Pre-baked Mini Pizza Crusts -- Aka Flat Bread

Pre-fab pizza crusts. I bet you could stick a stack of these in the freezer, and grab some out for pizza that bakes up in only a few minutes. Anyway, Kim needed flat bread for pizza, so I one upped and made mini pizza crusts proper. Check it!

each one is 50 g of dough

ready to roll

ready to bake

ready to bake

ready to use

lil' cute pizza crust

ingredients:

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp yeast

3 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
1/2 cup ground chia seeds
1 1/2 cups almond flour
3 + cups kamut flour (whole grain, finely ground)

3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tbsp dried oregano



directions:

1. proof yeast ( combine warm water, honey, and yeast in a bowl or large measuring cup)
2. combine the other ingredients
3. add the yeast and water mixture to the other ingredients
4. mix and knead, adding more kamut flour if needed to achieve an elastic and soft but not sticky dough
5. knead for a while (or use a mixer -- that's what I do)
6. divide dough into 50 g balls
7. roll each one flat and bake it. If you are not going to use it for pizza, give it an extra sprinkle of sea salt, and some rosemary for good measure, if you like. I kind of curled the edges up because these are for pizzas that are to be baked on the barbecue, and I thought that would help keep stuff from running off into the fire. If you are just going to bake it, or just use it for flat bread, you can certainly skip the edge rolling extravaganza.


makes 30 mini (thinnish) pizza crusts (Same amount of dough as would make 3 large rectangular thin crust pizzas)

fudgesicles -- dairy free, gluten free, sans sugar (only honey, yo)

I'm not sure which is more delicious, the boy or the fudgesicle ...




directions:

1 can organic coconut milk 400 ml

1/4 cup honey

2 tbsp raw cacao

pinch sea salt

1 tsp ground vanilla

black pepper

directions:

1. combine

2. pour into popsicle molds

3. freeze

4. enjoy ...

This recipe makes about 500 ml, so depending on the size of your popsicle molds, you'll get as many as you get. 

Chocolate Breakfast Muffins

Breakfast around here comes once a day -- no joke. Never mind that we like to eat pancakes for dinner sometimes. My son enjoys a muffin, some slices of apple, and a glass of milk for a quick, no fuss breakie. I like him to have something with staying power, so these are a really excellent choice.

ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil (organic and unrefined)

1 cup pitted honey dates

2 cups hot water

4 eggs

1/2 cup raw cacao

1 tbsp ground vanilla bean

1 tsp sea salt

4 tbsp ground chia seeds

1 cup shredded coconut -- ground

1/4 cup hemp seeds 

1/4 cup ground flax

1/4 cup ground sesame seeds
1/4 cup ground raw cashews

1 cup almond flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

directions:

1. combine the dates, coconut oil, and hot water. Let sit for 10 minutes. Then, puree with an immersion blender. Alternately, you can use a food processor, or a regular blender.

2. add the cacao, vanilla, salt, chia seeds, shredded coconut, hemp seeds, ground flax, ground seseame seeds and blend again

3. add the baking soda and blend
4. add the eggs and blend
4. stir in the almond flour
5. scoop into prepare muffin cups and bake at 345 for 40 minutes

Chocolate cookie revisited -- gluten free, sugar free, chocolate cookies

Chocolate is much loved in this household. My son's friends all like it too. So, these little cookies are a big hit with those young and those old. A great thing about these cookies is they are great for you. Another great thing about these cookies is they are really delicious. And they have a lovely texture! Nom nom nom ...

ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil (organic and unrefined)

1 cup pitted honey dates

1/4 cup water

2 eggs

1/2 cup raw cacao

1 tbsp ground vanilla bean

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cup ground flax

1/4 cup ground black sesame seeds

1/4 cup white sesame seeds

1/2 cup ground raw cashews
1/4 cup ground chia seeds

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup almond flour

directions:

1. combine the hot water and dates, then puree with an immersion blender. Add the coconut oil and puree again. Finally, add the eggs, and process with the immersion blender until smooth. 

2. stir in the raw cacao, vanilla bean, and sea salt. If you are nuts like me, you can add a little black pepper.

3. mix in the shredded coconut, ground flax, ground sesame seeds, ground cashews, ground chia seeds, and baking soda (I gave the shredded coconut a whirl in the grinder to make it more ground than shredded).

4. finally stir in the almond flour.

5. I chilled for a few hours before baking because I had to go out. This allowed me to roll the dough into small balls for very round little cookies

6. scoop small spoonfuls onto lined  baking sheets

7. flatten with a wet fork and bake at 345 for 14 minutes

8. cool on a wire rack

9. store in an airtight container when cool

makes 4 dozen (depends on size!!!) but watch out they'll disappear before they are cool enough to pack up ...

