Month: July 2013

FODMAP & Family Friendly Blueberry Pancakes (vegan & gf)

Posted on by bodyofsunshine

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I have been on a FODMAP cooking spree! This FODMAP stuff is so crazy. I looked through all my recipes only to find that my recipes (and most recipes for that matter) would basically be poison to someone sensitive to FODMAP’s.
Most of my recipes call for at least one of the following:
garlic
onion
avocado
fruit
kale
apple cider vinegar

All that = poison

Also an interesting tidbit about FODMAPers, they can have pure cane sugar but NO agave nectar, honey, dates, molasses, applesauce, banana or anything that I would normally use to sweeten foods without using sugar. Crazy. They can also eat all the cheese, meat and eggs they want pretty much.

Well wipe your tears because I’m starting my FODMAP series out with blueberry pancakes! Just a modification of my normal blueberry pancakes except I used GF flour, cut the blueberry amount in 1/2 and used coconut oil instead of canola oil. I actually only did that because I was out of canola oil and let me tell you, IT IS SO GOOD! It gives the pancakes a crispy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside effect. Good stuff.

Before I get to that, want to see a picture of Lilly? She just had a birthday and is officially 10 years old now and deaf and partially blind. Poor Lilly. Good thing she spends 98% of her time sleeping.

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She is apparently also unable to support herself with her muscles and must lean on a wall to sit up.

This syrup seems to be a good one for FODMAPers since it’s made from sugar. Only a little though since raspberries are high in FODMAPs.

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Ok, recipe time!

FODMAP & Family Friendly Blueberry Pancakes (vegan & gf)

1 cup King Arthur’s Gluten Free baking flour mix
1/4 cup buckwheat flour (or more King Arthur)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1 1/2 cups sweetened vanilla almond milk (make sure it’s sweetened only with sugar)
1/2 cup frozen blueberries, chopped (optional if very sensitive to this food group)

Pre-heat a frying pan over medium to medium-low heat. In a large mixing bowl sift together all the dry ingredients. Add all the wet ingredients and stir just until combined.
Fold in the blueberries.

Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup add the batter to the heated frying pan. Use a nonstick cooking spray if your pan requires it.

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FODMAP’s

Posted on by bodyofsunshine

WTH is a FODMAP???

It’s the latest thing in food sensitivities and I think it’s here to stay since it’s estimated that it affects 1 out of 7 people. Let me explain…

Every week I have people telling me about their food related tummy troubles.

Usually the people I talk to about this are frustrated because they can’t figure out what is causing their gas, bloating and general twisted-up-ness.

They start pointing their finger at gluten, alcohol, sweets, dairy…but eliminating those foods still doesn’t help.

Enter FODMAP’s.

FODMAP is an acronym for a group of foods that are poorly absorbed in the small intestine and therefore cause gas, bloating and other un-pleasantries. It’s a long and random list of foods. So someone who is sensitive to FODMAP’s will continue to suffer until they figure out exactly what group they are sensitive to. I am not a dietitian or a doctor. I just stumbled across this FODMAP business and thought of everyone I’ve spoken to over the years who suffered from seemingly random tummy trouble and so I had to share this information. It also makes me think of all the people I know who pound antacids because they feel “bloated” and everyone out there on prescription medications for GERD. Folks, you could be sensitive to FODMAP’s!! And if you are, that’s ok. It’s going to be the latest craze in nutrition. I’m sure of it.

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I won’t list all the foods here because it’s a long and complicated list. If you have chronic tummy trouble, google FODMAP and see if it sounds like you. If it does, buy a book, read up on it and do the 2 week elimination diet and see if you feel better. If you do the elimination and feel better, then you have FODMAP sensitivity! And from there you can start adding foods back in until you figure out the culprit.

Here’s a really short list of high FODMAP foods (meaning, foods that could be causing tummy trouble)

gum
garlic
fruit
honey & agave nectar
high fructose corn syrup
onions
beans
avocados
wheat bread & pasta
broccoli
asparagus
milk
yogurt

Like I said, that’s a super abbreviated list. The real list is much more complicated than that. I just wanted to give a snapshot of how random the foods are to illustrate how someone could be eating an extremely healthy diet but be living in absolute misery every day since those foods are very common and something we eat nearly every day.

Foods like eggs, meat and cane sugar are very low in FODMAP’s so it can be a little tricky to eat healthy if you are sensitive to this group.

That’s where I come in. I am going to start a FODMAP page on my blog and try to come up with FODMAP friendly recipes for anyone who might be sensitive to these items but still wants to eat delicious, healthy food.

