Cornmeal Pancakes

As I've said before, we love pancakes in this house.  Tonight, I wasn't feeling great, was tired, and not excited about making dinner.  I wanted something simple, so of course I thought, Brinner! 
Now that I'm going gluten free, I decided to try to come up with a new GF pancake recipe instead of going to one of my standbys.  After combing over the millions of different flours and such that I have in my pantry, I came across a bag of Nitty Gritty Cornmeal of VT and decide to make Cornmeal Pancakes.

Cornmeal Pancakes

1 cup fine cornmeal
1 cup of tapioca flour
1/2 tsp of xanthan gum
4 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp of salt
1 TB Organic, Raw Stevia (Or honey, agave, etc)
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 1/4 cup of unsweetened almond milk or any other milk.
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla


Whisk together all dry ingredients.  Once combined, add the rest of the wet ingredients.  Stir until combined and let sit for about 10 minutes.

While the batter is resting, preheat a griddle over medium heat.  I use a touch of coconut oil to prevent sticking.  Once heated, add about 1/4 of a cup of batter for each pancake.  You will need to cook about 3-4 minutes on each side depending on your pan/stove top.  This should make about 12-15 pancakes.



These are great with just a dab of maple syrup, but for the second of half of the batch I added some dark chocolate chips and mashed frozen blackberries. 

Frozen berries are great to have on hand and really reasonable when you consider how pricey organic fresh berries can get.  I always have a handful of different berries in the freezer for occasions just like this!

 

*If you don't want to make these gluten free, replace the tapioca flour with whole wheat flour and omit the xanthan gum.

Coconut Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies

I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but one of my favorites is Almond Joys.  Since I'm going gluten free for now, I stocked up on brown rice flour and almond meal.  As I was looking at my pantry I saw the bag of almond meal next to the coconut oil and decided I needed to do some experimenting.  I started with a chocolate cookie base, eggs, a fat, etc. and built it from there.  The result was a delicious cookie that I can't stop eating.  Unfortunately, I got so into the experimenting, I forgot to write down what I put in it.  Luckily, I loosely remembered and made a second batch tonight writing it down this time.  And I must say, batch two was even better!  Almondy, coconutty, chocolatey goodness, even better than an Almond Joy!

Coconut Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup brown rice flour (you may sub any flour you wish here)
1/2 cup almond meal
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup unsweetend ground coconut
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 of a cup of oats
2 large eggs
2 TB dark agave syrup (3 TB if you have a sweet tooth)
3 TB melted coconut oil
1 TB melted butter
2 tsp of vanilla
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or carob chips (preferably grain sweetened, but and kind will do)

Prehead oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bown, blend together all dry ingredients.  Once mixed, start adding the wet ingredients in the order above, mixing with each addition until just combined.  Fold in chocolate chips.

Spoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet, in about 2 TB balls.  Press slightly to flatten.  This should make about 15 cookies. 

Cook for about 9-11 minutes, until lightly browned.  Remove from the oven and place cookies on a cooling rack.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Waffles

Pumpkin.  I can't get enough of it.  2 years ago all the pie pumpkins in my garden died, but last summer I was graced with 8 beautiful pie pumpkins which I was able to roast and puree into 20, 1 cup servings which reside in my freezer until I'm ready to use them. 

I don't make waffles very often, but today I decided to come up with a clean, gluten free version.  1st try...not so much.  With a few adjustments, the 2nd batch was fabulous.
Also, if you don't want to do gluten free, just take out the xanthan gum and use whatever whole grain flour you like!  Xanthan gum acts as wheat gluten does which keeps the grain together.

Pumpkin Waffles

2 1/2 cups brown rice flour
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
3 large eggs or 4 small to medium eggs
2 cups almond milk (or use any milk you'd like)
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 TB honey
4 TB melted coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla

Plug in your waffle iron and let it pre heat.  In a large bowl, whisk together all your dry ingredients.  Next add your wet ingredients, 1 at a time, stiring until just combined at each addition.

Cooking really depends on your waffle iron.  Mine takes about 1/4 of a cup of batter on each square and about 7 minutes cooking time.  A good indication that your waffle is done is when there is not more steam coming out.  But again, that varies from iron to iron, so you may have to experiment a bit.   I served mine with a little drizzle of maple syrup, but these are so tasty, you don't really need anything!

