Flax Bread

As promised, the flax bread recipe, cut and paste from Gluten Free Easy site.

I doubled the recipe and baked in a bread loaf pan. S has become quite adept and making this almost entirely by himself!

Kiva’s Golden Flax Bread (Grain Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Sugar Free +)

From Gluten Free Easily

Kiva’s Golden Flax Bread

2/3 cup flax meal

1/3 cup almond meal (optional, but other nut meals can be substituted)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder*

Salt to taste (I like more salt in my flax bread than I would in other bread)

about 3 tsp olive oil or unrefined coconut oil (or butter, depending on what kind of flavor you want and your specific dietary needs)

2 eggs (1 egg will suffice, but 2 eggs holds together just a bit better)

water to texture desired (it makes a big difference, and the wetter it is, the harder it is to get it to cook all the way through, I go for minimal water needed to get things fluid enough to pour the batter)

Mix dry ingredients together well.

Gently beat eggs together before adding (optional, but it blends better that way).

The recipe will work for a regular-sized pie tin or small loaf pan. Double the recipe for a more normal-sized bread loaf pan. Don’t forget to grease the pan well before pouring the batter in.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cook for approximately 20 – 25 minutes or until golden brown on top. Toothpick or butter knife should could out clean if you insert it into the center of the bread. Enjoy fresh out of the oven or at room temperature for a nice sandwich.

Variations:

For an herbed bread: add small chunks of sharp cheddar cheese, a tablespoon of crushed thyme, a tablespoon of crushed sage, a teaspoon of oregano or bee balm, small handful of fresh chopped rosemary, fresh ground black pepper to taste, and maybe some coarse salt on top. You can even add some green onion, broccoli, or nettles for extra panache if you like.

Sweet Bread: add cinnamon, honey, cardamom, vanilla, and even some fresh fruit like sliced strawberries.

Pancakes: just make the batter thin enough to spread on a hot cast iron pan or griddle. Unsweetened applesauce is nice in the pancakes instead of water.

Pictures are of this morning’s bread, with walnuts added for extra texture and arugula and sage added for delightful greenness. This loaf was made in a metal pie tin.

Recipe courtesy of Kiva Rose (Bear Medicine Herbals)

*Be sure to use a grain-free baking powder or grain-free baking powder substitution to make these completely grain free. Kelly (The Spunky Coconut) did a handy post a while back on this topic. Be sure to read the comments in response to her post for readers’ thoughts and ideas on this topic.

Shirley’s Notes: My loaf was only 6 inches in diameter and maybe an inch and a half high. I used one tablespoon plus one teaspoon of water. I’ll use a little more water next time to see if I can get a slightly larger loaf as is shown in Kiva’s photos. I used Honeyville almond flour, olive oil, aluminum-free baking powder, a dash of sea salt, and two eggs. For a baking receptacle, I used a stoneware pie plate that I had simply lined with parchment paper. Next time I plan to use a loaf pan. I’ll either use a small one or double the recipe and use a regular-sized loaf pan as Kiva advises.

Find more recipes like this at http://www.glutenfreeeasily.com

Sunny Seed Paté

It was lovely to gather with you Mamas this weekend!

Here's the sunny seed paté spread some of you asked about. I added tahini, a carrot, and some olive oil. The recipe is from The Avocado Queen.com.

Recipe for Simplicity - Sunflower Seed Pate

BASIC Recipe - Combine the following ingredients in a Food Processor (with the "S" blade):

• 2 cups soaked raw sunflower seeds (ideally soaked for 4-6 hours, but less is okay if there is no time to plan)
• 1/2 lemon juiced
• 1-2 clove garlic (according to your own taste)
• 2 TB nama shoyu (or substitute gluten-free tamari or Bragg's Liquid Aminos)
• 1/2 TB cumin
• dash of cayenne (or more to taste)

Tasty Additions (add some or all of the following):

• 1/2 bunch of fresh parsley or cilantro
• 1/2 small onion (about 1/4 cup)
• 4+ kale leaves
• 1 small carrot
• 1-2 stalks of celery
• 1/2-1 bell pepper
• 1/4 cup raw tahini

Sweet Potato Oven Fries

Here it is, the sweet potato recipe I promised a couple of weeks ago!  Thanks for your patience, my dears.

This is adapted from Vegetables Every Day, by Jack Bishop.

3 sweet potatoes
oil of choice
salt
spices (I like cardamom, or cracked black pepper with coriander)

1. Put a large, rimmed cookie sheet in the oven.  Preheat to 425 degrees.
2. Slice the sweet potatoes into 1/2" wedges.  Toss them with oil, good salt, and your seasonings of choice.
3. When the cookie sheet is hot, brush a little additional oil on the pan.
4. Add the sweet potato wedges carefully, in one layer, to the hot pan.  You want them to roast, not steam, so make sure that there is a little bit of space around each wedge. 
5. Bake, without turning or stirring, until bottom of each wedge is well browned.  Turn carefully to avoid smashing the wedges.  Bake until evenly browned and crisp.  Adjust seasonings and dig in!

Hazelnut Cocoa Blueberry Goodness

If the late night sweet tooth comes knocking on your door as frequently as it does on mine, may I suggest this four ingredient bowl of goodness.

