Ginger-Lime Cranberry Sauce (Sugar-Free!)

I've been getting so many requests for holiday foods, it's overwhelming! There aren't a lot of holiday treats I can eat right now on my candida diet, but I'm going to try my best to provide you with as many fun tasties as I can!

Take cranberry sauce, for starters: they're tangy, versatile, and packed FULL of antioxidants! Plus, they're a Thanksgiving and Christmas standby.

Cranberry sauce is so inherently easy, in fact, that it's almost impossible to get wrong! Because of this, it has been changed and dressed up innumerable times.

There's also a lot of debate over which is better: whole berry or jellied/smooth? I personally like both for different reasons - whole berry as more of a sauce condiment over foods, jellied as a palate cleanser between bites of food. What's your favorite kind of cranberry sauce?

Since this is the first cranberry sauce recipe that I'm posting (and I've been under the weather the past couple days) it will be quick, but with a twist (of lime)! A heaping dose of ginger, too, should do the trick. ;) This would be wonderful over ice cream! Mmm... I'm using xylitol as a sweetener in this recipe so it's totally free of sugar and candida-diet friendly. I hope you enjoy!

Ginger-Lime Cranberry Sauce (Sugar-Free)

1 12 oz. package fresh cranberries (4 cups)
heaping 1/2 cup xylitol
1 heaping Tbsp. fresh grated ginger
6 Tbsp. water
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
zest of 1/2 lime

In a sauce pot on medium heat, add all ingredients and stir, cover. Cook for about 20 minutes or until desired thickness is reached, stirring occasionally. Serve hot or cold.

Ketchup in the RAW!

Tomatoes really are my favorite of all fruits and vegetables. They're so incredibly versatile; they're used in most culinary styles around the world, and are delicious no matter how they're preserved! When I was a child, we had a small garden and my dad and I would go out to the back yard with salt shakers and graze in the tomatoes and cucumbers. My mom even bought me a tiny salt shaker, to fit my tiny hand. In retrospect, I think she may have also bought this for me so she could monitor my salt intake more closely - I was a salt fanatic as a kid! ;)

This ketchup is totally awesome. I made it for the first time (off the top of my head) a couple weeks ago to go with some baked veggie burgers, and it was an amazing addition! It's a tangy but sweet, smooth mouthfeel. It's wonderfully versatile as well - burgers, raw pizza sauce, garnish for raw soup, sandwiches, a rich dip, pasta sauce, layers in a lasagna, etc.

I love how quick and easy it is, too. If you're in a pinch and can't soak the sun-drieds, just toss 'em in a hot pan with a little water until they've soaked up enough to process. Also, I used half of a small onion in this, and I should've used a little less because I didn't realize it was so strong. So, use your discretion on how much you want.

Ketchup in the Raw

1 1/2 cups sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in same amount of water for a couple hours
1 medium tomato, quartered (room temperature)
1 garlic clove
1/4-1/2 small onion
2 Tbsp. coconut oil
2 Tbsp. raw apple cider vinegar
1-2 Tbsp. Bragg's liquid aminos (to taste)
big pinch chili powder
big pinch paprika
black pepper (lots! mmm...) and cayenne to taste
water

In a food processor, add all ingredients except extra water until smooth. Then, add water by the tablespoon to achieve the consistency you want. I used about 1/4 cup extra water.

Does this instruction sound a lot like my pudding recipe? heh. It's such a quick recipe, I think all in all it took me 15 minutes, including washing out the food processor afterward. :)

Carob Halvah Pudding

When I walked into the kitchen to make the raw ketchup today, I realized I was out of fresh tomatoes. CRAP! It would have to wait. I did, however, have three gorgeous green gems sitting in my fruit bowl. Silky, creamy avocados! I haven't had sweets in awhile, so I pawed around in the Candida-friendly cupboard and eyed a few things for a sugar-free pudding.

I'm a huge proponent of making tahini-based sweets. I love halvah especially, so the idea of making halvah pudding sounded awesome! I had some carob, too, so I grabbed that and went to work.

This is an immensely fatty recipe. I don't mean tons of ingredients, I mean WHOA did I put a lot of good fats into this. Avocado, tahini, coconut oil, flax oil. Mmmmm... I can feel my skin, hair and nails getting healthier. :) Oh, and it's mostly raw, too!

I also added in some camu camu for an extra antioxidant and vitamin C punch. Camu Camu is a South American fruit that has the highest vitamin C content known to man. Since it is extremely low in sugar (VERY tart... and regulates blood sugar levels!) I personally deemed it worthy of my candida diet. hehe. It's a little hard to find, but worth it if you want it as a superfood supplement. It's totally okay to omit this from the recipe. You can always use agave instead of xylitol, too, if you're not watching your sugar intake.

