{Gluten-Free & Vegan Brownies}

It's been a busy week, full of training for a new journey.  It started last November when I fell in love with a fabulous workout that combined the grace of ballet and the balance and strength of pilates. Called Xtend Barre, it leaves me feeling beautiful, elegant and strong, feelings every woman should have after an hour of hard work! It took a little coaxing, but I decided to learn how to teach Xtend.  Two weekends ago I spent three days trying to soak up all the choreography, technique and body awareness necessary to teach it well.  Now, I'm training just about every day to improve and prepare to teach.  It's been exciting and fresh, yet exhausting! My body is quite ready for bed each night and rather cranky about rolling out in the morning, but I'm determined to keep on.  

For some odd reason chocolate tends to become more enticing when my body is worn out.  Last night I felt a sudden desire to bake brownies. This is a treat that has many happy childhood memories attached to it, only back then it included Ghirardelli's double chocolate brownie mix.  Nowadays it's a bit tougher to find a reliable gluten-free and vegan brownie recipe that satisfies my gooey chocolate appetite.  

My most recent attempt actually turned out quite well! So well, I thought it worthy of sharing with you.  It follows the general outline of BabyCakes' recipe, but as usual I substituted and added for a better result.  My changes made it mostly sugar-free too! I hope you give it a try when you're hearing the chocolate call.  

{GF & Vegan Brownies} 

1 Cup Chickpea Flour

1/4 Cup Potato Starch

2 Tbsp Arrowroot

1/2 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa powder

2 tsp Baking Powder

1/4 tsp Baking Soda

1/4 tsp Xanthan Gum

1 tsp Sea Salt

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 Cup Pure Maple Syrup

1/4 Cup Xylitol

1/2 Cup Grapeseed Oil

2 Tbsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 Cup Hot Water

1/2 Cup Vegan Chocolate Chips 

1/2 Cup Chopped Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks (from a block of Chocolate)

Whisk all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Add the wet and mix slowly.  Fold in the Chocolate and pour into a greased 9 x 9" baking pan.  Bake at 325 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. The 15 minute bake time gives you a slightly firm crust and moist middle. If you like your brownies more on the gooey side pull them out sooner, closer to the 10 minute bake time.  Pair with some yummy coconut ice cream and fresh fruit for a delicious evening dessert. Enjoy! 

{Shared}

Allergy Friendly Friday
Slightly Indulgent Tuesday
The Gluten-Free Homemaker
Real Food Wednesday
Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways
Healthy 2day Wednesdays
Whole Food Wednesdays
Allergy Free Wednesdays

{Pumpkin Oat Breakfast Squares}

It's December! Can you believe how quickly it has come? I love this season.  It's full of everything cozy.  Recently I've had the urge to bake with pumpkin...courtesy of a wonderful Thanksgiving. The treat I'm sharing with you was a complete experiment and turned out quite tasty.  It just might satisfy your pumpkin lovin' too!

{Pumpkin Oat Breakfast Bars}

1 cup Pureed Pumpkin

2 Small Zucchinis (whirled in a food processor)

1/4 cup Agave + 1/4 cup Pure Maple Syrup

1/4 cup Unsweetened Applesauce

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 tbsp Grapeseed Oil

1 cup GF Oats (Trader Joes)

1 cup Almond Meal/Flour (Trader Joes)

1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Sea Salt

Process all the wet ingredients in a food processor or with a hand blender and place in large bowl.  In a separate bowl whisk the dry ingredients together.  Slowly add the dry to the wet until well blended.  Pour into a muffin tin or baking pan; it's a versatile batter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, depending on your oven and the baking pans you choose. Stay close and keep an eye on it.  Once it's a golden brown pull it out and let it cool.  Eat with a smear of butter or raw honey or even just as is! It reheats well, so feel free to store leftovers (if you have any...) in the refrigerator.  Tasty, tasty!

Enjoy!

{October Love with an Every Day Post}

Happy Fall to you all! 

It's here and I can't believe it.  Three days until we marry! The time has flown.  Didn't we just get engaged? It seems like yesterday!

