Chicken-Free Orange Chicken

Postmenopause my uric acid levels went up to where I had a gout attack, which surprised the doctor as I wasn't overweight and I rarely drank beer or red wine (common triggers).  The only attack I had after that was after a very "meat-heavy" week of dining (party and anniversary banquet).  So now I eat meat-free two meals a day and gout has not come back.  Plus, it increases the number of veggies I get in my diet and allows me extra money to buy really good quality free-range beef and chicken for the days I do eat meat.  But with low blood sugar, getting adequate protein is important so I do look for veggie protein meals that can be quick and easy on workdays and are made with ingredients I can recognize from nature.

These are my favorite, the orange crispy chicken.  They take just 6-8 minutes to prepare and served with a little leftover rice or noodles and some raw veggies, I have a really tasty workday meal. The orange chicken, unlike many veggie "meats" contains just ancient grains, not just whole wheat flour, such as amaranth, millet, quinoa, and KAMUT Khorasan wheat.  The coating does have a little wheat but it's non-GMO and non-genetically-engineered.

Gardein has quite a line of products and this one and the regular crispy chicken pieces I have every single week when I work from home. The "pork" and "beef" strips are also excellent and make great faux Chinese or Thai "takeout" (recipes on the Gardein blog).  Just a note:  If you are at Trader Joe's and see the meatless crispy chicken in the freezer case- I am almost positive it's made by the Gardein people for Trader Joes.  The Crispy chicken has a really unique look/coating and taste and they are EXACTLY like my Gardein ones and made in the same place, but they are cheaper. So be on the lookout.

Today I worked for home and was able to cook, eat and post about my choice on my 30-minute break. All I needed was a dish with hot water to warm the ready-made sauce and a pan with a little olive oil to heat the chick'n.

Once they were heated through and starting to brown I mixed them with the heated sauce. I usually do this in a bowl so as not to pick up any extra oil in the pan.

Gardein is a Canadian company.  I'm beginning to think that Canada has stricter food regulations than the US.  I get my Kraft blue box mac and cheese through Canada, which up there is called KD (what they call it). Seriously, I'll buy a case of it at a time. It has way less artificial ingredients and additives than the US Kraft dinner and tastes better with less fat.  Even my husband who does not like the US version gobbles it up. The Gardein products as well have way less "science experiment" sounding ingredients than some US brands of veggie "meats".  Maybe it's a coincidence but I've been very pleased with the quality of those two items.

You can find Gardein all over the US at most grocery stores.

This was half the package - it says it serves 3 but that's more as a side, not your major entree. I could probably eat the whole package but I'd be too full to move but they are THAT good, like the orange chicken at your favorite Chinese place without all the fat and salt.

Dividing the package in  half (no sauce) is

195 calories
0 grams Saturated or Trans fat
less than 400 mg sodium
0 sugar
and the best part 15 grams of protein.

Adding a tablespoon of the yummy sauce to your entree adds just 40 calories and 8 grams of sugar.

With a couple big spoonfuls of rice and some veggies, I had a filling lunch, ready in 10 minutes, for less than 300 calories that was SERIOUSLY better than those frozen diet meals.

click on photo to enlarge -I dare you

These are by far my favorite meatless "meat" products as far as pretty clean ingredients, minimal additives and taste and super easy to make, just heat them up!  Also, my grocer will often have them on sale which brings them to just a bit over a buck a serving.  Not bad.

Gluten Intolerant?

Gardein also has 4 yummy gluten-free products.

ground Beefless (great in any recipe that calls for hamburger)
chick'n Scallopini (yummy!)
garden burger and
black bean burger.

Enjoy - a Cow or Chicken will thank you!

Meatless Monday - Are you Hungry

Sorry it's been so long since posting - I was off doing book tours and signings for my book published just before summer.  So let's catch up!

For my "meatless Monday" I'm going to feature a meat-free lunch and dinner recipe.  The lunch uses some pre-made products and cooks in minutes, perfect to make up before work to stick in a little cooler to reheat for lunch or to have on a short break at home on "off" or "telework" days.

