I’ve been neglecting a lot lately.

Neglecting writing blog posts this week because I’ve been swamped with finals.

Neglecting eating healthy most of this semester because it’s easier to make excuses than roast vegetables.

Neglecting restarting the 30 day Shred workouts because I don’t like being yelled at through my own TV.

But most significantly I’ve been neglecting this pancake recipe. And that’s the biggest shame of all; no one should go pancake-less for months at a time. I usually eat oatmeal in the morning because that’s quick and I can make it in a microwave. But sometimes breakfast is worth making a fuss over and that’s when a reliable recipe like this comes in handy.

For the record, chickpea flour does not actually taste like chickpeas at all. It has a really neutral flavor to it. You can find chickpea flour in some specialty markets. The kind I used is by Bob’s Red Mill.

Chickpea Flour Pancakes

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 4 medium-sized pancakes):

• 1/2 cup chickpea flour
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 (heaping) Tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• Butter or oil for greasing

Method:

1. Whisk together the flour, water, egg, sugar, baking soda, and salt until all the clumps are gone from the batter.
2. Heat a pan or skillet over a burner set to medium with some butter or oil.
3. Scoop about 3 Tablespoons-1/4 cup of batter into the pan.
4. Cook until the edges firm up and bubbles come through the batter. Flip and cook for another 15-20 seconds until the other side has set. Repeat until all the batter is used up.
5. Serve while still hot with syrup, sauce, and/or butter.

Here’s to a Summer of not neglecting.

The class itself is a black and white film course. I thought there was no way the skills used in film photography could carry over to what I like to do in digital. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I know so much more about how to set up a shot, how my digital camera works, and even how to edit photos on a computer because of the work we did with film. The two pretty much go hand in hand and I feel like I take stronger photos because of it. 

Here are the 9 most valuable tips I’ve learned from the past semester; I’d suggest that you don’t just read them, but take them in, grab a camera, and practice. The best thing you can do to strengthen your photos is get hands on experience, and no amount of reading can match that.

Check the light meter

That little thing in the bottom of your viewfinder actually turns out to be incredibly helpful. Before I was shooting in manual but always looking at the screen to see how I needed to adjust the shutter speed. That meant having a lot of shots that were horribly, horribly exposed. Using the light meter has cut down on bad shots tremendously.

Food photos in general look better overexposed by a stop I think but with a properly exposed file there’s nothing you can’t do in a digital editing software.

Pay attention to lighting

Lighting is pretty much everything in a photo. The best way to practice finding good lighting isn’t taking pictures at all; just simply observe the light in a space at different times during the day to see how it changes and how the shadows make things look. Lighting really is essential to taking a good photo so figure that out before anything else.

Also, avoid flash whenever possible. It just makes people’s skin look like reflective vests and that’s never attractive.

Crank down the ISO

I was always shooting in 1600 ISO because I thought that was “good enough”, but after working with photos in 400 ISO the quality isn’t even comparable. ISO measures the amount of detail in a photo, the lower the ISO meaning the more detail. Setting your ISO to 400 means you’ll have to use a slower shutter speed, but for well-lit shots like outdoor photos on a sunny day there’s no reason not to use it.

The whole frame matters

It’s easy to get caught up in a subject and start taking pictures not paying attention with what’s around it. The problem is other people will pay attention to it when they look at the photos. If it’s not meant to be part of the photo, it probably is just a distraction and shouldn’t be there. You could crop it out during editing, but it’s so much easier to pay attention to the whole frame when you’re shooting than manipulating things after the fact.

Tripods are your friend

I got a tripod for Christmas this past December. I hardly used it at all until a few weeks ago, and now I can’t stop. It’s just so much better for when you want to take low ISO photos and the lighting isn’t that great. It doesn’t have all the mobility of using your hands, but if you’re savvy you can get some pretty great shots. I’ll definitely be using mine most of the time when I’m taking food photos from now on.

“Stealing” is fine

Stealing a recipe from one website and posting it on another is bad. Stealing a car is worse. But “stealing” a photo is fine—or rather, the concept of the photo. Stealing in art just means seeing something that someone else did well and that you like and trying to recreate it yourself. So if you have a particular favorite photographer who does great work, why not try to make your photos look just like theirs? As long as you’re the one taking the photo, it’s not breaking any rules.

