This yummy casserole evolved from my Summer Squash Latkes. The last time I had made them, the zucchini was so wet that the latkes would barely stay together. I’d added more millet flour, but that hadn’t helped enough. The next day, I took the last few pancakes and baked them in a loaf pan with cheddar cheese on top. The result was so good that I thought I’d construct a similar casserole on purpose.
 
I had three leeks from my last visit to the farmers’ market, so I added them instead of the grated onion typically used in the latkes. And I incorporated more cheese and flour. Otherwise, this is really a latke casserole, if you like an oxymoron.
 
Summer Squash and Leek Casserole
 
3 leeks—light and white parts
olive oil
3 medium yellow squash, grated
1 teaspoon salt
pepper
3/4 cup millet flour
8 ounces (2 cups) medium cheddar cheese, grated and divided
2 eggs
 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9” x 13” pan.
 
Cut leeks and wash thoroughly, using a sieve. Save the dark green parts for another recipe. Chop coarsely. In a medium skillet, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add leeks and sauté at medium-low for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
 
Grate squash (using the large setting) into a mixing bowl. Grate cheese, and divide in half. To the squash, add salt, pepper, millet flour, half of the cheese (1 cup), and eggs, mixing well. Spread in the 9” x 13” greased pan. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top.
 
Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes (convection oven: 350 degrees for 22 minutes). Allow to cool several minutes before cutting. Serve immediately. Yield: 4-6 meal-sized servings or 12-16 side servings.

                                                                                            ***
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This casserole was my lunch today, along with some green grapes. It was tasty, filling, and certainly a lot easier and with much less fat than the latke recipe.
 
I’d be interested to know how zucchini (or zucchini mixed with yellow squash) works in this recipe. Please write and let me know your experience. 

I could easily live without crackers. And the gluten-free crackers I have tried have been too crispy.  Before making these Almond Crackers, I had never baked crackers and felt no need to start now. However, for the memorial of my dear friend Claire, her husband requested gluten-free crackers. I offered cheese scones, but he cannot eat dairy. Then, I learned that he had called Claire “The Alchemist” because she could turn just about any gluten-free flour into delicious crackers.
 
That made it even more imperative that I bake some amazing crackers for Claire’s memorial. I located the following recipe, one I would never have tried otherwise. I didn’t have time to test it before the day of the memorial. Fortunately, this is a super easy recipe. The hardest part is rolling the dough—and that is not so hard.
 
Almond Crackers
 
2 cups blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
1 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 and 1/2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon sea salt (divided)
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
 
Using a fork, mix almond flour, olive oil, water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt until it forms a ball. Cut parchment paper the size of a large cookie sheet. Press dough between two sheets of parchment paper, rolling to 1/16” thickness. Slice into crackers. Do not worry if the edges are not straight. Carefully lift parchment over cookie sheet. Remove top level of parchment paper. Use a salt shaker to sprinkle with remaining salt.
 
Bake at 350 degrees for 6-9 minutes, until crackers are lightly browned. Cool completely before moving. Transfer to airtight container.
 
I haven’t tried the variations suggested in the original recipe, but you can have fun adding herbs or seeds or substituting honey for some of the liquid. Can be topped with cinnamon instead of salt.
                                                                                        ***
At the memorial, Claire’s husband smiled and gave me the thumbs up after tasting the crackers. The few that I had kept at home (those pesky edges that weren’t uniform in shape) were still crisp several days later. I am planning to make these again for my family, especially as the crackers are vegan, and my sister cannot eat dairy.
 
Thanks Claire! I will always think of you when I make this recipe.

If you’re looking for that amazing dessert to make for a special celebration, look no further. This Flourless Chocolate Cake with Whipped Cream Topping is light, chocolaty, and satisfying. It’s not one of those flourless cakes that could double for fudge. Instead, it’s more of a chocolate sponge cake that combines with the chocolate whipped cream to create a melt-in-your-mouth sensation.
 
I baked this cake for a party I held recently, and it got raves reviews from everyone. Then, I took a large portion to my daughter’s house. My three-and-a-half-year-old grandson asked me if it was my birthday. I told him that it wasn’t my birthday and that I wanted to share the cake rather than to keep it all to myself. After he’d eaten his portion (rather quickly, and he’s not a sweet-lover), he told me, “Thanks for sharing your cake with us.” I think you’ll feel the same after you take your first bite.
 
Flourless Chocolate Cake with Whipped Cream Topping
 
For four cake layers:
12 ounces (3 boxes) Baker’s bittersweet chocolate, broken into chunks
6 tablespoons water
12 large eggs, at room temperature
1 and 1/3 cups sugar (divided: 2/3 cup + 2/3 cup)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Ghirardelli® cocoa)
 
For filling:
2 cups heavy cream
6 tablespoons confectioners sugar, sifted
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
 
Cake layers:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease four 9” cake pans; line the bottoms with parchment paper. Then, grease the parchment paper.
 