Savoury Lunch Muffins -- a gluten free, grain free, sandwich maker

In a search for something to reduce systemic inflammatory reaction, we've decided to try going grain free for a few weeks to see if that helps.  Alas we are traditionalists, and we favour sandwiches for lunch. These are perfect for cheese, tomato, and spinach sandwiches. The batter is too fragile to bake as a loaf -- would make far too fragile slices to have good functionality in that form, but as muffin shapes, they are great, and make cute little sandwiches.

ingredients:

2 cups warm water
1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil (organic and unrefined)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp sea salt
black pepper
pinch chili powder
1 tsp marjoram

1/4 cup ground chia
1/2 cup flax meal
1/4 cup coarsely ground sunflower seeds
1/4 cup coarsely ground pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup hemp hearts (shelled hemp seeds)
1/4 cup ground sesame seeds
1 cup shredded coconut, ground a little

4 eggs

1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups almond flour




directions:

1. combine the ingredients in the order listed
2. scoop into 24 prepared muffin cups
3. bake at 345 for 35 minutes
4. let cool partially before removing from cups, then fully cool on a rack
5. store in an airtight container


makes 24 little lunch buns

Spinach salad

spinach leaves, washed and torn

coconut oil
balsamic vinegar
sea salt
black pepper
oregano

Dinner

When friends came to dinner, we had a feast:

pizza
sweet potato and celery salad
shredded carrot and broccoli heart summer salad
baby cucumber and baby tomato salad
spinach salad

and

meat bobs


In keeping with the pizza theme, things were accented with herbs such as marjoram, basil, and oregano. It made for a cohesive flavour structure, and a nice summer meal.

Pizza!!

Pretty much around here it's any excuse for pizza. We keep it simple most of the time, and just do large rectangular ones on our large baking sheets, with either thinly sliced tomatoes or sautéed onion as the only accent to the mozzarella and parmesan mixture atop the tomato sauce. With friends coming over for dinner, it was salads, pizza and meatballs for us. This was all that was left when the dust settled.

dough

ingredients:

1 cup  warm water

1 tbsp honey

2 tsp yeast

2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

1 cup almond meal

1/4 cup chia seeds

2 cups kamut flour +

1 tbsp oregano

2 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

(makes enough for 2 very large, thin crust pizzas)

directions:

1. combine water with honey (should be ‘bath’ temperature)

2. add yeast, stir, and let sit.

3. Combine other ingredients in a bowl (or in your mixer -- I use my mixer to make all doughs. but it's completely doable by hand, especially because of the short kneading time)

4. Add proofed yeast mixture and stir to combine and form into dough

5. Knead dough for a couple of minutes (only). Add as much kamut flour as you need to for correct dough consistency. Dough should be soft but not really sticky.

6. Make a dough ball, coat in olive oil, put in bowl, cover with a piece of parchment and a damp tea towel, and allow to rise.

When it comes time to make the pizza:

preheat the oven to 345

1. divide the dough into 2 portions.

2. roll each portion on a piece of parchment until large and thin (fills one baking sheet each)

3. cover each with sauce

4. cover the sauce with a mixture of grated mozzarella and parmesan

5. cover the cheese with sauteed onions and slice tomatoes or whatever else you fancy

6. bake at 345 for 30-40 minutes or until the cheese is getting golden and so is the crust

7. :)

p.s. you can also make little individual crusts for top-your-own pizzas, and bake 'em similarly. That can be fun for the kidlets.

Summery Salad -- gluten free, full of raw power

2 large carrots, grated

2 broccoli hearts, grated

1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds

1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup raw hemp hearts

sea salt

black pepper

chili powder

coconut oil

balsamic vinegar

marjoram

cucumber and tomato salad

4 baby cucumbers

1/2 pint of baby tomatoes

balsamic vinegar

sea salt

black pepper

oregano

directions:

1. thinly slice the cukes

2. quarter the tomatoes

3. toss with balsamic vinegar

4. season with black pepper and sea salt

Cold Sweet Potato Salad

3 sweet potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces

1 celery heart, sliced

2 tbsp coconut oil

sea salt

tsp chili powder

apple cider vinegar

lime juice

coconut oil

black pepper

cook the sweet potato tossed with coconut oil

directions:

heat the oven to 345

1. cut the sweet potato into bite sized pieces, then toss with coconut oil, sea salt, and chill powder

2. bake the bite sized sweet potato pieces at 345 for 20 minutes

3. slice celery and combine with cooled sweet potato

4. drizzle with lime juice, apple cider vinegar, and coconut oil and toss

5. season with sea salt and pepper to taste

Meat Bobs -- gluten free, meat free, and 4 year old friendly

Meatballs watch out there is a new Bob in town.  My four year old calls 'em meat bobs. They are made of lentils, seeds, and veggies, and they pretty fun to have around.

