Coconut "Chocolate" Chip Cookies

I LOVE COOKIES! NOM NOM NOM! COOKIE, COOKIE, MUST HAVE COOKIE!!

Okay, so, you may have gathered that I love cookies. I have a major sweet tooth but cannot have sugar! It's so dang hard! I am constantly trying out new things in the kitchen! Cookies and cookie dough are always my "go to" dessert when I'm hankerin' for something sweet. Which is almost daily. COOKIE!!!!!!!

So, a few months back, I got creative and came up with my favorite cookie recipe so far. I initially used buckwheat flour but ran out, so if you don't have the buckwheat or want a "white" cookie, use the regular Namaste PFB and add an egg, I do that often. The buckwheat is for extra protein which makes the cookie have a better consistency and it also doesn't get crumbly. This makes a soft, almost store bought sugar cookie type texture. I LOVE IT!  You'll see "combined coconut and olive oils," I use half and half since my dad's doctor told him that the coconut oil tends to up that cholesterol level, but I like the flavor of it; so I use half and half with olive oil, which is healthier.

Without any further ado, here it goes!

Coconut "Chocolate" Chip Cookies

2 large eggs
3/4 cup combined olive and coconut oils, melt the coconut oil (I believe its 6 tbs each)
35 drops vanilla liquid stevia
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (if you can have the sugar, I would suggest vanilla flavored!)
4 tsp stevia powder
1/4 tsp each baking powder and soda
1 cup Namaste Perfect Flour Blend
3/4 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup unsweetened carob chips

Option: 1/2 pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whip eggs with whisk, then add oils and whisk. Whip in liquid stevia and yogurt.

Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl and stir well before stirring into the liquid. I use a wooden spoon since I don't have a coveted KitchenAid mixer... Then fold in shredded coconut and carob chips, stir well. If you opt to have nuts, fold those in now.

Drop onto cookie sheet by spoonfuls. I try to shape mine in circles at this point. These do not spread like sugary cookies do, so make them the thickness and size you want them to be, they aren't going anywhere.

Bake at 350 for about 10-15 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack.

I think Cookie Monster would be proud! :)

Carrot Cake with Sweet Potato Frosting

As requested, here are the recipes for the carrot cake and frosting I made for my dad's birthday.  

Recently, Dad has been having problems with his memory. He'd forget where he was at some points, forget where he was going, and what he was supposed to be doing. His doctor took him off of sugar and gluten completely. Apparently sugar can create a type of plaque that builds up on the brain and leads to dementia and Alzheimer's disease!  SUGAR IS BAD, MMMKAY?! 

Birthdays in general aren't such a big deal for me, but my dad's has always been a special day. He's the head of the family, after all; and his favorite cake is carrot cake. So, since he is on this new diet, we (and by we, I mean me since Mom has no self confidence in trying new creations) had to come up with a recipe to make Dad's favorite a gluten/sugar free possibility. 

I adapted my cake recipe from this recipe on ElanasPantry.com and the sweet potato frosting from WholeNewMom.com which has cupcake recipe with it. The cake recipe uses some form of sugar (sugar, agave, honey, etc.) so I had to make adjustments and use stevia powder and liquid drops. If you can have sugar, by all means use the original recipes, I won't be offended, nor will I even know! BUT, I just don't recommend sugar in anything with all the things I have learned about it! I hear agave nectar is a very good alternative, but it's got too much of a glycemic index for us. So, Sweetleaf Stevia it is! 

Carrot Cake

·         3 cups Namaste Foods Perfect Flour Blend

·         1 teaspoon sea salt

·         1 teaspoon baking soda

·         1 tablespoon ground cinnamon  

·         1 teaspoon nutmeg

·         5 eggs

·         30 -35 drops liquid stevia

·         4 teaspoons – 2 tablespoons of powdered stevia (I did the 4 tsps but 2 tbs is = to 1 cup sugar, so if you like sweet, do more.)

