Kathryn's Kitchen

Creamy Almond Milk

2012-02-08T09:37:00.000-08:00

I don't tolerate dairy well, so I make my own nut milks. For extra creamy and rich milks I add a can of full fat organic coconut milk. If you are worried about saturated fat, don't be. When it's coming from a healthy source like coconuts it is actually quite beneficial for your health.

Unrefined coconut oil is known for it's antimicrobial/antifungal properties, so you can give your immune system a little boost. It will also aid in weight loss, and the absorption of calcium, magnesium, and amino acids. If you have any thyroid or gall bladder issues this is the easiest fat for your body to metabolize. More info on coconut oil HERE.

Soak 1 cup of nuts in salt water for at least 7 hours to remove the phytic acid.

Rinse and drain the nuts and put them into a blender. Add 4 cups of filtered water.

Blend for about 1 minute (probably less if you have a blendtec or vitamix).

Pour into a nut milk bag with a container underneath to catch the milk.

Squeeze the bag until all the milk has been extracted. At this point you should have about a quart of milk. You can stop here and store the almond milk in the fridge or add the coconut milk to make it extra creamy.

The remaining pulp should be pretty dry. Save this because you can dehydrate it. Then you have home made almond flour! I'll post more on that later.

blend or whisk in 1 can of organic coconut milk. Be sure to use regular full fat, not light.

Pour the milk into glass containers and store in the fridge for up to 7 days. Be sure to give the jar a little shake before using, as the milk will start to separate as it sits in the fridge.

Ingredients:

1 tsp sea salt

1 cup raw almonds (or other nuts/seeds)

warm filtered water (for soaking)

4 cups filtered water (for blending)

1 can full fat, organic coconut milk

Directions:

In a large dish add the nuts, salt, and pour warm filtered water over them until the nuts are covered. Stir to mix in the salt. Let the nuts soak for at least 7 hours.
Discard the soaking water then rinse and drain the nuts. Place the nuts into a blender along with 4 cups of filtered water. Blend for about 1 minute.
Pour the mixture through a nut milk bag into a bowl or pitcher. Gently squeeze the nut milk bag to extract the milk from the pulp. The pulp can be dehydrated into a nut flour. At this point there will be about 1 quart of milk which can now be stored in the fridge.
For an extra creamy milk blend or whisk in 1 can of full fat, organic coconut milk.
Pour the milk into glass containers and store in the fridge for up to 7 days. Be sure to give the jar a little shake before using, as the milk will start to separate as it sits in the fridge.

Soaked Granola, GF

2012-01-30T21:49:00.000-08:00

I have always enjoyed granola. Unfortunately what you buy at the store is highly processed and full of high fructose corn syrup. Most of the recipes for home made granola are still full of phytic acid because the grains need to be soaked first. Some even call for canola oil or have you bake the nuts/seeds in the oven at high temperatures. Then you just end up consuming rancid fat, which is toxic to your body. So here is my recipe for a properly prepared granola.

Some great reasons to eat buckwheat: Help lower blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure. It is high in fiber and magnesium. Contains high quality proteins.It has antioxidants that protect the body from free radicals.

Some great reasons to eat oats: Help lower blood sugar and cholesterol. They are full of heart healthy antioxidants. They have plenty of selenium, manganese, magnesium, zinc, and phosphorus.

It can either be dehydrated or baked in the oven at 200 degrees

Granola without any additional nuts, seeds, or dried fruit.

Granola with soaked/dehydrated walnuts, dried cranberries, and raisins.

Keep it stored in an airtight container to stay fresh!

Soak:

4 cups rolled oats

1 cup buckwheat

1 3/4 cups filteredwater

2 Tbs apple cidervinegar

Add before baking:

1/2 cup melted unrefined coconut oil

1/2 cup raw agave orhoney

1/2 cup pure maple syrup (grade B)

1 Tbs cinnamon

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

The night before mixthe oats and buckwheat together with the waterand vinegar in a large bowl.
In the morningpreheat the oven to 200 degrees and preptwo large baking sheets with parchment paper. This can also be made in a dehydrator.
Melt the coconut oilin a small pot and whisk in the rest of theingredients.
Pour the coconut oilmixture onto the soaked grains and use a spatula to gently mix them together.
Scoop the wetgranola onto the two baking sheets and evenly spread the mixture out.
Put in the oven andbake for 4 hours. Be sure to stir thegranola every hour and rotate the baking sheets.
When it's done storein an airtight container. Add dried fruit, nuts, seeds, or coconut flakes ifdesired.

Find more great recipes and tips over at Kelly's blog during Real Food Wednesday!

Vegetarian Myth: What's really destroying our bodies and planet

2012-01-26T09:05:00.000-08:00

Lierre Keith, is the author of "The Vegetarian Myth," She was a vegan for 20 years and is now an omnivore. Learn about Weston A. Price and how his findings helped the way she thinks about food.

Watch her Video and learn the truth!

Soaked GF Whole Grain Bread

2012-01-21T20:39:00.000-08:00

I've been making and messing around with gf breads for a looong time now. Finally, I've come up with a recipe that is easy, healthy, tastes great, and seems more like whole wheat bread than gluten free. There is no need to have the "right" flours because I've used a lot of different gf flours and had great results every time. I use 3/4 a cup of 4 different flours. Make sure to use 3/4 cup of tapioca flour and the other 3 can be whatever you like or have on hand. I've used a mix of brown rice, quinoa, sorghum, millet, teff, and garbanzo bean and the bread has always turned out.

Reasons why you want to soak your grains (as well as seeds, nuts, and beans).
1. Phytic acid is found in all grains, seeds, nuts, and beans. Phytic acid combines with calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, and zinc in the intestines and blocks your body from absorbing them. So you're not really getting all the nutrients you think you are when you consume whole grains!
2. The lack of absorption can lead to mineral and bone loss because these nutrients will be taken from your body instead of supplied to your body.
3. Soaking the grains will break down and neutralize the phytic acid. We are then able to properly digest the grains and use the nutrients.
4. Water should be mixed with some lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, whey, or yogurt to effectively break down the phytic acid.
5. Sprouting grains, dehydrating them, and grinding them into flours don't need soaked because the sprouting process already broke down the phytic acid. To save time you can buy sprouted flour. However it's cheaper to do it yourself!

I participated in Real Food Wednesday, go there to find more great recipes!

Parchment paper makes the removal of gf bread super easy

This was a blend of Teff, Sorghum, and Brown Rice

No more dry and stiff gf bread, this one has flexibility to it!

Ingredients:

3/4 c brown rice flour
3/4 c teff flour
3/4 c sorghum flour

Note: the above 3 flours can be switched to whatever gf flour you like!

2 c filtered water
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbs sugar
3/4 c tapioca flour
2 Tbsp active dry yeast
1 Tbs xanthan gum
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Directions:

The night before, use a large bowl whisk together the brown rice flour, teff flour, and sorghum flour. In a small bowl mix the 2 cups of water with 2 tsps of apple cider vinegar. Pour the vinegar water into the flours, mix well and let soak overnight
Next, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and olive oil together.
In a small bowl whisk together the tapioca flour, yeast, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt.
Pour the yeast and egg mixtures into the bowl with the soaked flour. Stir them together with a hand mixer. Then add the rest of the dry ingredients and beat for 1 minute. Add more tapioca flour if runny.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a bread pan with parchment paper and grease the paper and pan. Scoop the dough into the pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Brush some olive oil onto a piece of plastic wrap and cover the top. Set aside in a warm place to rise for about 40 minutes or until it has doubled in size.
Bake for 40 minutes or until it has a nice brown color. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then remove and place on a towel to cool.

Jambalaya

2011-11-05T18:01:00.000-07:00

This is a dish that has so much flavor! Plus it fills you up and warms you up on a chilly fall day. The husband loved it and told me I can make this anytime (translation make this once a week please). So get out your largest pot and cook up some good ol jambalaya!
Also this recipe can be found on Real Food Wednesday, along with other great dishes!

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp ghee or butter
1 cup brown rice
3 cups hot chicken or fish stalk
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 bell peppers, any kind, seeded and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb chicken breast, cubed
6 oz andouille smoked sausage, chopped
2 tsp paprika or Bay seasoning
15 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 tsp oregano
1-2 tsps red pepper flakes
3 bay leaves
12 large jumbo shrimp or 30 small
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

Heat the ghee in a large skillet. Add 1 cup of brown rice and stir until lightly toasted. Move into a very large pot and add in the chicken or fish stalk. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down to low. Let the rice cook for 40 minutes before adding in the other ingredients.
Then heat 1 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil on medium heat in the same skillet used for the rice. Add in the onion, bell peppers, celery, and garlic. Stir and cook for about 8-10 minutes until the vegetables have softened. Add this to the large pot of rice.
Use the skillet again to heat up the other Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. Add the chicken and sausages and cook for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Sprinkle the paprika or Bay seasoning over the meat and cook for another 30 seconds.
Turn the heat down to low-medium heat, then pour in the can of diced tomatoes. Stir in the oregano, red pepper flakes, bay leaves, and shrimp. Let simmer for 8-10 minutes until the shrimp are cooked through. Pour into the large pot along with the parsley. Gently stir until the ingredients are mixed together.
Transfer to a large serving dish (optional), garnish with fresh herbs, and serve
Total cook time is about 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Thai Green Chicken Curry with Veggies

2011-10-11T22:35:00.000-07:00

I love curry and I can't seem to get enough curry these days (pregnancy cravings in full force). I've made 3 different curry dishes in 3 days. This one was really good. As well as the lentil curry I made today, maybe I'll post that one tomorrow.

Ingredients:

3 Tbs coconut oil
1/2 an eggplant, sliced into thin bite size pieces
2 carrots, peeled and sliced into thin pieces
1 red bell pepper sliced into strips
1 Tbs ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 large chicken breasts, cubed
1 1/2 cups of kale, chopped into small pieces
1 can of canned coconut milk (use full fat not light)
3 Tbs Thai green curry paste
1 1/2 Tbs Thai fish sauce
Fresh Thai basil or cilantro diced to garnish (I preferred it with cilantro, Tyler liked the basil)
Serve over rice or rice noodles.

Directions:

Soak the eggplant in salt water for 10 minutes (this will take out the bitter flavor). Make sure the eggplant is completely covered with salt water. I had to put a bowl on top of mine to press it down in the water. Drain and rinse the eggplant.
Heat the coconut oil in a wok, or large skillet. Add the carrots, eggplant, red bell pepper, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Sauté for 5 minutes.
Add the chicken and Kale. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the meat is starting to color.
Pre-stir the coconut milk and then pour it in. Stir in the curry paste. Cover and let simmer for 12 minutes.
Stir in the fish sauce and serve over rice noodles or brown rice. Top each dish with basil or cilantro.
*note, we added a little cashew milk to ours in addition to the coconut milk. We felt it needed more liquid. Any type of milk could be added to thin it out a bit.

