Phytofoods - whole food from earth to table

Almond Flour Double Chocolate Mini Muffins

2012-02-23T09:33:00.000-08:00

These started out as cookies, of course based on the recipe ideas of Elana Amsterdam of Elana's Pantry. They turned out quite fluffy and cake like so I decided to make them into mini muffins. The addition of chocolate chips is optional....a bit too sweet for me (light weight) yet perfect for my husband and the neighborhood kids. I love the size of them as they provide a nice snack for a child without the sugary load plus added protein and good fat makes them even more awesome.

Almond Flour Double Chocolate Mini Muffins

ingredients:

Dry:

2 1/2 cups almond meal ( I like Honeyville)

1/2 cup organic cocoa or cacao powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Wet:

2 pastured eggs

2/3 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup coconut oil melted

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Additional:

3/4 cup chocolate chips ( I use these )

Line 24-30 mini muffin tins with paper liners. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl and set aside. Melt coconut oil and whisk in maple syrup to coconut oil and allow to cool on stove for a few minutes while combining the eggs and vanilla extract in a separate bowl. Add coconut oil and maple syrup to the egg mixture and whisk well. Add this to the dry ingredients, mix well and then fold in the chocolate chips. Fill muffin tins to the top of each (not over).

Bake at 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes (my oven is 13 minutes exactly).

yield: 28-30 mini muffins

Cleansing Winter Veggie Soup

2012-01-22T16:08:00.000-08:00

I love this soup. There are so many great things about it number one being that it takes no time at all to make. I have a friend here who is a breast cancer survivor and six years after her initial diagnosis and successful battle she (not surprising) had to have surgery due to intestinal difficulties. She called me wanting to know what to eat as nothing seemed to be sitting right with her after the surgery. I rattled off a list of ingredients....some of this, that, steam it, add ginger, miso-done. The next day I was at her house and she made this soup. Divine. I love the addition of sunchokes and winter squash keeping us in touch with the season. You could really add any veggies to this although this exact combination is super tasty. Eating this makes me want more healthy food. If you are interested in more recipes like this and giving your body a break, you can join nutritionist Andrea Nakayama and I for our seasonal Winter Cleanse starting February 4th. For more information click here.

Cleansing Winter Veggie Soup

ingredients:

1 1/2 stalks celery sliced

1 sunchoke cut into 1 inch pieces

1/2 onion cut into chunks

1 carrot sliced

2 cups winter squash peeled and cubed

4 leaves green kale (lacinato or green leaf)

1/2-1 inch piece of fresh ginger peeled and sliced

1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves

1/4-1/2 cup chickpea miso or to taste

sea salt to taste (optional)

preparation:

Place celery, sunchokes, onion, carrot, winter squash, kale and ginger in a soup pot and add water to cover all vegetables by 1/2 inch. Place a lid on the pot and bring veggies to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat and let cool a bit, about 5 minutes. Add all steamed vegetables with steaming liquid and parsley to a high speed or Vitamix blender (for smooth consistency). Blend until smooth and then add miso, blend again until smooth and add salt (optional) to taste.

Serves 4-6

Gluten Free Ginger Bread

2011-12-14T10:48:00.000-08:00

Holy moly....time has flown by. Pregnancy, work and a kitchen remodel have sucked me into a time warp. The kitchen should be done by January and Im so excited to get back in it cooking and creating more recipes. For the first part of my pregnancy I really didn't feel like eating much, so cooking was out of the question. I got by on very basic foods and felt quite sad that all of my kitchen inspiration had gone away somewhere. Around the 15 week time my friend Shawna started texting me recipes that she was creating. I would say this kicked me back into gear and soon we started a texting frenzy of different photos and recipes. Shawna is my magic baker friend and inspires me to take chances baking. Sometimes it can take a while to get it right, like with this recipe. It was started by her and we went back and forth testing it, I think a total of 7 times. This is the end result and Im quite proud of it. I even had a neighbor request it as her 5th Birthday party cake! It packs in protein, and some high iron foods which are great for pregnancy. I added powdered coconut palm sugar to the top. For directions on how to make powdered coconut palm sugar see Ali's Nourishing Meals blog.

Gluten Free Ginger Bread

dry ingredients:
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup teff flour
2/3 cup brown rice flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of cloves
pinch of allspice

wet ingredients:
1/4 cup molasses
3/4 cup coconut palm sugar
1 heaping teaspoon of grated fresh ginger
1/4 cup coconut milk, or other milk or milk substitute
2 eggs
1/2 cup coconut oil warm and melted
1/4 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Whisk together first 5 wet ingredients (including coconut palm sugar) and add the warmed coconut oil and hot water last. Whisk again until smooth. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until well combined. Pour batter into a lightly greased (with coconut oil) 8 x 8 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Let cool completely and top with powdered coconut sugar. Enjoy!

Peachy Mint Smoothie

2011-08-05T10:55:00.000-07:00

I go through phases of drinking the same smoothies morning after morning. Peaches are in season and the mint in my garden is going crazy, so this yummy Minty Peach Smoothie has been hitting my Vitamix every day. It gives me enough energy with the added coconut milk and hemp protein to last a good portion of the morning before I am hungry again. This recipe is just one of the many yummy recipes (over 40) I've created in the TrulyFood upcoming Summer Cleanse. I see this cleanse as a great opportunity for people to get in touch with seasonal produce and enjoy a nice cleansing week of smoothies, juices and light foods (great for the warm weather that finally reached Portland). Please join us if you will, and know that you can do this 7 day cleanse from anywhere. Click here for details and enjoy~

Peachy Mint Smoothie

1 1/2 cups peaches

10–12 fresh mint leaves

3/4 cup light coconut milk

1 1/2 cups coconut juice

2 Tbsp. chia seeds

1/2 tsp. maca

1/2 tsp. coconut oil

10–15 drops vanilla stevia liquid

1 Tbsp. hemp protein or Sun Warrior protein powder

Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. For best results, use a Vitamix high-speed blender.

