STRAWBERRY CREAM SWEETHEART PIE

         This recipe is irresistible, it takes 10 minutes to prepare, it is not only gluten free, but also diary- free, and it gives you the same sumptuous feeling you get from a cheese cake pie.I found it in the Tropical Traditions  recipe page, but I changed it a bit as I always do -( I have a hard time fallowing recipes, even my own:)

    This pie could be your little Valentine's present,too-the pink, the strawberries, the buttery taste--it'd be perfect!

     Here it goes: 

Products:                          

Pie crust:   

 .1 cup raw or toasted cashews 

-substitutes-pecans, walnuts 

or hazelnuts.If you have 

toasted and salted nuts,just 

soak them for 1/2 hour 

in water(this is just what I did)    

 .1/2 cup dried, unsweetened 

shredded coconut flakes. 

 .1/2 inch butter or a spoonful 

of ghee-optional for the 

buttery lovers (I did use it!)

Filling:

.2 cups+ fresh strawberries

.2 tablespoons Vanilla extract

.1/2 cup xylitol, raw honey or your favorite

 sweetener.

.1 pinch see salt

.1 cup coconut oil, melted in a double boiler. 

Preparation:

Put crust ingredients in a food processor and grind, till smooth and creamy.If you use butter add it last.I used cashews and hazelnuts and it made a gorgeous pie crust mixture with the butter.

Press the crust mixture onto a 9 inch pie plate,building it on the sides.(it will not be baking, so any nice dish would do.

Place the filling ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth and creamy,adding the coconut oil last. 

Pour on top of crust, cover with foil wrap, and put in the freezer for up to 3 hours.It will be done as soon as 1 hour.

Can be kept in the refrigerator after that. 

Just heavenly...!

Serving tip:

Take out and cut with a hot knife-you run the knife under hot water and then cut.Serve immediately.Serving it with a hot spatula also worked good to keep in whole and not crumble the crust. 

                                                             

Just pressed into the plate 

NOTES: 

                                                                   

                                     

I am going to try and add some cream cheese to the filling next time, for a cheese cake kind of taste-I believe it would take it well.But for those on dairy free diet,with no butter and no cream cheese it still tastes heavenly!

You can garnish it with coconut flakes,chocolate, fresh strawberries, or other favorites, for even better presentation. 

The filling can be made and used on its own--coco/strawberry cream, or ice cream,if you keep it in the freezer.          

  

5- MINUTE CHOCOLATE PUMPKIN MACAROONS

Yes, it is true, I tried it! A great holiday treat done in just 5 min.   The PUMPKIN BUTTER TRUFFLES  were fast, but these are a real breeze to make. I found this recipe in the Civilized Caveman blog on raw Paleo cooking, and I gave it a try right away, to see if it really takes 5 minutes. Ok, may be it took 10... But they really are a perfect delight and ready to bring to any party and be the health treat quin of the night- gluten free, sugar free and totally delicious! 

I changed the recipe a bit, but if you are interested in the original, here is the link: Civilized Caveman

Here it goes:  Ingredients:
              .1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
              .1/4 cup crushed pecans or almond flower 
              .1/4 cup cocoa powder
              .1/4 cup pumpkin puree
              .1-2 tablespoons xilitol(or your sweetener)
              .2 tablespoons coconut oil-melted 
              .1 teaspoon vanilla
              .pinch of salt
              .squirt of lemon


Instructions: 

1. Combine coconut, pecans (almond flower), cocoa powder, and salt in a mixing bowl, mix well  
2.Add pumpkin puree, xylitol, coconut oil,vanilla and lemon juice, and stir until well incorporated.
3.With 2 spoons or scoops create the rounded balls and put on a plate or cookie sheet. 
4.Place in the freezer for about 20 minutes to solidify.
5. Store in the freezer or refrigerator till it's time to serve or take with you. 

Great to take to any party!...

I took it a bit further and made
 some melted chocolate to top 
them with after taking them from 
the freezer -just melted 2 squares
of unsweetened chocolate and a 
spoon of CACAO BUTTER in a 
double boiler and dripped on top 
(you can use any chocolate chips 
or chocolate of your choice). 
They can also be sprinkled
with coconut flakes.

Cacao butter 

       

NOTES:

-I recently discovered CACAO BUTTER and it has become my 

absolute favorite. You can add it to any recipe that calls for 

coconut oil or regular butter. And if you love chocolate

the cacao butter gives a chocolaty taste to anything, without 

the chocolate. When you do use make sure it is melted in a 

double boiler and careful not to burn in-- it is hard even at room 

temperature but it melts at 93 F.

