Inspiration Larabar

Have you tried a Larabar yet? If not, you should. They seem to be one of the healthiest snack/energy bars out there. And big bonus; they are dairy, soy and gluten free, vegan and kosher too. They're not baked or cooked and use very simple whole organic ingredients. What's in them? Pretty much just fruit & nuts with some spice variations in each flavor. My favorites? I love the Cashew Cookie bars. They're the perfect size to fit in my bag for when hunger strikes and I feel good that sugar's an unlisted ingredient... with the exception of the bars that contain any chocolate. Most organic snack bars are expensive so with the Larabar concept in mind, I whipped up my own version.

Cadi Balls & Bars

What you Need
11 oz dates
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup roasted & salted cashews
1/4 cup Enjoy Life dairy free mini chocolate chips (optional)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt

The Process
Take the pits out of the dates and grind them into a paste in a food processor.
(If you can find dates in the store, pre-pitted and ground, use that & soften the package in the microwave).
Put the date paste in a bowl.
Pulse all the cashews in the food processor until they're in very small pieces. Don't let them turn into powder.
Add the cashews to the dates. Add vanilla & salt and chocolate chips (optional).
Mix it all together very, very well - it's messy, but use your hands. It's the best way.
When it's all mixed and mushed together into a large glob, break pieces off and roll into balls in the palms of your hands.
Or - form them into bars on a plate.
Place on a plate in the fridge for a few hours.
When they've hardened up, wrap them individually in plastic wrap. They keep in the fridge for a while.
The perfect little 2-bite sized snack.

Sunrise Smoothie Shotz

These little morning glories are a great little addition to your brunch menu.

I don't measure anything but here's what I did:

Into the blender they go...
1 ripe banana
2 ripe pears, peeled, cored & sliced
small handful of frozen mango chunks
small handful of frozen peach slices
about a tbs honey

then add a bit less than 1/2 cup of each of the following liquids:
pear nectar
peach nectar
mango nectar
unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Blend. Blend. Blend. Fill shot glasses with smoothie mixture.
Skewer up some strawberries with toothpicks and balance the garnish on top of the shot glass.
This yielded about a dozen tall shot glasses.

Le Pain Perdu Cuit Cremeux

That's fancy Français for Creamy Baked French Toast. I created this recipe in reaction to the abundance of recipes out there for baked French Toast that include milk, butter, cream and sugar. So, this is a lower calorie & dairy-free alternative, but trust me, you won't even notice. All of my Sunday morning breakfast guests agreed - this was très delicieux!I loved this with pure maple syrup drizzled over the top - pure heaven!

FYI - I let this refrigerate over night before baking but you could probably let it soak for a couple of hours.

What You Need
1  16 oz loaf of cinnamon bread (I used Wegmans cinnamon swirl loaf)
6 eggs
1/2 cup liquid pure egg whites
2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk (Almond Breeze)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon (use more cinnamon if you use plain bread)
3 tsp Truvia (zero calorie sugar sub)
sprinkle of salt
2 tbsp Ideal Brown (zero calorie brown sugar sub)
6 tbs melted Earth Balance natural spread

The Process
Coat a 9x13 baking pan with non-stick spray (Pam)
Rip each slice of bread into several pieces and arrange them haphazardly in the pan. Use the whole loaf of bread.
Whisk all the ingredients except the Earth Balance in a large bowl.
Pour this mixture over the bread pieces.
Melt Earth Balance and pour it over the bread pieces.
Use a spoon and push the bread down into the liquid to coat all of it. All the bread should be soaked.

Cover the pan and refrigerate over night.
Take it out of the fridge an hour before baking.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 45 minutes.
Serve with maple syrup and/or sliced banana or berry preserves

This is Carole's original recipe. Enjoy!

The Worst Foods You Can Eat

Read the original article at this link from Reader's Digest:
http://www.rd.com/slideshows/the-worst-foods-you-can-eat/
Here, I've reprinted portions of the original article and added my 2 cents.

