Organic Granny

This gluten-free chocolate cake recipe is an adaptation* of a recipe that also claims to be low allergenic.  It does not contain the common allergens: eggs, dairy, wheat, peanuts, or tree nuts-- other allergens that are known about could be substituted. An example isthe soymilk.  Oat or hemp seed milk are possible substitutes that could be used.  For people sensitive to xanthan gum, psyllium husk powder might be a good substitute. This is written for making 1 9" round or square cake.  If there is a desire for a larger sheet cake or a layer cake, just multiply each quantity of ingredient by 3  for a 3 layer cake  or by 2 for an 18" sheet pan Preheat the oven to 350 degreesF/177•C. I used a round 9" silicone pan that requires no preparation. For prep otherwise, grease pan and sprinkle on some flour or line pan bottom and sides with parchment paper INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 cups All-Purpose GF flour 1 cup sugar 3 tablespoons plain cocoa or cacao 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons

  Here's another recipe prepared the "raw vegan" way using the recipe for  Buckwheat Crispies  .  This is particularly soothing for kids who miss having their traditional gluten-laden breakfast cereals... Buckwheat crispies are a good source of fibre, manganese, tryptophan, and magnesium. Ingredients: 2 Cups of  Buckwheat Crispies 3 C. Sliced  Strawberries 1 1/2 C. your favourite gluten-free  Mylk  (I used  So Delicious  Coconut Milk-- yum!) 1 Sliced Ripe  Banana Put 2 C. of strawberries in the food processor or blender, and add the Milk.   Blend until pink and creamy (and soooooo fragrant, like summer!) Divide the buckwheat crispies into 4 bowls (1/2 C. each) Pour the Strawberry Mylk over each bowl Top with sliced strawberries and bananas  (and anything else wanted: dried fruit, hemp nuts, other fresh fruit) Enjoy!

Nice to have you here to do a little craft with recycled materials that you likely have around you somewhere.  If you missed the craft from yesterday, you can   check it out HERE DECEMBER 12, 2021 .  A couple of years my husband and I met his cousins at Church.  They are from another city and have a "beach house" in our community.  Like my husband, they grew up in Evangelical Lutheran households-- GERMAN Evangelical Lutheran households.   It was the first day of Advent-- "the Coming of the King of Kings." The Pastor -- seemed like a priest to me-- in vestments, carrying the whole service by himself except for some help at Communion Time and the ladies crewing in the basement with coffee afterwards-- announced that the small fir tree in the Church yard that they had marked to be used this year as a Christmas tree, had been cut down and taken off.  Grinchy thieves.  Last night, apparently. So, today's craft has to do with  wood  in honour of the stolen tree.   Tre

It is Christmas season, of course, so please forgive my divergence from strictly "healthy" fare... one could argue that I have used high anti- oxidants (raw cacao powder), enzyme-dense sweetening (raw honey), and organic extra virgin coconut oil (among all the other organic ingredients) and therefore, this is a healthy little morsel-- but we both know that that is stretching it a bit!  But it is DELICIOUS and I am guessing that it is healthier than the non-vegan version, and definitely there is no gluten in this recipe.  Scroll down for the history of the Nanaimo bar.  Enjoy, and Merry Christmas! I used a recipe for raw Nanaimo bars found at the (former) RawBC site, but I like raw honey better than agave, and I didn't have almonds, so used walnuts.  I soaked both the Macadamia nuts and the Walnuts.  The base layer is my least favourite, maybe because I am not particularly fond of Macadamia nuts?  If I were to do it over, I would use all almonds for the base, and I am conv

  Yes, yes, yes... I am a beaner (mostly vegan, lovin' legumes) and I also love the cocoa bean-- soooooo.... when I ran across a recipe for "cookie dough dip" made with garbanzo beans AND chocolate chips... well, you know, I just had to give it a go.    And it turns out, it is delisssssshhh.  Yum yum yum yum.Now, notching incongruous innovation up just a bit, have you ever imagined what dipping cookie dough with a potato chip might be like?  Yeah, well, so did I. And I found the perfect light, but vaguely-reminiscent-of-wafer potato chip-- Kettle Bakes in the very simple but elegant SEA SALT (plus sliced potato and sunflower oil) flavour. Not sure where these potato bakes can be purchased now. Into your food processor (one that will really do the job of creaming this cookie dough, such as a Cuisinart) put: INGREDiENTS *1 1/2 C. (250 g) canned  Garbanzo Beans  / Chick Peas (well-rinsed) *1/4 C.  Almond Butter  (I used Maranatha Raw Almond Butter) *2 tsp.  Vanilla  (I used

