These rich and moist coconut bars are made of not one, but three different forms of scrumptiously healthy coconut, including shredded coconut, coconut oil and coconut milk in their ingredients list.

I have Shirley at Gluten Free Easily to thank for this recipe as it is based upon her famous gluten free Crustless Coconut Pie. I'm a big fan of Shirley's crustless pie recipes. They're perfect when I'm looking for a quick and easy, yet simply tasty, gluten free dessert.

I find that this this coconut bar recipe tastes a bit like a macaroon bar. If you want to jazz up your coconut bars and get really decadent, try drizzling them with dark chocolate.

Here are some of the health benefits of coconut:

• Naturally gluten free
• Full of heart healthy fats that lower LDL cholesterol
• Anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-parasitic
• Reduces inflammation and promotes healthy absorption of nutrients
• High in minerals such as iron, phosphorus and zinc

It is also thought that eating coconut products speeds up the body's metabolism, helping to prevent obesity.

Finally, Dr. Mary Newport has written an article on the remarkable results she believes she has achieved using coconut oil to remediate her husband's early onset Alzheimer's disease.

In this video Dr. Newport shares intriguing anecdotal evidence on the impact of coconut oil on neurobiological function. Her findings will be of particular interest to those of us who are working on our brain health in dealing with diseases and disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS), Alzheimers, Parkinsons, autism, ADD, etc.

So grab yourself a coconut bar and a cup of delicious dandelion coffee (that's what I'm drinking right now) and settle in to watch the video of Dr. Newport. And be sure to let us know your thoughts in a comment below.

My fellow gym rats were delighted when I brought these Paleo friendly, high protein, gluten free snacks to the gym last week. The consensus? These gluten free power bars hit the spot.

Made with healthy, high protein almond flour and nutritious goji berries, the gang wolfed these down, then asked for more. I promised them I would post this recipe for gluten free power bars and so here it is.

First though, a bit about goji berries. Goji berries (also known as wolfberries) are a superfood, slowly gaining attention and popularity in this country.

Research shows that berries are superfoods and that eating berries such as goji berries, blueberries, cranberries, and strawberries can be beneficial for your health.  Berries contain powerful antioxidants and other compounds that can boost the immune system and lower cholesterol; further, it is thought that the nutrient properties in berries can prevent cancer, heart disease and other illnesses.

Goji berries in particular have compounds rich in vitamin A, beta-carotene and B vitamins.  These compounds are thought to have anti-aging benefits and boost immune function. Incidentally, goji berries have been used for centuries in Traditonal Chinese Medicine (TCM).

Dried goji berries tend to be a bit...dry. So I like to plump mine up before I use them by placing them in a bowl and pouring a bit of boiling water over them. This brings out their juicy goodness, makes them easier to digest and simply prevents them from being too hard.

When you plump your gojis, let them sit in the hot water for 10-15 minutes until the water is mostly absorbed, then discard any remaining water (there won't be a lot).

Here are some more Paleo friendly bars that you may also like:
-Spicy Power Bars
-Cherry Vanilla Power Bars
-Apricot Power Bars

Gluten free isn't necessarily healthy, especially when it comes to bread.  Here's a gluten free bread recipe, made of high protein ingredients that won't leave you dragging.  I'm loving every slice that comes from this new Paleo diet friendly bread recipe.

This bread is just a bit lighter and fluffier than my other breads.  It has a nice nutty flavor from the flax meal which makes it almost have a kind of "whole wheat" thing going on, and it has a lovely little bit of sweet flavor from the honey (I used honey that my friend Shirley harvested from her bee hives and sent to me as a gift --I treasure it).

I've been working on this gluten free bread recipe for several months and have tested it a couple of dozen times. In fact, every time I create a recipe I test each and every ingredient addition or subtraction. That's why I think it's kinda funny when people leave comments below recipes (or on Facebook, Twitter and in my forums) asking if such and such ingredient substitution will work.

