Vegan Pumpkin Cake with Dates

I adapted this recipe from Veganomicon.

Vegan Pumpkin Cake with Dates

Streusel:
1/2 cup pitted medjool dates
1/3 cup regular oats
1/3 cup pecans
pinch of sea salt

Process in the food processor until crumbly. Set aside.

Cake:
1 (15-oz) can pureed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
3/4 cup almond milk
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 cups pitted medjool dates
2 teaspoons vanilla extract


2 2/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 Tbl baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
Blend the wet ingredients plus medjool dates in blender until dates well blended.
Whisk together dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add wet ingredients from the blender until well mixed.
Spread mixture into pan. Top with streusel.
Cook for 45 to 50 minutes until knife inserted in middle comes out clean.


** This is my hubby's all time favorite cake!! A real winner.

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins with dates

I adapted this recipe from the cookbook, The Happy Herbivore.

1 1/4 cup whole wheat Pastry Flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa flour

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 ripe banana, mashed

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup to 1 cup medjool dates, pitted

1/4 cup almond milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup shredded zucchini

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease muffin tin.

2. In medium bowl whisk together flour, soda, baking powder, cocoa, salt, and cinnamon together.

3. In you blender puree the dates with the applesauce and almond milk.

4. In another bowl mash the banana. Then stir in the blender mixture with the banana.

5.Add the dry mixture to the wet and stir until just combined.

6. Fill muffin cups to 3/4 full.

7. Bake for 18 to 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

* This recipe makes about 12 muffins. I doubled the recipe and I think that made pureeing the dates with the liquid easier.

** These got a thumbs up from most of the people here. I used the lesser amount of dates and I think they were just sweet enough but if you guys are just coming off sugar you might want to use the larger amount.

Cowboy Caviar

This is one of my kids all times favorites. It is really a dip or side dish but my kids ask for it for dinner all the time. I got this recipe from my friend, Risa.

Cowboy Caviar

1 (15 oz ) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, drained
2 large tomatoes, chopped (or 4 roma tomatoes)
1 large avocado, chopped
1/4 to 1/2 red onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped


Dressing:
1 TBSP red wine vinegar
3-4 Tbsp lime juice
3/4 - 1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:
1. Combine first 6 ingredients in large bowl. Mix dressing in separate small bowl and then mix into other ingredients.
2. Cover and chill

Banana Wheat Germ Muffins with dates

This is another great recipe that I adapted from Isa Chandra Moskowitz. A key here to getting them really sweet is using pretty ripe bananas.

Banana Wheat Germ Muffins with dates

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 tsp Apple cider Vinegar

2 Bananas, very ripe

1/3 cup coconut oil

1/3 cup Medjool dates, pitted

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1¼ cups Whole-wheat pastry flour

3/4 cup Wheat Germ

2 tsp Baking powder

1 tsp Ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp Sea Salt

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease 12 cup muffin tin.
• Add vinegar to almond milk and set aside for 5 minutes to curdle.
• Combine flour, wheat germ, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a medium mixing bowl. 
• Mash bananas in a large mixing bowl.
• In the blender blend almond milk, coconut oil, dates, and vanilla
• Add blender contents to the mashed banana.
• Next add the dry ingredients and using a wooden spoon combine just until the dry ingredients are moistened. DO NOT overmix.
• Fill the muffin tin 3 quarters full and bake for 22 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove and set aside to cool. Once the muffins are cool enough to handle remove them onto wire rack and let cool completely

** You can throw some chopped walnuts into these as well.

Vegan Coconut Lemon Bundt Cake - made with dates

This is one of those recipes that helps you to know that you never have to go back to eating refined sugars. This cake is really, really, really good. (Did I mention that it is really good?)

I tweaked this recipe from the cookbook, Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. She is an amazing vegan chef, by the way. If you ever come across any of her recipes, give them a try!

