Flax Flat Bread

Easy peasy recipe for you today. This recipe contains two ingredients and takes 20 minutes flat to make. It is super versatile too: if you are looking for a simple, healthy, and quick flat bread, crust, chip, or cracker recipe, this is it. Oh, and it's gluten-free and grain-free! I've made this bread four times in the past month and it never ceases to amaze me! 

Flax Flat Bread

3/4 cup ground flaxseed* 

1 egg, whisked

Two individual pizza crusts made from flax! I flipped the top one to show you what the underside looks like. 

Combine two ingredients until a thick, sticky paste/dough forms. Spread using the back of a spoon, onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Place until piece of parchment paper on top and using a rolling pin or your hands, flatten the dough out as much as you can (to about 2-3 millimeter in thickness). Carefully peel back the second piece of parchment paper and discard it. Bake at 350F for 10-15 minutes. The more you cook it, the crispier the bread you'll get (so it will be more like a cracker or a crunchy crust). By baking it on the shorter side, it will be more pliable and chewier. Just make sure that it is no longer wet! You want that egg to be fully cooked. When done, slice the resulting bread into slices, pieces (if making crackers), or leave whole as a pizza crust. Or you could have separated the dough from the beginning to make two individual pizza crusts (which is what I did in the picture above). 

Now, use the resulting product like you would crackers, top with nut butter like toast, spread with marinara and other pizza toppings and use as pizza crust, or cut into triangles and use as corn chips/tortilla chips for guacamole and salsa!

*I ground 1/2 cup whole (golden) flax in my coffee grinder, though you can purchase pre-ground flax at the grocery store or bulk food store. Be sure to store pre-ground flax in the fridge. 

Enjoy!

Hoppy Easter!

Chocolate Nests Complete with Pastel About-to-Hatch Eggs

Hoppy Easter! 

Recipe for the nests is found here, only this time I used almond butter instead of peanut. 

And of course, I topped the nests with mini eggs thanks to my current addiction. 

"You Put the Lime in the Coconut"

It's that time of year: the time when the snowbirds arriving home from a Winter down south (by snowbirds I mean the people, though a flock of Canadian geese has also returned to Toronto). I'd like to image that they bring some tropicalness back with them. So in celebration of the tropics and the rise in temperatures, I made some coconutty Key Lime Pie inspired date balls. These treats were also heavily inspired by the jingle You Put the Lime in the Coconut which has been stuck in my head for weeks now...

3/4 cup pitted dates

1/2 cup cashews

1/2 cup walnuts*

1/2 a lime, juiced

1/2 a lime, zested

1/4 cup shredded or flaked coconut

Plus you'll need about 1/2 cup (?) of extra coconut to roll the completed balls in. *You can simply use more cashews if you don't have walnuts on hand.

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Process just enough to form a dough. Don't overprocess and turn everything into a paste. You want it a tad chunky. This recipe makes 20 tiny balls (using a lime for comparison, you can see the size of the balls above); feel free to make them larger if you'd like.

Beware of Red Velvet

Red velvet cake and cupcakes seem to be all the rage these days. These goodies are basically chocolate cake, but have a reddish (or red velvet if you will) colored hue. Flavor-wise, they don't taste very different than chocolate cake (despite the tricky coloring, there isn't any strawberry or raspberry flavoring added to the cake batter). So what gives red velvet baked goods their color? Nothing more than a whole whack of red food dye. You need roughly a whole tablespoon in order to achieve a true red velvet cake batter color. That's a ton of dye!

Those who are concerned with healthy eating should be wary of red velvet cake. Red food dye (also known as FD&C #40 (this dye can be used in food, drugs and cosmetics, hence the name FD&C)) has been linked to hyperactivity in children, can cause rashes, liver and kidney damage, cancer, and are generally considered to be toxic. Evidently, the consumption of red dyes should be limited, especially in children.

