Spiced Teff Bars

Summer is my favorite time of year. No doubt about that. But lately, the cooler temps we’ve been experiencing have my mind drifting towards cinnamon spiced treats. Nothing says autumn like cinnamon!   

Now, these tasty treats are made with teff. Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of it. Many people are unfamiliar with this grain. Teff has a long history and has been used for ages in North Africa. More specifically; teff is used in Ethiopian cuisine to make injera, which is an Ethiopian spongy flatbread that tastes a bit like sourdough.  Fun fact: teff is one of the smallest grains in the WORLD! 

Health benefits of teff:

• high in fiber
• good source of protein
• great source of iron
• good source of calcium

Teff has a very distinct and almost earthy taste to it that goes well with the spices and molasses in these bars. These guys seriously taste out-of-this-frickin-world with a cup of coffee! 

Spiced Teff Bars

the original recipe is over at Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen

I only made a few tiny changes though (added some more spices)!

2/3 cup of softened coconut oil

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/3 cup blackstrap molasses

1/2 cup Sucanat

1 Tbsp. maple syrup or agave

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

2 cups dark teff flour

1/2 cup tapioca flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon guar gum (or xanthan gum)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 to 2 teaspoons ground ginger (I didn't have any, so just used some minced/pureed ginger)

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg or allspice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Oil a 9x9 square pan or line with parchment paper.
2. In large bowl, use an electric mixer to mix the coconut oil, applesauce, molasses, sugar, maple syrup and vanilla until combined.
3. In another bowl, mix together the dry ingredients and spices. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and beat again until dough thickens. 
4. Spread the dough into prepared baking pan.
5. Bake for about 25 minutes in preheated oven at 350. Let the bars cool for at least 30 minutes before trying to cut. Serving suggestion: drizzle some coconut butter on top!

Note: I've found that these need to be stored in the fridge because they tend to crumble if left out at room temp. 

Apple Pear Crumble

Keeping with the fall season theme of my past few posts, I present to you the tastiest dessert chock-full of my favorite fall-time fruits: apples and pears!

For this oat and almond based crumble, I used organic Golden Delicious apples and organic Bartlett pears. Sooooo tasty! 

For the crust/base, I used a mixture of oats, oat flour, and almond meal. I'm sure you could substitute another kind of nut for the almonds, like pecan, hazelnut, etc. 


What you'll need:
adapted from Gluten Free Hope's Maple Peach Crumble

• 3 organic apples, sliced thinly
• 1-2 pears, peeled, sliced

• 1/2 cup almond meal (I just put 1/2 cup almonds in the food processor and pulsed until coarsely ground)
• 1/2 cup GF oats
• 1/2 cup GF oat flour
• 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch/flour
• 1/2 cup sucanat
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon, plus extra for sprinklin'
• 1 Tbsp. flax meal
• 1/2 cup vegan butter, Earth Balance, melted
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp. coconut oil (or more butter)
• Poured over top: 
• 1/4 cup apple juice
• 3 Tbsp. maple syrup

Oat and almond base.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

1. Mix all dry ingredients together in large bowl. 
2. Melt vegan butter in microwave, then add 1 tsp. vanilla, stir.
3. Add the melted butter to the dry ingredients, along with the coconut oil. Press into bottom of a lined 9x9 inch pan. 
4. Take your sliced fruits and arrange them however you like on top of the base. 
5. Now, mix the apple juice and maple syrup together. Pour over the top of apples and pears. Sprinkle with more cinnamon!
6. Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes. 

*** Serve with coconut ice cream, or eat as is! ***

Coconut Cinnamon Buckwheat... bread?

Ever since going Gluten-Free, one of the things I've missed most is peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Over at the edible perspective, I found a recipe for the perfect vehicle for peanut butter and jelly! 

I had never heard of socca (aka farinata) before, but apparently it is a popular culinary delight in Italy and France. Socca is typically made with chickpea/garbanzo bean flour (or besan) and baked in a skillet. However, this recipe calls for some buckwheat flour, plump raisins, cinnamon, and shredded coconut! Whooaaa!!

This "bread" is awesome topped with some pumpkin butter (see photo below)!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup chickpea flour
• 1/2 cup buckwheat flour (I used Arrowhead mills, but in all honesty I don't like the taste of it much)
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. sucanat
• 1 cup water
• 2 tsp. cinnamon (or more, if desired)
• 2 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup raisins (dried cherries would be good too!)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Mmmm... pumpkin butter.

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and stir well.
3. Grease a 9x9 square pan (I just greased it with some coconut oil)
4. Bake for about 35 minutes.