my week in review

I got sick! stuck with a bad throat and a stuffy nose. Fightin off the last of it now.

the remedy? Sopa de lima! (made with lemons)

onion

celery

carrots

ginger

oil

salt and pepper

paprika

lemon or lime juice until you just taste it

cilantro

saute these until the onions are translucent and it smells good

add: 1 can diced unsalted tomatoes

chicken (I used drumsticks)

water to cover (plus some)

boil for hours, until the chicken is stringy and soft. top with fresh

cilantro. good with tortilla chips. (i subbed a mediocre loaf of gluten

free bread. still working on the recipe)

Then Christmas came along, so I made this cyclist for Jesse:

obligatory action pose:

And finally, we brought sugar cookies down to Millbrae last night.

Neon food dye is awesome.

Gluten Free Sugar Cookies: (recipe by Jesse in collabo w/ GF Girl and the Chef)

under 1 c brown rice and sweet rice flour, combined

under 1 c tapioca starch

under 1 c corn starch

(mix should be 2 1/2 cups)

1 t baking powder

2 1/2 t xanthan gum

pinch of salt

nutmeg and cinnamon

in a separate bowl/stand mixer/food processor

1 c brown sugar

1/2 c (2 sticks) butter

1 egg

1 T vanilla

lemon juice (1 lemon)

process until fluffy

mix with flours, mix in some food colorings and refrigerate immediately.

when the dough has hardened, it's ready to be rolled out. refrigerate

ready-to-bake cookies before baking.

bake at 350 for 9 minutes.

some people

the pizza trials

Gluten Free Pizza Dough:

mix together:

bowl 1:

1 T dry yeast

2 T sugar/honey

3/4 warm (not hot) water

bowl 2:

1/2 c brown rice flour

1 c sweet white rice flour

1 1/2 c tapioca starch

1/4 c corn starch

2 T potato flour

2 t xanthan gum

2 t baking powder

1 t salt

chopped or dried herbs of your choosing (i used fresh sage from

my buddies at Happy Boy Farms.)

add to bowl 1:

2 egg whites

2 T olive oil

1 t balsamic vinegar

for later:

cornmeal

add bowl 1 to bowl 2 and stir to combine. I use my hands after

the mix starts to bunch up. turn onto a cutting board or clean

surface and knead for a little while to incorporate the dough better.

cover with a damp cloth and let rise in an oiled bowl in a warm

place (i used the oven, preheated and then turned off) for 1 hour

or so. when it has risen, move it to a cornmeal-covered surface and

spread the dough to your final pizza shape. move to a baking sheet.

at this point, i need to do some experimenting. here's what i did:

cover the edges of the crust in cinnamon, sugar and salt. cover the

inner part of the dough with olive oil. spread on sauce, toppings

and cheese, cover in olive oil and cracked pepper, and bake at 500

for 12 minutes.

future iterations:

spread out crust and let rise another 30 minutes

parcook crust 15 minutes before adding toppings (the crust was a

little grainy, probably from contact with the sauce).

Please let me know if you try any experiments of your own!

Kabocha Squash sauce:

1/2 small kabocha squash, boiled until soft, peeled and pureed

1/2 c water or however much you need to get the right consistency

2 T capers

agave/sugar, salt and pepper to taste

2 cloves chopped garlic

1/2 c grated parmesan cheese

lemon juice to taste

heat all in a saucepan over low heat until the caper and garlic flavors

are incorporated.

Top the pizza with whatever strikes your fancy! This one had sauteed

fennel and maitake mushrooms with garlic and just a hint of salt.

Covered in mozzarella, of course.

Pedal Savvy Fashion Show

Look for a green corset and a black, green and purple jersey

Pedal Savvy Fashion show @ the SF Bike Expo 2010 from meg v. on Vimeo.

DONUTS!

Gluten free donuts DO exist!

After some recipe-tweaking after a night of rock-solid jelly donuts,

this dough actually started to rise!

They fried like a charm...

And had real holes, cut out with a seltzer bottle cap...

And dessert was sweet sweet sweet (served with yogurt, and apple

butter from mom). Happy Chanukah.

Gluten Free Donuts:

1 T dry yeast

2 T sugar

3/4 c warm milk or any other liquid (apple cider?)

mix these and let rest in a bowl until yeast begins to foam.

