Caleb's Corner - Soup for Days!

Hi Folk’s it’s been awhile since I’ve shared a bit of fun from Caleb’s life.  Since the last update he has turned three years old.  He is a wonderful soul that keeps us laughing and amazed!

Ever since he was around one and a half years old he’s been eating soup.  Yes…you heard right……..SOUP!  Needless to say I have become quite the soup maker over the last two years. 

I’ve stated before that he has many food allergies (diary, eggs, soy, tree nuts, peanuts, barley, wheat, rye, oats) and soup is an allergy friendly way of giving him protein, grains, vegetables and an overall hearty meal.  Legumes are a staple in our home and I’ve come to love Carribean root vegetables like cassava and yucca.  

Here is a soup that Caleb loves to eat with rice.  He’ll eat anything with rice.  He’ll even eat rice all by itself!

It’s a simple vegan red lentil soup.  Lentils are high in fiber, iron and can combat high cholesterol, constipation and anemia.  Because the red lentils are so small they don't take long to cook at all. When you are pressed for time, red lentils are a good choice.

 

 

Red Lentil Soup:

soaked red lentils

water

sea salt

garlic powder

chopped onions

anise seed

turmeric

fresh chopped cilantro

coconut oil
 

Preparation:

1.       Soak lentils overnight

2.       Boil lentils on high for 15 minutues in water

3.       Add seasonings: salt, anise seed, turmeric, chopped onions, garlic powder (all to taste)

4.       Let cook until smooth

5.       Add coconut oil and cilantro to finish

That’s it! Total time:  20 – 25 minutes.  You can also add kale, carrots, potatoes and anything else that suits your fancy!

Red lentil soup with brown rice

Caleb! Ready to eat!

Peace and love!

Caleb's Corner: Vegan (allergy free) Banana Pancakes

I've continued to explore alternative breakfast options for Caleb based on his requests for "no more chia Mommy".   A co-worker of mine, shared a great Paleo banana pancake recipe that I tweaked to make it vegan and allergy free. Most of food blogs I read ALWAYS show a finished product that looks amazing...but I can't help but wonder how many have struggled with their "first attempts" and ended up with great tasting food that looked like a train wreck! Well, that was my first experience with these banana pancakes.  But since Caleb ate almost every morsel I'm sharing the experience with you!
 
Vegan (allergy free) Banana Pancakes:
1/2 cup of hemp seed milk
2 fresh bananas
2 TBS of coconut flour
egg replacer
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
coconut oil


Bananas, coconut flour, coconut oil, hemp seed milk

Mashed bananas first

Then wisked all ingredients together

Added egg replacer (at the last minute)

Blended mix

First two pancakes.....not pretty!

Here is where I ran into trouble.  The batter seemed too moist and it was hard to maneuver the pancakes in the pan....so I added flax seeds  (1/4 cup) on the fly to improve the consistency of the batter. 

Added flax seeds to help with consistency.....

 I still had trouble with sticking in the pan but the result was MUCH better than before! SCORE!  Well kind of...:)

Finished product ....much better!!
 

He's loving them!!

Oh yeah! :)



Nearly demolished! :)
 

Ever tired the Paleo banana pancakes?  What recipes have you tried and ended up with great tasting food that didn't look so good?

 

Peace and love!

Caleb's Corner: Green Plantain Porridge

Caleb, the King of Banana Land is getting weary of his morning staple: Chia porridge.  He has been making requests for me to NOT add it to his bananas in the morning. Instead he wants puffed rice cereal. I don't mind the puffed rice, but I don't want him eating it everyday.  It's not as nutrient dense as chia.   So I began to search for a good breakfast alternative.  I spoke to another mother about our breakfast dilemma and she suggested making green plaintain porridge.  Sounded good to me, so off I went!

Here is how I did it:

Green Plantain Porridge:
1 green plantain
3 TBS of honey
1 cup of hemp seed milk (or any other milk you want to use)
1/4 cup of coconut butter/manna
dash of salt
cinnamon (to taste)
Optional: garnish with pumpkin seeds and dates

Step 1 - gather all ingredients

 

Step 2 - Make hemp seed milk

Step 3 - Add hemp seed milk and coconut butter to pot.  Let heat up and stir often.

Step 4 - Peel and grate up the green plantain and add it to the warm milk mixture

 

Step 5 - Stir, Stir, Stir with a wisk.  Let it cook until creamy.

