Banana Bread

My favorite evening snack right now is a pieces of banana bread and half of a papaya. It feels so right here in Hawaii:)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup margarine, at room temp

3 very ripe bananas, mashed well

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup vanilla soy milk, mixed with 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon salt

• Preheat oven to F350 
• Spray a 8×4 bread pan with non stick cooking spray, or lightly coat with margarine.
• Sift together flour, baking soda, salt and spices.
• Cream together the margarine and sugars. Add bananas, soy milk and vanilla.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix well. Pour batter into pan. Bake for an hour to an hour 10 minutes.

Kids Smoothies

My friend Chef Centehua has written an article posted today on my web site Green-Mom.com. It's about smoothies for kids and fun ways to add nutrition to a smoothie. Check it out!!! 

Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

It's so hot and I'm miserable. I liked it better in Sweden with "normal" temperatures. To cool of I made frozen yogurt for snack and served it with raspberries. It's was very refreshing and cooling, just what we needed.

2 cups plain yogurt

1/4 cup milk

1/2 vanilla bean, seeds used

1/4 cup agave nectar

2 tbs coconut oil

Place everything in a blender except the coconut oil. While blender is running slowly add the coconut oil. Blend for another 2 minutes. Run mix in an ice cream machine until solid ( about 40-50 minutes). If you wish to have more solid ice cream place it in the freezer for a few hours first.

Homemade popsicles

In two days we're leaving Sweden to go home to San Diego again. It's been great to be here and I sad to go. The bummer is that I'm been feeling sick that last couple of days so I've not had too much of an appetite. When I feel sick popsicles is what I crave so I usually make my own from this recipe. I love trying new flavors with new fruits. The kids love them too:)

Yogurt Green Smoothie

Today I've been eating a lot and not necessary all good. After lunch I craved a green juice or smoothie so I made one which was not easy because there is no blender here so I had to use an old hand held one   instead. I love being here on vacation but next time I'm bringing my vita mixer with me:)

2/3 cup vanilla flavored yogurt

2/3 cup almond milk

1 cup mixed frozen berries

1 handful pea sprouts

Agave nectar which is if you want the smoothie sweeter. 

Combine everything in a blender and process until complete smooth. Served ice cold!!!

Nectarine and Berry Green Smoothie

I’ve been enjoying eating tons of nectarines lately since it’s our seasonal fruit right along with strawberries off course. We have a few strawberry plants in our garden and thanks to my dear friend's dad who gave me some advice on how to care for them, this year they’ve been producing a lot of berries.  Both kids really enjoy walking into the garden, gathering fresh strawberries for a smoothie or a snack.

For snack time I made a nectarine and strawberry smoothie with an extra bonus of greens in it. Smoothies are a perfect food to “hide” vegetables in and especially Noah loves his smoothies.

2 cups ice cold almond milk

1 tbsp. honey or maple syrup

2 small nectarines, peeled and chopped

A handful of strawberries, tops off and cut in half

1 small handful of greens of your choice (today I used broccoli greens)

1 tsp. spirulina powder

Combine and blend everything in a blender for a minute or more until everything is completely smooth. Enjoy right away!

Nut cheese stuffed dates

I was giving a friend a recipe for an appetizer and it was for nut cheese stuffed dates, which are one of my favorite ones to serve. The salty and sweet combination are wonderful and dates are so much fun. Dates are rich in antioxidants and its natural sweetness revitalizes the body so they are perfect snack after a workout.

1 cup raw cashews nuts

½ tbsp. minced chives

½ tbsp. minced parsley

Juice form ½ lemon

1/8-cup water

½ tsp. salt

15 dates, pitted

2 tbsp. Agave nectar

Preheat oven to F400.

Combine the nuts, lemon juice and salt in a food processor and begin mixing. Slowly add the water. Keep mixing until it’s smooth. Stir in the herbs by hand. Use a teaspoon to fill dates with the cheese. Place dates in a baking dish cut side up. Drizzle agave nectar Bake for 7 minutes. Stick a toothpick in to serve the dates. 

Strawberry soy yogurt

Since I’ve been making my own coconut yogurt and my kids both love yogurt it seemed like it was about time I made my own soy yogurt. I made vanilla soy yogurt but added strawberries when it was done since they both love strawberries. I have a yogurt maker I bought years ago on Amazon so it super easy. But I hear you can also make it in your oven.

