Recipes for a Cheery Life: Gluten Free Brunch

 

So I know some of you have heard me talk about my Freedom Journal that John Lee Dumas wrote on 100 days to Accomplish Your Goal… and there’s a Facebook Group that comes with it and Trista was in my group and we had a very similar goal! I think she is the first one to reach her goal. Which was to publish a book!

And she has published a cookbook called Recipes for A Cheery Life, a Gluten Free Brunch!

Sunday is Mother’s Day May 8th, today is May 5th when we’re recording. So I will try to get this up for you if you want to make a gluten free brunch, or even if you just want to make brunch I know these recipes are delicious anyway for Mother’s Day!

Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m here in Oregon. I’m a wife and a mom, I have a 7 year old boy who’s  in 2nd grade.

I’m a food blogger, recipe creator, and I just wrote the cookbook. My business is The Cheery Chef. I’ve been doing this for a little over a year! 

Before that I had  a couple of baking businesses at Farmer’s Markets. So I love to use all the local produce there.

Now you’re in Oregon we said it was the western part that is over by Portland… You were saying you were gonna have some homemade gifts…

• cutting boards
• fancy aprons
• some reclaimed wood items

Yes, my dad, makes these beautiful cutting boards that are butcher block style… some other Oregon woods, black walnut in my online shop…

My mom makes some really fancy aprons and then some reclaimed wood from local artisans… lots of neat local different items for the kitchen!

I was saying that before Mike and I got married…I think you just get attached to those things… and always a nice cutting board is the perfect thing to have… and aprons are pretty handy…

Tell me about your first gardening experience?

Well, my parents lived on a lot of acreage, out in the country, we had a huge front yard garden, I remember using the seed wheel to plant things…

I also love to eat the rhubarb stalks raw, I love to plant the seeds and watch them grow… and also freeze and can and dry …
I can totally picture you out there eating them just raw… no sugar or anything?

Nobody told me about the sugar part,  I still really like really tart things… I don’t really eat it raw anymore… but I did!

I remember my grandson out here a couple of years ago playing with the rhubarb leaves like they were giant elephant ears!

How did you learn how to garden organically?

Definitely, they grew as many things as they possibly could to eat throughout the year, not by any standards

every few years, we have snowpocolapse,

its like a joke to anyone else…

What’ s your temp like out there?

Every once in a while it’s like “snowpocolapse”… it does freeze but like severe winter weather is pretty rare…

Tell us about something that grew well this year.

We’ll my mom grew some seeds from artichoke plants, she gave me last year, I tried to grow them they were just sort of small plants, I didn’t do anything with them in the fall, I just left them in the garden…

This spring they are coming up strong… I have a couple of artichokes… that were

Mike brought me in this plant the other day… and he said what is this? And I was like why are you asking me? And he said you know what this is it was out by the apple tree? And I was like “Goji berry?” I bought it at the farmer’s market last year and thought it totally died, and it’s doing great! Marci Hines was my guest last year and so I’m gonna have to get back in taught with her….

I’m super shocked about my artichokes, I actually planted them last year, I’m terrible about doing anything in the fall, I just let stuff be, they came back, my mom planted them from seed, and they

they came up in the spring…..

I think it was the cold winter on the plants…

I usually steam them with some lemon juice something really simple… I love the flavor

it’s a lot of plant for one artichoke…

At the Farmer’s Market when I bought them, it’s cooler,

they like some cold

Mine is pretty simple, I just steam them with lemon on them

i like the pure flavor

a grilling recipe in the s

The plants are huge

they’re at least a foot tall with a ton of leaves and the

Is there something you would do different next year or want to try/new?

I want to really get good at composting, I learned a lot from your recent guest … I think I just have to make it a habit, because it I think I make it maybe more complicated… I just have to get it in my daily box.

I was telling you earlier, we keep a compost bucket with coffee grounds and egg shells and stuff, the greens etc seem to go in another bucket to the chickens these day… I just go out when it’s full… and dump it and that’s when I turn it, maybe when I’m mowing the lawn and putting the grass in there… it seems like to me, if you’re collecting the scraps…

It’s like a big holder, like a giant green ball, had to put it together with all these plastic parts and its on this stand, so you can just roll it around. It’s just like a ball you roll around on the stand, and you pull it along.

Is it heavy?

That’s the thing,  I think it’s better if you’re continually using it because, once it gets full it’s hard to turn very much, it’s pretty heavy. Need to have a pitchfork in it…

We just leave our pitchfork in it all year long so it’s just out there. 

Yes, convenience.

