Friday, September 9, 2011

The World of All Things Coconut...

This morning I decided to set out on a culinary expedition...all things coconut!
In the past year and a half, I have become somewhat familiar with Coconut Flour and Coconut Oil and the tremendous health benefits of both. They are jam-packed with good things that nourish health and healing in our bodies. Convincing my children has been somewhat of a challenge but, I have made a bit of progress! Taste and texture are everything to them...

I have also used Coconut Palm Crystals -they are an excellent brown sugar substitute. They measure equally in recipes (1 cup brown sugar would be replaced with 1 cup coconut palm crystals) and as I have learned, they are low glycemic (35 on the scale vs. 65-100 for standard brown sugar) and come with nutrient rich living enzymes! They are delicious!


Today's journey has led me to the crystal's liquid counterpart:


COCONUT NECTAR


It measures into recipes like honey or agave nectar would but, is lower on the glycemic index (35) than honey (55-83) and just an absolute better choice than agave nectar hands down (agave nectar is highly processed to develop it's sweet taste which, even if organic, kills any nutritional value of any kind and it is also being pumped up with high fructose corn syrup - definitely not the path we want to follow)!


You replace sugar in a recipe the same way you would replace with honey - if your recipe calls for 1 cup sugar, you would substitute 3-4 tbsp. coconut nectar, decrease the other liquids in the recipe by 1/4th and lower your cooking temperature by 25 degrees (I must say thank you to Dr. Rex Russell for teaching me this...his book "What The Bible Says About Healthy Living" is a MUST READ).


Today's offering on the recipe block is:



Tropical Green Smoothie
From Kristi's Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. fresh organic spinach, packed
2 - 1" thick slices fresh pineapple, cored
10-12 fresh sweet cherries, pitted
1/2 c. filtered water
1/8 -1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. "Coconut Secret" coconut nectar (may add a bit more to your taste)

Directions:

-Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth

Enjoy!


There will be many more recipes to come in the next days and weeks; both sweet and savory - working on a cinnamon muffin one as we speak -in the meantime go check out my new friends at Coconut Secret (one of the best kept "secrets" -but not for long!) 


The Coconut Secret website:
http://www.coconutsecret.com/


You may purchase Coconut Secret products in several locations -they have a store locator on their site...I have also found the products on vitacost.com, amazon.com, lucky vitamin.com and iherb.com for those who prefer the "straight to your door" method...



Make an investment in your health today!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Gluten Free Mac-n-Cheese

From Kristi's Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. organic butter
14oz. coconut milk
1tsp. sea salt -maybe a bit more to taste
1/8-1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/16 tsp. (a pinch really) onion powder
Black pepper to taste
1 c. organic sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 c. organic mozzarella cheese

1 16oz. package brown rice pasta shells or macaroni

Directions:

-In a pot of boiling water, boil pasta according to package directions (be sure to salt your water -my favorite brand is Tinkyada)
-Melt butter in a sauce pot and add coconut milk
-Stir in seasoning
-Bring mixture to a simmering point
-Stir in cheeses, mixture will thicken as cheeses melt
-Drain pasta and fold cheese sauce into cooked pasta
-Adjust seasoning and serve warm

One pot serves 5-7 depending on how hungry everyone is...

The cheese sauce would be delicious over broccoli or cauliflower or made into a Mexican Queso or Cheesy Taco Soup -even a fondue...the possibilities are endless!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Quinoa Tabbouleh

From Kristi's Kitchen


Featured on Beyond Organic's Facebook page this week



http://www.facebook.com/LiveBeyondOrganic



Ingredients:

1 c. dry quinoa
2 c. filtered water (Beyond Organic Reign is best)
1 + 1/2 tsp. sea salt, divided
1-2 green onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 medium cucumber; peeled, seeded and small diced
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
3-4 tbsp, chopped fresh mint
1 medium organic lemon, zested and juiced
1/4 c. olive oil

Directions:

-Place quinoa, water and 1 tsp. salt in a sauce pot
-Bring to a boil
-Reduce heat to medium low
-Simmer for 20-30 minutes -until quinoa has bloomed and all water is absorbed
-Remove from heat and bring to room temperature
-Combine all ingredients -adjust seasoning -adding the remaining 1/2 tsp. sea salt to taste
-Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving (it gets better with age)

Serve along side "Gyro Meat with Tzatziki Slaw" OR "Simply Delicious Hummus"

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

"Le Croix" Yeast Free Wheat Bread

From Kristi's Kitchen


Ingredients:

3 c. fresh milled whole wheat flour (spouted is best)
4 tsp. aluminum free baking powder
2 tsp. sea salt
1 can Le Croix sparkling water (1 1/2 c. liquid) -any of the flavors
1/4 c. oil (grapeseed or olive)

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees
-Combine all ingredients (will be a sticky dough)
-Pour dough into 9x5 loaf pan, spread and cut an x across the top of the dough
-Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes
-Let cool in pan for 10 minutes and transfer to cooling rack
-Cool completely before slicing

This is a country style bread- very rustic (1 slice is the size of half of a traditional slice)

I've tried several of the different flavors of Le Croix and all of them make a unique bread:

*Lemon goes well with olive oil -add some dried rosemary and fresh garlic for a mediteranian flare.
*Lime combined with grapeseed oil and a bit of cilantro and jalapeno for a spicy twist...
*Orange is delicious with a touch of honey and cinnamon for a sweet treat!


You can make this bread with any liquid really -experiment away... I've tried other liquids but, to me,the "Le Croix" sparkling water adds a softness to the texture and bit more moisture than any other...

Be Creative ~ Happy Eating!

Monday, September 5, 2011

From Almond Butter to Peanut Butter...

A few weeks ago I posted a recipe for "Home Spun Almond Butter".
I said in that post that I thought for sure you could apply the recipe to your nut of choice...
Today I decided to put action to my presumption! Our store bought natural peanut butter jar was running low and I had a bag of blanched, raw peanuts so... no time like the present!

I was right! With just a few minor adjustments to the recipe, it turned out beautifully... and delicious!

Here's how it goes:


Home Spun Peanut Butter
From Kristi's Kitchen

Ingredients:

3 c. raw blanched peanuts
3 tbsp. + 2 tsp. honey
1/2 c. grapeseed oil
1 tbsp. sesame oil
2 tsp. sea salt

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Toss peanuts with 3 tbsp. of honey, sesame oil, salt and 3 tbsp. of the grapeseed oil
- Place on baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes; until light golden brown
- Put peanuts and remaining honey in food processor and begin processing
- Scrap down the sides and continue processing
- Slowly drizzle 1/4 c. oil into processing mixture until completely smooth (you may are may not need remaining tbsp. of oil)
- Pour into mason jar and store in the refrigerator

KID TESTED & APPROVED!

Happy Eating!

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Oatmeal Cookies with a Mediterranean Flare


From Kristi's Kitchen

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. organic butter, room temperature
1/3 c. honey (coat your measuring cup with a bit of olive oil so the honey won't stick)
1 organic egg
1 tbsp. water
1/2 c. fresh milled soft whole wheat flour (sprouted is best)
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. sugar free vanilla
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. dried crushed rosemary
1/4 tsp. coriander
1/3 c. golden raisins
1 1/2 c. rolled oats (sprouted is best)

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees
-Line baking sheet with parchment
-Using a mixer with the paddle attachment OR a hand mixer, cream the butter, honey, egg,water and vanilla 
-Sift together the dry ingredients then stir in the oats
-Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix
-Fold in the raisins
-Drop by soup spoonfuls onto the lined cookie sheet
-Form into balls and flatten into circles
-Bake 12 minutes or until golden brown
-Cool on a wire rack

(makes 10-12; 2-3" cookies)

These are not overly sweet...I would classify them as a breakfast cookie. They are kid-tested and approved!

DELICIOUS!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Buyer Be-Aware...and Beware!

       One of the keys to obtaining optimal health, healing and the abundant life we are intended to live is removing toxins -chemical stressors - from our bodies and replacing them with the beneficial nutrition that our bodies need to function at their God-given highest potential. There are several aspects to this but, we will focus in this post on the reality of the danger chemical sweeteners pose to our health and our body's ability to fight and heal ...
Over the past year, as I have waded through this new world of health and nutrition and reflected on the reality of what really is going on, I have been appalled by the revelation that we have all been duped! The folks we’ve trusted to keep us safe have fallen down on the job -allowing some grotesquely harmful things to make their way into our food supply and most of us have no idea...because we’ve been trusting to the point that its now our physical demise that hangs in the balance...and their still going!  We can take action and it starts with education!

         Let me introduce you to the key players in the line up of chemical sweeteners (removing these toxins are vital to gaining control of our health, healing and ultimate life long wellness- this is where we begin -you will be shocked -as I was- at how saturated our diets are with these things):

The most familiar of the bunch is SPLENDA.
The product list is over 6,000 strong and going up in number...
Splenda, also called SUCRALOSE, has been marketed to us as a safe sugar substitute -as coming from sugar itself...even though it has a sugar atom (making what they say a half truth) it is combined with 2 chlorocarbons  which makes it in essence a PESTICIDE. 

