Strawberry Shortcake...or a Parfait Please!

YAY...strawberries are here!  There is nothing better than biting into a fresh, juicy, organic strawberry...except for maybe strawberry shortcake!  Strawberries are just perfect on their own this time of year, but strawberry shortcake screams the start of summer and it's supposed to be 90 here this week!  The strawberries are definitely the main attraction, but the supporting cast is just as important.  I adapted a recipe from Cook's Illustrated by using flaxmeal for the binder, cashew milk, and added fresh lemon zest (totally makes a big difference) and vanilla extract.  If I would of had a fresh vanilla bean, I would of scrapped some of the seeds into the batter...that would of just taken the recipe over the top!

Even though the shortcakes did not rise as high as I wanted, they were still delicious with a crunchy exterior and a moist and fluffy interior--and oh the lemon zest was divine!  I had thought about using Energ Egg Replacer, but feel that this is best used when making cookies or crispier baked goods.  The flaxmeal provided the perfect moisture to the cakes and I loved the little flecks of flax throughout...not to mention the added bonus of Omega 3s!  And of course if they don't rise as high as you like...then just make a parfait and your family or guests will think they've gone to strawberry heaven!

While making the dough, I experimented with using a food processor or using the hand method and both biscuits came out the same.  So if you have a food processor then by all means use it but just make sure that you pulse the ingredients instead of letting the machine run.  I also baked some of the biscuits off right after forming and also let several rest in the fridge for 30 minutes until they were chilled and both turned out the same as well.  My next experiment will be making these gluten-free using Bob's Red Mill A/P flour and adjusting the recipe accordingly.  Also in order to get more height on the biscuit I might try dropping the dough from a spoon onto a sheet pan instead of cutting them out with a cookie cutter.  If I do this then I will need to add more liquid to the dough and turn it into a thick batter.  This however, might change the texture and the texture was perfect.  Stay tuned...

This recipe makes about six-eight biscuits using a 2-3/4 cookie cutter.  For the strawberries I just purchased two pounds (organic) and reserved several strawberries aside for the top, and then divided up the rest by slicing some and dicing and mashing the others in separate bowls.  I then added some sugar to each bowl, about 2 TBSP each and then let the fruit macerate for about 30 minutes to release the juices and to soften.   Depending on how sweet your strawberries are you may need to add less or more sugar...taste them first!  For the whipped cream I used SOYATOO! Whipped Rice Topping.

Shortcake Dough Recipe:

2 cups organic unbleached all-purpose flour
5 TBSP organic unbleached cane sugar (3 for the dough, 2 for the topping)
1 TBSP aluminum free baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
8 TBSP Earth Balance Buttery Sticks (cut into 16 pieces and chilled)
1 Flax egg (1 TBSP ground flax meal and 3 TBSP warm filtered water, whisked)
1/2 cup cashew milk (1/4 cup soaked cashews, drained and blended with 1/2 cup filtered water), or you can use any dairy free milk product.
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp organic lemon zest

Method:

• Preheat oven to 425 and position rack in the middle of the oven.
• In a bowl whisk together flour, 3 TBSP cane sugar, baking powder and salt.
• Using a pastry cutter add chilled butter and cut through the flour until the butter is the size of peas.
• In a measuring cup whisk together milk, flax egg, vanilla extract and lemon zest.
• Create a well in the flour mixture and add wet ingredients.  Using a large fork mix ingredients until just combined and then turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and pat ingredients into a 9x6 rectangle, 3/4" thick.  
• Cut six biscuits out of the dough and reform scraps and cut an additional two biscuits.
• Place biscuits on a sheet tray covered with parchment paper and brush the tops with cashew milk and sprinkle with remaining sugar.
• Bake in the oven until the tops are golden brown about 12-14 minutes, turning half way through.
• Remove from the oven and transfer biscuits to a cooling rack and let cool for about 10 minutes before cutting. 

My husband told me that I definitely have to stop baking sweets--he's trying to cut back on gluten...so it looks like something gluten-free and most likely sweet is in my near future!  Hope you enjoy!   

