Gluten Free Zucchini Bread

Enjoy this wonderful harvest bread, Nurture families!

1/3c poppy seeds
1/3c agave or honey
1/4c coconut oil (melt so it it s a liquid)
3 eggs
1t vanilla extract
3c grated zucchini – leave skins on and squeeze out excess water (we believe this is the key to good zucchini bread)
3c garbanzo bean flour
1.5t xantham gum
1 1/2t baking soda
1/2t baking powder
1t salt
1t cinnamon
1T curry powder (this is what makes it really unique)

Preheat oven to 350
Butter 2 bread loaf pans

In a mixer, combine oil, eggs and sweetener. Stir in extract and zucchini.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, xantham gum, baking soda and powder, salt, cinnamon, curry and poppy seeds. Batter will be thick and moist.

Divide batter equally between pans and bake for 40-45 minutes. Let bread cool (and cook more) in pans for 15 minutes.

News from Lost Arts Kitchen

Lost Arts Kitchen exemplifies the slow food movement in Portland. Chris Musser started Lost Arts Kitchen and is an expert at bread baking, lacto-fermentation, buthering, gardening and just about everything that involves yummie yummie food.

Fortunately for us, she is also a great teacher. Lost Arts Kitchen offers ongoing classes that are fun, affordable and very very practical.

Check out the latest and greatest from Lost Arts Kitchen. To learn more about these and other classes, visit the Lost Arts Kitchen classes page. To register, call 503-253-7331 or email chris@lostartskitchen.com. As Chri's newsletter states, she is offering 25% off all canning classes through the end of the summer. Just mention "summer's bounty" when you register.

Yes We Can: Peaches. In this class, we will can whole peaches and preserve golden jars of Sun Relish, a delicious combination of peaches and pepperoncini that complements cheddar cheese beautifully for a marvelous mid-winter snack! We'll talk about what varieties to choose for canning and where to find good deals on peaches. Limited seating for this class, sign up soon. Saturday, September 29th, 10am-1pm. $40 before discount.

Lactofermentation: Cultured Vegetables and Condiments. In this class, we'll make lactofermented pickles, cabbage, and salsa, plus mayonnaise and oh-so-easy and delicious ketchup. Try your hand at this ancient preservation technique that enhances food's nutritional value and tastes delicious! Fair warning: once you taste how good you can make these at home, you won't want to go back to store-bought. Friday, September 11th, 6pm-9pm. $40.

Yes We Can (and Dry): Tomatoes. In one class, we'll can a Basic Tomato Sauce, a Roasted Tomato Sauce and Tomato Jam with Ginger and Coriander, and dry tomatoes. Learn about which tomato varieties are best suited to which preservation technique, where to find good prices on organic, bulk tomatoes for canning, and how to manage your harvest and preservation projects when you're swimming in tomatoes. Seating limited. Saturday, September 12th, 10am-1pm. $40 before discount.

Dairy Magic: Yogurt, Mozzarella, Neufchatel, and More. Practice a little white magic in your kitchen: culture milk! In addition to the usual soft dairy magic, we'll make chevre from local goat milk, plus buttermilk, sour cream, and creme fraiche. The creamy deliciousness just goes on and on. Friday, September 18th, 6pm-9pm. $40.

So Long Supermarket, Hello Pantry. Lost Arts Kitchen's most popular class! Learn to plan meals, bulk purchases, and preservation projects, so you can spend a lot less time pushing wonky carts around the grocery store and a lot more time enjoying real, local, sustainable food. Provides a foundation for many of my other classes, though it is not a prerequisite. Saturday, September 19th, 2pm-5pm. $40.

Making Artisan Goat Cheese at the Cabin with TrackersNW. Once again, I'm pairing up with our family's favorite outdoor ed group, TrackersNW. This time, we're heading off to the Trackers homestead in Sandy, Oregon, to tend to and milk dairy goats, learn to make a variety of artisan goat cheeses, then ending the day by using them to create a sumptuous gourmet meal together. Sunday, September 27th, 8:30am-6:30pm. $135. Click here for details and registration.

Smart Foods, Healthy Kids

If you've been searching for a free resource that has everything you ever wanted to know about feeding your children nutritious, healthy meals, look no further. Smart Foods, Healthy Kids is an online resource that offers classes, article, recipes, allergy information, blogs and fun tips to get your little one eating right.

