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This was one of those recipes I've had in my inbox since September, but the grating of carrots, beets and apples was holding me back. Don't let it hold you back! On a freezing day with the right ingredients in my kitchen, I decided this was it. And the grating wasn't all that bad. I had this in the oven, warm and ready for cold children after school. My older son had a second helping. My younger son took an hour to eat his lunch at 1:30, so he wasn't hungry. He did give me a "yum!" about the few bites he had though.
4 eggs (or 2 duck eggs if you happen to get them from the Kingsland Farmers Market)
1/2 cup maple syrup or 1/3 cup agave nectar
2 tsp vanilla
2/4 cup whole grain flour (I used buckwheat flour - gluten free and high in fiber)
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 - 1 cup each grated carrots, apples and beets (parsnips would be a good substitute for one of these too)
Optional - 1/2 - 1 cup sliced almonds, pumpkin seeds or sesame seeds, or a mix of all three. I used 1/2 cup sliced almonds and 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds.
Whisk eggs until frothy. Add sweetener and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and grated apple, carrot and beet to same bowl and stir to mix. Add nuts and bake in 350F oven for 30 - 35 minutes. Serve warm.
A slightly different version of this recipe was passed on from my friend Mary Ellen Grueneburg. We visited her and her family at their farm Greens, Eggs and Ham near Leduc over Christmas. We were lucky enough to stay for dinner which was prepared by her oldest daughter Ariana who manages the cornish game hen part of their business. (They are not the little cornish game hens you see at the grocery store, they are 5-10 lb, delicious hens!) Anyway, she prepared a full turkey dinner for us with stewed parsnips and apples, stuffing, homemade baked beans and cranberry-strawberry sauce. It was a real treat as our family tradition is sushi for Christmas dinner. (Pick it up on the 25th from T&T Supermarket! No cooking, no mess and my children get to eat their favorite food.)
Getting to know Mary Ellen while on my own food for health journey has been a real treat. Her farm specializes in unique food items and knowing where our food comes from is important to us. The boys now have a first hand experience of seeing where their food is grown and how far it travels before it reaches their plates. Here are a couple of pictures from our visit:
Their farm has a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) option which is a program to link consumers to farmers. Learn more about what a CSA is and other CSA farms in Alberta here. I also recently learned about community supported fishing here.
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Last week we visited our farmer and friends, Mary Ellen and Andreas Gruenburg, at their farm Greens, Eggs and Ham near Leduc. (You can find Mary Ellen at the Kingsland Farmers Market and you'll learn something new every time you talk to her!) We took pictures and I'll do a post on it soon. Her farm specializes in unique produce items and fowl. Over the winter, they grow unique and flavorful greens in their greenhouse. We were able to sample all of the heritage greens when we were there. I can't remember all of them, but there is a spicy mustard green, a broccoli flavored green, sorrel with a strong lemon flavor and others. My oldest son loves lemon and he really enjoyed the flavor of the sorrel so we brought home a bag yesterday. Today he was very excited to make his own salad with sorrel for dinner. He was so happy with the result, he was ready to burst. In the past it's been close to impossible to get him interested in salad, so I think this has opened a new door for us!
The basis of the sorrel salad was simple: green cabbage, tomatoes, red pepper and sorrel. I added mixed greens to mine. The dressing was a maple vinaigrette:
1 - 2 tbsp olive oil
1 - 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup
A wonderful outcome of my course work is how excited both boys are to learn about nutrition and the human body. What I learn each day is often the focus of mealtime conversation. The more they learn, the better the choices they are able to make. Stuck with eating a meal at a US airport recently (of course with bad food choices), a plate of mini burgers and fries was put down in front of my youngest son. His response was "where are my vegetables?" The waitress offered him a pickle! She finally brought a bowl of tomatoes. Moments like these really make me proud. I encourage you to talk to the children in your life about why you choose the foods you do. And when you consciously make less than ideal choices (which is ok sometimes!), talk about that too and the reasons for making them.
