2-Time ‘Cupcake Wars’ Winner Shares Delicious Gluten-Free Desserts

Bakery Owner Tosses the Flour but Keeps the Flavor

More than ever, people understand that our bodies just weren’t designed to handle the amount of processed flour found in many of today’s food. 

Some people with vague, undiagnosed illnesses feel better after cutting out gluten, a protein in flour-based foods. Many Americans, including professional athletes and celebrities such as Zooey Deschanel and men’s tennis leader Djovak Nokovic, say they look and perform better since dropping gluten from their diets.

“Unfortunately, a lot of people who commit to a gluten-free lifestyle believe they have to sacrifice their favorite desserts, because gluten-free treats are often loaded with sugar but low on flavor,” says Kyra Bussanich, (www.kyrasbakeshop.com), author of a new, full-color recipe book, “Sweet Cravings: 50 Seductive Desserts for a Gluten-Free Lifestyle” (Ten Speed Press; Random House, Inc.)

Bussanich’s gluten-free cupcakes twice bested their floury competition on “Cupcake Wars” (2011 and 2012) and were a runner-up for the show’s Cupcake Champion. She shares her secrets in recipes such as Mexican Chocolate Baked Alaska, Persian Love Cakes with Cardamom Buttercream and Vanilla Chiffon Cake with Blackberry Coulis. 

After suffering a life-threatening illness at 20, Bussanich recovered with the help of a new diet without gluten. She began testing gluten-free recipes while attending the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu patisserie program and later opened her popular business, Kyra’s Bake Shop.
“My recipes are not good ‘for being gluten-free;’ they’re just good, and that’s why people who eat gluten visit my bakery and order gluten-free desserts,” she says. “For me, being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease allowed me to turn lemons into gluten-free lemon meringue pie!”

She invites anyone who doubts that gluten-free can be delicious to try the following recipe:

Apple Crisp
6 large tart apples (Pippin or Granny Smith)
1/3 cup sugar, or 1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons tapioca starch
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Generous pinch salt
3 tablespoons cold butter

Topping
1/2 cup sweet white rice flour
1/2 cup millet flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 cup packed golden brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup gluten-free oats
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
 
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Peel, core and slice the apples into 1/4-inch slices. Put the apple slices into a large bowl and sprinkle the sugar over the top. Add the tapioca starch, cinnamon, five-spice, ginger and salt and toss together to evenly coat the apple slices. Pour into a 9 by 13-inch baking pan, dot the top with pieces of the butter and set aside. To make the topping, combine the flours, tapioca starch, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, five-spice and ginger in a mixing bowl. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, mix in the butter until it is uniformly incorporated into the flour mixture. Stir in the oats and pecans.

Crumble the oat topping evenly over the apples. Bake until the topping is golden brown and set and the apples are warm and bubbly, 55 to 60 minutes.

You can prepare everything ahead of time. Refrigerate the apple filling and keep the topping frozen until ready to assemble and bake. Don’t refrigerate the unbaked topping overnight since the millet flour will interact with the butter and taste and smell cheesy when it’s baked.

About Kyra Bussanich

Kyra Bussanich is a two-time winner of The Food Network’s hit show, “Cupcake Wars.” She graduated with honors from Le Cordon Bleu and opened her award-winning bakery, Kyra's Bake Shop, which features gourmet, gluten-free sweets. She has branched beyond desserts to other gluten-free goods in order to help those with celiac and other autoimmune diseases enjoy quality treats.

Six Tips for Quick and Convenient Healthy Eating During the Holidays from a Holistic Chef

For many people, the holidays involve indulging in buffet tables loaded with lots of fattening, processed foods and sugary sweets.

For those of us who strive the rest of the year to eat a healthy diet while leading busy lives, it can be a challenging time. Not only are we busier than ever, we know that all those foods we usually try to avoid are going to give us indigestion, sap our energy, and pile on the pounds.

