A new favorite healthy GF granola!

I recently stumbled upon a great granola recipe!  It is gluten free and soaked to help with digestion and is delicious!  Many thanks to The Nourishing Home for such a great recipe!  You should read her post for some great tips and pictures to help get the perfect texture and crunch :)  She has many other great super-healtthy and delicious recipes on her blog, so please check it out!  I followed this recipe almost completely except that I baked the granola at 350 for 20 minutes before crumbling and starting the dehydrating process.  I've read that oats are very hard to digest unless they are baked or boiled rather than just dehydrated.  I made it with the buckwheat and I have to say that my 5 year old and I absolutely LOVED the extra crunch a texture of the extra grain!  However, my picky 3 year old did not  like it so for my next batch I ground up the buckwheat and my 3 year old never even knew it was there.  The buckwheat or rye is very necessary to help break down the oats to help with nutrition and digestion.  I also just used maple syrup instead of part honey because I could skip the warming step and just mix it in quickly.

Ingredients

STEP ONE: SOAKING
• 6 cups organic rolled oats (use regular or thick-cut rolled oats, not quick-cook or steel-cut oats)
• 2 cups organic rolled rye flakes (if gluten-free, see note below)
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup organic unrefined coconut oil, melted
• 1 can (14oz) *Native Forest unsweetened organic coconut milk
• 2 cups filtered water
• 4 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar

Instructions

1. Place butter and coconut oil in a small sauce pan and heat until melted. Pour into a very large ceramic (or glass) mixing bowl and add coconut milk, water and vinegar; whisk to combine.
2. Add oats and rye flakes (or buckwheat groats); thoroughly combine using a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
3. Cover the bowl and place it in a warm area of your kitchen for 24-48 hours. (*I use Native Forest brand because they use BPA-free cans. Please note: This recipe will not work with coconut milk beverages, i.e. Silk or So Delicious brands.)
4. Once oat mixture is finished soaking, you're ready for STEP TWO: BAKING.

Notes

GF Option: If you're gluten-free you can use buckwheat groats for the soak. You can decrease the amount to 1 cup of buckwheat groats and then use 7 cups of GF rolled oats. The reason you need rolled rye or buckwheat groats is because they contain the phytase necessary to help break down the high levels of phytic acid in oats. Oats do not contain much phytase so soaking them without a phytase booster (like rolled rye, or buckwheat for those who are GF) doesn't do much to reduce the phytic acid.

• Step 2:  Baking:
• 3/4 cup honey 
• 3/4 cup organic pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 ½ tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. After soaking time is completed, preheat oven to 200° F. Place honey, maple syrup, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla in a glass measuring cup. Place measuring cup in a small pot of warm water on the stove. Bring water to a gentle simmer, stirring honey mixture until melted and all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Turn off heat and remove cup from pan carefully, using an ovenmit. Pour honey mixture over oat mixture.
2. Using large rubber spatula, combine the honey and oat mixtures, until well combined. 
3. Spread the mixture out over two parchment paper-lined, 12x17-inch rimmed-baking sheets. Place baking sheets side-by-side in oven for best results. If you have to stack them, be sure to rotate them during bake time. Bake for 8 hours, turning the granola every two-hours. Then turn off oven and allow to sit in warm oven overnight until completely cooled.
4. Remove cooled granola from the oven and mix in any “add-ins” you’d like (see suggestions above). Makes 10-cups of granola (without add-ins).

GF Whole Grain Soaked Tortilla

Whew!  I've had quite the time finding GF recipes that my picky 3 year will eat!  Thanks for all of your suggestions and recipes; I am slowly trying them all out!  I've kind of given up on bread and come to the realization that a tortilla must be the way to go for easy lunches for my Karlie.    I tried many recipes online but couldn't find a good one that uses freshly ground soaked whole grain, which is what I prefer for better digestion and absorption of nutrients.  So I adapted my original recipe and finally made one that she likes! Next time I am going to try to use less tapioca flour and more brown rice or buckwheat, but this is what worked well so I thought I should post it before I forget it!

Combine: 
1 cup freshly ground brown rice flour
1 cup freshly ground buckwheat flour
1/2 cup blanched almond flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1 cup water
1/4 cup oil (olive, coconut, or butter)
1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar

Cover and soak at room temperature for 12-24 hours.  Then:

1. After soaking, add 1/4 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. sucanat, and 1 tsp. salt to soaked flour mixture, kneading in the flour until the dough is workable but not too stiff.
2. Shape into 8 – 10 balls and let stand 10 more minutes. 
3. Roll to form a circle or use a tortilla press.  I found that this dough is a little more sticky than my old recipe so I rolled the tortillas between two sheets of wax paper.
4. Bake on a lightly greased griddle till done (not browned). Toast for about 20-30 sec. per side.

