Key Lime Pie Pudding + Candida Diet Kick-Off!

We have been meaning to start an anti-Candida diet for a while now. Jac started one about a month ago but didn't end up sticking with it. Well this time we ARE sticking with it! I know 100% that I have Candida. I have all the symptoms; tired in the mid-afternoon, sensitive skin, achy muscles. And I took anti-biotics for acne a couple years ago and I haven't felt the same since then. I'm going to be following the Body Ecology Diet and Jac will be following a lesser intense Anti-Candida Diet. So we will be creating recipes based on these two diets throughout the summer! Yay!

Some of our recipes will involve eggs and fish because those foods are apart of the Body Ecology Diet. I thought about doing the diet all vegan but I just don't think I would be able to keep my energy up. Maybe later on when my system starts working better I will cut back on the animal products. (As you know we aren't entirely vegan in our personal diets but like to post vegan recipes like this one!)

So to kick off the Anti-Candida Diet, Jac made Key Lime Pie Pudding this morning and it was fantabulous! It's just like key lime pie filling. Creamy and smooth and cool! And there is a secret ingredient...frozen cucumber chunks! Sounds craaazy no? But it makes the pudding really cool and fluffy.

Tropical Treat!

Yum is the word, it's got groove, it's got feeling

1 large avocado
1/3 cup frozen peeled cucumber chunks
12 drops of liquid stevia
Juice from 1/2 a lime
1/4 tsp lime zest
1/3 cup of water

Combine all ingredients and blend in a food processor of magic bullet. Top with toasted coconut. Eat!

Also the randomly selected winner from Diet, Dessert and Dogs' e-book giveaway is: Meghan.

Meghan, there's no way to contact you from your profile so please let us know your email address and I will send the e-book your way!

Thanks to everyone who submitted their yummy breakfast ideas :) It seems like oats and green smoothies were the most popular items.

Lemony-Almond Pancakes from "Diet Dessert and Dogs" + Giveaway

Ricki from "Diet, Dessert and Dogs" sent us her new Breakfast ebook called: Good Morning! Breakfasts without Gluten, Sugar, Eggs or Dairy. We love recipe books and all of her recipes are right up our ally. Ricki is also an advocate for the anti-candida diet which is perfect timing for mine and Jenn's recent candida endeavour. 

This book is good for those who are following an anti-candida or low-sugar diet, as well as anyone allergic to gluten, dairy, eggs, as well as Type II Diabetics.


If anyone has followed the candida diet before, you know how difficult it is to come up with hearty, filling breakfasts that don't include eggs or meat. There's an array of pancake, muffin, smoothie, cereal recipes as well as some savoury ones for example a Veggie-Full Breakfast Hash or "Sausage" Patties using rice and walnuts. One recipe that really intrigued me was the Veggie-Granola using parsnips and carrots, so cool!


Ricki also provides some guidelines for constructing a nourishing ACD breakfast that will fill you up with the healthy fats, protein, and complex carbs necessary for a successful, yeast-free lifestyle. 

We chose to try her Grain-Free Lemony-Almond Pancakes and they were so good! The most important thing was that they stayed together in the pan and didn't crumble apart when cooked. Perfect! We topped them with her Berry-Blend topping using blueberries. This was a most definitely satisfying breakers.


Ricki has offered to give away her e-book to one lucky reader!
So, to enter the giveaway, leave a comment on what YOU most frequently eat for breakfast.
For additional entries, follow Ricki on twitter...


The giveaway will end on April 30th.


Also if you have any beautiful and healthy food photos from your blog please submit them to: Health Freak Food. We'd love to post them up!

Mineralizing Coco-Expresso Cookies (Vegan, GF)

I don't know about anyone else but I think I've had just about enough of carob. Don't get me wrong, I love the malty chocolateyness carob lends to treats but it was time to try a different alternative. I first heard about Dandy Blend from Brandon Daemon's (Hyperion Herbs) youtube channel. (He has some great tips on health/wellness and incorporating Chinese herbs and supplements into your lifestyle.) I also heard that it was being carried on online ordering sites here in Canada so I thought I'd try it out! The great thing about this product, is it's cheap (10$ CAN for 7oz bag), and you only need a little bit for a big flavourful taste. If you're concerned about getting more minerals and want to give up your daily cup of joe, this is your alternative.
Not only are you getting minerals from the Dandy Blend in this recipe, but also from the coconut nectar and lucuma.