Smart Foods, Healthy Kids encourages all eaters to follow these basic nutrition guidelines:

• Listen to your body and intuition. Every body is different, so ONE SINGLE “perfect” diet for every person on the planet is unlikely.


• You don’t have to change everything at once. If you eat two vegetables today, and yesterday you only ate one, you’ve DOUBLED your veggie intake!


• When in doubt, pretend you’re a caveman. If you’re wondering whether something is healthy, imagine if a cave dweller would have stumbled upon it. If it comes in a plastic package with a lot of big, un-pronounceable words on the label, your genetics probably aren’t suited to whatever is in that bag.

With these ideas in mind, Smart Foods, Healthy Kids offers lots and lots educational opportunities that are fun and empowering for adults and kids. Check them out and let us know what great food tips you discovered.

Children's Book: The Blueberry Pie Elf

The Blueberry Pie Elf, written by Jane Thayer and illustrated by Seymour Fleishman, is another oldie but goodie. We have renewed our checkout of this book so many times, I think the library just might give it to us. It has certainly led to an increase in our pie baking activities in this house.


Sweet little Elmer, the elf, desperately tries to find a way to let the family, who unknowingly hosts him, know that he wants more rich, melting, juicy, delicious, fruity blueberry pie. This is not an easy task for an elf that no one can see, hear, or feel. No other pie will do, and I have to agree with Elmer on that; I also think blueberry pie is the sweetest, fruitiest, most delicious of the fruit pies.


After you read this delightful book, you can make a blueberry pie with your little elves. Here is my favorite blueberry pie filling recipe:

3 1/2-4 c blueberries (fresh!)
3/4 c agave syrup
~1/2 TB lemon juice
5 TB corn starch


Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Pour into pie crust. Create lattice top for pie by weaving long thin slices of pie crust on top. Place pie on a pizza pan in case of bubbling over. Bake at 350' until crust is lightly browned. I always cover the edges until the pie filling has cooked a bit (about 30 minutes) and then remove the cover and let the crust brown.

The Cuba Special

When breaking fast it's important that your breakfast contains fat (think coconut milk, seeds, avocado), fiber (veggies, fruit) and protein (tofu, beans, meat). This will ensure a solid foundation for your upcoming day and will give your body everything it needs to begin the digestion and metabolism process.

We suggest making enough for several mornings and cooking everything the night before to ensure a calm eating ritual. You can decide the appropriate amounts that fit your tastes because you just can't go wrong with this meal.

Ingredients

Black Beans

Rice

Yams

Coconut Milk

Cinnamon

Nutmeg

The night before

Cook black beans

Cook rice

Roast yams (chop and place in oven at 400 for 20 minutes, flip and cook another 20)

The morning of

Heat the beans, rice and yams together in a pot

Heat coconut milk separately

When warm, combine in bowl and add Cinnamon and Nutmeg

ENJOY!!!

Yummy Sautéed Greens

Rich in all the good stuff like calcium, magnesium, fiber and vitamins A, C, and E, this gluten-free, vegan dish is a great side dish for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Handful (4-5 leaves per person) dark leafy greens (Chard, Kale, Mustard Greens, Bok Choy)

Apple Cider Vinegar

Slivered Almonds

Water

Salt 

Wash greens

Tear greens into bite-size pieces, composting the stems

Heat enough water to cover greens in wok

Add greens when water is lightly boiling

Stir and cook until tender (2-3 minutes)

Drain water

Add ACV as you would a dressing

Toss with almonds and enjoy

Smoothies

While you are out there enjoying the Portland sunshine, consider making your family a refreshing, healthy treat and skip the ice cream run.

Fast and easy to make, they are a nutritious additional to your diet. Below is a basic smoothie recipe that contains all the good stuff; protein, vitamins, and essential fatty acids. Be creative and add whatever is handy - and don't forget to share your favorite combos with other Nurture readers.

• ½ cup fresh organic berries (If you can only buy one fruit that is organic, go with the berries. Their thin skin allows for much pesticide absorption)
  
• 1 cup milk (cow, rice, soy, almond, coconut)
  
• 1 scoop of whey, rice, or hemp protein powder (this is the protein bit)
  
• ½ cup organic yogurt (cow, rice, soy, goat, coconut)
  
• ½ banana (adds the sweetness you may be craving)
  

Another amazingly healthful smoothie add is fresh spinach or kale. When you add a banana with it, the tartness is concealed and you have yourself a fresh, green drink.

Enjoy!