Toasted Millet, Roasted Cauliflower and Red Pepper Gratin (vegan, gluten-free, nut-free)

I just realized this is my first post of the year.  Life sometimes gets too busy to really stop and write down the steps I take when I get creative with recipes, but tonight I was working on cleaning out my fridge and wrote down the recipe.  I had cauliflower about to go bad, and we love millet and cauliflower together.  I also had a pepper, and will be getting more oats from subscribe and save with amazon.com soon.  This is a result of all those factors and will become a staple in our home. The sauce is cheesy and tangy and free of nuts (something not found in many vegan cheesy sauces.)

Ingredients:
1 large head of cauliflower, chopped into bite-size pieces
salt
1 cup of millet
2 cups of veggie broth (or water)
1/3 cup old fashioned gluten-free oats
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 cup water
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes (optional)
1/4 cup unhulled sesame seeds (hulled ar fine too but unhulled have more minerals)
1 tsp Braggs liquid aminos
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dill seed
1 red bell pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium saucepan, over med/high heat, add the  millet and toast for approximately 5 - 7 minutes.  Toasting millet brings out a nutty flavor but don't let it toast to long or it can burn.
3. Once millet is toasted, add 2 cups of room temperature or warm veggie broth (or water).
4. Bring to a boil, then cover, turn down and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Wash and chop cauliflower into bite size pieces.
6. Place cauliflower in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a sil-pat, toss with a bit of salt and bake for 25 minutes.  The cauliflower and millet should finish very close to each other.
7. To make the red pepper gratin sauce, add the remaining ingredients to a blender and whirl until everything is incorporated.
8. Layer in a 9" x 13" casserole pan the millet, then the cauliflower, and pour the gratin over the top to coat the cauliflower. 
9. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Cheeze Dip/Spread - Cheddar Style (Raw, Vegan, Gluten-free)

Cashews make some of the yummiest vegan cheese or at least the base for it.  Red peppers add both color, nutrients and a tangy taste.  I haven't had cheese in over a decade but this works for us as a cheese dip, on sandwiches, veggie burgers, etc.

Ingredients:
1 cup of soaked cashews (soak at least an hour and discard soak water)
1 large red bell pepper
1/4 cup purified water
2 tablespoons unhulled sesame seeds
1/4 small onion
1 garlic clove
juice of one large lemon
1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions:
Put all of the above ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until creamy and smoothe. Keeps for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.

(If you don't have a high speed blender, any blender will work.  You may need to soak your cashews a little longer so they blend easier and blend until creamy.  You also may want to substitute tahini for the sesame seeds if you are using a regular blender.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

This was a quick recipe and so easy my 15 month old helped pour and stir the ingredients.  Depending on the size of your cookies (we went large) this will make 18 large or 36 small cookies.  These cookies are cake-like and chewy and the date syrup makes them very dark in color.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free flour

1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Oats (regular not the quick cook kind)

1/4 cup ground flax seed

1 Tbls cinnamon

1 Tbls garam masala

1 1/2 tsp zanthan gum

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup cold pressed olive oil

1/2 cup unsweetened organic applesauce

2 Tbls vanilla extract

3/4 cup Date Syrup

1 cup raisins

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325, and either line or oil 2 cookie sheets
2. In a medium mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients (except the raisins) and whisk together.
3. In a small mixing bowl, mix all the wet ingredients then pour into the dry ingredients.
4. Mix together until well incorporated, then add raisins
5. Drop by spoonfuls on to the lined cookie sheets leaving about 1 inch between each cookie (they will spread as the bake)
6. Bake for 15 minutes or until dark and golden.
7. Let stand for 15 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool another 10 minutes.

Date Syrup (Raw, Vegan, Gluten-Free)

I just got an order of wet pack dates in from The Date People and have been enjoying them immensely!  If you enjoy dates and have never had fresh or wet pack dates, treat yourself and call them.  I want to use dates as sweetener in recipes as my family has gone sucrose free.

Ingredients:
1 cup pitted organic dates (soaked for 2 hours if you have a regular blender)
1 cup fresh apple juice or purified water

Directions:
Blend pitted dates and juice or water in a high speed blender until mixture is thick and syrupy in texture.
Use immediately or store in an air-tight container in the your fridge for up to 3 days.

This is great over waffles, muffins, in oatmeal, or in place of any liquid or dry sweetener.  Use in place of dry sweeteners in recipes in a ratio of 1 cup of dry sugar = 3/4 cup date syrup, or 1:1 for liquid sweeteners (1 cup of maple syrup = 1 cup date syrup).

