PALEO HEMP HEART SEED COOKIES

Ready for sampling

I was looking this morning at the big bag of hemp heart seeds in the fridge and thought I need to use these hemp hearts more frequently. I added a tablespoon to my breakfast yogurt this morning. The second brilliant idea was to make cookies. These cookies are filling, not too sweet and versatile if you want to add raisins or chocolate chips to them. I didn't add any extra ingredients.

In making these cookies I used honey and softened it by warming it in the microwave. I used cassava flour and added 2 tablespoons of almond flour after I mixed all of the ingredients in order to stiffen the batter. I chopped whole almonds in a small food food chopper and tried to not over chop them and make them too fine. I baked the cookies for 10 minutes using convection heat. Because I like smaller cookies, I made 15 cookies. These cookies are delicious and I will keep them on my list as cookies to be made often. 

Cookies cooling on a rack.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup hemp seed
1/2 cup cassava flour or almond flour; additional 1 to 2 tbsp if required
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup slivered or chopped almonds
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
1 egg, slightly beaten

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium size bowl mix all of the dry ingredients. Add the coconut oil, honey and egg. Combine well. If the batter needs a slight thickening, add one to two tablespoons of almond or cassava flour.

Using a medium size cookie dough scooper or your fingers, shape about 1.5 tablespoons of dough into a ball and place on the cookie sheet. Slightly flatten with your fingers. Leave a little bit of space between each cookie on the baking sheet.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown. Makes 12 to 15 cookies.

Recipe adapted from irenamacri.com

PALEO PLUM CRISP

Plum crisp just out of the oven and cooling.

Having bought a large tub of regular size red burgundy plums at Costco (about 12 to 14 in the tub) I realized that they were going to get soft quickly. Most were stored in the fridge and after eating the four juicy plums left in the fruit basket on the counter, I was thinking that the ones stored in the fridge would likely be soft. After eating about a quarter of a plum from the fridge, my assumptions were correct. The options to consume the eight and 3/4 remaining plums were to either bake with them, stew them or freeze them (a good fall back option). I decided to bake them and make a crisp. The oven was already on as I was roasting a chicken. I baked the crisp in two dishes, a small white ramekin and a glass dish. I used chopped walnuts in the topping. I also did not peel the plums. After cutting the plums up, there was so much juice I had to drain off some of the juice.

The crisp recipe I used was my standard one used to make cherry, rhubarb or apple crisp. A crisp is a crisp and the topping can be used with any kind of fruit. I like to enjoy crisp not only as a dessert but also for breakfast. I add the crisp like a topping to a small bowl of plain greek yogurt instead of adding granola. 

Plums mixed with ingredients in the bowl.

Fruit placed in a small ramekin, topping added and then baked.

The second dish was made in a larger baking dish. Fruit placed in a glass baking dish, followed by the crisp. Crisp was then baked.

INGREDIENTS:

Fruit:

8 medium to large size plums, pitted and sliced into chunks
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp sugar or stevia
2 tbsp arrowroot powder or minute tapioca

Topping:
1/2 cup slivered almonds or chopped pecans or chopped walnuts
3/4 cup almond flour
2 tbsp coconut flour
1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup coconut oil (at room temperature) or butter

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, add the fruit, lemon juice, sugar and arrowroot powder and mix well. In a separate bowl, mix together all of the topping except the coconut oil or butter. Add the oil or butter and mix using a fork or pastry blender so that it forms into crumbs or clumps. Using honey will make it more like clumps.

Grease with oil or butter a medium size baking pan. Add the fruit mixture, spread it evenly across the pan and add the topping to cover the fruit. Bake for at least 30 minutes or until it is bubbling and the topping has browned. Serves 6 to 8 depending on appetites.  

BROCCOLI BITES

Dipping sauce spread on the broccoli bites

During the summer there is an abundance of fresh vegetables and sometimes I have lots of vegetables to eat from the garden and also from buying at markets. It can be more vegetables than ability to consume them in a timely manner. Such was the case with a bag of broccoli that I purchased from the local market. The florets stored in the fridge were starting to age. Making these broccoli bites uses two cups of florets and we ate more broccoli in these bites than what we would have consumed if I had just steamed or sautéed them as a side dish. I served these bites along with a green salad for supper.

