Healthy Chocolate Chips Cookies

Gluten ans dairy free!

I’m not really a sweets person, but chocolate chip cookies were always my weakness. For a while now I was on a mission to find a vegan+ gluten-free chocolate chip cookie that does not apologizing for lacking these core and iconic ingredients. GF and vegan options can be SO disappointing sometimes, but deep inside I knew it can be done: it can be delicious and comforting just like the original version!

After many tries, I think I finally have it! I make this recipe often, as it’s so perfect for the afternoon sugar crash, and it passed the “Dave test”, who doesn’t care for gluten+dairy free diet. This recipe doesn’t call for fancy ingredients; it is minimal, easy, quick, and most importantly- makes real yummy cookies.

A few notes/tips:
1. If you are strictly on a gluten/dairy free diet, please CHECK the chocolate chips/candy ingredients, so you are not using a product with gluten/dairy by accident.

2. Make sure the almond butter (or any nut/seed butter you use) is completely SMOOTH and mixed. Usually the oil rises to the top of the jar. You should mix it very well before adding, otherwise the cookies might come out dry.

3. Wait until these are completely cool before trying them out! These will seem to be very soft when you take them out of the oven, but usually they are done after 8-10 minutes. Carefully check the bottom of the cookies for doneness level.

4. These cookies aren’t so sweet on their own… the main sweetness comes from the added chocolate chips. I usually pack them with chocolate chips, but it’s really up to you and your preference. I recommend using mini chocolate chips and not the regular CC, just because it’s easier to disperse evenly around this dough.

Ingredients:
1 flaxseed egg (1 tablespoon flaxseeds + 3 tablespoon water & let sit for 15 min)
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Dash salt
1/2 cup GF oats
1 teaspoon baking SODA
1 cup smooth almond butter (or any nut/seed butter)
1/2 cup GF & vegan mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup M&Ms, walnuts or any other topping. *If using M&Ms it won’t be DF

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350f and line two baking sheets with parchment papers.
2. Stir your almond butter super well, so it’s all smooth and creamy.
3. Mix all ingredients by the list order until well combined.
4. Scoop into balls (usually 16-22 depends on size) and slightly flatten.
5. Bake 8-10 min (depends on oven and size).

Oat vegan pumpkin muffins!

For the past 4 years my breakfast was pumpkin muffins on repeat. Fall, winter, summer, it doesn’t matter! They are sweet, comforting, and a great breakfast on the go. Easy to prepare a dozen before starting the week and running out of time for healthy breakfasts.

Before I did AIP diet I had one favorite recipe (linked here!), but it had protein powder, which I didn’t reintroduce yet! So as soon as I introduced oats back to my life, I found this NEW favorite recipe. So comforting and yummy. I eat two a day…

These are gluten-free, vegan, and can be customized with different toppings like chocolate chips, walnuts, raisins… get as wild as you want!
Ingredients:
Wet:
* 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/3 cup maple syrup or honey
* 2 eggs or flaxseed eggs
* 1 cup pumpkin purée
* 1/4 cup milk of choice (I used almond milk)+ 1 tbs apple cider vinegar
Dry:
* 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice blend
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2+1/2 cup GF oat flour (just grind your oats until they are super fine!)
Instructions:
Mix all wet and dry ingredients separately. Then mix dry and wet together until well combined. Add chocolate chips, walnuts or anything you want!
BAKE at 325F for 25 minutes!

AIP vegan "Queso"

Meet the AIP vegan “Queso” sauce/dip

Who thought a pandemic would be a good time to try new things to benefit our health?

A few months ago, I found myself stuck at home with my gut inflammation that refused to go away. After doing another round of online research, I decided to try the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) Diet. It's an elimination diet, and while I've tried others before I thought to give this one a go. In the *old world* it was really hard to do an elimination diet, especially during long days with work and gigs. Now since I am home all the time, I didn't have any excuses.

