Creamy Bok Choy With Dumplings

Ashley loves routine. She also loves going grocery shopping at Natural Grocers, pushing the cart, and saying "hi!" to everyone she sees (and I do mean everyone :-). And she loves her therapeutic horseback riding more than I can tell you. She talks about it constantly. "Tomorrow I have riding!" she tells everyone.

Zoe and I, on the other hand, are more of the spontaneous type. We do fine without a schedule. But to make Ashley happy, I've put a daytime routine into place. It goes something like this: Wake up, eat breakfast, practice yoga and martial arts (Zoe is taking a class), practice piano (another class to practice for), sing and listen to records, eat lunch, do Time4Learning (classes online), walk (Ginger and I) / bike (Zoe) / scooter (Ashley), have a snack, read, write, make dinner. (THESE are my new favorite homeschooling cards for Ashley for reading time. They're positively brilliant.)

And if Ginger is sound asleep, we often end up doing the walking/biking/scootering for two hours. Of course, when it's really windy, we don't do that at all, and we go to the library, museum or grocery store instead.

The girls are loving the routine, and I have to admit, I'm becoming a fan of it myself :-)

This afternoon when we got home from our walk/bike/scooter outing, our Door to Door Organics box had arrived. Woohoo! Inside, among other things, were six lovely baby bok choy. One of my absolute favorites. Here is what I've been making with them lately. Hope you enjoy.

Creamy Bok Choy With Dumplings

Chop about 4 cups of bok choy and wash well.

Set aside.

Add to pre-heated pot:

a little oil

1/4 cup diced onion

1/2 cup diced celery

1 clove garlic, minced

Saute about five minutes.

Meanwhile, puree in the blender or food processor:

1/2 cup plain cashews

1/2 cup coconut milk

2 cups broth

1/2 tsp Herbamare
1/4 tsp Herbs de Provence

Add the (washed and chopped) bok choy, and about one cup of the puree to the onions, celery and garlic.

Bring to simmer.

Put the lid on the pot, slightly cracked, and steam the bok choy in the liquids for about five minutes (until it has wilted down some).

Add the rest of the liquids.

Bring the liquids back to a simmer and drop in your dumplings.

Reduce to low and simmer with the lid on, slightly cracked, for about 20 minutes.

♥, Kelly

Other questions? See my FAQ page here.

Chocolate chocolate ice cream sandwiches

The weather here has been very typical for winter in the Front Range: Warm then cold, warm then cold :-) Sunny almost every day with blue skies, and often windy. The girls and I like to take walks, and the only thing that sometimes stops us is when it's really really windy. But regardless of the weather, we like to eat ice cream, don't you?

I made these chocolate chocolate ice cream sandwiches using my chocolate biscotti recipe. I didn't change it at all, although I left out the mint extract, and baked them differently. You could keep the mint extract, and that would be yummy too.

For the cookies:

Add to a small bowl:
1/2 cup applesauce with no added sugar
1/4 - 1/2 tsp vanilla liquid stevia (depending on how sweet you want them)

2 tbsp white Chia Seed meal (I grind my seeds in a coffee grinder or Magic Bullet)
-you may be able to substitute an egg for the applesauce and chia, but I haven't tested it myself
Optional: 1/2 tsp mint extract
Mix with electric mixer.

In a separate bowl combine:
3 cups almond meal (I use Bob's)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup coconut sugar, which is low glycemic index
1 tsp baking soda

Combine the dry and wet ingredients with an electric mixer until the batter gets all sticky.

Scoop your dough onto unbleached parchment paper.

Flour the top if necessary and roll out the dough.

Cut 12 squares to make 6 cookies. Cookie cutters would work too (and the kids can pick their own shape).

Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Cool the cookies then freeze them before adding the ice cream (this just makes them easier to assemble).

I used my own homemade chocolate ice cream from my book, but you could use store-bought too (like Tempt or Coconut Bliss).

Let the ice cream soften on the counter before assembling the sandwiches.

Eat right away or freeze for later.

