Paleo Chocolate Sauce or Ganache.

(Hello everyone :) I am alive! I've been busy (with medical school), but here I am again!)

Sauce or ganache? Why the fuss?

Well, technically, this is a "ganache" recipe... since ganache is composed of melted chocolate + cream (coconut milk here), which makes it spreadable and allows it to just barely harden into a lovely smooth chocolate experience.

Chocolate sauce, on the other hand, tends to be more of a more syrupy/sugary composition that is perfect for drizzling. Chocolate sauces commonly include corn syrup, or a simple syrup, which gives it a characteristic sweet smoothness that holds its shape when swirled and twisted on a spoon (and on top of your ice cream!)

This recipe rides in the middle. Best of both worlds, I'd say :)

And it's paleo, primal, gluten-free, soy-free, and barely sweetened (my favorite). Which by default makes it amazing. Obviously.

Paleo Chocolate Sauce.
    makes enough for a crowd, or some for one and enough for later!
    Time to prepare = < 10 minutes

    3 oz  unsweetened Baker's chocolate* - or 3 oz of your favorite
    8 oz  unsweetened coconut milk - this one is my favorite**
    1 tsp to 1 Tbsp  runny honey*** (or more to taste)
    splash  vanilla
    dash  unrefined sea salt
    stevia drops - (optional and to taste)

To make your chocolate sauce:
  1)  In a double boiler, or a heavy bottomed pan, add chocolate chunks, coconut milk, honey. Heat on medium / medium-low until chocolate is melted. Whisk whisk whisk until smooth and entirely incorporated.
***To measure out the honey in this recipe, I usually stick a regular eating teaspoon into the honey, to get it moderately coated, and then place it into the chocolate sauce pan; I am estimating this is about 2 tsp to a whole tablespoon of honey. Feel free to use more if you want more sweetness.
  2)  Add vanilla extract, stevia (if desired) and salt. Whisk again. Taste. Add more stevia or honey if desired.
  3)  Enjoy! Dip in some strawberries, apple slices, spread on unsweetened pumpkin bread use to make into chocolate bark, use it as cake frosting (pictured); or put in a jar to use on ice cream! This sauce can do anything! Stored in the fridge this should last 1-2 weeks.

*I used the old size Baker's chocolate squares which I stocked up on right after they changed / halved the sizing of their packages.
** This brand is 100% coconut milk, and I can get it locally (if you're in Seattle, look at Central Market or PCC) for a great price (and no yucky canned coconut milk flavor!)


PS. I am now officially a third year medical student! I finished second year today. This will be a busy summer, as I am taking classes, starting clinic, and taking BOARDS in August, but you should hopefully hear more from me! I've got some recipes I've been meaning to share you guys. I hope to have some more time to get you some more yummies :) I know I've been completely MIA, and I appreciate my readers who still subscribe and share and benefit from my recipes!

PPS. The first picture is this chocolate sauce over my favorite grain-free gluten-free chocolate cake! (The sauce has harded at this point, and is exactly like a ganache!) I halved the ingredients to the cake and topped it with chocolate sauce, for a yummy dessert that is only minimally sweetened. The second picture is this chocolate sauce after being made, so it is still warm and in "sauce" vs ganache form. I love how versatile this recipe is!

XOXOOXO
Happy Day!

"Good For You" Hot Cocoa.

I recently posted about this on my Instagram account, and it was one of my most popular posts, so I thought I'd better share the recipe!

Hot cocoa or hot chocolate has been one of my favorite things ever since I was little. Unfortunately what I had when I was younger was the very processed, very sugary, completely fake Swiss Miss from a package, mixed with hot water. It tasted good at the time, but it was definitely not good for me!

Hot cocoa does not have to be hard to make to be tasty, and it doesn't have to be loaded with fat and sugar either! My version is light, satisfying, and won't cause any blood sugar spikes, as it has virtually ZERO sugar. Cocoa is also rich in flavanoids and good fats. You could have this every day!