Carob Halvah Pudding

3 small avocados (or equivalent)
1/3 cup tahini
3 Tbsp. carob powder
1 tsp. camu camu powder
1 Tbsp. raw coconut oil
2 Tbsp. raw flax oil
1 tsp. alcohol-free vanilla extract (glycerin based)
2 tsp. cinnamon
Xylitol to taste (I probably used a scant 1/4 cup)
pinch salt
water

In a food processor, blend all ingredients except water until smooth and emulsified. Test for consistency. At this stage, it could be used as a frosting! To go for a pudding consistency, turn the food processor back on and add water by the tablespoon until it's how you want it. I used about 12 tablespoons, because it was SOOO thick! Don't be shy with the water, just make sure you test in intervals.:)

Almond-crusted Chanterelles

Hey everyone!

It's the perfect time of year for amazing mushrooms. Shiitakes, maitakes, boletes, truffles, oysters, cat's tongues, and one of my personal favorites, chanterelles. A few of my very good friends and I went out into the woods recently and brought back a HUGE bag of chanterelles! (We also acquired some boletes, cat's tongues, shrimp mushrooms, and a bunch of non-edibles that my friend wanted to study!)
Note: Don't go looking for edible mushrooms in the forest unless you're experienced or have someone with you that knows the difference between species! Some species are very hard to differentiate between!

Chanterelles are not only one of my favorites because they have a beautifully smooth, creamy texture, but they're also very common and in abundance this part of the year. When we lived in our last house in BC, I could go for walks in the park next door with a bag and harvest a pound or two occasionally. They're also quite versatile - you can fry, bake, boil, or dry these cute little dudes and they always withstand the treatments I give them. :) A creamy chanterelle soup is a pretty popular (and delicious!!) standby, but I generally like just cooking and eating them!

The best way to bring out their beautiful flavor before adding them to any food, is to dry fry them without oil or salt. They have a high water content so they won't burn. I, however, am a rebel (as you may have noticed), so I'm going to dredge and fry them in their raw form!

Do you remember the Almond-Crusted Tofu that I made early last year? It had such a lovely, crisp texture, and I had a hunch it would translate well to mushrooms. When we came back from our mushroom hunt, I fried these little babies up while Sandra made a huge pot of silky, delicately delicious soup. :) It was such an amazing day, with an intoxicatingly delicious end.

Almond-Crusted Chanterelles

1 pound raw Chanterelle mushrooms
1 cup almond meal
1/4 cup tapioca starch
salt and pepper to taste
oil for frying (I used coconut oil)

In a deep, non-stick pan or pot, heat oil (about an inch deep) on medium-high heat. You want it just hot enough to make the end of a chopstick bubble if you dip it in.

While the oil is heating, mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Next, dredge the mushrooms in the almond mixture, making sure to get a thick coating. If you need a bit more dry mixture, you can add a couple more tablespoons of meal and a couple teaspoons of starch.

When the oil is hot, gently lay the mushrooms into the pan. They're ready to flip in a couple minutes when they start to turn brown.

When the crispy 'shrooms are browned on both sides, drain on paper towels.


Don't these look like cute little vegan pork chops?! We served these with a raw ketchup (pictured) that I made the day before, which I will make another batch of tomorrow and post next. :)

Also: please forgive the poor photo quality! My camera broke so I'll be using my phone's camera for awhile to photograph my food.

I'm baaack!

Hello everyone!!

It's been far too long since I've posted here. I'm very happy to say that I am back and will be posting MUCH more from now on!

Jeremy and I have moved back to Eugene, OR, after getting offered work here in the spring. He's working for an alternative energy company, and thriving. I'm currently looking for work, as my job offer was temporary. Getting into modeling though, which is being really fun! I'm loving the networking aspect so far, and looking forward to getting some steady gigs from that in the future. In the meantime, I'm still writing. :)

In regards to this blog, you may see some interesting changes in the coming months. I've just started an anti-Candida diet, with an accompanying cleanse. So for the next couple months at the very least, I'm going to be excluding sugar, alcohol, most carbohydrates, most soy, processed anything (unless it's raw fermented or probiotic), fruits (except lemons, limes, tomatoes and avocado) and starchy/sweet vegetables. Most of my diet will consist of protein and lightly cooked vegetables.