The broccoli bites are from a recipe by Steven Gundry. I have his Plant Paradox cookbook and it has lots of ideas for using vegetables. He calls this recipe broccoli puffs as it reminds him of tater tots. I didn't shape the bites to look like perfect puffs as I didn't want to shape them with my fingers and used instead a cookie dough scoop to assist me getting the mixture out of the bowl. Once released from the cookie dough scoop onto the baking sheet, I used a spatula to help shape the mixture into small logs. This recipe makes a generous 20 bites. 

Both the DH and I enjoyed the broccoli bites and I served them with a dipping sauce made from mixing a small amount of avocado mayonnaise with sweet red chili sauce. You could also serve them with salsa, guacamole or hot sauce.

My non-perfect shaped bites

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups of broccoli florets, steamed
1 egg
1/2 onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup cassava flour (the recipe called for 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup almond flour
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp liquid honey
1 -2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
1/4 cup grated parmigiana cheese or nutritional yeast

Points to Note:
I used a generous 2 cups of steamed broccoli as I wanted to use all of the florets. I used 1/4 cup cassava flour instead of 1/2 cup and I don't think it made a difference.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with either parchment paper or a teflon baking sheet.

2. In a food processor, fitted with an S blade, pulse all of the ingredients until well blended but still has some texture to it. You need to not over mix the ingredients because you don't want it to turn to mush. It needs to retain some bulk. If you use a blender or high powered food processor, be careful to not over blend it.

I used a manual food processor instead of a high powered machine. I have a food processor/chopper from Pampered Chef that is easy to use and has less parts to wash up. It reminds me of a lawn mower as you need to pull on the cord to make the chopper whirl around.

3. Scoop out about one tablespoon of the mixture and shape with your fingers to form a small log. I used a cookie dough scooper to get the mixture out of the bowl. Once I released the scooper onto the cookie sheet, I used a spatula to help form the log. Evenly space out the bites on the baking sheet. 

4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Makes about 20 bites. Serve from the oven while hot.

Adapted from The Plant Paradox Cookbook by Steven Gundry

CHOCOLATE SESAME TAHINI COOKIES

Nice and moist on the inside.

Cookies cooling on the rack.

I have a recipe for chocolate sesame tahini cookies that I have made several times. It is paleo and you could make it vegan by substituting the egg for a flax egg. I found the recipe on a blog site by PaleOMG. I do like to read Juli Bauer and subscribe (its free) to receive her posts into my email inbox. Her blogs cover a variety of topics - from food to exercises to travel to fashion.

I did make a few changes to the original cookie recipe from paleOMG and provide them here. It is a satisfying cookie, you don't need to eat many to get full. The majority of the ingredients by volume is tahini and maple syrup. It reminds me of a peanut butter cookie as that kind of cookie consists mainly of peanut butter and sugar. 

This cookie is so good that it is one cookie that the DH will request and he even found where I stashed a few in the freezer in case I wanted to serve them to friends over the past holiday season.

Cooking Time: 15 to 17 minutes
Makes 16 to 18 cookies

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup tahini
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 egg
1 tbsp tapioca flour
1 tbsp coconut flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa 
pinch of salt (1/8 tsp of salt)
3 tbsp sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:

I use a food processor with a mixing blade to make these cookies. You could make them in a bowl by hand but I think you get a better blend using a food processor as you have to combine well the tahini and maple syrup to get a nice paste. 

Into a food processor using a mixing blade, add the tahini and maple syrup. Combine until it is well mixed. Add the egg and combine for about 20 to 30 seconds. Add the rest of the ingredients and combine for less than a minute until you have a smooth paste.  

Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using a cookie dough scooper, scoop out about 1.5 to 2 tablespoons of dough. I like to use the medium size cookie dough scooper (it is a 40 size marked on the inside of the scooper) as the cookies are not too large. Spread out the raw scoop cookie dough so that you have a little bit of space between the cookies. I don't flatten the scooped balls. 

Chill the uncooked cookies on the cookie sheet in your freezer or outside if it is cold enough, for about 12 minutes. Chilling the cookie dough before you bake it makes them spread out less and they are thicker. You can read more about some time trails that King Arthur flour did on comparing chill time for cookie dough. 

Place into a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for about 15 to 17 minutes. I used regular heat and did not use convection heat. After they are finished baking, let them sit on the pan for 10 plus minutes before transferring them to a baking rack to continue cooking. You don't want to transfer them too quickly to the baking rack as they need time to harden before handling.

