Fruitcake!

'Tis that time of year for Christmas goodies.  And even if you don't celebrate Christmas, this is quite a yummy cake!  It's non-alcoholic; if you'd like an alcoholic fruit cake simply substitute 1/4 cup of brandy for 1/4 cup orange juice.  Also, this is not a "make weeks before you eat it" type of fruitcake.  It's best eaten the day it's made, though it would keep in the refrigerator for a day or two.

Fruitcake!

Ingredients
6 eggs
1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 cup melted butter

4 cups chopped fruit (see note)
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup brown sugar

1 lb almond flour (approx. 5 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt

note:  For this batch I used about 4 oz each of mission figs, calimyrna figs, and dried apricots.  Plus 8 ounces of candied cherries, 8 ounces of candied pineapple, 1/8 cup candied lemon and 1/8 cup candied orange.  Feel free and adjust fruits as you like, just try to have about 4 cup of chopped fruit.  Other good options are figs (remember, they have maltose), currants, golden and regular raisins, dried cranberries, and dried cherries.

Method
Preheat oven to 300°.

Whisk eggs in the bowl until they are light and fluffy, approx. 5 minutes in a stand mixer.  Whisk in coconut flour, let stand at least 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt butter and prep fruit. 

Roughly chop the fruit you're using.  If I were precise about the chopping it'd be about 1/4" dice, but for this recipe precision is definitely not necessary.  To the fruit, add the orange juice, molasses, and brown sugar.

In yet another bowl, combine the almond flour with the salt, spices, and baking soda.

Returning to the first bowl, the one with the eggs and coconut flour, whisk in the butter.  In two additions, add the fruit mixture and the almond flour to the egg mixture.  Mix gently, but mix well.

Pour batter into a parchement-lined pan and bake for about an hour, or until golden and firm to the touch.  Cool in pan 5-10 minutes before serving.

Make 15 servings, with less than 1 gram of starch* and approximately 45 grams of carbohydrate per serving.
*starch content varies by fruit type.  To completely eliminate starch, do not use figs or raisins.

Also Awesome

So perhaps you've seen my Slightly Addictive Black Cherry Cranberry Popsicles.

These are Also Awesome.

Orangey Orange Popsicles

Ingredients
2 small boxes sugar-free orange jello
1 packet unflavored orange koolaid
2 cups very hot water
2 cups cold water
canned mandarin oranges, drained (about 1 can)

Combine the orange jello, koolaid, and hot water.  Stir until the koolaid is completely dissolved.  Stir in the cold water.

Add about 3 mandarin orange slices to each popsicle mold.  Pour in the jello/koolaid mixture.  Freeze.

Makes about 15 popsicles, with 0 gms starch or maltose, and about 2 gms carbohydrate per popsicle.

Just slightly addictive

So I've been on a bit of a popsicle kick lately.  I've made Strawberry-Orange-Banana, Strawberry-Limeade, Triple Berry, Orangey Orange, and a few others.  They've all been good, and the Orangey Orange was Really Good, but none have been OMG Good.

well, until now.

But wait, you say... isn't this a strach free blog?  Unless they secretly add potatoes to my Flav-Or-Ice, isn't it all starch free??

Yes, but unfortunately many of the commercial popsicles have artificial-everything, and they often have maltose are part of their sweetener blends.  So I've been making popsicles for a couple of years to avoid the maltose. 

As an added twist, one of my other sons was diagnosed with type-1 diabetes about a month ago (as of this writing) and now either my popsicles need to be sugar free too*, or I need to start making special popsicles for every kid.

I chose option #1.  I'm all about the Easy, lol.

So, without further ado, here is the recipe.  I recommend just going to your local big box store and buying all the ingredients in bulk.  You'll be making them all the time!

Black Cherry Cranberry PopsiclesIngredients
2 packets unflavored gelatin**
1/3 cup sugar-free syrup (I use Torani)**
splenda or other sugar-free sweetener, to taste
2 cups hot water
2 cups cold water
1/4 cup cranberry concentrate, not juice (like This)

Method
Combine the gelatin, syrup, cranberry concentrate and 2 cups hot water.  Stir until the gelatin has dissolved, and add sweeteners as desired.  Add remaining 2 cups water, and stir well.  Pour into popsicle molds and freeze.


**You can substitute 2 small boxes of sugar-free black cherry jello for the syrup and the gelatin.  The results will be slightly different, and less tart-sweet but still pretty tasty.

