Pancakes, the perfect ending to a perfect week. Spring colors, new life and the smell of fresh air has hit our side of the nation at last. It is not that I dislike winter, but everyone needs some insight into the season of fresh produce and warm breezes. At last, savor a warm breakfast while the air is still chilled. 

Through generations and generations the pancake has remained the same. Defined only by the hands that made them. I grew up on pancakes made with locally milled flours and fresh mountain honey, today I expect nothing less. Fresh locally ground cornmeal, nutty parrano cheese and sweet backyard blueberries, breakfast sensation! I love to experiment with cornmeal, it can add a whole new dimension to a simple recipe with its unique texture. Parrano, my favorite cheese to date, is sweet yet creamy, nutty yet not too salty, the perfect compliment to any dish! 

Gluten Free, Nut Free

Ingredients:

For the Pancakes: 

3 tbs yellow cornmeal

3 tbs GF sorghum flour or buckwheat 

1 whole organic egg + 2 egg whites

4 tbs unsw almond milk 

1 tsp lemon zest 

sea salt

1/4 tsp baking powder 

1/4 tsp baking soda 

1/4 cup finely shredded parrano cheese*

pepper

1 tsp dried herbs (basil, oregano) 

For the Blueberries:

1 cup frozen blueberries 

1 tbs maple syrup

1/2 tsp arrowroot or cornstarch powder 

Instructions:

Add all ingredients to a medium mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Heat a non stick skillet over high heat then reduce to medium. Cook about 1/4 cup of pancake batter at a time. Flip each pancake after bubbles are visible and rising has occurred. Serves one - two. Enjoy! Top with the blueberry reduction (below). 

To prepare the blueberry reduction, add the frozen blueberries to a pot and heat over medium heat. In a small bowl add the arrowroot/ cornstarch powder to 4 tbs water, stir until no lumps remain. Add the arrowroot mixture to the blueberries along with 1 tbs maple syrup. Continue to cook the blueberries until they begin to thicken (it shouldn't take too long). Serve over warm pancakes! 

*this can easily be substituted with a vegan cheese for a dairy free version. 

Post by: Rebecca 

Happy New Year! Kick off your new year with this classic yet unique dessert. I know this is another dessert recipe, but I just could not resist sharing this scrumptious treat. Moist chocolate cake coupled with warm winter spices and creamy vegan cashew frosting, what's not to love? 

Overall I would say 2013 turned out to be a pretty good year, my first full year of running a blog! But there is will always be room to improve. Now is the time to make those New Years resolutions, some of which will be abandoned a month or even a week into the year. Over 75% of New Years resolutions will be health or fitness related, most based on dieting. In order to truly keep those health resolutions this year, dieting should be out of the picture. Instead focus on eating only fresh and wholesome foods. When I think diet, my mind instantly starts to worry about what I can or cannot eat. Healthy eating does not have to be a constrictive diet, it is a way of life. A slow transition is also beneficial when working to convert your eating habits. When you stop cold turkey, your body will inevitably crave those same foods you were trying to get away from. Do not be hard on yourself. Start by lowering your intake of those unhealthy foods and supplementing them with similar versions. Say you enjoy a couple handfuls of chips everyday, instead of eating two handfuls, eat only one and supplement the other half with some healthy kale chips. Eventually you will not even miss the chips at all!

Gluten Free

Ingredients:

For the Cake: 

1 1/2 cups GF oat flour

1 cup almond flour

1/2 cup sorghum flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup coconut sugar

2 tsp baking powder

2 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp cardamom

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp sea salt

4 large organic or local eggs 

1/2 cup apple sauce

3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk 

3 tbs raw honey

1 tbs blackstrap molasses 

1/4 cup coconut oil, slightly warmed 

1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Frosting:

1 3/4 cups raw cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours

1/2 cup + 2 tbs filtered water

3 tbs raw honey (or more to taste)

1/4 tsp sea salt

Instructions:

Pre-heat your oven to 350F degrees. 

Grind all flours if needed. Combine all the dry ingredients, including the spices, in a large mixing bowl and toss to combine. Next, whisk together the wet ingredients in a small mixing bowl and add the wet to the dry. Continue to fold and combine until all ingredients are well incorporated. 

