Gluten Free Potato Gnocchi

Active time: 1 hour

Total time: 2 hours

Serves: 4-6 people

image & recipe @http://www.yummly.com/recipe/external/Gluten-Free-Potato-Gnocchi-Serious-Eats-296416

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds russet potatoes, washed
• 1 cup white rice flour
• 1/2 cup sweet rice flour
• 2 large eggs
• Kosher salt

Method:

1.   Adjust oven rack to center middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Pierce potatoes a few times with a knife and place on a baking sheet. Roast until tender, about one hour. Remove potatoes from oven and allow to cool.
2. .  Whisk together white rice flour and sweet rice flour. Using the flour mixture, flour your counter. Peel the potatoes and pass through a potato ricer onto the counter. Whisk together eggs and 1 teaspoon salt. Pour over the potatoes. Work the egg mixture into the potatoes with a bench scrapper or fork until potatoes begin to hold together. Mixture will be sticky.
3. . Work one cup of the flour mixture into the potato mixture. Start by working the flour into the potato mixture with a bench scrapper or fork. As soon as a dough begins to form, begin kneading the dough by hand until all the flour is incorporated. The dough should be firm and not sticky. If it is, add the remaining flour mixture, about 1/4 cup at a time. (You can test the gnocchi by boiling a small pot of water and cooking a small piece of dough. The gnocchi should hold together.)
4. . Divide the dough into quarters. Then, as you work with it, cut each quarter in half. Cover remaining dough with a damp paper towel. Roll out each dough eighth into a log. Cut into bite-size pieces. Shape by either pressing a small indentation into each gnocchi or rolling the gnocchi over a fork or gnocchi board.
5. Transfer shaped gnocchi to a lightly white rice-floured baking sheet. Shaped gnocchi can either be frozen or cooked right away.
6. To Freeze: Place baking sheet filled with gnocchi in the freezer. Once the gnocchi are frozen, transfer to a plastic freezer bag. Gnocchi may be frozen for up to two months. Cook as directed below. 

To Cook: Boil a large pot of salted water. Cook half the fresh or frozen gnocchi in the boiling water until they float, about four minutes. (Taste one gnocchi to ensure it is cooked through). Remove the gnocchi from the water with a skimmer and transfer to a bowl or pot of sauce. Repeat with remaining gnocchi. If gnocchi must be held for more than a moment, drizzle with oil and toss to prevent sticking.

Cars; Lightning McQueen Cupcakes

image & recipe @spoonful.com

What you'll need

• Batch of frosted cupcakes
• White chocolate candy bar or bar of white baking chocolate
• Red cupcake icing
• Toothpick
• Mini chocolate chips
• Chocolate candies with brown shells (such as M&Ms
• Small chocolate candies with yellow shells (such as M&M Minis)

How to make it

1. 
   For the windshields, cut small rectangles (about 1- by 1.75-inches) from the white chocolate. Pipe a line of red icing trim along the side and top edges of each rectangle. Then use the tip of a toothpick to "drill" shallow holes where the eyes will go, and gently press mini chocolate chips (tips down) in place. Set the windshields aside until the icing hardens.
2. Working with one cupcake at a time, frost the top with red icing. Gently press a windshield partway down into the center of the cupcake. chocolate. Pipe a line of red icing trim along the side and top edges of each rectangle. Then use the tip of a toothpick to "drill" shallow holes where the eyes will go, and gently press mini chocolate chips (tips down) in place. Set the windshields aside until the icing hardens.
3. Press two sets of brown-shelled candies into the frosting on the sides of the cupcake for tires.
4. Add headlights by turning yellow-shelled candies on edge and pressing them into the frosting (a toothpick comes in handy for this). For a mouth, press a small curve of white chocolate into the frosting at the front of the cupcake.

Cars; Tow Mater Cupcakes

image & recipe @spoonful.com

What you'll need

• 1 box cake mix
• 2 16 oz cans of milk chocolate frosting
• 16 oz can of vanilla frosting
• 6 cup large muffin baking pan
• 12 cup regular size cupcake baking pan
• 4.44 oz box of Keebler Fudge Shoppe Grasshopper Cookies (100 Calorie Right Bites)
• Ziploc bag
• 12 White M&M's candies (headlights)
• 12 Green M&M's candies (eyes)
• 6 Eclipse gum pieces (teeth)
• 6 inch cardboard cake boards
• Black edible ink pen
• Toothpicks

