Tasting the Vegan Cupcakes of Grand Rapids. Dairy-free, Egg-free, & a Gluten-free Surprise.

We once again welcome guest blogger, Audrey Depenbrok.  She and a group of taste testers had the "painful" job of eating their way through all of the dairy-free and egg-free cupcakes they could find in Grand Rapids!  Their favorite, of course, is at the end.  Thanks Audrey!

_elisabeth

Preparing to Score

Cupcakes seem to be all the rage these days. However, if you are a vegan, or suffer from food allergies or intolerances, finding an enjoyable cupcake can be a challenge. Our group of tasty testers scoured the local cupcake scene to find a few bakers who are creating treats for we, the allergen-free, the Tender Foodies.

"We" were a group of taste testers whose ages ranged from 9 to 75 years old.  We conducted a taste test and came up with four of our favorites.  Each person graded each cupcake in four different categories (Taste, Texture, Appearance, and its Similarity to a "regular" cupcake).  We then gave each cupcake an overall score, all on a scale of 1-10, where 10 reached perfection.

Cupcake Group #1 - Bartertown serving Roc's Cupcakes

Roc's Cupcakes at Bartertown 

Bartertown is a recently opened vegan eatery located in downtown Grand Rapids. Their cupcakes are provided on a daily basis by Roc's Cupcakes. These cupcakes are vegan, so they are free of any dairy or egg product. They offer a variety of different flavors each day. 

On the particular day that our taste testers swarmed into Bartertown, we were pleased to see that they offered five different flavors. The offerings were; Chocolate, Vanilla, Apple Crumb Cake, Orange Blossom and Rosewater. 

Our favorite from this group was the chocolate cupcake. Which scored an 8. It had great taste, although it was slightly dry. The icing was very good, very creamy and sweet. This cupcake was more dense than a traditional cupcake might be.

The vanilla cupcake was also a favorite, scoring a 7.5. Its taste, however, was a bit like cornbread, and again had the same dense and dry texture that we found with the chocolate cupcake. 

We were very excited to try both the Orange Blossom and the Rosewater cupcakes - but we were disappointed with the flavor. Both cupcakes scored a 4. The rosewater cupcake was a bit overdone, and came off tasting soapy. While the orange blossom cupcake didn't seem to have enough flavor, and it didn't offer much in the citrus department. 

The apple cupcake was delicious, and had beautiful texture. But, each taster made a comment that it was more muffin-like, even more similar to a coffee cake than a cupcake. It scored an 8, even though it wasn't perfectly "cupcake-like".

All of the cupcakes from Bartertown were beautiful. Each was iced to perfection, with coordinating sprinkles or decorative sugar. 

Cupcake #2 - Little Pearl Cupcake

Little Pearl Cupcake, located on Northland Drive in Plainfield Township, recently began offering gluten free cupcakes and vegan cupcakes.

First, we tested out their Cinnamon and "Butter"Cream Vegan cupcake. They use Earth Balance spread in place of the butter in their icing. 

Cinnamon & "Butter"cream Vegan Cupcake at Little Pearl

These cupcakes had a nice texture, weren't too dry, and they looked great. We found this cupcake to have a slight cornbread flavor as well. The cake portion of the cupcake didn't offer much in the way of cinnamon flavor. The icing was topped with a heavy sprinkle of cinnamon, which is the main source of cinnamon flavor on this cupcake. 

This cupcake scored a 7.

LIttle Pearl also offered a Gluten Free variety, so we took a bite out of their Gluten-free Lime cupcake. 

Gluten-free Lime Cupcake from Little Pearl

We found this cupcake to have a texture very similar to that of a regular cupcake. In fact,  many of our tasters commented that if they hadn't known it was gluten-free, they would have thought it was made with regular flour.

The taste however, left something to be desired. Nearly all of our tasters agreed that the lime flavoring seemed very artificial. The lime flavoiring did seem to please our 9-year old taster who said, "the flavor is very soothing".

The icing on this cupcake was very sweet. It also melted very quickly. I put these cupcakes into an already cool car, and drove them approximately two miles to the tasting location.  They were melted by the time I arrived. 

This cupcake scored a 6.

Cupcake Group #3 - Marie Catrib's 

Nestled in "The Center of the Universe" on the corner of Lake Drive and Diamond in Grand Rapids, Marie Catrib's offers a plethora of vegan and gluten free baked goods each day. 

Although there weren't any cupcakes available, we took a recommendation from the staff for two of their most popular cakes - which are also available as cupcakes from time to time. 

The Vegan Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate Cake.

 Vegan Chocolate, Chocolate Cake from Marie Catrib's - sometimes available in cupcake form

This chocolate cake was rich, moist and utterly delicious. A dark chocolate cake, with a "milk" chocolate icing and filling, and drizzled with a chocolate ganache. This cake could easily be passed off as it's dairy-laden counterpart. 