Pour the batter into two parchment (or flour) lined baking pans and bake for 23 - 25 minutes. Allow the cakes to cool for at least 30 minutes before removing from the pans. 

To make the frosting, add all the soaked cashews, honey, filtered water and sea salt to a high speed blender or food processor and blend/ process until very very smooth and creamy. Add more honey if desired. 

To assemble, simple sandwich the cashew frosting between the cake layers. This recipe makes a two layer cake. If you would like a four layer cake (as shown in the pictures) double the recipe. Garnish with a dusting of cocoa powder and fresh rosemary. Enjoy! 

Post by: Rebecca
Happy New Year! 

My favorite time of the year has finally arrived! Not only is my birthday during the end of the year, but also it is Christmas time. A time of cookies and tea cakes, warm apple cider, comfort foods and fragrant candles. Speaking of comfort food, I have finally made a successful batch of ravioli. The trick is to roll it out as thin as possible (without it tearing) or of course, use a pasta machine. For this recipe, I decided to combine the flavors of sweet pumpkin, peppery arugula and creamy cashews (all winter favorites of mine). So when that cold weather gets you down, feel free to whip up a batch of these delicious ravioli! 

Do not let arugula scare you. True it is not the best green for smoothies or raw salads, but it does provide an excellent contrast to both sweet and tangy flavors. Arugula's unique combination of phytochemicals has been linked to cancer prevention in some individuals including breast, cervical, colon, ovarian and prostate. This awesome little green also provides a healthy dose of vitamins C, A and K! 

Vegetarian, Dairy Free 

Ingredients:

Pasta

1 cup rye or spelt flour (GF oat flour might also work)

3 eggs

Cashew Cream

1 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours 

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp maple syrup

1 tbs nutritional yeast 

1/2 tsp smoked sea salt

Filling

1 medium squash, halved and seeds removed

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

For the Plate

2 handfuls fresh arugula or 

your favorite hard cheese, for garnish (optional) 

pepper 

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 400F degrees. 

Start by roasting the squash. Fill a large baking dish with about 1 inch of water and place the halved squash in the center. Roast the squash for about 30 minutes, or until soft. 

To make the cashew cream, add the soaked cashews to a high-speed blender along with the vinegar, salt, maple syrup, nutritional yeast and about 1/4 cup water. Blend until extra creamy, add more water if needed. 

To make the filling, add about 2 cups roasted squash to a blender and add the smoked paprika, and about 2 tbs cashew cream. Blend until smooth and set aside. 

For the pasta, add all the flour to a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Next, whisk together the eggs and add them to the flour well. Fold together the dough until it is the same throughout. Place the dough on a heavily floured surface and continue to knead for another minute or so. Break the dough into about 3 sections. Roll one section out over a generously floured surface until it is about 1/8 inch thick. Once you have it rolled out, cut the dough into squares about 2 inches in size. 

To assemble, drop about 1 tsp of the pumpkin puree mixture onto half of the squares. Next, top each square with another piece and use a floured fork to press the edges together (you might also want to wet the edges between layers to help the pieces stick together). 

To cook the ravioli, fill a large stock pot with water and bring it to a gentle boil. Drop about 4 raviolis in at a time and cook them for about 2 - 3 minutes on each side (I usually taste one to make sure they are done). Place the cooked ravioli on a towel or in a strainer to get rid of excess water. 

Before serving, lightly arrange the arugula on a plate and top with the warm ravioli. Add the cheese shavings and pepper for garnish and serve alongside cashew cream, enjoy! 

Post by: Rebecca 

Everyone loves an easy to grab snack, and with this recipe you can have your cake and eat it too! Rhubarb has an exceptionally short harvest, which means as soon as I see it at the market, it quickly gets snatched. This moist and delicious cake can double as a breakfast or dessert, top it with whipped coconut cream or homemade frozen yogurt!

Rhubarb, a close relative to celery, is amongst the lower calorie veggies. Rhubarb originated in China where it was used for medical purposes. Once cooked, rhubarb lets go of its tart flavor and truly shows off with its mellow sweetness. These colorful stalks contain a healthy amount of vitamin C, which increases immunity and vitamin K, which has shown to play a role in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Rhubarb is also a great source of calcium along with fiber which helps promote healthy digestion. To harvest the greatest amount of nutrients from rhubarb, it is suggested that it be cooked or stewed. 

