Best of the Foodie Web: December

1. These guys are selling their bacon jam in mason jars for the Holidays, but you can make it yourself using the recipe here.

2. Ashley from Not Without Salt taught us how to make hot buttered rum which prompted me to want to invite 30 friends over immediately.

3. On to Baby featured a family photo shoot inspired by the farmers market. Too cute.

4. Sara Forte (who has a new book out) posted a brownie recipe on Sprouted Kitchen that will make any mouth water.

5. Also with the new cookbook out, the folks at Golubka posted a spiced hot chocolate recipe. Hipster food did too - with hazelnuts instead of spice.

6. Kinfolk promotes the age-old art of gathering over food. Volume six is available now. In the photo below my dear friend Adriana is enjoyed it over a mug of coffee.

7. Minimalist Baker suggested I make raw Mayan truffles. It took me 4 seconds to start pulling out ingredients.

Spring Fiddlehead Pasta & GF Vegan Brownies

Calvin worked late tonight so Mom and I found time, in between planting of course, to make a wonderful dinner.

Spring Fiddlehead Pasta

1. Prepare 4 cups of brown rice penne pasta.
2. Toss with 3 T butter, 1 T lemon juice and a sprinkling of sea salt.
3. Lightly boil (3 minutes or so) 2 cups of fiddleheads. These are currently in season! Check your grocer, market or backyard forest!
4. Toss the fiddleheads in the pasta along with 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese. Top with grated parmesan and fresh basil.

GF Vegan Brownies

Preheat oven to 350.
1. Sift together 3/4 cup gf featherlight flour mix*, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt.
2. Whisk together 1/2 cup coconut cream (the thick white part of a can of coconut milk), 1/4 cup oil, 3/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp vanilla.
3. Fold dry ingredients into wet and stir until just mixed.
4. Bake in a greased 8" pan for 15 minutes (gooey brownies) to 20 minutes (firm brownies).
5. Let cool? Maybe not.

* Look for my previous entry on how to make this mix, or in a pinch for this recipe use 1/2 cup white rice flour, 3 T tapioca flour, 1 T potato starch and 1/8 tsp guar gum.

Need Gluten Free Christmas Baking?

Available Baking:

Sugar cookies, Santa's thumbprints, hazelnut sandies, buttery shortbread, coconut lemon bars, peanut butter chip squares, Skor toffee bars, chocolate or vanilla macaroons, caramel nut bars, rum balls, peanut butter marshmallow cups, christmas fudge, candy cane brownies

All baked in a GF kitchen by a GF momma

Sold by the 8X8" (20 X 20cm), about 20 - 25 pieces

$7.50 each

Now offering delivery to the Niagara region by request

Black Bean Brownies

Step one: locate a group of six hungry boys who do not appreciate healthy food. 


Step two: 
Preheat oven to 350, then...


Drain a can of black beans and give them a good rinse. Put the beans back in the can and fill it, to the brim, with water. Blend the beans and water, plus 1 extra cup of water and 1 tsp vanilla, until pureed. Set aside.

Step three: Mix together, the following
1 1/2 cups flour (GF All Purpose Flour will work!)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup raw sugar
2 cups cocoa
4 tsp instant coffee powder
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans 


We also added 1/2 cup chocolate chips which had survived the wrath of Chris Medland's hunger.

Step four:
Stir the concoctions from step 2 and 3 together until well mixed. Pour batter in a greased 9 x 13" pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool and cut into squares.


Chris says: "These make a great breakfast, fresh out of the fridge. I love dessert for breakfast."
That says it all.


Three things to note: 
These are not overly sweet. They are chewy and fudgy and way too delicious, but if you're looking for something knock-your-socks-off sweet then double the sugar and cut the cocoa. 
Four tsp of instant coffee is a lot. If you like coffee, thank me later. If you don't, cut it or ditch it.
Lastly, if you omit the chocolate chips or use a dairy-free version, this recipe is vegan.