32 oz. vanilla soy milk

½ cup vanilla soy yogurt

1 cup strawberries, minced

¼ cup water

½ vanilla bean

2 tbsp. agave nectar

Strain the vanilla yogurt of any excess liquid. Blend soymilk and yogurt well and place in a yogurt maker for at least 12 hours. Check on the culture to see when it’s thick.

Combine strawberries, agave nectar, and water and split vanilla bean open and scrape out seeds. Discard the beans and sue the seeds. Bring to a boil and stir often. Cook on medium heat until it’s resembles syrup. Remove from heat and let it cool. Blend together yogurt and strawberry jam and keep in fridge in a glass jar. 

Minty fresh fruit salad

My favorite dessert or even a snack is a perfect fruit salad. Nothing taste better than a fresh combination of juice and fresh fruit and some added kick of mint from my garden. You can use whatever fruit is available for your season and let the fantasy flow. If you want a more sweet dessert you can add vanilla yogurt, ice cream and chopped nuts

10 strawberries

1 orange

2 apples

2 peaches

1 tbsp. fresh mint, minced

Chop all the fruit and mix well with mint. Let the salad rest for 5-10 minutes to develop flavor before serving.

Sugar Free & Gluten Free Carrot And Zucchini Bread

Yesterday was a soup and bread day because it was cold and gray first half of the day. I wanted to bake a slightly sweeter bread to be eaten with the soup and finally settled on a recipe for gluten free carrot bread from Melomeal. I changed the recipe a little and added grated zucchini because I ran out of carrots. It’s a super moist bread/cake that is not too sweet. I even enjoyed a piece this morning with my tea.

Dry:

 2 cups Bob’s Gluten free flour mix

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 Tbsp. Cinnamon

½ tsp. nutmeg

¼ tsp. cardamom

1 tsp. stevia powder

¼ tsp. salt

Wet:

½ cup golden flax seed meal

1 ½ cup non-dairy milk

¾ cup oil

1tbs vinegar

2 cups grated carrots

2 cups grated zucchini

1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to F375

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. In another bowl mix all wet ingredients. Combine both wet and dry and do not overwork batter, just blend. Pour batter into a greased 9 by 13 inch pan and bake for 30 minutes, until center is dry. Let bread cool before cutting it.

Yogurt Parfait

I’m cat sitting for a few days and she wanted to play and cuddle all night and kept waking me up. I’m dragging as a result this morning so I needed a pick-me-up and today it was a parfait. Creamy, crunchy and sweet all blended in one cup, could not be better.

½ cup vanilla yogurt (I used coconut yogurt)

½ cup granola

½ tbsp. agave nectar

½ cup berries (I used raspberries)

Mash the berries with agave to juice them but not puree them. Use a fork to whip the yogurt to make it fluffy. Place half  the berries in the bottom of an individual serving glass or bowl, layer with half of the yogurt and then half of the granola and then repeat. 

Snack Time—Baked Apple Sandwich

I’m always on the lookout for the perfect snack. It has to be satisfying, healthy and good enough for kids to eat it. This baked apple sandwich has been my cravings lately and that it's served warm is just plus because you get a little warm apple pie feeling from it.

1 slice of whole wheat or multi grain bread

1 tbsp. almond butter (or substitute wit any other nut butter)

¼ apple, peeled and sliced very thin

¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tbsp. agave nectar

Preheat oven to F400

Spread almond butter on the slice of bread. Arrange apple slices on top. Dust cinnamon and then drizzle agave nectar over. Bake for 5-10 minutes, until apples are soft and bread slightly toasted. Enjoy with a cup of tea or a glass of milkJ

Minty Orange Smoothie

As I said in a previous post my mint is growing all over the garden, which makes me happy because I love mint for tea, cooking and smoothies. So when our neighbor brought over some beautiful organic oranges I knew exactly what I was going to use them for; an orange and mint smoothie. It was the perfect afternoon pick-me-up before Bella came home and Noah woke up from his nap.

