Flourless Banana Almond Pancakes

Hello all, I’d like to share my new favorite recipe with you: Flourless (yes, there is absolutely no flour) Banana Almond Pancakes. This recipe was inspired by a fun ‘cosmic’ pancake dinner I was invited to recently. I have adapted the recipe to my own preferences and I think I got it just about perfect.

These pancakes are a great option for those who are sensitive to gluten or other grains. The almonds help make them more filling and nutritious while the bananas add a bit of sweetness and potassium. Measurements may be adjusted slightly to create the right consistency in the batter. As always, I recommend using organic, local ingredients whenever possible and remember to have fun! See you at The Hut!

Flourless Banana Almond Pancakes

Serves 2 (just increase amounts as needed to serve more)

2 medium apple bananas

2 eggs

1/2 cup raw almonds (soaked for 2-8 hours and drained)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

dash sea salt

Coconut oil (for cooking)

Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Add more almonds to thicken or a little water or milk to thin the batter to desired consistency. Heat coconut oil in pan set to medium/low heat. Spoon a little batter onto the pan and allow to cook for about 2-3 minutes or until spatula can get underneath the cake without it breaking up too much. Flip over and allow other side to cook for about 2 more minutes. These pancakes work best when made at a smaller size (about 6 inches in diameter is good). Repeat until all the batter is used up. Serve with more sliced bananas and maple syrup. These pancakes also taste great when they are cold so save any extras for a yummy snack!

Ulu (breadfruit) is a starchy food grown in the tropic regions of the world.

Excerpted from Living More Closely with Spirit of Nature. Available at:   MerlinsHerbalMagic.com

Sticky, gooey, ripe ulu (breadfruit) can be a mysterious element to engage the first
time. It looks slightly like roof tar yet tastes yummy, sweet with super-fine fibers
persisting after the sweetness melts in the mouth like a wad of chewing gum.
Breadfruit is perfect when it is soft, sweet, and sticky. As soon as it gets a tangy
bite in the flavor or loses its tenacity with mushiness it is overripe and shouldn’t
be used. Remember sticky and sweet. Usually the color also changes with
over-ripeness, looking wet and custardy rather than doughy.

Ulu is a highly prized food substance that is worth the effort to get into the body.
Its sticky sap provides rare nutrients, feeding connective, sticking to the ribs for
slim types, providing unbelievable digestive enzymes, even after being cooked to
assist breakdown and assimilation of other foods subsequently taken. Breadfruit
cookies have been a dream creation for me. No oil, no concentrated sweetener,
no leavening. Ital food at its best, straight from nature— jungle style.

Historical note: Ancient Polynesians would harvest the abundance of breadfruit
when it was available, they’d dig a pit lined with leaves and peel the breadfruit
and put many of them together and cover it with leaves. They’d allow it to
ripen and age together into a living sourdough “goo” that would last for months,
sometimes even years for use in famine. I’m seeing a crock of perfectly ripe ulu
always ready for use.

Recipe & Procedure
Take one large, ripe ulu. Peel, de-core, and whip any lumpiness into
batter.

Add approximately 1 1/2 cups, freshly ground grain flours. I use a blend of oat,
buckwheat, and pumpkin seed in equal amounts, freshly ground in my Vitamix.
Others may be used if desired (spelt, quinoa, amaranth, cashews, walnuts, etc.)

Spice with:
1 heaping tablespoons allspice
1 heaping tablespoons coriander
1/2 teaspoon. Vanilla powder
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
1 teaspoon fresh, ground fennel seed
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground cardamom seed

Add up to 1 cup finely diced mango bits
1 cup mulberries, blueberries, or other non-juicy fruits in season (Like jackfruit,
eggfruit, etc.)

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Start with wet, mixing dry ingredients a small amount at a
time and slowly to ensure even mixing.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Use parchment paper for cookie sheets.
Spoon on batter thinner than a blueberry, if possible.
Cook for 50-60 minutes, or until bottom and top of cookies are golden brown.

