Recipe | Naturally Knocked Up

Gluten-free, grain-free chocolate chip cookies {recipe}

May 7, 2013 by Donielle 33 Comments

gfcookie1

I do pretty well staying away from sweets, but there is just something about a chocolate chip cookie that makes me feel like home. And man, oh man does it make my house smell fantastic.

They also have a nice little secret ingredient – a healthy one at that!

gfcookie6

The base of this cookie is the simple chickpea, also known as the garbanzo bean. And to be completely honest with you, I had purchased these to make hummus, but the cookies looked better.

Making these is as simple as whipping up a smoothie since all you need is a blender.

grain-free chocolate chip cookie

And you’ll have the household flocking to the kitchen as they bake, so keep a spatula handy to smack them away until they are cool enough to eat.

gfcookie4 gluten free cookie dough bites gluten free chocolate chip cookies

5.0 from 8 reviews

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Gluten-free, grain-free chocolate chip cookies

Author: Donielle

Recipe type: Desserts and Sweet Things

Ingredients

1¼ cup cooked chick peas (if you’re using canned it’s just less than one can and you’ll need to rinse them)
2 tsp vanilla extract
rounded ½ cup of peanut butter (or nut butter of your choice)
¼ cup honey
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt if using salt free PB
½ cup chocolate chips (the darker the better I think!)

Method of Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Blend all but the chocolate chips in a food processor or blender until smooth.
Stir or pulse in chocolate chips until well mixed.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until slightly browned.
Let cool and enjoy.

Notes

If you don’t have honey, you can also substitute a whole cane sugar, though I needed 2-3 Tbsp of milk/coconut milk to get it to blend well.
You can also use crunchy peanut butter if you want a bit more texture to these.
This recipe makes about 12-16 cookies, so double it up if you’re bringing to potlucks and get togethers!

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Links in the post above may be affiliate or referral links - meaning that through a sale I may be given monetary benefit. I blog with integrity and only endorse companies and products I love.

I am not a doctor and don\'t pretend to be one. Use everything you read only to inspire you to do your own research and be an advocate for your own health. Please read my disclaimer in full.

Black Bean Soup with Shredded Pork {recipe}

March 19, 2013 by Donielle 1 Comment

The first day of spring is tomorrow. The day when the birds begin to wake us every morning with their song, the flowers begin to push through the soil, grass begins to green, and we get to go outside without bundling up under layers.

Oh, right. I live in Michigan.

snow

We never quite know when spring will make its appearance, last year was unseasonably warm (think 80′s) and this year we’re under a layer of snow. So it’s probably safe to say that it’ll be soup weather for some time.

Good thing we love soup at our house, it’s oh so warming and nourishing. And this one also gives our family a break from the usual chicken soup.

black bean and pork soup

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Black Bean Soup with Shredded Pork {recipe}

Author: Donielle

Ingredients

1 pound dried black beans (or 3 cups cooked beans)
2 bone-in center-cut pork chops
4-6 slices of bacon
1 Tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
2-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, chopped. (this is about the only canned item I ever buy as I can not find a similar taste elsewhere)
2 cups diced tomatoes (or one can)
1 green pepper, diced
1 red or yellow pepper, diced
1 tsp cumin
1½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
6 cups of water

Method of Preparation

Soak beans overnight for best nutrient absorption.
Melt the butter (or oil) in a 6 quart pot and saute onions and peppers until soft.
Add all the ingredients, except the bacon, and allow to simmer on low for about two hours. (This can also be done in the crockpot on low for about 5 hours.)
When the beans are soft and the pork is falling apart so that you can shred it, fry up the bacon and stir in.
Remove the bones, shred the pork, and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Top with tomato and/or green onion.

Notes

This soup is also tasty served over basmati rice.

porksoup_01_011012_pin

All images and content are protected under US copyright laws, please do not copy and paste.

Links in the post above may be affiliate or referral links - meaning that through a sale I may be given monetary benefit. I blog with integrity and only endorse companies and products I love.

I am not a doctor and don\'t pretend to be one. Use everything you read only to inspire you to do your own research and be an advocate for your own health. Please read my disclaimer in full.

Filed Under: Latest Blog Articles, Recipes Tagged With: Recipe

Gluten-Free Sourdough Pancakes {recipe}

February 8, 2013 by Donielle Leave a Comment

Simple sourdough pancakes, paired with some lovely pastured sausage or bacon and fruit is one of our favorite breakfasts. most often enjoyed on a Saturday morning. The slight tang of the sourdough offers a perfect balance with real maple syrup and rich grass-fed butter. Sometimes we even top them with fresh whipped cream for a gourmet feel.

