School Muffins -- Chocolate Muffins -- gluten free, sugar free, grain free, moist and delicious

Today some friends came over for a cooking lesson. Lessons included how to make wholesome lunchbox eats, such as these muffins, which -- nut free as they are -- can be eaten with impunity at school. Additionally, they are delicious, wholesome, packed full of amazing goodness, and will keep your little cutie pie going for ages.

ingredients:

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

1/2 cup coconut sugar

2 cups hot water

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup raw cacao

1 tbsp ground vanilla bean

1 tsp sea salt
1/4  tsp stevia powder
1 tbsp carob

1/2 tsp baking soda

4 eggs

1 cup shredded coconut -- ground
1/2 cup hemp seeds

4 tbsp ground chia seeds
1/4 cup ground flax

1/2 cup ground pumpkin seeds
 1/2 cup ground sunflower seeds

directions:

1. combine the dates, coconut oil, and hot water. Let sit for 10 minutes. Then, puree with an immersion blender. 

2. add the cacao, vanilla, salt, stevia, hemp seeds, shredded coconut, and carob powder and blend again

3. add the baking soda and blend

4. add the eggs and blend

4. stir in the ground chia seeds, ground flax seeds, and ground pumpkin seeds

5. scoop into prepare muffin cups and bake at 345 for 45 minutes

Sweet Potato muffins

Now that my husband can't eat any fruit except for sweet potato, delicious apple muffins are out. However, delicious sweet potato muffins aren't. These are loved and loved well by all who have tried them.

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup coconut nectar
1 cup raw whole milk (or water if you prefer)
2 organic eggs (use 3 if they are tiny)

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp ground vanilla bean


1 3/4 cup fine kamut flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cup shredded sweet potato -- I use a hand grater (one with big holes, not tiny ones)


1. combine the ingredients in the order listed
2. scoop the batter into 24 prepared muffin cups
3. bake in a preheated oven at 345 for 30 minutes

Chocolate and Banana muffins for school

These go great in a lunchbox. If you don't believe me, try 'em for yourself and see. No complaints from those who are eating them.

ingredients:

2 cups very ripe banana pureed with a hand blender

1/2 cup coconut nectar
1/4 cup coconut oil

4 eggs

2 tbsp ground chia seeds

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

1/2 cup raw cacao

1/2 cup ground hemp seeds
1 cup ground sunflower seeds
1 cup ground shredded coconut

1/2 tsp baking soda


directions:

preheat the oven to 345

1. combine the banana, coconut nectar, and coconut oil using a hand blender (or by hand)
2. add the eggs and mix well
3. add the chia seed, sea salt, vanilla bean, raw cacao and cinnamon
4. stir in the hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, and shredded coconut, followed by the baking soda
5. scoop the batter into prepared muffin cups, and bake at 345 for 45 minutes

makes 24 baby cakes

More Chocolate Cookies for School -- nut free, grain free, gluten free, sugar free ... Yahoo!!!

I like to pack a variety of stuff in my son's lunch for school -- broccoli, spinach, carrots, cubes of cheese, a couple of these healthy cookies, a muffin -- to keep him fuelled all day, and also give him stuff he'll enjoy. These are actually a reasonable snack as well as a tasty little treat. They are a big hit with our friend the cookie monster up the street. His mom might even have added a little peppermint flavour to them for that traditional delicious chocolate mint cookie sensation. Gotta try that myself!!!

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, ground

1/4 cup ground flax

1/4 cup black sesame seeds, ground

1/4 cup white sesame seeds, ground

1/2 cup ground raw sunflower seeds

1/4 cup ground chia seeds

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup finely ground pumpkin seeds

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. This is a good time to stir in the baking soda.

3. I put all the pumpkin seeds, shredded coconut, and sunflower seeds into a food processor to grind it up. I ground the chia seeds, flax seeds, and sesame seeds in a coffee grinder, and stirred them all into the date, egg, and cacao mixture.

4. when all the ingredients are fully incorporated, chill the dough thoroughly

5. roll small spoonfuls and place onto lined baking sheets

6. flatten with a wet fork and bake at 345 for 16 minutes

7. cool on a wire rack

8. store in an airtight container when cool

makes 4 dozen 

These cookies will keep well for a couple weeks in the fridge

Chocolate seed cookies -- nut free, sugar free, grain free, gluten free

It's back to school, and I am attempting to make politically correct, nut-free snacks. I can't promise that they won't start berating empty chairs, making statements about dressing like a tart, mouthing off about rape, or pretending that sticks are guns. BUT they are nut free, and won't get you into trouble with the lunch room supervisors.

