Savory Toad in the Hole (GF, NF, DF)

Because I've been craving it....

I love eggs. My mother has chickens and once in a while I'm blessed with those magnificent porcelain treasures. I can even tell the difference from the grocery store and farm-fresh eggs. They're so much richer and full of flavor. I do recommend them for this recipe... or any recipe.

Another great recipe for Mother's Day breakfast!

Savory Toad in the Hole with Red Bell Peppers

1 c garbanzo bean flour
1/2 c tapioca flour
4 eggs
1 cup of bell peppers, diced
1 package of Italian chicken sausages (or vegan chorizo from trader joes)
1 1/2 c water or dairy-free milk (I used 1 c unsweetened coconut milk and 1/2 c water)
1/2 sweet onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 t italian seasoning

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Put sausages in one layer in a casserole dish. Tuck sliced onions in between. Stick in oven for ten minutes.
3. Meanwhile, mix flours, eggs, milk and seasoning.
4. Remove casserole dish from oven. Rotate the sausages. Add the bell pepper and garlic. Stick in oven for ten more minutes and turn the oven up to 425 degrees.
5. Once timer is up, remove and add the flour/egg/milk mixture. Bake for another 25 minutes or until set (and toothpick comes out clean).

Vegan Lemon Infused Pudding Cake with Cherries (GF, Nut-free)

I originally started out making a traditional cherry clafouti (and had not eggs... read this post here) ...  Whole cherries with pits with a custardy top. This turned out to be more of a pudding cake but just as delicious... so lesson learned? When life hands you a lemon, eat pudding cake (with cherries)!

I don't eat vegan but I do understand why someone would choose that lifestyle and I wanted to accomodate that. Altogether this is nut, dairy, egg, and gluten free!

I chose to use white chia seeds because I didn't want to have a grey cake however using black chia won't result in a different flavor. Works just as beautiful!

Vegan and Gluten Free Lemon-Infused Pudding Cake with Cherries

Ingredients
1 cup silken firm tofu
1 1/4 cup water (or unsweetened dairy-free milk)
2 T chia seeds
1 Large Lemon, organic (or two smaller lemons)
1/4 c arrowroot powder
3 T coconut flour
1 t vanilla extract
2 cups frozen cherries or frozen fruit of your choice
1 T coconut oil or any oil

Toppings:
Coconut Butter or coconut oil if you prefer
Powdered Sugar
Lemon Wedges

Directions
1. Add chia seeds to the water and let sit for at least 15 minutes, while you are prepping everything else.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
3. Stick 1 T oil in a casserole dish. Then put in preheating oven.
4. Zest and juice the lemon.
5. Blend together all ingredients except frozen cherries in vita mix.
6. Remove preheated dish from oven. Swish the oil around to completely cover the bottom of the dish.
7. Add the fruit on the bottom then gently pour the blender mixture on top. Immediately stick back in the oven. Bake 40 - 60 minutes until golden on top and brown around edges (I ended up baking mine 45 but could have gone a little longer).

Rooibos Carrot Cake Smoothie for Breakfast?

Yes, that's right.

Big Blue Eyes and I mainly eat eggs for breakfast with a kale and berry smoothie to follow about an hour later.

But this morning, only two eggs were to be found. And instead of thinking why I should have stopped on my way home yesterday to pick up eggs, I thought "What can I make with what I have on hand?" My sister is really a champ at doing this and I'm trying to improve.

That is also the way I play scrabble. A lot of the time, I think, "If only I had an 'E'..." (or a T or a Z or an I or whatever). I've learned that this is a habit of mine "To think if only I had..." and I apply it to a lot of areas of my life. Well, I'm determined to stop that. I'm learning to make do with what I have. To appreciate the gifts God has given me and to use them to the fullest.

Now what does this have to do with breakfast?

It's all about making solutions. It's about thinking "Ok this is what I have, what can I do with it? What do I want to do with it?"

So on to Carrot Cake Smoothie...

If you are a parent and have toddlers, I want you to know that my little Big Blue Eyes (in all her esteemed 18 months) drank this smoothie up like it was candy. And guess what? The only sugar is from naturally occuring sweetness in apples. This smoothie has protein, antioxidants, omegas, beta carotene and fiber.

