Welcome to my crazy world of real food cooking ...

Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly Plants. -- Michael Pollan

I wish I could take credit for that because I think it sums up how we should eat. Simply -- eat stuff that really is food, instead of stuff that is food like substance. The supermarket is almost entirely food-like-substances, and, my friends, you should probably never ever eat them.

Fortunately, there is a world of deliciousness out there, and it can all be had in a way that not only doesn't harm your health, but in a way that benefits you hugely.

I think it's important to eat stuff that satisfies you, that keeps your blood sugar stable, and that gives you stuff your body really needs to run optimally.

But baby, it's gotta taste good.

I really like getting experimental in the kitchen. I love cooking, I love layering flavours, and I love coming up with really super yummy food. I have very strong opinions about what constitutes food, and there are a lot of things I won't touch in the kitchen. Bottom line? Pretty much everything I make is ridiculously good for you even if it tastes decadent. Although there are occasional big fat cheats ... but even those stick to real food, my friends.

For food that is usual gluten free, usually free of cane sugar, usually super low on the glycemic index, full of protein, fiber, flavour, and excellent energy, join me and Alice down the rabbit hole.

Every recipe on this blog is my own original effort and idea, so please pass 'em on, giving credit where credit is due.

Many thanks, and come back often. I'm really glad you are here!

:)

Sunday 17 July 2011

Cottage Cake with Strawberry Secrets -- Gluten free! Dairy free! Yummy! Good for you!


As I've mentioned before, I enjoy the challenge of creating something from a certain set of ingredients. When we came up to the cottage for a long weekend, I threw some stuff in a bag, and now I get to make a cake with just a few things. Not everyone knows how to coax the secrets from strawberries. It must be done gently, and patiently. But when they reveal their secrets, strawberries ascend to a new level of berry fabulosity. So, with the ingredients on hand and berries from Hi Berry, this is what I came up with: 




cake: 




ingredients:


1 cup boiling water
1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup shelled hemp seeds (hemp hearts)
1 cup coconut sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp sea salt
2 1/2 cups almond flour
4 eggs


directions:


preheat the oven to 345


1. combine the boiling water with the coconut oil to melt it
2. add in the chia seeds and hemp seeds
3. mix in the coconut sugar
4. add the sea salt, cinnamon, and ginger
5. mix in the almond flour
6. stir in the eggs once the mixture is not too hot
7. bake at 345 for 45 minutes






strawberry secrets:




ingredients:


2 cups strawberries
2 tbsp coconut sugar
(teeny tiny pinch of sea salt)




directions:


1. wash and slice the berries, and toss with sea salt and sugar
2. set aside for at least 1 hour
3. stir before serving
4. spoon over squares of cake




YUM









3 comments:

Anonymous said...

your blog is amazing! i made this cake for my birthday and it was incredible. i've also made your pancakes, tomato sauce muffins, and fudgey cookies. everything has been wonderful. i took a photo of my version of this cake but i cant figure out how to attach it. thanks so much for all these recipes! i've been raving about your blog to my friends and passing it on. i heard about it from a friend of mine who is a friend of your sandwich making cousin. i have one question...where do you buy all these ingredients? is there somewhere i can find them in bulk? i bought stuff from a health food store but it was all so expensive and in small packages. i want to convert my regular cooking to your style...but i'm a student and i don't think my mom will agree to pay for my groceries forever (:

~Lily S.H.

stacey said...

Lily S.H.
I can't tell you how much I appreciate you taking the time to comment on my blog. I love cooking the way I do, and I am nothing but thrilled when other people enjoy what I do, too. I'm excited that you've tried and enjoyed a number of different recipes. I agree, the ingredients are expensive, but you can keep the costs down with some careful sourcing. I generally get my chia seeds from upayanaturals.com, and buy it from them in 5 lb bags. Bulk barn can be a great source for ingredients: they carry coconut sugar, blanched almond meal, pecan meal, coconut flour and chia seeds. There are various locations for them. I don't know where in the www you are, but I'm afraid I'm giving you Toronto locations. Strictly Bulk at Danforth and Pape carries nice blanched almond meal, too. If you are in the East End, Beaches Natural Food is a great source for cheaper natural goods. I get my raw cacao from them, as well as my coconut oil (nutiva brand for the oil). I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have more questions.

best wishes and keep in touch!

Anonymous said...

thanks for the tips on places to buy this stuff! i am also in toronto so your suggestions are splendid.
~Lily