Snap, crackle, POP

Vegan peanutbutter/chocolate rice treats (gluten free)

 

1cup brown rice syrup
1cup brown sugar
1cup natural,no sugar added peanutbutter
7cups rice or brown rice crisp cereal
3tbls semi-sweet chocolate (non-dairy)
1tbls earthbalance
pinch of salt (optional)

heat brown rice syrup & brown sugar on med heat until sugar dissolves, and lightly boil. Remove from heat, add peanutbutter.
Add cereal, mix. Place in an oil glass baking pan and press down firmly (coat your hands in oil so the mixture won't stick to your hands). Melt chocolate in microwave in 20 sec. increments until melted, use a fork and splatter. Allow to cool at room temp or fridge.

I smell pumpkin!

Fall sweet fall, I adore thee

The first of many pumpkin treats that can't be beat and of course, as always- kid tested & mama approved.

1st day of fall pumpkin cookies- gluten free

2 cups oat flour (can be made yourself by grinding rolled oats)

2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin (unsweetened)
1 TBSP veg oil or oil of choice
1 TBS grade B maple syrup
1/4 cup agave
1 tsp baking soda
1TBSP pumpkin pie spice mix
pinch of salt

Add all dry ingredients together, then add wet and mix well. Bake @ 375 for 15min.

These cookies are cake like, soft and fluffy. Awesome for your child or your own mouth.

The cookies on the left have added pecans & white chocolate chips.

Roooooooaaaaaaaar!

Eat Em' Up Tigers, Eat Em' Up!

I'm a Detroit girl at heart.

For almost 9 years I spent just about everyday either working, schooling or living there. Detroit has its quirks, its issues and positives. I moved on to provide what I consider a better life for my little love nugget, but Detroit is in his blood and mine forever.

We went to a Tigers game on Sunday. The weather was perfect, and the crowd was electrified with excitement. Detroit killed it!

This little guy sat in this chair for 4 hours without disturbance...he is the quintessential Tiger's fan.

 

I started the morning with a nutrient packed breakfast, Chia Crumble Topped Baked Pears

I don't have an exact recipe of how I made this dish so here goes nothing...

I cored out several pears and pealed them. I mixed rolled oats, Cinnamon, nutmeg, a pinch of brown sugar, and raw chia seeds. To that I added Earth Balance Light, a vegan butter-like spread. I topped the pears and baked it for 1 hour 15min @ 375. At first it was uncovered, then after 45 min. I drizzled some agave nectar over the pears and covered it with aluminum foil. They came out so tender and fragrant, a wonderful way to rev up your day and make the house smell warm and inviting.

Later that night we had another great dinner, which I didn't take pictures of- But I did capture a cute moment in time (that was of course staged, but whatevsies)

Dinner on Monday was a vegetable packed salad, tossed in a roma tomato vinaigrette and topped with toasted walnuts & pulled chicken

In the salad is fresh corn, 2 types of cabbage (from the garden), carrots, celery, cucumbers (from the garden) and romaine lettuce.

The vinaigrette was made with a fresh roma tomato, red wine vinegar, garlic powder, olive oil, salt and pepper. I mixed it silly in the vitamix which created a miraculously smooth texture. The acid in the uncooked tomato added to the tang of the dressing.

The chicken was boiled in vegetable stock, pulled then lightly pan fried in olive oil with toasted walnuts, chopped dried onion, fresh green onion, fresh garlic, and a fresh habanero pepper. I took the quartered habanero out before I served it on the salad.

And my favorite time of the day, DESERT TIME!

Coconut flour cookies with peanut butter & chocolate chips (gluten free)

1 stick melted butter or butter substitute

4 eggs

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup coconut flour

splash of vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk chocolate & peanut butter chips mixed

Melt butter and mix with the sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add the coconut flour and chips. Bake at 350 for 15 min.

These taste amazing hot or cold, and have a melt-in-you-mouth texture. The coconut flour I used is raw, and is naturally a gluten free & high fiber product.

They are also kid tested & mom approved



Diet Shmiet

"The only time to eat diet food is when you are waiting for the steak to cook"- Julia Child

My pregnancy consisted of one thing; eating my way through the day. I ballooned up to a really high weight that my height could not handle. It wasn't hard, in fact eating came quite naturally to me...surprise, surprise.

It took me a while, but miraculously the weight came off. I can attribute it to infrequent exercise, child rearing and a low carb & gluten free diet.

Whenever possible I try to resist my arch nemesis- the dreaded delicious carb, but sometimes it's calling out my name so much I must silence it by shoving it in my mouth as fast as possible and pretend it never happened (nothing to see here folks, move along).

But honestly, I'm not as strict as I sound. I enjoy my life, my food and I feel great 98% of the time. The worst I feel is when I eat large amounts of wheat but I avoid it like the plague. Since going from a vegetarian to vegan to full on carnivore I must say I have more energy than ever. I rarely feel moody, and always wake up ready to take on the day (despite lack of sleep from the child)


Viva la low carb!

Spicy BBQ pulled chicken, fresh corn & corn meal fritter/cakes over tangy slaw (cabbage from the garden)

Corn cakes
1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 cup Atkins baking mix
1/2 cup fresh corn
1/2 cup whole organic milk (or any kind of milk)
1 egg, beaten
green onion
garlic powder
salt
pepper
butter or oil for frying


Mix together ingredients, add more milk if you desire a more runny consistency. Fry up on a pan, cook til brown and enjoy.

You can also add cheese to the batter- because it's really not a complete meal unless if cheese is included.

