Protein Frappucino

Protein powder can be a huge lifesaver if you are often strapped for time, need something quick, or would like to supplement your baking recipes occasionally with some extra umph.  I looooove Jay Robb.  Sweetened with stevia and no junk in it.  Best of all, it makes a killer protein frappucino!

Here's what you do- during the week, don't throw out your extra (decaf) coffee.  Freeze it in ice cube trays.  When it's time for a protein drink, use the coffee ice cubes instead of regular ice cubes, throw them in the blender with a scoop of vanilla powder, a splash or two of cream (coconut), and 12 oz of water, and you have a delicious protein frappucino, with zero sugar!  And 25 grams of protein people!  You could not possibly complain about that.

I wonder if this would make a good base for coffee ice cream…..

Give it a try GFGs!

Protein Pumpkin Pancakes

So yeah this is a dumb picture, it was taken mid-bite as MKG was eating, sorry.  But these are some damn good pancakes for toddlers and adults and best of all, they are devoid of sugars, grains, gluten, dairy, and anything processed.  Great way to sneak some squash into your family's diet too.

Protein Pumpkin Pancakes (serves 3)
1/4 cup pureed pumpkin
2 eggs
1/4 cup nutmilk of choice
1 tsp maple extract
20 drops vanilla stevia
1 tbsp coconut flour
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder (guessing this is 2 tbsp)
2 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt

Mix your pumpkin, eggs, and nutmilk and add your extract and stevia drops.  In a separate bowl mix your baking powder, coconut flour, protein powder, spices, and salt, and stir well to get out any lumps.  Add wet to dry and stir well.  If the batter is too thick simply add a tad bit of water or nutmilk.  I had no trouble flipping these at all and they were quite substantial.  To serve, top with cinnamon and butter, or SF syrup, coconut cream, or just eat plain! 

Paleo Breadsticks and Homemade Pizza Sauce

By now we've all made cauliflower pizza.  And if you are one of the last people on earth who hasn't, hello! What are you waiting for???  But for the paleo folk out there who don't do cheese, but still want the pizza like texture/flavors, and my fave, pizza sauce, here is a great substitute.

Paleo Breadsticks
1 small head of cauliflower
2 eggs
3 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
salt and pepper

In your cuisinart, pulse your cauliflower until it's riced and transfer to microwaveable bowl.  Microwave 9 minutes, stirring halfway through, to reduce the moisture.  Refrigerate for an hour or so.  When you are ready to make the breadsticks, preheat your oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment.  Mix your cauli with your eggs and seasonings and stir well.  Spread mixture out onto parchment lined sheet and use a spatula to make a nice uniform layer, about 1/6th of an inch thick.  (like that? 1/4 is too much, 1/8 too thin) and bake until it is just starting to brown on top.  At that point, remove them, cut them into strips carefully and spread them out on the pan, and put back in the oven until they are browned but not burnt.  Serve with some EVOO on top and some homemade pizza sauce!

No Cook Homemade Pizza Sauce- No sugar
1 6 oz can organic tomato paste
one can-ful water
1 tsp minced garlic
1 teaspoon onion powder
3-4 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoon dried basil
salt and pepper to taste

Mix everything together, adjust seasonings to taste, refrigerate an hour-ish before serving for best results.

Paleo Pumpkin Bars!!!

This recipe represents me getting over two irrational fears- well not fears exactly, just a couple things I have been avoiding, I don't know why.  Typically any recipe using almond butter as the base has always scared me away.  Call me crazy, but almond butter is not really my fave!  That's why another GREAT nut butter to work with for this would be cashew or pecan butter.  But if you don't have any- use almond butter.  It will not taste overwhelmingly almond butterish.  I have also never ever ever used coconut cream concentrate!  I know!  I am crazy!  That sh*t is incredible.  What was I thinking?  It's like the thickest whipped cream you could imagine, but sugar and dairy free and so gosh darn good for you!  The frosting for this recipe, which I highly recommend, is not much more than a little CCC, some pumpkin pie spice, and sweetener.  Get some.  TJ's now has it canned folks.

