Making Pumpkin Pancakes Gluten-Free: A Friend Asks

November 8, 2011 By Alexandra Leave a Comment

My friend Claire, a gluten-free girl, filmmaker and amazing nurse, wrote:

“I found your pumpkin pancakes recipe in your Vegan Cooking For Dummies book and thought YUM!

Now I’m in major pumpkin craving mode, but I have a couple of questions for the celiacs out there:

1. I have a few GF flour mixes at home but judging from the recipes I’ve looked at I’ll probably have to go buy some xanthan gum and add a little bit of that. Not sure exactly what it does but it’s in all the GF recipes I’ve looked at – I used to have a collection of flours but they all expired – I don’t bake often enough to make those purchases worthwhile, and there are some good GF flour mixes available (expensive, but available).

2. I have recently switched to almond milk from rice milk (tried hemp milk, not for me; I steer clear of soy milk).

Not sure if I’d still have to curdle it with apple cider vinegar, but I have that in the refrig too…

What should I do?”

Alex Answers: Really – pancakes are really forgiving, so I don’t think you’ll need the xanthan gum. I would try it with a straight 1-to-1 switch for Bob’s Red Mill all purpose gluten free mix.

If the recipe calls for 1 cup of flour, try 1 cup of Gluten-free mix.

If the batter looks normal after you’ve mixed everything together in this way, go for it. If it looks too thin, add a bit more flour. If it looks too thick or too dry, add a little more rice milk.

I would go ahead and curdle the rice milk with the vinegar ahead of time anyway. I’m not sure it will have the exact same effect as curdling soy milk because there is so much more protein in soy milk, but it can’t hurt. The vinegar is also in the recipe to give the pancakes “lift.”

Let me know how they turn out!

Cooking With Kids: Apple Pie "Ice Cream"

November 5, 2011 By Alexandra 1 Comment

When my son’s kindergarten teacher asked me to come in and prepare a recipe with the class, my mind somehow came up with a healthy, yet fun recipe that the kids could help create:

Apple Pie Ice Cream!

Apple Pie "Ice Cream"

Now, it’s not really ice cream, but I believe anything you scoop with an ice cream scooper can be called ice cream.

Gluten-free, vegan, and mostly raw, this recipe was actually a big hit, and most of the class ate their entire scoop – even some kids who said “Ew, gross!”

Here’s how we made this healthy snack together:

APPLE PIE “ICE CREAM” ~ Serves 4-6

8 Medjool dates, pitted

3-4 Honeycrisp apples, cored

1/2 cup oat bran

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Have the kids use plastic or kid-safe knives to remove the pits and throw away.
Cut the apples into quarters and remove the seeds and core. Use the grating/shredding blade in your food processor to grate the apples. Scoop into a large mixing bowl.
Replace the grating/shredding blade with the S-blade and combine the apples, dates, oats and cinnamon together. Pulse until the ingredients are well combined.
Scoop the “ice cream” into the mixing bowl and use an ice cream scooper to give each person a share.

With all the oats and apples, this recipe will also add a nice dose of fiber for those constipation-inclined readers!

Filed Under: gentle constipation cure, gluten free vegan recipe, healthy recipes for kids, Natural constipation cure, Recipes Tagged With: apple pie ice cream, apple recipes, date recipes, healthy cooking projects for kids, healthy vegan snacks for kids, oat recipes

Autumn Soup: Kale Shiitake Sweet Potato Soup

October 3, 2011 By Alexandra 1 Comment

Traditional Chinese Medicine has a long history of connecting different organs with different seasons, elements, foods, and even emotions.

According to the Five Element system, autumn is the season of the Metal element, governed by the lungs and large intestine. This sets up the conditions for flu or head cold, which comes from your body trying to expel excess mucus, toxins, and inferior fats.

Foods with a sour taste help with this detoxification process, and can be included daily as we enter into autumn. These foods include unpasteurized apple cider vinegar, lemons, limes, grapes, raw sauerkraut and pickles, and whole grain sourdough breads.

Pungent foods such as spices, ginger, and black pepper support the Metal element. These stimulate the digestion and help with the assimilation of food. Include pungent taste with seasonal fall foods such as apples, grapes, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, collards, grapes, kale, pears, persimmons, pumpkins, winter squash, and yams.

This soup has a lot of great autumn ingredients and will help keep your body strong and centered throughout the season:

Kale Shiitake Sweet Potato Soup

4 cups water or low-sodium vegetable stock

1 cup fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps thinly sliced

1 small sweet potato, peeled, chopped into 1/4 inch cubes

1/2 bunch fresh kale, washed and stems removed

1 teaspoon Mellow white miso, per cup

1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

Directions:

1. In a saucepan combine the water/broth, shitake mushrooms and sweet potato and bring to a boil.

2. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, chop the kale into bite size pieces and add to the soup.

