Hot Seed Breakfast Cereal

I used to be a huge fan of breakfast cereal. My favorite cereals were Peanut Butter Captain Crunch, Honey Nut Cherrios, Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal packets, Quaker Oat Squares...huge fan of cold cereal. As I went gluten and dairy free my breakfast cereal choices were extremely limited. I found other options and I started drinking rice milk and that was okay. I would eat hot rice cereal with maple syrup and ghee or gluten-free oatmeal. Then the real shocker came when I found out that I had to limit my intake of sugar and eat higher amounts of protein because I had low blood sugar and hypoglycemia. Boo, what was I to do? Breakfast cereals weren't on my list.

I started eating eggs for breakfast with sauteed greens, which I love. I would blend up protein shakes and sometimes I'd just have lunch or dinner stuff for breakfast. Now I don't really believe that breakfast has to be cereal centric.

But, recently I was trying to come up something quick and easy and totally approved for blood sugar issues. This cereal can be hot or cold, but since it turned cool I decided to add warm water instead and I like it even better. This certainly fits my allergen-free lifestyle and its easy to prep. This is really versatile so once you have your flax and chia base you can really add whatever you like. Make your own concoction and share with us.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsps Flax Seeds (mix dark brown and golden for a visually appealing cereal)
• 1 tbsp Chia Seeds

Tasty Mixins - Add a few and mix it up day to day

• 1 tbsp Hempseeds
• 1 tsp. Sesame Seeds
• 1 tsp. Pumpkin Seeds
• 1 Scoop of your favorite protein powder (right now I have been adding chocolate flavor so my cereal tastes a little like brownie batter)
• 1 tsp. Golden Berries
• 1 tsp. Goji Berries
• 1 tsp. Raw Cacao Nibs
• 5-10 drops of Liquid Stevia (or to taste)

Hot Seed Breakfast Cereal - MaryLangfield.com

 Directions:

1. Grab a glass bowl (larger than you think you need the first few times). Put the flax and chia in the bowl and add any dried fruits like the goji and golden berries.
2. Add warm/hot water. I usually add about a cup of water, but it depends on what you want the consistency to be. These two really thicken up when wet so if you want the cereal more runny and not oatmeal then add more water. (I boil my water in advance and let the water temp cool a bit to warm because I don't want to overheat the nutrients in the flax and chia, but boiling water will work too).
3. Stir, stir, stir
4. Add your yummy mixins
5. Stir, stir, stir
6. Add water if its too thick.

Add other tasty options like:

• Superfoods like Maca, Bee Pollen, Aloe Vera, Coconut (1 tsp. of oil, 1 ounce milk or shredded flakes)
• Nuts (Almonds, Walnuts, Cashews, Brazil, Pine....)
• Fresh Berries (Blueberries, Cherries, Raspberries, Strawberries...)
• Sunflower seeds 

Smoked Salmon Pate

OMG - OMega 3 Goodness

Smoked Salmon Pate

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Yield: approx 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

1 pound Salmon (2 fillets)

1 1/2 tablespoons of alder wood chips

2 tbsps of Lemon Juice

2 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsps of organic butter (I used goat butter =YUM)

Celtic Sea Salt and Ground Pepper to taste

Fresh Dill (optional)

Directions:
1. In a stove top smoker, add wood chips and place salmon fillets on the grate.
2. Add the lid to the smoker, turn burners on low - set timer for 20 minutes (walk away or prepare something else)
3. When timer goes off, check to make sure salmon is done
4. Place salmon in food processor with lemon juice, butter, olive oil, salt, pepper, dill or other magical ingredients of your choosing
5. Blend until smooth
6. Do a taste test and add more salt, pepper - to your liking
7. Scrape out Pate and place in a sealed container in the fridge for a few hours
8. Serve and Enjoy


Try this as a quick dinner, snack or appetizer.


This was super simple and quick. It is also really tasty (if you enjoy salmon). If you do not have a stove top smoker, just bake the salmon and then follow the instructions starting with step 4.

Fresh summer dessert

This summer has been intense. The heat and humidity has been stifling. This summer seems to be trying to rival the crazy winter we had of below freezing temps and ice and snow storms. As the heat has cooled down into the mid-80's the weather has been joyous. This little lull allowed this time to bake a crisp as well as homemade coconut milk ice cream. Both were delicious. Yum!

Stone Fruit Crisp

Ingredients:

• 6 cups of peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp of lemon
• 1/4 cup of Sucanat
• 5 tbsp of coconut oil
• 1/2 cup gluten-free oats
• 1/2 cup Almond flour
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 tsp of himalayan sea salt

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
2. Place fruit in baking dish - Pie plate or other 9 inch pan
3. Place all other ingredients into the Vita-Mix and blend
4. Add the crumbly mix to the top of the fruit - evenly
5. Bake for 25 minutes or longer depending on your oven (my oven runs hot)
6. Eat with Coconut, Almond & Raspberry Ice Cream. Yum!

