GourMaya

carrot muffin; a recipe

here is an improvement to my zucchini muffin recipe using…you guessed it- carrots. 

these muffins have no refined sugar or processed flour and they are nut and dairy free. 

this recipe is a great muffin base. the vegetable can be interchanged and things like coconut flakes, vanilla, lemon zest, cinnamon, and choc chips can always be added in as extras depending on your mood. feel free to use any oil you like- i am really into coconut oil these days even though it is definitely an extra step to melt it as its natural form is a solid (unless you live in the tropics). 

this particular carrot muffin recipe boasts the following super food combinations: coconut oil - read about the benefits here and carrots- read below! 

carrots are a rich source of carotenes, namely beta-carotene and vitamin-A. studies have found that flavonoid compounds in carrots help protect from skin, lung and oral cavity cancers.

carotenes are converted into vitamin-A in the liver. beta-carotene is the major carotene that is present in these roots. beta-carotene is one of the powerful and natural anti-oxidants that helps protect body from harmful oxygen-free radical injury.  in addition, it also has all the functions of vitamin-A such as vision, reproduction (sperm production), maintenance of epithelial integrity, growth and development.

carrots are rich in poly-acetylene antioxidant falcarinol. studies shoes that falcarinol in carrots may help fight against cancers by destroying pre-cancerous cells inside of tumors.

fresh carrots are also rich in vitamin-C. vitamin-C is a water soluble anti-oxidant. it helps the body maintain healthy connective tissue, teeth and gums. Its anti-oxidant property helps the body protect from diseases and cancers by scavenging harmful free radicals.

this root vegetable is especially rich in many B-complex groups of vitamins such as folic acid, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), thiamin and pantothenic acid. 

lastly, carrots also compose healthy levels of minerals like copper, calcium, potassium, manganese and phosphorus. potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps control heart rate and blood pressure by countering effects of sodium. 

CARROT MUFFINS

2 cups of white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour (or one and one) ***

1 cup of old fashioned oats

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp vanilla bean powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

1 tsp cinnamon

2 eggs whisked

1/3 cup extra virgin coconut oil (melted)

2/3 cup pure maple syrup

1  jar of baby puree** (fruit of your choice) or 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1 1/2 cup carrot shredded

in a bowl mix all of the dry ingredients; flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla powder and cinnamon. 

*optional- 1/4 cup shredded coconut flakes, the zest of one lemon or some mini choc chips

mix wet ingredients; whisked eggs, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, fruit puree or apple sauce, and shredded carrots.

fold wet ingredients into dry and mix well. 

sprinkle some loose rolled oats on top of muffins before putting them in the oven. 

put in at 350 for 25/30 min in miniature muffin tins.

cool and serve. 

notes:

** i felt that this recipe needed a bit of added moisture. any baby jar can be used. i am partial to earths best pear puree or apple/blueberry but any will do. you can even use 1/2 cup of unsweetened apple sauce, a mashed banana or homemade puree if you have some!

***white whole wheat flour is milled from hard white spring wheat rather than the traditional red wheat (which gives it the darker color). it has the same nutritional value of whole wheat but i find the consistency to be less rough than regular whole wheat and a little smoother. i like it for recipes like this which dont have any sugar and with regular whole wheat are just a little too “healthy” tasting. 

these muffins are everything. 

have a great week everyone!

xx,

gourMaya 

the milk debate…

for those who are who are regulars on my blog, you know i am not a huge fan of cow’s milk. while i think there is nothing wrong with limited dairy intake in the form of yogurt and cheese, i do believe there is an unnecessary amount of propaganda in this country (fueled by the dairy industry) to make people believe that milk “does a body good.” yes, it’s high in calcium, and good for your bones, but so are most fruits and vegetables (they just don’t run multi million dollar ad campaigns with sexy celebrities showing off their biceps). 

when my son turned one a few years ago, it wasn’t even a question. i was going to switch him from formula to cow’s milk and pray he wouldn’t notice the difference. he didn’t  he liked the milk and gradually weaned himself off of it by 18 months. in hindsight, i consider myself lucky. there are plenty of 3 and 4 year olds i still see who cannot get to bed without their bottle of milk. the bottle issue is a different conversation, but the milk issue is pretty opaque in this country;  do our children really need to consume 8 to 32 oz of a liquid that is derived by a mammal other than ourselves? are there any other mammals in nature that the drink the milk of another mammal? why are we pushing this beverage onto our babies in the first place? why does the FDA have allowable levels of puss and blood in milk? 

