Grain-Free Hot Cereal (aka: N'Oatmeal)

I have really been missing hot cereals for breakfast, especially now that Autumn is here.  I REALLY like oatmeal and creamy wheat.  But when I eat them my tummy hurts, even when I soak them, and I am so wiped out of energy for hours that it just isn't worth it, no matter how yummy it tastes!

Well, I stumbled onto several variations of what is being called "N'Oatmeal" or Paleo Oatmeal this last week and this morning was the morning to try this N'Oatmeal idea. There are several recipes that I was looking at, (see my Gaps Pinterest board) so my basic recipe here is based on those, but I needed something super simple, something without bananas...  So I adapted them.  Besides, I still use dairy, so I guess it's not paleo, but it could easily be subbed with Coconut milk or unsweetened Almond milk if one would prefer...  (One recipe included unflavored gelatin, which I would love to experiment with, but I would think it needs to replace the flax seed rather than just add it... But that will have to wait for another day.)

I'm listing two amounts.  One is for a small single person serving. (this was just right for me, especially if I was going to have anything else with it... like GAPS intro pancakes made with zucchini.)  The other is for a two person medium serving.  (for a one person large serving, just double the amount of a small serving).

I'm not the best photographer, but you get the idea...

Small Single Serving:
1 Egg
1/4 c. Pumpkin or Butternut squash Puree,
          Unsweetened Applesauce*, or Banana Puree
2 Tbsp. Milk
1 1/2 tsp. Ground Flax Seed
Pinch of Salt
Dash of desired spices*

Two Medium Servings:
3 Eggs
3/4 c. Pumpkin or Butternut squash Puree,
          Unsweetened Applesauce*, or Banana Puree

1/3 c. Milk
1 1/2 Tbsp. Ground Flax
1/4 tsp. Salt
up to 1/4 tsp. desired spices*


I used my stick blender to really make sure it was all incorporated together.  (I had read in some comments of other recipes that people were having issues with egg chunks.  If you don't have a stick blender, then heat the milk, pureed fruit/squash, and temper your eggs.)

With that, heat a frying pan, add a little coconut oil/butter, and cook your mixture.  Stir it around and it will get nice and thick.  Then dish it up and serve it how you like it!  (I used a splash of cream, and a drizzle of maple syrup this time, but coconut milk or butter, and honey to sweeten. (If using squash I sweeten but I really don't think using banana or applesauce would require further sweetening for me, but I haven't tried those yet because I'm so in love with the pumpkin!)

The flavor was great and the texture reminded me a little of bread pudding... but still hot cereal-ish.  For me, this is a huge thumbs up win.  Can't wait to try it with hubby.  That's always the real test, lol...

*The spices I used for pumpkin were cinnamon and allspice.  You could also use nutmeg, cloves, ginger... (did I miss any pumpkin pie spices??)

For Apple I would use cinnamon or any wassail spices, and for banana, I don't know... I might just toss in some vanilla or almond extract and let it be, but I just have a strange aversion to bananas... plus sometimes they make my mouth itch, hence the reason I was looking to adapt the recipe in the first place.  (But I love banana bread, so what do I know, lol...)

Also, when using applesauce, you can omit the milk because it's already got it in there.  That said, you could probably use pureed peaches for a yummy peach cobbler tasting breakfast cereal!  I don't have any peaches or I would try it myself.

Enjoy!!

Grain Free Chocolate Cream Pie Squares

I love when a fail in one area creates a success in another.  This recipe was the result of the Easy Paleo Almond Flour "Graham Crackers" (slightly adapted to use honey and butter) I tried to make and baked just a tad too long.  Not burnt, but not right.

I definitely didn't want to throw it away, and thought, it would be perfect for a cookie pie crust, and then I remembered the Bulletproof Chocolate Mouse recipe (slightly adapted to use regular liquid vanilla, and 1/4 c honey plus 1 tsp liquid Kal brand Stevia ) and realized it would be a GREAT filling to make Chocolate Cream Pie!  When I finally got around to it, I decided to make it into squares rather than pie just for kicks and it tastes delicious without the tummy troubles. That's the best kind of food if you ask me.  So, that said, here's the results:

Grain Free Chocolate Cream Pie Squares

Almond Flour Graham Crackers:

2 1/4 c Super Fine Almond Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder*
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Egg
2 Tbsp Butter (melted)
2 Tbsp Honey
*use 1/2 tsp Baking Soda for GAPS legal version.

Mix together in a food processor and chill 30 minutes. (I ended up leaving mine in the fridge for a couple of days because I planned to make them in the morning and life kept interrupting!)

Roll to about 1/8-1/4" between parchment papers (I say go with 1/8" because it's never really thin enough and for me 1/4" means I'm really rolling it to 1/3-1/2", but, hey, that's me.) I don't recommend using wax paper for this because the bottom piece is going into the over WITH the cracker dough!

Use a pizza roller or knife to cut into desired cracker sizes. Bake @325 for about 12-15 minutes. Watch them close. Anything made with almond flour can go from perfectly brown to slightly burnt in under a minute!

Once they cool, throw them into the food processor and turn them into crumbs.  Measure out 2 c crumbs and add 1/3 c melted butter (and a couple of Tbsp cane sugar, but you could also use Coconut Sugar, and I'm thinking you can also leave it out entirely.)

Press into 9x9" dish and bake at about 350-375 degrees for around 7 minutes (you can also do a microwave for 2 1/2 minutes on power level 7.)

Chocolate Mousse Filling:

*Note, you can probably make this before you start the graham crackers if you are doing it start to finish within a couple of hours.  The filling takes a couple of hours in the fridge before it's partially set in the fridge if it helps with timing.  If it ends up being fully set before the crust is ready, bring the mousse to room temperature for easy spreading and it will gel back up nicely in the fridge. 

4 c full fat Coconut Milk, divided (about 2 1/2 cans)
1/4 c Honey
1 tsp liquid Stevia*
1 Tbsp Unflavored Gelatin*
2 tsp Vanilla
3/4 c Cocoa Powder
4 Tbsp melted Butter*
1 Tbsp melted Coconut Oil
Splash of Heavy Cream (optional for more of a softer milk chocolate taste)

*I used Kal brand, probably not the best idea since I found out it's also got maltodextrin from corn, next time I'll just increase my honey to 1/2 c, if using gelatin-collagen mix, use 2 Tbsp, the original recipe calls for unsalted butter, but with the cocoa powder, I like the way the salt actually helps smooth out the cocoa flavor.

Heat 1 cup of coconut milk with honey, stevia, and gelatin until gelatin is dissolved.  Place remainder of coconut milk, vanilla, cocoa powder, melted butter and coconut oil (and cream if using) into a blender.  Puree and scrape sides as needed.  Add in mixture from the pan and blend again. Pour over crust or chill until crust is ready.  Mousse takes about 4 hours in fridge to fully set.  Best served after being refrigerated overnight.  Serves 12.