For example, with this recipe, I tested changes as minute as 1 teaspoon baking soda versus 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda. Same with the apple cider vinegar. I tested this recipe with 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar and with 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. I could go on and on. I varied the number of eggs in several batches. I played with numerous ingredient combinations to come up with this recipe.

It's just hard work folks. I wish I had a crystal recipe ball that I could look into to answer all of your substitution questions. I don't. So be adventurous. If you have an idea, test it. Then come back here and let us know if it worked!

This gluten free bread recipe is somewhat similar to my Bread 2.0 recipe. However, this bread does not contain arrowroot and agave so it is a much more Paleo/primal friendly bread recipe. I've also added coconut oil and switched around the amounts of other ingredients.

I like this healthy bread recipe. For now. In a few months I'll probably get bored of it and decide I want to come up with something different, better. Then I'll start tinkering again. Presently though, I'm really enjoying this gluten free bread and I hope you do too.

Special thanks to Amanda who left a comment on my Bread 2.0 recipe that inspired me to get to work on something even tastier and more nutritious.

One summer evening as I baked countless batches of gluten free cookies, my older son popped into the kitchen. Determined to join me in my culinary adventures, he decided to make gluten free strawberry shortcake from scratch (as in using no cookbook or recipe). The twist?  He's a chocolate lover, so he made Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake.

As you may know, Jewish mothers tend to think of their sons as geniuses, and I am no exception. I love that my 12 year old boy could whip up a recipe from scratch with no help whatsoever. I think that the boys have learned this skill (my 11 year specializes in omelets and pancakes), from hanging out with me while I cook.

My favorite thing about cooking is making mistakes. As a perfectionist, I find this very freeing. Strangely, my son created this cute little recipe on his first try. I have taught the boys to measure and write down all of the ingredients they use when cooking. This way, if they like something and it turns out well, they can make it again. Or I can make it and share it with you all.

So, I present you with my 12 year old son's gluten free Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake. He did not want me to disclose his name, though said it was ok to use his first initial --"J."

So this simple strawberry recipe is easy enough to make with your children. And if you have little ones that follow a gluten-free diet, well, this is even better.

Cooking with children can be a blast; here are some other quick and easy child friendly recipes you can make with your little ones:
-Chocolate Chip Cookies (with video!)
-Liberté, Egalité, Crudité
-Kale with Cranberries

I was working my way through the Cook's Illustrated website the other night and came across an amazing recipe for Triple Chocolate Espresso Brownies.  As soon as I laid eyes on that recipe I knew I had to create a high protein, gluten free version.  While my husband enjoys all of my gluten free chocolate recipes, this is his fave.  He even left a special love note on the fridge for me late last night after sampling them.

Of course this is also a dairy free recipe for those of you who are learning how to cook without dairy; and has no agave in it for those avoiding agave.  If you wish to try out other permutations to accommodate your individual needs, feel free to do so; just be sure to leave a comment and let us know if your substitutions worked!

The winner of last weeks giveaway for a copy of the book Go Dairy Free by Alisa Fleming is Holly!

Here are some more gluten free brownie recipes from other food bloggers:
-Hazelnut Brownies from Lexie of Lexie's Kitchen
-Gluten-Free Coffee Cranberry Pistachio Brownies from Melissa of Gluten Free For Good
-Rockbrook Espresso Brownies from Lori of Gluten Free Best Friends Forever!

I originally posted this date sweetened, gluten free muffin recipe the year before last in my Great Agave Debate post.  Because it was part of something so much bigger, it kinda got lost in the mix.  I'm re-posting it because I think it's an easy, super tasty, healthy recipe that will please both agave lovers and haters alike.

For more information on agave, please check out my Great Agave Debate post and all of the amazing reader comments and debate that follow it.  Meantime, everyone, enjoy these purely fruit sweetened coconut flour based muffins!

