The first time I made this breakfast many years ago my friends and family thought I was crazy. Eating a bowl of mainly chopped fruits and seeds covered in banana nut milk? It was unheard of. Cereal was cereal and there was a hard and fast rule that it needed to dry, contain grains, and come from a box. But like so many other culinary parts of our lives, breakfast had evolved with better choices, quick and easy solutions, and fresh ideas. Enter my little (actually big) bowl of unconventional cereal and milk. It’s not only better for you, it’s also smart, trendy, and thoroughly enjoyable. This natural breakfast will […]
Asian Coleslaw with “Crispy” Forbidden Rice and Sweet Ginger Dressing
Black Forbidden Rice is the new rage in grains. At least it should be. It’s the most exotic, spellbinding grain I’ve ever encountered. I find myself littering a whole lot of dishes with it, especially salads. While I love the rice just soaked or cooked, it was a while before I tried turning the gorgeous grain into crispy and crunchy rice that was quickly scooped into this super healthy Asian Coleslaw. And if there’s anything I love, it’s chopped salad with crunch. The first time I heard about Forbidden Rice was at a gluten-free website several years ago. I can’t remember which site it was but I was intrigued by the black/purplish […]
Black Quinoa with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Tomato Mint Chutney
I am always up for trying new things but somehow missed out on black quinoa until just recently. It was an unusually hectic end of the week and I was scurrying through the pantry looking for a quick last minute dinner. I was drawn to a bag full of black sesame seeds (or so I thought). I pulled out the bag and realized it was black quinoa. I recognized the shape and knew it couldn’t be anything else. How had I forgotten about these intimidating little grains in my pantry? I need to try them. Now. I was feeling very capricious. Maybe things have gotten too complacent. Or maybe it […]
Glazed Chili Chocolate Cake Brownies
These brownies. are. so. serious. They don’t mess around. They just deliver….candied hot-spiced chocolaty-intense luxurious sweetness that’s impossible to resist. When I made these, here was the scenario: take that plate away from me, no bring it back, I ate too many, just one more bite, let’s make another batch. So how did this little scenario end? I went into the kitchen and made another batch. Life’s too short for regrets, right? The inspiration for these brownies was a spiced carob pudding I made several years ago. For that particular pudding I used avocado as the base and added chili spices, cacao and coffee. It was incredibly edibly good. […]
Rosemary “Cheese” Crackers with Oregano Hemp Dip
I don’t even remember the first time I made these crackers, but I do remember why. Several years ago I was perusing a health food site and stumbled on some information about raw blanched almond flour. It sounded too good to pass up so I ordered a bag of it: a 5-lb. bag. At that time this particular brand was the only source and you had to order it in bulk. I felt pretty lucky to even get it. When my order arrived I was agog at how huge the bag was. My first thought was what on Earth was I going to do with all that flour. Keep in […]