Amaretto coconut energy bar

These are my new favorite energy bars! I am loving using almond extract lately. I made these to be a DIY Larabar and they turned out really delicious! I am trying to eat more anti-candida foods lately and coconut products are a good source of caprylic acid which is a great anti-candida fatty acid.

Amaretto coconut energy bar

4 soaked medjool dates

1 cup shredded coconut

1 tablespoon melted coconut oil

2 tablespoon sunbutter

1 tablespoon ground chia seeds

1 teaspoon almond extract

*Mash ingredients together and form bars or balls. Makes about 4-5 bars.

These are also seen here http://www.allergyfreealaska.com/2013/08/01/whole-food-fridays-8-2-13/ with many other gluten free recipes.

Strawberry ginger macadamia shake

As you might have noticed everything I have made lately contains macadamia nuts in it. Part of the reason is I miss Hawaii big time and we lived off of them while we were there over a month ago. This shake makes a good desert that is easily digestible because of all the fresh ginger and no dairy. I just got a new blender and I am really excited because my other one was starting to die and just barely worked until it finally exploded (my fault-I stuck a spoon in there while it was blending to help it blend) I REALLY recommend the Kitchen aid blender because it is powerful (700 watt motor) and it doesn’t have a bunch of weird pieces that are impossible to clean. I’m sure the vitamix is even better but some of us can’t afford a $300 blender so this one does the job.

Strawberry ginger macadamia shake

2 cups coconut milk

1 cup frozen strawberries

handful macadamia nuts

3″ piece of ginger

1/2 avocado

30 drops stevia or to taste

1/2 vanilla bean(inside) or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Raw carrot cake with cashew butter cream frosting

I think this cake is my new favorite desert. I actually feel good after I eat it which rarely happens after I eat a desert. We ate this for breakfast today and the kids were really excited to get to eat cake for breakfast.  This cake is really healthy and delicious with no added fats, or fatty milks to weigh you down. This isn’t a spiced carrot cake but more of a citrus carrot cake.

Raw carrot cake

1 1/2 carrot juicer pulp

1 cup coconut flour (freshly ground)

1/2 cup soaked cashew flour

2 tablespoon ground flax seeds

1/2 cup carrot juice

1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

1/4 cup and 1 tablespoon raw honey

3 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. lemon zest

1/4 cup chopped soaked walnuts

1/4 cup raisins

pinch of sea salt

Mix together ingredients and press into 6-8″ cake pan. Flip pan upside down and place the cake onto a large plate. You can make this a single layer or a double layer cake (for double layer just double the ingredient amounts). Apply frosting and garnish with chopped nuts, dried berries, and/or flowers. Keep in refrigerator. Makes about 8 servings.

Cashew butter cream frosting recipe here

This recipe can also seen here with other great recipes http://dietdessertndogs.com/2013/05/16/wellness-weekend-may-16-20 and http://www.thetastyalternative.com/2013/06/allergy-free-wednesdays-week-73-june-26.html

Carob cream pie (dairy free/grain free)

I have a carob obsession lately, especially mixed with cocoa butter. This is a great pie that is easy to make and my kids go crazy over it. I use my cashew coconut whip cream on top with some crushed dark chocolate chips. This recipe contains a small amount of chocolate but you can just leave it out if you are trying to avoid it all together.

Carob cream pie

crust:

1  3/4 and 1 tablespoon ground cashews

1/4 cup melted coconut oil

2 tablespoons raw honey

pinch of sea salt

filling:

1 1/2 cups coconut milk (full fat or if reduced fat add 1 tablespoon coconut oil)

1 cup carob powder

3 tablespoons raw honey

3 tablespoons cocoa butter pieces

30 drops vanilla stevia

2 tablespoons dark chocolate chips

optional: 1/2 cup ground roasted hazelnuts

pinch of sea salt

Prepare the crust and flatten out to the bottom of a pie pan.  Cook on medium the filling ingredients just to melt the cocoa butter and chocolate chips.  I use a whisk to make sure it is smooth and creamy. Pour onto pie crust and refrigerate for a few hours until the pie sets. Top with some cashew/coconut whip cream and crushed chocolate chips/bars. I will leave the recipe for my whip cream also below.

Cashew/coconut whip cream 

Will post tonight -misplaced recipe:)

 

Curried root and fruit salad

I love the sweet and savory mix of curry dishes. My kids cant’t get into it but as a kid I probably wouldn’t have appreciated these combinations of flavors either. Turmeric is a super food and does amazing things for your body so I try to eat it often. I almost always make every salad with a lot of different textures of foods including nuts, seeds and dried fruits.

