Sandwich Bread

Sliceable bread that holds up for a hefty sandwich and freezes well also.  

Ingredients:

• 4 T. almond flour
• 0.25 c. flax seeds whole 
• 8 T. coconut flour
• 1 T. baking powder (gluten and aluminum free)
• 1/2 t. pink salt
• 8 large eggs
• 1 T. organic butter 
• 1/2 c. boiling water

Grind flax seed in blender or food processor.  Add almond and coconut flours, baking powder, and salt.  Boil the water and melt the butter.  Add the boiling water to the Vitamix (blender) while blending on low speed.  Add the butter and eggs.  Blend on high for 1-2 minutes until thoroughly mixed.  Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees or until top is springy to touch.  Let completely cool before slicing and serving

Coconut flax bread

Gluten free, dairy free, grain free bread? I’m sure there are many more trendy labels for this humble loaf. Easy to make in the vitamix. Bring on the butter. Or coconut oil. Or guacamole. Sometimes all three. Who says I’m not ambitious?

Coconut flax bread:
 1/4 c whole organic flax seeds (I use brown)
 6 tablespoons organic coconut flour
 1 tsp pink salt
 1 tablespoon baking powder (I use bob red mill gluten free no aluminum)
 6 eggs, large
 2 tsp organic apple cider vinegar
 ~ 2/3 c boiling water

Spray oil on Pyrex. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For this bread I use the vitamix.
Add the whole flaxseeds first and blend on high until ground (a few seconds). Add salt, baking powder, and coconut flour. Blend until mixed (a few seconds).  Crack eggs in a separate bowl and set aside (I skipped this once in a rush and ground eggshells into the bread. Crunchy. Yucky). Add boiling water and then vinegar while mixing on low. Then add eggs. Cover top and turn speed to high. Blend about 1 minute until completely mixed. Pour into Pyrex and bake 1 hour or until firm and bouncy to touch.  Sliced thin makes 15 slices.

Coconut flax bread. In all it’s half eaten glory

Tastes much better than my pictures look. I’m not into food photography and food porn. I like quick easy and healthy food.  As a note my mother in law has made this with two less eggs and added ground pumpkin seeds with great results.

Sprouted Curry Flax Crackers

Now that Paleo diets and Crossfit workouts are all the rage and soccer moms are packing kale chips in their kids' lunchboxes, it seems timely (or a bit late) to post a quick easy cracker alternative.  Flaxseed is a darling of the natural health circles and is yet another "health food" gone fashionable with the general public.  As a no net carb low carb seed packed with Omega 3 fatty acids and lignan fibers, it is easy to see why flaxseed is a popular ingredient.  

While there is controversy always raging in the Paleolithic community about exactly which food is paleo or primal, flax is considered a paleo hunter-gatherer diet friendly food and flour substitute.  While I love flax mostly for the beautiful blooms of the plant in my wildflower hedges, eating the seeds formed into crackers is enjoyable as well.  Soaking these innocent looking brown and gold babies allows them to sprout making the lignans and nutrients more bioavailable and enzymatically alive.  Rinsing the sprouted seeds before making the crackers removes much of the antinutrients like phytic acid found in nuts, seeds, and legumes.  Flaxseed makes a delicious versatile cracker spiced to your preference and convenient for travel and as a low carb "bread" or cracker replacement.  As always, consume in balance with healthy low glycemic foods and with plenty of water for the optimal benefit!  

ingredients:
2 cups organic (gluten free) flaxseed
about 2 cups filtered water
generous 1 T. raw pink Himalayan sea salt (used only salt not typical tamari or Bragg's liquid amino and salt blend)
 spices to taste: for the curry blend I used about

•  2 T crushed red pepper
• gluten free curry blend- I like the Madras style spicy curry turmeric 1 tsp
• dried oregano

method:

First measure out and sort your flaxseed.  Add the filtered water (I use reverse osmosis water if that matters) and cover.  Let sit at least overnight until the seeds have sprouted.

The sprouting process will make the seed enzymatically active and more bioavailable and thus more easily digested.  The soaked mixture will be a gelatin like sticky goo.  To remove at least some phytic acid, rinse thoroughly with filtered water.  Just do your best, there are no hard and fast rules here.  The final rinsed mix should be gooey but not runny.

Add your sea salt and spices to taste.  Stir well.  It is helpful to spray your dehydrator or pan with nonstick spray or grease lightly with coconut oil at this point.  I use my old dehydrator with craft quilting mats I cut to fit (so the flax doesn't fall through the large dehydrator holes).

Spread the flax on the sheets about 1/8th to 1/4 inch thick.  You want the final product to be hearty enough to hold up to guacamole dip or shredded chicken, say, but thin enough to dry evenly.

You can also use a cookie pan and your oven.  If using an oven, dry around 100 to 125 degrees for about 6 hours.  I dry my chips in the dehydrator overnight until they break apart easily and are crispy.

sidenotes:

In the past few years flaxseed has gotten some bad press about its phytoestrogens and link with prostate cancer.  Is flax some insidious estrogenic food for men (or women for that matter who suffer from estrogen dominance and many hormone imbalance issues, especially after menopause)?  The Mayo clinic gives a short Q&A about this, but suffice to say that eating flax crackers in a balanced diet is not going to pump your body full of evil cancer-promoting cooties.  Taking high doses of flax oil for its ALA vegetarian omega 3 benefits, as once recommended, is probably not the best approach however since the oil is much more concentrated in phytoestrogens and lignans than the edible quantity of seeds.  I don't think Grok had access to high doses of isolated flax oil... somehow I doubt that Grok would drool at the sight of beautiful flax wildflower blooms as he might with a buffalo.   Besides, omega 3 fatty acids are best consumed as part of a whole food and from animal sources (read: eat fatty wild fish).   Lastly, there is evidence that the lignans in flax actually bind to estrogen in the digestive track.  For an interesting discussion on phytic acid and other antinutrient concerns in nuts and seeds, check out Mark's Daily apple.  I emphasize the importance of balance here as to not become overwhelmed by the micronutrient aspect of your food (didn't your mother tell you not to play with your food?!?).   Flax is healthy and fine in moderation- you wouldn't stop eating broccoli because of its phytoestrogen nuances would you?  Crunch on a darn flax cracker rather than a gluten carb rancid omega 6 oil GMO loaded chip, that's all I'm saying.  That and more importantly address your stress and lifestyle (exercise, sleep, diet, social support structure, higher power, etc) in a holistic manner, not just your food.  

