Hanover, NH

Michael, the girls, and I went up to Hanover on Saturday, June 18th, for my 10-year college reunion. (Technically, it was my 11-year reunion, but Dartmouth groups three classes together for a "10-year" reunion.) It was great having a picnic lunch on the green, spending time with a couple of my close college friends, and walking around campus and along Pine Park.

After the walk we wanted something refreshing for snack, so we decided to try out the new gelato shop on Main Street. I was so excited that they had two flavors that were dairy-free, egg-free, and corn-free, so we could all enjoy the gelato together. The flavor of the strawberry gelato was especially nice. And the texture was more like soft-serve ice cream, not as icy or cold as regular ice cream or sorbet. Even Naomi, who refuses to eat ice cream or anything too cold, liked it!


Finally, before heading home we went to dinner at the Jewel of India, an Indian restaurant that Michael and I frequented while dating. The food tasted great, but unfortunately the restaurant puts cream or yogurt in almost everything. The next time we visit Hanover, I might want to try going to Mai Thai, another restaurant on Main Street that Michael and I used to go to. Lui Lui in West Lebanon now has a gluten-free menu, so we could also go there.

Going to the Upper Valley reminded me of the many excellent restaurants that Michael took me to on dates when we lived there. Unfortunately, not very many of them are suitable for children. (I.e., if we're going to spend that much money on dinner, we don't want to take our children, as wonderful as they are.) If we ever go back just the two of us, at the top of my list would be to go to Zins, Simon Pearce, or the Parker House Inn. In the mean time, I'll think with fond memories of our picnic on the green and the lovely strawberry gelato.

Sunflower Seed Butter and Maple Cookies

Isn't the color of these cookies awesome? The green inside is due to a chemical reaction of the sunflower seed butter, maple syrup, and baking soda. I think it's great. The flavor of the cookies is great, too. This recipe is based on one in The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook; however, I modified it to make it corn-free. I've been working on this recipe because the last time I visited my mom, she asked if I had a sunflower seed butter cookie recipe to use up the rest of the jar that she had bought for Sabrina and Naomi's sandwiches. I didn't have a recipe at the time, and I wanted to come up with one before our next visit. So here it is. I really like the combination of the sunflower seed butter, maple syrup, and cinnamon. I added the chocolate chips because a bit of chocolate makes most cookies better. And the cool green color is just a bonus.

Sunflower Seed Butter and Maple Cookies
makes about 24 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup sunflower seed butter
• 3/4 cup pure maple syrup. I like using grade B because it has more flavor.
• 2 Tbsp. flax seed meal. I use Bob's Red Mill brand.
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract. Use Trader Joe's alcohol-free vanilla extract or another vanilla extract that does not have corn syrup and is preferably alcohol-free, since the alcohol could be derived from corn. Recently I have been using Rodelle Vanilla Flavor alcohol free all natural extract, which I found at Stop and Shop.
• 1/2 cup dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips. The two kinds I use that do not contain milk fat are Trader Joe's semi-sweet chocolate chips and Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl sift the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon. I shake the ingredients through a sieve or stir them using a wire whisk. Measure the sunflower seed butter using solid measuring cups and scrape it into a medium size microwave-safe bowl. If your sunflower seed butter is refrigerated, microwave it for about 30 seconds to warm it up. Measure the maple syrup using a liquid measuring cup. Add the maple syrup, flax seed meal, and vanilla extract to the bowl, and stir. Next stir in the dry ingredients until no trace of flour remains. Then stir in the chocolate chips.

Using a cookie scooper or a tablespoon measuring spoon, scoop the dough and place it on the baking sheet, keeping a couple of inches between scoops of dough. Press down slightly on the balls of dough. If you use a small scooper, then you'll need two baking sheets and the recipe will make about 24 small cookies. Bake the sheets one at a time in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes each. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to continue cooling.

Thai Coconut Curry Noodles with Chicken

Here is a fun recipe that uses Thai-style rice stick noodles. I bought a bag of them at Trader Joe's and wanted to find a recipe in which to use them. They're thick, not thin, rice noodles that take about 8 to 10 minutes to cook. I like this recipe because as the noodles cook, they absorb the flavors of the chicken broth, coconut milk, and spices. At first I followed the original recipe and cooked the noodles with broccoli slaw. That was fine, but broccoli slaw can be expensive if you buy it in a bag, and I'm too lazy to make my own. Plus, the broccoli slaw sometimes was still a bit too crunchy when the noodles were done cooking. Then I tried substituting the slaw with carrots, peas, and water chestnuts. This vegetable combination was colorful and tasted great, so I think I'm going to make it this way from now on.

