Buckwheat Carrot Cake with Cashew Cream

Who says cake isn't for breakfast?

In the world of Savouring Stella, cake is a perfectly acceptable breakfast. Especially when it has densely nutritious buckwheat flour, carrot, and a lightly sweetened cashew cream frosting. Umm HELLO!

This beautiful cake is dense, moist, and just the right amount of sweet. It's spiced with cinnamon, and topped with cashew cream frosting- which when done right, is about the best thing in the world. How could cashew cream be done wrong you ask? I didn't think it was possible either until I had a cake with a cashew frosting and it was far too bitter and nutty. Not enough vanilla and agave in that recipe obviously. Fortunately for you, I've perfected cashew cream after years of practice. However, it's one of those things that's subjective to the individual, so when in doubt, keep adding agave, and lemon zest until it's to your liking.

Brunch spread; fruit salad, buckwheat carrot cake, yoghurt, granola, quinoa and greens, avocado. Photo credit: Brandi Daniels at Eat.Drink.Yoga

Buckwheat Carrot Cake makes one 9-inch round cake

cashew cream, cinnamon, lemon zest

Carrot Cake

• 1.75 cups buckwheat flour
• 3/4 cup gluten-free flour blend (I used Bob's Red Mill; alternately, you can use all buckwheat)  
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cardamom
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 cup almond or rice milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups grated carrot + extra optional for garnish
• 1/2 cup raisins + extra optional for garnish
• zest and juice of half a lemon

Cashew Cream 

• 1.5 cup raw unsalted cashews, soaked overnight, drained
• 3 Tbsp agave nectar (maple syrup would also be tasty)
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease a 9-inch round baking pan.

Make cashew cream by combining cashews, agave, lemon juice and zest in a food processor or high speed blender. Let this baby BLEND until it's silky in texture. Add additional sweetener and lemon zest to your taste. Cover the frosting and place in the fridge so the flavors can meld.

 For the cake, combine flours, spices, baking powder and soda, and sea salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, then whisk in apple sauce, milk, vanilla, lemon juice and zest. Add wet mixture to dry. Fold in carrots and raisins.

Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 30-35 min, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Careful not to over-bake, once you hit the 30 minute mark, check on the cake and continue checking. 

Once it's done, remove the cake and let it cool. I let mine sit covered on the counter all day, or for at least a few hours. Run some errands, grab coffee with a friend, then come back to it.

When you're ready to frost, how easy is this, place the cake on your serving plate, dollop the frosting on top of the cake. For this version, I kept the frosting on top, you could also work it onto the sides. Use a spatula to smooth the frosting while twisting the plate in a circular motion. 

Optional garnish; I tossed the extra carrot in cinnamon and a touch of agave, and sprinkled it along the edges, then followed with raisins.

Yoga & Pilates Retreat Recipes

I just got back from my most recent stint of work with Azul Yoga & Pilates at their southern California location. I'm so inspired by the healing power of real food, and by it's ability to fuel our most exciting adventures.

In between sunset deck yoga sessions and pool lounging, I'll often be found in the kitchen, preparing daily brunch and dinners for retreat guests. With as many people who walk through the doors of any Azul retreat, all have particular eating habits, allergies and preferences. In their week with us, they are invited to eat a whole-foods, plant-based vegetarian diet; a mixture of recipes from resident chef, Jo Dombernowski, in Fuerteventura, and myself.

Top deck view at sunset from Vista Villa Azul, November 2014

Every so often, a week in the kitchen will be challenged by further dietary needs and allergies; this past week, that meant eliminating gluten and dairy, in addition to being a vegetarian plant-based retreat. Everything is made from scratch, with care, and with a focus on sustainable organic sourcing.

I know heaps of vegetarians that rely on dairy to get protein, myself included. I love a great cheese, and regularly eat whole milk yogurt. I love creaminess in recipes, yet try not to consume too much dairy, as it is an inflammatory for our bodies. This week, I turned to alternate sources for flavor and texture. A cashew cream frosting for carrot cake, a toasted nut base for pesto. After eating like this for a week, I felt on top of the world. That's the healing power of whole foods. The sand and surf didn't hurt either.

