Coconut Oatmeal Pancakes

Turbokid decided he needed "cancakes" for breakfast, so I made up these. They are sweet without added sugar and delicate, so it may take some practice to flip the pancakes without them falling apart. The coconut flavor is subtle. The pancakes are wheat, soy, and nut-free. They are good served with Earth Balance butter and maple syrup or with fresh fruit and toasted coconut.

Coconut Oatmeal Pancakes

1/2 cup coconut flour (pulse unsweetened flaked coconut in a food processor until it turns into a powder)
3/4 cup oat flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened sunflower)
1 Tbsp oil (I used sunflower)

Mix together coconut flour, oat flour, salt, and baking powder in bowl. Stir in applesauce, non-dairy milk, and oil.

Preheat a lightly oiled skillet on medium-low heat. Spoon batter onto the skillet (about 1-2 Tbsp per pancake) and cook for a few minutes on each side, until pancake is golden.

Baby-Safe Vapor Rub

Commercial vapor rubs are full of things we really don't want to absorb into our bodies, ingest, or breathe in - petroleum, turpentine oil, and camphor. Additionally, these rubs are not safe for children under 2.

Since everyone in my house in congested right now, I decided I needed to make my own chest rub. Most of the recipes I found use beeswax, which was not an option for our vegan family. Many also contained oils such as peppermint and eucalyptus, which can cause laryngeal spasms in babies and toddlers. Peppermint oil can be a uterine stimulant in pregnant women when used topically or internally. Additionally, peppermint can reduce milk supply in lactating women.

This super-simple vapor rub recipe is subtly-scented, so don't expect the menthol blast you get from commercial rubs. It contains chamomile and lavender oils, which are suitable for all ages and have decongestant properties. The coconut oil melts on contact with the skin so it goes on easily. Make sure you use only pure essential oils and not perfume or potpourri oils.

Baby-Safe Vapor Rub

1/2 cup coconut oil
3-4 drops chamomile oil
3-4 drops lavender oil

Place all ingredients in a small bowl and whip with a hand mixer for 2-3 minutes. Spoon into a clean, dry jar and keep in a cool place.

Rub onto chest as needed and breathe deeply.

Raw Coconut-Lime Cookie Balls

My current obsession is raw cookies. They are free of most allergens, quick to make, and a healthy snack to eat in the 3-second lull between group exercise classes and chasing two hyperactive toddlers. This is a variation of the versatile sunflower seed cookie I posted last week and they taste like Lara Bars. If you want a more Larabar-like bar, you can roll them flat and cut them before refrigerating instead of rolling them into balls.

Raw Coconut-Lime Cookie Balls

1/2 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup unsweetened dried coconut (plus more for rolling cookies in)
1 cup pitted dates
1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
1 Tbsp coconut oil

Pulse almonds, seeds, and coconut in a food processor until a coarse flour forms. Add dates and pulse into the dates are well incorporated. Add the coconut oil and lime juice and process until a dough forms.

Roll 1/2 Tbsp-sized portions of dough into balls and roll the balls in shredded coconut, if desired. Refrigerate for a few hours to overnight, and store in fridge.

Raw Sunflower Seed Cookies

I've been experimenting with raw cookies for the last couple days. I don't have a dehydrator, so I needed to come up with a recipe that only required a food processor. I posted a variation of this recipe containing almonds and peanut butter on my Facebook page a couple days ago. This variation uses coconut and sunflower seed butter instead, so it's suitable for people with peanut or tree-nut allergies. They are also sugar-free and grain-free.

It is easy to make your own nut and seed butters by running roasted or raw nuts or seeds in a food processor, scraping down the sides frequently until a butter forms. Different ingredients take different amounts of time to process into butters. Sunflower seeds process in about 5 minutes, while almonds can take 10-20. Sesame seeds are low in oil so require a little added oil to turn into tahini. For this recipe, I used some homemade unsalted sunflower seed butter that needed to be used up.

