Kaniwa Giving Quinoa A Run For It's Money

The struggle is real when it comes to the holiday season, exercising, and finding ways to eat healthy when you just finished the last of the pumpkin pie leftovers. During the summer, eating a salad or smoothie is the perfect thing on a hot day. It’s not so easy when the sky is dark at 4:30 pm, and you want something warm inside of you. Maybe kaniwa can become your new friend.

This little South American seed is pronounced kah-nyee-wah, and you can liken it to quinoa. They are both amazing superfoods for you. Quite versatile, and are great staples if you’re living a plant based diet. When you start getting into the health benefits of kaniwa in comparison to quinoa, you might wan to add more kaniwa vs quinoa into your diet. 

Yes, seriously, kaniwa adds a lot more to your diet than quinoa. When the health food store carries an item in large quantities, you know something’s up with it. It’s how I discovered this gem giving quinoa a run for it’s money.

If you’re it health, eating foods high in antioxidants is a must. Kaniwa is a great source of flavonoids, which are the most intensively-studied antioxidants. In fact, kaniwa has been shown to contain even more flavonoids than quinoa. Besides providing anti-aging benefits for the skin, flavonoids may help prevent cardiovascular diseases, inhibit the growth of certain bacteria and viruses, and reduce the risk of certain inflammatory diseases. All this with a little reddish brown seed.

Kaniwa, like its cousin quinoa, is naturally gluten-free; yet, it is supercharged with B vitamins and a wide range of minerals, including calcium, iron and phosphorus, as shown in the Nutrition Facts for Kaniwa below.

Macronutrients

• Protein: 15.4 g 
• Crude fat:6.2 g
• Carbohydrates: 61 g 
• Crude fiber: 7.7 g 

Vitamins

• Thiamin (B1): 0.7 mg 
• Riboflavin (B2): 0.4 mg 
• Niacin (B3): 1.4 mg 

Minerals

• Calcium: 134 mg 
• Iron: 15 mg 
• Phosphorus: 424 mg 

As kaniwa is closely related to quinoa, it is not surprising that also kaniwa is loaded with high-quality protein that contains notable amounts of all essential amino acids, including lysine which is usually found only in small amounts in grains. In fact, kaniwa has been shown to contain even more protein than quinoa (around 16% compared with 13% reported for quinoa). Now I can see why kaniwa is sold by the barrel full.

So you get this amazing seed into your house, but what to do with it? My down and dirty secret I like to do is a tri blend of seeds. I do equal parts kaniwa, quinoa, and couscous, usually 2 cups, put it in a saucepan and boil with 4 cups water and chicken broth. Not too sexy, but it’s great to have on hand. Warm it up in the microwave after a long day, put a dollop of kiefir cheese on it, and settle down on the couch. Absolutely no time, taste yummy, and feels like you’re spoiling yourself. In reality, you’re filling yourself up with proteins, antioxidants, probiotics, and the list goes on.

If you’re looking for more than a couch sitting dish, how about one of these fancy recipes. A little extra effort makes for a family meal or why not take it along to a holiday gathering. Sneak a little health to a table overladen with lots of butter, sugar, and not so good stuff for you.

Kañiwa with Lemon, Basil and Tomatoes

• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup kañiwa, rinsed
• 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup chopped roma (plum) tomatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)

• Bring vegetable broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add rinsed kañiwa and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until all of the broth is absorbed, about 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and let stand covered for 2 minutes; fluff with a fork.
• Transfer kañiwa to a large serving bowl. Add lemon juice, tomatoes, basil, green onions and feta, if desired. Chill at least 1 hour before serving.

Kaniwa Farewell to Summer Salad

• 1/2 cup kaniwa 
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 2 ears fresh corn on the cob
• 1 small zucchini
• 1 bunch green beans
• quick pickled onions (optional)
• ghee or coconut oil
• olive oil to garnish
• salt and pepper
• goat’s feta, if desired

• Place kaniwa in a dry saucepan over medium heat and toast it until slightly fragrant. Add water and salt, cover, bring to a boil then reduce to simmer and cook until the water is absorbed and the seeds are tender. Remove from heat and set aside to let cool.
• While the kaniwa is cooking, prepare and grill the vegetables. Slice the zucchini into thin ribbons with a sharp knife or mandoline. Stem the green beans. Shuck the corn. Lightly coat the vegetables in melted coconut oil or ghee and sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. Preheat the grill and cook until tender (times will vary greatly depending on the veggies!).
• In a large bowl place the grilled vegetables and drizzle with olive oil. Add cooled kaniwa, pickled onions, crumbled feta and salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy.

