Happy Holidays everyone! Well it is that time of year when we are tempted beyond belief to go against our better judgment and indulge in sweets and goodies of all kinds—many of which are not gluten free. For many this means suffering through a host of unwanted side effects! Symptoms from gluten intolerance can range from upset stomach, indigestion, hives and for some the symptoms can be much more serious.

It is no fun to suffer though the holidays and so I set out to adapt one of my favorite holiday cookie recipes, the snickerdoodle, from gluten-rich to gluten-free! I noticed that the key to a nice soft cookie is in the baking. Make sure your oven is fully heated before putting the the cookies in and make sure they are taken out on time (after about 10 minutes). As always please be sure to use all organic ingredients. Happy Holidays. See you at “The Hut!”

Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles

(makes about 24 cookies)

1/2 cup butter (1 stick, softened)

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

2 3/4 cups oat flour (or gluten-free flour of choice)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

For topping:

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large bowl mix together butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla and blend together. Mix flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together separately and then add all ingredients together and mix. Form cookies into small balls and place on baking sheet. Top each cookie with sugar, cinnamon mixture and bake for 10 minutes. Cool and serve!

Hello All,

Here is a super easy and quick recipe for delicious pumpkin bread with mini chocolate chips, inspired by one of our customers, that is the perfect thing to bring to Thanksgiving dinner or to any holiday party.

I had originally endeavored to create a gluten-free, vegan version of this recipe but I underestimated the difficulty involved with this kind of cooking and failed miserably. After three failed attempts, I had a new appreciation for all those successful gluten-free bakers out there and the wonderful service they offer to those who must steer clear of gluten… and I decided to make a bread with gluten instead! After this experience, I have begun to study gluten-free baking in more detail so that I will be more successful next time!

In any case, here is the recipe I came up with. It is very easy and takes minimal prep time. After throwing it in the oven, you can just set the timer and do other stuff around the house. Find all your ingredient here at “The Hut!”

For those of you who are desperate for a gluten-free and/or vegan Thanksgiving dessert recipe, check out this link to The Raw Foods Witch web blog, where there is a recipe and video for making an easy, raw, vegan, gluten-free pumpkin pie!! Happy Holidays everyone, aloha!

Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips

Makes 1 5×7 loaf

1 can organic pumpkin pie mix (sweetened)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons coconut oil

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie mix (optional, add more if you like it spicey)

1 3/4 cups flour (spelt or whole wheat)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips (optional, you can use any chocolate chips you want)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all wet ingredients together first. Mix all dry ingredients and dump on top of wet. Fold ingredients together and mix well. Add chocolate chips and mix again. Dump batter into a greased and floured 5 x 7 glass bread pan. Bake for about an hour or until tooth pick comes out clean when poked into the middle.

1. Chia Seed Drinks: The latest craze in nourishing drinks, chia seeds add a nice texture, fiber, protein, minerals and omega-3 essential fatty acids! The legendary Tarahumara indians of northern Mexico consume drinks containing chia seeds to give them energy to run great distances—sometimes 50 miles or more! GT’s Synergy Kombucha has put out several chia seed varieties. These are all raw and fermented. Mamma Chia makes some great chia seed drinks as well that are all organic.

2. Ono Pops: These delicious little popsicles are the perfect treat on a sunny day in paradise! All the unique flavors such as “caramel shoyu” and “sonny boy goats freisas” are are created with local ingredients grown right here in Hawai‘i!

3. Tropical Dreams Ice Cream: This Big Island company creates all kinds of premium ice creams, gelatos and sorbets! The flavors are inspired by the tropics, they are smooth and delicious!

Aloha everyone, I have been experimenting in my kitchen again and you know what that means…. a new, awesome recipe for you to try!

Well I just finished reading this great book, “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall and I am now super hyped on barefoot running and eating chia seeds. The Tarahumara or “Running People”, legendary for their amazing endurance and vigor, make a drink called, iskaiate, made from chia seeds, lime juice and sweetener. This drink is said to give them super running powers, although I’m sure it’s not that simple.

