Red quinoa flatbread

Quinoa (pronounced "Keen-wa") is not a true grain but rather the seed of the goosefoot plant. Its origins can be traced back to the Andes Mountains of South America where it was one of three staple foods, along with corn and potatoes, of the ancient Inca civilization.

This versatile food contains more protein than any other grain, an average of 16.2 percent, which means it rivals the protein content of meat. It's also a complete protein with an essential amino acid balance close to ideal.

A super food, quinoa also is high in calcium and iron, and a relatively good source of vitamin E and several of the B vitamins. It has a mild, slightly nutty flavor, and can be used as a whole-grain side dish, in baked goods or in place of hot cereal.

There are many varieties of quinoa but one of my favorites is red quinoa. Here is a recipe for a flatbread I made with whole grain, red quinoa. The recipe was kind of an experiment but turned out delicious. I was trying to make a bread that would be sturdy enough for a sandwich. I failed at that but the bread makes a good breakfast bread, toasted in the oven, or on the side with soup.It has a texture somewhat like cornbread.




Red quinoa flatbread ready to store in freezer



Red quinoa flatbread

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup ground red quinoa
2. 1/2 cup ground white quinoa
3. 1/2 cup millet flour
4. 1/2 tsp. powdered stevia
5. 1/2 tsp. salt
6. 1/2 tsp. each baking powder and baking soda
7. 1 cup water
8. 2 flax eggs ( Usually made with 1 T. flax dissolved in 3 T. water. I used 2 T. Nutri-Flax ground flax seed powder dissolved in 4 T. hemp milk.)
9. 1 T. olive oil

Directions:

1. I used a coffee grinder to grind the whole grain quinoa into a coarse flour.
2. Mix all flours and other dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Mix flax eggs and blend with 1 cup of water and 1 T. oil.
4. Add liquid to dry ingredients and mix.
5. Pour mixture into two 8 X 8 square pans, sprayed with pan spray and drizzled with olive oil. Use slightly dampened hands to spread the dough evenly.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
7. Remove from oven, cool slightly. Each pan yield four large pieces.
8. To make the bread sturdier, toast pieces in the oven on a baking sheet.

Untoasted red quinoa bread

Sunbutter bark

Okay, I admit I am a sunbutter addict. I'm really trying to cut down but everytime I think of a recipe it features sunbutter like this Sunbutter Bark.

I made it with a mixture of purchased and homemade sunbutter to give it a crunchier texture. You can eat it in small squares as pictured above or break it into tiny bits to use as a topping on fruit. The recipe also is easily adaptable to using only purchased sunbutter or only homemade. It's your choice.

Sunbutter Bark

Ingredients:

1.  1/2 cup sunbutter, either purchased or homemade, or a mixture
2. 1/2 cup coconut oil
3. stevia to taste
4. 2 T. toasted pumpkin seeds
5. 1 T. toasted unsweetened coconut flakes

Directions:

1.  Melt coconut oil in microwave.
2. Blend softened coconut oil, sunbutter and stevia in a food processor.
3. Pour mixture into an 8 X 8 pan sprayed with pan spray. Spread evenly.
4. Top with pumpkin seeds and coconut flakes. Press in slightly.
5. Chill mixture before cutting into small squares or tiny bits. Stores well in fridge or freezer.

Quinoa/millet crackers

It's tricky making crackers with whole grains but I gave it a shot with these Quinoa/Millet Crackers. They also have a touch of my favorite ingredient, sunbutter. Of course, I can use more sunbutter on top too.

These were easy but a bit time-consuming, not labor wise, but in terms of baking time. The crackers are actually twice-baked to make them crispy.

Twice-baked Quinoa-Millet Crackers
Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup millet ground into a grainy flour
2. 1/2 cup quinoa ground into a coarse flour
3. 2 T. sunbutter
4. Flax egg (2 T ground flax or my new favorite flax, Nutri-Flax, in 2-3 T. water
5. 1/4-1/3 cup hemp milk (I use unsweetened)
6. 1/2 tsp. baking soda
7. 1/4 tsp. salt
8. 1-2 T. sesame seeds
9. 1-2 T. ground flax

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Then, add the wet ingredients and stir to get a dough that forms a loose ball.
3. Spray and oil lightly a large baking sheet and preheat in the oven to distribute the oil.
4. Press the dough flat on the baking sheet with your fingers. It should be about 1/4-inch thick. Dip your fingers and hands in water to make the dough easier to flatten.
5. Sprinkle the dough with sesame and flax and press in slightly.
6. Bake for approximately 20-30 minutes until dough begins to get crispy.
7. Remove baking sheet from oven and cut crackers into small squares using a pizza cutter.
8. Spread the squares apart slightly and return them to the oven for more crisping. This may take another 30 minutes.

Time consuming but well worth the effort. They are whole grain and tasty with seed or nut butter.

Rutabaga and zucchini pancakes, ACD friendly

Detecting hidden food allergies may help lower your inflammation as I have found out. I have been trying to recover from an injury for a year. While physical therapy helped some, I did not reap the full benefit because I had additional inflammation caused by delayed food allergies.

Researchers are just beginning to discover how detrimental chronic inflammation, like that caused by allergies, can be to one’s overall health. We have heard over and over again what chronic stress can do to our bodies but few realize that unchecked allergies have equally serious consequences for our bodies. When inflammation persists---when the immune system is always activated---this is known as chronic inflammation and can lead to chronic disease.

In my case, it lead to chronic muscle pain. At my physical therapist's urging, I had blood testing done for delayed food allergies. There were some interesting findings. I have sensitivity to fish oil, spices and herbs galore, oysters and clams, all legumes. These are things I never would have figured out through an elimination diet.

After eliminating those things for the past month, I am making progress I never thought possible with my physical therapy. I am beginning to do physical activities I avoided before without any setbacks.

Here is some other interesting information about delayed food allergies:

•  Delayed food allergies have been identified as a leading contributor to making environmental allergy symptoms worse.
• Allergies trigger inflammatory responses that can elevate C-reative protein (CRP), a protein produced in the liver and a known marker for inflammation. According to the British Journal of Nutrition, increased levels of CRP are a good predictor for the onset of both Type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
• A study reported in the February 2011 issue of Good Housekeeping Magazine is a real eye opener about the harmful effects of chronic inflammation, caused by allergies. Allergic adults with wheezing have more than double the risk of heart disease. Allergy sufferers with sniffles are slightly more vulnerable. Why? Inflammation may lead to thickening of blood vessels.