Paleo Pumpkin Bars
1 cup mild nut butter (almond, cashew, or pecan)
1 cup organic pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp maple extract (optional)
1 tbsp organic pumpkin pie spice
2/3 cup liquid sweetener (like SF syrup, maple syrup, honey, coconut nectar, etc)
pinch of salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Frosting:
5-6 tbsp CCC
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, plus a bit more for sprinkling
3 tbsp liquid sweetener

In a large bowl, mix up ALL your ingredients.  One bowl peeps, can't complain about that!  Save yourself some trouble though, and make sure your nut butter has no lumps in it before adding it to the bowl.  For instance, if you've had it for awhile and it has dried out a little.  Mix it all well and transfer to a parchment lined 9x9.  Bake at 350 until a knife comes out just clean.  25-30 minutes ish.  Let it cool while you mix the frosting.  If it is warm when frosting, you'll melt the CCC.  If you are in a rush, don't worry, because it will firm up in the fridge.  When finished, refrigerate and enjoy!  This could even be enjoyed for breakfast!

Chocolate Almond Butter

This is a great alternative to chocolate hazelnut butter, in case you want something different, or just have lots of almonds on hand.  Also, you don't need to go through the extra step of roasting your hazelnuts and skinning them (UGH) so try this recipe out rather than buying the sugar laden junk at the store.

Chocolate Almond Butter
1 cup raw almonds
3 tbsp cocoa powder (i like it suuuuper chocolatey!)
3 packets stevia (I used pure via)
2 tbsp coconut oil
pinch of salt

In a food processor, process your almonds until it starts to become buttery, as opposed to flour-y.  This will take a few minutes, and likely you'll have to scrape down the sides periodically.  Once it starts to resemble a butter, turn off the processor and add in your cocoa, salt and sweetener, and turn it back on.  Then, drizzle in your coconut oil with the machine whirring just until everything is incorporated.  Taste and adjust according to taste.  You may want it a tad more sweet, or a bit "runnier."

This is a great condiment to have on hand, and also makes the base of some pretty delish chocolate almond cookies!  All you do is add an egg, and some granular sweetener, and you've got a cookie batter!

Enjoy!

Paleo, Grain-Free, Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free, Dairy-Free Challah

It doesn't get much simpler than this!  Rosh Hashanah is coming up, and who wants to ring in the New Year without some challah?  Not me!  And certainly not S!  At preschool, the kids all have shabbat every Friday.  The teachers kindly refrained from giving S any of the challah, but boy did she get upset that first time when they had nothing to give her instead.  So since then I've been sending some regular boring old GF bread.  But, I figured it couldn't be too terribly difficult to make my own grain free challah, and it wasn't!  NOTE:  technically challah must contain a grain, so for good measure I threw in three grains of barley.  If this is a deal breaker for you, just omit, but it's nice to incorporate just a bit of tradition.  And yes, for all you non gluten-free people, you could always just say what the hell, and eat a bit of regular challah, but that is really not an option for me, and honestly I don't think g*d is going to be too upset about me tinkering with this recipe to make something edible for me and my fam.  If this offends you, sorry!

Paleo Grain-free, Gluten-free, Sugar-free, Dairy-free Challah
3/4 cup coconut flour (whisked or stirred very well with a fork to get out lumps)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
9 large organic eggs, room temp (yes, 9)
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp walnut oil (or melted coconut, or grapeseed)
2 tbsp preferred liquid sweetener (you could use honey, but then it wouldn't be SF, use what works for you, I used my usual SF sweetener)
3 grains of something- barley, buckwheat, etc

extra egg wash for brushing the top, if desired.
3/4 cup golden raisins, optional
cinnamon for dusting the top, optional

Want this to look more traditional?  Use this.

Combine your dry ingredients and whisk very very well!  In a separate bowl, mix your room temp eggs, oil, and sweetener.  Add your wet and dry ingredients and mix well.  Throw in your grains, and whatever else you want at this point.  Pour into your greased loaf pan or mold, and then brush with egg wash and sprinkle with cinnamon, if you choose.  Bake at 350 for 40 minutes until the top is nice and golden, like regular challah!

