GF Chocolate Power-Punch Cake (Low Carb)

When I want something, I want it now and am willing to substitute crazy things if necessary.

This cake is one I literally threw into a bowl on a whim.  It consists of nut flours you will grind yourself and also contains eggs and dairy. Unless you have something against any of those, this cake is very nutritious, full of fiber and protein. If you don't have all the ingredients, substitute the equivalent.

Perfect to take the place of lunch, it's high in protein and fiber while low on net carbs.

GF CHOCOLATE POWER PUNCH CAKE (Low Carb) Serves Two

6 Brazil Nuts (finely ground)

1/8 cup walnuts (finely ground)
2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder

1 Tbsp Coconut Flour
1 Tbsp Flax Seeds  (ground)

1/4 tsp of Baking Powder

Stevia to sweeten to your taste
Pinch of salt
2 Tbsp. Heavy Cream
1 (round) Tbsp Ricotta Cheese

1/4 c. Coffee (brewed)

1 egg
1 Tbsp. Chocolate chips, if desired
1 tsp. Butter

Grind nuts as finely as you possibly can in whatever you have that can grind.  Food processor, coffee grinder, blender, etc...  Add all ingredients in large mug.  Stir well.  Add a bit of water, if it looks too dry and thick--it shouldn't be soupy.

Microwave in one minute intervals until completely cooked through (mines takes 3).  If necessary, turn it out onto a plate, once the sides have finished cooking and cook for another minute.  Now you have a nut cake that goes nicely with coffee. (Two servings).

Without chocolate chips, this comes to:  9 carbs, 4g fiber, 9g protein, 23 fat, 255 calories per serving. (Net carbs 5).

Little Miss Muffett...Not!

Sticking with the fairy tale theme, I'm moving on to Little Miss Muffett for breakfast.  A lot of celiacs struggle with good breakfast ideas...obviously--ask the average Americans what they eat for breakfast and 95% of the time it's going to be: cereal, waffles, pancakes, toast, bagel, muffins, biscuits, etc...
You're probably hoping that I'm not about to promote curds and whey.  It does sound gross.  Some scientists actually hypothesize that it was not the spider that truly scared Miss Muffett away, but the curds and whey itself.
Haha, but seriously, did you know that Ricotta and Cottage are made from curds and whey?

Cottage Cheese is the curd and Ricotta is made from the whey when all the curds are removed.    So combine these two and technically, you've got curds and whey...right?

"Way Out" Curds and Whey:

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons Ricotta Cheese
2 Tablespoons Cottage Cheese
Lettuce
Fresh Oregano--a few leaves
Fresh Basil--a few leaves
Cherry Tomatoes (or diced)
Sunflower seeds 1 Tablespoon
Bacon (Optional)
Portobello Mushroom--a few slices (optional)
1 teaspoon Romano or Parmesan Cheese
Fresh/dried Garlic--a pinch
Pepper--a pinch

Directions:
Layer a serving bowl with lettuce.  Scoop the cheeses on top--mix around a bit.  Add the other ingredients to suit your tastes.  Eat.  Fall in love with your food.

Sometimes I eat something that was so delicious that my glutton side takes over and demands "MORE!"  So...I decided to relent in a not so naughty way and share a few scoops of my Pepa's sweet pecans (organic!) with my family.  ....And sip on some Bolthouse Farm Mocha--sooo smooth and yummy.

Sprouting Lentils

I'm currently on a health kick--they come and go for me.  I've been making blended fruit/veggie drinks that are a cross between fresh fruit juice and a smoothie.  I call this a Smoojie.  Just put whatever fruits you have on hand (even carrots and apples work, if you don't mind the texture) in your blender and liquefy them.  Then drink with a straw.  

I even tried fresh tomatoes, onion and garlic with basil, one day.  Which was...interesting.  Like tomato juice.  Not too bad.  Full of antioxidants, I'm sure. 

I've also switched to Sea Salt and Stevia and tried to cut down on my family's intake of both.  Some studies show that excess iodized salt and processed white sugar can block your body's absorption of important nutrients and 'destroy your health'.  I KNOW, the article says the same thing about coffee, but I conveniently ignored that part.  You gotta start small, sometimes...

Another, actually fun, thing I'm trying out, is growing sprouts:

These are the lentils that I sprouted.  They're not the tastiest thing on the planet, but they're very healthy.  One of my children will eat these, the other two seem uncertain, but find it to be a fascinating process.

This is the Youtube.com video that I followed to make mine.  I love this couple.  They're very...lively and remind me of The Wiggles for some reason.  :D  After living in Los Angeles for seven year, I reeeeeally enjoy seeing cheerful people once in a while.

If you'd like to know more about growing sprouts, this is a great video for learning about the nutritional benefits of sprouts.  It's also filled with beautiful pictures of various types of sprouts.

This is NOT me, in the video, by the way.

Now, if I can just get myself started exercising a little bit... :S

Hearty Choco Stix

I wanted to make something that my kids could eat in place of graham crackers. I also wanted to make sure they packed a powerful punch of nutrients. So I got out my coffee grinder and all the beans and grains in my cabinet. After grinding away, this is what I came up with.

INGREDIENTS:
3 T fava bean flour
1/4 c millet flour
2 T mung bean flour
1/4 c tapioca starch
1/4 c rice flour
1/4 c potato starch
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c brown sugar
1/8 tsp pure stevia powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
A dash of cinnamon
1 egg
1/3-1/2 c plain yogurt
3 oz. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Mix dry ingredients and add egg and yogurt.
If you don't have these exact grains and beans, I encourage you to mix and experiment with what you have. The goal is to form a stiff dough (add more yogurt if it's too dry).
Shape into little logs and flatten.
Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. Flip and bake for 4 more minutes.
Cool and coat one side with melted chocolate chips.
Yield 3 dozen.

Note: I was still out of vanilla when I made this recipe, but I really think it could benefit from a teaspoon of it.