Well, our first week back to school has come and gone super smoothly. It really was a fabulous week, yay! I think my new schedule and game plan are going to work out beautifully, but I'll give it another week before I share it all here, just in case this week proves to be an unexpected and epic fail. ;) In the meantime...
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I've got recipes piling up here, delicious goodness that just begs to be shared. We are still embarking on the challenge of a Candida diet here in our home. I have much, much to share on this topic, but would prefer to see it through to completion first, before sharing our journey with you. It hasn't always been easy, but after four months we are seeing some pretty amazing changes. I hope that I can share it all with you very, very soon!
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I've got recipes piling up here, delicious goodness that just begs to be shared. We are still embarking on the challenge of a Candida diet here in our home. I have much, much to share on this topic, but would prefer to see it through to completion first, before sharing our journey with you. It hasn't always been easy, but after four months we are seeing some pretty amazing changes. I hope that I can share it all with you very, very soon!Living on a highly restrictive candida diet encouraged me to find and try new foods to keep our taste buds tickled and happy. We've had to briefly remove some of our favorite veggies, all of our fruits, beans, oats, popcorn, granola, cocoa and carob powder and various others from our diet, but new and tasty treasures are definitely the silver lining of this adventure...besides the obviously improved health! I thought I’d share some of those with you today.
As I mentioned above, we've had to temporarily wave goodbye to oats, which of course includes oatmeal and granola, both staples in my home. It had me hunting for a hot breakfast treat… leading me straight to amaranth, and oh, what a find! Each morning I start with a nice, big bowl and it sustains me until lunch. It’s tasty, filling… and of course, super healthy. Surprise, right?
Cinnamon Amaranth
2 cups organic amaranth
4 cups water
1 rounded teaspoon stevia
2 heaping teaspoons organic cinnamon
coconut milk
coconut milk
Add all ingredients to a pan and stir to combine. Bring to a boil (careful, it only takes a minute or two and makes a terrible mess if left to boil over!), reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. I usually stir once during the cooking process. Remove from heat, stir well to mix in the remaining water and add coconut milk (see recipe below). I like my amaranth on the thinner side so I’ll add the milk until I get my favorite consistency. Discover your preference and enjoy! Printable Recipe
1 cup organic, unsweetened, shredded coconut
4 cups water
Heat water until hot, but not boiling. Pour coconut into blender and add half of the heated water. Cover and blend on low for 20 seconds or so. Pour into a tightly meshed strainer and force out liquids with a spoon into a bowl. Scrape coconut back into the blender with the remaining water and repeat the process. Pour into glass bottle and use immediately or store in refrigerator. The milk fats will rise and solidify in the container due to the cold fridge, but melts quickly, especially if poured into hot amaranth! Printable Recipe
Buckwheat Patties (or Balls)
2 cups organic buckwheat
4 cups water
1 rounded teaspoon organic cumin
1 teaspoon organic coriander
½ teaspoon organic turmeric
1 teaspoon organic garlic
¼ teaspoon organic black pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 organic onion, diced
1 organic red pepper, diced
Add buckwheat, water and spices to pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes or so.