  Carrot-Spice Gluten-free Vegan Cookies Anyone fearful of missing out on Christmas baking because of gluten-sensitivity or CD is really in luck this year-- the internet is teeming with recipes for delicious gluten-free treats. As far as baked cookies go, this next recipe could be classified a "health cookie" (except maybe for the sugar?). Once your mouth gets over the fact that it is not your standard wheat molasses-type cookie, your taste buds say, "al-right!" It's a cookie of substance! 1 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) 1 cup shredded carrots 1 cup raisins or dried cranberries 1 egg substitute (mix 1 T. of ground  flaxseed with 3 T. of water until creamy) 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (an apple+ in the Vitamix and whirl) 2 tablespoons molasses 1 teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla 2 1/2 C. brown rice flour 1/2 teaspoon of each of the following: cinnamon, ginger, coriander (ground) 1/2 teaspoon baking powder Christmas cards from Etsy--

  In today's gluten-free, plant-based variation of conventional banana loaf --"psylly-banana-raisin-walnut" loaf-- I use psyllium seed as a binder, and 1/2 cup of millet flour in place of the original recope's quinoa flour.  Psyllium husk is a great Replacer for the egg .  And as a source of healing for the gut, psyllium is a good starting ingredient for people with gluten-intolerance.  It can help reduce the symptoms of both constipation and diarrhea.   But when you are taking in psyllium, it is important to also take in sufficient fluids: milled psyllium husk has the potential to attract around 10X its weight in water and expands in a like proportion, so as with any dietary fibre, be sure to drink lots of water during the day (although not necessarily at the time you are eating).   Psyllium also does not have any pronounced flavour, which is a real bonus I think.  One simple gluten-free recipe that I have come across that uses psyllium is this video recipe for Ameri

  Are you looking for a way to use up all that carrot pulp (besides composting) that comes as a result of juicing? Here is a delightful recipe for a soft gliten-free cookie/muffin top that is sweet and piquant and pretty healthy (as cookies go).   BEWARE: You must do the Flax Seed Egg Replacer about an hour in advance of the rest of the recipe. Ingredients: 3 C. organic Carrot Pulp      3 C. organic Quick Oats/Oat Flour Mix (I just throw the Oatmeal in the Vitamix) (I have also used part Quinoa flour-- also whirred up in my Vitamix )  1 T. Arrowroot Powder 2 tsp. Celtic Sea Salt 1  1/2 C. organic Cane Sugar (or similar sweetener) 2 tsp. Baking Soda 1 T. Cinnamon and or Pumpkin Spice 1 C. organic Thompson Raisins 1/2 bag frozen Cranberries 3 C. Mashed Bananas AND oil to top up (such as Olive Oil) OR Aquafaba 6 T. Flaxseed Egg-Replacer (*See recipe below) The Recipe: Flaxseed Egg-Substitute 1/2 cup flaxseed 1 1/2 cup water Directions: Grind flaxseed to a fine powder in an electric coffe

  When you make these delicious gluten-free oat-buckwheat cookies  you wiĺl need to use a light and fluffy buckwheat flour made from dehydrated buckwheat crispies .  Make your own crispies-- easy peas y or buy puffed buckwheat from a health store or Amazon . For this cookie recipe, Step 2 is to grind up the crispies in a coffee bean grinder into a fine flour (you can actually grind the dehydrated groats in your high speed blender into a flour as well if you don't want to soak and dehydrate your buckwheat).  These make a fine, sweet, substantial, fairly soft cookie.  If I'd had any GF chocolate chips around, I would have added them! Preheat oven to 350F. Put the following into a Food Processor: *1/2 C.  Virgin Coconut Oil  (doesn't have to be melted) *1 C. Granulated  Sweetener (I used a combination of Palm Sugar & Stevia) *1  Vegan Egg  (1 T. Flax seed, ground, and mixed into 3 T. warm water) *1 tsp.  Vanilla *1 C.  Buckwheat Crispie  "Flour"  (Crispies groun

I am very grateful to have a bounty of berries and other fruit to store away for winter meals. I must admit that these apples (above) are not a big thrill. They mature early-- in the July heatwave-- and are a fave with the tent-butterflies, wasps, bunnies, deer and crows. I also hear they attract bears. The fruit goes punky on the tree and falls off.  BUT if I take them in and process them (as in juice for breakfast, apple chunks in freezer bags and canned apple butter) we surely enjoy the results and soon overlook the minor hardships.   This recipe for apple butter is tasty and healthy-- I didn't add any sweetener just 3 teaspoons of cinnamon and a 1/2 teaspoon of ginger powder. Use it in oatmeal, vegan yogurt, on muffins, toast and bagels. Yummy and smooth as silk.   Ingredients :   Apples (however many you need to fill your crockpot or Instant Pot.  I filled a pint-sized mason jar (2 cups) and had enough for a small fridge storage bowl and some sample butter for the yogurt

  Blue Heaven Frozen Pie We are soooo blessed in having a bounty of organic blueberries growing on a U-Pick farm just a short drive from us. Last night we dropped in and picked 12 pounds of the yummies. Before they go into the freezer I thought it would be nice to make us a pie. The following is an adaptation of a recipe by Rhonda J. Malkmus who originates most of the recipes on the " Hallelujah Acres " site. This is a nutritious treat (if you don't have allergies to nuts, that is)with just a little sweetener (raw honey and dates) and a smidge of salt,  no  dairy, eggs or gluten. Refreshing and delicious! Ingredients: The Raw Crust: 1 cup Sunflower Seeds 1 cup Walnuts 1 cup Dates ¼ tsp. vanilla teaspoon Celtic Sea Salt Blueberry-Banana Pie Filling 5 cups Blueberries 2 Bananas ¼ cup Virgin Coconut Oil (solid not liquid) ¼ cup Raw Honey Directions Pie Crust Recipe Directions In food processor using “S” blade, process sunflower seeds, walnuts, vanilla and salt until pea size

