The Best Damn (gluten free) Lentil Millet Loaf

The Best Damn Lentil Millet Loaf

I know, I know. I’m a few days behind on posting. Sorry. But then again, maybe this wasn’t coincidence? After all today is Star Wars day, and the will of the force is mysterious. As such, May the 4^th be with you all!

The truth is, M and I recently learned that we are leaving Buenos Aires for Cleveland, Ohio, as she matched at the Cleveland Clinic. This is a very exciting opportunity for us, and as such, we have been trying to enjoy our remaining time in BA with friends and family. We went to her hometown Olavarria over the weekend, where we passed our time in her family’s kitchen, drinking mate and chatting with her siblings and parents.

Today, however I’m super excited to share this fantastic gluten and oil-free Lentil Millet Loaf developed by M. The combination of the legumes with the fluffed millet makes for a delicious, and rather meaty texture, that is both healthy and filling.

It makes a lot, so it is perfect for gatherings, but it also keeps well, and is also freezer-friendly.

Lentil-Millet Loaf

Serves 4-6

2 cups soaked lentils

1 cups millet

¼ cup sunflower seeds- lightly ground

¼ cup old-fashioned or quick oats (if needed, make sure to get gluten free oats)

2 flax eggs – 2 tbs ground flax mixed with 3 tbs water

1 can tomato paste

2 teaspoons soy sauce (again, if needed, make sure to get gluten free soy sauce)

1 tbs dried oregano

1 tbs smoked paprika

1 tbs garlic powder

1 tbs onion powder

½ tbs thyme

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 bayleaves

1 tbs nutritional yeast

Cayenne pepper to taste

Barbaque sauce to taste

Start by soaking and then cooking the lentils as normal. Once they are fully cooked, set them aside to cool, and cook the millet with all of the spices (except for the nutritional yeast), the soy sauce and three cups of water or broth.

While the millet is cooking, mash the lentils with a potato masher. You don’t want to create a pate, but do want most of the lentils well crushed.

Once the millet is done, add it to the lentils along with the oats, ground sunflower seeds, oats, flax eggs and tomato paste and mix very well.

The mixture should be relatively dry and sticky. If the mixture is too wet, slowly add more oats.

Now place the mixture into an oven safe square pan, you will want your loaf to be about 1 inch thick, now sprinkle nutritional yeast on top and then add a little barbeque.

Place into the oven at 350 for 30-35 minutes until the edges start to look crisp.

The dish is pretty versatile, but we decided to serve it with mash potatoes, gravy and a simple roasted beet and cabbage salad.

Chocolate! Whole Wheat Scones and Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Blondies

My families Thanksgiving started and ended with chocolate (and believe it or not, for some it was the healthiest food they ate all day!) Days like this are a rarity for me; however, with these two healthy recipes, I envision them occurring more frequently. 

Just in time for my annual holiday dessert post, I started experimenting with a chocolate chip blondie. After a few attempts (thanks to my co-workers for the constructive feedback!) I think it finally figured it out. The result is a healthy, gluten and nut free blondie bar that will bring a smile to the face of even the pickiest eaters.

Around the same time, I was also trying to create a whole-food whole wheat chocolate chip cookie. When testing a recipe, I forgot to add the sweetener and what came out was a miserable excuse for a cookie. However when flipping through one of my mother's cookbooks that I purchased for her two years ago when she first went vegan, I found an interesting scone recipe. I decided to combine the two recipes and the result is an amazing recipe for a delicious and healthy breakfast scone. With the perfect amount of sweetness and chocolate, these turned out even better than I expected, and surprisingly quick and simple to make.

So how can one start and end their day with chocolate and still claim they ate healthy? Chocolate in it’s purest form is known as cacao, and this was a prized food by early the Mayan empire, and continues to be held in high regard even today. Cacao is one of the most antioxidant-rich foods available (not to be confused with cocoa which is roasted more processed and as a result, less healthy). In a comparison ORAC test (a test which measure the antioxidant activity of foods,) cacao was found to have more than fifteen times the amount of antioxidants as blueberries! On top of this, cacao provides an excellent supply of minerals including magnesium, which may help relax muscles and reduce cramping. The American Heart Association has determined that cocoa and cacao powder can be consumed without hesitation.

