Tag: recipes (Page 9 of 18)

Natural, Homemade Deodorant That Actually Works

March 27, 2011 / Lindsey / 8 Comments

So you don’t want to use the standard grocery store antiperspirant due to its toxic aluminum content, but you’ve tried the health-food-store deodorant and it just doesn’t work — despite its own not-very-natural ingredient list. What to do?

Try this recipe!

I mixed up a batch of this deodorant several months ago and gave it a hardcore test on our hot, muggy trip to Argentina. I was amazed! Never has a deodorant worked this well for me. You still sweat, but it doesn’t smell. Even after being in the same clothes for well over 24 hours of travel down to Buenos Aires, my shirt smelled only of baking soda. My socks were a different story, however…

Coconut Oil Deodorant

1/4 cup coconut oil, at room temperature (not melted)

2 Tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot

2 Tbsp baking soda

essential oils (optional)

In a bowl, with the back of a spoon, mix your cornstarch (or arrowroot — both work equally well) and baking soda (plus any essential oils) into the coconut oil. These ratios are flexible — use more coconut oil if it seems too dry, or more baking soda if it’s too goopy.

This is the consistency I like — still crumbly, but wet enough to easily hold together and get packed into a jar:

Tip: don’t melt your coconut oil to accomplish this task; although it’s easier to mix, the cornstarch and baking soda will sink to the bottom of the container as the deodorant hardens, and the top layer will be coconut oil only — which, by itself, doesn’t work as well at preventing stink.

Scoop into a jar. Store at room temperature. If it’s hot enough in your house that the oil liquefies and the ingredients separate, shake the jar before you use it each time.

To use, scoop some out with your fingers and smear under your arms. I use a generous pea-sized amount for each arm.

Gluten-Free Peanut Cookies

March 22, 2011 / Lindsey / 2 Comments

I tried out a new recipe today, based on the recipe for my favorite Almond Thumbprint Cookies, and it turned out great! If you like classic peanut butter cookies, you’ll love these.

Check it out:

Gluten-Free Peanut Cookies

1 1/2 cups peanuts (I used roasted/unsalted)

1/2 cup melted coconut oil or butter (I like to use 1/4 cup coconut oil & 1/4 cup yogurt or kefir to make these a little less rich for my tummy)

1 1/4 cups arrowroot powder* (start with 1 cup and add more if needed)

1/2 cup sucanat (or a little more if you like)

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp vanilla extract

Place the peanuts into a food processor or blender and pulse to a fine meal (but not into peanut butter).

Transfer peanut meal into a bowl, add the rest of the ingredients, and mix well. As mentioned above, start with 1 cup of arrowroot and add more if needed; I always have to add the extra 1/4 cup. The dough should form a nice ball and not be overly sticky.

Form dough into tablespoon-sized balls and place on an oiled cookie sheet. On each cookie, make the classic crosshatch pattern with a fork.

Bake at 325° for 20-25 minutes, or until cookies are very lightly browned on the bottom and hold together when you lift them up with a metal spatula.

You’ll want to remove your cookies from the cookie sheet without too much delay. If they cool down and then seem to be glued to the cookie sheet, place them back into the oven to warm up again, and then they’ll be easier to remove.

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*Curious about arrowroot? It’s actually not a refined product despite the look of it. It’s the dried, powdered root of a tropical plant that only grows in tidal flats where sea minerals are available. It’s therefore rich in trace minerals and in calcium ash (calcium chloride), which makes it easily digestible. In addition, the calcium ash in arrowroot is very important for maintaining the proper acid-alkali balances in the human body. The downside is its price — $5.35 for a 1lb 4oz bag at our local health food store; however if you have a local Asian store, check with them — I’ve discovered that our local Asian store carries arrowroot for only $2.95/lb!

Refreshing Citrus Salad

February 27, 2011 / Lindsey / 0 Comments

I concocted this salad a couple days ago and have enjoyed it for lunch each day since! I just love the taste of it, and the macadamia oil really makes it special.
I wouldn’t normally have macadamia oil on hand since I’m not that gourmet, but I bought it several months ago for making mayonnaise. I’d read that it’s a “good neutral oil” for mayo, except in my opinion, nothing could be further from the truth! It has a prominent macadamia flavor which I really didn’t like in the mayonnaise, but in this salad it really shines.