One fact they love to hear is that essential fats (fish, nuts, seeds) are what builds their brains - 60% of the dry weight of our brains is made up of DHA, one of the omega 3 fats. Protein builds muscle and helps them grow every night while they're sleeping. Vegetables provide vitamins and minerals that power chemical reactions which turn our food into fuel. Food is fuel, when we eat wholesome foods our body can use them to build the best body possible. When unwholesome foods are chosen, our body has no choice but to incorporate them or eliminate them and the best growth is not possible. Ok, I'll stop ranting now. But think about it and talk about it and get your children motivated to build the best body possible!
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Mini burgers are a popular dinner at our house. For a change last night we tried a sweet potato mini burger. We didn't have buns, so used mini pitas instead.
You can modify this easily with other veggies of the same texture.
1.5 - 2 cups cubed yam
½ cup uncooked millet, buckwheat, quinoa or barley
1 cup water (possibly more)
¾ cups chick peas
1 onion, diced
1 cup green peas
½ cup diced carrot or zucchini
½ cup cashews or walnuts - optional
1 - 2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp curry powder
Salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce to taste
1 egg
½ - 1 cup oat bran, ground flax seed or bread crumbs
Combine yam, grain and water in a saucepan. Cover and steam for 15 minutes. Check to make sure it doesn't dry out, you may need a little more water depending on which grain you chose. Add chick peas, onion, peas, carrots or zucchini, nuts, garlic, seasonings and cook for another 5 minutes. Transfer to a food processor to puree or mash in a large bowl. Add egg and dry crumb of your choice until texture is soft but not sticky. Form into patties and bake in 350F oven for 5 minutes per side. Or heat with a little oil on the stove over medium heat for 5 minutes per side.
I had gotten tired of experimenting (I was also making split pea soup sans recipe) so my burgers were sticky. I formed them and coated them in oat bran before going into the oven to correct the texture.
Happy New Year!! I hope your goals for 2012 will bring health, balance and fitness to your life.
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These were inspired by a friend asking me for nutrient packed breakfast ideas for her daughter who has a very small appetite in the morning. We talked about smoothies and different ideas of things to put in them - fruit, protein powder, nut butters, greens, etc. I thought of a recipe I had seen for breakfast cookies that included beans, nut and fruit. I don't like the idea of encouraging kids to eat breakfast by calling it a cookie. And this particular little girl doesn't like chunks of fruit or nuts in her food so she wouldn't eat them anyway. So I decided to try out a pancake recipe with pureed fruit, nuts and chick peas. I thought they turned out great and so did my boys. You can vary this recipe with whatever is in your pantry.
1 1/4 cups mixed nuts and seeds - almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds for example
1/2 - 3/4 cup dried fruit - I used apricots
Put these in a bowl and cover them with water. Let soak for at least an hour on the counter or overnight in the fridge. It makes everything easier to puree.
Puree in blender or food processor.
Next add 1 cup of chick peas or white kidney beans to blender and puree until smooth. Add more liquid (milk to water) if it is not smooth and puree again.
Transfer to a bowl. Add:
2 - 3 eggs
2 - 3 tbsp melted extra virgin coconut oil, butter or olive oil
1 tbsp agave nectar
2 cups milk or milk alternative
You could also use some plain yogurt or ricotta cheese as wet ingredients if you're not avoiding dairy. Ricotta cheese adds a lovely flavor to pancakes and is a good source of protein.
Stir to blend.
In another bowl, add:
2 cups mixed whole grain flours - buckwheat, spelt, kamut, rye, whole wheat, brown rice are examples
3/4 cup whole oats
1 - 2 tbsp cinnamon, depending on taste
1/4 - 1/2 cup ground flaxseed, preferably freshly ground in a coffee grinder
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
Stir and add wet ingredients to dry. Add more liquid (either milk or water) if it seems too thick
Use 1/4 cup measure to drop batter onto hot griddle or pan and cook pancakes. This makes a lot. I don't quite know how many because I still have batter in my fridge to cook up and take a picture of these tomorrow! Around 16 is my guess.
I like to make a big bowl of batter in the evening and have an easy hot breakfast for the kids in the morning. If you do this, you'll likely find that you need to add more liquid in the morning as the oats will really soak up the liquid overnight.