Coconut, Almond & Raspberry Ice Cream (Dairy-Free, Sugar-Free)

Ingredients:

• 1.5 pints of Raspberries
• 3 tbsp of fresh lemon or lime juice
• 1/4 cup of vanilla agave
• 1 cup Almond Milk
• 3 cups Coconut Milk
• 1 tbsp pur vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in the Vita-Mix and blend
2. Scoop out and place in Ice Cream Maker for 20 minutes
3. Scoop out of ice cream maker into freezer friendly container and freeze for a minimum of 1 hour.
4. Enjoy with Fruit Crisp!

My Individual List of "poison" foods

Over the last 6 - 7 years as I have been working toward healing my various ailments (depression, bad skin, digestive discomfort, weight gain, insomnia, etc) I started doing a lot of research. My goal was to try and determine what I could do holistically to turn these problem areas around naturally and without prescriptions.

The two main tools I found have been through diet and lifestyle.

Each person is an individual and although there are many foods that are not beneficial, junk foods, excess sweets & alcohol, bad fat. Sometimes there are seemingly good foods that although are not "bad" can actually be seen as a poison to your own individual body. I know that using the word "poison" must seem like overkill, but as I have watched myself and my clients' health transform I think the word poison is actually very fitting.

Here are my individual foods that do not agree with my body:

• Bananas
• Soy (including Tofu, Tempeh, Edamame) 
• Catfish
• Cow's Milk
• Coffee
• Cornmeal
• Fructose
• Gluten containing foods (this is a major issue for many people and it is very hard to avoid if you use convenience pre-packaged foods)
• Halibut (sent me to the emergency room twice, though the doctors said it couldn't be the fish)
• Lamb
• Liver
• Mushrooms (again with the mold issue)
• Oat (typically cross contaminated with gluten)
• Peanuts (they can contain a lot of mold and I am very sensitive to mold)
• Pork
• White Potatoes (though I believe my clients on the whole do better leaving these out of their diet as it is such a high glycemic food)
• I still enjoy potatoes though rarely and I select Yukon Gold/Fingerling, Purple, Blue or Sweet Potatoes
• Shellfish (clams, crabs, oysters, scallops, shrimp, lobster)
• Strawberries
• Sucrose
• Black & Green Tea

It took me a while to tune into this knowledge. Even when I intuitively knew that dairy had something to do with being bloated. Or that gluten might have something to do with my lack of concentration, or that bananas (the perfect food for SO many reasons) would cause constipation - I still didn't want to believe it. I mean it seemed like an awful lot of work to remove these foods from my diet. Right!?!

Most of my clients know there are foods that do not work for them, but they continue to eat these foods because they are so common and they don't know any different. They also don't trust themselves and rather buy into whatever diet plan seems the most alluring at the time. And, I don't blame them - its what I did since I was 8 years old. My recommendation to you is to try tuning into that knowledge and seeing how much better you feel when you do.

How do you do that? Grab a notebook and start charting how you feel after you eat. You will start pin pointing what sets you off whether its migraines, gas and bloating, zits cropping up, your energy might be zapped, maybe your allergies are worse. Once you chart how you feel take the time to trust that knowledge. Pay attention to what you have been consuming - food and beverages (and don't forget about your body care!). Not only will you be much closer to your optimal health goals you'll realize that it is a lot less work to eat the right foods than the wrong. 

If you are interested in learning how to do an elimination diet and getting support then sign up for my newsletter on my website www.MaryLangfield.com and look out for one of my upcoming group programs (you'll get recipes & other health tips too).

Cabbage Saute

I was asked to post this recipe that I made for Christmas. I hope you enjoy it as a main meal or as a side dish with lunch/dinner or for breakfast with a side of chicken sausage. Yum!

Ingredients:

• 1 Small Cabbage or 1/2 large
• 1 leek, sliced into rings (or yellow onions)
• 1 bunch of kale (de-stemmed)
• 4 cloves of garlic minced
• Pinch Himalayan sea salt
• 2 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Ume Plum Vinegar - to taste

Directions:

1. Chop up the cabbage, chop up/rip the kale leaves, mince the garlic
2. Heat your pan on low, add the extra-virgin olive oil
3. Add the leek and let it sweat a bit
4. Add the sliced cabbage, stir and coat the veggies with olive oil, cover for 7 minutes (or so)
5. Add the kale with a bit of himalayan sea salt, cover for a few minutes until wilted
6. Add the ume plum vinegar to taste (it gives the greens a lovely sour taste)
7. Serve and enjoy. Makes enough for 6.

As with any recipe you may need to "play" with the ingredients to get the flavor you desire. Please do not feel constricted to follow these directions exactly. If you don't have cabbage, use what you have like zucchini or green beans.

Simple Soup

Hands down soup is my favorite food. I love them all - creamy, brothy, chunky, noodley...yum. Soup is nourishing and filling and it heats you up when it is chilly outside. Soup can also be paired with just about anything and everything - salads, sandwiches, pastas, entrees.

However, sometimes making soup seems like a chore. Forget that! Instead of slaving away just toss some "stuff" in a pot and call it simple soup. Don't over think it.

This soup is super healthy and nutritious and you can take this recipe and recreate it everyday by using other frozen veggie bags and adding favorite herbs or condiments to give it flavor.

