Calling All Bagels!

When I first became gluten free, I essentially focused on eating “whole grain” foods such as rice, potatoes, corn, and quinoa. I bought a block of brown rice bread to make toast, both the toaster and French kind, and swore by rice crackers to anyone who would listen. As far as I was concerned, that was all I needed.

Transitioning to the gluten free lifestyle in 2008 was the perfect time to be gluten free. Cookbooks and baking mixes and labeling were showing up everywhere and in abundance. I started to do research, buying mixes and cookbooks, and became interested in food like I never was in my BGF days. While I was rather obsessed in a less than healthy way about what I considered to be healthy food and eating, I never thought how much I would change simply because I took wheat/gluten out of my diet.

When I was finally diagnosed with hypothyroidism in April of last year, I felt it was the perfect opportunity to unveil my idea for Meals with Morri. The blog itself had been sitting dormant for almost a year, and I still had no idea what my focus what going to be (aside from the gluten free lifestyle, of course). After the diagnosis, however, I became enthralled with how to live a happier and healthier life, and for some reason it was extremely food-oriented. It took another year before I started really looking into understanding how diet and other lifestyle choices affected a person with hypothyroidism, and how I could help the world by providing recipes, storytelling, and current events (the third being a relatively new concept on this blog). Meals with Morri has been viewed by people from all over the world, and I am so humbled to see how far it has come in a year. And although I consider myself still a novice with big dreams, I will never forget where it all started.

It all started with bagels.

Bagels were the epitome of my childhood. There were nights where Mama Dazz and I couldn’t sleep and we’d have late-night bagel parties in the kitchen. When I attended Catholic school and sang in the choir, we went to Einstein’s Bagels after the one Sunday a month I was required to sing for a sermon. (I always got lox on an "everything" bagel. Best. Combination. EVER.) Whenever we went on vacation and had to drive somewhere, like Virginia Beach, New York, or North Carolina, I ordered a McDonald’s breakfast sandwich as, you guessed it, a bagel.

Bagels were my favorite baked good, and I loved it with cream cheese, jam, peanut butter, honey, butter, etc. When I became gluten free, I was not impressed with the options I had, so I did the most logical thing I could think of: I made them myself.

My 2010 Bagel success.

My “I have no idea on the fundamentals of gluten free baking so I’m going to wing it” experience with bagels were simple enough: gf baking mix + gf bagel recipe = gf bagels. But then I started playing around with flours and gums, mainly rice flour, glutinous rice flour, tapioca starch, and xanthan gum, and I liked the results much better. For some reason, though, I stopped trying to perfect bagels even before Meals with Morri was a sparkle in my eye.

Soon after, the Gluten Free Ratio Rally rekindled my desire for a delicious bagel.

What I love the most about this movement is the joint effort of showing the world that, if you have a ratio for a recipe, you can use just about anything to make it. Whatever the types of flours, liquids, sweeteners, or binders you use, having a ratio makes it possible. Measuring ingredients by weight is fundamental for this process, even for those not living the gluten free lifestyle. Cake flour does not have the same properties as whole-wheat flour, so we should not assume garbanzo bean flour is the same as buckwheat flour. True, many flours can be and are interchangeable, but having a scale makes it significantly easier to experiment with different ingredients and flour combinations. What the GFRR has done is bring a lot of passionate people from all over cyber space, many with additional dietary restrictions to consider, and turn a ratio into a recipe that can be enjoyed by many who have to work around the same allergies, intolerances, and health issues. It is a movement to show how empowering it is to embrace your so-called dietary/health “restrictions”.

If you have a ratio, i.e. a foundation for a recipe, you can make/do anything.

When the spaces for the 2012 months needed to be filled, I enthusiastically exclaimed that April would be all about bagels and that I’d love to host the process. Despite my getting sick for the majority of the month, I made many batches of bagels. After all, I was hosting. With Udi’s making a bagel that looked and acted like one (never ate one personally, but I’ve heard positive reviews), I felt there was this expectation to making The Perfect Bagel, especially since I was hosting. And despite my learning that I should keep it simple before dressing up the recipe, I went ahead and dressed it up anyway.

