Deseeding Pomegranates

Deseeding pomegranates is a task to which most people have an aversion. It can be laborious and messy. That being said, I've come up with a series of steps that will help any individual deseed this wonderful and delicious fruit.

1) Start with one pomegranate.

2) Cut off the top of the pomegranate, to the point where the seeds start appearing.

3) You will observe that there are five distinct areas where the fruit seeds are accumulated at the top. Make five shallow cuts along the lines that run between these seed pockets.

4) Using both hands, pry apart each section. The multiple seed pockets should dislodge easily.

5) Place the open pomegranate in a bowl and fill it with water.

6) Dislodge the pomegranate seeds, using your thumbs, while the fruit is under water. Doing this will prevent pomegranate juice from splashing on you.

7) You'll find that the seeds will sink to the bottom and the pith will float to the top. Remove the pith from the water.

9) Drain the water from the bowl.

10) Your pomegranate seeds are now ready to eat.

Baked Oatmeal

Baked oatmeal is turning into one of my favourite, go-to quick meals. It's a variation on regular oatmeal, but with a fluffier texture and a protein punch.

Begin with one half cup of dry quick oats.

Cook the oats by adding boiling water and letting it sit for approximately 3-5 minutes or until all of the water has been absorbed by the oats.

Add one over-ripened banana and one large egg.

Other non-essential ingredients can also be added at this time (e.g. vanilla, raisins, cinnamon, nuts, chocolate chips, carob chips, chopped dates, peanut butter, cinnamon, protein powder, etc.). I decided to use a teaspoon of vanilla and a handful of sweet raisins this time.

A touch of honey or maple syrup can also be added at this point, to impart additional sweetness, if desired.

Combine the ingredients thoroughly, until the mixture resembles a muffin batter-like consistency.

Spread the batter on a foil-lined baking sheet, so that it is approximately 1/4 - 1/2" thick.

Bake the mixture until it is golden brown. To achieve this, I normally use a toaster oven, set at 250°F for 10 minutes.

Spoon the baked oatmeal into a bowl, while it's still hot, and enjoy.

Paleo Pie Crust

Making a good pie crust can be quite the ordeal. However, with this recipe, the preparation for making a pie becomes an easy task. 

Combine 2 cups of blanched almond flour, approximately 1 tablespoon of coconut oil and one large egg in a bowl. Form into a dough and press into a pie container.

Bake at 350°F until it is light brown (approximately 10 min.). That's it! 

All you have to do now is allow it to cool and then pack it with a delicious filling. 

Try apples...

or sweet potatoes and dates...

or bumble berry...

 or plums...

 or with granola or ice cream.

The possibilities are endless. This type of pie crust is best used with cold applications. Once cool, the pie will slice like a dream.

Chocolate Flavoured Coffee

Have you ever seen cocao nibs in a health food store? Well, cocao nibs are roasted cocao beans which have had their husks removed. They have a chocolaty flavour, as these beans are the main ingredient in chocolate.

Like chocolate, they are full of antioxidants and minerals including iron. However, unlike chocolate, cocao nibs do not dissolve in hot liquids.

To make a naturally-flavoured chocolate coffee, at a tablespoon of ground cocao nibs in with your ground coffee, during the brewing process.

Oatmeal Flavour Variations

Cold days like this that make me crave heavy foods. Often times, these heavy foods tend to be quite unhealthy.

That being said, I try to fill that craving with different variations of oatmeal. Oatmeal is a warm, heavy food that can be nutritious, satisfying and easy to digest.

For those of you who like a creamy texture in their foods, try oatmeal with coconut cream and bananas.

For people craving a spicy warmth, try oatmeal made with a dash of turmeric powder and a drizzle of honey.

For added protein, top your oatmeal with an all-natural nut butter like almond butter, cashew butter or peanut butter.

You can even make oatmeal into lunch or dinner by mixing it with a curry base and adding some pre-cooked chicken or turkey.

Eat well and stay warm!

Chickpea Muffins

This muffin recipe will allow you to make high-protein, gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free muffins.

To begin, preheat your oven to 350°F.

In a mixing bowl, combine together the following dry ingredients:

- 1 1/2 cups chickpea flour (a.k.a. garbanzo bean flour, gram flour or besan)

- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

- a pinch of salt

- 6 tablespoons lucuma powder

Side note:

At this moment, you're probably wondering, 'what the heck is lucuma powder?'. Lucuma is a fruit native to Peru. In Canada, one can by lucuma in powdered form. It is relatively expensive, compared to refined white sugar. This one-pound package cost me $18.79 at a health food store. (No one said healthy alternatives were cheap. If it's worth anything, the package below will last me for approximately 1 year.)