-if you add 1.5 times the doze from the recipe it makes for 12 large macaroons. 

ENJOY!

P.S. Just attaching one more image of the new batch of macaroons I made, this time sprinkled with gluten free, sugar free and diary free white chocolate. The idea came when I offered my friend a macaroon and she refused it because of the trace of milk in the chocolate frosting of my first batch. She had started a Christmas lent and was o a vegan diet. I wondered how to resemble a real white chocolate and I was so surprised when this came out and it was so good! I am going to post another post on how to make it-it consists of only 2 ingredients- cacao butter and xylitol-that is all! It really makes up for a wonderful frosting of any desert or cake, which I am going to try soon! 

COCO-ROASTED-CAULIFLOWER

     Cauliflower is one of the most delectable and diverse vegetables I discovered since I started this Gluten free diet.Not that I didn't know about cauliflower before,I just didn't know all the things one can make from it-from eating it just raw,roasting,making raw humus,or pickling it-it will show all it's deliciousness and diverse ways to flavor it.I have to give credit to the Almost vegan chef blog, for giving the base of my cauliflower recipe.

    Here is the first one I tried and it turned so warming and hearty!

COCO-ROASTED-CAULIFLOWER with GARLIC GARNISH 

Ingredients: 

.1 head cauliflower, stem removed, 

Oven ready 

cut or broken into florets

.1 tablespoon melted coconut oil 
.1 tablespoon curry powder

.a dash of cumin powder 

(optional; I love everything 

with cumin and it gives it 

a heartier, meaty taste)  

.1/4 teaspoon sea salt 

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 F.Place the cauliflower florets into a large ball or directly in your baking pan;drizzle on the coconut oil first, so florets are fairly well coated on all sides;sprinkle on the salt,toss;evenly sprinkle the curry powder and the cumin powder.I also sprinkle with a few tablespoons of water,to keep it fresh and not sticking to the bottom of the pan.

    Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil. This keeps all the aroma in, cooks faster and steams them a bit before roasting.Place in oven for 10 minutes;after that remove the foil and toss gently. 

    Return to oven and roast until the cauliflower is lightly golden, or until tender when checked with a fork, anywhere from 5-10 more minutes.I prefer mine on the raw,crunchy side,sometimes, and other times-just well roasted, melt-in-your-mouth florets.

Just out of the oven 

    

GARLIC GARNISH:

In a mean time prepare your garlic garnish for tossing over the cauliflower.I make sure to always have this made-I use it on many things-salads,spaghetti squash, humus, even yogurt; I just love sprinkling garlic on anything. And the benefits of having garlic are so numerous, it will be a big task to mention them all here. But just this one- it is a great system cleanser and immune booster especially in the winter months. Fresh garlic kills viruses, bacteria, yeast and parasites almost instantly after consumption.Just make sure that it is organic and raw, and eat it soon after mincing or crashing it, or it looses its powers along with its aroma. Now, this might be a throw back for some,but the rewards are well worth it. 

Ingredients: 

.a head of garlic or just a few cloves (make more if you wish to have for a few days) 

.juice of one lemon

.1/2 tablespoon sea salt

Mince or crash the garlic,cover with the lemon juice and salt and stir.  

You can sprinkle the whole mixture on the roasted cauliflower or store in a closed jar in the refrigerator for later use. 

This one is for me,very garlic-y with pine nuts on top

To enhance the already nutty taste 

of coco buttered cauliflower, 

sprinkle with any seeds or 

nuts you like.I find it very 

compatible with sunflower 

seeds and pine nuts.  

Garlic-free for my going to work husband

                

    

                                     
NOTES: I can easily use this for a main dish. It works equally well for a side or garnish to a main dish. I find it goes well with fish, or other vegetables like Yams.
also you can put any left overs in the food processor and make it into a humus for next meal.


ENJOY!
                                                             

COCO YAMS, YUMMY YAMS....

       I don't know where the word "yummy" got it's origin, but I won't be surprised if it comes from yams-these humble tubers are very deserving of it. Yams also called sweet potatoes are not related to the potato at all-they are the tuber of a morning glory climbing plant and one of the oldest vegetables known to men.
I would not have known how good they were if it wasn't for my nutritionist recommendation. Yams were the only starchy food allowed in my Gluten free sugar free diet.It is because  the benefits of having yams outweighs the starchiness,the sugars and the calorie intake.Yams are loaded with vitamin A and potassium, calcium and number of minerals,as well as powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant elements.   

