Chocolate Puffed Buckwheat Cereal

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Chocolate Puffed Buckwheat Cereal

Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Vegan

Adapted from nourisheveryday.com by My Little Blue Heron Kitchen

Here's an updated recipe for this great breakfast cereal. 

Reminiscent of Cocoa Puffs, but sans gluten, sugar or chemicals, this recipe is a healthy breakfast champion.

Most of the ingredients can be found from a gold mine website called OliveNation. I think you will find the site a fantastic resource. Puffed buckwheat isn’t an easy find, and OliveNation has it. It used to be available on Amazon, and you can buy it at Kalustyan’s in NYC (a great shop, but pricey), but you can count on this site for these puffs and a whole lot more. 

Unlike puffed rice, puffed buckwheat isn’t crisp. It’s puffy and a bit chewy, and texturally can be a little challenging. But it actually tastes like buckwheat (which is pretty cool.) This recipe crisps it up and makes it totally fun, chocolatey, delicious and not too sweet! You can try to make this with puffed rice, corn, millet or sorghum. 

Head over to olivenation.com, where you’ll find not only every ingredient you’ll need for this recipe, but other organic puffed grains, remarkable and unusual extracts and flavorings (I added cappuccino flavoring to my coffee this morning, and brown sugar flavoring to my fruit and cottage cheese!), sugars of all types, ground flours, grains, nuts, oils, vanilla beans, paste, extracts, flavorings and ground vanilla, baking staples, candies, unusual and hard to find items like verjus du perigord, dried mushrooms .. etc. etc. etc.! (I’m not getting anything from them, seriously, I’m just jazzed about their stuff.)

This fun recipe is a snap to make. It comes together in a few minutes, and stored in an airtight jar, it’ll last for at least a month (if you don’t devour it before.) It’s easy to make and simple enough to make with young children. Delicious on its own, combine it with other cereals, sprinkle it on yogurt, cottage cheese or even use it as a topping on ice cream! 

When I can use it, I opt for ground vanilla rather than vanilla extract. If you use pure ground vanilla, use half the amount you’d use when adding extract. I love OliveNation’s organic chocolate extract. I added it to this recipe for a richer chocolate flavor.

The combination of cacao and carob can be played with. If you don’t have carob or cacao, use cocoa powder. I love carob because it’s naturally sweet (and chocolate’s naturally bitter.) Carob is from an evergreen tree indigenous to the Middle East and the Mediterranean. A real perk is that it doesn’t trigger headaches. When I use cocoa, I use Valrhona from France. I think it’s the best, but that’s just my opinion.

Keep an eye on your puffs. Take care not to over-bake the your puffs or they’ll get bitter. When the baking is completed, the finished cereal won’t be crispy. Don’t worry: it’ll crisp up as it cools.

Due to its saturated fat content, I’ve moved away from coconut oil. Of course, you can stick with it. If you do, I recommend ‘refined’ coconut oil (you can find organic refined coconut oil.) It’s flavorless and it won’t scream COCONUT! I opt for flavorless oil like canola, or in this last batch, I combined canola oil and hazelnut oil. I love how hazelnut marries with chocolate. So chic!

Maple syrup or honey are great options for sweeteners. I’m not vegan, but I prefer maple syrup. 

If you’re of un certain age, like me, you might remember that cute commercial, “I want my cocoa puffs”.  Today, “I want my BUCKWHEAT puffs!”

Sending puff-peace, and love,

Jane

Chocolate Puffed Buckwheat

Equipment: Bowls, microwave proof measuring cup or small saucepan, two baking sheets, parchment paper

Ingredients:

7 cups puffed buckwheat

1 Tbsp. cacao or cocoa powder (dutch process, like Valrhona, Guittard, Droste’s)

2 Tbsp. carob powder

4 Tbsp. coconut or tasteless or nut oil 

     (Use refined coconut oil or the taste of coconut will dominate.)

4 Tbsp. Maple syrup or honey (raw, local and organic is great) 

2 tsp. vanilla extract OR 1 tsp. pure ground vanilla bean

     OR split the extract as such: 1 tsp chocolate extract (organic preferred) and 1 tsp vanilla extract or 1/2 tsp.       

     ground vanilla

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 325º F.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper

In a large bowl, measure puffed buckwheat. Add the carob, cacao/cocoa, and if using, the ground vanilla. Whisk together to combine.

In a small saucepan, heat together the oil(s), syrup or honey, and extract(s) until warm.

