Love the flavor of french toast? If so, you will love these granola bars! Instead of using oats I opted for a grain free variation- quinoa flakes. They are delicious and create a similar texture.

You might also try my Cherry Chocolate Chunk Granola Bars which are also grain free. The main difference is that recipe uses only nuts and seeds (a better option for those of you looking to eat low carb.)

These bars come together shockingly fast and can serve as a breakfast for days on the go or as the perfect snack to throw in your kids lunch box.

“French Toast” Granola Bars

• 1 ¼ cups Quinoa flakes
• 2 Cups unsalted nuts or seeds of your choice
• 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
• 2 Tablespoons oil
• 1 1/2 Tablespoon vanilla Extract
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon of salt

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line a 7 ½ x 7 ½ (or close in size) square pan with parchment paper.
2. Pulse the nuts and quinoa flakes in the food processor until broken up into small pieces. If using larger nuts like almonds, pulse those first so they break up evenly and then add the rest.
3. Transfer the nut mixture to a large mixing bowl while you prepare the sugar.
4. In a small saucepan, pour the coconut oil, vanilla, and maple syrup. Bring to a rapid boil and continue to boil and whisk together for 3 minutes until the sugar starts to thicken.
5. Pour sugar into the nut mixture and mix until evenly coated.
6. Add mixture to baking pan and press evenly using parchment paper.
7. Bake in oven for 30 minutes.
8. Remove from oven. Place the cooked bars in the freezer to chill.
9. Once chilled, slice into rectangular bars and store in the fridge or freezer.

Recipe notes:

• For those allergic to nuts feel free to use just a mix of pumpkin and sunflower seeds.
• Feel free to use honey or agave nectar in this recipe instead of maple syrup, just note that the flavor of the bars will change slightly.
• Oats should work as a good replacement for the quinoa flakes. For those of you with celiac, make sure to use only certified gluten free oats to avoid cross contamination issues.

-Brittany- 

I had  no idea how much I loved eggplant parm until I made this recipe yesterday. Holy cow was it good. In doing some research in how to make it I discovered that there was a shortage of recipes that were egg free.  Especially Grain AND Egg Free (I found none with those restrictions to be exact) . I had to figure out the solution..and to my luck it was quite easy.  This eggplant parm comes together quick..and it does not taste low carb. I’m not always crazy about the dairy free cheeses (especially since I now tolerate dairy quite well). But I have to say that in this particular recipe that the fake cheese tasted fantastic.. perhaps its all the spices, breading and sauce that make it less dominant. At any rate.. this Eggplant Parm is to die for. I’m making it again today (and maybe tomorrow too!)

Grain Free Eggplant Parmesan

• 1 medium-sized eggplant
• 1 cup blanched almond flour 
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• dash of black pepper
• 1  1/2 teaspoon basil
• 1  1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ cup milk (dairy or nondairy) 
• 3 Tablespoons starch ( tapioca, potato, or arrowroot )
• Mozzarella cheese (or daiya or other nondairy cheese of choice)
• Jar of marinara sauce of your choice. (you will only need 1 cup of sauce)

1. Slice eggplant into ¼ inch thick rings. Put in a colander and allow to “sweat” for 30 minutes or so by adding a handful of salt to the eggplant.
2. Once the eggplant has released some moisture, pat each slice dry with a paper towel.
3. Preheat oven to  350 degrees and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
4. Make the eggplant breading: In one bowl, whisk together the milk and 3 tablespoons of starch. In a separate bowl, combine the almond flour, salt, pepper, basil, parsley, and garlic powder.
5. Bread the eggplant: Dip each slice of eggplant into the milk mixture. Then dip into the flour mixture until evenly coated.
6. After breaded, place the  slices onto the baking sheet. Lightly drizzle with oil and broil for up to 5 minutes on each side, until lightly browned. (Note: every oven is different- keep an eye on your eggplant to make sure it doesn’t burn before the 5 minutes)
7. To assemble the eggplant parmesan, use a small baking pan (I used a square pan roughly 7 1/2 inches wide).   Spread ½ cup of tomato sauce on to the bottom of the pan. Add half of the breaded eggplant slices  on top of the sauce, cover with ½ cup of cheese. Add a second layer of eggplant, another ½ cup of sauce, and top with more cheese.
8. Place in oven and bake 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes until the cheese is melted.

Substitution Note: If almond flour if a problem for you- feel free to use another nut or seed flour of choice. To make your own flour just place nut/seed of choice into a high powdered blender and pulse until you end up with a finely ground flour.  Do not use coconut flour in this recipe.

Serves 2.

 -Brittany-

Homemade pasta is a labor of love.  There is something so meditative about rolling out homemade dough and pinching closed each little perogie. Its so rewarding to take your first bite and then to share with friends and family with pride this delicious thing you have just created.

Several years ago I created a basic gluten free perogie dough that used gluten free grain based flour. That recipe is both gluten free AND egg free.  I highly recommend that recipe for those of you that are not concerned with needing to  eat Grain Free.

But for those of you that are grain free.. this new recipe is a gift to you! It was a challenge but I figured out a way to make pasta lower carb using almond flour. Because this pasta is lower carb it admittedly has a slightly different texture..however I don’t feel that “different” is bad as I was extremely pleased with how beautiful (AND TASTY) these perogies turned out.  I feel quite confident that you will love them too! Go the extra step and saute’ them in a skillet with a little oil or melted butter.. you will be in sheer heaven.

Grain Free Perogies

For the Filling:

• 1 lb red potatoes, cut into pieces
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼- ½ teaspoon salt, depending on preference
• 3 Tablespoons butter  (Dairy or Nondairy)
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 2/3 cup Cheddar flavored Daiya. (OR real cheddar cheese)

For the pasta dough:

• 2 ¾  packed cups blanched almond flour
• ¾ cup tapioca starch
• ¼ salt
• 2 Tablespoon Whole Psyllium Husks 
• 3 large eggs + 1 egg white

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. While the water is coming to a boil, cut the potatoes into small quarter pieces and boil for around 18 minutes until soft.
2. Drain the potatoes in a colander and mash them in the pot with the butter, black pepper, garlic powder, salt, and cheese. Set aside while you prepare the pasta dough.
3. For the pasta: Put almond flour, tapioca starch, and salt in a food processor. In a separate bowl, whisk together the psyllium and eggs until thickened. Combine with the flours and pulse until it holds together.
4. Separate the dough into two halves. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper into a thin layer.
5. Use a large biscuit cutter or the rim of a large glass, preferably 4 inches wide, to cut the dough in circles. This dough should make approximately 20 perogies.
6. Place ½ Tablespoon of potato filling in each circle and spread it out towards one side of the circle, leaving plenty of room to fold.
7. Gently lift the dough and fold over filling to make a half moon shape. Lightly press down around the edges of the dough to seal.
8. Once you’ve filled the perogies, prepare a pot of water and bring to a rapid boil.
9. Once the water is rapidly boiling, put a few of the perogies into the water until they float. Once they’re floating on top of the water, let them continue to boil for another 15-20 seconds.  Strain from water and set aside. Continue until all are cooked through.

Optional: Sautee the perogies in a large oiled skillet until lightly browned on the bottom. Serve with sautéed onions and a dollop of sour cream if dairy isn’t an issue for you. Delicious!

Recipe Notes:

• This is not a recipe I recommend trying to make substitutions to. If you need to avoid eggs try my other gluten free perogie dough recipe instead. 
• If you need to decrease the carbs in this recipe you might try boiling and then mashing Parsnips, Jerusalem Artichokes, Turnips or a similar root vegetable instead of using potatoes. Additionally feel free to change up the filling (and its flavor) by using sweet potatoes.
• Sadly, I found that this pasta did not freeze well. I tried to freeze it and then boil it, and it became a little bit mushy.  I recommend cooking it when you make it and eating it within a few days.
• Only use WHOLE Psyllium Husks. The powdered variety will not work the same in this recipe.

-Brittany-

These tots were so much fun to make, sure they are a little bit of a process- but the taste of a crunchy freshly fried tater tot  is totally worth the effort. We enjoyed them so much that we made them twice this week. Last night they ended up dinner, and my husband even jumped into the kitchen to help me throw them together! A husband and wife that cook together, last forever! (Ok, I don’t know if that’s true- but I sure enjoy having him in the kitchen from time to time.)

Most tots in stores even if gluten free have rice flour in them. I left that out and kept the ingredient list as simple as possible.

Sweet Potato Tater Tots

• 4-5 medium sized sweet potatoes (or yams)
• 3 Tablespoons of Tapioca or Potato Starch
• 1/2 Tsp. Salt
• Coconut oil for deep frying (OR other high heat safe oil of choice)

1. Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Add the whole sweet potatoes (DO NOT PEEL THEM). Boil for 15 minutes. Remove from hot water after the 15 minutes and allow to cool fully. (to speed up this process stick them in the fridge or freezer until they are cool enough to handle.
2. Remove the skins and grate the potatoes. You should end up with about 4 cups. Place the potatoes on a bed of paper towels and then place more towels on top and press out just a little bit of the moisture.
3. Place 4 cups of the shredded potatoes into a mixing bowl with the salt and starch. Mix well.
4. On the stove place a skillet (or another pot that can hold an inch or so of oil.) We used a cast iron skillet. Fill it with 1- 1 1/2 inches of frying oil of choice. Turn stove on the medium-high heat and let it heat up while you prepare the tater tots.
5. With clean hands make the tots. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of potatoes and roll them between the palms of your hands. Then squish the top and bottom to make the classic shape.  Place finished tots on a baking sheet as a holding tank before they go into the fryer.
6. Fry small groups of tots (we did about 12 tots at a time). in the hot oil for about 1 minute. You know they are done when they become a dark golden color and are crispy. (NOTE: If you fry them too long they will get mushy on the inside- which still tastes good..but it isn’t the texture we are going for here). If after 1 minute your tots don’t seem to be done cooking, turn the heat up higher. If the tots start to burn before the minute is up, turn the heat down slightly.
7. Place the fried tots on a plate with paper towel to drain oil.  They taste best hot and fresh! Top with additional salt, pepper or any other spices of choice.

Yields 1 large cookie sheet full of tater tots.

-Brittany- 

Up until this week I had never made granola bars. As silly as it was I felt intimidated by them. I assumed making them would be a lengthy process. These bars turned out to be one of the simplest recipes I have ever thrown together. When eating grain free having healthy snacks for the days you are on the go can get tricky. These bars are the solution. Stick one in your kids lunch, or bring one with you in the car for breakfast. Not only do they taste great, but they will fill you up too!

These bars will come together in less than 45 minutes and will last you a solid week.  They will become a staple in our home.

Cherry Chocolate Chunk Granola Bars

• 2 ½ cups of mixed unsalted nuts or seeds of your choice*
• ½ cup of chocolate chunks or chips 
• ½ cup dried cherries + 1 Tablespoon
• 2 Tablespoons  coconut oil (or other mild flavored oil or melted butter of choice)
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup coconut nectar (or honey or agave- see note below)
• ¼ teaspoon of salt

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line a 7 ½ x 7 ½ (or close in size) square pan with parchment paper.
2. Pulse the nuts in a food processor until broken up into small granola sized pieces. If  using larger nuts like almonds, pulse those first so they break up evenly and then add the rest. (Note: Don’t worry about the nuts/seeds all ending up the same size, having some larger chunks will give the bars great texture and make them look gorgeous!)
3. Add chocolate, cherries, and salt to the nut mixture and pulse once more to mix them together.
4. Transfer the nut and fruit mixture to a large mixing bowl while you prepare the sugar.
5. In a small heavy bottomed saucepan, pour the coconut oil, vanilla, and coconut nectar. Bring to a rapid bowl and whisk while boiling for 2-3  minutes.
6. Pour sugar into the nut mixture and mix until evenly coated.
7. Add mixture to baking pan and press evenly using parchment paper.
8. Bake in oven for 30 minutes.
9. Allow the bars to cool completely before slicing. You can speed this process up by sticking the pan in the freezer until chilled. Use a large sharp knife to slice.

The bars can be stored at room temp, in the fridge or freezer in a sealed bag or container.