"Cream" of Chicken Soup

2011-10-09T14:11:00.000-07:00

This is the perfect substitute for Cream of Chicken soup. The taste and texture are spot on! However the health benefits of this one includes high protein, high fiber, and no processed ingredients. Whereas a certain name brand contains processed ingredients like soy, oil, milk, and other filler chemicals that I'd rather not eat.

This recipe makes a large batch so I usually just freeze what I don't need and then thaw a container out before I need to use it. Sometimes I'll just put the frozen block and other ingredients I'm using in the crock pot and let time take care of the rest.

With this recipe a wheat grinder, blendtec, or dry container vitamix will be needed to make the white bean flour. I've used several different kinds of white beans and they all have turned out great. Cannellini, Great Northern, and Navy are all pretty interchangeable. One time I didn't have enough white beans so I did about half white and half garbanzo and the soup still turned out great! It's pretty flexible.

Also you will find this recipe on Kelly's site for Real Food Wednesday and Sunday Night Soup. Check it out for other healthy recipes!

Bring chicken broth to a boil

Whisk in white bean flour until thick

Cook your favorite dish using cream of chicken

soup.

Ingredients:

6 cups of chicken broth OR 4 cups chicken stock and 2 cups of filtered water
1 cup white bean flour
Add in options: cooked chicken, sautéed mushrooms, sautéed onions, any cooked veggies, or herbs/spices

Directions:

Bring the chicken broth or stock/water mixture to a boil.
Then whisk in the white bean flour. Lower the heat and stir for 3-5 minutes or until the "cream" of chicken is thickened to your liking.
Now you can let the soup cool and freeze what you won't be using (this is what I do), or add in pieces of chicken, mushrooms, or veggies and then place into containers to freeze. I prefer to do my add ins later since I don't always know what I'll be making.

Maui Zaui Pizza

2011-10-04T17:31:00.000-07:00

Saturday was pizza night at my house growing up. We aren't talking grab the phone and wait for the pizza boy to deliver it. We are talking my dad would grind the flour, make some amazing dough, and we would have a plethora of ingredients to top the pizza's off with. Some of my favorites were BBQ Chicken, Vegetarian, Pesto n Shrimp with Feta Cheese, and of course my all time favorite Maui Zaui.

I had Maui Zaui at a friends house and I went home and told my dad he had to recreate it! So for a very rare dinner we went out to Round Table and ordered the Maui Zaui and we all agreed it needed to join our weekly pizza party menu. The secret is the sauce, which is just sweet chili sauce that you can get in the oriental section at the grocery store.

GF pizza dough waiting for some toppings

Maui Zaui Pizza, my all time favorite

Maui Zaui Pizza Toppings:

Sweet Chili Sauce
Mozzarella Cheese (regular or daiya if allergic)
Canadian Bacon
Bacon (pre-cook it before putting on pizza, but not too crispy)
Green onion
Red onion
Tomato
Pineapple

GF Crust: I found the best recipe at Gluten Free Day

4 1/2 tsps instant rise yeast

1/2 tsp sugar

2 cups quinoa flour or blend of 1 cup quinoa, 1/2 cup brown rice, and 1/2 cup teff

1 tsp salt

3 Tbs psyllium Husk powder or flax meal

1 cup warm water

3 Tbs olive oil

GF Crust Directions:

Whisk the yeast, sugar, quinoa flour, salt, and psyllium husk powder in a large bowl.

Or you can soak the quinoa flour overnight by mixing it with 1 cup of water with 1 tsp of lemon juice or vinegar to remove the phytic acid. It's an extra step but you will absorb more vitamins and minerals

Whisk the warm water and olive oil together.
Add the oil/water to the dry ingredients and mix for 5 minutes. You can use a hand mixer, Bosch, or Kitchen Aid. If you are using your strong arm and a spoon mix for 10 minutes.
Form a ball and place in a dark warm place for 20 minutes. Get your toppings ready while the dough rises.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees with a pizza stone. Place parchment paper on a pizza sheet and use a greased rolling pin to roll out the dough. Add your toppings and place the pizza in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes for thin crust or until the crust has browned and the center of the pizza is bubbling.

Note: I recommend rolling the dough out thinner than you think is normal. It rises significantly, and my family likes a thin crust. You can see in the two pictures I posted how much it rises. I rolled the dough out as thin as I normally like my pizza (I wasn't sure it would rise a whole lot.) Then if you look at the finished pizza you can see the crust puffed up quite a bit, it was thicker than we normally like in this household.

Buckwheat Hazelnut Pancakes

2011-09-26T21:45:00.000-07:00

This recipe is originally from Whole Life Nutrition. I made a few changes. First I used EnerG-Egg Replacer instead of eggs since my body can't tolerate them right now. Second I soaked the buckwheat and hazelnut meal the night before in a mixture of 1 cup rice milk and 1 tsp of lemon juice. Read more about the benefits of soaking grains HERE. One last note is that I have made this same recipe by swapping out the buckwheat flour for a mix of teff and quinoa flour, it tasted just as good.

Quick note on soaking that I learned this week from my NTA course:
Soak, sprout, ferment, or naturally leaven all seeds, nuts, and grains.

All grains contain phytic acid in the outer layer of bran.
Phytic acid combines with calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, and zinc in the intestinal track and blocks their absorption.
This can lead to serious mineral and bone loss.
Soaking grains allows enzymes, lactobacilli, and other organisms to break down and neutralize the phytic acid, allowing us to access the nutrients in grain and digest them effectively.
Did you know that the original instructions on Quaker Oats called for overnight soaking? Maybe I should start a petition to have them put it back on the label!

I tested some of the batter in the waffle iron as well. Turned out good as long as the iron was well greased with ghee/coconut oil.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups of freshly ground buckwheat flour
1 1/2 cups of freshly blended hazelnut meal
1/4 cup of tapioca flour
1 1/2 tsps baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
3 cups rice milk
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsps egg replacer (or 2 eggs)
4 Tbs water
3 Tbs honey
3 Tbs melted coconut oil

Directions:

Mix 1 1/2 cups of rice milk with 1 tsp of lemon juice. Whisk this into the buckwheat flour and hazelnut meal. Cover and let soak overnight at room temperature.
In a small bowl whisk the tapioca flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt together.
In a medium bowl whisk the egg replacer with water until frothy and then mix in the honey, coconut oil, and the remaining 1 1/2 cups of warm rice milk.
Finally, mix the wet and dry ingredients into the soaked buckwheat-hazelnut mixture, just until combined. Add extra milk if batter seems too thick.

My Favorite Corn Bread Recipe

2011-09-22T16:33:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe at Whole Life Nutrition, it's the best corn bread recipe I've ever had. I tweaked my recipe just a little bit. Instead of sorghum flour I used a mix of brown rice and buckwheat. Instead of coconut sugar I used raw honey. T Also I soaked the corn meal, buckwheat, and brown rice flour in rice milk with a little lemon juice overnight to reduce the phytic acid.

This recipe has been shared with Real Food Wednesday, check out other real food recipes on Kelly's blog.

They are light and fluffy

Cut in half and spread ghee and honey on for a tasty treat!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups yellow corn meal
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1 Tbs baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup flax meal
1/2 cup hot water
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
1/3 cup applesauce
1 1/2 cups rice milk

Directions:

Whisk the corn meal, brown rice flour, and buckwheat flour together in a large bowl.
Mix 1 cup of rice milk with 1 tsp of lemon juice. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix until damp. Cover let sit overnight or for 12 hours.
In the morning preheat the oven to 350 and grease muffin pans
In a small bowl mix tapioca flour, baking powder, and sea salt together.
In a medium bowl mix together the flax meal, hot water, honey, coconut oil, applesauce, and 1/2 cup of rice milk.
Whisk in the wet ingredients with the soaked corn meal mixture. Then mix in the tapioca flour mixture as well.
Fill the muffin tins to the top and bake for 25-30 minutes, when the tops start to become golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes and then remove from the pan to cool further.

End of the Week Crock Pot Soup

2011-07-24T21:48:00.000-07:00

Towards the end of the week I often have a mix of different veggies and meat that I don't want to waste. So I throw it all in the crock pot and and have a delicious soup for dinner. It's a great way to get a lot of nutrients, use up leftovers, and take a break from cooking after a busy week. I make a lot of chicken stock that I keep frozen so I toss one that in with it and I end up with a great soup.

This picture was taken after we had eaten so there are plenty leftover for lunch the next day

Each batch is going to turn out a little different depending on what I have in my fridge, but so far we haven't had a batch that we disliked.

This particular batch had chicken stock, canned tomatoes, carrots, sprouted lentils, sprouted black beans, zucchini, kale, onions, garlic, basil, and chicken sausage.

Find more great recipes on Kelly's Blog, Real Food Wednesday

Baked Oatmeal

2011-07-08T20:19:00.000-07:00

I saw this idea of making baked oatmeal for breakfast over on Kelly the Kitchen Kop's blog. I made a few changes to make a version that I think my family would like (we aren't the biggest raisin fans). One of these mornings I'll make her original recipe though because I want to try it. The great thing about her recipe is it's quite versatile. Apples can be replaced for any other fruit of your liking and raisins can be traded out for different types of dried fruit. One of these days I want to make one with blueberries and black berries. Actually the more I think about it the more combinations I keep coming up with!

Baked oatmeal in a 9x13 ceramic dish

Ready to eat! My husband pours milk on his and I enjoy topping mine off with walnuts or pecans

Ingrediants

2-1/2 cups oats (regular, steel cut, or both)

1-3/4 cups buttermilk, yogurt, or 1 Tbs lemon juice mixed with water

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup flax meal + water until it has the consistency of an egg (or use 2 eggs if not allergic)

1/3 cup real maple syrup

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup dates pit removed and chopped

2 cups unsweetened, chunky apple sauce

Pecans or walnuts to sprinkle on top (optional)

Directions

Soak the oats in buttermilk or lemon juice over night.

In the morning Beat the coconut oil, flax meal mixture, and maple syrup together.

Add in baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon, vanilla, and apple sauce. Beat together until well combined. Then stir in the dates and oats.

Pour into a 9x13 baking dish and bake at 350 for 40-60 minutes.

Let cool for 10 minutes and serve.

