** chickpea flour sticks with chili powder -- vegan, gluten free, grain free,

I get my chickpea flour  -- in this case besan flour -- from the Indian market up the street. I made these with it. One time with chili powder and mesquite, another time with garlic and oregano. The thing they had in common both times is that they were delicious. But personally, I thought the flavours worked a little better with the garlic and oregano. Although a two year old who was with us seemed to disagree, if the vast quantity of chili powder chickpea flour sticks he ate was any indication.

equipment needed:

measuring cups
measuring spoons
mixing bowl
mixing spoons
silicone mats
baking sheets


ingredients:

1/2 cup warm water
2 tbsp coconut sugar
2 tsp bread yeast

1/4 cup chia seeds
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 1/2 cups chickpea flour
1/2  cup raw almond flour

1 tsp sea salt
3 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp mesquite


directions:

1. mix together the warm water, coconut sugar, and yeast, and set aside to proof
2. in a bowl combine the dry ingredients
3. add the water/yeast mixture to the dry ingredients and mix to form a dough
4.  roll dough into sticks -- sprinkle with large salt
5. let rise for a while
6. bake at 345 for 20 minutes

Maple Pumpkin Pie! -- deep dish, vegan, gluten free

I made a very large pumpkin pie in a springform pan using roasted butternut squash. It's vegan, it's grain free, it's good for you, and it's delicious. Happy thanksgiving!

crust:

ingredients:

2 cups blanched almond meal

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1 tsp  ceylon cinnamon

1 tsp ground vanilla bean

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

directions:

1. combine the ingredients (I used a fork). It will be crumbly looking.

2. press the mixture into a lined (I use a round of parchment) and greased springform pan -- take it up the sides (I used my hands)

3. bake at 345 for 10 minutes

pumpkin filling
ingredients:

1 small butternut squash, roasted -- 3 cups of flesh after roasting
1 can coconut milk -- 400 ml
1/2 cup water

1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground vanilla
2 tsp ceylon cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1 1/2  tsp sea salt
black pepper
4 tbsp arrowroot powder


directions for filling:

1. to roast the squash, I washed the butternut squash, and then cut it into large pieces, put them on a baking sheet, and put them in the oven for 1 hour on 345, or until they were soft. I then peeled/cut off the outer skin.
2. I then pureed the cooked squash with 1 can of coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, ground vanilla, ceylon cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, sea salt, black pepper, and arrowroot flour. I added 1/2 cup of water, because I found that baking the squash seemed to dehydrate it a little, and the whole mixture seemed too dry. If you roast yours in a closed dish, or if you use a wetter squash (such as a pie pumpkin, perhaps) you might not need the water
3. set aside your filling until you are ready for it.

pie:

1. taste the filling and adjust for seasoning

2. pour into par-baked crust

3. bake pie at 345 for 50 minutes

Herbed Muffins -- a savoury snack or satisfying meal (gluten free, grain free, sugar free, dairy free, you know the drill ...)

Those of you who have rolled through the past 11 months with me know I like savoury flavours quite a lot. I wasn't in the mood for a big heavy meal tonight, so I made up a batch of savoury muffins -- super fast -- they were in the oven in 15 minutes or less, and baked up in 30 -- to go with a side of sauteed broccoli. Kind of a cheating dinner, but how nice are muffins hot out of the oven with butter melting on them? Some times simple food rules!

These gluten-free, grain-free muffins have many kinds of seeds in them, so they bring a whole host of powerful micro-nutrients to the table along with a fair bit of deliciousness. I didn't spice them overly, but you could easily throw in a little more chili powder if you are a hardier sort than I and didn't have the palette of a 3 year old to please. I -- she said sadly -- am a wimp.

Anyway, every member of my family enjoyed the meal, and found it satisfying as well as satisfactory. Might be nice with a bowl of autumn soup ... Or brunchie, with some fresh fruit and scrambled eggs.

ingredients:

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1/2 cup flax meal

1/4 cup chia seeds

1/4 cup hemp seeds

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 - 1 1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tbsp marjoram

1 tbsp oregano

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil

2 cups almond flour

4 eggs

1/2 tsp baking soda

directions:

preheat the oven to 345

1. combine the seeds and the boiling water

2. add the herbs and spices and let sit for 10 minutes

3. add the coconut oil, and stir until melted

4. add the apple cider vinegar

5. add the almond flour

6. add the eggs

7. add the baking soda, and stir well

8. scoop the batter into 24 prepared muffin cups, and bake for 30 minutes at 345

9. when the muffins are cool, remove them from the muffin cups

10. store in an airtight container in the fridge

Update: The left over muffins made great garlic bread to go with our lasagna last night. We split them open, buttered them, then sprinkled them with a little granulated garlic. A few minutes in the oven after the lasagna came out resulted in warm, buttery, garlic bread ... and they are gluten-free, high in protein, and super yummy.