Place chocolate and water in a pan on a warmer tray or over a double boiler. Stir occasionally until chocolate is melted. Cool before adding to egg mixture.
 
Separate eggs, placing whites in a very large bowl and placing yolks in the bowl of a stand mixer. Combine yolks, 2/3 cup sugar, and salt. Beat until thick and light-colored (approximately 5 minutes with a stand mixer or 8 minutes with an electric mixer.) Blend in the melted chocolate on low.
 
Using clean beaters and a hand-held mixer, whip the egg whites until the soft peak stage.
Sprinkle with the remaining 2/3 cup sugar, and continue beating until the stiff peak stage (you should be able to turn the bowl over, and the whites will not move). Using a flexible spatula, fold one-third of the whites into the chocolate mixture. Next, carefully fold in the rest of the whites until uniform in color; do not overmix.
 
Pour batter into the four prepared pans. Bake at 350 degrees (convection oven: 325 degrees) until the top is dry to the touch. This took 25-30 minutes in the convection oven. However, the original recipe called for 15 to 18 minutes, so check frequently to avoid overcooking. Cool 5-10 minutes.
 
Sift cocoa powder over the layers. Loosen the edges with a flexible spatula before inverting onto a cookie sheet (two layers per sheet). Carefully remove parchment. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least an hour to assure that layers can be moved without breaking.
 
Filling:
About two and one-half hours prior to serving time, beat cream and confectioners sugar until the stiff peak stage. Do not overmix or it will turn into butter!
 
Assembly:
Remove one cake layer from freezer. Place cocoa side down on serving plate. Cover with one-fourth of the filling. Repeat with each layer, always having the cocoa side down. The final layer will be whipped cream.
 
Refrigerate until ready to serve. Layers should defrost within two hours in the refrigerator. Refrigerate all leftovers. Cake can be frozen in pieces for up to two or three months. Allow to thaw in refrigerator for several hours or at room temperature for about 45 minutes.
 
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I waited to post this blog until I’d tried a piece of the frozen cake. It was perfect! Just follow the directions for thawing, and definitely do not microwave it. Now that I know that this cake freezes so well, maybe I won’t have to wait for a special occasion to bake it again. 

It’s that time of the year when people are begging for something new to do with their summer squash. Another zucchini bread? No need. You can make these healthy and delicious pancakes for lunch, dinner, or as a side dish.
 
This is a recipe I’ve been making for two years, but I've added new modifications. So, I’m revisiting the recipe here so that you can enjoy it in its improved incarnation. The pancakes were always tasty, but they didn’t stick together as well as I’d have liked. So, I'd been adding an extra egg, to make two. The last time I cooked these latkes, I also added more millet flour (1/3 cup rather than 1/4 cup), and I added more salt, in part because so much is lost when the liquid is removed from the squash. The result was a much more firm pancake that didn’t lose any of its amazing flavor.
 
Summer Squash Latkes
 
3-4 medium yellow squash or zucchini, grated
1 teaspoon salt
1 small to medium onion, grated
1/3 cup millet flour
2 eggs
pepper
oil for frying (I used olive oil)
 
Peel squash; grate. Place in a large bowl with salt, and wait a few minutes until the salt makes the squash weep. Then place in a wire mesh sieve, pressing liquid out over a bowl or the sink. Continue until liquid is removed. Pat squash and bowl dry. Return squash to bowl. Grate onion and add to squash. Add millet flour, egg, and pepper, mixing well.
 
Heat about 1/4-inch oil in a large skillet over medium or medium high heat; do not allow oil to burn.
 
Using a large spoon, drop pancakes into hot oil, pressing them flat with the spoon or a spatula. Fry until edges brown. Turn and fry other side. Press pancakes to remove moisture from inside. Drain onto plates covered with paper towels. Add more olive as needed.
 
Serve hot with sour cream and/or applesauce. Yield: 10-12 pancakes. Refrigerate any leftovers with a paper towel to absorb moisture. Note: To reheat, place in toaster oven or conventional oven. Do not microwave.
 
                                                                                         ***
I find these filling enough to make a meal out of four or five, especially when accompanied by sour cream and applesauce. For those of us who don’t eat nightshade vegetables and therefore can’t have a potato pancake, these Summer Squash Latkes are a welcome alternative. And those of you who can eat potatoes will also love this healthier option.

