Coconut Flour Blondies

I have been baking with coconut flour a lot these days. I like it because it is grain-free so it is well-tolerated even by those who have problems digesting and metabolizing grains. And in general, I am a big fan of coconut-- coconut flakes, coconut milk, coconut oil, coconut water and now, coconut flour! If you are curious about the health benefits of coconut, here you go!

I use the "Let's Do Organic" brand of coconut flour. You can easily find it at any health food store!

These blondies make a nice desert for you and your family. They are grain-free (thus gluten-free) and refined-sugar free.

Coconut Flour Blondies

• 8 dates, pitted
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine all wet ingredients in a food processor- dates, coconut oil, maple syrup, eggs and vanilla. Process until smooth.
2. Combine all dry ingredients (almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda and salt) in a bowl. Mix together.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix.
4. Add in chocolate chips.
5. Spread dough in greased 8x8 inch pan. Bake for approx. 22 minutes. Let cool completely before serving.

Enjoy!

Coconut-Curry Chickpeas and Cauliflower

This dish is super satisfying. Creamy, savory and sweet all in the same bite. I especially like it because of the nutrition is provides. Lulu, my 9 month old, devoured it (despite it having a bit of a spicy kick to it). The coconut provides nourishing good fats for a healthy nervous system and developing brain; the curry powder makes this dish an anti-inflammatory power-house; and the cauliflower is a member of the anti-cancer cruciferous vegetable family. And did I mention it only takes about 25 minutes to make?! You can't go wrong with this one!

Ingredients
1 tbsp coconut oil (could also use olive oil)
1 small yellow onion, minced
1 carrot, thinly sliced
3 cups small cauliflower florets
2 tbsp curry powder or paste (or more if you are seeking extra anti-inflammatory benefits)
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup vegetable broth
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 cup frozen peas
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
unsweetened dried coconut flakes (optional as a topper)

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the carrot, cauliflower, and curry powder to taste. Add the tomatoes and broth, cover, and cook until the vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas, peas, coconut milk, salt and pepper to taste. Cook uncovered until the flavors are well blended and the mixture thickens slightly, about 10 minutes longer. Serve hot. Top with coconut flakes if desired. Serve over quinoa or brown basmati rice.

Source: Quick-Fix Vegan  by Robin Robertson

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes Topped with Spiced Nuts

If you and your family are as big of fans of sweet potatoes as we are, you'll love this recipe! I am always looking for healthy new twists on how to prepare the antioxidant-rich root vegetable. Cece helped me make these and she termed them "sweet potato boats." Enjoy!

Topping
 1 cup hazelnuts or blanched whole almonds (I used both)
1 tbsp ground coriander
2 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup sesame seeds

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spread almonds and/or hazelnuts on baking sheet, and toast 5-7 mins. Transfer to bowl.
2. Add coriander, cumin, and salt to nuts. Mix well.
3. Coarsely grind nut-spice mixture in a food processor or grind with mortar and pestle. Transfer to bowl and stir in sesame seeds.

Twice-Baked Potatoes
5 medium sweet potatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
4 oz crumbled goat or feta cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Poke sweet potatoes all over with fork; bake on baking sheet 1 hour, or until soft. Cook 10 minutes.
2. Halve sweet potatoes, scoop out the flesh into a bowl and mash with oil until smooth; fold in feta without breaking up crumbles. Place potato skins on baking sheet, spoon mashed sweet potato into the skins, and sprinkle each with 1-2 tbsp of the nut topping above.  Bake 10-15 minutes.

Spiced Chocolate Pumpkin Seed Balls

These make a great  post-nap (or after-lunch) snack or desert. I love making fruit and nut/seed balls with Cece. We have fun getting our hands sticky while rolling the mixture into balls, licking the bowl and eating the finished product together. These are packed full of energizing minerals, antioxidants, protein, and essential fats. The ginger and pumpkin pie spice give them a kick of flavor with the finished product reminiscent of a chai tea meets mocha. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1-2 tbsp ground flax
• 2 tsp fresh grated ginger
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or a blend of nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon)
• 1/2 cup pitted Medjool dates
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp ground maca powder (optional- see post on maca for all its health benefits. It is super energizing as it tonifies your hard-working adrenal glands!)

Blend ingredients together in a food processor. Process until the mixture holds together when pinched between 2 fingers. If they are not sticky enough add a tiny amount of water so that they hold together. Roll into bite-size balls and freeze.

Recipe adapted from Daily Bites blog. Check out this blog- lots of yummy dairy-free, gluten-free recipes.