The difficult part of my diet is avoiding spices and herbs, which add flavor to foods. But I am finding out that good old salt and pepper works too. That's all I used for flavoring on the rutabaga and zucchini pancakes.
Next time, I will try adding diced green onions or yellow onion.

Rutabaga and Zucchini Pancakes
(makes 4 medium pancakes)

Ingredients:

1. 1 peeled and shredded rutabaga
2. 2 shredded zucchini
3. salt and pepper to taste
4. Optional: 1 diced green onion or 1-2 T. chopped onion; herbs and spices of your choice
5. 1 T.  Nutri Flax Seed Seed Powder or 1 T. ground flax dissolved in 2 T. hemp milk (or one egg if tolerated)
6. olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Oil and spray a baking sheet. Preheat the baking sheet for about 5 minutes.
4. Drop spoonfuls of mixture onto baking sheet to make 3-inch pancakes.
5. Cook in the oven for about 10 minutes. Flip the pancakes and continue cooking on the other side for an additional 10 minutes.
6. Optional: cook in an oiled skillet.
7. Serve as a side dish.

New no-stir creamy SunButter and pancakes

No-stir creamy SunButter

I received the most delicious gift in the mail for Valentine's Day. It was a jar of the new No-Stir Creamy SunButter, a free sample for me to try, along with heart-shaped cookie cutters.  They must have read my mind that I love SunButter.

This new SunButter is just as delicious as all the other varieties but has the advantage of not separating like the original flavors. They've added some additional ingredients to prevent separation. Hence, it doesn't require stirring before using.

I like this feature but I was already sold on SunButter. My family members, however, really appreciated this new SunButter because they don't like their butters to separate when they spread it on crackers and bread. In a taste comparison, they said they liked both the old and new SunButters.

I decided to go all out and try something I haven't made for awhile with the new SunButter. I made pancakes but not just any pancakes: Quinoa/Millet Sunbutter Pancakes. Now that's a mouthful.

 I used 1/2 cup each of whole grain quinoa and millet. I ground them to a coarse powder in my coffee gringer. Next, I put the freshly ground flours in my food processor with 1/2 tsp. gluten-free baking powder and dash of salt. To this, I added 2 T. of the new no-stir SunButter, 2 T. ground flax mixed with 2 T. water, and 1/4-1/3 cup unsweetened hempmilk. Pulse to mix to a thin batter.

Cook the pancakes in a well-heated skillet, sprayed and oiled. Cooking pancakes requires you to be very patient as I found out. I spoiled several before learning to wait for the bubbles in the dough to break.

Here's the final product, spread with more SunButter, of course. Mmmm good! Thanks, SunButter, for giving me an excuse to eat more of what I love.

More Valentine's recipes for the ACD diet

Pomegranate-glazed whole chicken



Tossed salad with shaved parsnips and pomegranate



Dessert is the best part of Valentine's Day dinner but don't forget the entree. I decided on roast chicken with pomegranate glaze. Get dessert ideas at: http://catsinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/02/valentines-day-acd-style.html

Pomegranate molasses, mixed with olive oil in a 1:1 ratio, was used to baste and glaze the chicken. The molasses is made by simmering pomegranate juice until it's thick or purchasing it pre-made. Find it in large supermarkets near the vinegar or molasses or in Middle Eastern markets.

The roast chicken came out very moist and tasty but I didn't want to overdo the glaze because pomegranate molasses has about 7 grams of carbs per teaspoon. That's why I mixed it with olive oil. I could get the taste without as many carbs.

Feel free to use your favorite herb/spice mixture to rub the chicken with but I am limited to salt and pepper as I have delayed food allergies to just about any imaginable spice or herb.

Pomegranate-glazed roast chicken

Ingredients:

1. 1 whole chicken
2. Salt and pepper
3. 1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
4. 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Remove giblets and neck from chicken. Rinse the chicken with water. Rub all over with salt and pepper.
3. Spray a roasting pan with pan spray. Place the chicken, breast side up, in the pan. Pour in about 1/2 cup of water to keep the bird moist.
4. Baste the chicken with some of the pomegranate/olive oil mixture.
5. Roast the chicken for about 30 minutes. Turn the chicken over, baste again and cook for another 30 minutes.
6. Turn the chicken over one more time, baste with the remaining glaze and cook until a thermometer inserted into a thigh reaches 165 degrees, about 30 minutes more.
7. Transfer the chicken to a clean cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes. Carve the chicken. Serve with additional pomegranate molasses if not concerned about carbs.

Tossed green salad with shaved parsnips

Ingredients:

1. Spring mix greens
2. 1 parsnip, peeled
3. Pomegranate seeds or substitute cranberries
4. Dressing of choice. I made a simple oil, lemon dressing.

Directions:

1. Put greens on salad plates.
2. Shave parsnips with a vegetable peeler. Distribute shavings between plates of greens.
3. Sprinkle on a few pomegranate seeds for garnish.

Chocolate/sunbutter fondue, ACD friendly, for Valentine's

Chocolate/sunbutter fondue sauce

I've got to have chocolate on Valentine's Day. Carob is good too but I found out I am allergic after having my delayed food allergy testing. Carob is a legume and I am intolerant to all things legume.

The only problem with unsweetened chocolate is it does not seem to be compatible with stevia. The chocolate turns out more bitter than it already was when you add stevia. My solution is to add sunbutter which is naturally sweet. Or if carob is your cup of tea, it will be naturally sweet.

Here's my recipe for chocolate/sunbutter fondue sauce.

2 ounces 100 percent cacao chopped, 4+T unsweetened hempmilk, 2 T. brewed espresso, pinch of salt, 1/4 cup unsweetened sunbutter, stevia if desired: microwave for 1-2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds and adding additional liquid if needed.

Place the sauce in a bowl, surrounded by chunks of fruit on toothpicks. Yummy!