Lindsey’s Citrus Salad

Lettuce

Cilantro (I love cilantro so I put about 2/3 lettuce and 1/3 cilantro in my salad)

Mandarin orange, fresh, sliced (click here for a good way to slice it)

Avocado chunks

Toasted nuts (macadamias, pecans, almonds, or other)

Macadamia nut oil

Fresh lemon juice

Salt & Freshly ground pepper to taste

Chop the lettuce and cilantro into small pieces and add the mandarin slices, avocado chunks, and toasted nuts. Drizzle fresh lemon juice and macadamia oil over the salad, in approximately equal amounts or to taste. Shake salt & cracked pepper over the salad. Toss and eat immediately with a spoon!

(Tip: If the lettuce and toppings are in small enough pieces, it’s much easier to eat a salad with a spoon than with a fork.)

A Valentine Delight: Almond Thumbprint Cookies

February 11, 2011 / Lindsey / 2 Comments

Almond Thumbprint Cookies, (c) The Herbangardener

Almond Thumbprint Cookies with homemade wild grape jam

Actually, these grain-free yummies are excellent at any time of the year, but for Valentine’s Day, fill them with any type of pink, red, or purple fruit jam. They are so good!

This recipe is based on the one from p. 528 of my favorite cookbook, Nourishing Traditions. Makes about 24 cookies.

Almond Thumbprint Cookies

1 1/2 cups whole almonds

1/2 cup melted coconut oil or butter (I like to use 1/4 cup coconut oil & 1/4 cup yogurt or kefir to make them a little less rich for my tummy)

1 1/4 cups arrowroot powder* (start with 1 cup and add more if needed)

Rounded 1/2 cup sucanat

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

Fruit jam of your choice

Place the almonds into a food processor or blender and pulse to a fine meal. Transfer almond meal into a bowl, add the rest of the ingredients, and mix well. As mentioned above, start with 1 cup of arrowroot and add more if needed; I always have to add the extra 1/4 cup. The dough should be very nice and workable — not overly sticky.

Form dough into tablespoon-sized balls and place on an oiled cookie sheet. Make a thumb print in each cookie and fill the indentation with jam.

Bake at 325° for 20-30 minutes, or until cookies are lightly browned on the bottom. I’ve both under-baked and over-baked these, and they’re good no matter what; however I’ve noticed that if they’re under-baked they do tend to fall apart a little more easily.

Cool a bit and remove from the cookie sheet while still warm. If they seem to be glued to the cookie sheet, place them back into the oven to warm up again, and then they’ll be easier to remove.

**********

*Curious about arrowroot? It’s actually not a refined product despite the look of it. It’s the dried, powdered root of a tropical plant that only grows in tidal flats where sea minerals are available. It’s therefore rich in trace minerals and in calcium ash (calcium chloride), which makes it easily digestible. In addition, the calcium ash in arrowroot is very important for maintaining the proper acid-alkali balances in the human body. Its downside is the price — $5.35 for a 1lb 4oz bag at our local health food store.

Springtime Dandelion Salad

January 29, 2011 / Lindsey / 0 Comments

Light lunch: Dandelion salad & raspberry leaf tea with grassfed cream

Spring’s in the air! (…till Tuesday, at least, when it’s supposed to get down to -8!) It’s been shorts & t-shirt weather here — the robins have been chirping their summertime songs, and I opened all the windows yesterday to let the fresh air in. My body also seems to know that spring’s coming and it’s time to eat light, clean, liver-cleansing foods. I’ve been craving juicy oranges, fresh lemons, and bitter dandelion salads. Bitter is usually my least favorite taste, but I’ve been eating dandelion salads almost daily lately. Dandelions won’t be growing in the yard for another couple months yet, so I buy the greens at our health food store.

I’ve been really enjoying this particular salad:

dandelion greens mixed half and half with lettuce (sometimes I leave out the lettuce altogether)

green onions

avocado

sunflower seeds

fresh lemon juice and flax seed oil generously drizzled over, with salt & pepper to taste

Chop the greens up nice and small and eat the whole thing with a spoon!