I want to share this delectable world of whole foods with you, so in the next couple of weeks, I'll be posting what I call a Retreat Recipes Special Collection. These are recipes of my own creation or adaptation. If you're interested in more recipes like this, you can check out Jo's cookbook, straight from the kitchen of Azul in Fuerteventura.

To kick off this foodie fest, I have a spectacular veggie pizza for you. This is veg from top to bottom. A crust of roasted butternut squash and almond meal, topped with a vegan pesto, red onion, zucchini, kalamata olives, and arugula. This is seriously the bomb. It was raved about over the table last week and was dubbed 'the best pizza I've ever had in my life' by one of our guests!

 Incredible Vegetable Pizza serves 4-6 Adapted from Wholehearted Eats

 pesto, kalamata, zucchini, arugula

Crust

• 1 butternut squash (2-3 cups squash puree)
• 1 cup almond meal
• 1 cup gluten-free all purpose flour (I used Bob's Red Mill brand)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 Tbsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Pesto

• 1 large bunch basil (1 cup loosely packed)
• 1 cup spinach, loosely packed
• 1/2 cup roasted cashews
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice 
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• sea salt to taste

Toppings

• 1 zucchini
• 1 small red onion
• 3/4 cup kalamata olives
• 2 handfuls arugula

method

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Halve butternut squash and place cut side down in a baking dish filled halfway with water. Bake for 35-40 min until skin can be easily pierced by a fork. Remove from oven and let cool.

Meanwhile, make pesto by combining all pesto ingredients in a food processor. Process until smooth, add sea salt to taste. Set aside.

Once squash has cooled, scoop out flesh into a large mixing bowl. Add remaining crust ingredients. and mix until smooth. Depending how much squash you ended up with, you may need to add more flour to create a thicker dough. You want it to be soft, but able to form a loose ball.

Use your hands to press the dough into lined baking tray, creating a little lip at the edges. What's great about this dough is that you can pick it up and eat it like any other pizza. None of that crumbly cauliflower crap here!

Bake the crust for 30-35 min until it's golden brown. Remove from over, let cool slightly. Spread on pesto, and all of your toppings. note: I like to toss my zucchini and onion in a little olive oil so that they crisp up nicely in the oven. Keep arugula on the side for now. Bake pizza for another 15-20 min until vegetables begin to caramelize. Remove from oven, let cool for 5-7 minutes, then top with arugula.

  
enjoy!

3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

I heard today is National Peanut Butter Lover's Day. I'll take it! In honor of the holiday, I figured it was due time I share this recipe for 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies. Yeah, 3 ingredients. Does it get any easier than this? In the realm of daily desserts (ya'll eat dessert on the daily, right?), I love the combination of dates and nuts. So simple, so rich, and so clean. 

For these cookies, I use Adam's brand peanut butter. All natural, and it contains a little salt. If you're using an unsalted peanut butter, add a pinch of sea salt to the recipe.

3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies makes 16 cookies

peanut butter, dates, almond flour

• 3/4 cup natural peanut butter
• 1 cup dates
• 3-4 Tbsp almond flour

   

Method

Combine peanut butter and dates in a food processor until smooth. You should have a fairly thick paste.

Add 3 Tbsp of almond flour, blend again. Add another Tbsp if necessary to thicken. You want to be able to press the dough between your fingers and have it stick together. 

Use a 1 Tbsp measure to scoop dough, roll into a ball with your hands, and use a fork to cross mark and slightly flatten the cookies.

Cover and refrigerate! These babies will last for about a week in the fridge-- If they make it that long! And they freeze great.

Pistachio Herb Falafel

Falafel and I have had a longtime love affair. It's always been a classic festival favorite. You know, when you're enjoying a beautiful day, you need something quick, easy, and filling that wont weigh you down. Falafel is like my ideal meal. Tons of fresh herbs, vegetarian protein, creamy tzatziki if you're feeling frisky. You just can't go wrong. This is a great one that comes to you adapted from Green Kitchen Stories cookbook, Vegetarian Everyday.

I love this with whole wheat pita, plus some more fresh mint and dill, and my Quinoa Tabbouleh.

