This October at home, I’ve been in getting into my mom’s health-food stash and baking delicious seasonal treats.
Now don’t get me wrong… one month at home is not turning this into a homemaking blog, or a health blog, or a gluten-free cooking blog. Those niches are better left to others because although I do love cooking, and am trying to stay sugar and dairy free, my gypsy lifestyle keeps me from it. Minimalist kitchens in corporate apartments, the expense of buying new staple baking goods every new city, and those long career-girl working hours all conspire to keep my diet simple. I eat a lot of buttered toast on my way out the door.
But right now I’m at home in the country with a big island kitchen, so… I thought today I’d show you what’s been cooking!
But first…
Sugar-Free Foods I’ve Rediscovered:
? Almonds – Soy, a great replacement food for folks with allergies, has apparently gone out of style in the nutritional world after being linked to a number of harms. Almonds seem to be a new substitute for the substitute. Almond butter and almond flour are so good! I wasn’t optimistic at first (not a fan of plain almonds or almond milk) but I’m sold on almonds now.
? Coconut – flaked, shredded, made into flour, pressed into oil or milk. Coconut is so healthy and so delicious. Coconut milk refrigerated is thick, creamy, and sweet… perfect with eggs for breakfast.
? Pau d’ Arco tea – on cool mornings when you want a healthy warm drink, Pau d’ Arco is an herbal tea without caffeine (like black tea) or high acid levels (like coffee).
♤ Cooking Project One: Roasted Pumpkin Seeds ♤
My first grocery shopping trip was for pumpkin. It’s October, right? Time to break out the pumpkins and spice! I got a perfect little pie pumpkin and went to Pinterest for a good recipe. None of them suited exactly what I was looking for, so I mixed a ton of spice and threw some Stevia in for good measure. I dried the slippery, clean seeds in an old dishtowel and coated them with butter. Then the spice went on and they went in a hot oven to roast. They made the whole house smell like spice and tasted like popcorn.
♤ Cooking Project Two: Tiny Pumpkin Pies ♤
This project was a little more complex for sure. From my little pie pumpkin, I cooked the flesh in the steamer basket until it was soft to touch. On part of it, I tried just seasoning it and eating it to see how it would taste – but pumpkin isn’t very sweet or delicious by itself (to me, at least). My mom, who is brilliant, gave me this paleo recipe. It was so easy! You even cook it in the microwave! It does include butter, but you can make it with ghee if you want to. The end result is not as sweet as regular pumpkin pie BUT still absolutely divine.
I had never made a flourless crust, so I was interested to see how this one would work. It was made up of butter, almond flour, and shredded coconut. The texture had a little bit of crunch from the coconut and the butter gave it a great flavor.
I topped the tiny pie with butter and walnuts and was very proud of the finished result.
♤ Cooking Project Three: Pancakes ♤
Since going off wheat I’ve been craving thick, fluffy pancakes. I found some buckwheat in my mom’s health-food cabinet and that triggered a distant memory that buckwheat pancakes are a thing. This recipe is from a REAL food blogger (thank God for the Paleo folks and their recipes!) and I made it this morning!
This recipe is especially good because you separate the eggs and whip the whites. It makes a lighter pancake batter than I’ve ever seen.
The pancakes were so dark they looked like a pumpernickel pancake. I ate them with butter, coconut and blueberries… and some delicious Sunday coffee!
Wherever you are, I hope you’ll also find a kitchen near you and bake whatever you love best this season!
Enjoy,
~ The Dauntless Princess ~