Bumper Crop Cooking

Bumper-crop recipes are those that focus on a large amount of one or more particular ingredients. As an avid gardener, I sometimes find myself in this situation: "Dang, I have twenty pounds of tomatoes that are going bad!"

Of course you could employ numerous techniques to preserve such bumper crops, like canning, freezing, drying, or giving it away. But my favorite remedy is just to cook some dish that features that ingredient.

There are plenty of dishes you might like to make but won't because it might be cost prohibitive to buy such a large amount at the store. A perfect example is pesto. It uses a lot of fresh basil, and this herb tends to have a premium price at the store. But if you have a basil plant or two that starting to suffer from the cold weather, why not whip up a batch of pesto?

For the recipe below, it's not that my apple trees suddenly matured in the middle of winter and dropped a load of apples. Rather, we bought a big bag of apples cheap, but they were getting a  little old.

So I found a recipe that called for 10 cups of chopped apples. In typical SAD fashion, this recipe had way too much sugar in it. It read like a candy recipe. So I toned down the sweetness by more than half, added some additional spices, and made gluten-free. This dish can be served hot or cold, and for any meal. It could be a dessert, but I actually eat it for breakfast.

Apple Crisp

Ingredients

10 c all-purpose apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/4 c white sugar
1 T all-purpose flour, or gluten free flour blend
2 t ground cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
juice from 1 lemon

1 c quick-cooking oats
1 c all-purpose flour or gluten free blend
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/4 t baking powder

1/2 c butter, melted

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degree C).

2. Place the sliced apples in a 9x13 inch pan. Mix the white sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg together, and sprinkle over apples. Pour lemon juice evenly over all.

3. Combine the oats, 1 cup flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and melted butter together. Crumble evenly over the apple mixture.

4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 30 minutes.

100th Post!

This recipe represents the one-hundreth post to the Evolving Palate. Since it's beginning in February of 2009, we have been bringing to you (hopefully) tasty, healthy dishes that eschew all the bad things in the SAD and instead using wholesome and natural ingredients. We cater to those with dairy and wheat allergies, and lean towards vegetarianism. We like to explore exotic foods across the globe, but also like to reinvent American classics.

Postings have been light these past few months due to other commitments, but rest assured that we're still cooking. The challenge is to find time to type up what we're eating. 

What better way to celebrate 100 posts than with a cookie recipe! The following recipe combines my two favorite dessert ingredients: chocolate and coffee. I found this recipe in a King Arthur Flour catalog and modified it. Gone is the gluten flour, I reduced the amount of sugar and increased the amount of coffee. For the gluten free flour, if you don't have a favorite blend, you can use the one mentioned in this recipe. I find a rice flour-based blend to work best.

Mocha Cookies

Ingredients

½ c unsalted butter (1 stick)

¾ c brown sugar

¾ t baking powder

2 t dark coffee, finely ground

½ t salt

2 eggs, or flaxseed "eggs"

2 t vanilla extract

⅔ c unsweetened powdered cocoa

1¾ c gluten free flour blend

1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray oil on two cookie sheets.

2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, baking powder, coffee, and salt with a blender. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.

3. Stir in the cocoa powder, then the flour. The dough will be slightly stiff. Mix in the chocolate chips.

4. Scoop out a tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball. Place on the cookie sheet and press down slightly.

5. Bake for 13 minutes. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool on the pan. 

Chewy Chocolate-Cherry Cookies

These cookies are fairly decadent and rich with chocolate, cherries, and sugar. This recipe has been adapted from a Cooking Light recipe from years ago. I have made in gluten-free, removed the egg, and cut back on the butter.

One thing I have noticed a lot of recently is the addition of baking soda in recipes that have no acid in them, like these cookies. To my knowledge, baking soda needs an acid to react. Since my wife's taste buds are sensitive to baking soda, I try to leave it out, especially when there's no acid to make it worthwhile.