Pour the warmed liquid over the dry ingredients and with a large spoon, stir until combined and well-coated. A Danish whisk is a perfect tool for this recipe. 

Divide mixture between the two baking sheets and bake for approximately 20 minutes, rotating the sheets, top to bottom and back to front and flipping the cereal very gently with a large spatula about half way through the bake.

Remove trays from oven and leave on sheets until completely cooled. The cereal will harden and crisp. 

Store in an airtight container (I like glass.) Will keep for about a month.

Puffed Buckwheat - Chocolatey!

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Chocolate Puffed Buckwheat

Gluten and dairy free (with a vegan option)

Adapted from nourish everyday.com by My Little Blue Heron 

Remember cocoa puffs? These are a little reminiscent, but without the sugar blast or gluten. 

You’ll need to find puffed buckwheat. The first place I found it was at the great shop in NYC called Kalustyan’s. They sell it, but in small batches. You can buy buckwheat puffs from this fantastic resource, Olive Nation. (Explore the site for extracts, baking ingredients and sales!) 

Puffed B'll last for a while. I mix it into yogurt, cottage cheese, and mix it into my other gluten free cereals. It has a nutty taste, its texture is not unlike packing material, but I like it. 

What's cool is this recipe transforms these little puffs into little crunchies, and has them doing "The Tighten Up". Final product is just a tiny bit sweet, delicious and fun! I haven’t tried this with other puffed grains, but you can try this with (untoasted) puffed rice, corn, millet or sorghum (all available at OliveNation.com.)

This fun recipe comes together in a few minutes, and stored in an airtight jar, it’ll last for a at least a month. It’s easy to make and can be a really fun project in the kitchen with your kids!

I prefer using ground vanilla over vanilla extract. I like this brand, but, there are other great choices for pure, ground vanilla. GROUND vanilla quantity rule is 1/2 the quantity of liquid vanilla extract. Instead of adding to wet, mix it into your dry ingredients.

The combination of cacao and carob can be played with. If you don’t have carob or cacao, use cocoa powder. I love carob because it’s naturally sweet (chocolate’s naturally bitter.) Carob is from an evergreen tree indigenous to the Middle East and the Mediterranean. A real carob-perk is that if you get headaches, unlike chocolate, carob won't trigger them.

Take care not to over-bake your cereal. When the baking is completed, the finished cereal won’t be crispy. It'll crisp up as it cools.

I love this liquid coconut oil. It’s easy, flavorless and organic. If you shy from coconut oil, try another flavorless oil, like canola, sunflower or safflower. Or go bold with a dash of nut oil .. hazelnut oil will really complement the chocolatey profile.

Use honey (raw, organic and local is ideal) or for vegan/lower fodmap, I love maple syrup.

puff-peace, and love,

Jane

Chocolate Puffed Buckwheat

Equipment: Bowls, microwave proof measuring cup or small saucepan, two baking sheets, parchment paper

Ingredients:

5 cups puffed buckwheat

1 Tbsp. cacao powder (or cocoa powder)

2 Tbsp. carob powder

1 tsp. ground cinnamon (I like Ceylon)

4 Tbsp. coconut or flavorless oil (liquid, unflavored and organic is great)

4 Tbsp. honey or maple syrup 

2 tsp. vanilla extract OR 1 tsp. pure ground vanilla bean

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 300º F. (150º C.)

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper

In a small bowl, whisk together: carob, cacao, cinnamon, and if using, ground vanilla bean.

In a large bowl, measure puffed buckwheat. Add the measure flavors and using a whisk or spoon, stir to combine.

In a microwave-proof measuring cup or bowl, warm (on med-high power) for about 30 seconds, the coconut oil and honey (or maple syrup), and if using, vanilla extract. OR, heat gently in a saucepan. The mixture should be warm and liquid. 

Pour the warmed liquid over the dry ingredients and with a large spoon, stir until combined and well-coated.

Divide mixture on to the two baking sheets and bake for approximately 20-30 minutes, flipping the cereal very gently with a large spatula about half way through the bake. Turn the sheets front to back and top to bottom. This will avoid the outermost edges from burning.

Remove trays from oven and leave on sheets until completely cooled. The cereal will harden and crisp. 

Store in an airtight container. Will keep for about a month.

Macaroons For All

Macaroons for All!

Vegan, Gluten Free, Paleo

Adapted from beamingbaker.com by My Little Blue Heron Kitchen

These are the simplest and most delicious macaroons I’ve made. If you don’t have these ingredients, run and get them! Neither gummy nor cloying, these macaroons are so satisfyingly chewy and light, you’ll donate those awful cans of gooey lumps and make these your holiday and every day macaroons. Keep them between layers of wax paper or parchment, airtight, at room temperature for a week. Freeze them for months. 