Here is two of the simplest and yummies recipes I have ever made:


1.COCO YAMS: 

  My nutritionist recommended this for a french fries substitute.I was not big on yams or sweet potatoes till then.It was so well worth the try and it became one of my personal favorites now for side,desert and small snack. And it cannot get any simpler than that.

 Products:
.2 large yams
.a big spoon of coconut oil. 

Heat oven to 350 F.
Cut the yams as thin or as meaty as you like them to be (I prefer the meatier version)
Lay them in a baking pan and roll them with a large teaspoonful of coconut oil.It might seam like lots of oil, but they really sock it up and sizzle in it, so they get this french fries feel to them.
Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil.
Bake for 30 min, then remove the foil and bake for another 15 min. 

These are best right out of the oven

2. BAKED YAMS

   This one is even easier, and you can do it at the same time you do your Coco Yams. Just wrap 1 to 3 medium to large yams in aluminum foil and roll them in the bottom of your oven (this is what I do, but you can put them in a baking pan as well, because the caramelized juices of the baking yams sip through the foil on the bottom of the oven; however, I love the pleasant aroma)
    The yams can handle some baking, but generaly I keep them for about an hour on 350 F. Depending on whether they are soft or hard it will take different time to completely bake, so check with a fork right through the foil to see if they are soft enough.  

Humble root but so good...!

    NOTE:Baked Yams make for a great side,but I really prefer them for a healthy desert and a snack on the go.I stock up with a few for the week, since they are equally good steaming hot with butter or after a few days in the fridge. 

Here is your nutritious desert 

  

                                                     

                                      

BATTLING HASHIMOTO'S HYPOTHIROIDISM WITH DIET AND NUTRITION

SOMETIMES in life we come upon our most important decisions and make a leap for the better due to hardship and suffering. This is how I came upon my new diet- I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Hypothyroidism- an autoimmune condition in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the thyroid gland,causing an array of different symptoms,from fatigue,to number of deficiencies,to total exhaustion.It is not my intention here to describe the disease, since I'd like this blog to celebrate fun, enjoyment of life and positivism. After doing a huge research and working closely with a certified nutritionist to figure out what is the best diet for this condition,I found out that my diet is a combination of Raw and Paleo diet, only it excludes all nuts, that raw foodies and Paleo enthusiast alike love and use abundantly. I do love nuts, but due to a secondary condition-Systemic yeast infection, which was compromising my state even more-I had to avoid them for the time being.I can still use seeds and seed butters, which are often a great substitute for nuts.My personal favorite is MaraNatha sunflower seed butter, which a splat on anything- fruit slices,gluten free pan cakes,mix it with coconut oil  and hemp seeds for a quick snack on the go.After being on this diet for 4-6 week I started to FEEL GREAT for a change, after months and months of low energy, depression, disturbed sleep, just to mention a few.And, besides eating PLENTY of fats- from coconut oil (I went through almost a quart a week!!),olive oil,meats and eggs, I was LOOSING WEIGHT! This was a rather unwelcome side effect for me,since my intention was not to loose weight. May be I did have a few extra pounds, but after the 3rd week I was really shedding those pounds.I even asked my Nutritionist how can I add some calories to my diet, since I started to feel that I am going dawn of my ideal weight. She suggested to add more avocados and a few more spoons of coconut oil.For those who are concerned with loosing too much weight--do not get dissuaded, keep it up and your body will adjust to your new weight, while feeling great.I was glad to shed that old diseased tissue and fat and substitute it with new vibrant tissue and muscle.Also for those who are trying to loose weight-I was not starving on this Gluten Free Sugar Free diet, because the recommendation was to eat every 2 hours in the beginning; so,I never felt hungry or starved, and nevertheless I kept loosing weight. Later,as my condition and energy level were improving, I was able to go for longer periods of time between meals. But in the beginning I was also to work on a low blood sugar that also had with this autoimmune condition. I am so happy to say that all of my symptoms started to disappear one by one, slowly but surely I was on my way to health!
CHEERS TO YOUR HEALTH WITH ALL THE DELICIOUS RECIPES,PRODUCT AND INFORMATION LINKS!

Enjoy!