Pumpkin Pie Filling

1 can organic or 16 oz fresh baked organic pumpkin

1 cup coconut cream (you can use the thick cream on the top of canned coconut or mix your own with fresh coconut cream)
1/2 cup milk (unsweetened regular or unsweetened vanilla almond or hemp or better yet homemade chashew milk)

2 large eggs (use 3 if they are small or you can use 2 Tbsp ground flaxseed soaked for 5 min in 6 Tbsp hot water)

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup xylitol or lakanto (ground in coffee grinder)
25 drops vanilla cream stevia
1/4 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 375. Mix all ingredients well and pour into Basic Pie Crust that has been half way prebaked. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Toothpick should come out clean.

Salmon with Julienne Vegetables & Pumpkin Seed Pesto ~SO FUN AND YUMMY!!!

 Pesto Ingredients:

(put all ingredients into blender, food processor or Vitamix)
fresh garlic
cilantro (more cilantro than other ingredients)
parsley (small amount)
pumpkin seed oil (olive, coconut or grapeseed oils work too)
pumpkin seeds (soaked)
Celtic sea salt
dash of cayenne pepper

Pour in a bit of extra oil and process to desired consistency. Add more oil if too thick.

Ingredients:

salmon filets
coconut oil
carrot, julienne cut
zucchini, julienne cut
thin green beans
scallions, cut thinly lengthwise
sweet potato, julienne cut
parchment paper

Rub salmon filets with coconut oil

Place on rectangular piece of parchment paper
spread a layer of pesto on the salmon filets
arrange julienne veggies and green beans on top of salmon and pesto
roll parchment paper to seal flavors and place in shallow baking pan
bake in oven at 350 for about 20 minutes or until done

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

One shallot
½ cup fresh basil leaves
½ cup fresh tarragon
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
½ cup balsamic vinegar
½ cup olive oil
1 stevia (optional)

Instructions:

In a food processor, combine the above ingredients until emulsified dressing forms. This dressing can be modified countless ways. By changing the mustard, flavor of the vinegar or the herbs you can create different recipes to suit your particular tastes.

resources: www.bodyecology

Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked turkey, finely diced
2 tablespoons chopped onion
¼ cup chopped celery
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing to taste
Romaine lettuce leaves.

Instructions:

1) Combine above ingredients and serve inside rolled up romaine lettuce leaves.

2) For an exceptional taste sensation - and amazing health value - drizzle some Austria's Finest Pumpkin Seed Oil on your wrap and eat. Alternately you can use the Balsamic Vinaigrette instead.

resources: Body Ecology

Roasted Cauliflower and Brussels Sprouts

• 1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into ½-1" florets
• 2 cups Brussels sprouts, halved lengthwise
• 2 Tbsp coconut or olive oil
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced or finely chopped
• ½ - 1 tsp dried rosemary
• ½ -1 tsp sea salt

Instructions:

1. Steam cauliflower and brussels sprouts for 4-6 minutes. (Just to start the cooking process - don't overcook.)
2. Put cauliflower and brussels sprouts in a large bowl, let cool.
3. Drizzle oil on top, and then add garlic and seasoning. (Let this mixture set to blend the flavors - you can even refrigerate overnight and use the next day.)
4. Spread vegetables in single layer on a greased roasting pan.
5. Roast at 450° until vegetables are crisp-tender and begin to brown at the edges (15 -20 minutes).
6. Serve hot or at room temperature!

Muffins!!!

• 2 c grated zucchini
• 2 c ground almonds
• 2 eggs (or egg substitute like chia or flax)
• 1/3 c ghee or melted butter (coconut oil also works here)
• sweetener of choice
• 2 t cinnamon
• 1/2 t baking soda
• couple of pinches of salt
• A couple handfuls of frozen or fresh blueberries (optional)

Mix almond flour, zucchini, fat and sweetener. Add the eggs (or egg substitute), salt, cinnamon and baking soda. Mix very well. Bake in muffin tins filled 2/3 full for about 20 minutes in a 350 F.

Raw Nacho "Cheese" Dip

This recipe is adapted from a recipe from Thrive http://generationthrive.com/cafe/

1 3/4 cups cashews (rinsed and soaked for at least 4 hrs)
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp water
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
3 Tbsp miso paste
1/2 medium shallot
1/2 tsp chili powder
dash of cayenne
pinch of turmeric
1/2 clove garlic
black pepper to taste

Place all ingredients into a high powered blender or food processor and blend to desired consistency.
NOTE: there is soy in this recipe (miso) but most people don't have a problem with fermented soy like miso, wheat free tamari or natto.

