Day 4: Fresh Juice Fast

Hubby and I are on our fourth day of fresh juice fasting.  Overall it has gone very well.  The first two days were the most difficult.  I had a bit of a headache Monday, that lasted throughout Tuesday morning, which was sucky.  I think it may have had to due with exercising while fasting - Hubbs is a maniac when it comes to that.  So we've decided to lay off the exercising while doing the fast, or at least keep it to a minimum.  I've been spending a lot of time with that juicer and blender, which is good.  It's been months since I've really juiced so much.  I used to juice back home in Brooklyn all the time.  When I finish with this fast, I'd definitely like to continue with the juicing - I've forgotten how great it is. 

I've taken some pictures of the juices, but not a ton, because the first few days I didn't have a lot of energy.  I also was so sure going into it that I would save the pulp for something and reuse it.  All of that pulp going into the compost bin makes me crazy.  And we're talking about a lot of pulp!  We've been making on average 1-1 1/2 gallons of fresh juice per day!  But the reality of using it all when there are gallons of it is a bit crazy and unrealistic.  I did, however, save most of the green pulp (from kale and spinach) and dehydrate it.  When I'm done, I'm going to grind it in the food processor and use it to add to smoothies or other dishes for some additional fiber and nutrition.  It's gonna look crazy on the shelf with all of my spices! 

Another thing I've noticed today is that my hunger is mostly gone, which is a relief, believe me!  The past three days have revolved around me thinking about food, hungering for it and just basically desiring it every second of each day.  When I didn't think about it for 5 minutes, I was ecstatic!  But I feel like I can go so much longer without even thinking about it right now.  And not having to worry about cooking every day and having a complete meal ready for when the Hubby comes home from work is such a great treat.  But I know it will likely begin again next week, just differently.  The main reason for me doing this is to rethink the way I think about food.  I definitely have my problems with it that I need to fix and would just love to eat so much healthier and feel better about myself.  I'm hoping that by doing this fast I will be able to focus more on eating good for me stuff and not junk.  I realize this is not something that is going to change overnight and that I will occasionally slip up, but I'm at a point where I really want to change.  My husband and I want to open our business within the next year and hopefully a year after that, start our family.  And I definitely want to be the healthiest I can while expecting.  A lot of pressure riding on me, but I feel very positive about it right now.  And now enjoy some pictures and recipes of some of the juices I've been making over the last coupld days!

Before juicing: Grapefruit Green (the greens wouldn't fit
in the bowl - they were in the sink)

Finished Grapefruit Green Juice

Green Grapefruit:

Yields: 2 Quarts

6 grapefruit, peeled
6 small apples, quartered
2" ginger
1 English or 2 regular cucumbers
6 stalks celery (wash very well - I found a slug in my organic celery!)
8 oz. spinach
1/2 - 1 bunch kale

Koko's V-8 Juice, but so much better!

 Koko's V-8:

Yields 2 1/2 Pints

6 stalks celery
2 jalapenos
2 lb. tomatoes, quartered
3/4 lb. carrots
1 red pepper, seeded
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 English or 2 regular cucumbers
8 oz. spinach
(can also add 1/2 bunch cilantro - makes it taste like you're drinking salsa!)

Fresh pineapples for juicing!

Heartbeet Juice before juicing - there are oranges, lemons and
ginger under there and spinach in the sink

Heartbeet:

Yields: 1 1/2 Quarts

3 lb. carrots
1 1/2 lb. beets
6 small apples
4 oranges, peeled
2 lemons, peeled
2" ginger
8 oz. spinach

The finished juices: V-8, Heartbeet, Pineapple (and that's 2 small pineapples!)

Enjoy!

Koko

Gluten Free Private Class: Chicago

 

Before moving away from New York, I taught a private class for a family that lived in Chicago.  They had three girls that were gluten free with several other allergies, including soy, dairy, eggs, nuts and probably a couple other things I am forgetting.  It was such a great experience to be invited into somebody's home as an educator and help the family learn to prepare the dishes for one another that they have not had in so long.  The mother told me stories about how her children felt bad going to parties or get togethers because they were not able to enjoy the same snacks and treats as the other children and would feel left out.  So we were sure to make recipes for cookies, muffins, brownies loaves and other goodies that they could make and bring with them or simply have at home.  It was such a nice experience and I just wanted to share some photos from that time.  I love how the three girls were willing and happy to help during the class- not just their mom.  We made so much food and desserts it was crazy.  I think her freezer was definitely full for quite a while after that!

 



 

The local gluten free store, run by an eccentric lady (not the
one pictured).

Sandwich bread with a design from one of the girls.
 

Gluten free pizza to suit everyone - some with just sauce,
some with veggies and some with veggies and cheese. 
Kids are too funny!

Crispy eggplant with homemade gf breadcrumbs

Homemade baguette made into garlic bread.  Sooo good!

Giant pot of marinara.

The sauce for a lemon chicken dish my client wanted.  The sauce was great!

Vegetable Rissotto

Cooked gluten free quinoa pasta

Quinoa Tabouli

The Lemon Chicken Potato Dish

Gluten Free, Vegan Eggplant Parmesan

The table
 

Giant Platter of Eggplant Parmesan

More food.

And more.

And more.

The seriously delicious plate of gluten free, vegan food.

The happy family.

A tasty chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.

The girls were very happy to put edible glitter on the cake!

Chocolate Cake, Banana Bread, Brownies
 

Seeded Sandwich Bread

Chocolate Chip Cookies - delicious!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Delicious blueberry muffins

Yum!



Enjoy!

Koko

Refined Sugar Free Pear Berry Crisp with Almond Milk Ice Cream

The last few days here in Michigan have been feeling less and less like summer, much to my sadness.  I still have Brooklyn's weather info on my phone, so I have been torturing myself with seeing the beautiful (most of the time) much warmer weather.  Sigh.  It can still be warm in the evening, not making me want to turn the oven on too much, but I bought these gorgeous pears from the farmer's market last Saturday and wanted to use them up before they became too soft.  My mom also has some wild blueberries (that she and my dad picked themselves) and some garden-picked raspberries in her freezer, so this seemed like the perfect thing to make.  Add in some delicious almond milk ice cream I found at the local coop on sale, and a perfect, not too sweet dessert comes into play!

I really like that this dessert is not too sweet, because the ice cream ended up being pretty sweet on its own, so it was a great contrast.  I think next time I will add a little more starch or maybe even a tablespoon or two of the unbleached flour to thicken it up.  Either way, it was tasty and hit the spot.  Mom even liked it, which surprised me, because she is a sweets-aholic!  Also a chocoholic.  Kind of disturbingly so, actually.  I didn't get that gene, but no worries, I love all kinds of other sweets!  So make this and enjoy it as a nice, refined sugar free treat in these still warm evenings.


Refined Sugar Free Pear Berry Crisp:



Warm Pear Berry Crisp with Almond Milk Ice Cream

 

Fruit Part of Crisp:

1 cup apple juice

juice of 1/2 lemon

4 pears, peeled, cored and diced

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch sea salt
2 1/2 tablespoons tapioca starch
1 cup raspberries

1/2 cup blueberries

Crumb Topping:

1 cup unbleached wheat flour

1 cup rolled oats

pinch nutmeg

pinch cinnamon

pinch sea salt

4 tablespoons maple syrup

4 tablespoons apple juice

3 tablespoons melted, refined coconut oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly oil an 8x8" baking pan with spray oil and set aside until ready to use.

2.  In a medium sized pot, combine the pears, apple juice, lemon juice, vanilla extract, sea salt and tapioca starch.  Stir together very well until completely combined.

3.  Place over medium heat and stir continuously until the mixture thickens considerably.  Add the blueberries and raspberries and mix into the warm fruit syrup.  Place it into the prepared baking dish.

4.  In a medium baking bowl, add the dry ingredients of the crumb topping: the unbleached flour, rolled oats, nutmeg, cinnamon and sea salt.  Mix together well.
5.  Into the same bowl, add the wet ingredients: the maple syrup, apple juice, refined coconut oil, vanilla and almond extract.  Mix together dry and wet ingredients with your hands until the mixture becomes a nice crumbly topping. 

6.  Crumble the topping onto the prepared fruit mixture into the baking dish.  Be sure to cover as much of the fruit as possible.

7.  Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes, or until the fruit and topping are cooked through.





The Crisp fresh out of the oven





8.  Try to wait at least 5-10 minutes to scoop up a portion of the crisp, top it with some delicious almond milk ice cream, or whatever kind of non-dairy ice cream you prefer. 





Warm bowl of deliciously lightly sweetened Crisp.



Enjoy!

Koko

Strawberry Shortcake with Homemade Coconut Whip Cream

 Summer is here with a vengeance!  It is crazy hot here in NY and across the US I've been hearing.  Being in the kitchen at this point is torture! My work environment is crazy hot, I bike home and cook every night for my Hubby and test tons of recipes for my cafe.  But it's so hot now, so I try to minimize recipes that involve baking and boiling.  I know this recipe goes against what I'm trying to do to survive the heat, but I've been craving the delicious sauce that goes with these shortcakes.  And this really hit the spot, especially with the homemade vegan whip cream.  Yum.  So turn on the oven and enjoy this awesome dessert!


Strawberry Shortcake with Homemade Coconut Whip Cream:

Fluffy biscuit topped with sweet but tart
strawberries and vegan whipped cream!

Serves: 4

Biscuits:
1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup soy free earth balance
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons almond milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon canola oil

Strawberry Sauce:
8 oz. strawberries (fresh or frozen), roughly chopped
1 teaspoon lemon juice
agave to taste
pinch sea salt
drizzle of vanilla extract


1.  Preheat the oven the 375 degrees.  Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside until ready to use.
2.  In a medium bowl, add the unbleached flour, baking powder and sea salt.  Whisk together until combined.  Add the earth balance and work into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter or your hands (my choice). 
3.  Once the earth balance in mixed in, add the remaining wet ingredients: almond milk, cider vinegar and canola oil.  Using a rubber spatula, fold ingredients together until a soft batter forms.
4.  Using a portion scoop, portion out the biscuit batter onto the prepared baking sheet.  (You can also place the dough onto a floured surface, roll it out and use a biscuit cutter, but this is by far the easier way to do it.)  Gently flatten each ball of dough with the palm of your hand and place in the oven.  Bake for about 15 minutes, or until baked all the way through, and golden on top.
5.  Prepare the strawberry sauce.  Place the roughly chopped strawberries in a medium bowl and using your hands, squish the berries until they begin to release their juices.
6.  Add the remaining ingredients: the lemon juice, agave, sea salt and vanilla.  Stir well to coat.  Season to taste with additional agave if necessary.  Store in the refrigerator while the biscuits are cooking and cooling.  This mixture should cool for at least an hour before serving - it is much better slightly chilled.
7.  To serve, split open a biscuit and place in a bowl.  Place a spoon of the strawberry sauce, topped with the other half of the biscuit.  Top with additional strawberry sauce and the vegan whipped cream.  I don't use the store-bought vegan whipped cream-I think it's disgusting!  I always make my own out of coconut milk. Much tastier!

Enjoy!

Koko

Fruit and Greens Smoothie

For the last several months I have been trying to make a fresh juice/smoothie every night for the Hubbs and I.  Most nights I am able to do just that.   It is usually a variation of the recipe below.  I am certainly much better at making tasty smoothies right now than I am at making tasty juices.  I don't know what it is about the juice making process, but I always find myself adding more things than I know I should, or other things simply because they are in the fridge, and I tell myself "yes, I think that should go in there too".  I just can't control myself.  I keep putting in more and more greens until there are collards, kale, dandelion greens, chard, spinach and perhaps some other greens, along with the usual cucumber, celery, lime, ginger and a couple apples.  It always tastes like gross bitter grass.  And I know it's because I put too much stuff in it, but I really can't control myself!  Hubbs and I of course drink it because it is so good for us, but we almost have to plug our noses to do so.  I even told myself I was going to make a juice with orange, lemon, ginger and carrot.  That's it.  And of course in went pear, collards and a few other things and the juice was terrible!  Once I learn a little more self control and can come up with something tasty, I'll post it.  Until then, enjoy this definitely, absolutely delicious and healthy smoothie.  Hubbs and I both guzzle it whenever I make it.  (Well, because of my weirdness, I actually chew the smoothie, which is unnecessary, but I always have since I was a kid!)  Make it and enjoy!

Fruit and Greens Smoothie:



Doesn't all this organic stuff look gorgeous!?



1/2 cup carrot juice

1/2 cup apple juice

2 large handfuls spinach

1/2 bunch dandelion leaves

2 kale leaves

1 tablespoon ground flax seeds

1 large handful frozen blueberries

6 frozen strawberries

1 large or 2 small bananas

1.  Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until the smoothie reaches your desired consistency.  I blend it for a couple minutes so that the kale blends well.  Or, if you have a vitamix (jealous!!), it will only take like 30 seconds! 

That's it!

Enjoy!

Koko

Green Smoothie

I love fresh juice as much as the next person.  It's way too expensive for me to purchase outside, so I tend to make it at home.  There are some great things about making your own juices and also some not so great things about juicing at home - namely cleaning the juicer for 20 minutes after 5 minutes of juicing.

I've had several customers at my job lately that have been getting green smoothies - that is whole leafy greens and some kind of fresh juice to make it all blend together.  It's the best of both worlds because you still get the tasty fresh juice, but also the fiber from the leafy greens.  I have been making this quite a bit lately, but I've been making the juice base at work, usually pineapple, purchasing it there and making the smoothies at home.  Tons cheaper to just purchase the whole fruit, juice it at work and make the smoothie with all the beautiful organic ingredients at home.  I pretty much keep the ingredients the same, with a couple variations here and there, depending upon what I have in the fridge and what I feel like.  It's super tasty and super healthy.  Try it - I think you'll be surprised by how good it is and how not "green" it tastes.

