Almond Horchata

 

I think I've mentioned that we are currently living back east for a while.  There is good food to be found here, but not really when it comes to Mexican food.  Coming from the southwest, we could always find fantastic Mexican food, but it's not the same here.  The other day I was in the mood for a horchata.  If you don't know what that is, it's a rice based drink with cinnamon.  It is sweet which means it contains sugar, so I thought I'd tackle a processed free version.  In doing some research, I found that it takes hours if not days to make a traditional horchata!  I think because I'm a mom of three, days to do anything is just not part of our lifestyle right now.  So, I started to think what it is I like about the drink in the first place.  I like the creamy base, the flavor of the cinnamon, and the slightly gritty texture of the freshly ground cinnamon on top.  Here is what I already had in my house that could duplicate all of these qualities.  Hence, the quick and easy almond horchata was born!

 

One serving:

1 cup unsweetened organic almond milk

5 to 6 drops liquid cinnamon stevia (Sweetleaf brand)

cinnamon for garnish

 

Stir cinnamon stevia into the almond milk, sprinkle the top with cinnamon and voila!  Creamy, cinnamon goodness.  Now, I will admit that if you are a horchata connoisseur, this is not for you, but a refined sugar-free, quick fix - this is it!!  Even if you like a traditional horchata, this is a nice spin-off in flavors to change it up.  See what you think.  You can also customizes this to your tastes and add more or less cinnamon stevia.  If you can't find cinnamon stevia, you can order it online or just use regular stevia and add a lot of cinnamon.  The cinnamon stevia will give you the best flavor though.

 

Apple Cake

My sister's birthdays are two days apart, so when they celebrate with a birthday dinner, this has always been their requested birthday cake for as long as I can remember.  It's hearty, rustic, and full of deliciousness.  I asked for their permission to attempt to make this completely processed free before their last birthday to see if it would measure up.  Boy, did it!  I don't think we'll ever go back to the original.  Here is my take on a family favorite:

1 cup melted coconut oil
2 cups coconut palm sugar
2 eggs
3 cups sprouted whole wheat or whole spelt flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups finely diced or grated apples
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9X13 pan with additional coconut oil or butter and set aside.  In a large mixing bowl combine all the ingredients.  Bake for 30-35 minutes.  Cool and cut like brownies.

I like to use mini chips or cut up chocolate bars for this recipe.  We have also tried it with different nuts like pecans and it's just as amazing.  We have never put a frosting on this, however we often serve it with a dollop of homemade whipped cream - make it clean!  Who knows, this may just be your next birthday cake!

Cornmeal Griddle Cakes

 

My kids and I just visited my parents over the summer, and I asked my mom to make one of my favorite breakfast recipes.  It was these cornmeal griddle cakes.  She used to make these for us growing up and I felt like a little kid waking up in my old house, bouncing down stairs in my pajamas to eat these at their kitchen table.  I love the savory, slightly nutty, and crumbly texture these have.  I must admit, I did hijack the recipe and make a few swaps so this could become processed free, but it was totally worth it!  Just look how the morning sunlight loves these too!!

 

 

1 cup milk + 1 Tbsp. vinegar (or one cup buttermilk)

1 cup hot water

3/4 cup whole corn meal (organic with the germ)

2 eggs

1 cup flour (use whole wheat or sprouted whole grain)

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 cup melted coconut oil

 

Mix the milk and vinegar and set aside, maybe 5 minutes.  In a medium sized bowl, pour hot water over the cornmeal and stir.  Add the milk mixture.  Beat in the eggs, then add the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.  Stir in the oil.  Bake on a hot un-greased griddle.

 

These pancakes have the most delicate texture, which makes them thin but fluffy at the same time.  Drizzle on a bit of pure maple syrup and watch how they disappear.  Don't be afraid to experiment with fresh fruit as a topping either.  Raspberries or fresh peaches would be divine!

 

Fudgesicles

I'm posting this recipe right on the heels of my last post because the recipe is the same.  The only difference is that don't eat the chocolate avocado pudding right after you make it, you freeze it!  This makes the most decadent, creamy, rich, and satisfying fudgesicle you've ever had.  I think they are SO much better than anything you buy in the store which is full of refined sugar and processed junk.  My kids go nuts over these and love taking part in making them which I think really helps when it comes to teaching them about healthy foods.  This is a treat, but it boasts wonderfully healthy ingredients like, avocados (full of vitamins, minerals, protein, healthy fats, and fiber) and cocoa powder (the number one antioxidant food in the world.)  Let's hear it for chocolate, creamy, and delicious all being part of a healthy diet!

