This recipe does require a dehydrator so if you don’t have one, you may be able to bake the mixture at about 300 degrees F until it is crisp.  You may want to put it on parchment paper or just grease the pan very well.  You’ll also want to make the mixture quite thin on the pan.  This does kill the beneficial enzymes in the nuts and seeds but it is an option if you don’t have a dehydrator.

I did make some adjustments to the recipe, simply due to not having dates, lemon, pumpkin seeds or vanilla.  But here is the original recipe as well as my adjustments.  For me, it made two  full sheets of granola on the Excalibur dehydrating sheets which later fit almost into two quart sized jars (one is already gone…)

Raw Nut Granola (egg-free, dairy-free, grain-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, soy-free)

Makes approx 10 cups

1        apple chopped
1 ½  cup date paste (some dates soaked in a little boiling water and then whiz in the food processor until a paste is formed) I used figs for this because I didn’t have dates on hand
½      cup honey, preferably raw
2         Tbsp lemon juice – I used 4 Tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice
1         Tbsp vanilla extract (optional) – left out, still tasty
1         tsp cinnamon
½      tsp salt
½      cup sunflower seeds soaked 2 hours or more
2        cups almonds soaked 4 hours or more
3        cups pecans soaked 2 hours or more
1        cup pumpkin seed soaked 2 hours or more – used additional 1 cup sunflower seeds
1        cup dried cranberries or currants or sultanas – I left these out because I am avoiding raisins

1. In a food processor whiz apple, date paste or soaked figs, honey, lemon or orange juice, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and the sunflower seeds to make paste.  Transfer to a bowl
2. Add to the food processor, remaining sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans, pumpkin seeds (don’t bother rinsing bowl). Coarsely chop in a few quick pulses.  Add nuts and seeds to the bowl with fruit paste.  Mix well
3. Spread onto baking paper or dehydrator sheets and place in dehydrator at 115 F for 8 hours.
4. Flip the granola over and peel away the paper
5. Dehydrate another 12 hours until crunchy.
6. Break into pieces and once cooled store in the fridge in glass containers.  Enjoy as Raw Granola Bars or Raw Granola – just break up into smaller pieces for granola.

Yummy!

Nut-free? I don’t see why you couldn’t make this and simply use all pumpkin and sunflower seeds in place of the nuts.  You could also use 1/3 dessicated coconut and I am sure it would be yummy!

It’s blueberry season here in Maryland and Elijah, my mom and I ended up going picking this past weekend.  We had a blast picking 8 lbs in less than an hour and Elijah got to eat all he wanted.  The farm we went to was called Frog Eye Farm and they had over 200 blueberry bushes!

I love blueberry muffins – but I don’t always like cleaning muffin tins – so I made a Blueberry Muffin Cake with the berries we picked.  It was yummy and very easy.

Blueberry Muffin Cake with coconut flour (grain-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free)

1/3 cup coconut oil

1/4 – 1/3 cup honey

4 eggs

1/3 cup coconut flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda (not GAPS legal -delete for GAPS)

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

If the coconut oil isn’t melted, gently melt it in a pan on the stove on low.  Combine the eggs, honey and oil together until smooth (make sure the oil isn’t too hot though).  Add the flour, soda, and salt and beat until well blended and there are no lumps.  You can also put everything into a mixer or food processor.

2. Add the blueberries at the end and fold into the batter.  Grease an 8 x 8 pan with coconut oil or butter.  Pour batter into the pan and spread over the bottom of the pan.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until it is firm in the center.  Sorry – I don’t remember exactly how long it took.

Enjoy!

A while back I posted recipes for both gluten-free tortillas made with brown rice flour and grain-free tortillas made with almond flour.  I hadn’t taken pictures of any of my tortillas though so I didn’t have any to share.  I finally made a point of photographing my grain-free tortillas so that you can see what they look like.  I also took pictures during the different stages of prep and cooking again so that you can get the full picture!

Also, I am still working on trying to get these more flexible so that they can be used as wraps.  Right now I use them for tostadas (flat tacos).  If I try to fold them for a taco, they usually break and turn into sandwiches.  They are still very tasty, just different from regular tortillas.  I have also discovered that they are more flexible after you have stored them for a day or so in plastic or a container.

