Real Food with Christine

Marinara sauce was a staple in my house growing up. There wasn't a Sunday morning that my mom didn't have a pot of sauce on the stove. She cooked her sauce for hours with meatballs or sausage in it. I have updated my mom's recipe to make it a little healthier and use it for everything that calls for sauce (pasta, homemade pizzas, turkey bolognese  or any recipe that uses sauce). This is a very simple recipe that only cooks for 1/2 hour and is sweetened with carrots instead of sugar. I like to make a double batch and freeze in small containers to pull out when needed. Ingredients  4 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium onion chopped 4 cloves garlic chopped 2 containers of tomatoes (I like Pomi ) 1 medium carrot shredded small bunch of fresh basil salt and pepper to taste Directions Heat olive oil in a large pot, add the onion and garlic and saute until softened. Add the tomatoes, carrot, basil, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for abou...

I've always loved rainbow cookies. I haven't made them since before going gluten free. Although I have seen many recipes for gluten free rainbow cookies, I haven't seen one that didn't use refined sugar or almond paste. I wanted to avoid both these ingredients. I came up with this recipe that doesn't use either and is gluten, dairy, corn, soy and refined sugar free! The cookie and chocolate topping are both sweetened with maple syrup. The raspberry filling I used is just fruit with no sugar added by  Fiordifrutta . Ingredients 1 1/4 cup GF Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Flour 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 3 eggs 2/3 cup maple syrup 2/3 cup melted coconut oil 1 tablespoon almond extract raspberry preserves (I like Fiordifrutta ) natural food coloring (I like India Tree ) chocolate coating: (first posted  here ) 3/4 cup (100 grams)  raw cacao butter 6 tablespoons  raw cacao powder 4 tablespoons organic ma...

This recipe is one of my favorite recipes from The Earth Diet recipes .  It is so simple and kids love them because they are like little balls of fudgy cake! Anytime I make them, they disappear quickly! My version has a little less cacao powder and I make them with the maple syrup option. I've never done these with honey. They come out amazing just like this, so I probably won't change a thing! See below for a vanilla version of these that are also awesome! Ingredients 1 cup almond meal 3/4 cup raw cacao powder 3 tablespoons maple syrup 1-2 tablespoons water coconut flakes Directions Put the almond meal, cacao powder and maple syrup in a bowl. Start mixing together, if the mixture is too dry add water 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture sticks together. If it gets a little too wet, add more almond meal. Roll into balls and roll into coconut flakes. Here is a vanilla version: Ingredients 1 cup almond meal 2 tablespoons maple syrup 1 tablespoon...

There is something about the weather getting colder that makes me want to have a pot of soup cooking on the stove. Onion soup is one of my favorites. I love pairing this soup with my potato pancakes as an alternative to the traditional French onion soup with bread on top. This recipe was adapted from this recipe by Jaime Oliver . Ingredients 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon earth balance 3 cloves garlic minced 2 red onions 1 yellow onion 2 shallots 2 leeks salt and pepper 6 cups stock (preferably homemade) Directions Put the butter and olive oil in a heavy pot on medium low. Add the garlic and stir. Do not let the garlic brown. Add the onions, shallots and leeks. Season with salt and pepper. Place a lid on the pan, leaving it slightly off and cook for 45 minutes stirring occasionally. Once the onions and leeks are softened add the stock. Bring to a boil, turn heat down and simmer for 20 minutes.

Anytime we go out to a restaurant for an occasion, bread is always on the table. I can usually just pass and it doesn't bother me, but my daughter always says "is it gluten free mommy??". It never is, and I feel terrible. So, now I bring my own when I know we are going to be in that situation. Usually if I have a loaf of Everybody Eats Baguettes on hand I cut one in half and make half to bring with us. Today I ran out of those and didn't have much around except some Kinnikinnick pizza crusts so I came up with this easy idea and it tastes great, kind of like a focaccia bread. Ingredients 2  Kinnikinnick pizza crusts olive oil seasoning of choice (I used garlic powder, Celtic sea salt and rosemary, but thyme, parsley and oregano will all work well too) Directions Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place pizza crusts on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with seasonings of choice. Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden brown. Let cool sl...

