Month: October 2015

Super moist brownies with chocolate ganache

Posted on by theserialbakist

Get ready for the best brownies you’ve had in a while, and pretty healthy for you too!

This brownie recipe is from Eat Drink Paleo, passed on from Canadian Karen. 🙂 The best part, they are made from sweet potatoes!

CHOCOLATE GANACHE:

  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup cacao powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons honey

Fully melt the coconut oil. It has a very low melting point, so it just takes 10 seconds in the microwave. Add the cacao, vanilla and honey and mix well. Put into the fridge to set while the brownies are baking.

BROWNIES:
  • 1 medium sweet potato – 2-3 cups grated
  • 2 whole eggs
  • ½ cup melted coconut oil
  • â…“ cup honey (I cut down to 1/2 cup)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ½ cup raw cacao powder, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2½ tablespoon coconut flour (I cut down to 1 tablespoon for extra moistness)
  • pinch of salt (I used Himalayan pink salt)
  • 1/4 cup pecans (optional)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Pour mix into a parchment paper lined brownie pan. Bake in a 365 degree preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. I fully cool the brownies, or if you’re in a rush, put the brownies in the refrigerator to cool before adding the chocolate ganache. The chocolate is very easily melted, so it helps if the brownies are not warm if you want them to hold. Enjoy!

 

 

Photo as always, by http://www.kyleespeletaphotography.com

Poached eggs

Posted on by theserialbakist

At a young age, my parents taught me a skill that every kid should know – how to master the poached egg. 🙂 Add white vingar to the water, boil and lay the egg into already boiling water with a big ladle. Swirl the water around the egg in a circular motion to create a round poach. Fairly simple with a big of practice. But if you don’t have time for all that, you can use the greatest egg-vention ever created – the Cuisinart Egg Central machine!! Under 10 minutes to the perfect poach, you can’t mess it up. Worth every one of the $40 it costs. https://www.cuisinart.com/products/specialty_appliances/cec-10.html

Place the eggs in the machine, and by the time your bread is toasted, your eggs are ready. Peel and eat atop your favorite cheese and greens! In this dish, I used Heidi Ho’s vegetable based chia cheeze, which was definitely the best part of this breakfast!!

 

Photo as always, by http://www.kyleespeletaphotography.com

Pumpkin pie bites

Posted on by theserialbakist

I adapted a recipe I found from the My Natural Family blog. Easy and delish!

CRUST:

  • 1 heaping cup pecans, walnuts or cashews (I used cashews for the pictured version)
  • ¼ cup almond flour
  • 8 soft pitted dates
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • pinch of salt (I used Himalayan pink salt)

Blitz all ingredients in a food processor until it starts clumping together (don’t overmix, you want the nuts to be a bit chunky). Press the mixture into molds. Spray your tin with a cooking spray (I use Trader Joe’s coconut oil spray). I put mine into a mini muffin tin, but you can use a cake tin or brownie pan. Make sure you really press the crust into the pan to make it firm. Place in the fridge.

PUMPKIN PIE FILLING:

  • 1 ½ cup canned pumpkin
  • 10-12 soft pitted dates
  • ½ cup coconut oil
  • ½ cup full fat coconut milk (canned)
  • 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 ½ tablespoon honey

Blitz all ingredients in a food processor until super creamy. Pour on top of the crusts and place in the fridge overnight. These are best cold, straight out of the fridge!!

 

 

Photo as always, by http://www.kyleespeletaphotography.com

Avocado cream pasta with roasted veggies

Posted on by theserialbakist

Gluten free avocado cream pasta with organic roasted veggies.

I started by making the roasted veggies, they are so easy! Chop your favorite veggies into cubes or strips. I used 6 heirloom carrots sliced, 1 carton of white mushrooms sliced, 4 small beets diced, 1 zucchini sliced, 1 red bell pepper sliced and 1 yellow bell pepper sliced. In a bowl, mix all the veggies (except the beets) with  2 tablespoons of olive oil + 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar + Himalayan pink salt + pepper. Add the beets in last so they don’t color the rest of your veggies. Pour them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.

While those are roasting, I boiled the pasta. I used a brown rice pasta from Whole Foods, but any pasts will do. Boil in salted water until soft/aldente.

In a food processer, blitz 2 ripe avocados, garlic (I use a whole head of garlic because I’m crazy, but 4 or 5 cloves will do!), 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Once mixed into a creamy texture, add in 1/3 cup olive oil while mixing.

Drain the pasta and mix with the avocado sauce and sliced cherry or heirloom tomatoes. Serve with a side of roasted veggies! Enjoy!

 

 

 

Cinnamon banana bread

Posted on by theserialbakist

Made this bread for my favorite lil nephew Lennon! He’s 9 months and loved it. It would also work as kid snacks by filling mini muffin tins halfway with mix, perfect size for kids!

RECIPE:

* 3/4 cup peanut or almond butter (I used crunchy all natural unsalted TJ’s almond butter)
* 1 cup of almond meal/flour – best if sifted first but will work great either way (Bob’s Red Mill blanched almond flour is awesome and less gritty than the regular almond flour)
* 3 eggs whisked
* 1/4 cup honey
* 1/3 cup room temp coconut oil
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
* pinch of cinnamon
* 1 ripe banana mashed for mix
* 1 ripe banana sliced for tops of muffins

Mix the wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls and then combine.

Pour mix into muffin tins or a bread pan and top with thin slices of banana and a pinch more cinnamon. For bread, I always line the pan with parchment paper first to make it easy to take out of the pan when done. For muffins, I coat the pan with a bit of coconut oil spray instead of using muffin papers. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes (for muffins) or 20-30 minutes (for bread). Run a butter knife around the edge of the pan when done to help loosen up the bread, and it will pop right out. These are great with butter, jam or both! I keep in the fridge to help it stay fresher longer.

photo by http://www.kyleespeletaphotography.com/