4. Cook until tender, another 8 minutes.

5. Dissolve a teaspoon of light miso in a bowl with a small amount of broth.

6. Ladle in the soup and sprinkle with toasted pumpkin seeds.

Yield: 6 servings

Filed Under: detox recipes, gluten free vegan recipe, healthy recipes for kids, Recipes

Powerful Plant-Based Protein Rich Dishes For Families

September 18, 2011 By Alexandra Leave a Comment

I just got home from Rochester, New York where I gave a cooking demonstration at the Greentopia Festival.

The festival was a smash hit, and the cooking demo was geared

towards families who want to improve their nutrition with healthy, local ingredients.

Thanks to Rochester’s Child Care Council for co-sponsoring the event, and providing excellent green resources to local families.

Alexandra Jamieson and members of Rochester's Child Care Council at Greentopia

The demo was great, and I wanted to share the plant-protein rich recipes here:

*Download the recipes here: Powerful Plant-Protein Dishes for Healthy Minded Parents

By the way, next time you’re in Rochester, take a yoga class at Open Sky, grab a delicious vegan lunch or dinner at Natural Oasis, and get some snacks at Abundance natural foods co-op!

Don’t forget to Like me on Facebook! xox

Filed Under: Amazing Events!, detox recipes, gluten free vegan recipe, healthy recipes for kids, Recipes

Mac & Cheeze Surprise Sauce (Shh! Shiitakes Inside!)

August 13, 2011 By Alexandra Leave a Comment

Mac and Cheeze Surprise Sauce

This mildly seasoned sauce is popular with kids and adults. The garbanzo flour adds great protein, and the sauce is hiding a couple of powerful, and yummy, vegetables. It’s great on noodles, as seen here, potatoes, poured over steamed broccoli or mixed into grains or beans.

I used Eden’s Kamut Elbows, as they have a nice nutty flavor and add some great grain protein. If your family is gluten free, just use any of the amazing gluten-free elbows or noodles made by Tinkyada!

Yield: 3 cups

½ cup chopped carrots, sweet potato or winter squash

1 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms, stems removed

2 ¼ cups plain unsweetened soy, rice, hemp or almond milk

¾ cup nutritional yeast flakes

¼ cup garbanzo bean flour

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

2 teaspoons white or yellow miso paste

2 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Steam or boil the carrots for 5 minutes, until soft.
Warm 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté for 6 minutes, until they begin to brown.
Combine the cooked carrots, mushrooms, soy milk, and remaining ingredients in a blender. Blend on high until smooth and creamy.
Transfer to a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly for about 5 minutes.
Pour over cooked macaroni noodles, vegetables, or other dish.
Extra sauce will refrigerate well for up to 4 days.

Eden's Kamut Elbows are a great source of flavor and plant-based protein

Filed Under: detox recipes, gluten free vegan recipe, healthy recipes for kids Tagged With: gluten-free mac and cheese, healthy kids recipes, vegan mac and cheese

Veggie Rolls – Delicious Detox Recipes Made Easy

August 9, 2011 By Alexandra Leave a Comment

Healthy meals can be simple, quick and filling – here’s a 2 minute recipe great for a girl (or guy) on the go:

2 romaine lettuce leaves
1 avocado, sliced
1 cucumber, sliced
2 tablespoons hemp seeds
¼ cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup sliced olives (I like the greek or italian ones, pitted of course)
¼ cup fresh sprouts

drizzle of olive oil and ½ lime

Directions:

Lay romaine leaves on a plate. Add avocado, cucumbers, hemp seeds, carrots, olives and sprouts to a bowl. Drizzle oil and lime juice over the veggies and mix thoroughly. Place veggie mixture inside the romaine leaves and serve.

Filed Under: detox recipes, gluten free vegan party planning, gluten free vegan recipe, healthy recipes for kids, Reboot Detox Program

Simple Summer Desserts — Shhh! They're Good For You, Too!

July 20, 2011 By Alexandra 2 Comments

Summer Smoothie-sicles

Summer Smoothie-sicles!

Everyone loves popsicles – so why not make them a little healthier and more substantial than what the ice cream truck is offering? You can take this simple recipe and add all kinds of healthy secrets: non-dairy yogurt, liquid chlorophyll, dehydrated greens powders, vitamin C powder, or even soaked nuts and seeds. Go crazy!

