Culinary Zen: February 2016

My Food Philosophy

It starts with realizing your connection with the Earth. The earth will always provide you with the food that you need. Whole food in its purest form. Not chemically laden formulas disguised as food. You will begin to appreciate the people who grow the food. You will not settle for a fruit or vegetable that was grown in the most clean way possible. Because, you see, the energy from these foods becomes a part of you when you ingest it. It's all about conscious eating. Being aware of not only what you put in your mouth but where is comes from. I choose to live a plant based and gluten free lifestyle. This blog is an evolution of sorts. It starts with my dedication to using whole foods and moves into my dedication to a plant based cooking lifestyle. All those recipes you didn't think you could have eating the way I do....Bon Appetite

For more information on plant based wellness, please visit my website at www.pranaholisticwellness.com

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Tried and True Kids Snack: Fried Smashed Plaintains

We used to buy these in the store and they were fried in canola oil and had one too many ingrediants for. Little did I know how easy they would be to make and how versatile they are. We use them not only as a snack but they can also be used as a taco shell, to put all of your beef, lettuce, tomatoes on. If you prefer, you can always sprinkle with cinnamon and coconut sugar before baking for a sweet treat. Plantains are so yummy, slightly sweet, and a good source of fiber and potassium.

Fried Plantains
1 or 2 plantains
coconut oil

Peel and cut plantains into 1 inch chunks. Fry chunks in think layer of coconut oil in a pan. Just until both sides are brownish and semi soft. Place warm chunks on a waxed paper sheet. Place another sheet of waxed paper over and use a small bowl or cup to smash each one until flat. Put on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes, flipping once. You can season with salt, spices, or cinnamon if need be.

Valentine's Day Sweets for my Sweeties!

Valentines day isn't always easy when you can't eat dairy. No milk chocolate hearts or chocolate covered anything. The kids have been begging me to make apple fritters for a while now so I figured that was next best idea. And I finally found a good recipe without too much sugar but that still was sweet.

Apple Fritter Donut Balls
3/4 cup garbanzo bean/ millet flour mix
1/8 cup coconut sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 cup chopped apples
1 egg, egg substitute, or chia egg
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Mix wet ingredient and dry ingredients separately. Combine them together. Add enough coconut oil to a small saucepan until it is 3/4 of an inch high when melted. Drop by spoonful in hot oil and fry about a minute on each side. Upon draining, roll in coconut sugar. Serve immediately or warm in 300 degree oven for 10 minutes.

Kids loved them!! We loved them!! Success!!

After a nice Mexican lunch out with my hubby we returned home to daiya cheezecake with the kids. I thawed out some raspberries and coco whip to top it off. It tasted beyond my expectations for dairy free gluten free prepackaged desserts. It was almost decadent. A nice way to end the day on a sweet note.