Curried root and fruit salad

1 apple chopped

2 large carrots chopped

large handful of grapes

1/2 cup chopped beets

2 tablespoon full fat coconut milk

2 teaspoons lemon juice

handful of yellow raisins

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

2 tablespoons unsalted pistachios

2 teaspoons curry powder

top with shredded coconut (optional)

Mix the coconut milk, curry powder and lemon juice together in a separate bowl then add to the salad and mix together.

Serves 2

What I ate Wednesday and some new recipes

For breakfast today I had a big bowl of chia breakfast pudding. I have been working out a lot lately so I need to give my body some extra nourishment. Chia seeds are a great source of  many minerals such as iron and magnesium and along with flax seeds they are the best plant source of omega 3 fats( the anti inflammatory fat) . You can do so much with chia seeds such as: adding them to water or juice for a great electrolyte thirst quencher, dairy free puddings, smoothies, use them as egg replacers in baking, and adding them to cereals or oatmeal.

Chia breakfast pudding

1/4 cup chia seeds

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup coconut milk

15 drops vanilla stevia

handful of goji berries (or other berries)

handful of cashews( or other nuts or seeds)

cinnamon(optional)

Mix ingredients together, and if you like it more soupy just add more water or milk. The chia seeds will expand about twice to 3 times their size within a matter of a few minutes.

For lunch today I had some of my favorite korean sushi from the asian market along with some red dates. I usually try to get to the asian market about once a week to get my some of my staples such as: seaweed, coconut milk, thai and chinese food condiments, tapioca flour, and red dates. I will post my recipe for my version of the korean sushi soon. If you look at the ingredients list to most of the pickled items that go in sushi almost every one has MSG, food coloring, aspartame, and other things that should not be edible. I also made some green juice from my juicer-here’s what I put in:

Green energy juice

handful kale (about 6 leaves)

handful of cilantro

2 apples

2 cucumbers

3″ chunk ginger

1 lemon

1/2 orange

10 drops vanilla stevia

I also dilute my juice with water 1:1 ratio so I can have some through out the day.

For dinner I made some cod fish sticks with pumpkin seed batter, rosemary roasted carrots and a green smoothie. I thought the fish sticks were good but the kids weren’t too excited about them so I ‘m going to keep working on that one until it gets the kid approval. They definitely approved of the strawberry chocolate ice cream cake I made for desert thought. I couldn’t keep their little hands of of the thing, they were like wild vultures fighting over it( although they fight over everything so that’s just the norm for this house)

strawberry chocolate ice cream cake (vegan)

strawberry ice cream:

1 1/2 cups coconut cream

2 cups strawberries

3 tablespoons maple syrup

35 drops vanilla stevia

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

chocolate cake:

1/4 cup ground sunflower seeds

1 tablespoon ground flax seeds

1 tablespoon ground coconut shreds

1 tablespoon coconut oil melted

4 tablespoons of melted chocolate chips

6 soaked red dates

* Use your ice cream maker as directed to make the ice cream to soft serve texture.

* Line a bowl with a plastic bag (to avoid sticking). I used compost bags for this.

* Slice strawberries around the the inside edge of the bowl.

* Pour ice cream to fill the bowl.

* Add a few strawberries to the ice cream (push them under so they are covered with ice cream)

* Freeze for about 1 hour

* While ice cream is freezing mix together cake ingredients and make a round “cake” about 2-3″ thick on a plate and refrigerate.

* When the ice cream is solid combine the ice cream and the cake and top with crushed chocolate chips. Let thaw for about 15-20 minutes before serving.

* Makes about 6 small servings or 4 regular servings. (very rich, I would suggest eating small servings!)

This recipe can also be found here http://www.allergyfreealaska.com/2013/05/02/whole-food-fridays-5-3-2013/  along with many other yummy recipes!

