vegan baked oatmeal with fruits and nuts

2 cups organic multi-grain oats
1/3 cup organic natural brown sugar
1/2 cup dried fruit (i used a combo of raising, cranberries and dates)
handful of chopped organic walnuts
few shakes of cinnamon
shake of nutmeg
1 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
1 3/4 cup almond milk
1 tsp pure natural vanilla
1/2 cup mashed banana or unsweetened applesauce
2 tsp ground flaxseed*
2 tbl warm water

wheat germ

preheat oven to 375F grease casserole type dish.

combine oats, brown sugar, fruit, walnuts, spices and baking powder.

in a small bowl mix together flaxseed and water. set aside to thicken slightly.

combine alomnd milk, vanilla, mashed banana or applesauce, flaxseed mixture.

add wet to dry and stir until combined. pour into the dish and sprinkle with wheat germ and bake 30 minutes.


note:
the ground flaxseed and water is a replacement for 1 lg egg. you can use 1 egg instead but the flaxseed adds such great nutritional value you won't want to. this also makes it vegan!

littlefoodie book of the day...The Balanced Plate by Renee Loux

bigfoodie daddy and i just celebrated 11 yrs together...yes, 11. the bestfoodie daddy in the whole world gave me this book as a gift for being oh so fabulous for the last 183,232,2343 yrs...ha! i truly am one lucky mama.

this book is wonderful. not only does it have amazing healthy and whole recipes but it also is a wealth of information on how to live a greener life. there are lists of alternative ways to clean, recipes for facial cleansers, tonics for health, alternatives to deodorizers, getting rid of mold, etc. these recipes are particularly valuable when you have children...nothing is more dangerous than chemicals spraying hanging out in the house and leaving harmful residue when used. my favorite thing, there is a huge sections on foods, herbs, veggies, etc. and how they are beneficial to your health.

if you are interested in a wealth of information on greener, healthier and a whole lifestyle check this book out...it will not disappoint.

littlefoodies earth balls

nice title!

i came across this recipe from wholefoods market. its kind of like a truffle but filled with good-for-you surprises. littlefoodie enjoyed his balls, heehee. we don't do peanut butter so i substituted half cashew half sunflower butter but any nut butter would be great. also, for the sweetener sub honey, maple syrup, blackstrap mollases, brown rice syrup, agave syrup, etc. for some change.

(camera battery died so pictures will be up tomorrow...its kind of pointless to post this w/out pics, ahh well.)



1 cup nut butter (i used 1/2 cup sunflower butter and 1/2 cup cashew butter)
1/3 cup organic grade b maple syrup
2 tsp unsweetened green and blacks organic cocoa powder
1/4 cup chopped dates
1/4 cup dried cranberries, perservative free
1/4 cup organic raisins, perservative free
1/2 cup organic chocolate chips
1/4 cup organic sesame or sunflower seeds
1/4 cup finely chopped organic nuts

Mix the nut butter, maple syrup and cocoa powder until well combined. add dried fruit and chocolate chips. refridge for a couple hours.

scoop out and roll into balls. roll balls into sesame seeds, nuts, sunflower seeds, rolled oats, etc. chill 30 min.
Arrange the balls on a plate, cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

cinnamon apple molasses bread

it's cold and rainy here which means the morning is spent stuck indoors. since the weather is against us we decided to make something comforting and that makes the whole house smell delicious. this is a pretty simple quickbread with no frills...a good snack or breakfast!
(pics will be up in a bit)

enjoy!


1/2 up unsalted butter, room temp
1/4 cup organic cane sugar
1/4 cup organic unsulphured molasses
1/2 cup plain organic yogurt
2 lg organic eggs
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup organic spelt flour
1/2 cup multi-grain oats
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 apples, scrubbed and diced small, peel on
1/4 cup organic raw sunflower seeds
1 tbl cinnamon
1/4 cup wheat germ

preheat oven to 350F. grease loaf pan.

beat butter and sugar until fluffy. add molasses and yogurt. beat until combined. add eggs one at a time to combine.

stir together in a bowl flours, oats, spices, salt, baking powder and baking soda. stir into butter mixture.

stir in apples and sunflower seeds. pour into loaf pan. sprinkle with cinnamon and wheat germ.

bake 1 hr.

chocolate chip, cranberry and walnut granola bars

yup...these are good. make'em!




enjoy!




