Another Wonderful Non-Dairy Milk AlternativeUnsweetened RippleRipple Chia Pudding and Ripple Smoothie Recipes

Creamy, delicious, vegan and high in protein.

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Doug and I haven't had dairy milk in over 25 years. And in the past 25 years we've tried every non-dairy milk on the market - Rice milk, soy milk, almond milk, cashew milk, oat milk, hemp milk, coconut milk and probably a few more I can't recall. 

I must admit, I love soy milk. I even have a soy milk maker and used to make my own from organic soy beans. And I adored the soy yogurt I was able to make in my Instant Pot. But then I found that my thyroid was a bit sluggish and my naturopath told me to avoid soy since it's a goitrogen and can interfere with the absorption of thyroid hormone.

Other favorites were hemp milk, due to its omega-3 content, and almond milk, because of its taste and low calorie content. I also like to make my own almond milk, which is quite easy. 

Recently my friends Marcia and Bob introduced me to Ripple. I laughed when I heard the name because in the late 1960's, when I was in college, Ripple was a cheap, fortified wine that was very popular. I once had a Ripple party and we managed to line the entire perimeter of my small studio apartment with empty Ripple bottles - I don't remember much else about the party so I probably had my share.

Cheap Ripple wine, circa 1960-1970

Ripple Non-Dairy Milk
Ripple is made from peas. For me, it seems like it's the non-dairy milk most similar to the consistency and richness of soy milk. It's vegan, lactose free, nut free, soy free, and gluten free. Although it's not certified organic, it is GMO free. 

Here's what I love about it:
* It's creamy and delicious, not watery like some non-dairy milks
* It's dairy and lactose free
* It doesn't contain nuts, soy or gluten. Nuts aren't a problem for me but they are for several of my friends and now I don't have to worry about using this in a recipe
* It contains 8 g of plant protein per serving
* It even has 32mg of DHA omega 3
* The unsweetened has 0 sugar and 0 carbs
* It uses 98.5% less water than dairy milk and 96% less water than almond milk during manufacturing.

What I don't love about it:
* Although it's non-GMO, I wish it were organic. There's a big writeup in their FAQs that explains their reasoning.
* I don't love that it contains omega-6 rich sunflower oil as I try to avoid these inflammatory oils.
* Although some people like their non-dairy milk to have added calcium, I don't. A cup of Ripple contains 450mg of calcium per cup and no magnesium. This is an issue for me for three reasons: First, that's a LOT of calcium - I think people take too much of it. Second, calcium should be balanced 2:1 with magnesium and this is not. Third, if you are taking thyroid medication, you cannot take a calcium supplement for at least 4 hours. Since most people take their thyroid meds first thing in the morning, they will not be able to use Ripple or any other beverage that is heavily fortified with calcium in their morning smoothie or coffee. This is a bummer for me. 

All this said, I love this stuff. It makes an amazing smoothie (which I have in the afternoon) and a very creamy chia pudding.

Strawberry Banana Oatmeal Smoothie with Ripple
Vegan, Dairy and Gluten Free
[Makes 2 Servings]
Requires a high speed blender

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups cold Ripple unsweetened non-dairy milk
1 frozen banana
1/3 cup uncooked rolled oats
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 packet stevia

Directions
Place all the ingredients in a high speed blender and process until smooth. Serve immediately. 

Creamy strawberry banana oatmeal smoothie 

       
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Chia Pudding with Ripple
Vegan, Dairy and Gluten Free
[Makes Six (1/2-Cup) Servings]
Requires a high speed blender and a 1-quart container

Allow 1 1/2 days for soaking and thickening

Ingredients
3 Medjool dates, pits removed
2 cups unsweetened Ripple non-dairy milk
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon or to taste
1 teaspoon vanilla or to taste
1 or 2 packets stevia
1/4 cup raw chia seeds

Directions
Coarsely chop the dates and soak in the milk for 2 hours.

