A Whole Foods Adventure

      In today's entry, you will not find a recipe, but rather a vignette of a Whole Foods Market trip from our family vacation. While it seemed like chaos at the time, I knew I would write about it later. Ill pick up with more recipes next week.

August 1, 2012

     Stopped at a gas station 100 miles out of Seattle, seven Trudelles are faced with the common dilemma of how to fuel ourselves for the evening meal. Gone are the days when the parents would choose a place and we were happy as long as we could both eat and play. The morning cereal had minimal staying power after wake boarding and hours of traveling so stomachs are nearing empty. The clock reads 4:30 PM and the gas station subway looks mediocre at best. Dad, thinking in his usual terms of practicality, announces "okay guys if you wanna eat, now is the time." We quickly come up with the idea of asking Mom and Dad if we can take them out to dinner for their anniversary instead. Their anniversary was 10 days ago, but it falls conveniently close to summer vacations.

      Mom replies, "guys, Johnny's medical" (as in medically hungry)  to which Marie replies, "Mom he can handle it, he's not the only one who's hungry" Laura, being her usual statistical and diplomatic self, takes a hunger level survey. In the waiting period Pete makes an executive decision to press on. By the time we arrive at the Seattle Whole Foods Market, the family is chomping at the bit to get started with dinner.

        In the parking lot, we tumble out of the car like, well, tall people stuffed in a car for a few hours. The two cars unknowingly have different intentions for this whole foods trip. The consensus from the silver car is that they are picking up grilling foods for Steve to grill for us. Apparently grilling is a stress release for the soon to be father. The consensus of the black car? Get whatever you want for yourself, but you hold responsibility of preparation. 

         The double doors slide open and we enter like a heard of lost canadian caddle. A bit dishoveled, mostly in active clothes with lake hair, tall and blondish, and not making any effort to be inconspicuous. Instinctively, everyone grabs some cherries to sample. When one person does this, it goes unnoticed, but seven can be a little obvious. We spread out, mostly with the assumption that someone else is taking care of the important items. In a few minutes there's a reunion at the salad bar. Mom's on the phone with Dad who's in the meat isle. "Guys, Dad is getting burgers, do you want some or do you want to grill something else for yourself?" 

     "WHAT?!" Johnny looks incredulous. "I thought Steve was grilling for us, Now we have to get our own?"

"Yeah I'm a little unclear" I say "should I just get something here?" I'm already nibbbling on a piece of falafel as I converse. Before Mom answers, she gets side tracked as Marie strolls up deciding the type and price of protien powder to purchase for volleyball training camp. Johnny figures the grilled meal is a lost cause and is already at the burrito line, customizing his double meat special.  Laura walks around the corner and decides to follow her my lead and get a small salad to go with the barbecue meal. 

     As I'm midway through creating my  salad, Pete approaches me with a serious look similar to his Peter Gibbons impression. He puts a hand on my shoulder, looks down at me and says, "so Couse, what are you doing for a carbohydrate source on this one?" I hadn't really considered this yet as I know I would be fed in someway or another. " well I was just planning on having a burger bun or piece of toast with my meal. Just whatever everyone else is getting" I reply. Then pete says,"Okay, well I can't have gluten so I thought you could look at some of the udi's gluten free breads with me." We head over to the freezer together and stare at some of the gluten free alternatives. With big bold movements Pete grabs a loaf, freezes in silence as he reads the ingredients, and 80 percent of the time stuffs in back in the freezer again. Frustrated with the artificial breads, he decides to go with rice. Laura comes around the corner with a guacamole and hands it to Pete. He gives her the same serious and contemplative look and says "Laura I buy about $200 worth of guacamole a month at whole foods, we can do better. Let me show you where it's at" As they search through guacamole, Mom asks me about a box of chocolate treats for Steve. I check out the box, but decide it to be much too "milk chocolate" for the dark chocolate loving family.

