Grain Free, Gluten Free Ginger Bread Muffins

MKG's grandma is moving out of her home of the last 20 plus years.  We spent the morning yesterday going through her things, labeling boxes, separating stuff to sell, keep, give away, etc.  And what gem did we stumble upon that she wasn't planning on keeping?  An oversize muffin pan!  Just the muffin pan my husband had been lamenting we were not in possession of.  A regular complaint in this house is that the muffins I make are too small.  They are perfect for toddlers, a bit puny for adults I suppose.  So today I set out to make a muffin worthy of the larger proportions.  They are definitely worth the extra bites!

Grain-Free, Gluten-Free Ginger Bread Muffins
1/4 cup chestnut flour (i find that chestnut has a natural nutty/spicy flavor that i thought would go great with the spices)
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp powdered ginger
2 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or just increase your ginger and cinnamon and add some clove)
4 eggs
1/2 cup (nut)milk of choice
1/2 cup liquid sweetener
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup walnut or melted coconut oil
1 cup dried fruit, like cherries or raisins, optional


Combine your dry ingredients (first 8 ingredients) and use a fork to mix well and break up any lumps.  In a separate bowl, break your eggs and add your (nut)milk, oil, liquid sweetener (molasses is obviously the go-to in a gingerbread recipe, but i used SF liquid sweetener.  Use what you're comfortable with) extract and mix well.  Add wet to dry and incorporate.  You'll want this to be a pretty wet mixture, though not so wet its thin like pancake batter.  Add in your mix-ins, walnuts or pecans would be great too, then spoon into lined muffin tin.  This made 8 oversized muffins in my case.  I baked mine at 350 until the tops were crusty and a knife came out just barely clean.

Fried Zucchini Chips

Crunchy, salty snacks can be hard to come by on a grain-free/paleo type diet.  Many people resort to eating nuts, which can come with its own set of issues.  Either allergies, or just plain overeating them.  Some salty snacks we like are chickpea poppers, kale chips, the occasional sweet potato chip, green bean chips, root chips, and now, zucchini chips. 

I don't have a suitable picture for posting because, well, they were butt ugly.  Little brown coins.  They hardly looked like zucchini.  But they were crunchy and salty to be sure!  They tasted pretty much like french fries! 

Are these an everyday treat? No.  They were fried in olive oil and quite a PITA to make, from the slicing to the frying, to the gross smoky greasy smell in my house.  But with some (homemade) ketchup, these were as close to french fries as I'll ever get!

Fried Zucchini Chips
4 large zucchinis
2 cups oil for frying
sea salt, to taste

Using a mandolin or your mandolin attachment thingy on your cuisinart, make chips of your zucchinis.  I arranged mine on paper towels and sprinkled with salt about an hour before frying to release some moisture.  Heat your oil in a heavy pot, like a dutch oven, and when it's nice and hot, add your zucchini in batches.  They will take a good 5 minutes to fry and brown up to a crispy consistency.  Do not add all your zuc at once because it will overcrowd the pan. 

You don't need any breading on these, unlike many other zuc chip recipes.  Just hot oil!  Once you remove them from the oil, let them drain on a paper-towel lined plate and sprinkle immediately with sea salt.

Enjoy!

Decadent Double Chocolate Cupcakes, Grain-Free, Sugar-Free, Nut-Free

Is it possible to have a delicious cupcake, devoid of sugar, flour, nuts, and the like?  Yes!  It totally is.  This recipe was inspired by a cupcake recipe on Elana's Pantry, and for her web site I am eternally grateful.  Before I had the chutzpah to start creating my own recipes, hers were a constant source of grain-free goodness.

These days, I feel like I understand the chemistry of baking just enough to get by on my own.  I will be trying out a few different recipes over the next few weeks in preparation for S's 2nd birthday party, which I am attempting to make 100% gluten free, if not sugar or grain-free.  We'll see how that works out!  But these cupcakes are sure to please even the most critical of chocolate cupcake fans.  This, I believe, is due in part to a few extra ingredients.