Well here in the sweet town of Carlsbad we are going full speed ahead.  The biggest event of my life is quite a bit of work! I must admit I'm just eager for the party to start.  For a quick update, I baked and frosted my wedding cake today! We chose a simple set up, a rich vanilla cake with blackberry preserve as the filling between the layers and finished it with a creamy, toasted coconut frosting.  It's a tiny, darling little cake with two 6" layers.  My Love is so sweet.  I popped in his room and asked him to come see it.  His reaction was just wonderful.  He loves it and shared how excited he was that we get to have a cake we made oursleves. Isn't that just what every baker bride wants to hear from her fiance? I'd say we're a good match. 

In five days we will be flying off to Kauai for our two week honeymoon! We couldn't be more excited.  I did some research and created a little list of places I want to stop by while there.  Kauai has a few GF and V restaurants, coffee shops and local eateries that sound intriguing and tasty.  My Love has already stated that we will be visiting farmers markets, which of course made me quite excited.  That sounds just perfect! Again, it's as if he knows me.....

I am still going to pack some essentials, just in case the local markets aren't as supplied as the ones here.  The first essential that came to mind was my instant GF oatmeal by Glutenfreeda.  It is perfect for traveling and is my go to for a filling and healthy breakfast.  I also love that it has a little flax in it...just in case traveling is causing a little back up.  Yes, I did just mention that.  Unfortunately it's not sold every where yet.  I have to pick it up at a smaller local GF bakery in Encinitas called Healthy Creations.  I encourage you to try it if it is sold in your local health food store and take it as a morning treat on your travels too!

Wish me luck this wedding week! I will give you a little summary of our Kauai adventures when I return. Enjoy your last week of September!

{GF & Vegan Blueberry Oat Bread}

As an update, I am allowed to follow my regular diet now and how sweet it is to be eating more "normal" again.  I will do my best to never complain about my delicious diet ever again! Since then I have had such fun creating recipes, whenever wedding planning and work permit.  I created this moist loaf a bit ago and forgot to share it with you, so here it is! Try the rescipe or use it as a guide and  experiement.  Let me know how yours turns out! Any other baking risk takers out there? It's a favorite past time of mine to take a few recipes I find and combine their ideas or even to just gather some favorite ingredients from my pantry, pile them onto my little kitchen table and start playing.  I'm not a rule follower, nor an "in the lines" type of artist... 

Here's the steps for my yummy treat.  I loved using Almond and Coconut Flour in this; they are both full of protein and fiber and produce a yummy moistness to the treat.

P.S.  I always get my Almond Meal/Flour from Trader Joes.It's less than half the cost anywhere else!

 

 

{GF & Vegan Blueberry Oat Bread}

1/2 C Almond Meal/Flour

1/2 C Brown Rice Flour

1/4 C Coconut Flour

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Sea Salt

1/4 C Grapeseed Oil

1/3 C Agave Syrup

1/3 C Unsweetend Vanilla Almond Milk

1/2 C Water or Almond Milk

1 tsp Vanilla

1/4 tsp Xanthum Gum

1 C GF Oats

1 tbsp Chia Seeds

Fresh or Frozen Organic Blueberries

Mix your dry and wet separately, then slowly pour the wet into the dry until well blended.  After this, gently mix in the Xanthum Gum.  Be careful not to overmix.  Xanthum Gum helps the batter rise, waht gluten usually does in baked goods.  The only downfall is that it can make your batter gummy, so avoid over stirring it.  Next fold in the Oats and Chia, then pour prepared batter into a greased loaf pan.  If you are using fresh blueberries you can fold them in with the Oats and Chia.  If you are using frozen berries, wait and carefully place them (with the help of a spoon) into the prepared batter in the loaf pan.  Otherwise the frozen berries will dye the loaf blue!  Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until a butter knife comes out clean from the center.  This tends to vary from oven to oven, I have found.   Let it cool and then slice and serve with a delicious buttery spread.
 Enjoy!