CASSAVA CHEESY MINI BREAD ROLLS

Amongst the nutrition and recipe books collected on the years, we have the Plant Paradox and the Plant Paradox Cookbook. The DH has been interested in several recipes from both books and asked that I make this one. The recipe is modelled on a Brazilian cheesy bread Pao de Queijo. I have never tried this Brazilian bread but it looked delicious in the cookbook. The recipe has six ingredients and is based on cassava flour. I weighed the amount of cassava flour versus using a measuring cup. To create the cheese flavour you can use either Parmigiano cheese or nutritional yeast. You can make the recipe vegan if you use flax eggs. I used one and a quarter cups of Parmaigiano cheese. One cup would have been sufficient. 


The directions to make the dough requires a bit of mixing and calls for a stand mixer or a food processor that has a paddle. If I had to mix this recipe by hand, it would require 10 to 15 minutes of vigorous beating by hand. Personally I find using a stand mixer much easer. Be prepared for an irresistible cheesy bread aroma wafting from the oven while the bread rolls bake. I used a one and three-quarter inch cookie dough scooper to scoop the dough out of the bowl and bake them into small balls. If you use a tablespoon or a small ice cream scooper, you may need to dip the utensil into a bowl of water between scoops to keep the dough from sticking. The dough didn't stick using a cookie dough scooper. Cassava flour when baked is not the same as wheat flour. It is more moist inside and not as dry as wheat bread roll. The bread rolls taste good and the DH likes them. Next time I make them I would add a bit of dried dill or basil to the dough batter.

Dough cooling in the saucepan.

Eggs being added to the dough.

All ingredients have been added and mixed and now ready to be scooped onto the baking sheets.

Scooped onto the parchment paper.

Cooling off on a rack.

Close up.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup of milk or almond or coconut milk
1/2 cup avocado oil
1 tsp salt
10 ounces (about 2 cups) cassava flour
2 large eggs or vegan eggs
1 to 1.5 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or 1 cup nutritional yeast

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. You will need to use two baking sheets so you may have to adjust your racks to fit both in the oven at the same time.

2. Line the two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

3. Into a medium size saucepan, add the milk, oil and salt. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a mixing spoon. Remove from the burner when big bubbles start to appear as the mixture is starting to boil.

4. Add the cassava flour to the saucepan and stir with a mixing spoon until it is well combined and it looks like dough. Let it sit for a few minutes so that it starts to cool off.

5. Transfer the dough into a bowl of a standup mix (eg mixmaster) fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat the dough for a few minutes on medium speed until it appears smooth and it cool enough to handle. 

6. Keeping the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs into the cooled mixture one at a time. Wait until the first egg is incorporated into the batter before adding the second. You will need to stop the mixer from time to time to scrape down the dough on the sides of the mixing bowl. Mix for a minute to two minutes.

7. If using cheese, beat it in on medium speed and make sure it is incorporated through the dough. You may have to scrape down the sides of the bowl if the dough is sticking to the sides. The dough will be soft and stretchy and a bit sticky.

8. Using a cookie scooper or another favourite scooper, scoop the dough out of the bowl and place onto the parchment paper. The dough will rise a little bit while baking so space out the scoops between the two baking sheets.  

9. Place the baking sheets in the oven and reduce the heat to 350 degrees F. Bake for 15 minutes, then rotate the baking sheets. Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes until the buns are golden. Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes before serving or sampling. Makes 24 to 28 buns. 

Adapted from the Plant Paradox Cookbook by Steven Gundry.

HEALTHY STYLE VEGAN PALEO CINNAMON BUNS

We sometimes have choices on a Friday afternoon and instead of curling up with a book or taking a nap, I decided to make these healthier cinnamon buns. They are classified as vegan and paleo and are a bit different than the gigantic, buttery, sticky and gooey cinnamon buns seen in many coffee spots. What makes them different besides being smaller in size is that they are made with almond and tapioca flours, small amount of coconut sugar, two tablespoons of coconut oil, two flax eggs instead of chicken eggs and some chopped pecans.  

I found this recipe on the blog site for 24 Carrot Kitchen . This site has wonderful recipes. This link provides good instructions for making these cinnamon buns. My photos show the progression in making the buns. The DH and I both liked the taste of these buns and would definitely make them again. 