"Good For You" Hot Cocoa.
    makes one serving (mine is a large 16 oz mug)

    2 tsp - 1.5 Tbsp*  unsweetened cocoa powder
    pinch or two of real salt, to taste!
    1 cup  unsweetened organic almond milk (I like to add a touch of stevia, vanilla and real salt right to the carton to make it taste better); you can also use whatever other milk suits your fancy; I also recommend coconut milk, raw goat milk, and raw cows milk
    1 tsp  vanilla extract
    1/2 to 1 dropper  Stevia clear liquid (adjust to desired level of sweetness) 
    8-16 oz boiling water (depending on the size of the mug and how rich / thick you want it)

To make your hot cocoa:
  1)  Boil water.
  2)  In a small saucepan, heat up almond milk gently on the stove. Stir frequently!
  3)  In a dry mug, add cocoa powder and sea salt.
  4)  When water is boiled, let it settle, then pour about 1/4 cup into mug with cocoa powder.
  5)  Use a small whisk, or spoon, and stir vigorously, to incorporate all cocoa powder, and to be sure there are no lumps.
  6)  Slowly pour in hot almond milk. Stir, stir, stir!
  7)  Add vanilla and stevia. Stir. Taste. Top it off with some more hot water. Adjust if needed. You can't add more chocolate at this point, however, otherwise it will clump!
  8)  Enjoy your piping hot delicious chocolate beverage :) This does make enough for two people to have a cup, so if you're so inclined to share.. then share away! :)


*The reason there is a range on the cocoa powder is because sometimes I want it slightly less chocolatey (yes, that is possible) or sometimes even more chocolatey! There is room to vary it for taste. I usually stick around 1 Tbsp cocoa powder, though. You can use whatever type of cocoa powder you have on hand, just as long as it's unsweetened. I've made this with raw cacao powder, Ghirardelli cocoa powder, and Trader joes cocoa powder; all yield a good result, just with different flavors of chocolate!

This hot cocoa will really warm you up.  What a perfect recipe for winter!  For even greater warming effect, add a dash of warming spices like nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger!

"Reverse" Nourishing Protein Bars 1.0.

Cocoa butter is one of those ingredients that I've been wanting to flirt with for a while, yet the "high" price tag has always bothered me. Recently, however, some of my blogger friends have been using cocoa butter in their recipes, effectively making me jealous (well, more so curious!), so I jumped in and got some myself.

Cocoa butter is the fat that is extracted from the cocoa bean; and that's why it is white/yellowish in color, and not brown. Good quality cocoa butter should be at least $15/lb, and if it's less than that, you're either getting scammed or you just happened on a good deal. Look for a brand that has good reviews, is raw and organic, and can be used to make both food items and lotions. If you're using your cocoa butter for food applications, like here, you do not want to buy a non-food grade cocoa butter, so be sure to read the description on the product before you buy. I am a fan of Tisano brand organic cocoa butter, which you can find the link to on my ingredients page.

Cocoa butter comes in chunks or wafers (look for the kind made of chunks) and is easily meltable. For best results, store in the fridge before you're ready to work with it. And don't be afraid to try a chunk on it's own. I think it texture is like a bit like really smooth fatty coconut, but instead of coconut flavor, a hint of chocolate flavor instead! That being said, it's super versatile, and you can use it in chocolate sauces, puddings, and in things like these delicious protein bars :) I actually had a little bit left after making my protein bars, so I mashed some ripe bananas into it, added some cocoa powder, a little coconut sugar, ground chia, salt, and vanilla, and Viola! Chocolate pudding!

