finally, recipes!

hey hey fellas! happy monday!

i survived my 21st birthday. thank you all so much for your sweet comments! it was awesome to see new faces around here, too! hi to all my new friends (welcome!), and old friends - you guys make the world go round.

it was an absolutely wonderful day, although 18-year-old rebekah would have hung her head in shame...

i hung out with my amazing family, went for a barefoot run, napped, went to church, and hung out with an old friend. i did have a birthday sip of bourbon, and quickly remembered why my wild-child days are over... i was home by 11pm. apparently between 18 and 21, i turned into a little old grandma :)

i finally have recipes for you guys!

i've been pretty worn out the last few days, so not too much kitchen wizzardry going on here.

but i am still doing my gluten-free trial (still going strong!) and my celiac sister needs bread for school, so i got off my lazy butt to make that gluten-free sandwich bread i've been promising you all for years and years. yes, i'm irresponsible... wanna fight?

i can't believe i'm saying this... but i wrote this recipe! me! klutzy, klutzy me! i didn't have any of the ingredients called for in the recipe i was going to use, nor was it animal-free, so i winged it. it actually turned out really good!

here's my gf version of your classic whole wheat sandwich bread - soft, pliable, and a nice background to fillings, because let's be honest, sandwiches are really just vehicles for hummus, right?

gluten-free sandwich bread
makes one 9x5 loaf

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 packet (or 2 1/4 teaspoons) active yeast
drizzle of honey/sprinkle of sugar
6 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
3 tablespoons sweetener (i used a mixture of honey and blackstrap molassas, but agave is fine)
2 cups gluten-free flours, for structure (i used 1 cup teff, 1 cup brown rice)
1 cup gluten-free starch (i used tapioca)
1 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 1/2 teaspoon salt

let's get cookin:
1. proof your yeast: heat your water to where it's warm to the touch (about 110 degrees), stir in a little bit of honey (or sugar), and sprinkle your yeast over top. after 5 minutes, do you have bubbles? score.
2. stir in your flaxseeds and sweetener.
3. in a separate bowl (or your mixer), combine your flour, starch, xanthan gum, and salt. sift with a fork until ingredients are combined.
4. add your wet ingredients in with the dry, and mix until you get a ball of dough (highly technical). if it seems really dry and crumbly, add a few splashes of warm water and try again.
5. plop that bad boy into a WELL GREASED 9x5 pan and let it rise until doubled (about an hour). my mom taught me to put it in the microwave with a cup of boiling water next to it so it's nice and warm... but DO NOT forget it's there and use the microwave! eek!
6. preheat your oven to 350 degrees. once it's risen, stick it in and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. let it hang out on a cooling rack for 10 minutes still in the pan, then take it out and cool it on the rack until room temp. enjoy!

i also made homemade larabars.

i've made them before, but it's been a while... and these were better anyways. i wouldn't even call it a recipe, and so many people make them i i feel silly even writing it out for you.

if you're interested, i made some with dried figs, raisins, cashews, and brazil nuts. i'm trying to expand my nut repitoire because i'm sensitive to almonds and peanuts, so they were unique! but so, so good - like healthy fig newtons (my childhood obsession).

basically, just process your nuts into fine "sand," dump them in a bowl, and process your fruit into a sticky paste. add to the nuts, and moosh together. divide into balls, and taa-daa! just make sure you use a little bit more dried fruit than nuts so they stick together. i keep mine in a container in the fridge so they don't get funky, and just throw a few in a baggie when i run out the door.

that's all folks!

tomorrow i'm gonna post an email about why i went animal-free. i wrote it in response to a sweet blogger's comment, and thought it might explain a little more about who i am and why i choose to eat the way i do.

i know people are very opinionated about vegans, and understand if you aren't interested in reading my story. i would ask you approach it with an open mind, though, because it's kinda unique! i never thought i would eat this way, either. just a head's up!

have you guys made anything interesting recently?
have you ever "winged it" and written a recipe?
-rebekah