In olive oil sauté onion and pepper until soft
In mixing bowl place onion, pepper and 1 ½ cups of the cooked buckwheat. Place the remaining buckwheat in the food processor and mix until quite mushy and sticky. Add to the onions and peppers and mix well. With wet hands form into patties or balls. In skillet (cast iron is my favorite) crisp up in coconut oil and serve hot. The buckwheat balls are particularly tasty over spaghetti with tomato sauce! Printable Recipe
Rosemary Garlic Pan Bread
1 cup organic ground flaxseed
1 cup organic brown rice flour
1 cup organic millet flour
1 tablespoon organic rosemary
1 teaspoon organic garlic powder
1/4 cup sourdough starter
1/3 cup flax gel
1 1/2 cups water
Add all dry ingredients to a bowl and mix well. Prepare wet ingredients and add together stirring quickly and well to blend. Leave in bowl for as long as desired, the longer left to sit (especially overnight) the stronger the sourdough flavor. I usually let it sit for a couple of hours. Dust your working space with flour, scrape out dough and sprinkle with enough flour until you can work the dough with your hands without sticking to it! Fold over several times and place in a glass casserole dish with a lid. Let sit for an hour. Put bread, covered in a preheated oven to 425. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the cover being very careful of the steam. Cook for another 20 minutes Serve hot for a super tasty treat! (Please see my Scrumptious Recipes page for flax gel and sourdough recipes) Printable Recipe
Almond Butter
3 cups raw, organic almonds
sea salt (optional)
Spread almonds on baking sheet and bake at 325 for 12 minutes. Stir, shake and put back in the oven for another 5 minutes. Stir and shake once more and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least an hour, preferably longer. The almonds will continue to cook once removed (you'll hear them crackle and snap for quite some time) Once completely cooled add to food processor... and walk away. The almonds will need at least 5 minutes for the oils to be completely released. Once the butter is smooth and creamy shut off food processor and add to a clean glass jar. Printable Recipe
Broccoli Biscuits with Creamy Coconut Sauce
Baking Powder Biscuits
2 cups millet flour
1 cup organic brown rice flour
1 cup organic ground flaxseed
8 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup flax gel
1 1/2 cup water
Add dry ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix well. Prepare wet ingredients and add to dry, mixing quickly and well. Drop dough by the spoonful on a baking sheet and bake at 450 for 10 minutes
Broccoli topping
1-2 heads broccoli, chopped small
1/2 - 1 cup water
1 onion, diced
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 pepper, diced
1 teaspoon organic oregano
1 teaspoon organic basil
1 teaspoon organic parsley
Saute onion and pepper in olive oil until soft. Add broccoli, water and spices to pan, cover and cook until soft, stirring regularly.
Creamy Coconut Sauce
6 tablespoons organic olive oil
6 tablespoons organic brown rice flour
4 cups coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon organic basil
Add olive oil and rice flour to saucepan and warm over medium hear until bubbling, about 3 minutes. Add in coconut milk, water, pepper, salt and basil. Stir frequently and sauce will begin to thicken after about 3 minutes. Continue to stir until desired consistency (it takes mine about 6 minutes). Take off heat when at
desired consistency, or keep warm over very low heat. Slice biscuits, top with broccoli and smother with white sauce... so, so yummy! Printable Recipe
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Avocado Salsa
1 organic onion, diced
1 organic red pepper, diced
4-5 organic tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon organic garlic powder
1 teaspoon organic coriander
1 heaping teaspoon organic cumin
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon organic black pepper
2 organic avocados, cubed
Saute onion and red pepper in olive oil until soft. Add tomatoes, garlic and spices and cook until soft. Remove from heat, add prepared avocado and stir well to combine. Serve hot over garlic bagel crisps :) Printable Recipe
Garlic Bagel Crisps
Bake bagels according to recipe here, or also found on Scrumptious Recipes page
{Sometimes I'll skip the 'poking the hole' step when making the bagels in order to make slicing them easier!}
Organic coconut oil, melted
organic garlic powder
Slice bagels thin, spread on a baking sheet and brush with melted coconut oil. Sprinkle with garlic powder and bake in oven at 400 until brown and crisp. Printable Recipe
Lentil Loaf
1 cup organic green lentils, soaked
3 cups water
1 teaspoon organic thyme
1 teaspoon organic sage
salt/pepper
1 organic onion, diced
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
1/2 cup organic walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup flax gel
In pot, bring lentils, spices and water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until most of the water is absorbed.
Saute onion in olive oil until soft
Chop walnuts
When lentils are done cooking remove one cup whole and add to a bowl. Add the remaining lentils to the food processor with flax gel and process until pureed (add a bit of water if necessary). Add pureed lentils to whole lentils along with breadcrumbs, onions and nuts. Mix well. Press into a casserole dish or bread pan and bake at 350, uncovered for about 30 minutes. Especially tasty topped with Creamy Coconut Sauce or Tomato Sauce. Printable Recipe
Have a blissful day friends and happy munching!