Archive for the ‘Recipes: Gluten Free, Vegan & Soy Free’ Category

Fast Recovery… Berry Smoothie

It seems that every time I turn around, or pick up a magazine/nutrition journal, someone is touting the benefits of a recovery meal directly after competition.

In my brief stint at Oregon, before quitting law school, the athletic department’s nutritionist required us to either down a “Balance Shake” in a can or a bar immediately following a hard workout. She wasn’t entirely fond of me since I refused to ingest these products. Not only did they contain dairy products, but they were loaded with the dreaded HFC (high fructose corn syrup) and coated with hydrogenated oils (trans-fats). GROSS. This wasn’t the stone age either- it was the fall of 2002. And, she was supposed to be a nutritionist! (Never mind that she was overweight herself, probably from snacking on too many of these free bars and shakes that were given to the school as some kind of promotional deal….)

Instead, my compromise was that I would bring along a Clif bar or almond butter and jam sandwich. These wholesome snacks, however, were very hard for me to consume after really exerting myself… especially if it was hot. I have a terribly sensitive stomach! And hard efforts make me nauseous. To be honest, for most of my running life, I have avoided eating anything for quite some time after a strenuous workout. I have also always been known by my coaches for slow recoveries.

And that is something I would like to change.

There is frankly too much evidence available now about muscle breakdown and recovery for me to neglect this aspect of training any longer. I have forced myself to get over my food aversion mostly through liquid forms of energy replacement. Bellow is a recipe for the smoothie that I consumed today after a moderately-paced 16 miler. It was sunny and hot toward the end, and I felt really zapped of fluid.

Recovery Smoothie

In a blender:
24 oz filtered water
1/4 C unsweetened cranberry juice
1.5 C of organic frozen mixed berries
2 tsp stevia powder
1 Tbs agave nectar
3 Tbs rice protein powder*
1/4 tsp sea salt

Blend on high speed and enjoy.
If you like a thicker smoothie, you can add ice.

*I use rice protein because it is easy for me to digest and it is a vegan source of protein that is free of soy. If you are not vegan, I would recommend experimenting with whey and egg white proteins because they are the only two protein sources that contain all the BCAAs (Branch Chain Amino Acids) that your body uses in muscle repair.

Other great ideas for creative smoothie making include:

  • Fruit- bananas, melons, pineapple, mango, peaches, nectarines, plums.
  • Dried fruit that has been soaked the night before in a little water to plump it up like: apricots, raisins, currants, dates, figs, prunes, etc. Provides fiber, flavor, nutrients.
  • Juices (especially high antioxidant juices like unsweetened pomegranate, blueberry, acai, gojiberry- trader joes has some excellent varieties) Make sure they are free of HFC and other added sweeteners.
  • Greens: powdered greens, spirulina, chlorophyll, blue-green algae, kelp. If you have a vitamix or K-tec, then add some whole greens like kale or sea-vegetables to the smoothie!
  • Bee pollen
  • Almond butter, handful of nuts (like walnuts or almonds)
  • Flax oil, or flax seeds (preground if you do not have a very powerful blender) for Omega-3’s and fiber from the flax seeds.
  • Dash of cinnamon- tastes great and helps regulate blood sugar.
  • Powdered vitamin C, Emergen-C packet, liquid trace minerals.

You can be creative and add whatever you like. Sometimes I make “desert” smoothies too… with rice milk, agave, brewed chai tea, cinnamon, and ice. Great ending to a hot summer’s night.

I’d love to hear more ideas for creative smoothie making!

Happy sipping.

Snacking Simply… Raw, Grain-Free, Paleo-Friendly

My recently favorite snack/desert obsession has been the beautiful and quite amazingly healthy date. There are times when I am in the middle of enjoying a piece of fruit, be it fresh or dried, and my mind begins to spiral into complete awe for the substance dancing across my taste buds. Good fruit, in its purest state, can be more tantalizing than any other food on earth. The fact that it is natural and comes packed with nutrients and fiber, is enough to make me pause, mid-chew to fully savor the experience.

That being said, I don’t know why I haven’t been eating more dates. I’ve read this recipe in a few raw food “cookbooks,” and I think it is ingenious:

Simple Pecan Pie

Ingredients: 1 date, 1 pecan
To make: pit date, if needed. place pecan inside date.
enjoy.

Pure genius.

Chocolate Chip Cookies


Saturday we finally had a house warming party….. I think it has been 2 and 1/2 months…. but better late than never. It wasn’t the greatest idea as far as timing, not only because of Hood to Coast, but because it was the first weekend we had practice with the team. That meant that both mornings we were up at 6:30 or earlier… Yesterday I was dragging so much!

Ahhh…. the cookies….. everyone was expecting something from me, but I haven’t hosted anything since going GF in March. So I REALLY wanted to make something that would be entirely undetectable from the real thing. SUCCESS!!!

I also accomplished the dairy free part, but couldn’t quite get soy free. Being short on time, I only managed to stop by Whole Foods…. and all their chocolate chips had soy lecithin. So annoying (just like the annoying soy additives to almond milks!)

I was hoping to recreate the recipe in a half batch on Sunday, but I ended up napping instead. It was much needed because, as it was, I was dragging yesterday at the Cafe.

Granola’s Chocolate Chip Cookies:
1 C palm oil
1 1/2 C light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tbs vanilla (gf)
2 C gf flour mix*
1/4 C fine white rice flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 C shredded unsweetened coconut**
10- 14 oz chocolate chips
1 C toasted walnuts (optional- also could use pecans, etc)

Preheat to 375. Line pans with parchment or silcone sheet or grease.
Beat oil and sugar well, add egg and vanilla and continue on medium speed until fluffy.
Add dry ingredients except coconut. Mix until well blended. Mix in coconut, chocolate, and nuts. Drop onto sheets in balls, they will spread a little.
Bake 8-10 minutes
Cool on wire rack

*Use a GF flour mix that does not already contain leavening agents or gums. I used a combination of garbanzo flour that was freshly ground along with brown and white rice flours and potato starch. The standard rice flour mix of 2 C rice flour, 2/3 C potato flour, and 1/3 C tapioca starch would work fine too.
**For a more traditional cookie, feel free to leave out the coconut. The unsweetened kind gives more texture, moistness, and fiber to the cookie- almost giving it an “oatmeal-like” mouth feel for me.

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Dana’s Musings
I am a gluten-free environmentalist, compulsive baker, raw-obsessed, oenophile, and law school dropout. Mostly I'm a runner and nutrition junkie who founded a gluten-free & vegan baking company. The best part of my day is coaching college cross-country and track, strolling the aisles of food coops and running in the sunshine (otherwise known as Oregon NIRVANA). twitter
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