More Breakfast Muffins -- dates and seeds and yummy goodness

Once again I've decided to go with that whole alchemy thang that happens when I combine date, vanilla, and ground sesame. It's not that it turns to gold or anything so prosaic. It's just that it's more than you think it's going to be. It doesn't taste all date-y and seed-y. It's delicious and wholesome at the same time. And these are a great way to start the day, or a snack on the go. Grain free, gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, nut free. But still super good for you, super moist, super yummy. How does she do it? The best part is my kid loves them and is happy to start the day with them, which I know will give him the energy he needs to play and learn.

ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil

2 cups water

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup flax meal

1/4 cup chia seeds

1/4 cup hemp hearts

1 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp ground vanilla bean

4 eggs

1 cup pumpkin seeds

1 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup black sesame seeds

1 cup pitted honey dates

1/2 tsp baking soda

directions:

preheat the oven to 345

1. in a food processor, process the pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds to a fine grind. Add the sesame seeds and shredded coconut

2. add the dates and process again, followed by the baking soda

3. in a bowl, pour hot water over coconut oil to melt

4. add the apple cider vinegar

5. add the shredded coconut, flax meal and chia seeds

6. add the sea salt and vanilla bean

7. add the eggs, and mix well

8. add the mixture of ground dates and seeds and baking soda, and mix well

9. scoop into 24 prepared muffin cups and bake at 345 for 35 minutes

lemon coconut milk ice cream -- dairy free and delicious

There are two advantages to making a lemon ice cream with coconut milk. One is that those who are intolerant of dairy can still enjoy it. the other is that the lemon juice won't make the coconut milk curdle. Win win!! And this ice cream was definitely a win.

ingredients

2 cans coconut milk (total 800 ml)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup honey
generous pinch of salt
black pepper

lemon zest from one lemon

this will make just over 1 L of ice cream


directions:

1. combine the above ingredients. I use an immersion blender
2. chill
3. freeze in your ice cream freezer according to the manufacturers

Lemon Date Squares -- the whole foods, lemony, vegan, delicious, low sugar version.

Well, I was trying to figure out what would make an elegant dessert for mother's day.  One that would make all the moms happy. Chocolate cake? Too heavy for lunch. Coffee cake? Too prosaic. Well, inspired by an article in the Globe and Mail of all places, I came up with this lemony date square, to be served with lemon coconut milk ice cream.  Yes, I am amazing. Bow down. Just kidding. But this simple and elegant dessert rocks. Seriously. But only if you like date squares. Which we do.

ingredients:


date filling:

2½ cups honey dates, pitted and chopped
2 cup water
¼ cup lemon juice
1 tbsp ground  vanilla
pinch sea salt
a little black pepper

ingredients:

crust:

1 cup shredded coconut

2 cups almond flour

1 tsp ceylon cinnamon

1/2 tsp sea salt
(hey if you're like me and you are a fiend for black pepper you can add some to this too)
1 tsp ground vanilla

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil

1/4 cup coconut sugar

2 tbsp lemon juice

directions:

crust:

1. combine the ingredients for the crust. Use a fork. Add the liquid last after everything else has been successfully mixed together

2. in a greased glass 8 x 11 pan: line with parchment and firmly press 2/3 - 3/4 of the mixture, reserving 1/4 - 1/3 as topping

directions:

date filling:

1. combine the chopped dates, lemon juice, vanilla, sea salt, black pepper and water in a pot and simmer for 5 minutes or until the dates are nice and soft and melty.

directions:

combining the two:

preheat the oven to 300

2. evenly spread the date mixture onto the pressed in crust from above

3. sprinkle the date mixture with the crumbly remains of the crust ingredients

4. bake at 300 for 60 minutes

parchment lined and greased 2L baking dish

the crust pressed in

date filling spread on the crust

remaining crust ingredients crumbled on top

after baking

plated with lemon coconut milk ice cream

Sauteed Baby King Mushrooms

Thin strips of baby king mushrooms sauteed with a little sea salt and chili powder are a perfectly elegant accompaniment to our mother's day lunch. So good. One of the faves of the day, and one of my sister's and my all time favourites.

ingredients:

260 g package of baby king mushrooms (Enviro-mushrooms from Burlington rock), cut into strips
extra virgin coconut oil
sea salt
chili powder


directions:

1. saute the mushroom strips in coconut oil with sea salt and chili powder until done.
2. ENJOY

Mother's day vegetable salad

I like a light salad of sliced and chopped vegetables. I kept the dressing very simple with a dash of lemon juice, a sprinkle of sea salt, and a quick grind of black pepper. Bedded on a few leaves of baby spinach, this little salad added a refreshing counter point to the savoury dishes of our luncheon.

ingredients:

2 medium carrots, finely sliced into rounds
a few handfuls of grape tomatoes, quartered
3 stalks of celery hearts, finely sliced
2 small avocadoes, diced
a few handfuls of baby spinach, cut into ribbons
a baby cucumber

sea salt
black pepper
lime juice


directions:

1. combine all the vegetables in a bowl
2. dress with lime juice, sea salt, and black pepper to taste

Mother's day Lunch Socca

Socca has long been one of our favourite accompanists, and today it did not disappoint in it's role in our lunch. Simple to make, and always delicious.

ingredients:

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 1/2 cups water hot

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1/8 tsp chipotle powder

plenty of black pepper

1 cup chickpea flour

2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

directions:

1. combine the ingredients and mix with a whisk

2. pour onto a cast iron skillet and bake at 345 for 45 minutes

3. enjoy

Savoury sauteed onion Cake -- instead of apple cake, try sauteed onion

Imagine a light and fluffy cake, but instead of sweet, it's savoury. The texture of this cake is delicate, and the taste is sumptuous. Perfect for an elegant brunch or lunch.

ingredients:

2 cups warm water
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar



1/4 cup chia seeds
1/2 cup flax meal
1/4 cup hemp hearts
1 cup shredded coconut

1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp marjoram

2 cups almond flour
1/2 tsp baking soda

4 eggs

1 medium onion, chopped and sauteed in coconut oil  (allow to cool before adding if possible)

directions:

1. preheat oven to 345
2. combine the ingredients in the order listed
3. scoop batter into 24 muffin cups
4. bake at 345 for 30 minutes

egg and mushroom tarts

King mushrooms are a revelation. They are so full of deliciousness that I can't even begin to tell you about it. Words do not do them justice. Put that with sauteed onion in these little tarts of eggy goodness and you have a hit. Simple, delicious, elegant, and out of the ordinary.


ingredients:


260 g baby king mushrooms, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp chili powder

9 eggs
1 cup almond flour


directions:

1. saute the chopped mushrooms and onion in coconut oil with the sea salt and chili powder
2. when fully cooked, allow the concoction to cool
3. beat the eggs and add in the almond flour, and then beat thoroughly together
4. divide the mixture into 24 silicone muffin cups (grease 'em first)
5. cook at 345 for 25 minutes, or until they are firm

Mother's Day Luncheon

Today I made lunch for my mother, and my mother-in-law. There were other mothers in attendance -- my aunt and me, too. And then there were other v.i.p.s such as my son, my husband, my sister, and my mother-in-law's husband. So, we feasted, and it was good.

And I am grateful to be a mother, grateful for my beautiful little boy. Honoured to be the one who gets to raise him. Honoured to be the one who gets to love him. Thank you son.

Our lunch:

savoury sauteed onion cake

socca

vegetable salad

egg tarts with sauteed onion and king mushrooms

sauteed baby king mushrooms

lemon date squares with lemon coconut milk ice cream

More Breakfast Muffins -- gluten-free, peanut butter and raisin

I'm at it again. But in my defense with the breakfast muffins -- breakfast does come once a day.

ingredients:

1 cup peanut butter
2 cups hot water
4 eggs

1 tbsp ground vanilla
1 tsp ceylon cinnamon
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup whole chia seeds
1/2 cup flax meal
1/4 cup hemp hearts
1 cup shredded coconut

2 cups almond flour
1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup raisins


directions:

preheat the oven to 345

1. combine the ingredients in the order listed
2. scoop into 24 muffin cups
3. bake at 345 for 30 minutes

viking granola

Our granola has continued to evolve. This one doesn't involve chopping the nuts which means it takes less time to make. However, it's eaten only by my husband, and he doesn't mind big nuts. Little mouths might prefer smaller pieces.

ingredients:

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup hot water

1 tsp ceylon cinnamon
1 tsp ground vanilla
1/2 tsp sea salt

2 cups shredded coconut
2 cups almonds
1 cup pecans
1 cup cashews
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds

1 cup oat flakes
1 cup spelt flakes
1 cup quinoa flakes


1 cup flax meal
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup hemp hearts
2 cups raisins


directions:

1. preheat the oven to 250
2. In a small bowl or large measuring cup combine the peanut butter, coconut oil, and maple syrup and heat gently to melt by adding 1/2 cup of hot water. Stir the vanilla, sea salt, and cinnamon into this mixture.
3. in a large bowl, combine the coconut, almonds, pecans, cashews, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, oat flakes, spelt flakes, and quinoa flakes. (Do not add the flax meal, chia seeds, hemp hearts, or raisins. Those will join after baking)
4. stir in the peanut butter, maple syrup, coconut oil, and water mixture and mix very very well.
5. spread the concoction onto 2 lined baking sheets, and bake at 250 for 2 hours. Leave in the oven to dry until cool.
6. when cool, pour into a bowl and add the raisins, chia seeds, hemp hearts, and raisins, and mix well.
7. store in an airtight container.

More on the Evils of Sugar

I have long been a proponent of the idea that sugar is bad for you, and try to limit my son's intake of sugar, as well as my own. And my husband's. Sorry husband.

Here is more information supporting the position that you should be careful about your sugar intake.

This video from the University of California gives some possible insight into the epidemic of obesity and obesity related ill-health that now plague us.

The Skinny on Obesity