Coconut Shrimp: Gluten Free, Lectin Free*

 * I don't really know what a Lectin is. I just know I'm not supposed to eat them right now. I also know that shrimp, coconut, and olive oil are all on my "OK" list, and therefore do not contain significant amounts of lectins.

So, I've pretty much been in a food funk since the start of my new anti-leaky gut diet restriction, BUT this recipe kicks ass because it's the only thing I've been inspired to make-- AND it's absolutely delicious.  I've been making it for dinner on Fridays, then finishing it up for brunch over the weekend.

THE RECIPE:

raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, (tail on is ok)
3 tbs coconut flour
3 tbs shredded unsweetened coconut
pinch salt
smaller pinch pepper
coconut oil and/or extra light olive oil, for frying

Combine coconut flour and coconut in equal parts in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Heat a frying pan / skillet with enough oil to cover bottom of the pan, over medium heat. Throw a couple shrimp in the bowl of breading materials, and toss to coat. (Optionally, you can dip the shrimp in egg first to help the breading to stick.) When oil has heated, place breaded shrimp into pan- they should sizzle and begin to fry!

When the shrimp turns from clearish blueish (uncooked) to look whiteish pinkish (cooked), flip each to brown the other side. Remove when the breading on this side is golden brown. Keep cooking until you've used up all your shrimp- make sure that there is oil in the pan at all times, since this helps conduct heat into the shrimp PLUS adds deliciousness. If the oil gets "dirty" with bits of burned breading, wipe out the pan and heat fresh oil to continue.

Magic Cookies Bars

Magic! (cookie bar)

Magic cookie bars (also known frequently as Seven Layer Bars-- although I'm nver quite sure what the 7th layer is... maybe the pan?!) are one of the first desserts I learned to make by myself. The original recipe came from an EagleBrand Sweetened Condensed Milk can. I remember layering the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, walnuts, and coconut flakes on many a late-night dessert-making spree, often accompanied assisted by friends, and often followed by gobbling up the whole pan while watching movies and gossiping in my basement.




Fast forward to now, and my current recipe is really just as easy to make and just as delicious to eat. (I may or may not have eaten it for breakfast all week... which actually worked great!) Benefit over the traditional version: no crushing graham crackers. Downside: spreading marshmallow fluff is a pain. Either way, they're still easy and worth it.

MmmMmm, pan of gooey deliciousness...

THE RECIPE:

Layer in a baking pan: (8x8, or 9x13)

Uncooked.

crust, in 2:2:1 ratio - almond meal, flaxseed meal, coconut sugar
melted coconut oil - add to crust, mix with fork until consistency is gooey but not wet, and covers entire bottom of the pan
vegan marshmallow fluff (I get mine at WholeFoods) - spread (or rather, lump/drizzle on) until it more-or-less thinly covers the whole pan
chocolate chips - use ~10 oz to cover the whole area
chopped walnuts - again, sprinkle or spread over surface
shredded coconut - sprinkle over surface


By now the chocolate chips, walnuts, and coconut should have entirely covered the gooey fluff layer-- thus, you can use your hands to gently press all along the top layer to compact the layers together. 


Heat oven to 350 and bake until chocolate is melted and coconut begins to toast - around 20 minutes.

Cooked, served, half-eaten.

 

World's Best Carrot Cake

 Featured in cupcake / muffin form:

THE RECIPE:

(for 15 cupcakes -- for more, recipe can easily be doubled)

1/2 c coconut flour
1/4 c millet flour
1/4 c all purpose GF flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ginger                    ---> combine dry ingredients in small bowl, set aside


1/2 lb grated carrots
4 oz crushed pinapple
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 c shredded coconut
1/4 c raisins                     ---> combine, set aside


1/2 c coconut sugar
1/2 c light agave nectar
1 crack spoon powdered stevia
3 eggs
1 tsp apple cider vinegar + 1/2 c almond milk (= buttermylk)

3/8 c extra light olive oil
1 tsp vanilla                      ---> combine in mixing bowl; gradually add in wet and dry ingredients

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for ~30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Chocolate Covered Waffle Sticks

Chocolate covered Waffle sticks, featuring the Sweet 'n' Savory Challenge ingredient of the month: Coconut Oil!




Coconut oil is one of my kitchen staples. Great for baking, great for a butter-substitute, it's all-around delicious and healthy. Plus, it has the unique property of a melting point around 76 F. This means that at warm temperatures, it is a liquid just like olive oil-- but at cold temperatures (aka, now) it is completely solid.

With all of the recipes in which I use coconut oil, for this month's challenge I wanted to pick a recipe that exploits the oil's high melting point. Really, no other oil can be substituted for this chocolate coating.

So, I present to you: Chocolate Covered Waffle Sticks-- a breakfast in dessert's clothing.  (...which obviously still makes it a breakfast.... right??)

Any type of waffle will due for dipping in this delicious chocolate sauce, but I opted for my trusty Cinni-Teff waffles.




