I was recently introduced to cardamom, a spice commonly used in Indian cuisine. Aromatic and intense. These little pods pack a punch of flavor. They come in small pods covered in a thin papery shell. It can be pricey, but one little pod goes a long way. It is best to use fresh cardamom still in it’s shell, as powdered cardamom will have lost most of it’s flavor. Cardamom is commonly used to make tea and coffee, and has some known medicinal properties. My dear friend brought me fresh cardamom pods from Sri Lanka and showed me how to make tea with it. Simply add a whole pod or two to a pot of boiling water with a cinnamon stick, cloves and some star anise (sometimes I add fresh ginger too, depends on my mood that particular day). Let the water simmer for about 15-20 minutes until it is fragrant and darker in color. Strain and serve with a splash of coconut milk and honey.
I have been experimenting with this spice, using it in both savory and sweet dishes. Add some into your favorite curry for a pleasant surprise. Just be sure it is finely ground, you don’t want to get an actual “bite” of the cardamom, because it is very strong. Again, like I said before, a little bit goes a long way with this particular spice.
I also discovered that this spice merries very well with the other holiday spices, such as cinnamon and ginger. I thought this cake would be the perfect way to bring it into use this season. This cake makes a lovely breakfast with tea, or a light dessert treat.
Cranberry – Cardamom Upside Down Cake
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup melted butter/oil
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup almond flour, packed
- 1/4 cup coconut flour, packed
- 1/8 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- Preheat oven to 325.
- Grease a 9 inch pie plate.
- Melt together the 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons honey. Pour into pie plate.
- Sprinkle evenly the cranberries and pecans into the bottom of the dish.
- Prepare cake batter: Whisk together the melted butter, honey and eggs.
- Stir in the dry ingredients, until well combined.
- Spread batter evenly over cranberry nut mixture.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove from oven and invert onto serving plate.
Did you know that a Shepherd’s Pie is only called that if you use lamb?? Otherwise it is technically called “Cottage Pie”, if using beef or turkey. Use whatever meat you prefer or have on hand. Depending on the price of meat or the availability of ground lamb, I often use beef. I replaced the usual mashed potato topping with a tasty cauliflower mash… obviously potatoes are gluten free, so it is a preference if you would still like to use them. Just follow the recipe and then simply top with your potatoes instead. However, if you haven’t ventured into the world of cauliflower mash, I want to encourage you to try it in this recipe! I promise you will be pleasantly surprised :)
I have brought this Sheperd’s Pie to a number of family events and potlucks and the dish is always wiped clean! I even get requests to bring it places! There is just something so comforting about this meal.
Shepherd’s Pie
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, diced
- 1 lb ground lamb, beef, or turkey
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 10 oz mushrooms, chopped
- 1/3 cup red wine
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 cup frozen peas
- sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Mashed Cauliflower Topping
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets and steamed 15 minutes
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup grated swiss cheese
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
- The first step is to prepare your mashed cauliflower topping. Combine the steamed cauliflower and all of the ingredients into a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth and fluffy. Set mixture aside.
- Preheat your oven to 400.
- Heat a large cast iron or oven proof skillet with 2 tablespoons oil.
- Saute the onion and carrots, until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add your meat and cook until mostly browned. Add the mushrooms and garlic. Cook for another 3-4 minutes to soften mushrooms.
- De-glaze the pan with red wine.
- Stir in the tomato paste, stock and herbs. Cook down for another 3-5 minutes until some of the liquid cooks out and it thickens slightly.
- Lastly, stir in the peas. Give it a quick taste and season accordingly with salt and pepper.
- Spread the cauliflower mash evenly on top.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden and bubbly.
*if you do not have a dutch oven or oven proof skillet, just transfer the cooked meat mixture to a casserole dish, cover with mashed cauliflower and bake accordingly.
*this recipe is a wonderful potluck dish and is easy to transport… always a crowd pleaser!
I was always the kid eating a bag of popcorn with a handful of chocolate candies at the same time. There is just something so good about mixing salty and sweet. Your taste buds just don’t know what to do!