I decided I did not want to be hungry despite the limited choice of food you can eat. So, I filled the house with AIP compliant foods and ingredients and spent most of my waking hours researching recipes. I wanted to be creative and have fun with it. I could finally unleash the crazy kitchen scientist in me. 

What did I miss the most? CHEESE. It's impossible to find something to fulfil this craving for cheese. All the vegan cheese replacements have SO many additives that are not allowed in this diet (and things we should avoid in general anyway). I was really shocked by how I couldn't find ONE cheese replacement that didn't have all this sh+t. 

After some trial and error, I created the perfect "queso" that really helps with my cheese cravings. The butternut squash and coconut milk make it creamy, the sweet potato makes it sweet, and the nutritional yeast and salt make it tangy. 

I like it so much that I started to make double batches. Actually, even Dave is hooked and he's not on AIP! 

I hope you like it. Don't forget to tag/comment and let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 cup sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 can butternut squash puree1/2 cup coconut milk ("full fat", usually in a can)
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp sea salt (be generous with the salt. add more if needed!)

What to do:

1. In a medium pot warm the olive oil on low heat
2. Add the diced onion and sauté until soft
3. Add the sweet potato and sauté 3 minutes with the onion
4. Add butternut squash puree and coconut milk and raise the heat to boil
5. Reduce heat and let simmer for 20-30 minutes, until sweet potato is very soft
6. Add nutritional yeast and salt
7. Remove from the stove and with an immersion blender make a smooth dip (a regular blender can work too, it's just more of a mess to clean up)

Serving suggestions:

Siniya recipe (all that Middle Eastern yum)

Making some of the best Middle Eastern dishes can be quite simple. The key is in what you use to make it: basic quality ingredients and specific spices!
This dish recently became one of the staples in my cooking. It’s easy to make, comforting to eat, filling, and most importantly: delicious. I serve it over rice, potatoes, or over a plate of hummus for gluten-free options.

Meat:
1 pound ground beef (or lamb!)
1/2 an onion, diced
1-2 carrots, cut to thin rounds
1 cup cilantro, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons of hawayij*
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste

Tahini sauce:
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup water
Juice from 1/4 slice of lemon
Salt to taste

Directions:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 400F degrees.
2. Heat some oil (about a tablespoon) in a large pan. I use olive oil but it can be any oil of your choice. Sauté the diced onion for about 2-3 minutes until it turns translucent, then add the sliced carrots. Cook until soft.
3. Line a 9x13 oven-proof dish or pan with tin foil.

4. Add the onions and carrots to the lined dish. Add all the spices and mix well.
5. Add the meat and mix very well until it is evenly coated with spices.
6. Add cilantro and mix well again.
7. Make sure the meat mixture is evenly spread in the pan and place in the oven for 20 min.
8. While the meat cooks, make the tahini sauce! Mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a small dish until smooth and runny. It might look weird at first, but keep mixing, eventually it will get to the right texture.
9. Take the meat mixture out of the oven and break up any large clumps of the meat with a fork.
10. Spread with tahini sauce evenly over the meat and put back in oven for 15 min.
11. Eat!

* Don’t feel like purchasing and experimenting with Hawayij? Make your own simple version:
1-1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon cumin
pinch of pepper

Why you should invest in your body NOW

I was raised with the idea that our body is like a car. It needs fuel to function and carry us far. Now, if you knew you have one car, for the rest of your life, wouldn't you give it the best fuel you can find? A car you love, trust, and more importantly NEED for the rest of your life...

(Warren Buffett said it best: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1np5_t24okE)

I think it's time to reflect on what we fuel our body with. Is it really the best fuel we can find? When we talk about quality, do we bring goodness to our body with substantial nourishing ingredients?

Ok, so we are on the same page but you might wonder where to start…?!
Cut foods with no benefits such as: white flour, simple carbs, extra sugary things.

Rather than counting calories, try to give food a hierarchy based on other aspects. Rank foods higher when they are high in fiber or contain whole wheat grains for example. Something that is high in quality protein might have more calories but can be so much more beneficial for your body than something that has less calories and is more processed.

Other examples:
Lettuce is ranked high.
Bagels are ranked low.
Quinoa is ranked high.
Regular pasta is ranked low.

Why is pasta ranked low? It really doesn't offer our body much! It's mainly carbs, but simple carbs, without much nutritional value.
Replace simple things with more nourishing thing. Maybe it's not the fastest and cheapest option, but, it's probably the best investment you can make for your body, and will probably cost you less in the long run. Think about all the medical bills you might have to pay when you are older if you don't eat healthy now!

I want to emphasize that balance is always important to keep in mind. I don't expect anyone to stop eating pasta for the rest of their life! I just want to bring better awareness to the things we put in our body. Be realistic – if you eat regular pasta once a week, try every other week or try switching it to whole wheat pasta, etc. Most importantly, consume less processed stuff and more fresh, high-quality foods.

P.S.- I don't mean to pick on pasta so much! It's just an easy target...

How to survive winter V: Snacks

During winter we really like to snack. Our body wants more energy to stay warm and awake, and our brain translates it to “Let’s eat more sweets!”. Sweets, mostly made of simple carbs and sugar, are a perfect supply of quick energy.

It’s no coincidence that this snacking season is between Valentine’s Day and Easter. It’s all part of a scheme to ruin your New Year’s resolution… or just call it WINTER.

I want to share three snack ball recipes that help me survive this craving without eating crap. My energy level always crashes around 3:30 pm, but two of these SAVE MY DAY. They have different textures and flavors but are all gluten free and vegan.

Enjoy :-)

Vegan GF cocoa protein balls (crunchy)

About 20 balls

1 cup almond flour
4 tablespoons organic raw/vegan protein powder
1/2 cup organic nut butter (almond butter is my favorite)
1/4 cup organic chia seeds
1/4 cup cocoa powder (like Ghirardelli’s 100% cocoa)
2-3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon organic coconut oil

Mix all the ingredients well (I do it by hand). It might not look/feel sticky, but it works! Just keep squeezing it together. Once it’s all mixed shape it into balls and refrigerate.

Vegan GF Truffle Pumpkin balls (crunchy and chewy)

Vegan GF Pumpkin Oats balls (chewy)

Chinese medicine secrets to a balanced gut

There are TOO many diets and nutrition trends when it comes to improving your health through what you eat. 
Chinese medicine has been talking about this for thousands of years, and while their approach is not the most "trendy", and definitely not new, it does talk a lot about a balanced body (and mind!) and the importance of individual needs. In many places this method called "yin-yang" to show the balance of nature and your body in this system.

During the winter season you might think your body craves carbs and sugars. The truth is that your body craves sources of energy and wants to stay warm. You should replace empty carbs and sugary treats with natural warming foods such as squash and lamb dishes, and use spices such as cinnamon, fresh ginger, and chili powder.

According to Chinese medicine, there are four food groups (not counting the neutral group):

cold
cool

warm
hot

Foods are grouped not by their actual temperature, but by what effects they have on a person's body after consumption. The main goal of this method is to keep our body neutral, therefore we should consume foods that will balance our system.

• Inflammations, constipation, and sweat (like night sweats... not the "after workout " sweat) are associated with a "hot" body condition, and in order to balance it you might want to consume "cooling" foods. 

• Chills, bad blood circulation, and weakness are associated with a "cold" body, and the right balance will be with warming foods. 