Berry Good Lemonade

Juice of 2 lemons (some pulp is good)
1 bottle of mineral water
A few sprigs of mint (optional)
Handful of blueberries (fresh or frozen)
Handful of strawberries (fresh or frozen)
Stevia to taste (vanilla cream is always good)
NOTE: remember berries should ALWAYS be organic

Place mint (if using), half the berries, lemon juice and stevia in pitcher. Muddle (mash) gently. Add mineral water and whole berries. Serve chilled.

Almond Power Bars

2 cups ground raw almonds (or almond meal)
1/2 cup flax or chia seeds (can be ground or not)
2 - 4 chlorella capsules
1/2 cup unsweetened dehydrated coconut
1/2 cup almond butter
1/2 tsp celtic sea salt
1/2 cup coconut oil
Stevia or raw honey to taste (coconut nectar works)
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

CHOCOLATE TOPPING (optional)
1 100% cacao bar
1Tbsp coconut oil
sweetener of choice to desired taste
some sea salt to sprinkle over entire topping if desired

Mix all ingredients except chlorella caps in large pyrex baking dish . Break chlorella capsules open and pour the powder into the baking dish with the other ingredients. Mix ingredients well using your hands. Press mixture out evenly into the pan you mixed it in. Refrigerate wihile you make the topping. To make the topping break the cacao bar into pieces and melt slowly in a double boiler. Add the coconut oil and sweetener to cacao and pour over chilled bars and sprinkle with sea salt. Return to the refrigerator until the topping has set. These bars are delicious and really versatile. Use your imagination and add lots of great superfoods to them!

Barbeque Sauce

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar or coconut vinegar
8 oz tomatoe sauce
2 Tbsp chopped onion
1 tsp celtic sea salt
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp celery seed
1/4 tsp garlic powder or fresh garlic
1/2 tsp sage or poultry seasoning
stevia, lakanto, honey or coconut nectar to taste

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to boil over medium high heat stirring occassionally. Lower temperature and simmer for 20 - 30 min uncovered. Spices can be adjusted to your liking. This sauce stores well in the refrigerator for up to 10 weeks.

Body Ecology Almond Mayonnaise

Ingredients: (yields 11/2 - 2 cups)

• 1/2  cup raw almonds (or Almond Meal)
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 3/4 tsp.  Celtic sea salt
• 1 cup organic, unrefined oil (flax or pumpkin seed)
• 3 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. raw, organic apple cider vinegar

 Process:

 

NOTE: If using Almond Meal you can skip steps 1 & 2

1. Cover almonds with boiling water, allow to cool slightly.
2. Slip off skins and have all other ingredients ready.
3. Place almonds in blender or food processor and grind to a fine powder. Add half the water along with garlic powder and seasonings. Blend well, then add the remaining water to form a smooth cream.
4. With blender running low, remove insert top and drizzle in the oil in a thin stream until mixture is thick.
5. Keep blender running and add lemon juice and vinegar.
6. Blend on low 1 minute longer to allow mixture to thicken to desired consistency.
7. Scrape into a jar with a screw top and refrigerate.

This will keep 10 days - 2 weeks.

Note: If you have trouble digesting oil, eliminate the oil completely and increase the water.

My Morning Greens!

I start my day most days with a nice big green smoothie! Green drinks are alkalizing and hydrating. We wake up on the acidic side and dehydrated so this makes an awesome start to the day! I change my smoothie up each day depending on what i have in my fridge. One thing i never change though is the avocado, the lemon (lime if i don't happen to have lemon) and the stevia. If you do apples you can use a Granny Smith apple in place of the stevia if you like. I'm not a huge fan of the texture that apples give my smoothie so i just don't use them but lots of people do and love it.

Good Morning Green Smoothie

1/2 - 1 ripe Avocado
2 cups filtered water
Fresh Ginger - peeled (about thumb nail size piece)
1/8 - 1/4 fresh peeled Lemon wedge
Vanilla Cream Stevia to taste
Large handful lettuce (any kind but iceberg!)
Handful fresh spinach
2 ribs celery
1/2 cucumber
1 Tbsp Coconut Oil
Chard (a few leaves)
I also open 2 Chlorella capsules and dump this into the mixture
Whatever other veggies you want to throw in

Throw all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth and drink up! This makes a lot (about a quart) so could be for two people. On weekends i am known to share with people i love but on weekdays i usually drink the whole quart myself!

