Hemchibuck Cereal

Hemchibuck Cereal

If you haven't figured it out already, I named this cereal "Hemchibuck" because it's a combination of Hemp Seeds, Chia Seeds and Buckwheat groats. Clever hey?... I know, the name is kind of lame... BUT, this cereal is not lame at all. It is packed full of dense nutrition to get you through your morning with ease. Also, 1 serving is only a whopping 194 calories (approx.). Better than your quick 400 calorie doughnut you picked up in some drive-through on your way to work. The recipe is so simple to make, all of your excuses to eat bad breakfasts will be void the moment you read this, so, sorry about that. As far as the buckwheat is concerned, the best way to prepare this is to soak your buckwheat overnight (in the bowl you will eat it from) but I have eaten this cereal when the buckwheat has only soaked for 15 minutes and I still enjoy it (it's a little more crunchy obviously). So, here is the recipe. Serves 1.

Ingredients

1 tbsp hulled hemp hearts

1 tbsp chia seeds

2 tbsp hulled buckwheat groats

1/2 cup of unsweetened Almond Milk

1 tsp 100% Pure Maple Syrup (if you desperately crave sweet breakfasts, add 1 more tsp)

1/4 blueberries

Optional: bits of apple; raisins; cinnamon; your call


Directions

1) The night before, put buckwheat and almond milk into cereal bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set in the fridge. (If you forget to do this the night before, just put into bowl and let soak for at least 15 minutes while getting ready in the morning [it will be crunchy]).

2) In the morning, stir in hemp hearts, chia seeds, and maple syrup. Let sit for 5 minutes.

3) Give it a thorough stir, add the blueberries (and anything else you feel like).

4) Enjoy!!


So, there you have it. Hemchibuck Cereal. See how easy that is? I hope you give this one a try. Eating this kind of a breakfast is a good habit to get into. If you find that it doesn't fill you up enough, have a half-portion of a protein shake to fill up your stomach (that's is what I had to do) or, a more simple solution, make a double batch. Let me know what you think when you try this. 

Cheers!!

Sneaky Baker's Cookie

Sneaky Baker's Cookie

Cookies!! Yes, that's right, cookies!! I wanted some cookies so I made them!! Don't judge me... But wait, you can't judge me too much because these aren't regular cookies... these are sneaky cookies. I snuck (I don't like the word sneaked so I don't use it) some good, healthy ingredients in there and substituted in some better ingredients. They still aren't necessarily "good" for you per se (especially if you eat too many... which I did while baking them) but they are definitely more healthy than traditional cookie recipes. Like I said when I first created this blog, my goal is to develop healthy recipes and make bad recipes more healthy. So, this recipe is as healthy as I want to go when it comes to cookies. Instead of a pound of butter (cringe...), I opted to use coconut oil [no cholesterol]. I also used Kamut flour instead of the evil bleached wheat flour. I also threw in some sunflower seeds and hemp seeds along with the chocolate chips and raisins. I hope you're salivating by now. Here's the recipe. Yield: 18-20 cookies.

Ingredients

2 cups Kamut Flour

1 cup virgin coconut oil

1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup rolled oats

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup sunflower seeds (if desired replace 1/4 cup chocolate chips for 1/4 cup more sunflower seeds or raisins)

2 tbsp shelled hemp seeds

1/4 tsp salt


Directions 

1) Preheat oven to 325°F. 

2) In a medium size mixing bowl, combine Kamut flour, baking soda, baking powder, oats, salt and hemp seeds. Mix well. Set aside.

3) Melt coconut oil by placing jar/tub in hot water. When melted enough to pour, measure the coconut oil into a large mixing bowl. Sit bowl on a small pot with hot water in it (to make sure the oil doesn't solidify).

4) Whisk brown sugar, vanilla and eggs into the coconut oil. When thoroughly mixed, add the dry mixture, chocolate chips, raisins and sunflower seeds. Stir well (you may need to use your hands if the mixture is too stiff to stir).                                            

5) Lay a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Use a spoon and your hands to measure dough into small balls (1" diameter). Place them on the cookie sheets spaced far enough to avoid touching while they spread out. Measure all the remaining dough into balls; do not let the dough sit in the bowl (otherwise the coconut oil will solidify and the dough won't stick together well). If you don't have more than one cookie sheet, place dough balls on piece of parchment paper while they wait to be baked.

6) Bake for 12-14 minutes. Immediately remove cookies from the baking sheet and place on rack to cool.

7) Enjoy!!!




So, there you have it. Sneaky Baker's Cookies. Next time around I think I may add a 1/2 teaspoon of instant coffee to the mix. I think it would taste great. Side note: Kamut is not gluten free. Don't be fooled. It is wheat. However, for those with wheat sensitivities, you may find Kamut easier to digest than regular wheat flour. Ok, so, don't forget, if you try this recipe out, please give me some feedback. 


Cheers!!

Power Quinoa Salad

Healthy but Tasty Quinoa Salad

Oh, Quinoa... how I love your complete protein goodness. I became quinoa crazy the other day. I made such a large batch that I've been eating this stuff for 3 days. Mmmmmm. Anyway, after a week of eating not-so-good food, I decided to load up a salad with nutrients. But I wasn't finished there. I decided to add an antioxidant as well... green tea. I actually cooked the quinoa in green tea. Strange, you say? It would be too bitter, you say? None of the above, my friends. It turned out beautifully. The tea added a unique and subtle flavour to the quinoa that livened it up a bit. I also went fibre and protein crazy with seeds. This salad is packed with hemp hearts, chia seeds and sunflower seeds. The bottom line, this is a healthy but very tasty meal. Without further ado... the recipe.  
Serves 4 - 6 people.

Ingredients

1 cup white quinoa (mix 1/2 cup of white and 1/2 cup red for a more nutty flavour)

2 cups water

2 bags of quality organic green tea

1 tbsp chia seeds

2 tbsp shelled hemp seeds

2 tbsp hulled sunflower seeds

1/3 tsp dried dillweed

2 tsp dried parsley

1/4 cup apple-cider vinegar

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 large carrot

100g sunchokes (Jerusalem artichoke) (if unavailable, use 1 more carrot or 1 stick celery)

3-4 medjool dates

1 small red bell-pepper

1/2 small red onion

Salt and Pepper

1/4 tsp sugar

Directions


1) Boil some water in a tea kettle. Add 1 cup of boiling water to a medium saucepan and steep the tea bags in it for 5 minutes. Remove the tea-bags.

2) Add one cup of cold water, quinoa, sugar and 1 tsp salt to the pot. Turn stove to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn stove to low, lid the pot and let cook for 15 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes after cooking and then fluff the quinoa with a fork. Once quinoa has cooled, transfer to a mixing bowl.

3) Cut carrot, (peeled) sunchoke, (pitted) medjool dates, red onion and red pepper into small cubes. Add to mixing bowl.

4) Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and stir the ingredients together. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you feel like it needs more of a kick, add 1-2 more tablespoons of vinegar.

5) Enjoy!!


So, there you have it. My Power Quinoa Salad recipe loaded with fibre, protein, essential minerals and antioxidants. The best part? No oil. In fact, I don't think anything in this salad is necessarily unhealthy (just don't use too much salt). Give it a try and send some feedback my way. 


Cheers!!