Healthy (Yes!) Buttermilk Biscuits & Gravy

Wait a minute.

Did I seriously just write healthy biscuits and gravy? How is that even possible?

I'm a believer that just about any dish can carry nutritional value. The key, my friends, is using nourishing ingredients and to eat wisely. 

This is quite the hearty breakfast; perfect before a day packed with lots of physical activity and little time for lunch. I made this batch the morning we went to the woods to find our Christmas tree. I don't know about you, but altitude makes me hungry and we were headed up the mountain for a long day of trudging thru the snow, looking for the perfect tree. Truly, we were. My husband doesn't stop until he finds it, and usually it's twice as tall as we need it to be. It was wonderful to not hear an "I'm hungry" until hours later, after we were piling into the car where I had a basket of these cookies at the ready.

I'm so thankful our family can now eat gluten without it negatively affecting them, so long as we eat it sparingly.  For my GF friends, I'm sorry about this recipe.  More gluten-free recipes to come.

'Round these parts, we like our biscuits tall, like our Christmas trees.  If you do, too, be sure your dough is rolled out to at least an inch thick.

This means you'll be working with a smallish round that makes up it's diameter in thickness.

You can always use a drinking glass to cut your biscuits like I did, until this biscuit cutter set was found in my stocking several Christmases ago.  I use the second to the biggest choice.

I also love baking on this lovely, non-toxic stoneware pan.

See?  Tall, warm, flakey goodness.  Stop here if all you need are incredible biscuits.  Continue if you're ready for some protein-packed comfort.

I will probably be shunned from the south from here on out for using ground turkey instead of sausage, but I'm Californian and it shows, even in my gravy. What also shows is how many recipe steps I try to skip.  It works just fine to dump the meat in the pan over low heat, sprinkle the seasonings in, and incorporating it all as it cooks.  Less dirty dishes = more life to live.

Does billowing steam from cooking breakfasts memorize anyone else?  It could be the pre-coffee, half-asleepedness, but it's practically hypnotic to me.

Also, morning light on creamy, meaty goodness sends me into utter bliss.  Commence stomach growls.  

Making the biscuits from start to finish only takes 20 minutes.  That includes baking time.  Add the gravy and the whole meal will find it's way to the breakfast table in 35 minutes, so long as you start the gravy right after the biscuits go into the oven.  I pull all the needed herbs for this recipe from the garden and hang them above the stovetop ahead of time, making this dish an even more aesthetically delightful event.

A faucet will go where that stump is, one of these days,

We are family of seven, so my recipes tend to make a lot of food.  If you don't go through this batch in one setting, both the biscuits and the gravy reheat wonderfully for yummy days to come.

Buttermilk Spelt Biscuits

Prep time: 10 min, Bake time: 10 min, makes 8-9 biscuits

• 4 cups spelt flour
• 2 Tablespoons non-aluminum baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• 2/3 cup palm shortening
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to  450º.
2. In mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Mix in shortening, and buttermilk until just combined.
3. Roll dough out onto lightly floured surface, to a 1-inch thickness.  Cut out biscuits with a 2.5-inch biscuit cutter.
4. Place biscuits 1 inch apart on ungreased pan and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are slightly browned.  Serve immediately, though room temperature or reheated biscuits are good, too.

Sausage Gravy

Prep time: 20 min, Serves 8

• 2 pounds ground turkey
• 1 Tablespoon rapadura (or coconut sugar, or brown sugar)
• 2 teaspoons Celtic sea salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground sage
• 1 1/2 teaspoons thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon marjoram
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, if you like spicy sausage)
• 1/4 cup bacon grease, optional (we buy organic, pastured bacon and definitely save the grease)
• 1/2 cup spelt flour
• 3-4 cups milk
• 1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1. Place ground turkey in skillet (cast iron is the preferred, non-toxic choice), over low heat.
2. Meanwhile, add 2 teaspoons salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper, sage, thyme, marjoram, smoked paprika, and optional pepper flakes to turkey; chop and stir to incorporate into turkey with spatula to combine and cook, turning heat to medium.
3. Once turkey is fully cooked with no more pink meat, reduce heat to medium-low, add optional bacon grease and sprinkle flour onto meat.  Cook for about minute, stirring constantly.
4. Drizzle milk onto sausage, stirring constantly.  Cook gravy until it thickens to desired consistency, 10-12 minutes.  If it gets too thick, add milk. If it's too thin, add a little more flour. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon salt and 2 teaspoons pepper into sausage, stir, and serve immediately with warm biscuits.

