Chocolate Peppermint Bark

The Holidays are upon us!

I take the start of this season as a cue to eat a lot of chocolate. Here's a recipe for a delicious chocolate treat! 

Chocolate Peppermint Bark

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

1/8 cup raw honey

1/8 cup unsweetened pure cocoa powder

1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut 

Mix everything together, saving the shredded coconut for last. It is helpful to warm the coconut oil before mixing it in.

Line a baking sheet or pan with foil or parchment paper and pour in the chocolate mixture. Pop in the fridge for 10 minutes and break into small pieces. Store in the freezer.

This bark absolutely melts in your mouth and is dangerously addicting.

This recipe comes from this fellow grain-free blog. 

Peanut Butter Cookies

Here is my recipe for peanut butter cookies! As always, it is grain-free and uses honey instead of refined sugar.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup all-natural crunchy peanut butter

1/3 cup raw honey

1 egg

1/2 cup almond meal/flour

1 cup coconut flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

a pinch of sea salt

Warm the coconut oil and combine together with the peanut butter and honey. Whisk in the egg. In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients and fold them into the wet ingredients. Form little, one inch balls and place them on a prepared cookie sheet. Dip a fork in some almond flour and criss-cross the cookies. Bake for 8 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Delicata Squash

Last week my mom was raving about a kind of squash she had just discovered, delicata squash. I decided to give it a try and absolutely loved it! Delicata squash has a nice, mild flavor and is very easy to cook. 

To cook the squash, cut in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Place face down in a baking pan and add water a depth of 1/4 inch. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until it can be pierced with a fork. 

To make the filling, saute a handfull of chopped walnuts in one tablespoon of butter until they are fragrant and sizzling. Add some raisins and fill the center of the squash. 

If you're feeling adventurous, you can even eat the skin of the squash!

Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins

Today may be one of the best days of the year. 

Happy Daylight Savings Ends Day!

After those few seconds of confusion upon waking and noticing discrepancies between your phone and your clock (if you forget to change it, like me), there is nothing sweeter than the realization that Ben Franklin has given you an extra hour of sleep. 

But I was too excited to sleep, so I crept out of bed and made these muffins. They're a great way to start a cozy fall day.

For the muffins, you'll need:

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup cream cheese

3 eggs

1/2 cup pumpkin

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon all spice

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

a pinch of sea salt

1/4 coconut flour

2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

To start, melt the butter and cream cheese and whisk them together. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and stir in the vanilla, pumpkin, spices, and sea salt. Mix in the butter and cream cheese mixture until smooth. Fold in the coconut flour and chocolate chunks. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes in a prepared muffin tin.

These muffins are great with some butter or honey on top.

What will you do with your bonus hour today?

scb

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Here is a grainless recipe for the classic autumn dessert! To make these sugar-free cookies even sweeter, I like to add a honey glaze on top. 

For the cookies:

1 1/2 cups almond flour

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon all spice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup pumpkin

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons raw honey

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

For the honey glaze:

1 tablespoon raw honey

1/8 cup milk

dash of cinnamon

Mix together the dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls. Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients. Drop tablespoon-size balls of dough onto a prepared cookie sheet. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes at 350 degrees F. 

Meanwhile, whisk together the ingredients for the honey glaze. When the cookies have cooled completely, drizzle the glaze on top and serve. 

The cookies can be kept in an air-tight container for up to one week without the glaze. 

Happy Halloween!

scb

Brussels Sprouts with Cinnamon

I will never forget the first time I ate brussels sprouts. I absolutely loved the little green vegetables my Dutch host mom had made, but I had no idea what they were. When I asked, my host dad began translating "spruitjes" to English. After some confusion and much laughter, we landed on "brussels sprouts". I was so surprised that I was eating brussels sprouts- and enjoying them! 

Now, brussels sprouts are one of my favorite winter vegetables. To me, they are a comfort food and bring back so many memories of my Dutch family! Plus, they are exceptionally nutritious and are a perfect side dish for so many meals.

 I've tried to make them just the way my host mom always did: simply steamed and sprinkled with cinnamon! 

To make, steam the brussels sprouts over boiling water for 10 minutes, or until they are tender in the middle. Add a dash of cinnamon on top and serve. Although cinnamon and brussels sprouts seem to be an odd combination,  it is quite tasty. The cinnamon brings out the flavor of the sprouts and gives them a little sweetness. 

Eet smakelijk!

Cashew Waffles

Life without waffles is no life at all.

With that in mind, let me share with you a great recipe for grain-free waffles that are also sugar-free!

Here's what you'll need to make 8 delicious waffles:

1 cup raw cashews

3 eggs

1/3 cup milk (any kind you prefer-almond, coconut, dairy, etc.)

3 tablespoons warm coconut oil

3 tablespoons raw honey

3 tablespoons almond flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

a pinch of sea salt

Start by grinding the cashews in a food processor. They should be as tiny as possible. Then, mix the cashews, eggs, milk, coconut oil, and honey in a blender. 

Meanwhile, stir the flour, salt, and baking soda together in a small bowl. Add this mixture to the blender and pulse until it looks like a nice batter. 

You're ready for the waffle iron!

Depending on your waffle iron, you may want to add a little oil before pouring on the batter.

A word of caution: I found that the batter expands way more than I expected, so just use a little at first!

The waffles are done when they no longer stick to the waffle iron and are a nice light brown color. The nuts will cause them to turn out a little bit darker than those made with grain flour. 

And though technically a breakfast food, feel free to enjoy these guys at any and every meal. 

This recipe is adapted from this blog.

Chocolate Pudding

I know what you're thinking. These cannot be ingredients for chocolate pudding...or at least for tasty chocolate pudding.

. 

Oh, but they are! 

I wanted to make a dessert for my mother which is easier said than done. She's currently grain, fruit, and sugar-free. That sure narrows down the options! Happily, I came upon this recipe from this blog. 

Here's all you need to make some amazingly gooey and yummy pudding:

2 avocados, peeled and smashed

1/4 cup coconut oil

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1/3 cup raw honey

1 tablespoon vanilla

a pinch of sea salt

Chop and melt the chocolate. It's also a good idea to warm up the coconut oil just a little so that it blends more easily. I put it in the microwave for ten seconds. 

Throw all the ingredients into a blender and let it whirl!

 If your diet permits, it's really good with whipped cream on top...

This is something that will be enjoyed by grain and sugar-eaters alike. My whole family loved it-especially my mom who hadn't had any dessert in weeks!