Coco-Expresso Attack!

Lolly-Gagging Cookies

1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 cup shredded coconut, ground finer
1 tbsp lucuma powder
2 tbsp coconut nectar + drops of stevia to desired sweetness
1 heaping tsp Dandy Blend Herbal Coffee Alternative or other Herbal Alternative
2 tsp coconut oil
1/4 tsp vanilla
Pinch of sea salt

Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl. Add nectar, stevia and coconut oil. Wet hands with warm water and form into desired cookie shapes. Freeze until firm. Makes 6 cookies.

We just finished our carob obsession as you could probably see from some of our recipes. We can't wait to experiment more with Dandy Blend!

What is your favourite "healthy flavouring" to use?

Acai Coconut Yogurt (Vegan, GF)

Madre Labs was kind enough to send us a sample of their Simply Acai Organic Freeze-Dried Acai powder. I was so excited because I've never tried Acai before and I'm always hearing about its amazing antioxidant content. This specific Acai Powder is collected sustainably and comes from Indigenous Family Co-ops located in the Amazon River Estuary in Northern Brazil. It contains: Naturally-Occurring Phytonutrients (such as: Anthocyanins, Polyphenols & Phytosterols), Healthy Omega Fatty Acids (with similar profile to olive oil), Fiber & Protein. I love foods that when you eat them you can really "feel" how it's healthy for you. The dark purple colour is enough to show you how antioxidant rich this food really is. I could have put this in a smoothie but immediately thought to combine it with coconut for some reason. And I'm really craving yogurt lately, so here is a nice recipe for Acai-Coconut Yogurt. Put in smoothies or top with fruit and granola.

1 can full fat coconut milk
1 probiotic capsule
1 scoop Simply Acai Organic Freeze-Dried Powder
Drops of stevia, to sweeten


Combine all ingredients together. Store in fridge UNCOVERED overnight.

Granooli on top!



Cool and Creamy wins the race

Tahini-tella on Toast

Quick and easy nutella made with tahini, literally takes 20 seconds to make and you're on your way to gluten-free vegan deliciousness!

1 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp carob powder
1 tbsp hemp milk
10 drops vanilla stevia

2 slices gluten-free bread, toasted

Mix everything together! It's best if you add the carob powder last.

Socca Veggie Sandies! (Vegan, GF)

I finished work early today and when I got home for lunch I wanted a sandwich. Yes that's right, a SANDWICH. It's been a while since I've had one of those. My lunches usually consist of a salad or zucchini pasta. So I was trying to figure out what I would use for bread, then I realized...Socca! It's perfect for a sandwich. So I made a crispy socca by combining 1/2 cup chickpea flour, 1/2 cup water and 1 tbsp olive oil and baked in a 400 F oven until crisp. I spread some of our Cashew Coconut Curry Hummus on each piece and topped it with greens, red onions, cucumbers and fermented veggies.

Lucini sent us these packages of chickpea flour specifically made for making socca! It is so finely ground and powdery, It makes your socca super smooth and light. 

This chickpea flour makes the smoothest socca!

Getting ready to sandwich!

Golden crisps

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Dough Bites (Vegan, GF)

I am officially IN LOVE with oats! Gluten-free oats of course. What is it about oats? Easy digestibility? Fast cooking? Versatile? Good with chocolate, good with vanilla, good with fruit, good with everything! They're just one of the best foods out there, especially for vegans, oatmeal makes for one of the most satisfying and filling meals for breakfast, lunch or dinner :P. I wanted to make some little raw treats but low and behold I didn't have any almond meal/seeds etc. So I decided to use oats. These aren't raw, obviously because oats are toasted but they are still healthier than regular oatmeal cookies. And they're so yummyyyy :P. Add ginger, chocolate chips, dried cranberries, whatever floats your oatmeal cookie boat.

