Gluten-Free Sage & Honey Corn Bread

Our sage plant went CRAZY this summer before suddenly wilting. While the leaves were still in good shape, I picked tons, and brainstormed all the ways to use them while they were still fresh. This is what lead to this discovery: sage corn bread. 

Before, I'd put hatch chilies in corn bread, jalapeños, fresh corn kernels, and even sautéd red onion, but never sage. Sage is one of my favorite herbs that lends such a distinct flavors to roasts and I love the way it smells. Adding in a bit of honey balances it out — sweet and savory, together.

It is the middle of summer, so I baked this in our toaster oven (affiliate link!), in the garage, to keep the house nice and cool. I do this all the time — love keeping the house a bit cooler!

Warm, with a pat butter, this corn bread makes for an absolutely delicious side served with chili, soups, or even barbeque beans! I'll eat it with a fried egg for breakfast, too. You could also bake each loaf in a mini-loaf pan, topped with a single sage leaf, and gift them to friends and neighbors. 

The whole recipe is gluten-free (I find that I never miss the wheat in corn bread, it’s so so good and moist with just corn meal!)

If you grow your own sage, or know someone that does, this recipe is a must-make in late summer or early fall, and it turns out so pretty! 

Gluten-Free Sage & Honey Corn Bread

Published August 30, 2018 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 6   |    Active Time: 30-40 minutes

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Ingredients:

2 cups yellow corn meal

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 cups whole milk yogurt

1/4 cup melted butter, cooled + 1 pat of butter for greasing pan

1 egg

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoon fresh sage, minced plus 6 whole sage leaves for top of bread

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place 1 pat of butter in the a 10-inch pan (a pie pan, an oven-safe cast iron skillet, or a baking dish) and place in oven while it preheats.
2. In a medium size mixing bowl, stir together the corn meal, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. Add yogurt, butter, egg, and honey, and stir using a rubber spatula until a batter forms. Fold in minced sage.
4. Using oven mitts, pull baking pan from oven. Tilt it back and forth to grease the pan evenly. Pour batter into pan, spreading into even layer with a spatula. Arrange the 6 whole sage leaves on top as desired.
5. Place pan in preheated oven and bake for 20-30 minutes (shorter time is needed for a cast iron pan — more for a glass dish). Test doneness by inserting a toothpick into the middle. The toothpick should come out clean, and the top of the bread should be golden. Allow to cool 5 minutes and serve with butter and honey.

Chewy Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten-Free & Grain-Free)

If you make any cookie from this blog, let it be this one. I might regret saying that later, but it's how I feel now and what's a blog if not in-the-moment. 

While I've used a lot of nut and seed butters in baking before (like these peanut butter blondies) tahini is something special in a cookie. 

First let me say that I love thin, chewy, fresh-out-of-the-oven-soft cookies. Gooey. Warm. Indulgence. That what makes tahini ideal: its consistency and fat content allows it to spread out into a thin cookie, and even as the cookies cool they never get crispy. They maintain that soft, chewy bite for days. 

Coconut sugar is also necessary here -- it's not something I usually use, opting for maple syrup or honey in most of my baking - but a crystalized sugar helps to glue the cookies together, so that everything doesn't just fall apart when you pick them up. So you can dip your cookie in a shot of espresso, or a glass of milk or cup of tea. 

Chewy Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies

Published May 17, 2018 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 20   |    Total Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1 cup tahini (stirred well)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla 
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate bar (about 2 ounces)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine coconut sugar, baking soda, and salt. Whisk briefly.
3. Add tahini, vanilla, and egg to bowl, and use a spatula to stir until a stiff, sticky batter forms. Fold in chopped chocolate.
4. Optional: place bowl of batter in the fridge for 10 minutes to allow dough to stiffen a bit more.
5. Using your hands, roll dough into spheres by the heaping tablespoonful. Place spheres 2 inches apart of a baking sheet lined with a Silpat (affiliate link!) or parchment paper, and flatted slightly with your fingers.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies have spread and are golden. Cookies will still be quite soft when you remove them from the oven. Allow them to cool at least 10 minutes before attempting to move them to a cooling wrack or a plate.

Honey Nut Coconut Clusters

Covered in dirt from the soles of my shoes to the tips of my hair, I made my way up our driveway, which was now blanketed in the shade of the night. The sunlight was up and on this day, like every day this week, that meant it was time to put down the shovel and go find something to eat.

When we moved to a new house a year and a half ago, we inherited a front and back yard, both of which were covered in some patchy grass and a lot of bindweed (my nemesis). We knew we would never put out a sprinkler to keep our grass green; it's something that feels like a waste of water in this naturally semi-arid landscape. 

So, a woman on a mission, little has passed through my mind this month other than how to build our garden boxes, which native plants to buy, and where to acquire a copious amount of mulch. It seems everything — even stopping for lunch - has taken a back seat as I rush home to put in a few hours of labor before the sun sets. Rather than planning recipes, I wander in around 8:30pm and make something that requires no thinking… an usually no cooking. 

Like all house projects, I probably under estimated the amount of work it would take to get it all done, but I'm a keep-your-head-down and get-her-done type of person. Besides, I found that even in the heat of day I would be smiling as I dug in the dirt. It's satisfying. So, I just keep digging. 

Snacks that are ready to eat whenever have been necessary this week. Crackers and cheese, fresh fruit, hummus. And of course, these Honey Nut Coconut Clusters, which sit somewhere between granola and trail mix (and they call for only five ingredients: coconut, sesame seeds, cashews, honey and salt). 

Thanks to the honey and the sesame seeds, they taste a bit like Honey Nut Cheerios -- hence the name. But, of course, made with coconut and real nuts and seeds, they are far more satisfying. These would be perfect as a trail mix while hiking, or as a a topping to yogurt, but I mostly just ate them as an afternoon snack. 😋

If you're in the same boat as me -- tight on time - here are a few other quick and easy recipes to get you through: 

• Breakfast in the blender: Coconut Carrot Cake Smoothie

• It cooks while you do everything else: Instant Pot Thai Coconut Curry

• A high protein meal you don't have to cook: Simple Salmon Salad

Honey Nut Coconut Clusters

Published May 8, 2018 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 6   |    Total Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups coconut flakes (affiliate link!)
• 1/2 cup cashew pieces
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1/3 cup honey
• Generous sprinkle of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine coconut, cashew, and sesame seeds. Pour in honey and toss until everything is coated and sticky. Sprinkle with salt, and stir a bit more until salt is incorporated.
3. Spread mixture out on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake 8-10 minutes, stirring at the 5 minute mark to ensure even cooking. After 10 minutes, coconut should be toasted. Allow to cool 5 minutes. Store in airtight container.