Nutritious Pancakes With Fruit and Oats

June 3, 2017May 31, 2017Leave a comment

Nutritious pancakes
Pancakes are Ben’s favorite breakfast. He won’t eat anything but pancakes in the morning! Some mornings he’ll have some apple and carrot sauce or down a bottle of chocolate milk for added nutrients. Usually I give him Organic Silver Dollar Pancakes from Trader Joe’s which I just heat up in the microwave or in a pan on the stove. On lazy mornings when we’re not rushing out the door I like to make him these nutritious homemade pancakes.

Adding the oat flour to the egg/fruit mixture

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oat flour (I grind rolled oats in the blender first)

3 eggs

5 oz. applesauce

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 banana

1 apple (cored, skinned, and sliced)

2/3 c. flour

Directions:

Grind up rolled oats in a blender and pour into a bowl. In the blender add apple, banana, eggs, and applesauce. Blend. In a bowl or using a stand alone mixer mix oat flour, flour, and baking powder. Pour in and mix egg and fruit mixture to form a batter.

Using a tablespoon spoon the batter into a warm pan with coconut oil or butter and fry until golden. Flip over and fry on the other side. Serve with honey or fruit.

What I really like about this recipe is that you can add a variety of fruits and veggies in. Zucchini, bananas, crushed pineapple, pumpkin puree, pureed beans, and carrot sauce can all be mixed in and give nutrition to a simple breakfast food!

Garbanzo Bean Chocolate Chip Cookies

May 27, 2017May 23, 2017Leave a comment

I have not been quiet about the fact that my Ben is a picky eater. He’s a total carbaholic, he eats tofu, and that’s about it. Getting fruits and veggies into him can be a struggle. One way I do manage to get veggies in him is baked goods. I have tried black bean brownie, garbanzo bean cupcakes, and pumpkin loaf made from scratch with shredded carrots. I find myself baking him healthy treats each week and he seems to love them!

This past week it was Garbanzo Bean Chocolate Chip Cookies. They come out soft, and I do refrigerate them to be on the safe side because they have a lot of egg. When I need one or two I pop them in the oven or microwave quickly.

These cookies are high in protein as they have 3 sources of protein: eggs, peanut butter, and garbanzo beans. They’re actually a healthy indulgence for me as I’m trying to lose the last bit of baby weight.

Ingredients:

1 can of garbanzo beans rinsed

3 eggs

1 cup of flour

1 cup of coconut sugar

2 tbs. creamy peanut butter

1/2 tsp. baking powder
Directions:

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend. Using a tablespoon spoon not a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Place in a 350 oven for 10 minutes. Cool after you take them out and enjoy!

I’ll share some pins below of tried and tested hidden veggie recipes. It’s amazing how much like the real thing they taste and it’s reassuring that my boys are getting some good nutrition with their treats!

Bananas Foster Protein Shake with Trader Joe’s Bourbon Vanilla

May 17, 2017May 10, 2017Leave a comment

bananas foster
I’ve gotten really into lifting heavy weights lately. I’m finding that it’s making the most difference in shedding my baby weight. Of course any weightlifting routine means an increase in protein, which can be problematic if you’re a vegetarian like myself. This shake is not only high in protein and vegan. It’s the perfect pre-workout shake!

Recipe:

In a blender combine:

1.5 tsp. Trader Joe’s Pure Bourbon Vanilla Extract

Ice

1 c. unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 scoop Trader Joe’s Vanilla Protein Powder

2 bananas

Blend it up and enjoy either before or after a hard workout! I added a packet of Stevia to my shake because I have a sweet tooth, but it’s not necessary. The Bourbon Vanilla tastes amazing in cookies and I used it in Adam’s Birthday cake icing. It’s good stuff!

Delicious and Nutritious Israeli Tahini Smoothie

April 20, 2017April 12, 20175 Comments

tahini shake

If you follow my Instagram, which I post on daily, you know I love smoothies! My husband and I drink them daily. Since it’s been a while since I shared a recipe with you I decided this smoothie has to be my next recipe for the blog. It’s officially amazing and so good for you!

If you are not familiar with tahini it’s sesame paste that is used in several Middle Eastern dishes. It comes very thick in the jar and can be thinned out with water or lemon juice. It’s one of the main ingredients in hummus and is amazing as a dressing. When we were in Israel last fall they were pouring it over their ice cream. You can find tahini in most large supermarkets, I love the Organic Tahini from Trader Joe’s-it’s the best I’ve ever tasted.

This recipe calls for half a cup of Taster’s Choice coffee in the hazelnut flavor. In the Middle East Nescafe and instant coffee are very popular. My husband likes Taster’s Choice and for a change he’s been trying the hazelnut flavor. I pre-brewed the coffee. When making a smoothie start with the liquid ingredients first and then add the solid ingredients. I make my smoothies in a Ninja every morning, but a blender works fine too.

