Pancakes, Pancakes

Ok, not only is that the name of a book by Eric Carle, it is what I wanted for breakfast! So, the challenge of no processed began. These came out really tasty but very flat. I wonder if some natural carbonation may help.

1 cup oat flour
1/2 c almond flour
Flax egg ( olive oil and flaxseed)
1 tsp vanilla
A dash of salt
@ 2 cups of almond milk (I actually used a combination of heavy cream (had some left) and almond milk).
They are very dense and take awhile to cook, but they were yummy!

Let me know if you try them and how to make them fluffy! Enjoy!

Refreshing Lemon Cucumber Water

So someone made lemon cucumber water in Reno and I didn't try it. Then Greg was talking about wanting to work on cleansing out some caffeine to back off coffee, so I looked up some natural cleansers and all sorts of flavored water recipes came up. This one is not particularly made to cleanse, but it seemed light and fresh so I tried it. Super easy and I really like it even though I don't like lemon in my water. The cucumber really adds a layer of flavor.

Ingredients:

10 very thin slices of lemon (I basically used one large lemon and had the two ends left and maybe a slice or two)
10-15 very thin slices of cucumber (I left the skin on but bought organic)
4 cups of water
A handful of ice cubes

Just put it all in a bowl and let sit for a few hours and enjoy! The recipe I found actually called for 5 cups of water, but I added ice to chill it faster and figured once it melted, it would make up the difference. Can be room temperature or chilled.

Variations included the addition of mint or basil. I poured just the water to drink, but some sites recommend getting one of each ingredient in each glass. Play around with it and see what you like!

Enjoy!

Black Bean Pasta with Creamy Jalepeno Sauce and Mango Salsa

 

I found black bean pasta (only ingredients: black beans, water) at our local health food store and decided to try them.  They are shaped like spaghetti.  This meal was yummy yummy.  Wyatt liked the black bean pasta with some mango mixed in.  Leah did not like the pasta.  She said it looked like cat hair.  To each his own I guess.

 

 

For the black bean pasta, cook according to directions on the package.  In lieu of black bean pasta, you could serve this over regular black beans.  Or you could use them for tacos, taco salad, etc.

 

 

Creamy Jalapeno Sauce

 

You'll need: 3 jalapenos, 1 8oz block of cream cheese, 2 T. butter, about 1 cup heavy cream, and salt, pepper, and garlic to taste.

 

Mince the jalapenos and garlic and saute in 2 Tb. of butter until soft over medium high heat. Turn the heat down to medium.  Next, add the cream cheese until it gets liquid-y.  Finally, stir in cream, being careful not to boil the sauce.  Season to taste with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  (If desired, substitute some milk for the cream.)

 

***This sauce turned out to be creamy with a little kick.  If you want more kick, I'd increase the jalapeno and maybe season with cumin. 

 

Mango Salsa

 

 

Dice and mix the following ingredients: 2 bell peppers (I used a combination of red, yellow, and orange), 2 mangoes, 1 bunch green onions, 1 jalapeno, 1 bunch of cilantro.  Add 1 drained can of petite diced tomatoes with chilies.  (I think fresh tomatoes would be better, but good ones are hard to come by around here it seems...)