For the Love of Food!

Sambazon Juice and Smoothie Review and Giveaway!!

2013-06-02T20:58:00.000-04:00

I recently received an invitation to review Sambazon juices and smoothies here at For the Love of Food! and to run a giveaway through my participation with greenmomsmeet.com. I had seen them sold in stores before, including Costco, but hadn't tried it yet and was excited to do so! Here's a little about Sambazon:

• Sambazon juices and smoothies are made with the finest organic Amazon
Superfoods™ on the planet such as Açaí [Ah-sigh-ee], Acerola [Ah-sir-o-la], and
Yerba Mate [Yur-ba Mah-tay].
• Their juices and smoothies are available in ten different delicious flavor varieties,
and packed with antioxidants and healthy omega 3-6-9s.
• All Sambazon Superfood juices are NON-GMO, USDA organic, vegan, gluten-free,
and provide whole food nutrition.
• A bottle of Sambazon Superfood juice (10.5 ounces) retails for $2.99.

Sambazon is Available in functional flavors providing a variety of health benefits:

• Açaí/Antioxidant: This Original Amazon superfood juice is bursting with powerful antioxidants and healthy omegas. It’s a delicious way to combat free radicals and comes in two flavors: Original or Açaí+Blueberry+Pomegranate.
• Energy: This potent blend of Açaí berries, Yerba Mate, and Guarana delivers a whole food experience that boosts the body and mind the way nature intended. Energy is available in two flavors: A rich berry superfood juice blend with 50mg of organic caffeine per bottle, and a new Mocha Java superfood smoothie with 80mg of organic caffeine from fair trade coffee beans, plus a hint of chocolate.
• Protein: These indulgent smoothies are packed with 10g of organic vegan whole food protein per bottle (which helps to build lean muscle) and healthy omegas to keep you full longer. It comes in three yummy flavors: Açaí berry + Vanilla; Açaí berry + Chocolate; Chocolate + Almond + Coconut milk
• Supergreens with Kale + Ginger: This is a potent blend of Açaí berries, a powerful new blend of six varieties, plus a hint of ginger. It delivers around two servings of whole fruits and veggies, without added sugar.
• Blended Breakfast: This is the first beverage to combine whole fruit with ancient grains (like quinoa and amaranth), chia, and Organic/Non-GMO verified soymilk for a smoothie that sustains and nourishes. This delicious strawberry-banana blend is also a good source of fiber (7g per bottle).

I sampled the Original Açaí/Antioxidant juice first. The 10.5 oz serving size was a good amount I thought for a drink on the go or a morning juice. I found the juice to not be overly sweet which was good, and the flavor resembled plum juice. What's great is that there is such a variety of drinks from Sambazon that there is something for everyone! I really appreciate the fact that the company is dedicated to both environmental and social issues and supports 2 million acres of the Amazon rainforest and over 10,000 family farmers! Pretty impressive work.

Now you too can sample Sambazon!! They have offered for me to run a giveaway here for one winner to receive three free product vouchers, plus a fantastic wooden bowl and spoon valued at $45. Giveaway prizes will be sent to the winner directly. The giveaway is limited to U.S. residents only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can learn more and connect with Sambazon here:
sambazon.com
facebook.com/sambazon
twitter.com/sambazon
pinterest.com/sambazon
instagram.com/sambazon

Disclaimer: I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms MeetSM program, May
Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms MeetSM blogger, I
agreed to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of the product.

Egg Fre/Grain Free Cinnamon Rolls (Dairy Free, Soy Free, Refined Sugar Free)

2013-03-30T15:45:00.001-04:00

I've been on a bit of a blogging break recently because of a host of new food and health issues that have left me scrambling to come up with basic meals for my family... Eliminating nightshades and eggs has been the most challenging changes, especially because grain free and egg free rarely go together!

Breakfast of course has always been a challenge, but recently especially because I've been relying on eggs so much. I saw a few pins recently on pinterest for cinnamon rolls (with eggs) and it's been a while since I've made them, so I thought I would give it a shot! So this recipe is dedicated to all those folks like me who need to be grain and egg free and finding it to be a bit tough :)

I shared this on my facebook page, but I highly recommend Benefit Your Life Almond Flour - I thought I was becoming intolerant to almond flour as well, but turns out it is only the pesticide-treated flours that I have difficulty with. The Benefit Your Life flour is similar to other blanched flours like Honeyville but without the added spraying of pesticide during the drying process.

Egg & Grain Free Cinnamon Rolls
(grain free/gluten free, egg free, soy free, dairy free, refined sugar free, vegan)

Dough

Dry Ingredients
2 cups Organic Blanched Almond Flour
1/4 cup Organic Coconut Flour
1/4 cup Tapioca or Arrowroot Starch
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Sea Salt

Wet Ingredients
1/4 cup ground Chia Seeds mixed in 1 cup Water
1/4 cup melted Coconut Oil
1 tsp Vanilla or 1/2 tsp Powdered Vanilla
2 Tbsp Honey

Filling

1/4 cup Honey (1/2 cup if you like it more sweet)
1.5 Tbsp Cinnamon
3 Tbsp melted Coconut Oil

1/2 cup chopped Pecans (or other nut of your choice)
(raisins or chopped dates optional)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees farenheit.

In medium bowl, add chia seeds and water and whisk with a fork until starts to gel. Set aside.

Add dry ingredients to your mixing bowl and whisk/blend until well incorporated.

Add the rest of your wet ingredients to the chia mixture and mix.

Add the wet into the dry and beat with mixture until all the dough comes together.

On a Silicone Baking Liner/Silpat or parchment paper-lined jelly roll pan, roll out your dough until thin. If it sticks to your rolling pin, you can place another piece of parchment paper over it to roll, but I didn't have any problems with it. Or, your dough could be too warm and you could chill it a bit as well.

Mix the first three filling ingredients in a small bowl and spread over the dough. You don't need to be a perfectionist with this since it will be rolled. Sprinkle the pecans over the dough.

You can roll this two ways:

For smaller and more rolls, roll from the long side of the pan. This is what I did and prefer. Lift the edge of the silpat and gently pry the dough off to roll it. Continue to roll gently until you have reached the end. Then slice with a sharp knife into approximately 1" slices. If it sticks to the knife, wet it a little bit. Place flat side down on pan, evenly spaced. I had 16 rolls this way.

For larger rolls, roll from the short side of the pan. I have not tested this so I'm not sure how long it will take to bake.

Place in oven and bake approximately 15-20 minutes. Mine baked well at 18, but watch it carefully as the size of your rolls will change baking time. You want it slightly crispy on the top but not hard or dry.

Remove from oven when cooked and cool on baking rack for about 10 minutes until cooled and firmed some, but still warm and gooey.