Have you started your own gluten-free sourdough starter yet?

I began my gluten-free sourdough starter over a month ago love watching it bubble away on the counter. It also means that our pancakes breakfast is quick and easy in the morning with just a few minutes of preparation the night before.And I love knowing that the food I serve my family will be easier to digest, allowing us to absorb more nutrients from it.

The recipe we’ve been using is based on the whole wheat sourdough pancakes I’ve made in the past, just updated to work within our family’s dietary needs.

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Gluten-Free Sourdough Pancakes {recipe}

Author: Donielle

Recipe type: Breads and Grains

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 cup brown rice sourdough starter
1 cup gluten free flour mix (I use ½ cup oat flour and ½ cup millet flour. You can also use sorghum or teff, just stick to whole grain flour)
⅔ cup water
1 Tbsp maple syrup (or equivalent sweetener)
1 lightly beaten egg
3 Tbsp coconut oil (or melted butter)
½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp psyllium fiber or xanthan gum
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp water

Method of Preparation

The night before: mix the starter with 1 cup of GF flour mix and ⅔ water. Leave it in a warm place overnight to continue the sourdough process. You could also use only starter, as I did with my whole wheat pancakes, but I find that using only brown rice makes the pancakes a bit crumbly.
In the morning add the sweetener, egg, oil or butter, sea salt, and either fiber or xanthan gum.
Dissolve the baking soda in the water and then gently fold into the batter.
Place about ¼ cup of the batter onto a medium-hot skillet and flip when the bubbles in the batter stay open. Cook the second side until done.
Serve with a quality grass-fed butter, nut or seed butter, and/or maple syrup.

This recipe can easily be doubled and they store well in the refrigerator for a few days.

All images and content are protected under US copyright laws, please do not copy and paste.

Links in the post above may be affiliate or referral links - meaning that through a sale I may be given monetary benefit. I blog with integrity and only endorse companies and products I love.

I am not a doctor and don\'t pretend to be one. Use everything you read only to inspire you to do your own research and be an advocate for your own health. Please read my disclaimer in full.

Filed Under: Latest Blog Articles, Recipes Tagged With: Recipe

Benefits of Sourdough Bread and How to Make a Gluten Free Sourdough Starter

February 5, 2013 by Donielle 24 Comments

Fermented foods, of which our diets are severely lacking, have the ability to make food easier to digest as well as provide our bodies with needed nutrients and beneficial bacteria. Sourdough is one of those fermented foods.

It’s been a few years since I’ve taken the time to experiment with sourdough breads, it always seems so tricky and I got tired of baking bricks. I was able to make a few good loaves, but never with consistency. The one sourdough food we really loved though were pancakes. So easy to make and deliciously light.

We then went gluten-free and gave up bread for the most part, making only a loaf of yeasted bread every few months.

As we discussed yesterday in our post about digestion, preparing foods properly is really important. It helps our bodies absorb more nutrients and it is easier on the gut, causing less issues. One of the ways to properly ferment grains (breads) is to use a sourdough method.

This method has been used for centuries; our great-grandmothers worked in their kitchens making this traditional bread, their cupboards held a jar of the starter. Instant yeast was not easily accessible if available at all, so sourdough was the only way you could get a bread to rise.

“Sourdough breads are leavened by a starter that contain natural yeasts and acids. The airborne yeast creates the enzymes needed to eat up or predigest some of the toughest-on-your-belly parts of the grain. This action creates carbon dioxide, which gets trapped in tiny pockets of dough, resulting in a natural rising of the bread.” -Shannon

Preparing breads using a sourdough method is also known to break down the gluten when using a wheat flour, lowers the starch content of the grain as the bacteria present consume the sugars and starch, and it also nutralizes an enzyme within the grain called phytic-acid.

Through the process of lactic acid fermentation is also activates the phytase to hydrolyze (dissolve) the phytates, thus freeing up minerals such as: zinc, iron, magnesium, copper, and phosphorus. (source: Katie Kimball)

All in all, sourdough breads are much easier for the body to digest and as an added benefit, the bacteria also add nutrients into it as well.

In my goal to make 2013 the year of the ferments in our home, I’m beginning to experiment again, and we currently have a nice little gluten-free sourdough starter happily fermenting away on the counter.