Salsa Verde Enchiladas with Sheep Cheese

2011-06-30T10:10:00.000-07:00

We love spicy food in this house, and tonight I knew exactly what I needed to give me a kick. Enchiladas! Also be sure to check out Kelly's Real Food Wednesday for more great ideas!!!

Enchilada's are best when topped off with a little cheese. I am sensitive to cow's milk but not to goat or sheep so I decided to try using one of those. Goat cheese would be too strong for these enchiladas so I didn't use it. However there are several sheep cheese varieties that have the taste and texture like cow's milk. At Whole Foods the cheese experts helped me find one that would go well with enchilada's and they were right! The Brigante Pecorino Pinna was perfect for this dish. It melted nicely, and the flavor was somewhere between a mild cheddar and havarti. For those that are sensitive to any dairy then Daiya cheese would also work.

Ingrediants: sheeps milk, rennet, enzymes, and salt

Also, I have noticed that I can tolerate some cultured dairy (from cows) in small amounts. So tonight I had about a tablespoon of Nancy's cultured, full fat sour cream along side my enchiladas. If I go overboard I will get a stomachache and my eczema will flare up.

On another note full fat is important because low fat food replacements take out the fat and put fillers and sugar in place of them. Wouldn't you rather eat real food instead of some filler or more sugar? Plus, "those that are on low fat diets for a long time may be at risk for depression, low energy, weight gain, and mineral deficiencies" -Sally Fallon, Nourishing Traditions.

Salsa Verde Turkey Enchiladas before getting baked

Enchiladas finished baking and topped off with sheep cheese. I didn't bake the cheese because I didn't want to kill the enzymes

Ingredients

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

16 non GMO corn tortillas

1 lb ground turkey

1 medium onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 carrot, shredded

10 leaves of kale, chopped with stem removed

2 jalapenos, diced

1/2 Tbs cumin

1/2 Tbs chili powder

16 oz salsa verde

1 1/2 cups raw cheese, shredded (I used sheep-Brigante Pecorino Pinna)

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1 avocado, sliced

Cultured, full fat sour cream (optional)

9 x 13 baking dish, greased

Directions

Enchilada Filling: In a large pan sauté the onion, garlic, and carrot in some olive oil. Add it to a large mixing bowl and set aside. In the same pan cook up the ground turkey, jalapenos, and stir in the cumin and chili powder. When the turkey is almost done mix the kale in until it wilts. Add the turkey mixture to the onion mixture and stir together until combined.

Soften the Tortillas: Fry the corn tortillas in a little olive oil to soften them, don't let them get crispy or they won't roll up. Another method is to steam the tortillas so that they become soft. Choose whichever method you prefer. Sometimes it's nice to do half steamed and half fried.

Bake or Freeze: Next scoop some enchilada filling into a tortilla, roll it up and place it seam side down. Do this until the greased baking pan is filled up. At this point the enchilada's could be frozen or baked. If baking, pour the salsa verde over the enchilada's, cover, and bake at 325 for 30 minutes or until they are steaming. At this point sprinkle the cheese over the top of the enchiladas, cover and let them sit in the warm oven for about 5 minutes or until the cheese melts.

Serve: with cilantro, avocado, salsa, and cultured-full-fat-sour cream.

Meatloaf with lentils and veggies

2011-06-25T18:24:00.000-07:00

The secret to my tasty meatloaf is to add in leftovers. I had some organic kale and sausage from the previous day as well as fiber from juicing vegetables for a morning health drink. It proved to be a great way to give my meatloaf a nutritional boost and add flavor as well.

Instead of using 2 lbs of grass-fed ground beef I used 1 lb and the other lb was replaced with sprouted lentils. This saved money since lentils cost pennies compared to grass-fed beef. Plus Lentils offer plenty of protein, folate, iron, potassium, and fiber.

Sauteed celery and onions

Sprouted lentils cooked with tomatoes, onions, and garlic for 10 minutes.

Meatloaf is a great way to use up leftovers. I had some sausage and kale that needed eaten up so I blended it up with some garlic.

1 lb of grass-fed ground beef, 1 lb of sprouted/cooked lentils, tomatoes, onions, celery, kale, organic sausage, garlic, and fiber from juicing carrots/summer squash.

Instead of doing the typical meatloaf in a bread pan I baked them in a greased muffin pan.

After they have baked for 45 minutes they are ready to eat. Not the prettiest picture (I'm not a photographer by any means) but they tasted great, in fact we didn't even use ketchup!

Meatloaf

1 lb grass fed ground beef

1 lb of sprouted lentils
15 oz diced tomatoes
2 Tbs ghee
1/2 onion, diced
2 garlic bulbs
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 cup kale, chopped
2 carrots, shredded (in this case I used fiber from juicing veggies)
1 oz Italian sausage (optional)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp of dried basil
1 tsp of fresh rosemary, diced
1 duck egg or 4 Tbs of Flax meal + water
1 1/2 cups gluten free bread crumbs (I used roughly blended oatmeal)

Directions
Soak the lentils for 12 hours. Drain and rinse 3 times over 24 hours or until they have sprouted.
Cook the lentils with 15 oz of diced tomatoes. Since they are sprouted it should only take 10 minutes.
Sauté the onion, celery, garlic, and kale in 2 Tbs of ghee. Place in a food processor and blend so it is chunky. Don't puree it.
Preheat oven to 350
In a large mixing bowl combine all of the ingredients.
Grease muffin tins and scoop the meatloaf into each cup and shape the top smooth. Bake for 45 minutes or until the temperature reads 170.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

2011-06-19T22:13:00.000-07:00

My parents came up to visit and attend the 2011 Herb Fair at Bastyr with me. They also brought me items some butternut lettuce and rhubarb from their garden. Butternut lettuce isn't like your typical romaine or leafy green, it literally melts in your mouth with each bite you take. I made a wonderful salad with tomatoes, red onion, celery, sugar snap peas, and avocado. Then topped it off with *crispy walnuts and a dijon mustard vinaigrette. Lettuce grows really well in Seattle, so I'm thinking that after I harvest my spinach I'm going to plant some butternut, because it is just wonderful.

*Sally Fallon has a wonderful recipe for crispy nuts in her book Nourishing Traditions. It takes out the phytic acid and allows the body to absorb more nutrients. Basically by soaking the nuts and then making them crispy in a food dehydrator or the oven on a low temperature.

I was asked to teach a gardening 101 class for a Relief Society Meeting (a women's group at my church). I grew up helping my parents garden but I am not a master gardener or even close to being one. In fact I could probably benefit from attending some gardening classes. Overall I think it went well, the women told me afterwards that after my presentation they felt they could try growing an herb garden or make some sprouts in their kitchen. Most of us are students here and don't have room for anything but a few planter boxes so I think it went well.

To thank the women that came to the class I made a strawberry rhubarb pie, using the rhubarb my parents had brought me. The pie turned out delicious, especially after it was topped off with whipped cream made from coconut milk.

I couldn't do a nut based crust like I usually do since one of the girls there has nut allergies. This one is a mix of ground oatmeal, brown rice flour, quinoa flour, vanilla, organic palm shortening, and a duck egg. I didn't measure it out so I don't have an exact recipe.

I didn't have 2 pie pans so I decided to make it in a large dish. The crust got a little over cooked this way but it still tasted great. However next time I'll make sure to use 2 pie dishes if I double the recipe.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

FILLING

3 cups chopped red rhubarb, fresh

3 cups largely chopped strawberries
1/2 cup organic Turbinado sugar
1/2 cup organic brown sugar
3 tablespoons minute tapioca
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
2 dashes of cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons coconut oil or ghee
1 egg white mixed with 1 tsp of water (optional)

Mix the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, tapioca, zest and juice of lemon, dash of cinnamon, and vanilla. Mix well in a large bowl and pour out into chilled crust. Dot the top of the filling with the ghee or coconut oil.

Brush edges of pie crust with egg white wash is using. Roll out the other pie dough and cover the top or cut out shapes with cookie cutters. Crimp to seal edges. Brush with egg white wash and collar with foil.

Bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes. Decrease temperature to 375 degrees F and bake for an additional 45 to 50 minutes, or until the filling starts bubbling. Higher altitude will take 450 degrees F and 400 degrees

Vitamina de Abacate

2011-05-15T22:55:00.000-07:00

This smoothie was made with avocado, lime juice, frozen banana, tempt milk, spirulina, and stevia

This avocado smoothie is such a treat! My recipe is based on the one that my dad used to make for me growing up. He fell in love with it in Brazil, there they call it vitamina de abacate. There are a few different ways it can be made so I'll share some different options.

First peel a banana, slice it up and place it in a small Tupperware container and freeze it. I usually keep several bananas in the freezer because I use them in smoothies. If the banana isn't frozen the texture of the smoothie will be goopy instead of creamy. (picture from google images)

slice an avocado and add it to the blender. (picture from google images)

Squeeze in lime or lemon juice. I usually use a lime but a lemon will also work

Scoop a teaspoon of spirulina. A handful of spinach or kale can also be used.

Add 8 oz of yogurt for a thick smoothie or 8 oz of milk for a thin smoothie. I like both ways, it just depends on what I feel like at the time I am making it.

I use Bellwether Farms sheep milk yogurt since I am sensitive to cows milk. Goat milk yogurt has too strong of a flavor for me. For milk I use my own cashew milk, tempt milk, or Trader Joe's Grain milk since I am allergic to cow's. Even when I make a smoothie using yogurt I add a little milk as well, otherwise it won't blend.

Delicious!

After I blend the smoothie I taste it. Sometimes I add a few drops of stevia. Usually the banana makes it sweet enough, however now and then it needs a little something extra. Raw honey or turbinado can also be used.

Vitamina de Abacate (Avocado Smoothie, serves 2)

1 frozen ripe banana, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces

1 avocado

Juice of 1 lime or lemon

8 oz plain full fat yogurt or milk

1 tsp spirulina or 1 handful of spinach/kale

A few drops of stevia or a tsp of preferred sweetener (optional)

Peel, slice, and freeze 1 ripe banana. Add the banana and the rest of the ingredients (except for the sweetener) to the blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Depending on the size of the banana and avocado it may need a little extra milk to help it blend. Taste to see if it needs sweetener. If it does add a few drops of stevia or a tsp of raw honey and blend one more time. Pour into two 12 oz glasses and enjoy!

I posted this on Kelly the Kitchen Kop's blog for her Real Food Wednesday post! Check it out to see other blogger's recipes for real food!

Chicken and Rice with a Tropical Twist

2011-05-08T19:49:00.000-07:00

I have been going to Bill the Butcher to get quality meat. Their meat is different from what you will buy at any ol grocery store, just read their following statement.