Frosting:
These are not overly sweet, so if you like, sprinkle some maple syrup over the tops, or I blended some coconut oil and maple syrup, refrigerated it and made a bit of a frosting to put on top of some as well. I loved it as it is though, so if you have a sweet tooth, maple or more honey is fine to add either on top or inside.

Enjoy!!

Pickled Spiced Garlic

2013-01-22T21:17:00.000-05:00

I've recently been playing around with various fermented/pickled veggies in an effort to help my digestion and add some extra naturally occurring probiotics into my life ;) So far I've made (some with greater success than others) Ginger Carrots, Fermented Sweet Potatoes, Sauerkraut, and Fermented Ketchup. There's a lot of great info about such topics, and I'm no expert, so I won't even begin to talk about it, but two books that I've found really helpful are Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods and Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats. These are amazing resources for assisting your gut to heal and protect it in the future as well with fantastic recipes and advice.

Anyways, it was fitting that for this month's "Go Ahead Honey it's Gluten Free" roundup, Naomi chose the theme of "Winter Pickles" for January. I decided to go ahead and give it a shot making up my own recipe, so hope it comes out well!! Check out the entire year's themes and hosts- it's going to be a great one! This year Naomi has decided to do just Primal recipes which fits my current dietary restrictions, so I'm quite excited! I will be hosting August, so look out for that as well...

Anyways, on to the recipe!

Pickled Spiced Garlic

2 heads organic Garlic
1 Tbsp Himalayan Pink Sea Salt
1 Tbsp Cumin Seeds
1 Tbsp Coriander Seeds
12 Green Cardamom pods (about 1/2 Tbsp)
1 dried Chili Pepper
1 tsp Fennel Seeds
1 cup White Vinegar

Bring seeds and vinegar to boil in small pot. Boil 1 minute. Add garlic (I chopped the really big cloves in half). Boil 1 minute with the garlic.

Pour into a pint size canning jar. Add approximately 1/2 cup filtered water or as much as is needed to bring it to just under the lid.

Let sit on your counter for about a week before transferring to refrigerator. The longer it sits in the refrigerator the stronger the flavor will be, but it should be ready to eat after a day or two in the fridge. I'm going to let mine sit longer though.

Enjoy with your favorite dishes as a side or mixed in with your meal.

Grain Free "Oatmeal"

2012-11-08T07:52:00.001-05:00

I walked into my cold kitchen the other morning and all I could think was I wanted something warm and comforting for breakfast.... something like oatmeal. Of course breakfast cereals are totally out of the question for me, but I remembered seeing some Paleo recipes here and there for "n'oatmeal" or other similar types of non-oatmeal. I looked around but none seemed too appealing. I try to cycle nuts and seeds and not rely on one or the other a lot, so I decided to use a mix of sunflower and pumpkin seeds.

Anyways, turned out pretty well! Definitely an oatmealy consistency and did the job. I used my Blendtec to blend it all for about 40 seconds. I didn't mind still having little bits in it since oatmeal itself has little chewy bits in it too.

*One other thing- I blended a cup each of sunflower and pumpkin seeds but only used half so that it would blend better and that I could easily/quickly make it another time.

Grain Free "Oatmeal" Breakfast Cereal
(seed mixture makes 2 batches)

1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1 Tbsp chia meal (ground seeds)
1 cup Coconut Milk
1 very ripe banana (mashed)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp maple syrup

In a blender or food processor, pulse or blend your seeds until a fine meal. (Don't overblend or it will turn into seed butter.) Mix it well.

In a medium size pot, add 1 cup of the blended seed flour (you will have 1 cup left over) with the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Turn on the heat and cook over medium heat for about 6-7 minutes until it has reached your desired consistency. If too thick, add more coconut milk.

Serve hot and top with your favorite toppings! I used a frozen organic berry mix from Trader Joe's and some slivered almonds on mine.

Coconut Pulp Bars

2012-09-27T15:09:00.000-04:00

I've been making a lot of coconut milk recently which has left me with a LOT of coconut pulp... I've pretty much been composting it, but have been looking for something to do with it because I feel like I'm wasting it. I wasn't able to find any recipes online when I searched, so I decided to try out something myself....

After making my coconut milk, I just store the leftover pulp in the fridge until I'm ready to use it. So if you make coconut milk like me, hopefully this can help you out!

This recipe isn't very sweet, but you can add more coconut sugar or maple syrup depending on your tastes. I wanted something a bit like a shortbread so that's how it turned out. Hope you enjoy!

Coconut Pulp Bars

1 cup packed coconut pulp (from making coconut milk)
2 Tbsp coconut flour
1/8 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup vanilla coconut palm sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp psyllium fiber
2 Tbsp boiled water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a food processor, pulse the coconut pulp a few times to break up any clumps.
Add in dry ingredients and pulse until mixed.
Add in the oil, almond extract, and hot water.
Mix until well incorporated.
Spread into a parchment paper lined loaf pan.

Bake for 20 minutes. When done, lift out of pan with parchment paper and place on cooling rack.

Once cool, slice and serve with a hot cup of tea or coffee!

Optional Topping

Mix one part Coconut Cream Concentrate with one part maple syrup for a delicious frosting.

End of Summer Green Popsicles

2012-08-28T15:48:00.001-04:00

I don't know about you all out there, but the summer has flown by for me... I didn't realize how little I've blogged but I guess it's just the sign of spending wonderful time outdoors and not in front of the computer :)

The weather is still warm here for a bit longer and my daughter has been loving our homemade "ice-smoothies" as she calls them, so I thought I would share our recipe for them. We often drink green smoothies for breakfast so I just froze them and they make an awesome treat packed with great nutrients and delicious too! Adding and avocado makes it extra creamy and a little less icy than if you just freeze liquids so I really love having it in there. Of course you can add/subtract whatever you like but I find this balance to be not too sweet but still fruity and cooling.

Creamy Green Popsicles

2 leaves kale (aproximately 2 cups)

1 cup organic spinach

1 avocado

1 cup coconut milk (canned is creamier)

1 apple (sliced, cored)

3 clementine oranges

1 cup mango

2 Tbsp ground chia seeds

1 tsp Spirulina powder

Blend all ingredients in your blender until smooth. Pour into Ice Pop Molds and freeze upright for a few hours or overnight.

If you have leftovers, enjoy as a smoothie!

Strawberry Tart (Gluten/Grain Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Egg Free)

2012-06-19T21:10:00.002-04:00

We went strawberry picking a few weeks ago and I knew I wanted something creamy to go with them but I didn't have a lot of time... instead of coming up with a totally new recipe I just based it off of the recipe for my Pear and Fig Coconut Cream Tart that I made last fall. It's a bit different because I didn't bake it all together, but that's definitely an option if you want something a little different! This tart is light and creamy and not too sweet- it lets you taste and enjoy the sweetness of the strawberries as well.