"Reverse" Nourishing Protein Bars 1.2.

    a spin off my original protein bars

 
    1 cup  whole raw walnuts
    1 cup  whole raw pumpkin seeds
    1/4 cup  ground chia seed
    1/2 cup  organic whole cranberries - mine were from Trader Joes
    1/2 cup  organic unsweetened coconut chips
    1/2 cup  organic sunbutter - mine was homemade :)
    1/2 tsp  unrefined sea salt
    1/2 cup  organic coconut oil, melted
    1-2 Tbsp  organic local wildflower honey
    2-3 tsp  vanilla
    ~  1 cup  organic raw cocoa butter, melted - source
    ~  1 cup  coconut cream concentrate - source
    ~  1/4-1/3 cup  organic coconut oil
    1 dropper  vanilla creme liquid stevia (optional)
    1 Tbsp  vanilla
 
* Please note the ingredients with an "about" sign in front of them are just estimates of amounts. I really just added some cocoa butter, ccc, and coconut oil to a double boiler and melted it together, adding the stevia (for sweetness) and vanilla (for flavor) at the end. I wanted a lot chocolate coating on my protein bars, but feel free to use less if desired.

To make your protein bars:
  1.  Place walnuts, pumpkin seeds, ground chia, cranberries, coconut, sunbutter and salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine.
  2.  In a small sauce pan, melt coconut oil using LOW heat. Remove from heat and add vanilla and maple syrup.
  3.  Add melted oil mixture to the food processor and pulse/grind ingredients until it forms a coarse paste.
  4.  Scoop out the mixture and press down hard into an square bar pan.
  5.  Melt coconut and cocoa butter in a double boiler, add stevia and vanilla last when finally melted. Pour the white mixture on top of the already pressed down bars, it should be liquid. Place into the fridge until chocolate has hardened. To serve, take bars out of fridge for at least 2 minutes. Work a knife around the edges gently, or insert a large knife on side and gently pop out the bar  and place pieces of plastic wrap or small baggies. Freeze for later or munch right away :)


You can even cut them into smaller or easier to bite shapes, like in the second photo. Enjoy this easy + nutritious option on the go!

Chocolate Yerba Mate Iced Tea.

It's August, and in most areas of the USA, the weather is hot.  This weekend in Seattle is going to be extremely warm.  On Friday, 90 degree temps are expected.  This is definitely NOT your typical Seattle weather.  I love to drink water, but sometimes when it's so hot outside, liquid with a little bit more interest is way more appealing than plain H2O.  This iced tea fits the bill precisely.  It is sweet, with a hint of chocolate, so it tastes a lot like chocolate milk, but without the calories.  So it's light - it's refreshing!  And the raw milk adds some healthy fats along with probiotics and enzymes!  This would be a great iced tea to serve at a party.  Your guests, real foodies, primalists, paleo, or not, will drink it up!

Chocolate Yerba Mate Iced Tea.
    makes one large pitcher

    4  chocolate yerba mate tea bags - source
    1 cup  raw milk
    2 tsp  vanilla extract
    3 full droppers stevia - source
    dash unrefined sea salt - source
    ice cubes
    water

To make your tea:
  1.  We have an iced tea maker at home, but if you don't, simply boil a pot or tea kettle full of water, pour it into a glass bowl, and place tea bags in the water to steep.  After about 5 to 10 minutes, remove the tea bags, push the rest of the tea from the tea bags.
  2.  Pour about 1 quart of ice into the bowl, add the stevia, pinch of sea salt and vanilla.  Mix well.  When the tea is cool, add cup of milk and stir.  Return to pitcher and place in the fridge!
  3.  Serve in a cool glass with more ice.  Straws are optional!

Wherever you are, stay cool!  Happy summer :)

Grain-free Kefir Brownies.

Sometimes my best recipes come from nowhere.  These brownies are definitely a testament to that.  One day I was in my apartment and I had some soured kefir that I had made.  It was past the palatable drinking stage, and not wanting to waste it, I threw together these brownies.  I didn't expect the results to come out very well, but I was completely surprised.  These are so incredible, I may like them better than my favorite grain-free brownie recipe.  I gave the pan away to one of my advisors as a thank-you, and he ended up (due to the pestering of his students) sharing them the with his entire class!  I got an email the next day with rave reviews.  I think you'll rave about them too ;)

Mhmm. Fudgey cakey chocolatey goodness!

