Banana Spice Pancakes

1/2 c. all-purpose gluten free baking mix
1 egg
2 ripe organic bananas
1 t. vanilla (organic/fair trade)
1/2 t. non aluminum baking powder
dash 50-50 cinnamon/cayenne
1 t. cinnamon
dash nutmeg
1/4 c. water
1 T. organic virgin coconut oil or extra virgin coconut oil (frying)
1 T. honey or agave nectar

Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in beaten egg, water, and vanilla, mixing well. Stir in the cinnamon-cayenne and nutmeg. Drizzle in the agave nectar (or honey). Slice or mash in the banana and mix the batter until it is smooth.

Melt the coconut oil (or olive oil) in a large frying pan and preheat the pan to medium heat (5). Once the oil is melted, turn the heat down to 3 or 4 and spoon in batter. Cook 2 minutes until the sides bubble. Flip and cook another 2-3 minutes. Serve with a dash of cinnamon, or your choice of fresh fruit topping, Smart Balance Vegan butter, honey, or agave nectar.

Variations:
1/4 c. porridge and/or 1/4 c. raw cranberries

Fiesta Vegetable Sweet Potato Soft Tacos [Vegan]

One of my favorite combinations for many of Jon's lunches uses low net carb/high fiber organic beans (either black, chickpea, great northern, and organic tri bean mixes), and nutrient-dense root vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes. This combo is a great vegan protein, fiber, and vitamin powerhouse. It is also perfect for the fall and winter seasons when these items are fresh and abundant. Many other gluten free bloggers like Karina use sweet potatoes as a vegan meal base, but I haven't tried many of those recipes yet. They all look delicious! Here's my easy and quick lunch or dinner side dish favorite combo:

1 medium organic sweet potato
1/2 lb. frozen corn (kernels)
2 organic carrots
1 15 oz. can no sodium organic tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes and/or 2 c. low sodium chunky salsa
1 15 oz. can organic black beans, drained
6-8 corn tortillas
2-4 T. extra virgin olive oil

Seasonings:
sea salt
pepper
parsley
oregano
dash hot sauce
basil
cumin

Cook the sweet potato either by conventional means or by washing the potato and microwaving it on a microwave-safe plate for a few minutes until fork tender. You do not need to wrap the potato in Saran wrap, it cooks fine on a plate alone (thanks to Michelle for pointing this out!). Be sure to fork the potatoes if you microwave it so it doesn't explode. Set the potato aside to cool.

Open and drain the black beans and empty into a medium to large saucepot. Wash and chop the carrots into thick coins (I usually use the Saladmaster for this). Add the corn and turn to medium heat to bring the vegetables to a simmer. Add the spices and olive oil. As it simmers, either use kitchen shears or a chopping knife to roughly chop the cooled sweet potato. Add the sweet potato to the pot and stir well. Let everything heat through for a few minutes.

Cover the stack of corn tortillas with a moist paper towel and microwave on a microwave-safe plate for about 30 - 45 seconds so they are soft. Once the vegetable mix in the pot is hot, spread the tortillas out on serving plates and top with the bean/veggie spice mixture. Spoon the tomato sauce and/or salsa on top and sprinkle over parsley, fresh chopped basil, and sea salt. Serve hot.
If you eat dairy, some plain low fat yogurt is a nice substitute for sour cream. A dollop of the creamy top of unshaken unsweetened organic full-fat coconut milk works well also if you're dairy free. Wrap up and enjoy!

Rotisserie Rosemary Lamb [Paleo] [Low Carb]

semi boneless leg of lab (ours was about 2.6 lbs- try to get well treated, grass fed and local roasts when possible)

Seasonings:
dried rosemary
cayenne pepper
hot curry powder
crushed red pepper


You'll need special equipment for this one, of course! I used our baby George Foreman rotisserie which fits a medium to large sized chicken (~6 lbs max). The instructions here are easy: Wash off the raw lamb and mount it on the rotisserie bar. Secure the meat with the rotisserie skewers and mount the assembly into the cooker, as shown below.

I mixed all of the seasonings in a plastic bowl and dry rubbed the mixture onto the meat. The fat in the lamb kept the meat moist as the roast rotated. Cook the roast depending on its weight. Our 2.6 lb leg with bone cooked for about an hour. If you aren't sure about exact timing, then err on the side of less done. Charred lamb is never good :)

I served this with my Grapefruit and Cranberry Glazed Green Beans and Molasses-Maple Pecan Carrots.

