Grain Free Crockpot Chocolate Fudge Pudding Cake

With the colder weather , as I have said before, I crave comfort foods. But my dietary needs and taste buds have changed so much in the past few years, those typical good old comfort foods just don’t fit anymore. So when I really get a craving for something, like this pudding cake I remember from my childhood, I reinvent it to suit the way we eat now. It is still definitely a treat, but one that you can indulge in without “most” of the guilt!

This cake is made in the Crockpot or slow cooker (I use my smaller 3 quart one, if you only have a large one, this recipe could easily be doubled, the leftovers are great!), and is typical of an old fashioned pudding cake, where you make the batter, and (gasp!!) ...pour a bunch of water on top of it...seriously! It then magically creates a moist fudgy pudding en-robed cake that cooks merrily away on its own while you throw together a nice healthy supper to balance it all out. It is best served at room temperature or chilled, IF you can wait long enough to let it cool! The pictures do not do it justice, it is just not photogenic.  But, what it lacks in beauty, it makes up for in flavour! (It also goes really well with a scoop of your favourite vanilla ice cream...just in-case you were wondering :)

You want a nice thick batter--if it appears
too thin, add another Tbsp or two of
coconut flour.

Grain Free Crockpot Chocolate Fudge Pudding Cake

Cake batter:

3 eggs

2 tbsp chickpea flour

1/3- ½ cup coconut flour (start with the 1/3 and add more if needed)

2 tbsp arrowroot powder

¾ tsp baking soda

2 Tbsp coconut sugar

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup of milk (use a non-dairy alternative if you wish!)

2 Tbsp coconut oil

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp vanilla

_____

Topping:

1 tsp organic instant coffee powder (optional, but deepens the chocolate flavour!)

1/3 cup cocoa powder

½ cup coconut sugar

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grease pan

2 cups boiling water

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Butter/coconut oil or coconut oil butter ghee spray to grease the crockpot

In a medium mixing bowl, mix together all of the batter ingredients with an immersion blender until well combined. Scrape sides as needed.  (it should be nice and thick, add more coconut flour if needed to thicken it up) Spoon batter into the bottom of your greased crockpot, and smooth slightly.

Mix the topping ingredients together in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly across the top of the batter.

Gently pour the boiling water into the crockpot, completely covering the batter. Cover with the lid, and turn on to high. Cook for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Remove lid and let cool at least to room temperature before serving. The “pudding” part of the cake will thicken up the longer it sits. 

spread batter in greased pot

 sprinkle with coconut sugar-cocoa mixture

now, pour on the boiling water (!!!!) cover and cook!

the results? not pretty, but tasty!

Grain Free Dairy Free Pumpkin Bars

I think fall is my favourite season of the year. Don’t get me wrong, spring is amazing with all the new growth, and gardening and such. Summer has its moments too, with the hot lazy sunny days, and warm nights spent sitting on the patio. Winter has….lets see, um, snow… and ice… and cold… nope, not really a winter fan! But fall, now fall has it all, with the slight chill in the air, the beautiful fall colours in full splendor, and all the amazing fall produce, apples and  squashes and pumpkins, oh my!! We have these gorgeous little organic pie pumpkins at work right now, and this recipe highlights their flavour beautifully.  I am not generally a raisin fan, but the soaking method I use infuses them with a nice vanilla flavour and plumps them up nicely—no chewy raisins here! (if you would rather chewy raisins, you can skip this step all-together if you wish)

Grain Free Dairy Free Pumpkin Bars

½ cup raisins (I used Thomson Seedless, but feel free to pick what you like!)

½ cup boiling water (enough to cover raisins)

2 tsp vanilla

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4 eggs

1 cup pureed roasted pumpkin (see below for cooking methods or use organic canned pumpkin, NOT pie filling!)

2 tbsp coconut oil

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp vanilla

½ cup coconut flour

3 tbsp chickpea flour

2 Tbsp arrowroot flour

2 tbsp ground Chia seeds

1/3 cup coconut sugar

1 ½ tsp cinnamon

1/3 tsp freshly ground nutmeg (or ½ tsp dried)

1 tsp baking soda 

pinch of salt

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½ cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375F.

Place raisins and vanilla in a heat proof bowl or glass measuring cup. Cover with boiling water and let stand for at least 10 minutes. Set aside.

