Grain-free "Recovery" Banana Bread.

One of my lovely family members just recently had surgery and an overnight hospital stay [everything is going well, thanks :)], and so I thought I would share this recipe, as it has been great for her recovery.

Let me explain...

My loved one recently had to have surgery. Post-operation she was having trouble swallowing because she felt so sore. She only wanted cold, soft things, and was also barely able to eat due to the nausea caused by pain meds. Turns out that I had just made some grain-free banana bread that week, in an endeavor to start recipe development for my own grain-free banana bread recipe that I would love just as much my grain-free pumpkin bread recipe. Well, the recipe was not perfect, and was very soft and moist (ie, the texture isn't quite there yet, and therefore not bloggable), but it was still had great flavor and tasted delicious, so I had kept it and was planning on nibbling on it throughout the week.

This "recipe" failure ended up being a blessing, as it's smooth and soft texture was very easy to swollow for my patient, but also gave her the feeling that she was "eating something solid." Win win!

For this recipe I used a smaller loaf pan, not the standard size. It was a medium sized Pyrex glass loaf pan which probably measures 4" x 8" and is tall, not wide, like standard loaf pans. It's very easy to whip up, and is a great idea to bring to the hospital to help your loved one recover! It sets up best in the fridge. So after the bread cools, turn it out, and place it in the fridge.

Grain-free "Recovery" Banana Bread.
    makes one loaf pan, size above

    2  very ripe bananas (or 3 small)
    1 cup  almond flour 
    1/3 cup  coconut flour
    2  medium/large eggs
    1/4 cup runny honey
    1/3 cup  coconut oil - mine was not melted
    3/4 cup  coconut milk - mine is always unsweetened
    1 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
    1 tsp  baking soda
    1-2 tsp  cinnamon or more if desired
    1.5 tsp vanilla

To make your recovery bread:
  1)  Preheat oven to 375 degrees; mine is non-convection.
  2)  Put ingredients in order listed into Vitamix or blender. Blend. Pour into coconut oil greased loaf pan (mine is a glass loaf pan).
  3)  Bake for over 1 hour. LET COOL. Store in fridge. Bread will be moist but will firm up in the fridge.
  4)  Eat with a spoon, or slice it thick. Spread with your favorite nut or coconut butter, for even more nutrition!

Enjoy this bread! I hope it will help your recovering family members, as it did mine, whether they are sick at home or are recovering from major surgery! In fact, we ate up this banana bread so fast because it was so tasty, and I am baking another one right now!

xoxo :)

P.S. I am home for Christmas break. This in the medical school world are going very well. I am tired, but loving my classes and assignments. Stay tuned for some delicious recipes that I can hopefully share with you during the time I am home. As always, thanks for continue to read my blog even though things are slow now-a-days!

Grain-free Unsweetened Banana Cake.

Today is my birthday, so I thought sharing a cake today would be only appropriate.  I didn't make this cake today, however, but made it sometime early summer.

Banana bread has always been one of my favorites.  Since going gluten-free, I've made lots of different versions.  Up until now, my best recipe has been my original banana cake recipe.  Then there was a banana cake made with oatmeal.  There was also my gluten-free whole-grain banana bread, which I adapted from my favorite wheat-based recipe when I first went gluten-free.  And now there is this banana cake.  Made with grain-free flours, left-over soured milk, and bananas, this banana bread is easy to digest, primal and absolutely delicious!  I also love it because it give me a use for raw milk that has gone a little bit too sour to be palatable.  Raw dairy is so valuable nutritionally, it's such a waste to not use it!

I've made this recipe twice now, and it's been fantastic.  The first time I made a frosting over the whole cake made with peanut butter, butter, yogurt and coconut oils.  It was fantastic and I ended up eating it for breakfast because it had enough protein and fat to make my metabolism happy :)  The pictures you see here have one layer of a peanut butter-butter frosting in the middle, but not over the entire cake.  I hope to tweak my peanut butter recipe, get it just right, and then share it with you.  For now, feel free to mix equal parts, butter, fresh ground peanut butter, a few drops of Stevia clear, and vanilla extract together to make a wonderfully nourishing peanut butter filling for the middle of these cakes.  And be sure to share with family!  It's so good (and makes a lot) so sharing should be mandatory!  This cake is also completely unsweetened (bananas only) and it's Primal!