Check out my flax hearts' recipe too here :http://catsinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/02/valentines-day-acd-style.html

Get entree and salad recipes here: http://catsinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/02/more-valentines-recipes-for-acd-diet.html

Valentine's Day ACD style

Flax hearts

I love Valentine's Day, mainly because it signals that the worst parts of winter are over. This winter has been especially rough on me because of injuries that just won't heal which has made it difficult to do my favorite winter outdoor activities, like snowshoeing, cross-country skiing.

But since I eliminated all those foods/spices/herbs that were interferring with my healing, I am doing much better. I am getting hopeful that I am on the right track by lowering my inflammation caused by those additional food allergens I discovered were sabotaging my efforts. I'm beginning to think that blood testing for delayed food allergies was a worthwhile investment.

I am celebrating by planning a delicious Valentine's Day dinner for my family.Of course, it's all ACD-friendly.  Here's what I have planned:

1.  Pomegranate-glazed roast chicken
2. Roasted vegetables
3. Mixed green salad topped with shaved parsnips and pomegranate seeds
4. Chocolate fondue and fruit chunks http://catsinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/02/chocolatesunbutter-fondue-acd-friendly.html
5. Flax hearts glazed with chocolate

Get entree and salad recipe here: http://catsinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/02/more-valentines-recipes-for-acd-diet.html

Dessert is the best so that's where I will start. I saw a recipe for flax cakes somewhere and loved them. I decided to change them up a bit for Valentine's Day.

Flax hearts
(makes 6 large or 12 small)

Ingredients:

1. 1 1/2 cups ground flax
2. 2 T. coconut oil
3. 2-4 T. water
4. 2 T. shredded, unsweetened coconut
5. Liquid, alcohol-free stevia to taste
6. Chocolate glaze for hearts (3 ounces cacao with no sugar, 1 T. coconut oil, stevia if desired; melt in microwave, stirring every 20 seconds)

Directions:

1.  Mix flax, shredded coconut, coconut oil, water and stevia in a bowl. Add additional water if needed to get the mixture to stick together.
2. On a baking sheet, press mixture into a heart-shaped cookie cutter to mold flax hearts.
3. Place molded flax hearts in the freezer to harden.
4. In the meantime, prepare the chocolate sauce.
5. When hardened, remove from freezer and dip into chocolate glaze to coat the tops. Return them to the baking sheet and the freezer to harden the topping.

This is definitely a heart-friendly Valentine's treat but you might want to make small ones if you are not used to flax.

Super Bowl tacos, ACD-friendly

Ground turkey tacos

Spices are banished from my diet after receiving the results of my food allergy blood test. I reacted to all of them. But it is still possible to make flavorful tacos that are ACD-friendly. I know what I will be eating for my Super Bowl party.

My food allelrgy testing also revealed that I am sensitive to oysters and clams, which I seldom eat. The source I discovered was calcium carbonate used as the calcium source in almond milk and the calcium supplements I was using.

My Tempt hempmilk is safe as the source is tricalcium phosphate which is made from calcium salts from rock. But I admit I will be trying to get more of my calcium from greens like kale, spinach, etc. I will mainly use the hempmilk in my tea or hot cocoa.

I also want to applaud Pyrex cookware for their recent safety campaign for their glass bakeware. If you are a blog follower of mine, you know I had a "run-in" with an exploding pyrex glass baking pan about 1 1/2 years ago. I ended up needing stitches on my right foot, getting blood poisoning and being sidelined with this injury for months.

Pyrex is trying to prevent such kitchen mishaps by offering free hot pads that list the four main do's and don'ts of cooking with glass. They are: 1) never place directly on burner or under broiler; 2) add liquid prior to cooking meat or vegetables; 3) preheat oven; 4) place hot glassware on a dry, cloth potholder.

Get a free potholder reminding you of these safety rules at: http://www.pyrexware.com/

Super Bowl Tacos, ACD-friendly

Ingredients:

• Large napa cabbage leaves
• 1 pound ground turkey
• Juice of 1 lime
• Lime wedges for garnish
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 avocado
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Jicama cut into matchsticks
• Green onions chopped
• Shredded red cabbage
• Sliced black olives

Directions:

Make the guacamole first. Take the meat of one avocado, 1/2 the chopped red onion, lime juice, salt and pepper, and place in a food processor. Process but leave somewhat chunky. An add-in here for those not avoiding spices would be 1 tsp. cumin. Scoop the guacomole into a container and put in the fridge to chill.

Heat a heavy skillet on medium high heat. Add the other half of the chopped onion and cook until tender. Add the ground turkey and season with salt and pepper. Cook until almost done and squeeze on the juice of one lime. Continue cooking until browned.

While the turkey is cooking, chop up the other veggies (jicama, red cabbage, green onions, olives, lime wedges, etc) for toppings.

Serve on napa cabbage leaves with your choice of toppings. Note: Add spices or herbs of your choices if you are not in my spice/herb predicament.

Creamy tahini dressing for fruit

I have tried several elimination diets where certain foods that are potential food allergens are avoided for two-four weeks and then gradually reintroduced. Certain symptoms disappeared when I eliminated gluten, eggs, dairy and corn but the cause of chronic muscle pain and fatigue continued to be a mystery. The question was could certain foods/additives be causing inflammation that prevented me from healing.

My physical therapist suggested a blood test, one designed to measure IgG and IgE antibodies in my blood.  IgG responses were my concern as my symptoms have always been delayed ones. The results shed new light on the potential causes of my persistent symptoms.

Read more about my test results in "Food Allergy Testing" at http://catsinthekitchen.blogspot.com/p/food-allergy-testing.html

I was surprised to discover that I was reacting to all kinds of spices and herbs, garlic, fish oil found in Fish Oil Tablets and all kinds of legumes.

I've been eliminating all the suspected "villains" for most of this week. For the first 3-4 days, my whole body seemed to be going haywire, apparently a typical response, according to my health care provider.
The first improvement I've noticed is my stomach seems to be feeling better and that's where the healing begins, with the digestive system.

The most difficult part is the waiting to see if my symptoms continue to improve. My therapist believes they will, and I will finally heal from an injury that occured several years ago, the source of my chronic pain.

In the meantime, I am working on changing the way I cook (no more spices), the beverages I drink (no more herbal teas) and the supplements I take. I’m hoping the end result will be lessened muscle pain and fatigue.

I'm always on the lookout for ways to get flavorful food without spices, herbs or sugar. My newest favorite is Creamy Tahini Dressing for Fruit.

