Life, Gluten Free

Orange Fig Bars

These fig bars that I made for New Years were such a hit, that we polished them off quickly. Sophie ate most of them herself. They are similar to my Apricot Fig bars, but they contain just fig instead of the added raisins. Sophie likes the apricot fig bars, but not as much as she does these Orange Fig Bars. She said the apricot fig bars are "too sweet" and these fig bars, without the raisins, are "just right."

I love them both, and my opinion is that the apricot fig bars are heavier and taste very much like fig newtons, which I used to love to eat. The orange fig bars are also tasty, but taste a bit more fruity and light.

Orange Fig Bars

2 cups dried black mission figs

11 tablespoons fresh squeeze minneola orange juice (or any orange)

2 tablespoon coconut oil (softened room temp)

shredded coconut

Directions:

I like to rinse my figs off first for good measure, and be sure to trim off the stems

Add just the figs to food processor and begin to blend the figs

Once mixed well, add the orange juice and coconut oil

Blend again until thoroughly mixed and there are no chunks of figs (it will be like a fig paste)

In a square dish, pour in some shredded coconut (I didn't measure, maybe about 1/2 cup)

Scrape the fig bar mixture into the square dish

Using the spatula and/or your hands, mx and "knead" into the shredded coconut

The fig mixture itself is sticky, but once coated with the shredded coconut it will be easy to work with

Pat down into the square dish, cover and place in refridgerator

Serve after they firm (at least 30 minutes).

We buy our black mission figs from Made In Nature, they are gluten-free and nut-free. Because we go through so many, we purchase the 32 ounce bags (sold exclusively at Costco stores). You can find the smaller bags  at your local natural grocery store or Amazon.com

Need shredded coconut too? We buys our in bulk from Tropical Traditions.

Sophie has already requested another batch of these, so I better get to work! I am thinking of other variations too. They make a healthy and quick snack to grab.

How to make a good smoothie 101

We really love smoothies in our house, especially green smoothies.

To make a great smoothie, you really just need a few ingredients. For added nutrition, we like to add some type of green vegetable to our smoothies. Spinach is an excellent choice for smoothies, but often times we also use kale. The smoothie pictured in this post had kale in it from our CSA.

The key is to have a good balance of green vegetable and sweet fruit so that you end up with a smoothie that will satisfy even the most picky palate. Our smoothies have been kid tested and parent approved. We've even shared our smoothies with those that aren't used to eating anything green (basically!), and gotten a thumbs up.

So once you have your greens in hand with a sense of power and excitemet to be making your family a nutrition-packed drink that will no doubt make them jump up from the kitchen table and do every chore in the house with lightning speed, you must remember the crucial greens-to-fruit ratio. Basically, you want a bit more fruit than greens. 

It helps to have a basic smoothie recipe. You can check out our green smoothie recipe to get a better idea of what makes a good smoothie. After you make it a time or two, then you can start tweaking the recipe to make a variety of smoothies. We often add mango, peaches, frozen grapes, plums, etc. You can double the ingredients to make more. We usually make a smoothie for the day in our largest vitamix container. And we don't always use coconut water, the majority of the time we simply just use water.

My daughter Sophie loves green smoothies so much that if I forget to make one, she reminds me!

The other day I made one for myself with our small tribest "personal blender" that doesn't make very much,. Sophie had already had one earlier, so I thought she probably wouldn't want more.

Boy was I ever wrong.

Sophie: "Is that a green smoothie?"

Me: "Yes....." (I just knew where this was going!)

Me: "Do you want some?"

Sophie: "Yes!"

So, I devy it up and give her about half.

Sophie: "Is that all?"

Me: "Well...yes...but I can make more."

Sophie: "like, a lot?"

I made another. :)

Apricot Fig Bars

"It's not a cookie, mother, it's a fruit newton!"

If you get that reference, then you probably ate fig newtons as a kid like I did. I ate them with my dad and we would often imitate the popular fig newton commercial (at the time) where a young man told his mom that he wasn't eating a cookie, but a fig newton.

Well I certainly don't eat fig newtons anymore, but after I made these I realized that I just created a smashing gluten-free version of a fig newton. Better yet, no baking is involved. Who wants to turn on their oven when it's 90 degrees outside anyway? Right?

All you need is some dried fruit and a food processor. Basically.

Below, in the recipe, I note that you can use coconut cream or coconut oil. I have tried both and they work fine. I mean, I haven't made about 5 or 6 batches of these over the past few weeks.....

....Okay, I have... but that's just because I was testing the recipe to make sure it came out right each time.  At least, that's what I tell myself.