*As an alternative method, you may dehydrate cookies in a food dehydrator instead of using the oven. Make them extra thin. Chop blueberries. Keeps well in fridge or freezer for reheating later in the toaster. Spread on top nut butters, etc. Get creative and enjoy!!

Fresh beet ginger kvass is quick and easy to make at home!

Aloha Everyone, I thought I’d share with you my personal recipe for beet kvass. Traditionally beet kvass is made with beets, water and sea salt, but I like to add a squeeze of fresh lime juice and some fresh Hawaiian ginger to spice things up!

I first learned about making my own beet kvass in Sally Fallon’s excellent cook book, Nourishing Traditions—one of my personal favorites. According to the information in the book, and my own personal experience, beet kvass is an excellent digestive aid and powerful, yet gentle detoxifier. If you ever need help “getting things moving” then try beet kvass! For me it works like a charm and tastes great. Beet kvass also alkalizes the blood and helps to purify the liver and kidneys.

So here is my simple recipe for you to try at home. You can use quart-sized mason jars or recycled tomato sauce jars. Hint: to get the smell out of reused jars simply wash and fill with hot water and a couple drops of essential oil such as peppermint, clove or lavender and let sit overnight.

Make sure to use all organic ingredients as the pesticides on conventional produce can stop the fermentation process. Also make sure to use a quality sea salt that is not bleached such as Eden, Real Salt or Himalayan. The fermentation will not work without the proper salt! Aloha and see you at The Hut!

Beet Ginger Kvass

Makes 2 quarts

1-3 beets (depending on size) finely chopped

2 fingers of ginger (to taste) finely chopped

juice of 2 fresh limes

clean water

1 teaspoon sea salt

Put chopped beets and ginger into clean quart-sized jars. Beets should fill at least one fourth of the jar. Next add lime juice and sea salt, divided evenly between the jars. Fill each jar with water leaving a half inch of space at the top. Seal jars and place in a dark cupboard for five to seven days. Transfer to fridge and leave for about two weeks or longer. The longer you let the kvass ferment, the more bubbly and less sweet it will become. This indicates probiotic content and it is a really good sign. A sour smell is natural, but if there is a moldy smell then through out and start over.

Ulu & Banana painting in background and Ulu Chocolate Cake in front both created by Shastin Grace

Living here in Hawai‘i, we find some very interesting fruits. Breadfruit or ulu, as it is also known, is a very unique one indeed. You can usually find the round green ulu at the local farmers market or health food store. Recipes most often call for a hard, young breadfruit but for my recipe here we will need one that is ripe and soft.

This recipe came out of a happy accident and some experimentation. I had originally planned to use a green ulu a try out another recipe, but I waited too long and it got soft. Frugal girl that I am, I refused to waste it so I cut it open and tasted the soft flesh. I noticed it was naturally sweet but a little bitter. I then just went with my adventurous spirit and began to add some fresh ripe apple bananas, honey, carob and cacao powders and other stuff. I noticed that the batter was very elastic and almost cake-like so I decided to throw it in the oven to see what would come of it.

The recipe was a success and produced a very moist, gluten-free, egg-free chocolate cake which I brought to a beach party where is was promptly devoured! That’s when I realized I had something worth writing down so I made several more attempts to recreate and record the recipe with exact measurements. Here is the final version for you to try out at home. As always, I recommend buying all your ingredients organic and local. You will find most of the ingredients here at Healthy Hut. For a vegan version, maple syrup or agave may be used instead of raw honey to sweeten. For a little variation, try adding some chopped nuts, cherries and/or chocolate chips. Much aloha! See you at “The Hut!”