How large your eggs and how dry your coconut flour will change the outcome of this slightly.  For instance, larger eggs will make this a bit lighter and less dense than if your eggs are smaller, or coconut flour drier. Coconut flour needs A LOT of eggs.

Is it going to taste like challah?  No, not exactly.  Is it going to be an eggy, delicious, and special treat to commemorate the sabbath and/or New Year?  YES!  So try it out!

Grain-Free, Sugar-Free, Dairy-Free Peanut Butter Cookies

Do you remember eating those giant, sugary peanut butter cookies with the cute fork marks on them as a kid?  Yum!  If you miss those, try this super easy recipe for peanut butter cookies, or use sun butter or almond butter if PB is a problem.

Gluten/Grain-Free, Sugar-Free, Dairy-Free Peanut Butter Cookies
1 cup natural organic creamy peanut butter (mine is salted)
2/3 cup erythritol (preferably powdered for baking to reduce the cooling sensation)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix everything together well.  Form into little 1 inch balls and place on parchment lined cookie sheet.  Use a fork to form the dough into cookies, as they won't spread much or at all.  Bake at 350 for 12 minutes or so or until they are JUST starting to brown a bit.  They won't seem cooked but once they cool they will be crunchy and crumbly.  You don't want to burn these guys so take them out sooner rather than later!!  Xoxo GFG

Thai Turkey Meatballs

No doubt these meatballs would be better with ground pork, but in the interest of using what you got, and being cost-efficient, these Thai Turkey Meatballs were born of necessity!  They were still delish, and the turkey has such a mild flavor it really lets the bold thai flavors shine.

Thai Turkey Meatballs
1 package ground turkey (mine was about 20 oz)
2 tbsp gluten free soy sauce
2 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
about an inch of ginger, minced

2 tbsp sweet chili sauce (optional)
1 tbsp garlic chili paste
additional soy and fish sauces

In a large mixing bowl, combine your ground meat and other ingredients, form into balls and brown in a dutch oven over high heat with a bit of oil, you'll want to brown both sides.  When all meatballs have been browned, turn the heat down to medium and pour a bit more soy and fish sauce in with some chili garlic sauce and sweet chili sauce, mix well, and cover for 20 minutes to finish cooking.  Serve with a simple salad and you're done!  Easy peasy. 

The Gluten-Free Birthday Party Series: Gluten, Grain, and Sugar Free Fudge Brownies

More shiteous food photos.  Honestly, I am shocked with all the chaos and running around that I was able to snap anything at all.  The dark black/brown square blobs on the left are brownies.  And not just any brownies.  Delicious, insane, decadent, fudgy, perfect brownies.  That also happen to be free of grains, sugar, and gluten and nuts/nut flour.  Yes, it is possible.  But healthy, no they are not.  These are some once-in-awhile type treats for sure.  Pictured at right are some raw coconut cake bites, which I'll post later on.  For now, lets talk about brownies.  Delicious fudge brownies to be exact!

Gluten, Grain, Sugar, and Nut Free Fudge Brownies
1 stick organic pastured butter
1 1/2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup erythritol
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup cocoa powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup SF chocolate chips (optional)

In a double boiler, melt your unsweetened chocolate with your stick of butter.  When fully melted, remove from heat and add in erythritol.  Let cool a bit before adding your egg yolks and vanilla extract.  Stir well.  In a separate bowl, combine cocoa powder, baking powder, and pinch of salt.  Pour wet into dry and mix well.  Pour into greased 8x8 brownie pan and bake at 350 until the corners are starting to harden.  The batter will taste grainy as the erythritol crystals will be a bit crunchy.  Don't be scared!  I was!  It came out fine and they were not grainy in the least!  In a regular oven this would probably be done in 20 min.  In mine it was more like 25-30.  But you do not want to over bake these so I'd start checking at 15 and go from there.  The consistency of these was just between fudge, and a brownie.  For all those times I lamented too cakey brownies, too dry, too light, too whatever, this is the brownie to end all others.  What's the secret?  You need the full stick of butter, don't use oil, and you need YOLKS not whites.

