Banana Almond Butter Muffins
Posted: February 9, 2015 Filed under: breakfast, desserts | Tags: dairyfree, glutenfree, soyfree, vegetarian, wheatfree Leave a comment »
And the snow day baking continues!
This time we made muffins that are the perfect thing for breakfast or a mid-day snack. They really taste like banana bread, and are full of nutritious ingredients – and very rich in protein. This is refueling food (I made Phil have one when he finished his workout this morning – he’s always struggling to find non-Clif-Bar snacks to have after exercising).
And they are 100% toddler approved! Finn is a pretty good eater, but picky about textures. These ones don’t seem to be too mushy for my particular kid. And since he’s a banana fan, they pass the taste test.
Enjoy, and let’s all hope this snow stops SOON.
- 1 cup almond butter
- 4 eggs
- 2 ripe bananas
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla powder
- 6 tbsp coconut flour
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp sea salt
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a muffin pan with paper cases.
- Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.
- Spoon the batter into the muffin cases and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Sweet Citrus
Posted: February 5, 2015 Filed under: desserts | Tags: dairyfree, eggfree, glutenfree, soyfree, vegan, vegetarian, wheatfree Leave a comment »
There are parts of our garden with 4+ feet of snow piled up. We have a narrow-walled path to walk down in front of the house. Everywhere you look just screams WINTER. This is a nuts week we’re having in Boston. Blizzard after blizzard with a little Patriots Superbowl win thrown in the middle (don’t worry Eagles, I’ll always be yours).
Finn and I have been feeling some serious cabin fever lately. Most of January was spent with one or both of us battling some sort of illness. And now that we’re finally healthy (thank you Renewal Detox!), we want to get OUTSIDE and play. There’s only so many times we can play with his toys and read his books at home.
One upside to being snowed in (and keeping our power on, thank goodness) is extra time for baking and cooking. We’ve made carrot cake, blueberry oat bars, meatballs, soup soup soup, and now these guys.
It’s winter and you’ve probably taken full advantage of the amazing citrus of the season. If you’re like us, you probably have a ton of clementines in your fruit bowl. It’s not hard to finish them all (especially with fruit-loving Finn around). But inevitably, one or two will go the way of the trash can because they went moldy or overripe. So before that happened this time, I grabbed 3 and made these delicious cookies.
If you don’t have clementines, don’t worry. Any citrus fruit will work – seriously, ANY. One giant orange. A lemon. A lime. Blood orange. Grapefruit even? Give it a try.
- Zest of 2 clementines (or any other citrus fruit)
- Juice of 3 clementines (or any other citrus fruit)
- 1 cup brown rice flour
- ½ cup almond meal
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ⅛ tsp sea salt
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla powder
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well to incorporate.
- Scoop out the dough in golf ball size pieces and flatten with the palm of your hand. Don't worry about leaving tons of space between cookies on the baking sheet. They expand but not too much.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes. Leave to cool for 5-10 minutes.
Squash Brownies
Posted: October 23, 2014 Filed under: desserts | Tags: glutenfree, vegetarian, wheatfree Leave a comment »
Time has a funny way of speeding up while simultaneously slowing down when you’re at home with a kiddo. I can’t believe the last time I wrote a blog post was 6 months ago. That feels like a million years ago in some ways, five minutes in others! The leaves are falling, the weather is cooling, and my baby is talking up a storm (new favorite word: cucumber!).
Change is inevitable, whether time goes slowly or not. And so here we are, in another season, another year, but we’re still the same people. My passion for healthy food never goes away, and neither does my husband’s excitement for his work. Finn is still my little lovebug, despite the odd mess or meltdown!
And I’ll tell you what else doesn’t change: my love of brownies.
These brownies are delicious, loaded with healthy ingredients, and just in time for Fall. They’re also gluten-free, if you’re so inclined (but the flour is easily substituted out for whichever you prefer). Make them while the winter squash is sweet and tasty, before the ground freezes!
