Mouth Watering Berry Waffles

I don't know what happened to me this morning but I woke up craving waffles. And no I am not pregnant, I just got up and wanted waffles that's all. So that's exactly what I ventured into the kitchen to make. Last week my niece and cousin stopped by and I quickly whipped that up for them so it's quick and easy, most of all it's delicious and nutritious. The good thing about waffles is that you can mix different types of flours, add flax seeds, nuts, berries, fresh fruits, peanut butter, almond butter, ahh, yes and the kids would be happy to see chocolate  in there to. Another good thing is that it can be used as a dessert as well with ice cream or as breakfast, without the bacon and eggs.  It really is a filling meal alone.  So you can never be bored eating these monsters. Today I wanted it simple and delicious so I opted to have an oat and wheat flour mix with frozen berries.

Ingredients:

Almond Milk from Trader Joe's

3/4 whole wheat flour
1/4 cup oat flour
1 teaspoon flax seed (wheat germ can be used as well)
2 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
berries( I used frozen blackberries & raspberries )
1 cup Almond milk (soy, coconut milk would be delicious too)
1/2 cup of applesauce
1/3 water


Mix all dry ingredients together,

Batter with the extra water

Thick batter without water

wheat flour, oat flour, flax seed, baking powder, cinnamon and salt
In a separate bowl add wet ingredients,
apple sauce, milk and frozen berries (the berries were dipped in warm water to soften)

DON'T ADD THE WATER YET!!

Mix ingredients together.  I noticed that the combination of these two flours were heavy and the batter was a little thick and that's why I held back on the water.  Now if you add different ingredients with fruits, nuts, etc, the consistency of the batter will change so you may need to add the extra water.  So you should use your judgment on this.

Now add the extra water, slowly, stirring the batter so that it smooth.

Preheat Waffle maker until it is  hot and spray with a little oil.  

Pour in the waffle mixture, close and wait a minute or so  then magic, you get golden brown waffles waiting to be eaten.  (Follow instructions of your waffle maker).

This is really very simple and can be done in even less time if the flour mixture was already prepared.  Basically mix all the dry ingredients in a Ziploc bag and store away for another time, which will cut down on the time if you had to make it before going to work or school in the morning. 

Okay, I don't know about you but I am starving. 
Please let me know if you have any special recipes with waffles, my family and I love it.  ENJOY!!

Delicious Banana Cranberry Nut Vegan Bread

After baking this scrumptious bread, the aroma in the house is absolutely blissful. This bread is so good that after one or two slices, I was definitely at it again.  I made this same bread many different times for family members outside the house and I always seem to get a positive reaction from them. I found the recipe online when I was going through my "vegan stage" and have made it so many times just adding and subtracting different ingredients into it that it never fails. I love making it because it is not too sweet like a cake and it is not absolutely like a loaf bread either. It reminds me of the kind of sweet bread (Trinidadian coming out) my mother made for the family during Christmas and holidays when I was younger. It just brings back a lot of memories for me and, Oh la la, I am not joking when I tell you how wonderful my house smells right now.  As long as you have all the right ingredients, you can't go wrong I promise you.  I know you are all saying banana bread is not all that, but I do think it's all about the type of flour that I used that gives the great texture and lightness. I used spelt and oat bran flour which is not only great for making scones, cookies and cakes, but they are definitely great for your health as well.

Spelt flour package

".........Spelt has high water solubility, so nutrients are easily absorbed by the body making it easy to digest. It is high in protein (significantly higher than wheat), higher in B complex vitamins, and spelt is high in both simple and complex carbohydrates. These complex carbohydrates are an important factor in blood clotting and stimulating the body's immune system. Spelt is a superb fiber resource. Spelt's nutty flavor doesn't just taste good, it has so many other nutritional benefits that are amazingly good for you! .......". Read entire article here.

