Saturday, July 7, 2012

Charlotte's Legal Blondies

My daughter Charlotte invented this recipe.  Very healthy and sooooo yummy!  Tastes like butterscotch.  She cooked it in our solar oven so the temperature is low and the time long.  I think it kept all the ingredients intact and flavorful. 


1 banana
2 cups dates
½ cup coconut oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

1 ¼ cups almond flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp cinnamon
½ cup chopped pecans

Put banana, dates and coconut oil in blender and process until creamy.  Add eggs and vanilla and process again.  In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients.  Add blender contents and mix well.  Mix in pecans.

Spoon into greased brownie pan.  Bake at 250F for 1 hour.  


Variation: if you want to make Brownies add 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder.  I love brownies, but amazingly, the blondies were even better!

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

GAPS Almond-coconut baking mix and Breakfast Casserole

3 cups almond flour
1 cup coconut flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Mix together well and store in ziplock bag in the refrigerator.


BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

6 eggs
2/3 cup coconut milk
1 chopped onion
1 cup frozen spinach
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup chopped mushrooms
½ cup almond-coconut baking mix
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups shredded cheddar or Gruyère (Swiss) cheese or Parmesan
7 strips bacon*, cut in halves
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

Heat oven to 350° F.
Cover the bottom of the 8 inch casserole with the bacon.  Bake until crisp.  Turning over is not necessary.  Remove casserole from oven.
Sauté the onions, peppers and mushrooms in a frying pan with a little butter, coconut oil or ghee. After 5 minutes add the spinach and sauté 5 more minutes.
In a medium bowl, mix the eggs and coconut milk.  Add the cheese and the baking mix.
Spoon the onion/spinach over the bacon, then the batter.
Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until it puffs up, browns slightly and no longer wiggles when shaken gently. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

* GAPSters in Ottawa are lucky to have the Sausage Kitchen where they make additive-free, sugar-free bacon.  If you don't have access to GAPS-edible bacon, put 1/3 cup coconut oil or ghee in the bottom of the casserole and place in the oven until melted.  Proceed with the rest of the recipe starting at "Remove casserole from oven."


Sunday, July 1, 2012

Asparagus Velouté


A velouté (French for velvety) is a very smooth soup.  The asparagus and coconut flavors blend surprisingly deliciously.  Super easy too - and we GAPSters always have lots of chicken broth on hand!

Asparagus Velouté

2 cups chicken broth
1 bunch asparagus
2 cups coconut milk

1.  Rinse the asparagus. 
2.  Put about one cup of the chicken broth in each of two saucepans.  Bring both to a simmer on medium heat.
3.  Meanwhile, break the asparagus into 1 to 2 inch pieces with your hands.  Put the all the tips in one saucepan, and the rest except the pieces that are too tough in the other.  Simmer for about 8 minutes, until the asparagus is tender.
4.  Measure the coconut milk in your blender jar.  Add the contents of the saucepan that has the middle of the asparagus.  Process on high until completely smooth.
5.  Pour the blender contents into the second pan.  Mix and check seasonings (salt, pepper).  Serve lukewarm.