Kale & Artichoke Baba Ganoush Dip With Roasted Garlic

This all started with a recipe I saw for a vegan version of a spinach-artichoke dip. This particular one called for avocado instead of the cheese mixture. I made it and it was tasty, everyone loved it, but it is a cold dip, it was more like a different kind of guacamole. I'd definitely make it again. Anyway, the seed was planted to come up with something else that would be good warm and bubbly like the traditional spinach-artichoke dip.

Not long after that I ate at a Mediterranean restaurant and ordered some baba ganoush. As I was nibbling on it, it hit me... what could be more perfect than baba ganoush as a base for a warm, bubbly, vegan version of spinach-artichoke dip!? For those of you unfamiliar with baba ganoush, it is a dip like hummus but instead of chick peas as the base, they use roasted eggplant. It is creamy and gooey, great cold or warm. So, the idea was born and I couldn't wait to create it! For this version I switched the spinach for kale since that is what I had on hand, but either spinach or kale would be delicious!

Kale & Artichoke, Baba Ganoush Dip:
1 large roasted egg plant
4 steamed artichoke hearts
1/2 bunch of steamed kale (more if desired)
1 head of roasted garlic
3-4 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon- juice only
Himalayan salt to taste
fresh ground pepper to taste
capers, a sprinkle of fresh ground pepper and drizzle of olive oil for garnish if desired

Directions:
This takes a little time to prepare, but overall is a very easy. Start by roasting the eggplant whole for 45 min to an hour. No need to wrap it or anything. I like to use my toaster oven to roast them, it's nice to not have to heat up the entire big oven for one eggplant. When done, the skin should look wrinkly and peel off easily. Also put the entire head of garlic, peel and all in to roast at the same time as the eggplant. After getting these started, prepare the artichokes for steaming and de-stem the kale for steaming. It will take about 30-40 minutes for the artichokes, 20 mins for the kale. After everything is done cooking, you may want to allow it to cool for a few minutes to make it easier to handle.

Once the veggies have cooled a bit, add the eggplant and peeled garlic to your high speed blender. The roasted eggplant should have a kind of slimy texture. Blend for 2-3 minutes until it is really creamy. Add in the tahini, lemon juice, olive oil and salt and blend for another minute or two or until everything is mixed well. Add in the kale and blend a little bit to leave it slightly chunky. Add in the artichokes hearts last and pulse a couple times to blend it and chop it just a bit.

You can then put this in a glass baking dish and warm it in the oven until it is slightly bubbly before serving. Enjoy this with blue corn tortillas, gluten-free crackers or veggies! Serves 8-10. Great for a party or get together!

GF, Summer Ranch Veggie Appetizer Pizza

It's been a while since I have posted anything new. I was pretty busy the last couple months with my trip back home to Michigan to visit family and friends. I came back in the beginning of July but I brought my son with me. We did plenty of cooking but I didn't want to take time away from him to work on my blog. So, he is finally gone, and of course I am pretty sad. But I feel fortunate that I got to spend the last two months with him! So, anyway, now I can get back to my blogging!

GF Baked Sesame Humus Crackers

I was on a homemade cracker kick- stocking up on healthy goodies for my road trip to Michigan with my daughter. I am visiting for a month so I stocked up on quick foods that I could nibble on during the road trip and when I'm in town running around visiting. It's harder to eat healthy when you're not at home and around people that do not eat the way you do. I'm sure some of you can relate to this.

The Real Almond Joy - Chocolate Almond Bliss Bars

Coming up with this energy/snack bar has been in the back of my mind for a while now. I have contemplated a few different ways to accomplish this. Would I use pre-made chocolate chips? Should I make my own chocolate chips? Or make a chocolate topping that would be delicious but possibly quite messy for an on the go snack? I churned over these thoughts and a few others until my most recent trip to the health food store where I saw a package of raw cacao nibs...

