gluten-free Marble Cake

This cake is so decorative and so delicious. You might say it tastes as good as it looks ;-) I thought it would be perfect for a party or your sweetheart on Valentine's Day. It's not an entirely new recipe. I just used my Vanilla Bean Cake recipe, and substituted 1/2 cup cocoa powder to make the chocolate layer. That was the only change I made between the chocolate and vanilla. I baked it in a square dish because I thought it would look nice cut it into squares.

Marble Cake:

(This will make 2 square cakes)
First make the chocolate layer—

Chocolate Bean 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 overnight. In the morning I rinse them well, and cook them.)
6 eggs
3/4 tsp vanilla liquid stevia or chocolate raspberry liquid stevia (do not measure over the batter, just in case it spills out)

1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup honey

Puree well.

Add:
1/4 cup coconut oil, liquified
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp baking powder (Grain-free Baking Powder Recipe)

Puree well.

Divide into two square (greased & floured) dishes.

Rinse the food processor and repeat the recipe, but substitute 1/3 cup coconut flour in place of the cocoa powder.

Pour half of the Vanilla Bean Cake on top of each chocolate layer.

Swirl the layers, and lift some of the chocolate layer up with a fork.

Sprinkle with dairy-free chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life).

Bake the two cakes at 325 degrees for about 32 minutes.

XOXO, Kelly

Quiche by Noosh, of For the Love of Food!

Photos by Noosh, For the Love of Food!

Noosh, at For the Love of Food!, had this great idea to use my Pie Crust as a quiche crust. I'm going to make one myself as soon as possible. I agree with her that you don't need to bake the crust first, since the quiche is going in the oven for 35 minutes. Thanks again Noosh! I'm so happy you guys like it! My husband loves it too =)

She says, "so i made kelly's crust. and it was phenomenal. my non-gf husband described it as a 'really really good pizza crust' but i really just loved the richness and savory flavor of it and it complemented the quiche well even though it was designed as a dessert crust. we might just have to try out a pizza on it sometime soon and see how it
turns out..."

How to make your own Grain-free Corn-free Baking Powder

Learning to cook for allergies, intolerances, and celiac is such an endless process, don't you think? Of course, you can eat simply and clean (or even raw), maybe even without breads and prepared desserts. Then you completely avoid all the cooking and baking that can be so tricky when you're avoiding foods like gluten, casein, refined sugar, and more. But my family and I love baked goods and desserts. Plus creating recipes is kind of my thing ;-)

As you may have noticed, we've been eating mostly grain-free lately. There are a couple reasons why we've been doing this, and they mostly involve yours truly. ;-) For one, I digest grain-free baked goods more easily, and I think a lot of people do. The second reason is that I have an easier time maintaining my weight when I eat mostly grain-free, and again, I think a lot of people do.

Then last week I was reading The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook, when I came across baking powder. Ali mentioned how baking powder contains corn. I don't know why I never read the ingredients in baking powder before, but I was surprised to learn that. Since I am avoiding grains for optimal health and weight purposes, this revelation doesn't put me in any danger. For people with an allergy to corn however,
it does.

Corn-free (grain-free) Baking Powder:

1 part baking soda

2 parts cream of tartar

2 parts starch

I used potato starch, but you could use tapioca starch, or arrowroot,
like Ali. Also, check out Ali's awesome cookbook, The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook yourself, if you haven't already. I'm a huge fan =)

Update: Check out the comments for more great suggestions!

How to roll out and transfer my Goji Pie pie crust. egg-free, gluten-free, casein-free

Hi everyone! We've made my pie crust from the Goji Pie recipe quite a few times now, and as Andy says while eating it, "I can't believe this crust is gluten-free." It's so good. But like some of you, I find the dough can break sometimes, and this makes it hard to transfer the crust to the dish. The reason is because this dough is made with whole, healthy ingredients. There isn't a ton of oil or shortening, there isn't any gum, and of course, there isn't any gluten. :-) Lacking these ingredients that are binding, I thought this dough deserved a little video. Now you can see how to make this crust work, because it tastes so good I don't want you to miss out on it! Cheers, Kelly



Click for the Pie Crust Recipe.

