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Showing posts from March, 2015

Hot Carob Drink

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  Mmmm hot carob!  Have you tried it?  If not, you might be surprised to know that it is a creamy, dreamy sweet drink-- like cocoa, but creamier and without the bitterness.  And without caffeine. And without theobromine. And, as I discovered, it helps to settle a wonky tummy (otherwise known as 'diarrhea'). Without creating the reverse 'issues' (i.e., constipation). Or, that is what it did in this household. I am not a medical practitioner, just someone looking for a possible help for a problem and finding many indications that a hot carob drink can 'do the trick'. See this article in Healthline , for example. Please check it out with your own health provider. I have baked with carob powder (muffins, cakes, cookies, bliss balls) and carob chips, but hadn't checked out the hot drink. I like it better than cocoa (hot chocolate). THE SIMPLE RECIPE FOR 1 CUP OF HOT CAROB DRINK: For one mug of hot carob: Slowly heat a cup of non-dairy milk on the stove until it

Bread-Making Tips

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Try a simple bread recipe first. Salt and fat both slow the growth of the yeast and should not be added to the yeast mixture until it has grown strong and lively by feeding on sugar and starch. (Too much sugar can also slow the growth) Develop the gluten of the wheat flour in the batter by beating thoroughly before adding other kinds of flour. It is important to do a thorough job of kneading before the first rising. Never fill pans too full.  Give the bread enough room to expand without having to billow out over the sides, causing cracked, over-browned crusts. It is important each loaf is thoroughly baked. (It is better that the loaf is smaller than unbaked) Careful not to "over raise" the bread when in loaf pans.  Bake bread when loaf is approximately double in bulk. Bread should slip easily out of the pan if thoroughly baked. *Bread just out of the oven is difficult to digest.  Bread should be at least 12 hours old before  it is eaten. *Bread freezes well.

Cranberry Orange Bread Recipe (Healthy Choices Cooking Class)

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INGREDIENTS: 3 C.  Orange Juice 1 T. Baking Yeast 1 T. pure Lemon Juice 1 T. Gluten Flour 1/2 tsp. Sea Salt 1 C. chopped Pecans 1 C. dried Cranberries 3 C. Whole Wheat Flour 4 C. Spelt Flour or Unbleached White Flour (or as needed) METHOD: Warm orange juice to above room temperature, but not hot.  Place in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast into orange juice.  Wait 10 minutes, or until yeast bubbles up to the surface. Add remaining ingredients.  Add enough flour so dough is not "sticky". Cover mixing bowl with a towel and set in a warm area.  Allow dough to rise for approximately 1 hour or until double in size. Knead dough, and divide in half into a round loaf and place on a baking sheet that has been prepared using a non-stick spray. Cover loaves again in a clean dish towel and let stand 20 minutes or until double in size. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until golden brown on top. Cool bread on racks. *These loaves freeze well. Makes 2 loaves.  

Healthy Choices Wellness Weekend with Dr. Darlene Blaney, PhD Nutritionist and Lifestyle Speaker

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On Friday March 27th until Sunday March 29th, 2015, our Comox Valley Adventist Church hosted a "Healthy Choices Wellness Weekend" with gracious, much respected, and well-seasoned presenter, Dr. Darlene Blaney.  Darlene has been involved with showcasing the "Adventist Health Message" for many years.   I recall her speaking at a Camp Meeting in Saskatchewan in the '90s when I was a recent convert to the faith, and how impressed I was with her knowledge then.  Since that time she has been involved in the CHIP health and lifestyle outreach  , obtained her Ph.D. in Nutrition, and established Total Health School of Nutrition   where you can study nutrition by correspondence, learn about the vegetarian lifestyle, and receive counseling about any of a legion of modern diseases that often are not properly diagnosed or reversed by orthodox medicine, but that frequently respond to Dr. Blaney's knowledgeable application of traditional and lifestyle methods

Delicious Healthy "Cheez" Sauce Recipe (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

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I ran across this cheezy sauce recipe via Pinterest and have modified it a little (as often happens with online recipes).  It's great to go on baked potatoes, or to use in the preparation of vegan scalloped potatoes, and as a yummy sauce for various veggies.  No cholesterol.  No gluten. No dairy.  Very little fat. No refined sugar.  Guilt-free, pretty much! Spud2Spud - Fantastic Sweet Potato "Cheez" Sauce on a Baked Potato INGREDIENTS: 1 large Sweet Potato 1/3 C. Nutritional Yeast ( not Brewer's Yeast, not Baker's Yeast) 2 tsp. (or more) Garlic Powder (organic if possible) 1/2 tsp. Celtic Sea Salt 1 1/2  C. non-dairy Milk (I used unsweetened Almond Milk) INSTRUCTIONS: Peel and cook up the potato until it is soft Add potato and other ingredients to blender and blend up until smooth and creamy Enjoy this -- feel virtuous!

Cherry-Apple Pecan Crisp (Vegan, Uber-rich)

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Extremely yummy Cherry-Apple Pecan Crisp This particular recipe is a little too rich with nuts and oil to be considered a "classic" Adventist dessert recipe-- but you could cut the oil and leave out the pecans and have a fairly yummy dessert, but... Let's just consider this something to set aside to be eaten in small portions at a celebratory meal instead of cake.  I left the skins on the apples, so there is probably more fibre in this delicious pudding than there is in, say, chocolate cake. But enough of the rationalizing of tastiness... INGREDIENTS: 2 C.     Dark Sweet Cherries, frozen, from Costco 3         Large Tart Organic Apples , cored, chopped into small pieces 1/3 C. Maple Syrup 2 T.     Tapioca Starch (or 3 T. Corn or other Starch) Juice of 1/2 organic Lemon 1 tsp.   Pumpkin Pie Spice or just 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon Topping: 1 C.     G/F  Rolled Oats  (or regular Rolled Oats if Gluten is not an issue) 1/2 C.   Almond Flour or Meal , fir