How to make it

1. Coat both pans with non-stick spray. Prepare cake batter and fill both pans about 2/3 full. Bake as directed on the package and let cool.
2. 
   Count out 60 cookies and set aside. Place the remaining cookies in a Ziploc bag and finely crush them with a rolling pin or glass.
3. 
   Set aside 12 green and 12 white M&M's. (Use yellow if you can't easily find the white ones.)
4. 
   For Mater's teeth, cut each piece of gum into two pieces so one piece is larger than the other.
5. 
   Cut the tops off of 6 of the cupcakes so you can place them upside down for the truck bed. Before turning upside down, frost the sides and bottom (now top) with milk chocolate frosting and sprinkle with cookie crumbs
6. 
   Place the cupcakes, cut side down toward the back of a 6-inch cake board. Place a dollop of frosting on the board to help the cupcakes stay in place.
7. 
   Frost the sides of the larger muffin-size cupcakes. Sprinkle some of the crushed cookie pieces on the sides and then place on the cake board right in front of the other cupcake. Frost the top and sprinkle with more cookie crumbs. Attach one cookie to the front of each muffin-size cupcake for the mouth.
8. For each tire, attach two cookies together using frosting and then attach two tires to the larger cupcake and two in back to the smaller cupcake.
9. 
   Place one more cookie on the top for the tire on Mater's hood. Attach the teeth to the cookie mouth with a small amount of frosting.
10. 
    For the top of the trucks, first frost about half of each of the remaining cupcakes with vanilla frosting. You can place these in the freezer for a few minutes for the frosting to harden and then it will be easier to frost over the vanilla edges with chocolate frosting to finish Mater's face. Frost the sides and top with chocolate and sprinkle with cookie crumbs.
11. 
    Attach two green M&M's in place for eyes and two white M&M's in place for headlights. Use a black edible ink pen to draw pupils on the eyes and when dry, you can use a toothpick to dot a small amount of vanilla frosting for extra detail. Heat it slightly in the microwave and it will be easier to dot on.

Aladdin; Abu Cupcakes

image & recipe @spoonful.com

What you'll need

• A chocolate cupcake

• Chocolate frosting

• A caramel candy

• Waxed paper

• Rolling pin

• Toothpick

• 2 white chocolate chips

• 2 mini chocolate chips

• Red decorator's frosting or gel

• A gum drop candy

• 2 almond slices

How to make it

1. Frost the cupcake and set it aside while you create the monkey's facial features.
2. 
   Microwave a caramel candy for up to 6 seconds to slightly soften it. Then sandwich the candy between two pieces of waxed paper and use the rolling pin to flatten it to about 1/8 inch thick.
3. 
   Cut two ovals (about 1 1/2 inch by 1 inch) out of the flattened caramel. Trim the upper edge of one oval to resemble the top of a heart. Now create the monkey's face by arranging the two ovals so that the upper edge of the untrimmed one overlaps the bottom of other, as shown.
4. 
   Use the tip of a toothpick to poke holes through the caramel where the eyes and 
   the nostrils should go.
5. 
   Press two white chocolate chips, tips down, onto the caramel where the eye holes are. Top each white chocolate chip with a mini chocolate chip, using dabs of frosting to stick them in place.
6. 
   Now place the face on top of the cupcake and use red decorator's frosting or gel to add a mouth.
7. 
   Cut a small strip from the remaining scraps of flattened caramel and scrunch one edge slightly to resemble a bit of fur for the top of the monkey's head. Gently press it in place. Then slice a gum drop down through the center and use one half for a hat.
8. 
   For the finishing touch, add a pair of almond sliver ears.

Crispy Roasted Chickpeas

image & recipe @yummly.com

Ingredients:

• One 450ml can garbanzo beans (15 oz)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt
• Spice blend of your choice

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200'C (400'F).

2. Drain the can of garbanzo beans in a strainer and rinse with water for a few seconds to clean off the beans. Shake and tap the strainer to rid of excess water. Lay paper towl on a baking sheet, and spread the beans over. Use another paper towel to gently press and absorb the water on the beans. Roll the beans around with the paper towel to also remove the thin skin from any of the beans. Discard the skins and the paper towels.

3. Drizzle the olive oil over the beans and use your hands or a spatula to toss around and coat. Roast for 30-40 minutes until the beans are a deep golden brown and crunchy. Make sure that the beans do not burn.

4. Season with salt and spice blend.

Dairy-Free Coconut Chai

Total time: 10mins

image & recipe @yummly.com

	Ingredients: 1 chai tea bag (I used Stash)
	1 tablespoon vanilla simple syrup*
	3 tablespoons lite coconut milk
	1 pinch cinnamon Method: Place the tea bag in a mug and pour hot water over it. Steep for five minutes, the remove and discard. Stir in the simple syrup or (*honey is also a good sweetener in lieu of the syrup) and stir until completely dissolved. Warm the milk in a small saucepan or in the microwave until it steams just a little bit. Stir the warm milk into the chai and top with a pinch of cinnamon.

Mexican Chocolate Cake

(gluten, dairy, egg & refined sugar-free, vegan recipe)

Prep time: 20 mins

cook time: 40  mins

Serves: 10 people

image & recipe @taste.com.au

Dry:

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour
• 3/4 cup coconut flour
• 1 1/2 cups raw cacao powder, sifted
• 1 tbs baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt 
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon 
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon 
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Wet:

• 1/2 cup extra virgin coconut oil
• 1/2 cup apple sauce
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 cups coconut nectar
• 2 tbs orange zest 
• 1 banana mashed
• 1 tbs coconut oil (to grease the baking tin)

Frosting:

• 1 cup raw cacao powder, sifted
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup coconut nectar
• 1 tbs orange zest
• 1/4 tsp cayenne powder
• Pinch Himalayan pink salt
• 2 tbs orange zest, to serve
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds, to serve

Equipment:

You will need a 22cm springform tin.

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180° fan-forced).
2. Prepare the springform cake tin by greasing with coconut oil and lining base and sides with baking paper.
3. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine all wet ingredients. Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, whisking as you go, until thoroughly combined and smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool completely at room temperature and turn out onto a serving platter.
4. In a large bowl, whisk all ingredients for the frosting until smooth. Pour over cooled cake and spread evenly with a spatula. Top with orange zest and slivered almonds.