Lemon Power Sickness Drink

Do you have a cold coming on? Are you sniffling and sneezing? Is your throat a little sore?

Here is a combination of foods that can help your body fight. It helped me just last week cut a cold down to nothing. Blend it all up, and then sip it often through the day. Keep making more and drinking it until the sickness is all gone. It's all good for you.

Lemon Power Sickness Drink

6 lemons (fresh juice)
knob of ginger (an inch or two)
1/2 of a large onion
6 garlic cloves
1/2 c raw honey (for organic carbon)
1/2 tsp cayanne

Pour into a blender jar and blend until smooth. Transfer into a quart jar, and add water to fill to the top. Sip it often through the day, whenever you feel your cold, until your cold is all gone.

Easy Corn Cakes or Savory Vegetable Corn Cakes

Here is the newest favorite at our house. We have made it several times last week, each time varying it some. We like the easy version with nut butter and fruit on top. We like the Savory Vegetable version with pinto beans and salad on the side. You can make both half and half with garbonzo and sorghum flour, or all garbonzo flour or some other variation. It varies the flavor a bit. The garbonzo flour makes a nice texture in the corn cakes. This recipe is a variation of one I found at the Fat Free Vegan Blog.

Easy Corn Cakes
Or Savory Vegetable Corn Cakes

1 cup yellow corn meal
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup garbonzo flour (besan or chickpea)
1/4 sorghum flour (or more garbonzo flour or other flour)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt (possibly more if you are make the savory cakes)
1 1/2 tsp. Ener-G Egg Replacer
1 cup non-dairy milk of choice
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 cup corn (opt.)
handful of chopped fresh cilantro (opt.)
chili powder (opt.)
cumin (opt.)
garlic powder (opt.)

First, decide if you are going to have plain corn cakes, which are excellent and easy, or if you want savory vegetable corn cakes, which are delicious and satisfying. If you want the savory ones, you will add the optional ingredients in the list. If you want the easy corn cakes, you leave the last five ingredients out.

Mix the corn meal with the hot water until crumbly. Add the remaining dry ingredients, and stir to combine. Mix the non-dairy with the lemon juice and pour it into the dry ingredients along with the corn, cilantro, and spices. Mix well, and set aside while you heat your skillet.

Spray a non-stick or cast iron skillet with a little oil of choice. I like grapeseed oil. When the pan is hot enough to cook pancakes, (I like to set the heat a little bit below medium heat) do one test pancake to make sure the heat is right, and then make more corn cakes using a 1/4 cup measuring cup. Cook until well-browned on each side. Makes about 8-10. You may want to double the recipe so you have left-overs to eat the next day.

Welcome to all Visitors

I'd like to take a moment to say hi to all the people who are visiting my blog, looking for recipes. There were around 30 of you in just the last 24 hours. I hope you find something helpful here.

I know that plant-based, low-fat, gluten-free eating is a challenge, just like walking the ridge between Sacajawea and the Matterhorn in the Wallowa Mountains of Oregon. But with a little training, and the right equipment, you can take on the challenge and reach your goal. I'd like to encourage all of you to keep on taking steps, even baby steps toward healthier eating and living, because it will give good results.

I'd love it if you'd make a comment as you come and go, if you try a recipe, come back and tell us about it. If you are a regular reader, I'd love to know that too. If you are looking for a special recipe that fits the style of the other recipes on my blog, be sure to ask, because I might have the recipe, and not have posted it yet.

Once again, thanks for stopping in for a visit.

Impossible Pumpkin Pie - Review and Recommendation

Gluten-free, soy-free, egg-free, dairy-free

I didn't think I'd post another pumpkin pie recipe again this week, but when the kids had some friends over to play and requested pumpkin pie for dessert, I thought I'd look around on the web to see what I could come up with. You see, I don't like making pie crust. I wasn't very good even back in the days when using white flour and lots of shortening. And now when limiting fat intake and using gluten free flours the chances of rolling a crust and getting it to the pie plate without it breaking, cracking or crumbling is very slim. They usually taste ok, but have the look that only a child could overlook.

I found a pumpkin pie recipe at one of my favorite blogs that looked very promising, and makes it's own crust. We gave it a test run the day before the kids came and it looked promising, though I figured out a few ingredients that do not work. I change the flours and starch, the next day and all agreed the pie was a success.

Here are some things I have learned in the process. Arrowroot (replacing corn starch) and Sweet Rice Flour (replacing the rice flour) is not a good combination. It made a pudding like middle with a rubber like crust. Sorghum flour is an excellent replacement for the rice flour. And as for the starch, I went to the store and got some more corn starch, and it worked as suggested. Instead of soymilk, I used hazelnut milk from Pacific Foods for the milk and thought it made a good flavor addition to the pie. In the first pie I used all the sugar recommended, but thought it was a little on the sweet side, so in the second batch I used 1/2 cup, and it seemed sweet enough to me, and I thought I might even try using less next time. (But if you are serving it to sugar addicts, you may need the full amount) I didn't have any vanilla, and it was delicious without it.

You will find the original recipe at http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/10/and-answer-is.html.

Here is my adapted recipe.

>Impossible Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Adapted from http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/10/and-answer-is.html

1 1/2 cups soymilk or other non-dairy milk

1 tbsp. Ener-G egg replacer*

1 tbsp. cornstarch

2 cups pureed or mashed cooked pumpkin

1/2 cup rice flour (or flour of your choice--not whole wheat, which makes it gummy) I used sorghum flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp corriander

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9-inch deep dish pie pan with cooking spray. (I used a Pyrex pan, and it came out with no sticking.) A deep dish is recommended because this pie will rise a lot during cooking but will fall back down as it cools.

Put the ingredients in the blender, and blend well for 2 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides a couple of times to make sure everything is thoroughly blended. Pour into a pie pan and bake for about 60 minutes. The top and edges should be brown, but the edges should not be over-done. (Since this is a custardy pie, using the standard toothpick or knife test does not work; it will remain somewhat moist in the center, but it shouldn't be uncooked.)

Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the counter. For best results, refrigerate until chilled before eating.

Garbonzo Mayonnaise

It seems that we are adding cashews, almonds, and soy to our list of foods to avoid. It is sad, but with a little more food creativity we will make it. The encouraging news is that my friend just put cashews and almonds back into her diet, so I have hope this is not a forever thing.

We used to make a mayo type spread out of cashews, and I knew how to make it out of almonds and soy. But now what? I mentioned my need to another understanding friend and she told me about Garbonzo mayo. We made some this week, and spread it on gluten free bread with allergy free veggie patties. The results were so good, that there was sadness in the home when the dish was scraped clean. We will be making this recipe often. I have adjusted the original recipe to make it lower fat and less sweet.

Garbonzo Mayonnaise

1 cup water
1/4 c. garbonzo flour (heaping)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp. honey
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used grapeseed oil)

Cook water and flour in microwave for 6 minutes until thick. Or if you don't have a microwave, like me, cook it on the stove, or whiz it in the Vitamix until cooked. Add lemon juice, salt and honey. Whiz all ingredients in a blender or the Vitamix while very slowly dribbling in oil. If your impatient like me, spread some on some bread right away, or put it in the refrigerator and it will set up. It will look more solid then regular mayo, because I removed so much oil from the recipe, but it spreads nicely and makes a nice flavor on your bread. Tweek the honey and lemon juice levels if you want more sweetness or less sour in your mayo.

