Coconut Flour Popovers

I think popovers are really delicious, easy, and fun.  My kids love to watch them puff up through the oven door and sink a little as they cool.  We are trying to eat less grains because of my husband, so this recipe is in his honor.  The addition of the coconut flour will make these slightly different from a regular popover, but they are still really easy and delicious.  Plus, it's always good to know a processed free version of any recipe, right?

2 Tbsp. butter
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk (use almond or coconut if you are dairy free)
3 Tbsp. coconut flour (accurately measure - don't approximate with this flour)
1/2 tsp. sea salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Cut off one tablespoon of cold butter at a time for a total of two, and slice each one in half, then each half into 3 pieces.  This should make 12 equal-sized, small pieces of butter.  Place each one inside a 12 count muffin tin and place this in the over to let the butter completely melt and the pan to heat up.  Watch that you don't allow the butter to burn while you are making the batter.  In a blender, pour in the eggs, milk, coconut flour, and salt.  Blend until smooth.  Remove the hot muffin pan with the melted butter and pour in the batter filling each cup about half full.  

Bake for 20 minutes or until puffed and golden.  Don't open the oven door while they are cooking or they will deflate and not rise again.  They will look very puffy when done, but shrink down as they cool.  You can eat these plain or top with an all fruit jam (no added sugar), more butter, or my favorite - a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and drizzle of real maple syrup!

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Rolls

Some good friends of ours used to make these biscuit chocolate chip cinnamon rolls for our family and deliver them warm to our door.  Talk about irresistible!  When we moved away, I knew I wanted to get the recipe, but I wanted to try making these processed free.  What I found was that my kids loved them just as much as ever - success!  Because it's a biscuit dough, these are super simple, don't require a rise time, and there is no glaze or frosting needed.    

Dough:
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3 Tbsp. sucanat or coconut palm sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup shortening (non-hydrogenated)
3/4 cup milk

Filling:
3-4 Tbsp. melted butter
sucanat
cinnamon
chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl.  Add the shortening and use a pastry cutter to combine them until it looks like crumbs.  Add the milk and stir into the dough.  Add a little flour to knead it into a ball.  Sprinkle flour on a flat surface and roll it into a flat rectangle.  Cover the flattened dough with melted butter and sprinkle the dough with the desired amount of sucanat, cinnamon, and chocolate chips.

Roll into a log and cut into 12 pieces - about 1 inch thick.  place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes. 

I use dental floss to cut them by sliding it under the log, then pulling the two sides to meet and make a nice cut without squishing the dough.  I also cut it in half first, then those two pieces in half and each of those into three to make the pieces pretty even. 

I know I'm a bit vague about the amounts for the filling, but you can really just eye ball what will cover the dough and how much or little you like of each component - ex. more cinnamon, less chocolate chips.  These are fast and very forgiving if you are allowing your kids to help in the whole process as well.  Have fun with it!

Mini Spelt Flour Pumpkin Spice Donuts

 

 It's the first day of fall!  I like fall, not winter so much, but pumpkin and apple everything is exciting!  My kids and I have been talking about the pumpkin patch and that got me thinking about all the pumpkin goodies.  I wanted to make something we could all enjoy that was delicious and processed free.  Why not pumpkin spice donunts?  These have no refined sugar or flour, but are just as good as any other pumpkin treat you will have this season.  I made them in my mini donut maker (thanks mom!), but you could do this in the oven with a regular size donut pan.  I'll warn you ahead of time - these are addicting.  You'll want it to be fall all the time!

 

1 3/4 cups whole spelt flour (I like sprouted spelt flour best)

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp.nutmeg

1/2 tsp.allspice

1/8 tsp.ground cloves

2 tsp.baking powder

1/2 tsp.salt

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup sucanat or coconut palm sugar

1/3 cup melted coconut oil

1 large egg

1 tsp.vanilla extract

 

For the cinnamon sugar topping:

2 Tbsp. cinnamon

2/3 cup coconut palm sugar

4 Tbsp. melted butter

 

In a large bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, baking powder and salt.  In a separate bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, milk, sucanat, coconut oil, egg and vanilla.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and combine using a rubber spatula just until moist. Scoop this into a gallon size zip-top bag and cut the bottom corner to create a piping bag.

 

When the mini donut maker is heated, pipe the batter in a circle inside each donut shape.  Close the lid and wait until they are cooked through.  Place on a sheet of paper towels to cool completely.  Dip each donut top in the melted butter and then into the cinnamon-sugar mixture. The batter is not overly sweet for this very reason.  Now, devour!  I'm not going to lie, these are fabulous with some homemade apple cider!  You could also enjoy these while sitting on your back porch cuddled up with a blanket watching the fall leaves - just saying.

