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Mini Frittata Egg Bites {gluten-free, paleo, keto, whole30}
These Mini Frittata Egg Bites are a wonderful, easy-to-make, one-bite breakfast treat that is perfect for entertaining, great for the holidays, light, simple and super, duper customizable. Read on for lots of flavor options.
One of the perks of this strange career path I have embarked on, is the incredible experiences and opportunities to understand and investigate our food further. I consider it a great blessing that I am able to get behind the scenes and truly see where our food is coming from – as this is of high importance to me, to learn, to educate myself and to share with all of you, to hopefully empower you with the knowledge to make the best choices for your family.
To boil it down quite simply, first, personally I want my food to be nutrient-dense and second, I want it to be bullsh*t free! As a long supporter of Vital Farms I was beyond honored when they asked if I would come to Missouri to tour some of their farms, to meet the growers and most importantly to see how their Girls on Grass live, the pastures they graze on and a peek behind the scenes at how they run things.
I am beyond excited to share that everything this company boasts if truly a reality. No BS! Right down to Stuart, the farmer featured in their incredible new campaign, he’s a real farmer, with Vital Farms. I spent the afternoon on his farm. Across the board on all of Vital Farms’ farms, the beautiful hens are raised under humane conditions and they have time on pasture, daily, each bird getting a minimum of 108sqft of pasture to roam (compared to less than 1 foot that a cage-free hen gets or the 2sqft that a free-range hen receives).
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Grain-free Mini Pumpkin Cashew Cheesecakes {Vegan}
For so many of us when there are foods you avoid, either out of necessity or by choice, there are always very specific foods and recipes that you have to just give up longing for. The torture just becomes to much. As someone that generally avoids dairy, in more than very small amounts, I can assure you that the longing feeling I have in my heart for that stretchy pull of good cheese in a homemade mac and cheese or a slice of pizza loaded with the ooey gooey good stuff – those are quite hard to replicate. I am absolutely not a fan of the “faux cheese” alternatives, for so many reasons, mostly because I highly suspect there is very little actual food in there, so I generally just abstain. It’s fine. You just get over it. No really, you do.
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Dairy-free Mini Cheesecakes
As someone that has maintained a gluten-free lifestyle for over 10 years now, I have sampled my fair share of products, both for my own curiosity and for the purpose of sharing here with you guys, the best and healthiest options in the market place. In my home, I have more than simplified my life and the meals I create, but like anyone else I both have cravings and I also believe in balance.
On a recent morning I found myself really craving a bowl of cereal, a hankering that happens but once or twice a year. I realized I didn’t exactly have a go-to gluten-free cereal that I not only loved but one I could feel OK about eating. With my husband being the only regular cereal eater in our home, everything in the pantry contained gluten. I went on about my business and reached for a smoothie instead.
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Roasted Grape and Rosemary Savory Goat Cheese Mini Tarts {Grain-Free}
For me, I really don’t think there can ever be too much of the good things in life. Whether that be the grapes growing on the vines in our yard or the incredible lady friends I have met through blogging. I just can’t get enough of either these days.
When my girls Gina of So Let’s Hangout and Emily of The Pig and Quill invited me to be a part of #soletspigout, their virtual summer potluck – I just couldn’t say no! I mean what I would really love is to hang out with all of these fantastic bloggers in person, in the real life – stuffing our faces with food and chatting it up about blogging and all the weird things we do. But, I suppose this is the next best thing – virtual food with virtual friends. All of the fun, none of the calories?
In honor of #soletshangout, all week long these two adorably charming, witty gals have been serving up some tantalizing dishes for their weeklong fest! They’ve shared Sticky BBQ Korean Chicken Wings, Fizzy Herbed Pineapple Limeade, Grilled Thai Beef Salad With Sesame Lime Vinaigrette, Sinless Superfood Devil’s Food Donuts and Grain-Free Stone Fruit Cobbler with Lime Coconut Cream. Phew – are you drooling, yet?
Oh and to see all the fun surround this potluck, be sure to check out the hashtag #soletspigout on Instagram.
When it came time to decide what I would be bringing to this virtual get-together today, with 20+ other food-obsessed bloggers, I knew immediately I would have to bring something that included grapes! If you haven’t heard me mention already here on the blog or on my social media, I am literally overwhelmed by the amount of fresh grapes we are getting from the grape vines we have here at our house.
I have been picking them by the 5 and 10 pound bags. No joke. I’ve been forced to get super creative with all of these grapes, which I have actually been loving and I hope you have been, too! (Did you see this Red Grape and Goat Cheese Salad with Walnuts or the Bacon Roasted Grape Salad?) That said, I have also taken to literally giving them away by the several-pound bags, to anyone that will take them. So, please be warned, if you come within even 1 mile of our home or if you invite me to your place, I will send you away with grapes. Lots of them.