I had in mind to create a sweet potato bagel, but I started getting frustrated with the trials. That, and we were running out of sweet potatoes.

The first thing you must realize when making bagels is: do not use the entire yeast packet. Bruce Ezzell’s bagels called for 3 g of yeast to his 1.9:1 flour:water ratio (or 2.25:1 sponge:flour ratio if you prefer), and for some reason I was surprised how yeasty and “spongey” the dough was when I put seven times the amount of yeast in it. It tasted sour and I had to add over 100 g of additional flour to compensate.

The second trial, in addition to correcting the yeast amount, focused on changing how I used the sweet potato. For the first trial, I used it as part of the flour ratio, which probably made the dough wetter than it should have been. So I used it as the “liquid”, making it dry and having to balance that issue with additional liquid, going from too dry to too wet in seconds. Instead of putting in flour, however, I put in whole CGF rolled oats. I still wasn’t content with the bagels, but the oats did something to the flavor and the texture that reminded me of a hearty bagel.

To be honest, the sweet potato bagel was not my first bagel idea. My original idea was to make a blueberry bagel, but not in the traditional sense. With my CGF oats, both whole and powdered, my mad scientist tendencies were flaring up and I was inspired to try out my blueberry idea. So what did I do? I bought freeze-dried blueberries, powdered the dickens out of them, and incorporated that blueberry flavor (and purplish color) throughout the entire bagel.

As hostess, I stuck with Ezzell’s ratio as best as I could, though I think I would have liked the recipe better made with other binders like egg. But I followed the directions and used the ratio that was given to me, even making it vegan-friendly. I halved the recipe due to the overabundance of bagels on the kitchen counter, and it will make a week’s worth of bagels you can eat for breakfast each morning with a smear of nut butter or cream cheese.

Will I try again? Definitely. Will I compare the difference between the “traditional” bagel versus the ones made with eggs and oil? Oh, yes.

For now, I give you my recipe for this month’s GFRR, and it was such an honor to host it.

Blueberry Oat Bagels

For the sponge: to be made 4 to 12 hours before baking, but any longer will result in a very yeasty (and admittedly sour) bagel.

100 g Quinoa flour
100 g Garbanzo bean flour
50 g Flaxseed meal
250 ml Warm water
3 g Dry active yeast

Combine the ingredients in the bowl of a standing mixer and mix with a spoon till the ingredients are combined.
Set aside at room temperature for at least 4 hours. (To get the blooming process going, I put the bowl on the stovetop in the back while the oven was preheated on the warm setting for an hour or so.)

To make the bagels:

100 g CGF oat flour
93 g CGF rolled oats
1 1/2 – 2 tsp. Sea salt
18 g Maple syrup
30 g Freeze-dried blueberries, powdered

Baking soda (1/2 tbsp. for every 2 liters or 1/2 gallon of water)

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
Add the salt, maple syrup, blueberry powder, oat flour, and oats to the sponger, and attach dough hooks to your mixer and mix at low speed for a few minutes until thoroughly combined. (This can also be done by hand.)
Once the dough is mixed, remove it to your counter and cover with a cloth to let it rest for 5-10 minutes.
While the dough is resting, place a wide, fairly deep pot filled with water on the stove to heat (measure the water so you know how much baking soda to use).
Once the water comes to a simmer add the baking soda.
Divide the dough into 6 - 7 pieces, and round each piece and set aside to rest for a few more minutes, covered.
To shape take each ball of dough, flatten out slightly using the palm of the hand, making a disc approximately 3.5 inches wide.
Make a hole in each using your thumb and place back on the counter, covered, to rise.
After 10 minutes flip each bagel over so the bottom is now facing up. (When this side begins to get slightly puffy and rounded it is time to boil.)
While the bagels are in their final rise bring your water to a simmer, then add the baking soda.
Drop the bagels 3 – 4 at a time into the simmering water (depending on how large your pot is).
They bagels will drop to the bottom and slowly begin to rise. (When this happens, flip the bagels, either with a spatula or flattened spoon, and let them simmer for another minute.)
Remove from the water using a skimmer or large spoon, and place them on a half-sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 6 – 7 bagels.

So, who else participated in this month’s GFRR? Continue on to find out!