• 1 Bag of Frozen Broccoli
• 1 Bag of Frozen Green Beans
• 1 Box of Chicken Stock
• 2 Large Leeks - chopped
• 3 Celery Stems - chopped
• 2 TBSP of Fresh Parsley 
• 1-2 Bay leaves
• 4 Cloves of Garlic - minced
• 2 TBSP of extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tsp (+) Celtic Sea Salt or Himalayan Sea Salt
• Couple cranks of ground pepper
• Pumpkin Oil - little drizzle over each bowl (totally optional, yet tasty)

1. In a stock pot, heat the extra-virgin olive oil on low heat. Once the pan is hot add the leeks, celery, bay leaves and cover
2. Add the garlic after a few minutes
3. Once the veggies are softening up add the box of chicken broth (about 4 cups)
4. Toss in the frozen veggies (add whatever you like no need to follow recipes 100% all the time - cauliflower, peas, spinach, zucchini would also be be great choices and easy to find frozen)
5. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and add salt, pepper, more garlic (optional), parsley
6. Shut off heat and pulse in a Vita-Mix blender if you want a creamy consistency or only blend part of the soup keeping some of it chunky.
7. This is COMPLETELY optional, but super delicious add a drizzle of pumpkin oil on top. Not only is it tasty, but it makes the soup look extra fancy!

This was a thick soup so if you wanted it thinner, blend it more or add extra stock. 

Serves 6

Super duper FIBER biscuit

Teff Flour was on sale at my co-op today and I decided to grab it up.
What is Teff? It is a gluten-free grain; used in Ethiopian staple bread, injera; it makes tasty quick breads, pancakes and waffles; substitute up to 20% in recipes; teff has a sweet, malty flavor; use to thicken stews, soups, sauces. 

Teff is high in protein and I look for that in my grains. A whole grain and protein combination is helpful as it allows the absorption of the sugar into the body more slowly so that we receive steady energy from that food. That means that we are less likely to keep snacking mindlessly on a food. Unlike, say eating regular cookies we may purchase from the store where the flour has been reduced to the endosperm of the grain and no longer whole. Therefore, we are left with only the sugary part of the grain and this can lead more quickly to blood sugar imbalances.

Ideally I wanted to make a gluten-free bread, but given the fact I didn't have all the ingredients, I settled for teff cookies. I remembered seeing a recipe from my friend Michelle and I decided to use her recipe as a guideline. What I found however is that these cookies had a firmer more biscuit consistency than a chewy cookie (perhaps a bit of baking powder would remedy). 

• 1 1/2 cups teff flour
• 1/2 cup roasted butternut squash puree
• 1/4 cup agave/molassas mix
• 1 cup coconut cream concentrate (from Tropical Traditions)
• 1/2 tsp. salt celtic or himalayan sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. 
2. I tossed all the ingredients, except the teff flour into my Vitamix Blender because the coconut cream concentrate is very solid at room temperature. So I needed to break it up and make it smooth again and the vitamix can easily handle that manipulation. You might need to add a little coconut oil to do so.
3. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and blend well. 
4. Scoop out the dough with a cookie scoop or a tbsp spoon and place on parchment lined cookie sheets (super easy clean up). 
5. Using a fork, press down to flatten the cookies
6. Bake for 10-13 minutes
7. Approx: 2 dozen cookies 

We did a little culinary math and it seems these cookies have approximately 5 grams of fiber per cookie - that's a lot.

If you order from Tropical Traditions they have wonderful coconut goodness. Enter this code 5531550 when you order and you will receive a free coconut oil book with your order which has some great info as well as recipes!

Gooey Goodness

This week I had one of those days where I wanted a treat. In fact, I needed a treat and only a chocolate chip cookie could squelch my desire. I searched one of my favorite gluten-free sites knowing that Elana would inspire me. I came away with lots of ideas, but decided to create a cookie based on her Double Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe. In typical MulberryMary fashion I could not follow the recipe 100% as I believe recipes are really just a guide or a road map to get one started. So I made a few changes. This isn't always a good thing, but this time it worked out pretty well even for someone who doesn't spend much time baking. Who am I kidding? I do not spend any time baking for a reason. When I was younger I had CRAZY sugar cravings and I would sometimes polish off way more of whatever I had made, usually homemade brownies. I considered baking to be a very dangerous hobby so I  stopped. Many of you know that curbing sugar cravings is one of my favorite healthy topics and specialty. Now that I don't turn into the cookie monster every time I eat something sweet I figured I could handle baking a bit more. That doesn't mean I don't have something sweet daily - fruit, smoothie, made up dessert - it just means I usually only make enough for a single serving.

Not so classic chocolate chip cookie recipe:
2.5 cups of almond flour
1/2 tsp pink himalayan sea salt
1/2 teaspoon aluminum free baking soda
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
1/2 cup vanilla agave nectar
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (I use the Enjoy brand as they are dairy, nut & soy free)
1/2 cup goji berries (also known as wolfberries)
1/4 cup of shredded coconut

Here is where I tried my best to follow Elana's directions. However, my cookies did NOT yield 3 doz. My cookies turned out pretty big so I had one dozen cookies. Also, my cookies were really soft and chewy and not firm and hard. I could have added a bit more flour, but I was totally okay with this. You can also see that the outsides of the cookie look burnt, but they actually weren't.