Recipe notes:

• In this recipe, I used almonds, cashews, and pecans to compliment the chocolate and cherry flavors, but you can use any type of nut or seed you prefer! For those allergic to nuts feel free to use just a mix of pumpkin and sunflower seeds. 
• If using honey or agave instead of coconut nectar, your granola bars will come out slightly sweeter. Using the nectar they are mildly sweet- if you prefer your bars on the super sweet side feel free to increase the amount of nectar to 1/2 cup.
• For the chocolate chunks I used the Enjoy Life brand. However if you are looking to decrease the sugar content of these bars feel free to use a Simply Lite sugar free chocolate bar chopped up. (They can be found at Trader Joes and some Whole Foods)
• Instead of Chocolate Chips Cacao Nibs could also be used.

-Brittany-

Love Strawberries? I know I do. They are my absolute favorite fruit and this spring I haven’t been able to get enough of them. When I am especially fond of a food it starts to weave its way into every recipe idea I have. This week I dreamt of Strawberry Pancakes, Strawberry Cream Pie, Strawberry Ice Cream.. and Strawberry Shortcake Monkey Bread. The last idea was too thrilling not to act on.

Let me tell you right now these monkey bread cupcakes are OUTRAGEOUS.  So good, that was I screaming profanities after I took me first bite. I was blown away with how great they turned out, not to mention how darn cute they are. You could serve these to anyone gluten free or not and gain fabulous feedback in return. Bottom line:  You need to make them!!

If you love classic monkey bread- You’ll have to try my original recipe. Its also grain free and super delicious. This new variation is fun and tastes exactly like mini strawberry shortcakes.

Strawberry Shortcake Monkey Bread 

• 1 cup finely chopped fresh Strawberries. 
• 2 packed cups blanched Almond Flour
• 1/2 cup starch (potato or tapioca) *potato gives the best texture.
• 1/4 Tsp. Salt
• 2 Teaspoons of baking powder (I use double acting)
• 1/2 cup of butter or shortening (dairy or nondairy)
• A small bowl of Xylitol, Truvia Baking Blend, Erithritol (or Regular White Sugar) *I used Truvia Baking Blend.
• 2 Large Eggs
• Powdered Sugar *(see note in directions how to make homemade sugar free-powdered sugar)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake tray with 10 cupcake tins. Set aside.
2. Chop Strawberries and set aside.
3. In a large bowl combine the blanched almond flour, starch, salt and baking powder. Cut in the butter or shortening into pea sized pieces. Stir in the eggs ever so gently until the dough holds together.
4. Take heaping teaspoon pieces of dough and roll them in your hand with a small pinch of strawberries. (Pressing the strawberries into the dough!) (NOTE: As the strawberries and the dough sit together the dough will start to get wet and mushy- this is why I’m having you add the strawberries as you form each ball vs. just mixing the strawberries in with the dough from the start).
5. Roll the round strawberry stuffed biscuit dough pieces in the small bowl of sugar. Place the sugar coated ball into a muffin tin. Continue this process placing 6-7 sugar crusted balls into each tin. Press down gently just to help assure they stick together.  Continue with this process until all ten cupcake liners are filled with mounts of sugar crusted strawberry biscuit balls.
6. Place into oven and bake 30 minutes. The dough will feel cooked through and slightly golden.
7. Drizzle with sugar glaze. Use either A) regular powdered sugar mixed with a tiny bit or water or lemon juice. or B) Make your own powdered sugar by placing granulated sugar of choice (such as xylitol, truvia baking blend etc.) into a blender or coffee grinder. Process until sugar becomes powdered. Mix powdered sugar with a tiny bit of water or lemon juice to create a glaze.

Yields ten “cupcakes”. They taste best the day they are made. However if you need to store them, place them in a sealed bag or container in the fridge to prevent the strawberries from spoiling. 

Recipe Notes and Substitutions 

• Instead of blanched almond flour feel free to use another homemade nut or seed flour. Sunflower seed flour reacts to baking soda and powder and turns green if you surpass a certain amount of baking powder per cup of flour. (I don’t know what this exact amount is and will be toying with this in the future.) This is something to be aware of if you try using homemade sunflower seed flour,  If your not a risk taker- then try using less baking powder in the recipe than I have called for. For the best results use a mild tasting nut or seed flour.
  
• To make your own Nut or Seed flour: simply run the nut or seed in a high powdered blender or coffee grinder until you have a super fine flour. (If the flour is course- the recipe might not work as well.) If you flour is course, then be aware that your biscuits may end up a little soggy.
• Do not attempt this recipe without eggs. It won’t work. I am finishing up an ebook which will be out soon that has several grain and egg free biscuit recipes…stay tuned for that
• Coconut flour or any of the starchy grain based flours will NOT work in this recipe. Only use other Nut/Seed flours.
• Allergic t0 or out of strawberries? Feel free to use another fresh berry of choice.
• PLEASE follow these guidelines if you would like the recipe to work! Making other changes will give you different results. Experiment at your own risk.

-Brittany- 

There is no time greater than springtime.  Today has been a spectacular day- I spent the morning and early afternoon developing 3 new recipes for my Grain & Egg Free Breakfast Ebook that is almost done (and will be available here SOON).Then I took my 3 little pups for a long walk in the gorgeous 77 degree sunshine.

During my walk the idea for this recipe came.  I’m a big fan of grapes, especially if they are frozen. I happened to have a bunch in the freezer and was thrilled with the results of this slushy recipe. So excited in-fact that I could not resist sharing the recipe with you all today.

I included some vitamin D in my slushy- when you have an autoimmune disease it tends to be something that can get low. Having put my autoimmune disease into remission and with planning to keep it that way .I make sure to stay on top of taking D even in the summertime. My favorite brand is Wellesse Liquid Vitamins as they are certified gluten free and the majority of their products also sugar free. I could not live without their multivitamin either!

Grape Slushy

• 8 Ice Cubes
• 2 Cups of Seedless  Frozen Grapes (Red, Purples or Green)
• 1/2 Cup of Water
• 2 Teaspoons of Wellesse Liquid Vitamin D
• Nunaturals Stevia (Powdered or Liquid) *Optional*

1. Rinse and freeze grapes for 2-3 hours. 
2. Place all slushy ingredients and the frozen grapes into blender. The vitamin D and Stevia are both optional.

Fact: If you follow a Grain Free Diet..and also happen to be allergic or intolerant to eggs.. breakfast can be difficult.

This has been my story. For a year I also needed to avoid all starch and sugar. I understood more than ever just how tough breakfast can be. While I do have several fun breakfast recipes on this site that meet this criteria.. I wasn’t exactly able to eat any baked goods..for breakfast at least. The wheels have been turning in my head for a very long time trying to solve this particular riddle.

I figured out a solution. And I am SO excited about this solution that I have started writing an entire ebook of breakfast recipes that will all be grain free AND have egg free options. It will be available within a few months. I will share more details soon!

BUT for now- here’s a fun recipe to get you started. These bars are delicious and will take you no longer than it would to make muffins.Throw together a pan and you’ll have a fun & delicious protein packed breakfast especially handy for those mornings when you are on the go.

Blueberry Lemon Breakfast Bars

• 3 1/2 Packed Cups of Blanched Almond Flour (see substitution notes below)
• 1/2 Cup * Granulated Sugar (see substitution notes below)
• 1 Tablespoon of Baking Powder (I use double acting)
• 1/4 Teaspoon of Salt
• 2 Tablespoons of Milk (dairy or nondairy) or Water.
• 2 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice
• The Zest of one small lemon.
• 1 Cup of Fresh or Frozen Blueberries

1. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. Line a bread pan (aka a loaf pan) with a sheet of parchment paper allowing the edges to come well up the sides. (NOTE: my loaf pan is the largest size they come ( I’ll update the exact dimensions later today when I’m home.) If you don’t have a large loaf pan you might consider using an 8 x 8 square pan instead. My bars ended up being about 1 1/2 inches thick. )
2. In a food processor OR in a bowl mix together the Almond Flour, Granulated Sugar, Baking Powder, Salt, Milk, Lemon Juice and Lemon Zest. In the food processor- turn it on briefly until the mixture becomes crumbly (pea sized crumbs are preferable) If mixing by hand- stir the ingredients until they also become crumbly. You can also mix until you feel the dough thickens and then break into crumbs when placing in the pan.
3. Into your prepared bread pan sprinkle a layer of crumbs. Add a layer of blueberries. On top of the blueberries add another layer of crumbs. Continue with this layering until you have used up all of your crumbs and berries.
4. Using the edges of the parchment lightly press down to form the crumbs into a cohesive bar in the pan. (Note: don’t press down too hard or else your bars may end up very dense- BUT do make sure to press down enough that the bars hold together, otherwise they are going to end up crumbly after they have baked).
5. Place the pan into the oven on the middle rack and bake 40-45 minutes until the edges are dark golden brown. Remove from oven- allow to cool and then slice into bars.

Due to the fact that these bars contain fresh fruit they will store best in the fridge in a sealed bag or container.

Substitution Notes

• Instead of blanched almond flour feel free to use another homemade nut or seed flour.
• To make your own Nut or Seed flour: simply run the nut or seed in a high powdered blender or coffee grinder until you have a super fine flour. (If the flour is course- the recipe might not work as well.) If you flour is course, then be aware that your cookies are not going to turn out as good.
• Sunflower Seed flour has the tendency to turn green if baked with too much baking powder. I have not tested it in this recipe to know if it works without turning green.
• Coconut flour or any of the starchy grain based flours will NOT work in this recipe. Only use other Nut/Seed flours.
• For this recipe any Granulated Sugar variety should work. I used the truvia baking blend- which is almost 100% sugar free ( it has less than 1 gram of sugar per serving) . I really love using Truvia, xylitol and erithritol in my bar recipes as in addition to being non glycemic they help hold baked goods together. Coconut Palm Sugar, Sucanat, Organic Cane Sugar etc. should also all work quite well. Make sure to taste your dough and feel free to adjust the amount of sugar to your taste. Each sugar varies slightly in sweetness.
• The various types of sugar brown at different periods of time in the oven. If using Truvia baking blend (or Xylitol or Erithritol) like me then the full baking time I have called for will be appropriate. If using a different variety of sugar you may find that your bars start to brown at an earlier point. If you notice this happens then do to things. #1 Check to see if your bars are cooked through (Do they feel raw when you poke at them?) . #2 if the bars seem them need more time in the oven, throw some tinfoil on top to prevent further browning.

-Brittany-

I am SO pleased to announce that I have added another writer to the team. My dear friend and mom to a blended family of ten kids has mastered the art of feeding children healthy gluten free and she does it all inexpensively. Kate Jarvis will be sharing weekly posts in the near future in a brand new column dedicated just to kids. While we work to get the site ready for her grand entrance I thought I might share one of her phenomenal recipes. Since she told me about this salad I have made it at least 20 times (in the last month). Its THAT good. And yes, even her kids happily eat it too. I never knew it was possible to get addicted to a salad until I took a bite of this one.

Pop over and say hello to Kate on her Facebook Page Little Big Outdoors. -Brittany-

****

Sometimes.. I just get sick of vegetables. There. I said it, now don’t tell my kids. I never get sick of feeling healthy and full of energy. Finding new and interesting ways to keep vegetables, especially raw vegetables, enticing to my palate is a challenge. You can only eat so many green salads every day until you hope to never see a leaf of baby spinach again.

One night while cooking up some shrimp, I had the idea to use the same flavorings on a salad. The full flavors of this salad will trick even the most discerning of cabbage hating taste buds. I personally detest cooked cabbage (apparently I’m not a good Irish girl) and coleslaw has never been a favorite. Many grocers in my area, though, sell already shredded green & purple cabbage with carrots in a bag ready to go. So this salad has also become a go to quick meal and side around our house.

I generally make a full bowl of this and leave it in the fridge and munch on it for days on end. I think this is the appropriate time to insert a warning: this salad is addicting. Be advised, if you’ve been getting bored of raw veggies this will renew your enthusiasm.

