Pumpkin Cake Cookies

I'm back with yet another delicious (and surprisingly healthy), pumpkin recipe! This one is, as most of my recipes are, extremely easy. Just a few ingredients, no special tools needed. These are moist, fluffy, delicious little cake cookies that you can eat pretty much any time of the day. Yes, I do eat them for breakfast occasionally... Oops!

To make these it is super simple: mix all the wet ingredients together (pumpkin puree, eggs, vanilla, coconut oil (melted), and honey). Make sure that there are no clumps and everything is mixed well - a whisk works great for this. In a separate bowl, mix all the dry ingredients (coconut flour, spices and baking powder). Add this mixture to the wet ingredient bowl, and mix well. Finally, add in the dark chocolate chips. 

Line your baking sheet with parchment paper, and scoop about a tablespoon size for each cookie onto the sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes (sometimes, I leave them in a little longer to get them a bit firmer). Cool for about 10 minutes. These are best served warm, but like I said, I also eat them for breakfast on occasion... 

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup coconut oil melted
• 5 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/3 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips

*I usually make a double recipe - the original recipe is pretty small.

*Adapted from Paleo Grubs

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Healthy, Simple Pancakes

Healthy yet delicious pancakes? It can't be possible right? Well it can, and I made them over the weekend. They are gluten free, refined sugar free, AND they could be dairy free (substitution below), but the dairy in these is actually quite good for you, as long as you buy organic! The dairy ingredient is actually the secret ingredient in my pancakes: cottage cheese. Sounds strange right? Well it started with my grandma, who used to make her pancakes with cottage cheese, and I've made them that way ever since. Of course I've adapted the recipe to be a big healthier than hers was, but will always keep that ingredient. It makes the pancakes fluffy and incredibly yummy!

The recipe is simple - only 10 ingredients and takes about a half hour tops (unless you're cooking more than 3 pancakes at once). Be sure to get the real maple syrup too- that fake stuff is toxic! Begin by whisking all the wet ingredients together in a bowl - make sure they are thoroughly mixed. Next, mix all the dry ingredients together. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well. Pour about 1/3 a cup size into the pan (per pancake) and cook evenly on both sides. To know when to flip the pancakes, wait until they bubble a little bit on the top. Add any type of toppings you want - blueberries, dark chocolate chips, raspberries... Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup cottage cheese*
• 1/2 cup almond milk (or any type of nut/coconut milk)
• 4 eggs (recommend cage free/organic)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon agave (or honey)
• 1 1/2 tablespoon of ground flax seed (optional)
• Large pinch of sea salt
• Coconut oil or ghee (for frying)
• REAL maple syrup
• Blueberries, dark chocolate chips, bananas or whatever you'd like for garnish

*If you want dairy free, omit the cottage cheese and do 1 full cup of nut milk

**Adapted from Frank Body

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Paleo Pumpkin Spice Bread

I'm pretty excited about this one! The past year or so I've been trying to cook/bake more and more, as well as experiment with healthy recipes. Sometimes, it's a lot of fun. Other times, it turns out quite poorly (especially in my teeny tiny NYC kitchen with my stove that probably dates back to the 1800's. No joke people...). Luckily this time around, my baking turned out delicious! I attempted the paleo pumpkin spice bread. It's only a few, easy ingredients, and takes about 45 minutes tops. It was moist, flavorful, and good for you too! Definitely worth a try this holiday season.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the wet ingredients in a mixing bowl, and blend. I recommend using a magic bullet because it gets everything blended perfectly. Next, combine the dry ingredients in a separate mixing bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix together with a hand blender. Grease the mini loaf pans with coconut oil, or I would maybe try lining with parchment paper (my bread stuck a little bit even with the coconut oil). Pour batter into the mini loaf pans, and bake for about 30-35 minutes. You can check if the bread is ready by sticking them with a tooth pick or thermometer. 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup coconut flour, sifted
• 6 eggs (recommend brown, cage free)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (recommend sea or kosher)
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice blend

*Adapted from The Primal Palate

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