But red velvet cakes are pretty! What's a baker to do when they want red velvet cake but don't want any artificial food coloring? Make the cake batter with beets, strawberries, pomegranate juice, or raspberries of course (as discussed in my post on natural food dyes). Fruit juices and purees make great natural food dyes. I recently came across this blog post on red velvet pancakes that are made with beets.

Look at how beautiful a naturally colored, red velvet (pan)cake can be!

Image source: The Edible Perspective

My Favorite Blogs

One of the reasons I started blogging was because I was obsessed with reading blogs myself. When you read them daily for four years (throughout my entire undergrad), one day you'll wake up and suddenly get the urge the create one yourself! Starting at CCNM also gave me something to blog about, so I launched my wee blog at the start of my ND program (September 2010).

While there are thousands (millions?) of blogs out there, I've come to love only a handful. Most of these blogs I read everyday; never missing a post! Obviously the ones listed below are tailored to my interests, so you may not find them as addictive as I do. Nevertheless, check them out! It's hard to tell which blogs will "stick" with you. I didn't think I'd be reading some of these blogs as long as I have been, but there is evidently something special about them that keeps me coming back for more. Maybe you'll find that "something" in one of these blogs too!

Healthy Eating, Creative Cooking & Baking, Nutrition

Oh She Glows - awesome vegan recipes and adorable writing

Healthful Pursuit - specializing in allergen friendly receipes

Nourishing Meals - heavily focused on nutrition

Edible Perspective - lots of creative gluten-free recipes

Elana's Pantry - paleo-focused recipes

Lifestyle (and Healthy Eating)

Kath Eats Real Food - there is a little of everything on this blog, my favorite

Comedy (and Creative Cooking & Baking)

How Sweet It Is - hilarious writing and gourmet recipes

Naturopathic Medicine (and Healthy Eating)

Healthy Green Kitchen - a naturopathic doctor turned food blogger

Art and Practice - fellow CCNMer

Rhythm and Harmony - fellow CCNMer

Whole Life Health - fellow CCNMer

80twenty - fellow CCNMer

Comedy and Philosophy

XKCD - not really a blog, but nerdy comics

My Anxiety - not really a blog, but a tumbler account of comics devoted to tackling anxiety

Friend for the Ride - I rarely read this blog, but I will recommend it to all my menopausal patients!

House Renovations and Crafts 

Young House Love - I don't read this one very often, but it is great when I want some home/craft/DIY inspiration.

For the Writing (and Creative Cooking & Baking)

Gluten-Free Goddess - the writing on this blog is unreal, super poetic, plus gluten-free delights

Hmm, now which ones am I forgetting?

Chocolate Love

All of my friends gave me chocolate yesterday. They know me well!

Mmm, chocolate coma!

On VDay I gave out homemade peanut butter cups wrapped in foil just like real chocolate.

Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups 

HOMEMADE PB CUPS... Reese's has got nothing on these yummy cups.

 200 grams of chocolate (equivalent to two bars)

0.5 cup of plain peanut butter (natural)

0.25 cup of honey

Melt chocolate on minimum heat. Take a mini muffin tin or a regular sized tin with a bit of oil to keep it well greased. Spoon melted chocolate into the bottom of chocolate (a little more than a teaspoon). Then place the muffin tin in the freezer for 5 minutes to firm up. After 5 minutes, take a heaping teaspoon of the honey PB and roll it into a ball, then flatten it it into a disc. Place the disc ontop of the chocolate base in the muffin tin. Make sure that the disc is not as wide as the entire tin's width (you want room to get chocolate on the sides of the PB disc). Then pour chocolate on top of the disc, making sure that chocolate gets all around the disc and covers the top entirely. Continue until all the cups are filled with discs and covered with chocolate. Garnish with a peanut and place in the freezer to firm up for another 5 minutes.  To remove the cups, use a spoon to "plop" the discs out. They will seem stuck but they will pop out easily due to greasing them in advance. Makes 12 mini PB cups or 6 large ones.

Share with those you love! <3

Substitutions: use maple syrup instead of honey and almond butter instead of PB.