It was a day with nothing that I had to do. I thought I’d bake cookies. I started pulling out old cookbooks, looking at the front cover, and wondering which one held the recipe that I would next transform from wheat-filled to wheat-free. I’d been thinking “oatmeal,” so I stopped when I found an old booklet from Quaker® oats, one I had forgotten I owned. This recipe for “Wholegrain Jam Squares” needed the typical changing (see substitutions), but I made a small mistake when calculating the amount of flour and arrowroot starch. I guess it was just that kind of a day, because I also misread the amount of salt as the amount of baking soda. Whatever...it was already in the bowl. Also, I decided to add more xanthan gum since there’s no egg in the recipe. My point is that all my “mistakes” and deliberate changes made this an amazing dessert. In fact, it was hard for me to stop after eating two bars. So, I cleaned out the pan, giving me a few extra crumbs to munch on.
 
Oatmeal Squares with Preserves
1 cup + 3 tablespoons sorghum flour
3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch
1 and 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups gluten-free old-fashioned oats
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup pecans, chopped by hand (to retain the oil)
3/4 cup preserves (red raspberry or your choice)
 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9” x 13” nonstick pan.
 
In a large bowl or stand mixer bowl, whisk sorghum flour, arrowroot starch, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Add oats, brown sugar, butter, and pecans. Blend on low. Set aside 1 and 1/2 cups of the mixture.
 
Press remaining mixture into the bottom of the pan. Spread evenly with preserves. Crumble the rest of the oat mixture over the top.
 
Bake in at 400 degree for 25-30 minutes (convection oven: 375 degree for 20 minutes) or until top is golden. The mixture is too wet to check with a toothpick. Cool thoroughly before cutting into bars. Yield: 24-30 bars. Freezes well.
 
                                                                                       ***
I’m glad I had something to distract me from trying to eat these immediately. Although they would have tasted great, the bars would have crumbled. Instead, I let them set about an hour before cutting them. Then, I had to use a stiff plastic spatula; I was a bit concerned that they wouldn’t come out. But they were perfect in every way—buttery, with the oatmeal and pecan crunch, and the delicate flavor of the preserves. And they maintained their shape better than most gluten-free baked goods.
 
Warning: Do NOT make these right before you start a diet. They are still calling to me now.

When my mother visited a few weeks ago, I made my typical pasta salad. Pasta salads are perfect for guests who arrive after air travel, especially when you’re not exactly sure whether they will be early or late. The salad improves with age, and you’ve long since cleaned up after preparing it. All you have to do is pull it out of the refrigerator, and dinner is ready.
 
So, I knew I wanted to make another pasta salad when my boyfriend’s sister arrived this past week. But I get tired of the same recipe (as much as I love it), so I omitted the olives and mozarella. And I added chick peas and asparagus. The result was a fresh and cool salad that was filling enough to be lunch on its own. We ate it the second time with melon. Yum!
 
Vegan Pasta Salad with Asparagus and Chick Peas
1 8-oz. box gluten-free shell pasta (I prefer Ancient Harvest)
1/2 bunch broccoli, separated into flowerets/bite-sized pieces
3 carrots, sliced in 1/4-inch rounds
1 lb. asparagus, sliced
1 small to medium red onion, chopped
Pepper to taste (do not salt as it will make vegetables lose moisture)
Viniagrette dressing
Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)
 
Cook shells. Drain. Cool shells by running cold water over them. Drain thoroughly. Set aside in a large bowl. Refrigerate while preparing vegetables.
 
Remove woody ends from asparagus by clasping them in bunches with two hands and snapping them. The woody parts will break off. Discard them. Then, separately steam or microwave with a little water the broccoli (5 minutes), carrots (5 minutes), and asparagus (3 minutes). Drain each vegetable, and allow to cool. Add to pasta along with red onion and pepper. After mixing, toss with dressing, and allow to chill at least several hours for flavors to blend. Yield: 6-7 large servings or more side salads. Keeps about 5 days.
 
                                                                                         ***
There was only a small amount that remained today, so I added it to raw salad of broccoli, radishes, green onions, and Kalamata olives. Feta and Parmesan topped my salad, but my boyfriend ejoyed his vegan.
 
This is an easy salad that you can double to feed a crowd. It’s great at a potluck or for a picnic. Get creative by adding some of your favorite ingredients.

It’s hard to believe how much changing one aspect of a recipe can improve its flavor and texture. I had always loved my sorghum biscuits, but I am a maximizer. That means that I am always looking for the best way to satisfy my needs—in food, shopping, my career, etc. Two months ago, I was baking the Flaky Sorghum Biscuits to accompany homemade Cheddar Soup. On a whim, I decided to substitute millet flour for half of the sorghum flour in the original recipe. As much as I liked the sorghum biscuits, the addition of the millet flour makes them even better. Or so I thought, but I wondered if my memory were fooling me. To be more certain, I whipped up a batch this morning due to our unseasonably cool temperatures in Missouri. These biscuits are easier to knead, fluffier and seem more like a wheat flour biscuit in texture than the recipe when made without the millet flour.
 
