Tag Archives: Grain Free

Strawberry Nut Bites

Valentine’s Day is a fun time to eat these delicious little pop ins. They are rolled in crushed, organic, freeze dried strawberries that burst with flavor in your mouth and have the health benefits of Raw Almonds and Walnuts! I recently finished reading The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from The People Who Lived the Longest by Dan Buettner, and eating nuts is one of the things the octogenarians in all the blue zone regions had in common. They are simple to make and portable. I have been packing them in lunches, (include an ice pack), and they are great when you want a little something sweet. February is a busy month at my house. Three of my daughters have birthdays this month….the 21, 22nd and 23rd, and also my youngest daughter’s adoption day is on the 22nd. For Valentines Day this year my husband is taking me out to our favorite Spanish Tapas restaurant. The food is excellent, and they are very aware and careful about food allergens. It is a Paleo friendly restaurant as well. The recipe for Strawberry Nut Bites is below.

Strawberry Nut Bites

Ingredients:

1 Cup Freeze Dried Organic Strawberries, Like These

1 Cup Raw Walnuts

1 Cup Raw Almonds

1/2 Cup Shredded Coconut, unsweetened

1/4 Cup Clear Honey

2 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1/8 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt

Directions:

Place the strawberries in a food processor with a blade attachment and finely grind the strawberries. Remove them from the food processor and put in a medium bowl for rolling the formed nut bites in.

In the same food processor, place your nuts and coconut and pulse until finely chopped. Add the honey, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Continue to pulse until the mixture forms a ball. Pinch off enough of the nut filling to form 1 1/2 inch balls with your hands, and roll the balls in the strawberries. Store them in the freezer or refrigerator. I like them frozen. They are berry delicious! Sorry, I couldn’t resist!

Whether you have a significant other or not at this time in your life, I hope you have a Happy Valentines Day, spread a little love, and enjoy these nutritious treats!

*Note: 1 Strawberry Nut Bite is a serving if you are very Low FodMap.

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Banana Walnut Muffins

Looking for an easy, no added sugar, healthy, grain free muffin? These Banana Walnut Muffins are sure to please! All you need is a food processor and a few ingredients. They are moist and have the perfect crumb. The sweetness comes from whole food – dates and banana. I like to make a double batch and freeze half for a quick and easy school day breakfast for the kids. Just thaw in the microwave.

Banana Walnut Muffins (Grain Free, Paleo)

Banana Walnut Muffins

To Begin:

Preheat your oven 350º degrees.

Ingredients:

2 Cups Cubed Zucchini (about 2 medium or 1 large)

1 Ripe Banana (with black spots)

1/2 Cup Coconut Flour

4 Medjool Dates, pitted

1/2 Cup Hot Water

2 Eggs

1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract (no additives)

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1/3 Cup Raw Walnuts

To Make The Muffins:

Line a 12 cup muffin pan with muffin liners.

Soak the pitted dates in the 1/2 cup of hot water for ten minutes. Meanwhile cube your zucchini and assemble the rest of the ingredients. Place the dates and soaking water in the food processor and puree together. Add the zucchini and banana and thoroughly puree. Add the eggs, coconut flour, vanilla and baking soda and puree until thoroughly blended and coconut flour has absorbed some of the liquid and it is the consistency of cake batter.

Using a muffin scoop or a 1/4 cup measuring cup, fill the muffin liners with the muffin batter. Top with walnuts, dispersing evenly. Bake in a 350º degree oven for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for ten minutes before placing on a wire cooling rack.

Enjoy these delicious muffins! They are less than 100 calories each and full of healthy ingredients you can feel good about.

Makes 10 Muffins

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Homemade Grain Free Garlicky Croutons

So how’s your winter going so far? The kids started back to school this week after winter break, and my Health Coaching classes started up again as well. I always get so pumped when I start a new unit. This week we are going more depth on how things can go wrong with our digestion and cause Candida, SIBO, Gut Dysbiosis and other ailments and how to correct it. Our digestion is so important for overall health!

Ming has been lazing around the house more than usual due to the colder weather. She likes to find a sunny spot and bask in it. Ironically, the cold weather invigorates her, and she would much rather walk outside in the cold than in the heat. She collapses if she walks too far when it is above 65º, but in cool weather, she is like the energizer bunny. Remember him?

I am eating a lot of salad lately and wanted a crunchy crouton to go with it. This garlicky, crunchy crouton goes well with salad and is also wonderful on a bowl of Crock Pot Cream of Tomato Basil Soup. They are twice baked and then tossed in garlic olive oil and some coarse flaky sea salt. They stay fresh for up to three weeks when stored in the refrigerator, so you can add them to soup or salad whenever you feel like it!

