Plantain Pancakes (updated recipe!)

We make these grain free and vegan pancakes a lot. They are fast to make even on busy mornings. Kids love them, adults love them. Kids like to help making them. It is our new favorite breakfast in addition to leftovers and homemade maple pork sausage patties (I use the recipe from Nom Nom Paleo book for those). Last week I made some of this pancake batter at home to take camping and we fried them on our camp stove in Joshua Tree. During last months we have made all kinds of updates to the earlier recipe I posted. I started updating that post but there were so many updates that I decided to make a new post altogether.


I found this recipe from Purely Twins for grain free pancakes. I modified it a little to suit our diet. We have kept modifying the recipe to make it our own and here is the result of months of experimenting!

Our newest discovery were burro bananas as our grocery store was out of green plantains. They worked even better than plantains. The consistency of the pancake was amazing.

Grain free vegan pancakes
autoimmune paleo, vegan, grain free

1 green plantain or green burro banana (you can use yellow ones too, the batter will be just less starchy and more difficult to maneuver when turning the pancakes, I suggest adding 2 tbsp arrowroot starch or 1 tbsp coconut flour in this case)
1/2 cup full fat coconut milk or coconut kefir
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted (I buy mine from here, affiliate link that supports my blogging)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
pinch of sea salt (I like Himalayan pink salt, affiliate link)

1. Peel the plantain, chop it and add in the blender or food processor (this is a perfect job for little kids!)

2. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.

3. Warm your pan on medium-low heat.

4. Spread the thick batter on the pan. You might need to spread it a little bit with a spatula so the pancakes are not too thick.

5. Cook on one side until you are able to turn them. They are ready when they seem solid.

6. Serve them with maple syrup, jam, berries, unsweetened apple sauce, whatever you like. My kids favorites are apple sauce and the other one's maple syrup. You can transform them to a healthy lunch (school lunch too!) or even dinner by adding spinach and making spinach pancakes. Or eat them later cold as "bread".

Have a great Easter weekend! Easter post coming soon!

Sirpa

Coconut Balls (updated: two different recipes)

I have fond memories of making and eating coconut balls as a child. Me and my friends next door made them from time to time in their kitchen as a special treat. The delicious treat contained rolled oats, butter, sugar and cacao powder and were rolled in shredded coconut.  I have been trying to think how I could give my own children also the experience of making coconut balls without using oats, sugar or butter. The other night we came up with a recipe. This recipe is easy for the kids to do themselves with some help with measuring from an adult if needed.






Coconut balls ("Kookospallot")
VERSION 1

paleo, grain free, dairy free, gluten free, egg free, corn free, soy free, refined sugar free

1 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup coconut flour
pinch of salt (I like Himalayan pink salt)
1/3 cup palm shortening (or enough to make it right consistency)
1/4 cup unsweetened cacao powder
1/4 cup honey
(a pinch of ground vanilla bean)

more shredded coconut to roll the balls in


1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Wooden spoon works but some little hands might like to mix it by hand. Be careful not to mix by hand for too long so the warmth of the hands doesn't melt the shortening too much.
2. Form little bite size balls.
3. Spread some shredded coconut on a plate and roll the balls in it.
4. Serve right away or store in the fridge for a few days. (We had nothing to put to the fridge, they were gone very fast.)

Coconut balls ("Kookospallot")
VERSION 2

paleo, grain free, dairy free, gluten free, egg free, corn free, soy free , refined sugar free

1 cups dates, pitted
3/4 cup shredded coconut
pinch of salt (I like Himalayan pink salt)
3 tbsp palm shortening or coconut oil
1 tbsp unsweetened cacao powder
1/4 tsp ground vanilla bean

more shredded coconut to roll the balls in

1. Add all ingredients to a food processor bowl and mix until all the dates are pureed and everything is mixed well together.
2. Form balls and roll them in shredded coconut.