Coconut cream is a great choice because it adds to the flavor more than coconut oil, but if you don't have it on hand then do not worry. Simply replace it with coconut oil and you are good to go.

Also, my first version of these contains just fig and raisin (no apricot). That works extremely well too. If you want to do that, just add more raisin and leave out the apricot!

Make them. Eat them. Share them.

Apricot Fig Bars

no: gluten, grains, dairy, eggs, nuts, soy

Ingredients:

2 cups soaked figs (calimyrna or black mission)

1 cup raisins, well packed

1/2 cup apricots, lightly soaked

2 tablespoons lemon or orange juice (fresh)

4 tablespoons coconut flour

1 tablespoon coconut cream or coconut oil (room temp, soft but not completely melted)

shredded coconut

Directions:

Soak the figs overnight in water (or, if in a hurry - simply soak in hot water for about 10 minutes)

Lightky soak the apricots in hot water for 5-10 minutes

Do not soak the raisins, just measure them and add to food processor

Drain the water and add figs and apricots to the food procsesor

Place the rest of the ingredients, except for the coconut flour, into the food processor and begin to blend

One well combined, add the coconut flour and blend until thoroughly mixed

Add some shredded coconut to the bottom of a rectangular glass dish

Using a spatula, scrape the fig filling into the glass dish (don't try to spread it yet)

Since it's rather sticky, the best way to spread it is to simply add some more shredded on top and it will spread easily into the rectangular dish (or coat your spatula with coconut oil, that will make it not stick too!)

Garnish with more shredded coconut and place in the fridge, covered, for a few hours

Cut into bar size pieces and serve!

Better yet, eat them on a lazy Saturday morning just because!

Yum.

Perfectly Green Smoothie

My friend Debbie, over at The Gluten-Free Dish, recently posted a recipe for her Energizing Spring Smoothie. It got me thinking about one of our favorite - and simple - green smoothies.

And green it is, perfectly so. Green happens to be my favorite color, but that's not the real reason we like this smoothie so much. It tastes good, with just the right amount of spinach for a good helping of Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Folate.

Green Smoothie

a generous heaping handful of organic spinach

1 organic banana

1/2 - 1 cup of coconut juice

Add to a blender and process until it's completely liquified.

Serves 1 adult and 1 kid, double for a larger crowd!

**We also like to add fresh orange juice to this smoothie recipe!

Warning: side effects may include, but are not limited to, a green moustache

A Grain-Free Diet

Some people with Celiac Disease find that being gluten-free is not quite enough for them to feel completely healthy again and symptom free. Our daughter's doctor told us that when Celiac Disease was first discovered, it was recommended that you eat a completely grain-free diet, not just a diet that was void of gluten found in wheat, rye, barley, etc. 

Since our daughter still experiences some eczema, we've decided to adapt a grain-free diet to see if that alleviates her symptoms further. 

Here are some of the products that we've added to her diet. It was not as hard as I thought. My first fear was that she'd ask for brown rice noodles but we quickly solved that dilemma! Now she doesn't ask. That might tell you something. Often times, once you eliminate a particular food from your diet, you then realize that it didn't really agree with you in the first place.

She's been off of grains for about a month, and her skin is looking pretty great! We are pleased. And since I started to write this post a while ago, I can now say that the transition to grain-free has been very easy. She loves the new noodles and she really, really loves the coconut wraps and calls them "flatbread."

Coconut Wraps: (pictured above)

Pure Wraps are heaven. They smell so, so good. They are made in a nut-free, gluten-free facility. They hold together well. You can cram them with avocado, homemade pickles, lettuce and olives (that's Sophie's favorite combo).

Grain-free Noodles:

These miracle noodles are a hit. They may not be just like rice noodles, but Sophie likes them all the same. I even used them for chicken noodle soup and it was a win!

*This post is purely my opinion on these products that we've found to work well for us, I did not receive any free products from the companies listed above. We just love them!

I'll leave you with a photo of my daughter eating a pizza that we made using the coconut wraps as a crust. It was a major win.

Avocado, A Staple in Our Diet

In my house, we eat a lot of avocados. So much so that I am surprised we haven't turned green yet, though thankful we haven't. Avocado is an awesome superfood. I don't usually approve of the term "superfood" because it seems like hype when in reality, all vegetables and fruits are super in their own way because they contain essential vitamins and nutrients. Avocado packs a punch with essential fatty acids, folate, magnesium, potassium and carotenoids.

If you avoid avocado because it is a fattening food, think again. Avocado contains healthy fats, which are actually a proponent in healthy weight loss. Too often do people shy away from natural foods that they think are fattening (avocado, coconut) and go for highly processed foods that they think are better because of low calories or low fat. The body needs healthy fats, this is essential for proper brain health, skin health, organ health and so on.

