Category Archives:recipes

31
Mar

Three Easy, Healthy Swaps for Baking

coconut banana muffinsI love baking: making your house smell like home, creating edible art and enjoying the simple pleasure of homemade cakes, cookies and breads. But if you are worried about baking for dairy-free or vegan friends or working to make some healthy changes in your diet, fear not. Vegan baking is not only healthier, cheaper and easy, it's infinitely more delicious than the old-fashioned butter and eggs way. Here are five healthy swaps you can make for your baking.

  1. Coconut Oil: Truly, the most delicious and arguably most nutritious oil to use for all your cooking and baking (heck, I actually use it as my only moisturizer on my skin too). Choose an organic, virgin coconut oil that is processed naturally (not with hexane). Any natural foods store should have a wide variety. I've tried them all: Nutiva, Dr. Bronner, Spectrum, Whole Foods 365 and Artisana, and they are all equally great. Choose the unrefined variety for a rich, coconutty flavor; if you don't love hint o' coconut in all your baked goods, Spectrum makes a refined version with no coconut scent. Coconut oil, a saturated fat, is naturally solid at temperatures below about 75º, which is why it always comes in stout jars and not tall bottles. To warm, submerge jar in a bowl of warm tap water until it melts. Coconut oil can go from solid to liquid and back a million times and not get weird, so don't worry about that. How to Use it: Coconut oil can replace butter or oil in any recipe. Use a liquid coconut oil when a recipe calls for canola, soybean or (eek) vegetable oil. Use solid in any recipe that calls for cold butter, like a pie crust. You can also use coconut oil, which has a medium-high smoke point, for light saute of veggies and other foods. Sample Recipes: Chocolate Coconut Macaroons, Banana Date Cakes, Hemp Protein Bars, and Strawberry Macadamia Nut Scones.
  2. Flaxseeds: Teeny flaxseeds really give you a lot of bang for your buck. They are super cheap (find them in the bulk section of your natural foods stores) and they have good dose of fiber, healthy fats and protein that helps our bodies stay healthy. So it's just a bonus that flaxseeds are an excellent egg replacer. Flaxseeds have natural mucilaginous properties that help bind your cookies, quick breads and more. How to use: Brown and golden flaxseeds are similar nutritionally, though I find the golden flax have a milder flavor. You can eat flaxseeds whole on oatmeal, blended into smoothies or sprinkled onto your salads, but they actually need to be ground for us to take advantage of those health benefits. You can purchase already ground flaxseeds or buy the seeds whole and grind in your coffee grinder. Keep ground flax in the freezer to keep it fresh. To use for baking, you can substitute 1 egg with 1 Tablespoon ground flaxseeds mixed with 3 Tablespoons water. Whisk and set aside until it gels, then proceed with recipe as directed. Flaxseeds do not leaven (rise) the baked good, so it works best for cookies, banana breads and muffins. Sample Recipes: Divine Oatmeal Cookies, Chocolate Peppermint Cookies, and Almond Butter Cookies.
  3. Coconut Sugar: Created from natural coconut sap, coconut sugar has a deep brown color and rich caramel flavor. It's often called palm sugar, and is granulated like a sucanat. Allegedly it's a low-glycemic sweetener (which means it won't spike your blood sugar too much), but it is still a sugar so use with discretion and in moderation. Choose an organic brand to ensure there are not any chemicals or pesticides on your coconuts. How to use: You can use this any way you would use regular sugar: in your coffee or herbal coffee, in baked goods and for sauces. It's dark color may affect some baking, so do keep that in mind.

(If you are looking for more healthy baking swaps, check out this vegan baking cheat sheet from PETA. )

coconut banana muffins
Here's a muffin recipe that uses all of these healthy ingredients for a decadent, slightly sweet twist on classic banana bread.

Coconut Banana Muffins

2 cups whole spelt flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup mashed bananas
2 Tablespoons ground flaxseeds
¼ cup plant-based milk + 2 Tablespoons more
½ cup coconut oil
½ cup coconut sugar
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
½ cup toasted coconut flakes
⅓ cup coconut flakes

  1. Preheat oven to 350º and grease muffin pan with coconut oil.
  2. Mix spelt flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl.
  3. Peel and roughly chop the bananas; to measure the bananas gently mash with a fork into the measuring cup to make 1 cup. Add bananas, flaxseeds, milk, oil, sugar and vinegar to food processor and blend until smooth.
  4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined. Stir in ½ cup coconut flakes.
  5. Fill muffin liners almost full with batter. Gently sprinkle with extra coconut flakes and sugar. Bake for 23-25 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan, then remove from pan and move to cooling racks.

