Variation on Raw-Inspired Date Cookies

So the date cookies didn't last very long and I had to do something else to satisfy my sweet tooth and my need to have at least some solid food.  I was looking around at others blogs (which I do for inspiration, since I'm a relative newcomer to this way of eating - I'm still cheating with forbidden foods on occasion), and I kept reading about the joys of almond flour.  Rather than buying some at the local natural foods store (which takes up lots of my time and money already), I ground up some almonds in my coffee grinder and made a variation on the date cookies.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups fresh ground almond flour
3/4 cup finely chopped dates
1 tbsp flax seeds (optional, but recommended)
1 tbsp hemp seeds (optional, but recommended)
1 tbsp chia seeds (optional, but recommended)
2 tbsp honey
a dash of vanilla extract
a dash of almond extract
1/8 cup melted coconut oil
1 scoop greens powder (optional)
3 tbsp cocoa powder (include if you use the greens powder)

Directions

Combine almond flour, dates, and seeds in a mixing bowl.  Mix.  Pour mixture into a blender/food processor and blend until well blended.  Take mixture out of blender and back into the mixing bowl.  Add honey, coconut oil, vanilla and almond extracts, greens powder and cocoa powder.  Mix mixture until you get a good solid dough.  Scoop out on to wax paper and place in the refrigerator for about an hour, or, if you have a dehydrator, dehydrate to taste.

Raw-Inspired Date Cookies

When Michael (my boyfriend for newcomers) and I went on a nice long hike several days ago, I bought some raw cookie-like energy cubes from the natural food store here that were quite good.  As usual though, it felt like a compromise to buy the things - even from the natural food store - because they had the ubiquitous "natural flavors" on the ingredient's list.  Frankly, "natural flavors" could mean anything: all-natural extracts (which I can have, in moderation) or something I would rather not think about.  Either way, I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to try and replicate the cookie-ish energy cubes on my own, so that I wouldn't have to worry about what the heck "natural flavors" means.  This is an approximation of what I came up with:

Ingredients
2-3 big fistfuls of dates, finely chopped
a tablespoon or two almond flour
two to four tablespoons shredded coconut, divided
a teaspoon or two honey
a few drops vanilla extract
1/2 a scoop of my greens powder (optional)
a tablespoon or two of cocoa powder (optional)

Puree dates, almond flour, and 2 tablespoons  of shredded coconut in a food processor.  Remove from food processor and add honey, vanilla extract, greens powder, and cocoa powder.  Mix until you get a sticky dough-like substance.  Divide into bite size balls on parchment paper and flatten into a cookie shape.  Sprinkle the rest of the shredded coconut on top and press the coconut into the cookie.  Chill for an hour. 

I'll be trying other variations, since my searches on several raw and paleo blogs have yielded some inspiration for variations on the no-cook cookie theme.

The Great and Powerful Green Drink

Apparently, the green powder that I've been slacking on makes quite a big difference. I had half a scoop of the stuff in water with some coconut milk and lemon juice last night, and, when I woke up this morning, my shoulders and face were much less red and swollen. I had no idea. Sheesh.

Anyway - this is the stuff - Field of Greens by Vibrant Health. It's organic, raw, vegan, gluten-free, and filler-less. It's a bit strong by itself, so this is how I drink it most of the time.

1 tall glass water (divided)
1 scoop Field of Greens Green Powder
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
Splash of coconut milk, to taste (optional)

Fill the glass about half way with water. Add Field of Greens Green Powder, lemon juice, and coconut milk. Fill the glass the rest of the way with water. Stir until the green powder is dissolved. Enjoy immediately cold. It takes some getting used to, but the lemon really helps cut the strong green taste.

Every once in a while, I will pick up some coconut water and add in my daily powder. The sweet coconut water does plenty to mask the strong green flavor of the powder.

Anti-Performance-Anxiety Smoothie - Literally!

A few years back, I was really worried about panicking at my piano juries (really high-pressure performances - not fun). My counterpoint professor overheard me and told me that if I give up dessert for a week and have toast with peanut butter and a banana at least two hours before my jury time, it would have the effect of a beta-blocker, without the nasty meds. I did it and it worked.

Now, I have to take the GRE - like an SAT for grad students - and I'm worried that I'll choke. It's not that the test is hard, but it's long, and it messes with your head. Thankfully, I have a way to bail out if I don't like the way I did, but it costs $140 to take the test, and I only want to do this bugger once. I can't have traditional bread, but I have a kick-butt blender, so I made this.

The Anti-Performance-Anxiety Smoothie

4 tablespoons peanut butter
1 whole banana
1 tablespoon hemp seed
1 tablespoon flax seed
1/4 cup lite coconut milk

Place all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth. Enjoy cold at least two hours before your high-pressure event for an all-natural beta-blocker.