Vegan Coconut Lemon Bundt Cake - made with dates

1 2/3 cups pitted medjool dates
2/3 cups coconut oil (use virgin to add to the coconut flavor)
1 (14 oz. can of coconut milk (reg or light - both work)
1/4 cup almond milk (unsweetened)
1/3 cup lemon juice
3 Tblsp finely grated lemon zest (really helps bring out lemon flavor)
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350F. Light grease bundt pan.

In blender blend dates, coconut milk, coconut oil, almond milk, vanilla, lemon juice until smooth.

In large bowl whisk together dry ingredients with the lemon zest. Add the blended wet ingredient. Fold in shredded coconut.

Pour batter in pan and bake for 1 hour or until knife inserted in cake comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes and then remove from pan.

Date Sweetened Apple Muffins

These are vegan, sugar free, and no fat.

1 1/4 Cups Whole Wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 -2 tsp cinnamon ( we like on the lower end)
few dashes of ground nutmeg
few dashes of ground ginger (optional)
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup pitted medjool dates
1 cup chopped apples

Directions:
1. Preheat oven 350F. Grease muffin tin or use liners.
2. In a large bowl whisk flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices until well combined.
3. Process dates and applesauce in food processor until smooth.
4. Add applesauce mixture to dry ingredients until almost combined.
5. Stir in apple pieces until just combined.
6. Spoon into muffin cups about 3/4 full.
7. Bake for 18-25 minutes.

**This is my husband's favorite muffin recipe. I adapted this from a recipe in the book "The Happy Herbivore."

Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta

To me there are few things yummier than a creamy tomato sauce. When I found this recipe on ohsheglows.com I was so excited and I wasn't disappointed. This is a great blog if you haven't checked it out before. I have gotten a lot of good recipes from there.

Easy Tomato Basil Cream Pasta

Lightly adapted from Vegan Yum Yum.
Yield: 4-6 servings
Ingredients:

• 1 16 oz box  uncooked whole grain spaghetti
• 2 large ripe tomato or 4 smaller tomatoes
• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 - 2 tsp salt, or to taste
• 3-4 tbsp water
• 1-2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup packed fresh basil, finely chopped ( or several shakes of dried basil)

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Chop tomato and add it to the blender (including skin and seeds). Now add the cashews, water, and tomato paste. Blend until smooth.
2. Add your pasta to boiling water and cook pasta according to package directions.
3. Meanwhile, add olive oil to a large skillet and heat to low. Add the minced garlic and sauté for a few minutes being careful not to burn it.
4. Pour the sauce from the blender into the skillet, stir, and bring to a simmer. Add the salt and let it cook for 4-5 minutes, watching closely. Then add water
5. Remove sauce from heat and stir in the chopped basil and pepper. Add the drained pasta back in the pot and now gradually add pasta sauce until your desired amount is achieved. Stir and serve immediately.

* I have doubled her original recipe. Find hers here.
** It may seem like a lot of salt but believe me - without it, it will not taste all that spectacular.

*** This is SOOOOOOO good!!!

Date Sweetened Apple Cobbler - You can thank me later

I combined parts of two different recipes here and here  (you will have to download her raw dessert recipes) and changed them to use dates as a sweetener and I came up with this. IT IS SO AWESOME. Seriously, you will be eternally grateful for this one.

Date Sweetened Apple Cobbler with Cashew Cream

Preheat oven to 400F and grease 9x13 pan with coconut oil.

Apple Filling

5 medium apples

1/2 cup medjool dates

1tsp. cinnamon

juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tsp. sea salt

Slice 4 apples in thin slices and stick them in a bowl. Coarsely chop up the 5th apple and put it in the blender. Add the remaining of the ingredients in the blender with the 1 apple and blend them until smooth. You might need to add a little water to get it to blend. You can also use your food processor.

Mix the sliced apples with the blended mix and then spread in a 9x13 pan.

Cobbler Topping

1 cup almonds

1/2 cup rolled oats

2/3 cup medjool dates

1 tbsp coconut oil

pinch of sea slat

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Process the almonds by themselves a little in your food processor and then add the rest of the ingredients. Don't over process, you want the topping to be crumbly.

Put the topping over the apples.

Cover the pan with foil - poke some holes in it and bake for about 40 minutes.