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• liquid stevia to taste
• 2+ tablespoons water
• 4 cups sliced fruit such as papaya, strawberries, blueberries, kiwi
• Optional: unsweetened coconut flakes (I can top mine with coconut if I want. I've always thought I had a sensitivity to coconut but my food allergy testing showed none.)

Directions:

• Combine tahini, applesauce, stevia and water in a food processor. Pulse until smooth. Drizzle 1-2 T. dressing on 1/2 or more fruit for an individual serving.
• Top with coconut flakes, if desired.

Homemade sunbutter and pumpkin butter saves bucks

Homemade sunbutter

Homemade pumpkin butter

Monday will be the day I get the results of my food sensitivity testing. I'm looking forward to uncovering something that has gone undetected in numerous elimination diets where you stop eating certain foods for a month or more, and then retest for reactions by gradually adding them back in.

They did the food sensitivity test on me rather than the allergic resonse test. I have never had an allergic response to any foods but instead have food intolerances which are far more difficult to figure out because sometimes responses don't occur for three days. It seems weird to hope something shows up but yet it might shed light on why I get certain symptoms, like upset stomach and chronic muscle pain caused by trigger points.

I'm hoping that the test doesn't show I have a problem with sunflower or pumpkin seeds because they are two of my very favorite foods. I have winced at the price but have purchased sunbutter and pumpkin butter for years. $6-8 for sunbutter and $10-12 for pumpkin butter recently inspired me to try making my own and see how much I could save.

I purchased raw sunflower seeds for $1.70 a pound in bulk and figured I would need 2 1/2 cups to make a pound of sunbutter. That equates to $4.25 for seeds compared to $6.99 for sunbutter which I paid at my most recent purchase. I calculate a savings of about $2.70.

Pumpkin seeds are a little more pricey, $3+. I haven't done the cost analysis on making my own pumpkin butter yet but I'll figure that out next time I purchase pumpkin seeds.

To make sunflower or pumpkin butter:

1. Begin by toasting one or two cups of seeds either in a skillet or baking sheet in low heat oven. I set the oven for 325 degrees and keep a close eye on the seeds.
2. Note #1: don't skip the toasting step. This is key to getting the seeds to turn into a creamy butter.
3. Note #2: The toastier the seeds the more intense the flavor.
4. Cool the seeds slightly.
5. Pour into your food processor and begin grinding. Gradually add in 2 or more tablespoons of grapeseed or other oil, and continue processing until you have a smooth paste.
6. Add a few drops of liquid stevia if desired.

That's all it takes to make some delicious sunbutter or pumpkin butter. It does take some time but if you eat a lot of the stuff it can save you some money.

Breakfast quinoa

Breakfast quinoa with fruit and seeds

I'm on a mission to break out of my breakfast rut. It's been protein smoothies for months and months and months until I can't stand it anymore. Things are definitely looking up with breakfast quinoa with fruit and seeds as well as breakfast sweet potato with pomegranate and seeds( http://catsinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/01/acd-diet-breakfast-pomegranate-sweet.html).

I love it when things are easy like both of these recipes. For the quinoa, I cook up one cup of quinoa the night before while I'm preparing dinner. I prepare the fruit topping and toasted seeds in advance too. I know this is beginning to sound complicated but the prep work saves you time in the morning when you don't have time. You also have enough for three or more breakfasts.

In the morning, I spoon about one-third cup into a bowl, pour on some hemp milk and pop the quinoa into the microwave for about 90 seconds. Top your quinoa with a little fruit and toasted seeds and you're ready to eat.

Here are the directions for making all the ingredients and assembling them into your breakfast quinoa.

Breafast Quinoa with Fruit Compote and Seeds

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup quinoa
2. 1/2 cup each raw pumpkin and sunflower seeds
3. 1 package frozen or fresh cranberres and  1 cup frozen blueberries
4. unsweetened hemp milk
5. liquid, alcohol-free stevia

Directions:

1. For the toasted seeds: Spread pumpkin and sunflower seeds on a baking sheet, sprayed with pan spray. Coat the seeds lightly with pan spray as well. Toast the seeds in a preheated oven set to 325 degrees for about 10 minutes. Check often and stir the seeds to prevent burning. Remove from seeds from the oven, allow to cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge.
2. For the fruit compote: Pour one package of frozen or fresh cranberries in a heavy saucepan and add 1/2 cup water. Cook over medium heat until the cranberries pop and continue cooking for several more minutes. Remove the cranberries from the heat and mix in one cup frozen blueberries. Sweeten with liquid stevia to taste. Store the compote in the fridge.
3. For the quinoa: Put one cup quinoa in a saucepan with two cups water. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to simmer and continue cooking for about 15 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Store the quinoa in the fridge.
4. For the breakfast quinoa: Heat up some quinoa mixed with hemp milk in the microwave for about 90 seconds. Top with some fruit compote and seeds and dig in.

ACD-diet breakfast: pomegranate sweet potato

Kona takes over the bed




Breakfast sweet potato

 
Kona, my golden retriever, has the right idea. She loves to sleep in but she does it her way. Her morning starts by getting up whenever I do as early or late as that might be. After gobbling up her doggie chow, she heads back to bed as pictured above.

Actually, that's not her bed of choice. She prefers to sleep by the fireplace on her doggie bed. I snapped the picture above when she jumped up on one of our beds to escape the evil vacuum cleaner. She's proof that it's not just cats that are afraid of vacuum cleaners.

While Kona snoozes, I get busy pondering what to serve myself for breakfast. Lately, sweet potatoes have been a bit of a favorite. For a long time, I avoided sweet potatoes because I feared that would bring back my candida. Now, a year into my ACD diet, I no longer fear them as long as I don't eat a whole sweet potato at one time. I usually eat a large one over three breakfasts.

Sweet potatoes with pomegranate and pumpkin seeds is one of my favorite recipes for breakfast.

Ingredients:

1. One medium or large sweet potato
2. 1-2 T. hemp milk, unsweetened
3. 1 T. toasted pumpkin seeds
4. 1-2 T. pomegranate seeds
5. Sea salt

Directions:

1. Bake sweet potato (I do mine in the microwave because it's faster, about 6-8 minutes, as opposed to 40 minutes in the oven at 400 degrees. Prick the sweet potato with a fork prior to baking.)
2. Let cool slightly.
3. Slice the top of the potato and use a fork to mash the insides a bit.
4. Drizzle on the hemp milk and mix in.
5. Sprinkle on the seeds and season with salt if desired.

