Homemade Hummus

by Summer D Clemenson | Jul 11, 2015 | Food

I love hummus! I could eat it by the bowl full but sometimes it can be a bit spendy and more often than not, I cook from scratch in order to avoid the salt that Karen shouldn’t have or the nightshades I need to stay away from. I have also had allergic reactions to that lovely ingredient “Natural Flavors” and “Spices” which is really code for naturally occurring chemicals that are created by mixing other chemicals that were never part of the original food I was trying to enjoy in the first place…

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Lemon Loaf

by Summer D Clemenson | Jun 10, 2015 | Food

Have you enjoyed a slice of amazing lemon loaf with your tea? Done right, it can really make a memorable moment. Above is a picture of my wife enjoying hers with a beer…I forgot to take a picture of the cake…I was really interested in trying out a new recipe that was lower in sugar and had fresh ingredients in it so that I could offer it to more my health conscious friends. The first time I made this was for my wife’s 50th birthday and we loved it.

Since that day I decided I need to perfect a Gluten Free Lemon Loaf that would make anyone happy so that my friend Jamie Holloway, and anyone else that is gluten intolerant, can also indulge and not worry about repercussions….here’s the fun part…if you bake it in a cake pan…it doesn’t look like a loaf anymore…

Ingredients:

• Coconut Flour 1 ½ cup
• Baking Powder ½ tsp
• Baking Soda ½ tsp
• Sugar Free Cheesecake Pudding Mix (1 oz)
• Sea Salt ½ tsp
• Eggs 3
• Raw Sugar or Evaporated Cane Juice 1 cup
• Butter 2 tbsp
• Vanilla Extract 1 tsp
• Therapeutic Grade Lemon Essential Oil 10 drops
• Lemon Juice 1/3 cup (about the amount in one medium lemon)
• Lemon Zest from one medium lemon
• Coconut Oil ½ cup

Instructions

1. Preheat Oven to 350°
2. Grease 9 x 5 x 3 inches loaf pan with coconut oil.
3. In a large bowl blend flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
4. In a medium bowl combine eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla extract, Therapeutic Grade Lemon Essential Oil, lemon juice with a hand mixer until well blended.
5. Add wet ingredients to dry. Add oil. Blend well.
6. Pour into pan and bake 45 min or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Let cool 10 min. Remove from pan and allow to cool completely.

Optional: Glaze

In a 16 oz jar add 3/4 cup powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp Almond Milk and 4 Drops Therapeutic Grade Lemon Essential Oil. Shake well. Pour over cooled Lemon Loaf.

Want to learn more about Coconut Flour? Read Baking with Coconut Flour

Gluten Free Cornbread Recipe

by Summer D Clemenson | Jun 8, 2015 | Food

For years I have used the Jiffy Brand cornbread mix because when I had tried a couple different recipes I wasn’t happy with making it from scratch, but cornbread is the perfect combination for soup…which we eat a lot of in our house since it is so easy to pile in the veggies in one meal and not have to cool for the week…so in my heart I knew that someday I would create my own.

I knew this lady that loved to cook and she had asked me over for lunch. When I got there she told me that she had been out of milk when she made her cornbread so she used yogurt. Yogurt?!

You know what? I LOVED IT!

When I was ready to create my own recipe I started comparing recipes to see what was similar and what I liked best and, as you know, if you have looked for recipes, they commonly have regular flour in it. The first batch was ok…but I was still tweaking. Then I found out that my friend Jamie Holloway had learned she was gluten intolerant so I added that to my list of ideas…a few batches later it was perfect!

I hope you enjoy this easy and healthy version of Cornbread…even if you don’t have a problem digesting gluten!

Ingredients:

• Cornmeal 2 cups
• Raw Sugar or Evaporated Cane Juice 3 tbsp
• Baking Powder 1 ½ tsp
• Baking Soda ½ tsp
• Sea Salt ½ tsp
• Organic Cinnamon 2 tsp
• Black Pepper ½ tsp
• Eggs 2 (beaten)
• Greek Yogurt 2 cups
• Fresh or Frozen and Thawed Corn 1 cup
• Coconut Oil 1/3 cup (melted) (I have also used Avocado Oil)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Grease 8 inch pan or your preferred pan with coconut oil.
3. In a large bowl combine Cornmeal, Sugar, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt, Cinnamon and Black Pepper.
4. Add Beaten Eggs, Yogurt, Corn and Coconut Oil.
5. Mix all ingredients well.
6. Pour into pan and bake 20-25 minutes.
7. Optional: Put pats of butter on top and bake for another 10 minutes.
8. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Summer’s Banana Bread

by Summer D Clemenson | Jun 2, 2015 | Food

I have been working to make this recipe perfect for over 10 years and now I would like to share it with you. I love this recipe because it is gluten free, high in omega 3’s and tastes delicious! I was inspired to start working on this because my niece, Allie needed some more fiber in her diet, as a toddler, and her brother, Casey LOVES banana bread…The recipe recently became gluten free, as I learned that my bosom-friend, Jamie Holloway, is gluten intolerant and I wanted to have a few recipes in my arsenal that she could just enjoy without worry or feeling deprived.