Grain-Free, Sugar-Free, Nut-Free Double Chocolate Cupcakes
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 tsp ground coffee (I used decaf)
1/4 cup walnut or coconut oil
4 room temp eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup SF granular sweetener (I used Z Sweet erythritol)
1/4 cup water
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, like Bakers


In a medium mixing bowl, combine your coconut flour, cocoa powder, ground coffee, pinch of salt, and baking powder.  Mix well with a fork to get rid of any lumps.  In a separate bowl, add your granular SF sweetener, extract, and your oil.  In a microwave safe bowl, nuke your ounce of chocolate with quarter cup of water.  Microwave for 10-15 seconds at a time, stirring at each interval, until you have a soupy-like chocolate sauce.  Mix it in with your sweetener and oil and combine well.  Then add your room temp eggs.  Stir to combine, and add wet to dry.  You should have a super wet mixture that is easily pourable, almost like pancake batter.  Using a tbsp scoop, scoop into lined muffin tin and bake until cooked all the way through.  Elana recommends 15-18 minutes, but as we all know, my oven is more like 30 min.  Yes, I know I really need to get the temperature checked.

For a super easy chocolate ganache/glaze, simply melt some SF chocolate chips mixed with a bit of milk or even water and dip the cupcake in the glaze to cover.  Wait until cupcakes are cooled to do this.

Tips for Going Grain-Free

Today's post is not a recipe post.  I get asked for tips and suggestions from people all the time, and I wanted a concise set of tips just for those occasions.  So hopefully this will be helpful, if not for you, then for someone you know!

You may be going grain-free to regulate your blood sugars, eliminate gluten and wheat, because of celiac disease, to lose weight, or just because you believe in a more ancestral diet.  Regardless, it can seem daunting at first, no matter how healthy your lifestyle.  But becoming a GFG doesn’t have to be hard, in fact, it can be quite liberating to say goodbye to so many ridiculous rules set by conventional wisdom.  Enjoy eating bacon, eggs, nuts, and healthy fats.  The days of calorie counting and teeny tiny portions of reduced fat this and low-fat that are gone.  Some people may think a grain-free diet is restrictive and sad, I say it’s nutritional freedom.  But I’ll let you be the judge!  Here are some suggestions for making the transition:

Do a Pantry Inventory
What’s in your pantry and refrigerator?  Take a good look.  Start reading the labels.  You may be shocked to see some of the ghastly “ingredients” in your foods.  But generally, anything with wheat has got to go.  This means many of the convenience foods, pre-packaged foods, and snacks, are dunzo.  Don’t worry, they’ll be replaced with foods just as good.  Actually, once you’ve stopped eating all the garbage, you’ll probably realize how awful that stuff was.  But do yourself a favor, and do a clean sweep of the pantry so you can start fresh.  All purpose flour, oats, rice, breakfast cereal, breads, cookies, crackers, snack cakes, pastas, etc.  Be sure to check your soups and already made sauces for wheat as well. It is up to you how quickly or slowly to phase out these pantry items, depending on what your health necessitates, and your goals.

Assess Your Storage
You should have some good space in your pantry now for GF goodies.  Great!  You’re off to an awesome start.  But freezer space is going to be super important.  What’s in your freezer?  Besides ice and booze that is?  You’ll need plenty of room for lots and lots of frozen meats, veggies, and fruit (for desserts and shakes).  All that space in the pantry will be great for nuts, dried fruits, GF baking items, and other assorted GF snacks, which I’ll get to later.  

Start Making Lists
Start with the basics- what grain-free foods do you already enjoy eating?  Fish?  Chicken?  Burgers?  Carrots?  Eggs?  Bananas?  Chocolate?  Sweet potatoes?  Avocados?  Awesome!  The GF foods you already like are going to be playing a bigger role in your diet.  Make room in your fridge and freezer for these items, and buy in bulk when you can and freeze.  If you have access to a second fridge or freezer, great!  You can get some amazing deals online for ordering large quantities of grass-fed, pastured and organic meats.  Here are some other suggestions for your list:

Pantry Items

• canned tuna and salmon, or crab
• smoked oysters
• olives
• pickles
• artichokes
• roasted red peppers
• capers
• every kind of bean
• quinoa
• quinoa pastas (there are lots of GF pastas out there now)
• your favorite nuts
• fruit leathers
• lentils
• organic, GF canned soups
• canned coconut milk
• dried fruits, for snacking and baking
• high % cocoa chocolate
• oils for cooking, EVOO, coconut oil
• dried herbs and spices, like oregano, basil, rosemary, sage, poultry seasoning, seasoned salt, garlic and onion powders, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, curry powder

Fridge/Freezer

• Chicken
• Chicken sausages
• Grass-fed, organic nitrate free hot dogs
• nitrate free bacon
• lettuces and/or salads
• eggs
• fresh fruits
• as many veggies as you can stand!  And lots of frozen veggies too, for those quick weeknight meals.  Spinach, broccoli, and cauli are always on hand in my house.  
• Cucumbers
• Tomatoes
• avocados
• Nut butters
• nut milks (almond, coconut)
• Can you do dairy?  Indulge in full-fat milk, cream, string cheese, shredded cheese, deli cheese, cottage cheese, greek yogurt
• Turkey sausage
• deli meats
• new veggies you haven’t given much thought to, like brussel sprouts, kale, chard, cabbage, eggplants, squash, zucchini, go crazy!  

GF Baking Items

• sugar substitutes, if you aren’t doing sugar, like stevia, xylitol and erythritol, or the usual suspects, like honey, molasses, and maple syrup.  Many people are now using coconut crystals and palm sugar as well.  
• Coconut flour
• Almond flour
• any other GF flours, like chestnut, chickpea flour, quinoa flakes and quinoa flour, etc.  I primarily bake with coconut flour.  Almond flour is a great stand-in for bread crumbs.
• GF Baking powder
• baking soda
• good quality cocoa powder
• good quality dark chocolate chips
• extracts, vanilla, lemon, maple for example
• liquid stevia (like nunaturals vanilla creme)
• chopped nuts
• dried fruits
• arrowroot and tapioca powders

Snacks
In the beginning, it seems what to snack on is harder than what to eat for a meal.   Here are some suggestions for ready to eat snacks:

• deli meat
• carrots
• string cheese
• boiled eggs, or egg muffins
• GF homemade muffins
• spinach muffins
• green apples
• cucumbers
• sweet potato chips
• chickpea poppers
• dried fruit
• dehydrated veggie chips (green beans, taro root, beet chips, etc)
• coconut butter
• nut butter and celery
• hummus
• leftovers!!!

Meal Planning
If you were like me, “meals” weren't even something you did.  I just snacked on carby junk until I was full, and then felt gross and sick.  Get used to the idea of meals, meals that incorporate lots of protein and vegetables.  Just because you’re eating more protein and veggies doesn’t mean you’ll go hungry, or be bored to death.  Especially if you have a good stock of spices and herbs on hand.  But prepare yourself mentally for meals without pasta and bread, or corn or white potatoes.  It’s going to be ok, I promise!  You will not go hungry, you will feel full, and you won’t be hungry again in an hour.  And if you are, there are lots of amazing GF desserts out there too.  Hopefully some of them are right on this blog!  So, to make grocery shopping easier, sit down with your spouse/family and figure out everyone’s schedule for the week.  What nights are you cooking?  On those nights, plan to make extra, so you’ll have leftovers for lunch/snacks. Choose a protein first and then think of a veg to go along with it.  Most of the time I just do a protein and a simple salad.  But other faves in our house are brussel sprout chips, kale chips, green beans, broccoli, and cauliflower.  If you really want/need a starch, make sure to get some sweet potatoes, and beans so you can always add that to your meal.  I can’t stress enough how important it is to make extra, so you have leftovers for lunches and snacks.  In the GF/paleo verse, it’s not uncommon to eat a chicken wing or some stew or beef brisket for breakfast.  Might sound weird to you now, but in time, the thought of a pop tart or bowl of cereal will sound even more ridiculous.  Certain kitchen appliances, if you don’t have them already, will become SUPER handy.  Like, a food processor, high speed blender, stick blender/chopper, and slow cooker!!!  Get a slow cooker PLEASE!  