Prints are never out of fashion

With everything being digital today, no one has prints of their photos anymore. They’re a lot of fun to keep around, put on display, or even give as gifts. Get your favorite digital photos printed once and a while and do something fun with them; otherwise they only live on your computer and where’s the fun in that?

Find your style and stick to it

Everyone has a different style. Even after 12 weeks of class with people I never knew before, it’s easy to tell who took what photos based on the subject matter and style. Likewise, I can spot a lot of my favorite food bloggers just by how their photos look because they’ve stuck with one style and gotten really good with it. It’s great to try new things but start with a strong foundation by working on your own look.

Get feedback

Of course you should always please yourself with your work, but sometimes we get too attached to make objective decisions; that’s when having people who are going to tell you the truth is most important. Don’t go asking your mom or best friend who’s never said a mean thing in her life how your photos are—find someone unbiased who knows a thing or two about photos and ask what you could do to improve. Most of the time, we aren’t our best critic. In the words of Tina Fey, “If you’re ever feeling too good about yourself, there’s this thing called the internet.”

I apologize this recipe is coming on nueve de Mayo and not last week when it might have been more fitting. If it’s any consolation, I made these on cinco de Mayo and ate a few on seis de Mayo and they were still delicious, so I’m sure whenever you make these they’d be a hit.

Lime and coconut go perfectly together. Since I always make my cupcakes with coconut flour, adding lime was a no-brainer. These are just the right amount of sweet and citrusy to be light and refreshing.

I kept the coconut flavor downplayed but if you want to liven them up you can add shredded sweetened coconut flakes to the batter of frosting for an extra layer of flavor. I also think fresh mint would work really well in the buttercream with the lime if you happen to make these at a time of year when that’s available.

Lime In The Coconut Cupcakes

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 35 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 12 cupcakes):

• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons coconut flour
• 4 eggs
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup cane sugar
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 2 Tablespoons lime juice(or 1/2 Tablespoon lime extract if you can find it)
• 1 Tablespoon lime zest
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a dozen cupcake holders.
2. Combine all of the ingredients together in a large bowl and mix until it forms an even batter.
3. Scoop equal amounts of the batter into each cupcake well.
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the tops are firm to the touch.
5. Remove from the oven. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting them.

For the frosting, I used roughly 1/2 cup of softened butter, 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1 1/2 Tablespoons of coconut milk, and plenty of lime zest. I say roughly because I did it mostly by eye. I’ve stopped putting effort into making just the right frosting until I get a fancy set of tips like these since they always look blah no matter what I do. 

What I’m about to say may be sacrilegious so read on at your own risk.

I don’t really like coffee. I used to love it but now I could count on one hand the number of times I’ve drank it in the past year. I’m a much bigger fan of tea now.

The one exception is chocolate covered coffee beans. I’ve probably spent a small fortune on those alone; I really can’t get enough. I’d much rather wake up to a handful of those than a cup of coffee any day.

This trail mix has all the flavors you could want in a fancy Starbucks coffee drink: Vanilla, almond, chocolate, white chocolate, and coffee. When I do drink coffee, it’s always black, but a trail mix with just coffee beans wouldn’t be nearly as exciting. I threw in some raisins, too, because those are healthy and that makes the rest of it healthy by association, right? If you don’t want to make the vanilla sugar almonds, you can always buy flavored almonds and substitute them instead or just use regular roasted almonds.

Perk Me Up Trail Mix

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup chocolate covered coffee beans
• 3/4 cup white chocolate
• 1 cup seedless raisins
• 2 cups vanilla sugar almonds*

*Vanilla sugar almonds

• 2 cups almonds
• 2-3 heaping Tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 Tablespoon oil
• 1 Tablespoon liquid sweetener(corn syrup, agave, maple syrup, etc.)

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine all of the ingredients for the almonds in a bowl and mix together.
3. Lay the almonds out in a single layer on a baking tray and roast for 20-30 minutes, jostling occasionally until the liquid evaporates and the almonds turn golden. Remove and let the almonds cool completely before continuing.
4. Toss the almonds, white chocolate, raisins, and chocolate covered coffee beans together. Store in an air-tight container for up to a month.

The best part of waking up is this in your cup.