Servings: 2

Strawberry Mint Coconut Pops

2011-07-08T14:20:00.000-07:00

I recently bought a flat of Hood Strawberries from Know Thy Food (best food buying group ever). I had to quickly freeze them before time ran out because, as a strawberry farmer once said to me ~"those Hood variety strawberries go bad if you look at them wrong." So I found myself with an overabundance of very ripe strawberries as well as massive amounts of mint growing in my garden. Add a can of coconut milk, some honey and vanilla stevia and these pops are a huge hit. As you know from other posts, I always try out recipes on the neighborhood kids. These definitely passed, and the slightly phallic shaped rocket popsicle molds were also a success (take that Mr. Ice Cream Man...just keep driving past my house with that catchy tune).

Strawberry Mint Coconut Pops
ingredients:
9 large strawberries (approximately 1 pound)
2-3 tablespoons honey
dash of vanilla bean powder or vanilla extract
10 fresh mint leaves
1 can full fat organic coconut milk
7 drops vanilla cream liquid stevia
pinch of sea salt

preparation:
Place all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze overnight or for 5-8 hours.

Sprouted Almond Nettle Pesto

2011-05-16T20:02:00.000-07:00

There are so many places around Portland to gather nettles. We usually go once a year and harvest a ton, make pesto, freeze some, eat some, and dehydrate the rest to use for tea. For this recipe I actually bought a big bag for 3 dollars at the Hillsdale Farmer's Market from the folks at Springwater Farm who, by the way, sell the most amazing mushrooms and fiddlehead ferns (its just a wild foods fest at their booth). I used what I had on hand at home and came up with this superb pesto recipe. When handling the nettles

Cucumber Wakame Salad

2011-04-26T21:18:00.000-07:00

One of the great parts of my job is to create recipes for seasonal cleanse classes taught by Nutritionist Andrea Nakayama and myself. Each time, I am challenged to create even more recipes than the year before. One of my goals for the Rejuvenate: Spring Cleanse was to include more seaweed recipes. Along with the Kelp Noodle Salad and Veggie Nori Rolls, I added a Wakame Cucumber Salad, which I love. Its great to have sitting in the refrigerator to snack on especially during a cleanse when hunger strikes. Wakame is one of my favorite seaweeds to work with. It is known as the womans seaweed and is actually an algae that is amongst the oldest living species on Earth. It has been used in traditional Japanese, Chinese, and Korean cuisine as an important health food. It is high in a variety of vitamins including vitamins A, C, E, and K, it’s a good source of minerals such as iron, calcium, and iodine, all important during a food based cleanse. For more information on our spring cleanse and to register Click Here.

Cucumber Wakame Salad

ingredients:

3 large Japanese or regular cucumbers

1 tablespoon sea salt

1/2 cup dried wakame

4-5 tablespoons brown rice vinegar or to taste

1 teaspoon raw honey, coconut palm sugar, or sweetener of choice (optitonal)

Sea salt to taste

instructions:

Cover the wakame with water and soak for 10-15 minutes. While soaking, thinly slice the cucumbers into rounds. Place them in a colander over the sink, sprinkle with sea salt, and mix together. Set aside for 10 minutes. Rinse them well and squeeze the cucumbers dry. Rinse and squeeze dry.

Combine the cucumber and wakame in a bowl, add the rice vinegar and sweetener, and mix well. Season to taste with sea salt and allow the salad to marinate for 20 minutes.

Serves 4-5

Almond Chia Crackers (vegan, gf, dairy free, egg free)

2011-04-07T14:28:00.000-07:00

Finally a cracker that fits all of our household food allergy needs AND its not in a package, its high protein, low carbohydrate, filling and crunchy (most important to the young boy). These can be made as a thicker cracker and baked for 10-15 minutes longer or a very thin crispy cracker baked for the amount of time below. I have added garlic powder and herbs, plain sea salt, and chopped fresh herbs...all turned out well. Isaac had the idea of making them a graham cracker....hmmmmmm, added apple juice, cinnamon and honey? I will have to play with that one! Enjoy~ and stay tuned for some new spring cleansing recipes using my favorite spring greens to help you ease into the TrulyFood Rejuvenate Spring Cleanse on May 7th!

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Smokey Cumin Roasted Vegetables with Chimichurri Sauce

2011-03-21T13:53:00.000-07:00

I love having a good portion of my meals be raw, fresh vegetables and the addition of this sauce to the roasted veggies is not only beautiful, its tastes amazing. I have used the Chimichurri Sauce as a salad dressing as well as a topping for baked ling cod or grilled salmon. This is adapted from a recipe by Lee Zucker of Eugene, Oregon (Lee owned and ran a Vegetarian restaurant there years ago). Keep in mind that you can use any root vegetables you want. Its hard to mess up this recipe!

Smokey Cumin Roasted Vegetables

ingredients:

2-3 medium sized potatoes cut into chunks

3 large carrots cut into chunks

3 medium sized turnips cut into chunks

1 large onion cut into chunks

4 garlic cloves, peeled

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

2 teaspoons cumin powder

3-4 tablespoons olive oil

1-2 teaspoons salt (add more at end to taste)

1/2 cup vegetable stock, chicken stock, or water

1 large sweet potato cut into chunks, placed into a bowl and tossed with 1 teaspoon olive oil, a dash of smoked paprika and a dash of cumin.

preparation:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place all vegetables except sweet potatoes in a large baking pan or dutch oven. Toss well with olive oil, paprika, cumin and sea salt. Add stock or water to bottom of the pan. Place in the oven and roast for 30 minutes, stirring the vegetables every 10 minutes. After 30 minutes, add sweet potatoes and combine well. Bake another 30 minutes- again, stirring every 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. While vegetables are roasting, prepare Chimichurri Sauce.

