Life Smoothie

Today I decided to discuss life over my morning smoothie. My favorite smoothie which I posted the first day I started my blog.  I called it the Hippstie Smoothie.  I just combine hemp milk, coconut milk, almond butter and a banana.  This is a smoothie I use to always get from a cute food shack on my way to the beach when I lived in Hawaii.  Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.

I am thinking about choices today.  Life, health, food. Food for thought - food for our bodies. Life is about choice.  Our choices define our lives. The circle of life.  What goes around comes around.  Reap what we sow. These are all things I believe in for my life. Look for someone to help in some way everyday.  Bless someone everyday. Words are like arrows be careful of your choices. What is in your heart comes out of your mouth.

Many of these are energies of the universe, I believe. This stuff is hard to get but I believe age helps.  I find myself thinking about retirement life lately. My husband and I have been having many discussions on it. What, when, where, why, how. I believe there is a lot of this energy right now because there are so many of us baby boomers. So many gray haired souls.  Interesting.

Just has me drinking a life smoothie I guess.

Have a safe Memorial Day Weekend.

Shrimp

 This is called America's favorite shellfish.  I have them occasionally.  I keep them on hand in my freezer because shrimp is easy when you are short on time.  Although, I guess we all have the same 24 hours everyday so we are not really short on time.

In my attempt to eat light we try to have fish or seafood at least 3 times a week. I find shrimp somewhat difficult to find good quality.  Since I rely on frozen I read the labels carefully. Know your source.  I tend to stick to US shrimp wild caught and with only salt added.  Shrimp is best if not overcooked.  If you overcook they form the letter O and have a rubber like texture.  I like only 3-4 minutes depending on the shrimp and cooking style.

The two dishes I am sharing today are coconut shrimp and Thai basil curry shrimp.  The first photo is coconut shrimp I served with sweet potato fries and grilled asparagus.  The second is the curry shrimp served with purple sticky rice.

Coconut Shrimp

Peel and devein your shrimp I use 16-20 count per pound size
Melt 2 Tbsp of coconut oil and place in a bowl (may need more depending on the quantity of shrimp)
Mix equal parts of bread crumbs (Hol-grain brown rice) and unsweetened coconut Bob's Red mill) in a separate dish

Dip one shrimp at a time in coconut oil then bread crumb/coconut mixture until well coated.  Place on wax paper until all shrimp are dipped.  Heat peanut oil in pan and saute shrimp until golden on both sides.  Usually about 3-5 minutes depending on shrimp size.

Thai Basil Curry Shrimp

Basically follow the recipe on the jar of Thai Kitchen Green Curry Paste. I substituted shrimp for chicken and also made the following adjustments for my taste.

2 Tbsp Thai Kitchen green curry paste instead of one
1 Tbsp fish sauce instead of 2
1 Tbsp brown sugar instead of 2
shrimp instead of chicken
add fresh basil

Shrimp is great when you want a little more of that precious time we are all trying not to waste.

Nutty Gypsy Scones

I decided to post scones again. I reworked my recipe a little.  Scones are my favorite travel food.  Since I have been traveling a lot lately it was a good thing to rework.  As I stated on my first post of scones, I like them dry and not very sweet.  I just don't bake very much because I like to keep sugar out of my diet as much as possible. If you like more sugar just add it. Sometimes I will spread a little homemade jelly on the scone for added sweetness.  My first recipe was called Door County Scones because of the addition of cherries.  This time I changed the flours and just added walnuts.

Nutty Gypsy Scones

1 cup gluten free multi-purpose flour (King Arthur)
1 cup whole grain millet flour (Bob's Red Mill)
1/4 cup Blonde Coconut Palm Sugar (Sweet Tree)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp xanthum gum
5 Tbsp Organic Coconut Oil
1/2 cup hemp milk
1/4 cup cultured coconut milk (So Delicious)
Ener G egg replacer for 1 egg mixed according to box
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 400.
Place flours, sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, and xanthum gum in bowl of stand mixer. Add coconut oil and blend until resembles a coarse meal. Add nuts.  Whisk hemp, coconut milk, Ener G and vanilla in separate bowl. Take bowl of dry ingredients from mixer and make a well in center - add milk mixture to well of dry ingredients. Stir just until dough forms. Place on floured surface and gently knead until it comes together.  Pat into a round shape about 7".  Cut into wedges with a knife.  Transfer wedges to baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.

I have tried these with many different flours over time. If you can use dairy try butter instead of coconut oil, milk instead of hemp milk, and sour cream instead of cultured coconut milk. An egg can be used instead of Ener G replacer. It all works.

Best of all it is grab and go food for those of you who enjoy the gypsy life as I do.

