Raspberry, Honey & Lemon Jam - vegan, gluten free, and free of just about everything else

Have you been inspired to purchase a bizzillion pounds of fruit and make jam yet? Maybe this one will do it. During my jamboree (pun totally intended), I also made some plain ole raspberry jam, only this time I cut the sugar waaay back. Instead of nine cups of raspberries and six cups of sugar, I used just three. And, people, it was life-changing. Of course I love sweet things, but with less sugar, the pure taste of the ripe raspberries really came through, and there was just a hint of the fruit's natural tang. Heaven.

Classic Lemonade

I hope my fellow Americans had a festive (and hopefully work-free) Independence Day. Mr Official Taster and I both had the day off. Last week I figured out that there would be fireworks practically in our backyard right behind our apartment, so we invited some friends over for dinner and a show. We had a mix of diets and allergies, but everything turned out really well. Burgers, veggie burgers, marinated vegetable skewers, fresh watermelon and strawberries, potato salad, pickled cucumbers, cake, and cookies. Plus various libations. To dress up the table, I, er, borrowed lavender stems from the neighborhood landscaping and stuck them in two IKEA vases I've had for years. It was a pretty good feast, if I do say so myself.

Baked Lemon Risotto - vegan & gluten free

Loyal readers know that risotto is a staple here at Chez Sweets. So when I came across this recipe on Joy the Baker, I was definitely intrigued by the lack of stirring required. Creamy deliciousness with 10 minutes of work? Yes, please.

The options for variations are endless. Try adding some fresh veggies, wine, lemon juice, or a different set of herbs and spices. This risotto pairs well with a green salad or fresh (and now coming into season!!) asparagus. 

Baked Lemon Risotto - vegan & gluten free
adapted from Joy the Baker

I halved this recipe and baked it in a 7x10-inch baking pan, baked at the same temperature and for the same time, and it turned out beautifully.  I also increased the lemon zest and added caramelized onions (see my how-to here) to Joy's version. 

1 onion, diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon zest
2 tsp dried or fresh thyme
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 C Arborio rice
32 ounces vegetable broth
1 1/4 C water

1/2 C caramelized onions (optional)

1 C grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (optional)
salt to taste
more cheese, lemon zest, parsley and/or thyme leaves for garnish

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan and set aside.

In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent - about 5 minutes. Turn off heat, add lemon zest, thyme leaves, chili flakes, and black pepper. Toss together and set aside.

In a medium bowl, toss together uncooked rice, cheese if using, and the onion mixture. Spread evenly in your prepared baking pan. Add vegetable stock and water and stir gently to ensure even cooking.

Place in the oven and allow to cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Stir briefly, and cook for another 17-20 minutes. Rice is done when liquid is absorbed and mixture is cooked through and creamy. If rice mixture is still crunchy, add more hot water or hot chicken stock about 1/3 cup at a time.

When completely cooked, remove pan from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes. If you'd like, add salt to taste and top with lemon zest, fresh thyme, black pepper, parsley and/or cheese.

To reheat leftovers, I put a couple teaspoons of water in a small saucepan, added risotto, and cooked on medium until heated through. Stir frequently.

Lemon Sorbet - vegan & gluten free

Recently, I've had trouble knowing what season I'm in. The other week, I found myself wondering if I should be looking for Christmas presents while I was out shopping (and not in a planning-ahead-kind-of-way). And the other week? It was full out pink and red for Valentine's Day. The sparkly hearts hanging from the ceiling and escaping from shelves should have given me a clue.

I've given it some thought, and I've figured out what to blame the problem: the past few months has been a time of massive upheaval. Since December, I've traveled to or through four different states, two time zones, three radically different climates, and three apartments. Perhaps because Christmas 2011 was the first time ever that I hadn't flown east to celebrate at my parent's house, or just because life was super crazy at that point, but Christmas flew by. I mean, I prepared, it happened, and then I wondered what happened to it. Is that what happens when you're the host?

Yesterday at the farmers' market, the selection was relatively slim. There were some cool season crops - citrus, potatoes, some apples, onions, and green leafy things. BUT there were also two very important signs of spring. Number one: fresh asparagus- the farmer's first harvest of the season. Number two: strawberries- tables and tables of strawberries with their inimitable scent wafting into the aisle.

So I am hoping that my body has seen these signs and internalized them and will acclimate itself to Spring. Because it is very confusing when brain and body are not on the same page. I guess I'll just have to keep buying myself daffodils until they are.