Rutabaga-salmon scramble

Rutabaga-salmon scramble

Inspirations for good things to eat, like this rutabaga-salmon scramble, come from all sorts of experiences, cravings and sometimes unexpected places.  I was watching a show on PBS that features well-known breakfast spots in cities around the U.S. I don't know what compelled me to watch because I knew breakfast eateries would have all the things I cannot eat like pancakes, waffles, eggs, bacon, ham, etc. Maybe I just wanted to torture myself.

A potato-salmon-spinach scramble at one of the featured restaurants caught my attention. With the exception of the potatoes, it looked pretty ACD-friendly. A simple switcheroo of ingredients and I could have myself a dish that could be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Now I'm glad I watched that show because Rutabaga-Salmon Scramble made a great dinner last night. Here's the recipe.


Ingredients for 1 serving:
1 salmon filet precooked and cut into pieces
1 rutabaga., peeled, sliced and boiled until tender but still firm
1/4 onion sliced
2-3 large handfuls of fresh spinach
sprig of parsley for garnish
salt and pepper
2 tsp. canola or olive oil

Directions:

1. Saute onions in oil in large, heavy skillet.
2. Add rutabagas and cook until browned.
3. Add salmon pieces and continue cooking until hot.
4. Toss in spinach and continue cooking until wilted.
5. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Serve on a plate and garnish with parsley.

Swiss chard rollups

Swiss chard rollups

I hate going to the doctor. I think it's because I have had so many wrong diagnoses. I start dreading the appointment days ahead. If I could, I would call and reschedule or cancel the appointment.

Sometimes, I've actually done that but not yesterday. They drew lots of blood for testing. I think they sucked me dry because I turned white as a sheet and felt like I was sick the rest of the day.

One of the tests was for food intolerances. I've done elimination diets numerous times to test for food intolerances but never had a blood test. I need to find out if there is something I am eating that is contributing to my chronic muscle pain.

We also discussed the role of environmental mold sensitivity in chronic health problems. I have been extremely sensitive to mold for years and then of course, there's the whole candida problem. I will  post more on the environmental molds later.

In the meantime as I wait for my results, I cannot eat the Swiss Chard Rollups pictured in this post unless I modify my own recipe. I made it right before I eliminated nightshade veggies (tomatoes, peppers). But maybe you can enjoy it. I know I did.

Swiss Chard Rollups

Ingredients:

1. 4 medium Swiss chard leaves
2. 1/2 cup Silken tofu
3. 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
4. 1/4 cup diced zucchini
5. Salt and pepper
6. 3/4 cup homemade or safe marinara sauce
7. 1/2 baked spaghetti squash

Directions:

1. Cook the Swiss chard leaves in boiling salted water for one minutes or until wilted.
2. Remove the stem at the bottom of each leaf.
3. Mix together 2 T. marinara, silken tofu, red bell pepper, zucchini, salt and pepper to taste.
4. Divide tofu/veggies mixture among the Swiss Chard leaves. Roll each one, tucking in the sides so the filling won't seep out.
5. Place stuffed leaves in a small baking dish and top with the remaining marinara sauce.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
7. Scoop out the meat of spaghetti squash.
8. Serve the rollups over the spaghetti squash.

Beet chips

Don't let the appearance of these beet chips fool you. They look a little dark but they are so-so delicious.
I haven't eaten beets in a long time because of their carb count. But I have to get some carbs now that I'm following the caveman diet where grains are not allowed (kind of like the ACD diet). And beets in moderation are even allowed on the ACD diet. Just remember the word "moderation" with these chips.

Beet Chips (makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

1. 2 medium beets
2. 1-2 tsp. olive oil
3. sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Peel beets and slice thinly with a mandoline slicer. Note: The beets have to be thin to get crisp. My mandoline slicer blade was a bit dull and my slices were a little too thick which may account for why they got dark before they got done.
3. In a bowl, toss the beets with olive oil
4. Spray a large baking sheet with pan spray.
5. Spread the beet slices out on the sheet in a single layer.
6. Sprinkle with salt.
7. Bake until the edges of the beets begin to dry out. This takes a long time especially if the beets aren't thin enough. Plan on 30 minutes for super thin slices and 40-50 minutes for thicker slices.
8. Check the beets often and remove individual chips as they get done.
9. Transfer to a wire rack to cool and crisp.
10. Don't eat them all at one time!

Caveman diet and poached salmon

Poached salmon

Two weeks ago I scratched nightshade veggies off my eating list in hopes of reducing a chronic pain issue I have. I almost felt like I was going through withdrawal when I stopped eating my favorite red bell peppers, jalapenos and spices made from peppers (paprika, cayenne, chili powder). I also realized just how much of this stuff I consumed each day.

Here's my logic for cutting out nightshade veggies:

• Tomatoes, peppers and goji berries are touted for their health benefits. But these nutrition-packed foods have a dark side for those who experience intolerance or allergic reaction. Plants from the nightshade family may cause, or contribute, to arthritic symptoms.

• Nightshade plants produce drug-like chemicals, called alkaloids. These alkaloids - nicotine, atropine, capsaicin, solanine, and tomatine - build up in the body’s tissues and may produce pain and inflammation in the joints and muscles. Nightshades were originally used as ornamental plants because of their toxic nature.

• One 20-year study, of 1,400 volunteers, found nightshade to be a causative factor in arthritis in sensitive people. In another study, 72.7 percent of the 763 participants reported a marked lessening of arthritis symptoms when they strictly eliminated nightshade foods and/or tobacco.

• The best way to diagnose intolerance is to follow a “no nightshades” diet for at least one month. That means you avoid eating all nightshade vegetables and spices. You also abstain from tobacco use as well.
  
  Here's a list of nightshade veggies:
• Nightshades are plants from the Solanaceae family, including tobacco, potatoes, eggplant, hot and sweet peppers, tomatillos and gooseberries.  Spices and condiments made from nightshades include cayenne, chili powder, curry, paprika, ketchup and Tabasco. All nightshade foods contain nicotine in some form.