On the lighter side, flax reduces inflammation, supports cardiovascular health, helps lower cholesterol, and reduces metabolic syndrome.  (Again, whether low cholesterol is actually beneficial to health is debatable and research shows that higher cholesterol in post menopausal women increases longevity).  

Flax ranks higher than blueberries and spinach in antioxidants and new investigation shows the delicate ALA omega 3 fats are not damaged by baking with flaxseed (and certainly not damaged by low temperature dehydration like here).  

The fiber in flax stabilizes blood sugar levels making flaxseed based crackers, muffins and breads better choices for those  with metabolic syndrome or on a low carb diet.  (Ground flax, hemp powder, and coconut flours make a wonderful hearty low carb high fiber gluten free and vegan "flour" blend.  I make variations of these baked goods and my digestion loves me for it!).   Flaxseed is high in manganese, magnesium, vitamin B1, and tryptophan to name a few nutrients.  Soaking and sprouting the seeds makes the crackers' enzymes and nutrients more bioavailable while the low temperature drying of the cracker makes it a raw food.  Of course the most touted glory of flaxseed is that it is practically all fiber so any food made of flax will be "no net carbs" which is what makes flax based muffins and bread popular in the low carb community. 

The longwinded micronutrient aspects of flaxseed aside, these babies are high fiber no net carbs spicy goodness and make great crackers for my hen's free range eggs from the backyard which I softboil and serve over steamed veggies and greens.  Get creative with your own spice blend- I have made these in various ways but always love a crunchy spicy treat!

Excellent Blogs + Spiced Vegan Chai Cocoa

Sorry for the uber long delay here! Thank Cheryl over at Gluten Free Goodness for dragging me out of the blogging closet with her nomination of Cindalou's for an Excellent Blog Award. I begrudgingly (and gratefully, I might add) brushed off our basement office mold and dust to peck yet again at the keyboard. (This time it is not for calculations of the rate of matter spiraling into a black hole or deriving the gauge transformation with the trace reversed metric perturbation ... sorry, that's GR speak polluting my brain from our midterm exam).

This time, however, I can share goodies about Cheryl and her nutrition-packed gluten, dairy, soy, egg, and corn free (whew!) kitchen. Hey, that beats the heck out of ion implantation stuff. How can Neon ions compare with her pesto? Admittedly, I'll need to nut-free that pesto for myself with a heaping pile of extra kalamata olives, but that garlic-y pesto looks deliciously green and appetizing. Alternatively, you may prefer Cheryl's creative Pesto-ed Fish, featuring garlic scapes. If you like healthy allergen free recipes with tons of fresh garden produce, I recommend Cheryl and re-nominate her for an excellent blog award. I don't know if that's possible, but rules are just guidelines anyways ... especially when they come between garlic pesto fish and myself. As an organic gardener and cook, Cheryl makes excellent dishes with seasonal produce. If you have a bumper crop of pears, basil, or veggies, then check out her concoctions for dinner ideas!

Here's the spiel:

The rules that accompany this award are as follows:

“Please find at least 10 more blogs of any kind which you deem to be excellent; but hey if you only come up with 3 or 5 (I chose 8), I don’t mind. Post about the blogs you picked, linking back to me and to them. Once you’ve posted, return here to let me know your post is up, and of course let your 10 award winners know too."

Cindalou's "Excellent Blogs":

Gluten Free For Good: Pumpkin anyone? Beets and Greens? Melissa over at Gluten Free for Good has a fantastic blog (and website) that extends beyond the gluten free community, as she lends her nutritionist expertise to everyone with an ear to hear (eye to read?). Seasonal ingredients (with recipes!) punctuate the health posts and exposes on hot nutrition topics. Melissa also knows how to have a good time, as she often shares her beautiful photos taken while hiking the Colorado wilderness. I can admire those sharp mountain peaks from afar, drool over her Pumpkin Pancakes, and laugh out loud at her humorous rantings on nutritional disasters and the advertising conspiracy. If you haven't seen the high fructose corn syrup commercials yet, read her comments on it and the role of sugar in modern diets versus health. If you have a sweet tooth, don't despair! Even as a bonafide health professional, she makes sweet amends and provides recent Celiac health & nutrition conference updates to the rest of us *unprivileged* non-health pro invitees.

Gluten Free Mommy: Unfortunately Natalie is out of the kitchen blogosphere right now due to her pregnancy (what a great reason, yey!), but GF Mommy is one of my favorite (and NC local) blogs. Her fish stew is reminiscent of one of my favorite quick healthy recipes for cool nights, and her beautiful pictures of gluten free cakes make me pine for dairy and a trip to Raleigh :). Also, if you enjoy Indian food as much as I do, you don't want to miss Natalie's bombay chicken and kung pao chicken. Update: She posted a fantastic Thanksgiving Frozen Pumpkin Pie which looks oh-so-tempting (once dairy-freed, of course).

