Baked Goods

Coconut Flour Pancakes

June 10, 2021 by KimiHarris 3 Comments

These grain-free coconut flour pancakes are moist, have a great crumb, and are delicious and family-friendly. I love them topped with berries. Delicious! They work well for those on grain or gluten-free diets, or for those eating keto or THM (they are an “S” meal).

Coconut flour recipes can end up dry, with a poor crumb. How do you fix that? You should pair coconut flour with high-fat ingredients. In this case, butter and coconut milk (or you could use cream, sour cream,or whole milk Greek yogurt). This keeps your pancakes moist and tender instead of dry.

Tips:

You can cook this in whatever pan you have, but I especially like to use my large cast iron pans when making pancakes.
This would be lovely served on a Pancake Charcuterie Board.
Serving suggestions: Any typical pancake toppings work here. If you are keto or THM (S), Lakanto Powdered Sugar or is one option, a fresh berry sauce made with xylitol/stevia, and served with stevia-sweetened coconut whipped cream is another. I also enjoy it topped with unsweetened Greek yogurt and fresh berries.
For extra protein: serve with unsweetened nut or seed butters.
OR, make them into savory pancakes and top with a fried egg and bacon.

Coconut Flour Pancakes

3 eggs
¼ cup coconut milk (or cream, yogurt, sour cream)
¼ cup melted butter or coconut oil
¼ cup coconut flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Butter and coconut oil for pan

Directions:

1. In a medium-sized bowl, add the eggs and coconut milk, and whisk. If using butter, go ahead and whisk in as well. If using the coconut oil, wait until after you’ve added the dry ingredients, and then whisk in the melted coconut oil.

2. Add in the coconut flour and baking powder, whisk. Let sit for a few minutes. If the mixture is too thick, you can thin it with a little more liquid, but you want the mixture to be pretty thick, just not dry. Heat a pan over medium heat until warm. Add butter or coconut oil to the pan.

3.This recipe works best for small pancakes. I usually use about ¼ cup or less of batter per pancake. Add batter to the pan, and let cook until one side is browned and edges are starting to firm up. If the bottom is cooking too quickly, turn down the heat. Flip, and cook the second side (the second side will cook more quickly). Remove and repeat the process, adding more fat to the pan as needed.

Serve with desired toppings and enjoy!

Making a Beautiful Pancake Charcuterie Board

April 10, 2020 by KimiHarris 4 Comments

The quarantine life inspires creativity in the kitchen and the trend for pancake charcuterie boards is one of the finest examples I’ve seen. Also — one of the more delicious ideas out there. It’s a simple concept: load a board up with pancakes, and then put toppings and sides around it and allow everyone to serve themselves.

This would make a delicious Easter brunch idea, weekend meal, or a fun dinner for cooped up children.

I tried this out on my family, and it was a huge hit!

What do I like about it? For those of us struggling to get our pantries and fridges full of the basics because of the extreme shopping and unstocked grocery store shelves, this allows you to use whatever you have on hand. Toppings can include peanut or nut butter, jam, or honey, maple syrup, homemade syrup, berry syrup made from frozen berries, whipped cream with caramel sauce or chocolate syrup, fresh berries, and more!

Use what you have on hand, and enjoy. Like the perfect black dress, you can make this super fancy, or super simple. You can serve on whatever platter you have on hand, though I love using the traditional wooden serving board.

We made a version of this for our dinner the other night and this is what we did:

Caramelized applesauce (I had some apples that were going bad, so I needed to use them right away. We diced them, added lemon zest and lemon juice, sweetener, cinnamon, dried ginger, and a dash or two of salt. Poured a little water in and roasted it in an oven for an hour and a half at 350F in a Dutch oven, covered. AMAZING).
Fresh Blueberries
Pure Maple syrup
Sausage
Gluten-free Pancakes and Coconut Flour Pancakes
A simple strawberry syrup made from frozen sliced strawberries, and a little evaporated cane sugar and water (cook until syrupy in a pan).
We kept the pancakes warm in the oven, so we could serve them all at once.

Recipes to inspire your pancake charcuterie board:

Paleo Tigernut Waffles

April 4, 2019 by KimiHarris 2 Comments

These gently sweet waffles are not only grain and dairy free, but they are delicious! Tigernuts have been eaten for thousands of years and are not a nut, but actually a small tuber. They are a good source of prebiotic fiber and are also a grain-free carbohydrate. I created this recipe for a couple of reasons.

