The Discerning Kitchen

Flying Apron - New Location In Redmond

2012-02-05T09:42:00.000-08:00

I wanted to raise awareness that Flying Apron has opened a second location in Redmond. My mom, husband, and I all stopped in to check things out and pick up some treats for us and my nephew Owen. Owen has a long list of fairly severe allergies, and it's really nice to have a place we can go that we don't worry about him getting a hold of something he's allergic to or cross contamination. There is a really large selection. Owen prefers the cookies and the adults enjoy the cookies and cupcakes but prefer the garlic herb bread.

The staff are courteous and helpful. One is a former teacher of Owen's and has first hand knowledge of food allergies - I'm not sure about the others but they are all respectful and diligent. The location is clean and well lit, and conveniently located near Redmond Town Center. They also have a great policy - if you try something new and don't like it, they offer a refund.

I remember how difficult it was as a child to go to birthday parties and not be able to eat any of the food, and this seems like a great solution. The baking is done for you so you don't have to make an entire batch, and it's quick. I would recommend going early in the day. I think I overheard one of the staff say a lot of the baking was done off site, and they tend to run low on several items.

For more info and directions:
http://www.flyingapron.com

Eating for Stress

2012-02-03T19:20:00.000-08:00

Zap! Stress be gone!

I'm not a doctor or a trained nutritionist. I've done a lot of research and found a diet that works for me. I don't suggest it works for everyone and I recommend folks do their own research to find a solution that works for them.

The last few months have been very stressful. VERY stressful. Stress is often unavoidable and it's toxic. Higher stress levels are tied to higher incidents of illness, inflammation, and is thought to be linked to cancer. That's all well and good but life happens! I have been trying a lot of different things to help me maintain productivity at work, avoid picking fights or responding inappropriately to confrontation, and avoid having a lupus flare up. A large portion of that effort goes into what I eat.

Even institutions like the American Cancer Society and MD Anderson recommend diet alterations to help reduce the risk of the return of cancer and to avoid feeding cancer cells. Many of the recommendations are practical for people with auto-immune issues and inflammation (this includes allergies....). I went to a cancer treatment center that also treated auto-immune conditions and received brief counseling on what to avoid. The list included white flour, processed sugar, milk, red meat, white rice, alcohol, and potatoes. These foods are often eaten in excess, don't have a lot of nutritional value, are tied to inflammation and weight gain, and are really starchy.

Additional foods that are good to avoid:

Meat - animal rights aside, red meats are high in iron, which feeds cancer cells. Animals are usually confined in unnatural conditions and spend their lives stressed out of their minds, and I have to imagine it's not a huge leap that all of those hormones and chemicals don't do a body good. Cured meats contain nitrates which have been correlated to stomach cancer. Burned meat contains mutagenic compounds. Then there's farmed fish.
Fried Foods - Mmmm...acrylamide. A by-product of frying that's also used as a neurotoxin and a known carcinogen.
Gluten - especially if there's a possibility you're intolerant, although doctors are starting to admit that intolerance is more common than previously though and only extreme intolerance is caught by current testing. A good way to find out if it's really what's causing you to be tired? Avoid it for 2 weeks and then eat it again.
Canned foods - Cans are usually lined with resin, which is high in BPA, which leeches into your food.
Sugary Drinks - I'm not buying the "Corn Sugar is like any other sugar" commercials
Sulfites - they are in a LOT of foods. Capers, many vinegars, kalamata olives, and many sandwich shops use it as a preservative.

How can you be stressed surrounded by puppies? (We still just
have the two....baby sitting)

Even though I am gluten free and vegan, I'm a sucker for baked goods and comfort foods, just like anyone else. If I bake, I eat, so my recipe development has suffered. However, I'm getting really good at making salads, smoothies, and cooked veggie dishes. I'm trying to exceed the recommended "balanced plate" recommendation of 2/3 of the plate filled with fresh fruits and veggies. A typical morning starts off with a smoothie, I have salad and miso soup for lunch, and usually cooked veggies and either brown rice or quinoa for dinner. There's more variety, but that is a typical day. I make all of my own food, and it's not nearly as daunting as people think, even with a chronic illness and a full time job. Salads have very low prep time (compared to cooking something, especially), and what's easier than throwing a bunch of ingredients in a blender? If I don't even have time for salad, I grab some dried wakame or kombu, a jar of miso, and dice some onion. Add hot water, and you have instant soup.

Curries are fantastic. Turmeric and curcumin are antioxidant power houses.

Smoothie Base:

1 heaping TB Warrior Food (hemp & brown rice protein - Vanilla is my favorite)
3 TB Tocos Plus (vitamin E supplement)
1 tsp Premier Research Lab Max B-ND (vegan B complex supplement)
1 tsp Maca
2 TB ground flax or chia
1 TB flax, chia, pumpkin, or hemp oil (I rotate through these)
1 banana
1/2 lemon juiced or buffered vitamin C (helps to absorb healthy properties of the oils)
1/2 cup ice
1 cup water
1 tsp chlorella or blue green algae

Optional Additions:

1 cup of berries and 2 cups of greens
1 cup of berries
1 heaping TB cacao and 1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup orange juice and a pinch vanilla bean

So many options! Mangoes, oranges, pineapple, oh my!

Easy Salad Dressings

Miso Dressing
1 heaping TB non-soy Miso
2 TB Olive Oil
1 TB Apple Cider Vinegar or 1/2 Lemon, juice
1 TB onion, minced
pinch of dried ginger

Nut based "Ranch"
1/3 c macadamia or cashew
1/2 c water
liberal amount of dill
1/2 lemon, juice
garlic powder to taste
onion powder to taste
pinch salt

Combine ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. For easier mixing, soak the nuts for 15-30 minutes beforehand.

Salad Blends

I'm not beneath saying that I eat a ton of greens in one sitting. As in a full head of romaine. Plus sprouts and other toppings. The saying that lettuce has low nutritional value is a farce. Leafy greens, including romaine lettuce, are nutritional power houses that have compounds that fight stress, are high in essential vitamins, and contain amino acids that are the building blocks that we refer to as protein. Costco now carries large bags of baby kale and arugula. Arugula has to be my favorite because of that peppery kick it gives. It goes really well with my vegan "Ranch" dressing. Kale pairs really well with the miso dressing. I like to use multiple greens in one salad. Arugula, spinach, and romaine are my favorite. Kale is great with romaine for the more robust dressings.

Kale, lettuce, and spinach are all part of the "dirty dozen" or the fruits and vegetables that have the highest pesticide ratings when grown conventionally. It's best to buy organic and soak them in a large bowl of water with apple cider vinegar or food grade hydrogen peroxide (it only takes a few teaspoons) to help clean off bacteria and parasites. I choose to eat sprouts, but douse them with liberal amounts of food grade hydrogen peroxide and rinse thoroughly to help prevent getting ill from food borne bacteria.

Sprouts, a couple tablespoons of almonds, and a mixture of kale and romaine make a tasty salad

Parting Thoughts

Food is a large aspect of what has been keeping me energized and sane during this time period, but supplements and exercise have played an equally important role. I had a period of extreme nausea and dizziness and started supplementing with even more vitamin B12, and within a week, I felt my energy and balance come back. I have always struggled with maintaining balance in my GI tract, and was dealing with B12 shots and supplements well before I became vegan. B complex, buffered vitamin C, MSM, and several of the supplements listed in my smoothie base are tools I use to help ensure I'm lowering inflammation levels in my body. I'm going to add curcumin and turmeric, and am hopeful that these will help as well.

I try to make it to the gym every work day and garden, walk the dogs, and Zumba on the weekends. On days I feel lazy and have to drag myself down to the gym, I'll be content with 45 minutes on the recumbent bike or elliptical, but usually I'm mixing cardio with balanced weight training. There are mornings when I want to go running out of my office building and not come back - I go to the gym for an hour and all the sudden things are in a new perspective and more manageable. My boss encourages me to take time to work out because he has seen a dramatic increase in productivity and focus, especially in the afternoons, and he has been not-so-blunt about the fact that I'm just more amiable. I was reading Oxygen while on the bike yesterday, and I can't say I was too surprised that exercising just one hour can elevate your mood for 12 hours!

Is there anything better than finding something beautiful in nature to study for a few moments? I'm making a new resolution to try to get outdoors and enjoy my surroundings more. I'm lucky to live in Seattle, within short driving distance of 2 mountain ranges and scores of hiking trails.

I hope everyone finds a Zen moment and finds a working balance that works for them.

Some Resources:
Livestrong - Top 5 Cancer Causing Foods (Livestrong was a great resource when my family was helping my brother deal with cancer):
http://www.livestrong.com/article/81614-top-cancer-causing-foods/

Raw Vegan Source - Supplements and Reading Materials:
http://www.rawvegansource.com

Gone Raw - Raw vegan community forums and recipes:
http://www.goneraw.com

Vegan Phad Thai

2011-08-12T19:13:00.000-07:00

Phad Thai and greens with peanut sauce

Thai food was one of the hardest things for me to give up. I remember doing an overhaul on my diet and taking out everything I was allergic to, except for a periodic visit to a Thai restaurant. Which meant searching out the nearest restroom and developing a mental map of bathrooms on the route home. I couldn't figure out what I was allergic to on the menu. Was there soy in something? Was it the mysterious fish sauce? It was probably a saving grace that I became vegan, which rules out a lot of the "vegetarian" dishes on the menu and prevents the sketchy ride home (unfortunately, a lot of vegetarian listed items still have fish or oyster sauce).

It is really hard to find a good Phad Thai recipe on the internet, but I am really hoping people like this recipe. The vinegar adds the tang of the fish sauce, and tamarind lends a more authentic taste. My family enjoys it. I like to just cook up the sauce without the noodles, sprouts, coconut aminos, or water and use it as a sweet and sour sauce on fresh, shredded veggies.

Phad Thai
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 shallots, sliced
1/2 c. fresh tamarind paste (recipe below - if you can't do fresh, do 3-4 Tb of packaged tamarind paste)
1/2 tsp tumeric
2 T apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 T maple syrup
2 T coconut aminos (or 1 T tamari if you aren't allergic)
1/4 t+ cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
1/2 t salt
1 lime juiced
1 pack rice noodles, pre-soaked for at least 30 minutes in cold water
1/4 c water
1-2 cups mung bean sprouts
3 scallions, cut on the bias

Garnish:
shredded carrots, red cabbage, and peanuts (all optional)

Pre-soak rice stick noodles for 30 minutes in cold water. The noodles should be very pliable, but not mushy or slimy. Heat up a wok over the stove top to medium heat, and add an oil that tolerates high temperatures (coconut oil or grapeseed oil work very well). Add the shallots and garlic and cook until the shallots start becoming translucent. Add the tumeric, tamarind paste, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, coconut aminos, and cayenne pepper. Cook until the ingredients are well combined and the vinegar smell diminishes a bit. Add the noodles and stir until the noodles are well coated. Add 1/4 cup of water, lime juice, and bean sprouts. Add the scallions and toss after the mung beans have cooked a bit.

Want a lower carb option?

White rice noodles are high in simple carbohydrates and starch. Use a vegetable spiralizer or potato peeler to create zucchini noodles. Cook everything but the zucchini noodles (and omitted rice noodles of course) as outlined above, and combine the garnish and sauce with the raw zucchini noodles before serving.

Zucchini noodles a la spiralizer

Tamarind Paste

Tamarind pods with a hard shell exterior

My friend came over the other day for dinner and a movie and saw me working with the tamarind. "WHAT IS THAT???" She thought I was conducting some massively unsanitary project in my kitchen and I had to laugh. If you are lucky enough to live near an Asian market with fresh tamarind pods, I recommend going to the trouble of making your own paste. Fresh always tastes best. They aren't very visually appealing, but they add a lot of flavor to sauces!

Tamarind pods have a hard outer shell, and a sticky, fibrous, pod-filled interior. Crack the outer shell and pull out the interior. Be alert for any signs of mold. Pull the vein-like fibers off the tamarind and put them in a pot of water. Turn the heat on and cook for 20 minutes. It does not need to come to a full boil - a low simmer is plenty. Some people use their hands to squish the tamarind and remove seeds and fibers, but I prefer to use a fine mesh sieve and wooden spoon. A little water transferred from the pan is fine, but you don't want to intentionally use the pan water in your paste. The paste is best used the same day, but will keep in the fridge for an additional 2 days.

Tamarind pods and the finished paste

For The Love Of Quinoa....

2011-07-24T11:32:00.000-07:00

My husband recently had a conversation with someone who was finding it a struggle to go gluten free. He suggested quinoa, and got a wrinkled nose and "Yuck." My husband thought it was funny because he really enjoys quinoa, but we both forget it was a love we had to develop over time. Quinoa has a distinctive flavor that I've heard described as nutty or "healthy." I'll admit that the first few times I tried it, I wasn't its biggest fan. That changed as I learned some great ways to prepare quinoa and how amazing the grain is.

Quinoa is actually a small berry rather than a grain. It is in the psuedocereal family, a grain mimicker. I say all the better because this "grain" is jam packed with amino acids and lysine. When combined with a lower lysine grain like rice, sorghum, or millet, you have a protein that is more complete than animal proteins out there, but easier to digest. We use quinoa in a large variety of ways - hoe cakes, flat bread, sides, vegan burgers (recipe follows), and salads are a few. I generally recommend using this grain in savory dishes as opposed to desserts.

Easy Quinoa
1 cup Quinoa
2 cups Water
1/2 lemon, juice
1/3 tsp salt or to taste
pepper to taste
fresh chopped herbs like chives, oregano, thyme, etc.
garlic powder to taste (optional)

Soak the quinoa in water for 20 minutes, and then use a fine sieve to drain the water and rinse. Add 2 cups of water and salt, and bring the quinoa to a boil. Turn the heat down a bit and cook until the water is absorbed. Use a fork to fluff the quinoa up, much like you would couscous, and add the lemon juice, pepper, and fresh herbs. Serve with salads, main dishes, and more. The lemon helps lighten the flavor. My 2 year old nephew approves, and this was one of the first ways I made quinoa and enjoyed it.

I picked up the Veggie Burgers Every Which Way book during a going out of business sale at a book shop. At first I was slightly disappointed at how many of the yummiest looking burgers were lacto-ovo vegetarian instead of vegan, but then I snapped out of it and realized I could use my newest technique to vegan-ize them!

I have started using yamaimo, or Japanese Mountain Yam, as an egg replacer in several dishes. Yamaimo is a little hard to get a hold of, but if you have an Asian grocery market in your area, you may be in luck. These tubers grow as long as 3 feet, and have a really peculiar trait. Once they are cut open, you can feel SLIME on the surface of the flesh. When a yamaimo is shredded, it has the slimy texture of a raw egg. If you can get past the texture issue, it is a great binder and it is used in Chinese medicine as a healing agent for the stomach and intestines.

Yamaimo with plastic wrap around the exterior so it doesn't
leave a gooey puddle in my fridge

Yamaimo grated - you can still see the grated pieces because I used a normal
sized grater, but there is also a pool of slimy liquid.

If you look closely, you can see a slime bubble on the surface of the
whole piece of yamaimo.

Quinoa Burgers (Adapted from Veggie Burgers Every Which Way)
1 cup quinoa
3/4 cup blanched turnip greens
1/4 cup yamaimo, grated
1/4-1/2 cup finely minced red onion (I love me some onions)
1/2 lemon juiced
3 TB All purpose gluten free flour
1 tsp Hain* baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Soak the quinoa for 20 minutes and then rinse. Add a cup and a half of water to sauce pan and cook the quinoa. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Blanch turnip greens in boiling water for less than 60 seconds and put in an ice bath so they stay a vibrant green (this stops the cooking process). After the greens are cool, squeeze the water out. Put the quinoa, greens, yamaimo, gluten free flour, onion, lemon juice, baking powder, salt, and cayenne pepper in a mixing bowl and combine. Form patties on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and bake for 25-30 minutes in the oven.

I boil the turnips and serve along side the burgers with a kohlrabi apple slaw with a macadamia mustard sauce. We brought the burgers to a potluck today and people seemed to like them.

Savory Hoecakes and Garlic Rosemary Potatoes

2011-06-22T16:03:00.000-07:00

This weekend, we had my mom, brothers, and nephew come over for dinner. I try to have them all over at least once a month. Owen (nephew) has some serious food allergies, and he's getting to that age when he is noticing what other people are eating and he wants the same food! It's amazing how young people are when they start to feel the need to fit in and be like others. I love providing a large meal that is entirely Owen friendly.

Enjoying some savory hoecakes and straight up ketchup. Blech.

We had a large spread of fruit, veggies, savory hoecakes, garlic rosemary potatoes, non-vegan friendly items for the family members who partake, and cupcakes for dessert. The favorites were the hoecakes and the cupcakes. The hoecakes nearly didn't make it to the table, and the few leftovers we had were packed up for Owen.

Savory Hoecakes
1 pear, pureed
1/4-1/3 cup (loose packed) garlic spears, sliced
3.5 oz ground quinoa
1 Tb ground chia
3.5 sorghum flour
1 oz tapioca flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 T safflower oil
4 oz hemp milk
1 tsp vinegar

The batter responds best when the frying pan is hot and the batter is formed to pancakes no bigger than 2 1/2 inches across. Plenty of oil is needed as well - not to deep fry, but the pan should be amply coated.

Substitutions: Garlic spears are something I recommend folks try if they can. They are in season now, and should be available at farmer's markets. If they are not available in your area, green onions are a perfectly acceptable substitute. Apple (preferably varieties meant for cooking) can replace the pear, but Owen is allergic.

I use a coffee grinder to grind up my quinoa flour, which leaves some texture, like corn meal. I combine the dry ingredients, then the wet ingredients, folding in the garlic spears last. They cook much like a pancake, and are ready to flip when bubbles form at the top and they appear cooked partially on the sides.

Rosemary and Garlic Roasted Potatoes
2 pounds potatoes
3 cloves garlic
2 sprigs rosemary, minced
3 Tb olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. I dice the potatoes in 1/2" or smaller squares, depending on how long I have to cook them. After dicing, the potatoes go in a bowl with olive oil, minced garlic, rosemary and salt and pepper. That all gets thrown into a baking dish and into the oven for about 45 minutes.

It was a tasty meal, and I could tell other folks liked their food because it was pretty quiet. Owen is still at an age where he picks at his food and doesn't seem to eat a whole lot, but he will eat quite a bit of dessert. I made "red" velvet cupcakes with cream "cheese" frosting. I say "red" because I'm having a hard time finding the right natural ingredients to get that amazing red color. I'm beginning to become convinced that red velvet color is only possible with gross artificial coloring, but I'm still toying around with beets.

He may have been imitating a dinosaur here.

Mmmm.....Frosting.

Quinoa Pear Hoecakes

2011-06-18T14:57:00.000-07:00

A friend of a friend sent me an intimidating list of allergens her son has to avoid. Fortunately, I've had either personal experience with them or I have had to feed my husband or nephew while avoiding those foods. The challenge is usually coming up with pancakes, waffles, or some kind of grain based breakfast item that has a good texture and holds together well without using corn, rice, or potato starch. These pancakes remind me much more of hoecakes, which are traditionally made with cornmeal, giving it a more interesting texture. They are also straddling the line between savory and sweet. Quinoa is very savory, and the only sweetener in this batter is pear puree. This could easily be converted into a versatile flat bread that would go well with savory beans or a bean puree and al dente vegetables.

Pear Quinoa Hoecakes
Makes over 10 small hoecakes (1 1/2" diameter)
1 Pear, pureed
1 Pear, julienned
3.5 oz Quinoa, ground
3.5 oz Sorghum flour
1 oz Tapioca flour
1 Tb Chia seeds, ground
1/2 tsp Baking Powder*
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
3 T Safflower Oil
4 oz Hemp Milk
1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

* Baking powder is something that should be purchased with some research and caution. Many mainstream baking powders have either corn or gluten in them. Hain Baking Powder is the brand I usually use, but it has potato starch in it. You could alter the recipe to 1 3/4 tsp baking soda and add a little more vinegar instead of using Baking Powder.

I used pear in this recipe as a binder, sweetener, and to add some texture and moisture. If you do not like the texture, feel free to skip julienned pear and puree it instead. Another option is to substitute with baking apples like McIntosh. McIntosh are soft apples that tend to lose their structure a bit during cooking, which is what you actually want here, as opposed to eating apples like Fuji. To julienne the pear, I halved and cored the pear, then cut into fine "sticks."

Quinoa flour can be quite expensive, so I buy my quinoa in bulk and use a cheap coffee grinder to make my flour. The flour is a bit course compared to store bought quinoa flour, but this isn't a bad thing for most dishes. The course grind is what gives this the texture of a hoecake.

