Keeping Blood Sugar Balanced

When eating treats, it's great to choose those that contain protein. 

Because it takes the body longer to digest protein, blood sugar remains stable when eating sweets with protein. The digestive process takes all carbohydrates and turns them into glucose, a kind of sugar that's and released into the blood stream for energy.

Insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas, helps cells to absorb glucose once it's in the blood stream so that they can use it to generate energy. However, if there is too much circulating glucose in the system, the body gets overloaded. 

By consuming excessive carbohydrates and sugar without the protein to slow down the release of glucose into the blood steam, sugar levels and hence insulin levels can become chronically elevated. This elevation can lead to inflammation, high blood sugar and pre-diabetes (also known as insulin resistance).

Combining sweets and protein helps our body make the best use of the energy we gain from treats and keeps blood sugar balanced. Protein sources include: nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, meat, eggs, and cheese.

Nut Butter Chocolate Chippers

You will need:

• 1/4 cup creamy almond butter or peanut butter

• 1/4 cup coconut oil, softened

• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

• 1/4 cup coconut sugar

• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 cups sorghum or brown rice flour

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (try to find ones sweetened with rice syrup instead of cane sugar)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Oil a cookie sheet with coconut oil.

In a large bowl, whisk together almond butter, coconut oil, applesauce, coconut sugar, flaxseed, and vanilla. Mix in flour, cinnamon and salt until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Flatten in a criss cross pattern with the tines of a fork. Bake for about 15 minutes.

Let cool on pan for 5 minutes before enjoying.

My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

Looking for a healthy treat recipe that kids and adults alike will enjoy?

I have many on this blog, including:

Coconut milk brownies

Pineapple ginger upside down cake

Maple pecan fudge

These cookies are amazing because they taste good and are high in protein, which curbs the blood sugar spike and subsequent crash that happen when we eat sweets without protein.

My (Current) Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

You will need:

• 1 /4 cup coconut flour

• 1 cup almond flour

• 1 /4 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips

• a pinch of salt

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 2 eggs, whisked

• 1 /3 cup maple syrup

• 3 tablespoons almond milk

• 3 tablespoons coconut oil

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium-size mixing bowl mix together flours, spices, and chocolate chips. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.

Add the eggs, almond milk, maple syrup, almond milk, coconut oil and vanilla extract. Whisk these together, then incorporate with the other ingredients.

Oil a cookie sheet with coconut oil. Place on cookie sheet in heaping spoonfuls. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

My Favorite Spring Treats

Spring is a time to lighten up, eat fewer refined foods, and move towards the whole, local ingredients that support the health of local farms, the bioregion, and your body.

May this practice of eating simple, seasonal, flavorful food help you connect with nature and welcome each day as an opportunity for rejuvenation and new discovery.

May day is honored in Northern traditional cultures as Beltaine, a celebration of passion, creativity, fertility and the resplendent sun, which shines warmer each day and lingers longer each evening. Spark your passion and creative impulse by getting in the kitchen and making these wholesome treats! They also happen to be vegan and gluten-free.

Sweet Potato Bars

For the crust:

• 1 cup rolled oats

• a pinch of salt

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• ½ cup almonds

• 1/4 cup brown rice flour

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

For the topping:

• 1 pound orange fleshed sweet potatoes

• 3 tablespoons maple syrup

• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

• ½ teaspoon each: cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg and allspice

• 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal

• 1/4 cup almond milk (or any milk you prefer)

Chop and boil the sweet potatoes. Keep the skin on for maximum nutritional benefit. Drain them and allow them to cool.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Lightly oil an 8-inch square-baking pan with olive oil. Place all topping ingredients in a food processor bowl and pulse until mixture reaches a coarse meal that's evenly moist.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and press it evenly and firmly into the bottom. Bake the crust for 15 minutes or until set. Remove from oven.

Place all the topping ingredients in the food processor and blend until smooth. There's no need to wash the processor between the crust and the topping.

Pour the mixture onto the crust and smooth the top evenly with a spatula. Bake about 25 minutes. Allow to cool, then chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Enjoy!

Sweet potatoes: high in omega 3 essential fatty acids to tonify the internal organs and strengthen immunity; rich in carotenoids and omega-3s, whose anti-oxidant content offers anti-inflammatory support; high in vitamin C to boost immunity; rich in B vitamins to reduce stress.

Almond Chocolate Chip Bites

You will need:

• 1/4 cup maple syrup

• 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal

• 2 tablespoons coconut flour

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• a pinch of salt

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 cup organic unsalted almond butter*

• 1 cup dark chocolate chips

• ¼ cup cocoa nibs

*You can substitute cashew or peanut butter.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a baking sheet with olive oil.

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. 

Using a soup spoon, evenly space scoops of the mixture on the baking sheet. Press down with a spatula or back of the spoon to slightly flatten. 