Maybe if you make it a habit it will get convenient?

….

I got put on hold and went back to Trista’s Facebook page where I found:

So, I’m looking at your Rose Petal Rhubarb Upside Down Cake!

Still had some frozen from last year so it’s kind of frozen and thawed so that’s why it looks partially cooked…

I kind of made it used some coconut sugar, coconut flower, almond meal, and I kind of made some sponge cake with some egg whites, the cake part I really enjoyed cause it was nice and light!

• coconut sugar
• coconut flower
• almond meal
• egg whites…

I’m gonna try it one more time to get the recipe right!

That sounds so fun! I never heard of coconut sugar? What’s that?

It’s like the sap of the coconut palm, they just kind of … it’s like evaporated cane juice, the process is just drying it out… like brown sugar in recipes to substitute

a little, it’s still good!

Everybody’s all about the coconut oil… 

Yeah!

So we were talking about what didn’t work so well this season!

It was the peas seeds, that the squirrels just kept digging them up. They were rascals out there. One time when I planted peanuts they stole all those too!

When you planted what? Like peanuts? Like a peanut plant?

My mom sent away fro them one year.

I tried the thing where I put down plastic and make it really hot, but the squirrels like them more! We’ve both had the dream of peanuts, but so far it has not worked… I don’t think it’s warm enough here unless we do something crazy.

It might have to be in a greenhouse. How does that grow? I can’t even imagine a plant with peanuts hanging on it…

the nut part is underground, and it has a shoot, above, kind of like potatoes that you dig up… that’s all I know because they didn’t grow too well.

Which activity is your least favorite activity to do in the garden.

The composting I need to get in a better habit of doing…

I think the key is convenience. So what do you do with your scraps?

That’s why I said composting, I just don’t make a good habit of it, it’s not like I hate it, I just have to get myself out there on a regular basis, it’s just one of those things… Yeah, I’ve got plenty of materials.

Ours is just down on the ground… it’s got like these slats in front that are removable so you can kind of raise and lower the height but we pretty much just keep the top two always off. It’s pretty convenient because the pitchfork’s always there…

What is your favorite activity to do in the garden?

I like to trim off anything dead on a plant:

• dead heading
• dead canes
• dead leaves

when I see in my roses, I don’t really fuss to much…

I like to cut off dead stuff… it’s really satisfying so the plant has more energy

That’s something I need to make a habit of… Lisa Ziegler told me I need to dead head… and in the Facebook Group somebody asked if you could deadhead sunflowers and I was like, I don’t think so, and sure enough someone posted an article about how you could and they grow back with more blooms on the stem although a little bit shorter… 

And more seeds I know they use those for the chickens so that’s a good thing to get as many as you can…

What is the best gardening advice you have ever received?

Take good care of your soil

without a doubt the biggest thing everybody has said on my show is soil health is the key to being successful… that’s what I’m thinking about writing a book about is soil health… that seems to be the biggest secret to success…

A favorite tool that you like to use? If you had to move and could only take one tool with you what would it be.

It has to do with taking the dead stuff off, we have these funny crooked scissors  called trauma shears…. they’re not actually a garden tool, a friend who used to work in the ER, they use to cut pant legs with but they’re like super tough, you can cut flowers with them… 

A favorite recipe you like to cook from the garden?

Well, this is kind of cool, it’s carrot top pesto!! IT’s so great. especially in the food magazines, they talk about reducing waste and that sort of thing! When I was gonna make a carrot cake, I got these great carrots and I thought what could I make with these?

I found this recipe to go with polenta triangles! And best of all it’s gluten free, dairy free, vegan!

The Recipe

you need two cups of the green carrot tops, mostly the leafy parts, not too much

• 2 cups green carrot tops
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus 2-3 extra tablespoons
• 1/4 cup of almonds… not the  roasted ones just plain ones
• a peeled garlic clove
• tsp smoked sea salt
• some freshly ground pepper

put in a food processor

pulse like a paste

make it more like a sauce, great on other veggies on a topper to lots of things.

Yumm I love that!

I love the smoked flavor, all my recipes are dairy free wanted to add this element that’s kind of like cheese in pesto.

Where’s it getting the smoked flavor from?

It’s something I had in my pantry, I got as gift of I just picked it up one time and thought this might be good?

I’m gonna make oregano pesto because I have oregano everywhere….

Im going to have to… I have oregano all over my garden, cause it just won’t quit growing… I hate taking it out unless I have to have… that is a great idea.

I totally thought I was going to last summer… I’m going to ….I make a lot of salad dressings, and then I just mix vegetables togethers .. sounds awesome… Let’s talk about your book some more? Why Gluten Free?