Homemade Grain Free Garlicky Croutons

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups Superfine Almond Flour

2 Pastured Eggs

2 Tablespoons Garlic Infused Olive Oil

1 Teaspoon Paprika

1 Teaspoon Dried Parsley

1 Teaspoon Dried Basil

1 Teaspoon Clear Honey

1/2 Teaspoon Dried Oregano

1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper

1/2 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

—————————-

For Tossing Hot Croutons:

2 Tablespoons Garlic Infused Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Teaspoons Flaky Coarse Salt, I used Fleur De Sel

Directions: Preheat Oven 325º degrees. Whisk together in a medium bowl the two eggs, 2 Tablespoons Garlic Infused Olive Oil, salt, pepper, herbs and honey. Add the almond flour and baking soda and stir with a fork, using a rubber spatula to finish, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Dump the dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and spread into a uniform 7 to 8 inch square. Just approximate it as best you can. The dough should be about a half inch thick. It will rise when you bake it.

Place the crouton dough into the preheated oven, and bake for 28 minutes. It will be golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes, maintaining the heat of your oven.

With a serrated knife, cut the croutons into 1 inch cubes, and place back onto the cookie sheet in a single layer and back into the oven for 25 more minutes, stirring once.

Get a medium sized bowl ready, and when you remove the croutons from the oven place them in the bowl immediately and drizzle them with 2 Tablespoons of Garlic Infused Olive Oil, 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil and toss to coat thoroughly. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of coarse salt and toss. I used Fleur De Sel. Cool completely in a single layer before refrigerating in a sealed container, or serve them hot on top of salad or soup! Mmmmm! Good!

Homemade Grain Free Garlicky Croutons

Makes approximately 60 croutons.

Serving Size for very Low FodMap is 5 Croutons.

Go Here for a link to the SIBO Low FodMap Specific Carb Food Guide.

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Chesapeake Crab Cakes

crab cake

I haven’t met many people who don’t love crab cakes, unless they are allergic to seafood. Here on the East Coast they are famous because of the Maryland blue crab. When my Aunt and Uncle were visiting from Arizona last May they did a lot of sightseeing, and my Aunt tried a lot of crab cakes at various restaurants. This is a favorite family recipe for crab cakes that I have reinvented to be grain free and low fodmap. They have completely delicious, wholesome ingredients. I serve them with sriracha sauce. They are exquisite without any sauce also! The sauce pictured in the photo is PaleoChef Sriracha Sauce I picked up at Whole Foods. My all time favorite homemade mayonnaise recipe is from the cookbook The Paleo Kitchen by Juli Bauer and George Bryant. It is 30-second mayonnaise and it is literally No Fail! You can find the recipe here. I had tried many homemade mayonnaise recipes before, and sometimes they worked and sometimes they failed. Plus, I just don’t have the patience to sit and drizzle! Sorry Julie Child. I still love you! This recipe uses an immersion blender, and is so fast! There is an SCD legal mayonnaise that is sweetened with honey that you can purchase as well if you don’t want to make your own, here. So let’s make some Chesapeake Crab Cakes!

Chesapeake Crab Cakes

Ingredients:

1 Pound Crabmeat (can use refrigerated pasteurized crab)

1 Tablespoon Garlic Olive Oil

1/2 Cup Scallions, chopped (green parts only)

1/2 Cup Finely diced Fennel

2/3 Cup of Mayonnaise (I use Primal Kitchen Mayo)

1 Teaspoon Djon Mustard

1/2 Teaspoon Paprika

1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

1 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

1 Teaspoon Black Pepper

1 1/3 Cup Superfine Blanched Almond Flour plus 1/3 Cup for dredging

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Directions:

Preheat your oven 300º degrees.

In a large frying pan, heat the garlic olive oil over medium heat, add the fennel and saute’ for 3 minutes, then stir in the green onion and continue to cook two more minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and set aside. In a large bowl combine the mayonnaise with the spices, salt and pepper. Add the crab stirring lightly then the 1 1/3 cup of almond flour and fennel scallion mixture, again stirring just until combined. In a shallow dish place the remaining 1/3 cup of almond flour for dredging. With a half cup scoop, scoop the crab cake mixture into the palm of your hand, and form into crab cakes. Dredge lightly in the almond flour and set aside on a parchment lined baking sheet. Use more almond flour for dredging if needed.