And I’ll do my best to be back sooner rather than later.
- 1½ lbs winter squash (butternut, delicata, acorn, etc.), peeled, diced, and steamed
- 5 oz plain dark chocolate, broken into small chunks (or use dark chocolate chips)
- 11 tbsp diced organic butter
- 4 organic eggs, beaten
- 2 cups organic sugar
- 1½ tsp vanilla powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1½ cups brown rice flour (or any flour you choose)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9"x13" baking pan.
- Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler.
- Mash the squash until smooth (or use a blender or food processor to puree).
- Combine the sugar, vanilla, salt, flour, and baking powder in a large bowl.
- Stir in the squash, melted chocolate and butter, and eggs.
- Pour into the baking pan and place in the oven. Bake for 25 minutes, or until cooked through (check with a toothpick through the center).
Guaranteed to make you giggle!
First Birthday Cookies
Posted: April 26, 2014 Filed under: desserts | Tags: eggfree, glutenfree, soyfree, vegetarian, wheatfree 1 Comment »Since having Finn in July, I’ve gotten to know many other new mamas in the past year. And all of a sudden, those babies are turning ONE! It’s hard to believe how quickly a first year goes by (and yet, how very slow it feels in the moment). I’m attending my first FIRST birthday party this weekend and decided to bring along these delectable cookies in celebration of my dear friend’s baby girl. The recipe comes from the LEON Baking & Desserts cookbook, one of my personal faves from England, along with the other Leon cookbooks available. All are terrific.
These cookies are gluten-free, egg-free, and contain no processed sugars. Plenty of butter though, which gives them the perfect gooey cookie middle.
Make these if you feel like celebrating along with me!
- 2¼ cups gluten-free oat flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup maple syrup
- ½ cup organic unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- Sea salt for sprinkling (optional)
- Heat the oven to 350F. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Mix together all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl (including the chocolate chips).
- Mix together all the wet ingredients in a small bowl.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and stir until they are well combined, but do not over-mix.
- Drop spoonfuls of the cookie dough on to the prepared baking tray. Lightly sprinkle with sea salt if desired.
- Bake in the oven for 12 minutes, and allow the cookies to cool on the tray for 1 minute before transferring to a cooling rack.
Baking for Two
Posted: June 18, 2013 Filed under: desserts | Tags: dairyfree, eggfree, glutenfree, soyfree, vegan, vegetarian, wheatfree 1 Comment »Yep, I’m still pregnant. I really really hope I don’t have to say this for too much longer! For now, though, the little one is staying put. We were sort of hoping Phil could celebrate Father’s Day on Sunday as a new dad, but junior has other plans.
So, to distract ourselves from the waiting and watching and wondering, we baked a delicious dessert using beautiful fruit from the weekend farmer’s market.
I’ve used strawberry and rhubarb before to make a truly delicious raw dessert. This, however, is something different, but with very similar flavors. It’s best enjoyed with a dollop of something creamy. Yogurt? Ice cream? (Speaking of ice cream, I cannot wait to try this vegan ice cream place in Boston! A pregnant friend of mine has been raving about it!)
Anyway, here’s a tasty crumble to tide you over, whether like me you’re waiting for an imminent arrival, or you’re just in the mood for something summery and sweet.
Gluten-Free Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble
by
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 40 mins
Keywords: bake dessert gluten-free soy-free vegan vegetarian wheat free summer
Ingredients (serves 6-8)
For the Filling:
- 3-4 stalks rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 3 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and chopped into bite-size pieces
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla powder
- 1/4 cup corn starch or arrowroot starch
For the Topping:
- 1 cup ground almonds
- 1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Combine all filling ingredients and spread out in a baking dish.
Combine all topping ingredients and mix until coated in coconut oil. Sprinkle over the fruit filling in the baking dish.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, until fruit is bubbling and topping is browned slightly.
Serve warm with a dollop of yogurt or ice cream. Or leave to cool and keep in the fridge for a cool sweet treat!
