Deborah Kuhnen, Author at Deborah Kuhnen Culinary Nutrition

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Paleo Nut and Seed Bread

7 05, 2014

Paleo Nut and Seed Bread

By Deborah Kuhnen|May 7th, 2014|Bread, Paleo, recipe|0 Comments|

I came across this recipe for paleo bread on one of my favourite blogs Green Kitchen Stories As soon as I read the recipe, I knew I wanted to make this. Apparently it’s a very popular recipe in Denmark, although the original contains eggs. I have no problem using eggs, but thought I’d try this version first just to see how it turned out because it’s always good to have a vegan-friendly and paleo option.

It turned out even better than I had expected. It’s so nutty and delicious and it’s even better toasted. Next time I’ll try using eggs and see how that changes the texture. Made as I did, it’s quite crisp on the ends, but a little softer and more pliable in the centre.

Here’s what I did…

I put 2 tablespoons of psyllium husks into a large bowl.

Then I whisked in 1 1/2 cups water and set it aside.

Meanwhile, I added 1/2 cup almonds and 1/2 cup pistachios (both raw) to the bowl of my food processor.

And added 1/4 cup white sesame seeds and 1/4 cup of black sesame seeds.

Next I added 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds and 1/2 cup sunflower seeds.

And 1/4 cup golden flax seeds and 1/4 cup chia seeds plus 1 1/2 teaspoons Himalayan salt.

Then I pulsed it in the food processor until the seeds were broken up a bit, but not completely chopped.

I added everything from the food processor to the bowl of psyllium water which had now gelled.

I added everything from the food processor plus 3 tablespoons of Extra-virgin olive oil to the bowl of psyllium water which had now gelled.

And I threw in a handful of raisins just to add a little sweetness.

I mixed it all together well and then left it for a couple of hours. I’m sure it doesn’t need to be left this long, but I was going to the gym 🙂

Then I preheated the oven to 350F and spooned the mixture into a greased and parchment-lined loaf tin.

I baked it for 75 minutes and then removed it from the oven and let it cool for several hours before slicing.

I sliced it up and enjoyed the first piece topped with some lovely, runny brie. YUMMMM!!!

Paleo Nut and Seed Bread

2 tbsp psyllium husks
1 1/2 cups water
generous 1/2 cup raw almonds
generous 1/2 cup raw pistachios
generous ¼ cup white sesame seeds
generous ¼ cup black sesame seeds
generous ½ cup raw sunflower seeds
generous ½ cup raw pumpkin seeds
generous ¼ cup chia seeds
generous ¼ cup golden flax seeds
1 ½ teaspoons Himalayan salt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
generous handful raisins (leave out for savoury version)

In a large bowl, whisk together the psyllium husks and water and set aside
Put all of the ingredients other than oil and raisins in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until they’re coarsely chopped.
Scoop mixture from the food processor into the bowl with the gelled psyllium husk mixture.
Add oil and raisins and m ix it all together until it’s well-combined.
Leave mixture for at least an hour.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F
Scoop into a loaf pan that’s been lined with a parchment sling and greased where there’s no parchment.and bake for about 75 minutes.
Allow to cool for about 15 minutes and then use the parchment sling to transfer the loaf to a wire cooling rack. Allow to cool completely (several hours) before slicing. I found that slicing with a serrated knife worked best.
I stored mine in the fridge for a few days and then put the remainder into the freezer.

*linking back to West Coast Mama’s Coast to Coast Blog Party!

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Grain-free Cheese Crackers

21 04, 2014

Grain-free Cheese Crackers

By Deborah Kuhnen|April 21st, 2014|Crackers|0 Comments|

I made these crackers a few weeks ago and they were fantastic. They were so cheesy and crisp and the perfect savoury snack. I plan to make them again this week and often!

Here’s what I did…

This is on of our favourite aged cheddar cheeses. It's raw and organic and oh so sharp.

This is one of our favourite aged cheddar cheeses. It’s raw and organic and oh so sharp.

I grated 80g of the aged cheddar and added it to the bowl of my food processor.

Then I added 2 tablespoons of organic, pastured butter.

Then 2 tablespoons coconut flour, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and a small pinch of Celtic sea salt.

