Grub made with Love

So...

auroralynn — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 04:17:39 -0400

Im pretty sure Ive got about $1000 of food stamps saved up from not using them the past 5 months Ive been traveling. :D

WHOOOOS COMIN OVER FOR DINNER!?!

Peach Pie Oatmeal After a Busy LA Weekend.

auroralynn — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 11:56:44 -0500

Peach Pie Oatmeal After a Busy LA Weekend.

hifas: Citrus Series by Dennis Wojtkiewicz

auroralynn — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 23:47:03 -0500

hifas:

Citrus Series by Dennis Wojtkiewicz

veganfoody: Cookies n’Cream Peanut Butter BarkJust swap the...

auroralynn — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 22:11:18 -0500

veganfoody:

Cookies n’Cream Peanut Butter Bark
Just swap the butter to Earth Balance to make this vegan.

veganfoody: Candied Lime Sweet Potatoes

auroralynn — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 03:14:06 -0500

veganfoody:

Candied Lime Sweet Potatoes

Photo

auroralynn — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 03:11:17 -0500

gaintheirjealousy: Breakfast: Ground oats, flax seeds and...

auroralynn — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 01:56:05 -0500

gaintheirjealousy:

Breakfast: Ground oats, flax seeds and chocolate protein powder cooked with water and soy milk, topped with 1/2 banana, ground hazelnuts, peanut butter, whole hazelnuts and shredded chocolate; persimmon and pomegranate seeds

babytakeoffallyourarmor: Toast with almond butter, banana,...

auroralynn — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 00:12:26 -0500

babytakeoffallyourarmor:

Toast with almond butter, banana, raspberries, coconut butter, dark chocolate chips, and a drizzle of honey.

I got the chocolate chips from one of those bulk bins at the grocery store and they had the nutrition facts posted on the bin. I saw it, but I honestly didn’t even give it a second glance. I was way too busy shoveling the chocolate into my bag to care. I could have read it, I could have written it down, I could have taken a picture of it so I could have it for later, but I didn’t. And I had no desire to. I just think that’s a pretty big accomplishment. :)

veggieomnom: Whole wheat sandwich thin, spinach, boca patty,...

auroralynn — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 00:11:38 -0500

veggieomnom:

Whole wheat sandwich thin, spinach, boca patty, avocado, and tomato with sweet potato fries and steamed broccoli.

Holiday Stuffing + Dressing

auroralynn — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 14:00:12 -0500

Holiday Stuffing + Dressing

by CALLIE ENGLAND on NOVEMBER 20, 2010

It’s true, I stated last week, that I hate Thanksgiving stuffing. However, putting all hate aside, I decided it was time to face my fears and recreate this (gag-inducing) food in a raw format.

While the outcome was chocked full of flavor (this might just be the beginning of an amazing raw burger), it’s appearance left little to be desired. For starters, Green Acres stopped carrying golden raisins, so instead, I was forced to buy the traditional purple ones (something I never do). This small switch, created one large problem… Duh duh duh… poo poo colored stuffing I kid you not – just look below.

I also took this stuffing to a meet-up this weekend, which was sort of a tricky dish to carry. Mistake number two: Not dehydrating it in a shallow dish. Instead, I dehydrated it on trays, mixing every few hours (I was nervous it would over dehydrate).

And lastly, it needed a breading. See, this is the great thing about meet-up’s – not only do you get to socialize with amazing people, BUT, you also get heaps of inspiration! For example, Loran brought an amazing stuffing, but he, had a breading on top – which made all the difference in the world. So, for Thanksgiving next week, I plan on re-making this, but with a breading on top. I think that will round out the dish just perfectly (faux breading, of course).

On a happy note: The cranberry + apple + plum dressing that accompanied the stuffing was well received by all!

Holiday Stuffing

1.5 C Pecan meal (soaked, dried, ground)
.5 C flax meal
.25 C flax/hemp oil (I use half and half)
.25 C tamari
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 C dried apple (or 2 fresh, chopped apples)
2 tsp sage, thyme and rosemary
1 tsp coriander, basil and sea salt (each)
.5 tsp kelp, cumin, chili powder, turmeric, oregano, pepper and ginger (each)
.25 tsp cayenne pepper

10 C chopped portabella mushrooms
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1.5 C raisins
1.5 C chopped walnuts (soaked, dried, chopped)

Combine first set of ingredients in a food processor and process until fine (this may require a bit of water). Once processed, combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. In a shallow dish, spread stuffing mixture (keep under 1″ high). Dehydrated 12 hours at 105 degrees.

Cranapple Plum Dressing

1 C fresh cranberries
.5 C plum pulp
.5 C apple pulp
2 T lemon juice
.5 C maple syrup
1 heaping T Lecithin powder

Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth. The Lecithin powder will help thicken the mixture in the refrigerator.

Asparagus and Basil Soup

auroralynn — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 13:58:59 -0500

Asparagus and Basil Soup

by CALLIE ENGLAND on JUNE 25, 2011

Inspired.

It’s what I want to be after I finish a meal.

And, it just so happens that Wednesday night after dining at the RowHouse in Topeka, KS, I was just that: Inspired (to say the least, really).

The food was hands down the best food I’ve had since living here in Kansas City (7 years). It was pure artistry. From the drinks, to the food – the saturated hues, perfect plating and deliciously fresh flavors were to die for.

It’s what food should be. Simple, farm fresh, and just %@#$*^& fantastic.

If you live in the area – you must make the drive.

Since my best friend and I went on a Wednesday night, we were served the tasting menu – Essentially, small plates of that weeks menu. One of the courses in particular, was a delicious chilled spring pea and mint soup. I came home excited to recreate the soup, but to my disappointment was unable to pick up spring peas from the market. So instead, I went with an asparagus and basil soup.

If you prefer to leave the asparagus raw, go for it! However, I did blanch mine, followed by a quick ice bath.

Asparagus and Basil Soup

2 bunches of asparagus (see note above)
1 clove garlic
1 C coconut milk (unsweetened)
3 T coconut flour
1 T tamari
sea salt and pepper to taste
Handful of fresh basil – I used the Genovese variety.

In your Vita-Mix, combine all ingredients except basil. Blend on high for about 2-3 minutes until smooth. Once smooth, toss in basil. Using the variable speed, set blend on medium low and blend for about 20-30 seconds (leaving a bit of texture to the basil).

Garnish with lemon zest, basil and a dash of cayenne.

Enjoy!

Fuji Apple Salad

auroralynn — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 13:57:59 -0500

Fuji Apple Salad

by CALLIE ENGLAND on APRIL 3, 2011

3 things remind me of High School:

Natty Light. Random land. Panera Bread.

Clearly, I’m from a small town.

A small town where swanky coffee shops and delicious bistros were somewhat foreign concepts. In fact, underage, your chances of scoring a case of beer were far greater than your chances of scoring a fresh pressed coffee. Sad, but true.

Food wise, it wasn’t much better and we often found ourselves dining at the local Panera Bread. Over and over and over. I’m not going to lie though, it wasn’t all that bad. In fact, this is where my once obsession for Panera’s Apple Fuji salad began. Overtime though, I came to my senses and stopped eating it – poor, poor chickens. I’m sorry.

However, out of the clear blue last week, I started craving that damn salad. So, I set out to recreate it – starting with the dressing. I mean, they call it a ‘white balsamic apple vinaigrette’ after all, it can’t be that hard! Wrong. Even the recipe in their published cook book is nothing like I remember. Even if you disregard the taste, the two don’t even look the same. Panera bread’s dressing “creamy white color”. Published Panera Cookbook dressing “Clear”. WTF. So, I decided to just abandoned their version all together and create my own copy-cat recipe.

It took a few tries, but after a slight adjustment this morning, I couldn’t be happier. It’s creamy, it’s tart, and it’s everything I remember! Only, minus the nasty preservatives. Score.

Fuji Apple Salad (serves 2)

Dressing

.3 C raw sour Cream (see below)
.25 C organic apple juice concentrate (cascadian farms in the freezer section)
.25 tsp dijion mustard

Whisk all ingredients together. Set aside.

Assembly

Spring salad mix
1 cippolini onion (thinly sliced)
1 C organic apple chips (I buy the Bare Fruit brand – awesome!)
2 T chopped pecans
.75 C slice cherry tomatoes

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Slowly add dressing and mix well.

Raw Sour Cream

1 C soaked cashews
1 C filtered water
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp apple cider vinegar (or, coconut vinegar)
sea salt

In a high-speed blender, blend all ingredients until smooth.

I normally make a large batch of raw sour cream and then make multiple dressings, dips and/or sauces out of one batch. What I don’t use, I freeze!

I should note, I had this dressing this afternoon drizzled over steamed asparagus and I think I’m in love. Seriously, new favorite dressing. Hands. Down.

A Thanksgiving Smorgasbord!

auroralynn — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 13:56:18 -0500

A belated Thanksgiving

by CALLIE ENGLAND on NOVEMBER 27, 2010

It’s black friday, I haven’t even left the house, and yet, I’ve still managed to do my fare share of post Thanksgiving shopping. Isn’t the internet fabulous!? All those ya-hoo’s waiting in line at 4am, and yet, I’ve scored my fare share of deals without even having to leave the house… Or my pajama’s, for that matter

Any who, shopping aside, yesterday I drove home to have Thanksgiving dinner with the fam (all 7 of us – yes, that includes extended fam, ha), so I thought I’d share with you the dishes I made.

Keeping things nut-free, most dishes were super simple, partially cooked and traveled well. Since the following dishes are rather (or extremely) easy, the recipes aren’t exact, but rather, just general guidelines.

Mess ‘O Greens

Since I’m not a huge fan of raw onions and garlic (I know, gasp), I decided to keep the greens raw, but saute the onions and garlic, with a quick flash pickeling.

3 bunches of collard greens
.5 onion (chopped)
4 cloves of garlic (minced)
olive oil
red wine vinegar
sea salt

Coconut bacon (about 1/2 cup) Optional

Stem collard greens and roll lengthwise. Thinly slice collards on the horizontal and set aside. Saute onion and garlic in olive oil. Once golden in color, add a few tablespoons of red wine vinegar and saute for about 60 more seconds. Take off heat and pour over collards. Add an additional tablespoon or two of olive oil and red wine vinegar to collards. Massage vigorously with hands for about 5 minutes. Season with sea salt and top with coconut bacon.

Ferminted Holiday Sauerkraut

I’ll keep this extremely general, as explaining this process would be a post in itself. Don’t worry though, I plan on having a post up this week on fermented foods.

cranberries
green cabbage
thinly sliced onions
sea salt
Donna Gate’s starter

Follow basic fermentation process. Pack in jars and store for at least one week.

Cranberry Cherry Sauce

This recipe reminded me of two things: 1) how awesome food savers are! 2) how awesome it is to have a mom who juices expensive things such as cherries (and then foodsaves/freezes the juice for you). This didn’t end up as thick as my cranapple plum dressing, but it tasted out of this world! Then again, I just love cherries!

1 C of cherry juice
1 bag of cranberries
2 T of lemon juice
2-3 T non-gmo lecithin powder
1/4 C maple syrup
stevia
dash of sea salt

Combine all ingredient in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Pour in a glass jar and store in refrigerator. This morning for breakfast, I combined a few tablespoons of this with a few tablespoons of the holiday sauerkraut and topped it with fresh pear slices – it was delish.

Roasted Acorn Squash

Easy peasy!

2-3 acorn squash
olive oil
sea salt
cinnamon

Slice acorn in half and remove seeds. Cut acorn into .75″ strips on the horizontal. In a large plastic bag, combine all ingredients and shake well. Lay slices on a baking sheet and bake for about 20-30 minutes at 400 degrees.

Besides the above dishes, I also made my Tomatini Spaghetti Squash and a raw/vegan Chocolate Mint Tarte – which, I’m loving! It was supposed to be a persimmon cheesecake, but my persimmons weren’t ripe enough (they take forever), so I made a quick/last minute alteration. The tarte wasn’t ready in time to photograph, but I promise I’ll make it again, so I can put it up on the blog.

Moreover, my mom also made a raw slaw and a vegan succotash – both were awesome! I can’t wait to remake the slaw when I get home.

Pumpkin Seed Butter

auroralynn — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 13:54:51 -0500

Pumpkin Seed Butter

by CALLIE ENGLAND on MAY 19, 2011

If you want to win me over, do not bring me roses. Instead, bring me jars of nut butter. I will marry you, I will have your baby and if you’re lucky, I won’t divorce you.

When most people think nut butters – they think, fat! And they’re right – nut butters are fatty. But what most people don’t realize, is just how nutritious the right kinds of nut butters can be. What do I mean by ‘right kind’? Well, I mean raw, preservative free nut butters. No, I’m not talking ‘Skippy’ here – save that for getting bubble gum out of your child’s hair (or your own, if you’re like me).

However, with most ‘raw’ nut/seed butters comes a heavy price tag. It can be a shocker for most newbies – especially when they’ve been buying PB for $3 dollars a jar, but I believe the price is well worth it. I actually look at nut butters more as a supplement than I do as a food – hence, why the price tag doesn’t always scare me.

Luckily though, price isn’t really an issue since I’m usually making my own. One of my favorites is Pumpkin Seed butter because it is chocked full of Omega 6 and 9 fatty acids. Which, in a world where fish oil (omega 3′s) is all the rage, is a great thing! For the record peops – we need a balance of Omega 3-6-9′s.

By making my own seed/nut butters, I have the ability to adjust my ingredients to create a balanced 3-6-9 butter. In the case below, I’ve added walnut oil for the Omega 3′s, while the Pumpkin will provide the 6′s and 9′s – Viola, a 3-6-9 butter! I also like to add a bit of Pumpkin Seed oil for extra flavor, but that’s completely optional.

3-6-9 Pumpkin Seed Butter

2 C raw pumpkin seeds
3 T walnut oil
1 T pumpkin seed oil (this is the shizz – I could drink it – seriously!)

In a high-speed blender, blend all ingredients until smooth. You will need the pusher attachment (vitamix) for this process. Place in a glass jar and store in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Mojito Meltaways

auroralynn — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 13:53:45 -0500

Mojito Meltaways

by CALLIE ENGLAND on MARCH 19, 2011

A happy accident.

A couple of weeks ago, I wanted to finely mill my dehydrated coconut. However, when I turned on the blender, I noticed the coconut started to melt. Instead of stopping the blender, I just kept blending until I had a thick coconut butter-like consistency. I was baffled – 5 years and I was just figuring this out!? It was creamy, thick, and delicious all by itself. I didn’t know what to do with it, so I just placed it in a tupperware and called it a day. The next morning I noticed the mixture had hardened to a fudge like consistency. So, I broke off a piece, placed it in my mouth and holy hell – it was incredible. It effortlessly melted in my mouth and left behind the most amazing coconut flavor.

Over the next few days I continued to snack on my coconut fudge, as I concocted different recipes for such a discovery. At first, I wanted to make a lavender butter that would be placed in a butter mold. However, I a) don’t really eat bread and/or anything that butter goes on and b) didn’t want to fork over 50 bucks for a butter mold (wtf people – 50 dollars for a rectangular mold!? I think not). So, instead, I decided on making fudge-like meltaways with a mojito inspired mint and lime palette.

Mojito Meltaways

5 C dehydrated coconut (the unsweetened raw variety)
1/2 C coconut oil
1/4 C palm sugar (feel free to use a bit of stevia instead – if you use a liquid sweetener like maple syrup, try not to use too much)
15 drops of lime essential oil (these were teeny drops, not dropper like drops)
7 drops of peppermint essential oil (again tiny drops)
zest from 2 limes (one for blending, one for topping)

In a blender, add all ingredients (excluding the zest from one lime). You’ll need your pusher (vita-mix) attachment to push everything down until it’s a creamy-like consistency.
Spread mixture evenly on parchment papers and zest one lime on top (while it’s still wet, so the zest sticks).
Place in freezer for about 30 minutes.
When solid, remove from freezer and place on cutting board.
Using a hot knife, cut fudge into equal squares. Note; the ends will crumble, but the inside should cut fairly even.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and/or freezer.