Simple Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Do you need a simple, classic pumpkin pie recipe without all the allergens? Well, this might be just what you need. It is easy to make and passed the taste test with everyone in the family, plus a few other people.

Simple Vegan Pumpkin Pie
(Can be soy free and/or nut free and gluten-free, egg and dairy-free)

Caution: Make this pie one day early so it can set up and cool in the refrigerator at least a few hours or overnight, or the texture will be too soft.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Have ready on 9 " unbaked pastry crust of your own choosing

Mix together the following ingredients (Blend if a smoother texture is desired, but it works fine without blending.)

2 c of solid pack canned pumpkin (1 - 15oz. can)
1 cup non-dairy milk of your choice (preferably a rich soy or nut milk, if you can eat them. I use hazelnut)
3/4 cup brown sugar or sucanat or turbinado sugar
3-4 T. corn starch (depending on how firm you like it)
1 T molasses
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. each ground ginger, nutmeg, cloves
1/2 tsp. salt

Pour the filling into the pastry and bake 60 minutes, covering the edges with foil if they brown too quickly. Cook on a rack, then refrigerate overnight before serving.

Vegan Eggplant Parmasean

These eggplants from my garden have long been eaten, but I saw eggplant in the store on sale this week. So it is time to post my long promised Vegan Eggplant Parmasean Recipe. It doesn't have a bit of cheese in it, nor is it fried, but we all think it is delicious. Maybe you will too.

Here's how you make it. Start with some slices of fresh eggplant. Use a spatula, or butter knife to spread some sesame tahini on each side of each slice. If you are needing to be very restrictive of fat, spread it on just one side. Have a bowl of nutritional yeast sitting nearby. Lay the slice of eggplant with the tahini on it in the nutritional yeast and coat each side. Use a spoon to help you if needed. Arrange the slices in a baking dish, as shown below. Make as many as you think the people you are serving will eat, and then a little more for left overs the next day. The tahini and the nutritional yeast make a very nice fatty cheese like flavor. We think it is much less heavy then the traditional form, and tastes more fresh.


Now spread on some of your favorite red tomato sauce or spaghetti sauce. This time I made my own by blending garden tomatoes, and adding onion, garlic, basil and oregano and salt. Other times I have used the sauce in jars. There is no magic recipe. Just get a generous layer of sauce that you like on top. If you like, you can put a layer of it under the eggplant before you put them in the dish. You could also add a layer of spinach if you like. Or mix in peas to the red sauce.
Bake at 350 degrees F, for around 45 minutes or until the eggplant is tender and smelling irresistable.

Serve with salad and steamed broccoli, or peas. Sprinkle some slices black olives on top if you wish.

Nifty Nutty Cheese Bake AKA Gluten Free Macaroni and Cheese

I've recently discovered that I can't eat cashews or almonds anymore. Unfortunately I used them a lot in my cooking to make a cheese sauce substitute, Ranch style dressing, gravy and more. My son wanted Cashew Macaroni and Cheese for his birthday. I knew it would be very hard not to eat some, because I enjoy it too. Then he suggested that I make a second one out of walnuts. I was not sure if it would be good, but it was worth the try. The results? All the cashew eaters said that mine was better then theirs, that it tasted like I had added some Bragg's Liquid Aminos or soy sauce (another food that gives me a head ache.)

We think it is a great tasting recipe, but if you haven't gotten over your love for cheese, it might not work for you. Back in my cheese eating days, someone served some of this to me, and I thought it was terrible. But their mistake was to call it Macaroni and Cheese. It tasted nothing like the cheese I had ever eaten. I have since thought about that many times and now think that it has a lot to do with expectations. So if you don't expect it to taste like cheese, it is pretty good. Therefore, I give my recipe a new name. And if you are serving it to someone who is addicted to mac and cheese, use a different shape of noodle, such as a spiral, so they don't even begin to get their expectations up.

Nifty Nutty Noodle Bake AKA Gluten Free Macaroni and Cheese

Cook 2 cups of noodles (spirals, shells, or elbows - I use Tinkyada gluten free pasta) in water with a bit of salt

Blend:
1 cup walnuts or cashews (or other nuts?) in 1 cup of water until very smooth.

Add and blend:
2 oz jar of pimientoes or 1/2 cup of fresh red pepper
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Drain macaroni and place in a baking dish. Pour sauce over the top and stir in. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Uncover and cover with bread crumbs if desired and bake another 15 minutes (bread crumbs are very optional and it is quite good with out them). Serve with green peas! Yum!

Girl Canned Peaches

This is what happened yesterday while I was sick. I started out canning peaches on my own with the assistance of my 12 year old daughter. I thought I had some indigestion, but that shortly turned into the full fledged stomach flu. I hated to do it, but the peaches needed to be canned, and I was wiped out sick with zero energy and frequent trips to a little room around the corner, so I asked my daughter if she could take on the challenge of 60 pounds of big round Rosa peaches. She was a little scared, but I lay down nearby, worthless, except for my brain. My 9 year old son came in and started washing peaches and the peeling them after they were blanched. My daughter filled jars and loaded them in the canner. She did great! I'm so proud of her! She learned she can do more things then she ever dreamed, turning out thirty-one quart jars of golden bounty.

And I cleaned up the sticky kitchen this morning.

Garden Produce

What have we been eating this summer? Garden produce! This morning I picked:
- orange beets
- celery
- eggplant
- cucumbers
- tomatoes
- zucchini
-okra
- and blackberries, they're big ones, bigger then my thumb!


I have to tell you about the blackberries. The plant came with the garden when we purchased this house several years, but it has never done well. The berries have usually dried out before they were ripe. The ones I tasted weren't that great. Early this spring I told my husband that it was probably time we pulled out that plant, as it seemed to be just a space user. Well, the plant must have heard me because this year there are many huge, juicy berries. I've already put 1.5 quarts in the freezer and there are many more waiting to ripen. There was more snow last winter and more rain this summer and that seems to have made the difference. What a treat! Those berries are about 1 inch wide and 1.5 inches long.

Today for lunch I made a cucumber salad, with fresh cucumbers. And then I made potato okra curry with the fresh okra. The eggplant is going to turn into cheeseless eggplant parmasian. I'll try to come through with recipes soon. Meanwhile eat all the fresh produce you can get your hands on. There is nothing like it. I recommend my Tomato Cucumber Recipe highly, if you've got tomatoes. As always, it's gluten and dairy free, and full of nutrition.

Simple Ranch Dressing

I thought I should post my simple recipe for a vegan, msg-free Ranch Dressing. It is popular at potlucks. I don't think most people know that their not eating something homemade, without Vegenaise or something like that.

Simple Ranch Dressing
by Barbara Frohne
www.wildflowermorningrecipes.blogspot.com

1 cup raw, unsalted cashews
1 cup water
juice from one fresh lime or 1/2 of a fresh lemon
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Blend until very smooth.