i am definitely jaded by several documentaries i have seen analyzing this topic. i am all about moderation, but ultimately do not believe that cow’s  milk is an essential for our kids. 

when amelie was about 4 months, i was returning to work and needed to switch her to formula she developed bad acid reflux. we chose similac alimentum which has broken down enzymes and proteins and typically given to babies with bad acid reflux or absorption issues because it is easy to digest (it also smells disgusting and costs a fortune!).

when amelie turned one, i was plagued by the question of what i should switch her to? so much so, that i only recently weaned her off of formula due to my indecisiveness. my pediatrician and i both agreed on one thing; she is eating well and getting most of her nutrients from a varied diet. any milk she will drink at this stage is simply complimentary. given that she was doing well on her formula and getting everything she needs from it should stay on it as long as she wants. 

i was cool with this decision to let her have formula past the age of one if it would enable me from sparing my baby any excessive dairy intake.

fast forward a few months and i was at my chiroprachter/kniseologist’s office. as i was lying on his table and gazing around the room i cound’nt help but notice a very old can of alimentum on his shelf. this piqued my interest. ” hey doc, why do you have a can of alimentum on your shelf?” he explained that even though his preference is breast milk (obviously) whenever mom’s ask him about an acceptable formula he always reccommends alimentum as it is the only formula who’s first ingredient isn’t corn syrup. several thoughts were going through my head; 1) phew! thank god she’s on alimentum 2) EVERYTHING under the sun has it’s constraints. dairy, formula, probably even water. 3) why on earth would baby formula companies use corn syrup- a terribly refined (and cheap) form of sugar?

i explained to my chiro that i have been giving my daughter this formula and haven’t switched her to milk and i feel so much better knowing he approves of it. his first question was “liquid or powder?” my response: well i started off on the liquid (and was thrilled at the time to discover it didn’t have corn syrup or sugar) but later switched to powder. why? his response- “the liquid has no corn syrup, the powder does. you need to get your baby off of that ASAP.”

YES. full confession. i, gourmaya, was giving my baby a formula that’s first ingredient was corn syrup- without even realizing it! who would have thought the liquid and powder versions of the very same thing could be so different. 

i felt totally depressed as i left his office. for those of you who read this blog, you know my feelings about refined sugar and processed foods. i felt like the worst mother in the world. 

i had to make a decision very quickly because i knew i would never give her alimentum again (i have 2 full un-opened cases if anyone needs). 

and so, my husband and i decided on coconut milk. if you compare the nutrition facts to cow’s milk it has higher percentage of fat (which is needed for a baby’s brain development) and it is a healthier fat since it is a medium chain triglyceride which is a fat that is easier for the body to metabolize. 

here are some awesome facts about coconut from a recent post my trainer and running coach wrote on her blog about coconuts. please visit her blog to read the whole posts. we definitely share a love of coconuts (among other things) and i think she summarized why coconut is such an amazing natural alternative to so many things (oil, dairy, water, skincare, etc). 

“Coconut is naturally antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and antiparasitic.. Coconut is a potent cleanser of our digestive system and can be used to heal a range of digestive issues. It helps the body fight off infection so its best to consume when you begin feeling sick. Eating coconuts are also excellent for one’s immunity because they kill harmful bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. It can help treat illnesses such as influenza, lice, throat infections, urinary tract infections, tapeworms, bronchitis, and numerous other ailments caused by microbials. Plus, coconut has been proven to have anti-cancer effects especially of the colon and breast because of its ability to protect the body from infection while simultaneously cleansing the system.”

 i wish i had made this move sooner. like anything, the first few days were hard, but now it is part of amelie’s routine. she loves her coconut milk as much as she loved breast milk and baby formula. a big part of parenting is making good decisions for your kids. i was stalling this decision because i did’nt want to rock the boat but in turn was giving my baby something she could live without. i look forward to continue making good decisions on her behalf and also teaching her and oliver how to make good choices for themselves once they are old enough. 

weigh out your options when it comes to picking the best formula, milk, or food. to nurse or not to nurse? red meat or no red meat. every decision has pros and cons and nothing is totally perfect. if you educate yourself, read everything you can, and speak to experts you will be in the best position to make optimal decisions for you and your family. 

