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.

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!

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 #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.

Media, Edition #2: Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Continues #1!

The six-episode mini-series in Huntington, West Virginia was just a kick-off for a nationwide effort to get better food into US public schools and change the American food culture. Oliver has been providing weekly updates on the movement (week 1 and week 2) and the Food Revolution is picking up speed. His online petition for better food in the public schools is inching towards 600,000 people. If you haven't signed the petition, do it. When you do, you can opt in to a weekly newsletter to stay updated on the Food Revolution branch of the US movement for healthier food.

The weekly newsletter also comes with an easy recipe to try: last week was an omlete, this week is a one cup pancake. Omletes are fantastic - they were the first things I learned how to cook when I was little. This pancake is going to be a bit of a challenge - I'll have to make some changes to make them AFF friendly and have them work at high altitudes. When I do get to trying them out, I'll post a picture and my adjustments. If you get to trying out AFF friendly versions, leave them in the comments.