A Healthy Fix For Your Sweet Tooffff: Banana Oatmeal Raisin Cookies or Scones

These kind of taste like oatmeal raisin cookies, only with the added wholesome sweetness of bananas, dates, and a touch of maple syrup helping us eliminate the flour, refined sugar, and butter. Another healthy sweet toof recipe??? YUP! Takes under 10 minutes to make your dough...dehydrating times vary, though mine took about 4 hours.

Cookie Dough:

2 medium (perfectly ripe) bananas
4 medjool dates (pitted)
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp coconut oil (extra virgin/cold pressed)
1/3 cup raw cashews
1/2 plus 1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
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ALSO:
2 cups gluten free raw rolled oats
AND 1/2 cup raisins

**you'll need a food processor (or high speed blender) and a dehydrator

Process:

Use your food processor (or blender) to combine all ingredients above the line (everything except for the oats and raisins).
Transfer to a bowl and mix in the oats well.
Add the raisins, continuing to stir them in.

Making Cookies or Scones:

When you form your cookies, use a spoon to scoop a small amount into your palm, squeeze tightly and roll between palms and get it to form a tight ball. Then press down with palms to form a round patty for cookies, or manipulate the patty to a triangle shape if you'd like to serve it as a scone. Place them on your dehydrator racks at 110 degrees for about 4 hours (flipping after the first two hours, or alternately set the dehydrator even lower, 104 degrees, and allow for more drying time).

These scones may look like they'd be dry as they are oat based, but i promise you when you bite in you'll experience all the moistness that the bananas offer. Everyone loves these right out of the dehydrator while they are still warm.

The Bee Keepers Muesli: A Honey Toasted Fruit & Oat Cereal

It seems i always have random nuts, seeds, and dried fruits around the house from trail mixes i've made, recipes i've executed, and snacks that never got fully consumed. So what to do with all these tiny bags in the pantry wrecking havoc on my organization??? How about making a muesli/granola? You don't need an exact recipe, though you are welcome to follow the one i'm supplying. It's a great way to use up all your leftover nuts, seeds, and dried fruits. It'll keep in an airtight container for some time and it'll perk up your morning yogurt parfait, fruit bowl, or is great on it's own with a little soy milk or milk choice of your preference. Here's an easy to make, all organic, simple, tasty, and wholesome granola/muesli recipe to keep you and yours grinning ear to ear. (added bonus...it makes the house smell warm and sweet when it's in the oven!) Prep the oven by turning it to 300 degrees...and let's look in the cabinet and see what we have to work with. Feel free to add your creativity!

Muesli/Granola Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups rolled oats (optionally use bob red mill's gluten free organic)
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup raw sliced almonds
1/4 cup raw chopped pecans or walnuts
1/4 cup dried shredded coconut
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
1/3 cup organic clover honey
**3/4 to 1 cup dried fruit of choice (my muesli used 1/4 cup dried blueberries, 1/4 cup dried fuji apple, 1/4 cup dried persimmon, and 1/8 cup candied ginger)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix first 8 ingredients (all dry ingredients EXCLUDING **the additional dried fruits of choice) in a medium to large mixing bowl. In a small saucepan combine the coconut oil and clover honey. Set saucepan over low heat and stir until coconut oil is completely melted into the honey. Pour the contents of saucepan over the dry mixture and stir to coat well. Lightly coat a shallow baking dish with oil (i sprayed lightly with an olive oil mister). Spread your granola/muesli mixture over the baking sheet and place in middle of oven, keeping heat at 300 degrees. Bake approximately 15 to 20 minutes or just until golden brown and lightly crispy, making sure to stir contents occasionally while baking (light browning = tasty / dark brown and burning = no good). Remove baking dish from oven and allow to cool completely. Once cooled, transfer the granola/muesli into a mixing bowl and add the remaining dried fruits of choice. Stir well and store in an airtight glass container.