Here is the revised recipe:

Grain free Almond Flour Homemade Tortillas: (gluten-free, grain-free, sugar-free, yeast-free)
Servings:  6-8
Prep and cook time:  35-50 minutes

Ingredients:
3 cups blanched almond flour
1 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp ground flax seeds
3 Tbsp boiling water
2 tsp honey
1 egg

Steps:

1.  Combine the flax and boiling water in a small bowl.  Let sit for 5 minutes.  Mix the flour and salt together in a separate medium bowl.  To the dry ingredients, add the egg, flax mixture and honey.  Combine mixtures until it forms a firm dough that isn’t too sticky to handle.  If it is too sticky, add more flour until you can easily roll it into a ball.

2.  Cut the ball into 8 pieces.  I cut it in half first and then cut each half into fourths.

3.  Place a piece of plastic wrap on a counter or cutting board.  Take one piece of dough and roll it into a ball with your hand.  Place the piece of dough in the center of the plastic.  Place one more piece of plastic over the piece of dough.  Roll the dough very gently.  Roll it until it is as thin as you can get it without it falling apart.

Note:  Don’t expect perfection – these are not going to be your ordinary completely round tortillas like you buy in the store.  Each one of these tortillas has a personality and uniqueness – they will have jagged edges, and some little holes here and there but that’s okay!

3.  Oil a cast iron skillet with olive oil and then heat skillet to medium heat. Heat it well before you add the first one.  (As you make the tortillas, you may need to lower the heat to low-medium so that they don’t burn, but it depends upon your stove and what kind of skillet you’re using).

Take off the plastic wrap on top of the tortilla.  When hot, gently put your non-dominant hand underneath the plastic wrap under the tortilla.  Flip the tortilla onto your dominant hand while you peel away the plastic wrap.  Then gently “plop” it into the skillet in the middle of the pan.   If there are folds, try to even them out, or just mush them down with a spatula.

"Ta da!"

4. Cook for about 1 minute on each side, or until they are golden brown. You will see the edges start to brown and the middle will start to bubble:

After about a minute on the skillet.

5. Flip and cook on the other side for another minute or less.

6.  Cook each one, one at a time.   You may not need to use oil every time (could use butter or coconut oil too), but add a little bit if the skillet becomes dry.  I usually roll one while another one is cooking.  It is a bit of  a dance when they only need to cook a minute per side, but it works out well this way.

Stack them up on a plate until you’re ready to use them.  If you are making these ahead of time, you can freeze them once cooled in a freezer bag, or just keep them in the fridge in a Tupperware for a few days.  It actually works out better to make these on the weekend or sometime when you have extra time because they are a bit of work.

Enjoy!  Please let me know how you like these.  In the meantime, I’m going to keep experimenting to see if I can make them more flexible. I do have another recipe that is like a thick flour “Gyros” wrap but it is kind of thick and a little too “eggy” tasting for a regular tortilla.  But I will post that one soon too!

Time for dessert!  I was craving coconut macaroons this week so I ended up making some.  I adapted the recipe in Nourishing Traditions and ended up with a yummy starch-free version (the NT recipe calls for arrowroot).

I was also out of vanilla so I used some real vanilla bean that my sister had given to me from her time in Thailand.  I hadn’t used real vanilla bean before she gave me this batch and it is truly a treat!  I had no idea how to use it, but all you need to do is simply cut it in half lengthwise, and the scrape out the little vanilla “balls.”

It looks like dark black caviar but very small.   When I made ice cream with it, I cooked the vanilla bean with the scapings and ice creams ingredients and then discarded it.  For the cookies, I just used the insides of the bean.  You can see the little vanilla specks in the cookies:

These are really delicious!  They are moist, chewy, not too sweet, vanilla-e and hold their shape.  In my opinion, a perfect macaroon.  Here’s the recipe:

Vanilla Bean Coconut Macaroons (gluten-free, grain-free, starch-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, GAPS approved)

Makes about 20 cookies

Ingredients:

4 egg whites

pinch of salt

2 tsp. coconut flour

1/3 – 1/2 cup honey

1 Tbsp. vanilla or the inside scrapings of one vanilla bean

2 cups unsweetened dried and shredded coconut meat, finely cut

Steps:

1.  Line a baking sheet with buttered or oiled parchment paper. Beat egg whites with salt in a clean and dry bowl until they form stiff peaks.  Beat in the coconut flour and slowly beat in the honey and vanilla.  Fold in the coconut.  Drop by spoonfuls on the parchment paper.