 

Almond Spread

 

 

I made my fruit and veggie muffins (recipe here) and wanted to try a new nut spread that I found on pinterest.  It's a vegan recipe, and although I'm not vegan, I liked the idea of incorporating more healthy nuts into our diets - and it is processed free.  On her site, she calls this almond cream cheese, and while I really liked this spread, I wouldn't go as far as calling it cream cheese myself.  But, dipping veggies or spreading this on bread was yummy!

 

1 cup raw almonds

1/3 cup water

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar (I like Braggs)

1 tsp. lemon juice



 

Soak the almonds in water for 8 hours or overnight.  Rinse and drain them.  Remove the skins by pinching the almonds between your fingers - they pop right off.  My daughter had so much fun with this part.

Then, in a food processor or good blender add the almonds, water, salt, vinegar and lemon juice.  My mini food processor was the perfect size.  Blend until smooth.

That's your spread!  It came together pretty quickly once the almonds had soaked.  On the woman's site where I originally got this, she tells how to make this into a frosting.  I didn't really care for it sweetened as much as just a spread, but if you think that would appeal, go for it.

Whole Wheat Biscuits

Do you want biscuits that are healthy and tasty too?  No way... just kidding, yes I do!  How about fast and easy too?  Sign me up.  Here is my processed free and fast version of biscuits.  It uses my homemade baking mix again and can be made in two different ways depending on the end result you want. 

2 1/4 cups whole wheat baking mix (found here)
2/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Mix ingredients and roll out to about a 1/2 inch thickness.  I like to roll them out on wax paper that I wet on one side to keep it from sliding on the counter, then sprinkle some whole wheat flour down and some on the top to keep it from sticking to the paper or your rolling pin.  Cut out with a round biscuit cutter or upside down water glass.  Place them on a silpat or lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes.  This will make 8 to 10 biscuits depending on the size you cut out.

You can make these even easier by skipping the roll and cut out steps, and dropping them by spoonfuls onto the cookie sheet to make them drop biscuits. 

Easy enough for any night of the week and much healthier than the store bought tube kind.  It's good to have nourishing food that is as homey as biscuits!

Whole Wheat Bread and Honey Butter

This is the duo that I gave away to friends and family at Christmas - a yummy treat that still remained healthy.  I made mini loaves which are pictured, but I will give all the details for the regular size.  Since going processed free, I actually buy most of my bread from the store in the health food section.  I've shared before that I like the sprouted wheat Ezekiel bread which has met pretty much all my daily needs.  But, there is something about homemade bread - the smell in the house, the warm slice in your hands that just cannot be duplicated by anything made in a factory.  My friend Karen shared this recipe with me and I have made only minor adjustments to make it processed free.

6 cups warm water
2/3 cups coconut oil
2/3 cups raw honey
2 Tbsp. salt
6 cups whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp. yeast, heaping (I like SAF or Rapunzel)

7-8 more cups of whole wheat flour

Pour the warm (not hot) water in your mixer.  Add the oil and the honey.  If you use the same measuring cup the honey will just slip right out after the oil.  Add the salt, 6 cups of flour, and yeast in that order.  Mix this together first, then slowly start to add the rest of the flour while it is still mixing until the dough starts to clean the sides of the bowl.  It will take around the 7 or 8 cups called for, but don't add too much.  You want the dough to be slightly sticky, but not gooey.  And don't worry, this recipe seems to be very forgiving.  While the dough continues to knead for a few minutes, grease four large bread pans with coconut oil (I used my Misto to do this - love it!)  Dump the dough out onto an oiled counter top and divide it into four equal parts.  Shape the loaves and place them in the pans.  Put the pans in a warm area covered with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let them rise until they have about doubled in size - maybe about an inch taller than the edge of the pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.  When they are nice and golden, remove them immediately from the pans and allow them to cook on a wire rack or towel.  You can butter the tops while they are still warm if you want, but I rarely do. 

If you want to make the mini loaves, follow the directions up to the point where you divide them up.  I have found that I can get about 15 mini loaves from this recipe.  You still need to let them rise, but only bake them for about 18 minutes at the same temperature. 

Regardless of the size, these freeze beautifully, so even though this makes quite a bit, you won't be sorry to have some on hand.  And they do make great gifts.