And I think you all know about the benefits of oat bran, which is high in fiber and great for anyone concerned about heart diseases, diabetes, high cholesterol etc.  Should I say more. 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup Spelt flour (I only had a cup of spelt flour so I added 1/2 cup of wheat)

Spelt berries

1/2 cup of Oat Bran
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 bananas (sometimes I have used only 2 bananas and increased the apple sauce)
1/4 cup apple sauce (you can reduce the bananas and increase the apple sauce)
3 teaspoon canola/veg. oil
1/4 cup sugar (I sometimes used maple syrup instead of sugar)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp Sea Salt.
1 tablespoon lemon
1 handful Cranberries
1 handful Walnuts (hmmm just a thought pecans would work too)
 Dates - (Optional -  I love dates - as a matter of fact subtract or add other types of dried fruits you like)

Riper the banana the better it is - I think anyways

In the blender, add apple sauce, lemon juice before
adding the bananas- it was just easier on the motor
for my blender

• Add all the dry ingredients together in a bowl -  Flour, oat bran, sugar, baking soda, baking power, cinnamon, salt, cranberries, nuts



This all added up to 2 Cups - I actually didn't have enough spelt flour so
I added 1/2 cup of  Wheat flour which was
small enough that it did not
take away from the texture of the spelt and
 oat bran after baking

• In a blender, add bananas (cut into small pieces) , lemon, oil, apple sauce 
•  Then blend until smooth. Now add in four or five dates and pulse the blender about four times to chop the dates into smaller pieces - (Dates are optional of course)
• Combine wet and dry ingredients.
• Bake in a lightly greased pan in. 350 degree oven for 45 - 50 minutes.

This can be served for breakfast or simply a great snack during the day - Oh heck, it's great anytime.  Just try it yourself and you will see.

PLEASE ENJOY!!!!

More About The Green Stuff

After writing my last blog on "Coffee No more", I promised I would post some pictures on the actual juices.  But today I was been a little devious in the process. My sweet child has a chronic stuffy nose, so I want to incorporate  a little more green leafy veggies in her morning drink, hoping she wouldn't say "eww!!!" and ultimately helping her stay healthly....crossing my fingers...

So this is how I do it:

Oranges, grapefruit and lime all citrus flavors

My three or four year old Juicer purchased from Costco

Peel two oranges and cut into small pieces and juice, then add in the lime unpeeled and juice (the skin has a lot of nutritious value as well).  Two oranges and lime will give you a little more than 1 tea cup of juice. 

Fresh orange juice with lime zest, seriously takes 5 minutes.  The hardest part of this is washing up the juicer - but it's all worth it.

Okay now for the trial.  So I told my 15 year old that I was adding her favorite vegetable into the mix and she didn't seem to happy.  In fact she insisted that she was not going to drink vegetables. The problem is that I could have said nothing to her about the vegetable but the color would be a dead give away.  So I opted to tell her in preparation.  Well, as I started adding broccoli into the juicer, she cried out not the stalk mammy, just the top part, so that's what I did...wink wink.   I included at least two bunches of broccoli, see above which was a good start for her.  I did also add half of mango hoping to change the color, it didn't work, but it did give the juice a sweet taste.  (BTW, mangoes are very difficult to juice, I had to open the juicer to get the pulp of the mango and added a teaspoon of water so that the mango juice could flow through the juicer). 

Final product ... First reaction as expected..."ewwww it's green - I can't drink that"


DID SHE DRINK IT....HELL YEAH!!

She finished all of it without a word. 
So I think it was all good except it was green.

For the two adults, I added two oranges, two grapefruit, 1 lime with zest, kale, cucumber, broccoli, a few asparagus stalks....as usual my biggest fan loved it very much.

ENJOY AND SHARE YOUR FAVORITE JUICE RECIPE!!

Coffee No More

Great source of vitamin C

Interesting enough, I thought I couldn't get through the day without a cup of coffee. But after three months free with absolutely no urge to stop in Starbucks or Dunk N Donuts, I can absolutely say that "I am a 3 month coffee survivor". What got to me was the very same week I decided I was not going to pay my $2.00 a day for coffee,  I felt sick, dizzy and almost fainted on the train. My husband said I was exaggerating and was been a drama queen. Okay I do have a tendency to do that, but  that week I went without my addiction and continue to do so three months later.  