2.  Bake at 300 F for about 1/2 hour or until lightly browned.  Reduce oven heat to 200 F and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour longer so that macaroons are dry and crisp.  Let cool completely before removing from parchment paper (no I didn’t do this but that’s what the book says to do!)  Store in an airtight container.

Mine were dryer when they first came out of the oven and then they became more moist once they were stored in the container overnight.  I actually prefer them a bit more moist but I think letting them dry out in the oven was important.

I hope you enjoy these as much as we do!

…The result – I feel better than I ever had in my life, but that’s another story!

I love the almond flour tortillas that I make for tacos, but they are quite a bit of work, especially if I need to grind my own almond flour.  So lately I have been primarily using cabbage leaves as taco and burrito wraps.  I have one thing to say – easy and delicious.  Plus they are virtually allergen free except for anyone allergic to cabbage.  (not very common)

Here’s the run down:

wheat-free, gluten-free, grain-free, corn-free, egg-free, nut-free, seed-free, sugar-free, yeast-free, dairy-free, casein-free, nightshade-free – you get the idea!

Kid friendly?  My son gobbles these tacos down like there’s no tomorrow.

One thing I want to start doing on my blog is to do more step by step tutorials on how to do certain things in the kitchen.  I am a very visual person as are a lot of people and I know photos help a lot in explaining how something works.  So the last time I made these cabbage tacos, I took pictures every step of the process so that you can see first hand how to make them.

Step one:  Buy a medium to large cabbage.  Small ones will work but it will be harder to get the leaves off and you won’t get as many tacos out of the head of cabbage.

Step two:  Find the cabbage leaf that is on top of all of the rest.  Find the base of the leaf at the bottom of the cabbage.  Cut the leaf at the very bottom and only cut this one leaf.  The first one or two will fall right off of the cabbage once you cut the bottom.  See below:

Cabbage leaf falls off after first cut.

Step three:  Continue to cut the leaves at the bottom of the cabbage.  After the second or third cabbage leaf, they will start to stick to the cabbage head.  The best thing I have found to do is to insert the knife under the cabbage leaf at the base of the cabbage.  (This wide knife works well for this.  If you use one with a point, it will probably pierce the leaf.)  Gently wiggle the knife under the cabbage, being careful not to tear it.  As you move it under the leaf, it will come off the head in once piece.  See below:

Step four:  continue to cut and peel the leaves away gently with the knife.  For the cabbage you saw above, I got 11 leaves out of it that were a good size for making tacos or burritos.  You can keep going, you’ll just have smaller leaves.  I usually stop when my cabbage looks something like this (below).  Then I use the rest of the cabbage for making stir fries or steamed cabbage.

Step five:  Stack the leaves gently on top of each other and then place them in a large pot with a steamer basket and about 2 inches of water.   Steam for about 12 minutes or until they are soft and no longer bright green. The photo below is of the leaves before they got steamed.

Step six:  After they have cooked, let them sit with the lid off to let the steam out of the pot.  Also remove them from the heat.  Remove a cabbage leaf with tongs (or tough fingers) and place on a towel.  This is an important step if you don’t want soggy tacos.  Dry off the leaf.

Step seven:  Transfer cabbage leaf to a plate.  Add your taco fillings.  From here, you can just fold the leaf in half and eat it like a taco.

Step eight:  If you want it more like a wrap or a burrito, first fold the thick stem part of the cabbage leaf over with your fingers.

Step nine:  Fold in the sides of the leaf over the thick part and then fold over the top part of the leaf.

Voila!  Here is your cabbage burrito!

I hope that if you are looking for some allergen-free tortillas, I have opened your eyes to a remarkable way to wrap up your burrito goodies using cabbage.

You can of course use these cabbage wraps for anything else that you need a wrap for.  The other night I was out of turkey meat and my son wanted a wrap.  So I cooked a hot dog (starch, sugar and additive free), added mustard and Barbecue sauce, and it was  a hit.

Other ideas include tuna or salad wraps and any other kind of filling you would put in a taco or wrap.  Enjoy!

I am now in love with this sauce and found myself putting it on my zucchini noodles in place of pasta sauce last night.

I started with Ali’s Chipotle Barbecue sauce and just changed a few things.  I made it GAPS friendly by changing the maple syrup to honey and I just deleted the black-strap molasses.  I also used regular chili powder instead of chipotle because it is really too spicy for me and my son.  I also added a tsp. of paprika like Ali suggested.  In the end, I added 2 Tbsp mustard.