You’ll need five ingredients (you can get away with four if you omit the vanilla extract.)

If you don’t have refined coconut oil, please buy this. For baking, refined coconut oil is preferred because the taste of coconut is undiscernible. I use it all the time, even in these coconut/almond cookies because I want to taste the ingredients, not the fat. Try Nutiva brand, 

Buy SHREDDED and unsweetened coconut. I like this brand. You can buy it in some stores or online at you know where. Bob's Red Mill is good, too. Whatever brand you buy, organic is always a great choice. Finely shredded isn't optional, it's a requirement. The same for blanched almond flour. Don’t use the ‘natural’ flour or meal with skins. Almond flour is different than almond meal. Almond meal is good for breading things. 

I just bought a large bag at Costco.  

 No need to use your best maple syrup for baking. I always use the darkest syrup I can find. Grade “b” is no longer a permissible “grade”, so look for “formerly grade b” or “dark amber” descriptions.

My vanilla extract is from Baldwin’s in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It’s a fortune. There’s also some sugar in it, so if you’re a strict paleo human, you won’t use this. If you’re strictly GF, add ¼ tsp. Authentic Foods, certified GF vanilla powder.  If you want vanilla flavor without sugar, if you’re feeling solvent, buy some vanilla beans. You can scrape the seeds from a vanilla bean into the batter (1/2 a bean will do). Throw the empty bean into some bourbon and vodka (keep throwing them in and hide them in the dark in a glass jar, sealed.) Eventually, you’ll have sugar-free vanilla extract!

With the Mueller report and all, I think I’ll ➖➖➖and then nickname these Redactaroons. I can market them in ➖➖ and in ➖and I'll send a batch over to ➖ ➖and see if they'd like me to do some food shows.

Spring is a season of renewal, rebirth and hope. Please try not to lose hope. Get out and breathe. Stay in and breathe. Check out the app Headspace (in the app store), or at headspace.com. You can explore this great resource on your own time and share it with your children, too. Find a local sangha. If you’re in NYC, head over to one of three MNDFL meditation studios, two in Manhattan and one in Brooklyn. Check it out! Vipassanistas: Head for NY Insight another great place with wonderful people, with sanghas all over the tri-state area. 

Enjoy these macaroons. Be happy, healthy, safe and may your life feel easy.

peace, love, hope and truth,

jane

Macaroons (with chocolate variation)

Equipment: Baking sheet, parchment paper, food processor, measuring cups and spoons, spatula, small 1” cookie scoop, cooling rack

Ingredients: 

1¼ c. unsweetened, shredded coconut, preferably organic

¼ c. finely ground blanched almond flour

3 Tbsp. refined coconut oil (SOLID, not melted!)

¼ c. maple syrup

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Procedure:

1.  Preheat oven to 350º F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

2.  Measure ingredients and put all into your food processor.

3.  Pulse until batter comes together.

4.  Using a spatula, remove from food processor bowl into another bowl. There will be some liquid under the blade. Scrape the liquid into the new bowl and mix together.

5.  Using a cookie scoop, place mounds on parchment lined cookie sheet, leaving 1 1/2 inches between mounds (they will spread just slightly).

6.  Bake until golden, about 12-15 minutes. 

7.  Cool completely before removing/optionally decorating/storing.

Yield: approximately 16 cookies and more for chocolate (about 22)

Chocolate variation: reduce almond flour to 3 Tbsp. + ½  tsp., add ¼ cup cacao or dark cocoa and 1½ additional Tbsp. maple syrup. DON’T OVERBAKE! 

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Fudge

photo by Jonah Rosenberg

FUDGE 

gluten-free, with dairy-free and nut-free variations

adapted from Sunbutter by My Little Blue Heron

Easy to make, chocolatey, rich, satisfying and scrumptious, this creamy confection keeps well, is great for kids and adults .. in time for Passover (not macaroons!), Easter and will be a satisfying nosh for the upcoming impeachment hearings!

Adjust this recipe .. to your taste and diet: make yours with cocoa or cacao, vegan and nut-free, vegan and nutty, buttery and nut-free or pull out those stops and make it chocolatey, buttery and nutty. 