"Cheezy" Pizza Hemp Kale Chips

For my trip to Michigan I have been preparing lots of snacks so I can continue to eat healthy on the road and while I'm away from home. If you eat like I do, you know how hard it is to eat out with friends and family who eat the SAD (Standard American Diet). So, to make it a bit easier, I've been dehydrating fruit, sprouting and drying nuts, making energy bars and today... kale chips!

Avocado Toast

This is one of my very favorite meals. It is really simple, not really a recipe, more of an assembly. I just had to post this because I absolutely love my toast this way. I try not to eat a lot of bread, but when I do, it's either homemade gluten free or from my favorite local bakery that makes gluten free breads. This particular bread bread is white in color, but it is actually made from whole grain millet flour, brown rice flour and water. That's it! I really want to know their secrets so I can bake my own! It is not soft like white bread, but it makes amazing crunchy toast. I usually keep a loaf in the freezer since I don't eat it often. It's perfect for grabbing a piece or two to toast when I want it.

Raw Fig Energy Bars

Ok, this is not to my credit whatsoever, credit belongs to the Detoxinista for sharing her recipe for Cherry Pie Larabars. I absolutely love her blog and encourage everyone to check out her recipes. I keep links of my favorite recipe blogs of some amazing chef's and nutritionists on my blog, so be sure to check them out!. Anyway back to the larabars. I did not know what a larabar was until I read her post. From what I get, they are pretty tasty, healthy treats. I guess there has been a lot of speculation about Larabars since the company was purchased by General Mills. GM is fighting to stop the labeling of GMO's which as we all know, means they are not looking out for the consumer but only their own pocket book. The good news is that the questions about GMO products used to make Larabars have been answered. Larabar has issued a statement on their website that they are enrolled in the Non GMO project and will continue to be GMO free. But, as always, making them yourself is always cheaper and best!

Tomato-Herb Cannellini Dip

I saw a post on a recipe for hummus. I have made my own in the past, this one called for smoked paprika and yum! I had never thought of using smoked paprika in a bean dip. Anyhow I went to make some hummus and realized that I did not have any chick peas. What I did have was cannellini beans.

Sun-dried Tomato Biscuit Poppers - Gluten Free

Since I have cut out gluten I am missing my crackers, biscuits, crispy breads, etc. Sure you can find gluten free, organic, whole food crackers, breads etc, but you will pay for them, they are quite pricey. Even still, many "healthy" brands include things that I don't want to put in my body, so I am constantly reading labels and more than naught, I will be making my own if I want something. So, I have been experimenting and these came out so tasty they are a definite do-over. Now, I made these with the idea that I'd eat a couple with a meal, but they ended up "being" my meal! They were that tasty! (No worries, I ate a huge salad earlier in the day!) They were exactly what I was hoping for, dense, crunchy, flavorful, I ate mine dipped into a tiny drizzle of olive oil with some sea salt sprinkled in it.

The great thing about buckwheat is that it is not a grain, it is a seed. I know it sounds like it's related to wheat, but it is actually completely different and contains no gluten. It is nutrient dense and is a complete protein like quinoa and hemp. To add to that it has high levels of manganese, magnesium, fiber and antioxidants, quercitin and rutin. Here is a great article on buckwheat.


Sprouting buckwheat is easy! I started mine the night before. I soaked the buckwheat overnight, drained it and rinsed it and let it sit in the colander over a bowl draining until later in the day when I was ready to use it. The buckwheat already had tiny tails! You can eat the buckwheat just like this too, they are crispy and tasty. Anyway, onto the good stuff!

2 cups of buckwheat (sprouted)
2 soaked dates
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tsp milled flax or chia
1 tbsp sea salt (plus some for sprinkling on top)
1 tbsp poppy seeds
1 tbsp sesame seeds
5 sun-dried tomatoes diced

The night before soak 2 cups of dry buckwheat in twice as much water. The next morning, drain and rinse your buckwheat and leave it in the colander so it can drain well until you use it. It will continue to sprout.

