Christmas appetizer (raw, vegan, gluten free, dairy free): Endive boats

I often find myself trying to come up with big convoluted recipe ideas. Then occasionally I put something really simple together and remind myself that it doesn't need to be such a big deal! This is one of those occasions.

Meet endive boats...otherwise known in our house as Pirate Boats (because I was trying to get the kids to eat them). Incidentally, each kid ate one, but there is a bitterness to endives (slight, nowhere near the bitterness of arugula) so that was all she wrote. For what you see above, I kept it very simple in the hopes that the kids would eat it. I loved these though, and can think of a thousand variations.

To serve a small group (8-10 adults):

Three ENDIVES
RED AND GREEN PEPPERS (for that festive touch)
whatever FRESH HERBS you have on hand (dill? parsley? coriander? mint? or ALL of the above!)
Other possible additions:
AVOCADO, CUCUMBERS, CHOPPED OLIVES, CAPERS, WALNUT PIECES, SUNFLOWER SEEDS DRIED FRUIT, ARTICHOKE HEARTS, HEARTS OF PALM, etc.

Lastly, you will need a dressing of your choice for marinating. I used my old standard Caesar salad dressing, because I thought the kids might like it, but my "quick fix" dressing is always the following:

EXTRA LIGHT VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
BALSAMIC VINEGAR (ratio of 3 oil to 1 acid- whether it's vinegar, lemon juice etc.)
DIJON (I use lots, but do it to taste).

Marinate the chopped veg/herbs etc., spoon onto endive leaves right before serving, and savour. :)

Christmas appetizer (raw, vegan, gluten free, dairy free): Endive boats

Gluten free, dairy free, vegan quesadillas, with raw sour cream and raw vegan "cheesy" nacho dip

Often Sometimes I try to put dinner together and fail miserably. Here's the thing: if I know it's super healthy, I eat it. While I'm pleased if it turns out to be yummy, I will still eat it if it's not. My children on the other hand, require much more coaxing. Here is a peek at our recent Quesadilla night, which I was sure would bomb, but ended up being delicious!

Here's the recipe:

Gluten and dairy free vegan quesadillas!

1- Chop and lightly steam whatever VEGGIES you have on hand (we did RED PEPPER and BROCCOLI). 

2- While they're steaming/cooling, make the tortilla spread (kids are eating whole wheat but I had brown rice for the gluten free version). Grind the following in your blender:

1 can BLACK BEANS (try Eden organics with no salt added)

drizzle of OLIVE OIL (whatever you need to get it smooth)

pinch of CHILI POWDER

pinch of SALT (to taste)

3- Make a little assembly line where you smooth on the black bean "butter" to each TORTILLA, and scoop some veggies onto each one then close. Put each enchilada on parchment paper on a heavy baking tray. Put another sheet of parchment paper on top of the tray and put another tray on top. If your trays aren't very heavy, you may want to add a glass baking dish or something else to weigh it down.  Bake at 400 until you can start to smell them browning. This may take 15 or more minutes. Then uncover for the final "crisping up".

PS- for anyone not familiar with parchment paper, you cannot sub in wax paper. If you don't have any, use foil, but get parchment paper. Anything that goes in your oven can go on it and will never stick!

4- While those are baking, you might consider making either one of the following (or both!) for dipping:
Raw sour cream
In a blender or food processor, grind the following:
1 cup RAW SUNFLOWER SEEDS
1 cup WATER
juice of 1/2 LEMON
1 tsp SALT
1 tsp ONION POWDER

Raw vegan "nacho cheese" dip
Averie's "Spicy Doritos" Cheezy Dip 
1/3 C SUNFLOWER SEEDS
1/2 C HEMP SEEDS (if you don't have these, use Cashews, all Sunflower Seeds, or try Sesame Seeds. Mix & Match your seeds as necessary)
1/4 C NUTRITIONAL YEAST
1/2 of a RED PEPPER
3 Tbsp LEMON JUICE 1/2 Tsp SALT (or to taste)
1/2 Tsp CHILI POWDER (add more to taste if desired)
1/8 Tsp CAYENNE (add more to taste if desired)

Once you put all that together, here's what it looks like (terrible photo but you get the idea- I also served it with salsa verde). The key to getting it to all "stick" without the cheese seems to be the sandwiching while it's cooking. Bon appetit!

Gluten free, dairy free, vegan quesadillas, with raw sour cream and raw vegan "cheesy" nacho dip

Healthy, homemade Christmas gift ideas

• For a handful of healthy, homemade gift ideas, read on. 
• Would you like some ideas on how to avoid overindulging during the holidays? Read my post on how not to fall off the wagon this holiday season.
• Click these links for more information on how you can make small concessions that lead to better health, and more ideas on how to maintain a healthy weight through optimal nutrition.

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Are you looking at your list of loved ones this year, wondering how you'll manage all those people? Has the thought of making homemade gifts crossed your mind? How about something from your kitchen that is super healthy and yummy that you can share with them?

I have been chatting with my friend Lexie of Lexie's Kitchen about doing a joint post. Now, Lexie is marvellously busy with an initiative called Share Our Holiday Table—a virtual, progressive fundraising dinner designed to raise awareness of child hunger in the U.S. This event is being hosted by Share Our Strength®—a national organization that works hard to make sure no child in America grows up hungry. Check out Share our Strength and consider making a donation to children in need. 

