Ahhh....end of summer has left me with a sweet tooth.  My husband and I got to get away for a night recently and we found ourselves at a u-pick farm, munching on berries, peaches, etc.  We brought the blackberries and peaches home and the rest is history.  Hope you enjoy some of these dessert recipes.  There is life (and more of it) after refined sugar!

Graham Cracker Cake

This recipe is my husband's favorite that his mom used to make for him.  We now make it without sugar...

-1 box graham crackers (Whole Foods has a healthy version - no canola oil and no sugar.  Become a professional label reader!)
-6 cups rich chocolate pudding (see recipe below)
-3 cups whipping cream

Assemble this dessert the night before serving in a 9x13 pan.  Start with graham crackers and layer chocolate pudding on top - usually 3 layers, but there's no law on how many.  Finally, layer whipped cream on top, 1-2 hours before serving.

Chocolate Pudding

Mix in a sauce pan:

-2/3 cup plus 2tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
-1/4tsp. sea salt

Gradually stir in, making a smooth paste:

-2/3 cup warm water
-2/3 cup honey/agave nectar

Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium heat, then remove from the heat. 

Stir in:

-3 1/2 cups half and half ( I highly recommend using organic dairy!!!)

Place in a bowl:

-8tbsp. organic cornstarch or arrowroot
-1/2cup half and half

Thoroughly stir into the cornstarch paste into the chocolate mixture.  Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until the mixture begins to thicken.  Reduce heat to low; stirring briskly, bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute.  Remove from heat, stir in:

3 tsp vanilla or brandy or rum or ???

Blackberry Peach Bourbon Pie

2 pie crusts (I use a pat in the pan butter crust, made with whole wheat or spelt. I roll it out and cut it into 4ths for         the top crust.)
4 cups peaches, sliced, or chopped
1 cup blackberries
1/4 cup bourbon
1tbsp cinnamon
1 very heaping tbsp. organic cornstarch or arrowroot
1/3 cup honey/agave nectar/maple syrup

Toss the peaches, blackberries, bourbon, cinnamon, cornstarch and honey together.  Set aside. Place the filling into the bottom crust and place the top crust over the filling.  Ventilate the top crust a bit. Brush with a little cream or an egg yolk. For baking, I place the pie into a 400 degree oven and bake for 10 minutes.  Then, I turn the heat down to 375 for another 10 minutes.  Then, I turn the heat down again to 350 degrees and lay a piece of foil over the top if it's browning too fast and the juices aren't bubbling thick and dripping yet.  After another 5-10 minutes, it's usually done.  We serve with vanilla ice cream.  For the ice cream, use your favorite recipe and replace the sugar with honey, sugar or agave with 2/3 the amount of sugar called for.

Mango Agave Sorbet with Tequila

(I think I stole this from Cooking Light...)
Ingredients

4 cups cubed peeled ripe mango (about 3 pounds)  (I used 2 bags of the Trader Joe's frozen mango - defrosted)
1/2 cup fresh orange juice (about 3 oranges)
1/3 cup fresh lime juice (about 3 limes)
1/3 cup tequila
3/4 cup light agave nectar
1/3 cup water
Preparation

1. Combine cubed mango, orange juice, lime juice, and tequila in a food processor or blender; process until smooth. Pour the mixture into a bowl, and stir in the agave nectar and 1/3 cup water. Cover and chill for 2 hours.
2. Pour mixture into the freezer can of an ice-cream freezer; freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Spoon sorbet into a freezer-safe container; cover and freeze 8 hours or until firm.


by Danneca

As I write, I'm looking down the barrel of a tough track workout this evening.  We're waiting until the heat pulls back a bit before heading out to the track.  You've heard of the importance of replacing the electrolytes your body loses in the heat.  As you might imagine, I'm not a proponent of Gatorade or other "sports drinks."  Can anyone say, "gut-rotting sugars and food coloring?"  Okay, I'll settle down.  My point is this, there are MUCH healthier ways to replace those electrolytes.  Electrolytes are pretty much sodium, calcium, magnesium and potassium.  One thing we like to do to replenish is this:  1.) Eat half a banana. 2.) Mix a pinch of salt in with a half cup of milk. 3. Drink a half cup of water mixed with a tsp. of Peter Gillham's Calm (a splendid magnesium supplement).  I KNOW you can come up with creative ways to mix up this routine.  Another VERY simple way to replenish is coconut water.  There are  a zillion brands out there and a zillion different prices, so get what's on sale.  We actually like coconut juice with the pulp.  Yummy!  Amazingly, this drink provides all of the electrolytes without the chemical sweeteners and other additives.  Staying hydrated is important, but tons of water is actually not the best option, so mix it up a bit on hot days with iced herbal teas and honey and/or some coconut juice.  You'll be surprised how rejuvenated you feel compared to drinking chemicals. 

