Almond Crescent Cookies

This is such a great cookie because they are not only gluten free, but they are flourless and they freeze well.
So this holiday season, treat your guests to these delicious and healthy cookies.

4 cups almonds

1 1/4 cups sucanat or coconut sugar

3 egg whites

2 tsp. almond extract

1/8 tsp. sea salt

1 cup sliced almonds

In a food processor, process sugar and almonds until very fine.

In a large bowl, beat egg whites until white and soft peaks form.  Add almond extract and salt. 

Fold in sugar and ground almonds.  Mix until all ingredients are combined.   Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or more.

Preheat oven to 325F.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place the slice almonds in a shallow dish and slightly crush them. 

Remove dough from refrigerator and shape into 1 1/2” logs.  Press logs into crushed almonds and place on baking sheet.  Shape the roll into a crescent.

Bake for 35 minutes, or until lightly browned on the bottom. 

 Cool completely before serving.                                                               

Makes approx. 35 cookies

For more recipes visit
http://www.oasishealth.ca/recipes

Orange Cranberry Loaf

Fresh cranberries, which contain many beneficial nutrients, are at their peak from October through December, just in time to add their festive hue, tart tangy flavor and numerous health protective effects to your holiday meals.  If you happen to find organic cranberries at your local health food store, now is the time to buy them and freeze them for future recipes !

Orange Cranberry Loaf

2 cups spelt or kamut flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/8th tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 egg

Zest of 2 organic oranges

Juice of 2 organic oranges

1/2 cup sucanat sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 tsp. orange or vanilla extract

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped

Preheat oven to 350F

Grease & flour 9” loaf pan.

In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt and soda.

In a large bowl, beat egg, zest, orange juice , sugar, oil and vanilla with hand mixer until creamy.

Sift in flour mixture until well combined.  Stir in cranberries.

Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake 50-60 minutes or until cooked through.

Gluten Free Version

Replace spelt flour with

1 1/2 cups brown rice flour

1/2 cup tapioca flour

1/2 cup almond flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. xanthan gum

for more recipes visit
www.oasishealth.ca/recipes

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

This month's recipe takes advantage the local produce in our area...Pumpkin !

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1/4 cup almond milk

1 1/2 cups spelt flour

Pinch of salt

3/4 cup sucanat sugar or coconut sugar

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. allspice

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 cup pecans, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F

Prepare a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners.

In a large bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, eggs and milk together. 

Sift in flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and spices.  With a hand mixer, mix until all ingredients have been incorporated.  Stir in pecans, if using.

Spoon into prepared muffin cups.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until cooked through

Makes 12 muffins

Notes:

• spices can be increased or decreased based on your taste
• i used fresh pumpkin puree but canned pumpkin will also work

Creamy Cashew Noodle Salad

September is here and my holidays are over, but that doesn't mean i still can't enjoy my chilled noodle salads.
This creamy noodle salad is great served chilled, but also just as good served warm.

Dressing:
1 cloves garlic, chopped
½ cup cashew butter
1/8 cup bragg liquid soy or soy sauce
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar
1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
¼ to ½ cup water
Noodle Salad:
1/2 pound thin rice noodles

2-3 tbsp. sesame oil
1 small zucchini, halved and sliced
1 small yellow squash, halved and slice
2-3 carrots, shredded
1-2 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped cashews (optional garnish)

Prepare dressing by combining, garlic, cashew butter, soy sauce, honey, vinegar, sesame oil, and 1/4 cup water in food processor or blender. Process/blend until smooth and creamy. (salad dressing consistency) Add more water as needed to thin out the dressing.

Prepare noodles according to package instructions. Rinse and drain noodles. Add sesame oil and set aside.
Combine noodles, squash, carrots, green onions in a large bowl.

Add about 1/2 cup cashew dressing; toss gently to coat. Add more cashew dressing as desired.

Serve warm or chilled.  

Serve with chopped cashews.

Makes 2 to 4 servings

Notes:

* if serving warm, use hot water to make the dressing

* if you like ginger, you can also grate some fresh ginger into the dressing

* for those who like hot, you can also add some hot chili peppers the the dressing

* I used the clear cellophane type noodles for this dish because that's what i had, but any type of thin rice noodle would work.

Chilled Carrot Soup

Summer is here and most people don't think of making soup but those who know me, know i like my soups.
This soup is great served chilled on a warm summer day but can also be served warm on a cold winter day.

Chilled Carrot Soup

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2-3  garlic cloves, minced

1-2 tbsp. cumin

4 cups chopped organic carrots

1/2 tsp. black pepper

4 cups vegetable stock

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy saucepan.

Sauté the onions and garlic  over low heat for about 5 –10 minutes.    Add cumin  and carrots.  Stir to mix.

Add the stock, bring to a boil, and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.

Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature before pureeing the soup in batches until smooth.   

Serve chilled with fresh chives.

Serves  2-4



Veggie Burgers

This month, my goal was to create a veggie burger that i could grill !

I have tried many bean burgers which turned out great, but only if i baked them.  Grilling them always left me with a mess, even on an oiled non-stick foreman type grill.

Summer is here and i really just wanted to create something easy and that cooks fairly quickly without having to turn my oven on.......enjoy !

Grilled Veggie Burgers

 3 tbsp. olive oil

1 lb. mushrooms, sliced (approx. 4 cups)

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

2 tbsp. Bragg all purpose seasoning (or soy sauce)

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1/2 cup wheat free bread crumbs

1/2 cup pecans

In a pan over medium heat, add olive oil, mushrooms, garlic and onion.  Sauté for 5-6 minutes until mushrooms are tender.

Remove from heat and add Bragg seasoning or soy sauce and parsley.

Transfer mushroom mixture, including any juices into a food processor.  Add bread crumbs and pecans.  Process until well combined and holds its shape when formed into a ball.

Form mixture into 4 patties.  Place in refrigerator for about 1/2 hour before cooking.

Preheat and lightly oil indoor grill.  Place patties on the hot grill and cook 3-5 minutes. 

Can also be baked in a preheated 375F oven. Place patties on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake 10 minutes.

Serve with your favorite toppings such as sliced cucumber, tomatoes or other grilled vegetables.

Makes 4 patties

Notes:

I actually tried baking them and grilled them.  Both came out great and i did not find it necessary to flip the burgers. 

If burgers are to wet, just add some additional bread crumbs ( i make my own from dried spelt bread or use rice crackers, but you can always buy wheat free crumbs in a health food store)

I took the picture with spelt buns i had made that day and is also available in my cookbook :)

Easy Black Bean Dip

I orginally set out to make a Black Bean salad but ended up making this dip instead.

The black beans are a great source of protein and fiber. The protein + fiber combination in black beans and other legumes help support blood sugar balance and blood sugar regulation.

Many people think about black beans (and beans in general) as problem-causing foods in the digestive tract, perhaps largely because of gas production. But recent research has shown that black beans actually provide special support in the lower large intestine (colon) where gas if often produced.

 Easy Black Bean Dip

1 cup black beans
1/2 cup organic corn
1/4 cup prepared organic salsa

Rinse and drain black beans.

In a food processor, add all ingredients into a smooth paste.

Serve with your favorite wheat free crackers, flatbread and veggies.

Notes:

I soaked and cooked the black beans in a slow cooker, but you can use organic canned beans instead.  Just remember to rinse and drain them.

I like to use organic salsa which is prepared with apple cider vinegar over regular white vinegar.  White vinegar is not recommended for those with candida / yeast problems.

Cocoa Carrot Muffins

Great fun at yesterday's Wellness Expo in Peterborough.  Lots of great vendors.  They also had Lorna Vanderhaeghe as a guest speaker (too bad i  missed it). 
Thanks to everyone who stopped by my booth and bought a cookbook and thanks to Bonnie who helped man the booth and gave out free samples of my Cocoa Carrot Muffins (one of the recipes in the cookbook)

Cocoa Carrot Muffins

1 cup brown rice flour

2 tsp. baking powder

½  tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 tbsp. cocoa powder

2 eggs

½  cup agave syrup

3 tbsp. safflower oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup shredded carrots

1 cup shredded beets

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper baking cups.

Sift the brown rice flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon  and cocoa powder into a small bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, agave syrup, oil and vanilla.  Stir in shredded carrots and beets.

Gradually add the sifted flour mixture into the carrot mixture.  Stir to incorporate all the flour.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Makes 12 muffins

 

Chocolate Cupcake

The challenge this week was to try and create an egg-free cupcake that actually tasted good and that i can include in my May Newsletter.

For all you moms, vegans and those who with egg allergies........this one is for you.

Chocolate Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups spelt flour

1/4 cup cocoa

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup sucanat sugar

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup rice or almond milk

1/3 cup safflower oil

Preheat oven to 350F

Line a muffin pan with paper liners.

In a large bowl, sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, sugar and salt.

In a large measuring cup, add vanilla, milk and oil.  

With a hand mixer, slowly incorporate liquid into dry ingredients and continue to mix until well blended.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

Bake 18 minutes or until cooked through.

Cool, then decorate with vanilla icing.

(shown here sprinkled with some grated dark chocolate)

Makes 9 cupcakes

Vanilla Icing

2 cups cashews

1/4 cup coconut milk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 tbsp. agave syrup

In a food processor, combine cashews, milk, vanilla and agave syrup.  Process until smooth and creamy, adding more coconut milk if needed.

It's Here !

Oasis-Kitchen
Wheat Free Dairy Free Recipes

Cookbook includes:

wheat free, dairy free recipes
colour photos accompany each recipe

also includes:
45 vegetarian recipes
30 gluten free recipes
25 vegan recipes


Canadian Orders - available for pre-arranged pickup or delivery by Canada Post.   Shipping is only $3 any where in Canada.

USA orders, please contact us for shipping rate or order through Amazon.com


Price increases May 1, 2011. For the month of April get your copy for ONLY $16 + tax

Regularly Priced $18 + tax

ISBN 9780986755804

It's almost here...Oasis Kitchen - Wheat-Free, Dairy Free Cookbook

Preview cookbook

Jelly Roll Cake - Gluten Free

I have been working on this gluten-free cake for some time now. Some people think jelly roll cakes are hard to make, but i found them easy enough to make. It was the cake recipe itself that took some work !

The nice thing about this cake, is that you can vertually fill it whatever you like...jam, custards, dairy-free topping, fresh fruit etc.

I used a wildberry jam for this cake and i think it turned out quite nice especially if you have a sweet tooth.

Jelly Roll Cake

4 eggs, separated

1/3 cup sucanat sugar

2/3 cup brown rice flour

1 1/2  tsp. baking powder

Pinch of salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup organic jam

Preheat oven to 375F.

Line a 10x16” baking sheet with parchment paper. Generously grease parchment paper with coconut butter and set aside.

In a small bowl beat egg whites at high speed until stiff peaks form.

In a large bowl, beat together egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow.



Fold in egg whites and stir until fully incorporated and you have a smooth batter. 

Sift in flour, baking powder and salt 1/3 cup at a time, folding well after each addition.

Spread batter onto prepared baking sheet. 

Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes. 

Cover cake with an additional sheet of parchment paper then carefully invert cake.  Slowly peel parchment paper off cake.   Using the new sheet of parchment paper, roll cake up.  Cool completely before filling.

Unroll cake and spread with jam.  Re-roll cake.   Serve as is or with fresh fruit.

Serves 8-10

Pulled Chicken

Ok,this recipe is for the  meat eaters out there :)

Pulled Chicken

 10-12 oz. tomato sauce

3 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1- 2 tbsp. agave syrup

1 tbsp. sweet paprika

2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp. sea salt

2 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 small onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

In a small bowl mix together tomato sauce, vinegar, agave, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and salt.

Pour enough of the above sauce in the bottom of a slow cooker.

Add Chicken breast, garlic and onions in a single layer.

Cover with remaining sauce.

Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours until chicken can be pulled apart.  Transfer chicken to cutting board and shred with a fork. 

Return to sauce, stir well and serve.

( I served it with a homemade spelt bun and a carrot and cucumber salad.........dont' forget your veggies !)

* This recipe seems to go over quite well with the boys :) and is so simple and easy to make !

Pulled Chicken

Cocoa Carob Brownie

Here is my recipe for the February newsletter.    I was trying to think of something with chocolate or cocoa for Valentines day and came up with this.  I thought they were pretty good and my hubby did too.

Of course the chocolate topping is optional but thought i made it more festive looking........Enjoy :)

 click here for full recipe



Sweet Potato Wedges

After a week of testing Vegetarian Pad Thai recipes for my cooking class, i thought i'd treat my hubby to some sweet potato wedges and CHICKEN :)

I had defrosted 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
One breast got sliced and dehydrated ( for the boys :)

The other breast was thinly sliced into cutlets.  The cutlets were coated with oil and coated with ground up rice crackers.  Baked it for 10 minutes or so at 425F and then added a bruschetta topping ( chopped up tomatoes, garlic, onion, parsley and olive oil) and baked it an additional 5 minutes.

The last one is being saved for a slow cooker "pulled chicken" recipe for tomorrow night.

Sweet Potato Wedges

2-3 small sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into wedges
olive oil
italian spices
sea salt

Preheat oven to 425F
Coat sweet potatoes with olive oil and season with sea salt and spices of choice.
Place wedges on a baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes and serve :)

Grain Free Crackers

Thought i would try to make some homemade crackers.
Came across a grain free recipe that i thought looked interesting, os of course i played with the recipe....here is the final result.

Grain Free Crackers
1/2 cup seeds ( sunflower, pumpkin, flax etc.)
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup water
pinch of sea salt
spices

In a small food processor, process the seeds and sea salt until fine.
Place ground seeds into a bowl and add just enough water to create a soft dough.
Spread dough out onto a sheet of parchment paper.
Sprinkle spices overtop.   ( i used a prepared italian blend of parsley, oregano, basil etc.)
Cover with another sheet of parchment paper and roll out to about 1/4" thickness.
Remove top sheet of parchment and using a pizza cutter or knife, cut into 2" squares.

Place parchment paper with crackers on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 350F oven for 15-18 minutes, until sides start to brown.

Served here with hummus.

Roasted Parsnip Soup

The dreaded question..........what's for dinner?
Well, coming home after a week away there isn't much in the fridge except for some parsnips so i thought...Soup !
Anyone who knows me, knows how much i like my soups.

Didn't really have a recipe to go by so i just started throwing things together and this is what i made.

Roasted Parsnip Soup
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. each of coriander seeds, cumin sees, turmeric and mustard seeds (or more depending on taste)
2 shallots, chopped
2 garlic cloves
3 large parsnips, peeled and chopped into small pieces ( helps with cooking time)
5 cups vegetable broth

Preheat the oven to 400F
Mix the oil and spices together.
Place shallots (or onion), garlic and parsnips on baking sheet and toss with oil and spice mixture.
Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes or until softened.

Remove from oven and cool slightly.
In a blender combine the roasted vegetables with enough broth to make a puree  (puree until all the seeds and spices are pureed too)
Add puree and remaining broth into a large pot and bring to a simmer.
Simmer 15 minutes and serve.

I served it with some chopped up parsley.


I think next time i would eliminate the turmeric (not my favorite spice) and maybe add some fennel to the roasting process.