Gluten-Free PB&J Bites

2 tbsp. organic PB or 1/2 cup organic peanuts

1 (or so) tbsp. organic almond butter

1/2 cup organic raisins

2 organic dried dates

2 organic dried figs

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup flaxmeal or ground flaxseed

1 tsp. hemp seed

Place in a processor until combined.

Roll in balls.

Top with dried organic cranberries or raisins.

If you need further sweetening add agave, maple syrup or honey.

If you need them to be thicker add arrowroot starch/powder.

You can play with the ingredients some people just do organic peanut butter and raisins.

I wanted further nutrition for my little one!

ENJOY! 

ChickPea Tagine with Butternut Squash

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 4 shallots, quartered
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped 
• 1/2 cup vegetablw broth
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
• 3 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 pound)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

1. 1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add beef; toss well to coat.
2. 2. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef and shallots; cook 4 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes. Add squash; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until squash is tender. Sprinkle with cilantro.

My Healthy Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies

My healthy gluten free chocolate chip cookies!

1/4 cup Cashews
1/3 cup Pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup of Flax seeds or Flax meal
1 tbsp Sunflower seeds
1 tbsp Hemp seeds
1 tbsp Chia seeds
1 cup Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Baking Flour
1 cup Blue Agave Nectar
1/4 Arrowroot Starch
1 tbsp Peanut butter or Almond butter
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
2 tbsp melted organic Coconut oil
1 egg or 6 tbsp of Applesauce
1 tbsp Vanilla extract
1/2 cup of Cacao nibs

In a food processor add cashews, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds (if not meal), sunflower seeds, hemp seeds blend until all of the nuts and seeds are to a meal, just before a powdered substance. Add mixture to large bowl, process the cacao nibs. Add all the remaining ingredients. Mix together. Spoon out on a baking sheet and bake at 325 degrees for 7 minutes.

Nick's Favorite Greek Salad

Ingredients:

Cucumber
Tomato 
Blanched Artichoke 
Goat Feta (or Regular Feta) Cheese
Kalamata Olives 
Olive Oil 
Parsley 
Pesto

Toss together. 
Simply made with fresh foods and love! 

Gluten Free Vegan Black Bean & Quinoa Burgers Recipe

Gluten Free Vegan Black Bean & Quinoa Burgers Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup pre-rinsed quinoa
1½ cups water
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
2 – 15 ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained (or 4 cups cooked black beans)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 green onions, green and white parts, chopped
1/3 cup hummus
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup plus 4 tablespoons brown rice bean flour or all-purpose gluten free flour
Olive or grapeseed oil

Directions

Combine the quinoa, water and ¼ teaspoon of salt in a small saucepan with a lid. Bring to boil, lower the heat to low, cover the pan and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed. Remove from heat and let sit, covered for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Alternately, you can use 2½ cups cooked quinoa.

Place half of the black beans in a food processor with the ground cumin, green onions, hummus , and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Process until the mixture is smooth. Add the remaining beans and pulse a few times until you have a somewhat chunky puree. Put the bean mixture into a mixing bowl, add the cooked quinoa and 6 tablespoons of flour, stir to combine. Place the remaining ½ cup flour on a dinner plate. Portion the bean mixture into 6 equal sized patties.

Add just enough oil to a large skillet to coat the bottom and heat over medium-high heat until it starts to shimmer. Place the patties into the flour and coat both sides. Add the patties carefully to the hot skillet, do not over crowd the skillet. Cook for 3 – 4 minutes per side or until golden brown.

I serve mine with homemade guacamole!  

Servings

A gluten free recipe that serves 6 people.

Easy Garlic Hummus

Easy Hummus 

INGREDIENTS:

2 garlic cloves,
20 ounces cooked garbanzo beans (chickpeas).
6-7 ounces cup of tahini
4-6 ounces  freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Preparation:

Usefull Tip: soak the garbanzo beans (chickpeas) in water over night, then boil it in water for 2 hours at a medium heat.

1.   Add garlic, garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice and 1/2 cup water to the food processor.
2.   Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth, then add salt& mix again.
3.   Recommended to serve it with raw vegetables such as tomato or cucumber, and with pita bread.
You can cut the pita bread into thin triangles, brush with olive oil and toast for 10 minutes in a 400°F oven to make toast pita to dip it with the hummus.

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes Style

Cauliflower Mashed “Potatoes”

By SteamyKitchen / 42 comments »

We recently went to Ruby Tuesdays for dinner and guess what? They have Cauliflower Mashed “Potatoes”!! It looks like mashed potatoes, its texture is similar to mashed potatoes and the taste is mashed potato-y enough to make those who are on the Paleo diet or low carb diet happy.

