Banana Mug Cake

Cake for breakfast... Mug cake that is! This mug cake recipe is simple to whip up and you can feel good about starting your day off with a healthy and protein rich treat breakfast. I shared this recipe on my Instagram but wanted to share it here as well.

Ingredients:

1 banana, half mashed and reserve the other half to slice for topping
2 tablespoons soy milk
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 heaping tablespoon almond butter
1 egg
½ teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons coconut flour
2 tablespoons whey powder
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ packet of stevia (I use NuNaturals)
Tiny pinch of salt



To make:

 In a bowl, mash half of the banana. Add almond butter, olive oil, soy milk, and almond extract. Mix well to combine. Add in coconut flour, whey powder, baking powder, stevia, and salt. Mix to incorporate batter. Pour into a large greased mug and cook for 2 minutes in the microwave. Top with whatever suits your mood. I topped mine with a dollop of plain greek yogurt, sliced banana, 1 chopped date, drizzle of honey, and hemp seeds.

Cherry Apricot Pan Jam

Pan Jams are one of my favorite things to make. They are so easy and in a short amount of time you have delicious jam! No one will know the difference. Lately I’ve been using my last batch of strawberry jam to top my yogurt and granola in the mornings. It’s a great way to flavor and lightly sweeten plain Greek yogurt using natural sugars from the fruit and honey. This jam is also great as a topping for pancakes, added into smoothies or even muddled in cocktails. Since there is no canning process required, the jam needs to be kept refrigerated. It usually keeps for about a week or two in the fridge and up to a year in the freezer. One batch  yields 16oz. This jam in particular is on the tart side which I prefer. If you would like a sweeter jam, add 1-2 more tablespoons of honey.


Ingredients:

2½ cups cherries, halved and pitted
2½ cups apricots, pitted and diced
½ cup honey
Juice from 1 lemon
Pinch of salt

To make:

In a large saucepan, add prepared fruit, honey, lemon juice and salt. Turn heat to medium high and stir to incorporate ingredients. Once the mixture reaches a boil, cook for about 18-20 minutes stirring frequently.  About ¾ of the way through you may need to turn the heat down to medium low to prevent thickening jam from burning. Once jam is done, pour into two glass jars. Top with lids and place in fridge or freezer. I usually keep the second jar in the freezer until ready to use.

Quinoa Porridge With Caramelized Banana

This is a super easy recipe you can make with leftover cooked quinoa. It's a filling breakfast and an excellent post workout recovery meal. You get your carbs, protein, and sugar (from honey) to help build and repair your muscles.  The sugar from the honey will bring your blood sugar back up. During an intense workout it can drop very low. It can also provide energy for the rest of your day.

Quinoa Porridge With Caramelized Banana

Gluten Free & Refined Sugar Free

Ingredients:

Quinoa Porridge

1 cup cooked quinoa

1/2 cup almond milk (or milk of choice)

2 tablespoon PB2

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Caramelized Banana 

1 teaspoon butter

1 small banana, sliced

sprinkle of cinnamon

To make:

In a small sauce pan with heat on low, add milk, PB2, honey and cinnamon. 

Whisk well to incorporate.

Add cooked quinoa and gently mix well. 

Continue to stir every few minutes until porridge is hot.

While the porridge is cooking, you can caramelize the banana.

In a small pan, heat on medium, melt butter. 

Add sliced banana and sprinkle of cinnamon. 

Cook for about a minutes on each side.

Transfer porridge to bowl and top with caramelized banana.

Enjoy :)

Saffron Simple Syrup and a Saffron & Bitters Cocktail

For Christmas last year, my dad sent me a bottle of Averna. I'm not a huge drinker so it sat on the shelf next to the other bottles in my brother's bar area. What was our Mom's hutch is now his liquor cabinet. For my birthday the following month, Dad sent me multiple bottles of truffle oil, which have been put to use many times, and a tin of saffron which had been left untouched until now. I would see the cute little tin from Spain every time I opened the cupboard and it would remind me that I needed to do something with it soon. So I finally did. I wasn't quite sure what I would be using it for but a simple syrup sounded like a good idea. A healthier version of a simple syrup that is. And I finally got a way to use the Averna.

Saffron Simple Syrup

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1 cup coconut sugar

1 tablespoon grated ginger

2 cinnamon sticks

4 generous pinches of saffron

To Make:

In a saucepan add the water and coconut sugar. Turn heat to medium-high. 

Gently stir till the coconut sugar has dissolved.

Add ginger, cinnamon sticks, and saffron and stir again to combine.

Once it reaches a boil, let it cook for 3 minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool for at least 30 minutes.

Strain simple syrup into a glass jar and store in fridge until ready for use.

Saffron & Bitters Cocktail

In a glass with ice add:

1oz Averna

2 tablespoon saffron simple syrup

& top with tonic water.

Cranberry Orange Pan Jam

Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner. My love for recipes with cranberries is so great this time of year. One of my favorites is what we do at work. We top cupcakes with the sugared berries. It's just so pretty with the contrast of the deep berry color and the whiteness of the sugar. Definitely brings on that joyous feeling of winter.

