Our New Cookbook: Nourishing Meals

Hello dear readers! We are excited to finally announce the details of our new cookbook, Nourishing Meals: Healthy Gluten-Free Recipes for the Whole Family. It has been years in the making and we much appreciate all of your emails, comments, and suggestions as it helped shape the book. The book is due out at the end of August, 2012. You can now pre-order it from our website and get a FREE e-book containing 16 of our favorite recipes from the book (more details at the bottom of this post).

Right now we are facing an epidemic of childhood diseases and disorders such as obesity, autism, ADHD, allergies, and diabetes. Many of us are searching for ways to help our children not only survive, but thrive in this world. We dug into the research and found many connections between environmental exposures, dietary habits, and the prevalence of these conditions. In Nourishing Meals you will find an overview of this information presented in an easy-to-read format.

The purpose of this book is to help you transition into a gluten-free lifestyle and also provide the tools you need to make informed dietary choices.

Nourishing Meals contains over 300 new whole foods recipes, as well as detailed information about health particularly relating to nutrition for conception, pregnancy, and childhood. You'll learn about the nutrients needed and how to best obtain them, as well as factors that can affect health during these critical stages, such as environmental exposure to chemicals. We also covered many of the causes of food allergies and sensitivities, and what you can do to help prevent them. And because raising a healthy child also involves making sure they actually eat nourishing food, we provided detailed information on raising healthy eaters from pregnancy onwards (yes, healthy eating habits actually begin in the womb!).

Before each recipe chapter you'll find information pertaining to that chapter and "10 Tips." For example, in the Salads and Vegetables chapter you'll find information on the vital phytochemicals in plants as well as ways to get your children to eat more vegetables. There are then 10 Tips for adding more vegetables to your child's diet. In the Dessert chapter we discussed alternatives to refined sugar and offered 10 Tips for using natural sweeteners. We hope that this will make the book more practical for you.

The book consists of vegan, vegetarian, meat-based, grain-based, grain-free, nut-free, nut-based recipes...pretty much the whole spectrum of eating....because there is no one way nor one perfect diet for everyone. Additionally, speckled throughout the recipes, you will find detailed nutrition tips to help you understand exactly why certain foods are beneficial for health!

Here are some of the Recipes:

Apple Cider Baked Beans, Spicy Lentils and Rice in Cabbage Leaves, Raw Burritos with a Spicy Mole Sauce, Grain-Free Chicken Nuggets, Apricot Glazed Chicken, Tandoori Salmon, Sloppy Joes, Grain-Free Zucchini Lasagna with Pine Nut Ricotta, Sweet Potato Falafels, Quinoa Tabouli, Coconut Brown Rice, Spicy Coconut Quinoa Amaranth Casserole, Dairy-Free Fettuccini Alfredo, Chicken and Chard Chili, Hot and Sour Soup, Moroccan Lentil and Cabbage Soup, Cream of Broccoli Soup, Raw Breakfast Tacos, Baby Green Smoothie, Blueberry Cherry Smoothie, Kale and Egg Scramble, Winter Vegetable Hash, Coconut Banana Breakfast Cake, Overnight Quinoa Hot Cakes, Sourdough Buckwheat Crepes, Homemade Gluten-Free Tortillas, Grain-Free Coconut Flour Biscuits, Yeast-Free Seed Bread, Sourdough Teff Bread, Everyday Sandwich Bread, Burger Buns, Kale Apple Walnut Salad, Picnic Coleslaw, Pecan Crusted Chicken and Apple Salad, Smoked Salmon Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing, Kale Chips, Creamed Kale, Rutabaga Fries, Roasted Cauliflower, Berry Parfaits with Orange Cashew Cream, Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, Vegan Maple Pecan Pie, Grain-Free Vegan Chocolate Sunbutter Cookies, Grain-Free Carrot Spice Cupcakes with Coconut Buttercream Frosting, Oat-Free Fruit Crisps, Frozen Banana Coconut Cream Pie, Homemade Coconut Kefir, Cashew Sour Cream, Lacto-Fermented Dilly Radishes, Vanilla Plum Butter, Kale-Herb Seaweed Sprinkle....and so much more!

