Strawberries make me feel like a kid for some reason. I remember my parents playing their Beatles records when I was young (yeah, records), all of the their songs from the square ‘Love Me Do’ to the tripped out ‘I Am the Walrus’ or ‘Strawberry Fields’ and of course all of John Lennon’s solo stuff. So maybe this is why when I eat strawberries I feel small and innocent and like the world might just be all right, like there’s nothing to ‘get hung about.’ How could you in a strawberry field?

Living is easy with eyes closed
Misunderstanding all you see
It’s getting hard to be someone
But it all works out
It doesn’t matter much to me

Let me take you down
Cause I’m going to Strawberry Fields
Nothing is real
And nothing to get hung about
Strawberry Fields forever

And how can you not feel like a kid when you eat jam? It’s sweet and gooey and makes just about anything taste better. You can mix in into yogurt or porridge, spread it on a sandwich with nut butter, eat it on buttered toast, top waffles with it, and on and on.

I’ve personally never made ‘real’ jam, although I admire folks who have. I don’t know how to ‘can and preserve’ and I’ve never used gelatin in my life. And, no, I’m not here to go all vegan on you about gelatin. I eat regular jam sometimes and don’t. even. flinch. (sorry to disappoint).

The truth is I’ve never been so in love with jam as I am now that I’ve made this chia variation. It’s got waaay less sugar – just a couple tablespoons of maple syrup. And the chia, oh the chia, the gelatinous-sticity (is that a word?) and tons of health benefits to boot. You just can’t go wrong with those little seeds! Saying goodbye to the gelatin feels pretty wise too (although I can’t promise I won’t cheat with other jams once in a while – you did see my previous note on my inconsistency right?).

The beauty of this recipe is in it’s simplicity.

Strawberry Chia Jam: 

This recipe makes a small jar of jam.

Ingredients:

• 1 box or bag (about 1 cup) of frozen organic (super important as strawberries are one of the worst when it comes to pesticide absorption) strawberries
• 2-3 Tbs of maple syrup
• 2 Tbs chia seeds

Directions:

1. Place frozen strawberries and maple syrup in a saucepan on a medium high heat.

2. Bring to a gentle boil and let cook for five minutes.

3. Mash the strawberries with a potato masher or fork until fairly smooth.

4. Add in chia seeds and reduce heat. Cook for 10 – 15 minutes or until you reach your desired constancy.

5. Let jam cool and then scoop into a air tight glass jar. Store in refrigerator up to a week.

Enjoy!

I grew up on tuna fish sandwiches. They were a staple at our house and my mom makes the best damn tuna sandwich in the world, no really so flippin’ good (thanks mom!). But… (always with the but I know) I just can’t bring myself to eat much seafood these days. Our oceans are in seriously poor shape. Fish supplies have dwindled and many species have gone extinct. Fishing practices are often harmful to the environment and cruel. Farmed fish (even ‘organic’) pose their own set of problems with genetic mutation from inbreeding, foul water sources, and disease. And don’t even get me started on the mercury levels, or Fukushima, because down the proverbial rabbit hole of world destruction I will go and that’s a shitty place to be, amiright? So let’s just avoid it for a bit by making a fantastic substitute for our beloved albacorian affair. 

Like almost all substitutes in life, ‘ain’t nothin’ like the real thing baby, ain’t nothin’ like the real thing‘, so just let that expectation go right now. No really, let it go. Okay, now that we are approaching this with open minds we can begin to explore the endless possibilities that await us in creating this protein packed splendor. I mean really, think of the add ins: maybe your grew up with relish in your tuna salad, or maybe celery, or olives, or just some nice onion, or maybe you like to spice it up with cayenne, garlic powder, wasabi, or tahini. You can’t really go wrong here, but I’m going to share a basic recipe to get you started and you can alter it as you see fit, I won’t mind.

To get a fishy flavor you can add chopped up nori (seaweed sheets) or umiboshi vinegar (add a little at first as it is salty). I didn’t have any on hand, so I tossed in some capers for added saltiness. But I can’t wait to try it with umiboshi next time.

