Vegan Pumpkin Pie With Gluten Free Graham Cracker Crust

Can you imagine Thanksgiving without Pumpkin pie? Wrong on many levels I say. 

There needs to be pumpkin pie and you have to make extra so you can have some for breakfast the next day. Vegan, gluten free and deliciously addictive!

                                              

For the Crust

2 cups of gluten free graham cracker crumbs 

1/4 cup of coconut sugar 

6 TBS of melted earth balance or coconut oil

For the Pie Filling

2 cups of pumpkin puree

1 cup of almond, soy or coconut milk

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tsp of egg replacer mixed with 1 tbs of warm water

1/4 cup tapioca flour (or cornstarch)

1 tbs unsulphured blackstrap molasses

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger powder

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

Directions

To Make The crust

Preheat oven to 350(F)

Place your gluten free graham crackers into a food processor and process until fine

Add the sugar

Melt the earth balance or coconut oil and add to the crumbs. Process until combined.

Press the crumb mixture into the pie tin and bake at 350(f) for 10 min

                         Place all of the filling ingredients in the blender and puree on high for a few min

Pour the filling into the crust and bake for 45 min to one hour.

You know it is done when the center does not jiggle

Let pie cool and then chill in the fridge overnight. It is best served cold.

This would be lovely with coconut cream on top.

To make coconut cream simply put a can of full fat coconut milk in the fridge overnight.

The next day empty the can into a mixer bowl and beat on high with 1/2 cup of maple syrup.

Serve with pie!

Happy Thanksgiving! Eat Pie

Vegetable Miso Noodle Bowl

Everyone has their go to comfort food meal. Mine is soup. I'm particularly fond of Asian flavors and big vegetarian noodle bowls with lots of greens.  When I was following a macrobiotic diet at one point, I started eating lots of miso soup. Miso soup from a restaurant typically has a few mushrooms, scallion, wakame and tofu in a miso broth. When I began to make my own I added daikon radish, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, bok choy and wakame.  I have also done it with parsnips and kale or watercress. You can change the ingredients based on what you have on hand. I use gluten free ramen style noodles but you can use rice, udon or buckwheat noodles as well.

The best part about this meal is it only takes about 20 minutes from start to finish! Its a lifesaver when you want something nourishing and you have no time. Basically I eat this soup 3 times a week!

The other wonderful thing about this soup is that it is very healing. If you have had too much sugar, or acidic forming meals, or just feeling sick , this soup will literally bring you back to life and alkaline your body.

Miso is a paste made from soybeans or aduki beans or chickpea and is often mixed with rice, barley and other grains.  The mixture is allowed to ferment for 3 months to 3 years. This process produces an enzyme rich food that contains all essential amino acids making it a complete protein.

Miso is also High in B vitamins, reduces risk of certain cancers, strengthens the immune system and is high in antioxidants that protects against free radicals. When you also add tons of vegetables and greens this soup is your prescription in a bowl. 

If you want a really fast really nutritious satisfying soup, this is for you!

Just remember, never boil miso as it will kill all the beneficial enzymes.

RECIPE

5 Cups of filtered water

1 piece of kombu seaweed

1 bunch scallion sliced , white and green part

1 carrot peeled and sliced into half moons

1 daikon radish peeled and sliced into half moons

2 bunch of baby bok choy cleaned and white parts sliced and kept separate from the greens. Greens should be sliced also. 

1 bunch watercress

pinch of dried wakame soaked in water for 10 min

1/2 block tofu cut into cubes (this is optional)

Miso of choice, I use sweet mellow miso ...to taste (see directions below)

optional additions to make the soup extra tasty

drizzle of sesame oil

shot of sriracha sauce

tsp of crushed ginger people ginger

Procedure

First step 

Soak a pinch of wakame in cold water and set aside to reconstitute.

Next place your water in a medium pot with a piece of kombu seaweed (as pictured below). Bring this to a boil and then turn off the heat and let sit 5 min. After 5 minutes, remove the kombu and discard. This stock known as Dashi is now used as the base for the soup.

Clean, peel and chop veggies

Place the scallions, carrots, daikon, shiitake and cubed tofu in the pot of kombu stock. At this time also add the bottom part of the bok choy that has been sliced. Reserve the greens you are using as these will be added last.