i’ve learned so much from this expirience with the milk/formula and hope that by sharing it you did to. 

xoxo, 

gourMaya

healthy biscuits courtesy of oz

thanks to instagram, bloglovin, and tumblr (three of my most heavily utilized social media platforms) i have been introduced to so many awesome food bloggers, many of them with a clean food, raw or nutritional focus. i noticed a lot of the bloggers i now follow regularly are australian. i guess it makes sense, australia is known to be an active and adventurous  society (as a whole) and so it’s not surprising that being health conscience goes hand in hand with that.

on april 25th my social media outlets were blowing up. all of these aussies were blogging about “anzac day”- apparently a national holiday in australia to commemorate all those who lost their lives serving their country- sort of like our veterans day.

on this day it is a tradition to bake anzac biscuits- a treat that the wives of australian soldiers used to send with them before they left for service, and now they are the official biscuit of that day.

hmm..if america had an official biscuit I wonder what it would be. likely an oreo. so very sad. 

how cool that the official national cookie is actually a healthy one?

i saw several variations of this recipe in different places (some healthier than others), but decided to give it my own flair by adding in some nuts and date puree. here is my very own iteration of the Australian Anzac Biscuit.

these biscuits are totally vegan, do not have refined sugar, or processed flour and are dairy-free. 

ANZAC BISCUITS

2 cups whole spelt flour

2 cups old fashioned oats

1 1/2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut

1/2 cup ground nuts or seeds (sunflower seed, hemp seed, almond, walnut, etc)

1/2 cup boiling water

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp baking powder (aluminum free)

1 cup pitted medjool dates (pureeed)

1 cup coconut oil

METHOD:

STEP ONE: start by creating the date puree. bring one cup of water to a boil and turn off the flame. immerse one cup of pitted dates in the boiling water. after 10 minutes of immersion transfer the dates and about 1 TBSPN of the water from their pot into a food processor and give it a whirl. set date puree aside to cool. 

STEP TWO: mix all dry ingredients in a bowl, except for baking powder. (i put my sunflower seeds in the food processor to get them really finely ground but you can put them in chunkier as well or skip this ingredient altogether). 

STEP THREE: in a separate bowl, combine the boiling water and honey. add in the baking powder and you will see a very cool bubbling reaction. mix well.

STEP FOUR: pour the bubbly mixture into the dry ingredients along with the coconut oil and date puree. a dough will begin to form. mix well with a slanted spatula or wooden spoon.

STEP FIVE: scoop little cookie sized portions onto a parchment lined baking sheet (or two) and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. these will only begin to harden once they are fully cooled off.

cool, serve and enjoy! great breakfast or dessert item for kids  and adults (unless they have nut or seed allergies. please leave this part out if they do!) 

thanks aussies, for the inspiration! disclaimer: i will never eat vegemite. 

ozzie ozzie ozzie. oi oi oi. (sorry I had to).

xx,

gourMaya

spring souffle

eat your rainbow; a spring brunch menu

my favorite meal of the week, sunday brunch, gets that much better when the weather is good and exponentially better when the company is good (score on both fronts today!)

here are some ideas for a beautiful (healthy and tasty) spring menu. recipes to be blogged over the next week. 

theme: eat your rainbow. 

my favorite scones. recipe courtesy of alexandra (from the irony of baking).

a classic caprese salad. 

whole wheat pizza ( with carmelized red peppers and drizzled with truffle oil). 

 my latest muffins. whole wheat/carrot/oat. yum.

and my big experiment for this meal. a stove to table souffle made with portobello mushrooms, shallots, broccoli and topped with fresh avocado and grape tomatoes. 

and of course, no brunch would be complete without a fruit platter. in keeping with the rainbow theme, i tried to make the colors pop a little more by arranging them like so. 

here is the full spread: three kinds of cured lox (thank you costco). caprese salad. arugala salad (with sweet potato medallions, maple brussel sprouts and goat cheese). a mixed green salad (with endive, asian pear dried figs and a balsamic reduction). whole wheat pizza with carmelized red peppers. and a rainbow fruit platter. 

(not pictured- bread basket (assorted baguette). whole wheat carrot/oat muffins. assorted crackers and marscapone dip. portobello souffle. )

aerial view. 

love me some cherry blossoms.

plated. (thanks for this shot HDP). 

and for beverages-

obviously everything tastes better in a mason ball jar and fancy paper straws, no? 

berry sangria. 

and iced coffee galore. 

last but not least the most edible part of our brunch. these girls. love them. 