You know what’s a sign of a good cookie recipe?

When you consider not baking them at all and just eating the batter.

I couldn’t resist trying out this recipe when I saw it online. I mean—peanut butter, peanuts, peanut butter chips, and peanut butter candies? Where can you go wrong? The next time I was at the store I made sure to pick up all the mix-ins; I’m down for any excuse to keep peanut butter chips in the pantry. Always.

To make them gluten-free, I used my favorite and easiest peanut butter cookie batter; there’s no wheat(or even butter!) necessary for these rich, melt-in-your-mouth cookies. I’d recommend if you’re using a non-stir peanut butter to melt it slightly in the microwave before mixing it with the other ingredients.

Quadruple Peanut Cookies(adapted from this recipe)

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 18 minutes

Ingredients(Makes about 20 cookies)

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 3/4 cup cane sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup Reese’s Pieces
• 1/4 cup peanut butter chips
• 1/4 cup salted peanuts

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
2. Combine all of the ingredients together evenly into a thick batter.
3. Roll 1 ounce of dough into a ball in your hand and place it on a lined or greased baking tray. Press down on the dough in a criss-cross pattern with a fork gently
4. Bake for 15-18 minutes until the sides are browning.
5. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely before taking them off the baking tray.

These cookies don’t disappoint at all. They’re definitely a must-make for any peanut butter lovers. If you don’t have peanut butter chips, I’m sure chocolate chips would be a great substitution as would chopped Reese’s peanut butter cups for the Reese’s Pieces.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from living off meal plan in a dorm room, it’s how to get savvy with the foods and cooking tools available. I could probably count on one hand the number of times I made a meal on an actual stove the past few months, and I can’t wait to move back to somewhere where that’s more convenient.

I haven’t had a chance to run to the store and the day I made this it was pouring outside, so this was truly a winging-it meal made with whatever I had lying around. Quinoa’s a great pantry staple and cooks perfectly in any rice cooker(which is what I cooked this in, although I wrote the recipe for a stove since I figured that’s more common). Add some vegetables and a source of protein and you’ve got a meal.

Another example of ingenuity? The eggs I ate this with were baked, not boiled! I picked that up from this post I found on Pinterest. If you ask me I’d much rather toss eggs in an oven for 30 minutes and get other stuff done than stand over a stove waiting for water to boil. You could also serve this with baked tofu, tempeh, or chicken on top and it’d be just as good. 

Tangy Kale and Carrot Quinoa

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 2 servings):

• 3/4 cup dry quinoa
• 1 1/2 cup water*
• 2 cup kale
• 2 large carrots, shaved into thin strips
• 2 Tablespoons mustard
• 1 Tablespoon agave
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

*This is the ratio with water I usually cook my quinoa in. If the brand you’re using tells you to do differently, follow the box’s cooking instructions.

Method:

1. Rinse the quinoa and then combine it with the water in a small pot. Cook for 15 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed and the quinoa is light and fluffy.
2. Turn off the heat and add the kale and carrot strips into the pot. Cover with a lid for 5 minutes until the kale and carrots have steamed.
3. Add in the agave, mustard, and salt and mix everything together. Serve while still hot.

The agave and mustard aren’t too strong or overpowering but give this just the right amount of flavor to be light and refreshing. Next time I might add toasted cashews and eat this all on its own.

I love Jessica’s blog. It was one of my favorites since I started reading food blogs and it’s never disappointed—the recipes and pictures are always great.

When Jessica posted peanut butter banana chocolate chip cookies, I couldn’t resist trying them out. There are too many flavors there that I love. 

I changed Jessica’s recipe around to make these gluten-free and vegan. I hope that’s not heresy for someone who loves butter and flour; but if it is it’s delicious heresy.

I chose brown rice for this recipe because it is soft and buttery when baked making a tasty, airy cookie. You can find brown rice flour in most grocery stores in the gluten-free section.

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies(adapted from this recipe)

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 18 minutes

Ingredients(Makes about 1 dozen cookies):

• 1/2 cup banana puree
• 1/2 cup runny peanut butter
• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup sugar*
• 2 Tablespoons maple syrup*
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt**

*I used this to replicate the flavor of brown sugar. If you don’t have maple syrup, you can substitute 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons brown sugar and a Tablespoon of water.