Way better than cheez-its (just when I thought it wasn't possible)

You scream
I scream
Aidan screams the LOUDEST for cheese crackers!

Well, crackers of any kind really.

Aidan's gluten free cheese crackers

2 cups cheese (cheddar)
3 tblspoons cold butter
1/2 cup brown rice flour

2 tblspoons ice cold water
salt
cumin
cayenne pepper (optional)

In a food processor blend cheese & butter for 2 min. - will turn into tiny grains. Add brown rice flour in several parts. Add water as needed.

roll out dough and bake @350 for 15-20min until brown.

You can place the dough in the fridge so it gets cold and rolls out easier. I used tiny cookie cutters to create the shapes. The crisps spread out slightly, but once you pop one you can't stop won't stop.

Sunday Sauce Extravaganza

A brief history

The Tomato History has origins traced back to the early Aztecs around 700 A.D; therefore it is believed that the tomato is native to the Americas. It was not until around the 16th century that Europeans were introduced to this fruit when the early explorers set sail to discover new lands. Throughout Southern Europe, the tomato was quickly accepted into the kitchen, yet as it moved north, more resistance was apparent. The British, for example, admired the tomato for its beauty, but believe that it was poisonous, as its appearance was similar to that of the wolf peach. "...most Europeans thought that the tomato was poisonous because of the way plates and flatware were made in the 1500's." Rich people in that time used flatware made of pewter, which has a high-lead content. Foods high in acid, like tomatoes, would cause the lead to leech out into the food, resulting in lead poisoning and death. Poor people, who ate off of plates made of wood, did not have that problem, and hence did not have an aversion to tomatoes. This is essentially the reason why tomatoes were only eaten by poor people until the 1800's, especially Italians. What changed in the 1800's? First, and most significantly, was the mass immigration from Europe to America and the traditional blending of cultures. Many Italian-Americans ate tomatoes and brought that food with them. But also, and perhaps equally as important, was the invention of pizza. There is no pizza without tomato sauce, and pizza was invented around Naples in the late 1880's. The story goes that it was created by one restaurateur in Naples to celebrate the visit of Queen Margarite, the first Italian monarch since Napoleon conquered Italy. The restaurateur made the pizza from three ingredients that represented the colors of the new Italian flag: red, white, and green. The red is the tomato sauce, the white was the mozzarella cheese, and the green was the basil topping. It was not regarded as a kitchen vegetable until the times preceding The Civil War Period in the United States. From this point forward, tomatoes have become a staple item in the kitchen throughout the world. Each area of the world has its own tomato history and how it is used in everyday dining. It appears though that tomatoes have had the largest impact on American eating habits, as they are responsible for enjoying over 12 million tons of tomatoes each year. via: http://www.tomato-cages.com/tomato-history.html With all that being said, the tomato production at the crib has been on overload. If not for seeing it with my own eyes I would never of believed how many tomatoes could be grown off what started as two tiny tiny plants. These monsters have taken over, and have been very kind to us this year.

I can pick this many tomatoes about every other day, and they are gorgeous!

I can smell fall, and I love it! Pumpkins, apples, all things cool crisp air-Mi Amor!

As you can tell, the collards are pretty damn fascinating. After the heat wave, they have been much happier (and super tasty)

Every Sunday, and a couple other days of the week I have made tomato sauce. Just when I think I'm sick of the red gravy goodness, after it's been cooking for a couple hours I just can't get enough of it- and luckily either can Aidan.

The squash and eggplant production has been on high alert- won't these plants just die already?!



Eggplant and squash pasta bake with brown rice rotini- gluten free



Eggplant parm made with Italian bi-color eggplant @ Aunt Chele's house for a Sunday Sauce day (my favorite!). Family is by far the most important thing in my life, and being able to cook for the ones I love will always be the thing I enjoy most in my life- saying I love them is a total understatement...nothing compares.



The bolognese sauce



Always smiling


Another day of sauce, with turkey meatballs



He hates it




Many an individual feel the need to add tomato paste or a thickener to make their sauce heartier- I however feel that is pointless. Every time I make sauce I use fresh tomatoes- I chop them into small squares and throw in a pot with browned garlic, onions and olive oil. I cook it down for a couple hours and add some dry red wine. To that I add herbs and spice it up a bit, then I use an immersion blender to get it to the consistency I desire. I never take the time to blanch the tomatoes and peel them, thats just how I roll.

Chevre&Mushroom Tarts

1/2 cup of herb chevre

1 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms (I used portabella)

3 tablespoons pine nuts (toasted or untoasted)

mini phyllo shells(in the freezer section)

dill

salt & pepper

olive oil for cooking

Cook down the mushrooms in olive oil until tender. Add cheese and create a sauce, add the nuts. Season to your liking with herbs. Spoon into shells, and bake at 375 for 20 min until brown.

Another family dinner included this raw garden kale salad

Bbq'd scalloped squash, baby tomatoes, cucumber and massaged kale in a lemon tahini dressing.

The dressing contains soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic powder, tahini, and a really light touch of mustard.

Aunt Chele's heriloom garden tomatoes & squash gratin.

The dehydrator has come in handy lately.I dried parsley, sage, mint and lemon balm for tea.



Roasted butternut squash from the garden on top of hummus, served with a salad tossed in an apple cider mustard vinaigrette.


GET CAKE!


Aidan has been brushing up on his baseball skills which also happens to be one of his favorite words.



Baby likes tilapia with edamame.

Ciao Bambino!