Guys, I am not hating on you because you drink it, I love coffee, but most of all I love the smell of coffee.  So moving forward, I will continue to smell coffee from afar outside coffee shops but  plan to substitute my addiction for a natural high, which is juicing.

If you have never juiced before or don't even own a juicer, here is a great book I highly recommend that discusses all you need to know about it.  "The Everything Juicing Book: All you need to create delicious" by Carol Jacob.   So this morning, my pick me upper was:

Morning rise ingredients:
1 grapefruit
1 lime
1 or 2 handful of kale
2 plums (optional)

Other days here is another one of my concoctions:

1 grapefruit
1 Kiwi
1 Orange juice

or try this one for a starter:

1 orange juice
1/2 grapefruit
1/2 apple

Will share some pictures later, I have a tendency of drinking it before I take the pictures. 

 

Irresistible Falafels

Eating healthy really can be tasty when adding the right spices and herbs. When I see my little one coming back for more, I know I have made a hit even when it's beans or peas which are her least favorite food. Falafels which are normally found in middle eastern places can be done right in your own kitchen. I make this often because it is healthy and very easy especially, when coming from work. I used dried chick peas which I boiled a few days ago and refrigerated.  However, if you prefer to use the can chick peas, rinse the peas before adding to your dish.

Check out the ingredients which you can find on any website.

2 cups of cooked chick peas - (this will give you about 12 golf size balls of falafels)
1 whole onion
3 garlic cloves
1 cup of Parsley.(ran out of this so I used cilantro mixed with basil)
2 tsp Coriander seed (this smells so good.- make sure you grind it first)
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp flour.(it called for 2 tlb spoon flour for 1 cup)  - small amount was fine for me
Sea Salt
Black Pepper. I used cayenne

In a blender or chopper,  chop parsley, onion, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper until everything is finely chopped.  Now

Chopped greens and Onions first before adding the chick peas

Add the peas and sift in the flour sparingly, not in clumps, then blend everything together into a paste.

Blended ingredients should look like this

Now roll into small balls and fry.  Deep frying is what you would get from outside restaurants, but as a health conscious minded person, I prefer to fry my falafels in a frying pan with minimum oil.  It's very important that the oil is extremely hot before you begin frying, but please be careful. The falafels should be the size of a golf ball.  I have also made it into patty like burgers as well.  Whichever way you prefer, it will taste absolutely delicious.  Fry on one side until brown and turn over often until all sides are brown,   Please enjoy, but be warned that they normally disappear before the table is set. 

You can eat as a sandwich between two slices of bread, or stuffed into a pita, with a lettuce.  I made a quick sesame seed sauce to go on top which my husband enjoyed. Will share at another time.  My daughter decided she wanted hers with barbeque sauce, hmmm??? But a little hummus on top is just as good.  I have added salsa on top as well, but be creative and I am sure you will see that this dish can be delicious with other sauces in your refrigerator.  Enjoy and share your thoughts......:) 


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Smoothie With Greens That Your Kids Will Love

You know how you feel like an unfit mother when your kids don't want to eat breakfast. Then dinnertime you are fighting with them to eat greens. Well this morning, before getting ready for work, I decided to make a smoothie which I do some mornings when I have time. So I made a blueberry smoothie for my daughter, which is simple:

1/4 frozen banana (by the way my daughter does not like the taste of banana
                                                   so I added a small piece, which gives the smoothie its consistency)

2 hand full of blueberries ( the more the merrier for my girl)

1/2 cup of almond milk (substitute soy/coconut milk)

Then blend

I also tossed in frozen blackberries, strawberries/raspberries. Frozen fruits will make the smoothie nice and cold. 
Voila!!  delicious smoothie for the little one.

Now after making that for her, I set it aside and decided to make another for me and the spouse adding a little greens into the mix.

