Have YOU eaten your buckwheat today?

“Once, tice,… fee times a mady”…  Sorry friends, I just couldn’t resist!

My husband loves it, my kids are eating it by the hand-fulls, and it is one of my most amazing discoveries of this past year!  It gives you an insane energy boost, and it has tremendous health benefits- like regulating good/bad cholesterol. It’s happy heart food.  It’s full of protein, for it has all 8 of the amino acids to form a complete protein. So why eat buckwheat? Well, why not?

Buckwheat is a fruit seed, not a grain!  It is even gluten-free! Woo-hoo! Most people have eaten it in Kashi cereal, but I wanted to just post a recipe for some Cocoa Peanut Butter Buckwheat Crispies. Kashi is great, but it’s roasted and has more of a bitter taste. I’ve been experimenting with RAW buckwheat groats, and let me tell you, they are truly divine!

I’m in love with  RAW food, and how it makes me feel.  I am all about the easy way to get more RAW in my family’s diet. Soaking and dehydrating raw buckwheat groats sounds like a lot of work, and it kinda feels like it, but once you make a giant batch, it lasts awhile, as long as you give your husband weekly rations. Josh would eat the whole batch in a week if I let him.

RAW Cocoa Peanut Butter Buckwheat Crispies

4 cups raw buckwheat groats, (these have been soaked overnight, rinsed well, and then dehydrated at 105 for 4-5 hours)

1 cup organic cocoa powder- unsweetened and non-alkaline

1 cup of your favorite nut butter- I like peanut butter, because cocoa and peanut butter just share a heavenly union of wedded bliss. Try almond butter if you want to be truly raw.

1 cup grade b maple syrup- why grade b? check out my friend Katie’s blog: http://www.riddlelove.com/2010/11/7-reasons-to-choose-grade-b-maple-syrup.html

1 cup chopped coconut, or shredded- this really makes it good!

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp cinnamon- cuz, ya know, why not?

Mix up this glorious concoction and just try NOT to devour it! I dehydrated mine as cookies for another couple hours, and make a sheet of cereal which is also my secret ice-cream topping… Shhhh~ sprinkle it on top of coconut bliss for an Amazing vegan and gluten-free treat!

Stay tuned for next time when I talk about sprouting alfalfa…

I am so excited that I MUST share this recipe!

I wanted to use my spiral slicer to make raw angel hair noodles.  I was out of zucchini, so I grabbed a couple sweet potatoes.  My helpers and I were prepping a stir fry tray for the week, and I glanced over at the broccoli stalks (who really uses those anyway!) and said, “Let’s give it a try.” The broccoli stalks came out beautiful, and mixed with the bright orange sweet potato, just carried so much potential!

Well, the pasta idea never happened and the noodles sat in my fridge a few days.  I made my stir fry and decided to try the noodles tossed with the AMAZING peanut sauce instead of rice.  It was Wonderful and Insanely Delicious! The energy from eating raw just blew me away! Oh the excitement in another EASY raw dish!

So today, I opened my fridge to see what remnants were left and needed to be used up before I did my meal planning for the week and headed to the store. I pulled out the broccoli and sweet potato noodles and tossed it with peanut sauce and prepared to devour it. Suddenly, a vision of my grated carrots entered my head.  So I added a handful of those.  The lonely piece of dark green kale was just longing to be a part of this party, so I chopped it really fine and threw that in my bowl. I shredded some cabbage and chopped some fresh cilantro.  Then I remembered my raw sliced almonds in the pantry.  Ooh this was starting to get good!  A couple pinches of those, some more peanut sauce and I tossed it all together for a taste test.  Wow.  I decided to add some finely chopped apple as well.  It was beautiful!

I proudly brought my creation to the table.  I could barely contain myself.  It was something New and Easy and Raw!  Josh took one bite and It was over.  He devoured most of it, and that was OK, because it was pretty filling anyway!

So, here’s the recipe!  It really is a fantastic dish, and I will be prepping a basic salad bowl of this combination again tomorrow!  You can change up the dressings, add your favorite veggies, dried fruit, or Whatever! You need a spiral slicer for the sweet potatoes and broccoli.  If you don’t have one, you can try a mandolin and then julienne some thin slices for the sweet potato. If you don’t have a mandolin, just leave out the sweet potato and chop away. It’s just FUN!  Enjoy!