#1 Worst Food: Processed Meats
According to Webmd.com, the American Institute for Cancer Research says meats preserved by smoking, curing, or salting, or that contain chemical preservatives, are linked to an increased risk of colon cancer. These products also tend to have lots of salt, fat, and cholesterol, and very few nutrients, like fiber.

My two cents: If you eat meat, stick to organic, preferably less fatty turkey & chicken instead of red meat. Or skip the meat altogether, eating veggie burgers, meaty mushroom burgers, and seitan (wheat gluten with a meaty texture) which can be subbed in any meat dish.  I  pretty much live on organic veggie burgers,  fruit & green smoothies, eggwhites & raw veg spring rolls these days, but I find it difficult to get my kids to eat this way so the only processed meats I'll buy for them are all beef hot dogs (not great, I know) and Plainville Farms brand turkey breast from the deli counter (minimally processed, no artificial ingredients, antibiotic-free). I've found that this brand tastes and looks most like actual turkey.  Also try: Al Fresco All-Natural Chicken Sausage instead of hot dogs.

#2 Worst Food: Frozen Meals
They may look tiny, but frozen dinners can be loaded with calories. Livestrong.com found one popular national brand of chicken pot pie contains 64 grams of fat and 1,020 calories per serving. And while the diet versions of these frozen foods may be low in fat, they are heavily processed and are often high in sodium.

My two cents: Amy's ALL ORGANIC frozen meals & veggie burgers.  If I had to pick, I'd say Amy's Bistro Burgers are my favorite.  I top them with smashed cauliflower or sliced avocado or mashed sweet potatoes... so delicious! I also keep on hand, Amy's Breakfast Burritos, which unlike most frozen breakfast foods contain no cheese/dairy.

#3 Worst Food: Doughnuts
 Maybe America should run from Dunkin’, and any other outlet selling these nutrition bombs. Store-bought doughnuts contain the unholy trinity of unhealthy ingredients, reports livestrong.com: trans fat, sugar, and refined flour. Many contain a whopping 10 to 20 grams of fat each and between 250 to 300 empty calories.

My two cents: There is absolutely NO reason to eat donuts!  I can't remember the last time I had one, but I remember the feeling in my stomach was as if I had eaten a brick.  (If I cheat, it's with a donut hole only but even with that I quickly regret it). My latest favorite sweet tooth saviors are Savoy Truffles, (recipe from RAWvolution). Just a few ingredients make a little individual craving quenching donut hole-esque snack, that has no refined flour or sugar.

#4 Worst Food: Potato Chips

You already know that these fat-filled “bad carbs” are no good for your waistline. What you may not know is potato chips (along with French fries) contain acrylamide, a known carcinogen that is formed when foods are baked or fried at high temperatures. "I estimate that acrylamide causes several thousand cancers per year in Americans,” Clark University research professor Dale Hattis is quoted as saying at sixwise.com.

My two cents:  If it's FRIED, FORGET IT!  I love Food Should Taste Good Sweet Potato Chips and Mediterranean Snack Food Company Baked Lentil Chips and Humbles Baked Hummus Chips.

#5 Worst Food: Tricky "Low-Fat" Labeled Foods
Don’t be fooled by the “Low-Fat” label. Makers of cookies, salad dressings, yogurt, and other foods labeled low-fat often substitute sugar, salt, and unhealthy fillers to add flavor and texture to otherwise bland processed products. Author and TV personality Dr. Mehmet Oz advises you to always choose real foods over processed, low-fat options.

My two cents:  READ READ READ LABELS!!!  And don't be fooled by labels in the organic aisle.  Sugar, refined or organic... it's still sugar!  Here's my recipe for low -fat, non-dairy chocolate chip cookies without butter, sugar or white flour. 

#6 Worst Food:  Margarine

Though it’s billed as a cholesterol-free, healthy alternative to butter, margarine is the ultimate source of trans fats, which actually elevate cholesterol and damage blood vessel walls, reports The Natural Health Hub website. So skip the fake stuff and go with olive oil or other monounsaturated fats.

My two cents:  Instead of margarine and butter, use Earth Balance natural spread.