You may notice that I don't update this blog as often as I used to. I now write a nutrition guide for SPARC classes. The guide is included in a full SPARC class registration or available for purchase for $10 each. Each booklet includes 7 days worth of recipes, a daily meal plan and nutritional articles. A new guide is available every 6 weeks so the majority of my new recipe ideas go into the book. Check it out!
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I found some cute ninja cookie cutters (at Chapters) and decided to try out a gluten and dairy free gingerbread cookie recipe. This was modified from the recipe that came with the cookie cutters.
In one bowl mix:
2/3 cup extra virgin coconut oil, softened
1/3 cup agave nectar
1 egg
3/4 cup molasses
In another bowl mix:
3 1/2 cups gluten free flour (either from a premixed bag or mix your own 1 cup brown rice, 1 cup buckwheat, 1 cup sorghum, 1/2 cup quinoa or something like that)
1/2 tsp xantham gum
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
pinch of sea salt
Add dry ingredients to wet and chill for 30 minutes. Roll out dough with a floured rolling pin on a floured surface and cut with cutters. If the dough is sticking too much, just flour your surfaces really well. It was sticking a bit for me at the beginning, but worked great with a little extra flour. Bake on greased sheet for 10 minutes at 375F.
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What is a PBBB smoothie?
Peanut Butter Banana BEANS!!
Yes, beans!
This morning I made the kids their favorite smoothie - peanut butter and banana. There was a bowl of chick peas sitting on the counter beside the blender. I thought, sure why not? I added them and they loved it! I don't even think it changed the flavor at all.
This is enough for about 3 cups of smoothie.
2 ripe bananas
2 big spoonful's of peanut or almond butter
2 - 3 cups of almond milk (or whatever you drink)
1/2 - 1 cup chick peas
Blend in blender. Add a little more milk if it seems too thick.
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This morning for Halloween, some of us surprised Carmen with 80's workout gear. Of course, I wanted to bring some 80's snacks to complete the theme. I used to bring snacks every week and post them here, but as you may have noticed, life has gotten a little busier lately and I haven't been able to keep up as much. Anyway, while googling 80's snacks I realized the 80's produced some of the worst processed food items that are still around. Well, every decade over the past 60 years has produced some horrible "food" products. Don't get me started. (Deep breath)
I settled on rice krispy squares and spinach dip. I generally have a problem with both of these - rice krispy squares are so sugar dense and nutrient poor and spinach dip often is more sour cream and a few spinach leaves thrown in. Below is a recipe for brown rice krispy squares with almonds and here is a spinach rich and dairy free dip. It's also nice and garlicky. It is based on this one.
16 oz frozen spinach, thawed
1 cup cashews, soaked for 20 minutes, then drained
4 tbsp tofetti (instead of sour cream)
1 cup fresh arugala
1/2 cup fresh parsley
2-3 cloves garlic
3 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 cup white cannellini beans
salt and pepper to taste
dash of cayenne pepper
Put everything into a food processor and process away. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. I found the garlic flavor mellowed out quite nicely after letting it sit. It was very garlicky right after mixing.
I am learning about nutritional yeast and had some of that sprinkled on too to add a little bit of a cheesy flavor. You can find it at a health food store.
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I could have called these "lower than average glycemic load rice krispie squares" but I didn't think it sounded as enticing.
Here's the scoop - these bars contain sliced almonds which lower the rate at which quickly digested sugars are absorbed into the bloodstream. I'm not saying that you can eat these with no consequences on your blood sugar, because rice crisps and the sugars are metabolized quickly. It's just that they are a better choice than regular rice krispie squares, slightly delaying the rate of absorption. Cinnamon is also a blood sugar stabilizer.
I used brown rice crisps (found in the health section of most grocery stores) and vegan marshmallows called Dandies. They are made with beet sugar rather than refined white sugar that regular marshmallows are made with. I know that homemade marshmallows are very trendy right now, if you make your own and don't sweeten them with refined sugar, that would also be a better choice for rice krispie squares. Another option is to completely cut out the marshmallows and use almond butter and honey or agave nectar with the crisps. There is a recipe for that here. The only thing about that recipe is that I don't think you have to use as much syrup as it calls for, it seems excessive to me.
