Salad Traffic

To a LARGE bowl of spring mix add.

balsamic vinegar
oregano
course sea salt
black pepper
olive oil
maple syrup
fresh garlic
homemade croutons
homemade raw milk feta cheese

Salad is ALWAYS better with a little traffic.


For those who don't fancy any dairy products...try this raw sesame 'cheese' mixture:

1 t light yellow miso
3 small garlic cloves (minced)
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/4 t agave
chopped green onions
1/4 t agave
1 T nutritional yeast
1/2 lemon juiced
SALT (a good amount...feta salty)

Throw all of these in a mini-prep food processor. If you want, you can add a bit (not too much) of water to the mix.


Happy salad moment. Enjoy your traffic time.

Holy Smoked Paprika!

Ding dong!

Last night I whipped up a salad dressing that completely ROCKED!

Just had to share it with you.

Don't forget to go make this RIGHT NOW!

Yes, I am juicing, but I do still taste test the food that I make for the fam when necessary...can't really just put it out there without tasting and adjusting. A little chef in me.


Smoked Paprika Ranch Dressing

1 1/2 cups raw cashews
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups water
1 t onion powder
2-3 cloves garlic
1 t salt (or more to taste)
1 t lemon juice
2 t apple cider vinegar
fresh basil
1 t Italian seasoning
black pepper
1/2 t smoked Spanish paprika (or more to taste)

[I get my Smoked Spanish Paprika at Penzey's Spices. Or online. Tastes great on just about anything. Worthy.]

Throw all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.


I served this dressing over lightly steamed broccoli and brown rice with a little Red Pepper Avocado Chutney on top. Chutney is kind of a funny word. Chutney. Chutney.

This garnish - I mean chutney - made this completely EASY AND FAST dinner shine. And everyone gobbled it all up, begged for an encore, and put it at the top of their list for repeat performances.


The final touch:
Red Pepper Avocado Chutney

1 red repper (diced)
1 avocado (small cubes)
1/4 of a small purple onion (diced)
3 garlic cloves (minced)
1 T olive oil (drizzled)
1/2 lemon (squeezed)
coarse ground sea salt (sprinkled)
cayenne pepper (dashed)


The salad dressing would be great for, obviously, salads as well...
Pour some on top of an sliced avocado for an easy lunch.
Or just drink it with a straw.

Holy Smokes!

Behind the Scenes

So...in case you were wondering...YES I AM...still juicing. Day 18.

I'm trying not to put such an emphasis on it this time. It's not nearly as novel as my first juice feast was. I think juice feasting blogs are rather boring. Mainly a list of juices that people drank in a day...a crazy amount for sure...but not that interesting to most readers.

I'll pop in with an update on the juice feast and how it's going every now and then. But I have a whole truckload of other wild health info, recipes, etc. that I'd like to unload here.

I have a passion for learning about health and wellness. I have been a serious student for quite a long time. Ask me questions. I'd love some prodding. Leave comments. And I invite you to become a follower of this blog. Come along for the fun ride!

The Birthday Classic

To answer another often and recently asked question...

"Do you have a recipe for a gluten-free sugar free Chocolate Cake that actually tastes like the real thing?"

Boy, ever, do I, absolutely, make -it- everyday- kind of cake.

It comes from my good friend Shannon Mahoney who has an AMAZING gluten free cookbook called The Nurture Diet: a guide to family dining. It is one of the best ones I know. AND it is in constant use in our house. You should immediately get a copy for yourself. You will be so happy you did.

You can find it here.

But for starts, here is the birthday cake classic in our family:

Chocolate Cake (or cupcakes)

2 cups Brown Rice/Garbanzo Bean Flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 teaspoons xantham gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups maple syrup (the real kind)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup organic canola mayonnaise (Spectrum)
1/4 cup applesauce (natural, no sugar added)
1 cup water

Begin by making the Brown Rice/Garbanzo Bean GF Mix: (Yields 9 cups)
4 cups brown rice flour
2 cups garbanzo bean flour
2 cups potato starch flour
1 cup tapioca flour

(You'll have way more of this than you need. You'll just be ready for baking the next time around.)

Preparation:

Step One - In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, xantham gum, baking powder and baking soda.

Step Two - In a large bowl, beat eggs, syrup and vanilla with electric mixer until smooth. Beat at high speed until light (approximately 3 minutes). Reduce speed to low and beat in mayonnaise and applesauce. Add dry ingredients and mix in slowly, adding 1/4 cup water at a time.

Step Three - Line muffin pan with liners and fill cups 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, or until tester comes out clean.

Option: Bake a chocolate cake instead of cupcakes. Oil and flour a 9 x 13-inch cake pan. Fill with mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.


I use a few different icing options for this cake. The first one of super simple.

Melt a little extra virgin coconut oil over low heat, add some cocoa powder, vanilla, maple syrup, and salt. I don't have measurements. Just whatever combination tastes great. Pour this over the top of the cake. It will be liquid-y, not spreadable. It usually drips down the sides and covers the whole cake like lightning.

For a bakery kind of cake with traditional icing, try this recipe...substituting the cacao butter with coconut oil and adding more if needed to achieve the consistency desired. More agave can also be added to taste.

Avocado Aficianado

Yep. That's me.

How I do love the avocado.

It's like meat. Kind of.

Well, when you're eating a predominantly raw food diet, it stands out and really satifies.

So...I've been asked a few questions lately that I will be addressing here in the next few days.

The first one was...'how do you make that yummy avocado pudding that I've had at your house before?'

Because I think everyone on earth should try this pudding at some point...and because I also think that once you do, you will never stop making it and eating it...and because I know that it will help you live a happier, healthier, more fulfilling life...

Here it is:

AVO PUDDING

Place four avocados , about 1/4 cup of agave (or more to taste), 1/2 - 1 teaspoon vanilla (depending on which type you choose, some are stronger and more 'alcoholey'), and salt to taste in a food processor. Process until it is a pudding consistency, very smooth, all chunks abolished.

Yes, it is green. If you can't get past that, just add cocoa powder. Turns the whole thing into complete decadence and you can serve it to the whole world without them knowing it is good for their health. My very favorite way to enjoy this pudding is by adding some butterscotch flavoring to the mix. A definite 'must try.' I order my butterscotch 'gold' online, as I am not able to find it locally. Totally worth the extra effort.

Let me know how you like it!!!

Happy Food Year!

Although I will be taking a food break for a bit, my daughter is currently in the kitchen.
Violet made these raw chocolates this morning. She is three years old.


Raw Chocolate Truffles (Violet style)

1 cup raw almond butter
1/2 cup agave nectar
1/3 cup raw cacao butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 t salt
2 t vanilla

Process all ingredients in a food processor briefly, just until mixed.
Spoon into mini-cupcake liners, sprinkle chopped pecans on top, and freeze.
Simple enough? A 3-year-old can do it!
Takes 15 minutes. They'll be gone in 15.