If you have not already noticed, I love incorporating the bold flavor of orange into my recipes. It is so simple yet so distinct. Citrus flavors can help balance and enhance the harmony within a dish. In this recipe, orange helps to stabilize the tartness of rhubarb with the sweetness of sugar to create perfect parity. 

Gluten Free

Ingredients:

3/4 cup GF oat flour 

1/3 cup almond meal 

2 tbs teff flour

1 tsp baking powder

sea salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cardamom 

1/4 cup finely chopped almonds

2 eggs

1/3 cup unsweetened organic greek yogurt

1/4 cup almond milk

3 tbs raw honey

1 tbs coconut oil, melted

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbs orange zest

about 3 stalks fresh rhubarb, largely cubed

1/2 cup fresh strawberries, largely cubed

4 tbs coconut sugar

Instructions:

Pre-heat oven to 350F degrees (177C).

Add the rhubarb/ strawberry cubes to a small bowl and toss with the coconut sugar. 

Now, add all your dry ingredients, including spices and chopped almonds, to a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add all your wet ingredients, including orange zest, in a smaller bowl and whisk to combine. 

Next, add the sugar coated rhubarb and strawberries to the dry mixture and toss to combine. Finally add the wet mixture to the dry and continue to stir and combine. 

Pour the batter into a parchment lined baking pan (about 8 by 8in) and top with more chopped almonds and rolled oats, bake for about 35 minutes. Let the cake cool about 30 minutes before cutting, enjoy! 

*Cake keeps for about 3-4 days in the refrigerator. 

Post by: Rebecca

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This post is going to be a little different , I have decided to change it up a bit! I am putting you in my shoes. What did I exactly eat today? well this post will reveal all (of course every day is different in my book). My mornings usually start with a cold wet nose touching my cheek. I hear the alarm, but hit the snooze (who doesn't?), then here comes the persistent paw. That same paw usually stays there until I start to stir and decide to get up. After my morning is so rudely awakened by my loving cat, I don't have a moment to spare on getting breakfast ready (or debating what to eat) so I usually get half of it ready the night before. Say, I am having oatmeal, I halfway cook it the night before, and then leave the pot in the fridge. In the morning I take out the pot and finish cooking the oats, (which only takes about 3 minutes! ) Today I had a simple breakfast consisting of kefir with granola, and some oven roasted grapefruit. The granola was this recipe. The grapefruit was cut in half and then roasted at 350F for about 15 minutes to bring out the juices! To finish it off I drizzled some honey over top. I also had some hot rooibos tea (not pictured). 

I usually cannot take photos of my meals throughout the day, but on the days I am off, I take advantage! During these days I spend my time experimenting in the kitchen, thinking up new recipes. For lunch I decided to have a filling kale salad (trying to get in those greens during the winter months).  Into my salad went, some sauteed mushrooms, onion, and chickpeas, all spiced up with rice vinegar and chili powder. For the kale salad dressing, I whipped up one of my spur-of-the moment dressings, peanut butter, miso paste and lemon juice. If you have every tasted raw kale, then you would know that it is rather on the chewy side and needs some help becoming soft. The lemon juice in this dressing really makes the kale soften up. I really like combining hot and cold things in my salads, especially in the winter months to help with that comfort food craving. To balance out the flavors of my salad I also had a juicy clementine on the side (before they go out of season). To drink, I had some refreshing water (you can never have enough). 

Later on in the day, once everything starts to wind down, I usually have my mid afternoon snack. Today I was in a rush so it basically consisted of some delicious greek yogurt with some homemade granola (made earlier this morning, recipe coming soon!) and some fresh pomegranate seeds! 

Today's dinner is a little different than the usual. I really do enjoy just snacking throughout the day so sometimes I create a smorgasbord of items for dinner, kind of like a bunch of appetizers. The main attraction was some homemade flatbread (gluten free of course, recipe below) and a trio of hummus dips. I made, garlic hummus, sun-dried tomato and basil hummus (recipe coming soon!) and some cheezy hummus. A cheese platter, nuts, roasted potatoes and boiled eggs were some other things I included. Unfortunately the sun left me at a bid of a loss and I did not end up photographing my complete dinner, but I did manage to get some photos of the delicious cheese tray! 

