alternativista, you're my new hero. The gluten-free life is wearing on me and I was really getting sick of eating the same old things. Any suggestions for quick prep stuff or a brand of bread that doesn't have the texture of dried wallpaper glue? I could *really* use a sandwich...

To buy? No. But to make, you could look into yuca or tapioca flour. Apparently, unlike most other grains besides wheat, yucca makes things light and fluffy. On the latin cooking foodtv.com show Simply Deliciouso, she made a yuca bread and I posted the recipe in one of the gluten free threads. If you've ever been to an Argentinian steak house, you've probably been served yuca bread. I know Fogo de Chao serves it.

There's also a pizza crust or bread stick made out of cauliflower that is supposed to be really good and very easy. You can find these in the pinned Food and Recipe thread.

Could also be a breakfast cookie or energy bar substitute for those into such things.

Oatmeal Nut Butter Cookie Balls or Bars

Ingredients:

2C rolled oats

1 apple (finely diced)

3/4 C raisins

1C nut butter

1/4lb whole pecans

1/2 stick butter

1/2C carob chips (optional)

2 eggs

1C water

1/2 tsp Stevia powder concentrate.

How to Prepare:

Combine rolled oats, eggs, water and butter. Stir in nut butter and then other ingredients except pecans. Form into balls and place on greased cookie sheet. Place a pecan on top of each ball. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

From the Steviashop.com site. http://www.steviashop.com/recipes.php#17 Note that stevia comes in different forms and the conversion rates can vary.

Edit: I tried it. They really don't make 'balls.' More like lumps. Maybe if you grated the apple instead of chopping. But I think they might be better, and easier, as bar cookies. Just spread in the bottom of the greased pan and bake. Then I think you cut into squares before they cool completely.

I used the stevia I had on hand, Sweet Leaf packets, so had to figure out the conversion. I figured I needed quite a few packets, but I tasted after three and figured that was enough. And I think I only put 2 the second time. But that's partly because I used chocolate chips. If you don't, you might want the cookie to be sweeter.

Edit again: I tried making bars as described above, which worked fine, but don't like the texture. They are a little soggy. I think it's the water. I put them in the freezer and ate them chilled and that works. They do taste great. Next time, I'm going to soak the oatmeal for a while first, then pour off the excess water.

Thanks! I'll give that a try.

Carrot Cake Recipe

If you have a hard time finding whole wheat pastry flour, feel free to substitute unbleached all-purpose flour.

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

4 ounces unsalted butter, heated until just melted

1/2 cup dried dates, seeded and finely chopped into a paste

3 ripe bananas (1 1/4 cups), mashed well

1 1/2 cups grated carrots (about 3 medium)

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (2% or lowfat is ok)

2 eggs, lightly whisked

6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

3 tablespoons agave nectar or maple syrup (or to taste)

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 9x5x3 / 8-cup loaf pan (or 8x8 cake pan) and line it with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the walnuts and set aside.

Stir the dates into the melted butter, breaking up the dates a bit.

In a separate bowl combine the bananas and carrots. Stir in the date-butter mixture, breaking up any date clumps as you go. Whisk in the yogurt and the eggs. Add the flour mixture and stir until everything just comes together. Spoon into the prepared pan. Bake for about 50 - 60 minutes or until a toothpick tests clean in the center of the cake - it'll be less if you are using a standard cake pan. Remove from oven and let cool.

While the cake is baking whip together the cream cheese and agave nectar. Taste. If you like your frosting sweeter adjust to your liking. When the cake has completely cooled frost the top of the cake with an offset spatula.

Makes one carrot cake.

Coconut Macaroon Pancake Recipe

Look for shredded coconut where each thread is thin and at least 1/2-inch long. Not dusty or fleck-like. If you make the batter the night before, the batter will thicken up quite a bit. Give it a stir, but dont worry about it beyond that. Drop little scoops onto the griddle - they will flatten out when they come into contact with the heat. They go from golden to burnt in a flash, so stay attentive. I prefer to use whole wheat pastry flour for this recipe but you can substitute whatever you have on hand - all-purpose flour, or regular pastry flour. Lemon zest might be a great addition, as would ginger, and/or toasted, chopped macadamia nuts.