·         ¼ cup  coconut oil

·         3 cups carrots, grated

·         1 cup  chopped walnuts

         Almond Milk

In a large bowl, combine  flour, salt, baking soda, powdered stevia, cinnamon and nutmeg.

In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, liquid stevia and oil.  Stir carrots and walnuts into wet ingredients.

Stir wet ingredients into dry and mix well.  I had to add a few splashes of almond milk, probably about 1/4 cup, to get a 

good cake batter consistency. 

Place batter into  9x13 inch baking dish and bake at 325° for 25 minutes

Cool to room temperature and spread with sweet potato frosting

Sweet Potato Frosting

   1 cup sweet potato puree*

   5-10 tsp cinnamon, to taste   2 tsp fresh lemon juice   1 tsp vanilla   25-35 drops Sweetleaf Liquid Stevia(or use a flavored liquid, also by Sweetleaf, to jazz it up.)   6 tsp coconut oil, melted

   4-8 tbsp full fat coconut milk (canned, not cream of coconut)

*To make sweet potato puree, wash one medium to large potato, prick with a fork a few times and place on a baking sheet (line with parchment paper to make clean up a breeze) and bake at 400°F for 30-40 minutes until tender. OR microwave on baked potato setting.

Let cool a bit. The skin should peel off relatively easy at this point. Scoop out the filling and place in a mini food processor or blender and puree. Now you are ready to make the frosting!

1.  Before you begin, ensure all ingredients are at room temperature or warmer.

2.  Using a hand mixer or kitchan aid mixer beat all ingredients into a bowl, scraping down the sides a few times. Adjust flavors to taste.

**If you want chocolate frosting, add ¼ cup unsweetend cocoa powder, I love dark chocolate, and add more stevia to desired sweetness, probably about another 20-30 drops or about 1 tbsp powdered. If you use powdered, I would mix the powdered stevia in with the cocoa powder before adding it to the sweet potato mixture. 

Cinnamon Rolls! Gluten/Egg/Sugar/Yeast FREE!

It has been at least 3 1/2 years since I've had cinnamon rolls and I have been craving something new to bake. Lucky me, I have Pinterest! I found this recipe for Tea Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls and do like I always do and made it my own! So, if you can have sugar, feel free to use the above link to have your sugar! ;)

Rolls:

2 Cups Namaste Biscuits, Piecrust, & More mix

1/2 Cup Milled Flaxseed (I like to make things healthy and get my fiber in. I think it also helps to keep the rolls from being to crumbly)

1 Stick Organic, Hormone-Free Butter (If you can't have dairy, substitute with coconut oil)

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp powdered stevia

3/4 cup coconut milk (almond, soy, or regular milks will work, too)

Cinnamon/"Sugar"

1 TBSP Organic Hormone Free Butter softened

Cinnamon

Stevia Powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Mix B,P, & M, flaxseed, xanthan gum, baking powder, and stevia in mixing bowl with wooden spoon. Cut in butter until lumps start to form. Slowly add milk, stirring with wooden spoon until dough forms. You don't want it too sticky, so use less milk or add "flour" until its a good consistency.

Flour counter or pastry mat and roll dough out with rolling pin. Thickness is up to you, I usually do about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick depending on how many rolls I want to make.

Brush the tablespoon of butter over flattened dough, completely covering. Sprinkle with cinnamon, I say the more the better. Then sprinkle with powdered stevia or sugar. I used 5 packets of Purvia.

Roll your dough then cut rolls at desired thickness. These do not rise.

Place in 8x8 or 9x13 baking dish greased with butter. Bake for 15-20 mins. If you want a "golden" or crisp top, turn on broiler for the last two minutes or so but keep an eye on them!!

Since I can't have a glaze, I just butter the tops and enjoy with a nice cuppa (cup of tea) or glass of milk. YUM-MO!!  Even Carlos says they're good and he's a sugar eater! ;)

BON APPETITE!