Banana Flour Makes Paleo, Gluten Free Baking Fluffy Again

I’m not a strict “anything” when it comes to my diet. I do lean towards a vegan, paleo diet, but man, nothing beats those mexican stand chicken tacos sometimes. Balance is what I say. Sometimes I miss pancakes on a lazy day. Yes, there are buckwheat and other “healthy” variations of pancakes. The holidays makes me reminisce about being young, and long for those fluffy pancakes you can’t get with buckwheat.

I was looking for some moringa, when banana flour caught my eye in the raw foods section. The label said paleo and gluten free substitute for cooking and baking. In my mind’s eye, all I saw were those fluffy pancakes on a Sunday morning. Could it be possible?

My tastebud’s tell you yes. Fluffy, gluten free, paleo pancakes can be yours with banana flour. The magic of banana flour comes thanks to green bananas. At this stage they haven’t fully developed their sugar content, and have a limited taste. Meaning you won’t taste banana when after you’re done cooking or baking.

Being the health nerd I am, was texture the only good thing about this flour? Yes, it’s gluten free and paleo friendly for those days you’re craving carbs, but what other benefits does banana flour have? One serving contains 9% potassium, 8% total carbohydrates, and 8% dietary fiber of your daily nutrition. The very cool thing about banana flour is it’s resistant starch properties. 

The what you say? My exact thoughts. 

Resistant Starch is any starch or starch product that cannot be digested or absorbed within the upper digestive tract. It passes through the stomach unchanged by digestive enzymes. Without absorption or digestion taking place in the stomach and small intestines, RS2 moves into the large intestines and colon. 

RS2 is a good substrate for fermentation to increase fatty acid concentration and lower the pH levels in the bowel, guarding against DNA and cell damage. Fermentation can only take place in the absence of oxygen. Without that oxygen present, fermentation becomes a primary means of energy production. 

RS2 is also a prebiotic which promotes the growth of “good” bacteria in the gut. 70% of our immune cells reside in the gut and RS2 maintains healthy gut flora and feeds the cells.

What does this mean in layman’s terms? It keeps everything moving inside of your body, and helps you lose weight. I’ve talked about the importance of probiotics before, honestly, I cannot stress them enough. We don’t like talking about things we do in first thing in the morning, but having a healthy gut is what regulates our body. It keeps us healthy, our skin glows, and helps us maintain a healthy weight.

Kefir is a probiotic.  Raw coconut vinegar and banana flour are prebiotic foods. Meaning you’re ingesting good for you bacteria or you’re consuming foods which will have a chemical reaction inside your gut. They’ll end up growing good bacteria in your stomach. 

It sounds like a science experiment. When you start thinking about how consumed foods work inside of you, you start thinking more about what you put inside of your machine. How will they breakdown? How do they work in conjunction with our internal organs? If we can make it tasty while we’re being healthy, even be better.

Banana flour isn’t for pancakes only. Use it anywhere you would use wheat or unbleached flour. Please note though, because of the high starch content in banana flour use less flour than required in your everyday recipes. Rule of thumb is to use 30% less Banana Flour than suggested flour.

Don’t feel like cooking, baking, and all that jazz, use it in your everyday smoothie. Your gut will thank you. Let me know what kind of ideas you come up for the holidays. If you’re craving those fluffy paleo, gluten free, Sunday pancakes try this recipe. It’s fun converting your family to a healthier lifestyle during the holidays. 

Perfectly Paleo Pancakes

• ½ cup banana flour
• 3 eggs
• 1 ½ teapoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon coconut palm sugar or honey
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• Place all ingredients in a hi-speed blender. Blend until smooth. Let batter settle for a couple of minutes.  Pour batter onto a medium-hot skillet and fry in a bit of melted butter or coconut oil until golden brown and fluffy. Flip and cook the second side until golden brown, about 40-60 seconds. Serve with your favorite toppings, and enjoy!

