Heart of Cooking

Last weekend we had a belated second birthday party for Elijah and his friends at the downtown Fire Station in Frederick.  His birthday lands three days before Christmas so we decided to wait to have the “kid” party when people weren’t so busy.

It was great!  The firemen and women showed us around the station, we got to sit in the fire engine (best part), see a fire man get dressed in all of his gear and see inside an ambulance. We also got to witness a 911 call and an ambulance driving out of the station.

The cake:

My mom found a fire truck cake mold at a local craft store so I made the cake in the shape of a fire truck.  One of Elijah’s favorite cakes that I made over the holidays for the Just Desserts for Limited Diets e-book was the Carrot Cake with Vanilla Icing.  So I used that recipe but ended up doubling it because the pan was pretty big and said it fit a two layer cake mix.

When we took it out of the mold, it ended up looking like a rectangle with a point at one end because the fire truck imprint didn’t show up on the cake.  I realized that I was going to have to decorate it so that people could see what it was!  I guess I just hadn’t thought about this before I made the cake.

Natural Red Food Coloring:

I had already planned on using the Vanilla Frosting recipe from GNOWFGLINS.com.  I then decided to make the wheels and ladder out of raisins (since the cake has raisins in it, I thought this was a good choice).  Then, I was trying to figure out how to make red frosting without red food coloring to outline the shape of the truck.

I decided beet juice was the was to go so I sent Dave to the store.  We have a juicer so we juiced the beets to make the juice.  It didn’t take very much to turn the icing bright red-fuchsia.  My mom had a cake decorating kit that I used to outline the truck in red icing and it turned out adorable.

Unfortunately, my USB cable for my camera is malfunctioning so I am unable to get the picture off my camera.  When I get it fixed (hopefully), I will add the picture.

Here are the recipes:

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Apple Cinnamon Coconut Muffins

I have always used baking soda and baking powder in baking.  After I suspected corn was bothering me, I started making my own baking powder with arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch.  Here is the recipe I was using:

Corn and gluten free Baking powder:

1 part baking soda

2 parts cream of tartar

1 part arrowroot powder

Mix well and store in an airtight container

However I never really thought that the actual baking soda may also be a problem for me until I came to the GAPS diet.  According to Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, baking soda shouldn’t be eaten by people following GAPS because most people with digestive issues have low stomach acid.  Baking soda is very alkaline, and therefore decreases one’s stomach acid even further.

I have been a little slow to accept this fact completely but do follow it most of the time.  I did use baking soda in the cake I made for the birthday party.  But for the most part have tried to find other ways to create leavening in my baked goods.

While I was creating the Just Desserts for Limited Diets recipe book, I created most of the cakes free of baking soda or baking powder by using egg whites as leavening.  This worked extremely well and I am continuing to use this method to create moist and springy baked goods without baking soda.

It is very simple but it does take more time and equipment.  But the results are worth the extra step I assure you.

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I don’t have a picture of this very yummy soup that my husband made while I was working last week but it is very worthy of a posting.  To me it was just like eating potato leek soup but maybe I have simply forgotten what potatoes taste like.  The texture and taste were great and we ate it up within a couple of days.

So if you’re following GAPS or a low-carb diet, or you can’t eat potatoes or nightshades for any other reason, this recipe is not to be missed!

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This week I’ve been reflecting on the past two years of my life and how amazing it has been to watch Elijah grow into the boy he is today.  He turned two last week and my husband’s birthday was just a few days before so we did a birthday party for them on Sunday last week.

Over three years ago when I first felt like a baby was soon going to be coming into my life, I was excited and scared.  And when I felt my heart and what this child would bring, I remember feeling that this child would be a great blessing to my life.

What child isn’t a blessing?  They bring all the joy, excitement, and love that we are usually craving by the time we’re adults and have lost touch with the childhood magic.

But I never would have imagined the trials and hardships we ended up facing when he was a young baby nor how much my life would change for the better through raising him.  All of this has made me who I am today and I am grateful for all of it, even the hard stuff.  I know I’m not giving much detail here but I hope to elaborate on this subject sometime in the near future.

But for now, I want to share the birthday cake recipe that I made for my husband and son for their birthdays.  The original recipe is here, but I added the lemon zest and juice and adjusted some of the other ingredients.  It turned out to be a hit.

