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!

cheesy tapioca flat bread

thanks to paleo hacks, i’ve found an AWESOME chebe cheat. i mentioned in my post on chebe pizza that i had a hack recipe so i wouldn’t have to buy the mix, and i must say that it worked charmingly.

i made this flat bread last night to go with our caesar salads because i wanted something to soak up all the extra dressing at the bottom of the plate. oh man, this bread is addictive.

i was craving it all night long after dinner, but managed to wait until morning to have with my greasy, dippy eggs and bacon. oh man. me likey.

i also made a cinnamon & sugar flat bread, which i dipped in coconut cream. i used the same recipe, omitting most of the salt, and stirring in 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 cup palm sugar, and spreading melty butter over the top to help more cinnamon and palm sugar stick. bake for 15 minutes, or until bread appears firm.

dear lord, tapioca has been my savior for the past few weeks while i’ve been craving starches.

if you’re like me, and have gone primal but still get starch cravings every few weeks, this is a pretty safe way to get your cinnamon bread, cheesy flat bread, pizza (or whatever you can dream up) fix out of the way without sacrificing what you’ve been working hard for! yeah, a little carb-heavy. but i pile on the protien and fat with it to even things out. this really tastes like a soft, stretchy english muffin. perfect for eggy sandwiches.

cheesy tapioca flat bread

2 cups tapioca flour, leveled

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup milk at room temp (coconut milk or cow milk)

1/4 cup butter or coconut oil melted

2 eggs, room temp, beaten

any herbs or seasonings you may want, fresh or dried

3 tbsp butter, melted

1/4 asiago, romano, parm, whatever hard cheese you so desire

method:

preheat oven to 450f. get a pizza sheet or cookie sheet out, no need to grease.

combine all dry ingredients together in a bowl.

separately, combine all wet ingredients together in a bowl.

combine both dry and wet. i find a rubber spatula works best for this.

knead dough until well combined. place onto cookie sheet, working onto surface as you would pizza dough. if dough seems too wet for this after it is well worked, add 1 tbsp more tapioca flour. if dough seems too dry and “squeaky” after working, add a touch more oil or butter.

press dough out as you would pizza, keeping it as even as you want. if you want lumpy bread, who am i to judge?!

use a pastry brush to brush butter over dough, then sprinkle cheese all over the top.

place into oven, baking for 10-15 minutes. don’t over cook it, don’t let it brown. it should stay light in color, otherwise it will become stiff and cracker-like.

remove from oven, slice, and serve. to store, place in a big baggie and keep in the fridge if storing longer than 2 days. to reheat, put in tin foil and into toaster oven for a few minutes. if you toast it without foil, it will become super hard.

enjoy with eggs, salads, or as a sandwich bread. i just can’t get over how good this bread is with bacon!

i slice this into 9 pieces, and here are the facts, per serving (without cheese): 166 cals, 25 carbs

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.

crispy almond waffles & hot buttery peaches

i made these peachy waffles for brian and i because, well, we love waffles. the sun was shining, and i felt like we needed a bright and cheery breakfast!

also, i’m pregnant and crave waffles. -let me amend: i crave fruit, butter, and maple syrup, which are best facilitated by waffles.

so yeah.

many of my pancake and waffle recipes are similar in their ingredient list, but these are a little different. i used tapioca flour to crisp them up a pinch.

by golly, it worked!

these were pretty darn fluffy on the inside, crisp and sturdy on the outside. the sweet almond flavor always blows my mind when i use almond flour. brian was able to wolf down 2 waffles and both of our portion of bacon, but i could only manage the 2 waffles. pregnant ladies don’t have as much room in their tummies any more because babies like to put their feet in there. so,  i donated my bacon to the hungry guy who sits across the table from me. expect very filling waffles. especially if you add toppings. i think toasty almonds would make a great addition to the toppings list.

i had decided that syrupy, warm, buttery peaches would be the best fruit to perch on the top of my crispy treats.

i was right.

i’ll give you the recipe for both waffles and peaches, cuz i’m that nice. -the peachy recipe uses frozen peaches because it is april and i don’t eat fresh fruit out of season, but feel free to sub fresh if you’d like, adding 1/2 cup water to the ingredients.

