Lemon Ginger Coconut Granola

I have been thinking a lot about the power of intention. How our thoughts can change and transform our reality. Especially in cooking and baking, holding a specific intention can be the secret ingredient that makes the whole recipe stand on its own in a unique way. 

Today, in the late afternoon, I had the sudden urge to make something delicious and healthy and substantial enough to stave off the mid-afternoon munchies, or be hearty enough for breakfast. This recipe just so happens to be nut-free, gluten-free, vegan, and refined sugar-free, for those individuals in our lives that have certain food restrictions/allergies yet deserve to have flavorful options available. The whole tender process of imagining, mixing, creating, and setting an intention of service and love is hopefully what makes this granola, as well as your own, unique and delicious...

DRY INGREDIENTS:

• 2 1/2 c. rolled oats
• 2 Tbsp chia seeds
• 2 Tbsp golden flaxseeds
• 1/8 c. organic red quinoa
• 1/8 c. shelled hemp seed
• 1/8 c. organic amaranth
• 1/2 c. raw pumpkin seeds
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 c. shredded coconut
• 1 tsp salt

WET INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 c. melted organic coconut oil
• 1/2 c. organic maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp freshly ground ginger
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• fresh lemon rind from 1/2 lemon

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 13 x 18 inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients together.
3. In a separate bowl, combine all the wet ingredients together.
4. Stir the wet ingredients in with the dry ingredients and combine well.
5. Spread the mixture out evenly on the baking sheet.
6. Bake for 45 minutes, stir every 10-15 minutes to prevent burning.
7. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool. Store in an airtight container.
8. ENJOY!

Feel free to add in your own combination of nuts and dried fruit (candied ginger, anyone?) as you feel fit. Make it up as you go, what moves you, what makes your mouth water. Follow your inspiration. 

Coconut Flour Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins (Grain-free, Nut-free, Vegan).

Hello. My name is Julianne and I am a coconut-aholic.

That's right. I recently ditched my body lotion and now slather organic extra virgin coconut oil all over my body. My Aussie deep 3-minute miracle conditioner smells like coconut, along with my Alba Botanics Leave-in conditioner. I swap coconut oil in baking recipes when they call for butter. And the smell of black coconut oil makes me swoon. So it's natural that I incorporate more coconut flour into my recipes, right? Right.

Coconut flour is a different beast in the kitchen. Typically, recipes using coconut flour call for a lot of eggs in order to balance out the consistency and increase the moisture. I used chia eggs instead (1 Tbsp chia seeds + 3 Tbsp water = 1 egg), in order to make these muffins completely plant-based. These muffins are high in protein and fiber, and are perfect for individuals who need a delicious grain-free, nut-free, vegan muffin without sacrificing taste.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 c. coconut flour
• 1/2 c. pumpkin puree
• 1/2 c. pure maple syrup
• 1/4 c. organic blackstrap molasses
• 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• 6 chia eggs (mix 1 Tbsp chia seeds + 3 Tbsp water = 1 egg)
• 1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a standard muffin tin with liners.
2. Mix all the ingredients together.
3. Divide the batter evenly into the 12 muffin tins. The batter does not rise, so shape accordingly.
4. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes or until the edges are crispy and golden.
5. Cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Sprinkle with powdered sugar (optional).
7. ENJOY!

Persimmon 'n Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins

Last week, I enjoyed the most amazing dessert at Millennium Restaurant- it was a decadent combination of a walnut date pudding topped with a scoop of ginger ice cream and garnished with a candied dried hachiya persimmon. It was delightful, to say the least. This recipe was inspired by that delectable combination of persimmon, ginger, and walnuts... 

INGREDIENTS:

For the wet ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon chia seeds
• 3 Tablespoons water
• 1 cup organic pumpkin puree
• 1/4 c. blackstrap molasses
• 1/3 c. melted coconut oil 
• 3 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1/2 c. packed coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
• 1 fuyu persimmon, finely chopped and diced

For the dry ingredients:

• 1 2/3 c. whole wheat flour
• 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 c. chopped walnuts

Garnishing ingredients:

• Dried persimmon (I finely sliced a fuyu persimmon and using the 'dehydrator' function on my toaster oven, dried these over 90 minutes)
• chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with paper liners.
2. In a small cup, whisk together the chia seeds and water to make a 'chia egg.' Let it sit for a few minutes to thicken.
3. Mix together all the wet ingredients in one bowl.
4. Mix together all the dry ingredients in a larger bowl.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not overmix.
6. Divide the batter evenly over the 12 muffins. Add chopped walnuts and dried persimmon on top for garnish.
7. Bake for 20-24 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
8. Cool the muffins in the pan for 5-10 minutes, and then gently transfer onto a cooling rack until completely cool. Enjoy!!

