So I came across this awesome gluten free blog called Cake and Commerce. This East coaster works in the commercial food industry and specializes in foods for gluten intolerant people. She happens to also appreciate whole unprocessed foods so I think I’ll be following her blog in the future. She had a recipe that looked incredible for gluten free chocolate oatmeal cookies and I needed to try it TONIGHT. I must say that the results were phenomenal and I feel like they’re one of the best cookies I’ve ever made, gluten free or not. I changed the recipe a little bit to reduce the sugar content and also because I have a 1 kg bar of chocolate that is a bitch to chop up so I also reduced the chocolate content. Feel free to make them more chocolate-y. Try this out and let me know what you think! 
 

Ingredients:

Directions:

I’ve been experimenting a bit with coconut flour. It sucks up a lot of moisture so one doesn’t need to use much in baking. I modified a recipe I found on www.nourishedkitchen.com and it came out INCREDIBLE. Zero gluten and a ton of fat. So for those of you who can’t tolerate gluten but dairy and eggs are okay, this is a great recipe and extraordinarily simple to make. 
 

 
Preheat oven to 350. Simply put all ingredients with the exception of the fruit in a stand mixer and mix until smooth. Add in the fruit and mix to just incorporate. I used a loaf pan lined with parchment but I’m sure other baking dishes will work. Bake 30-40 minutes. Seriously, I can’t believe this cake doesn’t have flour and is so rich and yummy.

I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve only recently made pancakes. I’ve actually never really liked them so much because I’ve always found them so heavy in my stomach in the morning. Oh and not to mention the blood sugar rush. I was inspired by my friend Caylie to make the Buckwheat Pear Pancake recipe from Good to the Grain. Because I generally dislike cooking foods that are out of season, I decided to modify the recipe a little bit. 
 
Dry Mix 
1 c buckwheat flour 
1 c spelt flour 
2 t baking powder 
3/4 t sea salt 
 
Wet Mix 
2 T melted coconut oil 
1 1/4 c rice milk (I’m sure coconut milk would be even better) 
1 egg 
1-2 bananas, mashed 
 
Sift the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl and set aside. Combine the wet ingredients and gently integrate into the dry ingredients. Do not overmix or else you might get a heavier pancake. Cook as you would a normal pancake but be sure to oil the pan well with coconut oil (or butter if you’re not on the anti-inflammatory diet). Personally, I felt this combination was sweet enough due to the bananas so I didn’t need any syrup (which I don’t even have anyway). But you could always make your own syrup with coconut oil (or butter) and honey. By the way, nonstick pans are evil and can kill birds so I hope you all throw them away and use a stainless steel exterior pan or cast iron skillet. 
 
Now I’m on a pancake kick and am inspired to make pah jeon. 

I like foods with function. And I love curry. So here’s a simple recipe that I have been making a lot that is high in antioxidants (some of these spices are high on the ORAC index) and easy to digest since coconut oil bypasses the gall bladder. Keep in mind that whole spices are the most flavorful so you can toast whole seeds and grind them in a spice grinder instead. Also feel free to use whatever vegetables are seasonal at the farmers market. 
 
Ingredients 
 

 
Method 
 

I have searched far and wide for a tasty cake recipe for a 1st birthday that doesn’t include a bunch of crap that I don’t want to feed my baby nor other babies who aren’t ready for wheat, sugar, etc. So I tweaked a few regular cake recipes that I thought would be baby-friendly and here is the final result which I based on Heidi Swanson’s carrot cake recipe. I doubled this recipe to fit a “1″ cake mold by Wilton and it was perfect. 
 
Ingredients 

 
And here are the fruits of my labor… It was delicious considering it was healthy and I’m so proud of my cake! 
 

Although my iPhone photo does it absolutely no justice, I just made a fantastic pasta tonight that literally tastes like spring. We should have done this for our workshop last weekend but oh well! Asparagus at this time of year is so incredible and this really makes good use of it. 
 
