Date & Cranberry Quinoa and Yellow Cupcakes with Pink Strawberry Frosting

Happy Easter to all!

...Taking a quick break from preparing tonight's mini Easter dinner to share a few recipes. The first is for a quinoa salad that is so so good! I found this recipe and changed it up just a bit to end up with a date and cranberry quinoa side dish that is flavorful and puts plain old rice to shame (who gets tired of having rice as a side every day? I DO!)

Date and Cranberry Quinoa:
1 cup quinoa
1 2/3 cup water
1 tsp garam masala
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup cranberries
1 1/2 celery stalks, chopped to 1/4 in. pieces
1/2 large bell pepper, chopped to 1/4 in. pieces
1 1/2 large dates, chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped white sweet onion
2 1/2 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSp canola oil

First make sure you rinse the quinoa well, to remove the bitter saponins. I usually spend about 3 minutes rinsing it, just to make sure they're all gone.

Next, add the quinoa to a small pot with the water, salt, dates and garam masala. Cook over a medium flame, stir occasionally and keep covered until water is evaporated and quinoa is somewhat translucent (cooked).

When the quinoa is done, remove it from the pot. Now add the remaining olive oil and canola oil to the pot.

Allow the oil to get hot, when the oil is hot (check by sprinkling with a bit of water, it should sizzle), put the flame on high and add the onion, caramelize the onions but keep stirring.

When the onions just begin to darken, put the flame on medium and add the chopped celery and bell pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes, then add the cranberries. Cook covered on low for about 3-5 minutes.

Lastly, mix in the quinoa while the flame is still on low and then turn off.

And how about cupcakes for dessert? Here are 2 dozen mini gluten-free yellow cupcakes that are topped off with a NATURAL pink frosting. No food coloring here! I've seen a few of you cleverly incorporate jello into your strawberry cake recipes. I basically took that idea and applied it to frosting. I used an all-natural strawberry jello that I purchased from Whole Foods awhile ago; that pink color you're seeing is from beets! Watch out, though, the frosting is super sweet, which is why I just made enough of it to coat the cupcakes with a very thin layer of it. Double the frosting recipe if you like a thick, sweet frosting. (Click here to see the 'jell dessert' I used in this frosting; it is also gluten free/vegan.)

A Valentine's Day Picnic: BLTs, rice salad, truffles, and cookies!

Going out to eat just isn't as fun as going on a picnic! Here are a few treats that are easy to pack and eat :). First, the chocolate truffles! It isn't Valentine's Day without 'em. I got the recipe from here, it's from Alton Brown. I also made chocolate covered pecan caramels, inspired by Ina Garten's recipe.


Second, tasty, soft and fluffy gluten free orange sugar cookies. Canola oil makes these cookies soft, but they still have an addicting buttery taste and classic sugar cookie flavor; I ate 5 in one day! Eat these for dessert on your picnic or eat them before the main course! The simple recipe includes the following ingredients:

Bake at for about 10-12 minutes at 375, or until edges brown slightly; it's best to refrigerate the dough overnight.

3.5 tbsp potato starch
3/4c white rice flour (more or less, depending on if you want them firmer/softer)
1/3c almond meal
1/3c tapioca flour
2/3c sugar
2tbsp milk
2tbsp canola oil
1.5 tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp orange peel
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
sprinkle with vanilla sugar

Now, the main course. A tasty BLT made with this AMAZING gluten-free bread, nitrate free applewood smoked bacon, crispy ham (I fried it :P), colby jack cheese, and the secret sauce: Jalapeno Maple Dressing (it sounds strange, but believe me, it complements the saltiness of the bacon quite nicely; it's a mayo-based sandwich dressing with a kick!). That sandwich is served with a side of ham and rice salad...jeez, so much ham! But it tastes delicious when combined with unique ingredients and veggies, see the recipe below!

Veggie Desserts!

Nope, haven't lost my mind, if that's what you're thinking after reading the title. But if you lived with me, you might think otherwise :).