Sorghum-Millet Biscuits
2/3 cup sorghum flour
2/3 cup millet flour
2/3 cup arrowroot starch
Rounded 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup (5 and 1/3 tablespoons) unsalted butter—keep cold until use
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup water
 
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
 
Mix sorghum flour, millet flour, arrowroot starch, xanthan gum, sugar, salt, and baking powder using a wire whisk. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender. Mixing with a fork, add only the amount of liquid needed to bind ingredients and form a rough ball. If extra liquid is needed, add very little at a time; this keeps biscuits flaky.
 
Knead in the bowl at least 20 times or up to a minute. Then roll out dough to about 1/4-inch thickness and cut with a biscuit or cookie cutter. Arrange on ungreased cookie sheet (or line pan with a silicone baking sheet).
 
Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes, checking before time to avoid burning. (Convection oven: 425 for 8-9 minutes). Yield: about 7 biscuits; can be doubled. Freezes well.

                                                                                                 ***

My day started with a homemade biscuit, slathered in butter and topped by red raspberry jam. Of course, there was also my standard coffee with cream. I am still smiling.

Don’t let the less the beautiful picture deter you from taking it seriously. This recipe is rich in chocolate and so easy to make! Other than melting the chocolate, all you have to do is blend four ingredients.
 
Recently, my son and his girlfriend visited from California. I needed something vegan that they would be able to eat and that would also fit my dietary needs. This Vegan Chocolate Mousse was something I could literally whip up with ingredients in my pantry. It was a hit with my son, his girlfriend, and my mom, whose diet is neither vegan nor gluten-free.
 
I was especially pleased at finding such as tasty and cholesterol-free version of this classic dessert. Omitting the eggs means that this recipe is easier to prepare than a  traditional mousse.
 
Vegan Chocolate Mousse
1 package silken tofu
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups gluten-free chocolate chips (I prefer EnjoyLife® brand)
 
Using a warming unit or double boiler, melt chocolate chips. In a food processor or using a stand mixer, blend the tofu until completely smooth, approximately 1 minute. (Note: With the stand mixer, the tofu became very small but never completely smooth; this did not affect the taste, but the color was not uniform.) Mix in the sugar and vanilla. Blend in the melted chocolate. Refrigerate, waiting 4 or more hours before serving. Yield: 8 servings.
 
                                                                                          ***
This vegan and gluten-free version was delicious and lasted in the refrigerator for a week, far longer than a mousse with eggs. True, the consistency was not as light as the original. Still, the taste was rich and chocolatey and for only about half the calories of a traditional mousse: 250 vs. 450.
 
I look forward to making this recipe again, whether my guests are vegan or not.

If you’ve followed my blog, you’ll know that I love scones. In fact, one of the benefits of being gluten-free is that I have to bake scones to have breakfast food available.

Last week, my two grandchildren were coming for their first joint sleepover. I asked one of my grandsons whether he’d prefer cereal or scones for breakfast. “Chocolate scones!” he replied immediately. Chocolate chip scones had always been my son’s favorites, back when I could purchase wheat flour scones. My daughter and I had preferred the blueberries ones baked by our favorite coffee shop.

Generally, I am not in favor of chocolate for breakfast, so I had not created any gluten-free chocolate scones. But I was confident that using my basic scone recipe, this variation would turn out well. And I was correct!
 
Chocolate Chip Scones with Almonds
1 and 1/3 cup sorghum flour
2/3 cup arrowroot starch
rounded 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup gluten-free semi-sweet chocolate chips (I prefer Enjoy Life brand)
1/2 cup sliced almonds
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
 
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
 
Whisk sorghum flour, arrowroot starch, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. In a small bowl, mix egg, cream, and vanilla.
 
Cut butter into dry ingredients with a pastry blender. Add egg mixture, stirring with a fork until just mixed. Add chocolate chips and almonds, and knead in the bowl about 10 to 15 times.
​
On a large greased cookie sheet (or use a silicon nonstick baking mat without grease on your cookie sheet), place all of the dough in the center, patting it to 1” thickness. Then cut into wedges with a butter knife or plastic spatula (if using a nonstick baking sheet), sliding them into place on the cookie sheet. Don’t worry if they break—just push them back into shape with your fingers.
 
Bake at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes. (Convection oven: 400 degrees for 8 minutes, and then turn the oven off for 5 minutes.)
 
Yield: 8 scones (or make 16 smaller scones). Freezes well.

                                                                                        ***

I decided to make 16 scones rather than the usual eight because they are rich and filling, and one of my grandsons is only two years old. These Chocolate Chip Scones with Almonds were a big hit. Both my grandsons loved them, with one of them eating two, the equivalent of a typical scone. A week later, when asked about his favorite part of our overnight, my older grandson said, “The chocolate scones.” The scones might be gone before our next sleepover. I’ve found that a little chocolate in the morning is a welcome change.