Lemon Sorbet - vegan & gluten free
adapted from The Perfect Scoop
makes about 1 quart

This is fantastic. I've always been a lemon sorbet fan, but I am now a convert to homemade. When it first comes out of the ice cream maker, it is super smooth and creamy, and I recommend eating some right away. What ends up in the freezer will still be very good. However, because it's basically all water, a little sugar, and no fat, it freezes quite hard, so you'll need to allow the container to warm up for 10-15 minutes before scooping and serving. If you're making this for a group, I recommend making it and serving it fresh so everyone can appreciate the amazingness. Fresh raspberries pair very well.  


2 1/2 C water
1 C sugar*
6-7 lemons, preferably organic/unsprayed

Add 1/2 C of the water and all of the sugar to a medium, nonreactive saucepan. Grate the zest of 2 lemons directly into the saucepan. Heat, stirring frequently, just until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat, and add the remaining 2 C water (I poured mine over the zester tool to get as much of the good stuff into the mix as possible). Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator (at least a couple hours or so).

In the meantime, juice the two zested lemons plus another 4 or 5 into a liquid measuring cup.** You need 1 C of freshly squeezed lemon juice. When you're ready, stir the lemon juice into the chilled sugar syrup, and freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Serve immediately, if possible. Otherwise, store in the freezer in an airtight container.

*I like my lemon sorbet tangy. If you prefer it sweeter, add up to an additional 1/4 C sugar.
**Before I juiced all my lemons, I grated the zest off first. Zest freezes! So now I have a little glass container in my freezer with lemon zest that I can add to recipes as needed.

Spinach Paella with Lemon - vegan & gluten free

Some of you lovely people who took my survey last month indicated that you wanted to see more savory dishes. Apparently you also have trouble answering the age old question, "What's for dinner?" You may have noticed this month that there have been more non-dessert recipes appearing here, like chili, pasta, a snack, and a salad. 

I have also done some revamping of the recipe index, and I've gone back through my old posts checking and updating tags. The big addition to the index is at the very bottom, where, if none of the titles caught your fancy, you can browse by tag. I have you all hooked up to view recipes by diet, dish, event, or season. So, for example, you can look at all recipes I've tagged as dairy free, or breakfast, or birthday, or winter. Have a look and tell me what you think. I love comments or emails and always respond!

I have found that I've enjoyed the challenge! It's been fun to try out new recipes, and it's helped diversify dinner for me and Mr. Official Taster. This paella recipe is both easy and delicious. There's also some downtime involved (i.e. when it's in the oven), which I used to panic because I didn't have an idea for a side and then give up and decide we didn't really need one. Salads are my go-to side, but since there was already spinach involved, I was stymied. Clearly, I need to branch out. Good thing there are still a few cupcakes.

Spinach Paella with Lemon - vegan & gluten free
adapted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

This worked well as our main course, but it would also work as a side. If you're having a meat dish for dinner, the rich and smokey flavor means it can hold its own. 
As written, this recipe served two of us for dinner. Simply double to make 4-6 servings.

1 C brown rice*
2 C vegetable stock or water
Approx. 1/2 lb fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
Minced zest of 1 lemon
1 medium onion, diced
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp tomato paste
Large pinch saffron threads (optional)
1 tsp smoked or other paprika
Minced parsley for garnish

In a small pot, bring several cups of salted water to a boil. Stir in the brown rice. The water should return to a boil almost immediately, and turn the heat down so that the rice is boiling along nicely. Don't stir the rice again, and leave it to cook for 12ish minutes. Pour off the water and reserve the rice. You can do this step up to an hour before you're ready to make the paella- it doesn't matter if the rice is warm when you add it.

Preheat the oven to 450F. Warm the stock in a pan. Toss the spinach in a bowl with a tablespoon or two of olive oil, lemon zest, and salt+pepper.

Warm about 2 Tbsp olive oil in an oven-proof 10- or 12-inch skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and garlic, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Depending on your stove, you may need to turn the heat down to medium so things don't brown or cook too fast. Stir in the tomato paste, saffron if you're using it, and paprika and cook for another minute or two. Add the rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until it's shiny. (I know this sounds strange, but it really does get shiny, trust me). Pour in the warm stock, turn off the heat, and stir until just combined.