oh, before we go off giving away our secret recipes, let me lecture you a little on scientific method, only because i want you to have much success in the kitchen.. or in the chemistry lab. (consider this your payment for my wealth of free recipes). it is really important to try a formula in its origin, adjusting accordingly after trial and error. try this recipe as is, and if it fails, hypothesize why and make adjustments from there and try again. i discourage differing from this recipe on your first try, rather make your own substitutions or corrections after knowing how this formula acts as is, assuming you followed the recipe completely!

per half of provided recipe without any toppings, here are the facts, jack: 425 calories, 20g carbs, 18g protein

not bad at all for a sweetie-pie breakfast. enjoy responsibly!

crispy almond waffles

makes 4 large waffles

1/2 cup almond flour, lightly packed

4 tbsp tapioca starch/flour

1 tbsp coconut flour or 1 scoop protein powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs

3 tbsp milk

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp vanilla

few drops almond extract

optional drizzle of honey to keep the batter sweet and a little sticky

method: plug your waffle maker in to preheat.

combine all dry ingredients in a bowl.

in a large bowl with a pour-spout, beat eggs with milk until well blended. add the rest of the wet ingredients and whisk again.

combine dry and wet ingredients into the bowl with pour-spout.

allow batter to set and thicken for 5 minutes or so. it will be a little thin still after it sets, so don’t go adding a bunch of stuff. just give it a try as is.

pour into waffle iron, close lid, and cook for 3 minutes or so. i like to check on waffles after the 2 minute mark to ensure they are not burning.

be ready to serve ‘em up.

hot buttery peaches

1 cup frozen peach slices

3 tbsp butter

2 tbsp maple syrup

method: in small saucepan over low heat, warm peaches (with a lid on) until they begin to slowly release some juices. allow liquids to bubble up for about 5 minutes. this is allowing the pectin to thicken and sweeten things up a bit. give them a stir every once in a while, quickly replacing the lid. take off of heat well before the liquid thickens completely, stir in butter and syrup, and replace lid. let it settle for 5 minutes, then stir and serve.

spoon over waffles, drizzle with a little more syrup and maybe some toasty almonds.

this works well over vanilla ice cream, too. just sayin’.

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!

eat like a dinosaur!

i have been looking forward to reading this recipe & guidebook since it came out. i have been following the blog of the writers of this book, paleo parents, for sometime now. their journey through rearing their children the paleo way has been fun and interesting to watch, especially after we found out that we were expecting our own little cave-person soon enough. i have been reviewing in my mind my future conversations with caregivers and babysitters about why they can’t give our kids conventional snack foods, grains, or gluten. i imagine these explanations, so complicated, might become numerous and exhausting.

including the special chapter “a children’s story” will be a fun way to explain to children, and maybe even adults, what special diets, personal food choices, and dietary restrictions are all about, and why it important to respect our bodies. in my own experience, it can be difficult to explain to anyone, and i have caught a lot of “picky eater” or “tree hugger” flack for my restrictions and choices. this chapter, and the recipes in the book for that matter, remind kids and adults of all of the fun, tasty foods that they can eat on a paleo diet.

another amazing feature in this book is that every recipe includes steps on how kids can help in the preparation of the food. using their own tiny hands to form lamb around skewers for kebabs, adding sauces and veggies to a wok.. these are the ways we keep our kids interested and involved in their own responsible food choices.

i hope you buy a copy of eat like a dinosaur for a hundred recipes just as great as the one below. -graham cookies, teriyaki beef jerky, pulled pork, coconut cream pie, honey nut ice cream.. you will not starve as a caveman, i promise. click HERE get to eat like a dinosaur on amazon.

i wanted to choose a recipe out of this book to make and review, because i believe that people like to see how a recipe works before they buy a cook book, and also that they can relate to the ingredients used. so i chose something i miss most in my primal eating: granola.

this recipe was super easy to execute, and super easy to wolf down. it was hard to resist eating it by the hot handful as it came out of the oven, but somehow i managed to wait until the morning after i baked it. i ate it the old-fashioned way, the way that i miss most: with cold, drippy milk, and sliced up bananas. i chose not to include a dried fruit in this recipe because i can’t seem to find any unsweetened/unsulphured fruits at the store lately. other than that, i made no alterations. the coconut in this recipe is what i like most. what a delicious stand-in for oats. it really comes off as oats when you are eating it, but less… cardboardy. i love adding this grain-free granola to my unsweetened applesauce, my lunchtime yogurt, and eating it out of the bag for a snackie. what a yummy recipe.