Lemon Panna Cotta with Caramel Sauce

I tasted Meyer lemon pannacotta recently in an event and it was so delicious I realized I just have to recreate it at home. Besides we all know how healing gelatin is to the gut... This does have plenty of alternative sugars so even if it is autoimmune paleo friendly it is meant to be only an occasional treat.

I knew the ingredients because I asked before accepting the food to see if I could eat it: coconut milk, gelatin, lemon and honey.

Here's my version! Enjoy!

Lemon Pannacotta

3 cups full fat additive free coconut milk (I use Aroy-D and Chaokoh)

1/3 cup honey

1 vanilla bean, cut in half (optional, some avoid vanilla bean on autoimmune paleo protocol)

zest of one lemon

pinch of sea salt

2 tsp grassfed gelatin (I use this one)

4 tbsp cold water

1. Mix gelatin with water in a small bowl and put aside.

2. Add other ingredients to a sauce pan and bring to boil.

3. Add the gelatin and mix until it has dissolved.

4. Let sit for a few minutes to let the flavors absorb.

5. Strain in serving bowls and refrigerate for a few hours or until solidified. Serve with caramel sauce.

Caramel sauce:

juice of one lemon

2 tbsp maple sugar (I like this one)

1/2 cup coconut milk

pinch of salt

1/4 tsp ground vanilla bean (optional, leave out if you avoid vanilla bean on AIP)

1. Measure ingredients in a sauce pan. 

2. Bring to boil and simmer on low for 10 minutes. Stir the sauce constantly so it doesn't burn.

3. Let cool down a bit and serve with the pannacotta.

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Pineapple Dessert

I came up with this dessert when I cooked Shrimp Pineapple Fajitas and had so much pineapple that it seemed like too much for the main course. I just saved some of the fried pineapple but you can also prepare them separately.

Pineapple Dessert (paleo, AIP)

Serves 4

A third or half of a pineapple cut in bite sized pieces

Coconut oil

Balsamic vinegar

Mint leaves (I like to use small apple mint leaves)

Maple syrup (optional)

1. Fry the pineapples in coconut oil in a cast iron pan and when they have got some color, drizzle a little bit of balsamic vinegar on them and toss a minute or two more to caramelize them.
2. Arrange in serving bowls and if you wish drizzle just a hint of maple syrup on them.
3. Pour some cold vanilla sauce (recipe below) on the warm pineapples. 
4. Garnish with some torn fresh mint leaves.

Vanilla sauce

1 frozen banana (peel it before freezing it)

1/4 cup coconut milk

1/4 tsp ground vanilla bean

Measure all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.

Finnish Rice Porridge (Pudding) With Blueberry Sauce (Gluten and Dairy Free)

In Finland rice porridge is eaten as a traditional Christmas morning food but also throughout the year as a breakfast. It is eaten with some cinnamon and sugar or with for instance a sauce made of blueberries and thickened with potato starch or some other starch. This food does not follow autoimmune or paleo protocols I have been posting recently about but it is gluten free and dairy free. I am posting this because I am often asked for this recipe and my kids still eat some rice. The blueberry sauce in this post I thickened with arrowroot starch to avoid night shades.

Rice Porridge (Riisipuuro)

1 cup white short grain rice such as arborio or sushi rice (in Finland they sell it as "porridge rice"!)
1 cup water
1 cup full fat coconut milk + 4 cups water
1 tsp sea salt

1. Add 1 cup of water and 1 cup of rice to a big sauce pan. Boil for 5 minutes.

2. Add coconut milk and rest of the water.

3. Bring to boil stirring from time to time. Keep an eye that it doesn't boil over and make a mess of your stove top (I hate cleaning it so I try to be careful!).

4. Simmer on low for an hour mixing it a few times so it won't burn. If you soak the rice before hand, the cooking time will be shorter.