Once smooth add and mix quickly
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried dill weed

Place in a little dish and serve with a yummy green salad or on potatoes or on beans.

Cauliflower Recipe Request

We are working our way through the cruciferous vegetables. Last night I had two heads of cauliflower which I wanted to experiment with in two different ways, hoping to find a great new recipe for my family to enjoy. I like an Indian style cauliflower curry with cashews, but in spite of what you might think about my daughter, she doesn't. I made roasted cauliflower with Indian spices, and she liked it, but I wasn't impressed. And I made a raw cauliflower salad with the cauliflower processed in the food processor until it resembles white rice, and then I added some lemon and other spices and herbs and green peas. It was supposed to resemble a raw fried rice. All of us thought the idea had some potential, but we didn't like the results. There was something wrong with the flavor combinations.So, I'm appealing to you, my dear readers, for recipe containing mainly cauliflower that might appeal to me whole family. Please remember that it needs to be vegan, gluten-free, msg-free, and low fat. Email the recipe to me (click on "About Me" in the left column to find the email address) and I'll get the family to vote on which one we should try first. If it is a success, I'll share it with everyone on this blog. If it is already on your blog, point me to the link, and if we like it, I'll send everyone to your blog. If we try more then one recipe, and like them, we will give each one the proper credit.

Thank you for your assistance in this venture to learn to love all kinds of cruciferous vegetables.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

I have noticed that Brussel sprouts are not a popular vegetable among most people. When I talk to friends I have noticed that there are people that like Brussel sprouts, and that usually these people learned to enjoy them when they were children. What made them like them? I think it could be the attitude of their mother and father toward these cute "baby cabbages." My mother taught me that Brussel sprouts were one of the most fun cabbages, and they were made just for children, because they are like "baby cabbages." And who doesn't like babies? The other thing could be the way they were prepared. My mom usually steamed ours until they were soft and easy to eat.

I have tried using the pre-frozen ones you find at the store, and though I patiently gave them several tries, I could never make them have a pleasant texture. If a person thought that they didn't like brussel sprouts, but had only tried to eat ones that were once frozen, they would not have an accurate impression of what they really are like, and I can totally understand why they don't like them.

I usually buy them fresh, looking for the smallest ones, because they are most tender and easy to eat. Though the big ones can also be quite pleasant cut in half with a little salt sprinkled on each side.

My newest discovery in the preparation of brussel sprouts is that they are even more wonderful roasted. And even though my husband and I have very good opionions of brussel sprouts, but daughter not yet been convinced until I served roasted brussel sprouts.

Here is how to make them.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Barbara Frohne
www.wildflowermorningrecipes.blogspot.com

Preheat the oven to around 400 degrees. Wash an adaquate amount of fresh brussel sprouts. Trim off a tiny bit of the stem end, and then cut each sprout in quarters, through the stem. Place them on a baking sheet, and if you desire add some slivered onion and thinly sliced garlic. The next part is optional, but if you wish, take a tiny bit of grapeseed or olive oil, about a teaspoon or more depending on how many vegetables you have on the tray, and rub that oil around until everything is coated. Place the baking tray in the oven and cook until they are soft and starting to brown. It might take 15 - 20 minutes. Stir them a couple times. Pull them out and serve, allowing them to cool just a little bit before placing one in your mouth. They can really burn straight out of the oven. You can sprinkle them with salt before serving, or allow each person to put on just what they need. In my opinion, they taste great even without salt, but others in the family need a little.

If you really like roasted garlic, now is a good time to place a whole head of garlic on your baking tray and let it cooked with the vegetables. Once out of the oven, you can let it cool, and use right away or at a later meal.

Gingered Napa Cabbage Salad

I think I've been in a cooking slump caused by spring vacation and a lot of busy-ness. But now I'm getting back on track.

I recently saw a report on some research about cruciferous vegetables and cancer rates. It said that when people increased their amount of unrefined fruits and vegetables that they ate by 20% that their cancer rate went down by 20%. But if for people who increased their intake of cruciferous vegetables by 20% the rate of cancer went down by 40%! Wow!

What are cruciferous vegetables? They are the ones from the cabbage family, including the cabbages of course, broccoli, califlower, turnips, brusselsprouts, radishes, kale, arugula, bok choy, collards, mustard greens, rutabaga, watercress, diakon and more. The next time I went to the store I looked around at all these powerful veggies and realized that I didn't put many of them in my cart. So, now I am trying to make sure we have one every day, and that it isn't the same one. We are branching out and trying new ones and new recipes for the more familiar ones.

What did we eat today? Gingered Napa Cabbage Salad. It was one I made up as I made it, but my daughter said it was really, really good. I know, she doesn't have average taste buds, but this was a new vegetable for her as for my son. What did he say? He was eagerly ate the remains in the salad bowl and asked for more.

Here is how to make it:

Gingered Napa Cabbage Salad
By Barbara Frohne
wildflowermorningrecipes.blogspot.com

1 small to medium head of Napa Cabbage
1 inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled
juice of one fresh lime
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup old fashioned peanut butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 TBSP honey

With a large knife, finely slice the napa cabbage into slivers. Place the cabbage into a large salad bowl.

Place the remaining ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour over the cabbage and mix.

Divide into serving bowls. Serves 3 to 10 people. My two kids and I ate it all ourselves today.

Lemon Drop Smoothie

If I don't make a definite effort to keep getting greens into my body every day, it is easy to forget. There are lots of good foods which are fine to eat, but they don't have as many important nutrients as greens. I can really feel it in my body when I eat more greens. And if I start forgetting, I start to suffer. Before I started eating them all the time, I really didn't know how much they could help a person. But now I know they are the most important thing a person could eat.

So, to help us all start eating greens more, I'm going to post a favorite green recipe. It may look green, but it is a fresh vibrant green. And it doesn't taste green at all. My husband has named it "Lemon Drop Smoothie". Because that is what it tastes like.

Lemon Drop Smoothie

2 - 3 large Fuji apples or other sweet apples, washed, cored, cut in large chunks
1 - 2 cups of cold water
1 large handful of washed fresh parsley
3 - 8 leaves of romaine or kale or other dark greens
1/4 of a washed lemon, flesh and skin, minus the seeds (The skin is important. It is what makes it taste like a lemon drop. It is full of nutrients.)

Place it all in your blender jar and whiz it until it is smooth. A Vita Mix can get away with less water. A regular blender will need more water, and it will help if the apples and lemon is cut in smaller pieces. Pour into elegant glasses and enjoy the best breakfast/lunch/dinner/snack you could ever drink. Serves 4

Gluten Free Focaccia - Recipe Review

I am excited to tell about a recipe I tried last night, Gluten Free Focaccia Bread with Tomatoes and Garlic. I found the gluten free blog called Karina's Kitchen. It is so good that we have another loaf in the oven right now. This yummy bread is gluten free, dairy free, egg free, and soy free. It also contains whole grain flours. That is a pretty steep challenge for bread, but with this excellent recipe it is a success.

I did a few things differently, and learned a lesson when making the bread which I will tell you about, and hopefully save you a little frustration.