Bring this to a simmer and cook only until the vegetables are tender about 8 to 10 min. Once the veggies are tender turn off the heat and add your greens to the pot. The hot liquid will cook the greens.

While your soup is simmering, cook your noodles and set aside. Take some of the hot soup and add to a mug or bowl with some miso paste. Start with a generous tbsp of miso and stir until dissolved in the water.

Place your noodles in a bowl and ladle your hot vegetable soup right on top. Stir in your miso paste to taste. If you feel more is needed go ahead and add it in. At this time also add the wakame, sesame oil drizzle, crushed ginger and sriracha.

There will be more soup leftover for the next day. You can store the vegetable and kombu stock in containers without the miso. The next day when you are ready to eat again you simply heat the soup in a pot and go through the same process as above with adding miso and the optional flavorings to taste. 

Raw Nut &Pumpkin Seed Chews

So I said this was a healthy food blog right? Eating the food your body needs to feel good and nourished......

Well last week this body needed some chocolate! It was Halloween and every halloween
week I get the urge for some sweet in my life. Back in the day when we were left to our own devices trick or treating in groups of kids with no parents, I would eat candy until I passed out. Chocolate all over my face , dots in my teeth. There were no organic healthier candy treats. If someone gave you an apple you threw it at their house(well not me of course).
Ahhhhh, the 70's. Well times have changed. My sons favorite candy is Justin's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter cups. I have to say these are pretty darn good and you can feel better about the ingredients for sure. Its still sugar but it's also Halloween and I say ,

EAT
CANDY.

For me personally I always try to make something sweet that is homemade so that I don't OD on Peanut butter cups. I like to get in the spirit with the kids , get to their level. What better way than to eat candy, dress up and roam the streets for more candy!

 This candy treat is one you can feel good about. I find a little goes a long way as it is pretty sweet from the dates and the chocolate. You can play with the filling as well as the crust part. If you don't have  macadamia nuts use almonds or cashew. I wanted to use peanuts in the filling but did not have any so I used pumpkin seeds. It's all good. Do what you like or what you have on hand. But a Big tip...eat them from the freezer. They are best that way to keep the chewy texture.


THE RECIPE
For the cookie layer:
In the Food Processor Blend 1 Cup of Macadamia Nuts,
1 Cup of Gluten free oats
Pulse until Fine
Add in 2 Tbs Coconut Flour
1/3 cup raw coconut nectar or try 1/3 brown rice syrup
Blend well until a sticky paste is formed
Press this onto a cookie sheet and
 into a thin square shape.
Freeze for 30 min

For the caramel layer:
Blend 15 pitted dates
with 15 dried apricots (the dark brown kind not bright orange)
pulse a few times to chop up
add in 4 tbs of raw coconut nectar or brown rice syrup
add a pinch of pink salt (optional)

Blend until smooth.
Spread this on top of the cookie layer.
now on top of that add chopped peanuts, or walnuts
or as pictured raw pumpkin seeds.

Freeze for about an hour or until you can cut into squares.
Dip the squares into melted chocolate and then place back on a cookie sheet with parchment.
put them back into the freezer. They are ready within an hour. But as mentioned they are best stored in the freezer until you want them. When you are ready for a treat,  remove and cut into pieces. They are quite large for one bite. But hey if that's what you want then that's fine too.
May The Force Be with you....

Kristen's Kick Ass Gluten Free Everything Bagels

Don't you love when you meet someone and in time you find they are so special and amazing you want to adopt them into your life for keeps. Kristen is that someone. She started out babysitting for our son and in the 7 yrs we have known her she has become a friend/family member, an IT girl, sushi loving bike riding partner in crime, personal trainer, blog teacher, personal organizer...the list goes on and on. At this point I'm pretty sure we cannot live without her nearby.

Originally she was going to share her pumpkin spice latte recipe. Things changed once I tried her gluten free bagels. In fact I just ate one hot out of the oven. OH MY GOODNESS is all I can say. If you are gluten free and you miss a good bagel this recipe is for you. Run to the store as fast as you can and make these bagels!

Check out Kristen's blog for her amazing recipe:

Kristen in the Kitchen

Recipe originally from: 

www.adventuresofaglutenfreemom.com

For The Love Of Pizza...Cauliflower Crust

Pizza.......