Take a look at the baked hand pies, notice the small nibble in one of them? I have a habit of biting sweets and putting them back in the dessert container/cookie jar/bag. There's a bag of chocolates in our fridge right now and I bit into half of them (I'm soooo bad!). I don't just leave them that way, most of the time, I finish them later. I simply like to take small nibbles throughout the day (unless another little mouse finishes the dessert before I do :). Don't worry, I only do this at home! I think I'm going to have to break that habit soon...especially before I have kids haha.

So veggie desserts? Where are the veggies? Those hand pies pictured were filled with an apple cinnamon concoction (crust adapted from Carol Fenster's pie crust recipe), but the unphotographed ones were stuffed with a spiced sweet potato mixture. Good way to sneak in the veggies...or roots...or starches. Whatever they are, they're healthy...very much so. Tons of nutrients.


Even though he's the little mouse who sometimes finishes off whatever I leave half nibbled in the kitchen, my husband prefers lighter desserts. So I made him a Baked Butternut Squash Fruit Salad that reminds me of a warm summer day; it consists of the star ingredient, baked butternut along with pineapple juice, pineapples, coconut flakes, roughly chopped pecans, honey, and cinnamon. I like to serve it with a dollop of homemade vanilla-cinnamon whipped cream. Not too complicated to make, so I didn't write down the instructions or exact measurements. Add as much or as little as you like of each ingredient, then throw it all in the oven for 15 minutes at 350.

With these desserts, you don't have to feel bad about digging into the sweets before meal time; that last treat could even be a very light meal or snack in itself!

Gluten-Free Banana Maple Yogurt Cake and Vintage Thingies Thursday

Warning: Lengthy post ahead (not so surprising ;)!

One of the great things about going on a gluten-free diet when you have a gluten intolerance is that a few months or so later, you notice that you're not as sensitive to other foods you initially thought you were sensitive to. For instance, I eliminated quite a few dairy products from my diet about a year ago, thinking they were the culprit of too many rumblies in the tumbly. Thankfully, this wasn't/isn't entirely true. It seems I'm not as sensitive to milk products as I previously thought. This doesn't mean I can chug down a glass of milk or eat a whole block of cheese (I wish!), but, thankfully, I can handle more dairy than once believed, like yogurt. This is a GREAT discovery. You have no idea how much I love love love dairy products. I've moved from rice milk to lactose-free milk, I've started sprinkling bits of cheese on so many different savory foods I eat, and I've even started adding yogurt to my cakes. Before I began this gluten-free adventure (and it is an adventure ;) I had to take off my wedding ring because it was slipping off! I went to put it back on this weekend, and I actually had to struggle a little to get it on my finger! Thank God for little discoveries like gluten-intolerances (of course, I'm not so thankful for the intolerance itself, but you know how it goes ;). Oh yes, and thank God for allergy tests, it turns out I'm really allergic to sesame seeds! No sesame seeds or oil for me!

Yogurt does wonders for a cake! It adds moisture and flavor! I used Stonyfield Organic Whole Milk Yogurt for this cake to make it extra moist without using tons of butter. You know what other ingredient I love to bake with?? Maple syrup! I know it sounds crazy, that stuff is so rich and sugary, but it adds an element of buttery flavor to sweets, at least that's what I've noticed. Maybe my taste buds are off, but I'm telling you, maple syrup tastes awesome in cakes or muffins. I don't like to pour it on when it comes to waffles or pancakes, but sneak a little bit into that batch of carby delights and you'll see what I'm talking about! I also sprinkled on some cinnamon chips and slivered almonds, this cake does not need frosting! Maureen over at Hold the Gluten had an awesome pumpkin bread recipe that I still need to try! She put cinnamon chips in her bread and I knew I had to get some right away!


When I'm not pouring loads of sugar into my baked goods, I'm collecting old things from here and there :)...for Thingies Thursday! Well, I don't really go out antique shopping that often, but when I'm in need of a new piece of furniture, or something to hold my magazines, or maybe something to hold my other somethings (as you can see, I really try to find any excuse to buy these little thingamabobs we refer to as antiques ;), I pay a visit to my favorite antique store in Cambridge. If you're a fan of antiques, you have to check out the Cambridge Antique Market.