First of all, don't add extra water to the recipe, even if you think it needs it. It make the bread take longer to bake. After the bread had bake an extra 10 minutes and still wasn't done, I took the bread out and cut it into wedges and then put them on a cookie sheet, and then back to the oven. They were nicely done in another 10 - 15 minutes. And the results were very delicious.

Second, the tomatoes that were thinly sliced were better then the ones slice thick.

Third, I didn't have any millet flour or potato starch. So I subbed in some potato flour, some corn flour a little garfava flour, and some more sorghum flour, and the flour combination worked just fine. It seems that brown rice flour or teff would work just fine too, if that is what you have on hand.

Also, I used an Italian herb mix instead of the basil and thyme in the recipe. And I sprinkled the Italian seasoning on top of the bread too before putting it in the oven.

If you are wishing for special gluten free breads, this one is likely to satisfy.

-----------

Follow up note - 4/28/09

I have made the bread several times since then, and have discovered that it works best when you follow the recipe as close as possible. The potato starch and millet flour are very important.
Substitute only if you have to and you will have better results.

Also, the tomatoes taste yummy baked on the bread, but make the bread soggy. You may wish to add them at the end, or not at all.

Whole Life Nutrition

I am excited to let my readers know that I have found an excellent gluten free blog that features whole foods called Whole Life Nutrition. The dad of the family is a nutritionalist who discovered that he is gluten intolerant during a cleanse. They have many recipes that I am eager to try. The newest one is for Banana Teff Pancakes. Go to www.glutenfreewholefoods.blogspot.com and I also put it over on the side.

About My Waffle Recipe

Note to anyone who has copied down my waffle recipe:

I have removed the baking powder from the recipe, because it is not necessary. They turn out just fine without it. Your waffles will run over the edge if you use the baking powder. You will like the waffles better without the baking powder.

Oven Hashbrowns and Veggies

When my husband concluded after his heart attack that based on the research we should not be using oil in our cooking. I went into big shock. I am sure that most would say that I did not use much oil in my cooking. I have since learned to cook lots of common items without oil and they turn out just fine.

Here is a recipe for Oven Hashbrowns that we love to make on Sunday mornings along with some scrambled tofu. I has some fat, in the nuts in the gravy, but doesn't use processed oil. Exact measurements aren't necessary in this recipe, but I'll give you some guidelines, to get you started. It can be made without vegetables, but my tastebuds have changed and their new vote says that it tastes much more interesting and alive with them. I try to get more vegetables in our diet as many ways as possible.

Oven Hashbrowns and Veggies

1. Grate up a big pile of scrubbed clean potatoes, skins and all. You need somewhere between 6 and 10 cups for a large cookie sheet full of hashbrowns. I often use red potatoes, or Yukon Golds for this. You can use a hand grater, or food processor. I use an electric Salad Shooter. Place the grated potatoes in a big mixing bowl.

2. Chop up 2 - 4 heads of broccoli into tiny bite sized pieces, including the stems. Peel the stems only if necessary. You need 4 - 6 cups of broccoli bits. Add to the grated potatoes.

3. Make a gravy. This is close to what I make, though I'm not always good at measuring. Adjust the seasonings to your liking. In your blender or vita-mix whiz up until very smooth: 1 1/2 cups of cashews, 1 1/2 cups water, 1 tsp salt, 1 Tablespoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 4 Tablespoons nutritional yeast. (Add more water if necessary in a regular blender.)

4. Mix the gravy into the potatoes and broccoli and mix until everything is coated well. Other optional veggies, if you have them. Diced red or green pepper, chives, minced parsley or cilantro or basil, diced onion, minced garlic, spinach. Be creative and see what you come up with. It is really yummy.

5. Spread everything onto a baking sheet or two. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Serves 4 , more or less, depending on how many veggies you prepare.

Food on Fridays

Ann Kroeker writes about food on Fridays. Today she wrote about chocolate gravy. That sounds amazing and something I don't know much about. But I do have a Cashew Gravy recipe that is pretty great! But even more tasty is my Butternut Squash Curry recipe. It is really something you have to try. It is the recipe that friends ask from me more then any other. It is eaten really quickly whenever I take it to a potluck. My family gets quite excited when I make it.

I posted both recipes yesterday. But you can look at them on Friday, or any other day if you wish.

I Love Your Heart With All My Heart

Many have come to think of rich foods, and fatty sweet treats when they think of Valentine's Day. I used to think it was loving to give one of those fatty sweet indulgences on holidays. Now I am thinking differently. If we really love someone, we should give them what is good for them, not just what tastes good. But hopefully, we can think of something that tastes good without being bad for the heart and health. If you love someone you want them to be around a long time, so you should give them food that is good for their heart, especially on heart day. It would show that you love them with all your heart, and are not out to help them die off sooner.

If care about someone's heart health, you need to get oils, margarine, butter, cheese and other fats out of the diet, especially animal fats. Most plant fats when found in their original package, such as flax seeds, nuts, avocado, and olives are good for heart. Meat is not good for hearts, bones or health in general, so it has to go. Milk was made to turn a baby calf into a 600 pound bull in one year. It has too much fat and protein for good human health, even though the dairy industry disagrees. The research and evidence is clear that milk will not "do you good."

So is there anything left to eat? Yes! Absolutely, yes! What is left is the foods that make a healthy long life. If you care about your valentine, please give them some vegetables and fruit this year, and a fun walk together out in the fresh air. In fact do it everyday for a month for their Valentine's Day gift, and start reaping good health. It is the loving thing to do.

Baked Potatoes and Gravy

Baked potatoes are easy to prepare, easy and normal for most people. We usually eat them once a week. We love Yukon Gold potatoes because when baked they are naturally yellow and a little creamy in texture. We don't use margarine anymore, so a tasty homemade gravy is very important.

To bake potatoes I simply scrub some up, and put them on the middle rack of the oven, then bake them at 400 degrees for 1 hour. I don't wrap them in foil anymore, because aluminum seems to contribute to disease.

Here is Tami Benton's gravy recipe from Pure and Simple.

Onion Gravy
By Tami A. Benton

Saute onions until soft:
1 large onion

Blend until smooth:
3 cups of water
2 T rice flour
3/4 cup raw cashews
1 1/2 t salt
1/8 t garlic powder

Add blended mixture to the onions and simmer 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.

One trick to get people to eat more veggies at a potato meal is to put out the salad as the first course, with nothing else at the table. If you pre-serve the salad on pretty plates, people will eat even more then then normally do, because salad looks so lovely with all it's colors and textures. After the salad course, bring out the potatoes with another veggie such a cooked, frozen peas, asparagus or broccoli. No meat or entree' is needed. There is good nutrition in salad greens.

Sensational Salads and Ranch Dressing

For the salad, never settle for a just lettuce and a few token tomatoes. Salad can be so pretty! Make it one of the most beautiful things on the table.

I almost always use romaine lettus, sliced or torn thinly. This salad contains:
tomato
yellow and red pepper
cucumber,
sweet salad onions (use green onions)
slivered red cabage
grated carrot

The salad dressing is out of Tami Benton's cookbook, Pure and Simple. Her recipe is a good place to start. I make about the same thing most days, but I find I vary the amount of seasons to my taste and desires that day. I've had many people get so excited about how yummy this kind of dressing is. And I have to say it is easy to make, you just have to have a good blender.