Combine the dry ingredients and mix well. Add in the pear puree, julienned pear, safflower oil, hemp milk, and apple cider vinegar once your skillet is up to temperature. Gently fold in the wet ingredients if you want to find some pear in your hoecake, otherwise mix away! I put in enough oil to keep an ample coating in the pan - on the verge of pan frying the bottom of the cake a bit. Flip the cakes when they begin to bubble and appear cooked around the edges. You may have to work around the bottom of the cake gingerly before flipping them to keep their slightly crispy exterior intact. I use a ceramic pan instead of teflon, and have noticed things tend to stick more as my pan ages. I feel it's worth having a non-teflon pan.

The amount of oil I recommend along with keeping the hoe cakes small will keep you from cursing my recipe and your frying pan. I learned this the hard way and was about ready to give up on the recipe. I'm very glad I kept at it because Lance and I really enjoyed them!

At first I thought this recipe was a failure.

Once I adjusted the oil and made smaller cakes, they turned out great!

These cakes can be served several ways. Because they are a bit savory, I added a little powdered sugar. I enjoyed mine with a drizzle of molasses, which is a great source of potassium, calcium, and iron. Lance enjoyed his with powdered sugar and strawberries, although they'd be fine with maple syrup.

Molasses has a very distinct flavor, but it's rich in Iron

If you want a savory cake, I would use one pureed pear or apple, skip the julienned addition and add chopped scallions to the batter.

Are there breakfast items you miss because of a diet change or allergy?

Road Trip!

2011-06-15T16:51:00.000-07:00

It's been a fun couple of months. We've been on a trip to Arizona for a friend's wedding, a road trip to Colorado to visit family, and fun filled weekends with wedding events, nieces, nephews, and puppy fun time!

Lance with sister Sabrina, Niece "A", and Annie

First, traveling through states that aren't vegan friendly is a challenge, but totally doable. On the way to Colorado, we drove through Eastern Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.

Packed Food Items:

Lydia's Organics Kale Krunchies
Lydia's Organics Sunflower Bread
Lydia's Organics Cereal
Larabars
rice milk
Chick (pea) salad
salad greens
macadamia dressing (recipe below)
cacao
Warrior Protein
vitamin E supplement
maca

I made the decision to pack store bought rice milk instead of making my own nut or seed milk to pack because of convenience and the packaging enables things to stay fresh without refrigerating (until opened). Unlike many of the dairy free milks, Rice Dream in particular does not contain Carageenan. Certain strains of carageenan are used with lab animals to induce IBS and inflammation in wounds. Carageenan is made from Irish Moss, so you'll notice that my raw vegan desserts do not use this ingredient.

Food Implements Packed:

sharp knife
cutting board
Vitamix!
plates
bowls
forks
spoons
large cooler

Flying is a little more difficult than driving, in my humble opinion. When I do fly, I usually pack a big suitcase that can fit a small cooler full of chickpea or other bean and vegetable salad. I pack dishes and silverware and make sure my room has a mini-fridge. I map out the health food stores and ask around on message boards like veggieboards.com and goneraw.com for restaurants in the area. Most of my business travel is to major cities, which makes things easier. I love traveling to San Francisco because it gives me an excuse to go to Cafe Gratitude!

Going through several states meant days full of driving, but it was kind of fun in our new Hyundai Elantra. So far, with upgraded tires, I've gotten around 37+ mpg driving in areas that require 55 mph, so it's capable of very decent mileage. With the speed we were going (especially through Montana), we weren't getting the optimal mileage.

Options are few and far between when it comes to finding decent selections of organic produce and vegan/raw vegan packaged foods without preservatives or soy, especially in Wyoming. I will point out that larger cities or anywhere with a college in the town will have more options. If you're planning a road trip, I would recommend finding the larger colleges along your route and looking for health centric grocery stores in those towns. Bozeman, MT has a really cute little health food shop that has some decent options. Fortunately, the food I packed was more than enough to get me to Colorado.

We spent some time in Boulder, CO, but I didn't get to try out Leaf, a restaurant I was hoping we'd have time for. We did go to a few grocery stores to pick up "Cami Friendly" supplies. The family is very meat and potatoes, but I had free range of the kitchen and was able to make whatever I wanted for my own meals. They even let me use my Vitamix to make some rockin' smoothies (LOVE my Vitamix but it does sound like a plane taking off).

Annie is fabulous with the nieces. She loved the girls, and was really good watching out for the little fingers reaching for her beloved squeaky toy. "A" and Annie had fun racing around the back yard, and Annie even got to catch bubbles! OK, she wasn't really into the bubbles, but she loved chasing the squirrels and birds!

Don't you wish you could be surrounded by a cloud of bubbles?
Annie will trade places with you.

Zoos are a little hard for me, but I imagine they are much harder for the animals stuck in those really tiny places. I do have to say it was fun watching my niece run from place to place, staring at all those critters with awe.

Annie was a awesome traveler. She traveled in her crate for safety sake, and was snug as a bug in her cushy bed. We took rest stops and were happy with the dog friendly hotels.

She's not used to sleeping on the bed. What would give you that impression?

We are happy to be back in Washington! I've done a little baking so far. Chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting, and my first run at red velvet cake!

Sutra

2011-05-08T18:25:00.000-07:00

I'm not normally a fan of eating at restaurants. There will be days where I am tired and do not want to cook, but I'll usually change my mind and say I'd rather eat at home because I don't want to risk someone mixing up the order or getting sick from cross contamination. I realize I'm sounding a bit paranoid about now, but it usually takes me less than 20 minutes to figure out when there was something in my food that I shouldn't have eaten and I feel lousy for a couple days afterwards. When I do eat out, it's usually one of two local restaurants I've grown to trust.

Yesterday was my birthday and the nicer of the two restaurants we frequent changed their menu, and there wasn't much that was vegan, gluten-free, and soy-free. I was a little disappointed and started looking at different options. Bitt had suggested Sutra several months ago and I hadn't been brave enough to really look into it until that point. Sutra is a vegetarian (really labeled vegetarian although all of the items were clearly vegan) restaurant that uses fresh, local ingredients. The chef works with local farmers and foragers, building his menu around the ingredients that are freshest and most interesting. The menu is a set four course meal with suggested drink pairings. Lance said it reminded him of "Chopped" because they essentially are working with a "mystery basket" every week, but I'll go into that more later.

Lance called the restaurant and explained I had several allergies and asked if they could accommodate someone with a lot of food issues. The chef got on the phone with him to discuss my allergies and said they could change aspects of their menu to fit my needs. I was very impressed by the fact that the chef took the time to go over the menu with my husband and instantly felt more comfortable at dining at a restaurant with a "fixed" menu.

The restaurant is quite cozy. There weren't any tables for two really, so Lance and I opted to sit at the larger communal table at the end. There are two seated dinners at Sutra - one at 6:30 and one at 9. We went to the earlier seating, which was very full. We sat next to two nice women. The kitchen is open, so we were able to watch the chef prepare our meals. The chef came to the head of the restaurant and explained the menu and special ingredients. Foragers found hedgehog mushrooms, which are out of season right now, so we were in for a treat. Nettles were used in the risotto, and we learned that they have 10 times the calcium of other leafy greens and are very high in iron. Another oddity on the menu was the devil's club that was foraged and fried in rice flour and corn meal.

The first course was carried out. The lentil soup was very nicely seasoned with coriander and cumin. Cauliflower made the texture quite velvety. It had a little heat to it, and was quite lovely. The salad had baby greens, and some of which had a tinge of mustard flavor (likely arugula). The salad had candied walnuts, pickled fiddle heads, and shaved fennel. The dressing was lemon juice and a bit of truffle oil.

Second course was a risotto with thyme and nettles over a balsamic reduction, with a spicy carrot sauce on the side. Devil's club was fried in corn meal and rice flour, and they were quite considerate and made sure to leave the corn meal off mine and fry my batch before the others to avoid cross-contamination. I really appreciated that they understood what cross-contamination was and they took extra steps to avoid it! I have to say that it wasn't my favorite, but Lance enjoyed it so much he finished the half I chose not to eat. It ended up being a smart move on my part because there was a LOT of food!

Course three was a savory crepe made of mung beans and black rice. The crepe wrapped cashew cheese and asparagus, and was served over a bed of sauteed chard. Others had their crepe over a tomato sauce, but they served mine with a balsamic reduction and truffle oil. I know this is sacrilege to some, but I don't overly enjoy truffle oil. I thoroughly enjoyed the course, however. There were hedgehog mushrooms served on top, which were smoked. It was so delicious!!!

The last course is always my favorite. Desert! Dessert for most was a cherry rhubarb torte with caramel coconut ice cream and lava salt. For me, it was the wonderful torte filling prepared separately. The rhubarb was still crisp and a wonderful contrast to the soft cherries. It paired very well with the caramel coconut ice cream and the lava salt had a bit of charcoal, which went really well with the cherries. Divine.

The servers were knowledgeable and everyone was very diligent about allergy issues. I would recommend Sutra to people who have to be cautious about their allergies, as well as those just looking for a delicious meal.

Grade: Strong A

Fudge Brownies with Himalayan Salt

2011-04-24T18:05:00.000-07:00

HAPPY EASTER!!! -- Annie got to go plastic Easter Egg hunting for biscuits!

We have had a busy day today! I had a bit of a brownie fail yesterday (in my opinion, it is pretty hard to FAIL brownies...they were still really good with marionberry sauce and coconut ice cream), so this morning I woke up determined to figure out what I had written out incorrectly when I jotted down the ingredients from a very successful batch.

These brownies are very moist and a bit spongey the first day and become more dense as they cool down. They are a bit rich for frosting, but they are great with a fruit sauce and plain vanilla "ice cream."

Fudge Brownies with Himalayan Salt

2.5 oz cacao powder
1.5 oz sorghum flour
1.5 brown rice flour
1 oz tapioca flour
2 T ground chia seed
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of cinnamon
3.5 oz finely grated sweet potato
7 oz coconut milk
7 oz maple syrup
3 T sunflower oil
2 T agave

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine all the dry ingredients thoroughly in a mixing bowl. I recommend at least sifting the cacao powder to eliminate lumps. Add the finely grated sweet potato, coconut milk, maple syrup, sunflower oil, and agave. Put the batter in an 8X8 inch baking dish lined with baking paper. Bake for 25 minutes and take it out of the oven so you can add some freshly ground Himalayan salt evenly over the top (around 1/3 of a tsp). Put back in the oven for another 10-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out fairly clean and the edges are a little darker. Let cool before attempting to cut.

After dropping off the brownies at the Sidecar for Pigs Peace, we decided to figure out if a scene from the TV series The Killing was plausible. We really enjoy the show for two reasons. 1. It's based in Seattle. 2. It's fun to try to pick out exaggerations or errors. They showed a submerged car in a pond at Discovery Park, which they claimed was a popular place for "johns" to take their prostitutes. Discovery Park is on the edge of Magnolia, which is known for being a very nice neighborhood. It's not remotely near the neighborhoods that are typically known for that kind of activity. Then again, maybe they know something I don't. We also weren't aware of ponds at Discovery Park.

Look - A pond! One of 3 near the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center and Wolf Tree Loop

While I think they may have filmed that particular scene elsewhere, there is a pretty sizable pond near an access road. I don't know the depth of the pond, but it's definitely murky enough.

After we found the ponds, we went on to better things. Watching Annie "hunt" squirrels!!!

"Is that a SQUIRREL???"

"HEY! Are there any squirrels in there??"

"I think I saw a squirrel!!!"

I would like to say that we always have a leash on Annie unless she's in a securely fenced area. She is a fast little monster and I'd hate to see what she would do with a squirrel, and we'd have a tough time getting her back.

I found something beautiful as well. Trilliums! Trilliums are a fragile flower that can occassionally be found in state parks across the northern US. It is illegal to attempt to transplant or pick them in several states because doing usually quickly kill the plant. It's best to enjoy how beautiful they are from a bit of a distance.

It was great to get outdoors and enjoy the patches of sunlight!

Snickerdoodles

2011-04-23T22:43:00.001-07:00

Snickerdoodles are my childhood favorite, but they have vexed me in the past. I've had many failed recipes - any posted previously just were not quite there. It was either a texture issue, or the flavors were a little muted or exaggerated. The snickerdoodle is the recipe I have altered or scrapped all together several times. I think perhaps my arch nemesis has fallen and I've finally achieved the trifecta - texture, taste, and appearance.

There is a fairly consistent phenomenon particular to gluten-free cookies that took me a while to adapt to. Gluten cookies are better off if you take them off the pan immediately. They hold their shape pretty well and a little aggressive spatula work may cause a couple cookies to be put in the imperfect pile (in my house that means they are eaten immediately - it's the best way to ensure no one sees those imperfect cookies, right?). If you don't get them off the pan immediately, you're scraping and soaking a pan. Gluten-free cookies will come out of the oven squishy and unstable. With this recipe, if you try to take them off the pan before they have had plenty of time to cool, you will end up with half the cookie still on the sheet and a big crumbly mess. If you let them sit for at least an hour or two, they will have that typical, hard snickerdoodle texture. These are best made the night before you plan to serve them.

Snickerdoodles
makes 12 large cookies
4 oz palm oil
1/3 cup sugar
4 oz brown rice syrup
1/2 c water
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
1 T ground Chia seed
3.8 oz tapioca flour
6.8 oz white rice flour
1.2 oz amaranth flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Sugar & cinnamon to coat

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the sugar, flours, vanilla, chia seed, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cream of tartar in a mixing bowl. Gently melt the palm oil either in the microwave or sauce pan. Combine the oil, brown rice syrup, and water with the dry ingredients. Once the ingredients are combined, take a ball of dough about the size of a golf ball and roll the dough in sugar and cinnamon. Press slightly onto the cookie sheet to form a round shape. Space the cookies at least an inch to two inches apart as they will raise and spread. Bake for 12 minutes.

Happy Earth Day!!!

2011-04-22T22:02:00.001-07:00

Today was Earth Day and there were quite a few reminders. Starbucks was offering free drip coffee and tea to those with reusable mugs, our office building was giving away free energy efficient light bulbs, and Google had a cute little design on their home page that had little critters running around as you moused over it. It was also a beautiful day in Seattle, which gave us a chance to do some work in the yard. We have a lot to do tomorrow, including drop off some brownies and snickerdoodles for the Sidecar for Pigs Peace bake sale, but I'm hoping we'll have time to sneak over to dog park.

To me, Earth Day is a day to reflect on all the wonderful things this planet has provided us with. Air, water, and beautiful scenes. It made me think of Kauai. We did a lot of hiking while we were there, and I remember hiking along the Napli Coast and inland to the Hanakapi'ai Falls. The plants were incredibly lush and fertile. Guava fruit was laying all over the pathways along with fruit from some of the palm trees. The smell was wonderful, mixed in with rich earth and the humid air.

After recalling the beautiful hike among the guava trees, my mind wandered up the Kalalau Valley at the end of the Waimea Canyon drive. I remember being filled with a sense of awe - there are so many places and scenes to enjoy. The sun was warm and we watched a large fog bank roll down to the ocean as the morning slipped by.

The Kauai coastline is gorgeous, and if you are traveling by boat, you may be lucky enough to see some humpback whales in the distance.

Today my mind also fled to the wonderful bounty the Earth gives us. Delicious, fresh foods. We are so lucky to have so many tasty options available to us.

In our household we have made some really good steps towards minimizing waste and using more environmentally friendly products. Our cars sit in the driveway most of the week because we bus too and from work, although I did get a new cute little Hyundai Elantra. The mileage is great! Our cleaning products are without harsh chemicals, cloth is replacing many paper products, and we've got our little garden in the front yard. I would love to start researching more environmentally friendly furniture and flooring. It makes me sad to think how many products are used on a daily basis that are very bad for us...

Where did your thoughts go for Earth Day? Are you planning on changing some lifestyle habits to be kinder to our planet?

Pigs Peace Bake Sale!

Tomorrow there is a bake sale at the Sidecar for Pigs Peace. If you're in the Seattle area, I will be bringing in brownies and snickerdoodles. I hope the sale does well!

Mmmm....gooey brownies

Lance and Allergies

2011-04-21T19:14:00.000-07:00

I was starting another blog about kids and allergies, but Annie had other ideas and started jumping on the laptop keyboard. I handed Lance the laptop and asked him to blog. After a second of protesting, I suggested he share his experience with allergies and how he feels about them. You'll detect a little bit of frustration in his tone, but overall, he's taken it really well and done a pretty good job of adapting. We need to work a little on the menu reading skills and awareness of hidden gluten ingredients, but those are things we learn over time, sometimes by trial and error.

Since Annie decided to jump in Cami's lap and on the laptop as she was trying to blog, a guest writer has taken over. This is Lance, Cami's husband. As a kid, I didn't have to worry about allergies. Most of my adult life as well. In fact, since I run so much, I could pretty much eat anything I wanted whenever I wanted. I stuck with this strategy and ate a lot.

I'm not saying that I was eating nothing but ice cream, but I was unrestricted in my diet and never had to worry about the consequences of any foods. However, I started getting a red rash on both my cheeks, and it never would go away. I was gradually getting more tired then normal. So I went in for allergy testing. For the food portion this consisted of scratch tests to see how I responded, followed by three weeks without the foods I failed on before a retest to see which ones mattered.

This was a disaster. Testing nine different types of foods, I failed them all. Most of them, I didn't fail severely, but enough that I couldn't have them. Wheat, soy, milk, and eggs I failed with a four, but I also failed rice, tomatoes, yeast, and corn. Most surprising at that point, I failed potatoes. How does an Irish guy fail on a potato allergy???

So it was a long three weeks before I could try the foods again. I had it ten times better then anyone else would have been in this situation with Cami's knowledge on all the replacement grains and ingredients, and her making all the foods I had never heard of before meeting her. I was still eating well. I still dropped 10 pounds, which is pretty significant.

However, when I was waking up in the morning, I wasn't feeling tired and groggy. I wouldn't crash in the afternoons, and I started feeling better. Once I started testing things again, I started getting most of the foods back. Rice was key, and opened up many options, and I was able to get potatoes again. I had recovered everything except soy, with only the wheat test left.

For this test, I popped in a Frosted Mini Wheat. This was a favorite cereal growing up. I knew instantly that it did not go well. My nose stuffed up, my face tightened, as well as my forehead. Redness engullfed my face. Losing wheat is a tough blow. You know what's made with wheat? Everything. All the convenient foods, flour, all baked goods, bread, and beer.

Having the experience of all the other foods that were missing, however, I knew I would be OK. It turns out, there are a ton of people in the same boat I am, and just about all restraunts have options, some even with Gluten free menus.

In the mean time, I feel much better, am not as tired, and more productive. There are definitly times where it's hard. Like last week, when they announced that our new work offices were moving above a restaurant and brewery that has stellar beer. However, I still have options, and I'm not the last person this will happen to.

Winter Vegetables with Celerly Root Puree

2011-04-17T19:48:00.000-07:00

I was a little pout-y about not being able to eat fruit and starchy foods, and it was about time to snap out of it and start creating some tasty, lower carbohydrate meals. Seattle is unseasonably cold right now. The plants are just starting to bud out and our little garden is under a cloth cover, which is a good thing because we've had some frosty mornings lately. The freshest foods are still the early spring crops - arugula, kale, greens, leeks, fennel, and root vegetables.

I decided to try a celery root puree with winter vegetables yesterday. I am a garlic fanatic, so added more garlic than some people may like. The puree would be a great alfredo substitute as it is very creamy. Celery Root (celeriac) has 1/3 the carbohydrates, less than half the calories, and the same amount of fiber as potatoes. It also has a very velvety texture and lends well to purees.

Winter Vegetables with Celeriac Puree

Puree
1 celery root
4 cloves garlic
2-3 T olive oil
1/4-1/2 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
1/4+ water

Clean, peel, and dice the celery root into 1/2 inch or smaller cubes. Mince the garlic. Heat a pan over medium heat and get the olive oil hot. Put the garlic in the oil until it becomes very aromatic (less than a minute; 15-30 seconds). Add the celeriac and cook until the root is easy to pierce with a fork. Take off the heat and let cool a little. Put the celeriac and garlic in a blender, along with any of the excess olive oil. Add enough water to get the blender blades turning smoothly and add the salt and pepper.

Winter Vegetable Saute
1 leek
1 fennel bulb
1 bunch kale
1/2 tsp caraway
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
pinch salt

Thoroughly clean the leeks by slicing the leeks into rings and soaking them in a big bowl of water with a tsp of apple cider vinegar. Cut the base off the fennel and slice it with a mandolin slicer (slicing thinly with a good knife works too). Put the pan over medium heat and add some olive oil after the pan warms up. When the oil is warm, add the leeks. Once the leeks turn into a vibrant color, add the fennel, mustard seed, and caraway. Add the fennel.

Once the fennel is slightly translucent, add the kale and salt.

When I first made this, I put the saute over some kelp noodles. Noodles add nothing to this dish - it was much better with just the saute and celeriac puree.

Tacos!

2011-04-15T19:24:00.000-07:00

I was going to blog about the injustices of ignoring childhood allergies, but tonight I feel like something a little lighter. Tacos! OK, maybe they aren't really "light," but it's a more uplifting topic.