"Bill the Butcher believes in supporting sustainable farming practices and working with local farmers and ranchers who raise beef, pork and poultry without hormones, steroids and genetically modified feed. We also feature open pastured organic and natural grass fed beef that has not been artificially and intentionally fattened on corn. This gentle and natural diet creates meat that is high in Omega 3 and 6 essential oils and is far healthier than traditional beef raised in a feedlot."

I can feel the difference as well. Last year I was vegan. Before that I tried to eat healthy but knew something was off. (Have you ever realized that the typical low fat diet is a high sugar diet?) After I read the China Study I went vegan. Then my body went really out of whack and I found out I have food intolerances to a lot of vegan food. I have been doing more research and have started to follow a traditional food diet (with a few alterations) and I am noticing a difference.

In September I will be taking an 8 month course through the Nutritional Therapy Association. They use Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon in their teachings so in a year I will have a lot more knowledge than I do now. I am constantly reading and doing research on my own when it comes to nutrition and I am excited to finally have experts give me some guidance.

I cooked chicken with fresh pineapple, rice, and other veggies to make this fun dinner!

I doubled the recipe so I had to combine everything in a large mixing bowl. Brown rice, sautéed onions, garlic, ginger, red bell pepper, chicken broth, and red pepper flakes all mixed together.

Caramelized fresh pineapple

I cut the pineapple in half and scooped out the fruit. It was trickier than I thought it was going to be. The first half I scooped out I completely destroyed. I was smarter with the second one. I cut it up before trying to scoop

I topped it off with chopped up cilantro but didn't get a final picture of it because we were hungry. There is more filling than the pineapple can hold so it was served in another dish.

Pineapple Chicken and Rice

1 cup brown rice. Soaked, drained, and cooked

1/2 onion, chopped

1 Tbs fresh grated ginger

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 cup peas

1 organic chicken breast

1/4 cup chicken broth

1 fresh pineapple + 1 can of pineapple

1/4 cup Pineapple juice

sesame oil

fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

Soak the brown rice for 24 hours in water and 1 tsp of vinegar. This will reduce the phytic acid making it easier to digest and allowing more vitamins/minerals to be absorbed. Drain and rinse the rice and cook in 2 cups of water with a tsp of olive oil.
Drizzle the chicken breast with some sesame oil and pineapple juice. Wrap it in tinfoil and bake it at 350 for 20-30 minutes until it's 160 degrees and no longer pink in the center.
While the chicken and rice are cooking prep all the veggies. Chop the onion, chop the pepper, mince the garlic, slice up the pineapple, chop of the cilantro, and set the peas out to thaw.
Sauté the onion, garlic, and ginger in some sesame oil. Set aside.
Sauté the red bell pepper for 2 minutes but don't overcook it. It should still be firm. Set aside.
Sauté the pineapple so the sides get caramelized.
When the rice is done mix in all the sautéed veggies and thawed out peas. Add the red pepper flakes, chicken broth, and pineapple juice.
Shred the chicken and mix it in as well. Fill the empty pineapple with the chicken-veggie-rice mixture and top with cilantro. The extra filling can be served in a separate dish.

Spirulina Berry Smoothie

2011-04-29T00:09:00.000-07:00

I've been adding 1 tsp of Spirulina to my smoothies these days. This algae sure packs in the punch when it comes to nutrition. Protein, iron, vitamins, antioxidants, and important fatty acids. You can learn more about the health properties here.

In this smoothie I used a banana, frozen mixed berries, spirulina, non diary milk, and a little lemon juice.

It's super tasty and is even husband approved in the taste test. Trust me, he has no problem telling me that some of my creations just aren't gonna work....This one passed the test!

The berries hide the green algae, but it's in there I promise!

Trader Joe's makes a non dairy drink that I like to keep around when I run out of Cashew Milk and don't have time to make a new batch for a while. It's made from amaranth, millet, and quinoa. It's also much lower in sugar than rice, hemp, and hazelnut milk.

Banana Chocolate Cream Pie

2011-04-25T23:28:00.000-07:00

There is a pie that I have been drooling over for quite a while now. My birthday was on Saturday so I knew it would be the perfect dessert to celebrate with. I used the recipe from The Spunky Coconut she creates gluten free, casein free, and sugar free recipes that are absolutely delicious. I have made several of her dishes and haven't been disappointed yet.

mixing up flax meal, coconut oil, applesauce, and honey for the crust

blended walnuts and coconut flour are also mixed in

The pie dough is ready!

press it into the pie pan

bake it up

blend cocoa powder, dates, banana's, and chia seeds together

Let it chill for several hours and add the birthday candles

Make a wish

Dig in! I received a whip cream dispenser for Christmas and if I put canned coconut milk in it I get whipped coconut cream! It all tasted so good!

Muesli

2011-04-13T10:18:00.000-07:00

I have been getting gluten free oats and making muesli. Living Young has some great info about properly prepared grains. When I made muesli in the past I never soaked my oats but after reading about the health benefits I have changed my ways!

I soak the oats in water and fresh lemon juice overnight, then drain it in the morning

Scoop some of the soaked/drained oats into a bowl and add banana slices

Next I warm up some frozen berries and place them on top

Then I pour in some cashew milk

Sometimes I add 3 drops of stevia and give it a couple of stirs. For those of you who enjoy your milk turning pink from those artificial breakfast cereals, you are lucky you will get the same result without the ill effects.

Muesli

Soak 1 cup of gf oats in 2 cups of water with fresh lemon, orange, or apple juice.

In the morning drain the oats and scoop some oats into a bowl.

Add toppings that you like: fruit, nuts, seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, or nut butters

Pour non-dairy milk over the top and enjoy!

Stevia

2011-04-10T14:18:00.000-07:00

I get a lot of questions about stevia. What is it? Why do you use it? Is it better than sugar? Well I love Kelly's blog and she made a short video about stevia that I thought was great so I wanted to share it.

Curried Sweet Potatoes and Black Beans

2011-04-03T13:54:00.000-07:00

I have made this dish vegan with roasted chickpeas but I have also roasted organic free range chicken. Both ways are delicious and I am sure both ways will be made again.

I found the recipe at A Good Appetite they make theirs in a crock pot (which I've done). However this last time I baked the potatoes and cooked everything separately. Both ways taste great!

I put the curry on top of spinach for dinner, but I prefer the spinach chopped and mixed in better

For lunch the next day I chopped up the spinach and mixed it in. I like the texture better this way.

Ingredients

1 c dry black beans

1 small onion ,chopped

1 clove garlic minced

2 T curry powder

2 c chicken or veggie broth

3-4 sweet potatoes

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 cup raisins

3 c spinach, chopped

1/2 cup coconut milk (whole fat cream from a can)

Adding roasted chickpeas or chicken is optional

Directions

Soak and Cook the black beans. Other wise use 2 cans of black beans that have been rinsed and drained.
Bake 4 sweet potatoes on the oven at 400 degrees for 1 1/2 hours while the beans cook.

Once the sweet potatoes are done, caramelize the onion and garlic in a large pot. Take the skin off of the sweet potatoes, chop them up and add them to the large pot.

Mix in the black beans, curry powder, broth, cayenne pepper, raisins, chopped spinach, and coconut milk. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Spicy Guacamole

2011-03-14T01:22:00.000-07:00

Guacamole is one of the best snacks ever. Creamy goodness from the avocado, a little zip from the lemon, and a kick from the cayenne pepper; sign me up. I really like using my food processor because the acid from the lemon juice and the fat from the avocado whip together to make a mousse like mixture that literally melts in your mouth.

2 ripe avocados
4 sprigs of cilantro (optional)
3 small cloves of garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper to add a kick
Juice of 1 lemon
1 medium ripe tomato, chopped

Cut 2 avocados in half and remove the stones. Scoop the flesh into a food processor. Add the cilantro (if using), garlic, salt, pepper, and cayenne (a few dashes should do the trick). Blend until smooth, it was about 30 seconds or so for me. Squeeze in the lemon juice and blend for another 30 seconds, the mixture should "fluff up." Lastly, chop up the tomato into small pieces and stir it in. Give it a taste and add more salt or pepper if necessary.

Layered Bean Dip

2011-03-08T23:02:00.000-08:00

I went to a party and brought this layered bean dip along with corn chips. Everyone there ate some and then came back for more. I left with an empty dish.

I made it with black beans vs pinto just for fun, feel free to use whatever you enjoy the most

2 cups cooked and drained black beans (cook them with celery, garlic, and onions for flavor)

1 Avocado

Juice of 1 lemon

2 cloves garlic

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 cup cashew cheese sauce or shredded Daiya cheddar cheese

1 cup salsa

1/3 cup black olives, chopped

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Mash up 2 cups of cooked beans (black or pinto) and spread at the bottom of a 9x9 glass dish or pie pan. Blend the avocado, lemon juice, garlic, and salt & pepper together. Then spread that on top of the beans.

Put a layer of cashew cheese on top of the guacamole. If using daiya cheese sprinkle it on after the salsa.

Spread salsa over the cheese and sprinkle with olives and cilantro.

Roasted Chickpeas and Veggies over Quinoa

2011-02-23T23:55:00.000-08:00

It's snowing outside and I want comfort food. I took a look around and came up with this for dinner. The flavors were rich and warmed my hubby and I right up!

I'm not a photographer, this dish tastes so much better than it looks-just ask my husband he went back for thirds!

Ever had roasted chickpeas? They are the best mock meat ever. No mushy beans here, they have a chewiness to them that will satisfy all who bite into them.

These have been flavored with basil, garlic, olive oil, and veggie broth

Tomatoes, garlic, onions, olive oil, and black pepper flavor the dish so well

cook the quinoa in veggie broth and fluff it up

Place the roasted chickpeas and veggies on top of the quinoa and serve it up!

Ingredients

1 cup cooked quinoa

2 1/4 cups veggie broth

5 cloves garlic chopped into thirds

1 large onion chopped in large pieces

8 small vine ripe tomatoes, sliced in thirds

1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans) rinsed and drained

1 Tbsp dried basil

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

A few dashes of cayenne pepper

Directions

Heat oven to 375 and place the rinsed and drained chickpeas onto a cookie sheet. Drizzle olive oil over the top and roll the beans around until they are coated. Sprinkle dried basil and cayenne pepper over the top along with 1/4 cup of the veggie broth and bake in oven for 1 hour, stir them every 20 minutes.

Chop up the garlic, onion and slice the tomatoes. Place them onto another cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil and grind some black pepper on top. Put the cookie sheet on the rack next to the chickpeas. Roast them for 35 minutes.