(not pictured- yummy boys). 

happy spring everyone!

namaste. 

gourMaya 

to side-dish or not to side-dish?

recently i was at a friends birthday gathering and was casually speaking with some girls (or i should probably say women), some of which i knew and a few of which i hadn’t met before. somehow gourMaya came up in conversation and i was pleasantly surprised to hear that all of these people i was meeting for the first time had heard of my blog and actually read it. this made me very happy! it was also great to get feedback from these women. one of them asked why i never serve oliver any carbs with dinner and tend to double up on the veggies. she mentioned that her kids are a little older than oliver and felt that they really needed a carb as part of the meal to fill them up. this was a good observation. the meals i have showcased here have mostly been comprised of a protein and several side veggies which is usually the way i try to structure dinner (by design). 

after thinking about this a little, i realized that this blog is not only crafted around my point of view but also limited to the experience of having a 4 year old and a 1 year. i’m sure as my own kids grow, their tastes, preferences, and needs will change how and what they eat and in turn the blog will evolve. for now that is the only perspective i have, but it’s so great to get requests and questions from people who have children at different stages. hopefully this recipe will be a good side-dish to add to the repertoire. O + A both gave it the thumbs up last night, as did everyone else who tried them. 

i am always pleasantly surprised by great potato recipes (probably bc i’m not a huge potato lover). this one came from my mother-in-law. i randomly observed her whipping these up one day and they are pretty much the best potatoes (other than the kind drenched in heavy cream) and not particularly hard to make. they also happen to be pretty clean (read; healthy, or as healthy as potatos could be). 

SAVORY STOVETOP POTATOS

- 30 (or so) mini potatoes (i mixed yukon gold and red gold but one or the other is fine)

- one vidalia onion finely grated

- fresh parsley

-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

- 1 TBSPN chicken consomme (no MSG)

- salt + pepper 

METHOD: 

peel and clean potatoes. add potatoes to a medium shallow pot with 1/2 cup olive oil. with a wooden spoon lightly sautee the potatoes for 25/30 minutes over a medium flame or until they begin to brown slightly. add the grated onion over the browned potatoes, with 1 tbspn chicken consomme, salt, pepper and fresh parsley. mix these ingredients in but not too agressively. cover pot for 20/25 minutes over a low flame or until potatos are soft , sweet and delicious. 

this can also be a great transitional item for baby’s moving from puree’s to solid finger foods since they are so soft (that’s for you JBP). for now i will probably hold off on carby side-dishes every night of the week as to not turn my kids into potatoes, but definitely gauge your child’s need for more food and varied food groups and serve it up as appropriate. 

keep it real. 

xx, 

gourMaya 

sun butter lovin’

as you all know from previous posts, i heart sunflower seed butter. so much so, that when i had my last one on one baking session with my clean baking guru/muse, alexandra zohn, i told her we must make something with sunflower seed butter in lieu of peanut butter (due to allergies).

these cookies ended up becoming our family favorite and the best part is you can freeze the dough, pull small chunks out at any time and whip up a batch. you can find the recipe to these yummies as well as how to make your own sunflower seed butter on ale’s blog today; the irony of baking- the irony being that she is a pastry chef with a nutrition background, but the amazing part is you would never know it by tasting her creations. ale first exposed me to infusing “super foods in(to) your cookies” last year and i have been hooked ever since. in fact, she has been once of my biggest inspirations for this blog and continues to inspire me with her ability to turn any unhealthy pastry recipe into something clean and delicious.

these cookies are actually vegan, non-dairy, gluten free, nut free, and have no refined sugar or white flour. i don’t think i need to convince anyone that this is a ”healthy snack.”

as you can see i actually used a cookie cutter in my version. ale taught me a great trick to only handle the dough between two pieces of saran wrap so you never actually touch the dough directly (it is a little bit sticky). this works wonders for the process. you can roll it while it is covered in saran wrap and then uncover it in order to make the shapes you desire.

faux couscous

surprising ingredients are always fun. especially on passover when anything in lieu of a carb seems like a treat. when it was time for the holiday meal on the second night of passover my aunt, VC, kept bringing delicious dishes out of the kitchen and onto the table as we all salivated and waited to dig in. this dish in particular caused a big stir as everyone tried to guess what was in it. guesses ranged from couscous to tabbouleh to feta to parmesan. it was’nt any of the above. it was cauliflower. shredded.

i LOVE cauliflower and have been doing so many fun things with it lately (cauliflower mash, breaded florets, etc) so this dish was very exciting, to me. i re-produced it for my kids and called it couscous. deceptively delicious indeed. without much deception needed. 

