Chocolate Cake that you can eat EVERYDAY

Yes, it is that good...and that easy to make.  I don't have any changes to the original recipe so I'll just put the link:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Flourless-Chocolate-Cake-14478

Here is a picture of Bjorn enjoying it on his 3yr birthday...

Everyone loved the cake including the kids.  We served it with whipped cream ;-)

I will note...since I'm sensitive to egg yolks I made the cake with only egg whites (I doubled the number of eggs since I was only using the egg whites).  I'm sure this changed the consistency some, but I'm sure it is super awesome with the egg yolks. 

Oh, and my other change was I used coconut sugar instead of regular sugar.  :-)

Brazilian Cheese Bread

Brazilian Cheese Bread

            a chewy cheesy popover type affair

    1 egg

    1/3 cup olive oil (haven't tried with coconut oil or butter yet)

    2/3 cup milk (might try coconut milk)

    Scant  1 1/2 cups (170 grams) tapioca flour

    A few shakes of love

    1/2 cup (packed) grated cheese of choice

    1 teaspoon of salt (or more to taste)

Mix everything in a blender, pour into greased mini muffin tins, and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 - 20 minutes.  Enjoy. 

I like to add herbs &/or chopped anchovies &/or tiny pieces of broccoli.  The recipe is a pretty great blank canvas on which to build. 

The original recipe, as well as a potato variation, one with anise, and similar breads from other cultures, can be found http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/easy_brazilian_cheese_bread/

Some Darn Good Bread

I recently made some darn good break (actually amazing bread).  The recipe is completely stolen from here http://www.mynewroots.org/site/2013/02/the-life-changing-loaf-of-bread/ with a few changes.  It is really good!

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:

1 cup / 135g sunflower seeds (or half sunflower half pumpkin)
½ cup / 90g flax seeds
½ cup / 65g hazelnuts or almonds (used almonds)
1 ½ cups / 145g rolled oats
2 Tbsp. chia seeds (I omitted b/c chia bothers my tummy)
4 Tbsp. psyllium seed husks (3 Tbsp. if using psyllium husk powder)
1 tsp. fine grain sea salt (add ½ tsp. if using coarse salt)
1 Tbsp. maple syrup (for sugar-free diets, use a pinch of stevia)
3 Tbsp. melted coconut oil or ghee
1 ½ cups / 350ml water

In addition to the above I also added a ton of cinnamon.  I think raisins would be yummy to add as well.

Directions:

1. Mix dry ingredients (optional, mix in a food processor and this will produce a bread that is more bread-like and less granola like--if you mix in a food processor you can mix everything together at once and skip the rest of this step). Whisk maple syrup, oil and water together in a measuring cup. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix very well until everything is completely soaked and dough becomes very thick (if the dough is too thick to stir, add one or two teaspoons of water until the dough is manageable). 

2. Spoon into a bread baking dish. Let sit out on the counter for at least 2 hours, or all day or overnight. 

3. Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C.

4. Place loaf pan in the oven on the middle rack, and bake for 50 minutes. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool completely before slicing (difficult, but important--otherwise it will fall apart on you).

Coconut Flour Cheddar Drop Biscuits

Coconut Flour Cheddar Drop Biscuits

preheat oven to 400 degrees.

¼ cup coconut oil or butter, melted (in preheating oven)
1/3 cup sifted coconut flour
4 eggs

1 firkin of love
¼ teaspoon salt

few turns of black pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic &/or onion powder
¼ teaspoon baking powder

½ - 3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup minced broccoli

Mix everything together.  Drop batter by the spoonful onto a greased (or lined) cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Makes about a dozen.

I am betting they'd be great for freezing.  I definitely need to at least triple the next batch as they go very quickly!  I am excited to try them with other minced veggies & herbs!  

It is based on the recipe found here: http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/coconut-flour-cheddar-drop-biscuits

Baked (soaked) Rolled Oats

Baked (soaked) Rolled Oats

This is the way I made it this morning.  It is beautifully flexible.  Use whatever is in season or appealing.  Bananas, coconut milk, ginger, fresh berries, chai spices ~ have fun! 

for cooking:

2 cups rolled oats

1/3 cup honey

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/4 tsp cardamom

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups milk**

2 eggs

1 peck of love

3 TBS butter/coconut oil

2 tsp vanilla

2 apples chopped

1/2 - 2/3 cup cranberries

handful sunflower seeds

if soaking**:

1 - 2 TBS of wheat flour/rye/or buckwheat**

2 TBS whey, yogurt, lemon juice, vinegar

The cooking part involves mixing everything in the first list together and pouring into a greased casserole dish or cast iron skillet and baking at 375 for 35 - 45 minutes.

**I try to soak my oats, though, like most stuff in my life, I am neither religious nor organized about it.  For this recipe here is what I tend to do: the night before, I dump the oats in a bowl with a spoonful of buckwheat and add the milk ~ substituting about 1/4 cup of the milk with whey or yogurt.  (Actually, last night I had a full cup of whey that needed consuming so I cut the milk to 1 cup and used the whey for the rest.  I've also just soaked in 2 cups yogurt with no added milk.  2 TBS lemon juice or vinegar can be used as well.  I <3 flexibility!) I cover and leave to sit overnight in a cozy, warm spot.  In the morning I simply add the rest of the ingredients and bake. 

Curry Chick Peas

We had this for dinner tonight and the boys really loved it (I was shocked when Odin ate it w/o me prompting, pleading and forcing...;-).  The measurements, of course, are "loose" to say the least!

-onion

-3-4 carrots chopped 

-2 cups cooked chick peas

-1/2 to 1 cup water

-curry powder (more or less depending on your desire for spice;-)

-kale, spinach or some green veggie (bok choy could be really yummy)...I used kale

-1 tablespoon coconut oil

-salt to taste

-1 pound chicken thighs (or breast) chopped (optional) 

-coconut milk

1.  Saute onion in coconut oil until soft.

2.  Add curry powder, salt and water.  Let cook for about 5 minutes.

3.  Add chick peas, carrots and greens (you can wait and add the greens towards the end of cooking if you prefer...I like my kale cooked really well).  At this stage I also added some chopped chicken, but that is completely optional.

4. Let simmer for ~30 minutes.

5.  Serve with a dollop (or more;-) of coconut milk.  

This can easily be enjoyed as a stew on its own or if you love rice, well, add that too!