Very Berry Galette

Very Berry Galette - Fresh, juicy blackberries and blueberries nestled in a dairy, gluten, and grain-free buttery crust! (paleo friendly)

Before summer ends I thought I would share one of my favorite summertime activities... berry picking! Growing up in the South there was never a shortage of blueberry bushes or blackberry vines. In the summers it was always hard going home with a substantial amount of berries because we would end up eating them right off the bush.

High Hill Orchard is a small, family-owned farm in Eastern Kentucky where I love to go for berry picking and to purchase pasture-raised eggs and meat. If you live around the area, you can pick your own berries during early June through mid-August. 

There are so many things you can make with berries, but what I have found myself making all summer, due to high demand, are galettes. This recipe was actually an accident. I have researched how to make galettes before but could never find a promising recipe that was free of gluten, dairy, and grain. I don’t do this often but I had to pat my back for this one because it came out perfectly the first time!

While the ingredients and directions may seem complex, don’t fret! Galettes are easy to make and you may already have most of the ingredients on hand. One ingredient you may not have, however,  is paleo flour. Bob’s Red Mill just introduced paleo baking flour this year and I’m so glad they did! I’ve used this flour in most of my paleo baking dishes as it is made with only 4 ingredients - almond flour, arrowroot starch, organic coconut flour, and tapioca flour. Completely dairy, gluten, and grain-free as well! Now, on to the recipe!

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with! 

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Very Berry Galette - Fresh, juicy blackberries and blueberries nestled in a dairy, gluten, and grain-free buttery crust! 

Ingredients

CRUST

• 4 oz cold unsalted grass-fed butter (or cold coconut oil, vegan butter)

• 2 Tbsp chilled vodka

• 1 Tbsp chilled apple cider vinegar

• 1 Tbsp water

• 200g paleo baking flour

• 1 Tbsp raw sugar + more for sprinkling over the galette

• 1/2 tsp sea salt

FILLING

• 5oz blackberries

• 5oz blueberries

• 1 Tbsp arrowroot flour

• pinch of sea salt

• 1 Tbsp lemon juice

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 2 Tbsp raw sugar

EGG WASH

• 1 egg white

• 1 Tbsp almond milk

Directions

1. Slice butter into small pieces and place in freezer for 10 min

2. Chill vinegar, vodka, and water by adding ice cubes to a measuring cup

3. Place flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse to mix ingredients.

4. Add the chilled butter and pulse a few times. Next, add chilled liquid (straining ice cubes) and pulse to mix them in. Pulse to mix until there is no dry flour left. Squeeze a little of the dough in your hands to see if it comes together to form a ball. If it doesn't, slowly add more chilled water.

5. Form dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

6. While the dough is chilling, prepare filling by adding all ingredients into a bowl. Gently toss to mix and set aside.

7. Prepare egg wash by mixing the egg white and milk together and set aside.

8. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

9. When the galette is ready to come out of the fridge, place a piece of parchment paper down (the one you will be using for the baking tray so it's the same size) on a flat surface.

10. Generously sprinkle flour down on paper and place the malleable dough on top. Dust the top of the dough with a little flour as well. Roll out the dough until you have a rough round shaped disc that's about 12 inch in diameter. Transfer onto a baking sheet with the dough still on parchment paper.

11. Starting in the center, place the filling on top of the dough, leaving a 2-inch border from the edge of the dough.

12. Fold over the dough borders. Generously brush the top of the pie dough with egg wash. Sprinkle raw sugar over crust and filling.

13. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Remove the galette from the oven and gently lift the galette onto a baking rack to cool. (If you feel unsure about transferring the galette to a baking rack from the parchment paper then you can keep it on the paper - I haven't found mine to get soggy and cools down beautifully)

14. Serve the galette while warm and top with a scoop of DF vanilla bean ice cream or whipped cream. Enjoy!

Healthy Strawberry Brown Rice Krispie Treats

Healthy Strawberry Brown Rice Krispie Treats - Healthy play on the traditional rice krispie treat! Gluten-free, dairy-free, and naturally lower in sugar!

After finding out that I was sensitive to gluten, my love for rice krispie treats grew. I know that sounds bad and unhealthy, but hey, at the time, there weren’t too many gluten-free options when it came to desserts!

But within a year of only eating rice krispie treats, I felt like I was done for life. 5 years later, that’s all I crave! So, without further ado, I have made for you a healthier rice krispie treat -- but with a spin.

Instead of using marshmallows, I used a mixture of peanut butter, coconut oil, pure maple syrup and strawberry preserves. I just love the addition of strawberry preserves, making these rice krispie treats taste more like a PB&J or a no bake cookie!

You can also play with the toppings if you would like. My favorite way to add color and to play off the strawberry preserves is to add freeze dried strawberries, goji berries, and melted peanut butter into the dark chocolate. You could keep it classy with melted dark chocolate and sea salt flakes, or create a superfood rice krispie treat with goji berries, bee pollen, nuts and seeds, cacao nibs, and coconut flakes. The possibilities are endless!

