Tropical Omega-Boost Smoothie...

When it comes to getting my Omega-3's some weeks I do really good and make sure I take in a wide variety of flax, chia, walnuts and leafy greens, while other weeks I fall into a rut of nutritional neglect. I’m sure you can relate. Maybe you get busy, or maybe you get a taste for food that’s a little more decadent -and possibly less nutrient dense, - maybe you simply forget, or just don’t ‘feel like it’ some days. Well I know how that goes. So on Saturday I came up with a super easy, and delicious omega-rich smoothie that’ll have you begging for more. The flavor is so sublime that you won’t have to coax yourself into making it because you’ll wake up craving it!

Interestingly this smoothie came about not only out of a desire to make sure I get my daily flaxseed, but also in an attempt to clean out my refrigerator before going away on vacation. All the ingredients in this smoothie I had in abundance, and all of them - except for the flaxseed - needed to be consumed before I leave. I wasn’t sure what I’d end up with after mixing them all together but that’s what experimentation is all about right? The end result was far better then I imagined. The smoothie Is rich and creamy, it’s sweet, sour and tropical, and as an added bonus it’s both sugar and stevia free. Despite being free of sugar or other sweeteners this smoothie tastes exactly like the sort of thing you’d pick up at one of those chain smoothie joints in the mall. Dare I say it almost taste decadent? It’s a tropical paradise in a glass, and I strongly urge you to give it a try.

A quick note about the mango. You can use any kind. I’ve made this smoothie every day since Saturday and I’ve made it both with the big red mangos, and the smaller yellow mangoes. I’ve also made it with overripe, perfectly ripe, and under ripe mango, each time it came out fantastic. Keep in mind however that if you use overripe mango the overall drink will be sweeter. If you use under ripe mango the drink will have a more sour taste, which I actually liked quite a lot. In fact it reminded me of a thick yogurt. I’ve also used both unsweetened Flax milk, and Vanilla Flax Milk. It came out brilliant both times, though of course using the vanilla flax milk will give it a subtle hint of vanilla flavor, as well as make it a bit sweeter. Any way you decide to make it I hope you enjoy it!

Tropical Omega-Boost Smoothie

1 ½ -2 C Your Favorite Flax Milk (Depending on how thick you want it.)
1 Large Mango Peeled, Stone removed, and cut into chunks
1 Large Banana
1 Pink Lady Apple Peeled and cut into chunks
2 Tbsp Ground Flaxseed
4 Tbsp Organic Unsweetened Applesauce

- Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend on high for 60-90 seconds until completely smooth and creamy. Pour into a glass and enjoy!

Whole Wheat Apple Cherry Waffles...

I know, two waffle related posts in just a couple of days, it’s crazy right? I swear it wasn’t intentional. It’s just that after my last post about the pomegranate syrup I awoke the following morning with a wicked hankering for some fluffy, sweet, waffle goodness. It’s been so long since I had a waffle or a pancake for that matter, and when the desire strikes it does so with a vengeance.

I mentioned a little while ago that ever since coming home from vacation my stomach and digestion have been a little off kilter. I mentioned that around Christmas I had been slowly working towards setting myself back to rights, but that I wouldn’t be able to do so fully until the New Year. I’ve been doing very well with it, as you can probably see from the recipes I’ve been posting, a lot of my diet lately has consisted of soup, salad, smoothies, then simple grain or veggie dishes with an emphasis on eating as much raw fruits and vegetables as possible. I haven’t cut either oil or sugar out completely but I’ve significantly decreased the amount that I use. I used to use oil everyday, sometimes for multiple dishes now I seem to use it only a few times a week at most and I honestly don’t miss it much. As for sugar, I’ve been staying away from dessert for the most part, aside from a cinnamon coffee cake I baked the other night when going to a friends, and the occasional Oreo (Oreo’s are vegan by default by the way) this week, I haven’t been consuming much sugar at all. When I have had that sweet tooth craving I’ve been trying to stick to fruit, a fruit smoothie, or in rarer cases I’ve made a flax milk, or almond milk shake or pudding with banana, chia seeds and a tbsp of cacao powder which I’ve found very satisfying.