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Mini Caramel Apple Pies with Cinnamon Streusel {gluten-free, vegan}
In case you haven’t noticed, I have a thing for mini stuff! Why make a single large-sized pie, when you can have 12 tiny ones? I am not sure where or when this love affair began, but I constantly find myself opting for littler things over the traditional size. (spoiler alert: I have another mini dessert coming to the website later this week)
When Attune Foods contacted me to develop a holiday-worthy dessert recipe using one of their Erewhon Supergrain cereals, I was excited for the challenge of recreating a classic sweet treat, like apple pie. I opted for mini apple pies with a deliciously simple crust and filling, a crunchy spiced streusel topping made with the buckwheat hemp cereal, all topped with a drizzle of my very easy-to-make vegan caramel sauce.
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Grain-free Banana Coconut Mini-Loaves – Gluten-free, Dairy-free + Refined Sugar-free
If you follow me on Instagram you probably already know this, but I just love Instagram 🙂 It is probably my favorite social networking platform there is right now, because it is just a little glimpse into people’s lives. Very few words, just a quick glance. It doesn’t feel totally invasive and it is rare that you have people complaining on there or posting political rants, etc. I just feel like it is a big celebration of everything happy going on in our lives. I love seeing peoples pets, their kids, what they are working on, a snapshot from their amazing vaction and of course, all of the food. Some days I put up so many photos of food, I am sure most of my non-food blogging friends want to (or do) unfollow me, but I personally love seeing what is happening in everyone’s kitchens. It is always so inspiring and exciting.
A week or two ago my good friend Esther, who I sadly haven’t seen in a while, posted a photo on Instagram of some amazing little mini-loaves she just pulled out of the oven. They looks delicious and I loved the pan she made them in. The pans are all connected and just the perfect sized little treat, I had never seen anything like it. I mean, what is it about miniature things that is just so irresistible? When I asked Esther where she got it from, she said just up the street from her (she lives in Princeton, NJ), and she offered to pick one up for me. Yay! So, I told her to tell me what it costs and I would send her the money. Next thing I know a package comes in the mail to me, with the pan and a sweet note, as a birthday gift from Esther. It made my whole day! Thank you again so much Esther! The very next morning I started thinking about what I would make with it.
I had some bananas in the pantry that were definitely overripe, so I thought I had to make some banana bread but I wanted to do something a little different and create a grain-free recipe made with my favorite, almond and coconut flours, that also included some yummy coconut, since the two go so well together.
Even after playing around with so many baked-good recipes that use the combination of almond and coconut flours, I am still amazed every time I bake with it and it comes out with a grain-like quality to it, it really surprises me each time. I always expect a weird goopy mess that doesn’t quite work. These mini-loaves are just perfection, they are moist and spongey like any good banana bread should be, plus I really love the little bits of coconut throughout and on top. These loaves would also be good with nuts on top or some mini-chocolate chips (both of which I thought of after it was too late). By the way, how great is that plate? Perfect for these mini-loaves right? That was a super thoughtful birthday gift from my friends Sarah and Brian. I have some pretty amazing pals!
What’s your favorite mini-food or mini kitchen gadget?
FYI – this is the mini-loaf pan that I used for reference. Each loaf well measures 3 13/16″ x 2 1/2″ and 1 1/2″ high, I haven’t tried this recipe as a single loaf or even the slightly larger mini-loaf pans, so I cannot attest to how it will come out, likely it will work, the loaves will probably have less height to them and you will have to bake it for longer. If you experiment with different loaf pans and this recipe, please let me know how it comes out. Thank you!
[print_this]Grain-free Banana Coconut Mini-Loaves – Gluten-free, Dairy-free + Refined Sugar-free
makes 8 mini-loaves- 1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour (I like Honeyville)
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup unsweetened finely shredded coconut, saving a small amount for the top of the loaves
- 2-3 large ripe bananas, mashed (you are looking to get about 1 1/2 cups)
- 4 extra-large local farm fresh brown eggs
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350º F. Grease your mini-loaf pans with a little coconut oil, I used this pan.
In a large bowl combine the almond and coconut flours with baking soda, sea salt and shredded coconut. In a small bowl combine the eggs with the coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract and the mashed bananas, whisk until very well combined.
Pour wet ingredients into the dry and mix well until fully incorporated.
Divide the batter evenly into the 8 mini-loaf pans, smooth it out a bit with a spatula and sprinkle a little shredded coconut on top of each loaf.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Test with a tooth-pick for doneness. Remove loaves from oven, let cool in pans for 10-15 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.I find for these type of grain-free baked goods, that storage in the fridge seems to be best, I usually just cover or wrap them in plastic wrap or put them in a large ziplock bag. When I am ready to eat one, I pull it out, give it 20 seconds in the microwave or a minute or two in the toaster oven and then I slather a little coconut oil on top.
