Coconut Whipped Cream and Strawberries

• 1 can coconut milk ( I used Native Forrest)
• 1-3 tablespoons maple syrup (depending on your sweet tooth)
• 6 drops liquid stevia
• strawberries (the more the better)

The easiest desert or snack you could ever make. Wash, de-stem, and half strawberries and place in bowl. Empty most of coconut milk into a small bowl, leaving some of the liquid in the can. The more liquid you choose to use, the more watery the whipped cream will be. And keep in mind that after chilling, the whipped cream will be thicker because the fat will solidify. 

Next, using a hand held mixer, combine the cream and sweeteners for 2-5 minutes or until desired consistency is achieved. Remember, it will be more watery that your end product. 

Lastly, pour into a jar or tupperwear with a lid and put in fridge for at least an hour. But it should keep for weeks, but most likely won't last if you like whipped cream. 

Serve with berries or even make into a strawberry shortcake if you feel really adventurous! I used Pamela's cake mix baked into muffins. Cut muffins in half and layer cake, whipped cream, and strawberries. Yumm!!

Chocolate Gogi Nutty Yummy Balls

These are like little sweet energy nuggets. So easy and full of protein and healthy fats. We made about 30 of them and keep them in the fridge for snacks and take along treats. 

Ingredients:

• 10 dates, pits removed
• 1/2 cup gogi berries
• 1 cup almonds
• 1 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup finely shredded coconut (non-sweetened)
• 5 tablespoons 
• 4 tablespoons raw cocoa powder (if you can't find, any cocoa will do, make sure it's fair trade) 
• optional: 1/2 cup dried blueberries

Food process all your ingredients well (took me 3 minutes on high). Leave out 1/2 cup coconut for rolling balls in. 

Make sure ingredients are well pulverized, no big chunks. 

Dough should be sticky and soft, but not so much that it's sticking to your hands so much that it's hard to form balls. 

Form balls, size of your choice. I like making two sized...acorn sized and walnut sized for a variety of appetites. 

Place coconut on a plate in a thin layer across the plate. Roll balls to cover in coconut and roll one last time in hands. 

Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, not touching. 

Place the sheet of balls in the fridge and chill for at least 15 minutes or until hardened. 

Place balls into a jar and keep in fridge to snack on as needed. 

These can also be easily frozen for later. 

Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie

One of the best pies in my opinion is the pumpkin pie. It's more of a meal, than a desert. A vegetable, yes, a vegetable snuck carefully and oh so elegantly into a sweet treat. Lots of fiber, sweet, but not too sweet, and lovely to look at. When it's late at night and I should really be sleeping and that craving kicks in, I get way too happy when I remember that there is a pumpkin pie in the fridge waiting to hang out on the couch with me. 

Instructions: 

Gluten-free crust: (or sub ready made pie crust) 

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick), cut into 1/2 inch squares
• 1/2 cup white rice flour
• 1/4 cup sweet rice flour
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch
• 1/4 cup potato starch
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tablespoons coconut sugar (or other sweetener)
• 2 tablespoons cold water

Filling:

• 2 cups pumpkin puree (1 can)
• 2 eggs
• 1 can full fat coconut milk
• 1 cup coconut sugar (or 1/4 cup maple syrup, 1/4 cup honey, and 4 drops liquid stevia combined)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8-1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp cardamon    

Begin by cutting the cold butter up into 1/2 inch pieces. Set in freezer for half an hour to get hard but not freeze. 

Next, mix all the dry crust ingredients using a sifter. If using coconut sugar, mix in with a whisk afterwards. 

You can now work on the filling while you wait for the butter to chill. 

Filling is easy, just combine all ingredients and mix with your electric mixer. 

If using honey/maple/stevia sweetening mix, do as follows. 

Combine maple syrup and honey in a small sauce pan and heat until it reaches a soft bead stage (meaning that when a drop is put into a glass of water, it beads up into a ball instantly). 

Make sure you do not cook it past this stage, about 240 degrees. 

Then, let cool a few minutes. Add stevia and mix well. Then add to pumpkin mix and blend. 

Now go back to your crust and remove from freezer. 

Mix in dry ingredients using a pastry cutter. You can also use the back of a fork. 

Mix until it looks like coarse cornmeal grains. 

Add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time and mix with cutter. 

You want to add just enough water to make the dough begin to stick together, but not too much. 

Shape dough into a ball and flatten a bit into a disk. 

Wrap in plastic wrap or a zip-lock bag and chill in fridge for 1 hour. 

I made a triple batch and froze two disks worth of dough in the freezer for another time. 

Take dough out of fridge and place between 2 pieces of parchment paper. 

Roll out to desired thickness. 

Remove top paper and invert onto buttered pie plate. 

Carefully remove top piece of paper and slowly press into pie plate. If it rips, just piece it together. So forgiving. 

Leave 1/2 inch over edge of pie pan and shape as desired. 

Pour filling into crust and bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until firm in the center. Let cool completely and keep in fridge, enjoy!! It's good for you!!

Cherry Pumpkin Seed Corn Bread; gluten-free

Okay, it's not exactly the time for Christmas trees and snowmen, but my boys love anything baked into those shapes any time of year. Especially if it's corn bread. And one of the best things about corn bread (as if you needed another!), is that it's so easy to add yummy and nutritious tidbits to your recipe. 

