Not Chicken Noodle Soup -- Good for what ails you Part 1 (crockpot soup)

My not quite 3 year old (six weeks to go) woke up in the night with a low fever (his first one I think), and wasn't feeling well when we got up this morning. So, not chicken noodle soup to the rescue.

You may be familiar with the potent anti-viral effects of ginger and turmeric, but did you know turmeric also contains salicylic acid, which can be found in willow bark and is used to make asprin? Salicylic acid is a common compound found in many plants, and has an anti-inflammatory effect. Organic vegetable soup has been shown to have higher levels of salicylic acid than non-organic vegetable soup (but I'm not going to cite the study. You can google it if you'd like.) Suffice to say it's not the chicken soup but the vegetables in the chicken soup that were good for what ails you. We've updated it by forgoing all chicken, and adding plenty of ginger and turmeric for both the anti-inflammatory effects as well as the anti-viral effects.

Plus what could be more soothing that a hot bowl of soup when you are sick?

I decided to make soup noodles to go with the soup. For this I used my favourite pasta dough recipe, rolled it flat, rolled it up, and sliced it quickly. Two minutes in boiling water and voila. Honestly, it takes longer to tell you about it than it takes to make them.

I ended up throwing in some broccoli after the soup was finished. Broccoli is practically a religion around here. And although I was originally going to just make a clear soup with celery and carrots in it, I ended up throwing in some red kidney beans too. Kidney beans are a good choice because they are contain some essential trace elements, lots of protein, and are great for stabilizing blood sugar. Plus they taste good. 

Well, the soup turned out well, and we enjoyed it for dinner. At least, my husband and I did. My son, noodle lover extraodinaire, refused even a bite -- and didn't even have appetite for his Not Chocolate Ice Cream, which he normally adores. :(

ingredients:

2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

1 1/4 cup diced carrots

1 1/4 cup diced celery

1 1/2 tbsp finely minced garlic

1 cup finely chopped onion (purple)

125 g cauliflower, cut into florets, approx 1 heaping cup

1/2 tbsp turmeric

3 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced

2 tsp sea salt

black pepper

1 1/2 cups dark red kidney beans (cooked, not raw. Or canned, if you prefer)

1/2 tbsp marjoram

1/2 tbsp oregano

4 cups boiling water

125 g broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces (optional) (I used frozen, defrosted) (or you can use lightly-steamed) approx 1 heaping cup

directions:

1. saute the garlic, onion, celery, carrot, cauliflower, ginger, turmeric, sea salt, and pepper in the coconut oil on low for 30 minutes, or until very cooked.

2. put the sauteed vegetables into your crock pot, and add  the kidney beans, marjoram, oregano, and water

3. cook on high in your crockpot for 4 hours

4. turn off the heat and add the broccoli

5. let sit for 30 minutes, or over night.

6. ladle hot soup over cooked noodles, and serve 

:)

Caramel-Apple Date Muffins -- More Saturday Morning Muffins ...

I've probably posted too many photos of these cute little caramel-apple muffins. But the photos were so ... sexy. I just couldn't help myself. Saturday morning again, so we wanted to whip up a batch before music class, so we'd have something to share with friends. One of our friends who would be eating them on Sunday is allergic to milk, so we wanted to make something dairy free. I love dates in muffins, they get so soft and creamy, but I found with the sweetness of the caramel-apple on top, and the coconut sugar in the muffin, that the dates are a little much for me. But I'll admit to neither having a sweet tooth nor liking sweets over much. I definitely prefer a savoury snack. However, if you have a sweet tooth, or like a sweet with your coffee or for dessert, these really are winning. Colin loves them. He thinks they are the greatest thing since last week's Vegan Brownies. And he's not a date lover. He's not even a date liker. 