Ranch Dressing
by Tami A. Benton

1 cup raw cashews
1 t salt
1 T onion powder
1 T garlic powder
1/4 t thyme
1/4 t rosemary
1/4 t basil
1 T fresh lemon or lime juice
1 cup water
1 T dill (after blending)

Put all the ingredients except dill in the blender and blend until very smooth. At the end add the 1 T dill and stir in or pulse blender just once or twice on a slow speed.

My notes: Experiment with the amount of seasonings. You are competing with the flavor enhancer MSG when you serve homemade ranch dressing, so it helps to put in a lot of herbal flavor. I usually put in only about 1 t garlic powder and 2 t onion powder and I usually add more basil, maybe 1 t. I also like to add 1 t of ground mustard powder. And because my kids aren't crazy about that much dill, I add only about half of what is in the recipe. But I have to say that any variation is good. Fresh herbs are also wonderful, if you have some out in your garden, put some in. Add more water if you want it more pourable. Figure out what works well for your family.

Tomato Herb Lentil Loaf

Last year we had a very special guest for lunch. Dr. T. Colin Campbell author of the important book, "The China Study" was going to be speaking in our town on Saturday and Sunday. I was asked if we could prepare lunch for him and his wife and another couple. I was a little scared, but what an honor. We have people over sometimes, but they are usually other families with kids, or people more like us. I've never cooked and cleaned for such a famous person before.

As it turned out, Dr. and Mrs. Campbell are wonderful people. The are small town people, just like us. They were easy to talk with, and easy to be around. I think everyone one present instantly felt at ease.

For the meal I served a lentil loaf out of my friend's just published cookbook, Pure and Simple by Tami Benton. It is a cook book featuring plant based foods that are gluten free, and MSG free. Just to get you interested, Tami gave me permission to share a couple recipes.

Tomato Herb Lentil Loaf
By Tami A. Benton

*Cook the lentils and rice ahead. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.
1 cup cooked brown lentils
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup ground raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup tomato, chopped
1/3 cup onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup celery, finely chopped
5 T tomato paste or 1/2 of a 6 oz. can of tomato paste
2 T salt
1/8 t sage
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder
dash cayenne (careful, not too much)
dash rosemary
dash thyme
dash basil

Press into an oiled 4" by 8" loaf pan. Bake 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until brown. Allow pan to cool. Decorate a platter with lettuce leaves and place loaf in the middle. Or place directly on the serving platter and drizzle cashew gravy over the top.

It does freeze nicely.

My Notes: Make sure your lentils have as much liquid drained off of them as possible before measuring or your loaf ends up a little too wet. The loaf does come out of the pan easier after it is cooled. If you loaf does not come out in one piece, like mine did, then all is not lost. Just take a spoon and mound and smooth the sides. It still turns out pretty. I added cooked carrots around the edge of mine for decoration.
If you would like to hear a couple lectures by Dr. T. Colin Campbell, I have good news. I found two of them at google video.

Lecture one - http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-847196066367535747&q=T.+Colin+Campbell



Lecture two -

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1719204869171202407&q=T.+Colin+Campbell



Also his book, The China Study, is really worth reading.

Easy Butternut Squash Curry

Did you know that my favorite food is Thai food? Because the weather in Thailand is hot, I often think of curry when the weather gets hot. I lived there long enough to really get it into my system. I've got Thai basil growing in my garden and it is just begging to be made into something delicious. My favorite use of Thai basil is in Squash Curry. You have just got to try it. And if you don't have any Thai basil, don't worry. It tastes fantastic without it.

Easy Butternut Squash Curry

By Barbara Frohne

1 can coconut milk
1 can water
1 - 3 tsp of Thai Kitchen green or red curry paste (I used 3 tsp. green paste and don't think it's too spicy) *
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 - 2 onions, peeled in large chucks
1/2 large red pepper (optional but adds nice taste and color)
1 - 2 cups frozen green peas (optional, but I miss them if I don't have any)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (important)
1 - 2 handfuls of leaves of Thai basil (optional)
1 - 2 tsp. salt to taste

Cooked Rice.**

Pour about half of the can of coconut milk into a soup pan on medium high. If part of the coconut milk is solid, use the solid half. Add 1 - 3 tsp of curry paste and stir until it is bubbly and smells really good. Add the onions and the squash, the remaining coconut milk and about a can full of water. Use the coconut milk can to measure. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the squash is tender. It might take around 20 minutes, depending on how big your chunks are. As soon as it is soft add any of the remaining ingredients that you have

*A note about the curry paste. Any Thai curry paste will do, but not all curry pastes are equal. I have tried quite a few. Most will do if you don't care about what is in the curry paste. Read the label. Many have shrimp or some other sea creature which I have no desire to eat. Some add MSG, but call it "spices." I was about to give up buying curry paste and just make my own. It isn't hard to make. But then I found the Thai Kitchen brand. It is vegan and gluten free and delicious! You can find it in heath minded stores such as Wild Oats, Whole Foods, and Huckleberries. My favorite is the green curry paste which has a few spices found in Indian foods. The red is very good too. I use the red in potato curries quite often.

**I really like Jasmine rice, but because of it's low nutrition content, I have switched to brown rice. My favorite is organic short brown rice. I really think that the organic rice tastes better, and the short brown rice cooks up tender and soft, easy to eat. It cooks up easily in a rice cooker.

Fresh Cucumber Tomato Salad

Here is another recipe that I'm making with the produce from my garden. Cucumber salad is delicious all through the year, but is best when the tomatoes and cucumbers are straight out of the garden. It is a nice cooling side for a spicy curry.

Fresh Cucumber Tomato Salad

2 - 3 cucumbers, diced or sliced
3 - 4 tomatoes, chopped or wedged
1 medium sweet onion diced
the juice from one fresh lime (or lemon)*
1 tsp. salt

Mix. Taste. Add more lime or salt if needed. Serve right away.

*Fresh lime or lemon juice is so much more delicious then the preserved stuff in a bottle. Really. Do a taste test. They are not the same thing. And the fresh juice doesn't have added chemicals.

Simple Gluten-free Cornbread

Cornbread is an easy gluten free bread that turns out pretty much like it used to is corn bread. Corn bread normally has some wheat flour, and eggs and milk and lots of sugar and oil. My recipe still has some oil, but it is one of the few exceptions in our diet. We don't eat it every week, and my husband reminds himself not to eat too much. It is an excellent side with a bowl of soup or chili.

Simple Cornbread
gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free

Dry:
1 1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup Masa Mixta (usually used for making tortillas) or corn flour
1 cup brown rice flower
4 tsp. Baking powder
1 tsp. Salt
2 T. tapioca flour

Wet:
1 cup water
1 cup rice milk or other desired milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil of choice, I use grapeseed oil
1/3 cup honey

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Get a 9 x 13 inch baking dish sprayed and ready to go. Mix the dry ingredients completely. Mix the wet ingredients separately, then combine with the dry ingredients. Stir just enough so it gets completely combined, then quickly pour into your baking dish, before it has a chance to rise much. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Update on 2/19/08: Would you like to make this oil free? I just figured out how to do it. Into your blender place: 1 TBSP flax seeds, and 2 TBSP raw cashews. Substitute 1/3 cup water for the oil, place in the blender along with the 1 cup rice milk and 1 cup water. Blend until smooth and add to the dry ingredients along with the honey.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

This recipe is one of family standbys. We eat it several times a month. It is a great way to get lots of broccoli into tummies. And it tastes delicious!