I've seen some lessening of pain, along with getting physical therapy. But that's not the end of the story for me. There are more foods that can be contributing to my pain. I'm not sure which ones but I definitely suspect chocolate.

The easiest way for me to find out is to get a blood test for food sensitivities which I probably will. That will take awhile so in the meantime, I have opted to follow the Caveman Diet which is kind of like the strict anti-candida diet. You basically eat unprocessed fish and turkey (no chicken), veggies and fruit, and seeds/nuts.
Find about more info at http://dietsexplained.wordpress.com/2008/05/10/news-flash-caveman-diet-goodyour-diet-bad/

I've always loved salmon but now I'm looking for more salmon recipes. Please share if you have some.
Here's my current favorite.

Poached Salmon
 
Ingredients:

1. 16 ounces wild salmon
2. 2 cups chicken broth (I fudged on this one and bought Imagine free-range, organic chicken broth but I noticed it contains "natural flavor" which potentially could include paprika or other nightshade spice. I need to make up some of my own veggie broth because chicken is supposed to be avoided. )
3. 1 tsp. whole peppercorns
4. 1 bay leaf
5. 4 scallions

Directions:

1. Heat a skillet with 2 tsp. olive oil. Add salmon filets, broth, bay leaf, peppercorns.
2. Cook in liquid until just about done, about 6 minutes. Add scallions and cook another minute or so.
3. Serve with other veggies or on a plate of greens.

Note: Keep me in mind if you have some "clean" recipes for salmon. I'm going to need some variety.

Skinny cocoa

Pumpkin's pose of tranquility


Sometimes, don't you just feel like finding a sunny spot and taking a little catnap? I think Pumpkin, my buddy, has it down pat. I think he looks so adorable in his pose of tranquility.

I've been having a little trouble keeping him from incessantly asking for food. I guess he's suffering from winter boredom. He's a house cat but I don't want him to get tubby. Every day, I measure out his food allotment and that's all he gets no matter how cute he acts or how much he begs.

Unfortunately, we humans don't have someone to restrict us when the winter munchies strike. I admit lately I've been doing my own share of winter overgrazing. But I have a solution in the form of a low-glycemic cocoa drink.

Ingredients for skinny cocoa

My skinny cocoa is simple to make but extremely satisfying. It's low-glycemic because it's made with unsweetened chocolate-flavored Almond Breeze, water, tea and no-alcohol stevia. It's kind of a chocolate tea latte. I find it keeps me away from dreaming of other chocolate confections.

The drink probably has at most a whopping 45 calories if you use a whole cup of Almond Breeze. Feel free to substitute some other alternative dairy beverage, chocolate flavored.

Here's how I make it:

1. Fill a heavy mug with half water and half Almond Breeze.
2. Heat in the microwave to a boil, about 3- 3 1/2 minutes.
3. Remove from the microwave and drop in one tea bag. My two favorite flavors are pictured above. For mint cocoa, I add peppermint tea. For vanilla cocoa, I use the Sleepytime Vanilla.
4. Add liquid stevia to sweeten and get ready to sip a delicious cocoa drink that won't spike your sugar levels.

Carob sunbutter cups

Carob sunbutter cups

I'm still on my kicks to make treats. I haven't made my all-time favorite for a really long time because I didn't realize unsweetened carob chips were available. I found some that are even dairy free at http://www.barryfarm.com/nutri_info/baking%20supplies/carobchipsunsw.htm. These are so good you really don't even need much stevia because the carob and sunbutter are naturally sweet. And they are ACD friendly!

Sunbutter/Carob Cups


Ingredients:

1 bag vegan unsweetened carob chips

1/4 cup unsweetened sunbutter (sunflower butter)

Liquid or powdered stevia to taste (use the non-alcohol added variety)

1 mini-muffin pan

Melt carob chips in microwave. Add stevia and stir to blend. Spoon 1 tsp. or so into each section of the mini-muffin pan. Top with 1 tsp. sunbutter. You can top with additional melted carob chips if desired. Refrigerate until set. Makes 12 cups.

Coconut butter revisited

Homemade coconut/cacao butter

I am on a kick to come up with a healthy treat that's ACD friendly. Coconut has long been off my list because of the saturated fat that tends to upset my digestive tract. I have no gallbladder which means saturated fats don't go down well. And I have no self control. It's better if it's not in the house.

 For some reason, I decided to give coconut another try. I even had a bag of organic coconut tucked away in the freezer from my last coconut indulgence. I saw a video on the internet that showed how to make your own coconut butter out of coconut flakes. Premade coconut butter such as Artisana is expensive. It looked like a challenge to see if I could make my own.

All you do is pour some unsweetened coconut flakes in your food processor and start processing. I didn't want to make a ton so I just put in one cup of flakes. It takes about 20 minutes with some scraping of the sides to keep the mixture blending. Voila! It worked.

From scratch coconut butter

Things started getting dangerous once I had the coconut butter made. I decided to add cacao bits to make my version of Artisana's coconut-cacao bliss. I added 2 T. cacao bits and some stevia. Add more if you want more chocolate flavor.

Now, my problem is limiting myself. I eagerly gobbled up a couple of bites and stored the rest in the fridge.
I've been restricting myself to a bit sprinkled on top of berries as a dessert. By eating it sparingly, I have been able to avoid the dreaded stomach issues. I'm still mulling over other ways to use it. Please share your ideas.

Pimped up sunbutter



Pimped-up sunbutter with flax, cinnamon and hemp seeds


I had to eat something extra special to celebrate New Year's Day. My first thought was something with sunbutter which I absolutely love. But then, I thought why not try making a pimped-up sunbutter.

 Recently, when browsing the internet, I had come across a pre-made sunbutter with some yummy add-ins (vanilla, cinnamon, flax and hemp seed). It looked incredibly delicious. I almost ordered it until I realized it contained evaporated cane juice, just another name for sugar which is a no-no for candida sufferers.

That cinnamon/vanilla sunbutter was the inspiration for my pimped-up sunbutter but I made mine free of sugar. It was super simple to make and oh, so delicious. I spooned some on my hot quinoa for breakfast but it kind of got lost in the almond milk. The next time I'll try putting it on less milky quinoa.



Hot quinoa with designer sunbutter added.