In a non-stick frying pan, heat 1 1/2 Tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat until ready to sizzle when cakes are added. Add half of the crab cakes to the pan and fry about four minutes per side until golden brown. Remove them from the pan, and place on the cookie sheet and pop them in the oven to stay warm. Repeat with the second half of the crab cakes. They are ready!

Makes approximately 8

chesapeak-crab-cakes

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Delicata Sun Dried Tomato Galette

This rustic Galette is sure to please! It is a meatless main course, and is nice paired with a salad on the side. Delicata Squash are smaller than other winter squash and are tender with orange flesh. Four ounces of Delicata Squash has 3 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein, in addition to vitamins A and C. I used two medium Delicata in the Galette. You can also substitute butternut squash for the Delicata if you can’t find it. I love the ease of making the rustic crust (no perfectionism here!) and it is fun to hear the oooo’s and aaaaa’s when you pull it from the oven! The sun dried tomatoes add delicious concentrated flavor, and the scallions and black olives add a finishing gourmet touch!

Delicata Sun Dried Tomato Galette

Directions: Preheat your oven 375º degrees.

Ingredients for the Crust:

2 1/4 Cups Superfine Almond Flour

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Egg

1/2 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink or Sea Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper

Mix the crust ingredients in a large bowl until it holds together. Place the crust ball onto a parchment lined baking sheet and pat out with your fingers into approximately a twelve inch round, like you would a pizza dough.

Ingredients for the Filling:

4 Cups of Peeled and Cubed Delicata Squash

3 Sun Dried Tomatoes, Soaked in Hot Water for 1 hour to soften

1/2 Cup of Pitted Black Olives

1 Tablespoon plus 2 Teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 Green Scallions, sliced, green parts only

1 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning

1/4 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

1 Teaspoon Black Pepper

Delicata Sun Dried Tomato Galette

For the filling, place your peeled and cubed squash onto a parchment lined, rimmed baking pan and toss with 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil, the Italian Seasoning, Salt and Pepper. Roast in the oven in a single layer for 20 minutes, stirring once. Remove from the oven and cool slightly. Drain the soaking water off your sun dried tomatoes and finely chop. Mound your squash into the center of the patted out galette crust and spread to within an inch and a half of the edges of the crust. Sprinkle with the sun dried tomatoes and olives. Gently fold the crust edges up and around the filling pressing a bit to keep it in place, a spatula can help here. Drizzle the filling with two teaspoons of olive oil. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes in the oven. Remove and sprinkle with green scallions. Serve and enjoy!

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Rum Print Cookies

Instead of visions of sugarplums dancing through my head, I have rum prints on my mind. What in the world is a rumprint? I found a recipe quite a few years ago in a holiday magazine. The cookies were very unique and memorable. I have never found another quite like them. Unfortunately, I lost the magazine at some point in a move I made. So, here is a replication from my memory of what they were like. These have been Paleo-ized, and I have to say, they are as good as I remember. The cookie base uses finely ground walnuts, and the frosting uses cocoa butter for creaminess and stability.

Rum Print Cookies

Ingredients for Cookie:

1 Cup of Walnuts (finely ground) I used a mini Ninja to do this (see Kitchen Equipment I Love)

1/4 Cup Coconut Flour

1/4 Cup Organic Palm Shortening

1/4 Cup Clear Clover Honey

1 Egg

1/4 Teaspoon Pink Himalayan or Sea Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract (SCD Legal)

Directions: Preheat oven 350º degrees. With an electric hand held mixer, cream together the shortening and honey. Add the egg and continue to beat for one minute. Add the vanilla extract and incorporate. In a small bowl whisk together the finely ground walnuts, coconut flour, salt, nutmeg and baking soda. Add to the wet ingredients and mix on medium speed until blended. With a tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake 11 minutes.

When the cookies come out of the oven, using your thumb, make an indentation in the top of each cookie for the thumprint. Cool completely.

Frosting Ingredients:

1 Cup Raw Cocoa Butter, Chopped (See In My Pantry for Resources)

1/4 Cup Clover Honey

2 Tablespoons Organic Palm Shortening

4 Teaspoons White Rum

1/8 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink or Sea Salt

Nutmeg for Sprinkling

Directions: In a double broiler, melt the cocoa butter. Remove from heat and add into a bowl. With an electric hand held mixer, beat the honey, salt and shortening into the cocoa butter. Add the rum and continue beating until the frosting is solidifying. The cocoa butter will start out clear when hot and become a white consistency as it cools. When it is a good texture for piping, place the frosting in a piping bag with a large star tip and pipe into the center of the cooled cookies. It sets up quickly, so pipe right away. Alternatively, you can scoop the frosting into the middle of the cookies by hand if you don’t feel like piping. Sprinkle each cookie with a dash of nutmeg.

