Vendor Blender: You Can’t Eat Bread!?

Happy Monday Greenpoint Food Marketers!

We hope you enjoyed a beautiful and sunny weekend! We spent the weekend supporting vendors offering tastings and selling their awesome foodwares at Slideluck Potshow’s special tasting hour and Taste Williamsburg Greenpoint‘s satellite Greenpoint Food Market joint, and by support we mean eating a whole lot. We hope you’re prepared for this Saturdays market, it’s going to be a big one! Til then, please welcome today’s vendor for the blender: You Can’t Eat Bread!?

What is You Can’t Eat Bread!?

I’m a full-time public health specialist and a part-time gluten-free baker.  Following in the hereditary footprints of my mother and aunts, I was diagnosed with celiac disease in March 2006.  Determined not to lead a life without baked goods (who could!?) I began baking gluten-free goodies immediately.  After 3 years of baking and a lot of positive feedback, I wanted to share my experiences!

How did the inspiration for it come about?

I found the majority of gluten-free goods on the market lacking in taste and texture so I began experimenting with different flour blends, applesauce, and Xathan Gum in my kitchen.  Now my gluten-free (and gluten-full!) friends are hooked on my tasty treats.

Where do you source your ingredients?

Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-free flours are my favorite by a long shot, and I often add flax seed meal for extra oompf in my banana bread.

I’m lucky enough to live a few blocks from the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket, so on Saturdays I stock up on whatever happens to be in season and bake accordingly.

Favorite Recipe?
One of my favorite recipes would have to be:
Zucchini Pineapple Cake with Walnut Cream Cheese Frosting*

*Recipe is for 1 13”x9” sheet cake, double it for 8” layer cake.

Cake

1 1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Baking Flour
1-¼ cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 Cup Flaked Coconut
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Xanthan Gum
2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
Freshly Grated Nutmeg, To Taste
1 Pinch Ginger
3 Tablespoons Apple Sauce
2 whole Large Eggs
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
2 Cups Grated (unpeeled) Zucchini (pat dry between paper towels)
1 (20 Oz.) Can Crushed Pineapple In Juice, Drained (reserve for frosting)
Frosting

4 Tablespoons Butter, Softened
8 Ounces Low-fat Cream Cheese, Softened (can Use Full-fat Cream Cheese)
3 Cups Powdered Sugar, Approx.
½ teaspoon Xanthan Gum
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Powdered Ginger
Splash of Pineapple Juice
¾ cup Chopped Walnuts
Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare cake, combine flour, sugar, coconut, baking soda, salt, xanthan gum and spices in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Combine apple sauce, eggs, and vanilla; stir well. Stir egg mixture, grated zucchini, and pineapple into flour mixture.  Add in a little splash of the pineapple juice for good measure. Spoon batter into a 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Bake at 350° for about 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs and cake is pulling away from sides of pan. Cool completely on a wire rack. To prepare frosting, combine butter and cream cheese in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Beat in powdered sugar, xanthan gum, ginger and vanilla just until smooth. Add a splash of pineapple juice and stir in chopped walnuts. Spread frosting over top of cake. You can garnish with chopped walnuts, cranberries, or ginger etc.

What do your goods go well with? What does it NOT go well with?

I love liqueur based frostings, my peach cupcakes with bourbon cream cheese frosting go wonderfully with summer cocktails and backyard BBQs.  My baked goods do NOT go well with a diet, because it’s difficult to eat just one cookie!

Why the decision to share at GFM?

I had been looking for a Brooklyn venue to debut you can’t eat bread!? and I saw the call for vendors in a New York magazine e-mail.  The community engagement matched with Joann’s excitement was hard to resist, I’ve been a vendor ever since.

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