Divinely Decadent French Toast

Many of the wonderful recipes I have made and occasionally post here come from other blogs, my own version of something I read in a magazine, or a healthy cookbook. This one is all mine. It is not complicated, but I will take credit for the inspiration. If you are having overnight guests for a holiday or just want to please the kiddos on the weekend, this is sure to be a hit. I must admit that it does not quite follow the guidelines of super "healthy living" for all you strict eaters out there...so I will post two versions, one for those who might like to indulge a bit once in a while. I know I do!

DIVINELY DECADENT FRENCH TOAST

egg (s)

almond milk (or other milk variation)

vanilla

cinnamon

Alvarado St. sprouted sourdough bread

Mascarpone cheese

mixed berries

berry flavored yogurt

agave syrup

grapeseed oil

There are no specific measurements for this recipe, since you likely have made French toast before...just eyeball it. About one egg is required per 4 slices of bread you will be serving. Crack the eggs into a bowl and whip with a fork. Add almond milk (I add a bit of water since almond milk can be rather thick). Add a splash of vanilla to your liking, then sprinkle in a generous amount of cinnamon. Now you are ready to dip your bread. Place pan over medium heat and pray a small amount of grapeseed oil into pan. You can use another healthy oil, like coconut oil. I happen to like the neutral flavor of grapeseed oil. Coat slices of bread with egg mixture, then transfer to pan and brown on each side.

You can stop there if you want the healthier version. Add a pat of butter or butter substitute, swirl with agave, a pinch of cinnamon and serve. Keep reading for decadent, divine, oh-so-yummy version...

Okay, so you have your French toast. Now for the toppings. Scoop out a dollop (or two..or three) of Mascarpone cheese and put it on the toast. Add a couple tablespoons of a thin berry yogurt (I like "O Organics" raspberry from Safeway). Add fresh mixed berries if you can find them. Thawed-out frozen berries will work too. Top with a generous swirl of agave syrup and a pinch of cinnamon sprinkle. Voila'! The most divine French toast!

What I like about this kind of indulgence is that it doesn't completely stray away from my healthy lifestyle. I mostly gave up cow's milk a while back and it breaks that rule. For those who don't do cow's milk, you can use Toffuti Better Than Cream Cheese instead of the Marscapone and try So Delicious Coconut Milk yogurt in blueberry. The rest of the ingredients truly are healthy, but you won't know it when you taste it. It's the breakfast version of dessert! I served this to a girlfriend of mine and now she just HAS to have it when she pays us a visit. She unpacks her suitcase and politely asks if I will serve it EVERY morning of her stay. Watch out. Your guests may not want to leave!

Here's to an amazing holiday breakfast, and here's to your health!

Better Than Cream Cheese

Well, I haven't been blogging much this last month or so. The hard-drive in my laptop is shot, we had family in town, and oh, there is that pregnancy thing. Life has been busy. I have many things I want to write about, yet the time just isn't available for me to do so. Tonight, I have time for a quick recipe. With pregnancy comes food, lots of food. And cravings! I am not one of those pregnant ladies who eats pickles and ice cream. Pickles, yes. Ice cream, yes. But not together!

I do have plenty of cravings though. Who wouldn't when much of your day is consumed by hunger? The other day I thought of a sandwich I hadn't had in years. There is a great little place in southern California called The Gypsy Den. They have this cool, vintage setting, a mish-mosh of furniture and art displayed, and shelves of books to sit with if you have nothing else on your agenda for the day. And they have fresh, yummy food! I love all their food, but the other day, all I could think about was their Cream Cheese and Olive Sandwich....so I made my own version of it.

I have tried a few cheese substitutes and find them okay, but not great. Recently I have tried a couple of really amazing substitutes. It is hard to tell the difference! One of those substitutes is Tofutti's Better Than Cream Cheese . Since I have mostly given up dairy, it is great to find a creamy, yummy spread for this sanBetter Than Cream Cheesedwich craving of mine.

