Beach Trip!

Tomorrow I leave for a week at the beach.  A week of sunning, swimming, relaxing, reading, spending time with family and friends, long walks, and eating.  Yes, eating.  My fondest beach memories include munching on cheeze-its while playing cards, snacking on dorritos while laying in the sun, macaroni and cheese and sandwiches for lunch, pizza and burgers for dinner... all foods I love to indulge in while at the beach.  Unfortunately, cheeze-its and dorritos don't make the list of snack foods this year, and a week of relaxation can only happen after a lot of planning, cooking, and preparing for the week ahead.  Here are some things I will be taking with me this year.....

Homemade cashew milk and homemade almond milk.  Here are the recipes:


Cashew Milk


soak overnight, or for about 8 hrs:  1 cup organic raw cashew pieces. Drain and rinse until water runs clear.

Add to a blender with 4 cups of water, and blend until smooth.  Sweeten as desired.  I used vanilla stevia, but you could use agave, honey, vanilla extract, or pitted dates.

Almond Milk


soak overnight, or for about 8 hrs: 2 cups raw almonds.  Drain and rinse until water runs clear.

Add to blender with 4 cups of water, and blend for a couple of minutes.  Drape a nutmilk bag or other mesh bag or piece of cheesecloth over a bowl. Pour the contents of the blender into bag and squeeze out all of the milk from the pulp.  Add liquid back to (rinsed) blender and sweeten as desired.

I saved the almond pulp and made these gluten free almond pulp crackers from Elana's Pantry!

So Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer for my morning coffee!!

Bananas, kale, and frozen fruit for breakfast smoothies

apples, oranges, cucumber, and carrots for snacks.  Also bringing popcorn, corn chips and homemade mango salsa, the almond pulp crackers I mentioned above, and flax herb crackers.

Applegate pepperoni and Daiya vegan cheese for pizza ( I will also pre-make a couple of gluten free pizza crusts to freeze and take), gluten free/dairy free mac & cheese, and coleslaw for lunch and/or dinner options.

While I am excited to go, I'm sad to leave my husband for almost a week (he has to work), and this little guy isn't too happy that I'm leaving, either....

"I'll just sit here and stare out the window until you come back, mom."

Bo obviously doesn't care...typical picture of our doggies.

Stay tuned for updates and pictures of the trip!!

*Ashley*

The Mighty Coconut

Thank you, Lord, for coconut.  It's really cool to think about how much God has provided for us in his creation.  I just read in Genesis when God told Adam and Eve, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food" (Genesis 1:29)

There are so many different nutrients that our bodies need that are found in nature.  An example of this is the coconut. If you google "coconut health benefits" or "coconut oil health benefits", you will find a wealth of information on this popular, multipurpose plant.

Here are some coconut products I use weekly, if not daily, in my food:

1.  Coconut Milk Beverage - milk substitute that can be used for anything you would use regular milk for.  It's also great to cook with if you are making something with a creamy consistency.

2.  So Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer - Coffee is one thing I don't know if I'll ever give up.  With all the diet changes I've been going through, it's nice that my morning cup of coffee can still be a constant in my life with this DELICIOUS creamer.  I mean....seriously...I LOVE this stuff.  If you drink coffee, and want a healthier option than the chemical-laden creamers at the supermarket, please try So Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer.

3.  Coconut Bliss Coconut Milk Ice Cream - So good that even my husband, the ice cream lover, thinks its amazing. Check out these ingredients for my favorite flavor, Vanilla Island:

Organic coconut milk (organic coconut, water, guar gum), organic agave syrup, organic fair trade vanilla extract, organic fair trade vanilla beans.

It's vegan, gluten free, low glycemic, refined sugar free, and soy free.  and SO yummy.  enough said!

4. my newest favorite coconut product - COCONUT AMINOS!!!!  If you don't eat soy, this is a great substitute for soy sauce.  It's made from the sap of the coconut tree and has a slightly different taste than soy sauce, but it substitutes well in recipes.  And, it costs less than 3 dollars at our local food co-op (compared with other soy sauce substitutes, such as chickpea tamari, which can cost upwards of 8 dollars a bottle...yikes!).  The world of stir-fry has opened up to us again!!

5.  Coconut flour - A gluten free flour that I use to make homemade gluten free bagels, pie crust, and other baked goods. It has a slightly sweet flavor that is very tasty!

6.  Coconut Oil - I use this for a lot of different things - baking, in smoothies, to sautee with, etc....you can read about the benefits of coconut and coconut oil here.  Coconut oil also has many other health benefits in addition to cooking and baking.

Hopefully you will try and enjoy some of these delicious coconut products!!!

*Ashley*

A few of my favorite things....

Recently, two of my absolute favorite things to eat have been smoothies and vegan burger patties.

