Tag Archives: primal

Grain-Free (Nut-Free) Waffles

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grainfreewaffle

I love these. My younger daughter loves them too. But I want to be honest with you; the texture is not the same as a flour based waffle. These are more dense and soft. We like them topped with maple syrup or fruit compote. We made a cherry/cranberry/blueberry compote that paired really well with these. You can also skip the vanilla and cinnamon and use them in a savory way. What you can’t skip is the egg white protein powder. If you try to replace that, the waffles get very “floppy”. If you insist on trying despite my words of caution, then I would increase the coconut flour by about 1-2 teaspoons.

A little bit cute as a burger bun…

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Serves 2-4 depending on what else you are eating.

Grain-Free Waffles Recipe
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3/4 cup mashed sweet potato (or pumpkin)- I prefer Hannah Yams
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vinegar or lemon (to activate baking soda)
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil (or other oil)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 tablespoons coconut flour
cinnamon (to preference, I use about 1/2 teaspoon)
1/4 cup egg white protein powder

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Mix all of the ingredients together, one at a time, in the order they are listed. Cook in your waffle maker.

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I am sharing this recipe on

Dessert “Spaghetti and Meatballs” (Vegan)

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I have been looking at recipes with spiralized vegetable noodles for years, but never took the initiative to buy a spiralizer. Then I started following a relatively new (but very prolific) blog “Inspiralized“. First of all, the name is so cute, and the photos are beautiful. I finally went out and bought one. The first recipe I came up with was this dessert; spaghetti and meatballs.

spag meat

You can make individual servings or a family style serving. If you spiralize the apples in advance I suggest soaking them in lemon water so they don’t brown.

On another note: I spiralized a butternut squash and one piece was about 20 feet long. My kids ate the way toward each other- this is a photo of the last 10 feet when they got full and quit.

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Dessert “Spaghetti and Meatballs” Recipe
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MEATBALLS
(Make more or less depending on how many servings you need. I do 3-4 per person.)

1 cup sunbutter (unsweetened)
2-4 tablespoons creamed honey (liquid honey will be too runny), sweeten to taste
1 cup (estimated amount) macadamia nuts

1 pound frozen strawberries (other red fruits can be substituted)
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup water

1-3 apples (1/2 an apple per person)

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Prepare a tray with parchment paper (and make room in the refrigerator for the tray.)
Combine sunbutter and creamed honey then form a small ball with the mixture. Stuff a macadamia nut inside and roll in your hands until smooth. Repeat and set out on the tray, not touching each other, and chill until serving.

Combine the strawberries, honey, and water in a saucepan and cook on medium-low heat until the strawberries are broken down. Transfer to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Taste for sweetness and add honey if needed. If the sauce is the thickness of marinara sauce then it is done. If it is too loose, return it to the pan and reduce it. Chill the sauce until serving.

Spiralize the apples. (I do thin noodles).

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Assembling the dessert is fairly obvious, and eating it is fairly delicious.

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Grain-Free Travel Cakes

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I really want to participate in a monthly blog sharing called, “Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten-Free“, and the due date for the recipe is tomorrow. I have already write the recipe, tested it, and photographed it. That’s not the problem. The problem is this write-up. I need to crop the photo, type in the recipe and publish it. The issue being, I have a concussion! And I feel… not so great. I bonked my head on my husband’s roof rack when borrowing his car. Not fun. The doctor said I would get better when I got better- today is day 4. I already went to the chiropractor and tomorrow I have craniosacral. A few minutes ago I decided chocolate and sugar would make me feel better so I had some Food for Life chocolate chips. FYI: chocolate chips do not mitigate the symptoms of a concussion (I think we all saw that coming).

Back to the bars… They can be cut with cookie cutters…

travelshape

And baked as cupcakes too…

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So what do they taste like?

Soft and nice like a cake, a bit dense and moist- so they don’t fall apart. Sweet but not really a dessert. I consider them in the snack category rather than a treat, but they aren’t savory.

I realize you might not have egg white protein powder and I really don’t know how to sub for that. I use it a lot in recipes, so if you buy some you will have more opportunities coming up to use it. Rice protein or whey protein may work… or some coconut flour- but none of those ideas have been tested.

So, in my opinion these cakes are delicious and they travel nicely. Here are two variations:

Grain-Free Travel Cakes Recipe
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3/4 cup mashed banana (about 2)- ripe but not too soft
1/2 cup cooked mashed Hannah Yam (white sweet potato, I don’t know how the orange ones would be but most likely fine)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons sunflower butter (unsweetened)
3 tablespoons egg white protein powder- plain, packed (NOW brand is gluten-free)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt

Variation 1: 2 tablespoons of cacao nibs (and/or other nuts and dried fruit)- add to batter at end
Variation 2: zest of 1 lemon and 1/2 cup freeze dried strawberries – ground into dust- stirred into the batter

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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare an 8×8 or 9×9 baking pan- round or square with parchment paper and grease.

Mix everything together- you know, start at the top of the list and work your way down.

Smooth the batter into the baking pan and bake for about 35 minutes. The top will be gold and still have some give when you touch it. I have found some pans – thin metal- bake faster than ceramic or glass. Just check it at 30 minutes and go from there.

Cool the cake completely before cutting and keep refrigerated after that.

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I am sharing this recipe on Go Ahead Honey It’s Gluten-Free,

Cultural Studies: India

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Continuing our weekly study of other cultures our family looked at India this week.

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When I was in college I spent a semester abroad in Sri Lanka. (Which of course is not the same as India but they eat very similar cuisine in Southern India.) One of the dishes that I always enjoyed was rice with raisins and cashews. My host family also ate okra at least once or twice a week. I never liked okra when I was there, but you know they say you need to try a food at least 7 times to acquire a taste for it. Well I can assure you I have tried it well over ten times and as of tonight I can say I still don’t care for it. The fun thing is that my 6-year-old discovered her love of okra tonight! So, for India night we had cauliflower rice with raisins and cashews and okra chickpea (dry) curry and coconut curried chicken. I will share the “rice” recipe with you below.

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(My little one has rosy cheeks from a cold. She refused to taste any of the food. Her refusal to eat dinner is not unusual. We deal with this by banning snacking- she rarely gets a snack- and by feeding her the same food the next day at lunch in a smaller quantity. We have been on this parenting plan for a while and she went from only eating white foods to eating many, many varieties of fruits and vegetables.)

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Cauliflower Rice with Raisins and Cashews- Recipe
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1 teaspoon coconut oil
1/2 onion (about 1 cup), chopped
1/2-1 head cauliflower grated (I use the food processor)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4-1/2 cup raisins (I like yellow raisins and I soak them so they are soft)
1/4-1/2 cup roasted salted cashews, chopped
salt to taste

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Heat the coconut oil in a wok (or well seasoned caste iron pan or non stick) on medium heat. Add the onion and once the onion begins to cook down, add the cauliflower and toss frequently until the cauliflower is cooked but not soft (easiest way to tell is by tasting). Add the remaining ingredients, toss, and serve hot.