Not Quite Mac N Cheese

 

As something different from the traditional heavy dairy laden macaroni and cheese, I made this for my son the other day. It's brown rice penne with shredded carrots and parmesan cheese. That's it! Just make the pasta, and then shred some carrots and parmesan over it and serve! It was the first time my son has been willing to eat carrots, so I call it a success. Maybe it's because they look like cheese!

Shrimp, White Beans, and Greens

 

Here's a new dinner creation I came up with today that was so simple and so delicious! At my house, I'm the only one who eats my dinner creations, so I just make them for one person. Of course, everyone likes the desserts and breads! You can use as much shrimp, beans, and greens as you want depending on how many are eating.

2 tblspns coconut oil (the yummy kind, not expeller pressed)
3 or 4 green onions
shrimp
white beans
sea salt
pepper
collard greens

Melt the coconut oil in a pan. Add some chopped green onions, mostly the white parts. After about two minutes, add desired amount of shrimp.
Cook for a few minutes over medium low heat. Then, add some white beans. I cooked my own beans, but you could use canned.
Cook together for a few minutes. Add some sea salt and pepper. Then, add some chopped collard greens and cook for two or so minutes more.

That's it! It's delicious, healthy, fast and easy! Enjoy!

Grain Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

I made these delicious grain free cookies yesterday using coconut flour and almond flour. I based the recipe off of the one at www.spunkycoconut.com. I made these with eggs, but you can find her egg free version here:
http://www.thespunkycoconut.com/2010/02/chocolate-chip-cookies-gluten-free.html
So for mine, I used Kelly's recipe with small alterations:

Mix together
12 drops Vanilla Creme liquid stevia
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 to 1/3 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil melted
3 organic, free roaming eggs

Then, add
1 cup blanched almond flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder ( I use Kelly's corn free recipe of 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp arrowroot, and 1/4 tsp cream of tartar)
1/3 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life)

Mix all together and then drop onto parchment covered baking sheet. Flatten out spoonfuls a little bit.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 - 15 minutes. Take out as they are browning.

I gave one to the pool repair guy who was here at the time I was making them and he loved them! These are sure to please anyone! Enjoy!

Whoopie Pies

 

I have been wanting to make these special treats for a long time. I based them off of the recipe on www.comfybelly.com. She has recipes for chocolate and spiced whoopie pies. I made mine cinammon and vanilla to suit my son's taste and needs. You can make this SCD legal by using honey instead of agave. Here is my recipe I used for these modified from the comfy belly recipe:

Cinammon Whoopie Pies

* 2 cups of blanched almond flour
* 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
* 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
* 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
* 1/2 cup of agave (or other sweetener)
* 10 drops of liquid stevia
* 2 eggs
* 1 1/2 tablespoons of vanilla

Preparing the whoopie pies

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients together, and then add all the wet ingredients and mix well.
3. On baking sheets covered with parchment paper place heaping tablespoons (about 2 measured tablespoons) about 2 inches apart in circles, across the sheet. Flatten them out a bit.
4. Bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
5. Cool completely – at least 15 minutes – before sliding them off the mat with a spatula.
6. Take one pie and spread frosting on it. Place another pie on top of the frosting. Serve.

Creamy Vanilla filling

* 4 tablespoons of shortening - I used Spectrum Organic Vegetable Shortening
* 2-3 tablespoons of agave (adjust sweetness to your liking)
* 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of vanilla

1. Blend all the ingredients together with a whisk.
2. Spread, serve, and store sealed at room temperature.

GMO Awareness/Rally For The Right To Know

Tomorrow is a special day! There will be rallies across the country to raise awareness of Monsanto's GMOs and a chance for people to state that we have the right to know if the food we are buying is genetically modified. I am thrilled that there is a rally where I live and I am excited to be attending and taking my son with me. Sometimes both of feel so alone in our beliefs about food. This will be a good chance for us to connect with other people who care about this issue. GMOs are not "harmonic foods" and I work diligently to avoid eating them or feeding them to my son. I get frustrated when I see something on the shelf made with canola oil. Like these awesome lentil chips that he likes to eat. Is the canola oil GMO free? We don't know because it's not labelled. And when I want to buy cheese for him. Is it rBGH and antibiotic free? Who knows??? Today, as he was having his NRG Immune Enhancement System allergy/sensitivity laser treatment, I thought of Robyn O'Brien and all of the children she is a voice for who have food allergies and sensitivities, and the adults who are sick with cancer and other dis-eases. I alwasy tried to feed him healthy foods, but I only found out the truth about GMOs about a year ago. Corn, canola oil, soybeans - these things are marketed as healthy, but if they are not organic, they are most likely genetically modified. That means that the seeds of the food itself contain insecticides. And the dairy contains growth hormones and antibiotics. If chickens are eating corn, then the meat you eat is also contaminated. These GMOs have only been in our food supply since the 1990's and they have never been tested or deemed as safe for human consumption. Most are banned in other countries. The United States has got to step it up and get on board with keeping its citizens healthy! Say no to GMOs and help to spread the word that we want our food to be labelled! The only way to tell if corn, soy, canola, dairy, and sugar is GMO free right now is if it is labeled organic. A big thanks to organic farmers for staying strong and working hard to provide natural, healthy foods for us to feed ourselves and our children.
Check out the amazing and inspirational Robyn O'Brien here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rixyrCNVVGA
And click on the title at the top of this post for a link to a rally near you.