Pesto Lentil Patties

These make a nice alternative to your everyday beef or veggie burger. They are packed full of protein and best of all FLAVOR!

I used the kale walnut pesto to flavor these lean mean lentil machines. If you or your family are not fans of kale, then this is the recipe for you! It tastes just like pesto with the added benefits of the super-food, kale.


Pesto Lentil Patties

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cup dry green lentils
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1-2 medium zucchinis, shredded (I used 1.5 zucchinis)
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• 2 cups breadcrumbs or almond meal (I used 4 pieces brown rice bread, toasted and cut into small chunks)
• 1/3 cup kale walnut pesto or any homemade or store-bought pesto
• 1 egg
• salt and pepper

Bring broth to a boil. Add lentils and reduce heat to simmer. Cook lentils until they are soft and liquid is absorbed (about 20 minutes).

In a large glass bowl, combine shredded zucchini, garlic, breadcrumbs, pesto, cooked lentils and salt and pepper.  Place lentil mixture in fridge for 10 minutes to allow to cool. Preheat oven to 375 F.

Once lentil mixture is cool, add egg and mix thoroughly. Form mixture into patties (about 1/3 cup per patty).  Place on parchment paper lined baking sheet or greased baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes and then flip patties and bake for another 15 minutes. 

Serve with green salad or roasted veggies. Top with salsa or feta cheese.

Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten-free, Dairy-free)

These cookies are grain-free, dairy-free and refined-sugar free. They contain all the goodness of sweet potatoes, including potent antioxidant, Vitamin A. Vitamin A is fat soluble so in order to utilize this beneficial nutrient, you need some fat in your meal or dish. This recipe contains good quality fats in the form of coconut oil, coconut milk, almond butter and almond meal. The almond butter and almond meal also add protein to the cookies, which is always something I am looking for in a baked good. This helps stabilize your blood sugar when you indulge in something sweet. This is one healthy and tasty treat!

I tweaked the recipe from the one found on the Primitive Foodie blog. The recipe on this site included 5 eggs- I didn't see a need for this many! I used 2 and they turned out perfect! Also, she uses coconut flour in this recipe (I used almond flour instead). Coconut flour would be fine...I just didn't have it!


Ingredients

• 3 cups chopped sweet potatoes (about 3 medium potatoes. I leave the skins on for added fiber and nutrients)
• 1/3 cup almond meal (aka almond flour)
• 2 tbsp coconut milk
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted (or butter)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp sea salt
•  1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup raisins

Boil sweet potatoes in water until soft (about 15-20 minutes). Once the sweet potato is cooked thoroughly, drain water and transfer to a bowl. Add almond meal, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, honey, maple syrup, coconut oil, baking powder, baking soda and almond butter. Set aside and let cool for 15 minutes (can put in fridge for faster cooling). Preheat oven to 350 F.

While cooling, whisk the eggs, vanilla, coconut milk and sea salt together in a separate bowl.

Once sweet potatoes are cooled, combine egg and milk mixture to the sweet potato mixture. Mix well. Add chocolate chips and raisins.

Spoon dough onto a greased pan. Bake 15-20 minutes.

Variation: Use fresh or canned pumpkin.

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins (Gluten-Free)

With oats, blueberries and almond meal as the main ingredients in this recipe, these muffins make for a great protein-packed, delicious breakfast or snack. Easy to pack in lunches as a desert too- beats a cookie or sugary protein bar and still satisfies your sweet tooth at the end of a meal.

If you are not familiar with almond meal (or almond flour), it makes for a great gluten-free flour that won't spike your blood sugar like many other grain-based flours that leave your stomach growling 2 hours later. Click here for more on cooking or baking with protein-packed nut flours.

Since the almond meal already contains good quality fats, there is no need for a lot of additional oil or butter in this recipe. The apple sauce and the almond meal makes them really moist. I get my almond meal at Trader Joe's- very affordable there!

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

Wet Ingredients:

¼ cup organic butter, melted

½ cup honey

½ cup organic unsweetened apple sauce

2 organic eggs

Dry Ingredients:

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp sea salt

1 cup oat flour (just grind 1 cup oats in a food processor and voila- you've got flour)

1 cup almond flour/meal

1 cup frozen or fresh organic blueberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease muffin pan. Mix all wet ingredients together in one bowl and all the dry ingredients together in another bowl. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Then add the blueberries and mix. Pour into a greased muffin pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Makes 12 muffins. Enjoy with a tall glass of chilled almond of coconut milk!