The Vegan Chocolate, Chocolate Cake scored a 9.

The second item we tasted from Marie Catrib's was the Vegan Carrot Cake, which is also available in cupcake form on certain days. 

 Vegan Carrot Cake from Marie Catrib's - on certain days, this presents as a cupcake, too.

The carrot cake was equally as good as the chocolate cake. Since this cake is vegan, the traditional cream cheese is missing. However, the icing is sweet and delicious and covered with toasted coconut that helps hide the fact that the icing is lacking cream cheese. 

The carrot cake scored a 9.

Cupcake #4 - Cakabakery 

Cakabakery, founded by J.T. Kakabaker in 2010, is a custom cake baker. Designing custom wedding and special occasion cakes and cupcakes. Cakabakery will attempt to meet any dietary need. 

Vegan Raspberry Lemondate Cupcake from The Cakabakery

From Cakabakery, we taste tested their vegan Raspberry Lemonade cupcakes. These cupcakes were a lemony cake, topped with a raspberry icing. The cake had pieces of candied lemon zest running through it, while the icing had bits of real raspberries. 

This was the unanimous favorite of our taste testers. Each agreed that the cake was beautifully moist, not too dense, and had a perfect balance of sweet and tart. You would never guess that this cupcake is dairy-free and egg-free. 

This cupcake scored  perfect 10. 

 Note from Elisabeth:  We will be contacting these bakers to ask if they would be willing to provide some information on their kitchen practices, so that highly allergice/ Super Tender Foodies will have more information regarding cross-contamination and baker knowledge.

Audrey Depenbrok is a Tender Foodie and a self proclaimed cake-aholic with an indecisive nature. She spends her days as a freelance non-profit consultant while taking care of her little boy, golden retriever and two cats.  You can find her tweeting away @mommy_kinz. 

Shop in Allergen-free Teams for Less Stress in Severe Weather.

Courtesy of Accuweather.com Shopping with food allergies often means mulitple trips to multiple stores.  This can be exhausting in any weather.  During severe storms, stocking up before a hurricane hits can be very complicated when food allergies are involved.  People with food allergies have to eat certain foods that are not readily available or convenient to find.  If you need help, or know of a neighbor who does, partner with them or with the people in your local food allergy support network. 

Each person can take a list with specific products for each person in the shopping group.  One person is assigned to one or two stores.  Keep the groups manageable.  Keep the lists to essentials -- but get enough.  The news warns to have enough food, water and flashlight batteries for 5 days.  And of course all mediations, including Epipens, need to be accounted for and with the allergic person at all times.  Pick a local spot that is convenient to everyone and exchange food and money accordingly.

If you don't know of any other person with food allergies, perhaps a friend or family member can help by picking up some stuff for you at their regular grocery store while you do your shopping at the allergen-free store.   

When times get tough, it takes a community.  To all of our friends on the East Coast, stay safe, secure, and loved.  Lots of good energy is coming your way.

Quinoa Power Breakfast with Cinnamon, Raisins & Strawberries

One thing about quinoa, is that if you make it for dinner, you can make a little extra and use it for a completely different dish the next day.  If you make this tasty Spicy Quinoa, Cucumber, and Tomato Salad, or if you use water for this Quinoa Hash with Cumin and Sweet Peppers, make one more cup of cooked quinoa and put it aside for breakfast tomorrow.

Or simply make a few cups and warm it up for breakfast for a few days in a row.  As Autumn peeks around its seasonal corner, some hearty high protein Inca Gold, can truly be the breakfast of champions, and a fantastic gluten-free replacement for oatmeal.

Recipe

Soak 1 cup of quinoa in water for 5 minutes.  Run through a very fine stainer and rinse until the water is clear.  Put into a medium/large saucepan.

Add to 2 1/4 cups of water and bring the entire mixture to boil. Then cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.  White halos will appear around the grains when the quinoa is done. There needs to be a little liquid in the cereal to soak up the flax seed.

Add in 1/2 cup of ground flax seed.

Add 1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. cinnamon

Organic black raisins (my favorite)

And continue cooking for 1 more minute until the flavors are mixed and the raisins warm.

Spoon into bowls and top with fresh, cold strawberries.

Top with 1 or 2 TBS of real maple syrup.  (I mean grade B or C.  No high fructose corn syrup should be anywhere on the label.)

I love the cold, fresh fruit over the hot quinoa.  You can use any seasonal fruit that sounds good to you.  Blueberies, raspberries, even peaches.  Any left overs will keep 2-3 days.  Enjoy!  and post your breakfast quinoa favorites!

