basil sopapilla bites with raspberry sauce

Sopapilla ... it's just fun to say. Sopapillas are a traditional dessert served in South America. They are a bit like beignets and doughnut holes. Don't be confused, they are not fancy - in fact it is often referred to as "quick bread." You will not find them at a New Orleans cafe or any fine dining establishment. They take different forms in each country they are served in: flat discs, golf ball shaped or palm sized rectangles. As a tribute to my Bolivian family members, I am making petit sopapilla bites.

This is a quick and easy recipe that will provide you with bite sized sweets on the quick. 

INGREDIENTS: 

• 1 envelope of active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup of warm milk
• 2 tablespoons of canola oil
• 2 2/3 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of basil finely chopped
• 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter 
• more canola oil for frying
• honey & sugar for dusting
• 1 pint of raspberries
• 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of cornstarch

DIRECTIONS

1. Pour the active yeast into the bowl of your standing mixer, add the warm water to the active yeast. Let this sit for 10-15 minutes until it looks frothy and bubbly. 
2. Add sugar, milk, and 2 tablespoons of canola oil. Mix with the paddle attachment. 
3. Sift in the flour, basil, and salt. Mix on low speed until dough forms approximately 1 - 2 minutes. Let this sit for 10 minute. 
4. In a large skillet or pan, bring 1 1/2 inches of canola oil to 340 degrees. Using a tablespoon, spoon out small pieces of dough and drop them gently into the oil. Fry each side for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. You can fry 4 pieces at a time. 
5. After frying remove from oil and baste in the melted butter. 
6. Dust the bites with honey and sugar in a separate bowl. 
7. To make the sauce, heat raspberries, 1/3 cup of sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan for 5 minutes. 
8. Once the raspberries start to breakdown and creates a juice, remove from heat and remove the seeds by straining through a fine mesh strainer. 
9. Heat sauce in saucepan and stir in cornstarch. Stir until combined then remove from heat and pour over sopapillas. 

paleo cinnamon swirl banana cake

This post is dedicated to new moms, since I recently became one again. Now that I have two kids, I feel like I'm always being pulled in different directions - constantly. Remember what a long relaxing shower felt like? Me neither! And a full night's sleep? That has been long forgotten. But never mind those little things. I am smitten with my kids, and am obsessed with my newborn's gorgeous smiles. My 2-1/2 year old daughter has become more precocious, but I couldn't be more proud of the responsibilities she's taking on as a big sis. She takes it very seriously, and never misses a beat when we need a fresh diaper, wipe or burp cloth for her baby brother.

My main goal with this post was to first find time to bake something and also have it be on the healthy side, since I was hoping to drop some baby weight. Because you burn more calories while nursing, it makes you want to eat everything in sight! I discovered this fantastic recipe on the Caveman Cooking site. No modifications were made to this recipe - I am simply sharing because everyone has been asking for the recipe after seeing it on my Instagram feed. I'm a pretty big fan of banana bread, so this was a no brainer. The cinnamon swirl makes me swoon. Unfortunately, going completely paleo did not work well with my milk supply (sorry if this is TMI). I needed to add carbs back into my diet, so we are back to less strict eating, but still keeping it healthy, and incorporating exercise (running, walking and tennis).

I may try these as mini muffins for a treat on-the-go. You should try it!

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INGREDIENTS

Cake

• 3 mashed bananas, spotted
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp cinnamon

Swirl

• 1 banana
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp cinnamon honey (If you don't have this, use organic raw honey and then have a total of 2 tbsp cinnamon in the swirl)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F
2. In a mixing bowl, combine cake ingredients and mix well
3. In a separate mixing bowl, combine all your swirl ingredients and mix well
4. Grease baking dish with oil of your choice (I used coconut oil)
5. Fold in cake batter and spread evenly
6. Drop spoonfuls of your swirl mixture all over your batter and then using a knife, cut in the swirl however your little heart desires
7. Place your cake in the oven for a total of about 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean
8. Let cool. Slice and enjoy!

cherry + thyme cobbler

Cobbler always makes its way into my family gatherings. It seems to be a Southern staple. Families pass down recipes, cobbler cook-offs are the highlight local festivals, mom & pop restaurants have a cobbler or two available year round on the menu. Sometimes cobblers are a bit to predictable for me. Far too sweet, no high notes, and few mellow tones - just a strong and steady dose of sugar. With this cobbler I aimed to add rustic flavors to give a much needed break from the sweet. Fluffy biscuits top the baked fruit and hints of thyme linger through out the dish. 

This recipe is great for sharing or keeping all to yourself to indulging your sorrows. You'll need a square 9 inch baking pan.

