Grit By Name and By Nature

Archives for April 2019

Key Lime Pies (gluten-free, grain-free, low carb, refined sugar-free, high protein)

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Sometimes I have weeks where I fire on all cylinders. I crank out my work, I tear it up at the gym, my apartment is effortlessly clean, and my blog posts go up seamlessly and cohesively.

And some weeks, I can barely function. I go to work without my key fob. I lock myself out of the apartment. I get to the gym, only to realize that my shoes are at home. I bake a double batch of chocolate chip cookies… sans the chocolate chips.

So what does one do with a double batch of chocolate chip-less chocolate chip cookies? I had a few ideas. Freeze them and hand them out as Christmas ornaments in December? Go to the park and feed the birds? Take my tennis racket and my cookies to the pier and launch them (along with my frustration) into the ocean?

I was definitely leaning towards the latter when I realized I had something else unique lurking in the depths of the fridge. Lime wedges.

I had them for… uh… a lime… salad.

So I pushed aside the tequila that was sitting in front of the limes and set them on the counter next to my very, very sad cookies and THAT’S when it struck me, Key Lime Pie.

Who doesn’t love a good key lime pie?? It’s refreshing, delicious, and hello, IT’S A PIE do I even need any other reasons?

Now it took a couple iterations to get this recipe right, but luckily, I had a double batch of cookies to experiment with… *sigh*… and the pies I ended up with are pretty magical. There is no refined sugar, the texture is spot on, and they’re high protein, low-carb, and made with cultured cottage cheese which is far nicer on the tummy than your standard dairy products. The fresh lime makes a world of difference and its solidified with gelatin, which is good for your skin and for your digestion. Also, they take approx. two seconds to whip up and all you need is a blender.

So without further ado: Key limes pies:

Key Lime Pie

(high protein, paleo, low-carb, gluten-free, grain-free)
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 6 pies

Ingredients
  

Pie filling

  • 1 cup Good Culture Cottage Cheese
  • 6 tbsp Ascent Native Fuel Vanilla Whey Protein
  • 2 tbsp coconut brown sugar
  • 1 scoop Vital Protein’s Gelatin
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil or butter
  • 1/4 cup almond milk
  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
  • 1 tsp lime zest

Crust

  • 4 crushed chocolate chip cookies (or cracker or cookie of choice)
  • 2 tbsp ghee

Instructions
 

Crust

  • Preheat your oven to 375F and line your muffin tin.
  • Crumble cookies in bowl and combine with butter. (I use my fingers because #yolo) Pack them into the bottom of your muffin tin (or mini cake pan) and back for 6-8 minutes.

Filling

  • Place all ingredients, except gelatin, in blender. Blend until well combined. Pour mixture into a small sauce pan and warm mixture on LOW heat. Once mixture is warm, add gelatin and stir until well incorporated.
  • Pour mixture into pan and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Remove from fridge and enjoy 🙂
Keyword gluten-free, grain-free, key lime pie, lime, low carb, low-sugar, pie

Um… Bread. (Gluten-free, grain-free, keto, paleo)

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Sometimes recipes are born of a touching life story. Sometimes they’re the result of a sticky, albeit entertaining, situation. Sometimes they come after an instantaneous moment of inspiration. Sometimes they’re gifted in the form of a stroke of complete dumb luck. Sometimes they’re guided by the favorite dish of a loved one.

And sometimes you just want a mother f***in slice of bread.

This one happens to be the latter.

You guys know that I have nothing against bread as a general population. Really, anything that can transport butter from my plate to my mouth is a friend of mine. But recently, C n I have just been CRAVING toast for breakfast and TBH eating carbs topped with a little bit of fat and a lot more carbs during the morning is a real recipe for disaster for the rest of my day.  

So for the sake of the general public, this keto n paleo bread was created. The bread is grain-free, gluten-free, and is shockingly moist (SORRY I CAN’T STOP USING THIS WORD I’VE TRIED). The first time I baked it, I was literally APPALLED because it provided such a rise (n such a bitch of an oven cleanup job—thx bread!). It has the real-life texture of a bread, which means you can actually slice it instead of weeping as you watch it crumble into a million pieces the moment your knife hits the loaf. (This has never happened in our kitchen.)

When you need to pack a serious fat punch in the morning, what’s easier than grabbing bread from the fridge, popping a slicarooski in the toaster, and dousing it with peanut butter upon completion? Nothing. Nothing is easier. In particular, cleansing your oven of burnt af keto bread dough is not easier.

So without further ado, for your consumption pleasure, I give to you . . . . bread.

