I made over an old, favorite recipe yesterday: Carrot Cake/Bars. As part of our Beyond Sugar challenge during the month of May, my family is not consuming sweeteners, natural or refined.

But I decided to fix a treat once a week or less using whole fruits as sweetening. Whole fruits come with nutrients, fiber and water. The recipe now calls for sprouted spelt flour and coconut oil. The carrot bars hit the spot! I hope you enjoy them. Go to the Carrot Cake/Bars Recipe to see the updated changes.

Based on my healthy skillet dishes, here’s a main dish we really enjoyed last week. Both satisfying and easy, I know most people would love it.

• 2 pounds grass-fed ground beef
• 1 medium onion or 2 small onions, diced
• 4 cups soaked, cooked and cooled quinoa*
• 2 to 3 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon dried basil

Brown the ground beef in a deep skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Leave it pretty chunky (that’s our preference; you can chop it up to smithereens if you want).

Add the diced onions and let them saute in all the yummy beef juices.

Add the cooked quinoa, salt, pepper, and basil. Mix without smushing up the quinoa. Let it all come to a warm temperature.

Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve.

To add a yummy touch, put a bit of shredded goat cheese on top of each person’s serving.

*To cook quinoa, follow these instructions.

© Copyright 2008 by Wardeh Harmon.

Received the Rome Cast-Iron Waffle Irons today. The UPS man always gives the kids candy, but today they were just as excited about what was in mom’s box… they knew we would be having waffles for dinner!

The irons come coated with paraffin wax to prevent rust. This must be removed. My method of choice was to smoke up the entire house by putting a half of an iron on each burner (2 irons, 4 halves, all 4 burners) and letting the wax burn off over medium heat. The exhaust couldn’t keep up with it all, thus the smoky house. Caution: Don’t assume I’m recommending this method; try it at your own peril. Paraffin wax is extremely flammable!

Then I seasoned the irons right on the four burners, too. For about fifteen minutes, and while over medium heat, I brushed each half over and over with coconut oil until they turned dark.

The recipe: a thick four grain flatbread batter, with an addition: 1/4 cup of organic, extra-virgin olive oil. Each waffle took 4 minutes. I flipped the entire waffle iron over on the burner after 2 minutes to brown both sides.

Result: crispy, delicious (really delicious). Drizzled with agave. That’s it, simple! Jeff ate his with two fried eggs and sans the agave. The recipe works as either savory or sweet. I know I’m going to have to make some tomorrow ASAP, otherwise I will have to listen to very polite beggars all day.

While dicing local onions and red potatoes on Sunday evening, and speaking with my mom on the phone, I found out that my Tata Wardeh often added turmeric to her chicken soups, for color and for health. Tata Wardeh is/was my grandmother for whom I was named; she passed away after living a long and full life, and was a mother of ten, and grandmother, great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother to almost 100 of my family members. (Please correct me on the details if I’m wrong, Mom.)

Tumeric is known to be a beneficial spice, and among its properties is a lending of anti-inflammatory benefits to persons who eat it.

I used about two teaspoons in a full pot of chicken soup. The main ingredients in the soup: chicken stock, onions, red potatoes, black beans, cooked chicken, turmeric, sage, cumin, salt and pepper. Fabulous. Thank you, Tata Wardeh.

My friend Jami is a great adventurer and a very creative person. She’s the one who taught me how to make Kombucha. (Thank you, Jami!) She came over yesterday to make soap and we wanted to try something else new on the same day. Well, I was game. All I need to try something new is a little inspiration or someone else around (lacking those, I tend to go through my usual routines over and over).

She brought the waffle iron. Using my four-grain flatbread recipe, we made a thicker batter (by using a little less water). We oiled the waffle iron with a little extra-virgin, unrefined coconot oil. I was concerned that the waffles would be gooey inside, but they really weren’t too bad. The iron steamed all that water out. Literally. For the first 4 minutes of cooking, the steam poured out. A set of waffles would cook in about 4.5 minutes with this waffle iron.

We ate the waffles dipped into a delicious bean soup Jami brought — spiced up with her home-grown hot peppers. The breads were really savory and tasty. The organic corn flour gives them an awesome flavor. And we ate sprout salads topped with other of her garden veggies — bell peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers.

What I wonder is, does anyone know of a cast-iron waffle iron? Or stainless steel? The one we used was a non-stick, which we all know is not the ideal solution. I have a little cast-iron waffle iron that is meant for campfires, and it is fun to use, but unwieldy on the stovetop. I’d love to find something for household use made of safe materials. So please let me know if you know of anything!

recipe from “Sahtein: Middle East Cookbook”

• 4 cups of dried mulukhiyyah (comfrey)
• 2 pounds lamb meat (boneless preferred)
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 6 cups water or lamb broth
• salt and lemon juice to taste
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• prepared, cooked brown rice

Brown the garlic with pine nuts in the butter. Add the meat; brown it and add spices.

Rinse the mulukhiyyah (comfrey) well, picking out the little stems. Add to the meat.

Stir for 5 minutes on low fire. Add the water or lamb broth. Let boil and add the lemon juice.

Cook for 1-1/2 hours until lamb is tender. Serve over cooked brown rice.

Note: If you use the meat with bones, boil meat, strain, and then brown with garlic and pine nuts.

This spread is just fabulous. Really hit the spot today. You can see our delicious and simple lunch in the picture (see also Four-Grain Flatbread).

The recipe is flexible; a couple of the ingredients are optional. Can’t beat that! I’m sure it could be livened up with cilantro or cayenne pepper.

• 4 cups cooked black beans (see How to Cook Dry Beans)
• 1/2 cup pure water
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional, but recommended)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (optional)

Combine all ingredients in bowl of food processor. Blend until well mixed, but leave a little chunky. Refrigerate.