Dinner uses things you likely have around the house.  Not only is it quick to make it's SUPER cheap - like a QUARTER per serving when you buy your beans and pasta in bulk.

Breakfast was a smoothie made with a a green  apple, some green grapes, spring water, a big handful of spinach and some protein powder. It was really refreshing. I also packed some cut up raw veggies and an apple for an afternoon snack.

Lunch was Gardein mandarin orange crispy chicken.  I got these for 4 bags  for $10 at the store on sale which works out to just a little over a buck per recommended serving. These are my all time favorite vegetarian products for having the taste and texture of  cooked meat without a lot of ingredients I can't pronounce (and they have a great bean burger). Seriously, look at the ingredient list of some other well known brands of "veggie meats - it's a science experiment! This offering has gluten but for those of you sensitive or intolerant, Gardein has several products which are gluten free and very tasty.

Main Ingredients: water, soy protein, wheat gluten, expeller pressed canola oil, wheat, amaranth, millet, quinoa, yeast, vegetable gum, potato starch, sea salt, natural flavors from plant sources, onion powder, vinegar, garlic powder, pea protein, carrot fiber, beetroot fiber, paprika, turmeric and natural smoke flavoring. I'm sensitive to soy, but eating it just once a week doesn't bother my IBS, I just can't eat it daily.  The sauce is sweetened with mandarin and tangerine juice concentrate and chopped orange peel. This blows the Ailuropoda melanoleuca Express fast-food orange chicken out of the water, considering how healthy it is.

It cooks up in a pan in a little olive oil in just six minutes (or you can bake in the oven for 15-18 min.)  The sauce is in a little packet you just heat up in a coffee cup full of hot water.  I served with some quinoa I made in the microwave.  The package says "serves 3" but my husband and I, when eating together, split the bag when it's the orange chicken because we just love it.

With the quinoa (and a small side salad) lunch was in at less than 400 calories with 21 grams of complete protein.

Dinner was lentil pasta sauce.  I used a jar of pasta sauce I got on sale for .99 cents to which I added extra basil and some caramelized onion (optional for those of you who don't eat onion), a shake or two of crushed red pepper, a drop of honey and two cups of cooked lentils.  (rinse and simmer 20 minutes, and you have lentils!).

I tossed it with some cooked spaghetti with just a tiny sprinkle of cheese and a side of cooked carrots. The leftover sauce also freezes well for a quick meal another day.

The days protein was around 50 grams with the protein powder in the smoothie, enough for a woman of my weight on a day I wasn't very physically active.  Note:  If you want to know how much protein you need, for other than a very active person -  convert your weight to kilograms and multiply that by .8 to get the grams.

It was also high in fiber and low in saturated fat, a win win that won't have you missing the meat.

I think there is some truth in this :-)

Bacon and Blueberries - Gluten-Free

Blueberry muffins and bacon - one of my favorite breakfasts. Muffins made with Otto's Cassava flour (made out of the yucca plant) Gluten free (yes, blood work revealed that gluten was NOT my friend) high in fiber and calcium and light as a feather (bought on Amazon) They do NOT taste "gluten-free" with that sometimes course texture gluten-free gets. They do tend to use a bit more liquid than when working with regular flour so here is the recipe. Otto's website has a bunch of great recipes (seriously, try the copycat Chick Fila chicken strips).

Gluten-free Blueberry Muffins

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, or ghee, softened
2 egg yolks
1 and 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 and 1/2 cups Otto's Naturals - Cassava Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup to 1 cup full-fat coconut milk or regular milk
1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice
3/4 cup dry fresh blueberries
2 egg whites, beaten to stiff peaks 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 C for my Canadian friend). Prepare a muffin pan with liners.

In a small bowl, combine milk and vinegar. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter, until fluffy. Add in the egg yolks and mix thoroughly. Set the egg whites aside
.
Stir in lemon juice and zest.

In a separate bowl, combine Otto's Naturals - Cassava flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Slowly add milk mixture and flour mixture to the large bowl of ingredients. When mixed, stir in berries.

Beat the egg whites and gently fold in. Fill muffin pan and bake for about 15-18 minutes.