Eggs: Don't believe the stuff you hear on the street.

Poor eggs.  These delicious little nuggets of nutrition have gotten a bad rap the past 2 decades.  In the late 80's/early 90's, the powers that be suddenly decided that eating eggs will lead to your demise.  Too much cholesterol!  They'll give you heart disease!  STAY AWAY!  Maybe they weren't that crazy about it, but close...  About the same time that my sister used to go around town scamming eggs from family trying to beat my mom's 2 eggs day rule. 

More recent studies, (One being the smarties at Harvard)  however, have found that to not only do they NOT give you an instant heart attack, but they work to help prevent them.  Infact, very little of the egg's cholesterol actually ends up in your bloodstream and artieries.

Yes, egg yolks do have a lot cholesterol.  And yes, like almost everything in live, you do need to exercise moderation.  For instance, don't consume more than 7 eggs yolks a week.  Especially if you are someone who is already struggling to control their cholesterol.  However, that gives you the green light eggs daily. Today I had 3 eggs.  1 whole egg and 2 egg whites.  Right there alone, that's about 25 grams of wonderful protein to start my day. 

So if you've gotten past the fact that eggs are bad for you, let's move on to start realizing that eggs are a superfood! So here they are people.  The top 5 reasons why you should bring eggs back to breakfast.

1) Protein:  And lots of it.  Protein is the key to weightloss.
2) Amino Acids:  Eggs contain 9 amino acids.  Amino acids are ESSENTIAL to life.  They aid every single function within the human body.
3) Choline: This helps the brain function and promotes healthy levels of folic acid (which makes healthy babies) and B vitamins (which provide energy).  Most people are deficient in Choline, especially woman.  Eggs are the best source of it in our diet.  A diet rich in choline can also prevent breast cancer.  Studies show women who consume a whole egg regularly are 24% to 44% less likely to get breast cancer. 
4)Trytophan: This came up in my pumpkin seed post.  This stuff helps your mood, sleep, and prevents cancer. 
5)Lutein: Eggs are great for your eyes.  They contain a good dose of lutein which help prevent macular degenereration.

Below are some very basic ways to enjoy eggs.  Farm fresh eggs are best, organic farm fresh is better for you.  Plus, the fresher the egg is, the easier it is to peel!  Plus the yolks are much brighter and I'm a big believer in the brighter the food, the more nutrients.

Hard Boiled

Take your eggs and place in a small sauce pan with cold water.  Set on a burner set at high.  Set your timer for 15 minutes.  When the timer goes off, your eggs are done!  For a softer boil, do 12 minutes.
Mash up with a dab of butter, dash of salt, and pinch of pepper.  I like to eat mine in a bowl with whole grain toast to use as forks.

Amanda's Special Scrambled Eggs

2 egg whites
1 whole egg
1 TB of fresh dill chopped (1/2 tsp if you only have dried)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 tsp butter
Dash of nutmeg
1 TB milk

In a fry pan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Whisk together the egg and remaining ingredients until frothy and lighter in color.  About 1 min. 
Pour the egg into the pan and with a spatula, push the egg from side to side until almost all the wetness is gone.  Remember, done in the pan means over done on the plate!

Egg Salad

2 whole eggs
3 egg whites
2 TB organic mayo or vegan mayo  (Can also sub blended avocado)
1 tsp mustard
1/8 cup of sliced green olives or capers
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook the eggs using the hard boiled method.  I then like to let my eggs sit in very cold water for about 15 minutes to cool them down.  Remove the yolks from 3 of the eggs and mash all together. 
Stir in the remaining ingredients until combined. 

I like my egg salad cold, so I let sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before eating.  This is great to enjoy on a bed of lettuce or as a sandwhich.

Sausage, Kale, and Lentil Soup

Cold snaps like this are made for soups. Today I decided to make a soup that I've never made before. Had some gorgeous kale in the fridge,  just picked up some organic french lentils at Rail City Market today, and had some organic chicken sausage in the fridge, so the choice seemed obvious: Sausage Kale Lentil Soup.

Sausage Kale and Lentil Soup

1 lb organic sausage (I had some smokey andouille on hand which was perfect)
1 onion, diced
1 cup of carrots, diced
1 tsp grapeseed oil
12 cups of vegetable stock (used water and my trusty veggie Better than Boullion)
1 sprig of fresh thyme and rosemary
1 1/2 cups of lentils
1 large bunch of kale (about 4 cups chopped)

In a stock pot, heat the grapeseed oil and brown the sausage links.  After browned, pull out the sausages set aside.  Add the carrots and onions and brown those a bit as well for about 5 minutes.
Add the stock to the, herbs, and lentils to the pot and bring to a rapid boil.  Bring down your heat to about medium and simmer.
Boil covered for about 30 minutes.
While that is boiling away, take your browned sausage and cut into half moons.  You will add those to the soup once it's boiled for 30 minutes along with the roughly chopped kale.  Boil for another 15 minutes and serve.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Seeds

Since I've been eating clean for the past month, going gluten free hasn't been that difficult for me...until it comes to snack time. I'm a salt snack fiend, so I've been trying to come up with healthy snacks that I will actually crave.
I decided to try pumpkin seeds because they are a superfood.  They contain antioxidants, minerals, B6 vitamins, and amino acids tryptophan and glutamate.  Tryptophan aids sleep and is converted into serotonin in the body.  Serotonin is the key to sleep and stabilizes your mood.  If you suffer from anxiety or depression, you most likely lack proper levels of serotonin.  I could go on for days about this magical mood lifter, but that is for another day.  Glutamate had the same kind of effects on the body, but again, for another day. 
This is another "how-to" recipe.  This is the basic method, but I encourage you to experiment with different spices and oils.
Since these super seeds were making me feel super, I decided to go with another superfood: Tumeric.  Tumeric is arguably the healthiest spice in the world.  From aiding in weightloss, to being an antioxidant and cancer prevention, it's a great spice to cook with.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

2 cups of raw organic pumpkin seeds
1 TB grapeseed oil
1 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp sea salt.

Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium sized bowl, combine all ingredients and stir until the seeds are evenly coated.
Spread the seeds onto a sheet pan in a single layer.  Roast in the preheated oven for 6-8 minutes.  Keep on eye on these because they can burn quickly.
Remove for oven and let cool.  I like to eat them when they are warm, but they are great at room temp as well. 
Eat them as a snack, in cottage cheese, or on a salad.  These are also good to add crunch to a root soup.

Quick Chicken Tacos

Last night was a prime example of clean eating made easy by preparation.  With a few already prepped items, we were sitting down to a delicious, healthy, clean supper in 20 minutes.

Chicken Tacos

8 corn tortillas (or whatever tortilla you like...You can also use lettuce to wrap)
1 TB Grapeseed oil or coconut oil (urge you to use these because they won't turn into transfat at high temps)
1 small zucchini cut into half moons
2 cups of shredded chicken (precooked earlier in the week)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 clove garlic minced
Salt to taste
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (or cilantro)
1 avocado, diced
1 cup shredded cabbage (I buy mine pre shredded from Healthy Living)
Sour Cream
Salsa
1 to 1 1/2 cup Cheese, shredded (please shredded yourself!  It's cheaper and shredded cheeses often have crap added)

Grab your tortillas and put on a microwave safe plate with a wet paper towel on top.  Set aside.

Pre heat oil in a skillet.  Add zucchini and let cook for about 3 minutes.  Then add the chicken, cumin, chili powder, and salt.  Let cook for another 2 minutes and add the lime and garlic.  Cook for a another minute or so, being careful not to burn the garlic.  Take off the head and stir in the parsley.

While the meat is cooking, cut up your avocado and shred cheese.  When you take the meat off the heat, pop your tortillas in the microwave and cook for 1 minute.

Then build your tacos!  I eat avocado, cabbage, a tiny bit of sour cream, cheese, and salsa on mine, but please experiement with different veggies and toppings.  If you can stand it, throw on some chopped fresh jalapenos.  They have immune and metabolism boosting abilities. 
I served with a side of quinoa with salsa mixed in. Also try quinoa with some lime juice and fresh cilantro.