Cilantro Cashew Cabbage Salad

Salad

• 4 cups of shredded cabbage
• 1 cup of shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup of sliced red onion
• 1/2 cup or more of cashews (roasted or raw)
• 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro

Dressing

• 1/2 cup mild flavored oil
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2-3 packets of Nunaturals Stevia to taste (2-3 grams)
• A dash of lime (squeeze a wedge or just add a quarter teaspoon if you use bottled lime juice)
• salt & pepper to taste

Mix your dressing in a separate bowl, then pour over the veggies and toss. It can be served immediately and the flavor only gets better the longer it’s chilled before serving.

A few variations we have tried:

When I ran out of apple cider vinegar, white vinegar still worked in a pinch. If you like a little more kick, use a little chile oil in the mix for your dressing. Roasted and flavored cashews, while not as healthy, tasted scrumptious as well.

Best of all, if you have picky children or a picky partner just call it cashew salad, they won’t even know they’re eating cabbage!

-Kate-

Kate Jarvis is the mother to a beautiful blended family of ten children. In addition to her love of writing, she loves traveling with her partner, Jim, and spending time in the outdoors. Together they enjoy hiking, camping, archery, boating, gardening, fishing, hunting, and more. Kate has a passion for feeding her family real food and teaching them good health starts with their own choices. She loves being active (as if ten children didn’t provide enough activity!), her favorite forms of exercise are running, karate, biking, snowboarding, and contests of jumping higher than the kids on the trampoline.

 Who doesn’t love girl scout cookies? Especially when they are Gluten & Grain Free!

I have been working my way through each of my favorite recipes. Being the perfectionist that I am- I feel confident in saying you will be thrilled with the results of each of my recipes.  These Do-si-dos remind me of nutter butters. They are crunchy and have just the perfect amount of peanut butter flavor.

Along with this new recipe you might like to try:

• Gluten Free Samoa Cookies. (Grain/Egg/Corn/Soy/Dairy/Refined Sugar Free)
• Thin Mints. (Grain/Gluten/Dairy/Egg/Soy Free)
• Grain Free Tagalong Cookies. (Gluten/Starch/Dairy/Egg/Soy Free with directions to make Sugar Free).
• 2 Sugar Free Shortbread Cookie Recipes. (Gluten/Grain/Egg/Dairy Free with a Paleo option)

Before we get started I have a few substitution notes for you:

• Instead of blanched almond flour feel free to use another homemade nut or seed flour.
• To make your own Nut or Seed flour: simply run the nut or seed in a high powdered blender or coffee grinder until you have a super fine flour. (If the flour is course- the recipe might not work as well.) If you flour is course, then be aware that your cookies are not going to turn out as good.
• Sunflower Seed flour has the tendency to turn green if baked with too much baking powder. I have not tested it in this recipe to know if it works without turning green.
• Coconut flour or any of the starchy grain based flours will NOT work in this recipe. Only use other Nut/Seed flours.
• For this recipe you will need to make your powdered palm sugar by placing the sugar into a coffee grinder or blender until it becomes powdery. If you don’t have coconut palm sugar on hand another good option would be Sucanat. The goal here is to gain a brown sugar flavor.
• The Eggs can not be removed from the recipe. They are essential to gaining the very specific texture of these cookies. I tried many times over to make them without and it was a lost cause. If eggs are a problem for you- you might try one of my other girl scout recipes instead as they are all egg free.
• Need to avoid Peanut Butter? Use another nut or seed butter of choice. (again be cautious of sunflower seed butter as it may turn green)
• I used Quinoa Flakes as my grain free replacement for gluten free oats. I buy my flakes here. If you don’t have a problem with grains – gluten free oats may work well in this recipe instead.  The quinoa flakes and oats are optional to this recipe.

Grain Free Do-Si-Dos

  Cookies

• 1 1/2 packed cups Blanched Almond Flour
• 1/2 Cup Starch (Tapioca or Potato Starch)
• 1 Teaspoon of Baking Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
• 3/4 cup powdered Palm Sugar (See directions how to make in substitution notes above)
• 1 Tablespoon of Vanilla Extract
• 3/4 cup Unsweetened Peanut Butter (or other nut/seed butter of choice)
• 2 Large Eggs
• 3/4 Cup of Quinoa Flakes (optional)

Filling

• 3/4 Cup Unsweetened Peanut Butter  (or other nut/seed butter of choice)
• 4 1/2 Tablespoons of room temperature butter (Or Earth Balance for dairy free)
• 3/4 Cup Powdered Coconut Palm Sugar
• Pinch of salt.

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two large cookies sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl (preferably using a stand mixer) Mix the Almond Flour, Starch, Baking Powder, Salt, Powdered Palm Sugar together. Add the remaining cookie ingredients. You should end up with a thick dough.
3. Roll the dough out between two sheets of parchment paper until its 1/4 inch thick. Using a small round cookie or biscuit cutter cut roughly 50 cookies. (My cookies are  2 inches wide)  Place cookies on the two baking sheets. Cut a hole in the center of each cookie (I used the tip of a bamboo skewer, but a fork prong would also work).
4. Bake cookies 15 minutes. Alternate the trays halfway through the cooking time. Remove from oven and allow to cool until crisp.
5. Make the peanut butter filling: In a small bowl combine all the ingredients and stir with a spoon (or mixer). Place the filling into a pastry bag (or use a plastic bag and cut off one of the corners). Pipe 1 1/2- 2 teaspoons of filling onto half of the cookies. Sandwich each cookie.

Yields 25 cookies. Store at room temp in a sealed bag or container or freeze. These cookies will stay good for a good week or two at room temp.

-Brittany-

Love Smoothies? But not the sugar?

Making a smoothie without fruit can be tricky. I found my way around this by pulling out my ice cube tray. I freeze everything from Pumpkin Puree to dairy and nondairy milk and kefir. Once the cubes are frozen they act as the perfect replacement to frozen fruit as they add thickness and great flavor.

To make this smoothie nice and creamy I used both frozen yogurt cubes and raw cashews. And the Lemon Ginger flavor combo is SO good!

Additionally I added Vitamins to my smoothie! I can’t recommend enough Wellesse Certified Gluten Free Liquid Vitamins. I swear by their multi which is free of iodine. Iodine can be problematic for those like me with Hashimotos Disease. Finding a multivitamin WITHOUT iodine is close to impossible. Plus this vitamin is sugar free and sweetened with stevia. Seriously, love it.

Cashew Lemon Ginger Smoothie

• 1/2 cup raw unsalted cashews. (I don’t bother soaking mine- but feel free to soak them in warm water for an hour before making the smoothie if your blender is not powerful).
• 6 Cubes of Plain Frozen Yogurt or Kefir (Dairy or Nondairy)
• 5 Ice Cubes
• 2 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice
• 1/2 Teaspoon of fresh Grated Ginger
• 1/2 Cup of Milk (Dairy or Nondairy) I used unsweetened Almond Milk.
• Nunaturals Stevia to taste. (I used 3 packets (3 Grams))
• 1 Tablespoon of Wellesse Liquid Multivitamin (optional)

1. Pour the plain yogurt variety of your choice into an ice cube tray. Freeze until hard.
2. Into a blender add all of the ingredients- adding the stevia last to taste.

-Brittany-

Ps. Looking for more sugar and fruit free smoothie recipes? You might love these:

• Mojito Detox Smoothie (Sugar Free)
  
• Sugar & Dairy Free Chocolate Shake
• High Protein Iced Lemon Latte. (Dairy/Sugar/Soy/Gluten Free)
• Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie (Fruit & Sugar Free)
• Cranberry Lemonade Smoothie (Sugar Free)
• Sugar Free Shamrock Shake. (Gluten/Dairy/Soy Free)
• Sugar & Dairy Free Cream Soda. (aka an Ice Cream Float)

Its not about what I want. Its not about what you want. Its not about what I think. Its not about what you think.

Its about human rights.

 I will stand to support each of you, being exactly who you dream and decide to be. There is no better way to live life. Be who you are. I support you. 

We are all just people.

Different people, with different beliefs and different preferences.

Lets respect each others preferences, and abide under the same laws. 

*****

Gluten Free Raspberry Pie 

This pie can be made with two different crust. Select either my Grain Free/Vegan Pie crust OR My Flaky Gluten Free Crust.  Make the crust, roll out and place into pie dish. If desired roll out two pieces of dough and cut into rectangles to make your equal sign to place on top. Set aside.

Pending how thick you want your crust you might consider doubling whichever recipe you chose.

Raspberry Filling

• 10 cups of frozen or fresh raspberries (or a mix of the two)
• 1/3- 1/2 cup of sugar (For sugar free use xylitol or truvia baking blend sugar).
• 2 Tsp. Lemon Juice
• 3 Tablespoons of Starch. (Potato Starch, Tapioca Starch or Arrowroot)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. If using frozen raspberries place the bags into a microwave and heat them for 1 minute to thaw them slightly.
3. In a saucepan mix 6 cups of the raspberries with the sugar, lemon juice and starch. Turn heat on and gently stir (stir as little as possible)  until the raspberries collapse some and their juices have thickened from the starch.
4. Add the remaining 4 cups of berries to this mixture and pour into the prepared pie dish.  Bake for 25-30 minutes.  Place the equal sign crust cut out on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with confectioners sugar. Place on pie once it has finished cooking.

-Brittany-

Fried Dough-  It has so many different names depending on the region of the world. Some call what I am sharing today an Elephant Ear, some regions refer to it as fry bread.  The Indian culture has a Bhatura bread that is similar to this that is used to dip in curry. The Najavo Indians use fry bread as a base for tacos. Whatever you decide to do with this fried dough- It will be delicious.

I went with the American fairground style and dusted cinnamon and sugar on top of mine. It took me a solid 48 hours of work to get this recipe to suite my fancy. I wanted it crispy on the outside, and soft and fluffy on the inside.  I’m really thrilled with the end result. Dusted with the cinnamon and sugar my husband commented that it almost had the flavor of deep fried french toast.

When it comes to fried dough and or donuts things can get finicky! I have developed a number of fried based recipes over the years and with each one I found that if I altered the recipe slightly I ended up with a problem. Therefore- today I’m going to say that I will be offering ZERO SUBSTTUTIONS aside from those I write directly in the recipe.  If you follow this site, you know how dedicated I am to making my recipes as flexible as possible.  But I’m terribly sorry- with this one you’re going to want to make it as is or move along to something else that works for you. I removed as many (common allergen ) ingredients as humanly possible.

Let me make one thing very clear, this recipe is NOT one I consider healthy. I used far more starch than I believe should be added to the baked goods eaten on a daily basis. Reserve this fried dough as an occasional treat. (If you have a nasty case of Candida this recipe is probably not the best choice for you!)

Fried Dough

• 5 Large Eggs
• 1/4 Cup Heavy Coconut Cream (or MimicCreme) Or Real Cream.
• 3 Tbs Whole Psyllium Husks (Do not use psyllium powder.)
• 1/4 Cup Oil or Melted Butter  dairy or nondairy (at room temperature)
• 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder (I used double acting)
• 1 packed cup Tapioca Starch.
• 1/2 packed cup Coconut Flour
• 1/4 Teaspoon of Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Vinegar (any variety)
• Oil for deep frying. (To keep things healthier use Coconut or Grapeseed Oil.)

1. Set a can of full fat coconut milk into the fridge. Once chilled remove from the fridge and open. Scoop out the heavy cream portion from the top. Melt it briefly in the microwave or over the stove. Use only this portion of creamy milk for this fried dough. Set aside.
   