Fluffy AND Gluten Free

Folks, I'm really loving my Otto's gluten/nut/soy free Cassava flour (I can't do  the popular gluten-free almond flour as almonds are on my "hit list" from my IBS blood sensitivity test.)  Casssava also has 12 grams of fiber per cup and more calcium and B vitamins than regular flour.

They taste just like my regular fluffy pancakes, it just took a slight tweak to the recipe.

Otto's is made out of the yucca plant (excluding the peel) and acts just like regular flour in most recipes, just lacking the gluten and it doesn't have that artificial taste of most commercial "gluten-free" products. I've tried other brands and Otto's just simply can't be beaten.

In a large bowl mix:
1 cup Otto's cassava flour (I bought mine on Amazon)
1 tsp. no sodium baking soda (Hains)
1/2 teaspoon low sodium salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon sugar.

In another bowl mix:
1/2 cup goat milk yogurt
1/2 cup spring water or goat milk
1 splash of vanilla
1 large egg (whisked)

then slowly stream in 2 Tablespoons melted butter.

Mix wet ingredients into dry.  Stirring until combined.

You want the batter to be slightly thicker than cake batter, but less thick than brownie batter.  I ended up adding an additional l/4 cup water.

Using a small measuring cup to place batter on the oiled griddle, cook the pancakes on a slightly lower heat than regular pancakes cooking until browned on both sides. Keep them fairly small (about 4-5 inches across).  Makes 10-12. Served with Kerrygold butter and pure maple syrup.

Gluten Free with Cassava Flour

Since a blood test determined I was gluten sensitive and I found that typical wheat products trigger my IBS I've been playing around with a number of gluten-free recipes and mixes.  All were pretty good but they did not taste the same way as using regular white flour. Plus I'm also sensitive to almonds so the popular gluten-free almond flour was out and my husband HATES coconut so that is out as well if we're both going to eat it.

Then I found Otto's  Cassava Flour.  It's gluten free, nut free, grain, and soy free, and it works just like flour in most recipes.   I have tried other brands but NONE were as smooth and mellow tasting as Otto's.

It's made out of the yucca plant which has been around for centuries and that use the entire root (minus the peel) to make the flour, they don't just extract the starch and add xanthan gum or fillers.  An added benefit - a cup of flour has 12 grams of fiber and calcium that wheat doesn't have!

I made my Swedish waffles with it this morning and my husband did not recognize that it was "gluten-free" (he can normally tell.).  He just said "new recipe?  These are really good!"

https://www.ottosnaturals.com/

Gluten Free Swedish Waffles

In bowl mix 1 cup Otto Cassava Flour
1 tsp. sodium free baking powder
1/2 tsp. low sodium salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 Tablespoon sugar

In another bowl whisk (adding the butter in slowly)
1 cup milk - room temperature
splash of vanilla,
1 egg - room temperature
2 Tablespoons melted butter (NOTE:  f you are watching your fat you can reduce to 1 Tablespoon and just use a little extra non-stick spray on the waffle iron - they will taste the same).

Mix wet and dry.  The Cassava flour requires a bit more stirring than regular flour to get a smooth texture.  Place 1/3 cup batter in a Swedish waffle iron and cook until done.

What I've Learned About Aging and Healthy Eating

It was the early 60's.  My Brother won the barbecue in a contest.  For the photo op it was raining and the potato was raw.  But I think we nailed the photo!


1. My goal for 2019 was to lose 10 pounds. Only have 14 to go.
2. I ate salad for dinner. Mostly croutons & tomatoes. Really just one big round crouton covered with tomato sauce. And cheese. FINE, it was a pizza.  I ate a pizza, are you happy now ?
3. How to  prepare Tofu:
Throw it in the trash
Grill some meat, chicken or fish
4. I just did a week's worth of cardio after walking into a spider web.
5. I don't mean to brag, but I finished my 14-day diet food supply in 3 hours and 20 minutes.
6. A recent study has found women who carry a little extra weight live longer than men who mention it.
7. Kids today don't know how easy they have it. When I was young, I had to walk 9 feet through the shag carpet to change the TV channel.
8. Remember back when we were kids and every time it was five below zero outside they closed school? Yeah, Me neither.
9. I may not be that funny or athletic or good looking or smart or talented. I forgot where I was going with this.
10. I love being over 60, I learn something new every day and forget something old.
11. November 4, 2018, marked the end of Daylight Saving Time. Hope you didn't forget to set your bathroom scale back 10 pounds on Saturday night.
12. Just remember, once you're over the hill you begin to pick up speed.
13.  Things I've learned from social media:  I followed a diet - it didn't follow me back, so I unfollowed it.