Brooke | B & the boy    Peanut Butter & Jelly Bagels
Jenn | Jenn Cuisine     Sun-dried Tomato Parmesan Bagels
Mary Fran | FrannyCakes     Cinnamon Raisin Bagels
Adina | Gluten Free Travelette     Garlic Egg Bagels
Heather | Discovering the Extraordinary     Gluten-Free Bagels, with variations
gretchen | kumquat     Cinnamon Raisin Teff Bagels
Jean Layton | GF Doctor Recipes Gluten-Free     Sourdough Bagels
Meaghan | The Wicked Good Vegan     Vegan Gluten-Free Bagels
Meg | Gluten-Free Boulangerie     Classic Poppyseed Bagels (Vegan/Food Allergy-Safe)
*Morri (Me!) | Meals with Morri     Blueberry Oat Bagels
TR | No One Likes Crumbley Cookies     Classic Gluten-Free Bagels
Angela | Angela's Kitchen     Gluten Free Bagels with variations
Caleigh | Gluten Free[k]     Orange and Caraway Bagels
Caneel | Mama Me Gluten Free     Just Plain Bagels
Pete and Kelli | No Gluten, No Problem     Faux Pumpernickel Bagels

Spiced Butternut & Carrot Stew with Herbed Quail Egg Custard Cups

I must have thought up the following post over a dozen times, some of which I had written and some that I had thought up when there was time to spare. I thought of mentioning Mother Nature’s sense of humor, my travels, my hectic schedule, and other things that I feel may interest you (well, to amuse you, anyway). But for the moment, because I’ve missed blogging, I’m just going to say this: I’m glad I have a scale.

Artful Dodger makes a mean Americano!

When I visited the boyfriend in Harrisonburg (he’s at JMU for his job), I sadly left my scale behind. For one excruciating week I tried *shudder* baking by volume, and all my recipes that I had been successful in simply turned out floppish and unappealing. It occurs to me that when I bought my scale, I used it for cooking, yes. On a darker side, I also used it for portion control, so that I’d know just how much was going into my mouth and what. Recently, however, I realized that it helped me keep track of my eating in a positive way. I wasn’t eating nearly enough for my fitness regimen, and last week was quite all over the place. By Friday I couldn’t take it anymore.

I had a decision to make; either I drive two and a half hours to get my scale from him or buy a new one. After weighing the pros and the cons, I figured it would be easier and more economical (I mean, have you seen gas prices lately?) to buy a new one. It’s shiny and sensitive and has that new scale smell, but I still like my old one better. We have a history, it and I. Though I happily say I broke the new one in with not one, but two recipes, and it has become what looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

The stew-soup hybrid (stewp, perhaps?) itself was something I’ve wanted to do for a while now. It’s not exactly what I expected, but it was still delicious. I plan on tinkering the recipe and trying again, because I think it needed more carrot and ginger, maybe an extra helping of coconut milk. But when you blend it, don’t put it all in at once! You’ll end up with a boiling hot mess all over the blender and counter-top. Believe me, I know this from experience.

The herbed quail custard cups were merely an experiment to celebrate the awesomeness of having a scale again. I can’t tell you enough how amazing recipes are with the accuracy of measuring by weight, and then assuring those wanting to try it out themselves that it will work for them also. I do think they were in the oven a little longer than they had to be, but it was something new and different to have for dinner. 

Spiced Butternut and Carrot Stew

567 g Butternut squash, peeled and cut
191 g/ 4 medium Carrots, peeled and cut
16 g Fresh ginger, peeled and cut
4 Garlic cloves, whole
240 ml Water
400 ml Coconut milk
1 tsp. Sea salt
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Turmeric
1/2 tsp. Cracked pepper
1/2 tsp. Cloves
1 Bay leaf

Put all of the ingredients in a pressure cooker or large pot on medium heat until the vegetables have softened.
Pour the mixture into a blender in batches until completely pureed, and then back into the pot to reheat.
Serve hot and garnish with homemade bacon pieces* and a dollop of sour cream.

Serves 4.