  Pimped-up Sunbutter

Ingredients:

1. 1/4 cup unsweetened sunbutter
2. 2 T. ground flax seed
3. Few drop on alcohol-free stevia
4. 1 tsp. cinnamon
5. 2 T. hemp seed
6. Optional: alcohol-free vanilla or vanilla bean which I didn't have. I'll try that next time and trust me there will be lots of next times.
7. Note: If you want more,  just double or triple the ingredients.

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor.
2. Blend on high until smooth.
3. Store your designer sunbutter in a storage container.

No-egg cauliflower breadsticks

Kona keeping her feet mud free with her new Christmas booties.



First attempt cauliflower breadsticks with no egg.



This past year has brought me several health victories. I have candida and sinus issues under control, not that it's not an on-going battle to maintain the delicate equilibrium of good and bad bacteria. I know I still am susceptible. One of the most telltale signs is my winter problem with athlete's foot. I have to disinfect my yoga mat frequently, keep my shower clean as a whistle and put baby powder in my shocks daily to keep my tootsies free of this problem.

Even as New Year's approaches, I'm not planning to go whole hog and abandon my low-carb, low-glycemic diet. I guess it's something I will have to do for my lifetime. One health issue that I continue to tackle is chronic muscle pain that hasn't disappeared with the candida diet. My pain is somewhat arthritic-like but confined to only muscles, not joints.

I recently did some research on nightshade allergy/intolerance to help a friend who potentially has rheumatoid arthritis. As I read the symptoms, I began to see myself and decided to eliminate my lovely peppers and tomatoes from my diet. Nightshade vegetables can cause or contribute to arthritis symptoms in sensitive individuals. I have already eliminated potatoes and eggplants, also nightshade, so I thought what the heck. It's worth a try. In some studies, 70-80 percent of participants found relief from their pain by strictly eliminating nightshade foods. I've gone three days so far; too soon to tell.

New Year's Eve has me planning what to cook. But Kona, my 12-year-old pup, has been out frolicking in her new booties she got for Christmas. We decided to purchase some for her because she looks forlorn every time we have to leave her in the garage to let her muddy feet dry out before coming indoors. The booties solve the problem. She's so docile she doesn't care a bit when I put them on her or when she's running around in them.

I decided to try out some appetizer recipes for New Year's. The cauliflower breadsticks came out of seeing a post numerous places for cauliflower pizza. Unfortunately, the recipe uses egg and cheese. I am allergic to eggs and cheese is off limits for candida. My first attempt yielded tasty but somewhat flimsy breadsticks. That egg would be a great addition so if it's not a problem go for it.

Cauliflower Breadsticks
Ingredients:
1 cup riced cauliflower
1/4 cup garbanzo bean flour
salt and pepper
1 T. olive oil
herbs such as basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary
Optional: one egg

Directions:

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Spray and lightly oil a baking sheet.

To rice cauliflower, steam 1/2 head of cauliflower cut into florettes just until fork tender. Drain the cauliflower and place in your food processor. Pulse until the cauliflower becomes pearl-sized.

Mix 1/4 cup garbanzo bean flour with 3/4-1 cup water. Stir to blend. Let set until it thickens. It should be the thickness of thin pudding. Add olive oil, herbs, salt and pepper, and cauliflower. Stir to blend.

Preheat the baking sheet slightly in the oven to distribute the oil evenly on the pan. Spoon and spread the batter on the pan. The batter should  be thick enough to shape into a rectangle about 1/4-inch thick.

Bake for 12 minutes or longer until batter is cooked and set. Remove the pan from the oven. Allow the cooked batter to cool slightly. Then, cut into breadsticks with a pizza cutter.

Turn the oven up to broil. Place the breadsticks back in the oven until they are crispy but watch them carefully to prevent burning.

Allow the breadsticks to cool slightly again. They will be somewhat fragile until fairly cool.

I thought they were pretty tasty but next time I will add more herbs and try adding some chia slurry or flax slurry to get them to bind together better. If anyone has success with this, let me know.

Anti-Candida Christmas dessert recipe

What's Christmas dinner without dessert, even for us candida folks? My dessert uses some of the trail mix I talked about in my first post about by Christmas dinner menu at http://catsinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2010/12/anti-candida-christmas-dinner.html. It also makes use of my favorite vanilla tea smoothie recipe at http://catsinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2010/09/sleepytime-vanilla-tea-smoothie-acd.html.

I simply whipped up some of this smoothie in the morning and poured it into a freezer-safe container. I stored it in the freezer all day and took it out in the evening. After thawing it out slightly, I spooned it into my food processor and blended it on high into an soft-serve ice cream consistency. It really does resemble soft-serve ice cream.

Spoon this frozen dessert into a ice-cream dish and top off with a tablespoon of trail mix and voila: dessert for anti-candida me!

Merry Christmas everyone! 

Anti-candida Christmas dinner continued

The mock mashed potatoes came out oh so yummy. I'd say better than real mashed potatoes. The combination of rutabagas and cauliflower had a almost sweet taste which made the lack of butter unnoticeable.

I will serve this side dish as part of my candida Christmas dinner. Get the full menu in my previous post at
http://catsinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2010/12/anti-candida-christmas-dinner.html.


Here's the recipe I created for Mock Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:
• 1 head of cauliflower, washed, trimmed and chopped into pieces.

• 3-4 medium rutabagas, washed, peeled and cut into one-inch pieces.

• Chicken broth

• Hemp milk or other alternative dairy beverage

• Salt and pepper

Directions:

• Bring water to a boil in two large saucepans. You will need to cook the two veggies separately since the rutabagas will take longer to cook.

• Add a sprinkle of salt to each pot.

• Put the rutabagas in one pot and the cauliflower in the other.

• Cook until each is fork tender.

• Drain both cauliflower and rutabagas.

• Combine the two veggies in a large pot.

• Add a bit of chicken broth, milk of your choice, salt and pepper.

• Start the mashing process with a potato masher.

• Add more liquids if needed.

• Finish whipping with a hand mixer.

• Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.

There's one more recipe to practice: the mock vanilla ice cream topped with trail mix. That will be tomorrow.

Anti-candida Christmas dinner

The anti-candida diet has become so much a part of me that it seldom bothers me to sit across from someone eating desserts or bread or other carb-loaded foods. That is until the holidays roll around. Then, it starts to bother me again. All the traditional Christmas foods are paraded in front of me via advertising, parties, etc.