Now that it's warm outside, we've been making smoothies every morning for breakfast.  It's a great way to eat dark, leafy greens.  Here's the blueprint we use each morning:

GREEN SMOOTHIE BLUEPRINT:
1 frozen banana, or equivalent amount of mango or pineapple
1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh or frozen berries
almond milk, water, or fresh squeezed orange juice (I just eyeball it to see how much I need)
2 to 4 large leaves of some type of green (I have been rotating between kale, collards, and spinach, usually 2 to 3 large leaves)
rice or hemp protein powder (whatever serving size is listen on the package)
1 to 2 tablespoons of ground chia seeds 

The trick is to make sure you have a good ratio of carbs, protein, and healthy fats.  This will sustain you for awhile (which is great if you don't have time for a mid-morning snack!)

Want to know more about chia seeds?  read this article from one of the blogs I follow, Lexie's Kitchen.  I've recently discovered the health benefits of good, healthy fats such as nuts and seeds, nut and seed butters, avocados, chia, etc....tasty AND healthful!!!

As for vegan burgers/patties, we've tried a few different onces recently, including this black bean burger recipe from Daily Garnish, and this recipe for sweet potato quinoa patties from the blog gluten free hope. My favorite one so far is This one for Walnut-Almond (or sunflower seed-pumpkin seed) vegan burgers from the Small Bites blog:

Vegan Walnut-Almond (or Sunflower seed - Pumpkin seed) burgers:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup raw almonds (use pumpkin seeds for nut-free version)
1/2 cup raw walnuts (use sunflower seeds for nut-free version)
2 Tablespoons hemp seeds OR ground flax OR sesame seeds
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup white onion, chopped
1/4 cup red pepper, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of pepper
Pinch of thyme
Pinch of dried basil
3 Tablespoons water

Process all ingredients in food processor (I don't have a food processor, so I've been using my blender...it's a little bit more difficult, but it works!) until you achieve a “dough-like” texture. Form “burger dough” into four individual patties and cook to your liking - either pan-fry for a few minutes on each side or bake on a lighty oiled baking sheet at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 7  minutes on each side.  I usually bake them. I've tried them both ways, using nuts and using seeds.  Both are delicious!! 

yumm....maybe I'll make these tonight......  :-)

ENJOY!!

*Ashley*

Vegan, Gluten Free, Soy Free Peanut Butter Pie!!

Back when we were dating, my husband introduced me to the most delicious peanut butter pie in the world.  The ingredients are: peanut butter, a box of powdered sugar, a LOT of cream cheese, and a whole container of coolwhip.  Take my word for it, this pie tastes SO good.  This weekend I was craving that pie; I haven't had it in a very long time! So I started to search my cookbooks and the web to find a suitable alternative recipe.  Naturally, the cream cheese and coolwhip have to go, and I wanted to make a dessert with a little less sugar.  I found recipes that used silken tofu and/or vegan cream cheese (usually made from soy!), which won't work for me.  SO, I did a little experimenting, and this is what I created!! By no means is it healthy; it still has a good amount of sugar...but, I would say its's much healthier than the original version!

Vegan Peanut Butter Pie
dairy free, soy free, gluten free, egg free


2 cups raw cashew pieces
3 Tablespoons melted coconut oil
1/2 cup (plus up to 1/2 cup more) powdered sugar 
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3 Tablespoons milk alternative (I used plain, unsweetened almond milk)


Place raw cashew pieces in a pot and cover with water.  Bring to boil, reduce heat and cook for 5-10 minutes.  Remove from heat, cover, and let cool for a couple of hours, or overnight in the refrigerator.


Once cooled, drain soaked cashews and place in your blender.  Add the melted coconut oil and vanilla extract, and blend until cashews become a thick paste.  You may need to add a little bit of water to help the cashews along.  Once blended, add the 1/2 cup powdered sugar gradually, and blend well.  


Add to a large mixing bowl:  the cashew paste, peanut butter, and milk alternative.  Mix with an electric mixer until smooth.  Add the extra powdered sugar, up to 1/2 cup more to taste, and continue mixing until well-blended.  Add the pie filling to a cooked pie crust (I used this gluten free pie crust recipe from www.thespunkycoconut.com.  It was delicious and I highly recommend it!!)
and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before eating.  


**Note:  I used an 11" tart pan to make this pie, and not the conventional 9".  If you use a 9" pie pan, you may need to adjust the amounts, or you will have some left over.


Enjoy!!


