Masala Dehydrator Crackers

This is a variation on a recipe I found in Rainbow Live-Food Cusine; I changed the recipe up to reflect items I typically have on my kitchen.

Ingredients:
2 cups flax seeds
1 1/2 cup almonds
2-3 stalks celery
1 cup broccoli sprouts (or sunflower sprouts)
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cup chopped carrots (large chunks)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon group coriander seeds
2 small garlic cloves
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon masala spice mix

Directions:
Place almonds in 1 1/2 cup of water and soak for 12 hours.
Place flax seeds in 2 cups water and soak for 8 hours.

Once your seeds are done soaking you can start making your crackers. Place drained almonds in food processor along with carrots, garlic, lemon juice and oil. Process until chunky then add remainder or spices and seasonings along with diced celery and sprouts; process until smooth.

Combine in a large bowl the mixture from the food process with the soaked flax seeds, blend well by hand with a spoon.

Spread mixture on your dehydrator trays lined with the Teflex sheet. - 1/4" thick.  I find a large frosting knife works great for doing this.

Dehydrate at 145F for 3 hours; then turn over the crackers  and continue dehydrating at 115F for 6-8 hours until the crackers are ready.

Take the crackers out and snap in smaller pieces.

Sweet potato waffles

Sometimes when the maternal guilt kicks in we have an odd supper like last night. The Monster wanted waffles for supper and well I felt guilty that I had smashed his tea set to smithereens earlier that day...

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups whole milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup mashed cooked sweet potatoes
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup flax meal
1/4 cup oat bran
1/4 cup all purpose flour
4 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon panella
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:
Beat eggs. Add canola oil, vanilla extract, sweet potatoes and mix well. In a separate bowl combine all dry ingredients.  Combine both mixtures until batter is smooth.

Cook in a waffle iron as per your waffle iron directions.

The Perfect Boiled Egg

The C monster just loves boiled eggs, we finally figured out the perfect cooking time for them.  First of all older eggs peel easier then fresh eggs but you can make a boiled egg with both fresh and older eggs. - but not so old that the eggs have spoiled.

I let the monster pick his eggs and gently place them in a pot then he covers his own eggs with water and places the pot on the stove (stove is still turned off).  I them turn on the stove to medium high and bring the pot of water with the eggs to a boil.  Leave it boil for one minute; then cover and remove from heat.

Now you let them sit for a minimum of 12 minutes.  Often I make my eggs in the morning and leave them there till snack or lunch.

Once you are ready to eat them run them under cold water for a few minutes, they will be easier to peel.  Once peeled let your little monster cut them with an egg cutter.  We have the president choice one and just love it.

Voila your 3 year has now helped you cook their own perfect eggs, I find the Monster is more likely to try something if he took part in the cooking.

Organic vs Conventional Foods

There is no doubt about it, organic food is better for the planet and better for us, right? Well, that is what I would like to believe and until someone shows me valid proof otherwise my mind will not be changed. I just don't like the idea that my food took a shower in chemicals before making it to my table.

Over 4 years ago now we made the switch to buying close to 100% organic food for our household; at the time we were DINKS (Dual income, no kids). Things have changed since them we now have a child and I am a SAHM (Stay at home mom) and in the future we would love to add another little monster to the mix.

Strictly buying organic is easier, no need to think and look at list of produce that is "OK to buy conventional" or where something was made or grown; however, if you want to cut down on your grocery cost, and my estimate for us is probably close to 400$ - 500$ a year just on dairy alone, there is stuff you can do.

So, starting this week we are no longer going to buy 100% organic, but buy our groceries selectively. The majority will still be organic, however, we will start buying some conventionally grown produce: the items that have the lowest amount of pesticide residue on them. We'll also start buying conventional dairy products from select countries.

After reviewing information found on various websites, including but not limited to EWG and wiki and the government of Canada sites, this is what I came up with that our family would compromise on.

Vegetables OK to buy conventionally:
Onions
Sweet Corn (Frozen)
Sweet Peas (Frozen)
Asparagus
Cabbage
Eggplant
Sweet Potatoes
Winter Squashes
Broccoli
Hot house vegetables (Canadian)

Fruits OK to buy conventionally:
Avocado
Pineapples
Mango
Kiwi
Cantaloupe (US and Canadian)
Watermelon
Grapefruit
Honeydew
Plums (Canadian)
Cranberries
Bananas

Dairy OK to buy conventionally:
My main concern with dairy is the Bovine Growth Hormone and use of antibiotics.  Luckily for us, in Canada, the BGH is not legal to give to our cattle. Also, farmers have to pump and dump milk when antibiotics are used.

I am not as concerned with making sure the dairy we consume is organic, as the jury is still out as to how much additional benefit organic dairy has for us versus conventional dairy; if the information out there ever changes, we will review our stance on this.

So, as it stands I will be buying conventional milk, cheese, butter, cream as long as the milk it is made from originated from one of the following countries: Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and all European Union countries.

Chewy Chocolate Chip and Kiwi Cookies

If you don't have dried kiwis try substituting dried cranberries, blueberries or cherries for them.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter (at room temperature)
1 1/2 cup panela (packed)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups Spelt Flakes
1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate chips
1/3 cup dried kiwi (diced)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).


2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine the flours, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in the spelt flakes, chocolate chips and kiwi. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto greased baking sheets.


3. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.