I too love the strained tomatoes that Ali talks about in her post, made by Bionaturae.  I buy the tomatoes along with their glass-jarred tomato paste to make most of my tomato dishes like spaghetti sauce.  This is because we are trying to avoid the BPA found in most cans of food.  Why the companies use this chemical to line their cans is beyond me!

I used my blending wand to blend it up, which I was surprised to see didn’t quite blend all the onions up.  But I actually like it a little chunky.  If you like your’s very smooth, use a regular blender for this recipe.  Here it is:

Barbecue Sauce (sugar-free, soy-free, gluten-free, and starch-free)

Again, the original recipe is from Nourishing Meals.com

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

6 to 8 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped

one 24-ounce jar strained tomatoes

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons or sea salt

1 to 2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder or regular chili powder (I used 2 tsp)

1 tsp paprika

2 Tbsp mustard

1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Steps:

1. Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add olive oil and let it heat up for a minute before adding the onions. Saute onions in the oil for about 10 minutes, or until they are very soft and golden brown. Add garlic and saute a minute more.

2.  Add the remaining ingredients, stir, cover and simmer on medium-low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3.  Remove from heat and transfer sauce to a blender and blend until smooth (I used a blending wand).  Taste and adjust salt and seasonings to your liking.

Sugar Free Lemonade

My son has discovered something that he really loves – “lemon juice,” or otherwise known as lemonade.  It all started when he got sick a few weeks ago and started coughing.  The natural medicines I was using weren’t helping so in the middle of the night, I made him some hot lemon water with honey.  It not only helped him with his cough but he now asks for “lemon juice” everyday.  My husband also loves it so we’ve been drinking quite of a bit of this stuff.  (I am however a little wary that drinking this everyday is hard on his teeth…)

And even though it’s not “officially” summer yet, it has sure felt like it lately here in Maryland.  We started getting some cooler weather a couple days ago but before that, it felt like the middle of July.  So having lemonade has been a very refreshing and yummy drink to enjoy on these hot days.

So if you’re like us and can’t drink the regular sugar-sweetened lemonade available at the store, here is a simple and delicious recipe for lemonade made from fresh lemons.  I vary it a little bit each time and don’t usually measure.

Sugar-Free Lemonade

For 1 serving – multiply by the number of people you want to serve to make more

Ingredients:

1/2 lemon (preferably organic), squeezed

1 cup water (part boiling water to help dissolve honey)

1-1/2 Tbsp. raw honey, to taste

ice cubes, optional

Steps:

Depending upon the kind of honey you’re using, you may need to dissolve it in warm water first.  So I usually do this and then add ice cubes at the end.  Basically add just enough boiling water to the cold water to make it warm enough for the honey to dissolve (don’t put the raw honey in boiling water).  Add the lemon juice, stir, taste, and then add more honey or lemon, depending upon taste.

Add ice cubes, serve, and enjoy!

See?  Very easy!  Enjoy!

Hello everyone and Happy Happy Spring!

You may have noticed my life in the blog world has been anything but active because my life on the home front has been very very busy!

We finally closed on our house the end of April and moved the beginning of May.  We still have a ton of projects to get to but we’re getting settled into our new home.  The other great news is I finally got my camera working so I am able to share my photos with you again!

If you wanted to see the Fire Truck Birthday Cake that I made for Elijah’s 2nd birthday, I was able to upload a picture of it today.  Check it out here!

I haven’t actually been taking many pictures lately, especially of food, but I do have this wonderful photo that I shot of Elijah the beginning of April at the start of spring.  I really love this photo.  When I look at it, it just makes me so happy because he is bursting with joy.  I hope that it fills your day with joy, too!

I also have a wonderful and easy recipe for you ~ Banana Ice Cream.

I mentioned that I got an ice cream maker, so we have definitely been taking advantage of it lately.  However, you can make this without an ice cream maker and it will be a bit more like a milkshake but still very yummy.

Here’s the recipe:

Banana Ice Cream

2 very ripe bananas, peeled, cut up into slices and frozen on parchment paper (you can also just place them on a cookie sheet or plate but you’ll need to pry them off with a knife)

12 oz coconut milk (I use canned but limit this to once a week because of BPA)

1 Tbsp vanilla extract (gluten-free)

leave as is, or add 1-3 Tbsp honey, to taste

Steps:

Freeze banana pieces for at least a few hours, or until firm.  Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until very smooth.

