sauerkraut again ...

1 savoy cabbage
3 carrots

1 tbsp sea salt

ratio of veggies to salt -- 2 lbs to 1 1/2 tbps


directions:

1. grate the carrots
2. finely slice and chop the cabbage
3. massage the veggies with the salt
4. pack it all in and weight it down (I used rocks) so it submerges below the level of the briny juice
5. let it sit on the counter for a week or two, skim off any foam that appears
6. when the veggies have fermented to your liking, put a lid on it and stick it in the fridge.

The verdict? Good. I like it. My son looooves the purple sauerkraut. I think a savoy kraut sans carrot would be a great choice next time.

Warrior Shape Cookies -- the school version

These are  good for school, and are a simple and not too sweet cookie for kids little and big. The remind me ever so slightly of graham wafers, but their hit is more nutty. Nice with tea. Good for vegans and primal pale primitives as well. Evolved or not, you'll like 'em.

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup coconut nectar
1/4 cup coconut sugar

1 tbsp ground vanilla
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp orange extract
1 tbsp ceylon cinnamon
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda


1/4 cup ground chia seeds
1/2 cup shredded coconut, finely ground
1 cup sunflower seeds, finely ground
1/4 cup ground hemp seeds

1/2 cup coconut flour


combine, chill, roll out, bake at 345 for 12 minutes

Jumping on the kale chip bandwagon

1 bunch green kale, washed and torn, middle rib removed

 2 tbsp ground raw cashews


sea salt
nutritional yeast
chili powder


directions:
1. combine torn damp kale with finely powdered raw cashews, sea salt, chill powder, nutritional yeast
2. lay it out on the racks of your dehydrator
3. dehydrate and enjoy!!!

Herbed Shortbread V 4 -- a gluten free, vegan snack

My son likes to pretend he's a puppy. He calls these his doggy-biscuits. He thinks they are an awesome treat. That's good news for me. The good news for you is they are easy to make. They are not really shortbread, obviously, but they have that sort of short mouth feel to me -- a little sandy and very rich. Depending on what herbs you use, you can tweak the flavour. My son is fond of the oregano and marjoram.

1 cup water
1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp sea salt
black pepper

1/4 cup ground chia seeds
(1/4 cup ground natural sesame seeds)
2 cups almond flour
3 tbsp oregano
2 tbsp marjoram

1 cup ground raw cashews

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup coconut flour


1. combine the ingredients in the order listed
2. roll out onto a baking sheet and score
3. bake at 345 for 60 minutes followed by 200 for 60 minutes and then leave in the oven and turn off the heat until the oven cools

Sweet Shortbread V 4.0 -- a gluten free, vegan, grain free, sugar free cookie

Sweetened with a little stevia, these are a high protein treat. They have the sort of sandy and rich mouth feel I associate with shortbread, but they are really good for you. Vegan, gluten free, sugar free, grain free. Perfect.

1 cup hot water
1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp stevia powder



1 tbsp ground vanilla

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup ground chia seeds

2 cups almond flour
1 cup ground raw cashews

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup coconut flour


combine the ingredients:
bake at 345 for 40 minutes, then let sit in the oven once you turn it off for one more hour.

1. combine the ingredients in the order listed
2. roll out onto a baking sheet and score
3. bake at 345 for 60 minutes followed by 200 for 60 minutes and then leave in the oven and turn off the heat until the oven cools

I won!!! I won!!!! -- EVERYONE loves chocolate energy bars

Upaya Naturals Contest Winners


For a couple of years I have been making various versions of energy squares -- nutritionally dense combinations of raw ingredients that make perfectly snackable and awesomely delicious results.

The combination of such things as dates, raw nuts, and raw cacao means there's nothing in there a little kid shouldn't eat, and he's getting all kinds of good stuff to fuel his body and his brain.

One of my favourite online sources for high quality ingredients is upayanaturals.com, which is based out of Barrie, but has a local pick up in Toronto. They carry almost exclusively organic raw and natural ingredients such as raw almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpin seeds etc at truly excellent prices. Every month Upaya Naturals holds a contest to create a raw vegan recipe using ingredients they sell. When the ingredient was Raw Cacao, I decided to submit Zephyr's Favourite Energy Bars. And guess what? I won!! If you haven't tried these goodies, please check 'em out. My own favourite energy bars are the fruity superfood ones with goji berries and golden berries, but if you are a chocolate lover, the other ones may be your cup of tea. Ooh, and the chocolate peanut butter ones. Oh, and the chocolate and peppermint or chocolate and orange ones ... oh boy!! At any rate, I now have a shiny gift-certificate to spend on more ingredients, which will definitely lead to more recipes .... so, prepare to be annoyed.