My head is swimming with ideas already so stay tuned as I start posting these creations!

Cilantro Lime Rice

Posted on by bodyofsunshine

I was dead tired yesterday. You know that feeling where around 4pm you are just counting down the hours until it’s bed time? I felt like that. Not because I had been doing anything wild or strenuous either. We just stayed up until about 2am hanging out with some friends, watching the movie 21 Jump Street. Hilarious movie by the way.

At the end of the night our friends sent us home with a bunch of “Chocolate Mouse Tuxedo Cake” or something like that. So not plant based. But soooo good. I decided to eat that cake for breakfast the next day because I reasoned that breakfast was the appropriate time of day to eat a tank load of sugar. Naughty, I know. Tsk tsk. About 20 minutes later I had a killer stomach ache and felt like I was going to go into a coma brought on by the type 2 diabetes I had just given myself. So, if you did any dumb things like that over the 4th of July weekend just know you are not alone!

But today is a new day!

Here is a really easy, tasty recipe for Cilantro Lime Rice, just like you would get in a restaurant, minus the grease. I used a rice cooker. The rice cooker is one of my all time favorite kitchen appliances. Cooking rice, quinoa or any grain is a pain on the stove top. You have to watch it constantly, it burns sometimes and who knows how much liquid to put in? With a rice cooker, you just throw everything in and it comes out perfect every time. If you don’t have a rice cooker, first, consider getting one. But second, go ahead and make this on the stove top. Just look up instructions on how to cook rice.

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Cilantro Lime Rice
3 scoops brown rice (the scoop the rice cooker comes with. 3 scoops is equivalent to 2 1/4 cups)
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic
1 bunch cilantro

Chop off the last few inches of the cilantro stems and discard. In a food processor, or by hand, chop up the remaining bunch of cilantro, stems and all.
Place all ingredients, including the cilantro in the rice cooker (or pot). Add water to the 3 fill line on the rice cooker. Give it a stir. Press start. When finished cooking, stir again.

I’ll be eating this rice with my Spicy Tempeh Strips and grilled Zucchini for lunch this week. 🙂

Here is a picture of Lilly on a walk!

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So tiny and lazy!

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And so cute!
Have a glorious (and healthy) week!

Coconut Buckwheat Pancakes with Peanut Butter “Syrup”

Posted on by bodyofsunshine

Temperatures in Salt Lake hit over 100Ëš this weekend which is just about the temperature where it’s too hot to do just about anything except for a few hours in the morning. I know it gets much hotter in other parts of the country. I’m not complaining. I was just trying to make an excuse for sleeping in on Saturday morning and then making pancakes instead of going out and doing something productive. Making pancakes is productive. 🙂

Good news on these pancakes. Buckwheat is gluten free! And these babies are sweetened with a banana. That means these are pretty legit healthy pancakes. And then I made a peanut buttery topping perfect for anyone avoiding sugar or trying to cut down on sugar.

I used coconut in the pancakes and coconut oil in the syrup. You might be wondering why. Especially considering coconut oil is saturated fat and isn’t saturated fat bad for you? Well, let me explain! I’ve been reading a lot of literature lately that suggests we NEED to eat more fat, especially good fats and even saturated fat like the kind in coconut oil. This is a really great article for anyone who struggles to lose weight despite dieting efforts. Also good for anyone who craves sugar or stores fat around the middle section.

Ok, back to the pancakes!

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Mmmm, a peanut butter action shot!

Coconut Buckwheat Pancakes
1 1/2 cups buckwheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 ripe, well mashed banana
1 1/2 cups almond milk (or soy, rice, hemp milk)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon canola oil (or other oil)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (unless you are using a vanilla flavored milk, then only use 1/2 teaspoon)
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

First, combine the milk and apple cider vinegar in a bowl or measuring cup. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes while you assemble the other ingredients. The vinegar makes the milk curdle in a magical way which is why this recipe does not require an egg.

Next, combine all the dry ingredients except for the coconut in a mixing bowl.

Start pre-heating your frying pan on medium heat.

Add the mashed banana, oil and vanilla to the curdled milk and combine. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and combine. Food the coconut flakes in. If the batter is too thick (mine was) thin it out with a little more milk.

Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup pour the batter into the heated frying pan. Use cooking spray if your pan needs it.

Peanut Butter “Syrup”
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup coconut oil
A squirt of two of honey, maple syrup or whatever sweetener floats your boat (optional)
In a microwave save bowl (or stove top) heat the peanut butter and coconut oil. Stir until smooth. Add in a little sweetener to taste, if your diet allows.

Have a great week and happy almost Independence Day!