gluten-free apple cider donuts with beet sugar glaze

I have an ongoing love affair with apples and one of the best places to find them in New York City this time of year is Migliorelli. This family-run, fruit and vegetable farm originates from 1933 in the Hudon Valley.  They specialize in over 130 different varieties of fruits and vegetables and sell in every major farmers market in New York City. Migliorelli's philosophy is to only sell produce that is less than 24 hours young.

"An Apple a day” is not an old wive’s tale. Apples are a great source for antioxidants, vitamin C and fiber helping you boost immunity and overall health. I like to use applesauce in baking to reduce the amount of oil and butter I use.  This gluten-free apple cider recipe uses apple sauce to increase the fiber content and beet juice to create the perfect shade of pink frosting.

This donut recipe was developed for The Chalkboard Magazine, one of my favorite lifestyle and wellness blogs. 

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GLUTEN-FREE APPLE CIDER DONUTS WITH BEET SUGAR GLAZE  // serves 12

by Elisabeth Srur

prep time: 20 minutes // cook time: 15 minutes // TOTAL TIME: 35 minutes

DONUT INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup almond flour

• 1 1/4 cup gluten-free flour

• 2 tsp. baking powder

• 1/2 tsp. baking soda

• 1/2 tsp. xantham gum

• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

• 1/2 cup coconut sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 1/2 cup apple sauce

• 1/2 cup mashed banana

• 1/4 cups apple cider

• coconut oil spray

DONUT METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a large mixing bowl whisk together gluten-free flour, almond flour baking powder, baking soda, xantham gum, salt and cinnamon.

3. In a separate large mixing bowl, use a hand or stand mixer to whip together butter and coconut sugar until cream and fluffy.

4. Mix in eggs one at a time into the butter mixture, until well combined.

5. Add banana, apple sauce and apple cider to the butter mixture, mixing until well combined. 

6. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture until well blended.

7. Pour the batter into a gallon-size, freezer bag.

8. Snip of a small corner of the freezer bag, creating a piping bag that will help you easily squeeze the batter into a donut pan. 

9. Generously spray your donut pan with coconut oil.

10. Fill each donut 3/4 of the way to the top.

11. Bake for about 18 minutes or until a knife or toothpick inserted comes out clean. ( note - timing will depend on the size of your donut pan )

12. Allow the donuts to cool slightly before you add the topping.

TOPPING INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup coconut sugar 

• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

• 1 tsp. beet juice or pomegranate juice

• optional - 1 tsp. beet juice or pomegranate juice

• 1 tsp. water

TOPPING METHOD:

1. Mix the granulated sugar, coconut sugar and cinnamon.

2. Place the sugar mixture on a plate and roll the donuts in the sugar mixture until well coated. Set aside.

3. Whisk the beet juice, water and powdered sugar until smooth forming a thick glaze. Set aside.

4. OPTIONAL - Take 2 tbsp. of the pink powdered sugar glaze and water in down with an additional tsp. of beet juice.  You can put this brighter pink watery glaze on the donuts first if you would like 2 pink colors to show up. Using a spoon, drip the glaze over the donuts in a zig zag pattern. Note that the watery glaze will be mostly soaked up by the donuts.

5. Take the pink powdered sugar glaze and place in a quart size ziploc bag.  

6. Snip a tiny corner off of the ziploc bag and pipe the sugar glaze in a stripe patter on the donuts. 

roasted garlic butter tomato toast

Dairy is an ingredient I love to indulge in, but when I do, I always source from dairy farms with responsible farming practices. Ronnybrook, in New York’s Hudson Valley, is one of those farms. This farm goes above and beyond traditional organic farming methods, never using any pesticides or RBST and making sure their cows get daily access to outdoor exercise. Ronnybrook treats their cows like family and they even have comfort cow stalls with individual mattresses. All of their milk is tested daily to insure that their products meet the highest quality standards.

