The Nourishing Gourmet

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Breakfast and Brunch

Crispy Pumpkin Spice Granola (oil-free)

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This low-fat, THM, yet delicious granola recipe is bursting with spice and pumpkin, and is sure to make your house smell heavenly while it bakes. I LOVE it especially on top of yogurt. I’ll make myself a yogurt bowl with diced apples (or whatever other fruit I desire) and granola. 

It’s a lovely snack or breakfast. It’s perfect for a “E” meal on Trim Healthy Mama (THM), or for those of you looking for a lighter granola recipe. For a THM snack or meal, serve this with fruit and Nonfat Greek Yogurt. If you use a higher fat yogurt it will be a XO (crossover) meal. 

I first learned about this little trick of using egg whites instead of oil from THM recipes. It’s a clever trick, because with the right recipe, they will crisp up in a way that I didn’t think possible without oil. It’s not quite as crisp as with oil, but perfectly lovely all the same. 

I save this version of granola for me, and make this version for my family. They love it! I will make both of these types at the same time, and cook them on separate plans. 

One quick note: For a recipe to be a pumpkin spice recipe, you technically don’t have to use the pumpkin, as it’s really referring to the spice. However, we actually liked the pumpkin puree version better. It’s not quite as crunchy as when we left it out, but it adds so much flavor that it’s worth it. Feel free to leave it out though! I tested this several times without it, and it was great. 

For other THM granola recipes, here’s a shortlist from other bloggers: 

Crispy Pumpkin Spice Granola (oil-free)

  • 2 cups rolled oats (not quick, gluten-free and organic, if desired. You can also use sprouted))
  • ¼ cup erythritol or xylitol, OR 1 tablespoon of THM Super Sweet Blend 
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon 
  • ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 
  • Sprinkle of salt 
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla 
  • 2 egg whites (4 tablespoons) 
  • 2 tablespoons of pumpkin puree (optional)
  1. Preheat the oven to 300F degrees, and line a sheet pan or cookie sheet with parchment paper. 
  2. Combine the oats, sweetener, spices, and salt, in a medium bowl and give a stir. 
  3. Combine the egg whites, pumpkin puree, if using, and vanilla, whisk together, and then pour over the oat mixture. Gently mix until it is coated. If it’s super dry, you can add a little more egg white, but the mixture will be dryer than oil-based granola recipes. 
  4. Scrape onto prepared pan, and place in oven (near the middle). Cook for twenty minutes, gently stir, then cook for another 10-20 minutes, or until the oats are dryer. They will continue to crisp up after they cool. 
  5. Store in an airtight container once done.

Coconut Flour Pancakes

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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

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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! 

A Beautiful Pancake Charcuterie Board!

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

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Paleo Tigernut Waffles - A wonderful baked good for a grain-free diet, and also a source of prebiotic fiber!

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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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)
  1. Plug waffle iron in and start preheating.
  2. Put the eggs, water or milk, and vanilla extract into a medium-sized bowl. Whisk.
  3. Add the flours, salt, and baking powder.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Remove with fork, and repeat the process until done with batter.
  7. 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
  1. Plug waffle iron in and start preheating.
  2. Put the eggs, water or milk, and vanilla extract into a medium-sized bowl. Whisk.
  3. Add the flours, salt, and baking powder.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Remove with fork, and repeat the process until done with batter.
  7. 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.