Red Lentil, Millet and Kale Stew (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

It has been raining for 3 days almost straight here in the Sunshine state which really when I type it sounds like no big deal, but we don't get rain like this where it rains all day.  It reminds me of rainy days up north even though today it was still over 85 - still that is about 10 degrees cooler than last week and to me means autumn is starting and what better way to start it than with a thick, hearty, bone warming stew!

Makes 6 - 8 servings

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, just mashed
1 medium onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 mini sweet red pepper, diced
1/2 Tbls Braggs Liquid Aminos or other Gluten-Free Soy Sauce
2 Tbls of your favorite salt-free dried herb mix
6 cups of vegetable broth (or water, but broth is so much tastier)

1 1/2 cups red lentils

1 1/2 cups millet
1 bunch of kale, stems removed and chopped fine (I used purple kale and loved the color but any kale will do)
1 Tbls fresh squeezed lemon juice
salt and peper to taste

Directions:

1. In a cold dutch oven, pour the olive oil and add onions.  Turn heat to medium and cook until onions carmelize.  This is the key to this soup so that the sugars in the onion really get carmelly and lend that flavor throughout the soup.  This alone can take 20 - 35 minutes depending on your dutch oven and how long it takes to heat and how efficient it is.
2. Add garlic, onion, celery, carrot, and the pepper.  Stir and cook another 5 minutes until the vegetables get soft.
3. Add Braggs and herbs, cook one more minute
4. Add broth, lentils and millet and stir.  
5. Bring the broth to a boil, cover, turn to simmer, and cook for 35 minutes.
6. Remove lid, the lentils will have dissolved and make the soup now look like stew without much liquid.  Add the kale, stir to incorporate, and put the lid back on for another 3 - 5 minutes.   We like a little crunch to our kale, but if you enjoy more wilted, you can always add the kale in with Step 4.
7. Salt and pepper to taste, and add fresh lemon juice just before serving.

Frijoles con Queso (vegan, gluten-free)

I don't really know what to call this recipe - it satisfied my craving for Velveeta and Rotel, but it really is not a chili con queso type sauce, so until I think of a new name for now, it is Frijoles con Queso

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked white beans
1 roasted red pepper
juice from 1 large lemon (approx 1/4 cup)
3 Tbls tahini
1/2 tsp onion granules
1/2 tsp yellow mustard
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 cups pico de gallo, or your favorite salsa, or even a can of ro-tel!

Directions

1. Place all ingredients except salsa into high speed blender and blend for 2 - 3 minutes.  It will be smooth after about 30 seconds, but blending for the extra time will heat the sauce as well.
2. Pour salsa, pico de gallo or ro-tel into a medium bowl
3. Pour the bean mixture over the salsa and stir to incorporate
4. Enjoy with tortilla chips!

Veggie Burgers (Vegan, Gluten-free)

Ahh, the veggie burger.  Why is it when I look for any recipe for a veggie burger, there are hardly any veggies in them?  I don't want a bean patty, or a wheat and grain patty, I want a patty made predominately of veggies and maybe some flax seed to bind!  So, in an effort to make a veggie burger like that, and include a bit of grain because my son loves rice, this is my cooked veggie burger recipe.  Our entire family loved them - my 14 month old ate half of one just waiting for the others to finish cooking!

Makes approx 8 - 10 burgers
Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
3 stalks of celery, minced
2 carrots, minced or shredded
2 mini sweet peppers, seeds removed, minced
1 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp Braggs Liquid Aminos
1 Tbls olive oil
1/4 cup ground flax seed

1 cup cooked brown rice

Vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

1. Wash and mince all the veggies, or take the easy way and wash then add them to your food processor fitted with an "S" blade and pulse until finely minced.  Set aside in a medium mixing bowl
2. Add the ground flax seed, poultry seasoning, Braggs, and olive oil and incorporate well - mix this with your hands to get everything really mixed well.  Let this sit for about 5 minutes so the flax can absorb some of the water of the veggies
3. Add the brown rice and mix again
4. Add your oil to a cold frying pan and turn to medium high heat.
5. Take a 1/3 measuring cup, scoop into your hand to form a patty add to the fry pan.  I can fit 4 patties at a time in my pan - you want them to have space and not to be crowded - no touching each other.
6. Cook for about 2 - 3 minutes or until you see a golden brown crust form, then flip and continue frying for about 90 seconds to 2 minutes until the other side is also brown.
7. As you finish each patty, set aside on a plate, salt and pepper to taste.
8. Serve in fresh romaine leaves rolled up with your favorite condiments, tomatoes, sprouts, avocado, etc.
9. Store any leftover veggie burgers in the refrigerator for 3 - 5 days.