Bread

Grain-free, gluten-free, keto, paleo, sugar-free, low-carb
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Servings 1 loaf

Ingredients
  

  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/8 cup almond milk
  • 3 tbsp melted ghee (or butter)
  • 3 tbsp nut butter (I’ve used pecan and almond)
  • 3 tbsp Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup almond flour
  • 1/4 cup coconut flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp xantham gum (can be omitted)
  • sesame seeds (for topping)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350F and grease doughnut pan or silicon molds.
  • In a small bowl combine all dry ingredients (except seasoning). Set aside.
  • Separate egg yolks and egg whites. In a medium bowl, combine egg yolks, apple cider vinegar, nut butter, Greek yogurt, and melted ghee. 
  • Combine dry ingredients into mixture. Add almond milk and stir again. Whip egg whites and fold into mixture.
  • Pour into loaf pan (about half full), top with sesame seeds, and bake for 30-35 minutes. **Note, I used a glass pan, if you use silicon or metal, that will affect baking times.

The Chocolate Cookie Donut (paleo, low-carb, low-sugar, grain-free, gluten-free)

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We all deserve a little luxury in our life and TRUST ME when I tell ya, these Chocolate Cookie Donuts? They are LUXURY. Let me paint you a picture:

You know when you wake up on a Saturday morning and fresh sunlight has just begun to stream through your windows? They’re open, so your sheer white curtains are billowing in the breeze, creating dancing shadows across your plush linen-clad daybed, situated just adjacent to the open windows so you can feel the breeze on your skin as you move towards it at your leisure. You pour yourself a cup of coffee, select a freshly baked Chocolate Cookie Donut from your recently stocked repertoire of tasty treats baked just for you of only the finest ingredients, and make yourself cozy on your daybed. You take a bite into your chocolate cookie donut, close your eyes and suddenly, the birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming, and the whole world is waking up together <3

Okay literally I’m giggling as I type this because no, I don’t know.

Let’s try this again–the Long Beach version.

You know when you wake up on a Saturday morning and realize you fell asleep on Friday night without brushing your teeth? Your mouth tastes like its full of 100 copper pennies freshly picked off the floor of the NYC subway system. It’s a taste that literally shocks you out of bed and in your haste to get any, ANY form of cleansing chemical into your mouth, you slam your knee into your already slightly broken Ikea dresser, most certainly sealing its fate of destruction.

Not wanting to face your new need for a dresser purchase (and probably a knee brace) you refuse to turn on the light and use your hands to feel your way out of the bedroom and into the bathroom. After brushing your teeth with the ferocity of 1,000 barracudas, you unplug your TV, your computer charger, and your toaster so you can plug in your coffee machine and proceed with your morning routine of crossing both your fingers and your toes in hopes of a brewed cup of coffee without a side of blown fuses.

The windows are SLIGHTLY cracked because #whatsAC? But also you don’t want any more surprise visitors from the local transient population so you’re definitely not going to open them all the way. You hear your upstairs neighbor doing her morning routine of loudly dragging every piece of her furniture to the opposite side of the room multiple times (or at least that’s what you assume she’s doing based on the noises she makes) and the beautiful songs of police car sirens echoing in from somewhere out in Long Beach.

You pour yourself a cup of coffee (success!!!), select a freshly baked Chocolate Cookie Donut from your old, but functional, fridge and make yourself cozy on your second-hand Room and Board sofa. You take a bite into your Chocolate Cookie Donut, close your eyes, and suddenly, the police sirens fade into birds chirping, the smell of stale water is overcome by fresh blooming flowers, and the whole city is waking up together <3

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It’s really amazing what a luxurious baked good can do for you😊 There’s just something about the silky-smooth texture of the inside of this cookie donut that eases away the strain of your every day morning. The chocolate literally melts in your mouth and even though you feel like you’re tasting all the indulgences that life has to offer, this low-carb n paleo treat is actually full of heathy hormone supporting fats that are certain to keep you energized and your moods level all morning long.

This Frankenstein creation has the crunchy chewy exterior of the cookie with the fluffy and light interior of your typical donut. And did I mention it’s a one-bowl dish that takes mere MINUTES to whip up? So you’re welcome in advance for this divine dish and without further ado, I give you, The Chocolate Cookie Donut:

The Chocolate Cookie Donut

Paleo, low-carb, grain free, gluten free
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Total Time 15 mins
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 6 donuts

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 1/4 cup coconut flour
  • 2 tbsp coconut sugar
  • 2 tbsp cacao
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil (liquid)
  • 1/4 cup coconut butter (melted)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350F and line or grease your cookie sheet.
  • Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Take a small handful of dough and roll into a cylinder approximately 1.5-inches in diameter and turn the ends into each other so your cylinder forms a wheel. Use your fingers to smooth the crease where the two ends come together and meet. Repeat until you’ve used all your dough.
  • Bake for 9-12 minutes. Let cool and top with whatever your heart desires (I love using chocolate coconut butter and shredded coconut… it’s divine!) 
Keyword breakfast, chocolate, cookie, dessert, donut, gluten-free, grain-free, healthy, paleo