It's hard to not feel a bit resentful but this year, I've planned a counterattack because I want to stay as mellow as my cat, Pumpkin, sleeping under the Christmas tree in the photo above. I've carefully planned and even tried the recipes for my anti-candida Christmas dinner. Here's what I have planned for dinner:

1. Appetizer: cucumber slices, red pepper triangles and other raw veggies with chickpea dip.
2. Salad: mixed greens or spinach with dried cranberries and avocado.
3. Entree: roasted free-range turkey. 
4. Sides: mashed rutabaga/cauliflower blend; roasted brussel sprouts; green beans.
5. Dessert: ACD-safe vanilla frozen dessert topped with trail mix (cacao bits, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, dried cranberries).

I started my counterattack several days ago by making the dried cranberries. The ones you buy in the store are soaked in sugar which will not work for low-glycemic folks. I'm planning to use the dried cranberries in the salad and as an ingredient in the trail mix.

If you like cranberries a lot, it's a good idea right now to grab a few extra packages while they are cheaper and available, and stow them in the freezer. Here's the procedure/recipe I followed for drying cranberries.

Drying cranberries

1. Place one bag of fresh or frozen cranberries into a pot with water. Bring the cranberries and water to boil.
2. Allow the cranberries to sit in the water long enough to burst. Drain the water from the cranberries. Add stevia (either liquid or powder) and toss to coat the cranberries.
3. Spread the cranberries on a baking sheet. Place in the freezer for at least two hours. The instructions I followed indicated that cranberries dehydrate faster when frozen first. It still took a long, long, long time.
4. Place the cranberries onto a sheet in a food dehydrator. Allow to dehyrate for 12+ hours. Begin checking after 10 hours to remove the ones that are dry. Note: You could dry the cranberries in your oven as well at 250 degrees.
5. Store the dried cranberries in a container in the freezer until ready to use.

Well, that completes round one. Next up, making the trail mix which I will use as a topping for the vanilla frozen dessert.

This is super easy. Just toast some pumpkin and sunflower seeds either in a heavy skillet on the stovetop, or in the oven on a baking sheet at 325 degrees. I prefer the stovetop because I can monitor them more carefully. I start by spraying the pan with pan spray and dumping in one cup of each type of seeds. Spread the seeds around; spray with additional pan spray to coat; and salt to taste. Toast the seeds on medium heat until they begin to pop.

Allow the seeds to cool before mixing with 2 T. dried cranberries and 2 T. cacao bits. Store in the freezer to keep yourself from nibbling.

The mashed cauliflower/rutabaga mixture is my project for tonight. Post, directions and picture coming.

Low-carb cranberry salsa



I finally got a photo of my cat pal, Pumpkin, napping with his face down on his paw. It just makes me want to go love him to pieces but he'd never go for that. After all, he is a cat.

I've been trying to expand my fruit repertoire on my low-glycemic, ACD diet. I looked up the nutrition facts for cranberries and discovered if eaten without sugar, they are pretty low carb (6g of carbs with 2g of sugars and 2g of fiber in a 1/2 cup serving). Of course, cranberries without some sort of sweetener are pretty hard to swallow. But they taste delicious when added to a salsa blend or sweetened with stevia. Here's my recipe for Cranberry Salsa. It's tasty on grilled chicken or fish or as a topping on salad. It stores well in the fridge for several days.

Ingredients:

1. 1 package fresh cranberries
2. 1 pasilla pepper seeded and chopped roughly
3. 1 green bell pepper seeded and chopped roughly
4. 1 cup chopped cilantro
5. salt and pepper to taste
6. Optional: onion, hotter peppers

Directions:

1. Put all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until ingredients are finely chopped.

Low-carb turkey with vegetable soup

I love soup all year round but especially during the colder months. The problem is I can never find any at a restaurant or at the market that is suitable for someone, like myself, who needs to follow a low-carb diet and has multiple food allergies (dairy, gluten, corn, eggs).

That's where the old soup pot comes in handy. I can cook up my own "safe-for-me" soup and enjoy it to my heart's content. Recently, I made use of the leftover turkey carcass from Thanksgiving to make a low-carb turkey-vegetable soup. I confess I had never used the carcass before but decided to give it a go after one of my Thanksgiving dinner guests suggested it. There is a considerable amount of time involved with this recipe if you use a turkey carcass but it also can be made with leftover chicken and purchased chicken broth.

Low-Carb Turkey with Vegetable Soup

Step 1: Make the broth

1. Put the leftover bones and skin from either a turkey or chicken into a large stock pot. Cover with cold water by an inch. Add a quartered onion, chopped celery and tops, chopped carrot, parsley, thyme, a bay leaf and a few peppercorns.
2. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to bring the stock to a simmer. Add salt and pepper.
3. Cook for about four hours, uncovered so the stock reduces. Remove the bones and skin. Strain the broth if desired.

Step 2: Make the soup

1. Add chopped veggies of your choice. I added the sturdier veggies (celery, onions, rutabagas and carrots) first. Skip adding grains or noodles if you want this to be low carb.
2. Cook and simmer until the veggies are tender (approximately 30-45 minutes).
3. In the final 10-15 minutes of cooking, add green beans. I also could have added greens, such as spinach, chard or kale, at this time.
4. Serve with a salad.

Sunbutter dressing

Snow has wrapped my world in a beautiful white blanket. It's amazing how fluffy snow can transform an ordinary landscape and make it something extraordinary.

Sunbutter has a similar power when it comes to food. It can change a recipe into something delicious. One of my favorite uses for sunbutter is in my Sunbutter dressing. I eat a lot of salads and the dressing makes them most enjoyable.

Sunbutter dressing

Ingredients:

1. 1/4 cup unsweetened, natural sunbutter
2. 1/4 cup lime juice
3. 1/8-1/4 cup water
4. salt and pepper to taste
5. 1-2 drops of liquid stevia
6. 1/8 cup flaxseed oil
7. 1 tsp. each chili powder and cumin
8. 2 cloves garlic
9. 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Reserve 1/8 cup of water to add if the mixture is too thick.
2. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add additional water if you want it thinner.
3. Serve over salads, slaws, etc.
4. Dressing keeps well in refrigerator for a week.