Agave is out!

Soooooo...after my adventures in no more refined sugar I felt awesome! Here is the story of my no more sugar lifestyle change and why. Sadly though, this summer I fell off the wagon, and I am aching to get back on ASAP. I have recently however heard some rumors that agave is no good for you, and that it is just as bad as hugh fructose corn syrup -ACK! That is no good. I have been doing some internet research (which of course is highly scientifically accurate) and found that agave indeed seems to be filled with fructose, which is pretty terrible for you, and can even cause cancer. Ugh! So agave, my friends, is now out!
Read:
http://www.foodrenegade.com/agave-nectar-good-or-bad/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/sugar-may-be-bad-but-this_b_463655.html

Birthday Strawberry Shortcake

Birthday Strawberry Shortcake
Inspired by Cafe Gratitude's "I Am Rapture"

This recipe is for a 9" diameter spring-form pan. All of the ingredients except for the lecithin and coconut butter/oil can be purchased at Trader Joe's (you can find lecithin & coconut butter/oil at Whole Foods).

Cake
2 cups well packed dates, chopped
¾ cup raw, unscented coconut butter
¼ cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
8 cups almond meal, almond flour, or left-over pulp from making almond milk (wet pulp is fine)
3 cups strawberries

Whipped Cream/Frosting
2 cup soaked/drained cashews
2 cups coconut milk (you can use canned milk, or simply blend 1 part dried coconut with 3 parts water in high speed blender)
½ cup honey, agave nectar, or maple syrup (depending on how sweet you like it)
1 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon vanilla
Pinch of salt
1 cup melted coconut butter
2 tablespoons lecithin (found at Whole Foods or another health food store)

**If you want to have pink filling, add a handful or so of strawberries during the final blend. Also, if you want to “frost” the entire outside edge of the cake make a double recipe of the cream**

Strawberry Layer and Decoration
3 cups strawberries, sliced or diced (depending on how you like it)

Assembly:
To make the Whipped Cream:
Blend all ingredients except lecithin and coconut butter until smooth. Add lecithin and coconut butter and blend until thoroughly mixed. Pour into a wide, shallow pan and set in fridge for about 1 hr.

To make the Cake:
Place dates in food processor and process until a smooth paste forms. You may need to add a little water. Then add the rest of the ingredients except the almond flour and mix until smooth. Finally mix in the almond flour by hand. When thoroughly mixed separate cake into two equal portions.

Cake Assembly:
Grease a spring-form pan with a little coconut butter. It might also be useful to put wax paper on the bottom portion of the pan. Next, form an even layer on the bottom with ½ of the cake mixture, followed by some of the whipped cream. Top with 1/2 of the strawberries, and some more whipped cream. Set in fridge for 20 minutes or longer. Add the second and final layer of cake, and then set in the fridge for 20 minutes or more. Finally, add the final layer of cream frosting and strawberries, and make sure that the strawberries on top are decorated/arranged the way you want them! Leave in the fridge until you serve the yummy cake!

My 31st Birthday Cake

I think that I am going to make this as my birthday cake for my party. This recipe is from Cafe Gratitude.
"I am Awakening"

The Crust:
1.25 cups macadamia nuts
1.25 cups pecans
.25 well-packet, finely chopped dates
.25 teaspoon vanilla
.25 teaspoon salt

Filling:
.75 cup lime juice
7.5 ounces avocado
.5 cup + 1 tablespoon agave nectar
.25 cup + 2 tablespoons coconut milt
.5 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lecithin
.5 cup + 1 tablespoon raw unscented coconut butter
.5 teaspoon Vitamineralgreen (optional)

"I am on Top" Meringue:
.75 ounce Irish Moss
.5 cup water
1 cup coconut milk
.5 cup coconut meat
.5 cup soaked cashews
.25 + 1 tablespoon agave nectar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
1.5 teaspoons lecithin
.5 cup coconut butter


Garnish:
half of the recipe for "I Am The Top" Meringue
1 lime and/or strawberries & mint

------------------------------------------------

To make the crust:
In the bowl of your food processor fitted with the "S" blade, process pecans, macadamia nuts, vanilla, and salt until small and crumbly. Continue processing while adding small amounts of the chopped dates until crust sticks together. Press crust into greased (with coconut butter) 9-inch pie pan.

To make the filling:
Blend all ingredients except lecithin and coconut butter until smooth. Add lecithin and coconut butter, blending until well incorporated. Pour into prepared crust and set in fridge/freezer (for about an hour) until firm.

