Build a Better PB&J - free of everything you want

 

I can't take any credit for this one. My friend S nearly always packs her lunch, and it always looks super yummy and super healthy. I first noticed these sandwiches a while back; it took me a long time to give it a try. I'm SO GLAD I did. 

Here's the thing: I've never liked PB&Js. I like bread. I like peanut butter. I like jam. I like bread with peanut butter. I like bread with jam. But I don't like all three all together. I know. I'm kind of a weirdo. Even my mom thinks so. 

But it turns out that I do like peanut butter and fruit. A lot. And just about any fruit will work here. While visiting, my mom made a peanut butter and nectarine sandwich she was quite happy with. Fresh blackberries are excellent. Sliced strawberries, sliced apples, and sliced bananas are all good. 

Besides the obvious benefit of no added sugar, you can make this breakfast/snack/lunch-if-you-add-another-piece-of-bread-and-pack-it-safely free of whatever allergen you need to. Regular or gluten free bread, any nut butter or sun butter, fruit of choice. It's that easy. 

 

For those of you who like instruction to come with your food photos, here goes:

1. Spread nut or non-nut butter of your choice on a favorite slice of bread.
2. Arrange fruit or slices of fruit (if large, like strawberries, bananas, apples, peaches, etc) on top in rows, or however the fruit is telling you to do so. 
3. If you're extra hungry, spread another piece of bread with nut/non-nut butter and place, sticky side down, on top of fruit. 
4. Eat. Enjoy. nom nom nom

I especially like this in the morning with a hot cup of tea. 

Have you tried this before? What are your favorite combinations?

Peach White-Wine Sangria (and a party)

Just about a year ago, Mr Official Taster and I moved into our very own home. This weekend, we hosted a housewarming party. I'm really glad that we finally did. For one thing, it pushed us into making some repairs/updates that we've been thinking about and putting off for the last year. We got rid of the Ugliest Light Ever, installed a ceiling fan, got a new toilet, and a few other equally sexy jobs. God bless the 70s. I imagine they have been keeping electricians busy since at least the 80s.

Anywho, we decided on an open house format on Saturday afternoon/evening. We encouraged people to come whenever they could for however long they could. We served drinks and snacks and generally kept everything pretty casual. I'm happy with how many people were able to stop by, and it was fun to have so many friends in the same place at once.

We went with just a couple drink options, in order to help keep our sanity and our budget in check. We got a small keg of Fat Tire, and I made iced tea and sangria. Food consisted of snacks like chips, crackers, hummus, guacamole, brownies, and fruit. I laid down butcher paper on top of the sheet tablecloth so I could write on it. I wanted to give people as many answers as possible without them having to come find me, so I labeled some of the dishes. You can see a bit two photos below, but my labels were things like "salsa, gf & vegan" or "brownies, dairy free" or "brown rice & seed chips, gf & vegan."

It took me a bit of research to find a sangria recipe I really wanted to make, but then I remembered (the late, great) Gourmet cookbook. It has everything in it, and I know it to be trustworthy. My requirements were that it was a white wine sangria (less stain-y if spilled) and that it used fruit I could pick up at the farmers' market. Gourmet's Peach White-Wine Sangria both sounded amazing and fit my requirements. Again and again, Gourmet has come through with a fabulous recipe, and its streak continues.

Peach White-Wine Sangria
adapted, barely, from Gourmet Today

I was thrilled with how this sangria turned out, and our guests raved. The basil is unexpected and really makes this recipe stand out from the crowd. Since I can very rarely leave well enough alone, I changed the proportions a bit from the original to make it less sweet. I couldn't find peach nectar, so I used an equal amount of Orange Peach Mango Juice. Feel free to scale this up to fit your party needs! If you're feeling sassy (and you probably are), a bottle of bubbly is a welcome addition.