CAULIFLOWER SALAD aka COUSCOUS

- one head of cauliflower grated

- one yellow pepper diced small

- two israeli kirbies cubed

- fresh parsley

- the juice of one lemon

- white vinegar

-  vegetable oil

- salt and pepper 

METHOD: soak the cauliflower in white vinegar and water while prepping the pepper and cucumber. once those are ready start grating the cauliflower to achieve and fine rice-like texture. mix shredded cauliflower, pepper, cucumbers, and cut up parsley. 

i am very bad at gauging the exact proportions for my dressing, but if i had to guess its about one TBSPN oil, a little less than a TBPSN of vinegar, one whole lemon and salt and pepper to taste. mix well and serve. 

i find it extra hard to get around the kitchen on passover where i don’t have all of my gadgets at my disposal. on a regular day i might have thrown some cauliflower into my food processor, but on this day i shredded it manually. not particularly good for my manicure, but good for my biceps and i think we all need a good workout after this holiday. this recipe might be a good place to start!

enjoy the rest of your passover and happy easter to those who celebrate!

xx, gourMaya

coconut.

in my previous post i mentioned (fine, ranted) about how processed food is inescapable around the passover holiday. for those of you who celebrate and are strict about only eating KP products, i highly recommend going back to basics this holiday and eating foods in their most natural form. 

on a recent trip to riviera maya i was inspired by all the fun things they do with fresh coconut and being that coconut is the signature food associated with passover (its those manischewitz macaroons that did it!) i decided i would bring the fresh coconut experience home this passover.

only problem; where do i find a coconut and who is cracking it open for me? as i was contemplating this quesition, i literally bumped into the following at my natural food store:

problem. solved. i was very excited. 

first i made a little hole on top and drained it for the juice. 

and yes, the juice was light pink- in love!

then this girl gulped down about half of the juice. 

and then we cut it up and ate it. yum!

on vacation it was a little more glamorous.

the coconuts were brought to us, poolside looking like this:

as soon as we were done someone would swoop them away and make us an alchoholic beverage with the rest and cut up the fruit and serve it up with lime and chili powder.

sounds strange but it was divine. 

and since i know you’re dying for another glimpse of my hubby’s cool bathing suit (which he, of course had nothing to do with) here’s a pic of us on a bike ride through a very beautiful little part of mexico:

in short, coconut is not only very delicious in so many forms but coconut has special fats called medium chain triglycerides. it has been shown that breaking down these types of healthy fats in the liver can lead to the efficient burning of energy. it is important to keep in mind that coconut is high in saturated fat and so for those with cholosterol it may be best in small doses, and like anything else coconut is best in moderation. 

here are a few of our favorite coconut products in no particular order (not all KP):

- unsweetened vanilla flavored coconut milk

- dried coconut (available at costco)

- coconut flakes (great over oatmeal, in smoothies, or garnish for anything)

- unsweetened shredded coconut (i use this on alot of things, but check it out here in my fruit salad recipe) 

- coconut nectar- a great natural sweetener (doesn’t have the coco-nutty flavor as it is made from the plant not the fruit itself)

-coconut sugar- a great unrefined sugar. it has a strong flavor but i like this for certain recipes where i can’t substitute with a liquid sweetener like maple syrup or honey. 

-coconut flour- a great healthy alternative to wheat and grain flours. it is very high in fiber, low in digestible carbohydrates, a good source of protein and gluten free. i usually mix it with oat flour or spelt flour when baking.

- coconut oil- this is an edible oil that is solid at room temperature but begins to melt at 76 fahrenheit. this speaks to it’s high saturation in fat but also to it’s unrefined state. more refined coconut oils are also available in liquid form, but i love baking with the solid one and just warming it to get it to a liquid state. 

- “so delicious” greek style coconut yogurt- one of O + A’s favorite yogurts

and that’s about all i can possibly say about coconut at the moment. 

let me know if you have anything to add!

xx, 

gourMaya

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