{For Other Yummy Treats}

Gluten Free Wednesdays

Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays

{Local and Seasonal}

 A rich color of burgundy caught my eye right as I entered the market. Shiny and perfectly plump, I couldn’t help but sample one.  A sweet flavor filled my mouth and warm summer memories flooded my thoughts.  Yes, it’s really that wonderful time again, cherry season!

Many of you may have noticed a new "trend", signs for local and seasonal foods.  Well, it’s more than a trend, it’s a very healthy approach to life.  Here’s a bit about this wonderful movement:

Why eat seasonal? Well, a simple answer could be, it’s cost effective! It also means the produce will be ripe and at its sweetest and most flavorful point.  How do I know what is in season? A wise woman once told me, the best way to tell what produce is at its peak season is by seeing what’s on sale at your local market.  Farmers and markets typically have more than they know what to do with, so the produce is sold for fabulous bargains and you can eat it right away, enjoying the rich flavors!  A pretty nice little situation if you ask me. 

Why eat local? I believe in supporting the individuals that work hard to produce whole, nutritious and fresh foods.  It has become a lost art as norm of our culture is mass production.  The men and women that fight against the grain to provide quality food for their community should be supported and encouraged.  Thankfully, many markets have picked up on the grassroots movement towards local and seasonal foods.  Whether it’s supply and demand or profit-based, I am grateful for the turn our culture is taking.  We need to reevaluate what we are putting into our bodies and remember the age-old saying, “you are what you eat”.

So head on down to our local farmers market or health food store to find other delicious seasonal produce! Enjoy!

{Berry & Coconut Smoothie Bowl}

I am almost 2 weeks into this adventure! It's difficult and I have to admit I don't feel great.  I'm quite exhausted, bloated and.....kinda crabby most of the time.  My kind Love has been so patient putting up with my feisty and pouty disposition.  I must admit I let out exasperated cries for pizza and cheese and coconut ice cream quite often.  I think the biggest lesson I am learning is discipline.  Instant gratification for my sweet tooth is not an option right now.  

I did make a tasty and simple little treat for myself yesterday morning.  I have a decent amount of victoriously delicious meal that even friends and my Love have enjoyed.  I though I might share this little one with you.

{Saturday Morning Breakfast Bowl}

½ Frozen Organic Banana

Frozen Organic Blueberries

Fresh Organic Strawberries

Fresh Thais Coconut Meat

Plain So Delicious Coconut Kefir

Splash of Organic Vanilla

Dash of Cinnamon

A few drops of Vanilla Stevia

{Topping}

Fresh Organic Blueberries

Dehydrated Organic and Raw Coconut flakes

Blend it all and serve immediately.  Enjoy!

{Wild Salmon, Lemon Cucumber and Avocado Salad}

To heal the 20 plus years of gut destruction by means of gluten, soy, dairy and much more, I have begun a cleanse.  I will only be eating foods that are soothing and avoiding any foods that would insight inflammation in my overly sensitive gut.  Day one was yesterday and, may I just say, I really wasn’t the happiest camper.  I have been slowly eliminating all sorts of food groups from my diet for a few years now and this cleansing diet is officially the most limiting I have ever experienced.  Now don’t get me wrong, I am in full support of the philosophy behind it and am eager for the end result it might bring, but boy is it going to be a test of my perseverance and self control.  I am already trying to find ways to create little desserts with the foods I have available to me.  I truly am a dessert girl through and through….

To summarize the diet for you and well, to get a little pity from you all, let me tell you what I can and cannot eat for at least 30 days. 

{Soothing List}

1. Most Veggies (except tomatoes, potatoes and mushrooms)

2. Fermented Food (like sauerkraut and pickles)

3.Any Meat (I’m only going to be incorporating Salmon for now)

4.Low Glycemic Fruits (This ones tricky.  Some fruit I thought was LG is not!)

