Pumkin and Sweet Potato Waffles

I LOVE Red Mill products. One of my favorites is the high fiber pancake and waffle mix. When I make waffles I tend to make 3-5 batches at a time and then I freeze them. They make a great meal served with berries on top and a drizzle of pure maple syrup. I always struggle at meal time with what to make  so having these on hand and ready to go is great.

Follow the recipe for the waffles but leave out the oil and use only egg whites if you are looking to cut down fat and cholesterol. For each batch add 1 baked sweet potato mashed and 1/3 can of pureed organic pumpkin. Substitute almond milk for water and it gives a great crunch to the waffles.

Pumpkin and sweet potato are wonderful superfoods loaded with nutrition and natural sweetness.

Green Smoothies otherwise known as "Why I LOVE my VitaMix"

Green smoothies are an amazing way to get a number of servings of both vegetables of fruits in one drink. They can be easily modified to your taste and based on what you may have on hand on any given day. The reason they are so amazing in the VitaMix is because the VitaMix keeps the "whole" food as opposed to a juicer which spits out the crucial and important fiber. When I bake I make sure to measure ingredients but when it comes to smoothies I typically measure by the handful or pinch.

Green smoothies are great meal replacements and are perfect for a person on the go. They take some time to get used to, I tend to drink them quickly keeping in mind that no matter how funky it might taste or smell it is so good for me. The benefits of raw juice are numerous including but not limited to quickly feeding the cells with crucual nutrients. They are wonderful for people having a hard time chewing all those greens, people trying to manage the side effects of chemo, and for a quick meal on the go. I find that when I begin my day with a green smoothie that I have so much more energy and a mid afternoon slump is easily cured with a green smoothie. It is possible to even make raw brussel sprouts taste good, yes brussell sprouts.

Here are some of my favorite combinations. Have fun experimenting with it. If you need it to be more sweet I suggest adding more fruits and/or some raw honey.

I typically begin with 2 cups of water and then add from there.Combine ingredients in the VitaMix, begin at speed one and quickly increase to speed 10 and high

Supercharged Lunch Smoothie:

•  2 cups of water
• one large handful of spinach, kale and lettuce
• one carrot
•  a chunck of purple cabbage
•  1 TBS flax seed meal (omegas and fiber)
• 1 TBS hemp seeds (great protein)
• frozen berries

 Brussel Sprouts Can Taste Good:

• 2 cups of water
• 2-3 raw brussel sprouts
• 4-6 frozen strawberries
• a large handful of spinach and lettuce
• 1/2 an apple
• 1 carrot
• handful of grapes

Hearty Vegetable Soup

This is a simple soup recipe that I modified from my Weight Watchers days. The idea is based on their "zero point veggie soup". It can be made with any veggies you like or have on hand. Below are some of my favorites. I just made a batch yesterday afternoon and it was my best batch yet since I was able to include a quart of ground tomatoes left over from the summer harvest that I had frozen.

Ingredients:
6 cloves of pressed fresh garlic
1 onion slice thin and chopped
1/2 bag confetti slaw (green cabbage mix)
1/2 bag of brocoli or rainbow slaw ( this is a combo of shredded brocoli, cauliflower, carrots and and cabbages)
10 white mushrooms sliced thin
1 cup shredded collard greens (you can also use spinach or kale)
2 boxes organic chicken broth
1 quart of chopped fresh tomatoes or 1/2-1 can can of organic tomato paste
1 cup red lentils

Spray a large pot with cooking spray, add onions, garlic, and mushrooms, collards and saute. Add remaining veggies and saute for a few minutes until veggies are soft but not soggy. Add 2 boxes organic chicken broth and one quart of fresh ground tomatoes. When fresh tomatoes are not available they can be substituted with 1/2 -1 can of organic tomato paste. Rinse one cup of red lentils and add to pot raw. They will cook in the soup and add a wonderful hardiness. Simmer on low for an hour. This is a wonderful soup to freeze. My kids like this soup when I add small pasta or tortelini to it for them. A hearty, filling soup for the whole family!

Oatmeal Cookies

Last night I attended a great lecture titled "Feeding Your Children Well in a World That Doesn't. Let's Talk Sugar!" A lot of the information was stuff I alreeady knew and have been implementing for myself. The kids are not as much on board just yet much as I wish they were. One of the new ingredients I learned about and tried is Hemp Seed. This is a food loaded with protein and fiber. This morning I "snuck" it into my 5 year old's blueberry yogurt smoothie and he loved it and did not even seem to notice this secret ingredient along with the flax seed meal.