Now I have found that you shouldn't let one of them cool entirely before cutting into it and slathering it with butter - it loses something not to eat it warm, right?  So enjoy the fruits of your labor at that perfect moment when all feels right in the world.

As for the honey butter, it is beyond easy to make.  It's just salted butter (I like organic) softened to room temperature then beaten with as much or as little raw honey as you want.   Make this to your personal taste.  I personally enjoy having to spread a little on a piece of warm bread for a taste check many times over!

Ricotta Toast

I'm about to share one of my favorite breakfast treats with you.  My mom and I started making this years ago with leftover ricotta cheese.  We call it "ricotta toast" and it is super easy, quick, and processed free.  Did I mention delicious... I should have!  I LOVE ricotta cheese and we used it a lot when I was growing up because of my Italian mama.  In fact, my favorite cake has ricotta cheese as a filling.  I'll share it sometime.  So, this to me feels more like a treat than just any old breakfast.... sorry cereal, you just don't compare.  Here's what you need:

bread (Ezekiel brand sprouted or a whole wheat, no sugar version)
whole milk ricotta cheese
all fruit preserves (no added sugar or artificial sweeteners)

Toast the bread and then pile on the ricotta and top with jam.  Couldn't be simpler.  In the picture, I used strawberry, but I absolutely love this with boysenberry!  It's also fantastic with orange marmalade or a processed free lemon curd (harder to find or you can make your own.)  This can get really fancy if you use a slice of whole wheat baguette as the toast!  Serve it like that to a house guest and they'll think they are at a little cafe somewhere in Europe.

Cinnamon "Sugar" Toast

This is not really a processed free "recipe," but it is a fast and easy, allowable, kid friendly, breakfast or snack for my kids.  I always appreciate simple ideas for processed free living that don't take too much time.

To make this processed free, take a slice of Ezekiel bread (or homemade bread), toast it up and spread butter on top.  Use organic butter if you can find it.  Then sprinkle on some homemade cinnamon and coconut sugar mixture and you're done.  I serve this with some fresh fruit or a green smoothie for a yummy breakfast my kids ask for, and I don't feel guilty giving to them!

My Favorite Bread

This is my favorite bread to buy at the store.  Being processed free, you might think I would have to make all my bread from scratch - not true!  This Ezekiel bread is whole grain, organic, and flourless because the grains are sprouted, not ground.  Plus, it has more nutrition and no preservative chemicals.  You can buy it at health food stores in the refrigerator or freezer section, but I even found it at my local grocery store in their natural foods corner!  It does cost a little more and for best shelf life, it's recommended to keep it in the refrigerator, but it is well worth those small changes for all the health benefits. Use it for anything you would traditionally use bread for: sandwiches, toast, french toast, bread crumbs, homemade croutons, etc.

It's hands down one of my favorite products and a total time saver as a mom!

Pigs in Blankets

My kids love these bite sized comfort food.  I started making these a few years ago with a simple recipe from Hungry Girl.  But when I decided to change our eating habits and concentrate on eating processed free, I knew these little cuties would have to go.  At least how I was making them before.  I knew this would not go over well with the kids (or my husband) to remove these from our diets permanently.  If I made a few swaps, I could actually feel okay with making them again.  Here is my new version of these cuties.  Also good for parties!

Pigs in Blankets

One package of nitrate/nitrite free hot dogs (don't use regular!) - about 8
1 recipe for 100% Whole Wheat Crescent Rolls

Start with making the crescent roll dough.  It will take time to let the dough rise for an hour, but you can skip the second rise time.  Cut each hot dog into 4 equal pieces.  If your package had 8 to start, you will wind up with 32 hot dog pieces.  After the dough has risen for an hour, divide it in half and roll out one of them to a 12" circle - skip the step for the crescents roll recipe to put oil or butter on the dough.  Now cut the circle into 16 equal wedges.  Roll each hot dog piece in a wedge starting at the outside edge and moving towards the tip.  Place them on a greased cookie sheet and put them in the oven for 12 minutes at 375 degrees.

Here is what they look like just rolled before going into the oven.

And here they are will a dollop of ketchup.  I use a low or no sugar variety with no high fructose corn syrup or I make my own.  They are also good with mustard which always brings out the German in me.  Ja wohl!

100% Whole Wheat Crescent Rolls

When trying to eat processed free, you realize there are recipes that you used to make that your family liked, but can't enjoy anymore.  Crescent rolls were one of those for me.  I love bread! Only I couldn't justify all the negatives about this favorite food.  After a little trial and error, I came up with this recipe that uses real ingredients, healthy oils, and cuts out the refined sugar and flour.  Now there is no stopping the enjoyment!