“It really isn’t hard to give yourself, your family and friends the gift of delicious, nutrient-rich meals over the holidays,” says holistic chef and certified healing foods specialist Shelley Alexander, author of “Deliciously Holistic,” (www.aharmonyhealing.com), a new, full-color cookbook featuring more than 154 of her favorite healing foods recipes and 50 pages of holistic lifestyle tips to increase energy and immunity.

“Instead of heading to the local supermarket, visit a farmers’ market, where you can buy fresh, local, seasonal and organic produce, along with other nutritious foods created by farmers and local food artisans,” she says. “You’ll have a much more enjoyable experience in addition to stocking up on all the ingredients you need to have handy. You can also find excellent choices at natural and health food stores.”

Nutrient-rich, whole foods that don’t have unnatural fillers and other additives, including seasonal, organic vegetables and fruits, wild-caught seafood, and pasture-raised, organic chicken and meats that come from well-fed, unadulterated, healthy animals, will completely nourish your body, make you feel better and ramp up your energy, she says. And you’ll find you won’t overeat, so it’s much easier to maintain your weight without counting calories.Alexander offers six tips for quick and convenient healthy eating during the holidays.

• When shopping, check labels and avoid foods with a long list of ingredients. The best whole foods have one or just a few unprocessed or minimally processed, easily recognized ingredients, Alexander says. Among ingredients to avoid: chemicals, artificial sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup, nitrates, MSG, genetically modified ingredients and preservatives (indicated by the initials BHT, BHA, EDTA and THBQ.)

• Set aside a few hours each week to prep foods to eat in the days ahead. Cut up produce and store it in airtight containers. Lightly wash produce before using with natural vegetable wash or use one part white vinegar to three parts water. Make several homemade vinaigrettes or dressings to last all week so you can make leafy greens and vegetable salads in minutes. Clean and marinate enough meat or poultry for dinners over the next few days.

• Start your day with a green smoothie. Cut and freeze organic fresh fruit to use in green smoothies. You can also buy frozen fruit that’s already cut up. Add organic kale or spinach, coconut water or nut and seed milks plus natural sweeteners such as dates or stevia for an energy-boosting beverage.

• For your holiday dinners, plan on making at least three to four dishes that are both delicious and nutritious. Good examples are pasture-raised, wild turkey with sage and garlic, baked wild salmon with lemon and herbs, steamed greens, roasted heirloom root vegetables drizzled with balsamic glaze, pureed winter squash soups, and desserts made with seasonal fruits, spices, and healthy sweeteners like coconut sugar or raw honey.

• Invest in a dehydrator. Dehydrate fruits and vegetables and raw nuts or seeds that have been soaked in unrefined sea salt water (which removes anti-nutrients, kick-starts the germination process, and increases key vitamins), and you’ll have plenty of on-the-go snacks with a long shelf life. Dehydrators are convenient and easy to use; Alexander recommends Excalibur.

• Make batches of fermented vegetables twice a month. Alexander recommends eating fermented vegetables every day to keep your digestive system healthy. They’re loaded with probiotics – the good bacteria your intestines need. Mix a variety of organic vegetables such as carrots and celery into brine with warm filtered water, unrefined sea salt, and cultured vegetable starter or liquid whey, and mix with shredded cabbage heads. Pack the mixture into sterilized glass jars and allow the vegetables to ferment for five to seven days. Once done fermenting, store in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

“Stick to whole, healthy foods this holiday season, and you’ll feel so good, you won’t want to go near the buffet table at your office party,” Alexander says.

About Shelley Alexander, CHFS: Shelley Alexander has enjoyed a lifelong love of delicious, locally grown, seasonal foods. She received her formal chef’s training at The Los Angeles Culinary Institute. Alexander is a holistic chef, certified healing foods specialist, cookbook author, and owner of the holistic health company, A Harmony Healing, in Los Angeles.

