Gluten Free Banana Bread with Vegan on the Side

winters are more difficult in alaska than just about any place i can think of....why? dark and cold....i think we can all deal with the cold, but the darkness messes with your body and emotions...it kinda sneaks up on you....i think the longer i'm here, the more obvious it is that the light (or lack of) is effecting me....this is my 8th winter here, and this year we will be here all winter....maybe next year we can try hawaii for WOOFing (google it, kinda cool).....so this winter i am working on dealing with some vanity body tightening...long story, short....i had 3 kids in 3 years, gained a mess of weight and couldn't loose it...i had a terribly unhealthy lifestyle....slowly it all changed...my habits and diet....lost most of the weight...just finished my first marathon this summer...now fitness is in my vision...it is hard to not look at the scale and to see my body go through it's changes without a goal number on the scale....instead to simply plug away at having a healthy body that can burn fat, not store it....sooo i've been doing the p90x with my best friend....that's us above.....i'll tell you how it goes...we're on week 6....and along with the marathon training and now this...i have put on weight....sigh....but i am getting really fit....very confusing...

we have been on a banana kick in our house.....we go through a mess of them, daily....my two youngest kids eat them all day long (2-4 each)...and i have kinda joined them...i add some chunky peanut butter and chew, chew....lol..... so tonight i wanted to use up some more banana's, so i came up with a banana bread recipe....it came out great! very light and moist! Now, to all my non-gluten-free friends...you can make this recipe with whole wheat (cause why would you ever use white "flour"?) simply by adding all the flours together and using the same amount of whole wheat....the recipe below could be just 1 3/4 c of whole wheat with 1/4 c of ground flax (take out the xanthan gum, you won't need it!)...or you could do 2c of whole wheat and 2 eggs, if you are into that sort of thing ;)..also if you're new to gluten free baking.....i know the long list will look way too daunting, but it becomes second nature, as long as you count the total of cups and make sure your combo is the same....my goal is to not have more starch than actual nutritious flour....starch simply breaks down as sugar in the body....it's the flour combo's that give each treat it's different texture...and with gluten free, you just get more variety, which i like...also, if you want to go the most nutritious route...i highly recommend a grain mill (it grind your grains into flour versions you find at the store)...i know, i know......it's super expensive, but i really believe it is worth it, because grains die off as soon as they oxidize (are ground), so that flour you're buying prepackaged in a bag may not be as full of nutrition, as you've been told....

Banana Bread
preheat oven to 350
prepare your loaf pan

1/2c of millet flour
1/2c of sorghrum flour
1/2c of potato starch
1/4c of arrowroot
2T of flax and 2T of chia seeds ground in a coffee grinder
1/2t of salt
2t of baking powder
2t of baking soda
1t of xanthan gum
1/2t of cinnamon
1/4t of nutmeg
3/4c of coconut sugar (or sucanant or 1/2 c of honey or agave)
-mix all the dry ingredients

then add the wet
3 medium bananas mashed or blended (i use my vitamix.....mmm)
1/2c of melted coconut oil
1/3c of coconut milk

mix batter and pour in bread pan......i had mine in a glass bowl.....it took 50 minutes....you should check your bread with a toothpick and make sure it's clean.....(additional note, i've made this without the oil, and it came out delish!!)

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Raw Lemon "Cheesecake" Sucsess!!!!

happy holidays...they are upon us!!! i just had this conversation with my husband today.....i have lived in a few distinct places....southern california, oregon (the northwest) and now alaska.....in southern california their is really no seasons...it's hot, or reeaalllly hot......in the pacific northwest, there's just a lot of rain....and tons of people with lots of waiting in traffic (that is what i recall most)...here there's distinct seasons...yes, spring and fall will pass you by if you blink...but the summer and winter.....how dramatic in their personalities...with the winter it is all about crafts, reading a good book, enjoying a good conversation by the fire, sipping tea....indoor projects like cleaning and my most favorite thing...baking or cooking...and with the holidays, all the lights.....lighting up the darkness that is ever present here.......

this thanksgiving i kinda went nuts with pies and cheesecakes....i made 5 of them....i didn't plan on doing that...but i found i just couldn't resist trying one more....i made two raw cheesecakes and two vegan pumpkin pies with fresh organic pumpkin (no cans for this girl), and i made a gf crust for a chevre cheesecake (i get fresh raw goat milk once a week and i've been making chevre "goat cheese") with it, it worked perfectly for a cheesecake....out of all the sweets...this recipe was my favorite. the tangy taste of lemons with sweetness of agave.......delish!!! you will need a high speed blender or a food processor.... you can definitely try with just a blender, i'd love to hear the results.

i got the recipe by combining several people's raw posts, i adapted it still to make it work with the ingredients and taste i have....