Instructions per Elana:

1. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt and baking soda
2. In a medium bowl combine grapeseed oil, agave and vanilla
3. Stir wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined
4. Fold in chocolate chips, goji berries and shredded coconut(try adding sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds and a bit of cinnamon)
5. Spoon dough 1 heaping tablespoon at a time onto a parchment lined baking sheet, pressing down with palm of your hand to flatten
6. Bake at 350 for 7 to 10 minutes, until lightly golden (Mine took about 12 minutes to bake - I checked often)
7. Cool cookies on the baking sheets for 20 minutes, then serve

Enjoy!

Garlic Festival

For those of you who live in a community where there is a devote love of the annual state fair - I finally understand. I live in Minnesota and we are proud of our annual State Fair (which starts tomorrow 8/26/2010). I must say that even as a child I was never a huge fan of the fair. Let me take that back it was something to do and when I was in junior high and high school there was the possibility of meeting boys so that was a bonus to hangin at the fair. It wasn't with the horticulture building or animal barn, nor with the farming machinery - though I did enjoy checking out the new cars and the technology building. I also wasn't interested in the fried food, but I allotted myself 2 - 3 chocolate shakes from the dairy barn, but made sure to eat nothing else.

(picture from 2 years ago - pickle on a stick)

The Minnesota State Fair is well known for its butter sculptures, 4-H projects, concerts, huge hogs, and its midway among many other fascinating foods that come on sticks. The talk the last few weeks when mentioning the fair is always about what the person is planning on eating - corn dogs, foot longs, mini donuts, cheese curds, funnel cakes, deep fried candy bars on sticks, deep fried bacon on a stick, beer on a stick...

In the last 10 years I have probably attended the fair twice. It just doesn't thrill me like it does others. However, I have now found my very own equivalent - the Garlic Festival in Hutchinson, Minnesota. Woot! I cannot tell you enough how much I love garlic and attending a county fair dedicated to its stinky-ness is quite the treat for me.

Not only is Garlic EVERYWHERE at this fair. There is also food friendly options for dairy-free/gluten-free types - Garlic Ice Cream, Corn on the Cob with Garlic butter, Tofu Coconut Curry, Pulled Pork with Garlic Aioli, etc. The food at this fair comes from sustainable farmers and local restaurants like Birchwood, Brasa, Sen Yai Sen Lek, Common Roots. Just typing that gets me salivating! It is like a farmers market and a fair rolled into one.

Last year, I purchased some delicious gluten-free noodles from Vintage Farmer. I am not the biggest pasta fan, but these noodles were delicious. I served them at an impromptu dinner party for a few GF/DF friends and we were all really impressed. I made a point to track her down. I picked up a few more packages this year and I am waiting to break them out on a rainy day I don't feel like cooking.

(Last year's photo)

The Garlic Festival also had fabulous events for the kiddies - bowling with gigantic zucchinis, belly dancing lessons, storytelling, kite and mask making

For the adults there were cooking presentations from the awesome chefs of Birchwood, Brasa, Sen Yai Sen Lek, Common Roots, Lucia's and more.

I have several amazing friends who were working the Garlic Fair too:

Maggie and Sarah of SimplyNeutral, showcasing their AMAZINGLY clean, green and safe household cleaning products. (I love the laundry detergent and the scrub - works great on my porcelain tub and sink).

We also chatted with my friend Melissa Shelton, DVM from Crow River Animal Hospital & Dental Clinic. We both love young living essential oils for the furry friends and the multitude of uses that these powerful oils have against bugs, ticks, fleas as well as reducing stress in pets or even kennel cough or pink eye.

Garlic Festival was a blast this year and I hope you consider taking a trip to Hutchinson next year. Here are a few more pictures of the festivities.

(Garlic wheel)

(honey bees)

Pho

I have an obsession over soup. It all started when I was little and my favorite snack was some various variety out of a Campbell's soup can. My tastes have since grown accustomed to more flavor & diversity. One of my super duper faves is Vietnamese Pho. I fell in love with Pho on the streets of Vietnam where it cost about $.50 per bowl. I enjoy Pho for several reasons:

1. it is filling
2. it comes with basil leaves, loads of sprouts and lime = healthy
3. it has rice noodles which are a nice option for gluten-free peeps (its dairy-free too)

I was taken out to Ngog Vietnamese Bistro in Saint Paul, MN. It is a lovely sustainable & local supporting restaurant. They take pride in serving fresh ingredients from around the Twin Cities - what's not to love?

Serving up local brews!

Not only that but the environment is welcoming, the server accommodating, they have a cute patio, local brews AND the soup was reasonably priced! WOOT WOOT. There were so many wonderful dishes on the menu it was hard deciding on the Pho so we also got an appetizer.

Now I'm hungry all over again!

Walnut Butter - YUM!

I have never had Walnut Butter before, but I figured that it might be a great alternative to Almond Butter or Cashew Butter. Today was the day I decided to try and make walnut butter in my vitamix (I heart my vitamix with a passion). Given I never really follow recipes and instead use them more as I guide I am never quite sure how something will turn out. I looked over a recipe for peanut butter and then start inventing - so take this recipe and do what you will with it! I'm sure you will make something luscious.