If you're using cocoa, choose a good quality dark one. I like Valhrona from France. I buy it (in bulk) on Amazon. You can find this and other excellent brands at very good markets. If high end cocoa doesn't appeal to you, pick up some Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa – it’s easy to find, and it's good. Alternatively, use raw cacao. Cacao is what our neighbors and friends from Mexico use for molé sauce.

Navitas Naturals is a great choice:  

Cacao'll quell chocolate cravings whilst supplying you with important nutrients like magnesium and iron.

(oh) Fudge keeps "forever" in the fridge. You can freeze it, but it's not going to last that long.

Nut allergies?, use sunflower butter. Buy “Sunbutter”, or make it in your Vitamix. Buy roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds. (Trader Joe’s is a great resource.) It's so easy: throw them in your Vitamix and use that tamper thing. Make any nut butter for this recipe!: almond, hazelnut, cashew or peanut butter. Be sure to buy roasted and unsalted nuts. Make sure your nuts are fresh. Expired nuts are bitter and should be discarded. For obvious reasons, making your own is always your best choice. Of all the nut butters, peanut butter (a legume butter) will lend a strong flavor to your fudge (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.)

MLBH truc: Store opened nuts in the freezer, and use them as soon as possible because they begin to taste like the freezer pretty quickly. You can toast unused nuts in the oven at 350º F. until they're just slightly toasted (the oils will surface). Cool them completely and store them in a glass jar in a cool pantry. Use them for eating, baking, and for sprinkling on salads and veggies. 

Be creative: swirl some raspberry or strawberry jam thru the fudge before you put in in the fridge. If you're making this for kids, melt some marshmallows (or be lazy and use Fluff).  Mix in some cocoa nibs or chocolate bits, chopped nuts or dried fruit. Candy some orange rind and lay a piece on each square. Use liquor instead of extract…try Frangelico, Grand Marnier or coffee liquor. I infused my hazelnut fudge with Frangelico and decorated it with candied violets. (You can candy your own violet petals by brushing them with egg white and sprinkling them with sugar and letting them dry, or you can order them online.) I bought mine at Kalustyan's in NYC. You won't find them in their online catalogue, but if you call them, they may be available.

Are you leading a dairy-free life? Easy: use coconut oil, but use refined coconut oil. Refined coconut oil won’t dominate the confection, and you'll decide what layers of taste you want without coconut masking all other flavors. Refined coconut oil is pretty much odorless and doesn't readily taste of coconut. In the U.S., I like Spectrum brand.

Vitacost.com is a great online market. If you’re not already familiar with this resource, do check it out: great products, competitive pricing, and their house brand is terrific, and much less pricey (super fine rice flours – and yes, refined coconut oil!) Good to know: excellent customer service. Any issues? They're good eggs.

MLBH truc: Sift your 10X (powdered sugar) and cocoa twice: first separately, then together. Fudge umami guaranteed.

peace and love,

jane

photo courtesy of Jonah Rosenberg

Fudge

Prepare:

Lightly spray and line: a quarter sheet pan, or a small cake pan (8x8 or smaller), or a small loaf pan, with parchment or non-stick foil, leaving ends hanging over two ends of pan, enabling you to lift fudge from pan for cutting.

Vanilla powder is recommended for certified GF baking.  

Ingredients:

¼ c. unsalted butter or refined coconut oil

1/3 c./100 ml. milk or culinary coconut milk, “lite” or regular/nondairy milk

2 tsp vanilla extract or ½ tsp. vanilla powder or liquor/flavoring of choice

4 ½ c./196 g. 10X (powdered sugar), sifted

½ c./46g. cocoa powder or raw cacao powder, sifted

¼ to ½ tsp. salt

½ c. sunflower or nut butter of choice

optional additions: cocoa nibs, chopped chocolate, jam, coconut, marshmallow, chopped nuts, dried fruit...

Procedure: 

1. Sift together the 10X and cocoa/cacao, and salt. Set aside.

2. Measure sunflower/nut butter. Set aside.

3. Measure milk/coconut/nondairy milk. Set aside.

4. In a large saucepan, melt butter/coconut oil.

5. Stirring, with a wooden spoon, add sugar/cocoa mixture, a little bit at a time, until completely   
    blended.

6. Fold in sunflower or nut butter.

7. Fold in optional ingredients.

8. Using a spatula, transfer to prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula or knife.

9. Cover with a piece of parchment or waxed paper and refrigerate until firm.

10. Lift from pan and using a sharp knife, cut to desired shape and size. Cut all or leave some
      and cut "on demand".

11. Keep fudge well wrapped in a covered container in the fridge.