coconut almond pancakes

throughout the week, i have a rotating breakfast menu of eggs & bacon breakfast sandwich, and eggs & bacon sweet potato hash. weekends are for sweets in my house. something really special and memorable to linger over slowly with my husband and kiddo. we always choose either waffles or pancakes, then whatever fruit is in the house or yard, and flour combinations of flavors i crave.

this weekend’s flavor craving was coconut, as has been for months now. i just can’t get enough coconut. i made a simple berry coulis from strawberries that were homegrown down the street from us and blueberries. smother everything in butter and syrup, and have a stack of pancakes that the big box pancake house has trouble competing with.

crisp, brown edges for a little “crunch” and a soft middle to soak up extra berry sauce. -not spongy or eggy. shredded coconut gives them an awesome texture, and coconut cream and gold label virgin coconut oil are really the source of flavor for the whole recipe. coconut oil has a slightly sweet, fragrant quality, while coconut cream has a rich, buttery coconut flavor. it has a concentrated coconut flavor that surpasses any flavoring extract or artificial product. my husband (who is not a coconut lover) has announced, officially, that this was his favorite pancake session we have had, ever.

i urge all of the coconut fans out there to purchase a jar of coconut cream. its uses are endless. it is commonly used as coffee creamer, ice cream topper,  or even stirred into a cookie or cake batter to add some coconut love.

we use coconut oil in our home to fry our pancakes, among other uses. the beauty of frying pancakes in coconut oil is that it has a difficult time burning. your pancakes will turn out crispy and crunchy without burning prematurely like olive oil will.

a jar of coconut oil is infinitely useful, too.

i use it on my face at night instead of cleanser, rubbing it in then wiping it off with a warm washcloth.

i put it on juniper’s dry hands when they get chapped from her sucking on them. i much rather her suck on the coconut oil than hand lotions for obvious reasons.

we do lots of stir fry with coconut oil, especially curries. i like a coconut milk based curry, and sauteing the veggies and meat in coconut oil is essential.

i can’t recommend this product enough! click here to check out the home page, where you can find coconut cream, coconut flour, shredded coconut, coconut vinegar, and pretty much anything else coconut you can imagine. don’t forget to poke around the website, too, to check out meats, beauty products, and tons of unique foods (coconut peanut butter?! OMG.)

to see how the product is harvested (responsibly), click here to watch a fun video.

to purchase the oil, click here.

If you order by clicking on any of my links and have never ordered from Tropical Traditions in the past, you will receive a free book on Virgin Coconut Oil, and I will receive a discount coupon for referring you.

Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

this pancake recipe serves 2 with a large stack of pancakes. we generally have room for sausage, also. throw some chocolate chips on top of your stack to replicate your favorite chocolate-covered almond & coconut candy!

coconut almond pancakes

1/2 cup packed almond meal

3 tbsp protein powder or 2 tbsp coconut flour

1/4 cup shredded coconut (i prefer fine)

3 tbsp tapioca starch

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk, plus a little to add to batter if needed

1 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil, melted

2 tbsp coconut cream or coconut butter, melted*

1 tbsp vanilla

dash of almond extract, optional

a few tbsp coconut oil for frying pancakes

*coconut oil & coconut cream or coconut butter can be melted by placing into a glass bowl over a pan of simmering water with milk. keep it stirring so it doesn’t get dried out. keeping heat low will also preserve the fresh, tropical taste of the coconut.

method: combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl.

separately, combine your wet ingredients, including the milk, oil and coconut cream.

mix wet with dry. allow batter to sit for a few minutes so coconut can soak up some of the milk.

if, after this time, your batter appears too thick or dry, add a splash of milk to give it some moisture. alternatively, if it appears too liquidy and runny, add a few tbsp shredded coconut to soak up some liquid.

heat up your favorite skillet, and spread some coconut oil into your pan.

once oil is heated, pour batter into skillet. it is time to flip pancake when bubbles just come through.

gently flip. keep cooked pancakes warmed in oven at 200f until ready to serve.

berry sauce:

1 cup of berries, cleaned and dried

1 tbsp water

1 tbsp applesauce

method:

if using strawberries, slice in half.

over medium heat, warm berries and water until mixture bubbles. add in applesauce, stir for a minute, and turn heat down, stir for one minute. turn heat off, allowing sauce to thicken as it cools slightly.

serve warm over pancakes with tons of butter.

chocolate banana ice cream in a cone

normally, i don’t do pre-packaged foods. like, at all. however, when i was getting my life ready for life after juniper, i made the decision that the day after her delivery, i would deserve an ice cream cone. i knew that there was an awesome homemade hard-dip ice cream joint just down the street from the hospital, and that i would be able to send my husband out for ice cream, and he would come back and put it in the cone for me. so, into the hospital bag went an unopened package of “let’s do gluten-free” ice cream cones. since this was a treat that i would be working very hard for, i didn’t care much about its nutritional content aside from it being gluten-free.

however, upon inspection, i couldn’t help but notice it’s awesomely simple ingredient list:potato starch, tapioca starch, palm oil, demerara sugar, potato fiber, cocoa fiber, xanthan gum, salt, baking soda, vanilla extract.

not only did the short and responsible list of ingredients impress me, but also did the nutrition facts. per cone, i was consuming 10 calories (yes, 10, not 100) and 3g carbs.

i’m only sorry i wasn’t introduced to this box of cones years ago.

turns out, they now make waffle style cones, which is a personal favorite of mine.

i have always purchased their organic coconut and coconut products, but i will now gladly delve even further into their delicious pre-packaged foods.

