Rustic Grain-free Apple Blackberry Tart

Happy belated Thanksgiving to all! I've just returned from a much needed vacation in Philadelphia. I'm feeling recharged and even more inspired to make things happen. Here's a quick easy recipe I baked last week before departing for the holiday. I had some leftover apples and sweet blackberries that I wanted to use up since I wasn't bringing them to Philly. I love throwing bits and pieces of leftover ingredients together to make new delicious creations and this one just happens to be completely grain-free and SCD legal (specific carbohydrate diet safe).

Rustic Grain-Free Apple and Blackberry Tart

This recipe makes about 6-8 servings and is free of: Gluten, Grain, Dairy, Soy, Eggs, Peanuts, Yeast, Sugar, and Legumes.

This recipe uses my almond flour pie crust recipe.

Tart topping:

• 2 ripe apples, sliced very thin with a knife or mandolin slicer.
• 3/4 cup fresh blackberries
• 1/2 cup xylitol (birch sugar) or sweetener of choice. I choose xylitol from birch because it's candida safe, and has no actual sugar. Stevia can be substituted here instead, just decrease the proportion used.
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/2 tablespoon cinnnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup raw chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour
  

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use this almond flour crust recipe and press with fingers into a flat oval (about 1/2 inch thick) on a greased baking sheet.
2. Place sliced apples, blackberries, xylitol, vanilla, cinnamon, and coconut oil in a sauce pan and heat over low-medium heat for 5 minutes until well combined. The blackberries may start to break apart a bit and release juices. This is normal.
3. Remove from heat and cool. Arrange filling in rows on the crust and top with raw chopped walnuts, chia seeds, and sprinkle with coconut flour to absorb some of the juices.
4. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown and fruit is cooked through. Serve warm or cool with dairy-free vanilla ice cream.

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Flax & Almond Paleo Pancakes

Some of my earliest memories are times spent with my father in early mornings. On weekends, we often woke early and trekked just a few minutes away with waking highway traffic to our favorite breakfast spot. Decorated in old west and native American art, Soup n' Stuff restaurant was anything but typical. The smell of freshly brewed coffee hung around my dad as he sipped and waited as my older sister and I made our breakfast choices, which almost always included the most amazing flapjacks ever. They were always steaming hot and almost bigger than me. The waitstaff knew us by name and would sometimes drizzle shapes and smiley faces of syrup on top. I'm lucky to have a photographic memory--I can still see it perfectly preserved in my mind. That was time spent well.

That was also a time before I knew anything about my food allergies. But no matter what pancakes I'm making now, those memories come rushing back. This recipe in particular is becoming one of my favorites. It doesn't yield gargantuan flapjacks, but it's a delicious alternative, completely paleo, and also Specific Carbohydrate Diet safe. The SCD diet is grain-free and more and is often followed by those with Crohn's disease to reduce dangerous inflammation in the body. I've been opting for grain-free alternatives now and again for various health reasons, and with options like this I really can't complain. Plus, I know I'm fueling my body with sound nutrition. (I also can't resist saying that while I write this, they're using Almond flour in the dessert round of Chopped on Food Network! Loving it!)

Flax & Almond Paleo Pancakes

This recipe is: Gluten-free, Grain-free, Soy-free, Peanut-free, Legume-free, Yeast-free, Sugar-free. (Paleo and SCD safe).

• 1 1/2 cups almond flour (I used Bob's Red Mill brand here, and for the flax meal).
• 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 tablespoons So Delicious Sugar-free Vanilla Coconut Milk (U se more or less depending on consistency desired. If you want a thicker batter, use less. If you like a thinner batter, use more).
• 3 eggs (I make sure I source from a farm that has soy-free eggs).
• Optional: 1/2 tablespoon honey or alternative sweetener.

1. Preheat a skillet on the stove on medium heat.
2. Combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well.
3. Drizzle some olive oil or coconut oil into the skillet. Drop about 1/3 cup pancake batter onto the skillet and flip when small bubble start to form on the top.
4. Serve hot with fresh berries, or a drizzle of pure maple syrup. (I topped mine with Olivio Coconut Spread, ground cinnamon, and coconut sugar).

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