Ulu Chocolate Cake

Serves 20-30

1 small – medium ulu, ripe and soft
4 ripe apple bananas
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon molasses
1/2 cup raw honey (maple syrup or agave for vegan)
1 tablespoon virgin, unrefined coconut oil
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
1 1/2 cups raw carob powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger)

Preheat oven to 340 degrees fahrenheit. In large bowl, mash up breadfruit, bananas, honey, molasses, vanilla and coconut oil. Mix until well blended. In separate bowl, mix cacao, carob, salt, baking soda and spices. Add dry mixture to wet and stir together until well blended. Grease an 8″x8″ glass pan with coconut oil and “flour” it with a little carob powder. Dump ingredients into pan and bake for about an hour. Allow to cool. Serve and enjoy

Aloha everyone, here is an easy stir fry recipe for you to try using tempeh. Tempeh, a traditional food native to Indonesia, is made from fermented soybeans which are formed into a cake and can be sliced up and sautéed just like meat.

Some foods, like soybeans, are known to have greater health benefits when they are fermented than when they are not. With soybeans, fermentation removes the trypsin inhibitors, found in the coating of the bean, and unlocks many of the nutrients within making them available for our bodies to absorb. In their un-fermented state, the benefits of these nutrients are lost. Fermented foods of some variety have been a part of every traditional diet. They are full of probiotic cultures which help the body to digest food and absorb more of its nutritional content. Many of the isoflavones, thought to be anti-cancerous, in soy are not in an right form for our bodies to receive the benefits unless they are fermented.

Well with all that in mind, lets get to the recipe! Feel free to mix and match the veggies and sauce options to your taste. I like the red cabbage and the green beans in particular because they make the dish really pretty and they are locally grown! All ingredients are regularly available in our store so I’ll see you at The Hut!

Tempeh Sauté with Veggies

Serves 2-3

1 package of tempeh

1/2 red onion

1 chuck of fresh ginger

1/4 of a red cabbage

1 bunch of green beans

3-4 kale leafs

1-2 tablespoons miso

2-3 tablespoons almond butter

dash of sesame oil

coconut oil, for cooking

Heat large pan to medium and add some coconut oil. Chop red onion and add to hot pan. Sauté until onions are translucent. (Add more coconut oil throughout cooking as needed.) Chop tempeh into bit-sized pieces. Chop ginger into very tiny pieces. Add to pan and toss. Chop cabbage and green beans then add them when the tempeh is bowned. Cover and steam for a few minutes. Tear kale off stems into small pieces, add to pan and cover for a minute. Turn the stove to low, uncover and add miso, almond butter and sesame oil and stir. Add more miso if you prefer a saltier taste. Add a little water if needed to coat almond butter and miso over all ingredients. Serve with chop sticks and enjoy!

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!

Please show your support for Tiera Matara, Miss Teen Kapa‘a 2012, who will be competing today in the Miss Hawai‘i Teen Beauty USA!

Tiera is an advocate for healthy lifestyle and organic foods. She has a passion for helping influence others to take control of their health and she is spreading that message today at her pageant! Healthy Hut is one of Tiera’s many sponsors and she is a supporter of Healthy Hut too!

We at Healthy Hut wish Tiera the best of luck! Please go to her facebook page  to show your support! You can also learn more about her by reading her blog. Aloha, and see you all at “The Hut”!

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.

Aloha everyone, here is a delicious recipe for oven-roasted turkey with a honey, herb glaze I found online from allrecipes.com. Don’t forget to visit us for all your Thanksgiving ingredients (many of which are on sale!) See you at “The Hut!”

Herb-Glazed Turkey

Ingredients:

• 1 (16 pound) whole turkey, neck and giblets removed
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground thyme
• 1 cup honey
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 2 teaspoons dried sage leaves
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Rinse the turkey, and pat thoroughly dry with paper towels. Brush the turkey with olive oil, inside and out.
2. Mix 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and the thyme in a small bowl, and sprinkle the turkey with the mixture.
3. Place the turkey on a rack set in a roasting pan, and roast in the preheated oven for 2 hours.
4. In a bowl, stir together the honey, melted butter, sage, parsley, basil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper, until the mixture is smooth and well blended. Brush the turkey with the honey glaze, and return to the oven.
5. Roast the turkey until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 2 more hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Continue to brush the turkey with the honey glaze frequently as it roasts. Remove the turkey from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.