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Bring to a boil. Simmer until onions are soft, around 10 minutes:
3 cups of water
1 medium onion diced
1 teaspoon salt
1 T onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
4 T Nutritional Yeast

Once the onion is soft, add:
6 cups or more of bite sized raw broccoli pieces
1/2 to 1 whole red pepper, diced (optional)
Simmer 5 minutes or until tender but still bright green

Meanwhile blend until very smooth:
1 cup raw cashews
1 cup water

Add the blended mixture to the cooked broccoli soup and serve.

Optional: Cooked brown rice is yummy mixed into the soup. My husband loves to sprinkle cayenne on his bowl

Just Like Cheesecake

We made this recipe for my husband's birthday a couple years ago. As you can see, it turned out beautifully.

I found the recipe in "The Complete Book of Raw Food: Healthy Delicious Vegetarian Cuisine Made with living Foods" Lori Baird, Editor.

Just Like Cheesecake
By Emily Lee Angell
Makes 24 slivers

I will type out the original recipe for you just as written, but will tell you that I decreased the amount of coconut oil in the cheese like filling to only 1/3 cup. Coconut oil is said to have some good health benefits. Even though it is called a saturated fat, it isn't the same thing as factory processed hydrogenated fats, but it is processed some, so my husband would rather not eat much. Even with the reduced coconut oil it was delicious, and a very satisfying treat. I didn't add the salt and didn't miss it one bit.

One cheese cake I made with lemon juice as suggested, and the second one I made with orange juice, and it was very delicious.

I made the raspberry sauce as suggested, but froze it with the rest of the cake, as the top layer. It turned out very lovely.

Ingredients:
For the crust:

2 cups raw macadamia nuts
1/2 cup dates, pitted
1/4 cup dried coconut

For the cheese:
3 cups chopped cashews, soaked for at least 1 hour
3/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup honey
3/4 cup coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (optional)

For raspberry sauce:
1 bag frozen raspberries
1/2 cup dates

Directions:
To make the crust, process the macadamia nuts and dates in the food processor.
Sprinkle dried coconut onto the bottom of an 8 or 9 inch springform pan. Press crust onto the coconut. this will prevent it from sticking.
To make the cheese, blend the cashews, lemon, honey, gently warmed coconut oil, vanilla, sea salt (if using), and 1/2 cup water. Blend until smooth and adjust to taste.
Pour the mixture onto the crust. Remove air bubbles by tapping the pan on a table.
Place in a freezer until firm. Remove the whole cake from the pan while frozen and place on a serving platter. Defrost in a refrigerator.
To make the raspberry sauce, process raspberries and dates in a food processor until well blended. (Do not use a blender for this or the raspberry seeds will become like sand.)

Simple Cabbage Stirfry

Some blogs are full of fancy food for parties and holidays. And while I admit it is nice to have some of those recipes around, it is most important to have nutritious food to eat every day. Here is a quick and easy everyday dish that is tasty, and oil free.

Simple Cabbage Stirfry.

Make sure you have a good amount of leftover brown rice in the refrigerator, or get a rice cooker of it started first.

I don't know how many people you are going to serve, so adjust your ingredients to fit how many will be eating.

Chop up one onion, and put it in you pan with some water, but no oil. No oil is needed. Start cooking it on medium heat. If it starts to go dry, add a little more water.

Grab a head of cabbage and chop up as much cabbage as you would like to eat. Remember it will cook down smaller. Cut the pieces the size you'd like to put in your mouth.

Add the cabbage to the onions. Add a little more water. Put on a lid, and cook until the cabbage is tender.

Add about 1 teaspoon of salt for a big pan of cabbage, or less.

Mix in your brown rice until it is about half cabbage and half rice. Cook a little to mix the flavors and warm the rice, if it is cold from the fridge.

Serve with a little dill weed or cayenne sprinkled on top, if you would wish.

Vegetable Love recipe contest

One of my favorite blogs is hosting Vegetable Love this year. The challenge is to make a vegetable filled recipe that will put the sizzle into an intimate valentines day dinner. Now that sounds like just the thing. I wonder what I can come up with? What could you come up with? Any ideas? Go to the Fatfree Vegan's website to find out more details, and then then check back on Valentine's day to find out who the winner is.

Fruits and Vegetables Fight Breast Cancer

The great news is that what you eat effects your health. Eating more then the recommend number of fruits and vegetables can make a big difference. Read more at Dr. Fuhrman's Blog.

Gluten Free Pizza Crust

We don't eat a lot of pizza here, but it is nice to make for a special occasion. Here is how we made pizza for my daughter's birthday party.Gluten Free Pizza Crust
Makes 3 or 4 - 12" to 15" crusts

2 cups Sweet rice flour
2 cups sorghum flour
2/3 cup potato flour
2/3 cup garfava flour or garbonzo bean flour
2/3 cup tapioca starch
2 TBSP GF baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp Italian seasoning (or a combination of oragano, basil, rosemary and thyme)
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup olive oil
2 1/2 cup to 3 cups water

Oil your pizza pans. Preheat the overn to 400F.

In a mixing bowl mix together the dry ingredients. Add the oil, and then slowly start adding the water. If you use a Kitchen Aid or other mixture, just keep working the dough until it is workable and not too sticky, but not dry either, then turn the dough out onto a floured board. If you don't use a mixer, turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead until it is the right consistency. Divide your dough into 3 - 4 balls, depending on the size of your pans. Take one ball and roll it in brown rice flour. Cover your clean hands with brown rice flour. Place your ball in the middle of an oiled pan. Start pressing the dough flat. Push and press until it covers the pan. If you develop a sticky spot. Sprinkle just a tiny bit of brown rice flour there, and keep working it flat. Don't worry about how the dough looks, because it will soon be covered with sauce and toppings, and you won't be able to see that it isn't smooth.

Bake the crusts for around 10 - 15 minutes. Now you have a choice. You can either wrap the crusts in plastic wrap and store them in the freezer until you rare ready for pizza, or you can top them and bake pizza right away. Either way it is delicious! Once you add the toppings bake another 20 - 25 minutes.

Impossibly Delicious Gluten Free/ Vegan Cupcakes

Impossibly Delicious Gluten Free- Vegan Cupcakes
Adapted from a recipe found in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup almond flour (grind almonds in blender to flour consistency)
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1 cup rice milk
1/3 cup grape seed oil
1/2 cup raw cane sugar or Sucanant
3 teaspoons lemon extract
1/4 cup tapioca flour
2 Tablespoons ground flax seed

In one bowl, mix together the salt, baking soda, baking powder, sorghum flour, rice flour and almond flour. In another bowl, mix together rice milk, oil, sugar, and lemon extract. Add the tapioca flour and ground flax seed to the bowl with the liquid ingredients and blend well until the mixture is fluffy and starts to come together, then add the rest of the dry ingredients.