This would be a slam dunk passover recipe too.  Have at it GFG peeps!  Xoxo GFG

The Gluten-Free Birthday Party Series: Grain-Free, Sugar-Free, Gluten-Free Birthday Cake

Delicious half-eaten birthday cake shot.  Love my photography skills don't you?  Hopefully at the least this is a testament to the product being edible, if not downright yummy!

A big thanks goes to Joyful Abode as her recipe for her little one served as the jumping off point for this recipe.  Here is her recipe.  I wanted mine to also be SF and dairy free, and as free of added starch as possible.  If those aren't concerns for you, I urge you to check hers out!  Clearly her frosting was prettier than mine!

This cake could probably serve 15-16 people depending on how big the slices.  If they are toddler sized slices, than probably much more.  Indeed this cake is so not-bad-for-you, you could conceivably give it to your toddler for breakfast the next day.  Is that what I did?  I'll never tell.  But beware, this frosting does not last.  So don't expect it to look the same the next day or you'll be super disappointed!

Grain-Free, Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Strawberry Cake with Marshmallow Frosting
1 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup chestnut flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
8 room temp eggs
1/4 cup walnut oil, or melted coconut oil
1 cup preferred SF liquid sweetener
1 cup finely chopped strawberries
1/2 cup preferred nut milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting:
4 egg whites, preferably chilled
pinch of cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup xylitol

Line two 9 inch cake pans with parchment and grease the sides.  Preheat your oven to 350.  If you have a convection oven, now would be the time folks.  In a large mixing bowl, combine your flours, baking powder, and salt, and stir well to get out any lumps.  In a separate bowl, break your eggs, and pour in your oil, liquid sweetener, extract, and nut milk.  Pour wet into dry and stir stir stir!  You want this to be a wet cake batter, not quite pancake batter consistency, but nice and pourable.  You may need to add a bit more nut milk depending on how dry your coconut flour is.  Then add in your chopped strawberries.  Pour equal amounts into your cake pans and bake until the tops are starting to turn golden and a knife comes out clean.  You do not want to over bake these so start checking the minute you see some color on the tops.  Remove them and let them cool on the counter thoroughly before you even think about frosting them!!!

For the frosting, get your double boiler out.  Once the water is simmering, add your egg whites, cream of tartar, and xylitol.  With your electric whisk, whisk until you have very stiff peaks.  7 minutes ish.  Then add in your extract and whisk just enough to distribute.  Use a spatula to carefully fold in your chopped strawberries.  If you are smart, you will do several things.  Get a cake plate.  Put paper towel down on the sides only.  Place one cake on the plate and frost it with one of those special frosting knives, I forget what they're called.  Place your second cooled cake on top, and frost the top, and then down the sides.  Once you've finished, remove the paper towel and you've got a clean cake plate.  Top with berries and serve as soon as humanly possible!

We had an entirely gluten-free party, and all the treats I prepared were sugar-free too.  Surprisingly, people seemed to enjoy the cake a lot!  Would the kiddos have preferred your standard white flour and buttercream frosting cake?  Duh.  Were there tears of protestation?  No.  And most importantly, S loved every bite.  And who am I kidding- who else do I care about?

This was my first layer cake and my first time making a meringue frosting.  It's a good dairy-free go to frosting, but if you need to frost your cake much in advance, this is not the frosting for you.  I don't know if a coconut cream frosting would hold up much better either.  If you have any frosting suggestions, please let me know!!!  And please, do not use erythritol in this frosting.  The cooling sensation would not be welcome in this instance.  Unless you get your hands on some of that special erythritol for baking- the powdered kind.  That might work better.

Stay tuned for more GF birthday party recipes, including brownies, and raw vanilla cake bites.  XoXoGFG