  

Sweet Potato Sunrise

This juice is BIG on (Beta-Carotene-Vitamin A) and Vitamin C, but the key to making it requires a little planning ahead and patience.  Sweet potatoes contain a lot of starch and you really don't want to be drinking a thick chalky substance.  So you need to juice it first and let the juice sit for about an hour so that the starch settles to the bottom of the glass.  The pure juice that rises to the top is mildly sweet with a beautiful orange color that you can now mix with other ingredients.

In addition to carrots I added an orange to the sweet potato elixir, but as soon as cantaloupe comes into season I will be substituting out the orange.  I also added ginger--good for digestion and fresh turmeric root which aids in anti-inflammatory.  A perfect start to any morning!

1 medium-large sweet potato or yam, peeled
3 carrots
1 medium orange, peeled
1" piece of fresh ginger
1" piece of fresh turmeric (optional)

Make sure you peel your sweet potato before juicing.  It will just taste better and give you a brighter juice.  I let the juice sit in the fridge for about an hour and then carefully skimmed off the juice (about 1 cup) without disturbing the chalky sediment on the bottom.  I then juiced all my other ingredients and stirred in the sweet potato.

Enjoy!

 

Chai Spiced Smoothie

I love the flavor of Chai Spice, but caffeine not so much.  Actually, I haven't drank coffee or caffeinated tea in over 30 years.  Whenever I would consume caffeine, I felt like I wanted to jump out of my skin and no matter how early in the day I would drink it--I'd be up all night.  So this smoothie tastes like a Chai Latte, but without the caffeine kick.  If you want it caffeinated, then I would steep whole spices (cardamon pods, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves and fresh ginger) with a good quality black tea, strain the tea and chill it in the fridge and then add a 1/4 cup of the flavored tea to the smoothie and blend. 

In a small bowl mix the following ingredients together:

• 1 tsp Cardamon
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Ginger
• 1/2 tsp Allspice
• 1/2 tsp Nutmeg

Start off by adding 1-2 teaspoons of spice mixture to the smoothie.  You can always add more if you want more spice.  Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.

• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 small seedless orange (optional, but I love the flavor combination of cardamon and orange)
• 1 medium banana
• 1/2 cup crushed ice

For protein add vanilla or plain brown rice protein powder, soaked white chia seeds or hemp seeds!

Raw Sprouted Almond Milk

The first time I made homemade almond milk I did not have a nut milk bag and I used a fine mesh strainer and it was a disaster!  It was so thick and grainy that it was like eating porridge.  Actually I don't think I owned my Vitamix at that time and I used a regular blender as well--two big mistakes.  And to top it off I served it with oatmeal...what a mess!  I don't think that my husband really ever recovered from that breakfast and so we have been buying almond milk ever since.

So since I have been fasting and eating (well drinking) really healthy I decided to make my own.  Have you ever read the side of the box of Almond Milk?  If not, here you go:  Filtered Water, Almonds, Calcium Carbonate, Tapioca Starch, Sea Salt, Potassium Citrate, Carrageenan, Sunflower Lecithin, Natural Flavor, Vitamin A, Palmitate, Vitamin D2 and D-Alpha Tocopherol (Natural Vitamin E)...what?  The two ingredients that concern me the most are the Carrageenan and Palmitate.  Carrageenan is a preservative that has been linked to colitis and tumor production in animal studies :-(...Animal studies bum me out)...and, Palmitate is used to add texture to processed foods and is linked to the risk of developing heart disease.  You would probably need to consume an incredible amount of these compounds on a daily basis to be adversely affected, but do we really need all of this stuff in our food?

Now, take a look at the ingredients for homemade almond milk:  1 cup organic raw almonds (sprouted), 3 cups filtered water, 2 pitted dates, 1/4 vanilla bean pod (seeds only), or 1 tsp vanilla extract, and a pinch of sea salt (optional).  That's it and you can really taste the difference!

To sprout the almonds, I soaked them in filtered water in the fridge for three days, changing the water twice daily (morning and evening).  And to keep it raw, I soaked the dates in water overnight as well so they were soft for blending.  Also while blending, the Vitamix can really heat liquids up if you leave it running for several minutes, so I blended for a minute, turned it off and blended it again to make sure that I stayed below 105 degrees.  This recipe makes about 3 cups of milk.  I wouldn't say that it's cheaper making it yourself, but it is definitely better for you and tastes great too!  Can't wait for my husband to try it in his cereal...I know I will be redeemed!