The recipe for this is to simply blend:

ice

1 c. of unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1/2 c. of hazelnut Taster’s Choice coffee

1 tbsn. of tahini

2 bananas

2 packets of Stevia or a tbsn. of honey (agave or maple syrup would work too)

It’s a really great way to wake up in the morning. You have a caffeine kick from the coffee, potassium from the banana, healthy fats from the tahini, and calcium from the almond milk. It has a deeper taste than a traditional peanut butter and banana smoothie. The hazelnut coffee mixes with the sesame flavor beautifully. I hope you enjoy this recipe. I’ll be sure to share more recipes soon!

Tip: To make the smoothie vegan omit the honey.

Matboucha Tutorial and Recipe Suggestions

February 14, 2017February 15, 20171 Comment

About a month ago I shared with you my Matboucha recipe. It’s a spicy, cooked salad from Morocco. It’s a staple in my household. I make it every Friday for our Sabbath meal as my husband is of Moroccan decent. I am including a video tutorial on how to prepare it as it is a little tricky for beginner chefs and recipe suggestions on how to use this delicious salad will be posted below.

Recipe Suggestions:

1. Eat with charred pita and hummus. It’s delicious either hot or cold.

2. Incorporate it into a sandwich like grilled cheese or as a burger topping.

3. Top off a seared salmon filet with a spoonful of Matboucha.
5. Use it in a quiche. Spoon a generous helping into a store bought pie-crust. Beat 4 eggs with salt and pepper, pour them into the pie shell. Add smoked provolone on top and bake for 50 minutes at 350F.

6. Start an omelet with olive oil and Matboucha. Then add your beaten eggs and cheese once the moisture has evaporated.

7. Top of rice or quinoa with Matboucha and a chopped hard boiled egg.

Truly the options are limitless!

Easy and Beautiful Gluten-free, Vegan, and Kosher Gift Basket

January 25, 2017January 23, 20173 Comments

For the holidays I struggled with the idea of what to get my parents this year. In years past when I was making a salary I could purchase them anything I wanted but this year was different as I’m a stay at home mom. I figured DIY would be the way to go this year. My dad just recently switched to a gluten-free diet. In my home we keep kosher and vegetarian. So as my parents were visiting I figured it would be a lovely hostess type presentation to give my dad a gluten- free gift basket that he could snack from while staying with me.

I started with this tin basket that I found at Michael’s. I got it for 40% off with my coupon which turned out to be a great deal. Then I went on to find some cute snowflake tin containers that I could put different food items and as well as snowflake treat bags.

I filled the gift tins and treat bags with nuts and a dried fruit. I included a bag of gluten-free pretzels and a bag of gluten-free granola. I found all of these items at Trader Joe’s. If you go to their customer service they will print you out a list of all of their gluten-free items which is so incredibly helpful.

This turned out to be a really easy and useful gift for my dad. He didn’t have to go searching in my pantry for something to eat. He had plenty to eat while he was at my house despite all of the very different diets that we have in my home. This would make a great gift to anybody who’s visiting or staying with you. Also this would be a great teacher gift as it was fairly inexpensive and only took about 30 minutes to put together! For shipping: I would recommend wrapping cellophane around it and tying some ribbon on top before putting it into the box so everything will stay pretty well in tact during the shipping. I also would recommend going with a lighter box, maybe even a wooden crate which they have plenty of at Michael’s and with that 40% off coupon it would be very inexpensive. You could also paint the crates different colors and match them with your tins!

Make Ahead Pesto with DoTerra Oregano Essential Oil (Kosher, Vegan, Gluten -Free)

January 19, 2017January 28, 2017Leave a comment

make-ahead-pesto As you know I love essential oils. I am actually not at all advertising for DoTerra -I don’t have a membership anymore and I’m not selling oils. I do believe in the oils and I use them every day. I use DoTerra products every day. I believe that they do help overtime to make your family a little bit healthier. I have started cooking more and more with DoTerra oils. This is an easy pesto that you can make ahead of time and freeze in baby food jars and have on hand when you want to make pastas or pizzas or flat breads or avocado toast. I use a Ninja to process all of the ingredients but this can be done in a food processor or blender. I also will be sharing with you how to do this with a pasta and brussels sprouts which is how I’ve been serving it almost weekly to my husband -he loves it! This recipe is kosher, vegan, and gluten free!
Ingredients:

1 stalk of brussel sprouts

12 oz. of pasta (I used brown rice and quinoa pasta from Trader Joe’s.)