Green Smoothie:







Beautifully Vibrantly Green!



Makes 2 hefty Servings

1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple juice (or use whatever juice you'd like)

2 ripe bananas, peeled

1" piece ginger, peeled and chopped

1 lime, juiced (helps preserve the color and adds a "brightness" to the smoothie)

3-4 kale leaves, torn into pieces (reserve stems*)

2 large collard leaves, torn into pieces (reserve stems*)

3-4 chard or other green leaves, torn into pieces (reserve stems*)

handful well-washed spinach

1 tablespoon ground flax or chia seeds

1/4 cup frozen strawberries or blueberries (optional but good)

6-8 ice cubes

1.  Place the juice in the base of the blender.  Add the leafy greens, the ginger, lime juice, flax and frozen berries.

2.  Blend on high until all of the leaves have blended smooth  - this may take a couple minutes and several scrapings of the blender pitcher.  If you do not have a vita mix (which I shockingly do not yet), a regular blender will work fine, although will not  be silky smooth.  I think it's great though - you know what you're eating.

3.  Once the smoothie is, well, smooth, add the ice and blend for 30 seconds or so until the juice is chilled.  Sample and if too sour, add a touch more juice. 

4.  Delicious and so healthy!

* If you will be juicing the pineapple or other fruit juice yourself, I recommend saving the green stems and juicing them along with the fruit.  A great way to keep waste to a minimum.  And extra healthy. 

Enjoy!

Koko

Gluten Free Testing: Lemon & Lemon Raspberry Cookies

Most of the time I love testing recipes.  The only downside to them is when they don't work out.  It's a great learning experience, but it's tough because it can end up hurting your wallet when you have to test a recipe multiple times.  But it's a necessary part of working in the food business or even being a home cook or baker.  And I am thankful to work with and around people that are interested in health, even if they are not particularly interested in or fond of gluten free, because they are much more willing to sample the goodies I make, even when it may not be the best test I've done. 

I know this is a strange recipe for this time of the year.  After all it is in the middle of winter, but I feel tired of everything being spiced and pumpkin-y.  I'm in the mood for some spring tasting goodies.  Maybe if I eat enough spring flavored goodies, spring will hurry up and get here!!  So I did some testing the other day with gf cookies.  I was in the mood for lemony goodness.  I absolutely love lemon in baked goods: lemon blueberry cake, lemon creme, lemon pie, lemon cookies, lemon bars, the list goes on and on!  So I have a base recipe I have been playing around with for gf cookies that is good, although a little sweet.  I have tried changing around the sweetener, but the cookie changes texture drastically, so that means I have to play around with other elements in the cookie, which I have been a little too lazy to do. ;)  For this test, I changed the sweetener from organic can to maple syrup, and it wasn't as sweet, but a little puffy, so perhaps a little more adjusting next time, but it certainly hit the spot. 

So once I made the lemon cookie which was super tasty, I wanted to add some raspberries to the mix as well.  Frozen, obviously.   But I was concerned that adding frozen fruit to the batter would result in a mushy or too wet cookie, so I tried a couple different ways to add the raspberries.  And each test was a fun experiment in seeing what would happen in different scenarios.  You can check out the pictures below.  And see the recipe I am currently working on too.

Raspberry Lemon Cookies Test:

I Think these should be called
 "Lemon Raspberry Swirl Cookies"

Yields 10-12 Cookies

1 1/4 cups sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon canola oil

2 tablespoons flax eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon extract

zest of 1 lemon

1/3 cup frozen raspberries
organic cane sugar as garnish

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking pan with parchment paper and set aside until ready to use.

2.  In a small mixing bowl add all of the dry ingredients: the sorghum flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt and xanthan gum.  Whisk together until well combined.

3.  In a separate small mixing bowl add all the wet ingredients: the maple syrup, canola oil, flax eggs, vanilla extract, lemon extract and lemon zest.  Whisk together well.

4.  Carefully pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix together with a spatula until a thick cookie batter forms.  Add the berries and very carefully mix into the batter.
5.  Use a small portion scoop and scoop out the cookie dough onto the prepared baking tray. 
6.  Sprinkle each cookie with 1/2 teaspoon organic sugar. 
7.  Using a slightly moistened palm, flatten each cookie slightly.

8.  Bake 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden around the edges, but still soft in the center.

9.  Allow to cool completely before sampling.



Lemon Cookies: Test 1 - No Berries Added




Lemon Raspberry Cookies: Test 1.1  - Added Raspberries
to Top of Cookie



Lemon Raspberry Cookies: Test 1.2 - add the very frozen

raspberries to the batter and mix gently gently gently.



Enjoy!

Koko