musings of a gluten free runner

Posts Tagged ‘vegan’

Let me just start by saying that I LOVE granola.  And in case you’ve been wondering about the name for my blog, it’s a reference to an old nickname of mine growing up.   One of the hardest things over the years about being Gluten Free: encountering those big glass jars in coffeehouses filled with their house-made granola.  I’ve concocted a number of different versions over the years.  It lends itself well to my style in the kitchen… I prefer pours and splashes, pinches and spoonfuls over scientific  measurements.  Unlike a souffle, granola is more art than science.  So don’t be afraid to experiment according to your tastes.  That is all part of it’s rugged, satisfying beauty.

This time I decided to write down one of my favorite variations… it makes a very satisfying, fragrant and chunky snack.  Dainty starchy sweets just don’t do it for me… which is why giving up oats was such a hardship.  After having a bad reaction to GF oats a few years ago, I hadn’t tried them again until recently when standing in the Gluten-Free aisle at New Seasons, I picked up the GF Oats and read and saw that they were ELISA Tested.  This convinced me to give them another shot.  I’ve been really craving something something chewy and hearty lately… the perfect fiber-rich topping for coconut milk yogurt!

Recipe:

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl with a big spoon:

• 6 Cups GF Oats (like Bob’s Red Mill or Gifts of Nature)
• 1 1/2 Cups Raw Buckwheat Groats
• 1 C Raw Walnut Halves, broken by hand into large pieces
• 1 C Coconut Flakes (I like the large flat flakes best)
• 1/2 C Raw Sunflower Seeds
• 1/2 C Raw, Unhulled Sesame Seeds
• 6 Tbs Chia Seeds
• 3 Tbs Cinamon
• 2 tps Ground Celtic Sea Salt

Whisk wet ingredients into a small sauce pan on low heat until well combined:

• 3/4 C Raw Local Honey (if you don’t eat honey you can sub Agave Nectar)
• 3/4 C Real Maple Syrup Grade B
• 1/2 C Virgin Coconut Oil*
• 1/4 C Expeller Pressed Oil (Canola, Sunflower, Grapeseed, Safflower)
• 1/4 C Almond milk (coconut or rice work too)

Pour the warmed wet-ingredient mixture over the dry ingredients and mix well with a big spoon.  Spread batch evenly between two ungreased 9×13 cookie sheets.  I use the silicone mats on my cookie sheets, but it isn’t necessary at all. Bake sheets at 325 F for 25 minutes.  Remove from oven and stir granola to provide even browning.  Place trays back in oven with bottom tray now on the top.  Bake again at 225 for 12 minutes.  If you want to add any dried fruit, add now.  Bake another 10-12 minutes at 225 F.  Turn off oven, open door and let sit for 30 minutes to an hour.  This will make the granola harden enough to be chunky.  When ready, break into chunks and put in storage containers. YUM!!

*If you are like my husband Ian and don’t like coconut, leave out the coconut flakes and substitute in Soy-Free Earthbalance for the Coconut Oil.  If you do this, you probably won’t need to add the salt.

I got home earlier than usual after my acupuncture appointment today I decided to make my husband something for dessert.  He is omitting gluten for two-weeks after years of my nudging.  He has a number of digestive problems (we are perfect for each other), but his seem to be related to running and the jarring effect that it has on his intestines.  Anyways, I just have always thought that it was worth him giving it a try.  And talk about a change in lifestyle for a man who considers himself a foremost authority on bagels.

These treats are a much healthier alternative to the classic recipe.  You could really add any nuts or dried fruit that you like, and even pieces of dark chocolate!

Brown Rice Almond Crispies

• 1 tsp virgin coconut oil
• 1 C Brown Rice Syrup (I like Lundberg
• 4 Tbs Almond Butter
• 2 tsp Vanilla
• 1/2 C Unhulled Sesame Seeds
• 1/3 C Almond Meal
• 6 C Brown Rice Cereal- Gluten Free (make sure you check b/c they often contain barley malt)

Put coconut oil in Large Pot on the stove on low heat.  Add Syrup and almond butter and melt together.  When fully combined, add in Sesame Seeds and Almond Meal.  Turn heat off , add Vanilla, and stir well.  Add in Cereal and mix to coat thoroughly.  Wet hands and pat mixture into 9 x 13″ pan.  Cool at room temperature to let set.  Cut when cool.