1 cup lentils

1 onion

1 tbsp coconut oil

2 1/2 cups water

sea salt

black pepper

marjoram

basil

oregano

1 clove of garlic, finely minced

1/2 cup flax meal

1/2 cup chia seeds

1/4 cup hemp seeds

1/4 cup ground sesame seeds

1/4 cup ground cashew

1 cup grated carrot 

1 cup almond flour 

1 sweet potato grated

2 eggs

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

salt and pepper to taste

directions:

1. cook the lentils with the water, onion, coconut oil, sea salt, black pepper, and any other seasonings that float your boat. I added some granulated dried garlic, and some italian seasoning (mixed herbs)

2. grate the carrot, and mix in the cooked lentils with the flax, chia, and hemp seeds

3. add the almond flour, and adjust the seasonings

4. add the eggs

5. roll into balls, and place on a lined baking sheet 

6. bake at 345 for 30 minutes

I made 'em about 1 to 1 1/2 inch in diameter

Delicious! For real. And really great at room temperature the next day.

Kamut Flour Bread

1 1/2 cups warm water (bath temp is about right)
1 tbsp unpasteurized honey
1 tbsp bread yeast

1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/2 cup quinoa flakes

2 tsp sea salt
a little black pepper

3 1/2 cups whole ground, finely ground kamut flour (+)

4 tbsp apple cider vinegar


directions:
1. combine the warm water, honey, and yeast in a cup or a bowl and let sit
2. put the rest of the ingredients in a bowl
3. mix in the water and yeast concoction
4. add enough flour to make a smooth dough and knead until your arms get really tired
(or you can just use your mixer)
5. shape into a loaf and let rise for hours
6. bake at 345 for 45 minutes

Blueberry Cake for Breakfast -- a gluten free, light, delicate monstrosity

My people call it cake. I call it breakfast. I made this little concoction when I had people coming over for a morning tea party. Blueberry cake and seasonal fruit, and a cup of tea. Need I say more? I used my coffee grinder to reduce the cashews, chia seeds, shredded coconut, hemp hearts, and sesame seeds to a fine powder.

 ingredients:

 2 cups warm water
1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil (unrefined and organic -- I prefer Nutiva)
1/2 cup unpasteurized local honey
 1 tbsp ground vanilla bean (thank you vanillafoodcompany.com)
1 tsp ground ceylon cinnamon (ditto)
1 tsp sea salt
ground black pepper (just a little)
1/4 cup hemp hearts, ground
1/2 cup raw cashews, ground
1/2 cup white sesame seeds, ground
1/4 cup white chia seeds, ground
1 cup shredded coconut, ground (organic)

 4 eggs

1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups blanched almond flour (thank you nuts.com)

 2 cups of frozen blueberries (still frozen) or fresh if you have

 coconut sugar to sprinkle on top (optional)


 directions:

 preheat the oven to 345
grease a large rectangular glass baking dish

1. combine the honey, coconut oil, and water
2. add the vanilla bean, cinnamon, sea salt, and black pepper
3. stir in the ground hemp, cashews, sesame seeds, chia seeds, and coconut
4. mix in the eggs and the baking soda
5. stir in the almond flour
6. quickly fold in the blueberries and pour into the pan
7. sprinkle with coconut sugar
8. bake at 345 for 60 minutes



This cake bakes up light and moist and sweet and delicious. It was a perfect brunchy treat, and seconds were had by most, thirds by some.

Naughty but nice apple cake -- a happy medium

This cake walks the line between wholesome and naughty. It is sweetened with honey, but not a lot, and it is mostly made with almond flour. It does use a tiny bit of whole grain kamut flour. The result is a delicious cake that we brought to a backyard pot luck dinner up the street. Super yummy.