A few notes on homemade frozen custard and ice cream:

If you've ever left your homemade ice cream in the freezer for more than a few hours, you know that it freezes really hard. It comes out looking like a block of ice. Don't worry :-) Leave it on the counter for 30 minutes or so, depending on the kind of ice cream and how deep the dish is. Custard takes less time to soften.

Store bought ice cream is softer straight from the freezer because commercial machines are capable of adding much more air to store bought ice cream. Also, many companies add lots of ingredients to prevent the ice cream from freezing.

♥, Kelly

The Spunky Coconut Dairy-Free Ice Cream: Soy-Free, Sugar-Free, Vegan. 8.25 x 8.25 in., 90 pp., 55 recipes, 17 full-page color photos Paperback: 978-0-98278116-6, $20.00 Now available on amazon.com or 10% Off at my eStore with code APYTME6C

Spunky Mystery Box

This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations Natalie "M-A-D Momma". I am emailing you now.

I'm doing a giveaway this week, but it's not your average giveaway.

I'm happy for the Spunky Coconut to promote my fellow authors and food bloggers, and their cool books. It's good attention for the people and things I like, and I hope it's of interest to my readers.

Food companies, however, have really latched on to the whole blog review/giveaway thing. It puts their products in front of thousands of people, while their only expense is the cost of sending that $10 box of whatever. I recently learned that 70% of corporate free samples go to blogs these days. Every week my inbox is full of random companies offering review samples, stuff to giveaway, or they just want to announce their corporate news. Much of the time the publicity person emailing me hasn't bothered to figure out what my blog is about. They just paste my name at the top of a form letter and move on to the next blogger. These impersonal emails are tiring, especially when their product is inappropriate for my site and my readers. These I politely decline.

Sometimes the companies approaching me are downright rude. For instance, one company asked me to stop linking to their competitors, offering me a few samples as payment. Another company sent me a box of stuff (half of which wasn't gluten-free). When I told them I wasn't going to do a review they gave me a sarcastic, "Enjoy that FREE stuff we sent you." It's hard not to feel like most companies are just exploiting bloggers for advertising that is practically free. The whole thing has made me feel discouraged.

My husband, Andy, had this great idea that it would be nice to do a giveaway without promoting any companies. So, that's what I'm doing. The mystery box in the photo above contains four food-related things that I bought myself, and one yummy homemade treat (made by yours truly). It's my gift to one of you, my readers.

I hope to inspire a trend among bloggers. Lets all stop doing product reviews and giveaways—or as I've now come to think of it—free advertising for companies. Lets start a trend of mystery boxes—lovingly prepared homemade treats, and personally selected products. Our readers will appreciate it more, and companies will get the message that it's time to stop taking advantage of us.

To enter to win my first mystery box (yes, I'm already planning the next one :-) just leave a comment here with your full name (in case there are two people with the same first name) and/or email. This giveaway will close Friday, January 27th at noon mountain time. I will announce the winner here on this post, so check back to see if you won. If I can't get in touch with you within three days, I will pick another winner.

♥, Kelly

My first post on The Balanced Platter

Today I'm really excited for you to see my first post over at The Balanced Platter. I share tips for saving time and money, plus a recipe for Ham Chowder. ♥, Kelly

Thick Dairy-Free Hot Chocolate, part 2 nut-free, soy-free, added gum-free

I've discovered (or rediscovered) the secret to thick dairy-free hot chocolate without the use of nuts, soy, or added gum: Dates. I hope you enjoy it too :-)

Thick Dairy-Free Hot Chocolate

Puree (in high power blender or food processor):

1 can Thai Kitchen full-fat coconut milk (Natural Value does not contain gum, but I haven't tried this hot chocolate with that brand)

1 can-full of water

6 soft pitted medjool dates

2 tbsp plus 1 tsp cocoa or cacao powder

a few drops of liquid stevia if more sweetener is needed

Slowly bring almost to a simmer.

Let cool to desired temperature.

♥, Kelly

Other questions? See my FAQ page here.