Anyway, here is the recipe that I tried and is based on this one. The original recipe called for flaked coconut, but I didn't have any. I would add it next time if I did.
3 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
1 10oz package Dandies marshmallows
5 cups brown rice crisp cereal
1.5 cups sliced almonds
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp cardamom
shake of black pepper
1/2 cup flaked coconut
more cinnamon to shake on top
Melt coconut oil in large pot. Add marshmallows and stir to melt. Add spices, rice crisps, coconut and almonds. Stir to coat. Press into a greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with more cinnamon and let cool.
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*NOTE* I originally wrote this post while under the influence of a massive head cold. If you had read it previously, please re-read it as it now makes sense.
These pancakes will get you moving in the morning -ha!
They're a beautiful dark brown pancake. They're fluffy and have a great nutty and cinnamon flavor and they really keep you full in the morning. If you are avoiding gluten, the oat bran should be ok for you (if you have celiac, make sure you use a gluten free oat that has been processed in a gluten free facility). Otherwise, add a few tbsp's of brown rice flour or another gluten free flour to thicken the batter up a bit.
Freshly ground flaxseed is great for adding the essential fat omega 3 to your diet as well as a fantastic source of fiber. Oils in already ground flaxseed from the store is likely already rancid. The best option is to buy whole flax seeds and grind it as you need it in a coffee grinder. If you cook with children, the grinding of the flax is a great job to give to them. An intermediate option would be to grind all the flaxseed at once in a coffee grinder, then put it in the freezer and use it as you need it. Essential fatty acids don't like high heat, so use a low heat and take a little longer to cook them.
8 tbsp freshly ground flaxseed
3 tbsp oat bran or whole oats
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 tbsp almond, soy milk or water
2 tsp agave nectar, maple syrup or honey
Mix the dry ingedients. Mix the wet, then add to dry. Cook over low heat in a greased pan or gridle. Makes about 6.
Adding fresh blueberries, raspberries or mashed banana would be a welcome addition to these little guys.
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I'm addicted to miso. Miso is a fermented soy food made from cooked soybeans and grains such as brown rice or barley. It is high in minerals and a concentrated protein source. Fermented foods are great for our digestive and immune systems.
You can find miso at many organic and health centered markets. I prefer the brown rice miso. You can stir a teaspoon of miso paste into boiling water to make a quick soup. Adding some tofu or diced veggies is great too. I decided to try it as a dressing for a brown rice salad tonight.
2 cups water or stock
1 cup basmati rice
1 yellow pepper, diced
1/2 purple onion, diced
3 green onions, chopped
1 tbsp miso paste
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 cup edamame beans
Boil water or stock and add rice. Simmer for 40 minutes. Just before the rice is finished cooking, add yellow pepper and onions. Add miso paste, soy sauce and vinegar and edamame beans and warm through. You could also add some seafood if you had some handy.
On a health note, I just finished a course all about nutrition and how certain nutrients affect the mind and mood. One discovery was about a substance called homocysteine. A close family member of mine was recently diagnosed with high homocysteine levels. Having high levels are associated with heart disease, Alzheimer's, memory problems, osteoporosis and mental illness. I strongly encourage you to read this article and get your levels checked and talk to older family members about getting theirs checked as well. One aspect of homocysteine that this article doesn't mention is that schizophrenics usually have high levels. By lowering their homocysteine, they can better manage the symptoms. In fact, if you have anyone in your family with mental illness, I recommend reviewing the book Optimum Nutrition for the Mind by Patrick Holford and to check out this site. There are so many nutrient deficiencies that cause symptoms of mental illness, it's a bit shocking.
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If you check this blog often, you may have been saying where are the new recipes?!! I have to apologize for my absence. A combination of trying to finish a course on Preventative Nutrition as well as a trip to Maui was my focus for the past 4 weeks. I am happy to report I finished the course 2 days before we went on holidays and was able to really relax and not do too much reading while in paradise. (As an aside, my current course is about nutrition for the brain and how it relates to mental health - so interesting!)
While in Maui, we really got into some local cuisine. We took advantage of an abundance of fish, pineapple, papaya, local avocados which are different from the avocados we eat here and taro leaves which are actually toxic unless you cook them for 2 hours or soak overnight - oops! We were fine, just a mild reaction.