   I look over at the checkout stand and see Dad sporting his aviator sunglasses and the "come on guys Im ready" look. The people lined up behind him are clearly fooled by his modest amount of items in the shopping cart, and do not know what's coming. When the family hears time is up, each person starts darting between the isles and the checkout line throwing in forgotten items and impulse buys. 3 bags of Kettle chips are purchased in order to prevent chip hoarding and rationing, marie gets snacks for school, Mom throws in tilamook cheddar, Johhny decides the burrito will not be enough and finds ribs, and Pete decides on a gluten free cinnamon raisin bread that suites him. Before we even start checking out, the burritos and chips are ripped open. Mom asks Dad "Do you think we should get steve some treats or something?" Dad seems a bit exasperated by the general lack of organization from the family's eating style. "Shine, Steve said he wanted cliff bars, so I got him cliff bars. Simple and done." Mom replies, "Well I know, but I'm his Mom" she ponders.

Soon enough we ring up the bill and pile back into the car and head to Steve and Rachel's house.We have yet to start to cook the meal, but  the difficult part of the preparation is complete.

Mint Chocolate Almond Cashew Butter

Another peak into the flavor list

I think most everyone has a mint chocolate something that they like. Maybe its andes mints, thin mints, peppermint patties, or mint brownies. Mint chocolate chip was always one of my favorite ice cream flavors as a kid. This is definitely not mint chocolate chip, it's mint chocolate fully incorporated. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 C- roasted cashews

1 C- roasted almonds

50 grams 72 % dark chocolate (melted) or 1/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1 T - 100% cocoa poweder

1/2 t mint extract 

Directions

1. Blend the nuts together in the food processor until they are butterized.
2. Pour melted chocolate, mint extract and cocoa powder into the mixture and blend again.
3. Keep on the counter 
4. Best to eat fresh. After refrigeration it will become very hard so reheating is recommended.

Curry Chicken in Kabocha Squash bowl

Kabocha Bowls Serves ~3

  

There is something very satisfying about a food that makes its own bowl. Apparently the skin of this squash is edible, so you can eat the whole meal with no evidence or dishes (I actually did this today).  If you have never had Kabocha squash, don't confuse it with the kombucha drink. This tastes like a combination between a butternut squash and a sweet potato and you also won't go on edge when they take it off the shelf ;-). I have yet to make a highly successful curry sauce from scratch, but the simmer sauce I used tastes very flavorful and wholesome. It's also free of starch thickeners, high fructose corn syrup, dairy, and gluten. 

Bowl

Cut a Kabocha squash in half and roast in the oven for 40 minutes until flesh is soft. 

Remove the seeds

Filling 

1 12 oz cans coconut curry simmer sauce (medium). I used  Spicy Nothings brand from Roberts. 

6 oz coconut cream (or 1/2 can coconut cream)

1 lb chicken breast

Directions

1. In a covered iron skillet bake chicken without the sauce for 35-45 minutes until cooked and tender.

2. Drain the chicken juice and cut into pieces

3. Mix together the coconut cream and curry simmer sauce.

The Combination

Put chicken and sauce in the Kabocha bowl and enjoy

Enjoy!

Apple Cider Almond Butter

The 23rd Flavor

This summer I made a goal of creating 23 different nut butters before my 23rd Birthday on November 28. On Monday when I sat down to list of all the flavors, and I fell just two short. Thus, I headed to the kitchen and made chocolate mint and apple cider almond butters to cap it off. The chocolate mint is far to minty for me to share yet, so I present to you the apple cider! This fruity almond butter is a little stickier than normal types, (because of the water in the apple sauce) although it still tastes great. So far, I find the best combination is to spread it on of apples. I don't mind an apple abundance. 

Ingredients

• 1 C raw almonds (roasted would work as well)
• Note: Raw almonds take about 10 minutes to blend, roasted only take about 5. Use roasted if pressed for time.
• 1/4 C unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 t apple cider vinegar
• 2 t cinnamon
• Sprinkle of salt optional

Directions

1. Blend almonds in a strong food processor. 
2. Scrape down from the sides and blend again until it appears to be like regular almond butter.
3. Add in the rest of the ingredients and blend until combined

Chocolate Covered Root Vegetables

Orange October

The San Francisco Giants won the world series this year. Hooray! Most people are surprised to find out that I follow baseball (sometimes). I like baseball, but I will admit to being a playoffs only fan. I hardly watch anything all season, and then during the playoff's I suddenly get really into it. This year, I watched most of the games either on a laptop sized TV or in Whole foods. To make up for the lack of HD TV, I made some black and orange treats for the viewers. This tastes like sweet potato ice-cream. It also happened to be right around Halloween at the time. Just perfect.