thanks again to matt and stacy for working so hard on such a charming and useful book. i can’t wait for the pages to get all worn,  to have little fingerprints marking up the pages!

grain-free granola

1 1/2 cups sliced almonds

1 1/2 cups coconut flakes, chopped

1 cup walnuts, chopped or pureed into a meal

1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped or pureed into a meal

1 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup fresh medjool dates, chopped to size of cranberries

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

1/3 cup honey

2 tsp cinnamon

*note: i chose to use a meat tenderizer to beat the crap out of the macadamia nuts in a large ziplock bag, since my food processor is in heaven right now. it worked really well.

instructions:

combine almonds, coconut flakes, nuts, and fruit in a bowl.

whisk together oil, honey, and cinnamon.

pour oil-honey mixture over nuts and fruit, then mix.

spread onto a well-greased baking sheet.

bake for one hour at 275 f, stirring every 15 minutes to prevent burning.

store in airtight container at room temp for up to several months.

eat this yummy, crunchy, kinda sweet cereal up with super cold coconut milk, sliced bananas, and a hot cup of coffee (if you’re a grown-up). half a cup serving kept me full until lunchtime. -try that, oats!

chocolate candy cane ice cream

i didn’t really have a recipe to speak of for an ice cream like this, so i used a few ideas from around the blogosphere and made some modifications. thanks to vegan ice cream paradise for the foundation for this recipe! it turned out perfectly creamy. this was not at all icy or hard like many coconut milk ice creams. my family, brian and i really loved this ice cream, so mildly sweet and chocolatly! we were able to find candy canes with sugar rather than corn syrup, but any candy cane or peppermint candy could be used here if you can’t find them.

i feel good about this recipe. using palm sugar meant i didn’t have to feel too guilty about glucose spikes. using full-fat coconut milk meant a good dose of healthy fats, not to mention no worries about a belly ache afterward. enjoy this treat without remorse!

a few recipe notes:

*be sure to separate half a cup of the coconut milk to combine with arrowroot before you even begin anything else.

*i’m not sure how well erythritol or other alcohol based artificial sweeteners would work here, since they impede freezing.

*be sure to add extract and oil to the mixture after it has cooled down from the boil, otherwise much of the flavor will steam out.

*cocoa powder may be omitted if you simply want candy cane ice cream!

*the candy gets stirred in very last, so don’t even think of putting it in until i say so!

chocolate candy cane ice cream

3 cups + 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk

2 tbsp arrowroot powder

1 tbsp coconut or other solid oil

3/4 cups palm sugar, or other granulated sweetener

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 tbsp vanilla

2 tsp peppermint oil

1 cup crushed candy canes or starlights

method: whisk arrowroot powder with 1/2 cup coconut milk and set aside.

pour remaining 3 cups coconut milk into pot and stir in sugar, oil, and cocoa powder. whisk continuously to let the sugar and cocoa to dissolve. allow mixture to come to a slow boil.

turn heat off and whisk in arrowroot slurry quickly. continue to whisk, not allowing any lumpies to develop. once everything is well combined, add in vanilla extract and peppermint oil. whisk again, like a nut.

stick mixture in the freezer for an hour or so, or in the fridge for a few hours. get it nice and cold, every so often.

finally, once cold, pour into ice cream maker and run according to your maker’s instruction. i split the mixture in half as not to overwhelm the ice cream maker. it took mine 30 minutes or so to freeze the ice cream. when it is done, stir in the candy, and pour into a large freezer safe bowl. freeze, covered, until ready to serve.

we had our ice cream with peppermint patricks, which brian and i cut out and decorated christmas eve morning. they were perfect with the ice cream. stay tuned for the recipe for these pretty little treats!

chocolate banana walnut muffins, vegan & grain free

chunky!

we’re licking the scraps of muffins off of the muffin papers as i write this. chocolate clings to every surface of my coffee mug.

chocolate for breakfast?

yeah. what do you want from me. i’ve been living off of sweet potatoes and sausage for weeks now, it was time for a change.

now i admit, chocolate is not typical in my home as a breakfast option. like, ever. i’m not sure if we’ve ever eaten chocolate before 1pm in our married lives, so this seemed like a fun step out of the safety box for us. not to mention, this was pretty healthy for chocolate ANYTHING, so i don’t feel too badly.

