gluten-free dairy-free banana-cranberry muffins

I got this recipe from Mama Knows Gluten Free, but of course, as per usual Mamatouille style, I changed it for our tastes and what I have available. They were so moist and filling! 

You'll need:

• 4 small bananas or 3 bigger ones, mashed
• 2 beaten eggs
• big dashes of cinnamon
• big dashes of powdered ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup grapeseed oil
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup gluten-free baking mix
• 1/2 cup rice flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• about 1/3 cup dried cranberries

Do this:

Mix mix mix and bake bake bake at 350/170 for about 15 minutes.

Eat eat eat.

gluten-free and dairy-free spicy chocolate mug muffin

I've been making mug muffins for years and decided to spice it up a little! 

You'll need:

• 1 tablespoon oil, plus more for greasing the mug
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon chicory powder
• generous sprinkle of cayenne pepper
• generous sprinkle of cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• pinch of baking powder
• 3 tablespoons almond flour
• dash of vanilla essence
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon honey

Do this:

Grease a big mug. (Not your face mug.) Crack an egg in there and beat it with a fork, then add everything else and beat that too. Cover and cook at 600 watts for 1.5 minutes in your microwave, then splash on some soy milk and homemade chocolate sauce (or you can break up some dairy-free chocolate into the muffin before cooking). 

Spicy chocolate? Oh my! 

middle-eastern style fusion renkon (lotus root)

 

Normally I make very traditional Japanese renkon (lotus root) with soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil, but I was making some eggplant fritters with some warm Middle Eastern spices and decided to experiment on a lotus-root side dish to match it. I absolutely loved it! 

You'll need:

• one fresh chunk of lotus root
• tomato paste
• olive oil
• powdered cumin
• powdered coriander
• cayenne pepper
• paprika 
• salt

Do this:

Wash, peel, slice, and soak your lotus root slices in water for a little while. You can do this earlier in the day and put it in the fridge in the water. Then drain.

In a frying pan, saute the slices in olive oil, then add some squirts of tomato paste and all the seasonings. Stir and cook till a little bit bubbly, and serve with your favorite Middle Eastern main dish. 

gluten-free and dairy-free rice-flour pancakes with a carrot-cake pancakes variation and a turmeric variation

I'll start with the basic rice-flour pancake recipe that I nabbed (and slightly changed) from Laura Fuentes, then show you two variations that we love and that I made up myself! 

Rice-Flour Pancakes 

You'll need:

• 2 cups rice flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1.5 cups soy milk (or milk of choice)
• 3 tablespoons katakuriko (Japanese potato starch) or cornstarch

Do this:

Mix it all up in a bowl dance party, then cook in oil on a griddle. Yum yum. I like mine with honey or peanut butter. 

Carrot-Cake Rice-Flour Pancakes

You'll need:

• the above ingredients
• two grated carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Warm and Spicy Carrot-Apple Turmeric Pancakes

You'll need:

• the basic rice-flour pancake ingredients
• one grated carrot
• two peeled and finely chopped apples
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
• dash of nutmeg

If you can't finish these in one sitting with your family, they freeze well between baking paper and sealed in a freezer bag. These recipes work for 4 of us, and anything leftover I eat during the week when my guys have oatmeal. 

Bon pancake appetit! 

elana's pantry's (sort of) paleo fruitcake

This is a cake from Elana's Pantry that I try to make every Christmas, and I use two small glass loaf pans that I grease first. Two of these tiny cakes don't seem like much, but they are dense. I tend to use whatever dried fruit I can find here in Japan. (It's not totally Paleo because I don't use the coconut ingredients that she calls for.)

You'll need: 

• 1.5 cups almond flour
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup dates, with pits removed and then chopped
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup dried cherries (I usually use dried cranberries instead)
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon orange zest (or soak the fruit in orange curacao instead)
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest

Do this:

Combine your dry ingredients, then add in the fruit and walnuts. In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients, and then stir them into the dry ones.

Into your greased mini loaf pans they go.

Bake 350/170 for 20-30 minutes, and try not to eat it up all at once.