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!