Whole Wheat Crescent Rolls

3/4 cup warm milk
1 package of yeast
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. honey
1 Tbsp coconut oil + more for brushing on the bowl and dough (heated slightly to become liquid)
1 egg, beaten, at room temperature

Dissolve yeast into warm milk.  Allow to sit for about five minutes.  In a large bowl combine milk and yeast mixture, 1 cup of flour, salt, honey, 1 Tbsp oil, and egg.  Mix well.  Add enough of the remaining flour to make the dough easy to handle (about 1 cup.)  Turn onto a floured surface and knead for a few minutes – it should feel smooth and springy.  Grease the bowl with coconut oil and put the dough back in the bowl.  Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for one hour or until dough has doubled in size.

Punch down the dough to deflate it and divide it into two equal halves.  Place half on a floured surface and roll out into a 12“ circle.  Brush each piece with a bit more coconut oil or butter if you prefer.  Cut into 8 equally sized wedges. Roll each one starting at the outside edge to the point of the triangle.  Place on a greased baking sheet.  You can brush with more butter if you would like.  Cover them loosely again and let rise 30 more minutes or until doubled.  Repeat these steps for the other half of the dough.  Bake at 375 degrees for 12 - 15 minutes.

 Makes 16 rolls 

Beef Stew and Dumplings

Beef stew and dumplings are a long time family favorite.  I remember my Italian mama making this quite often because we all asked for it constantly.  This is a recipe that says home and love.  There was nothing really wrong with the beef stew in terms of being processed free (only a bit of flour at the end to thicken the stew), but the dumplings sure needed an overhaul.  So here is my cleaned up version of my mom's classic stew and dumplings.

Beef Stew

2 -3 lbs. stew meat (preferably grass-fed, organic)
3 medium russet potatoes
1/2 - 1 lbs. baby carrots
1 onion
1 1/2 - 2 Tbsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 Tbsp coconut oil

Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces remembering that the meat will shrink slightly as it cooks.  Brown the meat in the oil on high heat in a large cooking pot.  Add 8 cups of water and bring to a boil.  Turn the heat to low-medium so that it barely boils.  Skim off the foam.  Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Put the lid on the pot slightly offset and cook the meat for about 1 1/2 hours.  While the meat is cooking, cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces and dice the onion. (I like the skin left on the potatoes - it feels more rustic and adds nutrition, but you can peel them if you want)  Cover the vegetables with cold water and set aside until you are ready to add them to the meat.  After the meat has cooked, add the vegetables and cook until tender.  If you add the vegetables and they aren't covered in the broth, just add a bit more water.  Check the seasoning and adjust as needed.  In a separate bowl mix 2/3 cup water with 6 Tbsp. rice flour or whole wheat flour.  Mix and add to the stew to thicken the broth.  Now you are ready to add the dumplings on top.

Dumplings

2 cups whole wheat baking mix (found on my blog)

2/3 cup milk

Mix and drop by heaping spoonful on the stew.  Reduce the heat and cook uncovered for 10 minutes.  Cover and cook an additional 10 minutes.  You know they are done with the tops are no longer glossy and they spring back when you touch them.

If I'm being honest, we always mix up a double batch of dumplings.  I highly recommend it!  The following picture shows just one batch.  Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Baking Mix

Sometimes you just feel like comfort food.  But, then you realize that your old comfort food was loaded with refined sugar, refined flour and trans fats.  There's only one thing left to do... remake it!  Here is my version of "Bisquick."  I wanted this to be as close to the original in taste, but with real ingredients, aka processed free.

Whole Wheat Baking Mix

4 cups whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour (sprouted is best if you can find it)

2 1/2 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 Tbsp sea salt

3/4 cup powdered milk

1/2 cup butter (cold and in small pieces)

The easiest, quickest, and best way to mix this is in a food processor.  Just pour everything in and hit pulse until the butter has disappeared.  It's super fast and creates the perfect texture.  If you don't have a food processor, don't worry, you can mix it by hand.  Pour everything together in a large bowl and use a pastry cutter to smashing the the lumps of butter until they are completely gone.  It takes a few minutes, but this will happen.  And you're done!

This makes about 5 1/2 cups of baking mix.  Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator or keep it in the freezer (like I do) to always have it on hand.  Use it the same way you use any all purpose baking mix.  Look for more posts on how I use this baking mix in lots of different ways!