Carob Banana Muffins (Gluten Free, Casein Free)

Snow days are perfect days for baking. This week eastern North Carolina has been covered with over 6 inches of snow. It's a very rare occurence considering the last time we had this much snow was back in 2004!

The past few weeks I've been experimenting with low carb baking using ingredients like coconut flour, almond meal, soya powder, erythritol, stevia, ground flax seeds, etc... While I have enjoyed experimenting... Michael has been ready for some baked goods with real sugar and carbohydrates! There were several bananas lying on the counter that were sure to be tossed out if not used soon, so I decided to make some banana nut muffins with a twist!

Carob powder is wonderful for gluten free baking. It can act as an allergen free flour and has a light, smooth, chocolate-like flavor. Carob accentuates the natural sweetness of bananas and the two form a lovely combination in these muffins.

These are definitely kid-friendly muffins that pack a healthy punch of nutrition using whole grains, coconut oil, hemp milk (or other non-dairy milk), ground flax seeds, and of course, bananas!

These muffins are naturally moist and delicious and the aroma while baking is heavenly!

You can certainly use a good quality cocoa powder in place of the carob powder if you'd like, but if you have carob powder on hand, certainly give it a try. Carob contains high amounts of calcium, potassium, riboflavin,and lots of healthy fiber. Perfect for a quick morning breakfast or a super afternoon pick-me-up!


Carob Banana Muffins

Dry Ingredients
1/4 cup millet flour -or- brown rice flour
1/4 cup unsweetened carob powder
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 heaping tablespoon ground flax seeds
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

Wet Ingredients
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup hemp milk -or- other non-dairy milk
1/4 cup coconut oil, warmed to a liquid
2 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
2 teaspoons quality vanilla extract
2/3 cup sugar -or- sugar substitute of your choice

Add In's
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup carob chips (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl add all dry ingredients. Whisk together thoroughly until evenly incorporated. In a medium mixing bowl add warmed coconut oil, whisked eggs, mashed bananas, vanilla extract, and sugar or sugar substitute. Mix thoroughly and fold into dry ingredients. Batter will be very wet. Let batter rest for about 5-10 minutes before baking. Batter will thicken slightly. Grease or place paper liners in a cupcake/muffin tin. Fill each paper liner 3/4 full of batter. Bake for 18-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean with just a few crumbs. Do not overbake. Cool muffins on a wire rack before serving.

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Carrie's Notes:

• Using Milk: I used a non-dairy milk in this recipe, but you can certainly replace it with 1/4 cup of yogurt, regular milk, buttermilk, soymilk etc... Get creative and use what you have on hand!

• Sugar Free Muffins: If I had been making these muffins for myself I would have used 2/3 cup erythritol with a pinch of Nu Naturals Stevia. You can also use 2/3 cup agave nectar, honey, brown sugar, rapadura, sucanat, etc... or no sugar at all! It's up to you!
  

• Oils and Fats: I find that you DO need some type of "fat" in muffins. If you leave out the fat, you leave out flavor and texture. You can substitute 2 tablespoons of applesauce in place of half the coconut oil. You can also use butter, Spectrum shortening, canola oil, etc... I find coconut oil to be extremely healthy and adds great texture to gluten free baked goods. You can purchase coconut oil here.
  

• If you don't have bananas use 1 cup of mashed sweet potatoes, pure pumpkin puree, or any type of mashed winter squash!

• If you don't have ground flax seeds, you can certainly leave them out of the recipe. I love adding a dash of ground flax seeds to nearly all my baking because it it SO full of healthy B vitamins, omega 3 oils, and serious fiber. Ground flax seeds are perfect for low carb baking because they have an equal amount of carbohydrates and fiber, so they technically have 0 net carbs! ;-)
  

Chocolate Chip Granola Cookies (Gluten Free, Casein Free, Soy Free)

One of the joys of cooking on winter evenings in my kitchen is the fact that no matter how delicious the cookies are, you WILL NOT get a decent picture of them. The lack of good light seems to do that.

So therefore you get a picture of a squirrel in the quaint seaside town of Beaufort, NC. The squirrel says the cookies are very good, and quite healthy and you need to try them even without a picture!

Actually, these cookies look very similar to how mine turned out, so if you really need a picture, there you go.

These cookies are actually a revision of Heidi's cookies. I added an egg and a small amount of natural sweeteners and I varied the fiber and bulk of the cookie.