In another study, the high polyphenol content found in dark chocolate was seen to help reduce oxidative stress during and after prolong exercise. In a Yale conducted controlled crossover study, they found that while the sugar and fat in most chocolate isn't healthy, the cocoa powder helps make up for it when consumed in moderation.

Because chocolate is loved all over the world, there has been a great deal of nutrition research done on it. One interesting study examined the flavan-3-ol monomers, oligomers, and polymers in commonly consumed chocolate products. Not surprisingly, cacao is the gold standard, but other forms of dark chocolate and cocoa still maintain much of the healthful properties found in it's purer form. Dark chocolate bars however were still found to be highly beneficial, although the percent of cacao is important. The higher percent of cacao, the healthier it was found to be. I typically purchase a chocolate bar between 70 and 80% cacao for baking. Such a high cacao content typically means the bar is lower in added sugars than other bars and gives a beautiful and complex taste.

Finally, that same study found that the addition of milk to chocolate blocks the absorption of the phytonutients of cocoa and concluded that the consumption of milk chocolate comes with all of the fat and sugar with very few of the benefits to off set them.

As a reminder, whenever possible, source fair trade, slave free chocolate. Slavery, particularly child slavery, is still practiced in the cacao fields of western Africa. Check the Food Empowerment Project for a helpful list of slave-free chocolates. 

Chocolate Chip and Walnut Whole Wheat Scones

Makes between 8 – 9 scones

1 ½ cup whole-wheat flour

1 very rip banana*

1/4 - 1/2 cup plant based milk or water

1/2 bar of good quality chocolate –chopped

1/4 - 1/2 cup walnuts - chopped

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

* - if you do not have a ripened banana, put the banana (still in the skin) in the oven on 300 for 10-15 minutes until the skin is starting to turn black. Let cool, once peeled, you will have a ready to use ripened banana!

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

While the oven is heating up, add the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Mix well. Once mixed, add the banana and the maple syrup. Simultaneously mash the banana and mix the ingredients. Now add the milk. Start by adding ¼ cup and add more as needed. The mix should become a thick dough. Once well-mixed, add the chopped chocolate and the walnuts and lightly mixed.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spoon large balls of dough onto the baking sheet and place into the oven. (I like to add salt crystals to top of the scones at this point for aesthetics) Let the scones bake for 10 – 12 minutes. The scones should start to brown and feel slightly firm to the touch. Test to make sure the middle is cooked with a toothpick.

Once done, set the scones to the side for 20 minutes to let cool.

Enjoy while still warm. They pair very well with fruit and mate

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Blondies

Makes 12 – 14 blondies

1 Can (15 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/2 scant cup of old fashioned oats

2 teaspoons flax seed

1 very rip banana

1/2 bar of good quality chocolate –chopped

1/4 cup pure maple syrup or sweetener of choice

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

sea salt, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray.

In a food processor add all of the ingredients except chocolate chips and process until batter is smooth (you can also use a hand held immersion blender.)

Fold in 1/3 cup of chocolate chips. The batter should be very thick

Spread batter evenly in prepared pan then sprinkle 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips on top. (The batter may stick to your spatula, so I like to spray my spatula with nonstick cooking spray first.) Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean and edges are a tiny bit brown. The batter may look underdone, but you don't want them to dry out!

Let cool for 20 to 30 minutes. Once cool, cut into squares.

G. Davison, R. Callister, et. all. “The Effect of Acute Pre-Exercise Dark Chocolate Consumption on plasma antioxidant status, oxidative stress and immunoendocrine responses to prolonged exercise.” European Journal of Nutrition. 58: 2012, 69-79.

Z. Faridi, et. all. “Acute dark chocolate and cocoa ingestion and endothelial function: A randomized controlled crossover trial.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 88: 2008. 

As always the information presented in this blog is for educational purposes only. It should not be considered as specific medical, nutritional, lifestyle, or other health-related advice.

Apple pie cookies (gluten free and with a raw option)

Some people claim that fall is pumpkin everything, and while I love pumpkin as much as the next person, for me, apple will always make the best fall time desserts!

