Amaranth w/ Apples

Amaranth with Apples and Walnuts

1 cup amaranth

3 cups milk (any variety--I prefer skim cow's milk, but have made it with soy, hemp, coconut and almond milk before with good results)

1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black strap molasses

1 tsp. ground cinnamon (or more-- I like a lot!)

1 or 2 apples cored and chopped (with skin on)

Mix all ingredients together and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook on low for 30 to 35 minutes, until amaranth is soft and milk is all absorbed. Sweeten to taste with maple syrup or agave nectar. Sprinkle ground flax seed over it if you like, and serve with a little milk or yogurt.

GF Pizza on Zucchini Crust

I tried making a gluten free pizza crust recipe a while back and was not impressed. At all. So, my sister mentioned in passing that she used to make a crust out of zucchini, and I thought I would see what I could come up with. I researched several sites and found some recipes for zucchini crusts, but they were not all gluten free, nor were they as simple as I wanted to make mine. Here is what I ended up with:

Zucchini Crust:

about 2 cups grated zucchini w/ peel (I had 4-5 small squash)

about 1 cup shredded Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

2 whole eggs

pinch of salt

1/4 tsp. garlic powder or a pressed clove of garlic (optional)

Mix all ingredients together and spread thin on an oiled (olive oil) pizza stone--I used a stoneware bar pan by Pampered Chef, but I suppose you could use another type of pan. Bake at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes or until lightly browned. Watch it carefully as you don't want to burn it, but you do want it cooked well so it will hold its shape.

Remove from oven and top with:

Marinara sauce*

slices of uncured turkey pepperoni

diced chicken sausage

pieces of red onion

sliced fresh mushrooms

grated cheese (try different types of cheese and grate them together including raw cheddar, more Parmigiano Reggiano, and other Italian flavored cheeses. There is one at Whole foods made with sun dried tomatoes and garlic that is fabulous!)

(or your favorite toppings--this was just what I had on hand)

(*I used a jar of organic tomato paste mixed with a whole large clove of garlic and some Italian seasoning--heat through on the stove and allow to set while making the rest of the pizza. The tinny taste that often comes with canned tomato paste was absent, and the sauce was just enough for one large pizza.)

Return to oven and bake for about 10 minutes, until cheese is lightly browned and bubbly.

This pizza does not reheat well so only make as much as you will eat. This was a really REALLY good pizza, and I will certainly make it again!

Not Yo Momma's Brownie

Not Yo Momma's Brownie
Makes 12 servings

1 c. hazelnut meal (can sub. pecan or almond, but hazelnut is very tasty!)
6 T. extra virgin coconut oil, plus extra for the baking pan
1/2 c. agave nectar
2 whole omega-3 eggs
1/2 c. raw cocoa powder
1/4 c. arrowroot

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil and 8x8x2 inch baking pan. Mix together all ingredients. Stir to blend. Pour into an oiled 8x8x2 baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool, cut into 12 bars. These are really good warm, but if you have leftovers and want to keep them awhile, wrap each one in a piece of waxed paper and freeze.

Homemade Brownies

Nut Butter Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Nut Butter Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies
(no wheat or sugar)

Beat two eggs in bottom of mixing bowl. Beat in 1/2 cup honey, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/4 cup milk (1/2 and 1/2, almond, hemp, etc.) and 1 cup fresh ground nut butter (this time I mixed cashew and almond. Mmm.) Stir into egg/honey mixture 1 -1/4 cups almond meal, hazelnut meal, or other nut flour.

Cut up 3.5 oz of 70% dark chocolate into approx.1/4 inch chips (or 1/2 bag dark chocolate chips), Stir into mixture.

In blender, blend three cups of oats into flour. Sift two cups of this flour with one tsp baking soda and 1/4 tsp salt. Stir into mixture until mixture can keep it's shape (not runny). Add more oat flour if you need to.

Drop rounded teaspoonfuls (scoop works great) onto buttered cookie sheet and flatten slightly with moist fingertips. Bake 10-12 minutes at 350. Makes about 4 dozen.