Pistachio Herb Falafel makes about 20 

parsley, mint, pistachio

• 12 sprigs mint
• 12 sprigs parsley + cilantro (a mixture of the two, or whatever you have)
• 1.5-2 cups shelled pistachios
• 2 cups cooked chickpeas
• 1/2 small yellow onion
• 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 Tbsp buckwheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

method

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a food processor, pulse mint, parsley and cilantro. Add the pistachios and pulse again until the mixture is coarse. Add the chickpeas, garlic, onion, olive oil, cumin, flour and baking soda. Process until you have a uniform texture that's still a bit rough.

With clean hands, form falafel into small balls. Place them on the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, flipping halfway through, until browned.

Enjoy in pita, on a green salad with pickled vegetables, or alongside quinoa tabbouleh (linked above!)

Healing Beetroot Raspberry Smoothie

So it's been freezing the past two weeks in beautiful Bellingham. Like scrape my car, sit in the cold, and make me late for my workout cold.

Not cool Robert Frost!

Kid President, anyone?

Anywhooo. I don't even care that icicles are forming from the tip of my nose, I'll still be making this smoothie and enjoying it from the comfort of my home, curled in front of the space heater.

Just kidding.

...kind of.

I mean, look at that shade of fuchsia! Let me tell you all about it.
Beets, raspberries, banana, ginger, lemon, almond milk. ZING. Talk about powerhouse of flavor and healing properties. Let's get clear, any smoothie packed with fresh foods is going to be healing. That's just how mother nature works. Give your body the right resources and it will heal itself. But what is so stand-out about these ingredients?

Beetroot

• improves circulation, cleanses the blood and vitalizes the liver
• moistens intestinal tract to promote bowel movements
•  promotes menstruation
•  alkalizing

Raspberries

• antioxidant-rich & anti-inflammatory
• reaps anti-inflammatory properties similar to that of aspirin and ibuprofen   

 Ginger

• warming effect on the body
• aids digestion, upset stomach, and intestinal bloating
• known to enhance the flow of saliva, relieving sore throat
• reduces nausea, used to treat motion sickness and morning sickness during pregnancy  

Beetroot Raspberry Smoothie makes 1 smoothie

ginger, lemon, almond milk

• 1 small beetroot, raw, peeled
• 3/4 cup frozen raspberries
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1/2 inch fresh ginger, peeled
• 3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk + more for a thinner smoothie
• squeeze of lemon 

method

Combine all ingredients in a high power blender until smooth.  

Note; if your blender is not high powered, try lightly steaming the peeled beets before blending so that you can get a stellar consistency!

enjoy!

Paleo Apple Crumble

I absolutely had to get this recipe out to you before Thanksgiving! Talk about under the wire! Well worth it, for real. I didn't make this with the intention of serving it on Thanksgiving, I just like to make healthy desserts for the week so I stay on track, and still get to indulge.

This recipe has been adapted from Primal Palate, a fantastic Paleo food blog for those of you primal eaters. I personally love Paleo dessert recipes because they likely contain a healthy dose of nuts. Coming in the form of almond meal, almond butter, roasted almonds... how many ways can you prepare almonds?

I'll tell you what else I love about this recipe; it is made with Granny Smith apples, which are supreme for baking. They're just tart enough, and hold their texture when cooked. The apples are tossed in a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, coconut sugar, and butter. Butter is the trick here- it pulls the whole thing together with just enough decadence, and zero food hangover. Do you guys get that? Too much refined sugars or oils, and I'll feel it the next day with a bangin' headache!

No sugar hangovers today! We enjoyed this crumble with Coconut Bliss ice cream, one of my personal favorites; it's made with coconut milk, and sweetened with agave. It also comes in a variety of flavors like Mocha Maca Crunch, Mint Galactica, and Cherry Amaretto. Try it, seriously.

Paleo Apple Crumble makes one 9"x9" dish

coconut sugar, walnuts, almond meal

• 8 Granny Smith apples, peeled, chopped
• 1/2 lemon, zested, juiced
• 1.5 tsp cinnamon, divided
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar, divided
• 1/3 cup softened + 2 Tbsp unsalted butter or ghee melted
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped (or pulsed in a food processor)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

 Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, lightly grease a 9" square baking dish and set it aside.
2. Combine in a large bowl, chopped apples, lemon juice and zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, 1/4 cup coconut sugar, and 2 Tbsp melted butter. Toss to coat apples completely, and pour apples into the prepared baking dish.
3. In another bowl, combine almond and coconut flours, walnuts, sea salt, 1/4 cup coconut sugar, and the remaining softened butter. Use clean hands to crumble the mixture. The flours will start absorbing the butter. You want the mixture to clump. Once it does, crumble it over top of the apples in the prepared dish. 
4. Bake on the middle rack for 40-45 minutes, until the top begins to brown and your house smells delightfully of apple crumble! Let cool for 10 min, serve with ice cream if desired.  
  