Grain-free Unsweetened Banana Cake.
    makes two 9" rounds

    1 cup  blanched almond flour - source
    1 cup  organic coconut flour - source
    3 cups  ripe bananas, mashed
    6 small  real eggs
    2 cups  soured raw milk
    1 Tbsp  warm spice blend (mine was a mix of cinnamon, cloves, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, allspice)
    1 Tbsp  vanilla
    1 tsp  baking soda
    1/2 tsp  unrefined sea salt
    2 Tbsp  grassfed butter (to grease the pan) - source

To make your banana cake:
  1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees (convection or non-convection, same results for this cake). Use your fingers to butter the cake pans liberally.
  2.  In a large bowl, mash bananas, whisk in eggs, sour milk, and vanilla.
  3.  In another medium sized bowl, combine flours, baking soda, and sea salt.
  4.  Mix wet ingredients into dry, using a spatula to incorporate.
  5.  Distribute batter evenly between both pans. Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until sides have pulled away from the pan and top is golden brown. When the cakes have cooled, remove from pans by gently inverting them onto your hand or a plate.  Wait until cakes are completely cooled to frost, if desired.

Texture up close.

This cake has quickly become one of my favorites, I hope you enjoy it too!

Grain-free Zucchini Bread

Every once and a while I find a recipe that just tastes SO good! A recipe that you just can not stop eating. It happened especially with my original banana cake, nourishing protein bars, chocolate chunk bark, the best cornbread, gluten-free gingerbread men, and now it's happening again. I'll admit, while this phenomenon of finding an excellent recipe is preferable, it is a problem. Recipes that are just too good are a problem simply because it's extremely tempting to eat the final product in one sitting. Eating a whole batch of baked goods in one sitting (while it may be delicious) is not recommended for good digestion or my girl-ish figure. May this be your warning that this grain-free zucchini bread is quite good :)

Great texture!

Summer means zucchini, zucchini means zucchini bread, and zucchini bread means happy stomach. But only if you're baking with real fresh eggs, health fats and simple ingredients. This bread has all of that! For lack of a better word (augh here it comes) this bread is moist, sweet, and nutritious. Anyone else not like using the word "moist"? Bananas, eggs, and zucchini make the bread moist/soft/creamy; the banana, coconut sugar and maple syrup make the bread sweet (I am going to cut back next time); and the zucchini, eggs, and cinnamon make this bread super nutritious.

Grain-free Zucchini Bread
     Makes one standard loaf 

     4  real eggs

     38 g  coconut sugar (palm sugar)

     4.1 oz  maple syrup (I use grade B)  
     70 g  organic coconut oil - softened
      2 g  cinnamon

      4 g  vanilla

      2 g  sea salt

     88 g  organic coconut flour
     81 g  natural almond flour (unblanched - I use Honeyville)
     35 g  arrowroot flour
     4 g  baking powder
     50 g  organic coconut flakes
     176 g  ripe banana (2 medium)
     12.2 oz  organic farmer's market zucchini - shredded (weighed after draining)
     80 g  organic raisins
     chopped walnuts for topping

To make your zucchini bread:
  1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees convection.
  2.  In your food processor, grate zucchini. Turn zucchini into a tea towel and squeeze out the natural water of the zucchini. Let sit while preparing other ingredients, and squeeze hard once more before adding to bowl.
  3.  Place first three ingredients in a small bowl and whisk vigorously together by hand one minute.
  4.  To that bowl, add next four ingredients and whisk until combined. Small lumps are ok.
  5.  To the same bowl, add next six ingredients and mash together.
  6.   Finally, fold in zucchini and raisins. Pour batter into a greased (with old butter wrappers or coconut oil) standard loaf pan. Top with ground walnuts if desired.
  7.   Bake in oven until bread rises, cracks slightly on top, walnuts are browned, sides have pulled away from pan and a stick inserted in the middle comes out clean; about an hour.

These measurements are given in grams or ounces, and I do not know the cup or metric conversions. I have found that baking with a food scale, not only is easier, but takes much less time. After my experience baking and in food service, it's hard for me to use measuring utensils, as I am used to "scaling out" every ingredient.

Yummy walnut topping!

Also, as I mentioned earlier, this bread is very sweet. I included my original measurements in this recipe, but next time I know I will use less coconut sugar and maple syrup. I enjoy the sweetness, but it makes this bread just too good and a bit too sweet for my taste. Enjoy this grain-free version of zucchini bread :) I sure did!

Carrot Cake Bread

Leaving school was hard, but it also gave me an excuse to bake this bread! I had to use up some of the ingredients that I couldn't leave behind. That, and with some assistance from the cafe (thank you Bon Appetit), this bread was born!