*Ashley*

Snacks & Smoothies

How in the world do you stay healthy and get enough food and nutrients on a limited diet??? I'm not exactly sure yet.  That is just one of the many issues I'm dealing with on this food allergy journey I'm on.  Sometimes, if I'm not prepared with an arsenal of snacks that will give me energy and sustain me (especially with my stressful job), I will cave under pressure.  I mean, absolutely CAVE....like, eat pizza.  or a regular cookie.  Or whatever else is around me.  This is not acceptable, because I feel the affects of these foods for at least 3 days, sometimes up to 1 week (skin rashes, body aches, cold/nasal allergy symptoms, extreme fatigue...etc.) .  So, what do I do to combat this? Well, I'm not sure.

But, I bought a new cook book, Raw Energy by Stephanie Tourles, that has tons of snack, smoothie, nut milk, bar, trail mix, and "candy" recipes that I can't wait to try out, all of which are vegan, raw, and (mostly) gluten free! My hope is, that with snack foods readily available in my home and at work, I will always have something to grab when I'm feeling hungry or need an energy boost.

Here's a smoothie my husband and I had today for an afternoon snack - It's technically a "green" smoothie, but the blueberries turn it purple. It's best to eat leafy greens raw, in order to get all of their nutrients.  But, its tough to eat raw greens, especially if you don't really have a taste for them. I couldn't even taste the kale in this smoothie (and neither could my husband, who is much more discerning than me when it comes to food taste). Its also very healthy and sustaining!

Blueberry-Banana-Kale "green" (PURPLE!!) Smoothie

1 1/2 cups milk alternative (I used almond.  This smoothie is very thick, almost like a shake, so if you desire a more liquid consistency, use water instead.)
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 frozen banana
2 Tablespoons nut butter (I used peanut butter)
1 Tablespoon honey
roughly 1 cup kale leaves, washed and de-stemmed. 


Add all ingredients to a blender, and blend until smooth.  I had to stir a couple of times to make sure all of the kale was blended.  


Pour into glasses, and enjoy! Makes about 2 servings.  


*Ashley*

Oatmeal Flax Banana Cranberry Muffins

If you're like me, breakfast is always difficult.  I'm not a morning person, and I often find myself running out the door in the mornings with an empty stomach, trying to get to work on time.  It's always nice to have something to just grab on your way out, or eat while you finish getting ready. But, "grab-n-go" type breakfasts are usually laden with sugar, sure to give you that mid morning crash (not to mention, pre-packaged foods aren't exactly allergy-friendly!!)    I made these muffins today, so that they will be an option for me on those mornings when I just can't seem to get it together in time to sit down and eat a real breakfast.  And, they're tasty enough to eat for a healthy afternoon snack! 

This is a basic recipe that can be adapted, you can replace the banana with apple sauce for a different flavor, or even pumpkin puree if you want.  Also, you can add whatever dried fruit you want; I decided to go for cranberries this time.

OATMEAL FLAX BANANA CRANBERRY MUFFINS (Vegan, gluten free, refined sugar free)

1/2 cup non-dairy milk (I used almond, but coconut would be great too)

1 TB. apple cider vinegar

1 cup gluten free oats

1 1/2 cups oat flour (I just ground my gluten free oats in my coffee grinder.  You can use a coffee/spice  grinder or food processor)

1/2 cup flaxseed meal (again, I used my coffee grinder to grind whole flax seeds)

2 ts. baking powder

1 ts. baking soda

1/2 ts. sea salt

3 TB.  honey or agave nectar

1/4 cup oil (preferably melted coconut oil, but I ran out of coconut oil and used extra light olive instead. It turned out fine.)

1 cup mashed ripe banana

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350, and prepare muffin tins.  In a small bowl, combine the milk alternative with the cider vinegar, and let curdle for about 10 minutes.  Mix dry ingredients (oats, oat flour, flaxseed meal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) in a large bowl.  Add wet ingredients (curdled milk, oil, honey or agave, and banana), and mix well.  Add in dried cranberries last, and mix to evenly distribute throughout batter.  Pour into muffin tins and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.  Allow to cool on a rack before eating.  

Makes 12 regular-sized muffins or 18-24 mini-muffins.  

Enjoy!!

*Ashley*

Gluten Free???

My food allergies have happened in waves.  I couldn't tolerate milk as a baby, but grew out of it (supposedly).  Then, all of a sudden, in my early twenties I started to have reactions again.  When I cut out dairy and added a lot of soy products to my diet, I  began to react to soy.  Also, my digestive issues never fully resolved.  Within the past couple of months, I've started to react to eggs....not horribly, just a little skin rash, but I'm thinking, what's going on with my body???

Recently, my dad went gluten free to help some of his health issues, and within 2 weeks, he was feeling better.  I had a revelation: maybe I have an underlying sensitivity to gluten that is causing my immune system to go haywire (I've read about this many times)...
SO, heres my question:  is it ok to just cut it out and see what happens? or should I go to the doctor and get a diagnosis? I have heard many differing opinions, so if anyone has any advice to offer, please let me know!!!!

*Ashley*