Book of Yum: Although Sea is already an "E" blog as well, I'm going to jump aboard and give Book of Yum another vote. How could I forget such an expansive multiple-allergen friendly food blogger with a kindred appreciation for turmeric and spinach? I love the exotic Asian-inspired and Indian dishes from Book of Yum, as well as the focus on creative and often vegetarian and/or vegan recipes. Her uncheese nutritional yeast dairy free spinach pie and recent poppy seed goat cheese beet salad are calling my name (darn that goat cheese!). If you are adventurous in the kitchen, check out Sea's creations for great bento (lunch box) and dinner idea. Sea also gives many nondairy (often soy or nut based) "butter" and "cream" recipes for dairy-intolerant individuals like myself.

Great Mastications: Orla dishes up some great gf healthy recipes with a serious Canadian appreciation of healthy hemp, as well as teaching all of us a little more common sense about sustainable green living (see her post Green Business for a great "Stop buying crap we don't need" read). Come spring and summertime, I'll be gorging myself with her hemp seed and green onion dip, mmm!

Gluten Free Bay: Fall is brimming with holiday opportunity to try out a few of the Bay's plethora of creative kosher gluten free recipes. I am looking forward to some matzo balls for chicken soup and some low glycemic sweet potato and leek latkes. If you keep kosher and juggle allergies, the Bay is an invaluable resource for recipes and product updates!

Caveman Food: Elizabeth serves up great Paleo meals like the Sam I Am Eggs (told you Mom!) and Lamb Meatballs. For everyone on a low carb or cavemen-esque diet, I highly recommend her site. It's easy to get stuck in a rut on a low carb diet and eat the same ole ho-hum food, but Elizabeth's meals can appetize the low carber and regular diner alike. Who doesn't like (gluten and dairy free!) chicken fingers? Don't forget your vegetables either! Vital to health and the low carb and Paleo lifestyles, Cave(wo)men do eat their veggies! Restricted diets can be hard without further limiting food groups voluntarily, so check her out for gluten free, dairy free, low carb/Paleo meals.

Aprovechar: I know everyone else has given Sally an "E" already, but I must chime in. Sally's recipes are great healthy recipes for anyone looking for allergen free weight loss dinner ideas, but the real sparkle in her blogging comes from her heartfelt discussions regarding her life experience. Sally harbors the genuine glow of someone who has overcome traumatic health problems through an inspiring recovery. I know many people who can fake optimism, but Sally really has a true light shining from her soul. Besides, she makes tempting gluten free vegan Mesquite Chocolate Chip Cookies featuring flax seed (horrah!) to munch while you ponder enlightenment.

Jeena's Kitchen: Mediterranean cuisine (not all gluten or allergen free) with tons of delicious photographic recipes with everything from lamb and fish to traditional vegetable curries and desserts. The lamb dishes are always some of Jon's favorite objects 'o drool, like her lamb mint meatballs (use gf bread or ground flax).

I'm sure I missed a few excellent gluten free blogs, so my apologies. Other top authors are Cathy Wong and Dr. Ben Kim, both very knowledgeable alternative health authorities and creative cooks. Dr. Ben Kim even has a healthy corn syrup and HFCS free pecan pie recipe stocked full of delicious dates for the holidays! All of these yummy blogs are stirring my appetite for a nice warm mug of cocoa ...

Spiced Vegan Chai Cocoa
[low glycemic to boot]

The onset of brisk cold nights here in NC drags out a plethora of random herbs and unsweetened cocoa powder for a nightly rendevouz with my otherwise shivering hands. I have to make all my own cocoas since commercial AND affordable varieties come complete with a) corn syrup, b) dairy ... and more derivatives of dairy, and c) tons of other crap.

Unsweetened non-dutch processed cocoa is not treated with alkali and is all we use at Cindalou's. Why no dutch processed cocoa? The dutch processing destroys most of the flavonols present in cocoa, as discussed in this Chocolate as a Health Food article. Besides, addition of unnecessary metals to perfectly good cocoa for a milder taste seems .. unnecessary. Curious minds can find a concise description of the sundry varieties of chocolate and cocoa at this Wikipedia site.

All of the cocoa details aside, if you want quick and easy homemade vegan cocoa, gather any combination of the following herbs and ingredients and stir away! (The amounts are approximate, and as such, this is barely a recipe at all. This is an herb-y cocoa based on my old slippery elm tea of healing warmth.)

• 2 T. unsweetened non-dutch cocoa powder
  
  
• 4 drops liquid Stevia (if desired) or agave/honey to taste
  
  
• 1 t. slippery elm - various soothing digestive actions, high in iron and vitamins, helps kidney problems, diarrhea and constipation (similar action to psyllium)
  
  
• 1 t. cayenne pepper - arthritis, pain relief (internal & external), soothes & improves digestion, metabolic booster
  
  
• 2 t. cinnamon - antifungal, antibacterial, improves glucose metabolism (diabetes), anticlotting, helpful for memory
  
  
• dash ground ginger - excellent nausea and digestive aid, antiinfammatory, aids in prevention of cancer, immunity booster
  
  
• 1 t. crushed fennel seeds - very high in Vitamin C, improves immunity, high in folate (a B vitamin) and fiber, helps keep the colon and heart healthy

• dash ground fenugreek - high in fiber and amino acids, lowers cholesterol and regulates blood sugar, helps soothe digestion, loosens mucous, can stimulate the sex drive, and has an interesting folk use for breast enlargement. It also improves milk flow from nursing mothers, may help fight obesity, aids in heart disease, and can ease menstrual pain. It should not be used in high, frequent doses, or by pregnant women
  
  
• 1 t. cardamom (ground) - digestive aid, gas reliever, stimulant, and helps to break up mucous. Add extra cardamom to your tea, soups, stews, curry dishes, or pies if you have a cold or some congestion
  
  
• dash coriander (ground) - helps control blood sugar, useful in diabetes, good source of mucilage, and helps control cholesterol
  
  
• dash cloves (ground) - the active eugenol in cloves aids in inflammation and arthritis, digestive disorders and cancers, detoxification from environmental pollutants, pain relief, and anesthetic. Chew on a clove bud for a toothache and your whole mouth will go numb! It is also high in minerals and contains some Omega 3 fatty acids.

