Banana Bread gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free

Rather than take another picture of my Banana Bread to show you, I took some pictures of Ashley eating it ;-) Isn't she cute as a button? I just love those chubby fingers.

The reason I thought I would post about this Banana Bread again is because I made it without honey, and substituted coconut sugar (equal parts). I also cut the stevia in half. It took about 10 minutes off the bake time, but otherwise came out exactly the same: chewy, and totally delicious. I have to control myself not to eat the whole two loaves in one day -it's so good. My kids like it plain, but you can jazz it up with walnuts or dairy-free chocolate chips. Yum.

Click here for where I buy Coconut Sugar

Click here for my first post on coconut sugar.

Hot Gluten-free Oatmeal with Nut Milk, Raw Honey and Cinnamon

I've held out for many years now on eating oats, even though I knew they were being produced gluten-free. I finally caved at the store last month, when I saw them sitting there on the shelf, so welcoming. They seeming to be calling out to my inner child, who ate them very regularly for breakfast growing up. Knowing I could fancy them up by soaking them and adding nut milk to make them healthier, I couldn't resist. Feel free to judge me poorly for eating them, I'm not entirely comfortable with it myself :-)

Hot Gluten-free Oatmeal with Nut Milk, Raw Honey and Cinnamon:

For gluten-free Rolled Oats:

Soak 1 cup of Gluten-free (and non-gmo) Rolled Oats in water over night.

In the morning strain the oats, rinse in fresh water and strain again.

(for more on why this is very necessary, see the paragraph below)

Add oats to pot with:

1 & 1/4 cups cashew milk
(How to Make Cashew Milk Video)
1 cup coconut milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of sea salt

Simmer, stirring frequently for about 15 minutes.

For gluten-free Steel Cut Oats:

Soak 1.5 cups in water over night.

In the morning strain the oats, rinse in fresh water and strain again.

(for more on why this is very necessary, see the paragraph below)

Add oats to pot with:

3 cups cashew milk
(How to Make Cashew Milk Video)
2 cup coconut milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of sea salt

Simmer, lid on, for about 30 minutes.

Top with raw honey and cinnamon.
Optional: I also add a tablespoon of Hemp Seeds for essential fatty acids, omega 3 & 6

"All grains contain phytic acid (an organic acid in which phosphorous is bound) in the outer layer or bran. Untreated phytic acid can combine with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron especially zinc in the intestinal track and block their absorption. This is why a diet high in unfermented whole grains may led to serious mineral deficiencies and bone loss. The modern misguided practice of consuming large amounts of unprocessed bran often improves colon transit time at first but may lead to irritable bowel syndrome and, in the long term, many other adverse effects. Soaking allows enzyme, lactobacilli and other helpful organisms to break down and neutralize phytic acid. As little as seven hours of soaking in warm acidulated water will neutralize a large portion of phytic acid in grains. The simple practice of soaking cracked or rolled cereal grains overnight will vastly improve their nutritional benefits." -Why it is Very Important to Soak Oats Before You Eat Them, High on Health

A Night of Bliss!

This is our entry for A Night of Bliss, by Coconut Bliss, AKA: the greatest ice cream ever!

The assignment: Create something that expresses how you feel about Coconut Bliss. 

I think Zoe has captured how we feel perfectly :-)

Cheers, Kelly

Fan's in Niwot, CO gluten-free upon request

I don't know why I haven't posted about Fan's before -we've been customers there for a long time. As we all know, gluten-free Chinese food is practically non-existent. Aside from Pei Wei, and P.F.Chang's, I thought we would never eat Chinese food again, especially not at a family run place.

That's where Fan's comes in. Around 10 years ago, someone who worked there was hospitalized and diagnosed with Celiac disease. He really made an impact on this family restaurant, and he taught them how to alter many of their recipes to be gluten-free. There's no gluten-free menu, but the people who have been there the longest can tell you what can and can't be made gluten-free.

So when they take your order, and you get something that can be made gluten-free, they will write on your tab, "funny sauce," meaning, use wheat-free tamari. What I love about this is the irony. Traditional "soy sauce," as it's commonly called, is in fact mainly wheat, not soy, whereas tamari sauce is actually soy. When you think about it this way, shouldn't the gluten-free version be the standard, and the soy sauce "funny?" haha!

The girls absolutely love the rice noodles at Fan's, called Singapore Noodles. Andy and I are pretty crazy about them too. The curry they usually put on them has gluten in it, so we substitute the brown sauce, and tell them (repeatedly) gluten-free. You also may want to ask to have it, "not spicy," if it's for your kids. 