Chia Breakfast Pudding (Raw, Vegan, Gluten-free)

Chia seeds seem to be a new fad in natural food stores, supplement companies and even in protein shakes now, but their benefits truly do not seem to be a fad to me.  Chia seeds are a member of the mint family and yes, they are those fuzzy headed plants you see advertised at Christmas.  So why would I want to add chia seeds to my diet?

1. Chia is very rich in omega-3 fatty acids,  even more so than flax seeds. And it has another advantage over flax: chia is so rich in antioxidants that the seeds don't deteriorate and can be stored for long periods without becoming rancid. 
2. Chia seeds, unlike flax, are readily available to the body.  Flax seeds must be ground to make their nutrients available to the body.
3. Chia seeds also provide fiber (25 grams give you 6.9 grams of fiber) as well as calcium,  phosphorus,  magnesium,  manganese,  copper,  iron,  molybdenum,  niacin,  and zinc. 
1. Chia seeds are 16 percent protein, 31 percent fat, and 44 percent carbohydrate, of which 38 percent is fiber. Most of its fat is the essential omega-3 fatty acid – alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). It’s also high in antioxidants… as much as 8 times higher than blueberries.
4. When added to water and allowed to sit for 30 minutes,  chia forms a gel. Researchers suggest that this reaction also takes place in the stomach,  slowing the process by which digestive enzymes break down carbohydrates and convert them into sugar.
5. Chia seeds are not some new fad in the food industry - chia (from the desert plant salvia hispanica) was a major crop in central Mexico between 1500 and 900 B.C. and was still cultivated well into the 16th century AD.  Supposedly after the Spanish conquest,  authorities banned it because of its association with religious ceremonies.  They were also the staple of Mayan and Aztec warriors - Chia means "strength" in Mayan.  Some sites I reviewed stated that one tablespoon of chia seeds was believed to sustain an individual for 24 hours. The Aztecs also used chia medicinally to stimulate saliva flow and to relieve joint pain and sore skin.
6. Given the shelf life and amazing nutrient rich content of chia, we keep some in our Hurricane survival kit now
7. Believe what you want about its history, chia seeds make awesome vegan puddings without added sugar or processed foods!

Makes 1 serving of chia pudding 

Ingredients:

1 Tbls chia seeds soaked in 1 cup of water for a minimum of 30 minutes

1 apple, cored

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 dates, pitted

2 Tbls raisins (optional)

2 Tbls walnuts, chopped (optional)

Directions:

I took pictures of the time lapse of my chia seed soak that I'll post at the end of the recipe because it is pretty interesting to me that one tiny seed can absorb 4 times its weight in water!

1. Add the first 4 ingredients to a high powered blender and blend for about 30 seconds until all ingredients are pureed
2. Pour into a cereal bowl, top with raisins and walnuts and enjoy!

Chia seeds in water just moments

Chia seeds in water about 20 minutes

Chia seeds in water for an hour

Chai Spiced Pecans and Almonds (Raw, Vegan, Gluten-free)

I usually do not care for pecans, but if they are sweet, I love them. I completely understand pecan pie now - pecans on their own do nothing for me, but coat them in sugar and they are quite tasty. I made these for a playdate recently where the adults and the children ate them and really enjoyed them. These are sweet, spicy and salty and may make it into regular rotation for snacks in our home.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup pitted dates plus 1/4 cup water for soaking (reserved)

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp chai tea

1/8 - 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (depending on your taste for heat)

2 1/2 cups of nuts (I used about 2 cups of pecans and 1/2 cup almonds)

Directions:

1. Soak 1/4 cup of dates in 1/4 cup of water for about 20 minutes.
2. Place dates, reserved soaking liquid, salt, chai tea, and pepper in a highspeed blender and blend for 15 seconds until the mix is completely liquid and looks like a syrup.
3. Place nuts in a medium mixing bowl, pour syrup over them and mix to coat each nut.
4. Let sit for a few minutes and retoss - pecans seem to loose their syrup after the first mix.
5. Either eat and enjoy immediately, or you dehydrate until dry and sticky - about 8 hours at 105 degrees.
6. Keep dehydrated nuts for about 5 days in the refrigerator.

Raw Chocolate Kale Chips

The picture does not give these justice. I have tried 2 different chocolate sauces, and ultimately the one I like the best is a simple mix of dates, cacao and coconut oil. These were super saucy and the sauce that ran off the kale and onto the teflex sheets tasted like a raw Tootsie Roll (or what my memory of tootsie rolls taste like).

