Tart Sparkling Lemonade

I love the idea of lemonade, but find that even freshly squeezed homemade lemonade is usually too sweet, and often grainy with undissolved sugar. So, I decided to stop whining about it and figure out a ratio that worked for me. The grainy sugar problem I solved with simple syrup. (Just boil some water, add an equal amount of sugar and stir until dissolved. Keeps in the fridge for 3 months.) This is a recipe for a very tart--with just a touch of sweetness--sparkling lemonade.

Ingredients per cup:

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon simple syrup or agave nectar
3/4 cup chilled sparkling water
ice

Method:

Stir together the lemon juice and simple syrup in a medium sized glass. Stir sparkling water in gently so as not too lose too many bubbles. Gently add ice.

Gluten Free Crock Pot Cornbread

So I wanted a summertime corn bread that I didn't have to make in the oven. I also wanted it to be gluten free. I don't think I have celiac disease, but my digestion seems better when I avoid gluten. This may just be because when I do eat gluten these days take-out is normally involved. Anyway, I couldn't find any recipes for gluten free crock pot cornbread, so I made one up. It worked! Here it is:

Ingredients:

1 cup finely ground cornmeal, preferably stone milled
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons mild flavored oil, such as canola

Method:

Add oil to crock pot and rub it around the bottom and up a few inches of the sides. Turn crock pot on high. Mix dry ingredients together, then create a well in the middle. Beat the egg in the well. Pour buttermilk into egg, stirring as you go, then stir the whole thing together until smooth.

Let it sit for a while, until slightly poofy...about 10 minutes.

Pour cornbread mixture into crock pot. Cook for at least an hour, probably closer to an hour and a half. The cornbread is done when it starts to brown around the edges. If you like a crustier bread, cook it until it is a little browner. Poke at the middle before turning it off to make sure it is cooked through. Run a knife around the sides and lift it out of the crock pot with a large spatula. You may need to cut it in half first to make it more manageable. Eat it now or cool on a rack.

Carrot Peanut Soup with Indian Flavors

This is a soup I made based on a recipe I saw on the D.C. Foodies blog. (To see the original recipe click here.) I was looking for something using both carrots and peanuts that wasn't too sweet. This seemed to fit the bill, with a flavor base of leek, garlic, ginger, cumin and coriander. The major adjustments I made were to reduce the amount of carrots for a thinner soup and to omit the coconut milk as I thought this would make it too sweet for my taste. The end result was a smooth soup of mild sweetness with Indian flavors. I wanted to have cornbread with this soup, but it's summer, it's the South, and southern summers and hot ovens don't mix. So I came up with a surprisingly good recipe for gluten free crock pot cornbread that I'll share in my next post.

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons butter

1 leek, white part only, washed and chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

3 Tablespoons chopped ginger

3/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3/4 pounds carrots, peeled and chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and roughly chopped

4 cups chicken stock (homemade or low-sodium)

1/4 cup chunky peanut butter

lime wedges and cilantro for garnish

Method:

Saute the leek, garlic, and ginger over medium heat until slightly browned. Add the cumin and coriander and saute until aromatic. Add the stock, pepper and carrots and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until carrots are tender. Add peanut butter, stirring well, and return to a boil then turn off the heat. Allow to cool, then blend with an immersion blender, a regular blender or pass through a food mill. Serve hot, passing lime and cilantro at the table.