Wishing you all happy holidays filled with relaxation, good company, and plenty of good food.
#givepresence

Apricot Bliss Bars + Following Your Bliss

I had a beautiful meeting with a friend, mentor, and coach of mine this past weekend- my experience through which inspired this post.

I consider myself to be an ambitious person. I think it's part of the human spirit to be in constant growth. The nature of my work keeps me in constant development with my team and myself. I'm always asking myself, what's next, how do I get there, and the big one, what is my purpose and my intention?

This roots me into my True North as a leader, a coach, and a teacher. My aim is to empower people to see the possibility in their lives, and to create action around their goals.

I got disconnected from this.

I got caught up in not feeling ready and not feeling good enough.

I forgot my fundamental goal- to see possibility and to empower myself.

I got inspired to get into action. Inspired to use my resources and start teaching. I had a reality check in my meeting- if you want to teach, you'll teach. You just do. No limitations by circumstance or beliefs that hold me back. That's the power of choice in every moment. If you want to do it, you will. You just start.

The next six weeks are going to be BIG! Here's what I'm up to:

• igolu Level One, which will span the next four months and involves creating my personal legacy moment to moment, setting my intention in the world and acting on that purpose 
• attending the igolu Road Show with Susanne Conrad to benefit imagine1day
• Level Two Training through Baptiste Yoga in Sedona, Arizona, my final training before I start the process of getting certified as a Baptiste Teacher
• 40 Days to Personal Revolution kicks off at my home studio- that's 40 days of yoga, twice daily meditation, mindful eating, and self work through journaling and reflection

boom.

I could not be more excited and nervous with what I'm up to. Goose bumps are always a good sign.

I think where many of us get stuck is figuring out which actions to take to propel us towards our highest goals and intentions.  
Here's the radical truth: you need to get related to your intention. Why do you do what you do? What calls you into action? What gets you up in the morning?

And make it your mission to do more of that. The good stuff, the juicy stuff. This is where you find your True North. All else falls into line and suddenly the decisions to make become easy; because you're being guided by knowledge far more powerful that your logical mind.

____________________________________________

Now onto these bars- because every ambitious bliss junkie needs fuel. And the right kind. The kind of fuel that makes you feel good and keeps you crushing goals for hours!

Apricot Bliss Bars Adapted from Sprouted Kitchen makes 12

apricot, lemon, oats

• 1.5 cups dried apricots 
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/4 cup honey
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 1.5 cups spelt or oat flour
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/3 cup almond butter
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup rolled oats
• 6 Tbsp coconut sugar

method 

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.

Place dried apricots in a bowl, pour boiling water over apricots, cover and let steep for at least 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile, combine spelt flour, almond flour, brown rice flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt in medium bowl

In a separate bowl, add the almond milk, almond butter, 3 Tbsp coconut sugar, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine fully. Add this to the flour mixture, stirring to combine fully.

Once apricots have softened, drain excess liquid, reserving it. Add the honey, lemon juice and zest to the apricots and use a hand blender to puree. Add some of the reserved liquid, a little at a time if needed to create a smooth jam like consistency.

Take half of the dough, press it into the lined baking sheet. Spread apricot mixture on top of this. Add rolled oats and remaining coconut sugar to the rest of the dough. Crumble the dough over the apricot mixture.

 Bake for 25 minutes. Remove and let cool completely. Use the parchment paper to remove the bars, then cut into 12 bars.

NICE Bars, the KIND Bar Copycat

KIND Bars have a special place in my heart, only second to Larabars, as far as energy bars go. I love the identifiable ingredient list, the texture of whole nuts and fruit. I 've been experimenting with what I call NICE Bars, aka the KIND Bar copycat. The much more economic, customizable version.

I have a few flavor combinations below for you. This standard recipe is meant to be played with and adapted to the flavors you love, and what you happen to have in your bulk foods stash. I used puffed amaranth as my grain of choice for these bars. Puffed brown rice cereal works just as well.