Flu Vaccine and Egg Allergy Info

This just came across my email and I thought I'd share it for all of you who are sensitive to eggs. Daniel Moore has an About.com allergy section and the following is an excerpt of his article. For more from Dr. Moore click here.

Can an Egg-Allergic Person Get the Flu Vaccine? From Daniel More, MD

Generally speaking, no. The influenza vaccine is produced using chick embryos, and therefore may contain a small amount of egg protein. Since the amount of egg protein may vary from one year to the next, an egg-allergic person may tolerate the vaccine one year, but not the next.

People who can eat eggs without experiencing symptoms of food allergies can safely receive the influenza vaccine despite the positive allergy test to egg. The decision to perform a vaccine challenge is based on the person’s risk from not being vaccinated to the potential risk of having an allergic reaction to the vaccine.

Source: Moylett EH, Hanson IC. Mechanistic actions of the risks and adverse events associated with vaccine administration. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2004; 114:1010-20. ©2007 About.com, Inc., a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.

I should point out that vaccines pose a wealth of potential (and overt) health problems. The flu vaccine has been under attack for some time now for its toxic mercury and aluminum content. The media is very into pushing the vaccine market; constant radio bombardment, doctor "recommendations", and large ads in even the Kroger leaflets attest to this fact. In reality, it is recommended that only "high risk" children and the elderly get these flu shots, but recently it seems that the media and most doctors has deemed everyone in America as "high risk" since we are all recommended to get these shots.

My attitude: vaccines and unnatural shots like the flu shot are really only appropriate for those who are immune deficient. Otherwise the flu is just like a nasty cold; you'll feel crappy but you'll live. Seeing as how many doctors have now and in the past expressed concern over my immune capabilities (and I am sure many other celiacs get the same question), it would seem like I should be running to get the shot. I am not. A healthy gluten and dairy free low glycemic index (high in fresh, dark green vegetables) and weight lifting help me tremendously. That and good rest, some rocking Johnny Lee Hooker or even some classical tunes, and a nice cup of hot Celestial Seasonings herbal tea do the trick for me throughout most of the impending doom of "flu season." Well, all that and a nice rich espresso shot every morning :)

Good websites for more info:
The CDC
Children's Health
Medicine. Net
Chet Day
Greg Ciola @NewsWithViews.com
Dr. Joseph Mercola:
The flu "secret"
Why (Mercola) never gets flu shots
2005 vaccine loaded with mercury?

I should say that Mercola has good basic info since he generally comments on outside, independent newspapers and journal articles on health. However, Mercola may rub many people the wrong way as he initially sounds extreme and outlandish.

My axe to grind with Mercola: Personally, I think he's a good starting point, but you need to use your own common sense and experience. He is also not scientifically correct on how microwaves are "bad"- this is my problem with him as he has ignored my protests to his microwave articles. As a working physicist, it is my responsibility to point out and critique bad science. So in all, read all and believe what makes sense to you- all information is valuable.

Rosemary Olive Buffalo Burgers [Low Carb] [Paleo]

Burgers:
1 lb ground bison (local if possible)
1 T. extra virgin olive oil (since grass fed meat is very lean)
1/4 c. pimento-stuffed olives
2 large jalapeños with seeds, sliced
3 sundried tomatoes, chopped
1 free range egg (optional- it holds together fine without egg or gf breadcrumbs)

Seasonings:
sea salt and pepper
2 T. crushed red pepper
1 T. garlic powder
a few cloves of fresh garlic, minced
dried rosemary
dash tarragon

Sides (Optional):
fresh sliced tomato
fresh collard leaves for "bun"
cayenne-spiced sauteed chopped celery

To make burgers:
Slice the peppers and chop the sundried tomatoes. I used kitchen shears to chop my tomatoes. Mix fresh or defrosted meat, the minced garlic, seasonings, olive oil, peppers, tomatoes, and egg (if the egg is included). Pat meat mixture into 4-6 patties and grill 3-5 minutes. Remember that grass fed buffalo meat is very lean and requires significantly less cooking time than normal meat; keep a close eye on it. These cook great on the grill or in a pan with a lid for quicker cooking. If you like your burgers medium or rare as I do, then pay special attention to cooking time and remove burgers when they are still raw inside - they will continue to cook afterwards.