Place the soaked dates, milk, cinnamon, vanilla and stevia in the blender. Blend until smooth.

Pour the blended liquid in a 1-quart container. Stir in the chia seeds. Stir vigorously for 1 minute. Let the mixture sit for another 15 minutes and stir again vigorously until the chia seeds are well blended and separated. You may need to do this again a few times as the chia seeds have a tendency to clump.

Cover the container and place in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours to allow the chia seeds to absorb the liquid. 

Serve alone or with fresh fruit. I love it with fresh strawberries or mango.

Delicious chia seed pudding with strawberries

Ripple comes in other flavors: Original, Vanilla, Unsweetened Vanilla, and Chocolate.
You can make the smoothie or the chia pudding using any of these flavors.

Strawberry Banana Oatmeal Smoothie

A delightful way to eat oatmeal in the heat of the summer.

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Keep Oats in your Diet
Oats have the fiber "beta-glucan" which can help lower bad cholesterol which in turn lowers the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease. But when the weather heats up, you may not crave a bowl of hot oatmeal.

Adding uncooked rolled oats to your favorite smoothie is a refreshing way to get those healthy oats into your diet. Here's a simple recipe that uses seasonal strawberries and provides 6 grams of fiber per serving.

In the following recipe, you can substitute the almond butter and water for almond milk or any nondairy milk. 

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Strawberry Banana Oatmeal Smooth
Vegan, Dairy and Gluten Free (see note)
[makes 2 (1 1/2 Cup) Servings]

Requirements
High Speed Blender

Ingredients
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 1/2 cups cold water
1 frozen banana
1/2 cup uncooked rolled oats
1 cup sliced strawberries
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 packet stevia

Directions
Place all the ingredients in your high speed blender and process until smooth.

Nutrition
Per serving: 206 calories, 7 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 124 mg omega-3 and 1498 mg omega-6 fatty acid, 5 g protein, 36 g carbohydrates, 6 g dietary fiber, and 4 mg sodium.

Note
Although oats are naturally gluten free, they are sometimes cross contaminated. So if you have celiac or are extremely sensitive to gluten, use certified gluten free rolled oats.

Strawberry Crisp With Nutty Hemp Seed Topping

Fresh strawberries in a delicious vegan and gluten-free crisp.

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Strawberries are in Season
My little strawberry patch is producing in full force and although my favorite way of enjoying them is to just pop them in my mouth, I love making this healthy strawberry crisp. 

Strawberries from my garden.

To add additional fiber and structure, I combine the strawberries with a few delicious pears and to get a good dose of omega-3, I add raw, shelled hemp seeds. 

I like the taste of organic coconut sugar in this recipe but you can also use regular organic cane sugar. 

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Strawberry Crisp
Vegan, Gluten Free (see Note)
[makes 6 servings]

Requirements
8-inch Square Baking Pan

Ingredients
For the topping: 
3 tablespoons Earth Balance or other vegan "butter", plus more for greasing pan 
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup oat flour
1/4 cup raw hemp seeds
2 tablespoons organic coconut or cane sugar
2 (1-gram) packets stevia powder (optional)
1 teaspoon cinnamon 

For the filling: 
2 pints fresh strawberries, cut in half and sliced (~4 cups)
2 pears, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon organic coconut or cane sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch 

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan. 

Make the topping: In a small bowl, combine the oats, flour, hemp seeds, sugar, stevia, and cinnamon and mix well. Add 3 tablespoons of "butter" and mix together with your fingers or with a fork until crumbly. 

Make the filling: In a large bowl, toss the strawberries and pears with the sugar and cornstarch. Pour the fruit mixture in the prepared baking pan.

Cover the fruit evenly with the topping. 

Place in the oven and bake until the fruit is bubbly and the topping is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool for 10 minutes, and serve. 

Per serving: 231 calories, 10 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 753 mg omega-3 and 2,091 mg omega-6 fatty acids*, 0 mg cholesterol, 5 g protein, 33 g carbohydrates, 5 g dietary fiber, and 53 mg sodium. 

