Cocoa Lavender Cookies

The weather has finally turned chilly.  Next to the warmth of a lovely heater, wrapped in a little down blanket, I have finally found a moment to share one of my favorite recipes with you.  Cookies have always been a sweet part of my childhood winters. I became the baker of my family as a young girl. So when a fire was lit and blankets brought out it was quite routine for me to whip up a batch for us to enjoy.  Here in our cozy apartment a fireplace is not present, but I still feel the desire to continue the wintery tradition of cookie baking. My Love doesn't seem to mind....

Based off of my Chocolate Chunk Cookie, I created a delicious and aromatic lavender treat.  The Cocoa Lavender Cookie. Yum. Two of my favorite ingredients, lavender and chocolate, combine to create a wonderfully satisfying and perfect fireside cookie.  So grab a soft thick blanket, start a fire and get these cookies in the oven for a cozy and sweet wintery night. From my warm kitchen to yours, cheers!

{Cocoa Lavender Cookies}

2 3/4 cups of Almond Meal or Flour ( sometimes I do half and half for a sturdier cookie )

1/2 tsp Sea Salt

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1 1/2 tsp Dried Lavender Petals, chopped

1/2 cup Pure Cocoa Powder

1/2 cup Grapeseed Oil

1/2 cup Agave

1 1/2 tbsp Vanilla

3/4 - 1 cup of Dark or Semi Sweet Chocolate, chopped chunky

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the dry ingredients together and then add the wet.  Gently fold in the chocolate chunks. Scoop dough with a tablespoon. Roll into a little ball in your palm and then slightly flatten on your cookie sheet. Provide an inch or so of space for the cookies to expand. Bake for 6-8minutes, depending on your oven.  Keep a close eye and remove them when they seem firm.  Allow cookies to cool for a good 15 min, then remove with a spatula.  Pair with a little glass of almond milk, wrap yourself up with that cozy blanket and savor each decadent bite!

{Everything-Free} Breakfast & Why?

Removing foods from your normal routine isn't easy.  In the last month I have had several people share with me their decision to try a new diet removing gluten, dairy, soy and many other smaller ingredients.  Our food culture here in the United States is not very welcoming to such a diet (though I must say it has greatly improved over the last 5 years). Yet, the health of my generation and those following has demonstrated a need for change.  People are experiencing dramatic health issues as early as their teens and twenties.  From my own personal journey, I have come to believe these issues are connected to our food.  Now, I do not pretend to be a professional physician or even a formally educated advisor.  All that I share is simply what I have learned over the years from professionals and my own battle for full health.  Feel free to read with a grain of salt and please do your own research as well! I could talk for hours about the alterations that have been made to food over the last several decades or the toxins that we put into our bodies on a daily basis, but I will refrain from all that today.  Instead, I encourage you to research the processes your food goes through before it reaches you.  You might be very surprised.

Since our bodies have gone through so much by the time we are in our twenties it makes sense that normal bodily functions begin to fail or malfunction.  A major part of our bodies that take the hit is our internal organs, specifically our stomach, intestines, colon, liver and gallbladder. These are the areas food is broken down, filtered and gathered for nutrients.  If so much of what we eat is harmful it doesn't take long for each of these parts to wear down and stop performing as your body needs.  Your body's balance is thrown off.  It becomes hard for your brain to function well without nutrients and so the messages to your body are not as they should be, causing issues like low blood sugar, lack of enzyme production, low or high acidity in the stomach, etc.  Eventually food allergies or intolerances begin to form.  Your organs begin to only be able to take certain foods as the years pass because they don't have the proper amount of enzymes, etc. to break down, filter and gather nutrients from all foods.  The longer you go without fixing the root issues of rebuilding your organs and eating clean, safe food the less you will be able to eat and the more upset and off balance your body will become.  The end result: autoimmune diseases. Take a gander at this link to see what many of us are headed toward.  As WomensHeath.gov states, "overall, autoimmune diseases are common, affecting more than 23.5 million Americans.  They are the leading cause of death and disability." Don't let yourself become a part of this statistic. 

I hope this sounds a bit scary to you, sometimes it takes a little kick in the rear to make or continue on with difficult changes. As I said in the beginning it's not an easy thing to reassess your health and restart your diet.  Generally, it's not accepted in our culture, but the effects of our daily food choices are so very real.  It's worth it.  Slow down and look at the food you eat.  Where does it come from? What's in it? How has it been cooked and stored? Start noticing your body's ups and downs and responses to food and stress.  Take small steps to support your organs.  Care about how you live and what you eat.  