1 carrot 1 orange 1/2 grapefruit small piee of ginger

I want to post my potato pancake recipe for all of you who celebrate Hanukkah. I hope you enjoy these and have a Happy Hanukkah! Even if you don't celebrate Hanukkah, they are good for any occasion. Ingredients 6 medium russet potatoes peeled, shredded and dried thoroughly (I use the shredding blade on my food processor, or you can hand grate them on a box grater. Make sure they are very dry before mixing them with the other ingredients, I usually leave them laying out on a cloth to absorb the water) 1 medium onion grated 6 or more tablespoons brown rice flour 1 egg 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg Himalayan salt freshly ground black pepper olive oil Directions In a bowl combine potatoes and onion. Beat egg in a separate small bowl and add to potatoes and onion. Add flour, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Mix until combined. Mixture should be wet, but hold together to form a pancake. If not add more flour a tablespoon at a time until it starts to hold together....

I love making soup in the winter. Nothing warms me up more on a cold day than a nice hot bowl of soup for lunch or dinner. The other day I stopped at a local health food store and bought a cup of butternut squash soup. It was delicious and I knew I had to try and recreate it. Here is my version. Hope you enjoy! Ingredients 1 butternut squash cut lengthwise and seeded 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion thinly sliced 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger 2 minced garlic cloves 2 cups homemade chicken stock (or store bought if you don't have your own) salt and pepper Directions Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut squash lengthwise and place cut side down on a lightly oiled baking sheet and roast in oven for 1 hour.   Remove from oven and scoop out of skins and set aside. Heat olive oil in a pot and add onions, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper. Saute unil onions are softened. Add Squash and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Re...

Peppermint patties were always one my favorite candies. I use to love them in the freezer. Chocolate mints were always a holiday tradition for my family. There were always thin mints on the table after dinner on a holiday. Now, I have a version that is much healthier but still satisfies my craving for chocolate mints especially around this time of the year. This recipe was adapted from this recipe from Elana's Pantry . Ingredients One Serving of my chocolate recipe found here . 1/2 cup coconut oil 1/4 cup honey 1 teaspoon Organic Peppermint oil Directions In a bowl mix together the coconut oil, honey and peppermint oil until smooth. Put in the freezer for a few minutes until firm enough to scoop out with a cookie scoop. Scoop onto parchment lined dish and push down into a flattened disc shape. Place back in freezer until hardened. Make your chocolate recipe . Pour the chocolate into a bow. Take out the patties from the freezer and dip into the chocolat...

Benefits of Chia Seeds -High in Omega 3's -Contains more antioxidant's than flaxseed -Chia is one of nature’s highest plant-based sources of complete protein -Slows down your   body’s conversion of starches into sugars, therefore balancing your blood sugar -Excellent source of dietary fiber, one serving has 24% of your daily fiber -One serving has only 70 calories and 3 grams of protein You can find Chia Seeds at any health food store, or online. I like Navitas Naturals brand, you can purchase them from   Amazon or Navitas Naturals Here is a video on a great recipe using Chia Seeds from Ellen Nalaboff of  Ellen's Fitness. Ellen is a Holistic Nutrition and Life Coach, a Board Certified Holisitic Health Counselor, a Primordial Sound Meditation Teacher, a Power Pilates Certified Instructor and a Spin Instructor. Ellen's You Tube Video on Chia Seed Pudding

  After cooking pumpkin recipes pretty much from September until now, I am ready for my next favorite holiday treat - gingerbread! Jenni Hulet at The Urban Poser has done it again, as soon as I read this post about her gingerbread donuts I was off to the kitchen. These were very simple and absolutely delicious. It's a change from the traditional gingerbread cookie and is a perfect holiday treat. I followed this exact recipe, except I skipped beating the egg whites because I was short on time and she says they come fine without that step, but next time I make these I will try adding that step to see the difference.

When I saw this post earlier today for  peppermint patty rice crispy treats  from The Balanced Platter , I knew I had to make something like this. When I use to eat sugar loaded treats, peppermint patties and rice crispy treats were two of my favorites! I followed the ingredients, amounts and directions from this recipe , but I used almond butter instead of the sunflower seed butter and I used raw cacao powder  instead of cocoa powder. These came out amazing, better than any rice crispy treat I had before! My kids also loved these and asked if we can have them again tomorrow for dessert!