Traditional Fruit & Nute NICE Bar

Amaranth, though is looks like a typical cereal grain (oats, wheat, etc.), it is a pseudo-cereal grain, of the family of quinoa and millet. Amaranth is gluten-free, an iron, calcium, and protein powerhouse.

Success Tips for NICE Bars:

• Don't try to substitute brown rice syrup with any other liquid sweetener. I tried honey, agave, maple syrup, and a touch of molasses-- nothing holds quite like brown rice syrup. You can find this at most well-stocked grocery stores and co ops.
• Press the fruit and nut mixture firmly into the prepared pan. Otherwise, you'll take them out of the oven and watch them crumble like sticky granola.
• Line your baking tray with parchment paper and lightly grease the paper, these bad boys are sticky- for real.
• Let them cool completely before cutting into bars. 

Now! Onto this recipe! The flavor of choice that I'm featuring is a Coconut Almond Dark Chocolate NICE Bar. There was nothing NICE about them when I wouldn't share, I'll leave you to figure that one out on your own.

Coconut Almond Dark Chocolate NICE Bars makes 10 bars

 puffed amaranth, sea salt, brown rice syrup

• 1 cup raw unsalted almonds, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup raw unsalted cashews, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup dried, unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup puffed amaranth* or puffed brown rice cereal
• pinch sea salt
• 1/3 cup brown rice syrup
• 3 oz dark chocolate

Method

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, and lightly grease the parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, combine nuts, coconut, puffed amaranth and sea salt. Add brown rice syrup. Mix with a wooden spoon until nuts and fruit are completely coated and beginning to stick together. 

Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan, distribute evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and press the mixture firmly into the pan, working into the edges of the pan. Remove plastic wrap, bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove from the oven, and let cool completely. I placed mine in the fridge overnight.

Once cooled, remove from pan, cut into 10 equal bars. In a double boiler or microwave, heat the dark chocolate until just melted. Dip fully-cooled bars into the chocolate, then place chocolate side up on a plate to set. I placed mine in the fridge for 10 minutes to set. 

* To make puffed amaranth: Preheat a heavy bottomed pan over medium-high heat. The pan is hot enough when a drop of water beads up and dances across the surface. Add dry, uncooked amaranth to the pan, 2 Tbsp at a time, cover with a lid and shake. You'll hear it start to pop, like popcorn. This takes less than 30 seconds and goes from puffed to burnt quickly, so be careful. Remove from heat, and continue 2 Tbsp at a time. 2 Tbsp dry amaranth makes roughly 1/3 cup puffed amaranth. Note that if some of the amaranth is not puffed, it's ok, it's will add a little crunch and taste just fine.

These bars keep well at room temperature for 3-5 days, or in the fridge for up to two weeks- if they last that long ;)

.      .      .

 NICE Bar Variations

Traditional Fruit & Nut 

Use a combination of almonds, pecans, cashews, and pepitas for the nuts, and dried tart cherries in place of coconut. Omit chocolate coating.

Ambrosia Delight

Use 1/4 cup dried coconut, and 1/4 cup chopped dried apricot for the fruit. Omit chocolate

Classic PB&J

Use 1/2 cup chopped, dry roasted peanuts in place of cashews. Use dried tart cherries and blueberries in place of coconut. Omit chocolate.

Seedy Bars

Use 1 cup almonds and cashews, 1/2 cup sunflower and pumpkin seeds, and 1/2 cup sesame, chia, and flax seeds for the nuts, omit fruit and chocolate.

Dark Chocolate Courgette Muffins

This is a recipe that I've been hanging onto for quite some time. Why I haven't shared it yet? I don't know. This was a recipe that I created last year while working in Fuerteventura. We went through a few batches of muffins before landing on a perfectly moist, lightly sweet, rich muffin, studded with dark chocolate chunks! 

does it get better?!

YES! Actually it does! These babies are also gluten-free (made with buckwheat flour), refined sugar-free (sweetened with dates), and packed with shredded courgette. That, my friends, makes for a powerhouse combo!
 

Once we perfected the recipe, we made these muffins for our staff at the retreat, for team meetings, for guests as they departed, and simply for celebration of life! I propose you make these for your best friends, your sweetie, and the other people you love in celebration of Valentines Day this Friday! I truly believe great food is the ultimate way to say I love you. 