Grain-free Kefir Brownies.
    makes one 8x8 pan

    2 cups  soured homemade kefir
    1 cup  organic coconut flour - source
    4  happy eggs
    1 cup  raw cacoa powder - source
    16 oz  chocolate chunks, I used Enjoy Life
    1 Tbsp  vanilla extract
    1 tsp  baking soda
    1/4 tsp  sea salt
    2 full droppers plain stevia - source

To make your brownies:
  1.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees (mine is convection).
  2.  In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except chocolate chips.  Mix well.
  3.  Add chocolate chunks and mix again.
  4.  Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until the top is cracked, the sides are slightly firm and there is a tiny bit of jiggle in the middle of the pan.
  5.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Try a slice warm.  Let it cool and try another slice.  Share.  Serve with a nice cold glass of raw milk. Yum!

I love these brownies, not only because they are delicious, but that they are low in sugar and carbohydrates!  The only added sugar comes from the sugar in the chocolate chunks.  If you use unsweetened chocolate the brownies will not taste very sweet.  For those of you who are not partial to stevia, feel free to omit it.  I haven't made the recipe without stevia so I don't know if it will grossly affect the flavor, but my guess is that it will make a small difference in sweetness.

Mhmm. Chocolate chunks.

These will freeze very well.  They will also make a great accompaniment to homemade french vanilla ice cream and homemade raw whipped cream.  I love anything chocolate and vanilla combined!

Here are some of my other delicious brownie recipes:

Grain-free Coconut Flour Brownies
Banownies
Gluten-free Brownies (for you whole-grain folk)

Grain-free Unsweetened Primal Pumpkin Bread.

One of the cool things about Blogger is that I can see what people are searching for on my blog. These past few weeks one of the most popular searches involved PUMPKIN! Must be that time of year! Which makes the timing of this post perfect :)

This past Sunday night I was feeling antsy, and I quickly diagnosed myself specifically with baking antsy. There's really only one remedy for baking antsy and that's... baking!

Baking antsy: a phenomenon in which an individual must bake something immediately to release creative juices and simultaneously make a delicious product

Can you see the flecks of cinnamon and nutmeg?

Have you experienced this before? Fortunately for those in my house, this is not an entirely rare occurrence for me, but on the other hand it's not grossly common either (both of which are probably good ;). One reason why I enjoy cooking so much is the creative aspect. Going to the kitchen, pulling out the mixing bowls and getting something into action and watching to see the turn out is fun. Blogging about it is like sharing the fun, which allows YOU to bake the fun later. What a happy way of viewing baking!

Grain-free Unsweetened Primal Pumpkin Bread.
   makes one medium loaf pan (~4x8)

    1 cup  blanched almond flour
    1/2 cup  organic coconut flour
    3 happy eggs - mine were large
    1/2 cup  coconut oil - mine was spreadable soft, soften on the stove top if your's is rock solid
    1 1/2 cups  pumpkin puree
    1 tsp  baking soda
    1/2 tsp  sea salt
    1 Tbsp  raw apple cider vinegar
    1 tsp  ground nutmeg
    1 Tbsp  cinnamon
    2 tsp  vanilla
    20 drops  clear stevia
    5 drops  vanilla stevia
    Water as needed - probably about 1 cup
    Coconut and almonds, for topping, optional

