Baked Gluten Free Yogurt Cheesecake

Finding ingredients here can be interesting, a couple of days ago a friend sent me a recipe for a yogurt cheesecake, I decided to give the concept a try today. The recipe I saw had no eggs, and I had eggs to use up, so after poking around a bit I came up with this. 

Baked Gluten-Free Yogurt Cheesecake

Crust:

• 1.5 cups quick oats, uncooked
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup Fiji sugar
• 76 g Rewa butter, melted
• 1 tsp Punjas chai spice blend 

might add some powdered ginger next time

FILLING

• 6 large eggs, yolks and whites separated
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• Juice of one large lemon
• Zest of one lemon
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 200 g Rewa butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons corn flour (corn starch)
• 1 cup gluten free flour*
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 Liter Rewa Yogurt

Add ¼ teaspoon salt if not using Rewa butter

THIS MAKES A LOT! If you're not using a 9" springform pan be prepared for the extra

TOPPING

(haven't yet decided on one yet) 

DIRECTIONS

1. For crust: Preheat oven to 350F/175C; pulse sunflower seeds and oatmeal in blender until roughly ground, combine all crust ingredients in large bowl, and mix well. Firmly press onto bottom and about 4 cm/1.5 inches up the sides of an ungreased 9 inch springform pan. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown; let cool.
2. Filling: Separate eggs, whisk the egg whites with a mixer until they form stiff peaks. Set aside. (Do this first so you don't have to clean the beaters, if you do it last your beaters need to be clean and dry) 
3. Use a large bowl (same one the crust was in if you want) and combine the granulated sugar, egg yolks, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and the melted butter and beat until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add salt here if not using Rewa butter.
4. Add corn starch, flour, and baking soda and continue to blend on medium-high speed until the mixture is very creamy. Slowly add the yogurt to the mixture. Reduce the speed to medium low and blend well.
5. Fold the whisked egg whites into the mixture.
6. Pour the filling into the prepared springform and put the pan into a water bath.
7. Bake for 75 to 90 minutes until set and golden brown. The top might move a little bit but shouldn't jiggle a lot. Turn off oven and crack the door slightly for 30 minutes. Remove cake to counter and let cool until the cake is at room temperature. Remove the sides of your pan and continue to cool in the refrigerator for several hours until completely set. 

NOTE: Gluten free flours tend to be very thirsty. If you're using regular flour you may want to consider using Greek Yogurt or draining your yogurt and/or decreasing the eggs. Today my gluten free flour was 1/3 besan gram flour, 1/3 rice flour, 1/3 tavioka starch. 

Cool Down Tzatziki

One of my favorite dips on a hot day is Tzatziki. The dill and cucumbers grow well here in Fiji and yogurt is usually readily available in the stores. This comes together quickly, although the flavors are best if you let it sit for a few hours. 

 Tzatziki

• 250 g cucumber, grated (1 large)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• *250g greek yogurt yogurt (~1 heaping cup)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• salt to taste (often not needed because of the salt in the cucumber) 
• 5 g fresh dill, finely chopped (about 1.5 Tbsp) 

* I like the flavors of the dill and cucumber to come through, for a less intense flavor you may want to add more yogurt. 

1. Grate the cucumber and spread around a colander, salt it heavily, and let drain for 30 minutes.
2. After 30 minutes squeeze out the grated cucumber, chop again if smaller pieces are desired. 
3. Stir together the yogurt, squeezed grated cucumber, minced garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil in a bowl. 
4. Add lemon zest, dill, salt, and pepper; whisk until smooth. 
5. Pour into a serving dish, cover tightly, and refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.

Smooth out the day

Some days are jam packed and I find myself at my computer instead of taking a meal break. Today was one of them and I was flagging by midafternoon, this guilty pleasure smoothie helped with some of the rough edges -- although it doesn't have anything in it to be guilty about, it just feels so decadent. Bonus - after I had this midafternoon I was pumped enough to hike up and visit the neigh-bors. 

Guilty Pleasure Afternoon Pick Me Up

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 cup cold coffee (or 1 cup cold water + instant coffee)
• 1 cup frozen bananas
• 1 Tbsp Peanut Butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Blend
2. Serve cold. 

Here's another favorite - Spice blends are so much fun, I like the Tea Masala paired with pumpkin. 

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 cup roasted pumpkin
• 1 Tbsp pumpkin seeds
• 1 Tbsp chopped dates (soaked in milk if I planned ahead) 
• 1 Tbsp Punjas Tea Masala 

DIRECTIONS

1. Blend
2. Serve cold. 

I like this guide from Prevention Magazine for mixing and matching, although my smoothies tend to stray from its suggestions.  

Frangelico Nutella Brownies

It's winter in the South Pacific, today we started talking about Christmas and the desserts and treats we enjoy in the winter. Fudge and brownies and rugelach and divinity and peanut brittle were all on the list. This was a favorite back when we could shop at duty free and I had a pantry with nutella in it. 

