Kali Lilla of Healthy Simple Living makes my Hot Cocoa

Kali Lilla, of Healthy Simple Living, left me a comment on my Hot Cocoa. She says, "I tried this - delish!!! SO good I had to share it. Thanks for the great recipe. :D" I skipped over to her website and I'm so thrilled to have found it! I know you will enjoy it as much as I do =]

She writes in her post, Askinosie Artisan Chocolate Box Giveaway, "first I made a rich decadent almond milk hot cocoa, reminiscent of Ovaltine with a hint of malty flavor. The kicker was fresh ground chia seed meal. It gives it a thicker body and some nice omega-3 fatty acids to boot. Warmed gently, sprinkled with a bit of fresh cinnamon and YUM!"

Thanks so much Kali Lilla! I am looking forward to following you!

Curried Sweet Potato & Red Lentil Pie gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free

A few days ago, on the Spunky Coconut Facebook Page , I asked what everyone had eaten for dinner. It was very inspiring to read what you all said, and I decided to try a couple of things you made myself, beginning with Jennifer.

Jennifer said she made a curried sweet potato lentil pie. Um? Yum! I googled it and made a few changes to the recipe I found. Yesterday afternoon I got busy making it.
For starters, I used my own gluten-free, vegan pie crust (recipe below). Then I used red lentils, since that's what I had on hand, and sweet potato like Jennifer. I opted for half as much tumeric, and I used sundried tomatoes in place of tomato paste.
It seemed like it took forever to make, but I was feeling brave (having never made this before) and made two. So, woohoo, dinner tonight is done and ready to go. Love that. The pie is really good, and I love that it's vegan because eggs and meat have not been my friends lately.
The only other thing I wish I had changed about the recipe is the pepper. The green pepper was good, but I think red pepper would have been better, and how cool would that have looked with all the orange from the lentils, carrots and sweet potato? Next time for sure. Thanks to you all for sharing your dinners and your lives with me! Love, Kelly

The crust is based on my Goji Pie crust, but minus the honey and stevia, since this isn't a dessert.

Crust:

Add to bowl:

3 tbsp flax seed meal

OR 1.5 tbsp Chia Seed meal

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp applesauce

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup coconut oil, liquified

Mix with electric mixer.

Add:

1 cup almond meal flour

1/2 cup coconut flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder (Grain-free Baking Powder Recipe)

Mix again.

Roll out the dough.

See: Video on how to roll out and transfer this dough. Or flatten the dough out slightly, so it's about 6 inches wide, then put it in the dish, and press it the rest of the way out with your hands.

(I also lightly grease and flour my pie dish first, so the crust doesn't stick.)

Set the crust aside while you make the filling.

Curried Sweet Potato & Red Lentil Pie Filling:

Finely chop and saute about 10 minutes:

1 onion

1 sweet potato

1 carrot

1 red or green pepper (I used green but will use red next time)

2 cloves of garlic

Add to veggies:

1 tbsp corriander

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp tumeric

Add to your blender and puree:

2 cups water and about 4 sundried tomatoes.

Pour over veggies.

Add:

1 cup red lentils (it's best to soak your lentils first to make them easier
to digest)

Simmer and cover over low heat for about 30 minutes.

Remove lid and let cool about 10 minutes.

Add:

1 tsp sea salt

about 3 cranks of pepper

Pour into crust and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.

I had a little too much filling for the pie, so I saved the leftovers in a pot with veggie broth and I'm going to puree it into soup.

Mint Chocolate Protein & Omega 3 Shake vegan, dairy-free, raw

I had an "Ahhh!" moment today, when I realized that the paved trail we used to walk a few times a week was not covered in snow and ice, but rather plowed by the city. How nice! So we took a walk, about a mile each way, and enjoyed all the animal tracks on the snow in the open space—Mice, prairie dog, rabbit, coyote. I wished I had my camera! I did find a photo of a bird we saw online: a Belted Kingfisher. It displayed a mohawk of feathers when it shouted it's monkey-like call in a tree by the stream.

photo from firefly forest

When we got back from our walk we had another uber-healthy shake =] It's full of protein, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and Omega 3, essential fatty acids. Cheers, Kelly

PS Also, I just posted a few photos of the girls in the snow fort on the family blog, if you want to see.