Thai Coconut Curry Noodles with Chicken
serves 2 adults and 2 small children

Ingredients:

• 1 to 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 medium onion
• 2 medium carrots
• 1 Tbsp. red curry paste. I use Thai Kitchen brand because it's labeled gluten-free.
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric (optional)
• 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts that are kosher or organic (about 1 to 2 breasts, depending on their size)
  
• 1 1/2 cups Imagine organic chicken broth OR Trader Joe's organic free-range chicken broth
  
• 1 14-ounce can light coconut milk. Try to get one that contains just coconut milk, water, and guar gum.
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  
• 1 and 1/2 tsp. fish sauce
• about 6.5 ounces (half a package) of traditional Thai-style rice sticks
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1 8-ounce can of sliced water chestnuts, drained
  
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice

Instructions:

Place a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Chop the onion. Peel the carrots and cut them into thin coins. Add the canola oil to the pot and heat the oil until shimmery. Then add the onion and carrots and saute until the onion is tender. While the vegetables are sauteing, thoroughly rinse the chicken breasts, cut them in half length-wise, and then cut them into thin strips width-wise. When the onion is softened, add the red curry paste, ginger, coriander, and turmeric to the pot. Stir for about 1 minute. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the chicken to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, for about 3 to 4 minutes, until the outside of the chicken has cooked.

Pour the chicken broth and coconut milk into the pot. Stir in the brown sugar, sea salt, and fish sauce. Bring the liquid to a simmer. Then rinse the rice noodles in cold water. (If I don't do this, Michael sometimes has an allergic reaction to something coating the noodles.) Break the noodles in half, put them in the pot, and set the timer for 10 minutes. Stir constantly for about a minute so that the noodles don't stick to each other or to the bottom of the pot. Lower the heat to medium or medium-low so that the liquid simmers but doesn't boil vigorously. Stir frequently while the noodles cook. After the noodles are done cooking, turn the heat off and stir in the peas, drained water chestnuts, and lime juice.

Chocolate Mug Cake

This dessert is for days when you want to have a dessert RIGHT NOW. It's also for days when it's way too hot to turn on the oven, like it was for us last week. The only not-so-quick part about the original recipe was that it called for coffee to enhance the chocolate flavor. We're tea drinkers here, not coffee drinkers, so we don't usually even have coffee beans in the house. Fortunately, I discovered a fast solution when I want to add a bit of coffee flavor to my chocolate dessert. The new Starbucks instant coffee called Via is 100% microground coffee without any corn products added, unlike most other instant coffees. So now, from start to finish, I can have my chocolate cake with a hint of coffee in just 15 minutes. If you are a coffee drinker and usually have some in the house, just use coffee instead of the water in the recipe and omit the instant coffee granules.

Chocolate Mug Cake
serves 2 adults

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. (or more) dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips. The two kinds I use that do not contain milk fat are Trader Joe's semi-sweet chocolate chips and Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips.
• 1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour
• 2 Tbsp. Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa
  
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• pinch of sea salt
  
• 1/4 tsp. Starbucks Via Ready Brew instant coffee (optional -- or use 1/2 tsp. if you like a more pronounced coffee flavor)
• 3 1/2 Tbsp. light brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. water (or coffee)
  
• 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract. Use Trader Joe's alcohol-free vanilla extract or another vanilla extract that does not have corn syrup and is preferably alcohol-free, since the alcohol could be derived from corn. Recently I have been using Rodelle Vanilla Flavor alcohol free all natural extract, which I found at Stop and Shop.

Instructions:

Take 2 mugs or 7-ounce ramekins and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of chocolate chips (or more if you would prefer) in the bottom of each. In a small bowl whisk together the flour, unsweetened cocoa, baking soda, sea salt, and instant coffee. In a separate bowl combine the brown sugar, applesauce, water, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ones. Divide the batter evenly into the two mugs. Place the mugs in the microwave and heat on high for 1 minute 10 seconds. Remove the mugs from the microwave and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.