1 C loosely packed fresh basil leaves plus 8 to 10 sprigs
3/4 C sugar
1/4 C fresh lemon juice
2 (11-ounce) cans peach nectar (see note)
2 (750-ml) bottles chilled dry white wine
1 large peach (peeled if desired), diced

Put basil leaves, sugar, and lemon juice into a small saucepan and bruise leaves by mashing with a wooden spoon. Add 1 can nectar and bring just to a simmer, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes, then pour through a medium-mesh sieve into a heatproof pitcher, discarding basil leaves. Stir in wine, peach, remaining can nectar, and basil sprigs. Chill, covered, at least 1 hour and up to 24. Serve over ice. pro tip: want to be fancy and keep your drink from getting watered down? Make wine ice cubes! Plain wine doesn't freeze super well, so I filled my ice cube trays about half way with water, then poured in wine to fill them the rest of the way.

Blackberry Peach Jam - vegan, gluten free, and free of just about everything else

Jam Week 2013 soldiers on! Yesterday afternoon, I shared some of what I've learned about jamming and canning over the past few summers, and I'd love to hear from you all. So head over and leave a comment!

Today's jam doesn't have a secret, glamorous name, but it is a yummy riff on a classic flavor combination. I made this when the fridge was broken during The Great Refrigerator Debacle of 2013, and I'm quite pleased with how it turned out, aside from the small mistake of cooking it down too far. My batch is rather...stiff..for jam, but it still tastes good, and since I only plan on gifting it to people with good manners, I probably won't hear any complaints. You, however, will take care to watch yours more carefully, eh?

Raspberry Peach Jam - vegan, gluten free, and free of just about everything else

I first made this jam a couple of years ago, and it's as good as I remember, probably because it combines two of Summer's best: raspberries and peaches. Their flavors compliment each other beautifully. I found it in Well Preserved by Mary Anne Dragan, and not only does it have yummy components, but her charming name - Peach Melba Jam - makes it sound dreamy. According to Dragan, "Peach Melba is a classic dessert created by the great French chef Escoffier in honor of a famous opera singer named Nellie Melba." For more details, I read Wikipedia's entry, and I'm pleased to report that reading more about it only makes it seem more glamorous.

Peach Crisp - vegan & gluten free

Every summer since sometime in high school, I've made this fruit crisp. When I've been asked for my favorite dessert, I've responded with this one. Now, not to knock chocolate cake, but this is so, so, so good partly because there's only a small window each year during peach heyday when it's doable.

Peach Butter - vegan, gluten free, & free of just about everything else

Last year at this time, I bought 20 pounds of peaches and then discovered that Mr Official Taster didn't like them. Well, I learned my lesson, and last week at the farmers market I only bought 10 pounds. This week I switched it up and got 10 pounds of nectarines instead.

Peach Streusel Muffins - vegan

When I was mixing these muffins yesterday, I was positive I wouldn't be sharing the results here with you fine people. The batter was not as wet as I was expecting, and the buckwheat I used gave it an unusual coloring. I double and triple checked the recipe I was using, but when I went down the list of ingredients, I could put a mental check next to each one. I pressed on, popped my tray in the oven, and crossed my fingers that the diced peaches would ooze while they baked and give the muffins the moisture they needed.

Peach Pie with Almond Crumble - gluten free & vegan

Peach week continues! and finishes. It's been real. It's been tasty. It's been real tasty.

A couple weeks ago, when Mr. Official Taster and I went to the farmers' market, one of the things we brought home was 20 lbs. of peaches. I was excited! I love peaches, it was a great price, and I was envisioning all sorts of delicious treats.

Then OT told me he didn't like peaches. Wha? Now he tells me? sigh.

So peach week(s) was born. Jam and streusel and cake, oh my. oh, and pie. Which I made just in time for a certain anniversary.  Lucky couple :)

Peach Pie with Almond Crumble - gluten free & vegan

Filling:
About 2 lbs of peaches, peeled and sliced (I used 9, but it could be less depending on size)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 C sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 Tbsp instant tapioca (or 1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch)
1 premade piecrust

Crumble Top:
adapted from Smitten Kitchen
2/3 C whole oats, ground to a flour in a food processor
1/2 C flour or gluten free flour
1/2 C sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 C whole almonds
6 Tbsp vegan butter

Make the filling:
In a small bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, toss the peaches and lemon juice. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and toss to coat. Add the filling to the crust.