Here is the Chapter Outline:

Preface
Introduction
Part 1: Foundations of Health
   1. Why Whole Foods?
   2. Why Gluten-Free?
   3. Why the Rise in Food Allergies and Sensitivities?
Part 2: Raising Healthy Children
   4. 7 Ways to Help your Child THRIVE!
   5. Nourishing your Growing Child
   6. Packing a Healthy School Lunch
Part 3: The Recipes
   7. Getting Started
   8. Smoothies
   9. Breakfast
 10. Breads and Muffins
 11. Soups and Stews
 12. Salads and Vegetables
 13. Whole Grains and Noodles
 14. Main Meals
 15. Dressings, Dips, and Sauces
 16. Wraps and Rolls
 17. Snacks and Treats
 18. Desserts
 19. Beverages
 20. Preserving the Harvest
Part 4: Appendix
 21. Resources and Recommendations
 22. References
Index

We bet by now you are really wishing you had a copy in your hands! You can pre-order the book from our website and when you do we are offering a FREE e-book containing 16 of our favorite recipes, with full color photos of each recipe, so you don't have to wait until August to get a taste of what Nourishing Meals offers (okay, they are all our favorites, but we think you'll like these!). If you don't care for the e-book, you can also pre-order the book from amazon.com.

Here are the recipes you'll get in the e-book:
 1. Blueberry Cherry (Chia) Smoothie (vegan)
 2. Basil Zucchini Frittata
 3. Gluten-Free "Wheat Bread" (vegan)
 4. Yeast-Free, Gluten-free Pita Bread (vegan)
 5. Apple Almond Muffins (vegan)
 6. Creamy Tomato Asparagus Soup (dairy-free)
 7. Spicy Greens Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette (vegan)
 8. Cucumber Arame Salad (vegan)
 9. Picnic Coleslaw (vegan)
10. Dilled Quinoa and Pea Salad (vegan)
11. Apple Cider Baked Beans (vegan)
12. Grain-Free Chicken Nuggets (egg-free and dairy-free)
13. Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream (vegan)
14. Ginger Macadamia Nut Energy Bars (vegan)
15. Apricot Almond Snack Cake (grain-free, dairy-free, no sweeteners)
16. Chili-Garlic Fermented Green Beans (dairy-free - no whey needed)

It is our hope that this book will support your family in health for years to come! Happy Cooking and Healthy Eating! ~Ali & Tom


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Buckwheat Pecan Thumbprint Cookies (vegan + gluten-free)

Try making these healthy, vegan, gluten-free cookies on a rainy afternoon with your children. They will surely brighten your day! Recipes made with freshly ground buckwheat flour (from raw groats) do not require the addition of xanthan gum in order to hold together without crumbling. Buckwheat is a grain that is quite often cross contaminated with gluten grains so be sure to purchase your groats from a certified gluten-free mill, such as Bob's Red Mill.

I use the dry container of my Vitamix to make homemade buckwheat flour. It quickly grinds up into a soft, non-gritty flour. You can use a coffee grinder too if you don't own a high-powered blender. Store the flour in a glass jar in your pantry for up to 3 months, or freeze it for longer storage.

Low Sugar Green Smoothie

Okay, this smoothie doesn't look too green now does it? Berries and greens blended up equal brown. Although the color may not look too appetizing, the flavor is amazing! Our 4-year old twin boys drink it with a straw. They now race to see who is done first. We hear "done" and then "done" and then "no, I was done first" and then "I'm not playing first game." Just so you all know, drinking your smoothie as fast as you can is not optimal for digestion. It is best to let each sip sit in your mouth for at least 30 seconds to allow for enzymes such as amylase to begin to break down the fruit sugars.

We've been asked many times to offer green smoothie recipes that don't contain too much fruit sugar. Normally we use two tart apples and two pears in each smoothie, but by using berries and citrus instead you can lower the glycemic index and keep the overall FODMAP content much lower. FODMAPs are short-chain carbohydrates found in fruits such as apples and pears (and many other foods) that can contribute to gas, bloating, and other GI issues for those who are sensitive, or who have imbalanced gut microflora.

The combination of the berries, cherries, and greens create a superfood smoothie! No need to buy expensive, exotic fruits such as the acai berry! Did you know that blueberry consumption can lead to an increase in beneficial bifidobacterium in the gut? They are also effective at eradicating harmful, pathogenic bacteria in the gut. Another reason to make blueberries a regular part of your diet!

Use a glass or stainless steel straw for children. Straws seem to make green smoothies much more fun to drink!