The past few weeks I have been following a low-carb diet to try to lose some weight and lower my blood pressure. I am not completely sure of the actual carb count of these cookies, but I know they contain a LOT of natural fiber, and other than a few tablespoons of honey and natural sugar from the bananas, they are extremely healthy for you.

Ground flax seeds are a great source of protein, omega 3 fatty acids, natural fiber, and B vitamins. Quinoa also provides additional protein, natural fiber, and a high amount of nutrients such an manganese, magnesium, and iron. Blackstrap molasses also adds potassium, manganese, magnesium, and calcium! These cookies are really an oasis of good nutrition!

I LOVE how they turned out! I have been eating these cookies as my mid-morning snack all week and they are just delicious! If you have a chocolate craving, these cookies will hit the spot. For the chocolate chips I used a 85% cocoa dark chocolate bar cut up into bits. It worked perfectly and I love the texture it added to these cookies.

Enjoy!

I was finally able to get a good picture of these cookies, I think you will really enjoy them! They are chewy and delicious!

Chocolate Chip Granola Cookies
(AKA... pretty darn tasty and healthy cookies! No added refined sugar, gluten free, soy free, and casein free)

Wet Ingredients:
2 large ripe bananas, mashed to oblivion! (about 1 cup of mashed bananas)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
*1/4 cup coconut oil, slightly warmed (will mix better with bananas this way!)
2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
* 3 tablespoons raw honey (optional -- add if you need additional sweetness)

Dry Ingredients:
*1 cup gluten free rolled oats
*1 cup flaked quinoa
1/3 cup ground flax seeds
1/3 cup unsweetened coconut, finely shredded
1/3 cup almond meal
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

Possible Add In's:
6 ounces chocolate chips (or a high quality dark chocolate bar cut into pieces)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1/2 cup dried cranberries (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl mash bananas, egg, and coconut oil together. Add remaining wet ingredients. Set aside. In another bowl whisk together all dry ingredients, except chocolate chips. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix together until thoroughly combined. Mixture will be thick! Fold in chocolate chips and any other add in's that you would like!

Using a spoon, drop mixture by tablespoons on to a greased cookie sheet (or use a silpat mat or parchment paper). Shape the cookies by hand into circular cookie shapes. (Cookies will NOT spread!)

Bake for 12-14 minutes until cookies are lightly browned. Cool on wire racks and store in a tightly sealed container on the counter (if they last that long!)

Makes approximately 30 (2") cookies.

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Carrie's Recipe Notes:

-An estimated carbohydrate count is 10 carbs per cookie, if you make 30 cookies. So these are still relatively high in carbs, but they are a nice naturally sweet treat if you are saving carbs for something special. I may to to make another version of these cookies using shredded zucchini and no oats to see if I can make them with very few carbs.

-If you do not have access to gluten free rolled oats you can use 2 cups of flaked quinoa instead (or vice versa.) You can also use puffed millet for part of the amount of either grain.

- The honey is completely optional. There is enough sweetness with the banana, cinnamon, and chocolate chips that you do not really need additional sweetener, but it also adds a nice texture to the cookie dough if you choose to use it.

- If you do not have coconut oil, I suggest using softened butter or a lightly flavored oil such as extra virgin olive oil, or canola oil. Use the same amount.

Sugar Free January 2009

Hello 2009!

I don't know about you, my dear friends, but 2009 really snuck up on me. It's nearly the middle of January and I haven't posted a single recipe this year.

That will be resolved very soon.

For the past several years my husband and I have had a fast during the month of January. We slowly let go of sugar for the whole month and tried to eat as healthily as possible. To see our plan from last year, click here.

This year will be a bit different. This Ginger Lemon Girl seriously needs to get healthy. So we're cutting WAY back on sugar. I'm going to do some serious investigating of other natural sweeteners, I'm going to tweak recipes, we're going to incorporate healthy low-carb recipes into our daily lifestyle, I'm going to eat vegetables (seriously... real ones!), and I'm going to dig out the Richard Simmons videos. Stop laughing, I love Richard Simmons!

And this isn't going to end in January. You're stuck with a healthier Ginger Lemon Girl...

At least until next Thanksgiving.

Stay tuned for a delicious refined sugar-free cookie recipe coming your way! ;-)

Best wishes to you all for a Happy, Healthy 2009!!!