As I said earlier, people have been approaching me asking for help with food options that are allergy or intolerant friendly.  I find that  breakfast seems to be the most difficult meal to keep interesting.  So as a little inspiration, I'm sharing a nutritious and easy {Everything- Free} option.  It's so yummy I had it this morning! 

{Coconut Yogurt with Fruit & Energy}

1- 1 1/2 cups Plain So Delicious Coconut Yogurt

1 tbsp Macca Powder

1 tbsp Raw Hulled Hemp Hearts (I get an 8oz bag from Costco)

Fresh or Frozen Fruit  (I love berries!)

I prefer the plain Yogurt because it's low in sugar and I can always sweeten it with Stevia or local Honey.  The Macca Powder and Hemp Hearts provide lots of natural energy, are filling and full of nutrients.  Click on the links to learn about the benefits of each and see the brands I favor! 

{Shared}

Gluten-Free Wednesdays

{Green & Clean Home Perfume}

Home air fresheners and spritzes  are typically full of chemicals! Yuck.... but who doesn't want fresh relaxing aromas throughout their home?  I have a love/hate relationship with smells.  I am very aware of the scents around me.  When I encounter a "rank" smell (as my husband would call it) a normal response typically includes a dramatic gasp, closely followed by nose wrinkles and a frantic run for fresh air. Yes, it may be a slight overreaction...  Give me a good smell and I am in heaven.  I love fresh, light airy aromas.  It might be that clean laundry smell that accompanies clothes fresh out of the dryer or the scent of freshly picked herbs, either way I want them around me all the time.

So the question is how do I get a wonderful scent without breathing in chemicals? Well, I decided to try and create my own freshener. It came to me after I peeled a fresh farmer's market treat, a juicy tangelo.  I wanted to savor the smell of the peel.  Pulling out my saucepan and filing it with enough water to cover the peel pieces, I began to simmer it.  I immediately thought it needed something else...  rosemary!  I had just brought home a little tree of live rosemary for our balcony.  I love rosemary.  Breaking a sprig off the tree and gently separating the leaves from the stem, I tossed the rosemary in with the peel and let its aroma fill the room.  So simple! The smell filled my apartment and truly created my perfect home aroma.

What a wonderful way to use every bit of what you eat and grow! I hope you try your own home perfume soon, combining your favorite foods and herbs. Once you do come back and share what you created! Enjoy!

{October Love - Kauai}

Sooooo we are back! A wonderful and amazing wedding left us beyond grateful for life, love and the many many dear friends the Lord has blessed us with in this season.  We flew off to lovely Kauai for our honeymoon to relax.  We were surprised by a few little bugs that joined us right away.  They took up residence in my sweet Love and had him in bed for most of the trip.  We got to know the local medical community pretty quick, making stops at medical clinics and eventually the Urgent Care, but fortunately we were still able to savor our time there. 

An absolutely gorgeous island, Kauai was lush and green on the Northern end where we stayed. It blends rain forest with ocean so well.  The local people were laid back and easy to relate to in the small towns like Hanalei.  I was surprised by the numerous options for vegan, vegetarian and everything-free diets.  Health food stores covered the island and many restaurants catered specifically to this crowd.  I fell in love with a few spots.  My favorite restaurant by far was Postcards Cafe in Hanalei.  No matter your food preference you will find many delicious options here.  It is a home transformed into a cozy and quaint cafe.  The service is attentive and personal, as well as knowledgeable about food intolerances and allergies. 

I found a darling little GF shop in Kapaa called Sweet Marie's.  Marie gets up at ridiculously early times to guarantee fresh baked goods for all the locals and visitors that crowd her shop for treats.  Next time, I plan to stop there as soon as I land and stock up on goodies for the stay. 

The island's "whole foods" equivalent is called Papaya's Natural Foods.  It has everything you could need and more to live and eat well during your stay.  There are a few on the island, but one is conveniently located across the road from Sweet Marie's for a quick double trip. 

We also ate at a unique restaurant called Bar Acuda.  It was a Spanish inspired dining experience.  We were served small beautifully and artistically displayed dishes. It was a bit pricey, but worth it for the unique experience. 

As recently obsessed coconut eaters, we were excited to try a fresh Hawaiian coconut.  Sadly, it was not anywhere near tasty.  It was a fermented old coconut.  We should have known better.  We'll stick to our fresh young Thai coconuts from now on!