Makes 15 Cookies

Rum Prints

Classic Anise Biscotti with Pignolis

Anise Biscotti with Pignolis (Pine Nuts) is a classic! Hazelnut Biscotti is another classic cult favorite of biscotti lovers. There are a multitude of variations of biscotti today. But sometimes I really want a pure, unadulterated, classic biscotti. In this recipe the Pignolis give the biscotti great texture and a buttery flavor, and the anise seed is, well, just classic! They are a beautiful cookie!

Classic Anise Biscotti with Pignolis

Classic Anise Biscotti with Pignolis

Preheat your oven 350º degrees. Lay out a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 Cups Superfine Blanched Almond Flour

2 Eggs

1/2 Cup Clear Honey

2 Tablespoons Coconut Flour

1/2 Cup Pignolis (Pine Nuts)

1 Teaspoon Ground Anise

2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract (SCD Legal)

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1/4 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

In a medium bowl, beat your eggs. Stir in the clear honey and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl with a wire whisk, blend your dry ingredients (Almond Flour, Coconut Flour, Ground Anise, Baking Soda and Salt). Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine with a rubber spatula. Fold in 1/4 Cup of Pignolis. Turn out on the parchment lined cookie sheet and form into a 12×6″ rectangle. Press the remaining 1/4 cup of Pignolis into the top of the dough. Bake in the 350º oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely. With a serrated knife, slice the cooled biscotti starting on the short end into 1/2 inch wide diagonal slices. Lay back on the parchment lined cookie sheet, one cut side down and bake for 7 minutes, turn the biscotti over to the other cut side and bake another 7 minutes until golden brown.

Classic Anise BIscotti with Pignolis

You can enjoy these delicious biscotti any time of year when you are in the mood for a classic flavor!

Classic Anise Biscotti with Pignolis

Enjoy your day and keep being awesome!!!!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Bread Stuffing Paleo SCD

Stuffing has always been my favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal since I was a child. I used to be an Organic Artisan Bread Baker and sold my breads to the local co-op. I have had a serious love affair with really good homemade breads. Some of my fondest memories are of my mother’s homemade bread and how it made the kitchen smell. When my Mom went back to work when her children got older, my Pop took over the bread making. He used his own honey from the bees in the back yard to make his bread. Since going strictly Paleo almost three years ago, and then Paleo within an SCD Low FodMap template after discovering I had SIBO, I missed bread. I missed it more at first, and now I only miss it during special occasions when it is more the memories and emotional longing, because I am truly happy and feel amazing with my lifestyle and eating. However, I am making this spectacular stuffing for Thanksgiving using Pumpkin Seed Blender Bread. It is absolutely allowed because the flour is pumpkin seeds! I found the recipe on fellow blogger Danielle of Its a Love/Love Thing’s website that is here. I made a few modifications taking out the sweetness of the bread, which is a very good loaf, and made it savory for use as a stuffing bread to create a stuffing recipe. You can feel truly good about this stuffing. The pumpkin seeds add so much pure nutrition. They are rich in magnesium, zinc (which is important for prostate health), may improve insulin regulation, contain phytoestrogens, tryptophan (so if you are having turkey too, you will get a good amount of that and should sleep like a baby), and healthy fat. But really, it is simply a delicious, traditional stuffing that you will love. No need to tell anyone how good it is for them, unless you want to, because they will “gobble” it up!

Bread Stuffing with Paleo SCD Pumpkin Seed Bread

Bread Stuffing SCD Paleo

Directions:

Make bread as directed on Danielle’s website here omitting the honey, vanilla and cinnamon and adding 1 teaspoon each of thyme and sage and a 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper.

Stuffing Ingredients:

3 Cups Cubed Pumpkin Seed Bread (1/2 inch cubes)

3/4 Cup Finely Diced Fennel Bulb

3 Green Onions, sliced, green parts only

2 Cups Packed Baby Spinach

2 Eggs

1 Cup Chicken or Turkey Broth (homemade if you have it)

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil or Duck Fat

1 Teaspoon Dried Parsley

1 Teaspoon Dried Thyme

1 Teaspoon Dried Sage

1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper

1/2 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink or Sea Salt

Directions: Grease a small casserole dish, about a quart sized. Preheat oven 350º degrees. Place your bread cubes in a large bowl and set aside. In a dutch oven or heavy sautee pan add olive oil or duck fat over medium-high heat. Add the diced fennel and green onion, and cook for five minutes until the fennel is tender. Stir in the salt, pepper, thyme, sage and parsley. Add the spinach and stir until wilted.