How to Make a Gluten Free Sourdough Starter

5.0 from 1 reviews

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How to Make a Gluten Free Starter

Author: Donielle

Recipe type: Breads and Grains

Ingredients

4 cups brown rice flour
3 cups filtered/non-chlorinated water
optional – 2 tbsp water kefir

Method of Preparation

It’s important to have water free from chemicals, specifically chlorine as it may damage the starter. If you have city water (versus your own well) you can place a jar or bowl of water, uncovered, out on the counter overnight. You can also boil the water for ten minutes and let cool to room temp.
Day one – four you are going to place ¼ cup of flour and a scant ¼ cup of water into a jar and stir with a wooden (or plastic) spoon every morning and every night. I find that when making a starter, it’s helpful to feed it twice a day for the first few days. Cover your starter with a thin towel or cloth jar cover. (I’ve also used coffee filters and rubberbands which work well)
If your starter doesn’t seem every active, you can “boost” it a bit by adding a tablespoon of water kefir.
By day five your starter should be bubbling along and able to sustain just one feeding per day, so each day you add ½ cup of brown rice flour and ⅓ cup of water. The consistency we’re looking for is going to be like cake batter, so add more or less water based on how yours looks.
At day seven you should have enough starter to make your first sourdough recipe! If you’re not looking to use it immediately,place it in a mason jar with a solid cover and refrigerate, feeding once a week or so to keep it active.

Notes

It is important to keep your starter in a warm place; if it gets to cold it won’t be active enough to work. I find that keeping mine in the oven with the pilot light on can help immensely during the cold winter months. Others find that they can place it next to the stove or on top of a refrigerator for warmth.

If you are not completely gluten-free, you can also add a few tablespoons of whole wheat flour (I’d recommend spelt or einkorn flour) as it can help boost the health of your starter. You can also make a whole wheat sourdough starter.

All images and content are protected under US copyright laws, please do not copy and paste.

Links in the post above may be affiliate or referral links - meaning that through a sale I may be given monetary benefit. I blog with integrity and only endorse companies and products I love.

I am not a doctor and don\'t pretend to be one. Use everything you read only to inspire you to do your own research and be an advocate for your own health. Please read my disclaimer in full.

Filed Under: Matters of the Heart, Recipes Tagged With: Fermenting Foods, Recipe

Hearty Potato Soup {recipe}

January 25, 2013 by Donielle 3 Comments

A wonderfully warm soup, made with wholesome ingredients, seems to fit the bill in January. If you’re from a warmer climate – well lucky you! For the rest of us it can get downright freezing (single digit temps here for most of the week!) and a hot soup warms you to your core. Especially one this creamy and delicious.

This week we’ve seen temperatures below zero at night and not much warmer during the day! The snow has piled up in the yard and on the deck, and going outside for even a few minutes can chill you to the bone. The other day I was out running errands and by the time I got home, I just couldn’t warm up, so I put on a pot of soup for dinner.

When using wholesome ingredients, this will nourish your family and keep them asking for more.

4.0 from 1 reviews

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Hearty Potato Soup

Author: Donielle

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 35 mins

Total time: 50 mins

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

6 medium potatoes, cubed (about 4-5 cups)
1 large onion, chopped
2-4 cloves of garlic (use to taste)
1½ cups sliced carrots
1½ cups sliced celery
3 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
½ teaspoon pepper
1 cup cream
8 strips bacon, cooked and chopped into small pieces
¼ cup organic corn starch or arrowroot flour
optional: shredded sharp cheddar

Method of Preparation

Place all vegetables and broth into a large saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until vegetables are soft, about 20-25 minutes.
Stir together the corn starch or arrowroot flour and the cream together and slowly pour the soup. Cover and let simmer on low for 10-15 minutes.
Add in half the bacon, stir.
Serve topped with bacon and cheese

Notes

You can also make this dairy free, yet creamy! Just add about a half a head of cauliflower in with the vegetables and use an immersion blender to blend about half of the veggies once cooked. This offers a wonderful “creaminess”, yet also leaves the heartiness from the chopped veggies. And of course, you’ll have to skip the cheese.

All images and content are protected under US copyright laws, please do not copy and paste.

Links in the post above may be affiliate or referral links - meaning that through a sale I may be given monetary benefit. I blog with integrity and only endorse companies and products I love.

I am not a doctor and don\'t pretend to be one. Use everything you read only to inspire you to do your own research and be an advocate for your own health. Please read my disclaimer in full.

Filed Under: Latest Blog Articles, Recipes Tagged With: Recipe