To make meringue:
Blend Irish moss and water until smooth and thick. Add coconut milk, meat, cashews, agave, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt. Blend until smooth. Add lecithin and coconut butter until well incorporated. Pour into a wise, shallow pan an set in fridge for up to 3 hours. When set, top pie; and if you like, peak with the back of a spoon.

Finishing it up:
Once the pie and meringue are set, spread a thin layer of meringue on top of the pie and decorate with lime or strawberry slices.

Sugar-Free Mocha Cream Pie

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon white stevia powder
1.25 cups unsweetened carob chips or grain sweetened chocolate chips
2 teaspoons ground coffee
3/4 cup water
1 level teaspoon agar flakes (also known as kanteen -available in health food stores)
1/8 teaspoon white stevia powder
9-inch pie crust or graham cracker crust
toasted, shredded coconut for garnish

1. place 1 cup of the cream and 1/4 teaspoon stevia in a 2-quart pot over medium heat. As the cream begins to warm, gradually add the carob chips and stir until they have melted.

2. Add the coffee, water, and agar to the pot, and increase the temperature slightly, Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, and cook until it is smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

3. Place the remaining cream and 1/8 teaspoon stevia in a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the mixture until soft peaks form. Do not over-beat.

4. Fold the cooled carob mixture into the whipped cream, blending carefully but thoroughly. Pour the filling mixture into the crust and refrigerate for at least one hour.

5. Before serving, garnish with toasted coconut.

NO Bake, Sugar-Free, Pumpkin/Squash Pie -YUM!

4 cups cooked, mashed butternut squash
1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
1 tablespoon vanilla flavoring
1/4 teaspoon white stevia powder
pinch of sea salt
9-inch pre-baked pie crust

1. blend all of the pie filling ingredients until smooth
2. pour the filling mixture into the crust and refrigerate for at least one hour
3. serve chilled or at room temperature

Sugar-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon sea salkt
3/4 teashoppn baking powder
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon stevia powder
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
1 cup butter
1.25 cups chocolate chips

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. mix flour, salt, baking powder
3. mix egg, stevia, and vanilla in another bowl. Add butter and then beat until mixture is smooth.
4. add flour mixture and then fold in chocolate chips.
5. bake 20-25 minutes

I quit cold turkey!

Well after YEARS of wanting to reduce my sugar consumption I finally found the only method that seems to be effective --quitting sugar altogether! After reading the amazing blog "My Year Without" it gave me the support I needed to realize that trying to limit sugar, or allowing myself only one "sweet cheat" item just wasn't going to cut it. I was too physically and mentally addicted to the sweet, white powder!

This might sound extreme and difficult (Afterall, sugar is SO incidious!), but the has been quite empowering! It is perhaps the first time in my life that I have experienced such willpower and discipline, and it has extended to other parts of my life beyond my diet. I suppose to be fair that I should mention that this process has not entirely been a piece of cake (pun completely intended). I do get cravings, and I do sometimes look longingly at sugary, delightful baked goods, but when I remind myself that I CAN have that piece of sugary whatever, but CHOOSE not too, I feel the willpower kicking in again, and it makes me proud of myself.

The reason for my new diet change (besides realizing that I was completely addicted, and eating sugar with reckless abandon), was that eating sugar made me feel physically, and mentally terrible. I could honestly see no benefit of eating sugar.

The hardest part of this process is realizing that I have to be an avid food label reader now. It seems like every day I have discovered something (packaged/processed) that I used to eat without a second thought, but now "can't" because it has sugar in it including some: hot sauces, frozen pizza, chips, salad dressings, and bread. I shouldn't be eating this stuff anyway I suppose.

Along with reading labels I have had to become a good detective for sugar "code words." Some of the newly off-limit ingredients that all mean the same thing as "sugar" include:
Saccharose, Sucanat, Granulated Sugar, Refined Sugar, Brown Sugar, Cane Juice, Evaporated Cane Juice, Evaporated Cane Sugar, Cane Sugar, Raw Cane Sugar, Turbinado, Cane syrup, Beet syrup, Beet Sugar, Baker's Sugar, Bar Sugar, Barbados Sugar, Berry Sugar, Chinese Rock Sugar, Confectioners Sugar, Rock sugar, Corn Syrup, High-Fructose Corn Syrup, and AGAVE (yes agave is out! Read about why here).

and that's not the complete list of sneaky names for sugar, just some of the more popular ones. I also, by the way, never have and never will eat artificial sweeteners. I like food, not chemicals and cancer!