 

 

Raw Carob-Strawberry Hemp Smoothie

This smoothie is so yummy and with good for you ingredients that I really didn't know what to call it...how about Yummy & Good For You Smoothie!  I don't like smoothies made with fruit, but sometimes in the afternoon around 3-4pm, I seriously need a pick-me up...especially since this is day 19 of my juice fast.

This smoothie isn't sweet at all...it is fruity but not very sweet tasting.  I prefer carob powder over cocoa powder, but a lot of people don't like carob because they are expecting it to taste like chocolate.  Carob is similar to cocoa, but it is naturally sweeter, fruitier, contains less fat and has no caffeine.  I find cocoa powder more bitter and so I always need to add additional sweeteners.  But if carob is not for you then by all means use raw cocoa powder instead.  However, you may need to add more strawberries or dates if you want a sweeter smoothie.

And what makes this smoothie really good for you is the raw hemp seeds...packed with five grams of protein per tablespoon.  And not just any old protein, but a complete protein with all the essential fatty acids, as well as vitamin E, and Omegas 3 and 6!

So pull out the blender and whip yourself up this delicious and nutritious smoothie for an afternoon pick me up...and guaranteed the kids will love it too!

Yummy & Good For You Smoothie

1 cup organic raw almond milk (I make my own and I'll post the recipe tomorrow)
1 small organic banana
2 organic strawberries
1-2 tbsp organic raw carob powder (I used two), or raw cocoa powder
2 tbsp organic raw hemp seeds
1/2 cup ice

 

Mexican Yuba Omelet

I love using yuba (tofu skins) because it is so versatile.  It's great for wrapping/stuffing, stir-fry's and soups.  You can purchase yuba at an Asian market, but I get mine freshly made at my local Sogo Tofu shop.  This yuba omelet tasted like the real deal because I also added shredded firm tofu, mixed with turmeric and black salt found at my local Indian market.  Black salt is an Indian spice that tastes like sulfur and imparts an "egg-like" flavor.  It is "rose" in color instead of black and a little goes a long way because it is very salty!   

For the enchilada sauce, you can purchase store bought or make your own using my recipe.  I cut the recipe in half for this dish, but if you want to make the full batch, you can store it in the fridge for a couple of weeks and use it for another meal.  For my avocado emulsion I used:  1/2 large avocado, 1 cup water, 2 tbsp vegan sour cream, a handful of cilantro leaves, the juice from a 1/2 lemon or lime, and salt and pepper to taste--then blended until creamy.

 

And now for the filling...the best part!  I used everything that I love in an omelet or burrito.  I pan roasted baby fingerling potatoes, and sauteed red bell pepper, onion and garlic.  I also sauteed one link of Artisan Tofurky Andouille Sausages (had this in my fridge and wanted to use it up), but sauteed cremini mushrooms would of been my first choice.  I then added fresh spinach, salt and pepper to the mix and cooked until just wilted.

To assemble, I unwrapped the tofu skin.  Depending on the size you may need to cut the tofu skin, but since they are rather thin I like to leave them big so that when I stuff, roll and wrap, I get double the coverage.  I placed a layer of shredded Daiya Havarti Style Wedge on the bottom, followed by shredded tofu mixed with turmeric and black salt, followed by the potato/veggie mixture, topped with more cheese and wrapped it up like a burrito.  I then added a little olive oil to a saute pan and browned on both sides before placing in a 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes just to make sure that it heated all the way through and golden brown.

Remove from the oven and top with enchilada sauce, avocado emulsion, cilantro and finely sliced green onion.  Perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner...I could eat these every day stuffed with a different combination of ingredients and sauces!  For my next one I'm going to stuff with a stir-fry mixture of fresh veggies, grilled teriyaki tofu and serve with Asian dipping sauces!  YUM!      

The Perfect Start...to a Perfect Day!

So I thought that I would post something really healthy since it is the beginning of the New Year and we all are trying to keep our resolutions to eat healthy.  Actually, I really don't have any resolutions when it comes to food or diet.  Maybe I could be a little more patient, procrastinate less, or take time to smell the tulips more often, but pretty much everyday I have a healthy juice, or a smoothie and some days this is all that I drink!