(Here is the link to the recipe)

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

 

I want you to listen closely as you look at this picture and tell me if you hear angels singing?  Do you hear them?  I do!!  This is one of those recipes that, I think, is angelically good.  I had seen similar recipes for avocado pudding and read the rave reviews, but was optimistically skeptical.  I anticipated a somewhat passable pudding that you could be proud of nutritionally and learn to think of as a good processed free pudding alternative.  I had read a few reviews that people hated it so I didn't want to expect too much.  Boy were they wrong, it was terrific!  I'm not sure why someone wouldn't like it.  I changed my version a bit to fit my tastes and guidelines and also to make it deliciously simple.  I hope this doesn't disappoint.  It's one of our new family favorites!

2 avocados

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup honey

1/8 tsp. salt

Put everything in a food processor (I used my mini) and turn it on!  That's it, so simple.  The kids loved it and the first thing my husband said was it tastes like creamy chocolate frosting.  Guess what's going to be on our next cake?  You can eat this immediately or store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.  This makes about 4 small servings, but you could easily double it to make more.

Chicken and Vegetable Gnocchi Soup

I love soup!  It always feels like comfort food to me.  My new favorite thing is to eat at our backyard picnic table with the kids running around in the grass and enjoy the nice weather after the long winter.  This soup was what we had for dinner last night in our backyard and it felt like nature and my taste buds were giving me a big hug!

I first got this recipe from my friend Jeni.  I've since altered it to make it completely processed free and increased the veggies.  I kind of like to think of it more like a vegetable soup with a little chicken rather than the reverse.  I used a packaged gnocchi to make this fast and easy, but you can make them yourself with whole wheat flour or brown rice flour as a substitution for refined white flour.  Either way, it's delicious!

1 chicken breast, diced

1 Tbsp. coconut oil

4 Tbsp. butter

1/2 to 1 cup diced celery

1 onion diced or pureed

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 Tbsp. whole wheat flour/brown rice flour

1 quart half and half

2 carrots finely shredded

1 zucchini shredded

2 containers of chicken broth (14 oz. size) or one 26 oz. container

1 package gnocchi (whole wheat or gluten free made with rice flour)

1 cup fresh spinach, chopped finely

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. parsley

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

In a large pot, cook the chicken in the coconut oil.  Remove it from the pot and set aside.  Add the butter, onion, celery, and garlic to the pot and sauté over medium heat until translucent.  Stir in the flour and cook for one minute before adding the half and half.  Cook the gnocchi and set aside. Add the carrots and zucchini as well as the chicken back into the pot and let it thicken.  Pour in the chicken broth and allow to thicken again.  Add the gnocchi, spinach and seasonings and heat through.  Take a final taste before serving to check the seasoning.

Feel free to add any other leftover veggies to this soup, it will only make it better!  This can also become a vegetarian soup if you leave out the chicken and substitute the chicken broth for vegetable broth.  This pairs nicely with some clean biscuits (here's mine) and/or a nice salad. 

Peanut Butter Frosting

 

This recipe was inspired by my husband.  He LOVES the combo of peanut butter and chocolate.  For his birthday, I decided I had to come up with a peanut butter frosting to top my clean chocolate cake.  Of course I didn't want to use any refined sugar seeing as I wanted it to be processed free, so this is not as "fluffy" as other frostings.  But it does hold it's shape enough that I think you could even pipe with it.  Let me tell you what a big hit this was.  My husband said this was his favorite cake ever!  I have to agree it was super delicious.  We have since made this again and I swear it was even better than I remembered the first time.  I think this has become my husband's official birthday cake!

3/4 cup creamy natural peanut butter (just peanuts and salt)

3/4 cup coconut sugar

4 Tbsp. butter, softened

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

In a medium size bowl, heat the peanut butter in the microwave for one minute.  Stir in the coconut sugar and heat for another minute.  You are looking for the peanut butter and coconut sugar to really combine and soften.  Add the butter and vanilla and beat with a mixer until it's smooth.  This should be firm enough, but if it's not, you can sprinkle in a small amount of spelt or whole wheat flour and mix again.  This can now be spread on a cooled cake or piped.  If your coconut sugar is not very fine, measure it first, then put it in a food processor or spice grinder and pulse to get a nice fine texture.  Store the leftover cake with frosting in the refrigerator - if you have any!