1 pound fresh asparagus, woody stems trimmed 
Zest of 1 lemon 
2 green onions 
Several sprigs of fresh thyme 
1/4 c California extra virgin olive oil 
1 package of organic Tinkayada rice pasta or other whole grain pasta 
Parmesan cheese (optional) 
 
Cook the pasta until al dente. Cut the asparagus into 1 inch pieces but keep the tips intact and steam until fork tender. When cool, place stems into a food processor with the zest of 1 lemon, fresh thyme and green onion. Process until smooth. Continue processing while adding 1/4 cup olive oil. Add salt to taste. Toss this simple sauce with the pasta and add freshly grated parmesan cheese, if desired. 

One of our very dedicated patients has developed a healthy habit thanks to us. He juices daily for himself and his wife and when I visited their home one day, he graciously made one for me. It was incredibly refreshing and delicious so I had ask for the recipe. Thanks Jeff! We’ll call it the stoner’s juice and it makes about 32 ounces. 
 

Gluten sensitivity is a known risk factor for recurrent miscarriages. However, until recently we weren’t sure whether it was the gluten itself causing it or the some other factor associated with gluten sensitivity. In this study they investigated the effects of a gluten free diet on recurrent miscarriages and they found that you can greatly reduce your risk of pregnancy loss by avoiding wheat (and all gluten sources) if you have a gluten sensitivity.
 
Dig Dis Sci. 2008 Nov;53(11):2925-8

I took this picture before I scarfed it all down. Unfortunately Brandon decided to start his spring detox 2 days before his birthday so I had to come up with something that was relatively detox-friendly yet still a treat! So I came up with a lovely pie-type thing which actually came out great. It was the first time making a “raw” crust so now I’m thinking those yummy raw fake cheesecakes at Whole Foods are going to be eliminated from my shopping list. Anyway, here’s what I did. 
 
Crust: 
1/2 c walnuts, almonds or pecans, soaked in water for 1-2 hours  
1/2 c walnuts, almonds or pecans 
2-3 farmers market deglet noor dates, pits removed 
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 
Coarse sea salt 
 
Put dried nuts in food processor and process into a fine meal. Remove and set aside. Drain soaked nuts well and process into coarse meal with dates, vanilla extract, nutmeg and coarse salt. Add the ground dry nuts and process until crumbly but slightly sticky. Press this into ramekins or pie plate. 
 
Filling 
1 can organic coconut milk 
1 tablespoon raw honey 
2 teaspoons agar agar 
 
Bring to a boil then simmer for 5 minutes or until agar has dissolved. Remove from heat. Allow to cool slightly but not to room temperature. Pour into ramekins or pie plate lined with crust. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate. I actually added tangerine zest when I took the mixture off the stove which isn’t exactly according to the detox plan so omitted this from the recipe here.
 

On July 4, Steve made an amazing summer potato purslane salad. Purslane is an amazing green vegetable that looks like a succulent. It has a tangy bite to it and it’s one of the only vegetables that is high in omega 3 fatty acids. It’s only in season during the summer months and we can find it at the farmers markets in So Cal. 
 
1 lb Fingerling or Yukon Gold potatoes 
1 large bunch purslane 
4 scallions 
1/4-1/3 cup grapeseed vegannaise 
2 tablespoons dijon mustard 
2 tablespoons good quality red wine vinegar 
1/3-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 
2 cloves garlic (optional) 
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (optional) 
Celtic sea salt and freshly ground Tellicherry black pepper (yes it makes a difference) 
 
Steam the potatoes until tender, cool slightly and cut into chunks. Remove the large tough stems from the purslane, soak in acidulated water, drain and then coarsely chop. Slice the green onions thinly including the green part. Finely mince the garlic and thyme leaves, if using. Combine the garlic, thyme, red wine vinegar, mustard and mayonaise in a small mixing bowl and whisk together. Add the oil slowly until you have a nice emulsion that stays together. Season with the salt and pepper, tasting for balance. Combine the purslane, potatoes and green onions in a large salad bowl, then pour enough of the dressing over it to coat all of it. Gently toss, making sure everything is well coated but not swimming in dressing. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or so before serving. Taste for seasoning before serving.