Oh and the tree?  We found one.  Jeremy did good, as usual.  This is why I let him obsess over finding the perfect one, even after the children are long done and ready to go home. It's always worth it.

How to Make a Rustic Sourdough Bread Loaf with 100% Organic Spelt

UPDATE: The video is no longer available but the recipe and instructions are below! I still use this recipe 6 years later as it’s a family favorite. 

The cool thing about sourdough is it really adaptable.  I'm going to list tools and supplies you can use around the house as well as the up-your-game version.  If you are new to sourdough, I encourage you to try it out for size using what you already have around the kitchen for at least a month before committing financially by investing in more expensive gear.  Just remember that if you end up loving the process of sourdough, your loaves will turn out even more magnificent once you get those new toys.

You Will Need:

• Spelt flour.  Store-bought will work fine, but when you're really ready to commit to this bread-making thing and want the best results and highest-nutritive-value loaf, you won't regret having a WonderMill in your kitchen.  Flour is also less expensive to mill yourself, and makes 8 cups of flour in two minutes.  Be sure to store freshly-milled whole-grain flour in the freezer to keep it fresh.  I also mill the rice flour used to flour the bowls and baskets with this mill.
• A glass or ceramic bowl for souring.  My favorite is the lidded glass bowl shown in the video.
• Sourdough starter. I used this one, followed the instructions provided in the packet, fed it all-purpose flour for about a week until it was well established, and gradually fed it spelt until it became all spelt. 
• A wooden or plastic spoon, or non-reactive stainless steal for mixing.  Up your game with this Danish wood whisk.  I adore mine.
• A bowl lined with a floured dish towel for proofing, or make your loaf gorgeous, darling, with a proofing basket.
• Bake your loaf in anything with a lid, but I'm telling you... Once you get a clay baker your bread will forever be better.  They also make ridiculously delicious, moist roast beef/chicken/meat in general.

Rustic Sourdough Bread with Spelt Flour

Makes 1 loaf, takes 15 hours altogether but 10 minutes of your time

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 3 Tablespoons honey
• 1/3 cup fed sourdough starter
• 5 cups spelt flour (organic is preferred)
• 1 scant Tablespoon Celtic sea salt (about 1 1/2 teaspoons if you are using table salt)

1. (If I want bread for lunch or dinner, I start this process at 4:00 the afternoon before.)  Pour water into mixing bowl.  Heat honey until it's liquified and whisk into the water.  Whisk starter into the water mixture.
2. Mix salt into flour, then incorporate them into the water mixture.  Stir and kneed until everything is really incorporated.  Cover and set your timer for one hour.
3. After an hour, remove lid and stretch the dough at every angle to activate gluten.  Place dough back in bowl, cover with lid, and set timer to 30 minutes.
4. Come back to your dough at 30 minutes and stretch again.  Place back int bowl and cover again.
5. After 30 minutes, pull the dough again.  Place back in bowl, replace lid, and set timer for an hour.
6. After an hour, it's time to pull the dough one last time, then replace lid and let sit overnight or 12 hours in a warm place.
7. The next morning, after 12 hours of rising, heavily flour a bowl with a tea towel over it or a proofing basket with rice flour.  Pick up the dough and form a smooth "top" the shape of your proofing bowl until it's nice and smooth and place the smooth part resting into the proofing basket or bowl.  Cover and let rise for an hour and fifteen minutes.  
8. After it's been an hour and fifteen minutes, place baking vessel into the oven and set the oven to 500º.  Once the oven has reached 500º, quickly and carefully remove baking vessel from oven and close oven.  Quickly and carefully flip dough into the baker so that the bottom part is now facing upward.  Score the dough with a really sharp knife or razor blade to guide the cracks in the crust.  Place lid on the cooking vessel and place in oven.  Immediately turn oven to 450º and bake for 35 minutes.
9. After baking for 35 minutes, remove lid and let crust brown for 5-10 minutes.  You want the crust to come out with a dark brown crust, and even little bits of blackening on the tips of where you scored the bread.  Remove bread from baking vessel.  You will know the bread is done when you knock it and it sounds hollow and the bottom of the loaf is dark brown.
10. Sourdough should be fully cooled before eating, and the flavor doesn't peak until day two or three, but we have been known to be impatient and cut into a warm loaf, slathering it with grass-fed butter or (my personal favorite) eating it with a slice of organic raw white cheddar.