On a different note, here's an idea for a cool summer treat! 

Popsicles

Ingredients: paper cups of your choice, popsicle sticks, other ingredients of your choice!

What I like to do is basically make a smoothie, pour it into paper cups, stick the popsicle stick in the middle of the smoothie and set it in the freezer to freeze.  After it's frozen, you just tear off the paper and you have a yummy frozen smoothie pop!  Today I put some goat yogurt, a banana and maple syrup in the blender, then added a bag of frozen blue berries.  That was it.  On other days, I'd be more creative, but that was all I could muster for today.  We'll enjoy these after our track workout tonight!  I like to do smoothie pops over frozen juice, as juice is pretty much just sugar.  I was thinking that herbal tea pops would be pretty refreshing too, though!  If your mixture is too liquid-y to hold a stick, let it freeze a bit before placing the stick.  Enjoy!!!!!!

A few days ago, we had beautiful, chilly fall weather here in Northern California.  Baking yummy fall treats was just the distraction I needed to take my mind off of my 41-week pregnant belly.  Now, on this night, the windows are open at 8:30pm and it was 80+ today.  Go figure.  Nevertheless, several folks have asked for some recipes lately, so when there are recipes I haven't posted before, I like to make them available to all....enjoy!

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal (This from my friend Kori Hurley, via The Ungourmet.)

Ingredients:
3C. old fashioned oats
1C. pure maple syrup (Kori said she used half this with success.  I used 1C. honey and loved it too.)
2tsp. cinnamon
1tsp. nutmeg
1/2tsp. ground ginger
1/2tsp. salt (I always use sea salt)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4C. dried cranberries (I might use a touch more next time.  Raisins would also be tasty.)
1C. diced apple.  (I had a Granny Smith.  Loved this addition.)
1 & 1/2 C. milk
1C. pumpkin puree
4tbsp. melted butter (I actually doubled this.)
2 large eggs

Whisk milk, butter, maple syrup, pumpkin and eggs.  In a separate bowl, combine oats, spices, baking powder, cranberries and apples.  Add dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix just until combined.  Pour  into greased round casserole dish (I assume a square 8x8 would do as well).  Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Serve immediately, topping with milk.  I happened to have some leftover whipped cream.  We topped the hot oatmeal with this and it was divine.  MMMMM!!!!!

Peanut Butter and Carob Chip Cookies

I'm not a huge carob fan.  At all.  However, they go perfectly in this recipe, toning down the peanut butter and yet not taking away from it too much.  Of course, you could always do chocolate chips, but I want to avoid the sugar and really, there is no compromise in taste here.

Ingredients:
1/2C. butter
1/2C. unsweetened peanut butter
2/3C honey
1 egg
1 & 1/2C. whole wheat pastry flour
1/2tsp. (heaping-ish) baking powder
1/2tsp. (heaping-ish) baking soda
1/4tsp. salt
1C. carob chips

Cream the peanut butter, honey and butter until light.  Add egg to this mix and mix until almost fluffy (2-3min., occasionally scraping bottom and sides of bowl).  Blend flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt - the reason we do "heaping-ish" tsp. of the baking agents, is because of a little extra flour added when using honey, thus you need just a touch more of the baking powder and soda, to make the cookie texture just right.  Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and combine.  Add the carob chips.  Bake on a greased cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  Cool on pan for 2 minutes, then transfer cookies to a cooling rack.  Enjoy!


Danneca

Every year we like to give gifts to several different friends, coworkers, etc...  Last year, I made homemade vanilla extract and it was a success!  The extract was wonderful and it could not be any easier.  You just have to have time - - eight weeks, to be exact.  So if you like to plan ahead for your gifts, this is a great one.  You can make them all now, let them sit, and pull them out close to Christmas and have a fabulous gift to give away.