RAW Lemon "Cheesecake"
crust-
2c macadamia nuts
3/4c raisins soaked for several hours in cold water (wait till the raisins have soaked up some of the water and are mushy)
a pinch of salt
dried coconut flakes to put on the bottom of a cheesecake foam pie pan to keep the crust from sticking to the bottom...i mixed half the nuts and raisins in my vita-mix (it didn't like it, at all) then the other half, just a tad...then i spread the crust as best as i could on the bottom and stuck it in the freezer

filling-
3c of cashew nuts soaked for 2 hours in cold water
1c agave
1t of vanilla
3 fresh organic lemons (their rinds and juice) i saved one lemon's rind to sprinkle on top of the cheesecake
1c of melted coconut oil
.....mix all the ingredients in a food processor of vita-mix then slowly add 1 cup of melted coconut oil....pour  the batter in the prepared pan with crust, then put in freezer to let set.... let the cake harden but not freeze....i left the cheesecake in the freezer until a couple of hours before i wanted to eat it (let it defrost in the fridge)...this "cheesecake" is temperature sensitive because it's made with coconut oil, which thaws at room temp and melts under 72 degrees....so don't leave it out too long......enjoy plain of with a topping.....i thought the lemon would've gone great with raspberries, but i didn't try it....next time....since i have 3 beautiful lemons still ready to be used....



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Gluten-free Graham Crackers

i spent my entire morning in the kitchen today....i neglected my much needed shower and completely ignored the dirtiness moving and sweeping across my house...room to room.....all was forsaken, for the kitchen.... i get up every morning around 6, give or take (actually rarely is it take) a few minutes...i pray myself out of bed (God please help me up...some mornings it's a louder plea than others) and get everyone's lunches packed and breakfasts made....bella is out the door by 7:20 and i drive isaac to school an hour later (i have two kids in two different schools, isaac is waiting for a spot to open at our Montessori school that bella currently goes to, i am excited at the thought of having them both there!!) after i drop him off, i have only one little 4 year old who wants my attention....so while i wait for food to come out of the oven, we play board games....

today i did my routine after which i began with soaking some cashew, looking at the garbanzo beans that had been soaking for almost 24 hours.and hoisting some chevre cheese to drain the whey, and checking out some recipes online to get an idea of what else i should do for baking today.

this is what my morning produced a raw lemon cream cheesecake (tdf!), hummus (with and without jalapenos), and i decided to bake another cheesecake with my fresh chevre tomorrow....so i needed to make some gluten free graham crackers today....

short story...we went camping a few times with just our children this summer and decided to have some smores.....since gluten is not very nice to isaac or myself, often the rest of the family just gets gluten free options too (i have begun to not trust anything that comes in a box and is found in a grocery store)....i found some gluten free graham crackers at my local health food store and thought i scored.....YUK! seriously? it was just like cardboard....gluten free prepackaged really doesn't work out, in my humble opinion.....so when i came across this recipe in my favorite book.. it's from the classics versions (i couldn't be a bigger erin mckenna fan!!!). this recipe is hers. if you don't do bean flours, an alternative to bob's is a 2c brown rice, 3/4c potato starch, 1/3 c arrowroot premix works sufficiantly well....it is also completely stolen from erin's book, as well....i have used both and they both work well.... the bob's is a slightly more soft graham cracker

Gluten Free Graham Crackers
preheat oven to 325

1c sugar (i use coconut crystals, but succanat works great)
3T of ground cinnamon
1 1/2c  of rice flour
1 1/2c of bob's red mill
2t ground ginger
1t xanthan gum
1t salt
-mix dry ingredients-

-add the next two ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula-
3/4c melted coconut oil or canola oil
1/4c of agave
1T vanilla extract

-slowly add the cold water-
1/2c cold water

when batter is sticky cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes


rolling out the batter is the tricky part....i know there's the whole dust with brown rice and dust on the rolling pin....but it has never worked for me....i use two parchment papers and roll out that way with a touch of brown rice flour on each side....

mix 1/2c of sweetener with 1/2T of cinnamon and sprinkle on top...i also use a fork to create that waffle look....cut out the shapes you want before you stick them in the oven

bake for 15 minutes

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Gluten free, Vegan, Peanut Butter, Banana, Applesauce Muffins

it's been a super long week....i am looking forward to an easier week coming around the corner....i really enjoy the holidays...i get to spend time with family that i don't see nearly enough...life happens and plans to spend time together get lost...but then thanksgiving comes around followed by xmas....and it is a guarantee that i see some of my favorite people....i will be preparing food, which calms me, if i let the stress of perfection roll of my shoulders....