Ingredients

• 1 C purred orange vegetables- I used half butternut squash, half sweet potato
• 1.5 T coconut butter
• 1 t pumpkin pie spice
• 72% dark chocolate and coconut oil

Directions

• Coat sili-cups or muffin papers with melted chocolate and coconut oil. Place in freezer for 7 minutes or until hard.
• Mix together root vegetables and spices.
• Spoon mixture into muffins
• Use a spoon to cover with chocolate, place into freezer.
• Serve cool or at room temp. 

Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Best consumed warm, while relaxed...

           My usual vacation style and way to spend free time is action packed and go go go. Even without realizing, that can be much about efficiency of cost and time.While I love doing lots of activities, sometimes the  constant push about what to do next can start to wear on you. Sometimes it's nice to have a bit of change, and my trip to Washington last weekend was just that. Everyone was asking what I was in town for. Is it that strange to go somewhere just to visit family? I met my Nephew Miles for the first time, ran in true fall weather and had lots of leisure coffee shop visits. The type where you actually sit down and drink in the atmosphere as well as the cappuccino . There was also time for the giants, and watching the two victories they had that weekend. This is the kind of bread that is best enjoyed at a leisure pace. Take note of how the wonderful cinnamon smell fills the house. A warm dense slice with a cup of coffee on a fall weekend morning would be perfect.
 That is actually how it was recommended in the original recipe, which I adapted from http://peasandthankyou.com/2012/09/27/pumpkin-streusel-swirl-loaf/.
Ingredients
1 C pumpkin purée
1/4 C butter melted
1 egg
2 T milk
1/3 C brown sugar / coconut sugar
2 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1 t ginger
Cardamon/ cloves optional
1-1/3 Cgluten free flour blend (Or all purpose flour)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Streusel topping
2-3 T melted butter
1/3 C chopped pecans
3 T rolled oats
2T brown sugar
2 T cinnamon
 
Directions

1. Combine, pumpkin, egg, butter, and sugar in a bowl. In a separate bowl or measuring cup mix all of the dry ingredients.
2. Combine the wet and dry together together.
3. Pour half of the batter into a greased loaf pan.
4. In a separate bowl combine the streusel toppings. 
5. Cover the loaf with half of the streusel and pour the remaining batter over.
6. Cover with remaining streusel topping
7. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes until fork comes out clean.

 Next up- Giants baseball sweet potato cups. I wasn't expecting them to win the world series in such a quick sweep, but the recipe is coming soon.

Homemade Chocolate Bars

High Epicatechin Fudge

     It should come as no surprise by now that my family and is into dark chocolate. The reasons vary. For some taste, others wakefulness, and some for endurance. For the last year, we have been receiving inside information from top notch researchers who have done studies on the effects of dark chocolate on the mitochondria. I'll spare you the scientific details, but in short, the epicatechin in chocolate can be quite beneficial to your mitochondria development. One of the researchers spoke at the Priory about it, which resulted in a large number of cross country runners starting to eat chocolate in hopes of enhancing their performance. 

        When Johnny ate an entire Hershey sized bar of 72% chocolate the morning of his Stanford invitational race, he set a1 minute personal record. Despite increased training, racing experience and fitness levels, he attributed most of the success to the chocolate. Soon after, I started creating a stronger, darker, homemade blend to ensure we were indulging in the cold pressed variety. This high epicatechin fudge is now requested frequently and has earned a top shelf in the fridge. It contains blended whole cacao beans which make for a super rich chocolately flavor. After refrigerating, it feels similar in texture to a dark chocolate crunch bar, but tastes much better. I would recommend crumbling over a sweet potato, oatmeal, or in a banana smoothie. 

Ingredients

• 1/2 C ground caocao beans, or caocao powder
• 2 T almond butter (I used creamy roasted with sea-salt. If you use raw, sprinkle some salt in)
• 1 T coconut butter
• 1 T coconut oil
• 1 t instant coffee powder
• 2 t honey

Directions

1. Grind the caocao beans into a fine powder with a food processor or blender. Add coffee powder if desired.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. The mixture should be almost drippy.
3. Pour onto a small plate and refridgerate for at least 40 minutes or until hardened. 
4. Cut into small pieces and serve.

eat, enjoy and run fast!