THE RECIPE:


Cinni-Teff Waffles:

1 egg or egg substitute equivelent
1 tbs extra light olive oil                        ----> whip
1 cup milk substitute (rice/soy/almond/coconut)
1 tsp vanilla (alcohol-free)                    ----> mix
3/4 cup teff flour
1/4 cup cinnamon (or more/less to taste... I like lots!)
1 tsp baking powder                           -----> mix
1/8 tsp salt

Bake on high in (Belgian) waffle iron, then let cool. (Try not to eat them all at this stage...) These proportions make about 4.5 x 5 inch waffles.

Chocolate Dipping Sauce:

3 tbs coconut oil
3 tbs cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp agave nectar (or to taste)

Melt coconut oil in a small pan over low heat. As soon as it is melted, remove from heat. Stir in cocoa powder, vanilla, and sweeten to taste with agave. Let cool until mixture just begins to thicken. To speed the process, luke-warm pan of chocolate can be placed in the fridge for short periods of time. Just be sure to check/stir it frequently to prevent the coconut oil from hardening prematurely.

Assembly:

Slice waffles into strips, or alternately cut bite-sized peices around each square. When sauce has begun to thicken, dip each piece into the chocolate sauce. If chocolate sauce thickens too much for dipping, spread with a knife onto waffle. If desired, roll in shredded coconut, nut pieces, or other small delicious item. Place on a waxed paper-lined plate/cookie sheet to harden. To speed hardening, place cookie sheet in fridge.

Long long ago, I used to eat chocolate covered waffles from Whole Foods. They were delicious. So are these. Really, absolutely the same. Which = success!

Also: in nine weeks, I am incredibly excited to report that I will be visiting a friend in Trinidad for Carnival 2011. This will involve parading through the streets in this costume, which will require looking phenomenal, which will require cutting back on the dessert (and all other food...) for the next nine weeks. Which, in turn, requires me to not bake any more desserts for quite some time. So, be prepared for a temporary dessert-hiatus-- yet I will try to post some veggie/entree recipes.

Anyway. Chocolate covered waffle sticks? These aren't desserts! They're just waffles. Good old, breakfast-certified, waffles.

Strawberry Coconut Thumbprint Cookies

Soft, chewy, fresh, delicious, and heavenly: everything a cookie should be.

Christmas cookies #1 for 2010. Red strawberries add some color to a holiday cookie tray! Inspiration for these from The Spunky Coconut. I added coconut and fresh strawberries, to make these extra-delicious.

THE RECIPE:

1/2 cup ghee or coconut oil, liquified

6 tbsp honey or agave

1/2 cup applesauce

1 tsp chia seeds, ground

1 tsp vanilla                                      --> beat wet ingredients

2/3 cup tapioca flour

2/3 cup coconut flour, sifted

2/3 cup shredded coconut              --> add dry ingredients

Mix!  Then roll into 1-2 inch balls, flatten slightly, and create an indent in the center. Fill with strawberry filling:

FILLING;

Chopped strawberries  (~ 1/2 cup)

Xylitol           (~1 tsp/to taste)          --> sprinkle on top and mix

Bake at 350 degrees for ~12 minutes.

  Yum!

Happy National Waffle Day!!!

That's right, it's August 24! Time to celebrate those delicious squares of goodness. Today marks the anniversary that the U.S. patent was issued for the first waffle iron.

Oh, the waffle. In the bread-free world in which I roam, the waffle is a beacon of starchy hope. In addition to providing a "normal" breakfast food, it is a versatile substrate for infinite taste creations.

So many different sauces can be spread upon it.
So many different flours can make up its base.

Use it as bread for a sandwich! Use it as crust for a pizza! Use it as a "cone" for a sundae!
Best of all, waffle batter is a 3-minute miracle, as it is super fast to whip up, and slight variations never seem to harm the final product.

With a waffle in your stomach, the world is just a better place!

And thus I present, my hearty breakfast-of-choice, the UNIVERSAL CINNI-TEFF WAFFLE!!!!!

THE RECIPE:  (makes 4 belgian waffles- 4x5 square-size)

1 egg
~1 tbs extra light olive oil
~1/2 c  almond milk / rice milk / etc
1 tsp vanilla extract (sugar & alcohol free)
~ 2/3 cup teff flour
~ 1/3 cup cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 dash salt

Mix ingredients in a 2-cup measuring cup. First, beat together egg and oil. Next, add milk to make the total liquid level in the cup be a little more than 1c (this is the only step that I actually measure!). Add 1 tsp vanilla, and mix.

Add dry ingredients: Dump in ~1/2c teff, and add as much cinnamon as desired- I recommend lots! Add baking soda and baking powder, and stir mixture into batter. Continue adding more teff until batter is the consistency of very thick pancake batter.

Pour into pre-heated, ready-to-go waffle iron (waffle iron is hot-to-go, h-o-t-t-o-g-o !!!). These will rise much less than regular glutenous waffles, so it's okay to make the iron pretty full.