* Nutritional information for omega-3 or omega-6 fatty acids excludes any contribution from the Earth Balance, since that information was not available from the 

manufacturer. 

Note

Although gluten is not naturally present in oats, oats occasionally get cross-contaminated during storage and processing. If you are on a gluten-free diet, use certified gluten-free oat flour. 

12 Healthy And Delicious Things To Do With Fresh Strawberries

Fresh strawberries can be used in so many delicious ways.

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Fresh Strawberries
My garden is presenting me with the most beautiful strawberries. Last year I dedicated one of my raised garden beds to growing strawberries. We got a small harvest last season, they lived through the winter, and now they are producing in force. 

My strawberry bed

If you have strawberries in your garden or if you go to the farmers market and get inspired to buy an entire flat of these beautiful berries, you may now be asking yourself, "what should I do with all this fruit?" Here are some ideas.

Prep the Strawberries
Of course strawberries are often nice and sweet and you can just pop them in your mouth, but many can be tart and a little hard. So you may want to prep them with a tiny bit of sugar. It doesn't take very much and it makes a big difference.

Just slice fresh strawberries and place them in a bowl. Sprinkle a teaspoon of granulated sugar over them, stir well and set aside for 20 minutes until the berries soften and begin to release their juice. Now they are ready to enjoy as is or in a few of the following dishes.

Softened strawberries

#1 French Toast Smothered in Strawberries
One of my favorite things to do with strawberries, is to use them over French toast or pancakes. Smothering French toast or pancakes allows you to skip the butter and syrup!

French toast with strawberries

#2 PB&S
You've heard of PB&J- well, skip the jelly and place some "prep'ed" strawberries over your favorite nut butter on a muffin or slice of bread. Try Cinnamon Raisin Ezekiel Muffins with Almond Butter and Fresh Strawberries. 

Almond butter and fresh strawberries on an Ezekiel muffin

I also love placing strawberries on Kite Hill vegan cream cheese on a whole wheat English Muffin.

Sliced strawberries and Kite Hill or Tofutti non-dairy
cream cheese on a whole wheat English muffin.

#3 Strawberry Banana Fruit Leather
Just whip up a 2 cups of strawberries and 2 large bananas in a blender, pour onto 2 large Teflex dehydrator sheets and dehydrate until leathery and pliable. Just follow my recipe for Vegan Blueberry Banana Fruit Leather and substitute the blueberries with strawberries. These make a wonderful snack!

Pour mixture onto a dehydrator sheet

Strawberry banana fruit leather

#4 Strawberries on Greens
Most people think of putting tomatoes, radishes, cucumbers, etc. on their greens but fruit is a wonderful addition to salads. Try my Spinach and Strawberry Salad with Orange Vinaigrette. or just add sliced and "prep'ed" strawberries to any green salad.

Spinach and Strawberry salad

#5 Sugar-Free Popsicles
Popsicles are pretty easy to make and they are especially delicious with fresh strawberries. Check out this low-calorie, sugar-free Strawberry Popsicle recipe.

These strawberry popsicles are only 20 calories each!

#6 Organic Low-Sugar Strawberry Jam
This is one of my favorite things to do with strawberries. Even before I had my own strawberry patch, I would buy flats of fresh strawberries to make this delicious Strawberry Jam.

This strawberry jam is only 12 calories per tablespoon.

I was so excited to discover making jam with Pomona Universal Pectin, that I included an entire chapter in my book, Health Begins in the Kitchen, on making healthy jam. I included recipes for making jam and jelly with various fruits and different sweeteners such as honey, agave, stevia, apple-juice, grape-juice, less sugar, or no sugar at all.

#7 Freezing Strawberries
I love making smoothies in the morning and frozen strawberries are a great addition. To freeze strawberries while they are in season so that you can use them later in your smoothies, first clean them and lay them out on a cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer. Once the berries are frozen, place them in a freezer bag. Label, date, and pop in the freezer. 