Herbed Quail Egg Custard Cups

183 g/ 18 Quail eggs
366 ml Water
1/2 tsp. Sea salt
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/8 tsp. Powdered rosemary
Dash of Paprika
Homemade bacon pieces*, optional

Preheat the oven to 325ºF.
Place 6 small oven-proof bowls or ramekins in a large roasting pan and fill the pan so that the water comes three-fourths the way up the sides of the ramekins.
Remove the ramekins and carefully place the pan of water in the oven.
Combine the ingredients for the custard (except the paprika and bacon pieces) and blend until the mixture is uniform and evenly fill the ramekins.
Bake for 30 – 40 minutes, or until the custards are almost set.
Remove them to a rack to cool, and either refrigerate to serve chilled later or serve warm.
Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika and bacon pieces on top.

Makes 6 small custards. Serves 3 – 6.

Bacon pieces*: For bacon I can eat, I simply buy thinly sliced pork belly at bake it in an aluminum foil lined baking sheet, covered also, at 400ºF until it takes on a bacon-y crispness. That’s usually when I season it with sea salt and cracked pepper.

Grain-Free Savory Crepes

The University was alive in color yesterday. I couldn’t help but be awed by the clouds rolling in the distance while the campus was basking in sunlight. There were girls in maxi dresses and sandals, walking with purpose in their natural feminine swagger. There were boys in their fraternity t-shirts, offering one of their brothers up as a target for a dollar an egg. Groups of twos and threes lazed on blankets in the grass, listening to music, studying, and gossiping.

It was a beautiful day, a gorgeous day in fact, that it seemed like a tragedy to be cooped up indoors. That may just be the most torturous thing a professor could do; deny their students a beautiful day. But really, they are stuck inside with us too, so we really can’t blame them for that.

I bring this up because this was likely one of the very few days I’ve witnessed the George Mason community stopping to smell the tulips simultaneously. As finals and graduation and other hectic things are weeks away, it seemed like the campus decided that there were other things more important than tedious PowerPoint slides and stressing out over which notes are relevant to the upcoming exams.

For once, the Universe and the weather told us concurrently “Enjoy today.” And it was a nice feeling, not taking life so seriously all the time.

I was (and sometimes am) what is called a “worrier”. The worrier is someone who is never at peace with themselves, insecure with what was, what is, and what will be. This is the person obsessed with the past, with all the things they did and didn’t do, all the opportunities that came and went. At the same time, they are equally as obsessed with the future, insecure with their own intuition and thus heading down the path of mediocrity simply because it’s the safest route. My “worrier” was rearing its nagging little head on Sunday, and for most of the night I was thinking of all the things I had to do this week. Mind you, with the workload I had anticipated, I would’ve been able to handle it. But on a Sunday night, when you’re certain the Armour Thyroid dose you’ve been taking isn’t enough and everything looks to be happening all at once… that’s when things get hairy.

Despite my worrier tendencies, I’m not much of a serious person. I do my best to not take life seriously. Does that mean I think life is a joke? Goodness, no! But when I see other college kids tearing their hair out and crying because the header for their final paper is a centimeter off, that’s when life is taken too seriously.

And honestly, there are just not enough hours in the day for such graveness.

I think there is this tacit expectation that we have to get life right every time, to be perfect in everything we do. These expectations, while it may seem like it’s great motivation or wonderful advice, in reality it just adds more and more stress upon the already strained shoulders of the student body.

We already have heavy books to carry around. We don’t need any more pressure.

Seriously though, yesterday couldn’t have been more perfect. Previous tensions seen in old friends’ eyes were significantly lessened, and there was a different mood heard in the voices throughout the campus. It was a lighthearted mood, a celebratory mood, an infectious mood. No one was immune.

I’m not the worrier I was on Sunday, nor the worrier I was on Monday. The things I had been fretting about since last week are no longer anxieties. I celebrate getting the summer internship I applied for. I celebrate having more time than I anticipated. I celebrate the finalization of CARmunity and look forward to next week’s interest meeting. I celebrate my official position as Officer of Diplomatic Affairs and Student Representatives for CARmunity. I celebrate the continuation of my journey in regards to health and healing. I celebrate my friend’s twentieth birthday (Happy birthday, E.!) I celebrate my inspirations, my recipes, and the random things that make me smile.