Carrots

HAPPY EASTER

In honor of that childish side of Easter... the Bunny I decided to feature Bunny food. Carrots of course.  We all know it is the food of choice for the Easter Bunny...Right?  Maybe I have been fed a web of lies but I must believe.

Such a colorful vegetable.  Liking juicing as I do the carrot is often my choice. Who knew me and the Easter Bunny enjoying the Elixir of the Bunny Gods.

Steam, boil, eat raw, juiced whatever your mind can create.  Here are two I recently had.

Carrot Salad

Peel and shred raw carrots.  Add chopped fresh dill and chopped scallions.  Mix olive oil and lemon for dressing.  I used basil olive oil.

Carrot Dip

Similar to hummus just done with carrots.
I used six large peeled and boiled carrots. Place in food processor and add spices.  I did 3 Tbsp of olive oil.
3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar. 1 Tbsp sweet paprika. 1 tsp cumin. 1/2 tsp cayenne. 1 garlic clove and a little salt and pepper.  Blend until smooth.

So in honor of the Easter Bunny and keeping in touch with our childish nature make some bunny food and have fun.  P.S. Don't forget to eat the chocolate bunnies!!!!

Quinoa w/Orange

Quinoa.  What a wonderful grain. I know we all eat our fair share of it when we eat gluten free.  It is a grain everyone should try because it is a complete protein.  I have tried it many different ways some hot some cold. I like to mix it up with the different colors - red, black and white. This time I added oranges and orange juice.

It can become difficult to keep some of these grains interesting because we use them so often. Just keep trying different things and you will eventually come up with a combination that surprises you.  Here is how I did this one.

Quinoa w/Orange

1 cup quinoa rinsed and cook in 2 cups of water - cool
1 cup celery chopped
1 cup orange bell pepper chopped
1/2 cup red onion chopped fine
6 cherry tomatoes sliced
1 orange peeled and cut into pieces
Handful of chopped parsley
1/2 tsp smoked Spanish Paprika, optional
Blend fresh squeezed orange juice with olive oil.  I used Moroccan olive oil. I did one part orange juice to 2 parts olive oil

Mix the quinoa and all the vegetables and fruit.  Then stir in the orange juice and olive oil blend to your taste.

Try it my way or as usual create your own.

Spring Chicken Salad

Let's go lively into spring with color.  Our taste buds and eyes are canvassing for excitement.  Spring....that time of year we start thinking about asparagus, flowers, color and everything new.  I already have been eating that spring vegetable we love, asparagus. I am waiting for our annual hunt and gather for it.  Actually, I don't really hunt and gather, I just drop my husband off in his favorite field and pick him up when the bag is full.

Today it is a chicken salad.  We found this great smoked chicken at a local store that makes their own.  So I thought some kind of chicken salad would be great.  Then I started thinking about roasted bell peppers.  I had this gorgeous tomato which tastes like the ones you get in summer from your garden and magically a salad is created.

Roasted red bell pepper sauce

1 red bell pepper, blackened on an open flame or grill then placed in a brown bag for 10 minutes
1/4 cup chicken stock gluten free
1 tsp sunny Paris (Pensheys Spices)shallots, chives,green peppercorn,basil,tarragon,chervil,bay leaf and dill weed
Or any spice you like
Dash of garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Take bell pepper from bag and clean off black char, take off stem and seeds and rough chop.  Put in food processor with stock and spices and blend until smooth.  Adjust thickness with more or less stock.

For the salad I combined lettuce, tomato, smoked chicken and a dab of brown rice.  Topped it all off with the roasted pepper sauce.

Create your own spring treat.  Spring the time for a re-awakening of our zest for food and life....just like the spring chickens.

Grains

From left to right.  Green lentils, red quinoa, millet, buckwheat, orange lentils, purple sticky rice, red rice and brown rice.

Whole beautiful colored grains.  I just went to my pantry and pulled this variety out.  This wasn't even all of them - I forgot the wild rice, black quinoa and white quinoa.  With all these choices why is anyone eating white potatoes and white rice. Everywhere you turn there is something discussing whole grains.  Get them in your diet your body will appreciate it.

I made purple sticky rice also called black thai rice.  Try this one. Often it is cooked as a dessert rice. I had it once that way in a Thai restaurant.  I just cook it in water and add seasonings. I like it because it is a sticky rice.  Just 2 cups of water or broth to 1 cup of rice. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer covered for 30-40 minutes.  Do not stir.  Turn off heat and let sit 10 minutes. Fluff and serve.  Some people use a rice cooker, I never have yet.




With all the beautiful colored food choices who needs white food.