Add the sprouted wet buckwheat, pitted dates and garlic clove to your food processor and process for 2-3 minutes until it breaks down to a sticky dough type consistency. Add the rest of the ingredients and process again for a few seconds, or until all ingredients are blended and you have a doughy texture with small chunks of sun-dried tomatoes. Spoon teaspoon size biscuits onto a baking sheet, sprinkle poppy seeds and sea salt over the tops, and bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. You could also dehydrate these on a telflex dehydrator sheet instead of baking if you want a raw version! Another option is to roll these out flat and make them into crackers or even a crispy dense pizza crust! This recipe makes about 2 dozen bite size biscuits. Enjoy~

Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Cashew Cheese

1 cup of raw cashews soaked (for a couple hours at least)
2 tbsp gluten-free tamari
2 tbsp water
1/2 lemon juice
2 small garlic cloves
2 slices red onion
5 sun-dried tomatoes diced
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp cumin
pinch of sea salt

Add all ingredients except tomatoes to a blender and blend till creamy, add tomatoes and pulse a few times to chop and mix them so they are a little bit chunky. Eat as a spread on crackers, tortilla chips or as a spread on a wrap or dip your veggies in it! This is a very flavorful, dairy free, creamy spread! Add more or less of the garlic and onion to suit your taste. This is delicious right away, but it's best letting it sit in the fridge for a day to let the flavors blend and to thicken. You can add more liquid and blend more to make this super creamy and smooth like sour cream also! It's great either way. The key here is to use raw cashews and let them soak for a minimum of 2 hours, preferably overnight, 6-8 hours is best. Drain the liquid off and give them a quick rinse and toss them in the blender with your other ingredients.

Mushroom Basil Veggie Pizza - Dairy, Gluten & Egg Free

I know... pizza without cheese... I watched my daughter eat it that way for years and thought she was crazy. But now that I am dairy free, I still enjoy pizza! The key for me is lots of good sauce, garlic, mushrooms, fresh basil and a crunchy tasty thin crust! Here I used purple basil so it looks dark in the photos but it's so yummy! I also love artichokes on my pizza, spinach, olives, really there isn't veggie I don't like! This is a personal pan size pizza so it serves only one. To make a larger pizza you could just double the crust recipe and toppings.

Crust:
1 cup millet flour
1/2 cup oats or oat flour
1 tbsp ground flax
2 tbsp nutritional yeast (not active yeast and this is optional)
1 tsp sea salt
1 sprig of minced fresh rosemary
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water (more or less)

Toppings:
organic spaghetti or pizza sauce
1 sliced fresh tomato (sundried would be delish!)
1/2 cup of sliced marinated mushrooms
1 slice red onion
1 small sliced sweet yellow or red pepper
1-2 sprigs of fresh basil

Marinated Mushrooms
1/2 cup of sliced mushrooms
1/8 cup of balsamic vinegar
1/8 cup of gluten free tamari
1-2 minced garlic cloves

I make my crust in a food processor but you can easily do this by hand. A food processor makes mixing the dough really quick and easy. To start, add the dry ingredients, the flour, oats, flax and salt, I add whole oats and it chops them a bit, rather nicely, Add the rosemary and pulse a couple times to mix it. Then add the olive oil, vinegar and water and mix on slow until the dough starts to ball up. You want to start out with just the 1/4 cup of water, if your dough is not balling up then add more water at a tablespoon or two at a time. You don't want soupy dough. When it's balled up, remove it, kneed it a few times to make a nice ball. You can then roll it out on flour if you like, but if you are lazy like me, then you can toss some flour in a non-stick pan, put the ball of dough in the center and press it out with your fingers. This is quick and easy and less mess. Bake at 325 on a convection setting if you have one, for about 20-30 minutes till it's just about to get crispy. I use an 8 inch non-stick cake pan and bake this in my toaster oven. No sense heating up a huge oven unless you are making more than one or are making a large size! After the crust is baking I slice the mushrooms and add the other marinade ingredients so they can marinate a few minutes. If you've ever tried making your own pizza, you know that when adding fresh mushrooms they sometimes end up a bit dry, this helps them stay moist. Then I slice up the rest of veggies and wait for the crust.

