The Month of Thanksgiving...

A friend of mine picked up an idea from one of her friend's blog about dedicating a post each day to something she's thankful for.  I figured I'd keep the trend going as expressing our gratitude can never go out of style.  Since it's the 12th, I'll work up to the 12th day in this post, and then get back on schedule tomorrow.  Thanks for the idea, Omi!  Dang, is that #1 already? ;-)

1.  As always, my parents are first on the list.  I am so thankful to have such amazing parents.  My folks are funny, supportive, stern, grounded, accepting, courageous, wise, open minded, curious, humble, smart, fantastic parents, and the best friends I could ever ask for.  Without them, and how they have raised me, I am nothing.  I have taken these guys on quite a roller coaster ride for the past 26 years, and they have always been ready to take "shot gun" either griping their seats with a grimace, or waving their hands in the air with a smile.  I hope to be just like them when I "grow up" and have kids of my own.

2.  My sister, Kellye, is way better of a sister to me than I am to her.  We've had our ups and downs over the years, but the downs are done, and I'm so fortunate to have a partner in crime in the Cunningham Fam.

3.  I know this sounds psycho, but my dog Fred means so much to me it's scary.  He literally saved my life during my battle with Pure-O OCD.  He is my child, my hero, the sometimes pain in my ass, unconditional loving, massive shedding, comforting, always loyal #1 man in my life.  He's somewhere around 11 years old.  It is NOT going to be pretty when it's time for him to "go."  I love you, Fred!

4.  My God given talents with food and music.  May these talents continue to provide comfort and memories to my life.

5.  Steven...I can't think of anyone better suited for me.  You are the support, smiles, love, and laughs that have been missing from my life.  You inspire me to be a better person, and you are proving to be the challenge to every one of my "I will never..." statements.  Damn, I hate being wrong, but will gladly accept defeat as long as your involved. :-) 

6.  Although I sometimes can't wait to leave this place, living in New Braunfels is truly a gem.  Sometimes I take it for granted, but I know deep down this place is a one of a kind.  Texans...you rock!  There are no people like Texans; they are the nicest people.

7.  I am so thankful for my 4 working arms and legs!  Seriously!  I wouldn't be able to run, swim, bake, play guitar, drive, etc. without them.  Thank you good health and luck in this department.

8.  My college education financially provided to me by my parents is a priceless gift.  Thank you Mom and Dad for giving me the wonderful gift of knowledge and experience.  College changed my life forever.

9.  Thank you Darrell David for employing me for the past 3 years.  I am so thankful for my job and financial security...and for having such an understanding and giving boss.  It has been a pleasure working for you, Darrell.

10.  I am so thankful for all those life experiences that may have hurt like hell at the time, but taught me so much about myself and life in the long run.  I have avoided many mistakes by learning from the first ones.

11.  Chocolate.  Thank you God for making the cacao bean!

12.  I am thankful for my church families both in Garland and New Braunfels.  Although I'm not an active member at this time in my life, I was raised going to church every Sunday.  My church family has supported me through music, life crisis, small business adventures, education, and the list goes on.  Even though I am the lesser person for not being active in that community, they continue to love and support me throughout my life.  That is something truly special I don't deserve.

13.  I am thankful for the men and women of our country who serve in the U.S. Military.  They make so many sacrifices I can't imagine making.  Each and every one of these individuals are double the person I am.

*more to come....

Vegan Choco-Chip Cookies

Vegan "Heart Healthy" Chocolate Chip Cookies

 These cookies are great!  It's a weird cookie prep. process, and I was skeptical, but they turned out fantastic.  I found this recipe here, and made a just a couple adjustments.  I promise you, non-vegans will eat the hell out of these!  They are soft, chewy, flavorful...and much better for you than an original chocolate chip cookie.  I'm also pretty sure these are gluten free.  I did some research on oat products being gluten free, and found that oats, themselves, do not contain gluten, but are often processed in a plant that also processes wheat, barley, and rye products, which DO contain gluten.  Therefore, cross contamination with gluten grains can be a concern if one is highly sensitive to their gluten intolerance.  Basically, it's a personal issue if you feel oat products aggravate your Celiac Disease, or not. 


Ingredients:

• 3 Tbs. coconut oil (canola oil can be used)
  
• 2 cups raw walnuts (best "bang for your buck" at Costco)
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1½ cups oat flour *
  
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt (VERY important)
  
• ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 3 3.5-oz. bars bittersweet vegan chocolate, chopped, or 1½ cups vegan chocolate chips (12 oz.)

 * Oat Flour can either be made by processing regular rolled oats in a food processor until a flour like consistency is achieved (the method I used), or oat flour can be bought through a brand like Bob's Red Mill .  I'm pretty sure Whole Foods and Central Market have oat flour in their bulk sections, as well.




Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray, or line with parchment paper.

2. Blend walnuts in food processor 30 seconds, or until ground into a fine meal. Add coconut oil and salt. Blend 2 to 3 minutes more, or until mixture has the consistency of natural peanut butter, scraping down sides of food processor occasionally.

3. Whisk together brown sugar and ½ cup water in small saucepan, and bring mixture to a boil. Pour brown sugar mixture over ground walnut butter, add vanilla extract, and mix in food processor until no lumps remain.

4. Whisk together oat flour, baking soda, and cinnamon in separate bowl. Stir oat flour mixture into walnut mixture. Cool completely **THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! The choco-chips will melt, as you can see mine did a little, if you do not completely cool**.  Fold in oats, then chocolate chips.

5. Shape cookie dough into 2-inch balls, and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.  Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until cookies begin to brown and tops look dry. Cool 3 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

*I found the cooling was the important factor to this recipe.  I think the sugar/water mixture could be made  30 min. ahead of time, let cool, and then added to the walnut butter mixture to expedite this process.  It shouldn't matter whether the sugar mixture cools before adding to the walnut butter, or after.

Rex Phair Goes Green...smoothie, that is!

Rex Phair...Clueless to the Goodness!

son of Glenn and Allison Phair

New Braunfels, TX  

 

Seriously, though...how cute is this little dude?!

Raw Pumpkin Pie

Raw Pumpkin Pie

I've been dying to make this recipe as I've had frozen fresh carrot juice on hand for quite some time.  All I can say is my dad has already requested this raw pumpkin pie to replace the standard cooked pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving this year.  Yes, it's that good....

This is my sliiightly adapted version of Mathew Kenney's original recipe which can be found here.  I did not dehydrate my crust, as I felt it was unnecessary.  I also increased the sweetener and vanilla extract a tad since I have a sweet tooth, and almost always increase the vanilla and salt in every dessert recipe I make.

CRUST:
2 1/4 cups pecans
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon date paste
1/4 tsp salt

1. Place prepared pecans in food processor; pulse into small fine crumbs. Mix pecans and all remaining ingredients together well by hand.
2. Press into plastic (or parchment) lined 9-inch tart pan to desired thickness.
3. Chill crust in freezer for 15-30 minutes before filling. If not using all of hte crsut mixture, store extra in a container in the freezer.

FILLING:
1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup agave
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup + 2 Tbs. carrot juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 vanilla bean, scraped (if you have it, no biggie if you don't)
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg

1. Blend the cashews and carrot juice together first until creamy, then add the rest of the ingredients.  Thoroughly blend until well combined, and coconut oil is completely distributed through mixture.  Pour into tart shell, and chill overnight in refrigerator, or freezer.

The pie will slice "prettiest" if done straight from the freezer, but the pie should be served at refrigerator temp.  I kept mine in the refrigerator the whole time, and it has been fine.  If you are planning to travel this pie, it must be frozen.

*If you do not have a juicer, I know both Whole Foods and Central Market keep raw unpasteurized carrot juice on hand.  At Whole Foods, you might have to go to the juice bar to get it.  I'm not as familar with Whole Foods as I am with Central Market, but I do not Central Market keeps raw juices (carrot always being a staple) in the produce section of the store.  You can buy little 2 cup containers, which is nice when using just for a recipe.

**the coconut oil is absolutely imperative for this recipe to hold together.  Coconut oil has a very low melting point, and solidifies at the slightest drop in temperature...hence keeping the pie in the fridge.

Happy un-cooking!
CC Bloom

Bubble Gut + Broken Back = Bad Running Combo

Well, my first official race was the this past Saturday, The Wurst 5 Miler.  I have been so jazzed for this race since when I first started running in June.  For the past couple of weeks, I have had some spotty nausea and GI issues.  Well, Thursday night started the weekend of Hell!  I came down that evening with what I now call "bubble gut."  Except, this was no normal bubble gut.  I'm pretty sure my bowels were on the verge of exploding.  I've never experienced this much activity down south before in my life.  I also started burping CONTINUOUSLY these hot, gaseous, burn the hair in your noise, vomit smelling burps.  It was beyond disgusting.  You can only imagine what the fate of every "exit" in my body was.  NOT pretty.

I'm not sure what the cause was, yet.  I've pinned it down to food poisoning from my salad dressing, detox, or Candida.  I honestly don't know, but my instincts are telling me it was my salad dressing, or something I was continuously eating, because I started feeling better Friday afternoon....and then I ate my usual daily salad, and immediately felt bad again.  I have no idea.  Nothing ever tasted spoiled, or rancid, so I'm baffled as to what it could have been.  I made a new dressing today containing only one of the same ingredients as the previous dressing, so if I get sick again I think I'll have to pin it on the raw apple cider vinegar.  But, doesn't the vinegar trump spoilage?  *ok, just called the company and they said their apple cider does not need to be refrigerated, and does not spoil*  What the hell?!  I'm really scared to eat my salad today....