Serve with sides of your choice. Since I prefer my meat on the less dead side (there are more enzymes which have not been destroyed by cooking and it tastes better to me!), I like these burgers best fresh. They do fine as reheated leftovers, but nothing really compares to a fresh juicy burger! If you like a tangy flavor, drizzle some gluten free and corn syrup free bbq sauce over the burgers. I use the Kraft light bbq sauce since it is gluten and dairy free. It also does not have any corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup, but it does have sucralose. If you can muster the strength (and spare time), making your own bbq sauce is easy and a good way of ensuring no bad ingredients are used. I will make my own sauce in the future, but for now I'm too busy.

Serves: 4-6

This recipe is dairy free and gluten free.

Gluten Free Granola and Hemp Muffins

These muffins come from the recipe off the Enjoy Life Gluten Free Granola which we found as a new item at Kroger yesterday. I was so excited to try the gluten free granola despite the fact that it is almost $5 for a tiny box (of air! - gluten free air specially manufactured in a facility...).

Very berry sawdust, mmm

I made my first mistake in thinking that I ever I missed granola. This will be a very biased review since I never liked granola, but then again I'm not a carb person. My subsequent mistake was in believing it would taste like real granola... or something other than stale brown rice syrup. I should be fair and say Jon tried it and he said it was decent, but would be improved with milk and lots of cinnamon and honey. If you like or miss granola, this might be ok for you since Jon has a better sense of granola than I do.

I followed up my buying mistake with an entertaining hour-long painstaking irritable dance around the kitchen while I tried to follow their recipe. I hate following directions. I can't do it, so I added some organic hemp protein and organic blackstrap molasses (skipped the brown sugar) to make it more my own. I should have added flax just to spite my dad who responded "No flax! I don't like that stuff, yuck" when I asked what he wanted with his homemade steak dinner for Christmas. Got it dad, extra flax. Double flax for that, but no flax here. Plenty of rice monstrosities masquerading as "granola" though :)

1 c. Enjoy Life granola (I used the berry variety)
1/2 c. brown rice flour
1/2 c. buckwheat flour
1/4 t. sea salt
3 t baking powder
1 T. cinnamon
1 small organic apple with skin, chopped
2 T. organic hemp protein powder
2 eggs
1 c. unsweetened applesauce
1/2 c. lite coconut milk
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 T. agave nectar
1 T. organic unsulfured blackstrap molasses
1/4 c. raisins
1 T. organic raw pumpkin seeds
1 T. raw organic sunflower seeds
1/4 c. shredded organic reduced fat coconut
1 organic banana, chopped

Coat your muffin tins with nonstick spray and preheat oven to 350 degrees. I used a large muffin tin of 12 cups plus smaller 6 muffin tins. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients (except the fruit). In a separate smaller bowl, combine wet ingredients while adding the molasses and agave last. Add in the wet ingredients and stir well. I used a potato masher to squash the banana into the dough. Add the chopped apple, raisins, coconut, and seeds and stir until well mixed. Fill the muffin cups about half full and add extra granola on top if desired. Bake 15-17 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm.

Yield: 22-25 muffins

Grapefruit and Cranberry Glazed Green Beans [Vegan]

1 lb. frozen beans
1/2 can (8 oz) organic jellied cranberry sauce (no corn syrup)
1/2 c. raw cranberries
2 large grapefruits, peeled, sectioned, and chopped
sea salt
parsley
dash crushed red pepper
dash garlic salt

Steam the green beans until bright green and tender, about 5 minutes. Do not over cook. While the green beans are cooking, peel the grapefruit and remove the seeds. We sectioned the grapefruit and then chopped the individual sections to add to the beans at the end.

Once the beans are finished steaming, drain them if necessary. Add the organic cranberry sauce and stir well over low heat. Stir until the cranberry sauce has mixed in like a marmalade and coated the green beans.

Add the whole cranberries and chopped grapefruit sections. Sprinkle in the seasonings and mix well. Serve warm. This is a great quick recipe for the holiday craziness which relies on the sweetness of the cranberry (and sauce) as well as the grapefruit for the sweet-tooth appeal. We opted out of marshmallow sweet potatoes and many other sugary sides and enjoyed this as our sweet side instead. We had these with Rotisserie Rosemary Lamb, some homemade sweet potato chips made with the Saladmaster, and Easy Maple-Molasses Pecan Carrots.

Serves: 6-8

Simple Maple-Molasses Pecan Carrots [Vegan]

6 organic whole carrots
2 T. organic maple syrup
3 T. organic no-sulfur blackstrap molasses
parsley
1/4 c. organic whole shelled pecans

Wash and dry the carrots. You can microwave or steam the carrots for the fastest cooking, although roasting them in the oven is delicious too. I did a quick microwaving of the washed and dried carrots for about 4 minutes on high until they were bright orange and slightly tender. We like our carrots with a tender outside and a little crunch inside, so if you like mushy vegetables, you should cook your's longer.

