Why Almond Milk?

I am so deeply saddened that we think we are doing the best for our families, but in reality the information we learn about nutrition early on is never challenged or questioned. Please watch this video on cow's milk, and then you will understand why our family opts to drink almond milk instead.





This is a wonderful demonstration on how to make almond milk. It may take a little while for your family's taste buds to change because the almond milk lacks the heavy fat of cow's milk. You can ease the transition by first using it in cereals, smoothies, etc. before offering the almond milk as a beverage. We rarely drink it straight because we want our children to have enough plain water each day to help hydrate and cleanse their systems.





Something to think about :o).

C.

Potato Leek Soup

Seeing that the weather is getting rather chilly, I thought I would post a very fast, easy, low cost and yummy soup that only has a few ingredients. Potato leek soup has the potential to be spicy if the leeks are strong, so if you have children and spicy leeks...use more potatoes and less leeks :o).

3 Tbsp. butter or oil
3 large leeks (or 5 smaller ones)
2 1/2 or 3 cups potatoes of your choice
4 cups veggie broth
salt to taste
nutmeg all to taste
cayenne pepper (optional)


Wash the leeks out thoroughly, by trimming off the ends and slicing the leek lengthwise only half way through. This will allow you to rinse the layers of the leek without it falling apart. Once you have all the leeks clean, slice them into 1/4 inch "disks."

In a large pot, saute the leeks in the butter or oil until limp. This is a lot of leeks, don't worry they will cook down. While to leeks are cooking, wash and chop the potatoes into smallish cubes; if you want a soup that does not have brown "flecks" in it, peel the potatoes before chopping. After the leeks are limp, add the potatoes and vegetable broth. Increase the heat and cook until the potatoes can be mashed against the side of the pot with a little bit of effort.

Let it cool for a little bit, and then puree it in the blender until smooth. I prefer to have a few chunks of potatoes still intact for texture. The volume of soup will take several blenders full, so either have a big bowl ready or another pot in which to pour the pureed soup into.

Once the soup is pureed, turn the heat to low and add salt and nutmeg to taste. If you add too much nutmeg your soup will turn bitter...so add slowly. If you and your family like to spice things up add cayenne to give it a bit more "zip."

This soup is wonderful with rolls to dip in the soup along with a salad or a sandwich on the side. From start to finish this soup takes me about 25 minutes to prepare, and while the soup is simmering I finish the side items for a complete meal.

This will make about 6-8 adult servings.

Enjoy and stay warm out there :o)

C.

A Birthday Cake

Since it was my husband's birthday yesterday, the children and I decided to make him a raw strawberry cake :o). It was so sweet and filling without the sugar or guilt :o). We had the rest this morning for breakfast along with our favorite raw shakes.




The recipe below originated from the book, Eating without Heating by Sergei & Valya Boutenko. Wonderful resource.




STRAWBERRY CAKE


Topping (or frosting)

1 C. fresh or frozen strawberries (if frozen use no sugar added fruit)
1 C. cashews
1 C. olive oil
5 Tbsp. honey
juice from one medium lemon
1 tsp. vanilla

Put the nuts in the blender and whiz until they are broken up into little pieces. Next add the rest of the frosting ingredients and blend until smooth. Add small amounts of water if it is too thick for your motor. (remember pulse is your best friend :o). When finished place in the freezer until needed to solidify the nuts and oil for a frosting consistency.


Crust

2 C. ground almonds (place in a blender and whiz until ground)
1 C. shredded coconut
3 Tbsp. olive oil (extra virgin cold pressed)
3 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. cinamon
1 tsp vanilla

Combine all the crust ingredients and mix well (your hands work best). Then separate "dough" into three balls and form the first layer of the cake on a plate. Take the "frosting" out of the freezer and spread a thin layer on the top of the cake layer. Form the next cake layer off to the side and then gently place it on the cake. Repeat until the cake has all of its layers; then frost like a regular cake.

If the frosting gets too runny, just put it back in the freezer until it gets more solid.

Refrigerate the cake immediately until you are ready to serve. Makes an 8 inch cake that yielded 12 slices.

Enjoy :o).

Favorite Raw Morning Shake

This is by far our family's favorite shake. No matter what time of day everyone enjoys this. It reminds me of a virgin strawberry daiquiri...tart and sweet, wonderful.


5 medium size oranges
1 Tbsp. tahini (Arrowhead Mills brand has the highest nutrient content that I have found)
1 Tbsp. agave nectar
3 cups or so frozen organic strawberries (or frozen strawberries without the sugar, corn syrup, etc.)

Juice the oranges and put liquid into blender. Add tahini and agave nectar. Put just enough strawberries so that they reach the bottom of the blender and stick out above the juice. Blend until smooth. So delicious and filling.

Serves 2-4 (depending on how tall the glass :o).

C.

Banana Muffins

This recipe also comes out of UPRISINGS baking book, but this is the revised 1990 edition. It is still the same in content, meaning whole foods in origin and no refined sugars or processed food ingredients. Some of the bakeries in this edition are different with new recipes and some are duplicated from the previous edition. I love owning both editions of UPRISINGS well worth the investment.


2 1/2 ripe bananas
1 egg
2 Tbsp. honey
1/3 cup oil (I prefer coconut)
1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
handful or more walnuts broken into small pieces (optional)

Mash the bananas. Add beaten egg, honey, oil, and vanilla and mix well.

In another bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and cloves.

Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients and pour in the liquids. Stir just enough to combine everything. If you stir too much the will not rise.

Spoon into oiled muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins.

My modifications include:

1. changing the original recipe from 1/4 tsp. nutmeg to 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/4 tsp cloves.
   
2. adding walnuts...yum!
   

Egg Substitute

This egg substitute will work in lieu of any quantity of eggs in flour based cookies, quick bread recipes, pancakes. waffles, etc. It will not work in items such as pumpkin pie or custards. I use this for all my baking as flax seeds are full of omega fatty acids, have no cholesterol, will clean out the colon, and are much more cost effective than eggs especially if you bake muffins daily as we do.

1/3 cup flax seeds (golden or brown)
1 cup water

Place flax seeds in blender and whiz until the seeds are broken up a bit. Next pour in the water and blend until the mixture has the consistency of a beaten egg.

BLEND THIS JUST BEFORE YOU ADD IT TO THE BATTER. If left standing too long, it will stiffen up too much.

1/4 cup of this mixture equals one egg.

ENJOY!

C.

Blueberry Coconut Muffins

Here is a recipe taken from one of my all time favorite baking books: UPRISINGS (1986 edition). Unfortunately it is no longer in print, but I have found several copies on ebay and Amazon used book sales. This baking book is a co-operative effort from many whole food bakeries across America who shared their recipes. There are no refined sugars or processed food ingredients in this book, only wholesome baked treats to enjoy :o).


3/4 cup safflower (or coconut) oil
3/4 cup honey
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp lemon rind
3 tsp. vanilla

4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/8 cups shredded coconut
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or defrosted

Blend wet ingredients together with a whisk or beat well with a wooden spoon.

Mix together the flour, coconut and baking powder. Blend into wet ingredients. Lightly stir in the blueberries.

The batter will be thick (like cookie dough)-this makes a delicious muffin. You can add milk or water, however, if you desire a runnier batter.

Spoon batter into greased muffin pans and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Makes 18 muffins.

If you are using coconut oil make sure your berries are defrosted because the coconut oil will solidify when the berries cool the batter down. This will result in a very dense muffin (speaking from experience here).


I hope you enjoy these gems as much as we do :o) , C.