Bread with Rosemary & Garlic gfcf, grain-free, gluten-free

Bread with Rosemary & Garlic

Beat wet ingredients:
4 room temp eggs (cold eggs will harden the coconut oil)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar

3/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp coconut oil, soft or liquified (see tip below)
2 tbsp ghee, soft or liquified
1/4 cup cashew milk
(How to Make Cashew Milk Video)

Add dry ingredients:
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup coconut flour (plus a little extra as needed)
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup almond meal flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder (Grain-free Baking Powder Recipe)
1 tsp fresh chopped rosemary
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Beat again.

Drop in 4 piles onto unbleached parchment paper, and bake in a pre-heated oven, at 350 degrees, for about 25 minutes.

It's wonderful warm with olive oil for dipping.

Next time I'm going to add kalamata olives also.

Tip: To soften my coconut oil I keep a tempered glass jar of coconut oil on the counter. Right before I start making my recipe I turn the oven on so it can pre-heat. I rest the tempered glass jar of coconut oil on the oven vent in the back. The heat of the oven comes up through the vent and softens the oil.

Giving or Receiving a Blender for Christmas? Which to buy? Vitamix or Blendtec?

With the holidays coming, I've been getting questions about which blender I prefer, Vitamix or Blendtec?

Then, my friend, Angela, sent me this link (thanks Angela!). You may have seen these guys before, they have lots of great videos. I'll tell you what I told Angela.

I have the old Blendtec, which was on the right in that demo. He kept accidentally calling them K-Tec & Champ's because that's what they used to be called. That's what my base says (the one on the right in the video). I got a new carafe, as he called it (the top part) like 8 months ago or something. My new carafe says Blendtec, since they changed the name, but it's the small blade, smaller model still. I would LOVE that new Blendtec with the 4" blade and bigger carafe -the one in the middle in the video. WOW. That thing rocked! The new Blendtec doesn't need a tamper (the thing to push the food down), as you can see in the video, whereas the Vitamix clearly does.

Hope that helps! Love, Kelly

Thanksgiving menu & Gratitudegluten-free, casein-free, sugar-free

I want to give thanks to you, my readers, my friends. Thank you for your comments, and emails, for following the blog, for buying the cookbook, for giving me such joy and fulfillment. Helping people create food that they love makes me so grateful for this life. We are so blessed to be overcoming so many odds.

This Thanksgiving we are keeping it simple, and skipping the turkey. I know we could get a heritage turkey that isn't deformed and is able to breed on it's own, but they cost a fortune, and I'm too creeped out by the most common turkey. Instead, we are having Stuffed Red Peppers. So there will still be meat, which my husband and kids love, but not the traditional turkey.

There is also a theme running through my holiday menu: Beans. The salad dressing, stuffed peppers, and cake are all made of beans. I did this to make the cooking simpler and faster, and also because beans are so inexpensive. Click for the recipes:

Salad with Ranch Dressing

Green Bean Casserole

Stuffed Red Peppers

Pumpkin Spice Cake

Happy Thanksgiving! Love, Kelly

GFCF ice cream & friends

This re-post is for our friend Courtney Holden, owner of Benefit Your Life, because I know she is a huge fan of this particular ice cream =) We had the pleasure of having dinner in Boulder with Courtney shortly before our road trip. What a doll. I'm so blessed to have met you, Courtney. (and I love my sparkly purple toluene, formaldehyde, & BPA free nail polish! my toes look beautiful -thanks!)

And here it is: Ginger Fudge Swirl Ice Cream. We had it yesterday (and today), so I took a new photo of it for this post. I made it extra spicy for Ashley and I, since we both love spicy food. Have a great weekend everyone! Cheers, Kelly

Gluten-free Cardamom Pancakes, Annapurna's World Vegetarian Cafe, & Chef Prakash Jagadappa

Yesterday morning, before we left Albuquerque, we went back to Annapurna's for those gluten-free pancakes I mentioned. "Two gluten-free cardamom pancakes grilled golden and smothered in mango sauce. Garnished with toasted almonds and coconut." I was so excited to try them, since gluten-free pancakes are a rare find at a restaurant.

