Healthy Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls

Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, Nut-Free, can be vegan

These cinnamon rolls are delicious and full of warm sweet cinnamon flavor! These do not rise much or get very fluffy, but even with the denser texture these cinnabons hit the spot. They have more gooey cinnamon sugar filling than many recipes call for, but since that is one of the best parts about this dessert I increased, and might experiment with increasing it even more. The icing recipe also makes extra, but since the icing is my favorite part about any dessert, I increased it to really make sure these were well-frosted and not skimping with thin drizzly stuff like many other recipes out there. 

Cinnamon Rolls Attempt #1: 
Adapted from the Grain Free Table's recipe over at Foodbabe.com, here.

Cinnamon Rolls Attempt #1

With this recipe the dough seemed really dry and crumbly and would not mix in a good part of the remaining dry ingredients. To fix this I decided to add in 1 egg. It turns out that was a bad idea, as the dough became too wet/sticky and wouldn't roll properly when I attempted to roll them into a log. It just kept sticking to the pan and breaking. I tried to roll as much of it as I could, and arranged them in make-shift half-bun, half-pieces in the pan. It ended up being more like a monkey bread kind of dessert than actual cinnabons, and it was still delicious! This goes to show if you have problems along the way, don't give up, and even if the end result is different than what you planned it can still be a success. We made these to celebrate Christmas, and a wonderful Christmas it was indeed. 

Cinnamon Rolls Attempt #2: 
Adapted from the recipe at Detoxinista.com here. 

This recipe turned out really well and tasted just like a glutenous cinnabon! The use of arrowroot starch and coconut flour made for a lighter texture, less heavy than the previous version, so this is what we'll use going forward. I modified it by adding more of cinnamon/coconut sugar filling, and adding a decadent cream cheese frosting! If you can't tell from the pictures, cream cheese frosting is one of my favorite things ever, which I'll only have on special occasions, if I make it myself with safe ingredients and without refined sugar. The end result tasted so good and decadent I think my husband may ask for it too frequently!

Ingredients

Dough

Dry: 

• 1 1/2 cups arrowroot starch/flour
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar

Wet: 

• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 eggs (for vegan version replace with 3 tbsp. chia or flax seeds + water to form a gel)

Spice Swirl

• ½ cup coconut sugar
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (or coconut oil)

Frosting

• 8 oz. organic cream cheese (or greek yogurt, or dairy-free cream cheese, try to avoid soy still)
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon erythritol, or pinch of stevia (or coconut sugar)
• 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• squeeze of lemon juice
• Thin to desired thickness with non-dairy milk 

Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl mix together the dough dry ingredients.
2. Melt the coconut oil in a 2-cup glass measuring cup. Stir together the wet ingredients in the cup. 
3. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry making sure there are no lumps. 
4. Chill the dough for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
5. Stir together the the cinnamon/coconut sugar filling ingredients and set aside. 
6. Once the dough has chilled, roll it out onto a tray lined with parchment paper and greased with coconut oil (we don't want the dough to stick!). 
7. Sprinkle the filling onto the rolled out dough. If you like the gooey cinnamon filling as much as I do, sprinkle more cinnamon and coconut sugar on top. 
8. Roll the dough into a log, folding each section over at a time by carefully rolling up the parchment paper. 
9. Cut the log into sections and place in a greased 8x8 dish. 
10. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Cover the dish with foil so they don't get brown.  
11. Make the frosting by heating the cream cheese gently in the microwave or stove-top. Stir in the remaining ingredients, and adjust the taste/sweetness to your liking. 
12. After 25 minutes, take off the foil and bake for 5-10 more minutes until lightly browned. 

Dollop on the frosting and Enjoy! 

There will be extra icing, and you can use that as a dip for fruit or the other rolls.

I happen to LOVE cream cheese frosting, so we used it all. no regrets. ;)

Cinnamon Rolls Attempt #1 - so much gooey, cinnamony, cream cheesy goodness!

Triple Chocolte Brownie Pudding Cake ~ Secretly Healthy

Vegan, Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free, Nut-Free, Oil-Free

Adapted from the AH-Mazing recipe over here at ohsheglows.com! 
Growing up, the Brownie Pudding Cake recipe from the Betty Crocker cookbook used to be my absolute favorite dessert! We made it so many times in my household, and I so loved the chocolatey combo of brownies and gooey pudding underneath. The flour, eggs, white sugar and brown sugar were integral to the recipe, and for years I couldn't think of a way to healthify this classic dessert. The brilliant blogger at ohsheglows.com cracked the code though and made a brilliant recipe for it though thank goodness! I adjusted her recipe by not using oat flour, by combining pudding mixture before putting on the batter, and a few other things. In the future I might increase the cocoa and sweetener amounts, or add more chocolate chips. 