Bean Prep

Beans, beans the magical fruit, the more you eat the more you.... You know how the rest of the rhyme goes. If you don't know how the rhyme goes, you either had very impressive digestion as a child or are extremely sheltered. Beans have a reputation for being very hard to digest. The complex sugars that encase the bean survive the environment in your stomach and often travel all the way to the large intestine, where bacteria normally present in the gut become unbalanced as they feast and multiply, releasing gas that supply us with inspiration for the aforementioned rhyme.

There are several theories on how to reduce the oligosaccharides that cause the bottom burping people fear so much. Pre-soaking, changing cooking water, boiling with kombu, and shocking the beans while boiling with cold water are all theories. I tend to use at least two methods. I try to plan ahead and use dry beans because they are very affordable and more eco-friendly than canned. It also avoids the resin lining and BPAs that seep into our food (YUMMY!). Lentils and split peas are legumes that I soak for a day or less. Adzuki, black beans, pinto beans, and kidney beans are soaked for 24-48 hours, and I try to change the water and rinse them thoroughly at least 3 times a day. The beans are then cooked in at least 4 times the volume of water, which I dump out and refill after it begins to look dirty. I cook them in mid heat for at least 45 minutes to 90 minutes or until the bean is nice and squishy. I plan on also using kombu, but as someone with questionable digestive capabilities, I can say that soaking and changing the soak water frequently definitely seem to help considerably.

Taco Beans
1 yellow onion, cut into rings
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 seeded jalapeno, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
2 1/2 cups cooked black, pinto, or kidney beans
2 Tb coconut aminos
1/2 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
lime juice
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, rough chopped

Heat a pan over medium heat. Once the pan is nice and warm, add a few tablespoons of olive oil to coat the pan. When the oil is ready (rippling very slightly on the surface but definitely not smoking), add the onions and garlic. Cook until the onions start to look slightly transluscent and add the jalapeno, mustard seed, and cumin. Once the spices become more aromatic and the onions are translucent, add the beans, salt, coconut aminos, and fresh ground black pepper. Once everything is heated and combined well, turn off the heat and add the lime juice and cilantro.

Guacamole
2 ripe avocados
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh cracked pepper or to taste
1/4 c finely minced onion
juice from 1 lime
1/4 cup+ rough chopped cilantro

Mash the avocado with a fork. Add the onion, salt, pepper, lime, and cilantro and combine thoroughly. Guacamole is one of my favorite dips. If I don't have fresh cilantro or lime, I'll substitute lemon juice an cumin with a pinch of red pepper. It's also great with a little jalapeno or pomegranate seeds.

Macadamia Sour Cream
1/2 c macadamia nuts
1/4 c water
1/2 lemon, juiced
pinch salt

Blend in a high speed blender. If the blender isn't turning well, add a little more water until smooth.

Building a Taco

Tacos are so great because it's like choose your own adventure. Add in salsa, pico de gallo, lettuce, vegan cheese, pineapple, mango, bell peppers, or anything else your heart desires. Wrap up your filling in a gluten free taco shell like my gluten free tortilla I or II wrap recipes. The key is to not overfill, which is why my husband elects to have 3-4 tacos instead of succumbing to a fork and knife.

Good News

Experts are finally starting to acknowledge that food intolerances are real and damaging to the intestines and overall immunity. They are also realizing that gluten is a hard to digest food, and Celiac is likely only an extreme on the spectrum of gluten intolerance. Many people can benefit from avoiding gluten, so if you are having abdominal pain, bloating, excessive gas, mental fog, and/or fatigue, it might be worth cutting it out of your diet for a few weeks to see if there is a change. With this type of reaction, the change won't be apparent immediately.

A gluten free diet is also not healthy by default. I know someone who chooses to live on primarily corn chips and salsa and lives by the "if I don't see it on the menu or don't read the ingredients, it doesn't have gluten" rule. It's important to talk to a nutritionist about avoiding gluten and how to make a very balanced diet. While I try to find ways to sweeten with fruits and other alternatives, some of my recipes are definitely NOT health food. I enjoy those foods on rare occasion. The majority of my days are dessert free and low carb.

Vegan Marionberry and Chocolate Cheezcake

2011-04-04T20:04:00.000-07:00

Vegan cheezcakes are so decadent that it's hard to tell you aren't having the real thing. They are very creamy, smooth (if one has the right type of blender), and all of my non-vegan friends love them. My brother has even requested them in place of a traditional birthday cake. One slice is usually a full meal. Cheezcakes are packed full of nuts, other fats, and a lot of sweetener, so I try to enjoy a slice as a rare treat. When I first started a vegan diet, I indulged much more frequently, but I've noticed that my body absorbs fat more readily now. It probably has something to do with adjusting to the diet because I've heard of several other people who started out on a "gourmet" raw vegan diet that was high in fat and had to dial way back over time after they adjusted.

Vegan cheezcakes are best made the day before you intend to serve them. They need time to firm up (although the "pudding" is also delicious). I don't like to call them raw because many of the nuts we have access to in the bulk section of grocery stores are pasteurized before making it to the store. The recipe is very close to those available in Sweet Gratitude, an uncookbook by Cafe Gratitude.

Marionberry Chocolate Cheezcake

Crust
1 1/3 c. almonds or hazelnuts
5 ounces date paste
2 ounces cacao powder
1 vanilla bean, scraped
pinch salt

Filling
3 cups soaked cashews
2 cups macadamia or cashew milk (Living Harvest Vanilla Hemp Milk may work)
3/4 c agave syrup
juice from 1 lemon
1 vanilla bean scraped
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2 TB sunflower lecithin
1/2 c cacao butter
1/4 c coconut oil

14 oz frozen Marionberries
2 oz cacao powder

Put the cashews in a bowl to soak. Pit around 15 dates and soak them in water for 20 minutes. Butter the sides of a spring-form pan with coconut oil. After the dates are done soaking, put them in a food processor with an S-blade until the dates stick together in a ball. Split the dates in half and add the nuts, salt and vanilla. After the nuts have broken down, add the rest of the dates and process until the mixture is crumbly, but will hold together if pressed.

Press the crust into the bottom of a spring-form pan. Add 6 oz of marionberries on top of the crust.

Put the coconut oil and cacao butter in a pan on the lowest heat to melt (as soon as it's melted, remove from the heat). Add the cashews, lemon juice, nut milk, agave, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla to a high speed blender. If you have a normal blender, you will need to soak the cashews for a couple hours, split the recipe for the filling in two, and process one batch at a time. Put the filling in a large bowl and use a hand mixer to combine sunflower lecithin and oils into the filling.

Put 2 cups of filling back in the blender with 8 oz of marionberries and mix until very smooth If you have a normal blender, you may want to have thawed berries and cook for a short time to soften, then strain out the seeds. Use the hand mixer to mix the remaining plain batter with the cacao powder. Pour the chocolate batter over the marionberries and smooth out the surface.

Add the marionberry filling over the top of the chocolate filling and smooth out the surface.

Add marionberries as a garnish if you would like.

Put the cheezcake in the freezer for 2 hours and then move to the fridge. Serve after the mixture has been able to set for a minimum of 8 hours.

In other news, Annie continues her vegan leaning tendencies. My husband came to pick me up from acupuncture and said, "Well, Annie sure is your dog! We were eating at a restaurant and she was a very good girl until someone came in with a big leather purse. She barked at it! Even when I calmed her down she was still growling at the purse from time to time." I won't encourage her behavior because I want her to be a reliable citizen, but deep down I think it's just a little bit awesome.

"Bon Appetit!"

Eating to Heal

2011-03-29T19:45:00.001-07:00

I love baking. I love eating just as much, especially sweets. I have changed my habits in the past and stuck to a very low carbohydrate diet that is high in vegetables and moderate fats. For a while I went crazy and ate a LOT of baked goods. I calmed down again and actually ate very little of what I baked and stuck to greens. Because of issues with systemic candida, I have been on a really restricted diet and it kind of got me down. I don't like feeling extremely restricted. That is probably a large part of why the blog slowed down. I started to resent food a bit.

Annie has been my nap coach, helping me rest
through migraines and nausea

I went to an acupuncture appointment yesterday and it reawakened an interest in Eastern Medicine and using foods to heal. I had to go on a very strong medication for a couple months, and I'm having various symptoms (nausea, irritability, abdomenal pain, etc.) and the acupuncturist picked up on how cold I'm running right now. In Eastern Medicine, yin and yang is a very important concept. Balance is key, and certain foods will help balance a person's heat or cold. These attributes will impact everything from behavior to pain patterns. Foods run cold, warm, or neutral, and selecting foods that complement a person's current constitution can help with health issues. Cooking temperature and time also impact heat versus cold. I was interested in the theory that low temperatures over a long period of time are considered more warming than high temperatures for a short period of time. Chewing thoroughly can also help neutralize mildly cold foods, as can cutting finely.

Leeks are a warming food and very friendly to those with candida.
They are great sweated down in a pan and then mixed with other veggies.

I picked up some Chinese herbs to help with digestion and nausea and reopened my Healing with Whole Foods and started researching warming foods and foods that are friendly to people with candida issues. I've noticed that sweets, fruits, and cold foods and drink are triggering issues, so I wasn't overly surprised to see that those foods were on the "avoid" list. Unlike most traditional candida diets, Chinese medicine does not ban all grains. Quinoa, oats, buckwheat and some others are warming and rye, sweet brown rice, and corn are all neutral. While sweet potatoes are warming, they are considered too sweet for the candida diet. Parsnips, carrots, and beets are considered allowable. Beans are also OK in small amounts. Other than that, there weren't any big surprises. I went to the grocery store with a list of herbs, green leafy vegetables, and a lot of selections from the onion family.

Kale, fennel, and onions are all warming foods and go great together

This evening I cooked up a big batch of mustard greens with garlic and some parsnip pancakes with scallions. It was a very satisfying dinner and for once I'm not nauseated and feel satiated. I have better energy than yesterday and my stomach isn't as distended, but that is the extent of relief I've experienced so far. I'm excited to continue with my warm diet and acupuncture. Friday I'm planning on getting my blood work done to check liver and kidney levels (fingers crossed!). I'm hopeful that I'm turning a new leaf and finding new energy to develop recipes.

In other news, Lance got a new job and is sticking to his gluten free diet. Annie has been doing well and playing well with Champ. I'm looking at new car options and trying to remain environmental conscious and stick to vegan values (has anyone else noticed it's harder to get new cars without leather seats????). We bus to and from work all week, but I would like a reliable car for medical emergencies and camping trips.

No Chicken and Dumplings

2011-03-02T19:02:00.000-08:00

I watched the flu sweep through the office over the past few weeks and would cringe while I sat in meetings with coworkers who were coughing, sneezing, and sniffling. I managed to dodge the main wave. Those of you with children know that once they go to preschool or daycare, there seems to be several months of the child contracting and passing along cold after cold. Owen has started going to preschool and brought home a humdinger of a cold that got him the nickname "Typhoid Pookie." My grandmother, mom, brothers, and now husband have all contracted "Pookieitis." Now I have been getting the sniffles and have been making huge pots of soups. My favorite growing up was Chicken and Dumplings. I wasn't huge on the chicken, but I LOVED the dumplings. I decided to make it vegan and gluten free.

No Chicken Soup
2 large sprigs of fresh Rosemary
3 clippings of fresh Oregano
3 fresh Bay Leaves
1/2 cup rough chopped Parsley
1 tsp Salt
Pepper to taste
1/2 head Garlic
1 large Onion
6 stalks Celery
4 Carrots
3 quarts - 1 gallon Water
3-4 Tb Olive Oil
10 small Crimini or Button Mushrooms, quartered

Dumplings
1/4 cup Tapioca Flour
1/2 cup Brown Rice Flour
1/2 cup Teff Flour
pinch Salt
1/2 tsp dry Sage
3 TB Palm Oil
around 1/2-3/4 cup water

Cut the vegetables into one inch chunks. Mince the garlic and add all of the ingredients except the mushrooms into a large soup pan. Turn the heat up to a high medium, simmer for 20 minutes and bring to a boil. Put the flours, salt, and sage for the dumpling ingredients into a mixing bowl and combine. Use a fork to press the palm oil into the other ingredients until combined. Add the water until the dough combines well but is still easily handled. Form dumplings about half the size of a golf ball. Once the soup is in a rolling boil, add the dumplings one at a time, spaced apart from each other so they do not stick. Once the dumplings have been added, add the mushrooms. The dumplings will float to the surface once they are done - after about 20 minutes in the soup. Pick out the rosemary twigs, oregano, and bay leaves while serving.

Brownies

2011-02-27T18:43:00.000-08:00

This weekend has been full of good things. Yesterday, I spent some time grocery shopping with my mom. We went to rawvegansource.com's store in Redmond. I enjoy speaking with the owners, and I picked up some liver support supplements, coconut oil, and some tasty dehydrated snacks. The owners have a large garden designed with the principles of permaculture in mind, and we picked up a couple suggestions for some locally run nurseries that emphasize sustainable and natural methods.

Mom and I also went by the Redmond Whole Foods on the recommendation of some friends. There is a really large "special needs" section! Their gluten free section was about the size of some specialty shops I've seen in Kent and Everett. I found some rice krispy-ish cereal to attempt vegan rice krispy treats! I also found some donuts and bagels Lance really enjoys on sale, so I indulged. My diet is actually very low carbohydrate and I don't eat a lot of sweets, so I raided the greens and picked up some nice looking almonds.

After a day of shopping, I came home and spaced out in front of the TV and had some sauteed Brussels Sprouts and olives before going to the Medieval Women's Choir at St. James Cathedral in Seattle with the girls. Usually musicals and operas are not my thing, but I really enjoyed this event. The music is a bit simple, which really allowed the soprano's voice to be on full display. Her voice was gorgeous and had a clarity that was just stunning. Closing my eyes and listening to the music transported me back to a time of pristine land, difficult living, and simple needs.

Today, Lance went skiing early this morning. He walked and fed the dogs, who were content after he left and let me sleep in until 9. We all got up and I had breakfast, cleaned the kitchen, and then worked on a business plan. My mom stopped by and we all went on a long walk in a slight drizzle. It was absolutely freezing here yesterday, but today was considerably warmer and the snow had turned to rain. We got inside right before the downpour and enjoyed a romaine and cucumber salad with a avocado pepper dressing that went well with almonds and capers. I had attempted brownies a few days ago and discovered that there IS such a thing as too much chocolate (no really - it was INTENSE), so with a few tweaks, we had a successful batch this evening. I will probably continue to fine tune the recipe (and add varieties like mint, raspberry, etc), but I haven't posted in a while and thought I would share what I have so far.

Gluten-Free, Vegan Brownies

These brownies are dense, which is how I prefer my brownies. I like them without frosting and Lance likes them with Coconut Bliss ice cream piled on top. This is a recipe that is best done ahead of time. A fine crust will form over the top over night, giving these brownies a classic, rich taste and texture.

3 oz cacao butter
3 oz coconut oil
3 oz cacao powder
1.5 oz sorghum flour
1.5 oz brown rice flour
1 oz tapioca flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 T chia seeds
3.5 sweet potato, cooked and mashed
7 oz maple syrup
3 oz agave

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the cacao butter and coconut oil on the lowest possible stovetop setting. Combine all dry ingredients in one bowl and the mashed sweet potato, maple syrup, melted oils, and agave in another. Slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry while stirring. Line an 8X15 inch pan with baking paper, and pour the batter into the pan. Bake for about 25 minutes. The center will look a little moist, but it will quickly take on a cake like appearance as it continues to cook outside of the stove.

Apple Crisp

2011-02-21T20:04:00.000-08:00

I found a great sale on three pound bags of pink lady apples. Several weeks ago. Since then, I discovered that I don't do well with many carbohydrates and adopted a low carb diet and completely forgot about the apples. If I was going to go on a baking tear last night, I needed to use up those apples. The easiest way I know how is with an apple crisp. I tend to like tart desserts, and warm apple crisp goes really well with Coconut Bliss vanilla ice cream!

Apple Crisp

1.5 pounds Apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1/4 c Palm Oil
1/2 c Oats
1/2 c Sugar
1/4 c Brown Rice Flour
1 T Tapioca Flour
3/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Ginger
fresh grated Nutmeg
pinch Cloves
pinch salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a 9X9 pan, layer the apple pieces. If you like a sweeter dessert, you can layer additional cinnamon and sugar among the apples.

Put the other ingredients in a bowl and combine with either a fork or a pastry cutter. Spread the crumble over the top of the apples.

Bake for about 30-45 minutes, or until the apples are tender.

Gluten Free, Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

2011-02-20T19:58:00.001-08:00

I feel bad I haven't taken the time to blog lately. Things have been busy and tiring (and fun!). Yesterday I dropped off some goodies for a bake sale and we had a small get together. I finally conquered the Snickerdoodle (YAYY!), which got rave reviews along with my lucuma banana cupcakes with vanilla icing. Today I went to discuss renting a commercial kitchen so I can attend farmer's markets on the weekends and potentially do some online sales. There is a lot to getting a baking business started....

There wasn't much leftover...I love how people try to

be polite and not take the last cookie, but people ended up
tearing pieces off

Today I decided to work on a business plan for the bakery and start perfecting more recipes. I have several that are market ready, but I could always use more (many more, preferably). I tend to try to bake the things I loved when I was younger. Cinnamon rolls are something my grandmother really excels at, and my brothers always beg her to make them. I decided to try my hand at them. Gluten free rolls are....not quite the same (at least not the rolls I've made so far). The dough does hold up to rolling for cutting, but it's soft enough that the cinnamon swirl loses its definition and I press into a rectangle rather than attempting to roll. I'm personally allergic to baker's yeast, but my husband tells me they are quite good. He's gotten to be a pretty reliable food critic, and although he isn't always very descriptive as to why he does or doesn't like something, I know I can trust his overall opinion.

Cinnamon Rolls
makes about 8

Rolls
1/2 c Teff Flour
1 c Brown Rice Flour
1/2 c Tapioca Flour
1 1/4 c Sweet Potato (cooked and mashed)
1/2 tsp salt
4 T melted Palm Oil
1/2 c water
2 T Yeast
1 T Maple Syrup

Cinnamon Filling
7 Medjool Dates
1/4 c packed Raisins
1/4 c Coconut Oil
1/2 t Cinnamon
2 T Maple Syrup
pinch salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Put the dates and raisins in water to soak and set aside. Warm a 1/2 cup of water to 110 degrees and add the maple syrup and yeast. If the water is the right temperature, you will see the yeast foam up within the first couple minutes. Combine the dry ingredients for the rolls and melt the palm oil. Add the yeast mixture and palm oil and fold into the dry ingredients. I end up getting my hands dirty to make sure things are well combined (be careful not to overmix/handle).

Drain the dates and raisins and put them in a food processor with an S blade until the dried fruit starts to form a ball (it should be close to a paste at that point). Put the mixture in a mixing bowl and combine the maple syrup, cinnamon, and coconut oil. Set aside.

Put a piece of parchment paper over a cookie sheet and work the dough into a large rectangle shape.

Put tablespoons of the date/filling mixture around the dough and GENTLY spread the mixture with a knife, being careful not to tear the dough underneath.

Once the mixture is evenly spread, roll the dough.

Score the dough and cut into even pieces, about an inch and a half thick.

Bake for 30 minutes or until a nice golden color:

Icing
2 T Palm Oil
1/2 T hot water
2 c Powdered Sugar - approximate
vanilla

Stir the palm oil and hot water together with a hand mixer, along with vanilla bean (1/2 a bean scraped or 1/2 tsp extract). Put 1.5 cups sugar in a fine sifter and sift the sugar. Combine the mix and continue to add sugar as necessary to achieve the right consistency. These measurements may be a little off - I tend to eyeball frosting.

Vegan, Gluten Free Pizza

2011-02-10T19:04:00.000-08:00

On a normal day, I have a smoothie or chia protein pudding for breakfast, gigantic salad for lunch, nuts for a snack, and I browse through the evening. Sometimes that means a salad, soy-free miso soup, and/or a series of snacks. The night before last, I decided to continue a run of not so fabulous diet choices and make pizza! Kind of. It could definitely use some acid - maybe a balsamic reduction? I liked the crust though.

The crust is baked separately from the rest of the ingredients. There are a lot of steps, but if you'd rather change the toppings and mix it up, I'm sure that would work. I would bake the crust for 10-15 minutes at 400 degrees and then add toppings before cooking another 10-15 minutes. Pesto, mushrooms, and thin sliced red onion would be tasty.

Gluten Free Crust
1.2 oz potato starch
1.5 oz brown rice flour
2.5 oz millet flour
pinch salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 T chives (dry)
1 T palm oil
1/4 c water

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine the dry ingredients. Add the palm oil and use a fork to work the palm oil into the flour until nearly undetectable. Add the water and knead lightly. Press onto a cookie sheet in a thin circle about 10-12" wide. Bake for about 30 minutes.

Cheeze
1/3 c macadamia nuts
/14 c cashews
lemon juice
pinch salt
enough water to blend the nuts in a high speed blender and achieve a smooth consistency

After the crust has cooled a bit, spread the cheeze over the top.