I temporarily am doing a grain-free diet again. I find that it helps reset my digestive system and gives me more energy (usually I eat gluten-free). Grain-free waffles are some of the fastest grain-free baked goods I can make myself and hence valuable to my time-strapped schedule.
I am also experimenting with adding prebiotic fiber into my diet as a way of increasing my microbiome health. Tiger nut flour happens to be a great source of it. You can read about the possible benefits of prebiotic fiber in the following three studies: Health Effects and Sources of Prebiotic Dietary Fiber, Fiber and Prebiotics: Mechanisms and Health Benefits, Dietary fiber and prebiotics and the gastrointestinal microbiota. Note: I’m not making any health claims about the following recipe, and I have just begun my own self-experimentation in adding prebiotic fiber.
When I’m eating a grain-free diet, I do have to be careful to add at least some carbs into my diet. If I go too low carb, I don’t feel well. However, I quickly get tired of sweet potatoes, so tigernut flour and cassava flour allows me to expand what I can eat.

Non-Toxic Waffle Iron?

Before I share the recipe, I also wanted to mention that I recently bought a new waffle iron, as we no longer owned one, and it has worked well for us! It has a nonstick ceramic surface and doesn’t contain PTFE or PFOA and so is considered a more non-toxic choice. I found that my gluten and grain-free waffles won’t brown well in it unless I turn the knob all the way to high, or nearly so. Waffles stick the least in this waffle iron of any I have tried. This picture was taken after making a batch of them! This is the (affiliate links following) waffle maker I bought. You could also check out the cast iron versions, like this one.

Notes on Ingredients and Recipe:

You can see the brands of tigernut and cassava flour I used by following the links.
If you used all tigernut flour in this recipe it would be very dense and fibrous, which is why I added another grain-free flour. Even with that, keep in mind that the high-fiber tigernut flour will make these waffles have a slightly more fibrous texture.

Paleo Tigernut Waffles

2 large eggs
½ cup water or milk of choice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ tigernut flour
½ cup cassava flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons coconut oil (plus more, as needed, for waffle pan)

Plug waffle iron in and start preheating.
Put the eggs, water or milk, and vanilla extract into a medium-sized bowl. Whisk.
Add the flours, salt, and baking powder.
If your coconut oil isn’t liquified, gently melt on the stovetop or in a cup in the microwave and add to bowl and whisk right away until smooth.
Brush pan with oil/melted fat of choice, as needed, and put about ½ cup (or amount appropriate for your waffle pan). Cook until done, and lightly browned.
Remove with fork, and repeat the process until done with batter.
Makes between 2-4 waffles, depending on how full you fill your pan, and how large your waffle pan is. I recommend a half waffle as a serving size since this is a very fiber-rich recipe (that said, I’ve definitely eaten a whole one for dinner!) You can also reheat in the toaster oven or toaster.

Print Friendly Recipe:

Paleo Tigernut Waffles

Ingredients

2 large eggs
½ cup water or milk of choice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ tigernut flour
½ cup cassava flour
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons coconut oil (plus more, as needed, for waffle pan)

Instructions

Plug waffle iron in and start preheating.
Put the eggs, water or milk, and vanilla extract into a medium-sized bowl. Whisk.
Add the flours, salt, and baking powder.
If your coconut oil isn’t liquified, gently melt on the stovetop or in a cup in the microwave and add to bowl and whisk right away until smooth.
Brush pan with oil/melted fat of choice, as needed, and put about ½ cup (or amount appropriate for your waffle pan). Cook until done, and lightly browned.
Remove with fork, and repeat the process until done with batter.
Makes between 2-4 waffles, depending on how full you fill your pan, and how large your waffle pan is. I recommend a half waffle as a serving size since this is a very fiber-rich recipe (that said, I’ve definitely eaten a whole one for dinner!) You can also reheat in the toaster oven or toaster.

Apple Pastila (A Honey-Sweetened Confection)

December 9, 2015 by Natalia Gill 4 Comments

By Natalia Gill, from An Appetite For Joy

Imagine the bold, pure taste of apple presented in a wafer-like crisp. Apple pastila, the latest gift idea in this year’s 12 Days of Christmas Series, is a lightly sweet, Russian confection that is easy to make (though it takes a while to dehydrate in the oven). Its unique taste is surprisingly fresh and pleasant (and a little addicting!). It just happens to be grain free and dairy free too.

To make it, you’ll need two cups of your favorite applesauce, homemade or even store bought. Green apples, slightly underripe are best. This easy applesauce recipe yields two cups. This plum applesauce would be delicious as well.

The 200°F oven temp doesn’t officially cook the egg whites. Katie wrote a little about raw egg safety when she shared her delicious chai eggnog. Using good quality pastured eggs and giving them a wash in warm soapy water makes the risk very small, but there is always a risk. If you are uncomfortable with this risk see the notes in the recipe section below for how to make this candy at a higher temperature.

