Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Extra Fluffy Coconut Flour Blueberry Pancakes

I made these pancakes for breakfast the other day they turned out great but of course  I forgot to take a photo. Guess I will have to make them again.
Yield: 8-10 large fluffy pancakes.
Ingredients
  • 5 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup of milk + 2 Tbsp (dairy or nondairy- any variety)
  • 1/4 cup oil or melted butter (dairy or nondairy)
  • 1/4 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar to taste (any variety. For Sugar Free use Xylitol or Erithritol)
  • 1/8 tsp. Salt
  • 1/2 packed cup coconut flour
  • 1/2 packed cup of Starch (potato starch or tapioca starch or a mix of the two)
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract 
  • 1 Tbsp Baking Powder
  • 1 cup (or more) of Fresh or Frozen Blueberries.
Instructions
  1. Pour the eggs, milk and oil into a blender and process on high until light and fluffy. Add in the remaining ingredients except for the baking powder and blueberries and process until smooth. Add the baking powder and process one last time.
  2. Stir in the blueberries. (Or you can just plop a few into each pancake as you make them).
  3. Lightly oil a nonstick frying pan. Pour the batter in and gently tap the pan so the batter spreads. Cook for roughly 2 minutes on medium/low heat. Flip and cook roughly one minute on the second side.
  4. Re-oil the pan with each new batch. Be cautious not to turn the heat up too high as the bottoms will burn before the inside has enough time to cook which would prevent you from getting a good clean flip.
Notes
Feel free to leave out the blueberries and add a little extra vanilla extract if you would like plain pancakes. Any other berry, fruit or chocolate chips can also be used.

Monday, June 20, 2016

Cauliflower, Leek, Bacon Soup

Cauliflower is such a great substitute for potatoes when you are trying to reduce your carbohydrates low.  

Ingredients
5 slices bacon
2 large leeks, chopped and cleaned
1 head cauliflower, roughly chopped
4 cups chicken stock/vegetable stock
½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Place bacon in a large saucepan cook until crispy and browned on both sides. Remove bacon, leaving the fat in the pan, roughly chop and set it aside. Add leeks to pot and sauté together in the fat until lightly golden
2. Stir in cauliflower and cook for another 2-3 minutes before adding the chicken stock.   Bring mixture to a boil and then immediately reduce to simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes, until cauliflower starts to soften.
3. Add most of the bacon and parsley back into the soup, reserving a little for garnishing. Purée until smooth.  Add salt and pepper, adjusted to taste.

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

No Bake Energy Bites

It s very important to fuel your body post exercise and with a myriad of options out there you may not know where to start. Below are some suggestions on how to get yourself started.

THE CORE INGREDIENTS

The body. This is basically the core ingredient.  Mostly these are dry ingredients.Think Oats, Quinoa, puffed, Amaranth, cooked, toasted, Coconut, Ground flaxseed, Whole wheat flour, Gluten free flour, Cocoa powder, Protein powder.

The glue. This is what keeps everything together in a shapely ball. You’re looking for wet/ sticky ingredients.  Think Blended nuts or seeds (almonds, cashews, walnuts, macadamia), Nut or seed butters (peanut, cashew, almond, pumpkin seed, tahini, sunflower seed), Coconut oil, Coconut butter, Avocado, Banana, Cooked kumara.

THE OPTIONAL (BUT TASTY EXTRAS)
Burst of flavor. To give your energy balls a burst of flavour. Think Chocolate chips, Carob chips
Raisins, Chopped dates/ figs, Dried cranberries, Goji berries, Dried apricots, Dried mango, Other dried fruit

Sweetener. Depending on how sweet you like your treats you can add something extra to sweeten your balls. Think honey, maple syrup, molasses, or agave nectar. If you’ve added sweet fruit such as cranberries or dates, you might need less sweetener. 

Flavour. Add an extra layer of flavour to the recipe. This brings out the sweetness, without actually adding extra calories. Think Cinnamon, Vanilla, Almond extract, Nutmeg, Allspice

Health boost. This is a great opportunity to add some healthy extras you can make your energy bite to a nutrient-packed powerhouse. Where the other ingredients are about adding protein, healthy fats and complex carbs, this step is all about adding extra micronutrients – vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and other goodies.  Think Green powders, Carob powder, Maca powder, Acai powder, Goji berries, Ground flax seeds, Chia seeds.

THE BASIC RECIPE
Ingredients
2 – 2 ½ cups core ingredients
½ cup nuts or nut butter
½ cup dried fruit (or chocolate chips)
1/3 cup sweetener (optional)
½ – 1 tsp flavor enhancer
1 – 2 tbs health booster

This is just a starting point. You can be more adventurous and change things up a lot more. Just keep the consistency of the mixture in mind, as you want it to hold together when you roll it into tasty balls! If you prefer your bites more sticky, be careful with how much extra “glue” you add, as these ingredients tend to be heavier on the calories.

Instructions
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl until thoroughly combined.
Allow mixture to cool in the refrigerator for 15 – 30 minutes.
Once chilled, roll into balls!