Life, Gluten Free

Avocado, A Staple in Our Diet

In my house, we eat a lot of avocados. So much so that I am surprised we haven't turned green yet, though thankful we haven't. Avocado is an awesome superfood. I don't usually approve of the term "superfood" because it seems like hype when in reality, all vegetables and fruits are super in their own way because they contain essential vitamins and nutrients. Avocado packs a punch with essential fatty acids, folate, magnesium, potassium and carotenoids.

If you avoid avocado because it is a fattening food, think again. Avocado contains healthy fats, which are actually a proponent in healthy weight loss. Too often do people shy away from natural foods that they think are fattening (avocado, coconut) and go for highly processed foods that they think are better because of low calories or low fat. The body needs healthy fats, this is essential for proper brain health, skin health, organ health and so on.

Since I can only have blended foods, we've been having a lot of avocado pies. They are so pretty and so tasty. Full of fiber, essential fatty acids, amino acids and vitamins. Our pies have a crust of coconut and hemp and the list of ingredients for the pie include avocado, banana, coconut, hemp, dried fruit, raw honey.
Top with shredded coconut cream for decoration!

For those toddlers and adults alike who are fans of natural sprinkles, they add a colorful brightness to the pie.

Given our daughter's many allergies, we always say thank goodness she can eat

• hemp
• coconut
• avocado

A pound of hemp seed would provide all the protein, essential fatty acids, and dietary fiber necessary for human survival for two weeks. For this reason it is used in many parts of the world for treating malnourishment.

A found that during my research on hemp. We can all benefit from many different sources of protein in our diet. And just to clarify, the plant that produces hemp is not the same plant that produces marijuana. Hemp is a wonderful addition to the diet and should be respected as a great source of amino acids and essential fatty acids, among other nutrients.

Do you include hemp in your diet? How do you use it?

She likes Avocado Ice Cream

Since Sophie and I can't have dairy, we make tasty non-dairy ice cream. We stopped eating it years ago even before I found out that I am casein intolerant. My husband and I both feel better without eating it, now that I know I am casein intolerant, it makes sense because it used to make me feel BAD. Real bad. 

We don't eat soy either, and we can't have nut milks to make ice cream so that leaves.... Coconut and Avocado. Which is great because it happens to make the best ice cream. Sorry, no recipe. I will be making more though so I will make a recipe and post it when I can. Unfortunately, I can't eat the ice cream now though I wish I could! My teeth are sensitive to cold and I have been having a lot of jaw and teeth issues (hence no posting on the blog for a while). I've been told that I have a "bad bite" and years of having this "bad bite" has lead to the disc in my right jaw being displaced and now its gone completely. Unfortunately, all the dentists that I went to in the past didn't think to inform me that I have a misaligned bite. I'm not sure whats going to happen with that yet, though I am wearing this large upper mouth piece that's supposed to stabilize my jaw for now. Still in pain though but hoping for it to get better and then find out how to fix it permanently. 

But enough of that. Everyone else told me the ice cream was great, so I know it is. Plus I've had avocado ice cream before in the past! It makes great popsicles, too.

-heather

Dehydrated Banana Chips

I've been meaning to post these for a while. They make a great snack and are easy to make!

Ingredients:

Ripe bananas

Lemon Juice

Cinnamon

Preparation:

Slice bananas thinly. Place them in a bowl with some lemon juice - just enough to coat them lightly. Mix well and then place the banana slices on a dehydrator sheet.

Place your dehydrator on 118 degrees for 12 hours (or until they are pliable and not mushy).

The lemon juice is optional, as we have made them without with good results. You also don't have to sprinkle with cinnamon, but it's a nice addition :)

These are a great gluten-free snack and we really enjoy them. I hope you try them! We use an Excalibur dehydrator and are very happy with it.