• 2+ cups boiling water or 1 c. boiling water 1 c. hemp milk (or other milk or favorite milk substitute)

Mix all in the mug(s), pour over water and/or warmed [hemp] milk and stir. Dilute and sweeten to preference. Use Stevia or agave for low glycemic (~0 and ~11 glycemic index, respectively), or add honey (~32 a low g.i.) as desired. Honey harbors amazing antimicrobial, antiviral, and antioxidant benefits, so don't fear the honey bee! If you want more health benefits on each ingredient, check out the links above.

Serves: 1-2 (depending on water or "milk" use)

Buckwheat Coconut Caraway Biscuits [Low Carb]

1/2 c. organic buckwheat flour
a generous 1/4 c. organic coconut flour*
1 t. non-aluminum baking powder
sea salt
1 t. organic raw apple cider vinegar
1-2 t. freshly ground caraway seeds (fruit)
onion and garlic powder
punch oregano
2 T. smart balance light, melted or 2 T. organic coconut oil
2 eggs
2 T. agave
1 T. flax (optional)

* You can add water or coconut milk a few tablespoons at a time if yours thickens too much for a biscuit dough

In a medium bowl, mix the eggs (or egg substitute with 3 T. ground flaxseed), melted vegan smart balance (or organic coconut oil, whichever you are using), agave, sea salt, and apple cider vinegar. Add in the coconut flour, buckwheat flour, baking powder, flax (whole or ground) to the bowl of liquids. Stir the batter as you add the coconut flour and flax so that no lumps are formed and the moisture is distributed evenly. You can add a few tablespoons of water or unsweetened applesauce if the dough becomes too thick and tough to stir. The high fiber content of the coconut flour, flax, and buckwheat will absorb the moisture quickly. Grind the caraway seeds in your mortar by hand, with a little coffee grinder or blender, or just use pre-ground caraway. I prefer the smell of freshly ground caraway seeds and it only take a few seconds to take out any morning aggression on those poor whole seeds with my marble mortar :)

Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray and drop the dough onto the sheet. You can also use a regular muffin tin as I did. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. Keep your eye out after 13 minutes so the muffins do not brown too fast. Remember coconut flour tends to need to cook a little longer than other flours, but it remains moist throughout the longer baking period.

Jon's sunflower seed and shredded cheese variation

Coconut flour and flax are excellent low carb, high fiber healthy flours for gluten and dairy free baking. Flax is a great vegan source of essential Omega 3 fatty acids and is more bioavailable to the body in ground form. You can, of course, chew the whole seeds throughly, but if you're anything like me then you tend to gulp your food, so freshly ground flax is a better option. If you do cook with flax, keep the heat to a minimum (I know, I'm using it here! However, when baked inside a dish the temperature is not as high as the crust or outside of the food. This means the flax is somewhat safer baked into a food then otherwise. Ideally, you would not really bake with flax since the high heat can damage the delicate Omega 3 fats, causing rancidity.) Buckwheat flour is also high in fiber and thus low in "net carbs," making it a great nutritious flour to add to your low glycemic index/low carb gluten free pantry.

Most people know caraway better for its use in rye bread, a gluten grain. I love the smell and taste of rye bread, but after more thought I realized that it was only the smell and robust flavor of the caraway seed which I enjoyed. If you are gluten free and remember that rye bread smell with longing, I suggest just adding some fresh caraway seeds to your gluten free bread. It really does give that rye smell and feel (minus the gluten, of course :) ) Rye bread also has an interesting past shrewed in mystery where it is theorized to have caused hallucinations leading to the Salem witch trials whereby the accusers ingested rye bread contaminated with mold (ergot poisoning, like LSD). Its an interesting tidbit you can ponder as you munch on gluten free coconut caraway biscuits in glee, eh?

Easy Roasted Chili Salsa [Vegan] [Low Carb] [Low Fat]

These past few months, Jon and I have been quite busy. From plodding through our degree programs and planning our wedding, finding a time to sit down, relax, and write to you has been a blessing seldom received. Rest assured, we've still been cooking and have plenty recipes stored away! Lately, we've focused on the often-requested, though rarely shared, weekend meals to last the week. Recipes for roasted-quinoa porridge, David's coconut guacamole, roasted tomato hummus, and cinnamon flax butter adorn our more recent list of recipes yet-to-be-posted. The Omega-3 packed cinnamon flax butter was delicious on our Sunrise Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits. We traded a batch of our roasted tomato hummus for two of Pete's Kombucha SCOBY's, for which Pete said:

That was very likely the best hummus I've ever tasted. I had to control myself to not eat the entire tub...

With those SCOBY's, we started brewing our own kombucha. [My addiction was becoming a tad too expensive .. :) ]

One thing is certain - when pressed for time, the Vita-Mix is perfect! Jon *promised* to buy us a new one when our warranty runs up, but if you're interested now, be sure to check out the new Vita-Mix-5200 with free shipping using the coupon code: 06-002697. It's pricey for a "blender", but we use it on a daily basis. In fact, we've already used it three times today! For instance, our Roasted Chili Salsa:

2 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 jalapeño, roasted
1 small, fresh habanero
1 lb. fresh, roasted organic tomatoes OR 1 28 oz can fire roasted whole tomatoes with juice
5 cloves garlic
3-4 whole green chilies OR 1 can (drained)
1 t. organic raw apple cider vinegar
handful fresh cilantro
sea salt and pepper to taste
2 T. organic tomato paste
1/2 fresh lime
dash turmeric
dash dried red pepper flakes
dash dried parsley
pinch fresh whole cumin

Add all of the ingredients to the Vitamix or your blender. If you do not have any roasted peppers on hand, you can use fresh (or canned) ones, but those will be more pungent than roasted peppers. The roasting process changes some of the spicy heat to a smoky flavor as the pepper skins start to brown and convert to simpler sugars. Try to use fresh (then grill/roast your own) peppers rather than canned, since the water-soluble vitamin C in the peppers is lost in the canning process (especially if you drain your canned veggies!). Remember that old adage "fresh is better than frozen is better than canned?" Well, maybe it didn't quite go like that, but you get the idea.