Substitutes
Duh, we all love the stuff we grew up eating.  But rest assured, there are substitutes for just about everything.  
Pasta- get yourself a julienne peeler and enjoy zucchini pasta.  It’s delish, easy, and a good way to sneak veggies in.  Or experiment with quinoa pasta.  I’ve never had it, but quinoa is good, so i’m sure the pasta is too!
Rice- again, have some quinoa, or lentils, cauliflower rice.  
Pizza- cauliflower pizza.  Go on pinterest.  Or read my blog.  There are recipes everywhere.  You could also play around with different flours, but why bother when cauli pizza is so darn good?
Mashed Potatoes- again, cauliflower for the win. Mashed cauliflower is pretty darn close to the real thing.

Cookies- almond flour makes amazing cookies.  You won’t miss regular old flour at all.  Like coconut?  Finely shredded coconut also makes an amazing base for cookies.  And it is so freaking good for you.  You can also make flourless cookies using nutbutters.  
Cupcakes- coconut flour cupcakes, or cupcakes made with a combination of flours, are just as good as the blood sugar spiking gluten filled ones.  
Cakes/muffins- once again, coconut flour, or a combo of flours, will make an excellent cake, once you get used to baking with it.  It took me awhile, but I figured it out, and if I can, you can!
Crackers- there are nut based GF crackers available in the GF aisle.  You could make your own, but honestly, eat a couple nuts and call it a day!
Sandwich bread- this is a little harder.  There are lots of gluten free breads available now, and from what I hear they are quite good.  My suggestion would be to start transitioning away from breads and sandwiches, at least the ones you are used to.  I prefer using some iceberg instead of bread or a bun, but there are a zillion grain free sandwich bread recipes to try.  Ultimately though, it’s best to get used to eating a different kind of sandwich, where maybe two slices of tomato or cucumber or portabello are your “bread.”  You’ll save yourself time and money, and squeeze in another veg while you’re at it.  
Cereal- cereal for me meant mindless snacking.  But if you really like some filling hot cereal in the morning, or oats, there are awesome grain free porridge and “oatmeal” recipes to try.  
Chips- now, there are so many kinds of veggie chips.  sweet potato chips are great, but there are lots of other kinds.  Root veggies, green beans,  etc.  They also sell kale chips at the grocery store if you don't feel like making them yourself.  They are delish!
Candy- stock up on dried dates.  These make the base for some really good grain free candies.  Blend some dates with some cashews and you’ve got no sugar added caramels.  Beware of most candy, they contain all kinds of horrid ingredients and many have traces of wheat.   Fruit leathers and dried fruits are going to be your new candy.  And trust me, after cutting out so much junk, they will definitely seem like a big indulgence.  And there’s nothing wrong with having some dark chocolate when the mood strikes.  

What questions do you have for me? I've been a GFG now for almost 14 months and at this point, it is totally natural. I do not have trouble eating at restaurants and I do not have trouble feeding my toddler or husband. I find I prefer eating two good sized meals per day, and generally don't snack too much in between. This gives your body, pancreas, and digestive system a chance to rest and regenerate. Digestion is a lengthy and complex process, and requires a lot of "attention" from your body. If you constantly snack and graze throughout the day, you are digesting all the time. You also will always have elevated blood sugars, perhaps not over-elevated, but higher than in a rested, semi-fasted state. Do yourself a favor and start eating well-portioned meals rather than snacking throughout the day. Snacks are all too often high in carbs and/or sugar, and are too easy to overindulge in. Eat to satiety when having a meal, and incorporate enough healthy fats and proteins to tide you over. Most people following a paleo, or modified paleo diet like I do, can go a good 4-5 hours without eating. If this terrifies you, that is a good indication that you've been on a blood sugar roller coaster. Address this now and save yourself a lot of trouble down the line!

Brussel Sprout Chips

This summer we have enjoyed our fair share of kale chips.  Kale chips with salt and pepper, kale chips with vinegar and parmesan, kale chips with nooch, kale chips with sesame seeds… lots of kale chips.

Kinda over the kale chips for the moment.  So on to the next big thing in faux chips!  Brussel Sprout chips are all the rage on the interwebs right now.  And luckily, even S likes these bad boys.

Buy yourself a big bag and start peeling those leaves off!  Cut off the ends and save the hearts for steaming later.

