Recently, I went to a fabulous gluten free cooking class at Good Harvest Market taught by the amazing Nikki Jencen. Luckily, Nikki and I have similar opinions regarding gluten free cooking... focus on things that are naturally gluten free. For those of you that don't know, I was recently diagnosed with gluten intolerance which in essence means I will no longer be eating gluten containing grains and foods... for the rest of my life.  In my search for new foods that I will enjoy, it quickly became evident that many of the "Gluten Free" products that are available in the markets are highly processed, junk foods and they are not items that I personally feel would benefit my diet in any way. The good news is many of the foods that I love like vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and whole grains like quinoa, millet and brown rice are already gluten free. Epiphany!!! My life is definitely not over yet!

This was the first recipe we made in the cooking class and I made sure to sip very slowly so that it lasted through the entire class.  During the past six days I have made this recipe twice. This would be great with home-made almond milk but I don't always have time for that. Just make sure you get the unsweetened variety of whatever non dairy milk you are purchasing. 

Ingredients:

3 cups Almond Milk or other non-dairy milk (If you like regular milk you could use that too.)
2 tea bags of your choice (Early Grey, English Breakfast, Chai or Cinnamon/Ginger are all great)
1 Tbs. Vanilla Extract
1/2 can pumpkin puree (about 1 cup if you are roasting your own)
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. cinnamon
1-2 Tbs raw honey
1/2 tsp. nutmeg


Directions:

Place a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat. Add almond milk and tea. Heat until steaming but not yet boiling. While the tea is steeping in the almond milk, place pumpkin, spices, vanilla and honey until a bowl. Whisk together until thoroughly combined. When almond milk is hot and the pumpkin mixture is ready, whisk the pumpkin mixture into the warm almond milk. Pour into mugs and enjoy!


Tips from Shelly:   I am a big fan of caffeine free teas and Rishi Tea Company makes a great caffeine-free Chai blend that is delicious in this recipe. This would also be super cute served at Thanksgiving in a mug with a cinnamon stick and a dollop of coconut "whipped cream."

Not only is pumpkin an Anti-Angiogenic Food, it's also a great source of Vitamin A, Zinc, Magnesium and Fiber.

Enjoy!

--Shelly

It doesn't take people long to realize I am in the midst of a passionate love affair with Kale. Lacinato, Curly, Red Russian, Purple... it doesn't matter. I love it. It's great in smoothies, soups, stewed, sauteed and baked into kale chips. One of the most difficult ways to eat it is raw just because it can be quite tough.  Kale offers substantial amounts of Vitamin A, K, C and various trace minerals. It's even high in calcium (mooove over milk)! Kale, the king of the dark leafy greens, has also made the list of the top 30 Anti-Angiogenic foods. Anti-Angiogenic foods are foods that have been proven to help cut off blood supply to cancer cells and tumors. In essence this foods contain cancer fighting properties.

This recipe is inspired by the Kale-abration Salad from NuGenesis Farms in Delafield, WI. My husband and I prefer the 2-3 cloves of garlic because it tastes a little spicy. If you don't absolutely love garlic, I would suggest just using one clove.


8 cups chopped kale
2-3 cloves of garlic finely minced
2 Tbs. olive oil
3 Tbs. honey
1/2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
1/3 cup currant, raisins, dried cranberries or dried cherries
1/3 cup chopped walnuts or other nut of choice
2 apples, chopped

Place kale, oil, honey, garlic and salt into a large bowl. With clean hands, massage everything together. After a few moments you will see and feel the kale turning softer and more tender. You can stop massaging whenever the kale reaches the texture you enjoy. The more you massage, the softer it gets. The softer it gets, easier it is to chew. When the desired texture is reached, add all other ingredients and toss gently.

Don't be afraid to add other vegetables. In the recipe above, I added some finely sliced purple cabbage. Jicama, shredded carrots, avocado, sliced onions or any other vegetable of your choosing would most likely be delicious, as well.

Enjoy!
--Shelly

My nephews are visiting this week and I wanted to make something that I could feel good about them snacking on. I made 18 muffins late last night and I think there are only 7 left. These muffins are good... really, really good and they are VEGAN!

Ingredients:


2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup sucanat
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup pumpkin puree (applesauce would work too)
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used almond)
1 cup mashed banana (approximately 2 bananas)
1 cup vegan dark chocolate or carob chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts


Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 18 muffin tin cups with paper liners. Prepare using the traditional muffin method. Mix all dry flour and baking soda into a large bowl. In a separate bowl combine all the wet ingredients. Make sure the muffin tins are lined and the oven is preheated.  Combine the wet and dry ingredients together and mix until just combined. Fold in the chips and nuts. Immediately scoop into muffin tin and place into the oven.

Bake 25-30 minutes until tops are starting to turn golden and the muffins spring back when pressed lightly.

Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!