PB&J for Good

OC Chefs create unique PB&J specials to end Severe Acute Malnutrition worldwide October 16–25, 2013

Orange County, CA (October 2013) – On October 16th, a group of Orange County Chefs will launch a ten-day promotion, PB&J for Good, to benefit children who suffer from Severe Acute Malnutrition worldwide. The inaugural event will focus on the Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich, or PB&J, one of the most popular in North America. Participating Chefs will put their unique spin on the traditional PB&J as a special menu offering. Each will donate a portion of the proceeds from the sale of every PB&J dish to benefit StopSAM.org, a fundraising arm for Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), a devastating condition that affects nearly 20 million children and causes more than 2 million deaths annually.

The following restaurants will be involved in the promotion from October 16th through October 25th:

o Andrei's Conscious Cuisine and Cocktails (Irvine)
Chef Yves Fournier – TBD

o ARC (Costa Mesa)
Chef Noah Blom – Pork Belly with Roasted Cauliflower, Toasted Peanuts, Capers, and Fresno Jam –and– Doing Good (cocktail): Bourbon, Peanut Orgeat, Lime, Grapes, and Curaçao

o Blackmarket Bakery (Costa Mesa)
Chef Rachel Klemek – Double Jammy: freshly ground Peanut Butter, freshly ground Almond Butter, housemade Berry Jam, housemade Gingery Apricot Jam on fresh-baked, grilled 6-Grain Almond Bread

o Broadway by Amar Santana (Laguna Beach)
Chef Amar Santana – Milk Chocolate and Peanut Butter Crunch with Caramelized Banana Purée and Concord Grape Sorbet

o Green2Go (Brea)
Chef Adam Navidi – TBD

o Haven Gastropub (Old Towne Orange)
Chef Greg Daniels – #PB&JForGood Float with Raspberry Beer and Peanut Butter Ice Cream (non-alcoholic version available) –and– Duck Liver Mousse with Toasted Walnuts and Persimmon Jam (mimicking a PB&J)

o Little Sparrow (Santa Ana)
Chef Eric Samaniego – PB&J Macarons

o LUCCA (Irvine)
Chef Cathy Pavlos – PB&J Cheesecake

o Memphis (Santa Ana)
Chef Diego Velasco – Graceland PB&J Club: Griddled Brioche, Applewood Bacon, House-Made Thomcord Grape Jelly, Natural Peanut Butter, and Banana, served with side of Fried Pickles

o Michael's on Naples (Long Beach)
Chef David Coleman – Valrhona Chocolate and Peanut Butter Creme Millefogolie with Strawberry Preserve

o Provisions Market (Old Towne Orange)
Chef Greg Daniels – Peanut Butter Tart with Blackberry Gel –and– CB&J: house-made roasted cashew butter, stout-apricot-bacon jam, and banana chip sandwich

o Slapfish (Hungtington Beach)
Chef Andrew Gruel – Grilled PB&J with Bacon and Marshmallow

o taco asylum (Costa Mesa)
Chef Greg Daniels – PB&J Taco with Pistachio Peanut Butter, Arugula, Smoked Bacon, Carrot Jam and Pickled Fresnos

o The Winery Restaurant & Wine Bar (Tustin)
Chef Yvon Goetz – PB&J Crème Brûlée

“In the early 1900s, peanut butter was considered a delicacy that was only served in New York City’s finest tearooms, and today, in its most basic form, it helps children overcome malnutrition worldwide,” explained Luke Mysse, who, along with partner Mike Levison, created StopSAM.org. “It’s encouraging to see so many talented local Chefs participate in this inaugural event. This is a lighthearted and fun initiative that is meant to appeal to anyone who’s a fan of PB&J. We hope to build on it for years to come.”

The ten-day event, from October 16th – 25th, is organized in conjunction with World Food Day. The primary goal is to raise funds for treatments and generate awareness for Severe Acute Malnutrition.

For more information, visit PBJForGood.com and StopSAM.org.

About Severe Acute Malnutrition and StopSAM
Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) is a wasting condition that affects children between the ages of 9 months and 5 years. It affects the body, mind, immunity systems and, if not treated, can lead to death. But there’s an easy fix, which is where StopSAM.org comes in.