I think I understand now why Elvis liked peanut butter and banana sandwiches so much. I never made that connection before.

Boiled White Rice Recipe

When my dad's family lived in Japan, his mom asked for a no-fail recipe for boiling rice, and the recipe has been passed down to me (and probably my sister, though I don't know how much rice she makes). I'm passing it on to you, dear readers, with optional olive oil and salt.

3 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)
a dash of salt (optional)
2 cups rice

Rinse rice. Pour water, olive oil, and salt in a sauce pan and bring to a rolling boil on high heat. Add the rice. Bring heat down to medium heat and allow to lightly simmer uncovered. Simmer until water evaporates - about 20 minutes or so. Fluff and serve hot immediately.

Boiled Amaranth Recipe

In the spirit of getting back to basics (with some actual measurements), here's the basic recipe I use for boiling amaranth seed (adapted from 1).

2 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)
a dash of salt (optional)
1 cup amaranth

Rinse amaranth. Pour water, oil, and salt into sauce pan and bring to a vigorous boil. Add amaranth. Allow the amaranth to boil for until the water evaporates - about 20 minutes or so. The end result should be sticky, but not gummy.

A basic buckwheat recipe

A few weeks back, as part of my efforts to get over major food boredom, I bought some buckwheat groats to try. I finally made another curry-like dish last night and a oatmeal-like dish this morning, both of which need some refining before I post here. I will admit that buckwheat has an unusual texture that I need to get used to (fluffy, but kind of springy), but I understand why the food allergy community likes to use the grain as the base for pancakes so much. Here's a basic cooked buckwheat recipe.

Cooked Buckwheat
4 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)
a dash of salt (optional)
1 cup uncooked, rinsed buckwheat groats

Pour water in a saucepan. Add olive oil and salt, if desired. Bring water to boil. Add buckwheat. Turn stove to medium-high, or just enough so that the contents are vigorously simmering. Cook until the water evaporates. Serve hot immediately.

The Ultimate Green Smoothie Variation Set

I was poking around the Vitamix site again and they have a mix-and-match green smoothie cheat sheet in PDF format. There's a quick sign-up, but what you get is quite good - 336 different variations on the green smoothie. I have been beat, dear readers, by quite a long shot. Then again, this is Vitamix - this is what they do. Maybe I'll try out the cheat sheet and share my favorite combinations here.

My only quibble is that it doesn't include basil, cilantro, parsley, or other green, leafy herbs anywhere on the mix-and-match table. They do cut the same old green taste quite a bit and make things more interesting.

Cookbook, Edition #7: Basil Smoothie!

Here's yet another variation on the green smoothie in a further attempt to cure food boredom. It was inspired in part by Giada De Laurentiis' version, but without the dairy or the syrup.

As much fresh basil as you can stuff into your blender (the stuff reduces fast)
A squirt of lemon juice or two
A teaspoon or two of agave nectar/honey
A splash of coconut milk
A splash of water.

Blend until smooth. Serve immediately cold.

Enjoy!

Cookbook, Edition #7: WholeFoods Raw Berry Crisp

I've not made this yet, but it looks and sounds fantastic! My mouth started watering just thinking about it. And there are so many variations you could make on it: peaches, mangoes, pears, apples, cherries - yum!

And WholeFoods puts out more recipes indexed by special dietary needs - I'll be posting more as I find more good things to eat!

Regimen, Edition #2: Turmeric and Coconut Oil Update

After a few days of trying to turmeric and coconut oil mask applied topically at night, I've decided that it may work for some people, I'm more frustrated with the mess it's causing than pleased by the results I'm getting. I bought some color friendly bleach to get the yellow stain out of my clothes. Turmeric tea doesn't bother me though (it tastes like liquid mustard, but I like mustard), so that will be how I reap turmeric's benefits.

Turmeric Tea

1 Cup Water
A dash of ground Turmeric
A dash of ground Black Pepper
Lemon Juice (optional)
Coconut Milk (optional)
Agave Nectar (optional)

Combine Water, Turmeric, and Pepper in a microwavable container. Microwave until the water gently boils. Add optional ingredients to taste. Serve hot immediately.

Cookbook, Edition #7: The Pink Smoothie

The Pink Smoothie resulted from two things: 1) combating food boredom, and 2) applying lessons from my former academic concentration to my food.

I am a musician by training, but I am more an academic than a performer. I was a composer until I realized that, as much as I love composing, I love learning about and teaching music theory more. One of the main lessons I took away from composing was that you can generate a lot of good stuff from just a few ideas. In fact, the less stuff you have to work with, the more creative you get with what you do use.

With the original Green Smoothie, I just wanted to get the vegetables into my system without setting off my gag reflex. As a brave soul who actually tried some of the original Green Smoothie said, "It doesn't taste bad. It doesn't really taste like anything." While that works for awhile, drinking tasteless green goop doesn't work long term, especially for a food lover. The variations on the Green Smoothie are one result of that effort to make this thing long term and enjoyable.