German Pancake or Dutch Baby, part 2 (gluten-free, casein-free, grain-free)

Lately I've been experimenting, as you can see here, with a Dutch Baby or German Pancake. All of you said that yours had more eggs. So I tried and tried again, and now I'm loving my latest German Pancake (above). It puffed up much more than my other attempts and it even climbed up the walls ...a little :-) It was so easy to make, I'm sure we'll be having it again often.

German Pancake or Dutch Baby

gluten-free, grain-free, casein-free

Place cast iron skillet in the middle of the oven. (mine is about 12 inches wide)

Turn the oven on to 500 degrees.

Set the timer for 15 minutes.

Add to blender:

1 cup coconut milk (I use Thai Kitchen because it's the richest)

6 eggs

10 drops of vanilla liquid stevia

1/8 tsp sea salt

Optional: 1 tsp cinnamon

Puree.

Add:

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup tapioca flour

Puree well.

When the skillet has been in the oven for 15 minutes carefully remove it with an oven mitt.

Add 2 tbsp ghee (which is casein-free) or coconut oil to the hot pan.

When the ghee or coconut oil is liquified in the skillet add the batter.

Carefully transfer the skillet back to the oven with the oven mitt.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

Optional: Top with sliced apples that have been sauteed in ghee or coconut oil till tender. Sprinkle apples with cinnamon.

♥, Kelly

Other questions? See my FAQ page here.

Guest Post: Starbucked Review, by Hippie Mommy

Today I'm really excited to share a guest post with you by Amanda, one of my best friends. You may have heard me talk about her before here, when we went berry picking, and here, in my home birth story.

Make sure you check out and follow Ananda's site, Hippie Mommy. The original article (below) can be found here.

Thanks for sharing Amanda! I love you!

I am not sure what led me to pick up Starbucked, but I am glad that I did. I’ve certainly had my fair share of frappuccinos over the years, but I am hardly a Starbucks loyalist. As far as coffee chains go, I actually really prefer Caribou Coffee, which, thanks to this book, I now know is owned by an Islamic group that requires them to follow portions of Shari’ah Law. I had no idea…

But, back to Starbucks:

Clark starts out by discussing the draw of Starbucks. I hadn’t considered it before, but this section spurred a lot of thought in my mind and amongst me and my friends. Starbucks is marketed as a way to indulge yourself and it is an inexpensive way to have something that seems luxurious. For only a few dollars, you can feel like you are pampering yourself. The marketing is brilliant, and the demand for their product is seemingly endless.

Clark also discusses the placement of Starbucks stores. Years ago, Starbucks executives realized that they could put in a store directly across the street from another store, and it would draw an almost completely different crowd. The Starbucks real estate team is top-notch, and they evaluate not just neighborhood education levels, number of children, and where traffic flows, but also the number of times a person visits a shopping center (dry cleaners and video stores are great neighbors for Starbucks, because you have to go back a second time to drop off or pick up items) or even the number of oil stains in a parking lot. Starbucks is perfectly happy to offer large sums of money to landlords in order to oust competitive coffee stores. They will even leave a retail space empty, just to keep it from being occupied by a competitor.

On the other hand, Starbucks has created an industry where one didn’t exist before, and this has greatly benefited local coffee shops. Even though Caribou, the next biggest competitor to Starbucks, has only about 1/4 the number of stores, smaller coffee shops have a very good success rate. The success is far better than that of independently owned restaurants. Also, independent shops tend to do very well when they are located near a Starbucks. It seems that people get hooked on Starbucks drinks (which are mostly milk — they contain just a few cents worth of coffee) and then they venture out and try local places.

This book is filled with these kind of dichotomies. Clark discusses the start of Starbucks (did you know that one of the founders of Starbucks bought Peet’s coffee, which was their initial inspiration, and sold Starbucks?), the coffee bean industry, the fair-trade debate, the way that Starbucks treats its employees, the way that Starbucks kills culture when it invades a new country, the fact that Starbucks basically sells milk, the fact that the espresso at Starbucks is no longer made by the baristas, but by machines, and so much more. It all goes back to what I said above… Starbucks is a big corporate monster, and yet Starbucks has helped a lot of people too. It isn’t black-and-white, and that is precisely why I liked this book. It would’ve been easy to take one side or the other (read Pour Your Heart Into It, the book written by the long-time CEO of Starbucks if you’re looking for a one-sided view.)

