Tag: dessert

Gluten Free Paleo Brownies

 

Gluten Free Paleo Brownies
 
Prep time
Cook time
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I got this craving for a brownie so I went to the kitchen and threw stuff together and it worked! That is literally how this came to be.
Author:
Serves: 6 pieces
Ingredients
  • ½ cup Coconut Flour
  • ¼ cup Tapioca Starch
  • ¼ cup Toasted Carob Powder (or ¼ cup cocoa powder)
  • ½ tsp, Baking soda
  • 1 tsp Baking Powder Aluminum Free & Double Acting
  • 3 eggs
  • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons Coconut Milk
  • ¼ cup Honey
  • 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Coconut Oil
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 350f (175c).
  2. In a large bowl mix together your eggs and honey until well combined. Then add your apple cider vinegar, vanilla, coconut milk, and coconut oil. Don't worry if your coconut oil forms little solid pieces, this is actually what you want because when the brownie bakes it makes these yummy little pockets. Make sure you whisk this together very well, you don't want the oil chunks very large.
  3. In another bowl, mix the rest of your ingredients together well. You don't want any lumps.
  4. Grease your baking container well; I used a glass loaf pan. Don't use a large pan if you want these to be taller. Once your oven is well preheated, mix your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients and whisk til there are no lumps. Scrape your batter into your container and even it out.
  5. Bake in the middle of your oven for 25-35 minutes (see notes). I like my brownies well done so I went the full 35 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the middle will come out clean. Let cool in the pan for at east 10 minutes. Serve warm, and try some butter on top, it tastes amazing!
Notes
If you want more fudgy/gooey brownies only bake it about 80% done, about 25 minutes. A toothpick will come out almost clean and might be a little jiggly in the middle. Let cool at least 20 minutes.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 Calories: 225 Fat: 11 Saturated fat: 8 Unsaturated fat: 1 Trans fat: 0 Carbohydrates: 27 Sugar: 15 Sodium: 217 Fiber: 5 Protein: 6 Cholesterol: 106
 

Vitacost Haul Unboxing May 2015

Are you interested in getting $10 off your first vitacost.com order? Consider using my friend invite link. You save $10, and I get $10 for referring you. No subscriptions, no scams, nothing. It’s just that simple. CLICK HERE to use my link. It’s only valid on NEW Vitacost accounts, so if you already have an account, you aren’t eligible.

I’ve been considering off and on to purchase from vitacost.com for awhile now. After doing some price comparing at Whole Foods I decided it was worth it, but I needed to wait until I was able to order at least $49 to get the free shipping.

In terms of my experience with Vitacost I will say I ordered on April 28th, and received my package the morning of May 4th. It’s slower than if I was to order at say Amazon or the like, but next time I’ll make sure to order things (IE TOOTHPASTE) before I actually need it, I was having to really stretch the toothpaste out for days, haha! Anyways when I received the package I noted that all my items were secure in packaging as you see in the video. They were careful to package things in zip baggies and the glass bottles were wrapped in paper and this cool thin cardboard stuff. Having ordered off Amazon before and receiving broken glass bottles, I really appreciated this!

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Here is what I received and how much it cost on Vitacost and how much it would cost in my local Whole Foods or local stores:

Vitacost organic apple cider vinegar w/ mother 32 ounces (2 bottles) – I got a buy one half off deal so it was $6.06 (WF $9.98)
Chocolove Dark chocolate almond sea salt bar – $1.99 (local stores $3.50)
Alba Botanica natural aloe shaving cream – $4.98 (WF for same scent 7.99 or generic nasty mango scent at TJ for 3.99 but I HATE the smell)
Tom’s of Maine botanically bright peppermint toothpaste – $5.19 ($6.99 at WF)
Jason’s tea tree deodorant – $5.19 (WF I think is $7.99)
Tom’s of Maine botanically bright spearmint toothpaste – $5.39 ($6.99 at WF)
Mumm’s organic sprouting radish seeds – $5.89 (unknown, I USED to be able to buy radishes for 80¢ an ounce)
Frontier products citric acid (16 ounces) – $6.89 (WF is about $20 per pound in the bulk bins, YIKES!)
Chocolove Dark chocolate coffee crunch – $2.49 ($3.50 in local stores)
Bob’s Red Mill gluten free pie crust mix – $2.54 (locally it’s about $4.00)
Bob’s Red Mill double acting baking powder aluminum free – $3.99 (locally I think it’s about $4.50)
Tom’s of Maine sensitive winter-mint toothpaste – $3.99 (WF $4.99)
Coconut secret coconut aminos – $4.15 (locally it’s about $7 at whole foods for the tiny bottle)
Bob’s Red Mill toasted carob powder – $4.49 (locally $4.99)

I saved $10 for using a fellow YouTuber’s Vitacost referral link.

In total I spent: $52.44 if I had purchased all of locally it would have cost $97.82 YIKES! That is a savings of $45.38 ($35.38 if you don’t include the 1 time discount). Definitely worth it, plus I didn’t have to go to the store, it was shipped to my house for free. Big plus when you don’t have a car and have to carry it all on the bus! If you want to see the products more close up, click the photos!