One of our favorite places to eat was Cafe O Lei in Kihei and we really enjoyed the hoisin lettuce wraps. So much so that I made them on Monday night. You don't have to go through the trouble of making lettuce wraps if you don't want to, you could also just serve the filling over a salad or as a stir fry over rice. It's a simple recipe.
One head of romaine or red leaf lettuce
1 lb ground turkey, chicken or firm tofu
1 inch piece of ginger, chopped
1/2 head of garlic, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 red pepper, diced
6 or 7 shitake or brown mushrooms
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water
Wash lettuce leaves whole and pat dry. Cook meat in saucepan with garlic, onion and ginger. Add red pepper and mushrooms towards the end of cooking. Add hoisin sauce. If it is runny, add cornstarch and water mixture to thicken. Serve with whole lettuce leaves.
For those of you who visit Maui and are looking for a fantastic food store, visit Mana foods in Pa'ia. I am such a food store geek, when I find a great food store, I can spend an hour perusing the aisles and getting excited about new foods. We were lucky enough to visit this store twice and packed a picnic from their fresh salad section for our drive to Hana one day.
Over the past few months while studying, I have become keenly aware of how some foods can affect my mood. While away and eating refined flour and sugar products, I noticed it even more than usual, especially with sugar. I want to challenge those of you who use refined grains and white sugar products to strictly avoid them for a week and see if you notice a difference. (Warning - you might get a headache the first couple of days, it will go away!). Substitute refined grains with whole grains and white sugar with honey, agave nectar, stevia, succanet, coconut nectar or maple syrup. If you try it, post a comment here and let me know your results.
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This recipe is currently baking in my oven and smells divine. The recipe uses coconut flour which you can find at Community Natural Foods, either in the store or at the booth at the Kingsland Farmers Market. The only thing I changed was using about 1/4 cup of agave nectar rather than honey and I didn't add stevia, I just added about 1 tsp vanilla. Also, it calls for 1/4 cup tapioca flour, you could use any gluten free (or whole grain) flour and it will still turn out beautifully. Adding a handful of chocolate chips would be a welcome addition as well.
http://www.thespunkycoconut.com/2008/05/banana-bread.html
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It doesn't get any easier than this -
1/2 avocado, diced
large handful of sprouts
handful of sunflower seeds
If you want to use dressing, use your favorite, or try this one -
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
I've just finished reading a book called Eating Alive, written by a naturopathic doctor (John Matsen) in the Vancouver area, all about digestion. The basis is that with poor digestion (which the vast majority of people have), the rest of your digestive organs need to work overtime and often get overwhelmed. The result is that more toxins are produced and disease can result. Anyone who suffers from abdominal pain, indigestion, poor bowel function, gallbladder problems, food sensitivities or allergies or even if you just want to know more about preventable disease, I would very highly recommend this book. It lays out the facts in a very easy to read, detailed and interesting format. Definitely my favorite book I have read so far with this program. Next I'm on to reading about arthritis.
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We spent the last 4 days in Victoria. At our favorite coffee shop - Serious Coffee - I picked up a flax roll as a snack for a canoe trip we were heading out on. It is basically a flax tortilla with different fillings. I had the hummus and red pepper filled wrap. I think their other version was a Mexican black bean flax roll. It was so good I decided I needed to make something like it. You can do anything with this spread -
- treat it like hummus and dipping veggies in it
- wrap it up in a whole grain tortilla with some spinach, sprouts or tuna
- spread it on whole grain crackers
- turn it into a quesedilla - adding thinly sliced apples, chicken and cheese (thanks for this idea Jen!)
1 cup chick peas
1/2 or a whole red pepper (preferably roasted)
2 garlic cloves
1/2 medium yam, cubed and steamed
2 tsp curry powder
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Mix everything together in a food processor and blend. You can add a little more liquid (water, olive oil or lemon juice) if it is too thick. If it's too thin, add a few more chick peas.
I sauteed the red pepper and garlic for about 10 minutes in olive oil over low heat, just to soften them a bit and add a little more flavor.