These are now my favorite muffins. It's like an explosion of all the fall flavors combined into one moist muffin. Moist, heart-healthy, plant-based and delightful. Totally dietitian-approved!

Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins.

Autumn baking is officially on, baby. The days are getting chilly and windy but still sunny enough to score a tan during mid-day swims, and the honeycrisp apples, pumpkin, nutmeg, and cinnamon are begging to be put to use. 

The Vitamix is officially all packed up and ready to be sent back to Headquarters, so my Kitchen Aid mixer stood there on my countertop all alone, looking longingly at me with her sad eyes. I caved.

I usually follow recipes exactly, just since I feel like I barely paid attention in food science class, and the whole ingredient-substitution thing can be overly complicated. But today, perhaps it was the weather, or a false sense of confidence catalyzed by the fact that I had accomplished 75% of the things on my to-do list- well, I was feeling ballsy. Which meant that I substituted quite anything and everything that I could, in order to make these pumpkin chocolate chip muffins more healthy, in true 'dietitian' nature.

Flax eggs? Bring it on. (For the record, it's just 1 Tbsp flax meal mixed with 3 Tbsp water. It makes an egg-like consistency, for vegan recipes). I swapped coconut sugar for brown sugar, and used coconut oil instead of canola oil. 

I'm learning that cooking, baking, whatever; it's all a craft of its own sort. It's a moving meditation, an art, a tender practice of intending, intuiting, stirring and creating something beautiful that wasn't there before. Try it for yourselves.

VEGAN PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 flax egg
• 1/2 cup organic pumpkin puree
• 1 cup almond milk + 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 2 Tbsp melted coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup vegan chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line muffin tins with paper liners.
2. Prepare flax egg by mixing flax meal and water in a cup- let rest for 5 minutes until it thickens
3. Add wet ingredients together and stir. Then, add salt, baking soda and powder, and cinnamon and whisk.
4. Carefully place flours into a sifter and add to wet ingredients and stir.
5. Add chocolate chips and stir.
6. Spoon into paper-lined muffin tins and bake for 22-25 minutes or until fluffy and golden brown.
7. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an air-tight container or bag.

And there you have it. A delicious and healthy muffin to start off the fall season. Happy baking. 

Garam Masala Roasted Chickpeas

Garam masala roasted chickpeas, avocado, radishes, carrots, arugula, black forbidden rice with hummus.

These one-bowl meals have been making me swoon lately. Especially since the weather has been 105 degrees out here in the Tri-Valley, it's easy to eat watermelon 24/7.  Luckily, this solves the problem when you come back from the pool and don't have much energy to cook an entire dinner. One-bowl meals are the perfect combination of complex carbohydrates, healthy fats and protein.

The garam masala roasted chickpeas add a unique flavor, and these can be used for tasty on-the-go snacks as well. You can purchase garam masala at your local Indian store.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cans of chickpeas
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp garam masala (or more, if desired)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Rinse and drain chickpeas. Using a paper towel or cloth, blot dry and remove outer skins
3. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle garam masala, coating evenly
4. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Enjoy!

Japchae with Kelp Noodles

The feeling I get when something actually goes right in my kitchen...

Across the board with my Asian clients, I hear one lament- "I MISS NOODLES." I see the sadness in their eyes. It's like a bad break-up. All of those nights watching sappy movies and slurping noodles are gone. All those rainy days being comforted by hot noodle soup have been stripped away.

We all know that the best part of breaking up is the making up. So wipe those tears away, folks, because here is a recipe that will give you the mouthfeel and texture of noodles with only a fraction of the calories and some added nutrition. Change out of your sweatpants, put on some make-up, and do your hair. Noodles are back in your life.

Kelp noodles contain only 6 calories per serving (each bag contains 3 servings), along with calcium and iron. And the best part? You don't have to boil them! You just add them straight into your recipe and BOOM! You're done and can move on with your life.