16 oz. of fresh basil

6 oz. of Olive Oil plus 2tbs. For the brussel sprouts

2 tbs. garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

6 drops of DoTerra Oregano Oil

Directions:

Set the oven to 350°F. Remove the brussels sprouts from the stock using a serrated knife and then cut each of them and have removing the outer petals. Wash all of the brussel sprouts. I did this by placing on my brussel sprouts in a colander and then rinsing them off. Set out a large pot of water with lots of salt and placed on the stove on high heat.

While you are waiting for the water to boil put all your brussels sprouts on a cookie sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix it up with your hands. Put the brussels sprouts into the oven for 30 minutes.

By now the pasta water should be boiling add your pasta and cook according to the instructions on the box. While your pasta is cooking put the basil, 6 ounces of olive oil, garlic and oregano oil into the blender or food processor and blend until you see all the ingredients are completely combined. Add salt and pepper to taste and blend one more time. I only use 2 ounces of the pesto each time I make my pasta or pizzas so I put them into baby food jars and store them in the freezer. They store nicely for about six weeks. If you really want to give your pesto a healthy boost you can add one or two more drops of oregano oil once it has defrosted on the countertop. The defrosting usually takes about an hour and a half at room temperature.

Shakshuka Pizza with a Beer Bread Crust

January 12, 2017January 14, 20172 Comments

shakshouka pizza.jpg

One thing about cooking is that I like to use an ingredient or leftovers to make something new. Last week I shared with you my recipe for matbucha. Which you can find here. You will need to make it in order to complete this recipe-as it becomes the sauce for my pizza.

Shakshuka is basically matbucha with basted eggs on top. It’s a really popular breakfast food in Israel. Every restaurant has their own version and it’s incredibly delicious along with some pita bread or some Israeli salad. I saw a video last year on how to make this pizza but they just used tomato paste, onion, and some spices. Tomato paste has such a strong flavor and such a richness that I think it would be overwhelming. I believe using the leftover matbucha makes for more complex flavor.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 c. of flour, plus a little extra for rolling out the dough

1 c. beer

1 tbsp. sugar

1 tbsp. salt

6 tbsp. matbucha

2 c. feta cheese crumbles

4 eggs

Directions: Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Mix flour, salt, and sugar together in a large mixing bowl with either a standalone mixer or hand mixer on medium for a minute. Pour in a cup of beer and mix until a dough is formed on medium, scraping the sides down. Roll out the dough on a floured surface and transfer onto a baking sheet. Spread the matbucha out over the dough and crack four eggs over different areas of the pizza, nesting the eggs throughout. Then sprinkle your feta crumbles all over. Bake for 25 minutes and enjoy!!!

Matboucha Recipe

January 8, 2017January 14, 2017Leave a comment

Matboucha is a warm tomato and bell pepper salad eaten commonly in Israeli and Moroccan cultures. It’s one of my husband’s favorite foods. Typically, in a Moroccan home the first course of a meal has several cooked and raw salads which are followed which a chicken/fish/beef course. My husband’s grandmothers used to make 12 salads for the sabbath meal every week I’ve been told! That’s a lot of vegetables to chop! I typically do four or five vegetable dishes for the sabbath dinner and this is one of the regulars.

Ingredients:

8 beefsteak tomatoes

1 c. of water

1 red and 1 green bell pepper

2 red chili peppers

6 cloves of garlic

1 onion

1 beef bouillon cube

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 tbsn. cumin

Rinse all the tomatoes and cut and X into each one of them on the bottom. Fill a large pot with water and place of tomatoes in.

Boil the tomatoes about 30 minutes -you should see them peeled start to shrivel up on the tomatoes. Then place them into a bowl with ice to cold shock them. Once the tomatoes are cool enough to touch peel off the skinfrom the bottom where the x is. Add 1 tbsp. of olive oil into a pan. Dice both of the bell peppers. Dice half of the onion. Place the peppers and onion into a large pan and cover with one couple water. Allow the water to soften the peppers on medium high heat, partially covered.

Peel the six cloves of garlic, dice the tomatoes and place them all into the pan along with the peppers and onion. Fill up a coffee cup halfway boiling hot water toss the bouillon cube, the salt and pepper with the cumin in to the cup. Break up the cube of bouillon with a fork, stir and blend the spices with the hot water and pour over the vegetables. I use a vegetarian beef bouillon cube but you can use the real thing. Rinse and add the two chili peppers, whole, with the salad. Allow everything to cook on medium heat partially covered. Use a potatoe masher to mash the vegetables down a little as you go.

Stir about every five minutes making sure nothing is burning on the bottom of the pan and then smooth over the mixture with the large spoon to see if there still liquid in the mixture. You’re looking to see that all the liquid evaporates out enjoy left with this sort of soft melange of vegetables and spices. Once all the liquid has evaporated turn the heat off and enjoy with a side of pita bread or challah bread. It’s delicious to make a sandwich with it with hummus or with hard-boiled eggs. I’ll be teaching you how to use it in a pizza in a future post.