In a small bowl whisk together the eggs and broth. Fold them into the bread cubes, then add the sauteed vegetable mixture and incorporate that evenly. Pour the stuffing into your casserole dish, spread evenly in the pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until internal temperature measures 165º degrees and/or it is set. Mmmmmm, Stuffing!

Serves 4 – 6

(If you are very low FodMap have a smaller serving)

Zucchini Tomato Quiche

Good Morning! Want a yummy, pretty quiche that is easy but looks like it isn’t? I made this last night for dinner, and it is really good! It comes together fast, and the parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme in the crust is delish! It makes great leftovers also, or served cold for lunches. I used a 12 inch tart pan to make it, but a pie pan would work as well.

Zucchini Tomato Quiche

Directions: Preheat your oven 350º degrees. Grease a tart or pie pan lightly with shortening and set aside.

(See In My Pantry Page for Brands I like and are SCD Safe)

Crust Ingredients:

2 1/4 Cups Superfine Almond Flour

2 Tablespoons Organic Palm Shortening

1 Egg

3/4 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Dried Parsley

1/2 Teaspoon Crushed Rosemary

1/4 Teaspoon Ground Sage

1/4 Teaspoon Ground Thyme

1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper

For the Crust, in a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Melt the palm shortening and whisk into the almond flour and then the egg. Stir with a fork until crumbly and then press into the bottom of your tart or pie pan. Bake in the oven for 8 minutes, then remove and set aside.

Ingredients for Filling:

4 Cups of Zucchini sliced into thin rounds with a mandolin slicer (about 2 medium zucchini)

9 Cherry Tomatoes

4 Eggs (divided)

1/2 Teaspoon Pink Himalayan or Sea Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper

2 Tablespoons Garlic Olive Oil (for the top)

Nutmeg

Directions for filling:

Slice your cherry tomatoes in half. Whisk two eggs in a small bowl, and add 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture on the tart crust spreading evenly, then make concentric overlapping circles with half of the zucchini slices, making a spiral. (See photo) Whisk together the last two eggs with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Pour the remaining 2 egg mixture over the zucchini and make sure it is evenly spread. Layer the rest of the zucchini in a spiral again. Brush the top layer of zucchini with 2 tablespoons of garlic olive oil, and top with the cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle with a little, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes or until eggs are set. If you use a pie pan, it will take about ten minutes longer. Remove from the oven, cool slightly, then serve.

Zucchini Tomato Quiche

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Sunflower Pumpkin Seed Crackers

Sometimes I just gotta have something crunchy! Crackers are especially nice, because I like something to go with the crunch, if I am not eating them plain for a quick crunch fix. You can dress up a cracker with toppings. I personally like to pile them with meat and veggies or eat them with a salad. Some of the benefits of pumpkin seeds are healthy fat, magnesium, zinc, tryptophan, and studies also show they aid in hair growth. Sunflower seeds contain many beneficial vitamins as well, including B vitamins and vitamin E.

This recipe for crackers is free of all major allergens, no nuts, dairy, soy, gluten, grain, and they are easy and fast.

Sunflower Pumpkin Seed Crackers

You will need a high speed blender or food processor to grind the nuts into flour, two parchment lined cooking sheets, and a rolling pin if you want them thin.

Ingredients:

3/4 Cup Sunflower Seeds (I bought sprouted ones, but optional)

3/4 Cup Pumpkin Seeds (optional sprouted)

1 Pastured Egg or 1 Flax Egg, See Here for good directions on How to Make One

2 Tablespoons Tahini

2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil, melted or Olive Oil

2 Teaspoons Lime Juice

1/2 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt

Directions: Pulse the seeds in a blender or food processor until you have a very fine flour consistency. Transfer the ground seeds to a bowl. and add the salt. Next Whisk egg and incorporate it into the nut flour mixture. Melt the coconut oil and tahini in the microwave together for ten seconds then whisk to incorporate, whisk in the lemon juice to the coconut oil mixture. Add the liquid ingredients to the nut flour, egg mixture and stir vigorously until a ball forms and the ingredients are thoroughly blended.

Divide dough in half, form into balls and place on two separate pieces of parchment paper. Top each sheet with another piece of parchment paper to roll them thin and keep the dough from sticking to your rolling pin. Roll or pat each cracker round out until 1/4 inch thick. Take off the top parchment paper and bake in the oven 325º degrees for 15 minutes until golden brown. After they cool, break into pieces. Store cooled in an airtight container.

Eat Your Nutrients!