A little history

Apple pastila became popular in Kolomna, Russia (outside of Moscow), during the 18th century as a simple fruit leather to stretch the apple season. It was such a simple recipe that I’m sure it was present in other apple-growing regions as well. Later, egg white was added for a lighter texture. Now, different fruits, spices, and nuts are incorporated to make a variety of flavors. (In more recent years, pastila has been almost entirely eclipsed by a new variety of this style of dessert – the sweeter, marshmallow-like zephyr.)

Traditionally apple pastila is made in layered blocks or bars of varying denseness, but I like this easy 2-bite variation.

How to make apple pastila

Get your apple purée very smooth with a hand mixer or food processor. If it is unsweetened, add honey or sweetener of choice.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites til stiff peaks form.

Fold the egg whites into the applesauce.

Drop your apple mixture onto a silicone baking sheet (best option) or parchment paper. Use standard parchment, not a cutesie variety like this one, or it may stick! Learned the hard way.

Dehydrate in the oven, and you have some light and airy apple goodness, ready to be sprinkled with sugar and wrapped up for loved ones!

Looking for more holiday ideas? How about Chai Eggnog, DIY Mint Chocolate Lip Balm, Sweet and Spicy Candied Nuts, or Garam Masala Pickled Onions?

APPLE PASTILA (GRAIN & DAIRY FREE)

Ingredients:

2 cups unsweetened apple puree (preferably from green apples – see recipe idea here)
5 tablespoons of honey (or other sweetener, to taste)
1 teaspoon almond extract (optional, see notes for alternatives)
2 egg whites, beaten stiff

Directions:

1) Make sure your apple purée is very smooth. I beat it with a handheld mixer for about 2-3 minutes.

2) Add honey and almond extract (or alternative flavorings in the notes). If your apple purée is cold, you may need to gently heat it to get the honey to incorporate.

3) Fold in the stiff egg whites. Drop by spoonfuls onto a pan lined with a silicone baking sheet or parchment paper.

4) Dehydrate for 7-8 hours at 200°F. After turning it off, leave them in the oven overnight to cool. Enjoy as they are, or sprinkle on some powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar. (I use unrefined powdered sugar at home and organic white powdered sugar when presenting as gifts.)

Notes:

Higher temp option: If you choose this method, please use a silicone baking sheet and not parchment paper or the pastila will stick. If you want to get your egg whites to a higher temperature, preheat the oven to 350°F. After making your apple mixture (through step 3 above), bake at 350°F for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 200°F and continue to let them dry out for 3 hours. Leave in the oven (turned off) several hours (or overnight) to cool.

Flavoring options: In lieu of almond extract, you can use a little vanilla extract, cinnamon, or your own mix of spices and extracts that go well with apple.

Apple Pastila (Grain & Dairy Free)

Author:

Natalia Gill

Recipe type: Confection

Cuisine: Russian

Serves: 40 pieces

2 cups unsweetened apple puree (preferably from green apples - see recipe idea here ) 5 tablespoons of honey (or other sweetener, to taste) 1 teaspoon almond extract (optional, see notes for alternatives) 2 egg whites, beaten stiff

Ingredients

2 cups unsweetened apple puree (preferably from green apples - see recipe idea here)
5 tablespoons of honey (or other sweetener, to taste)
1 teaspoon almond extract (optional, see notes for alternatives)
2 egg whites, beaten stiff

Instructions

Make sure your apple puree is very smooth. I beat it with a handheld mixer for about 2-3 minutes.
Add honey and almond extract (or alternative flavorings in the notes). If your apple puree is cold, you may need to gently heat it to get the honey to incorporate.
Fold in the stiff egg whites. Drop by spoonfuls onto a pan lined with a silicone baking sheet or parchment paper.
Dehydrate for 7-8 hours at 200°F. After turning it off, leave them in the oven overnight to cool. Enjoy as they are or sprinkle on some powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar. (I use unrefined powdered sugarat home and organic white powdered sugar when presenting as gifts.)

Notes

Higher temp option: If you choose this option, please use a silicone baking sheet and not parchment paper or the pastila will stick. If you want to get your egg whites to a higher temperature, preheat the oven to 350°F. After making your apple mixture (through step 3 above), bake at 350°F for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 200°F and continue to let them dry out for 3 hours. Leave in the oven (turned off) several hours (or overnight) to cool.

Flavoring options: In lieu of almond extract, you can use a little vanilla extract, cinnamon or your own mix of spices and extracts that go well with apple.

Baked Goods

Tips:

Coconut Flour Pancakes

Non-Toxic Waffle Iron?

Paleo Tigernut Waffles

Print Friendly Recipe:

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