So to keep things simple, here is the recipe!

Strawberry Tart

Gluten/Grain/Dairy/Soy/Egg/Corn Free

Crust
2 cups almond meal
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 Tbsp chia meal in 2 Tbsp hot water
1/8 tsp celtic sea salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Cream
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
1 can full fat coconut milk
1/4 cup arrowroot flour

Strawberries for decoration

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare your crust:

Mix your chia and water and set aside to gel. Mix all of the ingredients together with a fork or whisk and press into a 9.5" tart pan(mine has a removable center). Place crust in the oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Cream:

Over medium heat, warm your coconut milk, honey, and vanilla. Once it is about to boil, whisk in your arrowroot. Remove from heat and pour into tart shell.

Place in the refrigerator to firm up and cool off. Gently place your fruit onto the coconut cream, remove from pan, slice and serve.

Enjoy!

Blueberry Walnut Breakfast Cookies (Gluten/Grain Free, Soy Free, Egg Free, Dairy Free, Sugar Free)

2012-06-11T21:27:00.000-04:00

Breakfast has always been a challenge for me... and now I've had to cut out sugar the past couple weeks (except for a bit of fruit) which has actually been okay, but I do use dates in a lot of things, especially breakfast foods. I was trying to come up with an easy but tasty, not too sweet option. I saw a few recipes here and there that might work but they they still weren't quite right, so I combined a couple ideas and came up with these "breakfast cookies" or "biscuits" as we like to call them at home since our rabbit is named cookie :)

I have enjoyed making this recipe because it's a one bowl kind of recipe- I just throw it all in the food processor and it's only one thing to clean!

Blueberry Walnut Breakfast Cookies

Gluten/Grain Free, Soy Free, Egg Free, Dairy Free, Sugar Free

1/4 cup Organic Coconut Flour
1/2 cup Almond Butter
1/2 large banana (approx 4 inches)
3/4 cup Organic Shredded Coconut
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
2 Tbsp chia seed meal + 1/4 cup boiled water
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup frozen organic blueberries

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Prepare your chia meal by adding the boiled water to the chia and stirring with a fork. Set aside. Place the coconut flour, almond butter, and banana in the food processor and blend until uniform. Add in the rest of your ingredients except the walnuts and blueberries and pulse until it is well combined. Add the walnuts and blueberries and pulse a few times just until incorporated.

Take the dough and make approximately 2" balls in your hand and lightly flatten into 12 disks, placing on a large greased, parchment, or silpat-lined baking sheet.

Bake in the oven approximately 15 minutes until the edges are golden. Cool on wire rack before eating then enjoy! These stay well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or so and can be frozen as well. I enjoyed them straight out of the refrigerator or reheated in the toaster oven. I don't have a microwave, so no idea how they reheat in there!

Enjoy!

This recipe is also being entered into the Friday Foodie Fix at The Whole Gang - this week's theme is Blueberries!!

Beet, Dill, and Avocado Salad (gluten free, dairy free, soy free)

2012-05-07T15:23:00.002-04:00

I love vegetables... always have. But there was one I never quite liked. (okay two- the second was turnips). It was BEETS. My mom always has pickled beets or boiled beets on the table at dinner and every now and then I would "check in" with them to see if I had developed a taste for them and still... no.

Then last summer my cousin Samira made this beet and avocado salad with dill on it so I was like- oooh let me give the good ol' beets a try again! And what do you know... victory! I ate so much of it and then I came home and asked her for the recipe to make for my daughter's first birthday party and her response was add some lemon, olive oil, salt, pepper, and dill together. So I did that and have a few more times. So now I just thought I would share with you the deliciousness of this combo because I actually did some measurements, but feel free to add more of this or that according to your tastes. I think they go well together because the avocado is soft and the beets slightly hard, a bit tangy, and herb-y all at once. If you don't like fresh dill, add chopped basil- either would be great! It's great for spring and summer picnics and a refreshing yet filling salad.

Avocado, Dill, and Beet Salad
(gluten/grain free, soy free, dairy free, nut free, egg free)

4 medium cooked beets (I steam mine)

2 avocados

4 Tbsp fresh organic lemon (1 large lemon)

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 Tbsp fresh chopped dill (or basil)

Chop your beets into cubes and put in a bowl. Cube your avocado into similar sized pieces and place on top of the beets. Add the rest of your ingredients on top and stir just enough to mix. Taste and adjust to taste.

If you over-mix, your avocado will turn as red as the beets and get mushy so be gentle!

Enjoy!

***Update: 6/27/12:

This is also amazing with one or two chopped champagne mangoes as well!!

I used Chioggia Beets in this picture, and they don't bleed as red beets do.

Sweet Potato & Black Bean "Sausage" (vegan, gluten free, soy free, egg free)

2012-04-24T09:16:00.002-04:00

I've had this recipe on the back-burner for a few months now... I made this for a brunch potluck and never had a chance to work on my modifications and revise it. I based it off of this recipe by the Gluten Free Cooking School - the original recipe includes brown rice and is fried, so I modified it to bake it and replaced the rice with sweet potato and a few other adjustments here and there... My friend Anne said I hijacked this recipe so this is dedicated to you Anne- sorry it took so long! :)

You can still fry this recipe if that's your thing, but I thought it was easier, faster, and healthier to just bake them. My daughter loves these and they make a great snack or meal- whichever you're in the mood for!

I tried baking it straight on a greased cookie sheet and using a Silpat/Silicone Linerand the ones straight on the sheet turned out a little better (crispier) but either will definitely work. You can make either links or patties out of these and the cooking time is the same.

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Sausage

(gluten free/grain free, soy free, dairy free, nut free, egg free)

1 1/2 cup sweet potato, cooked
2 cups cooked black beans

2 tsp grapeseed oil

1/4 cup chia seed meal (ground seeds)

4 tsp onion powder
2 tsp rubbed sage
1 tsp fennel seed, ground (I used a mortar and pestle)

1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cumin

-Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees and prepare a baking sheet.

-Combine the black beans, sweet potato, and oil in a food processor. Pulse until all items are well combined - you will need to stop it and scrape down the sides a few times. Should be a creamy mixture.

-Scoop the bean mixture into a mixing bowl and add the chia meal and spices. Stir well to combine.

-To make the patties and/or links, divide the bean mixture into 24 pieces and rolleach piece into a ball and place them onto your baking sheet. If you want patties, gently smash them down onto the tray. If you want a link, roll the ball between your two palms until it is a log shape.