Yield: 8-10 tortillas.

Soaked Buckwheat Pancakes

We recently confirmed that my 3-year old has a sensitivity to gluten, so I've been trying out some new recipes. Apparently, the best gluten-free recipes either use almond flour or a cocktail of different flours. We can't afford to use almond flour for all our baking purposes and I don't have all the ingredients in most "multi-flour and bean" gluten-free recipes. So I decided that buckwheat would probably be my most affordable flour that can sometimes stand alone. It grinds up well in my grain mill but has a definite different texture and taste that I am still getting used to. This pancake recipe turned out to be the best buckwheat recipe I've tried yet. (And let me assure you that simply substituting buckwheat for spelt in my normal tortilla recipe is NOT a good idea... I definitely need a new recipe for that!) I think I added a little bit of molasses for some extra minerals and sweetness. Many thanks to Just Making Noise for a great recipe! I can't wait to try out more of her recipes!

• 2 cups 100% buckwheat flour (or 1 cup buckwheat & 1 cup whole wheat or spelt)
• 2 cups buttermilk, kefir, yogurt or water w/ 2 Tbsp lemon juice or raw vinegar
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp raw honey (I liked the deep flavor of molasses, so I added a bit of that, too)
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 Tbsp melted butter or coconut oil

Soak flour with liquid in a warm place for 12 to 24 hours.


Lightly beat the eggs and pour into the soaked flour. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and thin the batter to desired consistency with water if needed.


Cook on a hot, oiled griddle or cast-iron skillet. These pancakes cook slower then unsoaked whole grain flour or white flour pancakes. When bubbly on top and golden brown at the bottom… flip over and cook for a few minutes till golden brown.

Grain-free cupcakes or muffins

I made this recipe for my baby's first birthday and I thought it tasted a lot better than other coconut flour recipes I have tried. The beans add a lot of moisture and I promise you can't tell that they are there! I then made this recipe again with blueberries and decreased the maple syrup to 1/3 cup for our morning muffins. The girls loved them. Many thanks to homeopathyworks for a great recipe and many great articles! Click on the link to see a recipe for a healthy chocolate buttercream frosting. (I just used my old stand-by cream cheese icing recipe for the birthday cupcakes.) I changed the recipe slightly for the muffins and I noted the changes in the recipe below:

Soak 2 cups dry of white beans overnight in double the amount of water.

Next day, rinse well and cook until tender.

(You might have a little more than 2 cups once they’ve been hydrated and cooked, but only use 2 cups.)

Cool to room temperature and add the following to a food processor and puree well:

• 2 cups cooked beans (use white for vanilla)
• 6 eggs
• 3/4 cup maple syrup or sucanat (reduce to 1/3 cup and add a cup of blueberries for breakfast muffins)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Add:

• 1/4 cup slightly warm coconut oil (so that it is liquid)
• 1/3 cup sifted coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp Celtic salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder

Puree again

Pour into spring form pan, lined with unbleached parchment paper, well oiled with butter or coconut oil. (I just used my stoneware muffin pan, greased with butter.)

Bake at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes. Check to see if toothpick or knife inserted comes clean

(Cupcakes take about 20-22 minutes)

Frittata with apples, eggs, meat, and cheese

I made this yummy frittata for breakfast this morning and Mark loved it! The apples go really well with the bacon and cheddar and give it a nice sweetness. I love a good breakfast I can throw in the pan and then let cook while I have my quiet time before the girls awake. I made the bacon in the oven the night before while cooking dinner so it was a snap to throw together in the morning. Many thanks to Simple Bites for a great recipe! You should check out the blog for great pictures and many more great recipes and tips for healthy cooking!

Ingredients:

• 2 egg whites (I skipped this part because I don't like to waste my yolks!)
• 8 whole eggs
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
• Salt, to taste
• 3 slices bacon
• Ground Pepper, to taste
• 2 apples, Fuji or Gala
• 1 Tablespoon butter

In a medium cast-iron or nonstick ovenproof skillet, heat the butter over medium heat. Crack the eggs, one at a time, over a small bowl. Add half of the grated cheese to the egg mixture and stir to combine. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, to your liking. Add egg mixture to the skillet. Sprinkle the bacon crumbles evenly over the eggs. Gently arrange the apples on top of the egg mixture, in a circular pattern. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Move the skillet from the stovetop to the upper rack of your oven. Bake until frittata is firm in the center and cheese is browned, about 20 minutes. Use a flexible spatula to loosen the frittata from the pan. Carefully slide it onto a cutting board. Allow to cool for a few minutes before slicing into wedges.Put the rack in the upper third of the oven. Preheat oven to 450°F.

nutbutter cereal

This recipe is very much like my other cereal recipe, but with a nutty flavor. Kind of like a grape nuts but sweeter with a sunflower butter kick. We liked it. It is a little more expensive than my other recipe because sunflower butter isn't cheap (we can't use peanut butter because Karis is highly allergic). But it was fun to change up our cereal a bit! Many thanks to Christian Mommy Blogger for such a great recipe! Check out her blog for some good pictures of the process. Note that this is soaked for better digestion and therefore you need to plan to start the day before.