Chewy Chocolate-Cherry Cookies

Ingredients

1 c gluten-free flour blend (rice based blend is best)

⅓ c unsweetened cocoa

¾ t baking powder

¼ t salt

1 c sugar

¼ c butter, softened

1 t vanilla extract

1 flax seed "egg"

⅔ c dried cherries

3 T semisweet chocolate chips

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt, stirring with a whisk. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer on high speed until well blended. Add vanilla and "egg"; beat well. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture. Beat until just combined. Fold in the cherries and chocolate chips.

3. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake for 12 minutes or until set. Remove from oven; cool on pan 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

America's Sugar Addiction

Jonny Bowden has an interesting article on Forbes.com, The Healthiest Foods On Earth, which has this great quote:

All these healthy diets have in common the fact that they are absent foods with bar codes. They are also extremely low in sugar. In fact, the number of modern or ancient societies known for health and longevity that have consumed a diet high in sugar would be ... let's see ... zero.

Just recently the American Heart Association is now advising that Americans eat way too much sugar and we need to cut back. We eat 22 teaspoons a day. Fructose is unhealthy in many ways; it damages your liver and kidneys, puts on lots of unwanted weight, causes acne and tooth decay, etc.

From an evolutionary point of view, Dr. Miller in the Jungle Effect says that humans have a natural affinity towards sweet things as a way to encourage us to eat more fruits. Back before the wide availability of sugar, fruit and honey was our only source of sweetness. And fruit and honey can offer so much more to our bodies, whereas pure sugar offers nothing nutritionally.

One thing I have noticed in my label reading of various packaged foods is that sugar is in most everything, even things that you wouldn't expect: items like soy sauce and salad dressings. The fact of the matter is that America is addicted to sugar. Food manufacturers have to put it in the food they create, otherwise people won't eat it. It is just like the tobacco companies lacing their cigarettes with nicotine to get smokers hooked on their brand.

Ever since I cut back on sugar and eliminated High Fructose Corn Syrup completely, my taste buds have reawakened. I notice more subtle flavors in my food that before were hidden from my deadened taste buds. And now when I happen to taste some super-sweet food, I find it disgusting.

When I follow recipes, I am as much aware of the sugar content as I am when reading food labels. I present a recipe below from Living Without, a magazine that caters to those with various food allergies such as gluten. While this is a great service to people who cannot eat "normal" food, I notice that this magazine also caves in to the American addiction to sugar. Its recipes are heavily laden with sugar, especially its desserts. 

The modified recipe below originally called for 1 2/3 cups of brown sugar. One and two-thirds cups!! And, there was 4 tablespoons of maple syrup, a sneaky way to disguise an additional ¼ cup of sugar. And there were raisins in it, one of the most sweet fruits you can get naturally.

This is simply way too much sweetness. Nobody should eat food this sweet. We are not hummingbirds! So I cut the sugar nearly in half. The amount of oil was also a bit high: 2/3 cup, so I cut this in half as well. The result? I still find it a bit too sweet, but it has promise. This snack bar also suffers from what most gluten-free items suffer: it is crumbly. Using real eggs might help this, but I tend to use flax seed "eggs". I welcome any suggestions on how to make gluten-free breads more cohesive.

In future versions, I will try cutting back the sugar even more, adding nuts and/or seeds, and try to make less crumbly.

Gluten-Free Snack Bars

Ingredients

1⅓ c rolled oats
1 c sorghum flour
¾ c rice flour
½ c tapioca flour
1½ t xanthan gum
½ t salt
1½ t baking powder
1½ t cinnamon
1 c brown sugar, not packed

⅓ c canola oil or other vegetable oil
2 eggs, or flax seed "eggs"
2 T maple syrup
2 t vanilla extract

⅔ c dried cranberries, soaked in warm water
dried coconut flakes

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.

2. In large bowl, combine dry ingredients.

3. In medium bowl, combine vegetable oil, eggs, maple syrup and vanilla.

4. Add wet ingredients to dry mixture and mix with a fork or wooden spoon until blended.

5. Drain cranberries, reserving ¼ cup liquid. Fold cranberries into batter. Add reserved liquid, a little at a time until batter is smooth. Batter will be thick.

