Kefir cheese may be used to replace cream cheese in cooking. These little Cheesecake cups are a delightful and refreshing version of cheesecake, without the tummy ache!
Crust:
Break the cookies into pieces and make them into crumbs in the small top bowl of a food processor.
Pour the crumbs into a small bowl and add the melted butter and Sucanat. Mix well.
Place 6 paper muffin cup liners into a muffin pan.
Set aside a couple spoonfuls of the mixture in a separate bowl and distribute the rest amongst the muffin liners in the pan. Tamp down evenly.
Cheesecake:
Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
In the small bowl of a food processor, combine the kefir cheese, Vanilla extract, honey and egg. Blend well. Pour into muffin liners. I find it easier if I transfer the mixture to a small Pyrex measuring cup so that it is easier to pour neatly.
Place pan in oven and bake for 35 - 45 minutes. You will be able to tell when they are done by checking 2 things… the tops will begin to puff up a little, and the batter against the paper liner will begin to brown a little. When this happens, remove from oven.
Topping:
Set oven at 350 degrees F.
In a small bowl, thoroughly combine kefir cheese, honey and vanilla. Spoon this over the little cheese cakes.
Sprinkle reserved crust crumbles on top and return to 350 degree oven for exactly 3 minutes.
Remove from oven. Allow to cool. Cover with plastic wrap and chill.
This recipe is a great addition to every grain-free home … and perfect for making delightful cookie shapes!
Preheat oven to 325*F.
In a food processor, process the eggs, honey, and vanilla.
While running, add butter through the chute until combined.
Add flours, soda, and salt — processing until a loose dough ball forms. Small amounts of coconut flour may be added.
Divide dough into 3 parts and form into disks.
Wrap each disk in parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or as long as 2 days).
Remove one disk from the fridge and layer between two pieces of parchment paper.
Using your fingers, press dough out flat. Use a rolling pin to finish rolling to 1/8″-1/4″ thickness.
Cut out shapes with cookie cutters and place on parchment-lined cookie sheets.
Bake at 325*F for 9-12 minutes, until browned and firm.
A healthy version of chocolate, peanut butter cookies. Gluten free and very hearty. Tastes best with a glass of cold milk!
Cream the peanut butter and eggs together until smooth.
Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix until combined.
The dough is going to be crumbly. Refrigerating the dough for a few minutes helps the dough become more manageable.
Shape and flatten the cookies by hand to your desired size. Note that this dough does not spread.
Place cookies on a cookie sheet that has been greased with coconut oil.
Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes. They may seem undercooked when you take them out, but they firm up as they cool.
Cool completely before serving
Bread pudding is the perfect dish to use up pieces of stale bread that may otherwise be tossed in the trash. Keep a Ziploc bag in the freezer and collect bread until you have enough to make a pan of bread pudding. This dish makes a great carryout dish for a potluck, family dinner, etc.
Preheat the oven to 350.
Grease a 9×13 glass baking dish with butter or coconut oil.
Tear the bread and pack it firmly into baking dish. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, over very low heat, dissolve the coconut sugar into about 1 cup of milk. You just want is barely warm enough to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Add the rest of the milk, along with the vanilla and cinnamon and whisk until combined.
Slowly whisk in the milk/sugar mixture to the egg mixture.
Pour the liquid over the bread, making sure that all of it gets covered.
Sprinkle a little extra coconut sugar and cinnamon over the top.
Cover the baking dish with foil. Bake for 45-60 minutes. The bread to be a little soft and springy, but not dry.
Serve warm or cold with homemade vanilla ice cream or real whipped cream. This dish also freezes well, so you can portion it up and store in the freezer for several months.
Just the right amount of anise flavor paired with an orange glaze on top. These cookies are different. If you’re not Italian, you may not like appreciate them, but they are an amazing flavor combination. It’s nearly impossible to tell the difference between these and the traditional all-purpose flour ones. This recipe has been adapted out of The Baker’s Odyssey cookbook.