Ingredients:

1 large bunch kale, any type will do but I prefer the curly leaf stuff for chips - I just like the texture

1 cup dates, pitted

1/4 cup raw unrefined coconut oil, melted

1/4 cup cacao powder (or reg cocoa but then it wouldn't be a raw recipe)

3/4 to 1 cup of warm purified water - 3/4 is still sort of thick, 1 C makes a runnier ganache

1. Wash and destem the kale. Tear into bite size pieces and let dry (or spin in a salad spinner)
2. Set kale aside in a large bowl
3. Blend remaining ingredients in a highspeed blender until well incorporated. You may want to taste at this point - if you prefer sweet sauces, you can add a few more dates, or a little agave.
4. Pour about 1 1/2 cups of sauce over kale - you will likely have some leftover sauce that is wonderful as a topping on any dessert (raw or otherwise).
5. Massage the sauce into the kale. The kale should be coated but not overly wet with dressing.
6. Place a teflex sheet on your dehydrator tray and lay kale on one layer. Depending on how much kale you have in your bunch, this should fill 2 teflex sheets.
7. Dehydrate at 105 F for about 8 hours. They will likely still be soft. Take off the teflex sheets and place directly on the mesh liner. Dehydrate another 4 - 8 hours until crispy.

Raw Spaghetti with Marinara

It is summer time and a great time of year for raw food in our home. We all love spaghetti but I really have not found a pasta that I find to be healthful. Behold a spiralizer and zucchini!

In the past when I have made raw marinara, the sauce comes out very muddy looking from all the fresh herbs. This sauce came out very orange and was very tasty!

Ingredients:

Noodles:

2 large, long and straight zucchini

pinch of salt

1. Wash and dry your zucchini. If they are conventional, I would also peel them, but if they are organic, eat the peel! Leave on the ends
2. Center your zucchini on the spiralizer. I get best results if I put the blossom end into the cutting end, and the opposite end into the prongs. The straighter your zucchini, the easier it is to spiralize the entire zucchini without having to readjust.
3. Take your pile of angel hair zucchini and place in a colander. Toss with a pinch of salt and let sit in the colander. This will help release some of the water so your final product will not be watery.

Sauce:

2 ripe tomatoes

6 sun dried tomatoes, soaked for an hour

1 small onion

2 small sweet peppers (I chose red to help with the color)

1 date (optional)

2 TBLS cold pressed extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

1. Place all of your marinara ingredients and blend until smooth. If you prefer a chunky sauce, then blend in pulses until you get the texture you like.
2. Transfer the zucchini to a large pasta bowl, pour the sauce over the top and toss.

This was definitely a kid friendly recipe in our home and my youngest ate an entire bowl, plus ate the 1/4 cup or so of left over sauce as soup.

Raw Black Sesame Sunflower Bread

This is a staple in our home that all of us enjoy as either crackers or sometimes less dehydrated and left as a pliable bread. Why black sesame seeds - well, the contrast is pretty, and black sesame is a nutritious food that is already known to contain lecithin, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, and iron. Chinese wisdom mentions sesame to strengthen energy, and muscle growth, as well as maintaining soft skin. Chinese medicine also uses black sesame (hei zhi ma) to maintain kidney and liver function.

INGREDIENTS:

1 c ground flaxseed

1/3 c flax seed whole

½ t sea salt

1 clove garlic, minced

2 T onion, minced

1-1/3 c water

2/3 c sunflower seeds

¼ c black sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:

In large bowl mix ground flax, whole flax seeds, salt, garlic, onion & water. Mix well.

Add sunflower & sesame seeds. Mix well.

Spread on 1 telfex tray smooth out into an even square., Dry at 105 degrees for 4 hours

Flip & score bread into 9 slices

Dehydrate another hour for softer bread (to use for a sandwich roll) Stores for up to 3 days in the refrigerator

or dehydrate another 3 - 6 hours for crispy crackers. Stores 1-2 months refrigerated.

Raw Chocolate Fudge (Gluten-Free, Anti-Candida)

We have started an anti-candida diet in our home and I am craving chocolate and sweets. I know that means my body just wants to feed the yeast, but I needed something to help me through this healing time from candida overgrowth. Messing around in the kitchen tonight, I think I found something that helps cover just enough sweetness and a lot of chocolate cravings for me. My 4 year old loved this and while we still have 3/4 of the pan left, he is already asking if we can finish it and just make more.

The ingredients here are listed by parts so that you can adjust the ratio as you need based on how much coconut meat you yield.