**You can also use 2 packets unflavored gelatin, 1 packet black cherry koolaid, and the sugar-free sweetener equilavent of aboout 1/2 cup sugar (more or less, to taste).  This would be a slightly more complicated, but (IMO) much tastier option than sugar-free jello.


Makes about 15 popsicles, depending on size of molds.  0 gms starch or maltose, about 3 gms carbohydrate per popsicle.


*this is why you'll start to see carb counts in addition to starch and/or maltose at the bottom of every recipe.  I refer to this blog for recipes all the time, and I only want to calculate it once!

Starch Free Fauxtmeal

This recipe is totally cool, mostly because it's not a recipe. But it has a great photo, so there's that, at least.




Fauxtmeal (faux-t-meal)
TVP (plain, non-flavored)
Milk (whatever kind floats your boat)
sugar (or stevia or agave or whatever you like)**
cinnamon or other spices
fruit, perhaps, or raisins, or anything else you can think of**


Combine equal parts TVP and milk. Add sugar and spice(s) and fruit to taste... all of this is completely optional. Add whatever you like!!! Place the whole lot in a cake pan or a pie plate or a 9x13 pan or any pan that you like. The only important part is that your mixture should be somewhere around an inch thick.

Bake at 350° for about 30 minutes, or until done. Add extra liquid when serving if you prefer your oatmeal to have that "soupy" quality.

That's it, and that is a non-recipe recipe if I ever saw one! Oh, and it's starch free.

*remember, honey has maltose, so don't use that if you're maltose-intolerant
** don't be silly and add potatoes or taro with your raisins, 'cause then it's not starch-free anymore

-----------------------------
After I posted this recipe, it occurred to me that some people might not know what TVP is. For this recipe, it's important to get the Plain variety, because it can come in different flavors, and I don't imagine that chicken- or beef-flavored oatmeal would be very tasty. I get mine in the bulk bins of my local WholeFoodMart, but Bob's Red Mill sells it in ~1lb packages.

Here is a linky to Bob's TVP on their website:
Bob's TVP

Apple Fritters, yo!

So I was at the store getting some milk...isn't that how all good love stories start?

...Anyway, so I was at the store getting some milk when out of the corner of my eye this unassuming little package beckoned. Bedecked with a garish orange sign, it was proclaimed that Apple Fritters Were on Sale!!

I picked up the package. Mulled it over, put it back. Thought about it some more, picked it up...

oh, I really wanted some apple fritters!

Then it occurred to me that I could just make some. And while they wouldn't have a shelf-life of at least a week, with any luck and a bit of skill that wouldn't matter. I grabbed my milk and high-tailed it out of the store and into the kitchen and Apple-y Frittery Heaven.

Apple Fritters

Ingredients
1 1/2 qts oil, for frying
3 cups chopped apples, use a good mix of sweet and tart
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1 teaspoon coconut flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar

Cinnamon Sugar

"Powered" Sugar Glaze
bakers or superfine sugar
vanilla extract
milk

Method
Beat eggs well. Whisk in coconut flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Mix in almond flour. Stir in apples. Let batter rest 5-10 minutes before frying for best results.

Heat the oil to 350-375° Using a scoop or some other implement, place 1/4c to 1/3c dollops of batter into the oil. Don't crowd the pan or the oil temp will drop too much and they'll be greasy. Fry about 5 minutes or until they are the dark golden (well, light-ish brown) and cooked through.

Remove cooling rack and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, glaze, or both.

To make the glaze: To about 1 cup of superfine sugar add 1/4 teaspoon vanilla (or to taste) and enough milk to make a thick glaze. Use a spoon to drizzle over the fritters, if desired.



This recipe makes about 2 dozen, depending on size. I'm not sure because I ran several "quality checks" and I lost count.

They are totally- no kidding, totally- starch free.
*see this post regarding possible starch content in the apples.

Starch Free Granola Bars

Commercial Granola Bars are full of... Granola. Which is made of oats. Which is full of starch (and often gluten too).

Bummer.

But my kids kept asking, and I persevered, and so I present to you....

Starch Free Granola Bars!!! Which, granted, aren't granola bars because they don't have any granola, but I'm a baker and not a namer-of-things.

Before you start, be sure to read the recipe through carefully, and do ALL the prep work ahead of time.