Creamy Honey Dijon Dressing gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free

After making my Creamy Ranch Dressing with white beans I thought that it might work as a creamy honey dijon too. I like this new dressing on salad or as dip for carrots and celery. The chia seeds don't add flavor, they are there to thicken the dressing and add omegas 3 & 6, plus protein.

I can't say enough good things about Chia Seeds. Thanks so much to you guys for telling me about them! This is the third or fourth recipe that I've substituted chia seeds for xanthan gum, and it worked—baked goods, shakes, dressing. I'm starting to think chia seeds may work as a substitute in anything that calls for xanthan gum. I plan on using them to thicken my ice cream next—I'm so excited about it! =)

Creamy Honey Dijon Dressing:

Add to blender:

1 cup cooked white beans (I used small organic navy beans)

2/3 cup cashew milk (or other dairy substitute)

(How to Make Cashew Milk Video)

1 tbsp lemon juice OR apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp honey

1 to 2 tsp dijon (depending on your taste)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp Herbamare seasoning

2 tsp Chia Seeds (to thicken and add omegas 3 & 6)

Puree till creamy and smooth.

Orange Pie (improved from last year) grain-free, gluten-free, casein-free

I made a few significant changes to my Orange Pie and it tastes much better, so I thought I would re-post it. The texture reminds me a little bit of a lemon bar, which is what I'm working on next, using this recipe. I also whipped up a quick glaze that compliments it wonderfully. Hope you enjoy this improved recipe as much as we do :-)

Orange Pie:

Boil 1 whole large orange (peel and all) for about 80 minutes.
Remove. Rinse in a bowl of fresh piping hot water for one minute.

Let the orange cool until you can touch it.

Remove half of the peel.
Add the orange (now missing half of it's peel) to your food processor, after putting in the blade.

Puree. Add:

1/4 cup tapioca flour
3/4 cup coconut flour
2 tbsp coconut oil
1/4 tsp vanilla liquid stevia
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder (Grain-free Baking Powder Recipe)
Puree.
While pureeing, drop in 4 eggs.

Pour into a springform pan, lined with unbleached parchment paper.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Let cool before adding glaze.

Glaze:

Add to blender:

2 tbsp cashew milk

2 tbsp coconut milk

2 tbsp honey

2 tsp tapioca flour

2 tsp Chia Seeds (to thicken and add omegas 3 & 6)

about 2 drops of orange extract (measure on a spoon, not over the glaze, in case it spills out)

Puree

Pour glaze over cooled pie and let it set. Or eat it immediately if you have no patience like me ;-)

Onion Poppy Seed Bagels made with eggs grain-free, gluten-free

I didn't want to leave out those of you who use eggs in my bagel making :-) But I really can't say, having eaten them both with and without eggs, which is my favorite. They are both good, and yet different. This particular variation, using eggs, is better after it's cooled, sliced and toasted, in my opinion. I never toast the egg-free version. I think this dough would work better for a blueberries version, although I've never tried to add blueberries to the egg-free.

Onion Poppy Seed Bagels, made with eggs:

Beat wet ingredients:

4 room temp eggs (cold eggs will harden the coconut oil)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
3/4 tsp guar gum
1 tbsp honey

2 tbsp coconut oil, soft or liquified
2 tbsp ghee (which is casein-free), soft or liquified

(OR 4 tbsp of either ghee or coconut oil)

1/4 cup cashew milk (or other milk substitute)
(How to Make Cashew Milk Video)

Add dry ingredients:
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup almond meal flour, OR potato starch
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder (Grain-free Baking Powder Recipe)
2 tsp onion powder
Beat again.

Separate the dough into 4 piles and refrigerate for about an hour.

Using wet hands, roll each pile into a ball. Like the egg-free recipe, use your thumb to make a hole in the middle of the ball and shape it into a bagel (see bagel video). Roll the bagel in poppy seeds.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.