Bake for about 15 minutes.

Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring and eating!

Almonds: high in monounsaturated fat, which promotes heart health, helps reduce LDL cholesterol, and aids in carbohydrate metabolism, thus contributing to weight loss; high in flavoproteins to balance blood sugar and improve energy levels; rich in vitamin E to promote cognitive abilities and protect the brain.

Thanks to Rebecca Katz for this inspiration!

Coconut Milk Brownies

Last night, I attended a pot luck and, as usual, decided to create an experimental dessert without following a recipe. I love the mystery and delight that arise through this creative process.

I knew that some of the potluck attendees are gluten-free and dairy-free. Others prefer not to eat any refined beet / cane sugar. I wanted to keep the ingredients list simple, so I created this recipe.

The more you cook without recipes, the more you will understand which ingredients combine best. Keep experimenting! Try these brownies and let me know what you think. The beauty is that they only contain 5 ingredients, most of which you may already have in your pantry.

Coconut Milk Brownies

You will need:

• 1 can organic coconut milk, full fat

• 3/4 cup cocoa powder

• 1 1/4 cups brown rice flour

• 2 eggs

• 1 cup maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Blend all ingredients with an immersion or upright blender.

Oil a glass baking dish or pie plate with coconut or sunflower oil.

Pour batter into it and bake for 35 minutes.

Cool, slice, and enjoy!

Chocolate Pie

This wonderfully delicious pie is raw, gluten-free, and rich in protein and natural sweetness from dates and maple syrup.

It's a great alternative to Halloween candy, too.

You can watch this video to learn how to make it with me.

CHOCOLATE PIE

For the crust:

• 6 dates, pitted, soaked briefly in hot water, and drained

• 1 cup almonds

• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds

• A pinch of salt

• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom

Blend these all in the food processor.

Grease a pie dish with sunflower oil or coconut oil.

Flatten crust into the bottom and sides of the dish.

For the filling:

• 1 cup cashews, blended in food processor

• 1 cup cocoa powder

• 1/4 cup boiling water

• 1 spoonful coconut butter

• 1/3 cup shredded coconut

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 3 tablespoons maple syrup

• 2 tablespoons chopped almonds as a topping

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

Spread filling over crust and sprinkle chopped almonds over the top.

Chill for at least half an hour and enjoy!

If you prefer a hot pie, you can bake it at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Brownies!

Because it's spring, because the sun is shining, because chocolate has healing powers, try this recipe.

Cacao beans, once harvested, fermented, and roasted, are a particularly potent source of healing antioxidants. 

Georgetown University studies show that flavonols, antioxidants found in chocolate, help lower your levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol and boost "good" HDL cholesterol. They ease inflammation and help prevent clotting and arterial plaque formation.

Natural unsweetened cocoa powder has the highest level of cocoa flavonols and is the healthiest form of chocolate. 

Try to buy organic, Fair Trade–certified cocoa powder. Fair Trade certification aims to protect farmers in developing countries from exploitation by large corporations or from price fluctuations for commodity crops. In order to be Fair Trade–certified, companies are required to pay farmers a fair price for crops, enabling farmers to pay their workers a living wage, avoid using child labor and practice environmentally friendly farming methods.

Brownies

You will need: 

• 1 1/2 cups rice OR spelt flour

• 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal (i.e. ground flaxseeds)

• 1/4 cup organic cocoa powder

• pinch salt

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 3/4 cup maple syrup

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/4 cup sunflower oil

• 1/4 cup boiling water

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

Grease an 8″ x 8″ brownie pan.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, cinnamon and salt together.

Add the maple, vanilla, and oil into the dry ingredients and mix well. 

The batter will be clumpy. 

Add the hot water and mix until batter becomes thick.

Pour into brownie pan and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick/knife comes out clean.

Allow to sit in the pan and cool for about 20 minutes.



.

Cacao Creations

Based on your requests, I am offering more tantalizing ways to cook and savor cacao. Click this link to let me know what you think! Your feeback helps me improve my offerings. 

Red Chile Mole

¼ cup coconut oil

1 large onion, minced

1 teaspoon red chile powder (ancho is wonderful)

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon cumin powder

2 teaspoons coriander powder

½ teaspoon clove powder

½ teaspoon cinnamon powder

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)

1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ cup raisins

2 Tbsp. tahini (roasted sesame seed butter)

4 garlic cloves, crushed (in a garlic press)

In a large skillet, melt coconut oil. Add the chile and cumin seeds. Toast on low for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the onion and add it to the skillet. Add the rest of the spices EXCEPT the cocoa powder. This will come later. Cover and cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.

You can add a splash of water if the onions are sticking to the bottom of the skillet.

In a small bowl, pour boiling water over the raisins. Let them soak for 5 minutes. Drain ¾ of the water, add tahini, and mix well. Add this mixture to the skillet.

