Organic Granny

These 10 Days of Christmas on Organic Granny's site are henceforth dedicated to readers who are making a valiant effort to celebrate the Season without consuming gluten!  I was thinking.  When folks are gluten-free during a holiday season, like Christmas, there seems to be an awful lot of time given over to baking and the like.  For the gluten-sensitive person, that might entail a lot of temptation and / or a lot of expensive ingredients used to sub in for something that might not necessarily smell or look or taste like the "usual" item.  Disappointment. So, why don't we just branch out here and do something else creative.  If you have kids you might want to involve them in the activity (no pressure-- you can also do it while they are at school or asleep), A few (maybe up to 10) ideas for crafts or gifts made from stuff you already have about-- old Christmas cards, scraps of wool, mismatched ornaments... we'll see as we go.  One craft a day with a reflection, and

  Here we go with 10 Days of Holiday fun and creativity!! The crafts are pretty simple and goofy sometimes-- but will click into your creative side, and should be relaxing and fun to do by yourself or with a couple of close folks. Some added creative ideas for crafts and gifts are in between the free activities.  The cookie recipes are all gluten free and vegan.  If you make a couple of dozen and freeze a dozen, you will have enough cookies for a party around Christmas where they ARE  ALL  GLUTENFREE! Here we go: Day 1 Craft is HERE     Craft = Folded Pages Angel  Cookies =GF Thumbprints   Beautiful laser-cut nativity set that your kids will love to paint as a pre-Christmas craft that can be displayed for years to come... homeschool kidart proudmama  shopetsy  <click Day 2 Craft is HERE     Craft = Mittens with Greens  Cookies = GF Peppernuts Adorable whimsical Library AdventCalendar from Germany-- order now to get it by Dec. 1st bestseller bookworms Christmas <<click 

It is Christmas season, of course, so please forgive my divergence from strictly "healthy" fare... one could argue that I have used high anti- oxidants (raw cacao powder), enzyme-dense sweetening (raw honey), and organic extra virgin coconut oil (among all the other organic ingredients) and therefore, this is a healthy little morsel-- but we both know that that is stretching it a bit!  But it is DELICIOUS and I am guessing that it is healthier than the non-vegan version, and definitely there is no gluten in this recipe.  Scroll down for the history of the Nanaimo bar.  Enjoy, and Merry Christmas! I used a recipe for raw Nanaimo bars found at the (former) RawBC site, but I like raw honey better than agave, and I didn't have almonds, so used walnuts.  I soaked both the Macadamia nuts and the Walnuts.  The base layer is my least favourite, maybe because I am not particularly fond of Macadamia nuts?  If I were to do it over, I would use all almonds for the base, and I am conv

  Several years ago my husband went off to Honduras to help build a church school as a volunteer.  I missed him. I had been eating lots of dopamine-producing foods and honestly had not had any cravings for sweets. And suddenly... well, I invented the most delicious unbaked (not all the ingredients are "raw") brownies that smelled like oreo cookies when I took the top off the food processor.  I will try not to eat the whole pan myself, although that will be hard.  Here is the recipe, but I suggest that you jiggle around with the ingredients to get the exact taste that you want... it's not hard, just put You could, for example, try a little oatmeal for the dehydrated buckwheat crispies (although I think that would be a shame, really, because they give it the 'cookie crumb' texture-- maybe you could try rice crispies?) Melt about 1 T. of extra virgin coconut oil in a dish over hot water. Grind up about 1/2 C. of Buckwheat Crispies into a flour usin

  Yes, yes, yes... I am a beaner (mostly vegan, lovin' legumes) and I also love the cocoa bean-- soooooo.... when I ran across a recipe for "cookie dough dip" made with garbanzo beans AND chocolate chips... well, you know, I just had to give it a go.    And it turns out, it is delisssssshhh.  Yum yum yum yum.Now, notching incongruous innovation up just a bit, have you ever imagined what dipping cookie dough with a potato chip might be like?  Yeah, well, so did I. And I found the perfect light, but vaguely-reminiscent-of-wafer potato chip-- Kettle Bakes in the very simple but elegant SEA SALT (plus sliced potato and sunflower oil) flavour. Not sure where these potato bakes can be purchased now. Into your food processor (one that will really do the job of creaming this cookie dough, such as a Cuisinart) put: INGREDiENTS *1 1/2 C. (250 g) canned  Garbanzo Beans  / Chick Peas (well-rinsed) *1/4 C.  Almond Butter  (I used Maranatha Raw Almond Butter) *2 tsp.  Vanilla  (I used

  I am totally thrilled by this recipe-- it rolls out great and the house smells like Christmas as the cookies bake, and then, of course, they taste delicious.  (See notes and attribution at bottom of recipe.) INGREDIENTS 2 cups  organic   brown rice flour 1 1/2 cups  arrowroot powder 1 1/2 cups  amaranth flour 3 T.  organic   baking powder 2 t.  organic cinnamon 10 drops  Young Living Ginger Essential Oil* 5   drops  Young Living Nutmeg Essential Oil* 5   drops  Young Living Clove Essential Oil* 1 1/2 cups  Organic Cane Sugar 1/2 cup  organic applesauce 1/3 cup  Extra Virgin Coconut Oil,  melted in a cup in a bowl of hot water 1/3 cup  blackstrap molasses 2 T.  vanilla coconut oil, for oiling cookie sheets or you can use a silicone sheet on top of a pizza pan like I did-- no extra oil needed and the cookies don't stick at all. *ONLY USE ESSENTIAL OILS THAT ARE SAFE FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION AND ONLY IN SMALL SMALL QUANTITIES!!! If you do not have Young Living Essential Oils, I would s

