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Olive & Rosemary Einkorn Bread

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Flourless Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwiches

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I know what you might be thinking…ice cream sandwiches in FEBRUARY? In southern California though, we have been having quite a warm winter. When Maya came home for Christmas, some days even got up into the 80s! So, there we were, in our neighborhood of snowflake and reindeer decorations, making an ice cream based dessert.

Regardless of the weather or time of year, this recipe is a real treat. The cookies are really designed for ice cream sandwich purposes, as they are extra chewy and soft (crispy cookies become tooth-shattering when frozen!). Once you have the cookies made, you can fill them with any ice cream you’d like, though we agree that vanilla tastes best. When I make them for my husband-who-eats-everything, I make some homemade, super decadent, whipping cream-based ice cream (recipe to come…). When Maya is home, I fill the cookies with a dairy-free ice cream to keep her tummy happy.

If you don’t mind the sandwiches being more rustic looking, you can just plop the cookies on the baking sheet using an ice cream scoop and they will spread out as they cook. If you want them to be perfectly round, you can bake them and then cut off the rough edges using a circle cookie cutter. Pro tip: save the cut off edges to use as a mix-in for leftover ice cream!

Flourless Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwiches
 
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Author:
Cuisine: Dessert
Serves: 9
Ingredients
  • 1 cup creamy, unsweetened and unsalted peanut butter
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup dark chocolate chips
  • 2 pints ice cream of choice (dairy-free or not, but we recommend vanilla!)
Instructions
Make the cookies
  1. Preheat oven to 350 °F.
  2. In a medium bowl, stir together the peanut butter, maple syrup, vanilla and coconut sugar.
  3. Add in egg and combine.
  4. Stir in baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips until everything is well combined.
  5. Use an ice cream scoop that is 1.5 or 1.75 inches in diameter to form balls of cookie dough. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving about 2-3 inches between each one.
  6. Bake for 12-13 minutes (I find that at around 15 minutes they start to get overdone and more on the crispy side).
Assembly
  1. Let cookies cool on the pan, then pop them into the freezer to harden for at least 30 minutes.
  2. A few minutes before you start to assemble the cookies, take your ice cream out of the freezer to allow it to soften.
  3. Then take out the cookies, fill with ice cream, and gently press them together. Serve immediately or put back into the freezer for later.
 

Chocolate Almond Butter Bars (GF & V)

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These really are the world’s best Chocolate Almond Butter Bars… I can’t begin to tell you how much I love them!  The crust is naturally sweetened and loaded with nutritious ingredients… the middle layer is filled with almond butter, coconut oil, and honey, which tastes like a decadent caramel!  All of this topped with a beautiful chocolate layer – and a touch of sea salt.  Seriously, I could eat the whole pan myself.

Chocolate Almond Butter Bars
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Gluten Free, Vegan Dessert
Serves: 9 bars
Ingredients
Crust
  • ½ c raw cashews
  • 8 pitted dates
  • ½ c unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 2 Tbl cocoa powder
  • 1 Tbl honey
  • Pinch of salt
Filling (middle layer)
  • ½ c almond butter
  • ¼ c, plus 1 Tbl melted coconut oil
  • ¼ c honey
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ¼ milk (coconut or almond)
Topping
  • 1 c chocolate chips or chunks
  • 2 Tbl melted coconut oil or butter
  • Coarse sea salt
Instructions
Crust
  1. Line a 9 x 9 pan with parchment.
  2. Add all the ingredients to a food processor and combine well.
  3. Transfer to the pan and spread evenly with your fingers. The crust will be thin.
  4. Set aside.
Filling
  1. Combine all the filling ingredients in a medium bowl and mix together with a fork.
  2. Spread the filling on top of the crust and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes until set but just slightly sticky.*
Topping
  1. Melt the chocolate and coconut oil/butter over a double boiler until combined.
  2. Pour the chocolate mixture over the almond butter layer.
  3. Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes until set but just slightly soft.
  4. Remove from fridge, sprinkle with the salt, and cut the bars into 9 even squares but do not remove the bars from the pan at this point.** Return to the fridge.
  5. After several hours you can transfer the bars to an airtight container, or just leave them in the pan.
  6. Store in the fridge or freezer (I prefer the freezer for extra crunch).
Notes
*If kept in the fridge too long, the filling may separate from the topping.
**If you cut the bars several hours later when they're very cold, they tend to crack when cut.