Mercury & cruelty-free “chickpea of the sea”:

Adapted from thekitchn.com

Ingredients:

• 1 can garbanzo or chickpea beans, drained and rinsed.
• 1/2 small red or white onion, chopped fine
• 1 celery stalk washed and chopped fine
• 1-2 Tbs of mayonnaise or veganaise depending on your preferred consistency and disposition
• 1-2 tsp of dijon mustard
• 1 tsp capers
• A few lettuce or spinach leaves
• Tomato slices
• 2 slices whole grain gluten free bread

Directions:

1. Smash your chickpeas with a fork or lightly chop in a food processor (be sure if using the later to not over chop as the chickpeas will turn into paste).

2. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

3. Put your greens and tomato on your sliced bread and add your “chickpea of the sea”. If your bread tends to be dry you can always add some mayo to your slices.

4. Cut in half and enjoy!

I don’t know what it is about that first sunny day here in Stockholm. It’s like my shell gets cracked open and I can throw my sorels up in the attic, put the potato chips and goodies away (jesus, mary, and josheph finally!), start walking the little dove to and from school, and rip that heavy burden of winter (you know, the one that feels like the lead blankets they use at the dentist office) off my body. For those of you who don’t know me, I hate winter. I know, I know, but I live in Sweden. Let’s be clear: I moved for love, not for the weather.

So spring has sprung and that makes me want to swap the aforementioned crutches with healthy treats. I wish I was one of those people who is consistent, but I’m not. Maybe if I lived in say, Jamaica, but sadly that’s not happening right now. So when winter is here I slack a bit on the comfort food. But spring kicks me right back into gear. Thank the goddesses.

Now, don’t get this gal wrong, I still love treats and here in Stockholm – the land of ‘fika’ (afternoon coffee and sweets) it’s sacrilegious to deny oneself sweet buns and cakes and gooey fudgy treats. It’s how we get through winter, ahem. However, there are two things that have prompted me to explore more healthy options. One is our kiddo who is old enough now to demand whatever we eat & if that’s gonna happen it best damn well be healthy and two is the fact that there aren’t that many good gluten free treats to be found [that calls for a whole other post]. Okay, so I’m not a raw foodie, or a vegetarian, or a vegan for that matter (you might not be either), but cutting out dairy and gluten and eating foods that are raw and whole is really good for our bodies and if it tastes good, why not incorporate it into our kitchen?

So that’s where the RVGF banana cream pie comes in. It’s actually good for you *gasp* and it tastes divine. Dates, walnuts, coconut, banana, cashews… I mean it’s like a yoga journal and elephant journal wet dream. So here’s to spring and letting ourselves indulge in the good life. And yes, Mr. Wonderful, the little dove, and our friends loved it. Enjoy!

*** You have to soak the cashews for the filling overnight – so if you want this NOW you’ll have to take a deep breath and wait. But get those cashews in the water stat and you can have this tomorrow!

Raw, vegan, gluten free, guiltless banana cream pie:

Adapted from Minimalist Baker

I’m just as obsessed with chia seeds as the next wannabeyogigoddesshippiefreak, but I’ve recently branched out from my chia + kale superdayshake and the good ‘ol chia + coco + banana pudding to explore using chia in place of gelatin. I first experimented with strawberry chia ‘jam’ (which I’ll post about soon) but we were having people over for dinner and I wanted a perfect little desert – something light, healthy, and fresh. I was researching panna cotta and all the recipes called for gelatin, so I decided to make a chia version and while it’s not really panna cotta, it’s damn good. Mr. Wonderful even liked it. He actually kinda loved it.

Chia coconut and vanilla ‘panna cotta’ with berry compote:

For the panna cotta

• 2 cups organic coconut cream
• 4 Tbs chia seeds
• 1 vanilla bean pod
• 2 Tbs maple syrup

For the berry compote

• 1 box or packet of frozen organic mixed berries
• 2-3 Tbs maple syrup

Directions:

1. Mix the coconut cream and vanilla bean pod (bean paste scraped from inside and added to coconut milk) and bring to a boil, lower heat and let simmer a few minutes, then add the maple syrup. Add chia seeds and stir well. Let simmer another couple of minutes. Take off heat.

2. Mix the frozen berries and maple syrup in a small pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat and let simmer for 5 minutes until mixture begins to thicken.

3. Pour coconut mixture into 4 small serving glasses. Let sit for 10 minutes. Add layer of cooled berry compote. Add top layer of coconut mixture and then top off with rest of berry compote. Chill in refrigerator for 2-3 hours and voilà! Serve and enjoy!