This morning, I stopped by Twiggy's Treasure Market, a reasonably priced shop filled with a delightfully eclectic mix of new and old in downtown Brainerd (Minnesota). Since I didn't have an overabundance of time and I was making a sincere effort not to be distracted from my list of errands, I slipped in ever so briefly. My eyes…

Not all pineapple juice is created equal. I discovered that when I gathered my ingredients to make a Coconut Milk Smoothie this afternoon.   As you hurriedly grab a jar of pineapple juice off the grocery store shelf, you read organic 100% juice on the label and off you go… as I did. Now look more closely. The R.W. Knudsen…

I made this dense, yeast-free, super hearty bread from a recipe I found on Heidi Swanson's 101cookbooks.com blog. It's easily adaptable to whatever ingredients you have on hand. The color will vary depending upon what flour you choose to use. Mine gets its dark color from buckwheat flour.   The dough, that is chock full of a variety of grains…

My nearly 93 year-old mother saved this recipe for me from her April 2010 Guideposts Magazine because the ingredients "sounded like me." It is from the issue's The Healthy Cook feature written by Rebecca Katz, senior chef-in-residence and nutritional director at Commonweal Cancer Help Program in Bolinas, California. She is also author of The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen. I made a batch…

To change up today's salad, I made a restaurant-style coleslaw recipe from allrecipes.com. Dick said it is better than any coleslaw he's eaten in a restaurant.  My additions to the recipe are apples, raisins, and raw sunflower seeds.   Coleslaw Rstaurant-Style Makes 8 servings. 1/3 ¼ cup sugar ½ tsp salt 1/8 tsp pepper ½ tsp celery…

  I have challenged myself to plan my meals around what is growing at the present. This spring's unseasonably warm temperatures aided my efforts by supplying me with an earlier than usual cutting of rhubarb. I dug out my favorite rhubarb almond coffeecake recipe and happily utilized my first gift from the soil.  

Sprouting grains and soaking seeds and nuts… This morning, I drained the water from the jars that my raw pumpkin seeds, raw sunflower seeds, and raw almonds had been soaking in overnight. I used them to make a hummus-like spread for bread and crackers. (The sprouting grains are for a different recipe.) Just look at this nutritious…

My committment to eating more seasonally-appropriate foods fell by the wayside today. I am digging deep into my freezer to clean out remnants of the past. I can see this raw cobbler being made with fresh summer peaches in August.   Mango Cobbler Serves 4. (I made smaller servings perfect for little custard cups, so these quantities…

Oh, I am so excited! My Excalibur Food Dehydrator was delivered via FedEx yesterday. For this momentous occasion, I chose a "Take-It-with-You Bar" recipe from Rawsome! Maximizing Health, Energy, and Culinary Delight with the Raw Foods Diet by Brigitte Mars.   Take-It-with-You Bar 1 cup almonds, soaked overnight, then rinsed ½ cup raisins, soaked for…

Here's a mid-afternoon burst of energy with no fat and no sweetener other than from dried fruit. It is a recipe from Jennifer McCann's blog Shmooed Food. Jennifer is author of the book Vegan Lunch Box.    Fruit and Nut Bars 1 cup spelt flour (Arrowhead Mills is a brand that is available in my locale.) 1 cup rolled oats…