I have a few comments on the ingredients and directions:

1. To make one flax egg, you mix one tablespoon of ground flax seed with three tablespoons of water in a small cup. Let it sit for 10 minutes to thicken. The ingredients call for two flax eggs, so just double the amounts. 
2. I used bullet proof coconut oil and didn't melt coconut oil. I used one tablespoon in the batter and one tablespoon basted on top of the rolled out dough.
3. The directions call for adding vanilla extract to both the batter and to the coconut sugar mixture on the rolled out dough. I just added vanilla extract to the batter as it didn't make sense to mix vanilla extract with the coconut sugar, salt and cinnamon that is sprinkled onto the rolled out dough.
4. Once the rolled out dough has everything added to it, eg, the coconut oil, coconut sugar mixture, maple syrup and pecans, you need to roll it up to make it into a tube. You use the parchment paper that the rolled out dough is lying on to help you roll it. It is very similar to when you make sushi and you use the sushi mat to help you roll up all of the ingredients lying on the big sheet of nori seaweed.  
5. I made 13 cuts into the rolled up dough. The recipe called for eight cuts. I like to make cookies and other treats smaller in size. I also did not want large cinnamon buns. As with making sushi, the ends never look pretty. 
6. I made a smaller amount of glaze and used icing sugar. I used four tablespoons of icing sugar and about two teaspoons of almond milk. Even that was more than what was needed. 

Dough rolled out.

Coconut mixture sprinkled onto the dough.

Maple syrup and pecans added. 

Rolled up similar to making sushi.

Sliced into 13 pieces.

Ready to bake.

Icing glaze added and ready to sample.

PALEO RAISIN COCONUT COOKIES

These cookies are very similar to oatmeal cookies without the oatmeal. I like this recipe as they have raisins and coconut. In some ways they are similar to Dad's cookies. I adapted this recipe from 'Against all Grain' by Danielle Walker. The cookies do not have many ingredients and are based on almond flour and coconut flour. What I also like about these cookies is that they are low in sugar. Of course raisins add to the sweetness. 

I used a small dough cookie scooper and made 24 small cookies. You can use a larger spoon or scooper to make a larger cookie. I used Crisco for vegetable shortening but you could use butter or coconut oil. To get an egg to room temperature, I let it sit on the counter for 15 minutes. You could go longer than that. Since I used creamed honey, I heated the required amount in the microwave for 20 seconds to soften it up. I forgot to add the flaxseed in my haste of mixing the dry ingredients. I didn't notice any difference. I used an apple spice mixture instead of regular nutmeg and liked the taste.  

A friend was visiting after the cookies came out of the oven and the cookies got the thumbs up from everyone.

I used a mixmaster to make these cookies. 

Small scooper used to make 24 cookies.

After the cookies are flattened using parchment paper + the back of a spoon.

Cooling on a rack.

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup shortening, soften
1 large egg, room temperature
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla

1 cup almond flour
2 tbsp coconut flour
4 tsp cinnamon 
3/4 tsp nutmeg OR apple pie spice
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tsp ground flaxseed

3/4 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup raisins

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Either using a mixmaster or an electric hand mixer, placed the shortening and egg in a bowl and cream them together for one minute. Add the honey and vanilla and mix for another minute or so until creamy. 

In a separate medium size bowl, mix together the flours, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, salt and flaxseed. Stir to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix for a minute or until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for another 30 seconds to one minute. Add the coconut and raisins and combine for another minute.

Line a large baking/cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using a dough scooper or spoon, drop balls of dough the size of a small golf ball onto the parchment paper with a little bit of spacing between each spoonful. Using a small piece of parchment paper, place the paper over the cookie and gently press down using the back of a spoon. They should be about 1/4 inch thick. 

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the edges are brown. Let them cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to baking rack to cool. Makes 12 to 24 cookies.

BLUEBERRY LEMON PALEO MUFFINS

In thinking about making muffins today, I thought about the various flours I use in cooking and baking. I have a variety of flours on hand and most of them I keep in the fridge. I did wonder about coconut flour as I have been keeping coconut flour in the fridge and was curious if it was necessary. From reading various posts on the internet I will keep it in the fridge. I buy a big bag of almond flour from Costco and have kept that in a cupboard where I keep dry goods. I use it fairly frequently and it is kept in quite a sturdy bag. For now I have decided to keep it in the cupboard which is a dark and located in a cool spot. 