I loved Joy the Baker's awesome post on coconut flour; her accompanying recipe for Coconut Waffles looks obscenely good (I can't wait to make it myself).  If you haven't been to her site, be sure to check it out.  Joy is an amazing writer with true wit and an outrageously good sense of humor.  Her recipes are pretty darn great too!

Photo by Annabelle Breakey from Gluten-Free Cupcakes

I am beyond tickled to announce the forthcoming publication of my second book Gluten-Free Cupcakes on April 26th, 2011. Right now the book is available for pre-order online for only $9.03!

I also want to thank so many of my delightful colleagues for spreading the word about my new book and blogging, facebooking and tweeting their hearts out about it:

Gluten-Free Cupcakes is truly a labor of love, as my boys were very involved in its conception and development --what child doesn't love cupcakes? Jacob and Ethan my two sons, are now 12 and 11 respectively.

When my editor and I settled on a preliminary recipe list for the book, the first thing I did was print out two copies, one for each of the boys. They sat on the couch, read through the list, and then I queried them, "Which recipes do you like? Are there any that you want removed? Are we missing anything?"

My two little editors-in-chief, had quite a lot of feedback for me --Baseball Cupcakes easily made the cut. Then the concept of a cheesecake cupcake was added by Ethan, and a marble cupcake was added by Jacob. That's just a highlight of our late night conversations --late night being before 9pm in our house, at least when it comes to children. Many a night after the boys were in bed, I was up baking cupcakes until 2 or 3 am.

Below is my recipe for Strawberry Cupcakes from Gluten-Free Cupcakes; it is one of Ethan's favorites.

Strawberry CupcakesNote: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

• ½ cup coconut flour
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
• ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 4 large eggs
• ½ cup agave nectar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup finely chopped fresh strawberries

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 8 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, combine the coconut flour, arrowroot powder, salt, and baking soda. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, agave nectar, and vanilla extract. Blend the wet ingredients into the coconut flour mixture with a handheld mixer until thoroughly combined, then fold in the strawberries.

Scoop ¼ cup of batter into each prepared muffin cup.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 1 hour.

Frost with Whipped Cream Frosting or Strawberry Meringue Frosting (pg.92) from Gluten-Free Cupcakes: 50 Irresistible Recipes Made with Almond and Coconut Flour, and serve.

Makes 8 cupcakes

Here are some more gluten free dessert recipes that use strawberries that you might like:
-Strawberry & Mini Cupcake Kabobs from Kelly of The Spunky Coconut
-Strawberry Mousse (SCD & GFCF) from Zoe of Z's Cup of Tea
-Chocolate Covered Berries from SunnyB of And Love It Too

Don't be confused by these gluten free Multi "Grain" Crackers.  Because they are in fact gluten free and grain-free.  That's right, these crackers don't contain grains.  What are they made of?  They contain a multitude of high protein, high fiber superfoods including almonds, flax and hemp.

So as you can see, even though these are called Multi "Grain" Crackers, I have not started eating grains again.  And yes, I've been grain free since 2001, on an eating plan (don't like the word diet) that is similar to those referred to as Paleo or Primal.

The idea for these gluten free crackers is from my dear friend Betsy.  She came over one Saturday afternoon last November so that we could go for a hike.  We did, and then we set out to bake our way through my kitchen.

These crackers were the first thing we made.  It was a lot of fun because Bets (that's her nickname), cooks the way I used to, before I started cooking for all of you.  She just throws ingredients around without any measurements and says things like, "a few handfuls of this," and "a lot of that."  I translated her handfuls and throws into exact measurements and then made the crackers a few more times to get them exactly the way I wanted.

Here are some more gluten free, grain free cracker recipes you may enjoy:
-Savory Grain-Free Crackers from Gluten-Free Goddess
-Honey Graham Crackers from Eat the Cookie!
-Herbed Almond Crackers from At the Bakers Bench

Latkes are everyone's favorite Jewish fried food.  The typical latke is made with potato, flour and eggs.  I however, like to make a more Paleo friendly latke and now with this new recipe, I have 2 versions of Paleo pancakes.