12 ounces coconut water

3 mint leafs

1 ripe orange, peeled and diced (remove all white parts too)

1 large green leaf, chopped (I used swiss chard)

¼ ripe avocado

1 date, pitted

Place everything in a blender and process for 1-2 minutes until completely lump free and very creamy. Bottoms up!

Raspberry and Banana Millet Puffs

I’m always looking for the perfect snack that is both yummy and healthy for my kids. It’s fun to try new things and to surprise them with it. This recipe I found on a Swedish blog by a woman who dedicate it to cooking for her child. I’m in love them myself and could not stop eating them.

7 medjool dates, pitted
¼ cup raspberries

1 very ripe banana

½ vanilla bean, split open and seeds used

1 tbsp. chia seeds

2 cups millet puffs

Preheat oven to F350

Line a cookie sheet with a parchment paper.

Puree dates, raspberries, banana, vanilla bean seeds and chia seeds until lump free and creamy. Fold in the puffs until completely incorporated. Spread dough in the parchment paper with wet hands. Bake for 30 minutes. Break cake a part to smaller pieces when cool.

Healthy veggie disguised as a cheesy and -tasty snack

I know it sounds unbelievable and I have to admit when I first heard of kale chips I really did not think they would be a hit with my family. I was so wrong and I love watching Bella munching on this green vegetables which I usually have to mix with other things to get her to enjoy it.

Kale is a super veggie everyone should eat a lot of because of its health benefits stemming from the high levels of antioxidants, vitamin K and A among many things. This recipe comes from VegNews and the chips can be made either in a dehydrator like I did or in a conventional oven.

1 cup cashews, soaked for an hour or more and drained
3 tbs fresh lemon juice
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tbs mellow white miso
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbs agave nectar or maple syrup
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup water
1 large bunch curly kale, washed, de-stemmed, ripped into medium-sized pieces

In a blender of food processor, blend cashews, lemon juice, bell peppers, miso, salt, pepper, agave, nutritional yeast and water for 1-2 minutes until thick.
In a large bowl, place kale, and add 3/4 cup sauce. Use your hands to massage in the sauce into the kale.

If you're making the chips in a dehydrator place the kale in a single layer, spread out and dry in 115 for 3-4 hours. Flip them and then continue to dry until crispy, about another 2-3 hours.

If your drying them in an oven, preheat oven to F250. Bake chips for 1 hour, flipping them once. Bake  until completely dry.

Fruit leather

Bella loves fruits and fruit leather as a snack in the afternoon. Buying them at the store can get quit pricey so I made my own and my toughest critic (Bella) gave it thumbs up and said "you're pretty cleaver mom". I live for comments like that:)

Off course for this recipe you need a dehydrator or a hot air oven. You can use pretty much any fruit but for this one I used a leftover kiwi on it's last leg and one banana. It was a great combination. If you don't like the look of the seeds from the kiwi you can always strain the kiwi first to remove them.

1 large banana, peeled

1 kiwi or other fruit, peeled

1 squirt of lemon juice

Puree until creamy and no lumps exists. Use a spatula to spread thin on a parchment paper. Dehydrate on F105 until it's dry and you can peel the leather of the parchment paper.

Quinoa Pizza balls

Today my husband stated "super bowl is over so now I can cancel cable". We've been talking for months to stop cable and only use the TV for movies so I was happy it's finally happening. It's such relief not having TV and watching reruns and other crappy things that does not add anything to our lives.

These little rolls were a fun addition to our super bowl party food and the one who liked the absolutely most was Noah who ate them while still hot and all because he could not wait for them to cool off. I know I will make these a staple food of any future party.

1/2 cup Quinoa
1 cup water
1 cup cooked kidney beans
5-10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp dried Italian herb mix
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup tomato paste
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup grated cheese ( I used rice cheese)
1/4 cup oil to brush with

Bring to a boil quinoa and water in a saucepan. Cook for 10-12 minutes until all water has absorbed. Set a side to cool. Combine in a food processor remaining ingredients except the oil and blend for a few seconds. You still want some pieces of beans left. Combine with quinoa and place in fridge for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to F400 and with wet hands shape the cooled mix to small balls. Place on a parchment paper. Brush each with some oil. Bake for 10-15 minutes until they are slightly crispy on outside and browned. Serve with a salad as a meal or with ranch dip for a snack.

