Sunbutter cookies and hemp seed ice cream

Couch potato husky

Misha, my husky, has taken over our couch. He is now our "couch potato husky." I am hoping I won't have to shoo him off the couch because I need a place to recline while I nurse my unhappy tummy.

 

My tummy has been temperamental for years but this recent bout with candida has made nearly everything its enemy. I am doing all I can to keep the tummy demons under control.

 

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that a seemingly harmless ingredient in non-dairy milk could be contributing to my problem. Carrageenan, a food thickener used in dairy alternatives, may be the cause of digestive problems and inflammation in sensitive individuals. How does that make you feel? You switch to non-dairy beverages because of milk intolerance and end up with more of the same digestive woes. In sensitive individuals, carrageenan can produce painful cramps, bloating and diarrhea.

 Carrageenan is made from red seaweed and is used as a thickener/stabilizer/emulsifier. It adds nothing in the form of nutrition to your non-dairy beverages. It's simply there because we don't like our milk to separate.

 

Carrageenan also may be labeled as Irish Moss or Rock Moss as it is made from boiled down Irish Moss or Chondrus Crispus. It can be found in both organic and processed foods including many non-dairy alternatives (almond milk, rice milk, soy milk, hemp milk).

The food additive has been linked to a number of diseases, including gastrointestinal inflammation, colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, lesions and cancer. Dr. Andrew Weil on www.drweil.com lists carrageenan as a food additive to avoid by those with irritable bowel syndrome or other gastrointestinal disorders. He also cites a study, done in 2001 on animals, which linked carrageenan to ulcerations and cancers of the gastrointestinal tract.

 In 1972, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had compiled enough evidence from animal studies to limit the type of carrageenan that could be used in foods. However in 1979, the FDA decided to continue to allow the use of carrageenan and since then, has taken no action on its use in products.

 As with other food sensitivities/allergies, your best control is knowing what goes into the foods you eat. Read labels, keep carrageenan-containing foods out of your shopping cart, do most of your own cooking, and you should be fine. Go to Cornucopia.org for a complete list of products containing carrageenan as well as safe foods.

Check the labels of alternative dairy beverages carefully as they often contain this additive. There are some brands that do not use carrageenan as an emulsifier or thickener. Write food manufacturers to protest the use of this ingredient.

Homemade hemp milk

 

Consider making your own almond, soy or hemp milk to avoid this additive. I started making my own hemp milk about two weeks ago. It isn't as pretty as carrageenan-thickened milk but it's cheaper and easy to make. Here is the recipe I am following for making hemp milk.

 

To make a half gallon of hemp milk, you will need:

One-half cup of shelled, raw hemp seeds
3 cups of cold water
Blender or food processor
Nut bag for straining
Half-gallon glass container


Directions:

Put the hemp seeds and water in your food processor. Blend for 1-2 minutes.
Pour the milk through your nut bag to strain out hemp seeds.
Store the hemp milk in your glass container in the fridge.

 

Homemade hemp seed ice cream

How about making some homemade hemp ice cream with your supply of hemp seeds? Talk about a powerhouse of protein in a bowl. Warning: This has a ton of calories, so eat sparingly. I ate just a smidge smeared on some single-serve sunbutter cookies. (recipe below)

Here's what you need:

1 cup hemp seeds
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup homemade hemp milk
optional: 1 T. vanilla rice protein powder
vanilla stevia drops, to taste

Here's what you do:

In a Magic Bullet or small food processor, blend the hemp seeds and water until thick and creamy. Add homemade hemp milk to thin, if desired. Mix in other ingredients or add-ins such as cacao or carob powder. I went with straight vanilla because of candida. Put the mixture in an ice-cream maker and follow the instructions. Or put in the freezer until firm.

Hemp ice cream in ice-cream freezer

I decided to make some cookies to go with my homemade hemp ice cream.



Single-serve sunbutter cookies

Single-Serve Sunbutter Cookies (makes 3)
Here's what you need:

2 T. sunflower seed flour (make my grinding raw sunflower seeds in a coffee mill)
1.5 T. unsweetened sunbutter
1/4 tsp. baking soda
pinch of salt
vanilla stevia drops, to taste
2 tsp. melted coconut oil
1 flax egg (make by mixing 1 T. flax with 2 T. of homemade hemp milk)

Here's what you do:

Mix everything in a small bowl. Scoop by heaping tablespoons-full onto a sprayed baking sheet. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees to 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool before transferring to a serving plate.

"Hey, Bailey (the cat). I'll wrestle you for one of those cookies."

Recipes contributed to: http://www.dietdessertndogs.com/2013/02/21/wellness-weekend-february-21-25/