Cucumber Salad with Millet Flat Bread

Hmmm....Yummy cucumber salad, the perfect summer dish. The summer heat always brings on a craving for a fresh cucumber salad with lots of flavor and simple ingredients. My husband and I have done a bit of traveling together in the in the Middle East where there are a few versions of a cucumber salads that have similar tastes but can be completely different depending on who's opinion you get. I personally love making a cucumber salad that keeps it simple. It is a delicious side dish, or can be paired with some flat bread to make a great dinner. Or you could roll it up in a brown rice wrap and make a meal out of it as well. Easy, fresh and tasty...what more could you ask for in the summer when you want to be outside taking advantage of the beautiful weather.



Ingredients:
6 small or 3 large peeled cucumbers quarter-diced
(sliced and then quartered into 4 pieces)
1 large red pepper diced
1/2 cup of diced cherry tomatoes
1/3 cup of organic balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
drizzle a little agave
cracked pepper and sea salt to taste
1 ts. of minced garlic (dried or fresh)
handful of fresh basil, thyme and oregano chopped
fresh squeezed lemon (optional)
1 3-4oz. package of goat cheese feta, or goat cheese flavored with garlic and herbs (optional)


Mix all the ingredients together, if you bought goat feta cheese sprinkle and break up the pieces to fully cover the salad, if you bought the more pliable goat cheese, cut it in cubes and mix in and through, as well as on top. Then keep in the fridge from 15- 30 minutes before serving to let the flavors blend together and to keep the salad chilled. It is that easy.


Now to add some flat bread to the salad...

Ingredients:


Dry:

1 1/4 cup millet flour (or grind millet seeds in a coffee grinder)

1 cup of sweet sorghum flour

1/2 cup of brown rice flour

2 ts. of xanthan gum or gaur gum

2 ts. of baking powder

1 ts. of sea salt

1 ts. of cracked pepper

2 ts. of minced garlic

2 ts. of dried rosemary

2 ts. of dried sweet basil

Wet:

2 ts. of apple cider vinegar

1 whisked free-range organic egg

3 TB. of extra virgin olive oil

2 TB of honey

1 cup of hot/warm water

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Then mix all the wet ingredients together seperately. Slowly pour the wet into the dry and let the baking powder and vinegar react and start to bubble a bit.

Mix all the ingredients well and dust with millet flour or cornmeal before rolling out in a 13x13 circular baking pan or cookie sheet. Make sure you oil/flour the pan so the bread doesn't stick, or use parchment paper down on the baking sheet. The batter is sticky so you have to form the bread in a square or circle depending on your pan size. Lay it out so that it is about 2 inches thick all over. Then...

Add to top of bread:

3/4 cup of crushed canned tomatoes brushed over the whole bread

4 large diced garlic cloves scattered

1/2 cup diced fresh herbs (I used basil, thyme and oregano) sprinkled

Sprinkle sea salt and freshly cracked pepper

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. You can tell it is done when the garlic cloves are browned and the edges are browning.

Let cool a few minutes and then use a pizza cutter to slice up the bread in squares or triangles.

Serve it up with the chilled cucumber salad and viola! You have dinner!

Enjoy!

Easy Summer Pesto Pasta Salad

I love making an easy pasta salad to add to grilled dinner. Grilled chicken, asparagus, and some pasta salad on the side... It's an easy fresh side to any summer meal, and why not take advantage of the fresh greens and basil growing on the back porch. This salad makes a lot, so it's also a great side to bring to a summer cookout or party that people will be surprised it's gluten-free.  Even though I have put up a few other pesto recipes, I wanted to still post this one as well because it's an easy reminder that making a gluten-free dish to pass at a friend gathering or adding something to your own family dinner doesn't have to be rocket science.  

The more you find easy recipes to share with family and friends, the easier it gets to eating GF with other people in your life. It can be very stressful to have to think of going over to some ones's house for a dinner cookout in the summer, but what if you volunteered to bring over the pasta salad? That would guarantee that you would have at least one thing to fill your plate, not to mention probably some meat and maybe watermelon, or veggies... When I started eating GF/DF with friends, I think I had the tendency to think I was inconveniencing my friends when I was around. Then I realized that I was the only one thinking this, and that if I brought some of "my" food to share then people tried it and liked it. And the bonus was that I didn't have to explain why I was so strange for only eating watermelon at the big cookout. :) Hey, maybe even bring over a dessert for friends to share, like the Cherry Chocolate Brownie Cakes. It could be easy to not include yourself with your friend and family gatherings, but if you think about being the one to generously bring a side or a dessert to pass, then you know you can be sharing in the goodness.  