These decadent brownies are a combination of two of my favorite recipes: my perfect brownies and easy caramel, then sprinkled with a little bit of sea salt. I use himalayan sea salt, which has a lovely pink hue. But use whatever course sea salt you have on hand. Whatever you do, do NOT use table salt.
The Perfect Brownie
- 1/2 cup butter
- 4 oz unsweetened chocolate
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 3/4 cup honey
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour, packed
- 1/4 cup almond flour, packed
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Preheat oven to 325. Grease a 9×9 square baking dish (for thick brownies) or 9×13 glass dish for regular brownies.
- Melt together the butter, chocolate and coconut oil.
- Whisk in the honey. Allow mixture to cool down before adding your eggs.
- Stir in your eggs.
- Add your flours, baking soda and salt. Whisk well to combine.
- Spread mixture evenly into greased baking dish.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Let cool completely before topping with caramel.
Easy Caramel
- 1/2 cup of butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup of honey
- 1/2 cup of cashew cream, coconut milk or heavy cream
- In a heavy bottom saucepan, combine butter and honey. Bring to a boil.
- Continue to cook, stirring frequently until it turns a dark caramel color. You want it to be slightly darker than what you want in the end. Remove from burner.
- Add milk (stand back, it will splatter!) Stir to combine.
- Let cool slightly and allow to thicken, about 5 minutes.
- Pour caramel onto cooled brownies. Spread evenly to cover.
- Sprinkle with sea salt.
- Cut into small squares, as they are very rich! These cut most cleanly once chilled.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 1 week.
*Or try them warmed up for a gooey treat!
Looking for easy appetizers??? I’ll be sharing a few of my favorite recipes this week! First up, cheese…. because you can’t have a party without cheese!
This is a super easy and delicious appetizer that is naturally gluten free! Serve this at your upcoming holiday parties or bring as a dish to share.
Baked Brie with Apples
- 8oz wheel of brie or 1/4 wedge of a large wheel
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
- granny smith apples, sliced
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Place brie on a baking sheet.
- In a bowl, combine pecans, honey and cinnamon. Spread mixture onto brie.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes until cheese is slightly oozing.
- Place on serving dish and serve with sliced apples.
*to prevent apples from browning toss them in a little bit of lemon juice ( as you can see I forgot to do this when taking this photo… )
Remember those little chocolate hazelnut candies that came individually wrapped like a little present in gold foil?? They are now a distant food memory, but I can still taste them… Well those little guys were my inspiration for today’s cookie.
This is kind of bizarre the way this recipe turned out, but you will only need 1 size measuring cup!
Chocolate Hazelnut Thumbprints Cookies
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup almond flour, packed
- 1/2 cup coconut flour, packed
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
chocolate ganache filling (12/17 – I just realized I posted the double recipe for the filling! It is now changed to the correct proportions below *)
- 2 oz unsweetened chocolate
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
- Preheat oven to 325.
- Make cookie dough: Whisk together melted butter and honey. Stir in dry ingredients (except hazelnuts). Combine well.
- Using a cookie scoop or hands, shape into 24 rounds. Roll in chopped hazelnuts.
- Place cookies on baking sheet and making a good size “thumbprint” in each cookie.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes until golden brown. Place on cooling rack and let cool completely before filling with ganache. They will seem soft at first, but will firm upon cooling.
- Meanwhile, prepare the chocolate ganache. Gently melt the chocolate and honey together. (Be sure not to overheat as the chocolate will burn!) Carefully add room temperature butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Keep whisking until shiny and smooth.
- To fill the thumbprint cookies, carefully pour ganache mixture into each cookie. Or you can gently fill the cookies with a small spoon. (Or use a ziplock bag with the tip cut off to pipe in the filling.) The chocolate will eventually set at room temperature, but you can place the cookies in the fridge to speed up the process.
- Store cookies in an airtight container up to 5 days.
*yields 2 dozen cookies
This recipe is very versatile. You can use any nut you would like, and easily change out the filling to your favorite jam. The possibilities are endless!