Chimichurri Sauce

ingredients:

1 cup tightly packed Italian parsley

2-3 peeled garlic cloves

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup water

preparation:

Add all ingredients into a high speed blender and blend until smooth. Adjust salt to taste. Store in an airtight glass container for up to 5 days.

Roasted Hazelnut Spiced Mini Muffins

2011-03-01T11:41:00.000-08:00

The mayor of Portlandia held a press conference to let everyone know that the city is "ready" for the big snow storm. Well, the snow looked more like rain at first and it was a bit white out there this morning yet it melted completely by mid day. Needless to say, we were inside most of the day and I was able to mess with some of the spices sent to me by Frank's Finest LLC. I have to admit, I wasn't sure about using spice blends as I usually use single spices and adjust to my own taste. I am happy to say that every blend of Frank's that I tried I loved. His Dessert Blend is perfect for any muffin with its chai flavors and lovely lucuma and coconut sweetness.

Its great leaving these little muffins on the counter in my house and watching kids walk by and grab one, they slowly disappear over a couple of days. If you don't have mini muffins pans, you can make them in paper lined full muffin cups at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Savory Beet Borscht with Cashew Sour Cream

2011-02-21T09:34:00.000-08:00

"The beet is the most intense of vegetables. The radish, admittedly, is more feverish, but the fire of the radish is a cold fire, the fire of discontent, not of passion. Tomatoes are lusty enough, yet there runs through tomatoes an undercurrent of frivolity. Beets are deadly serious."

-Tom Robbins, Jitterbug Perfume

Every time I work with beets this Tom Robbins quote passes through my brain. Its been years since I read Jitterbug Perfume yet I still refer to it as one of my favorite books. I think of Winter as the time of beet soups, roasted beets and pickled beets. This recipe can be made with or without the cashew sour cream, with regular sour cream, homemade vegetable stock, or chicken stock. I had a friend ask if she could substitute sweet potatoes for white potatoes and I think this would be delicious. One of the many beautiful things about borscht is that it is hard to mess it up! Try adding cabbage, parsnips or even some apples. Enjoy!

Savory Beet Borscht with Cashew Sour Cream

ingredients:

1 medium onion sliced into half moons

2 cloves garlic chopped

2 tablespoons ghee (or olive oil)

2 medium carrots chopped

2 small potatoes chopped

4 medium sized beets chopped

1 turnip chopped

4 cups homemade vegetable or chicken stock

4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 ½ teaspoons dried dill

salt and pepper to taste

preparation:

Heat ghee or olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute’ until soft. Next add carrots, beets, potatoes, and turnips and sauté for 10-15 minutes until vegetables start to soften. Add broth and bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in vinegar, dill and salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with Cashew Sour Cream (optional)

Serves 5-6

Cashew Sour Cream

ingredients:

1 cup raw cashews

2/3 cup water

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

pinch of sea salt

1 teaspoon nutritional yeast

preparation:

Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth. If you do not have a Vitamix or other high speed blender, soak cashews in water for one hour before blending.

West African Creamy Yam Soup

2011-01-28T13:03:00.000-08:00

Here is one of the simple, nourishing soups we will be eating on the Revitalize Cleanse. It is adapted from a recipe by a woman named Lee Zucker from Eugene, Oregon. The title was West African Peanut-Yam Soup. I changed a few things and made this a bit more cleanse friendly. You could easily substitute the almond butter in my recipe for peanut butter, add a bit more ginger to spice it up, or a dash of coconut palm sugar to bring in more sweet. Enjoy, and don't forget our gentle Winter Cleanse starts February 5th with the recorded tele-class that will be available for you to listen to at any time. Group cleanse and online forum start Monday February 7th, hope to see you there!

For more information or to sign up for Revitalize: A Winter Cleanse Click here

West African Creamy Yam Soup

ingredients:

1/4 cup peeled chopped fresh ginger

4 1/2 cups water

3 garlic gloves peeled and chopped

1 onion chopped

3 large carrots sliced

1 large yam/sweet potato peeled and cubed

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3/4 cup creamy smooth raw almond butter

4 cups ginger broth (see below)

2 1/2 cups tomato juice (I recommend Bionaturae Organic Strained tomatoes blended to 2 1/2 cups)

optional:

dash of cayenne

1 teaspoon coconut palm sugar

sliced scallions

pumpkin seeds

to make broth:

Place ginger and 4 1/2 cups water in a medium pot and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, covered for 30 minutes to an hour until broth is strong. Skim out ginger and set aside.

preparation:

In a large soup pot place garlic, onion, carrot, yam, ginger broth and cayenne (optional). If broth has reduced make sure vegetables are covered by adding water. Bring to a boil, reduce and simmer for 15-30 minutes until vegetables are tender. Working in batches, blend or puree vegetables and broth with the almond butter. Return to pot. Add tomato juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and stir in sea salt, lemon juice and coconut palm sugar (optional). Let simmer for a few more minutes and remove from heat. Spoon into bowls and top with chopped scallions and pumpkin seeds.