© Copyright 2008 by Wardeh Harmon

I am so thankful to Sonya, a friend and commenter, for sharing a gluten-free tortilla recipe with me! I didn’t follow it exactly, so here follows my modified recipe. The original is Living Without’s Gluten-Free Flour Tortillas.

We enjoyed these today as wraps with shredded chicken and shredded goat cheese. We all agreed they were the best tortillas ever! Who needs gluten? These are just as good, if not better!

This recipe makes about 8 tortillas.

• 1-1/4 cup corn flour*
• 3/4 cup brown rice flour*
• 1/3 cup potato flour
• 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
• 1-1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 to 1-1/4 cups pure water, room temperature

*Flour Tortilla Variation: Increase the brown rice flour to 1 cup. Use 1 cup of buckwheat flour instead of the corn flour. No other changes are necessary. This is a very yummy variation!

Combine all the dry ingredients. Whisk to combine. Add the oil and cut it in with a whisk or a fork. Add 1/2 cup water. Mix well. Add more until the dough becomes soft and hangs together when made into a ball.

Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat.

Generously flour a clean counter-top with corn flour, for rolling. Form a 2-inch ball of dough, then flatten it.

Using natural wax paper (from Natural Value) between the dough and a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 1/8-inch thick circle, about 8 inches in diameter. Rotate the dough as you roll to prevent it from sticking to the counter; dust with more flour as necessary. If the tortilla does stick to the counter, release it by sliding a spatula between it and the counter.

Transfer the tortilla to the heated cast-iron skillet. Oiling is not necessary if the skillet is well seasoned. Allow to cook on the first side until big and puffy, about 1 minute.

The underside with have spots of browning. Flip over and let the second side brown. Transfer cooked tortilla to a dinner plate and cover with a towel to keep soft and warm.

Begin the process again with a new tortilla — shaping it and baking it. Once you develop a rythmn, you’ll be able to roll one out while another is cooking.

Unfortunately, this is one of those foods for which I can’t figure out a plastic-free method of storage. So, store them in a zipper-seal plastic bag in the fridge or in the freezer for future use.

I use flax seed meal and water, whisked together, almost exclusively as an egg substitute. It is the ideal substitute in most baked goods. Now these are normal baked goods, such as muffins, cookies, and cakes. No egg substitute will work successfully in dishes that are egg-dependent, such as quiche or meringue.

The process is very simple. For every egg in the original recipe, use 1 tablespoon flax seed meal and 3 tablespoons water. Whisk them together and let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes. It will get gummy, just like eggs. Then the mixture can be incorporated into the recipe where it calls for egg(s). There are no other adjustments needed in the recipe.

I have noticed that usually, you will not be able to tell any difference in baked goods where flax seed meal has been substituted for the eggs. However, small items like cookies may be more crumbly. I recommend making cookies as bars. Anything that bakes as a bigger solid — such as muffins, quick breads, cakes, or bar cookies — will do just fine.

If you use too much flax seed meal/water mixture (or if you use any flax seed meal/water mixture in pancakes), the risk is that what is baking will remain gummy inside. That is why I don’t use any egg substitute at all for pancakes or pancake-style flatbreads. They just don’t cook inside before getting burned on the outside.

You can grind your own flax seeds in the Vita-Mix dry container (on HIGH), in a heavy-duty blender, or in a coffee grinder. A food processor will not achieve a fine enough grind. Grind the seeds until they’re fine, like a flaky powder. When the meal begins to clump together, that is generally fine enough.

People often tout the benefits of flax seeds because they contain Omega-3, an essential fatty acid that we need and generally don’t consume enough of. However, flax seeds, when baked, lose the Omega-3. They must be raw to get that benefit. Still, as an egg substitute, flax seed meal offers excellent results and you will still get fiber, so all is not lost.

On the other hand, don’t think that sprinkling whole raw seeds on your salad or yogurt will give impart an Omega-3 benefit. In their whole form, the seeds will pass right through your body — you must grind them to get the full benefits.

It is best to grind just the amount of flax seed meal you need, at the time you need it, because exposure to light and oxygen will compromise the nutritional benefits. The next best option is to grind a few days’ worth or a week’s worth of the flax seed meal and store it in the freezer in a dark colored jar, to minimize light exposure.

Naomi was my helper today to make (okay, create) these muffins. We all were in the mood for muffins, but I didn’t have any pureed vegetables, apple sauce, pear sauce, or bananas. I usually like to include one of those for moisture and flavor. So we rustled up some coconut milk instead. The batch turned out smaller. But these muffins are perfectly warm, delicious and spicy for our snacking today. Give them a try!

In addition to being gluten-free, these muffins are also egg-free and dairy-free. Makes 18 muffins.

• 1/2 cup flax seed meal
• 1 14-ounce can light coconut milk
• 1 cup grapeseed oil
• 1-1/2 cups date sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon*
• 1 teaspoon ginger*
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup millet flour
• 1/2 cup quinoa flakes
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup ground nuts
• 1/2 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In mixing bowl, mix flax seed meal and coconut milk. Let sit for a few minutes. Add grapeseed oil, date sugar, vanilla and spices. Blend well, until smooth.

Add baking powder, salt, flours and quinoa flakes. Mix lightly, until smooth. Add raisins, coconut and nuts. Mix lightly, to incorporate.

Fill greased muffin tin or muffin paper liners three-fourths full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and transfer muffins to cooling rack.

Store in an airtight container.

*Instead of cinnamon & ginger, use 1 teaspoon Five-Spice Powder. Yumm!

© Copyright 2008 by Wardeh Harmon.