• 5 cups flour (I a mixture of spelt and kamut, but I think any grain would work)
• 3 cups raw milk or yogurt (I used 2 3/4 cups water with 1/4 cup ACV)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 3/4 cup coconut oil (in its liquid form)
• 2 cups natural nutbutter (nothing in the ingredients but nuts!)
• 1 cup honey (I used maple syrup because we were low on honey)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

First day: combine the flour and milk/yogurt in a mixer bowl. Mix together until well combined. Cover bowl with a plate. Leave on counter for 24 hours.

2nd day: THREE STEPS:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Mix all of the ingredients into the mixer with the batter and blend until well combined. Pour batter into 2 greased 9×13 pyrex pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool until you can handle it.

2. Crumble it onto baking sheets (2 half sheet pans to be exact). You can make the pieces as big as you wish, but my family likes them smaller (like grapenuts).

3. Put in a 170 degree oven for 6-8 hours. Check every hour or as needed to remove dehydrated pieces on the top and shuffle around as necessary.

Serve with raisins, bananas, milk, etc.

Delicious, quick, and easy chicken lazone!

I found this recipe on Pinterest and as soon as I saw the few but delicious ingredients (does anyone else LOVE butter and cream like I do?), I knew I wanted to try it. But I had no idea how easy it would be! This is totally going to be my go-to meal from now on when I have no idea what to fix. It uses ingredients that are always in my kitchen and takes no time at all. I quickly prepped the chicken during nap-time, stuck it in the fridge, and threw it in the pan 15 minutes before we ate. I cannot tell you how easy it was! And Mark loved it! He is always quite skeptical of my new creations, but he was so excited that he asked if he could finish off the pan. I actually completely followed the directions for once and we ate it over quinoa and it was great! Check out food.com for lots of pictures of this fabulous recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 4 whole boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup butter, divided
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Combine the seasonings and coat chicken breasts.
2. In large saute pan melt half of the butter and cook chicken over medium heat for about 7 to 8 minutes, turning once.
3. Pour the cream into the skillet and lower the heat.
4. Simmer for several minutes, stirring until the sauce thickens then add the remaining butter.
5. When butter is melted place chicken breasts on four plates and top with the sauce.

New Favorite Breakfast Recipe: Farmer's Hash

My husband was quite excited about the potatoes in this recipe. He said it was one of the most filling breakfasts I have made. I thought it was delicious, but the girls weren't quite sure about the eggs mixed with the potatoes. Nevertheless, it is a delicious healthy breakfast that I will definitely add to the rotation. It would actually be good for dinner as well. And if you don't like your eggs cooked with the potatoes then you can certainly cook them separately, as they are the last ingredient to add in the skillet. Many thanks to Plan to Eat Blog for such a healthy, yummy, easy recipe! You should check out the blog for pictures and lots of other great recipes! I changed just a few things -- I used coconut oil since I didn't have any lard and I used sausage instead of bacon. I'm pretty sure that you could add just about any vegetable or meat to this recipe, and I'm sure I will try out many different options. We added cheddar cheese on top and it was really good. I think diced tomatoes would be delicious, but I knew my girls would not like them. I used half potatoes and half turnips, and no one even noticed the turnips.

• 2 tablespoons lard, tallow, or coconut oil
• 3 medium – large potatoes cut into ¼ inch dice
• ½ large onion, diced
• 5 strips of bacon, diced or ¼ – ½ lb of breakfast sausage
• 10-12 good eggs
• Garlic powder to taste
• Sea salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste
• Optional add-ins or subs: Cheese, Bell or hot peppers, Greens, Swap turnips for some of the potatoes, Tomatoes

1. Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat until good and hot. Add the lard and allow to melt. Add the potatoes, stir to coat in lard, and allow to cook 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally and seasoning with sea salt.
2. Add chopped onion, diced bacon, garlic powder and black pepper, and sauté another 5-10 minutes or until potatoes are tender and browned. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
3. Meanwhile, beat eggs. Once bacon is cooked and potatoes are tender pour eggs in, distributing evenly throughout the pan. Stir occasionally, as in scrambled eggs. Season if needed and serve once eggs are done to your liking. Now is a good time to add cheese if you desired.
4. Serve alongside hot coffee or tea in front of a wood stove and happily spend the morning without cries of hunger.