5. Anything and Everything Coconut and Olive based (One of the most soothing foods you can put in your body!)

6. Herbal Teas (a favorite already, fortunately)

{Inflammatory List}

1. SUGAR/Chocolate (including Low Glycemic like agave and brown rice syrup)

2. Grains (Any and all, even GF)

3. All Dairy

4. All Soy

5. All Alcohol

6. High Glycemic Fruit (melons, mango, pineapple, raisins)

7. Lectins (this one was the hardest for me to give up! Includes nuts and beans)

Well there you have it! Sooo if any of you have fun recipes to spice up my diet, please feel free to share! I had fun creating a nice light dinner this evening that you can even enjoy.  It incorporates all soothing foods and just happens to taste delicious.

{Wild Salmon, Lemon Cucumber and Avocado Salad}

A perfect pairing, the lemon brings out the saltiness of the salmon and the avocado brings a rich buttery flavor to compliment the tangy lemon. 

{Serves 1}

1 cup   Diced Organic English Cucumber

1 tbsp  Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Half a Ripe Organic Hass Avocado

Torn Pieces of Wild Alaskan Smoked Sockeye Salmon

Sliver of Fresh Lemon

Dash of Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

Mix your Cucumber and Olive Oil in a small bowl.  Slice your Avocado and mix in, adding your Salmon to follow.  Sprinkle the dish with fresh Lemon juice from your Lemon sliver and Salt it to your taste.   Mix well and enjoy!

{The Everyday - My Morning Necessity}

It's  morning and my first thought goes to a my favorite, wake up tradition, a steaming mug of peppermint tea.  A few sips and I feel my very soul relax and settle.  It's the most soothing and comforting drink I have ever experienced.  It also calms my stomach and helps prepare my digestive system for the day.

I began drinking it a year or so ago, when a cup with 2 tbsp of coconut oil mixed in was recommended, to soothe my extreme intestinal pains. This remedy relieved the stubborn pain within 30 minutes, making me an instant fan.

I began with Traditional Medicine's version, but moved on to Yogi's tea when TM stopped making their version.  I highly recommend Yogi's peppermint tea for anyone.

My day begins well when I have my tea, so those little tea bags travel with me.  Like today, I am vacationing in Mammoth Lake and my trusty mug is sitting right beside me as I type!

So whether you experience intestinal pain or would just like to feel relaxed and fresh for your day, I definitely recommend giving peppermint tea a try. You may find that it's the perfect start to your day as well.

Happy sipping!

{The Everyday - Snacks}

Welcome to my new {The Everyday} posts! I've decided to take the time to share some of the foods I eat on a more regular basis.  I a finding that many of you have questions about the day to day diet.  Questions like, what do I eat for snacks or breakfast or how do I eat enough protein from a Vegan, Raw and GF menu?  I have my staples and the occasional new treats I find and try, so I thought I would begin to share these with you all.  There are so many options out there.  Let's explore them together!

This week I gave a new brand of tasty-looking granola a try.  I've been bored with my breakfast and wanted to spice it up with something! Typically GF granola is loaded with flaxseed, which I'm not  huge fan of, but this granola had all the ingredients I like to use instead! I was so excited! They had a few flavors and though tempted to try all of them, as is my nature, I limited myself to two.  I'm not going to lie, the price for these little goody bags was not easy to swallow, but such is the game with Raw,Vegan and GF food.  The Cherry Ginger and Cranberry Orange were the flavors that made the final cut and came home with me that day.   Needless to say I did not have the patience to wait until morning to give each a  try.  I popped the bags open on the way home and took a nibble a bit of each.  Wow.  I was even more excited.  Each kind had a perfect blend of spice, nutty oatiness and that tart, yet still sweet, dried fruit! I loved both flavors!

When I got home I sat and read a bit about the company.  A wonderful part about the Vegan, GF and Raw community is the stories behind the process of the food.  Real people, small operations and a passion for the health of others.  Typically you can find out about it all on the packaging, but their websites are always fun to visit as well.  Laughing Giraffe Organics is one such company.  They are the creative geniuses behind these new finds.  A family run business, this company makes all of their products by hand. It's aspects like this that make me ok with paying a greater amount for my food.  Quality over quantity, so the opposite of the rest of our commercialized and processed food.  You get what you pay for!  I also love their vision.  They say it well. Yay for pure and whole nutritious food! 