Serves 6

Grain Free Apple Spice Muffins (egg free, gluten free, dairy free)

2011-01-23T16:31:00.000-08:00

After 3 tries I think I finally have it! These grain free honey sweetened muffins have been a great addition to our family favorites. I've been enjoying them post workout, my husband eats them for breakfast on his way to work, and when I send one to school with Isaac I know he is getting a good solid full protein snack (without all of the funky gums and fillers that usually come with gluten free baked goods). They are slightly more dense than your usual fluffy muffin and they stay quite moist over a couple of days if stored in an air tight container. I used the Honeyville Almond flour. I tried the recipe with both blanched and unblanched almond flour and they both worked well. Enjoy!

ingredients:

1 1/2 cups almond flour

3/4 cup buckwheat flour

1/2 cup ground chia flour (seeds ground into a flour)

2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

3 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

1 cup apple sauce

1/2 cup honey

2/3 cup milk or milk substitute (I used coconut milk)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean powder

4 tablespoons coconut oil or ghee

preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line trays with paper muffin cups. Add all dry ingredients to a food processor and pulse until well combined. Add wet ingredients and oil. Process for 1-3 minutes making sure all oil is fully incorporated. Measure 1/4 cup batter in each muffin tin making sure to smooth out the tops. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes. Let cool completely before eating (if you can...they are best that way and will not be as wet once cooled).

yield: 12 muffins

Source: www.phytofoods.blogspot.com

Creamy Wild Mushroom Soup with Smoked Paprika and Herbs

2011-01-16T19:56:00.001-08:00

I had the house to myself this weekend which is a first and wow...it was so quiet. I had the opportunity to really focus and enjoy making this soup. Its a sort of spin off from the basic Hungarian Mushroom soup which uses a lot of butter and milk. My body doesn't react well to milk products so I decided to create a non dairy (vegan if you wish) version. A trick to doing this is using blended cashews and water to replace the dairy or cream. This soup would be great on top of a wild rice or other grain of choice~Hope you enjoy!

ingredients:

2 cups sliced wild mushrooms (crimini if wild are not available)

2 cups chopped onion

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons dried dill

2 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika

3 tablespoons tamari

3 1/2 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock

3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 cup raw cashews

1 cup water

Salt and Pepper to taste

Chopped fresh parsley

preparation:

Lightly heat olive oil in a medium soup pot and saute' onions until slightly soft. Add mushrooms, dill, paprika, and tamari and saute' 3 more minutes. Add stock, bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. While soup is simmering blend cashews and water in a Vitamix Blender. After 15 minutes reduce heat, add cashew mixture, lemon, salt and pepper to taste. Serve with chopped parsley and a slice of lemon.

Serves 4

Source: www.phytofoods.blogspot.com

Blueberry Peach Crisp

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

This week I dipped into my summer stash of peaches and blueberries. It instantly prompted me to get out my Greg Brown CD and remember why I love his music, especially his song Canned Goods. Its all about tasting summer in the fruits and vegetables we preserve and store for the colder months.

'Cause the canned goods that I buy at the store

Ain't got the summer in 'em anymore.

You bet, Grandma, as sure as your born

Ill take some more potatoes and a thunderstorm.'

-Greg Brown, The Live One CD (my favorite)

Blueberry Peach Crisp

ingredients:

Topping:

1 cup oats (gluten free if you need)

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup finely shredded coconut

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon coconut palm sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of sea salt

1/2 cup coconut oil gently melted

Filling:

3 cups frozen blueberries

4 cups frozen peaches

1 tablespoon arrowroot powder dissolved in 2 tablespoons water

1/4 cup coconut palm sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of sea salt

preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange blueberries and peaches in a pan and set aside to partially thaw while you prepare the topping. For the topping, combine oats, brown rice flour, finely shredded coconut, coconut palm sugar, cinnamon and sea salt in a bowl. Gently melt coconut oil in a pan and pour over topping mixture. Stir in with a fork until topping is thoroughly coated with coconut oil. Next combine arrowroot with the water and pour over fruit mixture. Add coconut palm sugar, vanilla and sea salt and mix well until evenly coated. Sprinkle topping over fruit mixture in an even layer. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Warming Grain Free (and gluten free) Breakfast Cereal

2011-01-02T16:40:00.000-08:00

Its been a while since my last post. We have been traveling and celebrating and eating and cooking up a storm! I have a lot of new recipes to share with you and I wanted to start with this one. There seems to be a movement happening in this funny world of healthy eating. I've noticed a lot of people gravitating towards a lower grain and sugar diet and experiencing more clarity and energy, as well as less bloating. I have eaten a low sugar diet since 1996 when I was diagnosed with candida. I don't think about it much anymore, its just become the way I eat, or at least a constant in the ever evolving and changing way that I eat! This recipe has been an amazing addition to my morning routine. Its very very versatile so I am going to give you a basic recipe that you can feel free to add to. Here are some ideas for additions: Ground nuts or seeds (sesame or sunflower), dried fruits, fresh berries and/or other chopped fruits, raw honey, maple syrup, coconut palm sugar, hemp seeds, nut or any other milk (you get the idea...you could add anything). I hope you enjoy it, let me know what changes you make to the recipe~

Warming Grain Free Breakfast Cereal

ingredients:

1 tablespoon ground flax

1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds

2 tablespoons shredded coconut

2 teaspoons chia seeds

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of sea salt

1 vanilla bean seeded (optional)

7 drops liquid stevia (vanilla crème or plain) or ½-1 teaspoon raw honey (or any other sweetener you desire)

½ bosc pear chopped

1 tablespoon goji berries

coconut milk

preparation:

Grind flax seed into a fine meal and set aside (I usually grind about a cup and then just have it stored in the refrigerator for later). You can use a hand blender like the magic bullet, a Vitamix dry blade, or a food processor.

Place pumpkin seeds, coconut, chia, cinnamon, vanilla and sea salt in a food processor and process until finely ground (see below).

Transfer ingredients to a bowl and cover with hot water. Mix in ground flax seeds and stevia or other desired sweetener. Drizzle with coconut milk, top with chopped pear and goji berries, enjoy.

yield: 1 serving

Often I will make a large batch of this and keep it in my refrigerator in a mason jar so that is ready to go in the morning.