I order Sea Tangle Kelp Noodles from Vitacost.com- it's the cheapest I've found anywhere, but you can also find them on amazon.com as well. Japchae is one of my favorite Korean dishes, and now you can enjoy this too, guilt-free and with added nutrients.

Kelp noodles are neutral, so they readily absorb the flavor and seasoning of whatever dish they're added to...

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 package Sea Tangle Kelp Noodles
• 2 Tbsp sesame oil
• 3 Tbsp tamari
• 1 Tbsp grated ginger
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms 
• 3/4 cup shredded carrots
• 1 cup spinach or other greens (I used red chard)
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 1 tsp sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat 1 Tbsp sesame oil in a large wok. Add diced yellow onion, ginger and garlic and stirfry until onions are tender.
2. Add shredded carrots, shiitake mushrooms, spinach, green onions to the pan and continue to stir.
3. Add tamari and sesame oil (optional) to taste.
4. Meanwhile, rinse the kelp noodles under cold water. Using kitchen shears, cut into smaller pieces and add to the stir-fried vegetables. 
5. Stir together and sprinkle with sesame seeds for garnish.
6. Enjoy!

Red Chard Wraps.

“How could there be a day in your whole life that doesn’t have its splash of happiness?”

— Mary Oliver, House of Light

Today's splash of happiness....Red chard wraps filled with hummus, carrots, red cabbage, tofu, avocado and sprouted mung beans. #plantpowered #eattherainbow

Coconut-Lime Black Rice with Red Beans and Mango

“Life is so ridiculously gorgeous, strange, heartbreaking, horrific, etc., that we are compelled to describe it to ourselves, but we can’t. We cannot do it! And so we make art.”

— Miranda July

#eattherainbow #foodasart

Today I slept in. The original plan was to go for a bike ride, but after glancing outside and seeing the dark rain clouds, I welcomed the graceful inconvenience of having to stay inside and snuggle up and listen to the light drizzle of rain outside. I sipped on some ginger tea and felt the thirsty earth's gratitude for this little tease of nourishment from the sky. 

The rain has a way of making me feel more introspective. It's on the rainy days when I love wrapping myself in a warm blanket and burying myself in a good book, when I compose effortlessly on my keyboard, and when my writing feels more fluid and ideas come more easily. Rain = good art. Staying inside when it's raining always seems to spark my creativity and inspiration. Today, it resulted in a new recipe incorporating one of my favorite grains, forbidden black rice.

Ingredients:

-2 c. forbidden black rice

-1 c. organic coconut milk (full fat)

-2 1/2 c. vegetable broth

-1 can organic adzuki beans

-1 mango, diced

-juice from 2 limes

-1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

-1 onion, diced

-1 Tbsp. organic ghee (clarified butter)

-1 tsp. freshly grated ginger

-chopped cilantro

Directions:

1. Heat the ghee over medium heat in a large pan. Add the diced onion and ginger and saute them until soft. Add the rice and keep stirring until the rice starts to slightly toast, about 2 minutes. 

2. Add the coconut milk, vegetable broth, cayenne pepper and bring to a simmer. Cover it and reduce the heat to low. Allow it to simmer until the rice is tender, around 40 minutes.

3. While the rice is cooking, chop up the mango into bite-size pieces.

4. When the rice is tender, fold in the beans, lime juice, and mango. Garnish with the chopped cilantro.

5. Enjoy!

Food is art. And if art is the manner in which we attach meaning and describe our lives, this recipe definitely captures the essence of it- colorful, savory, tangy, a little nutty, with just the right amount of sweetness mixed in. 

Banana Bread Delights.

Sometimes the mood to bake comes on so strongly that all I can do is surrender, throw on an apron, and get busy mixing and measuring and chopping and rolling. Today's creation answered the question of how to handle the desire for solid food on long bike rides when GU gels just don't cut it. I know these will also be perfect for hikes, and will also satisfy you when those mid-day sweet snack cravings hit.

The best part? They are made with real food. No added sugar- not even maple syrup or coconut sugar. Just dates and bananas (and the non-dairy chocolate chips are optional).

INGREDIENTS:

2 large ripe bananas, peeled

1/2 cup packed pitted Medjool dates

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt

2 cups gluten-free rolled oats, divided

3-4 Tbsp non-dairy chocolate chips (optional)

1/4 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Add the banana, dates, coconut oil, and vanilla into a food processor. Process until smooth.