Just before serving, combine the blackstrap molasses and maple syrup in a small bowl along with the pecans. Mix well and drizzle over the hot carrots. Sprinkle over the parsley and serve hot. We had these with Rotisserie Rosemary Lamb, some homemade sweet potato chips made with the Saladmaster, and Cranberry-Grapefruit Green Beans.

Serves: 4-6

Pineapple Caribbean Spiced Turkey Breast

1 turkey breast (ours was 3.66 lbs)
1 20 oz. can pineapple slices with juice (unsweetened, in its own juice)
1 lime with juice, cut in half for garnish

Seasonings:
sea salt and pepper
crushed red pepper
tarragon
garlic powder
Italian seasoning
dash sushi wasabi powder (horseradish, spirulina, turmeric)
4-5 large raw garlic cloves
2 large jalapeños, with seeds

Spray your baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Open and wash off the turkey breast and place in the pan. Open the canned pineapple and pour the unsweetened pineapple juice over the breast.

Sprinkle all of the seasonings and sea salt over the breast. Slice the jalapeño and add it to the top of the turkey. I didn't chop the second jalapeño so I could have a whole roasted pepper on the side. The whole roasted pepper has a wonderful mild, soft juicy taste - it's not really spicy. Arrange the pineapple slices on top of the turkey breast and in the pan. Tuck the whole fresh garlic cloves inside the pineapple rings and around the breast, as shown below.

Cook at 325 degrees for 20 mins/lb. Let rest 15 minutes before cutting and serving with the roasted pineapple and jalapeño slivers. The little roasted jalapeño slices have quite a kick, so watch out! I think they're great little spicy "chips"; I have a hard time not stealing them all for myself!

This went great with my Sundried Tomato Spicy Blue Corn Chips appetizer, my Fruity Apricot Quinoa, and some turnips greens. A great [pre]Thanksgiving meal (we cheated and did Thanksgiving today so we can have lamb tomorrow :) )

Fruity Apricot Quinoa [Vegan]

1 c. dry (rinsed) quinoa
2 c. water
6 unsulfured apricots
6 unsulfured dark apricots
1/4 c. raw cranberries
1 c. hot chunky salsa (without corn syrup)
sea salt and pepper
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
garlic powder
1/4 c. shredded organic unsulfured coconut
1/2 c. lite coconut milk

Basic Quinoa Cooking Directions (from package):
Rinse the quinoa thoroughly to remove any powdery residue. To do this, place the grain in a fine strainer and hold under cold running water until the water runs clear. Drain well.

Combine the water and rinsed quinoa in a medium saucepan. Add the seasonings and extra virgin olive oil and bring to a boil. Once the quinoa has come to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the grains are translucent and the germ has spiraled out from each grain.

In the last 2-3 minutes of cooking, add the lite coconut milk (if desired, it makes it nice and creamy but it is not necessary). Also add the salsa, fresh cranberries and pepitas (raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds), and sea salt. I chopped the apricots into quarters using kitchen shears and added them to the quinoa in the last minute or two of cooking.

Once the quinoa is finished, add the shredded coconut and serve with a dash of sea salt. This went well with our [pre]Thanksgiving meal of Caribbean Pineapple Pepper Turkey Breast, turnips, Sundried Tomato Spicy Blue Corn Crisps and salsa dippers. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and are as blessed as we are with loving family and friends!

Sundried Tomato Spicy Blue Corn Crisps

1/4 c. organic blue corn meal
1/8 c. organic buckwheat flour
1/4 t. aluminum-free baking powder
2 sulfur-free sundried tomatoes
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 T. water
1 T. organic apple cider vinegar
1 egg (or egg substitute)
dash hot sauce (optional)

Seasonings:
pepper
garlic powder
crushed red pepper
dash cayenne pepper

Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick olive oil spray and preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Mix all of the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. I finely chopped the sundried tomatoes with kitchen shears directly into the bowl.

Add the seasonings, water, vinegar, and olive oil and mix well. Crack in the egg and beat it in, mixing thoroughly. Spread the batter in a thin layer onto the oiled cookie sheet. Bake at 325 on the bottom oven rack for about 35 minutes or until crispy.