• 1 Cup soaked walnuts - drained
• 2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
• Sprinkle or 2 of ground himalayan sea salt
• 1 tbsp of brown rice syrup (or raw honey or agave)

1. Place walnuts first and then all the other ingredients into the wet vitamix container - put on lid 
2. Turn on machine - up to 3 and then up to 5
3. Use the tamper then turn to low and shut off the machine
4. Make sure ingredients are not stuck to sides of machine - push everything down around the blades (Machine is off - repeat machine is off)
5. Replace the lid and then turn on and up to 5 and use tamper.

Next time I make this recipe I will use 3 cups of soaked walnuts so that it will be easier to work the machine.

This was delicious - really! The consistency was soft and it looked like oatmeal and sort of tasted like oatmeal. I really liked it so for those of you who love oatmeal, but have an intolerance to it like me - try this recipe. I think it could also be a stand alone dessert. You can use this as a spread or a dip with fruit or on crackers or toast. Mash in a banana and have a great snack before the gym. You could also eat it plain or put it in a smoothie.

Let me know if you try it and if you make any modifications to it.

Chef Cat Cora & MNBlogPantry

Ok so I have been meaning to post all sorts of various recipes and other odds and ends for over a month (I promise I have the pictures to prove my good intentions). But, who cares if I have all these pictures of various meals I have cooked or eaten if I can't tell you about them? For some reason I just couldn't commit to posting anything. Maybe it has to do with my group detox program going on. Or maybe it has something to do with the fact that I have been working on trying to finish up the details for my new website. No matter the reason here is my first post since my unintentional break.


Chef Cat Cora and the MnBlogPantry.

Today I had the pleasure of meeting Cat Cora here in Minnesota. She is on a book tour and because she is partnered with Macy's she is going around presenting/teaching and then doing a book signing.

She was very dynamic as I can only guess she must be on TV. I loved her Southern accent. She showcased 2 recipes from her new book Cat Cora's Classics with a Twist. Her Grilled Chili-Lime Flank Steak Soft Tacos with Charred Pineapple Salsa and Grapefruit and Cherry Ambrosia with Honey Cream. Everyone got samples - super tasty and the recipes were very simple and easy. Not only that but they were visually appealing as well. Take a peak:

The reason I was able to get my picture with Cat Cora was because I have been participating in the MnBlogPantry events. Thanks to Jen from Unplanned Cooking for organizing this event.

Here she is pictured with Cat 

I also wanted to post a few pics of some fellow bloggers I always love hooking up with at different MnBlogPantry events. Michele and Kelli are pictured here with a watermelon margarita from Cat Cora's book. 

And the lovely Molly of Taste Bud Tart

Healthy Cookie Recipe

My husband had an opportunity to sample holiday treats at his office's holiday bake off this week. While he was looking around at tempting treats he came across a lovely cookie that is gluten-free & dairy-free (woot woot). He was so happy! In fact, he smuggled a few to me in his bag and produced them from a napkin - isn't he great? Anyway the baker, Kimberly Kershak was kind enough to share her recipe with us so here we go:

Banana Oatmeal Health Cookies by Kimberly Kershak

• 2 cups mashed ripe bananas
• 4 cups oatmeal
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2/3 cup chopped peanuts or pecans
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• cinnamon to taste (about 1/2 - 1 tsp)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl till everything is uniformly moist. 
3. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls on an ungreased cookie sheet.
4. The dough will not spread, so flatten it to the desired cookie thickness.
5. Bake for 15 minutes.
6. Eat warm or after cooling.
7. Store in an airtight container.

Kimberly says that these are awesome snacks, and don't get much healthier (I agree!). They are gluten-free/dairy-free, with no added sweetener or butter. For a variation, you can substitute the nuts with just about anything: raisins, dates, or if you want to be less healthy maybe some chocolate chips (she added 2/3 cup of chocolate chips).

Thanks Kimberly! These were tasty snacks.

Oh and I want to make a plug for my new facebook page - Minneapolis Health Coach. Become  a fan and suggest it to your friends! Thanks

Broccoli Casserole without the broccoli or the casserole

Well at least that is what this dish tastes like to me. Or maybe now that I have taken another bite it tastes more like stuffing. Which is good, but a bit weird. Hmmm.

As I am always experimenting it isn't unusual to have a dish that is a bit different. The only person that has to eat it is me and I don't mind since it has all sorts of fabulous healthy ingredients.