To put this recipe over the top, I went back and added a chocolate ganache topping to the brownie! It made this absolutely divine and added the perfect touch and deep chocolatey richness to balance out the smooth pudding and moist brownie. 

How is it still healthy? 
Pumpkin. Quinoa Flour. Omega 3's (from chia/flax). Raw Cacao Powder (antioxidants). Organic. Gluten-Free. Fiber. Protein. Enough said. 
I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Ingredients: 

Dry Ingredients

• 2 cups quinoa flour (or experiment with a different gf flour)
• 3 tbsp. coconut flour
• 1 cup erythritol (or coconut sugar)
• 10 pinches stevia
• 2/3 cup raw cacoa powder (or cocoa powder)
• 1 tbsp. cream of tartar (corn-free substitute for baking powder)
• 1/2 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ginger
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 3/4 tsp. sea salt (to taste)

Wet Ingredients

• 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax seeds mixed with 6 tbsp. water)
• 2 chia eggs (2 tbsp chia seeds mixed with 4 tbsp. water)
• 2 1/4 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 2 1/4 cups unsweetened pumpkin puree (can also sub with apple sauce)
• 1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract

Pudding Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup erythritol (or coconut sugar)
• 2 1/2 cups boiling water

Chocolate Ganache Sauce

• 1 1/3 cups dark chocolate chips (Enjoy Life brand, or dairy-free)
• 3/4 cup non-dairy milk
• 1 tbsp. sunflower seed butter (or nut butter)

*Use as many organic ingredients as possible


Directions

Brownie: 
- Spray a 9x13 inch pan with coconut oil and pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. 
- Mix the flax and chia "eggs" together in a cup, then leave for about 5 minutes (in the fridge, optional) to set up and form a gel. 
- Stir together all the dry ingredients, gf flour, coconut flour cocoa powder,  in a large bowl, making sure there are no lumps in the mixture (cocoa tends to clump a lot). 
- Stir in the wet ingredients: almond milk, pumpkin, chia/flax eggs and vanilla, into the dry ingredients and gently mix until thoroughly combined. The batter should be thick like brownie batter. You can choose to mix the chocolate chips into the batter, or to sprinkle them on top. 
- Spread the batter into the pan. 

Pudding: 
- Stir the cocoa powder and erythritol together in a large bowl. Pour in the boiling water and stir until everything is dissolved. 
- Pour the cocoa/boiling water mixture on top of the brownie batter. It will look like a complete disaster and like you totally ruined the recipe, but you didn't! It's okay, and all part of the plan!!
- CAREFULLY place the pan in the oven. 
- Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the brownie looks fully cooked and not wet on top. 

The brownie will bake and rise to the top, and the cocoa/water mixture will turn into a lovely silky pudding on the bottom - magical!
Let the pudding cake cool for a bit so the pudding has time to set up. 

Prepare the Ganache: 
- While the brownie is cooling, heat the chocolate chips in a microwave at about 30 second intervals until the chips melt. 
- Stir in the non-dairy milk and sunflower seed butter. You may have to heat it up again and continue stirring to make everything melt and incorporate. Adjust the amount of milk, chocolate or sunflower seed butter to how thick you'd like it. 
The sunflower seed butter adds a thicker richness to the sauce, but it could be left out and substituted with more chocolate if preferred. 

Serve with the Chocolate Ganache sauce, or dairy free ice cream, or coconut whipped cream, and Enjoy! :)

Dairy-Free Vanilla Ice Cream

2 frozen bananas
3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 1/2 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp. chia seeds
Optional: sea salt, sweetener, dates, cinnamon, nutmeg or other flavor to taste

- Combine everything in a blender. Adjust the flavors to your tastes. 
- Let sit in the freezer to firm up. 

Blueberry Vanilla Pumpkin Cookies

Vegan, Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free, Dairy-Free, Oil-Free

Wet Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
• 1 cup applesauce (unsweetened) 
• 3/4 cup erythritol (or sweetener of choice)
• 2-3 pinches stevia (depending on how sweet you like them)
• 2 chia/flax seed 'eggs' (mix 2 tbsp. chia seeds, 1 tbsp. ground flax seed, and 4-5 tbsp. water)
• 2 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk 
• 1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries 

Dry Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup Quinoa Flour or Brown Rice flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 3 tsp. cinnamon 
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. cloves
• 1/2 tsp. ginger
• 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• pinch sea salt

*As many ingredients as possible should be Organic and trustworthy.

