Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

So, this was my second strawberry baking experiment, at first I wasn't sure about the texture of the cupcakes...they are more like a sponge cake then a regular cupcake.  But, once they fully cooled they were much better.  So, let the cupcakes cool!  

This month is Celiac Awareness Month and the American Celiac Disease Alliance is hosting 'Cupcakes for a Cause' to help raise awareness.  We are supposed to share a photo of our cupcakes with the number of cupcakes the number of years we've been gluten free. I've been gluten free for just over 1 1/2 years (so have my boys):

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

2 cups GF flour blend
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup strawberry puree
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup water

Line muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside. Preheat oven to 375F.  In a mixing bowl combine the flour blend, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar.  In a separate bowl combine the strawberry puree, oil, vanilla, lemon zest, and water (not the lemon juice)  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well.  Add in the lemon juice and mix.  The mixture will expand.  Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and cook at 375F for ~20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

 

Strawberry Lemonade Buttercream Frosting
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup strawberry puree
1 teaspoon lemon extract
3-4 cups powdered sugar

Mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl and use to top cupcakes.

Salsa Verde

This weekend I got a Mexican veggie pack from Bountiful Baskets, and knew I had to make some salsa verde.  I learned this recipe at a cooking class and it's been by far my favorite recipe for tomatillo sauces and salsas.

Salsa Verde
~15 tomatillos, husked and rinsed
2 jalapenos (unless you have really small ones, then use 3), halved and seeded
3/4 cup fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
 
Place the tomatillos and jalapenos on a pan and broil them on high heat for about 6-8 minutes, turning every few minutes, until blistered and blackened (at least starting to blacken).

Remove from broiler and roughly chop the tomatillos. Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until you reach your desired consistency.

Fresh Strawberry Pie with Coconut Whipped Cream

I bought 8 pounds of strawberries this weekend and had quite a bit of fun in the kitchen with them.  I used about half of them to make some freezer jam and we ate a bunch straight up, but I had plenty of them left to make some desserts with them.  Fresh Strawberry Pie is one of my favorites and I was very, very happy with how well the coconut whipped cream turned out (even my hubby, who is not a coconut fan, ate it).

  
Fresh Strawberry Pie
(adapted from BHG)
1 baked pie crust
2-3 lbs strawberries, washed and hulled
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon corn starch

Prepare baked pie crust and set aside.  To bake my pie crust, prep it as outline here. Once prepped and in the pie tin, prick the bottom ~8 times with a fork.  Cover it with a double layer of aluminum foil and bake at 450F for 8 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for another 5-6 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow it to cool on a cooling rack.

Meanwhile prep strawberries. Cut any large strawberries in half lengthwise; set aside. Take a portion of the strawberries and chop them into quarters (you need 1/2 cup total).

For glaze, in a food processor combine the 1/2 cup of the chopped strawberries and water. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Add enough additional water to the mixture to equal 3/4 cups. In a small saucepan combine sugar and cornstarch; stir in blended strawberry mixture. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more.  Remove from heat; cool for 10 minutes. (Do not stir.)

Spread a thin layer of the glaze over bottom and sides of Baked Pastry Shell. Arrange half of the remaining strawberries, stem ends down, in the pastry shell.

Carefully spoon half of the remaining glaze over berries, making sure all berries are covered. Arrange remaining berries over first layer. Spoon remaining glaze over berries, covering each. Chill for 1 to 2 hours. 

If desired, top with whipped cream.

Coconut Whipped Cream

1 can coconut milk (full fat, not lite)

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Chill the coconut milk in the fridge for at least a couple of hours or overnight.  Remove the top portion of cream, leave the water behind in the can.  Place the cream in a stand mixer and whip on high until soft peaks form, mix in the sugar and vanilla and serve with the pie.

This post is featured on Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Allergy Free Wednesday, Allergy Friendly Friday and Gluten Free Wednesday.

Weekly Menu (5/6/12-5/12/12)

This week in our Bountiful Basket we got:

Strawberries, bananas, mangoes, green apples, lemons, a pineapple, tomatoes, lettuce, beets, green beans, and red potatoes.

I also got a Mexican pack with my basket and that contained:

Avocados, tomatillos, cilantro, green onions, poblanos, jalapenos, anaheim peppers, and limes. Since today is cinco de mayo, I'll be using most of this pack today making salsa verde for our tacos.

And I also got 8lb of strawberries, too. :)  I'll be making jam with most of them (and maybe a fresh strawberry pie or strawberry cupcakes, haven't decided which), but we'll set some aside to eat straight up.

I also have bananas, apples, baby carrots, broccoli, and half a cucumber left from last week.

This week for breakfast: Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins, Waffles (I made and froze a batch today) and Cereal for the kids, and Homemade Yogurt with sliced fruit (strawberries, mangoes, and bananas) and/or Hard Boiled Eggs for me.

This week for school lunch:  

• Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches
• Fruit (bananas, apple slices, or strawberry slices) or Veggies (sliced cucumbers and baby carrots)
• Chips
• Fruit Snacks
• Milk

This week for dinner: 

Sunday

• Surf and Turf (A grilled steak for my hubby and grilled halibut for me, and we share with the kids)
• Mashed Red Potatoes
• Steamed Artichokes
• Sliced Strawberries

Monday: 

• Chili (I know we eat this a lot, but it's my kids favorite)
• Fritos
• Carrot sticks and Cucumber sticks
• Fruit Salad (Strawberries, mango, and pineapple)

Tuesday:

• Cheese Quesdillas (using Daiya Shreds)
• Tomato Soup (I like the Imagine brand best)
• Nachos
• Salad
• Fruit Salad (strawberries, mango, and pinapple)

Wednesday:

• Chicken Unparmesan 
• GF Pasta
• Steamed beets (and beet greens)
• Green beans and broccoli
• strawberries

Thursday:

• Apple Fritters
• Sausage
• Bananas and strawberries

Friday: 

• Pizza
• Salad
• Carrots and Almond Butter

Saturday:

• English Style Battered Fish Fillets
• Oven Fries
• Salad
• Carrots and Almond Butter

My story

I shared my story on Gluten Freely Frugal today, go check it out!