2. In a heavy bottomed sauce pan- or wok pour several inches of oil for deep frying. Turn your heat on to the notch just below medium. (Note: your level of heat might be different from mine as each oven tends to be a little different- so I recommend using this heat level as a starting point.) Let the oil warm up while you prepare the dough.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer) beat the eggs liberally for about 1 minute. Add the oil and coconut cream. Beat another minute. Add in the remaining ingredients except for the vinegar.  You should end up with a slightly wet tacky dough.
4. Use a spatula to stir in the vinegar.  Move quickly at this point as the longer the dough sits the less it will rise in the oil. (The Baking powder and Vinegar will start to react- its best to fry these right away for the best results)
5. Oil your hands and grab a handful of dough. Flatten it out between your palms so that it is roughly 1/4 inch thick. Carefully place into the hot oil and fry for 1-2 minutes flipping over once or twice. You will know your oil temperature is perfect if it takes over a minute for both sides to become a nice dark golden brown color. If you dough instantly becomes dark golden in color turn down the temperature of your burner and let the oil cool a minute before placing your next piece in.  NOTE:  While you are frying if you notice your dough loses its wet tacky texture add another teaspoon of coconut cream. This slightly wet texture is what will allow the dough to expand and get fluffy while cooking. The psyllium starts to soak up moisture as the dough sits out- so keep an eye on this and add a little extra coconut cream as needed. 

Serve hot! This fried dough tastes best within a few hours of being made.

For those that cannot have sugar sprinkle some powdered stevia and cinnamon on top instead. 

In the future I plan to add chunks of fruit and potential various fillings to this dough prior to frying. Feel free to experiment with this and please come back and share your results!

xx

Brittany

*NOTICE: I found an error in this recipe the day after posting it. It has been corrected and this new version is better than ever. Apologies to anyone that made the recipe with the ingredient typo. -Brittany-

**

I don’t know a single person who doesn’t love Naan. Soft, Fluffy and slightly chewy its the perfect vice naturally for curry- but can also act as a fabulous sub for pita bread, as a base to make pizza and more.

If you are a regular follower of this website you know a few things about me: #1 I try to limit starch in my recipes as much as possible. #2 I avoid eggs as often as possible because I also cannot have them. #3 my number 1 goal is to create healthy recipes that are just as good (if not better) than your favorite recipes of the past.

Today- I broke a few of my rules. I decided my biggest objective was to make an absolutely delicious GRAIN FREE Naan, without any yeast (not an easy task). To do so I knew I was going to need to use both eggs and starch.  I also chose to use coconut flour for the fluffy texture it can create (which also forced me into using eggs.) Without the eggs and starch this bread would not cook through, and end up flat and dense. That’s just baking science- nothing I can do to get around it. I know a million of you are going to ask me if you can use Chia Gel or Flax meal in place of the eggs. My answer is simple: PLEASE Feel free to experiment, but know that your recipe will end up absolutely nothing like mine. 

The recipe I am providing meets my intended goals.  It is absolutely delicious!! I slaved away in the kitchen (having fun in the process of course) for 10 hours yesterday to make this bread possible.  If you want to change the recipe go for it- but today I do not have any substitution suggestions.  

A few things I can tell you for sure:

•  There is no direct replacement for coconut flour that will work the same. (No, Almond flour will not behave the same. Its a very different flour.)
• The eggs provide lift and allow for the bread to cook through fully. No egg replacer is going to act anywhere close to the same.
• Don’t want to use psyllium husk?  The psyllium provides the bread like texture and chew. It makes the bread chewy like bread vs. just soft like a pancake. The next best thing to try is Flax Meal. I had not experimented with flax meal in this recipe myself and therefore cannot vouch that it will  for sure work.

 If the ingredients work for you- then you’ll definitely want to try making it. My husband was beyond thrilled with the results.  Serve it hot out of the oven slathered with melted butter. Feel free to top it with minced garlic before it goes into the oven if you want extra garlic flavor. 

Grain Free Garlic Naan

• 5 Tablespoons of Whole Psyllium Husks (not powdered, use only whole pysllium husks)
• 4 Large Eggs
• 3/4 cup of  Plain Dairy or Nondairy Yogurt  (Or Heavy Coconut Milk (from a can) or MimicCreme work great.
• 1/4 Cup of  Room Temperature mild tasting Oil or Melted Butter (dairy or nondairy)
• 1/2 Packed Cup Coconut Flour
• 1 Packed Cup Tapioca Starch
• 1 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder (I used double acting).
• 1 Tablespoon of Garlic Powder or Garlic Paste. (Fresh minced garlic will work too).
• 1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
• 1 Teaspoon of Vinegar (any variety: I used Apple Cider Vinegar).

There are two ways to make this bread. It can be made in a skillet on the stove top  or in the oven!  We have come to prefer to skillet method as it will give the classic look of naan with the golden brown marks on the surface. 

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place a sheet of parchment on a large cookie tray and lightly oil the surface. Set aside. OR Place a large skillet and lid on the stove top and lightly oil the surface. Lightly Oil a baking sheet to use as a holding area for your naan before it goes into the skillet.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer) Beat the Eggs liberally for about 30 seconds. Add in the psyllium, cream and oil. Beat an additional minute. Begin adding in the remaining ingredients (Coconut Flour, Tapioca Starch, Baking Powder, Garlic Powder, and Salt. )  The batter should be semi thick and very sticky. Note: Garlic Powder instead of Garlic paste you may want to also add an extra Tbs of Cream. 
3. Stir in using a spatula the vinegar quickly. Then oil your hands liberally and divide the dough into roughly 4 equal amounts. Keeping your hands very well oiled shape the dough into a round ball and then plop it onto the baking sheet. Using the palm of your hand press the dough out until it is between 1/4- 1/2 inch thick. Leave the dough slightly un-even as that will make it look the most authentic.

Now- to bake- select your method of cooking.

For Cooking on the Stove Top: 

1. Turn the heat on the skillet with a little oil to medium and allow it to heat up for a minute or so. Place the shaped Naan into the pan. Cover with a lid and cook each piece roughly 3 minutes each side until cooked through. (You will know its done when the dough springs back slightly when you poke it with your finger). Note: Your naan may taste a little gummy when you first remove it from the skillet. It will become the perfect texture after  cooling and sitting for about 5 minutes or so.

For Baking in the Oven: 

1. Place into the oven and bake 11- 12 minutes. You will know it is finished when the bottom is slightly golden and the top surface of the Naan springs back and feels cooked through if you poke it with your finger. . PLEASE NOTE: Your Naan WILL NOT have the golden cooked spots on top like mine do in this photo using this method. 

Serve hot. Store in a sealed bag or container at room temperature or freeze and then heat up at a later date. Yields 4 Large Pieces of Naan.

Looking for a more traditional Gluten Free Naan Recipe that uses Yeast and Grains? I have just the recipe for you in my cookbooks: The Essential Gluten Free Baking Guide. Part 1 & 2. 

-Brittany-

PS. CANT HAVE EGGS? My Grain Free Lavash Flatbread Recipe may work for you instead! (pictured below)

As I look out the window I see yet more snow..enough is enough.  I’m dreaming of sunshine and ice cream!

I grew up in a very healthy household- but every once in awhile if there was leftover ice cream and soda in the house from a birthday party my mom let us make ice cream sodas.

I recreated those ice cream sodas with a few simple, and much healthier ingredients.

All you need to get started is some Zevia (stevia sweetened) soda. (It comes in tons of great flavors.). An ice cube tray, any plain yogurt or kefir (dairy or nondairy) and some additional stevia to sweeten the drink further.

Additionally I love adding Gluten & Sugar Free Liquid vitamins to my cream soda! It tastes amazing. I use and love Wellesse Liquid Vitamins. My favorite cream soda uses Grape Zevia and a serving of the Wellesse vitamin B.  Not only does it taste great- but you get a nice little burst of energy from the vitamin B. 

Sugar Free Cream Soda

• 1 tray of plain or vanilla frozen yogurt ice cubes. (dairy or nondairy).
• 1/2 cup Zevia Soda (flavor of choice).
• additional NuNaturals stevia to taste.
• Optional: Wellesse Liquid vitamin of choice. 

1. Spoon plain or vanilla yogurt into 1 ice cube tray. (I used plain goat yogurt, but you could also use Coconut Yogurt or Kefir OR Almond Yogurt.)  Place into the freezer until frozen solid.
2. Place frozen cubes of yogurt into a blender with the zevia soda. Process just until blended. Taste test- and add additional stevia to taste to bring out the soda’s flavor.

-Brittany-

 So, its Saint Patricks Day- and I am so late to the party sharing this recipe! But I figured late is better than never. I had no plans to make this- but woke up with an intense desire to prepare an Irish feast to surprise my husband. So I made this, for the first time ever. And good lord is it good. I had no idea Soda bread could be so delicious.

Lets not waste any time with chit chat today- and get right to the recipe! I don’t want to keep ya’ll waiting any longer.

Irish Soda Bread

• 2 1/2 cups packed BLANCHED Almond flour.
• 1/2 Cup of Tapioca Starch or Potato Starch.
• 2 Tsp. Baking Soda *see note in directions.
• 1/2 Tsp. Baking Powder (I used double acting)
• 1/4 Tsp. Salt
• 1/4 Tsp. Caraway Seeds
• 1 Tablespoon of granulated sugar (any variety: I used Truvia to make it sugar free)
• 1/4- 1/2 cup raisins. (I only used 1/4 cup as my husband does not like his bread sweet.)
• 3 large Eggs 
• 2 Teaspoons of Vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)

1. Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees. Place a sheet of parchment in a pie pan or on a small cookie sheet.
2. In a large bowl combine all of the dry ingredients and mix together. (Almond Flour, Starch, Baking Soda, Powder, Salt, Caraway Seeds, Sugar and Raisins) NOTE: I noticed that some brands of baking soda are more bitter tasting that others. I always use Bob’s red mill Baking soda as it does not have the bitter aftertaste. IF you do not have bobs red mill baking soda- I suggest using only  1 1/2 Tsp. Baking Soda instead of the full 2 tsp to avoid a strong aftertaste. 
3. In a small bowl whisk together the 3 eggs and vinegar. Once mixed- pour into the large bowl of flour and stir until the dough comes together.
4. Plop the dough into the prepared pie pan. Dust the top and sides of the dough with some starch (tapioca or potato starch) and form it into a a round mound that is roughy 1 1/2 – 2 inches tall and about 6 inches wide. Using a knife score the top of the bread to make the classic cross shape.  (I made my scored  about 1/2 inch thick) .
5. Quickly place the dish into the oven and bake 40 minutes. The bread should be nice and hard to touch and lightly golden.

If starch is a problem for you- then check out my friend Elana’s Irish Soda Bread recipe instead!

Happy St. Patricks Day!

-Brittany- 

I LOVE finding ways to make shakes and smoothies without fruit or sugar.

When you aren’t using fruit, ice cream or something of the sort as a thickener you need to come up with an alternative to give a smoothie or shake body . I depend heavily on my ice cube tray. In the past I used it to freeze pumpkin puree and sweet potato puree to add to fall flavored smoothies. This time around the magic happened with yogurt.

Frozen cubes of yogurt makes for an instantly wonderful  ice cream like shake. The best part? You can use ANY variety of yogurt. Dairy or Nondairy!  I opted for a plain goats milk yogurt- but I would also feel great about using Coconut or Almond Yogurt. You could even get away with freezing kefir.   Keep in mind that all yogurt does have some sugar either naturally or added. In cow and goats milk the lactose (a natural sugar) allows for the good bacteria to grow. In coconut or almond based yogurt typically a little sweetener need to be added also for the bacteria. Your best bet is to always buy the plain variety as it will have the least amount of sugar.

This recipe is incredibly healthy- and would be a fantastic way to sneak your kids some veggies.

Shamrock Shake

• 6 cubes of  plain or vanilla frozen yogurt or kefir. (dairy or nondairy)
• 1/2 of a large avocado.
• handful or fresh mint leaves (or peppermint extract to taste)
• Unsweetened Dairy or Nondairy Milk (add as much as you want for desired thickness)
• Nunaturals Stevia to taste.
• Optional: Add in some frozen spinach to make your smoothie extra green and more nutritionally dense.

1. Spoon yogurt into 1 ice cube tray. Place into freezer until frozen solid.
2. Place all smoothie ingredients into the blender- add as much milk and stevia as you desire.

-Brittany-

As I mentioned on facebook a few days ago, I have been battling some pretty severe adrenal fatigue the last 6 weeks. In January I joined a gym and went full throttle taking intense kickboxing classes 4 times a week. Unknowingly I  pretty much destroyed the living daylights out of my adrenals in a little over 2 weeks.