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cashew Pumpkin Cream

Fully Fall, Double Pumpkin and Chocolate Cupcakes 

     I will not be surprised if I turn slightly orange before the end of fall. Since the 30 day challenge, my consumption of pumpkin, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and carrots has sky rocketed. Pumpkin has become so common on blogs that it's almost losing popularity. Its the "everyone eats pumpkin in the fall so I'll do something different" effect. Not for me. I will fully embrace pumpkin until it goes out of season. And...orange is better than the pale winter palor anyway.

        This is the first time I have ever made cupcakes and it may become something I do more often. These are not your typically light floury, sugary cupcakes, they are actually pretty rich and filling (although not as much as almond flour types). These have a nice pumpkin flavor are not overly sweet. If you have a serious sweet tooth you may want to consider adding more honey. 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter or coconut oil melted
• 6 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 C quality honey
• 3/4 C pumpkin puree
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/4 t cloves
• 1/4 t allspice
• 1/4 t nutmeg
• 1/4 t ginger
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• handful of dark chocolate chips (Optional)
• Note- I cut up some chunks from 72 % chocolate and sprinkled it onto some of the muffins, so that I could have both chocolate and plain.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Crack the eggs into the bowl or food processor. Beat with your mixer or a food processor. Add in vanilla, honey, pumpkin, spices, salt, and baking soda. Mix until combined. Slowly add in the coconut flour and the butter.

3. Divide batter evenly between muffin cups. 

4. Bake 15-19 minutes until fork comes out clean

5. Remove and let cool

6. Scoop Cashew Cream into a bag and cut a hole in the corner. Squeeze on frosting to desired thickness.

Pumpkin Cashew Cream Frosting

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup raw/unsalted cashews, soaked 8hrs or overnight
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree (I used sugar pumpkin puree)
• 6 large dates, soaked in water
• 1/4 C milk or almond milk
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp salt

Directions

1. Drain the cashews and add them to your food processor with the drained dates, 1/4 cup milk, vanilla extract, all of the spices, and salt.
2. Add pumpkin puree
3. Blend until completely smooth.
4. Add more soaked dates if you would like it sweeter.

Yum- Enjoy for dessert, or breakfast or snack. These have a very high protein content!

Homemade Almond Milk

Family Tricks

      I went through an almond milk phase in college when I started experiencing dairy sensitivity. The cross country team had a tradition of ending dinner with a bowl of cereal. Dinner followed after practice, so we generally arrived hungry and stayed a long time. For a few weeks I would always leave dinner with a serious stomachache. When I put it together that the discomfort immediately followed the milk, it was like a light went on. A search light that is, to find a new milk. Almond milk became a new staple in my mini fridge until one day I flat out stopped enjoying it. It had a strange aftertaste I began to despise. Recently, I decided to give almond milk another try, and with a recipe suggested from a coworker, I was ready. This drink redeems almond milk. It is fresh and creamy and feels like you are drinking from an almond tree. 

     Now onto my sneaky trick. About half of my family loved the almond milk, while the others did not touch it. I'm not sure if it was their inability to find it, poor marketing on my part (I did not push this on anyone), or their inability to decipher what was in the pitcher (unknown foods are usually a no).  After the store bought almond milk ran out, I just poured my homemade one into the carton and placed in back in the fridge. Disrupting the morning routine is risky, but my confidence overruled my fear. That night, my Dad set out everything for the next morning as usual. A box of  Joe's Cherrios, a block of dark chocolate, vitamins, and a wine glass (to drink water from). The next morning, and the morning after that, my almond milk was consumed without the blink of an eye by the other half of the family. Who knows, maybe I will start a deceptively delicious section of the blog.

Disclaimer: I would not do this to anyone with a known allergy, or most likely anyone outside my own family. 

