Tag Archives: gluten-free

Cream, Berkeley

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Cream is an ingenious idea and should be in every city and suburb with ice cream fanatics. CREAM or Cookies Rule Everything Around Me is a custom ice cream sandwich joint. Open most days until midnight and weekends until 2am, the shop is never empty and there is always a line outside the door and around the block. No joke.

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We tried in the afternoon, waited 15 to 20 minutes and then had to make our other plans. We returned in the early evening, but the line was the same length as the afternoon! _MG_4917

The cost of these beauts are $2.00 per ice cream sandwich paid in cash $2.50 credit card and if you check in for the first time on Foursquare and purchase $6.00 worth of products, one gets a free cookie. We chose a free Carnival (m&m) cookie which was buttery and delish. Single cookies are $.65, two are a $1.25.

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Our friend enjoyed two different cookies chocolate chip and double chocolate with Salted Caramel ice cream._MG_4924

Our friends enjoyed White Chocolate Macademia Nut and double Chocolate Chip with It’s a Goody ice cream. They were pro ice cream eaters because they demolished the hearty sized cookie sandwich with no problem. We ate 1/2 and had to call it quits.

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The Chocolate Chip with Soy Cherry chocolate chip sandwich was unbelievable. The cookies super fresh and still warm. The soy cherry chocolate chip (which one can find at Trader Joe’s) was filled with bits of cherry, chunks of chocolate were yum and only $2.00.

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Next time, we wait in line at Cream, we will try the Golden Gate Caramel Swirl, Matcha Green Tea and White Pistachio ice cream and Turtle, Snickerdoodle and Capucchino cookies.

Apparently Cream has a secret menu including on Taco Tuesday, there is Ice cream taco, which is available in three half scoops plus one topping ($3.50) or three full scoops and one topping ($6.50). There are also mini ice cream sandwiches ($1.50), Ice cream cone sandwiches ($3) and Ice cream freezes made with soda instead of milk ($6). We plan on visiting again.

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Shells and Cheese

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Nothing says comfort food than macaroni cheese to me. It’s always nice to have some on a rainy day.

In this version, sage and buttery onions flavor the cream sauce and coat the al dente pasta shells. The buttery bread crumb topping and layer of cheese creates a crust and provides an extra element of flavor and texture.

Adapted from Alton Brown and My Father’s Daughter

  • 1/2 pound pasta shells or rice shells (gluten-free)
  • 2 tablespoons gf flour
  • 2 cups soy milk
  • 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
  • a few sage leaves
  • 16 ounces extra sharp cheddar, shredded
  • coarse salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup panko or gf bread crumbs
  • 2 tablespoons butter or Earth Balance

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and turn it on to the convection setting if that’s a possibility.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than indicated on the package. Meanwhile, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it’s free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion and sage leaf. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the sage leaves.

Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the shells into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the shells with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

Milk, butter and sage sauce (L) Butter, flour and onion roux (R)

Whisking in cheddar cheese

Panko or gluten-free bread crumbs with melted butter

Layer cheese and bread crumb mixture onto macaroni and sauce

Cookbooks: My Father’s Daughter By Gywneth Paltrow and a Healthier Version of the Blueberry Muffins

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My friend sent me a lovely gift, My Father’s Daughter: Delicious, Easy Recipes Celebrating Family & Togetherness by Gwyneth Paltrow. Along with the inspiring cookbook, my friend inscribed a thoughtful note and suggested I try the healthy blueberry muffins, which she makes all the time.

These delicious and healthier muffins are vegan, gluten-free and have a nice light sweetness.  I made mini muffins and they are full of full of tiny,  plump wild blueberries.

My Father’s Daughter is filled with enchanting photographs, beautiful stories and a peek into the food life of goddess GP. The cookbook already has food fingerprints and teacup water marks. Thus far, I have made granola, kale chips, chicken stock and fettucine limone parmeggiano. Each recipe that I’ve tried so far has been solid and well enjoyed. I have a feeling this book will be well-worn.