**Omit if the peanut butter you’re using is salted

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
2. Combine all of the ingredients together evenly into a thick batter.
3. Roll 1 ounce of dough into a ball in your hand and place it on a lined or greased baking tray.
4. Bake for 15-18 minutes until the sides are browning and the center has puffed up.
5. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely before taking them off the baking tray.

These are seriously some of the best cookies I’ve tasted. Make this recipe. Or make Jessica’s recipe. Just make some recipe.

Whenever I get an urge to make cupcakes, I don’t even question what flour I’ll use. Coconut flour by far makes the best and lightest gluten-free cupcakes around.

I’d like to say I chose carob because it’s exotic and unique but honestly I picked up carob powder by mistake one day and never figured out what to do with it before now. Since I’m not the biggest fan of carob, I wanted to add mint to distract the flavor a bit. I think the two balanced well to make a tasty cupcake. Of course you could always sub in cocoa powder for the carob powder and these’d be just as good.

The frosting I used was a mint chocolate buttercream. It wasn’t perfect but not a failure, either. Definitely not paleo like the cupcakes. For a first go at chocolate buttercream, I’d say it was a success, even though my frosting talent has a long way to go.

Mint Carob Cupcakes

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 35 minutes

Ingredients(Makes a dozen cupcakes):

• 3/4 cup cup coconut flour
• 4 eggs
• 2 egg whites
• 6 Tablespoons carob powder
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 cup almond milk(or any other milk)
• 2 teaspoons mint extract

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line 12 cupcake holders with paper liners.
2. Mix together the coconut flour, eggs, egg whites, carob powder, honey, almond milk, and mint extract in a large bowl.
3. Scoop the batter evenly into the cupcake liners. Hit the pan against the counter a few times to even the batter and knock out any air bubbles.
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the tops are firm to the touch.

They’re really too good to know they’re gluten-free.

I like to say I don’t have a sweet tooth, I have a mouth of sweet teeth. I don’t eat savory foods nearly as much as I should, especially not savory snacks when it’s so easy to pick up something sugar-laden or covered in chocolate. It’s not my best habit and I’d like to think I’m working on it.

These almonds are delicious and you don’t have to feel bad enjoying them on the go. I’ve seen savory almonds on supermarket shelves but rarely are they ever gluten-free. Thankfully they aren’t hard to make yourself. All you need is a little time and patience.

Like whenever you’re roasting nuts, make sure to keep an eye on these to keep them from burning.

Homemade Tamari Almonds

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups raw almonds
• 3 Tablespoons tamari(or soy sauce)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix the almonds, tamari, and salt thoroughly
3. Lay the almonds out in a single layer on a baking tray.
4. Roast for 20 minutes or until the moisture has boiled off, occasionally tossing the pan.
5. Remove and let cool completely before snacking. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

The chopsticks are completely unnecessary. But if you can pick up an almond with them then you’re definitely improving your abilities.

I’m not a popcorn-at-the-movies kind of person. Buttery popcorn just doesn’t do it for me; I’d rather have the sour patch kids or peanut M&Ms. But when it’s chocolate on popcorn—that’s another story.

I’ve been obsessed with white chocolate lately and this is just another way to eat it up. It’s a crunchy, creamy, salty dessert that’s unexpectedly incredible. And it has whole grains so it’s not entirely unhealthy, right?

If you’re worried about this being a messy treat, the chocolate doesn’t actually stick to your hand once it’s cooled down to room temperature. It’ll make your hands about as greasy as any buttered popcorn, though, so have a napkin nearby.

White Chocolate Popcorn

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 8 servings):

• 8 cups plain popcorn
• 6oz white chocolate
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons butter
• 3/4 teaspoons salt

Method:

1. In a microwave or over a double boiler, melt the white chocolate and butter together until smooth.
2. Stir the salt into the white chocolate evenly.
3. In a large bowl, poor the melted white chocolate over the popcorn. Fold the popcorn into the white chocolate until it’s all coated.
4. Let the popcorn sit at room temperature and the chocolate solidify slightly. Scoop into bowls and serve.

This is definitely not as good as leftovers since it keeps so poorly, so I would suggest making it and eating it on the same day. I don’t think it’ll be too hard once you take a taste to finish the batch.