Paleo Vegan Pumpkin Spice Drink with a Call for Foster Parents on the Side

We are rounding out a almost a year of being a foster home, and I wanted to take a blog and write about it. I don't write too much about all the different kiddos or stituations that we are involved in, because, obviously, privacy issues. But I wanted to give it the attention that it deserves. The "it", is really just being a foster parent.

Sometimes I want to cheer people into becoming foster parents, but really, that isn't how we came about becoming ones, ourselves. I was most influenced by my family. I have an incredible cousin who showed me what a foster parent looks like. She has been a refuge and her life has been inspiring to me. I also have a beautiful sister in law, who adopted a sibling group of 5, out of the foster care system in California. These two families have influenced our decision to travel down an often scary and uncertain journey.

Let me start out by saying honestly, I am not a great mom. I loose my cool, I yell, am super impatient, and I struggle just talking nice when things don't go the way I think they should. I lean a lot on Jesus, I repent, and ask for forgiveness, throughout my day. I cry. I have often thought that I cannot be a good mother, due to my weaknesses. But the Lord has used these very weaknesses to show me His transforming power. Am I healed from any of my shortcomings? No, I still have them all....but now, now I have new life growing in me...a life that is stronger and more humble than my former self...a life that eats and drinks Christ.

So this is why I am a foster parent. Because my strength is Him. I am compelled to serve. I have rarely said no to a child/children coming into our home (I try to maintain a no kids older than my youngest biological, for everyone's safety), the reason is, because I feel like each situation comes to us from God.

Nothing has changed and challenged me more, than serving others.....serving little ones. I am amazed by this amazing gift that Toby and I have been given to have these kids in our home. It has made my kids more aware that they are not the center of the world. That some kids don't have what they take for granted (even though their mom yells, sometimes). I am blessed to see my kids step up and be kind and accept the kids that have been in our home.

Grant it, I would like to adopt. This is not the way I would have chosen to go about it (and yes, we're still going to adopt from Romania), but it is a better way  than I could have ever imagined. I am convinced that I have gotten more from the kids, than they have gotten from us. How humbled I am that they would be in our home.

We will have a full house starting Sunday.....for us, that means 6 kids total. It's the amount that I can have in my car, and a huge mental jump for me, is going to a passenger van. I have no clue how long we will have the 3....but I trust that God will work out the details. It continues to amaze me, how situations come about in our life, simply because we said and continue to say yes.

On to the Pumpkin spice ....I don't know what to call it!! It's not a latte, or smoothie, or a hot chocolate.....anyways, it's a warm fall drink, except it is finally winter in alaska...so for all my intensive purposes, it's a winter sip

Pumpkin Spice Sipping Goodness

2c of cashews
8 pitted dates
7c of water
1/2c of nutmeg, allspice, cloves
2t of cinnamon


first soak your nuts and dates about 2 hours

while your nuts are soaking (I know, I know, giggling just never gets old on the matter)

get a nice pumpkin and cut and scoop the seeds, place the two halves facing up on a cookie sheet and bake for a half hour at 350......

cut up about 2 cups (however think you want your goodness) worth of cubes from the pumpkin and place all ingredients in vitamix...or

blender...enjoy!! and really think about the impact of being a foster parent.
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Kale chips, and Staying Current

I officially have a valid greencard (whew!!). I am waiting for the shiny new card, but in the meantime, I have my current card with an extended expiration date. This is a tiny step in the right direction, when it comes to adopting from Romania.

Speaking of which, we are emergency foster parenting these days. This has caused some confusion about our intent to adopt. Yes, we are planning on adopting from Romania....and, would love to be able to adopt out of the foster care system in Alaska. It is a mess. But I really feel like God will bring us the situations and kids and we'll just take them as they come. We have had a little guy with us for over a month. He's 3 and a doll. We're all smitten and watching to see what happens. It was supposed to be a temporary placement, but nothing is certain, is kinda the rule, with OCS. I have just started researching where his heritage is from and am completely fascinated with it! What a rich thing, to have a culture and a history that has a visible root (Americans kinda loose theirs). I want to learn everything, so I can teach him. So that he can be proud of how unique he is. He has adapted in our home well, but I know that the more comfortable he gets, the more he'll act like a 3 year old (Oiy!). So for now, we have 4 kids, running and playing, and squabbling....and laughing...and playing in the mud!

It has been really good for my youngest Zaya, to have a younger sibling. He is rising to the challenge of being a good role model, and adapting to the fact that He is not the youngest. It has been a positive change. Zaya finally has someone who listens to him.

Fall is fading quickly here. We had an incredible summer. The blueberries this years were absolutely incredible! I was able to pick 17 gallons! and though that sounds like a lot. It may last me through the winter. They are very precious to me (said in the Gullom voice). We had a swift fall, full of pretty much non stop rain. We were able to go out 4 wheeling and cranberry picking on Sunday for the first time in over a month. But it's supposed to be in the 20's in the next couple of days. YIKES! So today I harvested all the rest of my garden. I had beautiful potatoes and carrots (there were many bites in my carrots from voles! gggrrrrr) come up, that I will enjoy in the coming months. Grateful!

My adventures in homeschooling are moving along slowly. I cannot believe how behind Isaac is academically, for his grade. It took him 2 hours to attempt to copy a sentence today. And still it was something I had to help him do. On the positive side, he is doing awesome with the math curriculum that I got. It has him grouping and learning on the abacus, which he's a natural at! I can't tell you the elation that I get, seeing him "get it". We played a game of war with fractions....fractions?! and he was able to know that 3/4 beats 6/10..... Toby says I'm geeking out over the whole curriculum, and he may be right. He may be right.

So I am currently doing a 30 day paleo diet experiment. Why? To see if my body does well with it. I am switching out whole grains, for animal protein. As a vegan for 2 years, I have a few things that I have noticed. First, I have had an intense sugar addiction, that either was not there before, or I never noticed. I also struggle a lot with acid reflux. Considering how clean my diet has been, it always bugged me! The only answer I got was that my food combining was off. But seriously? Should there really be something else that I need to follow? Food should not be this land mine field of do's and don'ts. Ultimately, it's gotta be better living than that.

Because my garden is over, I harvested all my kale. I planted many, many kale plants, cause I heart kale. I use the leaves to make this, and the stems to juice. My favorite kale is the dinosaur variety. I am not a fan of the Russian variety. But to each, his own. Before making the sauce, be sure you have taken the stems off and cut the kale into chip sizes.


KALE CHIPS! 

preheat oven to 350 or prepare dehydrator (I have never used the oven, so if someone does, please tell me how it comes out)

in a blender (or vitamix) mix together

1c hemp seeds
2/3c of water
1 red bell pepper
1T of chili powder
1T of lemon juice
1-2 cloves of garlic
something spicy (I put jalapenos, but this is optional!)

mix into a nice sauce, and pour on prepared kale. Mix with hands....it gets messy, and I have to always wash my hands..... now before putting the dehydrating trays away, or cookie sheet... lightly salt the top of the kale with a salt shaker!

I put the chips overnight in my dehydrator...you can check the oven every 5 minutes till they are our of the oven....another tip is to use cashews, if you don't have hemp seeds...just soak for about 20 minutes.... Enjoy!!!! These are way better than any store bought versions.





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Blueberries, Change, and Gluten Free Pancakes!

I think I've written several blog posts....in my head. I came and thought, Wow, it's been a while! Our family structure has changed a few times in the months that have passed. We are currently emergency foster parents, which means that at any moment we get a call and have kids in our home that need placement. I have said that I want only kids younger than our youngest to maintain the birth order, and to protect the set up. But I must admit, it is a stretching thing for me, to have no idea what will happen next. Toby and I both just feel like God will handle the details, and our only responsibility is to say Yes, or No to the call: to house those little people in need. It will only be a season in our life that we will foster. After our family is full, we will stop (Lord willing, I...um, think). I have been praying for the right sibling group that will need a permanent home to come along. I want our family to grow, the constant shifting and changing is not my cup of tea.

Meanwhile, my papers for me to get my green card updated FINALLY came, last week!!!! On September 11th, (I know, weird, right?) I will go to the federal building and get all my finger prints done and sent in for a nice new shiny green card...then I will need to go to Washington DC to get my Romanian passport....I wish there was a way to get that without having to actually go, in person, to apply. I will make a trip of it to see my sweet and wonderful Grandma, and a friend who lives in maryland.

It has been hot. No, I mean, really, really hot!!!! We went to the fair today (an almost painful torture for me, with 3 kids) and got a sun burn. My plants are all trying to hang in there, but the heat is much for them. The water we go through is a lot. The positives are plenty over the heat wave, also. We don't have to pay for heat. We live in Alaska, too much heat is almost a sin to complain about!!!

So School is almost upon my house. We start on the 21st. Zaya will be a first grader and Bella will be in 3rd, they are currently scheduled to be in the same classroom, but I'm going to try my super hardest to change that bad situation, we'll see if I succeed. And Isaac, well, Isaac is being home-schooled......by me, I know, right?! I was one of those women who said I would NEVER home-school my kids, never! I also happened to say that I wanted a small family (two kids...a boy and a girl) and that I wanted a degree and career. God has and continues to use the very things that I am awful at to show me who He is through me. Not what I consider my strengths, but what I know are my weaknesses. There's this thing that some churches do....where they do these personality tests in an attempt to understand what God has made them to do, or be. I find it a touch ironic, that in my life it's the exact opposite...I boast of what I cannot do (be patient, nurturing, most times...kind, and not stress out) because I know when I am weak, He indeed, is strong. I am actually excited to be doing this with Isaac. He has fallen so far behind in academics, it's heartbreaking to see him have little confidence in math. I am hopeful that he will find his love of learning, and I will gain an ability to teach, that I don't have (and have not wanted...lol)

It is blueberry season....This. is. a. big. deal!! I have been obsessed with the little blue nuggets for weeks. They came out early, and look to be fading away. I want more buckets!! I only have 9 gallons, and trust me, that is not enough to last past the winter. My goal is to not rely on the store bought, flavorless knock offs. But I am only one woman. They do taste amazing with my chocolate vegan shakeology!! I am addicted to the combo. But one of the hands down bestest things to do with these precious blue gems, is to put them in your pancake batter. The tart and tangy with the maple syrup is divine!!!

Best Blueberry pancakes!!!
-prepare your pan for batter
 
1c teff flour
1/2c quinoa four
1/2c buckwheat flour
3t baking soda
1t baking powder
1/2c grated zucchine
1/4c ground organic flax (whatch out, non organic is most certainly GMO) or ground chia
2T oil (olive or coconut)
2-4 c of coconut milk (add 1T of apple cider vinegar to each cup, so you get a nice curdle)
1-2 cups of alaskan blueberries!!

pour and serve (I'll post some pics when I get them taken)

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Moist Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Layered Birthday Cake with an Update

It has been an awfully long time since my last post.  I have several drafts that I never finished and never posted. I read them, and think, totally outdated, trash. So I will try yet again. I have high hopes of posting this though.

First off, an update on our adoption process.....drum roll please.....I am exactly at the same place now, that I was several months ago. I am waiting for the US to simply give me a renewed current green card. My mother told me it took her 2 weeks to get one of my brothers lost cards replaced...great.....I am looking at month 8, and still no paperwork moving. I think what makes it difficult, is seeing other families who are at that finish stage. I have met, 2 couples, through our church, whom are doing international adoptions. One is just finishing their dossier and the other couple is watching God topple many great obstacles in Uganda (it should have been easier than it has been). It makes me wonder what our journey is going to be like. That point when we get the green light to go to Romania. It makes me long

I did want to mention that my mother is completely horrified that I would want to adopt from our home country. Why? Well, because most likely I will be adopting a gypsy child/children. Gypsy and Romanian are not the same thing. In fact gypsies are spread all over Europe. They are a very hated people group. As a group of people they tend to place value on material things, and running scams to rip people off. Not many people look favorably on them. In fact, during the Holocaust many of them were slaughtered. I am perfectly fine accepting the child/children that God has for us. So both of us are praying. I warned her that I am kind of a favorite of His. It will make a tremendous testimony for her, I am grateful to be able to be a part. She can see that God is a God who loves orphans (which is what we are) and He can open closed doors when it comes to giving them a home.

I am not going to write about the horrendous weather we have had this May. But I don't believe I'm exaggerating when I say, this has been the most disappointing month of weather, in my entire life. The longing for a place were I can grow food all year round, grows.

Bella and Kenai

Thursday was my little girls' birthday. She turned 8, just like that....in a day. She is such an incredible little girl that I get raise! I have these moments when I stare at her, grateful that I get to watch her grow.  She has blue eyes. Here's some facts about the significance of that: I always wanted blue eyes, and since I couldn't have them, I picked friends who did.  Eventually I married my husband, for the same reason (and a few others, lol). I had a dream about having a little girl with blue eyes, by the time I had Bella, I had given up on that dream (it had been 9 years). Her blue eyes remind me of God's utter faithfulness, they really do.  Bella wants to be an artist when she grows up, it makes me giggle, because it's so different than me. She's truly a farm girl at heart, she has no fear of animals, any of them. She had a choice between a guinea pig, or her own American girl doll. She chose the pet, and since they get awfully lonely, we will have 2 soon. I love her very much


Today Isaac turned 9. That is almost a decade! The days

Isaac and the little chicks

have been slow, but the years have gone sooo fast! I am going to be homeschooling Isaac next year, and I am actually very excited to see how he learns and learn how to teach. I wish I had not waited so long, and had done this earlier, but God certainly had a lot to change in my heart before I was willing. Isaac is the sweetest child to parent, it is hard to believe he was such a challenge as a toddler. That's autism, for you. He has his moments, like with food. But hands down, he's the least challenging to parent. He wants to please, he loves so deeply and with such clear, pure, love. This year for mother's day, he came in our bed in the morning, and proudly brought to me something he'd made at school. He read it to me. I love my mom because she takes good care of me. My mom is a great cook. My mom likes to knit. My mom always takes good care of my family. I couldn't help but weep. Here's my little boy (who isn't so little, anymore) validating all the things I do, day in and day out, that I mostly feel are taken for granted. He knows me....and he loves me. Pretty profound for a 9 year old!

So today we celebrated both their birthdays, inside. My house was full of kids. I think they totally outnumbered the adults. But we all kept our head above waters. No drowning here...lol. A great group of people blessed my kids, and therefor blessed us. Our favorite present was a gift to go on a date night and see a movie! How thoughtful of our friends Dan and Sarah! They are some our favorite people....

But I made a cake. I really like a moist layered cake with frosting. Maybe it's the Romanian in me (they make very elaborate desserts called prăjitură). This cake went first (I had made a raw vanilla/raspberry and a pure chocolate cheesecake). I wanted more. I still want more. I almost ate it all before I could take a picture! oops. 

Moist Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

1/3c buckwheat flour
1/3c quinoa flour
1/3c garbanzo/fava
1/4c brown rice
1/4 c of chia seeds ground 
1/2c oil (coconut or olive oil)
1/4c of coconut yogurt (or applesauce)
1/2c coconut crystals
pinch of salt
1t of baking soda
1t of baking powder
3/4c coconut milk add 1T of apple cider vinegar

Frosting! (very sugary, sorry)

1/2c of vegetable shortening
1/2c of soy free earth balance
4 1/2c of organic powdered sugar
1T of vanilla extract
4T of coconut milk (use as needed
-mix the first 2 ingredients in a mixer, till fluffy, add sugar 1 cup at a time, adding 1 T at a time.  350 for 12-15 minutes (they are very thin in the round tins I use)

I bake the cake in 3 round non stick pans that I have to spray with olive oil (go figure) then add the frosting as I go.   Enjoy!




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Runts and Raw Gluten Free Vegan Granola

I called the office that is supposed to be reviewing my application to get my green card current, the other day. They said they were working on applications submitted last September, and that I should call on the 15th to see if they moved on to October (I submitted my application Oct. 2). I wait. But I believe the waiting time is not wasted, it's a time where God prepares. I have been studying scriptures, and there is this overwhelming theme that runs through the lives of every single believer, and that is God's overwhelming love, that causes those of us that are His children to birth perseverance. None of my spiritual ancestors escaped long bouts of waiting for the Lords promises. It is a time of much growth. But I must be honest, not all of me is thrilled with this.

The sun is heating up my home, and I have one word for how that is.....GLORIOUS! I have these big south facing windows, and the sun overwhelms my whole main floor. I love it! I am basking in it, right now....all my little seedlings are loving it. I just got a batch of seeds I ordered from here. So I will be planting some more.   

The baby chick drama continues. There is a runt, ironically she is the one that I named and am bonded to. Did you know baby chicks poop, and if the poop sticks to their bottom, they can die? Yah, I didn't know that either. But if you should happen to need to clean the bottoms of baby chicks, do it without much water anywhere else, because getting them too wet, can also kill them (the dramatic temperature change can be too much). So I learned two things about baby chicks and I think that it's through mistakes that I will learn. That runt is still alive, and for that, I am grateful. This is what I must deal with every single day...Lexi.

We have all been home for the past few days, the kids and I. I have noticed that I have developed a strong sweet tooth. It is a bit concerning, since it's a new thing. But I am watching the whole craving take hold. It is strange. I am also going to be buying a whole bunch of probiotics today. My whole family needs it. There is a yeast infection, a few colds, and 2 of us who have taken anti-biotics. Now, I know that they are expensive. But I think a doctors visit costs way more, and provides a lot less help. So off to Sunshine foods  we go.

As a result of that sweet tooth, though, I decided to make some granola. This recipe is my great excuse to never buy that store bough cereal. It's such a widely consumed food, and it breaks my heart. Cereal has no real nutritional value, but worse than that, it is where most of the Gmo's are put, and that is just not ok for our kids to be consuming.

This is what I made, it lasted a whole morning, then it was gone. All my friends out there who have dehydrators...this is the time to use em! You can also put the granola in the oven at the lowest temp setting, and check every 5 minutes, till the moisture is gone from the granola....

Gluten Free Vegan (but of course) Granola

2c gluten free rolled oats
1/2c of whole flax seeds soaked in 1/2c water for about 10 minutes
1c crushed cashews soaked in water for about 20 minutes
1/4c maple syrup
1/4c coconut crystals
1/4c hemp seeds (if you have em, which I did)
1/2c raisins
1/3c melted coconut oil
1/3c shredded coconut flakes
1/2t salt
2T vanilla extract, I highly recommend making your own, such a easy task!
1/2t almond extract

 let all the ingredients that need to be soaked...soak...then mix, once mixed spread in the dehydrator let dehydrate a few hours then flip. I hope you enjoy it, as much as we did...I will be making more...Yum!

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Baby Chicks Drama and Gluten Free Vegan Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

The other day a small miracle occurred in my house. We all sat down together and heard about our day. We do this thing around our table, when we eat together (it's not every night that we eat together, but it's a lot of nights), where we all take turns sharing our favorite part of the day, and our least favorite part of our day. Sharing was not the miracle, neither was the eating together....the miracle was what was on the plates. Every single plate had the SAME meal!!! I made some of that gluten free vegan pizza, the other night. I decided to skip making gluten crust and just make the gluten free....it was the easier choice...I made a pizza with a white sauce (always my favorite) and the traditional red red. Both came out tasty and my mouth had a party. I believe I ate almost the whole white sauce pizza by myself. So I took a picture of my momentous occasion, so that I could remember it.
I know that in most households one meal is made and that is it, but I have really not been that way. I make smoothies as meals in a second, and I believe, they are the more nutrient dense then anything I prepare, so I usually offer it to my kids as an alternative to the prepared meal. Isaac, my oldest, loves them. Since he has textural food issues, it is his favorite meal!

Today we went to a "church". I put that in quotes because I believe that a group of believers that intimately know and live together, and express Christ, qualifies as a church, more than a group of people who, out of tradition, gather together every Sunday, with smiles and greet each other, barely knowing what is going on in the life of the people that they greet. (<-Is that a terrible run on sentence?). But it was very good to be around other believers and listen to a sermon that was just the Word, with it's proper context. I think it will be a place that we begin to serve.

I have been watching my little foster grandbaby, because my foster daughter, got all 4 of her wisdom teeth pulled out. It is a strange thing to be watching over a baby, again. It's funny how instant, all the things I learned as a mom, come flooding back. It's about naps, food, diapers, and doing laundry. He's a great little boy, and somehow, it is incredibly easier, this time around. Maybe it's easier because he's not mine, permanently.

We got 9 baby chicks yesterday, and the chick drama began. First off, they are soooo flipping cute! But one of the chicks decided that it was a bully, and it never changed it's ways. This baby chick would go up to the lighter colored Buff Orpington's and peck at their eyes. It was awful! These helpless little chicks would get dragged around by their eyes, to the point of bleeding. When we finally had enough, Toby made up a wire cage to stick on top of our bully, so that she could see the others without being able hurt the other chicks. This made her "cheep, cheep" with a thunder that continued through the entire night. In the morning we would let her out, only to stick her right back in, because she'd bolt for one of the other chicks, to peck their eyes. She was unrepentant, but hated to be segregated. I sent her to my aunt Tami's to try her home, only to have her come home, because she pecked the eyes of her chicks, as well. Our bully's thunderous "cheep, cheep-ing" finally ended, as I returned her to the feed store I got her from.

But with baby chicks, I have to monitor all the chicks, all my kids, and one terribly troubled dog! Lexi wants so badly to "play" with them. Her tail wags, and she stares at them, pretty much the whole day! Fun!

When I came home today all I wanted to do was hang out in my kitchen. I made a couple of gf pizzas, a pot of Hungarian Mushroom soup (I am a creature of habit), and a couple dozen of these muffins. I routinely make up recipes for muffins. I absolutely love to use zucchini to soften my muffin batters, it is my favorite way to make a great batter. I doubled this recipe. Prepare oven for 350.
*I grind my own grains/seeds, I highly recommend it to everyone, either with a vitamix, or a mill, it saves so much money, and it's great to have rice as rice...or as a flour, etc*

Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Chocolate Chips Muffins

1/2c garabonzo/fava flour
1/3c sweet brown rice flour
1/3c quinoa flour
1/3c buckwheat flour
1/3c melted coconut oil
1/4c ground flax (I use my coffee grinder, since my grinder would get no other action, otherwise)
1/2t salt
3t of baking powder
1/2t baking soda
2/3c coconut crystals
1/2c or so of chocolate chips
1c of coconut milk (add 1T of apple cider vinegar)
1small zucchini or half a medium/large one, you can grate it in your batter
*I blend the zucchini with half the mixed coconut milk*

Mix the dry ingredients first, add the wet, then add the chocolate chips... Bake for 20-24 minutes...My muffins take 22 minutes ;)Isaac ate 5 of them, right out of the oven. 


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Gluten Free Vegan Pizza! And the Alaskan SUN!

I woke up with a sore throat this morning. But even that can not bring my spirits down. This time of year a favorite of mine. The sun comes out, FINALLY! We have endured the long cold winter! The sun heats up my house, and the threat of the need for high priced heating oil, doesn't seem so menacing.

Most of my seedlings have been planted! The other night, my husband helped me set up the dirt and packets, and stuck them all under our lights. I planted several different kinds of tomatoes, broccoli, collards, kale, chard, squashes, zucchini, cabbages, melons (I'm gonna try to grow them in the greenhouse, peppers, basil, and my favorite of all fruit...cucumbers!! (yes, it is a fruit! not vegetable).
This is what my starting set up looks like:

Nothing fancy, in my living room. We got the shelves from a store and Toby mounted up the lights above. In a couple of weeks they will all spout and look the same! So remembering to label is an important thing (I have forgotten, or thought, hey, I'll remember). Isn't it crazy how all that food, starts so small?

I will order some more seeds and plant some more, as the seeds arrive. The food that goes in the ground is not accounted for. That is the potatoes, beets, carrots, peas, onions, and radishes.  Those I have to wait to plant, because they go in the ground. June 1st is when that can happen.

Yesterday we had some family that have become dear friends, come over in the morning... this is what they brought with them. I thought, yaye, we can make tea. But they didn't just bring it with them, they gave it to us. I can't tell you how much I love this tea kettle, because it would go on and on. On it's own, the kettle is one of the coolest kettles, but the fact that Lauren brought it from her house, and it was hers, well that just makes this kettle even more special.

So I look at it and think of my dear friend Lauren, every time I make my tea, like this morning. Best. Tea. Kettle. Ever. Okay, I'm done discussing the matter.

We eat a lot of pizza in my house.  Whenever I make breads, I save some of the gluten dough to make pizza. I have had the hardest time finding a gluten free dough that hold well. I finally caved in and got a recipe that has starch flour (which just turns to sugar in the body). This dough holds up great! and I love that I can have pizza, it's been a very long time! My gluten bunch all liked the gf pizza, so because I know they are such tough critics, I know this recipe is worth posting...

I cannot for the life of me remember where this recipe came from...bummer! but I am pretty sure it's from Bette Hagman. If you don't know who she is, let me enlighten you. She is an amazing gluten free bread chef! Probubly the original. She is not vegan, however. So I modified the recipe, slightly. This makes a meduim sized pizza, for a large, I'd double the recipe:

-preheat oven to 425

One Good Gluten Free Pizza Dough!

1/2c of potato starch
2/3c of sweet brown rice flour
2T of powdered rice milk
1T of yeast
1/2t salt
1/4c of flax ground
1/2t sugar/agave
1t olive oil
1t apple cider vinegar
2/3c of water

mix ingredients together.... spread over prepared pizza pan (I love my stoneware) and bake for 10 minutes....pull out pan and top with any topping you love! I love to get zucchini, in place of pepperoni, spinach, and canned artichokes....with daiya....yum! But you can use whatever you like! I added artichokes and smoking hot jalapenos.... bake another 20 minutes....Enjoy!













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Gluten Free Vegan Enchalidas and Loss

 Before I start anything tonight, I need to give a huge acknowledgement to a beautiful woman. Sarah Geer revamped my blog page... JUST LOOK HOW TALENTED SHE IS!! I am eternally grateful for the fresh, vibrant life that her talent has breathed on this site. She is available to do yours, I think her work speaks for itself, but since I am a huge fan of her work, I will speak for her, as well! Thank you, Sarah.

Grandpa's kids and grand kids singing hymns at his memorial

 I am not sure that death is ever really going to be understood with the dimmed vision that we have.  My husband's grandfather, and really one of the only men I have ever called "grandpa." passed away on February 10th. He was 89, and in these last few years of his life, we all watched as life left his eyes, before his body. It was painful. He left behind a rich legacy, and it will live on. He was imperfect but he was a kind man, and those are rare. Grandpa farmed. I believe our love of growing food trickled down from him, to mom, to us. It pretty much runs through the whole family, this ability to grow food. In fact all of Grandpa's kids do it, and most of us, grand kids. We spent over a week gathered together, as a family, having dinner together. It was a comforting thing, to be surrounded by family after a loss.

I am not a fan of loss, in fact, it is pretty overwhelming to me. My grandmother, whom has lived next to us since we both built our homes, around 7 years ago, is going to sell that home. that my kids continue to sneak over to. That loss is heartbreaking to me. But life changes and so it is until we will no longer have to deal with death of any sort, ever again! Until then, I simply honor the tears that flow, as I think that there will come a time when my kids will no longer stray over to the gigantic yellow house, next door.

In the next couple of days, I will start seedlings!!! I am very excited! Last year I started them around this time, and it worked out pretty well. I want pumpkins, kale, collards, carrots, onions, broccoli, beets, cabbages, tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, lettuce, peas, spinach, chard, and radishes!! Food!!! yet again!! FOOD!!! I'll post some pictures of my indoor set up. We are also going to have chicks and a few turkeys. They come in on march 8th. The house will be up and busy with kids wanting to bother the chicks...it will also prove to be a learning experience for our dog, Lexi. Lexi loves birds, this is not so good. She will have to learn that she cannot bite them.

This leads me to discuss my home's diet more candidly. In the past I have eaten exclusively vegan and even ate raw for a few months, last year. The way my family eats in not any one way, now, though. So though this blog is going to be exclusively vegan and gluten free, that doesn't reflect how we eat all the time. My whole house does not eat dairy (there are extremely rare instances when this is compromised on) and besides my oldest son and I, the rest of the house eats gluten. We make healthier choices about our food, but that does not mean you cannot find an example of an exception. Toby dip net fishes at Chitna for salmon, in the summer. We have chickens that we get eggs from. I will raise turkeys and prepare them for thanksgiving. I eat pretty much gluten free, and vegan, but that is not always the case.

I am pretty confident that you will not ever find us in line at a fast food restaurant, or grabbing some ready made meal from the grocery store (or even bread products). In the summer, you won't really see me at any grocery store. I am in my garden or at the farmers market. I buy my bulk from azurestandard and my favorite local health food store, both are amazing.

Back to my reason for this post, Enchiladas! I have tried making this dish with quinoa instead of rice, and I have added and taken away ingredients from the sauce. but I loved the way this came out!!! The secret is in the rice and most importantly, the homemade sauce!!! YUMMO!

here is what you will need to impress anyone who likes enchiladas!

Gluten Free Vegan Enchiladas

1/2 medium onion diced
2c of chopped spinach (optional)
1-2 diced zuchinni (optional)
2c of cooked bhutan red rice (I believe this was my secret pizazz ingredient)
2 cans of black beans (I use my pressure cooker to make my beans, it is awesome)
how ever generous you want to be with daiya cheese
and one package of these tortillas

this is what you will need to make the amazing enchilada sauce that will make, or break your tasty dish

5c of broth or water
2c of tomato sauce
1/2c of chili powder
2T of cumin powder
1T of garlic powder
1T of salt
1/2t of cinnamon powder
1/4 and 2T of buckwheat flour
1/3c of coconut oil
----in a pan put oil over medium heat, whisk flour and oil, constantly add flour and rest of dry ingredients....followed by the broth/water..... bring to a boil, stirring constantly (about 3-5 minutes)....add tomato sauce and let sit... the sauce will thicken, I have found that if the sauce is too thick, it won't soak through the enchilada layers properly....and nobody wants dry enchiladas!! so you can add more water, if needed.

in a 9x13 oiled casserole dish begin to layer....tortillas layed down, followed by rice, onions, beans, zucchini , chopped spinach, and daiya cheese (organic corn would be good too). Pour a generous amount of sauce...make sure it's saturated.  Repeat the layers again...making sure that there's enough sauce to almost bubble over....top with tortillas and some daiya sprinkled....

baking in 350 oven for 1 hour.... Enjoy!!



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Change and Vegan Hungarian Mushroom Soup!!

I have a few moments! The house is quiet, I have errands to run, but not quite now. I have this hour all to myself. It's morning, the sun is finally coming back to the north! That is a cause to celebrate, no matter what!!! Sickness made a rude appearance in our home, but is finally begrudgingly leaving. So there is much much hope in the air. Regardless of what circumstances may look like in your life, if you live in the north, when the hint of spring comes your way, hope comes with the sun. You may just have to live here to truly understand.

I was reading over the past several entries....Wow! A whole lot of change has occurred in my life since November. I am not sure where to begin. First, our Xmas was a refreshing time with God and family. My relationship with the Lord has simply grown, and continues to change everything about me...what I thought was important, who He is, my utter dependency on Him...for...everything!, and so as a chasm forms between what I believed and was is true...change takes place all around my life, beginning with the inside.

We came home from our vacation and had the opportunity to take in a teenager with her then 4 month old. We jumped at the chance, and prayed through the whole experience (and continue to). It has been a choice that has brought about much more noise, patience, laughter, and joy in our home. The transition is still happening, but it has been smoother than I could have ever imagined. Our family of 5 jumped up to  7. And technically I have become a "nana". I feel very cool! Parenting a teenager is a whole different ball game. I know I am in over my head, so I pray, a lot.

I am officially a Romanian citizen. I was elated to get the paperwork. Unfortunately, it seems when one door opens, all that is on the other side is 7 more bolted doors, and all I have is a feather to try to open them with. In order to get my Romanian passport I must make an appointment and fly out, in person, to the embassy in Washington DC, but I cannot got there without a current greencard. So what should be extremely simple...getting my green-card renewed, apparently is not.  I won't bother you with my rants, but it should be as simple as turning it the paperwork, them sending me to a place to get fingerprinted and have a new photo taken....then voila. The max time that they said they take is 90 days.  I applied on Oct. 1st of 2012, I still have not heard back. Until then, I cannot go to the Romanian embassy. After I get the Romanian paperwork settled and done, I will have to get the American paperwork done, as well.  I am not discouraged, but it is daunting and seems impossible. I must have a current Romanian AND American passport before I can start the actual adoption paperwork. sigh. So I pray, and wait.

One of the biggest changes about having a teenager and infant in my life is the unending hours of driving them around. I have a new route for dropping and picking up kids from school (none of my kids ride the bus) and top it off with doctor's appointments, glasses appointments, and everything else, and you have a mom, very motivated to teach her teen how to drive!

So when I have a moment to finally be in the kitchen, I feel grateful! I came up with this recipe out of a need. Thursday mornings are my favorite mornings. I have a bible study that I go to, and afterwards, I go to a local bookstore and get a salad. The problem is I want their Hungarian mushroom soup!! They have the soup in containers to buy. I stare at them, trying not to hear their taunts "Eat me, Eat me" it calls. Alas, with all the diary, there is no way I ever eat it. Surely there must be a better way. So I set out to make one of my favorite soups, and I was not dissapointed!

Here's what you need:

a medium onion chopped
2T of soy free earth balance (you can use olive oil, but for the buttery taste, I really recommend this!)
2 12 ozs of mushrooms (if you can do a variety of kinds, it's better, more textures)
2T of paprika (the fresher, the better)
1T of dried dill
3T of flour (I used buckwheat)
1 can of coconut milk (I prefer native forrests brand)
3-4 c of broth or water
salt and pepper to taste

super simple....set pot on medium heat, put diced up onions and earth balance, still till onions are translucent....add paprika, dill, flour, and stir......add broth and mushroom.....let heat on high till a slight boil comes on, then let simmer....gently pour the coconut milk, stir...and enjoy!!!

My teenager, who doesn't like mushrooms, gobbled it up, which equals great success in my world!



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