I have never been able to go on a juice fast for more than 24 hours.  However, I do try to eliminate all solid food from my diet at least several of times a month.  I pick a Wednesday and drink only fresh vegetable juices and smoothies throughout the day, along with filtered water and herbal tea.   If you drink only pure vegetable juice then you are eliminating fiber from your diet and so I try to drink both while on my 24 hour cleanse.  Plus the smoothies keep you fuller longer. 

Here's a typical day:  6am (Herbal Tea with Lemon), 7am (Healthy Green Juice), 8am-11am (Herbal Tea and Water), 11am (Green Protein Power Smoothie) 12-2pm (Herbal Tea and Water), 2pm (Green Juice, Beet Blast or Crazy Carrot Juice), 3-5pm (Herbal Tea and Water) 6pm (Tropical Thunder Protein Smoothie), 7-9pm (Herbal Tea and Water).

The following day I wake up feeling refreshed, lighter and energized.  Perhaps just giving your digestive track a break from having to work so hard gives your body a needed lift.  I'm not a nutritionist and long-term fasting is not for me, but I do believe that I benefit from drinking fresh vegetable juice daily and following a 24 hour cleanse.  

I like experimenting and throwing a bunch of veggies in a juicer or blender and tasting the outcome.  Some come out horrible tasting but most are quite delicious.  Here are a few of my favorite drinks--just please make sure that you use all organic ingredients--you don't want to drink pesticides!

• Healthy Green Juice--My Morning Cocktail
• High Antioxidant Green Smoothie
• Beet Blast:  1 medium beet, 2 medium carrots, 1 green apple, 1 small English cucumber, 1" piece fresh ginger root, juice from 1/2 lemon
• Crazy Carrot:  1 large orange peeled, 2 large carrots, 1/4 cup pineapple, 1" piece fresh ginger root, 1/4 tsp turmeric, juice from 1/2 lemon
• Green Protein Power Smoothie:  1 cup almond milk, 1 medium banana, 2 tbsp almond butter, 2 tbsp Warrior Force-Extreme Chocolate Plus Protein Powder, ice if banana isn't frozen
• Tropical Thunder Power Smoothie:  1 cup coconut water, 1/2 banana, 1/2 cup frozen mango, 1/4 cup frozen pineapple, 2 tbsp soaked chia seeds.

What Supplements to Add:

When drinking pure juice, I usually do not add any supplements, other than a 1 tsp of flax oil.  Or after juicing I will add the juice to the blender, add a 1/2 avocado or 2 tbsp hemp seeds and blend.  This adds fiber and protein to the juice and also gives it a creamy consistency.  

When drinking smoothies I add different supplements.  My favorite supplements are by Health Force Nutritionals.  I use their Warrior Food Protein Powder, VitaMineral Green, Earth, Maca, Vitamin C, and Spirulina.  All of their products are raw and I really like the taste--they do not taste gritty or gummy.  I pick and choose depending on what benefit I want.  I will also add soaked chia seeds or hemp seeds for protein/fiber and of course flaxmeal or flax oil.
     
Also, I prefer drinking juice over smoothies and green smoothies made with kale and mango over pure fruit smoothies.  I never drink smoothies made with strawberry or raspberry and prefer mango and peaches because they taste less sweet. To sweeten a smoothie I may also add soaked pitted dates, or pure maple syrup.  When making a green smoothie, the ratio of veggie to fruit should be 3:1.   

And of course, all of this is not possible without a good juicer and a high-speed blender.  I have a Breville Fountain Juicer and a VitaMix.  I use them daily.  It killed me to spend $400+ for a VitaMix and thought about owning one for years but it has been worth ever penny.  I use it every day and hardly ever pull out my food processor.

And one final note, I drink a shot of wheat grass daily, or try to at least a couple times per week.  I usually make my own during the summer but choose to buy it during the winter because it can get moldy because of moisture.  If you're interested in making your own this summer go to my link on "Growing Wheatgrass--My Liquid Sunshine"!  It's really fun to make...the taste not so much, but I do believe that it is good for me!

To your Health!
      

Italian Spaghetti Frittata

I always have leftover pasta.  My husband asks me why I cook the entire bag when it is only us.  I love pasta and it's hard just to make a small amount.  But not to worry because it never goes to waste when you can make a quick and easy weeknight spaghetti frittata!   This frittata can be on the table in 45 minutes from start to finish and that is mostly for baking!