INGREDIENTS:

• 5 to 6 cups of fresh cherries halved and pitted  
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 1/3 cup of brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon of McCormick's thyme
• 2 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch
• 2 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup of all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cut into pea-sized portions
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/3 cup of milk

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. Halve the cherries and remove the pit. Combine the cornstarch, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/3 brown sugar, 1/2 tablespoon of thyme, and lemon juice. 
3. Toss halved cherries with sugar mixture. Add the cherries to the back pan.
4. Combine flour, 1 tablespoon of sugar, baking powder, salt, and cut butter. Once it reaches a crumbly texture stir in milk. Mix until it becomes a doughy. 
5. Drop spoonfuls of dough atop the cherries. 
6. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until the cobbler top is golden brown. 

gluten free peach almond skillet cobbler

Four weeks into being home with our new baby, and I'm getting cabin fever. Per my doctor's orders, I need to take it easy for about six weeks; but what does that really mean? I've already asked him what I can do now – walk, take my road bike out, jog – anything. I certainly love being home to nurture and hold my sweet son, but I also have a need to enjoy some of those moments outside of the house. I've been approved to bike recreationally and walk, so I have tried both, and used the jogger or sling to tote our little bub. Since we also have a toddler (which means sitting still doesn't really exist), I feel that it's important to acclimate our baby to a lot of activity. The weather has been so fantastic for August in Tennessee. The humidity hasn't been as sweltering as I have recalled in the past. However, I am much more of a heat seeking individual over a colder climate, hence the reason I moved here from Canada. So, while the little one is taking a nap, I am cleaning, emailing, blogging and baking. I could also use a nap, but I've never been very good at those.

The Georgia peaches are to die for this year. My 2-year old picked all of them out for me at the store, and each one was perfectly sweet and juicy (and they were huge!). I wanted to bake this classic dish, since I remember my mother's cobbler well from childhood. For my gluten-free friends, I did a 1:1 replacement of flour with gluten-free flour, and it was perfect. The almond flour adds a nice nutty flavor and also gives the crust a lovely texture. The simplicity of this recipe lends itself well to other fruits. I am already planning the next variation! To be continued...

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1 cup gluten free flour
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 1/2 pounds peaches, halved lengthwise, pitted, and cut into 3/4-inch-thick wedges
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine almond flour, gluten free flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and nutmeg; set aside.

2. Brush a 10-inch cast iron skillet with 2 tablespoons butter. Whisk together remaining 4 tablespoons butter, the milk, egg, and almond extract in a medium bowl. Stir butter mixture into flour mixture. Spread batter evenly into buttered skillet.

3. Stir together peaches, remaining 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, a pinch of salt, and the lemon juice in a medium bowl. Spread peach mixture evenly over batter. Bake until a cake tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool in skillet on a wire rack 1 hour before serving.

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earl grey + lemon zest ice cream

Ice Cream has been a staple in my diet this summer. After purchasing an ice cream maker, I am rather addicted to making sorbets and ice cream. It's far more fun than selecting the generic flavors at the grocery store. I am pretty transparent about my love for teas and my infatuation with Earl Grey. So I am creating a mellow but refreshing earl grey tea ice cream with lemon zest - perfect for lounging on the back porch listening to summer sounds and indulging in creamy delight. 

Recipe  was adapted from one found on Country Cleaver. This one is more mellow and creamier with a zing of lemon. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pint of whole milk
• 1 pint of heavy cream
• 7 earl grey tea bags
• 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1 cup of sugar
• 5 egg yokes

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a saucepan, combine the whole milk and heavy cream. Heat liquid until it is simmering on medium heat. Once simmering, remove the saucepan from the heat and add the earl grey tea bags.
2. Allow the tea bags to steep for 5-7 minutes. Stir gently. Remove the tea bags.
3. In a mixing bowl, whisk the 5 egg yolks. Add the sugar to the eggs and combine.
4. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze out 1 tablespoon of fresh juice and grate 1 teaspoon of lemon zest. Add both to the egg sugar mixture and combine along with the vanilla. 
5. Slowly pour the milk/cream to the egg/sugar mixture, continuously stir as combining the two. Once combined, pour the liquid back into the saucepan.
6. Cook the mixture on medium heat. Stir constantly until it begins to thicken to the consistences of custard. 
7. Pour through a fine mesh strainer into another mixing bowl. Cover the bowl in plastic wrap then refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.
8. Add the cooled mixture into your ice cream maker and follow the instructions given for the appliance. Then put ice cream in a container to freeze for another 2 hours.