Vega Brownies (GF and nut free)

These are yummy!  Too sweet for me but the kids love them!  I had a little helper for this recipe.  Yesterday a friend asked if I could suggest a healthy bake sale item.  I sent her the link to my "school safe healthy cookies" (http://keepingnataliehonest.blogspot.ca/2011/11/omg-gf-vg-nf-df-cookies-lol.html) but I also thought it would be fun to find an actual recipe for this occasion.  I however would never recommend anything unless I've tried it first, so here goes. 

Ingredients

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup agave syrup
1/4 cup coconut milk
1.5 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup vega (whole food smoothie infusion) = I used the whole food optimizer
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup unsweetened chocolate chips (I didn't actually have any chips so I used dried cranberries)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (to make this school safe I subbed in sunflower seeds)

In two separate bowls, mix all the wet ingredients together and dry ingredients together.  Fold dry mixture into the wet ingredients - don't over mix! Pour into lightly oiled 8x8 glass baking pan (I'm too lazy to bother - I just used parchment paper). Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.

Here are the pictures!!!

This is actually the very first can of coconut milk that I've ever opened.  I was surprised that so much fat was on top (not that I mind the fat) but I did put it in a bowl to mix it up.

I melted the coconut oil, added the coconut milk and here goes the agave (personally 1/2 cup is way to much for me, I think 1/3 or 1/4 would have been enough)... but then again I haven't had sugar in nearly 2 weeks.

Patrick helping me "wisk" the wet ingredients together.

I used more than a 1/2 cup of vega (I put in two full scoops) I'm sure any protein powder you have will work also.

Dry ingredients all mixed up!

Ok so the wet bowl doesn't mix up so well, the coconut oil separates...but the end result is awesome!

Generally I don't like the kids dipping in, but this recipe doesn't have any eggs!  So Patrick is sampling, so did I!  ummm

I won't lie, it was difficult to "smooch" into the pan.

But parchment paper is always worth the extra effort. No stick, easy to cut. 

Fluffy, sweet, chocolatey and...

well received :) 

See! 

Fermented Foods!

Well I think with everything I do, I am always striving to be better.  It must be the type-A thing, but I think I've mastered getting rid of the crappy junky food-like substances in my diet, I eat very clean, I supplement with chlora, fish oil, probiotics (lactobacillus acidophilu), vit D and a prenatal multi-vit. I've added tons more green leafy veggies, I eat less meat, less dairy and no gluten.  I consume loads of good fats (EFA's), ok not like it's really that hard.  Truth be told my favorite all time snack is natural peanut butter on celery.  I eat almond butter by the spoon full! 

The point is it's time to move on. My diet is clean, but is my gut? Who knows what I'm actually absorbing?  But I do know that from what I've read, eating fermented food is like eating food that is partially digested.  Ok ok.. relax, I know that might sound gross.  But seriously it's pretty awesome, half the work is done for you!  You are half way to absorbing all the healthy nutrients.  If you are interested here is an article that is a great spring board to your own personal research (http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/fermentedfoods.htm)

 I used to buy tofu every week at coscto because it was a cheap, high protein and low sodium food.  Now I've moved on to tempeh (a fermented soy product), it has basically the same texture as the firm tofu, but it tastes a bit more complex.  And it has the same amount of protein, not to mention the naturally occuring probiotics.  I've bought kimchi (just today actually) because it too contains probiotics and other great nutrients. 

Oh before I move on a short lesson on the difference between probiotics and digestive enzymes.  Digestive enzymes start to work in your stomach (they break the food down into smaller particles - aka catalist to the beginning of digestion), probiotics are strains of bacteria that continue the digestive process in your colon, by keeping strains of yeast, harmful bacteria and other pathogen infestations at bay.  Basically by adding  more probiotics you are keeping yourself healthy because most of us don't have enough probiotics left in our gut (look at how often we get sick) and by adding more digestive enzymes you are making it easier for your body to actually absorb the nutrients of the foods you are eating. And to complicate you life even more, probiotics are microbacteria, and prebiotics (have you seen that word) is basically food for your gut bacteria.  This is a very very simplified definition. But I'm trying to make this info user friendly. 

So back to fermented foods!  Here are 6 foods you should try! 

1) Natto: fermented soybeans
2)Kimchi: a mix of fermented (like pickled) cabbage,radishes,peppers and other veggies
3)Miso: produced from fermented soybeans/barley/brown rice
4)Tempeh: fermented from partially cooked soybeans
5)Sauerkraut: fermented cabbage
6)Kefi: fermented milk beverage 

Great info and descriptions of what these are and how to eat them found on this website: http://theconsciouslife.com/top-probiotic-foods.htm

Kale salad

Sometimes the tastiest meals are ones that are simple, healthy and shared with special people.  Tonight we had our adopted family over for a bbq.  I made burger`s because that`s always easy, and I didn't have any romaine to make some ceasar so I decided to try my hand at a light kale salad (inspired by the one made at the Naked Sprout).

 First I mixed flaxseed oil with some minced garlic and massaged that on the finely chopped kale and spinach, then I squeezed a lemon half over everything, added hemp hearts, green onions, some chopped apple, mixed seeds and dried cranberries.

  It was heaven, but not as popular as the roasted broccoli I also made on the bbq.  (I forgot to take pictures) But basically I put parchment paper on a cookie sheet, on the top rack of the bbq.  I placed the broccoli, which I had lightly coated in a grain oil I use (you could use coconut), on it and left it in the hot bbq until it started to turn brown on the edges.  Over half an hour I think.  Then I used the leftover flaxseed oil and garlic and drizzled that over the broccoli.  Huge hit! 

So my Sunday family meal was: burgers with those multi-grain flat bread, roasted broccoli, massaged kale salad and some raw veggies (cucs/carrots/broccoli) for the family members that don't like kale or cooked broccoli... ahemmm Mark!