Sunbutter: A Peanut Butter Alternative

November 19, 2012

I’ve never been a rabid peanut butter fan, though I understand the appeal for a quick and easy, non-perishable, packable protein spread for everything from school lunches to hiking trips to an everyday snack. While I didn’t really dig peanut butter as a child, Sunbutter Sunflower Seed Spread slathered on an apple slice or a banana is one of my favorite adult snacks.

Besides its fame as one of the most common allergens for children, today’s peanut butters are often blended with obscene amounts of sugar, oils, and other additives. Recently, there was a widespread recall of peanut butter, and my husband asked me if we had any in the house to dispose. We haven’t had peanut butter in the house for ages. Even if we had had peanut butter, it would have been organic and therefore not contaminated or subject to the recall. However, we haven’t had peanut butter for years while we’ve enjoyed almond butter and even cashew butter instead. Lately, Sunbutter has won the nut-butter war and has turned into one of our staples.

Sugar free, the sole ingredient in Sunbutter is sunflower seeds. Sunflower seeds are full of anti-inflammatory vitamin E, cancer-fighting selenium and cholesterol-lowering phytosterols, and heart-healthy polyunsaturated fats. Available in regular or organic, Sunbutter offers a nice hit of protein to fill you up and keep you going.

All-Natural, Non-Toxic Stainless Steel Appliance Cleaner

November 16, 2012

The year I spent living in Florence, Italy, taught me a lot about the many uses of olive oil. In cooking classes I learned about using olive oil for cooking, dipping bread, and dressing pasta and vegetables, of course, but it was from my Italian friends and neighbors that I learned olive oil can function as a skin and lip moisturizer, a hair conditioner, and as a grease for a sticky bicycle chain as well. However, no one in Italy ever told me about using olive oil as a cleaner for stainless steel appliances.

non toxic all-natural stainless steel appliance cleaner — Olive oil is a safe, non-toxic, all-natural stainless steel appliance cleaner.

Of course, those were the days before the stainless steel appliance trend, so maybe this was simply an omission of circumstance and nowadays the Italians are all about cleaning their stainless steel appliances with olive oil. If they are not, they should be.

Just a couple years ago, I walked into The Seasoned Chef cooking school in Denver, where I’ve taught cooking classes since 2002, and caught the previous owner and her aid cleaning an enormous stainless steel refrigerator door with olive oil and a soft rag. I was entranced because I can’t stand the toxic smells that pollute my air space and the caustic formulas that seep chemicals through my skin of commercial stainless steel cleaning products. As I watched them using the olive oil, not only were smears, smudges, and grime easily wiping away, but, after a quick buff with a dry cloth, the door was shiny-clean and fingerprint-resistant, too.

And there was no toxic smell!

Try it on your stainless steel appliances and you’ll become an olive oil fan, too.

Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Vegan Cream Pie Recipe

November 15, 2012

A few years ago, a friend passed along a recipe for a dairy-free cream pie that was so scrumptious that I’ve since taken the concept and adapted it to make other variations. It’s a delicious dessert that will wow a crowd of regular eaters as much as those vegans, gluten-free’rs, and raw foodies at your table. I wish I knew from where it originated, but I’ll just have to settle for telling you that I was not the original creator.

You can make the tart in advance all the way through step 2 and complete step 3 just before serving.

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Banana and Coconut Cashew-Cream Tart

Gluten-free, Dairy-free Vegan Coconut Cream Pie — Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Vegan Coconut Cream Pie

Makes 1 nine-inch tart

For Tart Shell:

1 1/2 cups whole pecans
Pinch of coarse sea salt
1 1/2 cups pitted dates
2 teaspoons pure maple syrup

For Filling:

1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight and thoroughly drained
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup, and more to taste
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
3/4 cup desiccated coconut
3 or 4 ripe but firm bananas

1. Make tart shell: Coarsely chop pecans and salt in a food processor. Add dates; pulse until thoroughly combined, 15 to 20 seconds. Add syrup; pulse just until combined and mixture sticks together. Press nut mixture firmly and evenly into a 9-inch pie plate, wetting your fingers as needed. Set tart shell aside.

2. Make filling: Grind nuts to a coarse paste in a blender. Add water, syrup, and vanilla scrapings; blend until smooth, about 5 minutes, scraping sides as needed. Mixture should be the consistency of thick pancake batter. Set aside 2 tablespoons coconut; add remainder to blender, and process to combine. Pour into prepared shell, spreading evenly.

3. Thinly slice bananas on the bias; arrange in slightly overlapping rows, beginning at edge of tart. Sprinkle with reserved coconut; serve immediately.

Delicious Organic Corn Crackers/ Corn Cakes

November 14, 2012

In what’s becoming a snacking theme, I thought I’d share with you what has become one of my go-to crackers: Real Foods Sesame Corn Thins.

A Certified Organic, GMO-free product out of Australia, the only ingredients in these addictive crackers are organic corn, organic sesame seeds, and sea salt. Somehow, these simple ingredients are pressed into thin, crunchy round cakes, similar to rice cakes but about half the thickness. The sturdy round is a perfect server for slices of cheddar cheese (I use goat milk cheddar cheese) or chevre, scoops of hummus, or, my kids’ favorite, smeared with Sunbutter and/or jam.

Wheat-free and gluten-free, these corn thins are a delicious cracker option for those who shun wheat crackers as well as for those who simply want something clean and different than regular crackers or rice cakes.

I first encountered Real Foods Sesame Corn Thins at a Shaw’s last summer in Wareham, Massachusetts, but I’ve since rediscovered the green and yellow cylinder in my local Vitamin Cottage Natural Grocer’s shelves. They are worth seeking out.

A Healthy Snacking Option: Seaweed Snacks

November 12, 2012

One of our favorite snacks at our house are toasted seaweed strips.

These irresistibly crunchy, salty, flavorful strips of nori are the same toasted seaweed wrappers used for making sushi rolls, cut into 3″ strips for snacking and often flavored with teryaki, sesame, or spicy chiles. You can find them in large plastic jars or smaller wrapped packets. Check the labels before choosing as some brands will contain added MSG and others may contain wheat and soy, if those are issues for you.

Like any leafy green vegetable, seaweed is a powerhouse of nutrition. For snackers, fat- and cholesterol-free seaweed offers soluable fiber, protein, and loads of calcium to make this a feel-good munchy. Seaweed’s bounty includes Vitamins A, C, E, and K, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Phosphorus, Riboflavin, Folate, Iron, Magnesium, Copper, Manganese, and hard-to-get iodine.

High sodium levels may concern some, but look for those strips seasoned with sea salt rather than regular salt and you may not experience as much water retention as from eating other salty foods.

Sunbutter: A Peanut Butter Alternative

All-Natural, Non-Toxic Stainless Steel Appliance Cleaner

Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Vegan Cream Pie Recipe

Banana and Coconut Cashew-Cream Tart

Delicious Organic Corn Crackers/ Corn Cakes

A Healthy Snacking Option: Seaweed Snacks

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