Vegan BBQ wings with vegan ranch dressing

I found this recipe for the wings and the ranch on the Recipe Renovator but I did end up changing just a little and it turned in to what I remembered ranch dressing tasting like. Since hubby loves anything with BBQ sauce I actually used that instead of hot sauce for the wings It will go well as a dip for the vein wings, quinoa pizza rolls, garlic bread and etc I'm making for hubby to eat during Super bowl. Go Patriots!!!!!

While the boys are watching football, me and Bella are dressing up and going to see Beauty & the beast at the movies and then were going out for a veggie burger:)

From left to right; quinoa pizza balls, tofu BBQ wings, garlic bread and sausage rolls and in the front is the ranch dip

Ranch dip:
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup soy milk
1 tbs apple cider vinegar
2 tbs chives & garlic flavored soy cream cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1tsp dried dill
1 tsp dried parsley

Combine the soy milk and the vinegar in a small bowl and let stand 5-10 minutes to curdle. Add all other ingredients in a blender or food processor along with the curdles soy milk and blend until smooth and creamy. Add more soy milk as needed if you want a pourable dressing.

Wings:
16 oz super firm tofu
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
1 tbs canola oil

1/4 tsp almond meal
2 tbs nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 onion powder

Press the tofu overnight by wrapping the tofu in a clean kitchen towel and place between two cutting boards. Put a heavy frying pan or pile of cookbooks on top.

Cut the tofu into 12 pieces, using the short side as your length, and making the pieces as even as possible. If you want the shapes to be more organic and less stick-like, use a vegetable peeler to shave off the corners of the long edges, and the corners of the top and bottom of each piece. (Reserve the tofu scraps for a stir fry.)

Prick the pieces all over with a fork to help the tofu absorb the marinade.

Whisk BBQ sauce and oil together. Set 2/3 of it aside in the refrigerator until serving. Brush the tofu with the remaining marinade, covering each side evenly, and then pour the rest over it. Cover and marinate, overnight if possible, in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 350F/160C/gas mark 4. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Mix the remaining ingredients together in a shallow bowl, stirring with a fork. Roll each piece of tofu in the breading, making sure it sticks to each side evenly. Place on the prepared cookie sheet. Spray with cooking spray, and flip over, making sure all the breading is thoroughly coated with spray.

Bake for 15 minutes, then flip all the pieces over. Bake another 20 minutes, until the sticks are crispy. Gently toss the hot “wings” in the remaining sauce (you’ll need to whisk it together again). Place each piece on a skewer. Dip them in the ranch dressing.

Super bowl food

Although I have personally no interest at all in football, James loves is as does a lot of my friends  and will be glued to the TV on Sunday for the sSuper Bowl. Me, I'm charge of the food off course and I'm planning more than chips and salsa but it will be a semi healthy crowed pleasers. Happy Healthy Mama has some really fun recipes I'm planning to try. The quinoa pizza balls I'm dying to try so they will for sure be served on Sunday as well as the parmesan roasted chickpeas but I will use a vegan cheese instead. But the one dish my husband is most excited about is these vegan chicken wings with a ranch dipping sauce from The Recipe Renovator.

What are you all planning to eat for Sunday Super Bowl party?

detox juice

Beginning of the year I tend to feel a bit sluggish and tired I know it's the stress and overeating during the holiday. So I like to let my body detox in January and I like to do it with vegetables, fruit, whole grains and vegetable juices. I avoid sugar, wheat and gluten and coffee. I start my day with a chia pudding and fresh fruit and for lunch or/and dinner I like to drink vegetables juices.

My favorite juice is a beet, lemon, celery, ginger and kale. Some people have a hard time drinking vegetables juices and beet juice even more but I found if it's ice cold it does not taste that bad. A juicer is off course required for this juice. I like making up larger quantities and pour into recycled glass jars to keep in fridge. This way I have access to juice to take on the go if and when I need it.

1 large lemon, peeled

1 inch fresh ginger, peeled

2-3 large beets, peeled

3 celery stalks

2 large kale leaves

Juice everything and place in a jar with lid. Shake for a few seconds and then place in fridge to make it cold if so wish.