Coconut Carrot Cupcakes

Apologies for the missed week. I was making plenty of delicious food… it just looked like a plate of garbage. Hopefully, these delicious bad boys make up for it.

Over the past couple weeks, when school has been busy and my schedule fills up, I have realized that cooking is an escape. It’s a creative outlet, a meditative practice. This hasn’t always been the case. I have struggled with eating and nutrition in my recent past. As a competitive runner in both high school and college, I wrestled with the idea that lightness equals speed. Food wasn’t fuel - it was an obstacle in my way of faster times. Eventually, I began to understand that this perspective is not only untrue, it is also unsustainable for running and for life. 

What brought me to this realization? A journey of sorts, with the catalyst being my education in nutrition. I learned about how foods - real, whole foods – provide the necessary elements for all of our bodies’ processes and functions. Nourishment began to make sense to me. It was no longer about minimizing or eliminating foods, but fueling my body by adding nutrient-dense food. My outlook was completely changed: no more was the kitchen a place of conflict, but rather a creative place … a sanctuary. 

So what about them cupcakes?! Not only are they an opportunity to treat yo’ self, they are also little reminders of what real nourishment is. As you grate the carrots, take a moment to really see their brilliant orange color. That’s beta-carotene, a form of vitamin A, that does so much good for your body. I could bore you with the biochemistry behind its many roles, but I’ll spare you (unless you want the details: tenderlovingkale@gmail.com) and let you just whip these babies up and feel it for yourself. These whole-food treats are soothing to body, mind, and soul. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Cupcakes

o   3 ½ - 4 cups gluten-free flour (I use equal parts brown rice and oat flours)

o    1 ½ TBSP arrowroot powder

o   1 can (16 oz) of pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

o   3 packed cups shredded carrots

o   2 ½ TBSP coconut oil

o   3 TBSP dark coconut nectar  (or grade B maple syrup)

o   12 Medjool dates

o   1 ½ TSP of vanilla extract

o   1 TSP cinnamon

o   ½ TSP nutmeg

o   ½ TSP ground ginger

o   1 TSP salt

Icing

o   2/3 cup coconut butter

o   1 ½ TBSP dark coconut nectar

o   1 TSP vanilla extract

             

Directions:

1.     Begin by making the icing. Simply mix all ingredients and place in your fridge until you’re ready to frost the cupcakes.

2.     Pit yo dates by slicing them down their center. Then, add the halved dates into a warm water bath and soak for 30 minutes.

3.     Wash and dry your carrots. Begin the process of shredding. Let this seemingly monotonous task transform into an opportunity for you to appreciate the beautiful color of the carrots.

4.     Once you have the 3 cups of shredded carrots, massage the salt into them. Set aside for 20 minutes to allow for maceration.

5.     Preheat oven to 350 ° F

6.     In a high-speed blender food processor, add the coconut oil and nectar or maple syrup, pumpkin puree, vanilla, dates and spices. Blend until mixture becomes a uniform consistency.

7.     Coat the carrots with flour by adding 1 ½ cups of flour, then add the wet ingredients, followed with remaining 2-2 ½ cups of flour and mix.

8.     Place cupcake liners in tray and fill with batter. The batter won’t rise very much, if at all, so make sure to fill them to desired size. I added enough batter so that looked like cooked cupcakes.

9.     Bake for 40 minutes.

10. Allow the cupcake to cool to room temperature.

11. Frost the cupcakes with a dollop of frosting and sprinkle on some shredded coconut.

12.  Try not to eat them all at once ;)

roasted zucchini and cabbage soup

Another soup! While the weather may be heating up, this soup is full of early summer produce, making it perfect for this time of year. Even better, it is less time consuming than my previous soup recipe, meaning less time in the kitchen. Of course, that doesn't mean it's a throw-together recipe. This soup will show you a whole new way of connecting you to your food. For me, it starts on Saturday mornings, hours before the thought of "what's for dinner" crosses my mind. 

