Grain-free Pumpkin Pancakes, Go Ahead Honey, It's Gluten-free!

We are having a huge storm right now. There are about 10 inches of snow out there, and it's still coming down heavily. The girls are all dressed up in snowsuits, boots and gloves, as we speak, pulling each other in the sled, and making snow angels. Healthy Grain-free Pumpkin Pancakes seemed like the perfect lunch on a cold day like this.

A few months ago I discovered that buckwheat is not a grain, but a seed. This got me so excited, since more and more we've been eating grain-free. I decided to make pancakes with buckwheat flour for Go Ahead Honey, but I didn't want them to really taste like buckwheat. So I combined the buckwheat flour with almond meal flour, pumpkin, and a lot of eggs. The thing about grain-free flours, like coconut flour and almond meal flour, is that they need a lot of eggs.

I had been trying to create a grain-free and egg-free pumpkin cake since Heather announced her pumpkin theme for Go Ahead Honey. I finally gave up; they just never cooked through, leading me to think that you can either have egg-free baked goods or grain-free baked goods, but not both. If you know of some breads or cakes that are both, please tell us in the comments. For now, I'm going to stick to one or the other :-)

Thank you Heather for hosting, and I can't wait to see the roundup! Cheers, Kelly

Grain-free Pumpkin Pancakes:

Add to blender or food processor:

6 eggs

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup honey

12 drops of vanilla liquid stevia

1 tbsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp coconut oil or ghee

Puree.

Add:

1/4 cup, plus 2 tbsp buckwheat flour

1 cup almond meal flour

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder (Grain-free Baking Powder Recipe)

Puree.

Pour onto pre-heated skillet.

I grease mine with coconut oil (big surprise, lol)

Spread the batter out some using the back of a spoon.

Top with applesauce or your favorite pancake topping.

"Buckwheat is actually not related to wheat at all. Buckwheat is a bush-like plant, which comes from the same family as rhubarb. Buckwheat flour is made from the triangle-shaped seed, or fruit, of the plant. The seed is similar to a sunflower seed, with a small seed inside a hard outer hull. This tiny seed is what the buckwheat flour is made from. This seed may be tiny, but it is mighty powerful when it comes to nutrition.

Buckwheat has a high concentration of all the essential amino acids, which even whole-grain wheat can’t claim. Buckwheat especially contains high levels of lysine, threonine, tryptophan and the sulpher-containing amino acids. Our bodies cannot make most of these amino acids, so we have to get them through our food sources." -Delicious Gluten-free Baking

GFCF Halloween Candy

I am officially addicted to home movies! The girls and I have been having so much fun with it! And the Halloween Candy rocks also; I'm off to eat a piece now :-) Cheers my dears!

Click to see this larger on Youtube

Ginger & Chocolate Halloween Candy:

Melt 1 bar of dark chocolate over double boiler: I used Chocolove, Ginger Crystallized in Dark Chocolate

Add:

About 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Optional: dash of cayenne

Stir, then add to bowl with:

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1/2 cup shredded coconut

Stir.

Depending on the dark chocolate you buy, you may want to add some honey also. We did not need honey in ours.

Spoon into mini muffin tray. Press down firmly for a nice shape once solidified.

Press chopped crystalized ginger on top.

Refrigerate till solidified.

They pop out easily.

Makes about 7 candies.

Tip: If the mixture cools before you finish pressing it into the molds (mini muffin tray), you can put it back into the double boiler to melt the chocolate again.

Cherry & Chocolate Halloween Candy:

Melt 1 bar of dark chocolate over double boiler: I used Chocolove, Cherries & Almonds in Dark Chocolate

Add:

1/4 cup chopped almonds

1/2 cup dried red sour cherries

1/2 cup shredded coconut

Depending on the dark chocolate you buy, you may want to add some honey also. We did not need honey in ours.

Spoon into mini muffin tray. Press down firmly for a nice shape once solidified.

Refrigerate till solidified.

They pop out easily.

Makes about 7 candies.