#7 Worst Food: Soda

Chugging soda is one of the easiest ways to pack on the pounds (the average can contains 10 teaspoons of sugar). But drinking as few as two soft drinks a week can nearly double a person’s risk of getting pancreatic cancer, too. That’s the finding of a study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, according to a report on e-how.com. Want more bad news? Consuming more than 2.5 sugary sodas per day significantly increases your risk of death from cardiovascular disease as well as your risk of developing diabetes.

My two cents:  Just drink basic filtered water... all day... every day. I drink water with lemon (hot or cold) all day.  No caffeine, no sugar & no guilt.  I was also inspired to drink cucumber infused water at the glorious Mirbeau Spa. Just slice up some cukes, add them to a pitcher of filtered water & refrigerate. Note: Many of the fruit flavored bottled waters on store shelves contain added sugar - FYI.

Read my Fab Food Finds page here.


I didn't photograph the images in this post - they are from google.

A RAWlly Good Sweet Tooth Satisfier

On a recent trip down to Maryland to visit my oldest friend, (oldest, as in we've known each other for 42 years, since we were 8), I discovered that she's immersed herself into the organic world in an effort to heal a bunch of sypmtoms that have plagued her for a couple of decades. She fed me 'mock chopped liver' made from lentils and green smoothies with spinach, pea shoots & chlorophyll. The lentil liver was actually not bad on crackers but the green smoothie was a little too extreme on the green for my taste and my delicate digestive system.  I gave the thumbs up, though, to a little sweet snack her teenage daughter had made and they are my latest favorite sweet tooth savior.

Savoy Truffles, (recipe from RAWvolution).
They are healthy, organic & so easy & quick to prepare.  (image coming soon)


Combine these ingredients in a mixing bowl:
2 cups finely ground raw almonds
1/2 cup carob powder
optional - 1/3 tsp sea salt
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
3/4 cup agave nectar
2 tbs olive oil. 
Mix it all together until smooth.  Then take small amounts and roll into small ping-pong balls in the palms of your hands. The recipe says to serve as is but what I like to do is stick them in a plastic bag in the freezer for a little sweet tooth craving quencher at the ready. Defrost for a minute and they are perfect.

Option: I've also made them with ground raw cashews instead of almonds.


(Thank you Michele & Lori Koenick for introducing me to these yummy little babies!)

You Say Frittayta I Say Frittata

Or, let's just call it quiche. Crustless quiche. This is a great brunch dish that's light & healthy.

Sauté fresh baby spinach, baby bella mushrooms & sliced tomatoes in a pan coated with canola spray. Add a little garlic & herbs.

In a pie pan (canola-sprayed if you like), add the sauteed vegetables. 

Pour in liquid pure eggwhites almost up to the top of the pan & mix it all together so veggies are spread around evenly.

Sprinkle Daiya dairy-free cheese shreds (pictured are the mozzarella style) over the top.

Bake at 375 for about 25-35 minutes, 'til golden brown on top.

I try and make some variation of this frittata a couple of times a week because it keeps really well in the fridge.  I get hungry very quickly and very often so if it's there, I just heat up a slice instead of going for junk food.  I'll often make it without the Daiya; with spinach & mushrooms or sauteed turnips.  Use whatever vegetables you want but cook them first.

The bottom line:  This is so much healthier & lower in fat & cholesterol than a typical quiche loaded with ham and cheese.  Eggwhites can always be substituted for whole eggs - they are pure protein.  The Daiya vegan cheese doesn't disappoint like soy cheeses do.  You'll still feel satisfied with it's gooiness & stretchiness and you don't feel cheated out of a real quiche. The lack of a crust keeps it carb-free.

Cheeseless Version
Tomato, spinach & eggwhites - that's it! Add some basil, salt & pepper.

Turnip the Flavor

It seems that the most easily digestible vegetables are the roots from the underground. No, not from Australia, but actually from down under - under your feet & inside the good earth. They include taproots & tubers including carrots, radishes, rutabagas, turnips, beets, white potatoes, & sweet potatoes.  I had never even seen a turnip until I began exploring my IBS challenges and options and I had never actually eaten a parsnip. (I thought parsnips were only good for one thing - to sweeten up chicken soup and then be tossed out along with the mushy celery). I have yet to experience a rutabaga. 