You can use whatever ingredients you like to make yours!  I happen to like oven roasted tomatoes and briny olives and capers in mine.  Serve it with a side salad of arugula, and shaved fennel, tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette and a glass of red wine--a perfect ending to a long work day!  Now if it was only Friday!

Ingredients:

1/2 pound cooked whole wheat spaghetti, rinsed and drained
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, core removed, seeded and sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup oven roasted tomatoes, julienned
1/2 cup California black olives, sliced
1 6 oz jar marinated artichoke hearts in olive oil 
3 tbsp capers
1/2 cup Daiya Harvarti Wedge Cheese, shredded
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Basil chiffonade for garnish

Tofu Custard:

1 16 oz package of firm tofu (not silken or extra firm, just regular), drained
3/4-1 cup water
1-2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp black salt (found in Indian markets--not black in color, but pink)
Salt and pepper to taste (taste before adding because the black salt is salty)

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• If you are using leftover pasta rinse to refresh it.  If making fresh, follow package directions, drain and place in a large bowl.
• In a cast iron skillet, or non-stick skillet saute onions and bell peppers in olive oil until soft.
• Add garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste and cook a few minutes longer.
• Add pepper/onion mixture to pasta, along with roasted tomatoes, olives, artichoke hearts, and capers and stir to combine.
• In a food processor or blender, blend tofu custard until smooth.  You want it to be the consistency of thick creamy ranch dressing, but not mayonnaise.  You may need to add a little more or less water.  Taste and season with additional salt or turmeric if you want more color.
• Pour tofu custard over pasta/veggies and mix to combine.  I did not use all of my custard--I had about 1 cup left over.
• Spray pan with a little oil and pour spaghetti mixture into pan and smooth with a spatula.
• Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes until bubbly and set.  Five minutes before removing from the oven, sprinkle with shredded cheese and bake until melted.
• Remove frittata from oven and let sit for about 5 minutes for custard to set.  Garnish with basil and enjoy!

 

Glazed Cinnamon Rolls

My cravings for Cinnamon Rolls started two weeks ago when my daughter-in-law posted a photo on Instagram of her homemade cinnamon buns.  I immediately liked the photo and commented that I wanted the recipe.  When she emailed me the recipe she said..."have fun with this one!"  The recipe she sent me was not Vegan and was basically like making a brioche dough with butter, egg yokes and whole milk.  But I was up for the challenge and for the past two weeks all I have been thinking about is making these darn buns!

If you're in a hurry to make any yeast dough, you might think about making something else.  These cinnamon rolls take about five hours from start to finish.  If you want them for a mid-morning breakfast, then I recommend that you start the dough in the evening, let them go through the first rise, punch down, cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.  In the morning you can then finish the rolls and bake them off.  I started these at 6am (I'm an early riser) and they were ready at 11am.  My husband slept in until 10am and he was surprised that they weren't ready.  But YUMMY things come to those who wait and have patience!

When kneading the dough you want to keep in mind that you are not making bread and you do not want to develop the gluten.  You want the dough to be soft, glossy and smooth and the finished buns to be light, fluffy and tender.  I kneaded my dough for about 5-7 minutes in my Kitchen Aid mixer--just enough for the dough to pull away from the sides of the bowl.  I also added just enough flour so that I could handle the dough without it being too sticky.  I added about 3 1/3 cups of flour but you may need to add more or less during the mixing-kneading process. 

Dough Ingredients:

1 packet Active Dry Yeast
1/4 cup warm water (100 degrees)
1/3 cup sugar 
4 ounces Earth Balance Buttery Sticks, melted
1 cup cashew milk, warmed (1/2 cup cashews blended with 1-1/2 cups water)
3-4 cups of all purpose flour (I used organic unbleached)
1 tsp kosher salt

Filling Ingredients: 

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2-3 tbsp ground cinnamon (I used 2 tbsp)

Icing Ingredients:

8 ounces Follow Your Heart Sour Cream or Cream Cheese
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1-2 tbsp cashew milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp grated orange zest

Method:

• Place warm water and yeast in a small bowl and mix together.  Let sit for 10 minutes until it starts to bubble.
• In a small sauce pan, heat butter until melted, remove from heat and add 1 cup of cashew cream, 1/3 cup of sugar, whisk together and set aside.
• In the bowl of a kitchen-aid mixer, place 3 cups of flour and 1 tsp kosher salt and whisk together.  Create a well in the center and add butter/milk mixture, along with water/yeast mixture.  Stir together with a spatula and then start mixing with the dough hook on medium speed.  Add enough flour (I added about 1/3 cup) extra flour so that the dough pulled away from the side of the pan and when you touch the dough it is not sticky and it can be handled easily.  Again, I kneaded my dough for about 7 minutes, you may need more or less.
• Lightly oil a medium sized bowl and place dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Let rise for about two hours until doubled in size.  If your house is warm, it will rise quicker.
• Lightly punch down the dough and place on a lightly floured work surface and roll out to a 12-16 rectangle.
• Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over dough, leaving a 1/2" border and roll the dough up tightly, moistening the end with water and sealing the roll.  
• Place the seam side down and dust roll lightly with flour, along dusting a sharp knife with flour for every cut.  Cut the dough in half and then cut each half in half so that you have four equal pieces.  Cut each of these four pieces into three pieces so that you have 12 pieces.
• Butter a 9x12 pan and place the cut side up.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for another 1-1/2 - 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and adjust the baking rack to the center of the oven.
• Bake rolls for 25-30 minutes until golden brown, turning half way-through the cooking process.
• Remove from the oven and turn out onto a cooling rack and let cool 10 minutes before separating and drizzling with icing.
• While the rolls are baking, make the icing in a mixer and chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.

My husband and I ate quite a few of these today and we felt so guilty that we went for a long hike in the mountains.  We still have about seven left on the kitchen counter and they are screaming at us...Eat Me!  But we are being strong and the remaining rolls are going to work with me tomorrow for others to enjoy!  I hope that you enjoy them too!

High Antioxidant Green Smoothie

For the past week I have been following the guidelines in the book called "Clean" by Alejandro Junger, M.D. in terms of drinking two or three healthy smoothies or juice drinks throughout the day and having a large healthy salad or meal for lunch.  I really felt that I needed to do something healthy for my body after all the eating and drinking over the past two months, and I feel so much better for doing it.  The book has some really good recipes for juice and smoothie drinks, but they require that you own a high-speed blender such as a Vita-Mix or a good juicer.  The smoothie recipe below is one I created for myself and I drink it every morning.  It's quite filling and holds me over until lunch time because it contains all the fiber from the fruit and veggies.  I'm also drinking about two liters of water every day and that helps fill you up and flush out all of the toxins as well. 

Since I have been following his program, I haven't been in the kitchen much and I have been referencing some of my previous recipes and enjoying them all over again.  When you have a blog that you update on a regular basis, you are always making new recipes and so I hardly ever go back and repeat meals.  Some of my healthy favorites that I've been eating (in between all my juicing) are:  My Favorite Everyday Salad, Not Your Store Bought Ramen, Vietnamese Pho Noodle Soup, Persian Noodle Soup (without the sour cream and fried shallots) and my Avocado and Cucumber Soup.  Also, if you have a juicer you can make My Morning Cocktail as well.

Green Smoothie:

1/2 organic green apple, chopped
1/2 cup chopped mango (fresh or frozen)
2 leaves organic lacinato kale, or 1 leaf regular green kale
1 cup organic spinach
1/2 organic cucumber, skin removed
1 tbsp ground flax seed
1 1/2 cups filtered water
1/2 cup ice

Method:

• Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high for 2 minutes until smooth and creamy.

Apple & Maple Tempeh Breakfast Patties

Frustrating...I woke up early and decided to make a nice weekend breakfast.  I have never made Apple & Maple Tempeh Breakfast Patties before and so I was measuring and writing down the recipe so that I could post it this evening.  Well, I had a bag of whole grain spelt four (for the pancakes) and a bag of vital wheat gluten (for the breakfast patties) right next to each other on the counter and I kind of lost track how much gluten I added to the patties.  I think that I added a cup, but I could of added some spelt by mistake.  Anyway, the patties had great flavor and texture, but I need to make them again next weekend before I post the recipe.  In the meantime if you're interested in making the whole grain pancakes, here's the recipe.  