 

Step 6 - Add salt, honey and cinnamon



Step 7 - Since I wanted a smoother consistency, I removed 1/2 of mixture from pot, blended it until smooth and returned it back to pot.

Step 8 - Serve and enjoy! One bowl for me....garnished with pumpkin seeds and dates

and one for Caleb....garnished with chopped up dates

 

Caleb said he liked it...and called it "oatmeal".   But he did not finish his bowl.  We will be making this again! A great alternative!

This is a great alternative for children who cannot eat oatmeal (like Caleb).  You can add any other fruit or nuts you want.  We are a nut free home (97% of the time).  Try it and tell me what you think.  You can get plantains (green and yellow) at most local  ethnic grocery stores - - especially if you live in the North East.

Peace and love!

Another great snack: Apple Chips!

We've all heard the saying: "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" right?  Here's another one: "Chips made of apples can keep inches off your hips".  Okay.  It doesn't really rhyme, but you get the point! :)

I made some apple chips last night that I am happy to share with you as another snacking alternative. This is my first time actually making them, but not my first time consuming them.  They are great for children as well. 

Check out how I made these delicious treats!

Step 1 - Gather all tools and ingredients.  Since this was my first attempt I only used two apples (red delicious).  Three are pictured, but one was rotten.  Other ingredients used: ground cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.

 

 

 Step 2 - Remove the apple core.  I didn't have a fancy device.

 

 

Step 3 - Slice the apples using a mandolin (straight ,1/8 inch blade).  PLEASE BE CAREFUL.  The blades are super sharp.  I recommend using the veg/fruit holder.  The last time I used it I cut my fingers (not fun!).  Slicing 2 apples took 2 minutes and my slices were nice and even.

 

Step 4 - sprinkle spices onto apple slices for desired taste.  Use hands to coat evenly.  Note I did not measure anything...just sprinkled and tasted.  I only added spices to 1/2 of the slices just in case Caleb does not like the extra kick.

 

 

 

 Step 5 - place coated apple slices onto dehydrator trays starting at the bottom.

 

 

Step 6 - set dehydrator to 135 deg F (recommended for fruits and vegetables).  I kept the apples in the dehydrator for 18 hours.  Depending on the thickness of your slices and desired moisture level the timing could change.  I wanted thin, crisp chips so 18 hours was perfect!

 

 

 Step 7 - Remove chips from dehydrator

 

 

 

 Step 8 - Enjoy!

 

I hit a home run for my first attempt.  These chips are the bomb diggy!! :) This was so easy to do and totally healthy! Another guilt free snack!

 

Peace and love!

The Ultimate Snack: Popcorn

I LOVE POPCORN! I will eat it morning, noon and night.  It's been my favorite GUILT FREE snack for years.  About ten years ago I traded in the bags of microwave popcorn for raw kernels, oil and a big pot.  Which is the way my dad makes popcorn.  A few years ago we bought an air popper and my life was transformed!!!

Popcorn is a great snack because it's low in calories and high in fiber.  When you eliminate all the junk (chemical flavors and colors that give people cancer) it's quite a healthy alternative to potato chips and other savory snacks.  I "hook" my popcorn up with three main ingredients: coconut oil (replaces butter), salt and nutritional yeast flakes.  I could eat a huge bowl (alone) and not think twice about it!

 

Here is how I do it:

Step 1 - make the popcorn using the air popper

Air popper with kernels and popped corn

Step 2 - while the corn is popping gather all seasonings

Fixings: coconut oil, nutritional yeast flakes, Himalayan pink salt
 

Step 3 - once the corn has popped, heat up your coconut oil (if not already in liquid form)

Melting coconut oil

Step 4 - Grind up salt using a mortar and pestle. This increases the surface area of the salt granules allowing an even distribution (and you use less)

Grinding the salt to increase surface area -  makes it easier to distribute evenly

Step 5 (not shown) - drizzle coconut oil on popcorn, add salt and yeast flakes (all to desired taste profile)

Step 6 - ENJOY!!!!

 

Why use alternatives? Because the alternatives solidify the guilt free designation and here is why:

1.  Coconut oil (instead of butter) - coconut oil is a GREAT oil.  It's good for your skin, hair, and innards! It's antibacterial and contains MCTs (medium chain triglycerides) which are found in human breast milk and are great for building strength.