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This salad became less about potatoes as I started adding more vegetables, but it is so delicious. I was playing a bit, so I hope I have the quantities right. (Picture the chef from the Muppets.) Other welcome additions to this salad would be avocado, grapes and/or hemp hearts. It also makes a fantastic breakfast.
3 cups diced potatoes (skin on)
1 - 2 tsp curry powder
2 tsp olive oil
1 red pepper, diced
2 large celery stalks, diced
1 cup chick peas
1/2 cup raisins
2 tbsp cilantro
Dressing:
2 tbsp tahini
1 lemon, juiced
grated rind of 1 lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, grated (or a shake of garlic powder)
2 tbsp water
In a large frying pan, steam potatoes in a half inch of water for 10 minutes. Typcially the water will have been absorbed at this point, so add the 2 tsp of olive oil and as much curry powder as you desire. Saute for another 5 - 10 minutes, or until texture is to your liking. Let cool. Chop other veggies and add to bowl. Add potatoes. Mix dressing and toss with salad. Add salt and pepper (or more curry powder) to taste.
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This is based on a recipe from dinnerwithjulie.com, a food blog where I get a lot of inspiration. You'll notice that my recipe is very similar, but I cut back on the sugar, substituted coconut oil and added oats. When you come across a recipe, don't be afraid to substitute ingredients for something healthier. Changing white flour to whole grain flour doesn't change the taste much, but it boosts fiber, vitamin and mineral content dramatically. Substitute white sugar for agave nectar, but cut it back by 25 - 50% as agave is sweeter than sugar. Or use honey, cane sugar, maple syrup or stevia. White sugar has been so refined that the nutrient content doesn't even compare to its original form of sugarcane. It is basically no longer a "food" and more of an additive. Ok, I'll stop ranting.
Bottom:
1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil, melted
1/8 cup agave nectar
1 cup whole grain flour (this time I used spelt)
Mix above until smooth, press into greased 8 x 8 pan (or line pan with parchment paper). It may look a little dry in the bowl, but once you start pressing it into the pan, it will become more uniform. Bake at 350 F for 10 minutes.
Top:
2 cups rhubarb, chopped into small pieces
3 eggs
grated rind of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp whole grain flour
3/4 cup whole oats
1/2 cup dried coconut
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/2 tsp baking powder
Spread rhubarb on top of cooked base. Mix eggs through baking powder and pour over top of rhubarb. Continue cooking at 350 F for 30 minutes. Cool and cut into squares.
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When it was so warm last week, did you find your bananas ripening quicker than usual? We ended up with some spotted bananas on the counter and decided to make some banana bread. So easy to pack along as a snack for these busy days we've been having! This is an adaptation from the classic Company's Coming muffins and more cookbook published in 1983. Banana bread also makes excellent French Toast, as long as it is dense enough that it won't fall apart in the batter.
2 eggs
1/4 cup agave nectar (or 3/4 cup sugar)
1/4 cup almond milk, soy milk, cow's milk or plain yogurt
1/2 cup extra virgin coconut oil, melted (or butter)
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1 1/2 cups whole grain flour (this time I used rye flour)
1/2 cup ground flax
1/2 cup coconut
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)
Mix wet ingredients in a bowl. Mix dry ingredients in another bowl. Add wet to dry and stir until combined. Grease a loaf pan and pour in batter. Bake for 1 hour at 350 F. Let cool for 10 minutes and remove from pan.
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This is my husband's favorite breakfast, so of course we made it for a fathers day breakfast. It is a sweet cornbread. We pour maple syrup over it and it is so delicious. He was very kind to take this picture before breakfast this morning, we only had 1/2 cup cornmeal in the house so I was only able to make a small pan.
It makes a lot, a 9 x 13 pan, so you can easily half the recipe, or just make it and have breakfast ready to go for a few days. When it was just the two of us, it lasted days. With the boys now gobbling it up, it gives us 2 big breakfasts and one small breakfast.
