Spring in My Step

Ahhh the first day of spring is here and the sun is shining had a long walk this afternoon, and then home to prep new recipes for the new season!

After a long brutal winter, I am so happy to see the snow starting to (slowly) melt and the layers (and layers) of clothing starting to shed.  The spring is a new beginning of sorts- our main stockist Trailside Café in Yorktown Heights is opening a new location around the corner, which will enable us to make even more yummy and healthy organic treats!  We have been experimenting with tons of new gluten free recipes, many being vegan, or dairy free, as well as converting our whole-wheat recipes into healthier versions as well.

Here are a few photos of what we have been baking lately…go on…its ok to drool 

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Creature of Comfort (Food)

I am taking my head out of the cookie jar for a minute to share a very yummy, and healthy dinner I made this evening. 

When it comes to Winter comfort foods I instantly revert back to my childhood favorites- chili (Mom was versatile, mixing it up with turkey chili, veggie chili and of course standard beef chili), Cheesy tuna noodle casserole, beef stew topped with fluffy dumplings, and green bean goop (family secret recipe, is MUCH tastier than name implies) just to name a few. 

Although my Mom’s Tuna casserole is nothing short of perfection, I wanted to put a healthier spin on this comfort classic. Doing a bit of standard Googling, I stumbled across Sarah Lynn Smile’s recipe for a Paleo version using cabbage as the noodles!  We had basically everything in the cupboard, (had to borrow the nutritional yeast from my awesome neighbor) so I decided to give it a go.

This was super easy to make, and so delicious! My picture does it no justice, but I promise it is wonderful. 

Here is Sarah’s Recipe, with my substitutions in parenthesis. I highly recommend doubling the recipe for the Magic Sauce, it is amazing! Would be great on any salad, dipping raw veggies, or as a sauce for roasted veggies or chicken.

Not Your Mama’s Tuna Noodle Casserole

Serves 2-4

2 cups cabbage noodles (Slice and roast cabbage until soft)

1/2 cup Magic Sauce (check Sarah’s Page for recipe, I didn’t have coconut aminos, but it tasted fine without, will definitely add the next time)

2 cans of tuna (I used Trader Joes albacore packed in water)

1/2-cup olive oil

1 white onion, chopped (I used red onion)

1 bell pepper, chopped  (I didn’t have so used marinated artichoke hearts)

1-2 tbsp bacon fat (I used Ghee)

1/4 cup sliced black olives  (I used celery)

Green onions, sliced for topping (I topped with 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast and 1 tablespoon of almond meal because my mom always topped hers with a light breadcrumb for texture)

Prepare your cabbage and throw it in the oven. While that’s baking, heat your bacon fat in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add your veggies and sauté until cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside. When your cabbage is done, reduce the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9×9 baking dish with olive oil or bacon grease.

When your cabbage noodles are ready, combine all your ingredients in a large bowl and stir well. I add the olives last so they stay intact. Pour everything into your prepared baking dish and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until it starts to brown on top.

Thank you Sarah for such a light, yet surprisingly filling recipe! 

Winter Skin Saver

Disclosure: This post has absolutely nothing to do with baking, but it does contain info about food, so it’s not too far off topic. 

As you may or may not know, I am all about learning and adapting when it comes to healthy food and lifestyle.  I recently noticed a few brown spots on my nose, and stopped into an Organic Skin care shop on the highstreet when I was in London last month to get their advice.  The clerk so kindly recommended a papaya mask, which she explained would naturally lighten the spots and moisturize my skin. 

Unfortunately I did not budget £50 for a few ounces of this miracle potion.  So I went home and researched ways to create my own papaya mask. 

Papayas are one of the few fruits that are available all year round, and they are very inexpensive as well.  Boasting benefits such as carotene, potassium,vitamin A, vitamin C, essential minerals, Papaya also helps prevents premature aging, has anti-inflammatory properties, and anti-cancerous properties.  All this for just a few measly dollars? SIGN ME UP!

It takes literally 5 minutes to whip up a papaya face mask, and at the same time you can make yourself a smoothie or a hair mask!

The winter has been brutal here in NY, my skin is very dry and itchy so here is the mask I made this week:

Papaya Face Mask

1 half papaya (seeded and skinned)

¼ cup of Organic Oatmeal (for exfoliation, and moisture, and for its anti inflammatory benefits)

1 teaspoon of honey

1 egg white (you can use the leftover yolk for the hair mask below)

Whizz everything up in a blender, apply to face for 15-20 minutes, then rinse off. My face has never been softer, and my skin looked instantly brighter and dare I say, more youthful. I know the brown spots will take some time to fade, but I have no doubt that they will.

Papaya also works wonders for split ends and dry hair.  I tried this mask on my hair and the results were incredible! So shiny and ridiculously soft!

Papaya Hair Mask

1 half papaya

1 cup of yogurt

1 egg yolk

¼ cup coconut oil

Whizz in blender, comb through hair and leave on for 30 minutes, rinse and enjoy your shiny locks for pennies compared to salon masks!

You can find other masks here, and here, or experiment with your own recipe by adding vitamin E, aloe, or cucumber. Let me know how you get on!

Season's Greetings!

The last few weeks have been very cold and snowy, perfect prelude to getting in the holiday spirit! In the middle of baking lots of cookies and brownies and granola bars, I have barely had a chance to prepare for our own family holiday which is now fast approaching!

This year we will be traveling many, many miles to see our family both in the states and in the UK. It is going to be quite the journey, but one filled with lots of memories to treasure for years to come.

I will be checking in with lots of photos and quick stories during our trip, so stay tuned!

How ever close, or far, we wish you and your loved ones a very Happy Holiday Season!  xx

A Peek Into Our Mixing Bowl

In the land of a million choices, we choose to bake with only Organic, and natural ingredients. Minimal processing, no GMOs or weird ingredients we can't pronounce. We strive to produce treats that are really just that- a treat! 

That is why when you have one of our delicious baked goods,  we know we are giving you only the best, no fillers, no nasties. So that 'everything in moderation' mantra is a actually worth it! 

 
Here is a list of what goes into most of our treats:

Flours

Using Organic whole wheat flours have given an extra depth to our baked goods.  100% stone ground in the US, this flour provides minerals, protein and fiber into our cakes and cookies.

Almond and coconut flour are great for baking Paleo and other gluten free treats, and we have a homemade blend Organic Gluten free all purpose mix, made with white and brown rice flours, arrowroot flour, potato starch, sorghum flour and millet flour.  This blend is adaptable to most gluten recipes, so we are able to make the majority of our treats gluten free.

Because of its amazing omega 3 essential fatty acids, which has too many health benefits to list, we try to use flax seeds (ground or whole) in most of our recipes. It is great for an egg replacer for vegan recipes, and also works as gum (xanthan/guar) replacer in gluten free recipes. 

Sugars

Because we bake not only for our sweet tooth, but also for our kids, we try to use less sugar in every recipe, sometimes only a ¼-1/2 of what a recipe calls for! In addition we do not ever use white refined sugar in any of our treats.

We love Organic coconut sugar, it can be substituted for regular granulated, brown or even confectionery (castor) sugar.  With minimal processing (no chemicals, only coconut sap and water) this sugar is able to retain a bit of nutrients from the coconut plant. (Iron, Zinc, and calcium just to name a few)

When recipes call for liquid sweetners, we use either Organic raw blue agave (vegan) or local honey.

Butters, Oils, Eggs

We use only Organic eggs, butter (including nut butters) and virgin coconut oil in our treats, and locally sourced when possible.

We also use ground flax seeds, and sometimes applesauce for replacements in some recipes. 

Chocolate & add ins

we use Organic dark chocolate and organic nuts, seeds and oats

If you have any questions about our ingredients, or any special requests please get in touch with us here.

In The Mixing Bowl: chchchchanges....

Things have been sporatic at best here at c&b HQ. We have been settling into a new community, and building a new life from the ground up.  And of course, baking on the daily just to keep sane. Luckily we have the lovely team at Trailside Cafe to help with the overflow of treats so they don't all end up in my belly. (Sharing is caring, right?) It's been great introducing c&b to Yorktown Heights, NY and meeting new cookie monsters! 

We will be adding new items to the cafe weekly, keeping the ingredients organic and seasonal. This week we are rolling out probably my favourite cookie ever, The organic apple honey whole wheat shortbread sandwich with caramel creme, made with local apples, and local honey! We are carrying over the gluten free paleo pumpkin pie bars, because pumpkin season is still in full effect. Gluten free Almond butter brownies will also be making their debut this week-ooey gooey brownies perfect with a scoop of ice cream from JJ's Scoop house! 


As always we would love to hear your suggestions and comments, so don't be shy! "LIKE" our  Facebook Page for daily updates and join our email list for exclusive promos and news! 

Definitely drool worthy....

Competition time!!

To celebrate our move to the States, we are offering a special competition for our cookie monsters in the USA! Head over to our Facebook page SHARE & LIKE this photo for a chance to win a goodie box of our October specials! *continental USA only