I pulsed it in the food processor until the dough started to come together.

I removed the dough from the food processor, formed it into a ball and put it into plastic wrap. I refrigerated this for an hour.

Then I put the dough between 2 sheets of parchment and rolled it out really thinly.

I removed the top piece of parchment, scored the dough into cracker shapes and baked at 325F for ten minutes.

Removed from the oven, allowed to cool on the tray for 10 minutes and then removed to wire racks to cool completely. YUM!!

Grain-free Cheese Crackers

80g Grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp. Butter
2 Tbsp. Coconut flour
A pinch of Celtic sea salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 325F.
To the bowl of a food processor, add remaining ingredients.
Pulse until a dough forms.
Remove from processor, form into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap.
Refrigerate for an hour.
Place between two sheets of parchment and roll thinly.
Score into cracker shapes.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

31 03, 2014

March Foodie Pen Pals

By Deborah Kuhnen|March 31st, 2014|foodie pen pals|0 Comments|

This month I had the pleasure of being matched up with Amber from Brampton, Ontario. What a wonderful foodie pen pals package she sent me!

A lovely hand-written note accompanied the package.

These were gobbled up in one sitting. Crispy sweet coconut…what’s not to like?

Dark chocolate-covered brazil nuts!

Another version of the delicious raw chocolate bar that Emily sent me last month. This one was equally yummy!

She must have read my mind as this is the only gum we ever buy. We love that it’s aspartame-free.

I haven’t tried this yet but it sounds great. I love that it’s organic.

And I just love fruity and floral herbal teas so this one is perfect for me.

Thanks again Amber for such a lovely, thoughtful foodie pen pals package. I’m still enjoying all the wonderful treats you sent me 🙂

6 03, 2014

Foodie Pen Pals February

By Deborah Kuhnen|March 6th, 2014|Uncategorized|0 Comments|

I’ve been a little lax about my foodie pen pals postings lately. In fact I think I’ve forgotten to post one or two of them in the last few months. I’ve just been busy with other things in my life especially volunteering at the food bank and working on my new business, so some other things have fallen by the wayside.

Last month I had the great pleasure of being matched up with Emily in Toronto. She’s studying to be a naturopath and I’d have to say this was the best match so far when it comes to our likes and dislikes and especially the way we feel about food and nutrition.

Emily sent me the most wonderful package of yummy and thoughtful goodies. I have to say I was especially thrilled that she sent me chilies that she had brought back from Thailand!

Here’s what she sent…

A lovely handwritten card.

This delicious and very different trail mix.

The most wonderful raw chocolate which I devoured rather quickly.

This curry masala that I absolutely love.

And these Thai chilies that she brought back all the way from Thailand.

I hope you’ll take a look at Emily’s blog and you can even read about what I sent to her 🙂 Thanks again Emily for all of the wonderful treats you sent me!

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JQ Fitness 3rd Annual Charity Boot Camp

3 03, 2014

JQ Fitness 3rd Annual Charity Boot Camp

By Deborah Kuhnen|March 3rd, 2014|Boot Camp|8 Comments|

Once again, I was honoured to be a part of the JQ Fitness Charity Boot Camp. This huge group fitness event was organized to raise funds for Free_Them who are working towards a goal to end human trafficking. This was my second year volunteering at the event with the help of my husband, Perry. I baked my heart out for the week prior to the event and then Perry helped me to man the food and beverage tables along with Liz, another lovely volunteer.

This is table with my assortment of baked goods.

The coffee and baked goods donated by Starbucks.

One lovely volunteer stayed up very late boiling all those eggs and another got up really early to cut up oranges!

I’m happy to say I had lots (and lots and lots) of requests for my recipes. Since I made a few favourites, some of the recipes were already posted after last year’s event so you can check them out here.

Quite a few people commented that they really liked the dehydrated fruit and nut cookie recipe I developed for the #fatblast50 challenge

so I wrote a blog post about it here

Dehydrated Fruit and Nut Cookies.

Another item the boot campers seemed to enjoy was the banana chocolate chip muffin tops.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin Tops.