With 15 minutes left measure out 1 cup of quinoa, rinse it and cook it in 2 cups of water or veggie broth.

Banana Peanut Butter Hemp Smoothie

2011-02-15T22:53:00.000-08:00

I've been adding Hemp Protein to smoothies and I am really enjoying it in my banana peanut butter smoothie.

Banana Peanut Butter Hemp Smoothie
1 frozen banana chopped
1 Tbs peanut butter
2 Tbs hemp protein
1 1/2 cups non diary milk
5 drops of liquid stevia or 1 tsp raw sugar
4 ice cubes

Peel a banana wrap it up and freeze it for 5 hours. Chop up the banana and put it in the blender along with the other ingredients. blend until smooth.

Make sure the banana is frozen otherwise the texture will be goopy. You can adjust the thickness by adding or decreasing the milk.

Spicy Vegan Chili

2011-02-15T01:31:00.000-08:00

I won the prize for Hottest Chili at my church's chili cook off in September 2010. It's been cold and rainy here in Seattle so I'm thinking that I need to make this again to warm up!

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp fennel ground up with turmeric and coriander
2 orange bell peppers
4 chopped jalapeños
2 cans of 28 oz. crushed or diced tomatoes (with juice)
4 cups of cooked, drained beans (a combination of what you like-black, garbanzo, kidney, pinto, Great Northern, cannelloni, etc.) soak 1 1/3 cups of dry beans overnight, drain, and cook until tender if not using canned beans.
1 tsp tbsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbs cocoa powder
salt/pepper to taste
1 cup broth (vegetable)
Chipotle Tabasco sauce 2 Tbs or 3 dried chipotle peppers
1 tsp fennel ground up with turmeric and coriander
Feel free to throw grass fed beef in. If money weren't an issue I'd always add it in!

Heat oil over medium/low heat in a large pot. Add the onion, carrot, bell peppers, and celery, cook for 15 minutes (or until soft). Add the garlic, cayenne pepper, fennel spice blend, jalapenos and salt/pepper for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cooked beans, tomatoes, cocoa, chipotle seasoning, and veggie broth. Simmer for 20 minutes after stirring well.

Detox with Beets

2011-02-14T16:53:00.000-08:00

I've been juicing in the morning to start my morning by hydrating, getting my body packed with nutrients, and rejuvenate after working out. Check out a short video from PCC about the benefits you can get from beets. Green Lemonade also has a great article about beets. Below I posted my favorite mix of fruit and veggies to juice each morning.

1 apple, 2 carrots, 1 cucumber, 1 lemon, 1 beet and include the greens. Send these through the juicer and you'll have a great detox drink to start your day!

It's best to drink nutrient rich juice like this on an empty stomach and wait about an hour or 2 before eating. This way the nutrients will be digested easily and your stomach won't get upset.

Mmmmm...Drink up!

Teff Breakfast Muffins

2011-02-10T22:03:00.000-08:00

No sugar needed for theses tasty treats. All the sweetness comes from apples, dates, raisins, and stevia. These will be made again very soon!

Info on teff from Whole Foods Market:

This ancient grain has a sweet and malty flavor; it’s a rich source of calcium, magnesium, boron, copper, phosphorus and zinc, too. Contains twice as much iron as wheat and barley!

Dry ingredients

2 cups teff flour

1/2 cup tapioca flour

2 Tbs ground flax meal

1/4 cup coconut

1/4 cup raisins

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 pinch nutmeg

Wet ingredients

1/3 cup coconut oil

1 1/2 cups pureed squash

8 pureed dates

3/4 cup water

1/2 tsp liquid stevia

1 small apple cut into chunks

Topping

Coconut or sunflower seeds

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Puree squash in a food processor and pour into a medium sized mixing bowl. De-pit the dates and place in a food processor. Add a few Tablespoons of the squash puree and blend until smooth. Pour into the squash.

Add oil, water, and stevia to the squash and date puree. Whisk together. Add the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just combined. Stir in the apples.

Grease 2 muffin tins and drop the batter in each cup. Sprinkle coconut or nuts on top of each muffin and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove the muffins and let cool on a wire rack.

*Note: to remove the phytic acid and get the most nutrients out of this recipe, be sure to soak the teff flour overnight. Mix the 3/4 cups of water with the 1 1/2 cups of pureed squash and add 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar. Then stir in the teff flour.

gluten causing more problems than tummy aches

2011-02-06T22:33:00.000-08:00

I recently read this article on being gluten intolerant by Elaine Fawcett, MJ, NTP. I'll list some points that stood out to me. The article is long, but oh so good!

It'll bite you back "Gluten is difficult for humans to digest. Ancient humans intuitively knew this as they transitioned from hunter-gatherer to agriculture societies and fermented or soured grains to make them more digestible."

Breeding " this already difficult-to-digest grain has been hybridized over the years for higher gluten levels, and methods of storing wheat in this country fosters the growth of toxins that denature the protein, making it even more antagonistic to the body."

Genetically Modified " Many children in the US and Europe have developed life-threatening allergies to peanuts and other foods. There is a possibility that introducing a gene into a plant may create a new allergen or cause an allergic reaction in susceptible individuals. A proposal to incorporate a gene from Brazil nuts into soybeans was abandoned because of the fear of causing unexpected allergic reactions. Extensive testing of GM foods may be required to avoid the possibility of harm to consumers with food allergies." Deborah Whitman from csa.com

Overload "wheat dominates the American diet. We simply eat way too much of it, improperly prepared. "

It Can't Hide "Once you’ve gone gluten-free and done some research, you develop gluten antennae–the ability to see the telltale symptoms in a great many people especially those closest to you."

Not Listening... "Apparently the thought of getting through parenthood without the aid of mac-and-cheese and goldfish crackers is too overwhelming for most parents, even if it means giving their children prescription drugs instead."

How many are affected? "One in three Americans is gluten intolerant, one in three!, and that more than 80 percent of us are genetically predisposed to a gluten intolerance. Once those genes turn on, it means that your immune system is armed and poised to attack every time gluten, which it now recognizes as an infectious agent, enters the body. The spooky thing, according to Fine’s research and other studies, is that most cases of gluten intolerance don’t manifest as gut symptoms, so people have no idea they’re gluten-intolerant. "

Getting tested "EnteroLab is a direct to consumer lab, testing for antibodies to gluten and other foods using stool samples. But consider this, antibodies to gluten are made in the digestive tract. That is where EnteroLab looks for them and so far it has a 100 percent success rate in confirming celiac disease, a form of gluten intolerance that creates an autoimmune reaction in the small intestine. Conventional medicine still relies on blood tests and intestinal biopsies for a diagnosis. Unfortunately, you’re likely to get a negative result with a blood test until your condition is very advanced and antibodies are spilling into the bloodstream. You don’t want to wait that long. "

Here is what happened when I waited too long

"It manifests differently for different people–joint pain and inflammation, dermatitis, asthma and other respiratory tract issues, poor brain performance, autoimmune diseases, behavioral issues, digestive issues galore–the damage often begins in the gut.... undigested gluten and other proteins escape into the bloodstream, creating a chronic immune response. One’s overall health slowly erodes, various allergies and food intolerances develop, cancer risk increases, degenerative diseases set in, and the risk for developing autoimmune diseases runs high."

Autism "gluten also acts as an opiate by attaching to opiate receptors in the brain and producing a narcotic effect, which explains why so many comfort foods are wheat-based. This effect creates powerful behavioral responses in autistic children, while making gluten highly addictive to them. It’s no wonder these parents complain their children will only eat gluten and dairy foods, (casein in dairy acts in the same way)"

Temper tantrums normal? " Three days after both my children were gluten-free, and my youngest was also dairy-free, the daily tantrums, the night terrors, and the uncontrollable behavior dried up"

Symptoms from glutenfreedom.net

Fatigue
Addison’s disease
Gastrointestinal distress (gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, reflux)
Headaches (including migraines)
Infertility
Mouth sores
Weight loss/gain
Inability to concentrate
Moodiness/depression
Amenorrhea/delayed menarche (menstrual cycles)
Bone/joint/muscle pain
Dental enamel hypoplasia
Short stature
Seizures
Tingling numbness in the legs
Abnormal liver test
Addison’s disease
Alopecia
Anemia
Ataxia
Autoimmune hepatitis
Chronic abdominal pain
Chronic fatigue
Crohn’s disease
Dermatitis herpetiformis (a “sister” of celiac disease)
Down syndrome
Epilepsy
Family history of celiac disease
Gall bladder disease
Hyperthyroidism/hypothyroidism
Total IgA deficiency
Insulin-dependent diabetes (type 1)
Infertility/spontaneous abortions/low birth-weight babies
Iron deficiency
IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
Malnutrition
Multiple sclerosis
Non Hodgkin’s lymphoma
Osteoporosis, osteopenia, osteomalacia
Pancreatic disorders
Pathologic fractures
Peripheral neuropathy
Primary biliary cirrhosis
Psoriasis
Recurrent stomatisits
Rheumatoid arthritis
Scherosing cholangitis
Sjogren syndrome
Systemic lupus
Turner syndrome
Ulcerative colitis
Vitiligo

Tikka Masala

2011-01-31T22:38:00.000-08:00

If you are looking for a dinner that is quick to make and tastes great, then this is the dish to go to! We have tried a few different versions of this dish and Vegetarian Nation has beat out the competition. I have made a few alterations to adjust it to our liking. In fact Tyler and I have "fought" over who gets the leftovers the next day for lunch, it's that good!

Tikka Masala Recipe

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs fresh ginger, minced
3 stalks celery, sliced
3 medium carrots, sliced
16 oz diced tomatoes
2 Tbs honey
1 15 oz can garbanzo beans
1 cup non-dairy milk
2 tsp of garam masala and if you don't have any, use the following:

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp ground cumin
Pinch of nutmeg
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro to sprinkle on top when serving

Brown rice

Boil 1 cup of brown rice and make the tikka masala while the rice is cooking on low heat.

Sauté onion, garlic, celery, and ginger in olive oil over medium heat for 5 minutes.

Add *carrots and cook for a few more minutes. Season with garam masala, then stir in diced tomatoes, garbanzo beans, and non-dairy milk.

Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens. Serve over brown rice and sprinkle chopped cilantro on top.

*I put the sliced carrots in a bowl with 1 Tbs of water and cook them in the microwave for 4 minutes so that this meal can be made quickly.

