Crunchy Cornmeal with Caramelized Onions

This was my first time cooking with cornmeal. With how simple and tasty it was, it surely won't be my last. For this recipe, it literally comes down to a little measuring, some stirring, chopping of onions, and the rest of the time is spent in your oven, forming a delectably crunchy crust. If you're a fan of sweet, caramelized onions (like myself), this is your meal. The best way I can describe this dish is that of a cornmeal cake. One baked with soft, sweet, browning onions, and Parmesan, topped with both after coming out of the oven. If you let it cool, you can get slices and serve them alongside a salad, as I did, or dunk them in a chunky vegetable soup, or some chili if you're looking to go down the real filling road. I was also pleasantly surprised with how good the leftovers were. I crumbled mine on top of a salad the next day with a drizzling of balsamic vinegar and olive oil, and it was quite tasty. I'd imagine it'd be great just thrown onto a skillet though to reheat with the addition of veggies such as kale, spinach or zucchini.

Crunchy Cornmeal with Caramelized Onions
(Courtesy of 101 Cookbooks)

Ingredients

- 1 1/2 cups (medium grind) cornmeal
- fine grain sea salt
- 4 cups yellow onion, chopped (about 3 medium)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 3 cups water or vegetable broth

Preheat the oven to 400*F. Butter and flour (or line bottom with parchment paper) one 9 x 12-inch baking dish or tart pan - or roughly this size.

In a medium bowl combine the corn meal with 1 1/2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir and set aside.

To caramelize the onions, heat a splash of olive oil in a large skillet. Cook over medium-high to high heat, stirring and scraping the pan occasionally - more often as the onions begin to get increasingly brown. Continue cooking until the onions collapse and turn deep brown in color. Remove from skillet and set aside.Bring 1 1/2 cups water (or broth) to a boil in a medium saucepan, add the water and cornmeal mixture, bring back up to a boil and stir until it is thicker and heavy - about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese and 2/3 of the onions. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan, spreading it to an even thickness, and drizzle with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the bottom is golden and the cornmeal begins to pull away from the sides of the pan a bit. Serve topped with the remaining onions (and more grated cheese if you like).

Gluten-Free Black Bean Brownies (sweetened with Agave Nectar)

This recipe excites me. Not just because it was right up my experimental alley (black beans, come on!), but because it gave me an opportunity to bake with something I've been really curious about using as of late: Agave Nectar (also known as "Nectar of The Gods" or "honey water"). Agave Nectar is made from the same cactus plant that tequila comes from, and is considered to be a healthier alternative to refined white sugars and other common sweeteners. It is also great for those on a vegan diet as it works as the perfect replacement to honey. I've seen Agave Nectar at the store, but never really stopped to check it out, until I saw that my Trader Joe's was selling Organic Blue Agave Nectar (not actually blue) for $2.99 for just under 12 ounces (you don't need to use much). Now, it is something I highly recommend!

I found this amazing Gluten-Free Black Bean Brownie recipe from the recipe journal, 101 Cookbooks (of which I adore). This recipe was discovered from the cookbook, 'Baking with Agave Nectar: Over 100 Recipes Using Nature's Ultimate Sweetener'. I wish I could take credit for this concoction as it's sheer genius, but author Ania Catalano really deserves a round of applause. I know, you must be thinking "Black beans as a brownie base? Ick. Get outta town.", but honestly - these were one of the better brownies I have ever tasted. If I served these babies at a party, and didn't tell anyone - you wouldn't have guessed their "special ingredient" - yes, a different kind of "special ingredient". They're chewy, rich and due to the the coffee substitute (instant coffee, in my case), they just taste like decadent, little espresso brownies. For those of you curious enough to grab the can-opener, here is the recipe:

Gluten-Free Black Bean Brownies

Yields 45 2" brownies

Ingredients

- 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
- 2 cups soft cooked beans (canned is fine - I bought 2 - you should have a 1/2 cup leftover)
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup granulated natural coffee substitute (or instant coffee for those for the more gluten-sensitive)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cup light agave nectar

Tools

- Cuisinart (blender might work, too)

(I tweaked my recipe a little by not using walnuts, and adding 2 tablespoons of flax seed for the heck of it.)
Preheat oven to 325* F.
Lightly oil baking pan(s).
Melt chocolate and butter together.
Place beans, 1/2 cup walnuts, vanilla and a couple spoonfuls of the chocolate/butter mixture in Cuisinart. Mix. Should be thick and smooth.
In a large bowl, mix remaining 1/2 cup walnuts, remaining chocolate/butter mix, coffee substitute and salt. Mix well and set aside.
Beat eggs in a separate bowl until light and creamy. Add Agave and beat well. Set aside.
Add bean/chocolate mix to coffee/chocolate mix and stir.
Add egg mix (reserving 1/2 cup). Mix and pour into pan(s).
Beat remaining 1/2 cup of egg mix until light and fluffy. Drizzle over batter and create a marble effect using a knife or toothpick.
Bake for 30-40 minutes.
Store in refrigerator and enjoy!