To make your unsweetened pumpkin bread:
    1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit. My oven in my apartment is NOT convection (at least, I think so since there isn't a blower).
    2.  In a large bowl, add almond and coconut flours, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon and nutmeg, whisking to combine.
    3.  In the center of the bowl, add eggs, coconut oil, pumpkin puree, apple cider vinegar and stevia, mixing with a wooden spoon or spatula. Mixture will have a thick "pate" like consistency.
    4.  Add water to batter to make more fluid. Batter should appear like cake batter, not too runny but not too stiff. Remember coconut flour likes moisture, but too much will affect the action of the leavening agents and prohibit adequate rising height from being acheived.
    5.  Pour the silky pumpkin batter into a medium sized (this is key) glass loaf pan. DON'T forget to GREASE the sides using either coconut oil, butter or olive oil. This time I used olive oil. Pay special attention to the bottom of the pan.
    6.  Smooth out the top, and if desired sprinkle finely shredded coconut and push in some almonds along the top. Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until top begins to brown. Check for doneness with a cake pick. Return to oven with a foil tent for a remaining 10-20 minutes until middle is well cooked. Keep an eye on it, overcooked bread is hard to enjoy and undercooked bread is just soggy!

Overall, I was very pleased with this recipe... how it rose, the texture and mouthfeel of the bread, the color and appearance. The first recipe came out a little on the salty side, so I've decreased the amount of salt here. Next time if I have some molasses on hand, I might add a tablespoon of that; I also want to add some ginger and allspice, but didn't have any in my pantry.

Look at the texture!

I am pleased to finally present recipe for us grain-free individuals who want to watch our sugar intake!

Sunbutter Chocolate Raisin Bars

As I promised last week, here is another delicious protein bar! These are a spin off of my favorite Nourishing Protein Bar recipe. I was in a rush to make them, felt like experimenting, wasn't in a "recipe mood," so I just started throwing some ingredients together. I never officially wrote down the recipe measurements since I decided to wing it, but here are some estimates. Most of my bar recipes are very forgiving and you can always adjust if the "dough" is too wet or too dry, by adding more oil or nuts. It's fun to experiment in the kitchen!

Raisins and chocolate = yum!

Sunbutter Chocolate Raisin Bars

    1/2 cup organic Sunbutter or any organic sunflower seed butter

    1/2 cup organic dates
    1/4 cup organic prunes
    2 large organic turkish figs
    1/2 cup organic brazil nuts
    1 cup organic coconut flakes
    1/4 cup 100% unsweetened cocoa baking chips
    1/2 cup organic cacao powder
    1/4 cup organic coconut cream concentrate
    2 Tbsp organic coconut flour
    2 Tbsp molasses
    2 Tbsp raw honey
    2 tsp vanilla extract
    pinch: sea salt, cinnamon
    2 Ghirardelli baking chocolate bars, for melting
    Raisins, for topping

To make your bars:
1.  Place all ingredients (except the last two) into the food processor and whiz. Pulse the first few times, and when most of the ingredients are the same size, whiz until it all comes together. Taste and adjust as needed :)
2.  Press down hard into a baking pan (I used a round cake pan). Sprinkle raisins on top and press in those too.
3.  Melt chocolate over a double boiler. Pour over pressed down bar mixture and spread evenly with a cake spatula. Freeze or refridgerate until chocolate is hard. Let bars warm to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Since I used a round pan, mine came out like wedges!

Have a happy healthy snack (and dessert)! I love these bars. They really satisfy my want for chocolate, healthy fats and a slightly sweet treat all in one bite!

Nourishing Protein Bars 1.1.

Remember these? They got great feedback when I posted them back in June 2010. This past year they've been nothing but the absolute best go-to recipe when I need to make something for friends, a gift, parties or events. No one I know has said anything less than, "those bars you made were so awesome." They truly are delicious! While most protein bar recipes out there seem to be loaded with sugar, grains, or other questionable ingredients, these bars have none of that. 

At one of my favorite stores, I recently found a square pan on sale. I bought it because I knew it would work PERFECTLY for making these protein bars, because I could just pop them out. And it did! There was no mess, and no cracking due to cutting like I encountered with the previous method. These bars look "professionally" uniform and totally better than store-bought.

