Elana's Apple Crisp

2 c. blanched almond flour
1/2 tsp celtic sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 c. grapeseed oil
1/4 c. agave nectar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
5 medium apples, peeled, sliced, then chopped in half width-wise

1. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg
2. In a smaller bowl, combine oil, agave and vanilla
3. Stir wet ingredients into dry
4. Place apples in a 2-3 quart glass baking dish
5. Crumble topping over the apples
6. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes on low rack
7. When apples are soft and their juices bubble, remove cover and bake 10 more minutes to brown crisp
8. Serve warm

Serves 6

Note: This recipe has been taken from Elana's Pantry, a recipe blog by Elana Amsterdam.

Karina's Quinoa Mushroom Pilaf

You can use either broth or water to cook this quinoa recipe. For a hearty, flavor-rich quinoa pilaf, use your favorite broth.

First:

Make your quinoa the easy way - using a rice cooker. You'll need roughly 2 1/2 - 3 cups cooked quinoa. As the quinoa cooks, gather and cut up your vegetables.

You'll need:

olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 small to medium yellow bell pepper, diced fine

1 small to medium green bell pepper, diced fine

2 c. sliced mushrooms

sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

1 tsp Greek seasoning (mint, lemon, basil, oregano mix)

2 scallions (spring onions) sliced - white and light green sections

squeeze of fresh lemon juice

extra virgin olive oil, to taste

When the quinoa is almost done, heat a splash of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, yellow and green pepper; and stir over medium heat until slightly softened. Add in the mushrooms. Season with sea salt, and ground pepper, to taste. Add the Greek seasoning. Stir and cook until the mushrooms are tender.

Scoop the cooked quinoa out of the rice cooker and add it to the mushroom-pepper mixture. Add in the sliced scallions. Stir to combine. Squeeze fresh lemon juice all over the quinoa and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Toss to coat the quinoa.

Taste test and add more salt or seasoning if it needs it.

Serve immediately; or allow it to cool, then cover and refrigerate it to eat as a salad.

Note on chilling this quinoa: Before serving this quinoa cold, taste test again and adjust seasonings; chilling often dulls the flavors in these kinds of salads. I usually allow quinoa salad a few minutes out of the fridge before serving; letting it come to room temperature helps the flavors. If making ahead as a salad, I'd use water instead of broth.

Serves 4.

This recipe has been taken from Karina Allrich's gluten free recipe blog. http://www.glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/

Cindalou's Buckwheat Apple Crepes

2/3 c. organic buckwheat flour
2/3 c. water
2 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
2 eggs
1 tsp sea salt
dash of cinnamon
2 tbsp organic virgin coconut oil for frying

Filling:
1 medium organic apple
1 tbsp organic virgin coconut oil for frying
1 tbsp cinnamon
dash of cayenne pepper
1 tbsp sunflower seeds

Cover and cook crepe on medium low heat for 2-3 minutes. In a separate pan, saute filling ingredients over medium low heat for 4-5 minutes until apples are soft. When crepe is finished, remove from pan and add apple filling ingredients. You may wish to garnish it with a sprinkle of coconut flakes or drizzle of agave nectar (or honey). I sprinkled some freshly ground flax over the top right before serving for extra protein and fiber. Fresh ground flax has a delicious, nutty taste which goes well sprinkled on the top of practically any dish.

Nutrition note:
This recipe is a nice low glycemic index (G.I.) version of a typical "sweet" breakfast option. I think it would go over well with children or others with a sweet tooth - they won't realize that you're "cheating" them out of the high carb sugar spikes you normally get with white rice flour, tapioca flour, sugar, and prepackaged gluten free breads and cereals.

This recipe has been taken from Cindy's healthy gluten free, dairy free, low carb natural recipes at cindalouskitchenblues.blogspot.com