Potato Cake

1 large potato
olive oil
salt

Thinly slice the potatoes on a mandolin. Heat a non-stick pan (preferably ceramic) to medium. Put olive oil in the pan and layer the potato slices. Let brown. Take a lid and flip the pan contents onto the lid. Slide the potato cake from the pan lid back into the frying pan to brown the other side. When done, flip the cake onto the lid again as it's easier to transfer to the pizza from the lid than from the pan.

Broccoli Raab
3 cloves garlic
olive oil
lemon juice
2-3 cups broccoli raab, rough chopped
1/2 sliced onion (optional)

Saute in a frying pan until wilted. Spoon the contents over the pizza.

Cut and serve. I served this with a small side salad of celery root, mung bean sprouts, and juiliened cucumber tossed with the leftover cheeze.

Bake Sale

There is a bake sale tomorrow at the Sidecar for Pigs Peace starting at noon in the Seattle U-District. I will be dropping off goodies (chocolate chip cookies and ginger cookies) at 10am, and will try to swing by again either later that day or the next to buy gluten free treats!

I Am Excited

2011-02-07T19:47:00.000-08:00

I met my brother this evening on his way to an appointment to pick up a prescription my grandma was nice enough to pick up near her house. I got a really awesome surprise! My mom sent me I Am Grateful: Recipes & Lifestyle of Cafe Gratitude. I admit it. I squealed with excitement! Since eating there in early December, I've gotten close to their almond toast and Caesar salad on my own, but I've really wanted to try more of their dishes. Now I get to! YAY!

I Am Not Judgmental

Alright. Sometimes I am judgmental, but I try to keep an open mind and look at things from different perspectives.

This last weekend, I had the good fortune of meeting one of Lance's track teammates from college. We discussed a lot of topics and I pretty quickly determined he was pretty cool guy. He had suggestions for sustainable materials to use in our house. I hate our carpeting, and he highly recommended cork as a sustainable material that actually minimizes bacteria. He is using a wool product as insulation in his house. He explained that 90% of the wool collected was put in a landfill until now, and this product uses that waste. The wool is sterilized and becomes a naturally flame retardant, insulating material. It's not a product I will be using because I don't want to support the wool industry, but on several levels I can see its benefits (eliminating the chemicals in standard insulation is a BIG one).

Lance's friend's wife has recently become vegan and he was debating doing the same. He said he feels ill and tired when he's on a vegan only diet and admitted to not wanting to put in the effort to avoid processed/packaged foods entirely. He felt some guilt from his reading, but also worried that his wife was judging him (he didn't say she did - I had a feeling it was more of an underlying concern). I stopped and thought, "Woah. Does my husband feel that way?"

Lance and I on our honeymoon in Kauai after a 3 mile hike into Waimea Canyon

When I first told close friends and family I had made the leap from a plant-based diet to being vegan, I got very mixed reviews. Actually, there was a little bit of fear mixed in those reactions. They were afraid I would become angry and start yelling at them for not also being vegan. They didn't want to feel like I thought I was better than them or watch me be self-righteous. I understood what they meant. Anyone who has been on the receiving end of a religious or lifestyle tirade knows that feeling. But - I also see why many vegans are willing to get in your face. Day after day, we are judged and the lifestyle is mocked. Sometimes people are genuinely curious. It's hard to watch people eat and wear things that had a horrible sad existence before their life was taken. It's a fine line...I feel the need to express my views, but don't want to alienate anyone.

Living peacefully in a shared household is not without its difficulties. Lance has his own sections of the fridge, and some pans and cutting boards are off limits. I have done a lot of reading and research, and it's really hard not to go on tirades. I discovered early on that I know how I feel about factory farming, the fur industry, and several other topics and reading about them just fuels the outrage I feel. I stopped reading many of the books and can't watch the movies anymore. Personally, I believe in doing the least amount of harm possible. Going forward, making conscientious clothing, food, and personal care purchases make me feel good about what I am doing. I value my relationships, and I will let others decide what they want to do.

I love my husband and my family. I will make some comments, but try to keep them to a minimum unless an open discussion is on the table. In order to have happy relationships, I've decided that I need to respect their personal lifestyle choices as much as they respect mine. Despite very meat and potatoes, traditional childhoods, I became vegan and my husband defends my decision and is confident I do the research and make the effort necessary to develop a healthy diet for myself. I feel lucky. Not only is he supportive of my diet/lifestyle, he has been absolutely wonderful - we have faced my lupus health issues together.

Leek and Potato Soup

2011-02-04T20:05:00.000-08:00

Winter makes grocery shopping a little interesting. There isn't a whole lot in season in Washington. Arugula, kale, dandelion greens, mushrooms, and a few root vegetables may resemble something close to in season, but there isn't a whole lot growing without greenhouses. A lot of food is shipped into the area.

I walked through the grocery store the other day and the selection wasn't as vibrant as it is in the late spring, but there were some things that stood out. The garlic at PCC was finally plump and beautiful. Before this week, the garlic was small and a little hit or miss. The leeks looked pretty good so I grabbed them on a whim along with some potatoes, mushrooms, and greens. Soup has been something I crave a lot with the cold weather.

Some mushrooms are more flavorful than others, but most all are subtle. Crimini are only very slightly more earthy than button mushrooms and lend a bit of that flavor to soup. Most store bought stocks or boullion cubes have soy (even those with animal products). I didn't want to take the time to make a full vegetable stock (I had plans for the other ingredients in the fridge), so the mushrooms were a suitable substitute.

Leek and Potato Soup

4 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 T olive oil
6-7 washed Crimini mushrooms, diced
1/2-3/4 c white wine
1/2 tsp salt
large pinch each of thyme, tarragon, and rosemary
2 leeks, sliced
1 1/2 cups cubed potatoes (1/2 ")
3-4 cups water
fresh ground pepper

Put a large saucepan over medium heat. Add olive oil. When the oil is warm and ready, add the mushrooms and garlic, stirring until the mushrooms absorb most of the oil and become softer.

Add the wine and let reduce to half its original amount and the add the leeks.

Keep stirring until the leeks wilt. I thought my pan was way too small and was amazed how much the leeks reduce.

Add the water and potatoes and bring to a boil. Check the potatoes after 10 minutes. Add fresh ground pepper to each serving.

This is a simple, mild soup that would do well as a side. I think next time I will try pan roasting the potatoes in the oven first next time with a little garlic and olive oil.

Tomorrow we are having some people over and I will be making a couple baked goods for Owen. Mom requested Ginger Cookies. I will also be making some blueberry pancakes in the morning with a blueberry sauce on top (you really can't have too much fruit). I'm personally allergic to blueberries, but I know my husband will enjoy them.

Apple Fennel Roast

2011-02-01T19:35:00.001-08:00

Our fridge is running really, really low. In my baking frenzy this weekend, I overlooked real food. It ends up being a good thing when I have to consider something new. I haven't had much cooked fennel. I have heard that it goes with apple. I had no idea what spices went with them, so I kept it simple, and my husband and I both liked it. I think it would go really well with some pasta if the pieces are cut smaller or as a side.

Apple Fennel - Pan Roasted
1 large Fennel Bulb
1/2 large Yellow Onion
3-4 cloves Garlic, minced
2 medium Apples
1/3 c White Wine
1/2 bunch of Kale
1 pinch Salt
1/2 tsp Thyme (dried)

Slice the fennel bulb into 1/4 inch slices. Slice the onion into slightly thinner slices. Core the apple, and slice the apples on a medium setting on the mandolin slicer. Rough chop the kale. Put the fennel, onion, and garlic in a medium sauce pan with olive oil. Cook until the onions are transparent and add the salt and thyme. Add the apples and stir a bit until they are slightly cooked. Add the wine. After the wine has reduced to 1/2, add the Kale.

We have a winner!

2011-01-31T20:39:00.000-08:00

The winner of the Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Recipe giveaway is VeRAWnica! Congrats! Please contact me at thediscerningkitchen@gmail.com.

Things haven't been too exciting today. I'm a little baked out, so I've been eating a LOT of salad. I still need to go through the recipe rating cards and decide what I'm going to do with some of them. I already have some ideas for improvements. I work right across the street from Uwajimaya, so I'm excited to try some of the yams, sweet potatoes, and other tubers in baked goods. I want to focus on savory foods and breads for a while, but will probably wait to start baking on Thursday. We have a LOT of leftovers from this weekend, so both Lance and I are taking them to work. I'll start freezing them tomorrow for when Owen comes over.

Taste Testing Party

2011-01-30T19:44:00.000-08:00

I am pretty tired right now, but it was worth it! I spent this weekend baking for a tasting party. The Celiac group in Seattle was kind enough to let me host a taste testing party at my house. Everyone was a really great sport about filling out review cars, and I can't wait to do a little light data entry and get a better idea about the success (or not) of each recipe. It was a fantastic crowd of people as well - there were a lot of great conversations!

Yesterday I started decluttering a little in our house. I have a long ways to go. Most of our rooms look pretty good, but we've got two rooms that are absolutely out of control. Fortunately, one of the people from the Celiac group is a professional organizer, so I am looking forward to getting some help! In the afternoon, we took my car to my family's - it had a leaky trunk so we had it in the garage with a dehumidifier. While we were at my family's house, Annie got into the compost container on the floor in half a second and wolfed down a 4" chicken bone, after cracking it enough to splinter it. We found that 3% hydrogen peroxide can be administered at 1 tsp per 10 pounds to induce vomiting (up to 2 doses), so we gave it to Annie and made her run around the yard a lot to shake it all up. She was playing and running and happy, but no vomiting. We packed her up to an emergency clinic and sat in the waiting room for 45 minutes when "HOORRRFFFF"...all over my lap. She saved us $160 in vet bills, so I suppose it all evens out.

Who? Me??

When we got home, my mom helped finish cleaning up the house while I baked. I made chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, boysenberry thumbprints, lemon bars, apricot bars, apricot thumbprints, and ginger cookies.

From left to right: Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies (3 plates), Boysenberry Thumbprints,
Apricot Thumbprints

Today I got up early and started on blueberry upside down cake, chocolate cupcakes, lemon cupcakes, lucuma banana cupcakes, and donuts.

From left to right: sweet potato cupcakes with "cream cheese" frosting,
"snickerdoodles", chocolate chip cookies, and ginger cookies

I knew a few of the recipes weren't going to pan out, but I figured since I made them, I might as well put them out. The Snickerdoodles were a disaster. I keep trying to sub out palm oil with coconut oil, and the mixture just isn't working. I'm going to have to rip up the recipes I've scribbled down so far. The apricot bars were an OK start, but I think I'm going to rough chop the apricots next time instead of blending everything. A jelly like substance is OK for lemon bars, but it is just is odd with apricot. There are other recipes I'm going to put aside as complete/approved, others I will continue to work on, and a couple I am going to throw out all together.

Clockwise starting at the top: donuts, lemon bars, lucuma banana cupcakes,
chocolate cupcakes, blueberry upside down cake, apricot bars, and lemon cupcakes

Another interesting observation - the chocolate chip cookies were by and large a huge success. People really enjoy how they melt in your mouth, and the flavor is pleasant. Unless you are my mom or a smoker. When pressed, people noticed a slightly earthy taste. Mom thinks they taste like dirt. Smokers think they taste like grass. I could tell we didn't have any smokers in the crowd. This is an extreme example, but it seemed as though each recipe had fans and people who weren't fans. I could tell from the handwriting styles that peoples' opinions varied from recipe to recipe, so it's as though people had different palates.

Annie really loved having all those people over. She got plenty of attention, and now she is pooped. Passed out on her little bed. I'm right there with her. I have my feet up and am looking forward to taking off a couple days later this week.

I was pretty good about restricting the number of sweets I scarfed (not perfect, but restraint is not my strong suit so I'll take it!), and was happy to have tea and miso soup shortly after the tasting party. I was really craving greens and savory garlic, so I had sauteed kale with garlic and lemon juice and flat bread with avocado, garlic sauce, and lettuce. It was A LOT of garlic, but my body seemed to be craving it after all that sugar.

My version of a TV dinner: sauteed kale with garlic, lemon juice,
and olive oil; quinoa flatbread with avocado, lettuce, and garlic sauce

Churro Cookies

2011-01-28T19:34:00.000-08:00

Some of my better recipes are mistakes! When I was little, my favorite cookie was the Snickerdoodle. There's something about the slightly grainy texture on the outside, the shock of cinnamon, and the crunchy texture underneath. Yum, yum, yum.

I've been trying to sub out coconut oil for palm oil, and have been trying various natural cane sugar replacements. I've found that palm oil just works with cookies and sugar is really what gives cookies that crunch. These cookies definitely don't have that classic crunch, but the result was unexpectedly popular.

When my brothers and I were younger, we liked it when my mom would stop by a fast food place and let us order dessert. One of the taco chains had churros. We loved them! Greasy, crunchy, gooey, and gritty all at the same time. I think I remember they came out with a cream filled churro and it ended up being way too much - they are so greasy without the filling. I'm pretty grossed out by some of the things I used to really look forward to. If I had a crystal ball and could see the allergies I would develop, I probably would have scraped together the money to make it to Europe and make a food vacation out of it.

Back from my tangent....when my brothers were over last weekend, they devoured these cookies. They both really liked them and couldn't put their finger on what it was reminding them of. I took a big bite and sat there thinking as I was chewing and it finally dawned on me. Churros!

Churro Cookies
1 c White Rice Flour
2/3 c Teff Flour
1/4 c Arrowroot Powder
6 soaked Dates
3/4 c soak water
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
1/2 c + 2 T melted Coconut Oil
1.5 oz (1 shot) of Agave
1 Vanilla Bean, scraped
1/2 tsp salt

Enough vegan cane sugar and plenty of cinnamon to coat each cookie generously.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine all of the dry ingredients. Add the coconut oil and agave. Put a handful of cane sugar (1/4 c) and 1 tsp of cinnamon on a small plate. Form dough into balls about the size of a golf ball, and roll around in the sugar and cinnamon mixture. The dough will be greasy. It's part of what makes them good. Flatten out the cookie on a cookie sheet with the flat of your hand. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Let cool and then move to a cooling rack to cool further.

Discerning Kitchen Giveaway - Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook

2011-01-26T19:40:00.000-08:00

Skinny Bitch is an entertaining read. I love the writing - the caustic sense of humor and passion really appeal to me. Even if you aren't vegan and are just interested in reducing or eliminating dairy and egg in your cooking, or if you would like to have some meatless meals to reduce your expenses (or your waistline), it's got quite a bit to offer. Although I haven't used many of the recipes in my day to day cooking (except the pumpkin soup - yum) and I don't always see eye to eye with the author, I really appreciate the abundance of factual knowledge about why it's good for the planet and our health to go vegan.

This is a great book for people who need a little extra incentive to become vegan (or stay vegan) and provides logical arguments for those who question veganism. I like how the points in this book aren't based on emotion and personal ethics. Diets (which expand into our lifestyle) are like religion. You have to really believe in something to stick to it. Many of us have already developed our opinions and ethical views, so approaching the topic from a more fact based standpoint with friends and family can be more effective and less likely to escalate things to personal insults and keep conversation in the domain of debate. Information is powerful.

Giveaway

What - Hardcover edition of Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Recipes

To Enter: Post what kind of recipe you enjoy making.

*Limited to the US and Canada*

For Extra Entries
2. Tweet the following phrase:
"Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook giveaway @Discern_Kitchen http://tinyurl.com/4f6kgg3"
3. Like The Discerning Kitchen on Facebook here.

Deadline: Sunday the 30th at midnight PST. Check back here after the 30th to see who won!

Blueberry Upsidedown Cake

2011-01-25T17:58:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to be blogging tonight. It's the first time that I've had a few quiet moments to spare.

Sunday was a busy day full of baking and family. I got up fairly early in the morning, fed the dog, cleaned the kitchen, and then started baking up a storm. I'm having a bunch of people over to taste test a bunch of my recipes, and I wanted to make some improvements. The day before I had made some chocolate chip oat cookies and snickerdoodles. I made the snickerdoodles with coconut oil instead of palm oil because we have a friend that has a palm allergy. I have to say palm oil works a little better in cookies. Coconut oil is great in cakes, muffins, and cupcakes though.

Snickerdoodles

thin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

Next was a batch of Sweet Potato Donuts. A lot of my recipes have improved over time and I wasn't sure if I'd still be impressed with the recipe. It really didn't disappoint though. We don't often fry food. I used canola oil this time and filled a pan enough for the donuts to be completely submerged and cook evenly. I laid out a tray, put paper towels on the tray and then layered a wire cooling rack over the paper towels. It worked really well. I'll admit I made a big mess sprinkling powdered sugar on top with a wire fine mesh strainer.

Donuts on their cooling rack post powdered sugar -
the area was a mess after that sifting

Next up were Cinnamon Rolls. I'm told they are quite good, but I need to work on a thicker filling. This time I used date syrup and palm oil with a little maple syrup. I think next time I will be processing dates without soak water to make a paste.

Frosted Cinnamon Rolls

After the cinnamon rolls, I had a brilliant idea for a blueberry upside down cake. I put too much blueberry sauce in the pan on the first go and not quite enough the second time. Getting the cake to layer on top is a little difficult.

Messy - but tasty! - upside down cake

The neater version - the ideal is somewhere between the two

I also made some pretty decent dinner rolls to go with dinner. While Mom and I were getting dinner ready, the boys were having fun in the living room. Annie is absolutely obsessed with the laser light. Owen loves clicking the button to make the light turn on for the dog, but I have a feeling he doesn't completely understand what's going on....

Owen loves being at our house and whenever Lance was outside, he'd ask "Where Choo Choo??" Apparently, Lance is Uncle Choo Choo. After dinner, my family went home and I got a text message from Mom mid-trip. Owen got into the cookies and really liked how the doughnut fit on his finger like a little hat.

Last night my car broke down, so my evening was shot after work. I found out today that there's an issue with the fuel injectors. The cylinders aren't sealing completely, so the cylinders are flooding with fuel after the engine is shut off, making restarting it any time soon after running an errand impossible. After an hour and a half of letting it sit, I was able to drive it a quarter of a mile, but it was running so rough and smelled horrible, so I pulled in a gas station. Fortunately, Lance was in his car behind me and we were able to go home after the truck came. It was a long night.

Blueberry Upsidedown Cake

Blueberry Sauce/Topping
makes enough for 2 cakes
1 pint Blueberries (fresh is best)
1 tsp+ Orange Zest
1/4 c Sugar
1/3 c Coconut Oil
1 Cinnamon Stick - whole

Put the ingredients in a sauce pan and heat until the oil melts and the sugar dissolves.

Keep the cinnamon stick intact, and remove the stick and take off the heat once the mixture has come to a boil.

Maple Cake
makes 1 cake
1 c White Rice Flour
1/2 c Teff Flour
1/4 c Arrowroot Powder
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
3/4 tsp Cinnamon
3-4 T melted Coconut Oil
2 T Chia seeds, ground
1/2 c Sugar
1/2 c Maple Syrup
1/2 tsp Orange zest
Appx 1/2 c. water

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Sift all of the dry ingredients together. Add the maple syrup, melted coconut oil, and then just enough water to get the batter to the right texture. It needs to be thick enough to sit on top of the blueberry mixture without mixing too much.

Bake the cake for around 40 minutes. The cake is done when you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean. Run a knife around the side and push the cake in a little bit. Put a plate on top of the pan and flip the cake over. tap the plate and pan on the counter top a little until the cake falls loose.

Blackberry Muffins

2011-01-22T09:50:00.000-08:00

Lately, I've been pretty busy at work while struggling with some health issues. I think I'm turning the corner because I have a lot more energy than I even had this Monday. I have been doing a lot of baking for my nephew, but a lot of it hasn't made it onto the blog - yet.

Last weekend, Owen (my nephew), my brother, and my mom all came over for a big dinner. I had graham crackers, muffins, and ginger cookies on hand, and we had a big feast. It was a lot of fun and Owen was a happy little camper, walking around with a treat in his hand the whole evening with Annie closely following him and making a grab for his treats whenever there was a window (we need to work on that). Owen loves to run up and down our long hallway with Uncle Lance pretending to be part of a train and yelling "CHOOO CHOOO!" Last night they all came over again and as they were pulling up to the house he said, "Choo choo!!"

Owen - an aspiring train engine and construction worker

Last night Mom watched Annie while Owen, my brother, and a friend hung out and watched a movie. It was date night for Lance and I and we went to Cafe Flora and had a very nice meal. I was very bummed out to find that their sweet potato fries are made in the same fryer as gluten ingredients. I did snag a couple of fries from Lance but primarily stuck to my seasonal vegetables and large house salad with Sencha Tea.

The sweet potato fries are delicious - was so sad
to find out they aren't in a gluten free fryer

Before we left, I made cookies to have on hand. I was shooting for snickerdoodles but didn't want all the sugar in the batter and subbed out for date syrup and a little agave. The result was a moist cookie that tasted like churros. By the time we got home, only a couple cookies out of the dozen and a half I made were left. I sent the rest of them home with my mom without getting a good picture, which is a great excuse to make them again. I was going to throw out the recipe because it wasn't what I was aiming for, but everyone was raving about them. Sometimes expectations skew my perception of the end result.

