Blueberry Crumb Cake

Ok, I know it seems I have been MIA but have really just been enjoying my time and summer with the kids.  It is blueberry season so thought a blueberry recipe would be perfect to share.  Now this is probably one of the few things that I make in which I actually use sugar and a high quality butter.  For the sugar I use evaporated cane juice and much less than you would find in other recipes.  As for the butter I use the Organic Valley cultured butter as it is higher in Omega 3's than the other butters.   I also like to use Sprouted Oat flour for the health benefits but you can just use regular oat flour.  The last time I made this, I was completeley out of flour so I took oatmeal that I had and grinded it up into flour and it worked out well.  Don't ever be afraid to experiment.  Well I hope everyone enjoys this.

Ingredients:

Muffins

• ¾ cup evaporated cane sugar
• ¼ cup organic cultured butter
• ¼ cup of applesauce
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups of sprouted oat flour
• 2/3 cup almond meal
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1  cup of unsweetened almond milk
• 2 cups of blueberries

Topping

• 6 tbsp of grinded oatmeal
• 2 tsp of cinnamon
• 3 tbsp of evaporated cane sugar
• 1 tbsp of organic cultured butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat sugar, butter, applesauce, eggs and extract in medium bowl until well blended.  Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl and mix.  Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternating with almond milk.  Stir in blueberries. Pour into a sprayed springform pan.   For the topping combine the topping ingredients cutting butter in until it resembles course meal.  With a spoon sprinkle on top.  Bake for 45-50 minutes until knife comes out clean

Protein Brownies

So I have been experimenting with making a semi-healthy brownie.  Well the first attempt was a complete disaster but think all of you may enjoy this one.  My son, who is a very picky eater gave it a thumbs up so thought I would share it with the rest of you. 

Protein Brownie Wedges

1-½ cups of dates (without pits)

1/3-cup raw almonds

3 eggs

1 cup of cooked or canned black beans rinsed and drained

¾ cup of unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp vanilla

1 ½ tsp baking powder

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 ½ cup oat flour
3/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all wet ingredients in a food processor or high-powered blender and mix until smooth. Mix in with dry ingredients using a wooden spoon until mixture is uniform.  Coat an 8x8 pan or a pie plate with nonstick spray and pour in.  Bake for 35 minutes.  You can sprinkle with a touch of powdered sugar for decoration.

Mango Black Bean Salad

At this point I am pretty tired of the cold srping we are having.  I am hoping that by making one of my early summertime favorites, it will bring on the warm weather.  This is a great dish to serve as a side or even over a bed of greens for a main meal.  It has protein, healthy fats and cancer fighting veggies and spices.

Mango and Black Bean Salad

Sandra Holbrook

Ingredients:

• 2 15oz cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 red bell pepper chopped
• 1 orange bell pepper chopped
• 1 small sweet onion chopped
• 2-3 avocados diced depending on how big they are
• 1 ½ cup of sweet corn
• 1 ½ cup of diced mango
• ¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 ½ tsp of cumin
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp salt
• couple dashes of red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:

            Combine all ingredients in large serving bowl and mix well.  For best results refrigerate for 2 hours prior to serving.  Will serve about 8-10 people.

Sweet Potato Chili

I love chilis but like mine a little on the sweet side.  Sweet Potatoes fill the bill.  Loaded with great nutrients such as beta carotene, it makes a chili outstanding.  Something about the sweetness combined with the spice of the chili makes you want seconds.  Hope you enjoy. 

Sweet Potato Chili

Ingredients

·                       1 ½ lbs of  sweet potatoes peeled and diced into bite sized pieces

·                       1 large onion chopped

·                       1 large or 2 small red bell pepper chopped

·                       1 tsp of olive oil

·                       1 can of kidney beans rinsed and drained

·                       1 can of black beans rinsed and drained

·                       1 14 oz can of petite diced tomatoes

·                       1 6 oz can of tomato sauce

·                       1 cup of corn kernels (can use frozen)

·                       1 tsp of cumin

·                       2 ½  tsp of chili powder

·                       salt and pepper to taste

·                       fresh cilantro for garnish- optional

·                       pre-made guacamole- optional

Directions

Saute peppers and onions in 1 tsp of olive oil for 3-4 minutes. Add remaining ingredients except for corn and fresh cilantro.  Simmer for about 35 minutes, add frozen corn and heat through 2-3 minutes.   Garnish with fresh cilantro and a dollop of fresh guacamole.