Starch Free....Bars

Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup water
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

12-16 ounces of mixed nuts
24 ounces of dried fruit (I used apricots and cranberries)

1/2 cup chocolate chips, optional

butter or oil

Method
Coarsely chop the nuts and fruits, place into a large bowl. Measure out the chocolate chips, set aside.

Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.

Butter a cutting board, or a the backside of a smaller sheet pan. Set aside.

Get a large bowl scraper or spoon, set aside with the parchment-lined pan.

Place the first 5 ingredients into a 3 qt pot. Use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature, and cook to 300°. Watch carefully and do not go above 300° (soft crack stage). Remove the thermometer.

Working very, very quickly, pour the fruit and nuts into the sugar, stir well, and pour onto the parchment-lined pan. Press flat with the buttered cutting board.

If desired, sprinkle chocolate chips over the bars, and press again with the board (no need to butter it again).

Let cool about 5 minutes, no longer, and cut into bars with a pizza cutter or a sharp knife. Let cool completely, and store in an airtight container.

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

Hi Blog! Long time no... well... write, I guess. I know that's completely my fault. There's been this annoying thing called a thesis that has been taking up all my time, and also a bit of the flu. Anyway....


There is no actual pie in these muffins. There isn't any oatmeal either. There is pumpkin, and there are raisins.... and effectively no starch.

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

Ingredients

6 eggs
1/2 cup ground flax seed/meal
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon *each* allspice, nutmeg, ground cloves
4 cups almond flour
1 15ounce can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups raisins
1 teaspoon baking soda

Method

Add eggs to the bowl of a stand mixer (a hand mixer also works, but it may take longer). Using a whisk attachment, beat at high speed for at least 5 minutes, or until the eggs are lighter, foamy, and have doubled in size. Add flax meal, beat another 2 minutes or so. Add sugar, beat another 2-5 minutes. **

Add pumpkin, beat a minute or so, then add almond flour.

As soon as the almond flour is completely incorporated, add the butter, and vanilla. Then add the raisins. After the raisins are completely incorporated, add the baking soda and salt. Beat just long enough to incorporate the last two ingredients.

Bake at 325° for 25 minutes or until done.

**It may seem like nothing is happening, but all this whisking time is adding air to the batter, helping to ensure that the muffins are nice and light.

Disappearing Act

Thesis writing is not the funnest thing in the world. Funnest isn't a real word.

Both of these things are cured by Cinnamon Rolls.






Cinnamon Rolls

These have a different form than traditional cinnamon rolls out of necessity, but they have all the important components: roll, filling, and frosting. And they are scrumptious.

Ingredients

Roll
6 eggs
1/3 c butter, melted and cooled
1/2 c sugar
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
3 c almond flour

Filling
1/2 c sugar
1 T cinnamon
2 T whipping cream

Frosting
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 c butter, softened
1 1/2 c sugar
1/2 t vanilla

Method
Beat eggs until light colored and foamy. Slowly beat in sugar and butter. Add remaining ingredients, and beat on high for 30 seconds. Portion into muffin cups.

Combine filling ingredients and place into a zip-top bag. Pipe a small amount into the center of each muffin. Bake at 325° for 25-30 minutes.

While muffin/rolls are baking, place cream cheese and butter into a mixing bowl and beat until fluffy. Add the remaining ingredients, and beat on high several minutes until frosting is fluffy.

Place frosting into a zip-top bag, and pipe onto muffin/rolls. Then, watch them disappear.

Best of all, there is NO starch in these cinnamon rolls.

Left to Right: Unfrosted, Frosted, and one showing off its yummy filling.

Innumerable Berry Pancakes

My children are not big breakfast eaters. Around here, lunch has always been the biggest meal of the day. With that in mind, this is a typical conversation that we have when these pancakes are on the agenda.

me: "Children! Breakfast is Ready!"
chorus: I'm nooottt huuungry
me: "Just have one pancake"
chorus: sigh.... "ooookkaaay"
....
Over a dozen eggs, innumerable "Can I have more please!" and 4 batches of pancakes later, I always end up rethinking the wisdom of that conversation when I make these pancakes.

So if you plan to make these, I'd advise that you have plenty of time and ingredients on hand.



Berry Pancakes

Ingredients
1/4 cup coconut flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
4 eggs
4 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup milk

1/2 bag frozen berries, about 6 ounces (any berries work, chop them slightly to ensure that no berries or berry pieces are larger than about 1/4")

Method
Whisk together all ingredients except the berries. Fold in the berries.