Ingredients

• 2 cups of raw almonds soaked overnight
• 4 cups cold water
• pinch salt
• 2 pitted dates
• 1/2 tsp vanilla opt
• Also optional, honey or maple syrup

Directions

1. In a food processor, blend the almonds and dates with 2 cups of water. Gradually add the next two cups of water and blend until smooth.
2. Place a clean cloth over a bowl, or use a nut milk bag. Pour the milk into over the cloth
3. 
4. Gather it with your hands and squeeze every last drop out of the bag and save the remaining nut pulp for another recipe.
5. 
6.   Add in vanilla or maple syrup if desired
7. Refrigerate and drink cold.
8. Note: Separation is normal, make sure to shake or stir before consuming. 

Meaty Pumpkin Souffle

Autumnal Equinox Dinner

Today is an unusual post for me. I am blogging a recipe that actually involves meat and multiple steps. Sometimes I'm not sure I can tell people that I cook a lot when I mostly grind up everything quickly in my food processor. This however, is a complete meal, and turned out quite tasty. 

      On the first day of fall I decided the time had come to buy a small sugar pumpkin from Trader Joes. I usually place pumpkin in the desserts, lattes, and Halloween carving category. However, you can use pumpkin like you would another squash, and add it to savory foods. The sweet potatoes were not in the original recipe, however they help complement the pumpkin taste. If you have never used a real pumpkin in cooking or baking before, give it a try! The color is a much brighter orange than that of the can. Plus you can decorate your table with the pumpkin for a few days before you eat it.

Ingredients Serves 5

• 1 small sugar pumpkin
• Roughly 2 sweet potatoes
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 T coconut oil
• 1/2 yellow onion diced
• 1 clove garlic, or 1 frozen cube
• 2 C fresh spinach, finely chopped
• 1 C fresh basil, finely chopped
• 1.2 t salt
• 1/2 T ground cinnamon
• 1/4 t ground nutmeg
• 1/2 t fresh ginger
• 4 egg whites

Directions

1. Cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds (save them for roasting). Bake at 350 for ~ 20 minutes
2. Peel 2 sweet potatoes and steam or bake. (Time depends on size)
3. Cook the chopped onion in the coconut oil in a large skillet. 
4. Add the ground beef and cook until browned.
5. Add the garlic, salt and pepper and mix well.
6. Stir in the spinach and basil and remove from heat.
7. Spread the meat mixture evenly into an 11 x 7 glass baking dish
8. Place the cooked pumpkin in a food processor (after scooping it out of its skin) and blend until smooth. Add the cinnamon nutmeg and ginger.
9. In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites until they are stiff.
10. Fold the pumpkin mixture into the egg whites
11. Spread over the meat and bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
12. Serve while warm.

Note:
If you are not confident in how your crowd will receive this (it looks pretty different), call it mashed yams over beef. I did this and received good reviews instead of skeptical questions. I am not even sure if they realized there were eggs or pumpkins in there. Sometimes its all about the nomenclature.  If you are pressed for time, you could serve the souffle part only over applesauce for breakfast or dessert.

Strawberry Balsamic Cauliflower

When Erika first suggested I add strawberries to the cauliflower, I thought it a bit absurd of an idea. If you are thinking the same thing, ignore your instincts and just try this out. This is a side dish perfect for those last few days of summer. After all, there are only 3 official days left. 

Ingredients

• 1 cauliflower head
• 10 strawberries sliced
• 3 + Tbs balsamic vinegar
• Sprinkle of salt - optional
• 1/4 cup water
• Coconut oil or other oil for cooking

Directions- Serves ~6

1. Break up cauliflower into its small tree parts and insert into food processor. Pulse until it is the consistency of rice or large snow flakes (not mashed potatoes). If you don't have a food processor, just chop into very small pieces. 
2. Pour into an oiled skillet and add 1/4 cup water to the top.
3. Heat on medium for about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally so it does not burn to the bottom. It should be soft but not mushy. 
4. Remove from heat and add balsamic vinegar and sprinkle salt if desired.
5. Add strawberry slices after it has cooled slightly
6. Serve on the side of chicken or fish. 

Bay to Breakers Scramble

Rewind to May 20, 2012. Bay to Breakers 12k, San Francisco.