Most recently, I have started my Spring semester at school. I made up two different batches of protein bars (second recipe to come next week!) and brought them both back with me to California. These are a perfect breakfast option for me since I am constantly on the go! They are easy to make up and freeze very well. For easy packaging, cut up into squares and place in snack baggies, or use a square pan and pop them into plastic wrap and then aluminum foil.

Look at all the goodness inside :)

This is a WARNING. These bars are quite tasty. It takes great amounts of self control to make these bars and not go over board sampling them!

Nourishing Protein Bars 1.1.

    adapted from Passionate homemaking

    2 cups  whole almonds
    1/4 cup  ground golden flaxseed
    1/2 cup  organic dates  (about 6 whole pitted dates)
    1/2 cup  organic unsweetened coconut flakes
    1/2 cup  organic raw almond butter
    1/2 tsp  unrefined sea salt
    1/2 cup  organic coconut oil, melted
    1-2 Tbsp  organic maple syrup
    2-3 tsp  vanilla
    1 handful 100% baking chips, or 3-4 unsweetened chocolate baking squares, melted
    6 drops  vanilla creme liquid stevia (optional)
    *Use more chocolate for a thicker coating

To make your protein bars:
  1.  Place almonds, flaxseed, dates, coconut, almond butter and salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine.
  2.  In a small sauce pan, melt coconut oil using LOW heat. Remove from heat and add vanilla and maple syrup.
  3.  Add melted oil mixture to the food processor and pulse/grind ingredients until it forms a coarse paste.
  4.  Scoop out the mixture and press down hard into an square bar pan.
  5.  Melt chocolate in a double boiler, add stevia last when finally melted. Pour the chocolate mixture on top of the already pressed down bars. Smooth out and place into the fridge or freezer until chocolate has hardened. To serve, take bars out of fridge/freezer for at least 30 minutes. Work a knife around the edges gently and pop out bar onto pieces of plastic wrap. Wrap and freeze for later or munch right away :)

Yum - chocolate layer!

I suggest keeping this in the fridge or freezer until eating, or the chocolate will soften or melt (depending on the current temperature in your climate). You may need to hide these in the back of the fridge or freezer to keep everyone in the house from demolishing them all at once. They are just too good. Or you can be nice and share :)

Enjoy!

French Vanilla Ice Cream.

Have you ever wondered why some recipes are so complicated? I like to read a lot of food blogs (or glance at a lot at least), and I find myself becoming very excited about the featured recipe as I see the first, second or third photo. Then I find myself scrolling down the page as fast as I can, my eyes are glued to the screen, in a state of all-out anticipation as I wait to find out the first few ingredients of the recipe. A long ingredient list, complicated measurements, or too many steps and long prep time often strike those feelings dead, however, and that will be the end of that recipe.

All that to say, I love uncomplicated recipes. In January, I shared with you my favorite vanilla ice cream. Now that it's summer, I'm back to cranking out ice cream recipes again. As I read other cookbooks and food blogs, however, I notice that most ice cream recipes are too complicated. It requires tempering eggs, boiling milk, chilling the mixture for hours, unnecessary amount of churning, etc. Because I don't believe it is healthy to eat heated milk (raw milk is best) and I am not afraid of raw eggs (eggs from a healthy source shouldn't be worrisome), I find a lot of these recipes annoying. The picture may look downright delicious, but I just can't get by the process. I'd rather have an ice cream that tastes amazing, made with real ingredients that does not a very long time to put together. 

That being said, here is my homemade vanilla ice cream recipe now updated. I've dubbed it french vanilla ice cream this time around because the color, taste and texture remindes me just of a french vanilla version of vanilla. What's the difference between french vanilla versus regular vanilla ice cream? French vanilla uses eggs and has a more custardy taste and texture, whereas vanilla and vanilla bean versions are usually less creamy, more icy, often do not use eggs, and have tiny black vanilla bean flecks throughout.

