Denali's Birthday

That's right, when you are in love with your dog as much as I am, they get birthday parties. Last month marked my girl's 2nd birthday. And I held a party for her and her friends at work. My coworkers looked at me like I was a crazy, but succumbed to the fun in the end.

Denali recieved a special Birthday Girl crown that she wore proudly (and which I constructed out of felt)

And a dog-friendly cake.

She waited patiently...

before they dug in!

I got this recipe from my friend Emily and the dogs LOVED it. And bonus: nobody got the runs!

Peanut Butter Carrot Cake

Naturally sweet, colorful and flavorful, this cake is simple and easy to make. Great for Fall.

1 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup shredded carrots
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup honey
1 egg

Mix flour and baking soda. Add remaining ingredients. Pour into greased 8" round cake pan and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Let cool. Puree cottage cheese in blender for icing. Decorate with more peanut butter and carrots.

My boss even wrote a post about the party on his blog for work. It was a really fun day.

A Lovely Spring Cleanse

I was recently at a dinner with the family and my good friend told me that frankly she was quite sick of the lack of updates to my blog. In fact I think the word "threat" may have been used.  So... here I am! And let us play a bit of catch up.
Last month I did a "nutritional cleanse" which basically means there is a super long list of foods I'm supposed to refrian from for a month, consistent exercise, attend a few informative classes (about health and food), and get regular treatments from my doctor which were somewhat similar to going to the spa. Doesn't sound too bad, right? Check out my list of bad foods:

• Dairy
• Wheat/Gluten
• Soy (including tofu, soy milk, or edemame)
• Sugar
• Eggs
• Corn 
• Caffeine
• Alcohol
• Nightshades (Tomatoes, Potatoes, Peppers, etc)
• Citrus
• Peanuts
• Pork
• Shellfish

Yikes, right? When this list was displayed in the class people's mouths fell open. Yikes indeed. Not only would I be without cheese or bread or PIZZA for an entire month, but it also looked as though I was going to have to prepare every single meal for the duration. Now I love cooking, but its tough for me to cook for every meal, every day. Usually time, hunger, and a lack of ingrediants are my biggest obstacles. And try to find a pre-made meal anywhere that does not contain any of the above. Go ahead. I dare you. I don't live in city anymore. There are no vegan, health food coops around here. We have safeway. So I had to get creative.


So let's see the good list:

• Beans, Lentils, and Rice
• Aramanth, Quinoa, Millet, and Buckwheat (actually gluten free, despite the name)
• Beef, Chicken, Fish
• Non-nightshade veggies
• Non-citrus fruit
• Honey, Agave, or Maple Syrup
• All Nuts except Peanuts
• Dairy Alternatives (Rice, Almond, Coconut, and Hemp <- my fav)
• Herbal Tea

It was rough, but you know what? I felt great! No joke. I lost a little bit of weight, about 10lbs in 20 days. I had more energy. I slept better. Even my skin and hair seemed healthier. Of course I missed my bad foods so much that I don't feel quite as awesome anymore, but I'm working on it. On the plus side. I came up with some great recipes for some clean wholesome food.

Red Lentil Soup
Splash of olive oil
1 onion, chopped roughly
2-4 carrots, chopped roughly
1-2 celery stalks, chopped roughly
1/2 tsp salt
2 c red lentils, rinsed & picked over
3-4 c chicken stock
1 Tb cumin

1-2 tsp curry powder

1 can coconut milk
chopped cilantro (optional)
hot sauce (optional)

Heat olive oil in soup pot or dutch oven. Cook onion, carrots, and celery until onions are tender. Toss in the salt, lentils, chicken stock, & spices. Simmer until vegetables are tender and lentils have begun to break down. In batches, puree soup in a blender and return to the pot OR use an emerson blender (a magical tool) to blend in right in the pot. Blend until creamy. Add the coconut milk. Serve hot and topped with cilantro and hot sauce, if desired. 

Asian Breakfast Hash
Splash of olive oil
1 c sliced criminis
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c raw cashews
2 c cooked kasha (toasted buckwheat)
1 handful spinach, chopped
pinch salt & pepper
2-3 scallions, chopped


Heat the oil in a frying pan. Cook up the mushrooms, garlic,  and the cashews until browned. Throw in the buckwheat and heat it up. Throw in the spinach, cook until it wilts. Salt and pepper to taste (or soy sauce if you can have that.) Served topped with green onion. 


Healthy Easy Fried Rice
Splash of olive oil
3/4c raw cashews
2-3 cloves garlic, miced
2c chopped veggies (I use whatever I got in the fridge, but these work well: broccoli, cabbage, onions, carrots, kale, chard, spinach, mushrooms, boc choy, etc)
2c cooked brown rice


Heat the oil in a pan, brown the garlic, saute the veggies until tender. Add the rice, cook until heated. Top with hot sauce or soy sauce if desired.
These three recipes were my favorites. I also had a few of failures. Once I tried to make a dairy free-sugar-free, tapioca pudding. Not good... no sir, not good at all. 