Mint Chocolate Protein & Omega 3 Shake:

Add to blender:

1 cup water

1 cup almond milk

(How to make almond milk Video)

2 tbsp Hemp Seeds

2 tbsp Chia Seeds

(depending on what kind of blender you have, you may want to give the seeds a quick blitz in your coffee grinder first, to make sure they become meal)

2 to 3 tbsp honey, or coconut sugar to make it vegan

1 tbsp almond butter

2.5 tbsp Raw Cacao Powder

1 to 2 tsp Maca Powder (highly nutritious, but optional)

a few drops of mint extract (measured on a spoon in case it spills out)

Other Variations:

Leave out the mint and throw in half a banana.

Leave out the mint and throw in a cup of frozen cherries.

Puree.

Chill in the fridge for a few hours, till it's nice and cold, or drink right away.

Note: You can click on all the ingredients in bold for the direct link to iHerb, which is where I buy them. Their prices are hard to beat. Also, click for the link to the cool eco-friendly, durable glass straws.

Coconut Peach Porridge dairy-free, refined-sugar-free

The verdict is in on the peach porridge: It's split 50/50 between the four of us, but to be fair, Andy doesn't like hot cereal or pudding or anything with that kind of texture. Zoe, who is 7, was the one I was most hoping would like it, and she didn't—bummer. She is so picky!—argh! Ashley and I were the only ones who gobbled it up, happily. Oh, well, you can't please everyone, right? I'll keep trying to find more things Zoe will eat.

Coconut Peach Porridge:

Add to crock pot before going to sleep (if you intend on having it for breakfast):

1 cup quinoa, soaked about a minute or two (to remove the bitter coating), and strained

2 cans coconut milk

2 cups applesauce

4 cups frozen (I didn't defrost them first) organic peaches (woohoo—Costco)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup shredded coconut

Set to 8 hours, low.

Before serving add to the pot:

a pinch of salt

2 to 4 tbsp coconut sugar , depending on your taste

Top with extra peaches, cinnamon, and more coconut sugar if needed.

Hot Cocoa casein-free, dairy-free, full of Omega 3 & 6, protein, vitamins

Did you ever drink a Shaklee protein shake or Ovaltine? This hot cocoa reminds me of those, only it tastes better, in my opinion. :0) And, of course, mine is free of casein and whey (or any other kind of dairy), soy, refined sugar, or anything else I don't want to eat or feed my family. It's made of almond milk, cacao powder, honey and Chia Seed meal. That's it. The chia is what gives it a slight Shaklee or Ovaltine flavor, so you could cut back on it if you prefer, but the girls and I love it. Plus the chia adds a thickness which we really like.

Chia Seeds are really phenomenal for you. They are rich in protein, iron, calcium and essential fatty acids, omega 3 and 6. They are a great substitute for eggs, as I've seen in my egg-free recipes, but they are even more nutritious uncooked. Heat damages and even destroys the omega 3 and 6, which we need so much for good health. That's why I blend these few ingredients to make hot cocoa and only heat them just slightly, being careful not to overheat.

I also add chia seeds (as well as other sources of omega 3 and 6, like hemp seeds) to anything I can. The girls and I drink lots of smoothies, which are another great way to get more of these seeds, and I put them in homemade ice cream, salad, salad dressing (the best way to thicken salad dressing!) and pie filling.

Hot Cocoa

Add to blender:

3 cups almond milk

(How to make almond milk Video.)

3 tbsp cocoa or Raw Cacao Powder

2 to 3 tbsp honey, depending on your taste

2 tbsp Chia Seed meal (I grind my chia seeds with a coffee grinder. The seed to meal ratio is about 1:2)

Puree.

Heat on the stovetop slightly, so as not to damage the omega 3 and 6.

I also thought I'd include this photo of our dog, Cherry, that I took today as well. She's sporting a new shirt, compliments of our neighbor, whose dog was too small for it. Thanks Gaea and Barry!