To be honest, I've only gone twice, but when I do go, I stay for quite awhile. There are 4 or 5 floors, I've lost count! My head's too busy spinning round and round (there's so much to look at) that I don't even notice when I've gone from one floor to another; it's like I'm a drifter being sucked in...in antique land. I went this weekend in search of a night stand. Thankfully, I found one at a great price! I hate paying full price for antiques (usually they're ridiculously overpriced) but I got this little table for under $25! (Sorry if you find it tacky that I mentioned the cost, but I just get so darn excited when I find something on sale that I feel like I need to spread that excitement around!) Now that's a steal! I've decided to buy furniture for my apartment slowly, instead of all at once, so that I can purchase something cute with character, a real charm made out of real wood. I figured, if the little table has been around this long, it's sure to last a while longer. I might've looked silly walking two blocks with it then taking a ride on the crazy Cambridge bus with this table, a bag of random groceries, and Christmas wrapping paper (Ah, the car-less life! I had to pick up Christmas wrapping paper, it was on sale :D!!), but I'm glad I did :).

As for the little lamp, that's also an antique I found on Craigslist. I later found one at Goodwill for half the price! :D Other cool items I've found at Goodwill? Antique tea cups! I don't host tea parties, but I'm convinced that one day I just might (you never know!), so I better stock up on the tea cups now ;).

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies (edited recipe)

Note: this is the picture from my first batch :).

One thing's for sure about this gluten-free baking business, it's forcing me to become more precise with my baking. I'm still trying to figure out all the tricks of the trade; it can be a bit tricky. It requires patience and precision. Silly as it may sound, I'm somewhat tempted to bake the same recipe using a different flour each time to really get a 'feel' (or taste) for each one. I think it might allow me to experiment more successfully, or confidently :). Right now, I'm pretty much doing what I used to do before, and that would be 'studying recipes'.

(old photo, the new recipe I just posted below yields much heartier cookies, not thin :)

I just deleted the entry where I talked about the first recipe. I decided to keep these photos of the first recipe. After baking gluten-free for a few months, I came up with a much tastier recipe. So far, this one is my favorite gluten-free chocolate chip recipe :).

Before I say ttfn, I want to thank you all for reading Flour Arrangements, even though it's taken a gluten-free turn. Your comments are always appreciated :)!

No bake Oatmeal Pumpkin Cookies

Check out the flowers and herbs on my new patio! :)

I have been going all day! I woke up at 5:45 and couldn't go back to sleep, so I thought I'd prepare something...I can't say that I baked these cookies, though :). My initial plan was to submit them to Grace's Beat the Heat event, but I got so caught up in moving, flying, packing, and unpacking that I didn't realize the due date was fast approaching; it passed me by.

Since I'd already thought about making these cookies, I went ahead and made 'em. They don't require the use of anything electric, and they come together in one bowl, in just a few minutes! Flour/dairy free, these cookies remind me of the Fall, which is kind of funny considering I was originally planning on making something cool and refreshing for the summery event. But lately the weather's been odd here in Boston. Actually, maybe it isn't odd. I have no idea if it's usually this cool and rainy during August, but it's definitely new to me. I'm used to the unbearable Texas heat :P. Just last night I had to put on a sweater; it got down to 60 degrees! So all this rain mixed with nice days/cool evenings has me thinking about the Fall...it's just right around the corner, and I can't wait! I've heard that the New England area has beautiful Autumns; the leaves actually FALL and change color here?! Yep (again, we don't have much of that in Austin).

So here's a simple recipe for some no bake cookies. I would write more, but I'll be honest, I'm way too tired! After going to the farmers market, then taking 4 different subways into Boston, then seeing the Wharf, Quincy Market, and the yummy Italian bakeries in the North End, I'm pooped! I had a great time, though :). So I'll leave you with this recipe and a few fun photos of today's events!

