Quinoa Bars Gluten and Grain free

I found a wonderful recipe for a great snack bar that was gluten and oat free! I used the recipe found here and of course turned it into my own!

1 c. cooked quinoa*
1/2 c. sunflower seeds, ground finely in food processor
1/2 c. almonds, ground finely in food processor
1/4 c. dried apricots, chopped into small pieces
1/4 c. honey or maple syrup
1/4 c. shredded unsweetened coconut
2 tsp. cinnamon
½-¾ tsp. unrefined sea salt
1 egg
1 scoop Vital Whey protein powder (optional)

Instructions
*Soak 1 cup dry quinoa overnight in water and either rinse and cook right away or set to sprout for 2-4 days. To cook: Mix with 2 cups milk or 1 can coconut milk. Bring to a boil, stir, and lower to simmer, covered, for 30 minutes (no stirring). This will make enough for two 9×13 pans of bars or you can eat the cooked quinoa on top of yogurt with blueberries, cinnamon, and maple syrup. You can also freeze extras for future batches. If you only want enough for one recipe, use ¼ c. quinoa and ½ c. milk. Simply mix all the ingredients together with a spoon or a mixer, then spread in a greased 8×8-inch glass baking pan. (I used a 8x!0 pan and just had thinner bars) The batter/dough will be rather moist; don’t worry. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes until firm to the touch in the center and browning on the edges. Cool completely in the pan, then cut into 16 2×2-inch squares. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

To make this my own I used pecans instead of almonds, dried dates for the fruit (1/4 cup was not enough, next time I will add more as these are not very sweet), used maple syrup (again I would use a little more next time), added 1 tsp vanilla, used egg replacement powder as per the box instructions, added 1 tbsp chia seeds, and added 1/2 tsp baking powder and omitted the whey protein powder. I cooked the quinoa with coconut milk as well. Since I have a sweet tooth, I did melt dark chocolate with coconut oil and drizzled this on top after baking to add some extra sweetness. I had made a second one as above but with cocoa and dried cranberries instead of vanilla, cinnamon and dates.

Leftover Oatmeal Muffins

Ever wondered what to do with your leftover porridge? Here is a good way to use it up. I got the original recipe here but of course I tweaked it a little!

2 cups cooked oatmeal ( I used oatmeal cooked with apples)
1 1/2 cups flour ( I used 1/2 cup whole wheat and 1 cup white flour)
1/4 cup sugar (omit if the oatmeal is sweetened)
1 Tbs. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt (reduce or omit if you salted the water for your oats)
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil or melted butter
1/2 tsp apple pie spice (my addition)
1/2 tsp cinnamon (my addition)
1/3 - 1/2 cup whey - I found the batter too dry and needed to add more liquid to wet all the dry ingredients

Combine all ingredients and stir just until combined. Batter will be thick. Fill greased muffin tins 2/3 full and bake about 20 minutes at 375. Let cool 5-10 minutes before removing from pan.

Chocolate Fudge Sauce

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup 70%(or more) dark chocolate pieces
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 cup vanilla ice cream (we use our homemade ice cream but you could use any vanilla ice cream)

Melt butter and chocolates over in pot over low heat. Add sugar and stir. Increase the heat to medium and stir constantly until sugar is dissolved and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and stir the ice cream into the chocolate mixture.

This stuff is amazing and versatile. It is great over ice cream, over desserts, or even just eaten with a spoon out of the jar!

Date Cranberry Pecan Bars

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped dates
1/4 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup chopped pecans minus 2 tbsp.
2 Tbsp. ground flax
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Add dates, and cranberries. Put 2 Tbsp. ground flax seed in a 3/4 measuring cup. Fill rest of cup with chopped pecans, add to above mixture. Stir until well mixed. Beat eggs until foamy. Add vanilla to eggs. Then add egg mixture to dry ingredients. Stir well. The batter will be thick.

Place batter into a greased 8″ square baking dish. Bake for 25-30 minute until center is set. Cool completely. Cut into bars.

Kyle loves to add vanilla ice cream and fresh pineapple to the bars, I think they are amazing on their own. Either way it's a recipe you have to try!

Homemade Deodorant

Mix about 1/4 c. baking soda and 1/4 c. cornstarch or arrowroot starch in a small bowl. Add unrefined coconut oil, not melted, about a Tablespoon at a time, mashing with a fork until all the dry ingredients have been mixed in. I find it takes 4-6 Tablespoons.
Optional: If you’d like a scent, add a few drops of your favorite essential oil at this time.
You could use this mixture as is and apply with your fingertips, or put it into an deodorant container. We just use our fingers to apply.

The above was taken from here which I found through my friend's post here. I find it perfectly fine to leave the mixture in a small container and apply with my fingers. I have been using this for about a month now and it is far superior to store bought natural deodorants and regular deodorants as well. No stink and very minimal moisture. I haven't noticed any oil staining either! Try it and let me know how it works for you!

Broccoli Salad with Apples and Cranberries

4 cups fresh broccoli florets
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
3 organic apples
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1 cup plain, low-fat yoghurt with probiotic bacteria
2 Tbsp Dijon style mustard
1/4 cup honey

Combine broccoli florets, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, chopped apples, and chopped onion in a large serving bowl. Blend yoghurt, mustard, and honey in a small bowl. Add dressing to the salad and toss. Chill before serving.

Meat Thukpa (Nepali Recipe)

1 lb. Tibetan noodles, similar to spaghetti, or cavatelli(I used regular spaghetti)
1/2 lb. Lamb, cut into ¼-in. slices (can be substituted with chicken or shrimps)
1/2 lb. Spinach, washed and cut into pieces
1 cup onion, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced (I used about 1 tsp. powdered ginger)
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin powder
3 fresh chilies, julienned
1/2 teaspoon jwanu (lovage seeds)(I omitted this as I didn't have any)
1 bay leaf
1 cup tomatoes
1/2 cup yogurt
2 tablespoon soy sauce
2 cups lamb broth (I used beef broth)
2 tablespoons musturd oil (I used olive oil)
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)

Cook noodles in boiling salted water until slightly undercooked. Drain and rinse. In a sauce pan heat 2 tablespoons of musturd oil. Add onions, fry till light brown. Add turmeric, garlic, ginger, cumin powder, and chilies. Stir well for 1 min. Put the pieces of lamb and brown well. To the lamb mixture add tomatoes, soy sauce, yogurt, broth, jwanu seeds, bay leaf, salt and pepper and cook until the lamb is tender. Add the noodles and stew for 5-7 more minutes. At last, add spinach and fold into the stewed noodles for a minute or so, until wilted. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve with roti.