This has become my go-to ice cream recipe! By keeping the basic ratios the same, it's easy to make many many different flavors! Yumm!

French Vanilla Ice Cream.

    adapted from Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon

    4 cups  raw grassfed organic jersey cream (or 2 cups cream, 2 cups raw whole milk)

    2/3 cup  raw grassfed organic jersey whole milk

    2/3 cup  organic maple syrup

    4  egg yolks from pastured chickens

    2 tsp  organic coconut flour

    8  drops vanilla creme liquid stevia

    3  good dashes unrefined sea salt

To make your ice cream:

  1 . In a large bowl, crack egg yolks, add coconut flour and whisk until combined. Add milk, maple syrup, salt and stevia and whisk well.

  2.  Lastly, pour in four cups of cream, whisking very well to make sure there are not lumps.

  3.  Pour into your ice cream maker and freeze per instructions. Mine churned for 25 minutes and was done!

After sampling some after taking the picture, this ice cream would probably make a good "eggnog" ice cream (after adding fresh ground nutmeg). Look at the yellow color!! That comes from real milk and real eggs ;)

Monster "Smashies" (cookies)

Cookies are one culinary endeavor that are fun to experiment with, but also, easy to mess up. I love to experiment and make my own cookies but often times the result are not all that fruitful! I made these cookies two days before I journeyed back to school for my second semester of sophomore year. My inspiration was Kelly's monster cookie recipe. The soaked and cooked teff I had waiting on the counter was just calling to me to be turned into some ingenious cookie creation!

How could I resist? I didn't, and started throwing things together. And what's more fun than this - I made this recipe using one bowl and only one utensil to mix it with, a potato masher! Yes, go back and read that sentence. One bowl, one utensil. It's easy! The kids in your life will love helping you make these cookies.

They cooked beautifully in the oven and when they were all cooled and ready to be sampled I couldn't wait! My family and I all tried one and loved them! These are so tasty and they are packed with chocolate chips - the best part of any cookie! There are also mild hints of banana, walnut and raisin.

Monster Smashie cookies

makes about two dozen cookies

1/4 cup teff grain, soaked in whey and water for 24 hours, cooked and cooled - after this process the teff makes 1 full cup

1 medium banana

1 REAL egg

1/2 cup raw organic almond butter (roasted would probably be fine too)

1/3 cup organic maple syrup

5 drops stevia

1/4 stick REAL butter

2 Tbsp organic coconut flour

1/4 tsp sea salt

pinch xantham gum

~

1 cup organic raisins

1 cup chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life - I will try cocoa nibs sometime!)

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup walnut halves + pieces

To make your cookies:

1. Add teff and banana to a large mixing bowl. Mash together. Add egg and butter. Add maple syrup, stevia, coconut flour, salt, xantham gum. Mash, mash, mash.

2. Dump in the last 4 ingredients, your delicious mix-ins. Or mash-ins, as we should call them.

3. Use a cookie scoop to place them on 2 half baking sheets. Use your Silpats, they're lovely ;) or parchment paper of course.

4. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown on top. They do set more as they cool - don't over bake! These keep their shape, so either keep them in a ball from the cookie scoop, or flatten them out with a fork.

5. Cool, please-resist, before eating.

6. Eat and enjoy (hide them before the whole family eats them)... or wrap them in plastic wrap and put them in a large plastic baggy and take them to California with you. Oh, wait... that's what I am doing today!

Because as you read this I am probably flying on a jet plane back to California, don't despair! This does mean I will be extremely busy with all my new classes (when I get my final schedule I will update you) and that I probably will not be posting every week. Or every month. But I will try to post some things that I've had going in the mix - recipes that I've cooked and done photo shoots for but haven't quite made it to the site. I will miss you all. I do love blogging. Please pray for me and my semester.

Until the next update,

Meagan