My expectations were high, after having eaten dinner there the night before. (Dinner was out-of-this-universe-good as you may recall.) The plate arrived and I eagerly poured the mango sauce and put a bite in my mouth. I really didn't think I could have been more impressed than I had been at dinner... Then again, maybe so. It was worth driving to Albuquerque just for those gluten-free cardamom pancakes. Seriously. And it was a huge drive. Crazy good.

As I was serving Zoe and Ashley some of my pancakes, the head chef (also a well-known instructor), Prakash Jagadappa, came out and gave me extra mango sauce, just to be kind. We started talking, and it was such a pleasure to meet him. He travels extensively, teaching gluten-free Ayurvedic cooking and healing.

Ashley was very drawn to Prakash. She sweetly told him her name when he shook her hand and asked her. Then she leaning against him for a hug and looked up into his eyes. My mouth fell open. Ashley is doing phenomenally, but that kind of connection is rare, and she adored him. Ashley is a little magnet for positive energy. We are all excited to see him when he comes to Boulder next to teach.

Annapurna's World Vegetarian Cafe *the* place to go gluten-free, casein-free & refined sugar free, in Albuquerque

Outside Annapurna's on Silver St, Albuquerque. Beautiful. (inside was beautiful too by the way)

The girls and I got the special. OMG. Local gluten-free penne pasta, spinach, pepper, mushrooms... I'm so exhausted from the drive today from Tucson, that I can't remember what else, but it was the most amazing food.

Andy got the North Indian Sampler, with brown rice. I tasted it also, and it was heavenly.

Also important to note about Annapurna's: they take great care in preventing cross contamination. They have a gluten-free grill, and a gluten-free only knife was used to serve this fabulous (gluten-free, vegan, refined sugar free!) pecan pie. Tomorrow we're going back to have (gluten-free, vegan, refined sugar free!) biscotti and organic soy chai for breakfast... I can't wait!

Check out the menu and all the gluten-free yumminess. Plus, there's another location in Albuquerque and one in Santa Fe. Yay, because we already have another trip planned to Santa Fe. Can't wait to eat there too!

PS I just saw this on the menu: "Two gluten-free cardamom pancakes grilled golden and smothered in mango sauce. Garnished with toasted almonds and coconut." NO WAY! I'm having that tomorrow for sure!

Botanical Gardens, Tucson, AZ

The girls and I spent most of the day at the Botanical Gardens, while Andy was at the conference. It was wonderful, accept for Zoe being stung by a bee. She was okay, just stung, and offended. She kept crying, "Why did the bee sting me?" -her feelings crushed. Otherwise, it was a fantastic time, and we spent much more time happy than we did sad. For more pictures of today, stroll over to my Spunky Family Journal. Love, Kelly

Tucson Tamale Company gluten-free, vegan

We couldn't wait for lunch today, at the Tucson Tamale Company. Guys: Everything there is gluten-free. And there are some crazy good vegan choices too.

Here is the founder and owner, Todd, and I. We talked about featuring one of Todd's recipe's here, on The Spunky Coconut, and also possibly in a future cookbook (by yours truly) -So stay tuned for that.

I got the Sonora Tamale: Hand shredded rotisserie chicken smothered in their green chili sauce. Then I had to get another -It was so fantastic.

Zoe and Ashley had two of the vegan tamales. I had a bite of each. ...Wow. I have to say, all of us must have looked like wild animals, devouring this food as if we hadn't eaten in days. That's how good it was. Andy got two of the beef, of course, and he was very happy. I fully intend on going there again tomorrow. Would love to have one in our home town of Longmont, CO ...hint hint :-)

photos from the road, new mexico

click to see them larger

Gluten-free lunch in Santa Fe

We really fell in love with Santa Fe. I felt like I was in another country. I took some pictures of the area, but none of them did it justice. The landscape, vegetation, adobe... it was so beautiful. For lunch, we asked some locals where to get some good Mexican food, and they suggested Cafe Pasqual's.

Inside, the cafe was as charming as Santa Fe itself. The staff was very friendly, and helpful. I always ask the hostess as soon as I enter a restaurant if I may speak to someone about a food allergy. Right away, they knew exactly what contained gluten, and what didn't.

