Recipes | Alexis Mathews

Apple Crumb Coffee Cake

October 24, 2016 by Alexis Leave a Comment

As soon as there is even a hint of fall in the air my tastebuds immediately cry out for apple everything! Sweet, tart, baked, fried, fresh, etc… I like it in all it’s various forms. This Apple Crumb Coffee Cake gives me my apple fix in a lightly sweetened and very moist cake. It is equally tasty at breakfast, as an afternoon snack, or as dessert with it’s tender apple spice flavored apple pieces.

Apple Crumb Coffee Cake

2016-10-18 00:25:08

Yields 12

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Nutrition Facts

Serving Size

95g

Yields

Amount Per Serving

Calories 175

Calories from Fat 17

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 2g

Saturated Fat 1g

Trans Fat 0g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0g

Monounsaturated Fat 0g

Cholesterol 3mg

Sodium 119mg

Total Carbohydrates 37g

12%

Dietary Fiber 1g

Sugars 17g

Protein 3g

Vitamin A

Vitamin C

Calcium

Iron

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

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Cake

1 medium baking apple
⅔ cup applesauce
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 flax eggs (2T ground flax with 6T warm water, let sit)
1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. Apple pie spice
2 tsp. Baking powder
½ tsp. salt

Crumble Topping

4 Tbsp. brown sugar
4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 Tbsp. non-dairy butter, softened

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Grease the bottom and sides of a square 8x8 pan well with coconut oil.
Peel and chop apple into small bites, I like to use a good tart Green Granny Smith to offset the sweetness in the cake.
Sprinkle about 1 T. brown sugar over the top of apples.
In the bowl of a stand mixer combine sugars, eggs, and applesauce until combined.
In a separate bowl mix flour, baking powder, apple pie spice, and salt well.
Add the flour a bit at a time to your mixing bowl until thoroughly mixed.
Pour milk into batter and mix 1 more minute.
Pour batter into prepared pan over apples.
Combine brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter in a small bowl.
Work together with a fork until crumbly.
Sprinkle evenly over top of batter.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

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calories

175

fat

protein

carbs

37g

Alexis Mathews https://alexismathews.com/

Fall Harvest Breakfast Cookies

October 17, 2016 by Alexis 1 Comment

There is no other season quite like fall-the crisp air, crunching leaves, cozy fires, and of course-pumpkin flavored everything! I love to experiment with new recipes and find new ways to incorporate the flavors of fall.

Canned pumpkin is a great choice for recipes from desserts to soups and everything in between so I knew it was going to be a key ingredient in these Fall Harvest Breakfast Cookies. They are loaded up with great natural ingredients and are gluten free, dairy free, and vegan.

Whether you are looking for a quick breakfast chock full of good for you ingredients or a healthy afternoon snack this recipe has you covered!

Fall Breakfast Cookies

2016-10-17 23:46:13

Serves 24

A delicious fall inspired breakfast cookie to start your day off on the right foot.

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Nutrition Facts

Serving Size

69g

Servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 204

Calories from Fat 82

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 9g

14%

Saturated Fat 4g

18%

Trans Fat 0g

Polyunsaturated Fat 2g

Monounsaturated Fat 3g

Cholesterol 0mg

Sodium 134mg

Total Carbohydrates 30g

10%

Dietary Fiber 1g

Sugars 5g

Protein 2g

Vitamin A

Vitamin C

Calcium

Iron

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

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Ingredients

2 cups quick cooking oats
¼ cup real maple syrup
½ -¾ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup coconut oil
2 flax eggs (2T ground flax with 6T warm water, let sit)
1 tsp.pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
¼ tsp. salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350℉.
Line baking sheet with foil, parchment paper, or a silpat mat. If you do not already own a silpat mat and you enjoy baking I recommend grabbing one. They help your food to cook evenly, make cleanup easier, and cuts out the waste of throwing foil away repeatedly.
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl until well mixed, mixture will be a sticky still. These breakfast cookies are meant to be just lightly sweetened but you can add a bit more maple syrup to increase the sweetness.
Scoop heaping tablespoons of mixture onto prepared pans, flatten gently with your palm.
Bake for 16-18 minutes until golden brown.
Allow to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Heat for 10-15 seconds in the microwave or toaster over to warm.

Great tip

Get creative and customize these breakfast cookies with your favorite add ins like pecans, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, or even chocolate chips. Stir in a ¼ cup of whichever one you like, if mixture is too dry to hold together add a bit more coconut oil.

