Cyd Notter

Author and Nutrition Educator, Founder of The "Plan A" Diet™

Oil-Free Pumpkin Bread (REALLY good)

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In my kitchen, pumpkin bakery isn’t just for fall weather – I love it anytime!

So while searching through my ‘bread’ folder, I came upon this recipe I had printed back in 2010. The time to make it was obviously overdue!

Oil-Free Pumpkin Bread, by www.fatfreevegan.com, was simple to make and I must say it was the most flavorful and moist pumpkin bread I’ve ever baked (the pumpkin was noticeably prominent and yummy).

The recipe calls for “egg substitute equivalent to two eggs.” I made flax eggs. One TBS ground flax and 3 TBS water, blended or whisked until frothy = 1 egg. (So for this recipe, I used 2 TBS ground flax and 6 TBS water, whisked.)

I also used whole wheat flour, and added about 1/2 cup walnuts.

Give this one a try. It’s an official “keeper” in our house, and would probably make great muffins, too!

 

The Best Places to Eat Out

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   Photo on VisualHunt – Greek Basil Wild Rice

If you follow a whole food, plant-based, no-added-oil diet, you know that eating out can be a real challenge!

In this brief video, Dr. McDougall says that “eating out like a war zone!” But he’s right when he suggests that ethnic restaurants are your best bet – Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Thai, and Indian, just to name a few.

Of course, nothin’ beats home cooking for health and variety, but there are ways to eat out without compromising your health.

We’d love to hear some of your tips, too!

 

Chocolate Ice Cream from Squash?

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Are you ready to try something completely different and EASY?

When the Engine 2 Team sent out a blog post showing Five Plant-Strong Squash Recipe ideas, I was eager to look into it because I love to bake squash in the fall. I was NOT expecting to see a recipe for Chocolate Ice Cream, however!

Just five simple ingredients. A bag of frozen squash, 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (or cacao) powder, 1/4 cup almond milk, 1/4 cup maple syrup, and 1 tsp vanilla. Put all into a high-speed blender, using the tamper to mix the ingredients together until it reaches a sorbet consistency.

Don’t do what I did, though. Using a Vitamix, it seemed like the texture wasn’t getting very smooth and impatience got the best of me.  I added more almond milk when I shouldn’t have, and it affected the consistency. It turned out a bit runny but still good. Lesson learned. Give the blender all the time it needs to process everything smooth, which is only a few minutes.

On a scale of 1-10, I’d give this recipe an 8 for flavor, and an 8 for texture (but my fault). My hubby liked it more than I did. Will I make it again? YES. Low-fat, nutritious chocolate ice cream in about 5 minutes? I’m in.

Butternut squash is very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol, and Sodium. It is also a good source of Vitamin C and Folate and a very good source of Vitamin A and Manganese.

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Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

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For the first time in my entire life, I have baked with rhubarb. Now I’m wondering what took me so long!

Even though it’s something I rarely eat, I have always LOVED anything Strawberry Rhubarb (pie, crisp, crumble, whatever). So when I came upon this easy recipe, I decided to finally give it a try.

Distance prevents me from shopping at Whole Foods very often, but I made the trip last week and discovered they had both organic rhubarb (already pre-cut) and organic strawberries on sale. That made the recipe even sweeter!

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp 

3 cups diced rhubarb
1 pound strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/2 cup sucanat (natural cane sugar), divided
1/2 cup plus 2 TBS whole wheat pastry flour, divided
1/4 cup pitted and chopped Medjool dates
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3 TBS orange juice

Preheat oven to 375. Line a 9×9 pan with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine rhubarb, strawberries, 1/4 cup sucanat, 2 TBS flour, and the dates.
In a separate bowl, mix the rolled oats, remaining 1/2 cup flour, remaining 1/4 cup sucanat, walnuts and orange juice. Evenly spread fruit mixture into pan. Top with oat mixture, spreading evenly. Bake 35-40 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. Spoon into bowls and serve warm.

I used a 9×9 silicone pan, so no parchment paper was necessary. I highly recommend this easy recipe….it’s one that’s even special enough for company 🙂

He gave plenty to drink to those who were thirsty.
He filled those who were hungry with good food. (Psalm 107:9, GW)

Do you have a favorite rhubarb recipe? Would love to hear about it! Please reply here.

Probiotics – Yes or No?

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Dear Coach:  I have some stomach issues and I’m hearing a lot about our “gut microbiome” these days.  What does it all means, and does food factor into it?  What is your opinion of probiotics?  Thank you, C.R.

Dear C.R., You’re right that there’s a lot of buzz lately about the health of our guts.  The gut microbiome is the subject of much new research, and we now know which foods are beneficial to our gut, and which foods can lead to problems.

Read about those foods here.

 

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit them together in my mother’s womb.

(Psalm 139:13, TLB)