Blackberry Muffins - Breakfast of Champions (and Pookie!)

Breakfast muffins are nice to have on hand. Usually my breakfast consists of protein and supplement powders in a shake, but Lance prefers muffins, pancakes, and other items with more carbohydrates. I'm not a fan of the one diet fits all approach. Lance does better with a lot of gluten free grains and fruits while I do better with vegetables, more fat, and smaller meals throughout the day. Having a well balanced breakfast helps me get through the day without blood sugar ups and downs. It helps me wake up a little more and that means my job suffers less from mistakes.

We call Owen "Pookie" and my mom likes having muffins on hand for mornings that Owen stays at their house or to pack in his school lunches.

Blackberry Muffins
makes 1 dozen
1 cup Vanilla Hemp Milk
1 large Banana
1/2 Vanilla Bean, scraped
3 Tb melted Coconut Oil
3 oz Agave (about 1/4 cup)
3/4 cup Brown Rice Flour
3/4 cup Teff Flour
1/3 cup Arrowroot Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 T Chia, ground
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 Lemon, juiced and zested
1 heaping cup Blackberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the brown rice, teff, arrowroot, salt, baking soda, and chia in a bowl with a wire whisk. Put the vanilla hemp milk, banana, coconut oil, agave, and vanilla bean in a high speed blender and blend until frothy and smooth. Combine the dry ingredients and the ingredients from the blender. Add the apple cider vinegar, lemon zest, and lemon juice and whisk thoroughly. Gently fold in the blackberries and fill the muffin tin nearly to the top.

The brown rice flour will make things taste a little "gluten free." My family didn't seem to notice, but I got a faint hint. I didn't sub out the flour because the combination of hemp, brown rice, and teff lend to a high protein content.

Brown Rice Flour doesn't stop "Pookie" from enjoying muffins!

Flying Apron Review

2011-01-16T19:10:00.000-08:00

This weekend, Lance and I went to the Flying Apron in Fremont to do some "Market Research" and we grabbed a selection of baked goods. I've been working on several cookie recipes and wanted to see how they compared to the Flying Apron. We purchased a chocolate chip cookie, ginger wheel, apricot thumbprint, peanut butter chocolate cupcake, and a vanilla maple cupcake - which wasn't what I ordered. I asked for a cherry chocolate cupcake.

On the way to the restaurant, we had to leave Champ and Annie in the car. We were just picking up "to go", but you'd think they were being abandoned for life the way Annie carried on. I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised to find her scrunched up on the back seat against the rear window.

Lance and I got a plate and a knife and cut little bites of baked goods to sample. We had mild tea and water as a "palate cleanser." It was almost official looking. First were the cookies. The cookies we got were definitely not the cookies I remembered. The cookies I remembered were rounded, hard cookies with a distinct bean flavor. I remember the first time Lance tried them he scrunched up his nose and made the "yuck" face. These cookies had perfect cookie texture and were very tasty. There was only a slight taste that we noticed at the very end that was "gluten free", but I doubt people would notice it if they weren't looking for something.

The chocolate chip cookie was quite good, but I preferred the ginger wheel cookie. There were nice big chunks of crystalized ginger in the cookie. Next we moved on to the apricot thumbprint. Not our favorite. Distinct bean flavor, and the apricot would benefit from more lemon zest or something to perk it up.

Cupcakes were next. The peanut butter frosting was fantastic. The chocolate cupcake was a little oily and dense, but definitely good. A good combo. The vanilla maple cupcake wasn't my favorite. I liked the maple flavor, but the bean flour kind of snuck up at the end. The frosting was good, but not as good as the peanut butter.

If you're going to the Flying Apron, I would recommend the cookies or chocolate cupcakes. I still like the cinnamon rolls as well. I find the atmosphere very pleasant and homey. The staff is usually on top of things; this is only the second or third time in a long string of orders that something was incorrect.

Gluten Free, Vegan "Graham" Crackers - kid tested and approved

2011-01-15T12:59:00.000-08:00

My little nephew unfortunately inherited a lot of my allergies. On the plus side, it's really easy to cook for him. If I can eat it, he can. I made an attempt at gingerbread cookies a while back and got my sweetener/oil proportions wrong and ended up with something that tasted like graham crackers. I remembered when I was little I loved graham crackers plain, so I decided to make a batch yesterday when my nephew was over visiting.

Gluten Free "Graham" Crackers
8.5 oz Brown Rice Flour
2.2 oz Arrowroot Powder
2.8 oz Sorghum Flour
1 1/2 t baking powder*
3/4 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
2 tsp powdered ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
3 oz palm oil
3 pitted dates & 3 dried apricot halves soaked
1/2 c soak water
4 oz Maple Syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. In a high speed blender, put the dates, apricot, soak water, and maple syrup. Slowly combine the liquid into the dry ingredients until it's a workable consistency. Put a little sorghum flour on your rolling surface (or on the baking, and roll out the dough into a rectangular shape. The dough should be 1/6-1/8 of an inch thick. As the crackers dry, they become harder. These are actually better a couple days after they are baked.

Last time I made the recipe, I had anticipated a cookie flavor, so I cut the dough out into little snowman shapes. This time I used a pizza cutter and a fork to cut what resembled little graham crackers. I cooked them for much longer than I would a cookie to make sure they were crispy. Next time I am going to cut the recipe in two and roll the dough much thinner. Because of the baking soda and baking powder, the dough rises a bit. This is good because you want some airiness in there for texture, but if the dough is too thick, the texture isn't crunchy.

I held my breath a bit when Owen first tried the cracker. I just handed him a little bit and then he started signaling for more and humming and doing his yummy cookie dance.

It's the one-foot cookie shuffle!

I'm one of those strange people who has a camera tripod in their kitchen. Owen is fascinated with anything with buttons, so after a few trips in the kitchen to grab more crackers I could see the tripod start to move around ON ITS OWN??? Nope, there was a little short person attached to the legs trying to reach the buttons. Mom picked him up, and Owen took a series of pictures (mostly of his shirt).

It's time for my close up, Mr. Deville

Owen, Mom, and my brother are on their way over, so it's time to start baking again. I have plans for blackberry muffins and improved ginger cookies. I had a bit of really fantastic ginger cookie from the Flying Apron in Seattle today and it inspired me to make some revisions.

My cookies taste like...grass?

2011-01-11T18:51:00.000-08:00

I have this chocolate chip recipe that is heaven. It's not health food at all, which is part of what makes them so delicious. I brought them to a raw vegan potluck this weekend, and they flew off the plate and people were asking me for the recipe (which is a secret :). There weren't very many of us, so with the amount I brought I offered to let people take some home. They were very excited about that!

My boss seems to really like my chocolate chip cookies, and other coworkers have commented on how they can't tell the difference between them and the gluten version. Then there was a woman I work with who took a bite, got a funny look on her face and said, "It tastes like grass!" The other coworkers stared at her in disbelief. This isn't a group who holds back. When I first started tinkering around and bringing things in for people to try, they let me know when something had the wrong texture and tasted "really gluten free." They don't hold back and won't eat something if they don't like it - which is why I was so surprised when someone said they taste like freshly mowed lawn.

The coworker I share my desk with wondered out loud if it was because she smoked, so we went on a mission to find other smokers. Sure enough, they all thought they didn't taste good and one other even commented on how much they taste like grass!

I am pretty sure amaranth flour is what is causing the problem. When I smell the flour on its own, there is a strong smell that could be compared to grass. I don't know why smoking makes it taste so much stronger. It's a mystery! I had some amaranth flour in the Lemon Bar cookies I brought in, but apparently the citrus masks it. I'm going to sub out teff or brown rice flour and I will see if that changes the smokers opinion. She loves the Sweet Potato Pie Cupcakes, which have similar ingredients minus the amaranth, so I'm fairly certain that is the issue.

Do you know anyone that smokes? Have you had them try food with amaranth? I would love to see how prevalent this issue is....

All Things Green

2011-01-10T17:42:00.000-08:00

This morning I got out of bed at 5 AM and had all intentions of getting on that bus and heading into work. My stomach, on the other hand, rebelled. I thought things had calmed down in time to get on the bus, but I ended up scuttling home as quickly as possible and locking myself in the bathroom. Annie was ecstatic that I decided to call in sick and we ended up spending all day curled up on the couch. This morning I decided that it was time for my first green juice feast and to hopefully help balance the bacteria profile in my gut.

My immune system isn't normal, and my stomach seems to be my weak point. It's the first thing to start bugging me before a lupus flare and a good sign that things are wonky. I've struggled for a long time with intestinal candida, and I'm afraid I did myself in yesterday. I'm on Amphotericin (I was on Nystatin and that didn't work) and a low carbohydrate diet. I've been on the low carbohydrate diet a while and baked cookies for a potluck yesterday. I showed amazing will power and resisted shoveling chocolate chip heaven into my mouth. Until we got home. My chocolate chip cookies are amazing...but in the back of my mind I knew there would be a fallout (no pun intended) and couldn't really enjoy my one cookie. It's frustrating.

Green Juice Feast

After this morning, I started juicing everything I had in my crisper. In went cilantro, ginger, kale, cucumber, celery, a little fennel, and romaine lettuce. Right now I'm prepping spinach, lettuce, parsley, cucumber, and celery in a vinegar solution. It's a good thing I've been craving green juices lately! I used to hate them. It's amazing how cravings change.

I tested the juice, and it wasn't half bad. Annie was jumping up and down in the kitchen, so I poured some in her bowl. I'm not going to say she LOVED it, but she drank it all. I am a little proud - she's hard core.

This evening we went to the grocery store and picked up more greens since I drank most of the crisper today. Annie was in hog heaven because I kept dropping pieces of kale and spinach. She always creeps in to the kitchen and skulks off with a big piece of kale (her favorite).

Each batch of green juice contains:
1/2" - 1" long piece of ginger
1/2 a fennel bulb
1 bunch celery (leaves and all)
1 large bunch kale
1/2 bunch spinach
1 head romaine lettuce
1/2 cup cilantro (loose)
1/2 cup parsley (loose)
1 large cucumber

I was expecting to be dizzy with hunger. If I'm late for a meal or don't pack enough calories to work, I'm a mess. A shaky, cranky mess. Today I am surprised how well I feel. I've been sipping the green juice all day and supplementing with tea. I've been using a "Perk Up" tea with burdock and ginger. I'm also supplementing with probiotics. We will see how the next few days go, but don't be surprised if I don't do much baking. I am loving Janet Evanovich's novels right now, but I never realized how much she talked about food until today. The main character is a pastry/baked food addict and some of the descriptions have made me a little hungry.

It's Time to Plan the Garden

This evening I have big plans. I'm going to start checking out the Seattle Tilth's Maritime Northwest Garden Guide calendar and comparing the schedule to our supplies and the Territorial Seed Company catalog I just received. Last year our early garden did quite well. The weather got very strange this summer (so WET all the TIME), so things didn't do very well. We did save a lot of money on groceries regardless of the weather issues, and it is great to have an excuse to play in the dirt and find a closer connection with food.

If I get my act together, we can start planting outside under cloches as early as late February. Cloches are super simple to make and improve things tremendously. They also help keep many pests out initially.

Avoiding Food Borne Illness

2011-01-09T18:33:00.000-08:00

The other night, Lance and I were sitting and watching the early news. Usually I don't bother watching news. It's often depressing or I sit yelling at the television because of some wild statement. That night wasn't much of an exception. The news casters started talking about the new Food Safety bill (please do some reading - there are some who say it opens the door to eliminating seed saving and will make it nearly impossible for small sustainable farms to function) and made a segway into people getting ill from a local sprouting provider. They of course sensationalized the story and talked about how common it is to get ill from sprouts. They had a really small blip about how no one had gone to the ER or been hospitalized.

Last year, I was hospitalized twice from food contamination. I have lupus, so I'm much more sensitive than normal people. It wasn't from sprouts, meat, eggs (I was on a vegan diet by then), or any of the usual suspects. Because of the particular bacteria and parasite, my doctor felt it may have been either the mangoes or avocados from Central America. I thought I was really careful with my food by either soaking it in a vinegar solution, or washing with antibacterial soap if the skins are inedible. I don't think people understand how frequently we are exposed to parasites and bacteria. Most people don't notice any symptoms at all while their immune system comes to the rescue. Some people may think they have the "stomach flu" or a stomach virus. Because of how common I was told this exposure it, I did some reading and discovered that one of the best ways to prevent bacterial contamination and even remove pesticide residue is to use a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution (food grade).

Food grade hydrogen peroxide is available in most health food stores. I purchase mine from rawvegansource.com. To be fair to the local evening news station, sprouts (particularly alfalfa) are a fairly notorious source of e. coli and other potentially harmful bacteria and molds. As sprouts germinate, they generate quite a bit of heat. If you've ever done any of your own sprouting and reached your hand into the jar, it really is quite warm. Combine that with moisture and it's a great place for bacteria to live and multiply. Rinsing the sprouts three times a day is helpful, but I spritz them with food grade hydrogen peroxide after they have finished sprouting and continue to rinse them once a day each day they are in the fridge.

Please consider using food grade peroxide and/or giving your fresh fruits and veggies a 10 minute soak in water and a little apple cider vinegar if you intend to eat them raw. Raw foods are wonderful for you and I am not encouraging people to avoid them by any means. Because our environment is so sterile and we no longer work in the soil with a lot of bacteria exposure for our bodies to develop a resistance, it's now wise to take a few extra precautions.

Lydia's Organics and Columbia Gorge Organic Product Reviews

2011-01-08T20:06:00.000-08:00

Thursday was a long day. I got up at 5 AM to get ready for work and make it to the early bus, and I stayed over an hour later than usual at work to train employees. Not usually a big deal, but the evening bus took about 30+ minutes longer to get home than projected because of traffic and I had miscalculated the number of calories I brought to work . I was in "hangry" mode. If the word "hangry" is new to you, I'm happy for you. A pregnant friend of mine found the definition and embraced it: Hungry to the point of being angry and/or frustrated.

I walked in the front door and my husband said, "Uh oh." Poor Lance. He knows what I look like when I'm hangry and he quickly came up with a plan to go to Whole Foods to pick up something easy. Hangry passed and I went into the zombie stage midway through the produce section. Zombie stage is bad because I stop recognizing the difference between the food that is on the diet and the food that is not (diet meaning low carb; I don't compromise on the vegan aspect). Zombie stage is kind of good because I'm not snappy...just spaced out and giggly like the stoners in my high school classes. They never made sense when they spoke, and I imagine that's how I probably sounded in the checkout line at Whole Foods - a step away from blowing spit bubbles.

I decided to stick with my low carb diet and get a green juice and some kale chips.

Lydia's Organics Mega Green Kale Krunchies.

Typically I make my own kale chips, but these kale chips are something I'll happily have on hand in the future for hunger emergencies. They had a nice flavor with a surprising little spicy kick. The major pluses for me were that they do not contain yeast, cashews, tomatoes, or other ingredients I tend to avoid. The only critical comment I have is that they must fall apart a bit during shipping because the large pieces quickly disappeared and the majority of the bag was little crumbs that were very messy to eat.

Columbia Gorge Organic Just Greens

I am not always a big green juice fan, but lately I've been craving them more. The label had me a little worried because mustard greens and collard greens were listed as ingredients and there wasn't any fruit to balance the bitterness. It seems as though they must use a lot of celery and cucumber (with a pleasant hint of parsley) to balance the greens out. I wasn't overwhelmed at all. The label boasts that the two servings in the bottle are equivalent to 2 pounds of fresh produce. Downside: The juice is flash pasteurized, so it's not exactly raw.

It doesn't seem like these two things would be filling, but with a handful of macadamia nuts, I slipped out of my food coma and was able to function again until bed time.

Sweet Potato Pie Cupcakes

2011-01-06T19:59:00.000-08:00

I have started to realize three things. 1) Even if it's easier for me to reproduce recipes with weights, it's not always easy for everyone else. Not everyone has a scale in their kitchen. I promise it makes baking gluten free successfully so much easier, but not everyone has that kind of time. 2) A substantial number of people with gluten intolerance/allergies also have tree nut allergies. 3) Complex recipes may taste great, but they can be overwhelming. I will still post recipes that range from simple to complex, but I'll make more effort to be more conscientious about tree nuts.

Keeping that in mind, this recipe is tree nut free without sacrificing taste or texture. This batch can easily be doubled, this is just the amount I like to make when I'm testing out a recipe. I had a range of coworkers test it out and they liked the texture and flavor. One person commented that they'd like a little more cinnamon or a cream cheese like frosting. I'll see what I can do to get that kind of flavor in a frosting with vegan ingredients.

Sweet Potato Cupcakes
Makes 9 cupcakes (prep time 15 min, cook time 25 min)
2/3 c Teff Flour
2 T Arrowroot Powder
2/3 Brown Rice Flour
1.5 T ground Chia Seeds
3/4 t Baking Soda
1/4 t Baking Powder
1/2 t Salt
1/2 c vegan Maple Syrup
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Ginger
1/4 tsp fresh grated Nutmeg
1 1/4 small chopped Sweet Potato
1/4 c Coconut Oil
1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Measure out and sift the teff, arrowroot, brown rice, chia, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. Put the sweet potato, maple, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and coconut oil in a high speed blender until a little frothy and very smooth. Combine the wet and dry ingredients. After you get the cupcake liners ready in the pan, add the apple cider vinegar to the batter and stir vigorously. Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 of the way up and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Thai Inspired Soup

2011-01-04T19:07:00.000-08:00

It has been freezing in Seattle, and we are just not used to this kind of weather. It's been around 20 in the morning (I know, it's balmy for Alaska, Colorado, or most of the East Coast, but we're spoiled!) and Annie has had to wear two jackets outside and still comes inside shaking.

Annie modeling her little jacket

It was frigid on the way to the bus this morning, so when I got home I decided it was time for some soup. I had some bean sprouts, spinach, and a few other ingredients in the fridge, so I decided to go with a Thai inspired soup. The type of food I loved the most was Thai. Then my food allergies came back. And then I went vegan. Fish sauce is a mystery (and it's obviously made from fish), there's soy in several dishes, and I just don't feel good after eating it even if I avoid the suspect and non-vegan ingredients. I didn't have galangal in my fridge or lemon grass, and I obviously don't use fish sauce, so this is a rough interpretation. It's very low calorie and low carbohydrate, which is great for my diet.

Thai Inspired Soup
2-3 TB Grapeseed Oil
3-4 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 Shallots, sliced
2 Ribs of Celery, diced
2 Carrots, diced
4 leaves of Kale, de-stemmed and rough chopped
1 bunch of Spinach
1 tsp Salt
1 Lemon, juiced
1 Serrano Chili, sliced
5 cups of Water
3 T Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 T Agave
1 pack Mung Bean Sprouts
1 handful Cilantro

Warm up a wok (electric or stove top - I use a stainless steel stove top Wok) and add the carrots, shallots, garlic, and celery. Cook until the shallots start to go a little translucent and then add the salt. Add the rough chopped kale and cook until it wilts a little. Add the spinach, lemon juice, chili, apple cider vinegar, agave, water, sprouts and cilantro. Cook just until the spinach and cilantro wilts a little. I like the vegetables al dante. If you don't care much for spicy food, remove the seeds from the chili before cooking.

As a little added bonus, I add a teaspoon of soy free Miso Master chickpea miso to the soup bowl after I've dished up. It's delicious either way and great for heating up after a cold day.

Soy free chickpea miso

Mango Sauce

2011-01-02T18:44:00.000-08:00

This sauce is great for teff waffles, crepes, pancakes, and vanilla Coconut Bliss "ice cream." It's super easy to make, which always helps.

Mango Sauce
makes enough for 2 hungry pancake eaters, or 4 ice cream bowls
6 oz (appx 1 cup) chopped mango (frozen is fine)
2 TB lemon juice
2 TB orange juice
3 TB maple syrup
1 TB tapioca starch

Put the ingredients in a small sauce pan, except the tapioca starch. Turn the pan on to medium, and while the pan is heating up, put the tapioca in a small bowl with enough water to liquefy the starch. Put the starch in the pan and stir occasionally. Once the mixture has gone from cloudy to clear and a little gooey, it's done!

Today is a short, easy post. It was my first day back to work for a full work week and waking up at 5AM to catch the bus. Lance had the day off, and I can tell he and Annie had a lot of fun because she is so tired. And bugging me to sit down and pet her. Lance is her fun time buddy and I'm her snuggle buddy. It all works out.

Pet me, hold me, DO SOMETHING!

Coming soon: Adventures with eliminating tree nuts! A lot of my cookie and breakfast recipes are tree nut free, but I've come to rely on them with cakes and cupcakes for that wonderful, buttery richness. They really help achieve a superior texture, which means I'll be tinkering around with new techniques.