 

Saturday morning means one thing in Portland: the farmer's market. It is more than a shopping trip; it becomes a whole body, whole mind experience. The farmer's market experience is all about taking it slow. I scan the beautiful produce and run to whatever catches my eye. I take my time picking out the fruits and veggies that are calling my name. This process, whether it be at the market or in a grocery store, should be meditative. DO NOT RUSH. This is a prefect opportunity to listen to what your body is craving. I am a strong believer that our bodies have the inherent ability to tell us what we need, but only if we are open to listening. Maybe you'll take home the hot pink radishes. Perhaps it's the tiny speckled eggs that are speaking to you. The key is to have an openness to grab whatever it is that draws you in.

The main purpose of this space is to spread the message of mindful eating and listening to our bodies. If we can make our cooking and eating experiences joyful, we can heal our bodies and minds. We may even be able to avoid the plethora of health issues rampant in today's culture.

Thich Nhat Hahn is a well-known Zen philosopher whose book How to Eat introduced me to the concept of mindfulness, and for this I am very thankful. Through the simple practices he writes about, I have been able to gain a better awareness of my eating, and how to truly nourish my whole self. Mindfulness meditation is the practice of living in the present moment as best as one can, really stopping to take in the world around us and not dwelling on the past. It is a practice that we can all benefit from.

Mindfulness eating is the ability to be present for mealtime. How many times have we scarfed down a meal in front of the TV, or while rushing out of the door? The ability to live in the present moment allows you to focus on every aspect of a meal. Ask yourself this simple list of questions while eating: How are the ingredients grown?  How did they get to me?  How many different people and animals did it take to get this to me? How was the meal prepared? Am I enjoying this? Is my physical body telling me to get more? Am I full? Am I happy? This awareness not only increases our pleasure of the food we are eating, but allows us to focus more on the amounts of what we are putting into our bodies, hopefully so that we can avoid many of the health issues that our society faces

 

You should think about all the food that is going into your body because life is a gift that should not be taken for granted. What goes in ... can take a long time to come out, if it is junk. With the abundance of good food around us, mealtime shouldn't be a time of stress, but rather a chance to nourish our minds, bodies, and souls!

Ingredients:

• 8 small-sized zucchinis
• 1 medium-sized leek
• ¼ head of a medium-sized green cabbage
• ½ cup of raw cashews (soaked for 5+ hrs, then drained and rinsed)
• 3 cups of veggie broth
• 2 tbsp of grapeseed oil
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp of wasabi powder (or sub dried turmeric)
• 2 tsp of Braggs liquid aminos
• 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
• Himalayan sea salt to taste

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients on your workspace.
2. Scan your produce and think about the journey each ingredient took before making it to where it is now. Keep in mind the amount of care that went into the soil, in which these ingredients grew, and all the people it took to bring this beautiful bounty to your kitchen.
3. Take some deep, grounding breaths and feel your connection to the life-giving foods in front of you.
4. Preheat oven to 400° F.
5. Start by chopping up the zucchini, leek and cabbage into 1 inch square pieces. Transfer to a bowl and coat with the grapeseed oil. Place on baking sheet (taking care not spread the veggies out too far) with garlic (whole, naked cloves) and bake for 30 minutes.
6. While the veggies are roasting, place soaked cashews, 1 cup of veggie broth, wasabi powder (or turmeric), liquid aminos, and pepper in a blender.
   Blend until ingredients are smooth and lump free.
7. Once the veggies are done roasting, add them to the blender along with 1 ½ to 2 cups of broth and blend until smooth.
8. Salt to taste and place in refrigerator to chill.
9. Before eating, look back on all of the effort that you put into creating this wonderful soup and get prepared to be all sorts of nourished. 
10. Enjoy. Be Mindful.

ayurvedic sprouted lentil soup

I can’t think of a better way to kick off this blog than with a bowl of warm, comforting lentil soup. This version differs from most in that the lentils are sprouted prior to cooking. Sprouting the lentils confers a plethora of health benefits, including increasing their digestibility. Beyond the health benefits, the simple act of sprouting allows you to connect with your ingredients, taking the soup-making process to a whole new level. Watching the little lentils grow and germinate over the course of a couple days reminds me of my own growth. Being aware of the cultivation process from sprout to stove is all part of journey of becoming a more mindful eater. 