 

Posted:   |   Categories: baking, coconut oil, flaxseeds, Food+Drink, healthy, recipes, vegan
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24
Mar

Product Review: Orange Blossom Water

orange blossom tonic Have you ever heard of orange blossom water? It's new to me too! For years I've wondered what to do with this random Middle Eastern condiment at my local health food store, and I am so happy to say I've figured it out! I finally purchased it a few weeks ago, and there have been many happy experiments around our house: drinks, foods and even as a perfume. The flavor is strong and perfumey, but in a bright, lovely way. Like most citrus scents, it's more of a 'top,' meaning that it's the first flavor you taste and smell but it quickly dissipates.

The first time I tried this wacky and wonderful condiment was at our new Moroccan restaurant in Honolulu. They make a refreshingly sweet after-dinner tea made with peppermint, honey and orange blossom, then they wash your hands with the fragrantly perfumed water after. A wonderful tradition indeed. The first experiments in my own kitchen included tea. Simply add a bit (maybe ¼ tsp or so) to your cup of peppermint tea and enjoy with or without honey. I've also been adding to my decaf vanilla black tea and drinking warm or iced. The blog Bois de Jasmine has a 'recipe' for a Cafe Blanc, another way to enjoy orange blossom water.

For happy hour, I've been making my version of healthy cocktails with orange orange blossom water3705_12_10_2012__13_27_33_700blossom water as a fun, unique cocktail. My favorite cocktails are simple and not sweet, so usually I start with a base of vodka or gin, topped with sparkling water (plain or flavored). But now I make a habit or stirring in 1 teaspoon of orange blossom water too. If you are feeling fancy you can garnish with an orange twist or with some fresh citrus juice. (See photo above)

There are also lots of cooking recipes that call for this lovely, exotic condiment. Anything creamy and custardy would do well with a splash of orange blossom, as would anything vaguely Middle Eastern like baklava or shredded carrot salads. Try stirring into regular salad dressings, or adding into sweet condiments like blackberry sauce or even chocolate sauce. And if you find yourself really in love with this fantastic fragrance, the blog Bois de Jasmine has a great post about 10 ways to use orange blossom water. Here's a summary: in baths, as a fragrance for the room, in pastries, in puddings and more. Whenever I use it in my drinks or foods, I also dab a bit on my wrists and neck for a slightly sweet scent.

The bottle pictured by Nielsen-Massey would be a good choice, and can be found at Whole Foods or other healthy food stores. I have the Indo-European brand, which is a Lebanese company that makes a whole line of great products (and makes a larger bottle of orange blossom water than the one pictured). And there are of course loads of other places to find it on the internet. Do choose an orange blossom water made by a natural brand, to make sure you are getting real stuff and not synthetic. I hope you love it as much as I do! Tell us how you use orange blossom water (or its companion, rose water).

 

Posted:   |   Categories: condiments, ethnic foods, Food+Drink, healthy cocktails, healthy living, recipes
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02
Dec

Raw Superfood Chocolate Truffles

chocolate truffles

superfood chocolate truffles with dates, nuts and raw cacao!

During the holidays most of us are overwhelmed with holiday treats of all kinds. It seems like there are always cupcakes at office parties, fancy drinks at cocktail parties, and edible gifts all around. There are a million other ways that junk food infiltrates our life at this time of year, and just like holiday songs that get stuck in your head, these sugar-laden treats linger in your body for days and weeks, making us feel less than vibrant.

If you want to avoid those junky sweets altogether, you can keep your sweet tooth happy by choosing healthier sweet treats to share at events and keep around the house. These Superfood Chocolate Truffles are the perfect answer. These easy treats feature a mix of nuts, superfoods (maca and coconut) and covered in homemade, raw superfood cacao. Super yums for the holiday season or anytime of year!