6. Spread batter into prepared baking pan. Sprinkle coconut flakes on top. Bake in preheated oven 20 to 25 minutes until golden.

7. Cool on wire rack. Cut into bars or squares. Store in the refrigerator.

Pine Nut Rosemary Cookies

You may never think pine nuts and rosemary ever belong in a cookie, nor olive oil. But this recipe has all three and the cookies are delicious. Unlike the typical "sugar-flavored" cookie, these are savory and go well with a hot cup of tea. I have adapted it to be egg-free and gluten-free. You can use your favorite gluten free flour blend, but I find the rice flour-based blends do better for this recipe. If you don't have your own blend on hand, you can use the mix described below.

Pine Nut Rosemary Cookies

Ingredients

3 t dried rosemary
¼ c pine nuts, toasted
2¼ c gluten-free flour (see below)
1 t baking powder
½ t ground ginger
¼ t salt
8 T unsalted butter (one stick), softened
1 c sugar
2 T olive oil
2 T heavy cream (or coconut milk)
1 egg, or flax seed "egg"

Gluten-free flour blend:

1¼ c brown rice flour
1 c tapioca flour
2 t sugar
2 t xanthan gum

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 325º. Spray two cookie sheets with oil.

2. Grind the pine nuts in a small food processor or coffee grinder. Add the rosemary and finely chop. Transfer to a large bowl.

3. Stir in the flour, baking powder, ginger, and salt. Set aside.

4. Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on high speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in oil. Reduce speed to low and mix in flour mixture. Add cream (or coconut milk) and mix until well combined. Add "egg".

5. Shape dough into ¾-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Flatten each cookie slightly with your fingers.

6. Bake for about 13-15 minutes, until cookies are lightly golden. They will not get very dark. Turn the sheets halfway to ensure even cooking. Let cool 10 minutes on the cookie sheets before removing to cooling racks.

Carob, the Other Chocolate

Awhile ago we bought some carob flour. We didn't have any use in mind, but I like the taste and decided to get some. The recipes could follow.

The carob bean comes in large pods of the carob tree. Traditionally, carob was used as a sweetener throughout the Middle East, and the pods are often used as animal feed. From the 1920's through the 40's, several attempts were made to grow these trees on a large scale in California and Arizona, but the craze never really caught on. Europeans and Americans mostly grind carob into a flour and roast it, using it in drinks and desserts. Carob is mostly known here in the states as a chocolate substitute. I like to sprinkle some carob flour in my coffee just before brewing; it mellows out bitter coffee quite well without sugar.

The following recipe can be made gluten-free by substituting the flour with your favorite gluten-free flour. I believe a rice-based blend works best for cookies.

Carob Cashew Cookies

Ingredients

1 c all-purpose flour, or a comparable gluten-free blend
¼ c carob flour
1 t baking powder
¼ t baking soda
½ t cinnamon
¼ c sugar
¼ t salt
4 T maple syrup
2 T cashew butter, or almond butter
1 t vanilla extract
4 T canola oil
¼ c cashew pieces

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray a cookie sheet with oil.

2. In a bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients (down to salt).

3. In another bowl, mix together the wet ingredients (down to canola oil).

4. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until well combined, but don't overmix.

5. Roll the dough into 1-inch diameter balls and place on the cookie sheet. Place a cashew piece on top of each and press down slightly.

6. Bake for 11 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheet for 1 minute, then remove to a wire rack.

Date Nut Bars

We cook and bake a lot with dates because they are incredibly sweet. Unlike sugar, which is just sweet, dates are sweet and have a wonderful flavor. This dish makes a tasty and satisfying bar that can be eaten any time of the day.

Even with just a few ingredients, these bars can easily stand on their own. However, I can't help but think about adding some dark chocolate or cranberries...