For a more decadent dessert: melt dark chocolate in a double boiler (place bowl over pot of simmering water).  Pour dark chocolate over the rice crispies and let cool to set up.

Last night I made Pumpkin Seed butter.  I needed an iron boost… (this will be a whole other post) and pumpkin seeds are an excellent source of iron!  So you may be asking yourself, what do you do with pumpkin seed butter?  Well, just about anything that you would normally do with peanut or almond butter.  I have a terrible habit of eating nut butters out of jars with spoons.  I’ve been doing this since I was little.  And I’ve gotten more than a few friends and roommates begrudgingly hooked on the habit over the years.

This pumpkin seed butter is an excellent additive to smoothies and also a great ingredient in raw energy bars like the ones in the Thrive Diet book.  I like to make variations on Brendan Brazier’s bar recipes and keep them wrapped in wax paper in the freezer for snacking and quick breakfasts.

So to make the pumpkin seed butter…

Soak the desired amount of seeds for at least an hour.  (you don’t HAVE to soak them, but they will blend easier and break down more easily in your digestive system).

• Add pumpkin seeds (2-3 cups) to food processor or high powered blender.  (I love my 3HP K-Tech)
• Add sweetener to taste (suggestions include: local raw honey, raw agave, grade B maple syrup, or stevia)
• Add a few pinches of salt (use Celtic sea salt or Himalayan pink salt for added minerals)
• You may need to add a little coconut oil or water for added creaminess when blending especially if using stevia.

The chart above is from the World’s Healthiest Foods, they are a great resource for nutrition information on plant-based foods: www.whfoods.com

It’s Monday and I have a headache.  OK, maybe it’s not really a headache… maybe it’s just that I have an endorphine hangover from the excitement and stress of last week’s events and I need a vacation.

Well, after going downstairs for a hit of Americano (bad!) and snack, I realized that I really take the Lärabar for granted.

Lärabars are always there when you need them.  They are my food in a pinch.  These bars are vegan and have no gluten, no soy, no gmo’s,  and are only sweetened with fruit. Except for the newer Peanut Butter Cookie flavor, they are completely raw. (I don’t eat peanuts for other reasons though).  All the flavors even have fewer than 6 ingredients.  How many other foods can say that?

They also make a great bar to take on the road for a recovery food.  Every ingredient is a food in a recognizable state to your body!  That means less waist to build up and process and the more nutrients the body can absorb from the food.  Reading the ingredients for most “energy bars” is a frightening and (hopefully) sobering moment.  I wish people would stop to realize that if they can’t pronounce something, they probably shouldn’t be eating it.

My Favorites: Cherry Pie (cherries have been proven to have anti-inflammatory properties, so great after exercise!), Pistachio, Cinnamon Roll and Jocolat Chocolate Hazelnut.

One upside about the company being bought out by General Mills is that you can find them everywhere from cafeterias to gas stations.  And as anyone with food allergies or restrictions can relate to:  they mean not having to go hungry.  So, thank you Lärabars.  I owe you more than one.

Dark chocolate is my favorite dessert.  Often I have a double whammy of my homemade cocoa with a few squares of premium chocolate.  The irony is that I never liked chocolate until after I discovered that I was allergic to gluten.  I’m not sure why, I just hated the waxy consistency and felt like it was over-dominant and overly sweet.  Even as a child I always gravitated to the more subtle flavors like cinnamon or vanilla.

Actually what made the difference was all the chocolate research and tasting that I did for my cookie recipes.  I became obsessed with chocolate production, with cocoa mass content, with the purity of the ingredients and with the absence of soy lecithin…. something that I very much contribute (along with low quality milk solids) to the waxiness of my childhood Halloween candies.