A few examples for each food group:

Yang foods (hot): Cayenne pepper, dried ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, chili powder, horseradish, eggs, lamb, trout, whole green or red peppers, and alcoholic drinks
Yang foods (warming): Cherries, coconut, squash, raspberries, cauliflower, mustard greens, onion, coffee, garlic, fresh ginger, chestnuts, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, chicken, shrimp, mussels, lobster, turkey, yogurt, and butter
Yin foods (cooling): Apples, bananas, pears, strawberries, broccoli, cabbage, eggplant, spinach, Swiss chard, celery, soybeans, buckwheat, and sesame oil
Yin foods (cold): Papaya, watermelon, grapefruit, tomatoes, asparagus, cucumbers, summer squash, romaine lettuce, seaweed, barley, and tofu

Neutral foods are believed to be nourishing for any body type. Examples of neutral foods are apricots, figs, pineapple, beets, cabbage, carrots, olives, pumpkin, string beans, yams, oats, almonds, peas, peanuts, rice, beef, oysters, pork, whitefish, salmon, sardines, herring, and saffron.  

I recommend this book for more information and complete food lists: Helping Ourselves: a guide to traditional Chinese food Energetic 

There are also plenty of free lists online, but some can be confusing!  Here’s one I find helpful.

When I have an inflammation I try to follow the guidelines of eating cool and cooling foods. I also take medication which helps to solve the problem, but I feel like this system helps my body heal faster and prevent future inflammations.

Fight seasonal carbs/sugar cravings

A friend approached me last week with a request. She noticed she’s craving more carbs and sweets during this time of year. She asked why does this happen now, and most importantly, what can we do to fight it?!

First of all, noticing it is already huge.  

When we get closer to winter, we might feel that even if we eat regular and healthy meals, we crave sweets and foods that are loaded with carbs. In a way, it makes sense! The days are colder, and shorter and our body wants more energy (quick carbs) to maintain a good mood. Carbs supply quick energy and also promote the increased production of serotonin, a hormone that is related to good mood and is also boosted when taking anti-depressants.

Ok, so it makes sense. We crave more carbs and sweets.... what can we do about it?

First of all, there are certain carbs you should try to avoid altogether: "simple carbs" such as white flour, doughnuts, pasta, and white rice.
Why? While we think they help us boost our energy levels, this is only temporary because they also make our energy come and go in waves. These simple carbs tend to raise our blood sugar levels quickly, which usually results in a quick drop of energy that might cause fatigue, headaches, and irritability (aka a "sugar crash").

So... what should we eat?

1. Switch to whole wheat carbs whenever possible

I find it amazing that you can substitute whole wheat flour instead of white flour in any recipe; from pancakes and muffins to bread and pasta. This switch helps us eat more fiber and stay full for longer.

2. Eat more protein!
Similarly to whole wheat options, food rich in protein also helps us stay full and stabilizes our sugar levels. Notice you are eating enough protein with your meals (eggs, beans, cheese, lean meats), and not just a plate of pasta. You can add beans to you salad, snack on veggies and hummus, and always have a yogurt handy for hungry moments.

3. Accommodate your craving strategically

Notice when you crave certain things. Embrace it and plan accordingly. If you notice you crave more sweets at night, eat more healthy during breakfast and lunch. Also try to have healthy snacks mid-day so you are not super hungry during the evening.

4. Follow your cravings down to the basics

Craving peanut butter? Maybe you are low on magnesium.

Craving chocolate? Maybe you need a boost to your mood as chocolate boosts serotonin and dopamine. 

Craving cheese? Maybe you don't eat enough protein or calcium.

Usually our cravings mean something about what our body NEEDS. Try to listen to it, and not just supply it with the immediate and easy solution. See how you can bring relief in the long run.

5. Eat "slow foods"

Make soups and drink tea and coffee. Find recipes for food that takes longer to eat, and is also hot and comforting during colder seasons.

6. Cook whole grain and veggie dishes

You can use warm whole grain dishes to bring satisfaction and comfort to your stomach and soul. Look for recipes that include potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, and grains such as farro, quinoa, barely, and wild rice.

7. Most importantly: make it fun!
Use colorful foods such as purple sweet potatoes and cauliflower, heirloom tomatoes, beets, carrots. All these foods bring nice colors to your plate! Make cooking, and eating fun. Try new recipes that follow your cravings, but also are healthier choices!