Cook on Med/MedLow (about level "4" on my stove) for about 5 minutes on side, flip and cook for about 2 minutes on the other side.

German Chocolate Cupcakes

It's my one-year blog anniversary! What better way to celebrate than with cupcakes??



Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
4 c almond flour
1 c ground flax seed
4 eggs
1 stick butter, melted and cooled
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 1/4 c sugar
1/2 dutch cocoa
2 t instant coffee granules
1 c milk
2 t vanilla

Method
Separate eggs, beat whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold in remaining ingredients. Place into muffin cups, and bake at 300° for 25-30 minutes or until done.

Frosting
Ingredients
1 1/2 c evaporated milk
1 1/2 c sugar
3/4 butter
6 egg yolks
1 c coconut (to taste- I always add lots extra)
1 c pecans (to taste)
1 1/2 t vanilla

Method
Cook first 4 ingredients until very thick. Stir in coconut, pecans and vanilla. Cool before frosting cupcakes.

Macaroons (review and recipe)

I discovered this unassuming little book last fall, and I was so intrigued that I pre-ordered it immediately. It doesn't claim to be either gluten free or starch free... and with the exception of a small amount of powdered sugar, it's both! I recently made some and they were light and rich and minty and chocolatey- amazing!



Mint Chocolate French Macaroons

1 batch french macaroons (there is a similar recipe here but I highly recommend the book, because the instructions are clear and there is a great tutorial, with two different macaroon recipes), made with unblanched almond meal (ie ground almonds) and tinted with teal gel food coloring.

Whipped Mint Chocolate Ganache Filling
7 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon honey or agave
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon mint extract
1 cup dark chocolate mint chips (or whirl some Andes candies in a food processor until they coarsely chopped)

Stir together the first four ingredients and add to a saucepan. Gently melt the chocolate over low heat. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter. Pour into a bowl and cool to room temperature about 30 minutes.

Place the ganache in the bowl of a stand mixer, and whip about 5 minutes or until fluffy. Stir in the chips.

Place filling into a pastry bag and pipe onto macaroons bottoms, place another macaroon on top. Refrigerate cookies at least an hour to let flavors meld, serve at room temperature.

I originally made these with a mint chocolate buttercream because I was impatient- definitely take the time to make the ganache. It's totally worth it!!!

Giant Cranberry Cookies

These giant morsels of awesome are somewhere between a giant cookie and a scone- perfect for breakfast, snacks, dessert, or just because. They are not too sweet and wonderfully coconutty, with just a hint of cranberry. Best of all, these are really easy!



Giant Cranberry Cookies
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
4 eggs
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract, optional
3/4 cup craisins

2 cups almond flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 scant teaspoon salt
1/4 cup craisins
1/2 cup flaked coconut

Method
Preheat oven to 325°

Combine the first seven ingredients in the bowl of a food processor- blend until pureed.

In a second bowl, mix together the last five ingredients. Add the craisin paste, mix well.

On parchment lined pan, place 1/4 cup scoops of batter 2-3 inches apart. Bake for 20 minutes, cool for 2-3 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. You could also make these a more traditional cookie size. To do that, place about 1 1/2 tablespoons of batter a couple inches apart, and bake at 350° for about 10 minutes or until done. Either way, Enjoy!

Doughnut Pancakes

Okay, Doughnuts aren't really Good for you.

My taste buds take issue with that statement.

Thus, a dilemma.

After my son was diagnosed with his starch intolerance, we started to try many different pancake variations, as you can see on this blog. Over time, we started to view pancakes as flat-round-tasteless-vehicles-for-syrup. Sometimes, our quest for THE pancake resulted in a happy accident.

We recently had another happy accident. The pancakes look like yellow-box starch-filled vehicles for maple-flavored corn syrup, but they taste...

like....

(cue angels singing)

DOUGHNUTS.

Yes, my friends. You too can bring doughnuts back into your life. Let me show you how.

Doughnuts

Ingredients

6 eggs, separated
1 TBSP butter
1 8oz package cream cheese
1/4 cup flax seed meal
2 TBSP sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
dash salt

Method

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.

In another bowl, warm the cream cheese slightly with the butter (I use the microwave, and mine only needs about 15 seconds). Add the egg yolks, and mash everything together really well with a fork. Add the remaining ingredients (except for the egg whites).