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calories

204

fat

protein

carbs

30g

Alexis Mathews https://alexismathews.com/

Most Popular Posts of 2014

January 7, 2015 by Alexis Leave a Comment

Health Matters. Life Matters. Popular Posts of 2014. AlexisMathews.com

A new year has begun and with it comes a time for reflection and re-evaluation. As I mentioned previously, my word for this year is Faith. I have faith that there will be personal and professional growth in my life this year. A big part of that professional growth involves you. You have helped make this past year an amazing first year for Health Matters. Life Matters.

Because of your support the following 10 blog posts stood out among the rest as my most popular posts in 2014. This reflection gives me great insight into what you need from me in the coming year. It is my goal to provide more content related to the topics you clearly enjoy. Thank you for your support and encouragement over the past year, I truly appreciate it from the bottom of my heart.

1. Cure Pink Eye with Essential Oils

2. Weight Loss Doesn’t Start with Exercise

3. Vegan and Gluten Free Snack Ideas for Kids at Park or Beach

4. 11 Ways to Easily Remove Processed Sugars From Your Diet

5. My Experiment with a Drastic Change in Diet

6. 31 Days of Healthy Living Tips

7. 16 Best Ways to Utilize Nutritional Yeast

8. Colorful Raw Quinoa Salad

9. How I Cured My Mood Swings Naturally

10. Vegan Cheese Alternatives

The Perfect Vegan and Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

August 22, 2014 by Alexis 5 Comments

Perfect vegan and gluten free chocolate cake. www.alexismathews.com

Today marks a new chapter in our family, our oldest is celebrating his thirteenth birthday. As the oldest of seven children, he is our first teenager and starts a long line of teenagers to come. We will have at least one teenager in our family for the next 17 years. I don’t dare stop and think too long on that fact because it will bring me to my knees in fear.

No honestly, between my husband and I, I think we have this teenage thing handled. We are good balance in the parenting department and will get through any challenge that our new teenagers and the teens after him might throw our way.

When it comes to desserts, we have never been a huge family of sweets. In general, sweets have been reserved for special treats, celebrations, and holidays. We certainly are not like most families and prepare a dessert for after every dinner.

Since living a vegan and gluten free lifestyle our options for sweet treats has dwindled dramatically. I do not subscribe to the over abundance of gluten free junk food that is available in local stores. We enjoy real foods with minimal ingredients and I prefer to make our meals rather than buy prepackaged mixes.

As my son’s birthday approached I searched and searched for an acceptable vegan and gluten free cake. One that would live up to the typical birthday cake, rich and moist. Finding one with minimal ingredients proved to be more difficult than I anticipated. Not wanting to let my son down, I set out to create my own vegan and gluten free chocolate cake worthy of birthday celebrations.

Considering there were only crumbs left at the end of the party I think I baked a caked worthy of many birthday celebrations to come.

The Perfect Vegan and Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

2014-08-21 22:13:43

Serves 8

A vegan and gluten free chocolate cake worthy of birthdays and celebrations.

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Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

32 min

Total Time

42 min

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

32 min

Total Time

42 min

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size

141g

Servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 466

Calories from Fat 135

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 16g

24%

Saturated Fat 12g

62%

Trans Fat 0g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 1g

Cholesterol 0mg

Sodium 309mg

13%

Total Carbohydrates 79g

26%

Dietary Fiber 5g

18%

Sugars 29g

Protein 7g

Vitamin A

Vitamin C

Calcium

Iron

11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

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Ingredients

2 cups gluten free flour, I used sorghum (milo) flour
1 cup coconut sugar
½ cup cocoa powder
1 t. baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl sift together all of the dry ingredients; flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
By hand, mix in the coconut oil, vanilla, apple cider vinegar, and water. Stir until combined. Do not over mix.
Pour batter in an 11x7" glass baking dish. Bake for 32 minutes or until a knife comes clean from the middle.
Dust with confectioners sugar before serving.

By Health Matters. Life Matters.

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calories

466

fat

16g

protein

carbs

79g

Alexis Mathews https://alexismathews.com/

You can find this recipe linked on the Plant Based Potluck Party

Vegan and Gluten Free Indian Pancakes

August 11, 2014 by Alexis 3 Comments

Incredible Indian Pancakes. Gluten free, vegan, quick and easy. My entered family loves this recipe!

I am very fortunate in that my husband and all of our children enjoy foods from a wide variety of cultures. Asian, Indian, and Mexican cuisines are by far all of our favorite. A few weeks ago I was craving Indian food but needed something quick and easy.

I knew of the basic part of this Indian pancake recipe from a high school friend who frequently made a version of this dish and brought it to get togethers many years ago. After a few changes to the recipe I was able to create this delicious vegan and gluten free version of an old favorite.

My entire family loved this dish so much that I made it twice in one week, two days apart to be exact but who is counting. For my family of 9 healthy eaters, I at least quintuple this recipe so that we hopefully have a few leftover pancakes for lunch the following day.