Recently, I created these cookies to help my close friend celebrate finishing their US medical USMILE examations – a grueling two eight-hour day exam. While we are still awaiting the results of the exam, the cookies turned out to be amazing and since Halloween and Thanksgiving are both right around the corner, I've decided to share this tasty treat with you all. Apple Pie Cookies! These little pie-like patties are perfect to get you in the mood for fall and can be made raw or baked. I baked these.

Makes about 20 cookies

5- 6 red apples, cored (I used a mix of New York grown gala and honey crisp)

1 cup date paste*

½ cup raw almonds

½ cup raw cashews

½ cup old fashioned oats

1 cup raisins

1 handful of cacao nibs (optional)

½ teaspoon of Cinnamon, and a pinch of nutmeg and clove to taste

* making date paste is easy. Simply put 3-4 dates in a blender or food processor along with ½ cup of water (to start) blend until smooth and add more water incrementally until you have enough. I like to add a teaspoon of maple syrup to round out the flavor. It should be relatively think and very sweet. If you don’t have a high powered blender, soak the dates in the water for a few hours prior to blending to help soften them.

Blend the raw almonds and cashews together until they are roughly ground but not a complete powder. Some small pieces of nuts are ideal. Add the roughly ground nuts and the oats to a mixing bowl.

Now core the apples, and using a food processor with a shredder, shred three and a half of the apples. Set these in the large mixing bowl and now using the slicing attachment, slice the remaining apples so that you have shredded apples as well as sliced apples.

Add the sliced apples to the mixing bowl with the nuts and oats. Add in the raisins and cacao nibs (if using) along with the spices. Add the date paste on top and using your hands, mix all of the ingredients well.

(Raw option): Using your hands, create small cookie sized patties and place them onto your dehydrator’s food trays.  Put into the dehydrator and set to 115° and dehydrate for 15 hours until the cookies are firm.

(Bake option): Using your hands, create small cookie sized patties and place them onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Have the oven preheated to 250°. Place the trays into the oven and cook for 45 minutes, checking the cookies to make sure they don’t burn about half way through. 

As always the information presented in this blog is for educational purposes only. It should not be considered as specific medical, nutritional, lifestyle, or other health-related advice.

Oil-free Baked Falafel

In my last post, I shared a hummus recipe that got some really kind feedback, well today I’ve got another chickpea-based Middle Eastern inspired recipe: oil-free baked falafel.

As I mentioned in my post about mung beans, legumes are one of the healthiest foods available worldwide, and some recent research suggests that bean intake is the most important factor associated with longer lifespans! Not only this, but beans are some of the cheapest foods making their nutrition value a huge bang for the buck!

This falafel recipe is super easy, essentially fool-proof, and tastes phenomenal.

I’m also including a very basic tahini dressing recipe. This is one of those once-in-a-while foods. Tahini is a thick paste made from pulverized sesame seeds, which sounds healthy on its face. However, it is very high in calories with most of those calories coming from fat. Unfortunately, most of that fat comes from Omega-6, an essential fatty acid, but one that most westerners get too much of in relation to their Omega-3 consumption. It is also possible for tahini to oxidize as it ages, which can cause the release of free radicals in your body.

That said few things are so cut and dry. Tahini is rich in phosphorus, lecithin, magnesium, potassium and iron. It’s also a good source of methionine and very high in calcium. It also boasts vitamin E and many of the B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5 and B15). Most tahini’s are around 20% protein as well. So feel free to weight the costs for yourself. If you’re healthy and fit, including tahini in your diet won’t have a negative impact on your health when consumed sparingly.

Oil-free Falafel:

1 ½ cups dried chickpeas

2-3 cloves fresh garlic

1 small sweet onion

1 cup fresh parsley (it’s important to use fresh for this recipe)

Juice from ½ of a lemon

1 flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax in 1 tablespoon of water)

Pinch of baking soda

1 tablespoon cumin

Black pepper and salt to taste

Soak the chickpeas overnight or for several hours. Try adding some citrus (like apple cider vinegar) to speed up the process and help with digestibility. Once the beans can be crushed by pinching them between your fingers they are ready. (Note: if you don’t have time to soak them, boil the chickpeas until they are about half cooked. Roughly 30 minutes).