-Bake in the oven for 12 minutes, remove, flip them over, and place back in the oven for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool in pan for a few minutes then enjoy!

**These can be stored covered in the refrigerator and eaten warm or cold or frozen and re-heated at a later time.

Before Baking

Spinach Bites (gluten free, dairy free, egg free, soy free, nut free)

2012-03-04T16:31:00.000-05:00

Since having my daughter I feel that a lot of my recipes have shifted quite a bit- I've moved towards simpler foods that are prepared quickly but can be adapted for whatever mood you're in.

When I found out that my daughter had an egg allergy it wasn't a huge issue for me since I was already familiar with egg replacers, but definitely flexed my cooking/baking muscles a bit more than normal! My daughter eats a lot. A LOT :) So I'm always looking for snacks that I can give her without compromising our desire to have her eat healthy. As I've mentioned in other posts like this one or this one, finding snack foods for little ones that aren't full of fillers, sugars, or fortified with unnecessary vitamins is quite difficult!

I had spotted Dr. Praeger's spinach littles and broccoli littles in the store, but they had egg whites in them so that was a no-go. I adapted the ingredients a bit to suit our tastes, but you can of course adjust the seasoning to you or your child's preferences- we tend to like food with a lot of spice (my daughter included). I make a bunch and just store them in the freezer (info below) to re-heat whenever she needs a quick and healthy snack.

A note about shapes: This recipe does take a bit of work if you wish to make shapes like I did in the pictures. If not, just plop little portions onto your baking sheet and bake! You can also use a mini cupcake tray or silicone cupcake holders. I used a Mini Noah's Ark cookie cutter set that I found at Joann Fabric (also available at Amazon as well as one of my favorites. If you have high cookie cutters just be aware that cooking time will vary.

Spinach Bites - for babies, toddlers, kids, or anyone!!

(egg free, gluten free/grain free, dairy free, soy free, nut free)

1 cup cooked & mashed organic potatoes (2-3 small potatoes or 2 cups raw cubed potatoes)
2 cups frozen organic chopped spinach
2 tsp flax seed meal + 2 Tbsp boiling water (mixed in small bowl)
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp Herbamare Organic Herb Seasoning
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp Grapeseed or Canola oil

Pre-heat your oven to 350°F.
1. Cook your potatoes in a small pot of boiling water with a bit of salt added. When done, drain and place in a mixing bowl.
2. Steam or lightly cook your spinach. Blend until creamy**. Add to potatoes.
3. Make your flax egg: mix the flax with boiling water and let sit to gel while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
4. Add the spices and oil, mash and stir well. Add the flax egg and stir until combined well.
5. Place on silpat/Silicone Liner or Unbleached Parchment Paper lined baking tray and bake for 40 minutes. Cool on a cooling rack and then serve!
**I usually blend the spinach, but you can also leave it unblended but it will look different and the spinach will be more obvious (see pictures below).

With blended spinach

With un-blended spinach

To store:
Keep in the refrigerator in a sealed container.
To freeze for later snacks- cool and freeze in storage bag/container.

To re-heat:
Place on foil-lined tray in a toaster/convention oven and warm. Alternately, if you run them under cool water for a minute and then place in the toaster oven they thaw MUCH faster and will be ready within a minute or two. I don't have a microwave so I can't tell you how they come out from there :)

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Easy Grain Free Flatbread 2.0

2012-02-16T09:40:00.003-05:00

Thank you to everyone for their kind comments and suggestions about my Grain Free Flatbread. I've received a lot of questions about options that I had not experimented yet, so if you have, please let me know! Either via my Facebook page, comments on the post, or email.

I did end up trying to use both chia and flax as people suggested, but neither worked to make a flexible bread. Instead they became (delicious!) crackers much like my Coconut flour and Chia crackers. The psyllium in this recipe really provides the flexibility and binding that is needed for an egg-free, grain free, gum free bread. If you don't need these restrictions you can probably try using one of them and it will most likely work. The other substitution that I've tried and worked is light olive oil for the coconut oil. 1/4 cup should work but I still preferred the coconut oil because the olive makes it dry out faster.

I wanted to share one more variation I made shortly after the first that did work. I thought I would try using less psyllium to see if the taste mellowed out a bit- and it did. The only thing that is sacrificed is its ability to roll. So this bread can fold over (see the pictures) and still serves as a great sandwich bread, but won't wrap like the first. In short, you just lessen the amount of psyllium, but I'll go ahead and give the whole recipe again to make it easier :)

Easy Grain Free Flatbread 2.0 (the non-rolling version)

grain free/gluten free, dairy free, soy free, egg free, nut free, vegan

1/2 cup Coconut Flour
1 TBSP Konsyl Psyllium Fiber Powder
1/4 cup Coconut Oil
1 cup boiling water

optional:
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning herb blend
your favorite herb/seasoning

Whisk the coconut flour and psyllium together in a bowl along with the salt and herbs if using. Add the coconut oil. Add the hot water a little at a time, stirring as you add it (will melt the coconut oil). Mix well quickly making sure all the dry bits are incorporated and looks uniform. Using the back of a spoon is helpful.

Roll (with rolling pin) or pat (with moistened spatula) the bread out on a Silpat/ Silicone Liner or unbleached parchment paper-lined jelly roll pan until thin and even. The dough is forgiving, so feel free to move pieces around and repair patches as you go along. I tried baking as two separate pieces and as one large bread and both worked out well.

Bake at 375º for 15-20 minutes depending on your oven and how thin you've rolled the bread. (Mine was about 11"x12" for 15 minutes.) Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool to room temperature before slicing/eating.

The taste will mellow out the longer it cools and sits out. Store in ziplock or other sealed container (if you don't eat it all at once!).

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Coconut Flour Chia Crackers (grain free/gluten free, egg free, soy free, vegan)

2012-01-26T08:20:00.002-05:00

As I mentioned in my Easy Grain-Free Flatbread recipe post, I was attempting to make crackers when I "accidentally" made bread instead. Good accident. But- it didn't solve my cracker problem. So back to work again. Now I've become obsessed! I've made these crackers 3 times in the past week and my flatbread everyday as well with various modifications. Why? Because it's really easy. Especially when you leave your jelly roll pan, silpat, and rolling pin out :)

So for the crackers I decided to use Chia Seed meal along with the coconut flour and I made these herb crackers by throwing in some garlic powder and Italian Seasoning blend. You can leave them out or add other flavors you might like- nutritional yeast (for a "cheesy" flavor), rosemary, cinnamon, etc... If you're wondering about the wonderful nutritional benefits of chia, click HERE.

