Quinoa patties, please! vegan style!

When I decided to cut out meat (hello china study information), it was a gradual process. I can't quite remember the day or time that that i made that decision...it just kinda became something I didn't eat because I didn't feel good eating it....but when I did, I went to garden burgers, from their I went to vegan burgers (amy's)...but as I cut out gluten from my diet...all the processed vegan "meat" substitutes that had been very helpful in my transition, now were not so "healthy" to me....the ingredients always had gluten and then some other unknowns.....so, I have started making my own veggie patties....they are very easy to make. All you really need is patience when working with the batter, since it doesn't hold the same as animal flesh :) i have used rolled oats, any assortment of veggies cut up small.....and the seasoning is whatever you prefer.  Remember to add a binder like ground flax or chia seeds....

I take these type of patties with me when we go to family barbecues.  I keep them in the freezer for whenever I'm feeling like biting into some flavor. Here's what i did with this patty...first set the pan on medium heat. I prefer cast iron pans, but any will work. Also, set up some parchment paper because that is what you will want to transfer your patties onto.

Vegan Quinoa Veggie Patty

1 1/2c of cooked quinoa (cook like rice 1part quinoa to 2 part water/broth)
1/4c of ground flax
1/4c of chia seeds (or you can just double the flax, if you don't have chia)
1t salt
1t pepper
1/2-1c of blanched kale (you can use fresh spinach, whatever type of frozen or fresh greens available)
1/4c of filtered water

make sure your green veggies are cut up into small pieces...then mix all the rest of ingredients in a bowl. Put a tablespoon of preferred oil (i use olive).  You will need to form your patties.  I will usually set down a nice handful of the batter in a ball shape on the pan, and gently push it down to mimic a hamburger patty, with my spatula. About 3 minutes each side is all you will need. Transfer to your parchment paper, let cool down, then stick in freezer.  Once patties are frozen, you  can transfer the patties into individual baggies, ready for whenever you crave some.

i prepared this for Toby on fermented spelt buns that i make....but for me i put it on my raw cracker, spread some hummus and topped off with cucumber and tomatoes. Needless to say, it was a flavor party, and my taste buds danced!

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Raw Vegan Carrot Ginger Flax Crackers

today it was super warm in fairbanks alaska...the temperature hit something like 47 degrees (last week we were colder than antartica!). you would think this is great news....though some may be thrilled with it...i am not.....the snow begins to melt, and the roads become ridiculous to drive on (warm melts, then cold freezes...creating a nice skating rink where ever you drive with tires). we just learned that there will be no school tomorrow due to the weather.  as if the warm weather wasn't enough, it then began to rain! we took advantage of the weather and went sledding. we have a very impressive sledding hill that we use, in front of toby's grandfather's homestead, and right where my mother in law (whom i refer to as mom) grew up. i would've given up on the sledding idea, right when i saw the rain, but mom said it would be fine......and it was. it was windy and very wet, but still, the kids had a blast, and my cousin came with her kids and family....nice way to spend the afternoon...

we went to a friend's kids' birthday party...three kids, all had one birthday party to celebrate their birthdays...it was the perfect place to let kids run around and let some steam out....all and all a great day....

this recipe really requires a dehydrator and either a food processor or a vita-mix. i have been going nuts with my food dehydrator. Currently in my dehydrator there is banana chips, cranberries i picked this fall, and banana/mango fruit roll ups. i bought my Excalibur food dehydrator a while ago (more than a year ago) and it has been collecting dust, while my motives to use it remain pure. i researched a while to find a good model....the Excalibur is highly recommended by raw foodist...is that even a word? oh well. i have had this longing to make a healthy cracker, for too long.  the other day, out of random desire, i decide to attempt some raw crackers and put my dehydrator to work! i came across a recipe....and the flavor came out way too intense! i came across another recipe and modified it to what i thought sounded good....and it came out delish!

raw crackers are very different from anything you will every buy at a store, and this was new information to me.... thinking flax? i've had crackers with flax before...lol.... crackers in a box pretty much have little to no flavor (maybe some garlic salt), and so the dip or spread really is the flavor in your bite....not so with raw crackers....they indeed hold their own distinct, vibrant flavors, so your spread should compliment the already bursting flavor from your raw cracker....

Raw Carrot Ginger Flax Cracker

1c of flax seed
1/4c of nama soyu (soy sauce without wheat!)
a 1inch piece of ginger
1 large carrot
1garlic clove
1/2t of cumin
1/2-3/4c of filtered water

blend all ingredient in your food processor of heavy duty blender.... then spread across a plex sheet to dehydrate with a spatula the crackers should be about 1/4 inch thick (the thicker the cracker the longer it will take to dehydrate). there's a skill to spreading out the "dough" be gentle and use even strokes....once spread out, use the edge of the scraper to "cut up" the crackers the size you want...then stick the sheet in the dehydrator and set the temp to 115....dehydrate for 5 hours or so, then you gotta flip it... i have kept the dehydrator going for pretty much 24hours to get that crunchy cracker....this is my favorite way to eat it

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Vegan Black Bean Soup

it's been a very mellow day...the temperature is hoovering around 0 degrees (a heat wave, compared to the -40 week we had)...i stayed home most of the day but had to drop off and pick up kids from school....i was able to do my yoga x (i am currently in the middle of doing my first round of p90x) and bake and cook....i made some red curry for dinner, and attempted to make a soft, fluffy, light, gluten free lemon/apple cake.....it did not come close to soft or light....sigh.....i will keep on keeping on.....

