If you recall the recent cocoa brownie post then you know that I made three different desserts in one day. (All from the Clean Start cook book.)

In addition to the brownies, I tried the black currant plum crisp. This one turned out to be simple and delicious too! And it serves as a great basis for a crisp recipe that you can get creative with by adding different fruits.

The black currant and plums were tasty, but the plums I used made it a bit too tart. I decided that I want to try it with peaches and with apples to see if I like either of those more. I also sprinkled cinnamon on top which I think made it even tastier.

I couldn't find ivory teff flour at my local Whole Foods so I had to use brown, which I believe tastes the same but makes the crisp darker in color. (That is why the picture in the book looks lighter than mine.)

Here is Terry Walter's delicious and easy recipe:

FILLING

2 1/2 pounds plums (10-12) (Like I said, I think peaches and apples are good options too!)

1/2 cup dried currants

2-3 dashes ground nutmeg

Pinch of sea salt

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup ivory teff flour

CRISP

1 cup almond meal

1 cup ivory teff flour

1/4 cup sliced almonds

Pinch of ground nutmeg

Pinch of sea salt

1/4 cup virgin coconut oil

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

PREPARING FILLING

Leaving skins on, halve plums, remove and discard pits and slice into thin wedges (about 1/4 inch thick). Place in large mixing bowl and set aside.

In small pot over medium heat, place currants with just enough water to cover, bring to boil and simmer 5 minutes to soften and plump. Drain well and add to bowl with plums. Ad nutmeg and salt, and stir. Add maple syrup and teff flour and stir until plums are evenly coated and ingredients are combined. Pour mixture into 8x8-inch casserole and set aside.

PREPARING CRISP

Using same mixing bowl, combine almond meal, teff flour, almonds, nutmeg and salt. Over low heat, melt coconut oil in small skillet. Remove from heat, whisk in maple syrup and vanilla and pour over flour mixture. Stir to combine and crumble over plum mixture.

Bake 45 minutes or until top is golden brown and plums are soft. Remove from oven, and cool slightly before serving.

Serves 6. Enjoy!

Posted in Delicious and Health Recipes - Three Branches Healthy Living - Recipes By Kelly | 403 Comments

I threw together a super-simple, last-minute meal that ended up tasting surprisingly well-planned. I listed the veggies I used, but honestly, it's what I had fresh on hand. So get creative and adapt to your taste. We've decided it's the perfect recipe for our not-so-keen-on-vegetarian-meals friends. The best part of this one-pot-wonder (besides the taste) is the easy clean-up! :)

Ingredients:

3.5 cups water

1.5 cups rice

1 zuchinni

1 squash

1 onion

Handful okra

Handful mushrooms

Few stalks kale

Pink Salt

3 defrosted/fresh organic chicken breasts

Directions:

Put all the ingredients in a casserole dish (I used an oval Le Creucet) in the order listed above. 

The chicken breasts will just sit on top, shown above. Bring water to a boil and let sit for 10-15 minutes while you pre-heat the oven to 400. Cook for 1 hour, covered. I tore up a dried Nori sheet (seaweed found at most healthfood stores) and added it atop each finished bowl before serving. Serves about 4.

Posted in Delicious and Health Recipes - Three Branches Healthy Living - Recipes By TB Admin | 27 Comments

I was asked by my sister to make some healthy desserts so she wouldn't eat a bunch of unhealthy desserts full of white flour, white sugar, and butter when she got a sweet craving. So, I made three different desserts for our Fourth of July family celebration and I think the favorite of the bunch was the cocoa brownies.

I got the recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, Clean Start, that we have blogged about plenty of times. They were so easy to make so I highly recommend trying them out!

And just as a side note, I thought they actually tasted better the next day so you could bake them the night before you plan to eat them.

Here is the recipe...

1/2 cup grated apple or applesauce

8 pitted dates

1 ripe banana

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup brown teff flour

1/2 cup almond meal

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat over to 350 degrees F and lightly grease 8 x 8 inch baking dish. (I used coconut oil for this.)

In food processor, combine applesauce, dates, banana, maple syrup and vanilla until almost smooth, but with some chunks of dates remaining. In separate bowl, combine teff flour, almond meal, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix as briefly as possible to incorporate all ingredients. Transfer to prepared baking dish and bake 25 minutes or until top appears slightly dry. Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool completely before cutting and removing from pan.

Makes 16 ooey, gooey brownies

Posted in Delicious and Health Recipes - Three Branches Healthy Living - Recipes By Kelly | 135 Comments

My husband and I adore Indian food. The spiciness, the mushier consistency, the intense flavors, the curries...we love it all! To reward the end of his week at a new job, I took a stab at this delicious and simple recipe from The Healthy Green Kitchen: Homemade Dosas (Indian pancake) with curried chickpeas (aka, garbanzo beans). We don't eat wheat (unless it's sprouted...we go through a loaf of Alvarado St. bread a week!) so this spelt version of regular pancakes was PERFECT. We're not vegan by any stretch, but it's a great recipe for those who want to avoid eggs. For the filling, I used Eden organics canned beans, but know that these would have been 10x better had I made chickpeas from scratch...

Also, I was pressed for time so didn't get to make the coconut curry sauce. Will and I agree it would add an even greater flavor to this already delicious dish. I included it at the bottom...

This recipe really is simple...don't let the lengthy ingredient lists scare you. I found it easiest to make the dosa batter and let it sit while I got the curried chickpea filling going. While I made the pancakes, I left the filling on low heat to keep it warm.

Curried Chickpea Filling

You can halve this recipe to make enough for about two. If you do the whole recipe, you will end up with a lot of filling, but the curried chickpeas are really tasty as leftovers over rice or quinoa.

Filling Ingredients
5 cloves garlic
1 onion, peeled and finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 green pepper, finely diced (red, yellow or orange are fine too)
2 medium hot banana chilies, minced
2 Tb. cumin, ground
1 Tb. oregano
1 Tb. sea salt (coarse)
1 Tb. turmeric
4 cups (30oz) cooked or canned chick peas (about 2 cans)
½ cup (4oz) tomato paste (use organic!)

Filling Directions:

Heat a large saucepan over medium to low heat. Add the garlic, veggies, and spices, cooking until soft, stirring occasionally.

Mash the chickpeas by hand, or in a food processor. Add the chickpeas and tomato paste to the saucepan, stirring until heated through. If you're using canned chickpeas, you may want to cook them a little more...I like mine a little mushier than the canned ones often are.

Indian Dosa Pancakes

Dosa Pancakes Ingredients:
1 cup spelt flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder (aluminum-free)
½ tsp curry powder
½ cup almond milk (or coconut or rice)
¾ cup water
coconut oil/ghee to coat the pan

Dosa Pancakes Directions:
Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, slowly adding the almond milk and water, whisking until smooth.

Heat skillet over medium heat. Coat with a thin layer of oil.

Ladle 2 tablespoons of batter into the center of your pan in a circular motion until it is a thin, round pancake.

When bubbles appear on the surface and it no longer looks wet, flip it over and cook for a few seconds.

Remove from heat and repeat with remaining batter.

Taken straight from Healthy Green Kitchen.

Coconut Curry Sauce

I cut my veggies, including the onions, into fairly large chunks; you might want to cut yours smaller. This is a yummy sauce and I think leftovers would be great over noodles, grains, or even steamed veggies.

Coconut Curry Sauce Ingredients:
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic
½ tsp cumin, ground
¾ tsp sea salt (coarse)
3 Tb. curry powder
3 Tb. spelt flour (omit if sensitive to gluten)
3 cups vegetable broth/water
2 cups coconut milk
3 large tomatoes, diced

Coconut Curry Sauce Directions:
Heat a saucepan over medium heat, add the onion and garlic, cooking for 5 minutes, or until soft.

Add the spices, cooking for 1 minutes more. Add the flour and cook for 1 additional minute.

Gradually stir in the vegetable broth to prevent lumps. Once the flour has been incorporated, add the coconut milk and tomatoes, stirring occasionally. Let it simmer for half an hour.

Posted in Delicious and Health Recipes - Three Branches Healthy Living - Recipes By TB Admin | 388 Comments

Millet Fried “Rice”

No, really, this stuff is goooooood! Will (the husband) was blown away the first time we made it, went back for "thirds" and thinks it deserves a standing position in our weekly dinner rotations. A delicious version of the typical veggie fried rice you'd find at a Chinese restaurant, except HEALTHY, low-fat and high in protein and fiber! The veggies listed below are just guidelines...switch and swap as you please. Be creative with whatever you have in the fridge!

• 2 tablespoons oil of choice (coconut, olive, etc.)
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and grated 
• 5 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1/4 cup scallions, finely chopped 
• 1 shallot, finely chopped 
• 2 red bell peppers, finely chopped (always organic on the red bell peppers) 
• 2 cups carrots, finely chopped  
• 3 cups cooked, cold millet
• 1-2 tablespoons organic soy sauce/tamari or wheat-free tamari sauce
  
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
  
• 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
• Sea salt, to taste
• Tahini, to taste (about 1 TBSN/serving)

1. Heat the oil in a large wok (or skillet) over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for about 15 seconds. Stir in the shallots and scallions; cook for 30 seconds. Add the red bell pepper and carrots, and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Season lightly with sea salt to taste.
2. Add the cooked millet to the skillet and stir-fry for couple of minute, tossing to separate the grains and combine well. Stir in the tamari/wheat-free soy sauce. Gently fold in the peas. 
3. Add the parsley and tahini. Drizzle with just a smidgen more oil, and sprinkle of salt to taste. Enjoy!

Millet Fried "Rice" paired with sauteed kale and roasted brussel sprouts. 

Posted in Delicious and Health Recipes - Three Branches Healthy Living - Recipes By TB Admin | 765 Comments

Delicious Living is likely our favorite magazine. We even wrote a blog post on it a while back, touting its info-packed pages. The good news is that it's now available at most Whole Foods locations...for FREE! So pick one up if you haven't already.

April's edition boasts a truly delicious recipe for healthy energy bars, taken from the article "Fresh from Asia: Far Eastern flavors inspire these supereasy raw recipe" by Ani Phyo.

Goji Cacao Energy Bars

Serves 8-10, Vegan, Gluten-Free, Quick and Easy!

Cacao nibs are small pieces of cacao beans; most are heated but I prefer using them undamaged by heat (look for those labeled "raw"). They add a rich, dark-chocolate crunch to recipes. To make date paste, mach semisoft, pitted dates, such as organic medjool, by hand. Dates vary in moisture content, so you may need to add a teaspoon of water if yours don't hold the dry ingredients together.

Ingredients:

1 cup raw almonds

1 cup date paste (about 12 large dates), packed

1/4 teaspoon sea salt (we love Pink Salt!)

3 tablespoons goji berries

2 tablespoons cacao nibs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

 Line a baking sheet (any size) with parchment paper. Grind raw almonds into a powder. In a large bowl, mix together ground almonds, date paste and salt. Add goji berries, cacao nibs, vanilla or cinnamon, if using. Mix well. Press dough evenly into tray to desired thickness (doesn't need to fill entire tray). Cut into bars. Store in an airtight container. Will keep for at least 1 week. 

Once made, they last up to a week in the fridge, but you could also freeze them and thaw when desired. 

Posted in Delicious and Health Recipes - Three Branches Healthy Living - Recipes By TB Admin | 61 Comments

You may have read our blog a few months back titled, "Coconut Oil: A Must in Your Diet". If you haven't, you must. And if you've been living your whole life without coconut oil as as staple in your kitchen, you must stop. 

Given my sort of obsession with this nutty, buttery, deliciously flavored delight, you can imagine how hard it is for me to be believe that coconut oil was previously warned against. Wh-HHAAATTT?!?!?! 

Well, it turns out this widespread misconception stemmed from a four-decades old study based on hydrogenated coconut oil, which contains harmful trans-fatty acids (TFAs). These little demons have been shown to raise blood cholesterol and lead to heart disease. 

Another reason people were told to steer clear of coconut oil was due to its high saturated fat content...and "all saturated fats are bad for you." Scientists and doctors now realize that just like there is good cholesterol, there is also good saturated fat. 

Another reason people believe coconut oil must be bad for you is misguided association: it is a saturated fat and "saturated fats are bad for you." Dietary guidelines inevitably fail to distinguish between different kinds of saturated fats and insist that saturated fats (meaning all saturated fats) are harmful. This has to do with the size of the fatty acid chain. Coconut oil consists of medium-chain fatty acids which are absorbed directly into the liver, made easily available to our bodies. Long-Chain fatty acids, on the other hand, are harder to emulsify and can create excess bile.

The benefits of coconut oil are truly never-ending. On the more vain side, it's wonderful for the skin and helps your body burn fat. But, most of all, it has amazing healing properties, known by Pacific Islanders as "a cure for all illnesses." For an extensive list of all its benefits, see coconut oil.

If you so desire, read this article below that just came out in the New York Times. I've included an excerpt below where the author, Melissa Clark of the New York Times, shares her personal experimentations with this brilliant kitchen companion!

Once a Villain, Coconut Oil Charms the Health Food World

In my flurry of experimenting, I found that virgin coconut oil had a deep coconut flavor that persists even after cooking. Refined coconut oil, which has been processed enough to raise the temperature at which it begins to smoke, lacks the same coconut profundity, but supposedly works better for stir- and deep-frying. In my recipe testing, however, the smoke point of virgin coconut oil was not a problem.

Melted and cooled, virgin coconut oil worked beautifully in my favorite olive oil poundcake, yielding a loaf with a tight, golden crumb and gentle coconut fragrance that I enhanced with lime zest, almonds and a grating of fresh nutmeg.

I also like coconut oil for sautéing vegetables and aromatics, especially onions. They absorb the sweetness of the oil and pass that lovely nuance on to the whole dish. In one memorable meal, I sautéed scallions in coconut oil, which managed to perfume an entire pan of plump, juicy shrimp spiked with garlic, ginger and coriander.

And I may never go back to olive oil for roasting sweet potatoes, not when coconut oil enhanced their caramelized flavor while adding a delicate coconut essence.

But my favorite new way to use coconut oil is for popcorn. The oil brings out the nutty sweetness of the corn itself while adding a rich creamy sensation, without having to pour melted butter on the top. Of course, the movie theaters knew it all along.

Read full article in New York Times.

You can purchase our coconut oil here for only $11.95. It can be kept out in room temperature for a smooth, soft consistency that's perfect as a butter replacement on your morning toast. This jar is big and will last you quite a while!

Posted in Delicious and Health Recipes - Three Branches Healthy Living - Recipes By TB Admin | 9 Comments

People often ask us if we eat meat, or just assume that we don't. I'm here to say meat is good, and for some, it's very good! (For instance, one's blood type can play a huge role in the type of diet that's best for them as Type O's digest meat more easily than Type A's.) But, as we say ad nauseum, it's all about quality. I came across an article yesterday written by an ex-vegetarian (and farmer and avid meat-eater!), and I thought Dr. Mercola's comments were worth sharing as a helpful guide for your meat purchasing and eating habits:

 

Factors that Influence Quality and Health Benefits of Meat

So how do you determine the quality of the meat? The following three factors need to be considered:

1. How it's raised, i.e. factory farmed or raised organically. Conventional meat is loaded with pesticides, hormones, antibiotics and other chemicals and should be avoided.
2. Whether or not it's grass-fed. This is an essential requirement healthy meat.
3. Whether or not it contains nitrates, preservatives linked to cancer. Processed meats are not a healthful choice for anyone and should be avoided entirely, according to a recent review of more than 7,000 clinical studies examining the connection between diet and cancer.

Next, how you cook the meat will also influence its health benefits because any time you cook meat at high temperatures, dangerous chemicals are created, including:

 

• Heterocyclic Amines (HCAs): These form when food is cooked at high temperatures, and they're linked to cancer. In terms of HCA, the worst part of the meat is the blackened section, which is why you should always avoid charring your meat, and never eat blackened sections.
• Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs): When fat drips onto the heat source, causing excess smoke, and the smoke surrounds your food, it can transfer cancer-causing PAHs to the meat.
• Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs): When food is cooked at high temperatures (including when it is pasteurized or sterilized), it increases the formation of AGEs in your food. When you eat the food, it transfers the AGEs into your body. AGEs build up in your body over time leading to oxidative stress, inflammation and an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and kidney disease.

 

In other words, even if you are a protein type who thrives on red meat, eating factory farmed, grain-feed beef that's been charred to a crisp will NOT improve your health.

 

In order for meat to be its healthiest, it should be organic and grass-fed, and it should be cooked as little as possible. You can, for example, quickly sear the meat on both sides, leaving the inside quite rare. This gives the illusion that you're eating cooked meat, while still getting many of the benefits of raw.

 

Keep in mind that when it comes to parasites or other infections, the health of the animal is of utmost importance, which is yet another reason for avoiding any kind of factory-farmed meats. Those animals are fed and housed poorly, which makes disease-causing bacteria an issue, whereas organically-raised pastured animals rarely get diseased.

 

For full artilce, click here.

Posted in Delicious and Health Recipes - Three Branches Healthy Living - Recipes By TB Admin | 4 Comments

Happy Valentine's Day!

If you've been reading the blog for a while, you know that I have talked about BabyCakes a good bit. But I really haven't had a chance to make too many of the recipes before, so I decided Valentine's day was a good excuse to try one out. I chose the Brownie Gems because they seemed like a good decadent choice to indulge on for this holiday that makes us all think of chocolate.

The brownie part was really easy to make and only took 8 minutes in the oven! I got kind of lazy and didn't follow through with making the icing/choclate sauce according to the recipe. I decided to just make my own concoction and mix together a little agave nectar, coconut oil, vanilla extract, and cocoa powder for a quick and easy filling. That's why mine aren't filled to the top with filling like they are in the book. My mixture was a little too liquidy and melted into the brownie. (Plus the coconut oil bubbled up a little.)

I must say, though, that they really turned out great! And I'm not known for my baking skills. They are rich and fudgelike - very gooey on the insides and perfectly cooked on on the outsides. Watch out though, they are kind of dangerous since they are bite-size! You can easily pop 3 into your mouth before you realize it.

If you ever try out the recipe, let me know what you think! The full recipe is below. I hope you have a happy and healthy Valentine's Day!

Agave-Sweetened Brownie Gems

BabyCakes NYC

• 1/2 cup garbanzo-fava bean flour
• 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/4 cup potato starch
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon xanthum gum
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, plus more for the tins
• 1/3 cup agave nectar
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup hot water (or hot coffee)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease three 12-cup mini-muffin tins with oil. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, potato starch, arrowroot, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, xanthum gum, and salt. Add the 1/2 cup oil and the agave nectar, applesauce, vanilla and hot water to the dry ingredients and stir until batter is smooth.

Using a melon baller, scoop the batter into each prepared mini-muffin cup. Bake the brownies on the center rack for 9 minutes, rotating the tins 180 degrees after 5 minutes. For a more fudgy-tasting cake, bake for only 8 minutes total. (This is what I did.) The finished brownies will have firm edges with a soft center, and a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean.

Let the brownies stand in the tins for 20 minutes, or until completely cool. While they are still in the tins, press your thumb (or a small melon baller) into the center of each and fill the depression with 1 teaspoon chocolate sauce. To maintain freshness, leave the brownies in the muffin tins until ready to serve. Cover and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Chocolate Sauce*

 BabyCakes NYC

• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened organic soy milk
• 1/2 cups organic dry soy milk powder
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

In a blender or a food processor, combine the soy milk, soy powder, cocoa powder, coconut flour, agave nectar, and vanilla. Blend the ingredients for 2 minutes. With the machine running, slowly add the oil and lemon juice, alternating between the to until both are fully incorporated. Pour the mixture into an airtight container and refrigerate for 6 hours or for up to 1 month if using as a frosting/icing. Store at room temperature for up to 1 week if using as a sauce.

* Again, I just made a quick and simple filling with agave nectar, melted coconut oil, vanilla, and a little bit of cocoa powder. If you want a healthy treat around the house and don't want to go through the process of making the full-out recipe, I recommend this simplified version.

Posted in Delicious and Health Recipes - Three Branches Healthy Living - Recipes By Kelly | 536 Comments

I cooked this big bowl of veggies because I wanted to sip on some super nutrient-dense homemade veggie broth during these freeeeezing winter days! The fresh-squeezed cold vegetable juice I'm used to making in the mornings sounds less than appealing. There is really no talent in the creation of this pot of goodness. I went to the grocery store and simply chose the vegetables that I thought looked the freshest. Root vegetables are great for a hearty broth and slow-cooking them brings out their dense flavors. I also added a bit of fresh thyme, rosemary and a few bay leaves. Oh! And some dried seaweed that I had in my pantry.

Veggies I used: carrots, rutabagas, leeks, celery, celery root (I thought it looked kinda cool), daikon, butternut squash, acorn squash, onions.

To make: Chop it all into big chunks, fill the pot with purified water, bring it to a boil and then let it simmer for about an hour. Couldn't be easier. And now you have a simple veggie soup for the week, PLUS delicious homemade veggie broth that can be frozen and pulled out when needed...when a recipe calls for water, this broth can be substituted. Make brown rice with this delicious homemade base and you'll never look back!

Posted in Delicious and Health Recipes - Three Branches Healthy Living - Recipes By TB Admin | 567 Comments