2. Himalayan salt (instead of iodized table salt) -  more minerals are found in Himalayan salt in comparison to table salt.  It tastes better and you can use less of it.

3. Nutritional yeast - I've been using this ingredient on my popcorn for over 10 years now.  A wonderful family that took me in while I was in undergraduate school were vegan and they used nutritional yeast on their popcorn.  That's what led me to use it.  Nutritional yeast has no leavening ability. It's high in protein and B complex vitamins.  It can be added to kale salads, kale chips, vegan mac and cheese and any dish you desire.

Be creative with your popcorn! I've added turmeric, herbs and garlic salt in the past. Try a sweet version with cinnamon and brown sugar and cloves. 

Is there such a thing as "raw popcorn"? If so, that may push me to convert 100% LOL!

How do you eat your popcorn?  Bag, pot or air popper??

Peace and blessings!

The Food Journey: Raw and Delicious!

I ate some really delicious RAW food that I want to tell you about.  I attended a dinner at Original Herbal Remedies this past weekend and it was superb! If you are in the NYC area and are interested in exploring raw cuisine please stop by.
 I forgot to take pictures of the appetizer, but see below for the menu and pictures of this scrumptious meal.

Appetizer
Kale and cabbage salad with kale crackers and nut cheese
Mango salad

Entrée:
Cauliflower rice with spicy cheese topping
Stuffed tomatoes with cashew sour cream
Brazil nut sunflower meatballs in tomato sauce
Bulgur cabbage on abed of power greens with avocado

Desert:
Raw carrot cake
Orange and chocolate ice cream
Coconut chocolate macaroons

If it sounds like a lot of food....it was!! :)  I was stuffed to the brim! 



The Entrée



 

Dessert - chocolate and orange ice cream, coconut macaroon and carrot cake

 

What I love most about eating raw food is that it's alive!  All of the nutrients the food has to offer is being added to my body system. None of the nutrients have been degraded by heat making the food more nourishing.  A few months ago I wrote a piece on raw foods after taking my first raw food preparation class.  Here is an excerpt I want to share again (with slight modifications):

1. RAW FOOD = LIVING FOOD
2. When we cook food, the nutrients  are degraded and in some cases totally destroyed.  Leaving the food we eat on a daily basis with little nutrition.  Most of us supplement with vitamins we take orally.  If we eat well we can get all the nutrients we need solely from our food.
3. Raw food is SO FLAVORFUL (if prepared right)! Oftentimes we think of raw, vegan food as gross, cardboard-ish and boring. 
4. Raw food is very FILLING!
5. Start slow.  Pick a recipe and perfect it before moving on to more complicated dishes.
6. You can adapt cooked recipes to a raw version. 
7. Our taste buds are dead and traumatized by all the processed food we eat.  We can revive them by eating better wholesome foods...and when you do , it will be hard to go back.
8. If cooking using conventional means add oils and pepper last.  Oils and peppers can degrade while cooking and interrupt digestion.

After the  30-Day Raw Food Challenge I conquered this summer I felt like a new person.  I believe in raw foods and enjoy making and eating them.  If you've eaten a vegetable or fruit salad then you've had raw food! :)   Explore the concept a little further to really see what raw foodism entails.  I don't think I will ever be 100% raw, but I love the cuisine and encourage you all to eat one full raw meal very soon!

 Peace and blessings!

I'm in Love with BS - Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts are in the cabbage family and even look like mini green cabbages.  Due to participating in the CSA this fall I finally (first time in life!) tried  Brussels sprouts.  I am in LOVE!

Why do Brussels sprouts get such a bad rap?  They are packed with nutrition (more protein than any other cabbage) and very tasty when prepared properly.  I used a recipe from a co-worker that turned out to be delicious!

Recipe:
1 bag of fresh Brussels sprouts
Balsamic vinegar
Salt
Olive oil
Red pepper flakes
(I didn't really measure any ingredients - just added to taste)

Preparation (sorry no prep pictures - I got too carried away and forgot):
1. Cut sprouts in half
2. Place on baking sheet
3. Season with salt (garlic salt is preferred)
4. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar
5. Follow with olive oil
6. Broil for 10 minutes
7. Add red pepper flakes

Time: 20 minutes (tops!)

Any other Brussels sprout recipe I should try?

Peace and blessings!