That said, just plain fruit is fantastic, especially in the morning. This is what I've been making for breakfast as of late.

The Pink Smoothie
2 handfuls chopped strawberries
2 handfuls blueberries, de-stemmed
1 banana
1 tablespoon or so hemp seed
1 tablespoon or so flax seed
a splash of coconut milk
a splash of water

Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Serve cold immediately.

Cookbook, Edition #6: Green Smoothie, Variations I and II

Spinach and berries are great, but I get bored with the same food all the time quickly. Not only that, but other fruits pair nicely with spinach and have been in-season (and on sale) recently, and I like saving money just like anyone else. To take advantage of the in-season, on-sale fruit, I had to come up with a few variations on the green smoothie. This is what I came up with:

Variation I

2 fistfuls baby spinach
2 big handfuls red grapes
2 big handfuls chopped mango
1 peeled, chopped banana
1 chopped carrot with green, leafy parts
1 tablespoon or so hemp seed
1 tablespoon or so flax seed
a splash of coconut milk
a splash of water

Blend in a blender until smooth. Serve cold immediately.

Variation II

2 fistfulls baby spinach
2 big handfuls chopped mango
2 yellow peaches, diced
1 peeled, chopped banana
1 tablespoon or so hemp seed
1 tablespoon or so flax seed
a splash of coconut milk
a splash of water

Blend in a blender until smooth. Serve cold immediately.

Cookbook, Edition #6: Curry-ish Beans and Rice

I have been meaning to try curry for a while simply because I had no idea what it was, friends rave about the stuff, and I've been bored with my other rice and beans concoctions. I'm happy to say that I tried making something like curry last night and thought it quite good. I doubt its close to authentic curry, but I liked it enough to share it with the world. It's vegetarian, and it cooks up quick, so I'll be making it during the regular school year too.

Ingredients

Rice
1 cup Brown Rice
1 1/2 cups water
A tablespoon or so olive oil
A pinch of salt

Curry-like Beans
A handful or two of fresh diced onion
A tablespoon or so of olive oil
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
A pinch of cayanne pepper
A heaping tablespoon of premixed curry powder
A pinch of powdered coriander
A pinch of salt
1 15 oz can garbanzo beans
A tablespoon or so of coconut milk

Rinse rice. Boil 1 1/2 cups water, tablespoon of olive oil, and pinch of salt in a sauce pan. While boiling, add rice. Simmer uncovered until water boiled off and/or absorbed.

While the rice simmers, saute chopped onion in olive oil over medium heat until translucent. Add remaining ingredients, stir, and let gently simmer until the rice is finished. Serve hot over rice.

You can substitute jasmine rice for the brown rice, adjust the spices to your taste, or substitute other kinds of beans, tofu, or meat for the garbanzo beans.

Cookbook, Edition #5: Using Your Old Cookbooks

While moving, I unearthed my old cookbooks and didn't have the heart to put them in the Goodwill pile. While struggling with a severe bout of food boredom, I started looking through these hand-me-down cookbooks and found that there were a lot of recipes I could have, some with no alterations, and some just a few tweaks. There were some recipes that were completely out of the question (i.e. stir fry recipes requiring soy sauce), but I was surprised how little work I would have to do to get out of my food rut and hop back into the gluten-free, soy-free, and dairy-free diet I had tackled in March. Of course, when you are cooking gfsfcf, it's always better choose recipes that are naturally gfsfcf compliant.

Some basic, recurring substitutions:
-Heavy Cream, Half-and-Half and Milk, esp. when used to make something creamy: coconut milk in various concentrations *
-Butter: Canola or olive oil
-Refined Sugar: honey, agave nectar, or (in some cases) fruit

I made lists of the recipes I can have with little or no work and hope to give a compilation to my parents so they can see what I can have.

* A word is necessary about using coconut milk as a gfsfcf substitute. There have been conflicting reports on whether or not coconut products are good for you due to their high saturated fat content. There are plenty of resources on the Internet to allow you to evaluate whether or not including coconut milk in your diet is a good idea. Personally, I don't have a problem using coconut milk as a milk substitute every once in while, so long as I know that I have been getting plenty of fruit, vegetables, grains, and beans and not too much meat.

Cookbook, Edition #4: Chocolate Goo

I love chocolate. Before I went gluten, soy, and dairy free, I tried to have a little bit of dark chocolate every day. Whether or not it is actually good for you, I liked having an excuse to have a nibble or two.

Now, most chocolate bars require a confession entry. Nonetheless, I still have the last bit of a Trader Joes Dark Chocolate Bar in my fridge. I know it's probably gone bad, but I just don't have the heart to let it go yet - not to mention I hate wasting food.