Love, Kelly

PS Don't forget to keep your chia seeds, like hemp seeds and nuts in the refrigerator.

More reader photos :-)

One of our readers, Betsy, sent us these beautiful photos of my Vanilla Bean Cake , which she made for a client. Thanks so much Betsy!

She says, "This cake is really delicious! I am so surprised and impressed. I baked it for a customer with dietary restrictions. I did 1 1/2 times the recipe, baked it in two 9 inch pans. I then sliced each layer in half and filled it with alternating layers of raspberry bavarian cream and raspberry/blueberry/lemon compote. Tonight I will ice it in whipped cream. It would also taste amazing with coconut milk 'whipped cream' for any non dairy people.

I just gave samples to my coworkers at an upscale healthfood store and everyone raved! Yay..a great gluten free option. Thank you so much!"

Pick-up day with Azure Standard

I love Azure! Today we picked up our monthly boxes from the truck. We always get really excited about all the yummy organic ingredients that we get in bulk and save a ton of money. Here we are opening them. Love, Kelly



PS Don't forget I added links to the stores where I buy my ingredients, such as Azure. They are listed on the right side of the blog under, "Can't find my ingredients..."

Egg-free Buckwheat Biscuits

My mom was from the South until moving north to Maryland when she was a little older than Zoe is now. I think that's why we ate a lot of Southern food. At home we had biscuits with butter and jam, cheese biscuits, biscuits and gravy, strawberry shortcake with biscuits—any way you can think of eating a biscuit, we ate biscuits ;-)

Zoe and Ashley have been gobbling up this version of egg-free biscuits. I like them a lot also, and I appreciate that they're low in carbs and high in protein. We put some hard goat cheese in ours (goat milk contains only trace amounts of the allergenic alpha S1 casein protein), but you can leave the goat cheese out and they will still be good.

Now that I've made a successful egg-free bean recipe I will see if I can apply it to my other bean recipes, like the vanilla bean cake and coffee (bean) cake. I can't even tell the difference between these egg-free biscuits and other biscuits with eggs. It would be so great to have the cake recipes both with and without eggs too :-)

Cheers, Kelly

Egg-free Biscuits:

Add to food processor:

1 & 3/4 cup white beans (I used navy)

1/2 cup applesauce

1 tsp guar gum

1.5 tbsp flax meal

1/4 cashew milk (or other milk substitute)

(How to Make Cashew Milk Video)

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/4 tsp vanilla liquid stevia

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp honey or coconut sugar for vegan

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup ghee or coconut oil for vegan

Puree. Add:

1/2 cup tapioca or potato starch

1/2 cup buckwheat flour (you will need more flour if you live in the NW)

1 tsp baking soda

1.5 tsp baking powder (Grain-free Baking Powder Recipe)

Puree.

Optional: 1/4 cup chopped hard 100% goat milk cheese

Drop onto greased baking sheet in tall piles and bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

I make about 10 biscuits and they take around 18 minutes in my oven.

Le Peep in Longmont, CO + Outrageous Grains gluten-free waffles...

It's a beautiful thing.

Jeff at Le Peep in Longmont, has teamed up with Pamela, of Outrageous Grains (formerly titled Aunt Kay's Gluten-free Creations), and what a treat it is. Just look at this waffle...

I can hardly explain how insanely good this waffle is. Fluffy inside, crispy outside... Completely out of this world.

My hero, the manager, Jeff and I.

The gluten-free bread at Le Peep is another favorite of ours, Udi's Gluten-free.

The place is adorable, the food is phenomenal, the price is affordable. Can't say enough good things about it. Cheers, Kelly

Food journal and other news =]

Here is my food journal from this week. As I mentioned on the Spunky Coconut Facebook Page I don't plan our meals ahead, so I thought it might be fun to record them like a food journal instead. As my husband noticed in reading this, we usually don't eat typical breakfast, lunch and dinner foods—pie for breakfast, pancakes for dinner, smoothies for lunch ;-) I shop at Costco and the stores online that I have linked on the righthand side of my blog. Plus we use Door to Door Organics, which I thought I would post more about when I get my box this week.