This was a remake of a recipe I’ve been making for some time. I usually make it into a banana bread, but decided these would be easier to handle than slices would. So I changed it slightly to make the batter more pourable. I doubled it, using 7 bananas and 5 eggs. I also added chopped stevia-sweetened chocolate and used less cinnamon and nutmeg. I baked it in a muffin top/whoopie pan for 25 minutes at 375F. You can check out the original recipe here.

These Maple, Flax & Chia Cookies were a big hit with the kids.

I’ve shared this recipe in the past, but this time I swapped out the whole flax seeds for chia seeds, which I think was a nice change and makes more sense since whole flax seeds generally pass right through the digestive system. Chia seeds don’t need to be ground to be digested. So here’s the recipe for these sweet treats…

Maple, Flax & Chia Cookies

1/2 cup (60 g) whole gluten-free rolled oats
1 Tbsp (15 ml) coconut oil, solid at room temperature
3 Tbsp (45 ml) pure maple syrup (look for B grade)
1 tsp (2.5 ml) pure vanilla extract
2 Tbsp (30 ml) finely ground flax seeds (don’t buy already ground seeds…do this yourself in a spice or coffee grinder immediately before using)
3 Tbsp (45 ml) chia seeds
1/4 tsp (1 ml) baking soda
1/4 tsp (1 ml) baking powder
1/4 tsp (1 ml) Celtic sea salt

Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a food processor, blend the oats until they resemble a coarse meal.
Add the coconut oil, maple syrup and ground flax seeds. Blend until combined well and smooth. Set aside for at least 2 minutes.
Put all of this into a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir well.
Using a teaspoon-sized cookie scooper (or 2 teaspoons), drop the mixture onto cookie sheet about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Do not flatten the cookies as they will spread on their own.
Bake 10-13 minutes, until slighlty puffed and lightly browned. Allow to cool completely before removing from sheet (they will firm up as they cool). Makes 8-10 cookies. May be frozen.

Oatmeal Spice Cookies.

I love these Oatmeal Spice Cookies because of the crunch. I know some people love a soft, gooey cookie, but for me it’s all about the crunch. These are incredibly easy to put together and cook up so quickly using ingredients most of us have on hand. They’re the perfect thing to make when someone calls to say they’re dropping by. In a pinch, you could sub. brown sugar for the coconut palm sugar although I’d recommend replacing your brown sugar with coconut palm sugar all the time because of its lower glycemic load.

Oatmeal Spice Cookies

1/4 cup gently melted virgin coconut oil

1/2 cup organic coconut palm sugar

1/3 teaspoon Celtic sea salt

1 large organic, pastured egg

2 cups whole rolled oats

2 tablespoons chia seeds

2 teaspoons dried cinnamon

2 teaspoons dried ginger

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients until well-combined. Dollop by teaspoonfuls onto parchment-lined cookie sheets. Bake for 15 minutes and then allow to cool on cookie sheets for a few minutes. Remove to cooling trays to firm up.

These Seed Cookies are my favourite healthful cookie.

I love these Seed Cookies as they’re almost like a meal in themselves. I find a couple of these can keep me going for hours. They’re full of some really great ingredients like antioxidant-packed raw cacao nibs and protein-packed pumpkin seeds. Not to mention they taste pretty darn yummy.

Seed Cookies

1 1/2 cups whole rolled oats

1/2 cup raw honey

1/2 cup almond butter

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup raw cacao nibs

2 tablespoons chia seeds

1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together until well-combined. Onto 2 parchment-lined cookie sheets, dollop mixture using a tablespoon-sized cookie scooper. There’s no need to leave space between cookies as they do not spread. Bake for 16 minutes, rotating trays halfway through baking time. Remove to wire cooling trays and enjoy.

Sesame Cookies.

A new (and popular) addition this year were these sweet and crispy sesame cookies. These are also filled with good-for-you ingredients like calcium-rich sesame seeds, organic eggs and ground almonds. I’m going to keep this recipe to myself for now as it’s one I plan to demonstrate in my Healthful Treats Workshop. I’m still ironing out the details of these workshops but please stay tuned as I’ll be making an announcement about the dates, times and costs very soon.

Here are some more photos of the wonderful things that went on during the charity boot camp event…

There was a photo booth!

And lots of dressing up in cute outfits.

Hilarity ensued 🙂

There were free massages and I can vouch that they were wonderful.