Balls of oatmeal wisdom

Four of a kind

1 cup oat flour
1 cup oats (GF)
2 tbsp coconut oil
1/4 cup coconut nectar (or other sweetener of choice)
2 tbsp raisins, chopped
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

*All you need is a coffee grinder* Grind up oats to make flour and measure one cup in a medium bowl. Add rest of ingredients. That's it! Form into balls or flat cookie shapes. Leave in fridge in a covered container to set. I found that these were better the next day because the oats had a chance to soften up in the fridge, I then moved them to the freezer to harden up even more. Makes about 1 dozen bites.

Coconut Cashew Curry Hummus (Vegan, GF)

Nothing says vegan like good old hummus! I don't know if you guys remember our review on Living Intentions Raw Nuts, but one of my favourite varieties was the Thai Curry Cashews and Coconuts. I am such a fan of cashew butter as well, I bought some in bulk and wanted to put it to good use and not just eat it out of the jar like many of us do :P And the colour is so sunshine yellowy it's stunning! Enjoy!

You are my sunshine

My only sunshine

You make me happy with carrot sticks

1 1/2 cup chickpeas
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp cashew butter
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp ginger, or 1 tsp fresh minced ginger
Juice of half a lemon
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp shredded coconut (ground down)
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp coconut nectar
Salt and Pepper
Roasted cashews (garnish)

*Magic Bullet Friendly* Combine chickpeas, water, lemon juice, garlic, ginger (if fresh) and oil in the bullet with cross blade (or food processor). Pour chickpea paste into a medium bowl. Add all other ingredients. Makes enough hummus for 6 people, w/ carrot sticks and chips!

O.M.G. Mint Chip Flurry (Vegan, GF)

Oh My Freaking God. You guys. I cannot believe how good this tastes. :O I'm in total ice cream heaven. Please make this, or if you don't have an ice cream maker, go out and buy one and make it. Omg omg omg! That is all.

1 can full fat coconut milk (good quality such as Thai Kitchen)
1/2 tbsp agar agar flakes dissolved in 1/4 cup water
A few chunks of avocado, for colour (about 1/4 of small one)
1/2 cup xylitol (I used Xyla brand, see below)
1 tsp peppermint extract
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Dissolve agar in water in a small saucepan. Heat coconut milk in another saucepan on medium-low, add xylitol, agar mixture and all other ingredients except for avocado. Take 1/2 cup of mixture, blend with avocado and return it to saucepan. Chill in fridge until cold.

Make a half batch of Carob Chips

Make ice cream according to ice cream maker instructions. Spoon into bowl/cup and enjoy. Or let it freeze for longer in a sealed plastic container in the fridge.

This was our first time trying xylitol. Xyla Xylitol is extracted from North American Hardwood trees. It has a cooling flavour unlike stevia. You just substitute for the same amount you would use of sugar. And it only has a glycemic index of 7, that's less than most vegetables! You also may be surprised to know that xylitol occurs naturally in most living things, including the human body during metabolic processes.  And unlike stevia I find it goes better with fruit, mint and cream concoctions. I find stevia goes best with chocolate, tea and cinnamon flavours. I've also found that combining xylitol with coconut milk and agar makes for the PERFECT ice cream consistency, I think I've finally found my magical vegan ice cream formula. If you leave this in the freezer it doesn't become rock solid, it becomes smooth and scoopable. Perfection of detection!

Arthur Cookies! + Bio-Greens Giveaway Winner!

My sisters and I are complete Arthur freaks. We still watch it whenever it's on. So when my little sis saw this cookie mix at our local bake shop, she just HAD to get it! We made them and they were so good! Also Dairy-Free, Nut-Free, Egg-Free, but sadly, not gluten-free. I definitely felt that in the morning.

Having fun isn't hard, when you've got arthur cookies in the jar!

Having FUN! :P

So onto the giveaway winner! I used that random number generator and got 35, so I counted the 35th comment and...

The winner of one container of North Coast Naturals Organic Bio-Greens iiiiiis:

................................

Liz from iheartvegetables! Congratulations Liz! Your greens are on their way!