Young Living Gluten Free Pancake and Waffle Mix - A Review

I tried the new Young Living Gluten Free Pancake and waffle mix.

A review. My husband and I both loved the taste, and my tummy loved the gluten-free (though I do pretty good with Einkorn anything in moderation). It's made out of gluten-free oat flour, arrowroot flour, garbanzo bean flour, sorghum flour, and amaranth flour.  It has no leavening like some "Bisquick" type products so follow the recipes on the box to add salt, baking, powder, sugar, baking soda, etc. Note:  all three recipes are on the box.

Some tips.  We started with a batch of pancakes following the directions on the box exactly, using avocado oil instead of canola oil. They turned out a bit dry in taste and were VERY crumbly, several breaking apart when flipping. I think this was due to using avocado oil instead of coconut oil or butter and making the pancake too big. The second batch I used butter instead of oil, added an extra dash of vanilla, and made them much smaller (slightly bigger than "silver dollar" size - about 3 inches in diameter). A very tasty success!

We both loved the batter cooked in a Swedish waffle iron but you have to spray non stick spray after every one or they WILL stick and come apart. Also, remember to add the sugar to the egg whites as you whip instead of with the dry ingredients for a fluffier batter.

Don't forget to check the side of the box - there is a recipe for crepes that's really good.

We would definitely purchase again, but trust me on the tips. (To purchase Young Living products either as a retail customer or as a member click on the link on my sidebar to go to their website).

Gluten Free Blueberry Bacon Pancakes

Bacon Deprived Abby Lab

Bacon Blueberry Pancakes.

Cook 6 slices of bacon, blot with a paper towel and chop. Thaw 1 cup of frozen blueberries, rinse and pat dry with paper towels.

In small bowl mix 3/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons of milk and 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar (I use Braggs) Let sit for a few minutes.

In aother bowl mix 1 cup gluten free flour (I like King Arthur Flour brand), 1/2 teaspoon Xanthan gum, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 Tablespoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of baking powder (I use Hain sodium free) and a pinch of Cardammom (or nutmeg if you don't have Cardamom).

To milk mixture add a splash of vanilla, 1 egg whisked and 2 and 1/2 Tablespoons of melted butter (add in very slowly while whisking).

Add wet ingredients to dry, mixing JUST until combined then gently fold in blueberries and bacon. Cook on a hot griddle. (or better yet, get your spouse or partner to cook for you).

Abby can't do grains but she did get a piece of bacon so she is quite happy.

Note:  To make Vegan, replace Bacon with veggie bacon, egg with egg replacement, butter with melted coconut oil, and use almond or coconut milk in place of the milk.

Drinking and Diets

Sorry, I have been MIA the last month, just finished novel 5 which meant 3 weeks (using leave from my job) to finish the last chapters and do the editing (it's hard to edit without alcohol at the end of it).

When trying to watch your calorie intake, social drinking is a difficult decision. Those calories have no nutritional value at all. But with holidays and family gatherings it's hard to be the one sitting there sipping on a diet 7 up when someone breaks out the beer and seven layer dip.

But you can still have an occasional drink and still be healthy.  Simply choose a drink without a lot of added sugar and calories and keep your drinks to one or two at a party.

I don't know if I could actually be satisfied with 3.5 ounces of wine. But give me an ounce and a half of good whiskey with a splash of water, and I'm good for the party. Avoid anything mixed with sugary soda or syrups, and drink a large glass of water for each serving of liquor you consume.