I also like using the new silicon popsicle molds – why have your food freezing in petroleum based plastic molds?

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh fruit juice (except citrus)
¼ cup fresh green juice (kale, cucumber, celery, etc)
1 tablespoon liquid chlorophyll
1 cup non-dairy yogurt
1 Medjool date

Directions:

Blend all of the ingredients together until very smooth. Pour into popsicle molds. Freeze for at least 5 hours or until frozen solid.

Raw Choco-Almond Date Bars

It’s too hot to turn on the oven in summer, which is why raw desserts are so welcome – oh, and they taste amazing with almost no effort!

Using raw cacao powder provides the body with iron, protein, and antioxidants. Found online and in health food stores, raw cacao powder tastes good and is easier for many people to consume without negative effects of processed chocolate.

Note: To make the nuts easier to digest, you can soak them together covered in water overnight then drain before competing the recipe.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup unrefined coconut oil, melted
1 cup raw, unsalted almonds
½ cup raw, unsalted cashews
1 cup Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 tablespoon water
1/3 cup raw cacao powder or carob powder
pinch sea salt or pink Himalayan salt
1/3 cup brown rice syrup, agave nectar or real maple syrup

Directions:

1. Make sure the coconut oil is melted by measuring it into a small saucepan and heating it over low. Of course in the summer, mine is melted in the jar just sitting out at room temperature.
2. Combine the almonds and cashews in a food processor and pulse 10 to 12 times until they’re pulverized and no large pieces remain.
3. Add the remaining ingredients including the oil to the food processor and continue to pulse until the mixture is well combined, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary.
4. Line a 9 inch square cake pan with parchment paper. Scoop the mixture into the baking dish and flatten with your hand or a rubber spatula. Wrap the pan with plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour up to overnight.
5. Remove from the refrigerator and cut the hardened cake into bars about 3 inches square.

Smoothie-sicles recipe originally printed in Living Vegan For Dummies

Raw Choco Bars recipe originally printed in Vegan Cooking For Dummies

Filed Under: detox diet, detox recipes, gluten free vegan party planning, gluten free vegan recipe, healthy recipes for kids, Recipes Tagged With: healthy popsicle recipe, no-cook desserts, raw vegan dessert

Here’s A Quick Way To Kick Your Caffeine Cravings

July 11, 2011 By Alexandra 4 Comments

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It’s summer and I’m thirsty and hot – a lot. New York City can be pretty sticky, and I need constant refreshment to get through a day. Try my favorite mid-day caffeine-free latte recipe!

Back in the day I would cool my afternoon energy lulls with an iced latte or frozen coffee drink from that place that rhymes with “Blahr – ducks.” Since detoxifying my body over a decade ago, I find that I don’t like or want as much caffeine, dairy, and sugar as I used to. Actually, I find that I feel even worse if I have them!

What’s wrong with a little caffeine you might be asking? Well, if you’re drinking several (or even one, for some people) servings of coffee, tea, cola, or “energy drink” a day, your sleep can be effected no matter how early in the day you drink it.

Your morning cup of tea or coffee can also dehydrate your skin making it look older than it is (horrors!), and makes you urinate more, leading to overall dehydration.

If you remember your high school chemistry, you might recall that calcium (from your bones) is an alkaline substance.

If you’re drinking caffeine (along with sugar and diary, especially) you can change the pH balance of your body to be overly acidic. There are strong links between regular caffeine use and osteoporosis, because of the acidic nature of many caffeinated beverages.

(Are you more than ready to get off caffeine, sugar, and dairy once and for all?

Join my 8 Week Delicious Detox Tele-Course here – we start Tuesday September 13th!)

Still, I like to enjoy a yummy cold drink, especially in the afternoons, and here is one of my favorite recipes:

1 cup iced Teeccino

½ cup MimiCCreme

Serve over ice

Teeccino is an herbal coffee-replacement that offers a roasted aroma, look and taste just like coffee, without the caffeine. Or the caffeine crash a few hours later.

MimiCCreme is a line of non-dairy, soy-free, gluten-free nut creams that make any cream recipe totally amazing. I like the unsweetened version for my iced teeccino in the afternoon, but the sweetened versions are great for desserts, baking, smoothies and breakfast recipes.

Enjoy your caffeine free latte!

Like this recipe and my tips? Want to really make a shift and transform your health?

Learn more and sign up here:

Filed Under: detox diet, Detox Drinks, detox recipes, diet for heart disease, gluten free vegan recipe, healthy summer cocktails, Reboot Detox Program, recommended brands, recommended natural products Tagged With: avoiding heart disease with diet, effects of caffeine, foods for heart disease, Gluten free vegan menu planning, healthy detox tips

Patriotic Plant Protein Patties! (AKA Veggie Burger for July 4th!)

