Tag Archives: grain-free

Peanut Butter, Caramel, Chocolate Bars

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Candy Bar

I love candy bars. I love Snickers Bars. I don’t eat them anymore. But I don’t mind, because I know how to make my own delicious chocolates! I use the chocolate recipe from my cookbook, but you can use melted semi-sweet chocolate. For the caramel, the recipe is also in my cookbook or you can use a different caramel recipe or purchase pre-made caramels. I purchased the chocolate mold at a local craft store- very inexpensive.

Here is a photo in progress to give you a sense of how these are assembled:

Chocolate Bar Recipe
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1/2 cup melted chocolate (approximate amount)
1/3 cup peanut butter (estimate) crunchy, lightly salted, all natural peanut butter
1/4 cup caramel (use the recipe from my cookbook in the Turtle recipe, but cook it for less time so it is looser)
peanuts

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Freeze the chocolate mold.

Pour a bit of chocolate into the mold and place it in the freezer for about 5 minutes to set.

Add about a teaspoon of peanut butter to each section. Press a divot into the peanut butter and fill that with caramel. (More caramel is tasty but messy… I go for maximum caramel personally!)

Place two peanuts on top of each section and place in the freezer for about 10 minutes.

Pour chocolate over everything and once again place it in the freezer to set.

I store these in the refrigerator and try not to eat them all in one day.

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I am sharing this recipe on

Nutty Mushrooms

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This is an adaptation of a recipe from “Mollie Katzen’s Sunlight Cafe”. Her recipe, Nut Crusted Mushrooms, is so clever and delicious, but it contains dairy. So we modified it a bit, but all the credit goes to her for these tasty morsels.

I was trying to decide how to incorporate these into a cute bento, so I sought my husband’s advice. He suggested a canoe. Of course he would think of a canoe; racing canoes is his favorite hobby. Some of you might be thinking, “Canoe racing? Where do you do that?” Well, there a many races and a New England Canoe club set up for people like us! (I race too sometimes.) Here is a photo from a race several years ago. I was actually 8-months-pregant in this photo but I tried to choose the most flattering angle for the blog post.

So, I really just used what I had on hand for the backdrop of the bento. Yellow Rice, a simple recipe in my cookbook- along with grapefruit, pomegranate, pistachios, and sugar snap peas.

My husband suggests preparing a warming tray or the oven on low to store these after they are cooked as they seem to get cold quickly.

Nutty Mushroom Recipe
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2 Port0bello mushrooms
1 egg
1/2 cup almonds
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/8 teaspoon salt
Black pepper
Pinch garlic powder
Olive oil

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Cut the mushroom caps into 1/2 inch slices.
Crack the egg into a shallow bowl and beat it.
Grind the almonds into a consistency of course sand. (Do not try to save time by using almond meal- it is too fine and doesn’t do well in this recipe.) Place the almonds, nutritional yeast, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder in another shallow bowl. (My husband suggests holding back some of the nut mixture as it tends to get clumpy when being dipped.)
Heat a bit of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Dip the mushroom slices in the egg, then in the nut mixture, and place it on the hot pan. Cook on each side until golden then place on a wire rack.

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I am sharing this recipe on And love it too,

Pumpkin Bars

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I have eaten pumpkin pie every thanksgiving for my whole life.  I can’t remember my mother ever making it any other time.  She always made the crust with whole wheat flour, the pie from a whole pumpkin, and sweetened with maple syrup.  When I was a kid I added an equal portion of whipped cream (also homemade) on top of my pie- sometimes more half-way through.  This recipe tastes a lot like pumpkin pie. In fact you could make it in a pie dish and call it pie if you want to!

Pumpkin Bar Recipe
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CRUST
1 cup almond meal/flour
1/2 cup quinoa flakes (found in the breakfast aisle)
3 tablespoons buttery spread
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt

FILLING
1/2 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon arrowroot
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
1/2 cup canned coconut milk (full fat)
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

TOPPING
1 cup chopped pecans

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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper.

Combine all of the crust ingredients together and press into the bottom of the prepared dish. Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes until the crust starts to turn golden.

Whisk together all of the filling ingredients and scoop on top of the pre-baked crust, smoothing the top. Sprinkle the pecans evenly over the top and bake for about 15-17 minutes until the filling has set.

Cool completely before serving.

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I am sharing this recipe on Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Gluten-Free Weekly Meal Plan, Totally Tasty Tuesdays, Whole Food Fridays, Allergy-Free Wednesday

Pumpernickel Bagels (grain-free) and Rescue Bento

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Rescue Bento

I love bagels. I ate 1-2 bagels everyday for years before going gluten-free. I missed their chew texture, delicious varieties, and versatility. I loved them as sandwiches, with cream cheese, as mini pizzas…

Pumpernickel Bagels

I do have Everything Bagels and Raisin Bagels in my cookbook. They are great and quite different from this recipe. But it is always fun to have options, so now I can add this grain-free pumpernickel bagel to the lineup.  Stay tuned as I am sure more bagel recipes are soon to follow.

For the bento, I was having a bit of fun telling a story. I used a paper punch for the face on the Avocado Lady and for the mouth of the Kumquat “Victim”. I baked the bagel in a miniature donuts pan (rather than full sized) and wrapped a chive around it.

My daughter thought it was too worrisome that the kumquat was yet to be rescued, so she placed him on top of the raft. She had quite a bit of fun playing with him.

Rescue Bento

Can these be made as muffins? Probably but I haven’t tried it. Does baking soda work too? Yes but use about 1/4 teaspoon. Can you substitute the eggs? I doubt it, but I feel free to experiment. I learned about baking with almond butter and eggs from Elana’s Pantry, so thank you Elana!

Pumpernickel Bagel Recipe
makes 6 bagels
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3/4 cup roasted almond butter, smooth, unsweetened
3 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons molasses
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
2 teaspoons caraway seeds, toasted

Standard sized donuts baking pan (required)

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Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prepare the donuts pan with oil (6 slots). (I had one batch stick- that was frustrating, so I recommend being thorough here.)

Mix all of the ingredients together in a mixing bowl and then  fill the donut slots about 3/4 of the way.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. Be sure not to overcook or they become dry. They are done when a toothpick comes out clean and they feel firm but still have bounce.

Remove from the pans and set out on a cooling rack.

Enjoy hot out of the oven, toasted, or at room temperature.

This is shared on Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Fat Tuesday, Bento Blog Network, and Allergy Free Wednesdays