Place clean strawberries on a cookie sheet in the freezer.

#8 - Make a Smoothie
You can drop some frozen strawberries in any of your favorite smoothies. Check out this recipe for Strawberry Banana Green Tea Smoothie with Chia Seeds.

#9 - Sliced Strawberries with Honey
There's a Chinese restaurant in town that serves this little desert of sliced strawberries with local honey. It's so simple yet elegant and delicious, especially if you have access to local honey. I also like to add a few dark chocolate covered almonds or a piece of dark chocolate on the side.

Drizzle local honey over sliced strawberries.

#10 - In a Fruit Salad, of Course!
The slight tartness of strawberries pair beautifully with sweet fruits such as papaya, mango, and banana. Check out this Mexican Papaya Salad with Strawberries in a poppy seed dressing.

#11 - Vegan Strawberry Ice Cream
At 73 calories per serving, you can enjoy all the Strawberry Ice Cream you want. 

This strawberry ice cream has 1/3 the calories and 1/10 the fat as Ben and Jerry's strawberry ice cream.

#12 - Vegan Wholewheat Strawberry Muffins
These wholegrain, low-calorie muffins are light and delicious. Check out the recipe for Wholewheat Strawberry Muffins.

Let us know if you have some other good ideas to share!

Whole Wheat Vegan Strawberry Muffins

These yummy strawberry muffins are only 150 calories!

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Another Way to use your Garden Strawberries
My strawberry patch is going crazy so I've been using strawberries in every delicious way I can (you'll be seeing a post next week on a dozen different ways to use strawberries so stay tuned.) For Mother's Day, I baked them into a yummy, low-calorie, low-sugar, whole grain muffin. Here's the recipe!

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Whole Wheat Strawberry Muffins
Vegan, Dairy Free
[makes 12 muffins]

Ingredients
1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing pan 
2 cups King Arthur white whole-wheat flour or 1 cup whole- wheat and 1 cup all-purpose flour) 
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
1⁄3 cup organic cane sugar
4 (1-gram) packets or equivalent bulk stevia powder 
1 tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon salt 
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1⁄2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1⁄2 cup almond or other non-dairy milk
2⁄3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup diced fresh strawberries
2 fresh strawberries, diced

D I R E C T I O NS 
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper liners. 

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, flax seeds, sugar, stevia, baking powder, and salt. 

In a large bowl, combine the orange zest, orange juice, milk, applesauce, and oil and beat well. 

Add the flour mixture to the large bowl and mix until well blended. Fold in one cup of diced strawberries.

Using an ice cream scoop or 1⁄3-cup measure, scoop batter into muffin tins. Divide up the two diced strawberries and place on top of each muffin. Gently push them in a little. 

Bake until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of a muffin, 18 to 20 minutes. 

Remove from the oven, cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, release the muffins from the pan, and serve warm. 

YI E L D 
12 Muffins 

Per serving: 152 calories, 6 g total fat, 0.7 g saturated fat, 320 mg omega-3 and 674 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 3 g protein 22 g carbohydrates, 3 g dietary fiber, and 195 mg sodium. 

For more healthy recipes, download my eBook, Health Begins in the Kitchen!

Fruit And Nut Breakfast BowlAn Easy Back To School Breakfast

Healthy breakfast bowl takes advantage of late summer fruit.

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My New Favorite Breakfast
The end of the summer brings us so much wonderful fruit. Sweat peaches are their peak ripeness, the pears are ripening, strawberries are still around, and so much more. A big bowl of fruit may be delicious but it's certainly not filling.This breakfast bowl adds nuts and seeds, cereal, and some probiotic packed, home-made soy yogurt. This provides the protein and healthy fats that will keep you satisfied until lunch time.

I Can't Believe School is Starting!
Although my children are grown, I still get those feelings of disbelief when kids start getting ready to start school in what seems like the middle of the summer. Getting kids fed and ready to leave for school, or even summer day camp for that matter, is one of the hardest thing a parent has to do. Perhaps feeding them this yummy breakfast bowl will get them to eat up without prompting them through ever bite! It's so easy, they can even help you make it.