There is a laundry list of sicknesses, disorders and diseases that sucralose is at the root of... too long for me to list in its entirety but, here is the short stack:

-shrunken thymus glands 
-enlarged liver 
-kidney disorders 
-decreases the beneficial gut flora (key to healthy immune system) 
-migraine trigger 
-skin rashes/ flushing 
-panic-like aggitation 
-dizziness & numbness 
-diarrhea 
-swelling 
-muscle aches 
-headaches 
-intestinal cramping 
-bladder issues 
-stomach pain 
-weight gain 
-insomnia 
-sexual dysfunction 
-cancer 
-MS 
-Lupus 
-diabetes 


Needless to say, it is not our friend and reading labels should become the fast habit. If you see sucralose or Splenda on the package -put it back on the shelf and walk away...I don’t think any of us would knowingly say “Good Morning, precious, here’s your eggs with a side of Roundup!” GROSS...
An artificial sweetener we don’t see much of anymore but, it is still used in prepared foods and some gums and medicines...(the place I remember it was in “Tab”)

...is SACCHARIN

Saccharin is proven to cause bladder cancer in rats and a known carcinogenic in humans... any time you see carcinogen or carcinogenic it is cancer...

Know that most, if not all, prepared foods have some form of chemical sweeteners in them - its cheap to produce and takes less to reach the desire sweetness - unless they are labeled to the negative, you can assume they are present in some form...Buyer BE-AWARE!

___________________________________________________________________________

As a sidenote...speaking of chemical stressors and cancer...

FOOD COLORING of any kind (not just RED) and CARAMEL COLORING are CANCER....the bag of M&M’s...yep...CANCER!

To my shock and amazement food coloring and caramel coloring are in everything! 

The next time you are in your local supermarket stroll down the pickle and condiment aisle...you will be as appalled as I was! There is no need for YELLOW 5 in pickles or caramel coloring in soy sauce or vanilla or chocolate and absolutely no need for BLUE 5 in marshmallows (no need for marshmallows really but, that's beside this point)

Caramel Coloring is one of the main ingredients in colas, too...

The point is - we all have cancer cells in our bodies but, when we consume things with food coloring or caramel coloring  in them, we are aiding and abetting - helping them to grow and multiply!

And we wonder why cancer is on the rise?!?!

Please READ LABELS and stay away from this stuff and the products that contain them!
___________________________________________________________________________


Now back to Chemical Sweeteners...

The next and final shady character we will discuss in this post  is Aspartame. It is the most widely used chemical sweetener- in everything from gum and  drinks to “diet foods” and over the counter medicines...the product list is in the tens of thousands -you can google it!
ASPARTAME/ NEOTAME (3, 3- DIMETHYLBUTYRALDEHADE)
Aspartame at it’s core is FORMALDEHYDE (otherwise known as embalming fluid!)

Can I get a collective -YUCK!  Ask any coroner and he/she will tell you they are using less these days...

And even worse- our bodies not only digest it but, aspartame has the ability to breach the blood-brain barrier and is thus a neurotoxin...

Yes, I said NEUROTOXIN!

It travels directly to the brain -reeking havic resulting in a DAMAGED CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM AND IMMUNE SYSTEM. It is linked with MS, Lupus and Fibromyalgia and contributes to numerous illnesses both physically and psychologically...the list is as long, if not longer than that of Splenda!
Neotame is Aspartame’s evil cousin...it is aspartame with a another chemical added in and combined. Supposedly, it is sweeter so less is required to sweeten products. I’d say its just 3x as harmful and more reason to stay clear...
Concerning aspartame, Dr. Marcelle Pick, stated:
“Almost all of the independent research into aspartame found dangerous side effects in rodents. The FDA chose not to take these findings into account when it approved aspartame for public use.”
Dr. Pick, in reference to artificial sweeteners in general, also said:
“ As Food additives, artificial sweeteners are not subject to the same gauntlet of FDA safety trials as pharmaceuticals. Most of the testing is funded by the food industry, which has a vested interest in outcome.”
The bottom line on Artificial Sweeteners, where the manufacturers and the companies that use them are concerned, is the dollar...its not our well being or health...they can produce these toxic sweeteners -it takes less to sweeten their products so it affects their bottom line in a positive way. 

The “ Sugar Free” Diet food craze has not been for our benefit...it has been for theirs and we have bought into it! 

That train can only go so far before it derails in some fashion and sadly, it will fall to our health and  not their profit margins...BUYER BEWARE!

We have the power to stop the madness -will you be a part of the revolution?