1 14-ounce can of coconut milk

2 tablespoons honey (or agave nectar)

1 /4 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose or regular pastry flour)

3 cups unsweetened dried shredded coconut

scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

3 large eggs. whisked in a medium bowl

1/4 cup natural cane sugar or brown sugar

In a small saucepan heat the coconut milk and honey, bring barely to a simmer.

In a separate large bowl combine the flour, coconut, salt and baking powder. Stir the coconut milk into the flour mixture.

Whisk about 1/3 cup of the coconut mixture into the eggs. Now quickly mix the eggs back into the large bowl of coconut batter. Stir until well combined. You can do this the night before if you like.

Heat your favorite non-stick (or very well-seasoned) skillet, pan, or griddle to medium-hot and brush it with a bit of butter. Test for the right temperature. If a drop of water dropped onto the pan starts to dance, you are in the ballpark. Drop a heaping tablespoon into the skillet, sprinkle the top with a bit of brown sugar. Wait until the pancake bottom is deep golden in color, then flip with a spatula and cook the other side until golden and cooked through. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Makes dozens of silver dollar sized pancakes, or a dozen or so larger ones.

Madeleine Recipe

Lanha and I both prefer metal pans to the newer silicon molds. My metal pan brings a beautiful golden hue to the cookies, and to be honest I don't like the looks of the silicon molds - all those zany colors. Madeleines look better baking in metal, I promise.

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (6 ounces)

2 tablespoons softened unsalted butter (for greasing pan)

3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

4 large eggs

a pinch fine-grain sea salt

2/3 cups sugar

zest of one large lemon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

powdered sugar

a bit of extra flour for dusting baking pan

Special equipment: A madeleine baking pan, regular or small

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Melt the 1 1/2 sticks of butter in a small pot over medium heat until it's brown and gives off a deliciously nutty aroma, roughly 20 minutes. Strain (using a paper towel over a mesh strainer) - you want to leave the solids behind. Cool the butter to room temperature. By doing the butter first you can complete the rest of the steps while it is cooling.

While the melted butter is cooling, use the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to grease the madeleine molds - get in there and make sure you get in all the ridges. Dust with flour and invert the pan tapping out any excess flour. Lanha uses "cooking spray" with flour to simplify this part.

Put the eggs with the salt in the bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk attachment. Whip on high speed until thick - you are looking for the eggs to roughly double or triple in volume - approximately 3 minutes. Continuing to mix on high speed, slowly add the sugar in a steady stream. Whip for 2 minutes or until mixture is thick and ribbony. Now with a spatula fold in the lemon zest and vanilla (just until mixed).

Sprinkle the flour on top of the egg batter, and gently fold in. Now fold in the butter mixture. Only stirring enough to bring everything together.

Spoon the batter into the molds, filling each mold 2/3 -3/4 full. I use a small cup filled with batter to keep things clean and manageable, it is easier than using a spoon.

Bake the madeleines for 12 - 14 minutes (7-10 minutes for smaller cookies), or until the edges of the madeleines are golden brown. Remove from oven and unmold immediately. Cool on racks and dust with powdered sugar.

Makes 2 -3 dozen regular madeleines.

Amazing Black Bean Brownie Recipe

For those of you who have a hard time tracking down agave nectar (which is becoming much more readily available) substitute honey 1:1 for the agave nectar. Ania's head notes encourage you to keep these brownies in the refrigerator, they will slice much better if refrigerated several hours or preferably overnight. I used instant coffee this time around, but you can find natural coffee substitute at many natural food stores.