As for the "instructions," just throw everything in your blender and whirl! I turned the Vitamix from low (1) to speed 10 in three 4-5 second intervals so that I could have chunky salsa. If you like your's more fluid, by all means, blend on.

Serve chilled. This is a great way to get fresh, raw vegetables in your diet. I've heard estimates that somewhere between half to 1/3 of your diet should come from raw food, but I think you should maximize whatever your body can handle. Raw food retains the vitamins, minerals, and especially enzymes which are destroyed by cooking. Personally, I eat salsa with a spoon, but even if you're just a chip and dip person, salsa is a great fat free condiment to replace soybean-oil mayo and commercial pasteurized dairy products (sour cream , cream cheese dip, etc). In case you're wondering, the high temperatures of pasteurization kill the bad bacteria alongside the good probiotics, so you're missing out on the healthy good bacteria. It's throwing out the baby with the bathwater, in my opinion. If you eat commercial dairy products (or pasteurized orange and other citrus juices), look for "live cultures" where at least some of the probiotics are added back to the food.

Oh, and remember that fat free isn't all its cracked up to be. Salsa is a great, healthy and raw low calorie food/condiment, but you shouldn't shun the fresh guacamole or extra virgin olive oil. Your body must have healthy fats in order to survive and repair itself, so remember to keep a balance! This goes great with some sundried tomato blue corn crips, flax crisps (coming soon), or good old fashioned cut up veggies. I also have a standing side of salsa with any fish or protein since it balances the flavors nicely. Hey, for about 3 minutes of your time, a blender, and a few produce ingredients, you can make your own specialty organic salsa. I don't know about you, but I certainly enjoy fun money savers like this! Most organic salsas are over $4/lb - this quick recipe makes about 7 c. (~3.5 lbs).

Yield: 7 c. salsa

Like this uber easy recipe? Check out my other Vitamix timer-saver recipes. And don't forget the guacamole, especially since avocados are in season!

Great gluten free blogger guac recipes (sorry if I missed yours, this is just the most recent batch):
Zesty Guacamole @ Gluten Free for Good
Joey's Kicked Up Rockin' Guac @ Karina's Kitchen (Gluten Free Goddess)

Coconut Lime Seared Salmon [Paleo] [Low Carb]

At a junction between the Superbowl and Super Tuesday, I thought I'd send you a delicious salmon recipe of ours and a little reminder: Don't forget to vote tomorrow (Feb 5th)! Before heading out to vote, please consider the once-in-a-lifetime candidate for president, Ron Paul. Thanks - enjoy :)

4 fillets fresh or frozen (defrosted) wild caught Alaskan salmon with skin
lemon juice
squeeze lime juice
sea salt and pepper
4 T. organic virgin coconut oil (or olive oil) for frying

Seasonings:
dried
sprinkle dill and lemon seasoning

Coconut Lime Sauce:
1 can organic coconut milk
1/3 c. lime juice
peel of fresh lime, grated for zest
handful organic no-sulfur shredded coconut (extra for garnish)
slices of fresh lime, garnish

Prepare your coconut sauce by combining and stirring all the lime sauce ingredients in a large bowl. Once mixed, poor roughly two-thirds of the glaze and salmon in a leak proof bag and let marinate for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to meld.

Coat your grill with olive oil (spray or otherwise). Grill the salmon for 2-3 minutes per side - we like our salmon rare-medium, depending on freshness. Once the salmon is done to your liking, remove it from the grill and drizzle over the remaining coconut lime sauce. Sprinkle the coconut flakes on top and serve hot with a wedge of fresh lime.

As I mentioned previously in my Balsamic Molasses Grilled Salmon, eat the skin of the salmon to ingest the good Omega 3 fats. I know that sounds repulsive to some (my parents), but the Omega 3's are found right under the skin. In his nutritional bible Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill, Udo Erasmus cites the areas right underneath the skin, around the gills, fins, and belly as the sites of Omega 3 fish oil stores (pg. 263 in case you're curious). The good Omega 3 fats are a class of essential fats which our bodies cannot synthesize on their own, so they must come from our diet. The American/Western diet is lacking in quality fat (fish oils, coconut oil, hemp, flax, and olive oil), consumes far too much processed food, and has a highly distorted Omega3:Omega 6 ratio. This imbalance heightens the necessity for one to supplement his/her diet with more Omega 3 fats. Don't worry, the good fat is metabolized quickly and efficiently in the body, so it is not stored; you will not "get fat" by eating the correct fats. Indeed, the opposite is true when reasonable consumption of quality fats are included in the diet. Besides, salmon is virtually adored by everyone (vegan excluded, of course :) ), so dig in!

Artichoke Curry Bison Burgers [Paleo] [Low Carb]

1 lb ground bison (local if possible)
1 T. extra virgin olive oil (since grass fed meat is very lean)
1 free range egg (optional- some ground flax or psyllium powder keeps it together nicely)
1 small jalapeño with seeds
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/4" piece fresh ginger root, minced
2-3 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
2-3 sliced red onion, garnish

Seasonings:
sea salt and pepper
2 T. crushed red pepper
dash hot curry powder (to taste)

Ok, I'm going to cheat here and use old instructions on how we make our burger patties. No methodology has changed, so here's the scoop:

To make burgers:
First mince or finely chop the garlic and ginger in a food processor. In a large bowl, mix fresh or defrosted meat, the minced garlic and ginger, seasonings, olive oil, and egg (if the egg is included).