Since then I have had to slow my life down and spend the majority of my days resting in bed. My husband in addition to running his own business full time has been waiting on me hand and foot- cooking, doing all the cleaning, taking care of the dogs, the laundry, going grocery shopping and making green juice for me. In addition he’s been a huge emotional support – being positive in the moments that I am not. Assuring me that I will be ok and somehow hes been able to avoid responding negatively to my overly emotional way of looking at all situations right now. I’ve been difficult to be around I’m sure.  He’s keeping me sane, and with his help I know I’m going to get through this chaotic and scary patch in my health.

This morning I woke up feeling a little bit more alive than I have in weeks. My husband was still asleep and I used the opportunity to say thank you, in the way I love doing it best.

I made him the fluffiest blueberry pancakes that I could conjure up. It took me 3 tries to get the recipe right- but I wanted only the best pancakes in the world- because that is what he deserves. I woke him up with breakfast in bed. It was just a small gesture to remind him just how much I love him.

These pancakes will melt in your mouth. They are so fluffy that they will nearly triple in size in your skillet while cooking.

Since these pancakes were created for my husband Rich ( he does not have as strict of dietary restrictions as I). I did not try to leave out the starch and eggs. Infact I’m going to tell you that these pancakes need them. Do not try to make any substitutions. With most of my recipes I provide tons of substition notes. With these I am not- they are perfect the way they are and any changes will negatively affect them. This is one of those recipes that I’m going to encourage you to make as they are written only- if you can’t have these specific ingredients then  I suggest moving on to a different recipe that better suites your dietary needs. 

Extra Fluffy Coconut Flour Blueberry Pancakes

• 5 large eggs
• 3/4 cup of milk + 2 Tbsp (dairy or nondairy- any variety) 
• 1/4 cup oil or melted butter (dairy or nondairy)
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup granulated sugar to taste (any variety. For Sugar Free use Xylitol or Erithritol)
• 1/8 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 packed cup coconut flour
• 1/2 packed cup of Starch (potato starch or tapioca starch  or a mix of the two)
• 1 Tsp. Lemon Juice (Note: in addition to the lemon juice try adding the zest from 1 lemon)
• 1 Tbsp Baking Powder (double acting works best).
• 1 cup (or more) of Fresh or Frozen Blueberries.

1. Pour the eggs, milk and oil into a blender and process on high until light and fluffy. Add in the remaining ingredients except for the baking powder and blueberries and process until smooth. Add the baking powder and process one last time.
2. Stir in the blueberries. (Or you can just plop a few into each pancake as you make them).
3. Lightly oil a nonstick skillet. Pour the batter in and gently tap the pan so the batter spreads. Place a lid on top (it makes them fluffier) and cook for roughly 2 minutes on medium/low heat. Flip and cook roughly one minute on the second side keeping them covered the entire time aside from when you flip)
4. Re-oil the pan with each new batch. Be cautious not to turn the heat up too high as the bottoms will burn before the inside has enough time to cook which would prevent you from  getting a good clean flip.

Yields 8-10 large fluffy pancakes. Feel free to leave out the blueberries and add a little vanilla extract if you would like plain pancakes. Any other berry, fruit or chocolate chips can also be used.

-Brittany-

Love pancakes? You might also try some of my other recipes:

• Gluten and Dairy Free Carrot Cake Pancakes
• Cherry Almond Pancakes (Gluten/Dairy/Soy/Corn/Grain/Refined Sugar Free)
• Snickerdoodle Pancakes (Gluten/Dairy/Soy/Grain Free)
• Grain Free Sausage Stuffed Pancake Bites. (Gluten/Dairy/Corn/Soy Free) With suggestions to make sugar and egg free.
• Extra Fluffy Chestnut & Almond Flour Pancakes (Gluten/Grain/Dairy Free)
• Buttery Blueberry Pancake Cookies. (Gluten/Grain/Egg/Starch/Dairy Free with directions to make Sugar Free.)
• In my second cookbook (The Essential Gluten Free Baking Guide Part 2) there is a make your own waffle and pancake recipe that is gluten free/vegan that allows you to swap out many different flours and change the flavor of pancakes to your preference.

These fancy little delicious and addictive cookies are SO simple to make. Seriously. Simple.

As with most of my recipes, this one is highly customizable. I will be providing many different options, so pay close attention. Everything from the base cookie recipe, to the filling and the chocolate to cover the cookies can be made a number of different ways.  My goal was to provide a way to make this recipe work for nearly everyone. No one should miss out.

To make these cookies you must follow 3 steps.

Step 1. Make the Shortbread Cookies

Step 2. Make the peanut butter (or another nut or seed butter) filling.

Step 3. Make or melt the chocolate and cover each cookie. 

Lets get started! 

Step 1: Make the Shortbread Cookies. Use one  of THESE Recipes. (<- click this link) 

 There are details substitution in that post that will allow you to select the ingredients that will work best for you. Read the full post as your substitution questions have probably been answered!

Allow the cookies to cool. While they cooling  you can move on to step 2. 

Step 2: Make the peanut butter (or another nut or seed butter) filling.

Nut/Seed Butter  Filling Ingredients

• 3/4 cup unsweetened Natural Peanut Butter or another Nut or seed butter of choice.
• 1/3- 1/2 cup  (0r more to taste) of powdered sugar. (see substitution note in directions to make refined and sugar free) 
• 1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
• hefty pinch of salt. 

1. Select a granulated sugar of choice. (Such as Xylitol, Erythritol, Palm Sugar, Sucanant, Organic Cane Sugar etc.) And place it into a high powered blender or coffee grinder. Process until the sugar becomes powdered. (Note: Feel free to just use regular powdered sugar too). Each sugar is different in its level of sweetness- use as much or as little as you would like.
2. Mix the powdered sugar and your nut or seed butter in a bowl. (you may need to use your hands and this mixture will be thick).  Stir in the vanilla extract and salt. Give it a taste test and adjust the sugar to your preference.
3. Once filling is mixed- take small pieces of the mix and roll into balls. Small the balls between the palms of your hands and then place a rounded circle over each cookie. (Note: The amount of filling you want to use in each cookie is up to you. I like to keep my layer no thicker than 1/4 inch.)
4. Once you have placed a layer of filling over each cookie you are ready to dunk in chocolate.

Step 3. Make or melt the chocolate and cover each cookie. 

• option 1:  Melt Allergen Free Chocolate Chips or a a few bars of chocolate in the microwave. Stirring every 30 seconds. If you want the chocolate thinner for dipping feel free to add a tiny bit of coconut oil. (though be aware that adding coconut oil will make the chocolate melt quickly in your hands at room temperature.)  To make sugar free use Simply Light Chocolate bars which can be found at trader joes and whole foods. 

• option 2: Follow my Dairy & Sugar Free Dark Chocolate. (Gluten/Soy Free, Vegan) recipe.

1. Pour the melted chocolate into a small bowl. Dunk each cookie in.  I do this by placing the bottom of the cookie into the chocolate and then allowing the chocolate to seep over the top. Once the top is covered I lift the cookie straight up and them skim the bottom across the edge of the bowl to get off excess chocolate. Place the covered cookie on a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie tray.  * Note: have some fun- you don’t have to cover the whole cookie with chocolate. I dunked some of my cookies bottoms in chocolate and then drizzled a little chocolate over the top instead of covering them fully! 
2. Place the chocolate covered cookies into the fridge or freezer until chilled and the chocolate is hard.

Store the cookies in the freezer for the best results. 

-Brittany

ps. Love Girl Scout Cookies?

You might also try my:

I love the idea of bacon in dessert.. and apparently you guys do too!

I was surprised how much great feedback and excitement I received when posting my Maple Bacon Chocolate Chunk Cookies & the Salted Caramel Bourbon Bacon Brownies.

I figured why not further explore bacon + sweet. This time I did it without chocolate.

The famous Elvis sandwich had Peanut Butter, Banana and Bacon.

Why not put those same three things in a  Blondie? I added all the flavor into one dessert and managed to leave out a long list of allergens.

These taste fabulous just with the peanut butter banana combo too. Feel free to leave the bacon crumbles off the top if its not your thing.

Peanut Butter Banana Blondies

• 2 packed cups of blanched almond flour. (see substitution notes below)
• 3/4 cup of Unsweetened Peanut Butter (see substitution notes below)
• 1/4 Cup Mashed Banana 
• 1 Tbs Vanilla Extract
• 1 Tsp. Baking Powder
• 1 Tsp. Salt
• 6 Tbs Tablespoons of Milk (any variety) or Water.
• 1/4- 1/2 cup granulated sugar  (see notes below to make refined or 100% sugar free)

Peanut Butter Frosting

• 3 Tablespoons Peanut Butter
• 4 Tablespoons Butter (Use Earth Balance for Dairy Free)
• Up to 1/2 cup of powdered sugar (see notes below to make refined or 100% sugar free)
• 1/8- 1/4 tsp salt (to taste)
• 4 slices of bacon cooked till crispy and chopped.

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a small square baking pan with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of a mixer or by hand combine all of the blondie ingredients.  (Note: depending on the variety of sugar that you choose you can use between 1/3 and 1/2 cup. If using cane sugar, or truvia baking blend you will probably need only 1/4 cup- if using coconut palm sugar, sucanat or another lesser sweet variety use up to 1/2 cup. Note that the blondies will taste slightly less sweet once baked than their dough tastes.)
3. Press the dough evenly into the lined baking sheet. Stick a spatula in some milk or water and use this to press the dough into the pan- as otherwise it may stick.  The dough should be thick and sticky..almost like thick peanut butter.
4. Bake 32-34 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.
5. Make the frosting: Using a hand mixer combine the peanut butter, butter and powdered sugar. Sprinkle in salt to taste.
6. Pipe or spoon the frosting over the cooled blondies. Top with crumbled bacon.  (If your frosting gets thin- stick it back in the fridge and it will firm up.)

If you added the bacon store these blondies in sealed container in the  fridge or in the freezer.

Recipe Notes & Substitutions

• Instead of blanched almond flour feel free to use another homemade nut or seed flour. Sunflower seed flour reacts to baking soda and powder and turns green if you surpass a certain amount of baking powder per cup of flour. (I don’t know what this exact amount is and will be toying with this in the future.) This is something to be aware of if you try using homemade sunflower seed flour,  If your not a risk taker- then try using less baking powder in the recipe than I have called for. For the best results use a mild tasting nut or seed flour.
• To make your own Nut or Seed flour: simply run the nut or seed in a high powdered blender or coffee grinder until you have a super fine flour. (If the flour is course- the recipe might not work as well.)
• Coconut flour or any of the starchy grain based flours will NOT work in this recipe. Only use other Nut/Seed flours.
• The granulated sugar can be ANY of the following varieties: Organic Cane Sugar or regular cane Sugar, Sucanat, Coconut Palm Sugar or Granulated Maple Sugar. To make this recipe SUGAR FREE use xylitol or erythritol. I have become a huge fan of the Truvia Baking Blend made out of erythritol and is available at most grocery stores.
• For the Peanut Butter I used Trader Joes Unsweetened- its super thin and creamy. If you use another peanut butter  that is thicker you may need to add a little extra water to the blondie batter. Your batter should end up the consistency of thick peanut butter- so feel free to add an extra TBS of water (or milk) or so if needed to get that thickness.  (add a little at a time, a little will go a long way). If you want to avoid peanuts another nut or seed butter will work. Follow the same guidelines and add a little extra water (or milk) if needed.
• For the Powdered Sugar you can use regular powdered sugar or make your own by throwing any granulated sugar of choice into a coffee grinder or high powered blender. Process until it becomes really powdery. (If it remains at all gritty you will taste this texture in the frosting.) To make this recipe 100% sugar free I powdered the truvia baking blend. You could also this with xylitol or erithritol.  For a low glycemic option try using coconut palm sugar.

-Brittany-

I consider myself a very  strong person. In the past 7 years I have had to pull myself through many difficult situations.. one of the most difficult being this hashimoto’s disease and all the compounding issues that come with it.

I have a gift at being able to find a smile, a real authentic smile despite hard times trying to bring me down. I’m not sure why- but there’s always just been this infectious candle of joy that lives deep within me that no difficult time has ever been able to completely shadow. This boundless optimism is literally what has gotten me through the tough days..like today.