The fruit powder is sweet and can be used as a sugar substitute. It is low on the glycemic index, which makes it suitable for individuals with diabetes. Additionally, it has a mild maple/butterscotch flavour.

To the dry ingredients, add the following wet ingredients and mix thoroughly:

- 2 ripe bananas (mashed)

- 2 tablespoons all-natural peanut butter

- 2 teaspoons honey

- 1 container crushed apples (100 mL)

- 2 large eggs

- 1/4 cup water

At this point, add 3/4-1 cup of carob chips or chocolate chips. I used unsweetened carob chips.

Using a spoon, fill muffin papers with the chickpea batter, so that they are almost full.

Bake the muffins for 20 minutes and enjoy.

Egg Cups

If you're on a high-protein diet, these egg cups are for you.

Take 2-3 slices of deli meat and line the sections of a disposable muffin tin. I would strongly advise you to use disposable tins, as it makes clean-up very easy. Also, there is no need to grease the tins prior to use.

Try using all-natural deli meats that are made without preservatives. I find that sliced chicken or turkey works best.

Once lined, crack an egg into each of the meat-filled sections.

Bake in a 375°F oven for approximately 20-25 min.

For variations, try adding cheese (dairy or non-dairy), spices and/or herbs.

They stay well in the fridge and are very easy to heat up. These egg cups make a great addition to breakfast, lunch or dinner and they also make a fantastic snack.

Pizza Rolls

These pizza rolls are actually easier to make than they look. The prep time is approximately 7 minutes and the method is really easy...stupid easy, actually.

Begin with an amount of pre-prepared dough. You can buy fresh dough a number of places including grocery stores, bakeries or even your local pizza shop.

On a clean surface, dusted lightly with flour, roll out the dough into a semi--rectangular shape. There is no need to flip or turn the dough. Just roll it out on one side. You may need to lightly dust your rolling pin with a bit of flour in order to do this.

Once rolled out, smear on a layer of tomato paste with the back of a spoon.

Sprinkle on some dried oregano.

Fold the dough along the long end of the semi-rectangle.

Continue rolling the dough over to the other end.

Using a knife, cut the rolled dough into sections that are approximately 2 inches in length.

The sections will resemble cinnamon buns.

Arrange the sections on a cake pan greased with olive oil. Once in the pan, spray the segments liberally with olive oil.

Sprinkle some sea salt on top and bake at 350°F for 30 min.

Delicious and easy. Try adding other ingredients, in with the tomato paste, to create your own pizza roll flavours.

Chocolate: Ready-Made

Finding dairy-free chocolate, suitable for a "no-refined sugar" diet can be somewhat difficult...especially if one is looking for chocolate that is made without artificial sweeteners. However, I've come across a few ready-made chocolate products that can help with those chocolate cravings.

Unsweetened Chocolate:

Firstly, unsweetened Baker's chocolate. This chocolate is relatively inexpensive and can be found in most grocery stores. It contains no sugar at all. It's great for use as an ingredient in desserts, cooking and baking (naturally).

Next comes chocolate made with unrefined cane sugar. Chocolate made with this type of sugar takes on a more complex flavour. Unrefined cane sugar provides some flavour details that are lost when sugar is refined. The earthy flavours of sugarcane mixed with dark chocolate work together beautifully.

Dark Chocolate:

One of my favorite dark chocolates, made with raw cane sugar, is by a company called Vivani. The packaging is horrible, but the chocolate is divine.

Note: You can find this product, as well as the other chocolates featured on this blog entry, in health food stores across Toronto.

This product by Giddy YoYo is made with simple ingredients and has a good, smooth flavour.

Alter Eco makes this product called "Blackout". The chocolate includes vanilla beans in its ingredient list. The chocolate is rich, but lacks the smoothness of the above two products. However, I'll still take it paired with a black coffee.

Flavoured Chocolate:

Alter Eco also makes an amazing product with rice crisps and puffed quinoa in it. It taste like a better version of Nestlé Crunch.

High End:

If you can find this product by Leone, its definitely worth its high price. This particular version is made with hazelnuts. Delicious.