Strawberries and Spinach Salad

2 bags precut spinach
4 cups strawberries, cut into pieces

Dressing:
1/4 cup sugar or two packages stevia
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 1/2 tsp poppy seeds
3 tsp chopped onion
1/8 tsp Worchestershire sauce
1/8 tsp paprika

Place spinach and strawberries in a large bowl. In a smaller container, mix together dressing ingredients. Pour over spinach and strawberry mixture and serve.

Nutty Flax Crackers

I just made these and they are too good not to share! A tasty way to get your fiber. 

2 cups flax seeds, ground
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup water (hot water makes rolling very easy)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Mix until well blended. Divide dough in half. Roll each half on a baking stone. Score into diamonds or squares. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 -18 minutes.

*I use a pizza cutter to score (cut) into crackers. No need to separate them on the baking stone.

*Alter flavorings as desired: 1 Tbsp. garlic powder; or stevia for sweetening; or 1 tsp. of your favorite dried herb. Using tomato juice instead of water (or as a portion) gives a cheesy flavor to these crackers.

*Golden flax seeds seems to tolerate longer baking times than regular brown ones. If you like crispy crackers, bake longer, but keep track of them as they bake.

A non-grain cracker that is a friendly gluten-free option to a traditional cracker.

Seed Crackers

1 1/2 cups raw sunflower seeds, soaked overnight, drained
1 1/2 cups raw pumpin seeds, soaked overnight, drained
1/2 red onion
1 to 2 stalks celery

1/2 head of garlic cloves

1/2 green jalapeno, minus the seeds

1 1/2 Tbsp (4 1/2 tsp) fresh rosemary

1 red bell pepper (capsicum)

4 carrots

 a handful of parsley

Grind all ingredients in a meat grinder or Champion Juicer. Alternate the seeds with vegetables to help blend mixture. Add sea salt to taste. Mix well (use hands).

Drop by spoonfuls onto a baking stone and heat in a dehydrator until crisp on top. Turn and continue to dry until crisp and completely dry.

If you don't have a dehydrator, use an oven heated on low, turn off heat and dry crackers. Continue process (remove crackers; reheat oven; add crackers to dry; etc.).

Flax Crackers

I just made these and they are too good not to share! A tasty way to get your fiber. 

2 cups flax seeds, ground
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup water (hot water makes rolling very easy)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Mix until well blended. Divide dough in half. Roll each half on a baking stone. Score into diamonds or squares. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 -18 minutes.

*I use a pizza cutter to score (cut) into crackers. No need to separate them on the baking stone.

*Alter flavorings as desired: 1 Tbsp. garlic powder; or stevia for sweetening; or 1 tsp. of your favorite dried herb.

*Golden flax seeds seems to tolerate longer baking times than regular brown ones. If you like crispy crackers, bake longer, but keep track of them as they bake.

A non-grain cracker that is a friendly gluten-free option to a traditional cracker.

Carrottes au Cumin

Carottes au Cumin

Makes 8 servings.

1 Tbsp. olive or garlic oil

Salt to taste

1 tsp. cumin seed, ground*

3 lbs. carrots, peeled and chopped into coins

3 cloves garlic, chopped

In a large skillet, saute chopped carrots in oil for 15 minutes. Salt to taste. 

Add garlic and cumin. Add a little water and cover. 

Cook over low heat for 45 minutes. 

Stir frequently so carrots do not burn. Serve hot.

*grind cumin seed with mortar and pestle or in a small coffee grinder

French origin.

Belly Broom Breakfast Cookies

When I grew up, cookies were something you ate for dessert.  Or maybe for a snack, but mother always said we shouldn't eat between meals.  Then I met my husband.  I was so surprised to discover that his family ate cookies for breakfast!  Ever since, breakfast cookies have been a hit with me!  While our children were growing up, I discovered it was a great way to fill them with lots of nutrition.  All under the guise of "cookie".

My mother-in-law would fill her breakfast cookies with nuts, coconut, seeds, raisins, dates, and grains.  She was a great baker, so her cookies were never dry or boring.  They were moist, flavorful, and tasty.  But, most of her cookie recipes were ones she baked "by feel" and she didn't write down the recipe.