When I made it for the family, they loved it but all agreed that we shouldn’t call it Mashed “Potatoes” but just simply Mashed Cauliflower – it’s tasty on its own merit without having to degrade it to a quote-potato-end quote status.

I like the mashed cauliflower to be a little chunky (like I like my mashed potatoes) so instead of using an immersion blender, I just use a potato masher to mash and stir with the butter and sour cream.

Top with chives (or whatever you normally like on your mashed potatoes) and you’ve got one heck of a side dish.

cauliflower mashed "potatoes" recipe

Servings: 4 Prep Time:8 minutes Cook Time:20 minutes

ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower3 tablespoons milk1 tablespoon butter2 tablespoons light sour cream1/4 teaspoon garlic saltfreshly ground black peppersnipped chives

directions:

1. Separate the cauliflower into florets and chop the core finely.

2. Bring about 1 cup of water to a simmer in a pot, then add the cauliflower. Cover and turn the heat to medium. Cook the cauliflower for 12-15 minutes or until very tender.

3. Drain and discard all of the water (the drier the cauliflower is, the better) and add the milk, butter, sour cream, salt and pepper and mash with a masher until it looks like "mashed potatoes." Top with chives.

Stuffed Artichoke

Ingredients

• 4 jumbo artichokes
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 10 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 2 bunches chopped Italian parsley leaves, to yield about 1/2 cup
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a large saucepan, combine 4 quarts of water the lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add the artichokes and blanch for 20 minutes, until tender. Drain, cool, and set aside. Remove the outer layer of leaves from the artichokes and cut the artichokes in quarters. Use a small knife to remove the spiny choke.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix the sliced garlic, Parmigiano, parsley, and extra-virgin olive oil loosely.

Season the cavity of each artichoke with salt and pepper and stuff in and around the leaves with cheese/garlic mixture. Put the artichokes in a shallow baking dish, place in preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes. Remove and let rest 10 minutes. Serve immediately, or serve at room temperature as an antipasto.

Check out the original recipe!

Grow your own SCOBY for Kombucha

How To Grow A Kombucha SCOBY

Written by KristenM

This Method Is No Longer Recommended!

After the great Kombucha reformulation of 2010, bottles of store-bought kombucha are no longer a consistently good way to grow a kombucha scoby.
Please read about my kombucha scoby experiment for more on this and to find out how I now recommend everyone get their hands on a starter culture for this healthy beverage.Original post content continues below…

How To Grow A Kombucha SCOBY

Kombucha, the effervescent and tangy health drink made from fermenting sweetened tea, is my family’s favorite beverage. We drink about 2 gallons of the stuff per week.
To make kombucha (see my instructions for how to do that here), you only need two things:
1) Sweetened tea, and 2) a SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast), AKA “mother,” or “mushroom.”
Coming by kombucha mothers is easy if you’ve got friends making this “immortal health elixir.” Kombucha mother colonies periodically reproduce, so people brewing it have a constant supply of scobies to give away.
But what if you’re a lone wolf, daring to make kombucha on your own?  Where are you supposed to get a good SCOBY?
The most reputable online stores can charge anywhere from $15-$35 per kombucha mother.
YIKES!
So, I thought I’d show you how to grow your own for about $3.50.

The Players

• 1 bottle of Organic, Raw Kombucha
• 1 glass jar
• 1 kitchen towel
• 1 cup of room temperature sweetened tea made with filtered water (where to buy water filters)

NOTES:

1. You can buy the kombucha at just about any health food store. I get mine from the health food aisle of my local HEB — a large chain grocery store local to my area.  If you can’t find it near you, you can buy a bottle of the stuff online. Make sure it’s organic, raw, and unflavored with juice. You just want the plain, original beverage.
2. The sweetened tea can be as simple as a cup of black tea, sweetened with a tablespoon of sugar.

The How-To

Pour the bottle of kombucha and sweetened tea into a glass jar.  Cover it with a towel so it can breathe but be protected from insects and other contaminants. Let it sit.
THE END.
It’s really very easy, isn’t it?

With time, a new SCOBY will start to form on top of the liquid. It will appear first as a thin film, then slowly fill in and thicken up.

Once it’s about 1/4 inch thick, it’s ready to go. You can let it sit longer and get even thicker, but that’s really not necessary. This SCOBY is about 1/3 inch thick and took me about 3 weeks to grow. In the summer, I can grow it in half that time.

Enzyme-rich Mayonnaise

Written by KristenM

Desserts don't have to be evil! Check out the healthy, grain-free desserts featuring natural sweeteners found in the new e-book Grain-Free Desserts. Click here to view more details!