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Very Berry Paleo Vegan Ice Cream

 

Very Berry Paleo Vegan Ice Cream
 
Prep time
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This ice cream recipe is very versitile and yummy! It's Dairy Free, Vegan, Paleo / Primal friend AND is no sugar added.
Author:
Serves: 1 serving
Ingredients
  • ⅓ cup coconut cream or ½ cup coconut milk
  • ⅔ cup water (or ½ cup water if using coconut milk)
  • 100g banana, frozen
  • 40g blueberries, frozen
  • 20g raspberries, frozen
  • 90g strawberries, frozen
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Equipment
  • A high speed blender like a Vitamix OR a decent food processor
Instructions
  1. Add your coconut cream (or milk) to your blender, add enough water to equal 1 cup of liquid. Add in the rest of your ingredients.
  2. Blend on medium speed using plunger if needed (or scrap the sides down if your blender doesn't use a plunger). If using a food processor, pulse several times, scraping down the sides as needed. Blend until creamy and smooth.
  3. Serve immediately or you can stick this in the freeze for 30 minutes to firm up more if desired.
Notes
I use Aroy-D brand coconut cream, if your brand is more solid, you might need to water it down more.

Don't want ice cream? That's okay, use fresh fruit or let the frozen fruit thaw and you'll have yourself an amazing tasting smoothie! Yummy!

Not sweet enough? Add a bit of stevia to sweeten it up.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 recipe Calories: 300 Fat: 15 Saturated fat: 10 Unsaturated fat: 0 Trans fat: 0 Carbohydrates: 41 Sugar: 23 Sodium: 22 Fiber: 7 Protein: 3 Cholesterol: 0
 

Healthy Cornbread – Whole grain, low fat, and dairy free!

Healthy Cornbread - Whole grain, low fat, and dairy free!
 
This recipe is a culmination of MANY years of tweaking many recipes I have found online. I wanted to try to use something other than sugar and no milk products but yet still have a "tangy" taste. This recipe fits the bill and best of all it only 170 calories per slice!
Author:
Serves: 8 slices
Ingredients
  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 5-8 tablespoons maple syrup (see note)
  • 1 tablespoon double acting baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • ½ cup applesauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar for sprinkling, optional (see note)
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla, optional (see note)
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°c. Once preheated add in a large cast iron skillet or a metal baking tray and preheat for another 5-10 minutes.
  2. In a large mixing bowl add in all your dry ingredients, mix well, and set aside. In another bowl mix all your wet ingredients except 1 tablespoon of the oil. Set these aside until your skillet or pan is heated.
  3. After the 5-10 minutes of preheating your skillet, carefully remove it from your oven and add in your 1 tablespoon of oil. Use a brush if available to spread the oil around the bottom and sides to prevent sticking, this also creates a very yummy crust.
  4. RIGHT before adding it to the pan completely mix the wet into the dry ingredients removing any lumps. Add the mixture from a height to remove large air bubbles and make sure it coats the bottom of the pan. Return to oven and bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  5. Let cool in pan 20 minutes and enjoy!
Notes
In this recipe I used maple syrup. You can replace it with honey or another liquid sweetener if you choose. If you would like to use sugar you'll need to add ½ cup to ¾ cup depending on sweetness and another ¼ to ½ cup of water to adjust the consistency. For a mild tasting cornbread only add 5 tablespoons of maple syrup (even then it's slightly sweet), this is great for mixing with spicy chili. If serving as more sweet add 8 tablespoons maple syrup.

I used about 1 teaspoon of sugar to sprinkle on the top because it makes the top crunchy, this is totally optional and usually I don't do it!

I don't normally add vanilla but if you want a more dessert tasting cornbread add 1 tablespoon of real vanilla extract.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 slice Calories: 170 Fat: 5 Saturated fat: 3 Unsaturated fat: 1 Trans fat: 0 Carbohydrates: 28 Sugar: 9 Sodium: 261 Fiber: 3 Protein: 4 Cholesterol: 26
 

Blueberry Maple Syrup

Blueberry Maple Syrup
 
Prep time
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Traditional fruit sauces take a long time boiling and reducing and frankly we don't have the time in the morning these days. This took less than 10 minutes and was better than a traditional sauce. The thin version really absorbs into the pancakes but the thick version is oh-so gourmet looking that it will really impress your family and friends.
Author:
Recipe type: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Serves: 1 cup
Ingredients
  • 1 cup frozen blueberries - small varieties suggested
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • ¼-1/2 cup water
  • optional - 1 teaspoon tapioca starch mixed with 2 teaspoon water
Instructions
  1. In a nonstick skillet, preheat it over medium high heat until a drop of water sizzles away almost immediately.
  2. Add in 1 cup of frozen blueberries (fresh can be used but wash them very well and pick out any hard bits) and stir until the berries release their juices and are thawed. This only takes about 1 - 1½ minutes. The object isn't to cook them through and squish them but just to thaw them. Add in your ½ cup of REAL maple syrup, no pancake syrup please.
  3. Let this bubble for about 90 seconds, you just want to heat through the syrup. Then add your water, I added about ⅓ of a cup but you can add less or more. This thins it out so it's not super strong plus helps stretch your budget a little, you could skip this if you want.
  4. At this point you could stop and serve and it would taste amazing but it's thin and won't really thicken until cooled. I suggest taking a mixture of 1 teaspoon tapioca (cornstarch would work but you'll have to boil it harder) and 2 teaspoons water, mix well and turn off the heat.
  5. Add in this tapioca mixture and stir until you notice it really get thick. You'll want to stir about 2 minutes in total just to make sure you get no lumps.
  6. You should notice all the white disappear and it will resemble a nice jam in texture. At this point you're done!
Notes
Serve warm on-top of pancakes, I suggest my No Oil Vegan Whole Wheat Pancakes OR serve cold on-top of toast like a blueberry Jam (if you want to just make this a Jam, triple the amount of tapioca mixture).
Nutrition Information
Serving size: ¼ cup Calories: 131 Fat: 0 Saturated fat: 0 Unsaturated fat: 0 Trans fat: 0 Carbohydrates: 33 Sugar: 27 Sodium: 4 Fiber: 1 Protein: 0 Cholesterol: 0