GFCF egg-free Bagel Video

Click for the written Bagel Recipe. Please note this recipe is not in our current cookbook, but will be in our next cookbook, coming out later this year :-)

Onion Poppy Seed Bagels & Cinnamon Raisin Bagels grain-free, gluten-free, egg-free casein-free, gfcf

Lately we have been crazy about these bagels that are based on my bun recipe. Our two favorite flavors are Onion Poppy Seed and Cinnamon Raisin. Let me know if you try one, or if you create a flavor of your own :-)

Cinnamon Raisin or Onion Poppy Seed Bagels:

Add to mixing bowl:
3 tbsp golden flaxmeal OR 1.5 tbsp Chia Seed meal (I grind my seeds in a coffee grinder or Magic Bullet.)
3 tbsp applesauce
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

3/4 tsp guar gum or xanthan gum
1/4 cup cashew milk (or other milk substitute)
(How to Make Cashew Milk Video)
Beat with electric mixer.

Add, preferably in this order:
1 tbsp honey
1/4 cup ghee (which is casein-free) or coconut oil, soft or liquified
2 tsp cinnamon & 1/4 cup raisins for Cinnamon Raisin Bagels

OR 1 tsp onion powder for Onion Poppy Seed Bagels
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup tapioca or arrowroot flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder (Grain-free Baking Powder Recipe)

Beat again until a mass begins to form.

Note: Due to climate you may need to add a little more flour or milk, depending on how dry or humid it is where you live.

Form the dough into a ball with your hands. (I put some oil on my hands so the dough doesn't stick to them.)
Divide the ball in half.
Break each half in two, so that there are four balls.

Roll each ball in your hands, then push one finger through the middle and shape the dough into a ring. Note: They do rise a little in the oven, so the size of the hole will shrink slightly during baking. Tip: Use dry or slightly oiled hands to shape the dough, not wet hands. When my hands are wet the dough tends to break.

If making Onion Poppy Seed, wet the bagel a tiny bit (after shaping) and roll it in poppy seeds.

Bake on a slightly greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for about 24 minutes.

Makes 4.

Goji & Raw Cacao Pie & iHerb giveaway! gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free rich in omega 3 & 6

Congratulations Ann Marie!

This giveaway is now closed.

Many of you have already heard me on the Spunky Coconut Facebook Page and Twitter, jumping for joy over the opportunity to do a review and giveaway for iHerb. For those of you who haven't heard: Guess what??? I am giving away a $50 dollar shopping spree for iHerb!!! (You should see the smile on my face ;-) See the end of this post for details on how to enter to win.

My brother first told me about iHerb, after he heard about it from a co-worker. The word is spreading: You can get amazing products and health food for fantastic prices on iHerb. When I went on iHerb to make my order for the review and giveaway, I could hardly choose what to buy. Everything in my kitchen, from coconut oil to supplements to baking supplies is all there on iHerb, and by all the brands I know and love.

What I really wanted this time from iHerb was some superfood. Some crazy healthy, antioxidant rich, vitamin, mineral, and essential fatty acid packed food—That's what I was after. I wanted to get my hands on this powerhouse of nutrition: Goji Berries, Raw Cacao powder, Chia Seeds and Dried Red Tart Cherries. ...Oh, yea ;-)

So I decided to make a raw-inspired pie. You could also easily make this pie completely raw by substituting with homemade nut milk rather than coconut milk, and using a raw crust, like the one on my "cheesecake" (page 141 in my cookbook).

Pie Crust:

Add to bowl:

3 tbsp flax seed meal OR 1.5 tbsp Chia Seed meal

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp applesauce

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

8 drops vanilla liquid stevia

1 tbsp honey

1/4 cup coconut oil, liquified OR grapeseed oil

Mix with electric mixer.

Add:

1 cup almond meal flour

1/2 cup coconut flour

1 tsp baking soda

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

Mix again.

Roll out the dough.

See: Video on how to roll out and transfer this dough. Or flatten the dough out slightly, so it's about 6 inches wide, then put it in the dish, and press it the rest of the way out with your hands.

(I also lightly grease and flour my pie dish first, so the crust doesn't stick.)

Bake the crust at 350 degrees for about 12 to 14 minutes.

Allow the crust to cool.

There will probably be a little dough left over after you trim the dish. You can make this leftover dough into a few tarts, like this:

Top with jam and bake them for about 10 minutes.

Here is the crust, after it's baked:

Goji & Raw Cacao Pie Filling:

Soak 1/2 cup cashews for at least 3 hours. Rinse in fresh water and strain.

