Lemon Mug Cake

I'm usually super underwhelmed by mug cakes- they just fall short 90% of the time. They end up dry or eggy or super dense and they just don't end up worth the expectation. I use my microwave so seldom that we keep it in the basement. BUT...tonight i wanted something sweet and there was just 1 egg in the fridge, so i decided to give mug cakes another shot. This Lemon Mug Cake from Life Liz Love came out spongey and delicious, and was exactly what I wanted.

Lemon Mug Cake

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbs Flour
• 3 Tbs Sugar
• 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 Egg
• 2 Tbs Vegetable Oil (we use peanut oil in our house)

Instructions:

• Grease a 16oz mug (my cake DID rise all the way to the top of the cup during baking, and settled out maybe an inch below the rim)
• In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients
• Add in wet ingredients
• Blend it really well, pour it into the mug, and microwave it on high for 90 seconds

Glaze:

The original recipe didn't call for glaze, but i like glaze with my lemon cakes, so i pulled up this nearly identical recipe for Lemon Mug Cake w/ Glaze from The Hungry Hedgehog (They add 2 Tbs of milk to their cake instead of an egg)

• 3 Tbs Powdered Sugar
• 2 tsp Lemon Juice

Almond Flour Waffles

I spent a significant amount of time on the GAPS/Paleo diet for my allergies, and I know how hard it can be to find carb substitutes that taste like the real thing. While we eat flour in moderation these days, almond flour waffles are absolutely delicious for those that DON'T eat flour. Because I have these recipes at my disposal, it's always good to share them.

These cook beautifully, and taste like the real deal.

I adapted this recipe from Taylor Made It Paleo and am cross-posting from my GAPS blog, Modern Mischief Managed


3/4 cup canned coconut milk
3 Tbs Honey

3 egg yolks (*keep the whites)
1/4 cup almond milk
1/4 cup nut butter- I used hemp butter. Soak your nuts/seeds with boiling water for approx. 30 minutes before blending.
1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
cinnamon, to taste


3 eggs whites- beaten til stiff


-I always begin by melting my coconut solids in a saucepan. Since I use a lot of raw honey, I add that to the pan too. Heat until melted but do not boil.
-Mix ALL wet ingredients except whites in a mixer (egg yolks, coconut milk, almond milk, vanilla, honey, and nut butter).
-With the mixer on, blend in almond flour, baking powder, and cinnamon.
-Fold in the beaten egg whites. Most recipes tell you not to overmix your egg whites. I say "to hell with that!" Whisk in your egg whites until the mixture is fully incorporated. If you don't, you're going to have random sections of cooked egg white in your waffles. They will still come out fluffy, I promise.
-Spray down your waffle iron, I use a misto spray bottle filled with olive oil. Cook waffles following waffle iron instructions (Mine has a light that indicates when they are done). These waffles tend to stick so I like to use a chopstick to help remove waffles from the iron.

Drizzle with topping of your choice: Butter/Ghee, Maple Syrup (not GAPS), Honey melted with cinnamon, reduced fruit juice, fresh fruit or fruit puree.
* These waffles aren't super sweet so I recommend toppings.

Panna Cotta/Flan

I've been craving pudding lately, but haven't really been keeping liquid dairy in the house (I didn't eliminate dairy for my healthy gut diet, but I have primarily cut it back to cheese with very occasional yogurt, sour cream, or butter) and if you've ever made real custard- the whole egg thing is kind of a pain in the ass. I was a big fan of instant pudding pre-diet so I wanted something just as easy as instant pudding, if not as fast. I adapted this Coconut Panna Cotta recipe for my pudding and was pretty pleased with the results. It uses gelatin (remember how great gelatin is for you! healthy amino acids and anti-inflammatory properties!) and texture-wise comes out similar to flan.

• 1 can of Coconut Milk
• ~1tsp Gelatin (I use grass fed gelatin but I wouldn't stress over that too much)
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1-2 tsp of Honey

Dump the coconut milk into a pan and sprinkle the gelatin over top. You can stir or not stir but let it sit while the gelatin softens. (I don't stir because gelatin always kind of glops at this stage and I prefer the glop floating on top rather than sticking to the bottom). After 5 minutes, turn on the heat, stir it all together, add in the other ingredients (I also like to add cinnamon which gives it a bread pudding flavor) and stir until everything is melted and incorporated and STEAMY. Turn off the heat and let it sit for about 10 minutes before pouring it into containers (this recipe is about 3-4 quarter cup servings. I like to pour it into mason jars because they have their own lids). This does take several hours to chill so you don't get to enjoy it right away like instant pudding, but it tastes great and would make an excellent custard pie poured over fresh berries.

Pot de Creme

This dessert is rich and delicious and super easy. I make it about once a week and store it in the fridge where it can satisfy a sweets craving.

• 1c Coconut Milk -hot but not boiling (use just the solids from the can if it is separated)
• 6oz Chocolate- chopped
• 2 eggs
• 1tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 tsp Almond Extract (or orange or mint- just make sure it's an extract)
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon

Stack the chocolate, eggs, and extracts in a blender. In a personal blender, make sure the wet ingredients are closest to the blade. Blend til chocolate is ground and incorporated. Pour scalded coconut milk into blender (the heat is going to cook the eggs.) and blend til smooth. Pour into cups and chill for 1+hours. Makes about 4 quarter cup servings.

Homemade Chocolate

Homemade chocolate is better for you because it doesn't contain things like soy lecithin and absurd amounts of sugar. It also tastes better because you're using better ingredients. I use a chocolate bar mold I bought at a craft store which is 2- 6oz bars. Cacao Ingredients often come in blocks, which I grate and store in original packaging.


Basic Recipe:


1c Cacao Butter -OR- 2-3Tbs Coconut Oil or a combination of the two
1c Cacao Powder or grated Cacao Paste (They're basically the same thing)
2-4 Tbs Honey or to taste
1 Tbs Vanilla or other extract flavor


Melt oil/butter in a double boiler. Add cacao and honey til well combined and melty. Stir in flavors and pour into mold. Chill.


*My favorite recipe is a 1:1 ratio of cocoa butter to cocoa paste. I source from nuts.com and pay $32 for 2 lbs of chocolate which comes out to ~$3 per 6oz bar which is about on par for gourmet chocolate. Flavor-wise, i love adding almond or orange extracts to my chocolate. For a harder bar, use a little less cocoa butter and a little more cocoa paste.




*Coconut oil is generally liquid at room temperature and melts almost instantly with body heat. Chocolate made with coconut oil with have similar melting points and needs to be kept cold. Cacao Butter also has a relatively low melting point, but is not liquid at room temperature.




For a chewy freezer treat, mix equal parts coconut manna (coconut butter or crème- basically finely ground coconut with some oils still added) and cacao paste with honey to sweeten and pour into individual portion sizes (like a silicone mini muffin pan) and keep in freezer. It will remain chewy straight from the freezer and makes a great treat, but I do not use it for baking/recipes.

Mexican Hot Chocolate (Homemade and Instant)

I spent roughly 3 months on an unprocessed diet for allergies, and this hot cocoa is paleo/gaps friendly AND delicious!


 In a standard cup (~10oz cup), combine:


1Tbs Cacao Powder
1Tbs Honey
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
Cayenne Pepper (to taste- a small shake is good or you can leave it out)


Top with hot water or heated milk of your choice.
Stir & enjoy!