RAW SALAD WITH PEANUT SAUCE

Combine the following in a large bowl. It should keep for a few days in the fridge.

sweet potatoes – 2-3 medium sized sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in half lengthwise.  Use the spiral slicer to make them into gorgeous, orange angel-hair sized noodles.

broccoli – 3 stalks of broccoli, edges trimmed. Run through the spiral slicer.

cabbage – 1/4 head, finely shredded like coleslaw

carrots – 1 -2 cups, grated, or ran through food processor

kale – 3-4 leaves, chopped really fine

raw sliced almonds – 1/2 cup

apple – 1 apple, chopped to desired size, I used fuji

cilantro – add as much as you like, chopped

Grab a handful and throw it in a bowl.  Add your favorite dressing.  Voila!

PEANUT SAUCE RECIPE from the Moosewood Cookbook:

1/2 cup good peanut butter

1/2 cup hot water

2 TB soy sauce or Nama shoyu (or liquid aminos if you are gluten free)

2 TB sugar

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

3 medium cloves garlic, minced

1-2 TB cilantro, minced

cayenne – to taste

sea salt – to taste

place peanut butter in a small bowl and add hot water.  Stir patiently until uniformly mixed.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover and refrigerate. Let it come to room temperature before serving.

I am the Quinoa Queen.  I am the Quinoa Master.  I am the Quinoa Kuckoo-head.

Yes, my family eats this ancient Incan grain 4-5 times a week.  It is pronounced “keen-wa.”  It’s so fun to say that my almost 8-year-old has crooned out his own tune aptly entitled “Shock tee Keen WAAAAAAAAAAAAA,” EVERY Time I mention quinoa. Does it get on my nerves?  What made you ask that?

Quinoa is a complete protein with a rich and nutty flavor.  It is my staple, and when I make it and feed it to my friends, they ask for more! There is red and white quinoa.  You cook it just like rice. Red is my favorite, but I also like to mix them because of the colors.

My baby loves it.  It is his favorite!  I cook it with my favorite vegan bouillon and add finely chopped spinach and carrots and mashed avocado.  He GRINDS it!

If you’re looking to add more raw foods into your diet, it’s easy to make a raw quinoa salad. Just soak the quinoa over night. Rinse it a few times in the morning, and let it sit in a colander under a towel for 4-6 hours.  It sprouts!  SO GOOD FOR YOU!  Add whatever fresh veggies you have!  I like to create my food with color, so I add red bell pepper and carrots, purple cabbage, fennel, corn, zucchini, broccoli, Anything and Everything I have in my fridge, all finely chopped of course.  I make a simple dressing with olive oil and vinegar, maybe a shallot and some seasonings, and Voila! Yumminess! It is so tasty and it fills you up and it gives you so much energy!  I garnish it with some avocado and fresh parsley or other herbs I have on hand, and serve it on fresh chopped spinach.

Lately I’ve been bringing a Mexican Quinoa salad to parties.  Everyone loves it and it is so healthy! Here’s the recipe:

cook 2 cups of quinoa with  vegan bouillon.

Add: a can of Black beans, rinsed and drained

3-4 ears of raw corn, freshly cut off the cob

a handful of fresh spinach, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

cilantro, chopped, to taste

stir the salad together and  put it in the fridge to cool.  Serve with avocado and your favorite salsa on top.  You can stir in salsa

for a spicier dish.  Squeeze on a lime if you want.

It’s really Yummy!  It’s Vegan, and it’s Gluten-free.

ENJOY!

I miss food.  I think about it all the time.  My life revolves around it.  Adding gluten-free to my repertoire of restrictions is causing me to ardently and vigorously practice the Art of Self-Denial.  Everyday.

The first week at Trader Joe’s was ridiculous!  Like a 2-year-old, I had to say “No” to myself at least 20 times as I walked past something I wanted.  It didn’t help that I was limping so bad and moving at snail pace!  All those yummy and satisfying, delectable and savory items were beckoning to me as if seducing my taste buds.

I imagined myself slapping my own hand as I started to reach for something.  My self-control was revealing itself.  Each “No,” made me stronger.  The first three days were the hardest, but by the end of the week I didn’t feel like I was going to “cave” at the sight or smell of something I shouldn’t have.  I could calmly say “No.”  I lived on Lara Bars and apples with almond butter.