GFCF Veggie Burgers, also egg-free

Click to watch our YouTube video =)

GFCF Veggie Burgers:

Add to food processor:

3 cups defrosted organic "garden trio" -corn, carrots, green beans

2 tsp lemon juice

1 to 2 tsp dijon

1 tbsp Vegenaise Grapeseed Oil

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp Herbamare seasoning

1/4 cup potato starch

1/2 cup brown rice flour

Puree.

Saute in coconut oil for about 8 minutes on each side.

Makes 6.

We like to top them with avocado and salsa, and serve with salad.

Update: We have made these grain-free twice now, and increased the size of the recipe slightly, since we each like to eat two. The first recipe is good, but we think this version is even better =)

Grain-Free GFCF Veggie Burgers, also egg-free:

Add to food processor:

4 cups green beans (I use frozen organic green beans from Costco, thawed)

Puree. Add:

1/2 tsp guar gum

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 to 2 tsp dijon mustard

1.5 tsp Herbamare Seasoning

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1 tbsp Vegenaise Grapeseed Oil (optional)

Puree. Add:

1/4 cup tapioca flour

1 cup almond meal flour

1 cup Quinoa Flakes

Puree.

Use 1/3 cup measuring cup to scoop batter onto griddle.

Use a spoon to flatten the batter into a burger shape and fry in coconut oil on pre-heated griddle until nicely brown on both sides.

Allow them to cool and firm up for about 20 minutes before serving.

Makes about 10.

Modmarket, Boulder, Gluten-free, Cool

Photo of Andy and I, by Zoe.

Last Saturday we got 4 inches of snow. The girls put on their snowsuits and gloves, pulled each other in the sled, and built a snow slide with our 9 year old neighbor, Abi. This weekend it was 80 degrees, sunny and warm. That's the CO Front Range for you :-) So, yesterday, we put on some dresses and short sleeves, and went to Boulder. My friend, Stephanie, of Gluten Free By Nature, told me about this place that opened about a month ago, called, Modmarket, so we decided to go there for lunch.

Modmarket gets gluten-free pizza dough from The Gluten-free Bistro. They roll it out between plastic wrap, and bake it on parchment paper to prevent cross contamination. They even offer Haystack chevre, which is great for those of us who can tolerate goat milk, but not cow milk. And did I mention how cool this place looks? And what a great view of the snowcapped mountains it has? If you're in Boulder, you should really check it out.

Pretty Green Smoothies

We adore salad in my house. It's one of our favorite things to eat. But getting Zoe and Ashley to eat dark greens, like spinach, chard or kale, is another story. Since Ashley is a big fan of onions, she loves my Onion and Kale Soup . Zoe, however, doesn't like onions at all. So I decided to try another approach to dark greens: Green Smoothies. I'll admit, Zoe drank half as much of hers as Ashley and I did, but at least she liked it :-)

Pretty Green Smoothies:

Add to blender:

1 banana, frozen in pieces

2 sliced granny smith apples

3 handfuls of fresh spinach

1 cup almond milk

1 cup water

1 tbsp Vitol Egg Protein Powder, the yummiest protein powder ever

1 tsp honey

4 drops vanilla liquid stevia

Puree till creamy and smooth.

Spaghetti Squash & Cashew Milk Cream Sauce gluten-free, casein-free

I am so crazy for pumpkin and squash. The other night we had squash with baked apples, raisins, walnuts, honey, and cinnamon. It was so good I was thinking I should make it into a casserole and post it. Then, the following night, we had this, Spaghetti Squash & Cashew Milk Cream Sauce. Delish. It's easy and fast, especially since I took a tip from Gluten Free Gidget and cooked the squash in my slow cooker with 2 cups of water. The spaghetti squash goes into the slow cooker whole, just like I bake butternut squash and pumpkin whole in my oven, without poking or cutting them at all. Simple, and quick.

For the Cashew Milk Cream Sauce,

which only tastes creamy, and not like cashews:
Make a rue:

Add 4 tbs of brown rice flour to 4 tbs of coconut oil or ghee (I prefer ghee) in a pre-heated pot, and whisk.

Whisk in 2 and 1/2 cups of cashew milk, about 1/2 cup at a time, allowing it to thicken in between.

Add 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp Herbamare seasoning, and a few cranks of ground pepper to the sauce.

Sprinkle cinnamon over top.

