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Quick and Easy Tomato Sauce

11/19/2014

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Store bought tomato sauce just doesn't taste that good.  It is also full of hidden ingredients like gmo vegetable or soybean oils, refined sugars etc.  This is a quick and easy tomato sauce recipe that is very clean and delicious.

Ingredients

·         1 medium onion diced

·         3 cloves minced garlic

·         ¼ cup red wine or 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

·         2 cups fresh diced tomatoes (Tip - cut stems out and toss in a food processor and pulse till diced)

·         ¼ cup tomato paste (from glass jar or BPA free can - we use Bio Italia from Centex)

·         1 tsp each of dried herbs or 1 tbsp each of fresh herbs – basil, oregano and parsley.  Can add 1/4 tsp chili pepper flakes if prefer a spicy sauce.

·         ½ tsp coconut sugar or Sucanat

·         Fresh pepper ground to taste

·         1/8 to ¼ cup raw, unfiltered olive oil

Heat a sauce pot over low to medium heat and add a small amount of coconut oil enough to coat the bottom of the pot.  Put onion and garlic in pot and cook over low to medium heat till onion is tender.  If using wine add next and let bubble for a few seconds then add everything else except olive oil.  Bring to a boil on medium/high heat and then reduce to low/medium heat.  Simmer for about 15 minutes or until sauce thickens.  Add olive oil and stir.  Puree if desired in the blender or use an immersion blender.


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Salad and Salad dressing

11/5/2014

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With salad and salad dressings there are endless possibilities.  Here's a basic salad idea and salad dressing.

Salad


·         1 cup lettuce: spinach, arugula, mixed greens, kale or boston leaf

·         1 cup vegetables: broccoli, cucumber, pepper, tomato, grated carrot, green onion

·         ½ cup protein: black beans, lentils, chickpeas, chicken, fish

·         ½ avocado for healthy fat

·         1/8 cup cheese (goat feta, goat cheese, sheep feta, sheep cheese, organic cheddar) optional

Cut vegetables and mix together.  Changing vegetables and protein makes a whole new salad.  Also, homemaking and changing the spices and vinegars for salad dressing can vary it as well.  Adding pear, apple or berries and raw nuts (like almonds, pecans, walnuts) and raw seeds (pumpkin, hemp hearts) is another option. 

Salad Dressing

·         ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

·         1-2 cloves minced garlic

·         2-3 tbsp apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar

·         1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice or 1-2 lemon wedges squeezed

·         1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

·         Tamari to taste

·         Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Add all ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.  Note: Can add spices like turmeric, basil, oregano, cumin, thyme, cayenne.  Store in jar in the fridge - oil may harden so either bring out before using or run jar under warm water to soften oil.


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Healthy Homemade "Nutella"

3/6/2013

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Neither one of us grew up eating Nutella which is probably for the best!  Recently, we looked at what was actually in Nutella and were totally appalled by the ingredients: sugar, palm oil, hazelnuts, cocoa, skim milk, reduced minerals whey (milk), lecithin as emulsifier (soy), vanillin: an artificial flavor.  The claims made are: no artificial colors and no artificial preservatives with over 50 hazelnuts in each jar of 13 oz.

So here is what's wrong with Nutella.  The number one ingredient is sugar!  Refined white sugar.  We already know why sugar is detrimental to our health.  (See our previous blog post on refined sugars).  Palm oil is okay but unnecessary as you will see below in our recipe.  (We are sure if you wanted to add some coconut, walnut or flax oil to your homemade version it may make the consistency a bit better but we like the way our's turned out).  Hazelnuts and cocoa are great!  Conventional cow dairy is filled with hormones and antibiotics so substituting for a homemade raw almond milk is much better for you.  Soy can be a common allergen and not to mention is one of the biggest GMO (genetically modified) crops out there.  Choose organic if you are having soy.  The last ingredient is possibly vanilla.  Why not just use real vanilla powder?  It's great that there are no artificial colors or preservatives but look at the rest of the ingredients!  The sad thing is that is food is fed mostly to children which we can't understand why you would ever want to give this to anyone.  Now for the healthy version.

Healthy Hazelnut Butter Recipe

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Makes about 1 cup. Double the recipe if you want more.
  • 1 cup of raw hazelnuts (filberts)
  • 2 tbsp cacoa powder (we use Organic Traditions brand)
  • 3 tbsp unpasteurized local honey
  • 2 tbsp almond milk (preferably raw homemade)
  • pinch of vanilla powder (we use Organic Traditions brand) (optional)
  • pinch of sea salt

Soak hazelnuts during the day for about 8 hours and dehydrate overnight for about 8 hours.  If you don't have a dehydrator, roast hazelnuts in the oven (approximately 100-200 degrees F for 30-60 minutes checking regularly). 