because we eat differently than a lot of people, i like to bring food that i know i can enjoy (plus i get to cook/bake, which i enjoy).... i am making thanksgiving salmon (lol! yum!) this year....i am still trying to figure out what i want to take for dessert....i made brownies the other day, but i need to mess with the recipe cause i found them not moist and gooey enough...which is how i prefer my brownies...

i am gonna share a current favorite at my house...isaac refers them to as the "the yummy muffins".... it has been nice to have muffins to put in my kid's lunches, i got the idea from my friend monika, who made the most amazing muffins last winter using peanut butter, and applesauce and banana's, so i had to make it gluten free...my current favorite flours to bake with are quinoa and buckwheat, i like combining them...these are a nutritious "treat"

Peanut Butter/Applesauce/ Banana Muffins
-preheat oven at 400 degrees and prepare muffin trays (i use the really big muffins lined with paper liners)

1c buckwheat flour
1c quinoa flour
1/4c  arrowroot (if you don't have, tapioca flour and potato starch work just as well)
3t of baking powder
a pinch of celtic salt
1t cinnamon
1/2t of all spice (optional)
1/2c of coconut crystal
i mix 2T of flax and 2T of chia seeds in a coffee grinder (you can use all chia or all flax)

-mix all your dry ingredients in a bowl

-in a separate mixing bowl mix the wet

1 banana (pureed in a blender or if you're blessed to have a vita mix)
1/3c smooth peanut butter
1/3c of applesauce
3/4-1c of coconut milk (the wetter the fluffier, the less, the denser)
1T of vanilla extract...

mix both wet and dry and fill the muffin liners to the very top....

bake for 18-20 minutes

i typically with dip the muffins in a light glaze to give it a slight sweet taste...i'll have to post that recipe sometime, it's an agave glaze, made with coconut oil....

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Vegan Potato Corn Chowder.....

it's a pretty long story why my other blog account is not accessible to me currently.....so i have humbly come back to this site to write down some recipes i have been concocting in my kitchen. i bake everyday....maybe not always bake, but i will have something cooking....today i made some delicious peanut butter/applesauce/banana grain-less muffins that are the current lunch favorite for my kids...i will have to post the recipe...easy and nutritious....some gluten free bread...and the most yummy potato corn chowder!

toby (my husband) and i have been doing the p90x, we are on week 5...anyways, the trainer on the dvd's mentioned vegan potato corn chowder....and, well, i couldn't get it out of my mind...so i made it....the only problem is toby....he hates soups. this is completely unacceptable to me. i find soups to be superior nutritionally to most foods (unless it comes in a can) and it's warm goodness when the temperature outside is -40, like it was today. so i told him to get over it (which he did). this is what i did to make my soup (which is almost completely gone)

Potato Corn Chowder1 large red potato (i still have some from the summer, you can use whatever is your favorite)
2T of oil...olive, coconut...i used soy free earth balance
1 medium onion
1/2 a red pepper (or more if you like)
1 celery stalk
1 medium carrot
1 garlic clove (i press my through a garlic press)
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 couple of bay leaves
1 can of corn
2 cups of coconut milk (so Delicious)
1 can of coconut milk (this is the creamier kind, i used this)
1/4 c of quinoa flour (you can use arrowroot, tapioca flour, or potato starch, if gluten isn't an issue, you can add flour)
salt and pepper to taste

saute your onions over medium heat with 1T of oil (i cut my onion in small cubes, try to cut all ingredients in uniform pieces so that they cook the same and look pretty :) at the same time, add the fresh thyme and bay leaves so that their flavor starts spreading (the smell will be simply lovely)once onions are soft and getting translucent add cut up celery and peppers, add your thinly slice carrots (i use a mandolin to slice them small) add the rest of the oil, as needed....then add your canned milk and and reg. milk followed by your corn and cubes of potato...bring pot to boil.... in a small cup add 1/4 c of quinoa flour and grab some coconut milk to add to the flour till a paste forms....this is to thicken the soup (also adds a lot of nutrition!) once the potatoes are cooked, let the soup simmer...slowly add the quinoa flour paste and whisk gently....add salt and pepper to your liking....the best thing a bout using coconut milk is that its sweet so it blends perfectly with some salt and pepper...bringing a glorious amount of flavor!!!! garnish with chopped left over peppers and chopped up jalapenos and a touch of daiya cheese, if you have it....

enjoy!





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