Source: www.phytofoods.blogspot.com

inspired by Andrea Nakayama of ReplenishPDX

Kelp Noodle Stir Fry

2010-11-28T18:58:00.000-08:00

I know some of us did a little bit of eating this past week. I find that even though I eat a very healthy diet, when I over eat I feel pretty crappy. Whenever I know I've eaten more than makes me feel light, I make myself something cleansing. Today I cut up a burdock root to put in this stir fry but it never made it into the cast iron pan. I ate the whole thing raw with a little sesame oil and ume plum vinegar (yum). I used all local veggies for this and had some leftover celeriac which I sauteed with some red peppers for a side dish (I used sesame oil, you could saute them in ghee, coconut oil, butter, or sesame oil and add a bit of brown rice, ume plum, apple cider vinegar or sea salt). This is one of the many cleansing, seasonal, and warm recipes we provide in our Autumn Cleanse which is being offered again as a post Thanksgiving treat. It felt so good when I did it last time, I think I am going to do again this week! Click here if you are interested in joining me~and remember, its not just for Portland people, you can do it from anywhere!

ingredients:

1 bag kelp noodles, drain water off, rinse and soak in water for 2-4 hours then drain and rinse again.

2 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon grated ginger

1 garlic clove minced

1 shallot (golf ball size) thinly sliced

10 shitake, maitake or chantrelle mushrooms sliced

½ cup peeled and shredded celery root or turnip

½ cup shredded carrots

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon tamari

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

½ teaspoon sea salt

optional: drizzle of hot pepper toasted sesame oil, chopped cilantro, chopped scallions

preparation:

Heat sesame oil in a cast iron skillet or other medium sized pan. Add ginger and garlic, and shallots and sauté for a few minutes until shallots begin to soften. Add mushrooms and cook for another 3-4 minutes or until soft. Add celery root or turnip and carrots and mix well. Add apple cider vinegar, tamari, toasted sesame oil and sea salt and toss to coat all vegetables well. Stir in kelp noodles at the end, mix well and turn off heat. Serve garnished with chopped cilantro or scallions and hot pepper toasted sesame oil for some heat.

yield: 2 servings

If you don't know what kelp noodles are check out their website for more information. Its a great substitute for regular noodles and they are high in necessary trace minerals.

Sauteed Wild Mushrooms with Burdock Root and Kale

2010-11-07T22:01:00.000-08:00

I absolutely love this time of year at the farmer's market. The contrast between the bright vegetables of summer and the gray Portland sky puts me in a state of euphoria. Now that might just be me, not everyone finds the sight of a bounty of vegetables orgasmic, I understand, yet I still encourage everyone (especially you Portlanders) to get out and go to the farmer's market. Get in touch with what is being grown in your area! One of the most exciting booths for me to visit is the mushroom booth. There are always new funky mushrooms to try. Last week I bought some black trumpet mushrooms and this week the lovely Maitake, also known as the "dancing mushroom" in Japanese folklore. It is known to be a balancing food that contributes to immune health.

This recipe is great for a quick lunch or dinner. Any protein can be added and the fresh burdock root contains polyacetylenes which are plant chemicals that are useful in fighting certain types of bacterial and fungal infections including things like ringworm and urinary tract infections. What a great way to boost your immune system going into winter. This recipe is one of many warming and immune boosting recipes in our upcoming Autumn Cleanse on November 12th (distance online class) and 13th (Portland live class). If you are interested and can't attend the live gathering on November 13th, you can listen to the class at your convenience over the weekend and join us starting November 15th for the group cleanse. For more information or to register click here.

Enjoy,

Andrea

Sauteed Wild Mushrooms with Burdock Root and Kale

ingredients:

2 teaspoons organic sesame oil

1 golf ball sized shallot sliced thinly into half moons

1 12 inch whole fresh burdock root sliced

1 cup chopped Maitake mushrooms (shitakes can be substituted)

1-2 cups lacinato kale cut into thin ribbons

1 tablespoon Ume Plum vinegar (or more if you like)

toasted sesame oil or toasted hot pepper sesame oil (optional)

sesame seeds (optional)

preparation:

Heat a cast iron skillet (or other) over medium heat. Add sesame oil and shallots and saute' until they start to soften. Add Maitakes and saute' a few minutes more. Placed sliced burdock root in the pan and stir well to combine all ingredients. Place a lid on the skillet and let the vegetables steam for a 3 minutes stirring occasionally. Continue to saute' until burdock is cooked through, a few more minutes. Add the ribboned lacinato to the pan and stir into mixture until the kale turns a bright green color. Turn off stove. Add the Ume Plum vinegar and toss well. I like to sprinkle toasted hot pepper sesame oil and sesame seeds on top before eating for a little kick.

Miso Lemon Almond Spread

2010-11-03T09:37:00.000-07:00

I've had some requests for this one so I thought I would go ahead and post it today. I ferment this spread which gives it a more tangy/cheesy taste. I think it tastes best that way. However, you could skip the fermenting part if you are in a hurry. Its very versatile, you could add any spices, more lemen, orange zest, or chopped fresh herbs like chives, cilantro or basil.

This will be one of the recipes I provide in the upcoming Autumn Cleanse that I co-teach with Nutritionist Andrea Nakayama of ReplenishPDX. If you are craving the opportunity to sink back into your body, slow down, and enjoy a week of easy and nourishing food for your mind body and spirit then please join us! We are excited to offer people the option of attending locally or participating in an one of our teleseminars. Class Dates: November 12th (on-line) & November 13th (live in SE PDX) Group Cleanse Start Date: Monday, November 15th. Please click here for more information or to register.

ingredients:

2 cups almonds soaked overnight, strained and rinsed

3 tablespoons mellow white miso

1 garlic clove

2 tablespoons lemon juice

preparation:

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Add a little bit of water or more lemon to help blend if needed. You could also do this in a food processor. Place mixture in a jar or bowl and cover with a coffee filter and rubber band, or towel, and let sit on counter at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight until it starts to ferment and becomes bubbly or fluffy. Strain through a nut milk bag or cheese cloth squeezing out any excess liquid and place spread in a bowl adding optional fresh herbs or spices you might like. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. This recipe uses the whole almond, with the skin, which creates a bit more of a pulpy texture. I love it the way it is. Alternatively you could blanch the almonds or remove the skins for a very smooth,white chevre type spread. Serve on sliced cucumbers or apples for a yummy snack.

