Kiwi Avocado Nachos

If you've been following my sporadic posts this year, you know that I like to check out Kitchen Play for new (and often quirky) dishes to try. Every month, Kitchen Play hosts a dinner party with a theme, and most typically, the theme is an ingredient. June was Zespri Kiwi month, and I'm getting my entry in just under the wire.

My McDonald Meal offered up kiwi avocado bruschetta, and since I always love pairing avocado with fruit, I wanted to give it a try. But my gluten-free friend was joining us for dinner, so I swapped out the bread for tortilla chips. Of course, once I got around to cutting my avocado, I realized that it was way too soft to remain in chunks, and it mushed as soon as I looked at it. That's ok, I love guacamole, and what goes better with tortilla chips than guac?

I opted to use Scoops tortilla chips for presentation, but if you want to be more informal, just use regular chips and scatter in a glass baking dish before topping with cheese.

Kiwi Avocado Nachos inspired by My McDonald Meal
2 ripe avocados, mashed
2-3 kiwis, diced
1 tomato, deseeded and diced
Juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste
1 bag tortilla chips
about 8 ounces shredded mixed mozzarella and cheddar

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a bowl, combine avocado, kiwi, tomato, and lime juice. Mix to incorporate everything and season to taste.

Arrange tortilla chips on a baking sheet (for Scoops) or in a glass baking dish (for regular tortilla chips). Sprinkle cheese on top and bake for a few minutes, until cheese is melted and just beginning to brown in spots.

Top with avocado mixture or just dip the chips right in.

Almond Macaroons

I don't get confused easily (at least, I don't think I do), but there are a few things I can never get right. Using affect when I mean effect, for example (although I'm generally pretty snobby about my grammar, this one just doesn't stick). In that same vein, macaroons drive me crazy. Coconut vs. almond, macaroon vs. macaron - it's enough to drive someone to bake.

For years, I maintained that I didn't like macaroons due to a distinct distaste for coconut, and then these crazy chewy cookies made with almond paste appeared. But wait - almond macaroons are not the same as macarons, the fussy little cookies made with almond flour and sandwiched with delicious fillings? You know, I've stopped caring what I call them - these cookies are just plain delicious.

These almond macaroons turn out flat, with a crispy edge and a chewy middle. Use alcohol-free vanilla to make them gluten-free!

Almond Macaroons
3 1/2 ounces almond paste (half a 7oz package)
1/2 cup confections' sugar
pinch of salt
1 large egg white
1/4 tsp. vanilla
sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 300° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix together almond paste, sugar, and salt until crumbly, about 3 minutes. Add egg white and vanilla and mix until smooth and thickened, about another 3 minutes. Drop by teaspoon onto baking sheet, about two inches apart. It doesn't look like you have much dough at all, but this should make 12-13 cookies. Arrange two slices of almond on top of each cookie. Bake until golden, 20-25 minutes. Slide parchment off baking sheet and cool completely.

Gluten-Free Marshmallow Treats

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you'll know that I like a challenge. Gluten-free cooking continues to be a challenge for me, as I've been hanging out more with my GFF (gluten-free friend) of late and have been trying to think of fun things to make for her. So when U.S. Mills (which manages the brands Uncle Sam, Farina, and Erewhon, among others) got in touch with me about trying some of their cereals, I was most intrigued by their gluten-free options and what I could make with them.

While U.S. Mills has a number of GF options, I asked for some crispy brown rice. Honestly, all I can think of to cook when I see a big box of crispy rice is Rice Krispie Treats. So really, this isn't a new recipe, insomuch as it's a very easy way to adapt a recipe to be gluten-free. The crispy brown rice from Erewhon (as well as the cocoa brown rice from New Morning) are GF, as are any marshmallows that list the modified food starch as "corn" (I used Campfire brand, although most big-name brands of marshmallows are GF).

The best thing of all is that the brown rice is not all that different than regular Rice Krispies. I took these to a party after making them (since I knew there would be a number of GFFs there), and these were the first thing to go - everyone, non-GFFs included, couldn't get enough.


Gluten-Free Apricot Marshmallow Treats
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
10 oz. GF marshmallows
6 cups Erewhon GF Crispy Brown Rice
10 dried apricots, finely chopped and dusted with cornstarch, divided

Grease a 13x9 inch pan with butter and set aside.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter, then add marshmallows and stir until melted. Add brown rice and 3/4 of the chopped apricots, and mix to coat. Pour into the greased pan and, using a greased spoon, pat cereal down. Sprinkle remaining apricots over the top and pat down. Cool before serving.

Chocolaty Gluten-Free Marshmallow Treats
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
10 oz. GF marshmallows
6 cups New Morning Cocoa Crispy Rice
Chocolate M&Ms

Grease a 13x9 inch pan with butter and set aside.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter, then add marshmallows and stir until melted. Add crispy rice and mix to coat. Pour into the greased pan and, using a greased spoon, pat cereal down. Sprinkle M&Ms over the top and pat down. Cool before serving.

A Gluten-Free Test Drive

Movie night with the girls has changed a bit over the years. In high school, my regular dates with my best friends consisted of whatever bad (or awesomely bad) movies and junk food we could find. The night we watched Excess Baggage is still talked about to this day. Since college, though, we've toned it down a bit... foodwise. For our latest gathering, we had fresh Maine shrimp (since the season's so short), nachos, plenty of wine, and some gluten-free goodies as per one friend's diet.

Now, I've never worked with specifically gluten-free products before. Sure, I've made lots of stuff without wheat, but using GF flour, etc, was different. I had a hell of a time tracking some stuff down, and I gave up on the xantham gum (apparently an important ingredient) when even Whole Foods didn't have any. All in all, my efforts weren't too bad. I managed to make some kind of chickpea cracker, mini quiches, and these awesome mint bars. My GF friend took all the leftovers home and fed them to everyone in her family over Christmas. Hell, I would even make these on a regular basis for myself, gluten-free or not!

Gluten-Free Mint Bars

Crust:
1 stick unsalted butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
1/2 tsp GF vanilla
1/2 cup GF flour (I used Bob's)
1/2 cup almond flour
pint of salt
Mint icing:
1/2 stick unsalted butter
2 cups confections' sugar
2-6 Tbsp heavy cream
1-1 1/2 tsp mint extract
Glaze:
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2 Tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease 9 inche square pan.

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and blend. Stir in chocolate and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients, blending well. Pour into pan and spread evenly. Bake for 15 minutes and cool completely.

For icing, cream butter and sugar. Add mint extract and just enough cream to make icing thin enough to spread. Spread over cooled crust.

For glaze, melt chocolate and whisk in butter. Spread over icing. Allow to harden before cutting.