Ingredients:

• Bok Choy
• 3 Potatoes
• 2 Celery Stems
• 1 Clove Garlic (I would have used more, but that was all I had)
• 1 Leek
• 2 Turnips (red)
• 4 cups - Chicken or Veggie Stock (for a vegetarian version)
• If you use less stock - 2 cups it will be more of a side dish then a stew
• 1 tbsp of Butter or Extra Virgin Olive Oil (vegan version)

Directions:

1. Chop the garlic, leek, celery
2. Heat your pan with some butter or oil
3. Toss in garlic, leek, celery
4. Quick saute then add the stock
5. Chop potatoes (I left the skin on)
6. Chop turnips (took the skin off)
7. Add potatoes & turnips to pot
8. Toss in some herbs (rosemary, sage, bay leaf, salt & pepper, whatever you have)
9. Check the potatoes & turnips with a fork (maybe 10 minutes). You can tell they are ready if the fork can easily mash (or if you want a firmer consistency that works too)
10. Chop bok choy & toss into pot with a bit of butter or olive oil
11. Let the greens wilt a bit. Cooking for about 3 more minutes. If you have not added salt to the pot this is a good time to do it so that the greens keep their vibrant color.
12. Turn off the heat
13. Stir and taste to determine if you want to add any other seasonings to the pot. 
14. I added a bit more sage, rosemary and I debated if I wanted to add more liquid to make it more soupy or if I wanted to puree it. I decided that if I pureed it the color might be funky so I left it as is.

Note - If you use less water it will be more of a side dish. The 4 cups of broth make it slightly stew like.

One other detail I would like to mention. While I was peeling the turnips I peeled off a bit of skin from my finger - ouch! This seems to be a bit of a recurring theme. Last night I splashed boiling water on my hands. Seriously I have never been this accident prone. Both of these incidents hurt and I decided to try using lavender essential oil to deal with the pain. In both cases it did the trick! The burns are not visible and the pain from the cut was gone as well as the bleeding lessened. Woo Hoo.

Khoresht Gheimeh Badamjan ("ghay-MEH ba-dam-joon." yay farsi!)

I received a recipe submission that I wanted to make sure I posted ASAP. Michele from Berkeley, California is quite the cook and she wanted to share a delicious meal with us. We do not have a picture, but I based on her facebook profile it looks like others have made this recipe and think it is awesome! I can't wait to try it.

Khoresht Gheimeh Badamjan
(Eggplant and Yellow Split Pea Stew)
This is a Persian recipe typically containing meat. This is a
vegetarian version that is equally delicious, and can be made vegan
by simply replacing the butter with oil. Enjoy!

Ingredients
2 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons butter (or oil)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground saffron dissolved in 4 tablespoons hot
water
1 cup unripe grapes (ghureh)
2 medium eggplants
1 cup split yellow peas
2 12-ounce cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
4 dried limes or lemons, pierced with the tip of a knife

Garnish
1 large tomato, halved
1 large onion, quartered

Method
1. In a large pot, cook the onions and garlic with 3
tablespoons butter over medium heat, stirring often,
until the onions are golden brown. This should take
about 10 – 15 minutes depending on the size of your
pot. Once brown, add salt, pepper, turmeric, saffron
water and stir.

2. Add 2 cups water, 2 cans tomatoes and juice, unripe
grapes, dried limes, 1/2 cup of the split yellow peas,
cinnamon, nutmeg & cardamom. Bring to a boil,
uncovered, over high heat. Once boiling, cover pot
and simmer over low heat for 1 – 1 1/2 hours.

3. Peel eggplants and cut into chunks approximately 2” x
4”. Sprinkle eggplant with 2 tablespoons salt and set
aside in a colander for 20 minutes. Rinse and pat dry.

4. Brown the eggplant in a non-stick skillet in 3
tablespoons oil; set aside. (For an even healthier
version, you may broil the eggplant)

5. Broil the quartered onion and halved tomato until
charred; set aside.

6. Approximately 40 minutes before stew is finished, add
the remaining 1/2 cup yellow split peas to the pot and
stir. Press down on the dried limes with a spatula to
help them break down. Place the eggplant in the pot,
on top of the stew, and cover. Allow stew to simmer
until split peas are soft. Serve hot with steamed
basmati rice and charred onions and tomato as a
garnish.

Copyright © 2009, Michele F. Salami

Let us (me & Michele) know if you try it & if you do post a comment.

Sick of oatmeal? Try this!

Brown Rice Farina from Bob's Red Mill is a tasty breakfast. This hot cereal is a great alternative to steel cut oats or rolled oats in the winter. Plus, this cereal can be really versatile -  you can make it savory, sweet or thick or on the thin side. Whatever consistency you want your breakfast to be is up to you. This version is a bit on the sweeter side.

• The night before:
• Soak a 1/4 cup of the grains in a bit of water in the pot you plan on cooking them in. This process makes your grains easier to digest (happy tummy). Note that these grains are too tiny to strain the water from.
• If you like flaxseeds you can take 1/4 cup or more and place in a small bowl and cover with water. This process will break down the flax for easier digestion the next day. Do not be alarmed the flax becomes gelatinous - it is pretty cool. However, you can just as easily grind your flax the morning of in a coffee grinder which is quick and easy, but requires a bit of clean up. Or go flax-less and don't add this ingredient.
• The morning of:
• Turn the heat up to high on the brown rice grains, toss in a pinch of sea salt
• Bring the cereal to boil
• Turn down the heat and add some almond milk (I put in about a 1/2 cup), rice milk, coconut milk - whatever is available (1/2 - 1 cup depending on how thick/thin you like your cereal - experiment with the consistency)
• Add a tsp of coconut oil (dairy-free) or high quality butter 
• Continue to cook - stirring frequently
• Should be ready in 5 - 10 minutes
• Pour into a bowl and add lovely fixings like - Maple Syrup (try a little bit and add if necessary), Walnuts, Flaxseeds, Berries, Cinnamon, Ginger...
• I choose to add walnuts and flaxseeds today for a boost of omega-3's 

*I buy flax seeds in the bulk section at the store and store them in the fridge.