Put the spinach on top of the mixture (it's supposed to be fluffy. It will cook down) and scrape out the bottom of the bowl (you wouldn't want to miss any zest!). Put the pan in the oven, uncovered, and roast for 15 minutes. Check to see if the rice is dry and just tender. If yours is still somewhat wet like mine has been, cook for another 5 minutes. If it's dry but the rice is uncooked, add a small amount of stock, wine, or water. When the rice is ready, turn off the oven and let it sit for at least 5 minutes and up to 15 minutes.

Carefully (it's very hot! and heavy!) remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle with parsley. If you like, put the pan over high heat on the stove for a few minutes to develop a bit of a bottom crust before serving.

*You can, of course, use white rice. If you do, you can skip the precooking step and add it directly to the pan.

Citrus Olive Oil Cake & Chocolate Orange Glaze - Dairy Free

I hope you had a good holiday weekend! Mr. Official Taster and I stayed very busy and spent a lot of time visiting friends (both in and out-of-towners), which was great. However, by Monday afternoon I was ready to lay in bed with a good book and read. alone. It was fabulous. (more on the book later this week)

Anyway, on Saturday this couple had a housewarming/anniversary bash, so bringing a cake seemed fitting. Plus I like cake.

This cake has lots of great qualities. It's light, sweet, and moist. It can be baked and served from the same container, which just makes things easier. It can handle lots of different frosting varieties, or none at all. It can also be made with fresh ingredients in winter or summer.

I chose a super simple glaze and decoration. If I had more time or inclination, I would have loved to have tried these candied orange slices or homemade gumdrops.

Did you do anything fun this weekend?

Citrus Olive Oil Cake - Dairy Free
adapted from How to Cook Everything
cooking spray for pan
4 eggs, separated and room temperature
1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
1/4 + 3/4 C sugar
2 C flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 C orange juice
zest of one lemon or orange

Separate your eggs when you first take them out of the refrigerator because it's easier when they are cold. Then allow them to come to room temperature for 30 min or so.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 (or thereabouts) pan with cooking spray (I used olive oil spray)

Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs whites in a small bowl until they foam. Then sprinkle in 1/4 C sugar while still beating the whites. Continue beating until the whites hold soft peaks.

In a large bowl, add the olive oil and 3/4 C sugar and mix together. Add the egg yolks and beat until thick and fluffy (5-7 minutes). Mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Next, mix in the orange juice and zest. The mixture will be very thick and/or crumbly. If it's crumbly, add in a splash more of juice. Don't despair.

Add the beaten egg whites to this thick mixture. As gently as possible, thoroughly mix together the batter and egg whites. You may think they will never combine, but they will.

Turn the mixture into your prepared pan and bake for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan, frost it if you'd like, and serve it directly from there.

Chocolate Orange Glaze - Vegan and Gluten Free
This is barely a recipe. I've mentioned before that I don't really measure for glazes. Here's a previous recipe.  For this one, I mixed together some confectioners' sugar, cocoa, and orange juice until I had a good amount and the right consistency to just pour it on.

Notes:
I actually used lemon zest and Orange Peach Mango juice from Trader Joe's. It's delicious.

The decorations are also from TJ's. They are Citrus Gumdrops and the best gumdrops I've ever tasted.

Dairy Free Lemon Layer Cake with Vegan Mocha Frosting

I hope that you have some fun weekend plans, and I think a layer cake can sweeten whatever they are! I have a pretty exciting weekend planned, actually. On Friday night Official Taster and I are celebrating our upcoming nuptials with some of our friends here, and then we'll catch a late screening of Harry Potter. I'm both excited and a little sad that it's the last movie. I also have some highly anticipated girl time scheduled. What about you? Big plans or just enjoying some sunshine? If you have any to spare, Seattle could use some.

If you made a Rainbow Cake, you may have some egg yolks in your refrigerator just crying out to be used. I know I did. So I dug through my books and ended up adapting a recipe for gold layer cake from the classic Joy of Cooking.

It was a significantly simpler process (2 layers instead of 6 makes quite a difference) that yielded delicious results. I'm not sure how long egg yolks stay ok in the fridge, but I used mine within 24 hours. If you choose to use real butter, you'll also need to add 1/4 tsp salt.

Lemon Layer Cake
2 C cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 C vegan butter at room temperature
1/2 C sugar
3 egg yolks at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla or grated lemon rind*
3/4 C almond milk, or other non-dairy milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Oil and line your 9" cake pans with parchment paper.