Spain On The Road Again, featuring Bittman, Bassols, Batali and Paltrow is a delightful show featuring the various food culture and traditions of Spain. I watched it religiously in preparation for a previous trip. The show unearths great treasures and exclusive food experiences throughout the country.

Adapted from My Father’s Daughter

  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup soy milk (I used almond)
  • 1/4 cup real Vermont maple syrup
  • 1/8 cup light agave nectar
  • 1 cup gluten-free flour (or 1 cup white spelt flour and 1 cup whole spelt flour)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 1/4 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with papers. Mix wet ingredients together, stir in the dry ingredients, and fold in the blueberries. Divide among the muffin cups and bake until a toothpick tests clean and the muffins are golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Let cool before eating (if you can…).

Lemon Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes

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My gluten-free friends and advocates of Forks Over Knives, successfully finished the Engine 2 28 Day Challenge and shared the recipe for lemon blueberry cornmeal pancakes. This recipe is a definite keeper. The pancakes are delicious and are bursting with flavor.

The texture of the cornmeal, brightness of the lemon and the sweetness of the blueberries was a great way to start the day. A light touch of Vermont Maple Syrup enhanced the sweetness of the blueberries in the pancakes.

Adapted from Engine 2 Diet

  • 1¼ cups gluten free flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup cornmeal
  • 2 cups soy milk
  • ½ cup soy yogurt
  • Zest and juice from 2 lemons

Mix the dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring to remove lumps.

Wildflour Vegan Bakery and Juice Bar, Pawtucket

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I love most bakeries and baked goods out there from Flour Bakery, Kickass Cupcakes, Maxim Coffee House to Momofuku Milk. However, there are few bakeries which offer enough of a variety for vegans or gluten-free folks. Wildflour amply fills this void. Wildflour Vegan Bakery is a charming bakery and juice bar located in Pawtucket, several doors down from the Garden Grille. They serve take away items, coffee, baked goods and juices.

I was amazed by Wildflour’s gluten-free options including focaccia bread, pumpkin and banana coconut muffins, raspberry cream cheese brownies, chocolate chip cookies and lemon vanilla cupcakes. This variety clearly displays the possibilities for gluten-free or vegan baked goods.

Our friend took a Ginger Shot for $1.00, which came with a slice of refreshing cucumber. Additionally, you can make customized fruit smoothies and variations of the green smoothie including the Al Green (my favorite AG tune, How Can You Mend A Broken Heart) spinach, kale, cucumber, celery, apple, lemon, parsley green smoothie ($7).

For savory baked goods, the Caramelized Onion Rosemary Scone looked pretty amazing and was half off before closing. I have tried my hand in making scones (cheddar scallion scones) and will have to try this flavor combination sometime.

The raspberry tiramisu (BMH’s tiramisu) cupcake looked fantastic for $2.95.

Wildflour also sells raw items including coconut cheesecake, chocolate ganache, coconut macaroons and a raw version of the Oreo or Raw-reo (BMH recipe for Blood Orange Oreos). There were too many options to sample and clearly this bakery warrants another visit very soon. My friend and I picked up the gluten-free lemon vanilla cupcake and the gluten-free chocolate coffee cupcake.

Between the two, I would get the chocolate coffee cupcake again. The taste of gluten-free chocolate espresso cupcake was out of this world. The frosting had a hint of espresso and was nicely sweetened and the rich, chocolate coffee enhanced cake was mouth-watering.

The gluten-free chocolate chip cookie was nice and chewy in the center and was generously filled with semi-sweet morsels. I have made gluten-free chocolate chip cookies before, but these were nice and chewy and more like a traditional Toll House cookie.

The gluten-free lemon vanilla cupcake was also very decadent, creamy lemon frosting with a nice vanilla cake.

I can not wait to return to Wildflour again and try their other goodies.

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