Gluten and Sugar Free Oatmeal Coconut Cookies

3/4 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup xylitol
3 eggs (room temperature, otherwise the coconut oil hardens into chunks due to the cold eggs)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract (no sugar)
1 cup gluten free flour mix ( I used 1/3 cup each tapioca starch, brown rice flour and sorghum flour)
3 cups rolled oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup hemp hearts (chopped nuts work too)
1 cup chocolate chips or dried fruit (optional - we did not add these and the cookies were still amazing without them)

Stir together coconut oil and xylitol. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until fluffy. Add flour, oats, baking soda and cinnamon. Stir until just combined. Add coconut, hemp hearts/nuts, and optional add ins. Stir until combined. Drop onto baking sheet with a tablespoon or medium scoop. Flatten cookies slightly. Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes until cookies are firm and golden. Makes about 3.5 dozen cookies. These cookies even taste good the next day. I always find it a challenge to find a good gluten free cookie that still tastes good after it has sat for a day or two.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Buttermilk Pancakes

3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca
3/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup ground flax
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp sweetener (honey, sugar, or xylitol)

Mix ingredients until well blended. Pour about 1/4 cup mixture onto a hot griddle. Cook a few minutes on each side. Gluten free pancakes tend to be more fragile than regular pancakes, so make sure that the first side is well cooked before flipping.

Gluten, Dairy and Sugar Free Zucchini Cobbler

We were given some HUGE zucchinis from my sister, and I really wanted to make my zucchini cobbler recipe but knew that it needed to be modified first. It was a success, and we enjoyed a yummy dessert this evening.

5 cups peeled, cored and chopped zucchini
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1/3 heaping cup xylitol
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 cup oats (gluten free oats if needed)
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1 heaping tbsp. xylitol
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook and stir zucchini, water and lemon juice until zucchini is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in 1/3 cup xylitol, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and nutmeg and cook one minute more. Remove from heat and set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 8x10 inch baking dish. Pour zucchini mixture into pan. I a bowl combine last 6 ingredients well, spread topping mixture on top of zucchini. Bake about 30 minutes until top is golden brown. Serve warm or cold. This tastes like apple pie and a great way to use up extra zucchini!

Note: The topping used in this recipe is also really good with fresh or frozen strawberries and rhubarb instead of the zucchini, and most likely other fruit as well!

Paleo Rhubarb Coconut Cookies

One of our favourite spring baking combinations is rhubarb and coconut. Since we can't eat my other cookie recipe here due to dietary restrictions, I have created a new awesome grain, sugar and dairy free cookie! This recipe is based on this one here but I changed it since we can't have chocolate chips.

1/2 cup coconut oil (butter if you can have dairy), room temp
1/2 cup xylitol, powdered
2 free range eggs
3 cups almond flour
1 tsp pure vanilla extract or 1/2 tsp ground vanilla beans
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
3/4 cup diced rhubarb

Cream xylitol and coconut oil, beat in eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Add rhubarb and coconut, stir to combine. Spoon about a tbsp of dough onto the cookie pan (I use a small scoop to get uniform cookies), slightly flatten with your fingers. Bake at 350F for about 15 minutes.

Paleo Chunky Monkey Cake

I originally found this recipe here although the recipe was for cookies, not cake. I decided to tweak the recipe and turn the batter into a cake instead. My husband couldn't believe that it didn't contain any grains, it had the texture of cake made with wheat, and was moist and fluffy!

1 cup sunflower butter or other nut or seed butter (I used my homemade sunflower-coconut butter)
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 egg
3 tbsp my homemade Nutella or any chocolate nut spread
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp tapioca starch
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together all ingredients except pecans, until well mixed. Stir in nuts. Pour batter into a greased 9x9 pan. Bake about 25-30 minutes, until done.

*Note* The Nutella recipe does use coconut sugar and maple syrup but could be adapted to use honey if desired to stay away from all sugar.
*Note* The banana can be changed to any fruit or veggie that is good in baked goods. I have made this recipe with shredded zucchini (1/2 cup or more if desired). I think pumpkin, apple sauce or grated carrots would also work nicely. I have also made this nut free by replacing the Nutella with extra sunflower butter and 1 tbsp cocoa powder! I love this very versatile recipe!