Crusty, cheesy deliciousness. We all want pizza don't we?

I grew up in NY eating some of the best around. Don't get your panties in a bunch NJ, you know ours is the best!

 When I gave up dairy I was most upset about losing my love affair with pizza. So now I have gluten free crust with lots of veggies and I'm happy.  Another wrench got thrown into the mix when Bill gave up grain and also cannot have any tomato.

 For the love of god how did this get so complicated!

Then, along came the cauliflower crust. Whoever came up with the idea to make a pizza crust out of cauliflower is a culinary genius!

 The Paleo community has posted recipe upon recipe. We have tried quite a few, but they did not come out quite right. The first few times it was more like polenta than a crust. We had to eat it with a fork, poor us. I'm not sure how we go on.

 I knew what needed to be done. I had to hand the recipe over to the master, Chef  Bill. I knew he could make this an actual crust. He did not fail my friends and I am forever grateful to have a recipe that works. Sadly for me I cannot partake in this cauliflower crust too often. Its my job to try things so of-course I did it for the team. Next we will work on a Dairy free version....

See picture below for written recipe with all ingredients and instructions.

Below that you'll see step-by-step pictures of the crust-making process.

start out with cauliflower florets

make the cauliflower "rice" in cuisinart

Steam for 10 min in batches if needed 

 squeeze and squeeze....then squeeze some more. just when you think you are done...squeeze more

this is what it looks like when you have all of the water removed

 this is what it looks like once mixed and formed into a crust

on the left is a finished crust larger size on the right is a smaller version

These Babies are ready for toppings!

We did pesto, roasted butternut squash , kale and caramelized onion.

Be creative and add whatever toppings you like.

happy cooking!

It's All About the Pumpkin

Its Fall, Bitches! Living in the country means I just have to look outside my window to see the array of beautiful colors. Sometime at the end of August I start thinking about

gourds and pumpkins and Halloween. I have an insane amount of pumpkin recipes to share and decided to start with my favorite muffins. The muffins are ridiculously delicious and very moist for a gluten free muffin! I like to double the recipe so that I can bake some and then package up some of the batter to bake at another time. All you have to do is put some batter in a

container for the freezer , label them and when you are ready take them out to thaw over night in the fridge. The next day the batter is ready to bake fresh. Time saver! These muffins are Not vegan but if you wanted to make them vegan just take out the eggs and use 3 ripe bananas mashed. Pumpkin is high vitamin A, Vitamin E and is a great source of fiber and potassium!
You can sprinkle the top with pumpkin seeds and/or cinnamon sugar. Chocolate Chips are also yummy to add. Who doesn't love chocolate? Personally I can't trust you if you don't:)

Click here for a printable version of the recipe:

Pumpkin Muffin Recipe

Chana Dal Soup

Chana Dal  Root Vegetable Soup with Coconut Milk and Cilantro

SOUP...I Love soup. I cannot get enough when the weather turns . I eat it for Breakfast, lunch or dinner. Soup is a great way to get everything you need in one bowl. I Can live on soup and this is the first of many I will share with you!

This soup will warm your soul and fill your belly with comfort. For me, since I am unable to have dairy  I long for creamy foods that give me that same satisfaction, especially now with the weather turning cold here in CT. The coconut milk gives that delicious creamy taste I long for. 

This soup is incredibly easy and fast to make which is nice when you don't have a lot of time.  who has time anymore? I know I don't and I cook for a living!

 The recipe given makes 6 quarts of soup. I know that seems like a lot to make if you are just making it for your family but I promise you it makes the most sense. It freezes great and will save you time down the road for another meal on another day...even a month from now! The freezer is your friend people...remember that. 

Split chickpeas..Protein rich, High in fiber, low glycemic and a plant food! Win Win I say...

This soup is vegan but if you prefer to use chicken broth that is fine also. I have made it both ways but I usually go for vegetable broth in my soups because you cannot tell the difference and that way I can please everyone! 

