Grain-free mocha brownie

Breakfast of champions. And 3rd trimester pregnant ladies, apparently. No apologies here, though. It was immensely delicious.

3 Tbsp ground flax seed
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 egg whites (or one full egg, I just had leftover whites from making eggnog)
1 Tbsp honey
1.5 Tbsp oil
1 tsp instant (organic & water-process decaf) coffee
1/4 tsp baking soda
pinch salt

Mix everything together (dissolving the the instant coffee in the oil and/or egg whites would be a good idea...)

I have a little pyrex 5.5x7.5in dish that is perfect for a personal sized brownie. Just pour it in the dish and microwave for 2 minutes.

It was a bit dry, so I topped it with chocolate frosting (a dollop of palm shortening + dollop of honey + scoop of cocoa powder and drizzle of alcohol-free vanilla extract).

Heaven.

100% from scratch Chebe brand style tapioca bread recipe

My friends, I am excited. I finally "reverse engineered" the Chebe tapioca bread mixes. I think I could even make an egg-free version. Joy! It can be kneaded, rolled out, and even twisted into a pretzel. Tonight, I divided the dough into four balls, then rolled them out, topped with pepperoni and rolled back up. I used olive oil to seal the edges. Homemade marinara on the side for dipping, makes this the perfect grain-free alternative to an old school craving.

Homemade tapioca bread

1 C tapioca starch
~1/2 tsp baking soda
~1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp olive oil
5 tbsp water or milk sub
1 egg

In a saucepan, mix 1/3 C tapioca starch + 5 tbsp water/milk sub + 1 tbsp olive oil. After it is well-mixed, heat on low, stirring continuously until mixture congeals, into a pasty, thick goo. Do not over heat! Set aside and allow to cool.

In a bowl, mix 2/3 C tapioca starch, baking soda & sea salt with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 egg. Add the cooled tapioca gel and knead thoroughly.

At this point you can shape however you want. Pizza crust, buns, pretzels, whatever. I brush the tops of whatever I'm making with olive oil. Bake @ 375*F until crispy to the touch. (For my pepperoni rolls, that was 20 minutes.)

I think the egg could be omitted, with just a bit more water/milk sub & oil. I'll try soon enough. If Lily and Aevryn could have pretzels, I think I might win Mom of the Year in their minds. :)

Grain-free holiday treats

Thumbprint Cookies (contains almond flour - I'm still figuring out an appropriate sub for us)

St. Lucia buns

peppermint bark (this particular recipe has white chocolate and cream. I'm considering doing all dark chocolate and coconut milk. I bet it would work out well.)

Blizzard Biscotti

I was craving something chocolatey, but didn't have much in the house due to a lovely, cold & windy blizzard.

2 C dried cranberries, sweetened (just cane sugar)
1/4 C palm shortening
2 eggs
1 C potato starch (not flour)
1/4 C cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt

I blended the ingredients in that order in my food processor. It is a goopy, thick mess, that tastes a lot like frosting. Or like the filling between layers on a fancy cake.

I poured it out and mushed it down with my hands onto parchment paper on a cookie sheet. 350*F for 20-30 minutes. Allow to cool BEFORE slicing. Arrange slices on the parchment paper and bake again for another 30 or so minutes.

Enjoy!