Now, put all of the above ingredients into a food processor or hand held blender. Process until well combined and relatively processed, but not completely smooth. Stop the food processor and push the ingredients down towards the blends when needed. The entire mixture should turn into a light green from the parsley and have a pleasant cumin smell.

Now pre-heat the oven to 350 and line a large baking pan with parchment paper. Using a tablespoon, scoop out the mixture into small 2 inch balls and put onto the pan. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes and check. The falafel balls should begin to brown. Flip them over and return to the oven for another 8 – 10 minutes. Take out and let cool.

While the falafels are cooking making the tahini sauce.

Tahini sauce:

2 tablespoons tahini

Juice of 1 lemon

Onion powder

¾ cup water

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until well combined and smooth.

As always the information presented in this blog is for educational purposes only. It should not be considered as specific medical, nutritional, lifestyle, or other health-related advice.

Mean Green Split Pea and Hemp Soup

I rarely do anything special for St Patrick's Day but since it is absolutely frigid in NYC right now (screw you too Punxsutawny) creating a BYOL original green soup seemed the perfect way to celebrate as well as to help warm me up after a bone-chilling bike ride! This soup is high in protein as well as carbohydrates and antioxidants. It is also highly alkaline promoting, which helps reduce inflammation, so it is a perfect recovery meal, or anytime meal for that matter! A great way to boost your green veggie intake; to top it off it's pretty easy to make. Tossing in a few potatoes at the end is the perfect way to celebrate St. Patty's day. This nutrient dense soup is certain to make your inner-Irishman swoon! 

Here is this incredibly easy recipe.

Serves 3-4

2 cups green split peas (soaked in warm water and rinsed before cooking)
2 large potatoes baked - chopped
2 cups spinach - chopped
3 stalks of celery - chopped
2 large carrots - sliced
1 cup broccoli floretts
4 tablespoons hemp seeds
3-4 cloves of garlic
8 cups water or veggie broth
1 generous pinch of onion or pea sprouts (optional but recommend)
onion powder, ginger, and black pepper to taste


After the peas soaked for a few hours rinse them well under warm water until the water runs clean. Add them to a pot with a splash of lemon juice and enough water to cover all of the peas by about 1-2 inches. Boil the peas until they soften - about 40 minutes depending on how long they soaked. If any foam rises to the top, simply scrap it off with a spoon.

While the peas are cooking, prepare the two potatoes and bake them for 30 minutes on 375. Once they are done it is your choice to peel them or not. I left the skin this time.

Also try adding some chopped walnuts

Once the peas are done cooking, drain the pot and add the peas, broccoli, garlic and about 1 cup of water or veggie broth to a blender or food processor. Blend until mostly smooth but leave some texture to the mix. Transfer the content to a large soup pot and put on medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celery, chopped potato, spices, and the rest of the water/broth. Let the soup come to a low boil and then turn down to medium-low. Again if any foam rises to the top, simply remove it.

After about 15 minutes, the veggies should have softened. Now add the chopped spinach and hemp seeds and let simmer for and additional 2-3 more minutes or until the spinach is wilted. Serve hot. Yesterday at the farmers market I found onion sprouts which made a great addition to this soup, however pea shoots are much more commonly found in grocery stores. If you don't have either, garnish with green onion. You can also make this a bit more hearty by adding cooked wild or brown rice to it before serving.

This soup is sure to help take the edge off this incredibly long winter!



enjoy

Maple-Mustard Lentils

First off, a big Congratulations to Janet who won BYOL's BRAVO! giveaway! Thanks to everyone who entered. Second, BYOL is now on Facebook, be sure to like us for recipes, updates and more. 

I’ve got a great one to share with you! Its a BYOL original, but the idea was inspired by a long-standing favorite dish of mine, the maple-mustard temphe sandwich from the Cinnamon Snail.

Don’t be fooled by how easy it is to make; this dish has some serious flavor and packed full of nutrients as well!