Mid-Week Baking

Nothing makes my week go better than some mid-week baking!  

On Wednesday, I got down and dirty in the kitchen and whipped up this bread. 

But since it is now the end of the week, this bread could also be called end-of-the-week bread or simply weekend bread.

Mid-Week Oat Bread

1 cup instant oats*

1 cup flour** 

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch of sea salt

½ cup finely chopped nut of choice

1 cup apple sauce

3/4 cup milk of choice

2 tablespoons oil of choice

2 eggs, beaten

Combine wet. Combine dry. Bake at 350F for 40-50 minutes. Let cool completely before slicing. 

*Or large rolled oats that have been ground a bit

**All-purpose, whole wheat, buckwheat flour, oat flour, or all-purpose g-free

Note: this bread can also be baked as muffins. Simply replace the 3/4 cup of milk with 3/4 honey or maple syrup and up the cinnamon. Baking time will be cut in half too. 

Oat Bread with Almond Butter Drizzle 

Sweets For My Sweet

I made cupcakes last night at midnight. Odd, I know; but the baking bug always bites me at the weirdest times. Oh, and since Valentine's Day is coming up (in two weeks time), why not bake some sweets for your sweet rather than buy them sweet junk? I've got lots of baking inspiration on this blog, but I also recommend this blog and this one for lots of tasty, yet healthier, dessert recipes.

This picture was taken with a pink filtered lens. Makes everything look nice and rosy!

The Cupcakes

1.5 cups buckwheat (or whole wheat) flour

3/4 cup sugar (coconut sugar works)

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon (or pinch) of salt

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1 tablespoon vinegar of choice

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups of cold water

Mix dry. Mix wet. Pour into greased or a lined muffin tin. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes. Makes 10-12 cupcakes.  

The Icing

1/2 cup hazelnuts or cashews

1/4 cup honey

1/4 milk or water

Splash of vanilla extract

1 beet, cooked

Blend all the ingredients in a blender (alternatively, use nut butter instead of raw nuts; stir the ingredients well). Spread onto cooled cupcakes. The beet doesn't change the taste of the cupcake; it just adds some rosy color!

10 Ways to Eat More Flax

A special post for anyone looking to add more ground flaxseed to their diet! Ground flax is an awesome source of phytoestrogens; molecules that help the body better regulate (and protect against the harmful effects of) their own hormones. Taking 2 tablespoons (~10 grams) of ground flax a day has been thought to help pre-menopausal women lessen their menopausal symptoms and to protect post-menopausal women from endogenous estrogens (meaning it may be protective against hormonal-induced cancers, such as breast and prostate cancer). Even if you aren't a woman, you can still benefit from eating flax on a regular basis due to its omega-3 fatty acid content (healthy fats), it's fiber (helps lower cholesterol), and it's protein (keeps you fuller for longer)! 

10 ways to get more flax in your diet:

1) Eat whole grain, seedy breads that contain flaxseeds. Like this one or this Canadian one.  

2) Eat Mary's Crackers (gluten-free crackers made mainly out of flax seeds. 

3) If you love chips (and must eat them no matter how bad they are for you :P), make your chips contain some flax, like these ones (can be purchased at bulk food stores):

Source

4) Stir into yogurt.
5) Stir into oatmeal.
6) Add to smoothies. 
7) Sprinkle on plated pasta, chili, or soups. 
8) Eat a cereal containing flaxseed, like a hearty, seedy granola or this gluten-free cereal.
9) Add to homemade granola bars, muffins, or cookies like these delicious ones.  
10) Make bread out of flaxseeds, recipe here. 

Ramblings and a Recipe

I'm.running.out.of.time! 

Come to mama!