If i am really on top of it i throw all this in the blender the night before and put it in the fridge so in the morning i just have to blend and drink! Think i will go throw one together now for tomorrow!

Raw Cashew Milk

 RAW CASHEW MILK

1 cup raw cashews (soaked overnight and rinsed)
3 1/2 to 4 cups filtered water

Soak 1 cup of cashews in 2 cups water overnight. Drain and rinse cashews and place in blender. Add 2 cups filtered water and blend on high until milk is smooth. In my Vitamix it just takes a couple minutes and we have awesome white creamy nut milk. MUCH MUCH better than the nut milks available in stores and super easy to make!!

NOTE: We add a bit of Vanilla Cream Stevia to ours and it makes it really delicious. I made sure to keep some unflavored though to use in other recipes.

Polenta Casserole

This made a great change of pace breakfast this morning.

POLENTA CASSEROLE

1 cup organic dry polenta (soaked in 2 cups water overnight and then drained and rinsed)
2 cups vegetable stock (if you don't soak your polenta first, which you REALLY should you will need to increase the liquid by about 3/4 cup or so)
1/4 cup cashew milk
Sea salt
Mexican Spices (optional)
Butter
Onions
Spinach
Raw Pepper Jack Cheese (leave this out for dairy free version)
Asparagus
Chard
Kale
Red Pepper
Carrots
Any vegetables you wish to use would work perfectly!

NOTE: If you do corn ALWAYS make sure it's organic. Corn is one of the most commonly GMO foods in the world and you don't want to be putting GMOs in your body!!

I chopped and sauteed all the veggies yesterday so this morning i took a cup or two of the veggies and spread them out on the bottom of a buttered (use coconut oil if you are omitting butter) pyrex baking dish. Bring the liquid to a boil in sauce pan and slowly stir in the polenta. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer. Add the mexican seasonings or whatever spices you want to use. Stir constantly until it starts to thicken (3 to 5 min). Pour polenta mixture over vegetables. Place little pats of butter and/or cheese on top of polenta if you are using dairy (goat cheese would also be delicious). Salt and pepper and bake at 350 for 15 to 20 min. I threw mine under the broiler for a minute to brown and crisp up the top. Serve vegetable side up and it looks really pretty! I need to get my camera fixed so i can start posting photos of my beautiful creations!!

Black Bean Soup

We don't eat a lot of beans since they're hard on digestion. Soaking them overnight in lots of water and some apple cider vinegar, kefir or lemon juice helps but beans are both a protein and a carb and that automatically calls for troubles with digestion. That said, we do eat them a few times a month. Today i made some black bean soup for this weeks lunches. I used canned beans this time since i had a lot of other things to accomplish and i hadn't soaked any beans. I make my bean soup in a clay pot. It turns out really nice that way but you can make yours in a sauce pan on the stove or in the oven whichever you like. In the clay pot it makes a nice dark bubbly "crust" around the edges.

BLACK BEAN SOUP

2 cans Organic Black Beans most of liquid drained off (i like Eden Organic because they have kombu in them)
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
2 cups various sauteed vegetables (kale, onions, broccoli, carrots, garlic, chard, peppers, organic corn whatever works for you)
1 Tbsp Frontier Seasonings Mexican Spices
1/2 tsp salt
dash turmeric
Pepper to taste

I just mix all this in my clay pot and bake at 350 for 1 1/2 to 2 hrs. When soup has cooled a bit i add cilantro and some coconut milk. I don't like to add the coconut milk before cooking the soup down. It stays thicker and creamier if you add it at the end.

Teriyaki Salmon

Tonight i made great teriyaki salmon. Again, i searched around the internet for ideas and from there made up my recipe.

TERIYAKI SAUCE

1/2 cup wheat free tamari
1/8 cup ume plum vinegar (this is intense stuff so you can add less if you like)
1/2  - 3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp fresh ground ginger
1 clove garlic
2 tsp honey or stevia to taste
pinch crushed red pepper (optional)
Splash Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tsp kuzu root starch dissolved in 4 tsp cold water

Mix all ingredients except for the kuzu mixture in a small sauce pan. Bring to boil. Turn down to simmer and reduce for 15 to 20 min. Add kuzu and bring back to a boil. Stir constantly until sauce thickens and clarifies. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a stainless steel pan melt 1 Tbsp coconut oil with 1 Tbsp butter over medium high heat. Add two large salmon fillets (skin side up) and continue cooking on medium high for about a minute. Reduce heat and cook another couple minutes. Fish should loosen from the pan and become easy to turn. When you turn the fish it should be slightly browned and starting to form a bit of a crust. Pour teriyaki sauce over fish and transfer the whole pan to a 350 degree oven until the fish starts to flake with a fork.

