Awesome Banana Coconut-Flour Bread

vegan, GF

This is the best coconut flour recipe I've tried to date! Only 8 ingredients if you count salt, and it's deliciously and naturally sweet with banana and dates. The texture is kind of crumb-y but in a pleasant way and holds together fine. I baked the batter into muffins. It doesn't rise at all, so feel free to fill up the cups, but of course that will entail longer baking time.

recipe and picture from Popsugar

Low-Carbing It

Although I’m lucky to never worry about carbs for the sake of dieting, I have gone off refined sugar a few times, which is always advisable if you have the willpower. Since Rich and I are doing a cleanse, it seemed like a low-carb diet might enhance its effectiveness. It’s been an interesting challenge in the kitchen and I’ve discovered new dishes, both veg and non, a few of which will even become classic favorites, I’m sure!

Breakfasts:

Miso Soup with extra veggies

can easily make for lunch or dinner, too!

Breakfast Casserole

very portable, so easily doubles as a work lunch or snack

            

Savory Pancakes with carrot juicing pulp

Another incarnation of these oat bran pancakes

Fried egg with greens and grilled tomatoes

Green Tea-Avocado Smoothie

• Chia-Flax-CoconutPorridge

Lunches:

Leftovers!! - the cooking's already done

Grilled mackerel, Baba Ganouj and stir-fried greens

Chickpea Pancake

Based on this and that recipe, served with DIY coconut yogurt

• Veg and Tofu from a veggie buffet: the easy and cheap option here in Taipei

Dinners:

Grilled Salmon with Roasted Tomatoes and Stir-Fried Veg

our kick-off gourmet dinner

Slow-Cooked Tofu & Veg Curry

  loosely based on this recipe

Slow-Cooked Balsamic Chicken

Sooo easy and really good. Def a new fave. 
I didn’t even have to touch the meat, just dump it into a bowl to marinate overnight, then slide into the slow cooker! ;)

This Balsamic Chicken came from The Mediterranean Slow Cooker by Michele Scicolone, which is a great cookbook. The recipe goes like this:

1. Oil insert of large slow cooker.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard, 2 large finely chopped garlic cloves,1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary, 2 Tbsp chopped drained capers, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Dip 4 lb of bone-in breasts, thighs and legs chicken pieces into mixture, turning to coat on all sides. Place chicken in cooker and pour on any remaining coating.
3. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours, or until chicken is very tender and coming away from the bone. Serve hot.

Veg Stir-Fry with Edamame and Tofu 

Snacks:

• Nuts (soaked for easier digestion)
• Broth
• Cheese Cubes
• Raw or Stewed Fruit (no added sugar)
• Smoked salmon, goat cheese and cucumber, wrapped in lettuce leaves
• Savory Coconut Flour Zucchini Bread
• Yogurt, dairy or non, with nuts or ground flax
• Lassis

• Fresh Green Juices

we’ve splurged on a cold press juicer and are even growing wheatgrass

Savoury Muffins

Ovo-Lacto
based on these Cheesy Vegetable Muffins (a great basic recipe)

Baked cheese makes for pretty pictures!

These were quite delish and had a nacho-like flavor.

OVEN 350C

IN A LARGE BOWL, MIX:

• 2 cups mixed vegetables (1/4 cup each:
•  sliced black olives
• re-constituted and diced sun-dried tomatoes
• fresh leafy greens chopped into fine ribbony pieces
• fresh corn kernels first cooked in salted water)

1 1/2 cups rye flour

• 3 tsp baking powder
• 
  
• WHISK TOGETHER:
• 2 eggs beaten lightly
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup yogurt
• 1 pinch salt
• 1-2 tsp Italian herb mix
• ADD WET TO DRY, MIX LIGHTLY, POUR INTO OILED CUPS
• TOP WITH 1/4 cup grated cheese (I only topped half of them)

BAKE 25-30 MIN 

Seedy Protein Bread (GF)

Vegan, GF

Texture is dense and chewy. Delish with miso and yellow pepper slivers or avocado or hummus or nut butter or pesto or ...



Original Recipe: Oh-She-Glows

I didn't have enough chia seeds, so topped off the 1/2 cup measure with ground flax
Spices: oregano, marjoram, rosemary, cumin - smells amazing!
8x8 baking pan worked fine, same time.
If pumpkin seeds could stay crunchy, would be even better. Toast them first?

Pumpkin Miso Muffins

Vegan and sugar-free

An unexpected twist on a savory muffin. Quite delish! Recipe from Just Bento

Rye Flour Muffins

Alternative baking... as if my baking wasn't alternative enough! haha...

Although rye contains gluten, at least it's not wheat, so one thing at a time.


Pumpkin-Rye Muffins

ovo-veg (or vegan with egg replacer)
wheat-free
recipe from Bob's Red Mill

They didn't turn out too pretty and I'm guessing some slightly incorrect proportions are to blame. For one thing, I nearly always end up substituting something(s). For another, I gotta get myself dry measuring cups. It ends up being a bit of an eyeballing adventure with the cups meant for measuring liquids.

Left: Pumpkin-Rye     Right: Banana Cinnamon

Banana Cinnamon Muffins

ovo-veg
wheat-free
recipe from Best Health Mag

The topping adds a nice touch! Both aesthetically and for an added texture/sweetness.

Spiced Basmati-Almond Muffins

Ovo-Lacto Veg

This is a recipe from Sunlight Café by Molly Katzen, creator of the Moosewood Restaurant phenomenon.

Overall, not bad, could be more moist (sub applesauce for oil next time and my rice was quite dry AND not basmati but a regular brown). The main issue was collecting all the ingredients... By the time I chopped nuts, zested the orange, ground the spices, squeezed the lemon juice and measured everything... oh boy...

However, I brought a few out of a freezer on a day hike and they really hit the spot, being all chewy and hearty and giving us sustained energy to keep trucking on.

Savory Sweet Potato Bread

Ovo-veg

Everyone likes this stuff (me included!)

*Note: I prefer either cutting down on or entirely skipping the 1/2 cup sugar in the original recipe, otherwise you get a strange mix of too-sweet with rosemary. I've also baked it in a loaf pan, just takes a bit longer.

• 1 ½ C uncooked shredded sweet potato
• 1/3 C oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 C white flour
• ½ C whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp dried rosemary, crumbled
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• 1 Tbl sesame seeds

• ---

• Heat oven to 350. Grease bottom only of 9” round pan or 8” square pan
• Mix sweet potato, (sugar), oil and eggs in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients except sesame seeds
• Spread in pan. Sprinkle with sesame
• Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean

• Recipe suggests serving warm with orange butter