Oatmeal Cookies

Soft and chewy oatmeal cookies are a favorite of mine. I can thank Karina for another wonderful recipe that needs to be shared with everyone. The original recipe is from Gluten Free Goddess , I reduced the sugar a bit and used different flours. 

I like to split the dough and make half raisin and the other half chocolate chip

Dry mix

1 c sorghum flour (I do a mix of different gf flours)

1/4 c almond four

1/2 c tapioca flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Wet mix

3/4 cup melted coconut oil

3/4 cup  organic brown sugar

1 Tbs vanilla

2 eggs 

Add in

1 cup chocolate chips or raisins. Or split the dough in half and add 1/2 a cup of each. 

2-3 cups oatmeal

Preheat the oven to 350 and place parchment paper onto a cookie sheet.

Mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients in two separate bowls. Then mix them together.

Stir in the oats and chocolate chips or raisins. Let sit in fridge for 10 minutes.

Scoop out 1 round Tablespoon of dough out. Place  onto the cookie sheet and flatten out slightly. Push a raisin or chocolate chip in the middle to distinguish the different cookies from one another. 

Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet and let cool. 

 

Raising Dieter

Shay is a fellow food enthusiast who does a great job taking care of her family. When she's not in the kitchen whipping up enticing/healthy food she enjoys quilting, making crafts, reading, and spending quality time with her beautiful family. Her adorable son Dieter has food allergies and she does a wonderful job sharing what has/hasn't worked when it comes to keeping him healthy and happy. Many parents struggle with their kids food allergies and she does a great job at keeping her family balanced and healthy. Check out her blog Raising Dieter for more allergy tips! 

Here is her story:

"I noticed Dieter's eczema when he was five months old. He was also vomiting more frequently around that time. I took him to a chiropractor that specialized in the NAET treatments. He tested allergic to corn, soy, dairy, gluten, and refined sugars. I started the treatments and I ended up going a couple of times a week for 7 months! During that time his allergies kept getting worse and worse. Any new thing he came in contact with he was allergic to: rubber, plastic, latex, bananas, apples, tomatoes, polyester, olive oil, pineapple, the list goes on... His skin looked terrible and he was still vomiting. I finally stopped the treatments and took him off of everything. We (I was still breast feeding at the time) had a pretty simple diet. Our main food was rice, beans, and potatoes. Most fruits and vegetables were okay. Dieter was on that diet for a year and still couldn't have most foods. Something had to change! His skin was still breaking out and he couldn't hardly eat anything! One night, I happened to find a blog that talked about the GAPS diet. I ordered the book and started Dieter on the diet the week after the book arrived. My whole family needs to start on the diet.

I have learned a lot since my son was allergic to everything. I have bought grains that I never new existed: quinoa, millet, amaranth. His allergies today are soy, corn, dairy, gluten, refined sugars, and tree nuts. Before finding the GAPS diet, I was compiling a binder with good wholesome recipes. Now with the GAPS diet I have more to add! My family is going back to the basics: homemade, whole foods." 

Almond Flour

I make almond flour after I have made almond milk. After I have blended the almonds and squeezed the milk out through a nut milk bag I have leftover pulp. Since the almonds have already been soaked to make the milk all I need to do is dehydrate them. Simply spread the pulp out on a baking sheet and stick in the oven at 150 degrees for a few hours or place it in your dehydrator. Once it is dry I give it a quick buzz in my food processor and it's ready to use!

Strain the soaked, blended almonds through a nut milk bag. Squeeze out the milk and save the pulp.

The pulp should have as much liquid expelled as possible.  

Spread the pulp onto a baking sheet or in a dehydrator. Keep the temperature on low until it is completely dry. 

Give it a quick blend in a food processor or blender and it's ready to use! 

Find other great recipes like this on Real Food Wednesday! 

Creamy Almond Milk

I don't tolerate dairy well, so I make my own nut milks. For extra creamy and rich milks I add a can of full fat organic coconut milk. If you are worried about saturated fat, don't be. When it's coming from a healthy source like coconuts it is actually quite beneficial for your health.

Unrefined coconut oil is known for it's antimicrobial/antifungal properties, so you can give your immune system a little boost. It will also aid in weight loss, and the absorption of calcium, magnesium, and amino acids. If you have any thyroid or gall bladder issues this is the easiest fat for your body to metabolize. More info on coconut oil HERE.

Soak 1 cup of nuts in salt water for at least 7 hours to remove the phytic acid. 

Rinse and drain the nuts and put them into a blender. Add 4 cups of filtered water.

Blend for about 1 minute (probably less if you have a blendtec or vitamix).  

Pour into a nut milk bag with a container underneath to catch the milk.  

Squeeze the bag until all the milk has been extracted. At this point you should have about a quart of milk. You can stop here and store the almond milk in the fridge or add the coconut milk to make it extra creamy.

The remaining pulp should be pretty dry. Save this because you can dehydrate it. Then you have home made almond flour.  

blend or whisk in 1 can of organic coconut milk. Be sure to use regular full fat, not light.

Pour the milk into glass containers and store in the fridge for up to 7 days. Be sure to give the jar a little shake before using, as the milk will start to separate as it sits in the fridge.

Ingredients:

1 tsp sea salt

1 cup raw almonds (or other nuts/seeds)

warm filtered water (for soaking)

4 cups filtered water (for blending)

1 can full fat, organic coconut milk

Directions:

1. In a large dish add the nuts, salt, and pour warm filtered water over them until the nuts are covered. Stir to mix in the salt. Let the nuts soak for at least 7 hours. 
2. Discard the soaking water then rinse and drain the nuts. Place the nuts into a blender along with 4 cups of filtered water. Blend for about 1 minute. 
3. Pour the mixture through a nut milk bag into a bowl or pitcher. Gently squeeze the nut milk bag to extract the milk from the pulp. The pulp can be dehydrated into a nut flour. At this point there will be about 1 quart of milk which can now be stored in the fridge. 
4. For an extra creamy milk blend or whisk in 1 can of full fat, organic coconut milk. 
5. Pour the milk into glass containers and store in the fridge for up to 7 days. Be sure to give the jar a little shake before using, as the milk will start to separate as it sits in the fridge. 