Now add the cocoa powder. Stir well to incorporate the flavors. Press the garlic into the skillet and cook, covered, for 5 minutes.

Enjoy over rice, grilled chicken, pinto beans, or cornbread.

***

Chocolate Almond Chicken

You will need:

¼ cup coconut oil

1 large onion, minced

1 inch fresh ginger root, minced

1 teaspoon cumin powder

2 teaspoons coriander powder

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon cinnamon powder

1/4 cup almonds, coarsely chopped

1 cup almond milk

1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1 pound organic, free-range chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs

1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

In a large skillet, melt coconut oil. Chop the onion and ginger. Add these to the skillet. Add the rest of the spices EXCEPT the cocoa powder. Saute for 5 minutes.

Add the chicken, raise the heat to high and saute, stirring constantly with a metal spatula, for 5 minutes or until chicken is lightly browned.

Add the almonds and almond milk.

Cover and cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.

Now add the cocoa powder. Stir well or whisk gently to incorporate the flavors. Press the garlic into the skillet and cook, covered, for 5 minutes.

Enjoy over corn tortillas and with a side of cooked greens if you like.

***

Corn Tortillas

You will need:

2 cups masa harina (fine corn flour)

water

1 teaspoon lime juice
2 teaspoons salt
1 Tablespoon or olive oil

The night before making tortillas:

In a mixing bowl, place 1 ½ cups masa harina, lime juice, salt, and enough water to make a thick batter.Cover with cloth and allow to sit for 8 to 24 hours.


Stir well. Let the dough remain like a thick batter.
Heat a cast-iron or heavy-bottomed skillet on high heat. Add enough oil to coat skillet thinly.

Prepare dough by mixing remaining ½ cup masa harina and olive oil into batter.

If you have whole corn kernels, add a handful to the batter for texture.

Pour batter in pancake shapes on skillet and cook for 2 minutes on first side and 4 minutes on second side. Use a spatula to flip.

If the oil on the skillet is smoking, reduce heat, wipe off with a paper towel, and resume process with less oil.

When each tortilla is done, place it in a damp cloth and cover it to keep pliable.

***

Cardamom Brownies with Raspberry Jam Swirl

Dry ingredients:

1 ½ cups flour (spelt OR a mixture of millet and rice for gluten-free option)

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

pinch salt

1/2 teaspoon each: cardamom and cinnamon

Wet ingredients:

2 eggs OR 4 Tablespoons flaxseed meal

½ cup maple syrup 

¼ cup melted coconut oil

1 cup chopped, unsweetened chocolate

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir together.

Make a well in the center, combine the wet ingredients and stir until thoroughly blended. Incorporate dry into wet and stir until just blended.

Grease 8 or 9 inch baking pan with vegetable oil. Pour batter into greased pan. 

Take 4 Tablespoons of raspberry jam (I like Bionaturae or another fruit-sweetened kind) and whisk it in a spouted container with 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil. Pour in a pattern all over the brownie batter. Have fun with the swirling patterns!

Bake for 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center tests slightly damp. Allow brownies to cool for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

***

Pear Chocolate Tart

For the crust:

1 ½ cups flour (wheat-free : ¾ cup each barley & spelt; gluten-free: 1 cup millet four & ½ cup rice flour)

1 cup almond meal

1/2 cup solid coconut oil, cut into pearl-sized chunks

pinch salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup almond milk

About 2 fresh, ripe pears, sliced into eight sections 

For the filling:

1 egg (OR 2 T flaxseed meal dissolved in boiling water if you prefer vegan)

¾ cup maple syrup

¼ cup melted coconut oil 

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup almond milk

1 cup chopped unsweetened chocolate

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

pinch salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a pie plate with vegetable oil.

Combine all the crust ingredients EXCEPT almond milk. Coat the coconut oil with flour. Add the milk,  stir gently, and press into the pie plate to make a crust. Do not worry if it doesn't go all the way up the sides. Just use your hands to make sure it is of uniform thickness.

Arrange the pears over the crust.

In the same bowl, mix the ingredients for the filling. Pour them over the pears.

Bake for 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center tests clean.

Serve with a garnish of maple yogurt of you like.

***

Zoom Balls

You will need:

1 cup tahini (roasted sesame seed butter)

½ cup cashew or almond butter

¼ cup honey (more or less to taste)

¼ cup toasted, ground oats

3 Tablespoons coarsely chopped almonds or sunflower seeds

1 teaspoon each: cinnamon and cardamom powder

2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Mix tahini, nut butter and honey until smooth.

Add oats and nuts - mix in well.  Mix in enough coconut to make dough thick.

Add spices and cocoa powder. Mix once more.

Roll the dough into small balls. You can also spread the mixture onto a baking sheet and cut into squares.

Store the balls in baking tins in a cool place. They will last for 3 weeks.