Mango-Cardamon Smoothie

It has been over two weeks now and I'm still sick with my cold.  I actually think that it has turned into bronchitis or something and a trip to the doctor's office is in my near future.  Anyway, totally bums me out...I'm so over it!  So the last thing I wanted to do was cook tonight and so made myself a delicious and healthy smoothie.  I could drink this smoothie anytime, day or night--it's that good, plus it really helps soothe my sore throat and my hacking cough.
 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup raw almonds, soaked overnight, drained

5 dates, pitted, roughly chopped

1 cup fresh or frozen mango

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp ground cardamon

1 1/2 cups filtered water

1 cup crushed ice

Note:  Instead of using raw almonds and the water, you can use 1 1/2 cups already prepared almond milk.  Just look for a low sugar version, or cut back on the dates or it might be too sweet.

Method:

• Add all ingredients to a blender and blend on high-speed until smooth and creamy.
• Garnish with additional cardamon and a mint sprig.

Blueberry Almond-Oat Muffins

What do you do when you wake up in the morning and have a craving for blueberry muffins and you don't want to go to the grocery store?  Well, you raid your pantry and fridge and come up with a crazy concoction of flours, nuts, grains and oils to make your muffins.  I was a little worried at first about the outcome, but surprisingly they turned out really great and now my husband and I are stuffed.  You don't need to use two different flours and two different kinds of fat for your muffins, but this is all that I had in my pantry.  You can make your muffins using just whole wheat pastry flour and Earth Balance Buttery Sticks instead.   Either way they are going to come out delicious!

Almond-Oat Topping:

2 tbsp finely minced raw almonds
2 tbsp unrefined, organic, fair-trade granulated sugar
2 tbsp rolled oats (not instant)

Muffin Ingredients:

2 cups whole grain spelt flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup finely ground raw almonds
3/4 cup rolled oats (not instant)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
3 tbsp ground flax seed, plus 6 tbsp filtered water
3/4 cup agave syrup
1 cup almond milk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
8 tbsp or 1 stick Earth Balance Buttery Sticks, melted and cooled
3 tbsp organic canola oil
2 cups organic fresh blueberries, rinsed and dried well on paper towels

Method:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees and position oven rack in the center of the oven.
• Lightly spray a 6 cup muffin tin with canola spray and set aside.
• In a small bowl, prepare almond-oat topping and set aside.
• In a medium size bowl combine flours, ground almonds, oats, baking powder, salt and lemon zest and stir well to combine.
• In a food processor or blender, add ground flax and water and blend until creamy.  With motor running, add agave syrup, almond milk, vanilla extract, melted Earth Balance and canola oil and blend until combined.
• Pour mixture into a large bowl and stir in flour mixture until just combined. You may still see a little flour visible and then gently fold in blueberries.
• With a large spoon, scoop batter into muffin tin, filling almost to the top and sprinkle with a tbsp of the almond-oat topping.
• Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes, turning half way through the cooking process.  Also, when you get to the half way point, turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees.
• The muffins are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the edges of the muffins are golden brown.
• Remove tray from the oven and place on a cooling rack and cool for about 10 minutes.  Run a pairing knife around the edge of the muffins before removing from the tray.
• Makes six large muffins.

 

 

Roasted Potato & Caramelized Onion Frittata

This frittata is easy and delicious...perfect for when you don't feel like cooking or spending time in the kitchen.  And this is so much better for you than the egg version.  I actually like making dishes that would normally be eaten at breakfast and serving them for dinner instead.  I served this with sliced fresh tomatoes from my friend's garden (thanks Val, they were delicious!) and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

 

 

Ingredients:

1 16oz package of regular organic tofu (not silken or extra firm), drained

2 pounds baby red potatoes, washed, dried and sliced

2 onions, cut in half and thinly sliced

3-4 cups organic baby spinach, sauteed

1 tbsp minced fresh thyme leaves

2 tbsp minced fresh chives, divided

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp black salt (found at Indian grocers)