Enjoy!

Cinnamon Honey Apple Fruit Leather

2010-10-24T21:25:00.000-07:00

We are up to our ears in apples in the house. I've made apple sauce, spiced apples, apple muffins, apple juice, apple chia cookies, apple smoothies, and apple fruit leathers! I've owned an Excalibur dehydrator for about 4 years and I love it. Its easy to use and clean and I've made some amazing snack foods in it like my Kale Chips and also great wrap alternatives like coconut wraps. Many people invest in a dehydrator and then ask me what to do with it. These fruit leathers are very easy to make and and also a way to get into the swing of dehydrating. I am going to cut some of mine into fun shapes and bring them to our neighborhood Halloween party. I am also going to make a big batch of my Raw Chocolate Truffles which were a big hit last year. I know Halloween is a challenging time for a lot of parents who strive to feed their children healthy food so I thought I would include a list of links to healthier alternatives to candy (brought to you by my TrulyFood business partner Nutritionist Andrea Nakayama)

*Raw Honey Sticks

*Oskri Nut, Seed or Coconut Bars

*Caveman Bars

*Organic Fruit Leathers-Cliff makes one that Isaac loves

*Xylitol Fruity Mints

I ended up ordering the honey sticks as I had just come home from seeing the movie Queen of The Sun. It is such a beautiful film, it actually brought tears to my eyes...and took me on a trip back in time to my organic farming days. Its a film that addresses the global bee crisis from a number of different perspectives. Its important that we are all aware of what is going on with our bees and our ecosystem. Please check to see if this film is playing in your area and go see it!

Boo!

-Andrea

Cinnamon Honey Apple Fruit Leather

ingredients:

8 medium Fuji apples (or any you might have), cored and cubed

1-2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/8-1/4 teaspoon sea salt

optional: 1 vanilla bean seeded or a dash of vanilla extract, 10 drops liquid vanilla cream stevia, or 3-4 tablespoons organic raw honey.

preparation:

Blend all ingredients until very smooth and pour 2 cups per dehydrator sheet (on teflex). Spread until thin and smooth.

Dehydrate 5-6 hours or until dry. Turn off dehydrator and allow to cool completely. Peel off of teflex sheet and cut into desired shapes/pieces.

Easy Caesar Dressing

2010-10-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

I taught a class yesterday on dehydrating and one of the recipes was for dehydrated almond croutons. We decided to serve them on top of a caesar salad...only problem was that we didn't have all of the ingredients for the dressing. I knew I had one filed away somewhere and sure enough, I was able to improvise and come up with this. Some people like a very lemony caesar dressing so feel free to add more lemon to this if you would like (my husband informed me that he thinks it could use more lemon and of course I disagree, ha!) I served mine over this amazing heirloom mix of salad greens. It would be great tossed with Romaine lettuce or used as a dip with cut up vegetables for kids. Hope you enjoy!

Easy Caesar Dressing

ingredients:

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup olive oil

2 ribs celery chopped

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice

3 tablespoons wheat free tamari

2 tablespoons chickpea or mellow white miso

2 teaspoons honey or other sweetener of choice

1 tablespoon dulse flakes

1 garlic clove (minced if you don't have a high speed blender)

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

preparation:

Blend all ingredients until smooth (preferably in a Vitamix or high speed blender) and serve on chopped Romaine or any available salad greens.

Chia Doodles (grain free, egg free, dairy free, and delicious)

2010-10-02T17:28:00.000-07:00

Round two of these cookies and I think I have it! The first round was made with ground cashews, which you could still use. I actually liked them with cashews but I was walking through the Portland State University Farmers Market today and I saw this- a little voice inside my head told me to try the cookies with it:

I love the taste of them and I also love the fact that they are grown right near my house! Actually I think any ground nut could replace the hazelnuts. I used ground, roasted hazelnut flour which gives the cookies a nice earthy Autumn taste. Any chopped fruit (dried or fresh) or nuts could be added for extra flavor. The apple taste is subtle so if you want more of it, I would add some chopped to the batter.

Chia Doodles

ingredients:

1 cup chia flour (ground chia seed, in a coffee grinder or Vitamix dry blade)

1 cup roasted hazelnut flour (can also be ground at home)

1 teaspoon ginger powder

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4-1/2 teaspoon sea salt

3/4 cup coconut palm sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup peeled and chopped apples

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup gently melted coconut oil

preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl (mix very well) and set aside. Place apples, melted coconut oil and vanilla in a blender and blend until smooth. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix well. Using a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon, scoop cookie dough onto ungreased baking pan and flatten a bit to form a cookie shape. Bake at 350 for about 13 minutes (depending on your oven). Cookies should be a little brown on the bottom. Remove from baking sheet and let cool completely on a plate (if you can) before serving. Yields 18-20 cookies.

I hope you enjoy the cookies, I know I did...a bit too much I think!

For you local Portlanders, don't forget about my Preserve Your Harvest Dehydrator Class coming up next Sunday, October 10th. It is geared towards people that own a dehydrator but don't quite know what to do with it, or feel stuck with ideas of things to make using it. For more information and to register Click here.

Hope to see you there!

-Andrea

I almost forgot~my friend Ali of Whole Life Nutrition hosted a great blog event titled Ideas for Packing a Healthy School Lunch where she rounded up a number of different blogger recipes (including a couple of mine) and created one post linking to some fabulous recipes and information on feeding children well rounded meals while they are at school. For any parent interested, this is a great resource. Click here to read.

Red Lentil Dal with Coconut Milk

2010-09-25T16:16:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is the recipe for Red Lentil Dal with Coconut Milk. I remade the Brown Rice and Lentil Dosas and I have to say...I like them even better with the dal. I fermented them just a bit longer which resulted in a lovely sourdough taste that complimented this soup so well. This soup is so easy to make and served with a steamed grain and salad is a great solution when you are looking for a quick meal. I hope you enjoy!