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Sugar-free Almond Roca Candy

This stuff is yummy!  It tastes like the inside of a heath bar!  The above picture shows two different batches – the darker one got heated a bit longer than the golden one.  They are both yummy though!  My mom made these to test an Almond Roca recipe for the Just Desserts for Limited Diets e-book.  It does contain butter and from my experience, it is better to use butter verses coconut oil.  But if you can’t eat butter, coconut oil will work – it just may not be as crunchy.

I do feel I have to say a word or two about heating honey.  I believe that eating raw honey is absolutely the best option for everyone.  Raw and untreated honey is not only healthy but it also has been used for centuries as a healing remedy for many illnesses.  Unfortunately though, when honey is heated to high temperatures (not clear how high), certain chemicals start to form that are not good for you.

However, the reason why I used honey here is because it is one of the only GAPS friendly sweeteners.  Also, I believe that candy like this shouldn’t be eaten in handfuls, only a little bit at a time (it is very rich.)  I also think that if you make this only once  a year for the holidays, it is not going to do that much harm.  I also think that eating heated honey is better than eating sugar and corn syrup.

These are my thoughts – what do you think about using honey to make candy?

Here’s the recipe:

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If you’re looking for healthy, sugar-free and gluten free dessert recipes and a delicious allergen-friendly Holiday Menu Planner this season, you won’t want to miss the 20% OFF pre-order offer that will be expiring tonight at midnight PST.

All of the recipes on both the Just Desserts for the Limited Diet recipe e-book and the Holiday Menu Planner are free of the following ingredients:

no gluten

no wheat

no grains

no starches or nightshade veggies

no refined sugar – only honey is used

no dairy – butter is used but coconut oil can be substituted

no soy

no corn

no peanuts

egg-free options and dessert recipes are on both the menu planner and dessert e-book

Some of the recipes that you won’t want to miss out on include:

Dairy-free Egg Nog

Egg-free Egg Nog

Gingered Cranberry Raspberry Relish

Dairy and Gluten-free Coconut Cream Pie

Gluten free Pecan Pie

Gluten free Pumpkin Pie

Gluten free Cookie Cutter Cookies

Gluten free Cookie Press Cookies

Spice Cake with “Butter” Cream Frosting

Walnut Torte with Lemon Whipped Cream Frosting

Almond Brittle

Almond Rocha

and many more!

Also, the desserts e-book and the holiday menu planner make great gifts for the holidays for someone who is limited in their diet.

To read more about the allergen-friendly Holiday Menu Planner and the Just Desserts for Limited Diets recipe e-book and to pre-order, click here.

I hope you’re having a relaxed and blessed holiday season!

Gluten, grain and sugar free cut-out holiday cookies

I had so much fun making these holiday cookie cutter cookies AND they taste great!  They are a little crisp but chewy, spiced and sweetened just right. If you can’t eat gluten or grains or dairy or sugar, these cookies will satisfy your holiday craving for cookies without making you feel yucky.  Even if you can eat these foods, don’t let the “free of everything” scare you off.  These are very yummy and very healthy for you if you’re trying to keep off the extra pounds this season.

I first tried making them with my toddler because I thought it would be a fun project.  He ended up just wanting to eat the dough and when I was cutting the cookies, he kept destroying the cut-outs!  My first batch didn’t turn out that great in appearance – they had finger print indentations all over them.  But they still tasted yummy, so I made some more when he was sleeping and made sure not to pat the dough at all after it was rolled out.

I had never made cookie cutter cookies, much less gluten, grain, dairy and sugar free ones!  A few things I learned may help you out on your cookie cutter adventure:

• When you cut the dough with the cookie cutters, move them back and forth just a tad before lifting them away from the dough.  This creates some space around the cookie and makes it easier to remove the excess dough.

• Don’t use cookie cutters that are too small – medium to large ones work well for this recipe.

• Don’t make the cookies too close together – this makes it hard to remove the excess dough.
• Don’t pat the dough once it is rolled.  This will create finger prints and then cracks when baking.

• If you don’t finish all of them in one day, freeze the dough for later – I still have a lump of dough left in the freezer for later.

So here’s the recipe for you to enjoy!  Also, my Just Desserts for Limited Diets recipe e-book is almost complete and will be available this Wednesday, December 9.  There is a 20% off pre-order offer happening right now if you preorder the e-book and the Holiday Menu Planner by Tuesday night.  These also make great gifts!

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Dairy and Gluten Free Walnut Torte with Whipped Cream Icing

I don’t think I’ve ever made so many sweets and baked goods in such a short amount of time.  But the great thing is we have both my husband’s birthday and my son’s birthday to celebrate this month, so we can use some of the goodies for celebrating.

