Cranberry and Carrot Muffins

1/2 cup ground almonds

1/4 cup coconut flour

1 cup whole oats

1/4 cup tapioca starch

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1 Tbsp. ground flax seed

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 cup grated carrot

3 eggs

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1/4 cup grapeseed oil

1/2 cup cranberries

Preheat oven to 350'C. Line 9 muffin tins with parchment.

In a medium bowl combine all of the dry ingredients. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, apple sauce and grapeseed oil. Fold in the grated carrot.  Combine the wet ingredients with the dry (add half the liquid mixture first, then fold in the rest).  Finally, stir in the cranberries. 

Fill each muffin tin about half full with the muffin mixture. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes.  Remove and allow to cool on a cooling rack.  

Gluten Free Banana Bread - Serious Comfort

After a two month break from teaching, it is the eve before I return to school.  I had hoped to post more recipes in the summer, but did not get around to writing down any new recipes or even taking pictures.  Perhaps I was simply enjoying the food and not thinking about writing a new blog post! I definitely enjoyed some good food this summer.  From the Paleo food trucks at the CrossFit Games to the fresh lobster in P.E.I., this summer did not fall short in the food department.  I feel very lucky to be able to afford to travel and eat great food in many different places!  This food was usually shared with family or friends, which made it all the more delicious.

I had some frozen bananas and decided to make my ultimate comfort food - banana bread.  After searching for recipes, I decided to combine almond flour and coconut flour to see what would happen.  I guess my reason for shying away from a totally almond flour recipe or a coconut flour based recipe was due to my lack of ingredients.  The coconut flour recipe called for 6 eggs - no complaint here about eating eggs (I eat them almost every day), but we did not have that many left.  I also did not have 3 cups of almond flour to make the other recipe I found.  So after some brief thinking, I made up my own recipe based on what I had.  Best part of making this bread was looking over at Michael and asking if I should put dark chocolate chips in it.  The answer was a quiet yes.

Banana Bread

1 cup almond flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3 eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 Tbsp. unpasteurized honey
1 cup mashed banana
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350'C.  In a medium bowl, combine the almond and coconut flours with the salt and baking soda.  In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, melted coconut oil, honey, and bananas.  Add the wet ingredients into the dry and fold to combine.  Line a bread pan with parchment paper and grease with butter or grapeseed oil.  Pour the batter into the pan.  Bake at 350'C for 40-45 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the middles - if it comes out dry, the bread is done. Let it cool completely before removing from the pan.
 

Grain Free Pizza Crust

It has been a few weeks since I went grain free.  I am feeling much better and not nearly as swollen. My energy levels throughout the day are more 'normal' than they were before...I guess before I felt/was tired all the time. I am going to be grain free until at least the end of May, so it was important that I find a substitute for the usual gluten free pizza crust we use.  This whole process has made me really think about the gluten free products I was buying and how they aren't really that good for me.  Yes, they are gluten free, but they still have ingredients (like rice flour) that can irritate some people's small intestines.

I have been trying out a few different grain free pizza crust recipes that I found online, but none were really very good.  I came across a recipe that used coconut flour (it was for a breakfast pizza) and decided to try it out with a few modifications.  I really, really like this pizza crust and know that I will be making it again. 

Grain Free Pizza Crust

Dry ingredients

*makes one 10" pizza crust

1/2 cup coconut flour
1 clove of garlic (chopped finely)
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 herb salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 eggs
1/2 cup coconut milk

Preheat oven to 425'C. Grease a piece of parchment paper with olive or almond oil.  In a medium bowl, combine the coconut flour, garlic, basil, oregano, salt, baking soda and parmesan cheese.  In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and the coconut milk.  Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until it resembles mashed potatoes.  Spread the mixture out into a circle using a knife or use another piece of parchment on top and roll it into the desired shape and thickness. 

Bake at 425'C for 15-20 minutes until lightly brown on top.  Top with your favourite pizza toppings and cook for 5-10 more minutes.

After baked

Birthday Cupcakes - Best Saved for Special Occasions

I made chocolate coconut flour cupcakes with Cheryl yesterday and we decorated them to look like Angry Birds.  We did this for her four year old son, who was thrilled with the results.  He was our little helper yesterday when we were decorating.  What a great opportunity for him to get involved, help his mom and I, and to create his very own cupcakes that would be served to his friends today.  This is what I loved about the whole experience -  he knows that if he wants cupcakes, he can actually make them!  This is exactly what my mom taught me.  Yes, it is easier to go to the store and buy a cake or cupcakes, but that takes all the fun and learning out of it.  For me, baking is my fun and sharing that with Cheryl and B was a great experience.

Now, the problem is that baking usually equals sugar.  Whether it's agave nectar or honey or any other sweetener, it all boils down to having very little nutritional value for us.  The lesson: sugary treats have to be saved for special occasions.  If you plan on trying Elana's chocolate coconut flour cupcake recipe, chocolate cupcakes, trust that the cupcake will be enough of a treat for you.  If you eat too many of these cupcakes with the icing and the decorations, you risk turning into quite an angry bird. And trust me, nobody likes an angry bird!