There were free massages and I can vouch that they were great. I received mine from the wonderful Erynne Williams, RMT.

This is the Free_Them booth.

These lovely ladies were selling raffle tickets for some pretty sweet prices like court-side basketball tickets!!

These lovely ladies were selling raffle tickets for some pretty sweet prizes like court-side basketball tickets!!

These were this year’s swag bags and they were filled with amazing goodies.

And there was face painting for the kiddies as Johanna’s adorable little munchkin is proudly displaying here 🙂

*Linking back to West Coast Mama’s Coast to Coast Blog Party!

19 02, 2014

Dehydrated Fruit and Nut Cookies

By Deborah Kuhnen|February 19th, 2014|recipe|2 Comments|

I invented these cookies for the JQ Fitness Charity Boot Camp event. I was looking for something that people participating in the #fatblast50 challenge could actually eat (and hopefully enjoy). They turned out really well and I’m thrilled to say that I didn’t get anything but positive comments about them. Many people asked for the recipe, so here it is. I’ll start with my step-by-step process and follow that with the recipe.

So, here’s what I did…

First I placed the dates into the food processor

I pureed on high speed until the dates became paste-like.

Then I added the peanut butter and whizzed it again until the two were fairly well combined.

Then I removed the mixture to a bowl and added hemp seeds, chia seeds and sesame seeds.

Next I added pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.

And some sliced raw almonds and Celtic sea salt.

Lastly, I added some chopped dried apricots and mixed everything very well.

I formed the dough into patties and placed onto the racks of my dehydrator.

I dehydrated them at 115F for about 5 hours until firm.

Dehydrated Fruit and Nut Cookies

2lbs Medjool dates (pitted)
2 cups unsweetened organic peanut butter (could use any nut butter)
1/4 cup hemp hearts
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/2 cup raw sesame seeds
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup sliced raw almonds
2 cups dried apricots (cut into small pieces)
1 tsp. Celtic sea salt

Place pitted dates into a food processor and puree until paste-like.
Add peanut butter and process until fairly smooth.
Turn contents of processor into a large bowl.
Stir in all other ingredients and stir very well until completely combined and uniformly distributed.
Form into patties about 2″ in diameter.
Place onto the rack of a dehydrator or onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet if you don’t have a dehydrator.
Dehydrate for about 6 hours at 115F or bake in oven at lowest possible setting with the door slightly ajar until set.
When they’re set, they’ll no longer be sticky and will be fairly firm.
Makes approximately 80 hearty cookies.

22 01, 2014

Two-Bite Coffee Delights

By Deborah Kuhnen|January 22nd, 2014|recipe|0 Comments|

I’ve been working on these tasty little morsels for a couple of weeks now. I’m not sure they’re absolutely perfect yet, but they’re getting there. My aim with this particular batch was to adhere to the rules set forth by Johanna and Jeff of JQ Fitness for their 50 day transformation challenge.

I’m not taking part in the challenge, but as I’m always up for a cooking/baking challenge, I thought it would be fun to create some recipes that follow the dietary rules they’ve set.

This is a no sugar/no grain challenge and that includes maple syrup, raw honey, coconut sugar, etc… The only allowed sweeteners are stevia, xylitol and erythritol.

The next time I make these treats, I plan to add some sort of chocolate. I did that last time, with a stevia-sweetened chocolate and they turned out really well, but I didn’t read all the ingredients on that chocolate and have no label since I bought it in a bulk store. I figured I’d leave it out this time just in case it has some sort of ‘illegal’ ingredient.

The reason I added ground chia seeds to this recipe was to help them stick together a bit better. The last batch I made, although really yummy, were a tiny bit crumbly. This is often an issue with gluten-free baking and it’s often solved with xanthan gum, but I prefer not to use that if possible. I find ground chia mixed with a little water often does the trick.

So, on to the goodies. Here’s what I did…

First I preheated the oven to 350F. Then in a stand mixer, I creamed together 1/4 cup of erythritol with 4 ounces of butter until light in colour.

Then I split a vanilla bean down the centre and scooped out all the delicious seeds. I would usually use vanilla extract but the one I have has a tiny bit of sugar in it and again that’s ‘illegal’ on the challenge.