Regaining Confidence in Myself (in The Bulk Section): Making Easy, Crispy, Gluten-Free, Hemp Seed Crackers

With all of this new-found time on my hands (which ends as of this morning - cafe world, here I come!), I've been experimenting a lot in the kitchen. Since out of work, I've gotten back into making batches of things ahead of time (ie steel cut oats for the morning and snacks, brown rice with black beans for dinners and lunches). I've decided to take the extra 5 minutes (literally) to measure out my goods and set them on the stove for 30 minutes while I'm doing other things, because eating this way makes me feel better! I feel everything is working in a very harmonious manner. The state my body has reached in terms of energy, mind-clarity, mood - it's as if I keep reaching a sort of natural high on a daily basis. My body feels well oiled, powered and taken care of, and when that's where you're working from, there is little that can tear you down. I've always been pretty conscious about what I put in my body, and would have considered myself a "balanced" health nut, but sometimes felt like the instant-oatmeal packet was all I could afford (time-wise). Oh - so wrong! I've found that as our priorities shift (like tending to our mind, our body, our soul, our Self), that taking these extra couple of steps to ensure you're giving your body what it needs, becomes normal (and easy to accommodate!). It's a little thing called time management, my friends, and the willingness to investigate what you're really doing to your body. It doesn't have to be hard!

Throughout the past couple of years, I've had a growing interest in letting go of the processed foods in my diet. We haven't made it there - yet, but changes have been made. Things such as cereal, pastas, sauces, (most) chips and crackers, any boxed/microwavable/pre-made meals, will rarely find their way into our cart. It's been a process, but we've found some cool alternatives along the way, and now I know, I could never go back. Lately, I've become infatuated with the bulk isle at my local natural grocer. Ok, I don't know about you guys, but I always had the weirdest thing with the bulk isle (especially at the health food stores). I always felt lost, unprepared, and like I didn't belong or didn't know what I was doing (or what I was looking at). However, a couple items here, a couple items there, some winners in the kitchen, and best of all - a much cheaper grocery bill (!), I was turned on big time and now the beginning of a beautiful, healthy relationship is being born!


Now this is where I come in - say you're still a little uneasy with that section, you feel a little awkward scooping mounds of "what is that..?" into foggy, little bags - that's ok! I've done the research! I've found some very simple recipes that call for less mainstream ingredients, and for the most part are cheaper (if bought in the right quantities), and they're so satisfying to make!

Yesterday, I tried making crackers for the first time (huge cracker fan right here - huge). I've noticed that I think I have somewhat of a baby wheat allergy, so I found a gluten-free recipe that I liked, courtesy of the blog, Daring to Thrive: Gluten-free cooking, wellness, nutrition, and living a positively thriving, engaged life. These babies were so simple to make, so delicious and left you feeling empowered, like "Yeah! I make my own snacks!" (try that on for size, Nabisco!). I tweaked their recipe a bit, to suit what I could find at the store and to make them more my own, so feel free to do the same!


Crispy Gluten-Free Hemp Crackers

Ingredients:

- 2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Flour (contains the tapioca and sorghum flour that the original recipe called for - brilliant!)
- 1/4 cup flax seed (soaked in water for 5-10 minutes)
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt (can grind or leave)
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon red Cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons hemp seed
- 2-3 teaspoon (to taste) of olive or grapeseed oil (the oil really flavors the cracker, so use what you like)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- about 2 tablespoons warm water

Tools:

- parchment paper
- cookie sheet
- rolling pin (or a wine bottle!)

Preheat oven to 400* F.
In a large bowl mix flour(s) pepper and salt.
Add flax seed, hemp seed, Cayenne pepper, apple cider vinegar and oil. Mix until coarse and pebbled dough forms.
Add warm water a little bit at a time and knead into an even textured ball. Should be moist, but not sticky. If so, add more flour.
Put half the dough between parchment paper on baking sheet. Flatten with hands and roll out to be paper thin. Carefully peel off top layer of parchment paper and either cut dough carefully into desired shapes before baking, or break up after baking.
Bake for 15 minutes (until golden and crispy). Repeat with other half of dough.

There are many other things you could incorporate into these yummy crackers, such as: strong, sharp cheeses, herbs (rosemary would be great!), other seeds and spices, scallions, green onions - go wild and get creative!

To go with mine, I also made my own hummus. No, not hard at all! I purchased ground up garbanzo bean mix from my local co-op grocer for $1.08 (and it's something that'll last me a little bit, as I only need to mix it up when I'm feelin' the urge!). It's very simple. The ratios are, for 1 cup of mix, add 1 1/2 cups warm water and 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and voila, you're set! Super simple and you can make as little or as much as you want and it still tastes fantastic! A little dry the next day - just add a smidgen of oil and you're golden!

Enjoy! And Happy Experimenting! Remember: both you and your body are worth it!