These are great as a healthy snack and dessert as each serving size is less than 200 calories with about 10 grams of sugar per serving. The ingredients I used in predicting these numbers are listed in the notes section below.

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

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Healthy Strawberry Brown Rice Krispie Treats - Healthy play on the traditional rice krispie treat! Gluten-free, dairy-free, and naturally lower in sugar!

Makes 16 servings

Ingredients

• 3 cups brown rice cereal

• 1 cup dark chocolate

• ½ cup natural peanut butter

• ⅓ cup pure maple syrup

• 2 Tbsp coconut oil

• Pinch of salt

• 1 Tbsp strawberry preserves

Toppings

• Freeze dried strawberries

• Goji berries

Directions

1. Line 8x8 pan with parchment paper. Set aside

2. Place a small saucepan on the stove-top over low heat. Combine peanut butter, maple syrup, coconut oil, strawberry preserves, and a pinch of salt. Mix until smooth and well combined, about 1-2 minutes. Add brown rice cereal to a medium bowl and pour peanut butter mixture over the brown rice. Mix until combined and cereal is completely coated.

3. Transfer rice krispie mixture to the parchment paper lined pan and press mixture down flat using a spatula to create an even surface.

4. In a small microwave safe bowl, add dark chocolate and 1 tbsp coconut oil (optional) and heat in 30-second increments (stirring in between) until chocolate is fully melted and smooth.

5. Pour chocolate mixture over krispie mixture and add toppings. You can follow the strawberry trend and add freeze dried strawberries, goji berries, and melted peanut butter or you can keep it classic with sea salt or naked. Up to you!

6. Place pan in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes until bars are completely cooled and chocolate is set.

7. Place bars onto a cutting board and cut into 16 bars. Bars should be kept in the fridge covered for up to a week.

Notes

• Ingredients I used: Erewhon organic brown rice gluten free cereal, pure maple syrup, dark chocolate, strawberry preserves.

• If you would like to add more protein to these bars, add a scoop of collagen peptides to the peanut butter mixture when everything is in the saucepan heating.

Healthy Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs

Healthy Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs - Healthier version of the classic Reese’s peanut butter eggs sans refined sugar. Dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan!

Growing up as a kid, Reese’s peanut butter eggs were always included in the Easter basket. Of course, there would also be a typical stuffed bunny or chick, a book or cute Easter pencils, and other candy (lots of it!) but the Reese’s eggs were my favorite

I guess this recipe stems from nostalgia. As adults, we aren’t getting Easter baskets anymore. Instead, we may be the one putting them together! The good news is that I don’t have to wait around like I did as a child because I can now make them at home!

What makes this situation better is that the recipe is made with only 5 ingredients. These healthy Reese’s peanut butter eggs are gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan with no refined sugars!

I started recipe testing these back in February for an Easter post, but what I found is that these can be made any time of the year. You can definitely shape these into eggs for the Easter or simply make them into balls. Whatever you end up doing, you will soon find that these are super addicting!

I like to store the peanut butter eggs in the freezer for those random sweet tooth moments, but if you are eating them that week, then the fridge is fine too!

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If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

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Makes 8-9 eggs.

Ingredients

• ½ cup peanut butter

• ¼ cup coconut flour

• 2 Tbsp maple syrup

• ½ cup dark chocolate

• 1 Tsp coconut oil

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine peanut butter, coconut flour, and maple syrup. The mixture should be firm and tacky. If the mixture is runny, slowly add more coconut flour.

2. Scoop out 1 tablespoon of the mixture. Form the egg shape by rolling a ball and then placing the ball onto a small baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Press down onto ball until flat, then shape the top part where it makes a point.

3. Transfer tray to the freezer for 10 minutes.

4. While the eggs are setting in the freezer, combine chocolate and coconut oil into a small bowl. Place the bowl in the microwave and melt chocolate in 30 second increments until smooth and melted.

5. Take the tray out of the freezer and use a fork to dip each egg into melted chocolate. Make sure the egg is fully coated. Transfer back to parchment lined baking sheet and top with coarse sea salt if desired.

6. Immediately place baking sheet back into the freezer for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

7. Store in freezer for long term or fridge if eating immediately to one week.

Notes

1. You can use honey instead of maple syrup if not vegan.

2. Feel free to try other types of nut/seeds butter for this recipe! Just make sure you slowly add in the coconut flour so that the mixture isn’t too runny or too dry.

3. If dairy isn’t an issue for you, you can sub out the dark chocolate for milk chocolate. I made these using milk chocolate for my husband and he says that it taste closer to Reese’s eggs.

Fudgy Paleo Brownies

Foolproof staple brownie recipe that is also gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free!

Growing up, brownies were my least favorite dessert. Maybe because the flavors were too rich or the texture was too dry, but nonetheless, I stopped eating them. Of course I would get the judgy looks and sneers but hey, they didn’t taste good to me! That is, until I had a fudgy vegan brownie at this bakery in Atlanta and I was floored! It was like the heavens opened up with arms wide open and sucked me in!

