The Great Pumpkin (10/30/10)
Listen to this podcastPumpkin Cranberry Bread
Makes 1 loaf
This delicious bread will make your out of town guests very happy!
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
2/3 cup sucanat or unrefined cane sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup canned pumpkin purée
Juice and zest of 1 orange
1/4 cup filtered water
3 Tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 cup fresh cranberries
1/2 cup walnut pieces
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray or brush a loaf pan with oil. In a
large bowl, mix together flour, sucanat, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder,
baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together pumpkin purée,
orange juice and zest, water, and coconut oil. Add it to the flour
mixture and mix gently.
Stir in cranberries and walnuts. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake
for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out
clean.
Sweet! (10/23/10)
Listen to this podcastHigh Protein Breakfast Bars
Enjoy these healthy breakfast treats made with almonds, hempseeds, flaxseed and brown rice syrup.
Parchment paper
Oil for spraying or brushing
1 1/2 cups kamut flakes or thick rolled oats
1/2 cup dried tart cherries or cranberries
1/4 cup ground flaxseeds
1/3 cup almonds, roughly chopped
1/4 cup hempseeds
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup brown rice syrup, honey or agave nectar
1/4 cup almond butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
Preheat oven to 325F. Line an 8x 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper and or grease with oil. In a large bowl, mix together kamut flakes, cherries, flax, almonds, hempseeds and salt. In a small saucepan over medium heat, mix brown rice syrup, almond butter, vanilla and orange zest and stir until almond butter is melted. Add to dry ingredients and stir to combine. Transfer to prepared pan and cook for 25 minutes, or until brown on top. Allow to cool before cutting into pieces (it will harden as it cools). Store in an airtight container or freeze.
Wellness Strategies for Fall (10/16/10)
Listen to this podcast
Make Your Own Coconut Kefir
Makes 2 cups
Cultured foods filled with beneficial bacteria are a MUST for fending off colds and flus and cultured drinks, like kefir are an easy way to get more of these in your diet. While there are lots of cultured drinks on the market, many of them are high in sugar and other additives. Making your own kefir is SO easy and much more economical! This recipe uses coconut milk as the base–giving you a generous dose of the anti-viral lauric acid. Use this kefir as is, or in smoothies or on your cereal for a real treat.
- 1 quart glass jar with a lid that has a rubber gasket
- 2 Tablespoons kefir grains or a kefir starter**
- 2 cans unsweetened coconut milk
1. Place the kefir grains in the quart size glass jar and cover with coconut milk. Gently agitate the mixture to ensure the grains are well-mixed or stir with a wooden spoon (don’t use metal utensils with kefir).
2. Cover and let the coconut kefir ferment on the countertop for 12-24 hours. Agitate the kefir occasionally, loosening the lid to allow gas to escape and then tightening it again.
3. After about 12 hours, taste kefir to determine if it has reached your desired flavor and texture. If not, continue to ferment, checking every few hours. When kefir is “done” to your liking, remove kefir grains using a strainer.
4. Place lid over the remaining coconut milk kefir in the jar and store in the refrigerator. This kefir continues to culture (at a much slower rate) in the refrigerator and will thicken, so after a day or so you will have more of a coconut cream, which is delicious with fresh fruit or on top of waffles or pancakes! It will last for weeks covered in the refrigerator.
**You will typically find kefir starter in Natural Food Stores but will most likely have to buy kefir grains online.
Kefir grains produce a better product (in my opinion) but the starter is easier to find. If you use the starter, follow
the recipe on the package instead of this one.