Cream Cheese and Olive Sandwich

Sprouted grain bread (toasted)

Cream cheese or substitute

Cucumber slices

Sliced black olives

Toast two slices of sprouted grain bread. Spread layer of Tofutti cream cheese on one or both sides. Add sliced olives to one side, then add the cucumber slices. Assemble sandwich. Yum! For added nutritional value, you may add some baby spinach leaves or sprouts.

Here's to your health! Enjoy!

Carob Pudding With Sprinkles!

I adapted this recipe for raw pudding from one I found on Ani Phyo's site. My daughter said it wasn't sweet enough, so after a little tweaking, I created a pudding to suit her little pallet. This pudding can be made with carob chips, carob powder, or raw cocoa powder. The cashews are a great source of fiber, protein, and other nutritents, such as copper and magnesium.

My little one likes it topped with colorful sprinkles. We choose Let's Do... Sprinkelz. They are gluten free, contain no artificial ingredients, and are colored naturally with extracts of seeds, vegetables, or fruits. They are delicious. Who doesn't love sprinkles?!

I top mine with finely shredded organic coconut and carob chips. The consistency of this pudding reminds me of frosting. This would be a great and healthy alternative for those with lactose intolerance, dairy allergy, or a vegan lifestyle. I bet it would be great on vanilla cupcakes. I'll have to try it out and let you know!

Carob Pudding

1 cup raw organic cashews

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup pitted semi soft dates

1 tbs agave nectar

1/2 tbs coconut oil

2 tbs carob chips, carob powder, or raw cocoa powder

Blend all ingredients until smooth.

That's it. Easy, yummy, healthy. The trickiest part is getting every last bit out of your blender. For this part,use a rubber spatula or spoon. Serve chilled with your favorite toppings.

~Turn this recipe into a carob-coconut pudding by simply adding a little more coconut oil to enhance the coconut flavor~

*High speed blender recommended. For best results, try the Vita Mix.

Here's to sweet...and healthy treats!

Gluten Free Carrot Muffins

This post is dedicated to my dear friend, Nanci, who has known me almost as long as my own sister. I have great memories of sleeping over at Nanci's house as a kid. We started a little tradition of baking a carrot cake every time I came over. Her mom always had a Betty Crocker cake mix stocked in her pantry. We'd get the mix all ready and then stir in a can of chopped pineapple. I remember it being moist and delicious-especially the whipped cream frosting!

When I realized I was hyperglycemic, I gave up flour, refined sugars, and starchy foods. I had pretty much given up on the idea of baking...until I stumbled upon Elana's Pantry, a wonderful gluten-free cooking blog. I don't have a gluten alergy, but the recipes on Elana's blog are a great match for me. She uses coconut flour and almond flour, which are high-fiber flours that are low in digestible carbs. AND her sweeteners of choice are low-glycemic as well.

Last night I had a carrot cake craving, so I made carrot muffins, one of my favorite recipes from Elana's blog. I have made a few changes to her recipe to make it a bit more like the carrot cake I grew up loving. What I love most about this recipe is that it is healthy. First of all, I recommend everything coconut-coconut water, coconut oil, coconut flour...more on this later. Coconut flour is high fiber, high protein, and gluten free (click here to find out what makes this flour so special). The carrots are a great source of the antioxidant betacarotene, which helps reduce the risk of cancer, heart attacks and cataracts. And the nuts add even more protein, fiber, and other nutrients.

