When I need a sweet boost in recipes I’ll always turn to fruit or stevia first (whole natural foods = yay!), but when those foods simply can’t pull the weight, it’s palm sugar comes to the rescue. I teamed up with superfoods company Navitas Naturals a couple weeks ago — who offers organic palm sugar — and shot this fun Navitas-style video for their “Chef’s Notes” video series. In this video we discuss what makes palm sugar so easy to love, how to use it, and showcase my mini-recipe for Palm Sugar Limeade as well (it’s a winner). You can find Palm Sugar in natural food stores and also online.
The brownie universe isn’t exactly full of surprises. The combination of sugar, butter, flour, chocolate, eggs, a few extraneous ingredients, plus a little oven time, inevitably leads to some form of brownie action. Of course, the resulting degree of deliciousness is all in the details — just talk to the adamant nut-adders, the chocolate chip enthusiasts, or the “fudgy” versus “cakey” people that can seemingly never agree. Yet, by and large, the language of brownies is pretty much the same: delicious chocolate squares that just about everyone loves. Including me.
But I have a secret. With the exception of chocolate (which can be profoundly beneficial in its unprocessed form), I don’t use any of the “conventional” ingredients in my homemade brownies. In fact, I don’t even bake them. (I know — what a rebel.) Instead, by using exclusively natural, whole foods, the inherently gorgeous flavor of each healthy ingredient does all the sweet singing — without needing the crutch of sugar or butter. Undercover health benefits like antioxidants, good omega fats, potassium, magnesium (and more) nutritionally rank this dessert as more of an energy bar than an “extra 20 minutes on the treadmill indulgence.” Best of all, five ingredients plus five minutes is all it takes to go from zero to brownie.
Oh, and as for their decadent texture? Simply put: go team “fudgy.” Here’s the printable recipe.
Barbecues are always a hot thing to do, but with the increasing amounts of celebration surrounding a vegetarian diet, the grill game’s a-changin’. Whether you’re a proud member of the plant-based parade or just have some veg-inclined people on the guest list, chances are your veggie burger skills will be tested at some point during the warm season.
The good news is the rules are few in the “science” of making veggie patties. Pick delicious ingredients, mash ‘em up, form into patties, and throw on the grill (or skillet). The best part? Veggie patties are profoundly forgiving when it comes to perfecting a recipe. Sneak a taste before cooking and if you’re not quite in love, just mash more goodness into the mixture to cover any mistakes. While we’re at it, here’s some pointers to help make your whole food-minded mission a success, and help you build a better veggie burger.
How to construct a winning veggie patty:
The base: Choose protein-rich or savory whole foods to provide the main “meat” of the burger. Different types of beans, seeds, nuts, tofu, and mushrooms work well. Grains and pseudograins like rice or quinoa may also be added, but if you’re eventually putting burger inside a bun, don’t turn your burger into a “second bun” by packing it too heavily with grains.
The chew: Sneak a few extra minced veggies into the mix and add extra textural interest, flavor, and sneaky nutrition. Onions, carrots, celery, corn, peas, and even sun-dried tomatoes can all add tasty complexity.
The seasoning: Any from-scratch burger wouldn’t dare be complete without some seasoning and spice. Try a combination of fresh herbs, like oregano, parsley, and thyme, and don’t be afraid of raiding the spice cabinet too for some grill-worthy spices like cumin or chili powder. A little sea salt is usually friendly too.
The binder: All your choices may taste great, but they won’t be doing anyone good if they’re sitting in broken pieces on the bottom of the grill. A binder is the all important ingredient that sticks all your choice yumminess together. Two favorites in this category: flax seeds and chia seeds (ground up is preferred). Also useful are algae and seaweed — like kelp or Irish moss — which are mineral-rich natural foods whose high concentration of mucilage takes the place of less desirable ingredients like corn starch.
Here’s one of my go-to burger recipes that seems to always meet with approval and cheers:
Chia Bean Burgers
These patties can also be pre-cooked, then gently warmed as needed.
INGREDIENTS:
15 oz cooked black beans (unsalted)
1¼ cup cooked brown rice
4 oz extra firm tofu, minced or crumbled fine
¼ cup Navitas Naturals Sprouted Chia Powder (or ground chia seeds)
¼ cup nutritional yeast
1½ tsp fresh oregano, minced (or ½ tsp dried)
1 tsp palm sugar
1 stalk celery, minced
1 carrot, minced
½ cup minced yellow onion
3 Tbsp organic soy sauce or Nama Shoyu
DIRECTIONS:
With a potato masher or the back of a fork, mash the black beans in a large bowl into a chunky puree. Mix in the remaining ingredients, one at a time. (Alternately, pulse ingredients together in a food processor). Form into 8-10 patties and refrigerate for about an hour.
Patties may be brushed with oil (coconut oil works well) and placed on a grill, or place into a well greased frying pan and cooked over low heat for several minutes on each side. Makes 8-10.
Variation: Soak 2 Tbsp dried wakame flakes for 20 minutes. Drain and mash into the mixture before cooking. Wakame adds an extra strong punch of trace minerals and a light savory flavor.
Oh, and my Portobello Burger Patty is another drool-worthy favorite – and can even be made using a dehydrator. Whoa!
I sharply remember the battles of preschool naptime. All of us classmates, lying on the floor atop of big blue vinyl-coated foam mats in a small room darkened by curtains, coaxed into a daytime sleep. Was no one else aware there was playing that needed to be done? Would no one rebel with me? I fought as hard as I could while lying there, with a carefully honed foot fidgeting technique that was casual enough to seem accidental, yet frequent enough to send a clear message “I am not asleep.” Being a little kid is tough sometimes.
But vintage naptime had one good thing going for it that even my 3 year old self could appreciate: the post-sleep graham cracker snack. This was a very exciting point in the day, where if our 30 minutes of rest was a success, we each received 2 crackers (which broke into a total of 8 rectangles) accompanied by a glass of juice. The world was a much better place when there were graham crackers around.
No extra motivation is needed for naps these days, but the graham cracker lure has far from ceased. I mean, just think about them: kinda like a cookie, kinda like a biscuit, it’s always a good time for a graham cracker – am I wrong? I like to make mine with buckwheat flour – one of my favorite flours to use for its generous flavor. This is definitely graham cracker version 2.0 (and also free of gluten and dairy), with a revamped ingredient set including ground flax for extra nutrition, sweet mesquite powder for extra flavor and protein, palm sugar for a brown sugary goodness that has less of a glycemic impact, and coconut oil because, well, coconut oil is just good in everything. These are really, really good – and even better with a smear of almond butter. You can also add in a bit of cinnamon for a spiced-up twist. Playtime.
Buckwheat Graham Crackers
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups buckwheat flour
¼ cup mesquite powder
¼ cup ground flax seeds
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
½ cup palm sugar (date sugar may be substituted, or sucanat)
1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
¼ cup maple syrup (grade b, if possible)
¼ cup coconut oil
2 Tbsp vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS:
In a food processor,* pulse all the dry ingredients together, including the sugar, until combined. Add in the remaining wet ingredients, and process until a dough has formed. If dough is too dry, add additional almond milk, one tsp at a time. Dough will be firm and slightly sticky. Divide in half and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place one chilled dough half on a large piece of floured parchment paper (use additional buckwheat flour or preferred kind). Place a second piece of parchment paper on top, and use a rolling pin to roll very flat – about 1/8 inch thick. Place on a baking sheet, and carefully remove top layer of parchment. Using a pizza cutter or ravioli roller (or simply a knife), cut the dough into squares. Use a fork to score the crackers with decorative dots. Repeat with second dough half and place on a second baking sheet. Bake crackers for 22-28 minutes or until dried out but not burned. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then place crackers on a wire rack to finish cooling and become crisper. Makes about 5 dozen 2” crackers, and will keep in an airtight container for about 2 weeks.
*You can mix all of this by hand, but it’s infinitely easier with a food processor
Ever wanted to be a hero? Just bring someone a warm mug of hot chocolate and it’s pretty much the same thrill. The ooohs, the ahhhs, the first slurp, and the inevitable look of pure gratitude and appreciation. That’s the power of hot chocolate. Love in a mug.
Since my good ol’ Southern California home isn’t exactly designed for the makings of a picturesque white Christmas, the past week I’ve taken it upon myself to maintain festive cheer the one way I know best: sharing good food. Steamed local cauliflower and hearty kale salads have become some of the staples for dinner, and it’s inevitable that the almond gingerbread men and acai berry fudge plate gets at least 3 visits a day.
But the big hit this season has been, indeed, in the hot chocolate category: my uber awesome recipe for Candy Cane White Hot Chocolate.
Homemade, using ingredients you can feel really good about, and scoring 1000% on the “special” test, make this delight for yourself and those you love and tell me you don’t see smiles. Luxuriously creamy and sweet with a tickle of candy cane flavor, this warm drink is like confronting a polar bear who (instead of being big and scary) was really friendly and gave you a belly rub and a candy cane for your time. I know these things.
Happy Holidays & Good Tidings!
I’m one of those people who gets really excited about Thanksgiving. I love the experience of everyone stopping all the fancy, important, day-to-day-life-stuff, and for just a little while, taking the time to focus on what’s really important: eating ridiculous amounts of good food spending time with the ones you love and being appreciative of what life has in store.
I’d post a recipe today, but the kitchen calls! I have a brand new cooking video to share, so check back soon. In the meantime, I hope you have a deliciously wonderful holiday, wherever this finds you.
I wish I had a brownie for every time I’ve been informed that eating naturally is simply too hard. While making fancy shmancy meals can be a fun project, uber delicious healthy food doesn’t have to be complicated…
Undercover health benefits like antioxidants, good omega fats, potassium, magnesium (and more) nutritionally rank this dessert as more of an energy bar than an “extra 20 minutes on the treadmill indulgence.” Best of all, five ingredients plus five minutes is all it takes to go from zero to brownie.
One of my favorite experiments thus far turns out to be one of the easiest: Red Raspberry Popsicles – enhanced by date syrup that’s added just before freezing so it stays in tight little flavor pockets throughout the popsicle. Heaven brought to you by your freezer, and an ideal summertime treat. Here’s how to make them.
Agave recently has been under fire with negative backlash all across the health-food spectrum. But is agave really that bad? Can it be compared to high fructose corn syrup? Should we go out of our way to avoid it? Let’s take a look.
I’m one of those people who gets really excited about Thanksgiving. I love the experience of everyone stopping all the fancy, important, day-to-day-life-stuff, and for just a little while, taking the time to focus on what’s really important: 
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