I served these with with some salsa and guacamole as appetizers to our [pre]Thanksgiving meal of Caribbean Pineapple Turkey Breast and Fruity Apricot Quinoa .

Vegan Holiday "Eggnog" [Soy Free] [Low Carb] [Low Fat] [Paleo]

This "eggnog" is my vegan low fat and low carb substitute for traditional dairy eggnog. I used to drink the Silk Soy Nog, but since I am (mostly) soy free now and avoid added sugar if possible, I had to invent my own nog-like substance. This turned out fantastic and I am really looking forward to using it in my holiday eggnog espresso "lattes" and even as a dessert sauce as well as a great nog substitute. Adjust the molasses and Stevia to your liking. I think this is fairly sweet as is.

The sweeteners I used here were Stevia and organic unsulfured blackstrap molasses. Look for the molasses at Whole Foods or your local health food store. It is currently on sale for the season. Unsulfured blackstrap molasses is an excellent source of iron and many other minerals. The sugars in the molasses are only partially digested in the stomach as well, so they do not cause a spike in blood insulin. The leftover sugars slowly digest in the intestine and provide nutrients for the good bacteria in the gut. I love the molasses now and I have found that it does not aggravate my blood sugar levels (at least so far; being a physicist, I cannot help but to take many sugar level readings with my meter -> more glorious data points which I can analyze and compare :) ). I would consider this diabetic friendly, but use your intuition and common sense if you are sensitive to molasses. This nog is egg free, dairy free, gluten free, soy free, low carb, low fat, and low glycemic impact/load. It does contain nuts (almond milk) and lite coconut milk. I apologize if anyone else out there has a recipe like this already, I haven't seen one yet so I'm really excited that this worked out so well. I hope you all like it!

~300 mL. unsweetened original almond milk
200 mL. unsweetened lite organic coconut milk (or regular for non-low fat version)
~1/4 t. cinnamon
nutmeg
1 t. organic (gluten free) vanilla (not imitation vanilla or other vanilla with corn syrup)
1 heaping T. organic unsulfured blackstrap molasses (~1 T. +1 t.)
2 packets Stevia
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half for garish

Combine all ingredients except the cinnamon sticks in a shaker cup or blender. Mix briefly and serve cold with cinnamon stick garnish. As I mentioned before, this would be great in espresso or even just warm alone. This is nonalcoholic, add spirits or rum to your liking.

Easy Cranberry Greens [Low Carb] [Low Fat] [Vegan]

2/3 c. fresh raw cranberries
1.5 lb fresh kale, washed and torn
1/2 c. fresh chopped collards
2 T. virgin coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and pepper

Add coconut oil (or olive oil) to your pan and turn to medium high heat. I sauteed these in my cast iron skillet which I am using to try and increase my iron intake for my anemia (more on this issue later). Once the oil is melted, add the torn kale leaves and collards to the pan. Sprinkle over the sea salt and pepper while stirring the greens. Saute over medium heat for about 3 minutes until the greens are brightly colored and soft. Add the cranberries and stir. Continue to cook for another 2 minutes or so. Serve hot with a squeeze of lemon juice if desired. These make a great and easy low carb vegan side dish for the holidays.

Coconut Cinnamon Roasted Apples [Vegan]

2 medium organic apples (I used fuji)
~1/4 c. no sulfur organic shredded coconut
3-4 T. organic raw (unsalted) pumpkin seeds (unshelled)
~5 oz. organic coconut milk (or lite coconut milk or whichever "milk" you prefer. Hemp milk would be a great substitute here.)

Seasonings:
cinnamon (a lot, it is great tasting and lowers the glycemic index of the apples)
nutmeg
ground cloves
ground ginger

If you have five minutes to chop an apple and sprinkle on your favorite healthy seeds, holiday spices, and shredded coconut, you might try this. First preheat the oven to 400 degrees (350 will work also, but you'll have to bake them longer). Coat a small loaf or other baking pan with nonstick spray.

Slice or chop the apples and toss them into the pan. Cover with the raw pumpkin seeds and pour over the coconut milk. Shake on the spices to your liking; I use a ton of cinnamon since it helps improve insulin response, blood sugar levels, and tastes great! Sprinkle over the shredded coconut and place the dish in the oven. Bake for at least 10 minutes or until the apples are soft. I am an energy-conscious multi-tasker; if I am using the oven for a main dish such as Baby Rosemary Purple Potatoes, Fruity Sweet Potato Casserole, or my Black Bean and Roasted Squash, I often pair these with little oven-required side dishes such as these roasted apples. You could alternatively cook these apples in a fancy convection toaster oven. Since I baked this along with other longer-cooking recipes, this batch of apples bakes for ~ 20-25 minutes. I took the apples out once I smelled the cinnamon "baked" fragrance, the apples were soft, and the coconut was toasted brown.