Better yet, several of my friends were able to try it. I didn't tell them the bread was gluten free, yet they knew I could eat it, and THEY LOVED IT. Rave reviews all around. It made me so happy!

The thing I love about this recipe is that it is so easy, yet a little complex and most important, HEALTHY. I have always found that to be one thing carrot cake recipes lack. They seem to always be soaked in oil and drowning in sugar, which is not the case here.

Also, this recipe uses coconut flour, a great naturally gluten free flour that is extremely low carb, packed with protein and fiber and supplies you with some of your daily intake of healthy fats. Its a win-win situation! Because of all the fiberous ingredients in this bread however, go slow. Don't eat half the loaf just because it's that good ;) - we've all done it. The fiber will fill up your stomach and in 20 minutes you will wonder how such an innocent piece of bread could make you feel so uncomfortable. Fiber is good for you, but don't over eat or you will be overly full.

Healthy Carrot Cake Bread

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 cup ground flaxseed meal - mine was normal brown, not golden

1/4 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup oat bran

2 T teff grain - not teff flour

2 T quinoa - the white variety, but you could use red and it would look and taste fine

4 eggs

1/2 cup coconut oil - melted

1/3 cup amber agave

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp stevia

1/2 cup medium shred unsweetened coconut

1 1/2 T vanilla extract

1 cup organic raisins

1/4 cup walnuts - mine were whole, but you can grind them, I enjoyed having chunks for a change

2 1/2 cups grated carrots

2 cups mashed bananas - this was about 6 medium sized bananas, NOTE: my bananas were ripe for eating, but not ripe ripe BROWN ripe

2 tsp baking soda

1 heaping tsp baking powder

roasted organic sunflowers seeds for the top - I used raw, but I actually like toasted better

To make the carrot cake bread:

This recipe is really easy. In two separate bowls mix the wet ingredients and the dry ingredients. Mix together, then fold in the chunkier ingredients like raisins, carrots and walnuts. Sprinkle sunflower seeds on top, and push into the dough slightly with your fingers. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour. On my recipe sheet I actually never wrote down how long it took?! Just watch it and then you will know when it is done.

This recipe makes enough for two small loafs in normal sized loaf pans, enough for several mini loaf pans, or like I did, enough for a medium sized loaf pan and a normal sized loaf pan. I don't know the measurements of all those pans, but I am sure you can tell what I mean :)

It also has enough protein (along with fiber) to keep you full and satisfied with only one slice!

Don't be afraid to have this for breakfast, lunch, snacks and picnics and parties on the lawn! I really loved this bread with fruit juice-sweetened raspberry jam from Sorrel Ridge.

Enjoy, enjoy!

Easter and my first GF Bread

Happy Easter!

The plan? Have the family over for a full on GLUTEN free, SOY free, safe, Easter meal prepared by my mom and I, and celebration of Jesus' resurrection together as a family.

Not in the plan? Me getting sick, yes sick, on Saturday. I never get sick, but this 24-hour bug just happened to catch me while I was down. School has been really stressful and busy lately, top that off with a 6+ hour plane flight home, +3 hour time change and the "post-stress let-down effect" and bingo, it got me. I haven't been this sick in ages, and it was not fun. Interestingly (sorry to gross you all out) throwing up was the best part, as it made me feel so much better (even if it only lasted about 15-20 minutes). Anyways, we heard from the family that a 24-hour thing had been going around, we assumed that's what I got, and today I am better. So it was definitely a 24-hour thing. I am still recovering (think barely any food and only juice/sprite while I was sick), and I hope to be 100% soon. Needless to say, it was a VERY different Easter than what I expected. Oh, and I forgot. The family stayed away. Wise decision!

The Easter meal, however (yay, I can eat real food again), was anything but a letdown. Mom made the pot-roast like she always does (family tradition, we have it at nearly every major holiday except Thanksgiving). Then we did a potato dish, steamed green beans, green peas (I couldn't really stomach the thought of grean beans on my recovering stomach), and bread.

Bread? Yes, bread. In my childhood days Mom used to always have a fresh loaf of bread for dinner straight out of the bread machine. It was homemade bread heaven every night. Needless to say we started learning about nutrition and that practice was thrown out the window. And now that I am gluten free, I remain especially nostalgic about the bread she used to make. Her bread machine oatmeal bread was by far, my favorite. Close behind was the apple-walnut, and cinnamon raisin, but the oatmeal bread "took the cake" - pun intended.