Gluten Free, Vegan

Ingredients:

1/3 cup buckwheat flour

1/3 cup certified GF oat flour

1/3 cup sorghum flour

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 packet dry rapid rise yeast (about 1 1/2 tbs) 

3/4 cup warm water

Instructions:

Combine all the flours, yeast and salt. Add in the hot water a little at a time until a  moist dough is formed. Place the dough into a bowl and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour (it does not rise that much). 

Pre-heat about 1/2 tbs safflower oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Once the skillet is fully heated plop 1/4 of the dough into the pan. Cook the flatbreads on each side for about 3 minutes or until browned and fluffy. Enjoy with some homemade hummus!

                                                                                                                                                            Post by: Rebecca

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Once the chilly days settle in, all I can think to make are warm and cozy meals. (with the occasional smoothie or two!) Warm chili, fresh pumpkin bread right out of the oven (even though the recipe strictly says wait 45 minutes to cool). I know you are just salivating over it right now. Well, I do have some more pumpkin bread coming up and some delicious Thanksgiving recipes for next week too! Thanksgiving has to be one of my favorite times of the year. The comforting smells, the colorful sights, who could not love it right? Well my usually problem during the holidays is narrowing down what I want to make. I have so many great ideas of what I want to try, that I usually run out of time to make all my treats in mind. This year I will try to pack in all the wonderful things I have in store especially during Christmas! 

In this warm and comforting recipe several common ingredients come together to create a delicious mismatch in flavors! I just love how contrasting flavors can complement each other so well sort of like complementary colors! I roasted carrots to create a sweet caramelized flavor, and added spicy chickpeas for texture and a slight kick. Poaching eggs gives them a soft pillow like texture and allows you to easily cook the yolk how you like it. This recipe is also packed with protein due to the combo of chickpeas and eggs. Chickpeas are often overlooked since they seem a little uncommon, although I find them to be very addicting! Besides being the main ingredient in the recently popular dip, hummus, chickpeas can be adapted to almost any flavor. I have even combined them with peanut butter on a sandwich or tossed them into smoothies. Vitamin A and beta carotene, which impact eye health, are also stuffed into this recipe thanks to the carrots. This entire recipe only took me about 30 minutes for the prep time, so this would make a perfect weeknight meal prior to Thanksgiving, during all the rush! To make this a full dinner, serve it along side a fresh fall spinach salad topped with apples and pecans. 

Ingredients: 

3-4 medium carrots

2 large local or organic brown eggs

1 tsp safflower oil

1/2 cup roasted chickpeas (recipe below)

Cayenne pepper

Smoked Paprika 

1/2 tsp cinnamon divided

1 tsp maple syrup

Sea salt to taste

Instructions:

Pre heat oven to 350F degrees.

To prepare the carrots, wash and scrub clean. Next take a vegetable spiraler and cut the carrot into very thin noodle like strings. Place carrots in a roasting tray and coat with 1 tsp oil, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, salt, paprika and about two sprinkles of cayenne (or a pinch). Toss to combine flavors and roast the carrots for about 45 minutes or until soft and sweet.

To prepare the chickpeas combine 3/4 cup cooked chickpeas with 1/4 tsp cinnamon, salt another sprinkle of cayenne, paprika and 1 tbs maple syrup, toss to combine. Roast chickpeas alongside the carrots for about 45 minutes stirring occasionally.

To prepare the poached eggs, fill a skillet about half full of filtered water. Bring to a slow boil, and carefully add eggs. While keeping the skillet at a constant temperature, cook the eggs for about 3-5 minutes. (do not worry if little pieces of the egg get spread apart in the water) Flip the eggs over about mid way through using a utensil with holes in it. The time will depend on how well done you like your eggs (I left my yolks a little runny).

To assemble, add carrot strings to a plate and sprinkle on the roasted chickpeas. To top it off, add the poached egg and a sprinkling of cayenne pepper. Serves one. Enjoy! 

*if you do not have a vegetable spiraler then you can just use a potato peeler and shave it into long, thin slices. 
*for a vegan option, try roasting cubed extra firm tofu after marinating it in soy sauce and agave.