Measure the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT the pecans into a large mixing bowl. Using an immersion blender, mix all the ingredients together well, scraping the sides of the bowl if necessary.

Drain the vanilla water from the raisins (save for another use if you have one!)

Add the drained raisins and the pecans to the batter and mix with a wooden spoon to distribute evenly.

Scrape into a greased or parchment lined 9x13 glass baking pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool before cutting into desired sized bars or squares.

Pumpkin cooking methods:

Crockpot method: My favourite method for a pumpkin of this size could not be easier! Wash off the outside of the pumpkin, and place it  WHOLE into your Crockpot.  DO NOT cut in half, scoop out the seeds, or anything. Just plunk it in. 

Turn the Crockpot on low, and cover with lid. Cook for 6-8 hrs on low or until the pumpkin is soft through.   Remove from crockpot and let cool before cutting in half. Scoop out seeds and set aside if you wish to roast them. Scoop the pumpkin away from the skin, and puree with an immersion blender until smooth. Use as desired.

This method works well with smaller squashes too. I often do this before I go out the door to work in the morning, and come home to a perfectly roasted squash!

Oven Roasting Method: Cut pumpkin in half, scoop out seeds and roast, cut side down on a baking sheet for 60-90 minutes, or until soft thru (this will depend on the thickness of your pumpkin).  Cool, scoop and puree as above.

Crock Pot Roast Beef

I love my crock pots. I have two that I use quite often for all kinds of things, and I love how easy they make dinners on days that I know I will be pressed for time. This roast technique takes a wee bit of prep time, but it is worth it for the flavour at the end.  The roast I purchased was a sirloin tip, which worked really well with this technique. Top or bottom round would work well too for this long slow cooking method. It is perfect for the cheaper cuts, which helps with the weekly budget!

Crock Pot Roast Beef

3 large carrots, peeled and chopped

2 onions, peeled and chopped

3 parsnips, peeled and chopped

4 potatoes, chopped

4 cloves garlic, halved

1 roast of beef, thawed, approx 3-4 lbs

2 tbsp coconut oil

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups beef bone broth

Fill the bottom of your crock pot with the chopped vegetables.

Browning the roast

Melt the coconut oil in a lg cast iron pan over medium high heat. Season roast with salt and pepper, and sear it on all sides in the hot pan, about 2-3 minutes per side.  

Place in crock pot on top of the vegetables.

Deglazing the pan with frozen
beef bone broth

Deglaze your pan with the beef bone broth, (mine was frozen as you can see in the picture) cooking over medium high heat while scraping all of the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

As soon as it starts to boil, pour the pan contents over the roast and veggies in the crock pot, cover, and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 4-6 hours.

Ready to eat!

Enjoy the smell when you come thru the door after your long day at work! Toss a quick green salad and dinner is served!

Bean Free Crock Pot Chili

I am not great with the whole bean digestion thing. So I have been (pardon the pun) avoiding them for the past little while. But I really have missed having a nice warming bowl of hearty chili on a cold winters day. So, I threw together this bean-less version today. Sauteing the veggies first adds a ton of flavour, and IMHO should not be skipped.  I hope you like it!

Bean Free Crock Pot Chili

1 lg red onion, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

1 lg carrot, diced

1 medium zucchini, diced

2 tbsp coconut oil, divided

1 lb grass fed ground beef

1-2 tbsp chili powder from recipe below(to taste)*** 

1  tsp salt

1 28 oz can organic diced tomatoes

Sauté the veggies in batches in a large cast iron pan, using 1 tbsp coconut oil with each batch.

As soon as they start to brown and soften a wee bit, transfer to crock pot.

Sauté the ground beef until it just starts to brown.  (add an extra tbsp coconut oil if your beef is too lean) Add the chili powder and salt, cook for 2 minutes, and transfer with any pan juices to the crock pot.

Add the can of tomatoes with the juices, and give everything a good stir to combine well.  Cook on high for 4 hours(or low for 6-8 hrs) . Serve as desired, over rice, with organic corn chips or however you wish!!

***I was out of chili powder, which almost kyboshed this whole meal plan. But, the internet saved me with this make your own chili powder mix. I used paprika, and regular oregano, plus I added ¼ tsp of chipotle, plus 1 tbsp garlic powder from the optional ingredients. The recipe appears here: http://www.thekitchn.com/from-the-spice-cupboard-chili-126876