry Walnut muffins with it. Boy, were they tasty! Moist and tangy and delicious! The flour mix for my gluten free muffins is the same as my gluten free cornbread (1 cup cornmeal and 1 cup gluten free all purpose flour). 

I made these muffins with raspberries and walnuts, but you can let your imagination run wild and create all kinds of flavor combinations of fruit and nuts (or even dark chocolate chips if you're feeling feisty).

Raspberry Walnut Kefir Muffins (Gluten Free)

Makes about 7 muffins

Baking time 20-25 minutes

Vegetarian; gluten free

Ingredients

1 cup gluten free cornmeal
1 cup gluten free all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 egg
1 cup unsweetened kefir
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk or regular milk
1/4 cup olive oil or coconut oil (melted)
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl (cornmeal, flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder). In a separate bowl, beat the egg. Then mix in the maple syrup, kefir, milk, and oil with the egg. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir until combined, but be careful not to over beat the mix. Fold in the raspberries and walnuts.

3. Grease a muffin tin. Pour the mix into the muffin slots and bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Serve with butter. Enjoy!

Simple Soaked Brown Rice

Happy New Year!

I'm sure everybody is making their resolutions. Isn't eating healthier always high on the list?

This year I'm exploring a few new techniques to improve my cooking and my health. First up is soaking grains. Many old cooking techniques have largely been forgotten in our modern age. Sure, we've been drilled with the idea that brown rice is healthier than white rice. But did you know that the phytic acid in brown rice can actually impair the absorption of minerals and nutrients?

But don't fear, my dear foodies...

By soaking brown rice with a little raw apple cider vinegar overnight, you can reduce the phytic acid and render the rice more digestible. It also makes the rice super fluffy and tasty (in my humble opinion). Instead of vinegar, some people use whey to soak grains, but I prefer to keep dairy products out of my diet most of the time.

Raw apple cider vinegar is one of my best friends in the kitchen. I love that it's fermented and contains probiotics and good enzymes. I use it to make bone broth (more on that later) and in salad dressings. Basically anything I can.

The only trick to soaking rice is a little extra preparation. Just throw it in before you go to dinner the night before. I love cooking up brown rice for dinner and then keeping the leftovers in my fridge to make dishes like this Raisin-Walnut Spiced Rice the next day (this recipe was featured by Meatless Monday on their website). I love it for breakfast or any meal of the day.

Simple Soaked Brown Rice
Serves 4-6 people
Vegan; gluten-free

Ingredients
1 cup brown rice
1 teaspoon raw, unpastuerized apple cider vinegar
2 cups water for soaking (ideally filtered)

for cooking:
pinch of salt (optional)
1 3/4 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions
1. Put the ingredients in a ceramic bowl and mix together well.

2. Place in a warm area of the kitchen and let soak overnight (about 8 to 10 hours).

3. Once the soaking is finished, drain the rice in a fine mesh sieve and rinse with water. Place in a saucepan with the 1 3/4 cups water, olive oil, and a pinch of salt (if desired).

4. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat to low and let simmer for about 30 to 45 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed the liquid and reached the desired consistency. Let it rest for five minutes and then fluff with a fork. Enjoy!

Happy New Year from Domestic Divas Blog!

Say goodbye to 2013!

This has been a great year filled with food and wine and friends. I just want to take a moment to raise a glass and thank you for supporting my blog and cooking and sharing my recipes. 

Plenty more goodness to come in 2014...

Stay tuned!

Potato & Bell Pepper Soup (Vegan Puree)

Only a week until we leave for Xmas...

Can't believe how fast the holidays have snuck up?

Well, you're not alone. It's going to be 80 degrees in LA today (don't hate us!). But we did have a record cold snap last week. And when the weather turns colder, I turn to making soups. They're the ultimate comfort food.

This soup is a modified potato soup. It's a vegan puree, yet still wonderfully creamy thanks to the potatoes and olive oil. The twist is that I add bell peppers to the mix. They bring great flavor and lots of health benefits, too.

Enjoy... and when next I write I'll be in Floyd, Virginia cooking away...

Potato & Bell Pepper Soup (Vegan Puree)
Serves 4-6 people
Vegan; gluten-free

Ingredients
6 medium russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
3 yellow, orange, or red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
bundle of two or three fresh rosemary sprigs tied with string
4 cups low sodium vegetable (to make it vegan) or chicken stock
salt and freshly ground pepper
more rosemary sprigs for garnishing (optional)

Directions
1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent and beginning to soften (about 5 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for one more minute. Then add the potatoes, bell peppers, chicken stock, and rosemary bundle. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer the soup for about 25 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

2. Remove the soup from the heat and pull out the rosemary sprigs. Puree the soup in batches until smooth, or use an immersion blender to puree it in the pot. Note: more stock may be added to achieve desired consistency. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

3. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish the soup with fresh rosemary sprigs, drizzle with good olive oil, and finish with freshly ground pepper. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Berry Cobbler (Happy Thanksgiving)!

Happy Thanksgiving from Des Moines!

I'm here for the week, enjoying the cold weather and getting ready to cook later this week. What is everyone planning to make this year?

On my dessert menu is this Gluten Free Berry Cobbler. I made it the other week with fresh blackberries and raspberries, and it turned out super yummy. It's also a great way to use your frozen summer berries (just defrost and drain them). Serve it with vanilla ice cream for the perfect dessert.

I did use butter in my recipe, but no dairy. If you'd like to make this dessert vegan, simply use shortening or Earth Balance baking sticks instead of butter.

And don't forget to check out my Recipe Archive for Thanksgiving recipe ideas.

Gluten Free Berry Cobbler
Makes 9 servings
Gluten-free; easy to make vegan

Ingredients
Berry filling:
4 cups berries (I used a mixture of blackberries and raspberries; if using frozen berries, defrost and drain first)
1/2 cup sugar (use more or less depending on how sweet your berries are and how sweet you like your cobbler)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch or gluten free all purpose flour for thickening

Cobbler topping:
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup gluten free all purpose flour (I like the King Arthur brand)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter or shortening
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (you can use regular milk too)
1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions
1. To make the filling, place the berries, sugar, lemon zest and juice, cinnamon, and cornstarch or flour in a bowl and mix together until berries are coated evenly with sugar. Remember, you can use more or less sugar depending on how tart the berries are (do a taste test) and how sweet you like your cobblers. Let sit for about 30 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. To make the cobbler topping, in a medium sized bowl whisk together 3 tablespoons of sugar, the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter or shortening with a fork or your fingers, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbles. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the egg and milk until the batter is just moistened.

3. Butter a pyrex dish and transfer the berry mixture to it. Drop large spoonfuls of the batter over the top of the berries. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the berries are bubbly and the top is browned. Enjoy!