Tea Glorious Tea!

I love tea, all kinds of tea, and so do the minis. They enjoy having tea parties and trying new kinds of teas that we find at health food stores or at our favorite tea spot, Teavana! I could go broke in that place, craziness I know.

So today we decided to have Blueberry Bliss and Apple Lemon Pomegranate, I mix ours with raw honey and organic pure evaporated sugar cane…. delish!

We discussed where tea comes from and how tea is made, and what the differences are between bagged tea and loose tea. The kids rarely see bagged tea around here b/c I prefer loose tea, so I pulled out a few of the green tea bags my dad drinks…. they definitely like loose tea better.

Very Berry Smoothie

I must have a smoothie for breakfast, one of my favorites is a variation from Juliano’s RAW Uncookbook.

Ingredients:

2 bananas

1 1/2 C of frozen strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or any combination of berries

1/4 goji berries

2 TB flax seeds

4 TB pure maple syrup

1 TB raw honey

Soak the goji berries and flax seeds in filtered water for 5 minutes, then drain.  Add the bananas, maple syrup, soaked goji berries and flax seeds first, then add the frozen berries and honey to a Vitamix or any other high speed blender.  Blend until smooth and creamy, enjoy!

Also, check out our glass straws from Glass Dharma… the kids love them and so do I!

Gluten Free Vegan Pancakes w/ Strawberry Syrup

Pancakes, the breakfast of champions and our favorite Sunday morning family meal. I like light & fluffy pancakes which can be a bit difficult when you’re cooking gluten free, but I’ve played around for the past 2 years and have perfected a pancake recipe that is gluten free and vegan too! Hope you like them as much as we do.

Okay, so I kinda sorta cheat with Pamela’s GF pancake mix BUT I’ve found that making my own blends just doesn’t make such smooth, fluffy pancakes but if you follow her recipe the pancakes aren’t all that great either….

Ingredients:

2 cups GF flour – I use Pamela’s Gluten Free Pancake Mix

1 ts baking soda

1 ts baking powder

2 TB pure maple sugar

1 ts vanilla

1 1/2 C coconut milk

2 TB apple cider vinegar

2 TB coconut oil

vegan butter for cooking

Preheat griddle over medium low heat. Whisk together dry ingredients. Whisk together wet ingredients. Mix wet ingredients into dry mix. Add a little water if you like a lighter consistency. Brush your griddle with vegan butter and cook each side until lightly browned. Keep your pancakes warm by storing them in the microwave or oven while you finish cooking.

Now to make your strawberry syrup, or really whatever fruit you prefer. Peach, blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, etc will work well too.

Strawberry Syrup

Ingredients:

1/3 C Pure Maple Syrup

1 pint of fresh fruit – we prefer strawberries

1/2 of a lemon – juiced and zested

1/2 ts cinnamon

Simmer all ingredients in a small saucepan until warm and syrupy! Mash up the fruit to the consistency you like.

Pour warm syrup over warm gluten free vegan pancakes and enjoy!

Vegan Coconut Milk Ice Cream

My daughter loves ice cream but since I’m not a big fan of dairy and it doesn’t exactly agree with her stomach I had to find an alternative.  I started out buying coconut milk ice cream, call me cheap, but it costs about $6 for a pint…. REALLY?!?!?!  So el cheapo me decided to give it a try in my Kitchen Aid ice cream maker.

It’s fairly simple, way cheaper and tastes oh so freakin’ good!  We’ve experimented with a multitude of flavors over the past year and have decided that vanilla, banana and strawberry are the best but you can try any flavor you like.  We prefer fresh fruits (not frozen) or vanilla beans (I use the entire vanilla bean).  I’ve even used carob chips once or twice but they’re not a favorite of AliKat’s so I don’t use them often.

Yup, seriously…. that’s all you need!  Some people add guar gum or agave or some other ingredients you really don’t need, I believe in KISS – keep it simple stupid – so this is all ya get with me!

Ingredients:

3-4 cans of full fat coconut milk, not light

sugar to taste – about a 1/2 cup for us

whatever fruit or flavor you’re adding – 2 to 3 bananas depending on size, 3 vanilla beans, a pint of strawberries, etc.

Be sure to add the fruit first…. blend fruit, coconut milk and sugar in a Vitamix or whatever high speed blender you have.  Chill for about 10-15 minutes in the freezer until thick and creamy. Note:  I keep my freezer on the lowest setting so I chill my mix for 20-30 minutes. Follow the directions on your ice cream maker to create delicious coconut milk ice cream!

If you like soft serve ice cream then serve immediately, otherwise, let your ice cream chill for 20-30 minutes and enjoy!

Gluten Free Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes

I’m absolutely in love with Chef Chloe’s vegan recipes, they are truly phenomenal…. but they’re not gluten free so I’ve got to modify them!  Here’s my twist on her winning vegan cupcake recipe, enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups gluten free flour blend (I use Namaste Foods Perfect Flour Blend)

1 ts baking powder

1 ts baking soda

1/2 ts salt

1 C evaporated cane sugar

1/2 coconut oil

1 C coconut milk

1 TB vanilla extract

2 fresh vanilla beans (scraped)

1 TB apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 350.  Whisk together dry ingredients.  Whisk to together wet ingredients.  Slice open the vanilla beans lengthwise and scrape the vanilla seeds into the wet mix. (Click here to see how to scrape a vanilla bean).  Mix wet into dry.

Pour evenly into a 12 cupcake tin lined with cupcake liners.  Bake for 15-18 minutes.

I’m still learning how to use my wide angle lens and flash so my pic is a little dark…. the cupcakes are a nice light brown and so soft!!!!  And they stay soft for days…. love them!  Not as pretty as Chef Chloe’s but I don’t use icing b/c the little guy doesn’t like it.

Chef Chloe’s Original Vegan Cupcake Recipe

Gluten Free Buttermilk Biscuits

FINALLY I found a way to make soft gluten free buttermilk biscuits that stay soft and tasty for days. I cheat a little bc I use a store-bought gluten free flour mix but my old buttermilk biscuit recipe works perfectly with it!

2 1/2 C Namaste Foods Perfect Flour Blend
3/4 ts baking soda
2 ts baking powder
2 TB sugar OR 1 TB agave nectar + 1 TB honey
1/2 ts salt
6 TB butter OR vegan butter substitute (I use Earth Balance vegan buttery sticks)
1 C buttermilk OR 1 C rice milk + juice of 1/2 lemon (If you use rice milk make sure it’s NOT vanilla flavored, use original)

The recipe calls for sifting but I cheat and let my kitchenaid mix for me.

Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar and sugar.
Rub in the butter using your fingertips or cut it in with knives.
Add in the buttermilk.
The mixture should be thick and just a bit sticky to the touch.
Form biscuits with floured hands OR use a drop biscuit pan. I invested in a fabulous cast iron drop biscuit pan from Lodge.
Bake @ 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Makes 8-10 biscuits.

We drizzle our biscuits with raw honey! These are great on the go snacks for kids and make the perfect little sandwich for the minis.

Gluten Free Raw Burritos

Since I’ve been unsuccessful in finding a tasty gluten free wrap for making burritos and wraps, I decided to go raw with it instead. So I mixed up some sprouted black beans, corn, carrots, garlic, onions, chili powder, cumin and jalapeños. Put my raw chili on a few romaine lettuce leaves, and topped them with homemade salsa and guacamole and VOILA….. The best burritos I’ve ever had!