Soaked Granola, GF

I have always enjoyed granola. Unfortunately what you buy at the store is highly processed and full of high fructose corn syrup. Most of the recipes for home made granola are still full of phytic acid because the grains need to be soaked first. Some even call for canola oil or have you bake the nuts/seeds in the oven at high temperatures. Then you just end up consuming rancid fat, which is toxic to your body. So here is my recipe for a properly prepared granola.

Some great reasons to eat buckwheat: Help lower blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure. It is high in fiber and magnesium. Contains high quality proteins.It has antioxidants that protect the body from free radicals.

Some great reasons to eat oats: Help lower blood sugar and cholesterol. They are full of heart healthy antioxidants. They have plenty of selenium, manganese, magnesium, zinc, and phosphorus.

It can either be dehydrated or baked in the oven at 200 degrees

Granola without any additional nuts, seeds, or dried fruit.

Granola with soaked/dehydrated walnuts, dried cranberries, and raisins.

Keep it stored in an airtight container to stay fresh! 

Soak:

4 cups rolled oats

1 cup buckwheat

1 3/4 cups filtered water

2 Tbs apple cider vinegar

Add before baking:

1/2 cup melted unrefined coconut oil

1/2 cup raw agave or honey

1/2 cup pure maple syrup (grade B)

1 Tbs cinnamon

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp vanilla 

Directions:

1. The night before mix the oats and buckwheat together with the water and vinegar in a large bowl.
2. In the morning preheat the oven to 200 degrees and prep two large baking sheets with parchment paper. This can also be made in a dehydrator. 
3. Melt the coconut oil in a small pot and whisk in the rest of the ingredients.
4. Pour the coconut oil mixture onto the soaked grains and use a spatula to gently mix them together.
5. Scoop the wet granola onto the two baking sheets and evenly spread the mixture out.
6. Put in the oven and bake for 4 hours. Be sure to stir  the granola every hour and rotate the baking sheets.
7. When it's done store in an airtight container. Add dried fruit, nuts, seeds, or coconut flakes if desired. 

Find more great recipes and tips over at Kelly's blog during Real Food Wednesday!

Vegetarian Myth: What's really destroying our bodies and planet

Lierre Keith, is the author of "The Vegetarian Myth," She was a vegan for 20 years and is now an omnivore. Learn about Weston A. Price and how his findings helped the way she thinks about food.

Watch her Video and learn the truth!

Soaked GF Whole Grain Bread

I've been making and messing around with gf breads for a looong time now. Finally, I've come up with a recipe that is easy, healthy, tastes great, and seems more like whole wheat bread than gluten free. There is no need to have the "right" flours because I've used a lot of different gf flours and had great results every time. I use 3/4 a cup of 4 different flours. Make sure to use 3/4 cup of tapioca flour and the other 3 can be whatever you like or have on hand. I've used a mix of brown rice, quinoa, sorghum, millet, teff, and garbanzo bean and the bread has always turned out.

Reasons why you want to soak your grains (as well as seeds, nuts, and beans).
1. Phytic acid is found in all grains, seeds, nuts, and beans. Phytic acid combines with calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, and zinc in the intestines and blocks your body from absorbing them. So you're not really getting all the nutrients you think you are when you consume whole grains!
2. The lack of absorption can lead to mineral and bone loss because these nutrients will be taken from your body instead of supplied to your body.
3. Soaking the grains will break down and neutralize the phytic acid. We are then able to properly digest the grains and use the nutrients.
4. Water should be mixed with some lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, whey, or yogurt to effectively break down the phytic acid.
5. Sprouting grains, dehydrating them, and grinding them into flours don't need soaked because the sprouting process already broke down the phytic acid. To save time you can buy sprouted flour. However it's cheaper to do it yourself!

I participated in Real Food Wednesday, go there to find more great recipes!

Parchment paper makes the removal of gf bread super easy

This was a blend of Teff, Sorghum, and Brown Rice

No more dry and stiff gf bread, this one has flexibility to it!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c brown rice flour
• 3/4 c teff flour
• 3/4 c sorghum flour
• Note: the above 3 flours can be switched to whatever gf flour you like! 
• 2 c filtered water
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
•  
• 2 large eggs 
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 Tbs sugar
•  
• 3/4 c tapioca flour
• 2 Tbsp active dry yeast
• 1 Tbs xanthan gum
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt

Directions:

1. The night before, use  a large bowl whisk together the brown rice flour, teff flour, and sorghum flour. In a small bowl mix the 2 cups of water with 2 tsps of apple cider vinegar.  Pour the vinegar water into the  flours, mix well and let soak overnight
2. Next, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and olive oil together.
3. In a small bowl whisk together the tapioca flour, yeast,  xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt.
4. Pour the yeast and egg mixtures into the bowl with the soaked flour. Stir them together with a hand mixer. Then add the rest of the dry ingredients and beat for 1 minute. Add more tapioca flour if runny.
5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a bread pan with parchment paper and grease the paper and pan. Scoop the dough into the pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Brush some olive oil onto a piece of plastic wrap and cover the top. Set aside in a warm place to rise for about 40 minutes or until it has doubled in size.
6. Bake for 40 minutes or until it has a nice brown color. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then remove and place on a towel to cool.