5. Add salt. Serve with cinnamon and (maple) sugar or blueberry sauce.

TIP: Make it in the oven: Use a fat of your choice to grease a big enough oven pan. Add all ingredients to the pan, mix and cook in 350 F for three hours. My mom used to make this overnight on very low heat.

Blueberry sauce (Mustikkakeitto)

2 cups frozen wild blueberries
4 cups water
3 tbsp arrowroot starch (an other starch would work too, in my pre-AIP life I used potato starch)
3 tbsp maple sugar

1. Measure all ingredients and add them a sauce pan.

2. Bring to boil stirring it constantly. When the first bubbles appear remove from heat. It should have thickened by now. Let cool down. It is best served cold with the warm porridge.

Strawberry Milkshake (Vegan)

I read on Facebook that an industrial milkshake from a fast food place contains 59 different ingredients! Holy strawberry! (I hope at least one of the ingredients is actually strawberry.)

Reading something like that makes me want to start a food revolution! I made this two ingredient strawberry shake (two ingredients with optional add ons) last weekend as my answer to the 59 ingredient shake. Here you go!

Strawberry Shake

1 small bag of frozen strawberries (I buy organic as strawberries absorb pesticides like crazy), let them thaw slightly if you have time
1 can of coconut milk or coconut milk kefir (I used full fat and it was pretty creamy, I might recommend light coconut milk for the first time in my life, or replacing some of the full fat milk with water)

If it is too thick, add water.

Other optional additions to try:
a pinch of salt (somehow it seems like a pinch of salt balances the coconutty flavor)
vanilla
maple syrup or honey to taste (a couple of tablespoons should do)

Mix in a blender until smooth.

Vegan Green Tea Ice Cream with Coconut Milk

Green Tea Ice Cream

2 cups coconut milk (make your own or buy an additive free full fat version)

1 tbsp matcha green tea powder (or 1.5-2 for a stronger taste, the 1 tbsp is kid approved in our house though and more is not)

3 tbsp maple syrup

Mix all ingredients with a blender or a whisk and use your ice cream maker following the manufacturer's instructions. Enjoy!

Dairy Free Hot Chocolate

Hot Chocolate
Dairy Free, Vegan option, Paleo, Additive-free, Refined Sugar Free

1 cup water
1 cup additive free full fat coconut milk (like Natural Value or Aroy D)
1 tbsp raw unsweetened cacao powder
2 tbsp raw honey or maple syrup if you want to make it vegan
tiny pinch of sea salt
vanilla, optional

Put all ingredients in a sauce pan and heat. I don't let it boil because the kids don't want it that hot and I am thinking that maybe some of the goodness of the raw honey still stays alive (I have no evidence that it will).

Home made marshmallows make a nice addition. My kids love this recipe (not vegan but it is egg free, dairy free, corn free, nut free, gluten free etc.).

Banana Yoghurt (Vegan, AIP, Paleo, Sugar Free)

When I was a kid my favorite yoghurt was banana yoghurt. It was made of cow milk and it was probably full of sugar. I had a sudden urge the other morning to try to replicate it with allergen free and healthier ingredients. So I made some with homemade coconut milk kefir and bananas! It didn't taste exactly the same of course but it was very delicious. It would make a great dessert as well.

Banana Yoghurt
Vegan, Paleo, AIP, Sugar Free, Dairy Free (consumed in small amounts also low-FODMAP)

2 bananas
1 cup homemade coconut kefir
Optional: cinnamon, vanilla (from a bean, not the extract)

Add the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. You can leave it out to ferment for a few hours more if you like or eat it straight away. If you leave it out to ferment, taste it after few hours to see if it is ready or do you want it to ferment more. I left it out for 7-8 hours and the flavor became very rich. I ate some and left it in the fridge overnight and it had turned into a fluffy, slightly tangy banana mousse! I added a pinch of cinnamon and and it was absolutely fabulous little treat.