During the summer, I made a few batches of pan jams using stone fruit. I thought it would be great to make a batch using cranberries. I love pan jams because they are so easy to make. Since there is no canning process required, they need to be kept refrigerated. They usually keep for about a week or two in the fridge and up to a year in the freezer.

Cranberry Orange Pan Jam 

Ingredients:

1 12oz bag of cranberries

1 orange - zest and juice

1/2 cup honey

2 tablespoons coconut sugar

2 stevia packets 

(If you don't use stevia, I would suggest adding more coconut sugar since the berries are so tart.)

1oz Grand Marnier (Optional)

To Make:

Rinse cranberries and place in large bowl.

Heat 3 cups water in a pot just until it starts to boil. 

Pour water over cranberries and let sit for 10 minutes.

During this time, zest the orange and set both zest and orange aside. 

You will need the juice from the orange in the next step.

Drain cranberries and place back in the pot along with zest, 

juice from the whole orange, honey, coconut sugar, and stevia. 

Turn heat to medium-high and stir gently to combine all ingredients. 

Continue to stir every few minutes.

After about 5 minutes cranberries will begin to burst. 

Use a wooden spoon or silicon spatula to mash berries down.  

Turn heat slightly lower after 5 more minutes and add 1oz Grand Marnier.

Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until jam looks thick.

Store jam in glass jars in the fridge or freezer. 

This jam makes a great topping for pancakes as well as oatmeal and ice cream. 

Lauren's Fruit Cobbler

Years ago my dad dated a women named Lauren. I remember the night my brother and I met her for the first time. I had a preconceived notion she was going to be some young bimbo. I guess that says more about my dad. Anyway, she was great. She was a lovely woman. Over the years we spent a lot of time together. I will always remember what a great cook she was. On our beach outings, she would pack a picnic with the most amazing sandwiches. One day she served us a piece of her fruit cobbler. Oh my, it was amazing! The best cobbler I had ever tasted. So buttery and delicious. It was always such a treat when she would make it. I had gotten the recipe from her but never made it until now. I had been thinking in my head of how I wanted to make a gluten free version. The original recipe calls for self rising flour and sugar. I tweaked the recipe to make it gluten and refined sugar free. It still tastes just like that amazing cobbler I had years ago.

This recipe is great because you can use whatever fresh fruit you prefer. The first time I made it, I used strawberries and blueberries. This time around I used fresh apricots from my friend Wallace’s tree.

Lauren's Fruit Cobbler,
Gluten and Refined Sugar Free

What you will need:

1/4 cup brown rice flour
2 tablespoons coconut flour
2 tablespoons tapioca starch
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/2 almond milk, unsweetened (soy or regular would work as well.)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 cups fresh fruit of your choice (if using stone fruits, pit first and then measure.)
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut sugar

To make:

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a 9 inch baking dish, preferably glass or ceramic. I just do this right over the burner on the stove.

In another bowl, sift together your flour blend and coconut sugar. Add milk and mix well to combine.

In a pot add your fruit, honey and coconut sugar. Substitute honey for the coconut sugar if you prefer. You can always adjust the amount of sweetener used depending on how sweet the fruit is. Heat until the sugar has melted and fruit is warm but not cooked.

To assemble, take the baking dish with melted butter, pour batter mixture into the middle. Again, into the middle, add the warm fruit mixture. Do not spread out!

Place in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes or until golden and crisp on top. Serve warm or cool. I like it best served with vanilla ice cream.

Carob Cherry Granola, Gluten Free

Carob Cherry Granola, GF


Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups gluten free oats
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
3 tablespoons ground flax seeds
1/4 cup carob powder
3 packets stevia (NuNaturals brand)
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup olive oil
pinch of salt
1/2 cup dried cherries

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
In a large bowl, add oats, sesame seeds, flax seeds, carob powder, and pinch of salt. Mix well to incorporate ingredients evenly.
In a medium bowl, add honey, olive oil, and stevia packets and mix well.
Add the wet ingredients into the dry and toss to coat evenly.
Spread out on greased baking sheet or silpat mat placed on top of baking sheet.
 Bake for 30 minutes, stirring about every 10 minutes.
Once removed from the oven, add 1/2 cup dried cherries.
Let cool completely before storing.

Gluten Free Strawberry Pancakes

Gluten and Refined Sugar Free Strawberry Pancakes Topped with Marinated Strawberries in a Ginger Honey Syrup.



In my last post, I created a recipe for ginger honey syrup to be used in a drink recipe. I still had half a jar left so I thought of what else I could use it in. As a lover of pancakes, it could make a nice alternative to maple syrup. Although the consistency was much thinner I decided to use it as a marinade for chopped strawberries and use that as the topping.
Prep the strawberries before you start on the pancakes so they have time to soak up the flavor of the syrup. 

Marinade:

1 heaping cup of strawberries, chopped.
Place in a shallow dish and pour syrup (see previous post) over to coat the chopped berries.
Set aside until ready to top pancakes.

