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#Cultivate2012 Foodie Friday — Cultivate Style

Foodie Friday — Cultivate Style: Food nourishes us. Some foods give us more enjoyment than others. Some foods leave us feeling less than ourselves. What foods nourished your soul and body this year? What food choices can you make in 2013 to cultivate more self-care?

This year I learned how to make do with rice and potatoes. I gave up gluten for Lent in February as an experiment to see if my body had a reaction to gluten. On Easter, I discovered without any doubts that gluten negatively affects my digestive health. It was bittersweet because I’ve always loved bread and pasta — but they didn’t love me back. Along with this lifestyle change, I lost 20 pounds. It’s hard to believe I’ve been carrying around that much bloat! While it sounds difficult or like a fad, I’m actually comfortable without gluten. I treat it the way a diabetic treats sugar, a person with high cholesterol treats saturated fats and cholesterol, and a hypertension patient treats salt. I treat it how a person with food allergies would treat their allergens. It’s not a “diet.” It’s a not a “trend” to me. It’s a better quality of life.

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#TuesdayTreat Gluten Free Chocolate Gingerbread

Right, so I got lazy over the past few days, but I figured out a great save — the Tuesday Treat! I baked some very delicious mocha spice cupcakes a few weeks ago and came up with a great idea — gluten free chocolate gingerbread. While I’m not ready to share my mocha spice recipes with the world yet, I am ready to adapt a recipe I’ve been enjoying since March.

Chocolate Gingerbread (Adapted from Healthy Flourless Chocolate Cake)
1 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
5 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup oil (or 1 stick of butter)
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1.5 tsps ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a loaf pan. Put drained and rinsed beans, 3 eggs, vanilla, and salt into a food processor or blender. Crank it to high and run the machine into you’ve got a liquified concoction in the bowl of the processor (or blender). Add the other eggs, sugar, molasses, and oil. Turn on the processor/ blender again. Put your dry ingredients in, and blend it again. Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan. Bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes. Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool. Makes 12 slices.

GFchocogingerbread

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#FoodieFriday Gluten Free Pumpkin Cupcakes

Whoops! Never scheduled this in time, so let’s have Foodie Friday on Saturday! Today I’m moving to a different department at work, so I brought in some cupcakes to say goodbye to my co-workers. I decided to make gluten free pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting since it’s getting closer to autumn. Now, I’m going to admit to you right up front: gluten free baking can be very expensive in terms of buying flour substitutes. The boxed mixes are more expensive than regular boxed mixes, but they’re an easy alternative for me — especially since I live in a rural community. So, I decided to start with a simple gluten free yellow cake mix. Here’s what I did to turn a pre-made mix into a delectable delight:

1 box gluten free cake mix (15oz)
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 can pumpkin puree (15oz)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cardamom

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan (or 2, if you’re living the good life with a big kitchen) with liners. Beat the eggs and oil. Add the pumpkin, vanilla, and spices. Beat until combine. Pour in the box mix and whisk gently until combine. Carefully ladle the batter into the liners, using about half the mixture. Bake for 25 minutes. Set them to cool on a wire rack and re-line your cupcake pan (or be finished if you had 2 pans to start with). Bake the rest of the batter — you should have 24 cupcakes from this recipe.

Now, I may have used a boxed mix to make my cupcakes, but I didn’t get lazy when it came to the frosting. Here’s what I do to make my cream cheese frosting:

1 8oz bar of cream cheese, softened
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup, 4oz), softened
1/2-1 cup of powdered sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Using a hand- or stand-mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium-low until combine. Turn OFF the mixer. Add in your powdered sugar. Carefully turn the mixer on low until the sugar is mostly combined. Pour in the vanilla and beat on medium until smooth, creamy, and whipped in appearance.

Frost your cupcakes. Sprinkle the tops with cinnamon for a nice touch, if you wish.

pumpkincupcake

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