Vanilla Almond Flour Cake

 

Yum! These were supposed to be cupcakes, but I didn't have any baking cups, so I baked it in a cake pan. Today at my son's school, a parent brought in some store bought cupcakes for St. Patrick's Day. Of course, these are not considered "harmonic foods" due to the fact that they are highly over-processed, full of additives, preservatives, bleached white flour, and refined white sugar (which is probably GMO sourced). So, I made this delicious treat for my son to make up for the fact that he didn't get to eat the cupcakes at school. I found the recipe on this blog www.nopainnograin.blogspot.com She got the recipe from Elana Amsterdam's, The Almond Flour Cookbook. I substituted honey for the agave and organic safflower oil for the grapeseed oil. I also didn't make the icing, it's fantastic plain. I couldn't take a picture of the whole cake because we had dug into eating it before I even got to the camera!
Here's the recipe:

Very Vanilla Cupcakes
(adapted from The Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam)

2 large organic free range eggs, separated
1/4 c oil (I used organic safflower oil)
1/2 c agave (I used honey, which makes them SCD Legal)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 10 muffin cups. You must use paper cup liners, or the cupcakes will stick to the pan.
Whisk egg yolks in a large bowl until pale yellow. Whisk in the oil, agave, vanilla and lemon juice.
In a separate bowl, beat egg whites to stiff peaks with an electric mixer.
Gently fold the whites into the yolk mixture.
Combine the dry ingredients. Gently fold into the wet ingredients.
Scoop batter into muffin cups.
Bake 20-30 minutes, until golden brown, and a toothpick inserted comes out clean (mine took about 25 minutes).
Let cool in the pan for half an hour, then frost if desired, and/or serve.
Makes 10 cupcakes or one layer cake.

Enjoy!!!

Gluten Free Challah

 

Since we have just moved, my son is beginning at a religious school at a new temple tomorrow. We found out that they serve challah, which is a traitional Jewish bread made of wheat and eggs, every Sunday for snack. So, I decided to try my hand at baking a gluten free challah. I found a recipe, see below, online, bought all of the necessary ingredients and spent this morning creating this amazing bread. I don't know the name of the person who made the recipe, but here is what she says at the top: "The original recipe came from Swedish Saffron Pretzel Buns - King Arthur Flour/Bakers Catalogue September 2006. The recipe was initially modified to be gluten free and then many more modifications were needed to improve texture and reliability. The first attempt resulted in a product that was barely eatable. The most recent changes were suggested by a local San Jose CA baker and graduate of the California Culinary Academy. There have been a total of eight modification to get the recipe right, and I'm still working on perfections" She calls for using a product called Expandex, which I did not use. And if you click on the link, you can see that she also provides a Dairy Free version!

Here is the link to the recipe I used: http://home.comcast.net/~vhdolcourt/gfbaking/breads/dairy-challah.html

And here it is with the modifications I made:

Dry Ingredients
Amount Measure Ingredient
4 cups Gluten free flour. See mix below.
1/4 cup Potato flour (not starch)
1/4 cup Coconut Sugar
1 to 1-1/2 tsps Sea Salt
1 Tblspn Instant Yeast
1/3 Cup Powdered goat milk
2 tsp Xanthan gum
2 tsp Guar gum
Mix together the following three to create baking powder
1 tsp Aluminum free baking soda
1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
1/4 tsp Arrow Root

Liquid Ingredients
Amount Measure Ingredient

1 Cup warm water heated to 110 degree F. Use the exact amount.
1/3 Cup Melted coconut oil
4 Egg whites
3 Egg yolks
1 Egg yolk reserved in a separate bowl mixed with 1 - 2 tablespoons water to use as glaze
1 tsp Apple cider vinegar
1 2/3 Level Tablespoons Honey

Mixing instructions:

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl that is separate from the mixer work bowl.

Put all wet ingredients except coconut oil and egg yolks into the work bowl of a mixer. Use the "paddle" not the "cage" mixer.

Add the dry ingredient mix 1 cup at a time while mixing on low.

Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes in the bowl to allow the yeast to ferment with the flours

Add the coconut oil and egg yolks. Mix on medium-medium high until blended - 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides as needed.

Forming instructions:

Oil the countertop to make the braids.

Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Divide dough into 3 large balls. Roll out three snakes 12" long. Braid the bread. Transfer to the jelly roll pan. If possible, place the dough against one of the long sides for extra support. Ensure that the parchment paper well covers the side of the jelly roll pan.

Mix egg yolk-water mixture with a whisk until frothy. Use a pastry brush, and coat with egg prior to rising. She says to cover with plastic wrap, but I just covered it with a kitchen towel.

Allow dough to rise until doubled in bulk in your convection oven on the proofing setting or in a warm location - about an hour.

When the bread has risen, glaze again with the egg yolk-water mixture.

Place bread on a parchment lined baking sheet in 375° F degree oven for the time indicated below or until a cake tester comes out clean or until a digital quick reading thermometer inserted into the loaf reads approximately 190° - 200° F. You will very likely need to cover the bread with aluminum foil half way through the baking process to prevent it from over-browning.

Bake for 35 minutes

Remove bread and cool on rack.

You can also warm fully baked bread in the oven, fully wrapped with aluminum foil. Warm at 350° F

GF Flour Mix for 9 Cups
Amount Measure Ingredient
2 Cups Garbano Bean/Fava bean flour
2 Cups Potato Starch (I used instead of corn starch)
1 1/2 Cups Arrowroot Powder (I used instead of Tapioca)
1/2 Cup Arrowroot Powder (I used this in place of Expandex that she called for)
3 Cups Sorghum Flour

Then, you will have extra flour left over that you can store and use to make other breads. I mixed some with some millet flour and made pancakes!
This bread made my son so happy! I hope it will do the same for your family.