"Laughing Giraffe Organics provides healthy snack foods that are made from the finest organic ingredients. Because our products are made from real unprocessed foods, they are extremely rich in nutritional value. Small amounts will satisfy your snack needs more than “empty calorie” snack foods. Real foods have real calories that are needed to stay healthy and they taste great!"

{A Sweet Mistake}

Group-on coupons started it all.  A dear friend who knows of my cooking obsession signed my mom, my Love and me up for a cooking class with the wonderful Freddi Parker.  I fell in love with her immediately.  She is a marvelous and creative chef that loves the people she is around just as much as the food she makes for them.  I just received the opportunity to help her prepare food for a few of her classes in June.  I cannot wait!

It was one of her desserts from that class that inspired me.  She creates a fabulous three ingredient, flourless and decadent chocolate cake.  Unfortunately two of the ingredients are eggs and butter, which as we know is not welcomed by my tummy.  I quickly knew I had to attempt to recreate it without these two of the three.  The challenge was on.  I gave it two solid tries in one night and well, it was quite a failure.  Most well trained Chefs would laugh at my notion to even try as eggs are quite difficult to replace in such a recipe.  I can only explain the attempts by my simple desire to create the impossible.  Perhaps someday I will....

So, sadly I do not have a recipe for you today.  You're probably wondering why are you blogging then Silly? Well, the reason I'm sharing this with you is because I want you to know that I fail.  For some reason, you all seem to think I only experience success.  Well I must correct this myth, because honestly, I fail all the time.  Just ask my family, my close friends and most of all my sweet Love.  He, brave man, will even venture to taste test my failures.  His response to the food, my distraught look and sad kitchen moans typically goes something like this..."well, I'm sure it would be great with some ice cream?" To which I either laugh or at times hold back tears.  These are difficult mistakes to swallow, expensive {everything-free} food is not the easiest to throw away.

Cooking is an art, but it is also a science.  A calculated experiment that can really go wrong.  Yet, do not be discouraged.  There is always room for a good solid rescue.  As my man would say, add ice cream or restructure the result and create something entirely new! This second option is exactly what I did with my failed flourless cake.  I scooped it out of the cake pan and pressed it into little cookies.  I froze them, added some leftover, vegan frosting and created little chocolate, cookie sandwiches.  They were DIVINE.  As a past girlscout  cookie lover, these tasted just like my favorite thin mint cookies! I could not believe it.  This kitchen adventure left me with a different, delicious chocolatey goodness and a renewed hope to continue my chemistry experiments.

Take this as a little cheers, do not give up my dear friends, enjoy the learning process and never stop experimenting in the kitchen.

Bon Appetit!

{Golden Honey Coconut Carrot Cake}

Happy Thursday dear friends! Despite the forecast of rain on my birthday, Jesus brought me sunshine! A beautiful, vibrant blue sky greeted me Wednesday morning and I couldn't have been more surprised.  What a perfect and lovely birthday present to welcome in my golden birthday.

I love to bake.  Rarely ever pass up an opportunity to bake a cake, I just had to bake my favorite for my special day.  I truly dislike creating cakes without a reason, even though I could use the practice.  I like to have friends and family to savor my victory or eat the failure.  Cake needs company.  I chose one of  my favorites, a delicious Carrot Cake, and whipped up a heavenly Coconut Honey Frosting to complete this scrumptious dessert.  I just finished off a slice tonight and oh dear is it good.  Nothing like the moist and almost chewy texture of a good carrot cake on your birthday or the day after!

I used a delightful recipe that came out quite nicely in my new spring-form cake pans (thank you mom!).  The cake and frosting recipes came from other baking geniuses, but I added a few twists of my own to both and loved the results!  I'm starting to get the hang of frosting.  It's had me in tears multiple times, so I was pleasantly surprised when  it developed smoothly and tasted divine!  A pet peeve I have with frosting has made the process more difficult than it normally should be.  I just can't help this one.

I hate powdered sugar and shortening in frosting.  It gives me a major sugar rush (the bad kind) and a headache within minutes of eating.