Anyway you choose to do it, this is an easy and healthy dessert. The roasted apples are similar to the innards of an apple pie or reminiscent of apple crisp (minus the "crisp"). My shortcut version here avoids all the added simple sugars, carbs, and bad fat which are typical of a real pie or crisp. I use the coconut, a great source of healthy short chain fatty acids, to help boost metabolism and heal the body. The fat from the pumpkin seeds and coconut help slow the digestion and absorption of simple sugars (here, the natural apple fructose). This means you don't get a sugar spike followed by a hypoglycemic low after munching down on this already low glycemic index and ~ low carb dessert. Leftovers from these baked apples make a great base for another dessert or even great additions to breakfast porridge.

Spiced Apple and Olive Sirloin Roast

1 25 oz. can organic black beans with juice
1 14 oz. can organic mixed beans, drained
1 14 oz. can organic whole pitted olives, drained
2 medium organic apples
1 medium onion
sea salt and pepper
~ 1.74 lb grass fed beef sirloin tip roast
extra virgin olive oil
cayenne pepper

Open and wash off your roast. I used a 1.75 lb sirloin tip roast from one of our local grass fed farming outfits, the Hogan Magnolia View Farm. I washed off the meat but left on the netting so there would be more room in the Crockpot for the olives and beans.

Lean grass-fed roasts can easily dry out if you cook them on top of the veggies or other food in the slow cooker, so be sure to put the meat on the bottom. Add the roast to the slow cooker and spoon over the black beans with juice. Season the meat and beans with the sea salt and pepper.

Cut apples into thin slices (keep the skin on) and discard the seeds and stem. Roughly chop the onion and set aside. Drain the olives and the mixed beans. Toss the chopped onion, apple slices, olives, and the mixed beans into the slow cooker on top of the meat and black beans. You could layer the ingredients if you wished to do so, but I just mixed it all together. Drizzle the olive oil over everything and sprinkle over some cayenne pepper.

Cook on low for 8-10 hours. I cooked ours for about 8 hours and stopped the cooker when I arrived home from work. Serve hot on top of some fresh red cabbage and sauteed torn kale and collard leaves for a nice vitamin rich low carb "base." This is another easy "quick" prep and clean up recipe exploiting the variety of grass fed roasts we have (had, no more!) in the freezer.

Serves: 2-4

Cran-Blueberry Coconut Flour Muffins [Low Carb] [Paleo]

1/2 c. organic coconut flour

~1/4 t. (dash) xanthan gum
~1/2 t. non-aluminum baking powder
dash sea salt
4 packets (single serving) Stevia
cinnamon
3 eggs at room temperature
1 T. organic vanilla
2 T. organic virgin coconut oil (melted or liquid form) OR ~1/4 c. Earth Balance Vegan Butter*
1/4 c. frozen raw cranberries
1/4 c. frozen raw organic blueberries
1 T. agave nectar
~15 T. water, added one T. at a time to adjust consistency

Spray muffin tins with nonstick spray and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine all dry ingredients. In a seperate bowl add the eggs and whisk well. Add the vanilla and coconut oil (or melted and cooled butter) to the eggs and beat together. Pour the egg mix into the dry ingredients while stirring so the coconut flour does not clump up. Add the Stevia, agave, and cinnamon and continue to stir. Stir in the water one T. at a time and mix until the batter is not thick and sticky. Coconut flour's high fiber content will quickly soak up the moisture, so go quickly and use your judgment as to extra amounts of water. I would err on the side of more wet (but not runny) batter since the dough thickens as it sits and cooks. You don't want hockey puck muffins!

Add the berries and stir. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. You may need to cook them longer if you had runnier batter; the muffins are done when the tops are brown and slightly firm to the touch, not mushy.

Yield: 6 muffins

My muffins turned out soft and moist on the inside, but next time I'm going to add some apple butter or applesauce for a richer taste rather than full-on water. The rule I've found experimenting with coconut flour is to make the batter moister since a typical (non-coconut) batter consistency tends to turn out too dry due to the high fiber. It is an interesting trial and error baking process since I am adjusting other coconut flour recipes which all call for a ton of butter and/or eggs.

*Note that often vegan butters contain soy, so if you're soy free read carefully