Gluten & Dairy Free Black Cherry French Macarons (with Vegan Buttercream Recipe)

Market Recipe/  Gluten & Dairy Free Black Cherry French Macarons
Dietary Consideration/ Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Low Fat (and tasty!)

Gluten & Dairy Free Black Cherry French Macarons
Yield: About 15
with help from David Lebovitz

Macaron Batter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup ground almonds
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
Pinch of salt
1 drop of mauve food coloring
1/4 teaspoon cherry extract
10 tablespoons granulated sugar


Black Cherry Filling/
Vegan Buttercream (see below)
Cherry Preserves
Black Food Coloring

Directions/
Preheat oven to 350º F (180º C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and have a pastry bag with a plain tip (about 1/2-inch). Grind together the powdered sugar with the almond flour in a food processor so there are no lumps.

In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, beat the egg whites (with the whisk attachment) and the pinch of salt until they begin to rise and hold their shape. Add extract and coloring and continue to whip. While whipping, beat in the granulated sugar until very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes.

Carefully fold the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is just smooth and there are no streaks of egg white, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag (standing the bag in a tall glass). Pipe the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheets in 1-inch circles, evenly spaced. Bang the baking sheet a few times firmly on the counter top to flatten the macarons, then bake them for 10-15 minutes. Let cool  completely then remove from baking sheet.

Building the Macarons/
Pipe a bit of the filling on the inside of the macarons then sandwich them together. Let them stand at least one day before serving. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.


Gluten Free & Vegan Buttercream
Makes: 4 cups

Ingredients/
1 cup Earth Balance (or other butter substitute of your choosing)
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup plain soy milk

Directions/
Beat the Earth Balance until well combined and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat for about 3 more minutes. Add the vanilla and soy milk, and beat for another 5 to 7 minutes until fluffy. (For Black cherry filling: add 1/4 cup pureed cherry preserves and 2 drops of black food coloring or until desired color is reached.) Add more powdered sugar if the buttercream is too thin, or more soy milk if too thick.

Rosemary & Lemon Sandwich Cookies (Dairy Free and or Gluten Free)

Recipe/ Rosemary & Lemon Sandwich Cookies
Dietary Consideration/ Dairy Free, Low Fat, Gluten Free (and tasty!)

So if you have read any of the previous post you would know that I made a huge batch of lemon curd... what you would also know is that I used it in Hamentaschen this past week, but what you don't know is how much of it I have left over! So of course I had to make something with it! I decided to get crazy and try something sweet and savory... I have heard of the combo before but have never tried it myself. Recipe below if you're daring... enjoy!

Rosemary & Lemon Sandwich Cookies (Dairy Free and or Gluten Free)
Makes about 2 dozen sandwiches

Ingredients/
1 cup (2 sticks) earth balance (or margarine), softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 egg white, beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (or gluten free four mix)
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon lemon juice, fresh squeezed
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup fine sanding sugar
Lemon Curd (click here for my curd recipe)

Directions/
Put butter substitute or butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in whole egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour, rosemary, and salt, and mix until combined. Add Lemon Juice as needed until the dough comes together.

Halve the dough; shape each half into a log. Place each log on a 12-by-16-inch sheet of parchment. Roll in parchment or saran wrap to 1 1/2 inches in diameter, pressing a ruler along edge of parchment at each turn to narrow log. Transfer to paper-towel tubes to hold shape, and freeze until firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375˚F (200˚C). Brush each log with egg white; roll in sanding sugar. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment. Bake until edges are golden, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Store in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

Market Recipe/ A Tuna Sandwich... Done Right

Market Recipe
Ingredient/ 1 Jar of Olive Tapenade 
Recipe/ A Tuna Sandwich... Done Right
Dietary Consideration/ Dairy Free, Low Fat, High Protein (and tasty!)

I know what you are thinking... "A TUNA SANDWICH?" and while yes I am pretty sure most of you make a killer tuna sandwich, or know someone who does... regardless, this post had to be done. Yesterday we spent the entire day out biking on an empty stomach... needless to say... I WAS HUNGRY! In our desperate stouper we grabbed a tuna sandwich from the closest sandwich shop we could find. I will spare you the gory details, but to sum it up... it was 4pm, it was the first thing I put in my stomach all day... and I only ate half... and that was a stretch. eeek. We spent the rest of the day making up for the disaster that was that sandwich. Earlier in the week I was at the indoor market at the Namal in Tel Aviv where I found a small stand that made all of their own olive oil, spreads, tapenades and cured olives. Long story short I stocked up and now have a mouthful of sandwich that most definitely erases yesterday's fishy memory. See recipe below!

A Tuna Sandwich Done Right
Makes 2 servings

Ingredients/
1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 can water-packed tuna
1/4 tomato
1/4 small red onion
BREAD OF YOUR CHOICE (I used left over foccacia that I made a day earlier recipe here)
3 tablespoons jarred olive tapenade
1/4 cup fresh oregano or basil leaves
2 hard-cooked large eggs

Directions/
In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, white-wine vinegar; season with coarse salt and ground pepper; toss with tuna and red onion. Cut bread of your choosing in half horizontally; remove most of soft interior bread. Spread 3 tablespoons jarred olive tapenade on bottom half. Top with 1 cup packed fresh oregano or basil leaves, then 1 hard-cooked large eggs sliced; season with salt and pepper. Top with tuna, then sliced tomatoes and close sandwich. Bite... Chew... Swallow and enjoy sandwich bliss.