If you're not using egg, you can omit it entirely or add the psyllium powder or freshly ground flax now. If you use flax, be sure to buy whole flaxseed (it is cheapest in bulk or Whole Foods brand in packages with the cereal and oatmeal). Grind the flax right before use with a small coffee grinder or blender since pre-ground flax or stored ground flax has rancid fat. The delicate Omega 3 fats in flax are easily destroyed with light, heat, and time so it is best and easiest to grind it fresh each time and ensure good quality fat. More on flax here and in my upcoming flax informational post "The Flax of Life" (Jon loves that title), but for now back to the bison:

Pat meat mixture into 4-6 patties and grill 3-5 minutes. Remember that grass fed buffalo (bison) meat is very lean and requires significantly less cooking time than normal meat; keep a close eye on it. These cook great on the grill or in a pan with a lid for quicker cooking. If you like your burgers medium or rare as I do, then pay special attention to cooking time and remove burgers when they are still raw inside - they will continue to cook afterwards.

Serve with sides of your choice. Since I prefer my meat on the less dead side (there are more enzymes which have not been destroyed by cooking and it tastes better to me!), I like these burgers best fresh. They do fine as reheated leftovers, but nothing really compares to a fresh juicy burger! If you like a tangy flavor, drizzle some gluten free and corn syrup free bbq sauce over the burgers. I use the Kraft light bbq sauce since it is gluten and dairy free.

Jon actually made these burgers with my instructions and it was a nice break for me. The curry powder adds a great flavor and it's not "spicy" hot like some people might assume. As many of you have heard and as our local blogging nutritionist Melissa at Gluten Free for Good has said before, curry powder has a wide array of health benefits. The active ingredient in curry, curcumin, has been shown to protect the brain for Alzheimer's, help heal digestion and inflammation (that's a huge Celiac concern), and prevent tumors. It has even been rumored to help STDs and skin cancer. I can't even do it justice here with my limited time, so I'll rant more on it in the future (you're spared for now!) The World's Healthiest Foods site has a good little summary here.

Once you're finished reading up on the healthy side of curry, throw a hearty dash or two into your burgers, whether vegetarian/vegan bean or tuna burgers, or carnivorous high B12 grass fed beef or bison patties or a low fat turkey and spinach burger. Grill on. Yum!

Gluten Free Granola and Hemp Muffins

These muffins come from the recipe off the Enjoy Life Gluten Free Granola which we found as a new item at Kroger yesterday. I was so excited to try the gluten free granola despite the fact that it is almost $5 for a tiny box (of air! - gluten free air specially manufactured in a facility...).

Very berry sawdust, mmm

I made my first mistake in thinking that I ever I missed granola. This will be a very biased review since I never liked granola, but then again I'm not a carb person. My subsequent mistake was in believing it would taste like real granola... or something other than stale brown rice syrup. I should be fair and say Jon tried it and he said it was decent, but would be improved with milk and lots of cinnamon and honey. If you like or miss granola, this might be ok for you since Jon has a better sense of granola than I do.

I followed up my buying mistake with an entertaining hour-long painstaking irritable dance around the kitchen while I tried to follow their recipe. I hate following directions. I can't do it, so I added some organic hemp protein and organic blackstrap molasses (skipped the brown sugar) to make it more my own. I should have added flax just to spite my dad who responded "No flax! I don't like that stuff, yuck" when I asked what he wanted with his homemade steak dinner for Christmas. Got it dad, extra flax. Double flax for that, but no flax here. Plenty of rice monstrosities masquerading as "granola" though :)

1 c. Enjoy Life granola (I used the berry variety)
1/2 c. brown rice flour
1/2 c. buckwheat flour
1/4 t. sea salt
3 t baking powder
1 T. cinnamon
1 small organic apple with skin, chopped
2 T. organic hemp protein powder
2 eggs
1 c. unsweetened applesauce
1/2 c. lite coconut milk
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 T. agave nectar
1 T. organic unsulfured blackstrap molasses
1/4 c. raisins
1 T. organic raw pumpkin seeds
1 T. raw organic sunflower seeds
1/4 c. shredded organic reduced fat coconut
1 organic banana, chopped

Coat your muffin tins with nonstick spray and preheat oven to 350 degrees. I used a large muffin tin of 12 cups plus smaller 6 muffin tins. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients (except the fruit). In a separate smaller bowl, combine wet ingredients while adding the molasses and agave last. Add in the wet ingredients and stir well. I used a potato masher to squash the banana into the dough. Add the chopped apple, raisins, coconut, and seeds and stir until well mixed. Fill the muffin cups about half full and add extra granola on top if desired. Bake 15-17 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm.

Yield: 22-25 muffins

Tarragon and Onion Stuffed Roast Turkey [Paleo][Low Carb]

We used one ~22 lb. monster of a turkey, some fresh organic carrots, sweet onions, various red and sweet potatoes, and some peppers. Stuff and season as you like with whatever fruits and veggies are in season in your area. You really can't go wrong! This is my preemptive Thanksgiving turkey since the birds are on sale now, we didn't have room in our freezer, and I can't pass up roast turkey. Reader beware that now you'll see turkey, turkey, and nothing but turkey leftover recipes for the next three hundred posts since only Jon and I are chomping down on this feller :) If you have whole cranberries, dates, figs or other fall fruits they'd be great here also, especially in the "stuffing." I didn't do gluten free bread stuffing since we don't really do much bread (we're corn tortilla and seaweed wraps type of folks) and I am lazy. Maybe a future turkey will feature stuffing, no promises though :)

1 large turkey (our was ~22 lbs)
2 large organic sweet potatoes
4 large sweet onions
4 jalapeños with seeds
5 large organic carrots
4 medium organic red potatoes
~5 c. water (to baste turkey in as it cooks)*
1 lemon, seeded and sliced

*You can also use gluten free chicken or vegetable broth, San-J wheat free tamari, or Bragg's but I did not use any of these here. If you do use tamari or Braggs (or many vegetable broths), be aware that your recipe is no longer soy free.