Summer Squash, Zuccini, Pasta Bake

I wanted to do something quick, easy, and different for dinner a few weeks ago, so I brought my dear friend Pinterest up on the ol' laptop and searched casseroles.

I haven't made a good casserole in ages, thanks to being on the Cadida Diet and not being able to have any dairy besides goat's and sheep's cheeses. In case you didn't know it already, those ain't cheap my friends! I recently discovered Daiya Cheese thanks to my wonderful mother and Central Market. Its an almond based, non dairy cheese and so far, what I have used is DELICIOUS!



So, I had a few basic ingredients I wanted to use: zucchini, yellow squash, ground turkey, and pasta sauce. After looking around at different casseroles on Pinterest, I decided to give it a go. An Italian type pasta casserole with zucchini and squash had to be good, right? Oh BOY was I right! It turned out amazing!

While the meat was browning with the frozen seasoning mix (onions, red bell peppers, and green bell peppers) and with dried oregano, dried rosemary, a tiny pinch of sage and sea salt, I sliced the zucchini and squash
and put them in the dish (which I had sprayed liberally with olive oil), sprinkled Mrs. Dash Seasonings over it, and stirred to coat.

I layered the meat over the squash and poured pasta sauce over top. I usually buy Central Market Organics Garlic Lover's Sauce or Pasta Primavera as they have no added sugar in them.

Since my hubby can have normal cheese, I didn't incorporate my expensive cheese IN the casserole, I grated fresh Romano Pecorino over top and then I just put my Daiya Mozzeralla on half and the other half I put real mozzarella for him. I baked it, covered with foil, for 30 mins in an oven preheated to 350 degrees. If you like your cheese to be a little browned on top, put it back in the oven, uncovered, for about 5-10 minutes.

This is the pasta I used, (its gluten free, potato free, sugar free, etc.) my favorite salt free seasonings, and my Romano sheep's milk cheese that I use instead of Parmesan.

Zucchini Bread:Gluten Free, Sugar Free, Sweetened with Stevia

So, I decided that I wanted to experiment and bake a loaf of zucchini bread today. I adapted my recipe from this one from Smitten Kitchen.

I have recently learned, through experimentation and research of ye good ole internet, that when baking with gluten free flours and flour blends, you need more egg and about 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum in addition to what is already in your flour blend or 1/4 teaspoon per cup of flour blend that doesn't already have it. If you are STILL having trouble with your goodies being crumbly or dry, try using a flour with more protein in it, such as buckwheat flour. I also like to add a tablespoon or so of milled flax seed or you can incorporate it into your flour measurements. Flax seed is a great way to get fiber and also contains omega 3 fatty acids! AND ITS PRACTICALLY TASTELESS!


Yield: 1 loaf, approximately 12 muffins



3 large eggs
1/2 cup coconut oil
35 drops SweetLeaf Vanilla Creme Liquid Stevia Drops
6 packets of PureVia Stevia (I would normally have used about 1 TBS of SweetLeaf brand stevia powder but I was out.)
1 cup grated zucchini
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups of Namaste Foods Perfect Flour Blend
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1/2 cup dried cranberries, raisins or chocolate chips, unsweetened carob chips (which is what I used), or a combination t (optional).

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease and flour one 8×4 inch loaf pan, liberally. (This is necessary even for non-stick pans!!) Alternately, line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Mix in oil and stevia, then zucchini and vanilla.

Combine flour blend, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking soda, baking powder and salt, as well as nuts, chocolate chips and/or dried fruit, if using.

Stir in the egg mixture. Divide the batter into prepared pan.

Bake loaves for 55 minutes, plus or minus ten, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. I baked mine for approximately 55 minutes.  

Take out of oven and let rest about 5-10 minutes before serving. 