...but let me be clear: I'm not running out of study time, but blogging time! Me-oh-my, where did this semester go?! I had SO MUCH to share on the blog about year 3, semester 1, but here I am, the eve before my final exam of the term, wondering where the time went. I think the problem with this semester was that I didn't have time to blog at school because the classes were actually super interesting. They weren't boring; when they are boring, I spend the class writing blog posts. They were captivating and interesting, which meant that I did my blogging late at night, often before bed, and thus when I was too tired to write out an epic post about *insert cool topic here*. Instead, my blog posts were quick and dirty (with spelling errors and missing references, oops!). Ah well, at least I managed to still blog daily despite the madness of year 3.

So, I've written 8 out of my 9 exams. One more and it's officially the holidays, wahoo!

By the way, my drug of choices during these exam: dark chocolate and tea! The darker the chocolate better. Today alone I ate about 50 grams of 90% dark chocolate (amazing!). Also, I've had so much herbal tea. Today I had three green teas (1 caffeinated, two decaf), two chai teas (both decaf), and a peppermint tea. Six cups a tea seems like a ton! No?

Oh, and my third DOC (drug of choice) during this period of exams: this gluten-free quick bread. So good, even without any toppings (but it was great with margarine and nut butter)! My next batch will replace half the apple sauce with mashed banana to make a banana bread quick bread. Might even through in some walnuts for good measure...

Blender Bread

Sorry no picture of this lovely bread because my camera was dead.  But it was a handsome bread!

3/4 cup buckwheat flour

3/4 cup rolled oats*

1/2 cup almond flour (or 1/4 cup almonds*, ground into flour)

1 tablespoon flax seeds*

Pinch of sea salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 tablespoons coconut oil

2 eggs*

Inspired by this bread. I call this blender bread because I threw all the ingredients into a blender and then blended until smooth, then poured it into a lined loaf pan (with parchment paper). If you don't follow the blender step, then you will need to grind your flax and oats in a coffee grinder, and whisk your eggs, before combining all of the ingredients a bowl. Stir well then transfer this mixture to a loaf pan. Bake at 350*F for 50-60 minutes. Let it cool fully before slicing! It slices super well if cool; if you cut it when warm, the bread will be fragile. Makes 12 slices.

Ginger & Lemon

With third-year going great, a semester nearing completion, and holiday season in full swing, here at Navigating Naturopathy, we think it's a great time to celebrate!

What better way to celebrate than with a gluten-free, vegan, refined-sugar free, cake! This cake is inspired by a Ginger Lemon cupcake I devoured at the restaurant Fresh over a year ago. I've had that flavor combination stuck in my head since then and today I finally got around to reproduce it. I don't know about you, but this cake just screams a warm and fuzzy Fall to me. ;)

Ginger Lemon Cake with Chestnut Frosting  

Inspired by this recipe and Fresh restaurants.

Cake: 

1.5 cups buckwheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

0.5 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 inch chunk of fresh ginger*

1.5 teaspoons fresh lemon zest

Pinch of sea salt

0.5 cup coconut oil

0.3 cup molasses

0.5 cup honey

0.25 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons apple sauce

Frosting:

2 cups un-shelled chestnuts

3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions: 

Place all the wet ingredients into a blender along with the fresh ginger. Blend until smooth and the ginger has been pulverized. *Alternatively, replace the fresh ginger with dried, about 3 teaspoons. Pour the wet ingredients into a bowl and add the dry ingredients. Pour into a lined cake pan and bake at 350F for 40 minutes. Let cool completely, then spread with frosting. This makes a one-layer cake; feel free to double the ingredients (including the frosting ones) and and stack them with a layer of frosting in between. For the frosting: add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.

Raw Brownies, Hallowe'en Style.

Orange frosting.

Brownie dough. 

Happy Hallowe'en, Eve! 

I spent the evening prepping Hallowe'en goodies to share tomorrow at school.  I made raw brownies with pumpkin frosting for a festive black and orange theme.  Warning: my pictures were taken hastily with my camera phone and thus they are crap.  

I swear that the brownies did look pretty in real life!