Cuori d’Amore

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My Pop crossed over in 2012 on Valentine’s day.  Sad and appropriate at the same time.  I wanted to dedicate this post to him on this day filled with love and confection.

His heart was big and loving but he wasn’t always good at showing it in words. Everyone felt it though. He saw only the good in others; his soul was filled with pure kindness. He was taken away from his family in Italy to learn how to sew at the age of 14, later becoming a tailor for the next 70 years of his life. People would come out of the alleyways in Chicago pleading and begging to get their skirts, pants, and gowns not only hemmed, but completely transformed.  Nothing was impossible and he never said no, even when his hands became old and frail.

My fondest memory is how he always pulled herbs from his trouser pockets and put them up to my nose to give me a sniff of sweet basil or pungent peppermint from my mom’s garden.  He loved being outside so much,  he’d sneak out in the bitter cold of winter, leaving my mom in a panic unable to find him blocks away.  Fresh air was equivalent to water,  vital to staying alive.  As shy as he was, if allowed and encouraged, he would take center stage to make people laugh.  He’d puff his cheeks, put both hands up in a peace sign, and look just like Richard Nixon.  He had a pretty good Johnny Carson face too.

My Pop was 91 when he left us.  I miss the twinkle in his eyes and his quiet peaceful presence.  He loved chocolate and I know he would have loved these yummy grain free Cuori d’ Amore made especially for you Pop. ?

XO Anna

  “If you eat, you never die”    Carmine Romano

This is also the title of my brother’s book, available on Amazon.

Cuori d'Amore
 
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Grain free love bites filled with strawberry coconut cream that is truly to die for! Make these for the loves of your life.
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 1 dozen
Ingredients
  • Cuori d' Amore (Love Hearts0
  • 1 cup smooth almond butter
  • ⅓ c apple sauce
  • ¾ maple syrup
  • 1 egg
  • ½ c sifted cocoa powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ c chocolate chips (heaping)
  • Coconut Strawberry Whipped Cream
  • 1 can full fat coconut milk (refrigerate overnight)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 TBL honey
  • ⅜ c strawberry jam
Instructions
  1. For the chocolate love hearts:
  2. Preheat oven to 350°
  3. In a large mixing bowl add the almond butter, apple sauce, maple syrup, and vanilla and beat with a hand mixer until well combined.
  4. Add the egg and mix on medium speed another few minutes.
  5. Add the cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt and mix for 2-3 minutes.
  6. Mix the chocolate chips in with a spatula.
  7. You can use a regular muffin tin lined with cupcake papers or your favorite heart mold.
  8. Bake for 14-15 minutes, or until done in the middle.
  9. For the Whipped Cream:
  10. Skim the top of the coconut cream, leaving the water at the bottom. You can save the water for soups or smoothies.
  11. Add to a medium mixing bowl with the vanilla and honey and beat on high with a hand mixer.
  12. Scrape the bowl, then gently fold in the strawberry jam.
  13. * I used a non-stick heart mold, then scooped out the middle and filled them with the strawberry cream. Decorate as you wish.
  14. * Makes 12 hearts/cupcakes
 

Baked Apple Crisps

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Apple season is here and this is a perfect healthy treat for snacking and school lunch boxes. So simple and only two ingredients. I’ve used Honeycrisp, Red Delicious, Pacific Rose, and Gala apples, and they’re all wonderful for this recipe.