So remember this: the more time you spend on worrying, the less time you spend on celebrating. If I hadn’t gotten out of my own way, didn’t sweat the small stuff or worry over the things I couldn’t control, I wouldn’t have had the time to make the meal I did.

Although I must admit, I am quite proud of myself.

There seems to be a lot of things I’ve never made before, even BGF. First it was the biskies, now it’s these crepes. My first crepe attempt, actually. As in, my first crepe attempt ever. Grain-free too. And believe me when I say this, I was quite nervous.

Oh yes, my worrier was showing, but not for long.

I followed Ruhlman’s recipe to a “T” this time. I read and reread the directions until I could recite it from memory. I made the batter ahead of time before the boyfriend showed up for another Morri “Classic”. For one millisecond I thought I would screw up the crepes, at least the first one. But then I focused on how exciting making crepes for the first time was, how awesome this recipe was going to turn out, how epic this post was going to be. I came up with a way to getting underneath the crepe cleanly by the third one without hesitation, and the combination of flavors was better than I had expected.

You want to know what I didn’t do? I didn’t take myself seriously. I didn’t sweat it. That, along with my winning attitude and my patience towards every crepe, was the reason behind my success.

After dinner, the boyfriend and I talked about the meal. He and I both agreed that these crepes were to be for savory dishes solely, but I will do another crepe recipe specifically for a dessert or sweet breakfast. I’m thinking coconut, glutinous rice, and amaranth.

Yum.

Grain-free Savory Crepes, Chili Sin Carne Filling, & Kale

For the crepes:
8 oz Milk
4 Large eggs
1.5 oz Quinoa flour
1.5 oz Buckwheat flour
1/4 – 1/2 tsp. Sea Salt, to taste

Combine the ingredients and blend with a whisk or hand blender until they are uniformly combined.
Let the batter rest for half an hour in the refrigerator, up to a day if you would like.  
Heat your pan over medium heat.
If you are using a well-seasoned cast iron or crepe pan, or you have a non-stick skillet, you only need to wipe the surface with some vegetable oil with a paper towel. (If you’re using stainless steel, swirl a teaspoon or so of butter in the pan to coat the bottom).
Pour just enough batter to coat the bottom (I used the 1/4 c. measuring cup for consistency) as you tip the pan.
Allow it to cook untouched until it’s set, about a minute.
Gently turn the crepe and briefly cook the other side, about fifteen seconds.
Remove the crepes to a plate or rack as you make more. (The can be used immediately or they can be allowed to cool. Once cool, stack them, cover, and put in the refrigerator until you want to use them.)

Makes 10 crepes.

For the filling:
1 14.5 oz Canned tomatoes, drained
1 15 oz Canned black beans, drained
1 Small onion, finely diced
2 Cloves garlic, finely diced
1 tsp Chili seasoning (mine was homemade)
1 tbsp Olive oil

Combine the ingredients for the filling in a medium-sized cooking pot over medium heat.
Once the onion has softened, set it to low while prepping the crepes
In a large cooking pot, add the ingredients for the bed of kale on medium to high heat until cooked down.
When the crepes are done and the filling is cooked down, lay out a crepe and place a litter of the filling in the center.
Using your fingers, roll the crepe around the filling. Place the crepe seam side down on the plate so it doesn't open.
Your crepe is now complete. Put as many you think you can on your plate over kale.

For the bed of kale:
1 Head of kale, roughly chopped 
Drizzle of Olive oil
Water (about 1/4 c.)
1/2 tsp Crushed garlic
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

Turn off the kale when the leaves have wilted and the stems have softened, but the greens still have a vibrant green color.

Serves 2, with a sure chance of leftovers.

I-Can't-Believe-It's-Avocado and Carrot Quick Bread / Muffins

In light of becoming active and meeting other gluten free bloggers, I decided to become a participant in the Gluten Free Ratio Rally, hosted this month by Silvana Nardone of Silvana's kitchen. Last month was pancakes, hosted by the awesome dynamic duo behind Gluten Free Girl and the Chef. This blog was just a glint in my eye at the time, a sparkle, a dream, but now is my chance.  I really want to take part this month and the months to follow.

Designed by the very talented Anile Prakash

This is going to be so cool.