Recently I felt the need to figure out how to make a breakfast [lunch, snack, dinner, midnight snack] cookies that were gluten-free, sugar-free, low in cholesterol, highly nutritious, AND tasty!  Fortunately my family is willing to try all my experiments in the kitchen.

Each batch has been a little different than the one before.  Suggestions along the way were welcome.  Little by little a recipe was developed that we liked.

They are not elegant, but breakfast cookies shouldn't be elegant!  Breakfast cookies should be hardy, crammed with nutrition, and tasty!  There's nothing delicate about a breakfast cookie!

They are delicious right out of the oven, but when stored in a covered container [like this one] they become even better!  They become more flavorful and moist as time goes on.  We've named these cookies "Belly Broom Cookies" --- a name our kids give to any yummy, fiber-filled breakfast cookies --- thus named because they keep the colon working efficiently!  Here's the recipe --- which I hope you enjoy:

Belly Broom Breakfast Cookies

1 cup ground flax seeds
1 1/4 cup gluten free oats
1 cup gluten free flour blend (like Bob's Red Mill)
4 packets NuNaturals stevia (any brand, but that's my favorite)
1/2 teaspoon Real Salt
1 Tbsp. baking powder (generous)
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2/3 cup almond milk (or your choice)
1/2 cup olive oil (or grapeseed oil)
1 Tbsp. vanilla
2 cups dates, divided in 1/2

1 cup water

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut, optional
1/2 cup walnuts, optional
1/2 cup raisins, optional

Mix try ingredients together. Form a well in the center of the bowl and set aside.

In a saucepan, mix 1 cup pitted dates with 1 cup of water. Bring to a simmer and cook until dates soften.

Mix cooked date mixture and liquid ingredients together. Then, pour all at once into well in dry ingredients. Stir until mixed.

Add additional dates (1 cup, chopped) and other ingredients of choice (raisins, coconut, walnuts, etc.).

Place on a baking sheet using cookie scoop. Bake for 12 minutes at 350 degrees or until done.

These are dense but good. Store in a sealed container and they soften up to be even better the next day.

*The flour option you choose will very how the cookies turn out, but all are good.  Choose from oat flour, quinoa flour, sweet rice flour, brown rice flour, all-purpose flour, whole wheat pastry flour, etc.

3-Grain Crackers

1 1/2 cups flour (gluten-free blend or quinoa, millet, amaranth, etc.)
1 cup oats, blended into flour
1 1/2 cups fine cornmeal
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup walnuts
1/3 cup ground sesame seeds
1 1/2 cups water for cracker consistency


Place nuts and water in blender and mix until smooth and creamy. Place remaining ingredients into a bowl and form a well in the center. Pour the nut and water mixture into the well.


Roll dough onto a prepared cookie sheet. It should be thin. Prick with the tines of a fork.


Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10 minutes. Watch carefully so they don't overbrown!

For a non-gluten free version, use whole wheat or unbleached white flour.

Flourless Sesame Oat Waffles

Flourless Sesame Oat Waffles

1 cup sesame seeds, raw
1 1/2 cups oats, rolled, gluten free
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup coconut, unsweetened, fine
1 tsp. salt
3 1/2 cups water
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Place the sesame seeds in the blender with a small amount of the water and blend until smooth.  Add the remaining ingredients and enough water to make a good batter.  Bake in a hot waffle iron until completely baked (5 - 6 minutes).  

Serve with fruit and maple syrup for a delicious breakfast treat!

Millet and Sesame Loaf

In vegetarian cooking, a loaf can be a loaf as in bread, or a loaf as in a casserole.  This recipe falls somewhere between the two.  This loaf is usually served for breakfast, and although good hot, it great served cold as well.  As it cools, it solidifies and congeals, making it easy to slice and toast in a toaster.  It also works well formed into patties and fried in sesame oil in a skillet.  This recipe creates a highly digestible, alkaline substitute for bread.


1 cup millet
1 cup sesame seed meal
5 cups water

Place the millet and sesame seed meal in a casserole dish.  Pour water over the top and stir.  Place in a 350 degree F. oven and bake until done (about 1 hour).


*Add salt for additional flavor if desired.  It can be made 'sweet' with the addition of dried fruits, cinnamon, nuts, and honey.  Or savory by the addition of fragrant herbs, nuts, and seeds.