(Oh, before I forget, I finally got that brand new oven/stove and it works beautifully! :)

Mini Strawberry Pie and a Chocolate Cherry Turnover

Happy 4th of July! Hope you are enjoying the day off with friends and/or family. So far, I've spent the day baking/cooking/grocery shopping...and celebrating the fact that Jose sold our car! Woohoo! This evening we'll hopefully be attending a free orchestra concert with fireworks in the park :D, read about it here. That doesn't start until a few hours from now. In the meantime, I think I'll just relax at home with the hubby, enjoy the day off, and watch the cool/nerdy 4th of July specials on the History Channel. But before I do that, I'll leave you with a few yummy recipes.

The mini strawberry pie is a fun dessert for two, we plan on taking it to tonight's fireworks show :)! As for the turnover -- well, I had a bit of pie dough left over that I didn't want to waste, and I also bought some cherries yesterday. So I made a dark chocolate cherry turnover for Jose.


(I was originally hoping to make a cherry cake, using fresh homemade cherry jam and other good stuff...but then the dough turned into cement-colored gooeyness and, in the end, the 'cake' couldn't be rescued. I tried, really, I even went so far as the bake it, but the outside burned and the inside didn't cook. Such is the life of a Sophie-baked Frankenstein cake.) Thankfully, the dough for the pie/turnover came out really yummy...not healthy, though. I still haven't figured out how to make butter-less pastry dough -- any ideas?


Hope the rest of your day is delicious and fun...and free of kitchen adventures gone wrong ;).

Dairy Free Sticky Toffee Pudding Cupcakes with Kahlua Almond Ice Cream and Caramel/Cream Cheese Sauce or "frosting"

Wow...that's a long title for cupcakes that took an even longer time to make ;)! I enjoyed coming up with this fun recipe for ice cream cupcakes. It was kind of exciting trying to figure out how I'd convert a sticky toffee pudding recipe into a sticky toffee pudding cupcake recipe. Initially, I was a little worried that the cupcakes would come out a bit gooey, but with some recipe-improvising, I was able to figure out a way to give the gooey pudding a cupcakey texture. I used one less egg and substituted the butter with canola oil.

The tricky thing about making these cupcakes was the dairy free part...so when it came time to make the 'caramel cream cheese frosting', I ran into a few problems that led to unexpected discoveries! Normally I'd use heavy cream to make caramel sauce, but this time I used soy creamer. I was hoping it'd be a tad bit thicker than soy milk, and possibly serve as a nice alternative to heavy cream, but I was wrong. The soy creamer pretty much dissolved as soon as it hit the caramel colored, burnt sugar; it's almost like it took on the form of water. Strange. Anyone have any tips on how to make dairy free caramel? I could sure use 'em!

On to the unexpected discoveries... Since the caramel sauce was watery, I decided it'd have a richer taste if it was combined with something like tofutti cream cheese frosting (I've made caramel sauce in the past, but for some reason, it really wasn't working out for me this time -- I had to re-do it 3 times!). I also had some issues with the tofutti cream cheese frosting (probably because I've never made any kind of cream cheese frosting before ;) -- it turned out a little on the watery side, but all was not lost! The end result was a lightly flavored, creamy and syrupy caramel sauce that nicely complemented the rich pudding-based cupcakes and crunchy soy ice cream.

Next time I make these cupcakes, I'd like to make the soy ice cream. I don't have an ice cream maker at the moment, so I wasn't able to do it this time around. I do think I experimented enough with the cupcakes and topping, though. But I wonder how the ice cream would've turned out if I tried making that dairy free?!

I'd now like to take the time to applaud each and every talented dairy-free baker/blogger who effortlessly creates delicious treats...how do you all do it?!