 So show the people in your life some love this weekend. Take some time to sit down, connect, and share yourself with them. Make time and being in relationship with others a top priority. I know how much I value the pillars of support in my life. Where I would be without them to keep me accountable and honest with myself. To keep my inspired and striving to reach even higher for my goals. They keep me accountable to have the right conversations, even when it's hard. I love these people dearly, and I make a point of telling them. You can never be told too many times how much you're valued. 

Dark Chocolate Courgette Muffins makes 8

dark chocolate chunks, roasted hazelnuts, coconut oil

• 2/3 cup buckwheat flou
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup date puree
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1.5 cups courgette (zucchini), grated, pressed dry of excess liquid
• 85 g dark chocolate from your favorite bar, chopped roughly
• 1/4 cup dry roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped (optional)+4 Tbsp finely chopped for garnish

Method

Preheat oven to 375 F/180 C. Lightly grease or line muffin tins and set aside.

Sift dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, then stir in date puree, apple sauce, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. 

Grate your courgette, some moisture is absolutely fine, however if it's quite saturated, pat dry with a few paper towels. Roughly chop your dark chocolate, not too finely, the best part is a biting into a pocket of gooey chocolate, and you'll miss out on this if your chocolate is chopped too small. Fold in grated courgette, dark chocolate chunks, and hazelnuts if using.

Pour into greased/lined muffin tins, filling about three quarters of the way full. Back for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes.



eat well, friends!
  

How to Beat the Dry Cold with French Lentil Soup

One thing I really love about this time of year is how clear the days start to become. It's been in the 20's for a week now, with no precipitation in the air. The sun rises earlier every day, the skies are blue, and it looks like Spring, until you set foot outside that is.

It's taken some extra work to stay hydrated in this dry cold. Some things that I've been doing are:

Ways To Beat The Dry Cold

• when you wake, before you do anything else, drink a tall glass of warm water (add lemon if you wish) 
• drink warm water or tea throughout the day instead of cold water
• eat foods that are water-filled, such as fruits and vegetables, and tons of soups!
• lather your entire body with coconut oil right after a shower

Doing these things has made February much more enjoyable. I just came off of a 3 day fruit cleanse (check out my post and learning from last year's Fruit Feast here) as part of Baron Baptiste's 40 Days to Personal Revolution. I love this feast because it cleanses your body from the inside out, emotionally, mentally, and physically. Eating so much water-filled food cleans out your colon, without complex carbohydrates or proteins to keep the train from moving. Also, fruit takes minimal effort for your digestive system to work through, so this gives your metabolic organs an opportunity to restore themselves. By day three, I was feeling on top of the world, energized, light, clear, and clean.

One thing that really stuck with me this year was how to intelligently come off of the feast.
Baron says,

"any fool can fast, but only a wise person can come off of it intelligently"

I took these words to heart, knowing full well that even though I could have eaten everything under the sun on Day 4, it would be best to ease back in. So I started Day 4 with an all fruit smoothie and plain oatmeal. I snacked on fruit throughout the day, then had my tomato & avocado salad with a simple addition of spinach and chickpeas. I was telling a friend about my meal plan for Day 4 and he goes, "Come on! Treat yourself!". I had to laugh and explain to him what a shock it would be to my system to start eating foods that take a lot of effort to digest, such as breads, meats, dairy, etc.

I experimented with a piece of sourdough toast that evening, and it sent my stomach in circles. It was clearly not what my body had been used to and I could feel the effort that it took to digest. Within an hour my stomach was totally fine. I taught Body Combat last night, and had ample energy for class regardless. It always amazes me, the power of our bodies to cleanse and detoxify themselves, as well as work with the food we're given to build strong bones and muscles.

This 3 days during the Fruit Feast is filled with what Baron calls, 'cleansing' foods. Cleansing foods are lighter by nature, and help to clean out the body. In the days post-Feast, we are in a 'building' period. Building foods are heavier by nature. This includes high mineral foods, like fish, beans, legumes, meats, dairy. They are foods that help you to build up your body whereas cleansing foods are those that help you clean out and detoxify your body.

