Tag Archives: sugar free

Cherry, Cacao, and Basil (and greens!) Smoothie Goodness

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IMG_9372Cherry Basil? Yes, Cherries+Basil+Cacao=delicious and I too was surprised that combination worked, but it certainly did. This smoothie is light, refreshing, and kind of complex (in a good way). That said, it’s still dang tasty if you omit the basil and just go with tried and true cherries and chocolate.

What you need:

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about 1 cup of cherries, pitted

2 cups vanilla almond milk (or other non-dairy milk, unsweetened)

2 cups of spinach

1 banana, preferably frozen and chopped

2-3 basil leaves (or no basil leaves if you don’t sway that way)

1 Tbsp chia seeds (totally optional)

1 scoop vanilla protein powder – I use Sunwarrior Vegan protein powder (again, totally optional, but nice)

1 Tbsp cacao nibs (I use Theo)

3-4 ice cubes

IMG_9366Sweet, sweet cherries – I prefer bings, but you could use any cherry. My guess would be that the darker varieties would probably be better, but why not give glorious Rainiers a try in this smoothie? A note on cherry pitting: DO NOT WEAR WHITE CLOTHING, or brand new clothing, or anything that you care deeply about in the event of cherry spatter. No matter how accomplished you are at pitting cherries, it can and will happen. I even watched a video on smooth ways to pit the cherries, and despite my efforts, my friends, it was not smooth.

What to do: Put everything in a blender and blend the heck out of it!

IMG_9374Now drink the lusciousness knowing that you got your fruits, your greens, your chocolate, and some protein. HOORAY!

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(The Best) Buckwheat Oat Biscuits (Ever).

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IMG_9252  Ah, February. I can’t believe you’re here already. Another birthday coming up, a last “arctic blast,” and we’re still in the middle of soup season.

Is this post at all about soup, you ask? No.

So what’s with the soup season comment? Well, with soup season (and yes, this is a season I celebrate and look forward to all year long) comes biscuits and another reason to marvel at the magic that is buckwheat.

So my friends, after many attempts at making the buckwheat biscuits of my dreams, here we are. I present to you a recipe I love and will be making pretty much every week for the rest of my life. Maybe that’s an overstatement, but you get what I’m saying.IMG_9253For those of you who haven’t yet heard me wax poetic about buckwheat, I’ll keep it short. If you’re gluten free, go out and buy some buckwheat right now! It will make being gluten free so much happier. Rice flour has always had an odd texture to me, and who can live without whole grains? Nobody. That’s who. IMG_9251These little buddies are easy to whip up in a jiffy, and they’re great with soup (or what I like to call “the big show”), jam, or anything else your heart desires. Nutella? YES. Smashed banana? Why not?! Honey (if you’re not hardcore about the vegan thing)? Do it.

What you need:

1 3/4 cup oat flour (I ground mine from certified gluten free oats in a magic bullet)

1 1/2 cups buckwheat flour (buy online at Bob’s Red Mill or grind it from groats)

3 Tbsp Potato Starch

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 – 1 tsp salt (depending on how savoury you like your biscuits)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup unsweetenend almond milk (if dough is too thick, add 1 tbsp at a time until desired consistency is achieved)

IMG_9239Preheat the oven to 450. Mix dry ingredients in one bowl, wet in another, and mix! Your dough will be fairly dry and crumbly, but if it won’t stick together add more almond milk. If it’s too wet, and a little bit of flour.IMG_9245Once you’ve mixed, knead the dough into a ball and roll out on parchment paper into a flat layer about 1/2 thick (thick if you’d like). Using a mason jar or cookie cutter, cut the dough into circles, repeating the rolling and cutting until all of the dough is used.IMG_9246IMG_9248Bake for about 15 minutes, until crusty on the outside, then take a tea and biscuit break. You deserve it.IMG_9256Seriously, the smashed banana thing is good. Enjoy, friends! 🙂

Buckwheat Chocolate Gingerbread. Festive, Gluten-free, and Vegan!

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P1040410It’s holiday time again, my friends. How that happened, I know not. There’s something about the passage of time that shocks me literally every second. For instance, it’s now 10:21am. WHERE DID THE REST OF THE MORNING GO? I went for a long, long walk, made pancakes, and did some work and *poof*, the time is gone. Sigh.

Anyway, the festive spirit often eludes me because of this whole vortex of time issue. So, gingerbread.  🙂P1040395This gingerbread is spicy, chocolatey, and because of the buckwheat, it’s makes you a veritable tower of jollyness.P1040407What you need:

1.5 cups finely ground buckwheat flur

0.5 cups gluten-free all purpose flour (such as Bob’s or Arrowhead Mills)

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1-2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

3 Tbsp chia seeds (mixed with 6 Tbsp warm H20 to form a gel. You could also use two eggs instead if you’re not going vegan)

1.5 cups almond milk or other non-dairy milk, unsweetened

0.5 cups grade B maple syrup

0.5 cups organic, unsweetened applesauce

3 Tbsp ground ginger

dash of nutmeg and cinnamon

1 85% dark chocolate bar, smashed to bits

2 Tbsp raw cacao, 1 Tbsp ground ginger, 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon (all reserved for sprinkling on top)P1040398You guys all know my thoughts on buckwheat. To briefly reiterate: I love it.

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Whisk together chia gel.P1040399

Add all dry ingredients to a bowl. Add all wet ingredients to a bowl. Combine wet into dry, mix, and add chocolate chunks.P1040400When well combined, pour into a pan of your choosing, just remember, the thicker the layer of batter, the longer it takes to bake. I use a 9×13 pyrex dish lined with parchment and it made some nice-sized little slices. Also, parchment paper is so nice because there’s very little pan washing to do. For those of you who don’t know me, I really, really don’t like washing pots and pans. I don’t mind other dishes, but there’s something about a pot or pan that just puts me off yet I like making the messes. I know, I’m a weirdo.

Bake for 30-45 minutes, until a fork comes out cleanP1040403Put together your magic cacao, ginger, cinnamon dustP1040405Sprinkle that delicious fairy dust and eat, eat, eat! 🙂P1040417P1040408P1040416