Scroll Down for Recipe

    At  5:05 AM the alarm rings and Elizabeth and I quickly grab our running clothes. Marie and Pete arrive promptly with black coffee and drive us all to the train station. This dark hour is one that most young people consider the middle of the night, yet there is an excitement in the air already. Students and young adults dressed in flashy flamboyant clothes fill the train, and a few of them are already completely intoxicated. When we finally all find a compartment and relax, someone appropriately compares the situation to the Hogwarts express. First things first is preparing our costumes right. Ali, Marie, Elizabeth and I all braid each others hair for our Hunger Games theme. Little did I know, dressing as Katniss Everdeen (with Peeta, Prim and  Tracker Jacker) made me feel like a celebrity for the day. The ride up passes by quickly on the express train as we braid hair and eat pre-race foods. Pete mixes 100% cocoa powder, cytomax and berries with an intense focus. An onlooker may suspect he is dealing drugs with his unlabeled bags of dark and white  powders. I have a luna bar, a couple squares of 72% dark chocolate and coffee. Just enough to wake me up and settle hunger.

       When we arrive in SF, the serious runners part from the recreational with plans to meet after the race. Some people stumble out of the train and I consider whether they will actually make it to the starting line over a mile away. As Elizabeth and I decided to run this race as a workout, Pete is contemplating different strategies. One of them being an all out mile followed by 6 miles of recovery coasting. At the starting line, corn tortillas are flying, music is blasting and the energy is high. Elizabeth and I run the first half of the race at tempo, and then race the 2nd half. A great strategy for a workout and confidence building, but not one for a fast time. After the race, we all meet up, grab some coconut water, and meandered our way  through the race expo. After that, we begin a long trek in search of brunch. Block after block of only asian restaurants frustrates us. 

       The group tries to articulate what they want, and finally Pete says, "I just want a big fat Omlette" and we agree. Eventually when we do find the cafe, the group looks rather unkempt, and a bit out of place in our costumes. "Whatever" we say "Its Bay to Breakers day" and order our breakfast. 

SF Scramble

- 2 eggs scrambled with goat cheese

-  1/2 Sautéed zucchini

- Sliced beets

- Eat immediately 

Baba Ganoush

      I have always been a hummus fan. Sometimes it's excessive and I can easily eat it three meals a day...Hummus on eggs, hummus on my sandwich and hummus on my dinner salad.  So why not switch it up with eggplant instead of chickpeas? It is much quicker than cooking/soaking beans overnight.

Ingredients

• 1 medium egg plant baked and peeled
• 1-2 Tbs Tahini (or Trader Joes Tahini Sauce!)
• 1/2 lemon juiced
• salt, paprika to taste
• Drizzle of olive oil - I actually did this more for looks, but it tasted good too. 

Directions

• poke holes in a medium eggplant with a fork and bake for 20 minutes at 350.
• Remove from oven and peel off the skins. 
• Let it cool as long as your patience allows. 
• In a blender or a food processor blend all ingredients except paprika and oil. 

Babaganoush and bok choy salad with lunch. * please excuse my rustic photography skills. 

Raspberry Lemonade Icee

     After  a month full month of neglecting my blog, I have come out of summer hibernation with many recipes in store for later. In case you were wondering, I'm still alive and well.
      On Wednesday last week I embarked on a long trail run in 98 degrees, rationalizing that  the shade of the forest would protect me. I'm not sure why I thought this, considering our thermometer is in the shade. The only reason I don't regret the decision is because this recipe idea came to me on the way down. I soon found myself near the top of windy hill, desperate for water. I felt like I was in the hunger games as my instincts became increasingly sharp and I checked every bush for hydrating berries. Unfortunately I found no berries or water fountains. I couldn't help but day dream about which liquid I would drink as soon as I returned.  Thus, I had plenty of time to mentally create and perfect this drink for the rest of the way down. Upon returning I  immediately downed two glasses of the cool and tangy drink. It restored me perfectly.

Directions
Blend the ingredients below in a magic bullet or blender. 

• 3/4 cup cold water
• 10 ice cubes
• juice of 1/2- 1 lemon
• 1 tsp sugar
• handful of frozen raspberries

Note:  I like lemonade more sour than sweet, especially when it's hot out. Add more sugar if you prefer a sweeter variety.

Enjoy and Expect more to come. Sweet potato quesodillas, gingersnap almond butter, powerballs, and blackberry crumble. Any opinions from the readership? 

Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies

Claude Cookies

In honor of my grandfather Claude Trudelle (also known as Pepere to the grandkids), I named these Claude cookies. As a kid I visited my grandparents in Los Angeles almost every summer. On Sundays after church we would walk on Manhattan beach and then eat breakfast at the Koffee Kart. Pepere definitely enjoyed his coffee... and his chocolate. He liked to eat lots of them, but always one chip at a time. I hope that incorporating dark chocolate and coffee in my diet will help me live to 91 also. I made these the day before he passed away, although I think he would have liked them.
 

Ingredients

• 2 T cocoa powder 
• 1 C rolled oats or oat flour
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t baking soda
• 1/4 C coconut sugar or brown sugar
• 2 t instant coffee granules (I used columbian decaf)
• 1/3 C chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips
• 1/4 C coconut butter or butter
• 2 T almond milk
• 1/2 t pure vanilla extract
• 1 egg 

Directions
In a mixing bowl blend half of the oats into oat flour. Add in the salt, cocoa powder, baking powder, and coffee granules and half of the chocolate chips. Blend in the remainder of the wet in ingredients. Finally, pulse in the rest of the chocolate chips and oats.
Bake at 350 for 7 minutes.

Enjoy!

Fig Newtons

Are you a Fig Newton eater?

Would you rather eat 

Choice A

 

Choice B

I hope you share my feelings that the nutty hearty looking choice A is more appealing than the machine made choice B.

Did you ever wonder how fig newtons got their name? They are  named after a town in Massachusetts near Kennedy biscuits (apparently it was popular to name cookies after a town). Interesting story, but uninteresting cookie.They fall into the category of another just okay snack food in my opinion. Would you rather feed your body with...
Choice A

 UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE {VITAMIN B1}, RIBOFLAVIN {VITAMIN B2}, FOLIC ACID), FIGS, SUGAR, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CORN SYRUP, GLYCERIN, WHEY (FROM MILK), SALT, SOY LECITHIN*, LEAVENING (BAKING SODA, CALCIUM PHOSPHATE), PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL, CALCIUM LACTATE, SODIUM BENZOATE AND SULFUR DIOXIDE (SULFITES) ADDED TO PRESERVE FRESHNESS, MALIC ACID, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR. *ADDS A TRIVIAL AMOUNT OF FAT. CONTAINS: WHEAT, MILK, SOY.

 Or Choice B?
FIGS, DATES, LEMON JUICE, OATS, FLAX MEAL, CINNAMON, ALMOND BUTTER, APPLE SAUCE, HONEY, VANILLA, BAKING POWDER, EGGS, SALT

If your choices aligned with mine, (A,B) proceed to the recipe below. Come to think of it, if you prefer a regular fig newton, you should try these out too. The fresh flavorful taste in these just may surprise you.

Filling
1 C dried figs
4  pitted dates
1 T lemon juice
Crust:
1  C regular or quick oats, ground in blender/food processor until fine.
1/2 C ground flax meal
1/4 t cinnamon
2 T almond butter
2 T apple sauce
3 T honey
1 t vanilla optional
1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1-2 eggs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Grind together the ingredients for the filling and set aside.
3. For the crust, combine all the ingredients in the food processor and blend until combined.
4. In a baking pan or loaf pan, layer it like this. Crust, filling, crust.
5. Bake in the oven for 17-20 minutes. It should be soft and chewy, but not mushy after it's baked.

I think I may call these Fig Portola's

Tropical Popsicle Bites

        This weekend I had the chance to get away for a few days to run a relay race around Lake Tahoe with the Impala Racing team. I soaked up the sun, mountain air, and fresh pine scent as much as I could. The weekend was full of running, long meals at the cabin, and many laughs. The coconut water I drank after my leg of the relay quenched my thirst and helped stop my altitude headache. Later that day I picked up some buy one get one free strawberry packs and realized they would taste with cold coconut water. Thus here comes the delicious frozen combination of the two (plus another fruit). I don't own a popsicle mold, however these muffin sized cubes work great with just a napkin. Yet another summer treat for the collection. It's currently 96 degrees so I will be enjoying some of these today!

Ingredients

• Coconut water
• Strawberry slices
• Fresh pineapple slices

This recipe is so simple that I will let you decide the ratio for yourself. If you have left over fruit salad, other fruits can be contributed as well. 