And without further ado, here's the delicious recipe for caramel-apple date muffins:

ingredients:

1 1/2 cups filtered water

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil

1 1/2 tsp ground vanilla

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 xl organic eggs

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1 tsp ceylon cinnamon

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup flax meal

1/4 cup shelled hemp seeds (whole without the shell)

1/2 - 3/4 tsp sea salt

2 cups almond flour (JK Gourmet is our favourite)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup kamut flour (finely milled pastry flour, whole grain)

1 large organic apple, quartered and cored (we used royal gala)

24 honey dates

extra coconut sugar for topping

directions:

preheat oven to 345

1. take 2 quarters of the apple and thinly slice to top the 24 muffins and set aside

2. finely chop the remaining 2 quarters of the apple and set aside

3. finely chop the dates and set aside

4. warm the water slightly to melt the coconut oil

5. combine the water, coconut oil, vinegar, coconut sugar, and eggs

6. stir in the vanilla, cinnamons, and sea salt

7. add the flax meal and hemp seeds

8. stir in the almond flour

9. mix in the baking soda

10. stir in the kamut flour, mixing lightly until just combined

11. add the dates, stir

12. add the chopped apples, stir

13. scoop the batter into prepared muffin cups

14. top each cup with a thin slice of apple and a (generous) sprinkle of coconut sugar

15. bake for 35 minutes at 345 degrees in the upper half of the oven

16. after you have removed the muffins from the oven, allow the muffins to sit in the cups for a few minutes before removing them. If you try to remove them immediately, they will be too fragile. If you leave them in too long, they will sweat.

17. don't forget to drool over my naughty muffin pictures.

Baby Cake Vegan Apple Cake -- Baby Cake #4

Vegan Apple Cake

For some people, apple cake is synonymous with comfort food. I wanted to create a recipe that was not fancy. I wanted to offer something fragrant with cinnamon and vanilla, but still sweetly quiet and ... comforting. This pretty little number offers the winning combination of simple fare with a small nod towards health. It's definitely not the healthiest thing I've ever made, but the total sugar content is quite low, and the rest of the ingredients don't belong in the 'totally evil' column by any means.

The recipe for this evil little cake is simple, and it bakes up in a hurry.

ingredients:

1 1/4 cups filtered water

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil

2 tsp egg replacer + 1/4 cup filtered water

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup organic cane sugar

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ceylon cinnamon

1/2 tsp organic ground vanilla

2 cups organic whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 large apple (royal gala), cored and cut into small pieces

1/2 med sized apple (royal gala), quartered and cut into thin slices

directions:

preheat the oven to 345

1. warm the water, and melt the coconut oil in it

2. combine the egg replacer with the 1/4 cup water, and stir into the water and oil

3. add the vanilla, sugar, and apple cider vinegar

4. add the salt, cinnamons, and vanilla

5. add the flour

6. mix in the baking soda

7. stir in the chopped apple, and spoon into 24 prepared muffin cups

8. top each cup of batter with a thin slice of apple and a (generous) sprinkle of organic cane sugar, which will caramelize delightfully as the cake bakes

9. bake the cakes at 345 for 30 minutes

Organic Chocolate Chip Cookies -- Happy Hallowe'en

These cookies are neither vegetarian -- they contain butter, milk, and eggs -- nor are they particularly healthful, although they do contain all organic ingredients. They are, however, very tasty. This recipe makes a soft cookie that is crisp on the outside when fresh. They keep well, and are enjoyable even a week later. They are also free of chemicals and preservatives, don't contribute in anyway to Big Tobacco (most of the candy companies are actually owned by Big Tobacco), and are thus my Hallowe'en shellout of choice. I'm baking a big double batch of them, and will individually wrap the cookies, and label them with my name, address, and the ingredients used. No doubt some people will opt to throw out rather than enjoy homemade Hallowe'en goods. However, we did the same last year, and they were very well received.


ingredients:

1/2 cup butter (melted)
1 cup organic cane sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp cinnamon

2 cups large flake oats

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 cups unbleached pastry flour

1 cup chocolate chips (our favourite isn't organic -- callebaut morsels ... sooooo good)


directions:

1. combine butter and sugar
2. mix in the eggs
3. stir in the milk
4. add the vanilla
5. add the cinnamon and the sea salt
6. stir in the oats
7. add the apple cider vinegar
8. at this point, it is important to let the mixture sit for a good 10 minutes. This will allow the oats to soften and soak a little, which will help the cookie have a soft and chewy texture instead of a crumbly texture.
9. add the baking soda and stir
10. add the flour, and mix well
11. add the chocolate chips, and stir well.
12. drop by spoonful onto a lined baking sheet. Flatten and shape with a damp fork.
13. bake in a preheated oven at 345 for about 15 minutes

makes 3 dozen (large) cookies