Too much? Well, that’s how I feel about these brownies! Now, this recipe didn’t happen overnight (perfection doesn’t happen overnight). As a food blogger, sometimes recipes can be made simple and it just clicks. Other times, not so much.

This recipe did not instantly click. It started out as a Mexican hot chocolate cookie that had the batter of a brownie but baked similar to a cake and ultimately dried out after a day or two. But the flavor was there and that’s where I went. Long story short, here we are and I am so glad!

Adding a healthy twist to an old fashioned brownie can be cumbersome at times. Luckily, this brownie is free of everything “bad” yet it tastes just like your typical sugar-filled brownie. This way, we can still ride that amazing “sugar high” but not feel so bad.

How do we get there? Well, we adapt and understand the ingredients that we are using. For example, coconut flour is used to replace all-purpose white flour. Coconut flour absorbs liquid so we only use ¼ cup. Baking powder is a great leavening agent but since this is a paleo recipe, we use coconut sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract instead. This combination gets whipped until a “ribbon stage” is reached.

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

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Ingredients

• 2/3 cup coconut sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 8 oz dark chocolate chunks

• 1/4 cup coconut oil

• 1/4 cup coconut flour

• 1/4 cup cocoa powder

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chunk

instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 9x9 baking pan with parchment paper. Spray with a non-stick spray and set aside.

2. In a small saucepan or small bowl, melt 8 oz dark chocolate and oil in 30-second increments if using the microwave or low heat on stove top until smooth and glossy. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

3. Using a hand mixer or KitchenAid mixer, combine coconut sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract and whisk together until the mixture reaches the “ribbon stage” (when you lift the whisk, the mixture should stream down evenly in “ribbons”).

4. In a medium bowl, whisk dry ingredients (coconut flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda)

5. With the mixer/hand mixer on low, add the melted chocolate and dry ingredients until fully combined. Fold in ½ cup dark chocolate chunks.

6. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the surface.

7. Bake for 17-20 minutes until edges are set and the inside is slightly underdone.

8. Let the brownies rest in the pan for 15-20 minutes. This is the hardest part but so worth it!

9. Store in fridge for up to a week or freezer for up to a month. I personally like making these to freeze so that I can have brownie bites for my ice cream!

Superfood Dark Chocolate Bark

A healthy chocolate treat that will satisfy any sweet tooth!

Any sweet tooth's out there?! Me, me, me!! My sweet tooth is bad, especially during the holidays. I’m all about balance and intuitive eating but when it comes to sweets, I have zero control! I work at a university so for the past two weeks there has been at least one sweet item in the break room. When my pants started to feel a little tighter than usual, I decided to put an end to it!

To satisfy my sweet tooth without feeling guilty, I created a superfood dark chocolate bark that is super easy to make and is loaded with all the good things, sans added sugar, dairy, and gluten.

The dark chocolate base is made with only 4 ingredients: dark chocolate, maca powder, quinoa, and MCT oil. Quality dark chocolate is quite nutritious as it contains high amounts of fiber, iron, magnesium, and copper. Not only is maca powder popular for increased energy levels and vitality, it provides a sweet “honeycomb” flavor to the chocolate.

Toasted quinoa provides a nutty crispy texture to your bark while providing high amounts of protein and fiber.

MCT oil is easily absorbed throughout the body providing your body an instant source of energy that can be converted into ketones to fuel your brain. I like using this brand: Sports Research

Not only is the base full of superfood ingredients, so are the toppings! I used a random mix of just about everything but you could use whatever you have in your pantry. For example, I used bee pollen, goji berries, cashews, cacao nibs, pepitas, and coconut flakes.

This bark is rather bitter but with a honeycomb undertone. If you prefer your bark a little sweeter, then gradually add 1 Tbsp of pure maple syrup or honey until desired sweet flavor. If you do not have MCT oil, you can use coconut oil instead. Coconut oil does not replace MCT oil as far as nutrition, it just provides an oily consistency that you need when melting the bark.

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

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Ingredients

• 1 bag (10 oz) organic dark chocolate

• ½ cup quinoa

• 2 Tbsp MCT oil (or coconut oil)

• 1 tsp maca powder

Toppings

Cashews, almonds, pistachios, goji berries, cacao nibs, bee pollen, chia seeds, coconut flakes

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. On a parchment paper lined baking sheet, spread quinoa in a single layer.

3. Toast quinoa in the oven for 5-7 minutes or until lightly brown and toasted.

4. While the quinoa is in the oven, melt chocolate by placing the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and nuking the bowl in the microwave in 30 second increments.

5. When the chocolate is completely melted, add the toasted quinoa, MCT oil, and maca powder. Stir to combine.

6. Transfer chocolate mixture onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Spread chocolate using the back of a spoon to spread it out into a rough rectangle.

7. Scatter toppings over the chocolate while it is still warm. Feel free to get creative!

8. Place baking sheet in the fridge for up to 1 hour or until the chocolate has set.

9. Use a sharp knife to chop the slab into rough pieces.

10. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.