After the eggs are ready, whisk in the cream cheese mixture.

Warm your pan or griddle or other cooking surface to medium-low.

Ladel or scoop or spoon (or even levitate, if you're into that kind of thing) approximately 1/3 cup batter onto your pan. Cook a few minutes on each side or until golden brown. If you cook them too quickly, they won't cook through so make sure that your temperature is low enough. The best way to do this is to make about half a dozen, eating each to ensure your pan is cooking them consistently.

Makes about 6 pancakes, plus about 6 "tester" pancakes.

Roasted Sweet Pepper Soup

This soup can be as spicy or as mild as you like, and is a great accompaniment to a light summer meal. It also is great in the fall as part of a hearty meal- it goes especially well with enchiladas.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

1/4 cup olive oil
6 large Jimmy Nardello peppers,seeded and chopped (these are Italian frying peppers, red bell peppers can also be used)
1 large onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced (I like to add extra garlic)
3 thyme sprigs (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
5 guajillo or pasilla chilies**
3 cups chicken broth, or vegetable broth
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar, or lime juice (I prefer lime)
tabasco sauce, to taste
cayenne pepper, to taste
sour cream, for accompaniment
tortilla chips, for accompaniment


1. Preheat the oven to 250°. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a 4 qt pot. Add sweet peppers, onion, garlic, and thyme. Sweat until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.

2. Remove stems and seeds from dried chilies, toast them in the oven for about 10 minutes, or toast them carefully in a skillet just until fragrant and just starting to soften. Place in a bowl and just cover with boiling water, let stand until the are softened, about 10 minutes. Taste the water, if sweet and and tasty, use when pureeing the chilies. Otherwise, add softened chilies to a blender or a food processor with just enough chicken broth puree them into a thick paste.

3. Add the remaining chicken broth to the sweet pepper mixture, simmer for 15 minutes. Using a stick blender, puree until smooth. Alternately, puree in batches using a food processor or a blender. Strain if desired for a smoother texture.

4. Stir the chili puree, into the sweet pepper mixture. Add the cream, and vinegar, simmer for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt, tabasco, and additional vinegar or lime juice.

5. Serve with sour cream and tortilla chips. (I don't actually do this because chips are starchy, thus we don't eat them, but I bet it's yummy)

*This is where I went wrong the first time I made this soup- I roasted a dozen habaneros and jalepenos, seeded them, and added them to the chili puree in step 2. I would advise against it. :)

This recipe was inspired by on a recipe from James Peterson, _Splendid Soups_

"Granola" Bars

1 lb (approximately 1 1/3 cups) honey**
8 ounces sesame seed
6 ounces golden flax seed (whole seeds, not meal)
2 ounces hemp seed
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1/8 teaspoon orange extract
6 ounces dried fruit (I used a "berry blend")

Place a sheet of parchment paper on a work surface.

Combine honey and orange peel in a medium saucepan, bring to a boil (the longer you boil it the more firm the bars will be). Add seeds stir well- as soon as it returns to a boil stir in orange extract and pour onto parchment. Spread it out until it is approximately 1/4" thick, sprinkle dried fruit over top and press it into the seed mixture. Be careful it's hot- use a silicone spatula or some other tool for this.

Let cool to room temperature. Leave on parchment and cut into pieces. Peel off parchment when you serve it.

Variations- you can leave out the fruit, or change the seed ratio, or add other "toppings" like chocolate or peanut butter chips. You can also change, or omit, the peel/extract combo, or use a strongly flavored honey to change the flavor. There are as many variations as you could imagine!

Here are some ideas:
Replace fruit with 1/3 cup each peanut butter, semisweet, and white chocolate chips

Omit extract, replace fruit with 1/3 cup each cranberries and chocolate chips.

Omit extract and peel. Add 1 teaspoon "apple pie spice". With seeds, stir in 6-8 ounces chopped dried apple. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup caramel chips.

**While this is starch free, it is very high in maltose. If you have difficulty with honey or maltose, agave syrup is a good substitute.

Pear "Pancakes"

Looking at the ingredient list, one might think that this is really an omelet. However, though it doesn't taste like a Bisquick-style pancake it tastes more like like a pancake than anything else. While it's in a category of its own, it's delicious and I hope you'll love it as much as we do! It is also delicious made with a granny smith apple (our most frequently served version) and I think it might be really yummy made with plums as well.