Digestion wise I’ve been feeling pretty good over the past couple of weeks, and things seem to be going back to normal, which I’m ever so grateful for. Breads and bread-like things - gluten in general really - is one of the things I’ve been avoiding, hence my not having had waffles or pancakes in a while, so when I felt that urge, I thought since I’ve been feeling better why not indulge a little? Of course I’ve made virtually every waffle and pancake recipe in all the cook books I own, barring a few my husband would have no interest in eating - like say chocolate waffles or pumpkin pancakes - so rather then remaking something I’ve already had a billion times, I thought I might as well create something new. I figured if I was going to break the few dietary rules I’d placed before myself I might as well do it for something original. Thus Apple Cherry Waffles were born, more out of necessity then anything else since I’m running a bit low on groceries at the moment. The surprise is that they turned out brilliantly. Who doesn’t love apples and cherries? Well I know I do, and they work wonderfully together. These aren’t an especially sweet waffle and can be made even less so by opting out of using the sugar, as the fruit - particularly the cherries - may be sweet enough for some. This recipe makes eight square waffles, and they come up thick and fluffy. Truly they taste lovely on their own but if you want to jazz them up - as I always like to do - a little pat of Earth Balance or other non-dairy butter, a drizzle of pure maple syrup and just a light dusting of powdered sugar make these waffles really melt in your mouth.

Another great idea would be to enjoy them with a little bit of fresh sauteed apple or some sauteed fresh cherries. Unfortunately the apple in this recipe was my last, and I didn’t have any cherries on hand otherwise I would have been all over that for sure. Feel free to play around to find your ideal topping, and as always enjoy!

Whole Wheat Apple Cherry Waffles

2 ½ C Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp salt
2 Tbsp Ground Flaxseed
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp Granulated Cane Sugar
2 C Flax Milk (or other non-dairy milk of choice)
1 Tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
3 Tbsp Canola Oil (or other nuteral vegetable oil)
3/4-1 C Chopped Dried Cherries
1 Granny Smith Apple Peeled and Grated

- Combine Apple cider vinegar and Flax milk in small bowl and set aside to curdle.

- Combine all dry ingredients in separate bowl, make well in center.

- Combine Oil with milk mixture then pour into dry ingredients. Mix until thoroughly combined, and a batter has formed. It’s okay if there are a few lumps.

- Add in chopped cherries and grated apple. Mix until just combined.

- Pour batter into lightly greased heated waffle iron and cook per manufacturers directions. My waffle iron makes four waffles at a time, and about 1-1 ½ Cups of batter is good per 1 batch.

*** Note - If you don’t have a waffle iron you could always turn these into pancakes. Scoop 1/4 -1/3 C batter into a lightly greased heated pan cook till bubbly, then flip over and cook until golden brown. Easy! ***

- Enjoy waffles with favorite topping of choice, perhaps with a side of fruit and a tall glass of orange juice and a cup of tea.

Pumpkin Lover's Pumpkin Pie Smoothie...

It happens to us all, I know I’ve been there. You set out to make a pumpkin bread, a pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin muffins or cookies or pumpkin risotto etc... and the recipe only calls for half a cup, or one cup, but the smallest can of pumpkin puree you have is fifteen ounces! So what do you do with the leftovers? You don’t want them to go to waste right? I know I don’t. I usually try to squeeze in as much extra pumpkin as possible, but sometimes that can throw the whole balance of your recipe off. So what are you to do?

Well this smoothie is quick, easy and absolutely perfect. If you like pumpkin pie, or pumpkin anything for that matter you have to try it! It’s a wonderful way to start of a chilly but sunny fall morning. Enjoy it with a bowl of pumpkin seed granola or a muffin, and feel good about starting your day off with a vegetable. Pumpkin is a super healthy vegetable, but so few of us ever eat it on it’s own, or use it in anything except a dessert recipe. So give this a shot and enjoy a little pumpkin power this morning.

Pumpkin Lover's Pumpkin  Pie Smoothie

½ C Puree Pumpkin (Canned or homemade)
1 1/4 C Vanilla Flax Milk (*** See Note)
½ Tbsp Maple Syrup (or to taste)
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
pinch of ginger
pinch of allspice

- Place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Taste for sweetness and adjust as needed. Garnish with an extra dash of cinnamon and a few raw pumpkin seeds.

*** Note: You don’t have to use Vanilla Flax Milk, any non-dairy vanilla milk will do. However I prefer flax milk for this smoothie because it’s super low in calories. Even the vanilla flavor is lower in calories then any other brand of vanilla non-dairy milk I’ve seen. It’s also loaded with omega 3***