Overall, I was wonderfully surprised by how easily I could enjoy food and life on this island.  I encourage you to visit and try these places as well, you won't be disappointed. 

Aloha!

{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!

{October Love}

{Brooke Aliceon Photography}

Today I want to share a new little piece of my life with you all.  As many of you know I am engaged to the most wonderful man Jesus ever created.  We are getting married the first of October this Fall and I couldn’t be more excited. It’s been quite a journey so far preparing for this special day; a journey that I realize all of you have taken or will eventually take.  I’ve found so far that my own experiences can be encouraging, helpful and inspiring to others who may be traveling down the same road or are about to begin a similar adventure.  It is from this realization that I came to a conclusion;  I would like to begin sharing my progression through the three months I have left of my engagement.  I plan to record my inspirations, visions, experiences, frustrations, thoughts, advice, victories and any little joys that arise from the general process.  I hope you find these posts enjoyable, if not at least entertaining.  I will continue my food posts as usual.  They will simply be sprinkled with life and love posts. 

I will begin right now by giving you the basics.  We are getting married in the beautiful coastal city of Carlsbad, California.  It will be a small and intimate garden wedding.  Colors include a rich forest green, a stormy blue, and an accent of eggplant purple with base colors of steel grey and warm ivory.  I have envisioned a very natural and airy setting.  The ceremony will finish right at sunset, allowing the reception to be lit with strings of soft glowing light. 

The pieces are truly beginning to come together and my vision, which was quite broad at first, is beginning to narrow, revealing the fun details.  I am sure this progression will continue as the months sweep by. 

So here finishes my first little story about the wonderful October event.  I hope you will continue to stop by and share in my adventures of wedding, food and life.  Keep a look out for more {October Love} posts to come.  

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!"

{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

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

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

Artisan Bread

I've wanted to bake my own loaf of bread for ages and my new sweet friend Brittany at RealSustenance has recently tried to create a few loaves egg-free herself.  Her attempts inspired me to finally give it a try!

On one of my fun bookstore dates with myself I found an intriguing cookbook written by the chef behind Seattle's Flying Apron Bakery.  Their house bread recipe looked fantastic and it wasn't long before I began plotting when I could bake my first loaf.  This morning turned out to be the only time I could, so I got up nice and early to throw on my apron, warm up the oven and pull out my flours!

It baked for close to two hours and the kitchen smelled heavenly the entire time.  I think it really settled the somewhat dreamy idea I had of waking early to bake, allowing my husband to wake to the delicious and comforting smell of sweet bread.  The husband is not yet here, but my family gets to experience the mouthwatering aroma and they don't seem to mind being the recipients of my early, morning baking results!

When I pulled it out I immediately fell in love.  A beautiful loaf, it matched its delicious aroma well.  I couldn't help but long for France.  I have never been, but the idea of freshly, baked artisan loafs and baguettes seems to be a common occurrence there.  If I can't travel at least I can create the same experience in my own little San Diego kitchen!

I hope you can enjoy the beauty of this delicious artisan loaf and maybe even give it a try yourself.  Here is the recipe from the cookbook, with my own personal alterations.

Bon Appetite!


{Artisan Bread}

2 3/4 Cup Brown Rice Flour
1 Cup Garbanzo bean Flour/Chickapea Flour
1/4 Cup Chia Seeds ground in the blender
11/2 tsp Sea Salt
3/4 tsp Xanthan Gum

1/4 Cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Pure Maple Syrup
1 Cup lukewarm water
1 packet of Active Dry Yeast
1/3 Cup pureed Pumpkin


Warm the oven to 300 degrees and grease your baking pan. Mix the top five ingredients in a medium bowl and mix the Olive Oil, Maple Syrup, water and Yeast in another bowl.  The yeast will become activated after 3-5 minutes of stirring and it will begin to bubble and appear cloudy.  Once it is activated, begin to slowly add the first bowl and Pumpkin Puree to the yeast mixture.  Do your best to not over-mix the ingredients.  Plop the dough on a floured surface (floured with Brown Rice Flour) and knead gently a few times. Create a 12inch loaf and place on greased baking pan.  Lastly, slice the loaf gently on the side to keep it from cracking too much.

Bake for one and a half to two hours in the oven.  When you slide a knife into the bread and it comes out clean, pull your beautiful loaf out and let it cool.  I suggest wrapping it in a cotton cloth or clean towel to keep it warm, moist and fresh longer.... it also makes it appear and feel more European!

