I have to tell you that it's been over a decade since I've had any kind of donut but lately my kids were asking about them. I think they tried a gluten-free donut at a party years ago but that's been their only exposure. So I decided to invest in some safe non-stick donut pans and try making baked grain-free donuts. I don't by any means think grains are bad, I just love to use alternative flours. The combination of almond flour and arrowroot creates a very good texture, in fact, most people would never guess these donuts were gluten-free.

Most non-stick bakeware contains PFOA's. These toxic compounds are beginning to get phased out, but are still present in much of the bakeware used. PFOA's affect thyroid function, blood sugar regulation, body weight, and are endocrine disruptors (which means that you can increase your risk for hormone-related cancers like breast cancer). We highly recommend getting rid of all non-stick bakeware and replacing it with safe alternatives like stone or stainless steel. I use these donut pans made from recycled steel. They have a silicone coating which creates a non-stick barrier without all of the chemicals.

To make these donuts you will need at least 4 very ripe bananas. I posted some photos of my 2-year old mashing bananas to my Instagram page as well as to our Facebook page! If you already "like" our Facebook page but are not receiving our posts in your feed then be sure to stop by our page and leave a comment under some of the posts. This will help to get our posts in your feed!
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Date-Glazed Banana Donuts (grain-free, gluten-free, refined sugar-free)



The other morning I slept in and came downstairs to see my oldest daughter, Lily, put a pan of something into the freezer. I asked her what she made and she responded: "frozen coconut banana cream bars." We all enjoyed them as a treat throughout the day. Then later I saw her on the computer (which rarely ever happens) and asked her what she was doing. "Oh, I'm just typing up a recipe for a blog post" she responded. So what you see written below, including all of the photos, is by my 11-year daughter. She's posted to my blog a few times before with her Seaweed Snack Recipe and Sugar-Free Flavored Lemonade

My notes: You can see a photo of what my version of this recipe looks like here on Instagram. It was originally a pie recipe, but Lily has made it into a crust-less bar recipe. If you want a crust you could try the chocolate cookie crust recipe that goes along with this recipe on page 433 of my book or use a 1/2 batch of this grain-free Banana Coconut Cookie recipe....pressed into the bottom of the pan, baked, and then cooled before adding the filling. 
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Coconut Banana Ice Cream Bars (dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free)



I like to make this healthy grain-free muffin recipe after my children go to sleep at night so they have something nourishing to eat for breakfastespecially helpful on really busy mornings! The other day my daughter wanted to know how much protein each muffin had so she worked out how many grams of protein each ingredient contained and then divided the total number by 12. She came up with 6.3 grams per muffin, not bad.

I generally use roasted almond butter in my baking recipes, including the recipes in my new Nourishing Meals cookbook. The brand I like to use for these recipes is Zinke Orchards. Although this almond butter is not certified organic it does come from spray-free almonds. For eating or raw recipes we like to use raw organic or raw sprouted almond butter.
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Banana Almond Butter Muffins (gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free)



Using mashed, ripe bananas in recipes is a really simple, nutritious way to replace sugar. I've used it before in my sugar-free, grain-free Carob Banana Bars and in these lovely Teff Pancakes. My four year old twins keep asking to cook in the kitchen, and if I don't step in right away, they take over and begin cooking on their own. Hmm, I wouldn't have any idea why that would be! Lately cookies have been on their minds.

Yesterday one of them asked if we could make cookies "with that cookie flour" and bananas. The following recipe is what transpired. "That cookie flour" is blanched almond flour. We just ordered a box of it and split it with a friend. This is a good way to save some money.....buy in bulk and split orders between two or more families.
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Banana Coconut Cookies (grain-free, sugar-free, vegan)



The marriage of chocolate and bananas is truly divine. This bread is light, yet rich with chunks of sweet banana melting in your mouth with every bite. Have a slice with your breakfast smoothie or as a mid-afternoon snack, but our favorite is always fresh out of the oven! Or, try pairing a slice of this bread with a mug of Dairy-Free Hot Cocoa on a cold snowy day.

I use teff flour in this bread. If you have not figured it out already, you'll know I'm a big fan of teff! You can view all of my teff recipes on this blog if you'd like. I buy large paper bags of the flour for around $40 from Azure Standard. Before my friends and I started a buying club through Azure, I bought it directly from The Teff Company (Azure sells the same brand).
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Chocolate Banana Bread (gluten-free, dairy-free, xanthan-free)


These moist, delicious, high-protein gluten-free, sugar-free bars are made with almond flour, carob powder, and a touch of cinnamon. They are sweetened only with mashed banana and liquid stevia. Carob powder is naturally sweet unlike cocoa powder which is very bitter. This means that you do not need to add massive amounts of sweetener as you need to with cocoa powder. Carob is also a decent source of protein and high in calcium. Although carob doesn't taste like chocolate, it does have a sweet, nutty, molasses-like flavor that adds depth and a unique taste to your baked goods.

If you would like to replace the carob in this recipe with cocoa powder then I suggest either increasing the liquid stevia or consider adding about 1/4 cup of coconut sugar to the recipe. I use blanched almond flour in this recipe which is very different from the almond flour you find in most health food stores. It can only be ordered online and can't be substituted with other ingredients. I know many people who are gluten-free already use this flour. It is perfect for grain-free cooking and also adds tenderness, flavor, and nutrition to grain-based gluten-free baking.



Grain-Free Carob-Banana Bars

These bars make a nutritious, quick breakfast or a healthy after-school snack. Serve them with a glass of raw almond milk. I buy my almond flour from Lucy's Kitchen Shop here in Bellingham but you can also find it at Honeyville or Benefit your Life.

Dry Ingredients:
2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 cup carob powder
1/4 cup arrowroot powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Wet Ingredients:
2 large ripe bananas, mashed (1 heaping cup)
2 large organic eggs
1/4 cup melted virgin coconut oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
20 to 25 drops liquid stevia

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Oil an 8 x 8-inch glass baking dish with coconut oil.

Mix together the dry ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Use your fingers to break up any clumps in the almond flour. Then whisk the ingredients together. Set aside.

In a small bowl, add the bananas and mash with a fork. Measure the mashed bananas to make sure they are just over 1 cup. Add more banana if needed or remove some. Then add the remaining ingredients and stir together with the fork.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk together. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool before cutting into bars. Source: www.NourishingMeals.com



More Grain-Free Recipes:
Vegan Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes
Strawberry Coconut Milk Ice Cream
Raw Chocolate Pie


Carob-Banana Bars (grain-free + sugar-free)