GF-Strawberry Muffins and GF-Spinach Pasta w/grilled Artichokes

It's a beautiful day today and also one to thank all those vets who have served our country  and those men and women that are still doing so today.  Most of us know someone who has put their lives on the line.  My husband's second cousin who is 23yrs old who just finished up Army boot camp is on his way to Afghanistan.  We are thinking of him today and hoping he stays out of harms way.   While I have my own feelings on war I will not get into that.

Now I'll move on to the food!  How does GF-Strawberry Muffins sound?

This is pre-baked, obviously. I like to use the Vanilla Gluten Freedom Cupcakes from VCTOW...

but with some changes.

I originally was going to frost these but they turned out more like a muffin...or so I thought.  These would make a great breakfast muffin.  These came out really light and airy.

The changes I made were...

eliminating the almond extract/decreased the sugar to 1/2 c.

1/3 C. millet flour instead of corn flour

1/2 C. sorghum flour instead of quinoa flour

1 C. chopped fresh strawberries added at the end....fold in gently until well combined.

Next up...dinner.

Spinach Pasta with Cilantro Pesto and Grilled Artichokes

This recipe was taken from Veganomicon but I used GF-spinach pasta and I used fresh artichokes. Since artichokes are now in season I used them and then grilling them really made the dish more fresh tasting.  The cilantro pesto that has basil in it is really nice too.  This also tastes good cold the next day.

Are there any other ways you all use fresh artichokes?  Anyone have a vegan stuffed artichoke recipe?  I'm trying to come up with one.

Enjoy your day!

It's Spring!

It's a beautiful day today!   Everywhere you look there are orange poppies popping up   In our yard, in our neighbors yards, on the side of the roads, on the moutains.  They are so pretty!  I love the Spring.

One of my favorite flowers is the Sweet Pea.

They are so fragrant.  I put some on my nightstand.

As you can see Merlin is enjoying the weather and flowers as well.  Although he is laying under the bird feeder!

Cleo and Ace trying to look for trouble.

Peaches!  Our one peach tree is loaded with peaches this year.  I can't wait until they are ripe.

If you are looking for a yummy hot cereal that's gluten free try Cream of Buckwheat.

This is Keaton's new favorite and I've gone through 3 boxes already within a very short period of time.  The brand we are buying is Pocono %100 Organic Cream of Buckwheat.  It has a very mellow flavor nothing like the taste of buckwheat flour at all.

This is the buckwheat cooked.

For dessert last night I made some vanilla cupcakes from VCTOW.  Made some vanilla pudding.  Sliced up some strawberries and melted some chocolate with a bit of non-dairy milk. Then I put it all together to get this!



Yumminess!

Enjoy your beautiful day. 

Raw Strawberry "Cheesecake"

You know when the alarm clock goes off  and you are still sleepy and you tell yourself, "just 5 more minutes."  Next thing you know it's 40minutes later!!!!  That's what happened this morning.  20min. to get the kid fed, lunch made and in the car to take to school.  I'm still tired...the night before I was letting my dog Cleo in and out of the house all night long because she was sick, must of ate something she shouldn't have...those labs!
Moving on to sweeter things.

I finally made a raw strawberry cheesecake or I should say almost raw because I did add some chunks of dark chocolate in the crust that weren't raw.   I can't wait to try another one...maybe lemon or chocolate?  We scarfed it down.  It was real easy to make, the longest part was the waiting around for it to set up.  I put it in the freezer to set...a little too long cuz then I had to let it defrost a bit. Next time, when I make it earlier in the day, I will chll it in the refrigerator.   It tasted more like a whipped strawberry dessert with an amazing crust.  Keaton and Dave really liked it.  This is a must on a hot summer night!  I adapted the recipe from GLIVING.COM, so you can see the original recipe by clicking here.  All of the ingredients are raw(obviously except the dark chocolate).  I also used coconut oil instead of cocoa butter because I didn't have any.  Below is the recipe of my version of this awesome dessert!

Raw Strawberry Cheescake

1 6-inch cheesecake or 9-inch (for a thinner filling)

For the Crust:

1/2 C. pecans

2 medjool dates

1/4 C. shredded coconut

pinch of salt*

3 oz. dark vegan chocolate, coarsly chopped

1.  In a food processor, process pecans, dates, coconut and salt until mixture resembles fine crumbs

2.  Next add in the chocolate and process a few time just to mix in.  You want some good chunks of chocolate in there.

3. Coat the pan with raw coconut oil. Press mixture into a springform pan.  (I wanted a really thick filling so I used a 6-inch springform pan.)

4. Set aside.

For the Filling:

1 C. cashews, soaked overnight

2 C. strawberries, sliced

1 Oz. coconut oil, melted

1/4 C. agave

1 T. lemon juice

1/2 vanilla bean seeds

1/8 salt*

1.  In a food processor add cashews and pulse until crumbly.

2.  Add the strawberries, agave, lemon juice, vanilla bean and salt until smooth. 

3.  Slowly pour in the coconut oil while the processor is blending until incorporated.

4.  Pour filling onto crust.

5.  Cover with plastic or aluminum foil and chill until set.  4-6 hrs.

Note* the salt I used is called HimalaSalt  .  I have a chunk of it and it came with the grater.

Cool treats for the kids!

The weather is getting warm again and the best treats are the cool ones. My son loves popsicles so this is what I do. Most mornings my husband and I have fruit smoothies and if I have any left over smoothie in the blender I make fruit smoothie popsicles! These smoothie popsicles contain flax seed, non-dairy milk, juice and fruit. It's a great healthy treat for your kids, dha, fiber, protein, calcium, all that good stuff. The popsicle on the left is a banana-mango and the right one a berry-banana. It's all good.

Juicing

So I've started to use my juicer again that I received as a gift from my brother over a year ago. I'm determined to juice at least once a day. There's nothing like the taste of fresh juice! You can throw so many vegetables and fruits in a juicer and "wallah" you have a glass packed full of vitamins and antioxidants! It also tastes so good. My son asked for a glass the other day when he wasn't feeling well and this is what I made him.
One sweet potato, a large carrot, 4 celery stalks and 2 small apples.