Soak 1/2 cup Goji Berries and 2 tbsp Dried Red Tart Cherries for one hour. Strain.

The Goji Berries were so beautiful after soaking for an hour, that I had to take a picture of them:

Add the cashews and the berries to the food processor with:

1 cup coconut milk (or use homemade nut milk, like almond milk, to make the filling raw)

8 soaked pitted dates

5 tbsp Raw Cacao Powder

10 drops vanilla liquid stevia

Lastly, right before blending add: 1/4 cup Chia Seeds (packed with omega 3 & 6, protein, potassium and more)

Puree.

Pour filling into crust.

Refrigerate at least 3 hours.

A photo of the crust with the filling, before it's been chilled in the refrigerator:

And now for the $50 shopping spree giveaway! (Contest is now closed)

The giveaway is open to US residents. It closes Wednesday, January 20th at 9PM Mountain Time.

To enter leave a comment. I will select a winner using Random.org. and announce the winner the day after the contest closes.—That's next Thursday, so remember to check back again and see if you won!

Gain one extra entry by doing one of the following: Link to this post on your blog, tweet or facebook this post. Make sure to leave me a comment and let me know if you do.

And, even if you aren't the lucky winner, you can still receive $5 off your first order with iHerb by using the code: ROZ388

Cheers! Kelly

Chocolate Monster Cookies gluten-free, egg-free

This weekend I had a craving for Monster Cookies, but I thought I would try making them chocolate. So I substituted cocoa powder for the coconut flour. They came out really yummy, but if you're looking for a dark chocolate cookie, the one in my cookbook (page 156) is darker. These were more like "milk chocolate." Next time I may also substitute cocoa powder for half of the quinoa flakes, just to see how that
would be.

I pressed the dough out as flat as I could with my hands on unbleached parchment paper and used our heart shaped cookie cutter. I meant to update the Monster Cookies post about using cookie cutters for this recipe. We used it for Santa's cookies on Christmas Eve, and it worked well. It's easier to use cookie cutters on this dough if you leave out the nuts, but I like the cookies better with the nuts, so I keep them in.

Durable, Pretty, Healthy, Eco Friendly Glass Straws

We are crazy for smoothies and shakes—We drink at least one a day. And so I wish I had ordered these Durable Glass Straws sooner. They are phenomenal! Just a few days after ordering them they arrived in very little packaging—our first hint at how tough they are. Since then, my kids have not been very gentle with them. Short of really trying to break one, I think they have stood the test.

These straws are healthier for us and better for the environment since they don't leach plastic chemicals into our drinks, and they can be reused. Plus they're pretty :-) By the way, they also came with a nifty cleaning tool, in case you were wondering how to clean them. I highly recommend them for yourself or a gift. I'm already thinking of people I want to give them to.

Click for the link to these Durable Glass Straws

Photos by our reader, Meagan, of Mutritious Nuffins

Yesterday I posted some photos that our reader, Angie D'Ingianni, put up in the Spunky Coconut Facebook photos. Today I wanted to share more gorgeous photos with you, from another reader, Meagan, of Mutritious Nuffins. Meagan made my Pumpkin Pancakes.
She says:

"These pancakes were stellar! I couldn't believe the texture in Kelly's photo at first, but then when I made mine they really do look like the picture! They are very moist and fluffy, and the spices inside them make them aromatic and delicious. The almond flour in the batter also makes them a good source of protein! They kept me full and satisfied many hours later. I will definitely be making these again!" —Meagan, of Mutritious Nuffins.

If you have a favorite recipe that you've photographed, either from my cookbook, or blog, and would like to see it here, just let me know! Thanks again Meagan!

Photos by our reader, Angie D'Ingianni

One of our readers, Angie D'Ingianni, took these gorgeous photos and put them up in the Spunky Coconut Facebook photos. She says, "Your recipes are wonderful! We followed them perfectly and made more than one batch... right on the money! THANK YOU SOOO MUCH!"

