Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

You probably think this is some kind of mean trick.  Let me assure you, it isn't.  This stuff is for real.  Trust me, I've made it about eleventy-thousand times now.  Really, I should just do myself a favor and start quadrupling the recipe.  Maybe then it would last more than 25 seconds.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip (no sugar - no kidding)    

1 1/2 cups chickpeas (1 can, drained)

heaping 1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon baking soda (a bit more)

1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup nut butter (can decrease but I use 1/4 cup)

1 and 1/4 cup pitted dates, soaked

1/3 cup chocolate chips (Enjoy Life brand)

2 Tablespoons oats

few drops of stevia

nondairy milk as needed (I use it to thin it out just a bit - few T. at the most)

In a bowl, cover the dates with 1/2 cup water.  Let this sit for several hours (the original recipe says 8 but you can get away with 2-3).  Add all ingredients (including the date water), except chocolate chips, to a blender and blend until very very smooth.  Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes and then stir in chocolate chips.

Serve as a dessert dip (with apple slices or crackers???) or pudding, mix into oatmeal, stuff into cupcakes or my personal favorite, top pancakes with it.  You just can't go wrong with this one.  And let me tell you, my baby is a HUGE fan.  It was especially awesome when she ate it for breakfast yesterday and then had trumpets in her trousers throughout the  duration of our church service.  Good times yo.

Millet Buckwheat Pancakes, Oh My! (Gluten-free, Grain-Free, Vegan)

Yay.  I've finally created a pancake recipe that tastes good, is cheap, and is very nutritious.  I worked on this for a while, and I'm satisfied...for now :)  For this recipe, I combined millet and buckwheat.  Buckwheat is an excellent binding psuedograin for gluten-free cooking, but it's not my favorite taste-wise on its own.  Millet, also a psuedograin, is slightly nutty and commingles with buckwheat to create the perfect flavor combination. I love using pseudograins because they usually contain more protein and less starch than typical gluten-free grains such as brown rice.  They are also more alkaline on the pH scale.

For the millet and buckwheat flours used in this recipe, I make my own by grinding the whole "grains" in my Blendtec.  Just make sure the blender jar is dry, put the psuedograins in, and turn the setting to a high level so the grains fly around and turn into flour.  I use hulled buckwheat and hulled millet, which you can get in the bulk section of your local health store.  I like to buy in large quantity to be cost effective so I buy my buckwheat in 50 pound bags from Azurestandard.com. I also buy the blanched almond flour used in this recipe there.  (Be aware that the 25 lb. bag of Bob's Red Mill almond flour is totally gluten-free, and that the 5 lb. bag is repackaged in a facility containing wheat so it could be contaminated.) Azure Standard saves me lots of money.  For example, the aforementioned almond flour is about $12/lb. in health stores, but I get it for less than $4/lb. from Azure Standard.  Look into it, if you haven't already done so.

Millet Buckwheat Pancakes

Combine:

1 cup buckwheat flour

1 cup millet flour

1/4 cup blanched almond flour (without skins) or almond meal (with skins)
1/4 cup arrowroot powder (Authentic brand is gluten-free)

1.5 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. Real Salt or other unrefined mineral salt.

Add to the mixture:

1 cup rice milk (or other non-dairy milk)

1 cup water

2 flax eggs (2 tbsp. ground flaxseed mixed with 6 tbsp. water. Let sit for at least 5-10 min.)
      OR 2 organic eggs
2 tbsp. unrefined coconut oil, liquified.

1/4 to 1/2 tsp. vanilla creme stevia (I buy this from Amazon.com and it is optional in this recipe)

Pour onto a hot pancake griddle.  I don't have to grease mine, but if you use another source to cook your pancakes, you might have to grease it.  When bubbles start to form in the batter, flip.  Cook until golden brown. This recipe makes about twelve 4" pancakes.

Serve with maple syrup -- the flavors go really well with the millet/buckwheat combo.

 



Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips and Ageless Woman

Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips are on sale at Whole Foods for $3/package.  They are normally $3.69 there, and $4 and up anywhere else.  They've already been on sale for about a week now, so hurry and stock up while it lasts! I like these chocolate chips because they are dairy-free, gluten-free, and are sweetened with evaporated cane juice.  And they're mini! 

Also, I was just sent this link this morning.  This 70 year-old woman makes me want to move to Florida!