-Mix together the chia seeds, flax seeds, and filtered water in a cup and leave for about 5 minutes in the fridge to set up.

- Stir the wet ingredients together in a bowl (minus the blueberries). 
- Mix the dry ingredients together making sure there are no lumps in the flours. 
- Stir the chia/flax seeds that have set up (formed a thick gel) into the wet ingredients.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet, then fold in the blueberries. 
          If the mixture looks a little too wet, then add in extra quinoa flour, and if it's too dry add in pumpkin or applesauce or almond milk. It might look kind of wet, but that is okay and they should still turn out into solid cookies. You might get good results by putting the dough in the fridge for a while to firm up, but it's not really necessary and I didn't do it. 

- Form the cookies into your desired cookie shape on a foil-lined/coconut oil - greased pan. The cookies don't rise much , so form them into the shape you want now - bite-sized, big fluffy pillow-cookies, whatever!

- Bake at 350 degrees for 16-19 minutes, or until golden brown/darker and the inside is mostly cooked through. You can still take them out if they are still pretty soft on the inside, since they will continue to cook on the pan, and they will just be softer and chewier. 
Enjoy!

These cookies have a crisp outside and super soft, chewy inside. The union of blueberries, vanilla and pumpkin is just SO good!
Chocolate is kind of addictive for me, so I wanted to make these bars to have around for breakfast, but without the chocolate to tempt me to have too many. The dark blueberries kind of look like chocolate chips so they're aesthetically pleasing, while being filled with all the amazing nutrients that are in blueberries! 

Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies ... or Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Vegan, Gluten Free, Sugar Free, Fat Free, Nut Free, High Protein

Wouldn't it be great if you could have cookies that were packed with super-nutritious ingredients, so you could eat dessert totally guilt-free and still be happily nourishing your body? That's what I've wondered for a long time, and this recipe hits the spot in both regards! I stirred a few secret healthy ingredients in here that make these cookies high protein, low fat, low calories, but still really big and satisfying on taste! The special ingredients?  

• Quinoa Flour or Brown Rice Flour - works as the flour and provides a great source of protein
• Pumpkin - sweet vegetable that has a lower glycemic index, plenty of fiber, and is rich in important antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. It "is less in calories but contains vitamin A, and flavonoid poly-phenolic antioxidants such as leutin, xanthin, and carotenes in abundance" (see references below). 
• Chia Seeds - loaded with antioxidants, a great source of important omega 3 fatty acids, good source of fiber, and a high-quality protein source. These are very important to add in one's diet, and they can even replace the eggs in baking!
• Cinnamon - proven to help stabilize blood sugar, boosts cognitive function, improves insulin production, and can even reduce cancer cells. 

Wet Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin
• 1 cup applesauce (unsweetened) 
• 3/4 cup erithrytol (or sweetener of choice)
• 2-3 pinches stevia
• 2 chia seed eggs (2 tbsp. chia seeds + 4-5 tbsp. water)
• 2 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 2 tsp. imitation butter flavor (optional, if you want to keep it really pure leave out)

Dry Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup Quinoa Flour or Brown Rice flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 3 tsp. cinnamon 
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. cloves
• 1/2 tsp. ginger
• 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• pinch sea salt
• 3/4 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips, or any other add-ins you'd like! (raisins, nuts, etc.)

*As many ingredients as possible should be Organic and trustworthy.

Stir the wet ingredients together, then mix into the dry ingredients. If the mixture looks a little too wet, then add in extra quinoa flour, and if it's too dry add in pumpkin or applesauce or even almond milk. It might look kind of wet, but that is okay and they should still turn out into solid cookies. You might get good results by putting the dough in the fridge for a while to firm up, but it's not really necessary and I didn't do it. 

Form the cookies into your desired cookie shape on a foil-lined pan. The cookies don't rise much at all, so form them into the shape you want now - bite-sized, or big cookies, whatever!
By using the dough as is, you will make Pumpkin Spice Chia Cookies (great for breakfast!), OR you can add in chocolate chips to make a gooey chocolatey dessert! Sprinkle the plain Pumpkin Spice cookies with cinnamon before baking, and they'll even look like snickerdoodles.

      Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Version: 
Stir 6+ tbsp. of natural peanut butter into the finished dough. The peanut butter taste of the final product will depend on the kind of peanut butter you're using, so use more or less than that amount depending on how strong you'd like the flavor to be. I used about 6 tbsp. of PB2 mixed with water, and the peanut taste was not too strong. Then stir in your chocolate chips and form the cookies.