-heather

Sophie's New Years Cake

Sophie's New Years Cake (Vanilla Pound Cake)

NO: gluten, dairy, nuts, eggs, soy

Ingredients:
1 cup tapioca flour
1 cup coconut flour
1 cup white or brown rice flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/3 cup organic sucanat (or sweetener of choice)

2 1/2  teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup coconut oil

2 cups of water (added to pureed banana)

Egg Replacing Ingredients (or use 2-3 eggs)

1 cup pureed banana

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 teaspoon egg replacer

Preparation:

Add flour ingredients to one bowl. In another bowl, mix the sugar and oil ingredients. Mix together the egg replacing ingredients in a bowl of its own. Start to add the sugar and egg replacing ingredients to the dry ingredients. Blend using a mixer.

Add mix to two round cake pans or pans of your choice. Bake at 350 degrees fahrenheit for about 40 minutes. Remember: every oven is different. Use a tooth pick or sharp fork to test to make sure the cake is done.

Coconut Vanilla Icing:

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of coconut oil

1/2 cup coconut butter

2 tablespoons raw honey

Preparation:

1 teaspoon vanilla powder (or use vanilla extract)

Soften the raw honey, coconut oil and coconut butter.

Add vanilla powder (optional or replace with other extract of choice).

Beat until creamy with a whisk.

Be sure cake is cool before slathering with the icing and enjoy!

*We sometimes use Artisana Coconut Butter, as linked above. But we often use our high powered tribest blender and blend shredded coconut to a butter consistency, which is what we did for this recipe. We also wrote the recipe after we made the icing, so pay attention while making the recipe and adjust if needed.

The cake was a hit! I hope you try it soon!

-heather

Chocolate Coconut Haystacks

I made these for my husband and for my mom, because they both love chocolate. Although I can't eat chocolate right now, I still love the smell. Oh, the lovely smell. I feel the same way about coffee, though I don't drink it because I don't like the taste plus other reasons. The smell, however, is very appealing. You would wouldn't catch me whiffing coffee on the coffee isle though.

Chocolate Coconut Haystacks

NO: gluten, dairy, eggs, nuts, soy

Ingredients:

1 bag of chocolate chips (10oz by enjoy life or your favorite ones)

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon coconut oil (room temp)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5-6 tablespoons dried shredded coconut

Preparation:

Use a double broiler to melt the chocolate. The easiest way to do that is simply put a small amount of water in a pan and either put a stainless steel bowl inside of the pan so that it resists on top. As the water simmers, the chocolate will melt. Keep stirring.

As the chocolate begins to melt, add the coconut oil. Once everything is melted, stir in the vanilla extract and shredded coconut. You can add more coconut depending on how much you prefer in your candies.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Use a spoon to dollop the mixture into individual pieces on the paper. Sprinkle with more shredded coconut if you like. Refrigerate until hard and then store in a container in the refrigerator.

Enjoy! This is a quick and easy treat to make.

Merry Christmas :)

-heather

Coffee Cake Cobbler

Coffee Cake Cobbler
NO: gluten, dairy, eggs, nuts, soy

Ingredients:

1/2 cup canned pumpkin or 1/2 cup ground bananas (or a combination of the two)

1/2 cup raw honey

1/2 cup organic cane sugar

2 tablespoons molasses

1/3 cup coconut oil

2 teaspoons egg replacer

1 teaspoon xantham gum

1/4 teaspoons himalayan salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/2 cup sorghum flour

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/3 cup potato starch

1/3 cup tapioca starch (also known as tapioca flour)

Preparation:

Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. 

Blend the wet ingredients in a food processor or blender.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.

Use an 8x4 pan greased with coconut oil.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and blend with a hand mixer.

It is going to be somewhat dry, it will not be like a cake batter.

You may need to add a bit of liquid (water or coconut milk) but expect the batter to be somewhat thick and sticky.

Spread the batter into the pan. 

Take chopped fruit (we used apricots) and put on the top of the batter.

Press into the batter. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.

Bake at 350 for 25-35 minutes until done.

We sprinkled some rice flakes (kind of looks like oatmeal) on a few of them but they mostly got crispy. They look neat though!

Enjoy!