Another plus is that you can easily substitute shredded zucchini or pureed pumpkin and even switch out or omit the walnuts, chocolate chips and cranberries.

I want to encourage you to not purchase ground flax seed, but actually buy whole flax seed and use your food processor to grind it fresh. The reason you want to do this is that the minute the seeds are ground, the oils that are so good for you and the reason you would bother eating flax, begin to evaporate. Also flax is one seed that your stomach can’t break down…meaning if it is not well-ground it will enter and exit whole…another way you miss out on those amazing omega 3’s! If you don’t have a food processor or Cuisinart, you can use anything with a flat blade for grinding. I used to have coffee grinder used only for seasonings (that idea came from my great-grandpa Drummond); I usually use my Bullet for grinding now…

Ingredients:

• Fresh Ground Flax Seed 1 ½ cup
• All Purpose Gluten Free Flour 1/8 cup
• Sorghum Flour 1/8 cup
• Aluminum Free Baking Powder 2 tsp
• Baking Soda 1/4 tsp
• Raw Sugar or Evaporated Cane Sugar 2/3 cup
• Organic Cinnamon 1 ½ tsp
• Avocado Oil 1/3 cup
• Eggs 3
• Mashed Bananas (or grated zucchini or puréed pumpkin) 1 cup (about 2 bananas)
• Chopped Walnuts ½ cup
• Dark Chocolate Chips ¼ cup
• Dried Cranberries ¼ cup

Note: Coconut oil to grease the pans and butter for the top (butter is optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Grease loaf pan with coconut oil.
3. Blend Flax, All Purpose Gluten Free Flour, Sorghum Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Raw Sugar and Cinnamon in a large bowl.
4. Beat the eggs in a small bowl.
5. Add beaten eggs, Avocado Oil, Mashed Bananas, Walnuts, Chocolate Chips and Dried Cranberries to the dry ingredients and mix well.
6. Pour into pans and spread evenly.
7. Bake 25-35 minutes. At 25 min you can put butter pats on top and put back the bread back in the oven for at least 10 minutes so the butter can caramelize.
8. Remove from oven. Let cool for 10 min.
9. Remove from bread pan and let cool for at least 30 min before serving.

Note: This bread is always better on day 2!

We live such busy lives and to make mornings easier I tend to make sure we have a loaf of the bread in the fridge (No preservatives means you should keep it in the refrigerator) along with a bowl of hard boiled eggs. Voila! Quick breakfasts for both my wife and I that are healthy and filling…

Some of My Favorite Things

by Summer D Clemenson | May 2, 2015 | Food

Part of my journey of learning how to eat healthier has been learning that better ingredients make better food. When I am baking I have a few items that I never let run out and I wanted to share them with you. Although there are other brands that are just as good…this is what is my cupboard today…and most days because this is what I can find where I live…

Sea Salt

We hear so much about salt and which one is better. Hello! Sodium is sodium and the trace amounts of minerals may not matter to everyone, in the scheme of things. In a perfect world we would all have Himalayan Sea Salt ready for use…but my grinder is getting tired and so is my arm.

So for baking I use sea salt. It too has lots of trace minerals, but mainly I think it has a cleaner taste than table salt so you can sometimes use less and I love that this container is easy to pour when measuring.

Real Vanilla Extract

I make this myself and I must tell you, it is super easy and so worth a few minutes of effort. I have bought kits online and seen them at the health food store. You can also just purchase the beans in the same manner. You can use rum, vodka or bourbon. We don’t drink very often in our house…so even with a few toddies or spiked hot chocolate I only have to buy a pint each year.

Put your beans in the bottle, fill the bottle with your preferred liquor (this bottle is made with rum) and then set it in a dark cool place for at least a month. Shake it once per week. Once you start using it you can just refill the bottle with the liquor.

Organic Cinnamon

I was raised by a mother who didn’t enjoy cooking and probably just bought the cheapest cinnamon she could find whenever she felt the need to make something with it. As I got older and learned that I could make food that made my taste buds dance I started using other types of ingredients and learned that the ingredients you use matter…a lot! I love Simply Organic Cinnamon. If you aren’t going to fresh grind your cinnamon…don’t scrimp on the cinnamon!

Aluminum Free Baking Power

I was wandering through the natural baking section on a day that I needed to buy baking powder and noticed that they had one that said Aluminum Free on the label. Mom had always used Clabber Girl…but that day I bought Rumford…and soon I promised to stay away from the aluminum.

Aluminum is not necessary for our bodies and some people are nervous about what they fear eating it could cause. I use it because my baking is lighter and fluffier…definitely use Aluminum Free Baking Powder…