Ingredients:

2 parts raw cacao butter

2 parts fresh coconut meat (young or mature coconut works)

2 parts coconut oil

2 parts cashew butter

1 part raw honey (used for anti-fungal properties and to sweeten - use more or less to your taste)

1/2 part raw cacao powder (or carob)

1/8 part cinnamon

1/8 part vanilla extract or portion of vanilla bean

pinch of sea salt

Directions:

1. Measure approximately 2.5 - 3 parts raw cacao butter in a small bowl. Place over another bowl filled with hot water to make a double "boiler." Stir as the butter starts to melt. Start this before anything else because it takes some time to melt cacao butter.
2. Open and remove all the meat from the coconut. Reserve the water for your morning smoothie!
3. Add all ingredients to food processor fitted with an "S" blade and blend until creamy. Add more cacao for richer taste, but the more cacao, sometimes the more bitter the taste.
4. Pour into a glass baking dish and refrigerate for 4 - 6 hours or overnight.
5. Cut into squares and serve chilled.

Raw Blueberry Cheesecake (vegan, gluten-free)

Raw Blueberry Cheesecake

Crust:

2 cups pecans

1 cup dates

a pinch of salt

Cheesecake filling:

3 cups macadamia nuts, soaked overnight

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice

3/4 cup agave nectar

3/4 cup coconut oil

1 vanilla bean, insides scraped (or 1 teaspoon vanilla)

2 tsp probiotic powder (optional)

1/2 tsp salt

14 oz blueberries

1. If your coconut oil is solid, place a little over 3/4 cup of coconut oil into a glass measuring cup or, bowl. Melt the coconut oil in a large bowl or sink filled with a few inches of, very warm water, making sure the water does not reach over the top of the cup or, bowl holding the coconut oil. Stir every couple of minutes while you make the, crust, and it will melt faster. If your oil is already liquid, then just measure the 3/4 cup
2. Place all "Crust" ingredients into a food processor fitted with the "S" blade and process until fine.
3. Press crust mixture firmly into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan. (I used a pie pan because I cannot find my springform and had leftover of the filling)
4. Check your coconut oil measurement once it's all melted. It should be 3/4 cup, when melted.
5. Put all Cheesecake filling ingredients into a high-speed blender or process in a food processor in batches until smooth.
6. Adjust lemon juice and agave nectar to taste.
7. Pour mixture onto crust. Tap the pan on your bench/countertop a few times to remove any air bubbles.
8. Put the cheesecake in the freezer until firm for at least 3 hours but, preferably overnight.
9. Transfer the cheesecake to the fridge about 2 hours before serving.

Make Your Own Toothpaste

Most toothpastes, even the ones found in natural food stores, are filled with ingredients that really do not need to be there, including toxic chemical, parabens, and petroleum by-products. When Tom's of Maine was purchased by Colgate-Palmolive several years ago, I started making my own tooth powder. Now I add glycerin to it and it is toothpaste.

This recipe takes minutes to make and I make a little cup of it for each of us. Because there are no preservatives in it, I only make about a month's batch at a time. I use arrowroot because it is less abrasive than baking soda or salt on our gums. I also like mint in my toothpaste but any flavored extract could be used here or none at all.

Ingredients:

3 Tbls Baking Soda

1 Tbls Arrowroot

1 tsp Sea Salt

1/2 tsp Peppermint Oil (food grade)

3 Tbls Vegetable Glycerin (may take a little more)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until lump free. You can put the final product in a squeeze tube or a small cup. Too keep it sanitary, I typically use either one container per person in the family, or the squeeze tube.

This makes almost 1/2 cup and depending on how much and how often you use it, should last at least 1 - 3 months.

To make whitening toothpaste, add 1/2 Tbls ground sage.

Chia Water (Raw, Vegan, Gluten-Free)

This is a great refreshing "energy" drink. I have felt pretty tired and nauseous in the mornings lately and this is a great pick me up that gives me some energy to last until the nausea is gone. Even if I were not feeling that way - this is a great way to get omegas and water into your diet.

Chia Water

8oz or more water

1 tsp chia seeds

Juice of half a lemon

Add all ingredients to a 10oz or larger glass, let sit for about 10 minutes then drink and enjoy! Chia seeds are different from flax seeds in that the human body can digest them and access the omegas without the seeds having to be ground.

This recipe has:

• 30 calories
• Omega 3 - 819mg
• Omega 6 - 270mg
• Vitamin C - 10.6mg
• Calcium - 31.1mg
• Phosphorous - 45.6mg
• Potassium - 36.0mg

(based on data from nutritiondata.com)

Popcorn Bars (gluten-free, vegan)

These are inspired by my brother and sister-in-laws trip to North Carolina recently. They came back and said they had the best gluten-free vegan thing they have ever had - Swag bars from The Swag, but when they told me the recipe, it has corn syrup which I avoid using in our recipes so I adapted the recipe a tad...

