Coconut Milk Egg Nog

Egg nog is what my husband looks forward to most during the holidays.  I have to agree with him, however, store-bought varieties can be really frustrating to me, with all the ridiculous ingredients added to preserve, thicken, and sweeten it.

A good quality cream (preferably raw if you can find it), is what delivers the rich, creamy texture of egg nog.  Cream is also rich in healthy fats, vitamin K, and many more nutrients too, so don't shy away from it! 

So once you combine delicious cream with egg yolks, grass-fed gelatin, and coconut milk, you have yourself a creamy, nutrient-packed festive drink!

(And if you're wary about consuming raw egg yolks, please don't be!  Raw egg yolks are highly digestible and full of readily-available nutrients.  Just make sure you buy only true organic eggs from pastured hens!)

INGREDIENTS:

- 2 1/4 cups cream (read your ingredients, and make sure it's just cream.  And stay away from homogenized cream)

- 1 full-fat (BPA-free canned) coconut milk

- 6-8 pastured egg yolks (I prefer using 8)

- 1/4 cup Grade-B maple syrup

- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

- 1-2 tablespoons grass-fed gelatin

- pinch of sea salt

- nutmeg to taste (I prefer grating fresh nutmeg)

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend on medium speed for at least 1 minute.  Pour into a pitcher or container and chill in the fridge for 1 hour or more (the longer is chills, the more thick it gets).  

2. Pour into glasses, and sprinkle nutmeg on top!

3.  Enjoy!

(This is also delicious poured over some fresh fruit or berries).

Approximately 6 servings

(Adapted recipe from here)

Hootenanny Pancakes

Growing up my mom would often treat us to some hootenanny pancakes, and they were truly the best.  Since then, however, I've longed for a gluten-free equivalent, and miraculously these puffy hootenanny pancakes, (that I later found out are also referred to as German Pancakes or Dutch Babies), are not only nearly identical to the original recipe, but possibly better!  I also made them for my older brother, and he raved about how he preferred this over the original (no offense mom).

These puffy, eggy pancakes are lip-smackin' good with cinnamon and maple syrup on top.  Mmm...

INGREDIENTS:

- 1/3 cup grass-fed butter (I like Kerrygold)

- 8 eggs (preferably from pastured hens)

- 1 cup coconut, almond or raw milk

- 1/3 cup arrowroot starch/flour

- 1/4 cup coconut flour

- 1/2 teaspoons unrefined sea salt

- cinnamon for sprinkling

- Grade B maple syrup to drizzle on top

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2.  Place butter in a 9x13 pan, and place in the oven to melt.  (Keep an eye on it, so it doesn't burn).

3. Meanwhile, put eggs in a blender, and blend on high for 15 seconds.

4.  Add the rest of the ingredients and blend for 30 seconds.

5.  Once butter has melted, remove pan from oven.  Pour the batter into hot buttered pan, and place back into the oven.

6.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden and puffy.  Remove from oven and sprinkle cinnamon on top.

7.  Cut into slices. and serve warm with syrup, or any other desired topping.

Enjoy!

Approximately 3-4 servings

(Adapted recipe from here)