lemon poppy seed macaroons

(Makes 12 mini cupcakes.. )

These mini coconut delights originated from the Healthy Indulgences blog.. She used some things I left out, and I added the poppy seeds, lemon zest, and applesauce. They are perfectly sweet.. with barely any sweetener, and without a topping :) I thought I was just making cupcakes when I started.. but when I tasted them I thought - Macaroons!!! Since I found out I was severely allergic to eggs (especially the whites) I got sad every time I saw the macaroons at the store - because the ingredient list is so simple! (coconut, egg whites, honey) Now - I have something to satisfy my macaroon craving - that keeps my body happy. I hope this recipe makes you happy too..

Oven! 325.

1 tbsp coconut oil - melted
2 tbsp hazelnut meal (or almond flour) packed
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, ground to a meal (use a coffee grinder)
½ tbsp sifted coconut flour (I halved a recipe.. sorry)
2 tbsp coconut milk
2 tbsp honey (vegans, you know what to do)
Pinch sea salt
6 tbsp applesauce
1 tsp gf aluminum-free baking powder (a little less wouldn't hurt.. )
1 tsp poppy seeds
¼ tsp lemon zest (zest 1 small lemon)

Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl, wet in another, and then mix them together.
Spoon the batter into the muffin tin and bake for 20 minutes.
Let ‘um cool, and then place in fridge for at least 1 hour to let them set up. If you skip this step, they’ll pretty much fall apart in your hands because they’re so soft. (Still edible however.. I should know)

roasted pomegranate

Straight from one of Williams-Sonoma's cookbooks .. So, I guess I wasn't very creative this time, but I'm saving you from buying a cookbook. I imagine I'd make some friends if I served this 1/2 a pomegranate as an appetizer.

The book says 400, but because there's olive oil involved, I say Oven! 350. and I added 10 more minutes to the cook time.
Split a pomegranate in half and drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, and honey.
Cook for 30-35 minutes at 350.
Serve with a sprinkle of salt and fresh mint.

bellissimo!

breakfast of the hypoallergenic gods

Oh mio dio.. holy.... shhhhiip! This was a very special breakfast.. We had some smoked salmon waiting for us to do something special.. and this is what we did.

We layered red onion, avocado, lox, and sauteed spinach, garlic, and leeks on top of a buscuit made of almond, buckwheat, and coconut flours.. It was actually a very simple meal to make - and it tasted like something you'd splurge on at a 10 star restaurant.. (san the poached egg.. if you're not allergic to eggs, do me a favor - and eat a poached one on top of this for me)

Step one: The biscuits are a version of Kimi's on the Nourishing Gormet:
I halved the recipe and changed the flours used.. this whole breakfast serves 4 (even though only 2 of us ate it.. we are now.. too full..)

So! The night before (or earlier that morning..)
3/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 coconut flour
3 tbps coconut oil
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp nut milk (I had hemp on hand) - you can use water if you don't have nut milk.
1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Mix the flours, then cut the coconut oil into the flour with a fork and knife - until the coconut oil pieces are the size of peas.. Then add the milk and vinegar and mix until just combined.

Oven! 350.
The next day (or later that morning) add:
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 heaping tsp salt

Fold the new ingredients into the dough until thouroly incorporated.. Then roll it out. I used parchment paper because I don't have a nice countertop. And cut into the shapes you desire.. Kimi uses a pizza cutter to make an easy grid, but I really wanted to use my foot shaped cookie cutter. So that's what I did.
Place the raw biscuits on a cookie sheet and pop them in the oven for 20 minutes.
They are delicious, but a bit crumbly.. hey - they're grain and gluten free.. what do you expect?

While they're in the oven, slice up some garlic (2 cloves), a bit of leek, and sauté that with spinach.. When it's done just cover it to keep it warm.

The last step is thinly slicing the red onion, thickly slicing the avocado, opening the package of lox.. then stacking everything together.. enjoy!

delicious avocado soup

I got this recipe from a book called The Anti-Inflammation Diet and Recipe Book. There are many recipes in there that I don't even have to alter at all to fit into the Hunt & Gather thing I'm on right now..

Page 206..
This recipe is ridiculously easy, extremely fast, and soo yummy. (oh, and healthy too? It just doesn't get better than this.)

2 medium ripe avocados
2 cups almond milk
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground giner
1/2 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, minced

Mash avocados in a pan. Then add the rest of the ingredients. Stir well then blend!
This soup tastes delicious hot, warm, room, or cold..
I topped mine with some smoked paprika and a tortilla that I brushed with olive oil, sliced, and popped in the oven for a few minutes until crispy.. Use whatever kind of tortilla fits within the confines of your diet - there are so many different kinds!
Enjoy! (Serves 3-4)

butternut pecan baby cakes

This recipe evolved from a pancake recipe from the Spunky Coconut's blog, and now it's a cake batter-like cookie for the fall.

