Having to avoid nightshades is frankly annoying. Back in my pre-Hashimotos days when I was running 20-30 miles per week and cutting whole bags of jalapeños onto every meal I also enjoyed a nice fat burger with mushrooms, blue cheese and hot chips (French fries). …
Eating nose to tail might not be your definition of fun, but with some amazing hacks and tricks, it can be so delicious that even the hubs and suspicious children will gobble it up. Incorporating organ meats (offal) into recipes is incredibly nourishing, hormone balancing …
This recipe is basically my dark chocolate espresso cookies, but poured into a brownie pan. People kept asking though so I thought I’d best get it up here as it’s own thing. The espresso is optional, the seed butter can be swapped out with any nut or seed butter for a twist, and the chips obviously are interchangeable. Our favorite chips to use are the Lily’s Salted Caramel Baking Chips and the Chocolate Mint Chips. The only Lily’s chips I have found that don’t work with the brownies are the White Chocolate and Butterscotch chips, as they have a lower and limited baking time, which is why they are only in my cookie recipe. These are fudgy and my girls love them. My son says they’re too dark, so I’ll have to work on that for him. I prefer them completely cooled and then chilled in the fridge. The mouthfeel is far superior.
Dark Chocolate Keto Brownies
Brenna May
My kiddos favorite keto brownies. They are super quick to make and are a healthy snack full of antioxidants, healthy fats and protein.
Coat brownie pan with coconut oil and insert parchment paper.
Transfer batter into pan and flatten out.
Sprinkle with some more baking chips.
Bake in preheated oven at 325°F for 15-20 min
Notes
I like to do these in a silicone brownie pan as well because the end result is just so pretty, but for expediency often do them in the Fat Daddio. The baking times are slightly less in the silicone (12-15 minutes) but the overall experience and mouthfeel is better. If you use the square pan, bake for 18-20 minutes and let them cool completely before eating. I often chill them in the fridge afterward for a fudgy treat. Left out they don't quite have the same chew as the cookies or the little mini squares.
Alright my friends. This is a recipe that I have posted before but it has undergone a subtle but very important change. If I’m honest I was literally terrified to post it at first because I have imagined in my loopy introverted world that someone …
Recipe by Brenna May @culturedbite It would be modest to say I have a tahini addiction. It is probably on par with my love of chocolate and coffee. Or coffee and chocolate. No matter. I have been looking to make my very own tahini cookie …
We love coconut flour around here. It is not an inflammation causing grain and as you only use about 1/4 to 1/3 cup compared to standard flour or almond flour it is relatively inexpensive. My favorite Is Bob’s Red Mill but I have been known to use BetterBody Foodst as well because frankly it’s cheap at Winco. $2.27 a pound and when you factor in that you only use about a third as other standard and paleo or keto flours that’s really not bad. Also it absorbs a lot of eggs or whatever liquidy thing you want to stick in with it so there is a lot of potential for nutrition and flavor. I have literally used “chia eggs” made with cold brew for awesome coffee tasting vegan treats as well. Coconut also boosts your metabolism and is a great flour for those with nut allergies. So there you are. Many reasons to love coconut flour.
We came up with this recipe this morning after making our first batch of keto waffles (Thank you Wholesome Yum for your lovely recipe) with a few subs and then I realized we were all going “yum yum” on Marco Polo to my lovely friends, one of whom has a severely nut-allergic child. So we did some playing and six batches later we came up with this!
I tried tahini, and one child HATED it. I tried Avocado oil and coconut oil but my little butter fiend was not happy. Ghee or butter flavored coconut oil would be the winner here but make it as you like it.
1 Tbsp Chicory Root Sweetener (Just Like Sugar) or other granulated natural sweetener (I prefer the baking/blue bag but at the moment it is more expensive)
*I prefer Aroy-D because it is BPA free. BPA interferes with your thyroid amongst other things which will raise your insulin and defeat any efforts to lose weight and get healthy.
Method:
Preheat your nonstick waffle iron.
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Separate egg whites from yolks and whip the whites in a medium sized bowl until stiff peaks form. Like with Meringue. *
*I have not tried it yet but for a vegan option you could use chickpea water and whip it in a mixer until you get the same consistency.
Place yolks, milk of choice, and healthy fat of choice (must be either in liquid form or melted down to liquid form) together with vanilla or maple essence in a bowl and whisk together. *for a vegan option you could make 2 blended flax or chia eggs or use ground chia for your egg… let me know how it goes if you try it!)
Pour your mixed wet ingredients into your dry ingredients and mix until you have a thick batter.
Incorporate your egg white meringue material (this is what gives the waffles the rise and fluff) and fold it into the batter until smooth.
Spray the waffle iron with a bit of avocado oil because it helps keep the waffles from sticking and it has the highest smoke point of all the oil and smoked/burned oils are toxic oils. (I put my oils in sally’s organics bottles because I’m not a fan of emulsifiers. Some oils take a little water or vinegar as a natural emulsifier. I’ll use this if the spray is more of a stream.)
I pour about 3/4 cup into our waffle iron but use your judgement. It took about a minute in ours to cook. If you try to pull up the lid and it holds, give it another 15-20 seconds before trying again.
Serve with healthy toppings of choice! These can be separated and frozen to be used for toaster waffles.
1tbspChicory Root SweetenerJust Like Sugar or other granulated natural sweetener (I prefer the baking/blue bag but at the moment it is more expensive)
1/2tspsea salt or pink salt
1/2tspgluten free baking powderI make my own: 2:1 ratio of cream of tartar to baking soda
4eggsseparated (yolks in one bowl, whites in a medium sized bowl)
1/4cupfull fat coconut milk*hemp milk, or milk kefir (for nut free) OR almond or cashew milk if you can handle them.