As with anything in life, there is always criticism. Some criticism is constructive, like the time I wasn't specific about the kind of corn tortillas I used in my Mexican lasagna. Someone made it with a different type of tortillas than I had, and it was terrible. I always try to be more specific now. Of course, I'm only human, and I make mistakes. I also know that taste is subjective, and although one person may think a recipe is delicious, another may not like it at all. My own kids don't agree on which of my recipes they like and dislike. It can be very frustrating, as any mother knows. :-)

Luckily, more often than not, I get comments like this one, from Angie, and I am so grateful. It is such a privledge to help people, and so rewarding when you feel appreciated. Coming from an art school education, I never would have thought I would end up here, making food for special diets. It's funny how things turn out. I am still doing photography though, so I guess some things never change :-)

Thanks Angie! Your pictures are beautiful, and I'm so glad your family enjoys the recipes!

Top photo: Vanilla Bean Cake

Lower photo: Monster Cookies

Part 2: Photo shoot —Another collaboration

Just before Christmas, I was fortunate enough to do a photo shoot & collaboration with Andy. It was really fun getting to take photos for another cookbook, and working on this project with my hubby, the book designer. Here are the cover designs he created with my photographs. Which is your favorite?

Mint Chocolate Shake & Strawberry Shake casein-free, dairy-free, sugar free omega 3 & 6, plus protein

We went to the pool yesteday with our neighbor, Abi. The girls played in the waterfalls and rode the slides till we were all hungry and tired. So we came back to our house and the girls painted their baked gluten-free salt dough creations, while I made them some shakes. Both flavors were so good, I don't know which was my favorite. I'll let you decide :-)

Mint Chocolate Shake:

Add to blender:

1 tbsp Hemp Seeds (for omega 3 and 6)

1 cup of almond milk

Blend well. Add:

1/2 banana

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp carob or cocoa powder

Optional: 1/2 tbsp Vitol Egg Protein Powder (we included it in ours)

A few drops of mint extract (on a spoon, not over the blender, in case it spills out)

Puree.

Strawberry Shake:

1 tbsp hemp seeds (for omega 3 & 6)

1 cup of almond milk

Blend well. Add:

1/2 banana

2 drops chocolate raspberry liquid stevia

1/2 tsp strawberry extract, alcohol-free

Optional: 1/2 tbsp Vitol Egg Protein Powder (we included it in ours)

Puree.

Udi's Restaurant Cafe gluten-free in Stapleton (Denver), Colorado and MIGHT come to Einstein's Bagels!

Yesterday we decided to use the Denver Museum of Nature & Science membership that the grandparents gave us for Christmas -woohoo! And since we were in the area, we thought it was the perfect day to try out the gluten-free menu at Udi's Cafe in Stapleton.

Many of you may know and love Udi's already, like we do. They have phenomenal gluten-free breads, plus pizza crusts, and more. This was our first time at one of their cafes. There are 5 Udi's Cafes now in Colorado, and they told me today that their gluten-free bagels are available at the Einstein Brothers on the corner of Colorado & Yale.

And hold on to your seats... They told me that soon Einstein's Bagels nation-wide will have Udi's gluten-free bagels! Holy moly! I'm still waiting on further confirmation of this, but according to the good people at Udi's in Stapleton, soon we can eat Udi's gluten-free bagels at Einstein's across the country!

Yesterday I had Roasted Eggplant with peppers and goat cheese—yum! The staff at Udi's were very knowledgeable and careful. The gluten-free bread is toasted in a gluten-free-only toaster, and the french fries are fried in a devoted gluten-free frier. So there is no worry about cross contamination.

Zoe and Ashley shared the Udi-Q Chicken and it was seriously yummy. I stole a few bites ;-)

Andy was already enjoying his hot Grilled Black Forest Ham sandwich when he noticed the soup of the day. It was Vietnamese Beef soup made with rice noodles, beef, cilantro, carrots, and a rich broth. He ordered a cup and thought it was delicious.

Lastly, we got their gluten-free falafel to go, which turned out to be a really good thing, because we were hungry when we left the museum. Here is Ashley eating one in the car. This appetizer also came with hummus, pickles, onions, cucumber and tomato. It was a nice treat on the way home :-)

I also learned that all but one salad dressing are gluten-free, and some of the Udi's Cafe locations have pizza on the gluten-free crusts. It's a very exciting time, isn't it?!

Update: My contact just informed me that there has NOT been a final decision on whether Einstein's Bagels will carry the Udi's gluten-free bagels as of yet. Keep your fingers crossed!