Once you peel off all the leaves, toss in a big bowl with 2 tbsp of EVOO and a hefty sprinkling of sea salt.  Bake at 350 until the leaves are starting to turn crisp and brown.  This will take different times depending on your oven so watch them closely!

I have yet to find a veggie that doesn't get better roasted.  These are darn good though, and make a yummy salty snack.

Enjoy!

Quick High Protein Toddler Meal

Do you read The Paleo Mom?  It's a neat blog written by, of course, a paleo mom.  It's interesting in that it has a very scientific slant to it as the blogger is a former scientific researcher, which I particularly like.  Rather than lots of anecdotal musings, she has lots of bonafide research to back up her claims. Quite refreshing in the paleoverse.  I recommend you check out her blog if you have the inclination!

If you are a regular reader of my blog you know I have a toddler!  She is my pride and joy and light of my life, and I absolutely can't get enough of her.  I love every single thing about her and cherish every second I am with her.  However, just like any child, meal times can be rough.  That's why I enjoy coming up with so many healthy, protein-packed muffin recipes that I know she'll enjoy and eat happily over and over.  But one can not subsist on muffins alone.  And the girl is not quite as fond of veggies as she once was, so sometimes you have to resort to covert measures to get in a healthy dose of the green goodies.

Case in point- the paleo mom's great suggestion for making Green Eggs.  Check out her post and give it a whirl!  I did today, and am happy with the results.  Here is what I did:

Green Eggs
3 eggs
2/3 cup raw greens (I used some leftover salad greens, but spinach, kale, or even some dark leafy lettuces would work)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp pepper

In a blender, toss your greens and eggs and salt and pepper and blend until you have a consistent green mixture.  Pour into a hot, greased frying pan and cook for 4 minutes or so on one side before flipping.  This will feed 2-3 people.  Depending on what greens you use, your eggs will have a distinct flavor.  Spinach is probably going to be the most agreeable, but in the spirit of using what I have, I thought, what the hell, I'll use some salad greens.  Topped with some guac, it was an easy and super nutritious meal for mommy and S.  Just make sure your pan is well-oiled for optimal flipping!

Best of all, there are tons of variations for this.  Why not make orange eggs using orange and red peppers?  Or try broccoli and cauli instead of greens?  Experiment and enjoy!  Xoxo GFG

Paleo Nut Butter Muffins

I may as well change the blog's name to Grain Free Muffin Lady, or some such thing.  I know I make a ton of muffins.  Why you ask?  Well because they are portable, can be eaten any time of day, are easy to hold with small hands, and make a super easy breakfast for S.  I also can throw them in a baggie and bring one to work, as can MKG.  Great way to get in some protein and still has that breakfast-y feel that many paleo breakfasts don't have.  So, my apologies for all the muffins.  I just don't have time to make an elaborate breakfast every morning while I'm rushing to work.  If you are in the same boat, I suggest you start experimenting with these great coconut flour muffins too.  The basic recipe stays the same.

Paleo Nut Butter Muffins
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup nut/seed butter of choice, like sun or almond or walnut or pecan etc
1/4 cup nut milk of choice
4 room temp eggs
1/4 cup oil, i like walnut for baking for its neutral flavor and favorable omega 3:6 ratio
1/2 cup preferred liquid sweetener
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a small microwavable bowl, add your 1/2 cup of nut butter and 1/4 cup nut milk, microwave until its warmed through and easy to stir.  In a large mixing bowl, combine your flour, salt, and baking powder and use a fork to break up any lumps and distribute.  In a separate bowl, mix your eggs, oil, sweetener, and extract.  Let your nut butter mixture cool a bit an add it to your wet ingredients, stir well to incorporate, then add wet to dry.  You should have a very wet batter.  Bake at 350 until the tops are golden brown and muffins are completely cooked through.  This made 8 very large muffins.  You could also easily bake this in a loaf pan, or even try in an 8x8 pan.  With some chocolate chips, this would taste downright decadent!

I hope you try it and enjoy!  Are you getting sick of my muffin recipes or are they useful?  Am I the only one out there that makes a batch of muffins every weekend and can't stand the thought of making the same thing week in and week out?  Let me know GFGs!