By the way - if you want my posts directly to your email when I publish them, fill in your email to the field in the side panel on the right. The one under "Get New Posts to Your Email". I am not currently sending any other emails so you'll only get an email about the new posts, about one daily.

I shared this recipe on Phoenix Helix AIP Recipe Round Table this week. There are some great recipes!

Tangerine Frozen Yoghurt (Vegan and AIP)

I love experimenting with coconut milk based ice creams with my ice cream maker. Making them with homemade coconut milk kefir gives the ice cream a slight pleasant tanginess and a nice dose of probiotics too. The coconut milk kefir based ice creams seem to turn out best if there is some fruit or fruit juice in the mix. Plain vanilla kefir ice cream I tried once wasn't as good.

Probiotic Tangerine Frozen Yoghurt

2 organic tangerines (organic as you'll use the peel too)
Juice of half an orange (for instance the one you have left over from your orange ginger salmon)
3/4 cup coconut milk kefir
1-2 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
An inch or two of vanilla bean
Just a small slice of fresh ginger

Grate the peel of the tangerines and squeeze the juice of them. Scrape the vanilla from the vanilla bean. Add all ingredients except the grated peel to a blender. Blend and last add the peel. Put in an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's instructions. Enjoy!

PS. IF I ate chocolate, I bet this would be delicious with some home made chocolate syrup...

Probiotic Rhubarb-Banana Vegan Frozen Yoghurt (Vegan, AIP, paleo and low-FODMAP)

I always stick the overripe bananas no-one wants to the freezer for later use. I peel and chop them before freezing them in a jar or a ziploc bag. When processed in a blender they make fast and easy ice creams.

Rhubarb and banana are both on the low-FODMAP list. Don't eat too much of it though, it all adds up with the coconut milks and maple syrups. I think this could be done without the maple syrup too if you don't mind it being slightly sour.

Rhubarb-Banana Frozen Yoghurt

vegan, (autoimmune) paleo, low-FODMAP

2 overripe frozen bananas (chopped in pieces)
1 cup frozen rhubarb (chopped)
1/3 cup coconut kefir (you can replace this with coconut milk if you don't have kefir at hand)

Optional: 2 tbsp maple syrup (grade B)
1 inch piece of vanilla (scrape with a knife the black seeds from inside of the bean and use just those)

Put all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. It becomes the consistency of soft serve.

Chocolate Pudding (Vegan and Paleo)

*I have been recently posting autoimmune paleo recipes so just for clarity's sake I have to state that this recipe is not autoimmune paleo as it has cacao powder. I made it for the kids who don't follow the protocol as strictly as I do.*

I learnt this recipe from a friend but have lost the original recipe and I basically create it every time again. Also... I don't usually measure so the amounts on this recipe are approximate and flexible, just taste the food in between, add more what is needed and follow your cook's instinct!

Chocolate pudding
paleo, vegan
 
2 avocados
1/3 cup raw unsweetened cacao powder (feel free to use less or more depending on your preference)
A pinch of salt
Vanilla from a vanilla bean to taste
Maple syrup to desired sweetness (I just used a splash of it)
A splash or two (or enough to make the blender run smoothly) of home made coconut kefir for added creaminess and probiotics


Add all ingredients in the blender and blend them until smooth and creamy. That's all! Eat plain or dip fruit in it. I think my child once dipped chicken pieces in it...

TIP: You can soak chia seeds (not allowed on autoimmune paleo either) in coconut kefir and it thickens the pudding nicely. Use then a little more kefir though and it helps to keep it in the fridge for a while before eating too.

Little Desserts: Probiotic Blueberry Frozen Yoghurt (Vegan, Paleo, AIP)

On this 30 day autoimmune paleo diet trial we have allowed ourselves a scoop of coconut milk ice cream once a week. Last time we made raspberry ice cream. The ice creams are autoimmune paleo friendly but if you are following the diet you should stick to a small portion as it has fructose.