Add all ingredients to a food processor and process to desired consistency stopping to scrape down the sides.  Add more almond milk and healthy oil if desired.  Store in the fridge.

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Here it is spread on a homemade yeast-free, gluten and dairy free bread. Couldn't wait to try it as you can see! Delicious.
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Coconut Whipped "Cream"

10/23/2012

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Coconut whipped "cream" is delicious as a fruit dip, in homemade hot chocolate (recipe coming soon), on pies, cupcakes and pudding.  To learn about all the benefits of coconut and coconut milk click here.

You will need:
-1 can of full fat can coconut milk refrigerated for a few hours or overnight is even better **-The best brands are Native Forest or Natural Value which use BPA free lining in their cans**
-1/8 of a cup of unpasteurized local honey
-optional: pinch cinnamon and/or vanilla powder for more flavour (although we tend to make it plain but could be added for a fruit dip)

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Ensure you use a coconut milk that is full fat and has these ingredients and that it has been refrigerated for a few hours to ensure separation:

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Open can and scoop out thick coconut cream into a medium sized stainless steel bowl.  Ensure you avoid the liquid, as you only want the cream.  Pour the liquid into a glass jar and put in the fridge.  This coconut water can be added to any smoothies - we especially like it with mango.









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Add honey and whip with an electric beater - stop and scrape down the sides with a spatula.  (We're sure you can probably do the same thing by hand using a whisk).  Whip until desired consistency - about 2-5 minutes depending on how you like it.  Refrigerate until using.  Note: If you are using for cupcakes keep the cupcakes or cake in the fridge or ice as you eat.

This is also a great topping for a sundae or banana split.  Click here for our favourite coconut milk ice cream recipe.  If you want plain vanilla ice cream omit  the strawberries.  If you don't have an ice cream maker you can use a stainless steel bowl - put in the freezer overnight, follow the recipe and put in stainless steel bowl in the freezer and take out every 10-15 minutes and scrape down the sides until you have ice cream.

Below is the finished product - coconut whipped topping.  Enjoy!

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How to Make Your Own Ketchup!

8/23/2012

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We don’t eat a lot of ketchup – only on eggs and rarely on homemade veggie burgers.  We have noticed that it is really difficult to find a ketchup without a lot of sugar.  Ketchup is a condiment that is usually full of refined sugars or high fructose corn syrup both of which should have no part in our daily diets – so we decided why not make our own?  (See our previous blog post on refined sugars).  It’s very easy to do and you will get all the benefits of the tomatoes.  Tomatoes contain lycopene which is a powerful anti-oxidant, anti-cancer and cardiovascular protective. 

You will need: a food processor or blender, crockpot and the ingredients below.

Ingredients
3 cups of fresh tomato puree
1 small onion, chopped in quarter’s
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
1/4 cup honey or coconut sugar or 1/8 cup agave nectar
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon chili peppers or black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2-3 tbsp tomato paste

Place tomatoes in food processor to ensure you have 3 cups.  Then add all other ingredients to the food processor and process for 1-2 minutes and then place in crockpot and stir well.  Cover and turn on high for 2 – 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.  Remove the lid and transfer to a blender and puree until smooth.  Return to crock (if you used a blender or food processor) and cook on high uncovered for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until ketchup has reached desired consistency.  You want it to be nice and thick.  Place into clean mason jars and refrigerate or freeze.  This will keep in the refrigerator for about 2 months.

Below is the original recipe which we have adjusted to what we had on hand.
Adapted from: http://simplysugarandglutenfree.com/homemade-sugar-free-ketchup-recipe-slightly-indulgent-mondays/


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Unsure What to Do with Your Extra Cilantro? - Make Pesto

5/8/2012

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Cilantro is a great addition to many recipes but typically you only need a small amount and you end up with a lot left over and it usually goes to waste.  Well this is a treat because I’ve finally found something to do with the extra cilantro.  Cilantro pesto is a recipe that is cardiovascular protective because it contains nuts, garlic, olive oil and the cilantro itself is a great liver detoxifier helping balance cholesterol in the body.  I thought that it would be very bold in flavour since cilantro is a stronger tasting herb, however, I was pleasantly surprised at how mild it becomes when combined with the other ingredients. 

  Cilantro Pesto

·         ½ cup of raw almonds, cashews, pine nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, flaxseeds or pecans or a combination –I use a               combination of all of them except pine nuts

·         1-2 cloves of garlic

·         1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, washed and torn off stem, packed

·         2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

·         1/3 cup unfiltered raw olive oil

Put nuts in food processor, blender or magic bullet and process to make ½ cup.  Add all other ingredients and process.  If it gets to thick add ½-1 tbsp more of olive oil and process.  Serve over brown rice pasta or on veggie burgers (see recipe).

 

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    Chris and Darcie

    Health tips and delicious recipes.

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