THE RECIPE

COCONUT OIL..about 2 TBS

1 LARGE YELLOW ONION SMALL DICE

6 CLOVES OF PEELED CHOPPED GARLIC

1 LARGE TBS OF CHOPPED GINGER (I love ginger people jarred ginger)

4 STALKS OF CELERY SMALL DICE

4 CARROTS PEELED AND DICED

6 PARSNIPS PEELED AND DICED

Your veggies should be around the same size as your onion dice

2 LBS OF CHANA DAL OR RED LENTILS (see below post) SOAKED FOR 30 MIN IN COLD WATER AND THEN RINSED

3 TOMATOES SEEDED AND CHOPPED OR ONE CAN OF CHOPPED TOMATOES 

3 QUARTS OF VEGETABLE STOCK OR CHICKEN STOCK (12 CUPS)

2 tsp cumin

2 Vegetable Bouillon (I use rapunzel no salt added see below post)

2- 11 OUNCE CONTAINERS OR CANS OF FULL FAT COCONUT MILK

I use the ones found in the box (see below Post), but If you cannot find the box the can is fine

2 tsp OF SAMBEL OLEK OR SRIRACHA (optional)

CILANTRO AND LIME JUICE TO TASTE

THE PROCEDURE

YOUR STOVE SHOULD BE ON MEDIUM HIGH HEAT

CHOP ALL OF YOUR VEGETABLES AHEAD

MELT THE COCONUT OIL IN YOUR SOUP POT. 

side note....I said 2 TBS of coconut oil but it could be more like 3. 

I dont measure when I cook. thats the fun part...throwing things together. But I know it is not always easy for people who don't cook often. Which is why I am supplying a recipe for you to follow...BUT with certain things I will encourage you to wing it. Use your eye, use your taste buds. You are the chef in your kitchen. You have the executive decision. If you don't like spice leave it out....want more cilantro throw more in. Be crazy like that....

ONCE THE COCONUT OIL IS MELTED ADD IN YOUR ONIONS, GINGER& GARLIC. THROW SOME SEA SALT IN THERE AND COVER THE POT FOR A FEW MINUTES TO SWEAT.

ADD IN YOUR CELERY, CARROTS, PARSNIPS

MIX THE VEG IN WITH THE ONIONS AND THEN COVER THE POT AGAIN TO SWET THE VEG. MAKE SURE YOUR HEAT IS ON MEDIUM SO IT DOES NOT BURN. SWEAT THE VEG FOR A FEW MINUTES UNTIL THEY START TO FEEL TENDER. AT THIS TIME PUT IN YOUR BOUILLON CUBES, & CUMIN, STIR.

COOK FOR 2 MIN THEN PUT YOUR RINSED LENTILS OR CHANA DAL IN THE POT. MIX EVERYTHING TOGETHER AND ADD IN THE TOMATOES, STOCK& BAY LEAVES.

BRING YOUR SOUP TO A SIMMER AND THEN TURN TO LOW. COOK UNTIL THE CHANA DAL IS TENDER. Lets say 25 min...that sounds right and if it's not cook it longer. 

Trust yourself , you will know!

ONCE THE CHANA DAL IS TENDER ADD IN THE 2 CONTAINERS OF  COCONUT MILK LIME JUICE AND CHOPPED CILANTRO TO TASTE

SRIRACHA OR SAMBEL OLEC SHOULD ALSO BE TO TASTE AND CAN BE LEFT OUT IF YOU DO NOT LIKE SPICE.

Season with salt and pepper if needed

Another thing I love to add in when heating the soup up is spinach. I like to do this fresh each time so the spinach stays nice and bright green. Remember soups intensify with flavor the more they sit so this will actually be better the next day! 

When Filling your containers to freeze...make sure not to fill to the top. When the soup freezes it will expand and if you fill to the top it will pop off.

Ok so thats it, my first Blog Recipe! I hope you will try this and please give feedback.

Happy Soup days are here people, if you live in a cold climate. And If you are in the warmth, I dont want to hear about it unless you are inviting me for a visit!

ITEMS USED IN THIS RECIPE FOUND AT WHOLE FOODS

Regaining Health One Meal At A Time

Hi !
I'm Chef  Laura and I'm late to the food blogging world but I am here now and I am ready to share our recipes! My Husband Billy and I are Private Chefs and our Business is Christie Caters.  The recipes you will find on here represents the food we love to eat, cook for friends and family as well as for our clients. We believe in using the freshest ingredients we can find, organic and local when possible. The recipes will be gluten free, mostly dairy free , low sugar and many grain free.