You can have this smoothie hot like soup or cold which I prefer on this beautiful sunny day. To have it cold, might take some extra preparation ahead of time. You'll need to freeze shredded carrots and refridgerate rooibos tea.

You can buy loose leaf rooibos tea from Mountain Rose Herbs or your local health food market (Pilgrims Market in CDA).

Also, this is not very sweet. Add two dates or some agave for a little sweetness.

Ingredients
Two large carrots or 1 1/2 cup shredded frozen carrots
2 small apples, one gala and one granny smith (cut up in quarters, seeds removed)
2 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground ginger
24 raw almonds
1 1/2 cup rooibos tea
1 T chia seeds
3 T coconut butter
2 Dates (optional)

Now just BLEND away! And enjoy. I added a little bit of shredded coconut on top of ours.

Also if you prefer less of a fibrous texture, you can gently the steam the carrots so before blending. This will result in a much more smooth texture.

Mother's Day Recipes: Lavender & Fig Muesli

The combination of fig and lavender is just so enticing. There is the chewiness from the dried fig that compliments the crackle of lavender buds. The herby smell of lavender to offset the sweet taste of the fig. All-wrapped up this makes a great gift for a special mother figure in your life (or to keep for yourself... you will be tempted).

I used dried conadria figs from Trader Joe's. You may substitute any fig (or any other dried fruit) that you have. You can also use raw almonds or another nut if you prefer. Because I didn't add salt to the mixture, I wanted to incorporate salted almonds to add that extra pizzaz.

It is optional to toast the oats if you life. I actually toasted half the oats and mixed with the other half. I prefer the two combined. If you have dried lavender on the stalk, remove the buds by gently rub the stalk down over a bowl.

Ingredients:
2 c of oats (certified GF if gluten sensitive)
1 c dried figs, chopped
1/2 c toasted and salted almonds, chopped (or seeds if nuts aren't your thing)
1/4 scant cup lavender buds

Directions
1. (Optional) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toast oats, stirring every couple minutes and watching to make sure they don't brown. Remove once golden and fragrant.
2. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Stir. Floury dust from the oats will naturally coat the fig pieces so they don't stick together.
3. Spoon into jars or bags and tie with ribbon! Or serve over yogurt and honey or your favorite non-dairy milk.

Enjoy!
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Polenta Fries and Hibiscus Ketchup

In the summer, I make a lot of hibiscus infusion. It's delicious and refreshing.. the only downside is all the hibiscus petals thrown away. I kept saying to myself, "What a waste!"

So I decided to reuse my hibiscus petals, blending with ginger and a little vinegar into a delicious ketchup for crunchy, golden polenta fries.

Hibiscus is naturally tart and contains copious amounts of Vitamin C. Regular infusion intake can help lower blood pressure and protect body cells. You can buy dried hibiscus flowers from Mountain Rose Herbs. Every time I order from them, I always include this delicious herb!
This is a super easy recipe. Make hibiscus infusion. Blend. Refridgerate. And serve!

You can make this raw by using raw apple cider vinegar instead of the red wine vinegar. Also if you are using leftover hibiscus from making infusions/tea, reserve at least 1 1/2 cup of the liquid.

Ingredients
1 cup dried hibiscus flowers
2 T red wine vinegar
2 t fresh grated ginger (1 t dried ground ginger)
1 garlic clove (or 1/2 t dried garlic powder)
1/2 t dried onion powder
Boiling water

1. In large bowl with spout, pour boiling water over hibiscus. Let sit for one hour.
2. Drain hibiscus, reserving liquid.
3. In vita-mix (or high speed blender), mix all ingredients and add 1 1/2 cup of reserved liquid (You can drink the rest of liquid over ice for a refreshing beverage).
4. Blend until ingredients are completely incorporated (at least 2 minutes). Add more liquid and blend if thinner consistency desired.
5. Refridgerate until cool.
6. Serve with polenta fries!

Polenta Fries

I bought mine from Trader Joes. It is unflavored (other stores may carry an italian-seasoned brand so do check that only salt is added).

Ingredients:
1/2 Polenta Tube, unflavored
Garlic Powder
Grapeseed oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cut the polenta tube lengthwise in half then in quarters, cutting until you have thick 1/4-1/3 inch thick sticks.
3. Toss with oil and garlic.
4. Cook on baking sheet for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway.