I made this warm, delicious casserole one night after buying a bunch of turnips that I had no idea what to do with and served it as a side dish with dinner.  It's a creamy, earthy comfort food you'll love to warm up to in winter.

Turnips Gratin
3-4 large turnips (peeled, boiled 'til tender & medium sliced)
Herbs & seasonings: tarragon, thyme, nutmeg, salt & pepper
1 cup cashews to make cashew cream  
Earth Balance buttery spread (3-4 tbs melted)
Italian bread crumbs* (I use Edward & Sons Italian Herb organic bread crumbs - they're dairy free)

First, make the Cashew Cream: read more about cashew cream
Either soak 1 cup of cashews in cold water overnight in the fridge, or soak them in boiling water until soft; 15-30 minutes.
Put softened cashews in a blender and cover them with water to the top of the cashews.  (The less water used, the thicker the cream).
Blend until smooth & creamy.  Set aside.

Layer the bottom of a casserole dish (I used a 7" square x 3" deep dish) with turnip slices.
Season with tarragon, thyme, nutmeg, salt & pepper.
Spread cashew cream over this layer.
Add another layer of turnip slices, then herbs & seasonings, & more cashew cream.
Continue with the layers.
Top the last layer with melted Earth Balance and sprinkle a layer of bread crumbs* on the top.
Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until bread crumbs are a bit golden.

Notes:
*Check labels - lots of bread crumbs contain lactose; cheese, milk, whey or buttermilk and HFCS!
Edward & Sons organic, Jason breadcrumbs & Osem brand do not contain lactose.  You can also use Panko breadcrumbs (also lactose free) & mix the crumbs with seasonings like onion & garlic powder, salt, pepper & paprika & your favorite Italian herbs & spices like oregano, basil & thyme.

Recipe was inspired by Amy Pennington's Rutabaga Gratin recipe, Whole Living Magazine, November 2010.

First Annual National Vegan Pizza Day, Saturday Jan. 29th

Daiya is a new vegan cheese that melts and stretches like dairy cheese.

I am so happy that non-dairy pizza is making it to the main stream!  Read on...

Posted on Thu, Jan. 27, 2011

Excellent vegan pizza is no longer pie in the sky

By VANCE LEHMKUHL
Philadelphia Daily News

"VEGAN PIZZA? Isn't that an oxymoron?"

That's the most common response that the phrase "vegan pizza" generated just a few years ago, and now that we're approaching the first annual Vegan Pizza Day (Jan. 29), that's still the thinking of many.After all, what's pizza without cheese? And if there's one thing we know about vegans, it's that they don't eat cheese.
Actually, authentic Italian pizza doesn't require cheese. But, more importantly, here in the U.S., times are a-changing, and with them, plant-based cheeses.

In the 20 years since processed vegetarian foods started showing up in mainstream grocery stores, nondairy cheese has come a long way. The first attempts were, let's face it, pretty sad. It seemed that the particular chemistry that formed dairy cheese could never be credibly replicated in a plant-based product.
A halfway solution - still out there - was to make cheese from soy but to cheat on the texture (so that it would melt) by adding casein, a protein from cow milk.This was fine for people who only wanted to avoid lactose, but a nonstarter for vegans. Tofutti made some strides with dairy-free sliced "American" cheese, and Vegan Gourmet came pretty close to melting, and tasting, like "real" cheese.

In the past year two new cheeses, Teese (soy-based) and Daiya (tapioca and arrowroot flour), have become widely available and have raised the bar significantly.In fact, Daiya - a rich-tasting, gooey-stretchy faux cheese - played a decisive role in the opening of Blackbird Pizzeria, Philly's first all-vegan pizza joint, located at 6th and Lombard streets, where Gianna's Grille used to be.