4 cups organic multi-grain or plain oats
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup organic grade b maple syrup
1 tsp pure natural vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried organic cranberries, preservative free
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1/4 cup wheat germ

preheat oven to 350.

toast oats for 15 minutes. remove.

mix canola oil thru wheat germ. add toasted oats.

pour into greased baking dish and bake 25 minutes.

fig-swirl coffeecake

i know this says coffeecake but it came out much more dense and thick than what i expect coffeecake to look like. it was much more comparable to a bread. littlefoodie loved it and its a great little snack or a bribery tool to get your kid to finish off his veggie curry and lentils...to littlefoodie the word cake is magic, heehee. i got this recipe off of cookinglight and didn't deviate from it at all...except for the types os ingredients. surprisingly, it was laden with refined sugar as most of their recipes are...it's a good source of recipes at cookinglight however, most need to be revised to actually call them healthy.

enjoy!


1 package organic dry yeast
1/2 tsp organic cane sugar
1/4 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
1/3 cup almond milk
2 tsp pure all natural vanilla extract, divided
1 large organic egg
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
1/3 cup organic cane sugar
3 tbl chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups dried Calimyrna or Black Mission figs (about 12 ounces)
1/2 cup fresh orange juice (about 1 orange)
1 cup organic all natural powdered sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Dissolve yeast and 1/2 teaspoon sugar in warm water in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and egg. Lightly spoon the flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Place flours, 1/3 cup sugar, butter, and salt in a food processor; pulse 5 times or until blended. With the processor on, slowly add yeast mixture through food chute, and process until the dough forms a ball. Process 1 additional minute. Turn dough out onto a floured surface; knead lightly 4 to 5 times (dough will feel tacky).
Place the dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until the dough is almost doubled in size. (Press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.)

Trim the stems off figs. Combine 1 teaspoon vanilla, figs, and orange juice in food processor; process until finely chopped. Set aside.

Punch the dough down; cover and let rest 5 minutes. Roll dough into a 15 x 10-inch rectangle on a floured surface. Spread the fig mixture evenly over dough, leaving a 1-inch margin along one long edge. Roll up the rectangle tightly, starting with the opposite long edge, pressing firmly to eliminate air pockets; pinch the seam to seal. Place the roll, seam side down, on floured surface; split roll in half lengthwise using a serrated knife. Working on a 12-inch pizza pan coated with cooking spray, coil one half of the dough, cut side up, around itself in a spiral pattern. Place the other half of dough, cut side up, at the end of the first strip, pinching the ends together to seal; continue coiling the dough to form a circle. Cover and let rise 1 hour or until the dough is doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until golden. Place cake on a serving plate. Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl; drizzle over hot cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: The coffeecake dough can be made ahead of time.

Yield: 16 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)

pear n'apple date bars

these may end up as one of my favorite snack bars ever. they came out moist and soft with huge chunks of juicy bartlett pears and gala apples and sweet little dates. i adapted the recipe for apple-date bars from an old cookinglight magazine...like so many other recipes there it was laden with white sugar and white flour..2 cups of sugar was insane and really even 3/4 cup could be scaled to 1/2 cup if so inclined. i can't imagine eating this any other way now! littlefoodie booty and bigfoodie daddy just could'nt get enough. the camera battery just pooped out on me so i'll have to make it again this week to definitley post a pick of these bars in all their heavenly and juicy glory!

enjoy!

3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup organic spelt flour
1 tspbaking soda
1 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup organic natural dark brown sugar
7 tbl unsalted organic butter, softened
1 lrg organic egg
2 lrg organic egg whites
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp pure all natural vanilla extract
1 cup chopped medjool dates
1 tsp whole wheat flour
2 bartlett pears, diced chunky
1 gala apple. diced chunky

preheat oven to 325°

combine flours, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a and stir. set aside.

beat sugar and butter in a mixer at high speed until light and fluffy. add egg and egg whites.

Stir in applesauce and vanilla.

add flour mixture to sugar mixture; stir just until combined.

toss dates with 1 tsp flour.

add dates, pears and apples, and nuts stirring just until combined.

pour batter into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

bake for 1 hour.

berry citrus bavarian cake

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup organic cane sugar
1/2 tsp pure lemon extract
1 cup unbleached pastry flour
1/2 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tbl minced lemon zest

3/4 cup strained fresh orange juice
1 cup organic cane sugar
2 envelopes unflavored, organic natural gelatin
2 cups chilled organic heavy cream
1 bag frozen mixed berries (i used an organic mix of blackberries, cherries, raspberries and strawberries)
strawberries, halved,

preheat oven to 350F.

cream together butter, sugar, and lemon extract. add flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. combine until it forms a dough.
spread the dough in the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan and bake 20 min.