i’d been hunting for grain-free & egg-free baking recipes for weeks now, and it looks like i’ve finally found a great start. in fact, i’m thinking of making a pumpkin version by subbing bananas out for pumpkin puree next time, and tapioca flour for cocoa powder. we’ll see just how crazy things get.

these muffins set up perfectly once cooled, the coconut flour doing its job wonderfully at soaking up all of the wet. they are soft and moist, but not very gushy, which seems to turn most people off of coconut flour baking. this was also the first time i’ve ever used dates to sweeten any recipe, and they worked like a charm. their flavor was completely undetectable in the finished recipe, leaving only their sweetness behind. if you are afraid of dates, or just don’t have them, i think any liquid sweetener would suffice here as a switch-out, though i do recommend giving this method a whirl first.

many thanks to the ever inventive paleo parents for this recipe! click the link to see the recipe, including modifications to omit the cocoa from the muffins.

this recipe makes a baker’s dozen.

chocolate banana walnut muffins

2 large black bananas, chopped

1/2 cup creamy almond butter

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 cup coconut flour, sifted

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup dates

method:

preheat oven to 350f.

begin by boiling 2 cups or so of water. pour over dates, and let them steep for 10 minutes. drain.

sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.

put dates and 1 banana in food processor with the oil and puree. add in almond butter and vanilla. puree briefly, just to mix in. add dry ingredients.

by hand, stir in the other chopped banana until well combined. i like to do this separately so i end up with a few banana chunks in my muffins.

scoop batter into paper lined muffin tin, top with nuts, chocolate chips, or both, and bake for 20 minutes.

allow muffins to cool for half an hour or so before removing from tin, and another few minutes before serving.

what a delicious mess!

fitday nutritional analysis per muffin, with chocolate and walnuts:

282 cals

27 carbs

3 grams protein

add a few strips of bacon and your breakfast is complete. this is why i’m not worried about the lack of protein. noms away!

blueberry pancakes-vegan and grain-free

blueberry pancakes

this is a very special, very messy breakfast.

i should start by explaining my absence, though.

you see, dear readers, there is a reason that i have neglected this blog for a long stint. the reason is that i didn’t know if i should divulge some top-secret information or not. i knew if i was blogging lots, i would spill the beans. i would out the secret. there was no way i could write and not say it. i wasn’t sure if i could… i didn’t know what would happen… i didn’t know if it was bad voodoo.

but i just don’t care anymore, i want to be out with it already.

here it goes.

i am having a baby! i am just over 4 mos pregnant, and super thrilled. so far, everything is on track, all signs are pointing to “healthy”, and nothing in the world could ever make me happier! our due date is april 21. -and don’t even wonder about the sex of the baby, we won’t be finding out! and i will be keeping things pretty private about the pregnancy, so don’t expect to be bombarded with every detail about the doctor’s visits, issues, etc. -but that doesn’t mean i won’t gush from time to time. this is our first, after all!

i will, though, give you some food-related details of the pregnancy thus far.

foods i hate now: eggs, chili, stew, the smell of bread baking or toast toasting, fries, the idea, smell, and anything to do with fast food, cashews.

foods that i just can’t quit: greek salad & meat grape leaves (daily), falafel, humus, pad thai, curry, socca pizzas, sausage, sweet potatoes, peanut butter (a jar a week!), rice and rice noodles, bananas that are not ripe.

as you can see, i have been eating bits of rice here and there. i do tolerate it well in small amounts, and i plan on keeping it in my diet so long as my body doesn’t mind. i have been experimenting with hot porridges for breakfasts and sausage with wild mushrooms or sweet potatoes for breakfast in place of eggs. my body has rejected eggs instantly upon eating them for years now, and i just realized this a week ago. i feel much better since eliminating them from my diet.

and though the baby is old news to brian and i, again, we are just thrilled like a couple of idiots with the whole thing.

so it is hard, now, to go on with a recipe… such a minor speck in the grand scheme of things.

none the less… on with it, liz.

one reason why this is such a special pancake recipe is because it is egg-free. -yes, again. it turns out i can’t tolerate eggs at all. which is forcing me to branch out and try new things, new ingredients, new recipes! i even purchased some tapioca flour yesterday!