Generally at Hanukkah, I make a Butternut Squash Latke, though this year I was searching for a bit of variety and so came up with this Carrot Scallion Latke.  Why carrots?  Well, first of all, my younger son asked me to make a carrot latke.  Second, given my Paleo preferences, I eat carrots and not potatoes.  Third, carrots make a healthier latke than potatoes --why?  Carrots are rich in carotenoids which promote good vision, regulate blood sugar and may also promote colon health and prevent cancer --who knew?!  Potatoes on the other hand are tough for me to digest, high in starch and can wreak havoc on blood sugar.

So, here, I present you with what I hope is healthier fried fare (if such a thing is possible) with these healthy and delicious Carrot Scallion Latkes.  Although Hanukkah is a celebration that entails a good deal of fried food, if you saute these in a bit of olive oil rather than deep frying them in inches of the stuff, they're a nice alternative to regular greasy Hanukkah food and a much healthier latke.

At Hanukkah, we also make doughnuts, or donuts (in Hebrew we refer to them as sufganiyot) and other fried goodies. While I haven't come up with my own sufganiyot recipe, Tovah from Gluten-Free Bay has a great recipe for gluten-free sufganiyot (jelly donuts), and Silvana also has several lovely looking gluten free doughnut recipes in her book Cooking for Isaiah.

Carrot Scallion LatkesNote: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
3 cups shredded carrots
3 scallions, finely chopped
3 eggs, whisked
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ teaspoon coconut flour
olive oil for frying

1. In a large bowl combine carrots, scallions and eggs
2. Stir salt and coconut flour into carrot mixture
3. In a large skillet heat oil
4. Scoop large tablespoonfuls of batter onto skillet
5. Fry patties on each side over medium heat until browned and crispy
6. Transfer latkes to a paper towel lined plate
7. Repeat process until all of the batter is used up
8. Serve with applesauce and sour cream (or yogurt)

If carrots aren't your thing take a look at my Butternut Squash Latkes. I hope you enjoy these healthy latkes as much as we do!

Here are some other latke type recipes you might enjoy:
-Zucchini Fritters from Kim of Cook It Allergy Free
-Potato and Apple Latkes from Gwyneth of GOOP
-Sweet Potato Latkes from Emily of The Reluctant Vegetarian

It's been a busy summer, with baseball, boys and everything else that goes on around here.  Now that it's the "harvest," it's the perfect time to announce what I grew over the summer.  I cultivated a new book called:

Gluten-Free Cupcakes: 50 Irresistible Recipes Made with Almond and Coconut Flour

The book is available for pre-order on amazon.com and will be published next spring.  If you need to get an immediate cupcake fix, check out the cupcake recipes from my Month O' Cupcakes.

I had a blast writing this book.  I made batches and batches of cupcakes every single day of the week, often well into the night.  My neighbors were saturated with the results (think dozens of cupcakes at a time) and could barely keep up with me.  My husband was in charge of the chocolate section of the book --he faithfully devoured almost every version of every chocolate cupcake that I made.  Even my sons got into the act, developing recipe ideas, and pre-testing them for the book.

Since I finished the book, I've been making a lot of salads.  I think everyone in our household is kinda done with dessert for a while, at least until we get a bit closer to the holidays.

In giveaway news, today I'm giving away a copy of my new cookbook, Gluten-Free Cupcakes: 50 Irresistible Recipes Made with Almond and Coconut Flour. To be entered just leave a comment below, and I will send out a copy of the book to the lucky winner on the day it is published, April 26th, 2011. Everyone everywhere is eligible for this giveaway!

The winner of last week's giveaway --a copy of Ali Segersten's book, The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook is Alejandra!

Update: this giveaway is now over and the winner of Gluten-Free Cupcakes is Holly Ellerton.