Well, ok, that’s an interesting story …. back when my mom, sister and I had a baking business for the farmers market, we used to bak on Fridays and sell on Saturdays. And we kept having a lot of people come by who were gluten free or had dietary restrictions and they would tell us about what they could and couldn’t have… We really wanting to serve them seeming they could have…

so we started investigating it and they started educating us on how to have separate ingredients and areas and we learned a lot about that and we started developing some recipes. Later on I met several friends and a couple of family members that needed gluten free or dairy free or both and I just started creating things for them, especially at get togethers. It just kind of grew from there. I’m fortunate in that I don’t have any allergies but I like to have something.

Are you a millennial? 

I’m not sure when that time line is.

Were you born by 1980? People after 1980…

Almost everyone knows somebody who’s gluten free…

In episode 77 had this guy on Bob Quinn, who sells this Kamut Wheat, it’s organic. His biggest markets are in Italy.  And he said that people that have to be gluten free done’t have to have gluten free

Mike says they take the wheat germ out to extend shelf like and that’s what people are most allergic too.

Tell us about your book…

Gluten Free Main Dishes

I have several main dishes, I like to have lots of options … vegan, paleo, vegetarian…everything in there is gluten free and dairy free cause those are the really big allergens, so I tried to really cover that with everything, but others of them happen to meet other requirements… I like to include everyone if I can possible can…

Gluten Free Sweet Fruit Tamales

One of the recipes I have in there is for sweet fruit tamales

I lived in Mexico for a year when I was in High School

sell tamales because they were also sweet

why don’t I make the batter with

• coconut oil,
• dried fruits,
• honey in there

So it reminded me of that with a different twist.

How did you end up in Mexico in High School?

I was an exchange student with the rotary club in my area, they said they were gonna choose some students in my area, I came home super excited and I told my parents I’m gonna apply for this and I applied and I got in! We prepared for moments…you get to go for a whole year, stay with host families…

Were you the only one from your high school?

I was the only one from my school, there were kids from my districts? I did get to know them. I did not know them before the program.

Were you terrified?

I was super excited and super scared, I had never been on a plane, and I lost my luggage and had to borrow my clothes, and still my best friend is there, I communicate with her,

practicing her english with me, plays guitar! IT was pretty cool!

What are schools like in Mexico, did you have to peak fluent Spanish?

When I first got there, I had some high school Spanish. They teach english, they helped me a little bit when I got there… but it’s total immersion because I had to do my homework. My parents had to send me trigonometry books, I kept taking notes but I don’t think I ever understood it. That’s not my strong suit anyway, and trying to learn it in another language… I remember writing on paper on existentialism … but the teacher was like A+. It was fun! A good experience! I love the food there it was so good!

Fruit tamales…. anything else you want to tell us about?

There’s a fruit salad,

I made a cold brew tea, the salad,put some cinnamon in it that you kind of marinate over night in the fridge and it has a little taste of tea

It’s really good for parties! It’s super easy! There aren’t too many ingredients 

Gluten Free Desserts

• coconut truffles
• apple snow

For the deserts? There are some coconut truffles, one of my favorite things apple snow like a meringue, mix in some apple sauce, fold it in, fun desert, especially for like kids

I love vegetables but I have to force myself to eat fruit…

Be a Fruitaterian!

I call myself a fruitaterian! I like to get stuff from my parents. orchard…

I love my mom does a lot of drying, and her dried pears are a hot commodity!

I don’t know if I’ve ever tried a dried pear.

You have to try one they’re delicious!

I’m a big fan of dried prunes

lots of potassium

my mom

they have such a good

they have a lot more of a tart flavor with the homemade ones.

So, once again I just tried to go vegan and failed after like 5 days. How about some cooking tips for people trying to change their diet?

I would start with some familiar things…

If you like hot cereal you can get some gluten free oats, so that’s something that’s not too difficult or out of the wheelhouse.

As far as dairy free? 

Coconut milk is awesome! It’s a really good substitute, the full fat is a lot creamier then those boxed milks I like to use it in recipes I like to cook oats with coconut milk. You get that same effect that’s something I would suggest the full fat coconut milk. 

You can use other things I love that

it works really well in recipes…

just for pouring over things…

A favorite internet resource?

I love Seed Savers Exchange…she’s the one, grows everything from seeds… gets a lot of seeds form them… Fedco, she bought a bunch from them…Had a lot of success with them too! 

we have a partnership

she has a lot more room to grow seeds then I do,

I’m more in the suburbs and she’s out in the country.

