Easy Sprouted Whole Wheat Pancakes

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Richard is a huge fan of pancakes. Whenever we eat breakfast out, he orders a single pancake with his meal. Knowing any more than that will hurt his tender gut. So, for over a year I have been trying many different recipes to make him the cakes he is craving. Most of the recipes are from soaked flour…not resulting in the fluffy, white flour cake he’s looking for. Then I came across this flour at Whole Foods. Sprouted flour! I’ve used it in many recipes and its super easy on the gut. Its the closest to white flour, in recipes, than anything else I’ve tried. And it doesn’t require preplanning, like working with soaked flours.

Easy Pancakes

1 cup Sprouted Whole Wheat Flour
1 tablespoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
1 cup good quality Yogurt
1/2 cup raw milk or filtered water
1/4 cup grade B maple syrup
2 tablespoons melted Pasture Butter

Mix dry ingredients and mix in wet ingredients until mostly smooth. There will still be small lumps. Heat cast iron skillet on medium heat. Melt about 1 tablespoon butter on pan. Pour about 1/3 cup of batter on pan. Once the edges start the brown, about 2 minutes, flip pancake and cook an additional minute. Transfer to slightly warm oven while you cook the rest. Serve with warmed maple syrup and melted butter or fresh organic fruit.

Makes 4 servings.

Raw Sprouted Wild Rice

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I found a great raw food restaurant in DC while visiting a friend this summer. One dish I loved was the wild rice dish. The rice had been soaked and spouted for days, he added lots of fresh veggies and herbs and dressed it lightly with olive oil and sea salt. It was delicious and I felt energetic and alive when I walked out of there. There are a few reasons I loved it and decided to make my own version. After reading Cure Tooth Decay, I have been staying away from all grains and legumes…they are full of antinutrients and require a lot of work to make digestable. According to Cure Tooth Decay and the followers of the Weston A Price Foundation, rice must be soaked for 24 hours and then sprouted for 2 to 3 days to remove as phytic acid and other antinutrients that are present in the germ and bran in nuts, grains, legumes and seeds. So, I soaked my wild rice in filtered water for a total of 24 hours, then drained and rinsed it. Next, sprouting…way easier then I expected. Let the rice soak in filtered water in a warm place for 3 days. Rinsing 2-3 times per day. You will see the impurities coming to the surface of the water. I always use filtered water. Here’s my recipe for Sprouted Wild Rice with seasonal fruit, veggies and herbs.

2 cups sprouted wild rice, drained
1/2 pint local cherry tomatoes (chemical free), halved
2 cloves garlic, minced
Hand full of fresh local beans, chopped
1 green bell pepper (chemical free), diced
1 carrot, shredded
1 Tablespoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon celtic sea salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Mix all ingredients together and let chill for at least 30 minutes. Will last a few days in the fridge.

Don’t toast, roast or cook…Dehydrate.

I love my new dehydrator!!! Fruit, veggies, crackers, yogurt, nuts, seeds, and so much more waiting to be created in the Excalibur Food Dehydrator.

I made kale chips the other day and they are bright green, crunchy and garlicky. Most kale chips you buy have been toasted or baked to make them dry and brittle and also lacking in color. I dehydrated them at a low temp…115 to be exact…to keep the enzymes intact and to prevent the loss of nutrients during “cooking”. Every alive food has enzymes to help in digestion. Every food also has a temperature at which the enzymes will deactivate. It will most always be between 118 and 148 degrees F.

Foods have been naturally preserved using a dehydrating method for thousands of years. The Weston A Price Foundation recommends soaking then dehydrating most nuts, grains, seeds and legumes.

Soaked Chocolate Cupcakes with Whipped Marscapone Cream

Traditional societies usually soak or ferment grains before ingesting them. This process will neutralize phytates and enzyme inhibitors and, in a way, predigest the grains so that all of their nutrients are more available. The phosphorus in the bran of whole grains is held up by phytic acid. Phytic acid joins iron, calcium, magnesium, copper and zinc in the intestinal tract, blocking their absorption. For this reason, many people who are allergic to grains will tolerate them well, when prepared properly.

Whole grains that have been processed by high heat and pressure, like puffed wheat or rice cakes, are actually very toxic and have caused death in test animals. Breakfast cereal has been heat and pressure treated to make those little flakes and shapes…all breakfast cereals should be avoided. Most importantly, through the heat and pressure treating, most nutrients are destroyed…including phytase, an enzyme that breaks down some of the phytic acid in the digestive tract.

Genetically modified grains contain foreign proteins that are irritating to the digestive tract. Please take care in purchasing your grains and legumes. Grains are best when organically grown. Be careful to check the ingredients label for foreign ingredients. “Enriched” flours will contain additional vitamins and minerals that are not derived from food and are difficult to digest and for the body to absorb properly. Whole, organic, freshly ground grains will contain the highest levels of nutrients.

Sprouting, soaking and sour leavening are three ways we can accomplish “predigestion” for grains to keep the phytic acid at bay. The method for spouting all grains is the same…only the length of time needed varies. Cover with water, soak, drain, rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse. Once they have sprouts…they can be steamed and eaten, dried and ground for use in baked goods.

I love my grain mill (thanks Mom and Dad!) but I know not everyone has one. Another way to accomplish predigestion is soaking the already ground grain. Soak equal parts of flour and water for at least 7 hours…then use. As you can imagine I have had a difficult time changing my recipes to suit a “wet” flour. I am still working on the perfect cookie. But in the mean time I have a wonderful recipe for Chocolate Cupcakes with Whipped Marscapone Cream.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Whipped Marscapone Cream

1 Cup filtered water, at room temp
1 Cup Whole grain organic flour, of your choice
Juice of 1 fresh squeezed lemon

1/2 Cup (1 stick) Pasture Butter, at room temp
3/4 Cup unrefined cane sugar or pure maple syrup
3/4 cup raw cocoa powder or carob powder
2 pasture raised eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Combine first three ingredients in a ceramic or glass bowl, stir until combined, covered with a cloth for 7-12 hours. Pour off the layer of water on top just before using.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream butter and sugar. Once thoroughly combined and creamy add one egg at a time until just together. Add the remaining ingredients and the soaked flour and stir together. Line cupcake pan and fill almost to the top. Bake for about 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

1/2 cup pasture raised cream, preferably raw
1/2 cup Marscapone cheese, room temp
1/4 cup raw, local honey
Zest of 1 lemon

Whip cream to stiff peaks. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Top cupcakes and enjoy!