If you are craving something different or want to spice up your usual vegan and gluten free recipe routine, this is a must have tonight! If you have a gluten free pantry you will surely have all of the ingredients for these incredible Indian pancakes.

Incredible Indian Pancakes

2014-08-08 15:41:41

Serves 6

A quick and easy dinner for any night of the week. These gluten free and vegan Indian pancakes are sure to please even the pickiest member of your family.

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Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

20 min

Total Time

30 min

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

20 min

Total Time

30 min

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size

93g

Servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 170

Calories from Fat 71

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 8g

13%

Saturated Fat 7g

36%

Trans Fat 0g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0g

Monounsaturated Fat 0g

Cholesterol 0mg

Sodium 405mg

17%

Total Carbohydrates 23g

Dietary Fiber 2g

Sugars 2g

Protein 2g

Vitamin A

Vitamin C

Calcium

Iron

11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

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Ingredients

coconut oil or EVOO, use enough to shallow fry
½ cup Sorghum Flour
½ cup Tapioca Flour
1 cup Coconut Milk, canned and full fat
1 tsp salt, adjust to taste
½ tsp Chili Powder
¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
½ onion, chopped
1 handful cilantro leaves, chopped
1 serrano pepper, minced (optional)
1 tsp ginger powder

Instructions

Combine flours, coconut milk and spices in a large bowl.
Add onions, peppers, and cilantro to the batter.
Heat approx. 1T oil per pancake in a stainless steel pan.
Drop pancake batter by large spoonful into hot oiled pan.
Cook 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown.
Serve with chutney, ketchup, and additional cilantro to garnish.
Enjoy!

By Alexis Mathews

beta

calories

170

fat

protein

carbs

23g

Alexis Mathews https://alexismathews.com/

You can fin this recipe on the Plant Based Potluck Party

Amazing Cashew Cream

July 13, 2014 by Alexis 2 Comments

It is not an understatement when I say that discovering cashew cream revolutionized my vegan kitchen and opened up a world of tastes and textures in our vegan lifestyle.

What is even more amazing beyond the taste is the simplicity of the recipe and the ease with which cashew cram is made.

I always have a large container of cashew cream made up in my refrigerator ready to enjoy and add to dishes. Our favorite dishes to add cashew cream to are vegan tacos, baked potato slices, cream inspired soups, and so much more. Basically anywhere we want a creamy taste or texture is fair game for a dollop or two of this protein and vitamin packed creamy cashew goodness.

Cashew cream is used to replace cheese, sour cream, and cream in vegan recipes.

The health benefits of cashews include the following:

Unsaturated fats; proven to be beneficial to lowering cholesterol and improving heart health
Excellent source of copper which is necessary for numerous functions in your body
Good source of Vitamins K, B and E
Add fiber and protein to your diet
Beneficial in controlling blood sugar which is helpful if you are a diabetic or borderline diabetic
Contain antioxidants which act as anti-cancer agents

So what are you waiting for? Go grab a pound or more of raw cashews and start your first batch of this amazing, creamy, versatile cashew cream.

Amazing Cashew Cream

2 cups raw cashews
8 cups water

Cover cashews with water overnight in a large bowl. If you are in a hurry use boiling water to soak cashews. If using hot water your soak time is reduced to 2-4 hours versus overnight.

Drain cashews. Place cashews in a high speed blender, I love using my Vita-Mix for this recipe. Add 1/2 to 1 cup of water with cashews in the blender. Blend until smooth and thick like sour cream. Add more water as necessary to facilitate proper blending and cream texture.

While cashew cream is amazing in its original state, there are a few taste modifications you can make depending on your preference. You can add salt, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, curry powder, or garlic to taste.

Please let me know if you try this recipe and how you enjoy it. Also, do you have another favorite way to enjoy cashew cream in your dishes?

Grab 21 Gluten-Free Meals from Costco for $162

July 1, 2014 by Alexis Leave a Comment

*This post contains affiliate links which help support this site and my family. Thank you for your support.*

If you have a Costco membership you know that it can be a blessing and a curse. A blessing because you can potentially save a ton of money if you shop smart but also a curse because you can walk out spending way more than you had planned. Also as you know, the quantities are huge at Costco so unless you have a large family or the storage space to keep your extras the cost savings might not be worth your time, effort, or membership costs.

However, Erin over at $5 Dinners has created a meal plan and recipe book for those of you who are gluten free and enjoy shopping at Costco. In this ebook you will get 11 recipes complete with Costco shopping list, recipes, and ingredient list totals itemized. If you are gluten free like I am you know how valuable new gluten free recipe can be not to mention a complete shopping list to make your time in Costco as quick and easy as possible. I always have at least four kids with me when I shop at Costco, most times all seven so a shopping list is golden and like time in my hands.