I have been trying chia seeds in everything from smoothies to fruit salads to my latest creation: “Coco-Chaco-Chia Pudding”, which I will be sharing with you here. This recipe took a few tries to get it right but I think I finally nailed it. First, allow me to share a little bit about chia seed health benefits with you.

Chia seeds are high in protein, antioxidants, B-complex vitamins and various minerals. The best thing about chia seeds, however, is that they are high in omega-3 essential fatty acids, also known as EFAs. Why is that so great? Well, in our modern diet, we are comsumeing way too much omega-6 and hardly any omega-3 EFAs. Research suggests that an imbalance of omega-3 and omega-6 can eventually cause various health problems including arthritis, obesity, diabetes, cancer, depression and heart disease.

Most packaged foods contain high amounts of omega-6 EFAs due to the vegetable oils used in them. For this reason it is easy to see why the average person consumes 20 to 50 times the amount of omega-6 to omega-3! (The ideal ratio is 1:1 by the way.)

When we consume imbalanced foods regularly it can create imbalances in our bodies as well. This is why it’s a good idea to get as much omega-3 in our diet as possible. I believe that supplementing with chia seeds can help.

The following is a  great dessert recipe that can be adapted to your taste and dietary needs. Less or more sweetener may be used depending on what you prefer. If you cannot have any sugar then I suggest using stevia or xylitol, which are natural sugar substitutes.

Look for all ingredients here, at the Healthy Hut in Kilauea. Always use organic ingredients when possible.

For those who want to delve in and do further research on these topics please visit the resource links listed below.

Resources: chiaseedshealthbenefits.com/; www.chrismcdougall.com/; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barefoot_running; www.nomeatathlete.com/tarahumara-pinole-chia-recipes/; www.optimal-heart-health.com/omega_3.html; http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2002/03/13/omega3-fats-part-one.aspx; http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/09/23/the-incredible-importance-of-omega-3-s.aspx; www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=96; www.eatwild.com/articles/superhealthy.html; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylitol

Coco-Chaco-Chia Pudding
Servings: 3-5
1 can of coconut milk
2 tablespoons cacao (cocoa) powder
1 tablespoon maca powder
2 tablespoons honey or agave syrup (more or less to taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 tablespoons chia seeds

In a large bowl combine cacao (cocoa) powder, maca, honey or agave, vanilla and a little coconut milk and stir. Add a little more coconut milk and stir again, making sure to get all lumps out and make smooth. Repeat this process until all the coconut milk is blended in. Next add the chia seeds and mix well. Cover and put in the refrigerator for six or more hours. When well chilled and gelled, stir once more and serve. Enjoy and live well;-)

Powerhouse Creamery, Made on Kauai

Sparrow serves ice cream at a farmer's market on Kauai.

If you are a fan of local food and coconut milk ice cream then you are in for a treat! We are now bringing in more of Powerhouse Creamery’s delicious ice creams including a dairy-free coconut variety that can hold its own against the other popular brands in the emerging coconut ice cream market.

Powerhouse Creamery is owned and operated by local Kaua‘i resident Sparrow Fontura. All her ice creams are hand-crafted from local ingredients including lilikoi, banana and mango, to name a few.

Stop by Healthy Hut and ask us about our latest offerings from Powerhouse Creamery!

Have an event on Kaua‘i? Sparrow offers ice cream catering and delivery. Contact her at: (808) 639-1781.

4 cacao Beans (peeled – you can add more if you want it even more chocolately)
1 Tsp agave nectar
2 dates (I use Halawi)
1 1/2 frozen bananas
Pure water (I use about 1 c.)
Ice to desired texture (I use about 2 c.)
2 Tbl almonds (optional)

Blend all ingredients, except ice, in blender til nice and creamy. Then add ice to desired texture (I used 1 c. full)

Makes one glass full. YUM!!!!

- by Michelle Reeves, From SAD to RAW

This Tortilla Chip Muffin recipe featured in the Washington Post was created during a dinner party at Merlyn & Steve Ruddle’s home on Kauai, featuring organic products found at Healthy Hut. Click on the link below to view the recipe…

Lemony Cheesecake