Lemon Glazed Doughnuts

There's something that happens to me when my hubby goes on tour for long periods of time.  I get baking.  I want/NEED/crave sweet comfort foods.  That's why you saw the orange cake so recently and now you're seeing doughnuts.  I just need that extra something.  (Honey, COME HOME!) Yes, I will still eat my big salad for breakfast, and I will eat my veggies when dinner comes, but somehow, some way, I'm gonna hafta find a way to muscle down a few of these precious gems.  Hey, it's Friday.. I'm up for a challenge!  (In truth, I just made these so I had to sample, and eat off the extra edges, and quality check!  Baking is soooo hard!!)

These are super duper crazy easy.  If you don't have a doughnut maker of some sort, then I imagine you could muffin-ize these and pour the glaze over top.  Or bake it in a loaf and call it bread.  I haven't done this because I do have a doughnut maker.  I suppose you'd just follow the general baking way...350 degree oven until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Feel free to post about what you did if you do it this way.  Deal?  Good.

Lemon Glazed Doughnuts

Ingredients:

For the doughnuts:

2 1/2 cups almond flour

1/2 tsp  baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 tsp poppy seeds

6 T honey

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp lemon juice

3 eggs

For the glaze:

1/3 cup warmed coconut butter

2 T honey

3 T lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat your doughnut machine/oven.

In a large bowl, combine all of the doughnut ingredients.  Make sure you mix it well.

Once your doughnut maker/oven is ready, get the batter baking.  If using a machine, fill up the cute little doughnut cups and then close it.  Since you're using almond flour, they might start to brown faster than your standard batter.  I check mine after a couple of minutes, and usually I have to flip them (the bottom browns faster) and then keep the lid open for another minute while they finish.  I think this batter made about 24 doughnuts...but I lost count because I kept eating them...

In a small bowl, mix up your glaze ingredients.  If you feel your glaze is too thick, feel free to thin it out with some water.  Drizzle, spoon or brush your glaze over your doughnuts, or simply pick them up and give them a happy dunk in the bowl.  The glaze will firm up once cooled, so you can pop them in the fridge or the freezer, or your mouth if you don't care about firm glaze.  That's what I did.

Have a fantastic weekend!!

Creamy Goodness Soup

In case you've never read any of my posts before, I'm really into eating for my mitochondria.  Wha-wha-what???  The mitochondria.  It's known as "the powerhouse" of the cell.  When these guys are operating at their peak performance, I know that I will be at my best.  I mean, if this gal can CURE her MS by minding her mitochondria, I get really excited about what it means for me, an average healthy gal.  Will I gain superpowers?  Maybe not. (I really wanna fly!)  But I can tell you that I haven't gotten any of the crud that went around and laid everybody up (think:pukey flu).  And let me tell you, anytime I can avoid a good puke, I'm all for it!

Well, our mitochondria LOVE sulfur containing veggies.  Sulfur can be found in the cruciferous family, as well as in mushrooms, onions, garlic and the like.  If you make this creamy, outrageously delicious soup, you will satisfy your body's need for this food.  Pair it with a healthy green salad, with some red and yellow things like peppers and tomatoes, and you will cause your mitochondria to sing with joy!  This soup reminds me of a once favorite: baked potato soup.  But instead of filling my body with starchy starch and overloading my sugars, I'm feeding my mitochondria, preventing disease, dysfunction, and giving myself untold power!  (Flying lessons later.)

*note: I call this Creamy Goodness Soup for those of you with a fear of cauliflower.  Just ignore the fact that you're using a scary veggies and try it!  I double dog dare you.

Creamy Goodness Soup

Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower, cut up
1/4 head broccoli, cut up
1 large onion, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large carrot, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 package Trader Joe's pancetta (it's about 6-8oz of pancetta, cut in cute little cubes)
32 oz chicken (bone) broth  (if you don't have any, just use regular broth.  but you should! it's so good for you! and it's mmm-mmm good!
1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped up
2 T butter
2 T coconut milk
salt and pepper to taste

Optional Garnishes:
bacon bits
chopped green onion
goat cheese or cheddar cheese
a spoonful of homemade plain yogurt

Directions:

In a large soup pot, melt butter on medium heat.  Add onions, garlic and shallot and sauté until translucent (about 3 minutes).  Toss in the pancetta and let it all cook up a bit.  While this is happening, chop up your rosemary and throw it in the pot.  Give everything a stir and then add your carrot and celery.  Let that all cook a little, while you cut up your broccoli and cauliflower.  You don't have to cut it too much, because you will end up blending it.  So just cut out the tough centers and roughly chop the rest.  (Or buy the pre-cut stuff and do a happy dance in place of the chopping.) Add it to the pot, along with salt and pepper, and if you like a dash of red pepper flakes.  Pour in enough broth to just cover the veggies, turn up to high and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, turn down to medium and let simmer about 20 minutes, until veggies are soft.  Remove from heat and blend either using an immersion blender or a regular stand up blender.  Make it to your desired consistency.  Some people love it completely creamy.  Me, I like some chunky bits here and there.  Stir in coconut milk (you can add more if you want it creamier).  Top it with your yummy stuff and watch it disappear!  (My favorite is green onion, goat cheese and BACON!)

Sweet Orange Cake

Happy, happy Sunday to you all! I can feel myself slowly emerging from my involuntary winter cocoon. After all, it's March. The sun is starting to get up when I do, and hopefully behind us are the freezing temperatures and piles of snow and ice. (I'm not going to hold my breath...I live in Minnesota, after all. The super good stuff doesn't get here until May/June.) I can almost make it back to my garage without the fear of certain death from a bad slip on the ice.  Almost.  Maybe someday the sidewalks will be walkable too.  Thrilling times!

I'm super excited because it's Brunch Sunday.  I LOVE brunch.  Did I ever tell you that?  I do.  I make brunch pretty much every Sunday.  It's all about bacon, mostly.  And a few muffins or sweet breads.  Actually, it's a ton of different yummy things and bacon.  (All Paleo, of course!) I always make too much.  Today is different.  Today I'm going out to brunch with a friend.  Not only will I get to indulge in wonderful brunch-like substances, but I won't have to lift a finger.  Ahhh...the pampered life!

I did wake up early though, and made a quick cake.  It's really gorgeous...dense, sweet and moist.  This cake is very similar to something you would get at Starbucks, except it is made from whole foods, no gluten, and the sweetness comes from honey and fresh squeezed orange.  So it's a little nicer on your body when you indulge.

Sweet Glazed Orange Cake 

Cake Ingredients:
6 eggs
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
zest and juice from 2 oranges + enough coconut milk to bring OJ level to 1 cup
1/3 cup honey
2/3 cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ginger (optional)

Glaze Ingredients:
2 T coconut oil
2 T honey
2 T coconut milk
zest and juice from 1 orange
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
dash of ground ginger

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Combine all cake ingredients together well in a medium bowl.  Pour into a greased pan and bake 35-45 minutes, or until golden brown on top and the middle is cooked through.  After about 30 minutes, check your cake.  If it's getting too brown, but the middle isn't ready, cover with foil for the duration of time.  Let cool.

While the cake is baking, combine all the glaze ingredients in a small pot.  Turn on low heat until it starts to simmer.  Remove from heat and let cool while your cake is busy cooking and cooling.  Once cake is cooled, pour glaze all over the top, getting every last bit of it on the cake.  It's the best part!  Refrigerate 1 hour.  Keep stored in the fridge, although it won't last long!

Important note: this cake was inspired by this post.  She has tons of great ideas, so you really ought to check her site out.