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1 cup unsalted butter

2 cups soft-cooked black beans, drained well (hs: canned is fine)

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

A cup (granulated) natural coffee substitute (or instant coffee, for gluten-sensitive)

A teaspoon sea salt

4 large eggs

1A cups light agave nectar

Preheat the oven to 325AF. Line an 11- by 18-inch (rimmed) baking pan (hs note: or jellyroll pan) with parchment paper and lightly oil with canola oil spray.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a glass bowl in the microwave for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on high. Stir with a spoon to melt the chocolate completely. Place the beans, 1/2 cup of the walnuts, the vanilla extract, and a couple of spoonfuls of the melted chocolate mixture into the bowl of a food processor. Blend about 2 minutes, or until smooth. The batter should be thick and the beans smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the remaining 1/2 cup walnuts, remaining melted chocolate mixture, coffee substitute, and salt. Mix well and set aside.

In a separate bowl, with an electric mixer beat the eggs until light and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the agave nectar and beat well. Set aside.

Add the bean/chocolate mixture to the coffee/chocolate mixture. Stir until blended well.

Add the egg mixture, reserving about 1/2 cup. Mix well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Using an electric mixer, beat the remaining 1/2 cup egg mixture until light and fluffy. Drizzle over the brownie batter. Use a wooden toothpick to pull the egg mixture through the batter, creating a marbled effect. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the brownies are set. Let cool in the pan completely before cutting into squares. (They will be soft until refrigerated.)

Makes 45 (2-inch) brownies.

Feel free to make any substitutions, modifications or comments.

All recipes courtesy of www.101cookbooks.com

recipes courtesy of the grain-free foodie blog

Banana Caramel Sticky Buns

1 Large very ripe banana, mashed

6 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup melted butter or coconut oil

1/2 cup honey

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

2/3 cup coconut flour

1/4 tsp. salt

Ingredients for topping

(These measurements are approximate. It should taste great raw, so feel free to experiment.)

1 cup chopped crispy pecans (from Nourishing Traditions or WAPF)

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup butter

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. coconut flour

Makes 12 buns.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix all ingredients for buns with a wire whisk. Pour into a well-greased muffin tin or use silicone liners (I think paper would stick too much).

Mix all ingredients for topping with a fork. Crumble topping on buns.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until cooked through. Cool for about two minutes then immediately remove from muffin tin to a wire rack to finish cooling. You will have to scrape the topping back onto buns as you remove them, but the topping will set-up as they cool. Hot caramel can burn skin badly, so please be careful.

Blueberry Ice Cream

2 14-ounce cans (3 1/2 cups) coconut milk

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup blueberries

Optional: Honey to taste

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the coconut milk SLOWLY over low heat. At no point during this recipe should the mixture be allowed to boil, or it will curdle, so watch the custard carefully.

Beat the eggs until they are light and bubbly. When the coconut milk is hot, slowly pour about half of the mixture into the eggs WHILE beating the eggs. Then pour the egg mixture back into the pot, WHILE beating the coconut milk in the pot. If using honey, add at this point.

Add the blueberries. The mixture will turn light purple. Continue stirring the mixture while it continues to heat and gets thicker. If you see a bubble appear (the early signs of boiling), remove from heat immediately. Stir in the vanilla.

Strain the mixture through a sieve to remove the blueberries. Store the blueberries in a separate container in the fridge (you will add them back into the ice cream when it is done churning). If you add them at the beginning, they'll all fall to the bottom.

If you don't have an ice cream maker, just place the mixture in a glass bowl into the freezer until it partially freezes, then stir it. Repeat procedure once more until mixture is almost set, then add blueberries after the ice cream is thick and almost completely done. The blueberries should distribute themselves nicely throughout the custard. Best served immediately, as the mixture will freeze into a solid block if you place it in the freezer.

Marshmallow Frosting

3 egg whites at room temperature

1 cup honey

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

Method for Frosting

Beat egg whites until foamy. Boil honey until it forms a hard ball in cold water (about 210 degrees on a candy thermometer, if I remember correctly). My honey just starts to smell like it's scorching when I'm at the right temperature. Don't burn the honey though or it will taste gross (trust me).

