Homemade Sunbutter

My daughter is allergic to peanuts. Before we discovered this, though, she loved peanut butter and jelly. Every kid loves PB&J, don't they? I'm pretty sure my son would eat it every day, if I'd let him!

There are a few options to replace peanut butter and most all of them can be made at home. Sunbutter (or sunflower seed butter) is a healthy and delicious option! It's also super easy to make, as long as you have a food processor to grind the seeds.

Homemade Sunbutter 

14oz roasted unsalted sunflower seeds
3/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tbsp honey

Place sunflower seeds in food processor and grind until seeds turn to a smooth consistency. (Think peanut butter.) Add salt, oil, and honey. Grind again for about 30 seconds. Taste and feel to decide if you need more of anything. We like ours plenty sweet, so I use the full 2 tbsp of honey.

Store in a Mason jar with a lid at room temperature.

Sunbutter works great for "PB&J", replaces peanut butter in recipes, OR you can dip apple slices in it like my kids do. My daughter loves it so much that she picks it up with her fingers and skips the apples. Ha!

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've got a few different gluten-free flours in my stash that I like to mix and play around with. One of them is millet flour. I haven't used it a lot, and have been trying to find more uses for it. It has a slight nutty flavor, and has a protein content similar to whole wheat. You can't use it alone, but mixed with other flours, it makes a great texture!

Anywho...I made my husband some chocolate chip cookies today and needed some for my daughter and I. (Yes, I think 'needed' is the right word.) I searched Google, and here's the recipe, including changes I made, that I found. They're delicious! The texture is perfect. They're so much like "real" cookies, you won't even miss the gluten, I promise. 😊

Gluten/Dairy-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup millet flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
6 tbsp coconut flour
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum*
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
4 tbsp palm shortening (or melted butter, or coconut oil)
2 flax eggs** (or eggs)
4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips

*If you use flax seed eggs, you won't need the xanthan gum.

**To make a single flax egg, combine 1 tbsp ground flax seeds with 2 1/2 tbsp hot water and let sit for five minutes to thicken. You can double this for two eggs.

In a small bowl, whisk flours, xanthan gum (if using), baking powder, and salt. In a separate medium bowl, combine shortening (or butter) and coconut sugar well. Add eggs and vanilla, mix well. Add the flour mixture and mix, then add chocolate chips.

Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes at 350°F. Makes about two dozen.

*original recipe from Amy's Healthy Baking.

My Favorite Bulletproof Coffee (Dairy-Free)

Coffee. I love it. Some days I love it more than others. This morning, I needed a boost of energy. Bulletproof coffee always seems to give me energy that lasts longer than just plain ol' coffee and cream. Seriously. Try it. This morning's coffee was so creamy and flavorful that I decided to share with you!

Bulletproof Coffee

12 oz freshly brewed coffee
1/2-1 tsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp Great Lakes gelatin (great protein source)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of cinnamon
Sweetener (I used 1/4 tsp Pyure)

Blend together in a blender, or with an immersion blender, for 10 seconds. Take time to sip it and enjoy it!

When I get some, I'm going to try adding 1/8 tsp sunflower lecithin. My Trim Healthy Mama book says that will make it even more frothy. Mmm!

Gluten/Dairy-Free Banana Oat Pancakes

Before I went gluten-free, my husband and I enjoyed a lot of different flavors in our pancakes. We'd have copy-cat Cracker Barrel pancakes one morning, then whole wheat pancakes another, buttermilk pancakes, blueberry sourdough pancakes...on the list went. In order to get a little variety in our GF pancakes, I combined a couple of recipes and came up with this. The quick oats give a nice texture to them, they stay together without crumbling, and they have an egg free option.

Banana Oat Pancakes

1 cup oat flour (or ground up oats)
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp coconut sugar, or brown sugar
1 ripe banana
1 egg, or flax egg*
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup almond or coconut milk
2 tbsp hemp protein powder, optional

*For a flax egg, combine 1 tbsp ground flax seeds with 2 1/2 tbsp hot water. Let it sit 5-10 minutes to gel.

Preheat skillet. If using flax instead of an egg, mix it now so it can be ready to use.

Whisk together flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and protein powder (if using) in a medium bowl. In a smaller bowl, mash your banana with a fork. Add your sugar, vanilla, and almond milk and whisk until sugar is dissolved. Add your flax egg (or chicken egg), and whisk again.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until combined. Scoop 1/4 cup fulls onto your skillet. I have found that oat flour pancakes cook better at a slightly lower temperature than regular pancakes.

Enjoy!