Coconut Chia Crackers

(grain free/gluten free, dairy free, soy free, egg free, nut free, paleo)

½ cup Coconut flour

¼ cup Organic Chia seedmeal**

¼ cup Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

¾ cup Boiled Water

1/8 tsp Sea salt

1/8 tsp Granulated garlic

½ tsp Italian Seasoning

**For the Chia seed meal I grind whole Chia seeds in my blender or coffee grinder into a powder and just store it in the fridge in a jar.

Pre-heat the oven to 375ºF

Using a whisk or fork, mix the dry ingredients in a bowl until well incorporated.

Add the coconut oil into the bowl.

Add the hot water a little at a time, stirring as you add it in. (This will melt the coconut oil.)

Mix well with a spoon, stirring and mashing out any lumps that might still exist. Once you have a uniform dough in a ball, place it on your silpat or unbleached parchment-paper lined tray and roll out. Keep rolling your dough until it is as thin as you can get it without seeing through or tearing it. Feel free to move pieces of dough around and press it in- the dough is forgiving and easy to "cut and paste."

Mine rolled to be approximately 14.5” x 10” in measurement. Slice into squares with a pizza cutter.

Bake for approximately 20 minutes depending on your oven. 15 minutes got me a soft bread-like cracker, 20 firm but crisp, and 25 minutes extra crispy and darker.

Makes approximately 49 crackers (at 7 rows x 7 rows)

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Easy Grain-Free Flat Bread

2012-01-16T21:09:00.003-05:00

I posted the other day on my Facebook page about an "accidental" recipe I had made and have been really excited about... so here it finally is! I wanted to test out a few more things with it, so I've been working on that.

What I was aiming to make was some simple grain free crackers and ended up with a great flatbread instead! I was sent some Psyllium Fiber by Konsyl to test out for gluten free baking, so I was also eager to incorporate it into my baking to see how that went. Turns out the Psyllium powder is great- especially as an egg replacer and binder so it works well to keep the bread together.

I have really enjoyed this bread because (other than the few ingredients) it's so easy to roll and flexible- it doesn't crumble or break like a lot of gluten-free tortillas and breads do and is reminiscent of Persian Lavash bread.

I've given two variations- one is the basic recipe, and then you can add on whatever you like to adjust the taste or make something a little different.

Easy Grain Free Flat Bread

(gluten free, egg free, dairy free, soy free, vegan, nut free)

1/2 cup Coconut Flour

1/8 cup (2 TBSP) Konsyl Psyllium Fiber Powder

1/4 cup Coconut Oil

1 cup boiling water

optional:

1/8 tsp sea salt

1/8 tsp granulated garlic

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning herb blend

Whisk the coconut flour and psyllium together in a bowl along with the salt and herbs if using. Add the coconut oil. Add the hot water a little at a time, stirring as you add it (will melt the coconut oil). Mix well making sure all the dry bits are incorporated.

Roll (with rolling pin) or pat (with moistened spatula) the bread out on a Silpat/Silicone Liner or unbleached parchment paper-lined jelly roll pan until thin and even. The dough is forgiving, so feel free to move pieces around and repair patches as you go along. I tried baking as two separate pieces (picture below) and as one large bread and both worked out well.

Bake at 375º for 15-20 minutes depending on your oven and how thin you've rolled the bread. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool to room temperature before slicing/eating. The taste will mellow out the longer it cools and sits out.

Enjoy!
(ps- if you haven't been eating a lot of fiber recently, don't eat the whole pan at once!!)

Equal Exchange Coffee Review

2012-01-01T09:30:00.001-05:00

I recently had the opportunity to sample a new product that I thought would be important to share with others- The Equal Exchange Congo Coffee Project coffee blend.

If you're not a coffee drinker, you might enjoy hearing about the project anyways or buy some for someone who is- I'm an occasional coffee drinker myself, but I really feel that if you are going to drink any, this is definitely one of the more important products to support.

First about the project:

A portion of the sales from this coffee is donated to the Panzi Foundation which supports the medical programs of the Panzi Hospital in the D.R. Congo which provides life-saving treatments, counseling and aftercare programs to more than 2,000 survivors of sexual violence each year. You can find more information on this project on their site if you are interested – http://www.equalexchange.coop/congocoffeeproject

From the site: "The challenge for the survivors of sexual violence and women with gynecological conditions to access primary as well as secondary health care remains significant. This is due to factors such as displacement, political insecurity and lack of capacity within the local health structures. More than 5,000 women were raped in South Kivu alone during 2009, according to the UN."

For every bag of coffee sold, Equal Exchange will donate $2 to the Panzi Foundation. All of Equal Exchange's products are fairly traded from small farmers, making this a great company to support.

So now the what is the coffee all about??!
I really loved this coffee. It is a blend of East African Coffees that is smooth and balanced, with rich chocolate, sweet vanilla, brown spices and a hint of fresh berry. One of the things that bothers me about a lot of coffees is that either they are too weak or too bitter if they're strong. This blend was able to remain bold without that bitter taste- it was smooth and rich and was able to hold its own without any cream or sugar added. My husband was a big fan of it as well and said that it was definitely one of the best coffees he has had!

To prepare it we ground the whole beans and brewed it in the french press. One day we even made mochas with it using a little So Delicious Chocolate Coconut Milk drink!

Thank you to Mambo Sprouts for providing me with the opportunity to learn more about this great company and its efforts!

Coconut-Ginger Curried Chicken & a So Delicious Giveaway!!

2011-12-14T23:46:00.005-05:00

I just returned from a fabulous warm-weather vacation and made this recipe up remembering the amazing flavor of fresh coconut and strong, delicious spices coming together... definitely one of the most tasty chicken dishes I've made! It is a bit on the spicy side, so definitely reduce the cayenne if you don't like spicy food. I don't eat rice anymore, but it would be delicious served on top of a fluffy bowl of brown rice.

I also used So Delicious Coconut milk drink in this recipe - I really love this drink. I give it to my daughter to drink all the time and use it in desserts, but not that often in my cooking, so I was excited to use it here. It has a light and smooth flavor that is pleasing even if you're not that crazy about coconuts! I am quite excited to offer some free So Delicious products for you to try, so check out my giveaway at the bottom of this post.