With all of the fresh blueberries available it is an opportune time to make blueberry muffins. This recipe from paleorunningmomma included ingredients I had on hand so I decided to make it.  I made a few modifications to the original recipe. I used coconut milk in the cartoon as it is more handy and I don't cook enough with canned coconut milk to warrant having leftovers in the fridge. If you use canned coconut milk, shake the can really well before opening it. I also used liquid coconut oil instead of melting coconut oil. I do have coconut oil in the plastic container but decided to use some of the MCT oil I have on hand. The directions call for using a hand mixer or other mixing gadgets. You can make these muffins without a hand mixer and using a whisk will work just as well. For a muffin tin I like to use one made with silicon as it doesn't require muffin tin paper liners. 

Messy silicon muffin tin that I used to make the muffins.

Muffins cooling in the pan.

Ready for sampling.

INGREDIENTS:

4 large eggs
1/2 cup full fat canned coconut milk or coconut milk in the cartoon
6 tbsp honey, maple syrup or stevia
3 tbsp coconut oil, melted and cooled
1/4 cup lemon juice
zest from a small lemon (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt

3/4 -1 cup of fresh blueberries (can use frozen blueberries that are thawed)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. If using a metal or non-stick muffin tin, line the cups with muffin tin paper liners. 

In a large bowl that can accommodate a hand mixer or using a mixmaster (I used a mixmaster in mixing these muffins), add the eggs and blend them until they are mixed. Add the coconut milk, honey or other sweetener, coconut oil, lemon juice, zest and vanilla extract to the bowl with the beaten eggs and mix well. 

In a separate medium size bowl, add all of the dry ingredients and mix well. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients using low speed until combined. The batter will be thick because of the coconut and tapioca flours. Add the blueberries and fold into the batter using a mixing spoon. 

Using a large spoon, add the batter to each of the lined muffin cups filling it to about 3/4 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. I had the oven on convection and took the muffins out after 20 minutes. Let the muffins cool in the muffin tin for about five minutes and then remove each muffin and transfer them to a cooling rack. Store in the fridge for three to four days and freeze any leftovers. Makes 12 muffins.

Adapted from paleorunningmomma.com

PALEO UPSIDE DOWN RHUBARB CAKE

With two healthy rhubarb plants in the garden, I decided to make a big dent in the stalks that were ready to be eaten and pulled out many stalks this morning. I pulled out enough that I had 11 cups of chopped rhubarb. I froze four bags each with two cups of chopped rhubarb and used the last three cups to make a cake. 

Three years ago I posted a recipe for upside down rhubarb cake. It is still a great recipe and I decided to update it to make it paleo. This is a favourite recipe of the DH (he has many favourites) and he asked if I would make it again. The change that I made was to make a paleo cake batter. I used a coffee cake recipe with a few small modifications from paleorunningmomma.com and the same rhubarb topping and directions from my original posted recipe. In the original post I also made subsequent upside down cakes and used other fruit besides rhubarb. 

In a number of coffee cake recipes, cinnamon is used and I decided to add cinnamon but in less quantity. I also wanted to use a white based sugar versus maple syrup or sugar or coconut sugar that many paleo cakes use as I didn't want the batter to be too dark. I used stevia to sweeten the batter and the rhubarb topping. 

Cake pan greased with butter and then sugar added.

Rhubarb topping placed over the sugar lined cake pan and then added the batter.

Out of the oven and cooling.

Inverted into a large glass quiche plate 

Ready to sample.

INGREDIENTS:

Topping:
3 cups rhubarb, chopped
1/4 cup strawberry or raspberry jam
1/4 cup sugar 
1 tbsp soft butter 

Batter:
2 cups ground almond flour
1/4 cup arrowroot flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon 
1/4 tsp salt

3 eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup coconut or almond milk
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp coconut oil, melted and room temperature 
2/3 cup sugar, eg stevia or coconut, or maple sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract


DIRECTIONS:

Slice the rhubarb into small pieces. Place in a medium-size bowl.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously coat the bottom and side of a 9-inch round cake pan or a 10-inch deep-dish pie plate with 1 tbsp butter. 

Place jam in a small bowl and microwave for 25 to 30 seconds, until melted. Pour the jam over the rhubarb and stir to evenly coat. Evenly sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over the bottom of the cake pan or pie plate. Spoon rhubarb mixture over the sugar and evenly spread it out.

In a medium bowl, combine the almond flour, arrowroot flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and then add the milk, lemon juice, coconut oil, sugar and vanilla extract. Using a whisk or a mixing spoon combine well. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well using a spatula or mixing spoon.

Spoon the batter over the rhubarb mixture in the cake pan and evenly spread the batter around. The batter will be thick. Bake in the oven for 28 to 30 minutes and cook until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out dry. If the cake batter is browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil for the last five or so minutes. 