Raw Sunflower Seed Cookies

1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (or coconut flour)
1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seed butter
1 cup pitted dates
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Pulse the coconut in a food processor until it turns into a coarse flour. Add the sunflower butter, dates, and vanilla and process until the dates are incorporated and a dough-like mixture is formed. If the mixture isn't sticky enough to form a soft dough, add another tablespoon of sunflower butter and process again. Using your hands, form dough into balls. Flatten slightly into a cookie shape. Refrigerate for a few hours to overnight and enjoy.

Green (and Red and Black) Curry

I recently discovered black soybean tofu and black rice noodles. The tofu is starting to pop up in health food stores and the noodles came from an Asian market. They both cook up a little on the gray side, so this time I brightened them up with some colorful veggies and drowned them in green curry sauce. This version is gluten-free, but other noodles, such as soba, and regular soy sauce can be substituted for the black rice noodles and tamari.

Green (and Red and Black) Curry

1 lb black soybean tofu
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups broccoli, chopped (12oz)
1 1/2 cups sugar snap peas
1 can coconut milk
2 Tbsp green curry paste
1 Tbsp gluten-free tamari
1/2 cup peanut or almond butter
3 bundles black rice noodles - about 8oz

Cook rice noodles according to package directions.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, curry paste, tamari, and peanut or almond butter.

Heat coconut oil in a wok or large saute pan. Cut tofu into small cubes or batonnets. Saute until sides begin to brown, then add broccoli, pepper, and snap peas. Saute until vegetables are vibrant and begin to soften.

Stir in the cooked rice noodles and the curry sauce. Garnish with unsweetened coconut and basil. Serves about 4.

Tension Relief Body Lotion

Store-bought lotions and body butters contain long lists of unpronounceable ingredients and acronyms. Why expose your skin to a battalion of lab-made chemicals when you can make your own lotion at home with just a couple of natural ingredients? 

I made this lotion with an essential oil combination that sometimes helps with headaches and general tension. To test it, I put a few drops of each oil in a carrier oil and dipped a washcloth in it. I put the washcloth on my headboard last night and woke up feeling more refreshed than I have in a long time. Feel free to substitute your favorite essential oils or oil combinations for the lavender, peppermint, and chamomile. You can also alter the ratios. The ratio I gave yields a strong peppermint scent over more subtle lavender and chamomile scents.

This lotion may go on a little oilier than you are used to, but that's actually a good thing. Let the oils absorb into your skin and they will leave it super-soft. This is especially wonderful for dry winter skin and would probably feel great on the feet and covered with spa socks. The scent lingers a lot longer than commercial lotion... I can still smell it 30 minutes after rubbing it into my arms... so it is probably best applied at night unless you don't mind smelling like peppermint for a while.

Ingredients for homemade lotion.

Tension Relief Body Lotion

1 cup pure cocoa butter
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup almond or apricot oil
1 tsp vitamin E oil (optional)
15-20 drops lavender essential oil
15-20 drops chamomile essential oil
10-15 drops peppermint essential oil

Put the coconut oil and cocoa butter in the top of a double boiler. You made need to immerse the cocoa butter container in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes to soften it so it can be scooped out easily. Melt the coconut oil and cocoa butter. Remove from heat, stir, and let cool for about 10 minutes. Place in the freezer for 20 minutes (or if it's cold outside, you can stick it on the porch).

Coconut oil and cocoa butter in my improvised double boiler.

Coconut oil and cocoa butter. 

Fully melted coconut oil and cocoa butter. It doesn't take long to melt them because of the low melting points. Coconut oil melts at 76F and cocoa butter melts at 93-100F, which is why chocolate melts in your mouth. If your home is warm (above 75F), you will start off with liquid coconut oil. Coconut oil has a low melting point, but melting it does not change its properties so it is fine to use either melted or solid.

 Stir in almond or apricot oil and essential oils. Adjust the essential oils according to your preference. Place in the refrigerator or another cool place until the mixture is partially solidified. This can take a while - about 40 minutes in the refrigerator for my batch.