It’s no secret that cacao is a superfood.  The bean is high in antioxidants and a delicious source of minerals… including IRON.  Next time you are shopping for dark chocolate, look at the nutrition label and check the iron count.  The brands vary, but all the bars that have a high cocoa content should supply a really decent amount of iron!  It by far my favorite iron-rich foods… pumpkin seeds are second!

So, I thought I would share some of my favorite eating and baking chocolates…. (a note of disclaimer: the darker the better for me!) And although there are some lovely raw chocolates, they don’t have the complexity of flavor that I find from some of these amazing chocolate gurus.  Here are my faves in order for least intense to most hard-hitting.

1) Sweet Earth Baking Chocolate- 65% Big Baking Chips

Small chocolate producer in the Bay area.  These are the big chips I used in the Sift Bakery Double Chocolate cookies.  They are organic and Fair Trade Certified, vegan and soy free!  They have a number of other quality items too.  These were my snack during long days at the bakery!

2) Vivani’s 85% Bar

Just the right amount of bitter bite and smooooth.  When this goes on sale at New Seasons, I buy a case full.  This bar is truly astounding. Organic with just three ingredients: cocoa mass, cocoa butter, raw cane sugar.  They have an Allergy note on the website, saying that the machines are cleaned to a very high standard.  I have never had a problem with these and I am very sensitive.  There are many other chocolate bars that I’ve tried and won’t eat again because of reactions, but these feel very clean to my system.  Chock it up to German fastidiousness.

3) Theo Chocolate’s Venezuela 91% Bar

This company is from Seattle and it rocks.  The Origin Bars all have distinct flavors, like fine wines or coffees where you feel you are tasting the nuances in the soils from different regions of the world.  hmmm.  And 91% is just hardcore, but not bitter.  I love it.  The higher the cocoa content, the less I feel like I need to satisfy the jones.  No soy, no dairy, it’s beautiful!

4) Michel Cluizel’s Noir Infini 99% Bar

OK, I admit that 99% cocoa content sounds extreme, and maybe it is… but this bar is sweeter than expected.  The first time I bought a tiny square of it at Portland’s chocolate boutique (HEAVEN) Cacao, I was expecting it to taste like chomping on a square of baker’s chocolate.  Was I wrong!  The Noir Infini is an intense experience and not for the mainstream snicker’s addict… but it is a cocao-lover’s dream.  In addition to a tiny amount of sugar, it contains bourbon vanilla, a hint of orange and undisclosed spices.  Lucky for me I can’t taste the orange, I just taste intensity.

Here’s my cocoa recipe again:

1-2 TBS Raw Cocoa (I love Nativas Naturals)

pinch celtic sea salt

2 packets stevia (I love NuNaturals)

6-8 oz Hot H2O

2 oz Coconut Milk (like SoDelicious- I use the unsweetened)

optional: sprinkle of cayenne or cinnamon or both!

After suffering an intense bought of stomach pains, cramps, and intestinal distress due to a “non-constipating gentle” iron supplement on Monday night… I’ve been re-reading everything I can about vegan iron sources and blood building.

I found the article bellow on a website called In a Vegetarian Kitchen. It’s an interview with Brendan Brazier, the vegan triathlete and author of one of my favorite books: The Thrive Diet.
The book is filled with great recipes and advice that I use often as a resource. He has some great recipes and really advocates gluten-free eating.

I agree with the underlying principles that Brazier presents, especially his explanation of stress.

I talk about the cummulation of stress often with my athletes. It’s not just stress from training that takes a toll on the body, but all types: nutritional (from eating the wrong foods or not enough), emotional (from work or relationships), and environmental (from toxins and polluntants in both our homes and the outdoors). Basically, the idea is that the system is overwhelmed by the sum of all these types of stress… and you can’t handle enough good stress if you are up to your neck in bad stress. This is why it’s nearly impossible to have a great workout or race after a devasting breakup, or at the end of finals week.