Seasonings:
tarragon
Italian seasoning
dried rosemary
garlic powder
cayenne pepper
chili powder
hot curry powder (optional)
paprika

First, take out a giant heavy-duty roaster pan and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. You want to use a defrosted or fresh turkey so that you'll be able to remove the neck and innards (kidney, liver, heart) which are inside the turkey cavity. I tried once to remove those from a still half frozen bird and all I did was waste hot water, time, and my patience, only to end up with freezing cold hands and a bad temper. Open the packaging and line the sink with plastic bags so the raw turkey juice doesn't spill everywhere and dirty the whole sink. As you clean it off with cold water, dig inside both ends of the bird to remove the neck and bag of organs. Sometimes I keep the liver and stuff to cook since my mom loves liver, but this time I didn't. If you do cook and eat these, be careful not to overdo it on the cholesterol. Also, organ meats are better suited for protein type metabolisms, so if you're a carb type you might want to bulk up on the low fat white meat and tone down the dark meat and organ meats. To each his own, remember everything in moderation!

After the bird is washed, place it in your rack and/or roasting pan. Pour in the water to form a base for basting and for great turkey soup stock later. Wash your potatoes, carrots, and peppers thoroughly and pat dry. I chopped my carrots only in half so we could have nice roasted carrot "sticks," but sliced carrots work great also. I left all my potatoes whole for turkey flavored roast potatoes. I only smashed/sliced open the potatoes right before serving to make them a more manageable size for Jon. Slice the jalapeños and lemon and set aside. I chopped up 2 of the onions and thinly sliced the other two onions. The sliced onions I used along with the sliced lemon for stuffing underneath the turkey skin, along with the bulk of the seasonings, as shown below.

You'll most likely want to stuff your turkey before you add the surrounding vegetables; you don't want to knock the side vegetables out of the pan while you stuff the bird.

Spice and Onion Stuffing Method:

I first slid my fingers up under the skin at both the neck breast area and later in the rear turkey area in order to loosen the skin. I worked my fingers up under the skin to separate the skin from the meat while being cautious not to rip the skin. It takes a little practice, but I think I got started early on this method in high school anatomy class skinning a cat for dissection. Gross, I know, but very educational. Anyways, getting back to the turkey: the reason why I dry rub the seasonings mostly under the skin is that we don't really eat the skin since, even with free range birds, the fat is mostly saturated. I'd rather get my fat from better quality sources like flax, hemp and hemp powder, olive, and coconut oils.

Once the skin is loose, mix all of the seasonings in a small bowl and take a little at a time in your fingers and rub onto the meat (under the skin). I use about 90% of the seasoning under the skin and rub the rest on the outside of the skin. After all of the seasoning has been applied to the meat (remember to get the breast and back), then slide small slices of onion and lemon under the skin as well. These under-the-skin onions get nice and mushy-tender while the onions reserved for the pans get a nice blackened and roasted, almost caramelized taste. I like the variety, but if you don't want to bother with all this under the skin stuff then don't.

Now that all of the dry rub seasonings and onion slices have been stuffed under the skin, rub the remaining half of the spice on the outside of the turkey. Place your chopped carrots, chopped onions, and whole red potatoes around the bird wherever you can fit them. I "stuffed" the cavity with the two whole sweet potatoes and a few pieces of chopped onion. Lastly, add the sliced jalapeños and seeds over the top. Sprinkle the rest of the seasonings over the veggies before roasting.

Bake at 350 degrees on the bottom rack of the oven for about 10-15 minutes per pound (my mother always said 20 minutes per pound to be safe, but I've found that makes the turkey breast too dry). You want the final temperature to be at least 160 degrees as measured from the thickest part of the breast. I baked ours for about 5 hours or so while basting it every hour. Once the skin obtained the brownish roasted looking hue shown in the pictures, I covered the top loosely with aluminum foil in the last two hours of baking so that the skin wouldn't burn.

We enjoyed this awesome turkey with my Easy Coconut Brown Rice, organic (no corn syrup) cranberry sauce, and some garlic sage mixed veggies on the side. Don't forget that the roasted veggies from the turkey are a great side dish also! You can use the juices from the turkey as dressing or you can thicken the juice with cornstarch to make an easy gravy. If you like the canned cranberry sauces, be careful to check the ingredients for corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup. I have found that the organic varieties sold here do not contain corn syrup, but they do have evaporated cane juice. The cane juice is considered more "natural" sugar, but it it still sugar so watch the glycemic impact.

Turkey Soup Base Sidenote:

I plan to use the strained juice from the turkey as a broth base for some turkey soup made with the leftover large bones, carcass, and some organic apple cider vinegar. The vinegar helps leach calcium from the bones while your boil the bones for soup broth. After boiling and simmering the bones, remove them and let the broth cool. Refrigerate overnight. The overnight refrigeration allows the fat to congeal at the top so you can spoon it off the next day in preparation for turkey soup. I'll post the soup recipe later this or next week with our leftovers.

Caramelized Cinnamon Walnuts with Pumpkin Seeds [Vegan]

1-2 T. virgin coconut oil*
2 heaping T. organic raw pumpkin seeds (unsalted)
2-3 T. organic sugar
1 c. organic raw walnuts
1 heaping T. cinnamon
dash nutmeg

* You can substitute extra virgin olive oil or vegan butter. If you're sensitive to soy, watch for the soy and flax oil with vegan butter.