With the mixer running, continue to beat the egg whites while adding the boiling honey. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Add vanilla and mix until incorporated. This makes way more frosting than you will need for the cupcakes. It will keep in the fridge for a couple of days (theoretically).

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough

Peanut Butter (All natural without hydrogenated oils or sugar) Thanks Eddie! haha

Honey (just enough to sweeten)

Cinnamon (be sure to add this!! Really makes a difference!)

Raisins

Raw Oatmeal (not the instant kind)

Cocoa powder (optional)

Sprinkle with chocolate chips (optional)

* You can make a big batch at once and freeze it. Before fully freezing though, let it first cool down enough to no longer be sticky, and then divide it up into squares before freezing in a glass pan, and loosen it from the bottom of the pan and sides. Otherwise, you'll have a hard time getting any out! Enjoy!

Is Nutella good for you?

Is Nutella good for you?

No!!! But it sure does taste good!!!! hahaha It was all over Europe when I visited, and I loved chocolate crepes made of Nutella. I found out though that is has hydrogenated oils... a big no no to stay away from.

Edit: I recently re-checked the ingredients of Nutella and saw that they are no longer using hydrogenated oils!

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough

All natural Peanut Butter

Honey (just enough to sweeten)

Cinnamon (be sure to add this!! Really makes a difference!)

Raisins

Raw Oatmeal (not the instant kind)

Cocoa powder (optional)

Sprinkle with chocolate chips (optional)

 

* You can make a big batch at once and freeze it. Before fully freezing though, let it first cool down enough to no longer be sticky, and then divide it up into squares before freezing in a glass pan, and loosen it from the bottom of the pan and sides. Otherwise, you'll have a hard time getting any out! Enjoy!

hey hey lol

^^^ Oh!! Thank you Eddie!!!! I didn't even think to clarify that! Yes, "all natural" peanut butter folks!! Don't get the kind with hydrogenated oils!! I'm going to clarify that in my recipe.

^^^ Oh!! Thank you Eddie!!!! I didn't even think to clarify that! Yes, "all natural" peanut butter folks!! Don't get the kind with hydrogenated oils!! I'm going to clarify that in my recipe.

No problem. That's a nice recipe. If I I was not worried about breaking out, I would try it.

Is Nutella good for you?

No!!! But it sure does taste good!!!! hahaha It was all over Europe when I visited, and I loved chocolate crepes made of Nutella. I found out though that is has hydrogenated oils... a big no no to stay away from.

 

Gosh darn it! I just had a Nutella-banana crepe It was good

wow, some of these look great ....

I need to read up on stevia. A lot of sweeteners upset my stomach.

I don't do much cooking but it does well in baked goods!

Yes, it does, but you may have to add something to replace the bulk of the sugar. And sugar is an important part of the texture of some things so you can't replace all of it in some recipes. I'd stick with recipes from the stevia sites.

Just remember that all brands of stevia crystals don't have the same amount of sweetness in the same amount of volume so you may have to do some calculations if you aren't using the same brand/type used in the recipe.

Or include the words 'paleo' or 'primal' when searching, as in 'primal brownies.' Not for stevia recipes but for grain and refined sugar free recipes.

Bee's Egg Drink ICE CREAM w/ and w/out ice cream machine

I received a request to post my recipe for ice cream on this site so here goes(I

use a mini ice cream maker I bought from target)

 

One serving:

2 eggs

3-4 Tbsp of coconut oil

2 Tbsp of butter

juice of 1/2 lemon or less(can substitute vanilla or cinnamon etc.)

stevia to taste

 

 

Ok, first I crack the eggs in a blender and add the lemon juice and stevia. Then

I take the coco oil and butter that I melted in a saucepan and poor it in.