Cashew Milk

2011-01-30T17:31:00.000-08:00

I have been making my own raw cashew milk and it is the best non-dairy milk I have ever had.
Trader Joe's sells raw cashews for $5.49 per lb, this is where I currently buy them. I would like to buy them from azure standard, however I need to call them and find a drop point in Seattle.
Buy nut milk bags, they work far better than a cheese cloth, plus they are really easy to clean.
For those interested, Whole Foods has some great health info on cashews.

I learned how to make nut milk from The Spunky Coconut, Kelly Brozyna has a wonderful gluten free, casein free, and sugar free site.

Cashew Milk

Raw Cashew Milk

Soak 1 cup raw cashews with 1 tsp sea salt for 8 hours.
Drain the water and rinse the cashews.
Add them to a blender along with 4 cups of filtered water.
Blend for one minute and strain the liquid through a nut milk bag. The milk will stay fresh for 6 days in the fridge.

Notes
*I often add a can of coconut milk to the nut milk to thicken it up and make it more rich!
*Feel free to add a few drops of liquid stevia or a tsp of your favorite sweetener to the milk.
*This method also works to make other nut milks. I've done almond milk. Mixed nuts: 1/2 cup raw cashews and 1/2 cup toasted peanuts to make a rich tasting hot cocoa. Mix nuts and seeds: cashews and sunflower seeds.

Are you buying real blueberries or just food coloring and sugar?

2011-01-20T14:30:00.000-08:00

I saw this video today and it made me thankful that my parents taught me how to cook from scratch and read nutrition labels. According to this video if you pick up most items that claim they are made from blueberries, it's not true. All you have to do is turn the product around and read the ingredients.

Better yet buy blueberries and make some muffins from scratch. You will know for sure that there isn't any food coloring, preservatives, and high fructose corn syrup going in the batter.

Blueberries faked in cereals, muffins, bagels and other food products - Food Investigations - NaturalNews.tv

Gluten Free Sorghum Hazelnut Bread

2011-01-19T09:59:00.000-08:00

This bread turned out soooo good! My husband and I both agreed that we would eat it if gluten weren't an issue. There are no eggs, dairy, or soy in this recipe either. It turned out light and fluffy, which is unusual for the typical loaf of gf bread. This one is a keeper! I got the idea for this bread over at What Life Dishes Out, dairy and eggs are used in that recipe so I changed to to be vegan.

I used the sorghum hazelnut flour blend that I posted earlier

GF dough is more like a batter. So I scrape it into a bread pan with a spatula and smooth the top. I highly recommend this technique of greasing the pan, adding parchment paper, and spraying it with oil again.

I cover the dough with plastic wrap which has been sprayed with a little oil.

Once it has risen to the top of the pan I bake it. This can take 25 minutes to 60, depending how warm your home is.

Bake in the oven for 55-60 minutes. Don't let the bread sit in the pan too long or it will get soggy. Remove the bread after 10 minutes and allow it to continue cooling on a rack.

Grab both sides of the parchment paper and lift. The bread should come out very easily without any trouble at all! This method is great for brownies and other bars, they are so much easier to cut this way.

After it has cooled for about an hour and 30 minutes it's ready to be sliced. An electric knife and bread slicer allow for even, professional looking slices.

I was surprised that I was able to bend this bread and it didn't break!

I then used some soy free earth balance and apricot preserves to really enjoy this bread.

Dry Ingredients

2 1/2 Cups flour blend (see below)

1/3 Cup brown rice flour or teff flour
2 Tbs flax meal or ground flax seed

1 Tbsp Xanthan Gum

1 tsp Salt

1 Pkg Active Dry Yeast (2 1/4 tsp)

Wet ingredients

1 cup warm unsweetened coconut milk (any non diary milk will work)

3/4 Cups Warm Water (110 degrees)

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbs apple sauce

*Sorghum Hazelnut Flour Blend*

2 cups sorghum flour

2 cups tapioca flour

1 cup hazelnut flour or buckwheat

Spray a 9x5 bread pan with oil. Place parchment paper so that it lays on the bottom of the pan and flows over two of the sides. Spray again and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl whisk all of the dry ingredients together.

Mix the wet ingredients together on the stove top on low heat until 110 degrees. Or until is warm to touch, like I did.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and use a mix for 3-5 minutes. A hand mixer works just as well as a bosch or kitchen aid.

Scrape the dough into the greased bread pan and smooth out the top.

Spray plastic wrap with oil and lay over the top. Let the bread dough rise until it reaches the top of the pan. Can take 20-60 minutes depending how warm your house is.

Remove the plastic wrap, place in the center of the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes.

Here is an update on the bread slicing guide I use. It's made by West Bend. I didn't see any on their site but I did see some on eBay. Mine was a passed down from my parents and I'm not sure where they originally got it.

Dark Chocolate Brownies

2011-01-18T13:10:00.000-08:00

Cakes don't get made very often in my kitchen. The reason behind this is that, well....we are brownie people. Who wants a slice of cake when you can have a moist, rich, fudgy brownie? Since all of the crazy food allergies popped up I haven't had a brownie in a long time, (we are talking months here people!)
So I began my search to find an allergy friendly gluten free brownie recipe. I ended up making my own since I would find one that was gluten free but it would have eggs, if it didn't have eggs it would have dairy, or it just wouldn't be gluten free! So here is what I came up with and lets just say the hubby was very pleased and told me I better hide them if I want some!

It's dark I know, but we are dark chocolate fanatics in this house! you can easily use regular cocoa instead of the dark cocoa. Here is an interesting article on Dutch vs Natural Cocoa.

Wet mix
6 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

1/3 cup coconut oil melted

1/3 cup raw sugar

20 drops of liquid stevia

4 Tbs applesauce unsweetened

1 teaspoon Vanilla

Dry mix

2/3 cup gf flour blend

2 Tbs flax seed meal

1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Xanthan Gum

1/2 cup Chopped Nuts (optional)

Preheat oven 350 and grease an 8x8 or 9x5 pan.

Melt the coconut oil and whisk in the cocoa powder. Mix in the sugar, stevia, applesauce, and vanilla. Stir until sugar is dissolved.

In a medium bowl mix the flour, baking powder, salt, xanthan gum, and flax meal together.

Slowly stir the wet mix into the flour mixture. Add the nuts either in the mixture or just sprinkle 2 Tbs on top.

Pour into greased pan and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Cool, remove, and cut into squares.

*Trick* grease the pan and lay parchment paper inside so that 2 parallel edges fit perfectly in the pan and 2 parallel edges stick slightly out of the pan. Grease the parchment paper. After the brownies have cooled in the pan lift the paper out and the brownies can be cut evenly.

Bites of Seattle

2011-01-09T18:06:00.000-08:00

On Friday I went out to lunch with a friend of mine who is also gluten, diary, and meat free. We will be going out once a month trying different places. We went to Pizza-Pi, a vegan and allergy friendly place. I got personal pizza made with a gluten free crust, marinara sauce, daiya cheese, kalamata olives, artichokes, and sun dried tomatoes. I didn't have to worry about soy, dairy, casein, gluten, wheat, or meat. I took leftovers home and my husband ate some and was very impressed with how good it was! I will definitely be going back for more tasty slices.

Daiya Cheese

2011-01-07T18:48:00.000-08:00

I am enjoying a new "cheese." It melts and has such a great flavor. It's called Daiya Cheese. It's perfect for people with many different allergies. There isn't any soy, gluten, dairy (lactose or casein), eggs or nuts. I am excited to make a gf pizza crust soon and enjoy a warm slice of pizza melting with cheese!

Here are the ingredients for the mozza cheese:
Filtered water, tapioca and/or arrowroot flours, non-GMO expeller pressed canola and /or non-GMO expeller pressed safflower oil, coconut oil, pea protein, salt, vegan natural flavours, inactive yeast, vegetable glycerin, xanthan gum, citric acid (for flavor).

Black Bean Burgers

2010-10-16T12:09:00.000-07:00

My husband enjoys a juicy burger. After his finals at school are over he usually gets a burger, fries, and a root-beer and chills. Well he also really likes it when I make black bean burgers, they have tons of flavor and are a much healthier option than ground beef. I also love that this recipe makes 18 burgers and they freeze well, which makes for easy future dinners!

Uncooked black bean burger, it's ready to get grilled!

After it's been grilled

Black bean burger, ready to eat!

Black Bean Burgers

4 cups cooked, rinsed and drained black beans

(1 1/2 cups of dry beans makes about 4 cups cooked, also cook them with garlic, onion, and celery to add flavor)

1 cup cooked quinoa

(1/2 cup dry will make 1 cup cooked)

2 Tbs flax seed
3Tbs water
1 can tomato paste
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbs ground cumin
1 Tbs dried parsley
2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. coarse salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
Gluten Free Bread Crumbs (to roll in)

Cook black beans (this needs to be done in advance) or buy a few cans of black beans. Cook the quinoa while mixing the other ingredients.

Chop the cilantro, dice the onion, and mince the garlic. (I used my food processor.) Place in a large mixing bowl.

Place 2 cups of the black beans in a food processor (or blender) and pulse until chunky.

Transfer to the large mixing bowl. Add flax meal and mix with water. Add remaining whole black beans, tomato paste, cumin, parsley, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes and mix until well combined. When the quinoa is done cooking mix that in as well.

Let chill in fridge for 15 minutes to set up.

Can cook in a lightly greased pan, I used a pancake griddle so I could cook 9 at a time. Turn griddle onto 375 and make the patties while warming up.

Pour some gluten free bread crumbs onto a plate. Scoop out 1/4 cup bean mix and lightly roll in the bread crumbs. This prevents the bean mixture from sticking to your hands. Then form a patty about 1/2 inch thick and 3 inches in diameter. If you want bigger patties scoop 1/3 of a cup.

Spray the griddle/pan and cook for about five minutes on the first side or until well seared and with a flipping spatula, turn onto second side and allow to cook for an additional five minutes

This made 18 burgers so you could easily half the recipe. I like making a large batch like this and then freezing the leftovers between parchment paper. Then all I have to do is microwave a burger, grab ketchup n mustard, chop up my tomato, lettuce, pickles, onion, and toast a gluten free bun!

NOTE: I cooked my own black beans and I didn't drain them well enough (I just scooped them out of the pot and tried to avoid the liquid) so I had to blend up gluten free oatmeal to thicken the "batter." So drain the black beans well or you may have to add a thickener of some sort. I have made them in the past with well drained beans and I haven't had to add anything. Lesson learned: trying to take the easy way out just makes for more work!

sautéed greens tossed with toasted walnuts

2010-10-14T22:39:00.000-07:00

Toasting walnuts with garlic and a little EVOO on medium heat

Toss in the chopped greens (I used arugula and spinach)

Let them cook for a few minutes while stirring

Add a pinch of salt and they are ready to eat!