Red Lentil Dahl with Coconut Milk
ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves of garlic (1 teaspoon minced)
1 onion (small/medium) chopped
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup red lentils
1-2 tablespoons madras curry powder
3 cups water
1 cup tomatoes chopped
¼ cup full fat coconut milk
½ lemon juiced

preparation:
Heat olive oil in medium sized sauce pan or cast iron skillet. Saute garlic and onions until soft, add lentils and curry powder and salt to coat. Add water and cook 30-40 minutes until lentils are soft. Add tomatoes and cook another 5-10 minutes. Stir in coconut milk and lemon juice. Add salt to taste.

Upcoming Events:
New Class!
Are you wondering what to do with all of this beautiful Northwest harvest?
Preserving Your Harvest: Using A Dehydrator to Create Warming Healthy Autumn Snacks
In this class we will teach you how to use a dehydrator to create healthy, locally grown, seasonal snacks.

Apple Pear Ginger Fruit Leather, Spicy Chocolate Corn Tortillas, Warming Spice Nuts, Crispy Nori Snacks, Savory Almond Croutons, Fall Harvest Savory Onion Bread

Date: Sunday October 10th

Time: 11am-1:30pm

Where: 3836 NE Davis Street home of Freshly Wild

Cost: 45.00 includes demonstrations, recipe packet, and samples of our easy to make delicious snacks

Click here to sign up and reserve your spot!

TrulyFood News:

Your Vibrant Child Class Announcement:

We’ve had so much fun hosting the Your Vibrant Child teleseminar series and the information presented has been invaluable to parents interested in improving the diets of their children or families. We know how hectic Summer can feel for some families so we’ve decide to open up the class again for registration. If you are interested in joining our community of thriving families please go to www.yourvibrantchild.com.

Brown Rice Lentil Dosas with Spiced Apples

2010-09-22T09:05:00.000-07:00

As you know, I recently developed a recipe book for the Adoption Nutrition website. I spent many days trying to develop an injera recipe (FAIL). If anyone out there has one, please pass it on! I sent out a cry for help to some friends and my good friend Shawna said "why don't you do a dosa recipe"? Hmmm, why don't I? With the help of Shawna and my Vitamix, I made these and they were delicious. I started the fermentation process early in the morning so therefore they were ready the following morning. I ended up filling them with spiced apples as a breakfast type crepe and YUM! In my next post I will give you a delicious Red Lentil Dahl with Coconut Milk recipe if you are in the mood for a savory dish with your dosas.

BROWN RICE LENTIL DOSA

ingredients:

1 ½ cups brown basmati rice

¾ cup green lentils

sea salt

Coconut oil or Ghee

preparation:

Rinse and soak 1 1/2 cups basmati rice and 3/4 cup green lentils in separate bowls, for 4 -6 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse both well, making sure to get any dust or dirt off. Place soaked ingredients in a high speed blender adding up to ¾ cup water and blend until smooth (like cream of wheat). Alternatively you can grind each separately in a food processor, adding up to 3/4 cup warm water each to process and then mix them together gently in a big bowl. The dosa batter should be the consistency of a cake batter and pourable. Place in a ceramic bowl and loosely cover with a tea towel and a plate. Let sit in a moderately warm place for 24 hours to ferment.

After 24 hours you should notice tiny bubbles and a pleasant yeasty smell. Add a small amount of salt, about 1/2 teaspoon, and a ¼-3/4 cups warm water for ease of ladling.

Heat a medium sized skillet so that drops of water dance and skitter (too hot is water disappears right away, too cool is bubbling in place). Put 1-2 teaspoons of ghee or coconut oil, adding a little more after each dosa to keep the pan oiled. Use a ladle with a flat bottom if possible, scoop about a 1/3 of a cup into the center of the skillet, then use the bottom of the ladle to make a spiral from the center of the dosa outwards, so that you spread the batter fairly thin into a small pancake size. Cover and let cook for about two minutes on the first side, until lightly browned, and flip. Cook uncovered for about a minute on the second side, until lightly browned.

Keep in a warm oven while you make more. Fill with anything, the tradition being potatoes with cumin and spices and onions, or you could make something like I did with the spiced apples.

Spiced Apples

ingredients:

1 tablespoon coconut oil or ghee

4 apples peeled and sliced thin

juice of 1 lemon

3-4 tablespoons honey or maple syrup

pinch of sea salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon arrowroot powder dissolved in 1/4 cup water

preparation:

Place coconut oil or ghee, apples, lemon, honey, sea salt and cinnamon in a pan and heat on medium stirring frequently for 3-4 minutes. Combine arrowroot powder and water and when arrowroot is dissolved fully, add to apple mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer until apples are desired consistency. I like my quite cooked down which takes a good 15 minutes or so.

Special Announcement!

Andrea (my TrulyFood partner), and I would like to cordially hand you the keys to attend one of the BONUS CALLS we have set up for our Your Vibrant Child class participants.
This Thursday we'll be hosting a conversation with the lovely Cristina Proano-Carrion, Professional Therapeutic Aromatherapist and owner of Aromandina.
Even if you're not a member of the Your Vibrant Child community, you can join us for this special event. That's how much we want to share Cristina's wealth of info. with you!
You're Invited!
Join us this Thursday for our special Your Vibrant Child BONUS CALL with Cristina from Aromandina. We're very excited to bring you Cristina's inspired and enlightened approach to therapeutic healing through the use of essential oils. And as if it couldn't be more timely, she'll be discussing techniques for boosting immunity.
Mark your calendars for Thursday, September 23rd.
The time is 6pm PST / 9pm EST.
Here are all the details for accessing the class:
Title: TrulyFood: Your Vibrant Child & Aromandina
Date & Time: Thursday, September 16th at 6:00pm Pacific
Listening method: Phone or Web Simulcast
To attend the event click right here.
Or phone in to listen. . .
Phone Number to Dial: (503) 290-5016 (on September 23rd)
Enter Conference ID: 842566#
Note: You can click here to find local access numbers.
We're super excited to bring you this FREE content.