What's your favorite hot breakfast?

Coconut Flour Muffins

Baking is something that I gave up a few years ago, with the exception of homemade pies. Every year I make delicious pumpkin & pecan pie from scratch for Thanksgiving, but that is about it. I stay away from gluten & dairy. So much of the time it is too difficult to eat baked goods with those requirements. Well, these days I have felt the need to try and make a few baked goods myself. So this morning I decided to make muffins. Coconut flour muffins that are gluten-free & dairy-free. They tasted really good!

Here is what you need:

2 heaping tbsp of Coconut Oil* (I use Tropical Traditions brand)
*If the coconut oil is solid, heat it up so that you are working with a liquid
2 heaping tbsp of Raw Honey (if you are looking for a less sweet muffin try less Honey)
1/4 cup of applesauce (if you want dry muffins use less applesauce or cut it out entirely, I like my baked goods a bit on the heavy side.)
3 Eggs
1 tsp of Almond extract (if you want to use less feel free)
2 tbsp of coconut milk
- Mix the wet ingredients together in a bowl.

1/4 cup of Coconut Flour (Tropical Traditions brand)
1/4 tsp baking powder (aluminum free)
1 small carrot - minced into small bits
1/3 cup of almonds - minced into small bits
1/3 cup of goji berries
1/3 cup of shredded coconut (Tropical Traditions brand)
- Mix the dry ingredients into a bowl

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then grease your muffin tins with coconut oil - enough so the muffins don't stick. Mix all the ingredients together and then spoon into the muffin tins about half way full. At this point I sprinkled shredded coconut on top of the muffins before I popped them into the oven, just to make it look pretty.

Bake for about 15-20 min depending on your oven. Use a toothpick, knife, or fork to test the muffin. If the utensil comes out clean the muffins are ready.

NOTE - mix and match things. I did not have any dried fruit or bitter chocolate chips, but if I had I might have tossed them in. I had also thought about using brown rice syrup rather than honey for a less sweet muffin (next time I will try that because these were sweeter than I had wanted for breakfast). I had a zucchini so I had debated on using that with the carrot...the possibilities are endless.

Don't forget to signup for the FREE Coconut Oil Contest!!!

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Nope its a Spanish Omelet, yummy.

This morning I decided to make a Tortilla de Patata, otherwise known as a Spanish Omelet. This dish is one of my favorites and it brings back a lot of memories. In college, my husband and I spent a month backpacking through a tiny piece of Europe. We ended up in Barcelona. Barcelona was fantastic (and it wasn't because of the plentiful sangria! well sort of). We stayed in a touristy part of town on the street Las Ramblas. There were tons of street vendors, amazing restaurants, and the water front wasn't far away. We spent our time visiting architectural endeavors by the famous Gaudi, touring museums featuring Salvador Dali, Picasso, and Gaudi among many other things.

Anyway back to the omelet! One of the best things I had to eat in Barcelona was the Tortilla de Patata. Lucky for me my husband told me that his mother knew how to make the Spanish Omelet. One of the first things I did on my return to the States was get a lesson.

The Spanish Omelet is a staple. You can eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Sometimes in Spain they would toss it on a baguette. I like to serve it with a side salad. And it is great to make on the weekend so you are assured you have an easy meal to eat for breakfast during the work week or to take for lunch. The best part about it is it requires so little ingredients!

I decided to make my own version (go figure). Now for those of you that are interested in making this omelet - a word of warning. It requires the ability to flip your pan upside down and then replace the omelet in the pan for cooking on both sides. This takes practice. So even if you don't get a beautiful round saucer like omelet the first time it will still taste great. Here is a great STEP by STEP with photos.

So I chose to use some other ingredients instead of the traditional ones.

2 - Leeks

4 - Purple Potaotes

4 - eggs (mixed with a fork)

1 cup of sesame oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 - 4 inch diameter pan

1. Chop the leeks and clean them in a colander

2. Peel potatoes, half, and then slice in thin half moon shapes

3. Put a bit of oil in a large frying pan, turn of the heat, then toss in the leeks.

4. Once the leeks have been in for a minute or two toss in the potatoes. Mix well with the oil. If necessary add a tad more.

5. Season with sea salt & cracked pepper.

6. Let the onions & potatoes caramelize a bit and become translucent

7. Turn off the heat.

8. Pour the onions & potatoes into a bowl and then add your eggs. Make sure to mix everything. Let the mixture stand up to 20 minutes so it binds (this binding can be skipped, but it helps!)

