Baked Oatmeal

You will never need another baked oatmeal recipe again! This is packed with whole grain extra thick oats, all kinds of fruit, protein (egg, nuts and milk of your choose) and the wonderful unrefined sweetener maple syrup.

1 cup extra thick rolled oats (gluten-free if need)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, lightly toasted, divided
1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/8 - 1/4 cup maple syrup (Depending on the sweetness you like.)
1 cup organic whole milk (or any other milk you use)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil melted and cooled slightly
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 cup blueberries or raspberries (fresh or frozen)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine the rolled oats, half of the nuts, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Stir with a fork to combine. In a liquid measuring cup, combine the maple syrup, milk, egg, butter and vanilla. Spread the sliced bananas in a single layer over the bottom of the baking dish. Top with half of the berries. Sprinkle the dry oat mixture over the fruit in an even layer. Pour the liquid ingredients evenly over the oats. Sprinkle the remaining nuts and berries over the top. Bake for 20-30 minutes (mine always takes around 20 minutes), until the top is browned and the oats have set. Let cool 10 minutes before serving. You may enjoy drizzling milk of your choose over the warm oatmeal. Enjoy!

Peaches 'N' Cream

Amazingly refreshing and guilt free!! This is so very, very good.

Complements: Diet for a New World

6 ripe peaches, stones removed and sliced into thin wedges
2 cups raspberries, blueberries, strawberries or other berries in season (optional)
1 cup raw almonds
3/4 cup almond milk or other milk
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup raw almonds, toasted and slivered or chopped

In individual goblets, layer the peaches and berries. For the almond cream: blanch the almonds in boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain and plunge the almonds into cold water. Drain, and squeeze the almonds between your fingertips to remove the skins. Compost or discard the skins. Put the almonds, almond milk, maple syrup and vanilla in a blender and blend until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour the almond cream over the tops of the fruit and sprinkle with the toasted almonds. Chill until ready to serve, up to 3 hours. Enjoy!

Fresh Berry Tart with a Raw Nutty Oat Crust

Fantastic, fantastic good wholesome whole foods fantastic! This qualifies for a dessert, snack or even lunch. A treat that you must serve more then once in a summer.

Adapted from: The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook

Crust:
1 cup raw pecans
1 cup rolled oats (if you are gluten sensitive then use gluten-free oats)
1 cup medjool dates, pitted
1/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1/4 teaspoon cardamom

Berry Filling:
1 1/2 cup organic berry juice
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 cups fresh organic berries, such as raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries

To make the crust, place the pecans and rolled oats in a food processor fitted with the "s" blade. Process until ground, then add the pittled medjool dates, butter and spices and process until well combined. Place into an 8x8 inch square baking dish and firmly press evenly into the bottom of the pan. Place into the refrigerator to chill while you are making the filling. To make the filling, place the berry juice, corn starch and maple syrup into a small saucepan. Place pan over medium heat. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently. Turn heat down and cook until the mixture is thick and clear, stirring frequently. Remove pan from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes. Wash and dry berries and spread evenly over crust, then pour sauce mixture over the top of the berries. Chill for about 20 minutes before serving. Tart will keep covered in refrigerator for up to 3 days. Top with whip cream if you desire. Enjoy!

Sun Dried Berry Fruit Leather

Get loads of seasonal berries while you can! Support your local berry growers and pick them yourself or buy from a farmers market close to you. This recipe is great to do with kids. You have to have a bright sunny summer day and it takes some patients, but it is well worth the wait.

4-5 cups fresh berries (3 cups pureed)
1 tablespoon honey (optional)

Place the fresh berries into a blender with the honey. Blend until the berries are a smooth consistency. You should have 3 cups of fruit puree. If you would like you can press the puree through a cheese cloth to remove the seeds (this will give you a nice smooth fruit leather). I did not do this. I driedthe fruit with the seeds and all. Place a piece of wax paper onto an edged baking sheet (15x12 inch)(or any 15x12 dish with a slight rim around it). Pour the pureed fruit onto the wax paper. It should be about 1/4 inch thick. Place the dish in full sun for 6-8 hours. When it is all dry (the kids checked on it every hour or so) peel the fruit leather off the paper and enjoy!

Ambrosia Fruit Salad

Our 7 year old daughter planned lunch for us today. It included Ambrosia fruit salad and whole grain spelt bread toast. She used the recipe from the book, "Kids Cooking". She was the cook from start to finish. It turned out lovely!

4 cups for copped fruit (it is fall and she choose apples, oranges and grapes)
1/2 cup organic vanilla yogurt (it called for sour cream, but she made the decision to change to yogurt)
1 teaspoon honey
3 tablespoons coconut
1 handful of mini marshmallows (can't leave this out mom!)
a sprinkle of cinnamon (another change my daughter made, she added cinnamon (what can I say she is like her momma and has to tinker with the recipe :) )

Place chopped fruit into a serving bowl. Mix the remaining ingredients together and pour over fruit. Stir until combined. Serve right away. Enjoy!