Healing your gut and life through food can sometimes seem isolating, but in reality you need to those friend and family relationships to carry you. Healthy relationships are sometimes just as important to feeling better, as eating healthy foods. So when you feel isolated and alone in the "eating department", it may cause you more stress and hurt even if you are eating the right kinds of foods. So, my motivation for you is to try and find ways to include yourself in the regular ways your family and friends eat together. Don't be so strict and stressed out about the foods that you loose those relationships.  Eating gluten-free doesn't mean you have to eat at home alone, so find some fun and joy out of sharing your gluten-free dish-to-pass. I think you will agree that eating with those you love is therapeutic for your heart. Enjoy!

Blended Pesto Sauce:

4oz bunch of basil

4oz of mixed greens (arugula, spinach, kale)

4 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup of agave

1/3 cup of olive oil

handful of either pine nuts or walnuts

drizzle water while blending to whip up smoothly

Cook 16oz. of Tinkyada gluten-free pasta noodles for 10 minutes in boiling water (check to see if they totally cooked, but to keep them a little stiff is fine).

1 Diced medium to large red pepper

1 1 1/2 cups of cherry tomatoes chopped

1/2 cup of diced sweet onion

1/2 cup of pine nuts

add fresh squeezed lemon when serving

add Parmesan cheese as a topping if you eat dairy

Cook the pasta, run some cool water over and let dry a bit. Blend the pesto sauce in the blender and then pour over the warm pasta, toss in the tomatoes, peppers, and onion into the bowl and mix well. Add the pine nuts and lemon and Parmesan cheese last to top. Also, you can add some fresh herbs or basil to the top for decor and flavor. Hm, delicious to eat and to share. 

Enjoy friends, and remember you are not alone in your pursuit to eat healing and healthy foods.

Chocolate Cherry Brownie Cakes

Chocolate and cherries, Oh My! I love cherries, fresh, frozen, sweet, and sour. Have you ever tried cherry wine? Cherries are one of the many great resources of Michigan; the northern shores of our great state are covered with many cherry orchards. Cherries are a delicacy.

Well, I guess to be more honest I should say I love food. I do, I think that I truly discovered how infatuated I was with food when I discovered that I couldn't eat certain foods anymore. It almost felt like my personality changed because I had to think before I acted. Before food allergies I would try almost anything, I would have a little bit of this and a little bit of that... just to taste it. I was a risk-taker. Then, after self-diagnosing myself with the gluten allergy I had to ask what were the ingredients in EVERYTHING. No longer could I just try something on a whim. I became more sober to the choices of what I was putting in my body. Some of the adventure of food seemed to cease, until I discovered that I could be adventurous in my own kitchen.

Adventurous with millet and buckwheat and veggies that I never tried before and new spices and flavors. I sometimes tell people that I really discovered FOOD when I was diagnosed because I truly found out what real whole foods were. I started feeding my creative instinct with being inventive in the kitchen, and I would never had been drawn to do so if I had not been through so much suffering. I can truly say that I am better off for finding out my body is better without certain foods.

Healing can take time, but when you find simple joys to carry you through to the next hurdle, it's just that more beautiful.

It's the simple treasures in life that make it sweet and beautiful. Like cherries and chocolate. :)Hm, so here is a recipe I whipped up the other day to share with friends and it turned out pretty good. So, now I share it with you...


Dry Mix:
1/2 cup of ground almonds (grind in a coffee grinder or food processor)
1/2 cup of sweet sorghum flour
1/2 buckwheat flour
1/2 cup of white or brown rice flour, or a mixture of both
1 1/2 cup of sucanat
1/3 cup of cocoa powder (regular or dark cocoa both work fine)
2 ts. of baking powder
1 ts. of xanthan gum, or guar gum (or I have tried it without both and it works fine too, just a bit more crumbly)
1/2 ts. of sea salt

Mix the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Melt together:
1 cup of semi-sweet or 70% cocoa chocolate chips, make sure they are dairy-free (allergen-free chocolate chips work too)

2/3 cup of grapeseed oil or coconut oil

Pour oil and chips in a glass bowl and put in the microwave for 1 minutes, stir, and then put in for one more minute if it is not melted yet.