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients

1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 tapioca flour
1/4 ground flax seeds
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 packets stevia (I use NuNaturals brand)
Pinch of salt

Wet Ingredients

1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 egg
1 cup almond milk (unsweetened)
1/2 cup Seascape strawberry jam from Sweet Lady Cook (sweetened with honey)

Instructions:

Preheat a large pan on the stove top.
In a medium bowl, add all of your dry ingredients and mix well to combine.
In a larger bowl, beat the egg and whisk in the rest of the wet ingredients.
Add the dry to the wet while continually whisking. Beat until there are no more lumps.
Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop batter into heated greased pan on medium heat.
Cook for about 2 minutes on each side.

Makes 10 pancakes.
Plate pancakes and top with marinated strawberries. I also topped my pancakes with a scoop of plain Greek yogurt.

Strawberry Ginger Honey Fizz

It's been so exciting to partner up with Sweet Lady Cook and create recipes using her homemade jams. Her latest batch of Seascape strawberry jam is made with honey, making this recipe free of refined sugars.

Strawberry Ginger Honey Fizz

Ingredients

1 cup water
Scant 1 cup honey
2 tablespoons of grated fresh ginger
Sweet Lady Cook’s Seascape Strawberry Jam (sweetened with honey)
Sparkling water
Strawberries for garnish (Optional)


Instructions

First thing you will need to do is make your ginger honey syrup. I made mine a day in advance so it would be chilled. You could even make it up to a few days in advance if need be.

In a small/medium size pot, add honey and grated ginger. Mix well to distribute ginger evenly and turn on the heat to medium.
Continue to stir until the honey starts to liquify.
Add water and mix well to incorporate.
Once a boil begins, turn down heat to medium/low and simmer for 3 minutes.
Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
Using a strainer, pour syrup into a glass jar. It will fit nicely into a 16oz size.
Let cool before storing in the refrigerator.

In a glass or jar add 2 tablespoons of Seascape Strawberry Jam.
Using a muddler, mash down any chunks of fruit.
Add ice cubes, 1/4 cup ginger honey syrup, and finish off with sparkling water.
Give the drink a quick stir and enjoy!
Garnish with a strawberry or lemon wedge. 

Good For You Carrot and Raisin Muffins

It took me quite awhile to perfect my gluten free pancake recipe. Moving on to muffins was a little easier since I had a better knowledge of how these alternative flours work together. Three times is a charm because the last batch I made turned out great. These muffins are free of gluten and refined sugars. I used brown rice syrup and stevia. The raisins add a nice sweet bite but overall these muffins do not have an overly sweet taste. The flax, buckwheat, and oat bran provide a good source of fiber so these muffins will help keep you satisfied throughout the morning. They also contain a good source of protein from the eggs and Greek yogurt.

Ingredients:

Dry ingredients

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1/2 cup ground flax seed

1/4 cup oat bran

1/4 sorghum flour

2 Tbs tapioca starch

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 pure vanilla powder

4 packets stevia (I use NuNaturals)

Pinch of salt

Wet Ingredients

3/4 cup almond milk

1/2 plain Greek yogurt (used 2%)

2 Tbs grapeseed oil

1 egg

1/4 egg whites

Add-Ins

3/4 cup grated carrot

1/2 cup golden raisins

Directions

Preheat oven to 350℉

In a large bowl, sift together all dry ingredients and gently mix until flour has a uniform color.

In another medium bowl, whisk together all of your wet ingredients.

Pour the wet into the dry and mix well until there are no lumps. 

Add in the carrots and raisins and mix well to distribute evenly.

Scoop into a greased or lined muffin pan and bake for about 20-23 minutes or until done.

Enjoy these muffins on their own or add a little butter (Earth Balance) or jam. I eat one with my eggs in the morning for a little treat.

Happy and healthy eating :)

Gluten Free Coconut Oat Date Bars

These bars are quick and simple to make without any baking required. They are free of gluten and refined sugars.

Ingredients

1/2 cup pecans

6 coconut date rolls

1/2 cup gluten free oat flour (You can buy oat flour at the store but I ground regular oats in my food processor. I like the coarse consistency better than the fine flour.)

1 Tbs brown rice syrup

1 tsp coconut sugar
pinch of salt

3 Tbsp dark chocolate chips

Instructions

In a food processor, blend pecans until crumbly. Set aside in a large bowl.

 Next, add coconut date rolls to food processor and blend until a dough forms. 

Add dough to bowl with ground pecans and add all remaining ingredients. This gets messy but fun. Mix well to combine with your hands.

Line a 9x9 inch pan with wax paper and add the mixture. 

Use your hands to press it down evenly throughout the pan. 

Place in freezer for at least 30 minutes. 

Remove from pan and slice for desired size of bars. 

I like to store these bars in the fridge. The cooler temperature keeps them firm and gives the chocolate a nice crunch. These bars are great for breakfast, a snack, or an even sweeter treat crumbled over yogurt or ice cream.

If you feel like sharing you can wrap them up and give them to your friends. I took some over to my friend Wallace's house tonight.