Gluten Free Bacon and Cheese Muffins

I found the original recipe here and of course tweaked it to fit my taste and what I had in the pantry!

1/2 cup grated tasty cheese

1/2 cup real bacon bits or sliced fried bacon

3/4 cup rice flour

1/2 cup sorghum flour

1/4 cup potato starch (tapioca or arrowroot would also work)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar (I used maple sugar)

1/2 teaspoon bacon topper seasoning from Epicure (optional)

1 egg (I used 1 tbsp ground flax and 4 tbsp water to make a flax "egg" and it worked quite nicely)

1 cup milk

Beat egg and milk together very well. Mix all dry ingredients and cheese together. Add wet ingredients to dry ones. Don't overmix. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Gluten Free Quinoa Pancakes

about 3/4 cup cooked quinoa (I cooked mine in coconut milk but water is fine too)
1/4 cup coconut yogurt (I suppose you could use any soured milk or yogurt)
2 heaping tbsp. buckwheat flour
2 heaping tsp. white rice flour
2 tablespoons maple syrup,
1 egg or egg replacement equivalent
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. sea salt

Blend together in a Vitamix or other blender until well blended. Makes 4-5 pancakes. These pancakes really taste like real pancakes (ie: made with gluten) not gummy at all.

Quinoa Bars Gluten and Grain free

I found a wonderful recipe for a great snack bar that was gluten and oat free! I used the recipe found here and of course turned it into my own!

1 c. cooked quinoa*
1/2 c. sunflower seeds, ground finely in food processor
1/2 c. almonds, ground finely in food processor
1/4 c. dried apricots, chopped into small pieces
1/4 c. honey or maple syrup
1/4 c. shredded unsweetened coconut
2 tsp. cinnamon
½-¾ tsp. unrefined sea salt
1 egg
1 scoop Vital Whey protein powder (optional)

Instructions
*Soak 1 cup dry quinoa overnight in water and either rinse and cook right away or set to sprout for 2-4 days. To cook: Mix with 2 cups milk or 1 can coconut milk. Bring to a boil, stir, and lower to simmer, covered, for 30 minutes (no stirring). This will make enough for two 9×13 pans of bars or you can eat the cooked quinoa on top of yogurt with blueberries, cinnamon, and maple syrup. You can also freeze extras for future batches. If you only want enough for one recipe, use ¼ c. quinoa and ½ c. milk. Simply mix all the ingredients together with a spoon or a mixer, then spread in a greased 8×8-inch glass baking pan. (I used a 8x!0 pan and just had thinner bars) The batter/dough will be rather moist; don’t worry. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes until firm to the touch in the center and browning on the edges. Cool completely in the pan, then cut into 16 2×2-inch squares. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

To make this my own I used pecans instead of almonds, dried dates for the fruit (1/4 cup was not enough, next time I will add more as these are not very sweet), used maple syrup (again I would use a little more next time), added 1 tsp vanilla, used egg replacement powder as per the box instructions, added 1 tbsp chia seeds, and added 1/2 tsp baking powder and omitted the whey protein powder. I cooked the quinoa with coconut milk as well. Since I have a sweet tooth, I did melt dark chocolate with coconut oil and drizzled this on top after baking to add some extra sweetness. I had made a second one as above but with cocoa and dried cranberries instead of vanilla, cinnamon and dates.

Cream Soup Substitute

* A low cost, low-fat substitute for canned cream soups in casseroles or soups.*

2 cups dry milk powder
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup chicken bouillon or beef bouillon granules
1 tsp. dried basil (I've omitted this as I didn't have any on hand)
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. dried minced onion (optional. I used Epicure French onion dip mix for the onion flavor and to make up for omitting the basil)

Mix together and store in a covered container in refrigerator. To use combine 1 1/4 cups cold water with 1/3 cup of the mix in a small saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Substitute this sauce for a 10 oz. can of condensed creamed soup. Add herbs such as thyme or dill or 1/4 cup minced fresh onion when preparing (optional).

This is also a good option for using if you are preparing a gluten-free meal as long as the bouillon is gluten-free!