Cashew Cream

1/2 cup soaked cashews (

soak for about 1 hour)

1 tsp. coconut oil

1 tsp. vanilla

2 medjool dates

Almond milk to help blend

You can do this in your blender or food processor. Slowly add almond milk till you get the consistency you want. I like mine thick.

Allow cobbler to cool for about 15 minutes before serving - it will be super hot. Top with the cashew cream

** Don't forget to put the foil on or you will burn a little bit of your topping like I did!!

** Words cannot express how good this was.

A Tale of 2 Tabouleh salads

So I think in America people call this salad Tabouli but Arabs call it Tabouleh, so that's what we call it around here. I love the tabouleh salad my husband's mom used to make. My first attempt making it was a nightmare but I eventually figured it out. Then I found a tabouleh recipe in one of my raw food recipe books  that used quinoa (but I cook the quinoa) instead of wheat bulgar. Lately I have made that version more but I will give you both versions.

Traditional Tabouleh
1 cup of wheat bulgur ( I used fine- soak bulgur in hot water until soft about 20-30 minutes, then drain excess water - I used a clean smaller bowl to push the water out, the bulgur would fall through a strainer)
1 bunch parsley - chopped
1 bunch green onions - chopped - green parts too
4 roma tomatoes - chopped
2 1/2 cucumbers - chopped
(some people add 1/2 green pepper - chopped)
Salt to taste (don't over do it)
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil


Mix everything in a big bowl. 

*My husband likes his with a little more lemon juice. Taste it and add more if you like.

Quinoa Tabouleh (adapted from Raw Food/Real World: 100 Recipes to Get the Glow )

1 cup uncooked quinoa (cook according to package)
1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1 cup diced cucumber
1 cup chopped roma tomato
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup chopped parsley

Toss all ingredients together

* I never measure the amount of veggies. I just put in as much as I like. I like a lot of parsley so I put in more.

Roasted Sweet Potato Corn Soup

My friend linked this recipe on her facebook wall and I thought I would try it. I am glad I did because it has become one of our favorite soup recipes ever!!

Roasted Sweet Potato and Corn Soup

• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• salt and pepper to taste

 

• 1 (12 ounce) package frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 1/2 cups finely diced celery
• 1 cup diced red onion 
• 1/4 cup shallot, minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 potato, peeled and cubed
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Place the sweet potatoes into a 9x13 inch baking dish, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, and season with salt and pepper. Stir to coat the sweet potatoes in oil.
2. Roast in the preheated oven until the sweet potatoes are golden and tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir occasionally as they cook so the sweet potatoes cook evenly.
3. Meanwhile, measure out 1 cup of corn kernels and set aside. Place the remaining corn into a blender, and puree with the water until smooth; set aside.
4. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the celery, onion, and shallot. Cook and stir until the onion has softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and dried thyme leaves; cook 1 minute more. Pour in the vegetable broth, corn puree, bay leaf, salt, and cubed potato. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the potato is tender, 25 to 35 minutes.
5. Once the potato is tender, remove and discard the bay leaf. Stir in the whole corn kernels, sweet potato, and chopped parsley. Return to a simmer and season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.

* In this pic I served the soup over Quinoa just to fill ourelves up more but the second time I made it we just ate it like a soup with some garlic bread.

** I have made this with the red onion and then another time with yellow onion and I think the red onion tastes better.

*** You will probably want to double this recipe.

*** This was a winner with the entire family, even baby G.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

I stole these pics off my sister's blog but I was the one who gave her the recipe in the first place so I don't feel bad... I originally got this recipe from greensmoothiegirl.com

The salad:

Fresh Baby Spinach 4-6 oz.

Fresh Strawberries, about 15, sliced

1/4-1/2 cup pecans, chopped

The dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1/8 cup honey

1/2 Tbl poppy seeds

dash of paprika

Combine all the ingredients and serve or refrigerate until ready to eat!