Making your own condiments is an easy way to eat healthy fats, increase your enzyme intake, and reduce costs. Why pay $4 for a salad dressing you can make for less than $1?
A key base of many creamy salad dressings (and yummy grilled cheese sandwiches!) is mayonnaise. I tried the recipe in Nourishing Traditions (a FoodRenegade Must Read), but couldn’t handle the over powering olive oil taste. So, here’s what I whip up for my family.

Homemade Mayonnaise

Enzyme-Rich Mayonnaise
2 eggs (from pastured hens) at room temperature
1 tsp sucanat (optional)
1 tsp raw, unpastuerized apple cider vinegar
1/2 C cold-pressed, uv-protected olive oil
1/2 C warm coconut oil
1 tsp whey
salt & paprika to taste
Put 1 egg and the yolk of the other in your blender, along with sucanat, cider vinegar, & whey.   Whirl around for 30 seconds or until nice and frothy.  Slowly add in olive oil, followed by coconut oil.  Add salt and paprika to taste.  Transfer to a small, pint sized jar and close the lid tightly.  Leave on your counter for 7-12 hours then transfer to the refrigerator.
So, what makes this mayo so good for you in addition to being so pleasant to your taste buds?
First, it’s made with real oil rather than the rancid and deodorized soybean or canola oils commonly found in most store-bought mayos.  Second, it’s made with enzyme-rich vinegar and whey, both of which will aid your digestion and decrease your pancreatic load, thereby reducing your risk for diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

White Bean Soup

Garlicky White Bean Soup with Dark Greens

10-12 servings

You could serve with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese on top and rustic bread on the side.

Soak 4 cups of white beans overnight in plenty of water (I used great northern beans)
10-12 cups of water
2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups of baby spinach (or one bunch of kale, swiss chard, or dark green of your choice)
1/3 cup of olive oil
6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced or put through garlic press
3 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 cup of tomato paste
Sea Salt and Pepper

1-Rinse and drain your beans, then add to a large pot. Add 10-12 cups of water, the smashed garlic cloves, bay leaves and olive oil.
Bring to a boil and turn down heat to a low simmer. Simmer until beans are soft and tender. How long this takes will depend on how old your beans are, and what type you are using, but it should generally take about 1 1/2 hours.

2-Wash and drain the baby spinach leaves (or wash and chop dark greens of your choice). Add to soup and allow to simmer while you do step three. Baby spinach will only take a few minutes to completely cook, while kale or swiss chard can take up to 10-15 minutes to really soften.

3- In a small saucepan heat the olive oil until hot. Add the tomato paste, oregano, and garlic. Continually stir until the the olive oil is tinted with red, and the garlic is softening (but not brown). Pour this flavorful mix over your beans in the pot and stir in.

4-Taste test, you will need to add plenty of salt and pepper (remember you haven’t added any in yet). Serve slightly cooled. If you serve it piping hot, you won’t be able to taste as much of the flavors. Enjoy!

Gypsy Soup

Gypsy Soup

Serves 6

2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 cups diced yellow onion, 1/4” dice
1 cup diced celery, 1/4” dice
1 cup diced red or green bell pepper, 1/4” dice
2 cups diced, peeled garnet yams, sweet potatoes, winter squash, or carrots, 1/4” dice
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. sweet paprika
1 tsp. turmeric
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8-1/4 tsp. cayenne
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted, or 1 1/2 cups diced fresh tomatoes, 1/4” dice
1 15.5-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed, or 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
5 cups vegetable or chicken stock, or water
1/2 tsp. salt
3 bay leaves
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

In large pot, sauté onions, celery, peppers, and garnet yams in olive oil, lightly seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper, until onions soften and start to turn golden. Stir in garlic, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon, and cayenne and cook for 1 minute.  Stir in tomatoes, chickpeas, stock or water, salt, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, cover, turn heat down to low, and simmer for 20-30 minutes until flavors have blended. Taste and add salt, freshly ground black pepper, or cayenne, as needed. Stir in fresh parsley and serve.

Pomegranate Orange Salad

Pomegranate Salad Ingredients

• 1 pomegranate
• 2 seedless oranges
• 1 finely minced garlic clove
• 3 tablespoon olive oil
• a pinch of salt
• a dash of pepper
• fresh mint sprigs

Pomegranate Salad Steps

1. Remove the pomegranate seeds using the underwater method to keep the juice contained (see the method on our pomegranate profile).
2. Peel the oranges and slice into 1/2 inch rounds. Feed the end pieces to the kids or consider them your bonus for making such a fine salad.
3. Arrange the orange slices in a single layer on a serving platter. Each slice represents a single salad serving.
4. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds over each orange slice.
5. Garnish the platter with sprigs of mint. I usually use lemon balm since it is growing everywhere we have water. An alternative to the sprigs as garnish is to slice the leaves into thin ribbons then sprinkle them lightly over the pomegranate seeds. Either way, the colors are show-stopping.
6. Mix the oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a small container. Drizzle it over the salad just before serving. There is no need to add vinegar or lemon juice to this vinaigrette. The pucker power from the oranges and pomegranate seeds provides the needed acid boost.