"I wanted to do a vegan pizza place," explained former Horizons line cook (and former NYC chef) Mark Mebus, "because I love vegan pizza. But I didn't think it would be viable with soy cheese. The texture is still off the mark for a lot of people. But Daiya is something marketable to the general public - that made the idea more possible." Mebus and partner Ryan Moylan opened Blackbird last fall, grabbing some of Gianna's old clientele and attracting new folks from far and wide. In just a few months they've garnered a lot of buzz, partially because of the unique hook and partially because their pizza is really good (they also do a kick-ass vegan cheesesteak).

Earlier this month, Blackbird expanded its hours to seven days a week. It will launch a self-serve counter in time for the big day Saturday."It's great to see so many people come in," said Mebus. "Mostly young, sure, but really all different kinds of people. We get families coming in from the neighborhood, especially now that we're certified kosher." Blackbird may also have lit a fire under other area pizza ovens, or it just may be at the tip of a major trend, but in the past few months vegan pizza has been popping up in old-school pizza joints all over Philly.

It's not as if Blackbird was the first place in town to do vegan pizza (Ed's added it a year ago, as the Daily News reported last summer). And the mainstreaming of vegan eating has been heralded in several recent major articles. For me, the tipping point was when I got another menu in my door from a local cafe that blared on the front, "Now Offering Vegan Soy Cheese!" Nowadays, regular eateries are adding options to attract vegans, and regular folks are starting to give plant-based products a try, even something as counterintuitive as vegan pizza. That's music to the ears of Dan Reed, whose company, Chicago Soydairy, along with a food blog called quarrygirl.com, created Vegan Pizza Day as the last Saturday in January.
"We're trying to celebrate the phenomenon," said Reed, "and believe me, it's great to see it moving more into the mainstream."

As one of the guys behind Teese, Reed allowed that "as a businessperson, it's great" to have a day focusing on your product, but he stressed that it's not about moving units of his own brand.
"This is a celebration of all things vegan pizza, including all vegan cheese brands and even the cheeseless pizza. We're hoping to open people's eyes to the multitude of ways to do pizza."In fact, it's not just about pizza. "Food is a great way to introduce people to veganism," Reed said, adding that his own lifestyle change was spurred by learning about what goes on in dairy production. "It's just not fair, and the more you learn, the harder it is to turn a blind eye." Blackbird's Mark Mebus concurred. "Hopefully, some people will be motivated to look into veganism in general" as a result of Vegan Pizza Day. "I think people are seeing it now as a plausible thing. It's more normal than, say, that one punk-rock kid in high school."

The official website (veganpizzaday.com) is tracking venues and celebrations nationwide, with parties, promotions and meetups already booked from Indianapolis to Portland to Los Angeles. All the fun, centered on the tasty tradition of pizza, will likely help to normalize veganism further. How much further remains to be seen. "If we can convince 150 people to eat a vegan pizza on January 29," said Reed, "that's a start."
While it looks like that number's already been met, there's always room for more in getting this party started.
Grab a slice - you might find veganism's as easy as pie.

reprinted from the Philadelphia Daily News at philly.com

The World's Comfort Food

It seems wherever you travel noodles are there for you. Soft, warm, filling ~ comforting as the billowy pillowed, worn out corner of your favorite couch. Nothing says, "home" like a warm mountain of doughy, rolled up spaghetti or a steaming bowl of Mama's chicken noodle soup. From the simplest ingredients; grains, water & sometimes eggs, comes an endless bounty of satisfying deliciousness. Pasta! Macaroni, spaetzle, trahanas, harusame, lokshen, ramen, spaghetti, udon, ragi, soba, lasagne - any way you say it - NOODLES - it's all good! But is it all good for you?