1 1/2 cup water (hot)
1/4 cup butter (room temperature)
1/2 cup honey
2 eggs

1/2 tsp sea salt
3 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp ground vanilla bean

2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup kamut flour
1/2 tsp baking soda

2 cups chopped apple -- I use royal gala (and organic -- and I leave the skin on)

coconut sugar to sprinkle on top


directions:

preheat the oven to 345
grease a rectangular glass baking dish

1. combine hot water and butter in a mixing bowl to melt the butter
2. mix in the honey
3. add the sea salt, cinnamon, ginger, and vanilla bean (I probably threw in a little freshly ground black pepper for fun)
4. mix in the almond flour
5. add the eggs and the being soda
6. stir in the kamut flour very delicately
7. fold in the chopped apple
8. pour into the baking dish and sprinkle the top with coconut sugar

bake at 345 for 55 minutes

Post apocalyptic apple cake -- gluten free, sugar free, full of deliciousness

We like apple cake. It's just one of those things. A simple, basic flavour redolent with cinnamon and juicy apple. What's not to love? This version is suitable for breakfast. In fact, I'll be honest and say I baked it in muffin cups and pretended they were muffins. Which they were, really.

ingredients:

2 cups hot water

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil

1 cup pitted honey dates

4 eggs

1/4 cup hemp seeds

1/4 cup chia seeds, ground

1/2 cup flax meal

1/4 cup ground sesame seeds

1/2 cup ground cashews

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp ground vanilla

3 tsp cinnamon

3 tsp ginger

1 1/2 cups almond flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 cups of apple, chopped

directions:

1. combine the ingredients in the order listed

2. scoop into prepared muffin cups

3. bake at 345 for 50 minutes

Raisin Breakfast Muffins

My son loves this type of muffin for breakfast. We often give him a muffin with some slices of apple and a glass of raw milk for breakfast. With no sweetener other than the raisins, and lots of nuts and seeds, these muffins will do a good job of keeping your blood sugar stable, and fuelling you for playground fun regardless of your age.

ingredients:

2 cups water
1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
4 eggs

1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp ground vanilla bean
3 tsp cinnamon
3 tsp ginger

1/4 cup hemp seeds
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/2 cup flax meal
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 cup shredded coconut

1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups almond flour

1 cup raisins


diretions:

pre heat the oven to 345

1. if it's not hot enough in your house that the coconut oil is liquid (it's summer here in Toronto so mine sure is!), heat the water before combining the oil and water
2. add the sea salt, vanilla, cinnamon, an ginger
3. add the hemp, chia, flax, sesame, and shredded coconut
4. mix in the baking soda and eggs
5. add the almond flour
6. stir in the raisins


bake at 345 for 35 minutes

Trail Mix Cookies -- a gluten free, hit the trail kind of treat

It has been ages since I really posted, and ages since I made cookies. After making cookies every week for my son's preschool, I have sort of taken a break. We occasionally make cookies, but not very often. And then we just riff on a few of our faces: peanut butter and honey cookies, and chocolate cookies.

These are great! I like them chilled because of the chewiness they have when straight from the fridge. I love the combination of crunchy sunflower seeds and raisins. I like what happens when honey, sea salt, and sesame seeds do a little dance together. Then again, I'm definitely a granola hippie kind of gal. If you are more truffle ganache, these may not be your cup of tea.


ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup honey

1 tbsp ground vanilla bean
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp saigon cinnamon

1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup flax meal
1/4 cup chia seeds

2 cups almond flour
1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup raisins


directions:

1. mix the eggs, coconut oil, and honey
2. add the vanilla bean, sea salt, and cinnamon
3. mix in the sesame seeds, flax meal, chia seeds, and shredded coconut
4. stir in the almond flour and baking soda
5. mix in the pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and raisins
6. drop by spoonful onto baking sheets and flatten with a wet fork
7. bake at 345 for 16-18 minutes

makes 4 dozen cookies

They will be soft when cooked and cool. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

bake at 345 for 16-18 minutes

Hiatus

Dear readers
I have noticed a trend last summer and this summer. I'll call it the summer slump. I noticed a great drop off in my posts. I have still been cooking, and have all the pictures and recipes ready to go. But, for some reason have been unable to press the magic button that allows me to publish my words. In part I can blame the busy-ness of summer, and the busyness of my business in the summer. But mostly I think I just sort of ... wane ... in my intentions. Some of you may know that May 6th is the anniversary of my father's death, and his birthday was August 23. For some reason, the stretch between May and end of August is sort of fraught and poignant, and sometimes it seems like all I can do is accomplish the necessities and the obligations that involve real time. I spend a lot of time hugging my kid and playing with him, and appreciating the sounds of birds and the sunshine and all that asinine tripe. Thus have I neglected my cyber-obligations, which I regret, but there you have it. I have so many recipes I'm eager to share such as chocolate muffins, summer dinner salads, and home-made lasagna. Thank you for sticking my me even when I am a summer schlump.