Since I can only have blended foods, we've been having a lot of avocado pies. They are so pretty and so tasty. Full of fiber, essential fatty acids, amino acids and vitamins. Our pies have a crust of coconut and hemp and the list of ingredients for the pie include avocado, banana, coconut, hemp, dried fruit, raw honey.
Top with shredded coconut cream for decoration!

For those toddlers and adults alike who are fans of natural sprinkles, they add a colorful brightness to the pie.

Given our daughter's many allergies, we always say thank goodness she can eat

• hemp
• coconut
• avocado

A pound of hemp seed would provide all the protein, essential fatty acids, and dietary fiber necessary for human survival for two weeks. For this reason it is used in many parts of the world for treating malnourishment.

A found that during my research on hemp. We can all benefit from many different sources of protein in our diet. And just to clarify, the plant that produces hemp is not the same plant that produces marijuana. Hemp is a wonderful addition to the diet and should be respected as a great source of amino acids and essential fatty acids, among other nutrients.

Do you include hemp in your diet? How do you use it?

Dehydrated Banana Chips

I've been meaning to post these for a while. They make a great snack and are easy to make!

Ingredients:

Ripe bananas

Lemon Juice

Cinnamon

Preparation:

Slice bananas thinly. Place them in a bowl with some lemon juice - just enough to coat them lightly. Mix well and then place the banana slices on a dehydrator sheet.

Place your dehydrator on 118 degrees for 12 hours (or until they are pliable and not mushy).

The lemon juice is optional, as we have made them without with good results. You also don't have to sprinkle with cinnamon, but it's a nice addition :)

These are a great gluten-free snack and we really enjoy them. I hope you try them! We use an Excalibur dehydrator and are very happy with it.

-heather

Where do I buy my hemp seeds?

We use a lot of hemp seeds because they taste good and are very healthy, see my posts:

• Popcorn with hemp oil
• Hemp: How it's healthy and hypoallergenic  

Recently, we've been ordering organic hemp seeds in 5lb bags from this web site, The Raw Food World. I've also ordered chia seeds from there as well.

Coming up soon, I will also be speaking about Raw Kelp Noodles. Sound good? Well, they may or may not sound good to you but I assure you they are actually quite awesome. They taste good and are nutritious. I can't wait to talk about them more!

-heather

Boo-Nannas: A Halloween Treat!

I wish I could say this was my ingenious idea but alas it was not. I scored this recipe from this blog: The happy raw kitchen. I did do something differently though because the coconut was not sticking for me.

I used finely shredded coconut but since it wasn't sticking, I decided to put some in a small blender and grind it further. After that, it stuck very well. I didn't use a ziplock bag. After dousing the banana in orange juice (fresh squeezed), I rolled it in coconut and stuck the raisin eyes in before slipping a popsicle stick in the banana.

I decided to freeze them because I thought kids would like it frozen. I also made it the night before the party, so I wanted to be sure they would keep.

Here is my adapted recipe, mostly the same with a few changes:

Ingredients:

peeled banana, cut in half, each banana makes 2
fresh squeezed orange juice
dried shredded coconut
raisins
popsicle sticks

Preparation:

1. Sprinkle banana with orange juice

2. Roll in coconut *I found it worked best to blend the shredded coconut to a finer shred, because the finer it is the better it will stick!

3. Gently press in the raisin eyes

4. Place on popsicle stick

5. Freeze in individual wax paper bags (or refigerate if you don't want it frozen!)

They are so cute and also very tasty. I had fun making them and displaying them.

They were a hit at the party and really, they look so darn cute. I hope you try them!

Here's a short video clip that I recorded of Sophie enjoying one of the boo-nannas:

Have a wonderfully spooky Halloween!

-heather

Champagne Cucumber Delight

1 pound organic champagne grapes
3 tablespoons golden balsamic vinegar
4 cucumbers, peeled
1 tablespoons raw honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Remove the grapes from the stems and place in a bowl.
Dice the cucumber and mix with the grapes.
Whisk the lemon juice, raw honey and golden balsamic vinegar together in a separate bowl.
Add to the cucumber and grapes and mix together.
Serve in individual bowls or along with a meal.

This is my mom's recipe. She put her creative mind to work and "engineered" this delicious recipe with cucumbers and grapes. To be honest, I was skeptical at first. The combination, however, proved to be fantastic. It's a perfect summer salad!

This recipe makes a lot, it's perfect to take to a picnic and share with others. If you want to make less, just trim the recipe down. You can use red or green grapes as well but you will need to chop them into small pieces. Enjoy!

-heather