1/4 c brown rice flour

1 1/4 c sweet white rice flour

1 1/2 c tapioca starch

1/4 c corn or potato starch (or more tapioca)

1 t xanthan gum

1 t baking powder

pinch of salt

2 T sugar

1 t ground cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

Mix these in a large mixing bowl.

1 egg

1 egg white

1 t vanilla

Add these to the yeast mixture and pour into the flour mix. Stir until

well combined and not sticky. I left some of the flour out the first go

and added after the liquid to coat the mix.

When the dough is combined, add

2 T softened butter (or any oil)

Knead the dough, let it rest in a warm place covered with a damp towel

~ 2 hours. The dough should double in size, and make crinkly sounds

when you handle it. These are (finally!) air bubbles. Turn the dough

out onto wax paper, and roll it out to 1/4 " or a little thicker. Cut out

rounds with a cookie cutter or glass. Cut out holes with a cookie

cutter or bottle cap. Let rise, covered with a towel for 30 minutes.

When risen, heat up frying oil in a skillet. I used canola. The holes will

be your testers, and they will cook fast. Let them brown nicely on one

side, flip, brown again. They should not brown too fast, but if they do,

lower the heat. When cooked, toss them immediately in a bowl of sugar,

salt and cinnamon, or whatever other spices you'd like. Let them rest

on a plate with paper towels to soak up some grease. Repeat with all

the donuts.

This recipe should make a heaping plate of them. Too many for 4 of us.

gluten free scones

- 1 c brown rice flour

- 2/3 c tapioca starch

- 1/3 coconut flour

- 1/4 t xanthan gum

- 1/3 c sugar

- 1 t baking powder

- 1/4 t baking soda

- 1/2 t salt

- 1/4 c coconut oil

combine all until crumbly

add:

-1 t vanilla

-1 egg

-1/2 c plain yogurt

combine until doughy. add 1/2 c fresh or dried fruit. I used asian pear

and fresh ginger.

make into small bisquit rounds. coat top in sugar.

Bake at 400 for 17-20 minutes.

the pie got purpler

a purple pie

purple sweet potatoes!

gluten free pie time

The lovely Morgaine has left us with her pie dish, temporarily, which
means it's time for some pies!

The crust trials:

1/2 c brown rice flour
1/3 c tapioca starch
1/6 c amaranth flour
2 T potato flour
1/4 t xanthan gum
1/4 t agar powder
1/4 t salt
1 stick butter
1/4-1/2 c cold water

cut the cold butter into the dry mix, add cold water, mix until just
combined. refrigerate until ready to roll!

roll the dough to under 1/4". transfer to pie dish and bake at 375 for
10 minutes before adding filling.

Comments: way too much butter. next time less butter, more water,
and maybe a little bit of apple cider vinegar. held its shape like a
dream, didn't rip when i tried to transfer it to the pie pan, and i could
lift my slice of pie by the crust, which was awesome.

This one was filled with:

just under 2 c acorn squash, steamed and pureed
3/4 c whole milk
agave, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger to taste
1/4-1/2 t agar
1 T tapioca starch

Mix well in a blender, pour into par-cooked crust, bake at 450 for
10 minutes, 375 for 50 minutes. let it chill in the fridge before
serving to solidify.

Comments: so good! no more pumpkin baking for me. I think next time
I will refrigerate the filling in the crust before baking. then the agar will
activate so that the filling will be custard when it comes out of the oven.

yeah!

Important is what I'm doing

dinner series continued

best birthweek ever

I turned 22 on 11/11 this year, and Jesse (and his camera) and I played
hookie to celebrate.


We ran into a corseted bike outside of boogaloo's on 22nd street...


And then stopped in at the Revolution Cafe further down 22nd to make
sure the show was still in order.



It was.

the hand drawn map association

pointed out to me by jesse, the hand drawn map association is
a collector of hand drawn maps (oh!)

mine just got posted here!

cookies v. 3

These ones rule!

Gluten Free Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cream together:

1 c butter
1 c brown sugar
between 3/4 and 1 c white sugar
2 bananas
2 t vanilla

Mix separately:

1 c brown rice flour
1/2 c sorghum flour
3/4 c potato starch
3/4 c amaranth flour
1/2 t xanthan gum
1/2 t salt
1 t baking soda

Mix dry stuff into the wet stuff, add:

2 c chocolate chips
nuts if you want em.

Stir well, make cookie-sized dough balls, and lay them all out on a
baking sheet. Leave the sheet in the fridge for a while.