Molasses Gingersnaps

2011-01-02T17:50:00.000-08:00

If you love ginger, these are the cookies for you. After seeing these cookies on The Daily Dietribe and these cookies on Andrea's easy vegan cooking, I was in the mood to make some spicy, gluten free, vegan cookies with a molasses finish. Teff is a very versatile flour that I have used heavily in the past few months. It has molasses undertones, so although there isn't very much molasses in this recipe, it does come through.

Molasses Gingersnaps
yield: 1 dozen good sized cookies
3 oz White Rice Flour
5 oz Teff Flour
1 oz Arrowroot Powder
1/2 cup vegan Sugar
3/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 Tb ground Chia Seeds
1 tsp powdered Ginger
1/2 tsp Allspice
2 oz finely minced Crystalized Ginger*
2.4 oz Sulfur Free Molasses
4.5 oz Sunflower Oil
2-4 Tb Turbinado Sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Combine all of the dry ingredients thoroughly, then add the minced crystalized ginger and stir so it is distributed evenly. Add the molasses and sunflower oil. This is a dryish batter (it won't be a big cohesive chunk of dough; it will clump together in separate large clumps). You will need to handle and press the cookies together a bit. It shouldn't be hard to get the cookies to take a cookie shape on the cookie sheet. Press a little bit of turbinado sugar onto the top of the cookies and then bake for 12 minutes.

*A lot of crystalized ginger is treated with Citric Acid or sulfur dioxide to keep a light yellow color. The problem with this is that Citric Acid is made from corn and sulfur dioxide is a preservative otherwise known as "E220" and the precurser to sulfuric acid. I was able to find some crystalized ginger that was a darker brown that only contained ginger and evaporated cane juice in the bulk section of my health food grocery store.

To see what treated ginger looks like, click here.

To see what untreated ginger looks like, click here.

New Years Reflections and Resolutions

2010-12-31T11:20:00.000-08:00

2010 Reflections

We gained a new family member. Annie came into our lives on August 1, 2010 and has been full of attitude and humorous antics ever since. Just this afternoon I noticed her trot by with a mouth full of spinach she raided from our grocery bags.

A rare quiet moment on her first day home

Daddy's little girl

We had a scare with another family member who is still here today snuggled up on his bed, visiting from my family's house. Champ had mast cell cancer, and a nasty scar after surgery . The scar has healed nicely and he has been much friskier than even two years ago.

Champ a few days after surgery with a tough looking scar

Champ several month later with a much better looking coat
and more energy to keep up (and away from) baby "O"

My brother made my family very proud by becoming a PGA certified golfer and successful student after surviving cancer. He's back home after completing his degree, busy being a daddy.

It wasn't a great year for my health, but it wasn't the worst. I made a commitment to veganism that went beyond health, and I'm still learning more about environmental and ethical impacts of consuming products made from animals. I discovered my passion for food and that I want to make a career out of it someday, and I started this little blog.

Food blogging has become a popular pastime, to the extent of annoying people according to some recent articles. There are millions and millions of food bloggers, and sometimes I feel like a tiny whisper in a sea of foodies. I had to believe I have something unique to offer. I have been eating for better health while maintaining superior quality and taste. I grow tired of lowering expectations for gluten free food. My food is uniquely allergy conscious beyond just gluten free, and I hope people enjoy the recipes and find them to be tasty. I feel they are improving over time, and I am looking forward to expanding my collection in 2011.

Some of my favorite recipes this year:

Apple Stuffed Crepes with Cashew Creme Sauce

Lemon Bar Cookies

Crispy and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Lucuma Banana Cupcakes

Sweet Potato Donuts

2011 Resolutions

I have 3 major areas I want to focus on this year that are relevant here... Photography, content (more recipes included!), and a bakery or other means of distributing tasty, gluten free food.

My photography has slowly been improving. I can tell the sweet potato donuts and crepes were photographed earlier in the year. I want to continue to improve my eye and editing skills. I should work a little more on my writing skills as well and look into enhancing content in relevant ways.

I want to expand my recipe collection to accommodate a rotating menu and continue to learn how to incorporate seasonal vegetables and fruit into my cooking whenever possible. Baking is the most challenging area to master and it's my passion, but there are plenty of other dishes that are unique and delicious. Meal planning can be difficult for people with allergies, so offering more options across the board (breakfast, easy lunches, and dinner) is something I plan on doing.

I will come up with a business plan and try to keep pursuing a meaningful career in the food industry that will help others with allergies and gently educate people about the benefits of vegan and ecologically conscientious consumption.

Happy New Year! I hope it is a fabulous year for you all!

Lemon Cupcakes and Recipe Suggestions

2010-12-30T18:16:00.000-08:00

I've posted recipes for lemon cake and cupcakes before, but this is my favorite (so far). The texture meets the traditional cupcake texture and it doesn't have that "gluten free flour taste" that can be unpleasant. This was Lance's favorite by a slim margin over the Lucuma Banana Cupcakes. These cupcakes do not have a trace taste of banana that the lucuma cupcakes do.

Lemon Cupcakes
makes 18
6 oz Teff Flour
1 oz Arrowroot Powder
6 oz Brown Rice Flour
6 oz Sugar
3 T Chia Seeds (ground)
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Baking Powder
3/4 tsp Salt
3 oz Cashews
2 Meyer Lemons, juiced
3 Meyer Lemons, zest
1 large, ripe Banana
3 oz Agave
2 oz Coconut Oil, melted
1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Instead of a traditional sifter, I use a fine sieve and use a whisk to break up extra chunks. Strainers are much easier to wash. Zest three Meyer lemons and add the zest to the dry ingredients and stir. Put the cashews, lemon juice, banana, coconut oil, and agave in a high speed blender. Blend until smooth and fluffy. Pour all at once into the dry ingredients and fold in with a spatula, combining thoroughly. After you put cupcake papers in your tin and your oven is preheated, add the apple cider vinegar to the batter and mix vigorously to combine well. Spoon the batter into the cupcake papers until they are a little more than 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out of the center clean.

Please feel free to post any recipe requests in the comments section. I'm trying to widen my repertoire of recipes, but I'm not sure what people are most interested in. Muffins for a quick breakfast? Healthy entrees? More desserts? Any feedback is appreciated!

Mention on Top 100 Health and Fitness Blog List

2010-12-29T19:59:00.000-08:00

To visit the list, click here
There are some great blogs listed!

I was contacted this evening and told that this blog has been included on a top 100 Health and Fitness Blogs list! There are a lot of great blogs on that list and I'm happy to see how many of them are vegan. My friend, Bitt, made the list with her bittofraw.com site, and you'll notice a lot of other blogs I follow including Sketch Free Vegan Eating and The Health Sleuth to name just a couple, and I intend on following a few more from the looks of it!

I plan on posting a delicious lemon cupcake recipe, but this evening I have been researching opening a bakery (my favorite topic these days) and scrounging around the kitchen for dinner and snacks. I had broccoli with green onions, carrots, Caesar salad dressing, and capers (I am addicted) then a pudding made from almond butter, cacao powder, probiotics (yum - supplements), and coconut milk. I also made some raw vegan almond toast that is in the food dehydrator. If it turns out half as good as the almond toast I had at Cafe Gratitude, I will be a happy camper!

Well, back to reading about my favorite topic!

Lucuma Banana Cupcakes

2010-12-28T19:42:00.000-08:00

Lucuma is a Peruvian fruit indigenous to the Andes. In its fresh form, the flesh is very dry and the fruit is very high in B vitamins and beta carotene. The fruit is gaining popularity globally, but is generally only available in powdered form in North America and Europe. On its own, lucuma is very sweet and reminds me of vanilla cake batter. It's a very popular ice cream flavor in Peru, and considered a low sugar sweetener that has more nutrition than some of the empty sweetener substitutes used today. Because lucuma reminded me of cake batter, it only made sense to make cupcakes with lucuma.

Lucuma Banana Cupcakes
Yield: 16-18 cupcakes
4 oz Teff Flour
1 oz Arrowroot Powder
5 oz Brown Rice Flour
3 oz Lacuma Powder
6 oz Sugar
3 T Chia Seeds (ground)
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
3 oz melted Coconut Oil
2 small, ripe Bananas
6 oz Water
1.6 oz Cashews
3 oz Agave
1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine all of the dry ingredients (including the ground chia seeds) in a sifter. Put the coconut oil, bananas, water, cashews, and agave in a high speed blender and blend until fluffy and smooth. Fold the banana mixture into the dry ingredients. Put the cupcake liners in your tin and right before you are ready to bake the cupcakes, add the apple cider vinegar to the batter and combine thoroughly. This helps the dough rise and have little air bubbles that make the texture like traditional cupcakes.

One of the pleasant side effects of using lucuma was that it made the top of the cupcake a little bit crunchy, reminding me of a cookie.

I buy my lucuma powder through rawvegansource.com here.

Chickpea Salad and Dried Beans

2010-12-27T11:03:00.001-08:00

We had the family over for Christmas Eve dinner and I prepared chickpea salad, sauteed kale, Brussels sprouts, and made a batch of sugar cookies. I had some picky eaters in the crowd, so I didn't make a whole lot of food knowing that my family was bringing meat they cooked in their oven and salad. My grandfather isn't too adventurous when it comes to food, especially when it comes to "weird vegan" food. When he had seconds of the chickpea salad and raved about how good it was, I knew I was on to something! This was inspired by a recipe I tried by vegan and so forth found here.

Chickpea Salad

2 cups cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

1 large carrot, diced

3 stalks of celery, trimmed and diced

3 scallions/green onions, sliced

Salad Dressing

1/3 cup macadamia nuts

4 T water

1/2 tsp spicy mustard sauce

1 tsp dried dill

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

squirt of Agave (1 tsp or to taste)

You can use canned, cooked chickpeas, but try to make sure the can is BPA free (if it isn't labeled as such, assume it isn't. Food cans have a resin lining, which leeches into the food). I took the time to peel the chickpeas because I originally thought about making hummus, but it's certainly not necessary. Mash them lightly with a fork. You don't want a paste - leave some texture. Chop the green onions, carrot, and celery. I included the celery leaves because I think they add a pleasant flavor.

Put all of the dressing ingredients into a high speed blender or soak the macadamia nuts before attempting this in a food processor to achieve better texture. Taste the dressing and adjust spices and water as needed. You want the dressing to be thick enough to cling to your ingredients, but not so thick it won't come out of your blender. Combine the dressing and salad ingredients and sprinkle some fresh cracked pepper over the top.

Working with Dried Beans

I purchased dried beans because I was tired of spending so much money on the canned beans that are BPA free. It's also a better environmental choice with far less packaging waist and more can be shipped at a time, so less carbon footprint per bean. I just knew that all of my vegan cookbooks had to have sections on working with dried beans. Guess what? The authors assumed I had been doing this all my life apparently and knew how long to soak beans before cooking them.

Why Soak Beans?

We dread when certain family members eat beans because it definitely means gas. Or does it? When I soak dried beans, it helps remove the oligosaccharides that cause gas. Oligosaccharides are very complex carbohydrates that are enzyme inhibitors, preventing the bean from sprouting too early. If the beans are not soaked, those oligosaccharides travel through your stomach and small intestines, feeding the bad bacteria in your colon. The bad bacteria causes fermentation and gas, which is why beans are known as the magical fruit. Jack in the Beanstalk, eat your heart out.

Another important reason to soak beans is to reduce their cook time. The less time something needs to cook, the less nutrition we boil out of them. I do not use the water beans have cooked in because that water also contains oligosaccharides in addition to some of the nutrients cooked out of the beans. I'd rather lose some nutrients than feed bad bacteria.

How Long Do I Soak Beans?

Before I go into how long I soak beans, I want to point out that they need to be rinsed during the soak process. For example, if I start soaking beans in the evening, I rinse them before bed, then again in the morning before work, then very thoroughly before I cook them for dinner. Today I am taking the day off of work, so i will be rinsing them around lunch time as well. Ideally, rinse the beans 3-4 times per day.

For a handy soak chart, click here. I tend to soak my beans for at least 24 hours. Lentils will start to sprout by this time, which certainly only enhances the nutritional content. I don't bother to sprout other bean varieties except adzuki. Adzuki and lentil are the two easiest to digest and sprout (Coincidence? I think not.). Cooking times vary and can also be seen on this chart. When I cooked garbanzo beans it took about 45 minutes. Lentils take around 20 minutes. Adzuki somewhere in between.

Is It Worth All That Work?

Soaking really isn't very hard to do, it just takes a little planning ahead. The beans sit on the counter and shed those enzyme inhibitors for you, so they're doing almost all the work for you! It's not as easy as opening a can and dumping it into a curry, but you also don't have to worry about what else came out of that can.

Caesar Salad and Spicy Mustard Sauce

2010-12-26T10:59:00.000-08:00

When traveling on business to San Francisco, I had the good fortune to be able to have time to visit Cafe Gratitude. I sampled appetizers and had a Caesar salad for the main course, and it was delicious. The capers really made the dish and I promised that I would attempt the dish at home. Yesterday, we spent the better part of the day at my Grandparent's house and I brought the salad for my dinner.

Caesar Dressing

1/2 tsp Spicy Mustard Sauce (recipe below)

6 whole Black Peppercorns

1 small clove Garlic

1/2 cup Macadamia Nuts

1/4 cup water

juice from one Lemon

salt to taste

Put all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until they are very well combined. The peppercorns should be pulverized and blended well.

Spicy Mustard Sauce

(to be used very sparingly)

1 tsp Mustard Seeds

2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

1 tsp Agave

pinch Salt

Put the mustard seeds in a spice or coffee grinder and grind until fine. Stir in the other ingredients. This is really intended to be added to dressings and sauces, not to be enjoyed straight as it is overpowering. It blew out my palate after I had it with slices of quinoa flatbread, lettuce and sauerkraut. I couldn't taste the sauerkraut after the first helping. I would recommend adding to a little whipped cashews or macadamia nuts if you want a mustard spread for flat breads.

Caesar Salad

1 head Romaine, chopped

1 shredded carrot

sprouts

1/4 c. rough chopped almonds

capers

Caesar Dressing

I put the capers and Caesar dressing in small bowls and let people decide the amounts they want on their salad. Some people dislike capers (I don't understand it, but I'll respect it). The almonds and sprouts add some additional nutrition and texture, but aren't necessary.

I don't understand why people say it's hard to stay vegan over the holidays. Perhaps I'd understand it a bit more if I had any inclination to have dairy. Staying dessert free on the other hand...I made two gluten free vegan lemon pies and didn't follow my own advice so today I had a bit of a sugar hangover. At least it makes it easier to stick to the diet going forward!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday! Annie enjoyed her new toys, and we had some fun family moments. There were some awkward and crazy moments too (like when Annie got in a fight with one of the 7 dogs in the house - twice). Seems like there was a dog or two per family segment for about an hour of our visit. It felt like 12 hours. Don't worry, everyone left full and injury free.

Baby "O" really liked Thomas the Train Engine!

My family's beautiful and sweet Bernese Mountain Dog

(definitely not the dog Annie fought with)

Annie with part of her toy stash. Notice the protective

paw over HER reindeer. 100% attitude.

Gluten Free Pancakes and Poinsettias

2010-12-24T13:34:00.000-08:00

Air bubbles = fluffy goodness!

This morning I woke up determined to start gathering another stockpile of recipes to use during my baking adventures, but first I wanted to measure out a Pancake recipe. It's much easier to replicate any recipe with weights, but with gluten free it seems to be particularly important.

This recipe is filling and the pancakes are fluffy. They are flavorful without tasting too "whole grain." I know a recipe is good if Lance gets seconds. If he goes back a third time, it's one I can prepare for non-gluten free friends.

Pancakes

8.5 oz Bob's Redmill All Purpose Flour

1.5 oz Teff Flour

1.5 oz Potato Starch

1 tsp baking powder*

1.5 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

3 TB ground chia seeds

1/2 tsp salt

1.5 oz melted coconut oil

1 1/2 c. vanilla hemp milk

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1.5 oz Agave

Mix all of the dry ingredients together thoroughly, including the ground chia seeds. Add in the liquids after your frying pan is preheated and mix thoroughly. Put a little coconut oil in the pan (easiest way is to put a little on a paper towel and rub the entire surface to coat evenly). Flatten the batter out a bit with the bottom of a ladle or a spatula. The chia seeds and teff makes the batter sick together very well. Once the batter starts to bubble, it's time to flip. The pancakes really puff up, so I poke a couple holes in the pancake after I flip them.

A few variations:

Add 1/2 cup of Enjoy Life vegan chocolate chips

Add 1/2 cup blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or a combination of all 3

Add in slices of banana

Use the pancakes as bread for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich

*Baking powder often contains gluten or corn. Make sure to research your brand. I use Hain Baking Powder which has potato starch instead of corn starch.

Annie is helping me type this out...I'm surprised she hasn't attacked my cup of raspberry tea with vanilla hemp milk. I better wrap this up because we are busy getting the house ready today. My family is coming over this evening and I get to have a little helper in my kitchen! Baby "O" is going to help me with my gluten free cookie recipes. He has a lot of allergies, but he can eat the food I make and because it's vegan, it's not dangerous if starts to gnaw on some before I can get them in the oven.

Photo from Teleflora.com

Just a quick note about Poinsettias. I found it quite interesting to read that they are not nearly toxic as rumored. If animals or people eat the plant, especially the sap, they will become nauseated and have gastrointestinal distress, but it's considered more of an irritant than a toxin. According to Snopes.com, the plant got a bad wrap when it was rumored a popular politician's young child died after consuming the plant. The rumor had spread too far to be contained before the medical examiner's office had the chance to contradict the statement.

Holidays without the Food Hangover

2010-12-23T21:49:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays from Annie!

I know this is going to be a big surprise, but... I love food. I spend way too much time pouring through food magazines, cookbooks, and, of course, the FoodNetwork. I confess that even while I'm at my day job, I'm fantasizing about the next treat I'll attempt to transform into delicious vegan and allergy friendly sustenance. I suppose I don't consider myself to have much moderation, but I don't give myself enough credit. I haven't purposefully had gluten in 6 years. I haven't had corn, eggs, soy, milk, and many other foods for at least 4 years. Now, I am attempting to go low carb over the holidays! While continuing to create more gluten free goodies! Wish me luck....

Eating with friends and family is difficult at times. It is so important to make sure that cross contamination is kept to a minimum, but that can be difficult to do without hurting people's feelings if you aren't careful. People don't seem to realize how easy it is to contaminate food, and I know restaurants also fall into this category. The better restaurants/bakeries have separate ovens, fryers, and work stations dedicated to gluten free, but those who are celiac or extremely sensitive can become a little ill even from walking into the bakery with all of the flour in the air.

When sitting at a shared dinner table, it's really easy to forget which spoon is being used with which dish. I remember watching in horror as my sister-in-law beat me to the dinner table and proceeded to use the butter knife to help dig into EVERY other dish. I ended up helping myself to the refrigerator and making a salad from fresh ingredients. If you're worried about things staying allergy friendly (or vegan for that matter), the easiest way to go is to bring your own dish and/or help in the kitchen. It also helps cut down on the hurt feelings. My family wasn't too excited about me being vegan (they were great about allergies), but now they are comfortable with my decision and are happy when I offer to bring my own main dish.

Here are some low carb dishes I'm thinking about bringing to Christmas Dinner:

Vegan Cremey Spinach Dip

Made with sauteed garlic and spinach, combined with macadamia nuts, lemon juice, salt, and a little water. Great with celery, carrots, or other chopped vegetables.

Veggie Stir Fry
It is so easy to empty out the veggie crispers and make a delicious stir fry if you know how to use your spices. Last night, Lance and I enjoyed a chickpea coconut curry with spinach. Saffron stir-fry with peppers and ginger is also a favorite. I've linked to the peanut stir fry recipe, but it works just as well with almond butter if you are allergic to peanuts. My husband thought it was delicious.

Pesto on Zucchini Noodles

Pesto is so tasty, and there are more variations than one would think. Going 50/50 with basil and cilantro and adding lime, garlic, and olive oil is delicious.

Vegan Creamy Soup

Onions, garlic, and chopped zucchini combine to make a creamy base for a number of soups. Cream of mushroom and cream of broccoli are my favorite. Making these soups from scratch make me realize how "off" some of the canned versions taste.

Brussels Sprouts with Spaghetti Squash "Noodles" and Vegan Alfredo

It wouldn't be the holidays if I didn't bring cookies and pie. I will be increasing the amount of low carb, veggie dishes I bring to compensate for all the treats surrounding me. When I get hungry, I make really poor food choices. Please learn from my mistakes and bring at least snacks so you don't get hungry if something doesn't look trustworthy.

I hope everyone has a fantastic Holiday. Finding ways to stay allergy free and low sugar mean less New Years resolutions and less symptoms the next day. Standing your ground and bringing your own food means avoiding the bloating, headaches, wheezing, and stomach aches that often come with either purposefully cheating on your diet or accidentally getting a hold of something you weren't aware was contaminated.