{Other Lovely Links}
Gluten Free Wednesday

Slightly Indulgent Tuesday
Tuesday Night Supper Club
Tasty Tuesday

Apple Muffins

October is a birthday month! Both of the men in my life celebrate their special days in the first week of this wonderful month. Don't worry, one of them is my Dad.  Haha and he is the one that inspired this recipe!  A lover of the apple and all things that incorporate this tasty fruit, I wanted to find a recipe that used it in a simply delicious way.  My family was having a birthday breakfast for him, so I thought muffins might be a light but filling treat.  Since it's the closest thing to a cupcake, it fit the birthday atmosphere quite well.

The muffins turned out fantastic! I am not just saying that...they really did! Even as I am writing this my Dad is asking me when I am going to make more.

Again, my little backyard apple tree is producing up a storm, so the Michel family has more apples than they know what to do with! Solution?  My Dad says... more apple muffins!

The original recipe is from a wonderful blog called MAID in Alaska. As is typical, I changed a few things here and there, but check out her original recipe here to create your own version.

{Apple Muffins}

6 TBSP boiling Water
2 TBSP Chia Seeds
3 Cups Gluten-free Oats
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Xanthan Gum
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1 1/2 Cinnamon
2 TBSP Grapeseed Oil
2 tsp Vanilla
1/4 Cup Agave
1/4 Cup unsweetened Applesauce
1 Apple shredded/grated
1 Apple chopped with skin on

To begin heat oven to 350 degrees and heat the water.  Grind the Chia seeds in your blender until they become more like meal.  Once your water is boiling, pour it in with the Chai seeds and set aside. Use the blender again to grind the Oats.  Neither the Oats nor the Chai has to be completely ground, just enough to keep texture while still creating some finer meal/flour.  Combine the Oat flour with the rest of the dry ingredients.

Next shred your first Apple with a cheese grater.  Place the shredded Apple in a large bowl with all the wet ingredients. Gradually add your dry mixture to this wet mixture.  Finally chop your second Apple, leaving the skin on, and fold into your batter.  Pour into greased muffin tins and bake for 20-30 minutes, depending on your oven!

Once they are golden brown, pull them out, let them cool and enjoy! They are delicious right out of the oven. They don't even need butter or honey, although these are always delightful compliments.

Enjoy!

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Blackberry Apple Cake

Now that Fall is truly upon us, my family's apple tree has been delivering gorgeous fruit! I love using produce from my own garden or from local farmers markets, so the fact that I can go and grab an apple directly from my yard brings me great satisfaction. My wonderful man and I also happened to go blackberry picking a few weeks ago and gathered enough to make multiple delicious treats.  I froze most of them so I can bring them out later when they're no longer in season.  Today I wanted to share a tasty cake that we made from my apples and blackberries.  I found a wonderful recipe on Karina's blog that caught my eye and I just had to give it a try.  The following recipe has a few alterations, but feel free to follow her original recipe that incorporates cranberries.  I may use that version when Thanksgiving rolls around.  I ate this yummy cake in the morning and would love to bring it to a brunch sometime! It also tasted delicious in the evening with my favorite coconut milk ice cream.  Give it a try and let me know when you prefer to enjoy it! I hope you are enjoying this year's Fall as much as I am!

{Blackberry Apple Cake}

Ingredients:
1 Cup Sorguhum Flour
1/2 Cup Buckwheat Flour
1/4 Cup Potato Starch
1 tsp Xanthan Gum
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground Cloves
1 Cup Sucant

1 TBSP Egg-Replacer
1/4 Cup warm Water
1/2 Cup Grapeseed Oil
1/2 Cup unsweetened Applesauce
1/2 cup of unsweetened vanilla Almond Milk
1/4 teaspoon Rice Vinegar
2 TBSP raw organic Agave
1 tsp Bourbon Vanilla

2 Cups Chopped Apples
3/4 Cup frozen Blackberries

To begin preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 inch round pan.  Then mix all the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and all the wet in a larger bowl.  Stir well and then combine the two in the larger bowl.  Fold in the Apples and then pour batter into pan.  Tuck in the Blackberries throughout the batter.  Drizzle Honey or Agave over the batter in a criss-cross fashion.  Place in warmed oven and bake for 45-60 minutes. Test it by sticking a small knife in the center.  If it comes out clean, without lingering batter, then it is ready! Pull out and eat warm. This cake is a delicious breakfast treat or yummy dessert when served a la mode!

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