Today’s blog post is not going to be a chatty one. I’m just going to get right to the point.

I love this salad.

It has so many qualities that I love and there is not a leaf of lettuce in sight – not that I have anything against lettuce, but this time of year I really want my food to be a bit more substantial.  That vibrant green is coming from the 5 kale leaves that I washed and very finely chopped.

One of the many benefits of making a salad with chopped kale, rather than the standard lettuce, is that it can be dressed and still last days in the fridge making it perfect for packed lunches on the go. This salad also packs a nutritional punch that far surpasses most “garden salads”. It is a bit different each time I make it, but I will list today’s ingredients and then list some options that would be great too.

I have a theory that most people who think they don’t like kale have had it served to them in big huge steamed pieces that turn cold rather quickly. I mean, can you blame them? yuck. This salad is wil be their game changer – it is full of life and flavor. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Eat Clean, Live Green, Be Healthy

Or were we playing mad scientist?

Or were we on the cusp of developing a new reality TV show?

Perhaps all three – there was experimentation, laughter, deliciousness galore and the set up was gorgeous as we set out on a Green Smoothie-a-thon. Just check out this produce.

To prepare for our big day, I went to the market with my shopping list in hand: coconut milk, almond milk, ginger, kale (3 kinds), swiss chard, collards, spinach, romaine, red leaf lettuce, parsley, basil, cilantro, celery, cabbage, beets, green beans, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, mangoes, pineapple, avocados, bananas, apples, pears, oranges, lemons, limes, kiwi, watermelon and honeydew. I am a huge believer in eating what is local and in season, so it felt a bit weird, frankly, to have melons and tropical fruits in my cart, but I was on a mission. I was determined to develop a full repertoire of smoothies that would make even the most squeamish eater happy. My carload of produce, added to my stock of spices, seeds and nuts that I had at home, made me feel  pretty confident that we could whip up some fabulous concoctions.

Usually when I make green smoothies, I just look at what I have in the house and start blending. I keep adding and tasting until I have something I like, (which is a great way to make them) but it leaves me with the problem of having  a hard time duplicating it and sharing my recipes with anyone else. Today I was determined to write it all down step by step, to develop recipes that would be both easy to follow and please a wide range of palates.

I began with a mild tropical one, good for someone who doesn’t think green and smoothie are two words that should ever be used together. With a base of mango and banana, it was pretty safe – a bit of spinach was all that was needed to “go green”. We moved on to a watermelon based smoothie that needed lots of tweaking to have depth of flavor, but eventually we got there. It had a funky “Army green” color, but taste wise it was pretty good.

Each smoothie brought different characteristics to the table that were made even more noticeable by trialing them side by side. Adding just 1 date or 1/2 cup of pineapple would completely change the flavor profile. I have long known that adding lemon and ginger will cut through any “grassy” taste from the dark or bitter greens, but was amazed by the power of small amounts of various ingredients to transform the drink. All together we made 6 smoothies (some with several incarnations), 1 pudding and 1 milk shake. Check out how beautiful those fresh colors were.

The smoothies above, from left to right, are The Medicine Chest (from the Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook), my first attempt at Kelly’s Beet Smoothie (later to become the Vermont Farmer’s Smoothie) and the Green Cashew Cream.  The last one got the special complement from my friend Nina as being “true comfort food”.  It is mild, slightly sweet, creamy and totally yummy.

Here is a picture of my famous MoJo’s Chocolate Pudding. Talk about comfort food. It was a happy moment watching the looks on my friends faces when then tasted this. I suggested that I make this in advance for an event and Nina said “No, you can’t. They will think it’s a trick. No one would believe you can get this taste with just these ingredients – you have to show them”. You could serve this at a formal dinner party and no one would ever have any idea that there was no dairy or processed sugar in it.

This delicacy is as smooth as the best chocolate mousse and packed with nutrition. This is made with banana, avocado, medjool dates and raw cacao.

Pure fabulousness.

I like to make this as a lunch box treat in the morning so that I can get a breakfast treat made at the same time – the best way to “clean out” the blender after you scoop the pudding out is to add in milk, more cacao, a date and some almond butter. Blend until sides seem “clean” and you will have the best milkshake ever. Every single ingredient is a whole food powerhouse of vitamins, micro-nutrients and fiber. This combo of protein, good fats, fiber and vitamins is what a real energy drink is all about.

We almost ended our day at this point, feeling confident that we had a nice range of green smoothie recipes. Thankfully I decided to try a savory smoothie “just to see” how that would go.

WOW! We were blown away. Tanna instantly thought this was her very favorite of the whole the day. I began with a recipe from Victoria Boutenko in Green For Life that was a gem as it was, but I decided to tweak it a bit more. I added extra avocado, sun dried tomatoes and cilantro (you could easily substitute basil if you are not a cilantro fan) to what was basically a kale, tomato and garlic based smoothie. It was a huge hit with all three taste testers. Because it was savory, we all thought ‘soup’ right away. We imagined it served in a bowl with a dollop of creme fraiche or yogurt on top just waiting to be stirred in. But, alas, we never got to try it that way because we kept refilling our glasses til every drop was gone. This one had so much potent energy in it that we could almost feel our cells do a little happy dance of joy and thanks. This will be my go to smoothie for energy – SHAZAM!

What turned out to be a GRAND Finale, was one I made while Nina and Tanna were still there, but I tweaked after they had to leave (4.5 hours later…) – The Vermont Farmers Smoothie. I dedicate this smoothie to my cousin Kelly and my dear dad – both served as the inspiration behind this marvel.

Kelly had told me about a smoothie she makes using canned beets and green beans from her garden.  &^#*%$!!  I was instantly intrigued. I mean, Really? Canned beets and green beans? Yup. To these she would add protein powder, a dollop of yogurt and a splash of milk. It sounded so unthinkable that I just had to try it. Since I did not have home canned beets and green beans, I bought fresh and par boiled them as they would be for canning. The combo instantly turned that gorgeous shade of hot pink that only beets can provide. I followed her directions and we were ridiculously surprised. This was GOOD, REALLY GOOD!

I was wanting to find a way to make it without the protein powder since I was putting together a whole foods class and whey powder is not a whole food. I tried just leaving it out, but something was lacking. I made another batch, this time thinking about the earthiness of those Vermont beets and green beans and all of the farmer’s hands who have grown them for generations in this soil.

That made me think of my dad and that’s when it came to me! What were some of my dads favorite things to grow/raise/make in VT? I decided to add some raspberries from the freezer. To that I added the dollop of yogurt, some milk, and  just a touch of maple syrup – a nod to Vermont’s most famous and delicious product of all. This had it all – farm fresh vegetables, berries, VT dairy, and Maple syrup – representing all the seasons.  How much more Vermont could it be? It was love at first sip. As I drank this, I closed my eyes, remembering the stories my dad would share with me as a kid while I helped him in the gardens or with gathering sap from the maples. I remembered funny stories about his childhood being barefoot in the dirt and about  drinking milk straight from the cows on the farm.  I knew I had found the perfect Vermont Smoothie.

A few general notes about green smoothies:

1 – Start with flavors you feel comfortable with and gradually increases the greens. The goal is to get greens in, sugars out.

2 – Mix up your recipes. You need variety in order to maximize health and minimize deficiencies. I highly recommend Victoria Boutenko’s book Green For Life.

3 – Feel free to use whatever form of milk your body does best with, just make sure it’s real, organic, whole and free of any additives.  Cow’s, Goat’s, nut milks, coconut milk, coconut water, kefir and water are all fine choices.

4 – Nuts, nut butters and seeds (like flax and chia) are all great to add in.

5 – Adjust your liquid to get a consistency you like.

6 – Adding a date will sweeten things up.

7 – Experiment and be sure to get in your greens every day. It doesn’t have to be steamed spinach to be healthy!

Now for the moment you have been waiting for…… RECIPES!!!

Many of the gluten free recipes I came across relied way too heavily on ingredients that are just too processed. I am a big fan of using whole foods and I really wanted this to stand out not only as a fabulous gluten free cupcake, but, simply as a fabulous cupcake. My search brought me to a flourless chocolate cake recipe by a blogger named John D Lee. He raved about this recipe and he had me intrigued. (His original recipe can be found at http://johndlee.hubpages.com/hub/Decadent-Gluten-Free-Chocolate-Cake.) Now, I had been looking for cupcakes to serve, so I decided to give this recipe a try with some adaptations to better suit my needs.  The first change was to make them in cupcake tins rather than in an 8 inch round. All of the other changes, including making a topping, are noted in the recipe to follow.

I was especially happy with this plan when I realized that the original recipe would make 8 servings, but that in my cupcake tins, I was able to make 20 from one batch. That means that each portion was 2.5 times smaller than it would have been otherwise. What a great way to make a decadent treat much healthier without sacrificing taste or quality. Given how intense the flavor was, this turned out to be a perfect move.

Here are some shots I took along the way.

I was careful to pour each cup less than half full. I was not expecting them to rise much, but surprisingly they did. Here is how they looked fresh out of the oven.

Since my son’s favorite taste combo is chocolate and coffee, I decided to bring a little of that into the mix. I searched for recipes including coffee, but was uncertain how the liquid would effect the texture. I was delighted to discover that King Arthur Flour ( a great local Vermont company) makes an Espresso Powder (www.kingarthurflour.com) that was available locally. I added a teaspoon of that to my batter and could tell right away that it was a good move.

The next concern that I had about making flourless chocolate cake, as opposed to traditional cupcakes, was that I really wanted them to be decorated and visually stunning. After searching for coffee frosting recipes, I felt they would all be too rich and too sweet for the intensity of the flourless cake. I decided to make a batch of whipped cream and add the Esresso Powder to that as well. What resulted was the best dessert I have ever had. Really. They were that good.

After making whipped cream, I transferred it to a pastry bag and piped it onto each little cake. For a final touch I shaved some high quality milk chocolate over the top.

And over the top they were.

Each little morsel was perfectly delectable. The taste combination of the espresso with the dark chocolate and the lightness of the cream created a treat that will be made again and again in our house.

This recipe gets my full endorsement as a health coach for so many reasons. Firstly, it is so important that we fully enjoy and savor our food. These are pure joy. With the very first bite my eyes closed and a euphoric smile came over my face. This kind of happiness needs to be a part  of any diet. Secondly, the smaller portion size allowed these bites of heaven to weight in at only 1.25 oz each (before whipped cream) and because the flavor was so rich, that size felt just right. Thirdly, I used all organic, whole food ingredients, rather than deferring to more heavily processed ingredients typically found in gluten free baking. I used local eggs and butter and the chocolate and sugar were fair trade. I felt great about all of the ingredients, and yes, even my grandmothers would have recognized them all.  Lastly, the fact that the best dessert of all time also happened to be gluten free was just fabulous. I get such a thrill from feeding wheat eaters gluten free foods that they adore. These were definitely a win/win/win.

Oh, and did I mention they are easy and fast to prepare? MUAH! We’ve got a total smash hit on our hands.

Eat with your eyes closed and moan away. You totally deserve it!

Bon Appetit!

Five years ago when I became committed to living a joyous and delicious gluten free life, I shifted my focus from the foods that were wrecking havoc on my immune system to all of the fabulous foods that I could enjoy that would love me back. Two years ago, the rest of my family joined me in this lifestyle when we discovered that gluten sensitivities were effecting my sons as well. And I have to say, it has been far easier than I ever would have anticipated because I have actively sought out and enjoyed fabulous food. Yet every once in a while, we would be reminded of a cherished recipe from Grandma Wheeler for Orange Blossom Cookies and collectively sigh, frown, complain or weep. Grandma’s Orange Blossom Cookies are the best and life without them felt as though something was missing! My oldest son is even pretty sure that giving them to teachers get you favorite student status. They are just that good.

So last week when I asked my oldest what type of cookies I should make for the High School lunch this week (I make local organic lunches for his school 1 day per week), I was expecting one of our old stand by gluten free recipes. I was  shocked when he said “Why don’t you make Orange Blossoms?”. We have not had them in years. Could I really make these gluten free?  And could I make them gluten free and pass the taste test of a high school full of gluten eaters? I was intrigued by the idea and decided to make them a day in advance so I could still make something else if they failed. While I am totally comfortable converting most recipes to be gluten free, when it comes to things that rise and pastry, I typically stick to the recipe.

I decided that my first attempt would be the most basic – the recipe calls for 3 cups of flour (wheat), so I substituted 1.5 cups white rice flour and 1.5 cups brown rice flour. I crossed my fingers, did a jig to the leprechauns of culinary luck, and said a fast prayer that it would be this simple. Guess what? IT WAS! They are indistinguishable from the originals and put a smile on every face in the house.

When they came out of the oven it was obvious that the substitute was a complete success. Now it was time to make the frosting that makes these so special.

It is worth noting that I used the best possible ingredients in these decadent delights. They are 100% organic and all of my eggs and dairy came from very contented, free roaming loved animals.  While shopping at out local health food store for the ingredients yesterday, I was surprised to learn that the brown sugar in the bulk bins had caramel coloring added to it, so I rejected that I purchased some pre-packaged brown sugar instead.

Should we eat these every day? Absolutely not. Is there room in a healthy diet for favorite revamped treats? Absolutely yes!

Eat Clean, Live Green and Be Healthy

Bon Appetit!

Last week I made Sloppy Joes for the Waldorf High School for lunch and used a recipe that called for carrots. It got rave reviews, so I decided to see what other meat dish I could play around with and adapt it to include carrots. Since I also had 2 lbs of grass fed ground local beef to use up, I decided upon meatloaf. Meatloaves to be exact – I made them in muffin tins so that they could be individually portioned for easier packing on school lunches. I wish I had taken a picture, but they were a huge hit right out of the oven. My sons were amazed that each meatloaf, while weighing almost 4 ozs each, had only 2 ozs of meat in them with the addition of all the veggies. They tasted great and were a fabulous way to cut back on meat while increasing vegetables intake.

My next endeavor was to make carrot pancakes. I was thinking of something similar to latkas but substituting carrots for the potatoes. What I ended up with was very different. I started to adapt an old Moosewood Cookbook recipe without reading it through all the way – oops. What I ended up with was not what I had in mind or what Moosewood suggested, but it was a HUGE hit. Thank you Sundays At Moosewood Restaurant for the inspiration!

This was an instant family favorite. My middle son tasted it and declared “It tastes like chicken!” HA! I think it was all of the herbs. Another son said “It tastes like stuffing!”. We all looked to my third son waiting to hear what he thought it tasted like, half expecting to hear “cranberry relish”, but, alas, he declared his disdain for anything including zucchini and decided to not like it before tasting.  Everyone else was pretty happy to see him pass though because it meant more for us. This ended up being so yummy, that I sent two of the boys off with slices of this on their lunch today and it was considered the treat in their lunchbox!

Now, off to use more carrots. Maybe a puree turned into pudding? Hmmm…

September 30th, 2011 at 7pm

Jivana Holistic Spa, 113 Church Street, Burlington, VT

Have you ever noticed that some of the best salads are indeed the very simplest to make?

The secret is using fresh ingredients packed with flavor. This salad is made with a mixture of fresh, local baby greens, cubed golden beets and toasted hazelnuts. On a whim, I made up a lemony dressing to complement these flavors that was not too overpowering.  I wanted to deviate from the traditional vinegar dresings and I didn’t want anything as strong as garlic – just a smooth delightful dressing to show off the great flavors of the salad. I made this dressng 2 times without any measuring and them realized I would need to measure in order to give you the recipe. I finally settled on using equal parts Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Lemon Juice and Raw Vermont Honey (which is local to me – you should use whatever honey is local to you for best health benefits).  A bit of that drizzled on and I was in heaven. The next time that I make this salad I am going to experiment with a bit of crumbled chevre on top.

Bon Appetit!

Well…..sort of.

Kinda.

Not really.

Certainly not those sticky gluten laden greasy globs sold at gas stations. (That could be a fun tongue twister with the kids though!)

No, the donuts that I had this morning were Donut Peaches  – organic and fresh off the tree of local farmer David Miskell. These peaches are heavenly. I bought them to make a salsa for dinner, but when I got up this morning, I just couldn’t wait that long to savor their juicy sweetness.

So obviously, that got me thinking of how I could enjoy them sooner. It got me thinking a lot about the next 5 minutes and how to eat them for breakfast. Now a lot has been said about breakfast being the most important meal of the day, and I just want to add my seal of approval to that sentiment.

Breakfast Rocks!

Whether you are looking to lose or maintain your weight or want your kids to head off to school with the best possible start for learning, nothing is more important than a delicious, nutrition packed breakfast. The right foods will give you energy, help you focus, and keep you feeling satisfied for hours. I always aim to include some protein, healthy fats and nutrient dense carbohydrates to breakfast.  Having lots of fiber is always a plus too.

So this mornings breakfast needed to be centered around these gorgeous donut peaches.