Cool the cake in the pan on a rack. Run a knife around edge of cake. Invert onto a large cake plate. It is best to wait until the cake cools down before you flip it onto a plate as you want the fruit topping to solidify. Serves 8 to 10 depending on serving sizes.

Cake batter adapted from paleorunningmomma.com

RHUBARB STRAWBERRY PALEO CRISP

Two healthy rhubarb plants are thriving in the garden. I picked quite a bit the other day and froze a bag with four cups of chopped rhubarb, gave some to a friend and used another four cups to make a crisp. I like rhubarb mixed with strawberries. As it is hot outside and not wanting to heat up the kitchen, I cooked the rhubarb on the bbq. I use the top rack above the burners so that the bottom doesn't burn before the crisp is cooked. If you don't have a top rack or what some call a warming rack, you can cook the crisp on the main grill with a few burners turned on and the crisp off to the side without the burner turned on right under the pan with the crisp. Last year I made several pies on the top rack and they turned out well. If the topping is browning too fast on the bbq, cover the pan with tin foil while the fruit cooks. I covered it after about 20 minutes of cooking.

I used honey in the topping and as it was more clumpy versus crumbly, I used my fingers to drop small clumps onto the fruit mixture. The crisp cooked for 50 minutes on the bbq and I had the temperature at about 400 degrees F. 

The consistency of the topping using honey.

Adding the topping to the fruit.

Ready for the bbq.

Cooking on the top rack.

Ready for sampling.

INGREDIENTS:

Fruit:

4 cups chopped rhubarb
2 cups sliced strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1 tbsp lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar or stevia (stevia for baking)
2 tbsp arrowroot powder or minute tapioca

Topping:
1/2 cup slivered almonds or chopped pecans
3/4 cup almond flour
2 tbsp coconut flour
1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup coconut oil (at room temperature) or butter

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, add the fruit, lemon juice, sugar and arrowroot powder and mix well. In a separate bowl, mix together all of the topping except the coconut oil or butter. Add the oil or butter and mix using a fork or pastry blender so that it forms into crumbs or clumps. Using honey will make it form more like clumps. 

Grease with oil or butter a medium size baking pan. Add the fruit mixture, spread it evenly across the pan and add the topping to cover the fruit. Bake for at least 30 minutes or until it is bubbling and the topping has browned. Serves 6 to 8.  

PALEO POPPY SEED LEMON LOAF

Recently I bought a cookbook called "The Plant Paradox" by Steven Gundry. It has a number of interesting recipes. All of the recipes are gut friendly and lectin-free. The cookbook includes some great looking food and includes a variety of different foods. This recipe is from the cookbook.

This poppy seed loaf looked good and the DH asked if I would make this recipe. One ingredient that I hadn't used before is erythritol. It is a natural sweetener and doesn't spike your blood sugar. You can bake with it. It is sometimes sold under the brand name Swerve. I bought the sweetener just as erythritol and found it at the local health food store. Instead of using a loaf pan I used a round cake pan. For the lemon juice and zest I did something a bit different. Last fall I had a large bag of lemons which were not getting used and I didn't want to let them spoil. I grated the lemons to get the zest and combined the zest with the pulp of the lemons in the food processor. I pureed it and froze the mixture in ice cube trays. Once they froze I transferred them to a freezer bag. I have been using these frozen lemon cubes in recipes that call for juice and zest.

The loaf turned out fine and tastes good. Using almond flour and coconut flour creates a different texture to the loaf than using wheat flour but it holds together and is a good alternative to wheat flour.

Batter in the cake pan ready to go into the oven.

Just out of the oven.

Ready to sample.

Another angle to see the loaf slice.

INGREDIENTS:

1.5 cups almond flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

3 eggs
1/2 cup erythritol or Swerve (brand name)
1/4 cup avocado oil
juice from 3 lemons
zest of 2 lemons
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp poppy seeds

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
3. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flours, salt and soda.
4. In a separate smaller bowl, whisk the eggs and then add the erythritol, lemon juice and zest, coconut milk and vanilla extract. Whisk the wet ingredients and combine well.
5. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and combine well.  Fold in the poppy seeds. 
6. Transfer to the lined loaf pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
7. Let cool for a few minutes before removing the loaf to a cooling rack. It can be served warm or at room temperature. Makes 6 to 8 servings.