Ingredients:
1 cup turbinado or raw sugar
1 cup agave nectar
2 cups peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)

1 tsp vanilla extract
6 cups popcorn
8oz. chocolate chips

Instructions:
Place sugar and agave in large heavy pan. Heat on med high, almost to a boil, stirring constantly. Add peanut butter and continue to stir again until almost boiling. Add vanilla extract - make sure to add vanilla right at the end or it all evaporates in the cooking process.

Take off stove; mix in popcorn. Add chocolate chips and mix again. Press into lightly oiled 9 x 13 pan. Score into bars while still hot. (They are hard to cut when cool.)

Oat and Pepita Patties with Tahini Gravy

Not proud of this photo - note to self: flash photography and food do not mix! But the patties themselves were really tasty. There would have been a photo retake, but the leftovers were gone before the camera was ready :) These were in place of a veggie burger - my omni husband loves when we have veggie burgers and potato salad. I am trying to move away from the bun and this burger seemed to be okay to eat on its own to him. My son also picked it up and inhaled it which he never does with food so I consider this a big win in our house!

Ingredients:

1 cup raw pepitas

2 cups rolled oats

2 cups shredded carrots

3 celery stalks, chopped

1 green onion (whites and greens), scliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tbsp Braggs

3/4 to 1 cup hot water

Add first 6 ingredients to food processor fitted with the "S" blade and pulse to a rough chop (so that the patties have some texture.)

Transfer to a large bowl and add Braggs, then slowly start adding water. Start with 3/4 cup, and add more if needed. The mixture should be thick and not runny. If you add too much water, add some more oats to thicken the mix.

Scoop out about 1/3 cup of mixture and form into patty shape, place on an oiled baking sheet.

Form patties with the remaining mix, then bake at 400 for about 8 minutes until golden brown.

Flip and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Makes approx 10 patties.

For the gravy:

In a blender, combine 1/3 cup tahini, juice of one lemon, 1 clove of garlic and whiz. Stir in some chopped chives then pour over patties, or make smaller patties, and use this as a dipping sauce.

Raw Tacos

These are really great, simple, healthy and filling tacos. This is also the first raw taco that I have made that my son, husband and I all like.

Ingredients:

Tacos:

Romaine or Cabbage leaves for the shells

Butternut Squash (about 1/4 of a small squash)

for the avocado salad:

2 avocados

3 roma tomatoes, diced

1/4 cup chopped cilantro, chopped

1 green onion, green and whites chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

juice from 1/2 lime

salt and pepper to taste

for the "beans":

2 cups soaked walnuts, drained

10 soaked sundried tomatoes, soak water reserved

3/4 - 1 cup reserve liquid from sundried tomatoes

1 roma tomato, quartered

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 TBSP ground cumin

salt to taste

1/8 - 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:

To make the avocado salad, scoop out the fruit of the avocado, then add and mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl.

To make the beans, put all ingredients in the food processor fitted with an "S" blade and pulse to a creamy consistency. Start with 3/4 cup of the reserve liquid from the sundried tomatoes and add more if you need it. This recipe makes enough for about 12 tacos but I make a large batch so we can have tacos two nights. This will last in the fridge for about 3 - 5 days.

To assemble tacos, take a romaine or cabbage leaf, add a couple of spoonfuls of "beans," top with avocado salad, then top with shredded butternut squash. Eat and enjoy! (1 serving is 2 tacos)

Kai's Birth Story

Kai was a planned but surprise pregnancy just like our first son. We had been trying for over a year and had basically given up on having more children. We decide to be happy with our 3 person family. I also decided that if I was going to be a mommy to one, I could also handle a new career and went back to school to become an architect. I had finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up and that was to work on sustainable community develoment. About 6 weeks into the semester, I found out I was pregnant with our second baby. I was so excited that all of our new plans were now going to have to be replanned once again.

This pregnancy was going to be a successful vaginal birth - my first son was a planned natural birth that ended in a transfer to a hospital and ultimately a c-section. I had more drugs in myself and him than I ever had wanted and had worked on physical detox when he turned 18 months. Now that I was pregnant, I realized, I also needed to work on emotional detox from my c-section as well.