Bake at 350 degrees for 16-19 minutes, or until golden brown/darker and the inside is mostly cooked through. You can still take them out if they are still pretty soft on the inside, since they will continue to cook on the pan, and they will just be softer and chewier. 













I obviously chose to make a lot more Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookies today, as that is Kenny's ultimate favorite flavor combination. He really liked the cookies, and I really liked their taste, soft chewy texture, AND that they are so healthy, will not spike our blood sugar, and have only ingredients that are GOOD for our bodies! :)

Reference: 
http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/pumpkin.html
http://www.organicauthority.com/health/11-health-benefits-of-cinnamon.html
http://www.organicauthority.com/health/11-health-benefits-of-cinnamon.html

Healthy Pumpkin Spice Chia Breakfast Bars

Vegan, Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free, Fat-Free, Nut-Free, High Protein

These pumpkin bars are a super tasty and nutritious treat that also happen to be packed with protein and minimal calories! The soft, chewy texture with sweet, warm pumpkin taste will hug you in a blanket of fall, and the healthy ingredients will nourish and restore your body. :)

I adapted this from the recipe for Paleo Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies at the "Making the World Cuter" blog. Those pumpkin cookies are amazing and it's a simple straight-forward recipe. I have tried to follow a more vegan lifestyle lately, so I wanted to adapt the recipe and substitute the honey, butter and eggs for something a little more plant-based. I also adjusted the coconut flour and added quinoa flour, as it has fewer calories and is a complete source of protein. The chia seeds replace eggs, are high in protein, and even offer a boost of omega-3 fatty acids. The unsweetened applesauce replaces the butter and can replace the fat component in many baking recipes. The honey is replaced by erythritol or stevia, whichever plant-based, natural organic sweetener you have access to. The nice part about this recipe is you can stir everything by hand in a mixing bowl, no blender or equipment required - super easy!

One word of caution is to check the ingredients list before buying anything, especially in regards to sweeteners. A lot of the "Stevia" or "All-Natural" products in the grocery store actually have dextrose or some weird chemical like malto-dextrin, etc. as the FIRST ingredient, with only a little bit of stevia at the end. (Stevia-in-the-Raw is mainly just dextrose - marketing scam!!) I have ordered erythritol online as it's zero-calorie, and from the research I've done on it does not spike blood sugar, cause any ill effects in the body, and is derived from plants in an ethical way. Erythritol can be found at some health food stores, and you can also find a few actual stevia products in certain grocery stores. As with anything though, it's best to do your own research and use the ingredients that are best for your body's needs and health goals. 

I hope you try and enjoy the recipe! :)

Wet Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin
• 1 cup applesauce (unsweetened) 
• 3/4 cup erythritol (or sweetener of choice)
• 2-3 pinches stevia
• 2 chia seed eggs (2 tbsp. chia seeds + 5 tbsp. water)
• 2 tbsp. vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup brown rice or quinoa flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 3 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. cloves
• 1/2 tsp. ginger
• 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 tsp. xanthan gum
• pinch sea salt

Stir the wet ingredients together, then mix into the dry ingredients. 
If the mixture looks a little too wet, then add in extra quinoa flour, and if it's too dry add in pumpkin or applesauce or even almond milk. 

Spread the batter into a 9x13 inch pan and sprinkle with cinnamon. 
[This dough can also be formed into cookies to make delicious pumpkin spice cookies!! :D ]

Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Enjoy! :)

Brownies ~ Chocolate, Pumpkin, Coconut Flour

Free of refined Sugar, Dairy, Grains, Oil and Nuts

Adapted from Foodie Fiasco's Coconut Flour Breakfast Brownies


Dry Ingredients:

• 1 cup coconut flour
• 2 tsp. cream of tartar (corn-free substitute for baking powder
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder

Wet Ingredients: 

• 15 oz canned pumpkin 
• 3-4 pinches stevia drops, 2 tbs. honey or more sweetener of choice  (please do not use bleached nutrient-leaching white sugar nastiness, period.)
• 1 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• dark chocolate chips (Enjoy Life brand or a dairy-free version), optional

Preheat oven to 365 degrees. 
Mix the dry ingredients together, making sure there are no lumps. 
Stir the wet ingredients together, then stir the wet into the dry. 
Add in the chocolate chips, pour the batter into a 9x13 inch pan, or sprinkle the chocolate on top of the batter. 
Bake at 365 degrees, then test with a toothpick for doneness. 
Enjoy :)

*As many ingredients as possible should be organic