Wet Mix:
1/2 cup of almond milk
1 TB of real vanilla extract
2 free-range organic eggs (or egg substitute enough for 2 eggs worth)

Add the wet ingredients, and melted chocolate and oil to the dry mix and mix well for about 2-3 minutes to get all the dry ingredients mixed well.

*Pour the batter into muffin cups 3/4 full, in a 12 or 18 hole cupcake pan.

*Add 3-4 frozen cherries to the tops of each cupcake ( I buy frozen cherries from a local store that is gets their cherries from a northern Michigan orchard) I like to use the red tart cherries best, but any kind will really do the trick.

*Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips on the tops as well to add a little more chocolate, why not right?!

*Bake the delicious brownie cakes for 30 minutes in a pre-heated 350 degree oven

*After 30 minutes, put a pic in the middle of one to test to see if the batter is cooked all the way through. If they are then let cool for a few minutes before plucking them from the muffin pan.

*This recipe will make 18 small cupcakes or about 12 large ones.

Now, it is time to enjoy! I love to share my goodies with friends, but I may just eat one before I share. :) ...hmmm, I got to tell ya, I really love gluten-free goodies baked in your kitchen. Enjoy!

Wild Rice Spinach Risotto

I love new easy ideas for rice dishes that taste great; if you eat gluten-free you probably feel the same way. Rice can be really boring after a while if you eat it every day the same way (well, I could eat Thai red curry every day with their jasmine rice everyday) but, I guess in my own kitchen I sometimes feel like I need a new ingredient to spice up or "wow" a rice dish. This recipe is not crazy inventive by any means, but I have to say that after I put it together, shared it with some friends, and hardly had any leftovers... I wanted to make more. The good news is that if you make this recipe you should at least have leftover for lunch the next day which is my favorite thing to do for lunches...pack up healthy dinner leftovers.


Wild rice for starters is a great alternative to a plain brown rice or jasmine rice. It also has a distinct smell when cooking up in the pot to other grains. The Lundburg Rice Co. has a great mix already together in a bag that you can cook up (Wehani rice, Black Japonica Rice, sweet brown rice, and long grain brown rice), or your local health food grocery store may have a wild rice blend in their bulk section. I love the earthy crunch to the blend and the texture is a mix of soft and crunchy. If you are looking for switch-up in the rice dept., try a wild rice and really discover what whole grain rice is all about. Now to the cookin'...


In a large wok or sauce pan, saute the following ingredients until browned,


saute:
1 cup of chopped celery
1 diced small to medium sweet or red onion
3-4 chopped cloves of garlic


After 10 minutes or so of cooking,

add:
3 cups of a freshly cooked wild rice blend
1/3 cup of wheat-free reduced sodium tamari
1/3 cup of almond milk
2 TB of ghee-clarified butter (lactose free) (if you don't have any, it's ok to omit this ingredient)
sea salt and cracked pepper to taste 2 cups of fresh baby spinach
pine nuts or sliced almonds to serve

*Mix through and through until all the ingredients blend and you start to get a little creaminess to the mixture. If it looks like you need more liquid add a little more almond milk. Cook on lower heat for the flavors to meld and the texture to be more combined and soft.

*Then add 2 cups of fresh baby spinach last and then stir until the spinach is cooked and blends into the risotto. Cook for maybe 5 more minutes and then it is ready to serve.

*When serving add pine nuts or slices almonds for flavor and crunch. Add some fresh herbs, parsley and sage would be goods ones. If you let it cook up slowly and simmer to keep warm the flavors really blend and it becomes quite flavorful and creamy, so don't be afraid to have it on the stove for longer than the given times.

*This is a great meal on its own, but can be a great side to baked fish or chicken and a salad.

See, that was so simple and you probably don't have to go out and buy to many of the ingredients because you have then on hand already. I hope you try this one out and it becomes a favorite for you as it has for me.

Enjoy and be well!

Rhubarb Strawberry Pie

It's that time of year, Memorial Day, cook-outs, flower planting, garden watering, and lawn games. It's like a brand new day here in Michigan because people in other parts of the country have been able to have been planting flowers and enjoying cookouts for the last few months, but the season is just starting here. It's a beautiful thing. This weekend I bought some fresh rhubarb from the farmer's market and some organic strawberries and decided on making a rhubarb- strawberry something. So I landed on making a pie. This pie is vegan/gluten free and so it may be a little more like a rhubarb-strawberry crisp when cutting it, but it is tasty either way and can be enjoyed by many. Rhubarb is such an interesting fruit, or plant I guess. It is most only traditionally used in pies and breads in the spring time when it blooms , and it is actually a vegetable from the rhizome or root family. It also has been used as a medicinal vegetable for many years coming from ancient origins of Asia.  This great addition to the spring harvest makes a delectable pie and that is why it has been coined "the pie plant" for years. What a better way to join in the holiday fun with a warm rhubarb pie from the oven. 

Pie Crust Recipe:

1 heaping cup ground almonds (grind raw almonds in a coffee grinder)

1 cup of Bob's Red Mill sweet sorghum flour

1/3 cup of sucanat

1/2 cup of spectrum's organic palm oil shortening

dash of sea salt

Mix with a fork and pour into a pie pan or if you want to make more flat, then a 8x8 or 9x6 pan will work too. Firmly press the sticky pie crust down on the bottom of the pan and edges if possible.  Press till the pan is covered and firm, and then poke a few fork holes along the sides before putting in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Make sure it is brown and baked after 20 minutes, pull out of the oven and then let cool before putting in the pie mixture.

Pie Filling:

In a sauce pan mix up,

2 cups of washes and diced organic strawberries

3 cups of washed and diced rhubarb stalks

1/3 cup of brown rice syrup

1/2 cup of sucanat

3 TB of corn starch

juice from 1/2 of orange, or 1 lemon

1 TB of orange or lemon zest

1 ts of cinnamon

1 ts of ground cloves

Mix in sauce pan until boils, and then continue on lower heat for up to 15 minutes until the mix is thick and juicy with flavor. The strawberries and rhubarb will break down and become a thick sauce, and let sit in the sauce pan simmering and thickening until you pour into the cooled pie crust. If you want to taste test on your stir-spoon make sure it cool a second or two. It is a good way to test if it is sweet enough. Add a little more syrup or sucanat if it is still super tart. 

Pie Topping Mix:

1/2- 3/4 cup of ground almonds

1 cup of ground gluten free oats in a coffee grinder (gf oat flour)

1/2 cup gluten free oats

3/4 cup of sucanat

1/2 cup of spectrum organic palm oil shortening

it you want to add more spice some cinnamon would be a good choice

Fork mix the above ingredients in a mixing bowl and then crumble over the pie filling until covered. You don't have to cover the whole pie if you want to design something or only lightly cover with the topping. 

Bake underneath a baking sheet for about 50 minutes to 1 hour at 350 degrees. You will see the pie filling bubbling and you will know it is done. Let it stand for a few minutes out of the oven before serving. It can be messy so make sure you let it cool just a while so that it's a bit easier.

I loved making this pie and it tastes so good too. 

I served my pie with some vegan coconut vanilla ice cream and it was heavenly. I hope you enjoy the holiday weekend with friends or family and remember those who are being honored this holiday. 

Enjoy friends!

Gluten-Free Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I am trying to come up with more baking recipes that do not use eggs as an ingredient. This is not the easiest if you are going to try and keep things simple and unprocessed. I was in NYC over the weekend and what thinking about oatmeal raisin cookies so I decided when I woke up this morning at home that these cookies were asking for existence. I bought some hunza raisins that are high in beneficial iron, minerals and antioxidants that fight against free radicals in your body that may produce cancerous cells. These raisins are my absolute favorite and almost taste like a chewy candy. I also added some regular organic California raisins for color, so you can make these cookies with any raisin or dried fruit for that matter. But, I do encourage you to try new species of a familiar food and enjoy the health benefits from it. Making gluten free, dairy free and egg free cookies can be an adventure by itself, but make it even more of a radical feat by trying a super fruit you have never experienced before. I hope you have fun making these yummy treats as I did, and remember that eating allergy free doesn't mean you will never eat a good cookie again. It just means you are thinking more consciously what you are sticking in your body and in the end you will actually enjoy cookies when they are healthy for you!

Ok, so for starters preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

* Grind 1 1/2 cups of almonds in your coffee grinder,  or you can also buy almond flour at the health store. I like to grind my almonds because it tastes fresher and you can sometimes have a few pieces of almond in the mix that I like to get every now and then.

* Grind 1 cup of Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oats in the coffee grinder

* Add an extra cup of gluten free oats

* 1/2 cup of sucanat

* 1/2 cup of agave

* 1/2 cup of grapeseed oil

* 1 ts of apple cider vinegar

* 1 Tb of spectrum organic palm shortening

* 1 ts. of sea salt

* 1 ts of cinnamon

* 1 ts. of ground nutmeg

* 1/2 ts. of ground cloves

* 1 ts. of pure vanilla

* Mix all together with a fork and notice the sticky-ness that starts to occur. If it is too crumbly add a bit more agave or  grapeseed oil...just a dash at a time.

* Then add 1 cup of raisins, I used the hunza raisins like I said, but half of hunza and half california red raisins.

* Mix well and then spoon out teaspoon sized dolups on a baking sheet with parchment paper.

* Bake 10 - 12 minutes at 350 degrees.

* Let cool before moving from the pan because there will be less crumbling and breaks in the cookies.

* Now my favorite part.... HM, try one hot out of the oven with a cup of tea or save for an afternoon or evening snack. These are so good I might even sneak one for breakfast with my morning smoothie. De-li-cious! And, there is no dairy, eggs and gluten, can you believe it?

Hope you have a beautiful day and enjoy your life as it is and for what it can be.

 

Rainy Day Tomato Soup

Thunderstorms and rainy days are a gift to spring days. The green glow from the trees and grass is shining through the windows and the rain is trickling. I must confess I really do enjoy rainy days every now and then, and it is a great excuse to cuddle up on the couch with a good book and some easy soup simmering on the stovetop. This recipe is so easy because I usually have most of the ingredients onhand and can make it within a half hour, but it could also simmer for hours if you are trying to keep warm. There is something about a bowl of soup when it is wet outside...it warms your insides and comforts your soul. Tomato soup reminds me of grilled cheese sandwhiches and school lunch as a kid, so I guess ultimately it is a comfort soup. Why not dress it up a bit and get some extra nutrients with quinoa or chick pea beans, yum. I love texture to my food and this soup has that and more. Not some boring tomato soup with nothing but clear tomato from a can. I'd like to imagine that "Mrs. Campbell's soup kitchen" more than 60 years ago started out with homemade goodness in a pot... how far we have come with the canned food in the last few generations. Easy isn't always better. Making soup in the pot with what you got on hand may take some cutting and some simmering, but in the end you will be getting the joy of homemade goodness that really didn't take more than 30 minutes to make.

I once overheard a little girl asking her Mom what 'soup-in-a-can' was...this little girl grew up thus far only knowing soup as what Mom would throw in a pot and create. This girl's eyes grew big with the idea of canned soup because it just seemed so far-fetched and impossible that all those vegetables and ingredients could be stored in a can. I thought it was so funny, because it reminds me how far we have come with processed foods and it also made me hopeful that more children would have to be "introduced" to canned soup because all they knew and love about soup is that Mom made it in the big pot with lots of love.

Ingredients:
28 oz. can of organic crushed tomatoes with added basil, or herbs
3 cups of homemade or organic vegetable broth
1 can of organic garbanzo beans
2/3 cup of chopped carrots
3/4 cup of chopped celery
fresh juice of one lemon
handful of fresh cilantro finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 chopped garlic cloves
1 TB of olive oil to saute
1/2 cup of leftover cooked brown rice or quinoa


Saute the chopped onion and garlic just for a a few seconds with the oil oil and then add in the broth and tomatoes. Add in the rest of the ingredients and wait for a boil and simmer until celery and carrots are cooked through and add more fresh cilantro in the end to top your bowl.

If you are looking to add something crunchy for topping, use some herb flax crackers, or avacodos, or fresh herbs. Not too hard huh, you will still have some time to relax with a good book or watch the rain fall...enjoy and be creative!

Vegan Berry Mango Smoothie

I make a smoothie almost every morning in the warmer spring/summer months. It's nice and refreshing to eat a fresh fruit smoothie after a long winter of eating porriage and hot cereal to keep warm. I like to add different fruits depending on what I got available in the kitchen, but sometimes you just find a nice combo that you like to keep making. Eventaully, I find myself craving a cold fresh smoothie right when I wake up. My favorite is using frozen cherries and blueberries that I have frozen from when I picked or bought them the past summer.Another favorite is using mango because it makes the mixture so smooth and creamy. I sometimes make a "greens" smoothie with spinach and other greens, but I would much rather prefer to eat my greens and not drink them every day, so I guess that is why I stick to the fruit and vegan protein powder combo more often.

It is important if you eat gluten-free and dairy- free to make sure if you are going to find quality protein powder to make sure there is no whey or other gluten-grains protein. I also avoid soy protein because it is more processed and harder to digest. So that leaves me with either a brown rice protein powder, or a vegetable protein powder. Both I enjoy, but make take a little getting used to after being used to using dairy or soy. One of the best brands I have found out there is the MLO vegan brown rice. It is a quality vegan product and is not very expensive either.

Another great addition is adding in some quality Omega-3 oil to add to the enegy and brain health in the morning... and what a great way to add it into something without really realizing it.
I buy a quality fish oil that has an orange flavoring and so that also adds to fruit flavor combo. A quality fish oil has many health benefits ranging from decreasing depressiona nd anxiety along with other behaviour issues all the way to helping heart health and cardiovascualr system. The high levels of Omega-3 and essentail fatty acids will also strengthen your brain tissues and promote all around better health. For more questions research..this link.

My favorite combo inclues:
1/2 to whole fresh mango slices (about 1 cup)
1 ripe banana chopped or smashed
1/2 cup of frozen cherries
1/2 cup of frozen raspberries
2 spoonfuls of flax oil, or a quality fish oil
2 scoops of a quality vegan rice protein powder or vegan vegetable protein powder
1 cup of almond or hemp milk
1/2 cup or so of apple, grapefruit, or orange juice
5-6 ice cubes
Optional: spinach pieces and kale pieces about 1/2 cup of each

Put all in your blender and blend until smooth and pour it in a to go cup or a glass to stick a straw in and ENJOY! This recipe will probably feed 2 people, or 1 hungry person. So make the adjustments you need to make more or less.

Fresh Herb Egg Salad

I used to eat egg salad a few times a week as a kid. I didn't particularly love it then, but now especially in the spring I like to eat eggs more and of course with fresh herbs. This recipe is a quick lunch recipe that I made today to enjoy my new fresh herbs, and also to get some extra protein. Hope you enjoy- its so easy!

Boil 6 free-range eggs for 10-12 minutes in boiling water. Let sit in the water for 5 minutes and then rinse in cold water. Crack and peel while warm and rinse before chopping eggs into dices.

Chop and add a variety of fresh herbs to the eggs:

Italian oregano

thyme

sage

basil

Also add:

1/2 cup of mayo or veganaise

1 TB of mustard

2 stalks of chopped celery

sea salt and cracked pepper to taste 

 

Mix all together and viola, a lunch of champions.

Serve with GF crackers, chips, or bread.

Easy to have on the go. Easy for packed lunched or picnics.

The herbs are the best part! The flavor is so fresh and full!

Enjoy!

Carob Banana Bread

I buy a bunch of organic bananas every week. Mainly to add to morning smoothies because they make things blend so well, but also I guess out of habit. But occasionally we don't go through a batch and you know what that means... time for a good banana bread. Since making the bread only takes minutes to whip up, it is a great treat every once in a while. This happened to me today. I had three lonely, homely overly ripe bananas sitting next to my green-yellow almost turning ripe bananas. Gotta make banana bread! There is no use in throwing those "rotten" bananas out, especially when they make such a nice bread...gluten-free. So here's a recipe I put together with some leftover carob powder that I was saving for an occasion like this. Carob has a unique flavor and really adds a lot to the banana flavor. It is also considered a super food for the antioxidant-rich components to the bean. I guess if you didn't have any carob on hand and wanted to supplement some dark cocoa powder it might taste a little different than the carob, but yummy as well.

Mix:

2 cage-free free-range chicken eggs

1 cup sucanat (dehydrated cane juice)

3 overly ripe bananas

1/4 cup of almond milk

1/4 cup of grapeseed oil

Mush all together and let the suacant dissolve a bit.

Then add:

3/4 sweet sorghum flour

1/4 cup of brown rice flour

1/2 cup of buckwheat flour

1/3 cup of ground flax seeds

1/4 cup of carob powder

1 ts. of baking powder

1/4 ts. of sea salt

1/2 ts. of ground nutmeg

Mix well and let the batter start to show a few bubbles on top. Pour into a greased bread pan or 8x8 pan. I sprinkled a little extra sucanat and nutmeg on top before I put in the oven to add a little crispy crust to the finished product. Bake at 35o degrees for 35-40 minutes. Enjoy warm with a little bit of ghee (lactose/dairy free) or fruit jam. It is comfort bread and not too sweet, just right! With the little bit of oil and abundance of nutrients in the buckwheat, sorghum and flax, you will be getting great nutrients to carry through as well. A nutritious snack or treat, hey, even breakfast. 

Now the chore will be for you to let your bananas to go "rotten" so you can make this yummy bread. So take you time on using up those bananas, or just buy a bigger batch so you know you will have left overs. Hope you enjoy!