Date Nut Bars

Ingredients

1 c dates, cut in half and pitted

1 c pecan halves

1 c rolled oats (not instant)

pinch of salt

1 t vanilla extract

1 T honey or brown rice syrup

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a glass 8x8 baking dish lightly with oil.

2. Place all ingredients in a food processor. Process until the pieces are all finely chopped and well mixed together. Add a little water if the dough is dry and doesn't hold together.

3. Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.

Cardamon-Walnut Cookies

Based on our previous articles, one might think that the Evolution Kitchen is anti-dessert. Fact is, we love dessert, but not the ultra-sweet, glazed, creamy, heavy kind of glop that most people associate with dessert. If you're still hungry enough to eat a 500 calorie brownie after dinner, then you obviously didn't eat enough food prior to dessert.

Dessert should be the period at the end of the sentence, not an entire phrase. We're more into delicate sweets, those that are spicy or tart, not simply sugary. We prefer sugar to enhance the background flavors, just as salt is supposed to bring out the flavors underneath it. Sugar should never be the flavor.

This recipe is lightly sweetened to enhance the cardamom and walnut. Cardamom is a unique spice that is completely foreign to the SAD. Its taste works well in desserts and beverages, as well as in curries. This recipe has been converted to be gluten free, and the sugar has been cut back somewhat. Warning: this still has a lot of butter in it!

Cardamom-Walnut Cookies

Ingredients

Dusting:

½ c powdered sugar
½ t cardamom

Cookie:

½ c sugar
1½ t cardamom
1 c (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
2 t vanilla extract
1 t grated lemon peel
¼ t salt
2 c gluten-free flour (Or the blend below)
1½ c walnuts, toasted and finely chopped

Gluten-Free flour blend:

1 1/8 c brown rice flour
¾ c tapioca flour
4 t sugar
2 t xanthan gum
pinch of gelatin or agar agar

Steps

1. Mix the dusting in a bowl and set aside.

2. Combine sugar, butter, vanilla, cardamom, lemon peel, and salt in a large bowl. Using a hand mixer or spoon, mix until well blended. Add flour and chopped nuts. Beat some more until smooth.

3. Gather dough in ball and wrap in wax paper. Chill for at least one hour.

4. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray two cookie sheets lightly with oil. Using your hands, roll dough into ¾-inch balls and place on cookie sheets.

5. Bake cookies until golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on sheets.

6. Roll the warm cookies in the dusting mixture. Cool completely before storing.

Gluten-Free Cranberry Crisp

Cranberries are one of those foods that seem to be limited to Thanksgiving (see also sweet potatoes). But cranberries are really good for you, and can be quite tasty if the sourness is properly offset. There is no reason why they shouldn't be a part of your regular diet.

Although this recipe uses cranberries, you could also use sour cherries, or any kind of fruit really. Realize that the amount of sugar present in the filling and the topping is to offset the bitterness, so if you use a sweet fruit, you might want to cut back on the sugar.

Gluten-Free Cranberry Crisp

Ingredients

Filling
3 T  tapioca flour
5 c fresh cranberries, or defrosted frozen cranberries  
2 t  fresh lemon juice
½ t vanilla extract
7/8 c granulated sugar
¼ t ground allspice
¼ t ground nutmeg
Pinch salt

Topping
2 c  gluten-free flour blend of your choice
¾ c  dark-brown sugar
½ t cinnamon
½ t salt
1 c unsalted raw walnuts
1½ sticks butter

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a 13x9-inch baking dish.

2. To make the filling, stir together tapioca flour, cranberries, lemon juice, vanilla extract, sugar, allspice, nutmeg and salt in prepared baking dish until well combined. Let filling rest to release fruit juice while making the topping.

3. To make the topping, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt in a food processor and mix until well combined. Add walnuts and pulse. Add butter and pulse until mixture begins to form large clumps.

4. Crumble topping evenly over filling. Bake until fruit is bubbling and topping begins to brown, approximately 50 to 60 minutes.