I had so many of these cupcakes, and I knew my husband and I wouldn't be able to finish even half of the batch, so I thought I'd have him take another version of them to work. I knew it'd be too messy to transport the cupcakes with an entire scoop of ice cream on top, so I packed them up in a container and covered them in the caramel cream cheese sauce, instead. I then used a teaspoon to scoop a tiny serving of ice cream on top of the saucy frosting. To give them a somewhat cute look, I threw an almond on top of the dab of ice cream. They ended up resembling a big sticky mess by the time his coworkers got to them, but I love sharing baked goods with folks. Who doesn't love getting an unexpected treat at work -- doesn't it make the day go by a little faster :)? Below is a picture of the cupcakes Jose took to work, version 2 of the sticky toffee pudding cupcakes.

Sticky Toffee Pudding and a homemade lightbox!

Because I often found myself running outside to get that perfect picture with just the right amount of natural sunlight, even when it was painfully cold outside, I came to the conclusion that something needed to change! I read a few informative online food photography articles, but they all pretty much offered the same tips about what kind of camera to purchase. Though I'd love to buy one of those gorgeous little pieces of technology, they are a little over my budget...actually, more than a little bit. Thankfully, Jose came across a site that offered a solution to my problem, an easy and cheap solution, at that. I am still very, very ignorant when it comes to photography, so the concept of creating a homemade light box deeply intrigued me. Though quite a bit of cutting and measuring was involved, all in all, making the light box was fun and really easy. I picked up a few supplies at the local fabric and home appliance stores, threw a huge pan of sticky toffee pudding in the oven, then got started on the light box. It came together in a little over an hour, and after messing with my camera's settings for a few minutes, I took a few shots of the heavenly and very loaded sticky toffee pudding. Yes, this pudding is unbelievably delicious, and although I can only handle a few bites without my gut regretting it the next day, I would gladly make it again for friends and family, using this same exact recipe I found on Key Ingredient. Even Jose agrees that this might possibly be the tastiest dessert on Earth. Too bad the person who posted the recipe on Key Ingredient remains anonymous, they certainly deserve a high five and a ton of brownie points!

(This is the lightbox, a cheap,cardboardy magic box!)


and here is a close-up of the strawberry mouse I adopted from the thrift store yesterday (this pic was also shot in the above lightbox):

You'll be needing this recipe, oh and make sure to top it all off with caramel sauce!

Capirotada (Mexican Bread Pudding)

What do you all think of this new application I'm using, is it helpful? Can you please let me know in a comment/message? Thanks! :)

I think the best family heirlooms are recipes. Unlike jewelry, they can comfort us with their warmth, conjure up loving memories with their scents, and leave us both emotionally and physically satisfied. Even though jewelry can be sized to fit the person receiving the heirloom, it still doesn't compare to inheriting a recipe that each generation can add to while still keeping the main ingredient, love. On that note, a few weekends ago I gave my grandmother a call to see how she was doing and ask her for a few cooking tips. I borrowed a tiny book from the library filled with just enough classic Mexican food recipes to experiment with. My intention was to use some of these recipes as guides while attempting to get my own grandmother's recipes right. She was very detailed about what ingredients to use, even how to cook each item I wanted to make, but as far as the measurements...well, it seems over the years her fingers have developed taste buds so that she doesn't actually have to measure the exact ingredients, they know that a pinch of this and dash of that will do just fine. My fingers aren't so clever. Though they can be trusted at times, they tend to be a bit more on the clumsy side whenever I'm trying to replicate something my grandmother has already perfected.

The first recipe I asked my grandma for was that of her Capirotada dish. Capirotada is a rich bread pudding with a kick. Its sweet base is balanced out with a hearty sprinkle of salty Cotija cheese. As a kid, I had a love/hate relationship with this cheese; its pungent smell is a lot stronger than most typical cheeses used in American dishes, but its taste is also a lot more flavorful and earthy. I only sprinkled a bit on top, just enough for its saltiness to counteract the sweetness of the piloncillo (Mexican brown sugar). Here are the rest of the ingredients I used, along with the cooking/baking instructions.