  As I mentioned previously (maybe in another blog lol), I recall making delightful pfeffernusse cookies with my late mother-in-law.  I was young and pregnant.  She was compassionate.  Together we covered the entire top of her kitchen table with cookies in various stages of glazed-ness.   Then, as I remember, they disappeared for a while so they could mellow out.  Initially they are very hard, could crack your dental ware... I am not in the mood for another expensive trip to get my porcelain crowns replaced. Here is my  version of Pfeffernusse--vegan and Gluten-free-- it involves raw cacao powder so in truth they taste a little like a cross between the pfeffernusse and a scone (or in my humble opinion).   The spicy, peppery-ness fills the air with love when they bake.  You might want to listen to this music as you mix and bake them. 1/3 C. Molasses 1/2 C. Honey 3 T. Virgin Coconut Oil 2 "Flax Eggs" (Mix 2 T. Flax Meal in 6-8 T. Hot Water and let sit) 2 T. fresh

  Carrot-Spice Gluten-free Vegan Cookies Anyone fearful of missing out on Christmas baking because of gluten-sensitivity or CD is really in luck this year-- the internet is teeming with recipes for delicious gluten-free treats. As far as baked cookies go, this next recipe could be classified a "health cookie" (except maybe for the sugar?). Once your mouth gets over the fact that it is not your standard wheat molasses-type cookie, your taste buds say, "al-right!" It's a cookie of substance! 1 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) 1 cup shredded carrots 1 cup raisins or dried cranberries 1 egg substitute (mix 1 T. of ground  flaxseed with 3 T. of water until creamy) 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (an apple+ in the Vitamix and whirl) 2 tablespoons molasses 1 teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla 2 1/2 C. brown rice flour 1/2 teaspoon of each of the following: cinnamon, ginger, coriander (ground) 1/2 teaspoon baking powder Christmas cards from Etsy--

  Yes these delightful-looking confections are Black Bean Brownies- moist, vegan (egg-free, gluten-free, dairy-free) There are several (thousand??) black bean brownie recipes on the web... this is my choice, an adaptation of the one by the  Happy Herbivore .  I use Maple Syrup (hey, I'm Canadian) instead of the agave syrup she uses. I also threw in some carob powder because it takes the edge off the bitterness of the cocoa, and is sort of like a light flour without actually being a flour (there are some who call chocolate "the poor man's carob" heheh). This is, in all, an easypeasy recipe and it tastes pretty good too: I used a Food Processor (you could also use a blender) Fit a sheet of parchment paper in the bottom of an 8"x8" cake pan, or grease it up.  Preheat the oven to 350F/180C Put the following into the food processor or blender carafe: 2 ripe, peeled Bananas, in chunks 1 15-oz. can of Black Beans (or 1 19-oz. can of Black Beans, drained of all flui

  In today's gluten-free, plant-based variation of conventional banana loaf --"psylly-banana-raisin-walnut" loaf-- I use psyllium seed as a binder, and 1/2 cup of millet flour in place of the original recope's quinoa flour.  Psyllium husk is a great Replacer for the egg .  And as a source of healing for the gut, psyllium is a good starting ingredient for people with gluten-intolerance.  It can help reduce the symptoms of both constipation and diarrhea.   But when you are taking in psyllium, it is important to also take in sufficient fluids: milled psyllium husk has the potential to attract around 10X its weight in water and expands in a like proportion, so as with any dietary fibre, be sure to drink lots of water during the day (although not necessarily at the time you are eating).   Psyllium also does not have any pronounced flavour, which is a real bonus I think.  One simple gluten-free recipe that I have come across that uses psyllium is this video recipe for Ameri

  This thick tasty smoky white bean spread  is just super for a light topping on a veggie burger, or as a sandwich filler. Just a half a cup (125 grams) will provide you with 10.7 grams of dietary fibre, 14.6 grams of protein, and 0 saturated fat and cholesterol. Makes a nice switch from Hummus!  To read how to cook beans from scratch go  HERE . Ingredients: 3 C. / 537 g.         cooked White Beans  1/2 C. / 70 g         Raw Sunflower Seeds  1 tsp.                    Smoked Paprika 1/2- 1 tsp.             Liquid Smoke 1/2 - 1 tsp.            Sea Salt 1 tsp .                     Apple Cider Vinegar 1 tsp.                     Dijon Mustard-Gluten Free     1/2 C.                   Water 1/2 C.                   Nutritional Yeast METHOD: Add everything (except Nutritional Yeast) to Food Processor and process until smooth Add in a little extra water if it is too thick, and blend up with the Nutitritional Yeast It's delicious right away, but even more delicious if you refrigerate it over

You can use any combination of berries you want in this crisp recipe (that is why they are classed as "bumbleberries").  The chopped apples provide pectin that gives it a nice gentle binding.  You can always add a little skiff of tapioca inside the fruit as you lay it down as well. (old prairie woman secret). Be sure to look for "gluten-free" on your oats package .  Many oats are grown, harvested, cleaned, or processed in close proximity to wheat and this "cross contamination" is  very problematic for anyone with more than a mild gluten sensitivity.   This oat farm-mill company   is run by a family with Celiac disease and looks like a safe, healthy source of oats. (you can see their video below this recipe) Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen  blackberries 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen  blueberries 1 cup fresh or frozen  strawberries 1 cup fresh  Apples,  chopped 8 tablespoons  organic cane sugar 3 1/2 cups  gluten-free oat flour  (I grind up oats in the