Gluten Free Vegan Living

As you know, I have been paying more attention to the amount of raw food I have been eating lately.  Thankfully, the benefits of added Raw Food to your diet is becoming more widely known in the health community.

Salads are a pretty easy choice for eating raw foods every day, but variety is also a goal to strive for in your diet.

Today’s featured article is by Joyce del Rosario.  Here is her list of the 8 Raw Foods to Add to Your Diet:

foods that should be eaten raw

1. Coconut … is known to be one of the most effective natural hydrating foods there is, especially when eaten fresh and raw…

2. Leafy greens — Fresh leafy greens like kale, chard and spinach are full of vitamin C that boosts your immune system and also contain chlorophyll, a powerful antioxidant, as well as fiber, enzymes and amino acids

3. Fermented vegetables … are super easy to digest, as the fermentation process ensures that the starches are pre-digested, which makes it easier for your body to absorb the nutrients…

4. Sprouts … are the best “live” food you could eat, and are thought to provide more vitamins, minerals and enzymes per calorie than any other food, cooked or raw.

5. Blueberries … are one of the best sources of antioxidants and are excellent for improving brain function…

6. Nuts — Raw nuts like almonds, walnuts and cashews can lower the levels of bad cholesterol in your blood and are even thought to reduce the risk of blood clots by improving the lining of your arteries….

7. Chia seeds — If you want a food that contains fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, protein, potassium, iron, magnesium and calcium, then the chia seed is going to be your new favorite snack….

8. Cacao — Raw cacao is a great mood booster due to the phyto-chemicals it contains, which explains why so many people turn to chocolate when they are feeling low….

Make sure to check out the original post from This Rawsome Vegan Life for recipes using these raw food ingredients!

I was surprised to find that I am eating many of them, myself!  Hopefully, huckleberries are as good as blueberries — as huckleberries are very popular in the northern Rockies (Idaho state fruit!).  And I need to study and share more info and recipes with fermented foods …. not a big item in my diet.

How many of these nutrient dense raw foods are you eating?

Another segment of My Pantry is set aside for Nuts and Seeds — some of the most nutritious food on the planet!  Nuts and Seeds are important to a Gluten Free Vegan Pantry as they are so useful and versatile  in recipes.

Here is a list of the Nuts and Seeds I keep in My Pantry:

Nuts

• Pecans or Walnuts — Are the staple of nuts as they can be used in baking, numerous salads and dishes.  Can be made into nut milks by mixing with water and ground in a VitMix or blender. (Keep in refrigerator)
• Cashews — Are the base for vegan gravies and a great addition to Chinese style dishes.
• Peanuts — Mostly for snacking or adding to snack foods such as granola and trail mix.

This is the list of the main nuts we use, but there are lots more.  We use to keep Almonds in our pantry until we found out that we were allergic to them.  Other nuts that are good to keep on hand are hazelnuts and brazil nuts.

Seeds

• Pumpkin Seeds — One of our favorites for adding to salads, granola or just for snacking.
• Chia Seeds — I used these mostly in my smoothies.  Chia also work great when you are looking for a ‘gel’ or egg substitute.
• Flaxseeds — I am allergic to flax, but my husband adds these to smoothies (rather than Chia, like me!).  Ground flax seeds also make a great egg substitute (should be refrigerated).
• Sesame Seeds — Use these mostly for making tahini for our hummus (must be keep in the refrigerator)
• Sprouting Seeds — there are lots of different kinds of seeds you can sprout, but we normally keep broccoli and clover seeds on hand for sprouting and adding to salads and stir-fry dishes.

We use to keep lots of sunflower seeds in our pantry, but unfortunately, both Malcolm and I are allergic to them!

Click here, iff you are interested in more info on Edible Seeds.

We buy our nuts and seeds in bulk — they are much cheaper per pound when you buy in bulk.  We keep small amounts in containers, and freeze the rest.  Nuts and seeds that should never be left at room temperature are noted above.  If you have shelf space in your refrigerator, I suggest keeping all you nuts and seed stored there.

What are your favorite nuts or seeds to keep in your pantry/refrigerator?

I have tried lots of Gluten Free Vegan Pancake recipes.  Some were interesting and some …. well, let’s just say, I never made them again.

Over the years, I have taken several different recipes and combined them together to make my own recipe.  Taking bits and pieces of each recipe to suit it to my tastes and nutritional requirements is actually a fun project!

When I developed this recipe, I started with the Apple Pancake recipe my mother used to make when I was younger.  I loved the tastes of apples in pancakes (or any kind of fruit in baked goods!).  Then I looked for Gluten Free ingredients and some extra tasty grains and seeds to add to the nutritional value.

Here is my recipe:

I would suppose you can substitute other fruit for the apple, but this is the way I like it best!!

Finding so many great sounding Gluten Free Vegan recipe, I wonder sometimes if I have posted the same ones more than once.  But then I find a real winner like the Healthy Buckwheat Vegan Muffins recipe.

I specially like this recipe because it used NO ADDED SUGAR!  In my opinion, it make no sense to bake a Gluten Free Vegan cookie, cake or muffin if it is loaded with sugar.  Okay, we are avoiding Gluten and non-vegan ingredients and poisoning ourselves with sugar instead!  So you will NEVER find a recipe loaded with sugar (or soy, for that matter) on this website!!

Okay, I’ll get off my soap box now and share the recipe:

Picture courtesy of http://www.godairyfree.org/recipes/power-vegan-gluten-free-muffin-recipe

READ THE REST OF THE RECIPE NOTES

I would make a few changes to this recipe.

First, I would use Maple sugar (not the honey that is first suggested)

Second, I would use Chia (or Selba) seed rather than the hemp hearts/seeds.  I keep Chia seeds in my pantry all the time whereas I don’t have hemp seeds or hearts around all the time.

But fix the recipe any way you want — it is sure to be great!

If you are interested in more of Alisa Fleming’s recipes, click the link below to view her cookbook

Pancakes are a special favorite of mine.  I love to try different types and recipes — Gluten Free Vegan, of course!  I found this Fruity Gluten Free Pancake recipe on One Green Planet’s website and immediately fell in love with it.

In my standard recipe, I use lots of applesauce and do not add any extra liquid — which works out great.  But this recipe uses whole apples — and bananas too!  What a wonderful combination of flavors!!

Using fruit in recipes eliminates the need for adding sugar — a big plus in my book!!  With the fruit and the nuts along with the dry ingredients makes this a very nutritious pancake!

Since I am allergic to flax seeds and almonds, I would probably substitute Chia seeds and walnuts or pecans.  And I would top with Coconut Nectar Syrup — yummm …. I think I’ll go to the kitchen and whip up a batch of these for lunch!!

Nothing satisfies my hunger on a hot day than a good smoothie.  Yesterday, we featured a Vegan Sugar Cookies Shake.  It seemed fitting to share this healthy Vegan Chocolate Mint Smoothie today!

Mint Chocolate Chip Smoothie

Gluten-free + Vegan

1 cup organic unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or other non-dairy milk of your choice)
1 frozen organic banana (if it isn’t frozen, just add a bit more ice in at the end)
2 cups tightly packed organic baby spinach
1/3 cup tightly packed fresh mint leaves
1 tablespoon ground chia seeds (optional)
2-3 drops of alcohol-free liquid stevia (or any other sweetener of your choice like maple syrup or maple sugar, medjool dates, honey, etc)
1/4 – 1/3 cup dairy-free, gluten-free mini chocolate chips
small handful of ice cubes

Add all of the ingredients except the chocolate chips and the ice to your blender and blend until very smooth and creamy, blend for about 3 minutes. Then add in the ice and blend until there are no large chunks, then add the chocolate chips and give it a few pulses to break them up a bit. Serve immediately. Toss a few chocolate chips or some chocolate shavings on top with a sprig of fresh mint, if you wish.

READ FULL POST

I found it very interesting that the author has 2 full cups of baby spinach in this smoothie.  That is LOTS of spinach!!  But then, spinach is good for you and with the other flavors — chocolate and mint — I assume you do not taste the spinach!

Of course, I would use coconut milk.  And I use Chia seeds in my smoothies, as well, for extra nutrition.

Enjoy!!