~ Browse more Riddlelove recipes here. ~

7 Easy Almond Butter Recipes ~ Paleo & GAPS Friendly

Many folks these days are choosing almond butter as a healthier alternative to peanut butter.  When taste buds are used to peanuts, switching to almond butter can be a rough transition.  I'm sharing a new recipe along with some other favorites to present a collection that will help fan the flame for almond butter.  Check it out over at Modern Alternative Kitchen!

I'm sharing this at Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter.

Lemon Vanilla Bean Breakfast Cookies ~ A Paleo, Gluten-Free Recipe

Our littlest baby started sleeping through the night at seven weeks old.  I felt human!  This baby stuff is a piece of cake when you get enough sleep.  I was ready to take over the world!  Until teething, mental, and physical growth spurts hit and I never slept again.

I allow myself to sleep in (for as long as the baby sleeps) every Saturday morning.  This is only possible if breakfast is prepared ahead of time and the older children can satisfy their "starving" bellies themselves.  Enter the breakfast cookie.  I mean, who doesn't want to eat a cookie for breakfast?  Or anytime, for that matter?  These truly can be enjoyed at any hour of the day, thanks to each wholesome ingredient.

Paleo Lemon Vanilla Bean Breakfast Cookies
Prep time: 15 min; bake time; 15 min; makes 20 cookies (leftovers freeze well)

• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1/2 cup coconut oil (do not melt first)
• 1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 eggs
• zest from 1 lemon
• juice from 1 lemon
• beans from 1 vanilla pod (slit pod open and scrape beans out with a spoon, or squeezed out like toothpaste if it's been used to make vanilla extract)

1. Preheat oven to 350º.  Measure and pour coconut and almond flours into mixing bowl.  Turn mixer to low and continue to add the rest of the ingredients until fully mixed.
2. Form cookies by taking about 2 tablespoons of dough for each cookie, rolling them in a ball with your hands, and gently pressing them down to about 1/2 inch thick.
3. Bake on a cookie sheet (greased or lined with parchment paper) for 15 minutes.  Allow to cool completely on the cookie sheet before removing.  Serve immediately, store in air-tight, lidded container on the counter for up to 2 days, in the refrigerator for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to several months.

~ Browse more Riddlelove recipes here. ~

I'm sharing this at Real Food Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Fight Back Friday.

Cranberry Lemon Scones ~ A Grain & Gluten-Free Recipe

The aroma of coffee brewing and breakfast baking is such a welcoming "hello" in the morning.  Scones are my hero because from start to finish, they reach the table in less than thirty minutes.  I tossed in a few white chocolate chips to make it an extra special treat.  Trader Joe's offers them this time of year and I usually stock up before Christmas is over and their supply runs out.  If you decide to opt out of them, drizzling a bit of honey over the scones is yummy since there is no sugar in the recipe.  Almond flour is naturally sweet so there's no need to add any other sweetener.  This recipe makes six large, Starbucks-sized scones.  You could easily make two disks and cut each up in sixths to make twelve mini scones (see pictures below).  This is definitely in the running for the coveted Christmas breakfast dish along with Easy, Cheese Ham & Potato Strata.

GF Cranberry Lemon Scones
Prep time: 10 minutes, bake time: 15-18 minutes, yields 6 scones

• 2 cups blanched almond flour
• 1/2 cup arrowroot powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• 6 tablespoons butter or coconut oil
• 2 eggs
• zest from 1 lemon
• juice from 1/2 of the same lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup white chocolate chips (optional)
• raw honey to drizzle over baked scones

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. Mix together flour, powder, soda, and salt.
3. While the mixer is mixing, cut in butter, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, until dough is crumbly.  If you're using coconut oil, you can dump the whole amount in at once and mix until crumbly.
4. Whisk together eggs and juice, then stir in cranberries and lemon zest.  Pour into dough and mix thoroughly. 
5. Shape dough into a disk, about 1 inch thick.  Cut 6 pieces like cutting a pie.  Place pieces on baking sheet and bake 15-18 minutes or until hints of brown are around the edges.  Drizzle raw honey over scones just before serving.

I'm sharing this at Monday Mania, Real Food Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Fight Back Friday.

Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Dairy-Free Persimmon Spice Muffins ~ A Recipe

Persimmons are the last fruit of the season.  They are rich in antioxidants, fiber, and are known for their anti-inflamitory and tumor-fighting nutrients.  We enjoy them in smoothies, grain-free cookies, and now in muffins as well.  Because they only take thirty minutes from start to finish, I like to make a double batch of these first thing in the morning so we can enjoy warm muffins with soft butter for breakfast.  We also then have a stash to pull from for lunches and snacks for the rest of the week.  They freeze well if you'd like to tuck some away for even later.

Gluten-Free Persimmon Spice Muffins
Prep time: 10 minutes, bake time: 20 minutes, makes 12 muffins

• 2 persimmons, tops sliced off, then quartered and de-seeded (if yours has any)
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup arrowroot powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon (or 1 cinnamon stick)
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger (or 1/2 inch fresh ginger knob)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (expeller pressed won't taste like coconut)
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 350º.  
2. Put quartered persimmons in blender and puree.  Add remaining ingredients and blend on high for 1 minute or until the badder is smooth.  While badder is processing, line 12 muffin cups.  I love these reusable muffin liners. 
3. Pour badder into the lined muffin cups to about 2/3 full.  Bake for 17- 20 minutes, or until firm to the touch and no dough sticks to your finger.

~ Browse more Riddlelove recipes here. ~

I'm sharing this at Monday Mania, Real Food Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter.

Grain-Free Gluten-Free Chocolate Chunk Zucchini Muffins

It's not a pretty muffin as muffins go, but don't let it's look deter you.  With a soft-yet-dense texture that's unusual for a coconut flour bread and a flavor rich in chocolate, this muffin is a palate-pleaser to be sure.  Don't think you'll finish off a whole recipe?  Freeze leftovers for later.  You'll be glad you did.

Grain-Free Zucchini Muffins

Prep time: 10 min, Bake time: 20 min, Makes 24 muffins

• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 teaspoon celtic sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup whole cane or coconut sugar
• 3 cups grated zucchini
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350º. In a mixer, beat coconut flour until all the lumps are out and the flour is smooth.  On low speed, add salt, soda, and cinnamon.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, then add the oil, sugar, and zucchini and mix thoroughly.  Mix in chocolate chips.
2. Spoon batter into greased or lined muffin pans, about 2 tablespoons for each muffin.
3. Bake about 20 minutes or until spongy-feeling in the middle.

~ Browse more Riddlelove recipes here. ~

I'm sharing this at Monday Mania.

Gluten-Free Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake ~ A Recipe

So... I know coffee cake usually has some sort of a crumbly topping, but this lil' dish o' goodness needs no such thing.  It's already plenty sweet and satisfying on it's own, and simplicity is the name of the game.  No one would ever guess it's made with almond flour; even the gluten-free-wary can't help but delight in a square.  Or two.

Gluten-Free Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Prep. time: 5 minutes, cook time: 25 minutes, serves 10

• 2 cups blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
• 1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup arrowroot powder
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 cup expeller-pressed coconut oil (it doesn't taste like coconut)
• 1/2 cup whole cane, date, or coconut sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 small or 2 medium/large apples, grated around the core (keep seeds and core out of the grated apples)

1. Preheat oven to 350º.  Grease a 9x13 pan.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients but the apples and beat on high for about 1 minute.  Add grated apples and stir on low just until incorporated.
3. Scrape batter into greased pan and bake for 25 minutes or until the edges are brown and the middle doesn't wiggle.  Cool for about 10 minutes and serve warm.

~ Browse more Riddlelove recipes here. ~

I'm sharing this at Monday Mania, Real Food Wednesday.

Simple Gluten-Free, Grain-Free Orange Muffins ~ A Recipe

There are oh so many reasons why I love this recipe.  Besides the gentle, pleasing taste and angel food cake likeness of the texture, these lovelies are quick to make and the clean-up is a breeze.  Oh, and they freeze beautifully, so they are being added to my freezer inventory before baby comes (in about three weeks!  Eek!).  Some of my kids don't enjoy other recipes I've made with coconut flour, but all four of them (and Jeremy!) enjoy these muffins.  Victory!

It almost feels wrong to call them muffins because they are so cake-like, but I don't want to feel badly about eating them for breakfast, so they are muffins.  However, if you top them with your favorite vanilla frosting and maybe decorate them with a sprinkling of finely grated orange zest, they would make amazing cupcakes.