Blackberry Honey-Butter Syrup

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 ½ cups blackberries

• In a small skillet, heat butter, honey and vanilla together until bubbling. Remove from heat, toss in blackberries. Allow to sit for 3-5 minutes before drizzling over pancakes.

Healthy Holiday Dessert Food Swaps and Recipes

The air is cool, the sales bins of CVS are full of Halloween candy, and the holiday season is gearing up. Thanksgiving will be here in a blink of an eye. Every year the same overheard conversations about holiday weight gain. The holidays are meant to been fun, and spent enjoying the days with our loved ones. The key is finding balance when family time is spent eating.

One area where you can really make some conscious choices are the desert table. Pie crusts full of shortening. Chocolate cakes loaded with refined sugars. Taste delicious, but when you become a dessert eating zombie, not what your heart needs after eating those yummy, buttery potatoes. What if I said you can swap in some health, and keep those holiday traditions alive?

It’s totally possible. Have you ever tried black beans instead flour? This is an excellent substitute when making holiday brownies. Use black bean puree instead of flour, and fill your loved ones with healthy protein instead. You can also pull a fast one ,and use tofu in your pecan pie. Yes, tofu to make a healthy vegan maple pecan pie. This means no butter, no eggs, no corn syrup, no processed white sugar.

There’s no reason to eat unhealthy during holiday feasting. It really comes down to how we make our foods. The dessert table gets loaded down with refined sugars, syrups, and shortenings when it doesn’t have to be so. It’s a matter of reenvisioning what our holiday traditions are about.

I can’t take credit for all these food swaps and recipes, but I wanted to show you there’s a world of possibilities with some experimentation. There’s nothing wrong with grandma’s infamous peach cobbler. Maybe if she knew all the health benefits of chia seeds, she also would have used them instead of eggs. Don’t even get me started on the pumpkin pie made with garbanzo beans. If I have to be honest, as a kid, I used to be able to scarf down a whole one by myself. Please don’t judge me.

Save this healthy baking substitutions jpg to your photo library or google drive, and see what creativity this inspires. Cheers to a healthy and happy holiday. Hope your family enjoys these recipes as much as mine did. They didn’t even know they were eating vegan sometimes, but we’ll keep that our little secret.

Flourless Black Bean Avocado Brownies {Vegan and Gluten Free}

• 1 large flax egg
• 1 - 15oz can low sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 medium to large ripe avocado
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup vegan chocolate chips, plus 2 tablespoons for sprinkling

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 8×8 inch baking pan.
• Place flax egg, black bean, avocado, vanilla, and brown sugar and process in a food processor until smooth. Add in cocoa powder, coconut oil, baking soda, and baking powder and process again until smooth. Batter will be thick. If batter is way too thick and won't process, you can add in a tablespoon or two of almond milk. Fold in chocolate chip or sprinkle onto batter then transfer to prepared pan and use a spatula to spread evenly to sides. Sprinkle top of batter with 2 tablespoons of remaining chocolate chips.
• Bake for 22-30 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out somewhat clean.

You may be able to sub the brown sugar for honey, agave or maple syrup. Reduce to 1/3 cup.

Healthy Vegan Maple Pecan Pie

• 6oz extra firm tofu, drained
• 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla soymilk, cold
• 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 2 tbs brown rice flour (other flours may work)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 cup granulated sweetener (1/4c sucanat, the rest erythritol)
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tsp molasses
• 1 cup pecans, chopped
• one whole grain pie crust, cold
• pecans, for topping (optional)

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
• In a blender or food processor, puree the tofu, soymilk, vanilla paste, brown rice flour and salt. Pour all of it into a bowl and set aside.
• In a small bowl, add the coconut oil and set aside.
• In a medium-sized pot over medium heat, whisk together the granulated sweetener, maple syrup and molasses. Whisk occasionally for about 10-15 minutes (sugars should completely dissolve). Let the mixture bubble/boil lightly for ~30 seconds, remove from heat and whisk in the coconut oil. Whisk in the tofu mixture, then stir in the chopped pecans.
• Put the cold pie crust onto a cookie sheet and pour the filling inside. Decorate with pecans if you like, then bake for about an hour, until edges and pecans are a rich dark brown color (but not burnt!) and filling bubbles lightly. Let cool on a wire cooling rack.