in a small saucepan stir together the orange juice, sugar, and 2 tablespoons water.
sprinkle the gelatin over the mixture, and let it soften for 1 minute.
heat over low heat, stirring, until the sugar and the gelatin are dissolved.
set the pan in a bowl of cold water (do not add ice), and stir the mixture until it is just cool but still liquid.

in a chilled electric mixer bowl beat the cream until it holds soft peaks, with the motor running add the lemon mixture, beating until the mixture is just combined, and fold in the diced berries.

slice strawberries and line the edge with them. pour in bavarian cream and chill for no less than 4 hrs.

thanks dudes...

thanks to my blog readers and buddies for nominating littlefoodies.

littlefoodies kiss my booty says, "stiff competition mom, you better get your can in the kitchen!"

the night littlefoodie wore his wolf suit....

and made mischief of ALL KINDS!


easter came a day early and littlefoodie wild thing was so happy.


the best bigfoodie daddy ever found an original max wolf suit from maurice sendaks book where the wild things are.



happy easter wild things!

easter sugar cookies

i've been teaching littlefoodie all there is about baking. he knows the important things like flour, sugar and eggs. he's also become very good at kneading and rolling and flouring the board so the dough doesn't stick...i am very proud of him and his interest makes me happy beyond belief. there is a lot to learn and gain thru bakng and cooking...most importantly its awesome bonding/special time for the 2 of us but it also teaches patience, creativity, numbers, etc and its messy and fun and right now thats all that matters. oh, and his apron he wears while cooking and "doing the dishes"..that was mine when i was little!

we'll have pics of the frosted cookies once we come down from last nights lingering sugar high!

enjoy!


1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup organic natural cane sugar
1 organic lg egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp pure lemon extract
2 3/4 cup unbleached pastry flour
2 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
1 tsp sea salt

preheat oven to 400F.

cream butter and sugar together unti llight and fluffy. add egg and beat to combine. add in extracts.

stir together flour. add to butter/sugar mixture..one cup at a time. no need to chill the dough.

divide dough in half and on floured counter roll out until desired thickness. cut out with cookie cutters and cook about 6-7 min. cool completley and decorate.







icing

4 cups organic natural cane powdered sugar
1/2 sp lemon extract
enough milk to make desired consistency

combine all together. color with food safe, natural food dye. frost.

little foodie book of the day..in the night kitchen

its no secret around here that we have a major love affair with the wonderful and hilarious and imaginative maurice sendak. while this isn't a recipe, it is a book about food..morning cake to be exact! before littlefoodie was born i bought up anything where the wild things related..not concerning myself with even more awesome stories from this guy. i picked up a copy of a where the wild things are dvd by scholastic...it took 2 years to dig it out of the rubble and for 3 months now we watch it every morning..nothing else. along with where the wild things they are tales from the nutshell kids, alligators all around, one was johnny, chicken soup with rice and our favorite in the night's kitchen. all animated with songs that tell their timeless tales.

so, littlefoodie and i got our copy of in the nights kitchen a few days ago...and we read it at nap, read it at bedtime, red it in the morning and read and read and read and read. at this point littlewildthingfoodie reads it on his own...each page word for word memorizing a book i am hoping he will pass onto his children. and now we want to share it here! pick up a copy and enjoy!

oh, and because littlefoodie has the best daddy ever we are now the proud owners of a very rare and expensive max wolf suit from where the wild things are...thank you ebay, thank you san francisco for setting up your museum to look like where the wild things are even though we missed it and thank you daddy. the easter bunny now holds the best gift ever in his basket!

pasta and pesto chicken salad with heirloom tomatoes and spring peas

i had to come up with something with all that yummy leftover roast chicken. i shredded some up and made a little dressing from the leftover pesto..added some veggies and there you have it.

(pics from it in a bit...trying to hold out until lunch!)

enjoy!

shredded cooked chicken, leftovers or from a whole roasted chicken
1/2 cup pesto
1 cup organic low-fat plain yogurt
1/2 small yellow onion, diced fine
splash or two of good balsamic vinegar
2 cups whole wheat organic pasta, cooked and cooled (i used fusili)
handful of sliced or quartered variety small heirloom tomatoes
1 cup peas
s&p

mix pesto, yogurt. onion and balsamic vinegar. toss with everything else. taste for seasoning.
let sit i frdige for the flavors to meld and eat!

pesto roasted chicken and marinated grilled baby artichokes

ahhh...this dinner was comfort food at its finest. trader joes now has those wonderful little baby artichokes...perfect food to let you know spring is here. a bottle of jarred pesto and a roaster chicken completed this meal...oh, and some herb roaasted red potatoes helped as well.

enjoy!