Sift the cake flour and baking powder (and salt if using real butter) together into a bowl and set aside. 

Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl. Beat in the egg yolks and then vanilla or lemon rind. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk. 

Divide the batter evenly between two 9" cake pans and bake for about 18 minutes. When the layers are done, allow them to cool for about 10 minutes in the pan before turning out onto a cooling rack. 

Mocha Frosting - Vegan
1 stick vegan butter at room temperature
3 C confectioners sugar
1/3 C cocoa
1/4 C strongly brewed coffee at room temperature (ish. NOT an exact measurement)

Cream the butter and then add the sugar and cocoa a little bit at a time. Add the coffee slowly, until you've reached the desired consistency. It should take 10 minutes or so to combine everything and beat it enough to give it some volume.

When the cakes have cooled and the frosting is ready, layer the cake and frost! Raspberry jam would also make a great filling flavor.


*I actually used a 1/4 tsp Fiori di Sicilia (a little goes a long way. it's quite potent) and 3/4 tsp vanilla

Sparkling Vegan Lemon Sandwich Cookies

Back in November, I found myself with a 50% off coupon and some Border's Bucks that needed to be spent. So I wandered around aimlessly for a while (I get kind of overwhelmed, like a kid in a candy store), until I spotted a small book with Gourmet's name on it. I'm a sucker for anything with their stamp since it was such a beautiful, well thought out magazine, and their recipes always work.

So, what was it? The Gourmet Cookie Book! The editors picked their favorite cookie recipe from each year of the magazine's existence, rephotographed and retested them all, and published them all in a beautiful collection.

Due to December in general and Etsy Christmas orders in particular, I wasn't able to bake anything from it. Then I saw this post over on Smitten Kitchen, and her batch of cookies turned out perfectly. Next, I decided that a) I wanted to bring something fun to a New Year's Eve party and b) I wanted to try something new. So I perused the book, and picked out these because they are mini, cute, and sparkly. I chose white, purple, and yellow sugars only because I liked the colors. (For one of my survey responders, purple is my favorite)  In fact, one party-goer commented that these were "the only purple food that actually looked appetizing," which I take as a major compliment!

One of the great things about these is you can totally customize the colors you roll the dough in to coordinate with whatever event you make these for. I'm thinking wedding favors, super bowl parties, or princess birthday parties (whichever is your cup of tea). Plus, they look like macaroons, which are oh-so-trendy right now. AND lemons are in season currently.

I also used a dozen of these mini delights as December's installment of A Year of Sweet Treats. The groom somehow missed them at the party, so they were brand new to him.

Sparkling Vegan Lemon Sandwich Cookies
adapted from The Gourmet Cookie Book, but barely

For Cookies:
2 sticks vegan butter, at room temperature
1/2 C confectioners' sugar
zest from half a lemon
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 C all-purpose flour
2/3 C cornstarch
white and colored sanding sugars

For Filling:
1 C confectioners' sugar
zest from half a lemon
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp corn syrup
1/2 stick vegan butter, at room temperature

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line a couple baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone liner.

Beat together butter and confectioners' sugar until it's pale and fluffy, then add in zest and vanilla. With the mixer on low, add in flour and cornstarch, and beat just until a soft dough forms.

Put your colored sugars in different bowls. Roll a scant teaspoon of dough into a ball between your hands, and then drop it in the sugar and roll to coat. Place covered balls on baking sheet fairly close together, about 3/4 inch. Chill the sheet of cookies in the freezer for 5-10 minutes or in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to help preserve their shape when you bake them.

Bake until the cookie tops are slightly cracked but still pale, about 13 minutes. Leave the cookies on the parchment and transfer both to a rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough on fresh (cool) cookie sheets.

To make the filling, beat together all the filling ingredients in a small/medium bowl with an electric mixer. Transfer frosting to a zip top bag and snip a corner off, or use a disposable pastry bag. Pipe filling onto the flat side of one cookie and sandwich with a second cookie. Keep the sandwiched cookies chilled until ready to eat.

Notes:
If you use regular butter, add 1/4 tsp of salt when you add the flour.

Depending on how fast your oven heats up, you might want to wait to preheat it until you're just about done rolling your first cookie sheet's worth of cookies.

p.s. Don't miss your chance to win some of my delicious vegan & gluten free fudge!