Foodie Pen Pals!

You may have noticed the link on the left-hand side of the page for 'Foodie Penpals'.  I found out about this wonderful exchange programme a few months ago and recommended it to my sister Ashleigh.  She signed up for February and had such a blast, that I decided to do it for March.  The reason I didn't do it right away is because we don't eat wheat or most grains, rarely eat sugar of any kind and really don't eat a lot of processed foods.  I figured that would be a bit too difficult for the person who was buying food for me, so thought maybe it wasn't a good idea.  But when I mentioned this to Ashleigh, she said there's no reason why I couldn't just explain about my restrictions and see what happens.  So, I went for it and I'm so happy I did.  What a great time I had buying items for my penpal's package!  She's a teacher in Toronto and said she loves everything except papaya, so that made for a fun shopping spree with almost no restrictions.
I received my box of goodies last week and was thrilled with the thought my penpal (you don't receive from the same person you're sending to) Vesna put into my treats.  

Here's what I got...

   

 

A lovely little hand-written card

  

 Delicious seaweed (I LOVE seaweed)

 Dried apricots, with no added sugar

 A fruit and seed mix which is supposed to be a snack, but I've got some cookies planned with this in them

 Raspberry licorice, which I found a bit sweet but Perry gobbled up in 2 seconds flat :)

And the very best part, homemade blondies made with chickpeas.  They are delicious!

 

Thank you again to Vesna for such a great Foodiepenpal first experience!  If you'd like to participate in Foodiepenpals, just click on the link at the top left-hand side of the page.  Do it, it's so much fun!!! :)

Chickpea Crackers with Chives

I came across this recipe a few weeks ago and knew I had to try it.  We've pretty much cut grains out of our diet, so I've really been missing crackers.  I have a fantastic recipe for crackers made from seeds that I use often, but sometimes I just crave a cracker that actually tastes like a cracker.  This one really fit the bill.  The only thing I'd do differently next time is to roll them very slightly thinner.  Other than that, they're my perfect cracker because they're crunchy and tasty but not overwhelming, so they're the perfect base for dips and spreads.

Here's what I did...

 I sifted 1 cup of besan (chickpea flour) into a large bowl

I added 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast

Then I added 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. Celtic sea salt, 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper and 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

I stirred in 2 tsps. of extra-virgin olive oil and a few tbsps. water and then started to mix it with my hands until it all came together.  Then I kneaded it for a couple of minutes, rolled it into a ball and covered with plastic wrap.  I let it rest in the fridge for 10 minutes.  

I removed it from the fridge and broke the dough into 4 pieces.  I put one piece on the counter top which I'd sprinkled with more besan.  Then I sprinkled a little more on top and rolled it out to 1/4" thickness (next time I'll do it a bit thinner).  

Then I cut them into little shapes and placed on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  I repeated with all of the pieces of dough.  Then I baked them in a 350F oven for 20 minutes.  

Then I removed them from the oven and let them cool.  I considered adding more chives, but was worried it would make them too moist.  I don't think that's a problem, so I may do that next time too.  Tiny pieces of sundried tomato might be a nice addition too.

Coconut Macadamia Energy Balls

 

I found this recipe and knew right away that I wanted to make it.  First of all, it has no added sweeteners, and it has only a handful of ingredients.  Also, it's filled with so much coconut goodness and I'm all about the coconut :)

The only downside I can find is that the recipe doesn't make a whole lot of servings.  Next time I make it, I'll double it for sure.  I opted to make my own coconut butter as I did in this post because it's just so darn easy (and less expensive) with a Vitamix.  I also used a whole vanilla bean instead of vanilla extract.

Here's what I did...

 I poured a couple of cups of unsweetened shredded coconut into the Vitamix and blended it for 45 seconds on #5 and then about 15-30 seconds on high

 I also used my Vitamix to grind 3 oz. of macadamia nuts.  Mine were roasted and salted.  Had they been raw, I would have added a little Celtic sea salt.

 I poured both of them into a bowl

Then I split a vanilla bean in half

 And scooped the insides into the bowl with the other ingredients

 I mixed it all together to make a coconut/macadamia soup of sorts.  Then I placed it into the fridge, stirring every 2 minutes

 Until it looked like this

 

Then I rolled them into balls (working quickly as they get quite slippery) and rolled them in shredded, unsweetened coconut

Then I placed them into the freezer for 10 minutes.  They do have to be kept refrigerated or frozen as coconut oil melts at room temperature.