1tspvanilla or maple extract
2tbsphealthy fat: butter flavored coconut oilcoconut oil, avocado oil, ghee or grass fed butter, depending on diet and taste buds.
Instructions
Preheat your nonstick waffle iron.
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Separate egg whites from yolks and whip the whites in a medium sized bowl until stiff peaks form. Like with Meringue. *
Place yolks, milk of choice, and healthy fat of choice (must be either in liquid form or melted down to liquid form) together with vanilla or maple essence in a bowl and whisk together. *for a vegan option you could make 2 blended flax or chia eggs or use ground chia for your egg… let me know how it goes if you try it!)
Pour your mixed wet ingredients into your dry ingredients and mix until you have a thick batter.
Incorporate your egg white meringue material (this is what gives the waffles the rise and fluff) and fold it into the batter until smooth.
Spray the waffle iron with a bit of avocado oil because it helps keep the waffles from sticking and it has the highest smoke point of all the oil and smoked/burned oils are toxic oils. (I put my oils in sally’s organics bottles because I’m not a fan of emulsifiers. Some oils take a little water or vinegar as a natural emulsifier. I’ll use this if the spray is more of a stream.)
I pour about 3/4 cup into our waffle iron but use your judgement. It took about a minute in ours to cook. If you try to pull up the lid and it holds, give it another 15-20 seconds before trying again.
Serve with healthy toppings of choice! These can be separated and frozen to be used for toaster waffles.
Notes
*I have not tried it yet but for a vegan option you could use chickpea water and whip it in a mixer until you get the same consistency.*I prefer Aroy-D because it is BPA free. BPA interferes with your thyroid amongst other things which will raise your insulin and defeat any efforts to lose weight and get healthy.
Brownie Batter Hummus It seems my son only likes beans in two forms. One is infused with ham like in grandma’s Bacon Baked Beans and the other is when it is hidden in the form of chocolate. My girls love it too. This recipe came …
Paleo Coconut Flour Pumpkin Muffins (Nut-Free) These muffins are perfect for autumn. They are healthy, fragrant with fall flavors and a new family favorite. I have been working on it for a bit but we have come to a crossroads on the coconut flour choice. …
As promised, I am (re)posting one of my einkorn recipes. Although I do not eat grains myself since developing autoimmune disease, this is still a much healthier recipe for families who are conscious of modern gluten and it’s ill effects on the gut. Einkorn is much gentler and only has 14 chromosomes… so does not cross the blood brain barrier as does our modern American hard red wheat that has been so lovingly (NOT) sprayed with glyphosate to increase it’s yield in the past, thereby altering it’s DNA. It is no longer healthy… it is the farthest thing from it. Ever wonder why Europeans can eat so much bread and still stay relatively slender and healthy? And why they don’t have nearly as high a proportion of gluten-intolerance as we do here in the US? Well… THAT is why. Too many chromosomes. Too many modifications. Too much glyphosate. And we subsidize it here so farmers don’t have a lot of motivation to grow different strains and grains, which would give us a variety in our diet and also prevent those few who would become truly intolerant from progressing to that. I’ve said my peace. (LOL)
This bread recipe is my kids (and husband’s) favorite for sandwich bread.Homemade bread gets stale quickly so I use potato and milk kefir to keep it soft.You can use either spelt or einkorn flour.I prefer the latter and buy mine from Jovial Foods via their own website or from Thrive Market. Sometimes I will use spelt. We like VitaSpelt for a finer grain if we can find it, but good luck with that.It is soft, nutty, nutritious and the gluten in einkorn and spelt are easier on the gut.My family loves it slathered with grass fed butter, often with the addition of Vegemite.
Yields 2 loaves. *I have updated this recipe with a printable version at the end of the post.
Finished Potato Dough
Pinched & Left to Raise
Finished Loaves
Honey Kefir Sandwich Loaf (Nut-Free)
This is my kids favorite sandwich bread. Homemade bread gets stale quickly so I use potato and milk kefir to keep it soft. You can use either spelt or einkorn flour. I prefer the latter but because of it’s cost I most often use whole grain spelt. It is soft, nutty, nutritious and wheat-free. They love it slathered with butter, and often with the addition of Vegemite.
Yields 2 loaves.
* 2-3 potatoes, boiled and mashed (about 2 cups)(optional, but must adjust flour and water if not using)
* additional water for adjustments and flour for kneading
Instructions
Preheat your cast iron loaf pans in an oven set to 425°F
In a mixing bowl combine flour, salt and mix.
Make a well in the center and add honey, yeast and warm milk kefir or buttermilk and let sit for 5-10 minutes for yeast to activate.
Add your mashed potato, put on the dough hook and let it combine on the first speed until it forms a ball. If it’s too dry, add a tablespoon water at a time. If it’s too wet add a tablespoon of flour at a time.
Form the dough into two oblong balls and pinch at the bottom.
Remove the hot pans from the oven and place the dough pinch side down.
Turn off the oven and leave it open to cool while you transfer dough from bowl to pans.
Place the pans back in the oven and let rise for 40 minutes.
If you are not using cast iron, rub your pans with butter or coconut oil and do not heat them. Leave in a warm, but off, oven for 1 - 1.5 hours.
Bake at 385°F for 30-35 minutes, depending on your oven and whether you preheated it. Loaves are done when they are brown and slightly pulled away from the pan.
Take out immediately and let cool a bit before slicing.