Preheat oven to 350, and bake cookies, well spaced (but they don't
spread much) for 12 minutes. flatten with the back of a spatula, and
bake another 2-3 minutes. Take them out of the oven, and transfer
them to a flat surface as soon as they are firm enough to move. If you
let them cool they will stick to the pan and break when you try to
move them. Also, do not stack hot cookies, they will stick to each other.

Enjoy!

The Pedal Savvy Fashion Show!

Thanks to Gwen and all the models who rode down the runway at the Bike Expo!

The show looked great, with 2 corsets and a jersey being worn like a pro.

Photos here from the Bike Fest
More to come!

SF Bike Expo

The Bike Expo is this Saturday at the Cow Palace. Come on down
to see True That gear walk the runway for the Pedal Savvy fashion
show!

more gluten free cookies

Here is trial 2 of Sadie and Jesse's quest for the perfect gluten free cookie.
(double recipe from the last post)

Cream together:

3/4 c butter
1 c brown sugar
1 c molasses
2 eggs
2 t vanilla

Mix in a separate bowl:

1 c corn masa
1/2 c sweet white rice flour
1 c tapioca starch
1/2 c sorghum flour
1/2 t xanthan gum
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt

Add the dry ingredients slowly to the wet. When mixed, add:

2 c chocolate chips
pile of finely chopped ginger

Refrigerate the dough before making into cookies.

Bake at 325 for 14-16 minutes.
Let cool before removing from tray.

Comments: Might need a little more flour in this to compensate for the extra liquid.
This recipe has less butter and more starch than the previous one, and is baked at a lower temperature for a little bit longer.

For next time: less sugar, more butter, more flour but less corn, more xanthan gum, refrigerate longer before baking

true that bikes goes camping!

We piled up our loaded bikes outside Village Market for some
coffee and juices before the big day...

But by the time we had gotten through the Presidio the rain
was more than the drizzle we had predicted...


Perseverance, coconut juice, and quick-drying synthetic fabrics kept us
pedaling until, emerging from the gloom, we arrived at our beloved China
Camp State Park!


Wouldn't have made it without my true that reflective sock garters.


Thanks Jesse Marsh for the photos, and Francisco Grajales for the soundtrack

recipe from the east coast

Gluten Free Churros con Chocolate

1 c water
2 T brown sugar
1/2 t salt
1/3 c butter
1/4 c rice flour
1/4 c sorghum flour
1/4 c potato flour
1/4 c tapioca starch
1/4 or a little more xanthan gum
2 eggs
1/2 t vanilla
1/4 c white sugar
1 t cinnamon

1. boil water, brown sugar, salt and butter in a saucepan.
2. mix all flours well in a bowl
3. remove pan from heat and add flour all at once. mix until well blended
4. mix eggs and vanilla in to the batter
5. put dough into a piping bag (or a ziplock bag with the corner cut off. warning: if you do not have the metal nozzle to pipe out the batter, your churros will look like turds. really)
6. heat a pan full of frying oil. make sure it is hot, but not too too hot. you want your churros to cook about 3-5 minutes per side without burning or getting soggy.
7. pipe 4 or 5 churros into the pan. be patient. keep an eye on them but don't constantly flip them.
8. when they are done, roll them through cinnamon and sugar and let them cool on a paper towel.

chocolate, milk, butter, salt

melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler
add milk and salt, slowly until combined. proportions to taste.
serve warm. add cayenne if you'd like!

happy eating

foods

I found some gorgeous purple carrots at the Upper Haight farmers
market today. Mind you, I hate carrots, but they were so pretty I
thought I'd see what I could do.


Lentil soup with roasted purple carrots and okra:


1. blanch halved carrots with ginger, salt, thyme and habanero
peppers
2. drain, toss with olive oil, more minced ginger and garlic. get
rid of the peppers and the blanched ginger.
3. roast at 350 until you are done with everything else, and they
should be cooked perfectly.
4. boil some red lentils with water enough to cover. add salt and
a tiny bit of curry or cumin. let it simmer covered for a while,
and add water when it starts to reduce.
5. caramelize some onions and set aside
6. while your pan is hot, throw in some whole okra (minus the
stems) and let them saute covered for a few minutes. add a
touch of water to let them steam, and then toss them in the
oven with the carrots. if you played your cards right, the
steaming water in the pan should pull the last of the habanero
residue out so your okra have a tiny bit of spice.
7. when the soup is ready, serve with the onions and some
lemon juice, with veggies on top.
8. add raita if you have the ingredients: plain yogurt, cucumber,
basil or mint, leftover lemon juice

follow this meal up with some dessert!