We also eat a lot of leftovers as you can see. The soup we had yesterday is probably what we will have for lunch again today. I parboiled Tinkyada spaghetti noodles that I broke into little pieces for 10 minutes, while the chopped carrots, celery and onions were sauteing in another pan. Then I strained the noodles, poured out the cooking water and added my broth. I brought the broth up to a simmer, added the noodles and veggies, and simmered about 5 minutes more. We took this same soup camping last summer with our friend, Heather, from Life Gluten-free, and her family, and it reheats really well.

Well, I have to go get ready for breakfast, which I will also be posting about soon. We're going to a local cafe that I recently found out serves gluten-free pancakes and waffles—I'm so excited. And, I wanted to say thanks to Shirley, of GFE, for doing a giveaway of my cookbook, and invite you to stroll over there and enter if you haven't already. Have a great weekend!

Love, Kelly

Egg Crepes gluten-free, sugar-free, grain-free

One of the only things I sometimes miss from my former gluten-filled life is crepes. Andy and I used to go out for breakfast on the weekends and if crepes were on the menu, then crepes I would order. I loved their delicate texture and of course, the taste.

These Egg Crepes are based on this recipe at Simply Sugar & Gluten-free. I made some changes, since you know I can't make anything without coconut flour, or lately tapioca flour either ;-) I also added a little ghee (which is casein-free) for a buttery flavor, and I played around with the ingredient ratios.

My 7 year old, Zoe, was nearly ecstatic, she loved them so much, and I have to say I was thrilled myself. Thanks for being my inspiration, Amy!

Egg Crepes:

Separate 8 eggs. Add the whites to the blender with:

4 whole eggs

1/4 cup water

1 tbsp ghee (which is casein-free) or substitute coconut oil

20 drops vanilla liquid stevia

1/8 tsp sea salt

3 tbsp tapioca flour

3 tbsp coconut flour

Puree.

Use your favorite small (I used stainless) frying pan.

Preheat your pan over close to medium heat.

Grease the pan well between each egg crepe with coconut oil.

Pour your batter so that there is about an inch remaining between the crepe and the outside of the pan.

Lift the pan and swirl the batter around, to fill in the extra space slightly.

Set your timer and let the crepe sit on the first side for about 30 seconds. (you may need more or less time, depending on how hot your pan is)

Flip your crepe (I used a plastic spatula) and wait only a few seconds, then roll it up or fold it.

Keep the crepes covered (like with an upside down plate) while you're making more, to keep them hot.

Makes about 15 crepes, or about 4 servings.

We topped ours with some strawberry jam and water that I gave a quick puree in the blender.

Chocolate Chip Cookies gluten-free, grain-free, egg-free

I may have mentioned already on the Spunky Coconut Facebook Page, but we made cookies using the Goji Chocolate Pie Crust . I'm not a big cookie person myself; I'd rather eat the cookie dough =) My husband and kids on the other hand, love baked cookies. The good news is that this recipe is great either way—cooked or raw. I'm really looking forward to whipping up some vanilla ice cream and adding this cookie dough =)

I made a few additions the second time I made these cookies, but they were good the first time too—exactly like the Pie Crust recipe. The only reason I made any alterations was because the crust doesn't like to stick together as a cookie with chocolate chips in it, and I was trying to make our lives a little easier ;-) Here they are with the changes:

Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Add to bowl:

1/2 cup applesauce

3 tbsp flax seed meal or 1.5 tbsp Chia Seed meal

1/2 tsp guar gum

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

12 drops vanilla liquid stevia

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup honey or coconut sugar

1/4 cup coconut oil or ghee (which is casein-free), liquified

Mix with electric mixer.

Add:

1 cup almond meal flour

1/2 cup coconut flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder (Grain-free Baking Powder Recipe)

1/3 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life)

Mix again.

Roll into balls and flatten the balls in your hands. (they don't really change shape in the oven)

Or roll out with a rolling pin and use cookie cutters =)

Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes.