Colder weather means soul warming eats

This pumpkin cornbread recipe uses quinoa flour as part of the ingredients, though the overall cornbread flavors are not overpowered by quinoa’s strong taste. Adding in a whole cup of pumpkin puree adds a touch of sweetness that creates balanced flavors and a wonderfully moist cornbread.

Click here for the recipe!

I’ve never been good at following recipes

I get CRAZY cravings for chocolate! Like to the point where I am willing to eat a spoonful of hot chocolate powder if something better doesn’t present it self. Luckily I know I am not the only one who has these inner desires; enter ERIN McKenna! Founder of BABYCAKES – a vegan, (mostly) gluten free, and (mostly) sugar free bakery in NYC.

As this blog title says I’ve never been good at following recipes and this one is no exception.
First off I double any recipe I make because as we all know sharing is caring.
Substitutions / Additions:
Added 1/2C carrot pulp (Eat your veggies – I freeze carrot pulp when I make carrot juice) to make up for the
1/3C of coconut oil I omitted
Added 1 C of cocoa powder (to better hide the carrot) so threw in 1/2 C coffee to keep the wet/dry consistency
Mixed in 1C coconut flour, 1C cocoa powder, 1C all purpose gluten free flour and 1C buckwheat flour to make up the 4 C of flour the recipe called for.
Used 1C of carob chips (that’s what I had on hand when the chocolate craving hit!)
Skipped out on a 1/3 of agave (you’re sweet enough with out it!)
Added an extra teaspoon of vanilla for good measure.

Other than that I followed everything to a T!
And they are wonderful! The picture doesn’t do it justice!

Bon Appetit!

SUPERSIZE ME (in reverse)

All Frank Ferrante wants is to fall in love one last time before he dies.

In the beginning Frank is a 290-pound, 54 year old Sicilian from
Brooklyn, NY., who has an unquenchable thirst for women, a
tendancy to create awkward moments, and a knack for failure. He’s
got Hepatitis C and is on numerous medications including Interferon
and anti-depressants. He drinks 10 espressos a day just to keep
himself awake. He is an ex-addict, accused of being a terrible father,
a nasty ex-husband, a lousy brother and a lost soul. Frank is never
satisfied; he’s always hungry for the next quick fix.
At least, that WAS Frank…

Until the day he stumbled into his long-awaited awakening,
disguised as Cafe Gratitude, a raw organic and vegan food restaurant
in the sunset district of San Francisco. Here, Frank is offered
something remarkable: another chance at his life. A conversation
between Frank and a cafe waiter named Ryland results in the
creation of an experiment: to help Frank fall in love. The proposal:
Frank will rediscover and recreate himself in just 42 days simply
through what he eats and thinks.

For more information on the movie, cast and crew,
please see the website: http://www.mayibefrankmovie.com/

Listen to a 5-min interview with Frank about his experience making the film.

Sweet Stealth: Tasteless Sugar Addiction

Why do you eat cookies, cake, donuts, candy and drink soda pop?

Because they taste good – duh!

Nope.

Of course, I’m talking nonsense. Of course, you eat sweet things because they’re sweet (and a little for the pink sprinkles) and if you magically couldn’t taste sweet anymore you’d stop eating sweets and lose bucketloads of fat. Right?

Nope.

I’m serious. Sweetness may be why you started eating them a long time ago, but a really cool study I’m reviewing this week finds that you can prefer sweet even if you can’t taste it. Woah!

Click here to read more!

Thanksgiving:Golubka Edition

Check out the latest creation from Golubka! These women are so AMAZING! I want to eat everything they post! I will definitely be making their Ginger Lemon Pyramid Cake!

Let me know how your recreation attempt goes!
– A

An avocado dressing to die for

Inspiration for this dressing comes from an avocado soup my roommate had this summer in Europe

2 very ripe avos
1 lime
1/2 lemon
tbsp maple syrup
3 tbsp coco oil
salt
pepper

Mix all in a blender of food processor!
Enjoy over a bed of lettuce with seasonal veggies!

Andrea’s favorite home made salsa

What you’ll need:
8-10 fresh tomatoes
2 serrano peppers
1/2 onion (any kind you have will do)
juice of 1 lime
1/2 bunch of cilantro
cumin and salt to taste

In a blender puree 1/2 of your tomatoes with the cilantro, peppers and lime – add salt and cumin to taste. Set aside. Blend the remaining tomatoes until they are a “chunky” texture. Pour your chunky tomatoes in with your pureed mixture.

Enjoy with some zucchini chips or organic corn chips.

From nutritiondata.com here are some interesting facts about the benefits of CILANTRO!
The good: This food is very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Thiamin and Zinc, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Pantothenic Acid, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Copper and Manganese

Be resilient!

Give your immune system a kick start to prevent the common cold and flu season from become part of your reality.

Winter Green Smoothie

When making smoothies without lemon you need to consume them the day they are made, otherwise the fruit will begin to oxidize. Lemon juice does such a great job of preserving them. Try adding in frozen blueberries or cherries, though your smoothie won’t be green anymore (and may not look very appetizing). Frozen peaches work great too. The key to a great tasting smoothie is to use tart Granny Smith apples and a handful of fresh or frozen cranberries. You can follow my recipe below or get creative with what you have on hand.

2 apples, cored and cut into large chunks
2 pears, cored and cut into large chunks
handful of fresh or frozen cranberries
1 to 2-inch piece of fresh ginger
2 cups of water
6 to 7 large kale leaves
4 to 5 large collard greens
large chunk of green cabbage (about 1 to 2 cups chopped)
handful of fresh parsley

Place apples, pears, cranberries, ginger, and water into a high-powered blender and blend until smooth. Stuff in the greens and blend again until smooth. Add more water for a thinner smoothie.

Store in a glass jar in the fridge for up to a day. Source: http://www.NourishingMeals.com.

Roasted Veggie Dip

After a very long day I arrived home to this wonderful treat…
Feel free to be creative with what ever combination of vegetables you have on hand.

1 med onion
3 cloves garlic
2 carrots
1 stick celery
several little beets
1/2 eggplant
5 red, orange, or yellow peppers
leftover steamed broccoli

bit o’ olive oil

teaspoon or more of salt
ground pepper (as much as you want)
1 tsp whole/ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
dash cardamom
1 lemon

-preheat oven to 350F.
-cut, slice, and oil belle peppers, eggplant, and 1/2 onion on a baking sheet and roast for 20 mins.
-blend remaining raw onion, garlic, beets, carrots, celery, steamed broccoli, and all the spices in a blender.
-Add roasted veggies to blender and blend until creamy smoooth.
-Let cool and serve with sliced zucchini? carrot sticks? rice crackers topped with fresh sunflower sprouts and halved cherry tomatoes?

A simple summer salad..

Golubka has again delighted us with sensational summer treats…
Check out their latest post…Baby Spinach and Strawberry Salad