Partially-solidified mixture right out of the refrigerator.

Whip with a hand-mixer or stand mixer, scraping the sides often, until a butter-like consistency is achieved. This will take several minutes, longer if the kitchen is warm. If it is still runny, return the mixture to the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes and then whip again.

Whipped for 30 seconds.

Whipped for 3-4 minutes. It now has a consistency similar to buttercream.

Scoop lotion into a clean glass jar. It may continue to set over the next 12 hours. It doesn't need to be refrigerated and won't mold because there isn't any water in it, but it should be kept in a cool place. This batch made 2.5-3 cups of whipped lotion, enough to completely fill an old pickle jar.

Finished lotion. 

Notes: The thickness of this lotion can vary depending on temperature and oil content. The first batch I made in December has a thinner texture more like a commercial lotion. The batch I made today set up thicker, more like a body butter. It may seem a little thick, but your body temperature will melt it.

The essential oils can be replaced with any skin-safe essential oils you choose. Amount needed will vary depending on scent strength of the oil. An unscented lotion can also be made by leaving out the essential oils. The lotion will still carry a faint aroma of chocolate and coconut.

Shea butter can be used instead of cocoa butter. Mango butter might also work, but I haven't experimented with it because of Turbokid's allergy.

I don't own a double boiler or a stand mixer, so this became an exercise in hand-mixer endurance. The whipping is very easy with a stand mixer since you can just turn it on and scrape down the sides on occasion. I improvised a double boiler by placing a Pyrex bowl over a saucepan containing about two inches of water. If you do this, make sure the boiling water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl and let the bowl cool before chilling it. Thermal shock is nothing you want to play with.

Chocolate Mint Pudding

This is similar to the raw young coconut pudding idea I suggested in Feeding the Finicky Toddler. However, I made this one all for me (and little Messy Mouse, who decided it was awesome). I used fresh mint to imitate the flavor of a cheesecake I had once at Cafe Gratitude. My husband didn't like the herbal flavor of fresh mint, but I loved it.

If you've never had a young coconut, pick one up at an Asian market and break it open! Inside, you'll find a surprising amount of coconut water (mine tonight had 1 1/2 cups) and a jelly-like meat. My first exposure to young coconuts was at a cultural festival, where the Thai booth served ice-cold young coconuts with nothing but a straw to drink the water and a spoon to scoop out the meat.

Chocolate Mint Pudding

Jelly from a young coconut (about 3/4 cup. Reserve the coconut water for drinking or for another recipe)
1 oz semisweet chocolate, melted
4 fresh mint leaves
Sweetener of choice, to taste

Put the jelly, chocolate, and mint in a food processor. Process until smooth, scraping the sides as needed. Stir in sweetener to taste and enjoy!

Serves one mommy and one silly tiny toddler.

Feeding the Finicky Toddler

This was originally published on my main blog, Evergreen and Indigo. Turbotot is now three years old so has been upgraded to Turbokid.

Oy, toddlers!

All toddlers go through phases of loving and hating foods and my vegan toddler is no exception. We made an effort to introduce him to a wide variety of foods as soon as he started solids at six months. He loved even stranger things like kale and tempeh until he was over a year old, when he decided all he wanted was crackers, rice, and fruit. It can be a struggle to get him to eat anything but carbs some days, so I've had to be sneaky to get him eating veggies and beans. Here are some things that work for us.  But, be warned... what works today might not work tomorrow, and what a toddler won't touch today he might devour the next time it's offered. Keep offering, it might take a while but my son decided he loved snap peas after I put them in front of him at least two dozen times without him ever trying them.

1. Soups 

This is a big one for us. As soon as Turbotot discovered the mechanics of a spoon, he only wanted to eat spoon foods. There was a catch, though. The foods had to be smooth. He refused chunky soups and yogurts, but would eat any flavor if they were pureed smooth. I made him cream of broccoli soup and he devoured three bowls in one sitting. I experimented with other veggies and came up with an all-purpose cream soup recipe that has been a hit with my texture-picky toddler.

Cream of Whatever Soup

1 pound vegetable of choice (broccoli, carrot, asparagus, kale, cauliflower, squash, etc.)

1 onion, chopped

1-2 cloves of garlic

2 cups vegetable broth or water

1/4 cup flour Or cornstarch

2 1/2 cups fortified plain non-dairy milk

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons basil, oregano, ginger, or other herb or spice of choice

fresh ground black pepper to taste

Cut the vegetable of choice into chunks. Put the broth or water in a large saucepan and add vegetable, onion, and garlic. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender.

Put the contents of the pot and the flour in a food processor or blender (probably needs to be done in two batches) and process until smooth. Return to stove and stir in remaining ingredients. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the soup thickens.

This recipe is very forgiving and you can use more than one pound of vegetables or a combination of vegetables. Cream of carrot soup with ginger is very soothing on upset stomachs.

2. Dips

Toddlers love dips. Hummus, guacamole, bean dip, and spinach dip are a huge hits in our house. I serve them with homemade or store-bought pita bread, crackers, or vegetables.  

Simple Bean Dip

1 can of beans, any variety, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup of salsa

Process in blender or food processor. That's it, super easy and my toddler loves it on toast. It yields about two cups for far cheaper than the store-bought bean dips, and the texture and taste can be adjusted through using more or less of different kinds of salsa.

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

3 1/2 cups flour (a combination of 1/2 white and 1/2 wheat works well. You can use all whole-wheat, but may need to add more water since whole wheat flour is more absorbent than white)

3 tsp yeast

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 cup lukewarm water

oil

Stir the yeast and sugar into water and let sit until the yeast bubbles. Combine the flour and salt, then add the yeast mixture and knead. Cover and let rise for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, knead the dough. Divide into 12 portions. Roll each one out to make a thin bread.

Heat and lightly oil a skillet. Cook the breads one at a time for 1-2 minutes on a side on medium-high heat. The breads should fluff up and create center pockets if the heat is adjusted correctly (this can take some trial and error).

3. Smoothies

Add ground flax seed, chia seed, a quarter of an avocado, and/or a handful of spinach to fruit smoothies for a health boost. Coconut oil can be added for skinny toddlers who need more calories.

4. Pudding
Head to the nearest Asian market for a healthy, toddler-friendly pudding! Blend the jelly-like meat of a young coconut with strawberries, cocoa, carob, or banana until smooth. Reserve the coconut water for a quick electrolyte drink or an add-in for smoothies. My toddler goes nuts over this "pudding" and calls it "pie". Young coconuts can be found in some regular supermarkets, but I've found them to be cheaper and fresher in Asian markets.

5. Pasta Sauce

Stir pureed vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, or squash into homemade or commercial pasta sauce. My toddler is a huge fan of pasta, so this is an easy way to get him to eat veggies. I also like pureeing beans to make cream sauces as instructed in The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook.

I know I have more ideas hiding in my cluttered head, so I'll add to this list if I remember them. My guy loves whole edamame, mushrooms, snap peas, carrots, baked sweet potato fries, and bean sprouts, but we are still trying to convince him to eat other vegetables without having to disguise them. Do you have any more suggestions on how to get toddlers to eat more beans, vegetables, and other healthy foods?

Coconut-Chia Pudding

Chia seeds are rich in Omega-3s and easier to digest than flax. Other health benefits are explained here. My first experience with them was making this simple pudding. The chia seed creates a gel when it absorbs liquid, which makes it great for making a no-cook pudding.

Coconut-Chia Pudding

Ingredients:
1 15 oz can of coconut milk (1 1/2 cups)
3/8 cup chia seeds
1/4-3/8 cup agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla

Stir together all ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours before serving.

Variations: add cocoa powder or fruit purees. For a raw pudding, blend together the water and jelly from a young coconut and use it in place of the canned coconut milk.