Simple Whole Roasted Organic Chicken with Garlic & Herbs

We like to roast a whole, organic chicken on occasion for family meals. In the wintertime I will serve it with sautéed winter greens, such as kale and collards, a few spoonfuls of raw sauerkraut or cultured vegetables, and roasted root vegetables. In the springtime, I like to serve it with a light quinoa radish salad with fresh parsley, lemon, and chopped sorrel or napa cabbage. The next day I pull the meat off the bone and use it to make chicken salad, chicken pot pie, or toss it into soup.

So nothing goes to waste, I put the bones and skin into a stockpot along with a chopped onion, celery, carrot, garlic, peppercorns, fresh herbs, a piece of kombu, and a little cider vinegar; cover with water, and simmer for about 6 hours. This creates the most wonderful, nutritious, healing soup stock. You can freeze it in quart jars and use it everywhere stock or broth is called for in a recipe.

We always use organic chicken, but prefer to use organic chicken that is also local and pastured. What's the difference? Well, organic chickens can still be mass produced in large open hen houses. They are fed an organic grain feed and sometimes have access to the outdoors. Non-organic chickens are generally raised in cramped quarters and fed non-organic grains, which are most likely genetically engineered. (I won't even get into antibiotic use here). Pastured chickens can be ordered online but usually you will be able to find a farmer who sells them locally. We have quite a few around us, in fact you can find them in the frozen section of our local food co-op and health food store. Pastured chickens are usually fed some organic grain but also eat a diet rich in vegetable scraps, bugs, grasses, and moss creating a healthy balance of omega-6 and omega-3 fats. They also have plenty of fresh air, sunshine, and space to move.

Gluten-Free Flatbread Recipe made from Soaked Whole Grains (yeast-free, vegan)

I'm very excited to share this super simple gluten-free flatbread recipe with you today. It is made entirely from soaked gluten-free whole grains....no flours! This is a guest post from the lovely Kim Wilson of Simply Natural Health. Kim has written a fabulous e-book entitled Good and Easy Eats where you can find more of her delicious gluten-free soaked whole grain recipes! When Kim emailed me her recipe yesterday I immediately made it. I actually already had the two main ingredients prepped and ready to go....a bowl of millet and brown basmati rice soaking on the counter (in the correct measurements). My children devoured it right away and are asking when I will be making more! I just want to add that it is imperative that you sort through your millet (before soaking) and pick out any gluten grains. Millet is almost always contaminated with gluten! Happy Baking! ~Ali 

It’s a thrilling opportunity to be able to offer a guest blog here as I’ve admired Ali and Tom’s delicious recipes, lovely photos, and family-approach to natural eating for years. It was fourteen years ago when our family began embracing whole foods as the solution to our health issues. It wasn’t an easy transition initially as my husband was an extremely picky eater and I didn’t like cooking. Because of this I was highly motivated to find the quickest and easiest ways to prepare the most nutritionally-dense and family-pleasing foods. When I focused on developing more gluten-free recipes in an effort to help our adopted son (non-verbal and with many characteristically autistic behaviors), I was excited to find that the whole food approach to gluten-free cooking provided much more satisfying results than any of the costly, unappetizing and nutritionally-devoid gluten-free products and mixes out there.

Most gluten-free folks would probably agree that a couple of the toughest foods to replace satisfactorily are bread and pizza. I’ve worked for several months on developing and refining the super-simple, extremely versatile flatbread recipe I’m sharing here. I particularly love this kind of recipe because it begins with whole grains in contrast to whole grain flours. The grains are soaked, which increases their digestibility and nutritional profile, blended, and then POURED onto a hot baking stones or skillets. No more wrestling with sticky dough or batter!

Homemade Seaweed Snacks

Have you ever tried those salty seaweed snacks you buy at places like Trader Joe's? I know, they're addicting, we've tried them before and my children loved them! I won't buy them because they have so much packaging and because canola oil is listed as one of the ingredients (which is often genetically engineered). My 10 year old daughter has been thinking about a way to make them for months and she finally decided to figure it out last week. I asked her to write a "guest post" for me but she didn't want to. She did, however, write the recipe below but wanted me to "introduce" it. 

When she makes these, the other children hover over the pans as they come out of the oven and devour them ALL in one sitting. She will then proceed to make another batch and quickly hide some of them for her lunch. Seaweed, with the addition of unrefined sea salt, is a very nutritious trace-mineral snack! 

Here is Lily's recipe. I was amazed that she knew how to organize and write a recipe....must be from using my cookbook and cooking on her own. She asked me quite a few times what she should say next and I would reply: "what was your next step?" Then she would realize that she already knew the answer and proceed to type it up.