Superfood Chocolate Truffles

½ cup almonds
½ cup walnuts
Pinch salt
¾ cup Medjool dates, pitted
2 Tablespoons maca powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
2 Tablespoons coconut oil
Homemade Raw Chocolate Topping
½ cup finely chopped raw cacao butter (I like Navitas Naturals organic cacao butter)
½ cup raw cacao powder
2 Tablespoons honey or agave (optional)
Pinch salt (optional)

  1. Add almonds, walnuts and salt into the food processor. Blend until very fine- much like the texture of sand.
  2. Add dates, maca, cinnamon and coconut oil. Blend again, until mixture begins to thicken and stick together inside the processor. Turn out into a mixing bowl.
  3. Measure out 1 Tablespoon mixture and roll into a ball in you hands. Layer onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roll out all balls, then freeze for 15 minutes (see photo below).
  4. Meanwhile, make the Homemade Raw Chocolate Topping: Add a few inches of water to a small saucepan, and place a slightly larger glass bowl on top. Add cacao butter to the glass bowl. Heat water until boiling, then reduce heat. Cacao butter will melt and turn into a liquid. When it's fully melted, stir in cacao powder and stir until totally smooth. Add in honey/agave and salt if desired. Remove bowl carefully (steam will be trapped, so use caution!) and place onto a kitchen towel (for some images of this process, see this homemade chocolate post here).
  5. Remove truffles from freezer and dip into chocolate using a spoon. Dip once and let cool to solid, then dip again for a richer coating. Return to freezer to set chocolate for at least 15 minutes. Move to refrigerator to keep for weeks.
  6. Note: as you can see in the photos, these can also be made in a candy mold. Add some chocolate to the mold, then add small balls of nut mixture, then cover with more chocolate. Enjoy! Makes approximately 15 treats
chocolate truffles

superfood balls, before chocolate coating!

chocolate truffles

gorgeous chocolate truffles

Posted:   |   Categories: chocolate, Food+Drink, homemade, Living, recipes
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29
Jul

Book Review: Vegetable Literacy by Deborah Madison

Vegetable Literacy: Cooking and Gardening with Twelve Families from the Edible Plant Kingdom is Deborah Madison's newest book, and an epic book it is! Vegetable Literacy is an amazing introduction to the connections between the foods we eat. Madison writes lovingly and eloquently about the relationships between plant families and how to bring the beauty of those relationships into the kitchen.

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The book is divided into 12 chapters, each focusing on one plant family. Some, like the morning glory family, are short, featuring only the humble sweet potato as its edible species. But other, longer chapters include expansive stories of both unique and commonplace vegetables– the longer chapters include the carrot family (featuring parsnips, celery, fennel, dill and more), the brassica family (featuring kale, cabbage, bok choi, turnips and wasabi), the legume family (peas, beans and all manner of pulses) and the grass family (corn, wheat, wild rice, bamboo and oat).

What Madison has done in Vegetable Literacy is to combine the knowledge of gardeners and farmers and bring it to the table. In her chapter on nightshades, for example, she notes that by virtue of being related, plants like peppers, eggplant, tomato and potato have a natural affinity to each other, and make for wonderful recipes like in the Gratin of Tomatoes, Eggplant and Chard. And it's important to note that the recipes featured in this book are not terribly complicated. In fact, many of the recipes are actually just simple instructions to make the most of your fresh bounty: how to make your own tisane from fresh herbs from the mint family, how to dress a salad without making dressing, how to perfectly roast your Brussels Sprouts with just oil, salt and pepper, and how to make freshly cooked beans and grains. The Ivory Carrot Soup shown below is one of the recipes that really showcases Madison's vision for her veggies. This gorgeous soup features just a handful of ingredients (onion, herbs, stock) to really show off the beauty of the orange and white roots. E

The book features a startling amount of information on growing, harvesting, selecting and cooking fresh, beautiful produce. Some might find it useful as a coffee-table book, others as a cookbook beside the stove, while some might even read it cover-to-cover like a novel (guilty!). And whether you are a home gardener or a a full-time chef, this book will inspire you to learn more about these plant relationships and learn how to make the most of them in your kitchen.

Soup image from Serious Eats, other photos from Vibrant Wellness Journal

Posted:   |   Categories: book review, Books, Food+Drink, garden, Living, recipes, vegetables
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