As many of you know- roughly 5 months ago after 3 years of battling up hill I put my hashimotos disease into remission. It was a long, sometimes awful journey- but I made it. In addition my adrenal fatigue was fabulously under control and my candida issues barely a concern. I have been able to rapidly add new foods back into my diet with happy results. I was on cloud 9 and felt positively unstoppable.

I thought I was 100% better or extremely close to it.  At the end of January I joined a gym. 3 years prior I had to give up kickboxing because I became simply too sick to keep up with the classes.  At first working out felt amazing. I called my husband in sheer joy announcing this would be the year that I would once again be able to put on a swimsuit and not look and feel like an untoned sickly looking galoof.

And then..after 2 weeks I entered a terrifying state of hyperthyroidism.. and I have been an absolute mess since.  My adrenals are once again shot and acting in extreme ways.  From utter exhaustion to feeling so high I can barely see. From sleeping nonstop to insomnia.

I am so disappointed. Today I cannot fight the tears.. and I’m realizing that its ok to cry. Its ok to mourn the setbacks. Sometimes you have to cry a little (or a lot) before you can find hope again and step back up to the battle for your health.

Ricotta cheese is my favorite. Literally, give me a spoon and some fresh ricotta and you’ll see my gleaming from one end of the world to another.  Back before getting sick I made huge batches of fresh ricotta once a week. I made gnocchi and an incredible nutmeg and cinnamon ricotta pie. When I got sick- I lost ricotta and it felt tradgic.

Today I wiped my tears and I made ricotta- ricotta that I can eat. Ricotta that is giving me back someone that I felt was taken unfairly. Today I had my first bite of ricotta in 3 years.

Today I am replacing my tears of sadness with tears of joy. This ricotta is good and I am thankful.

Thankful for the improved health that I have gained, thankful for my improved health to come, thankful for my will to fight forward, and thankful for this cheese. This cheese that I can eat.

Everything is going to be ok.

Homemade Goats Milk Ricotta Cheese

4 cups of goats milk.

1 Teaspoon of  Salt

4 Teaspoons Lemon Juice.

1. In a sauce pan combine the 4 cups of goats milk and salt. Over medium high heat slowly warm it up sirring every so often. Just before it comes to a boil turn off the heat and pour in the lemon juice. (NOTE: It is VERY important that the milk does not boil as this will affect the texture of the cheese negatively. Watch your milk carefully and shut off the heat the second you see it starting to ever so gently bubble.) 
2. Stir the lemon juice into the milk and let the pot sit for 10 minutes- during this time it will curdle. (If if does not curdle then your milk was not quite warm enough).
3. Drape a piece of square cheesecloth over a colander. After the ten minutes pour the hot curdled milk mixture into the cheesecloth. Carefully lift up the edges and fasten them tight using a rubber band or piece of string. Hang the cheese allowing it to drip for 1 hour.  (I do this by attaching it to my sink nozzle and letting it hang in the sink. This keeps the mess to a minimum.
4. After the hour untie your cheesecloth and store the cheese in the fridge in a sealed container. If you want the cheese even thicker- feel free to let it hang and drip excess liquid longer.

-Brittany-

As I sit here and write this post I’m tormented by the fact that my husband finished off all of this pizza last night when he stayed up late to do some work. You see this pizza is really, really, really, really, really good. And that may be an understatement. I woke up craving it (ok lets be real..I dreamt about it all last night as well). So it seems as though I will be making a new pizza for breakfast.

7 years ago in our early years of dating I would drive home to Rochester on the weekends from college to see Rich. Our favorite thing in the world to do was to have a movie night (or if it was up to him we would watch the Bears or Duke). We always ordered a large domino’s thin crust pizza (sometimes two!) and ate every morsel. As my memory serves that crust was perfectly crisp and flaky. Did we ever love it. While I believe all things can be re-created gluten free with effort- I honestly never imagined I would be able to recreate that crust GRAIN FREE!!

The recipe I’m sharing with you today is truly special. The flavor and texture is to die for..and its easy to make. If you have never tried one of my recipes before you need to try this one. It will knock your socks off.. The best part is that its not heavy! You can eat a lot without feeling like you swallowed a brick.

I LOVE my grain free thick crust pizza, and I dig the cauliflower crust recipe as well but this one.. well..there’s no question. Its my FAVORITE. Not only that but its the best crust I have ever had, in my life. Period.

This recipe yields 2 crusts. Trust me- make the full recipe. You will thank me.

Best Ever Crispy & Flaky Gluten Free Thin Crust Pizza

• 3 packed cups of blanched almond flour (see substitution notes below)
• 7 Tbsp of Starch (Potato, Tapioca or Arrowroot)
• 2 Tsp. Baking Powder (I use double acting)
• 1/4 Tsp. Salt
• 2/3 Cup of Flax Meal (I used golden flax seeds to make my meal)
• 1 cup of warm water
• 1 Tbs of Oil or Melted Butter. (dairy or nondairy)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer mix together the Almond Flour, Starch, Baking Powder and Salt. In a smaller separate bowl combine the flax meal, warm water and oil. Whisk together until it thickens.
3. Add the thickened flax mixture to the stand mixer bowl and mix until well combined (note: this can also be done by hand- just make sure to mix it really well!)
4. Divide the dough in half and line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
5. Place the first half of dough on the cookie sheet and roll it out really thin – add additional oil as needed to keep the dough from sticking. (You can also roll it out between two sheets of parchment paper) . The dough should end up no more than 1/16th inch thick. (I made a 12 inch by 16 inch rectangle sized pizza).
6. Repeat with second crust in the other lined cookie tray.
7. Place into oven and par- bake each crust 22-24 minutes until the edges are golden and the crust is cooked through. (If you want to bake them at the same time you can- you might just need to increase your baking time by a few minutes and I would alternate the trays and place them on the opposite racks halfway through the cooking time.)
8. Remove from oven and top with ingredients of choice. Then bump the oven heat up to 400 degrees and bake an additional 15 minutes (give or take) until your cheese has melted and the edges are extra crispy and a dark golden color. (Note: If using real cheese feel free to turn on the broiler at this point to speed up the process and to get some nice color to your crust. If using a fake cheese such as Daiya DO NOT turn the broiler on as it will almost instantly burn. Allow the fake cheese to melt slowly with the 400 degree oven setting.)

Feel free to par bake and then freeze these crust’s for future use. If doing so- allow the crust to cool completely before wrapping it up and freezing.

Try this crust with my Pesto Pizza Topping or Buffalo Chicken Topping.

Pictured in these photos is my buffalo chicken topping using a white cheddar instead of orange + some chives.

Substitutions

• Instead of blanched almond flour feel free to use another homemade nut or seed flour. Sunflower seed flour reacts to baking soda and powder and turns green if you surpass a certain amount of baking powder per cup of flour. (I don’t know what this exact amount is and will be toying with this in the future.) This is something to be aware of if you try using homemade sunflower seed flour. For the best results use a mild tasting nut or seed flour.
• To make your own Nut or Seed flour: simplyrun the nut or seed in a high powdered blender or coffee grinder until you have a super fine flour. (If the flour is course- the recipe might not work as well.)
• Coconut flour or any of the starchy grain based flours will NOT work in this recipe. Only use other Nut/Seed flours.
• To make this recipe corn free use a corn free baking powder (such as Hain) and if butter is a problem opt for olive oil or coconut oil instead of earth balance in the crust.
• PLEASE follow these guidelines if you would like the recipe to work! Making other changes will give you different results. Experiment at your own risk.

-Brittany-

Ever had Buffalo Chicken Wings? Being a upstate New Yorker its something I see on many restaurant menus. I live about an hour from Buffalo where the recipe originated.

My husband is a huge fan of Franks Red Hot. Just like the commercials..he puts that Sh*t on everything. I never really liked it.. until I mixed it with butter. YUM!!  And guess what.. that’s all Buffalo Wing sauce is.. Red Hot + Butter. Which makes this pizza crazy simple to make.

Many people like to dip their wings in Blue Cheese Dressing or Ranch Dressing. You couldn’t get me to come near blue cheese with a ten foot pole.. but ranch I once loved. I’ll be working on a creamy dairy free ranch dressing in the near future and posting it here.

I created a NEW pizza crust too (Its pictured above!) .. this new one is EXTRA Crispy. I’ll be sharing that portion of the recipe tomorrow.

For today you can pick from my other already posted (and super delicious) grain free crust recipes:

1. Revamped & better than ever Cauliflower Pizza Crust. (Grain/Gluten/Egg/Dairy/Soy Free)

2. Grain Free Thick Crust Pizza (Gluten/Dairy/Soy Free with directions to make Egg Free.)

Buffalo Chicken Pizza Topping:

• 1 lb of chopped chicken breast or thighs cooked in butter or oil. 
• 3 1/2 Tbsp Butter (Regular Butter OR Earth Balance, Goat’s Butter or Ghee.)
• 1 – 1 1/2 Tbsp of Franks Hot Sauce (adjust amount pending how “hot” you want your sauce. taste as you mix).
• 1/8- 1/4  Tsp of Xanthan or Guar Gum.  (adjust amount pending how thick you want your sauce)
• Cheddar Cheese (We used Raw Sharp Cheddar from Trader Joes. Daiya Cheese may be used instead for Dairy Free).

1. Par-bake your pizza crust.  Meanwhile chop and cook your chicken in a little butter or oil in a saucepan until it has cooked through.
2. Mix your sauce: In a small bowl whisk together the Butter, Franks and Xanthan (or guar gum).  The xanthan is acting as a thickener here so that the sauce is not quite so “watery”.  If you do not want to use the xanthan it can be left out or your could heat the sauce in a skillet with a little tiny bit or starch and whisk until thick (Potato, Arrowroot or Tapioca. If I were to do this I would probably use roughly 1/4- 1/2 tsp of starch).
3. Once sauce is ready mix it with your chicken and  evenly spoon the chicken and sauce over your par-baked crust. Cover with several cups of cheddar cheese.
4. Place pizza back in oven (following the temperature directions provided in the crust recipe) and bake until the cheese has melted. *Note: If using real cheese the broiler comes in handy to speed up the melting process. If using Daiya DO NOT use the broiler as the cheese will burn- its best to let it slowly melt with the regular oven setting.

For those of you with a severe corn allergy please take the following info into considerdation- Franks was contacted and provided the following info: The vinegar in Frank’s® RedHot® Sauces is derived from the acetic fermentation of distilled ethyl alcohol. The alcohol used is fermented from natural grains including corn, wheat and sugar. The alcohol is tripled distilled to remove all protein.

-Brittany- 

• Ps. If you have a corn allergy please do a little research on franks before you consume. I do not have an allergy myself and do ok with small amounts of grains in products (like for instance some baking powder brands contain cornstarch) . Just please, don’t feed me a bowl of rice.
• Also- I wanted to mention that other brands of hot sauce should taste great too! We just happen to always have Franks in house!

 I thought of the idea to make these blondies last night at midnight.. and by 7am I had the perfect pan hot out of the oven.

(Yes, I do usually sleep- but this past week I became hyperthyroid after adding exercise to my routine for the first time in three years. Little did I know working out can increase your t3 and t4 levels! Needless to say I’ve had some insomnia and been taking advantage by baking during the night.  Its all about the silver lining!)

I wish I had thought to make these blondies a LONG time ago. They are delicious and easy- and I can eat them even despite my laundry list of food intolerances.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Blondies.

• 2 packed cups of blanched almond flour (see substitution notes below)
• 3/4 cups of peanut butter (see substitution notes below)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (see substitution notes below)
• 3/4 Tsp. Salt
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract 
• 1 Tsp. Baking Powder
• 10 Tablespoons of Water or Milk (dairy or nondairy)
• 1-2 bars of  dairy free chocolate. (see substitution notes below)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a square baking pan with parchment paper.
2. In a the bowl of a stand mixer mix all of the ingredients until smooth.
3. Chop bars of chocolate and stir in the chunks into the blondie batter. (It should end up the consistency of thick peanut butter).
4. Bake for 30-33 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool before slicing.