Because that will leave you more calories for dessert. (Such as this light dessert  - a small chunk of fat-free angel food cake topped with strawberries, 1/4 cup vanilla ice cream and drizzled with honey, served in an elegant martini glass).

The International Food Market

There it was, the largest International Store in Indianapolis and I was visiting a gal friend in the city I'd lived in for 8 years before getting married.  We'd talked about doing an expedition here on one of the weekend "Girls Day Out" (as my gal friend T. said -- "They have Lebanese TV dinners!"), so it seemed like a possibly fun outing. The most exotic shopping I've done this month was buying some Rotel to ship to Hailey and Zaphod's Mom in Canada where they can't buy it. (seriously Canadians Google "King Ranch Chicken"  - you are so missing out).

Saraga International Market. It's in an old K Mart, to give you an idea of how BIG it was.  I don't have pictures as it's not in the best part of town, and I didn't want to be strolling through the parking lot with $4000 worth of camera dangling off of me. It's not an area I'd be afraid to go in the daytime but I didn't want to be obvious about an expensive toy.  The cars in the lot in the early morning were all new, late models, while the local foodies and some snappily dressed retirees from all over town, came in to get the best values while the rest of the world was still sleeping in or heading off to work.  There are also two other locations in the area, but this one was the original off of 38th and Lafayette.

But it was a pretty neat store, with food from ALL over the world, and very good prices.  There was every kind of frozen and fresh fish in the world, some of which were the stuff of my particular nightmares (seriously, people eat that?) and all kinds of exotic" meat produce. Duck, Goose, lamb, international hooves of mystery and eels for my hovercraft!

I went mostly just see what they had. And I was seriously happy to find that they had black rice, a wonderfully filling and nutty treat higher in antioxidants than blueberries for 1/3 of the price of online (plus, it's hard to find). I also got several sizes of rice noodles, big packages, $1.69 a piece.  (OK and the Maltesers and some Cadbury from the UK fell into the basket)

There was a lot of things I had never heard of, and I still am chuckling at the jar of Shito - which apparently is some sort of spicy sauce from Guana. (juvenile - yes, but I still laughed). And I don't want to know what Golden King "Grass Jelly Drink, Banana Flavor" tastes like (as I doubt it's banana.)  But there were a lot of things I just had to get!

Do you purchase in bulk? There was more bulk beans and rice, of all KINDS and countries of origin, than I've ever seen. Fresh and dried spices as well and seriously cheaper than Costco and such places.

European food was somewhat limited, outside of teas and candy, though I did get a nice collection of English style biscuits which I like with my tea and they had some packaged German bread and condiments. But If you want exotic fruits, they have them.  If you want the rarest variety of oriental noodles, they have a whole aisle of them (including some with some seriously creepy Japanese mascots).  Want to make authentic Vietnamese or Thai Food?  Everything you need is here. Have a hankering for Russian tea or some French coffee? There are ingredients to cook Middle Eastern, Indiana, Asian, Jamaican, Mexican, or South American or African, all under one roof and the cost for those items was 50-75% less than the "international" section at most supermarkets.

In Europe, I laugh at some "high-end gourmet" sections of their stores where the food from the US is displayed--Kellogg's Corn Flakes, Old El Paso taco seasoning, Newman's Own Salad Dressing and B & M Baked Beans. Finland thinks we live on Pop Tarts, Jello, and Reeses Puffs cereal, and in just about every language thinks thatFluff, apparently, is America's Favorite food. Fluff? Conversely, I can imagine someone from some exotic corner of the world, wandering the aisle here and saying "seriously, they think we eat nothing but cephalopod-flavored potato chips?"

The food is lined up mostly by country or area of origin so you might find rice in 6 different aisles, which can be confusing, but it was fun to look and they even had a little bakery up front where you could get some freshly made flan to go. That's almost as good as my Mom's recipe for Rosettes.  (Insert Homer Simpson voice here saying  Flannnnnnn....).

The only detractor is you have to sort of hunt for things, and the floor looked like it needed a good cleaning.  However the ladies restroom was spotlessly and recently clean, which is a good sign  It's probably hard to keep the rest of it up, with all the pallets and boxes constantly on the move as they buy in bulk. While we wandered we saw a lot of such activity, as the employees worked hard to keep everything well stocked.