Beat eggs until frothy. Gradually add the sugar and beet until the eggs have become somewhat paler, 2 to 3 minutes. While beating still, slowly drizzle in the coconut oil (or olive oil). Next, beat in the orange zest, juice, milk and anise.
Sift together coconut flour, baking powder, salt. Slowly add the flour to the wet ingredients in two batches while beating.
Cover the bowl with a towel and allow to rest for 20 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Roll cookies into balls a little less than 1-inch diameter. The cookies don’t spread, so you can place them fairly close together.
Bake one sheet at a time, in the middle of the oven, until bottoms are lightly browned and the tops have cracks, about 10-12 minutes. Do not overbake. The cookies should be soft and tender.
To make the icing:
*To make powdered sucanat, just place sucanat in a blender and blend on highest setting for a few minutes until it becomes powdery.
Combine all ingredients (hold back the milk) and beat. Add the milk a little at a time until the icing becomes the consistency of heavy cream, add a little more milk if necessary to achieve the right consistency.
Allow the cookies to cool a bit and then dip their tops in the icing and allow to harden on parchment paper. Sprinkle with candy sprinkles if desired.
Store cookies at room temperature in an air-tight container. To freeze, place on cookie sheets and freeze until solid, then transfer to your preferred freezing storage container. Thaw teh cookies in their container at room temperature.
First things first. If you enjoy raw food like I do, you most likely have experienced others not joining you in this love. Some are… a little hesitant to express satisfaction of a raw treat, especially if it’s named as a knock-off of “the real thing.” So, to my fellow healthy foodies, I present to you the raw Samoa cookie. If you plan to serve this to the more reluctant of friends who fear health, simply call these “raw cookies.” They will expect something tree barkish, but after their first bite, they might come up with the idea all on their own that, hey, these almost taste like those Samoa Girl Scout cookies. Just assure them of how brilliant they are and smile inside with the hope that you just planted a healthy seed in their sweet lil’ hearts, God bless ’em.
The day before assembling the cookies (if you don’t already have any on hand), soak the groats in a bowl full of filtered water for 6-8 hours. The buckwheat expands, so be sure to use enough water.
Rinse thoroughly, and dehydrate at 104 degrees for 3-5 hours, or until totally dry.
Mix all cookie ingredients in a bowl. Roll in little balls or use a deep Tablespoon to scoop into balls, then squish them into flatter cookies, Samoa-style. The next step might be easier if you chill the base for at least a half hour, though I’ve made them before without chilling them and they were easy enough to handle.
Place dehydrated groats into a bowl and push the cookie bases firmly into the groats so they stick. Place them in the fridge while you make the drizzle.
Use blender to blend all drizzle ingredients. Chill for about 20 minutes to thicken.
Use a cake decorating utensil to squeeze onto the cookies.
*To make crispy buckwheat, soak the buckwheat groats in enough water to cover, plus 2 tablespoons of raw apple cider vinegar for 8-12 hours. Drain. Spread onto parchment lined cookies sheets (or dehydrator trays) and dry at 150 degrees until crispy.
After several attempts, it finally happened. I invented a raw recipe! We took our first dive into raw cuisine about a year ago. It feels good to finally have enough experience to contribute a recipe. Here’s a simple-but-eye-catching dessert to serve at any get-together you’re having this weekend. Be forewarned, it is decadently rich, so cut small slices.
“Flour” the pie pan with about 3 Tablespoons coconut flakes.
Process all crust ingredients in the food processor.
Press into pie pan.
Blend all creme filling ingredients in a VitaMix until smooth & pour it into the pie crust. Stick the pie in the freezer while you prepare the topping.
Blend all drizzle ingredients. This drizzle recipe makes more than enough for the pie; you’ll have extra to use on top of ice cream or for any other way you like to eat chocolate syrup.