I owe my readers more recipes. Tomorrow I'm testing some double chocolate cookies, pecan prints, sugar cookies (it's a classic!), and perhaps another. I should have at least one fabulous recipe to share. I've been a little greedy lately and have kept my pecan pie and chocolate chip cookies to myself....

Ecolissa Vegan Fashion Promotion

2010-12-20T21:31:00.000-08:00

Adorable Pencil Skirt - looks like wool, but it's 100% cotton

This is a food blog, but who doesn't love saving on clothes? Especially when all of the clothes on the site are vegan with an emphasis on environmentally friendly practices. When Melissa of ecolissa.com contacted me and generously offered 20% off of purchases for my readers, I took a little while to cruise her site and was happy to oblige.

Another work appropriate outfit. Made from bamboo, cotton, and spandex.

Use the promotion code "vegan20" to receive 20% off of your order at ecolissa.com. They have some really cute dresses, skirts, tops, and it's guilt free purchasing. I have often complained about how difficult it is to find nice business clothes that aren't made of animal products and spend a lot of time stooped over and squinting at labels. I love that I don't have to spend a bunch of time trying to figure out what each fabric type is really made of.

In the interest of transparency, I haven't made a purchase from this site yet so I can't offer a full review of the customer experience yet. I do plan on it, but have been busy with holiday planning/cooking/festivities.

"Marshmallow" Frosting

2010-12-19T13:57:00.001-08:00

Frosting is so delicious and proof that vegan food is not always healthy. This recipe goes extremely well with my chocolate cupcake recipe.

Vegan frosting can be really tricky, as I found out for myself this morning. You need warm water to help break up the palm oil for mixing, but not so much you end up with a soup. Finding the right balance is key - if you slip with the hot water, the amount of powdered sugar needed goes up exponentially.

Marshmallow Frosting
3 oz Palm Oil (room temperature)
3 1/2 c sifted powdered sugar*
2 t vanilla bean powder
3 T agave
2-3 T very hot water
pinch salt

Put all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix with a stand mixer or hand mixer until the frosting is a blended, thick consistency with peaks forming as the mixer turns. You may need to add more sugar. This morning I slipped up and added more than a 1/4 cup of hot water and burned through 6 cups of sugar in no time. Not good.

The trick to the flavor of this frosting is really the dehydrated vanilla bean. I purchase mine through rawvegansource.com, which is fortunately located in my area so I can physically go to their store. The owners are really great and visit most of the farms they source from.

* Allergy and Vegan Note: I tend to use Wholesome Sweeteners brand because they have powdered sugar with tapioca flour instead of corn starch. Most readily available powdered sugars have corn starch and use bone char as a filter during processing. Wholesome Sweeteners sugars are also vegan; the company does not use the bone char filters.

A Note About Palm Oil

There is an environmental crisis going on in Indonesia because of the palm industry. Unconscientious farmers are destroying millions of acres of rain forests using uncontrolled fires to clear the land and proactively killing animals that wander onto the farm land. In '98, more than 8,000 Orangutans in Borneo burned to death because of this practice, not to mention the ongoing destruction of the population because their habitat is rapidly disappearing. Palm oil is a huge source of income for the population of Indonesia, so it has become increasingly important to reward the farmers that are farming in a sustainable manner. The Round Table of Sustainable Palm Oil is launching a logo in early 2011 to help consumers differentiate between the sustainable farmers and the farmers using practices destroying the environment. I tend to remain somewhat skeptical of associations run by companies in the industry, but I think this is a positive move by the industry. Right now I use Spectrum Palm Oil because it is farmed in Columbia and the manufacturer is fairly reliable in my limited experience.

Lemon Bars & Seattle Bake Sale Tomorrow

2010-12-18T09:27:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking a lot about food again! I think I burned out during Vegan Mofo, but I'm back in the kitchen trying to cook up a storm. Christmas time for me always meant pies, and lots of them, but I know plenty of people who associate that time of year with cookies and dysfunctional family gatherings. Not that it wasn't the case with my family at times - I'm just so food focused I'd cope by hiding in a corner stuffing my face with pie. Awesome mental picture, huh?

In the spirit of all thing sweet and rich, I decided to open up my repetoire a bit and start expanding my cookie collection. I was at the grocery store the other day picking up regular lemons for some citrus salad dressing when a beautiful, sunny yellow bag of meyer lemons caught my eye. The whole way home I was thinking of various lemony desserts that I could create, and some of those visions were a little on the ambitious side. I decided to go with a childhood favorite. Lemon bars were one of the few things my mom would cook better than anyone I knew (sorry Mom).

Lemon Bars
Shortbread
7 oz Palm Oil
5.2 oz Amaranth Flour
2.5 oz Potato Starch (can sub with Tapioca or Arrowroot)
2 oz White Rice Flour (can sub with Sorghum)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp Meyer Lemon zest

Filling
3 Meyer Lemons, juiced
Zest of 1 and 1/2 Meyer Lemons
8 soaked Dates
1/2 cup Date soak water
5 oz Agave
4 Tb Tapioca Flour
3 oz Coconut Oil (melted)
2 Tb ground Chia
pinch Salt

Topping
3 Tb powdered sugar*

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 7X11 rectangular baking pan with bleach free baking paper. Combine the shortbread ingredients with a pastry cutter. Freeze the dough for at least 5-10 minutes to make it easier to work with and then press into the pan. Bake for 25 minutes.

While you are baking the crust, combine the filling ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until combined. Take the crust out of the oven and pour the filling on top of the crust (the crust will not completely set by this time...I was a little worried it wouldn't at all when I first looked at it, but it works well). Bake for another 25 minutes.

These bars are better the next day, after they rest for an evening. I will even throw them in the fridge for a bit the next day. Sift a little powdered sugar over the top and cut into bars to enjoy.

* Allergy & Vegan Note: Most powdered sugar that is readily available contains corn starch. Some brands, however, will use tapioca starch instead. I use Wholesome Sweetners Sugar because it contains Tapioca Starch and I know they don't use bone char filters during processing so it's vegan.

Bake Sale!

Sidecar for Pigs Peace in the U-District of Seattle is having a bake sale tomorrow. I'm not bringing lemon bars, but there will be chocolate cupcakes, thumbprint cookies, and probably some kind of shortbread. The bake sale will go on from 10 AM to 8 PM and they are located on the southeast corner of University and 55th. Click here for driving directions.

Mistakes can be good too: Gluten Free "Graham" Crackers

2010-12-15T20:46:00.000-08:00

Next time around I will cut them into squares...

I enjoy baking because it puts me in a Zen-like trance. This means I am doing enough to keep my mind off of things like work, but it's still relaxing. Baking hits all of the senses - well at least when it is vegan baking. Without eggs I can taste the batter to determine the level of sweetness. I use my hands to determine whether or not my proportions of oil to liquid to flours are correct, and I can smell if I have enough spice - especially when the first batch is in the oven. Sometimes I'm a little too Zen and forget ingredients. That doesn't happen often, but it usually doesn't spell total disaster. The food is usually still edible, but not something I want my husband sharing with coworkers so they get the wrong idea about my cooking skills (which he does anyways and they thankfully still enjoy). This time, my mistake turned out really well. I was in the mood for some spicy holiday cookies. I forgot a spice and toned down the sweetness way too much and ended up with texture and taste like graham crackers. I was excited because I'm pretty sure my little nephew will love them.

This is why baby "O" doesn't hold Annie

Graham is actually a type of whole wheat grain. I'll have to think of some clever packaging and a name to go with so people don't get confused because these are gluten free. These are great either with a little icing or melted chocolate. They would probably be fantastic with a little "Marshmallow" vegan icing and chocolate...

Gluten Free "Graham" Crackers
8.5 oz Amaranth Flour
2.2 oz Potato Starch (unmodified)
2.8 oz Sorghum Flour
1 1/2 t baking powder*
3/4 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
2 tsp powdered ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp vanilla bean
3 oz palm oil
3 pitted dates & 3 dried apricot halves soaked
1/2 c soak water
3 Tb agave
4 oz Maple Syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. In a high speed blender, put the dates, apricot, soak water, maple syrup, and agave. Slowly combine the liquid into the dry ingredients until it's a workable consistency. Put a little sorghum flour on your rolling surface, and roll out the dough into a rectangular shape. The dough should be 1/6-1/8 of an inch thick. Cut into manageable rectangles and place on a cookie sheet. Bake until the dough turns a light golden brown or about 8-10 minutes. As the crackers dry, they become harder. These are actually better a couple days after they are baked.

*Make sure your baking powder is corn and gluten free. I personally use the Hain brand.

Why are some of the ingredients in weights?

I've discovered that it is far easier to replicate a recipe when I have weights. I bought a cheap digital scale for around $8 or $12 and it is totally worth it. Cooking is an art form that lends well to improvisation and spontaneity. I often get away with this when baking, but have discovered I can't accurately share a recipe (or produce it again) without a scale.

Product Review: If You Care Baking Cups

2010-12-12T20:22:00.000-08:00

Gluten is a protein found in many grains, and it helps give baked goods elasticity. It functions primarily as a binder, so those of us who are gluten free and do not use egg as a binder have to use other ingredients to help meld the batter/dough together. Unfortunately, that oftentimes translates to cupcakes that stick to the paper cups and crumble apart as the result of ripping the paper from the baked good.

If you look closely at the photograph, you can tell the paper
has intermingled with the dough along the sides. Not tasty.

Many times I also wonder what else is sticking to that piece of cupcake or muffin I still really want to eat when I see paper fibers. The cups I was using were low cost and colored. I started thinking about the dyes and chemicals that must go into the paper, as well as the bleach. When I saw If You Care baking cups at my local food grocer, I had to try them.

I wasn't sure what to expect of a natural product. Unfortunately, "natural" sometimes you are sacrificing positive attributes in exchange for getting rid of nasty chemicals. This product really pleasantly surprised me. Recipes that previously clung to cheap paper don't cling to this product. I also don't have to worry about throwing the cups into my compost bin, which I usually won't do with any paper products because of the bleach and coloring chemicals.

Long story short: I would definitely recommend this product.

Restaurant Review: Cafe Gratitude

2010-12-11T10:30:00.000-08:00

I have to apologize for the photos. It was dark and I just had a cell phone.

I remember settling for so-so desserts that were gluten free and thinking, "Well, that's as good as it gets." After starting a raw vegan diet a little over a year ago, I had the luck of walking into a local restaurant and seeing something that looked like cheesecake. I asked about ingredients thinking it had to be something gross and soy, but it was safe for me to eat. I poked at it a bit trying to figure out what it REALLY was before taking a bite. That first bite was heaven. I had raw vegan cheesecake and it was like stepping into another plane of dessertdome. After that, I had to figure out how to make these delicious morsels myself. I can't remember if I purchased Sweet Gratitude or my sister-in-law gave it to me, but after tasting those fantastic desserts I made from their recipes, I had to visit the restaurant in person.

I live in Seattle and Cafe Gratitude is located in San Francisco, so there was a bit of a geographical barrier to that goal - until last week. The company I work for sent me to San Francisco for a conference and I was absolutely determined to visit the cafe. Every night I was in San Francisco I dined with coworkers, which is great, but no one else in the group is vegan or allergy prone (except someone would develop anaphylaxis when exposed to mushrooms - that was scary). One night we all went to Thai and the only thing I could order was a bowl of brown rice. I was holding out hope for Cafe Gratitude. (Don't go feeling too sorry for me. I always think ahead and pack frozen soups and other foods that travel well so I can eat when I get back to my room.)

On the final night in San Francisco, I was going to Cafe Gratitude with or without coworkers. A couple women were brave enough to try something new and we caught a cab to 20th and Harrison. It was a really rainy night, and we didn't spot the restaurant until we were almost past it. It was in a cute, older style house that reminded me of some of the homes I saw in England.

The interior was homey and comfortable. The atmosphere was very pleasant and the women I was with remarked on it as well. I was excited to be in my dessert Mecca and spent the first few minutes staring into the dessert case, wondering which filling was in those beautiful chocolates.

My coworkers are from the Midwest and may have been taken slightly aback by our server's numerous piercings, but the server was a real sweetheart and very helpful with the menu. I was tickled to hear that they are a gluten free establishment and most of their menu items were completely soy free. My coworkers had never been in a vegan restaurant before, never ordered a vegan meal, and had no idea where to start. I was trying to manage my own expectations and theirs, and steered them away from raw vegan soups. It's hard for some people to get used to cold soup.

The three of us decided to share an appetizer sampler at the suggestion of our server (good call). The hemp seed pesto crostini was amazing. I loved the texture of the "toast", which was almond based and had a texture similar to bagel chips, only thicker. The buckwheat crackers were of very good texture and flavor and reminded me of Wheat Thins in shape and texture. The hummus was probably my favorite component. The olive tapenade was very good. I'm told the flax chips were good but the cheeze sauce was a little spicy for my friend. The spring rolls were alright, but not the favorite part of the dish, and one of the coworkers loved the soup. I would love to know how they make their crackers. When the plate came out I thought, "Wow, that's not very much for $16", but it was very satisfying. I think the nut components helped fill me up a bit and I didn't feel cheated after sampling.

We all also ordered the I Am Effervescent Ginger Ale. It was very good, but wasn't quite heavy enough on the ginger for me. It was plenty sweet without being overly so. I think it may have been slightly heavy on the lemon, which threw off the taste. It was more like a sparkling gingerade.

Two of us ordered the I am Dazzling - Caesar Salad and I elected to order with capers. The capers really enhanced the dish and I was amazed at how reminiscent of Caesar dressing their dressing was. There was more almond toast like the appetizer round broken into crouton sizes. I ordered the half size and was fairly full after sharing the appetizer.

I ordered a half salad because I was not leaving there without having dessert. I know, it's not part of the diet I'm on right now, but I wasn't having much success at staying low carb anyhow and this was a special treat! I consulted with the server. Unfortunately, the key lime pie and coconut pie both had soy, so I opted for the pecan pie. It was very good, but it was that traditional on-the-verge-of-a-toothache pecan pie sweet. I was hoping for something a little more toned down in flavor because of the environment. I think people who love traditional pecan pie would definitely love this dessert.

My coworkers ordered the key lime cheesecake and the coconut pie. The coconut pie was ordered with some chocolate sauce. She loved the pie, but was head over heels for the chocolate sauce and talked about it for a good part of the cab ride back to the hotel. It was not too sweet and had a lot of flavor she wasn't used to having in a chocolate sauce.

Obviously not my photograph. This appears as it does on the Cafe
Gratitude website.

The experience was fantastic. I would go again in a heartbeat and told my husband he's lucky we don't live in San Francisco because we would be there all the time. Actually, he'd probably like it very much as well.

The coworker who had the coconut pie wrote me an email to thank me for suggesting the restaurant and said it was a fantastic experience. She loved the food and had a surplus of energy that evening. It is so nice to be able to introduce people to something new. I was glad my coworkers had an open mind and were welcoming a new experience.

Final Vegan Mofo Post: The Ultimate GF Chocolate Cupcakes

2010-11-30T19:48:00.001-08:00

I was thinking about keeping this recipe to myself, but in the generous spirit of Vegan Month of Food, I'll share. This cake is rich without being overwhelming and not too overly sweet (despite all of the sugar), so it would be tasty with some frosting. The cake is a little extra work, but totally worth it. There are actually 3 recipes in one here - which helps make up for some of the days I've missed. I bring some of my baked goodies to work for coworkers to taste test. They've gotten really good at it! They said the texture and flavor were very good. It's very chocolate-y without being overly rich, and there is a very slight nutty flavor from the cashews that go into the batter.

The beets in the recipe sound a bit odd, and I can't claim that idea as my own. I often use vegetables and fruits to add moisture and texture to my gluten free goodies, but I found the non-vegan, non-gluten-friendly version of this recipe in the Hot & Hot Fish Club cookbook I was given as a gift. I know the recipe book isn't vegan, but I love free things, especially when it's easy for me to veganize it!

Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes
makes 2 dozen cupcakes
3 oz finely grated beets
1/4 c. Tapioca Flour
3/4 c. Teff Flour
1 c. Brown Rice Flour
3 oz cacao powder
6 oz sugar (preferably sucanat or turbinado to keep things vegan and minimally processed)
3 Tb ground chia seeds
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder**
3/4 tsp salt
5 oz melted coconut oil (about 3/4 cup)
1 1/2 cups Cashew Buttermilk (recipe below)
1 tsp coconut vinegar
1/2 cup Cashew Whipped Kreme (recipe below)

Cashew Buttermilk
1/2 c. soaked cashews
1 c. water
juice of 1 lemon

Cashew Whipped Kreme
1/2 c soaked cashews
1 Tb water
2 Tb agave

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cake assembly: Sift the teff flour, tapioca flour, brown rice, cacao powder, sugar, chia seed powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the cashew buttermilk, beets, and melted coconut oil until well combined and the lumps are gone. Fold in the Cashew Whipped Kreme and coconut vinegar. Put in a muffin tin with cupcake liners and bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the center clean.

I will try to write a review tomorrow about my new favorite cupcake liners, If You Care baking cups. They really make all the difference and they are bleach free!

** Allergy Tip: Baking Powder is often made using corn and gluten. Be sure to read labels carefully and choose a brand that specifically states they are corn and gluten free.

Vegan Mofo Day 27: Thanksgiving and GMO foods

2010-11-25T20:27:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was full of fantastic food and interesting conversation topics. I had plenty to eat, and eat I did. I am still full. I contributed roasted garlic mashed potatoes, cranberry apricot chutney, I brought a pasta salad just for me, and my family set aside several vegetable dishes that were carefully prepared vegan and gluten free. I brought two pies. My Pecan Pie stole the show and was a great conversation piece.

My grandma and I both love pecan pie. I loved its glucose busting sweetness and buttery rich filling - and the way that caramel goodness seeped into the crust was amazing. Now I'm not quite so much of a sweet tooth, but this was a fun dish to try to make healthier (and vegan). With a little creativity, I found that it was completely possible to ditch the butter, eggs, and best of all, the corn syrup! It held up very well to being sliced, and still had that buttery goodness thanks to a little coconut oil. I would post the recipe, but I have to save something for a book and restaurant :)

The lack of corn syrup in the pie got us on the topic of genetically modified foods, factory farming, and the "Food Safety" bill that is on the table, threatening to jeopardize organic farmers and ban seed saving. I need to read up more on the topic, but my grandmother is planning on giving our state senators an earful. Go Grandma!

"We're Americans! We don't plan; we do!" Colonel Custer, Night at the Museum 2

I don't rant very often on this blog, but sometimes it's warranted.

Genetically modified foods can elevate allergic responses and induce food intolerance (particularly gastrointestinal symptoms) (1*). Genetic modification can increase the levels of allergy causing proteins and introduce new allergens. Splicing Brazil Nut genes into corn was fortunately discontinued because of the severe risk to people with tree nut allergies (2). There really hasn't been substantial research over the 20 plus years needed to determine how a modified crop will impact the people consuming it and the environment around it, but we charge ahead regardless, embracing a crop that is more resistant to pests and disease.

I find it very frightening that one of my local food co-ops no longer carried corn because they couldn't find any farms that were reliably non-GMO. Think of what that means for all of the products that contain corn! I don't mean just the product with "corn" listed in the ingredients. I mean the products that have citric acid, liqueurs, maltodextrin, glucose, fructose, "natural" flavors and colors, vanilla extracts, baking powder, and starches. All of those come from...you guessed it...corn! It's in nearly everything! (For more hidden sources of corn, click here). And let's not stop there. What do you think is being fed to livestock and farmed fish? Yes, they feed farmed fish corn and soy - not a species appropriate diet. Corn and soy are not species appropriate for cows, sheep, and pigs, who are all meant to be pasture fed on grass. That's right, pigs aren't meant to eat buckets of food waste "enriched" with genetically modified soy and corn. They are meant to feast on grass, leafy greens, insects, and roots. The overly complex diet fed to farm animals causes digestive problems and lowered immunity meaning more methane and toxic build up for our ozone and more antibiotics for the animals.

Being allergic to corn gives me an easy out for not consuming it, but even I have problems avoiding products that contain trace amounts. Corn isn't the only "product" that is nearly completely GMO these days. Soy is about 90% GMO (with more contaminated GMO) and canola oil is another big one.

Genetic modification isn't just an issue restricted to plants. Recently, a push to approve GMO Salmon was under way. I'm frightened for what this may mean for our ecosystem. GMO Salmon grow to what we would consider a mature weight in under 18 months. Normal maturation occurs at 3 years in the wild. These salmon are more aggressive and consume more, which most likely would mean very bad things for our ecosystem if they were to be released or let out of their pens. For more on this topic, click here. We have over fished our waters and that is being used as an excuse to produce freaks of nature instead of cutting back on our animal consumption. Bluefin tuna is now predicted to be extinct by 2012 (for an article on overfishing, click here). Fish farms are known for fairly unreliable containment systems - imagine how much we could speed up the extinction of natural species of fish by letting these magnificent examples of our need to control everything around us out in the open ocean?

Ain't science grand?

*While I most certainly do not condone the use of animals in medical testing, I will be citing some articles that used this form of research.