Blend roughly equal parts hazelnut butter and raw cocoa powder with a dash of your choice of sweetener. Use a fork and just keep mixing until combined. It will be a thick paste. (Notice I'm not suggesting you serve it to guests. This is a late night kind of thing.) Pour a handful of frozen blueberries in the bowl, wait a few minutes until the blueberries just begin to soften, and enjoy.

So I'm just about to post this and Ryan told me I'm basically making a whole foods Nutella. So go figure.

Ben's Friday Pancakes

Hi Mamas.

These soaked grain pancakes have been a real hit around here lately. I find them divine with a thin spread of hazelnut butter, S prefers his plain, and R has gone the maple syrup route. We also like them with some whole yogurt sweetened with homemade jam or maple.

I'll link to the recipe below. There is an option of soaking in either milk or a yogurt/ water combo. I haven't tried the yogurt. We preferred them when I soaked in almond milk over cow milk.

Also the recipe says to blend until smooth-- don't overdo it. When it pours a bit thick it cooks up into nicely formed cakes and has a slightly chewy texture that hits the spot.

Oh, as for the sugar I used coconut sugar crystals I happened to have picked up. I couldn't promise this is what made them so divine but I couldn't say otherwise...

http://www.cookusinterruptus.com/index.php?video_id=103

Wild Rice

This recipe from The New Laurel's Kitchen (one of my favorite cookbooks) has been a reliably satisfying winter recipe for us for years. There's nothing that makes it exclusively wintery I suppose, but it seems like it's usually cold and wet out when I think of preparing it. It's hearty and filling as is, but it's over-the-top good alongside a hunk of salmon (maybe baked with mayo/ mustard/ dill spread over the top).

Here's the recipe as it reads in Laurel's Kitchen, with notes on my changes.

1 cup wild rice* (I use less wild rice and more brown rice to reduce the cost.)

1/3 c. brown rice*

1 carrot* (I sub or add parsnips.)

1 large stalk celery

6 green onions

1 garlic clove

2 Tbs. oil

5 cups boiling water* (For some reason this is too much and I usually use 2.5 cups. I also forgot to bring it to a boil first last time and it didn't make a difference.)

1 tsp. marjoram

1/4 tsp. thyme

pinch rosemary

1 tsp. salt

dash pepper

1/3 cup toasted almonds

Rinse grain well. Chop carrot and celery in 1/4" cubes. Chop green onions and sauté them with garlic in oil. Crush garlic clove with a fork. Add water and bring to a boil. Stir in the vegetables, rice, herbs, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and cook gently for an hour or more, until the rice is tender. Chop the almonds and add them about 20 minutes before serving. Makes about 5 cups.

Loaded Borscht Stew

1 C. beef broth (or water)

2 lbs. stew meat

2 lg. onions, sliced

2 lg. celery stalks, sliced

2 C. sliced carrots

1 head cabbage, sliced

2 C. sliced beets PLUS 1 C. grated beets (divided)

1 T. salt

1 bay leaf

1 6-oz. can tomato paste

2 T. balsamic vinegar

1 T. sugar (optional but in original recipe)

1/2 pt. sour cream

In a LARGE pot, combine broth, beef, onions, celery, SLICED beets, carrots, cabbage, salt and bay leaf.

Simmer for at least 2 hrs.

Add grated beets, tomato paste, vinegar, sugar.

Simmer 30 min more.

(This next part seemed unnecessary to me, but here's your option:

Cool and refrigerate. Skim fat from soup. Reheat.)

Serve topped with sour cream.

Freezes well, which is good because it makes a lot.

Super delicious, nutritious, power house, eat it up!

Easy Winter Salad-- Dinosaur Kale!

We love this super easy winter salad with avos and Lacinato/ Italian kale (fondly known by our little guy as Dinosaur kale).

- Make dressing from equal parts olive oil, lemon juice, and tamari.

- Pour dressing over kale pieces and thinly sliced red onion and let sit while you prepare the rest of dinner.

- Add chunks of avocado and enjoy.

P.S. Pairs nicely with tomato-lentil soup or roast chicken and a grain.

Roasted Chicken & Butternut Soup

This came to us by way of Leslie's Mama... I haven't tried it yet (and I can't recall if Leslie has or not) but it sounds delicious.

ROASTED CHICKEN AND BUTTERNUT SOUP

4 servings

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

1 med. butternut squash (2 1/2 lbs), peeled, seeded, and diced med.

1 sm. onion, diced

2 T. olive oil

Salt & pepper....

4 C. chicken broth (I used turkey broth made from Holiday turkey)

1/4 t. cumin

1/4 t. coriander

1 T. lemon juice

Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

Heat oven to 425. In roasting pan, toss together chicken, squash, onion and oil.

Season w/ salt and pepper.

Roast for 30 min. or til cooked through.

Put chicken on plate to cool.

Transfer squash and and onion to soup pot. Add broth, cumin, and coriander.

Bring to simmer over med-hi heat.

Mash some vegetables til soup is thick and chunky.

Discard bones and skin from chicken, add meat (cut into sm. chunks) to soup.

Stir in lemon juice and season to taste w/ salt and pepper.

Serve, topped w/ cilantro (if desired).