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, ground

1/4 cup ground flax

1/4 cup black sesame seeds, ground

1/4 cup white sesame seeds, ground

1/2 cup ground raw sunflower seeds

1/4 cup ground chia seeds

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup finely ground pumpkin seeds

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. This is a good time to stir in the baking soda.

3. I put all the pumpkin seeds, shredded coconut, and sunflower seeds into a food processor to grind it up. I ground the chia seeds, flax seeds, and sesame seeds in a coffee grinder, and stirred them all into the date, egg, and cacao mixture.

6. scoop small spoonfuls onto lined  baking sheets

7. flatten with a wet fork and bake at 345 for 16-18 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 ...

**You can also chill the dough before baking, either in long logs which can be sliced into individual rounds, or just as dough that can then be rolled into very round balls and flattened.**

Cottage Cake -- gluten free, sugar free, grain free, delicious

It's always some kinda crazy slapped together cake here. The sweetness is only from chopped dates and raisins, so it's not a sweetness that homogeneous throughout the whole cake. However, the dark chocolate flavour of the raw cacao and the shredded coconut juxtapose nicely with the sweetness of the dates and raisins. Good for dessert, good for breakfast. Good for you.

ingredients:

2 cups water
1/4 cup coconut oil

3 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup raw cacao

1 cup flax meal
1 cup shredded coconut

4 eggs

1 tsp baking powder
2 cups almond flour

1 cup chopped dates

1 cup raisins

directions:

preheat the oven to 345

1. combine the ingredients in the order listed

2. pour into a prepared 2L glass baking dish

3. bake for 40 minutes at 345

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

Chocolate Cookies -- what's not to love

My husband gave these the two thumbs up, and by the rate at which they disappeared, I think these are probably in his top 10 cookie fave list. Then again, they are chocolate. What I like about them is that they are without sweetener other than dates. And they are chock full of things that keep your blood sugar stable even with the datey goodness.

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 cup almond flour
1/2 tsp baking soda


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, and baking soda

4. finally stir in the almond flour.
5. scoop into an airtight container and chill
6. roll into balls when chilled
7. flatten and bake at 345 for 12 minutes
8. cool on a wire rack
9. store in an airtight container when cool

After mixing up the cookie dough, I realized I had no time to bake them, so I put the dough into an airtight container and stored it in the freezer. When I was ready to bake them, I took the dough out and let it soften a little. It's easier to roll into balls when it's cold. Anyway, this dough stores well in the freezer, and makes good cookies.

Enjoy!!!

Lemon Date Muffins -- the usual gf, sf, yummy, you get the drill

I like the brightness of the lemon with the sweetness of the date. I find these muffins to be a nice little good morning breakfast shout out. If I weren't using juice from a bottle, I'd definitely add a little zest of the lemon to get things even more exciting. But as they stand: terrific!

1 1/2 cups warm water
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup lemon juice

4 eggs

1/2 (- 3/4) tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground vanilla
1 tsp ceylon cinnamon
black pepper

1/2 cup flax meal
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1 cup shredded coconut
2 cups almond flour

1/2 tsp baking soda


1 cup chopped honey dates (pitted)


directions:

1. preheat the oven to 345
2. combine the warm water and coconut oil
3. add the lemon juice and beaten eggs
4. stir in the sea salt, vanilla, and cinnamon
5. add the flax meal, hemp seeds, shredded coconut, and almond flour. Add the baking soda
6. stir in the chopped dates
7. scoop the mixture into 24 prepared muffin cups and bake at 345 for 30 minutes
8. bake until they spring back when lightly poked
9. cool in the cups for 5 minutes or more before removing to a wire rack.
10. store in the fridge in an airtight container when completely cool.

Savoury sauteed onion Cake -- instead of apple cake, try sauteed onion

Imagine a light and fluffy cake, but instead of sweet, it's savoury. The texture of this cake is delicate, and the taste is sumptuous. Perfect for an elegant brunch or lunch.

ingredients:

2 cups warm water
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar



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

1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp marjoram

2 cups almond flour
1/2 tsp baking soda

4 eggs

1 medium onion, chopped and sauteed in coconut oil  (allow to cool before adding if possible)

directions:

1. preheat oven to 345
2. combine the ingredients in the order listed
3. scoop batter into 24 muffin cups
4. bake at 345 for 30 minutes

More Breakfast Muffins -- gluten-free, peanut butter and raisin

I'm at it again. But in my defense with the breakfast muffins -- breakfast does come once a day.

ingredients:

1 cup peanut butter
2 cups hot water
4 eggs

1 tbsp ground vanilla
1 tsp ceylon cinnamon
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup whole chia seeds
1/2 cup flax meal
1/4 cup hemp hearts
1 cup shredded coconut

2 cups almond flour
1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup raisins


directions:

preheat the oven to 345

1. combine the ingredients in the order listed
2. scoop into 24 muffin cups
3. bake at 345 for 30 minutes

Apple Muffins -- a good old breakfast bonanza

Gentle readers, there is really nothing better than apple cake. Unless of course it's apple cake for breakfast. These aren't cake, but apple muffins are a pretty nice alternative to cake. These are full of things that are great for you, and are sweetened with dates, which pack a lot of other things into them besides sweetness. There is an optional addition of 1/4 cup coconut sugar if you want the muffins a little bit sweeter. That works out to a difference of 1/2 tsp per muffin, which isn't a whole lot. Plus coconut sugar is a low glycemic sweetner that's generally well tolerated by even those who are sensitive to sweeteners. So if you prefer it a little bit more dulce, go for it.

ingredients:

1 cup dates

2 cups water

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil

1/4 cup coconut sugar (optional)

4 eggs

1 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp ground vanilla

1 tbsp ceylon cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup flax meal

1/4 cup chia seeds

1/4 cup hemp hearts (hemp seeds sans shell)

1 cup pecan meal

1 cup almond flour

1 cup chopped apple

directions:

1. preheat the oven to 345

2. combine the hot water and dates in a bowl and allow to sit for 10 minutes

3. puree the date and water mixture with an immersion blender

4. add the coconut oil and coconut sugar

5. add the eggs

6. add the sea salt, vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger

7. add the baking soda, shredded coconut, flax meal, pecan meal, and almond flour

8. add the chopped apple

9. scoop into prepared muffin cups

10. bake in the upper half of the oven for 30 minutes

Chocolate Cake for my son's birthday

Light and delicate in texture, moist, rich, insanely chocolaty. This cake is everything a chocolate cake should be. It is also gluten-free, grain free, high in protein, (and if you take away all the ganache and glaze, pretty good for you), and of course truly delicious.

ingredients:

1/4 cup agave

1/2 cup bittersweet callebaut chocolate morsels (or any other very high quality bitter sweet chocolate morsel you prefer) (100g)

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1/2 cup organic butter

1 cup boiling water

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

 2 tbsp ground chia seeds

1 tbsp ground vanilla bean

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp ceylon cinnamon

pinch chili pepper finely ground

a little black pepper finely ground

3 dark roast or espresso beans, finely ground

1/2 cup raw cacao

1/2 tsp baking soda

4 eggs

2 cups almond flour 

directions:

preheat the oven to 345

1. pour boiling water over room temperature butter and chocolate morsels to melt them

2. when they are melted, add the agave and coconut sugar, followed by the apple cider vinegar

3. add the chia seeds, vanilla, sea salt, cinnamon, chili pepper, and black pepper

4. add the raw cacao

5. add the eggs and mix well

6. add the almond flour, and combine fully

7. add the baking soda

8. scoop the batter into prepared muffin cups

9. bake for approx 30-35 minutes, until the cakes feel firm and springy to the touch

or

10. pour the batter into prepared pans (buttered and lined with parchment

11. bake for 40-45 minutes, until the cake feels firm and springy to the touch

remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool before removing from the pan

I assembled the layer cake with a truffle ganache filling between the layers and a chocolate glaze covering the cake in a lovely layer of sheen and deliciousness. Plus, the glaze can hide a multitude of sins ... ;)

Truffle Ganache Filling

Chocolate Glaze

This recipe will make 24 baby cakes, or 3 x 8 inch layers. I guess it would probably make 2 of the 9 or 10 inch layers.

New Year's Day Pancake Lunch -- gluten free, grain free, super yummy pancakes

Welcome 2012.
Let's eat pancakes. What's not to love?

This is how we spent the morning:

And then we came home and had spontaneous pancakes with Sandra and Dave:

ingredients:

1 cup +2 tbps water
2 eggs

1/2 cup flax meal
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground vanilla
1/2 tsp ceylon cinnamon


2 tbsp shredded coconut
1/2 cup pecan meal
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 tsp baking soda


directions:

1. combine the ingredients
2. cook the pancakes for 1 or 2 minutes per side depending on size. You'll have to press 'em down when you flip 'em because all the seeds etc make 'em thick.
3. eat the pancakes with butter and syrup and fruit salad


These are seriously super delicious.