Birthday Breakfast

If you could have anything in the world for breakfast, what would it be? When I awoke on my birthday I decided a banana split was in order & TA-DA, banana split "cereal" was born.

1 Banana, diced
3 Strawberries, diced
1/4 C Walnut pieces
1.5 T Agave
1.5 T Coconut oil
3/4 - 1 T Cacao powder (Or cocoa powder, cacao is the raw, unprocessed version of cocoa)
Coconut milk (available next to soy milk at the store, or substitute your favorite milk)

Place fruit & nut in bowl. Warm coconut oil to a liquid by putting it in a small bowl and placing that in a larger bowl which has been filled with warm water. Add agave & cacao to oil & mix, warming by method above if needed. Drizzle fruit with fudgy cacao syrup & cover all with coconut milk. I was still sleepy and ended up dumping instead of drizzling so, as you can see, there was quite a bit of fudge sauce on this one.  Oh well, happy birthday to me, hehe!  In the photo you will see I sprinkled it with cinnamon before eating because I use cinnamon in most things with fruit and nuts, its totally optional. Feel free to take your time enjoying this one, I know I did. :)

Flax Fun - Bread & Crackers

Flax is super good for you!  Full of omega 3's, antioxidants, & fiber.  Plus, it has a yummy, nutty flavor :)  Toss some into your oatmeal, sprinkle it on your salads, or use it in crackers & bread like the recipes below!  I won't make you wait any longer, here are my adventures with ..... flax bread & flax crackers!!!

Flax bread with hummus, avocado, tomato, spinach, onions

Lunch at your desk never looked so good :D

Flax bread with hummus, shredded cabbage & carrots, spinach, tomato, and pepper jack almond cheese! 

Drying my very first raw vegan flat bread!!!

2 smallish zucchini

1 small onion

1 large red bell pepper

1 C ground flax

Pink himalayan salt, onion powder, garlic powder

Blend all the ingredients in a blender or food processor.  Pour & smooth into lined dehydrator trays.  Dry on 105 for 6-8 hours then flip over & remove liner, continue drying until flat bread consistancy is achieved.  No dehydrator?  No problem!  Turn your oven on its lowest setting and crack the door open, keep an eye on it as this method drastically reduces drying time.  (Also put up babygate to kitchen if you have kids or dogs!) Use for raw sandwiches, wraps, pizzas....You can still make all of the goodies in the photos above if you don't want to make your own raw flat bread, just use your favoite wrap, Flat Out makes a great multi-grain one.

Flax, chia, sunflower seed, sesame seed crackers. These are fabulous and totally scrumptious with guacamole, your favorite dip, or on their own. Measurements are approximate again because I threw them together a while back for fun and ended up loving them so much I had to take a pic for my blog. I promise to make them again and measure like crazy!

1 C sunflower seeds

1/2 C golden or brown flax seeds, I used some of each

1/4 C chia seeds

1/4 C sesame seeds

1 1/2 C water

Dash of pink himalayan salt (or sea salt)

Dash of onion & garlic powders

Dash of cumin (optional, its already pretty earthy)

Place all the seeds in a bowl and add water. Allow to sit for a few hours , covered, at room temp. This will produce a really cool seed-gel! Add seasonings to taste, yes, you can taste the gel to see if you like the seasonings you have put in it.  Just be aware that the texture is a little funny in its pre-cracker form.   Remember that dehydrating it will make all the flavors stronger so go easy on the spices, this is something I need to remember to do better also. Smooth into a lined dehydtrator tray and leave 6-8 hours (overnight) at 105 degrees, then flip over and dehyrate until dry. Then break into crackers. For a more uniform cracker you can dry until firm, score, and finish drying but I like the rustic look of these. If you do not have a dehydrator, you can do this in your oven on your lowest setting with the door cracked open.  Next time I make these, I am going to grind half of the ingredients first so it has an even better texture....just a thought.

Comfort Foods

I've been craving squash lately and since necessity is the mother of invention, some pretty great dinners were created:
First up is tonight's feast of yellow squash, cherry tomatoes, and whole wheat-sweet potato gnocci.  Ingredients for 2 servings are as follows.  Measurements are approximate since I work with handfuls and pinches and tasting, I promise to work on measuring as I go :)

1 C gnocci (I used whole wheat-sweet potato because they are healthier but regular would work fine)

1 C yellow squash

1/3 C diced onion

1 clove garlic, diced

1 1/2 C cherry tomatoes

Salt to taste

Dried basil to taste

*If you prefer bottled marinara to cherry tomatoes in the blender, skip salt, basil, garlic, half the cherry tomatoes and just add sauce to cooked veggies & gnocci, then heat through

Soften onion & garlic in a lightly oiled skillet, toss in sliced yellow squash, boil gnocci while your veggies cook.  Put half of cherry tomatoes into your blender (I used my magic bullet) and puree.  Cut the remaining cherry tomatoes into halves.  Pour the puree in your veggie skillet, add salt & dried basil to taste, and simmer for a minute or two to let the sauce thicken slightly.  Add in cooked gnocci (they only cook about 3 minutes and float when they're done), toss in halved tomatoes & heat through.  Serve immediately.  If it's a little acidic, add a touch of sweetener (this is a tip I learned from an ex-military construction buddy, you'd be suprised how many construction workers are fabulous chefs!!!)  I avoid processed, white, granulated sugar.  I prefer agave, honey, or date paste so I added a small squeeze of agave to mine.

Next up is zucchini & quinoa.  Two of my favorite foods in the whole world on one plate!  This is a protein packed dinner, no meat needed.  Makes aprox 4 servings.

1 C quinoa (usually available in the rice section of the store, I buy mine at Costco where its much cheaper AND organic)
2 C water
1 Zucchini, diced
1/3 C diced onion
1 clove garlic, diced
1/2 C cherry tomatoes
Spoonful of guacamole or diced avocado
Salt to taste

Cook quinoa as directed on package ** see tips below.  Sautee garlic, onions, & sliced zucchini.  Chop cherry tomatoes.  Put all veggies on top of quinoa & top with a dollop of guac :)  mmmmm *Quinoa tip - package directions call for water, add some extra flavor by adding your favorite spices to the mix (I like Adobo with cumin) or even chicken broth if you are not a vegan.  **Quinoa tip 2 - on medium heat, bring to just simmering, then cover & turn heat down to low.  Cook until quinoa doesn't move around when you give the pan a little shake, 12-15 minutes.

Step It Up

Eating healthy doesn't have to be a huge exhausting switch made overnight. I took baby steps most of the way and continue to make healthier choices all the time. Don't go through your pantry and throw everything out (unless you really want to, good for you). Try making gradual easy changes consistently.

Bread: Switch from white carbs like white bread, white rice, white tortillas to whole grain bread products & brown rice. Already made this change and feel like you could be healthier? Start looking for organic sprouted options (Ezekiel brand makes some fabulous stuff) and nutient packed quinoa & wild rice as alternatives to white & brown. Looking for healthier still? Start sprouting your grains and seeds at home to preserve all the nutients and vitamins that cooking lowers.

Drinks: Small step, start drinking more water. Ease away from soda and prepackaged juices. Start making your own drinks in your blender with fresh fruit, you will learn to combine fruits to avoid the need to add sweetener. Ready to take it up a notch? Toss a handful of spinach in your blended fruit smoothie, you won't taste any difference and if you Are squeemish about the color you can use an opaque cup. As you get more adventurous you can try kale or collards or whatever strikes you. I make smoothies and juices every day. Even my "meat-and-rice-only" hubby loves my green smoothies and juices. His is usually strawberry lemonade with spinach. Coconut water is a huge deal in my house too. It's nature's sports drink, keeping you super hydrated. One of my favorite ways to come up with great new drink ideas is to find some fantastic looking, overpriced health drink, take a pic of the ingredients with my phone, and make at home. This is how I came up with my beet & pineapple drink. I did NOT pay $5 for a little bottle of it at the health store!

Meat: I do not believe veganism is for everyone, it's just something I use as a dietary guideline in my own life. Portion control and plate ratios are very important. Meat servings should be limited to no larger than your closed fist is long & wide. At least half of your plate should be veggies. The other 1/4 can be protein, & 1/4 healthy carbs.