StopSAM is a rapidly growing organization that was created to bridge the gap left between leading humanitarian efforts globally and the number of starving children in the world. It was co-founded by Mike Levison, a successful manager of financial sector companies, and Luke Mysse, an Orange County-based creative entrepreneur and TEDx presenter.

B. toffee presents Halloween B.oo Bites

B. toffee Offers Limited Edition Trick-or-Treat Packages & Bewitching Halloween Boxes 
 

Newport Beach, October 2013 – Orange County’s B. toffee has introduced B.oo Bites, small, individually wrapped pieces of  B. toffee, perfect for Halloween parties and trick-or-treaters.  An order of B.oo Bites comes with 40 individually wrapped packages of B. toffee (your choice of milk chocolate or dark chocolate) priced at $9.99 (plus tax/shipping). Orders must be placed by Wednesday, October 23^rd to ensure delivery (by Friday, October 25^th for local pick-up orders). Orders may be emailed to orders@Btoffee.com or placed via phone at 949-722-9001.

B. toffee also offers customizable Halloween boxes for personal and corporate gifting. Orders of any size can be personalized with spooky sentiments and bewitching boxes. Owner Betsy Thagard’s handcrafted toffee makes for the perfect hostess gift or party favor this Halloween season.

“Fall is a great time for entertaining," explained Betsy Thagard, who founded B. toffee in 2009 in Orange County. “Halloween has always been a time for getting together and sharing tempting treats, and B. toffee makes celebrating that much sweeter!”

B. toffee optimizes a "new luxury" that is pared down while being tempered with a healthy dose of sumptuous decadence. Handcrafted in Orange County by Betsy Thagard, each batch is perfected using only the finest, freshest and most natural ingredients. The provocative manipulation of savory butters, fine domestic sugars, premium Guittard and Callebaut chocolates topped with superior quality pecans defines B. toffee, while our clear canisters boast its beauty. With an elegant balancing act of extravagance and pure simplicity, B. toffee exemplifies the ultimate indulgence.

For more information and to purchase B. toffee, visit http://www.btoffee.com.

Celebrate National Vegetarian Awareness Month this October

Below are two recipes from Parragon Books’ Love Food Vegetarian Step-by-Step cookbook  – Falafel Burgers & Quinoa Roasted Vegetables.

This book will introduce the beginner to the delights of vegetarian cooking with exciting, colorful, and flavorful recipes. It has easy-to-follow and irresistible meat-free recipes that will appeal to carnivores and vegetarians alike. So, whether you want to switch to a completely vegetarian diet, or to increase the vegetarian element in a mixed diet, this book offers delicious and fail-safe recipes to guarantee success every time.

Why You Need This Book:

Although cooking for a vegetarian diet isn't necessarily any more difficult than for a mixed diet, there are certain issues to be aware of, especially for people new to this approach. For example, it's important to make sure you're eating a balanced diet and are aware of the non-vegetarian ingredients that may be hidden in prepared foods. It is also essential to have a variety of dishes and the 60 recipes in this book include many exciting and less-familiar options to tempt even reluctant vegetable eaters.

ABOUT LOVE FOOD

Established in 2007, Love Food is the global cookbook imprint of Parragon Books. Developed as a way to get easy, affordable recipes into every home, Love Food books have sold over 100 million copies worldwide. Today, Love Food has developed into a vibrant lifestyle brand sure to appeal to the aspirational cook in all of us, from core series like Step By Step (which features a photo to guide beginners through each step of a recipe) to 100 Best (the most delicious recipes in every category) to new titles like The Burger, The Bistro Cookbook, and A Year Full of Recipes. Whether you're looking for a print book, an eBook, or an app, Love Food cookbooks bring the cook out in everyone.

Check out more on LOVE FOOD: http://www.parragon.com/us/lovefood/home

FACEBOOK - @parragonbooks

TWITTER - @lovefoodbooks

TUMBLR - bookslovefood.tumblr.com

PINTEREST - @parragonbooks

YOUTUBE - @parragonbooks

 

Click on either image above to see the recipe at full-size.