Baking Notes & Substitutions

• Instead of blanched almond flour feel free to use another homemade nut or seed flour. Sunflower seed flour reacts to baking soda and powder and turns green if you surpass a certain amount of baking powder per cup of flour. (I don’t know what this exact amount is and will be toying with this in the future.) This is something to be aware of if you try using homemade sunflower seed flour,  If your not a risk taker- then try using less baking powder in the recipe than I have called for. For the best results use a mild tasting nut or seed flour.
• To make your own Nut or Seed flour: simply run the nut or seed in a high powdered blender or coffee grinder until you have a super fine flour. (If the flour is course- the recipe might not work as well.) If you flour is course, then be aware that your cookies are going to spread more and not turn out as good.
• Coconut flour or any of the starchy grain based flours will NOT work in this recipe. Only use other Nut/Seed flours.
• The granulated sugar can be ANY of the following varieties: Organic Cane Sugar or regular cane Sugar, Sucanat, Coconut Palm Sugar or Granulated Maple Sugar. To make this recipe SUGAR FREE use xylitol or erythritol. I have become a huge fan of the Truvia Baking Blend made out of erythritol and is available at most grocery stores. It works spectacular in all of my cookie recipes.
• For the Peanut Butter I used Trader Joes Unsweetened- its super thin and creamy. If you use another peanut butter  that is thicker you may need to add a little extra water. Your batter should end up the consistency of thick peanut butter- so feel free to add an extra TBS of water (or milk) or so if needed to get that thickness.  (add a little at a time, a little will go a long way). If you want to avoid peanuts another nut or seed butter will work. Follow the same guidelines and add a little extra water (or milk) if needed.
• For the Chocolate: I used a bar of Simply Light sugar free/ dairy free  dark chocolate. It can be found at Trader Joe’s or Whole foods. Any bar of chocolate can be used in this recipe.. additionally you can always just use allergen free chocolate chips or chunks from Enjoy Life.
• PLEASE follow these guidelines if you would like the recipe to work! Making other changes will give you different results. Experiment at your own risk.

-Brittany-

How stinking cute are these cookies? Not only are they pretty buy they taste amazing. I was thrilled when my valentine came home last night and ate them all!

All you do is make shortbread cookies and then put a layer of jam in between. If you want to make your life really easy buy a linzer cookie cutter.

Since I like to keep the glycemic index in my recipes really low I’m sharing today a simple cranberry jam recipe that can be made from scratch in about two minutes.

• Step 1: Make the Cookies. Use one of my 2 Sugar Free Shortbread Cookie Recipes. Both are Gluten/Grain/Egg/Dairy Free with a Paleo option. Cut half of the cookies with a circular shape and cut the other half with a heart (or another shape) cut out of the center.
• Step 2: (optional) take the tops of each cookie and dip them in powdered sugar. (To make your own powdered sugar simply wiz any granulated sugar of choice in a food processor or coffee grinder until powdered.) To make sugar free powder xylitol or erithritol.
• Step 3: Once the cookies have cooled place 1 tsp of jam between each set of cookies. Recipe yields roughly 1 dozen

Sugar Free Cranberry Jam

• 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1 Tsp. Lemon Juice
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup granulated sugar . (To make sugar free I use erithritol or xylitol.)

Combine ingredients in a sauce pan over medium heat. Once cranberries have burst open use a potato masher and crust them until you end up with a thick jam.

-Brittany-

Shortbread cookies are always a favorite! I already have a shortbread recipe posted that I use to make my Grain Free Samoa Cookies.. But I wanted to find a way to come up with a 1oo% sugar free recipe. Below I will be sharing BOTH recipes- so please take your pick and use whichever works best for your dietary needs! Both are delicious.

Recipe #1 uses a maple flavored sugar free syrup. I buy Joseph’s All Natural Maple Flavor Syrup.

Recipe #2 instead calls for granulated sugar- which can be a variety of different kinds. (see more info on this below)

Sugar Free Shortbread (Recipe #1)

• 2 packed cups blanched almond flour.
• 4 Tbs Room Temp. Butter (Earth Balance, Goat Butter, Ghee or Shortening) *Coconut oil may work too- I have not tested this yet.
• 4 Tbs Joseph’s All Natural Maple Flavor Syrup. (or other brand of sugar free maple syrup of choice) See substitutions notes below.
• Optional: 1-2 packets of Nunatural Stevia (each packet is 1 gram each).
• 1 Tsp. Vanilla
• 1/4 Tsp. Baking Powder (or baking soda)
• pinch of salt

1. In a food processor combine all ingredients. (Only add the extra packets of stevia if you want your cookie sweeter. Please note that the cookie dough will lose some sweetness while its baking).
2. Place your dough into plastic wrap and place in the freezer. (Note: This dough will be very sticky and oily) You have two options. A) If you want to roll your cookies out and use cookie cutters then chill the dough for 30 minutes. OR B) Roll the dough into log then place in the plastic wrap to do a slice and bake style cookie instead. For the slice and bake chill the dough for 60 minutes or longer.
3. Towards the end of doughs time in the freezer- preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. Once the dough has chilled A) roll out dough two sheets of parchment or two pieces of plastic wrap 1/8 inch thick. (This is important if you dough is not thin, the cookies will not be as crisp!). Cut out cookies and place on un-greased cookie sheet. or B) Slice dough into 1/8 inch rounds and place on un-greased baking sheet.
5. Bake cookies 16-18 minutes until they are golden brown on the edges.

Yields roughly 2 dozen 2 inch wide cookies.

Substitution notes for recipe #1

• Instead of blanched almond flour feel free to use another homemade nut or seed flour.
• To make your own Nut or Seed flour: simply run the nut or seed in a high powdered blender or coffee grinder until you have a super fine flour. (If the flour is course- the recipe might not work as well.) If you flour is course, then be aware that your cookies are not going to turn out as good.
• Coconut flour or any of the starchy grain based flours will NOT work in this recipe. Only use other Nut/Seed flours.
• While I have not tested using other liquid sugars (such as Honey, Agave, Maple Syrup & Coconut Nectar) I do think they will probably work well. However- I do know that using them will require a much shorter cooking time as real sugar burns faster. Therefore I would recommend dropping your oven temp to 325 degrees and to keep a close watch on the cookies- the moment the edges are golden they usually need to come out of the oven.  If you experiment with these sugars please leave a comment to share your results with others.
• Using the various fats will also result in different cooking times (I noticed for example that using goat butter the cooking time was shorter than when I used earth balance). Keep a close eye on your cookies and remove them when the edges become golden!

Shortbread Recipe #2

• 2 packed cups Blanched Almond Flour
• 1 Tbs Tapioca, Arrowroot or Potato Starch
• 3 Tbs Butter, Ghee, Earth Balance or Coconut Oil
• 1/3 Cup Granulated Sugar *prepared (powdered) sugar. (see note below)
• 1/8 Tsp Salt
• 1/4 Tsp. Baking Soda
• 1 Tbs Vanilla Extract or Water
• 1 Tbs Applesauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the shortbread crust. In a food processor (or by hand) combine all of the crust ingredients. The dough should hold together. Roll the dough out between 2 sheets of parchment paper to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into rings or circles (see note above) Cut out the dough soon after you make it, as it sits out it will begin to feel oily and it won’t hold together quite as well.
2. Carefully place the cut-out cookies on a parchment covered baking sheet and bake 10-12 minutes. Keep a careful watch on them the last few minutes to avoid burning. (note: cookies will come out soft and somewhat chewy- they will gain their shortbread texture as they cool!)

Substitution Notes for recipe #2

• Feel free to use a variety of granulated sugars for this recipe. Coconut Palm Sugar, Sucanat, Organic Cane Sugar- the key is that is must be GRANULATED. Note: xylitol , erythritol, truvia or any other sugar alcohol based product will not work in this recipe. Use recipe #1 instead.
• Preparing your sugar is important. If you select a grainy sugar (like Sucanat or Palm) I really recommend you take the time to run it through a coffee grinder or blender to powder it before using it in the crust. It just works so much better that way. This extra step is not needed if you are using Cane Sugar. Just Sucanat or Palm I have found to be extra course. None of this extra powdering treatment is needed for the caramel as its all going to melt anyways.
• Instead of blanched almond flour feel free to use another homemade nut or seed flour.
• To make your own Nut or Seed flour: simplyrun the nut or seed in a high powdered blender or coffee grinder until you have a super fine flour. (If the flour is course- the recipe might not work as well.) If you flour is course, then be aware that your cookies are going to spread more and not turn out as good.
• Coconut flour or any of the starchy grain based flours will NOT work in this recipe. Only use other Nut/Seed flours.

-Brittany-

The flu is not fun..for ANYONE autoimmune or not. But when you do have an autoimmune disease your immune system may deal with fighting off  a bacterial or viral infection different than the average joe.

Please keep in mind that we are all different and the ways our bodies react will vary from person to person. 

Like nearly everyone else that I know, I got a lovely bout of the flu this past month. When all the sudden my Hashimotos disease came out of remission and all my old symptoms that I thought were a thing of the past came raging back..you could say I had a bit of a meltdown.  I never got the full on flu symptoms- I didn’t get feverish and my nose did not turn into a faucet. Instead I got faint flu symptoms + a really really bad Hashimoto flare up.

I take my health very seriously, and have learned to read my body like a book. Each time I get a negative symptom I can usually trace is back to the cause- be it a stressful day, a meal I ate etc. When out of nowhere this flare up came at me,  I panicked. What was wrong with me? Did I need to get my thyroid levels checked? Had I developed a new health issue? That feeling of not understanding why you are sick can be debilitating. It has a way of quickly taking over my every thought.

I spoke to several doctors and each one confirmed that when you are autoimmune the flu very well may result in a flare up. That is just how our bodies often deal with infection. Our poor confused immune systems feel the need to attack us rather than just the virus. Which can also result in a prolonged period to overcome the virus.

Whatever your bodies weakness, it may default to those symptoms if you catch the flu. In my case since I have hypothyroidism/hashimotos disease my body defaulted to adrenal fatigue/ metabolic syndrome/ a worsening of my candida infection.

So- the question is how do we cope if this happens?

Answer: Reduce as much inflammation as possible to decrease the pain. The following things are extremely effective in helping me do so:

• Fish oil : will quickly quench a nasty case of inflammation.  I take a few capsules each time I feel an attack coming on.
• Make sure your vitamin D levels are perfect- when they get low you will become proned to an increase in inflammation.
• Green Juice: When I’m at my sickest I drink up to 8 cups in one day. A lot..I know. But it really helps. Cucumbers especially quench inflammation. The juice will also help to detox you- which is super important. When autoimmune our bodies tend to freak out if there is a build up of too many toxins. The green juice helps to flush them out.
• Take your vitamins! Your body needs every big of support it can get.
• Take extra probiotics! This will help to prevent sinus infections.
• Decrease sugar & carb intake- this helps to keep my blood sugar issues at bay.
• If like me you are proned to blood sugar issues eat small meals every 2-3 hours. When your blood sugar starts swinging you will end up with an autoimmune attack. Keep your levels balanced as much as possible.
• Slow down and rest! Just do it- your body is begging you to do so!
• If you are battling sinus or cold symptoms avoid dairy, sugar and soy. These three foods support mucus formation.
• Eat tons of onions and turmeric.  I sometimes cook them together and eat them straight- together they act as a inflammation fighting team.
• Take Tylenol- but not in excess. I reserve it for the times when I feel crummy but need to be out in public and don’t want to feel like total crap around other people.
• Take Colloidal Silver. Colloidal will support your immune system as well as help to battle off bacteria and fungal infections.
• Eat and drink ginger to reduce inflammation. I like to boil it with some lemon juice, water and stevia to make a delicious comforting drink.
• Follow a gluten free diet. You hopefully are already doing this as gluten can negatively affect pretty much any autoimmune disease. Make sure to also avoid any other problem food that you are sensitive to or allergic to.
• Acupuncture is worth trying if you have never had it done before.  It can make a world of a difference in balancing out adrenals and blood sugar. Look for a community acupuncture center in your area- they typically only cost between $15-$35 per visit.