So, on behalf of both of us, I want to highlight a few things I think would make great gifts this season:

1- Lexie's chili seasoning: Imagine buying bulk spices and lining up a few jars on your counter, measuring out the ingredients into each one. It'd be kind of like a little assembly line. Tag each one with a small piece of cardstock that includes her fabulous chili recipe. That's an instant dinner idea for the lucky recipient! 

2- Roasting spice rub: I stumbled across the recipe I talked about in my roasted organic chicken post and we loved it so much, we made the rub in mass quantities for use on anything roasted. Do you have any idea how delicious brussel sprouts are when they're roasted in the oven with this spice? Mr. Pick-it-up and I actually fight over brussel sprouts. I'm not kidding. So, I've worked out the math, and here's how to make enough for a lovely little jar full (the small mason jars- about 1/2 the regular jam-jar size): 

1/4 cup SEA SALT (the chunky stuff)

3 tablespoons COCONUT SUGAR

1.5 teaspoons GROUND CLOVES

1.5 teaspoons GROUND ALLSPICE

1.5 teaspoons GROUND NUTMEG

1.5 teaspoons GROUND CINNAMON

While I look at that 1/4 cup of salt and think "woah", it's actually significantly less than the recipe calls for. Plus you're only using a tsp or two when you make anything roasted. :)

3- COOKIES! Who would turn down a nice little tin of homemade cookies?? I recently made these Scandinavian thumbprint cookies from the Spunky Coconut. They were really nice, and easy to make. They are kind of cake-like, with that yummy blob of jam in the middle. Mmmmm. Plus when you give something that does NOT have refined flours or sugars, you cannot be held responsible for your gift-ee's holiday bloat. :) That's guilt-free gifting, folks! You might also try Double dark chocolate chip cookies (dairy free, refined sugar free, gluten free).

4- And last but not least, if your beloveds are into cosmetics of a more natural style, why not treat them to a jar of Lexie's homemade natural deodorant? It's funny, I've been sitting on this post for a few days and Lex beat me to it. Check out her most recent post for more information on this pretty little gift. :) 

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season so far. We're in full swing here; not much opportunity to be a scrooge when the snow is falling in big fluffy clumps outside and we're seeing even more of our favourite people. If you're looking for a great treat to make at home, incidentally, I made these raw vegan milky way bars last week. They were KILLER!!!! The kids think they're real chocolate bars (though mine look nothing like the ones in this picture, let's be honest). I wouldn't advise making these for a gift because they get pretty drippy when they've been out of the freezer for a few minutes. Logistically, it wouldn't work out well. A note on the recipe: I found that I had way too much chocolate and caramel for the amount of base I made. I would advise increasing the amounts in the nougat portion by 1/3 the recipe so that it all balances out. Notice I didn't suggest reducing the amount of chocolate and caramel because hey- that's just crazy talk...

Kirsten

Healthy, homemade Christmas gift ideas

Recipes: Tropical banana mint madness smoothie, and scalloped potatoes (gluten and easily dairy free)

So, I've decided to try and cram in as many smoothies as I can during the Fri-Sun time period. I had one friday, yesterday I had a green smoothie and a banana chocolate smoothie, and today I had one for breakfast.

Here's today's breakfast smoothie:
Tropical banana mint madness
Into your blender, throw the following-
1 zucchini
1 handful each fresh parsley and coriander
8-10 leaves fresh mint
1 handful sunflower sprouts
1/2 lemon (peeled- not juice only)
4 coconut milk "ice cubes"
1 frozen banana
water (to facilitate blending and to thin to desired texture).

Oh...my...heavens..this is AMAZING. Sweet, and ALIVE. There's no other way to describe that taste. YUMMY!!!!

After another  dinner was a bbq'd tuna steak, bbq'd brussel sprouts, steamed broccoli and scalloped potatoes. YUM!

Scalloped potatoes (gluten free, milk free)
Ingredients:
3 large russet potatoes
1 onion
pinch saffron
1 TB dried basil
1 1/2 TB all purpose gluten free flour mix
2 cups unsweetened organic almond milk
2 TB butter (sub coconut oil for a completely dairy free option- small amounts of organic butter don't seem to bother me so we're going that route)
salt/pepper to taste
GF bread crumbs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease glass baking dish with either butter or coconut oil. Slice potatoes and onion and layer with a little salt/pepper between layers.
In a sauce pan, melt butter (or coconut oil). Add saffron and basil, and a little salt/pepper. Stir while heating on med/low for a minute, then add in the flour. Stir for another minute or two then add the almond milk (or other "milk" option). Simmer for 5 minutes, or until it thickens slightly, then pour over potatoes.  Top with bread crumbs (I made mine by grinding up GF croutons that were already flavoured with garlic and basil).
Cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes, then uncover and continue baking until it browns and softens. You may need to splash on a little extra almond milk if it dries out.

YUM!

Recipes: Tropical banana mint madness smoothie, and scalloped potatoes (gluten and easily dairy free)