Bon Appetit

I still clip out things… get inspiration

Southern Living Magazine… a lot of good recipes

A favorite reading material-book, mag, blog/website etc you can recommend?

The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure

Its hard to pick, I’m self- help psychology junkie, I recently read the 10x rule, by Grant Cardone…Gets you in gear to make big goals… I like that for general purposes… I keep reading…

I love that stuff… and I just went to this Podmastery conference…. and I asked this woman there who was a coach what she did to help her clients and she said she helps people with  the 10x rule…

I got

I just got that book The Big Leap from the library from Gay Hendricks. We have a great library loan program here every weekend aI know almost every Saturday go to the library.

The biggest thing is don’t hold yourself back, think a lot bigger as far as goals, you don’t have to reach them right away but if they’re there y9u will be getting closer to them … I think I need to rewrite some things… rewrites his goals 2xs a day… it seems to stick with me more if i write it down. I’m a big handwriting person!

Wait are you onto going to recommend John s book the Freedom journal?

I am a huge Freedom Journal person, I felt like it helped have the book in mind every single day, I joined the interest list early, I used the pdf, I think that’s what helped me get down so early… so I started working on that I got the actually journal… so now I have a 35 day goal….

I’m trying to make a social media system… from Kate’s Take her podcast which is one of my favorites too! Making systems and posting everywhere!

I’m waiting for her book to come out, I’m gonna buy like 50 copies of it and give them to every manager I ever had because once you listen to her you can’t ever imagine it any other way.

I’ve been posting everywhere and it just takes a lot of time and I need to streamline everywhere…

What’s been working for me cutting my time down… I had to get a new phone when I went to Paris, you know you call Verizon and say I want to turn on international calling to use my phone overseas and they’re like you have to have an updated phone so for $10 extra dollars a month…we both got new phones… but that has been the best thing for posting on Social Media! To be able to take the picture and just boom it just goes out and I love that Instagram lets you post it and shoot it out on Facebook and Twitter both!

I never go on twitter just for twitter…

Lately I’ve been loving Snapchat! If anyone wants to follow me on Snapchat I think I’m OrganicGPodcast… Mostly it’s me running with the dogs in the woods … last year I had to download it from camera to computer … my phone my storage was like full all the time and I was lucky if i could take a picture a week…

Yes my storage! There’s a lot to keep up with!

A social media platform is so hard to keep up with this woman I just interviewed was like you have to post at 8, 12, 4,and 8pm every day. Before we got the new phones I wanted to just post 3 times a week and that seemed impossible but now with the new phones posting 4 times a day is doable! 

I’m gonna make spreadsheets so I don’t have to find new content everyday.

That’s where they say that Meet Edgar really pays!

I know I’d love to get that.

I know I highlight things in my shownotes but there seems to be a disconnect to where I get it to post on Twitter etc.

Final question- if there was one change you would like to see to create a greener world what would it be? For example is there a charity or organization your passionate about or a project you would like to see put into action. What do you feel is the most crucial issue facing our planet in regards to the environment either in your local area or on a national or global scale?

Well, I definitely think teaching gardening for kids in schools, and finding spaces for school gardens is a big

my son’s school has a gardening club starting

see it in their meal plan

start the kids off where they

I think that would be a great help to see those programs everywhere.

Do u have an inspiration tip or quote to help motivate our listeners to reach into that dirt and start their own garden?

Well, I think, you know getting connected to the earth everyday, it’s even good for your sleep.. the better it is for yourself and your well-being… I listened to his podcast…

He just sent an email and how much interrupted sleep can increase our belly fat and …

I was teasing my mom about barefoot … just keep doing that…

Wait you like to be barefoot or your mom does? 

I like to wear shoes more often… but she does it.

I just put a post up on Facebook about what shoes do people like to wear, because I realized one of m big barriers is I like to be barefoot and I don’t like to go to the garden in flip flops and get all dirty.

I generally a lot of times Im in flip flops if I think ahead I wear those,they keep my feet cleaner sometimes I tend to run

I just have a big pile of shoes by the door, I probably drive Mike craszy, my hiking boots!  and sandals! and sneakers! and if I had a good pair right there, I just haven’t found the right pair yet…

How do we connect with you?

So it’s Recipes for a Cheery Life, A Gluten Free Brunch

• thecheerychef.com
• on Instagram at the Cheery Chef
• Facebook page
• Pinterest 
• Twitter @cheerychef
• a few Youtube videos I’m trying to get back on a schedule with those…

thecheerychef.com

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