Sleeping Bear Dunes. The Most Beautiful Place & Great Food Artisans

The most beautiful place in U.S.?  Sleeping Bear Dunes in Michigan won this Good Morning America contest today.  Why am I so excited?  Two reasons.  Sleeping Bear is in my now home state, and I'm planning a trip.  The other reason is that Chef Mario Batali spends his summers on the Leelanau Pennisula and his love of the area's food artisans is quite an endorsement.  Chef Batali serves gluten-free pasta in his restaurants in New York and is proving to be a Tender Friendly chef (so we love him even more).  You might catch him dining at Hearth & Vine located on the Black Star Farms estate - a restaurant he describes as his "favorite".  Black Star Farms uses local vendors and has a beautiful winery, three tasting rooms and an inn.   If you would like to try something lovely and a little unusual, try their pear wine or their fruit brandies.  I purchased mine at G.B. Russo & Son.  The Leelenau Pennisula (map) is the home to all of this magic, and it is also the largest cherry growing region in the world.

Great things can happen when a community loves and respects the natural resources that surround them.  Congratulations, Sleeping Bear!

Read the entire article on the ABC News website.

Download "10 Places Not to Miss in Sleeping Bear".

Read George Aquino's article on great things to do if you fly into Grand Rapids before driving up the coast.

Recipe: Quinoa Hash with Cumin & Sweet Peppers

The family of enormously chubby ground hogs who live rent-free in my yard, found a way through the fence and into my garden a couple of weeks ago.  They ate nearly everything.   Only a few peppers, most herbs, the arugula (take note, they don't seem to like arugula) and a few tomatoes  survived.   If you understood how much work I put into my garden this year, you'd understand my mood.  This made me blue.  Like purplish blue.  But whenever I get a blow to the spirit, a stint in the kitchen with simple, nurturing recipes makes me human again.  Serving healthy comfort food to people I like, perks me up even more, especially if they enjoy it. 

On The Tender Palate Facebook page, a few Tender Foodies recently asked, "I've never had quinoa!  How do you make it?"  So virtual friends, here is the first of a series of quinoa recipes.

This particular recipe is comforting in summer or winter, and the left overs can be turned into a quick, protein-rich breakfast, too (see below).

What is Quinoa?

Quinoa (say, "keen-wah") is a gluten-free, alkaline grain that is high in manganese, magnesium, copper, iron, phosporous, tryptophan and Riboflavin (Vitamin B2).  Though considered a grain, it is really a seed related to leafy greens like spinach & swiss chard. It has a wonderful nutty flavor and is super tasty in savory & sweet dishes. It also has all 9 of the essential amino acids that we humans need, including lysine, which is important for tissue growth and repair.  Those 9 amino acids make quinoa a complete protein and a fantastic meal.  The Inca Indians called it warrior food, or "Inca Gold" for a reason. 

Rinse & Cook the Quinoa Grain

Rinse 1 cup of raw quinoa in a bowl, then drain using a fine sieve.  Get all of the foam off.  Unwashed, quinoa seeds have a bitter-tasting coating that protects it from being eaten by birds when it is growing in the field.  This coating is called saponin and must be removed before it is cooked and eaten. Most modern quinoa is washed to a degree, so simple rinsing is thought to be adequate.  (More on washing quinoa and its origins).

Toss into a pan with 2 cups of chicken broth* and bring the mixture to a boil.  Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until a white ring forms around the outer edges of the grain.  Set aside.  This can be done a day or two ahead.

*Vegetarians can also use vegetable broth.  If you use water, you may need to adjust the seasoning.

Ingredients

2 TBS of good, organic olive oil

2 cups cooked organic quinoa

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped yellow onion

Optional: 2 sweet organic peppers, sliced (purple, red, orange are best.  Green peppers are a little too bitter when cooked for my taste)

1-1/2 tsp. sea salt

2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. ground coriander

2 cloves of chopped garlic

Fresh snow peas, ends chopped off

1/2 cup organic chicken broth

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Prepare the Vegetables & Make the Hash

In a med/large- sized frying pan, heat the olive oil for a minute or so, then toss in the chopped onions and carrots.  Cook on medium high heat for 10 minutes until the carrot is just tender and the onions are soft.  Add the garlic, 2 tsp. of cumin, 1/2 tsp. coriander and 1 tsp. of sea salt and stir in well.  Add the sliced peppers.  Cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is very tender and a little bit carmelized.

At this point, the pan will be a bit dry.  Don't add oil.  Just add the cooked quinoa and stir in.   Let the quinoa sit on the stove for 1-2 minutes.  If the quinoa starts to get brown, that is great, it will add flavor.  Stir in the 1/2 cup of chicken broth, the remaining 1/2 tsp. of salt and the chopped snow peas.  Cook for 2 more minutes.  Then stir in the chopped basil and cook for 30 seconds or so - just enough time for the flavors to filter through the food.  Taste, adjust and serve hot.

What Do I Do with the Left Overs?

Reheat the Hash with an Egg

If you have left over hash, put a touch of olive oil in a pan, heat it, add the leftover hash and crack an egg or two over it.  Stir in the egg until it's cooked.  It's really good as a hearty breakfast, or as a different, protein rich dinner on night two.