1/2 of a loaf of 2 day old Challah bread cut into bite-size pieces (This is a traditional Jewish bread, but I had quite a bit leftover from earlier in the week and I didn't want to waste. I think it worked really well with this dessert. Traditionally, day old Mexican bread is used; my grandmother uses a french roll.)
1 1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 piloncillo stick
2 TBSP butter
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
1 small fuji apple, chopped
1/8 cup crumbled cotija cheese
1/4 cup golden raisins

After slicing off the piloncillo (I can't think of the proper term for this job, but it was a tough one!) I put the shavings into a medium sized pot with the evaporated milk and butter. The two ingredients slowly simmered together as I mixed in the nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. I then added in the bread pieces and continued mixing the ingredients until the bread absorbed all the liquid, then I tossed in the apple pieces. I transfered the concoction to a square, 9 inch oven safe platter, then sprinkled the raisins and cheese on top. To give the pudding a bit more bite, I put it in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes. I also sprinkled some nuts on top, after the baking process. The apples and nuts were not part of my grandma's recipe, she is a fan of golden raisins. I decided to add less raisins and include some apples because they always taste so good in baked goods!

I hope you all had a blessed and restful Thanksgiving. I had the opportunity to make Jose's family a Thanksgiving meal this year and it was a lot of fun. I was telling Jose afterward that when I was younger, I was so intimidated at the thought of making an entire Thanksgiving meal all by myself. I was afraid I'd undercook the turkey, or that I'd have to rely on canned goods for every side dish... I thought it would be an exhausting, stressful, and unrewarding process... But, thankfully, this year I was able to discover it's actually quite the opposite. Sure, it took a little while, but it was fun. I think one of the tougher parts about it was that I had to cook for a group instead of just one or two people, so I was a little worried that I wouldn't season things right...but somehow it all worked out and there wasn't a complaint made about the food!

One thing I still really want to get the hang of is tamale-making, though. In my family, my grandmother usually makes tamales for Christmas/New Years and I'd really like to whip them up the way she does, effortlessly. I have a feeling I'd probably just end up with a kitchen disaster...but who knows, maybe it'll turn out the way the Thanksgiving meal did if I just give it a try? Hmm...probably not. Just last year I was helping her roll up the tamale dough in corn husks before she cooked them, and that was tough enough for me. It's a lot harder than it looks! Still, I have a strange feeling my attitude about the tamale-making process will change...just wait and see.

Moving on to this apple-oatmeal bar recipe; I have baked this over and over again. I made it for Jose's Thanksgiving office party, then I made it for my mom, then I made it for Jose's family as a Thanksgiving dessert...it's been a hit every time! I was bored one night and, as usual, had a sweet tooth for something not too heavy but still carby, so I made these apple-oatmeal bars. The initial recipe is completely fat free, but the next couple of times I made it, I decided that butter should be included in the topping. Sometimes butter does make it better, especially when used in moderation.

This is even easy to make because everything can pretty much be mixed up in one bowl, and I love that because that means there are less dishes to wash in the end!

Apple-Oatmeal Bars
2 Cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup apple juice
2/3 cups apple sauce
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 TBSP cinnamon
a pinch of nutmeg
1 TBSP apple pie spice
These ingredients can all be mixed together in the same bowl, then put in a large baking dish (9X13"). Put in the oven for 10 minutes at 325 then add the following topping:

The topping (unhealthy version):
1 small fuji apple, cut into little cubes
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 tbsp melted butter
1 2/3 cups oatmeal
You can mix all these ingredients together in a bowl, then add it to the top of the bread dough (10 minutes after it's been in the oven). I also lightly sprinkled the topping with cinnamon and sugar.

Fat-free healthier topping:
1 small fuji apple, cut into little cubes
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 2/3 cups oatmeal
1/3 cup vanilla soymilk
1/8 cup honey


Raise the temp of the oven to 350 and bake for about 50 more minutes to an hour.

Now it's time to start thinking about a Christmas dessert! I can't wait for my favorite holiday, we purchased and decorated our tree just today! I'm counting down :)...and so are my guineas, yoshi and mochi!