Roasted Garlic Hummus

2010-10-04T17:39:00.000-07:00

Not the best picture but it was soo good I just wanted to eat it right away!!

Hummus is one of my favorite foods. It's healthy, taste great, and is very versatile. My top 3 are Roasted Red Bell Pepper, Jalapeño with Cilantro, and the one I am about to give you-Roasted Garlic Hummus!

Hummus calls for Tahini. You can buy a jar for 8-11 bucks at the store or blend up your own and save a ton of money. I usually buy 1 lb of sesame seeds out of the self serve bins for $3.50. You only need 1/2 cup of sesame seeds and you'll be able to make this hummus recipe a couple times.

Tahini
1/2 cup hulled sesame seeds
1 Tbs olive oil

Dump the sesame seeds in a pan over medium heat on the stove. Stir the seeds until the start popping and turn golden brown. Usually takes about 7 minutes or so, remove and let cool on a plate. Pour the seeds into a food processor, add 1 Tbs of olive oil, and blend until it turns into nut butter. Seal in an air tight container and it will store in the fridge for several weeks.

Roasted Garlic
1 bulb garlic
1 Tbs olive oil

Cut the garlic bulb in half and place them on 2 sheets of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil and wrap up the bulbs in the foil. Set oven to 375 and roast in oven for 40 minutes. The garlic with be very soft, golden brown and easy to squeeze out of the bulb.

As you can see the sesame seeds aren't completely pureed. I used sesame seeds that were NOT hulled. The store was all out of hulled so instead of buying a jar I decided to try unhulled. I put the garlic in and after a few minutes I eventually had nut butter. So for quick tahini use HULLED!

Roasted Garlic Hummus

1 bulb roasted garlic

2 Tbs olive oil

15 oz chickpeas cooked and drained (garbanzo beans)

2 Tbs tahini

Juice 1/2 lemon

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt or 1/2 tsp veggie base

Chopped parsley and Greek olives for garnish (optional)

Add all the ingredients except the garnish into the food processer. You'll have to squeeze out the garlic. Blend until very smooth. Scrape into a bowl and top with the garnish. Serve with carrots, cucumbers, celery, radishes, crackers, pita bread, and any other food you like to dip with.

I made whole wheat crackers to dip in my hummus that turned out wonderful! I'll be posting them soon!

Vegan "Chicken" Seasoning

2010-10-02T22:32:00.000-07:00

Here is an easy and cheap way to make your own Chicken Bouillon and keep it vegan! There are two options one can be made up and kept in the pantry and another one can be made and kept in the freezer. The picture above is of the freezer option.

Chicken Seasoning (keep in Pantry)

1.5 cups nutritional yeast

1 Tbs onion powder

1/2 Tbs garlic powder

2.5 tsp ground celery seed

1 tsp chili pepper

2 Tbs sea salt

2.5 Tbs Italian seasoning mix

Blend all ingredients in blender until fine. Store in airtight container. Does not need to be kept in fridge. Add to soup and items that call for chicken bouillon. 1 Tbs equals 1 cube.

Chicken Seasoning (keep in freezer)

Small Batch
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 Tbs onion
2 cloves garlic
3 Tbs celery
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp chili pepper

This one is kept in the fridge because I am using actual onion, garlic, and celery on the dried options. I put everything in my food processor and blend until it looks like the pictures above.

Blackberry pie with my Grandmother's pie crust

2010-08-28T18:28:00.000-07:00

This blackberry pie was so delicious (and simple) I am going to make it again this Sunday. My friend Emily and I went and picked blackberries for the sole purpose of making this pie and it was time well spent. After we baked it I asked Emily if she would take a picture for me because she is an excellent photographer and my snap and shoot pictures don't always turn out that great. Here is a link to see more of her wonderful work!

My Grandmother's oil pie crust turned out wonderful and we ate the pie with vanilla ice cream (for the non vegans) and I tried my slice out with vanilla coconut bliss and can't wait to have some more of that wonderful stuff!

Grandma's Pie Crust

Mix dry together

1 1/2 c flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbs ground flax seed (my own addition)

Mix wet together

1/2 c melted coconut oil (scant)

5 Tbs dairy free milk

Mix dry and wet together

Knead dough together well and form a ball. Press into pie pan and chill for 15-20 min before baking

Blackberry Pie

1 cup sugar, stevia, or mix of both
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
6 cups blackberries
1 Tbs coconut oil chopped up

Heat oven 425
Mix sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
Stir in blackberries and pour into pastry lined pie plate.
Drop the Tbs of chopped up coconut oil on top of the pie.

Can cook pie 3 ways:

Open faced without any crust on top
Roll out more pie crust put slits in it and seal the pie shut. If this is the chosen option cover the edge with a 3 inch strip of foil so the crust doesn't get too brown, and remove foil during the last 15 minutes of cooking
Top with a pastry lattice

Bake for 40-45 minutes until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling. Cool for 2 hours so that the pie will set up. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with vanilla coconut ice cream.

Tamale Time!

2010-08-18T00:08:00.000-07:00

I have always liked the idea of tamales, yet I have always been disappointed when I take a bite and they are dry with out any flavor. However I think they are so cute all wrapped up in corn husks so I went on a recipe search. At the mayo clinic I found this recipe that would work and of course went on to make my own changes. I made these for some friends and they were delighted, especially about the Avocado salsa that goes on top!

It was such a nice day that we pulled the table outside to eat! I think tamales look so pretty all wrapped up!

3 Tablespoons of the masa dough placed in a damp corn husk. It's just waiting for the filling.

This is after the filling has been put in and I rolled it in the corn husk, then unrolled so you can see how it gets packed together.

I've rolled the tamale up in the corn husk and now am folding the sides down. (please ignore the cilantro on my thumb)

Then I take a small corn husk strip to tie it all together. This tamale is ready to get steamed!

Tamale dough

18 dried corn husks, plus extra husks to make ties
3 cups corn kernels (I used a bag of frozen thawed out to room temp)
2 cups masa harina
1/2 cup lukewarm veggie broth
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil

Place the corn husks in a bowl of water to soften for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse well. Pat dry and set aside.

In a food processor, process 2 1/2 cups of the corn kernels until coarsely pureed.

In a large bowl, combine the pureed corn, masa harina, lukewarm broth, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt and oil. Mix/knead with hands until a ball of dough is formed

Filling

1/4 cup diced red bell pepper

1/4 cup diced green bell pepper

2 tablespoons diced yellow onion

1 Tbs garlic minced

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

8 oz Tempeh chopped in small cubes

1/2 cup cooked black beans rinsed and drained

1/2 cup corn kernels

1 Tbs cumin

salt to taste

Place a dry nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add the bell peppers, onion, garlic, tempeh, black beans, and remaining 1/2 cup corn kernels, sauté for 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the red pepper flakes and remove from the heat.

To assemble a tamale, place 3 tablespoons of masa mixture in the center of a soaked corn husk. Flatten with your hand and form a small well in the center. Add 1 tablespoon of the filling to the well. Fold the long side of the corn husk over the filling to cover, then fold over the ends, overlapping them. Tie with a thin strip torn from an extra soaked husk. Repeat to make 18 tamales in all.

In a large pot fitted with a steamer basket, bring 2 inches of water to a boil. Layer the wrapped tamales in the steamer basket. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and steam until the filling becomes firm and the tamales are heated through, 50 to 60 minutes. Add more water as needed.

Avocado salsa

1/4 cup chopped avocado

1 small can of blended tomatillos

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or fresh coriander

1/2 teaspoon seeded, minced jalapeno

1 chopped tomato

1 Tbs onion diced

1 tsp garlic minced

1/4 teaspoon salt

While the tamales are steaming, make the salsa. In a small bowl, combine the avocado, tomatillos, lime juice, cilantro, jalapeno and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Toss gently. The salsa is sooo good you may want to double the recipe. We ran out and wanted more!

Health Benefits of eating Fruit and Veggies

2010-07-24T11:11:00.001-07:00

Here is a poster the Cancer Project came up with to give people a visual of how eating the rainbow of fruit and veggies can benefit their health!

Curried Chickpeas and Quinoa

2010-06-05T18:31:00.001-07:00

This was full of flavor and it was made in 15 minutes, what more can you ask for?
I found the original recipe on Susan V’s blog as I was skimming through food gawker (love that site). To see what else Susan is cooking up click here!

1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 teaspoons good curry powder (or adjust to taste)
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne or other ground red pepper (or to taste)
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes (fire-roasted preferred)
1 cup cooked quinoa
salt to taste

Heat a medium-sized, non-stick sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and a sprinkle of salt and cook, stirring, until onions soften. Add garlic and ginger and cook for another minute.
Add the chickpeas, curry powder, and red pepper, and stir briefly. Add the tomatoes and cooked quinoa, reduce heat to low, and cover. Simmer for about 10 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Add salt to taste.
Serve in wraps, pita bread, or lettuce leaves or with naan or other flatbread
I know you are thinking I see mushrooms in the photo but not in the recipe?! You are right. I threw some mushrooms in there because we like mushrooms here and put them in a lot of our dishes just because we like em!

Indian Mango Dal

2010-06-03T21:01:00.001-07:00

I love Indian food! So I suppose it is a good thing I live in Seattle because I have soo many options! I was looking for lentil recipes a while back and found this one from Eating Well and decided to give it a try. Well I have made it several times now because it is really good!

This is a jar opener but it also does the trick to take the papery skin off of garlic

Slightly dampen a paper towel and wipe down mushrooms. You can do a quick rinse and then wipe them down but never soak mushrooms. They will absorb water and become rubbery and lose their flavor otherwise.

I still prefer to peel my mango and then dice it but the slice then scoop method looks better on camera. So I changed things up a bit just for this post.

Now it’s ready to eat! Also you can see that there are mushroom in my picture but not in the actual recipe. I had some mushrooms that needed used up so I tossed them in and they tasted great and also gave a little more texture to the dish.

1 cup yellow lentils (I used brown but yellow would probably be “prettier”)
4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 ripe mangos, peeled and diced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Place lentils in a colander and rinse until the water runs clear. Combine lentils, 4 cups water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and turmeric in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, partially cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and cook until fragrant and starting to brown, about 30 seconds. Add onion; cook, stirring, until soft and beginning to brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, coriander, cayenne and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more.
Stir the garlic mixture and mangoes into the lentils. Return to a simmer; cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are falling apart, 10 to 15 minutes more. Stir in cilantro

One last thing. I always cook up a huge pot of lentils and freeze what I don’t use. So I probably cook up 4 cups and then scoop out 2 cups once they are cooked to use with this dish.