yesterday it was 85f. it was super hot. brian and i wanted an icy treat after our dinner, but really cringed at the idea of spending any money on treats right now… budgeting with a baby is tough, but necessary. at brian’s suggestion, i dug deep into the freezer, pulled out some cut up frozen bananas, and proceeded to prepare our favorite summertime treat.

also, we were in need of something special to celebrate juniper’s one month birthday! i can hardly believe that a month ago i held her precious little body for the first time. brian and i looked at her amazing little face for the first time. we welcomed the most special little person into our lives for the first time. i can’t wait to be amazed by her, more and more, each day.

from my cheap gluten-free home to yours, i present to you, once again, bananas ice cream…

but in a cone!

chocolate banana ice cream… in a cone!

this recipe will serve 2

2 bananas, sliced and frozen

2 tbsp cocoa powder

2 let’s do gluten-free cones

method: throw bananas and cocoa powder into blender. run blend until just smooth. do not over do it or the heat from the motor will warm the bananas and you’ll have pudding.

scoop your chocolate banana ice cream into cones, enjoy!

it’s been one month, little juniper, and we love you more and more each minute that passes, you goofy adorable thing!

tapioca pizza

well, i did it. i finally purchased a box of chebe. i never do this. NEVER. i never buy a box of something, or a premix of whatnot. but listen, this pregnant lady is hungry, and she is hungry for pizza. i have been craving a crispy, stretchy dough for sometime now. i have a hack-recipe for this crust, but i wanted to use the “real” thing first. i didn’t feel guilty, the ingredients are pretty safe: tapioca flour, tapioca starch, sea salt, and dried herbs. pretty innocent! -and it is too easy to put together. just add eggs, oil, and water (or milk). knead everything together, press onto pizza sheet.

while baking, it smelled starchy and amazing, just like pizza should. the crust poofed up huge. after cooling for a few minutes, i sliced through the crispy crust. it sliced just like a real pizza. the crust was crispy, stretchy, and doughy. there were even air pockets hidden in the crust, perfect for dipping into more sauce. each slice was for sure sturdy enough to hold the weight of our toppings and cheese, which is quite remarkable because i have a heavy hand with cheese. the flavor was also excellent. just slightly salty, and slightly herby with oregano.

so far as toppings go, i couldn’t find a pepperoni that i really approved of, so we went meatless. -i know. this isn’t like me, but whatevz. i was feeling like a lunatic. sauce, mushrooms, basil, red onion, black olives, and mozzarella cheese. that’s all i needed.

please do yourself a favor and try yourself some-a-this crust. i will be using my hack-recipe very soon and posting it, but until then you can buy chebe in most any store where the gluten-free stuff is located. top it with whatever the heck you wanna. my next affair will be hawaiian.

here is a small warning: the nutrition label says that this recipe serves ten. wrong. it served two. i can see it serving four if there were salads involved with the meal.

chebe pizza crust

1 package chebe pizza crust mix

2 big eggs

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup milk or water

toppings of your choice

method: preheat oven to 450f. grab a pizza sheet.

whisk eggs, milk, and oil until blended. use a spoon to stir in chebe mix. once it gets gooey, use your hands to knead dough. knead until smooth.

place dough ball onto pizza sheet, and press with the heel of your hands to form the crust, flipping over a few times.

spread sauce, veggies, meats, cheese, herbs over pizza crust.

bake for 15-18 minutes or so on the center rack, rotating halfway at 7 minutes so it bakes evenly.

once crust and cheese appear done, pull pizza from oven and let it cool for 5 minutes or so. you don’t want to burn the roof of your mouth.

slice and fall deeply in love.

grain free paleo bread

i saw this recipe for grain free bread on the paleo mom, and could not resist! i have some lot of tapioca flour lingering in the pantry, begging to be used up. i really love baking with tapioca flour but can’t seem to find many useful recipes for its use. if you have some up your sleeve, pass ‘em along!

anyhow, i had been baking elana amsterdam’s paleo bread for a while, using it for sandwiches and egg breakfasts. i love this bread. i did, however, owe my body a break from almond flour based baked goods. paleo mom’s tapioca and coconut flour recipe was a great stand in, though i’m not used to such a short loaf! i may get brave and try to double the recipe, decreasing the oven temp, and increasing the baking time.

the flavor was really great, especially for sweet applications. i used it to make mini almond butter and jam sandwiches for lunch, but my favorite use for it was for french toast sticks along with some sausages. how tasty! though i didn’t capture my french toast sticks, i’ll tell you that they were super easy to whip up. one egg whipped with a bit of milk, maple syrup, and cinnamon will yield 2 servings of french toast. simply dip slices and soak for a few minutes into your batter, and fry on medium heat in coconut oil until just brown. i ate 4 slices (they are small, remember) one morning, and reserved my batter for my second serving the next morning.

anyhow, it was such a delight to have an unsweetened, nut-free bread around the house, so i thought i would share the recipe!

enjoy!

paleo bread

original recipe can be found by clicking here.

Ingredients:

4 eggs

4 tbsp coconut oil

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup tapioca flour

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 tsp baking soda

method:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Line a 7 1/2″ x 3 1/2 ” loaf pan with parchment paper.  Grease the parchment paper with coconut oil.

Melt the coconut oil, and let cool slightly.

Beat eggs with mixer until frothy, about 30 seconds.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix again until smooth.  Let the batter sit for a minute to thicken.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.  Spread it out so that the surface is even.  Bake for 35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean from the middle of the loaf.

Allow to cool in the pan for half an hour before gently removing and allowing to cool completely. Store this bread in the refrigerator.

Enjoy your bread as almond butter and jelly, french toasties, or whatever you please!