Resources

1. "A WZS minitature swine food hypersensitivity model orally induced by soybean
beta-conglycinin." Zhonghua Yu Fang Yi Xue Za Zhi. 2009 Sep;43(9):776-80

2. Julie A. Nordlee, "Identification of Brazil-Nut Allergen in Transgenic Soybeans," New
England Journal of Medicine, 334 (1996):688-692.

Vegan Mofo Day 24: Butternut Squash Soup & Thanksgiving Tips

2010-11-24T18:17:00.000-08:00

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I've been busy trying to figure out what all I am going to make and bring to my family's house. I will bring a vegan side with plenty of veggie protein (there will be salads and I'm making Mashed Potatoes my way). I'm also bringing a couple vegan pies. I know Apple Pie is definitely going to be one of them, and I'm going back and forth between Pumpkin Pie and raw vegan Pecan Pie. I am really hoping things warm up tonight and tomorrow and we don't have to try to battle our way into the Eastside through ice and snow. It has been cold, and Seattle isn't the most equipped to deal with snow and ice.

Annie in her little jacket, ready for some playtime outside

What she really thinks of the camera.

Many of us are enjoying meals with family members who don't share an allergy or a life/food preference. It can be really difficult when people don't understand contamination and appreciate that using one spoon for two things can mean an emergency or severe discomfort to someone with a severe allergy.

Here are some very simple tips I will be following this Holiday.

1. Bring a dish or two that you can eat and share.

I will be bringing a vegetable protein rich dish and helping with sides that I know I am not allergic to and are vegan. If you are able to stand in the kitchen and watch some preparation, you can usually get a good feel for whether or not they understand contamination issues. If you are going to an omnivore house as a vegan, it's also a good idea to bring a couple side dishes. You would be surprised what people think is vegan (I've been offered fish and things with dairy).

Root Roast with Kreamy Parsnip sauce, Kale,
and cauliflower over Miso Cheeze

2. Love dessert like I do? Don't forget to bring yourself a dessert.

It can be very disappointing when you feel forgotten on a holiday. Don't let an allergy or lifestyle preference rob you of dessert -- bring your own.

Cranberry Apricot Tart

3. Bring protein bars.

Just in case you don't get quite enough at the dinner table, an allergy friendly protein bar has saved me from making poor food choices and grabbing something that I would react to or regret later. A Larabar has been my saving grace many times.

What we choose to eat is a very personal matter and can cause heated arguments. People are passionate about food, and usually they mean well. Those of us raised on a traditional diet have been fed nutrition advice by doctors in a very animal protein obsessed society. When I made the switch, my family was very concerned with my health, especially because I am very allergic to soy. I think they are becoming more comfortable with the notion, and I continue to educate myself on the topic. I've found that removing the emotion from the argument and just basing my argument on logical, rational facts surrounding nutrition, food contamination, and health is the soundest approach. I will be doing my best to avoid this conversation on the Holidays. That's not to say I don't speak my mind when prompted.

Butternut Squash Soup

This dish was inspired by Skinny Bitch's Curried Pumpkin Soup in her new book, although I took the dish in a completely different direction. I did like her idea of adding pumpkin seeds to her pumpkin soup for crunch and texture, and will probably try that next time.

2 TB olive oil
1 white onion, chopped
2 apples, chopped
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced or grated
pinch of cinnamon
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup hard apple cider
2 cups carrot juice
1 tsp salt
1 roasted butternut squash
1 cup vanilla hemp milk

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the neck of the butternut squash from the bulb. Cut those sections in half and put them face down in a baking pan with about an inch of water. Cover the baking pan and squash with aluminum foil and bake for about 30-40 minutes or until you can pierce the squash with a fork. Once the squash is done, remove it from the oven and the pan to cool on a rack or plate.

Put a 4 quart+ saucepan over medium heat. Put in 2 Tb of olive oil. When the oil is ready, add the onion, apples, garlic, ginger, and cinnamon and cook for about 8 minutes, or until the onions look translucent. Add the hard apple cider and mix until the alcohol smell has died down. Add the carrot juice, butternut squash, and salt and cook until the apples are very tender.

Take the soup off the heat and put half in a high speed blender with half of the hemp milk. Put the blended portion in a serving bowl and repeat this step with the remaining veggie/apple chunks and hemp milk. Serve while warm.

Vegan Mofo Day 22: Sauerkraut Product Review

2010-11-22T22:03:00.000-08:00

I've mention my deep and bordering-on-unnatural love for all things fermented. I need to join a 12 step program or something because my husband has caught me eating sauerkraut straight out of the jar. Is it a need for probiotics? Some mineral I'm deficient in? Not enough salt in my diet? A deep rooted instinct from my germanic genetic memory? I just can't get enough of pickled, fermented foods.

Picking up a new jar of sauerkraut this weekend inspired me to do a little taste testing of the three brands I had in my fridge (See? Addict.).

A (Very) Quick Background on Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut is thought to have originated in Asia. Using salt to preserve foods was not uncommon in Europe, so I'm not sure of the validity of this theory. Moving forward with the theory, as it moved west to Europe when the trade routes opened, Germans embraced the food and replaced the wine and yeast in the fermentation process with salt. Mmmm...Salt. It is rich in probiotics and very good for you.

The Contenders

All three of the brands in my review have three ingredients: cabbage, water, and salt. They are all made the right way - without vinegar, added lactic acid, or "natural spices." I rated each of them on texture, taste, and ethical/sustainable practices.

Brand 1: Bubbies

Likes: I love the texture and taste of Bubbies Sauerkraut. Of the three, it is probably my favorite (flavor wise) because of the tangy, strong flavor. The texture is very good - the pieces of cabbage are a nice consistency with a little bit of crunch. Packaging in a glass jar as opposed to plastic is a plus for me because I don't have to worry about BPAs.

Dislikes: No where on the bottle do they make the claim that they are using cabbage that comes from organic farming practices. They also carry additional pickled products that showcase or incorporate animal products.

Brand 2: Rejuvenative Foods

Likes: The taste is pretty good. Products are labeled as organic. The foods are raw and not pasteurized. All of the products I've browsed on their site or seen in person are, in the majority of cases, vegan. The exception? Some products use honey.

Dislikes: The cabbage is a very minute, pulverized shred, so no crunch for Cami. The taste is alright, but not as tangy as I would like. On a few of the jars, I've seen mold growing up around the lid immediately after time of purchase, even though I replace the lid quickly and do refrigerate. I recently read the label and I am supposed to be keeping things flat in the jar, so perhaps that would help.

Brand 3: Cultured Classics

Likes: The product is local and available at my local farmer's market in Seattle, WA. The cabbage in the product is farmed using organic farming practices. The cabbage cut is very consistent and a very good size. I get some crunch and chewiness from the cabbage. The packaging is in a glass jar with a plastic lid, so I have less worries about leaching. The products available at the farmers market (at least the ones I looked at) were all vegan.

Dislikes: The sauerkraut may not have fermented for quite as long as I like because it was a bit milder than my preference.

The Winner?

Everyone has their flavor and texture preferences, but my winner was Cultured Classics because they are organic, had the texture I was looking for, and a great taste - plus they are local. I am sad I am shelving Bubbies because of the great taste, but will probably turn to Rejuvenative Foods if I can't get to the farmer's market.

Vegan Mofo Day 21: Carrot Breakfast Risotto

2010-11-21T12:46:00.000-08:00

Today is a cold one in Seattle. As I'm sitting here typing, little snowflakes are going by the computer room window. Fortunately, it doesn't seem to be sticking. I know that snow doesn't mean I get to miss out on making the trek into work, and I really don't want to have to mess with chains or the bus. I'd love it if the weather fit my schedule - let it snow as much as it wants next week when I have a few days off.

The pink blur is Annie in her little jacket

Cold weather doesn't make Annie slow down. She just wants to chase her ball up and down our hallway or in the backyard with Lance and Champ. Champ is a much more mellow dog and just sniffs around the yard.

About a week ago, I purchased 15 pounds of carrots. I had ambitions of soups, salads, risotto, and more. I would pick some out of the bunch during the week, but the majority of them sat in my fridge. This weekend I thought a breakfast risotto sounded really nice, so I finally got around to soaking the carrots (and an apple for the risotto) in a water and vinegar bath. It's about 1/4 cup vinegar to 1/2 a gallon of water. This bath helps get some of the bacteria, pests and residue off the surface. Apples are on the dirty dozen, the list of foods that are the most contaminated with pesticides when not organically grown. There are more than 42 recognized pesticides found on conventionally grown apples. Carrots were just recently taken off the list this year, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't purchase them from the organic section; it means the fruits and vegetables on the list this year have more than the 26 pesticides found on carrots (yikes). For more info on the dirty dozen, visit this link

I have a Jack LaLane Power Juicer I purchased around 6 years ago, well before I had ambitions of becoming a health nut and vegan. It works pretty well, but like all juicers, it's hard to clean after being assaulted with 10 pounds of carrots. It handled the carrots like a champ, and I was able to get a full cup of juice out of one Fuji apple. Not bad.

After juicing the carrots, I started food prep for the risotto and put the rest in the fridge to be used later today for a butternut carrot squash and raw vegan carrot soup.

Carrot Breakfast Risotto
serves 2 hungry people
2 Tb Olive Oil
1 cup Arborio Rice
1/3 cup Hard Apple Cider (gluten free)
2 1/2 cups Carrot Juice
1 cup Apple Juice
1 stick Cinnamon
2 generous slices fresh Ginger
1 cup Vanilla Hemp Milk
pinch salt
Maple Syrup for serving

You can use 100% pure carrot and apple juice from the grocery store if you do not have a juicer. Combine the juices in a sauce pan with the cinnamon and ginger. Increase the heat until it begins to bubble and maintain a slow bubble. This will boil over very easily, so it's important to keep it to a gentle simmer.

Once the carrots become a rich redish-orange and the cinnamon stick has begun to uncurl, heat some olive oil in a large sauce pan. When the oil is ready, add the cup of rice and stir to coat. Cook for about 2 minutes.

I have a strange sense of humor. Note the rich color of the carrot mixture.

Add the 1/3 cup of hard apple cider and cook while stirring until the rice has absorbed the cider (between 3-5 minutes).

Add the carrot and apple juice infused with ginger and cinnamon 1/2 a cup at a time, waiting for each 1/2 cup to be absorbed before adding the next.

Once the juice has been absorbed, add the Vanilla Hemp Milk, 1/2 a cup at a time.

The rice should be done. You want the rice to still be firm and have some shape to it without being the slightest bit crunchy. Serve in a bowl with a small drizzle of Maple Syrup. This is a beautiful risotto with a distinctively autumn flair.

Vegan Mofo Day 20: Pumpkin Quinoa Muffins

2010-11-20T20:51:00.000-08:00

Today, Lance and I went to the farmers market in the University District of Seattle. I was really impressed and happy to see pickles to try and a booth dedicated to fermented foods. I would have done my little happy dance if it weren't so darn cold - handling cash without gloves in freezing temperatures equals shivering and loss of one of the five senses. There is a really great representation of local farms with a wide array of seasonal produce. I bought a little something from nearly every local farm booth, and ended up with a nice collection of winter gourds. I anticipate that this will probably translate to another spike in gourd recipes to match my pumpkin streak in October.

I have had some oven roasted pumpkin waiting in my fridge to make its way into a pie or other baked good for a few days. I have been giving Annie a little with her food, so there wasn't enough for a full pie. We had to really watch her after Halloween. If someone had smashed a pumpkin somewhere, she would run straight for it and try to eat it quickly - which isn't bad unless it had been sitting on someone's porch for a while molding.

Annie has a fondness for all things orange

These muffins are really hearty and nutritious. Traditional baking pumpkins have a high amount of vitamin A, fiber, carbohydrates, and sugars. Jack-o-lantern pumpkins do not have the same concentration of nutrients, are much more fibrous, and offer less flesh to use in cooking. I highly recommend using baby sugar pumpkins or other smaller cooking gourds.

I know I have touted the health benefits of quinoa before, but in reading Healing with Whole Foods* (which I highly, highly recommend for anyone with an interest in what a tremendous impact foods have on us) I have discovered even more reasons to love it! It's higher in calcium than milk and has the magnesium and lysine needed to absorb it without having to "fortify" the product. When combined with a grain with a low lysine level, it has a more complete amino acid/protein factor than animal flesh or any other animal products. It's rich in iron, B vitamins, and vitamin E.

*Note on Healing with Whole Foods: It is not a vegan book, although it does acknowledge our society's "obsession" with protein consumption and promotes a plant based diet.

Pumpkin Quinoa Muffins
1 1/2 c. Pumpkin
1 c. Water
1/2 c. Maple Syrup (or Date Syrup)
1 scant c. Quinoa Flour
1 1/2 TB ground Chia Seed
1 1/2 c. Brown Rice Flour
3 T Tapioca Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp or less Ginger
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 c. Raisins (optional)
1/3 c. rough chopped Pecans (optional)
1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2 TB Olive Oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the dry ingredients (flours, chia seed, baking soda, spices, salt) with a whisk in a large mixing bowl. Put the cooked pumpkin, water, and maple syrup in a food processor for about 2 minutes or until smooth. Combine the dry and wet ingredients and add in the raisins, pecans, olive oil, and apple cider vinegar. Pour amounts into a muffin tin and bake for about 25-30 minutes.

For more tips on preparing pumpkin, click here.

For money saving tips on grinding your own Quinoa Flour, click here.

Vegan MoFo Giveaway Winner - Brandi! & Creamy Garlic Potatoes

2010-11-19T21:10:00.000-08:00

Brandi has won a copy of Ani Phyo's Raw Food Essentials! Please contact me at thediscerningkitchen@gmail.com with mailing info so I can send the book to you. I hope this book will help you add more delicious raw food into your diet!

I have been taking part in creating some great dishes lately in preparation for Thanksgiving, but the camera has not been available to capture them. Last night we had a few friends over for dinner and enjoyed roasted garlic potatoes, sauteed kale, spinach dip, sliced veggies, and cranberry chutney (which oddly went really well with the potatoes and spinach). For dessert - Gluten Free Apple Pie. Tonight it was No Clam Chowder. Despite the lack of pictures, I will post the recipe for very garlicky mashed potatoes - and hopefully return soon to post a picture.

Creamy Garlic Potatoes
Serves 4 people with some left overs
4 medium-large Yellow Skinned potatoes (you can use red or russet, but this is the variety I chose)
2/3 cup cashews
2/3 cup water
1 head of garlic (yep, the whole thing)
1 tsp salt
1/2 lemon, juiced

Cut the top off the garlic head exposing the tops of the cloves. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the top, and put the garlic into the oven, preheated to 400 degrees. I can usually tell it's done when the house starts to smell of garlic (10-15 minutes?). The garlic will not discolor, but become a little transparent and be pierced easily with a fork.

Cooking the potatoes: Thoroughly scrub the skins of the potatoes and rinse them. Place the potatoes (skin on) in a large pot of salted water and set the burner temperature to medium. It will take around 30-45 minutes to boil the potatoes; cook until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.

Take the potatoes out of the water, drain them, and use a cooking mitt to hold them while you peel them. You don't want cold mashed potatoes, do you? :) Mash in a large bowl with a potato masher.

Put the cashews, water, lemon, salt, and all of those roasted garlic cloves in that head into a high speed blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Slowly combine the liquid into the mash potatoes. If you want really creamy potatoes, use a hand mixer until you have achieved the consistency you like. I prefer mine lumpy.

Potato Tips: Potatoes need to be stored carefully and used quickly. One they start to develop green sprouts or a greenish hue to the skin, they have a toxin called solanine. The solanine is not in the green areas specifically (that's chlorophyll), but is rather an indicator that the toxin is present. Cutting off the green skins is not sufficient. While it takes a large amount of green potatoes (4+ lbs according to snopes.com) to start developing symptoms, it's best to not to buy them in excess. Those cheap 10 pound bags aren't always the bargain they seem - wasted food is very expensive.

Potato Storage: Storing potatoes out of the reach of light will increase the shelf life. I put mine in a cabinet in my kitchen. Storage temperatures are ideally mild, but not overly cold. When the weather is overly warm or your house gets too cool in the winter, they will age faster.

Vegan Mofo Day 18: Guten Free and Thriving

2010-11-18T21:55:00.000-08:00

Spaghetti Squash is a great gluten free stand in for pasta.
Shown: Spaghetti Squash with vegan alfredo and Brussels Sprouts

It is really easy to get overwhelmed when you learn that gluten is out of your diet. Gluten is in so many different things! Some vegans eat a lot of baked goods as a carbohydrate source, but vegans can still thrive without the gluten. Fruit is a great carbohydrate source, and of course there is gluten free baking.

Here are a few Do's and Dont's that helped me cope:

Do learn how to prepare gluten free pseudocereals and grains. There are a lot of options.
Do learn to enjoy food in its whole state, prepared simply
Do think ahead and plan your meals
Do always carry a snack with you just in case
Do still invite people over for dinner, and offer to bring a side when you go elsewhere that could easily fill you just in case
Do realize that people mean well, but don't always understand allergies and cross-contamination
Do ask if fryers or surfaces are used for other food items in a restaurant
Do carry allergy medication with you just in case

Don't exclusively use rice products. People become allergic to rice too.
Don't assume a waiter knows what gluten free is
Don't forget to re-read labels on products you haven't checked in a while. Recipes change.
Don't let yourself get down. There are so many fantastic foods out there that don't have gluten in them!

A few easy gluten free pasta substitutes:

Rice Pastas
Sea Tangle kelp noodles
Spaghetti Squash
Grated Zucchini

A few cracker suggestions:

Fresh sliced vegetables
Jicama
dehydrated Kale Chips
Cassava Chips

Some whole grain substitutes to barley and wheat berries:

Quinoa - nutty and great in savory meals or in muffins
Amaranth - strong nutty flavor, packed with nutrients
Millet - great for grinding and using in frying
Teff - molasses like taste
Buckwheat - best in crepes or dehydrated as a cereal
Sorghum - very mild, almost sweet flavor
Rice

We had some friends over tonight and had so much fun. The food was a great conversation topic because it was hearty and filling without having that taste that is unfortunately associated with gluten free sometimes. Gluten free can be delicious. It makes me sad when people get upset about a diagnosis - I want to open up their eyes to a world of incredible tasting food. People who refuse to change their diets are only sacrificing their health - taste is a whole different matter.

Vegan Mofo Day 17: Thumbprint Cookies with Orange Caramel and Chocolate Drizzle

2010-11-17T21:42:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking of shortbread with an orange caramel for a while, so I decided to try it out. I love these.

Orange Caramel Thumbprints with Chocolate Drizzle

Cookies:
1 batch Thumbprint Cookie Dough

Caramel:
6 dates, soaked at least 20 minutes
1/2 cup date soak water
pinch salt
1 vanilla bean scraped
zest of 1 small orange

Chocolate Drizzle:
1/2 a batch of the chocolate recipe found here (or less than 1/2 - you'll still have leftover for dipping strawberries or bananas)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Put the caramel ingredients into a high speed blender and blend until smooth and well combined.

Form the cookie dough into small thumbprint shapes. They will expand a bit, so make sure there is about 1 inch between them. Spoon enough caramel to fit in the indentation. Bake for about 10 minutes. They will come out soft, but will harden as you let them cool. I recommend baking them the day before you plan on serving them. I let them cool on the cookie sheet over night to reduce the chance of cracking or breaking on a cooling rack.

Once the cookies have cooled. Drizzle the chocolate over the top.

Enjoy! I know we did. In fact, I had way too many today :P

Vegan MoFo Day 16: Quinoa Banana Muffins

2010-11-16T20:02:00.000-08:00

A little planning ahead can go a long way in an allergy household. I try to make muffins every weekend as an easy breakfast for Lance and I as we are heading to work. These muffins are higher in protein than some of my other recipes, and they taste great. Some gluten free recipes dry out rather quickly, but these are still moist and flavorful after 48 hours.

Quinoa Banana Muffins
3 ripe Bananas
1 c. Water
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1/4 c. Maple Syrup
1 scant c. Quinoa Flour**
1 1/2 Tb Chia Seeds, ground*
1 1/2 c. Brown Rice Flour
3 Tb Tapioca Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Coconut Vinegar
2 Tb Olive Oil

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Blend the bananas, water, maple syrup, and vanilla in a blender until smooth and combined. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl with a whisk and then slowly stir in the banana mixture. Add the olive oil and coconut vinegar right before you pour the batter into a muffin tin.

*I grind the Chia seeds in a coffee grinder. Chia seeds are a fantastic source of omega fatty acids, so I try to use them in smoothies, cereals, and cooking. They act a little like flax and help bind the muffin together. I recommend grinding a neutral tasting grain in the coffee grinder after grinding Chia seeds. Chia seeds leave an oily residue that doesn't taste very pleasant with some flavors.

** I grind bulk sale quinoa grain in my coffee grinder to save on cost. It's far cheaper than buying the flour.

Opened a day later, they still retain moisture and texture