Check out the link bellow for Brazier’s tips on vegan eating as an athlete:

Brendan Brazier on Vegan Diet Transistion for Athletes

I can’t contain my excitement for this new coconut milk! It totally took me by surprise. We were in Ashland for the Easter holiday weekend (UP is a Catholic school, so they get a four-day weekend) and I started jumping up and down when I saw this in the Co-op. By the way, the Ashland food co-op is like my home away from home. I practically live there when we’re visiting. Luckily Ian is a sport and let’s me make a daily (sometimes twice daily) trip. Why is it so exciting? They have mate on tap, three kinds of raw-granola in their bulk section, a juice bar!!!, a huge assortment of kombuchas, amazing fresh fruit and gorgeous young coconuts & dates… my mouth is watering… I’m going to stop now.

When we got back to Portland I was elated to find that my very own Whole Foods in the Pearl is carrying both the orginial and the unsweetened varieties. I picked up a carton of the unsweetened version last night and made some hot rice porridge for desert. It was so creamy I wanted to cry.

I’ve started to think that I am addicted to sugar lately because I simply cannot stop eating dates…. especially the huge medjools in the refridgerated produce… mmmm. Then at lunch today I got a date bar from Oskri (I eat their sesame flax bars all the time). The bar was 100% dates and so sweet it was almost cloying- like eating a big tablespoon of honey straight from the pot. It definitely needed some meaty walnuts to balance it out…. I did end up eating all 160 calories of it, just in small pieces.

I’m waiting for Natalia Rose’s newest book to come in the mail: Detox 4 Women. It was just released on April 7th and I ordered it that day from Amazon.com, but it just hasn’t arrived yet. Hopefully it won’t be back ordered too long since I think I need to start the yeast phase soon!

Until then…

This recipe comes from the VegNews Recipe club. They have great recipes (vegan, but not always gluten free or raw) and they just shoot them straight to your email address. They are often a source for inspiration in the kitchen.
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup raw walnuts
3/4 cup dates, pitted
3/4 cup dried apricots
3/4 cup shredded coconut
2 tablespoons orange juice
Zest of 1 orange
Shredded coconut, for coating

What You Do: 1. In a food processor, pulverize the raisins, walnuts, dates, and apricots for 1 to 2 minutes or until finely chopped. Add coconut, orange juice and zest. Process for an additional 1 to 2 minutes or until mixture comes together to form a ball.

2. Place some shredded coconut on a plate. Dampen hands with water, form mixture into one-inch balls, and roll in shredded coconut

Sometimes there is nothing more satisfying than hummus. It’s quick, easy, and super versatile. My hummus recipe isn’t really exact…. but I end up making it a couple times per week. I’ve been known to eat most of it with a spoon and consume an entire container of salsa with it. For some healthy dipping options, romaine hearts are my favorite, but any veggie will do the trick! If you’re looking for something with more substance… there’s rice crackers and Mary’s Gone Crackers are wonderful too.

In your food processor or blender:

Chop 2 cloves of garlic, then add:
1 can Organic Garbanzos
1 can Cannellini beans (which are Italian White Kidney Beans)*
2TBS or Big spoonfuls of Tahini (sesame seed paste)
Splash of lemon juice (add more to taste)
Splash of Olive oil- add to get the consistency that you want. (sometimes I leave it out or just add a splash)
2 tsp of paprika
Salt & Ground pepper to taste

Sometimes I add Cayenne & Cumin for a Mexican variation… and my favorite is when I add roasted red peppers (jarred or roasted in oven and peel skin). I’ve also added palm hearts, kalamata olives, sun dried tomatoes and roasted eggplant. Ian likes it when I add fresh basil and walnuts or pesto to the mix.

The possibilities are endless!

*Instead of Cannellini you can use 2 cans of Garbanzos or substitute Great Northern Beans. I like the Cannellini beans because they give the hummus a really smooooth texture. And if you don’t want to use canned beans you can always buy them dry and cook them, but that takes longer… and usually when I’m making hummus, I’m ultra hungry.

For a hilarious commentary on hummus (and gluten-free white people).
Check out this post from Stuff White People Like.