June 30, 2011 By Alexandra 2 Comments

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Patriotic Plant Protein Pattie! (AKA July 4th Veggie Burgers)
Celebrate our nation’s birthday with some veggie burgers that everyone can enjoy. I’ve doctored these up with extra plant protein coming from the beans and hemp seeds.

This recipe is cholesterol free, dairy free, egg free, and gluten-free (unless you add the totally optional bread crumbs – but really, you don’t need them.)

Make some extra patties, freeze them and reheat in a lightly oiled skillet any old time of year for a quick, hearty, healthy meal:

Yield: 6-8 patties

4 tablespooons flaxseeds, ground in a spice grinder

1/3 cup water

2 1/2 cups cooked beans (any will do: try black beans, pinto, kidney, chickpeas, or a combination)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup diced yellow onion

1/4 cup diced celery

1 tablespoon fresh orange zest

1 garlic clove, minced

1 cup finely chopped spinach

1/2 cup hulled hemp seeds

1/2 cup cooked brown rice, quinioa or millet (leftovers from the day before are great for this)

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Combine the ground flaxseeds and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir often until the mixture become gooey. Set aside to cool while you do the next step.
Combine the beans, salt, pepper, parsley, onion, celery, orange zest, garlic, spinach, hemp seeds, brown rice, flax seed mixture and 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a food processor. Pulse 15-18 times to combine the mixture so that it becomes thick and creamed together, with some chunks still remaining.
The mixture should be easy to handle and can be formed into 1-inch thick patties. I used a 1/3 cup measuring cup and flattened each scoop to 1-inch thick. If it feels to dry add a little water. If it feels too moist, add a few tablespoons of cooked grain or bread crumbs and mix to combine.
Heat a heavy skillet (a well-seasoned cast iron skillet is great) over medium heat and warm 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Cook the patties, about 3 at a time, for 7 minutes on each side.

Filed Under: detox recipes, diet for heart disease, Fast Healthy Cooking, gluten free vegan party planning, gluten free vegan recipe, healthy recipes for kids, Recipes Tagged With: soy free veggie burger, veggie burger

Now You Can Try Amande For Free (It’s My New Favorite Yogurt!)

June 20, 2011 By Alexandra 43 Comments

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I discovered that dairy really doesn’t do my body good back in 2000, and ever since I’ve been looking for new dairy-free products to spice up my menus.

Many of my clients find they feel and look better when they remove dairy from their diets, so in the interest of market-research I get to spend a lot of time in health food stores, scanning the shelves for new products.

(I wrote an article for the super-glamorous CoCoEcoMagazine last month about going dairy-free to improve adult acne and eczema…)

Also, my 4.5 year old son is really into yogurt, and I like feeding it to him: it has those great live cultures like acidophilus, bifidobacterium bifidum, and other lus-es and um’s and us-es…all those unpronounceable words that mean your digestive system is getting the healthy bacteria it needs to keep your entire body running smoothly.

Non-dairy yogurts are also an easy snack that offers protein, calcium, and healthy fats, but it’s hard to find one that’s lightly sweetened.

I just discovered Amande yogurt from Cascade Fresh, and I couldn’t be happier! Laken too!

(Do you see that grinning face above?)

Amande is made from almond milk, fruit juices, and truly natural flavors and colors. No hidden MSG or toxic colorings here; instead, they use annatto, purple carrot, and elderberry juices.

Almonds are highly regarded in traditional medicines for supporting the digestive tract and nervous system, and are the only nut that helps to alkalinize an overly acidic body pH. According to Ayurvedic medicine, almonds strengthen the bones, nerves, and reproductive organs.

This stuff is so free of dietary problems (unless you’re allergic to almonds) that almost anyone can enjoy it: dairy free, soy free, lactose free, no refined sugar, gluten free, no casein, vegan, and kosher…

Amande is great for people who prefer or need both dairy-free and soy-free foods. It’s also good for people who need to avoid too many sugars. So that’s pretty much everyone!

You could win some free yogurt! If you want to try a free sample of Amande, enter my blog contest here by leaving a comment before Friday, June 24th at 12pm EST.

Tell me why you want to try this awesome new product line! And be sure to ask your local grocer to start carrying Amande and other great dairy-free options so that you, and others, can get healthy, delicious foods to enjoy.

Filed Under: detox diet, diet for heart disease, gluten free vegan recipe, Hidden MSG, Natural constipation cure, What's Alex eating?, Win Free Natural Health Care Products, Women's Health