Natural Home Cleaners

Did you know that you can make your own cleaning solutions at home? It's non-toxic, it's nicer to the environment, it's better for your lungs, it's WAY cheaper, and it's REALLY easy. I know all those Clorox commercials make it seem as though if you don't use their products you and your children will die from the flu germs that are crawling over every surface of your home. But lemme just tell you... they're liars. It's just marketing. Do not be afraid, you do not need to bleach every square in of your home. Its just not necessary. Instead try these:

All Purpose Cleaner : Mix 3 parts white vinegar, 1 part water, and a few drops of tea tree oil (a natural antibacterial) together and you're good to go.
Baked on Crusties: Sprinkle on baking soda and scour off the mess.
Drain Cleaner/Dislodge-er: a plunger
Garbage Disposal Freshener: Grind up some citrus rind, or a bunch of ice cubes.
Glass Cleaner: Soap and warm water or you can use 1 part white vinegar to 8 parts water in a spray bottle.
Mildew/Soapscum Remover: Spray your all purpose cleaner and sprinkle with baking soda.
Oven Cleaner: Make a paste out of baking soda by mixing it with water. Use it to scrub off crusties.
Room Freshener: Fill a spray bottle with water and a few drops of your favorite essential oil (I like Lemon or Lavender oil.)
Toilet Cleaner: Combine 1 part baking soda and 4 parts white vinegar and let sit before scrubbing.
Sticker Goo Remover: Sponge the area with white vinegar, wait a few minutes, and wipe it off.
Wood Polish: Add a few drops of lemon oil to about a 1/2 cup of water. Spray on a cloth and wipe wood.

So as you can see, all you really need to clean your entire house is white vinegar, baking soda, a couple essential oils, and some bottles. Pretty sweet, eh? I'll admit that I do keep a stash of traditional stuff like bleach for certain projects (ie getting rid of the fruit flies that decided to move into my kitchen sink drain.) But I do try to use them sparingly.

If you have other recipes for home cleaning products, please share!

Crafty Gift Idea # 2 - Oven Caramel Corn

Oven caramel corn is a quick, inexpensive, and simple gift to make people for stocking stuffers or hostess gifts during the holidays. Presenting it in cellophane bags gives it a Martha-y touch. Anyway, here's the recipe. Very tasty. Adapted from Betty Crocker.

Oven Caramel Corn
makes about 17 cups

15 c popped popcorn
2 c peanuts or walnuts or almonds or pecans (or a mix if you like)
1 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c butter
1/4 light corn syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

Heat oven to 200 degrees.

Place popcorn and nuts in a very large bowl or roasting pan, or 2 ungreased lasagna pans.

Heat brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, and salt in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until bubbly around the edges. Continue cooking 5 minutes without stirring, remove from heat. Add baking soda and stir until foamy.

Pour sugar mixture over popcorn & nuts. Toss until coated evenly.

Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Take out, spread across foil on counter top to let cool. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate with a bit of vegetable oil and drizzle evenly over popcorn.

Store in airtight containers or give away fresh.

I skipped the chocolate for this one, but it still turned out pretty good.

Crafty Gift Idea # 1 - Spice Mixes

The holidays are looming and if you plan on making your own gifts this year you better get a move on. One good idea for the cooks in your life is to give homemade spice blends and rubs. Here are a couple great recipes I've found in 'Herb Mixtures & Spicy Blends' by Maggie Oster:

All Purpose Blend
makes 2 1/3 cups

5 Tb dried parsley
3 Tb dried oregano
2 1/2 Tb paprika
2 Tb celery seeds (ground)
2 tsp chile pepper flakes
2 Tb mustard seed (ground)
1 Tb marjoram
3 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp chili powder

Mexican Spices Mix
makes: about 2/3 cup

1/4 c dried onion flakes
4 tsp cornstarch
4 Tb chili powder
3 tsp cumin seeds
3 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp hot pepper flakes
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 Tb kosher salt

Spicy Jamaican Blend
makes: 1/2 cup

6 Tb ground allspice
3 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt (optional)
Lemon zest adds a nice flavor to a dish with these spices, but obviously wouldn't work as a gift in a jar.

You can layer the ingredients in a small glass jar for a nice presentation. Or throw this all in a food processor or a coffee grinder for a finer mix. For more of a punch with these mixes its best to buy ingredients whole such as dried chili peppers (like ancho or chipotle) and toast them in the oven or in a dry frying pan until fragrant. Pull off the stem and throw out the seeds. Next, throw them into your food processor (or a designated coffee grinder is actually better) This works great for cumin seeds too. They will stay fresh and potent for longer than buying powdered spices from the store.

Local Seattle resources for bulk spices:
World Spice Market on Western just West of Pike Market
Madison Market on 16th and Madison in Capitol Hill