Enjoy your delicious little waffle!! Butter with coconut oil, and top as desired.
If you need inspiration, see the following:

1. 
Cinni-teff waffle with rhubarb sauce, blueberries, and vanilla coconut-dream ice cream, shown at the top of the page.

--> (WHITE PEACH RASPBERRY) RHUBARB SAUCE:
rhubarb
white peach
a few raspberries
dash salt
stevia to taste, if desired

---> throw everything into a pot with a small amount of water in the bottom. Simmer until all fruits are very mushy. Mush them, then simmer on low heat for a long time, until concoction has been reduced down to spreadable consistency.

White peaches provide enough sweetness that stevia may not be necessary, depending on how tangy you like your rhubarb sauce! Additional flavorings like cinnamon and nutmeg can be added as desired too.



2.
The French Gopher!

Yeah, that's right.

It's a GOPHER!!!!

Orr, a gaufre.

Coming to you from the lovely land of France!


On the streets of Paris, there are vendors selling this genuine Parisian delicacy. Smeared with nutella and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream: THAT is a true French Gopher.

(okay I call them gophers because (a) it's funny, and (b) i can't pronounce french.)

Anyway, recreate this masterpeice with cinni-teff waffle + almond butter + vanilla ice kream on top. MmmMmm.

I think the best combo is using Trader Joe's Roasted Creamy almond butter. Buuut some days I feel like the hearty TJ's almond butter with flax seeds, and other days I prefer the milder TJ's Raw almond butter. And I have to admit, I rarely put ice cream on top. (!)

I must say, though, that the nuttiness of this concoction really is a perfect complement to the Teff. I think it is a much better combination than some of the fruity variations that I have tried.


3.  
FLOUR VARIATIONS

You can use the same recipe as cinni-teff, substituting the cinni and the teff for nearly any GF flour, and still obtain delicious results. Three that I have tried are:

Coconut flour! Now add some fruit...

-Garbanzo bean flour waffle.  I add rosemary, extra salt, and use extra virgin olive oil instead of extra light. Makes a great lunch waffle, or a sandwich substrate! (though may be a bit dry- be careful!)

- Coconut flour waffle. Be careful- coconut flour's high fiber content makes it necessary to slightly alter the proportions here- otherwise your waffle will crumble and/or stick to the iron. As a guideline, use twice the egg and half the flour. This waffle is great with fruit on top! (or that rhubarb sauce...) It will have a nice flaky consistency, too.

- Millet + Garbanzo Combo waffle. Not gonna lie, I got this idea from my popover batter- and it turned out great! I used ordinary (cinni-teff) proportions, though it probably could have used a bit more oil. Taste was mild and pleasant- would be perfect to use as a sandwich bread.


4. 
WAFFLES FROM OUTER SPACE

Because some waffles are just too cool to have been born on earth.

First, there is the Green Giant Waffle (or, Little Green Sprout Waffle, if you prefer). To assemble, YOU WILL NEED:
1 waffle
some spinach
some sprouts
some avocado
and/or anything green you can find
also maybe some cheese.

DIRECTIONS: 1. cook waffle. 2. butter it if you want. 3. PUT EVERYTHING ELSE ON TOP. 4. eat.
It's good, I promise. And all that green stuff really justifies you eating yet another waffle.


Second, there is the amazing SUPER SURPRISE PIZZA WAFFLE!!!!

Mmmm, yeah, that's right, it's pizza and waffle AT THE SAME TIME!!!!!!!

And, there's a surprise. What is the surprise, you ask?????
THERE IS CHEESE IN THE WAFFLE BATTERRRR!!!!!!!!!

Ooey, gooey, (soy) cheesey goodness!

 Yes, I added a bunch of shredded mozzarella rice cheese to my millet-garbanzo waffle batter.

Although I had pictured gooey strings of cheese dripping from the innards of the belgian squares, the cheese really just added a nice flavor. But, stay tuned for updates as I experiment a bit further.

Anyway, this was a most-delicious waffle form, and easily constructed by spreading pizza sauce on the freshly-cooked waff, and sprinkling a handful of rice cheese on top. Yummo!


~~~~~~

As this National Waffle Day winds to a close, I sincerely hope that you have gotten the chance to eat at least one sweet waffle in this 24 hours. I was lucky enough to eat THREE! (two 1/2 cinni-teffs at breakfast, and one pizza-waffle plus one garb-millet for dinner)

I also would like to thank National Waffle day for bringing my family together for a waffle-filled dinner this evening. As I wished everyone a Happy  N.W.D. about a million times during the day, my mom was well-aware of the importance of the date. Thus, when stumped for something fast to make her and my dad for dinner, she whipped up her own waffles with a buckwheat mix... plus some eggs and turkey bacon!

So, for the first time in a long time, my parents and I sat around the table happily munching our waffs. And, when my sister came over hours later, the first thing she said was "Happy Waffle Day!!!" --and grabbed a leftover waff from the plate left out on the table.

What a wonderful day!! What a wonderful waffle!! What a wonderful world!!!!
Ilovewaffles.