** This salad is great for summer and you can mix this dressing up for any green/fruit combination you can think of.

Short on time?? - 5 minute dinner

Are you short on time? Apparently I am because I cannot seem to blog for 2 weeks. Oh well. I cannot tell you how many times I have eaten this dish in the last few weeks. I mean it is such a ridiculously easy recipe that I feel silly putting it on here but maybe it will help someone.

Cous Cous with Beans

1 cup whole wheat cous cous
1- 2 cans beans ( I like black beans and/or pinto)
Favorite salsa

Boil 1 cup of water with a dash of salt. When the water boils take it off the heat and stir in the couscous. Let couscous sit for 5 minutes. While cous cous is sitting open up the can of beans and drain  and rinse them. You can heat up the beans in the microwave if you want.

In individual bowls mix together couscous, beans and some of your favorite salsa. You can top with shredded cheese if you want.

* I have been eating this as a quick lunch and I have even made it for dinner a few times with little complaining. It seriously takes 5 minutes.

** My favorite salsa is this one from Costco.

Weigh in - Constant Vigilance!!! and Roasted Cauliflower with couscous

So in the last 2 weeks I have lost another 2.5 lbs. I have officially reached my goal weight. YAY!!! But now I want to lose more. And I want to start being able to weight lift because I need to get toned. I have been really consistent with my exercise in the last few weeks but I worry about adding weights back in for fear of hurting my back. Oh well, we'll see how I feel in the next month or so...


Are you getting tired of hearing about my struggles to lose weight. I think listening to other people talk about this sometimes can be really tiresome. So please let me know if I am GETTING ON YOUR NERVES!!


One more thought about weight. I have finally accepted that I just have to be really strict with myself to be at the weight I want. Sometimes I see other people eating yummy junk food and I get jealous that they can eat that stuff and not get fat. But I can't. That's just the way my body is and there is really no point in boo hooing about it. In reality I don't want all that junk food because although it tastes good it is not good for me and I have to remind myself I really am not missing anything. So to channel Mad Eye Moody, CONSTANT VIGILANCE is basically what is required of me and so be it. ( Yes, now you know I am a Harry Potter geek)

Roasted Cauliflower with Cous Cous

Adapted from a Better Homes and Gardens recipe

Marinade:
juice from two limes or lemons
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Veggies:
1 head cauliflower, chopped into large florets
2 zucchini or yellow squash, cut in 1/2 inch slices
1 red onion, cut 1/2 inch slices

Brush marinade generously onto veggies. Roast in oven at about 400 degrees in a 9X13 pan for about 15 -20 minutes, or until cauliflower is the softness you like.

Serve over couscous. You can drizzle more marinade after you dish it up and top with parsley.

** I really love this one. I really like cooked cauliflower. My kids just tolerate this one.

A compromise - no bake chocolate rice crispy treats

So a few weeks ago my sister-in-law and her six boys came to visit for a week and a half. Yes, I said six boys. And you know what? It was awesome! We used paper plates the whole time (sorry Earth), My SIL and her boys did my dishes the whole time (my kitchen has never been so consistently clean) and the younger boys played with my girls the whole time. I actually had more free time because they took over all my jobs for me. It was awesome. Plus they are a really fun family so it was great. I was a little nervous about what to feed them. I made them some of my vegan recipes and I got thumbs up on most of them. The one issue we had was the lack of sweets in my house. One of my nephews ( I won't name names) was convinced he was having headaches from sugar withdrawals. It's called detox, buddy!!  :) At one point they were skyping with some of their other cousins and one of my nephews shouted out (kind of in a panicky, help me voice) "They have no sugar here!!!"

But I did make them sweets. I am not totally mean. I made them fudge balls and chocolate smoothies and this recipe from Greensmoothie girl:


No Bake Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats

1 cup almond butter, peanut butter, or sunflower seed butter ( I usually use peanut butter)
1/2 cup raw honey or agave
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 Tbsp vanilla
1/4 tsp sea salt
6 cups puffed brown rice ( can find at health food stores)

Cream together wet ingredients in large bowl by hand. Add flaxseed, cocoa, salt and blend. Add crisped rice and stir until evenly mixed.