Peach Cobbler Recipe

• 3 cups peaches, peeled and chopped
• 2 cups almond flour
• ¼ cups coconut flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• ¾ cup honey
• ½ cup grass fed butter, softened or ghee
• 2-3 drops almond extract
• 3 tbsp chia seeds
• 9 tbsp warm water
• 1 tbsp coconut vinegar

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
• Grease an 8x8 pan with coconut oil
• Pour peaches into the pan
• Mix the almond flour, salt and baking soda in a bowl
• In a separate bowl, mix the butter, honey and extract
• Combine both mixtures.
• In a separate small bowl, combine the chia and hot water and allow to sit and thicken for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, add to other mixture.
• Once well combined, add vinegar and stir.
• Pour batter onto peaches and bake for 30-45 minutes.

Pumpkin Pie

• 1 cup garbanzo beans aka chickpeas
• 3/4 cup of pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup of almond milk, unsweetened vanilla (or milk of choice)
• 1 heaping tbsp peanut butter
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder optional
• 1/2 cup of packed brown sugar
• 1 egg white (or flaxseed egg)
• 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice (may substitute with cinnamon)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• graham crackers crust

topping optional for sweetness:

• 1 egg white
• 2 wedges the laughing cow light swiss
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp chocolate chips

• Pre-heat oven at 350 degrees.
• In food processor combine all ‘filling’ ingredients. Blend until smooth. Note: The garbanzo beans will need some liquid to blend well.
• Pour into crust
• Combine topping ingredients except chocolate chips in a food processor. Blend well until smooth. Drizzle on top for a marble appearance. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.
• Bake for 30-40 minutes depending on oven. 
• Let cool. For best results, cool for several hours until room temperature. 

BARE SNACKS!

Here at Pilates Platinum, we’re always on the go. So when someone introduces us to a healthy snack that comes in easy-to-grab serving sized bags…say no more!!

We can’t keep this stuff a secret…. you’ve got to try Barefruit from Bare Snacks!

Barefruit snack options are part of the Bare Snacks family. Bare Snacks are just what you think: BARE! Naked of any artificial ingredients or anything extra. In fact, all of their snacks have no more than 7 ingredients so, as they say, “you can fall in love with real fruit flavor!”

Snacks gone simple.

Baked, not freeze dried.

Non-Dairy and Nut-Free

No Refined Sugar

No Trans-fat

Gluten-Free

No Preservatives

Non-GMO

Some of our favorites are:

Crunchy Cinnamon Apple Chips

Crunchy Granny Smith Apple Chips

And for an extra sweet treat…

Simply Toasted Crunchy Coconut Chips!

If you’re looking for something to grab as you head out the door, or a healthy snack to add to your lunch, or even a sweet treat for dessert, then try something from BareSnacks and we promise you won’t be disappointed!

Sweet vs. Savory? Our pick is from Emilie's Pure & Simple Kitchen

Every once in a while we come across a new snack food that’s equally healthy and delicious. 

Whether we’re strolling the aisles at the local Whole Foods, or catching wind of a new product by word of mouth, it’s always exciting to add something nutritious to our cabinets.

Today we're off the sweets and craving something savory. 

We’d like to share a product with you that’ll satisfy a savory craving without any guilt: 

The Savory Cracker, from Emilie’s Pure & Simple Kitchen! 

These crackers are available in 3 delicious flavors and are naturally GLUTEN-FREE, GRAIN-FREE, and LOW-CARB! Our favorite flavor is Savory, but the Original and Dipping flavors are just as impressive. They’re the perfect substitute for the many over-processed, sugar-loaded crackers at the market, and are an easy snack to pack on-the-go, or bring as a hostess gift.

 

Emilie’s Pure and Simple Kitchen is known for 

“pure food made from simple ingredients.”

It really is that simple. 

And tasty!

Head on over to Facebook: (facebook.com/PureSimpleKitchen)

or give the company a call (203-842-8682) 

or email them at puresimplekitchen@gmail.com 

Treat yourself to a something that’ll make your insides happy!