This is the best gluten free texture of anything I have baked thus far! It was almost like a regular zucchini bread! Usually my stuff ends up a bit dense, so I will definitely be adding more xanthan gum and egg to my other recipes!  
It is deliciously crisp and crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle! I love crunch, so if you don't, I'd start watching it at about 40 minutes, though I don't think you can keep it from getting even the slightest bit crunchy.  

BON APPETITE! 

Gluten Free, Yeast Free, Sugar Free Bread

A few of my friends asked me for the recipe when I posted a pic of my GF/YF/SF bread on Facebook a couple of weeks ago.  I must admit, as a first attempt, this bread was pretty darn good! A little bit on the dense side, but soft, moist, and, though it needed a little more salt, tasty!

So, here it is folks:

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of Namaste Foods PFB (I used about 2 3/4 cups of PFB* and about 1/4 cup of Namaste Foods BP&M* as I ran out of the PFB. this lessened my need of baking soda as the BP&M blend has baking soda in it.)
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (I use So Delicious Unsweetened Vanilla, but I am sure any brand you would like would work. I am sure almond milk would work, as well.)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda (if using the BP&M like I did, make it 1/2 teaspoon)
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 3 packets of stevia (I used Purvia)
• 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt (add more to taste, I would probably do 1 teaspoon next time, I'll try to remember to update this if it turns out too salty)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Whisk together all dry ingredients in large mixing bowl

In a smaller bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients. 

Mix wet ingredients into the dry blend with a wooden spoon. (I was taught years ago to use a wooden spoon if mixing bread by hand. I don't know why, but it made a difference. If you have a Kitchen Aid Mixer, you lucky b!@+*, use the dough hook. I hate you. >_<   I KID, I KID!!)

If you ARE using a wooden spoon, mix until you just can't mix it anymore and then knead the dough until it is well blended and has a smooth texture. Form a loaf and put in a liberally buttered, medium sized loaf pan. 

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes. It should have a slightly golden hue to it, you don't want it to be brown because it will most likely be burned on the bottom before that occurs. 

If you have candida, like me, use organic, hormone free, antibiotic free butter. I get Central Market brand, but I hear Ghee works well, too. 

ENJOY! If you are a lucky one who can have honey or agave nectar (I hate you again), oooooh enjoy it while you can! ;)

I hope you like as much as I did!!

*PFB = Namaste Foods Perfect Flour Blend

*BP&M = Namaste Foods Biscuits, Pie Crust, & More Blend 

Namaste Foods Brand has been my blessed, candida friendly, "flour" savior. They have amazing baking blends and pasta dinners! I LOVE THEM!!

P.S. This does NOT last long, refrigerate the day you make it or freeze if you aren't going to eat it all within 2 days. There are no preservatives in this to make it last for days. 

New Name/New Blog!

I'm getting married... can't really rant and rave about being single any longer. So, I've decided to start a new blog, focused more on my gluten free/sugar free/potato free/candida diet friendly cooking and baking. I'll probably throw in some new tricks and tips on frugality, being eco-friendly, essential oils, or DIY projects that I attempt. Hopefully, I will be able to travel well in this new married life and I will post about my travels. Who knows what else may tickle my fancy. Hence the "Whimsical" part. 

Speaking of the name of my new blog, "The Whimsical Gypsical", I've wanted to start my own business for a long time and have thought that that would be an awesome name for a boutique. Only, I don't want just some boutique, I'd like to open up an old fashioned type mercantile for whimsical types of things: clothing, jewelry, wind chimes, earth art, natural foods, and maybe even have a bakery in there! 

Whimsical by definition is fanciful, quaint, playful, and appealing. Gypsies are known for being nomadic, artistic, musical, and fanciful people. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am a gypsy at heart. I love to travel, even though I haven't had the opportunity to travel far and abroad. I love art, music, and culture. 

So, here's to new names, new adventures, new recipes, and loving life! (and my new hubby!! I love you Carlos!!)