one of the most difficult things about making food for my family has always been the question "what should i make for dinner?"....breakfast is easy...savory or sweet? lunch has a way of doing it's self....but dinner usually has it's expectations...lol....i used to think what am i going to make...i don't anymore...well, it's not that i don't ask myself that, anymore. it's that i ask "what do i have in the fridge that needs to be used?" this has changed how i cook. it's not stressful to come up with something, anymore.....so if i see a gorgeous produce in the the organic section..i buy it and come up with something to make out of it (i love to juice veggies). i also have bulk bins with beans (black, white, and garbanzo) for meals....i prefer to have them dry, they store better, do not have bpa.....and are very convenient....it wasn't too long ago that i couldn't even tell you how to prepare beans (they come in a can right?). but times have changed. the only issue with dry beans is that you actually have to have the foresight to plan a meal with them the following day, because soaking helps break down the outer shell protection that is hard to digest (aka gas!).  i decided to make another soup this week using black beans and great northern(white). it came out great, but toby and i had quite the experience jumping around and doing our cardio after beans (never again)...

i made this soup without any tomatoes (but you can add them, half the water and add a can of diced tomatoes) because i get terrible acid reflux from tomatoes (i refuse to stop eating them).... this is a great, thick, warm, satisfying soup....with lots of great flavor..here's how to make it

Vegan Black Bean Fiesta Soup

 2-4 cups of water (or veggie broth)
1 medium onion
2 cans of black beans or 2c of black beans
1c of great northern beans (or just add another cup or two of black beans, i just like the color contrast)
1 colored pepper (red or orange....optional)
1 carrot sliced
1 garlic clove (i use my garlic press)
2T of olive oil
2 celery stalks
1/2t of cilantro (the only recipe that i can actually tolerate cilantro)
1/2t of oregano
a few fresh sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2t chili
1/2t of cumin

salt and pepper to taste


warm up a skillet then stick the diced onion and oil together...add sprigs of thyme and bay leaves.....as the onions start to soften...add diced celery....and let cook  some more....go ahead and add all the spices....i prefer to let the spices mingle in the beginning....add carrots and peppers and garlic....then add the water or broth (i made my own broth, you can also use some of the water from cooking the beans....) and finally add the beans....bring soup to boil and let simmer for 30 minutes this is when the salt and pepper are adjusted and tasted.....as the soup cools i add half the mixture in my vita mix (blender would work just fine) and blend away....i get a creamy, but still lumpy soup...... top off with tomatoes and jalapenos.....enjoy!

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Gluten Free Banana Bread with Vegan on the Side

winters are more difficult in alaska than just about any place i can think of....why? dark and cold....i think we can all deal with the cold, but the darkness messes with your body and emotions...it kinda sneaks up on you....i think the longer i'm here, the more obvious it is that the light (or lack of) is effecting me....this is my 8th winter here, and this year we will be here all winter....maybe next year we can try hawaii for WOOFing (google it, kinda cool).....so this winter i am working on dealing with some vanity body tightening...long story, short....i had 3 kids in 3 years, gained a mess of weight and couldn't loose it...i had a terribly unhealthy lifestyle....slowly it all changed...my habits and diet....lost most of the weight...just finished my first marathon this summer...now fitness is in my vision...it is hard to not look at the scale and to see my body go through it's changes without a goal number on the scale....instead to simply plug away at having a healthy body that can burn fat, not store it....sooo i've been doing the p90x with my best friend....that's us above.....i'll tell you how it goes...we're on week 6....and along with the marathon training and now this...i have put on weight....sigh....but i am getting really fit....very confusing...

we have been on a banana kick in our house.....we go through a mess of them, daily....my two youngest kids eat them all day long (2-4 each)...and i have kinda joined them...i add some chunky peanut butter and chew, chew....lol..... so tonight i wanted to use up some more banana's, so i came up with a banana bread recipe....it came out great! very light and moist! Now, to all my non-gluten-free friends...you can make this recipe with whole wheat (cause why would you ever use white "flour"?) simply by adding all the flours together and using the same amount of whole wheat....the recipe below could be just 1 3/4 c of whole wheat with 1/4 c of ground flax (take out the xanthan gum, you won't need it!)...or you could do 2c of whole wheat and 2 eggs, if you are into that sort of thing ;)..also if you're new to gluten free baking.....i know the long list will look way too daunting, but it becomes second nature, as long as you count the total of cups and make sure your combo is the same....my goal is to not have more starch than actual nutritious flour....starch simply breaks down as sugar in the body....it's the flour combo's that give each treat it's different texture...and with gluten free, you just get more variety, which i like...also, if you want to go the most nutritious route...i highly recommend a grain mill (it grind your grains into flour versions you find at the store)...i know, i know......it's super expensive, but i really believe it is worth it, because grains die off as soon as they oxidize (are ground), so that flour you're buying prepackaged in a bag may not be as full of nutrition, as you've been told....

Banana Bread
preheat oven to 350
prepare your loaf pan

1/2c of millet flour
1/2c of sorghrum flour
1/2c of potato starch
1/4c of arrowroot
2T of flax and 2T of chia seeds ground in a coffee grinder
1/2t of salt
2t of baking powder
2t of baking soda
1t of xanthan gum
1/2t of cinnamon
1/4t of nutmeg
3/4c of coconut sugar (or sucanant or 1/2 c of honey or agave)
-mix all the dry ingredients

then add the wet
3 medium bananas mashed or blended (i use my vitamix.....mmm)
1/2c of melted coconut oil
1/3c of coconut milk

mix batter and pour in bread pan......i had mine in a glass bowl.....it took 50 minutes....you should check your bread with a toothpick and make sure it's clean.....(additional note, i've made this without the oil, and it came out delish!!)

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