I have been searching for a good bread recipe for a while, and have had a few in my bookmarks on my computer, but haven't quite dug in and tried one. Finally, I found one that I had all the ingredients for, wasn't going to bake my back (in the complication factor) to make it, had GOOD reviews, and wasn't overly time consuming. Too good to be true? Only slightly.

Amazing Gluten-Free "Oatmeal" Bread

from Recipezaar.com ^^

(my substitutions listed here)

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup white sorghum flour

1/4 cup millet flour

1/4 cup tapioca starch/flour

1/4 cup arrowroot starch

1/4 cup ground golden flaxseed meal

3 tsp xanthan gum 

2 tsp active dry yeast

1/2 tsp salt (I used normal table salt, not sea salt)

2 eggs + 2 egg whites (use 4 large brown AA organic yada yada eggs)

1 cup room temperature water

2 tbsp honey

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1. Preheat the oven to 200F degrees.

2. Mix wet ingredients in your stand mixer, and mix your dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

3. While the mixer is running, pour the dry into the wet and mix well on low/medium speed for about 2 minutes. There should be no lumps.

4. Turn into a olive oil sprayed (I always use my Misto) 9x5 loaf pan.

5. Turn off the oven and put the bread inside.

6. Let rise for about 90 minutes or until the top of the bread is noticeable (as viewed from the side) over the edge of the pan or until it just meets the top.

7. Then turn the oven on to 350F (try not to open the oven during the rise and during the transition to 350) and bake for about 40 minutes. The crust will be golden brown, cover with tin foil as needed to prevent over-browning.

8. Remove from oven and cool on a rack for 10 minutes then turn out onto the rack and cool until no longer warm. Slice when just a touch warm or totally cooled.

I say only slightly because as you can see, the bread collasped after it's journey from the oven. I had kind of expected this to happen (some reviewers mentioned this problem) but just prayed it wouldn't happen to me; after all, not everyone encountered this phenomena. But it did. It didn't lack in the flavor or texture department. In fact it tasted exactly like my childhood oatmeal bread, even better! I am going to have to tweak the recipe so it DOESN'T fall in, but this recipe is certainly destined for greatness. It left my mom, my dad and I smacking our lips in pleasure. WE LOVED IT. Oops that was in capitals- wait, I meant to do that, hehe! It was soo good. We will definitely be making this again, and again and again. I might actually put it into muffin tins and do a "dinner roll" type. In fact, it was so good we demolished a WHOLE half loaf! And easily could have eaten the whole thing. I can't take credit though- this wasn't my recipe. Click the link and enjoy. Lots of different substitutions work well, so play around with it. I will update you will my new recipe as I bake more versions. Trial and error will get it right eventually.

Easter tasted so good! I only wish it could have been spent with family.

Gluten-free Pumpkin Bread.

I was away at school on Thanksgiving and I didn't get to bake my own gluten free baked goods, like pumpkin bread, stuffing or apple pie. The only baked good I had was a pumpkin bread my Mom sent me. The recipe I chose for her to make was less than stellar (I think I made over a wheat version into a GF version from online) and when I came home I vowed that I would make an amazing gluten free pumpkin bread.

I am blessed because it worked on the first try! I took my mom's REALLY good recipe and went to work. I am pleased with it. The texture is amazing and even my Dad (who is quite the texture Nazi) said so. This bread is not very sweet, so if you like your pumpkin bread very sweet, just add some more sweetner.

Gluten-free Pumpkin Bread.

    adapted from my Mom's recipe

    4 cups  gluten-free flour blend (I used a mixture of brown rice, white rice, arrowroot, potato starch and a little cornstarch)

    1/4 cup  maple syrup

    1/4 cup  runny honey

    4  happy eggs

    2/3 cup  cold water

    3/4 cup  unsweetened organic apple sauce

    1/4 cup  organic coconut oil

    1 - 16 oz  can pumpkin puree

    2 tsp  stevia powder

    2 tsp  xantham gum (acts as a binder)

    2 tsp  baking soda

    1 tsp  each of: baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice

    1/2 tsp  cloves

To make your gluten-free pumpkin bread:

  1.  Combine both wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls.

  2.  Incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry. Mix well.

  3.  Pour equally into greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until tooth pick comes out clean.

-Update: 1/1/09- This is a dairy free and sugar free pumpkin bread recipe. I am planning on making another version that has REAL butter and sugar sometime this month.

-Update: 5/11/13- See my most recent paleo/primal version here. I also notice that I did not include yeild amount for this recipe. I believe it makes 2 regular sized loafs.