Cindalou's Asparagus and Red Pepper Omelet

2 eggs, scrambled
handful fresh asparagus*
slice raw red cabbage
2-3 slices fresh red bell pepper
slices jalapeno
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Seasonings:
sea salt and pepper
parsley

Add olive oil and asparagus to the pan and sautee lightly 1-2 minutes. Remove asparagus and add eggs to pan. Cook over low heat while scraping at the sides to cook the omlet. When eggs are done, add asparagus and raw cabbage and peppers. You may wish to add a dash of Bragg's aminos or serve with salsa, but I did not here. I actually used this omelet for a to-go lunch for work - eggs are a great lunch option which eliminate of the "same old lunch syndrome". I added shiritaki noodles to the lunch for a different texture to contrast the crunch veggies and eggs.

* I used some leftover garlic asparagus. You can just use raw asparagus also - it is fantastic!

This recipe has been taken from Cindy's healthy gluten free, dairy free, low carb natural recipes at cindalouskitchenblues.blogspot.com

Elana's Apple Crisp

2 c. blanched almond flour
1/2 tsp celtic sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 c. grapeseed oil
1/4 c. agave nectar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
5 medium apples, peeled, sliced, then chopped in half width-wise

1. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg
2. In a smaller bowl, combine oil, agave and vanilla
3. Stir wet ingredients into dry
4. Place apples in a 2-3 quart glass baking dish
5. Crumble topping over the apples
6. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes on low rack
7. When apples are soft and their juices bubble, remove cover and bake 10 more minutes to brown crisp
8. Serve warm

Serves 6

Note: This recipe has been taken from Elana's Pantry, a recipe blog by Elana Amsterdam.

Karina's Quinoa Mushroom Pilaf

You can use either broth or water to cook this quinoa recipe. For a hearty, flavor-rich quinoa pilaf, use your favorite broth.

First:

Make your quinoa the easy way - using a rice cooker. You'll need roughly 2 1/2 - 3 cups cooked quinoa. As the quinoa cooks, gather and cut up your vegetables.

You'll need:

olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 small to medium yellow bell pepper, diced fine

1 small to medium green bell pepper, diced fine

2 c. sliced mushrooms

sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

1 tsp Greek seasoning (mint, lemon, basil, oregano mix)

2 scallions (spring onions) sliced - white and light green sections

squeeze of fresh lemon juice

extra virgin olive oil, to taste

When the quinoa is almost done, heat a splash of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, yellow and green pepper; and stir over medium heat until slightly softened. Add in the mushrooms. Season with sea salt, and ground pepper, to taste. Add the Greek seasoning. Stir and cook until the mushrooms are tender.

Scoop the cooked quinoa out of the rice cooker and add it to the mushroom-pepper mixture. Add in the sliced scallions. Stir to combine. Squeeze fresh lemon juice all over the quinoa and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Toss to coat the quinoa.

Taste test and add more salt or seasoning if it needs it.

Serve immediately; or allow it to cool, then cover and refrigerate it to eat as a salad.

Note on chilling this quinoa: Before serving this quinoa cold, taste test again and adjust seasonings; chilling often dulls the flavors in these kinds of salads. I usually allow quinoa salad a few minutes out of the fridge before serving; letting it come to room temperature helps the flavors. If making ahead as a salad, I'd use water instead of broth.

Serves 4.

This recipe has been taken from Karina Allrich's gluten free recipe blog. http://www.glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/

Cindalou's Buckwheat Apple Crepes

2/3 c. organic buckwheat flour
2/3 c. water
2 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
2 eggs
1 tsp sea salt
dash of cinnamon
2 tbsp organic virgin coconut oil for frying

Filling:
1 medium organic apple
1 tbsp organic virgin coconut oil for frying
1 tbsp cinnamon
dash of cayenne pepper
1 tbsp sunflower seeds

Cover and cook crepe on medium low heat for 2-3 minutes. In a separate pan, saute filling ingredients over medium low heat for 4-5 minutes until apples are soft. When crepe is finished, remove from pan and add apple filling ingredients. You may wish to garnish it with a sprinkle of coconut flakes or drizzle of agave nectar (or honey). I sprinkled some freshly ground flax over the top right before serving for extra protein and fiber. Fresh ground flax has a delicious, nutty taste which goes well sprinkled on the top of practically any dish.

Nutrition note:
This recipe is a nice low glycemic index (G.I.) version of a typical "sweet" breakfast option. I think it would go over well with children or others with a sweet tooth - they won't realize that you're "cheating" them out of the high carb sugar spikes you normally get with white rice flour, tapioca flour, sugar, and prepackaged gluten free breads and cereals.

