Spring Renovation

Spring has finally arrived!

Mother Nature artfully showcases this grand period of renewal and rebirth, through vibrant floral colors, intoxicating natural perfumes, and delicious culinary delights.  Her beauty excites my senses and enlivens my spirit, while the anticipation of spring foods such as asparagus, dandelion greens, artichokes, fiddleheads, and scapes gets my creative juices flowing. 

Personally spring has brought positive changes and a sort of rebirth within my life as well.  I have taken the leap of faith to delve 100% into my passion for whole foods, whole health and vibrant living.  Thus during this period I will be renovating the look and feel of my blog so that my readers will hopefully experience the passion, the beauty, and the joy I feel from talking about food, learning about food, and creating food.   And in turn I hope to get your creative juices flowing!

So stay tuned for my new and improved blog.  In the meantime get dirty in the garden, wild in the kitchen and create your vibrant life.

Happy Spring!

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

Now this is a totally unique recipe for a delicious gluten free chocolate cake that will have your diners stumped about the main ingredient...whole garbanzo beans.  Who knew beans would be good in dessert as well!

2 1/4 cups garbanzo beans (cooked and drained if canned)
4 organic eggs
1 cup organic sugar or 1 1/4 cup honey
1 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease an 8" round baking pan

• Blend beans in a food processor.  Add eggs and blend.  Add sweetener and blend. 
• Whisk together dry and add to food processor and blend.
• Pour in to greased pan, smooth top and bake about 40 min. or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.  Cool in pan 15 min then flip out onto cooling rack.

Eat as is or make a chocolate ganache to pour over it or raspberry whipped cream or caramel or....ok I am getting way too excited here.  But you get the point.  Enjoy it with whatever makes you smile!

Morning Glory Muffins

Here is a recipe I created that will make your morning more glorious...

If you want to sub spelt flour for the all purpose flour, go for it!  Or maybe sub coconut oil for the vegetable oil.  You could also experiment with lessening the white sugar and subbing with a bit of maple syrup or honey.  As usual, I encourage you to play with your food, be creative and have fun!

And of course make every morning, glorious!

Stacey's Morning Glory Muffins

2/3 cup raisins
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups organic sugar
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored and diced
2 organic eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 Tablespoons water
1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed (or add more more egg instead of water/flax mix)
1 - 15oz can of crushed pineapple, drained.  Reserve 1/4 cup of the juice

• Preheat over to 375 degrees and lightly grease or line 24 muffin cups.
• Put raisins in a small bowl, cover with water and soak.
• In large bowl mix flours, sugar, spices, soda and salt.  Add nuts, seeds and apple.
• In separate large bowl combine eggs, oil and vanilla.  In a cup, whisk together water and flaxseed then add to large bowl.  Add pineapple and reserved juice
• Drain raisins and add to wet mix.  Add wet mix to dry mix and blend just until combined.
• Divide batter evenly among cups and bake about 15 min. or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool in pan 10 minutes then remove muffins and place on cooling rack.

Gluten Free Banana Bread

For all you fans of banana bread who either want to cut down on the amount of wheat you are consuming or who are gluten intolerant, here is a DELICIOUS recipe I created for you:

2 cups Gluten Free flour blend (I used Trader Joe's)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 Tablespoon chia seeds
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 organic eggs (try substituting 6 T water plus 2 T ground flax meal to make vegan)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil (try coconut oil also)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 mashed bananas (if you are able to find apple bananas try 4 of these!)

• Pre-heat over to 350 degrees and lightly grease loaf pan. 
• Whisk together dry ingredients in one bowl.  Whisk together wet ingredients in another bowl.  Add mashed banana to wet ingredients.  Form a well in the dry, pour in the wet and blend just until evenly mixed.
• Pour into loaf pan and bake 50-60 minutes.  Oven times may vary so make sure to insert a toothpick into center to test doneness.  Let cool for 15 minutes in pan, then insert onto cooling rack.  

I hope you enjoy this. I know me and my household of gluten free peeps sure did!

If you want more recipes on gluten free baking, check out my past blogpost that contains mexican chocolate chip cookies and sundried tomato basil muffins.  Bye Bye wheat, hello yum!

Buenos Dias Breakfast

This month I learned that breakfast is definitely the easiest meal to enjoy without using processed foods. Although, if you are a die-hard cereal fan you may disagree. Cereal is a processed food, but there are some exceptions such as Wheetabix, Shredded Wheat, or Bran Flakes. For the most part, though, packaged cereals are highly processed and contain added sugars, colorings and preservatives. So, bad news to the captains of Captain Crunch Berry, but good news for the captains of eating healthy and easy to prepare breakfast meals.