I don’t plan on frequenting Starbucks. I will continue to support the local coffee shops and the smaller chains, but I can appreciate the way that Starbucks has changed our world, both for good and for bad. This book was a fairly entertaining read, and I will never look at the coffee industry in the same way!

Rosemary & Garlic Dumplings (gluten-free, casein-free)

I have been a long time fan of Soule Mama. I'm sure many of you are familiar with her. Recently she mentioned she had been making this recipe with rosemary garlic dumplings. The dumplings called out to me. I had to have them—spunky style of course ;-)

After making them and remaking them half a dozen times, I'm finally satisfied, and happy to share my recipe with you. I hope you love them too.

Rosemary and Garlic Dumplings

(gluten-free, casein-free)

Add to bowl:

3 whisked eggs

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup tapioca flour

1/2 cup almond flour (I use Bob's)

2 tbsp soy-free Earth Balance Butter Spread, melted (ghee or grapeseed oil would probably work too)

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp Herbs de Provence

1/4 tsp fresh finely chopped rosemary (or another 1/4 tsp Herbs de Provence if you don't have fresh rosemary)

1/8 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Mix with electric mixer and let rest for ten minutes or longer. (The longer it rests the thicker it will become.)

When the broth is simmering (I use about 6 cups of broth) add the batter one heaping tablespoon at a time (a tablespoon that you eat with, not the measurement).

I don't try to make the batter pretty as I plop it into the broth. Also, I usually don't wait very long to put the batter in, so it's still quite runny, and making it pretty isn't an option.

You can get six or so dumplings into the broth with this amount.

When all the batter is in, bring the broth back to a simmer.

Reduce the heat to low and cover with the lid, but keep the lid cracked a little bit.

Dumplings will be done in about 20 minutes. Like magic they have become full and plump.

♥, Kelly

Other questions? See my FAQ page here.

German Pancake or Dutch Baby (gluten-free, casein-free, grain-free)

I have a feeling that the Dutch Baby and the German Pancake are both German, just topped differently. My main reason for suspecting this is because we come from a town where there are Pennsylvania "Dutch." They are not Dutch however, but German or, "Deutsch." But maybe I'm wrong about the pancakes. It's just a hunch.

Whatever you call it, I was inspired to make my own oven pancake when one of you said it meant comfort and home to you. I don't think I've ever had a German Pancake or a Dutch Baby, so I'm basing what they're like on reading about them :-) I wanted mine to be fluffy but not eggy in the middle, and crunchy around the edges. I tried making one many different ways, but this was my favorite.

German Pancake or Dutch Baby, depending on how you top it

Place cast iron skillet in the middle of the oven.

Turn the oven on to 500 degrees.

Set the timer for 15 minutes.

Add to blender:

1 cup cashew milk
(How to Make Cashew Milk Video)

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp coconut sugar, which is low glycemic index

Optional: 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Puree.

Add:

1 cup almond meal (I use Bob's)

1/4 cup tapioca flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

Puree well.

When the skillet has been in the oven for 15 minutes carefully remove it with an oven mitt.

Add 2 tbsp ghee (which is casein-free) or coconut oil to the hot pan.

When the ghee or coconut oil is liquified in the skillet add the batter.

Carefully transfer the skillet back to the oven with the oven mitt.

Bake for about 12 minutes.

Optional: Top with sliced apples that have been sauteed in ghee or coconut oil till tender. Sprinkle apples with cinnamon.

How do you like your German Pancake or Dutch Baby? Do you like it more crepe-like? More eggs? How do you get it to climb up the walls of the pan? —I haven't figured that out myself :-)

♥, Kelly

Other questions? See my FAQ page here.