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Mint Chocolate Chip Brownie Bites – Gluten-free + Vegan
I feel a little bad, because I really haven’t addressed the running thing in about two weeks. So many of you offered really great advice and I was really feeling great about it all. I went on a total of three runs and I really took each one very easy, trying not to go too hard too fast. Because I was using an iPhone app that basically was helping me ease into running, it had me on a program where I would walk for about 90 seconds then run for 45 and so forth, including a warm up and a cool down. The workouts were 30 minutes long and I was “running” about 2 miles each time. After my third run I was experiencing some very severe inner knee pain almost immediately afterward. I hesitate to even call it knee pain, as it was far more like leg pain, than knee pain. I wasn’t having any pain in my knee caps, I could kneel on them, etc. It was more any amount of pressure was seriously irritating both of my inner legs near the knee. Going up and down the stairs was horrid. I decided I need to take a break from running before I did any major damage to my body. Shortest running career, EVER! I kept up with my daily yoga practice and I did a ton of icing and I was taking ibuprofen, as needed. All of those things helped, but it took a solid 2 weeks for my legs and knees to stop hurting as much as they were. I wouldn’t say that now I am back to the way I was before this happened, but I am very close. So yeh, that was seriously upsetting and totally a let down. It is partially why I haven’t really mentioned it, because I was a little let down that only 3 runs in, I was already forced to take a break.
In talking with my friend Elyssa, who is also my amazing chiropractor and one of my yoga teachers, and in her looking at my knees, she explained that it seemed to be a tracking issue. My knees just aren’t tracking straight, so when I bend them, they tend to want to fall in, instead of staying in line over my toes. Not caused by the running, something that was already there, but aggravated by the running. Now that I am aware of this, I notice all of these things I do, even in yoga, where I allow my knees to fall in. So she gave me some strengthening exercises to do and I haven’t given up all hope, just yet. I do feel like I need to do some work on my body before I jump back into running. That knee pain honestly scared the crap out of me and made me quite sad that I was never going to be able to enjoy running.
At any rate, the running stuff really has very little to do with these brownies, but I felt the need to share the status on my newfound and short love affair with running, since I had left everyone high and dry after you all offered so much incredible advice and encouragement. Thank you again, seriously and hopefully I will need more of that advice again soon, when I feel ready to go back.
I guess what these brownies do have to do with this story is that I made them over the weekend for a Sip ‘N See party for Elyssa, her husband Aaron and their brand new baby boy, Oliver! The party was a bit of baby shower, but everyone got to meet the amazing Oliver and welcome him to the world. Elyssa and Aaron adopted baby Oliver and the party was one of the nicest celebrations I have ever been to. It was a very casual and laid back get together with lots of people from our yoga studio and obviously some of their other family and friends. Everyone just got to visit, swoon over the baby and just enjoy each other’s company and lots of yummy food. Since a handful of other people there are also gluten-free, a few are vegan, some are just dairy-free or just vegan, etc – my friend Kathleeen (hi, Kathleen! 🙂 ) asked me to make something sweet for a dessert! I was all over that. I love making sweets for people, especially when I know they will appreciate them being gluten-free and vegan!
It took me a couple of days to decide what to make for a good amount of people, in a casual grab-it and go kinda setting. It had to be small, bite-sized and easy to just pick up and eat. I was thinking about cupcakes for a while, but I am not much for the decorating part of cupcakes. It just isn’t my thing. That’s when I realized a brownie bite would be perfect. When I made these for the party, I wasn’t sure everyone would love the addition of mint, so I made half of them mint and half just classic chocolate. It could have been their placement on the plate, or coincidence, but the mint ones went so quickly. They were gone long before the classic ones. Since it was the first time I had made them, for the party, I did decide that I wanted to change a couple things about the recipe, so I made them again a few days later, to try to perfect them. The second time was definitely the charm, I seemed to get the ratios more on point and they were exactly right.
The fact that I have an overabundance of fresh mint growing in my yard, is the reason why I
wanted tohad to include some fresh mint in these brownie bites. I couldn’t resist. If you don’t have any on hand, no worries, you can simply leave it out. If you don’t like mint flavor, just leave out the fresh mint and the mint extract and add in a little more vanilla and you are left with classic chocolate chip brownie bites.These tasty little nuggets are filled with flavor, they are the perfect size, they are easy to eat and the mint and chocolate combination is really to die for! They are fluffy and moist, while being chocolatey and gooey from the chocolate chips and for me, they are the right amount of sweet.
[print_this]Mint Chocolate Chip Brownie Bites – Gluten-free + Vegan
makes approximately 30 brownie bites
Loosely adapted from this recipe- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted, plus a little more for the pans
- 1/2 cup garbanzo and fava bean flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour (aka almond meal)
- 1/4 cup potato starch
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon mint extract (I used just about 1/2 teaspoon and the mint flavor was perfect, not too overpowering at all)
- 1/4 cup hot water
- 10 ounces vegan, gluten-free semi-sweet chocolate chips (mini chocolate chips would also be good)
- 1/4 cup firmly packed, fresh mint, very finely chopped
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Brush 3 dozen mini-muffin pans with oil; set aside. You can also just use one pan and wait until each batch cools to unfold them and then regrease the pan to make the next batch (this is what I did).
In a medium bowl, whisk together garbanzo and fava bean flour, almond flour, potato starch, arrowroot, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and unsweetened cocoa powder; set aside. In a large bowl, mix together banana, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla and mint extract. Slowly add flour mixture, stirring to combine. Stir in water until it forms a batter. Fold in chocolate chips and fresh mint.
Place approximately 1 tablespoon batter into each prepared muffin cup, you want them about 3/4 of the way filled. Transfer muffin pans to oven, and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before unmolding.
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