Baked Apple Crisps
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Snack
Serves: 2 dozen
Ingredients
  • 2 Apples
  • Cinnamon
  • Sugar of choice (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 200F
  2. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  3. Wash and thinly slice the apples with a knife or mandolin.
  4. Spread the apples on the baking sheets in a single layer.
  5. Generously sprinkle with cinnamon.
  6. If you like your apples sweeter, you can sprinkle them with your favorite sugar here (optional).
  7. Bake for 1 hour, then flip and return to oven for another 1-1.5 hours.
  8. Depending on your oven, you can leave them in another 30 minutes, or turn the oven off an let them hang out until they're nice and crisp.
  9. Store in an airtight container but they won't stay crispy. I usually wrap them in the parchment I used to bake them with.
  10. Enjoy!
 

Beatle Stix

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Well, it’s back-to-school season and time for some yummy lunchbox snacks! When making these for my girls years ago, I usually used almond or peanut butter with raisins. Today we used 3 variations and tried to think outside the box. Hummus, sweet potatoes, and cashew butter all marry so well with celery, not to mention the tasty toppings…olives, pecans, cranberries, goji berries, and coconut. Also great for birthday parties or after school snacks to tie the kiddos over until dinner.

I think celery is sometimes an underrated vegetable. Perhaps it would be more popular if we knew just how good it was for you! For starters, it’s one of the best anti-inflammatory and alkaline foods we can eat. It contains a bunch of trace minerals as well as mineral salts and it’s great for healing the gut and helping with digestive disorders. A few years ago I developed some uterine fibroids and started juicing straight celery juice daily. I know it contributed to the shrinking of the tumors.

Let me know if you come up with other fun variations. Enjoy making these together as a family and crunch away!

Beatle Stix
 
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Recipe type: Back to School Snacks
Serves: 1 dozen
Ingredients
  • 1 bunch of celery
  • ½ c hummus
  • ½ c cashew butter
  • ½ c mashed sweet potatoes (optional: add maple syrup and cinnamon to taste)
  • ¼ c olives
  • ¼ Goji berries
  • ¼ c pecans
  • ¼ c finely chopped red peppers
  • ¼ c shredded coconut
  • ¼ c cranberries
Instructions
  1. Wash your celery and cut off the leaves
  2. Spread each stalk with the toppings.
  3. I paired the hummus with olives and peppers, cashew butter with Goji berries and coconut, and sweet potatoes with pecans and cranberries.
  4. Cut in half or thirds, and place in a small lunchbox container.
  5. You may have leftover toppings but you can use it for the next day or later in the week.
 

 

Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Bread

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If you’ve never had sweet potatoes and chocolate together, here’s your chance! I’ve been on a sweet potato kick lately, maybe because we’re facing another hot summer in Texas, and all I can think about is the fall. This gluten-free bread is so moist and delicious; I think you’re going to love it.

Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Bread
 
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Recipe type: Gluten Free Bread
Serves: 1 loaf
Ingredients
DRY
  • 2 c sifted almond flour
  • ¾ - 1 c coconut sugar
  • ½ c arrowroot
  • 1 heaping tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp cloves
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • 1 heaping tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
WET
  • ¾ c cooked, peeled, sweet potatoes, mashed and cooled*
  • ¼ c melted coconut oil or butter
  • ¼ c coconut milk or your favorite
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ½ heaping c chocolate chips
  • ¼ c pecans
  • Extra chocolate chips and pecans for topping (about ¼ cup each)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375F.
  2. Line a bread pan with parchment paper.
  3. In a large bowl combine all dry ingredients.
  4. In another medium bowl add all wet ingredients along with the cooled sweet potatoes. Mix well using a fork.
  5. Add the wet to the dry, along with the pecans and chips, and mix well with a spatula.
  6. Transfer batter to a bread pan.
  7. Top with more pecans and chocolate chips and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the center is firm.
  8. --
Notes
*To cook sweet potatoes, slice in half and wrap in foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 35-45 minutes, or until soft
 