What is nutritional yeast? It is a yeast that is grown on sugar cane and then heat treated to deactivate it. It is a source of protein and really high in B complex vitamins and is a staple in a vegan diet. It also has a really cheesy flavor. It can be used in about any recipe that requires a cheesy flavor.

After baking the crust, add your marinara sauce and veggies, strain the liquid off the mushrooms, add those and the garlic to your pizza. You can always re-use the marinade (or make it into a home made salad dressing by adding some oil & water) Hold the basil until until the last few minutes of baking. Bake this at 350 on a regular setting for about 10-15 minutes then add the basil. Bake another 5-10 minutes and voila! The crust comes out really dense and crispy. I like millet flour and oats, but you can try other gluten free flours. Bob's Redmill has many different kinds of flours and a gluten-free pizza dough mix (not organic that I've seen though). Click the photos for a close up!

Gluten Free Raw Granola

1/4 cup raw oats
1/4 cup raw oat groats
1/4 cup raw buckwheat
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1  cup raw almonds 
1/4  hulled hemp seeds
1/4  milled flax seed
1/3  cup dried cranberries
1/3  cup raisins
4   Medijool dates pitted & diced
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
2 tbsp of coconut oil
2 tbsp organic maple syrup
1-2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp sea salt

Note: I use all organic ingredients. All the seeds, nuts and grains are raw (meaning uncooked/roasted) purchased from the bulk section of a local health food store, except the hemp seeds and milled flax. I use Nutiva Organic Hulled Hemp Seeds for that and I also use their coconut oil. This variety of hemp does not have high amounts of THC, the seeds are a complete protein and extremely nutritious. Another good option are Chia seeds, (no not chia pet seeds lol!) You can use milled flax, whole flax seed or none if you like. Amazon.com is an excellent place to get these things if you can't find them locally and their prices are sometimes better than health food stores. On soaking, all seeds and nuts (and legumes) are in a dormant state when you purchase them dried. You will need to soak them over night to activate their germination. This actually increases their nutrient content and deactivates the seeds natural defenses, the nutritional inhibitors and other toxic substances. This makes them much easier to digest and easier for your body to absorb the nutrients. Basically unsoaked seeds, nuts, grains and legumes can actually block your body from absorbing certain nutrients, which makes no sense if you are eating them to be healthy! So this is a very important step. You can easily do this the night before you plan to make the granola. You should soak them a minimum of 8 hours.

Directions:
The night before, in a large bowl add all the nuts, seeds and grains, except the hemp and milled flax (hemp seeds are the exception to soaking) You can vary the types and measurements of your favorites and what is available! You pretty much can't mess this up! Anyhow fill the bowl with lukewarm filtered water until it covers about twice as much as the seeds. Let it sit at least 8 hours.

When ready to prepare the granola, drain and give the seeds a good rinse in a metal, fine mesh strainer to remove the enzyme inhibitors and toxins. They will be larger and tender especially the almonds. They are quite good like this. (I soaked some of my almonds separate, then I removed the skins which pop off easily, and chopped them) Put seeds back into the large bowl, add the hemp seeds, flax, dried fruit and coconut flakes, coconut oil and maple syrup. (coconut oil is solid at room temperature, like shortening, but melts in your hands) Sprinkle in the cinnamon and sea salt as you stir. Mix well! You can sample your granola and add more/less to taste of the cinnamon, salt, maple syrup, it tastes great just like this and would make an awesome raw oatmeal type breakfast with some almond milk and fresh fruit!

I filled two trays from my dehydrator,  so, cut 2 parchment paper pieces to fit the dehydrator trays. If you have the Paraflex sheets use those instead. Spread out your granola unevenly! I left some chunky pieces and smaller pieces. Dehydrate at 105 degrees for about 6 hours or so, it could take more or less depending on the humidity in your home. You can always "test" it while it's dehydrating! The texture should be light and crispy.

Now, you can bake this in the oven as well, but anything over 118 degrees will kill the live enzymes that you just activated which are highly beneficial to your health, but it will still be really tasty. Enjoy!