gluten free coconut carrot cookies

Happy Tuesday to ya'll!  Well it looks like it's going to rain again.  I'm okay with it, we need it. 

So I got my hair cut (yay)it actually styles now and doesn't lie flat against my head! I quite a bit chopped off, it was pretty dry on those ends.  I was using a citrus conditioner for a while and well, I guess it was stripping

my hair. 

There's nothing like a refreshing(fresh)juice in the morning.  Cucumber, apple, romaine and celery. 

It's time to go grocery shopping again but until that time it was pantry and refrigerator shopping.  So last night it was lentil soup!  Perfect meal actually cuz, dang it was cold out last evening.  Lots of carrots, used up the rest of my fresh spinach and tomatoes.  Wallah, a pretty and satisfying, warm the tummy soup!  

Now for some sweet treats. Gluten free coconut carrot cookies.  I had the taste for carrot cake and coconut cookies so with all the carrots I have for juicing(I buy the 10lb organic bag from Costco) I decided on adding some carrot.  Here is my recipe and just so you know you can minus the spices and carrot and these make fabulous coconut cookies. 

Gluten Free Coconut Carrot Cookies

1/2 C. Sorghum flour

1/3 C. rice flour

1/4 C. oat flour(gluten free) you can make your own by grinding as well

1/4 tsp xanthum gum

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

dash of nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 C. oats (gluten free)

1 Tbsp. Earth Balance + 3 Tbsp canola oil or (just coconut oil melted)

1/3 C. maple syrup*

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp rice milk or non dairy milk

1 med. carrots, peeled and grated

1 C. shredded coconut* 

1/4 C. walnuts, chopped(optional)

       Preheat oven to 375.

In a small bowl combine flours, baking powder, salt and oats. Set aside.

In a medium size bowl whisk together Earth balance, canola, maple syrup, rice milk and vanilla.  

Stir dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients until well mixed.  Next stir in the coconut,carrot & walnuts.  Stir until well combined.

Use a tablespoon to drop dough on to cookie sheet.  Bake for about 12 min.

 Makes about 18 small cookies.

*NOTE:  I used sweetened coconut(that's the only kind I had on hand) so if you aren't using sweetened coconut use a bit more maple syrup or add sugar to the cookies to sweeten up more.  

When making these without carrot I used melted coconut oil and these turned out wonderfully. 

How sweet and fluffy you are!

I'm talking about cinnamon rolls not my kitty cat. hee hee.  Since we really didn't get to eat any of the cinnamon rolls I made for the bake sale last week and  my in-laws are coming in to town for the weekend, I thought it would be a nice treat.  I made some last night, with the help of my son.  He really enjoyed punching the dough down after it was done rising.  Anways, he got to roll, sprinkle and cut up slices.  I swear he would've eaten them raw. blah!

These are when we just put them on the baking sheet to rise a second time.

These are after the second rise right before being baked.

The finished product!  Yum.  You could actually eat these without the glaze on top. Maybe a sprinkle of powdered sugar and cinnamon would do if you don't like them too sweet.  The recipe is from Veganomican and are called Maple Sugar Rolls or something like that.  I didn't use the cardamon they call for in the dough but I did add some cinnamon to the brown sugar for the filling. 

I better finish straighting up the house for our guests.  My son will performing at the school talent show tonight, a Metallica guitar medley he put together a couple of days ago.  Yep, nothing like last minute!  Anyways, it should be fun, the 6th graders have a 6 week session of vocals so the instructor is having them perform a Shania Twain song "Man! I feel like a Woman" and the boys have to dress up as girls.  He is not liking this at all but it should be very entertaining. lol! Along with all the other performances tonight.

Have a great weekend and a fun Super Bowl.

Grilled maple tempeh and Double Broccoli Quinoa

This post is going to be a short and savory one. I know this looks pretty plain but not in taste! I Marinated some tempeh in a maple orange marinade then threw on the grill. While tempeh was marinating I made this delicious Double Broccoli Quinoa from 101 Cookbooks blog. I left out the cream and substituted veggie broth instead. This Broccoli pesto was really, really good you could even use it as a spread or a veggie dip.

Gluten Free Buckwheat Pancakes and a trip to a local organic farm stand

Some pickings from the organic farm. I picked the largest fennel at the stand. The blueberries pictured here are less than half of what we picked. We just couldn't stop eating them! The organic blueberry farm has 13 different varieties of blueberries. My son probably ate a good half a pound just while we were picking.

Check out these carrots! These weren't even the widest ones at the stand. They are called

Champagne Carrots and they thrive in rich soil so they don't need to grow as long as regular carrots, but they grow wider. I measured the middle one and it's 2 1/4inch wide. Crazy huh!

Buckwheat gluten-free pancakes, recipe from the PPK. These are topped with freshly picked blueberries and maple syrup. These pancakes are really really good and have now become one of our regular breakfast meals. Here is the recipe below but with my changes.

Gluten Free Buckwheat Pancakes
Makes 8 five inch pancakes

1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds (or flax meal)
2 tablespoons tapioca flour (cornstarch or arrowroot would be okay, too)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (I used soy)
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (or organic sugar)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (they taste just as good without the vanilla)

In a large mixing bowl, mix together all flours, flax seeds, tapioca, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Create a well in the center and add the remaining ingredients. Use a fork to mix well for about a minute. Let the batter rest, and preheat a large, non-stick or cast iron pan over medium-high heat.

When pan is hot, spray with a thin layer of cooking spray and use an ice cream scooper to pour batter and form pancakes. I did two at a time, but do as many as you can fit. The pancake should start to form little air bubbles, but not as much as “normal” pancakes do, so don’t worry. Cook for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes, then flip and cook for 2 minutes more. Keep warm on a plate covered with tin foil until ready to serve.

Serve with Earth Balance, maple syrup and fresh fruit.