So, even though the guts were sick I decided I still needed to attempt the Wurst Run.  Probably not the best idea, but hey, I ended up getting some kind of run in for the day by the time it was all said and done.  Convinced I'm going, I head to the bathroom, bend down to shave my legs, and *!BAM!*...pain shot through the back, down the legs, and brought me to my knees.  I have no logical explanation as to why, or how, this happened, but it did and it was bad.

At this point, my friend, Laurie, shows up and I have a bucket load of problems I spill on her, but we head out the door regardless.  During the run, my body and breathing was feeling great.  Runners...you know...like those days when your body is simply in tune and ready to run?!  I was not labored, and my legs were light....my the belly was bubblin' bad.  Needless to say, mile 3 brought us by the cross street with the hospital, and we opt to head off course and in that direction for the ER bathroom.  I knew I was going to blow at mile 2, so making it to a little past 3 miles was more than I expected to accomplish.  I started running a low-grade fever, so we walked back to where my car was, and got me home.  The rest of Saturday continued to get worse with the stomach/GI issues, my back completely went out, and that night was an AWFUL mixture of both. 

I was really bummed about my first official race being screwed by health issues, and didn't want to be perceived as this person who dishes out excuses for not being able to finish a goal, but they weren't empty excuses...they were real ones!  I felt better knowing I had run 5 miles three times previously with some friends, so there's proof I'm not a faker ;-)  Plus, I got the shirt from the race, and that's all that matters, right?!

In conclusion, I went for my first run this morning since Saturday and I felt great!  Rest days really aren't just for torture...they really do work!

Apple Spice Cake with Praline'esque Frosting

 Apple Spice Cake

Whoa baby!  This cake (not raw or vegan) was a hit on my mom's birthday!  It was a totally new recipe for me, but I found it on my most trust-worthy recipe website, Epicurious.com.  It was a strange cake in some ways.  You make it in a spring form pan, but I think you could also make it in a bundt pan.  The "frosting" is basically a caramel candy type frosting.  It very much resembles a praline without the pralines!  You know, that melt in your mouth sugar???  Oh yeah, that's the one....

Ingredients For Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. ginger
• 1/4 tsp. clove
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup turbinado sugar
• 1/2 cup butter Crisco
• 2 tsp. light rum
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup + 1 Tbs. apple sauce
• 1 tsp. vanilla

For Frosting:

•  3 Tbs. salted butter
• 1 cup turbinado sugar
• 6 Tbs. evaporated milk
• 1 tsp. light rum
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
  

Instructions:
Place oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter pan and set aside.
Whisk together flour, baking soda, spices, and salt in a bowl.

Beat together sugar, butter crisco, vanilla, and rum with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until combined well, then add egg and beat until pale and fluffy, 2 - 3 minutes with a stand mixer or 5 to 6 minutes with a handheld. Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients, mixing until combined well. Add applesauce, and mix until combined well.

Spread batter evenly in spring form pan and bake until a wooden pick or skewer comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.

Cool cake in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then remove side of pan and cool completely.

For the Frosting:
(*make sure to measure out your evaporated milk all together before hand; you're basically making a caramel here, so you need to be quick with the milk)

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart heavy saucepan, then add sugar and evaporated milk and simmer, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved, about 4 minutes.


Remove from heat and whisk in rum, vanilla, salt, and remaining tablespoon butter.  Then whisk in confectioners sugar 1 tablespoon at a time (*I used an electric hand mixer to do this right in the pan). Cool to warm, about 20 minutes, then pour over cooled cake.

Happy 54th, Mama!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Halloween marked my mom's 54th year of life!  WooHoo!  Yes, my mom is a Halloween baby.  I always feel bad for people who have birthday's on holidays; it seems they always get put on the back burner due to the excitement of the holiday.  Since I'm not really in the "partying/bar scene" mood right now, I planned on having my mom, dad, and Steven over for a grand birthday dinner, but unfortunately my body fell apart on Saturday, so I was unable to cook!  Ugh...more details on that in the next post.  Fortunately, before I got sick, I did make my mom's birthday cake Friday, so at least I had that already done.

My mom has been the ultimate blessing to my life.  She has been my rock, my best friend, my therapist, teacher, and my all supportive and selfless mother.  I wouldn't trade her for the world!  I can only hope to be half the mom she has been to me and my sister.  I love you, Mom!