Eat as is, or place in your ice cream maker and run for 20 or so minutes or until frozen.

This is so yummy!  I want to add cinnamon and walnuts next time and call it Banana Bread Ice Cream.  What do you think?

enjoy and have a happy day!

My camera is still on the outs so you’ll have to use your imagination.  They actually look pretty similar to my blueberry muffins that have eggs in them.  And the recipe is actually almost the same except for the eggs and zucchini.

The recipe is inspired from a bread recipe on Pecanbread.com where you can find many other grain free and Specific Carbohydrate recipes.  I added some spices, zucchini and a bit of honey to make it a bit more interesting.  I also used applesauce in place of the pears to make it a bit easier.

They are very moist and yummy, just a bit more delicate than the ones made from eggs.  I highly recommend putting a bit of flour in the muffin pans or Pyrex pan to help them come out easier.

So here’s the recipe:

Zucchini Muffins – gluten, grain, egg and sugar free

2 1/2     cups almond flour

1/2        cup applesauce, or a little more if more moisture is needed

1/8        cup honey

1/4 to 1/3 cup coconut oil

1/4       teaspoon salt

1            teaspoon baking soda (delete for GAPS – they will be more dense)

2           tsp cinnamon

1           tsp ground ginger

1/2      tsp ground cloves

1         cup grated zucchini
Steps:
1.  Preheat oven to 350F.
2.  Blend all ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl.
3.  Spread some coconut oil all around the bottom of an 8″x 8″ baking dish or in 12 muffins tins. Sprinkle a little almond flour on the bottom of the pans to keep them from sticking.
4.  Spread mixture into pan and smooth it out or place spoonfuls into muffin tins until you have 12.
5.  Bake 30-35 minutes for the bread or 20-25 minutes for muffins.

Variations: Add some peanut butter and cinnamon, OR in place of the pearsauce, use pureed acorn squash and a little cinnamon OR pureed carrots and a little cinnamon. You can also add vanilla, honey and nuts.

…

On the home front, we have not yet moved or closed on our house, but we are hoping that our April 9th settlement date is going to stick.  I haven’t been blogging very much as you can see but I hope to get back into the swing of things soon!

Have a great day!

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.

Here are the recipes:

FLOURLESS CARROT CAKE (I doubled this recipe for the fire truck cake)
Adapted from:  Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon
TOTAL TIME:  1 HR. 15 MIN.
MAKES 8-12 SERVINGS

Ingredients:
4       egg yolks, at room temperature
1/3 – 1/2   cup honey
grated rind of one lemon
1       tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups grated carrots
1      cup almond flour or other nut flour
1/2  tsp sea salt
1      tsp cinnamon
1/2  tsp ginger, or 2 tsp fresh grated ginger
1/3  tsp nutmeg
4     egg whites, at room temperature
pinch of sea salt
1/2  cup raisins, optional
1/4 cup crispy sliced almonds, optional (I didn’t add these since I was going to frost it)

Steps:
1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Butter or oil a 9 inch spring form pan.  Beat egg yolks with honey for about 5 minutes.

2.  Blend in lemon rind, vanilla extract, carrots, almond flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and sea salt.  In a clean bowl, beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff.

3.  Fold egg yolk mixture and raisins into egg whites and pour into cake pan.  Sprinkle sliced almonds over the top of the cake (don’t do this if you’re going to use the icing).  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.  Let cool completely before removing from pan.

VANILLA ICING
Adapted from:  http://gnowfglins.com
TOTAL TIME:   10 MIN.* MAKES 1 cup

Ingredients:
1              cup Artisana coconut butter
1/4         cup honey
1              teaspoon vanilla
4              tablespoons coconut milk, to thin
(For Chocolate icing, add 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder)

Steps:
1.  Blend all ingredients in food processor until smooth, adding the milk one tablespoon at a time. Let the food processor run long enough to gently warm and smooth the frosting, one to two minutes.

2.  Spread on cooled carrot cake.

I ended up using almost three batches of this icing to cover the cake and decorate it!

To make the Red Vanilla Icing:

To 1/2 cup icing, add 2-3 Tbsp. fresh beet juice.  You can also use the beet juice in place of the milk to thin the icing.  If icing gets too thin, place in the fridge for 10 minutes.  It will harden as it cools so keep an eye on it so it doesn’t get too hard.  Then use a cake piping tool to decorate the cake or just frost the red icing onto cake.

Enjoy!  I hope to get the picture up soon!