Spread onto greased (with coconut oil) 9x13 pan. Then put in freezer for at least 30minutes. Cut into squares.

** This recipe is a compromise recipe to me because I really only want to use dates for sweeteners but sometimes my girls want more so I make these. I have also been known to let thme eat this as cereal in the mornings. Sometimes...Not all the time...

Sprout Love

I'm back... (Cue screaming) So I have been kind of dead to the Internet lately. We had family visiting from out of town (more on that later) and I just didn't feel like I would be a great hostess if I was on the computer a ton doing my blog. So that is my excuse. But I really don't feel like I need excuses. I mean I will blog when I feel like it, okay??? If I sound a little bit snippy it is because my husband is out of town and I get kind of grouchy when he is gone. Yet another excuse. ANYWAY...

The good news is I finally started using my sprouter that my wonderful sister-in-law bought me a couple of years ago. Remember the one that has been sitting on my counter for forever?? Anyhow, wouldn't you know it, it really isn't that hard to sprout. So we can just add sprouting to my list of easy things that I needlessly procrastinate doing.

So here is the low down on sprouting... You can sprout seeds, nuts, legumes, beans, etc... Just soak what you want to sprout overnight in filtered water. I just did it in a regular bowl. The next day drain and rinse them using a fine mesh strainer. Then if you have a sprouter (which I suggest getting) you just lay them out on the tray and rinse them morning and night for a few days until they have nice long sprouts. Different things take different times to sprout. You can find this information in your sprouting kit instructions or online.

I have this sprouter,

which I recommend for a couple of reasons. 1. It's the only one I have ever used. 2. The tray drains easily with it's built in holes and then when you are done sprouting you can just stick the tray in the fridge with the lid on and they will keep for a while that way.

You can stick the sprouts in salads, wraps, and even smoothies. A loves them so much she just eats them plain. But she is a little weird. I mean that kid inhales salads.

Weigh in, keeping track, and sweet potato fries

So I weighed myself this morning and I lost 3 pounds last week. I am very happy. So far I have lost 14 pounds. I am almost to my goal weight but I would like to go even lower. We'll see. It is kind of boring to talk about my weight so much so  I will stop.

So last week I kind of threw out the challenge of keeping a food journal. Did anyone do it? I did, although not faithfully the whole week. But I will tell you, keeping a journal really keeps you honest with yourself and helps you to realize a lot of things about your eating patterns.

So here is a sample of one of my days last week. I could do the whole week but that would be boring and long to type and I am a bit lazy. So there you have it.

Friday May 6 I ate:
Breakfast - oatmeal with almond milk and a banana
Lunch - Green smoothie, green salad with hard boiled egg
Dinner - stuffed grape leaves, Caesar salad, and some kale chips

 As I was looking back at my journal I realized that I actually didn't do a great job keeping track all week. So I am going to renew my efforts this week. and I renew my challenge to you: keep a food journal for one day. You can do it!!

Anyhow here is a yummy and easy recipe:

Sweet Potato Fries

5 - 6 sweet potatoes, sliced like fries
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 tsp sea salt

Put the oil and salt in a large zip lock bag and mix up. Then dump in sliced fries and mix up with the oil. Bake on a oiled cookie sheet at 425 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes. Flipping once during cooking time. You might want to cook them longer if you like them really crispy.

* The coconut oil is really yummy with these!

Variation on a Theme: Oats for breakfast

I eat some form of oats almost every morning for breakfast. Boring, you say? Easy, I say. Breakfast is the one meal of the day I don't have to put too much thoughtinto (not to mention time.) And oats are great for you. So here are 3 ways we do oats at our house.

1. Rolled oats - or old fashioned oats. You can get these at any store. Don't get quick oats - they are even more processed. You can do these on the stove top or just microwave an individual serving. I think a key to good tasting oatmeal is putting in a bit of sea salt.

2. Steel cut oats - even less processed than rolled oats. You can get these at most stores. I think it is more cost effective to get from the bulk bins. We do these on the stove top. The proportions are 1 cup oats to 2 cups water. Add water and oats  and a few dashes of sea salt to a pot. Bring to a boil and then turn off the heat. Cover the pot and leave it on the burner. Let sit for about 20 minutes or until most of the water is absorbed.