We discovered a pleasant, ice cream cake-esque texture when this pie is stored in the freezer and brought out at the beginning of dinner to thaw a little (and incentive for picky little eaters), but still obtains a lovely iciness. This also makes it firmer and helps it hold it’s shape when sliced.
These are simple cupcakes that feel like you’re treating yourself, even while you nourish your body!
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Stuff eight muffin cups with liners.
Combine coconut flour, arrowroot powder, salt, & soda. Add eggs, maple syrup, & vanilla extract. Beat the batter for at least one minute (preferably 2). The key to successfully baking grain-free dishes is beating the egg with the flour really thoroughly.
Spoon batter in cupcake liners and bake about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cake comes out clean. Cool in pan for about an hour.
Whip all frosting ingredients together except pecans until peaks form. Spoon frosting onto cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle pecans on top and serve.
This is the perfect recipe for tart fruit and berries. It definitely enhances this dish. An added bonus, the oats are soaked to release the very helpful phytase enzyme to encourage nutrient absorption and digestion. I can’t tell you the feel of a-job-well-done it gave me when all four children agreed that this cobbler was their favorite over any other cobblers or crisps I’ve made in the past. They have no problem giving me their honest opinion, especially when it comes to food, so this was a big deal for my nourishing-food-loving mother-heart.
Soak oats in water and cultured dairy for 8-12 hours (I started soaking them in the morning so they’d be ready to use tonight for dessert.)
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter 9 x 13-inch pan. Place peaches, then berries in pan (as you can see, I stored our gathered blackberries in the freezer. No need to thaw if you’re using frozen berries, too)
Combine soaked oats, sucanat, cinnamon, nutmeg, and butter (softened or cut in slices). It will resemble oatmeal. Pour over fruit.
Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve warm.
What can be made using a lot of milk besides the quart-and-a-half of daily kefir used? Pudding. Butterscotch pudding, to be exact. This is a big recipe, and although we eat it right up in a day’s time *burp* any leftovers make great popsicles. If it’s just too much for you, try half a recipe.
In a saucepan, stir together rapadura & arrowroot powder. Stir in milk. Cook over medium heat until thick & bubbly, then cook 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat.
Stir in butter & vanilla until butter is fully melted. Serve warm with a splash of cold milk, or chilled. A dollop of whipped cream on top is also yummy. Pudding will thicken up after chilling. It doesn’t usually last long enough here for it to reach the chilled phase, though.
Getting weekly produce boxes has given such inspiration to step out and try new things. We had persimmons in this last box. I’ve heard they make good cookies, so I thought I’d give them a try, gluten-free style.
Preheat oven to 350º.
In a mixer blend flour, soda, salt, and spices.
In a large glass measuring cup or a bowl, whisk together purée, syrup, oil, egg, and vanilla.
Pour liquid mixture into dry mixture and beat for about 30 seconds. Turn the mixer to low and add pecans and raisins.
Spoon batter onto 2 baking sheets. If they’re not stoneware, grease baking sheets or lay parchment paper onto the sheets. Leave plenty of room in between cookies, they spread. Bake 16-20 minutes. Allow to sit on sheets for about 20 minutes, then serve warm. Store in an airtight container.
I made this recipe 100% raw once, but the children couldn’t stand raw peanut butter, so back to roasted peanut butter we went, though all the other ingredients are raw (hence the “mostly” raw).
Place nut butter, dried fruit, nibs, oil, syrup, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor. Begin processing, and drop 1 date in at a time until well blended. Dump batter in a large mixing bowl.
Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Now it’s your turn to make the decision: make them into balls, slightly chill then cut into bars, or just push it into a 8×10 pan like we do and cut chunks when you want some or just use a spoon.
** To make crispy buckwheat, soak buckwheat groats in lots of water (they expand to 3x their size) overnight. Rinse really well and dehydrate for about 4 hours or until dry.