If you have any left, refrigerate these beauties in an airtight container and enjoy them the next day with lunch. Actually, add them to the lunch box since they taste wonderful at room temperature.Just add to lettuce to sweeten any  regular salad.

Finish your Flu with homemade Elderberry Syrup

Homemade Elderberry Syrup Ingredients

• With fresh berries: 1 cups berries, 1/2 cup water
• With dried berries: 1/2 cup berries, 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup honey (or more to taste)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 5 cloves
• 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh ginger

Homemade Elderberry Syrup Steps

336

1. Combine berries, water, and spices in a pot.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce heat to simmer.
3. Simmer for about 30 minutes until the liquid is reduced by about half.
4. Strain mixture through a strainer or sieve.
5. Add honey and stir until the honey is dissolved.

Your syrup will keep in your refrigerator for a month or more. If you make it in large batches, consider freezing part of the syrup in smaller freezer containers for easy use.

Yogini Corset Morning Exercise

Exercise for the Transversus Abdominis 
(AKA the muscle that pulls in the ring of your waist)

One area of your abs you may be neglecting is the transversus abdominus - without working it, you run the risk of developing a square torso (straight up and down) rather than an hourglass one (tapered at the waist). Here’s what you can do along with your usual ab workout:

1. Get on all fours, back straight, looking down.
2. Exhale completely, then hold your breath.
3. Pull your belly toward your spine (“suck in”) as hard as possible for 10 seconds, while continuing to hold your breath.
4. Inhale. Take a few breaths, then repeat 10 times.

Later, you’ll probably feel as though you’d been laughing at something REALLY funny. That’s because you worked those same muscles. Enjoy!

Day 1 Detox

If not doing The Core Restore BT Program from Orthomolecular Products:

Rules:

1. At lunch you should have both raw and cooked vegetables, but at night you should eat cooked vegetables ONLY.
2. NO FRUIT should be eaten after 4:00 in the afternoon. It ferments in the gut at night, stressing the liver.
3. Do not skip midmorning and afternoon snacks. They are crucial to maintaining blood sugar levels and warding off hunger.
4. You MUST drink at least 3 liters of herb tea and purified water a day. 
5. Each morning should begin with a cup of Dr. Rau's Alkaline Soup.

Breakfast 

• cup of small bowl of broth only (no vegetables) from Dr. Rau's Alkaline Soup:

      
     One and half cups finely diced  zucchini
  1 cup finely cut green beans (about 4 ounces)
2 celery ribs, fined diced
Three-quarter finely diced peeled carrots
 Sea Salt (optional)

1. Put all the veggies in a large saucepan with 2 quarts of pure non-chlorinated spring water. Bring to a boil; skim off any scum that rises to the top.
2. Reduce heat to a simmer, patially cover the pot and cook the veggies for 10-12 minutes, or until they are soft.
3. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.Serve as directed. 

• 4 ounces (half cup) of grapefruit juice (unless on presciption medication for an ailment other than acid reflux)
• 1 tablespoon pure flax seed oil
• Quarter cup steel-cut oats cooked in 1 cup water with 1 date until very soft, about 15 minutes; no other sweetener
• 1 small apple (note: Apple is good diced and eaten with oatmeal) or half avocado, dressed with 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice and 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup decaffeinated green tea or herb tea.

Midmorning Snack 

• half an apple or 1 small carrot

Lunch

• SALAD PLATE: Your choice of shredded raw vegetables dressed with lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil or one-quarter cup shredded Beet and Carrot Salad; one-quarter cup shredded zucchini tossed with one and one-quarter teaspoons fresh lemon juice and 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil; one-quarter cup Asian Sesame Slaw.

• STEAMED VEGETABLE PLATE: Broccoli florets, sliced carrots, and 1 small Yukon gold potato, sliced, all lightly steamed; do not over cook.  May splash with 2 teaspoons each lemon juice or balsamic vinegar and extra virgin oil or sunflower oil.  Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds.

Midafternoon Snack 

• half avocado, 6 cucumber sticks, or half an apple

Supper 

• 4 ounces fresh carrot or other vegetable juice
• Bowl of Dr Rau's Alkaline Soup, including half a cup diced vegetables from the soup
• half cup (after cooking) Olive-oil Steamed Spinach
• half cup steamed broccoli florets
• cup of herb tea, such as peppermint

Pages 78-81 The Swiss Secret to Optimal Health