I read several wonderful books, one of the ones that made a deep impact on me was The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth. I thought I had read everything I needed to when pregnant with my first son, but this opened my eyes to so many things, the biggest being that there is no such thing as natural interventions. An intervention is an intervention and has no place in a healthy pregnancy or labor. I also wrote my son's birth story - I had told his story many times, but never wrote it. It took me weeks to write it, then go back and read it and add details that I had left out the first time, then add emotions I left out the second rewrite, etc. This was increibly healing. I also surrounded myself with positive birth stories, attended ICAN meetings and listened to other women talk about how they had successful VBACs and vaginal births. I mention all this prep because I strongly feel that had I not done all of this, Kai's birth would have gone differently. I did not want to see myself as anything other than a healthy birthing woman, and I had to heal from these emotional obstacles in order to do that. I remember having a cranio-sacral treatment that gave me a big "Ah Ha!" moment which was that this birth and this baby is unique and really has nothing to do with my first baby. I am just a normal, healthy pregnant woman preparing to birth the way I want to.

My pregnancy was very uneventful - I had normal symptoms, things like morning sickness in my first trimester, being tired from pregnancy and playing with my toddler. I felt wonderful, I had a glow throughout my pregnancy and was excited that I was going to experience natural labor and birth this time! I had a strong birth team who supported me. I also did not debate with those who did not support me. I just avoided talking about this pregnancy with those who were not supportive or those women who insist on telling their horrible birth stories. My husband and I also made the difficult decision that he would not attend this birth. He was raised with images that birth is incredibly dangerous and it makes him nervous. My c-section was also traumatic for him to experience and he did not have an outlet to heal from his feelings about our first son's birth. The decision was mutual and was the right one for our family.

My EDD was June 13, but throughout my pregnancy, I kept saying how auspicious I thought a solstice baby would be. If the baby was a girl, we would have to name her Summer - this was the only name my husband and I could agree on ahead of time. We decided not to find out the baby's gender ahead of time, so we needed a boy name in the waiting as well. About a week before I went into labor, we had decided we both liked Niko or Jude for a boy.

June 13th came and went, and no signs of labor. I refused vaginal exams from my midwife - there is really no need for them and they tell nothing about labor or progress. (You'll notice the difference in this story and other birth stories is that no where do I mention how dilated I was) My midwife assured me that post dates was fine with her and not to worry about anything. (My midwife with my first son was quite the opposite and very nervous about post dates.) This was a relief that there was no pressure from her for me to start things like castor oil - remember, there is no such thing as a natural intervention!

Father's Day was June 20th this year, and we had returned from celebrating at my parents' house. I had made plans for every day of the upcoming week so that I would have something to focus on other than the fact that I was now going into my 41st week of pregnancy. I also decided to go to bed at 9:30pm that night - something I had not been able to do this entire pregnancy due to either acid reflux, or just the baby's activity keeping me awake. My oldest also decided to sleep in the next morning - I got over 10 hours of sleep that night! Something I don't think has happened since I was 5 months pregnant with my first son. My oldest and I stayed in bed reading books and talking before getting up at 9am for breakfast. Around 9:30am, I realized I may have lost my mucus plug. Although this was my second pregnancy, I never went through going into labor on my own, and never lost my mucus plug. I had only heard about this being a pre-labor sign. I was not even sure if that was what just happened, so I went to google images to see if I could see a mucus plug. Lucky for me, women take pictures of their mucus plugs and mine looked just like theirs! Around 10am I decided that I was going to call my husband and my midwife to say, maybe baby today! I was having no surges and no other signs of labor.

By noon, I was having surges about every 15 minutes and lasting only 20 seconds. I had started washing sheets and making the bed and getting all my birth supplies together. My son could tell I was excited about something and shared in my excitement by singing songs to me. By 2:30pm, my surges were 6 - 10 minutes apart and lasting 30 - 45 seconds. It was getting difficult to occupy and care for a toddler who was obviously going to miss his nap today. I called my husband and asked him to come home. My husband got home around 3:30pm and apparently I wanted him to share in my nesting. I asked him to do the dishes of all things. 20 minutes later, I asked him to scratch that, just blow up the birthing tub and take our son to the mall to play. I also asked him to call my birthing team because I was no longer able to talk through the surges - they were 45 seconds long and 4 minutes apart.

At 4:50pm, my doula arrived. Evelyn got out her handy rebozo and started working on my belly while I was in a chest and knees position. Who knew having your belly and hips shaken could feel so good! I could feel the baby moving into position, sort of swimming himself into a better more comfortable spot for the both of us. About 30 minutes later, my friend Charlie arrived. Having friends who are birth junkies is very handy for a pregnant woman. Charlie is an amazing doula and birth assistant, and will hopefully be a midwife by the time we have our third baby. Around this time, the tub was all set up and about 10 minutes later my husband and son left (around 5:30pm).