(How to Make Cashew Milk Video)

Onion & Kale Soup super simple, gluten-free

I have been craving greens lately, which I can only assume is my body's way of telling me I need nutrient rich, highly antioxidant food. In fact, I've eaten a bowl or two of this soup every day for a week now, and I can't seem to get enough of it. Plus, it's so simple to make, with only 3 ingredients, there's no reason not to have it :-) Have you been craving anything interesting lately?

Onion & Kale Soup:

Add to slow cooker:

2 small or 1 large slice onion

1 bunch kale, stems removed, well washed, and chopped

(no need to chop them pretty -they will be pureed later)

2 quarts of vegetable broth

Set to 6 hours high or 8 hours low.

Let cool.

Pour through a strainer into a large bowl to separate the solids from
the broth.

Place the onion and kale into a blender or food processor.

Puree till nice and creamy.

Add as much of the broth as you can (up to the top line).

Give it another whirl.

Stir the soup in the blender with the remaining broth in the bowl.

Serve with well toasted, chopped gluten-free bread.

Pumpkin Spice Cake gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, grain-free

I'm calling this Pumpkin Spice Cake, because it's made with pumpkin pie spice, but it also reminds me a lot of carrot cake. The frosting came out especially nice, and I think it's the frosting combined with the cake that seems similar to carrot cake. Still, I can't bring myself to call it carrot cake when there isn't any carrot in it. You'll just have to make it yourself and tell us what you think. Whatever you call it, it's delicious.

Those of you who follow along will recognize right away that this is another variation of the Vanilla Bean Cake. Meaning, this cake isn't only inexpensive to make, gluten-free, casein-free and sugar-free, but high in protein and low in carb too. I did the math once, and it was around 12 carbs per slice (8 slices total in the cake). Gotta love that :-) Plus it's easy to whip up in the blender or food processor, so it doesn't take long to make.

Happy fall everyone! Cheers, Kelly

Pumpkin Spice Cake:

Add to food processor:

2 cups cooked white beans, room temperature, so they don't cook the eggs (I make mine myself by soaking dry white beans, like Great Northern, overnight. In the morning I rinse them well, and cook them.)

5 eggs

3/4 tsp vanilla liquid stevia (do not measure over the batter, just in case it spills out)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup honey

1.5 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

Puree well.

Add:

1/4 cup coconut oil, liquified

1/3 cup coconut flour, sifted

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking soda

1.5 tsp baking powder (Grain-free Baking Powder Recipe)

Puree well.

Pour into greased and floured bundt pan.

Bake at 325 degrees for about 35 minutes. (I like to check to see if it's done by inserting a knife into the middle. If it's comes out mostly clean, it's done.)

For cupcakes: Fill 3/4 full, and bake for about 24 minutes.

Frosting:

Puree:

2 cups walnuts that have been soaked at least 3 hours, and strained

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp cashew milk

(How to Make Cashew Milk Video)

When the cake has cooled fully, top the cake with the frosting.

Sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice and top with shredded coconut for presentation.

Refrigerate after the first day.

Detoxing Nuts, & Breaking Down Enzyme Inhibitors

I've talked about soaking nuts in the past. This is done to break down the enzyme inhibitors, making them easier to digest. There is another reason for soaking them as well—toxins. Soaking nuts that are not organic in a gallon of water with a few tablespoons of lemon juice for several hours pulls out a lot of the gross stuff, like presumably pesticides.

Of course, the best thing to do is only buy organic. But I've soaked both organic and non-organic nuts exactly this way, and the stuff that comes out of the non-organic nuts is really gross. I took a picture of the non-organic nut soaking water below to show you.

Now, before you start saying, "That's just the lemon juice making it that color" let me tell you: It isn't. :-) First of all, I only use about 3 tablespoons of lemon juice per gallon or so of water, which isn't nearly enough to cause this color. And secondly, this liquid isn't only yellow, it's opaque. You can't see through it at all. That's disgusting.

After I dispose of the filthy water, I soak the nuts for another few hours in fresh water. When the time is up, I strain and rinse one more time before dehydrating them in my Nesco dehydrator. My advice: Buy organic nuts. But if, once in a while, you don't buy organic, try my technique.