-heather

Creamy Coconut Ice Cream

This ice cream is amazing. It tastes better than the packaged coconut ice creams that you buy at the store!

Creamy Coconut Ice Cream
NO: gluten, dairy, nuts, eggs, soy

Ingredients:
1 can of organic coconut milk
1 container of coconut yogurt (plain 6oz)
1/2 the meat of 1 young coconut (optional, see below)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder or 1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tablespoons raw honey

Preparation:
Blend all ingredients in a blender.
Put in ice cube trays, it makes two large trays of ice cubes.
Freeze until completely frozen.

Use however many ice cubes are appropriate for the size batch that you want.
Place ice cubes in a Vitamix or other high-powered blender or a food processor.
No liquid is used.
Blend until creamy!

You can make plenty of variations of this ice cream too! Add chocolate chips or berries when blending, for instance. We often make peach or apricot ice cream and add the fruit when blending. This time, we made just plain coconut ice cream and put peaches on top.

You don't have to use the meat of a young coconut, that is optional and can be left out completely without hendering the recipe. We've made it plenty of times without the meat of the coconut.

Also, if you are allergic to vanilla you can leave it out and the ice cream will still taste great :)

-heather

Cinnamon Crunch Cookies (Gluten-free + Dairy-free + Egg-free)

The cinnamon tree is grown for two years and then harvested by cutting it down nearly to the ground, leaving only a stump. After a year, about a dozen shoots will form from the stump. The bark is stripped off the shoots and left to dry. The inner bark is used, which slightly coil when dried, turning into cinnamon rolls. The rolls are cut into individual pieces before packaged to sell. Ground cinnamon is made by grinding the inner bark of the cinnamon tree. It's known for being beneficial for heart health and blood sugar regulation.

The thought of cinnamon creates a scene of autumn where the wind is howling through the nearly bare trees, leaves rustling on the ground. The windows in a house are open to let the cool autumn air in. Smells of sugar and spice are wafting from the oven, filled to the brim with pumpkin spice cookies. It's almost enough to make a girl want to make a costume out of dried leaves, go outside and dance in hopes for an early autumn. But no, I have to enjoy the thrills of summer. Sun on my skin, the prevailing green on the country side. The mountains rejoicing, for once, some of the snow is melted and the tips of some of the mountains are no longer freezing.

Luckily, cinnamon is like most other spices, very versatile. It is spicy, sweet and fragrant. It can be appreciated in any season.

Cinnamon Crunch Cookies

NO: gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, nuts

Ingredients:
1/2 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 sorghum flour
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup organic cane sugar
1/2 cup organic palm oil shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup organic coconut milk
water

Preparation:
Use two mixing bowls, one for dry ingredients and one for wet.
Add all of the dry ingredients and mix the together (minus the sugar).
In the other bowl, add the sugar and the wet ingredients and mix them together.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well.
Add 1-2 tablespoons of water and continue to mix.

Place cookies on a cookie sheet (not oiled) in your desired shape. Using cookie cutters is fun but not necessary. These cookies came out to be delightfully crunchy and chewy. If you're more into chewy, make them thicker.

Place in an oven that is preheated to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
Bake for 5 minutes and turn the pan.
Bake for another 5 minutes and turn the pan again.
Bake for an additional 4-5 minutes.
Depending on cookie size and oven variations, the cookies may bake at different speeds.
You can tell if the cookie is done because the edges will be brown and the top will be *lightly* brown.
Don't over bake.
Remove from pan with a spatula and place on another surface to cool.

The cookies didn't stick to the pan for me. I removed them almost immediately with a stainless steel spatula and they came up with no problem. They will stick if you let them set for too long without removing them from the cookie sheet.

You can roll these into small slightly compressed balls or use cookie cutters. The best way to use cookie cutters is to lightly dust a cutting board with coconut flour or flour of choice. Roll out the dough and use the cookie cutters. Keep rolling out the dough until you've used it all.