We also think the General Chao's Tofu is out of this world. It's floured with corn starch, and they can use the "funny sauce" on it as well. It's the best tofu I've ever had—crispy on the outside and melt in your mouth on the inside. As you can see, it comes with peppers and onions. Mmm.

Finally, they have really good Egg Drop Soup. Sometimes I get a bowl of it as my main meal, it's so good.

Fan's Chinese Cuisine

7960 Niwot Rd

Longmont, CO
(303) 652-6250

Sun Rose Cafe, Longmont CO gluten-free, heavenly

We've had some illness in the family this week, so we were all kind of tired and decided to go out to dinner for a special treat tonight. There is this delicatessen that I recently discovered has a quite large gluten-free menu, featuring one of my favorite local gluten-free bakeries, Sweet Escape Pastries. So I thought we would check it out.

As you can tell, it was beautifully re-done. The atmosphere was that of a fine European delicatessen, so much so that I asked the owner if her husband, the chef, was Italian. He is not, but he's been in this business for a long time, and both of them obviously know what they're doing.

The building is old, built in 1890, and the Tuscan yellow walls soared to a fantastic coved ceiling with wine red tile. Below that, along the street side wall, were huge stained glass windows. The far end of the cafe, where we sat, also showcased a huge skylight. Art for sale adorned the two long walls, one of which was exposed brick.

When I complimented the owner, Betsy, on the decor, she told me that the tables and the long bar height counter are made from trees killed by the pine beetles. My kind of gal. Not only is the food all natural, and the gluten-free menu worthy of writing home about, but the wood is environmentally conscious too. Love that.

And check out my panini! It was phenomenal! Roast beef with red onion, Roma tomatoes, and horseradish Havarti cheese on flat bread. Plus it came with artichoke chickpea salad. Yum. Also, the house lavender lemonade was very refreshing. My mouth was sooooo happy.

Zoe and Ashley were thrilled splitting their "Tradizionale." That's salami, capicolla, hold the cheese for them, lettuce, Roma tomatoes, and a splash of oil on a hoagie roll.

Andy and I remarked that we hadn't had sandwiches like these since we ate gluten... No, make that since we were in Europe. That was 10 years ago, people. Good to be back. :-)

Check this out: They even had stevia packets on the counter! This is the first time I've ever seen that in a restaurant! I was beaming, of course. You would think I had stock in the company or something. :-)

Here's the website:

Sun Rose Cafe & Fine Foods

Cheers my dears!

Send in your photos!

A friend of mine emailed me this morning, and said she made my Vanilla Bean Cake for her daughter's birthday. She attached this pretty picture. Isn't it adorable? I'm so tickled that they all loved it, and it looked so cute!

If you're planning to make a recipe of mine, take a picture and email it to me:

kelly (insert @ symbol) theSpunkyCoconut.com

and I'll put together a post of all your pictures.

Love, Kelly

Egg-free, Grain-free Brownies

Lately I've been getting more and more requests for egg-free and grain-free recipes. So I've been experimenting with both, but so far I haven't come up with anything successful. This brownie recipe however, is not new. It's the recipe from my post, Mini Cupcake Kabobs. All I did was bake it in a square greased dish for about 35 minutes.

You can really play around with it too. For instance, I used almond butter, but you could try it with Sunbutter. Also, extracts like mint can be added, or walnuts for crunch, etc.

Then, you can eat this brownie chewy and gooey straight from the oven, but we prefer it after it's been cooled in the refrigerator, like the Flourless Brownies from which it evolved.

I hope you egg-free and/or grain-free friends enjoy these brownies, however you choose to eat them!

Egg-free, Grain-free Brownies:

Whip with an electric mixer:
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp of water
1/8 tsp xanthan gum

Add to water and xanthan gum mixture:

1/2 tsp baking powder (Grain-free Baking Powder Recipe)
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp coconut flour

1 cup almond butter

1/4 tsp salt
2 droppers-full vanilla liquid stevia

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup cocoa powder

Beat with electric mixer.

Pour into square greased cake pan.

Spread slightly (it will even itself out).
Sprinkle with 1/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips. I used Enjoy Life. I like them because they're mini.

Bake at 325 degrees, for about 35 minutes.

Update: I made these last night and I was out of vanilla creme liquid stevia, so I used a chocolate raspberry liquid stevia instead, and they are so awesome! My new favorite! I think I'll take the idea a little farther and put some raspberry jam on top too! :-)