When I came home from studying abroad in Sweden in January, a box of foodie delights awaited me. They were my belated Christmas gifts from my mom. And though I hadn’t expected any gifts (because, for those of you who’ve gone abroad, it’s freaking expensive), let alone wrapped, they were received with squeals of delight and a sing-song of thank you’s echoing throughout the house.

It was what any health nut foodie could have asked for. There were movies (“Ramen Girl”, “Chocolat”, “Julie and Julia”, “Like water for chocolate”)… and there were cookbooks. I was given Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking and Michael Ruhlman’s Ratio.

Julia and I haven’t really had the time to get to the crème brulee or the cervelle de canute. But Michael? Michael and I have become good friends in the kitchen.

Ratio has really opened my eyes to this inevitable fact of life: not all flours are created equal. Meaning, not all flours weigh the same. One cannot simply substitute one cup of all-purpose wheat flour for a cup of gluten free flour. I mean, you could, but the turnout you were expecting may be significantly different than what comes out. Each flour type has specific properties. One may create a moist crumb (like quinoa or coconut) while another is preferable for a drier crust (like amaranth). One may keep the ingredients together (like glutinous rice flour) while another is meant for leavening (like starches). It’s all about balancing the ingredients and harmonizing the textures and tastes.

This awesome little book, although not necessarily considered for the gluten impaired, has sparked a revolution in the gluten free blogging community. (Hence, the Gluten Free Ratio Rally.) With measuring by weight, I can expect my recipes to come out a certain way and still have that creative freedom to not make the same thing twice. I can use different flours, different liquids, different sweeteners, different fats. As long as I stick to the ratio of the recipe I want to make, the results are as limitless as my imagination.

I missed last month’s festivities, but not this month. This month, I am paying it forward. I am giving back to those whose blogs were so inspirational.

They still inspire me.

I decided to make muffins from the quick bread ratio in Ruhlman’s book, a healthier version of your average carrot cake. The ratio calls for 2 parts flour, 2 part liquid, 1 part egg, and 1 part fat. But it was the fat part I was having difficulty with.

While experimenting with my new scale for the last two months, I made four batches of quick bread. The first three tasted okay… except for the greasy crumb that came with it. I tried three different fats: butter, grape seed oil, and olive oil. All were measured in accordance to the ratio, and all produced a similar oily crumb. Last night I was thinking of ways to lesson the fat ratio or substitute it without sacrificing the taste of the recipe… and then it hit me.

Avocado.

Not only was it a healthier alternative, I was adding some major greenage and healthy fat to the batter. It was a win-win all around. The taste of the avocado is subtle, but works well with the carrot and the cinnamon undertone. The best of all? It was light and moist with a delicate crumb, perfect for a light snack with a cup of tea. Not too sweet, but sooo delish.

My kind of muffin.

I-Can’t-Believe-It’s-Avocado and Carrot Quick Bread / Muffins

3 oz Millet flour

1 oz Amaranth flour

1 oz Quinoa flour

1 oz Glutinous rice flour

2 oz Arrowroot starch

1/2 tsp Sea salt

2 tsp Baking powder

2 tsp Cinnamon

8 oz Milk

2 Large eggs

4 oz Avocado meat (one medium avocado)

2.5 oz (roughly 1 c.)/ three medium-sized Carrots, skinned and finely grated

2.25 oz (roughly 1/2 c.) Walnuts, finely chopped

2 oz (roughly 1/3 c.) Raisins

1.5 oz Maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350ºF (176ºC).

Combine the flours, baking powder, and salt in a medium-sized bowl.

Using a blender, combine the milk, eggs, avocado, and maple syrup until it has a smooth consistency. (I used the blender specifically for the avocado… but you can mash it up by hand and simply add it to the wet ingredients also)

Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl, and mix the wet and dry ingredients using a whisk or hand-held blender until thoroughly combined.

Add the grated carrot, walnuts, and raisins to the batter and mix until they are evenly distributed.

Pour the batter into muffin tins (greased or with baking cups) or a greased loaf pan. The muffins take about 35 minutes to bake (the loaf takes between 45 minutes to an hour), but check to make sure they are done with a toothpick or knife.

Makes 12 muffins or one loaf.