Life, Gluten Free

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

Coconut Porridge

This is a tasty morning breakfast porridge and it helps to sustain you until lunch time. Coconut is filling and cinnamon helps to regulate blood sugar levels.

This porridge is also a great idea because it can be kept in the fridge for easy access, and it tastes great both hot and cold!

The recipe is from this book by Bruce Fife, ND: Coconut Cures: Preventing and Treating Common Health Problems with Coconut.  

My mom shared this recipe idea with me. She changed it slightly from the original one, adding a healthy dose of cinnamon.

Coconut Porridge
NO: gluten, dairy, eggs, soy

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups water

1 1/4 cups dried finely shredded coconut (unsweetened)

1/2 cup raisins

1 tablespoon molasses (or honey, as in the book)

1/2 teaspoon of a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom (or just ground cloves, as in the book)

Preparation:

Heat water in sauce pan until it boils. Add coconut, raisins, molasses and spice. Reduce heat and simmer for approximately 8 minutes or until the raisins are soft and plump. Serve warm or chilled.

You can also top with sliced fruit.

enjoy!

-heather

Pumpkin Spice Cake

Moist. Irresistible. Sweet.

Three words that best describe this gluten-free, dairy-free and egg-free treat. Who'd have guessed there are so many missing ingredients? I'm not sure even the most hardcore "foodie" would know. It would be hard to detect what it doesn't have in it. 

 

I am thrilled to present this recipe to you because if you are like me, and not only have to be gluten-free but also have to be egg-free, then you must try this seasonal dessert. It even makes a great breakfast with a nice cup of Roobios tea or Coffee for your lovers of java. 

Recipe:

1 cup sorghum flour

1/3 cup potato starch

1/3 cup tapioca flour

1 teaspoon xantham gum

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 cup raisins

Wet Ingredients:

1/2 cup canned pumpkin (or fresh!)

1/2 cup of raw honey

1/2 cup organic cane sugar (although not wet, you will combine it with these)

2 tablespoons organic molasses

1/3 cup of grapeseed oil / coconut oil (I did half grapeseed and half coconut oil, for a total of 1/3 cup)

Egg replacing ingredients:

6 tablespoons apple sauce

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp egg replacer

(or use 2 eggs)

Preparation:

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Rub a 8 by 8 glass baking pan with coconut oil.

Combine pumpkin, honey, sugar, molasses, oil, and egg replacer ingredients in a large bowl. Mix together well.

Add remaining ingredients (except for the raisins) to the wet mixture. Mix with a hand mixer. Stir in raisins.

Transfer batter to the greased baking pan and bake approximately 40 minutes or until a tooth pick is inserted and comes out clean. Cool before slicing.

Fall is in the air and it has an effect on people. At least those that pay enough attention to feel it. I think this may very well be my favorite season. But don't worry Winter and Spring, I love you too. But Summer, I really could do with less heat and more cool breezy days. 

 

Try this bread, even if you normally bake with gluten and eggs. You'll be pleasantly surprised. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed.

 

In fact, I wish I could develop some device to whisk you all a free sample. But that would require atoms to disappear and re-materialize, which might get tricky.

And to broaden your horizons even further, I have a fun fact. Did you know that Pumpkin is high in Vitamin A and C? So strengthen your eyes and boost your immune system with a slice of Pumpkin Spice Bread! How's that for inspiration. 

Enjoy.

Fried Plantains with Coconut Rice Pudding

Plantains are high in Vitamin A and Potassium, but are lower in sugar than yellow bananas.

Plantains are firm and starchy, more like a potato and less like a banana.

I bought 3 organic plantains and fried them in a cast iron pan with coconut oil. I set the stove to about medium heat and let the plantains cook fully on both sides.

Coconut Rice Pudding:

1 can of organic coconut milk
5 drops of liquid stevia
2 tsp of agave syrup (or to taste)
1 tsp of orange powder (crushed orange peel)
Sprinkle of chai spice*

Heat in a saucepan on stove. Add already cooked rice (I had some leftover).

*We make our own chai spice with cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom.

Serve with the plantains. I saved some of the coconut sauce in a separate pan before adding the rice. I drizzled it on the finished dish.

I made some raw cucumber pickles that were so good, we ate them all before I could snap a photo. I am hoping to get some more pickling cucumbers at the farmer's market this week. So stay tuned for that recipe.

Like giveaways? Who doesn't! I am planning some more giveaways on my blog, but for now hop on over to Go Natural Baby to enter to win a t-shirt and pant by Zah Organics.

-heather

Teff Porridge

If you haven't already, be sure to enter the giveaway for a $25 Gift Certificate to Earth Mama Angel Baby 

So it was a nice rainy day in Colorado. We had the windows open and it was chilly. I fixed myself a cup of Roobios hot tea and set in to make some Teff porridge. It was the perfect day for it.

Teff porridge:

2 cups water

1/4 cup organic raisins (optional, I like to do this because it sweetens the teff)

Bring to boil.

Add 1/4 cup of Whole-Grain Teff

Cover and turn down to a simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the teff has absorbed the water. Stir occasionally.

I like to add extra water at the end, because the teff cereal becomes very thick. I like it thinner, more like a porridge.

You can add sweetener of your choice, or simply let the raisins be the sweetener. Sometimes I add molasses for some extra iron and calcium.

When I was little, my mom used to make a hot cereal that we called "Bear Mush" after the story the Three Little Bears. It was cream of wheat, with a dollop of butter and a generous helping of brown sugar. Not too healthy, but it was good back then. 

Now, I enjoy gluten-free teff porridge and it really is good. Try it!

Enjoy.

-heather

Carrot Mango Juice

1 organic mango
2 small organic carrots
1 stick of organic celery
7 ice cubes

Add water to get blending started then adjust to desired consistency

Add lime for zing! This is a nice refreshing drink for the summer time. It was hot today, but deceivingly overcast. It looked like a nice day outside, but it was a hot one. Thankfully, the hot temperatures don't last long here.

-heather

Fried Bananas with Coconut Cream Drizzle

This is a twist on a dish my dad used to make. He used to fry plantains, drizzle with yogurt and grate jaggery on top.

Casein-free
Fried Banana Recipe:

Slice 5-7 ripe bananas (depending on how many people you are serving)
Fry in pan with ghee or oil of choice

Coconut Cream Drizzle Recipe:

1 can of Coconut Milk
2-3 tablespoons of Raw Honey
1/2 teaspoon of Gluten-free Vanilla Extract
2 slices of orange peel (optional)
Dash of cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom

Heat in sauce pan until it begins to bubble
Drizzle over fried bananas. Top with organic coconut sugar (optional).

I had some organic red bananas to use. I also used some organic yellow bananas and noticed that the red ones worked a lot better during the frying stage. I'm pretty sure that you can't commonly find red bananas though, so you can definitely just use yellow bananas. This dish was a big hit and is definitely going to be made again in this house.

-heather