Then I ground 1 teaspoon of chia seeds in a spice grinder and in a small bowl, mixed them with 2 tablespoons boiling water. I set this aside for a moment to let it gel.

To the stand mixer, I added 1 1/2 cups almond flour, 1/2 a scoop of vanilla protein powder, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1 1/2 tablespoons espresso powder (I usually use Dandy Blend coffee substitute).

I also added the scooped out vanilla seeds, the chia gel and 1/2 a teaspoon Celtic sea salt. Then I mixed this on medium speed until well blended.

Next, I tasted the mixture for sweetness and decided to add 20 drops of liquid stevia. I found that because of the bitter espresso powder, it needed a bit more than my previous 15 drops when using Dandy Blend.

Then it was time to press heaping teaspoonfuls of the mixture into silicone mini-muffin tins. Then they went into the oven at 350F for 20 minutes. Once lightly browned around the edges, I removed them from the oven and let them sit for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

The finished product!!

Two-Bite Coffee Delights

4 ounces (1/4 lb) softened butter
1/4 cup erythritol or xylitol
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 scoop Vanilla protein powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons Dandy Blend (or instant coffee or espresso)
1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
1 vanilla bean
1 teaspoon chia seeds
2 tablespoons boiling water
10-20 drops liquid stevia

Preheat oven to 350F.
In a stand mixer (or with a hand blender) cream together the erythritol and butter.
Scrape seeds from vanilla bean and add to mixer bowl.
In a small bowl, quickly mix together ground chia and boiling water and set aside for a minute or two until it gels up.
Add chia gel and all remaining ingredients (except liquid stevia) to mixing bowl and mix very well.
Taste the batter and decide how much more sweetness you’d like. I add anywhere from 10-20 drops liquid stevia.
Press the mixture into silicone mini-muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes or until starting to turn light brown around the edges.
Allow to cool in muffin tins for about 5 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 24

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Multi-Seed Crackers

16 01, 2014

Multi-Seed Crackers

By Deborah Kuhnen|January 16th, 2014|Crackers, recipe|5 Comments|

I’ve been making these crackers for almost a year now. I got the inspiration from Angela’s blog and ran with it. I started out making them exactly as posted, but then I decided to change a few things. I add ground flax seeds as I think this makes the crackers a little sturdier and I add a lot more onion and garlic and a bit more salt. I also purée the onion, garlic and flax in water in my Vitamix. To ‘up’ the protein, I also add hemp seeds and I like to toast the sesame seeds for flavour.
Here’s what I do…

First I toast 1/2 cup sesame seeds in a pan over medium heat, shaking often.

This is how they should look when done.

If you don’t have a high-powered blender, you could use a microplane like this for your garlic and onion (or finely chop them).

To a large bowl, add 1/2 cup chia seeds and 1/2 cup hemp seeds.

Add 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds and 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds.

To a high-speed blender (I use my Vitamix), add 1/4 cup golden flax seeds.

These are the ones I used. Also add 1 1/4 cups water, 3 cloves garlic and 1/4 of an onion and blend until flax is completely broken down. Alternatively you could grind flax in a coffee/spice grinder and grate garlic and onion then mix with water if you don’t have a high-speed blender.

Then pour the liquid into the large bowl with the seeds.

Oops, almost forgot about the toasted sesame seeds!

Mix in about 1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt and 1 teaspoon kelp granules (optional).

These are the ones I use.

Allow it to sit and gel for a few minutes, then spread onto two parchment-lined baking trays. Try to keep it as even as possible with no holes. I use the back of a spoon for ease of spreading.

Bake at 325F for about 40 minutes or so, rotating trays after 20 minutes. You want them to be very dry on top and almost dry on the bottom.

Remove from oven and flip the entire sheet of dough over and back onto the parchment. Then score into cracker-sized pieces. I’ve used both a large, sharp chef’s knive and a pizza cutter. Both work just fine although the chef’s knife sometimes cuts right through the parchment.

Put back into the oven and bake for another 30 minutes. I check after 20 just to make sure they’re not overdone. Sometimes I remove some of the outer ones (they tend to cook a little quicker) to a wire cooling rack and stick the tray back in the oven to crisp up the others.