Over the weekend I made a Walnut Torte with dairy-free whipped cream icing.  We added a home-made berry sauce to it and it is so yummy.  I seriously don’t miss baked goods made with regular flour, dairy, sugar, gluten or grains.  A few years ago I probably never would have imagined eating a dessert free of all of these foods.  But this torte is definately a winner!

So, if you’re looking for healthy dessert recipes, low carb dessert recipes or simply sugar free baked goods, I assure you it is very possible to make them with healthy and wholesome ingredients!  And if you don’t have a clue where to start, here is the recipe for the Walnut Torte with Dairy-free Whipped Cream Icing and Homemade Berry Sauce:  (These healthy dessert recipes will be a part of the Just Desserts recipe e-book and the Holiday Limited Diet Menu Planner)

By the way, if you pre-order the Holiday Menu Planner and the Just Dessert recipe e-book, you’ll get 20% off between now and December 15th.

Now for the recipe…

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Dairy Free Egg Nog

I feel like a little elf in a workshop, making treats and goodies for the holidays.  I have to say that even though I love to cook and bake, I have never made goody plates for friends for the holidays.  But since I’m working somewhat feverishly on the Holiday Menu Planner and the Just Desserts recipe e-book, I don’t know what else to do with all of the baked goods and candies I’m going to be testing and creating over the next week or so.  I’m really looking forward to making gifts out of the treats!

Dairy-Free Egg Nog (also rice and soy free)

Something I have always wanted to make is egg nog.  When I was a kid, we had milk delivered to our house from a milk company. It wasn’t raw but it tasted better than any milk at the grocery store.  During the holidays, we ordered the egg nog and it was the richest and yummiest egg nog ever.  I loved it.

I never tried making it, even after I gave up milk because it just seemed too complicated.  Plus, I have had to give up my fear of raw eggs.  I now know that it is safe and healthy to eat raw egg yolks, if you get the eggs from someone you trust who raises the chickens on pasture.

So, I decided to finally give it a go and made my first batch last night.  I used Baden’s idea to use coconut milk and adapted Wardeh’s recipe to create a dairy-free version.  The result was fabulous and I couldn’t believe how much it tasted like the real thing!  I also couldn’t believe that I used 2 tsp nutmeg to only 13 oz of coconut milk!  The basic ingredients are coconut milk, raw egg yolks, vanilla, and nutmeg and the complete recipe will be part of the Holiday Menu Planner and the Just Desserts recipe e-book.

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Gluten free and grain free pizza

Okay, so this may seem off topic.  But I’m doing a post about pizza today.  Reason being I’ve been wanting to do a post about this particular pizza crust for weeks and I finally got a good shot last week.  I also thought that people need some ideas for dinner prior to Thanksgiving so that they have the energy to do all the shopping and cooking this week!

I’ve been making this pizza crust for several weeks now and I really enjoy it.  My husband has confessed (a few times) that he misses the yeast-y gluten-free pizza dough I used to make.  I agree, it was tasty and tasted just like the real thing.

But since going grain free, yeast free and sugar free, the pizza crust I’ve been making marches to the beat of a different drum…

But it really is delicious in my opinion.  And if you can’t have yeast or grains or sugar, it is really a great alternative.

The best part of the recipe is it is so easy! No waiting for it to rise.  No kneading.  Only four ingredients!. Just mix and pat into a pan and then bake it.  It’s is feasible to make the whole pizza for dinner in 45 minutes depending on what toppings you use.  But you can also make the crusts over the weekend, prebake and then freeze them for later if time is an issue for you during the week.

I originally got this recipe made with hazelnut flour here.  But I used almond flour instead and I really like the texture.  I’ve also used almond meal and it also worked well.  It tasted more like a wheat crust.

This time I used the pizza stones that my mom gave me at least a year ago.  They are little so you have to make little pizzas.  The recipe made three small individual sized pizzas and the picture above is of the last piece before it got eaten for lunch the next day.

The pizza stones did make a difference I have to say.  It was a bit crispier but still “chewy” on the inside.  It had a great texture to it.

To get the recipe, visit the Grain Free Foodies blog.  The only thing I did differently was change the flour to almond flour.

Gluten Free and GAPS friendly Pizza Crust Recipe

Enjoy and have a blessed and beautiful Thanksgiving this week!