Feel free to change up the ingredients. Basically you need 3 fruits, 3 nuts/seeds, some healthy cereal for more crunch, and your favorite yogurt. The ingredients below are for two servings but it' easy to double to make it for four.

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Fruit and Nut Breakfast Bowl
Vegan and Dairy Free (if using vegan yogurt) 
Gluten Free (if using GF cereal)
[makes 2 servings]

Ingredients
1 large peach, diced with skin
1 large pear, diced with or without skin
6 large strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup cereal (such as puffed rice or granola)
1 tablespoon raw sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon chopped raw walnuts 
1 tablespoon chopped or sliced almonds
1/2 cup yogurt

Directions
Divide the chopped fruit between two bowls.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup of cereal over each bowl. I like to use a mixture of puffed rice and puffed kamut because it has a nice crunch and very few calories. Granola would be very yummy and hearty in this recipe too but adds more calories and sugar.

Puffed brown rice and gamut

Divide the nuts and seeds among the two bowls.

Sunflower seeds, almonds and walnuts

Gently stir each bowl to mix the ingredients. Top with your favorite yogurt and serve immediately.

Refreshingly Raw 20-Calorie Strawberry Popsicles - Gluten, Dairy And Sugar Free!

Delicious, raw vegan,strawberry popsicles - only 20 calories!

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Getting Ready for Summer Fun
My grandson is coming this summer to visit, as he does every summer. We have a folder called "10 days of fun" which we have been filling with ideas of things to do while he is here. He has recently taken an interest in cooking, so I thought one of the "fun" ideas would be to make popsicles. I will put this recipe in the folder but I'm hoping he will invent his own favorite concoction. 

My 10-year-old grandson, Xavier, loves to cook!

Ice Pop Maker
You don't need a mold but they are very inexpensive and make the process pretty fool proof. The results also a lot more professional looking.

 I bought a Norpro Ice Pop Maker for under $13 on Amazon and an extra bag of popsicle sticks for another few dollars. Some people just freeze the fruit mixture in a tall shot glass or ice cube tray and place a popsicle stick in it when it starts to freeze. But using a mold is a lot easier.

This frozen pop maker produces a nice looking popsicle! 

  
Here's a recipe, but like all recipes, it is just a suggestion.
Use any fruit or juice. Use your favorite sweetener or none at all. I love stevia because it's safe and calorie free. You can also blend fruit with non-diary milk or yogurt. The combinations are endless! 

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Sugar-Free Strawberry Popsicles
Raw Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 6 popsicles]

1 pint strawberries
4 packets stevia
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup water

Wash strawberries, remove tops and thinly slice.
Place in a bowl and sprinkle with stevia. Let sit for 10 minutes.

Slice strawberries and add stevia.

Placed in a food processor with an S-blade. Add lemon juice and process until it reaches the consistency of tomato sauce.

Processs until almost smooth.

Pour into molds but leave about 1/4 inch at the top to allow for expansion. This recipe will make about 6 popsicles.  

Fill popsicle mold with strawberry mixture.

Place the lid over the filled molds and insert sticks.

Place lid and insert sticks.

Pop in the freezer unit frozen, about 4 or more hours, or overnight.

Place in the freezer.

To remove the frozen popsicles from the mold, briefly submerge the popsicle maker in a large, deep bowl - the depth of the popsicles. Leave in for 20 to 30 seconds, until the popsicles slide out.

Dip in a large, deep container filled with warm water.

You can eat them right away, although you might want to return them to the freezer for another hour, wrapped in wax paper, to harden up a little.

You can store these in the freezer, wrapped, for a few weeks.

Enjoy!

* Per popsicle: 20 calories, 0.2 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 39 mg omega-3 and 54 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 5 g carbohydrates, 1 g dietary fiber and 1 mg sodium.