An easy one, this recipe took about 45 minutes total, mostly baking time. And I wanted to show everyone my new bigger than life mixing bowl. When i first got it, I thought, 'what am I going to with suck a huge bowl'. But it's now my favorite. Nothing ever spills out and I feel very fancy every time I use it. Which in turn makes everything I bake taste better! 

Ingredients

• 1 & 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 1 & 1/2 finely ground cornmeal
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour (or starch)
• 1 tbs & 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar (or any of your choosing)
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup melted butter (or if vegan: coconut milk; fat and liquid blended together)
• 1 tbs mixed ground chia and flax seeds (optional)
• 6 drops liquid stevia (use 1/2 cup sugar if not using stevia)
• 1 cup milk (or any non-dairy alternative)
• 1/2 cup dried cherries (halved)
• 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds (chopped)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat muffin pan with butter or oil. Set aside.

In a big bowl combine rice flour, cornmeal, tapioca starch, baking powder, salt, and sugar.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, butter (cooled), seeds, and stevia. 

Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix with an electric mixer until combined.

Now add in your goodies (meaning cherries and pumpkin seeds or whatever suits your sweet tooth).

Fill muffin tins almost full. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until you insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.

If using muffin mold pan for fun shapes, cut baking time to 15 minutes. 

Enjoy with butter, honey, or jam. 

Gluten-Free Waffles with Berry Sauce

Oh my! After many attempts, the recipe is perfected and totally gluten-free. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and oh so good. Make this with or without the berry sauce, but just make it because you won't be disappointed. Use pre-made gluten-free flour mix to make it a bit easier if needed. We love Bob's red mill gluten-free flour. 

Ingredients:

Waffles:

• 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup arrowroot (you can also sub potato starch or cornstarch)
• 3/4 cup tapioca flour
• 2 cups milk (or milk sub)
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar 
• 1 tbs ground flax and chia seed combo (sub 1/4 tsp xanthan gum)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs (separated)
• 1 Tbsp butter, softened or melted (sub coconut oil or veggie oil for vegan)
• 3 tbsp. coconut sugar (sub 1 drop liquid stevia)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Berry Syrup:

• 2 cups berries
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp coconut sugar

For waffles:
Preheat waffle iron. Now get a bunch of bowls out and begin.
Soft all the flours, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a medium sized bowl, mix milk, vinegar, and add in flax and chia seeds.
 Let sit for 5-10 minutes to curdle and activate the jelliness of the seeds.
In a very small bowl, separate your eggs and reserve the yolks. Beat your whites until they form stiff peaks. (Don't over beat, or they'll fall)
And in the biggest bowl, mix butter, sugar, and cinnamon.
Now add in the egg yolks, mix.
Add in the flour, mix.
Add in the fluffed yolks and fold in carefully to not deflate too much.

Batter will be pretty watery, so test first on waffle press. Add flours if needed.
Cook on waffle iron until a medium golden color. It will take longer than you expect.

For berry sauce:
Blend all sauce ingredients.
Heat or leave cold.
Serve on top of waffles or dip waffles in sauce on the side. I preferred on the side.

Gluten-free Chicken Tenders

Chicken tenders were a big part of my diet growing up in the Bronx. But thy were unfortunately from McDonald's and I'm not sure if they were really chicken after all. But I thought I'd never be able to enjoy my love for the small but mighty chicken tender again, until....

There's a stand in town called the cultured Caveman and I had the best checken tenders there. They are a very unique cart and fry their tenders in beef tallow. Needless to say, I wasn't about to go out and render some beef tallow and I figured coconut oil is about the healthiest way to fry if you're gonna fry to begin with. Success! The kids and my honey ate them all up. These can be reheated the next day if needed. You can use either coconut or brown rice flour, I think coconut works best. 

Gluten-Free Mac and Cheese!

I have to admit something embarrassing, I've never had home made mac and cheese....until tonight!

And it was as good as it looks. The ultimate in comfort food but with no wheat to speak of. Here's how. 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Gluten-free elbow pasta (I like Ancient grains quinoa pasta, tastes lovely and not gummy)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 tbs. butter (1/2 stick)
• 3 cups grated mozzarella cheese 
• 4 cups milk ( I used goat for better digestibility)
• 2 tbs. arrowroot
• 2 tbs. brown rice flour
• 2 tbs. tapioca flour (also called tapioca starch)

Note: If you'd like to make it super easy, just use some Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Baking Flour in place of ingredients after milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Cook noodles until almost done.

In a saucepan, bring milk slowly to a boil and then shut off heat. Make sure not to burn!

While milk is heating, melt butter in a small pot and stir in flour, cook for 5 minutes.

Pour in milk and whisk until sauce thickens up, about 4 minutes.

Next, put noodles in a baking dish.

Pour sauce over noodles, put half of cheese over top and mix lightly. Put the rest of the cheese on top.

Bake in oven for 20 minutes. Increase heat to broil and bake for 6 minutes more. 

Best served hot! I'm going for seconds now, see ya' later. dddddd