1 4 1/2 lb organic all-natural whole chicken
1/2 cup pesto, homemade, jarred etc. w/no funky additives

preheat oven to 450F.

clean out chicken. lift up skin to make lose enough to fill. rub pesto under the skin and all over the chicken. rub a little inside. you may need more or less.
put in roasting pan, breast side up on rack.

roast for 30 min on 450f.

reduce heat to 350F. and continue roasting another 40 min.



marinated and grilled baby artichokes

a bunch of baby artichokes,(i used the whole box full)
1 lemon
3/4 cup organic extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 glc clvs, chopped
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried tarragon
season with sea salt and pepper


fill bowl with cold water and a squeeze of lemon juice to avoid discoloration.

cut stem off of artichokes. peel until yellow leaves are exposed...remove as much of the green leaves as you can. if large quarter but most can just be halved. place in water.

bring pot to a boil and add artichokes. boil until tender, about 6-8 minutes.

in a bowl add red wine vinegar, squeeze of remaining lemon, garlic, herbs and s&p.

when artichokes are done add to marinate. leave in an hour or a day.

heat grill pan. remove artichokes from marinade and grill until grill marks appear and are browned. put back in marinate and toss. now eat!

blood orange and sunflower seed loaf

this was a dense and hearty loaf. full of fragrant flavor from the blood oranges and a perfect crunch from the sunflower seeds. littlefoodie had 2 huge slices for breakfast this morning...i am pretty sure he loved it although he was hauling sweet booty so he could get to see that giant easter bunny so you never know these days.

when i have bigfoodie daddy tell me why the camera is producing raw, strange photos i will be posting picks once again! have no fear.

enjoy!




3/4 cup organic cane sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
juice of one blood orange
1 lg egg white
1 egg white
1 cup organic plain yogurt
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup organic spelt flour
1/2 cup oat bran
1/4 tsp cardamom
minced, grated zest of 1 blood orange
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup organic, raw sunflower seeds
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°. grease 8 in loaf pan.

beat sugar and butter in a mixer until light and fluffy.

add orange juice and eggs and beat well. add yogurt; beat well.

combine flour, oat bran, cardamom, orange rind, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.

add flour to sugar and beat on low just until moist.

bake 45min-1 hr.

natural dyes for easter eggs

i love, love. love dying easter eggs. easter for us is simply coloring eggs, hiding eggs, eating too many deviled eggs and the awesome easter baskets full of toys and books!

last year was the first year little bunny foodie got to enjoy the art of egg coloring. i admit to buying the generic store bought egg dye...drop a tablet into some water and vinegar watch it fizz. last year we didn't eat the eggs so i feel a little better but this year our lives have changed...or should we say the quality of our lives have changed....all for the better.

this year, and everyone after that we will not be following the masses to the stores to pick up bags of crap and egg dye...where who knows what kind of harsh red dyes and chemicals are seeping into those eggs. oh, and this year we are eating the eggs...mayo and mustard filled deviled eggs!!!

wild oats grocery store (who, btw has recently merged with whole foods) has a wonderful atricle and recipes on natural and homemade egg dyes using plant, spices, and seeds. i am so excited this year to pass on a tradition to littlefoodie and to teach him that it is possible to be whole and healthy in a commerical driven time...it's more labor intensive and hands on but a great learning experience and teaching experience for parents and kids.

click on the link on the title and read about it.

this weekend we'll be sure to post photos of our new, improved and smart easter eggs!

enjoy!

thanks target..smart bathing for baby

target has finally jumped on board..some what and starting carrying chemical free, organic products for baby. now for people who don't have the advantage of whole foods, wild oats, etc. can bath their little safely without the fear of coating that sweet skin in harsh chemicals and perservatives. no sodium lauryl sulfate or dea. some may balk at the price but you only use a tad and man is it nice....actually, big foodie daddy and i use it alot too.

we have long been free of any bath, beauty or cleaning supply products containing chemicals and perservatives...organic, sustainable and earth friendly here. now with the new findings linking some common chemicals to cancer i am happy that we are giving ourselves and our dude a healthy start inside and out!!!

try this product out and you not be disappointed.

oh, and target now carries burt's bee's....the baby powder smells amazing and according to little foodie "it tastes soooo delicious mommy." i often say he'll eat anything.

enjoy!