Before I was 55, I perhaps  had heard of  arugula  (I recall once watching a video where it was mentioned by the urban farmers, the Dervaes family) and believe that I had even tasted it (my husband says so, and that "we" didn't like it).   This weedy-looking little green re-emerged in our lives when I enrolled in the 28-day Raw Cleanse over at Penni Shelton's  Raw Food Rehab  and started faithfully following some of the recipes in Penni's book,  Raw Food Cleanse .    My husband brought home the groceries for the recipes and when I went to make the fake-V8 (oh, so much much much tastier than the real-V8) I popped  the 'handful' of arugula into the vitamix that the recipe called for. And the first taste was one one those forehead-wrinkling-nostril-flaring-kitty-tonguing  (you know, nik,nik,nik licks that kitties make in the cream bowl) attempt to identify the very pleasant, but unname-able flavour in the glass.  And we are old hands at identifying ingredien

This is as "healthy" as anything with chocolate is going to get (while still maintaining its high chocolate integrity)!   This chocolate chia-zz cake cake doesn't contain dairy, eggs, gluten, or processed sugars!  It has that rich dark chocolate flavour that sometimes gets masked in cheese cake by the dairy component, and sometimes in the raw vegan cheesecakes it gets side-tracked with whatever sweeteners are used (i.e., dates, agave, raw honey).  It is more like "high raw" in the way that I have made it because I had some left-over organic coconut milk in the fridge that called out to me just before I made my almond milk from scratch.  But you can be virtuously 100% raw with this recipe and it is still a smash hit! Get out  a 6" or 9"  springform pan  (DON'T grease it).   I used both a  Vitamix  and a  Food Processor , but I bet you can get away with just using the Vita-Mix for the whole thing-- I'm just kind of smitten with my nice Cuisinart

  I was chafing at the  at the bit to make this raw vegan pizza as we drove home from a Camp Meeting on a Sunday night several years ago.  At this time in my life I had been making up a variety of raw/living ‘recipes,'any based on my previous non-raw favorite recipes.   At Camp there had been salads and raw fruit and veggies with most meals, but that was pretty much it for “raw” and the salads were cafeteria salads… there probably wasn’t anything organic or the sort of fresh that I grew for the two of us out of our small garden plot. The following recipe is a fabulous Pizza recipe that can be found in Paul Nison’s book  Health According To The Scriptures . It is actually the size of a cooked pizza that my husband and I used to demolish in one sitting, no problem, but the one here is so hearty, so full of flavour and textural variety and fiber, that it truly does feed up to eight people who are committed to getting lots of nutrition from smaller quantities. RAVE FOR THE CRUST:  If y

The following “raw” flax crackers (they are dehydrated at 115 degrees F. over a lengthy period of time…. until you think they are crisp or chewy enough for you…18-24 hours)  have 6 cloves of organic garlic in them. You can vary that, as you can all the additions to the basic flax seeds. Yeah, I like garlic. I like garlic a lot.  I like its astringent pinnng and its heady fragrance. It’s also very good for you because of the natural antibiotic effects of its constituents. So, start by soaking in filtered water, for 12 hours: 4 Cups of organic  Flaxseed  in a Large Mixing Bowl 1 Cup of natural, raw  Almonds  in another bowl After you have done this, then drain the almonds and spin them up in the Vitamix along with the following: 2 large, juicy, ripe, organic  Tomatoes 3 stocks of organic  Celery 6 cloves of organic  Garlic 3 medium organic  Carrots 1 small organic  Zucchini 2 T.  dried Italian herbs OR handfuls of fresh herbs such as Rosemary, Basil, Oregano, Chives, Parsley , etc. (to t

This quacamole is another one of my garlicky recipes.  You might want to adjust it a little to suit your tastes and circumstances! Combine together in a large bowl: 4 ripe chopped (or mashed)  Avocado 6 fresh-grated organic  Garlic  cloves 1/2 organic  Sweet Red Pepper , chopped fine 1 large ripe-ripe organic  Tomato , chopped 1/2 thumb-size organic  Ginger root piece , grated Celtic Sea Salt  or natural Dulce Flakes, to taste The power is in the  fresh grated garlic …. use as much as you like (or dare). If the person you are chatting with across the table is also eating this, neither of you will find the other offensive..hehehe. Tip for keeping the Guacamole Green …. slip a pit from one of the avocados in with the guacamole– remove at serving time. Goes great with dehydrated flax crackers or corn chips, etc. Eat in tandem with  Mango Salsa  and other luscious fruity summer dishes. To your living health! *image from pixabay Please note that I am an affiliate for many of the products an