Delicious, easy meals to start your day off right:

• Fruit salad - Combine your favorite seasonal fruits such as apples, pears, oranges, bananas, pineapple, or kiwi, and eat as is or topped with fresh squeezed lime juice, sunflower seeds, or plain yogurt.
• Smoothies - Throw all the ingredients in the blender the night before, blend in the AM, pour into a Nalgene bottle or reuse a plastic cup, and enjoy. Be creative. You can use a base of water, juice, coconut milk, homemade almond milk, organic milk, or plain yogurt, then add fresh or frozen fruit, wheat germ/ground flax/chia seeds, nut butters or nuts, seeds, spirulina and a sweetener such as dates, raw honey or maple syrup. Or try one of my creations which in just one serving has 13 g Fiber, 14 g Protein, over 1,000 mg Potassium, 45% Calcium, 25% Vitamin D, 17% Vitamin C, 16% Iron, as well as many other vitamins and minerals. FUNKY MONKEY SMOOTHIE: 1/4 cup chopped dates, 1 banana, 1 Tbsp natural peanut butter, 1/8 cup ground flax seed, 1/2 cup plain organic yogurt, 1/4 cup water. Place all in blender and puree.
• Oatmeal - Again this can be prepped at night by placing water in a saucepan on the stove and setting out the measured cup of oatmeal with some raisins or dates added to it. In the morning bring water to a boil, place oatmeal and dried fruit in the pan and let simmer while you are doing something else. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, or cloves, along with chopped nuts and seeds for added nutrients. Sweeten or add a liquid of choice.
• Yogurt and Muesli/Granola - Bob's Red Mill makes a pure delicious muesli or you can try making your own. The night before or first thing in the morning combine muesli with yogurt and let soak. You can add chopped fruit or use organic milk instead of the yogurt. For granola, just add yogurt, milk or try with orange juice, the way I sometimes like it.
• Eggs - Any way you like them...hard boiled, soft boiled, scrambled, poached or make an omelet or frittata using fresh herbs, sundried tomatoes, olives, mushrooms, broccoli, spinach, and/or a locally made goat cheese. Back when I was in college I lived in Spain and ate Tortilla de Patatas (like a frittata made with potatoes) almost all the time and any time of the day. Yesterday I decided to try my hand at making one and it turned out pretty good. You can find a recipe for it online and then check out this quick video on how to make it (it is in Spanish though).
• French Toast, Pancakes, Waffles - Try making your own whole grain bread and use leftovers for french toast. Or make your own wholegrain pancake/waffle base to have on hand. Combine dry ingredients and place in an airtight container in the freezer. Just add wet ingredients when you are ready to make them. A new hearty Pancake/Waffle Recipe I developed this month, which serves about 3 and has 10 g Fiber and 10 g Protein per serving, consists of:  1 cup whole wheat flour, 1/4 cup rolled oats, 1/4 cup ground flax, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 Tbsp honey, 1 egg, 3/4 cup coconut milk, 1/2 cup applesauce, 1/4 cup water, 1 Tbsp safflower oil, 1/4 -1/2 tsp almond extract, and frozen raspberries.  I mixed all the dry in one bowl, the wet in another, and then blended the two until just combined. Pour in a waffle maker or make pancakes and press raspberries into the batter before flipping sides. Top with applesauce, yogurt, or real maple syrup, toasted nuts and seeds, or fresh fruit.

So as you can see there are many delicious, nutritious, unprocessed foods to get your day started right. Whether it is a quick bowl of oatmeal and fruit salad or a weekend Spanish brunch, your taste buds and your body will equally enjoy the fruits of your labor. Buenos dias!

First Few Weeks of Unprocessed Meals

My first few weeks of eating unprocessed whole foods has been fun and delicious. I have spent a bit of time in the kitchen, but not an unreasonable amount. Also, most meals that I have made were reheated for leftovers.

For one breakfast I created a whole-grain pancake/waffle batter made with King Arthur whole wheat flour, ground flax seed, rolled oats, coconut milk, applesauce, and almond extract. I tried the batter as a pancake and added frozen raspberries, then tried the batter plain in a waffle maker. Both were equally yummy and hearty especially after topping them with plain yogurt, applesauce, and sunflower seeds.  Another breakfast was a Tropical Kale Smoothie (recipe below) that included baby kale, blueberries, pineapple, coconut water and chia seeds.  It had an earthy, yet sweet and lovely flavor.

For a light lunch I made a cashew pate which is a raw food made from blended cashews, red pepper, green onions, and fresh herbs. I spread the pate on puffed kamut cakes and topped it with avocado and sea salt.  Other lunch options were big, beautiful salads and homemade soups.