Spoon the batter into tiny muffin liner lined muffin tins and fill them about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the tops spring back when you press them.

Make a little gluten free-vegan icing to top the cupcakes, or eat them just as they are. They are delicious.

*Note about making icing. Powdered sugar can contain unlabeled gluten. Icing is traditionally made with a lot of processed fat, or highly processed cream cheese substitutes. I don't use either anymore so I don't have an icing recipe to give you. If you come up with one that isn't high in processed sugar, fat and other non-nutritious items, be sure to let me know.

Vegetarian Children

Do you worry about vegetarian children? Will they get enough nutrients to be healthy if they aren't eating meat. Read what Dr. Joel Fuhrman has to say about the topic.

Sunflower Almond Pate'

When invited to a fancy gathering, potluck or a shower, I always hope I can help prepare some of the food, so that I can have something to eat when I am there. A yummy appetizer that has been successful at least a couple showers has been this pretty Sunflower Almond Pate' served on cucumber slices.

Sunflower Almond Pate'

1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup almonds
1 clove raw garlic
1 /4 raw onion, chunks
1 small red bell pepper, seeded, cut in large pieces
1 carrot cut in small pieces
1 tsp raw ginger, grated or minced
juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons olive or flax oil
1 - 2 tsp dried basil

Whiz in your Vita Mix or other strong blender (or maybe food processor) until very smooth, almost fluffy. This will take some work, because there isn't much liquid. Use an accent decorator, or large frosting tip to squirt some pate' onto a slice of cucumber. The tiniest size of ice cream scoop also works, but isn't quite as pretty. Make a lot of these because they go really fast.

Thumb-print Almond and Date Cookies

From my friend at Gracious Hospitality comes a great healthy cookie.

Thumb-print Almond and Date Cookies

1/2 cup almond butter
2 cups almond meal
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp pure maple sugar granules (powder)*
1/2 tsp pure vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
Place almond butter in mixing bowl and stir until smooth and creamy. Add almond meal, maple sugar granules, maple syrup, vanilla, and almond extract. Mix completely. Form dough into small rolls and then pinch off enough for a small cookie. Roll into a ball and then place on baking sheet and press thumb into center to make an indentation. Then prepare date filling using recipe below:

1 cup dates, pitted
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup finely ground almonds
For the filling, mix the water, cornstarch and sugar together. Add dates and
bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook until thick and dates are smooth.
Remove from heat and cool slightly.
Fill each indentation in cookie dough with a small amount of the date filling.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes. Do not over bake. Cool and
enjoy!
*May omit if you cannot find.

Gluten free Oat Waffles

Oat Corn Waffles

In your Vita Mix blender jar put in the following:
6 Madjool Dates, pitted
1/4 cup cashews
2 TBSP flax seeds
2 cups certified gluten free oats
1 cup corn flour
1 cup corn meal
1 tsp salt
5 cups water

Pour into your pre-heated waffle iron. Bake until crispy brown. It takes 8 minutes in my waffle iron. Keep them warm in the oven at 200 degrees, if not serving them right away to keep them crispy and warm. Serve with something yummy on top. I like to top it with thickened fruit.

Note: My guess at blender directions: Place dates, cashews, flax seeds, and 3 cups of the water in your blender jar. Blend until smooth. Place the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Mix in the remaining water and date mixture. Then bake as directed.

Make extra waffles and put them in a bag in the freezer for later. Then take them out and you gluten free toaster waffles.

Waffles can be a nice substitute for bread in a sandwich, if desired.

Variations:

Gluten free Oat Sorghum Waffles

Substitute sorghum flour for the corn flour and corn meal in the above recipe. You can also increase the oats and decrease the flours in the recipe and it will turn out fine.

Oat coconut variation: Use all oats and now flours and add 1/2 cup of unsweetened dried coconut to the blender jar along with the other ingredients. Blend until smooth and cook as above.

Fruit Sauce

1 quart bag of frozen peaches, blueberries or strawberries
2 TBSP tapioca flour or starch
1/3 cup cold water
apple juice concentrate if needed for extra sweetness

Place the frozen fruit in a sauce pan on medium heat. Add a little water if necessary. Put on a lid. Bring to a boil. Mix the tapioca flour into the cold water in a little cup. Pour the mixture into the fruit and stir. The fruit will quickly thicken. Add a sweetener only if you must.

Wowy Zowy Almond Ginger Dressing

Wowy Zowy Almond Ginger Dressing
Barbara Frohne
www.wildflowermorningrecipes.blogspot.com

3/4 cup raw almonds
1 cup water
the juice of one fresh lemon (the bottled stuff isn't near as good, really)
1/2 to 1 t. salt
2 t honey or other sweetener (optional)
1 large clove raw garlic
1/4 cup raw onion or about 1 T onion powder
1 TBSP fresh ginger (powdered won't work)

Put this into your Vita Mix or food processor and blend until smooth.

Note: About the ginger. Buy a piece at the supermarket. Wash it carefully. Cut off any bad spots. Then cut it into little chunks. Yes, leave the skin on. There is nothing wrong with it and you won't know it is there when it is blended up. Put the ginger in a little bag and throw them in the freezer. Then when you are ready for dressing, pull out what looks to be about 1 TBSP and blend it up. Exact amounts aren't that important. You will always have ginger ready, and won't have any rotting in the back of the fridge.

Razzle Dazzle Lime Parfait

Razzle Dazzle Lime Parfait
RawSome Recipes By Robyn Boyd
(I have simplified the steps to make them more clear).

1. Place some chopped nuts in the bottom of 4 stemware glasses.

2. Make the Green layer
Mix until smooth and creamy in a blender or food processor:
2 ripe avocaods
juice from 2 limes
1 - 2 TBSP agave nectar

Carefully spoon into the stemware, on top of the nut layer.

3. Make the red layer:
Mix until smooth and creamy in a blender or food processor:
1 package of frozen raspberries
1/4 cup fresh young coconut meat, straight from a green coconut. (It isn't that hard to open a coconut yourself. There are directions on the web in many places.)
1/4 - 1/2 cup coconut water (less is better for thicker sauce.)
2 TBSP. agave nectar

Carefully spoon onto the glasses above the green layer.

4. Make the white topping:
remaining meat from two young coconuts
1/2 - 1 cup water (use as little as possible so this is nice and thick)
2 -4 pitted dates, or 2 TBSP agave nectar

Make a little dollop onto the top of the red layer, like whipped cream.

5. Garnish as desired with nuts, lime or kiwi slices, or mint sprigs.Razzle Dazzle Lime Parfait
RawSome Recipes By Robyn Boyd
(I have simplified the steps to make them more clear).

1. Place some chopped nuts in the bottom of 4 stemware glasses.

2. Make the Green layer
Mix until smooth and creamy in a blender or food processor:
2 ripe avocaods
juice from 2 limes
1 - 2 TBSP agave nectar

Carefully spoon into the stemware, on top of the nut layer.