The base: 2 cups walnuts, 2 cups pitted fresh dates (the big, fat, juicy ones, not the tiny, dried ones), and 1/2 cup cocoa powder

The frosting: 1 cup pumpkin puree and 1/4 cup raw honey

Process the dates and walnuts in a food processor or high powered blender, then mix in the cocoa powder. Press the base mixture into a lined container. Pack in down firmly; you want it to fully set while it chills in the fridge. In a bowl, whip the pumpkin with the honey. Spread this 'frosting' on top of the brownie base. 

Chill the brownies overnight, then slice and serve to all the ghouls and goblins you know.  

Thanksgiving Feast, 2012.

As promised, here are some pictures of my Thanksgiving Dinner 2012.

Surprisingly, it only took me four hours in the kitchen in order to create this feast!  

Missing from these photos: apple sangria. 

Thanksgiving Feast.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

Who is cooking up a feast today?  I am! ...but mine will be entirely gluten-free, dairy-free, refined-sugar-free, and vegan. It's been my tradition for the last three years to cook this meal; it's not only delicious, but nourishing and healthy too. Today I'm cooking not just for Tony and I, but for classmates/friends too!   You can expect pictures of my Thanksgiving feast sometime next week, but in the meantime, if you need some dinner inspiration, check out these holiday recipes from around the web:

Pumpkin Pie Brownies

Walnut Lentil Loaf

Sweet Potato Fluff

Roasted Rosemary Nuts

Apple Cider Sangria 

Carrot Pecan Roast

Sweet Potato Biscuits

Squash, Kale, and White Bean Soup

Dried Fruit and Nut Pilaf

High Protein Mashed Potatoes

 

 ...and I can't conclude this blog post without saying thanks. THANK YOU for reading my blog over the past two-plus years!  I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy sharing health tid-bits with you.

Squash Fries.

Season's best: Squash Fries (served with veggie egg scramble)

Now that it is Fall, it's time to roast the heck out this season's best veggies.  Sure you can make regular roasted potatoes or even roast-up some sweet potatoes, but have you ever made squash fries?

Squash Fries

1 Buttercup squash*, cut into cubes and de-seeded (but don't remove the skin!)

1 tablespoon of vegetable oil (I used coconut oil)

A good sprinkling of sea salt

Directions: Toss the cubed squash (skin and all) in the oil and salt. Place onto a lined baking sheet (or one that is well greased) and bake for 30-40 minutes at 400F.  The fries become deliciously tender, with a hint of crisp on their edges.  Oh, and that skin? Totally edible!  I love to eat them skin and all, but if you are not a fan, simply skip the skin next time you make them.  Because there will be a next time. Squash fries are just that good!

*I've made this with Butternut squash and Acorn squash, but I don't think they taste as good as those made with Buttercup.

Meals Made of Oats.

Any oatmeal lovers out there?  

I love oats for their versatility, nutrition, and flavor.  Ways in which I incorporate oats into my diet: cold oats, hot oats, oat bread, as a binder in homemade burgers or 'meat'balls (need to post recipes for these!), fruit crisps, and cookies. 

Now, if only I were traveling to New York city in the near future, because if so, I was make-sure to visit Oat Meals, a new restaurant entirely dedicated to oats!  Check out this picture slide show to dream about NYC & Oats... and for ideas on how to spruce up your next batch of oatmeal.

Life After NPLEX.

Sooooo my NPLEX exam was a week ago.  Now, what does a post-NPLEX-er do with all the free-time on her hands?

- Read. Sometimes literature, sometimes junk, sometimes educational. It's all about balance.
- Clean. I felt like it was Spring again, because I got my clean-on!  Summer cleaning is the new Spring cleaning.
- Organize school notes. My bookshelf and office area was in serious need of some TLC. Now all my NPLEX materials are stored away and my second-year notes have a home now too.
- Experiment with supplements a la Dr. Phil.  More on that in a future post...
- Enjoy more of the great outdoors. This past week I found myself at the beach!
- Complain about the NPLEX exam with classmates. This has been done about a million times since last Tuesday. 
- Hang out with said classmates.  Once we're done complaining, we tend to have a lot of fun ;)
- Stuff myself with amazing goodies.  Toronto is so lucky to have Bunner's Bake Shop.
- Work diligently on my cookbook (it WILL be published this Summer!).
- Preceptor with naturopathic doctors and dream about the future!