Cinnamon Scones

I am forever on a quest to have good treats around for my kids. When they come home from school they are always looking for something quick to grab and eat. Mondays are my day off and i spend the morning while the girls are at school grocery shopping and preparing things for the weeks meals (this includes making snacks to have on hand). Feeling like we have been consuming too many almonds, i went on a quest for a GF scone recipe. I found a few and tweaked them a bit. They are in the oven baking as i type. I am also getting ready to saute vegetables to have on hand to make meals during the week much faster to prep and also if the veggies are ready they are more likely to make it into meals! Today i'm also making cashew milk, cashew butter, young coconut kefir, coconut yogurt, black bean soup and hopefully i will get around to making some milk yogurt too! We shall see!

Okay the scones are out and they are AMAZING!! I could eat the whole batch. The only thing that stops me is knowing what an uncomfortable bloated tummy i would have!!

CINNAMON SCONES

2 Cups GF flour (i used bobs red mill GF Biscuit and Baking Mix
1 shy Tbsp Non aluminum baking powder (if you are using flour that doesn't already have some baking powder in it which Biscuit Mix does you can go with the full Tbsp)
1/2 cup Lakanto (you can google lakanto. xylitol also works or sweetener of choice)
1/2 tsp xanthan gum (this was in the other recipes i found but i didn't use it since i used chia seeds in place of an egg)
1/2 tsp sea salt
6 tsp coconut oil or butter
1 beaten egg (i used 1 Tbsp ground chia seeds + 3 Tbsp hot water gelled for 5 minutes)
1/2 cup milk (i used unsweetened hemp)
1 dropper vanilla cream stevia (optional)
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp cinnamon
dash cloves
dash nutmeg

TOPPING

2 Tbsp melted butter
2 tsp cinnamon
sweetener of choice

Mix all dry ingredients. Cut in butter or oil until mixture is pea size crumbles. I grated the butter with a cheese grater to make this part easier. In smaller bowl mix chia seeds with hot water and let set (omit this step if using egg). Mix wet ingredients and add to dry. Knead until well mixed and form dough into a ball pat out onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Press dough out until it is a 3/4 inch thick circle and cut into wedges as you would a pizza. Pour the topping mixture over dough and spread to cover. Space the scones out so they are not touching each other and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 min.

Now that i have made this recipe and know how it turns out next time i will do it a tad different. I will try and see how it works out if i mix the milk and flour with a dash of yogurt or kefir and let sit out at room temp overnight before making these to make it kind of like a sourdough recipe. This step will make the scones easier on digestion. I'll let you know how that turns out when i do it. I am also working on a frosting recipe for these but they are awesome just the way they are.

I LOVE Pie!

Okay so I totally do love pie! When we first changed our eating habits we went without treats for SO LONG and now we know how to make some very simple healthy ones that we really do love and pie is one of them. This basic pie recipe works for Thanksgiving and any other time too!

Basic Pie Crust

1 1/2 cups Almond Meal (also good if you add some Hazelnut flour)

1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut (optional. If you don't use this increase Almond Meal or Hazelnut Flour)

1/4 cup coconut oil/butter or mixture of the two

Stevia to taste (optional, I use Vanilla cream)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and press out into pie pan.  Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes or refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Refrigeration works with this pie crust because of the good fats in the recipe. The coconut oil (or butter/coconut oil mixture) and the fat from the almond meal allow it to sort of "set up" and work as a crust with out baking it.

Chocolate "Cream" Filling

1 1/2 - 2 ripe avocados

3 Tbsp un alkalized cocoa powder (more or less depending on your taste)

Vanilla Cream Stevia to taste (Honey could also work as would peppermint stevia and or dark chocolate stevia)

1/2 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk (hemp or rice milk will work as well. you can also add any other extract you want to use)

Mix all these ingredients in a Vitamix or blender until smooth and then fill the baked or chilled crust and refrigerate for at least an  hour. You can also use Xylitol in the filling or the crust but remember Xylitol is really poisonous to dogs so be careful! This pie really is amazing and I have served it to a few SAD eaters on holidays and they didn't even know they weren't eating chocolate cream pie until I told them there was avocado in the pie. Check it out!!