If you are familiar with frosting ingredients, this eliminates just about every good thick, creamy frosting recipe known to man kind, well practically.  Fortunately, I found one that uses agave/honey and coconut oil.  Most I've tried melt after being pulled out of the fridge and create a gooey, oily frosting that looks and tastes terrible.  Not this one, it's actually thick and frosts nicely!

Thanks for celebrate a bit with me! I hope you enjoyed the yummy photos of my golden birthday cake!

{Linked to}

Gluten-Free Wednesdays

Chopped Grapefruit and Mixed Berry Salad

Happy Valentines week to you all! I feel like I'm dancing and floating on clouds this week because I just had the most lovely Valentine's weekend with my Love.  Beautiful sunsets and humorous personality tests paired with a sweet,  fruity treat created the perfect Valentine's.  My man is a lover of anything "pie-ish", so I just couldn't miss the opportunity to whip up a sweet peach-berry pie for him.  It was my first ever, from scratch, and it turned out beyond delicious! I cannot take full credit, haha I actually followed a recipe this time.  He and I felt it was honestly the best we'd ever had, which is saying a lot because it was an everything-free pie! It was the perfect treat for the perfect weekend.

Today, I don't have a dessert for you.  Instead, I want to share a fresh and colorful salad creation! It's been quite a success and is currently a running favorite among friends and family.  As a result, this post is for those of you that asked for my exact ingredients, since I can rarely remember exact amounts in person.

I hope your month of love is a delightful and sweet one for you all!  Enjoy! 

{Chopped Grapefruit and Mixed Berry Salad}

Ingredients:

~Salad for Two

2 Large leaves Organic Rainbow chard

1 Large leaf Organic Collard Greens

¾ cup Organic Spinach

½ ripe Hass Avocado

Organic English Cucumber

¼ Large Yellow Onion

½ cup Organic Blueberries

½ cup Organic Blackberries

½ Ruby Red Grapefruit

Dressing:

3-31/2 Tbsp Organic Applecider Vinegar

1 Tbsp Agave Nectar

Pinch of Pink Himalayan Salt

Wash your Greens and chop into bite size pieces.  Slice and chop the Avocado and Cucumber into bite sizes as well.  Set Yellow Onion top-side up and slice thin strips, moving away from the center, then cut these long thin strips in half. Combine all ingredients, including Berries into a large bowl.  Grab your Grapefruit and cut along the outline of its insides, leaving only the skin.  Slice between each little triangle and then scoop each out over the bowl of salad.  Let the juice fall into the bowl and don’t forget to squeeze the extra in there too! Pour the Vinegar and Agave over your salad, followed by the pinch of Himalayan Salt and then toss to finish!

{Linked To}

Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays
Gluten Free Wednesdays

Bean Spread & Goat Chevre Date Appetizer

I cooked my own beans! My friend Alisa had me over the other day and shared her freshly cooked beans…after my first few bites I was asking for instructions! I just loved it! I can make them the perfect texture and saltiness that I want.  It also saves money buying in bulk and I can have more variety, blend all sorts of beans together to create mixes or dishes.  I also avoid the possible poisoning from the metal can and eat it sooner cause it’s fresh in my refrigerator, some nice side benefits.  I am also in LOVE with the Chocolate Heirloom Tomato.  I just tried it for the first time at my weekly farmers market run and could not leave the stand with out at least three!

I thought it’d be fun to try making a spread with my lovely food processor and use the Beans and Tomatoes.  It turned into an idea for an appetizer and soon I was pulling out my other favorite that I have yet to share with you, the Chevre-stuffed Medjool Dates, yes you may start drooling now. I am.  So enjoy, and now perhaps you will have a pretty little treat to bring to your next party!

{Arugula Bean Spread}

Ingredients:

1 cup Assorted Cooked Beans
 (such as Black, Kidney, Lima, etc)
Handful of washed Organic Arugula

Dash of Minced Fresh Garlic or Garlic Flakes

¼ cup freshly Chopped Red Onion

Pink Himalayan Salt to taste

Organic Chocolate Heirloom Tomato

Organic English Cucumber

Combine first set of ingredients in a food processor and well, process! Then dice the Chocolate Heirloom Tomato and gently fold into the spread.  Slice your English Cucumber and spread with the dip for a delicious appetizer. 