Pear Pancakes

1 pear, slightly under ripe
2 eggs
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon almond extract


Grate pear, and squeeze all the juice you can out of the grated pear, discard juice. In separate bowl, beat eggs well. Add the remaining ingredients, beat well. Stir in grated pear.

In a large heavy saute pan, heat a small amount of oil over medium heat(if you are using a non-stick pan you need just a scant amount). Pour in egg mixture, and pat/press mixture into an even layer about 1/2" thick. It will be about 7" in diameter.

Cook over medium heat 3-4 minutes or until nicely browned. Flip, carefully, and cook another 3 minutes or until browned on the other side. Serve with syrup, jam, sour cream, or just plain.

Chicken "Noodley" Soup

My littlest guy has declared this to be the Best Soup Ever. I usually make this with homemade chicken stock, which I plan ahead to make when I roast a chicken. However, it's still quite yummy with commercial chicken stock. This soup is supposed to be hearty, with a lot of veggies/meat in comparison to the amount of stock. If you like a lighter soup, simply add more stock and adjust the seasonings accordingly.

Chicken "Noodley" Soup

2 quarts chicken stock
4 cups cooked chicken (light or dark meat), cubed
3 celery stalks, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 cups mushrooms
2-3 cups shredded zucchini
olive oil
1-2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large stock pot over medium heat. Add a small amount of olive oil and onion, saute until they begin to soften, about 3-4 minutes. Add carrots, cook 2-3 minutes. Add celery, cook about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, cook 2-3 minutes more.

Add stock and seasonings, simmer on low heat for 30 minutes or until veggies are quite soft. Add zucchini and chicken, cook another 10-20 minutes. Check seasonings and adjust, if necessary. Serve over steamed plain TVP if you like a soup with more body (it will be more like a stew) though it is great just as it is.

Pancakes

Once you make these, you'll never miss starchy pancakes again. These are best in a 10 to 12 inch cast iron pan, though a heavy non-stick or a well oiled stainless steel pan also works fine. These pancakes are completely starch free too! I alternate these with the Coconutty Pancakes- my kiddos love both versions.

Pancakes
6 eggs, divided
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons flax meal
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon maple extract


Set pan over medium-low heat while you prepare the batter.

Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, add egg yolks and remaining ingredients and beat for 15 seconds.

Pour into pan, cook for 5-8 minutes. Run a butter knife along the edge of pancake to release it, place a plate upside down over the top of the pan as if it were a lid. Holding plate and pan firmly together, flip, and slide pancake back into pan (you've now placed the uncooked side down).

Cook another 5 minutes or until done. Use a sharp knife and cut into 3-6 pieces, serve.

Chocolate Puddle Cookies

3 cups walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts
4 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 egg whites, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla


1. Preheat oven to 325°. Toast walnuts, cool and coarsely chop. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Sift together the confectioner's sugar, cocoa powder, and sea salt. Stir in the walnuts, then add the egg whites and vanilla. Stir until well combined.

3. Spoon the batter onto the prepared sheets in mounds of about 2 tablespoons each, allowing for PLENTY of room between cookies. These cookies are like reverse Shrinky Dinks - they really expand. Don't try to get more than 6 cookies on each sheet, and try to avoid placing the batter too close to the edge of the pan.

4. Bake until they puff up. The tops should get glossy, and then crack a bit - about 12 -15 minutes.

5. Slide the cookies still on parchment onto a cooling rack, and let them cool completely. They will keep in an airtight container for a couple days.

(unknown)

Carrot Cake.... scones?

I'm not sure what to call these. Scones? Cookies? Biscuits? Any of those labels could fit, but not perfectly. Send me your name suggestions so these little bits of carroty goodness can finally have a name!



Carrot Cake Scones
(working title, to be changed when I have a better name)

4 eggs
1 cup raisins, divided
5-6 carrots
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Place eggs and 1/2 cup raisins in a food processor. Puree.

Peel and grate carrots. Squeeze as much liquid as possible from the grated carrots. Add 1/2 cup of the grated carrots to the raisin/egg puree, puree completely.

In a mixing bowl, combine grated carrots, remaining raisins, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Add puree, mix well. Place about 1/2 cup of batter onto parchment lined baking sheets, bake at 325° for 15-20 minutes or until they are no longer sticky to the touch. Let cool about 5 minutes before serving.

These are delicious served plain, but they would be yummy with a simple cream cheese glaze.