Erin is offering her latest ebook for the amazingly low price of $1.99, what a steal! Be sure and grab your copy before it is too late!

21 Gluten-Free Meals from Costco for $162

Erin also has other meal plan books that might interest you:

31 Days of Gluten Free Meals ebook

Costco Plan #1

Costco Plan #2

Ginger & Tumeric Carrot Soup

June 12, 2014 by Alexis Leave a Comment

carrot soup

I have an over abundance of organic carrots right now because I accidentally ordered 50# from Azure Standard last month. My mouth about dropped when our driver unloaded two 25# bags and they both had my name on it. Surely I thought there had been a mistake in their warehouse, nope the mistake rested squarely on my shoulders.

So after pawning off as many carrots as I could earlier this month and taking one entire 25# bag to my mother-in-laws for her horses I still had a large bag of carrots filling up my spare refrigerator. What ever was I going to do with all of those carrots?

Then it dawned on me! Carrot soup.

I knew it was going to have to be extra special carrot soup in order for my family to enjoy it and maybe even request second helpings. So I set to work one afternoon with my vegetable peeler in hand and got to work.

For a family my size, nine of us in total, I peeled five pounds of those beta carotene packed vitamin sticks. Unfortunately, I also clogged our garbage disposal in the meantime with the peels. My husband wasn’t too thrilled about that one. Note to self, do not put peels down the drain, potato, carrot or otherwise. Thankfully, the end result of my peeling was well received by my husband so he has forgiven me for my careless mistake.

After I finished making the soup and we all sat down for dinner I cautiously awaited the final verdict on this new recipe. I think one of my three year old twins summed it up best when she said “nummy soup Mommy” and my two year old son said “more, Mommy, more”.

Filed Under: Gluten Free, Health Matters, Recipes, Vegan

Cure Swimmer’s Ear Naturally

June 11, 2014 by Alexis Leave a Comment

All seven of my children come by swimming naturally, we live in a climate that is warm and sunny over 300 days of the year. My husband and I also put a huge emphasis on learning to swim from a very early age.

We were fortunate to find a swim program that teaches kids to swim as early as 18 months when our oldest boys were very young. Each of our children have gone through these classes as soon as they were old enough. Water safety is of a huge importance in our family.

Needless to say during the warm summer months my family and I are poolside more often then not. However, I have one one that struggles with swimmers ear.

Swimmers Ear

According to the Mayo Clinic, swimmers ear is defined as an infection in the outer ear canal. It is often times brought on by water remaining in the ear canal providing a moist environment perfect for bacterial growth.

If I can avoid antibiotics I will. Swimmers ear is a perfect case for treating the infection naturally without the use of Western medicine. I always closely monitor how my son’s ear is feeling when he mentions his ear is hurting after swimming. If I am unable to treat the swimmers ear at home of course I won’t hesitate to take my son to the doctor but there is a time and place for treating cases such as his at home.

Essential oils are always my go to for treating a wide plethora of conditions. To date I’ve been able to easily treat my son’s swimmers ear with essential oils and homemade ointment.

My favorite essential oil recipe for treating swimmers ear is a mixture of chamomile roman, red thyme, and tea tree oil mixed with ointment. I then place a bit of essential oil and ointment mixture in my son’s affected ear and close with a small bit of cotton ball. My son leaves it in his ear for 1-2 hours and carefully removes the ointment after that time.

1/2 ounce homemade ointment
10 drops chamomile roman
4 drops thyme
4 drops tea tree oil

Mix oils then combine with homemade ointment.

Homemade Natural Ointment

June 11, 2014 by Alexis Leave a Comment

Let me just get this out in the open from the very beginning, I loathe the commercially available vegetable ointment. You know the stuff, it comes in a rectangle container and has been around forever.

*This post may contain affiliate links. These links help support this website, thank you for your support*

Ointment

While the most popular petroleum jelly is made with USP white petrolatum, which according to most sources is safe. There are numerous brands available that are made with petroleum with questionable manufacturing processes. Some sources even caution to stay away from all petroleum sources because it’s carcinogenic affects have not been proven.

Seriously, who would want to slather this on their body? I haven’t purchased petroleum based ointment in years. Instead I opt for this natural recipe free of chemicals and preservatives.

1T bees wax
4T organic extra virgin olive oil

In a double boiler (or small glass bowl placed over a medium sauce pan with a small amount of water) melt the bees wax. When bees wax has melted, add olive oil 1T at a time. Stir constantly until mixed. Cool and store in a heat proof sealed container (small Pyrex bowl is my favorite).

Once cooled you can add your favorite essential oils or use plain as you would normally use the well known vegetable based ointment.