Healthy Carrot Cake with Nut Frosting

Carrot Cake with Nut Frosting

Sandra Holbrook

Ingredients for Cake

• 4 cups of oat flour
• 2 tablespoons of baking powder
• 2 tsp of baking soda
• 2 tsp salt
• 3-4 tsp of cinnamon
• ¼ tsp of nutmeg
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 7 eggs
• 1 ½ cups of unsweetened applesauce
• ½ cup of oil
• 2 ¼ cups dates (no pits) or 1 ½ cup of brown sugar
• 6 cups of shredded carrots

Ingredients for frosting

• 1 ½ cups of cashews
• ½ cup of brazil nuts
• 1 ½ cups of almond milk or rice milk
• 1 cup of dates no pits
• ½ tsp of cinnamon
• ¼ tsp of vanilla extract

Cake Directions

Using a high-powered blender (Vitamix) or food processor combine eggs, vanilla, applesauce, oil and dates. Blend until smooth and creamy.  Combine all dry ingredients together in large bowl.  Combine wet and dry ingredients stirring with a wooden spoon.  Once combined, fold in the carrots.  You can either pour batter into muffin pan or 2 9-inch cake pans or one large bundt pan.  Bake in oven at 350 degrees 21-23 minutes for cupcakes, until it passes a relatively clean knife test.

Frosting

Combine all ingredients in high-powered blender or food processor on high until well blended and creamy, refrigerate for about 1-2 hours before spreading onto cooled cake.

Makes a decent size 2 layer round cake or 30-34 cupcakes.

So how do you change eating habits?

I have come to the conclusion that diets are not something someone can do forever hence the reason they fail and people go back to their old eating habits.  What has to change for a healthy eating lifestlye to emerge is simply PERCEPTION.  How you perceive food will determine if you eat it.  If you look at a hot dog and know what is in it, you will be repulsed and will probably never touch one again. So if you are truly interested in eating healthy all the time without feeling deprived you have to change your perception about food.  You need to learn to look at food for its face value.  Ask yourself, what is in it and how will it affect my body.   If it is full of ingredients that you can't even pronounce, it is probably somewhat toxic and in the end may provide you with short moments of pleasure followed by guilt and feelings of illness which you may not even connect with the food that you are eating.  I challenge you to start looking at the food that you eat and ask yourself, what is this food doing for me.  Is it causing you to prosper or is it just slowing you down.

Vegetable Stirfry with Ginger Honey Dressing

The key here is to steam the vegetables instead of cooking them oil.  You can also add a can of white navy beans to the rice for some added protein.

Vegetables

• 2 cups of broccoli florets
• 2 cups of cauliflower florets
• 2 medium carrots peeled and sliced
• 1 small onion sliced
• 1 red bell pepper sliced
• 3 cups of bok choy sliced (about 1 medium head)
• 1 cup of chopped pineapple fresh or frozen (thawed)
• 2 tablespoons of water

Rice

• 1 ½ cups of wild blend rice
• 3 cups of filtered water

Sauce

• 3 tablespoons of reduced sodium Tamari (soy sauce)
• 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar
• 1 tsp of sesame oil
• 1 tsp of honey
• ½ tsp of grated fresh ginger
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder (can subsitute cornstarch but I don't like to use corn products)
• 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds

Cook the rice for about 35-35 minutes.  Combine all sauce ingredients except for sesame seeds in a small saucepan and heat until it begins to thicken.  Remove from heat and add sesame seeds. Place vegetables (except for bok choy and pineapple)  in large stir fry pan or a wok.  Instead of using oil slightly steam the vegetables (may need to add a touch of water to prevent scorching) for 5 minutes.  Add the bok choy and steam for another 3-5 minutes.  Place a cup of the cooked rice in the center of the plate and top with a generous portion of vegetables.  Top it off with the sauce and serve.

Welcome

So I have decided to start a cooking/health blog.  Through my personal experiences I have discovered that food is the best medicine of all.  We are what we eat.  If we eat a diet filled with nutrients our bodies will be vibrant and able to tackle the stressors of life.  If we choose to eat poorly, our body needs to work doubly hard to process and get rid of the toxins, leaving us open to disease.  I will be posting some yummy but healthy recipes along the way and also answering questions people may have regarding living a healthy lifestyle.