Grain Free Orange Muffins

Prep time: 5 minutes, bake time: 25 minutes, makes 24 muffins

• 8 eggs
• zest from one orange
• 2 oranges, peeled
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup ghee or butter
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup rapadura, sucanat, coconut or date sugar (the last 2 options make this recipe GAPS-friendly)
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract or 2 vanilla beans
• 1 cup coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• 1 teaspoon non-aluminum baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350º.  Grease muffin cups or use muffin liners.  Place all ingredients in blender and blend on high for 45-60 seconds, or until well blended.  If it still doesn't look completely mixed, give it a stir with a spoon.
2. Pour batter into muffin pans about 2/3 of the way full.  Bake for 25 minutes.

~ Browse more Riddlelove recipes here. ~

I'm sharing this at Monday Mania, Real Food Wednesday.

A Real Food Valentines ~ Pink Pancakes

Real Food folks can enjoy colorful, pink and red food on Valentine's Day just like the rest of the world; and be all the healthier for it.  Creation is jam-packed with color, and we get to eat some of it!  There is absolutely no need for artificial, toxic food coloring to ever enter our bodies.  Okay.  Back to a special, nourishing, colorful breakfast.  Our Valentines morning tradition is pink pancakes.  The food coloring of choice?  A lovely, in-season beet.  That's all it takes.  Fear not, the pancakes taste nothing like beets.  It just lends it's lovely color to the recipe, that's all.

Here's what ya do:  simply mix in 1/4 of a cup beet purée (about 1 small beet's worth), either raw or roasted, to your favorite pancake recipe.  I use this lovely sourdough pancake recipe.

So go.  You've got a week to scrounge up a beet.  But while you're out, get a bunch of 'em.  Next up is a pretty, gluten-free Valentine's dinner recipe, and there will be beets involved.  Getcha beet on, y'all!

~ Browse more Riddlelove recipes here. ~

I'm sharing this at Monday Mania, Real Food 101, Barn Hop, Traditional Tuesdays, Real Food Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Fresh Bites Friday, Farm Girl Friday, Fight Back Friday.

Pumpkin Scones Akin to Starbucks (with a Healthy Twist)

Let's get real here, folks.  Y'all know I adore healthy foods: real, whole, slow, soaked, raw, fermented, home-cooked...  I'm all about it.  But sometimes I forget to soak grains and flours the night before, or am just plum tuckered out at the end of the day.  So... sometimes I give myself a little slack.  It's okay to do that sometimes, you know.  Instead of spending a fortune at Starbucks and filling our family with refined yach (that just shouldn't taste so darn good), here's a little treat we indulge in from time to time.  You can make these the day before; they'll keep okay.  Or... you can double the recipe, eat some today, and some tomorrow.  Maybe.

Thanksgiving is a'comin' and these would make a tasty breakfast for Turkey Day...

As-Healthy-As-It-Gets Pumpkin Scones Akin to Starbucks
Makes 6 large scones (picture the ones at Starbucks)
Prep time: 15 minutes.  Bake time: 14-16


2 cups spelt flour (freshly-milled is preferred)
1/4 cup rapadura
1 Tablespoon non-aluminum baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon ginger
6 tablespoons chilled butter
1/2 cup pumpkin (or kabocha) puree
3 Tablespoons buttermilk
1 egg

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 
2. Combine dry ingredients (flour through spices) in a mixer.
3. Set the mixer to a low speed and cut in chilled butter (slice butter like your'e generously buttering a slice of bread and drop the pieces of butter into the mixer, one at a time, while the mixer is on low).
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the wet ingredients (pumpkin, buttermilk, and egg) together.  Keep the dry ingredients mixing on low and slowly pour the wet mixture in until it's well incorporated.  
5. Form the dough into a ball.  Now squish the ball into a 1-inch-thick circle on a lightly-foured surface.  Slice the circle into 6 even pieces and set them on a baking sheet (preferably stoneware).  Into the oven they go.
6. Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until the edges begin to slightly brown.

What the dough looks like before you cut it.

Now it's cut!

What they look like when they're done baking.

For the Glaze

• 2 cups powdered sugar (if you want to avoid refined powdered sugar and you own a Vita-mix, get your Vita-mix recipe book out and make your own powdered sugar from evaporated cane juice, turbinado, or even rapadura)
• 2 Tablespoons milk (whole, raw milk is preferred)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ginger
• 1 pinch cloves

1. When scones are cool, mix ingredients until smooth.
2. Dip the top of the scones into the glaze until they're well-covered, or drizzle glaze over the scones with a spoon.

Dipping scones into the glaze.

Or, the drizzle method.

Enjoy!

~Browse more riddlelove recipes here.~