Red Rice and Beans

2010-04-27T21:20:00.001-07:00

After a few bites Tyler said this tasted like something his mom would make and that he really liked it! Hearing that means this dish is an instant keeper! It was really good, the different flavors worked so well together! Be sure to have all the veggies chopped up and ready to go and this meal can be made in no time! Pretty sure it was done in 20 minutes or less! Next time I might even try Quinoa instead of rice to change things up a bit.

SAUCEPAN
4 tsp olive oil
1 bunch asparagus chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
Salt & Pepper
2 cups brown minute rice (for a quick meal) Other wise I cook up basmati brown rice
2 cups water
12 INCH SKILLET
3 garl1ic cloves crushed
1 tsp chili powder (I put more in! we like spicy food)
3 cups red kidney beans (2 cans rinsed and drained)
1 tsp turmeric
2 large carrots, finely chopped
28 oz diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1 Tbs tomato paste
1/4 cup salsa
1/2 cup parsley finely chopped

I used my food processor to dice up the garlic and parsley, I also used it to chop the onion and carrot. This sped things up because all I had left to chop was the bell pepper and asparagus.

In 4-quart saucepan, heat 2 tsp oil on medium-high until hot. Add asparagus, red pepper, onion, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; cook 5 minutes or until just tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in rice until well mixed, then add 2 cups of boiling water. Turn heat on stove down to low and let simmer until water is gone.
After carrots are chopped mix them with turmeric and 1 Tbs of water and put them in the microwave for 2 minutes to soften them.
In 12-inch skillet, heat remaining 2 tsp oil on medium until hot. Add garlic and chili powder and cook for about 30 seconds. Stir in beans, carrots, salsa, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Mix the rice and sauce together, and sprinkle some parsley on top when serving. Place leftover parsley on the table for others to add more while eating.

Swiss Chard Italiano

2010-04-17T17:41:00.001-07:00

Technorati Tags:

I made this a while back and it was full of wonderful flavor (and vitamins/minerals). I served it with whole wheat bread, brown rice, and black beans for a complete meal.

I could have used a bigger pan (I think a wok would have been perfect) because the kale was too fluffy until it cooked down. I actually had to cook the kale in a pot and then transferred it to the tomato/onion mix.

Ingredients and Directions

1 tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove minced
1/2 red onion diced
7 cups chopped Swiss Chard, Kale, or spinach
16 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp basil

Heat oil in a LARGE nonstick skillet over medium heat, add garlic and onion. Cook for 3 min.
Add remaining ingredients. May want to transfer to a big pot because my large skillet wasn't large enough. Cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Not So Cheese Sauce

2010-04-15T21:28:00.001-07:00

Tonight this went on EVERYTHING!!! I was nervous because Tyler is a big cheese fan. He’ll put it on his eggs for breakfast, on his sandwich for lunch, eat it as a snack before dinner, and request extra on his pizza for dinner! Don’t worry he doesn’t consume this much cheese everyday. I’m just trying to point out that the man knows his cheese! So serving something in replace of cheese that has no dairy in it whatsoever made me hold my breath as he took his first bite. Turns out I had nothing to worry about, a giant smile appeared and he reached to scoop a few extra spoonfuls of sauce onto his potatoes and broccoli!

This recipe originally came from a vita-mix recipe I found online. (Someday I will have a vita-mix of my very own….) Since I don’t have a vita-mix I have to change things up just a little bit. Also the recipe makes 4 cups, I halved it tonight since this was a trial run. Although I may make the full batch in the future for two reasons. First, Tyler liked it and appreciates that it has great flavor minus the saturated fat. Secondly, we think it will taste great on a sandwich, pasta, or to dip crackers and veggies in!

Nutritional Yeast is used in this recipe and some of you new to the vegan world (like me) may wonder what it is. Go here to learn all the details about it. I’ll quickly tell you that it is full of minerals, vitamin B-12, and protein!

My thoughts are in green! Also the cheese freezes well.

Ingredients:

1 cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup canned pimientos or roasted red bell peppers
1/2 cup raw cashews
1 teaspoon onion powder (I used a real onion )
1/4 cup nutritional yeast ( Health store or Fred Meyer's nutrition section in the self serve bins)
2 teaspoons salt
1 ½ cups boiling water
2 tablespoons potato or corn starch mixed with 1/4 cup cold water

Directions

Toss ingredients except boiling water and potato starch mixture in blender for 6 min.
Add boiling water and potato starch mixture and blend for 30 seconds.
Pour liquid into sauce-pan and whisk on medium heat until it has thickened.

EGG Substitutes

2010-04-11T23:02:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to list all the different substitutes that can be used in place of eggs. I used 1/2 of a mashed banana recently in some muffins and they turned out great! However I probably wouldn’t use the banana if I were making something like, black bean burgers (I’ll have to post those soon they are soo good!) I use bread crumbs and tomato paste. So if you do do an egg replacement be aware if you are making something sweet or salty. You want to use something that will act as a binder and thickener.

1/2 mashed banana
1/4 c applesauce or pureed fruit
1 1/2 tsp of Ener-G Foods Egg Replacer + 2 Tbs lukewarm water
1 Tbs ground flaxseed meal + 3 Tbs water
1 Tbs ground chia seeds + 3 Tbs water
1/4 c mashed potatoes/sweet potato
2 Tbs potato starch or tapioca starch
2-3 Tbs tomato paste
1/4 c cooked oats
1 tsp baking powder
agar agar

My favorite thing is EnerG egg replacer it's a blend of potato starch, tapioca flour, calcium, and citric acid. It works really well, Just mix 1 1/2 tsp with 2 Tbs water.

Quinoa "Taco" Salad

2010-02-18T22:50:00.000-08:00

My friend and I take turns making dinner each week. She usually makes something really tasty on Tuesday and I always beg her for the recipe! I usually get creative (which can be interesting sometimes) on Thursday. Well I was clicking through food gawkers (you've never been? Oh its so fantastic you'll want to make it your homepage!) food gawker and I stumbled upon this recipe: "here" by Katie Goodman.

Anyone new to quinoa? here is some great info on it. Quick health notes: fiber (aids digestion), protein (building block of the entire body!), magnesium (bone, heart, and muscle health), phosphorus (bone health), and manganese (antioxidant, bone, reproductive health).

Lets just say this Thursday's dinner was a huge success!!!!

I used Katie's photo as well, my camera is not the best so if I don't have natural light (like the pics on my previous posts) the food tends to look very yellow. I'm more of a chef than a photographer so I need to keep practicing in that area.

This dish packs a lot of flavor and is very nutritious!! I did make a few changes to the origonal recipe:

I cooked my quinoa in canned diced tomatoes instead of water. (I was lucky and had tomotoes that my parents had grown in their garden and bottled).
I also mixed basil in with the Spinach-Cilantro mix.
I cooked my own black beans and mixed 1/2 cup of salsa with them.
I threw a few dashes of turmeric in my dish as well. It has some excellent health benefits.

Here is the Origonal by Katie Goodman:
•1 cup quinoa
•1 red onion, chopped
•3 cloves garlic, minced
•half a red bell pepper, chopped
•half a green bell pepper, chopped
•half a yellow bell pepper, chopped
•1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
•1/2 teaspoon oregano
•1-2 teaspoons chili powder, depending heat preferences
•dash cayenne pepper
•1 -15 ounce can black beans, drained
•3/4 cup diced tomatoes (fresh or canned)
•2 limes
•salt and pepper, to taste
•6-8 ounces baby spinach
•1 bunch cilantro
•1/3 cup feta cheese
•1 avocado, diced
Cook the quinoa according to package instructions. (I cooked mine in diced tomatoes instead of water)
Meanwhile, swirl a bit of olive oil in a saute pan. Heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and saute for 3-5 minutes, until translucent and tender. Add garlic, cumin, oregano, chili powder, cayenne and peppers and saute an additional 2 minutes.
Remove from heat. Stir in the black beans(I mixed some salsa with mine), tomatoes, and the juice of 1 lime. Stir in quinoa. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill.

Roughly cut baby spinach into strips like you would shred iceberg lettuce for tacos. Remove about 1 cup of cilantro leaves from the bunch, rinse and pat dry, and toss with the spinach (I also included some basil). Divide spinach and cilantro mixture evenly among 4 salad plates. Top each plate with a scoop of the quinoa salad.
Top each salad with your choice of cheese (feta was divine and I'll be sticking to it!) and diced avocado. Cut the remaining lime into slices to garnish the plates.

Spicy Salsa!

2010-02-07T21:52:00.000-08:00

I love summer for many reasons but one that stands out is that it is salsa time! We like ours hot but you can always add less jalapenos if you need the heat toned down.
The key to salsa is to have everything the same size. Whether you are going for a chunkier salsa or a smooth blend. Just make sure when you dice the ingredients stay consistant.

Spicy Garden Salsa

6 large tomatoes, dice 3 and puree 3 in blender/food processor

Dice:

1 yellow bell pepper

1 orange bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

3-6 jalapenos seeded

1 small red onion

Blend:

3 cloves garlic

1/2 cup cilantro

Squeeze:

2 limes

Salt and pepper to taste!

Corn Tortillas!!

2010-02-07T21:28:00.000-08:00

Tacos are a favorite around here. The fresh veggies, black beans, and of course we like them spicy!!! Fresh food is a must at our house so grabbing store bought tortillas just doesn't taste the same as hot from the griddle. Mine are simple and healthy, plus cooking them makes the house smell delightful!

Corn Tortillas
First mix together for about 3 minutes, or until it becomes a dough ball:

2 cups Bob's Red Mill Masa Harina (I'm looking into grinding my own because the fresher the better!)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/8 cups water

I use a pancake griddle and get it heated up on medium heat. You can also use a skillet.
Then separate the dough into 16-20 equally sized pieces and roll into balls. Cover with plastic wrap so they don't dry out as your roll and cook them.
Grab a bag (not plastic wrap it sticks together, a bread bag works just cut it open) or two sheets of wax paper. Put a ball in the middle of one half of the bag and fold the other half over. I push a heavy bowl down ontop (one that has a flath bottom) to flatten out the ball. Then I proceed to roll out my tortilla. I have a granite rolling pin so it rolls out fast!
Gently pull the plastic off the top of the tortilla and flip it over and pull off the other plastic.
Quickly flop the tortilla onto the griddle or skillet. Once you begin to see some bubbles appear, take yoru spatula and flip it over and let it cook on the other side. Once the other side is a little brown just remove it from the burner. I place mine in a 1 1/2 quart souffle dish and put the lid on to keep the heat in. It's the perfect size!