This will not however be a vegan site. We will be sharing  some animal food recipes  but the majority will be without. Plant based food is high on the  health list for sure but that may not be how you want to eat all the time. You may want some fish, or eggs, or meat. Eating in balance and what is right for you is what is important. Eat what makes you feel good. Be mindful of what does not make you feel good and minimize your consumption.

Intuitive Cuisine is about listening to your body and learning how to eat for YOUR health. What is right for you may not be right for someone else. Listen to your body , all the answers are there.


My  story,
I was a born food lover. If you put something in front of me to try growing up I would eat it no questions asked. Mostly I loved all food , I did not discriminate. Coming from a Greek and Italian family the food was delicious and plentiful. We had no portion control and I would spend many holidays eating until I had to unbutton my pants to breathe. That meant a good meal in my family. If  I ever lost a few pounds my Grandma Stella would be worried and ask If I was sick. She liked me chubby and loved to see me eat!
 I grew up eating my fair share of home cooked meals but on the flip side I also had my fair share of boxed, packaged foods and sugary treats. I had a candy drawer in my house and I could have as much as I wanted whenever I wanted. I was a sugar addict. My fillings would fall out from eating candy, I had mood swings, weight gain and skin issues . None of it was over the top but enough that it interfered with my feelings about myself.

 I never connected any of how I felt with the food I was eating.

Besides sugar, dairy was another  huge part of my diet. Who in their right mind does not love the taste of cheese, ice cream and yogurt !  This was another item on the list that I ate often that was causing health issues for me. Again, I did not make the connection for a long time.

I went on diets  to get healthy , at least that is  what I thought.  I  tried everything from weight watchers to Jenny Craig to the grapefruit diet. I was a yo yo dieter . I would go on a diet, lose weight go off and  gain it back. I always started a diet on a Monday and the weekend prior to starting I would eat all the forbidden foods. After that would come the food guilt and self loathing. I exercised a ton to compensate for my food issues. I lived like this for years.

On the outside I may have looked healthy but I was far from it. The mood swings were worse and now I battled with digestive issues, congestion and medical problems that required surgery. At 26 yrs old my gallbladder was removed. Never once did anyone mention that I should change how I eat.

That is  when I found the Natural Gourmet in Manhattan. I attended the Chef training program and from there went on to the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. These two programs helped me to  change my life and my health forever. I changed the way I eat and think about food. I put the connection between what I ate and and how I felt physically and mentally. I regained my health one meal at a time and I learned to listen and eat intuitively.

Part of Billy's story
When we met he was eating bacon and eggplant pizza's, lots of steak and potatoes and a box of cereal every night with milk before bed. Oh and countless amounts of cookies. I had to hide them all the time!
His salt intake was also very high.

Meanwhile for work he was creating the most delicious beautiful  food .

A gourmet Chef eating this way? Who would think.

During this time we were exercising a lot. Going out for 60 mile bike rides, kayaking, and lots of hiking. Bill Looked healthy but  something was lurking within.
Billy had Psoriasis that exploded all over his body . Around this time our son was born and our life had changed. With stress looming and his ability to go out and exercise 5 hours a day gone,  his body rebelled. The psoriasis took over and caused much pain and suffering for him. Always having to cover up, being itchy and uncomfortable all the time. I thought candida was the culprit and knew the only way he would heal was from within. This meant no more cookies, no more pizza and no more cereal.

2 years ago Billy gave up gluten. He saw some results but still could not clear his skin. Over this past year he followed The Body Ecology Diet by Donna Gates and finally his body is starting to heal. I have never seen anyone as dedicated as him to  health. He no longer eats any of the foods that made him sick and the psoriasis is going away. It will take some time but true healing with food always does. There is no quick fix.

I hope this inspires you to be kind and patient  with yourself with wherever you are at with your eating. If you want to make changes start one meal at a time. Don't beat yourself up over bad choices. Have fun in the kitchen! Listen to music while you cook, invite friends and family over to share your culinary creations.

 Crowd in all the good stuff so there is no room for junk. Eat the food that will allow you to live a healthy, happy nourished life....

 Now get in the kitchen.....