well this pancake recipe was inspired by the great ricki, from diet, dessert and dogs. her original recipe was for lemony pancakes, but i was feeling the almond/blueberry pairing this morning. i made a few modifications to use what i had up, and viola! a beautiful double-stack of pancakes adorned out table! i was so thrilled about them, i forgot to photograph them before i started to gobble them up.

thanks, ricki, for your awesome blog, that is JAM PACKED with special diet recipes, wisdoms, and cute doggy photos.

this recipe serves 2 hungry adults.

vegan blueberry pancakes

1/2 cup almond meal

1/4 cup (scant) flax meal

1/3 cup protein powder or coconut flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp stevia powder or 1 tbsp maple syrup

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 cup warm milk of choice

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup frozen blueberries (keep ‘em frozen until i say!)

method:

combine all wet ingredients in a small bowl.-not the blueberries!

separately, combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. -not the blueberries!

combine the wet and dry, and allow to sit for a few minutes. the batter should be a little thick, you’ll want to scoop it out of the bowl, not pour. -still, wait on the blueberries.

heat a skillet over medium heat, and add a small amount of oil to the pan. once the oil shimmers, your pan is ready.

use a ladle or measuring cup to scoop out some batter. pour it onto the skillet, and top with a small handful of blueberries. allow to cook for a few minutes, flip when the bottom is set.

these will turn out a beautiful, crisp on the outside, moist and crumbly on the inside pancake.

top with hot blueberries, coconut cream, and maple syrup.

what a hot mess!

socca pizza

salty, melty and smoky

based on simple socca bread, i have craved this pizza since the first time we made it. the simple, french flat bread that is served as street food, is the perfect medium for pizza. i found inspiration on the edible perspective.

this crust is super sturdy, even loaded with toppings. i poured on a generous amount of pizza sauce, loaded it up with feta, olives, artichoke hearts, roasted peppers and onions, and thick slices of mozzarella. this greek-ish pizza was killer. i planned on saving half of my portion for lunch the next day, but i couldn’t bear to. i had to have it now.

the crust itself was super easy to prepare and bake., much easier, i should say, than any other gluten-free or grain free crust i have ever come across. -not to mention, it is vegan, and has a minimal ingredients list. i’ve seen so many people make this into a breakfast pizza, which i can’t wait to do. -pesto, eggs, bacon, arugula. that sounds like an amazing brunch waiting to happen.

smoky, crispy, thick, sturdy, and packed with flavor, this crust has a ridiculous amount of nutritional benefits, as well. not only is it gluten-free and grain free, it’s also vegan. this whole recipe makes 2 really large servings, though it should be spread about as 3 reasonable servings..

messy good!

here is a nutritional break down per half of the crust: 300 cals, 15g protein, 35 carbs.

the best way to go about this whole ordeal is to bake the crust, spread the sauce, bake for an additional 5 minutes, then add the rest of the toppings, cheese the top of it, then broil for 1 minute, simply to bubble the cheese. if the toppings are at room temp when you assemble the pizza, it will heat thoroughly without a long baking time. don’t skip your favorite herbs. stir whatever goodies you desire into this batter.

once you make this, you will be compelled to make it a regular. take the recipe, make it yours, and make it often.

socca pizza

1 1/4 cup chickpea flour

1 cup warm water

a glug of olive oil

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tbsp apple sauce

1/2 tbsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

other goodies you’ll need:

your favorite pizza sauce, pesto, or romesco

your favorite veggies and meats

your favorite fancy cheeses (the expensive ones work best!)

method:

combine all ingredients until completely smooth in a large bowl. let it sit for half an hour or so.

preheat oven to 375f. stick a 9″ cast iron skillet, coated with oil, in the oven for 5 minutes or so to heat up. -please use the right sized skillet for this recipe, otherwise the crust will not be the proper thickness and will not hold up properly.

pour batter into skillet, bake for 35 minutes. cracks will form in the top of the crust, and the edges will brown slightly.

carefully remove pan from the oven when it is cooked. spread your favorite sauce onto the crust, leaving some room around the edges. bake for another 5 minutes to allow sauce to heat up and to evaporate a little water. once again, remove from the oven. crank on the broiler. throw your remaining toppings on, top with cheese, and put under the broiler for 1 minute, until the cheese bubbles. watch out, the crust burns quickly, so if you let it go longer than 1 minute,… well don’t say i didn’t warn you.

remove from heat, allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing.