Back to School Special: Chocolate Almond Power Smoothie

 

This week marks the start of the 2014-2015 school year for the students here in Salt Lake.  It is also the week that I return to work after a summer that was way too short.  I can't believe it's already time to go back.  There were so many things I still wanted to do, most of which involved cleaning, sewing, and going to the zoo.  Oh well, perhaps next summer I will get more done.... maybe.... probably not sewing.... and who am I kidding, I'm not going to clean either.  Anyhow, this post is a Chocolate Almond Power Smoothie.  It's loaded with protein, omega-3's, and essential fatty acids that will jump start your brain and give your body energy so that you can focus on learning.... and recess.  It's also super quick and easy to make, which makes it the perfect before-school breakfast that your kids will love.  I used my dad's vita mix to make this one and it turned out amazing!  I must get one as soon as I have funding to buy a $300 blender.  Fortunately any blender or food processor will work in the mean time.

 

 

 

Chocolate Almond Power Smoothie

 

Ingredients:

 

1/3 cup almonds (soaked)

1/2 of a banana (frozen)

1/2 of an avocado

1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon raw sugar (or sweetener of choice)

2 teaspoons hemp seeds

1 teaspoon chia seeds

1/2 cup almond milk

Fresh fruit, granola, whipped cream (optional)

 

 

Directions:

 

1. Soak the almonds in water for 4-8 hours or overnight. 
2. Drain the almonds and place them in a blender or food processor.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth
4. Serve with fresh fruit, granola, or whipped cream if desired.



 

Millet and Chia Seed Breakfast Porridge

When I found out that my daughter was allergic to basically every grain except for kamut, millet, teff, and amaranth, I was at a complete loss as to what I was going to do.  Grains make so many wonderful things, especially things that are easy to grab for a quick snack such as cereal, crackers or granola.  I had no idea what to do with ANY of these grains.  It's not like they make crackers made out of only teff or only kamut (although they really should).  After doing some research on kamut, it quickly became my grain of choice.  As a form of wheat, I could pretty much sub it in place of any recipe that called for wheat and have it come out ok.  Unfortunately it's a little dry, but it's organic and non-gmo so I really can't complain too much since gluten free cooking can be a bit more problematic.  That still didn't solve the problem of what to do with the other grains, however. Teff is good but incredibly dense, and I didn't care much for the amaranth.

When a colleague suggested that I use millet as a replacement for rice, I jumped at the opportunity to try it out.  One of the things I had been craving like crazy was my grandmother's rice pudding.  It was actually more of a custard than a pudding; creamy, melt-in-your-mouth, goodness.  Sadly, the three main ingredients were milk, eggs, and rice, all of which were forbidden foods.  I decided I'd try to make it anyway without the three main ingredients using millet instead of rice.  The end result (this recipe) was nothing like my grandmother's pudding, but it is still very tasty and has become one of my favorite breakfast foods.  I like to make a big batch of it so that I can eat it for a few days.  It's easy to fix and keeps fairly decent in the fridge, although you will need to add a little extra milk to it as millet also tends to dry out a bit.  Millet is also incredibly cheap which is also a plus. 
  

 

In addition to being a good replacement for rice, the cooking process is also similar.  The only difference is that millet comes out better when toasted first.

 

I think that soy milk gives this recipe the best flavor, but I have used other milks in a pinch and it tastes just fine.

 

Add some puréed banana (Believe me you don't want to skip this part... unless of course your are allergic to bananas).

 

Millet and Chia Seed Breakfast Porridge

 

Ingredients:

 

1cup millet

2 1/4 cups water

1 1/3 cup soy milk (or other non-dairy milk of choice)

1 Tablespoon Chia seeds

1 Tablespoon raw sugar (or sweetener of choice)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup raisins

1 banana

 

Directions

 

1. In a saucepan, toast the millet over medium-high heat until it begins to turn golden and smell fragrant stirring frequently.  It will burn quickly so keep a close watch on it.
2. Add the water and a drop of oil (optional) and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 30-40 minutes.  Try to resist the urge to remove the lid as the millet will come out better if it is left covered.  Millet tends to be a bit crunchy so cook it longer if you want it a little softer.  Just don't overcook it or it will turn into mush.
3. While the millet is cooking, heat 1 cup of the soy milk and the chia seeds over medium-high heat stirring continuously until it reaches a low boil.  Do not heat too hot or it will boil over.
4. Add the sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and raisins to the soy milk mixture.  Set aside.
5. In a blender or food processor puree the banana and the remaining 1/3 cup of soy milk.
6. Add the banana mixture to the soy milk mixture and stir well.
7. Add the soy milk mixture to the millet and mix thoroughly.  If the porridge seems dry add a little extra milk until it reaches your desired consistency.
8. Top with fresh fruit if desired.