9. Heat your 4 inch diameter pan with oil - cover the bottom - it is very important to use enough oil so that the mixture does not stick to the pan. (You can always add more)

10. Once the pan is very hot, add the mixture slowly. Use a spatula to make sure the edges of the pan do not stick to the mixture. If they do, add oil. Also make sure it doesn't stick by shaking the frying pan a bit so that your mixture moves and isn't connected on the edges.

11. Let it cook. I would say that you want to see the edge cooked to about a 1/2 inch.

12. Turn the heat off. Take a plate larger than the fry pan and lay it over the top. Walk the pan over to the sink and hold the plate firmly and flip the tortilla over onto the plate.

13. Return the tortilla to the pan (may need to add more oil) continue to heat, shake the pan, same idea as before. About 5 min.

14. Flip the tortilla again. You can tell if it is ready by sticking a knife in the middle, if its firm its ready to go! If not...

15. Return to heat

16. May need more flipping - check it out.

NOTE - Try adding peppers, garlic or other herbs to experiment! No matter what it will taste great.

Yummy!

Check out the details of the link at the top for the visual step by step.

I want to know. Have you had a Tortilla de Patata? Have you made it before? What modifications have you done to make it your own?

Finishing things off

It is a few days before I get to pick up my next CSA box and here I am feeling a bit lazy about turning the remaining food into meals. I checked the fridge and before I even bothered to put thought into what I could do with the fabulous veggies I had awaiting me I began chopping them up into more soup. (Not that I am regretting the decision I made, but I just realized that the celeriac would have made a tasty gratin dish or fritters...)


I cannot seem to help but make soup. It is still wet and rainy here and we have not dared turn on the heat. Doing so would admit defeat to the inevitable winter weather that will be heading our way. Instead as I write this post I am wrapped in a nice blanket with an electric heater at my feet.


Now I cannot honestly say this is the most exciting soup I have ever made. In fact I think it tastes "healthy" - not in a bad way, but in a way that makes me feel really good about eating it.


Ingredients:


2 Celeriac
3 Parsley Root (looks a lot like parsnips)
1 Carrot
1 Leek
3 Cloves of Garlic
5 Red Radishes
2 Small Green Cabbages


The first thing I did was chop everything up into similar size pieces. I do this so that everything cooks at the same speed.


1. In a stock pot I sauteed the garlic on low with a few tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and the Leek
2. Then I tossed in all the other veggies and covered them with chicken stock (maybe 4 cups or so)
3. I put a timer on for 15 min. and upped the heat a bit and headed back into the office.
4. When the timer went off I walked back into the kitchen. Added some salt, cracked pepper and another bit of EVOO and turned the heat off and covered the pot.
5. I took a phone call and let the soup chill out for about 10 min
6. I then took out my immersion blender and proceeded to blend the soup up. It was really thick and so I added some water to thin it out. During that time I tasted the soup and added some dill weed and I grated fresh ginger into the soup


Servings - About 10 

Note - this soup is not sweet. It is a bit tart and I think that I what I like about it. It is also very filling. I think this soup would be paired nicely with some corned beef. Maybe because the of cabbage in the soup? It might also be a nice baby food!


Let me know what you think. Do you have any recommendations on herbs that would add some pizzaz to these veggies? Let me know.

Seeing Green

I wish I was talking about money because we can all use more. But, today I am talking about GREENS. They are my favorite and so I took a few pictures of what I have been up to. I am preparing a menu for a cooking class and I still had a few things in my fridge to finish off before I pick up my next CSA box from Harmony Valley Farm later today. I love picking up a box of veggies and determining what to create. It involves experimenting which is always challenging and fun.

So back to the green things. I love to eat greens. They make me happy. So of course I want to include them in my class menu. First I cut some collard greens out of the garden (yes we are grateful to the man who grew them) then cleaned them and tossed the steams. Then I determined what to do. I don't usually know what I am going to do until I do it.

So I toasted some walnuts in the toaster oven, while the walnuts toasted I steamed the collards (with salty water), while the collards were steaming I chopped up some garlic. Then I tossed the garlic in a pan with coconut oil. Then once the collards had cooked a bit I took them off the heat and chopped them fine and tossed that into the pan with the garlic. I fetched the walnuts and then tossed those in too. YUMMY!!!

I was also in the mood to get back into making soups. Never-mind that the weather is warm and beautiful in Minnesota, which I am thankful. I will not complain, but for some reason soups are calling my name. So I gathered zucchini & collard greens from our yard, a cauliflower, a leek and various green peppers from my fridge. Then I chopped everything up small, tossed in the main ingredients into some chicken stock and then cooked till done. I added loads of garlic as it is a gift from the gods and then I seasoned with various spices. The last thing that I add to cook are the greens make sure to add some extra virgin olive oil and salt when you add the greens to keep the vibrant green color. The various spices were thyme, sage, and oregano I also used a lot of ground pepper.

The reason I decided to make a soup of this nature is that I wanted a CREAMY soup. This soup turned out super creamy with out any cream. It looks like broccoli cheese soup, but not quite as think. So you can see from the pictures (no they are not fancy pictures and I thought they would be in another order) that the soup started out chunky and then I used an immersion blender to make it smooth.

I made a ton of soup so I can get my greens in! It freezes really well too so you can stock up.

What are your favorite soups? Any tips to share?