Coconut flour is a bit tricky to bake with and I don't have much time to experiment. Lucky for me, Elana has already done all the work. Here is my adaptation of her muffin recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Gluten Free Carrot Muffins

1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon, ground

1 teaspoon nutmeg, ground
6 eggs
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
1/2 cup agave nectar (can also be substituted with yacon syrup)
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 cups carrots, grated
1/3 cup finely chopped nuts (I like to mix macadamias and pecans)
1/3 cup "macaroon" coconut (very finely shredded)
3/4 cup canned or fresh crushed pineapple

1. In a medium bowl, combine coconut flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg

2. In a large bowl, blend together eggs, oil, agave and vanilla
3. Blend dry ingredients into wet, then fold in carrots, nuts, coconut, and pineapple
4. Grease a muffin tin with grapeseed oil and then dust with coconut flour
5. Pour batter into each greased muffin cup about 3/4 full
6. Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes
7. Cool and serve

(makes about 16 muffins)

*You may notice that I have doubled the ingredients in Elana's recipe and I am not calling these "mini muffins". With all of the added ingredients in my version, I recommend using a regular size muffin tin-and if you use a silicon muffin mold, you can skip the greasing part. I have one and I love it. Just let the muffins cool, and they pop right out!

I have mostly given up dairy, but I just cannot resist topping these delicious muffins off with Elana's recipe for Cream Cheese Frosting!

Cream Cheese Frosting

¾ cup heavy cream

1 cup cream cheese

¼ cup agave nectar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. Whip heavy cream until stiff
2. In a separate larger bowl, whip cream cheese until smooth, then blend in agave and vanilla
3. With a rubber spatula, gently blend whip cream into cream cheese mixture

*My vegan readers may enjoy Elana's vegan Coconut Cream Frosting. It is very yummy, but a bit of a challenge to make in warmer climates.

Menu Plan Monday

This is my first Menu Plan Monday and I am so excited because this was just the push I needed to do something I have intended to do...and have made loose attempts at doing, for years now. When I go food shopping, I always have a general list in my head. There are our usual staples, which I am always restocking, but I almost never have an actual menu in mind. I may have a couple cravings that dictate what I am thinking I'd like to make, but it is definitely more of a spontaneous shopping experience. And though I would like to say that I am a very organized person (I am striving...I will be there some day), I am, well, much more organized than I used to be AND super proud of that little achievement. When you have a toddler, you are forced to fine tune this characteristic...whether you like it or not. So here I go, procrastination of the menu planning has come to a halt!

Breakfast Options: Our usuals-oatmeal with chia seeds and agave nectar, toasted Ezekiel English muffins with almond butter and topped with a bit of our homemade trail mix of the week, fresh berries for me (my daughter is currently in a frozen blueberry phase), smoothies, Barbara's Organic Breakfast O's, some version of eggs.

Lunch Options: Turkey or PBJ (actually ABJ-almond butter) sandwiches on sprouted whole grain bread, veggies with hummus, mixed salads, flax crackers with our favorite raw "three layer dip" by Licious Dishes here in Hawaii, grilled "cheese" (almond cheese) and tomato soup, "squiggly noodle salad" with brown rice noodles, finely chopped veggies and olives, sliced avocados to add to any one of these.

Dinner:
Sunday-Off to one of our favorite Thai places right next to our church.

Monday-leftovers from one of our favorite Thai places!

Tuesday-Veggie Italian Omelet/Fritata-ish/Scramblie Egg Thingie...hope to post this recipe soon.

Wednesday-Applegate Farms' grass-fed beef, nitrate-free, organic hotdogs on sprouted-grain bread and plenty of mustard and ketchup! Served with steamed cauliflower and baby carrots.

Thursday-Raw Lasagna.

Friday-Gotta finish off the lasagna.

Saturday-Grass-fed beef burgers with sauteed onions, mushrooms, and kale.

Desserts will be spontaneous, but will likely include Coconut Bliss ice cream.

Phew...I did it! I really did it!

*This is a healthy-living blog, so go ahead and insert the word "organic" in front of just about everything. Here's to getting organized with Menu Plan Monday, and here's to your health!