Here I am, day 63 into this Crazy Gluten-free, Vegan lifestyle, and I am no longer hanging by a thread… I am holding the scissors, poised to make my move!

If I could only be Vegetarian again!  What a dream!  Oh how I miss bread!  Cheese! Sandwiches! (Been dreaming a LOT about those lately!) I just don’t think I can do this anymore! I feel so whiney and deprived and I MISS FOOD!

Each day, at every meal, I have to deny myself. I have become the Master at self-denial. It is a strange, new form of pain.

The worst part is when I am feeding my baby a piece of perfectly buttered sourdough toast and the warm melted butter oozes between my fingers as I break it into smaller pieces for him to eat.  I envision myself just cramming it all in my mouth!  BUT I CAN’T!!!

I have sat across from my husband in my favorite bakery while he delighted in the BEST FRENCH DIP of his life while I ate a salad.  Did I mention that French Dips used to be my favorite?!!!

It was TORTURE!

I have to enjoy the smell of the foods I can’t have and be satisfied.  It hurts.  It’s not too much fun.  It’s what I’ve got to do right now.

I am moving around better and feeling better!  My pain levels have gone down a couple points, which is intensely AMAZING!  Obviously, I have to tell myself that this is all worth the sacrifice of a few minutes of satisfaction I would get in a piece of bread.

So how do I do this?  How do I say “No” to myself 50 times a day? I have to allow myself some vices.

I can’t give up everything because it feels like I already have. You can’t take my coffee.  You can’t take my red wine.  I am French and I have already given up bread and cheese! You cannot take my dark chocolate. But if you EVER try to take away potatoes I may seriously hurt you!  It’s all I got left!

I have to hold on and keep going.  I feel like these changes are adding years to my life and healing up my gut so I will get better.  For some reason, I have a grace for it Most of the time.  But those moments where I could just end it all and eat an entire loaf of bread?  I have those thoughts! I think about all my favorite foods that have gluten in them ALL the time! I am hoping that this will only last 6 months to a year and then MIRACULOUSLY my gut will be healed and I will be able to digest normal foods again.

For the time being, if you happen to see me staring at your food and you think I may actually attack your plate, you better move because I just might.

Produce is my medium.  The plate is my canvas.  Food is my Love Language.

I have become, over the past year and a half, my very own personal Vegan Chef.  I spend at least 20 hours in the kitchen prepping and chopping, slicing and dicing.  I survive on nuts and nut-butters, seeds and various whole grains, and a glorious rainbow of fresh organic produce.  Now, take away the gluten and go Raw.  Some would say I have an intensely restricted diet.  I am choosing to declare that it is my opportunity to Rise to the challenge.

I love to create.  Right now in this season of life, cooking or “uncooking” food is the biggest outlet for my creativity that I get to plug into on a daily basis.  I LOVE feeding people!  I rarely follow recipes ( they are more like guidelines anyway).  I cook by sight, smell and taste, but the JOY comes when I can prepare a Beautiful piece of edible art that graces my dish like a Renaissance painting.

Food is my love language.  I LOVE food!  So I am on a mission to make insanely healthy (Certified HealthNUT) food that is tasty AND satisfying!  I am three weeks into the gluten-free part. It is not easy, but I am ready to take this seriously because I want to get better.

Why Vegan and gluten-free?

Plain and Simply- I just can’t digest animal products.  I get really sick. Some of the research I’ve been doing pinpoints Rheumatoid Arthritis symptoms to a faulty digestive system.  I feel like I need to fix my gut. Becoming Vegan didn’t happen overnight, but Here Am I, with the Grace to take these next steps that are necessary to fix my gut. Hence I am pursuing this bunny trail.  I will catch that Wascally Wabbit!

I will be posting recipes for healthy and fresh Vegan dishes.  They will be kid-tested,  mother approved, and husband friendly.  They will actually taste really YUMMY and be equally SATISFYING. If you are looking to add more veggies to your diet or make a couple of healthy changes, then these recipes are for you.  If you are also Vegan, then it may just be something new to satisfy your taste buds!

My family loves my Vegan food.   It is a lot of work, but the long-term benefits keep me going.  My family is eating super healthy, and it is SO worth it! That right there just gives me JOY!