Habanero gluten-free chocolate chip cookies:

(the chewiest crunchiest gluten free thing I've ever had)

cream together:

1/2 c butter
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla extract

mix in a separate bowl:

1/2 c white rice flour
1/4 c sweet rice flour
5/8 c tapioca starch
1/8 c brown rice flour
1/4 t xanthan gum
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt

combine everything

add 1 t warm water and mix.

add chocolate chips and a tiny tiny bit of chopped pepper.

bake at 350 for 11-12 minutes. cookies hold their shape best if you
grease the pan, refrigerate the dough before forming into small balls,
and let cool on the pan.

mmmmmm

The Mac farm at the Summit:




And my new handyman series:

some updates!

my apologies for not posting, this month has been incredibly fast. jesse
and i went to the east coast for a week and a half, and have both been
working like maniacs since our return.

the summit is up and running! it's a huge sunny space absolutely
saturated with macbook toters. the place looks like an apple commercial.
i did some sketches there yesterday that will be posted when i find my
camera. the staff there are awesome, the cashiers have the gift of gab
like i've never seen before and the bussers hand you clean dishes before
you knew you needed them. i'm getting faster at making drinks and
better at prioritizing them to get them out in the right order. it's really
fun to manage the coffee bar by myself, an exercise in scrutinized
efficiency. or something.

readers cafe is going strong and we just got (another) new boss. I got
myself some dansko clogs to save my feet from destruction (i worked 7
out of the first 8 days i was back) standing on matless floors. things are
on the up and up.

i have a show too! the revolution cafe is hosting my drawings for another
few weeks. it's a similar show to the one at socha, in case you missed that
one. there are a couple new drawings specific to the rev by the request
of the curator. i'd be honored if you stopped by.

finally, jesse taught me everything i needed to know about building bicycle
wheels! i have a shiny new rear wheel (with an axle that actually spins!)
\and a new set of gears. riding up hills just got so much better. i booked it
home last night after a class on how to start your own small food business
in san francisco. inspired and fried, i felt great after time trialing up the
panhandle (and a eating plate of fried plantains).

more to come soon!

sadie

the bike fest

I sold a bunch of leg straps. Some guy even bought 4 of them!

Who knew SF riders wanted to be so safe?!

The corsets were popular among the lookers (although one got laced up on a

bike heading from Canada to Mexico, and then overseas to London!), less so

among the buyers...

...and I had to use this little graphic to explain them.

Still have too many jerseys. If anyone wants a jersey, they are $25 + shipping.

I got all my stuff tied to my trusty mule in one trip. what a day!

Sewed leg straps 'til I ran right out of tags!

More straps coming, and stay tuned for some tool pouch prototypes!

true that bikes at the bike block party!

The Mission Bicycle Block Party is happening next weekend!

Unicycle basketball, trackstand competitions, pedal-powered

blenders, bicycle coffee, and a Pedal Savvy fashion show. All

this can be yours! Sunday, September 26 from noon till 6.

Please come by and grab some new fall-themed garments for

you and your bicycle! Leg straps, corsets and jerseys will be

in attendance.

gluten free bread!

It was great! Elasticky and sliceable, with a legitimate crust and everything!

Flours (from most to least):

-brown rice

-tapioca starch

-potato starch

-sorghum

-sweet white rice

-teff

1-2 t xanthan gum

salt

toasted caraway seeds

water

honey

yeast

rice milk

egg

Go through the process of making normal bread: proof your yeast in

warm water and honey, mix your flours with salt and xanthan gum

and caraway seeds. when the yeast is foamy, add 1 beaten egg and some

rice milk, and pour into the flour mix. stir until doughy, adjust flour and

liquid ratio until the mix resembles bread dough.

You don't need to knead the dough because there is no gluten.

Let it sit, covered and oiled, in a warm place for at least an hour.

Bake at 375 for 35 minutes or so, and enjoy!

According to Jesse, the bread kept, covered in the fridge, for about 5 days.

Well True That Bikes is up and running again! Here is a pile of leg strap

rectangles ready to be sewn. New fabrics and reflective tapes on this round.

Some of these will be going to Mission Bicycles and some will be sold at

the Papergirl SF Bike Fest! Stay tuned for news on this, it will be on Sunday,

Sept 26.

Also, here are some drawings from Ohio: