There is so much information about gluten and the damage that it can inflict on those who are gluten intolerant, allergic or who suffer from celiac disease that a real fact of the matter goes unnoticed; “Dwarf Wheat”

Einkorn wheat, the original grass eaten by our ancestors, has been genetically modified.

Norman Borlaug is credited with feeding the world with the super hardy hybrid, however, in it’s wake has been left a host of ills.

Even if you do not suffer from any number of gluten maladies you may be putting on weight, especially belly fat, experiencing mental fog and fatigue and suffering mild headaches.

Simply feeling bloated after eating wheat products was enough for me to investigate further and come up with a few solutions.

Giving up baked goods is not easy for me or for my family.

I like my girls to eat home made foods as much as possible but the idea of re-tooling my kitchen with gluten-free products seemed over whelming.

It turns out that it is not as difficult as I was making it out to be.

I took one of our favorite recipes, banana bread with walnuts and chocolate chips and adapted it to a wheatless recipe.

Ingredients

3-5 really ripe bananas
2/3 cup of coconut oil
2/3 cup of buttermilk
1 cup of sugar
3 eggs
2 1/3 cup coconut flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

opptional

finely chopped walnuts to taste
chocolate chips to taste

I used a cup of quinoa flour but next time I won’t. The flavor was a bit strong, almost bitter, so I’ll use only coconut flour next time.

Also, the batter was a bit dry and thick, however, you can see by the photos that it baked with a nice crust and was quite moist, actually.

Adding more coconut oil or another banana should remedy any dryness.

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease and “flour” 2 loaf pans

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl

Pour into loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for about 40-50 minutes

I am going to try this recipe again and attempt to make it vegan.

I would also like to eliminate the sugar adding applesauce or prune puree……I’ll keep you posted!

This certainly didn’t cook like the original recipe containing wheat, however, neither was it dense nor crumbly.

It didn’t rise much but it was still very good.

It has a nice crispy crust and only a mild coconut flavor…

…offset by the chocolate chips, I’m sure.

My daughter took one bite and said, “this is different”.

By the next bite she said, “I’m already used to it”

It didn’t take long for the girls to get on board.

It is not my intention to cook something that is simply gluten-free but healthy and nutritionally beneficial, as well.

Coconut oil is so good for you and I am finding ways to include in my diet everyday.

Coconut flour is high in fiber and contains protein for cell growth.

By turning our favorite family recipes into natural health boosters I hope to keep them smiling and satisfied for years to come.

Halloween is upon us, and it’s time to put the finishing touches on your party plans. If you’re looking for tasty, spooky treats for your guests, use the following recipes to make your Halloween party one they’ll never forget! If you are looking for more ideas for your Halloween soiree, do a search of Halloween recipes on Recipe Finder for inspiration and how-to’s. Enjoy!

Embed code:
<br /> <a href=""http://www.pantrydiaries.com/2011/10/19/halloween-party-food/"><img title="Making Halloween Party Food Like a Boss" src="http://i.imgur.com/2yU4H.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="2433" /></a>Source:<a href="http://recipe-finder.com/">Halloween recipes on Recipe Finder</a><br />

It’s not really bread.

It’s dough from my favorite pizza place spread with veggies and cheese and egg.

I happened to have these items in the fridge.

I sauteed the spinach and mushrooms with some crushed garlic and olive oil.

While the bread is raising let the sautee mixture cool and whisk together two eggs; reserve 2 TBSPN to brush on the loaf after you roll it.

Spread the mixture evenly being sure to go all the way to the ends.

Roll the loaf and cover with the egg wash.

Some of the mixture may seep out, try to contain it.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until deep goden brown.

I tried to get photos of the finished product but this was devoured in minutes.

It is great for kids lunches, a travel meal or anytime you want a filling, satisfying treat; hot or cold.

Warm this up sliced in the oven like toast and the edges get crispy. Just delicious!

Kaniwa from Roland Products, pronounced “Ka-nyi-wa”, is a staple grain of the ancient Aztec and Incan cultures whhich has been cultivated for thousands of years throughout South America.

The crunchy, earthy grain is loaded with protein and makes a complete meal when mixed with vegetables.

Kaniwa Plant

Roland Foods offers a wide variety of specialty foods from around the globe and was kind enough to send me this box of Kaniwa to try at home.

I have cooked with Quinoa in the past and I love it.

Kaniwa is similar to quinoa but seems to feel hardier and denser.

I gathered all the vegetables I could find and chopped them to equal size.

1 package of Grape tomatoes cut in half, 7 green onions, 1/2 of a red onion, 1 can of pinto beans, 2 cups of corn, 1 red pepper, 1/2 of a English cucumber, 1 bunch of cilantro,the juice of 3 limes, 1/4 cup of olive oil and salt to taste.

I garnished with avocado.

I put all of the chopped vegetables in a bowl, cooked the 12 oz. box ( about 2 cups ) of Kaniwa and added to the veggies.

I added it hot to the vegetables to bring them to peak flavor.

I find that adding hot grains to the veggies gives off just enough heat to liven the flavors.

I mixed everything then added the olive oil and the lime juice.

Serve and garnish with half an avocado.

Add salt to taste.

This was fantastic.

Everyone loved this vegan, protein rich meal which could also be great as a side dish with grilled salmon.

I came across this great recipe on Lick My Spoon.

This is a great recipe because it was easy to follow and the cake came out perfectly on the first try.

I don’t know why but I am always surprised when that happens!

Also, I have been on this kick lately with coconut, limes and mango.

This recipe calls for Key Limes but I used just regular limes and it worked out fine.

I’m sure that the unique and delicate taste of Key Limes adds a whole new dimension of flavor but any ripe fragrant fruit is just so beautiful to me.

After a long winter, Lime is the flavor I’m craving!

I did make a few adjustments.

Instead of 1/4 cup Malibu I used 1/4 cup Coco Lopez.

This cake has a very Lime forward flavor, which is lovely, however, I wanted to taste the coconut, as well.

Key Lime Coconut Cheesecake
Makes: One (10 inch) cheesecake, serves 8-10
Recipe Courtesy of Lick My Spoon

Ingredients:

Crust
1 package graham crackers (approx. 1 cup)
1 cup cashews
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

Filling
1 (12 oz.) container sour cream
2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 ¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons grated lime zest
½ cup lime juice (if you can’t find key limes, substitute with regular limes)
¼ cup Malibu (optional)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature

Topping
½ cup sweetened coconut flakes, toasted
Slices of lime for garnish

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Butter or spray the bottom of a 10 inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. Cover the outside of the pan in foil. Finely grind the graham crackers and cashews in a food processor. Add the melted butter and 1 tablespoon of lemon zest, and process until the crumbs are moistened. Press the crumb mixture over the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake until the crust is golden, about 15 minutes. Cool completely.

3. Mix together the sour cream, cream cheese, and sugar. Blend in the lime zest, lime juice, Malibu, and vanilla. Add eggs in one at a time.

4. Pour the cheese mixture over the crust in the pan. Place the pan in a large roasting pan. Create a hot water bath by pouring enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the baking pan. Bake until the cheesecake is golden and the center of the cake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour.

5. Sprinkle the toasted coconut on top. I just toast the coconut in a dry skillet over medium heat. Keep stirring it so it doesn’t burn; it will toast up quickly. Garnish with lime slices.

6. Transfer the cake to a rack; cool 1 hour. Refrigerate until the cheesecake is cold and firm, at least 8 hours (best overnight).

I used my artistic discretion to garnish the cake.

These gorgeous limes were my inspiration.

We’ve been eating limes with everything lately!

We’ve been making lime juice cocktails and garnishing every meal with limes!

The crust calls for lemon zest.

Fantastic!

The crust is delicious.

The lemon adds just the right amount of flavour.

Sugar, cream cheese and vanilla…..

Sounds like a good start to me.

The scent of this crust in the food processor was driving us insane.

We wanted to spoon it into our mouths.

I am happy that it made it’s way into the springform pan.

Eggs, sour cream, coco lopez and the lime zest go into the batter.

It has a mouth-watering aroma.

The cake baked perfectly.

Maybe one of my best.

The water bath is a must to avoid cracks.

Lots of toasted coconut!

Sweet and crunchy toasted coconut is divine with rich and creamy lime lovliness!

And a few more photos of my handy work.

I was so happy with the way this cake turned out.

I will be making many more of these.

I have the feeling that this will be the Summertime go-to cheese cake for picnics, parties or whatever comes our way!