One of the samples we tried last night was a cookie made with whole grains and no sugar. While I liked the sample it seemed a bit oily/crunchy from the use of cocnut oil. So I came up with a similar version that I baked this morning for my boys. Sadly they didn't love it but I think I can make it better on the next run to entice them more. They did both at least try it :)

Here is the recipe below with my thoughts on improving the next batch. I welcome any feedback you may have when trying this in your kitchen.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
6 oz Plain Greek non fat yogurt ( I would double this amount to make the cookies more moist or even add a small amount of unsweetened apple sauce or banana puree)
1/2 cup barley malt
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups oat flour
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1/4 cup almonds chopped fine
dash of cinnamon ( I would use at least 1-2 tsp next time)
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup unsweetened carob chips
1/4 cup raisins ( I might soak these next time to insure more moisture)

Blend wet ingredients first then add remianing dry ingredients. Finally carob adn raisins. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

Pumpkin Muffins

With the wonderful fall weather comes some amazing squashes and root vegetables. Last week, I got a "pie pumpkin" in my farm share so I decided to see what it'd be like if I cooked it myself. It was delicious and so much better than the stuff in the can. To cook the pumpkin all I did was cut it, scoop out the insides, peel the skin and steam it. Once it was soft I put it into my Vitamix which is my new favorite kitchen appliance and pureed it in just a few seconds. From there I created the following yummy recipe for pumpkin muffins. It yields 24 muffins and tastes great served with a piping hot cup of apple cinnamon tea.

Ingredients:
1 small pie pumpkin steamed and pureed
6 oz plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup barley malt
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup apple sauce
3T pumpkin pie spice
1 cup flaxseed meal
1 cup oat flour
1 cup brown rice flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup millet
2tsp baking soda

In a mixer, combine the pumpkin, yogurt, apple sauce, egg, barley malt, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice. Blend well. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix well. Spray muffin pans with Pam or other similar cooking spray. Sprinkle oats on top of muffins before baking. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

The brown rice flour gives the recipe a nice nutty flavor. I have greatly reduced my use of whole wheat flower recently in exchange for oats, oat flour adn millet which are all alkaline foods. I love the way the millet adds a crunch to the texture of the muffins.

Carmelized Leek Soup

This past week, I got a leek in my share at the CSA. Admittedly I had never cooked with a leek so I looked up some recipes. I found mostly creamy soups with butter, potatoes and/or cream. Seeking a lighter taste I experimented with my leek and came up with this light and refreshing soup that even my preschool boys enjoyed.

Ingredients:
1. one large leek- soaked in salt water to remove any excess dirt or bugs and then chopped fine
2. 1 T olive oil
3. 5 cloves of garlic, minced
4. 1 T rice wine vinegar
5. 64 oz chicken broth
6. several leaves of kale chopped fine
7. 5 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water and sliced
8. lentils

In a large pot, heat the olive oil, add garlic and the leek. Cook down. Add the rice wine vinegar to carmelize the leek and garlic. Add broth and simmer on low heat. Add kale and slice mushrooms. Add lentils to taste. The shitake mushrooms add a rich flavor to this broth and are brimming with nutrients. The soup was delicious without them so if you don't like shitake mushrooms you can leave them out and still have a yummy soup. I served this with quinoa to complete the protein with the lentils. I found that my boys ate the quinoa more when it was in the soup as opposed to just on their plates. This soup freezes well. I sure hope I find leeks in my share again this week.

Kale Pesto

Kale has become one of my favorite leafy green vegetables. I especially liek the tuscan kale that is purplish in color. My CSA rocks in the area of kale. I love pesto in the summer but it can be laden with fat. In an attempt to up my phytonutrient intake as well as reduce the fat in pesto I created this new version.

Ingredients:
1 bunch of fresh basil
1 bunch of kale leaves removed from the step
1 fresh lemon
a handful of raw walnuts
1-2 T olive oil
parmesan to taste
1-2 cloves of raw or roasted garlic (depends on your preference)

In a food processor, chop the kale and basil until they are well blended. Squeeze the juice adn some pulp of one fresh lemon, add the nuts, oil, garlic and cheese to taste. This is an amazing spread. I love to have it spread on a piece of toasted Ezekeal sprouted bread with some slice tomatoes. I freeze this using an ice cube tray. Once it is frozen I store the cubes in a freezer bag and defrost as needed. This also tastes great over some steaming hot veggies or whole wheat pasta.