Oven! 350.

Mix (or puree) the wet ingredients:
1 banana - mashed
1 tbsp ground flax seed mixed with 3 tbsp warm water
1/2 cup butternut squash - puree
2 tbsp coconut milk
2 tbsp honey
1/2 tbsp vanilla
1 tbsp coconut oil - melted

Then add the dry ones:
3 tbsp buckwheat flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup pecans - chopped

Scoop out onto a cookie sheet, and place a full pecan on top of each one..
Bake for 15 minutes!
Then let them cool.. and they're even better and more cookie like once they've been in the fridge for a while.

banana newtons

Ready for another dessert that's sugar-free, grain-free, egg-free, dairy-free, soy-free?
This is a twisted version of the Spunky Coconut's banana bread recipe..
I made them for a dinner party I'm going to tonight.. I'm afraid I only have 1/2 as many left as I meant to bring.. oops! Maybe they won't read this blog :)

Oven! 350.

1 mashed banana

2 "eggs" (aka: 2 tbsp ground flax seed mixed with 6 tbsp hot water)

3 tbsp honey

1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil (melted)

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp tapioca flour

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup chopped walnuts (I used hazelnut meal.. mmm)

Mix the wet and dry ingredients separately, then combine.. stir stir taste stir taste.
This is something you can put in a loaf pan.. but I wanted something more fun, and finger friendly.
So, I put a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet, and spread this sticky dough out to the thickness I wanted. About 1/2". Pop in the oven for 30 minutes..
Then remove from the oven, and cut into the shapes you desire.. and put it back in the oven for 15 minutes.
Enjoy!

chimichurri

Here's a delicious dip/topping for ALL kinds of meat and bread.. This is a recipe from my Argentine grandmother. I used to eat it on a french roll with chorizo as a kid.. and that was amazing. Tonight I made some and ate it on top of some cedar smoked salmon. Not the traditional way to eat chimichurri, but it didn't matter :)

A bunch of parsley (chopped super small)
A 3, or 4, or 5 cloves of garlic (minced)
The juice of a lemon
Salt (to taste)
Oil (I used a mixture of olive and flax seed oils.. but only because I didn't have grape seed oil.. which is what my grandmother uses.)

There are many many chimichurri recipes online.. and I recommend trying them! Have a different recipe every time.. until you find your absolute favorite.

a seasonal lunch

Today for lunch.. I reheated some butternut squash soup (from Elana's blog) and sauteed a carrot, 1/2 a leek, and some fresh rosemary and sage..
Then.. after taking this picture, I took thought to just dump the veggies into the soup. Yum. ah.
What did you eat for lunch today?

apple almond butter bites

It's fall :) So here's an apple treat. I love that no honey is needed.. the apple is enough. I admit in advance.. these are a little messy.. They aren't as solid as a conventional cookie.. but hunters and gatherers didn't eat cookies. So. I'm ok with the messiness.

1 smallish apple (sliced super small.. or grated - come to think of it - grated would work way better.. next time!)
1/4 cup almond butter
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Mix! I found it easier to use my bare hands.. then mush it down into a loaf pan and pop it in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. Cut it up into any size or shape you'd like :)

I realize this is just a tasty mix of good ingredients.. and it doesn't really matter what you do with it. You can put it on top of a crust and bake it.. you can eat it with a spoon out of the bowl - like charoset.. or like the way I eat almond butter.. which is the same. with a spoon. But the frozen bites are a little classier. Or.. you can mix all the ingredients together minus the apple and serve it as a dip or a spread, with the apple.

my "bread & butter" paleo style

So.. I don't know why I didn't stop to think about all the foods that fell under the category "nuts & seeds" when I went on the Hunt + Gather diet.. because Amaranth, Buckwheat, Tapioca, and Quinoa ALL fit. Ha! I was so excited when I found out that I made some bread.. even though it was already 11 on a school night, and I wasn't hungry one bit. I guess my mind was.

Here's my paleo style bread.. adapted from Elana's recipe

1 1/2 cups almond flour
1 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp ground flax seed mixed with 9 tbsp warm water
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Oven! 300. Mix the flax seed and water and let sit until thick. Combine the flours, salt and baking soda in a bowl. Mix honey and apple cider vinegar into the flax seeds and then mix this into the dry ingredient bowl. Mix mix mix.. I made sure it was all blended together with my hands.. and then put the dough into a well greased loaf pan and bake for 45-55 minutes.

The "butter" is not butter at all... Actually someone on a Hunt + Gather diet can eat healthy butter.. but I am staying away from all dairy products. So, this spread is simply pureed roasted cauliflower.

Toss cauliflower with olive oil salt and pepper, then roast, covered at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Then puree.. I added a little more olive oil at this point to make it smoother - and wa-la!