Coconut-Ginger Curried Chicken

1.75lbs (approx) organic chicken leg quarters*

1large sweet potato (1 heaping cup chopped)

3organic carrots (1 cup chopped)

4large organic collard green leaves (2 cups packed/chopped)

1Tbsp grated ginger

4large cloves crushed garlic

2Tbsp curry powder

1tsp cinnamon

2tsp salt

1tsp oregano

1/8tsp cayenne pepper (less if you don’t want it spicy)

1Tbsp olive oil

1cup So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk

2Tbsp shredded unsweetened coconut

112 oz can organic black beans (optional)

*vegan option: Tofu would work wellhere, or just use the black beans and forget the meat

Mix together in a small bowl theginger, garlic, spices, and olive oil. Gradually add the coconut milk whilestirring and set aside. Place the chicken(or tofu) in a large, oiled pyrex and arrange the vegetables around it. Pourthe sauce over everything. Cover the pyrex in foil and place in therefrigerator to marinate for 1-2 hours.
To cook: preheat oven to 375ºF.Cook for approximately 40 minutes, remove foil, and cook another 5-10 minutesor until chicken is cooked through (internal temp of 165 ºF)
Serve with lime slices over brownrice or alone.

THE GIVEAWAY & PRIZE:

I will be running a giveaway herefor 5 free So Delicious products of your choosing + coupons for more amazing products!
The giveaway will be limited to U.S. residentsonly, and I will send prizes to the winner directly.

To Enter:
There are multiple ways to enter the giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Contest ends at Midnight EST on December 19th, 2011. Please check back here on Tuesday December 20th to see if you've won! I will need your email address to obtain your mailing information for the prize, so make sure to get in touch with me if you are the winner.

Good luck!

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Crunchmaster Giveaway Results!

2011-12-01T13:48:00.001-05:00

I greatly apologize for the delay in posting these results- I'm out of town and didn't have access to a computer :(

I am happy to announce that I have picked a winner for the Crunchmaster Multi-Grain Crackers giveaway chosen by random.org:

The winner is Kristin Caudill!!!

Kristin please email me at nooshins [at] gmail [dot] com with your mailing address, and Crunchmaster will send you your case (12 bags) of crackers in the mail! Congratulations!

Crunchmaster Review and Giveaway!

2011-11-20T21:02:00.001-05:00

I recently received a case of Crunchmaster Multi-Grain Crackers as part of the Moms Meet Blogger Program that I’m involved in (I’m a Moms Meet Ambassador – we sample natural and organic products). I was sent the White Cheddar, Roasted Vegetable, and Sea Salt varieties, and all three were delicious! I had never tried any of the Crunchmaster crackers before, so they were a nice surprise. I was asked to review the White Cheddar variety, so here we go:

To put it simply, these crackers taste pretty amazing. They are definitely called “Crunchmaster” for a reason – they are a crispy, crunchy tasty little snack that is quite addictive. I’ve eaten a few different varieties of gluten free crackers and these are by far the best. It’s been a while since I’ve had wheat crackers, but I think the texture is similar and the taste doesn’t scream “rice cracker”. Even my non-gf husband called them highly addictive. You definitely don't have to be gluten free to enjoy these.

Crunchmaster Multi-Grain Crackers are:

Oven-baked, with a unique, crunchy texture
Wheat-free and certified gluten-free
21g or more whole grains per serving
A good source of fiber
All natural
Free of saturated fat
Cholesterol-free
Delicious, with a great multi-grain taste

I do think that these would be enjoyable for people of all ages- kids and adults included. They come in a shiny ziplocked package and stay fresh (even if you forget to seal it- oops!). The Cheddar variety is not overwhelmingly covered in cheese- it's more of a mild flavor so you still taste the cracker and it doesn't taste too artificial which is a bonus.

So overall, I definitely recommend this product! I do have to say I probably would eat the Sea Salt the most – I could put a nut butter on it and make a nice snack out of it, and the Vegetable ones reminded me of Wheatable crackers I used to eat ages ago (also delicious). I eat dairy so rarely (with a Lactaid pill) that the Cheddar is more of a treat. So if you haven’t tried Crunchmaster, check it out- it’s available at a lot of conventional grocery stores as well as the more specialty stores like Whole Foods, etc.

Find Crunchmaster online at:
www.crunchmaster.com and
www.Facebook.com/crunchmaster

Disclaimer: I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms MeetSM program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms MeetSM blogger, I agreed to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of the product.

THE GIVEAWAY & PRIZE:
I will be running a giveaway here for 1 Case (12 bags) of Crunchmaster White Cheddar Multi-Grain Crackers!! That's a lot of crackers!!
The giveaway will be limited to U.S. residents only, and the brand will send prizes to the winner directly.

To Enter:
There are multiple ways to enter the giveaway!

Make sure to leave a comment for *each* entry

“like” For the Love of Food! on Facebook (<-- Click link) (1 entry – leave a separate comment. If you already like For the Love of Food! on facebook just leave a comment that you do)
“like” Crunchmaster on Facebook (<– click link) (1 entry – leave a separate comment. If you already like Crunchmaster on facebook just leave a comment that you do).
Tell me (in a separate comment) why you would like to win these crackers! (1 entry)
Share this giveaway on your blog or Facebook page and let me know (1 entry – leave a separate comment.)

Contest ends at Midnight EST on November 27, 2011. Please check back here on Monday November 28th to see if you've won! I will need your email address to obtain your mailing information for the prize, so make sure to get in touch with me if you are the winner.

Good luck!

Vegan Quinoa Stuffing (gluten free, dairy free, soy free)

2011-11-10T16:47:00.001-05:00

I think I've made some variation of this quinoa stuffing every year for Thanksgiving now since I went gluten free, but never wrote the recipe down. I just took this to a vegan Thanksgiving potluck the other day (shout-out to the Mindful Mommas!) so it gave me the opportunity to finally write it out. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays and while traditions are nice, I love experimenting with different types of dishes and modifying old ones. If you make this, feel free to add other chopped veggies that you like (like mushrooms!) or leave it as it is. I used a Rapunzel vegetarian bouillon cube for this recipe, but any vegetable broth will do, or if you must, chicken or beef broth.

Vegan Quinoa Stuffing
gluten, soy, dairy, nut free

2 cups quinoa, rinsed and soaked overnight**
1 Rapunzel Vegan Vegetable Bouillon with Sea Salt
4 cups water

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion
3 large cloves garlic or 6 small
2 cups chopped carrots
3 cups chopped celery
1 tsp rubbed sage
1 tsp cinnamon
1.5 tsp rosemary (lightly crushed)
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp Italian seasoning blend
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4-1/2 cup dried organic cranberries

optional:
sliced sauteed mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped parsley or cilantro
chopped pecans, walnuts, or pine nuts

**I soak my quinoa the night before, so it cooks a bit faster as well

Heat oil and spices in a pot and stir continuously for one minute
Add the onion and garlic, stir and cook for 5 minutes at medium/low heat. Add more olive oil if it looks too dry.
Add the carrots and celery and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While the veggies are cooking, prepare the quinoa:

Rinse and strain the quinoa. Place 2 cups of boiling water in a small pot with the bouillon and stir until melted.
Add another 2 cups of water and the quinoa
Bring to boil then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the germ in the quinoa has come out, but it is not mushy (see pictures)

When done cooking, add the cranberries and pour the quinoa into the big pot with the veggies, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking broth for later.
Stir well and allow to sit- the liquid will become absorbed. A little before serving, you can add the rest of the reserved broth to keep it moist.

If you are looking for some other delicious ideas for Thanksgiving, here are a few of my other recipes that would be great for Thanksgiving or any fall/dinner meal:

Creamy Wild Rice and Chicken Casserole

Roasted Butternut Squash with Corn

Stuffed Butternut Squash

Stuffed Vegetables

Gluten Free Sweet Potato Pie

Dairy Free Cranberry Parfait

Gluten Free Apple Pie

Gluten Free Blueberry Pie

I have also submitted this recipe to November's 'Go ahead honey, it's gluten free!': Thanksgiving Dishes hosted by Brittany at Real Sustenance.

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy Thanksgiving!

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Go Ahead Honey it's Gluten Free October: Spiced Desserts!

2011-10-29T07:08:00.003-04:00

I am so excited to share this month's 'Go ahead honey, it's Gluten Free!' roundup!! Created by the lovely Naomi, this monthly theme event features amazing gluten-free treats from a variety of bloggers.

For the month of October, I chose the theme "Spiced Desserts" in honor of autumn, warmth, and creativity.

The recipes submitted did not disappoint, and I am pleased to share with you the following:

I hope you brought with you a warm drink as we step into our autumnal lineup!

Rustic Cranberry Pumpkin Spice Biscotti by Valerie at City Life Eats features Pumpkin Pie Spice (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves) in this creative fall delight!

Cardamom Chocolate Bark by Naomi at Straight into Bed Cakefree and Dried elevates chocolate to another level by including cardamom alongside toasted almonds.

Stuffed Poached Pears by Kalinda at Wheat Free Meat Free feature both cinnamon and cloves in this unique and visually appealing dessert.

GF Pumpkin Snickerdoodles by Lauren at As Good as Gluten have cinnamon, allspice, ginger, and nutmeg in these soft and chewy pumpkin treats.

Healthy Pumpkin Donuts by Tessa the Domestic Diva are highlighted by aromatic cinnamon on this new take on an American classic.

Kaju (Cashew) Ladoos by Sonia at Flip Cookbool brings the aromatic cardamom to center stage in this beautifully presented dessert.

High Fiber Pear Walnut Muffins from Iris at the Daily Dietribe bring us cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and ginger- perfect for anytime of day!

Pumpkin Butter Pecan Chocolate Chip Bars by Shirley at Gluten Free Easily was especially creative in incorporating pumpkin butter that was made with pumpkin puree, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, allspice, nutmeg.

Finally my own- Baklava Cake by Noosh at For the Love of Food! This cake includes cardamom, saffron, and fragrant rose water, a taste of Persian desserts made simple and gluten free.

Thank you to all of our wonderful contributors for this month - I can't wait to try some of these new recipes!

Make sure you check out the November 2011 Go Ahead Honey hosted by Brittany of Real Sustenance bringing her fantastic real food approach to - "Thanksgiving"

Baklava Cake (grain free, egg free, dairy free, soy free, gluten free)

2011-10-28T21:01:00.003-04:00

I've been dreaming about making this cake formonths now... I love Persian Baklava - the aromatic flavors of cardamom androsewater, mixed with the crunch of almonds and pistachios. Delicious. Afew months ago my aunt made what she called Baklava Cake, something I hadn'tseen before. My husband of course ate it and loved it, and I watchedpatiently as he devoured a plate full of it. On two occasions.

My original idea was actually just to make a cakecalled "Honey Almond Cake" but then I thought I could go ahead andadd in the extra spices and flavors and see how the Baklava Cake would turnout. Success! Now I totally understand that these flavors are notfor everyone- especially the American palate. So if you want to leavethem out, it's up to you, and you can just have the Honey Almond Cake and callit a day. Or you can just add less. The first time I made this I actuallymade it with Persian Saffron as well (my idea was actually "Saffron HoneyAlmond Cake!") which I appreciated, but I'll also leave that up to you ifyou're adventurous and want to add it in (it's also an expensive spice toacquire.)

The best news about this cake is that it’s reallysimple and easy to make. Because it isegg free I added in the Chia seed meal, and the Apple sauce adds sweetness andreplaces butter. I used almond flourfrom Trader Joe’s in this recipe- it’s inexpensive which is helpful, but I alsoadded the weight if you want to weigh and use your own almond flour. I’m sureblanched almond flour will be even lighter and more delicious.

This is my submission to October’s ‘Go ahead honey,it’s gluten free’ – Spiced Desserts that I’m hosting here on For the Love ofFood!

Baklava Cake
(gluten, soy, dairy, egg, grain free)

½ cup organic applesauce(unsweetened-just apples)

1 Tbsp organic chia seed meal

1/3 cup - ½ cup honey(depending on your taste)**

½ Tbsp Rose Water

2 cups almond flour(Trader Joe’s)/7 ¾ oz/220 g

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cardamom powder

¼ tsp Celtic Sea Salt®

1 tsp of prepared saffron(optional)

**If you like it sweeter, you can also add in 1/4 cup Coconu Palm Sugar

Topping

Slivered almonds

Ground pistachios

Preheat oven to 350°F and grease either an 8” glasspyrex or an 8” parchment-lined pan.

If using saffron prepare: take ¼ tsp saffronthreads and grind in a mortar and pestle. Add ½ Tbsp boiling water and let sitwhile you go on to the next step.

In mixer bowl, beat applesauce with chia meal onhigh for one minute stopping once to scrape down the sides and bottom.

Add honey, rosewater, and saffron (if using) andbeat until combined.

In a small bowl whisk together the dry ingredients:almond flour, baking powder, salt, cardamom, and baking powder. Add to mixer bowl and beat just untilincorporated. Stir once or twice withspatula/spoonula
just to make sure the bottom was mixed in.

Pour into preparedpan and bake for 30 minutes.


In glass pyrex

In parchment-lined pan

Top of cake should be golden and toothpick comesout clean.

Cool on cooling rack untilcool, slice in diamonds, and top with crushed pistachios and slivered almonds.

Enjoy with a nice hot cup of tea!

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Blogiversary Giveaway Results!

2011-10-27T08:31:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Melanie!! You're the winner of the Blogiversary package! Please email me at nooshins [at] gmail.com with your mailing address and I will put the package in the mail for you.

Thank you to everyone for your kind words and for entering the giveaway. If you didn't win, stay tuned- I have *two more* giveaways coming up in November from some great companies.

Egg & Grain Free Pumpkin Spice Muffins - Gluten free/Egg Free/Dairy Free/Soy Free

2011-10-25T20:23:00.003-04:00

Since I have gone egg free, I've reallynoticed how difficult it is to find good baked recipes without eggs in it. Ithink the flavor is still quite good in eggless desserts, but most of the timethey lack the fluffy texture that an egg can provide. I'm actuallyquite happy with the way that these pumpkin muffins turned out - they have agood texture and were easy to make. The cashew-date frosting is totallyoptional, but adds a nice bonus and can move the muffin from breakfast todessert :)

I ground my own almond flour for thisrecipe, so it had some larger bits of almond in it which I like- you can alwaysadd some nuts into yours if you like the extra crunch.

I am also submitting this recipe to the"OurSpunky Holiday" roundup.

Egg Free Pumpkin Spice Muffins
(gluten free, dairy free, soy free, grainfree, egg free)

2 Tbsp ground Organic Chia Seed meal
2 Tbsp Organic Flaxseed Meal
5 Tbsp boiling water

1 can organic pumpkin puree (15 oz/425g)
1/2 cup honey
1 cup coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup Organic Coconut Flour
1/2 cup almond flour (I ground my ownhere)
1/2 cup tapioca or arrowroot flour
1 tsp cinnamon
3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp sea salt
1.5 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp baking powder

Preheat your oven to 350*F and grease your muffin pans (I made 12 large and 12 mini with this recipe)
In your mixing bowl add the boiled water to the flax and chia meals (grind your chia first and then measure). Mix well then allow to gel for about 5 minutes while you assemble your dry ingredients.
In a small bowl whisk together all of the dry ingredients and set aside.
Add the coconut oil and vanilla to the flax/chia combo and blend well (the heat of the water should melt it if your coconut oil is still solid)
Add in your dry ingredients and blend just until incorporated, stopping once to scrape the bottom and sides with a spatula
Pour into your muffin tins and bake for approximately 40 minutes.
Remove from oven when the muffins are dark and look firm. Test with a toothpick, but it will still be a bit gooey.

**Allow yourMuffins to cool on a wire rack! I enjoyed them warm, but they will stillseem like they're not cooked if you don't let them fully cool. Store onthe counter for up to 2 days or in the fridge- it will get a little harder ifrefrigerated. Top with cashew-date frosting if you like once cooled (seebelow).

Cashew-Date Frosting

1 cup raw cashews
3 dates
3 Tbsp coconut oil
Soak your cashews over night or in boilingwater (covered) for an hour or two. In another small bowl, your foodprocessor or blender bowl cover your halved dates with boiling water. Let soakuntil soft. Pour out the soaking water and reserve for later ifneeded. Blend the dates, cashews, and coconut oil until creamy. If youneed a bit more water to blend, add some of the date water. Place inrefrigerator just until chilled and then pipe or spread onto muffins.
Enjoy!

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Four Year Blogiversary + A Giveaway!

2011-10-22T21:06:00.003-04:00

It's hard to believe that it's been four years since I started this blog! Four years ago I was overwhelmed, excited, determined, and a bit nervous about this new gluten free thing that I had started. It had been only about a month or two and I felt like I was being proactive in the process of my healing and support by starting his site... and I definitely was. I couldn't come up with a name for my site, but all I could think of was how much I love food and didn't want to feel deprived- I wanted to celebrate, so that's how I became "For the Love of Food!" :)

I have learned a lot and gained so much through the gf and food blogging community and I am so grateful for having this as my home base and place to chart my progress and keep track of ideas and recipes as they come to me.

Up until now I have had thousands of visitors from over 50 countries- from Denmark to Armenia, Brunei to Singapore. I love hearing from you- whether by comment or email.

So in honor of my fourth blogiversary, I have created a new Facebook page that you can "like" and hear more from me on, as well as share your own thoughts, ideas, and questions on.

So click on "For the Love of Food" and "like" the site and hopefully this community can continue to expand in great ways.

I have also decided to have a giveaway in honor of this event because who doesn't love free things?!

Here are the items that I'm giving away:

This little package I'm putting together includes a great cookbook "Sweet Alternative" by Ariana Bundy, a Cherrybrook Kitchens GF Pancake and Waffle Mix, and a Bob's Red Mill GF Pancake Mix.

Receive one entry for each of the following:
(leave a separate comment for each)

"Like" For the Love of Food on Facebook and let me know in the comments on this post.
Leave a separate comment letting me know what type of dish you would like to see a recipe for.
Share via your blog or FB about the giveaway and let me know.

The winner will be chosen using a random generator. I can only ship to U.S. addresses at this time. The giveaway will close on October 26th, and I will announce the results shortly thereafter, so make sure you check back to see if you won!

Quick Achiote Black Bean and Collard Green Soup

2011-10-21T22:11:00.003-04:00

Tonight I was in the mood for a quick and savory fall soup! I love black bean soups, so tonight I thought I would put a bit of a different twist on it with a different spice and veggie blend. I made the whole dish in probably 30 minutes and loved it. You can of course let it simmer longer for a deeper flavor, but the less it cooks the more fresh the veggies are, so I don't recommend it.
Achiote, also called Annato is a great, rich and flavorful spice that I've really enjoyed using in my cooking. It can be found in most international sections of grocery stores under either name in powder or seed form. I used the powder in this recipe- already ground. The good news: it's pretty inexpensive too! If you don't have it, you could probably sub a smoked paprika for a similar quality.
For the beans, if you plan in advance definitely use dry, but I love the Eden brand canned onesbecause the cans are BPA free, and they use Kombu seaweed instead of salt! Amazon has a great subscribe and save deal as well.

Quick Achiote Black Bean and Collard Green Soup
(gluten free, soy free, dairy free/vegan, grain free)

1 small onion or 2 Tbsp dried onion flakes
3 Tbsp coconut oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp achiote powder
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp oregano or Mexican oregano
1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (depending on your tolerance)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt

3 carrots, chopped
1 green bell pepper
1 red pepper (mine was a skinny long one, but bell will do)
4 large collard green leaves, chopped

4 cups organic broth (chicken or veggie)

1 can Eden Organic Black Beans

Avocado, sliced - optional

Heat your coconut oil. Add the onion and saute until soft. Add the garlic and spices and stir for about a minute over medium heat, letting the spices release, but careful not to burn them. Add the carrots and stir for a few minutes, letting them soften a bit (you can chop your peppers and greens while these cook). Add the peppers and greens and stir for a minute or two. Add the broth and beans, stir, and bring to boil with the lid on. Once boiling, lower the heat and let simmer for another 5-10 minutes, taste, and serve garnished with avocado if desired.