Sunday, July 19, 2009... Alternative Diets

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Living Without-- Iowa City local lady, Lindsay Vaux, talks about her experience living with Celiac Disease which prevents her from eating gluten. Try one of her favorite gluten-free cookie recipes:

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies:

1 cup peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease baking sheets (or line them with foil for faster clean-up). In a large bowl, stir together the first four ingredients until smooth. Add the chocolate chips and stir until incorporated into the batter. Roll teaspoons of the dough into balls and arrange about 1 inch apart on baking sheets. Use the tines of a fork to flatten the balls to about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, making a crosshatch pattern. Bake cookies in batches until puffed and pale golden, about 10 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheets for at least 2 minutes. They may still be soft and crumbly when you transfer them onto a rack or plate, so do this carefully (I used a pie server to avoid breakage). As the cookies cool, they will get firmer. Store in an airtight container.

(from http://www.adinnerparty.net/2008/11/chocolate-chip-peanut-butter-madness.html)

Gluten Evolution -- After searching high and low for gluten-free bread that tasted like, well, bread, Anna Sobaski started her own company called Breads from Anna.





Rabbit Food -- One of the most common diet decisions is that of vegetarians. Dave Burt, an owner of Iowa City restaurant The Red Avocado, talks about creating exciting vegan menus and pleasing a variety of palates.

Food-Free Diets -- Carina speaks with friends in Iowa City who have embarked on a variety of fasts for a variety of reasons.

Sunday, July 5, 2009...Sweets and Treats

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Candy Stand- Katie McGowan and Josh Eklow venture into Iowa City's pedmall to set up a free candy stand and get a sense of peoples' tastes or aversions to different sweets.

Koolee Time- Josh Eklow, a koolee aficionado, gives us a look into the koolee scene in Iowa City and the proper way to drink this sweet icey beverage.

DIY Pie- Carina demonstrates step-by-step how to make a peach-raspberry pie with help from assistant and professional taster, Micah Merrifield.

Try it at home with this recipe:

Peach-raspberry Pie:

oven preheated to 425 F

filling:

6-7 cups fruit (more peaches than raspberries as the berries tend to overpower the flavors)

1/2-3/4 cup sugar

3 1/2 T quick tapioca or cornstarch for thickening

1 T fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/4 t almond extract

-toss all gently in a large mixing bowl, let stand for 15 minutes

crust:

1 cup flour

1 stick butter (I use salted and omit any additional salt in filling)

dash sugar

about 3-4 T cold water

-blend in a food processor until just combined, adding the water as it blends to get it just moist enough but not wet.

-make this recipe twice: once for bottom crust, once for top crust

-roll out dough after chilling for 30 minutes; flour area generously so it doesn't stick

-place bottom crust in a 9 in glass pie pan, leaving edges overhanging

-fill with fruit mixture

-dot top of fruit with 3-4 T butter cut into thin slices

-roll out top dough and cover fruit, use water to glue two crusts together

-use thumb and index finger of one hand and index finger of other to create a crimped/fluted edge

around pie

-cut steam vents in top crust

-brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar

-bake at 425 for 30 minutes then lower oven temperature to 350 and slide a baking sheet underneath pie

-bake another 25-35 minutes or until the fruit juices start bubbling through vents

-let cool completely to set the juices and serve with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Sweet Market Picks- Visit Jonathon and Erin of Hoard's Apple Mountain Bakery for a taste of their 100 year old pie recipe. Try Regina Miller's almond croissant or pan au chocolate just down the aisle.

After sampling some of both I think I'll be back for more!