Listen to your body: Mine now tells me how unhappy any kind of flour or meat make it. Pay attention to what YOURS likes & dislikes. When your body complains, take note and stop punishing it. We all have "cheat days" but consistently cramming your body full of things that lack any nutritional value and are hard to digest will cause it to act up and pack on extra weight too. I have lost the extra 25 lbs I was carrying around since I started listening to my body. I rarely get colds or the other bugs that get passed around. Until I unwisely followed some bad medical advice I had incredible endurance and gym stamina. On my way back to the gym, now that the toxic meds are out of my system. I think the eleptical machines have missed me as much as I miss them :D Please leave comments or email me if you have any recipes you would like me to create for you or if you have any requests or questions at all.

Mona's Raw Vegan Stir Fry

All I can say is "WOW!" Mona has done it again. I was interested in raw vegan but hadn't ventured into it much until I sat in Mona's demonstration last October. I've been mostly raw ever since. Today I came across her recipe for raw vegan stir fry and had to make it immediately! I'm even eating it with chopsticks as she suggested, truly enjoying it, results below :)  Here's the site where her recipe is posted: www.somelikeitraw.com/raw-stir-fry/

No Cook Summer Recipes

Whole Living -- Natural Pantry

29 no cook recipes! Just had to share! Never been a civiche person, even in my pescatarian days, but I plan on making, photographing, and posting results of the other recipes for y'all soon! Click the big "Whole Living-Natural Pantry" above to be taken to the site. This is a cooking website but when the weather turns hot, they bring out cool ideas. :D

Teacher's Pet

I started this blog to share with family and friends who tell me "if you only lived in the same state, you could feed me your wonderful cooking."  Well, my concoctions just aren't all that difficult to make.  A good amount of creativity goes into dreaming them up but I like to keep things simple and leave the complicated stuff for the weekend.  Here are a few things I have taught them to make and even a photo from the other side of the country where my best friend made her first Dave Sketti!!Green smoothies and fresh juice usually start off my day.  I've even got my dad making this stuff :D  Here are two I am currently addicted to.  First up is a banana protein smoothie.  Large handful of spinach, 1 broken up banana, couple dashes cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice,  a touch of vanilla, a squirt of agave or honey, a couple heaping spoons of hemp protein powder (you can leave this out or use a different protein), almond milk.  Put everthing in the blender except the milk, then add just enough milk to get it to mix.  Run blender until it is very smooth, then slowly add in the remaining milk until you reach your desired consistancy/thickness).  This makes for a much less chunky smoothie.  If you add all the liquid at the beginning it just doesn't blend as well.

Beet was a 4 letter word to my husband until I juiced up this beet, pineapple, lemon, apple favorite of mine and plunked down in front of a movie rental with him.  Throughout the movie he was stealing gulps from my tall glass of iced crimson drink.  It wasn't until the next day when I was telling my friend about how I had converted him that he said "What??  That wasn't berry juice??"  1 peeled beet with or without greens, 1 slice pineapple (you can leave core but I cut off the outside), 1 peeled lemon, 1 apple.  Put through your juicer and serve over ice.

Raw almond butter is a huge part of my diet.  I use it in smoothies, wraps, dips, and anything else I can dream up.  My dad called me the other day and I could hear him smiling as he told me he was enjoying an almond butter and honey sandwich.  Atta boy!  I absolutely love when I can tell someone is elated by their food being so delicious AND good for them.  That's what I'm all about.  Health food is not yucky, if it is, you are doing it wrong!  Haha.  Here is a pic of one of my favorite snacks.  A sliced up apple and some almond butter.  Also fabulous on celery and carrots.

And the feature of the day.......Dave Sketti!  Here is a pic of it all assembled, followed by a pic from teacher's pet after success on her first try!  That's why I named it after her :D  To make this fabulous dish you only need 3 ingredients.  1 spaghetti squash, these usually have directions right on them.  Simply cut in half, scoop out seeds (like a pumkin), place cut side down on a microwave safe plate, pour 1/4C water onto plate, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave for 12 minutes (give or take a few minutes).  You know its done if it gives when you push on it.  Let it cool, then simply run a fork across the inside to free the "noodles".  Toss with pesto and halved grape tomatoes.  This would also be fantastic with pine nuts sprinkled on top but in keeping with our easy and inexpensive theme, they are not part of the recipe.