Make the crumble:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Melt the butter in a small bowl. Grind the oats to a flour in a food processor. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and pulse until the almonds are coarsely chopped. Add the flour mix to the butter and stir together.

Assemble:
Add the filling to the premade crust. Cover the top with crumble.

Bake the pie at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 350 and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the top is a lovely golden brown. Allow to cool before cutting and serving.

Peach Cake - vegan

I heart peaches.

Today's recipe was adapted from Gourmet magazine, and it's a winner (as usual). It is an unusual way of baking a cake, and the reviews on Epicurious reflect that. A common question asks if it's really a cake, or is it a pie. Maybe a tart?

It does take just about forever to bake, so it definitely requires some planning. I made this one yesterday and first tasted it for breakfast today (what? it's got fruit). The cake itself isn't very sweet, which is perfect, really, because the peaches make up for it.

Peach Cake 
adapted from Gourmet via

For the pastry:
1 1/2 C flour
1/2 C sugar
1 1/2 tsp Ener-g egg replacer (equivalent of 1 egg)
1 tsp baking powder
1 stick vegan butter, cubed
2 Tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla

For the filling:
1/2 C sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp quick-cooking tapioca
2 lb ripe peaches (I used about 7), thinly sliced
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Make the pastry:
In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, egg replacer, and baking powder to combine. Add the butter, and pulse just until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. There should still be lumps. Add the water and vanilla and pulse again, this time until the dough starts to come together.

Turn the dough into your greased pie plate or 9-in springform cake pan. Use your fingers to evenly spread the dough along the bottom and sides of your pan. Chill in the fridge for 10 minutes while you make the filling.

Make the filling:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk together the sugar, flour, and tapioca in a large bowl. Add peaches and lemon juice and gently toss to coat.

Spoon the filling into the pastry, loosely cover with foil, and bake for 90 minutes (yes, really). Remove the foil and bake for another 15-30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. It'll firm up while cooling, so don't worry if it's still a bit liquidy)

Notes:
Gourmet's original recipe instructed, "Grind 2 tablespoons sugar with flour and tapioca in grinder until tapioca is powdery, then transfer to a large bowl and stir in remaining 6 tablespoons sugar." That's probably not a bad idea, but I don't have a coffee or spice grinder. If you plan ahead, you might be able to use the food processor for that step before you make the pastry in it. Or you could make the pastry, wash and dry the food processor, and then try, but, really, do you want to? It worked just fine without grinding the tapioca, but it definitely would look prettier (no tapioca lumps) if I had.

Do a better job of greasing your pan than I did. The picture above is post some scraping/eating of bits left behind.

Peach Plum Streusel - gluten free & vegan

Last week and this, I have a plethora of peaches (like that? I do.) With the unbruised, not all the way ripe, and otherwise perfect fruit, I made some Peach Melba Jam that, I think, will be appreciated come winter. This week seems to be about baking them. (don't worry, I'm also just eating them) Baking them is a great way of a) using up a bunch before they go bad b) making them delicious in a different way than fresh and c) gifting.

I have some ideas to occupy myself for the rest of the week, but I'll keep those to myself in case I jinx it.

Fruit Filling
Wash, peel, and cut up your fruit. I used 3 plums and about 5 peaches, and I didn't actually peel the plums.  I say "about 5" because I used some very ripe peaches and, sadly, some parts had to be discarded. I cut my fruit into slices/small chunks.

Streusel Topping
1 stick vegan butter, room temperature
1 C brown sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 C flour, whole wheat flour, or gluten free flour

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Cream the butter and brown sugar. Stir or pulse in the remaining ingredients until combined and pretty crumbly. Remember, this is a streusel topping, so it won't hold together like dough.

Fill a glass dish or pie plate of your choosing with your cut up fruit. Sprinkle the streusel over the fruit. Bake the streusel for about 40 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.

Eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Rinse and repeat.

If you have leftover topping (I did), put it in a freezer bag or airtight container until you want to use it. When that time comes, you don't need to worry about defrosting it. Just sprinkle over your fruit and bake.