Here is a list of items that are "okay by me" (due to the fact that they are natural; unprocessed; don't react in the body the same way as sugar does; and contain vitamins, minerals, and fiber) for this new diet adventure:
honey, molasses, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, "grain sweetened", and date sugar.

two other "sweeteners" that I am okay using, because they come from plants, include:
stevia and xylitol

This new adventure has allowed me to give up completely some of the foods that I shouldn't be eating anyway, get creative with recipes, or hunt for "naturally sweetened" treats. Some of the naturally sweet recipes that I have found are chronicled here and here in my blog. I also found an abundant supply of "grain sweetened" chocolate covered almonds in the bulk section of Whole Foods. mm--mm--good!

more later...

"Mounds" Frozen Candy Bars

They're almost healthy...

1 1/3 C. unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 C. coconut oil (unrefined, virgin is best)
1/4 C. honey
1 tsp. almond extract
1/2 C. sliced almonds

* Melt coconut oil and honey over low heat until just melted. Whisk to combine. Add almond extract and coconut flakes.
* Take a 12-compartment muffin tin and evenly distribute the almonds in each. Then evenly distribute the coconut mixture over each of those. Place in freezer on flat surface for 30 minutes.
* Next, you will prepare the chocolate:

3/4 C. cocoa powder (not dutch cocoa)
1/4 C. honey
1 C. coconut oil
1 Tblsp vanilla extract

* Combine these ingredients in a 2-cup measuring glass and place in a pot of simmering water. Heat and whisk until everything is just melted. Remove from heat and continue to whisk until smooth.
* Take out the tin of frozen coconut and evenly distribute the chocolate mixture over it.
* Put back into your freezer and freeze until hard, about 30 minutes.
* To get them out after freezing, simply pop them out with a knife. Keep them frozen as they melt otherwise.
* Enjoy!

Somewhat Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup pb
1 cup honey
1 egg, beaten
11/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups whole wheat flour

oven at 350

Recipe says that cookies made from honey burn easily so watch them carefully...

bake 10-12 min

Raw/Vegan Ice "Cream" Elixir

Hello YUM!
This recipe was adapted from the original recipe (shown below). Many of these ingredients can be found in the "raw" food section of Whole Foods:

1.5 trays of ice cubes
Several large heaps of cocoa powder
(3 Tbsp lucuma powder) -I didn't use this this time
1 Tbsp mesquite powder
1 tsp maca
½ tsp vanilla
1/16th tsp stevia powder
some cinnamon powder
some nutmeg powder
1 spoonful of essential greens powder
2 tablespoons Raw Almond Butter
½ cup water

Blend everything together in a high–speed blender and ENJOY :)


The following recipe was created by Angela and Matt Monarch:
1.5 trays of ice cubes
3 Tbsp lucuma powder
1 Tbsp mesquite powder
1 tsp maca
½ tsp vanilla powder
1/16th tsp stevia powder
1 Tbsp Vitamineral Earth
½ tsp cardamom powder
½ tsp cinnamon powder
few drops of Icelandic Nature Essences
5 drops pau d’arco liquid
7 drops immune boosting liquid
3 drops raspberry fruit extract
2 Tbsp Go! Almond Butter
½ cup water
pinch of Himalayan crystal salt

Blend everything together in a high–speed blender and ENJOY :)

Recipe taken from the very awesome Raw Reform website.

Ali’s Sacred (yum-yum) Monkey Cookies

Taken from "Crazy Sexy Life" http://crazysexylife.com/category/recipes/

I wonder if I could bake them on a low heat instead of use the dehydrator that I don't have. Boy, do I love cookies!!!

Ingredients:
2 cups almonds blended to almond flour
1/4 cup or 3 tbs maple syrup (or whatever amount/sweetener you prefer)
1/2 bag of the sunsweet vegan carob chips
3 big mashed bananas (ready to peel, but not brown-ripe)
A dash of vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Mush the bananas in a large mixing bowl
2. Mix in the maple syrup & dash in the vanilla extract
3. Combine this with the 2 cups of fresh almond flour
4. Mix 1/2 (+) bag of sunsweet vegan carob chips-the mixture should be moist, but shouldn’t be runny.
5. Place spoonfuls of mix onto dehydrator trays lined with teflex sheets. Flatten to about 1/2 inch tall, round “cookie shape.”
6. Dehydrate at 100 degrees for about 8-12 hours* - or until the cookies can be peeled off the sheets and maintain their form. they will be moist and gooey, and are super yummy straight out of the dehydrator.
(*may take less time with an excalibur dehydrator. I have a Nesco - takes 10-12 hrs.)
Store in the fridge:)