Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies

I'm going to tell you a secret.  Jenny is out of town.  She has left me here completely unsupervised, and consequently has left me no choice but to post a recipe that would probably not pass the "Jenny-test".  But it's Christmas time right?  And we all need a little wiggle room during the holidays.  Enjoy!!!

Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 cup wheat flour

1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds

1 1/2 tablespoons corn flour

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

5 tablespoons vegan butter

1/3 cup sugar (you can substitute 1/2 for honey)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon organic vanilla

2 tablespoons rice milk

2-3 tablespoons water

dash of baking soda

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Mix flour, poppy seeds, corn flour, nutmeg, salt and baking soda together.  In a separate bowl, cream butter, sugar, lemon juice, zest and vanilla together.  Add the flour mixture to the margarine mixture and mix lightly.  Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of water at a time and knead very lightly until the dough comes together.  Don't add more water than necessary.

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.  Pinch a tablespoon of dough, forma ball and lightly press it flat on the baking sheet.  Bake until the edges are lightly brown (about 18-20 minutes).  Cool on a wire rack and store in an air tight container.  This yields about 13 cookies.

Raw, Gluten-Free, Sprouted Cinnamon-Raisin Granola

I should probably just call it "granola" for simplicity's sake, but I wanted ya'll to know what you're getting into here: HEALTH!  I've been on a raw-kick for a little while now, and simulateously I've been trying to find a great alternative for cold cereal, so I concocted the BEST granola ever.  It's extremely healthy and the easiest recipe ever! Actually, I made several different kinds of granola, but I shall share just one recipe this time. Eat it for breakfast or a snack with fresh almond milk, rice milk, or hemp milk, or put it in a baggy as a snack for your kids on outings.  My 1.5 and 3 year old kids love it!!

2 cups raw buckwheat groats (health-store bulk section or online.)**
1 cup raw walnuts
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup raw hemp seeds (health-store bulk section)
Either: 1 dropper vanilla-creme stevia OR 1 Tbsp. vanilla (I use alcohol-free)
1/2 to 1 tsp. cinnamon

Place buckwheat, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, raisins, and hemp seeds into separate bowls and fill with room- temperature water until seeds/nuts are covered.  Soak about 8-12 hours (or overnight) and then rinse thoroughly.  Place walnuts in food processor first.  Then add remaining ingredients.  Pulse until desired consistency is achieved.  Scrape out granola and place onto dehydrator trays for about 12-24 hours.  If you don't have a dehydrator, place on cookie sheet or other oven-safe dish, set your oven to its lowest setting, and leave oven door open until granola is dried.  This will ensure the enzymes aren't totally wiped out! 

*This recipe only lasts our family about 2 days, so I usually double it.  Also, I use vanilla-creme stevia because the vanilla I buy is expensive, and this recipe uses it up fast. Vanilla-creme stevia is a health-store product, and is expensive, but it lasts a LONG time because you only have to use a little bit in recipes.

**Buckwheat is not a grain, but actually a fruit seed related to rhubard.  It does not contain gluten and is therefore suitable for those who have a gluten-intolerance or Celiac Disease. 

***Why raw?

Serious Winter Chili (vegetarian)

Mmm-kay.  Where do I start?  I've been down and out for a variety of reasons lately most of which are health related.  I know.  The irony.  But one thing's for dang sure.  I am more thankful for good health (generally speaking) now than I've ever been.  I took a little trip to the emergency room last weekend after a nasty run in with food poisoning.  And even though it was a miserable experience (praise morphine), I spent the whole time thinking about the many many people who are forced to venture into that building far more frequently than anyone would ever hope to.  And for far less pleasant kinds of treatment. And just for a moment, I felt lucky.  But then I called Jenny and I was all like, "Baaaaaaah, I'm siiiiiiiiiick, and my husband is out of towwwwwn."  And what did she do?  Of course she was like, "let me take your kids, let me bring you dinner, let me buy you a Hummer."  What?  Your friends don't do that?  Sucks to be you.  


Seriously though.  What a gal.  Thanks m'love.


Anyway, let's focus here.  So by the time I felt up to making dinner for the first time in a month, I knew I was going to need to make something phenomenal.  I had a hankerin' for some thick, hearty, chili.  And so it was.


You're most likely going to read this recipe and think that I'm NUTS.  But rest assured.  I'm not nuts.  I'm just hungry.


Serious Winter Chili

3 Tablespoons olive oil or grapeseed oil
1 1/2 cups (about 2 small) chopped onions
8 large garlic cloves (yes, 8)
2 19-ounce cans red kidney beans
2 19-ounce cans dark kidney beans
1 envelope taco seasoning (you can use chili seasoning too)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon thyme
3 cups vegetable broth
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 6-oz can tomato paste
3-4 Tablespoons cocoa powder


Heat oil in large sauce pan over medium heat.  Add the onions and garlic and saute until translucent.  Add beans, taco seasoning, basil,  oregano, and thyme.  Stir 2 minutes.  Mix in tomato sauce, tomato paste, vegetable broth, and cocoa powder.  Simmer until thickened to desired consistency.  I sprinkle a little rice cheese and cilantro on the top and serve with some avocado slices.  It wouldn't hurt to throw in a chunk of crusty wheat bread too.

Curried Quinoa

In case you're stuck in a rice-and-beans rut and don't know what to make for dinner tonight, here is a sneak-peek into what I'm making. It's from Ancient Harvest's recipe collection, and is so easy, fast, and yummy....One of my husband's all-time favorites.   I'll be sure to post the pic after I make it.

Curried Quinoa

1 c Quinoa
1.5 Tbsp. Oil (Of course, I use Coconut or Grapeseed Oil)
1/2 Onion, diced (about 4 or 5 oz.)
1 tsp. Grated Fresh Ginger Root
1/2 Fresh Green Chile (finely chopped). (Sometimes I add a whole green chile for more flavor!)
1 heaping tsp. Turmeric
1 heaping tsp. Coriander
1/4 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
2 cups Water ( I changed this from the original recipe, which calls for 1 3/4.  It is too dry with this amt.)
Salt to taste (I use Real Salt)
1 c Frozen Peas

1.  Rinse quinoa with cold water using a fine mesh filter.

"Quinoa is coated with a natural substance called saponin that protects the grain by repelling insects and birds.  Rinsing the quinoa is important to avoid a raw or bitter tate.  You can tell if there is saponin by the production of a soapy looking suds when the seeds are swished in water."

2.  Place oil in a heavy saucepan, add diced onions, and saute on medium-high heat for four to five minutes.

3.  Add the ginger root, chile, and quinoa.  Cook for one minute, stirring constantly.

4.  Stir in the turmeric, coriander, cinnamon, and Real Salt.  Cook for one minute, stirring constantly.

5.  Add the water and bring it to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.

6.  Stir in peas.  Cover and cook for four or five minutes or until peas are tender and all the water has been absorbed.

7.  Fluff with a fork before serving. 

This recipe says it will serve 6-8 people, but we usually use it as the main dish, and not a side dish, so I usually double the recipe and then just save whatever is left-over for lunches.  Plus, my husband loves it so much he eats a ton.

Hope you like it!  If you don't, just bring it to our house and we'll eat it up for you!

Kelp Noodles

I think I just discovered the LOVE of my life: Kelp Noodles.  Have you ever heard of them?  I was shopping at the health store with my kids the other day, and they literally jumped out at me.  They knew I wanted to eat them ;)

I have been doing a ton of research lately on the thyroid as I have a family history of hypothyroidism.  Iodine is especially important to thryoid function and kelp is one of the very best sources of it. (Sea vegetables in general are great for our health, yet not many people consume them.)  These noodles are made of kelp, sodium alginate (sodium salt extracted from a brown seaweed), and water.  Each serving (4 oz.) of kelp noodles contains 15% of your daily value for Calcium, 4% of your daily value for Iron, and many trace minerals (including iodine).  While I don't pay too much attention to calories, I find it worth mentioning that they only contain 6 calories per serving!! In what other food can you intake 15% DV Calcium and 4% DV Iron in 6 calories?  I honestly do not know of any other. 

I called the company to find out more about the noodles...They informed me that they are, indeed, raw. My next question is: How did they get them to be white when kelp is usually green...isn't it?

One more thing: They are a little more crunchy than regular pasta noodles, probably because they are raw.  My 3-year old son saw me eating them, and wanted to try.  I gave him some, and after about 5 minutes of eating, he asked, "Why do they sound like that?" Meaning, he could hear himself crunching the noodles in his head ;) 

The other day, I was in a hurry to make a concoction and my body has been craving light, raw foods after consuming warm, heavy foods during the week of Thanksgiving.  I immediately thought of one of my favorite things to eat : guacamole wraps using butter lettuce leaves.  So I made a quick guacamole by mashing one avocado and adding about 1/4 cup, medium organic salsa to it.  (Of course, fresh guac is always superior in nutrition, so use Annie's guacamole recipe if you plan to make this).  I  didn't have butter lettuce on hand, so I used a leaf of romaine lettuce, threw on some kelp noodles, and smeared on some guac.  Delicious!  The noodles are very neutral (acutally, you can't really taste them at all), so you can use them in any recipe.

The following day, I made a cashew white sauce to pour over the noodles.  It was tasty, but was very mild, in contrast to the dips-with-a-kick I usually make.  I want to mention that I do not eat cashews very much because I don't usually like the taste of them, plus they are a bit more acidic than other nuts.  Nonetheless I wanted to try a white sauce, and they were staring at me in my pantry, screaming to be used. I was actually happily surprised when I tried the sauce and liked it, cashews and all.  So, I will divulge this recipe, but beware:  I've only made it once, and it was on a whim, so you might need to adjust things a bit. 

Cashew Noodle Sauce:

1 c raw cashews
Juice of 1 lemon

1-2 tsp. Trocomare seasoning (can find it in the Health Store)

2 tsp. olive oil (optional)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
Water (about 1 cup)

Put all ingredients, except water,  into a food processor fitted with an S-blade, or a blender, and process until smooth.  Add water until you achieve desired consistency. 

Trocomare is my new favorite seasoning...it's mild, which is different than the seasonings I usually use, but is a welcome change.  It contains organically grown celery, leek, onion, other herbs, and guess what else? KELP!!  More iodine for the thyroid - hurray! 

I want to work on a ginger, tahini, sesame sauce to pour over the kelp noodles one of these days...And knowing how excited I am about these noodles, I will probably concoct the sauce tomorrow.  I'll be sure to update you on any yummy recipes I use the noodles in.