Pastas are not all created equal. Some versions are healthier than others.
Here's the deal:
The "whole" story...Firstly, white pasta, the most common in this country, is made from refined white flour. During the refining process the wheat does a striptease of its outer & middle layers (the bran and germ which contain most of the nutrients), leaving just the not-so-sexy naked starchy inner layer. So, having unrefined, fully-clothed 100% whole grain or 100% whole wheat pasta is nutritionally healthier. Truthfully, though, they are not going to taste the same, (read, not always as good) as the white pasta. If you love your white pasta the taste & texture takes a little getting used to. This is also a tricky area for sensitive insides. We want to be healthier but sometimes the fiber in the whole grain is harder to digest. So, what's a girl to do... I usually eat brown rice pasta by Tinkyada. It tastes really good, it goes down easy, has a soft texture and comes in several shapes. I also like Eden Organics kamut pasta (kuh-MOOT), a whole grain pasta that, to me, tastes better than whole wheat pasta. Other whole grain pastas to try are soba noodles (made from buckwheat), spelt pasta and quinoa pasta. Read labels. It's only 100% whole grain if it says "100%" followed by the type of grain or flour. (fyi, brown rice is automatically a whole grain).
If you're not ready to completely switch to 100% whole grain pasta, there are a lot of pasta blends out there, made from a combo of whole grain & refined flours. They are a good compromise for taste and are nutritionally healthier than the strictly white pasta. (a couple of these brands are Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Blend or Barilla's whole grain blend).



Fusilli Fofredo
Brown rice fusilli pasta
mixed with Earth Balance
and cashew cream.(my new favorite comfort food)
Click for cashew cream recipe.



There's more to the story...
The Glycemic Index thickens the plot.

Here's the not-so-scientific skinny:The refined white pasta contains a high quantity of high GI (glycemic index) carbohydrates. Digesting high GI foods sets a domino effect into motion. They release sugar into your bloodstream very quickly which then dramatically spikes your blood sugar level. Initially, you feel an increase in energy & you're feeling in a spunky good mood. This then forces the pancreas to raise insulin production to counteract the steep rise in blood sugar level (the more sugar in the blood, the more insulin is produced). Insulin lowers blood sugar by converting the sugar into stored fat. (High levels of insulin signal the body to store fat). Round-the-middle-goin'-nowhere-spare tire-muffin-top-waistline-fat! Essentially, insulin is like a cheerleader for Team Fat. Gimme an F-A-T! GOOOO FAT! (Insulin blocks the hormone that's responsible for burning fat; glucagon). So, what happens next? The insulin surge makes your blood sugar come waaaay down quickly. Metabolism slows down. (Yawwwwn. It makes me so sleepy tired - I lovingly and lethargically call it Carb Crash). Are you still with me? Wake up! The peak-&-valley insulin roller-coaster can ruin a perfectly good day at the park. When your blood sugar goes way down you get tired & your body craves energy so you get very hungry... which makes you eat more... more sugar... more insulin... more tired... more fat... lions & tigers & bears, oh my! ... and it goes on...and on... from the roller-coaster to the merry-go-round. This ride is exhausting!

Low glycemic index carbohydrates (the whole grain pastas) release sugar into your bloodstream more slowly, eliminating the body's need to produce extra insulin. Your blood sugar level stays nice and even. Digestion is quiet. When you eat lower GI foods or less carbs, the insulin cheerleaders are benched with duct tape tight over their puckery-pink lipsticked mouths. When insulin levels decrease glucagon levels increase and guess what? Glucagon is what burns the fat! Your metabolism & digestion rates improve. So, what does this mean for you? If your metabolism increases, more of what you eat is digested so you store less fat. When you decrease "Insulin the Fat Storer" you increase "Glucagon the Fat Burner". Team Fat loses and laments in the locker room. No sugar highs & lows. No Carb Crash. Ahhh. Serenity now!

In addition to the 100% whole grain pastas, Dreamfields Pasta, a white pasta, has 65% less digested carbs than other traditional white pastas. While the total number of carbs is the same as other white pastas, it's got a patented formula that protects all but 5 grams of carbs from being digested, lessening a rise in blood sugar. So, you could call this a low carb pasta. It looks and tastes like your old-fashioned, best friend white pasta and is a good solution if you have trouble digesting the whole grains or you just can't get used to the taste of whole grain pastas.

The Bottom line: Use your noodle! Replace refined white flour pasta with more nutritious and lower glycemic index carb pasta. Eating lower GI foods will keep your blood sugar level even, avoiding the highs and lows of Carb Crash and lessening weight gain.