Simply blend and then pour into the ice cream maker. It takes about 15 to 25

minutes to make. The type of machine that I have requires me to freeze the

container hours prior to making it. The result is a really creamy ice cream that

is in my opinion as good as it gets :)Also, the ice cream on the sides of the

container is usually too hard to eat right after its made, so I simply eat the

ice cream thats ready and leave the rest to defrost and have as a snack later.

If you want to share your ice cream, you should double the recipe to have

enough. Hope you all enjoy!

 

Best,

Sarah

This was very good! Thanks Sara! Btw, I used the plastic bag method and it

worked great. I used the following recipe, but subbed in Sarah's recipe for

everything in the small bag:

 

What you'll need:

 

6 tablespoons salt

1 pint-size plastic food storage bag (e.g., Ziploc)

1 gallon-size plastic food storage bag

Ice cubes

 

How to make it:

Fill the large bag half full of ice, and add the rock salt. Seal the bag.

Put [sarah's recipe] into the small bag, and seal it.

Place the small bag inside the large one, and seal it again carefully.

Shake until the mixture is ice cream, which takes about 5 minutes.

Wipe off the top of the small bag, then open it carefully. Enjoy!

 

This was my yummy breakfast this am!

Dawn

I don't do much cooking but it does well in baked goods!

 

Yes, it does, but you may have to add something to replace the bulk of the sugar. And sugar is an important part of the texture of some things so you can't replace all of it in some recipes. I'd stick with recipes from the stevia sites.

 

Just remember that all versions don't have the same amount of sweetness in the same amount of volume so you may have to do some calculations if you aren't using the same brand/type used in the recipe.

 

 

What could be added that might replace sugar effectively? I'm thinking perhaps an unflavoured soluable fiber supplement?

 

There's usually suggestions on the stevia sites. Applesauce and mashed banana come to mind. And i've been thinking mashed garbonzo beans would be good in things like cookies because they are cookie colored, have a bit of a nutty flavor, etc.

This is defintiely not healthy, but this recipe has been highly recommended (apparently the caramel is to die for!!) and is suitable for vegans (if you're into that type of thing):

Twix Bars

Shortbread base

1/2 cup vegan margarine:

1 cup flour (half whole wheat gives a nice crunch)

6 tablespoons sugar

Caramel Filling

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons molasses

1 cup soy milk

3 tablespoons water + 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon butter flavoring (Optional)

Chocolate coating:

2 cups vegan chocolate chips

2 teaspoon canola or olive oil

Directions:

Shortbread Crust:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

2. Combine all ingredients for shortbread and roll out into two 3 x 12-inch rectangles

3. Score each rectangle into 12 Twix-size pieces and bake about 15 minutes

Caramel Filling:

4. Add sugar, molasses, and salted water to a small saucepan

5. Heat until bubbly

6. Meanwhile mix milk, cornstarch, and vanilla in a small glass bowl and add to the saucepan once it's bubbling

7. Stir constantly and heat again until it boils and the starch has thickened

8. Let caramel and cookies cool at bit, separating each cookie, and then spread each cookie with a teaspoon of caramel

9. Pop the caramel cookies in the freezer to quickly harden while melting the chocolate

Chocolate topping:

9. Melt chocolate chips with oil either in the microwave or on low heat on the stove

10. Remove cool cookies from the freezer and spoon chocolate over each

Smile! You have a hydrogenated-oil-free vegan Twix candy bar!

working on this for a while (especially the caramel) and finally have it right!

Makes: 20 bars, Preparation time: 10 minutes, Cooking time: 20 minutes

Spinach brownies!

There are a couple of books out with recipes in which veggie purees are snuck into kid-friendly foods. These recipes make them from scratch rather than the box mix.

One is by Jessica Seinfeld and think her book is called something like Deceptively Delicious. The other book is called the Sneaky Chef. Both have brownie recipes and others on their website. I'm pretty sure I've posted links here before, but maybe not because the recipes would still need to be adapted to reduce sugar.

