Life, Gluten Free

Homemade Gummy Bears Without the Junk!

My daughter loves these and can pretty much make them herself now. It's fun to experiment with different flavors of juice. 

Ingredients:

1 cup organic juice

4 tablespoons grass-fed gelatin

2 tablespoons maple syrup (optional)*

Silicone molds like gummy bears or ice cube trays

*I usually don't add maple syrup but certain juices need a little extra sweetness. You can use your judgement!

Directions:

Warm juice on the stove in a sauce pan. Slowly mix in the gelatin until well dissolved. Add maple syrup. If the juice we are using is really pale, sometimes we'll add a few drops of vegetable coloring just to give it a nice color pop! Once everything is mixed well and gelatin is dissolved, you can add these to your molds. I found that silicone molds work best. If you are using small molds like gummy bears, use a dropper to help you get the juice into the molds.

You can place the trays in the refrigerator or freezer until the gelatin is set. Once you remove the gummies from the molds, store in an air tight container in the refrigerator. Enjoy! They don't last long in my house before everyone eats them up. 

These would be perfect to snack on through the day, school lunches and more!

 

Plantain and Onion Fritters

Plantains are a staple in our house. 

One of the local natural food markets in our area, Alfalfa's, stocks organic plantains. I told the produce manager to please keep them in! We purchase a huge stack basically every week. And every single time, someone notices them in our cart and asks us how we cook them. I've had conversations with strangers, just about plantains, how to cook them, how to know when their ripe and what to season them with.

That's normal.

Maybe I should keep index cards of this recipe and hand it out.

Perhaps we've already inspired some of our fellow shoppers to cook plantains. That is, if there's any left after we raid the produce section. 

Plantain Fritters

makes about 25

no: eggs, dairy, gluten, grains, soy, tree nuts, sesame

Ingredients:

3-4 Plantains (ripe ripe ripe)

1 Yellow onion, diced

Coconut oil

Sea salt

Directions:

You want to use pretty ripe plantains, that are starting to become soft.

But not yucky mushy.

If they are firm, they work well for fried plantains. 

Use a potato masher or fork to mash the plantains. 

Once mashed, add diced yellow onion, a dash of salt and mix well.

Start with measuring 3 tablespoons of coconut oil and add it to a stainless steel skillet on medium heat.

Once the oil is warmed, take a spoonful of the plantain batter and form into a pattie shape.

I was able to fit about 5 patties in my skillet at one time.

Every stove is different, adjust the temperature if you need to but cooking on medium heat works on my stove.

Flip using a metal spatula when the fritter is browned on one side (about 5 minutes).

When each side is browned, transfer to a plate and keep cooking until the batter is gone.

Be sure to keep an eye on the oil, as you will need to add more. 

If the oil gets low in the pan, the fritters will begin to stick.

Lightly salt the fritters, and serve with a sauce (we like them with guacamole).

 

Cauliflower Rice (Grain-Free, Paleo)

Over a year ago, we adapted our diet to be completely grain-free instead of just gluten-free. When I found this recipe for cauliflower rice, I knew I had to make it.

I adapted it slightly, using coconut oil instead of olive oil.

It turned out so well, and adds a nice texture to dishes. You can use it in place of rice in nearly any dish.

 Cauliflower Rice

no: grains, gluten, dairy, soy, eggs, nuts

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower

1 onion, diced

2 tablespoons coconut oil

sea salt

Preparation:

Chop the cauliflower coursely, and process it in the food processor with the "S" Blade.

Be sure to only process it enough for the texture to resemble rice, don't over process.

In a large stainless steel pan over medium heat, saute the onion with coconut oil or olive oil.

Add the cauliflower once the onion is cooked.

Cover and let cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until soft.

Add sea salt to taste and serve!

How to use Cauliflower Rice:

1. Make a stir fry

2. Eat with soup

3. Make a casserole

4. Use it to subsitute rice in your favorite recipes

Cauliflower "rice" so good, my whole family enjoys it. Try it!

No-Bake Fruit Pie

I have the perfect no-bake fruit pie for 4th of July! With record breaking temperatures around the country, who wants to turn on the oven unless you have to?

I got the inspiration from Heather at Gluten-Free Cat. She posted a recipe for Raw Mango Banana Pie, but it had an almond crust. I decided to make a few changes to the fruit pie filling and use my coconut nut-free crust recipe.

It came out so well, we loved it!

 

No-Bake Fruit Pie

Ingredients:

Crust:

1/2 cup raisins

1 1/2 cups coconut flakes

1 tablespoon coconut oil

Pie Filling:

1 tablespoon lime juice

3 bananas 

1 mango

1 nectarine

Preparation:

Start by making the pie crust. Add ingredients to a food processor and process until it's a cookie crumb consistency.

Add crust to a pie dish and press down with your fingers and/or a spatula.

Let the crust chill in the fridge for 30 minutes or so, and begin to make the filling.

Add lime juice to a bowl.

Chop banana, mango and nectarine into small chunks.

Add to the lime juice and mix well.

When the crust is chilled, add the fruit filling.

Sprinkle with coconut flakes if desired.

Serve chilled. 

 

 

 

Have a wonderful and safe holiday!