In The Mix

My three-year-old daugter loves to be in the kitchen. She climbs up on the stool in her little apron and chef's hat, ready to go to work. One of her favorite projects is trail mix. Every week we put a batch together. It is the easiest and the least messy thing we are whipping up these days. This is a great one for kids. There is no measuring involved, they can choose what and how much of each item, and taste test as they go. It's a quick and fun thing to do in the kitchen and it offers immediate gratification-no waiting for the oven to buzz. Just mix the ingredients together and enjoy! Eat it by the handful, sprinkle it on top of toast with your favorite nut butter, or add it to a parfait. So what is in our trailmix this week?

Cashews-lower in fat than most nuts, high in copper, an essential component of many enzymes, plays a role iron utilization, elimination of free radicals, development of bone and connective tissue, and the production of the skin and hair pigment called melanin; also good source of magnesium, trytophan, and phosphorus.

Soy nuts-contain phytochemicals (called isoflavones), which have been shown in hundreds of studies to help prevent heart disease and several forms of cancer.

Macadamia nuts-a high energy food, full of protein and fiber and loaded with antioxidants, fiber, phytochemicals, protein, minerals, monounsaturated fats.

Goji berries-himalayan superfruit that has been used in Asian herbal medicine for thousands of years, packed with essential amino acids, good source of vitamin C, rich in Vitamin A, and over 20 trace minerals and vitamins including zinc, iron, phosphourus, riboflavin, vitamin E as well as carotenoids, including beta-carotene. Wow!

Coconut chips-add a tasty crunch with fiber and protein.

Sprouted pumkin seeds (by Go Raw)-one of the healthiest foods in the world, high in amino acids, zinc, protein, and iron. *Many believe they can help prevent prostate cancer.

Sunflower seeds-this source of fiber is also high in vitamin E, B1 (thiamin), maganese, magnesium, copper, tryptophan, phosphorus, folate, B5 and selinium, which detoxifies and helps prevent cancer.

Pinenuts-nature's only source of pinoleic acid, which stimulates hormones and helps diminish your appetite; have the highest concentration of oleic acid (a monounsaturated fat that aids the liver in eliminating harmful triglycerides from our body); good source of iron and magnesium.

Pecans-contain more than 19 vitamins and minerals – including vitamin A, vitamin E, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, several B vitamins; may help inhibit unwanted oxidation of blood lipidslipids, thus helping prevent coronary heart disease.

Walnuts-an excellent source of omega-3 essential fatty acids (a special type of protective fat the body cannot manufacture), have many potential health benefits ranging from cardiovascular protection, to the promotion of better cognitive function, to anti-inflammatory benefits helpful in asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory skin diseases such as eczema and psoriasis. Also contain an antioxidant compound called ellagic acid that supports the immune system and appears to have several anticancer properties.

Unsweetened carob chips-yummy chocolate flavor without the caffeine.

Raw, Raw, Raw!

I made the raw lasagna again...and this time I remembered to take a picture. If you are thinking that you would love to try some raw food dishes, but don't want to make them yourself, there are some great companies that make prepared raw foods and distribute them to local health food stores. One such company here in Hawaii is Licious Dishes. I recently tried several of their items and they are, well...licious! I am totally addicted to their three-layer dip. I also like their lasagna, the variety of tasty dips that accompany their crispy flax crackers, and their haupia...yummy. You can stop by their kitchen and pick up single items in their fridge or place an order on Monday to be picked up on Friday, for either a 3-meal or a 5-meal plan for the week! Now that is easy meal planning. Some of their items can also be found at a local favorite, Vim & Vigor.

There are also some wonderful full-service restaurants dishing up raw cuisine. Be adventurous-google "raw food restaurant" and see what pops up in your area. If ever in Chicago, try Charlie Trotter's, where they feature a raw-tasting menu. Famous chef, Charlie Trotter is world renowned for both cooked and raw cuisine at it's finest.