I decided to make some oatmeal. I had my carbs, covered, but I still needed to be sure to have protein and some fats added. I could have opted for eggs on the side, but decided to add almond butter to the oats and a spoonful of coconut oil for healthy fats. Of course, I added some cinnamon and nutmeg for a hint of spice too. I could have been quite happy with this combo, but then I looked out the kitchen window and saw our Mulberry tree. That was when I knew this breakfast would be worthy of writing about!

We are so blessed to have two Mulberry trees on our property. Most of the berries are too high to harvest, but the birds sing us some extra sweet songs each morning in thanks for their fancy diet. For those of you who have never seen a Mulberry tree, here it is – the tree is directly behind our hen house.

The fruits grow mostly on the under side of the leaves and branches, so that when you look directly at the tree you only see a small fraction of the berries it is holding. Here is an example. The pink and red berries are not yet ripe. When they are ready to be picked, the berries are a dark purple very similar to black berries.

I have had a difficult time harvesting any this year because every time I go out top pick, I just stand there and eat instead! They are so sweet and delicious. It’s like having a candy tree in the backyard!

Unlike candy however, they are packed with Vit C (95 % of RDA in 1 cup!), Thanks to the website Nutrition and You, I was able to discover what an amazing nutritional powerhouse mulberries really are. Check out there mulberry facts:

• Delicious, fleshy, succulent mulberries are low in calories – just 60 per cup
• Mulberries have significantly high amounts of phenolic flavonoid phytochemicals called anthocyanins. Scientific studies have shown that consumption of berries have potential health effects against cancer, aging and neurological diseases, inflammation, diabetes, and bacterial infections
• The berries contain resveratrol, another polyphenol flavonoid antioxidant. Resveratrol has been found to be protective against stroke risk by alteration of molecular mechanisms in blood vessels, reducing susceptibility to vascular damage through decreased activity of angiotensin (a systemic hormone causing blood vessel constriction that would elevate blood pressure) and increased production of the vasodilator hormone, nitric oxide.
• In addition, these berries are an excellent source of vitamin-C, which is also a powerful natural antioxidant. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin-C helps body develop resistance against infectious agents, counter inflammation and scavenge harmful free radicals.
• They also contain good amount vitamin A, vitamin E and in addition to the above mentioned antioxidants also contain many other health promoting flavonoid poly phenolic antioxidants such as lutein, zeaxanthin, ß-carotene and α-carotene in small but notably significant amounts. These compounds help act as protect from harmful effects of oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging and various disease process.
• Zeaxanthin, an important dietary carotenoid selectively absorbed into the retinal macula lutea where it is thought to provide antioxidant and protective light-filtering functions in the retina of eyes.
• Mulberries are excellent source of iron, which is a rare feature among berries, contains 1.85 mg/100 g of fruits (about 23% of RDI). Iron, being a component of hemoglobin inside the red blood cells, determines the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood.
• They also good source of minerals like potassium, manganese, and magnesium. Potassium in an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase.
• They are rich in B-complex group of vitamins and vitamin K. Contain very good amounts of vitamin B-6, niacin, riboflavin and folic acid. These vitamins function as co-factors and help body in the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

When you pick them, the tiny little green stem comes along too. It is almost impossible to remove this without crushing the berries, but since they are very small and tender, you just eat the stem right along with the fruit.

So back to the oatmeal story. I cooked my oats with some almond milk, almond butter, coconut oil, cinnamon and nutmeg, I placed it in a bowl and topped it with cut up donut peaches, a handful of mulberries and then a drizzle of local raw honey.

WOW! This was amazing. Absolutely delicious even. It was packed with nutrition and as an extra bonus, it has been 4 hours since I ate it and I still feel satisfied! Who could ask for anything better than that?

Served along side a mug of hot green tea, this was a FABULOUS start to my day. If I hadn’t decided to go mulberry picking right in the middle of this, the entire cooking process would not have taken any longer than 5 minutes. This is my kind of fast food! Healthy, Organic, Gluten free, mostly Local, Economical, Fast and Deeply Satisfying.

Aaaahhhhhh, Breakfast.

Bon appétit!

As the school year approaches I will be making up my list of favorite go to breakfast ideas so that I can start my kids days off right. What are some of your favorite breakfast ideas? I would love to hear from you!

Have you ever just had a sudden urge for sweet, and wished you could satisfy your sweet tooth and stick to a healthy diet at the same time? If so, this is your dream come true. These  Peanut Butter Chocolate Truffles were a spur of the moment creation and were so FABULOUS! They took less than 1 minute to make and taste phenomenal.