Pass The Stuffin' & Sip On This: Butternut Squash Soup

Thanksgiving is the day that all Americans eat themselves silly, unbutton their pants at the table, push the chair back so they can slouch and relax, and then elect for another glass of wine, a spiced cider, and some pie. WOW. You ready for this again??? Okay, so you might be thinking...."hey, i don't do that"...and maybe that's not you, but let's face it, for many of us it is. It's a day of celebration with friends and family accompanied with a feast for our eyes and our bellies....so how do you not go overboard? And...what do you bring if you're going to a potluck??? One of the best ways to prevent yourself from eating too much is to start with a warming soup. This helps fill you up so you'll stack less on your plate. This soup also makes a great Thanksgiving lunch if dinner is not served til late. Secure the top on your pot and place on your passenger seat floor if you're headed elsewhere. It's warming and satisfying but isn't heavy, so you'll still have plenty of energy to play touch football, walk with the dog and kids, and to complete cooking your thanksgiving feast if you are indeed hosting. It's quick to make, requires only a few ingredients, and will have smiles and 'yums' sounding around the room. So here we go....Butternut Squash Soup:

What you'll need: (a blender, a non stick pan, a pot, a knife, a cutting board, a peeler and apple corer is helpful)

1 butternut squash (5 cups cubed, available pre-cut in the produce refrigerator section)
1 32 ounce box of veggie stock
1 shallot or 1/2 of a med. yellow onion, chopped
1 medium clove of garlic, chopped
2 granny smith apples (green apples) peeled/cored/chopped
Cinnamon and Garam Masala (about 1/4 tsp of each, but add more spice to your taste)
Optional: 1 cup of Plain Silk Light Soy Milk

Get Soupin':

Chop the onion, garlic, and apple. Place a few tbsps of veggie broth in the pan, enough to coat the bottom, put the heat on medium, and add in the onion, garlic, and apple. Let them cook stirring occasionally for about 10 min until all is soft and cooked through. You'll need to add a bit of veggie broth occasionally as the liquid will continually evaporate. In the pot add 3 to 3 1/2 cups veggie broth, or 2 cups veggie broth plus 1 to 1 1/2 cups filtered water. Heat on high. Add the 5 cups of cubed butternut squash and cook about 10 minutes, until butternut squash is tender and will break/cut easily. Transfer the entire contents of both the pan and pot into your blender (work in batches if you need to). Seal the lid on the blender and cover with a towel and hold the lid as you start on a low setting. Increase speed until all soup is pureed. Taste. Add more spice if you'd like and blend back in. Return your pureed soup to the pot. You can have as is, or add a cup of soy milk, stirring in until combined. If you're soup is too thick, you can thin down with additional veggie broth or water. On the other hand, if you prefer a very thick bisque, start with less liquid when cooking the squash. Fill the pot only with enough liquid to cover the squash, and then add more later if you need.

Know Where Your Food Comes From....And Not Just Which Market

In most of the seminars i lead, i talk about the importance of organic foods. How important it is to know where your food comes from, to avoid GMO's (genetically modified and genetically engineered foods), and to understand the impact these genetic modifications have on our eco systems and to our farmers. In one recent seminar i brought up these few statistics, that as simple as they are really resonated with how easy it can be to bring about change...just by taking the responsibility to buy organic:

'If 10% of Americans food choices were organic, this would eliminate pesticides from 98 million servings of drinking water PER DAY in this country.'

'Organic farming produced the same yields of corn and soybeans as conventional farming, but used 30% less energy, less water, and no toxic pesticides.'

'Organic food may cost 25% more than conventional foods, however it's been proven that it's 25% more nutrient dense than it's conventional counterpart.'

And that's only 3 reasons...just the tip of the iceberg.

If you have not already, I would HIGHLY recommend seeing Food Inc. This film is now available on DVD, and easily rentible through Netflix. It's a beautifully shot and captivatingly narrarated documentary on the industrialization of our food supply. It shows you first hand where and how our food is grown, the conditions in which it is grown, the processing plants and factories that manufacture the foods, and the conditions of the workers and farmers. It brings sight to why it would cost a bit more to buy organic, but also the importance of WHY you would choose organic. My hope is that as people see this film they will learn to better shop for foods that truly are healthy and raised humanely without genetic modifications or hormones and antibiotics, rather than just reading a marketing scheme that the manufacturer supplies that makes the food sound healthy. In seeing the impact that industrialization of agriculture has put on our farmers and our planet, my hope is that YOU, each and every individual, will make changes and better choices daily that inevitably will serve your health, the health of your children, and our ecological system.