Andy had corned beef hash, and I had variation of huevos rancheros. Both were so good. The girls had chicken, rice, and corn tortillas.

Tomorrow we leave for Tucson and the book publishing conference. I can't wait! Cheers, Kelly

GFCF on the road

Hi!

I'm writing you from Santa Fe, New Mexico! It was such a great drive: scenery, books on tape, music, and movies. We snacked on carrots and gluten-free bars, and stopped at this pretty picnic area for lunch. I'm going to see if 4 blocks of ice, each the size of a gallon of water, will stay mostly frozen for a week during our trip. If not, I'll get ice cubes. Either way, I'll keep you posted (on the ice and more of our adventures).

For dinner we had more sandwiches on the Udi's gluten-free bread. We went to the Whole Foods here in Santa Fe, and got some apples with nuts and dried berries to bake in our toaster oven, which we brought from home. We also picked up guten-free buckwheat waffles to have for breakfast (using our toaster oven again) and some fresh strawberries and raspberries.

I can't wait to see Santa Fe tomorrow! Good night all, Kelly

PS For some reason the mountains in the background are getting cut off in the video, so I attached the photo of the picnic area below. I'm still learning how to use my camera and laptop =)

Update: The 4 gallon size blocks of ice stayed mostly frozen and did fantastic for about 4 days. Then I switched to ice cubes just to be safe.

Coconut Pie GFCF & refined sugar free

My friend, Shirley, who you all know as the lovely GFE, posted a recipe for coconut pie yesterday. Umm... Coconut pie? Well, I just had to immediately try it, of course. And since my family does not tolerate casein or refined sugars, I had to make some substitutions. I made the pie in the afternoon, and let it sit on the counter, until we tried it after dinner, hours later. (Okay... I might have had one little taste before then.) It was so delish, we all had seconds. I do have a slight soft spot for coconut ;-) I strongly encourage you to try either Shirley's recipe or my version. I'm going to make another one today. Seriously.

This is how I made it:

Coconut Pie:

Add to bowl:

4 eggs

6 drops vanilla liquid stevia

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 cup cashew milk

(How to Make Cashew Milk Video)

Begin beating. While beating, add:

1/4 cup coconut oil, liquified

(this way the coconut oil doesn't turn into one solid piece)

Add:

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1/4 tsp xanthan gum

2 tbsp coconut flour

1.5 cups shredded coconut

Beat again.

Pour into greased pie dish.

Bake at 350 for about 32 minutes.

Serve room temperature.

PS I ate the last piece this morning and it was even better after sitting over night.

Grain-free Waffles with Blueberry Compote, Go Ahead Honey, It's Gluten-free!

Yesterday I saw Elana's post, with her theme for this month's Go Ahead Honey, It's Gluten-free: Grain-free Cakes and Cupcakes. I consider pancakes and waffles to be in the cake family, and after all, this is almost the exact recipe for my Vanilla Bean Cake.

Oh my goodness... These waffles are yummy, but with the warm blueberry compote... Wow. I may never eat a waffle alone again. Go ahead honey, it gluten and grain free!

If you use your blender to puree this batter, like I do, then give your blueberries a quick blitz first, before you make your waffle batter. That way the compote can warm up on the stove while you make the waffles, and you can just rinse the compote from the blender before you add the eggs and other ingredients for the waffles.

Blueberry Compote:

Add to blender:

3 cups thawed drained blueberries

(I found a bag of organic frozen blueberries at Costco -yay!)

1 tbsp honey

Blitz for about 3 seconds.

Simmer on the stove and reduce to the desired thickness.

Grain-free Waffles:

Makes 3 waffles.

Puree:

4 eggs

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup honey

2 tbsp ghee or coconut oil

1 and 1/4 cup white beans (I use Great Northern, that I cook myself)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp vanilla liquid stevia

3/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder (Grain-free Baking Powder Recipe)

Set waffle maker to medium/high.

I grease mine just slightly before pouring the batter.

Cook for about 3 minutes.

Many thanks to Elana and Naomi!