*Linking back to West Coast Mama’s Coast to Coast Blog Party!

9 11, 2013

‘Beautiful You’ Girls’ Night Out

By Deborah Kuhnen|November 9th, 2013|cookies, dessert, gluten-free|0 Comments|

‘Beautiful You’ Girls’ Night Out

Last night I was honoured to be a part of Johanna Quinn’s charity event, ‘Beautiful You’ dedicated to celebrating women and our beauty. Johanna did a wonderful presentation and discussed the role of the media in how we perceive ourselves. It was truly eye-opening and I had lots of “Yep, that’s the way I think” moments during her speech.

I was thrilled that Johanna asked me to be a part of the planning of the event and that I could contribute some yummy and healthful goodies for the ladies to snack on while mingling and getting to know each other.

All proceeds from the free event went to Free Them which is a charity near and dear to Johanna and her husband Jeff’s hearts.

Johanna made these delicious chocolate dipped strawberries

Our friend Stephen did most of the arranging of platters, candles and flowers to make the room look beautiful

There was the opportunity to buy balloons containing raffle tickets

And these pretty packages contained the prizes to be won

The lovely ladies from Shelter them selling beautiful Rwandan craft items

Johanna giving her presentation

The audience enjoying listening to Johanna speak

Some of the healthful snacks I made, along with Johanna’s strawberries and Stephen’s flowers

The guests received one of these pretty boxes containing a yummy vegan brownie made by the lovely Melissa

It was a great turnout and a wonderful time was had by all. Can’t wait for Johanna’s next fundraiser (similar to this one).

As promised, here are the recipes for the treats I made.

Maple Chia Cookies

· ½ cup gluten-free rolled oats

· 1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil

· 3 tablespoons maple syrup (look for darker, B grade syrup)

· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

· 2 tablespoons freshly ground flax seeds (golden or brown)

· 3 tablespoons chia seeds

· ¼ teaspoon each baking soda, baking powder and Celtic sea salt

· Preheat oven to 350F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

· Blend oats in a food processor until flour-like.

· Add oil, syrup and flax and blend until smooth.

· Transfer to a large bowl and mix in remaining ingredients.

· Drop teaspoon-sized amounts on cookie sheets (2 inches apart).

· Bake 14 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool.

Chewy Peanut Butter and Oat Cookies

· 1 cup organic peanut butter

· 1 cup organic coconut sugar

· 2 pastured eggs

· 2 ½ cups gluten-free oats

· ½ teaspoon Celtic sea salt

· ¼ cup organic raw cacao nibs

· Preheat oven to 350F

· Cream almond butter and coconut sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer at medium speed for about 2 minutes.

· Add eggs and mix for another minute.

· Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until well-combined.

· Using a 1 tablespoon cookie-scooper, scoop mounds of dough onto 2 parchment-lined cookie sheets.

· Flatten dough with your hands (no need to worry about them being close together as they won’t spread).

· Bake for 14 minutes, rotating cookie sheets halfway through baking time.

Makes 36-40 cookies.

Oatmeal Spice Cookies

· ¼ cup gently melted coconut oil

· ½ cup coconut palm sugar

· 1/3 teaspoon Celtic sea salt

· 1 large pastured, organic egg

· 2 cups gluten-free rolled oats

· 2 tablespoons chia seeds

· 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

· 2 teaspoons ground ginger

· Preheat oven to 350F.

· In a large bowl, mix all ingredients until well-combined.

· Dollop, using 2 teaspoons onto parchment-lined cookie sheets.

· Bake for 15 minutes and then allow to cool for 5 minutes.

· Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Seed Cookies

· 1 ½ cups gluten-free rolled oats

· ½ cup raw honey

· ½ cup almond butter

· ¼ cup raw sunflower seeds

· ¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds

· ¼ cup raw cacao nibs

· 2 tablespoons chia seeds

· 1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt

· Preheat oven to 350F.

· In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together until well-combined.

· Onto 2 parchment-lined cookie sheets, dollop mixture using a tablespoon-sized cookie scooper.

· There’s no need to leave space between cookies as they do not spread.

· Bake for 16 minutes, rotating trays halfway through baking time.

