gluten-free valentine's day

hello, lovers! I hope you're enjoying valentine's day 2011. here it's windy and in the 60s and sunny -- prompted me to get out the juicer and the spiralizer! and my flip flops...

the day started out with a green smoothie:

juice:
2 carrots
1 cuke
2 leaves of purple kale or any other greens
chunk of fennel bulb
toe of ginger
sprigs of mint and parsley

blend juice with 4 oz of coconut water and one avocado.

creamy like a smoothie. nice for those of us who are allergic to bananas...:)

then, lunch.



sprouted lentil fennel salad









cook 1 c sprouted lentils in 3 c boiling water for 5-10 mins.
drain and set aside.

chop:
one cuke
one avocado
1/2 bulb fennel (thin slices)
1 scallion and/or bunch chives
sprigs mint, parsley and/or cilantro

add grated toe of ginger, glug of olive oil, hit of Bragg's, season w/ sea salt, black pepper and dulse flakes.

serve on a bed of greens and garnish w/ more fresh herbs, sprouted sunflower and/or pumpkin seeds and a dollop of yoghurt if you're feelin' it.

for dinner:



the menu ~

zuke nut crust pizzas
cuke avocado nori rolls
cacao coconut almond macaroons



nut crust

2 cups of soaked/sprouted nuts and seeds, your choice (I did almond, walnut, sunflower, pumpkin and flax)
1 egg
1 clove garlic
sea salt and black pepper
fresh basil
2 T water

throw it all in your food processor til it looks like a paste. scoop it out roll out between two pieces of parchment til it's about 1/4 inch thick. put the parchment onto cookie sheet and peel off top parchment. bake at 350 for 10-15 mins.

spread guacamole, pesto or hummus on it and some lightly sauteed garlic, leek and spiralized zukes.

side dish:

cuke and avocado nori rolls

matchstick slice cukes, carrots, avocados, whatever veg you've got that you think would be good in sushi. lay out your nori sheet and spread some greens on the first layer. line up your veg sticks horizontally. start rolling from the bottom. when it's time to seal, use a little room temp water with a little salt in it. dip your slicing knife in the same water and slice into rolls. serve with fresh grated horseradish, pickled ginger and Bragg's.

and now for dessert:

I bought Emmy's dark cacao coconut macaroons.

and I highly recommend them!

if you're feeling like making something, here is a nice recipe for raspberry chocolate raw tart that looks nice.

enjoy~

candida kill redux

ugh.
I thought I was done with candida overgrowth in 2007, when I did my anti-candida diet as the beginning of my path to find out what was going on with my health.
Turns out pregnancy, miscarriage, two surgeries and two rounds of antibiotics within the space of four months tipped the balance.

I started itching in September, one month after the traumas ended. It hasn't stopped. I also had trouble staying awake, breathing and felt anxious more and more.

Determined to make 2011 a better year and the year a pregnancy will stay to term, I started researching my symptoms, and they came up matching, yet again and again, candida overgrowth. Coupled with my recent yeast allergy results, I decided it was time for a kill.



candida diet breakfast - coconut almond crepes with ground beef and veg topper (I like that you can see the steam coming off my tea in this one)

So, no sugars of any kind, fruit, yeast, fermented foods/drinks, gluten (duh), leftovers, shrooms, olives, vinegars, condiments for 3-4 weeks. Basically, I am eating veg, nuts, seeds, eggs, meat and oils. Once a week I have a "treat"...a coconut agave almond macaroon, for example. Some blueberry pancakes with almond butter and a pin head of agave. Some brown rice pasta.

Today I am stepping gingerly over a sad milestone. 2/11/11 was my due date. So, this morning I made myself some crazy savory crepes. I am going for a walk. I might go shopping for a prize. I will probably get myself some flowers.

Here is the savory crepe recipe. Just in time for a Valentine's Day brunch!

coconut almond crepes with rosemary beef and veg

crepes

1/2 c buckwheat or garbanzo flour (or combo)
1/2 c coconut flour
1/2 c almond meal
(you can use 1 1/2 c garbanzo flour instead of a mixture)
1 t baking powder
1/2 t sea salt
sift together.
make a well in center and add:
1 egg
1 1/4 c water
2 T olive oil
stir til the consistency of heavy cream
set aside.

topper
in a large skillet, fry up 1/2 lb of ground beef, 1 sm chopped onion, 3-4 cloves garlic. Add chopped zuke, chopped parsley and fresh rosemary towards end. Season w/ sea salt and black pepper to taste. Set aside.

in that same skillet, make your crepes. use walnut or olive oil. top with beef mixture.

enjoy, and be well~