3/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

3/4 cup filtered water

3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Wash, dry and slice potatoes into 1/4" slices and toss in 1 tbsp olive oil, fresh thyme, salt and pepper and roast on a sheet tray for about 20-30 minutes until golden brown, flipping once during roasting.
• Slice onions and toss in 1 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper and place on another sheet tray and roast until caramelized about 15-20 minutes.
• Remove potatoes and onions from the oven and let cool.
• Turn oven temperature down to 325-350 degrees.
• In a saute pan, add a little olive oil and saute spinach leaves until just wilted.  Set aside.
• In a food processor or blender, add tofu, nutritional yeast, black salt, turmeric, cayenne, filtered water and blend until smooth.
• Place tofu mixture in a large bowl and stir in 1 tbsp minced chives, onions, potatoes and spinach and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat a cast-iron pan on medium heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil and swirl to cover sides and bottom on pan.  Immediately add frittata mixture and smooth top with a spatula.
• Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until firm and top is lightly browned.
• Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before cutting into wedges.
• Garnish with minced chives.

 

Raspberry-Toasted Walnut Scones

I mentioned in a previous post that I would most likely have a few disasters with gluten-free baking.  Well, these Raspberry-Toasted Walnut Scones could of turned out really bad, but actually they were quite good.  I forgot to add the walnuts to the recipe...duh!  I realized it after the scones were formed and ready to go into the oven and so I just sprinkled walnuts on top.  So I'm not certain how the walnuts would of affected the taste or texture.  Regardless of the walnut omission, the recipe still needs to be tweaked.  The scones need to be sweeter and I'm still not sold on Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free A/P flour.  I can taste a slight hint of garbanzo beans even though I used a combination of different flours (Bob's a/p, g-f oat flour and brown rice flour).  Oh well, back to the kitchen for Rev 2.0!

 

Dried Fruit & Nut Energy Bars

A friend and I go on a two hour hike every week and I'm always rushing out of the house at 8:30 AM to meet her.  I'm really not interested in whipping up a green drink before I leave, but I feel that I should eat something small before or during our hike.  I started purchasing some vegan energy bars but some are really high in fat and sugar and so I thought that I would make my own.  Now, I haven't calculated the sugar, carb or fat grams for these mini bars (wouldn't know where to begin), but they can't be all that bad.  Most importantly they are homemade, delicious and provide me with enough of carbs and protein to fuel our morning hike.  Kids will love them too--it's a great replacement for cookies!  So Val, if you read this before we meet tomorrow morning--don't eat anything for breakfast because I'll be bringing along some of these healthy high-energy bars!

If you have a dehydrator then you can easily serve these raw.  I don't and so I slowly baked them at the lowest "warm" oven temperature which ranges about 135-145 degrees depending on the location in my oven.  It took about 13-15 hours at this temp to get them to be the right consistency.  Of course if you don't care about eating raw energy bars, then I would turn up the oven to 250 degrees and cook them in half the time.   Since I don't have a dehydrator, I'm not certain how long they would take, but it would be fun experimenting though if I had one!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup raw almonds, soaked
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds, soaked
1 cup Medjool dates, pitted and soaked
1 cup Turkish apricots, soaked
1/3 cup goji berries, soaked
1/4 cup raisins, soaked
1 cup gluten-free, rolled oats, soaked
1/2 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut flakes
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 cup agave syrup
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt

Method:

• Pre-heat oven.
• In a medium size bowl, soak almonds, sunflower seeds, dates, apricots, goji berries and raisins for about 1 hour.  Soak the rolled oats in separate bowl for the same time period.
• Drain nuts and fruit really well and grind in a food processor until you get a thick paste, scraping down the sides.
• Add ground flaxseed, agave syrup, cinnamon and sea salt and blend until combined.  Remove paste from food processor and place in a medium size bowl.
• Drain rolled oats really well and add to paste along with dried coconut and stir well to combine.
• Line an 8x8" square baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper and with a spatula add mixture to the pan smoothing the surface to make sure that it is even and flat.
• Depending upon what temperature you use will determine when you flip the bar and cook on the other side.  Again, I cooked the bar at my lowest oven temp for 6 hours.  I then removed the pan from the oven, lifted out the bar, flipped it over onto a lined baking sheet and baked it for another 6 hours.  I then cut the bar into individual 1"x2" squares and returned them to the oven for another 1-2 hours.  
• When finished, let the bars cool to room temperature and then place them in a sealed container, separating layers with sheets of parchment paper.