When I went gluten, soy, and dairy free, I knew that I would need some kind of chocolate substitute to satisfy my addiction. I did some reading, adapted recipes to my situation, and came up with a Chocolate Goo that works well on its own and as a frosting that surprised the day-lights out of my gluten-soy-and-dairy-eating friends. If you come up with a better title, feel free to leave it in the comments.

Chocolate Goo

1 part Cocoa Powder
2 parts Coconut Oil
1 part Honey (I switched to Agave Nectar after I read it wouldn't make my blood sugar spike - another possibility for my breakouts - you can use less if you use it)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix with an electric mixer, for best mixing. At this point, you can use it as frosting or eat it plain. I've also experimented with adding flax and hemp seeds, as well as other nuts, to make the goo less goo-like and more like a chocolate. I've also tried substituting bananas for part of the honey/agave nectar, but that experiment didn't work so well.

Cookbook, Edition #3: Popped Amaranth, Attempt I

I've been reading about popped amaranth recently - how good it is in cereal and as a basis for treats. I like popcorn well enough - I've never really made it outside my parent's house before - so I thought I'd give it try.

I'm sorry to say that my first attempt failed: I burned the amaranth and set off both of my apartment's smoke alarms. I think I didn't account for the fact that, at high elevations, temperatures around the oven heat up really fast, and I was using the big shallow frying pan I have on hand. It's nice for scrambling an egg quickly, but not so good for popping amaranth. I've not given up, but I need to procure a wok somehow, as is specified in several recipes I read. My dad would be thrilled - he's talked about the wok's virtues since I was a kid.

That said, here's how to pop amaranth, courtesy of Winnie Abramson at the Healthy Green Kitchen.

"Rinse amaranth seeds in a fine mesh strainer and let sit for about 30 minutes so they are dry. Place a wok or cast-iron skillet over high heat. Add the raw amaranth. Stir around with a wooden spoon as the amaranth seeds begin to turn brown and toasty. Then they should start popping. Be aware that if the pan isn’t hot enough or if you add too much amaranth at once, your seeds may not pop, and they might just burn. (For this reason, you may want to add only a tablespoon of amaranth at once, and remove them as soon as they’ve popped).

If the pan is hot enough though, and if you continue to stir the seeds around, most of them should pop and turn white. Watch that they don’t burn. When most of the seeds have popped, remove from the heat and set aside to cool." (1)

Cookbook, Edition #2: Breakfast Rice

While on vacation, I had access to lots of rice and spices for free (Thank you!). It wasn't ideal rice - it wasn't organic and it was fortified - but it sure tasted good and prevented me from writing even more confession entries than I did last week.

When I was a kid, my paternal grandmother once gave us rice with spices and milk for breakfast - a variation on oatmeal. I liked it a lot as kid - I liked oatmeal and rice was just as good. So when confronted with rice and spices for breakfast, I knew (more or less) what I was going to do.

Breakfast Rice

1 cup dry rice (I used white rice on my vacation, but brown rice would work too)
a few shakes cinnamon
a dash nutmeg
a dash cardamom (this stuff is pricey, but it is fantastic)
a bit olive oil (optional)

Boil rice according to the instructions on the package. While the water is boiling, add oil and spices to taste. Continue to cook rice according the package instructions. When rice is finished, fluff and enjoy while hot.

Variations: Add your "milk" of choice for a dish a bit more like oatmeal. Try adding your favorite fruit, nuts, and/or seeds for more nutritional punch. Substitute different rices, amaranth, quinoa, or gluten free oats (if you can have them).

Yield: 2 servings

Cookbook, Edition #1: The Green Smoothie

The biggest challenge I had in implementing the diet/regimen (besides money) was that I am a picky eater with a major sweet tooth. A friend of mine mentioned that, as part of her diet, she threw vegetables in her lunch smoothies and didn’t taste them at all. Being willing to try anything, I took the ingredients for my favorite salad (baby spinach and berries) and made a smoothie around it.

An AFF Green Smoothie

The Greens:
-2 fistfuls of spinach
-a fistful of broccoli
-a carrot, diced, with it’s green, leafy top

The Fruits:
-a banana, peeled and chopped
-a fistful or two of berries

The Extras:
-a tablespoon or two of hemp seed
-a splash of water
-a splash of coconut milk

Wash ingredients as needed, place in a blender, and mix until smooth. Pour into a glass, serve immediately, and enjoy.

What I like about this recipe best is its flexibility. You can substitute any green vegetable for the spinach; any number of fruits for the berries and the banana; and any kind of seeds, milk substitutes, or other AFF friendly extras for the hemp seed and coconut milk. You can also add or subtract ingredients to suit your taste buds and still have a good green smoothie. The only time I threw out what I mixed up for a smoothie was when I threw some dates into the mix. Something about that just didn’t work for me.

What variations have you tried? What works? What doesn’t?