Both involve melting chocolate though. I prefer using cocoa.

Edit, just looked for links and because of claims that Seinfeld possibly stealing the idea from the other author, she's posted links to several other books and a magazine that regularly posts similar recipes.

holy shit guys!

low-carb heaven

*Creamy Coconut Rice

* 1 cup-Brown Rice Basmati

*1 1/4 cups-Water

*1/2 cup-Light Coconut Milk

*1/2 Sea Salt

Instructions:

Bring water and coconut milk to a boil.

Add rice, cover, and reduce heat to low.

If you like, add a cinnamon stick while the rice is cooking.

Is Nutella good for you?

No!!! But it sure does taste good!!!! hahaha It was all over Europe when I visited, and I loved chocolate crepes made of Nutella. I found out though that is has hydrogenated oils... a big no no to stay away from.

 

 

Gosh darn it! I just had a Nutella-banana crepe It was good

 

Guess what?!!! I was in a European market the other day, came across Nutella, decided to check the ingredients once more, and "no hydrogenated oils" were listed!!!!! Guess they changed their ingredients!! A lot of companies are becoming more aware and changing their ingredients. I was happy to see that Nutella had as well!! Still not considered a "health" food, but I'm sure an occasional jar can't hurt... I picked one up for old time's sake.... hehe

I would like to learn to cook! I wish any of you could teach me! Who lives in Lowell , MA or near it? :/

I think I'm going to buy vitamix blender! I want to start cooking these healthy food.

*Creamy Coconut Rice

 

* 1 cup-Brown Rice Basmati

 

*1 1/4 cups-Water

 

*1/2 cup-Light Coconut Milk

 

*1/2 Sea Salt

 

Instructions:

Bring water and coconut milk to a boil.

Add rice, cover, and reduce heat to low.

If you like, add a cinnamon stick while the rice is cooking.

I would like to try this! It looks healthy

here's one from a low-carb site called Son of Grok

Caveman Custard

 

Dairy Free, No Sugar Added Custard

 

Do you miss puddings and custards in your primal world? We have a local egg custard here known as aoeFlana and for some weird reason, I have been craving it. Here is a custard recipe that I have been putting together. I finally got the proportions perfectly where I like them. If you like yours sweeter, all you need to do is add more bananas! This recipe is about as simple as it gets.

 

Ingredients:

- 2 bananas

- 1 can coconut milk

- 3 eggs

- Cinnamon

 

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients except for cinnamon in a mixer and mix well.

2. Pour into custard or souffle cups (coffee cups or other oven safe containers work fine if you donat have custard cups).

3. Sprinkle top with cinnamon.

4. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for approx 45 minutes. Custard will balloon a bit and you may see some liquida its ok, it will work itself out.

5. Chill.

6. Serve and enjoy.

 

This makes a tasty treat! Careful thougha it is easy to overeat lol.

also...no one has mentioned BACON yet. Nature's Candy Bar!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Energy Bars (LaraBar knockoffs!)

These are really handy to have pre-made and pre-wrapped for snacks or quick meals.

What I do is take equal amounts of nuts like peanuts, cashews, almonds, pecans, walnuts or macadamia nuts and raisins. I add in some cinnamon chips, chocolate or white chocolate chips and a bit of vanilla. Food process all the ingredients and you should get a thick paste.

You can pat the paste down and cut into bars, wrap and refrigerate (these are GREAT for work or school).

To make a fancy dessert, I'll spread some of my favourite yoghurt over the bars, drizzle w/ melted chocolate and freeze. These are SO rich and fruity yoghurt freezes really well, they taste too good to be healthy!!

Anyways you can make tons of flavour combinations, check out LaraBar's website for more flavours (coconut lime, chocolate cherry, butterscotch, etc). They are SO expensive and it is cheaper and better for the environment to not have individually-wrapped snacks. I just keep a pan of these in the fridge and take one (or two) at a time in plastic containers that I wash and re-use.