In line at the check stand, was a very nice young couple from Nigeria, buying a huge bag of Nigerian Rice, a BUNCH of red peppers and tomatoes, shanks of meat of some sort, dried beans and some beautiful looking melon. As "foodies" tend to do  - we were chatting about what we were going to make with our purchases.  The wife was going to prepare a tomato stew with the peppers, and then combine and cook that with the rice and beans with a bit of thyme, curry, bay leaf and a bullion cube and serve it with the meat braised with spices and melon for dessert. I thought that sounded wonderful.

Foodies   - we know no cultural lines 

Home with the goodies, it was time to see what sounded good for lunch.

Drunken Noodles -

Yea Doggies - this was good.

Make your own - it's not hard and the rice noodles are light and delicate, not thick and starchy.

1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce (Red Boat is the best, avoid "Squid" brand fish sauce, which tastes as enticing as the name even if you could buy a case of it here for next to nothing).
1 1/2 teaspoons roasted red chili paste (or a dash of Sriracha)
3/4 teaspoon soy sauce sweetened with 1/4 teaspoon molasses
1/2 teaspoon honey
a pinch of crushed red pepper (optional)

1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into slivers
3/4 cup assorted veggies (mine had thinly sliced carrots, some green beans and a few water chestnuts,  nuked until softened so they didn't take too long in the pan)
1/2 large jalapeño, seeded (depending on how spicy you like it) and  finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 eggs whisked
1/3 pound thinly sliced meat or tofu.
1/2 of an onion thinly sliced
4 cups thick sliced rice noodles, soaked in warm water for about 10 minutes to soften.
1 cup fresh Thai basil, loosely chopped

In a bowl, mix stock, oyster sauce, fish sauce, chili paste, soy sauce, and honey, set aside.

In a wok or tall, high sided skillet, heat a couple tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat.  Add the red pepper, jalapeño, and garlic and stir fry until fragrant, about 2 minutes, then push it up along the edge where it's cooler. Add the egg mixture and scramble, breaking it up into small bits, pushing it up to the edge while it's still a little "wet".   In a pan, cook meat and onion until the onion is softened and meat is partially cooked (1-2 minutes) adding a dash of red pepper if you like it nice and spicy.  Add the noodles and veggies and stir-fry until it and the meat is cooked through (4-5 minutes) adding a couple tablespoons of water if the noodles are crisping up too much, Add the sauce and stir until incorporated, folding in the basil and stirring until wilted.  Served with salad with honey mustard salad dressing (OK, not oriental, but Finland thinks we like it) and an egg roll with some sweet and sour sauce from a jar.

Dairy, Soy, and Wheat Free Macaroni and Cheese

The original take on Vegan mac and cheese.

One of my favorite foods is Kraft Dinner, or as they call it south of Canada, "Kraft Macaroni and Cheese".  But I'm seriously cutting down on dairy as I just find, the older I get the less I can digest it and the Vegan mac and cheese box meals from the Health Food store have an ingredient list that sounds like a science experiment.

I've tried two different versions of vegan mac and cheese recipes and I think the one below is the best one.  The first batch was made roasted red pepper with lemon juice and baked in the oven but I preferred the stovetop version with the carrot and ACV - it had a sweeter taste without the red pepper and garlic and a creamier texture. You don't have to bake it in the oven, just heat up the "cheese sauce" and stir in some cooked macaroni - or if you are doing low carb or keto - serve it over some steamed broccoli or use it as a dipping sauce for raw veggies. If you are doing carbs but not gluten the Tinkyada Pasta Joy brown rice pasta is the best of all the brands I have tried, very consistent in texture and it doesn't get mushy if you overcook by a minute or two.  I buy it from Amazon.