Spray your frying pan or skillet with nonstick spray and add the coconut (olive) oil. Turn the eye to medium heat to melt the oil and add the walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and cinnamon. Stir and sprinkle over the sugar.

As the eye heats and the sugar begins to caramelize, be sure to stir the nuts and make sure the sugar evenly coats the nuts and seeds. Heat while stirring constantly for about 2 minutes until all of the sugar has caramelized and crusted over the nuts. The sugar is considered caramelized when it is melted into a clear golden to dark brown syrup, which is around 350 degrees. If you've never done this before, it is quick and fun to watch. A good website with simple instructions for caramelizing sugar is here.

As soon as the sugar is caramelized, remove the coated nuts and seeds from the pan and place either on wax paper or a large plate to spread out and cool. Once cooled, break the nut "brittle" into pieces and use as topping.

This is a great topping for holiday sweet potatoes, breads and muffins, or just a plain old salad. I served these as a crunchy and sweet topping to my Cranberry and Banana Spice Bread for Jon.

Bamboo and Artichoke Chicken [Paleo] [Low Carb]

I always get questions on what I eat for lunch. Specifically, I'm asked for some quick gluten, dairy, nut, corn, soy, egg, blah blah free low carb recipes. This recipe will last me a few more lunches. I'm a multi-task lunch maker; I either make them while preparing dinner or while cleaning up after dinner. Recipes like this are especially easy since I can concentrate on another meal while it cooks.

This recipe obviously has meat since I need a higher protein diet, but it is free of all nuts, corn, soy, eggs, red meat, flax, tomatoes, gluten, wheat, and dairy (and many other foods I can't think of at the moment). What you see is what you get :) If you have trouble with "key" ingredients such as onions, please feel free to omit them or substitute whatever you like. Truly, there are no real "key" ingredients! Even this recipe could have chicken completely swapped out for some fresh tuna steaks, mahi mahi fillets, turkey breasts, or try a high protein vegetarian black beans, lentils or quinoa twist. Experiment and please share your results!

I hear from many people that they just don't have the time to cook. I understand. I hope some of my recipes can provide a good basis for inspiration for healthy food, lifestyles, and good time management since I have found that my diet and exercise are the cornerstones of my health and productivity. Cooking is my love and hobby but also a necessity and priority, but don't think just because you're not a stay at home cook or star chef that you can't do the same. Even my "most difficult" recipes are ones that anyone can do (well, given a little practice in the kitchen). Just ask Jon: he is occasionally forced from dishwasher to dinner maker when I'm taking a day off :) Anyways, enough motivational disclaimers and onto the food!

Low Carb Bamboo and Artichoke Chicken [Paleo]

4 boneless-skinless chicken breasts
1 can artichoke hearts, drained
1 can bamboo shoots, drained
sea salt and pepper
3-4 T extra virgin olive oil
2-3 slices onion
4 sundried tomatoes, chopped
5-6 cloves fresh garlic, minced
5-6 large collard leaves, chopped (optional)

Seasonings (to taste):
garlic powder
Italian seasoning
dried rosemary
crushed red pepper

An aside on cooking method:
This is the first recipe where I was able to use our brand new Saladmaster oil-core electric skillet. Mom and Abba Jockers (Jon's family) blessed us with this as an early wedding shower present to help me more easily and quickly prepare my food. This super sexy appliance is more than just some electric griddle or frying pan (and the price tag sure reflects that!); the insulated oil-core of the skillet allowed me to cook the chicken at much higher and even heat (350 as seen below) than I could on the stove top which drastically lessened the cooking time and even gave a nice browning to the meat. The quality of the stainless metal assured that the chicken and onions did not stick even without added fat. If food does stick, a simple rinse does the trick. Jon loved the easy cleanup - I think he's spoiled now! I added olive oil since chicken alone is too low fat for my body; my body works much better on a high protein, veggies, and good fat diet. I cooked this whole meal in the skillet while I made Jon's lunch, cleaned out the fridge, made a Crockpot beef roast for later tonight, and cleaned up. The skillet really helps me multitask and make our food asap since otherwise I am trapped in the kitchen all night. You'd think one could be overwhelmed with kitchen appliances, but I manage to make use of mine on a weekly basis preparing meals. Next on the list: Saladmaster Crockpot ...

Our fantastic new oil-core Saladmaster electric skillet cooking up the chicken and onions.

Thanks Mom and Abba Jockers!!

If you do not own an electric skillet, then you can use a frying pan and cook this all a little longer since the stove top heat is much lower. If you prefer, this can be made entirely in a Crockpot with a 4-6 hour low-heat cooking time frame. I used our electric skillet preheated to 350 degrees. If you have a normal skillet or even a teflon-coated skillet (these are not ideal, I'll talk about teflon later), then you may wish to spray your pan with nonstick cooking spray and turn to high heat.

Slice the onion and add it, the chicken breasts, olive oil, and seasonings to the skillet. I grilled the chicken in the skillet at 350 degrees (high heat) uncovered for about 10 minutes per side. The meat had a nice brown crispy "crust." This also allows for the onions to caramelize, making them naturally sweet and soft.

In the last 5 or so minutes before the last chicken side is finished, add the bamboo shoots, collards, and artichokes hearts. Stir and let the bamboo and artichokes form a slight brown hue after about 6-7 minutes. If you like your veggies softer, turn the heat down and let simmer for a few more minutes. I basically threw the ingredients in the pan, ignored it for the most part, and came back to flip the chicken and add the veggies once the chicken browned. Serve hot with a dash of sea salt and drizzle of extra virgin olive oil for a low carb healthy meal.