It's always eye opening to see a well made film on such an important topic: the foods we put in our bodies daily. I am a firm believer in the concept that you are what you eat. The nature of the food you eat, the history of the food you eat, the vibrancy of the food you eat, and it's esoteric energy penetrate and vibrate in our bodies as well. MEANING quite simply, if you eat food that was raised healthy and happy, you too will be healthy and happy. HOWEVER, if you eat food treated inhumanely that lived a miserable and tragic life, you will carry that poor energy, as that is the nature of what you are eating. This is not to say that everyone should be a vegetarian. I do not claim to be a vegetarian. It simply means know where your food comes from, respect it's life, as what you are eating is now becoming a part of you.

To some that may be a little intimidated to see this film....

I will say at times it can be heart breaking to watch some of the scenes, especially if you are an animal rights activist, or perhaps have a close connection with a farmer whose been through similar situations as the film represents, however it's empowering to fully understand the process of our foods from farmer to plate. I truly would hope and encourage YOU to take the hour and a half to watch Food Inc. It will leave you with a better understanding of how to select healthier foods when you go to the market, and why you would spend the extra few bucks for grass fed, non gmo, organic, and humanely raised foods.

*statistics listed above were taken from the current (Jan 2010) issue of Dr Weil's Guide to Healthy Eating

Oh Gala, You Give Good Sauce: Updatin' & Recreatin' Grammy's Appy Sauce

Okay...so it's not Gram's recipe, but it's sooo good you would think someone's grammy made it. The best part of all is NO cooking...it's absolute instant gratification! How better to curb your sweet tooth than with a beautiful ripe and delicous gift from nature?... a shiny apple!

So i used Gala for this recipe, cuz it's what i had on hand in the kitch - however, gala season really ended in September, so you might look for a variety still in season, such as Jonathan, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Suncrisp, or Fuji (which are in season til November/December). Because of the abundance of apple trees planted everywhere we are able to get apples year round, but it's still always best to pick what's in season. That way you are getting the freshest, ripest, most nutrient dense produce available.

Since we peel the apples in this recipe, if you're feeling snacky I would recommend eating the peel as you prepare your appy sauce. The peel is where most of the insoluble fiber is located, and it also has about 4mg of the antioxidant, quercertin. Don't let those nutrients go to waste!... of course composting this peel and the core are also great options.

Grammy's Appy Sauce:

(you'll need a food processor, though i'm sure a blender would work)
makes approximately 2 cups of appy sauce

3 medium apples
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp maple syrup (Grade B recommended)
1 or 2 pinches of fine ground sea salt

Peel and core your apples. Toss them into the food processor with the cinnamon and the maple syrup. Blend together well. Taste. Add a pinch of sea salt, blend, taste. And maybe just one more, blend, and taste. Perfection! Just a pinch of sea salt always balances the sweet taste.

Update Your Porridge: Warm Up To A Bowl Of Orange Pom Amaranth

"Oatmeal again ma?"... If you're looking to update your morning hot cereal try another great grain option, organic amaranth. Not only is amaranth gluten free making it easier for many to digest, it's also rich in protein, fiber, and minerals. Great for bones as it's filled with calcium, magnesium, and iron, it's also a great source of all the amino acids, especially lysine. In this recipe I added this season's yummy pomegranate arils/seeds, which you can either get from de-seeding a pomegranate, or even easier most farmers markets and grocers now sell them in the refrigerated section in a small container. These sweet and tart little red wonders pack a powerful punch of antioxidants (possibly 3 times the amount of green tea) to help oxidation in the body that leads to cancer, tons of Vitamin C, niacin, and potassium. Also featured in this hot brekkie cereal is additional Vitamin C from a fresh squeezed orange, and our mighty omega 3's from raw walnuts. I promise this dish to be a winner with you and yours. Enjoy!