vegan orange muffins with raw glaze/frosting and eating for your body type

I had to make these because I have been craving orange flavored foods for some reason lately, maybe my body needs more vitamin C.  Oranges are actually fairly heating for my body type so I need to eat/drink them in moderation. In East Indian and Chinese medicine eating foods with the correct thermal nature is very important in keeping your body/organs functioning properly. That is why I eat more cooling/drying foods in the spring and summer such as raw foods, and warming and nourishing in the fall and winter such as soups and seafood. I also live in an environment that has all 4 seasons so I have a pretty big contrast in my diet from summer to winter. Whereas someone from a warm climate would stick to mostly cooling foods all year to keep their body balanced. If for example someone with a heating constitution (called pitta in Ayurveda) were to eat large amounts of  red meat or coffee and also living in a warm climate such as the southwest united states their body would be on “fire” and many health issues could result such as heart disease, diabetes etc. You can read more about that at this link: http://app1.chinadaily.com.cn/star/history/00-04-18/l02-chinese.html. The Ayurvedic(East Indian) explanation of body constitutions and diet seems to be the most layman’s friendly. I strongly suggest taking an online quiz to find out your dosha type so you can be working with your body and not against it. Here is a link to a the quiz from the Dr. Oz website  http://www.doctoroz.com/ayurvedic-body-type-find-your-dosha

Orange muffins (vegan)

3/4 cup coconut flour (I grind the shredded coconut instead of buying coconut flour, it tastes better)

1 1/2 cups brown rice flour

3/4 cup garbanzo/fava flour

1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon apple puree/sauce

1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon raw honey

3/4 cup coconut milk

zest of 1 medium sized orange

about 40 drops vanilla stevia or to taste

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 tablespoon vinegar

1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil

pinch of sea salt

Mix ingredients together and fill muffin molds to the top and bake on 350 until soft and springy. Makes a dozen muffins.

Raw orange frosting/glaze

Blend or process:

1/3 cup soaked raw cashews

1 1/2 bananas

3 tablespoons of avocado

1/2 cup soaked shredded coconut

12 soaked dates

1 cup nut milk (I used coconut)

zest of 1 medium orange

1 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice

3 tablespoons raw honey

about 30 drops vanilla stevia or to taste

pinch of sea salt (optional)

1/2 carrot and/or pinch turmeric for orange color(optional)

Summer is getting close! Try some chocolate and vanilla ice cream bars (dairy free)

I use to love jello pudding pops back in the 80’s when I was a kid. These remind of those but without all the sugar and dairy involved. My kids have been going crazy over these things. My 7 year old son actually paid me a dollar of the money he earned today( from selling things out in front of our house including: broken sea shells,fresh eggs, and flowers) so he could have another bar. I took him up on the deal but made him eat another carrot first.

Vanilla ice cream bars (vegan)

Blend or process:

1/2 cup coconut milk

3 soaked dates

2 tablespoons ground chia seeds

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 tablespoon smart balance butter

1/2 tablespoon tapioca flour

3 tablespoons ground raw cashews

Pour ingredients into popsicle molds and freeze! Makes 4 small bars.

Chocolate ice cream bars (vegan)

just add 3 tablespoons of melted chocolate chips (dairy free if you are vegan of just regular semi sweet) to the vanilla ice cream bars. These would be really good swirled together too.

 

 

Mango coconut chocolate chip cookies and Hawaiian sunrise juice

More tropical inspired recipes coming your way! It has been really dry here in Washington lately from either pollen or pollution or both so I need some hydrating moisturizing foods to keep us healthy. The kids are coughing and my lungs aren’t happy as well. The only time my body can handle oats is in mid summer or mid winter when there is a lack of moisture in the air. So cookies with oat flour it is! I will post the recipe for the juice I made also below.

Mango coconut chocolate chip cookies

1/2 cup ground gluten free oats

1/2 cup ground shredded coconut

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup partially ground macadamia nuts

1/2 cup finely chopped dried mango

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons raw honey

4 1/2 tablespoons mango puree

2 tablespoons coconut milk

1 egg white or egg replacer

1 packet stevia

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of sea salt

Hawaiian sunrise juice

5-7 medium carrots

1 small beet(or small chunk of a beet)

3″ of fresh ginger

1 lemon

1/2 lime

1 apple

1/2 cucumber

fruit of 1 mango

fruit of 1 papaya

1 packet of stevia (if you like your juice fairly sweet like I do)

 

Tropical mango coconut salad with orange ginger dressing

This is my second tropical dish this week and probably a few more to follow. Preparing for Hawaii next week (as long as North Korea doesn’t bomb us!) Yikes! I may need to stock up on some seaweed to fight off the radiation fallout from the nuclear bomb that may come our way. No bomb threat can keep me away from my hawaii!

Tropical mango coconut salad

mixed greens

chopped mango

chopped kiwi

raisins

pistachios

shrimp

toasted coconut

black sesame seeds

shredded carrots

chopped onions(optional)

 

Dressing

juice of half an orange

2 teaspoons grated ginger

1-2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 tablespoons olive oil

sea salt to taste(or tamari/soy sauce)