This recipe is versatile, you can add raisins or other ingredients to the batch as well. Maybe some chocolate chips :) Leave out the cinnamon and add other spices, too.

Sophie enjoying a cookie with some coconut milk

Worried about using organic cane sugar? Some people avoid it's use at home - like we used to do - but consume it in limited quantities when dining out or in a gluten-free packaged cookie. It's best in limited quantities for sure, but I've taken wisdom from those who say to never heat honey. That leaves you with only a few options, especially with allergies in the house. I'm not crazy about agave, especially since it's hydrogenated when processed. The best thing to do is use what sweetener feels right for you. I'm also not sure how these cookies would come out with a liquid sweetener but I'm willing to give it a try someday. Until then, we all need a little sugar and spice in our life sometimes!

-heather

Sophie's Sweet Sunday Morning Biscuits

There is something comforting about a warm biscuit topped with a large dollop of jam or honey. Growing up, I remember eating biscuits with all different kinds of soup. I've always thought of biscuits as not quite a cake and not quite a cookie. They're in-between, the unique one. We also make sweet biscuits with dried fruit, like cranberry, papaya or raisins. Of course, biscuits don't have to be sweet. But what fun is that?

Ingredients:

1 cup coconut flour

1 cup sorghum flour

1/2 cup tapioca flour

1/2 cup potato starch

1 tablespoon dried organic cane sugar

3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon himalayan salt

6 tablespoons coconut oil (not melted)

1/2 cup coconut milk*

1/2 cup water (more if needed)

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

Preparations:

In a bowl, cut in all flours and other dry ingredients with the coconut oil until the mixture is course. As a cutter, use two knives or a biscuit cutter.

Add the liquids and stir with spoon and hands.

Dust a cutting board with sorghum flour.

Roll out the dough and cut to preferred size.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 25 minutes.

*We used the unsweetened coconut milk by soy delicious, but you can also use canned coconut milk. 

Makes enough biscuits for 3 adults and one hungry toddler to eat with breakfast and have a few left over. It also depends on what size you make them! Sorry, we didn't count how many :)

A biscuit topped with local organic plum jam.

These biscuits are a perfect addition to your breakfast, especially if you plan to go out afterwards and work in the yard! 

I am repenting my crime. I took too many photos!

-heather

Gluten-Free Flourless Valentino and Blueberry Coconut Sherbet (Daring Baker Challenge)

This was a lot of fun and my husband was very pleased with it. I made the Valentino for him for Valentine's Day. Unfortunately, since I am allergic to eggs and also can't have chocolate, this one was truly just for him. But I did get to eat the Blueberry Coconut Sherbet that I made :)

(pictured with a lovely gluten-free lemon wafer by Glutino)

For the Valentino, I used Earth Balance (butter substitute) instead of butter and I used Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips instead of a block of chocolate. Each bag is 10 ounces, so I used one entire bag plus about 3/4 of another bag.

The original recipe:

Chocolate Valentino
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams) of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
5 large eggs separated

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.

2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.

3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls. 4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).

5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.

6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.

7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter. {link of folding demonstration}

8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C

9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C. Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.

10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.

I want to thank Daring Bakers for the great challenge! The February challenge is from Wendy at wmpesblog and Dharm from Dad- Baker & Chef. The Valentino Recipe comes from Sweet Treats by Chef Wan.
 

Blueberry Coconut Sherbet 

Sherbet: a frozen dessert made with fruit juice added to milk or cream, egg white, or gelatin.

So, this is sort of like sherbet :)

Ingredients:

4-6 cups of organic frozen blueberries

1/2 can of organic coconut milk (with no added water)

2-3 tablespoons of raw honey

Preparation:

Add the frozen (not thawed) blueberries to a food processor. 

Pour in the coconut milk and add a couple tablespoons of honey or agave.

Blend until the ingredients are mixed well. 

Serve! Creamy and tasty!

The reason I put 4-6 cups of blueberries is because some frozen blueberries have a stronger flavor and some have more of a light flavor. Adjust to your taste!

-heather