Asian Bok Choy

auroralynn — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 02:39:34 -0500

4 cup chopped bok choy
1 T toasted sesame oil
1 T sesame oil
1 T miso (I use yellow)
1 T maple syrup (sub honey or agave)
1 T rice vinegar
1-2 t red curry paste
1/2 tsp fresh ground chili paste

Set chopped bok choy aside. In a separate bowl, whisk remaining ingredients together. Dress bok choy with marinade and place in refrigerator for a few hours – or even better, overnight. When ready to serve, garnish with white and/or black sesame seeds.

“Big thanks to Linda for the original dish and inspiration!”

Wilted kale, tossed with apples, red onion, and cabbage (serves 2)

auroralynn — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 02:38:13 -0500

1 head of kale (washed, rinsed and cut)
1 med apple (shaved thinly using mandoline)
2-3 C shaved red cabbage
.5 -1 C shaved red onion
.5 C pumpkin seeds

dressing

olive oil
red wine vinegar
lemon juice
salt
pepper
Dijon mustard

assembly

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except the shaved apple and pumpkin seeds. Massage vigorously for approximately 5-10 minutes – taste throughout massaging and adjust dressing ingredients accordingly. Once kale has wilted, toss in shaved apple and pumpkin seeds.

A perfect salad for a perfect fall afternoon. Enjoy.

veganfoody: Pumpkin Cinnamon Bun Layer Cake with Fluffy Vegan...

auroralynn — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 00:46:20 -0400

veganfoody:

Pumpkin Cinnamon Bun Layer Cake with Fluffy Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

How to Avoid GM Foods When Grocery Shopping

auroralynn — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 13:12:34 -0400

How to Avoid GM Foods When Grocery Shopping:

orangeandpear:

[A new Californian law may require manufacturers in the United States to label genetically modified foods but even if California passes this law now and other states follow suit, it could be a long time before labeling is the norm. As many as 70 to 80 percent of the packaged foods in the supermarket contain GM ingredients and even some non-packaged food could be dangerous.
GM corn is in everything
Corn is one of the biggest GM food products that threatens consumers. A study published in the Food and Chemical Toxicology journal found that rats fed GM corn developed large tumors. Corn-based ingredients are prevalent in processed foods. Even items like vinegar may be distilled from GM corn.

GM corn is a main ingredient in animal feeds given to animals on factory farms. People who eat animal products from factory farms are consuming what the animals ate.

How to avoid GM corn? Avoid processed and packaged foods, conventional meat and dairy, and obvious corn product. Around 12,000 products in the typical U.S. supermarket contain corn. The best way to protect yourself is to buy organic foods labeled as non-GMO. Ironically, organic corn on the cob might be safe while the white vinegar and cookies in the next isle are not.
The other three main offenders
Soy, canola and cotton. The USDA reports that 73 percent of corn crops in the U.S. are genetically modified, as are 75 percent of canola crops, 87 percent of cotton, and 91 percent of soy. Consumers can easily avoid canola oil and make sure their tofu or soy products are labeled non-GMO, but many foods have hidden ingredients. For example, the artificial sweetener aspartame used in diet drinks and some foods as a sugar alternative is made through a fermentation process that includes corn and soy.
Analyzing foods
Most dairy products and meats come from animals fed GM corn, soy and canola. Consumers can look for organic labels or those that state that the product is rBST-free. Cows in factory farms are injected with a GM hormone called rBST. This gets into milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, butter, and all other dairy products. Many cereals and condiments contain GM ingredients. Organic cereals and condiments are the only ones likely to be safe.

Olive oil is usually not genetically modified, but other oils will contain soy, corn or canola. Most packaged snacks, cookies, crackers and chips are genetically modified.
Staying away from all non-organic and packaged foods is the best way to keep GMOs out of the body.]

gastrogirl: avocado and persimmon salad.

auroralynn — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 13:12:28 -0400

gastrogirl:

avocado and persimmon salad.