{Goat Chevre-Stuffed Medjool Dates}

Ingredients:

Choice or fancy Medjool Dates

Goat Chevre (I used a Chevre flavored with garlic and herbs)  

Delicately slice Dates long-ways and remove pit.  Use a spoon to carve off a bit of the Chevre.  Use your fingers to slightly roll the Chevre long-ways.  Gently open each Date and place the rolled Chevre inside, closing the Date’s skin around it to finish. Arrange Dates on an oiled sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 10-15minutes or until the Chevre begins to ooze out of the Date.  Pull out and let cool, then serve warm.  

{Linked To}

Gluten-Free Wednesdays

Vegan Raw Samoa Cookies

January, a month of beginnings and new resolutions.  By now many have already given up on those dreams and goals, allowing themselves to sink back into the well-worn trail of 2010.  It's easy to concoct beautiful visions of new and refreshing habits and lifestyles, but difficult to stay true to them as time passes.  Our daily life swirls around us, slowly wiping away the conviction, motivation and memory we had only weeks before.

Last January I took on a little dream of my own, which over time has built up this lovely Sweet and Salty Life of mine.  Creating this blog was the result of a few nudges, a bit of foodie-film inspiration and a deep desire to write about my culinary creations and experiences.  A year later, I am still here and loving every time I get to share a bit of my story. 

As a part of acknowledging my journey I just want to thank each and everyone of you that have encouraged me, sampled my tasty and perhaps not so tasty experiments, taken the time to read my thoughts, given feedback and most of all shown such a desire to love what has become my passion.  

So cheers to another year of culinary adventure and to all of you my dear friends!

To continue the adventure I bring you a girlscout-inspired treat, the Samoa Cookie! A delicious concoction, this recipe was a pleasant surprise thanks to my delightful, new food processor.  By far my favorite gift from my parents, I have had such fun playing with nuts, fruit, flour, etc. in my beautiful Cuisenart.  The cookie for today is completely Vegan with frosting that is both Vegan and Raw.  Could it be any better for you? 

{Vegan Samoa Cookie}

Ingredients:

Base

1/4 cup Raw Cashews

1/4 cup Raw Almonds

1 TBSP Raw Chia Seeds

1 cup Gluten-Free Oats

1 tsp Macca Powder

2 TBSP Raw Coconut Nectar (raw agave or honey might work as well...just haven't tried it yet!)

1 TBSP Raw Maple Syrup (again....your choice)

Frosting

3 TBSP Raw Coconut Oil

1-2 TBSP Raw Agave Nectar

2 1/1 tsp Raw Cocoa Powder

Dash of Cinnamon

Dash of Pink Sea Salt

Begin by processing the Nuts, Seeds and Oats together.  Add the Macca quickly after and continue to process.  Drizzle in the Coconut Nectar and Maple Syrup and pulse. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and pulse again until the Nuts, Seeds and Oats stick together.  Scoop out and place in a pan lined with parchment paper.  Spread the base pressing it outward  with clean hands until the surface is even and it's about 1/4-1/2 inch thick.  Place the pan in the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes. 

While it's hardening, combine all the frosting ingredients in the processor and process until smooth and lightly warm.  Pull out the base and frost your cookie! Return the pan to the refrigerator (for longer preservation put in freezer) until frosting is hardened.  When ready, cut into bars and enjoy! They soften the longer they are out of the fridge or freezer, but you'll eat each so quick you probably won't even notice!

Good luck with your 2011 dreams, may they be just as sweet as this simply delicious treat.