One of my favorite summertime recipes is roasted garlic tomato toast using Ronnybrook’s European-style unsalted butter. This is my butter of choice because it is fresh churned in small batches and has a higher butterfat content than traditional butters. I usually double this roasted garlic butter recipe and freeze half so it is ready to go for unexpected summer dinner parties.

You can find Ronnybrook at farmers markets all over New York City. They are at the Union Square Farmers Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

This recipe was developed for The Chalkboard Magazine, one of my favorite lifestyle and wellness blogs. 

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ROASTED GARLIC BUTTER TOMATO TOAST // serves 10

by Elisabeth Srur

prep time: 20 minutes // cook time: 40 minutes // TOTAL TIME: 60 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 oz. ( 2 sticks ) of unsalted butter, room temp.

• 2 heads of garlic

• 2 French baguettes

• 4 large heirloom tomatoes

• 1/2 cup fresh basil

• 4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

• flakey sea salt

• pepper to taste

METHOD:

1. Take your butter out of the fridge so it can warm up to room temperature.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

3. Cut the top off of the garlic heads ( about 1/4" of the way down ) to expose the cloves.

4. Drizzle 1 tbsp. of olive oil on top of each garlic.

5. Wrap each garlic in tin foil.

6. Roast the garlic for 20 - 30 min. each or until a knife comes out easily when inserted in the center. 

7. Allow the garlic to cool about 20 min. ( important so you don't melt the butter too much when you mix it in ) 

8. Once the garlic is cooled, squeeze out the softened garlic cloves and mix into your softened butter.

9. Cut the baguettes in half lengthwise.

10. Generously coat both sides of the baguette with your garlic butter mixture.

11. Wrap the baguettes in 2 sheets of tin foil and toast in your oven or on your grill for 5 -10 minutes per side or until the outside is toasted. Turn your bread once to make sure it doesn’t burn.

12. While the bread is toasting, slice your tomatoes and roughly chop the basil.

13. Cut the toasted baguette into serving sizes and lay out on a cutting board or tray.

14. Sprinkle the salt on top of the bread and then layer the tomatoes on top.

15. Drizzle the olive oil and another light layer of salt and pepper on top of the tomatoes.

16. Top with the chopped basil.

17. Serve while still warm.

turmeric cream cheese frosting

This is a simple and healthy way to make a naturally dyed piping frosting.

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TURMERIC CREAM CHEESE FROSTING // makes 1/2 cup

by brunchpants

prep time: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup whipped cream cheese ( make sure it is whipped and not regular because of the lighter consistency ) 
• 1.5 tbsp. castor sugar ( castor sugar is finer than normal sugar and dissolves easier. ) 
• 1.5 tsp. turmeric

METHOD:

1. mix together all the ingredients well.

2. Place in a quart size ziploc.

3. Chill for 5 minutes in the fridge if the mixture becomes too soft.

4. Cut a very small piece of one corner off and pipe away!

dark chocolate + almond butter cups

This recipe puts a healthy spin on a childhood favorite, peanut butter cups. I replaced peanut butter with raw almond butter and mixed in a cocoa superfood green juice powder for added nutrients.  These sweets are great to eat anytime of year, but adding edible flowers to the top, makes them particularly "spring-esque".  

I used Aloha's daily good chocolate flavored superfood powder which you can find here. I particularly love it because it is vegan, non-GMO, doesn't include artificial flavors or sweeteners and worked very well with the almond butter. Aloha's blog, Aloha Magazine, is also a fantastic resource for expert advice on healthy recipes and wellness tips.

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DARK CHOCOLATE AND ALMOND BUTTER CUPS  // makes 12

by brunchpants

prep time: 20 minutes // cook time: 15 minutes // TOTAL TIME: 35 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• dark chocolate chips
• 1 pack - aloha cocoa superfood powder
• crunchy almond butter
• maple syrup
• edible flowers ( optional )
• 1 cup water
• 12 - 1" silicone baking cups

METHOD:

1. Mix almond butter, maple syrup and Aloha cocoa superfood until well blended.  Set Aside. 

2. Fill a small saucepan with water and place a glass bowl on top of the sauce pan

3. On a half-size baking tray, layout your silicone baking cups. Set Aside.

4. Fill the glass bowl with the chocolate chips.

5. Over low heat, bring the water to simmer, gently melting the chocolate, making sure to constantly stir. 

6. With a small spoon, place a dap of melted chocolate at the bottom of your baking cup.

7. Use a chopstick or toothpick to spread out the chocolate on the bottom so it doesn't sit too high in the baking cup.

8. Place the baking cups with the chocolate in the fridge for a few minutes to chill.

9. Take 1 tsp. of almond butter and roll into a flattened balls. Repeat this 12 times.

10. Place the rolled almond butter into the silicone cups on centered on top of the chocolate drops

11. Fill a gallon size ziploc bag with the remainder of the chocolate and when ready to fill the chocolate cups, snip a small corner ( about 1/8" ) off one of the corners.

12. Fill the chocolate cups, making sure to cover the almond butter completely with chocolate.

13. Tap the sides of the baking sheet to level out the melted chocolate, creating a smooth even surface.

14. Place an edible flower on top of each chocolate cup.

15. Place the chocolate cups in the fridge to set for about 10 minutes or until chocolate is firm.

gluten free banana & peanut butter "breakfast cupcakes"

Who wouldn't want a cupcake for breakfast?  This healthy recipe is the closest thing to indulging in cake minus the expected sugar crash an hour later.  The best part about these cupcakes is that they use edible flowers from one of the best farm stands, Windfall Farms, as "sprinkles." This recipe was developed for The Chalkboard Magazine, one of my favorite lifestyle and wellness blogs. Hope you ENJOY!

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A jewel box of a farm located in Montgomery, NY, Windfall Farms focuses on micro-greens, salads and specialty seasonal produce like edible flowers. Their philosophy is to sell poison-free food, free of pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and chemical fertilizers that are unfortunately commonly used in conventionally grown produce. The higher standards used for Windfall’s farming practices is one of the reasons the quality of this farm stand is widely known among some of the best restaurants in New York City.

On the greenmarket days, I make sure to head over to Windfall’s stand early so I can grab edible flowers before they sell out.  Edible flowers are not only versatile but nutritious, with most of them containing potassium, phytonutrients, and vitamin C.  I like to use these flowers to decorate desserts, freeze into ice cubes for summer cocktails, add to salads or layer into a sandwich for an unexpected element.

You can find Windfall Farms in New York City at the Union Square Farmers Market ( union square west and 16th street ) on Wednesday and Saturday from 8:00am until they are sold out or every Sunday at the 79th Street greenmarket ( Columbus Avenue between 78th and 79th streets ) from 9am until sold out. 

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GLUTEN FREE BANANA & PEANUT BUTTER "BREAKFAST CUPCAKES" WITH HONEY YOGURT FROSTING // serves 10

by brunchpants

prep time: 10 minutes // cook time: 12 - 15 minutes

CUPCAKE INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter ( or almond butter ) 
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp. honey
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 cup gluten free flower
• 1/4 cup almond flour / meal
• 2 tbsp. ground flaxseeds
• 2 tbsp. hemp seeds
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/4 cup almond milk

METHOD:

1. Pre-heat over to 375' 

2. Put all of the ingredients listed above into a blender.

3. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender as needed. 

4. Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 of the way to the top. 

5. Cook for 12 -15 minutes or until a knife comes out smooth when inserted into the center of the cupcake. 

YOGURT HONEY FROSTING INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cups organic greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp. of honey
• edible flowers ( optional ) 

METHOD:

1. In a small bowl, stir the honey and yogurt until blended.

2. Transfer the yogurt mixture into a ziploc bag.

3. Cut a small triangle off one of the corners of the bag.

4. Frost the top of the cupcakes by starting at the outside edge of the cupcake and working your way towards the center, in a circular pattern. 

5. Decorate the frosted cupcakes with the edible flowers.

NOTES:

• You can add more honey if you want a sweeter frosting.
• A Vitamix blender works the best especially if you are using whole flaxseeds.