If you prefer to make your polenta fries from scratch, here is a great recipe from Heidi at 101 Cookbooks.
Hope you are having a wonderful, lovely May Day! On a side note, I tried to take Amaressa outside to photograph some new pictures (her being 18 months and all). To say the least, it was difficult to keep her contained. She wanted to explore and I stubbornly wanted her to sit on this little stool with the big balloon. I got a few pictures and felt resigned to those so we decided to head back to change... And then what does she do when we are inside? Grabs her blue hat and sit adorably on the little stool in the front of the thin hall window. I think it was a reminder from God not to force things... And sometimes when we're already resigned, when we think it's the end, that's when the real moment comes.

Creamy Hazelnut Brussel Soup + Link Loves

This week started of gorgeously sun-drenched and warm and ended in frothy gray days and perpetual rain with a smell that made me want to move to Ireland. Fresh Dew perfume anyone? Yes, please!

I also wanted to give a shout out to Apple Brides! The tasting, mingling, and speaker at Nectar Tasting Room was exactly what I needed. Thank you so much for setting that up! And thank you to Alisa Lewis from the Attic for inviting me.

I know it's a little late (or early) to be talking about brussel sprouts but I had a bag of them in my freezer and am trying to eat up what we have. It's a delicious and simple recipe that contains five ingredients. Recipe below.

Some Friday Link Love first...

I have discovered Mavis's blog One Hundred Dollars A Month. She is witty and smart, particularly about gardening! This blog is all about how she feeds her family under $100 a month and I've appreciated all her posts.
I have wanted in the past to create seed tape as gifts. She has a great post on it. I love the idea of gardening for kids. There just doesn't seem anything better. I'm thinking it would be just as easy to make this gluten-free, anyone like a recipe? If so I will concoct one.
But above all, there is a picture tutorial for a Vertical Recycled Pallet Garden! I pinned this. I so want to do this now I just have to find a HT stamped pallet garden in good shape that no one wants. Any ideas?

Mavis pointed me to A Slow Year and Freegans. Isn't this awesome? It's all about foraging for food.

And this last link, I love Vegetarian Times Magazine (available on Amazon). It's been so helpful in our journey to eat less meat and be dairy-free (includes lots of vegan options). I really appreciate this link about eating Flowers... It's a list you can print off and file away in your cookbook for future use. Can you just dream of the options? I'm thinking of some definite gourmet treats and salads I will be making with some of these edible beauties!

Also a really cool freebie - Ebook "Healthy Recipes for your Nutritional Type" by Dr. Mercola is available for download. You can print it off or save it on your computer. Do you know if you have a carb-type, protein-type, or mixed type metabolism? Found via Hip2Save.

Now for the recipe... This is super easy and very comforting. The miso and hazelnuts provide a creamy base for the brussel sprouts. There is not broth needed but would be just as delicious with. I like to drink this in cups with a boiled egg for breakfast. It's also delicious with toast for a mid-day meal.

Creamy Hazelnut Brussel Soup
Ingredients:
1 package frozen Brussel Sprouts
1/2 c hazelnuts (or nuts of your choice)
2 T white miso (rice and soybean = gluten free)
2 cloves of garlic
Oil
Salt + Pepper


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F).
2. Toss brussels in oil. Roast for 10 minutes.
3. Add hazelnuts and garlic. Roast additional 10 minutes, tossing halfway.
4. Blend with 2 cups water (or more depending on preferred consistency) and miso.
5. Top with salt + Pepper. Enjoy!

Costco carrying Namaste Foods Gluten Free Perfect Flour Blend

Word on the street is Costco is now carrying Namaste Foods Gluten Free Perfect Flour Blend. It's about $11 for two 48 oz packs. I have yet to go to the store to check it out myself. This little number is free of over nine allergens.
I've used these in my Vegan "Cheesy" Crackers.
I also use it all the time to make gluten-free bread in my bread machine. This is a recipe developed by my husband's Granny! And it's absolutely delicious!
On facebook, I found a link to a recipe for gluten-free pop tarts using a already mixed flour blend. Another fun use for Namaste Foods Perfect Flour blend! (This recipe includes both a gluten-free and a non gluten-free).