1/2 cucumber 1 green apple 1 celery stalk 1/2 lemon with rind 3 romaine leaves 4 kale leaves handful of fresh spinach handful of fresh parsley small piece of ginger

I have been gluten free for almost two years now and have succeeded at finding a satisfying replacement for just about any dessert I use to like. I was never a fan of pie, but when my daughter asked me to make a gluten free apple pie for Thanksgiving, I had to make a good one. After researching gluten free pie crusts, I came across this one from Brittany Angell at Real Sustenance and it was so easy to make and easy to work with. The only thing I did differently than the instructions was put the piece of dough onto the pie plate and push it into place. This crust came so good, I can't wait to experiment with more pies. I may not have been a fan of pie as a gluten eater, but I am now! Ingredients Gluten free Pie Crust (I used this recipe from Real Sustenance ) Filling 2 tablespoons coconut oil 8  apples peeled, cored and sliced 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons maple syrup 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 tablespoon arrowroot dissolved in a little water 1/2 teaspo...

The days after Thanksgiving, I like to decorate for Christmas and eat leftover turkey. This year I decided to try a pot pie, I made this crust  for my Apple Crumb Pie  and since the recipe makes two crusts, I froze one for this pot pie recipe. This recipe will also work with chicken so it can be made anytime you have leftover chicken from a roasted chicken too! Ingredients 1 gluten free pie crust (I used this recipe from Brittany Angell at Real Sustenance ) 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion diced 1 cup carrots diced 1 cup celery diced 2 garlic cloves minced 2 cups homemade turkey stock (or store bought stock would work but I like to make my own) 3 tablespoons arrowroot starch 2 cups chopped turkey (this will also work will chicken) 1 cup frozen peas handful of fresh parsley leaves chopped salt and pepper to taste 1-2 cups leftover mashed potatoes (enough to cover the top of the pie) Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat olive oil in a pan and ...

I've always loved chocolate, it is one of my favorite desserts. When cutting out sugar, I tried to elimate my evening chocolate, but that didn't work. I need that little bit of chocolate at night after dinner. It is something that I truely look forward to. Now I turn to real, unprocessed, homemade chocolate. If you think it is way too hard or you don't have time, you will see how easy it is with the recipe below. I was motivated by this recipe from Liana from The Earth Diet and with only a few ingredients you can make some great homemade chocolate desserts. My kids love this chocolate and don't miss any packaged chocolate at all.    Benefits of Unprocessed Chocolate Cacao raises the level of serotonin in the brain which gives us a sense of well-being. There are healthy fats found in cacao butter. Cacao contains oleic acid, a heart-healthy fat. Cacao has more antioxidant flavonoids than any food ...

1 Beet 1 Carrot 1 Apple 1/2 lemon with rind 1 small piece of Ginger

Every since  The Earth Diet book  by Liana Werner-Gray was available to pre-order, I had my copied ordered! The first thing I made when I got it was the Peanut Butter Cups, you can read about them  here . Last night I had the opportunity to take a raw food class taught by Liana. The class was awesome and she is so nice and easy to understand! If your lucky enough to be in an area where she is teaching or speaking, I highly recommend you go. She taught how to make some juices and the raw cupcakes in  The Earth Diet book . I am looking forward to making these for Thanksgiving this week. If anyone is concerned about kids accepting raw desserts, Liana was nice enough to let me take two of the cupcakes home to my kids and they ate them right up!! My kids also love the raw cookie dough bites you can read about them  here . I am happy to continue to give my kids the highest quality, nutritious foods there are, without them having to miss out on dessert!

1 grapefruit peeled 1 orange peeled 1 lemon with rind 1 small piece of ginger

1 Beet 1 Carrot 1 Apple 1 lemon with rind

Handful of Kale Stalk of broccoli including stem and florets Handful of parsley 1 Stalk of celery 1 green apple

Salmon is one of my favorite fish to eat. I recently started making this blackberry, balsamic glaze and it gives a really nice variation to this dish. I don't like sauces that are too sweet, so this one has the perfect amount of sweetness without any added sugar. Make sure to use a jam that is sweetened with fruit only, not sugar. Ingredients For the Salmon: 2 salmon portions sea salt freshly gound black pepper olive oil For the Glaze: 2 tablespoons of blackberry jam (I use fiordifrutta ) 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar sea salt 2 cloves garlic grated small chunk of fresh ginger grated Directions Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Drizzle olive oil on a baking dish and lay salmon on top skin side down. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 15 minutes until cooked through. While the salmon is cooking make the glaze. For the Glaze, grate the ginger and garlic and put into a bowl. I love my OXO grater . Add ...