Phew, 'tis been a busy week.  Got to make the most of August before the craziness of year three begins!

Wishing you all productive yet fulfilling days this August! ...and thanks for making me a part of your day :)

Zucchini > Banana

Love the speckles of green throughout.

As much as I really try hard to be an environmentally conscious cook and eater (I buy local, do not waste, source ethically, choose organic if possible, eat with seasons, cook often at home, buy in bulk, eat a mostly vegan diet, only buy sustainable seafood and eggs, etc), I must admit that avocados, mangoes, and bananas still find their ways into in my kitchen from time-to-time.  Yep, these foods are not at all environmentally-friendly choices when you live in cold-climated Canada. 

I was thinking the other day about how much I love banana bread (proof: I have three banana bread recipes on this blog, click on the words to find them), but then I got thinking about zucchini bread and how it is very similar.  What's cool about zucchini, however, is that it is actually able to be grown in Canada. Another bonus: it is IN SEASON right now! I decided rather than making banana bread last week when I was craving it, to make zucchini bread using the zucchini I already had in the fridge from the farmers' market. And you know what? It was soooo good.  In fact, Ioved it so much that I am making it again today.  Hearty, cinnamon-y, and lightly sweet. Yum! Hmm, can zucchini bread be my new banana bread? Maybe, just maybe...

Zucchini Bread aka Banana-less Banana Bread

2 cups shredded or diced zucchini*

2 tablespoons oil (I used coconut)

1/4 cup apple sauce (I used unsweetened)

2 eggs, beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup water

Pinch of sea salt 

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 cup sugar (I used coconut sugar)

2 cups flour** (I used half sorghum and half all-purpose gfree)

1/2 cup walnuts, optional

Mix the drained and patted dry zucchini shreds with the oil, apple sauce, eggs, and water. Stir gently to mix.  Mix the dry ingredients in a big bowl.  Add the wet/zucchini mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir gently to combine. Place in a bread loaf pan, greased well or lined with parchment paper. Place in the oven at 200*F for 30 minutes to rise, then increase the heat to 350*F for another 30 minutes. Poke with a toothpick to test doneness (might not come out completely clean, however, especially if you poke into a strand of zucchinin!). Let cool completely on a wire rack, then slice using a sharp knife. Makes one loaf of zucchini bread or 14 thick slices. Store in the fridge to preserve the zucchini. Unfortunately, this bread doesn't freeze the best; the zucchini bits freeze and then thaw, leaving the bread soggy.

*Tossed with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and placed in a colander overnight to drain; pat dry before using
**If making gluten-free: add 3 tablespoons arrowroot powder and 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (only if using gluten-free flour).

It rose quite high! Quite the feat for a gluten-free bread.

Coocoo for Coconut.

  Coconut the ultimate superfood 

My-oh-my have we humans managed to exploit every last drop of goodness from this fruit (it isn't actually a nut). This one fruit has spawned at least ten different health products; products I use regularly and love.  Don't shy away from coconut products because of their 'high fat' content: the fat they contain is ridiculously healthy and actually can help with weight-loss. I'm here today with a summary of all the coconut goodies now available and how you can incorporate them into your life and diet.

Coconut Milk (Canned) - Creamy, smooth, and thick. Used in curries, both Indian and Thai. Cook rice in coconut milk for an extra creamy rice that is perfect to pair with a spicy curry or stew. Shake can before opening. Very mild coconut flavor.

Coconut Milk (Tetrapak) - This is sold as a replacement for moo-cow milk.  Sold with the soy and almond milk tetrapaks at major grocery stores.  Use in cereal or simply drink a glass on its own.  Sort of a rip-off, because this product is basically just watered down canned coconut milk.  Make your own for much cheaper by just buying the canned stuff and mixing it with water yourself.  Contains virtually no protein, so do not consider this as a true dairy replacement (if you do use it, make sure to get enough protein in your diet through other means).