Recently, I have been interested in learning more about Ayurvedic medicine, the traditional healing system of India. As a nutrition student, I resonate with the emphasis on food as medicine. The guiding principle of Ayurveda is connecting to nature based on experience and observation. This is something that we can all understand – the warm weather of the past few weeks has us craving outdoor time, fresh foods, and sunshine. It’s an intuitive way of living, one that enables us to slow down and listen to what our bodies and minds want in the moment in relation to the world at large.
 

According to Ayurvedic beliefs, one of the principle ways in which we can balance ourselves to be more in line with nature is through the food we eat. Each individual is a unique composition of three life forces, or “doshas”: pitta, vata, and kapha. These doshas are what bind the five elements (ether, air, water, earth, and fire) of nature into our bodies, and their proper balance is what confers good health. Eating certain combinations of food and spices is one way in which we can balance the doshas.
 

Being the sweaty-betty that I am, I developed this recipe using some classic Ayurvedic combinations that are said to neutralize my dominant pitta dosha (such as sprouted lentils and coriander). In theory, decreasing my excess pitta should bring my doshas into balance, which in turn should keep me at a comfortable temperature. This is especially helpful with warmer weather approaching.

Even if you aren’t interested in Ayurveda, still be excited for some dope soup. It is somehow sweet and creamy and yet savory at the same time. It also makes a truckload, so you can have soup for days. I hope you enjoy it!

             

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups red lentils

8 cups homemade or reduced-salt veggie broth (store bough is fine - #barefootcontessa)

2 medium sweet potatoes

1 yellow onion

5 medium carrots

2 tbsp. grapeseed oil (or another high temperature cooking oil)

1/4 cup dried currents

1 can (16 oz) of roasted tomatoes

1 can (16 oz) of whole-fat coconut milk

2 tbsp. of coriander

1 tsp. of cinnamon

1 tsp. of cumin

1 tsp.  of black pepper

½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

¼ tsp of nutmeg

1 bunch of fresh cilantro (optional. for all the haters out there)

Salt to taste (this is a soup … don’t be shy)

Recipe:

·      Before the cooking starts, you’re going to sprout the lentils. Soak the lentils in water for 8 hours (I left them in a mason jar covered with cheesecloth overnight). After the 8 hours, drain and rinse the lentils. Repeat the draining and rinsing every 8 hours for the next 2 days.

·      After the two days, the lentils should have little sprouts on them. Take a step back and pat yourself on the back. All the effort, and hopefully love, you put into growing these nutritious bad-boys will be transferred into your soup in the form of life-giving and happy-digesting lentils.

·      Now you can start the soup making. Heat your cooking oil in your soup pot over medium heat.

·      Next, dice up the carrots and onions and add them into the hot oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are caramelized and carrots are soft. Add all of the spices and stir to prevent burning.

·      Add the veggie broth and bring to a boil.

·      Now, take a gander at those beautiful potatoes. Chop them into ½ inch cubes and expose their beautiful orange flesh. Admire the amount of work that went into growing them, and marvel how they have made it onto your cutting board and soon-to-be-made soup.

·      Add the sweet potatoes and your little sprouted babies to the soup pot. Reduce to a simmer and cover.

·      After 30 minutes, turn off the burner and add diced cilantro, currents, and coconut milk. Stir your soup and let cool to your desired temperature.

·      Plate your soup with care and enjoy while thinking about all of the care you have put into it.