Remember, that once the flu passes so should the flare up!

Be good to yourselves, and know that what you are going through is normal.

Xx

-Brittany-

Ps. You may also find these additional posts helpful

• How I kicked my Autoimmune Disease into Remission.
• I put together a list of recommended doctors. Some I have worked with-others came from reader recommendation. Take a peak at the list- and please leave a comment on that page if you have a physician that has helped you in a big way!
• If you want to learn more about the Ins and outs of Hashimoto’s disease listen to this podcast.
• Here are my tips for overcoming candida
• I have HUNDREDS of recipes that are free of common allergens. Use them  and enjoy while you work your way through this healing process.
• Here is my recipe for green juice.

Crisp, crunchy and perfect for dipping in marinara sauce, soups and stews these Sesame Seed Breadsticks are fun to make and taste amazing.

Have fun with this recipe! I used black sesame seeds since that was all I had on hand- but of course golden will work. Additionally feel free to leave them out all together and add other spices of your choice to the dough. Once baked these breadsticks are nice and sturdy and will travel well. They would make a great snack for days you are on the go.

Sesame Seed Breadsticks

• 2 packed cups of blanched almond flour (see substitution notes below)
• 1/2 cup Starch (Potato or Tapioca).
• 3 Tbs Whole Psyllium Husk
• 1 Tsp. Baking Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Salt 
• 11-12 Tablespoons of Water 
• Sesame Seeds (black or golden) to roll breadsticks in.

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixture or food processor combine the Blanched Almond Flour, Starch Baking Powder and Salt. In a separate small bowl combine 8 tbs of water + the psyllium. Mix briefly until it starts to thicken. Add to your bowl. Begin mixing to create a dough- pour in the remaining 4-5 tablespoons of water.  Mix until you end up with a dough that holds really well together. (I like to knead the dough with my hands for a moment to make sure its really holding together).  *Start with the 11 tablespoons of water- add the last one if you feel your dough is still too dry and  is not sticking together. 
   
3. Press the mound of dough (using your hands or a rolling pin) into a 10 inch long by 4-5 inches wide rectangle. Make this rectangle about 1/2 inch thick.  Then using a sharp knife cut the dough into 1/2 inch wide lengthwise breadstick pieces.
4. Take each piece, gently press in the edges (to make it a round breadstick vs. a squared shape one) and  gently roll each piece back and fourth using both of your hands in sesame seeds on a flat surface. (I like to do this in rimmed cookie sheet).  If the dough breaks at all- just piece it back together. (NOTE: the longer this dough sits out the drier it will become. It functions best if you make the breadsticks right away- if your dough does happen to start to dry out- feel free to add a tiny bit more water.)
5. Place each breadstick carefully onto a clean baking sheet and place into the oven. Bake roughly 1 hour. Halfway through your baking time drizzle or gently brush a little oil onto all of the breadsticks. (careful not to do this too liberally or you may knock off a bunch of your sesame seeds)
6. You will know your breadsticks are done when they are crisp all the way through. How much water you used and how large you made each piece will affect how long the baking time needs to be.  They can be left in the oven for almost up to 2 hours.. so don’t fret if you need more than the 60 minutes. Just remove them from the oven when they are crisp. As a general rule- the smaller breadsticks take less time to bake.

Store in a bag or container at room temperature.

Recipe Notes and Substitutions

• Instead of blanched almond flour feel free to use another homemade nut or seed flour. Sunflower seed flour reacts to baking soda and powder and turns green if you surpass a certain amount of baking powder per cup of flour. (I don’t know what this exact amount is and will be toying with this in the future.) This is something to be aware of if you try using homemade sunflower seed flour,  If your not a risk taker- then try using less baking powder in the recipe than I have called for. For the best results use a mild tasting nut or seed flour.
  
• To make your own Nut or Seed flour: simply run the nut or seed in a high powdered blender or coffee grinder until you have a super fine flour. (If the flour is course- the recipe might not work as well.) If you flour is course, then be aware that your cookies are going to spread more and not turn out as good.
• Coconut flour or any of the starchy grain based flours will NOT work in this recipe. Only use other Nut/Seed flours.
• Whole Psyllium Husk is a fiber supplement that can be found at most grocery  and drug stores. Make sure to look for “Whole Psyllium Husk” and not powder. The powder behaves different in recipes. The psyllium acts as the sticky glue that helps to hold this dough together. It also plays a big role in giving them their delicious finished flavor and texture. I do not have any suggestions for removing it- please as always feel free to experiment and leave us a comment so others can learn what you did.
• PLEASE follow these guidelines if you would like the recipe to work! Making other changes will give you different results. Experiment at your own risk.

-Brittany-

Sometimes I like to just have fun when creating recipes. (OK- not sometimes, always) But not always do I allow myself to go off the beaten path too far. I have come to realize that you guys love your classic recipes..so I try to keep those as the bulk of my focus.

These cookies are quite fun, and taste really good! They are crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.  I think they might even be healthy enough for breakfast. They reminded me SO much of Buttery Blueberry Pancakes in flavor.  I think you might agree.

This recipe is a spin off from my popular Maple Bacon Chocolate Chunk Cookies. You might want to try those too.

Buttery Blueberry Pancake Cookies

• 2 packed Cups Blanched Almond Flour (see substitution notes below)
• 1 Tsp. Baking Powder
• 1/4 Tsp. Salt
• 3 Tbs  room temp. Butter (Earth Balance, Ghee, Shortening or Coconut oil.) *for best flavor use butter, earth balance or ghee.
• 1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 3 Tbs Maple Syrup (see substitution notes below)
• 1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar (see substitution notes below)
• 1/2- 3/4 cup Freeze Dried Blueberries. (dried blueberries will also work too!) OR 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries. 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or by hand) mix the Almond Flour, Baking Powder, Salt, Butter, Maple Syrup and sugar. Stir in freeze dried blueberries last.
3. Form dough into 8-10 round cookies that are 2-3 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick. (they will not spread much in the oven) Place on cookie sheet.
4. Bake 13-15 minutes. (Note: When using xylitol or erythritol you will need the full 15 minutes to bake. If using another sugar your baking time will be less. Remove them from the oven as soon as you notice just the slightest bit of golden color on their bottom edges).  As with all cookies the longer you bake them the harder they will end up. These cookies may seem under baked when you first remove them, but will become the perfect texture as they cool.
5. Remove from oven and allow to cool before eating. Store in a sealed bag at room temperature or in the fridge or freezer.

Substitution Notes

• Instead of blanched almond flour feel free to use another homemade nut or seed flour. Sunflower seed flour reacts to baking soda and powder and turns green if you surpass a certain amount of baking powder per cup of flour. (I don’t know what this exact amount is and will be toying with this in the future.) This is something to be aware of if you try using homemade sunflower seed flour,  If your not a risk taker- then try using less baking powder in the recipe than I have called for. For the best results use a mild tasting nut or seed flour.
• To make your own Nut or Seed flour: simply run the nut or seed in a high powdered blender or coffee grinder until you have a super fine flour. (If the flour is course- the recipe might not work as well.) If you flour is course, then be aware that your cookies are going to spread more and not turn out as good.
• Coconut flour or any of the starchy grain based flours will NOT work in this recipe. Only use other Nut/Seed flours.
• The granulated sugar can be ANY of the following varieties: Organic Cane Sugar or regular cane Sugar, Sucanat, Coconut Palm Sugar or Granulated Maple Sugar. To make this recipe SUGAR FREE use xylitol or erythritol. I have become a huge fan of the Truvia Baking Blend made out of erythritol and is available at most grocery stores. It works spectacular in all of my cookie recipes
•  If you need to further reduce the sugar you can exchange regular maple syrup for  100% sugar free use  Joseph’s All Natural Maple Flavor Syrup. Also feel free to Agave or Coconut Nectar in a pinch- though the flavor will not be as good.
• PLEASE follow these guidelines if you would like the recipe to work! Making other changes will give you different results. Experiment at your own risk.

-Brittany-

So lets be real. The cauliflower pizza crust that has been trending like crazy.. is gross. OK, so its edible and it has the flavor of pizza..but its texture? blah. It tastes like soggy cheese. I made it today and I even tried all the fancy tricks like straining all of the liquid from the cauliflower in a cheesecloth. Still just blah.  We can do better.

So, today I set out to find a new way to make pizza- still using cauliflower.

If you have been a friend and reader of Real Sustenance you know that I already have a thick crust grain free pizza recipe that gets rave reviews. If thick crust if your thing.. you MUST try that recipe. That recipe calls for eggs but you will see in the notes there are some directions to remove them. Here’s a picture to entice you.

So, back to THIS recipe. Today I set out to create something a little lower in starch than my thick crust and already egg free so that many of you would not have to mess around with trying to remove them yourself. By introducing the cauliflower into the recipe I was also able to decrease the amount of almond flour. Making this recipe cheaper to make- that’s always a perk right? Plus its kind of thrilling knowing that there are vegetable hidden in you pizza dough. The flavor of this crust reminds me of the whole wheat pizza that I grew up on.

Better than Ever Cauliflower Pizza Crust

• 1  cup of cooked cauliflower “rice”. (see directions below)
• 2 packed cups of blanched almond flour (see substitution notes below)
• 6 1/2  Tbs starch (Potato Starch, Tapioca or Arrowroot)
• 3 Tbs Whole Psyllium Husk OR Flax Meal (crust will be crispier using flax)
• 1 Tsp. Baking Powder
• 3/4 Tsp. Salt
• 1 1/2 Tsp. Garlic Powder
• 1-2 Tsp. Basil (dried or fresh) optional.
• 1 1/2  Tbs Oil or Melted Butter 

1. Make your cauliflower “rice”. Use roughly 1/2 of a small fresh cauliflower and break it up- and stick it into a food processor and process  until it resembles a very fine rice- or even the size of cous-cous if you are able. Place the cauliflower into a skillet and cook with 1 tsp of oil for roughly 6-7 minutes  and stir until soft.
2. While the “rice” is cooking preheat oven to 375 degrees.
3. Pour the cooked cauliflower rice into a bowl and add the remaining pizza crust ingredients. Stir and then kneed until really well mixed. The dough will be thick, hold together well and may be slightly sticky.
4. Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment, lightly oil your hands and  then place the dough on the parchment and form a 13 inch round ( 1/4- 1/2 inch thick)  pizza crust. (It does not have to be round- nor does it have to be exactly 13 inches wide. Shape it how you want!) If the dough sticks to your hands at any point- add a little bit more oil to them.
5. Place the prepared crust into the oven and bake 22-23 minutes or until the edges start to get slightly golden.  Remove from oven- place on toppings of choice and then bake another 15-18 minutes until your cheese (if using) has melted and the edges of the crust have gained a nice color. The longer you bake- the crispier it will be.

Store in a sealed bag or container in the freezer or fridge.

Recipe Notes and Substitutions (PLEASE READ)

• Instead of blanched almond flour you can try using  another homemade nut or seed flour. If you opt to make sunflower seed flour I recommend using only 1/2 Tsp. of Baking powder to prevent the pizza dough from turning green. (This is a natural reaction that can happen if those two ingredients are combined improperly.) To make your own Nut or Seed flour: simply run the nut or seed of your choice in a high powdered blender or coffee grinder until you have a super fine flour. (If the flour is course- the recipe might not work as well.)
• Coconut flour or any of the starchy grain based flours will NOT work in place of the Almond flour in this recipe (This includes all gluten free flour mixes). Only use other Nut/Seed flours as an almond exchange.
• If you can’t have straight starch you might try using chickpea flour, millet flour, rice flour or sorghum flour as an exchange for the 6 Tbs of starch that I call for. I have not tried doing this yet- but think it may work!
• Don’t go TOO crazy adding a ton of sauce to your pizza. As this crust ages I noticed that it stars to soak up the liquid and lose a bit of its crispness. (I believe this is due to the fact that it contains cauliflower). Use sauce in moderation. 
• PLEASE follow these guidelines if you would like the recipe to work! Making other changes will give you different results. Experiment at your own risk.

 -Brittany-