The sign of a successful food is: No photo for blog because food is consumed so quickly and there aren't any leftovers for a photo. This amount served two adults and two children and left one child asking for more.

Blueberry Frozen Yoghurt
vegan, AIP, PALEO
 

1/2 cup of coconut milk kefir (instructions how to make it)
1 cup frozen wild blueberries (I prefer these as they are not so sweet)
A pinch of salt (I used Himalayan pink salt as usual)
3 tbsp maple syrup
A little bit of vanilla from a vanilla bean

Puree the ingredients in a blender and put in an ice cream maker until ready. Enjoy!

Sirpa

PS. If you don't have an ice cream maker yet, get one. You can easily make healthier ice creams at home. Even the coconut milk ice creams in health food stores have icky additives like xanthan gum. I bought one that has a freezer bowl for 20 dollars from Craigslist. I will post more coconut milk ice cream recipes later. Our favorite flavors are: green tea, date maple, pumpkin pie, chocolate mint and chocolate of course. I actually like plain vanilla a lot.

Little Desserts: Just a Scoop of Raspberry Ice Cream (Paleo and Vegan)

Although you (well, WE on autoimmune paleo diet) aren't supposed to have a lot of fructose, one can always just eat a small scoop of an autoimmune paleo friendly ice cream, right? This recipe is for 4-5 people having just one small scoop.

This recipe requires an ice cream maker with a freezer bowl.

Raspberry Ice Cream
Paleo, autoimmune paleo, vegan, gluten free

1 cup full fat coconut milk
1/2 cup frozen raspberries
2 tbsp maple syrup
Vanilla (scraped from a bean, not the extract)
Pinch of sea salt or himalayan pink salt

Mix all ingredients in a blender. Put in an ice cream maker. The ice cream is pink, fresh, creamy and delightful.

Vegan "paleo" Bailey's

Before going on Autoimmune paleo diet it is time to celebrate ;) - we made for dessert some Irish Cream tonight - although this is not healthy and it sure is not what paleolithic people consumed, it is dairy free and delicious!

I boiled about 1.5 cans of coconut milk (full fat and most of it was the fatty part) for a few minutes. Added 3/4 cups evaporated maple syrup (any other sugar would work too) and 1/2-3/4 cup of whisky and one shot of espresso.

Drink warm or with ice. Delicious. (You might want to half this recipe if you want just a little something, this was way too much for one time consumption.)

Love,
Sirpa

Grain free nut free and vegan chocolate mini cupcakes

I wanted to make cupcakes for a holiday party. I saw somewhere cupcakes with a strawberry as a Christmas hat and decided to make them grain free, nut free and vegan. I couldn't find a recipe for a chocolate cupcake that would fill the requirements so tonight I ended up tweaking Elana Amsterdam's Vegan Chocolate Cupcake recipe from her book Gluten-free Cupcakes. Here it is, the new version of the recipe:

Chocolate mini cupcakes (grain free, gluten free, nut free, egg free, potato free and dairy free)

Makes about 16 mini cupcakes

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon arrowroot powder

2 tbsp ground chia seeds

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp coconut milk

1/4 cup plus 3 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line muffin pan with baking cups. 

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Add coconut milk and maple syrup and let it sit for a little bit so the chia seeds start forming their gel.

Add vinegar and scoop about a tablespoon of the batter to each cup.

Bake for 20 minutes. Let them cool before frosting. I am planning to use this honey vanilla frosting from this post and top them with a strawberry hat.  

Pumpkin ice cream

I made beautiful orange pumpkin ice cream yesterday. We ate it before I realized to take a photo.
Here is the recipe.

Pumpkin ice cream

1 can or equivalent coconut milk

1/3 cup maple syrup or honey
1 cup pureed pumpkin
1 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of sea salt, cloves and ginger each.
A handful of ice if the ingefients are not cold

Put everything in a blender (I use Blendtech) and add the mixture to an ice cream maker. Enjoy!