Cauliflower Muffins

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Roasted Cauliflower Muffins
 
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I love the versatility of Cauliflower and how many different flavors you can incorporate with it. Filled with scallions and turmeric, these delicious muffins need to make their way into your kitchen! They're Paleo friendly and can accompany any meal. Even if you're not a cauliflower fan, I think you'll enjoy this recipe.
Author:
Recipe type: Muffins
Serves: 12 muffins
Ingredients
  • 6 heaping cups of coarsely chopped cauliflower
  • 1 tsp. garlic salt
  • 1 tsp. turmeric
  • ½ tsp salt
  • Black pepper
  • Olive oil
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ c almond flour
  • 4 scallions finely chopped
  • 1 tsp baking powder
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and grease a non-stick muffin tin.
  2. Spread the chopped cauliflower on a baking sheet.
  3. Add the garlic salt, turmeric, salt and pepper, and a generous splash of olive oil.
  4. Roast for 15-20 minutes, giving it a stir half way through.
  5. Remove from oven, stir to evenly distribute spices, and let cool.
  6. Transfer to a food processor and pulse for 3-4 rounds.
  7. Transfer to a large bowl and add the almond flour, baking powder, eggs and scallions.
  8. Stir until well combined and spoon into a non-stick greased muffin tin.
  9. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
  10. Notes:
  11. *You can omit the turmeric and substitute your favorite herb.
  12. *Make sure your muffin tin is "non-stick."
  13. *I'm sure these would also be wonderful with almost any type of cheese. Go for it!
 

Creamy Broccoli Soup with Sautéed Tamari Mushrooms

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Creamy Broccoli Soup with Sautéed Mushrooms
 
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This creamy vegan version of broccoli soup is wonderful throughout the seasons as it is light and satisfying. It’s also very forgiving so feel free to add other veggies and spices.
Author:
Recipe type: Vegan Soup
Serves: Serves 4
Ingredients
Soup
  • 1 large bunch broccoli, stems and florets, chopped in small chunks.
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1-2 garlic cloves, whole or minced
  • 1 medium potato, cubed (any variety)
  • 1 small carrot, chopped
  • Pinch of crushed red pepper
  • 1-3 tablespoons olive, coconut, or avocado oil
  • Sea salt & pepper to taste
  • 3 cups of water of stock
  • 1.5 cups milk (coconut or almond are my favorites)
  • Big bunch of your favorite herbs - cilantro, parsley, or basil are the ones I usually end up with.
Mushrooms
  • 8 ounces of your favorite mushrooms (I used crimini)
  • 1 tablespoon olive or coconut oil
  • 1-3 tablespoons tamari or coconut aminos
Instructions
  1. Saute broccoli, onion, garlic, potato, carrot, and red pepper with olive oil in a large soup pot. Cook for about 10-15 minutes until everything begins to soften.
  2. Add your water or stock and bring to a boil.
  3. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until potatoes are cooked through.
  4. Turn off the heat and let the soup cool for 20-30 minutes.
  5. Once cool, add your herbs and puree with an immersion blender or high speed blender. If using a regular blender you can mix 2-4 cups at a time, then transfer to a bowl. Transfer the entire mixture back to the pot on low heat.
  6. Add the milk, salt and pepper and stir until it heats through.
Mushrooms
  1. Slice the mushrooms and add them to a pre-heated cast iron pan, or sautée pan.
  2. Add the oil and stir for a few minutes on high heat.
  3. Add the tamari/coconut aminos and stir until most of the liquid is absorbed.
  4. Top the mushrooms on the soup.
*Notes:
  1. I sometimes will use about ½ cup of white wine in place of the stock/water.
  2. A sprinkle of nutritional yeast, lemon juice, or sesame seeds are a nice topping for this soup along with the mushrooms.
 

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