Season's Eating Holiday e-Book is Published!!

Hi Everyone!

I am so happy to bring you a complete holiday menu planner, perfect for upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas meals!  You CAN eat customary holiday favorites on your Maximized Living Nutrition Plan!!  Season's Eatings provides you with the tools you need to successfully prepare your meals, from appetizers to desserts.  Read more here and enjoy a sample of the book below.  To order, simply click the Order Now button, complete the few simple steps, and your copy of Season's Eatings will be emailed to you instantly!  Enjoy and happy Healing Cuisine cooking!

Open publication

Smashed Chickpea Salad

Smashed Chickpea Salad

2 cups chickpeas, rinsed
2 Tbsp organic black olives, pitted, halved thinly sliced
1 Tbsp red onion, minced
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Fresh zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp sea salt
Fresh black pepper to taste
2 Tbsp olive oil

Mix everything but the olive oil in a medium bowl.  Very lightly smash the chickpea mixture with the back of a fork or a potato masher. You’re not looking for a hummus-like puree, but something closer to a coarse chop.  Add the olive oil, mix it lightly and enjoy.

You can serve this salad a couple of different ways:  as is, over a bed of fresh salad greens, spread over toasted sprouted bread,  fill a roasted red pepper with it.  Plenty of delicious flavor combinations!

Quick, Easy, Raw Apple Butter

Leave the skins on your apples and puree to create an almost whipped cream, apple style!  We enjoy this on toasted Ezekiel Bread or sometimes over organic vanilla coconut ice cream.

Apple Butter

3 Granny Smith apples, cored and chopped, peels still on
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2-1 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp stevia powder

Combine ingredients in a food processor and puree until well combined and thick.  Be sure the skins are finely minced.  You may need to scrape down the sides often.  Will keep in fridge about 1 week.

Kombucha Mojito

For a moment, I thought I invented this delicious refreshing combination of Kombucha and mint.  After a quick Google, alas, others have already stumbled upon the perfect fusion.  It's really great tho!  Possibly better enjoyed in the summer sitting on the deck in the steamy heat, but I enjoyed a large glassful this afternoon relaxing in my living room watching the chilly rain pour down.

Kombucha Mojito

1 cup plain Kombucha, chilled
1 lime, quartered
6 fresh mint leaves
1 cup filtered water (more/less to taste)
4-6 drops of stevia
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
a shake of sea salt (optional)
Ice (optional)

Muddle mint with lime in a tall glass.  Add stevia, vanilla, sea salt (optional) and ice.  Pour in Kombucha.  Top off with water.

Variation:  Muddle in a handful of fresh organic berries for a Berry Kombucha Mojito.

Questions Answered: Flavoring Your Almond Milk

Today, Lo was checking out the How To post on Almond Milk and wrote in asking:  "Any way to give it flavoring, especially chocolate, that so many of the store brands have?"  GREAT question!  Let me share with you the different flavors I have had success with in the past.  If anyone else out there has flavoring ideas, please send them along in the comments section or by email!

To the Vanilla recipe found here, add these ingredients to Step 3, blend, then strain thru cheesecloth or nut milk bag:

Chocolate Almond Milk: add 2 Tablespoons raw cacao nibs or unsweetened cocoa powder + more stevia to taste
Berry Almond Milk: add 2 cups fresh organic strawberries
Chai Almond Milk: add 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp cardamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp allspice, 1/8 tsp cloves
Cinnamon Almond Milk: add 1-2 tsp cinnamon

Another tip for your plain or vanilla flavored almond milk is to save the leftover solids and make your next batch of raw almond flour from the leftover bits.  Lay them out over a baking sheet to air dry.  Once dry, grind into powder in your blender!

A few updates...

Check out my new Services & Consultations page!  If you or a loved one are in need of direction or help understanding the Maximized Living Nutrition Plans or better eating habits in general, I'm happy to help!  I will be in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area for only 2 more weeks.  In the first week of October, I'll be in London, Ontario.  Contact me if you'd like to schedule!  Not in Minneapolis or London?  Let's set up a Skype or email consult!   elise@healingcuisinebyelise.com

Also, I fixed that printing error that some of your were experiencing.  Thanks to Megan for letting me know about it!  At the bottom of each post, you will now see a Printer Friendly and PDF button.  Some of you know I LOVE PrintFriendly.com.  Well,  I was ecstatic to find a new service for bloggers like me.  I've linked my site to them so you can now print, PDF save, or email any recipe/post you like quickly and painlessly.  You will also be given the option to delete any graphics, paragraphs, whatever before saving/printing.  LOVE IT! :)  Hope you find it helpful!

I'm working hard on my Holiday recipes book!  It's almost finished and ready to post to the site!  I'm excited to share these recipes with you that we have enjoyed the last few years over Christmas and Thanksgiving.  I want this Holiday season to be the easiest for you while allowing you to enjoy some of your traditional favorites, all within your M.L. Nutrition Plan!  More to come, stay tuned!

Hope everyone has a blessed rest of their Sunday!  Enjoy the sun!!   ~ Elise

Oozy Caramel

So it's not really caramel, not the traditional high fructose corn syrup variety you're used to seeing on grocery store shelves..but it will give you that taste and effect!  Give this recipe a try, it's quite amazing!  It's the coming of apple season after all, and this is a great way to enjoy apples!! Dip in or drizzle over homemade ice cream or organic Greek yogurt!  Remember it is sugar, although natural sugar.  Only have a little bit if weight loss or overcoming disease is your concern!

Oozy Caramel

2 Tbsp honey of your choice*
4 Tbsp organic butter, halved
1/4 c unsweetened apple cider
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
About 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
Splash of vanilla extract

1.)  Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a sauce pan on Medium-Low heat.  When it is melted, add the cinnamon and vanilla.  Then, add the cider, and bring up to a simmer.

2.) Add honey, lemon, and the rest of the butter.  Simmer, stirring constantly, making sure to scrape up any spots that might start to stick.  Once it gets nice and thick, take off the heat and serve!

*You can make this recipe using flavored honeys, I did it the a second time using a huckleberry honey we bought while in Colorado for a Maximized Living seminar.  If you don't eat/like honey, you can use raw brown sugar or grade B maple syrup for a similar effect, but you might have to adjust the proportions of the other ingredients.

**Please note this is NOT an Advanced Plan recipe!!