I ate this soup, from Andrea Bemis at Dishing Up the Dirt, throughout the remainder of the week to ease back into processing complex carbohydrates and proteins. This soup freezes well, to be reheated in later weeks for dinner on the fly.
The French influence comes from leeks and fennel, which are also cleansing to the palate.

French Lentil Soup serves 4-6

leeks, fennel, star anise

• 1 cup French green lentils, rinsed
• 5 cups filtered water
• 1 whole star anise
• 2 Tbsp ghee or olive oil if dairy-free
• 2 large leeks, sliced up the the light green part
• 1 large bulb of fennel, chopped
• 2 Tbsp fresh minced ginger
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
•  3/4-1 tsp sea salt

Method

In a large saucepan, combine lentils, water, and star anise. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until lentils are tender.

In a separate large saucepan, heat ghee over medium-high heat. Add leeks, fennel, ginger, and crushed red pepper flakes. Saute, stirring often, until vegetables are soft and begin to brown, about 7-10 minutes. Reduce heat.

Remove star anise from the pot of lentils, pour water and lentils into the sauce pan with leeks and fennel. Season with sea salt and let simmer over low heat for another 15 minutes. 

Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to pulse the soup, careful to maintain some texture. Serve with seedy crackers or crusty bread and plenty of red pepper flakes, and ghee. 


enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes + Holiday Recipe Link Love

#PSP
Introducing the perfect Pumpkin Spice Pancake.

It happens every so often when I'm cooking; I'll try a new recipe that sounds promising, and it'll be, BOOM, fantastic! It's a longstanding joke amongst friends how silly excited I get about great new recipes or a well prepared dish. This was exactly one of those instances. 

I've been far too concerned with putting pumpkin and maple in everything these past few months, and have yet to focus on Thanksgiving recipes whatsoever. Though I'm not cooking a feast this holiday, I still can't help but get jazzed about recipe ideas, naturally sweetened cranberry sauce, quinoa stuffing, gluten free pumpkin pies, oh please, how fantastic that foodies have taken over the blogosphere for holiday!

My inspiration this holiday season is coming from a few of the following blogs/recipes:

Honey Mustard Brussels Sprout Slaw at Cookie + Kate
 
Lentil Mushroom Walnut Balls at Oh She Glows
 
Pomegranate Kale Wild Rice Salad with Walnuts & Feta  at Pinch of Yum
 
Stuffed Savoy Cabbage with Rosemary Brown Butter at Kitchen Konfidence
 
Pumpkin Corn Muffin with Honey Sage Butter at Running to the Kitchen
 
Full guide to Turkey prep!  at Bon Appetit
 
Thai Pumpkin Custard at Foodmanna
 
Apple Tart, Vegan & Gluten-free at A House in the Hills
 
Gluten-free Coconut Pumpkin Pie  at Kitchen Tested
You'll notice my affinity for sweets on this list.. or in general. My favorite recipes combine sweets with a savory component, such as the Thai Pumpkin custard above, or these Pumpkin Spice Pancakes below!

 
 These cakes are perfectly moist and fluffy with the combination of oat flour, and pure pumpkin puree. They're generously spiced with a homemade pumpkin pie spice; 4 parts cinnamon, 2 parts ginger, 1 part nutmeg, 1 part clove or allspice.

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes serves 2

homemade pumpkin pie spice, maple, vanilla

• 1 cup oat flour (1 cup oats, ground in a coffee grinder works out to 1 cup of oat flour. Use certified gluten-free oats to make these gluten-free)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground clove or allspice
• 1 cup pure pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup almond, soy or rice milk
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Starting out with a hot heavy pan is the key to great pancakes! 

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.

In a larger bowl, combine pumpkin, almond milk, eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla. Fold dry ingredients into wet, mix until no white streaks remain.

Working with 1-2 pancakes in the pan at a time, pour ~1/4 cup of batter for each cake. Cook for 2-3 minutes until edges set and bubbles start to form in the middle of the pancake. Flip, and cook 2-3 minutes on the other side.

Keep pancakes in a warm oven or covered by a kitchen towel while you repeat this process with the remaining batter. 

Serve with and combination of the following; coconut butter, maple syrup, crushed pecans, Greek yogurt, honey, cinnamon. For this batch, I mixed a little pumpkin puree into a dollop of Greek yogurt, tossed in a few crushed pecans, then poured drizzled maple syrup over the top. 

Enjoy!