How to Make Sauerkraut

2010-09-12T13:47:00.002-07:00

A couple of weeks ago my son Isaac took a trip to a local farm and came back with 5 HUGE cabbages, so what else would we do but make sauerkraut! Sauerkraut is something that is easy to make and full of healthy, friendly bacteria which helps strengthen the immune system, reduce chronic inflammation, heal a leaky gut, aid digestion and more. I love this quote by Sandor Katz: "Fermentation is a transformative action of microorganisms that digest plant and animal matter and turn it into more elemental forms...As far as I can tell, there is no food that does not have some history of fermentation, and there's no region of the world that does not use it". Sandor is the author of Wild Fermentation. His story is amazing and I encourage everyone to at least browse through his book. Here are directions from Sandor on how to make saurkraut. In the photo above you will see my Harsch Gairtopf Fermenting Crock Pot (10 liter), which I love. I also use the Fermented Vegetable Master, which is a very easy way to make a smaller batch and the kraut is always fantastic.

Sauerkraut

Making Sauerkraut is Easy!

by Sandor Ellix Katz, the creator of this site and the author of Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods (Chelsea Green, 2003) has earned the nickname "Sandorkraut" for his love of sauerkraut. This is Sandorkaut's easy sauerkraut recipe, one of more than 90 ferments included in his book.

Timeframe: 1-4 weeks (or more)

Special Equipment:

Ceramic crock or food-grade plastic bucket, one-gallon capacity or greater

Plate that fits inside crock or bucket

One-gallon jug filled with water (or a scrubbed and boiled rock)

Cloth cover (like a pillowcase or towel)

Ingredients (for 1 gallon):

5 pounds cabbage

3 tablespoons sea salt

Process:

Chop or grate cabbage, finely or coarsely, with or without hearts, however you like it. I love to mix green and red cabbage to end up with bright pink kraut. Place cabbage in a large bowl as you chop it.

Sprinkle salt on the cabbage as you go. The salt pulls water out of the cabbage (through osmosis), and this creates the brine in which the cabbage can ferment and sour without rotting. The salt also has the effect of keeping the cabbage crunchy, by inhibiting organisms and enzymes that soften it. 3 tablespoons of salt is a rough guideline for 5 pounds of cabbage. I never measure the salt; I just shake some on after I chop up each cabbage. I use more salt in summer, less in winter.

Add other vegetables. Grate carrots for a coleslaw-like kraut. Other vegetables I’ve added include onions, garlic, seaweed, greens, Brussels sprouts, small whole heads of cabbage, turnips, beets, and burdock roots. You can also add fruits (apples, whole or sliced, are classic), and herbs and spices (caraway seeds, dill seeds, celery seeds, and juniper berries are classic, but anything you like will work). Experiment.

Mix ingredients together and pack into crock. Pack just a bit into the crock at a time and tamp it down hard using your fists or any (other) sturdy kitchen implement. The tamping packs the kraut tight in the crock and helps force water out of the cabbage.

5. Cover kraut with a plate or some other lid that fits snugly inside the crock. Place a clean weight (a glass jug filled with water) on the cover. This weight is to force water out of the cabbage and then keep the cabbage submerged under the brine. Cover the whole thing with a cloth to keep dust and flies out.

Press down on the weight to add pressure to the cabbage and help force water out of it. Continue doing this periodically (as often as you think of it, every few hours), until the brine rises above the cover. This can take up to about 24 hours, as the salt draws water out of the cabbage slowly. Some cabbage, particularly if it is old, simply contains less water. If the brine does not rise above the plate level by the next day, add enough salt water to bring the brine level above the plate. Add about a teaspoon of salt to a cup of water and stir until it’s completely dissolved.

Leave the crock to ferment. I generally store the crock in an unobtrusive corner of the kitchen where I won’t forget about it, but where it won’t be in anybody’s way. You could also store it in a cool basement if you want a slower fermentation that will preserve for longer.

Check the kraut every day or two. The volume reduces as the fermentation proceeds. Sometimes mold appears on the surface. Many books refer to this mold as “scum,” but I prefer to think of it as a bloom. Skim what you can off of the surface; it will break up and you will probably not be able to remove all of it. Don’t worry about this. It’s just a surface phenomenon, a result of contact with the air. The kraut itself is under the anaerobic protection of the brine. Rinse off the plate and the weight. Taste the kraut. Generally it starts to be tangy after a few days, and the taste gets stronger as time passes. In the cool temperatures of a cellar in winter, kraut can keep improving for months and months. In the summer or in a heated room, its life cycle is more rapid. Eventually it becomes soft and the flavor turns less pleasant.

Enjoy. I generally scoop out a bowl- or jarful at a time and keep it in the fridge. I start when the kraut is young and enjoy its evolving flavor over the course of a few weeks. Try the sauerkraut juice that will be left in the bowl after the kraut is eaten. Sauerkraut juice is a rare delicacy and unparalleled digestive tonic. Each time you scoop some kraut out of the crock, you have to repack it carefully. Make sure the kraut is packed tight in the crock, the surface is level, and the cover and weight are clean. Sometimes brine evaporates, so if the kraut is not submerged below brine just add salted water as necessary. Some people preserve kraut by canning and heat-processing it. This can be done; but so much of the power of sauerkraut is its aliveness that I wonder: Why kill it?

Develop a rhythm. I try to start a new batch before the previous batch runs out. I remove the remaining kraut from the crock, repack it with fresh salted cabbage, then pour the old kraut and its juices over the new kraut. This gives the new batch a boost with an active culture starter.