Here's what to do:
-Acquire all the necessary supplies: vanilla beans; rum (or vodka); pretty, sterilized bottles; fun labels
-Sterilize the bottles
-Split three vanilla beans lengthwise and put them in the bottle (I used an 8 oz. bottle with 3 vanilla beans)
-Pour in the alcohol
-Close tightly
-Put in a dark spot to sit for the next 8 weeks, shaking once a week or so

That's it!  So easy, so yummy, and useful.

 

Breakfast at our house on Saturday morning . . . nothing fancy - 

just eggs, toast, juice & coffee but it was a beautiful morning so I wanted to share! 

I hate it when people look at my kids like they are starving children in Africa when my children (who, by the way are total believers in the movement), tell them that we don't eat sugar.  "You mean you never get treats?"  HA!  We have treats all the time!  Like the last 2 afternoons....this fall-ish treat takes 10 minutes and is SUCH  a treat.  Enjoy!

Healthy Carmel Corn

8 cups popped popcorn
1 cup nuts
1/3 cup honey
3 tbsp. pure maple syrup
2tbsp. butter

Spread popcorn and nuts out on greased baking sheet or 9x13 pan.

Heat honey and maple syrup in a small saucepan on medium-high heat to boiling.  Boil for 5 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted.  Pour mixture over popcorn and nuts, stirring until popcorn and nuts are covered evenly.  Try not to let the mixture sink to the bottom of the pan while stirring.

Let cool and enjoy!

This also makes a nice homemade gift at Christmas time, when nicely wrapped.

I don't often add the nuts.  I prefer the popcorn to be more heavily covered in the sweetness.  Either way, this totally satisfies my afternoon sweet tooth!!!


Posted by Danneca

Everyone knows someone who has food sensitivities or allergies.  Chances are you have one in your household.  This doesn't have to be the end of the world.  Recently, I've had lots of questions on recipes, etc. for this dilemma.  Here are a few suggestions and thoughts. 

First of all, a short word on causes.  If you are wondering why your grandparents didn't have these sorts of problems, one reason to blame are drugs and vaccines, which strip your gut of it's ability to be the healthy part of your immune system it was designed to be.  Holes are created in the gut, which allow scary things to leak into the rest of your body, creating things all the way from food allergies, to AD/HD, to autism.  I won't elaborate on this point further today, as I'm not a doctor and can't diagnose or treat you, but if you wish to learn more, I recommend the following books:  Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, and Unraveling the Mystery of Autism.  The second book is not just for those dealing with autism, it goes into much, much more.  A very enlightening read.

That said, I'd like to touch on how to strengthen your body to dealing with food sensitivites.  Many times, those who have sensitivities to wheat don't have trouble when the wheat has been properly soaked, releasing it's natural digestive enzymes.  Read up on this in Nourishing Traditions.  Basically, our ancestors didn't have to do this, b/c the wheat sat in the store house, where it became damp and it's enzymes were released.  You can buy sprouted wheat bread, at your health food store.  This bread has like 5 grams or more of protein per slice! 

Dairy sensitivities have a similar remedy sometimes.  Raw cow's milk doesn't usually cause problems, because it hasn't been stripped of it's natural digestive aids, and lots of other properties that were meant to help digest and use the milk for the body's good.  Without these, milk is terribly hard for anyone to digest.

It's all about enzymes.  Taking digestive enzymes are essential for those with food allergies/sensitivities.  I like the Whole Foods brand, "Wholezyme," but there are a million others.  Just follow the package directions, and take extra when you're eating food that you know gives you trouble. 

Finally, avoiding the foods you're highly allergic to is best, as your body is getting stronger.  Focus on building up your immune system and especially things that will restore your gut.

In the meantime, spelt is a nice substitute to wheat, but I still recommend soaking it.  Almond flour is nice too.  Goat milk is marvelous and goat cheese is divine.  Raw goat milk is the closest to mother's milk, full of antibodies and enzymes.  Goat butter (ghee) is a very nice butter substitute. 

Once again, I'm not a doctor and none of my suggestions are meant to treat, diagnose or prescribe remedies for illness or disease.  You need your own doctor's advice.

Posted by Danneca