If you want to pick up a few raw food snacks for on the go, check out some tasty snacks by Go Raw at Whole Foods and other health food stores, or Amazon. I love the sprouted pumpkin seeds and the spicy flax chips. So, am I a total raw foodie convert? Um...no. I still love fish and devour a good burger at least once a week or so. I think it's great for each of us to embrace the healthiest lifestyle we can while enjoying foods we love. I am thrilled with my newfound love for raw dishes and plan to continue to experiment as often as I can. I feel great...and my jeans are fitting quite nicely too! Here's to raw food and here's to your health!

Super Kid Food

Who says you shouldn't play with your food?
My daughter and I had fun with her breakfast this morning. What is it? Half an Ezekiel hamburger bun, toasted and topped with almond butter, Salba (chia seeds), Goji Berry eyes, nose and mouth, and blueberry hair. We topped it all off with a swirl of agave nectar.

Together these foods pack lots of nutrients, super-duper antioxidants, protein, and fiber to start your little one's day off right. Super food. Super fun. Here's to your health!

More In The Raw

You may not be aware of the "raw food lifestyle". There are a vast number of people who only eat raw. What is raw food? Basically, meals made with fresh, organic fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds that have not been heated above 104 degrees. With the raw food movement some amazing chefs have emerged, combining ingredients you might never think of to create delicious AND highly nutritious meals. For years I have wanted to experiment with raw recipes, but for some reason the idea of using a food processor really intimidated me...maybe it was just one more gadget I didn't want to fuss with. Now I love mine! Anyway, I was flipping through a magazine last week and came across some raw food recipes that didn't seem quite as complicated as I thought they ought to be. I mean, there was quite a bit of preparation, but no cooking involved. And with the lovely heat and humidity here on Oahu this last week, I thought it was just the right time to ditch the stove for a night.

Tuesday night my Bible study group had a potluck and the theme was Italian. I grabbed that magazine again...Raw Lasagna. Perfect. Just the right time for me to be adventurous and attempt something I have never made...and then test it out on a group of hungry ladies. Sure, why not?...No pressure.

I must admit I had second thoughts half-way into the preparation. I could just pick something up along the way if it didn't turn out the way I had hoped, right? And then I tasted the tomato sauce...yum. I was going to be just fine. To my pleasant surprise, after sitting down at the potluck to enjoy all of the wonderful selections, ladies began telling me how great the lasagna tasted, and asking for details of how it all came together. I promised that I would post the recipe, so here it is.

This recipe by Ani Phyo came straight from Delicious Living

Cherry Tomato Marinara
2 pints cherry tomatoes
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried roseary
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

Place all ingredients is a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. (Makes 3 cups) *I used a blender but would opt for a food processor next time for a thicker consistency.

Cilantro-Cashew Cheeze
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic (about 2 cloves)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup raw cashews
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup filtered water

Place garlic and salt in a food processor; process into small pieces. Add cashews and process into a paste. Add lemon juice, cilantro, and water; process to mix well.

Raw Lasagna-Serves 6
1 medium zucchini, sliced into thin coins
2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 handfuls baby spinach leaves
3/4 cup Cashew-Cilantro Cheese
1 cup Cherry Tomato Marinara

In a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish, layer half of the zucchini slices. Cover with half of the tomato slices and top with spinach. Spread cheeze over spinach. Top with marinara. Finish by layering remaining zucchini and tomato slices.

Okay, sorry about the length of this recipe, but I promise it is well worth the effort. And unlike traditional lasagna, there is no baking involved. I changed up the recipe just a bit by adding a handful of sun dried tomatoes to the marinara sauce recipe and I also peeled the zucchini, cut it in half, and sliced it into long, thin "noodles". I chopped the spinach and added some freshly chopped basil. In addition, I took the liberty to layer it differently, with two layers of each ingredient-ending up with the "cheeze" on top!

My husband tried to remind me to take a picture before I ran out the door but I forgot and well, here is what the dish looked like at the end of the night. Do you think they liked it?