This recipe has been taken from Cindy's healthy gluten free, dairy free, low carb natural recipes at cindalouskitchenblues.blogspot.com

Elana's Pumpkin Ginger Soup

3 cups roasted pumpkin
2 cups chicken stock
3/4 cups coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon stevia
2 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh squeezed
1 tablespoon ginger, minced






- In a high speed blender, combine pumpkin, chicken stock and coconut milk and process on high until smooth.

- Blend in stevia, lemon juice and ginger.

- Place mixture in a pot and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes

- Serve

You may want to add more stevia to your soup than the recipe calls for to make it just a bit sweeter. I sometimes add a couple of drops of stevia to the individual bowls of soup. Depending on the brand you use you may need to adjust your amounts, since different brands and types of stevia have different levels of sweetness.

Note: This recipe has been taken from Elana's Pantry, a recipe blog by Elana Amsterdam.

Facts on Gluten

What is gluten?

Gluten is an elastic protein found in various grains (wheat, rye, barley, oats, etc.) that acts as a binding property in dough to prevent crumbling. Gluten is responsible for giving dough a spongy and elastic texture. It also acts as a thickening agent in various products.

Where is gluten found?

Gluten can be found in breads, cakes, pastries, cookies, biscuits, crackers, battered foods, cereals, snack goods, pastas, pizza, soups, gravies, sauces, processed meats, pickles, sweets, instant pudding and sometimes chocolate.

How does gluten affect health?

Our intestines absorb nutrients through our villi. Repeated exposure to gluten can damage this absorptive surface resulting in inefficient nutrient absorption. Once damage is detected the body produces antibodies to attack the undigested food that is entering the bloodstream and can be a major cause of many autoimmune diseases.


Gluten sensitivity can often be asymptomatic and can be related to a variety of health conditions. Since gluten is found in so many commonly used products, it can often be the hidden culprit in many conditions.


How do I know if I am gluten sensitive?


Bloating after eating grain or starch is a hallmark symptom of gluten sensitivity. Further progression may also lead to environmental sensitivities such as perfumes or paint fumes.


Gluten-containing ingredients:


Barley, Bulgur (parboiled wheat, tabouli), corn, cornmeal, cornstarch, polenta (unless it's organic), couscous (including whole wheat), Durum (pasta, bread), Graham flour (graham crackers, pie crust), Kamut (cereals, cracked wheat), Malt, malt extract, malt syrup, malt flavouring (made from barley. Found in beer, bagels, and is a common source of sugar), oats, oat bran, oat syrup (cereals, bread), rye (bread, rye beer, some whiskies and vodkas), semolina (pasta, cream of wheat, farina, pudding, couscous, halva, sooji, rava), Spelt (breads, cereals), triticale, wheat (breads, most baked goods, cereals, beer, gravy, pizza, bread crumbs, battered foods), wheat brain, wheat germ.


Gluten-free ingredients:


Amaranth, Arrowroot flour, bean flours, buckwheat, kasha, corn (organic only), cream of tartar, dal, flax, millet, potato flour, potato starch, quinoa, rice, rice bran, rice flour rice starch, soy flour, tapioca flour, tapioca starch.


Reference: Healthy Shopper Team at Naturally Savvy (www.naturallysavvy.com)

Jason's Coconut Pancakes

1 can good-quality coconut milk (14 oz./398-400 ml)
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 eggs
1 1/2 tbsp honey (or I also tried molasses)
2 tbsp coconut oil OR butter, melted
1 1/2 cups kamut, spelt or buckwheat (gluten free) flour
1/2 tsp salt
oil for frying


Mix the shredded coconut, flour and salt together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine the coconut milk, eggs, honey and coconut oil. Stir the wet ingredients in with the dry, and mix until most of the lumps are gone. Don't worry about getting the batter perfectly smooth, it will still be yummy!

Heat the skillet to medium heat with a little bit of oil. Once heated, scoop the batter into the skillet with a large spoon. Cook the pancakes until the batter starts to bubble, then flip to cook the other side, until golden brown.

Enjoy!!

Elana's Gluten-Free Breakfast Bars

1 ¼ cup blanched almond flour

¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup grapeseed oil
¼ cup a gave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup shredded coconut
½ cup pumpkin seeds
½ cup sunflower seeds
¼ cup almond slivers
¼ cup raisins

- In a small bowl, combine almond flour, sat and baking soda
- In a large bowl, combine grapesed oil, agave and vanilla

- Stir dry ingredients into wet

- Mix in coconut, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seds, almond slivers and raisins

- Grease an 8x8 baking dish with grapeseed oil

Press the dough into the baking dish, wetting your hands with water to help pat the dough down evenly

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes

Makes 12-16 bars

Note: This recipe has been taken from Elana's Pantry, a recipe blog by Elana Amsterdam.

What's for breakfast?