3. Make the red layer:
Mix until smooth and creamy in a blender or food processor:
1 package of frozen raspberries
1/4 cup fresh young coconut meat, straight from a green coconut. (It isn't that hard to open a coconut yourself. There are directions on the web in many places.)
1/4 - 1/2 cup coconut water (less is better for thicker sauce.)
2 TBSP. agave nectar

Carefully spoon onto the glasses above the green layer.

4. Make the white topping:
remaining meat from two young coconuts
1/2 - 1 cup water (use as little as possible so this is nice and thick)
2 -4 pitted dates, or 2 TBSP agave nectar

Make a little dollop onto the top of the red layer, like whipped cream.

5. Garnish as desired with nuts, lime or kiwi slices, or mint sprigs.

Instead of Chocolate- Grapes!

Instead of Chocolate - Grapes!
Barbara Frohne
www.wildflowermorningrecipes.com

1 bunch of red seedless organic grapes
1 cup of finely chopped walnuts or pecans, place some in a tiny dish
1 recipe of Sweet and Sour Cashew Dip

1. Wash the grapes and drain.

2. Make some Sweet and Sour Cashew Dip
Place in the blender and blend until smooth
3/4 cup of raw cashews
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (fresh tastes so much better)
1 TBSP honey or agave nectar
More water if needed, but be careful to keep this as thick as possible, because you are going to need to have it thick enough to dip grapes in and have it stick.

3. Dip the plump end of a grape into the cashew dip, then dip onto the chopped nuts and roll it just a little bit to get the nuts to stick and cover the spread.

4. Arrange the grapes on a platter and serve.

Serves 4 - 12, depending on how many you eat.

Yummy Yam Salad

Yummy Yam Salad
By Barbara Frohne
www.wildflowermorning.blogspot.com

3 large dark orange yams, baked at 400F degrees until soft, about 1 hour
1 bunch green onions, diced
1/2 cup parsley, minced (optional)
1/2 package frozen peas
3 sticks celery, chopped fine
salt to taste

Cashew Dressing:
1 cup raw cashews
3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt

1. Cool yams. Peel off the skins. Cut into chunks and place in a large bowl.
2. Place Dressing ingredients in a blender and blend until very smooth and creamy.
3. Place remaining ingredients in the bowl with the yam chunks. Add the cashew dressing and mix together. Chill if desired.

Serves 6

Simple Oil free Hummus

I often make this hummus when we have to take a sack lunch with us. Sandwiches aren't very exciting when you are gluten free, because the bread choices aren't as satisfying anymore. But hummus is filling and nutritious. We make baggies of carrot sticks to dip into little containers of hummus. We used to use corn chips for dipping. They are often a favorite gluten free food, but they contain loads of oils heated to high temperatures. Heated oils are easily damaged and in turn damage our health if we eat them. So we seldom eat corn chips anymore.

Simple Oil Free Hummus
By Barbara Frohne
www.wildflowermorningrecipes.blogspot.com

1 can of garbanzo beans, drained
1/2 cup tahini
7 TBSP liquid, if needed
6 TBSP fresh lemon juice (fresh tastes so much better)
2 - 4 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process on high speed until very smooth and creamy.

3 cups

Corn Salsa in Cabbage Bowls

Corn Salsa in Cabbage Bowls
By Barbara Frohne
www.wildflowermorningrecipes.blogspot.com

2 cups frozen or fresh corn kernels
1 - 2 cups jicama diced
1 cup diced red pepper
1/2 cup diced onion
4 garlic cloves, pressed
2 cups diced tomatoes
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced
A small red cabbage, whole leaves separated from the cabbage

1. Find a small Red cabbage. Carefully separate cabbage leaves and use ones that stay intact. Save the remaining ones for a different salad.

2.Mix in a bowl, and spoon salad into the cabbage leaves. Serves 4 - 6.

Tofu Sprout Burgers

My friend made these for a special dinner we were invited to. I was a little concerned about what were were going to eat, but we were delightfully surprised to have such tasty patties on our plate. I have since adapted the recipe a some, and made them a little simpler to prepare.

Tofu Sprout Burgers
Yield: 6 large burgers or many small ones

1/4 cup sunflower seeds
2 cups firm tofu
1/2 onion chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup parsley chopped (optional)
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 t garlic powder
1 tsp basil dried
1/4 cup grated carrots
2 cups alfalfa sprouts

1. Blend sunflower seeds in a food processor to meal.
2. Add all ingredients in the food processor, excepts carrots and sprouts, mix until everything is evenly distributed.
3. Add the carrots and sprouts and pulse just enough to mix them in evenly.
4. Sprinkle corn meal or other breading meal evenly over a cookie sheet, so it is coated. To shape large patties, place a large canning ring on the corn meal coated cookie sheet. Fill the ring with dough, and lift ring. For small patties use a 1/8 cup ice cream scoop that has a squeezable handle to help you remove the dough from the scoop. Place the scoops close together on the pan, as they won't spread. Flatten them slightly with the back of the scoop.
5. Sprinkle some more corn meal on top of the patties.
6. Bake at 350F degrees for 20 minutes. Carefully turn them, and bake for another 20 minutes. The large patties are especially fragile, so be careful while turning them.

Gluten Free Granola

We made several batches of this granola to take with us on our trip across the USA last summer. It provided easy to prepare breakfasts so we didn't have to pay for nutrient deficient restaurant food. We had some more ingredients mailed to our destination, so we could eat gluten free food similar to our east coast friends.

Gluten Free Granola
By Mama Bee
www.wildflowermorningrecipes.blogspot.com

Mix together:
5 cups of rolled rice flakes ( if you can't find them, use all oats)
5 cups certified gluten free oats
1 cup raw buckwheat groats
1 cup sesame seeds
1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
1 cup sesame seeds
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBSP cinnamon

Blend:
1/3 cup raw cashews
2 TBSP flax seeds
2/3 cup water

Pour in a small bowl and add and mix:
1 can of apple juice concentrate
1/4 cup maple syrup

Add all the liquid to the dry ingredients and stir to coat completely. Place in cookie sheets. Bake in a 250' F oven for a couple hours or so. Stir every 45 minutes or so. After baking add sulfite free dried fruit, such as raisins, pineapple, apples, in the proportion that you desire. Store in sealed bags or containers, before your family devouring it for a snack. Makes 6 quarts of granola.

Apricot Oatmeal Cookies

I made these cookies when I had a quart bag of frozen apricots that had to be used. Then we made more to take with us on our week long trip to Death Valley. They were quite easy to eat while traveling down the road and gave us something nutritious to take with us on our hikes.

Apricot Oatmeal Cookies
By Mama Bee
www.wildflowermorningrecipes.blogspot.com

6 cups certified gluten free oats
2 cups raisins
2 cups sunflower seeds
1 TBSP cinnamon

Blend and add to mixture
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup pitted dates
1/3 cup cashews
2 TBSP flax seeds
4 cups of unsweetened apricots, drained

Stir everything together. Let soak for 10 minutes to firm up. Drop by 1/8 cup portions onto a sprayed cookie sheet. Flatten and shape. Bake at 350' F for 25 minutes, or put in the food dehydrator for18 - 24 hours if you wish to keep more of the nutrients from the apricots. I made some both ways, and both work well.