Broccoli Cheese-less Soup

Panera Bread has the best broccoli cheese soup ever!!  It's so rich and creamy.  It's also ridiculously bad for you and loaded with ingredients that are on the do not eat list.  When I first started this diet trying to make anything with cream or cheese without the cream or cheese came out tasting.... well let's just say I gave up on trying to make it taste like cream and cheese.  Although I think that's really the point.  It's not dairy so why should I expect it to taste that way. I love cheese.  To this day it's the hardest thing I had to give up and the thing I would pick if I got to choose to have one thing back.  No offense to the vegans, but no vegan cheese will ever replace the real thing in my opinion.    However, I have to hand it to them for their creativity.  The discovery that I could use cashews (or any nut really) in place of dairy was a major breakthrough.  For the first time in almost a year, I was able to eat faux dairy and not cringe at how horrible the taste and texture was.  In fact, it was one of the most enjoyable meals I'd had in a long time.  Even if it didn't taste like cheese, it still tasted amazing.  This broccoli cheese soup is a product of that discovery.  It's fairly simple to make, and if you buy the cashews in bulk, it can be budget friendly as well.  It's vegan, grain free, and with some minor tweaking, it could also meet the paleo guidelines. With a side salad or a piece of homemade Kamut bread, it makes a wonderful meal that warms your soul just like the soup at Panera Bread.

 

 

 



 The basis for making delicious broccoli cheese soup without the cheese is pretty much the same as making it with the cheese except for one major difference.  It requires some advanced planning since the cashews will need to be soaked for several hours before you can make them into delicious cheese sauce.  Once you've done that, you just whip them up in a food processor with a few other things and you've got yourself some really awesome vegan cheese sauce.

 

 

 

 

Then you just proceed to make broccoli cheese soup just like you would if you were using actual cheese.

 

 



 

 

 

Broccoli Cheese-Less Soup

Vegan, gluten free, grain free, oil free

 

Ingredients:

 

For the Cheese Sauce:

 

1 Cup raw cashews soaked

3 cloves garlic

2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 Tablespoon potato starch

1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 Tablespoon tahini

3 teaspoons Braggs Liquid Aminos

A Splash of almond milk

 

 

For the Soup:

 

2 cups carrot sliced

3/4 cup onion chopped

1 bunch broccoli (6-8 cups) chopped

32 oz. vegetable or chicken broth (5-6 cups)

1 1/2 cups almond milk

Salt and Pepper to taste

Vegan Cheese (optional)

Crackers (optional)

 

 

Directions:

 

1. Place Cashews in a bowl, cover with water and let soak for 4-8 hours or overnight.
2. Blend the garlic in the food processor until it is finely chopped.
3. Drain and rinse the cashews.  Add them to the food processor and blend until a thick, chunky paste forms.
4. Add the nutritional yeast, starch, lemon juice, tahini, and Braggs to the food processor.  Blend until creamy.  If the mixture seems to thick or isn't blending well, add some almond milk as needed to thin it out.  It should have the consistency of hummus when it's done.  Set aside.
5. In a large pot combine the carrots and onions.  Add just enough broth to cover them and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer over medium heat until the veggies are tender adding more broth as needed.
6. Add the rest of the broth and stir in the cheese sauce.
7. Add the broccoli and bring the soup to a boil.  Simmer on medium-low heat until the broccoli is tender, stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.
8. Using a blender or food processor, blend the soup in small batches until it reaches your desired consistency of creaminess. 
9. Season with salt and pepper to taste and top with vegan cheese and crackers if desired.

 

Tips/ Substitution Suggestions

 

• Replace the potato starch with another starch of choice (corn, tapioca)
• Replace the Braggs with soy sauce or a soy free alternative such as coconut aminos for a soy free option.
• Replace the almond milk with non-dairy milk of choice