A Rather Unique Pumpkin Pie

This is positively the best pumpkin pie I have ever had. It tastes even better than normal PP, and is a little darker. Here’s the deal though: Emes Kosher Gel is no longer available. My friend, who can’t eat eggs, substitutes an equal amount of instant tapioca beads. I can eat eggs, so I substituted two eggs for the Emes, and it worked great.

Warning: the recipe should say that it serves one. I ate the whole pie within a couple of days.

Pumpkin Pie

1 1/2 cups of chopped dates
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup clean, raw cashews
1 tablespoon coriander
1/2 tablespoon cardamom
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
16 ounce can of pumpkin
2/3 cup water
2 teaspoons Emes Kosher Jel
1 unbaked Basic Pie Crust (below)

Process first 7 ingredients in a blender until very smooth. Add pumpkin and stir until well mixed. Bring 2/3 cup water to boil and add Emes Kosher Jel. Stir until dissolved. Add to pumpkin mixture and stir well. Pour into pie crust and bake at 350 degrees F for 50 minutes. Shield pie crust edges with foil. Let cool. Top with Cashew Cream (included as well) or 1/2 cup chopped pecans, if desired. Serves 8

Basic Pie Crust

3/4 cup barley of brown rice flour (or whole wheat or spelt)
1/3 cup almond of cashew butter
1/3 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons water

Mix first 3 ingredients thoroughly. Add water and mix well. Form into a ball and roll between two layers of plastic wrap. Place in an ungreased 9" pie plate. Prick with fork and bake at 350 degrees F until lightly browned; suitable for both sweet and savory fillings.

Cashew Cream
1 cup water
3/4 cup clean, raw cashews
8 pitted dates
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt

Process first 3 ingredients in a blender until very smooth. Bring to a boil, then add remaining ingredients. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, stirring constantly. May be served warm or cold and may also be used without heating. Yields 1 cup or 8 servings

Super Smoothy

My sister gave me this idea, and I tried it today. It is really good, and full of health benefits.

Ingredients: (serves one)

• 1 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries (or any fruit of equal quantity)
• 1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed
• 1/3 cup of organic yogurt
• 2-3 cups greens, such as spinach or romain
• 1-2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup (or any sweetener such as stevia, honey, or just leave this out)

Prep: Put all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Note: I actually didn't measure anything when I made this. You can pretty much tweek it to use what you have on hand, and use the above as guidlines.

Health benefits: Blueberries are an excellent source of antioxidants and fiber, the flaxseed adds Omega-3 fats and fiber, the yogurt adds protein and probiotics (good bacteria), and the greens are for enzymes, antioxidants, and minerals. I used maple syrup because 1)I had it on hand, and 2)it is a good source of mineral. It is also sweet, and I have a sweet tooth!

Mediterranean Feta Dip

I have never made this recipe (yet), but my sister absolutely raves about it.

Mediterranean Feta Dip

Ingredients:
· 1 ½ cups feta cheese crumbles, plain or with Mediterranean herbs
· ½ cup whole milk
· ½ cup toasted walnut pieces
· 3-4 sprigs fresh oregano leaves, stripped from stems
· 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
· 1 teaspoon lemon juice
· 1 teaspoon hot sauce
· 1 roasted red pepper, chopped, for garnish
· ½ cup kalamata olives, chopped, for garnish
· Sliced seedless cucumbers, for dipping
· Crispy flat breads such as lavash, for dipping

Preparation:
In a food processor, combine feta cheese, milk, walnuts, oregano, pepper, lemon juice and hot sauce until smooth and creamy. Garnish and serve with cucumbers and/or bread.

Stevia

Stevia is an herb, used for many years before its entry into the American market as a sweetener and herbal supplement. It is all natural, has no calories, and comes in a variety of forms. But for some strange reason the FDA did not approve it as a sweetener, so while it is allowed to be marketed and sold in the US, it must be labeled as a supplement. If you look closely at the packaging you will notice that nowhere does it say anything about its ability to sweeten anything, although that is the primary purpose people buy it for.

In its concentrated form, 1/3 of a teaspoon of stevia equals one cup of sugar. But don't be fooled. Stevia is tricky to bake with, and if you are so restricted in your diet that you can't even use pure maple syrup or something similar, you probably shouldn't be eating baked products anyway.

My favorite use for stevia is in tea or coffee, yogurt, smoothies, or on top of oatmeal. You can get it in packets, much like Splenda, concentrated powder, or liquid. The liquid form is my favorite, and you can get flavors; the best one is dark chocolate. The best place I have found to buy Stevia is http://www.azurestandard.com, and the best brand is Sweet Leaf. They have the best prices and good selection.

There are also a number of stevia cook books and recipes online, but I cannot think of any names off hand. I will have to do that later.

Be adventurous-try using stevia in your tea instead of sugar next time.

Zesty Greek Salad

This recipe uses one of my all time favorite staples--brown basmati rice. You can use any rice you want, pretty much, but brown basmati wins for me every time. It is an aromatic rice, and smells like buttered, salted popcorn when you cook it.

Ingredients: (serves 6-8)
3 cups of dry brown basmati rice, cooked
4 cups fresh spinach, chopped
2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
1 (15 oz) can black olives, sliced in half

Dressing:
3/4 cup olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons (6 Tblsp)
1 Tblsp soy sauce or Bragg Liquid Aminos (healthier)
1 Tblsp oregano
1 Tblsp basil
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 tsp salt (preferrably sea salt)
1 tsp pepper

Directions:
1. Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl (rice should still be hot).
2. Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Add this to the rice mixture; toss well.

Note: this can be served warm or cold.
Recipe is taken from "From the Kitchen of Two Sisters" by Danielle and Lindsay Voeller http://www.thetwosisters.com/home.asp

Introduction

Dear Reader,
Finally, after starting this blog many months ago, I am actually posting something!

The purpose of this website is to post healthy recipes that I like. Because of different health problems, I was forced to change my eating habits a couple of years ago, and am still looking for recipes that taste good without sacrificing the health benefits. This is extremely rare, because the average American person's taste buds are horribly distorted. I noticed once that all "American" food either tastes like sugar, fat, or salt.

I also want to post any cool healthy food tips I find and different ways to cook with good food. Keep in mind that I do not like cooking, so I do not do this out of a passion for cooking, but rather out of a necessity to find good, healthy recipes.