Yogurt Parfait

Yogurt Parfait
The Anti-KFC

This is Vegan, Soy free, Gluten Free, Non GMO/mostly Organic and Low Glycemic 

You will need nine 8 oz jars for this recipe. 
Ingredients for base:
GF rolled oats: 1 tbl sp 
Ground flax meal: 1 tbl sp 
GF Granola (optional: 1 tbl sp)
Hemp seeds: 1 tbl sp, ¼ tsp
Cinnamon: 2-3 dashes

Ingredients for filling:
Unsweetened almond yogurt (I buy the 24 oz): 2-3 tbl sp
Monk fruit sweetener (optional: to taste)
Coconut sugar (optional: to taste)
Strawberries (1 package): chopped in quarters
Blueberries (1 package)
Or any seasonal fruit of your choice

I loved the parfait dessert from KFC as a kid so this is my adult, healthier version. It’s great for breakfast or a snack. With my last doctor‘s visit, I needed to be mindful of a few things: lowering my cholesterol, decreasing my sugar intake, and stabilizing my flora/digestive system.
To begin your base, take one scoop of gf oats and place on the bottom of each jar. Begin to layer with granola, hemp seeds, flax meal and cinnamon. Next is the yogurt, about 2-3 heaping table spoons (tbl sp). Then time for the 2-3 tbl sp of fruit, layered more with 1-2 tbl sp of yogurt. Top it off with more flax, hemp seeds, cinnamon and lastly a few blueberries. 
Enjoy and Bon Appetit!

The Better Helper

When I was a kid, we didn’t have a whole lot of $. We made do on government food and a military budget shopping excursion at the Commissary.  I grew up on junk food (kool-aid, chicken nuggets, Hamburger Helper and PB&J's) and I’m grateful I’m eating a lot healthier as an adult today. :)
I was craving comfort food on this cold California night and I loved this one particular Hamburger Helper dish that was pasta, cheese, marinara sauce & (gasp!) ground beef (before my non meat eating days). I decided to make a vegan, gluten free version.  Here's the recipe:

1-2 tbl spoons of Earth Balance vegan butter (I use the soy free one)
1 Better Than Meat pattie
1 box of Daiya cheddar mac n cheese
1-2 cups of marinara sauce
1/4 cup of nooch = nutritional yeast
Himalayan salt to taste
good music to dance to while cooking!

In medium pot, fill 3/4 with water and heat on high until boiling.  Place pasta in water and stir occasionally until al denta (about 5-min).  Rinse with cold water and set aside.  In medium size sauce pan, saute butter on medium heat. Place BTM pattie in the middle and after a minute or two, separate pattie with fork and spread out.  Cook for about 5 min. On low heat, add pasta, cheeze and marinara sauce.  Mix well.  Don't forget to do some dance moves!  Lastly, add nooch and H salt.

Et voila! 

Suffice it to say...it was Delish!! Memories of my childhood rushed forth and my heart (and belly) were so warm and fuzzy. Bon Appetit!

The Goddess Cafe

One Day...

For the longest time, I've had this desire to have a cafe of my own..and not just any cafe, a Goddess Cafe featuring non gmo, organic, vegan, gluten & soy free yummylicious food and desserts. It would be THE place where people congregated, gathered and connected. The Center where enlightened souls divulged in orgasmic morsels and discussed their current spiritual practice(s) or latest novel being voraciously devoured. 

It would be a space where spiritual nourishment transcended from a 'practice' to a work of art such as tonight's dessert served in a wine glass: drizzled chocolate love sauce on the inside, a bottom layer of the special yoni berry sorbet, layered with ice cream and topped off with chopped up banana and yes! more chocolate sauce. Special chants, prayers and crystals were used. The end result? Total surrender for your taste buds and comfort food that essentially was intended to activate a mind, body, heart connection. 

Who says you can't have an 'experience' while satiating your appetite?

And if there are skeptics and naysayers present, I'd like to invite you to try some Yonilicious Chocolate Love sauce if you're up to it...for that, my sweeties, is one of the reasons why the Goddess Cafe came into fruition. :0)

The Premise:

Until a proper location is secured, the Goddess Cafe is mobile and travels within Ventura, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles counties.  However, traveling not only domestically but internationally is a possibility for the future. Most items are purchased from our local farmers markets and made with more love than the world has people. Seriously. 

Food is prepared and served at the designated Goddess House. Typically, The Goddess Chef chooses a theme and creates a menu. We gather together, eat, laugh 'til our bellys hurt and our tummys are filled to capacity. 

Who We Are:

We are Conscious Women co-creating and sharing our Gifts. We are a network of Spiritual BEings whom love to cook, connect, share, laugh, support and live healthy lifestyles.  We are passionate about so many different causes ranging from health, environment, politics, animal rights/activism, feminism, spirituality, and alternative healing to name a few.

Our Intention:

We feel that the choices we make and the steps we take directly reflect who we are and what we stand for. To BE healthy is to Live healthy and in order to do that, being mindful of what we put into our bodies is one of our top priorities. And we'd like to share our Love of Good Food and our hearts with You! We offer collaborative dinners, potlucks, and presentations.  Not to mention edible, educational and entertaining workshops showing you how easy it can be to eat with heartfelt and healthy intentions.

And, guess what? It's only the BEginning! :0)

For a tasty teaser, check out tonight's menu below!

Menu for 02.19.13

Theme: Comfort for the mind, body & heart

For Karin.

Starter: Kale salad topped with hemp seeds, almonds, mangoes. Simple dressing of hemp oil, apple cider vinegar, mango bits and salt 

Entree: Mashed potatoes mixed with rice milk, vegan butter, nutritional yeast w/ gypsy dance gravy (veg broth, gluten free flour, onions & garlic, herbs, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper). Sautéed Mushrooms on the side for Holly & moi because we are the biggest mushroom lovers in the world.

Side dish:  Corn sautéed w/ spinach, basil, garlic w/ the usual Athena staples (nutritional yeast, Himalayan or sea salt, pepper, love, giggles & shakes)

Dessert:

Special yoni berry sorbet: strawberries, blackberries, pineapples, maple syrup, coconut sugar, prayers/chants topped with special Chocolate Love sauce, chopped bananas with layers of ice cream served in a wine glass.

I made two kinds of chocolate sauce because Holly has an allergy to nuts and has some difficulty with coconut oil.

Holly's chocolate sauce consisted of: hemp oil, cocoa powder, toffee flavored liquid stevia, maple syrup, cinnamon, date syrup and crystal water.

The second consisted of the same ingredients except instead of hemp oil, coconut oil was substituted.

The dessert looked something like this:

A dessert fit for a Goddess...and that Goddess is You!

xoxo