Chocolate Macaroons

· 3 organic eggs

· ½ cup raw honey

· ¾ teaspoon Celtic salt

· 6 cups unsweetened coconut flakes

· ¼ cup cocoa

· Preheat oven to 350F.

· In a large bowl, whisk together egg, honey and salt.

· Stir in coconut flakes and cocoa until well-mixed.

· Using a cookie scooper, scoop onto parchment-lined cookie sheets.

· Bake for 18 minutes.

· Allow to cool on wire racks.

Lemon and Lavender Cookies

· ¼ cup plus one tablespoon virgin coconut oil

· ½ cup maple syrup (look for grade B)

· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

· zest of one organic lemon

· juice of half an organic lemon

· ½ cup flaxseed, freshly ground

· 1 cup brown rice flour (could use buckwheat or oat flour)

· 1 tablespoon lavender flowers, roughly chopped

·

· preheat oven to 350 F.

· In a double boiler, gently melt coconut oil

· In a large bowl, mix together coconut oil and maple syrup.

· Add vanilla, lemon juice and zest and mix.

· Add flaxseed, brown rice flour and lavender and mix until well blended.

· Using 2 teaspoons, dollop onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.

· Bake for about 18 minutes or until set.

· Allow to cool on wire racks.

This is the lavender I used (found at Homesense)

2 11, 2013

Foodie Pen Pals October

By Deborah Kuhnen|November 2nd, 2013|chocolate|0 Comments|

This month I was fortunate to have the lovely Margarita of Hazel Daydreams as my foodie pen pal. She sent me a great package of so many lovely treats. I apologize that I’m posting this later than usual, but I’m currently working on my culinary nutrition program and it’s taking up soooooo much of my time. I’m not complaining as it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done, but wow, I’m pretty overwhelmed. I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way, but I’m just being bombarded (in a good way) with so many fantastic healthy facts and figures and trying to take it all in and then there are all the assignments. Well, I can only say that it’s awesome and wonderful and better than I expected, but still lots of work 🙂

Anyway, back to what the lovely Margarita sent me…

Mmmm, tapenade! Love this!!!

Some Parmesan biscuits!!

Delish. dark chocolate!!!!

I guess people know I love spicy as this is the second pen pal who’s sent me this stuff. LOVE it!!

And then there was this deliciousness!!!!!

And what a lovely hand-written note!!

Front of the lovely note

This was yet again a wonderful foodie pen pal exchange. Thank you so much to Margarita for all of the delish. goodies! 🙂

About Deborah Kuhnen

Paleo Nut and Seed Bread

Paleo Nut and Seed Bread

2 tbsp psyllium husks

1 1/2 cups water

generous 1/2 cup raw almonds

generous 1/2 cup raw pistachios

generous ¼ cup white sesame seeds

generous ¼ cup black sesame seeds

generous ½ cup raw sunflower seeds

generous ½ cup raw pumpkin seeds

generous ¼ cup chia seeds

generous ¼ cup golden flax seeds

1 ½ teaspoons Himalayan salt

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

generous handful raisins (leave out for savoury version)

In a large bowl, whisk together the psyllium husks and water and set aside

Put all of the ingredients other than oil and raisins in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until they’re coarsely chopped.

Scoop mixture from the food processor into the bowl with the gelled psyllium husk mixture.

Add oil and raisins and m ix it all together until it’s well-combined.

Leave mixture for at least an hour.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F

Scoop into a loaf pan that’s been lined with a parchment sling and greased where there’s no parchment.and bake for about 75 minutes.

Allow to cool for about 15 minutes and then use the parchment sling to transfer the loaf to a wire cooling rack. Allow to cool completely (several hours) before slicing. I found that slicing with a serrated knife worked best.

I stored mine in the fridge for a few days and then put the remainder into the freezer.

Grain-free Cheese Crackers

Grain-free Cheese Crackers

80g Grated sharp cheddar cheese

2 Tbsp. Butter

2 Tbsp. Coconut flour

A pinch of Celtic sea salt

½ teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 325F.

To the bowl of a food processor, add remaining ingredients.

Pulse until a dough forms.

Remove from processor, form into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap.

Refrigerate for an hour.

Place between two sheets of parchment and roll thinly.

Score into cracker shapes.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

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Multi-Seed Crackers

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