Dinner one night consisted of Shepard's Pie made from a layer of cooked lentils and vegetables, sweet peas, and mashed potatoes. I actually prepared the meal during the day, when I had time, and when I came home in the evening I just had to pop it in the oven for 20 minutes. Dinner another night consisted of brown rice, black beans with cumin added, sauteed onions/mushrooms/peppers, homemade pico de gallo and avocado. Yum! The pico de gallo is so easy to make that it seems silly to even consider buying it or salsa pre-made ever again. I just mixed together finely diced tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumber, green onions, cilantro, jalapeno, garlic, sea salt and lime juice and Voila!

With the leftover rice I poured in coconut milk, a dollop of butter, a beaten egg, soaked raisins and dates with a little of the soak water, raw honey, sea salt, nutmeg, cloves, and a cinnamon stick and let it simmer for about 3o minutes.

Every meal so far I have made from scratch (except for the puffed kamut cakes) and loved it. It feels good to eat things that I prepared with my bare hands and not from a box. And to cut down on wheat, dairy, and sugars makes my body very happy. So far, so good.

TROPICAL KALE SMOOTHIE
3 cups baby kale
1 cup frozen blueberries
3/4 cup pineapple
1 cup coconut water
1/2 cup orange juice
1 Tablespoon chia seeds

Place all ingredients in blender and blend till smooth.  Add more water or juice to thin to a consistency that you like.  Pour in your favorite glass  and enjoy!

Natural Foods Pantry

Before embarking on the journey of this month long unprocessed food challenge, I had to fill up my pantry with lots of healthy, natural and tasty foods. Here is a list of the basics needed to cook up delicious and nutritious meals:

GRAINS: Brown rice, wild rice, rolled oats, quinoa, cornmeal, spelt or whole wheat flour; moderate use of whole-grain pasta, soba noodles, rice noodles, couscous, bulgur.

LEGUMES: Dried, low-sodium preservative free canned, frozen or fresh - black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, garbanzo beans, white/navy beans, adzuki beans, green beans, wax beans, lima beans, lentils, split peas, sweet peas, sugar snap peas, snow peas, edamame.

NUTS AND SEEDS: Unsalted and raw nuts - walnuts, almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, peanuts, pecans, pistachios. Unsalted and raw seeds - sunflower, pumpkin, flax, sesame.

SPECIALTY FOODS: Preservative free coconut milk, pure peanut or almond butter (no hydrogenated oils, sugar, or preservatives added), capers, olives, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, unsulphured dried fruits - apricots, figs, raisins, dates, prunes.

OILS, CONDIMENTS, AND SEASONINGS: Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling or dressings, olive oil for cooking, sesame oil, flax oil, safflower oil, coconut oil, vinegars - balsamic/white wine/red wine/rice/apple cider/white, nama shoyu/tamari, tahini, raw honey/maple syrup/agave nectar, nutritional yeast, dijon mustard.

HERBS AND SPICES: Sea salt, black pepper, cumin, cayenne, crushed red pepper flakes, paprika, ground coriander, curry powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, dry and fresh ginger root, cardamom, dill, rosemary, basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, garlic, onion.

FRUIT: Seasonal fresh or frozen fruits to your liking - apples, pears, bananas, oranges, mandarins, grapefruit, berries, peaches, plums, kiwi, pineapple, mango, melon, grapes, etc. Keep a fresh supply for quick snacks. Also, good to have on hand are lemons and limes for cooking with their juices. Unusual fruits to have on hand - avocados, persimmons, pomegranate.

VEGETABLES: Items used often- onions - red/sweet/white, green onions, potatoes - red/yukon/russet/sweet, bell peppers, carrots, celery, tomatoes, greens - mixed lettuce/arugula/chard/kale/spinach, fresh herbs - parsley/basil/mint/cilantro/rosemary. Keep a fresh supply of local, seasonal vegetables for your meals. Mix it up and try to get a good variety in your diet - broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, squash, mushrooms, seaweeds. cucumber, eggplant, brussel sprouts, radishes, beets, asparagus, leeks.

OTHERS: If you choose you may want to add organic cage free eggs, organic milk, organic butter, organic plain regular or greek yogurt, organic locally made preservative free cheese, organic/natural/grass fed meats and quality fish.

Hope this helps you prepare your grocery list to stock up on healthy, natural, minimally processed quality foods. Most grocery stores and even super Target and Wal-Mart are carrying organic and high quality foods now. Some items such as raw nuts and seeds, quinoa, and condiments may need to be purchased at your local health food store. Happy shopping!