Orange Pom Amaranth:

serves 1, takes about 25min

1/4 tsp coconut oil
1/4 c. amaranth
3/4 c. water
1 medjool date, pitted
1/2 navel orange, juiced
1 tsp maple syrup
1/4 cup pomegranate arils/seeds
1/4 cup chopped raw walnuts, divide out 1 tbsp and set aside.

Melt the coconut oil in a small pot
Add the water and amaranth, stir, cover and heat over medium, allow to boil lightly
As amaranth begins to thicken, pit and chop the date, stir it into the cooking amaranth
squeeze juice out of half a navel orange, to it stir in the maple syrup
In the last few minutes of cooking add the orange juice and nuts (except for the remaining tbsp)
Allow amaranth to thicken again and absorb the orange juice, when it has thickened to the consistency you like, remove from heat.
Serve in your favorite bowl and top with the remaining walnuts and the pomegranate seeds.

Eat up!

Beat The Cold With This: Immunity Boosting Mushroom Soup

So i woke up today under the weather. Sore throat which progressed to a little sinus stuff...i attribute it to traveling without my herbs, drying flights, walking in the rain, long days of work/stress, and sleeping in warm dry heat controlled houses. In my attempt to kick the beginnings of whatever this is out, i've dedicated the day to taking care of myself. After securing the day off, i went to the market and purchased 4 heads of garlic, some ginger root, immunity boosting mushrooms, carrots, and Vit C packed organic oranges and grapefruits. I got right on top of my prevention/wellness routine (see past post "kicking it through cold/flu season: immunity boosters") filling my body with necessary immune boosting and bacteria fighting herbs. While i had planned to cleanse this week, my cleanse is being pushed back a couple days until these symptoms subside. So home from the market i went and roasted the 4 heads of garlic, 2 of which i've already consumed (it's only shy of 10am, i must smell amazing, ha!), and two that i will consume throughout the remainder of the day. I also made a mean mushroom soup filled with bellas and shitakes to boost immunity. It turned out so good that i had to post the recipe. Here it is...great for warming you up on a cool day, or for boosting immunity when you're feeling this season's bug is trying to get cha.

What you'll need (choose all organic if possible):

at least 1 whole head of garlic
olive oil (a few tbsp)
water (a few tbsp)
1/2 of a yellow onion, chopped
2 medium portabella mushrooms, chopped
approximately 10 shitake mushrooms, sliced thin
1 32 ounce box of vegetable stock
1 to 1 and a 1/2 cups of light PLAIN soy milk (or dairy milk or cream)
black pepper to taste


Roast 1 head of garlic by:

preheating oven to 375 degrees
peel off the outer skin of the head of garlic, leave whole (leave the skin on individual pieces)
cut the pointy end off about 1/4 or half inch down so that the top pieces are exposed
Drizzle olive oil over the top and rub in with fingers
wrap in foil and place on a baking sheet
Bake in oven for about 35 - 40 min

While garlic is baking...

Chop 1/2 of a medium onion.
place a soup pot on the stove and add 1 tbsp of olive oil, set temp at med-low heat
Add chopped onion and stir, you may want to add a small amount of water as well (1-2 tbsp)
Meanwhile chop your bellas and add them to pot, add just enough veggie stock to cover, turn heat up to medium
Slice your shitakes thin and add to pot
Add the remaining veggie stock, cover, and let cook until your garlic is done and cooled. If the soup begins to boil, that is fine, just begin to reduce the heat and let simmer.

Once garlic is done, remove from oven and open foil packs, let cool.
Once cooled you'll be able to handle the cloves. Use a paring knife to open the paper and push the clove out. Place these cloves in your blender.

Pour your soup with the mushrooms into the blender as well, scooping out some of the mushroom chunks and returning them to the pot (removed from heat source) so that you can have a little texture left in your soup. Blend the soup in the blender leaving it less than pureed with some texture, add back to the pot with the mushroom pieces that are left in it, and stir in about a cup to a cup and a half of plain (or plain light) soy milk (or dairy milk or cream if you prefer). Pepper heavily to taste. Reheat and serve.

If you're under the weather, or making this for someone who is, consider roasting extra heads of garlic. Serve the soup with a couple whole extra cloves popped into the soup bowl - this is great for those fighting colds and bacterial or fungal infections.