{Linked to}

Whats for Dinner Mom
My Sweet and Savory:Meatless Mondays
A Southern Fairytale
Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays
Gluten Free Wednesdays

A Farmers' Market Chopped Salad

A farmers' market inspired salad is what I bring you today.  Besides finding and scouring through cookbooks, strolling through farmers markets is my absolute favorite pastime.  I haven’t visited one in a couple months, so I was way past due for a good long meander through my local market.  Today was glorious.  The sun was shining and the air, though chilly, was fresh and post-rain clean.  I got my cash ready and mozied along the street stopping at various booths that grabbed my attention.  Organic and local produce was prevalent and I couldn’t get enough of breathing in the earthy smell and tasting the sun-ripened sweetness.  Now, if you’ve never understood the draw of local or organic, let me explain.  

Basically, the more local your produce is the longer it’s on the vine, branch, in the ground, etc.  This means it’s not harvested until it is perfectly ready to explode with ripe goodness.  The taste, appearance and texture of the produce will be at its prime. If it’s organic this means the produce received nothing of a chemical nature that could alter the fruit or hurt the consumer.  A nice benefit for those of us that tend to forget about washing the produce before inhaling…like me…is that all we have to worry about is dirt. 

Now compare this to the chain grocery stores’ chemically-induced, oversized, pre-picked, poison-covered produce and perhaps you’ll join me and start visiting the local farmers' market! 

Because of my little trip I was able to create one of my tasty and nutritious chopped salads for lunch! This simple salad is made up of the ingredients I found there with a little help from Trader Joe’s brown rice and black beans.  Salads are not meant to be calculated or exact like some people’s approach to baking, so feel free to reduce or increase the amounts of any ingredient I include. 

{Farmers' Market Chopped Salad}

Kale

Chard

English Cucumber

Fuerte Avocado

Heirloom Tomatoes

Cooked Brown Rice (cooled)

Cooked Black Beans (cooled and salted)

{Fresh Dressing}

~for 2 1/2 – 3 cups of salad

1 TBSP Bragg’s Organic Apple Cider Vinegar

1 TBSP Eden’s Organic Red Wine Vinegar

1 TBSP Raw Organic Blue Agave

Sprinkle of Pink Sea Salt

Wash and chop the lettuce creating one-inch strips both horizontally and vertically.  This will help your body better digest the fibrous salad!  Slice the Cucumber, Tomatoes and Avocado.  Combine these with the Brown Rice and Black Beans and toss with the lettuce.  Drizzle with Fresh Dressing and toss again.  For a creamier dressing, pour in the Fresh Dressing and then mash the Avocado in a separate bowl (instead of chopping), mix it with a sprinkle of Pink Sea Salt and toss throughout salad. 

Enjoy!

{Shared and linked up with some favorites of mine}

 Real Sustenance

Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays

Gluten-Free Wednesdays

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

It's been a while since my last note to you all and for that I must apologize.  Life has taken me on a journey this year and these last few weeks have been no exception.  I wish I had a career in the culinary arts, but for now that dream is at bay.  Instead, I have two normal jobs which have lovely and difficult parts to them.  Hopefully after this week life will slow down a bit and I will be able to spend more time in my little neglected kitchen. 

Ironically, it's been raining cook/nutritional books of late and I am just antsy to break into them and put their recipes/nutritional theories to the test.  As you may have gathered from reading my notes, I am slightly obsessed with books, especially any that share nutritional/food information.  I love to learn new or even old ideas, just the thought of it gets me excited!  Today I am sharing with you the result of a delicious bread.  The recipe comes from one of my old favorites, NYC Babycakes, and surprisingly I actually followed it almost to a tee! I exchanged the rice milk with almond, but that's it.  It really was quite out of the ordinary for me!  

{Banana Chocolate Chip Bread}

Since I did create the bread straight from Erin's cookbook and I believe in supporting chefs that create the seemingly "impossible" recipes {in other words the delicious treats that are free of dairy, gluten, soy, eggs, etc.} I will not be posting the recipe for you here.  I want you to find her cookbook and find it yourself.  It's designed beautifully and the bakery is promoted by many of its celebrity fans.  Believe me the book is so worth the expense and there are many more wonderfully yummy recipes for you to try too. Erin, you make a perfectly fluffy, sweet and satisfying Banana Chocolate Chip Bread.  Thank you for your many labored hours in that little New York kitchen of yours! 

Linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesday