Category Archives: Recipes

Making some changes around here…

Posted on June 17, 2013 | Leave a comment

Image(Evidence of the very different food preferences in our house at the moment)

This blog has been quiet for some time.  So much has changed for our family in the last 2 years.  From a new addition to the family, to a BIG move to a new country (!), the Kula family has been busy.  Recently I’ve been thinking and thinking about what I want this blog to become, and trying to identify what I miss about it and what I don’t miss (and plan to change) about it.

First and foremost, I have decided I am NOT a recipe blogger.  I like to cook and I like playing around with new recipes—but not every day (hence the lack of new recipes lately).  I had much more fun in the kitchen when my oldest son was a baby/toddler and would eat ANYTHING I made for him.  Those days are long gone and currently I’m facing an almost 5-year-old who isn’t interested in trying anything new.  There are few things as frustrating to me as spending an hour making a new recipe in the kitchen (or an old recipe for that matter) and having my child say “I’M NOT EATING THAT” when I set it on the table.   I’m working on it.  As I find recipes my son enjoys, I will be sure to post them on the blog.  And if I find successful strategies for coping with a VERY picky eater, I will also be sharing them here.   Currently I’m working on BREATHING, a simple, but very effective tool to calm myself during the dinner hour show down.

Second, and probably the most important change is that my intention for this blog is to discuss raising kids holistically and holistic health is more than just food and nutrition.  I’m interested in exploring mindfulness for kids, environmental health, green living, family connectedness, and so much more.  So I’ll be writing about those subjects and our family experiences with them here.  I’ll also be sharing a little more about our family and our kids.  The blogs I love to read (and return to time and time again) share interesting content AND personal stories.  We recently relocated to Argentina for two years and we are experiencing so many new and interesting things.  I’d like to share them with you.

And finally, I’m turning off the Feedburner feed after I upload this post.  It totally stresses me out to think that you all get email from me EVERY time I post.  What if I want to post twice in a day?  I don’t want you to get two daily emails from me….EVER.   So I’m turning it off.  If you want to see what Kula Mama is up to, check in anytime!

P.S. A good way to stay up to date with Kula Mama posts on the blog is to follow me on Facebook here.

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Puffed Quinoa Granola Bars (Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Egg-free)

Posted on April 20, 2013 | 2 Comments

Puffed Quinoa Granola Bars

We’ve been making these around here for the past week. They have a similar texture to store bought granola bars which my son really likes. He ate them like crazy the first day we made them, but like most things in the food department, he’s tired of it after a day…more on that later. I hope your children like them for a bit longer. These are such an easy snack because they keep for a long time and are easy to grab on the go. They do contain sugar, but the almond meal adds some protein to help balance it out. Enjoy!

Puffed Quinoa Granola Bars**
(makes about 17 small/medium bars)

4 cups puffed quinoa (or rice crisps would probably work too)
½ cup shredded coconut
1 ½ cup almond meal (you can grind up your own almonds in a coffee grinder or food processor)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup honey
6 tablespoons coconut oil, butter or other light tasting oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
½ teaspoon salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a glass baking dish combine the puffed quinoa, coconut shreds, and almond meal. Stir to combine and toast in oven for 10 minutes at 350.

Put the rest of the ingredients in a saucepan and heat over low heat until the sugar has melted and all ingredients are combined. Remove from heat and pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

Stir to combine and then transfer back to the glass dish (give it a spray of cooking oil first or use parchment paper on the bottom of the pan). Press out the granola bar mixture flat in the dish. I use a piece of parchment paper so my hands don’t stick.

Turn down oven to 300 and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven (it should be toasted brown at this point) and let cool. Bars will harden even more as they cool. Cut into shapes of your choosing and store in the fridge for a healthy-ish snack on the go!

**Inspired by this recipe!

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Butternut Squash Hash Browns (Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Egg-free)

Posted on April 11, 2012 | 6 Comments

Spring is here (sort of) and I’m posting about squash, a winter vegetable.  I guess this just goes to show you how slow things are moving around here with two kids.  I’ve had this recipe sitting on my computer for a few months now.  Better late than never I say, and as luck would have it our farmer’s market has seen a new crop of butternut squash the past few weeks so you may still be able to find them at your local market.

Our family food routine has seen more than a few changes in the past 6 months between the birth of our daughter, Caroline, and also the birth of my husband’s obsession with low carb diets.  I swear some days I feel like I’m high on postpartum  hormones when I walk into the kitchen and find my husband digging in the fridge for a protein snack (to balance his blood sugar he says) before his morning cup of coffee.  Huh? He never used to eat before drinking coffee… no matter how much I lectured him. :)   On top of that, our house has smelled like bacon for the past 2 months straight.  Not that I don’t love a good piece of bacon from time to time, but at this point I’m seriously considering my life as a vegan.

Honestly, I don’t disagree with my husband’s new found love of all things bacon protein.  Like any diligent Virgo, he’s done a lot of research on the matter (here and here for starters).  And you know I’m a big fan of blood sugar control, so most days we’re on the same page.  It’s fun to have him speaking my nutrition language.  However, it’s not so fun when he tells me I have to read this amazing article because it will change my life….only to find that I sent him the same AMAZING article 6 months earlier and it went unread.  Nice, honey.

I’m trying to support him by experimenting with Paleo-friendly recipes and in general we are eating more vegetables than we did before.  And I can’t lie, the man is looking good.

There’s only one tiiiiiiiiiiny problem.

I don’t have much time to cook these days.  Both kids demand a lot of attention so I have to meal plan efficiently and cook at the speed of light.  My son loves carbs despite my best efforts to encourage balanced meals.  My husband loves veggies and protein.  So the other night I tried to please both of them by whipping up a batch of butternut squash hash browns (with the beloved bacon!).  Turns out my husband wouldn’t touch them due to the carb content and my 3 1/2 year old wouldn’t touch them because he’s an insane 3 1/2 year old.

So I told them both I was finished trying to please so many different dietary preferences and I ate them all by myself.  And let me tell you these are good, good, good.  I’ve made them 3 times since then and I don’t have to share with anyone.

Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Hash Browns

Ingredients:

one butternut squash, peeled and shredded in food processor

1/2 onion, finely chopped or shredded

pork or turkey bacon (5-6 strips)

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, or more to taste

1/2-1 teaspoon of salt, or more, to taste

5-6 drops of fresh lemon

Directions:

In a frying pan, heat the oil and add bacon.  Fry bacon until cooked through (4 minutes, or so, per side) and remove to a separate plate.  Keep the bacon grease in the pan.  DO NOT REMOVE THE GREASE!  Your taste buds will thank you later!

Add onion to pan and cook 5 minutes until tender.

Add squash to pan, along with spices and and saute for 20 minutes or so, until done. Add maple syrup and stir to combine.

Taste.

Add 5 drops of lemon.

Taste again.

Add more salt, syrup, lemon…whatever it needs until it is perfect.

Crumble bacon on top and enjoy.

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Simple Mineral Broth

Posted on March 1, 2012 | Comments Off

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for cold and flu season to end.  With a new baby in the house we’ve really tried to be careful around here.  I’ve trained Kula Baby to wash his hands so many times a day… I might be unknowingly raising a mini Howard Hughes!

For us, staying healthy starts with good nutrition so I’ve tried as much as I can to keep healthy foods on hand.  Soups have been our staple because Kula Baby has yet to say no to a good soup (I just jinxed myself, didn’t I?!).  Several years ago I discovered the healing magic that is home made broth (My first broth and favorite recipe to date is by Rebecca Katz and can be found in this “must have” cookbook).  Not only does home made broth taste much better than the boxed stuff you buy at the store, but you can also pack your broth full of healing minerals.  When Kula Baby starts showing the first signs of an illness, I start throwing veggies into a stock pot. In his first few years he would drink this broth straight out of a mug (we called it “tea”) but now that he is an opinionated 3 and a half year old, I have to sneak it into Kula Baby approved soups before he will touch it.

I don’t always follow this recipe.  The great thing about stock is that you can use whatever veggies you have on hand.  Make it without chicken bones for a vegetable broth or with chicken bones for a calcium bone broth.  Kombu adds important trace minerals like magnesium and potassium to the broth and can be purchased at any health food store.

When filling your stock pot with veggies, use clean but UNpeeled veggies.  The peels have added minerals that add to your stock!

Simple Mineral Broth (Makes 6-ish quarts)

In a large stock pot (12 quarts or more) add:

4 unpeeled carrots, cut into halves or thirds

2 unpeeled onions, cut in quarters

4-5 celery stalks, cut into halves or thirds

4-5 red or yukon potatoes, cut into quarters

2 sweet potatoes or yams, quartered

6-10 unpeeled garlic cloves, cut in half

1 chicken carcass, or the equivalent in chicken bones (leave this out if making vegetable broth)

1 tablespoon lemon (leave this out if only making vegetable broth)

1 bay leaf

1 piece of kombu

2 teaspoons salt

Directions

Wash all vegetables, but leave their skins on.  In a large stock pot (12 quarts or more) place all ingredients and then fill the pot with filtered water until the vegetables are covered in water.  You want a few inches between the vegetables and the rim of the pot so it doesn’t boil over.

Bring pot to a boil and then simmer for 2-6 hours.  The longer you simmer, the better.  Skim the fat off the top as you simmer with a paper towel.  Add water when your vegetables start to peak through.

When you have simmered long enough, strain broth through a fine mesh colander or strainer into a heat proof container (we use glass).  Allow to cool to room temperature before storing in fridge or freezer.  Skim more fat off the top as it cools (if making a chicken broth).  I keep several containers in our freezer so I can make soup at any time!

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Chicken and Dumplings (Gluten-free, Dairy-free, EGG-free!)

Posted on January 4, 2012 | 1 Comment

A few months ago my friend Suzanne brought us chicken and dumplings for dinner.  Our daughter was only a few weeks old, we were in the midst of diaper changes and around the clock “naps” in place of solid sleep.  If ever there was a time we needed a hug, it was during those crazy days.  Suzanne brought over a whole pot of hugs with her home made chicken and dumplings.  Since then I have been obsessed with making this dish with gluten, dairy and egg-free dumplings.

Yeah, I wasn’t sure I could do it either :)

I’ve bombed a couple of times in my experimentation but I think I’ve finally found a recipe that works (Hellllooooo chia seeds!).  This is the perfect post-holiday recipe for those days you feel like a restful and nourishing meal.  Enjoy!

Chicken and Dumplings  (serves approximately 6 big bowls)

10 cups high quality chicken broth (I make my own nutrient-dense mineral broth and will post the recipe next week)

1-2 boneless chicken breasts (depends on how much meat you want)

3 large carrots, finely chopped

3 celery stalks, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1.5 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon parsley

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1/4 teaspoon celery seed

1/4 teaspoon onion powder (optional)

Dumplings

2 cups GF Bisquick

1/3 cup coconut oil, unrefined organic

1 cup milk alternative (I used coconut milk)

3 chia seed eggs (1 egg=1 tablespoon ground chia seeds plus 3 tablespoons water)

Directions:

In a large stock pot add a little coconut or grapeseed oil and saute garlic, carrots and celery for 5 minutes.  Add spices and one cup broth and simmer for 2-3 minutes.  Add the rest of the broth and turn up heat to medium high.

While broth is warming, slice your chicken into 1 inch strips.  Place raw chicken in the pot and set timer for 20 minutes.  Bring broth to low boil and then turn down to a simmer and cover pot.  After 20 minutes your chicken should be cooked.  Take a slotted spoon and remove chicken to a clean plate.  Shred the chicken using 2 forks.  Add chicken back to pot.  Cover and simmer for 30-45 minutes to let flavors saturate.

Make dumpling batter right before you plan to cook them (the batter shouldn’t sit around much). Mix the chia seed eggs in a small bowl first by stirring together 3 tablespoons of ground chia seeds and 9 tablespoons of water.  Place Bisquick, milk, oil and chia seed eggs into bowl.  Yes the chia seeds are very thick and you will wonder if you are doing the right thing.  Don’t worry!  Stir the mixture a few times to combine.  Don’t over mix and yes it should be lumpy.

Scoop spoonfuls of the biscuit batter into the pot.  You will make 8-10 dumplings depending on your spoon size.  Cover the pot and simmer for 15 minutes until dumplings are done.

** If Kula Baby is going through a picky eating phase we blend his soup up and add a few dumplings to his bowl.  He loves this.

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Grandma Jane’s Granola

Posted on November 30, 2011 | 2 Comments

We’ve been getting a little lazy in the breakfast department lately.  I can’t say I blame us.  We have a new infant in the house and nighttime sleep isn’t what it used to be.  Also, Kula Baby didn’t get the memo about going easy on his parents and continues to get up bright and early (along with his sister), ready for breakfast.

It didn’t take me long to realize we needed a healthy pre-made breakfast for those mornings we can’t seem to get it together to throw a pot of oatmeal on the stove.   So last weekend I pulled out my Grandma Jane’s cookbook and decided to make her famous granola (with a few Kula Mama changes of course).  My grandma used to keep this granola in a pretty tin on her kitchen counter next to another tin full of homemade roasted almonds.  Every visit to Grandma Jane’s house meant a visit to her kitchen for a few bites of each.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

Grandma Jane’s Granola (with some Kula Mama flair :) )

1 cup sunflower seed meal (grind up sunflower seeds to make the meal yourself)

1/2 cup dates, chopped

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup coconut (unsweetened, shredded–you can find in bulk section of grocery store)

3/4 cup oat flour (or any flour will probably work)

1/2 cup sunflower seeds (or any nut and seed will work)

1/4 cup chia seeds (or any nut or seed will work)

3 cups oatmeal

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

3/4 cup maple syrup

1 cup orange juice

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and bake on 2 cookie sheets for one hour at 225 degrees.

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Protein Cookies (Gluten-free, Dairy-free)

Posted on November 22, 2011 | 1 Comment

Where oh where has Kula Mama gone???

Well… Kula Baby is now a big brother!  We welcomed his little sister about 6 weeks ago.   I’ve re-entered the world of frequent feedings, diapers changes, swaddling, and cat napping to salvage some semblance of sanity.  I don’t think I’m faking the sanity part very well yet.  She’s cute as a button though, so that makes up for lack of sleep on most days :)

Cooking has become a weekend luxury, at least for the moment.   Last Sunday we had a rainy, rainy day here in California.  So instead of visiting the farmer’s market and running errands all day, we found ourselves at home with an open calendar.  My husband took over Kula Baby duty and I slipped little sister into the ergo and started cooking.  These “cookies” are pretty tasty.  In my mind they are as good as any protein bar out there (depending on the amount of chocolate chips you include–I went light on them).

The Kula Mama website will pick up again after the new year.  I have some exciting new projects I’m working on: photography, recipes, and a Green23 project I hope you will really like (and hopefully you will join the project too!).  I can’t wait to reconnect with everyone!

Protein Cookies

(adapted from GF Oatmeal Cookie recipe from Trader Joes)

1/4 cup coconut oil (unrefined, organic)

1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup maple syrup

3 cups GF oats

1/4 cup chocolate chip cookies (use dairy-free if needed, you can also use dried fruit here instead)

1/4 cup chia seeds (or any seed or chopped nut)

1/4 cup sunflower seeds (or any seed or chopped nut)

2 eggs (or egg replacer–I used ground flaxseeds and water)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup almond butter (or any nut butter you choose)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl combine maple syrup and coconut oil until creamy.  Add eggs, vanilla and baking soda.  Mix well.  Add almond butter and stir.  Finally stir in the oats, seeds and chocolate chips.  Place a spoonful of batter on a prepared baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.  Depending on size this recipe will yield 20-40 cookies (mine were pretty big and I ended up with 24).

2 days later we are down to 4 cookies.  Scary.

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Apple Zucchini Muffins (Gluten-free, Dairy-free)

Posted on September 15, 2011 | 6 Comments

I pride myself on staying true to my Idaho roots, so when September rolls around I am officially ready for fall.  I crave pumpkin, butternut squash, apple, cinnamon, sweet potatoes…anything that reminds me of my favorite time of year.  The problem is—I now live in California and in California, the month of September brings beach weather (for me and Kula Baby) and good surfing (for my husband).  We’ve had some of the best beach days of the entire summer lately but I’m ignoring them.  O.K., I’m not totally ignoring them… we do head to the beach each day for a lovely afternoon, but once we step indoors I revert back to my fall season make-believe by popping a batch of muffins into the oven.

These muffins are a great way to use up your summer squash while still tasting the flavors of fall with cinnamon and nutmeg spices.  I was inspired by the Maple Spice Muffins in Jessica Seinfeld’s Double Delicious cookbook, however, I changed many of the ingredients.  As always, I substituted gluten-free and dairy-free ingredients, but these substitutions are not necessary if you can tolerate gluten and dairy.

Apple Zucchini Muffins (makes 12)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup unrefined, organic coconut oil (great for the brain!)

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 (6oz) cup of dairy-free vanilla yogurt (I used coconut milk yogurt)

1 large egg

1 medium-sized zucchini, grated (I used my trusty food processor to speed the grating process)

1 small apple, grated

2 cups of gluten-free flour (I used Bob’s Redmill GF baking mix)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup chia seeds (optional, but I love them)

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

A dash or two of nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 12 cup muffin tin with cups.

In a large bowl combine the coconut oil, maple syrup, egg, yogurt, zucchini and apple.

In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients-flour, baking soda, baking powder, chia seeds, salt and spices.

Sprinkle the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and combine.  Do not over mix.

Fill each muffin cup 3/4 full and bake for 20-25 minutes.  Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days or freeze for up to one month.

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Make-Your-Own Quinoa Salad

Posted on August 31, 2011 | Comments Off

Quinoa is a staple in our house.  It’s high in protein and takes less than 20 minutes to make–a mother’s dream.  We use it as a breakfast cereal in the morning and in place of rice at dinner.  Yeah, we sound like quinoa addicts and I’m not ashamed to admit it :)

I think the best thing about quinoa is its versatility.  You can use it for almost anything.  Lately I’ve been making a lot of salads for lunch using quinoa and whatever is in my fridge at the moment.  The recipe below is not one I can claim as my own, but I’m addicted to it and need to share!  We visited friends in San Francisco a few weeks ago and my dear friend Amy made this salad to welcome us after a LONG drive in the car.  Isn’t she the best friend ever?

There are a few staples in my quinoa salads (quinoa, lemon/olive oil dressing, legumes) but the veggies change almost daily depending on what’s in season.  I didn’t list exact measurements in the recipe below because it really depends on your own personal preference.  Enjoy!

Make-Your-Own Quinoa Salad

2 cups cooked quinoa (1 part dry quinoa, 2 parts veggie broth.  Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer for 20 minutes until broth is absorbed.  For added flavor throw is a teaspoon of butter too.)

Artichoke hearts (I like the marinated kind from Trader Joes)

1 can garbanzo beans (use Eden Organic to avoid BPA in the can)

Feta cheese

Cherry tomatoes, halved

Peas (only if they are fresh from the farmer’s market, otherwise skip them :) )

Dressing:

1 part lemon juice

2 parts olive oil

thyme (dried or fresh)

salt to taste

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Quick and Easy Broccoli Soup (Gluten-free)

Posted on July 20, 2011 | Comments Off

It seems odd to post a broccoli soup recipe in the middle of summer, but I hear it’s pretty cold in Seattle these days so this one is for all you mamas turning the heat on at night :)

We had a head of broccoli that NEEDED to be used tonight so I decided to whip up a batch of this soup.  I make this soup frequently, especially when I feel like Kula Baby needs an extra veggie boost.  We use coconut milk instead of regular milk and it makes the soup taste so yummy.  Kula Baby gobbles this stuff right up.  It takes about 10 minutes to make–you can’t beat it!

Quick and Easy Broccoli Soup (Gluten-free)

2 medium heads of broccoli, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 teaspoon butter (or you can use olive oil instead, but butter gives an extra yummy flavor)

3-4 cups milk or milk substitute (we use coconut milk)

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Place broccoli in steamer (we use a pan and metal steamer basket for all our steamed veggies to make it easy) and steam until slightly tender but not over done.

While broccoli is steaming, get out a saute pan and saute butter, garlic and onion until tender.  Add milk and broccoli to pan and heat through.

In a blender (I used my NEW handy Vitamix, oh my how I love this thing), add the parmesan cheese and the broccoli mixture from stove.  Blend until smooth.  Transfer back to stove and taste.  Add salt and pepper.  Add more milk if a thinner consistency is needed (or if you like a thicker soup add a tablespoon of flour).

Enjoy!

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