Mocha Frappuccino Green Smoothie

Okay, so yes it's green.  In fact it's VERY green :)  I'm sure it's not what most people would expect a mocha frappuccino to look like, but it's MUCH better for you than one of those admittedly delicious, but sugar-laden concoctions and it honestly does taste yummy.  

I have green smoothies 3-4 mornings per week, always after boot camp classes and sometimes just because I can't think of what else to have for breakfast.  They're a quick and easy way to get a good protein punch and fit in some veggies at the same time.  I'm not really one for fruity smoothies, in fact I rarely add fruit at all anymore.  So this is pretty much the way I usually make my morning smoothie, but I decided to add some coffee substitute today to change it from chocolate to mocha.  

I like to use quite a few frozen ingredients as it keeps the drink nice and cold and gives it more of a frappuccino texture.

Here's what I did...

 

 Added about 3 cups frozen organic spinach to the Vitamix container

 

Added 1 scoop of protein powder

 

  This is my favourite protein powder (chocolate)

 This is prepared Irish moss (the always lovely Meghan will show you how to make it here.

 I added one heaping tablespoon of the Irish moss

 and about 1/2 cup flax mylk

 I cube of frozen coconut milk (I freeze coconut milk in ice cube trays for just this purpose)

 and a few ice cubes to make it frosty

 raw cacao nibs (oh so delicious and oh so good for you)

 I added 2 tablespoons of the cacao nibs

 and a couple of teaspoons (all I had left) of this coffee sub. (made from roasted barley, rye, chicory and beet)

Blitzed it all up in my trusty Vitamix and gobbled it up.  Of course no green smoothie (or other delicious beverage) should ever be enjoyed through anything but a beautiful Strawsome glass straw!

Homemade Mayonnaise 

I made some homemade mayo a few weeks ago and although I loved it, Perry and Krestan both thought it was too 'coconutty'.  I used a mixture of melted coconut oil and extra-virgin olive oil.  The coconut flavour really did rather take over and it was detectable in everything I added it to.  So today I decided to try using half extra-virgin olive oil and half avocado oil.  I think this is definitely a better combination as the flavour isn't anywhere near as strong.  I also do not worry about the eggs being raw, although I know some people are squeamish about this.  The eggs we use are pastured and are very fresh, so I don't concern myself about it.  I'm so thankful that I have a Vitamix.  It makes life so much easier when it comes to things like making homemade mayo :-)

Here's what I did...

I put 3 pastured eggs into the Vitamix.

Then I added 1 1/4 teaspoons mustard powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons Celtic sea salt and 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice.

I turned the Vitamix on and quickly turned the speed up to #10 and then on to high.  Next, I slowly streamed in 4/5 cup of avocado oil and 4/5 cup extra-virgin olive oil.

And in about 1 minute, I had this lovely, creamy homemade mayonnaise.  YUM!

Quinoa Flatbread with Flax and Chia

I found this flatbread recipe on Pinterest the other day and thought it would be a nice option for us since we've completely cut out wheat and most grains.

It turned out pretty well, although I think I'd do a little tweaking next time.  Even though it's a flatbread, I think I'd like it a little bit lighter, so I plan to use some baking soda next time.  It really is a great recipe though and came together in next to no time.  We ate it for dinner with mussels in a spicy garlic sauce.

Here's what I did...

 

 Put 2 cups of quinoa flour in a large bowl.

 Added 1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt, 2 tablespoons psyllium husk and 1 teaspoon garlic powder.

 Then I added 2 tablespoons of flax seeds and 2 tablespoons of chia seeds.

 Next I stirred in 1 1/2 cups water and let the batter sit for about 5 mins. while the oven heated to 400F.

 Then I dolloped the dough in circles onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and used wet hands to form it into small patties (about 4" across).  My dough made 10 in total.

 I sprinkled sesame seeds on top and gently pressed them down so they'd stick.

Baked them for 20 minutes, rotating pans after 10.  Then cooled them on wire racks.