Zephyr's Favourite Chocolate Energy Bars

Chocolate Energy Bars for School

Fruity Superfood Energy Bars

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Energy Bars

Superfood Energy Bars for School

Cashew Spinach Ricotta -- vegan, raw, gluten free

1 1/2 cups cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours, drained.
300 g package frozen chopped spinach
1 tsp sea salt
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp nutmeg
black pepper
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar


combine in food processor and process until smooth

Gluten Free, Vegan Pizza Roll

Soooooo my brother and his girlfriend were coming to dinner, along with my sister and my mother, so pizza was in order. I thought it would be fun to riff on pizza but go with vegan, gluten free, grain free, and super yummy. This hit it out of the park. I will definitely be making this again. With a dough made of tomato sauce, almond flour and coconut meal, and a filling made of spinach and cashew with some lovingly sauteed onion for good measure, the flavours are fantastic. Easy to make, and pretty to serve.

ingredients:

dough:

1 1/4 cup tomato sauce puree

1 tsp sea salt

black pepper 

1/4 cup ground flax seeds

1/4 cup ground chia seeds

2 cups almond flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

4 tbsp coconut flour

filling:

cashew vegan ricotta and spinach dip

1 1/2 cups cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours, drained.
300 g package frozen chopped spinach
1 tsp sea salt
3 tbsp nutritional yeast (2 tbsp)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
black pepper
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (1 tbsp)

directions:
puree in the food processor until homogeneous and creamy

sauteed onion:

2 onions sauteed in coconut oil with a pinch of sea salt


directions:
1. roll the dough flat
2. spread with spinach dip
3. sprinkle with sauteed onion
4. roll up
5. bake for 60 minutes
6. let cool for a few minutes then cut and serve


and it's fabulous the next day.

Pizza -- so good!!!

dough

ingredients:

1 cup  warm water

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp yeast

1 tbsp oregano

2 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 cup almond meal

1/4 cup ground chia seeds
1/2 cup quinoa flakes

1 1/4 cup kamut flour
1 1/4 cup spelt flour

(makes enough for 2 very large, thin crust pizzas or for a bunch of little pizzas)

directions:

1. combine water with honey (should be ‘bath’ temperature)

2. add yeast, stir, and let sit.

3. Combine other ingredients in a bowl (or in your mixer -- I use my mixer to make all doughs. but it's completely doable by hand, especially because of the short kneading time)

4. Add proofed yeast mixture and stir to combine and form into dough

5. Knead dough for a couple of minutes (only). Add as much kamut flour as you need to for correct dough consistency. Dough should be soft but not really sticky.

6. Make a dough ball, coat in olive oil, put in bowl, cover with a piece of parchment and a damp tea towel, and allow to rise.

When it comes time to make the pizza:

preheat the oven to 345

1. divide the dough into small portions

2. roll each portion on a piece of parchment until thin

3. cover each with tomato sauce (I reduced our usual sauce until it was super rich and thick)

4. cover the sauce with a mixture of grated mozzarella and parmesan

5. cover the cheese with sauteed onions and slice tomatoes or whatever else you fancy

6. bake at 345 for 30 minutes or until the cheese is getting golden and so is the crust

7. :)

Sauteed Vegetables to go with Pizza

2 tbsp coconut oil
1 onion sauteed

1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered, sauteed
2 leaves purple cabbage, chopped

4 tbsp black olives, pitted and cut up (I used those delicious wrinkled black ones)

2 small zucchinis, halved and sliced, sauteed
1 stalk broccoli, sauteed
2 tbsp black olives, pitted and cut up

sea salt and black pepper to taste



super awesome delicious

Spice School Muffins ....

2 cups warm water
1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
1/2 cup coconut sugar

1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp ground vanilla bean
2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup ground flax
1/2 cup hemp hearts

1 cup ground pumpkin seeds
1 cup ground sunflower seeds


4 eggs
1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup thompson raisins (organic)

bake at 345 for 40 minutes

shortbread v 3.0

1 cup hot water
1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp stevia powder


1 tbsp ground vanilla
1 tsp ceylon cinnamon

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup ground chia seeds
2 cups almond flour
1 cup ground raw cashews

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup coconut flour


combine the ingredients:
bake at 345 for 40 minutes, then let sit in the oven once you turn it off for one more hour.

1. combine the ingredients in the order listed
2. roll out onto a baking sheet and score
3. bake at 345 for 60 minutes followed by 200 for 60 minutes and then leave in the oven and turn off the heat until the oven cools

Savoury Shortbread V 3.0

1 cup water
1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp sea salt
black pepper

1/4 cup ground chia seeds
2 cups almond flour
3 tbsp oregano
1/2 tsp chili powder

1 cup ground raw cashews

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup coconut flour


1. combine the ingredients in the order listed
2. roll out onto a baking sheet and score
3. bake at 345 for 60 minutes followed by 200 for 60 minutes and then leave in the oven and turn off the heat until the oven cools