Vegan Mac and Cheese (soy, gluten, and wheat-free)

1/2 cup raw cashews (I used NOW Foods brand)
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
4 Tablespoons Braggs Nutritional Yeast
2 small carrots(about 80 grams) peeled and steamed until soft (do not use "baby carrots" - they are cut out of large, tougher carrots and to me they taste bitter)
1 teaspoon Braggs apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons Earth Balance "buttery spread"
1 tsp lite salt
2 pinches black pepper or 1 toothpick swirl Young Living Pepper Vitality Oil
1/8 tsp  plus one pinch of ground nutmeg or one toothpick swirl Young Living  Nutmeg Vitality Oil

When you get up in the morning, cover the nuts with water in a bowl or food processor and soak until you are ready for lunch or dinner (minimum two hours) Drain completely and discard the water.

In food processor blend cashews and 1/2 cup water until smooth.  Add remaining ingredients and blend until carrots and chopped onion are incorporated into the liquid and it's smooth. If it's thick and not pourable add another couple of Tablespoons of water. Heat in a saucepan until steaming while you cook enough pasta for 3 servings (I used about a cup and a half dry macaroni). Mix pasta into the sauce and serve immediately.

Einkorn Popovers

Though I've seriously been cutting carbs and sugar to lose those holiday pounds, Saturday is my "cheat" day where I have some healthy carbs for breakfast and some wine with my supper.

Lately, we've been doing Swedish waffles with the Young Living Einkorn Pancake and Waffle Mix.  Einkorn is an ancient grain that has never been genetically modified like all other types of flours.  It's also naturally lower in gluten (the gluten in einkorn lacks the high molecular weight proteins that many people can't digest), and even though regular flour does a number on my IBS, I can eat Einkorn with zero issues.

The waffle mix isn't a mix such as "Bisquick" as you have to add leavening.  Rather it's a flour blend and as I discovered this morning, it makes tasty things other than waffles. With a blend of low gluten Einkorn with gluten-free brown rice flour, Amaranth flour, Ta[pioca flour, Sorghum flour,, and Dhokla flour (Indian flour made with chickpeas) it makes a light and nicely textured baked good.

Today we did popovers.  Popovers are an American version of Yorkshire pudding but made without any animal fats and baked in an individual tin.  They turned out really well, crisp yet tender on the outside and light and custardy on the inside.  You can cut this in half easily to make just three popovers (they don't reheat well).  Just decrease the ingredients by 1/2 and use 2 medium or large eggs (and add five minutes to cooking with the extra egg).

Young Living Einkorn Popovers (Made with Y.L. Pancake and Waffle Mix).

They rise beautifully, are full of healthful whole grain and have a soft custard-like interior that’s so good with butter and/or honey. My husband ate 3 of them.

Preheat oven to 375 F.

In a bowl mix:

3 large eggs (at room temperature) or equivalent of veggie egg replacer such as EnerG (but add 1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil to the mix
1 and 1/4 cup milk (at room temperature) or nut milk

In another bowl mix:
1 and 1/4 cup Young Living Einkorn Pancake and Waffle Mix
1/2 teaspoon salt (I used reduced sodium).

Spray popover pan with non-stick spray. (I got mine from William Sonoma but you can find them on Amazon for as little as $15). Divide 2 Tablespoons of dairy butter or vegan butter (I like Earth Balance sticks) into the six popover tins and place pan in oven for 4-5 minutes to melt the butter.

Combine wet and dry ingredients until just combined (there will be some small lumps - do not overmix).

Pour batter into prepared tins of melted butter. Do not stir.

Bake 25-30 minutes (don’t open the door to check on them until at least 25 minutes).

Serve immediately. (If you aren’t serving immediately poke the top with a toothpick so they don’t collapse). These are great for a hearty breakfast or a nice side to soup or stew in the winter.

Note:  If you'd like to order the mix - Young LIving ships to 133 different countries as they have offices, and farms all over the globe. Click on the Young Living Link on my right sidebar to order retail.  If you want to sign up to be a member to get the discount drop me a line at cliodna58 at gmail dot com.  I don't sell the products (between work and authoring it's like having two full-time jobs) but love the discount for the many products my household uses and I get a lot of "freebies" when ordering for my family and extended family.  If you do become a member and decide to just go back and order retail there's no penalty, you just change your ordering preferences online.