Directions

1.  Place several slices of strawberries and pineapple in a silicup, popsicle mold or ice cube tray. 

2. Fill the rest with coconut water and freeze. Enjoy plain, in a glass of juice, or blended up into a smoothie.

Goodbye Emerald bay!

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

A Crisp for Summer    

       It is truly starting to feel like summer now. There are graduations, the days are long, the temperatures are high, and I've tried paddle boarding! My favorite summer dessert as a kid was plum cobbler (made like a crisp), with the cherry sized plums from our backyard. While it tasted fantastic, the three main ingredients were butter, brown sugar, and flour. Not exactly the type of crisp you feel great about having for breakfast the next morning.  But the real reason I no longer climb the tree and pick the plums is because our tree no longer produces any :(. It has reached too old of an age. 

I really can't complain anymore now that I have another sweet and tangy crisp. Today, the strawberries were half off and the ice cream was free, making it an all around positive deal. A slice of the crisp with a scoop of the vanilla cloud ice cream is in my top 4 new favorite summer desserts.  One should  know that I don't use the word favorite lightly. 

Strawberry Rhubarb Base

Ingredients

• 3 Stalks rhubarb
• 8 large strawberries
• 1.5 T chia seed powder or tapioca starch
• Honey to taste 

Directions

1. Place chopped rhubarb in a sauce pan with enough water to cover it. Bring water to a boil and then turn on low until the rhubarb is soft.  Drain the water.
2. Chop the strawberries and combine the the rhubarb and chia powder.
3. Place pour into an 8 by 8 pan and drizzle honey over.

Crumble Topping

Ingredients

• 1/2 C almond flour
• 1/2 C oat flour (just process oats until fine)
• 3 T  coconut oil
• 2 T butter
• 1/4 t lemon zest (opt)
• 1.5 T honey
• 1/4 C coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
• 1/4 t salt
• 2 C corn flakes cereal ( not frosted)

Directions

1. Blend oats in a food processor until fine. 

2. Mix together all ingredients except for the corn flakes and almond meal.

3. Pulse in the almond meal and corn flakes, and mix until desired consistency. 

4. Crumble the top over the strawberries and rhubarb and cook for  10 minutes at 350. It should look slightly browned on top.

Chai Chia Chocolate Smoothie

 

A Sweet and Spicey Cold Drink

 

A good chai latte tastes delightfully like Christmas in a cup. However, A)  good chai is hard to come by these days, and B) it's exactly 7 months until Christmas eve. My solution, a chai smoothie. Chia, chai to be exact. This is not your usual smoothie, but its nice to get out of the usual strawberry-banana, or peanut butter banana smoothie routine. Note this photo was taken from choosingraw.com. I can assure you my recipe will have the similar coloring and texture if you are worried.

Ingredients

• 1 chai tea bag 
• 1/3- cup hot water
• 1/2 cup greek yogurt
• 1 frozen banana broken in chunks
• 3 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp chia powder or seeds (use ground flax seeds if you don't have chia)
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1 tsp honey 
• 1/2  tsp fresh grated ginger

Directions

1. Brew the tea in the hot water for 3-4 minutes. Strain the liquid and cool for a few minutes.
2. Add the brewed tea and all the other ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Carrot Sweet Potato Ginger Soup

Internal Warmth

         Hello to my readership, and sorry for my long absence. As everyone says, it's "that time of year" when things are wrapping up, and starting up. Enough of my excuses though, and back to the soup. I know it's 80 degrees outside, but sometimes the late spring still calls for internally warming foods. Air conditioning is jacked up, you are in and out of the pool, and it's breezy. Basically I'm trying to convince you of why this soup is still a good idea any time of day or year. But really the taste should be enough to sell you. It's a pretty simple recipe so next time I will try adding some roasted onions or butternut squash. Enjoy!

Ingredients- Serves 1

• 2 Carrots
•  1 small yam
• 1/3 c coconut milk from the can (not a milk carton)
• 1/4 t ground ginger or freshly grated ginger
• Dash of- curry, cumin, nutmeg, salt

Directions 

1. Peel and steam the carrots and yams.
2. Blend the yam and carrots in a blender, and add coconut milk and spices. 
3. Heat on the stove or in the microwave.
4. Enjoy with toast or snapea crisps,