Til next time, xoxo GFG

Thai Beef with Basil

Or in this case, thai ground turkey.  Beef would have been more appropriate but it was easy and "licious" as S calls things she likes.  Most recipes call for a few additional ingredients that would have made this really shine, but for a quick weeknight dinner this is really great.  A huge bump up for plain old ground meat for sure.  If you can get your hands on some thai chiles and thai basil, instead of the regular kind, good for you!  And of course some sliced red peppers would be great and another pop of color.

Thai Beef with Basil
1 package ground meat, mine was about 22 oz
2 tbsp Thai Chile Garlic Oil (HUGE shortcut, rather than mincing garlic and chopping up thai chiles!!! find it at your specialty olive oil store)
2 cups french green beans
juice of one lime
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp gluten free soy sauce or wheat free tamari
1/2 packet of stevia (i used pure via)
1 cup chopped basil, use thai basil if you can, and throw in some mint too for extra authenticity

Heat your oil in a large pan and add your meat, cooking on high until starting to brown.  Throw in your green beans and salt and pepper liberally.  In a small bowl, juice your lime and add sweetener (optional) soy sauce and fish sauce.  When the beans have cooked, add your sauce and coat evenly.  Turn off the heat and sprinkle in your chopped basil.  Serve and enjoy!  Drizzle some extra thai chile garlic oil if desired.  This is not very spicy, so feel free to turn it up a notch with some red pepper flakes.  But for the discerning toddler's palate, I chose to keep it on the milder side.

Enjoy peeps!

Sugar Free Lemon Lime Curd

Do you like SUPER tangy/sour foods?  If so, there is probably nothing tangier and more lip puckering than this Lemon Lime Curd.  It will practically curl your toes!  Don't ask me why I made this.  I don't usually go for lemony stuff and I'm more into solid treats than mushy ones.  Maybe it's because MKG had some lemon meringue pie last night (rude!) in front of me.  That is probably why.

Anywho… the GFG is sad to say that fruit is 100% gone from my diet.  I am in mourning.  I cut out I'd say 80% of it already, but it seems my blood sugar just cannot handle the little buggers.  And I am far too lazy to have to think about how many grams of carbs in each portion of fruit I'm eating and how much protein I'm eating it with, etc etc.  So down the abyss it goes, with all the other non-GFG approved foods.  I'm sure they are all having a party down there, the granola and watermelon and crackers and french fries and bananas enjoying being high as a kite on sugar and carbyness.  Oh well!  I'll trade their partying for me NOT going into a sugar coma any day.  However- lemons and limes are different.  I don't really consider them fruit, not in the traditional sense anyways.  Yes they are fruit, they have seeds and grow on trees, but they have so little sugar, and all that acid is actually quite alkalizing in your body, and quite good for you.

I also gave up dairy 95%.  The remaining 5% is butter, which I rarely use, but dang-it if I want to use a little butter now and then I'm not going to lose my sh*t over it.  I guess I could go super-paleo and get some ghee.

But back to the subject at hand.  I made some lemon curd.  I ate several bites of it and that was enough for me.  It was really good, but pretty powerful.  So beware peeps!  I am not going to show you a pic, because it was ugly.  You've all seen lemon curd before.  So just pretend you're looking at a pic now.

Sugar-Free Lemon Lime Curd
2 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup erythritol (I like Z Sweet brand from WF)
zest from the lemons/limes
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup butter, butter sub like Earth Balance like I used, or even coconut oil

Melt your butter over low heat, then mix in juice and erythritol.  Remove from heat and stir until sweetener is dissolved.  Mix in your yolks then return to low heat and stir until your arm falls off, or the curd has thickened considerably, whichever comes first.

Refrigerate and enjoy with your morning coconut flour muffin, of which you all know I have many many many recipes.  Don't believe me?  Look to your right and you'll see MUFFIN in the tag cloud.

Do you eat fruit?  What fruits are in your repertoire?  What's your take on dairy?  I don't seem to have a problem digesting it, I've just been reading so much about the negative impact all that lactose can have on your insulin levels….

Til next time GFGs!! Xoxo