Frangelico Nutella Brownies

Prep 15 m Cook 25 m Ready In 2 h 40 m

INGREDIENTS

• 115 g / 1/2 cup butter 
• 60 ml / 1/4 cup hazelnut liqueur (such as Frangelico)
• 60 g / 1/4 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (such as Nutella), or more to taste
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease an 8-inch / 20 cm square baking pan or line with parchment paper. Parchment paper helps dense batters come out of the pan easily.
2. Melt butter, Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur), cocoa powder, and Nutella (chocolate-hazelnut spread) together in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until starting to bubble, about 5 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and cool slightly. This step cooks the cocoa, giving the dessert a richer flavor. If the Frangelico is added at the very end there will be a stronger alcohol flavor in the finished product. 
3. Whisk flour and salt together in a bowl.
4. Beat white sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract together in a large bowl using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy; slowly mix in butter mixture until smooth. Creamed butter and sugar make air bubbles that make the dessert lighter and less dense
5.  Stir flour mixture into butter-sugar mixture just until batter is combined; fold in (optional) chocolate chips. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Don’t mix the flour too much, a barely mixed dough is fluffier and lighter
6. Bake in the preheated oven until the top is dry and the edges have started to pull away from the sides of the pan, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool brownies in pan for at least 2 hours before cutting. The brownies should cook through, but just barely. Letting the brownies cool before serving will let them finish baking from within.  

Baked Mac & Cheese

Originally posted 17 July 2021

My quest to use up all the eggs continues. It was also rainy this morning so I felt the need for some comfort food in the Fiji cold weather. I thought about lasagna but didn't have the noodles, went with mac and cheese instead.

Baked Mac & Cheese

• 250g/8 oz pasta
• 2 onions, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 200g shredded cheese
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp butter (28g)
• 1 Tbsp yellow mustard (14g)
• 200g cauliflower, chopped
• 1 chili pepper, finely chopped
• black pepper

Topping

• 2 tbsp butter (28g)
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish.
2. In a large pot of salted water, lightly boil the macaroni for about 5 minutes until half-cooked. Drain and toss with butter. 
3. Brown the onions and garlic. 
4. Whisk the egg, yogurt, milk, and mustard together. 
5. Place the lightly cooked macaroni, shredded cheese, and vegetables in the prepared baking dish. Pour the egg mixture over the macaroni, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and stir well. Press the mixture evenly around the baking dish.
6. Bake covered for 40 minutes. Uncover and add the buttered herbed bread crumbs for the last 20 minutes, or until the top is brown. Remove and let sit for 20-30 minutes before serving.

Eggy Potato & Onion Soup

 16 July 2021

An old favorite recipe that's been updated with eggs, perfect for a rainy winter night. 

Potato & Onion Soup

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Tbsp Rewa butter
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 4 potatoes, large dice
• 250 g mushrooms, roughly chopped 
• 1/3 cup freekeh 
• 1 can of white beans, drained and rinsed
• Stock powder 
• 1.5 L water
• 4 egg yolks 
• Roughly chopped spinach or other tender greens 

DIRECTIONS

1. In a pressure cooker brown the onions in Rewa butter for about 5 minutes. 
2. Add the potatoes and mushrooms, cook until the mushrooms are tender but not soft, 2 or.3 minutes. 
3. Add the freekeh, white beans, and stock powder along with hot water to cover the ingredients and then some, about 1.5 L.
4. Securely close the lid and bring the pressure up, cook for 10 minutes at pressure. Quick release the pressure. 
5. Use some of the hot broth to temper the yolks by whisking a little of the hot broth into the eggs. Whisk constantly and vigorously as the hot broth is added. By keeping the eggs moving constantly, you raise the temperature of the eggs gradually, keeping them from cooking. Raising the temperature of the eggs protects them so that when the yolks are added to the pot or pan with the hot ingredient, they won’t cook or curdle.
6. Either stir the cut greens into the soup or serve the soup over the greens for the freshest flavor.

Watermelon Feta Salad

Originally posted 13 July 2021 

No feta in Rakiraki stores, but if there was I would love to make this. The salt in the feta against the sweet watermelon is just too good, and the watermelons in the market are amazing right now. 

INGREDIENTS 

• ~1 kg watermelon, rind removed and cut into chunks 
• 1 Tbsp/15ml juice from 1 lemon, plus 4 (2"/5cm) strips zest, removed with a sharp vegetable peeler
• 3 Tbsp/45ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1/4 cup/10g roughly chopped fresh mint leaves
• Up to 4 ounces (1 quart) arugula leaves (optional; see note)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 ounces/110g feta cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Place watermelon chunks in a large bowl. 
2. Finely chop lemon zest. 
3. Add lemon juice and half of zest to bowl with watermelon. 
4. Add oil, mint, and arugula (if using) and toss until watermelon is evenly dressed. 
5. Season lightly to taste with salt and pepper. (The cheese will add saltiness, so go light on the salt at this stage.)
6. Transfer salad to a wide, shallow bowl or a large plate and spread out evenly. Crumble feta over the top. Sprinkle with remaining lemon zest. Drizzle with more olive oil and a few grinds of black pepper. Serve immediately