3. Add cinnamon, baking powder, and salt and process again until combined.

4. Add in 1.5 cups of the rolled oats and process for only 4-5 seconds, just long enough to roughly chop the oats.

5. Remove the mixture from the food processor and stir in the remaining oats, along with the walnuts and chocolate chips.

6. Spoon 1 large heaping Tbsp onto the parchment paper. Do not press down the dough to flatten.

7. Bake cookies for 10 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake for another 7-9 minutes until golden brown on the bottom.

8. Immediately transfer onto a cooling rack for 10 minutes.

9. Enjoy!

P.S. Share these vegan, gluten-free, no-refined-sugar treats with your gluten and sugar-loving friends! I promise you that they'll love them, and it won't cost you your friendship.

Vegan Gluten-free Ginger Cookies.

Even if you're bloated from eating too much pumpkin pie over Christmas and the thought of another leftover See's Candies makes you nauseous, you can still enjoy one of these cookies and go about the rest of your day without a sugar hangover or feeling guilty.

The first time I made these…well, I don't really want to talk about it.  So, after some tips from PK, the second time around I used Bob's Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose flour, as well as a silpat mat (

instead of an air-bake pan)

, and had her magical ingredient of ground cardamom.

(Don't ask how I attempted it with cardamom pods the first time around).

INGREDIENTS:

-2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour

-3/4 c. coconut sugar

-1 tsp baking powder

-1 tsp baking soda

-1/4 tsp salt

-1 Tbsp ground ginger

-1 1/2 tsp ground cardamom

-1/2 c. extra virgin coconut oil, melted

-1/4 c. dark molasses

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-3 Tbsp almond milk

-Turbinado sugar (for sprinkling on top)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Add the coconut oil, molasses, milk and vanilla extract and beat until just blended. Cover and refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silpat mat.

3. Roll dough into small balls and place 2 inches apart. Sprinkle lightly with turbinado sugar.

4. Bake for 11-14 minutes. Let cool for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

These are so delicious, and they also freeze well.  Enjoy!!

B.L.I.N.D. Dates

“There’s nothing worse than almost marrying someone, breaking if off, and having to start over with a blind date. It’s like failing your senior year of high school and having to go back to kindergarten.”

— Cindy Chupack

B.L.I.N.D. Dates (Blended Lime Juice In Nutty Deliciousness)

Ahh, the month of February.  Heart-shaped chocolates and truffles.  Romantic dinners with wine and red roses.

However, for those individuals whose significant ‘others’ take the shape of a bike, a running trail or a pool, perhaps now is a good time to start thinking about ‘dating.’

At the peak of Ironman training when I was juggling double-workout days and working full-time, it was hard to properly fuel my workouts given my time constraints.  As a result, I would go into a training session either starving and burn out too soon, or I’d eat a substantial snack that would in turn, need substantial time to digest.  By that time, the sun had set, and so had my motivation.

Enter, the blind date.   A colleague of mine noticed my dilemma and kindly shared her creation- a mixture of natural energy consisting of dates, lime juice and nuts.  Oh, the joys of simple nutrition!  I appropriately nicknamed them B.L.I.N.D dates (Blended Lime juice In Nutty Deliciousness). 

Just as real-life blind dates can sometimes be a pleasant surprise, these little creations were surprisingly delicious, and served their purpose well.  Not only were they easily digestible, but the energy from the dates was quick-burning, and the monounsaturated fats and protein from the nuts kept my stomach satisfied.  They conveniently fit into a gym bag or into the back of a jersey pocket for energy on the go.  Try it for yourself!

B.L.I.N.D. Dates

-2 c. nuts (almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts, pistachios)

-2 c. pitted dates

-1/2 c. dried sour cherries

-2 Tbs. flaxseed

-juice from 1-2 limes

Directions: Using a food processor, combine the above ingredients.  Add enough lime juice to bind the ingredients enough where they can be easily rolled into balls. Enjoy!

Feel free to get creative with this basic recipe…try adding a scoop of protein powder, other dried fruit, shredded coconut, or even morsels of carob or chocolate for a sweeter variety.

Love is complicated enough.  Keep your nutrition simple.  Happy “dating!”

Original recipe and inspiration from the kitchen of my dear friend and fellow dietitian, Praveena Kumar, MA, RD.