3/4 frozen banana - well I just wanted to use the rest of the banana from the first batch
1 to 2 handful of kale - I used only one today
2 handful of blueberries
Optional: Frozen strawberries/ raspberries etc.
1 tsp of coconut oil
1 tsp flax seed
1.5 cup of almond milk
Then blend.

Now the best part of this, is that although I used kale into the mix, the drink still tasted like a berry smoothie and was purple.   Hmmmm, a light bulb moment flashed in my head....tada.  I mixed my daughter's blue berry smoothie with the second batch overwhelming in berries and a handful of kale and yet didnot jeapordize the blue berry taste of the entire smoothie.  Well the verdict was my daughter loved it not knowing that she was drinking her greens, not to mention a little coconut milk and flax seed.  WOOHOO...I feel like a fit mother today.

Of course if you added more greens than berries you would get a green looking drink,  but since I added more berries to the mix, the color remained berry like.    Normally when making the smoothie with kale, I actually add less berries and more kale, 1 banana and the rest of ingredients for a green smoothie.  It is very delicious with the hint of cococnut flavor.  I love it this way too.

Anyhow I hope you enjoy.

Ginger and Apple Oatmeal Porridge

I wanted to do something different with oatmeal this morning instead of the usual raisins or cherries. So I tried something I truly enjoyed.

1 cup of rolled or steel cut oats (I never use the kind already processed)

2 to 2 1/2 cups of water.
Bring to boil with oats.
Add pinch of cinnamon, pinch of nutmeg and a pinch of sea salt, which brings out the nutty flavors.

Cut a small piece of fresh ginger and mince in blender.
Skin and core an apple, throw into the blender with the ginger and pulse to chop apples into small pieces. Pulse about 5 to 6 times so the apples are small.

Add apples and ginger into pot of oats and stir. After the oats are soft and cooked, turn down fire, cover pot and stir occasionally. Serve hot. Very delicious. I actually didn't need a sweetener but you can add a little honey or maple syrup if you need to. Let me know what you think.

Sorry no picture, my husband and I ate it before I wrote this post. But i promise you, it was really good.

Exploring at the Farmers Market

I wanted to share these pictures that I took at the Farmer's Market. This was my lunch time exploration which was a lot of fun. Most are root vegetables like turnips, parsnips, white and black radishes and rutabagas.
Let me know if you know any of these vegetables and maybe you can share your recipes with me.

Hot Home-made Wheat Bread

I was thinking this morning that when I was about eight years old, my mother would have my sister and I make bread for the family. I actually was quite lazy, but my sister enjoyed kneading the dough, and as a matter of fact, her dough always came out soft and bread would be delicious. In fact my dough would always be hard, so my mom would let me make dumplings instead. This morning I was reminiscing about these times and realised how easy it was to eat fresh bread instead of these store brought bread that is loaded with calories and preservatives. So here I am making wheat bread hoping that it will encourage you all to try for yourself.

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups of  wheat flour
1/4 cup of honey (substitute other sweetener like maple syrup or blue agave)
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup veg oil (I used olive oil instead)
1 cup of warm water
1/3 cup of milk ( I used coconut milk)
1 packet of yeast


Mix all the ingredients together except for the flour. Now mix in the flour little at a time until you form a dough. First stir with a spoon until a sticky dough is formed. Then Knead the dough about 5 to 10 minutes.

Now put a little oil in the bottom of a bowl and roll the dough into the oil. Cover bowl with a towel for an hour.

Now put some flour on a flat surface and roll dough into a log shape, then place into a lightly greased pan. Let it sit another hour to rise.

Bake in 350 degrees oven for 40 minutes or so.

See my dough in the picture below. I am making 2 loaves instead. I got a very good rise from the first hour. So make sure you don't cheat on kneading the dough. The picture in the pan could have had a bigger rise for the second hour, but hopefully while baking It will be bigger. Later I will post the final product. Please enjoy and let me know if this is helpful.