Ingredients:
For the soup
One small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed (save the seeds!)
One small winter squash, peeled, seeded and cubed (save the seeds!)- I used a carnival squash
One medium yellow onion, chopped for roasting
Three tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (divided)
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Fall Harvest Soup Sprinkled with Cinnamon
Ingredients:
One large acorn squash, peeled and cubed (butternut or kabocha squash would also work great)
One large yam, peeled and cubed
Two large carrots, chopped (about 1/3-1/2 cup chopped)
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Oat-free, gluten-free, grain-free, vegan granola!
Ingredients:
Three heaping tablespoons of coconut oil
One quarter cup natural organic maple syrup
One teaspoon organic vanilla
Five cups of chopped nuts of your choice (I used an equal mixture of sliced almonds, chopped raw cashews, chopped raw pecans, and whole hazelnuts)
One quarter cup of flaxseeds
Two tablespoons of chia seeds
One third a cup of raw unsweetened organic coconut flakes
One cup of dried fruit of your choice (I used a mixture of golden raisins, unsweetened cranberries, and chopped dates)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large pot melt the coconut oil on very low heat. Add in the maple syrup and vanilla and stir. Add the nut mixture, flaxseeds and chia seed and stir to coat the nuts and seeds in the coconut oil and maple syrup. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the nut/seed mixture evenly onto the baking sheet. Bake in the oven for approximately 30 minutes or until the the nuts are becoming evenly golden and toasted. Take the granola out of the oven and mix in the dried fruit. Place back in the oven for about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Eat on yogurt, in milk, as a salad topper, or on its own! Makes about 7-8 servings.
Grainless Maple Granola with a sliced MacIntosh Apple and almond milk and sprinkled with cinnamon.
Spice it up by adding cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cacao etc. into the coconut oil mix. Other nut/seed ideas: Walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds. Other fruit ideas: chopped dried apricots, sliced dried apple, chopped dried mango, dried coconut chunks.
Ingredients:
Two cups of raw almonds
One cup of raw hazelnuts
One third of a cup of dried unsweetened coconut flakes
Pinch of sea salt
One teaspoon raw local honey
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Keeping the almonds and the hazelnuts separated, place them on a baking sheet ensuring that they are not overcrowded. Place them in the oven and roast for approximately 10-15 minutes (I took my hazelnuts out a few minutes before the almonds). At the same time spread the dried coconut onto a baking sheet and place in the oven for only 3-4 minutes (It will toast fast so keep an eye on it!). Once the hazelnuts are complete the skins must be removed. Wrap them in a tea cloth and rub them so that the skin comes off as much as possible. Place the almonds, hazelnuts and coconut into your Vitamix (or a food processor or other high speed blender). Add a pinch of salt and then begin to blend. Start your Vitamix at a 1 and slowly increase to a 10. Use the tamper to scrape down the edges as needed. It will take a minute or two for the nuts to start releasing their oils. Once the desired consistency is reached, stop blending. Add in the honey and stir in with a spoon. Transfer to a jar for storage in the fridge (the best way is to use a spatula to scrape all of the nut butter out).
Enjoy on your favorite fruits, toast, etc!
xo domestikatie
Ever since I spent the weekend at Salt Spring Centre of Yoga I have been hooked on the idea of fresh chai in the morning. There are so many benefits to the combination of spices used in chai and you can enhance the nutritional value by blending it with organic coconut oil and organic raw honey. Cardamom is great for enhancing digestion. Cinnamon helps to relieve morning congestion and increase circulation, Ginger and clove aid to reduce inflammation and ama (built up undigested food residue in your digestive system. No your body is not as efficient as you think!). You will need a blender to make the chai.
This recipe is based on a recipe that I saw on MindBody but I didn’t have all of the correct ingredients so I made it my own.
Ingredients:
One and one quarter cups of gluten free all purpose flour
Half a cup of cocao powder
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I am blessed to live in a city that offers so much choice for those of us with limited diets. I also happen to live mere minutes from most of these amazing restaurants and cafes. Here are some of my favorite places offering gluten free and vegetarian options.
1. Be Love Restaurant (1019 Blanshard Street): The entire menu at this restaurant is gluten free, vegan, and refined sugar free and it isn’t gluten free because they use food product substitutes. Its gluten free because they cook with whole, unprocessed foods as much as possible and gluten products don’t fit that category. It is amazing to be able to go and order anything I want off the menu. They are so extremely creative with every meal they offer and the menu changes seasonally. My favorite sweet so far s the karma bar.
2. Bubby Rose’s Bakery (1022 Cook Street) & Bubby’s Kitchen (355 Cook Street): Bubby’s is definitely a guilty pleasure. They offer some of the best gluten free treats in the city. On the top of my list are the chocolate quinoa cupcake and quinoa sandwich, as well as the banana rice loaf and espresso brownie. All of them are filled with sugar but sometimes you just have to say f*ck it and enjoy yourself! Their menu also includes fabulous gluten free pizza with creative toppings and you can buy the dough to make pizzas at home. They also offer gluten free buns and bread for any menu item that requires it. Continue reading
Ingredients:
One head of cauliflower
Two tbsp extra virgin olive oil
One tbsp turmeric
One tbsp cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice from half a lemon Continue reading
Ingredients:
One cup of raw cashews, soaked for 2-8 hours and drained
Half of a ripe avocado
One tsp apple cider vinager
One tsp fresh lemon juice
Half tsp onion powder
Half tsp garlic powder Continue reading
Going gluten free can be a huge challenge, but the challenge is SO worth it for the reward. It was one of the best things I have ever done for my body and mind. I used to be sick all the time in multiple ways. I had stomach pains that felt like there was a huge sticky mass in my stomach that wouldn’t digest (which I did and I called it my gluten baby). I had hives and weird rashes all of the time. I had acne. I had chronic sinusitis (pretty much constant sinus infections). I got urinary tract and yeast infections way too often (once every month or so). I would exercise like crazy and never lose weight even when the rest of my diet was healthy. I was always tired and lethargic. I would catch colds numerous times per year, and the worst part… I couldn’t poop. I would sometimes go a whole week without pooping . Continue reading
domestikatie life 