What do we eat for breakfast? - People ask us what we eat for breakfast if we don't eat wheat or dairy. Again, this did not happen overnight for us but over the years we have found the products that work well for us. Once you find something you like it is usually easy to find it again. We try and avoid eating the exact same thing every day to provide some variety in our diet. Here are some ideas...

Here are some wheat and dairy free alternatives for breakfast:

Oatmeal--we buy organic oatmeal and this can be prepared in 5 mins or so...I like a little nutmeg and cinnamon in mine and sometimes will use 1/2 water and 1/2 almond milk. I've also added apples, raisins and a little agave or maple syrup but not if I've already added fruit. I have tried a little apple juice as a sweetener as well and it works (but not too much).

Wheat free cereals with almond milk--the company Nature's Path has a lot to offer. There are different types of granola that are also wheat free. Just watch the sugar content though...we try and avoid anything with more than 10 grams per serving. Spelt flakes are good with some frozen blueberries and sometimes I will mix a few different ones together for variety.

Ezekiel bread or English muffins--this excerpt is taken from the food for life website. (Should be easy to cut and copy to the website). These can be found in the freezer of the organic section or some health food stores.

Elana's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 30 Cookies

2 1/2 c blanched almond flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 c grapeseed oil
1/2 c agave nectar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 c coarsely chopped dark chocolate (73% cacao)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the grapeseed oil, agave nectar, and vanilla extract. Stir the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Fold in the chocolate, then refrigerate the dough for 20 minutes. Spoon the dough 1 heaping tablespoon at a time onto the prepared baking sheets, pressing down with the palm of your hand to flatten, leaving 2 inches between each cookie.

Bake for 7-10 minutes, until lightly golden. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 20 minutes, then serve warm.


Note: This recipe has been taken from The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam.

Elana's Zucchini Bread

Makes 2 loaves (about 12 slices)

2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 c grapeseed oil
1/2 c agave nectar
2 large eggs
1 c grated zucchini
1/2 c pecans, coarsely chopped
1/4 c dried currants

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease 2 mini loaf pans with grapeseed oil and dust with almond flour.

In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. In a medium bowl, whisk together the grapeseed oil, agave nectar, and eggs. Blend the almond flour mixture into the wet ingredients until thoroughly combined, then fold in the zucchini, pecans, and currants. Scoop the batter into the loaf pans.

Bake for 50-60 minutes on the bottom rack of the oven, until a knife inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pans for 1 hour, then serve.

Note: This recipe has been taken from The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam.

The Truth About Sugar

Sugar may taste delicious, but it stresses the immune system, causing an assortment of issues in the body.
Things that don't even taste sweet often contain high amounts of sugar. When reading product nutrition information, keep in mind that every 4 grams of sugar is equal to 1 teaspoon of sugar!! Other names for sugar include high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, glucose, fructose, maltodextrin, and artifical sweeteners (like aspartame and Splenda).
In the recipes featured on this blog, you will notice that they are often sweetened with things such as agave necgar, honey, stevia and maple syrup. These products are good substitutes for pure sugar as they all have a lower glycemic index (the rate at which sugar gets absorbed into the bloodstream).

To read more about this and other related topics, please visit our blog on chemical stress. This blog (along with our other blogs) is accessable through viewing our complete profile to the right of this post,or by going to http://www.novaspinalcarechemicalstress.blogspot.com/

Elana's Classic Carrot Cake

Serves 12

3 c blanched almond flour
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 c grapeseed oil
1/2 c agave nectar
5 large eggs
3 c grated carrots
1 c raisins
1 c walnuts, coarsely chopped


Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease two 9-inch cake pans with grapeseed oil and dust with almond flour.

In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a medium bowl, whisk together the grapeseed oil, agave nectar, and eggs. Stir the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Fold in the carrots, raisins, and walnuts. Scoop the batter into the prepared cake pans.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pans for 1 hour, then serve.


Note: This recipe has been taken from The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam.

Date Balls

1/4 c ground flax
1/4 c oat bran (or oatmeal)
1/2 c pecans
1 c almonds
12-15 dates (or many - to make the balls stick together)
1/2 c raisins
1/2 c coconut
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix ingredients together in a food processor then form into balls, and enjoy!

Jason's Quinoa

Rinse quinoa first
2:1 ratio water to quinoa (try 2 cups quinoa/4 cups water)
Add some olive oil and 1 tbsp *Bragg's soy sauce
Add approximately 1-2 tsp garlic powder
Add equal amounts of cumin and chili powder (approximately 2-3 tsp each)
Bring quinoa to a boil then let it simmer for 20-25 minutes until cooked and the water has evaporated.
Add peas, corn and black beans
Add pepper and Bragg's to taste

Note: most of my cooking does not involve exact measurements so you may need to play with the seasoning. You can also add your favorites, such as onion, cilantro, etc.


*Bragg's soy sauce is available at Superstore. Bragg's is a gluten free fermented soy product.