2 cups whole grain flour (we like to use half spelt and half kamut)
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup butter or virgin coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup agave nectar (or 3/4 cup cane sugar)
2 eggs
2 cups milk (almond or soy work as well as cow's milk)
1 - 1.5 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients and add to dry. Stir in blueberries. Pour into greased 9 x 13 pan. Cook at 350 for 40 - 45 minutes. You could also make these into muffins or a couple of loaves and decrease the cooking time. Around 18 minutes for muffins and 30 - 35 for a loaf would work.
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I have to start by saying that my children ate this, despite it being purple. Risotto can be intimidating depending on who you talk to. It doesn't have to be, in fact it is one thing that you can wing. Basically, you need garlic, onion, olive oil, some parmesan cheese (more is great, but it depends how you tolerate it) and some vegetables and possibly some seafood... and some time to be close to the kitchen. It is not a rush after work type of meal. Risotto on its own is not the most nutrient dense food, brown rice has more fiber. It goes so well with so many vegetables though, the risotto becomes secondary and fiber content goes up. My favorite vegetables to pair risotto with are asparagus (which is in season and you can buy it locally at the Kingsland farmers market), zucchini, beets, cauliflower and red peppers.
Here is my beet risotto recipe.
1 cup arborio rice
olive oil
approximately 4 cups of stock (best kept warm)
1 head of garlic, chopped
1 - 2 onions, chopped
2 medium sized beets, cut into bite size pieces
10 or so stalks of asparagus, cut into bite size pieces
1 cup white wine (optional - but if you do, you won't need as much stock)
parmesan cheese
salt, pepper and/or balsamic vinegar, pistachios, pine nuts to taste
Add garlic, onion, arborio rice and about 1 tbsp olive oil to pot. Saute until the rice turns opaque, about 3 minutes. Add 1 cup of stock and the beets. Cook on low. You can walk away for 5 - 10 minutes. Check it an stir. Once most of that stock has been absorbed, add another cup. If you have kept your stock warm, it won't affect the cooking temperature in the pot, thus reducing your cooking time. Walk away and check it again around 5 - 10 minutes. Add another cup once most of that liquid has been absorbed. Walk away, check it and add the last cup of stock or wine as well as the asparagus now. Keep an eye on it now, taste it. As the last of the stock is absorbed, it should look kind of creamy and the texture should have a slight firmness, al dente. Add more stock if it is not quite done yet. Season with salt, pepper, more olive oil and parmesan cheese. I served it over spinach, but you could also add it now to wilt it. This is wonderful with scallops or to have a piece of halibut beside.
This makes a lot, around 6 - 8 servings.
If it sounds intimidating, it really isn't, you just have to stick around so it doesn't run out of stock and start to burn. You could add all the stock at the beginning and walk away a bit longer, but I don't think it gets as "creamy".
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My friend emailed me the other day looking for lentil recipes on this food blog. As often as I extol the virtues of lentils, I don't really have any specific recipes that I usually use. I add them to soups, curry dishes, casseroles, salads or include them in mashed potatoes. They're just so easy to add to other things I'm already making. So I looked up some recipes to send her and decided I should expand my own lentil horizon. This is based on one that I found. It has a lovely lemon flavor and other veggies can be added as you desire. For lunch today, I had them on a bed of mixed greens and added some avocado.
3 1/2 cups water
1 cup french green lentils (uncooked)
1/2 cup wild rice (uncooked)
1 spring of rosemary
2 smashed or chopped garlic cloves
one large carrot, grated
handful of pistachio nuts
handful of chopped olives
Dressing:
rind of one lemon, grated
juice of one lemon
one clove of garlic, chopped finely
1 tbsp olive oil
a handful of fresh oregano (or 1/2 tsp dried)
one green onion, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Add the lentils, wild rice, 2 garlic cloves and rosemary to 3 cups water. Cook for about 40 - 50 minutes. You may have to add a little more water, check it closer to the end. Cool lentils and add grated carrot, pistachios and olives. (You may also add any other vegetables you wish - tomatoes, cucumber, cauliflower...) Mix dressing and stir to coat. Taste and season.
If you feel that you have a hard time digesting lentils (ie bloating and gas), know that your system may improve the more you eat them. Another option is to soak them (after cooking) for an extra 24 hours, or the best case for digestion would be to sprout them. Learn how to spout legumes here. And read more about sprouting grains, nuts and seeds here.
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