I've heard many many arguments that mushrooms should be excluded as well, but that never really made sense to me, so I did some digging and found this article. In the article, Sarah and John Vaughter write:

Candida albicans in both yeast- and mycelial form is about as related to mushrooms or the fungus in blue cheese as a fish is to a lizard, and over-generalizing will harm instead of help. Discouraging the consumption of molds and mushrooms because “You are feeding the Candida its own kind” is utter nonsense on many levels, and you’ll never see a link to a scientific article to prove it – because there aren’t any.

They also link to studies on the subject. Whew! I'm going to keep mushrooms in my diet unless I notice a change.

What does this mean for you, my loyal readers? Nothing! I'll still be posting all the fun and eclectic dishes that I always have, but now with more creative, focused style. I'm looking forward to posting some awesome dishes for all of you!


Blessings and love,
Lyra

All 'Choked Up!

With spring heartily marching forward, it’s time to think about cooking with this season’s bounty. The Jerusalem artichoke is easy to cultivate, rich in potassium and iron, and a good source of carbohydrates. But most people aren’t all that familiar with this tasty tuber.

Technically it’s not a native crop, since it comes from the east coast originally, but that’s close enough! Ironically, it’s also not related to the artichoke in any way, and has nothing to do with Jerusalem. It’s thought that the “Jerusalem” is a corruption of Girasole, the Italian word for “Sunflower”. It’s more properly called a Sunchoke, since it is in fact the root of a native sunflower.

Unfortunately, they also contain a substance called inulin, which in some people can cause severe gastric pain and flatulence.

How do you find out if you’re one of those people? Try it and see! I created this recipe specifically for that purpose. It’s a light, simple preparation that captures the mildly sweet, crunchy, potato-like flavour of these wonderful little tubers, but doesn’t give enough to cause serious pain if you’re among the sensitives (like me).

Sunchoke Bake

5 jerusalem artichokes, washed and sliced
3 leaves of kale, roughly chopped
4 large cloves garlic, sliced
a few chives, chopped, some reserved for garnish
salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp. Olive oil

Preheat oven to 400. Toss all ingredients together in a small baking dish, and bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Pumpkin-Coconut Soup

As the days grow shorter and the maple leaves start to turn a golden hue, it reminds us all to stock up on winter produce that stores well. In my case, I turned to my trusty farmer's market stands, and scouted for some nice, big winter squashes.

I got a few acorns, a couple of ambercups, a nice, big hubbard, and a couple of small carnival squashes. Last but not least, I got a cute little squash that looked like a hubbard, but smaller and less egg-shaped. I didn't think to ask at the time, but I looked it up when I got home and it turns out it's called "Blue Ballet", ah heirloom hubbard variety sold by Seeds of Change. Our Farmer's Market is a pesticide-, herbicide-, and GMO-free zone; the town of Powell River itself is actually the first GMO-free zone in North America!

So, yesterday being a lazy Friday, I started rummaging through my fridge and produce. I already had some baby lima beans soaking, so I grabbed my Blue Ballet and got to work.

Baby limas are one of my favorite beans - not only a simple comfort food that reminds me of my Gramma, but they're a good source of protein, and I find them easily digestible. I tend to have a hard time with heavier proteins (like gluten! haha.. but also meats, and larger beans) so I generally stay away from beans, but I really love lima beans. I think these baby limas give a great boost to this puréed soup because they have a delicate, creamy texture, and the skins aren't too thick so they cream right up!

I initially didn't think to put coconut milk in, honestly. I had puréed the soup down and it was smooth and delicious - but needed something. And then it came to me: coconut milk! :)


Pumpkin-Coconut Soup

1 "Blue Ballet" squash (or any Hubbard or dry winter squash)
1 cup baby lima beans (soaked overnight, drained)
10 cups veggie stock
1 rather large carrot, sliced into rounds
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
1/2-3/4 can of coconut milk (don't use the "light", it's just watered down)
salt and pepper to taste

After you've quartered and seeded your squash, bake it in a 350 degree oven until tender (about an hour). I put mine into a baking dish with about 1/2'' of water in the bottom, so it wouldn't dry out too much. Scoop out the flesh, which should make about two cups.

Bring 10 cups of stock to a boil in a large pot. Add beans; continue to cook on high. Add garlic, carrot rounds, and the flesh of the pumpkin. Once it returns to a boil, reduce to simmer, stirring occasionally.

Simmer for about an hour until the beans are tender. If the soup gets too thick and starts to stick (I rhymed!) add some more stock. You want a very thick soup, but not dry. ;)

When everything is tender, turn off the heat. With either a hand blender (which is what I have - so handy! hehe) or food processor, blend the soup down until smooth. Add half a can of coconut milk, and blend again, adding more coconut milk to get the desired consistency. I like a thick soup, though. :)

Garnish with shredded coconut and a pinch of paprika. Enjoy!