2-3 servings

What you’ll need:

1 cup dried green lentils

1 sweet potato –peeled and cubed

½ cup brown or wild rice

½ head lacinato kale- chopped

1 small red onion - chopped

3 cloves garlic -minced

1 handful of golden raisins

14 oz can of no-salt added diced tomatoes

3 tbsp maple syrup (use a high quality syrup it makes a big difference in the taste)

3 tbsp mustard

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp veggie broth or water

dash of mustard powder

dash of cinnamon

Prepare the lentils (soak in water for 8 hours, if possible) and rice as normal (I prepare both in the same pot). While the lentils and rice are cooking, peel the sweet potato, and start preparing the other ingredients. Once the lentils and rice are done cooking transfer them into a dutch oven or oven-safe container. Add the other ingredients including the ingredients for the sauce (keep the kale and raisins to the side for now). Mix the continents well, cover and put into the oven at 375° for 25 minutes. 

After 25 minutes, take the mixture out and remix it. Now, add the kale and rasins and put the dish back into the oven uncovered for another 12-15 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed and the sweet potatoes are soft. 

Serve hot and top with chia seeds and sunflower seeds for Omega-3s and some added crunch.

In total, the dish takes around 50 minutes to prepare and cook. If you precook the sweet potato for about 10 or 15 minutes while the lentils are cooking, you can reduce the overall time this dish needs. 

As an added benefit the maple-mustard lentils keep well up to one week in the refrigerator or it can be frozen for future meals.

enjoy and happy President's Day

All About Julie! and no-bake brownies

A while back, I blogged a Pesto recipe which I recently discovered is actually from the creative mind of Julie Morris. Three weeks ago Julie Morris, author of Super Food Cuisine, gave a talk about plant-strong nutrition and did a smoothie demo at the Chelsea Whole Foods. I’ve followed her in the past and was pretty excited for the event. However, Whole Foods really dropped the ball by failing to prepare for the event. Starting about 45 minutes late, with only a small crowd, it was still an excellent demo and I learned several new ways to incorporate “super foods” into my daily diet (not only was Whole Foods unprepared, but their customer service team was telling people the event was at a different Whole Foods, which helps explain the small turnout). Julie is an incredible chef and her recipes are amazing, but she is also an incredibly warm-hearted, knowledgeable, and fun person to be around!

Among other things, Julie talked about chocolate. To me, this sounds like a chef after Abby Bean’s heart, rather than my own, but Julie quickly clarified that raw cacao has one of the highest antioxidant counts of any food as well as an excellent source of magnesium, which can help relieve muscle cramping. As such, raw cocoa is an excellent addition to anyone’s diet, particularly females and athletes. 

After her talk, she was kind enough to sign my cookbook and even gave me a few other goodies. A few weekends ago, I finally got the chance to crack the spine of the book and go to work. Keeping her message about cacao in mind, I decided to make Julie’s incredible-looking raw and gluten-free, No-Bake Brownies!

Right off the bat there was several things I liked about the recipe. It appeared to be very easy and only required a handful of ingredients. I also like that it required only a short prep time and no cook time. Too often raw deserts require exotic, nearly-impossible-to-find ingredients and two or three days in a dehydrator. These brownies take a total time of 10 or 15 minutes and the ingredients can be found almost anywhere. As Julie notes, if you cannot find raw versions of some of these ingredients, you should simply substitute raw for the least processed you can find. 

To make these delicious little morsels, do as follows:

    1 cup soft dates, pits removed

    1 cup raw walnut pieces

    ½ cup cacao powder (I used Navitas Naturals)

    1 tablespoon cacao nibs (I used Navitas Naturals)
    pinch of sea salt

Place the walnuts into a food processor and grind until they are a coarse flour. Then while the machine is still running, add the dates, cacao powder and the sea salt. Keep the food processor running until all the ingredients are well mixed. If the dates are a bit dry, you may need to add a bit of water. Add just enough so that the mix sticks if you pinch it together between your fingers.

The mix

Now transfer the ingredients into an 8x8 pan (or a pan of similar size) sprinkle in the cacao nibs and begin pressing the flour and the nibs together with your hands. They are now ready to serve although I found that letting them chill in the refrigerator for an hour or so is best, as the oil from the walnuts gets reabsorbed. 

The brownies are truly remarkable! They contain only natural sugar from dates, are filled with good EFA's from the walnuts and are packed full of anti-aging antioxidants! Perfect for after hard workouts or as a scrumptious dessert! 

I should add my sister-in-law and I made these again last weekend while I was in North Carolina and I can now say these brownies are also three-year old approved!

see you out there and a special thanks to Julie!