3. Raw Oat Groats - the least processed. We get these in the bulk section of the health food store. Soak these over night. In the morning rinse them in a fine mesh strainer. Here is the recipe:

1 cup oat goats
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup pitted dates
few dashes of sea slat.

Blend.

All of these taste great with almond milk and whatever else you like. But try not to add any other sweeteners. Oats taste great with bananas, strawberries, blueberries, flax meal, nuts, cinnamon, etc...

Date Syrup and a Vinaigrette recipe

So in my quest to only use dates to sweeten my dishes I came across this video from the raw chef. This will make a date syrup that you can use to replace maple syrup, agave, or honey in recipes. The date syrup is not as sweet as those other sweeteners so you might want to add a little more or you might just like your recipes a bit less sweet than usual.


Date Syrup
1 cup pitted medjool dates (soak them in the water for a while if you don't have a high power blender)
1 cup water


Blend water and dates in blender until nice syrupy texture. (See video)


You can store this in jar in your fridge to have on hand to add to your recipes.


Here is a vinaigrette recipe that uses the date syrup:


Balsamic Date Vinaigrette (adapted from ohsheglows)


2 1/2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
2 TBSP date syrup
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 clove minced garlic (optional)
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil


*** Don't forget to exercise this week.!!!

Mejaddarah - Lentils and Rice

This dish was my first experience with Arabic food and it made me fall in love with lentils. This is a very easy but delicious dish. To be authentic you would serve this with some yogurt or salad. We eat it with salad.

Mejaddarah

2 cups lentils
1 large onion chopped
2 onions crescent sliced
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup olive oil or refined coconut oil
2 cups brown rice
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
2- 3 cloves garlic minced

Boil lentils in water to cover for 90 minutes or until tender. Fry chopped onion and garlic in oil until soft. Add to cooked lentils and season to taste with salt and pepper, and cumin.

Add the rice and about 3 cups of water and mix in with lentils. Bring to a boil and then simmer with lid on until rice is soft and liquid is absorbed. Add a little more boiling water if needed.

Fry the sliced onion in 2 tbsp of oil until they are brown - low heat. Put sliced onions on top when serving.

* I use coconut oil because it doesn't become carcinogenic when you heat it.
** You do need quite a bit of salt, preferably sea salt.
*** My kids scarf this up.

Best Dessert Ever and how to slice an orange

Wait for it... Fruit!


Since I have been trying to lose weight, I have been really trying to cut back on sweets and of course then I crave them more. And interestingly enough, I have not been craving fruit at all. Lately, I just haven't wanted to eat it. I mean fruit just hasn't seemed appealing at all. But I just make myself eat it. I know this sounds weird. Anyhow, so these times when I have been craving sweets I make myself eat fruit, specifically an orange. And you know what, most of the times that satisfies my craving.


Fruit used to be almost the only dessert we ever ate. In the past year as I  have been experimenting with unrefined sugars we have been eating a lot of treats. I think, perhaps, too many. I have really felt this need lately to get back to basics, to simplify my life and to get all these sweets OUT OF MY HOUSE!!

Now I am not saying that everyone should only eat fruit as a treat but for a while we want to really cut back on sweets over here. So we have decided to just have fruit and the occasional chocolate smoothie.

Some of our favorite fruits for dessert are - oranges, grapes, pears, and apples with peanut butter.

The other night A. had the idea to make a fruit salad and she was really proud of herself so she had me take a picture. I made a simple "cream" sauce to put on it made from almonds, cashews, water, and dates.


A few years ago a friend of mine showed me a better way to cut oranges and it changed my life. This way it is so much easier to eat all of the orange without getting too messy. Here are some pictures to show you how.

Start with the orange sideways then slice it like this:

You will end up with circles...

Then cut the circles in half...

You end up with this..

and this...

You can basically rip the fruit out with your teeth...

And you are left with nothing but peel...