Coconut Cream - Coconut milk that has the water removed. Very, very thick.  Often used in dairy-free baking, in place of heavy cream.

Coconut Flakes - Coconut flakes are a type of shredded coconut (you can buy finely shredded coconut (dessicated) or thick pieces which are in fact, flakes).  Furthermore, you can buy sweetened and unsweetened varieties.

Coconut Meat - If you buy a whole coconut and whack it open, the inner white part is the coconut 'meat'. Feel free to just snack away on this flesh!  The meat is chewy and slightly juicy. When dried, it makes coconut flakes (see above).

Coconut Water - Coconut water is available in Tetrapaks at grocery stores. It is an electrolyte-rich drink, great for re-hydrating after exercise or a sweaty day.

Coconut Oil - Great for cooking because it is heat-resistant. An amazing replacement for butter in baking. Also great in homemade body products as it melts upon contact with human skin (solid at room temperature, smooth on skin!). No coconut flavor.

Coconut Butter - Part nut-butter, part oil.  This is a super creamy, super coconutty spread.  You can use it in the same ways that you would use coconut oil, but this product has way more coconut flavor.  Naturally sweet because it contains coconut meat that has been creamy. A wonderful product if you love coconut flavor.

Coconut Flour - A gluten-free and grain-free flour.  Very soft; creates delicate baked goods. Be careful with moisture, because this flour absorbs liquid. 

Coconut Sugar - No coconut flavor. An alternative to refined sugar. Made from crystallized coconut sap. Contains more nutrients than white sugar; less processed. No coconut flavor.

 When I was young, my Mom used to make me oatmeal, but in order to find it palatable, I used to add lots of brown sugar and dairy cream (18% milk fat).  It was such a treat because the sugar melted and got all caramel-like.  Well, I had a craving for that same concoction, but seeing as I've cleaned up my diet quite a bit since then, I turned to the fabulous coconut to recreate this childhood dish.  Organic oats, coconut milk, and coconut sugar. Coconut to the rescue!

 

Tasted just like the good ol' days :)

Progressive Dinner.

Last week, I organized a Progressive Dinner with some of my CCNM classmates.  A Progressive Dinner is a dinner-party, only instead of one friend hosting the dinner, everyone hosts the dinner!  It's like a Pub Crawl, only with food. You start at one person's place for appetizers, then move to the next house for salad or soup, then the main course is served at yet another house, and lastly, a final friend completes the night by serving dessert in his or her home. You can modify who makes what and how many courses depending on the number of people attending. It works well if you all live in relatively close proximity to each other, which was the case with this particular group of classmates. It is quite fun to not only visit each others's dwelling as the night progresses, but also you get to try a variety of different foods along the way!

Here is a recap (in pictures) of the dinner:

Appetizer 1: Cucumber-Soba-Sesame Stacks, courtesy of A.

Appetizer 2: Black Bean Salsa and Chips, courtesy of T.

Appetizer 3: Spring Rolls with Spicy Sauce, courtesy of M.

Main Course: Burrito Bowls (do-it-yourself), courtesy of L. 

Dessert: Salted Caramel Squares, made by me!

I made Salted Caramel Squares based off of this recipe but I made the following changes: all purpose gluten-free flour instead of almond flour, maple syrup in place of honey, no xylitol (used more coconut sugar), coconut oil instead of butter in the crust, 3/4 cup of coconut milk (not coconut cream, but then I omitted the extra honey in the caramel), and 100 g of 90% dark chocolate melted on top instead of carob. The picture is awfully bright (I took it outside, opps!), but if you zoom-in you can see some gooey caramel oozing out.  My first time making caramel (it was so good too and not hard!). Hands-down one of the best desserts I ever made. By the way, if you love the combination of salty & sweet, then you'll fall in love with these bars. Sea salt & chocolate is a surprisingly heavenly combination.