My labor was progressing beautifully, I was still chatty between surges, and just breathing through each surge and enjoying feeling the baby move further and further down. I was doing my own vaginal checks so I could check my progression if I wanted to. Around 6:30pm, I decided I wanted to get in the tub.

I was still enjoying labor until about 30 minutes later. Suddenly things felt different. The baby was no longer moving down and felt stuck to me. I kept telling my team that the baby is stuck, and they suggested different positions in the tub. At one point I felt like I was just rolling in the tub and nothing was working. I felt a pain that I had not expected to feel - this was not from surges, it was the feeling of the baby being stuck. At 7:30pm, Charlie called my midwife to see if she could come now. This is the first time I mention calling my midwife, but my birth team had been in touch with her throughout the evening. At some point, the water just felt annoying so I moved to the bathroom and labored on the toilet, hoping again that a new position would make the baby feel less stuck.

My midwife arrived around 7:30pm. I knew there were a couple of point of conflict between my midwife and me, and we were heading into one. I had told her I took hypnobirthing classes and was determined to breathe my baby out in a gentle way. When my midwife arrived, she came in the bathroom and saw me groaning on the toilet. I told her the baby is stuck, and she told me "The baby is not stuck, babies do not just fall out of your vagina." She mumbled something about letting her know when I was going to be serious about pushing this baby out and left the bathroom to go sit on the couch. Charlie and Evelyn stayed in the bathroom with me trying to figure out how to get me and the baby to keep things moving. My surges were almost without a break at this point, but the baby was not moving down any further. Charlie was awesome and rather than suggesting any more different positions, gently told me that some babies cannot be labored down with breathing, and if he really is stuck, I may need to just bear down and give a good push to get him moving again. When my midwife heard this, she decided to come back. I pushed in the bathroom for a while and got the baby moving again. Every movement of the baby was so much more painful than I had ever imagined. I started thinking these hypnobirthing bitches are just crazy! I also started thinking, I am pushing on the toilet and I do not want my baby to be born on the toilet. By 10pm, I moved to our bed. I tried getting on my hands and knees and there was such pain that I actually started crying. The only position that felt good or at least like I was going to be able to keep going was slanted on my back. I don't remember how many pushes or how long, but at 10:35, my baby boy's head emerged with his right hand up by his face. I felt vindicated that his hand was up there - it came together in my head that his elbow must have been what was stuck on my pelvis, and his elbow was also likely what was scraping my vagina on the way out causing that pain. After one more push, his body was out and I pulled him to my chest. I no longer think hypnobirthing is crazy - pain is there for a reason, and the reason for my pain was internal vaginal tearing from his elbow and nuchal arm. I actually didn't think anything of the ring of fire sensation because it was so minor compared to what his descent had felt like.

I was planning to cut the cord myself and after the placenta was born. Unfortunately, I was bleeding pretty heavily and the herbs I took were not stopping the bleeding. I cut the cord at 10:47pm, immediately got a shot of pitocin, and one minute later the placenta was born. By 11:00pm, my baby boy was nursing and continued for the next hour and a half. I didn't care about anything else in the world, and it seemed like the world had stopped for a while. While I was watching him nurse, I thought, this baby is neither a Niko nor a Jude. He needs a new name! My husband was called and told he could come home to meet the baby. I remember when my son and husband came to the bedside, my son said something to me, and immediately, the baby looked over at him.

Born at home on the solstice - Kai Delano Williams

7 lbs 14.5oz

20.5 inches

14" head

14.25"chest

13.5" abdomen

He did not have a name for the first 4 days of his life because we wanted a name that both fit him and had the strength and energy of the day he was born. We had decided on either Kai or Julian. Thursday morning, we still had not made a decision, and we decided to let our oldest be the tie breaker. He liked Kai (my choice as well). My husband still wanted a shot at Julian, so we decided to write both names on separate pieces of paper and whichever name we drew from a basket would be his name. Our oldest son drew out the paper, and it was Kai - 2 for 2 dad, his name is Kai. Kai means Ocean or Sea water in Hawaiian, it also means keeper of the Earth in Chinese. We knew whether a boy or girl, this baby would have the middle name Delano which is a family name. If our babies get my husband's family last name, then we decided they get a middle name from my family. Delano means the elder tree of the forest.

I had my successful VBAC, and had a healthy mama and baby. We bedded in for two weeks, and I also used my placenta for the benefits. Both of those will be separate posts :)