Crockpot Cinnamon Apples

You can mash these up into applesauce or keep them in chunks. These apples are wonderful as a side dish, a snack or to use as a topping for desserts.

4 pound of apples, cored and sliced into thin chunks
2-4 tablespoons raw cane sugar (optional)
1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 - 1 cup of water

Mix apples (about 10 - 12 cups) with cinnamon and sugar and put into crockpot. Pour water and lemon juice over apples. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours. Enjoy!

Fresh Cherry Pie Filling

Get your fresh cherries while they are in season and inexpensive! You can fill a delicious summer tart with this filling or you can can it. It is a satisfying treat to be able to open a jar of homemade cherry pie filling in the middle of winter. I canned 6 jars last year and used them all. I would chop up a few apples then open one of my canned cherry pie fillings and pour it over the apples and top the fruit with a crumb topping. This makes for a delicious comfort food on cold fall and winter evenings.

(Labels: If you like these adorable labels here is were I printed them for free: www.hp.com When you get to the hp web site you'll want to type the following into their search engine: vintage handcrafted product labels. I cut them out and used extra sturdy double stick tape to attach them to my jars.)

The following recipe fills one 1/2 quart jar (or one pie worth of filling).

2 cups fresh pitted cherries
1/2 cup water
1/4-1/2 cup raw cane sugar (my cherries were very sweet I used just 1/4 cup sugar)
2 tablespoons cornstarch

In a saucepan, cook cherries in water for 10 minutes. Mix together the sugar and cornstarch; add to cherries. Cook cherry mixture until thickened. Cool slightly before using to fill pie shell. If you are canning the filling you'll want to fill your sterile canning jars with the hot pie filling. Tightly seal your jars and place in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes. Remove from bath and cool completely. Enjoy!

Fruit Juice Gelatin

A refreshing snack!

Complements: www.thenourishinggourmet.com (I did change it a bit)

4 cups of 100% juice (apricot nectar or papaya juice mix are especially good and organic if possible)
6 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons gelatin
2 tablespoons honey
2 cups fresh berries (I used blueberries and Rainier cherries)

Put the water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Leave for 5 minutes to soften. Meanwhile, heat about two cups of the juice and the honey on the stove and bring to a boil. Place the gelatin/water mixture in a medium size bowl and add the hot water, stirring for one minute and the gelatin is thoroughly dissolved. Then add the rest of the juice. In 8 ramekins or a small casserole dish, place your berries and pour over the gelatin juice mixture. Place in the fridge overnight or for at least 4 hours to set. When cool, you can cover with plastic wrap. Enjoy!

Cocoa Mole Smoothie

Complements: The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook

1/2 cup raw cashews (I have used almonds before too)
1 cup water (I like using vanilla Rice milk)
1 large frozen banana
1 to 2 tablespoons agave nectar
1 to 2 tablespoons organic cocoa powder (of course I use 2 tablespoons ;))
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste (optional)

Place the cashews and water into a blender fitted with a sharp blade. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Then add the banana chunks, cocoa powder, agave nectar, cinnamon and chili powder; blend well. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Energizing Berry Nut Smoothie

I have mentioned this before while posting shakes. If you want to serve them extra chilled make sure you place fresh fruits in the freezer overnight first.

complements: The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook

1 cup raw cashews
1 cup milk (rice, soy or coconut)
1 cup frozen banana pieces
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup frozen cherries

Place raw cashews and milk in a blender fitted with a sharp blade. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Add frozen banana chunks, blueberrries, and cherries. Blend on medium-high until smooth. Enjoy!

Cooling Stawberry Orange Blueberry Smoothie

Freeze freshly picked strawberries and blueberries for a refreshing cool shake. It is like adding ice cubes to your drink.

2 cups frozen strawberries
1/2 cup fresh peach slices
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (or a blend of organic fresh juices)
1-2 tablespoons agave nectar

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Honey Lemon Cashew Sauce

Ok folks this is a wonderful, nourishing, raw and whole foods replacement to the marshmallow fluff and cream cheese fruit dip we all have enjoyed in the past ;). You can use this dip for all in season fruits (even apples and pears in the fall)!

Complements: The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook

1 pound fresh organic fruit

Cashew Sauce:
1 cup raw cashews
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
1 to 2 tablespoons water, or as needed (more if you are going to drizzle over a fruit salad)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
pinch sea salt

Wash, dry and trim fruit. Place into serving bowl. In a blender, place all ingredients for sauce and blend until creamy and smooth, adding more water if necessary. Use as a dipping sauce or drizzle over fresh fruit. Enjoy!

Stevia Lemonade

Next to water this is our drink of the summer!

Complements: The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook

1 cup freshly squeezed organic lemon juice
8 cups water
2 -4 teaspoons stevia powder, or to taste

Place all ingredients into a large glass pitcher and mix well. Taste and adjust sweetness if necessary. Enjoy!

Apples with honey sauce

2 apples
1 cup halved grapes (optional)
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 - 1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Mix all ingredients together. Cover and refrigerate one hour. Enjoy!